From: Jane Johnson < janejohnson140@hotmail.com > Sent: Tue, Dec 1, 2015 10:30 am Subject: I am looking forward to read from you soon My Dearest, (Compliment of the day) How was your day?I seek a long term relationship with a family oriented person with the intentions of establishing a family where children will grow to be happy in the future.To me age differences is not a barrier what i just need from you is total love and caring. My name is Miss Jane Johnson I am a (24year) single and never married, I am from Abidjan Ivory Coast in West Africa and presently I am residing in the Red Cross camp here in Senegal as a result of the civil war that was fought in my country. My late father Dr. Johnson Albert was one of the most successful entrepreneur in my country before the rebels attacked our house one early morning killing my mother and my father. It was only me that is alive now and I was the only child, so united nation take many of us to near by country Dakar Senegal where i am seeking asylum now. I would like to know more about you. Your likes and dislikes. Your hobbies and what you are doing presently. My hobbies are :cooking, reading, I like to go to beach and I love to dance and make people laugh, my friends describe me as a funny person, I will tell more about myself in my next mail. Attached here is my picture for you. though I am not all that photogenic, I hope you wouldn't mind. Thanks and take good care of yourself really look forward to reading from you soon. Thanks. Yours Truly Friendship. Jane. From: Jane Johnson < janejohnson140@hotmail.com > Sent: Wed, Dec 2, 2015 9:39 am Subject: I will like you to help me process and transfer this $5.3m. Hello My dearest, how are you today, how was your night, hope you sleep peacefully if so thanks be to God, I am glad to write to you, how are you, Hope you are fine, I thank God for you . May God protect you for me because he is the one who brought you in my life, I will like him to make away for you, Honey i love the way you sound to me and i promise to be with you and i will like you to help me to come out of this camp so that i will come to your country for us to carry out and actualize our dream. Honey In this camp we are only allowed to go out any how from the camp, Its just like someone staying in the prison and I hope by God grace I will come out here very soon, Honey i do not have another relative now whom i can go to all my relatives ran away in the middle of the war, the only person i have now is Reverend Father peter David who is the Reverend Minister in charge of the church in this camp (CHRIST THE SAVIOR MISSION). He has been very nice to me since I came here but I am not living with him rather I am living in the women's hostel because the camp have two hostels one for men the other one for women, the Pastors telephone number is + 221.772604093 highlighting feel free to call me through his number If you call tell him that you want to speak with me, he will sent for me in the hostel, as a refugee here I do not have any right or privilege to any thing be it money or whatever because it is against the law of this country, i want to go back to my profession because it was my father's dream to establish a maternity for me before the tragic incident that lead to me being in this situation took place. Please listen to this I have my late father's statement of account and death certificate here with me which I will send to you latter, because when he was alive he deposited some amount of money in a leading bank in London which he used my name as the next of kin, the amount in question is $5.3 (Five Million, three Hundred Thousand US Dollars) So I will like you to help me process and transfer this money to your account as a 'foreign partner which was the bank's condition to get the money transferred, from it we can travel to America or an With love and trusty major country in Europe and live there, I kept this secret to people in the camp here, the only person that knows about it is the Reverend Father because he is like a father to me, So in the light of above i will like you to keep it to yourself and please do not tell it to anyone because I am afraid of loosing my life and the money if people gets to know about it. Remember I am giving you all this information because of the trust i deposed on you, Honey I like honest, understanding and God fearing people, truthful and a man of vision and also a hard working man, My favorite language is English, Meanwhile I will like you to call me by 2.00 o'clock GMT Senegalese local time, like I said i have a lot to tell you. Have a nice day and think about me. i love you so much, i love you with hug and kiss, i love you more and more, one love keep us together, i will be waiting to hear from you soonest thanks and remain blessed, Yours Jane From: Jane Johnson < janejohnson140@hotmail.com > Sent: Thu, Dec 3, 2015 8:43 am Subject: Please contact the bank for confirmation transfer Hello my dearest, How are you doing today and how is life with you today ? I hope every thing is moving fine with you if so thanks be to God for every thing. Ifor your caretowards me, Please I will like you to make contact with the bank because I have already official letter of nomination to the bank, that is to inform them that you are the person i present to represent me for the transfer of my inheritance to your position, now what you will do is to write to the bank and introduce yourself as the person that I nominated to stand on my behalf for the claim of my inheritance/transfer, ask them what to do and the best way to transfer the money to your account, for more clarification, below is the full contact of the bank and the deposit information, The name of the transfer officer is Mr.Peter Sand. STANDARD CHARTERED BANK PLC. standardcharteredbankoflondon.1@aol.com st.charteredcustormercare@aol.com Tax:. . . . +44-702-408-1180 Tel:. . . . . +44 020 7888 8588 DEPOSIT INFORMATION. Name of depositor:. . . Dr Albert Johnson . Nationality: . . . . . . . Ivory coast Next of kin :. . . . . . . . . . . Miss Jane Johnson. Amount deposited:. . . . . .$5.3 million. Account Number:. . . . . . . SCBUK874560245037/ZK/87/E Please contact the bank immediately, I really want everything concerning this transfer to be legally handled, please take this transfer as your own, I have trusted everything into your hand and again have in mind that I really want to relocate and meet you over there, so that I will take good care of my health and start a new life under your control, the most important thing is that you should handle this matter as your own, am waiting for your reply as soon as you contact them, bye for now, Yours faithful Miss Jane From: standardcharteredbankoflondon.1 < standardcharteredbankoflondon.1@aol.com > Sent: Thu, Dec 3, 2015 2:56 pm Subject: WELCOME TO STANDARD CHARTERED BANK LONDON STANDARD CHARTERED BANK OFLONDON PLC. ADDRESS: 1 BASINGHALL AVENUE, LONDON, EC2V 5DD UNITED KINGDOM TELEPHONE NUMBER: +44-702-408-0154 FAX NUMBER:+44-702-408-1180 CONFIRMATION OF APPLICATION For Your Attention. I have been directed by the director of Foreign Operation/Wire Transfer to write you in respect to your mail we received today, Actually, we have earlier been told about you by the young lady Miss Jane Johnson that she wishes you to be her trustee/representative for the claim of her late father's deposit with our bank. Late Dr.Johnson Albert is our late customer with substantial amount (US$5,300,000.00) of deposit with us. Hence you have been really appointed as a trustee to represent the next of Kin. However before our bank will transact any business concerning the transfer of the fund with you, we will like you to send the our bank followings: (1) A power of attorney and affidavit of oath permitting you to claim and transfer the funds to your bank account on her behalf. This document must be endorsed by a Senegal resident lawyer where the girl is residing now and also the girl signature so that the document will be authentic for the transfer. (2) The death certificate of late Dr.Johnson Albert (Her deceased father) confirming the death. (3). A copy of statement of account issued to Dr.Johnson Albert by our bank. Note that the above are compulsory, and are needed to protect our interest,yours, the next of kin after the claims.These shall also ensure that a smooth, quick and successful transfer of the fund is made. We promise to give our customers the best of our services. Should you have any question(s), please do not hesitate to contact me today or you can contact our foreign transfer officer Mr.Peter sands.office telephone number; +44- 702-4081180. Sincerely, Mr. Philip Hampton. = = = = = = = END OF MESSAGE= = = = = = = The standard chartered bank international plc, Registered in London No. 3621 . Registered Office: 1 Basinghall Avenue, London, and EC2V 5DD, How to request a standard chartered bank SWIFT Funds Transfer : At standard chartered UK, you can make a SWIFT Funds Transfer in 2 ways : The quickest and most convenient way to make a SWIFT transfer is by simply calling standard charteredPhone on 0800 00 55 00 (or dial +44 20 7500 5500 if calling from abroad) (or dial if calling from abroad) You can also request a transfer by visiting us at www.standardchartered.com Please note there is a 4pm cut off time for same day processing. Requests received after this time will be processed the following working day. As a general rule, international funds transfers may take 1 to 3 working days to be credited to the beneficiary bank. Standard chartered bank cannot guarantee the exact time taken as this depends on the local and intermediary bank systems. Find out more about our use of cookies. From: Jane Johnson < janejohnson140@hotmail.com > Sent: Fri, Dec 4, 2015 7:42 am Subject: Please contact this lawyer for the preparation of the documents My dear love, How are you doing today which is the most impotent to me? i am very happy to read the reply from the bank today with all they required needed before the transfer can be made, now regarding the requests the bank needs from us I have the statement of account of my late father and his death certificate here with me which I will send to you later, I thought the only thing the bank needs from us but since they need the power of attorney and the affidavit of oath to support. I have informed the Reverend about it and he gave me the contact of this lawyer below, is an attorney registered with the United Nations Country here and is also a registered member of the Bar Senegal that will help in the preparation of documents to us, Please I will like you to contact him through email and phone today, when talking to him I say that you are my foreign partner and you want him to prepare a power of attorney and also get the affidavit of oath / support from high court here in Dakar Senegal, and will do in your name to enable the transfer of my late father's account at Standard Chartered Bank PLC to your account in your country. His contact information is as follows, Bar (Barrister) ELVIS GOMIS, Phone: +221-765815796 barristerelvisgomis@mail.com Therefore, I would like to contact him for the preparation of the power of attorney and the affidavit of oath, Please try and contact me when in contact with him and let me know if he agrees to help, please I would like to first get the money transferred and from it you can send some money for me prepare my traveling documents and I will start to come to meet with you over there in your country. Thanks once again when I think of you always. I love you from my heart of hearts, Yours forever in love, Jane . From: barrister elvisgomis < barristerelvisgomis@mail.com > Sent: Fri, Dec 4, 2015 5:30 pm Subject: Informations needed for the preparation of demanded documents. LEGAL PRACTITIONER & ATTORNEYS OF SUPREME COURT OF JUSTICE E LVIS CHAMBER & SOLICITOR`S (Esq.) Principal Attorney Sage Law Firm 48 Avenue Lamine Gueye International Airport Rd Dakar - Senegal Telephone No: +221-765815796 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Attention, This is to inform you that your mail has been received in our law chambers today been 04 December 2015, as regards the preparation of a power of attorney and affidavit of oath for you and your partner Miss Jane Johnson, the content of your mail is well understood by me. Our noble law firm wish to bring to your notice that before we can proceed with this services we will want you to forward to our law firm immediately your full contact information's as follows below. Full name . . . . . . . . Office address . . . . . . Your age . . . . . . . . . Phone number . . . . . . . Fax number . . . . . . . . Occupation . . . . . . . . Nationalities . . . . . . Country of resident . . . . . . . So that we will ascertain from the federal high court cost of the authentication of the power of attorney and affidavit of oath before it becomes valid for the transfer of the money into your account. After which the law firm will contact you back with the required costs before accepting to render the required legal services. Have a nice day. Yours sincerely in service Barrister, Elvis Gomis ( ESQ ) Solicitors & Advocates Tel ; +221-765-815-796 Fax ! +221-439-096-449 No NW 48 Avenue Lamine Gueye. ( Principal Attorney ) From: Jane Johnson < janejohnson140@hotmail.com > Sent: Sat, Dec 5, 2015 7:56 pm Subject: Please send your informations to the lawyer barristerelvisgomis@mail.com Hello my dear. How are you doing which is the most impotent to me ? i hope God is in control ? if so thanks God, Iwant you to know that i received the below mail from the lawyer after i contacted him to know when the documents will be ready and he forward the below mail to me and according to his mail i have notified that the lawyer want you to send him your information for the preparation of the documents, please darling send to him according to his instructions OK, so that he will use it and get all the documents for us so that i will sign the documents as the bank demanded so that there will be a very easy successful transfer with the bank, please send your information to the lawyer and let us hear from him about the preparation of the documents, thank you very much and God bless you, am waiting to hear from you soonest, bye for now with my lovely deep kisses Your sweet heart Jane. From: janejohnson janejohnson < 772604093@outlook.com > Sent: Thu, Dec 17, 2015 8:26 am Subject: My love, you need to contact the Rev. Father to receive your $350,000 compensation : rev.peterdavid36@hotmail.com Hello my dear lovely friend, This is Miss Jane Johnson who some time ago you c ontacted you abouta transfer of funds to your account as s tated in my proposal, I am very glad to work harder to inform you about my success in getting the fund transferred is to a Swiss account with the cooperation of my new partner in Norway, Which is an international businessman .I'am now for investment projects in Norway. Meanwhile, I did not forget your past and Attempts Efforts to help me in Transferring Those funds DESPITE not work for us in some way, I'm happy to announce este me and my new husband reside in Norway as the transfer is complete. Meanwhile, I'm compensating you w ith the sum of ($ 350,000) three hundred FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS for showing interest in me These Days trying to help me please for what I want to accept as a gift This from my heart I Would have sent email you this before, but due to the hurried trip with my husband went to Norway and have been watching since my Movements, I repeat I signed a check of ($ 350,000). On Their Behalf as my compensation for you, just to show how grateful I am to your Concerns Because Those Days and have successfully completed the transfer . Now you need to contact the Reverend Father, peter David (CHRIST THE TASTE INT 'MISSION DAKAR SENEGAL). i wish you well as you c laim by the draft early enough make sure you follow directives of h is emails Rev rev.peterdavid36@hotmail.com + 221-765271225 Meanwhile, i will write you w henever i have a little chance to do that. Bye for now andthe good Lord protect you and your family for me forever and ever amen. Yours truly, Jane From: janejohnson janejohnson < 772604093@outlook.com > Sent: Fri, Dec 18, 2015 9:56 am Subject: Hello, my friend. Hello my friend, How are you doing right now ? Also your family and your good health w hich is the m ost Important t hing to kn ow a bout you ? Please, f ormal friend, I would like to c larify t hat you worry about this gift I fail on your name t hrough Rev. you must f ight a gainst anything possible just to contact the direct Reverend and collect what belongs to you without any delay, b ecause I instruct the t his Issue Rev. concern s hould I fast everything to allow you to get the project right away, so my friend gently fight every effort to contact the Rev. Immediately know the p ossibility of receiving this successful project, for. Please r emember that I am in another man t hat monitoring do not allow more to be checking my e-mail a lso advise you to do everything t hrough direct Reverend b ecause of my husband t hat I does not know about this issue because i fail this GIFT secretly. I'll be waiting for your next answer t hat good news as y ou have received this draft . I wait for your good news Jane From: st.charteredcustormercare < st.charteredcustormercare@aol.com > Sent: Thu, Dec 31, 2015 11:40 am Subject: CHARTERED BANK LONDON STANDARD CHARTEREDBANK OFLONDON PLC ADDRESS: 1 BASINGHALL AVENUE, LONDON, EC2V 5DD UNITED KINGDOM TELEPHONE NUMBER: +44-702-408-0154 FAX NUMBER:+44-702-408-1180 STANDARD CHARTEREDBANK OFLONDON PLCADDRESS: 1 BASINGHALL AVENUE, LONDON, EC2V 5DDUNITED KINGDOMTELEPHONE NUMBER:FAX NUMBER:+44-702-408-1180 st.charteredcustormercare@aol.com standardcharteredbankoflondon.1@aol.com CONFIRMATION OF APPLICATION : janejohnson140@hotmail.com Attention, Sir. I have been directed by the director of Foreign Operation/Wire Transfer to write you in respect to mail we received from your partner today, Actually, we have earlier been told about you by the young lady Miss Jane Johnson that she wishes you to be her trustee/representative for the claim of her late father's deposit with our bank. Late Dr. Johnson Albert is our late customer with substantial amount US$5,300,000.00 of deposit with us. Hence you have been really appointed as a trustee to represent the next of kin. However before our bank will transact any business concerning the transfer of the fund with you, we will like you to send the our bank followings: (1) A power of attorney and affidavit of oath permitting you to claim and transfer the funds to your bank account on her behalf. This document must be endorsed by a Senegal resident lawyer where the girl is residing now and also the girl signature so that the document will be authentic for the transfer. (2) The death certificate of late Dr.Johnson Albert (Her deceased father) confirming the death. (3). A copy of statement of account issued to Dr.Johnson Albert by our bank. Note that the above are compulsory, and are needed to protect our interest,yours, the next of kin after the claims. These shall also ensure that a smooth, quick and successful transfer of the fund is made. We promise to give our customers the best of our services. Should you have any question(s), please do not hesitate to contact me today or you can contact our foreign transfer officer Mr.Peter sands.office telephone number; +44- 702-4081180. Sincerely, Mr. Philip Hampton. = = = = = = = END OF MESSAGE= = = = = = = The standard chartered bank international plc, Registered in London No. 3621 . Registered Office: 1 Basinghall Avenue, London, and EC2V 5DD, How to request a standard chartered bank SWIFT Funds Transfer: At standard chartered UK, you can make a SWIFT Funds Transfer in 2 ways: The quickest and most convenient way to make a SWIFT transfer is by simply calling standard chartered phone on0800 00 55 00(or dial+44 20 7500 5500if calling from abroad) You can also request a transfer by visiting us at www.standardchartered.com Please note there is a 4pm cut off time for same day processing. Requests received after this time will be processed the following working day. As a general rule, international funds transfers may take 3 to 4 working days to be credited to the beneficiary bank. Standard chartered bank cannot guarantee the exact time taken as this depends on the local and intermediary bank systems. From: Rev.Peter David < rev.peterdavid36@hotmail.com > Sent: Fri, Jan 8, 2016 8:05 am Subject: My son, send the following details below about your $350,000 My Beloved Son in Christ. I pray for the peace and love of God to always be with you and your house-hold, I am very happy to hear from you my son, in respect of you missive, Well, the young girl Miss Jane Johnson dropped acheck in my care before she traveled with her husband and ask me to deliver the checks to you, any time you contact me. I have no problem, she gave me a cheque of $350,000.00 for you, so you have to send your information as where to deliver the checks, for me to be able to send the check to you through DHL delivering service. My son, send the following details below, where you want the check to be delivered to you, through a speed post. (1) Name in full: . . . . . . (2) The address of your resident or place of work where you want the checks to be delivered. (3) Your Telephone no.: . . . . . . . . . (4) Your Country of origin: . . . . . . . . Thank and God Bless you your father in the lord Rev. David Peter (Christ the savior mission Senegal) From: Rev.Peter David < rev.peterdavid36@hotmail.com > Sent: Wed, Jan 27, 2016 11:22 am Subject: My Beloved Son in Christ My Beloved Son in Christ. I pray for the peace and love of God to always be with you and your house-hold, I am very happy to hear from you my son, in respect of you missive. Miss Jane Johnson dropped the cheque in my care before she traveled with her husband and ask me to deliver the checks to you, any time you contact me. I have no problem, she gave me a Cheque of ($ 350,000.00) USD for you, so you have to send your information as where to deliver the checks, for me to be able to send the check to you through DHL delivering service. My son, send the following details below, where you want the checks to be delivered to you, through a speed post. (1) Name in full: . . . . . . (2) The address of your resident or place of work where you want the checks to be delivered. (3) Your Telephone No: . . . . . . . . . (4) Your Country of origin: . . . . . . . . Thank and God Bless you your father in the lord Rev. David Peter (Christ the savior mission Senegal) +221675271225 From: janejohnson janejohnson < 772604093@outlook.com > Sent: Thu, Jan 28, 2016 4:53 pm Subject: As you have received this draft from Rev. Hello my friend, How are you doing right now ? Also your family and your good health Which is the Most Important Thing to Know About ? Please, Formal friend, I would like to Clarify That you worry about this gift I fail on you name Through Rev. you must Fight Against anything possible just to contact the direct Reverend and collect what belongs to you without any delay, Because I instruct the This Issue Rev. concern Should I fast everything to allow you to get the project right away, so my friend gently fight every effort to contact the Rev. Immediately know the Possibility of receiving esta successful project, for Please Remember That I am in another man That monitoring do not allow more to be checking my e-mail Also advise you to do everything Through direct Reverend Because of my husband That I does not know about this issue because i fail THIS GIFT secretly, I'll be waiting for your next answer That good news as You have received this draft from Rev. I wait for your good news Jane From: Rev.Peter David < rev.peterdavid36@hotmail.com > Sent: Mon, Feb 8, 2016 9:45 am Subject: Go now and send your following details below this the young girl's email address : janejohnson140@hotmail.com janejohnson473@hotmail.com 772604093@outlook.com My Beloved Son in Christ. I pray for the peace and love of God to always be with you and your house-hold, I am very happy to hear from you my son, in respect of you missive, Well, she drop the checks in my care before she traveled with her husband and ask me to deliver the checks to you, any time you contact me. I have no problem, she gave me a Cheque of $ 350,000.00 USD for you, so you have to send your information as where to deliver the checks, for me to be able to send the check to you through DHL delivering service. My son, Send the following details below, where you want the checks to be delivered to you, through a speed post. (1) Name in full: . . . . . . (2) The address of your resident or place of work where you want the checks to be delivered. (3) Your Telephone No: . . . . . . . . . (4) Your Country of origin: . . . . . . . . Thank and God Bless you your father in the lord Rev.David Peter Christ the savior mission Senegal Telephone +221-675271225 If you received a similar letter, please ignore it. Do not answer it. If you do, you will end up on more of the mailing lists used by the criminals behind this fraud. Read more.... MARIO LAPORTA/AFP/Getty Images)(REGGIO CALABRIA, Italy) -- Italian police arrested two mafia bosses after they were found in a bunker on Friday. According to BBC, 47-year-old Giuseppe Ferraro and 37-year-old Giuseppe Crea were found by police in a secret bunker that was camouflaged by vegetation in Reggio Calabria. Both were involved with 'Ndrangheta, a mafia organization centered in Calabria. Ferraro, who was sentenced to life in prison for murder and mafia association, had been on the run since 1998. Crea was convicted of mafia association and had been on the run since 2006, BBC reported. In the bunker, police found an arsenal of weapons including machine guns. The bunker was also equipped with a kitchen and electricity. Copyright 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Q: Our 3-year-old son is very sweet, loving, and generally well-behaved. Occasionally, however, he breaks into a huge tantrum during which he becomes uncontrollable. The word possessed comes to mind. He will suddenly snap from being sweet to being a demon and then back to being sweet and loving again. These tantrums dont occur very often, but when they do, they are frightening. We try to be consistent with our discipline but are at a complete loss where this is concerned. Ive heard that young children can be bipolar. Is that a possibility? In any case, can you shed some light on this for us? A: The diagnosis of bipolar disorder of childhood or early-onset bipolar disorder is not officially recognized by the American Psychiatric Association. It was popularized in The Bipolar Child (Broadway, 2007), authored by psychiatrist Demitri Papolos and his therapist wife Janice. As pediatrician Bose Ravenel and I explained in The Diseasing of Americas Children (Thomas Nelson, 2009), the diagnostic criteria proposed by the Papoloses describe fairly typical toddler behaviors. Those behaviors, even when they cluster, are not in and of themselves anything to be concerned about in this age child. That is especially the case when, as in your sons case, only one diagnosing behavior is present and that behavior occurs infrequently. Given that you describe your son as generally sweet, loving, and well-behaved, then I would chalk his occasional tantrums up to toddlerhood. They are occurring not because hes possessed (Disclaimer: I am not an official exorcist, but if your son is possessed by demons, then so are many, if not most toddlers) but simply because toddlers believe that what they want, they deserve to have. In short, toddlers are little narcissists. Hopefully, parent discipline will exorcise that belief from the child in relatively short order, but traces of it remain in all of us, to one degree or another, throughout life. People who never get over it are called under socialized, narcissistic, sociopathic, egomaniacal, or just plain insufferable. A fair number of them have to be removed from society and spend their lives behind bars. But fear not. I doubt that your son is headed for a life of crime. And as of yet, he does not qualify as a brat, that designation being appropriate only after a childs fifth birthday and requires more than simply occasional tantrums. Firm, consistent discipline will eventually prevail, believe me. In that regard, as soon as your son begins one of his outbursts, before it becomes full-blown, put him in his room. For this age child, cutting the door in half, re-hanging it as a Dutch door, and turning the lock around prevents escapes. (Do not, I repeat, do not lock a child this age behind a full door!) Regardless, put him in his room (drag him kicking and screaming if you must), walk away, and let the hurricane run its course. If my experience serves me well, your sons cure will take four to eight weeks. Above all else, be calm. Thats what authentic authority is all about. RACINE Sunny, the Racine Zoos resident groundhog, is gearing up for a Groundhog Day ceremony at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2, at the Racine Zoo, 2131 N. Main St. The ceremony will take place just outside the historic Vanishing Kingdom building. Guests and media are welcome to attend a brief ceremony during which Sunny will predict what we can expect from the weather, an early spring or six more weeks of winter. Sunny would prefer to remain in her burrow until spring, but she understands shes got an important job to do," said said Beth Heidorn, executive director of the Racine Zoo. "Its her big day. Born on April 7, 2014, this marks Sunnys second Groundhog Day at the zoo. She did in fact see her shadow during last years ceremony and didnt seem to mind the snow and cold temperatures. Sunny serves as a conservation education animal ambassador and often visits schools and community events during the year to encourage education and environmental stewardship. RACINE COUNTY Students ages 14 years or older (or who will be by June 15) may volunteer in a number of areas this summer through the Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare-All Saints organization. Volunteer sites are Wheaton Franciscan HealthcareAll Saints, 3801 Spring St. and 1320 Wisconsin Ave.; Wheaton Franciscan Medical Group sites; Little Saints Child Care Center; and Lakeshore Manor, 1320 Wisconsin Ave. Students who volunteered successfully last year will be invited back and do not need to attend an information meeting this spring. Attendance at an information meeting, or through an alternate arrangement as described below, is required for new students who wish to join the program this summer. Summer Volunteen information meetings will be held on the following dates: Saturday, March 5 9-10 a.m. Monday, March 7 6:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 10 6:30-7:30 p.m. Meetings will be held at the Benstead Auditorium at Wheaton Franciscan-All Saints, 1320 Wisconsin Ave. Interested attendees should arrive 15 minutes early for registration. The meeting will address the volunteer intake process and volunteer opportunities. Application materials will be distributed. One parent or guardian may attend with the student. To register for an information meetings, call 262-687-8070 or email carole.albertini@wfhc.org by Wednesday, Feb. 24. The students name and address, including zip code and phone number, will be requested with the reservation. A reservation confirmation card will be sent to students home prior to the meeting and should be brought to the meeting as proof of preregistration. Interested students who cannot make one of the scheduled information meetings may make alternate arrangements before Feb. 24 by contacting Volunteer Coordinator Sandy Wahl at 262-687-4292 or sending an email to sandy.wahl@wfhc.org. KENOSHA A Kenosha man is facing six pending counts of armed robbery in connection to a string of robberies over the past month, including an incident on Jan. 19 at a Mount Pleasant cash loan business. Kenosha Police Lt. Bradley A. Hetlet said that his department on Friday asked the Kenosha County District Attorney to file five counts of armed robbery and five counts of bail jumping against Brian Scott LeMay, 29, for armed robberies LeMay allegedly committed on the following dates at the following locations: Dec. 24 at the Subway restaurant, 3706 30th Ave. Dec. 28 at the Check into Cash location, 3466 52nd St. Jan. 10 at the BP gas station, 1515 30th Ave. Jan. 14 at the Subway located at 1923 63rd St. And on Jan. 16 at Ayras Liquor, 1900 22nd Ave. Mount Pleasant police, meanwhile, have asked the Racine County District Attorneys office to charge LeMay with armed robbery in connection to an incident that occurred Jan. 19 at Check Into Cash, 5201 Washington Ave. According to Sgt. Eric Relich of the Mount Pleasant Police Dept., a suspect matching LeMays description entered the business at about 2:51 p.m. Jan. 19, displayed a knife and left the business with an undisclosed amount of cash. Kenosha County Sheriffs Department deputies took LeMay into custody shortly after the Mount Pleasant incident, Hetlet said. According to court records, LeMay, lately of the 1800 block of 22nd Avenue, was convicted of eight counts of burglary in a 2011 case. RACINE Racine County sheriffs deputies arrested a Racine man Thursday on charges of allegedly selling narcotics to a cooperating citizen at two different residences over the course of three months. Albert Booker, 70, of the 4000 block of Erie Street, faces six felony drug charges for allegedly selling various pills, all Schedule II narcotics, to the person assisting investigators four times since late October. Booker sold the drugs from two different homes, including one in the 500 block of 3 Mile Road, police said. Court records show that Booker made his initial appearance in court Friday and bond was set at $5,000. According to the criminal complaint, the first of four deals between Booker and the cooperating citizen took place on Oct. 28 and involved Vicodin. During the second deal, on Dec. 1, the cooperating citizen obtained Percocet from Booker, and Booker also showed the informant a different narcotic medication he had obtained, police allege. On Dec. 4, the informant bought the narcotic Booker showed the informant on Dec. 1, which was Nucynta, according to the criminal complaint. The most recent deal, which also involved Nucynta, happened on Jan. 23, and was the only of the four deals to take place at the Erie Street address, police said. Booker is charged with four counts of delivery of schedule II narcotics, and each of those counts carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, five years of extended supervision and up to $50,000 in fines. He is also charged with two counts of maintaining a drug trafficking place, and each of those counts carries a maximum sentence of 1 years in prison, two years of extended supervision and fines capped at $10,000. Bookers preliminary hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Feb. 11 in Racine County Circuit Court. He remained in custody as of Friday night in the Racine County Jail. Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel on Friday asked a federal judge to stay out of a matter related to the halted John Doe investigation into Gov. Scott Walkers recall campaign, marking the first time his office has taken sides in court in the politically fraught legal battle. Lawyers representing the John Doe investigators issued a statement Friday afternoon calling Schimels comments on the matter false and defamatory. Schimel filed a friend-of-the-court brief in a lawsuit that could affect a Wisconsin Supreme Court decision requiring investigators to turn over evidence they collected during the so-called John Doe I and II investigations into Walkers Milwaukee County office and his 2012 recall campaign. Schimel, a Republican elected in 2014, asked the court to deny the investigators motion to block the state Supreme Courts decision out of respect for the separation of state and federal court authority. He noted the court determined investigators obtained numerous documents as part of an unlawful state-law investigation, meaning that they have no right to possess such documents. The defendants in this case are requesting that the federal court directly contradict the Wisconsin Supreme Courts order requiring that the evidence unlawfully seized by the John Doe investigators be kept under seal, Schimel said in a statement. The defendants request ignores well-settled law which provides that federal courts may not interfere with state court decisions. Douglas Knott, a lawyer representing Milwaukee County investigators David Budde, Robert Stelter and Aaron Weiss, issued a statement saying Schimel misrepresented their position. They are asking for the John Doe records to be available to the investigators as they defend themselves against lawsuits, but not that they be unsealed for the public. We are surprised that the Attorney Generals office, after declining to participate previously due to conflicts of interest, would involve itself now in such a partisan and ill-informed manner, Knott said. We question whose interest is being served by Mr. Schimels sudden appearance in favor of (plaintiff Cindy) Archers position and his accompanying media statements. Scot Ross, executive director of liberal advocacy group One Wisconsin Now, chastised Schimels move, noting the political arm of the state chamber of commerce, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, spent $1.5 million to help get Schimel elected. The John Doe probe was investigating coordination between Walkers recall campaign and so-called issue advocacy groups such as WMC and Wisconsin Club for Growth. Brad Schimel is turning DOJ into a legal defense fund for his campaign backers, Ross said. Asked for a response, Schimel said in an email the brief is self-explanatory. As Attorney General, I represent the state and have an obligation to protect the sovereignty of our state and the validity of the decision of our state Supreme Court, he said. Schimels predecessor, J.B. Van Hollen, also a Republican, declined to lead the John Doe II investigation after a more than five-month review of a request by Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm. But instead of shutting it down, he cited the perception that my office can not act impartially and referred the matter to the nonpartisan Government Accountability Board. Chisholm, the GAB and Republican and Democratic district attorneys in four other counties consolidated the case in 2013 under special prosecutor Francis Schmitz, a self-described Republican. After Schmitz served dozens of subpoenas in fall 2013, the subjects of the investigation fought back in court and Judge Gregory Petersen, who was overseeing the case, quashed the subpoenas in January 2014. Schimel represented Petersen in the case before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. However, Schimel maintained neutrality on the core legal issues and primarily defended the appointment of the judges who oversaw the case. The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled in July the investigation had no basis in law and denied a reconsideration motion in December. Chisholm and the two Democratic district attorneys involved in the case are trying to appeal that decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. In December, Schimel declined to intervene on behalf of those being investigated, but discouraged Schmitz from appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court, calling the case a long, unfortunate chapter in Wisconsins history. The federal lawsuit filed by former Walker aide Cindy Archer alleges Milwaukee County investigators violated her civil rights when they served search warrants at her Madison home in September 2011 as part of the first John Doe investigation, which yielded six convictions of former Walker aides and associates. The lawsuit is being heard by U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman, a former Democratic state senator appointed to the court by President Bill Clinton. CALEDONIA The Village Board on Monday is expected to agree to spend almost $3.3 million to extend water and sewer lines along a stretch of Highway K. The village Utility District Commission last week recommended the village award a $3,278,643 contract for the work to Merryman Excavation Inc. The project will extend sanitary sewer and water lines from near the intersection of Highways K and V and heading west to the A&W Restaurant near Interstate 94, said Utility District Manager Robert Lui. The work is expected to be completed by October, Lui said. The Village Board will consider the recommendation at its meeting 7 p.m. Monday at the East Side Community Center, 6156 Douglas Ave. Merryman, based in Woodstock, Ill., has experience installing water and sewer lines in Illinois, Iowa, Oklahoma and North Dakota, according to the companys website. The project is the latest in the villages continuing effort to install water and sewer lines to spur development. The village has started construction of a water main on Highway V from Highway K to Highway 20. That project is scheduled to be completed next summer. In December, the board approved a plan to borrow nearly $10 million to pay for village projects. Installing water lines and Highways V and K and constructing lift stations will cost about $4.5 million, according to bond issue documents. Also at Mondays meeting, the board is scheduled to: Discuss possibly filling a vacancy in the April 5 village trustee election. April Weatherston filed nomination petitions to run the trustee no. 4 seat against incumbent Ed Willing. Weatherston died Jan. 17. Consider revising the village noxious weeds list to eliminate milkweed and add garlic mustard. Set salaries for newly promoted village police Capt. Brian Wall and Lt. Jonathan Lisowski. Critics blast Massachusetts city's new 'essay' rule for gun-carry applicants Published January 25th, 2016. FoxNews.com Critics are blasting a Massachusetts city's new law that they claim requires residents applying for a license to carry handguns to write "an essay" and pay upwards of $1,100 for training. The new laws take effect this week in Lowell, a city of 110,000 that lies 35 miles north of Boston. Pushed by Police Superintendent William Taylor and passed by the City Council, they require applicants for unrestricted handgun licenses to state in writing why they should receive such a license. Taylor, who was unavailable for comment on Monday, has sole discretion for approving or denying the applications. "It is absurd that people should have to write an essay to the town to explain why they should be able to exercise their constitutional rights," said Jim Wallace, executive director of Gun Owners Action League of Massachusetts. "We already have a very strict set of gun laws in the state, but this is way over the top." ........ Absurd seems too weak of an adjective - but then others more appropriate are best not printed! It has to be wondered whether Police Superintendent William Taylor will approve or deny on a whim - depending which side of the bed he gets out of and whether he had breakfast. This is (yet) another device for enabling more 'gun control' and the stripping of constitutional rights. "You don't have to be Jewish to fight by our side." 2016 JPFO All rights reserved. jpfo@jpfo.org 1-800-869-1884 Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership 12500 NE 10th Pl. Bellevue, WA 98005 USA "America's most aggressive defender of civil rights" We make the NRA look like moderates Join JPFO Back to Top When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society, they create for themselves in the course of time a ... The Supreme Court of Guatemala on Thursday rejected a request to strip a member of congress of his immunity from prosecution for allegedly overseeing grave human rights violations during the countrys civil war. Edgar Justino Ovalle is a top adviser to President Jimmy Morales and a member of Congress, which gives him immunity [teleSUR report, in Spanish] from prosecution. A spokesperson for the court stated that there was insufficient evidence [20 minutos report, in Spanish] that the lawmaker participated in the alleged acts. The spokesman also explained that the court decided to reject the request in limine, without further investigation into the alleged acts. Edgar Ovalle was a military officer [ABC report] and was accused of leading military operations where 77 massacres [teleSUR report] took place. The request to lift Ovalls immunity came from Attorney General Thelma Aldana. Earlier this month, Guatemalan prosecutors arrested [JURIST report] 17 former military and government officials on charges of committing massacres and other human rights abuses during the Guatemalan civil war. The vast majority of the 245,000 killings and disappearances that occurred during the conflict have been blamed on the governments security forces. The ongoing trial of former dictator Rios Montt for his actions in the Guatemalan 1960-1996 civil war [Global Security backgrounder] continue to gather international attention. In August UN rights experts called [JURIST report] on Guatemala to stop delaying the dictators genocide trial despite the fact that he suffers from dementia. In January of last year a Guatemalan court convicted a former police official for the killings of 37 people when the Spanish Embassy burned down during the countrys civil conflict in 1980. He was sentenced to 90 years in prison for the homicides, and crimes against humanity for ordering officers to keep anyone from leaving the embassy as it burned. In May 2014 the Guatemalan Congress approved a resolution [JURIST report] denying any existence of genocide during the civil war. A court in India on Friday convicted [Indian Express report] six of the eight accused of gang raping and murdering a 20-year-old college student in the Kamduni village district of the state of West Bengal. The conviction comes after more than two-and-a-half years since the incident, which prompted strong public pressure to prosecute and convict the individuals involved. Two of the men accused were found not guilty due to lack of evidence, while one had previously died while the trial was ongoing. Both the prosecution and the defense were equally unhappy with the result, albeit for different reasons, and the defense has already vowed to appeal the decision to a higher court. Arshad Ali, brother of one of the accused, claims that his brother has been framed as part of a political conspiracy, while womens rights activist Ramala Chakraborty criticized the government for the delayed decision and acquittal of two of the individuals. Judge Sanchita Sarkar pronounced the verdict at 2:00 PM, but according to prosecutor Aninda Rout, the order describing the ruling is yet to be released. Three of the convicts face a possible death penalty, while the rest face a maximum punishment of life imprisonment. There have been a flurry of incidents involving gang-rapes of women in India the past few years, prompting the government to reform the criminal legal code in regard to sexual violence. In December 2012 a 23-year-old medical student was gang-raped and murdered in a moving bus in New Delhi. The rape was especially violent causing the victim to die from severe injuries sustained in the incident. The youngest participant in that incident was freed [BBC report] from jail in December after serving a three-year sentence. The rape sparked national outrage, and created immense pressure on the government to reform its colonial-era laws [JURIST op-ed]. Prominent human rights groups such as Amnesty International (AI) and Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] have criticized [JURIST report] various aspects of the new laws stating that India has only reformed the most archaic of its laws and has failed to meet international standards for womens rights. Thailand published a draft of its twentieth constitution on Friday amid concerns that it would be insufficient in resolving long-running troubles and that it may contribute to a weak civilian government under the sway of the military. The draft constitution [Reuters report] is intended to replace the one scrapped in 2014 after a coup by military generals who promised to promote national stability and reduce tensions among different communities after a decade of turbulence. However, Meechai Ruchupan, chairman of the junta-appointed Constitution Drafting Committee, stated that his team has been unable to come up with effective remedies despite including clauses aimed at reconciliation. The government made a new constitution a prerequisite for an election, and an earlier draft was rejected by a military appointed council last September. Critics state that the new constitution is aimed at increasing the power of the military under the guise of clauses intended to promote national security, and will be much harder to amend. The draft is expected to go before a referendum in July. Thailands political system has been unstable [JURIST report] since the 2006 military coup [BBC report] by the Royal Thai Army against then-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra [BBC profile], brother of Yingluck Shinawatra [BBC Profile], a succeeding prime minister. Yingluck Shinawatra herself was removed from office [JURIST report] in May 2014 shortly before the military seized control [JURIST report] of the government. Martial law was instituted on May 20, 2014, two days before the coup that ousted the former Thai government and installed General Prayuth Chan-ocha [BBC profile] as the countrys new prime minister. Since then, political demonstrations have been banned, and hundreds have been arrested for protesting the junta. The current Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha announced in April that the countrys military government would lift the martial law [JURIST report] and replace it with a new security order. Last October Thailands military government appointed [JURIST report] the committee to draft this new constitution after a previous draft was rejected [JURIST report] the month before. Agreement on importing 300 MW of electricity from India The government is preparing to import 300 megawatt of electricity from India within the next one and half year. Birgunj-Raxaul sees cargo movement in 4 months After four months of suspension of freight movement through the Birgunj-Raxaul border, the busiest transit point between Nepal and India, five cargo carriers entered Nepal on Friday. Energy from India: 80MW power to be imported from mid-Feb Nepal is set to import additional 80MW electricity from India through Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur transmission line from February 16. Kathmandus big cats With the Capital rapidly expanding outwards, conflict with the wild animals of its outlying forests is rising Nepali verses, American dreams Rapper Yodda, in his single Malai Baal, succeeds where many have failed elevating a genre Red Cross to build 11,600 houses in quake-hit districts Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) has said it will construct more than 11,600 houses in 14 quake-affected districts. Saarc inter-summit: Ministers meet in March The Saarc Mini Summit will be attended by foreign ministers of Saarc member states Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. OWN A HOUSE AND PAY MONTHLY WE'VE GOT YOU COVERED: EMPOWERMENT TIME Blog Archive Blog Archive February (1) December (1) November (1) October (2) August (4) July (5) February (3) January (3) October (1) September (6) August (1) June (29) May (57) April (23) March (77) February (69) January (85) December (99) November (19) October (138) September (244) August (327) July (219) June (367) May (169) April (204) March (197) February (189) January (35) December (42) November (30) October (6) March (3) February (1) October (1) Outspoken Fr. Geatano Batanyenda, the Parish Priest for Kitanga Catholic Church has blessed Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) presidential candidate Dr. Kizza Besigye on arrival at Kitanga play ground in Rukiga county before he addressed a rally. Fr. Batanyenda has asked Besigye to always remember Lord even after being elected Ugandas new president. Fr Batanyenda came under attack from various circles recently for blessing independent presidential candidate Amama Mbabazi, days after he blessed the incumbent. He however maintains that he is ready to bless all presidential candidates because all of them are children of God and require his blessings. Besigye started his campaigns in Kabale district this morning with rallies at Kamwezi, Kitanga, Muhanga, Kabanyonyi and Kabale main stadium. Delivering his speech, Dr Besigye said that it was the mercy of the lord God that they survived the bush war not even the strength of those calling themselves Sabarwani because they had been surounded and the then commander of the government forces Oyite Ojok was throwing papers in their hide outs stating that they should utilize the last chance and surrender. Story By Robert Muhereza Human right activists and entrepreneurs, including Mo Ibrahim, have urged the African Union to urgently resolve the conflict in South Sudan and Burundi. They made the call in an open letter addressed to the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma. The letter was signed by the former judge of the Rwanda Tribunal and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, and Ugandas Director of African Youth Initiative Network and 2015 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Victor Ochen. In the case of South Sudan, the group notes that both the government and the opposition have failed to form a government of national unity within the set deadline. The South Sudan conflict is one of issues expected to dominate a report by the Peace and Security Council, to be tabled before the leaders today during the AUs 26th Ordinary Summit. Welcome! You have come to the right place. Khmerization is a home to the Cambodian daily news, which is updated twice daily. Please take a tour and enjoy yourself. Thank you. To contact Khmerization please send an email to: Title: Art AppreciationAuthor: kiraGenre: slice of life, romanceCharacters: Germany, ItalyPairing: Germany/ItalyRating: PGWord count: 1450Warning: noneSummary: While on vacation in Italy, Italy expressed a desire to paint his friendAuthors Note: Thanks to my beta Kat for looking this over for me.They sat outdoors at a little Italian cafe, enjoying a cup of cappuccino. Germany was people watching while his fellow County drew random sketches of him on the backs of several napkins. The weather all week had been beautiful as they toured the area and this day was shaping up to be just as beautiful as the rest. They were close to their final destination, Italys private villa in the countryside, and Germany could not wait to get there. Last time he had visited, he had had a wonderful time doing nothing. Germany was surprised at how restful that was and he was eager to do it again. Lost in thought, it was several minutes before Germany even realized his little buddy was speaking. He blushed at the thought of how rude he had been, but Italy did not seem to mind. He just continued babbling on.Germany is so pretty and his muscles are so strong, and I wish hes let me paint him sometime, Italy sang softly to himself. Id love to paint him as Hercules.Im sorry, Italy, what did you say? Germany leaned forward in an attempt to better hear him.Italy blushed as Germany was staring intently at him. He looked away and back. I was just thinking out loud how nice it would be to paint you. Youre pretty and strong and you would make a great Hercules in a classical type painting! Italy smiled. Reaching for his cup of cappuccino, he picked it up and drank. But a portrait of you would be nice too.Germanys cheeks also heated up. Uh, thanks. He grimaced at his little buddy in what passed as a smile for him. You really want to paint me?Italy nodded. Yes! Havent you noticed that Im always doodling you?Well, yes Germany trailed off helplessly.And while those are a big help in painting a portrait of you, its not really the same as having you sit for me. And if you come sit for me, I promise Ill train extra hard!Touched by his offer, Germany found himself agreeing. It was just a portrait and besides, he was willing to do whatever it took to get Italy to train harder. Okay. So when do we start?Tomorrow. By the time we get back to my house, the lighting wont be any good.Okay. Germany picked up his cup and drank his cappuccino. He found he was looking forward to tomorrow as he never really sat formally for him. Most of the sketches Italy did of him were at meetings on ledger paper or in his sketchbook on a lazy afternoon at his home. Italy often sketched Prussia and Germanys dogs too on those occasions. But a painting was something else entirely and Germany hoped he was up to the task. So I just have to sit there?Italy nodded. And you can take as many breaks as you like too!Okay.Itll be fun! I did one of your brother that weekend Romano came to visit with Spain.My brother was there? Germany was surprised by the sharp pang of jealousy he felt at the thought of his brother spending time withlittle buddy. He let his imagination run wild too, as images of Prussia flirting up a storm with Italy danced in his head.Yeah! They only spent the night. Romano made his famous pasta fra diavolo! Spain brought the wine and his guitar and he and Prussia sang songs all night while my brother grumbled about what a pair of idiots they are. I was so sad you were stuck at home because of that meeting you had the next day and you needed to prepare for it. Italy beamed at him. Thats what Prussia said anyway.As annoyed as he was, Germany could not help smiling back. It was not Italys fault his idiot brother liked to flirt with him. Germany sighed softly. It was his fault Prussia was there in the first place. If he had not sent him to Spains then poor Italy would not have had to deal with Prussias nonsense. Germany continued to mentally berate himself as it was much better than letting his imagination run wild where his brother and Italy were concerned. Germany also made a mental note to tell his brother to stop flirting with his little buddy.Ready to go? Italy said as he gathered his paper napkin sketches and stuffed them in his pocket.Yeah.Germany pushed his chair back and stood up to go. Italy followed suit and together they walked the few blocks to the parking lot where they left their Vespa scooters. They got on and rode through the streets to the outskirts of town. From there, they drove through Italian countryside to Italys villa.Arriving at the villa, they parked the scooters, got off, and went inside. Germany followed his little buddy to his studio. The floor to ceiling windows on three sides let in plenty of light. At this time of day, the sun cast a soft golden glow over everything. While Italy hung up his sketches on a large corkboard, Germany walked over to one of the windows and looked out.Italy turned around, and spotting Germany standing by the widow, he sighed. He thought his friend looked angelic all bathed in the golden light. Germany?He turned to face him. Yeah?Can I sketch you quickly? Please? You look so beautiful Italy sighed again.Germany felt his cheeks heating up. He cleared his throat. Thanks?So can I sketch you?Germany frowned. I suppose so.YAY! Italy cried. !! He hurried over to get his sketchbook. Just stand there, okay? he called out over his shoulder.Germany stood rooted to the spot. He could feel the beginnings of a headache, blooming behind his eyes, but his little buddy looked so happy that he was able to ignore it. He hoped he did not look too stupid, standing there, doing nothing.Italy opened his sketchbook. Pencil in hand, he began a quick sketch of his friend. Dont move! he turned and got up to go grab his colored pencils. They were a gift from Prussia for the overnighter and Italy was dying to try them out.Just when Germany was beginning to feel tired, Italy beamed at him. He straightened his posture and stood there, ignoring the little muscle cramps, he was getting, as he fought to remain motionless.What do you think? Italy held up his sketchbook.Germany could not help smiling. I think it looks like me, he said, blushing when he realized how stupid he sounded.Comere and really look at it. Italy beckoned him closer.Germany walked over to him. He gazed down at the sketch. Its really good, Italy. Can I have it? Please?Sure! Italy tore the page out his sketchbook. He handed it to his friend.Thanks. Germany held it carefully in his hands. Italy?Yeah? Italy said as he put his sketchbook and pencils away.Do you? Germany frowned. Do you think you could do one of yourself? If you want to that isItaly nodded. Sure, if Germany would like a self portrait of me, Ill do it! he smiled. Ill draw something to compliment yours, okay?Thanks. Germany watched as Italy grabbed a mirror and looking back and forth between it and his sketchbook, he quickly sketched himself. Several minutes went by before Italy grabbed the colored pencils. He took out one that matched his skin tones and began adding color to the sketch. Replacing that pencil for another, he worked on getting his coloring right, before moving onto to his hair. Italy added some color to his shirt, before handing the sketch to his friend.Germany took the sketch and held it next to one of himself. His lips briefly contorted into a smile. Italy had drawn himself so that he was facing in the opposite direction, and when Germany held them together, they looked like they were looking at each other. Thank you, he said. , he repeated, doing a passable job on the Italian.Italy beamed. ! Germany said thank you so nicely in Italian! He hugged him. Youre learning!Germany blushed. YeahLets put these away and celebrate with some gelato and Ill teach you more words, Italy said.Germany set the sketches on the easel and followed Italy out of his studio. They sat in the kitchen, enjoying a bowl of gelato, while Italy gave his friend an impromptu Italian lesson. It set the tone for Germanys final days in Italy before heading back home, where it became a most memorable vacation. This photo provided by Open Road Films shows Michael Keaton, left, and Mark Ruffalo in a scene from the film, "Spotlight." Ruffalo was nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actor on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016, for his role in the film. The 88th annual Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, Feb. 28, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Kerry Hayes/Open Road Films via AP) Lets face it. Weve still got several more weeks of cold winter ahead. But instead of bingeing on endless hours of Netflix true crime documentaries and The X-Files reboots, exercise that mind of yours by dipping into some fun, but challenging, books of recent vintage. Life is too short to deny your brain the literary stimulus it craves. Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein: As one half of the duo behind Portlandia and a founding member of the alternative rock group Sleater-Kinney, Carrie Brownstein really cant do any wrong. Her humorous but relentlessly honest memoir about coming of age in the Pacific Northwest, co-founding one of the most important bands of the 1990s and reinventing herself when necessary is predictably raw, yet refined like a stab wound sewn with sugar-laced stitches. Open Letter: On Blasphemy, Islamophobia, and the True Enemies of Free Expression by Charb: Last year at this time, the world was still mourning the murder of 12 men and one woman at the office of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo by two Islamic fundamentalists offended by its cartoon depictions of Muhammad. Editor-in-chief Stephane Charbonnier (known as Charb to his readers) was working on this manifesto about free speech when he was murdered. Lucid, challenging and righteously indignant, Charbs Open Letter will resonate long beyond his death with anyone who values free expression. Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges by Amy Cuddy: Anyone who has gone anywhere near a TED Talk channel online has stumbled upon Amy Cuddys 2012 lecture about cultivating boldness and self-confidence with simple body hacks like thrusting ones arms in the air before embarking on some challenge. This book provides the academic meat to the hype-covered potatoes of that influential lecture. It is fascinating and persuasive. Shaker by Scott Frank: Sometimes you just want to curl up with a mindless thriller about a hit man with a heart of gold. But theres nothing lovable about Roy Cooper, a contract killer who is mistaken for a hero by a nation still in shock in the aftermath of the big California earthquake. And theres nothing mindless about this tale of chicanery in high places, suspicious cops, relentless gangsters, obsessed gangbangers and a stoic killer who just wants everyone to chill out and leave him alone. Read it before author and screenwriter Scott Frank turns it into a classic movie. Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert: If youre a creative person with a vague idea about embarking on some artistic challenge but need a nudge, it is impossible to read Elizabeth Gilberts book without highlighting whole pages and stabbing passages with exclamation points. This is a book that teases out the mystical side of the creative process without getting bogged down in dogma. It is so well written it will haunt your dreams and influence your conduct as an artist long after that last page. The Yid by Paul Goldberg: Can a novel about anti-Semitism and the brutal absurdity of the Soviet Union in 1953 really be the stuff of high comedy? Give Paul Goldbergs first novel about racism, genocide, secret police and a plot to assassinate Stalin a whirl. This novels black humor is surpassed only by its historical audacity and literary fearlessness. Is it for everyone? No, but if youre looking for the next Catch-22, it may be for you. The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr: Im relatively late to the Mary Karr bandwagon. While The Liars Club somehow eluded me when it came out, I got hip to her latest just as it began its ascent up the best-seller lists. This is an anatomy of the modern literary memoir and how it became a thing largely because of Ms. Karr herself. It shows, often with painfully adroit humor, the different strategies many writers use to navigate the terrain between truth and lies, invented memory, objective truth, and pitiless self-revelation. No wonder shes the guru of every memoirist. The Givenness of Things: Essays by Marilynne Robinson: President Barack Obamas favorite contemporary writer has a knack for drilling down into the essential nature of reality (as she sees it). Ms. Robinson takes the modern mind seriously enough to critique its blind spots and lack of moral seriousness. She writes about grace and redemption in public and private life with the light touch of a poet, the conviction of a theologian and the open-mindedness of a scientist wrapped in one. Read this one slowly, with an open heart. Dylan Goes Electric: Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Night That Split the Sixties by Elijah Wald: Did it ever occur to you that everything you thought you knew about Bob Dylans dramatic break with the folk music mafia at Newport in 1965 was wrong? Writer and musician Elijah Wald has done some digging. The result of his restless muckraking is a tick-tock of not only that day but also an entire era in folk and pop music history. This is a book that will sit atop the Olympian peak of Dylan scholarship for decades. Update: Due to the winter storm forecast for Tuesday, Viterbos NexStar Season performance of VoicePlay has been rescheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 16, in the Fine Arts Center Main Theatre. Ticketholders will be contacted about the rescheduled date, and new tickets will be issued. Patrons who are unable to attend on the rescheduled date should contact the box office to determine options for their tickets. For more information, call 608-796-3100. If artistic harmony is difficult, try it in five parts. But watching the five members of VoicePlay, an all-male a cappella group, it all seems so easy. Thats because, despite their crazy individual schedules, when the group comes together they have one thing one their collective mind. We always start with what do we want to do, said Geoff Castellucci, one of VoicePlays co-founders (as far back as when the group was known as 42Five). The music is always first. VoicePlay rose up in the nations consciousness when its members were seen on Season 4 of the NBC talent competition The Sing-Off, where they showed off their unique blend of outrageous and imaginative creativity. It was a ton of work, Castellucci said. Seventeen-hour days, all day, every day, for seven weeks. Its difficult to describe how difficult the show actually is, he said, because television makes it all look so easy. It was punishing, he said, but I wouldnt trade the experience for the world. The fruits of all that experience as well as the groups rising recognition on YouTube and Facebook will be on display when VoicePlay hits Viterbos Fine Arts Theatre main stage on April 16. We dont want to be an a cappella group that just stands there and sings at you, Castellucci said. To that end, VoicePlay uses heavy projection and video displays as part of its act. Theres also generous portions of theatrics, which include hurling marshmallows at the audience, and even staging a real-time audition up on stage with someone from the crowd. It gets crazy, he said. First and foremost, Castellucci said, they focus on the sound they produce, which is immersive and all-encompassing. Its a big sound, he said. The show can include songs from performers as diverse as Queen, the Oak Ridge Boys, Franki Valli and Justin Bieber. We run the gamut, Castellucci said. So do the ancillary careers of VoicePlays five members, which, apart from Castellucci, include Earl Elkins Jr., Layne Stein, Eliezer Eli Jacobson and Tony Wakim. Some appear in national commercials, others work the big-time theme parks in Florida and at least one jumped ship from his hand-drawn animation career to become a performer. Last year the group played 150 to 160 tour stops, including two months at Walt Disney World. Last year was tough, Castellucci said. If anyone in the audience will understand just how challenging a cappella performance can be, it will be 21-year-old Hunter Evenson. A Viterbo student, Evenson is one of the members of the universitys group Tonal II, also a five-male team of vocal artists whose musical repertoire includes classic barbershop tunes and pop rock sounds. I always go when groups come to the university, Evenson said. Especially professionals. We want to find ways to make our group sound better. Evenson said the joy of working so hard is the satisfaction of being able to perform, which feels great, but hes also interested the learning aspect, as hes majoring in music education. Which grade level hell end up teaching is something Evenson is open to exploring. For me, it doesnt matter, he said. As long as I can give away what Ive learned and help people sing. As cleanup of a derailment south of Brownsville, Minn., continued for a third day, questions remained about whether the Canadian Pacific freight train was hauling crude oil, ethanol or other dangerous materials. The 68-car train was en route from St. Paul, Minn., to Kansas City when 15 cars left the tracks Tuesday night, sending six tank cars and about 850 gallons of vegetable oil into the Mississippi River. Three of the 15 cars that left the tracks were carrying sodium chlorate, a strong oxidizing agent that poses significant health and safety issues when being loaded and unloaded, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. A small amount of the material spilled, though there was not what the EPA calls a critical breach and no sodium chlorate has been detected in the river, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Canadian Pacific has not provided a list of what other cargo the train was hauling. Spokesman Andy Cummings said Friday that other products on board included scrap metal, malt and flour but cited security reasons for not disclosing any other dangerous goods that may have been present. Cummings said CP shares details of hazardous materials confidentially with first responders. A spokeswoman for the EPA said she did not know whether the railroad had provided a manifest to the agency, which is one of several monitoring the cleanup. Phillippa Cannon referred questions about the train contents to the railroad. A Federal Railroad Administration spokesman would only say that the incident is under investigation. Railroads have come under increased scrutiny in recent years with the rapid growth of crude oil shipments. A CP train carrying crude oil derailed Nov. 8 in Watertown, Wis., one day after a BNSF train derailed near Alma, Wis., spilling up to 20,000 gallons of ethanol into the Mississippi River. It was the 10th North American derailment of 2015 involving oil or ethanol, according to the McClatchy news service. According to the latest available reports, about nine trains per week run on the CP line through Houston and La Crosse counties, carrying more than a million gallons of crude. CP reported less than one train per week on the line where Tuesdays derailment occurred. Citizens Acting for Rail Safety said that while Tuesdays derailment did not result in a major release of hazardous material, it brings to light the potential for serious accidents that can cause disastrous consequences to our communities and environment. The rail safety group noted that hazardous materials besides oil and ethanol traverse the area daily. Cummings said CP is required by law to accept all shipments that meet federal standards and the railroad carries a wide variety of goods, including hazardous materials. We take our responsibility for safe handling of these materials very seriously, he said. Railroads are the safest way to move goods over land. When an incident does occur, we have personnel on staff with the training and expertise to respond to an incident involving any product that we handle. Cleanup continues Cleanup was expected to continue into the weekend as workers unloaded the overturned tankers and awaited a specialty contractor to handle the sodium chlorate. The railroad reopened the line running south from La Crescent into Iowa around 4:30 a.m. Thursday, a little more than 30 hours after the derailment. Railroad contractors believed Thursday they had contained the leaking oil and unloaded three tankers. They planned to unload the remaining three Friday. Barriers were placed in the river to contain any oil that made it into the river. Though its not considered a hazardous material, vegetable oil can coat aquatic animals and prevent them from absorbing oxygen, said Sabrina Chandler, refuge manager for the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. Chandler said no visible impacts to wildlife had been detected as of Friday. Three 55-gallon drums of spilled sodium chlorate were recovered from the site. According to the EPA, the railroad is awaiting a contractor from Manitoba, Canada, to unload the remaining cars with specialized equipment to prevent the release of dust. 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. MADISON -- The Wisconsin Historical Society holds millions of items. They include Civil War documents, Wisconsin maps, Native American pottery, a carbon fiber Trek bicycle, Holocaust survivor oral histories, children's clothing from the 1800s and a patch worn into space by Sparta astronaut Deke Slayton on the Apollo 13 mission. So when Paul Bourcier, the society's lead curator, laid out boxes last week filled with wooden contraptions made more than 150 years ago by a Marquette County farm boy, it was clear that the pieces were of importance. Each box was affixed with an orange piece of paper that lets curators quickly know which item out of the massive collection should be saved first in the event of a fire or other calamity. The boxes held the wooden and metal pieces of a clock fashioned in the shape of a scythe; a wooden barometer and parts to a thermometer made up of wooden sprockets that somehow, it's not entirely clear, indicated temperature. There was also a less complex dolly jig designed to make a small doll dance. "He had a very scientific mind," said Bourcier. "But he also had a sense of humor." John Muir may be best known for his environmental activism that led to the creation of national parks and the founding of the Sierra Club, but his time in Wisconsin was consumed with farming and tinkering. Throughout this year, Muirs story will be shared in 25 state communities that have agreed to host a traveling exhibit on the man credited with convincing the U.S. government to protect and establish Yosemite, Sequoia, Grand Canyon and Mount Rainier as national parks. Michael Edmonds, deputy director of the Historical Society's library and archives division, made a point of getting the exhibit into northern Wisconsin, home to the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. The people who live there and care about history, and the local historical societies, often are neglected, Edmonds said. The number of exhibits they get asked to host are minuscule. Wisconsins John Muir explores Muir's youth on two Wisconsin farms, his studies at UW-Madison, his advocacy for national parks and his views on environmental issues such as logging, hunting and climate change in an eight-panel pictorial. Each community that takes part receives free copies of Muir's memoir, The Story of My Boyhood and Youth, for a book club discussion. The exhibit runs through Tuesday at the W. J. Niederkorn Library in Port Washington before it traipses through the state over the next 11 months. Muir was born in 1838 in Dunbar, Scotland, and immigrated to Wisconsin with his father 11 years later. They first settled on a 160-acre farmstead they dubbed Fountain Lake Farm (now Ennis Lake and part of John Muir Memorial County Park) between Montello and Portage. This is where Muirs appreciation for nature began to take root, thanks to woods overlooking a flowery glacial meadow and a lake rimmed with water lilies, according to the Sierra Club. In his later teens, Muir's family moved to Hickory Hill Farm near Portage where Muir continued making wooden mechanisms. But because his father was such a harsh disciplinarian, he ordered all of the family to go to bed after chores were completed at dusk. He also had little tolerance for his sons inventions. His father didnt care what time he got up, said Matt Blessing, an archivist who has written about Muir. So what does Muir do? He goes to bed at 8 p.m. and quickly discovers he can get by on four or five hours of sleep. He gets himself up at midnight and goes down into the cellar and (by candle light) begins making inventions he thinks his father will support because theyre going to improve the efficiency of the farm. One of his creations was a saw blade out of a womens corset that he used in a table saw. A Scottish neighbor encouraged Muir to take his inventions to the 1860 Wisconsin State Fair, at that time held near Camp Randall in Madison. This is where Muir is first publicly noted in an article in the Wisconsin State Journal. That same year, Muir enrolled at UW-Madison where he lived in North Hall and his room became a curiosity. Muir had a device that at a set time tipped him out of bed and then lit a lamp. He also invented a clockwork desk that automatically dispensed books from a rack below and kept them on the desk for a set a period of time before it would switch to another book. The unconventional-looking desk has been display in the lobby of the Historical Society since the 1920s. Its very famous, Edmonds said. You would think the amount of time he put into building it should have been spent on studying. In an effort to pay for his education, Muir, during the winter of 1861-62, taught in a small log schoolhouse at the intersection of Storytown Road and Sun Valley Parkway about two miles west of Oregon that would later be home to the Lake Harriet School. One of his students described Muir as having an ungroomed look with hair reaching to his shoulders, an unkempt bearing, and poor clothes, according to account by the Oregon Area Historical Society. Muir left Madison in 1863 for the University of the Wilderness as he called it, and spent time in woodworking factories in Canada and Indianapolis and conducting botanical studies in his spare time. In 1867, he was nearly blinded in an industrial accident and bedridden for nearly a month. The traumatic experience led him to devote the rest of his life to the inventions of God, and to leave his days of inventing behind. Its travel, its natural science, its the environment, its poetry and a lot of American and European history, Blessing said. Muir walked to the Gulf of Mexico, before he sailed to Cuba and then to Panama where he crossed the isthmus of Central America and sailed up the West Coast, landing in San Francisco in 1868, according to his Sierra Club biography. Muir herded sheep in Yosemite and by 1874 had launched a writing career that led to hundreds of articles and several critically acclaimed books. Muir founded the Sierra Club in 1892 and in 1901 wrote Our National Parks, a book that drew the attention of President Theodore Roosevelt, who signed legislation between 1901 and 1909 creating five national parks. In 1916, Congress created the National Park Service that now oversees more than 400 units. Muir died in 1914 in Los Angeles. "These are in the crown jewel category for us," Edmonds said as he surveyed some of Muir's work, spread out on a conference table in the Sellery Room of the Society's grand building at State and Park streets and across Langdon Street from Memorial Union. The walls of the room, named after George Sellery, a former history professor and dean of the UW-Madison College of Letters and Science, are covered with historic images. They include an H.H. Bennett photograph from 1880 of Stand Rock in Wisconsin Dells, a poster from the 1900 Wisconsin State Fair and a painting from 1833 of Nasheakusk, the son of Black Hawk. John Muir didn't make the walls of the conference room but his years in Wisconsin are seen as formidable and allow us to claim one of the most influential environmentalists in history as our own. Were trying to make Muir relevant for today," Edmonds said. "The idea is to take history and use it to inform conversations today. District leaders have spent years branding La Crosse the district of choice, a strategy that has mirrored the momentum of school choice in Wisconsin. Parents can enroll their children in any public K-12 school through open enrollment, private schools that participate in the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program or one of the growing number of virtual, or online, academies in the state. And the La Crosse School District is a winner in the annual open enrollment sweepstakes, in recent years gaining between 40 and 70 more students than it lost to other districts. But the district has lost as many as 40 students to open enrollment at virtual schools in recent years and the number of students in La Crosse and Onalaska participating in the voucher program at Aquinas Catholic Schools has doubled each year since that program began three years ago. To keep students and parents passionate about the district and their education, Superintendent Randy Nelson said the district offers a number charter and choice programs including Montessori schools, arts schools and focused programs in the health care and construction fields. The district works hard to provide strong neighborhoods schools, he said, but the community has made it clear that it also wants options. When we talk about choice, we just want to get parents and children fired up about their school, Nelson said. And have passion about their education. Mary Temp is one of the choice parents in La Crosse. Both of her daughters have attended Montessori choice schools in the district, and she said she valued the different approach these schools take, allowing students to explore the passions and topics that interest them. I like how Montessori teaches responsibility and independent learning, she said. They see what kids are interested in to try and teach them how to learn. Home schooling affects public school enrollments but doesnt make a huge dent. According to Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction data, homeschooling peaked in the 2000s, with slightly more than two percent of the total student population, and has dipped slightly in recent years. In the La Crosse School District, 134 students, or 1.97 percent, were home-schooled last year. Onalaska had the smallest percentage of home-schooled students at 0.74 percent, while Holmen, Bangor and West Salem all were above the two percent mark. Virtual enrollment continues to grow in Wisconsin but represents a tiny fraction of the student population, with just 7,188 students out of more than 1 million enrolled in an online school last year. With so many choices available, some districts end up winners, others losers. Onalaska has doubled the number of students who enroll into the district during the past five years, while keeping the number of students who enroll out to smaller increases, resulting in a net gain of more than 186 students in 2015, according to the DPI. The Holmen School District has seen the opposite trend, losing 341 students to open enrollment this year. The district has seen its net loss from open enrollment increase from 131 in 2013 to 168 this year, despite efforts to stay competitive that included technology upgrades for middle and high school students. Private schools have benefited from the Wisconsin Parental Choice program, now in its third year. Aquinas had 21 students receiving vouchers its first year; last year, that number more than doubled to 48 It doubled again, to 102, this year. The increased number of vouchers is a sign of greater interest in the community for those desiring a Catholic education, Aquinas President Todd Goldsmith said. The task for us now is to provide that education to those that desire it. Goldsmith said he appreciated parents choosing Aquinas, but didnt feel like school choice was a competition between schools. These sentiments were echoed by Nelson and Onalaska school district Superintendent Fran Finco, who praised all the efforts of teachers and staff in the countys public school districts. We have tremendously good schools all around here, Finco said. Parents can go nine miles in any direction and a find a good school. This week is National School Choice Week and was officially recognized as such by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. A Sparta man was sentenced Friday to four years in federal prison for failing to register as a sex offender. Bradley Bakken used an alias in December 2014 to travel to Arizona and Texas without updating his registration, according to the U.S. Attorneys office. He was arrested April 1 in Austin, Texas. Bakken, 30, was sentenced in 2005 to two years in state prison after pleading no contest to third-degree sexual assault and escape in Monroe County. According to court records, Bakken fled the county jail the month before his sentencing. He was convicted in 2012 of escape from supervision. A Monroe County judge in August revoked his probation and sentenced him to one year in prison. In October, Bakken pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of failure to register or update a sex offender registration. According to the U.S. Attorneys office, the judge cited a long pattern of criminal conduct in issuing a sentence longer than what was recommended. After his four-year sentence, Bakken will serve five years on supervised release. Small businesses and entrepreneurial spirits built La Crosse. While the fur industry died out in the 1980s, with animal-rights groups taking much of the credit, it had been one of the founding industries of the upper Midwest and La Crosse. Oral histories from the special collections department at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosses Murphy Library report some hunters and trappers had $100 days in the early 20th century; that equals about $2,400 in todays money. The store that produced and sold this fur muff has a long history in the city. It began in 1859 as the Paul Lutz Fur Store along Front Street. Paul Lutz Sr. founded the store there, but when it was destroyed by an 1861 fire, he moved the store to 203 Main St. It remained there until it closed in 1951. Three generations of the Lutz family ran the business until it was sold to Mellon & Edwards in 1944. Mellon & Edwards owned about 17 fur businesses throughout Wisconsin at that time. James Orwell bought this mink muff for his wife, Anna, in either the late 1910s or early 1920s. This would have needed about 15 mink pelts to produce. Its bracelet is imitation tortoiseshell done in an early plastic called celluloid. Even with the celluloid bracelet, this muff was a symbol of wealth and status. This is one of the local history objects that will be featured in the exhibition [art]ifact, Where History Meets Art, on display from Feb. 26 through April 17 at The Pump House Regional Art Center. It will be displayed alongside a new piece created by artist Brad Nichols as a response to the history of the Lutz Fur Store. [art]ifact is a collaboration of the Pump House, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Public History Program and the La Crosse County Historical Society. BLACK RIVER FALLS Three more elk in Jackson County have been killed by wolves, leaving the herd number at 17. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said the three were killed in a recent two-day span. Its always a big disappointment to learn of a mortality given how hard we have worked to restore these majestic animals to the county, said Kevin Wallenfang, DNR deer and elk ecologist. However, losses are an expected and unavoidable part of a project like this. Our objective of translocating 75 animals to Jackson County is based on anticipating some initial loss in the foundation herd. Twenty-three elk from Kentucky were released in August. Department of Natural Resources biologists are documenting elk movements and survival as they acclimate to Jackson County through the use of satellite and GPS tracking collars. This technology provides department staff with daily location information. Kentucky and Wisconsin staff and partners are currently in Kentucky trapping elk for the next cohort heading to Jackson County. Kentucky has authorized trapping of up to 50 elk annually as part of a five-year effort to bring 150 elk to Wisconsin. All elk captured this winter are expected to arrive in Jackson County this spring, and will be released after fulfilling all required health testing, quarantine and acclimation periods. This years effort is expected to conclude the Jackson County reintroduction effort elk trapped in future years will supplement the current Clam Lake area herd. WARSAW, Poland Dozens of elderly Holocaust survivors lit candles at Auschwitz on Wednesday, exactly 71 years after the Soviet army liberated the death camp that has become the most powerful symbol of the human suffering inflicted by Nazi Germany during World War II. The commemoration at the former death camp in southern Poland, an area under Nazi occupation during the war, is part of the U.N.-designated International Remembrance Day, marked by politicians, survivors and others in ceremonies and events across the world. At Auschwitz some of the survivors wore sashes or scarves that recalled the striped pajama-style clothing that prisoners were forced to wear. They placed candles and wreaths at a wall where many prisoners were executed before gathering with the presidents of Poland and Croatia for official ceremonies. The Nazis killed more than 1 million people at Auschwitz, most of them Jews but also Roma, non-Jewish Poles and others. This years commemorations come as a resurgence of anti-Semitism casts a shadow over a new generation of European Jews, something that is driving thousands of them each year to leave the continent. We must be honest enough to admit that more than 70 years after the Shoah, anti-Semitism is still alive in our civilized European Union, Federica Mogherini, the European Unions top foreign affairs representative, said in a statement. Jewish immigration to Israel from Western Europe grew last year due to a rise in anti-Semitic attacks. Most nearly 8,000 were from France, where Islamic extremist attacks have destroyed the sense of security previously felt by Europes largest Jewish population. In Germany, where hundreds of thousands of Muslim refugees have arrived in the past year, Jews feel threatened from both the far right and people coming from countries like Syria. A rise in anti-Muslim hostility amid the migrant crisis is irrationally also fueling anti-Semitism as a growing number of people lash out in fear at anyone they perceive as different. On Saturday, neo-Nazis paraded in the center of the English city of Newcastle doing Nazi salutes and carrying a banner that said: Refugees Not Welcome. Hitler Was Right. And late last year in Poland, far-right extremists at an anti-migrant demonstration in Wroclaw burned the effigy of an Orthodox Jew. At a ceremony Wednesday morning at the United Nations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spoke out against a rising tide of anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim bigotry and other forms of discrimination around the world, and he used the occasion to once again call for all parties in Syrias conflict to allow the unimpeded delivery of aid to millions. Starvation as a weapon of war and the deliberate targeting of civilians is a war crime, he said. World Jewish Congress president Ronald Lauder said in a statement sent to The Associated Press: Many anti-Semites and Holocaust deniers are not afraid any more to spread their hateful messages. They do it more and more openly, on the Internet, in public places. ... Sometimes, Jews are even made scapegoats for the influx of refugees into Europe. Amid rising intolerance, some elected leaders are trying to do more to fight hatred. Britains Prime Minister David Cameron announced Wednesday that a planned national memorial to Holocaust victims will be built next to the parliament building in central London as a permanent statement of our values as a nation. There were other official commemorations across Europe on Wednesday from Estonia and Lithuania to Serbia and Albania. In Berlin, the German Parliament gathered to remember the victims of the Holocaust and heard Ruth Klueger, an Austrian-born writer who survived Auschwitz and other camps, tell of her experience as a camp inmate and slave laborer. Klueger, now 84, also recalled the initial denial of Nazi crimes in post-war Germany and contrasted that with the country now. Two or even three generations have grown up here since then and this country, which was responsible 80 years ago for the worst crimes of the century, has today won the applause of the world thanks to its open borders and the generosity with which it has taken in Syrian and other refugees, and still is, Klueger said. Driver of horse-drawn buggy dies in crash with logging truck -- MAYVILLE Authorities say the driver of a horse-drawn buggy died when his horse got spooked and turned in front of an oncoming logging truck in north-central Wisconsin. The Clark County Sheriff's Office says 50-year-old Aaron Newswanger, of rural Dorchester, died at the scene on Highway A west of Dorchester on Thursday afternoon. A passenger, 49-year-old Esther Newswanger, was flown to a hospital with serious injuries. She was listed in good condition Friday at a Marshfield hospital. The truck driver tried to avoid the buggy by swerving, but struck the buggy before entering the ditch. The trucker and his passenger were not hurt. The horse was killed in the accident. The area is about 35 miles west of Wausau. Facebook announces stricter policy on firearms sales -- SAN FRANCISCO Facebook says it's cracking down on online gun sales, announcing Friday a new policy barring private individuals from advertising or selling firearms on the world's largest social network. The new policy applies also to Facebook's photo-sharing service Instagram. It comes after gun control groups have long complained that Facebook and other online sites are frequently used by unlicensed sellers and buyers not legally eligible to buy firearms. Facebook "was unfortunately and unwittingly serving as an online platform for dangerous people to get guns," said Shannon Watts of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a group that launched a public campaign to convince the social network to change its policies two years ago. Treasure hunter disappears searching for $2 million in gold -- ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. An antiquities dealer who inspired tens of thousands to search the Rocky Mountains for $2 million in hidden treasure now leads an increasingly desperate mission to find one of his fans. Forrest Fenn has been flying out in chartered helicopters or planes, searching remote stretches of the upper Rio Grande for any sign of Randy Bilyeu, now missing in the wild for more than three frigid weeks. Fellow treasure hunters also are searching for Bilyeu, who was last seen on Jan. 5 while trying to solve Fenn's mystery. "Every time we go out and don't find Randy it's discouraging but we're not going to give up," Fenn told The Associated Press. "There are still places out there that I want to look." Fenn, an eccentric 85-year-old from Santa Fe, has inspired a cult following since his announcement several years ago that he stashed a small bronze chest containing nearly $2 million in gold, jewelry and artifacts somewhere in the Rockies. FBI weapons stolen from vehicle in latest Bay Area incident -- SACRAMENTO, Calif. Three handguns and an FBI agent's badge were stolen early Friday from a locked and alarmed vehicle in the latest such incident in the San Francisco Bay Area, the FBI said. Two other recent thefts in the area had tragic results after firearms stolen from law enforcement agents' vehicles were subsequently used in slayings. The spate of incidents since July has prompted proposed state and local legislation. Two .40 caliber Glocks and one .45 caliber handgun were stolen from an FBI vehicle parked in a residential neighborhood in Benicia, FBI spokeswoman Gina Swankie said. An FBI badge, credentials and other FBI property were also taken. The FBI is offering a $5,000 reward, but Swankie offered few details about what happened, citing the ongoing investigation. He dropped clues to its whereabouts in a cryptic poem in his self-published memoir, "The Thrill of the Chase." The hidden treasure has inspired thousands to search in vain through remote corners of New Mexico, Yellowstone National Park and elsewhere in the mountains. No charges expected in fire that killed 3 children SHEBOYGAN FALLS Authorities said Friday they dont expect to file charges against two parents who were away from home at a Bible study class when a fire broke out in their eastern Wisconsin home, killing three of their four children. Public Safety Director Steve Riffel told the Sheboygan Press that investigators have now confirmed that the parents were at a Bible study class when the fire broke out at the familys home in Sheboygan Falls on Tuesday night. He also said that while investigators were still trying to determine the cause of the fire, it appeared to have been accidental. Sheboygan County District Attorney Joe DeCecco said the fire may have been electrical. And he said it would take a major revelation to cause him to file any criminal charges against the parents, Chris and Kristi Maki. Im inclined right now to say its simply a tragedy, not anything else, the prosecutor said. Feingold outpacing Johnson in fundraising MADISON Campaign fundraising numbers show U.S. Senate hopeful Russ Feingold is outpacing Republican Sen. Ron Johnson by about $1 million. Feingolds campaign issued a release Friday saying he raised $2.65 million in the last quarter of the year. The campaign didnt note how much he spent in the final quarter. Johnsons campaign reports he raised $1.6 million and spent $758,000. Feingolds campaign says the Middleton Democrat has raised $7.4 million since he entered the race eight months ago and had $4.8 million on hand at the end of the year. Johnsons campaign sent an email saying he raised $6.3 million in 2015 and had $4.4 million left at the end of the year. Feingold lost his Senate seat in 2010 to Johnson and is looking to unseat him in November. Fond du Lac woman convicted of killing husband FOND DU LAC A jury in Fond du Lac County has convicted a woman of fatally shooting her husband and hiding his body in Milwaukee. Prosecutors say 38-year-old Eve Nance killed her husband, Tim, over his infidelity. The Reporter Media says a jury on Friday found Nance guilty of first-degree intentional homicide and hiding a corpse following eight days of testimony. Nance reported her husband missing in November 2013. GENEVA (AP) Peace talks aimed at ending Syrias five-year civil war got off to a shaky and chaotic start Friday, with the main opposition group at first boycotting the session, then later agreeing to meet with U.N. officials while still insisting it would not negotiate. That small commitment by the group known as the Higher Negotiating Committee came just minutes before U.N. special envoy Staffan de Mistura met with a delegation representing the government of President Bashar Assad. The developments gave a glimmer of hope that peace efforts in Syria might actually get off the ground for the first time since two earlier rounds of negotiations collapsed in 2014. The conflict has killed at least 250,000 people, forced millions to flee the country, and given an opening to the Islamic State group to capture territory in Syria and Iraq. It has drawn in U.S. and Russia, as well as regional powers such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Iran. The HNC, a Saudi-backed bloc, had previously said it would not participate in the U.N.-sponsored talks without an end to the bombardment of civilians by Russian and Syrian forces, a lifting of blockades in rebel-held areas and the release of detainees. An HNC statement said the opposition decided to take part in the talks after receiving assurances from friendly countries about those humanitarian issues, and that a delegation headed by HNC chief Riad Hijab will leave Saudi Arabia for Geneva on Saturday. Only once the conditions are met will the delegation negotiate, the statement added. We have decided to participate in a political process to test the seriousness of the other side through talks with the United Nations team about the implementation of international and humanitarian commitment as an introduction to the negotiations process and to move toward forming a transitional governing council with full executive powers, the statement said. De Mistura said he had good reason to believe the HNC would join the talks Sunday but refused to react formally until he got an official notice from its leadership. As you can imagine, I have been hearing rumors and information already, de Mistura told reporters after meeting with the delegation led by Syrias U.N. ambassador, Bashar Jaafari. What I will react to thats why I said I have reasons to believe I will only react when I get a formal indication of that, de Mistura said, But that is a good signal. MADISON (AP) University of Wisconsin-Extension officials want to absorb Gov. Scott Walkers budget cuts by reducing the number of agents and researchers helping people with everything from growing crops to family finances. The Extension is a University of Wisconsin System division designed to apply UW research and expertise across the state. Its responsibilities include providing online degrees, running public broadcasting and working with people on the local level on agricultural, parenting and economic development issues through offices in all 72 counties. Extension Provost Aaron Brower said this week that the 700-person Cooperative Extension, the branch that assists people with local issues, could shed up to 80 positions. He estimated as many as half of those positions are already vacant. The two-year state budget Walker signed in July cut the UW System by $250 million. The cut means a $3.6 million annual loss for Cooperative Extension. Extension officials are trying to get through the first year of the budget by holding vacant positions open and turning to their surpluses, but say thats a stop-gap approach. Theyve presented a draft plan to Chancellor Cathy Sandeen to deal with the cuts going forward. The outline could change the face of Extension, resulting in fewer researchers to advise farmers and help them deal with emerging threats to their crops and fewer educators covering larger swaths of the state. The vaguely worded document recommends saving $1.2 million annually by combining services into four-county quadrants and potentially sharing educators that help farmers, families and local economic development efforts. Right now, each county has four educators. It also recommends saving another $2.4 million per year by strategically reducing the number of researchers who help farmers deal with emerging threats to their crops and making more extensive use of digital technology. Sandeen is expected to sign off on the recommendations within the next few weeks. Extension officials and stakeholders plan to spend most of the spring refining the recommendations and implement them by July, when the 2017 state fiscal year begins. The Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, the Wisconsin Association of Professional Nutrient Applicators, the Wisconsin Cattlemens Association and the Wisconsin Corn Growers Association have all come out against the plan to cut researchers, saying in a joint letter to Sandeen last week that Extension needs to fill and retain researcher positions ahead of other positions. We have more questions than answers at this point, said Karen Gefvert, the farm bureaus government relations director. Our big concern is agriculture needs to have those researcher positions filled in order for farmers to get answers they need. Voicemail messages left with the Wisconsin Counties Association werent immediately returned Friday. Brower acknowledged that the plan is vague but people need to prepare themselves for change. Were doing the best we can given the resources we have, Brower said. A lot of people are now realizing the implications of the state budget cuts. Saturday, January 30, 2016 In the popular imagination, the main tax havens of the world are in exotic locals like the Cayman Islands or the snow capped peaks of Switzerland. But an unexpected contender has become the new tax haven king for the modern day la noblesse, the United States. Lax reporting laws in the U.S. have spurred to move as the ultra wealthy seek anonymity not so much from their home country tax laws as the prying eyes of those who look to take advantage of the holders of the wealth. In addition, the United States offers a stable economy that offers unparalleled security for the assets combined with a variety of state laws that create a diverse ecosystem for those looking for specific vehicles to protect their wealth. However, some are crying foul over the shift as the U.S. has been the long time leader in bringing pressure to bear on countries that had lax reporting laws which allowed U.S. citizens to hide assets from taxation. In any event, the shift does not appear to be ending anytime soon as proposals to tighten reporting requirements have been defeated by the Republican controlled Congress which is not expected to be retaken by Democrats in the upcoming election. See Jesse Drucker, The Worlds Favorite New Tax Haven Is the United States, Bloomberg Business, January 26, 2016. Special thanks to Joel Dobris (Professor of Law, UC Davis School of Law) for bringing this article to my attention. https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/trusts_estates_prof/2016/01/move-over-switzerland-cayman-islands-co-us-new-tax-haven-king.html A growing number of Asian Americans are becoming active in politics, according to demographic researchers. The Pew Research Center says an estimated nine million Asian Americans were registered to vote in the United States in 2014. Among those voters, political researchers say Asian Americans currently relate more with the Democratic Party than the Republican Party. Yet Asian American voters have supported Republican candidates in the past. Thirty years ago, Asian Americans were big supporters of Ronald Reagan. In 1992, President George Herbert Walker Bush lost in his re-election effort to Bill Clinton. Yet Bush received 55 percent of the Asian American vote. But a move away from Republican candidates has taken place over the years. In the 2008 presidential election, 62 percent of Asian Americans voted for Barack Obama, a Democrat. In voting four years later, Obama won 73 percent of the Asian-American vote. Nearly half of Asian American voters are not registered with any political party. They consider themselves politically independent. Hugh Tra is an immigrant from Vietnam. He now lives in southern California. Tra says he identifies with the Democrats, and has been politically active since high school. As the two main parties begin their nominating process, Tra considers how each candidate stands on the issues. He feels immigration and income inequality are two big issues. He also thinks the time is now for candidates from both parties to attract Asian voters. Hugh Tra says I think there hasnt been enough effort by either party to outreach to Asian Americans. Definitely both parties need to step up their game and reach out to us. As of now, Tra said he is thinking he may support Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, a Democrat. The Asian American population is one of the largest growing groups in the United States. By 2040, nearly one in 10 people in the U.S. is expected to be Asian American. Im Jim Dresbach. Elizabeth Lee reported on this story for VOANews.com. Jim Dresbach adapted this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story according - adv. as stated by or in demographic adj. relating to the qualities (such as age, sex, and income) of a specific group of people incumbent n. a person who holds a particular office or position outreach n. the activity or process of bringing information or services to people attract v. to cause someone to like or be interested in something In 2009, John and Jen Palmer posted a critical online comment about a business. The Palmers said they ordered and paid for a small toy and a keychain for $20 from KlearGear.com, but never got the items. They said they could never reach anyone at KlearGear to fix the problem. They posted their complaint on RipoffReport.com. Three years later, Jen Palmer said her husband received an email from KlearGear demanding they remove the post. If not, he was told, he would have to pay a $3,500 fine. KlearGear said the Palmers violated the companys policy that bars customers from posting critical comments. It is becoming common practice for businesses to demand money from customers who criticize them online, according to Eric Goldman, a Santa Clara University law professor. He follows Internet legal issues. These do not criticize clauses come as review sites such as Yelp, TripAdvisor, Angies List and ZocDoc become more popular. Comscore, an online research company, lists Yelp and TripAdvisor among the top 50 websites in the U.S. The sites have more visitors than even Netflix and ESPN. Jen Palmer said she and her husband tried to remove their critical post, but could not get Ripoff Report to take it down. They refused to pay the $3,500 fine demanded by KlearGear. They said they did not believe the company had the right to demand it. Two years later, a judge agreed with them. He said the company was wrong to demand money and to report the couples refusal to pay to a credit rating agency. That hurt the Palmers credit rating and made it impossible for them to finance the purchase of a furnace and car, Jen Palmer said. The judge awarded the couple over $300,000 in damages. At a recent Senate hearing, consumer advocates said what happened to the Palmers is not unusual. They gave some examples: A New York City inn fined newlyweds $500 for every critical review posted by them or their wedding guests. $500 for every critical review posted by them or their wedding guests. A dentist demanded $100 a day from a patient for each day he kept an online posting accusing the dentist of overcharging him. him. The U.S. owner of a Paris rental apartment barred renters from using blogs or websites for complaints. In all three cases, the business owner either backed down or was ordered to stop by a court. But Senator John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, said the public will never know how many critical online postings get taken down under pressure. Most people, he said, would rather avoid the threat of excessive penalties, costly litigation or damage to their credit scores. Since that November Senate hearing, the Senate passed Thunes bill to stop companies from blocking critical online comments. The bill is now pending in the House of Representatives. The U.S. Constitution guarantees free speech. But backers of the Thune legislation say the guarantee applies mostly to government, not private businesses. The First Amendment Center notes that the Supreme Court has said that private organizations can limit free speech on their property. Some business groups complain that some online reviewers make up problems. One hotel owner wrote that a customer who described his hotel as a filthy did not even stay there. TripAdvisor has responded to such criticism. The website said it allows businesses to respond to every review positive or negative. And most hotels get many reviews, making it hard for a single very negative or very positive review to have much effect, TripAdvisor said. Bruce Alpert researched and reported this story for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or share your views on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story post v. to write an online message keychain n. a holder of keys customer n. someone who buys goods or services from a business clause n. legal language in a contract or document review -- n. an act of carefully looking at or examining the quality or condition of something newlyweds n. A newly married couple overcharge v. to charge too much for something excessive adj. going beyond what is usual, normal, or proper penalty -- n. punishment for breaking a rule filthy adj. very dirty Muslim worshippers ran in panic after attackers set off bombs and fired shots in a mosque in Saudi Arabia. Five died and 18 others were wounded. Attackers wore suicide belts and carried assault rifles into a Shi'ite mosque in eastern Saudi Arabia during Friday prayer services. It was at least the fifth such attack in under a year. Amateur video showed worshipers inside the Imam Reda Mosque as a bomb explodes. The explosion broke windows, doors and ceiling tiles. Men were heard shouting religious slogans. The lights went out and gunshots were heard. Eyewitness Mohammed al Ahmed told Saudi TV that worshipers inside the mosque blocked its doors after the attack began. But one terrorist entered after the blast. Several minutes after worshipers locked the doors, an explosion went off, he said. The lights went off and smoke filled the room. A man with an assault rifle took shots, but was wrestled to the ground and disarmed after he was hit with a chair. Security forces exchanged fire with the attackers outside the building. Al Arabiya TV reported that security forces arrested two men. Other media reported that one man was arrested and a second blew himself up. At least four other such attacks on Shi'ite mosques have taken place inside Saudi Arabia during the past year. Saudi TV reported that security forces have been able to prevent more than a half dozen other attacks. Middle East analyst Theodore Karasik told VOA that the attack Friday is reminiscent of previous Islamic State attacks targeting Shi'ites. He said that IS has been calling for more attacks in recent weeks. This may be the start of a new wave in Saudi Arabia. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the latest attack. Edward Yeranian reported this story for VOA. Kathleen Struck adapted it for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. Please leave us a Comment, and post on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story panic n. a feeling of extreme fear that makes someone unable to act or think normally assault rifle n. a gun that can shoot many bullets rapidly and is designed for the military amateur n. a person who does something (such as a sport or hobby) that is not part of their job slogan n. a word or phrase that is easily remembered that is used by a group or business to gain attention reminiscent adj. something that reminds a person of some memory, fact or incident China said Friday it has charged a Canadian with spying and stealing state secrets. Kevin Garratt was arrested in August 2014 with his wife, Julia. She was released after six months but is not allowed to leave China. She and her husband ran a coffee shop in Dandong in northeastern China. They also conducted Christian aid work for North Koreans. "During the investigation, authorities found that Kevin Garratt may also be involved in gathering information for Canadian information agencies," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in Beijing. Garratt's parents said their son was arrested because he is Christian. Hua rejected that it has anything to do with religion. She said "he was indicted because of spying and stealing Chinese state secrets. China's concept of state secrets can be very broad. Canada said it was concerned about the Garratt indictment. It has raised the issue with the Chinese government "at high levels." A week ago, Canada accused Chinese hackers of breaking into a key computer network. News of the indictment reached Canadian officials one day after they attended a lavish party hosted by China in Ottawa, the Canadian capital. It marked the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Im Anne Ball. Kathleen Struck adapted this story for Learning English from VOA news. Hai Do was the editor. Now it's your turn. Please leave a comment or post on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story indicted v. to be formally charged with a crime concept n. the idea of what something is or how it works hacker n. person who secretly gets access to a computer system to get information, or cause damage lavish adj. giving or using a large amount of something Justin Massey chose to study at Wheaton College in 2011 because of the universitys strong religious and academic record. "I grew up as a very strong Christian and my faith was an important part, thinking about moving forward with my academic studies. And Wheaton, from what I came to know, was widely understood as one of the best academic institutions if youre looking for somewhere with a strong Christian tradition." Massey, 23, thought that a Christian university would be a welcoming place. But there was one problem: Massey is a gay, or homosexual, man. Religious universities across the U.S. have asked the Department of Education for permission to deny equal treatment to homosexual and transgender students. Title IX is a section of a group of laws called the United States Education Amendments of 1972. Originally, Title IX prevented discrimination based on gender at schools receiving federal money. This includes any school with students who use federal loans to pay for their studies. But Title IX does include a special exemption for religious schools. Any school run by a religious organization can ask to ignore Title IX. The schools can make this request if they believe Title IX disagrees with their religious beliefs. For example, some schools that train men to be members of the clergy ask to deny access to women. Some religions prevent women from training to be clergy members. The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is part of the U.S. Department of Education. The OCR enforces Tile IX. The OCR also processes the exemption requests. Seth Galanter is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the OCR. Galanter said schools have always had the right to make this type of request: 227 schools have received exemption from some part of Title IX since 1972. Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, received an exemption in 1985. But Justin Massey said that the school does accept different types of people. "I think Wheaton College, as a whole, is a pretty loving environment Its just stuck in a political position." Problems began for Massey when he started working with the administration. Massey became involved in student government during his first year at Wheaton. At that time, he had not openly identified himself as gay. But he did start organizing meetings to support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (or LGBT) students. During his second year, Massey tried to create a formal group supporting LGBT students at Wheaton, called Refuge. But the schools administration learned that Massey was already involved in student government. They did not want a student with connections to a controversial issue to be part of the student government. The administration told Massey he could not be the leader of the group he started. "What I took that to mean was that it was because I was gay and that there was no other similar situation in which a student wouldnt be allowed to head up a group because of a so-called conflict of interest." Galanter said that the exemptions do not allow schools to discriminate in any way they want. "There is not a wholesale exemption. A school, private college or university is only exempt when Title IX conflicts with the religious organization's tenets and only to that extent. And there is an opportunity for an individual who has been harmed to challenge the exemption in an individual case." But a growing concern among the LGBT community is that the number of exemption requests has increased greatly since 2013. These requests directly involve the parts of Title IX protecting students based on their gender identity and sexual orientation. The Human Rights Campaign (or HRC) is an organization that protects and supports the rights of LGBT people. The HRC released a report in December 2015 on the religious universities that requested and received these exemptions. The report showed that before 2013, only one school had requested an exemption from the part of Title IX involving gender identity. There were at least 43 similar requests in 2015. Sarah Warbelow is the Legal Director for HRC. She wrote the report, called "Hidden Discrimination." Warbelow says it is important that this information becomes widely known. "The majority of these schools did this under the cover of silence. Very few of them talked about it publicly. They were not telling their students." The HRC report also claimed that the increase in requests is in response to several recent actions by the U.S. government. These actions have been in support of the LGBT community. A transgender student accused the Arcadia Unified School District in Arcadia, California of discrimination in 2011. The U.S. Department of Justice and Department of Education decided in 2013 that the school system must provide the student with facilities that matched their gender identity. The Department of Justice is pursuing a similar solution in another case. A transgender student accused the Gloucester County Public School system in Virginia of discrimination in 2015. The U.S. Supreme Court also decided that the Constitution protects the right of same-sex marriage in 2015. Massey chose to publicly declare his sexual orientation in his third year at Wheaton. He also became very involved in LGBT rights issues. He often had problems with the administration. "There was just so many times that Wheaton was very quick to react to me or what was happening on campus because they were fearful of what it meant." VOA contacted Wheaton College for a comment. But the school did not give a formal response. VOA emailed 45 of the schools that have received or requested an exemption. Several schools declined to comment. Some offered written statements. Biola University in La Mirada, California is the only school with a religious exemption to Title IX that agreed to an interview. Jerry Mackey is the universitys Legal Counsel. Mackey said there was no controversy when the school received its exemption in 1985. "To my knowledge, there was really no reaction; public, private within the institution I just dont think it was a controversial issue at the time at all." Mackey said the media is trying to cause problems for religious colleges and universities. He also said that Biola is a loving place that tries to treat all of its students with care. But, Mackey said, students are free to study at any school they want. "People are here because they believe this is the place that they want to be So nobodys forced to come to Biola or any school." But Massey does not agree. Massey believes that not all young people have total control of where they can study. Some students need their parents to pay for their education. If they do not go to the school their parents want, they will not receive any higher education. Other students do not completely understand their own sexuality when they first make their choice of school. Massey chose to finish his four-year degree at Wheaton for several reasons. He did not have enough money to change schools. Also, he had made many friends at Wheaton whom he did not want to leave. In addition, he felt the school needed students willing to fight for LGBT rights. Massey enjoyed his experience, but says it was difficult. "If I had known what I was going to go through, I probably would have been hesitant... Its not the duty of any minority person to change an institution... But I dont regret having been at Wheaton College." He also believes there are still more fights to come. Im Pete Musto. Pete Musto reported and wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. Now its your turn. How are LGBT people treated in your country? Why is it important for everyone to have access to equal education? Please let us know in the Comments section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story academic adj. of or relating to schools and education faith n. strong religious feelings or beliefs homosexual adj. sexually attracted to people of the same sex transgender adj. of or relating to people who have a sexual identity that is not clearly male or clearly female gender n. the state of being male or female exemption n. freedom from being required to do something that others are required to do lesbian adj. a woman who is sexually attracted to other women bisexual adj. sexually attracted to both men and women formal adj. made or done in an official and usually public way controversial adj. relating to or causing much discussion, disagreement, or argument allowed adj. given permission to do something wholesale adj. affecting large numbers of people or things tenet(s) n. a belief or idea that is very important to a group extent n. used to indicate the degree to which something exists, happens, or is true challenge v. to say or show that something may not be true, correct, or legal gender identity n. a personal belief of oneself as male or female, or rarely, both or neither sexual orientation n. the state of being bisexual, heterosexual, or homosexual facilities n. a room or rooms with a sink and toilet and usually a bathtub or shower hesitant adj. slow to act or speak especially because you are nervous or unsure about what to do A human rights group says the slowing world economy, a crackdown on dissidents and dislike of foreigners fleeing their country have led to a sharp drop in freedom around the world for the 10th consecutive year. Freedom House, a U.S.-based human rights group, measured freedom in 195 countries. Its Freedom in the World 2016 report shows a decline in 72 of those countries last year. It was the largest decline since the 10-year-long drop began. The report says 50 countries are not free and 59 partly free. Countries with the worst record It says levels of freedom were lowest in Syria, the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China, Somalia, North Korea, Uzbekistan and Eritrea. Also on the list of least-free countries were Turkmenistan, Western Sahara, Central African Republic, Sudan, Equatorial Guinea and Saudi Arabia. The report says the Middle East and North Africa were the areas where people had the least freedom in 2015, followed closely by Eurasia. It says leaders of countries in those three areas increased their punishment of rights activists and other critics. Decline in free countries Many democratic countries in Europe and North America continued to be rated free in the report. However, the report says civil liberties in democratic countries -- especially in Europe -- have been threatened as those countries deal with terrorist attacks and an increase in refugees. Many people have fled Syria and other conflict areas and have sought asylum in Europe. The United States had one of the top ratings in the report. But it also showed a drop in freedom. The report blames the influence of money in election campaigns, legislative gridlock, failed promises of open government and racial discrimination for the drop. Economy and unrest contribute to the decline The group says the worlds economic problems and fear of unrest caused the governments of Russia, China and other countries to take stronger actions against their critics. It says Russian President Vladimir Putin continued his repressive policies and took action against independent journalists and those who support homosexuals. The report criticizes Putin for his continued support for rebels in eastern Ukraine and for ordering airstrikes to support the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Freedom House says Chinas communist government increased its attacks on human rights lawyers, journalists and minority rights activists. And it says China has expanded its targets to include labor and public health activists and defenders of womens rights. It notes that countries where freedom had declined sharply in 2014 had not improved in 2015. These include Thailand, Egypt, Crimea and South Sudan. Improvement in some countries The report finds an increase in freedom in 61 countries, including Latin America. And it says there is a possibility that levels of freedom will increase in Iran and Myanmar this year. In Myanmar, the new government led by the National League for Democracy will face pressure to meet its promises to make the country freer. And in Iran, reformers are preparing for parliamentary elections next month. There will also be an election for the group that names the countrys top religious leader. Im Christopher Jones-Cruise. VOAs Smita Nordwall reported on this story. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted her report for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, or visit our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story crackdown n. a serious attempt to punish people for doing something that is not allowed; an increased effort to enforce a law or rule consecutive adj. following one after the other in a series; following each other without interruption gridlock n. a situation in which no progress can be made journalists - n. news reporters; news media workers homosexuals - n. people with a sexual interest in members of their own sex Police and anti-narcotic CID agents obtained information from their reliable sources indicating that our client, along with his acquaintances, who were residing in Dubai Marina, possessed drugs and had been witnessed using those drugs in the privacy of their homes. Policy on Comments Comments are welcome, and all are moderated. Please be respectful. Argument (in the classical sense) is encouraged. A lively discussion helps clarify, however crude, or obscene remarks will not be posted. Neither will ad hominem attacks, so please don't mix a comment on an issue with an ad hominem because it won't be posted. Publication does not imply agreement. William Clark Shackleton, 83, of Grand Island, died Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016 at CHI Health-St Francis Medical Center inGrand Island. Funeral Service were 2:00 pm Friday Jan. 29 at Livingston-Sondermann Funeral Home Chapel with Pastor Mike Wooten and Pastor Dan Brenton officiating. Full Military Honors were performed at the funeral chapel. Visitation with family present, was Thursday, Jan. 28, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Livingston-Sondermann Funeral Home Chapel. Inurnment will be in Fort McPherson National Cemetery near Maxwell, at a later date. Bill was born near Almena,Kan., to Howard and Fay (Smith) Shackleton on July, 20, 1932. At the age of 3 his family moved to Cornell,Wis., and lived there until Bill joined the United States Air Force in March of 1952. He returned home in 1956 and joined the family in Arapahoe. He later met Wanda Roberts and they were united in marriage on Sept. 13, 1957 in Beaver City. He was a hard worker and provider for his family. He relocated to Lexington in 1966, where he worked at Cornland Dressed Beef plant until he started his own business repairing windshields in 1985. In 1986, he moved his family to Grand Island to continue his business, later retiring in 2005. After retirement, he was a crossing guard for Star Elementary School and really enjoyed his interaction with the children there. Bill was a past member of Parkview Baptist Church in Lexington and attended Evangelical Free Church in Grand Island. He enjoyed woodworking, hunting, camping and especially his family. Survivors include his wife, Wanda; sons and their wives, Wayne and Jennifer of West Palm Beach, Fla., and Randy and Marji Shackleton of Grand Island; six grandchildren, Ashley, Kim, Cole, Dani, Christopher and Brooke; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and one brother. Memorials are suggested to the family for future designation. Online condolences may be directed to www.livson.com. The Ubik Uno is a smartphone with a 5.5 inch display, slim bezels, an octa-core CPU, 3GB of RAM, a 3,100 mAh battery, and a 20 megapixel camera. The developers of the phone ran a Kickstarter campaign last summer, and now they say the Uno is ready to ship which is probably why I spotted it at the FCC website today. If you didnt get a chance to back the Kickstarter campaign, you can still order the phone from the Ubik website for $295 + $10 for shipping. When I spoke with Ubik about the phone a few months ago, I was told that this was the launch pricing, and eventually the full price would go up to $320. The phone will ship with Android 5.1 Lollipop software and features a 1920 x 1080 pixel IPS display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3, a 2.2 GHz MediaTek MT6795 octa-core processor, a microSD card reader, and a Sony Exmor RS IMX230 that can snap 20MP photos and shoot 4K videos at 30 frames per second. It should work on 4G LTE networks with GMS carriers in the US, including AT&T and T-Mobile. Kumbukumbu November (1) October (7) September (2) August (11) July (151) June (237) May (412) April (311) March (28) February (19) January (43) December (66) November (109) October (108) September (125) August (135) July (246) June (265) May (238) April (287) March (186) February (182) January (100) December (54) November (68) October (102) September (108) August (141) July (200) June (183) May (158) April (183) March (252) February (196) January (206) December (183) November (234) October (351) September (222) August (232) July (256) June (213) May (261) April (246) March (288) February (275) January (296) December (248) November (296) October (268) September (267) August (336) July (317) June (387) May (419) April (487) March (443) February (422) January (475) December (590) November (535) October (672) September (529) August (530) July (618) June (613) May (638) April (552) March (634) February (634) January (683) December (695) November (739) October (754) September (723) August (753) July (691) June (802) May (778) April (802) March (908) February (840) January (886) December (962) November (883) October (923) September (958) August (905) July (1110) June (1053) May (1066) April (923) March (981) February (973) January (1030) December (882) November (836) October (972) September (885) August (1073) July (1275) June (1293) May (1055) April (1271) March (1205) February (1130) January (986) December (894) November (1119) October (1122) September (956) August (1056) July (967) June (1046) May (1154) April (1075) March (1064) February (1091) January (1219) December (1028) November (977) October (902) September (757) August (844) July (697) June (580) May (595) April (512) March (479) February (470) January (464) December (505) November (501) October (506) September (485) August (530) July (464) June (465) May (422) April (442) March (462) February (439) January (535) December (516) November (373) October (288) September (218) August (281) July (253) June (234) May (253) April (292) March (382) February (377) January (4) Though a million dollar wound gave his time in Vietnam an early end, Capt. Ronald Hoover stands as one of the most accomplished Marines to have been involved in the war. Hoover, 79, of Carlisle, enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1954. He said his decision to enlist was inspired by several of his friends who had enlisted before him. I had some friends from high school that went in (to the Marines) during the Korean time, Hoover said. They came back and we were talking, and I said that the Marines was the place I wanted to go. I thought the Marine Corps was the best outfit. I made a lot of good friends there and decided I would stay and make 20 years out of it. During his career, Hoover served two tours at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina as a drill instructor and he also served on the Inspector Instructor staff of the 78th Rifle Company in Williamsport. He achieved the title of Master of Fitness, which had only been accomplished by 22 Marines ever at the time of his retirement. Hoover served in two tours during Vietnam. His first tour was spent with Alpha Company, Third Reconnaissance Battalion from 1966 to 1967. One of the big problems we had was when we would get in a situation out there, we would sometimes run up against 30 to 40 guys and we would need some kind of support, Hoover said. We were responsible for each other and (for) making sure that all the people we had were coming home safe and sound; that was the primary thing in my mind. After coming back to the United States for three months, Hoover returned to Vietnam for a second tour from 1968 to 1969 this time as Company Commander of India Company, Third Battalion, 26th Marines. The situation I was in as a commander was similar to that movie We Were Soldiers, Hoover said. We walked into three machine guns one night and we lost 157 marines in about two hours. We stayed there the whole night and we actually had hand-to-hand combat for about two hours. My company sergeant, from PA, got the medal of honor posthumously. It was during this tour that Hoover suffered injuries significant enough to end his involvement in the war. A mortar round came in and blew me away and left me off the ground, Hoover said. I had wounds in my back, arms and legs. I got my million dollar wound, as they say; I did not go back into (Vietnam) again. Hoover spent nine months at a hospital in Guam before he was finally transported back to the United States. I stayed (in Guam) for nine months and got put back together, Hoover said. From there, I went to Okinawa and got back on my feet and came home. Hoover was awarded the Silver Star just one of a list of accumulated personal awards that includes a Bronze Star with combat valor, a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with combat valor, a Purple Heart, a Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, a Vietnam Service Medal, a Vietnam Cross of Gallantry Star and a Vietnam Campaign Ribbon. After officially retiring from the Marine Corps in 1974, Hoover remained involved with public service as a law enforcement official. I was a people person, Hoover said, so I ended up going into law enforcement. Hoover served as a deputy sheriff for 10 years with the Reno Nevada Sheriffs Department and served another 12 years with the California Department of Corrections before retiring again in 1994. Hoover currently resides in Carlisle. Im 79 years old and there is not too much I can do, Hoover said. Im kind of slowed down a bit, but I do what I can. Hoover said that Vietnam, as a whole, should stand as a lesson to modern America. The government needs to adhere to the lessons we learned in Vietnam, Hoover said. We won the battles over there, but we did not win the wars. Is everyone really serious about grounding Airlift? It is just a flipping Bollywood movie, not a documentary for the record. And now even the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) have their knickies in a twist about their being shown in a poor light. So they should be. No one fetched up from India for 12 full days after Iraq rammed into Kuwait. In fact, as the editor of Khaleej Times sitting in Dubai, I distinctly recall that there was much consternation about the slow reaction from New Delhi. This sense of hurt is entirely misplaced. Our official reaction was sluggish at best. Indeed, it was finally the Consulate and Embassy in Dubai that linked up with Air India and Indian Airlines and the Indian Association based in Dubai. From my Emirati perch I can tell you how we saw the operation unfold, especially the Dubai leg of it. There was no one person who was heroic. On the contrary, there were several people who stepped forward and when the government finally moved it did so well that India recorded the biggest aerial rescue operation in history, evacuating 179,000 people.Even in WWII there was no such rescue. Like refugees through history they left their homes as if they were going to the movies, never to come back. One family left dinner on the table, another an abandoned car, one lady her lifes work of paintings. Books, clothes, fully furnished houses...just walked away with the shirt on the back. Since air traffic was not operational, people had to either go by ship or by road to Amman in Jordan. Huge camps were setup for the multi nationals. many of them walked, a river of humanity stretching across the desert like a scar. Let me name you a few people who made the effort. Under the guidance of the Ambassador Ranjit Sethi and his wife, Indu Sethi,the Indian community in Dubai rallied their might to support the fellow Indians coming out of Kuwait. Air India headed by Michael Mascarenhas and Indian Air Lines headed by Durairaj created the air bridge as it was calledto carry passengers back to India. The Dubai authorities made available the Hajj longue for the exclusive use of the transit passengers. It was Dubai immigration which facilitated the entry and exit both at the airport and sea port. The Consulate General of India validated the documents under the guidance of Late Narendra Kumar and JN Mahajan. The Indian community provided food, refreshment and financial assistance and ensured the traumatic experience was made more bearable during the transit in Dubai over the weeks. Virtually the volunteers worked around the clock to prepare, pack and deliver hot food. In addition to looking after them during transit a team of volunteers made the trip to the camps in Amman to provide blankets, sweaters, clothing and food stuff. This team included social worker Ambika Vohra (she is my wife), advertising executive Babu Subramaniam, paediatrician Dr Raghu Menon and Indian Association president K Kumar. Foreign Minister IK Gujral trotted in on a flight at the fag end and stood in the doorway of an aircraft and made a lot of well intentioned noise but there was no risk. Large sums of money were donated by educationist Sunny Varkey and businessmen Kailash Agarwal and Firoz Merchant to name a few. The Indian High School Dubai and Our Own English High School provided the school buses available for transporting the passengers who came by ship to the airport. These vehicles were escorted by Dubai Police. India brought her people home. And did it with minimum fuss. None of this is relevant to the movie. James Bond saves England singlehandedly. Bruce Willis does it all the time. Sly Stallone saved Afghanistan. Morgan freeman saves the world. So Akshay Kumar took cinematic licence. What exactly is the big deal? It is a film, there are greater things in life to worry about than a movie inspired by a lot of common people doing uncommon things. Since no one who is whingeing about the movie was there and did diddley squat to help and hardly anyone in India remembers those days if someone has had the conviction to set the operation to music why crib about this. Get over it. Either enjoy it or dont see it, but stop whining. New Delhi: The Indian telecom regulator on Wednesday issued its recommendations on valuation and reserve price of spectrum in the 700, 800, 900, 1800, 2,100, 2,300 and 2,500 MHz bands. Given the high base price for the 700 Mhz spectrum and stress on their balance sheets, top telecom players may not bid for the radiowaves in this premium band, says credit rating firm Fitch. According to an official statement here, the sector regulator recommended that entire available spectrum (2x35 MHz) in the 700 MHz band should be put to auction in the upcoming auction. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has recommended a record base price of Rs 11,485 crore per Mhz for 700 Mhz, which is to be among the radiowaves that are to be auctioned in the forthcoming round of bidding. If all the available frequencies get sold at Trai suggested price then it can alone contribute over Rs 4 lakh crore. It recommended that spectrum in 700 MHz band should be offered in the block size of 5 MHz (paired). "In case a TSP is able to win more than one block of spectrum in the upcoming auctions, it should be allocated spectrum in contiguous blocks." The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recommended that the entire available spectrum in 2100 MHz band should be put to auction. The TRAI had issued a consultation paper on it in November 2015 seeking stakeholders' comments. "In March 2015, the telcos committed the largest-ever investment of USD 17.7 billion, mainly due to the necessity to retain their expiring spectrum to avoid network disruption. The auction saw aggressive bidding as spectrum offered was limited. We believe that there are far fewer reasons for telcos to invest as much in the 700MHz auction," Fitch said. The government is likely to go for the next round of telecom spectrum auctions around May-June this year, Telecom Secretary Rakesh Garg said here recently. The industry expressed its satisfaction over the regulator's decision to hold the auction. However, it expressed concerns over the steep pricing of 700 and 2,100 MHz, which will be the much sought after bands. "We are happy that another round of auction will take place. It will help in removing the supply constraint. But the prices of the 700 and 2,100 MHz are too steep for the industry. We expect most of the activities in these two bands," Rajan S.Mathews, director general, Cellular Operators' Association of India, told IANS. The TRAI recommended reserve price of Rs.1,595 crore for 700 Mhz and Rs.554 crore for 2100 MHz in the Delhi circle. Both 700 and 2,100 MHz are of utmost importance to the industry stakeholders as these two bands are carriers of third generation (3G) and fourth generation (4G) telephony. He said the regulator has indicated that it will put 60 percent more spectrum in auction than the current holding across all the bands. At present, the total holding of spectrum across all the bands is between 2,700-3,000 MHz. The authority also recommended that Department of Telecom (DoT), in coordination with defence and the telecom service providers (TSP), should complete the harmonization process in the 1,800 MHz band before upcoming auctions so that the entire spectrum that is made available due to this exercise is placed for bidding. "The available spectrum must be put to auction in contiguous blocks, preferably in the block of 5 MHz." The regulator suggested that spectrum in the 2,300 MHz and 2,500 MHz bands should be put to auction in the block size of 10 MHz (unpaired). Currently, spectrum trading in 2,300 or 2,500 MHz band is permitted in the block size of 20 MHz. "The authority also recommends that after network synchronisation of all the TDD (time-division duplexing) networks, spectrum trading in 2,300 or 2,500 MHz band should be permitted in the blocks of 10 MHz." The TRAI recommended that existing provision of a cap of 25 percent of the 'total spectrum assigned' in 700/800/900/1,800/2,100/2,300/2,500 MHz bands and 50 percent within a given band in each of the access service area shall apply for total spectrum holding by each TSP. IANS & PTI Hyderabad: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi began a day-long hunger strike alongside agitating students from Hyderabad University this morning. "I am here today at the request of Rohith's friends and family, to stand with them in their fight for justice," Gandhi said. "A young life full of dreams and aspirations was cut short. We owe it to him, to the memory of Gandhiji, to every single Indian student who dreams of an India free from prejudice and injustice." Vemula's mother, Radhika, joined Gandhi and the other protesters in Hyderabad. Gandhi, who arrived at 12.10 am, also participated in a candle light march by 2000 students to mark Vemula's birthday. As students raised slogans against HRD minister Smrithi Irani and Union labour minister Bandarau Dattatre, Rahul requested they not shout 'murdabad', which means "death to". "Let us not say murdabad to somebody. That will not do justice," he said. This is the second time in less than two weeks that the Congress leader is visiting the campus to meet and address the students. Agitating students are demanding action against Vice-Chancellor P Appa Rao and others responsible for Vemula's suicide. As soon as the Congress MP's convoy reached the main gate of the university, activists of ABVP tried to stop him. They were protesting his visit to the campus. Police had to use mild force to disperse the protesters. Gandhi had visited the campus on 19 January, two days after Vemula committed suicide. Agencies New Delhi: The BJP on Saturday asked Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi to "not politicise" the death of a Dalit research scholar who committed suicide two weeks ago and stop "playing politics on dead bodies". As Rahul Gandhi joined protests with the students at the University of Hyderabad past Friday midnight, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Sambit Patra said it is not a Dalit versus non-Dalit issue but a classic case of trying to score political brownie points. "Rahul Gandhi should start working in a positive way rather than playing politics on dead bodies," he said. Gandhi shuns his own responsibility and gatecrashes into other's protest, Patra said, adding the way he has shown insensitivity is the reason why "I say Rahul and responsibility cannot go together." Patra further questioned Rahul Gandhi for not responding to the Malda incident and the incident in Haryana where Dalits was burnt alive. "Did Rahul Gandhi shed tears for the four Dalits who were burnt alive? No, he has always been selective," he said. "Everyone knows what the condition in Malda is, has Rahul Gandhi ever visited Malda?". Patra said Rahul Gandhi was enjoying New Year when the Pathankot terror attack happened and blamed the government after 10 days. "When Pathankot attack was happening, Rahul Gandhi was in Europe enjoying his holiday. He came back after 10 days and blamed government," Patra said. Gandhi on Saturday continued his protest along with the students who are on hunger strike at the University of Hyderabad, demanding justice for a Dalit research scholar who committed suicide. Gandhi, who participated in a candle light vigil after midnight and spent the night on the campus, remained seated along with the students at the protest venue near Shopping Complex to mark the birth anniversary of Rohith Vemula. He was seated with four Dalit students, who were suspended along with Vemula, and Vemula's mother and brother. Dozens of other students are also on a day-long hunger strike to press for their demand for the resignation of Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and action against him and others responsible for the suicide. IANS The crisis over government formation has now stretched longer than expected in Jammu and Kashmir. While late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had tried to refloat his Battle of Ideas slogan but failed, his daughter and PDP President Mebooba Mufti is now keeping everyone guessing by adopting a calculated strategy of silence. This is ensuring into a widening gap between the alliance partners PDP-BJP that could change into a frosty relations in coming days. Here we point out six reasons why PDP could be delaying government formation in the state. Failure of 'Battle of Ideas' It was perhaps the most symbolic and well-received slogan of PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, during his three year rule between mid 2002 to mid 2005. Sayeed had made Battle of Ideas the core philosophy of PDP. It provided separatists and ideological adversaries a space to voice their opinion and democratic dissent. Free Speech was not curbed and people were allowed to protest. Political observers say this policy rendered separatists ultimately irrelevant in the state and played as a soft counter insurgency technic against ideological opponents. I don't have monopoly over political ideologies. I don't like putting people behind bars, but I believe our ideologies should serve people better, Sayeed would often repeat, while defending his slogan of battle of ideas. But he failed miserably to repeat it in his second term, starting from day one. He had to jail and house arrest separatists. Ideological opponents were muzzled and even people protesting against delay in flood compensation were arrested. Unlike before, he had to counter a hostile partner in BJP, Gul Mohammad Wani, Director of Kashmir Studies Institute, told Firstpost. PDP president Mehbooba, would need some assurance from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP leadership on resumption of talks with separatists and freeing of jailed separatist leaders before she takes a call on the government formation. Deliberating on ten months of experience with BJP Governance in the state had become a casualty to controversies between two parties. Both the parties failed to deliver on the ground in their respective constituencies. Controversial and polarising debates over beef ban, revocation of Article 370, State Flag, grating of citizenship to west Pakistani refugees or disbanding of Village Defense Committees leaders of both the parties publicly fought pitched battles over these issues in public. People would often joke in Kashmir that during BJP-PDPs ten-month rule they hardly needed opposition. The PDP president would like the Centre leadership of BJP to rein in its leaders from speaking on controversial issues. Dwindling party base in three regions of state. One of the biggest reasons for Sayeed stitching an alliance with the BJP was to unite three regions of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. An alliance with the BJP meant not only giving representation to two other regions, Jammu and Ladakh, but also strengthening PDPs own base, otherwise seen as a Kashmir centric party. "My only goal to forge alliance with BJP was to remove the clouds of uncertainty and link the regions of the state together, Sayeed had said in October, 2015. But rather than gaining grass root support and presence in other parts of the state, the party seems to be losing in its core constituency Kashmir, to a considerable extent. "When the election for Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) were held, the BJP won two-thirds majority, wresting control of the Council for the first time from Congress in 20 years. PDP failed to open its account. This was the first electoral defeat of Sayeed, while being in office, Rekha Choudhary, a political analyst, based in Jammu said. Credibility crisis For allowing the BJP to form the government in the state for the first time in the electoral history of state, the PDP drew flak from people across the political and social spectrum. A perception gained ground in Kashmir that it was a anti-Kashmir party, which has always played at the hands of Delhi, while in Hindu dominated region of Jammu and Buddhist dominated Ladakh it has always been as pro-separatist party. "If the PDP made a decision to please its Kashmir constituency, Jammu becomes furious. Sayeed was caught between a rock and a hard place. He didnt fail people but himself. An inexperienced cabinet, a taunting opposition, he wanted to fill this gap by working overtime and it consumed him, Choudhary adds. Flood Rehabilitation This was one issue, which Sayeeds government wanted to address desperately. One of the reasons PDP succeeded in the Assembly polls was its aggressive campaigning promising rehabilitation of the flood victims. The promises, as many would say today, are yet to be fulfilled. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing a Rs 80,000 crore economic package for the revival of the State one year after the floods, not even ten percent of the money has been made available to the state. "Against the recommendations of 88,000 crore for rehabilitation only 8,000 crore was granted. Out of it 2000 crore was granted for housing and public infrastructure destroyed by floods and 6,000 crore for business. Even schemes announced by UPA were included into this package, Industrialist, Shakeel Qalander, says. Huge chunks of the Rs 80,000 crore package was allocated to roads and other defence strategic assets. This had nothing to do with people. The repackaging was done for old schemes like AIIMS and IITs, subsequently it was covered under this package, and then the money has still not come, he adds. Internal party feud in PDP Two founding members of PDP, MPs Muzaffar Hussain Beig and Tariq Hameed Karra, have been vocal critics of the alliance, but they are not alone in their opposition. Second rung leaders of the party are in favor of going back to people for a fresh mandate and end the coalition. If rumors are to be believed, the anti-BJP constituency in PDP is winning. After Sayeeds demise it would be interesting how PDP president would keep her party together, if she deiced to go ahead with BJP to form the government. So dont be surprised if the unpredictable Mehbooba pulls out rugs under the feets of BJP leaders. MORE ABOUT ME: I'm an author with The Story Factory. My literary and film agent is Shane Salerno. I was born and grew up in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland. After studying philosophy at Oxford University I emigrated to New York City where I lived in Harlem for 7 years working in bars, bookstores, building sites. In 2001 I moved to Denver, Colorado where I taught high school English and started writing fiction. I lived in Oz for 10 years from 2008 - 2018 in the beautiful suburb of St Kilda. In 2019 I moved back to NYC. My first full length novel Dead I Well May Be was shortlisted for the 2004 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award, was optioned by Universal Pictures and appeared on several best of the year lists. I'm probably best known for my Sean Duffy series of detective novel set in Belfast during the Troubles. Those books have won the Edgar Award, Ned Kelly Award, Barry Award, Anthony Award, Audie Award etc. I have a new standalone coming out in 2019 called The Chain... NEUBRANDENBURG, Germany German Chancellor Angela Merkel tried on Saturday to placate the increasingly vocal critics of her open-door policy for refugees by insisting that most refugees from Syria and Iraq would go home once the conflicts there had ended. Despite appearing increasingly isolated, Merkel has resisted pressure from some conservatives to cap the influx of refugees, or to close Germany's borders. Support for her conservative bloc has slipped as concerns mount about how Germany will integrate the 1.1 million migrants who arrived last year, while crime and security are also in the spotlight after a wave of assaults on women in Cologne at New Year by men of north African and Arab appearance. The influx has played into the hands of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD), whose support is now in the double digits, and whose leader was quoted on Saturday saying that migrants entering illegally should, if necessary, be shot. Merkel said it was important to stress that most refugees had only been allowed to stay for a limited period. "We need ... to say to people that this is a temporary residential status and we expect that, once there is peace in Syria again, once IS has been defeated in Iraq, that you go back to your home country with the knowledge that you have gained," she told a regional meeting of her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Merkel said 70 percent of the refugees who fled to Germany from former Yugoslavia in the 1990s had returned. THREAT FROM ALLIES Horst Seehofer, leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the CDU's Bavarian sister party, has threatened to take the government to court if the flow of asylum seekers is not cut. Merkel urged other European countries to offer more help "because the numbers need to be reduced even further and must not start to rise again, especially in spring". All EU states should have an interest in protecting the bloc's external borders, and all would suffer if the internal passport-free Schengen zone collapsed and national borders were closed, she said. AfD leader Frauke Petry told the Mannheimer Morgen newspaper that Germany needed to reduce the influx through agreements with neighbouring Austria and a reinforcement of the EU's external borders. But she also said it should not be shy about turning people back and creating "border protection installations" - and that border guards should, if necessary, shoot at migrants trying to enter illegally. No police officer wanted to shoot at a migrant, Petry said, adding "I don't want that either but, ultimately, deterrence includes the use of armed force". Such comments evoke memories of Germany's Cold War division, when guards in the communist East, led by Erich Honecker, were under orders to shoot people attempting to cross the heavily fortified border into the West. "The last German politician who let refugees be shot at was Erich Honecker," said Thomas Oppermann, a senior member of the Social Democrats. (Additional reporting and writing by Michelle Martin in Berlin; Editing by Kevin Liffey) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Clive Palmer's 2014-15 donations were belatedly revealed in official Australian Electoral Commission figures. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen At the time of his corridor exchange with Jacquie Lambie, she was a member of Clive Palmer's party, the party wielding the balance of power in the Senate on legislation where Labor and the Greens were combining to block the government. Since then, Lambie has quit, followed by Glenn Lazarus, leaving Palmer's party with just one senator, Dio Wang, a former employee of a Palmer firm. Comically, Palmer has given him the title of party whip, responsible for rounding up all the party's many senators for key votes. Palmer's party now has no more influence over the outcome of Senate votes than any other lone senator. 'Radical centrist' And, since then, Xenophon has announced that he's going national. As Palmer has failed, Xenophon has thrived. A restless Australian electorate, disenchanted with the two main parties, remains in hopeful quest of a decent party it can believe in. "People don't feel respected, they don't feel listened to," says Xenophon. The Aboriginal leader Noel Pearson gave Xenophon a ringing endorsement this week in his National Press Club Speech. The real solutions for Australia's problems, he said, lie not with left nor right but with the "radical centre". Said Pearson: "The senator for South Australia, Nick Xenophon, is the closest we have to a radical centrist." That took the total donations by Palmer's refinery to Palmer's party to a whopping $21 million over two years. And both Palmer and Xenophon, the failed leader and the future hopeful, have progressed in character. Friday was Nick Xenophon's birthday. He celebrated by buying himself a new fridge. When he defrosted the 20-year-old one he was junking, he discovered some food that had expiry dates of 2006 and 2007. He wasn't sure what he'd do in the evening, but thought he might have dinner with his ex-wife. The day before, he'd approached his bank for a new loan to finance his political party, NXT, the acronym for the Nick Xenophon Team. It wasn't exactly high finance. Last year he borrowed $40,000 in his own name to put into the party. This year he plans to borrow up to $100,000 more, for a total of $140,000. "I hope to get it all back through donations or public financing of the election," he says. "I'm a lousy fundraiser," though he did receive one large donation recently. Ian Melrose, of Optical Superstores, gave NXT $100,000 because he supports Xenophon's policy of favouring "buy Australian". Obfuscating on the offensive By contrast Clive Palmer, always a blustering, big-talking phoney, spent Friday angrily defending himself against accusations of mismanagement and worse. We'd already discovered that he's a political failure. Now there are mounting accusations that he is a dud businessman, as well. "His management of Queensland Nickel, from what we know to date, is shocking," Malcolm Turnbull said on Friday. Last week his fully owned nickel refinery, Queensland Nickel, went into voluntary administration. Total debts outstanding are over $100 million, according to Friday's Financial Review. Under scrutiny, Palmer obfuscates by going on the offensive. It's the old rule that the best form of defence is offence. So he attacked Turnbull on Friday: "Unlike the Prime Minister who invests his wealth in the Cayman Islands, I am a proud Australian who has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in Queensland and Queensland companies because I believe in the future of this country." And why wouldn't he try to dodge the issue by making an attack? It's worked beautifully for him. Remember when he was under challenge by the ABC's Tony Jones for allegedly using money from his Chinese business partner, CITIC Pacific, improperly? The Chinese company had paid $12 million to Palmer's firm, Mineralogy, to build a port. The Chinese company took Mineralogy to court complaining that the money went to finance Palmer's political campaign at the 2013 election instead. Palmer's response was to describe them as Chinese "mongrels". He went on: "They're Communist, they shoot their own people, they haven't got a justice system and they want to take over this country. And we're not going to let them." It worked because suddenly the story was about Palmer's outrageous remarks, no longer about the court action and the allegation that he helped himself improperly to $12 million. But, ultimately, bluster alone can't overcome the cumulative weight of Palmer's failings. Reality is forcing its way through Clive's smokescreen and slowly revealing the truth. $21 million donated over two years Curiously, a few weeks before Queensland Nickel put itself into the hands of administrators, it declared a generous donation of $288,000 to a political party the Palmer United Party or PUP. That took the total donations by Palmer's refinery to Palmer's party to a whopping $21 million over two years. That's quite apart from the other $12 million that the other Palmer company is accused of giving to Palmer's party. But surely it's perfectly understandable for a Palmer-owned business to donate to a Palmer-led political party? Try telling that to Queensland Nickel's angry creditors. Hundreds of them met Queensland Nickel's administrators on Friday to demand their money. A company has legal obligations to its staff, its suppliers, its creditors, not just to its owner. These include the 237 workers the company sacked just after it made the donation to Palmer's party, just before it put itself into administration. Those workers are owed $16 million in entitlements. All up, Queensland Nickel owes its workers $30 million. It owes trade creditors another $70 million, including $5 million that it owes the tax office. But the political donations would be done on a purely arm-length basis, surely? The mere fact that its chief executive, Clive Mensink, is Clive Palmer's nephew would not blind him to his legal obligations, surely? And Palmer resigned as a director of Queensland Nickel precisely so that there'd be no conflict of interest between his business interests and his political party. But then again, there is the discovery that a company executive named Terry Smith had been sending emails approving capital purchases by the firm. Clive Palmer has admitted in a separate court case last year that Terry Smith is a favoured pseudonym. Flagrant conflicts of interest It seems that operating under conflicts of interest is endemic to Palmer. Endemic to his business practices as well as his political ones. If the NSW system applied to Canberra, Clive Palmer could fully expect to be called before the ICAC now because of his flagrant conflicts of interest. He's a mining magnate, and he used his parliamentary position to oppose new taxes that affected his wealth. In Federal Parliament, he was pivotal in abolishing the taxes. The carbon tax is now gone. The mining tax is now gone. The crucial swing votes that made it possible were cast by the then senators from Palmer's party. Then Palmer went on to agitate for a new law to protect bankrupt companies from their creditors, along the lines of the US Chapter 11 bankruptcy law. He didn't get anywhere on this, but the collapse of Queensland Nickel makes plain the reason he thought it such a good idea. As the former director of public prosecutions in NSW, Nicholas Cowdery, told me last year: "It's a direct conflict of interest. He should recuse himself," disqualify himself from the discussion, whenever his party or the parliament are deciding their positions in areas where he has a personal financial interest. "Conflict of interest is a form of corruption," said Cowdery. 'Hey, we found a politician who has a heart' Until the federal parliament introduces a code of conduct for MPs and senators to prevent such abuse of the public trust, people like Palmer will continue to be abuse it. Fortunately, the Australian people saw through Palmer fairly quickly, more than a year ago. And while his party had a phenomenally successful debut at the 2013 election, going from zero to 5.5 per cent of the national vote at a single stroke, it's now collapsed to just 1 per cent or less. The Nick Xenophon Team plans to field two candidates in each State for election to the Senate and another 20 or so to stand for the House of Representatives. A Morgan poll this week confirms that Xenophon's party is consistently polling higher than Labor in South Australia and can expect to perform well in that State at the federal election this year. Nationally, Xenophon is scoring only 2 per cent, though this is four times more than Palmer's party. Xenophon doesn't have the conflicts of interest, the bluster or the phoniness of Palmer. His party has three policy pillars it's anti-pokies, pro-Australian industry, and in favour of government transparency. He is a sensible centrist. Xenophon says that Palmer failed because "he believed his own bullshit". Xenophon's self-deprecation protects him against that, at least, but a startup party without a cohesive ideology remains vulnerable to the centrifugal force that besets all such parties. Xenophon's frenetic work habits over the years have harmed his health. He's had heart surgery and back operations. He says that his surgeons have made jokes along the lines of: "Hey, we found a politician who has a heart." Or the other variant, finding one with spine. The storm has eased, but the Bureau of Meterology is still warning that Sydney could be hit by another storm on Saturday night. Severe thunderstorms battered the city on Saturday afternoon, causing power outages and flash flooding in parts of southern and western Sydney. After a sunny start to the day, heavy rainfall and thunder rolled into Sydney for the second time in two days at about 4pm, with the Bureau issuing a severe thunderstorm warnings for large parts of Sydney. Weatherzone meterologist Sam Terry said a severe thunderstorm had led to "significant rainfalls" in parts of western Sydney, including more than 15 millimetres in a 10-minute period near Badgerys Creek. Australian of the Year David Morrison has rejected claims that he turned his back on war veterans by failing to mention them in his acceptance speech. The former chief of army was named Australian of the Year this week for his work combating sexism in the military. In accepting the honour he nominated gender equality, domestic violence and the push for a republic as being among his priorities. But war veterans are furious he failed to mention their plight and one has started an online petition calling for him to relinquish his new title. US animal rights activists have interrupted Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop's appearance at a Los Angeles university. The activists, holding up bloody, graphic photos of livestock and calling for an end to Australia's live animal exports, held their protest during a question-and-answer session on Friday on the UCLA campus as part of the G'Day USA program. "Can I talk to you later?" Ms Bishop asked activist Amanda Copeland. Ms Copeland declined the invitation and kept describing what she said was the inhumane treatment of Australia's live export animals. A car that ploughed into three pedestrians at a Sydney intersection, leaving a young woman critically injured, may have run a red light. The 21-year-old woman suffered severe head injuries and is in Westmead Hospital while two men have also been taken to hospital - one with a possible broken pelvis and the other with head injuries. "We believe, at this stage, the pedestrians had a green light to walk," Acting Inspector Brett Samuel told reporters at the Traffic and Highway Patrol Command on Saturday afternoon. "It's not very nice, that's for sure." A man who was allegedly behind the wheel of the car will be interviewed by police. RSPCA chief executive Steve Coleman said that when inspectors arrived at the location on Thursday they were told the business was "closing". Resulting raids by NSW Police and the RSPCA confirmed a string of animal welfare breaches. Dogs were rescued. Notices were served. Eight months on, not only have those squalid conditions worsened, the government inquiry has tabled recommendations which, if approved next month, do not empower the RSPCA to close non-compliant sites or seize dogs because they are found at such locations. Last year, a joint investigation by The Sun-Herald and animal rights group Oscar's Law exposed a puppy farm near Inverell, in northern NSW, where conditions were so deplorable, dogs were living inside old portable water containers. Their only purpose, to pump out never ending litters of "pure bred" pups being sold online for as much as $1500 each. In May 2015, the squalid scenes at this unlicensed puppy factory at Inverell triggered a NSW parliamentary inquiry. Eight months on conditions have worsened and yet there is nothing written into the inquiry's recommendations that would enable these dogs to be seized and the site closed. Credit:Oscar's Law He said that under the current legal framework, there was "nothing" stopping the proprietor from "re-establishing" elsewhere. "We eagerly await the government's response to the inquiry because what we don't want to see is an opportunity for someone else to relocate, set up without a DA and then sail under the radar for six months, 12 months or five years, as so many others have," he said. After The Sun-Herald's original expose last May, the RSPCA removed 16 neglected dogs from the factory. The veterinary reports for those animals detailed a host of preventable health issues including mammary tumours, ear infections, fluid on the lungs, deformed feet, rotten teeth and one dog suffering a twisted spine. While the RSPCA served the Inverell breeder with a "notice to comply", she is still operating without DA approval. Her online adverts, meanwhile, continue to mask a house of horrors. In one classified currently appearing on Trading Post, she describes a pair of "much loved" Pugalier babies both "raised in our home" around "small children". But when the NSW and Queensland branches of Animal Liberation inspected the property last weekend alongside Oscar's Law, they found no attempt had been made to improve conditions. Oscar's Law founder Debra Tranter observed approximately 70 dogs residing in rat infested housing with no clean sleeping areas or bedding provided. Some were still floundering in old water tanks. Elsewhere, puppies were huddled in wall cavities littered with sharp, rusty old nails protruding from the wood. Floors were littered with faeces and urine. One wall was leaning at a 45 degree angle and part of the roof had caved in. Ms Tranter reported that the only water available to the animals was filthy and in some cases "green". A father charged with murdering his baby girl claimed his daughter was bitten no less than 10 times as a form of first aid he picked up overseas. The 33-year-old's two-month-old daughter died in November after being taken to Liverpool Hospital unconscious. It is understood neighbours of the girl's parents heard screaming coming from the unit and called police on November 13. But when officers arrived, the eight-week-old baby had already been taken to hospital. The baby, who suffered extensive bruising, bite marks and severe head trauma, died in hospital four days later. Republican presidential candidate Senator Ted Cruz. Credit:AP Would Cruz really deport her on day one? Cruz's answer was circuitous, but when he got to the point his answer was blunt. Yes, Valdez would have to go. There were consequences for breaking the law. Republican presidential candidates, from left, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Senator Marco Rubio, Donald Trump, Senator Ted Cruz and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson. Credit:Bloomberg The room erupted in applause, and Valdez still sounds emotional as she retells the story. "I stood there for five seconds, then I walked out," she recalls. She was grateful that as she made her way out a man she knew touched her shoulder and smiled. Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders has won support for his down-to-earth approach. Credit:New York Times Valdez does not regret identifying herself that way, though it was hard. "I just wanted them to know that undocumented people are people," she says. "I think if I was suddenly gone one day people's lives would be affected. The children I teach." Hillary Clinton says she is not worried by her close contest with Bernie Sanders. Credit:AP Valdez's story has become emblematic of a US election that has played out in ways few could have predicted just months ago, let alone after Obama's second victory in 2012. After that loss, the Republican Party's fifth loss of the popular vote in six White House races, the Republican Party's central body, the Republican National Committee, conducted an extensive review into where it had gone wrong. Ofelia Valdez, an undocumented migrant who came to the US illegally as a child, asked Republican Ted Cruz if he would deport people like her. Credit:Dolores Cullen, Storm Lake Times The document became known as the autopsy and its central finding was that the Republican Party had singularly failed to reach out to the people who made up the so-called "Obama coalition" young voters, gays, African Americans, Asians, and Hispanics. One day, the authors warned, its solid base of older white voters would cease to be enough to draw upon to win elections. The GOP was doomed by demographics. Illustration: Richard Giliberto. After the midterms the GOP's elders began to boast that this year it would field a "deep bench" of experienced candidates who would champion Republican ideals that, properly articulated, could appeal to all these demographics hard work, family values, personal responsibility and small government. The deep bench was to include governors and former governors such as Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Chris Christie, John Kasich as well as senators like Lindsey Graham, and the freshmen Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz. So confident in this new politic was Rubio that he even led an early bipartisan push to introduce immigration reform that would allow many of the estimated 11 million undocumented migrants out of the shadows and offer them a path to citizenship. This would not only make economic sense it would appeal to the Republican's big business base, which desperately wants the labor, and sap away the Democratic Party's advantage among Latino Americans 800,000 of whom become new voters each year. Jeb Bush was expected to lead the field and win the nomination. He was perfect. This was the "smart Bush", the one with experience in government and the mammoth family political network, but without the stain of endless, pointless war. Even better, he was married to a Mexican American, spoke Spanish and had deep and genuine connections among Latinos in the key state of Florida. And for a while this was how it played out. Bush raised a staggering $US100 million ($142 million) in the blink of an eye. Graham and Rubio talked up their foreign affairs credentials, Kasich and Christie their executive experience. Then one day in June, Donald Trump, appeared before a cheering crowd (some of whom were later to be revealed to be paid extras) in the lobby of one of his New York Towers, and announced he was running too. What's more he said, Mexicans were rapists and he would build a wall across the southern US border. And he'd make Mexico pay for it. After all, he was a deal maker and US politicians were all losers. At first GOP elders reassured themselves that this was a stunt, but Trump stayed in the race. Then it was thought his preposterous self-aggrandising and hideous attacks would undo him. But nothing did. Instead, Trump has proved to have an uncanny knack for identifying and reflecting the anxieties of an American middle and working class that has been battered by a combination of recession, technological change and the introduction of free trade agreements, the effects of which were never ameliorated by government intervention as they were in western Europe and Australia. While the rest of the world was getting ahead be it through the increased fortunes of America's wealthy or the surging growth of developing economies, the US middle class was $US17,867 worse off in 2007 than it was in 1979, according to a recent analysis of Congressional Budget Office data. Trump seemed to understand intuitively that the white Republican base battered by these forces would respond enthusiastically to his call not to shrink what few government programs they had access to, but rather to limit the access minorities have to those programs. Why, he'd even limit their presence in the country. In this he more closely resembles a European right-wing figure than a US Republican one. So canny was Trump's political judgment, so effective his circus-like performance, and so dissatisfied were Republican voters with the state of the political class, that he was soon leading the pack, and apart from one little blip when he was overtaken by another right-wing outsider, Dr Ben Carson, he has remained in the lead since. Ted Cruz, his only serious challenger so far, immediately adopted a policy of appeasing Trump and his supporters, railing against the Republican establishment and echoing Trump's immigration policy, a policy that to the detriment of the party has now become orthodoxy with differences only in methods of enforcement rather than intent among the whole field. The GOP is in crisis as a result, with many establishment figures fearing not only that a Trump nomination could lead it to a catastrophic defeat in a general election, but that he has perpetrated a hostile takeover of the party and is leading it in an alien ideological direction. On Thursday night in Iowa chaos devolved into farce when Trump refused to attend the party-sanctioned final Republican debate before Monday night's Iowa caucuses, holding his own parallel event instead. According to the Real Clear Politics average of Iowa polls on Friday, Trump was still leading the field, with 31.4 per cent of vote, followed by Crux on 25.1 per cent. Collectively the eight candidates who might be considered Republican establishment had just 36.7 per cent support. Making his final pitch to Iowa voters last week Cruz, a man loathed by the GOP establishment even more than Trump, warned time and again that if Trump cannot be beaten in Iowa, then when? It is a fair point. Iowa is a state with a strong Christian evangelical presence. If Trump can win here then he is expected to do even better in the next race in New Hampshire, and from there ride his momentum. Cruz is hoping he can hold on and beat Trump in Iowa and steal that momentum. The last hope for the establishment is that Rubio can run a strong third and then make his way back into the race. Eight years ago Barack Obama, then a senator about to become world famous, stood before crowds in Iowa as they cheered, "We want change! We want change! We want change!" and claimed a stunning upset victory from the Democratic front runner, Hillary Clinton. How Clinton must shiver when she thinks of the moment. "You know, they said this day would never come," Obama said that night as his campaign coalesced from pipe dream to reality before his eyes. "They said our sights were set too high. They said this country was too divided, too disillusioned to ever come together around a common purpose. "But on this January night, at this defining moment in history, you have done what the cynics said we couldn't do." Obama went on to win, and to rebuild the US economy. He made Clinton his secretary of state and together they went about repairing an international image battered by the debacle in Iraq. During his last State of the Union address a few weeks ago, Obama admitted one of the key failures of his term in office. "Democracy breaks down when the average person feels their voice doesn't matter; that the system is rigged in favour of the rich or the powerful or some narrow interest," he said. "Too many Americans feel that way right now. It's one of the few regrets of my presidency that the rancour and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better." Obama is right. Disgust with the state of American politics and the sense that lobbyists and vested interests hold sway in the capital is not exclusive to Republicans. On the left that anger has found its voice with the Vermont social democratic senator Bernie Sanders. Like Trump he calls for a massive change to the status quo rather than for incremental reform, and like Trump his campaign has become a popular movement, his rallies packed with sometimes-delirious supporters. Pundits presumed his campaign would have evaporated before the Clinton machine, but Sanders has proved to be a powerful and determined campaigner, calling for free healthcare, the breaking up of the banks, free tertiary education and an exorcising of money from politics. These have proved to be popular messages on the left. Indeed some polls have even detected crossover support between the Trump and Sanders camps. Unlike Trump his message is inclusive rather than reductive, and he campaigns with a determined if grumpy sense of decorum. He lags Clinton by almost 15 per cent in national polls, but in Iowa he is within 2.5 per cent of her. At a small Clinton rally in the town of Newton on Thursday his presence was palpable even in her pitch, which she appeared to have crafted to appeal to his supporters as well as her own. She referred to him as well as the other Democrat still in the race, Martin O'Malley only as "my esteemed colleagues" or "my friends". She insisted that she shared many of his goals, but that hers were tempered with a dose of political realism. She wanted cheap rather than free tertiary education, she would break up the banks only if and when they again proved a threat to the broader economy. She would also scrutinise the insurance and investment banking industries. One of the signal differences between them is over healthcare. Clinton, who tried and failed to introduce a single-payer system during her husband's administration, would improve and expand Obamacare rather than replace it. America, she says, has fought over the issue long enough. This is significant because senior figures in the Obama administration have quietly let it be known that from the President's point of view Clinton, not Sanders, is his preferred successor. Not only does Clinton face a serious challenge from Sanders in Iowa, she is almost certainly going to lose to him in New Hampshire, where Sanders is popular as a representative of the neighbouring state of Vermont. After that though the Sanders insurgency is in trouble when the campaign heads to the southern states, where Clinton holds almost overwhelming advantages. The Clintons have long been dominant in the South and both husband and wife enjoy staggering support among the region's large African-American community. Larry Sabato, one of America's best-respected political scientists and the director of the University of Virginia's Centre for Politics, believes only Clinton herself can derail her run for the Democratic nomination. As late as Friday there were new revelations from the FBI investigation into the potentially illegal exchange of secret material from the private email server she used as secretary of state. But even if her campaign did come unstuck, Sabato says, the Democratic establishment would not allow Sanders to take the nomination. "Not unless they were bonkers," Sabato says. Sanders might be better regarded among establishment Democrats than Trump is among their Republican counterparts, but none believe he is capable of winning a general election. If Clinton fell under a bus the party would enlist Vice-President Joe Biden or Secretary of State John Kerry. "But what about Trump?" I ask Sabato. "Can Trump win the Republican nomination?" "The trouble with life is the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent full of doubt." --Bertrand Russell Never be a spectator of unfairness or stupidity. The grave will supply plenty of time for silence.--Christopher Hitchens TWIN FALLS The news spread that Saeed Abedini was released, the Rev. Paul Thompson couldnt help but remember the day he was released from a Haitian jail. Today, your freedom has come! Thompson said. I said those words again and again the day I heard of Saeeds release. After three years, Abedini was one of four Americans released in Iran under a negotiated prisoner exchange on Jan. 16. In return, the U.S. agreed to free seven Iranians. Abedini returned to Boise on Tuesday. He was sentenced in 2013 to eight years in prison for compromising national security, but his supporters have always said it was because of his Christian faith. But was supposed to be a happy occasion of a family reunited was overshadowed by news that Abedinis wife who has been a tireless advocate for his release had filed a petition for separation Tuesday, the same day he returned to Boise. Even if they had a perfect marriage, which we all know doesnt exist, theres no going back to life as usual for them, Pam Fadness of Lighthouse Church in Twin Falls said. Its been a 3 year long road to freedom for Saeed and now they start, what I imagine will be, a long journey to healing, adjustment and restoration. Over the years, local pastors and churches have held vigils every Sept. 26. Thompson of Eastside Baptist Church spoke at the last two vigils held at Lighthouse Church. My church and family prayed for Saeed while in jail. I would look at aclj.org regularly to search for updates, he said. The news of his release caused me to first bless the Lord for His kindness and then to share the news of his release with my church as soon as possible. It has been nearly six years since Thompson, his son Silas Thompson and church member Steve McMullin were detained in a Haitian jail for 19 days in 2010. They were part of a group of 10 Southern Baptist missionaries, mostly from Idaho, who went to Haiti with intentions of helping orphans. Instead, they were arrested while trying to take 33 children across the Haitian border into the Dominican Republic, allegedly without the proper paperwork. They were trying to set up an orphanage, but found themselves being charged with kidnapping, child trafficking and criminal association My experience was likely very different than Saeeds. Our imprisonment was obviously much shorter. There were times that it was unclear how the charges would finish out, Thompson said. At one time, if we could not prove our innocence against the false charges, we thought we would be in jail for the rest of our lives. Abedini, 35, spent five days with his parents and sister at a secluded retreat in Asheville, North Carolina before returning to Idaho Tuesday. On Tuesday, Naghmeh Panahi, filed a petition for separation the same day, the Associated Press reported. In November, a Christianity Today article said Naghmeh disclosed claims of being in an abusive marriage in emails sent to supporters. After the news broke, she stepped back from her husbands public advocacy. Every marriage relationship has issues, so while the recent news has been sad, its not really a huge surprise, Fadness said. Fadness leads womens ministries at Lighthouse Church. Her husband, Greg Fadness, is the teaching pastor and worship leader. In the ministry we counsel people with marriage issues on an almost daily basis, she said. Marriage is often hard work, but its important and worthwhile to put the effort into it. In 2013, Naghmeh spoke to students at Lighthouse Christian School about Abedinis imprisonment. Fadness said though marriage problems are common, it was unfortunate that information provided to a trusted prayer group was leaked. This ordeal has been a dramatic, life-changing crisis and theyve had to live it out for all the world to see, she said. The Rev. Lynn Schaal of Amazing Grace Fellowship said he also regretted that the information was made public because it is a private matter. Im certain their marriage is/was not perfect. What marriage is? Schaal said. However, I think its important to support where they are now, which, according to my understanding, is that they need time to work on their life together as a married couple and family. My hope is that the Christian community still continues to lift them up in prayer. Im sure the last few years have been incredibly difficult and impactful on their lives individually and their life as a family. Sometimes I get a little depressed at the anti-religious comments I hear from friends, acquaintances, even relatives. You know: religion has been responsible for most of the evils of the world, and everything would be fine if religion disappeared. (Apparently forgetting, among others, the essentially-secular nature of the Holocaust; the actively anti-religious nature of Stalins Great Purge, killing a million and a half people.) And then, of course, there are times when Im tempted to join their camp. Some years ago, an Idaho Congressman, speaking out of his religious convictions, declared that the Founding Fathers did not intend Muslim or Hindu American citizens to serve in Congress. His narrow religious beliefs apparently caused him to forget our Constitutions no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States. There is a chilling TV documentary series Gods Warriors, which explores the actions of fundamentalist Christians, Muslims and Jews. All fundamentalisms believe theirs is the only truth for all people and are often willing to create human misery in the name of their version of Truth. There is lots of fodder for the anti-religionists. But I continue to disagree vigorously with them, in spite of some history, current events and dogma-blinded Congressmen. Religion, the individual spiritual quest gathered into an institution, is like everything people create: it can be wonderful and it can be terrible. It can rise to great heights and sink to the demonic. The spiritual, religious impulse is deeply embedded in the human spirit. Religion has always arisen from the human need to find glimpses into Mystery, to join with others in spiritual search. All people feel reverence in the face of birth and death. We feel awe at beauty, at human courage, at Natures power. Art and poetry often bring us to that almost-weeping, wordless sense of all that is greater than we are. And, since we are animals that gather together, we create communities we call churches, synagogues, mosques, temples. Of course, some of these institutions gain power and misuse it. (Hunger for power: now theres a human tendency that has been responsible for many evils of the world!) But so many faith traditions add to the sum of love and justice in the world. In the religious institutions that sometimes come in for so much criticism, we love our children and bring them up to act out of compassion and respect and humility. We study sacred poetry, prose, music, dance, and art, hoping to learn to live soulful, harmonious lives. We gather with other religious bodies, joining our strength to help the poor, the dispossessed, the victims of power misused. In the best of religious institutions, we preach and practice acceptance of others. We understand that we are far too small a part of the cosmos to presume that our beliefs equal Truth. We pray in many ways, knowing that what each of us knows of God is a piece of the truth. As religious people, of course we make mistakes. Yes, we know that religions in power can do great harm. However, it is the dark side of human nature, not faith, which is responsible for evil in the world. The religious Spanish Inquisition and the secular Stalinist Purges both rose from the muck of human evil, and it is naive to blame either religion or secularism. We who choose the sometimes-difficult path of spiritual practice in community can be the best antidote imaginable for the demonic. Embracing our humanity in all its fullness bumping up against each others strengths and weaknesses we have the best chance of helping the divine light shine through. We whose faith honors that of God in every person may tip the balance toward the good, large and small. TWIN FALLS Tigre Martinez was found face down in his blood, bloodied and beaten, with two large cuts on his face and one on his head just hours after he was gagged and robbed, a detective testified in court Friday. Twin Falls County Magistrate Judge Rodger Harris ordered the cases of two people charged with robbing Martinez bound over to district court Friday. Dwayne Lee McCormick, 32, of Twin Falls is charged with robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery and aggravated battery. Laaken Shai Draper, 20, of Twin Falls is charged with conspiracy to commit robbery. Prosecutors say they were two of the four people who beat and robbed Martinez early in the morning May 26, hours before Martinez was found dead in the basement of a Twin Falls home. Caleb Jon Hinton, 32, of Twin Falls is also charged with robbery; he waived his right to a preliminary hearing and will be arraigned in district court Monday. Katie Lynn Pingree, 20, of Twin Falls pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting robbery earlier this month and agreed to serve three to five years in prison. According to court documents, the four planned the robbery at Pingrees house and then went to Martinezs house where they tied him up, taped a rag into his mouth and beat him with a piece of wood or billy club. After stuffing Martinezs belongings into bags and pillow cases, they untied Martinez, but his body went limp and he made a gurgling sound, court documents said. A roommate found Martinez dead later that morning. Pingree testified Friday as required by the terms of her plea agreement, but answered I dont recall to many of the questions from the prosecutor and defense attorneys. I was using drugs all day, Pingree said. Methamphetamines. Pingree did provide important testimony against McCormick, though. McCormick told Twin Falls police Det. Nathan Silvester he was upstairs when Hinton and Martinez started fighting, Silvester testified Friday. McCormick said he only went to the basement after Hinton hit Martinez in the head with the billy club, and that he was in another room when someone else bound and gagged Martinez. But Pingree testified that she went into the basement first with Hinton and McCormick both following closely behind her. She said Hinton hit Martinez with a small bat right away and then McCormick put Martinez in a chokehold while Hinton punched their victim in the abdomen. Hinton and McCormick then worked together to force Martinezs hands and feet together and tie them with rope, Pingree testified. They bound his feet together and tied his hands behind his back. Pingree went to the house believing they were going to collect items that belonged to Hinton and Draper, but after the fight with Martinez she realized they were robbing him, she testified. Draper, who was romantically involved with Martinez, stayed outside the house during the beating and robbery but did not take any steps to stop it, Pingree testified. Draper also didnt ask about what happened after they put the stolen items in two vehicles and left. Pingree testified that Draper was not present for the planning of the robbery and couldnt remember if she took anything from Martinezs house or carried anything from the cars to Pingrees house after the robbery. That testimony combined with the fact that Draper was living at the house proved Draper did not conspire to rob Martinez, defense attorney Daniel Brown argued. The judge disagreed. Although the case is not as strong, Mr. Brown, against your client ... clearly she acted in concert to be involved, Harris said. I also take note of the fact of her admission to the officer that she agreed to help ... and she didnt do anything to find out what was happening to Mr. Martinez downstairs. Cassia County Felony sentencings Del Ray Peters; grand theft, $495.50 costs, four years of probation, two to eight years penitentiary, 89 days credited, penitentiary suspended. Velmar Jess Aberastari; unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, guilty, $245.50 costs, three years of probation, two to five years penitentiary, four days credited, penitentiary suspended; felony possession of a controlled substance, $535.50 costs, three years of months probation, two to four years penitentiary, four days credited, penitentiary suspended. Driving under the influence Samantha A. Maberry; driving under the influence (misdemeanor), guilty, $300 fine, $202.50 costs, 180 days driver's license suspended, two years of probation, 180 days jail, 161 days suspended, 19 days credited. Steven Scott Pearson; driving under the influence (misdemeanor), guilty, $300 fine, $202.50 costs, 90 days driver's license suspended, 12 months probation, 90 days jail, 87 days suspended, three days credited; alcoholic beverage consume or possess by driver (misdemeanor), dismissed on motion of prosecutor; drug paraphernalia use or possess with intent to use (misdemeanor), guilty, 12 months probation, 30 days jail, 27 days suspended, three days credited. Alyssa Rios; injury to child (misdemeanor), dismissed on motion of prosecutor; driving under the influence (misdemeanor), guilty, $350 fine, $202.50 costs, 12 months probation, 120 days jail, 118 days suspended, one day credited, two days community service in lieu of jail; resisting or obstructing officers (misdemeanor), dismissed on motion of prosecutor. Phillip Raymond Gerhardt Jr.; driving under the influence (misdemeanor), guilty, $300 fine, $202.50 costs, 90 days driver's license suspended, 12 months probation, 180 days jail, 159 days suspended, 21 days credited; driver's license or commercial driver's license violation (misdemeanor), guilty, $100 fine, $157.50 costs, alcoholic beverage - unlawful transportation (misdemeanor), dismissed on motion of prosecutor; resisting or obstructing officers (misdemeanor), guilty, $157.50 costs, 12 months probation, 180 days jail, 159 days suspended, 21 days credited. TWIN FALLS | A nurse who caused the death of a 7-month-old baby at St. Luke's Magic Valley Medical Center will not be charged with a crime, the Twin Falls County Prosecutors Office announced Friday. The prosecutor's office said it is clear the nurse's actions giving August Elliott an adult dose of a saline drip that contained potassium phosphate caused the infant's death, and his death would have been avoided if the nurse had taken more time to properly check the medication he was dispensing. But the nurse's actions do not rise to the level of criminal negligence, prosecutors said. August came to the emergency room about 11 p.m. Sept. 22 to treat cardiac arrhythmia and was pronounced dead just after 4 a.m. The main question the prosecutor's office considered was whether the nurse's actions amounted to a crime under Idaho's involuntary manslaughter statute, prosecutors said in the statement. "There is no evidence that he intended to harm August Elliott, or that he intended to administer the fatal medication to August," prosecutors said of the nurse. "In fact, there is every reason to believe that he would not have done so if he had read the label on the medication and realized that the medication was not meant for August." Jarom Whitehead, an attorney for the boy's family, said while a negligent homicide statute could have been pursued, "we dont disagree with the prosecutors decision not to prosecute. It was negligent of the nurse to not read the label, Whitehead said. The mere presence of the label means theres something else about the medication that he needed to know, he said. But that doesnt mean the family wants (the nurse) prosecuted criminally. Augusts family doesnt have ill will toward the nurse, and they have not talked to him since Augusts death, Whitehead said. Obviously this has been tough on them, he said. Theyre devastated by the loss and are still trying to come to grips with not having August around. The family is considering pursuing a civil case but hasnt made a final decision. The child's death triggered an internal investigation at the hospital, and prosecutors launched their own criminal investigation. In their statement issued Friday, prosecutors identified the nurse. The Times-News is withholding the nurse's identification because the nurse has not been charged with a crime. In their investigation, Twin Falls Police analyzed autopsy results, examined the scene of the incident, collected physical evidence, reviewed pictures and videos, and interviewed numerous witnesses, medical personnel and experts. The prosecutor's office met with police, the coroner, medical personnel and witnesses and consulted with medical and legal experts on police's findings. Prosecutors and police also met with August's family and explained the investigation and conclusions. The hospital also issued a statement Friday reacting to prosecutors' decision not to seek criminal charges against the nurse: "At St. Lukes, we remain deeply saddened by Augusts death and vigilant in our efforts to minimize the risk that such an incident could occur again," the hospital said. "We have been active in our response and the specific procedures we have put in place have been validated by surveyors from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The community can feel confident that our commitment to safe, quality care will not waiver." Since August's death, the prosecutor's office said, St. Luke's has made changes including some the prosecutor's office called particularly important to this case. "St. Luke's has altered its pharmacy protocols to require the use of bright, colored labels on both sides of any bag of fluids to which Potassium has been added, as well as colored foil port covers on any IV fluids to which anything has been added or removed by the pharmacy," the statement said. "In the Emergency Department, St. Luke's has instituted an express written requirement that any medication administered to pediatric patients be verified independently by two nurses." TWIN FALLS Fewer Magic Valley residents are choosing to study law enforcement and pursue it as a career, leading to an enrollment drop in the College of Southern Idahos police program and a lack of qualified officers in area law enforcement agencies. Officials say a number of factors are at play, including increased public scrutiny about officer-involved shootings or use of excessive force. It skews (public) perception, said CSI law enforcement instructor Don Hall, and young people are saying: Why would I want to go into that? Its the first time in six years police departments are contacting Hall asking if he has any graduates looking for jobs. CSIs law enforcement program allows students to prepare in one semester for a job as a patrol officer. For a detention officer, they must also take a two-week summer session. When theyre finished, theyre ready to take the National Police Officer Selection Test and go to work. Halls goal is to have 10 to 14 students per semester. But that hasnt happened. Only six students enrolled this fall the lowest number ever. After doing a lot of recruitment, theres nine this semester. Its good, but its not where I want it to be, Hall said. Before fall semester, 28 prospective students went through the application process, but most didnt make it. Its an intensive process, including a detailed questionnaire with personal questions about topics such as past drug use, driving record and mental health. Prospective students must also go through a background check and polygraph test. Declining enrollment isnt just affecting CSIs law program, though. Its a trend felt campus-wide and across Idaho. As of mid-January, CSI had a headcount of 4,941 students. Thats down nearly 7 percent compared with spring 2015. And a drop in the number of law enforcement students is problematic for agencies that rely on CSI graduates. Nearly everyone at the Cassia County Sheriffs Office is a graduate of either the CSI or Idaho State University law enforcement program, Undersheriff George Warrell said. CSI has a great program, he said. It definitely helps out for agencies. The Jerome County Sheriffs Office typically hires about one CSI graduate per year, Sheriff Doug McFall said, and none has failed the probationary period. Another factor behind the shortage: the economy. Here in the Magic Valley, the local economy is becoming stronger, creating stronger competition for workers, Hall said. Fewer people are interested in becoming a police officer, he said, even though some agencies start their officers at $50,000 per year. As a general rule, he said, law enforcement pays pretty well. Hall a former Twin Falls police officer is a city councilman and former mayor. He joined the Twin Falls Police Department in 1988. Over time, accountability and training has improved, Hall said, which leads to better officers. The public doesnt hear that. Most officers care about their community and want to make it a better place, Warrell said. As for the drop in job applicants, I hope this is just a trend that wont last. Law Enforcement Shortage In Cassia County, the sheriffs department has struggled over the past few years to find qualified applicants. Warrell agreed the decrease could be because of recent national criticisms over police brutality. But also, he said, the job is just plain tough. Officers see the best and worst in people, he said, and, shifts include nights, weekends and holidays sometimes, in poor weather. The Twin Falls Police Department has also struggled for several years to find qualified officers, city spokesman Joshua Palmer said. Almost every law enforcement agency is struggling to fill those positions, he said. Four or five years ago, the city used to get 100 applicants for a job opening. Today, even with more aggressive recruiting, the city typically receives about 30. Of those, possibly one might be qualified to pass the POST, Palmer said. Hiring certified officers is one of our ambitions. There are currently seven open positions with the city. We want people who are outgoing, personable and who are wanting to serve the citizens, Palmer said. For the first time in seven years, the Jerome County Sheriffs Office is doing paid advertising seeking detention deputies. Theres not as many people wanting to go into law enforcement as there used to be, Sheriff Doug McFall said. But some are interested in working at the new county jail, expected to be finished later this year. Its being built with a budgeted $12.1 million. As for public perception of officers, law enforcement has kind of been kicked in the teeth, McFall said. And over the past few years, Jerome deputies have noticed people taking video when they arrive on the scene of a domestic violence call or perform a traffic stop, McFall said. Theyre trying to find the one little thing wrong that the officer did. But on a positive note, the vast majority of citizens in southern Idaho and still across the country support law enforcement officers, McFall said. Jerome law enforcement have received thank yous from residents and even had their lunches paid for. What about Other Colleges? At the College of Western Idaho in Nampa, the law enforcement program just started last semester. It was at capacity, with 20 students enrolled. Its been a positive response so far, but were definitely just getting started, CWI spokesman Jake Garcin said. At North Idaho College in Coeur dAlene, enrollment has declined in the law enforcement program and campus-wide over three years. Thats due to the economy picking up and people going back to work, said law enforcement program coordinator Michael Berg. A new session started Jan. 25 at NICs law enforcement program. There were 12 applicants in the background process, but only three passed, Burg said. That is not uncommon, he said. Agencies are experiencing the same problem. MURTAUGH The illegal shooting of two ferruginous hawks left to die in a Murtaugh field has angered Magic Valleys birding community. Everybody is angry and sad and wondering why anyone would want to do such a thing, said Sarah Harris of Twin Falls, president of the Prairie Falcon Audubon Society. Ferruginous are incredible birds, and there arent that many of them. Idaho classifies the ferruginous hawk a bird of prey large enough to be mistaken for an eagle as a species of greatest conservation need, and the shooting of any raptor is illegal under both federal and state laws. The two hawks a dark-phase and a light-phase one, probably a mated pair were shot with a firearm, said Ross Winton, a regional nongame wildlife biologist for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. The shots shattered hollow bones in their wings. After a veterinarians examination, the hawks were euthanized. The injured hawks were picked up south of Murtaugh Lake on 3125 North, close to 4800 East. In the past few years, Fish and Game has seen several other instances of intentional harm to raptors on the southeast side of Magic Valley. Theres been kind of a cultural view of birds of prey that theyre nondesirable, Winton said Friday. It primarily stems from a lack of education. In fact, he said, hawks, owls and other raptors feed on voles and other agricultural pests. So theyre actually doing most folks a service. Burley birder and photographer Linda Wilcox on Wednesday spotted the pair of injured hawks, both alive but unable to fly, on farmland south of Murtaugh Lake. Sick at heart but urged by family members to let nature run its course, she kept her distance. I came home and thought about the hawks all night and what was happening to them, Wilcox said. On Thursday afternoon, she was back. They had made it through the night. Wilcox called volunteer raptor rehabilitator Julie Randell of Kimberly, who has a wildlife rehabilitation permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Randell and her husband, Robert, came quickly, as did Wilcoxs son Kurt. While Wilcox stayed back to shoot a video of the rescue, the other three approached slowly and captured the hawks in large nets a lengthy process. The Randells did a marvelous job, you might add. They are wonderful at what they do, Wilcox said Friday morning. The Randells rushed the hawks to a Twin Falls veterinary clinic, where X-rays confirmed extensive damage to their wings and showed metal fragments left behind. I cant understand people, why theyd do that such beautiful creatures, said Wilcox, who has spent much of the winter watching and photographing migratory hawks in the Murtaugh Lake area with her daughter, who has a severe seizure disorder. She expressed concern for the safety of people nearby, too. Thats close to people and families, and somebody shooting like that is just horrendous. Her photos and videos of the injured hawks, posted on Facebook, brought an outpouring of response from other birders. Among them was Pat Weber of Kimberly, a Prairie Falcon Audubon member concerned about shootings of nongame birds throughout Idaho. I thought that was just a heart-wrenching story, Weber said Friday. She has images to finally show what happens in the rural areas. Wilcoxs video of the hawks in distress, also posted with this story on Magicvalley.com, brings home the message, Weber said. I had one of those hard nights of sleeping last night after I saw that. Harris and her husband are in their third winter of surveying raptors on two Magic Valley routes for an Oregon researcher whose study expanded into Idaho. Each route between Twin Falls and Buhl, and between Wendell and Hagerman is more than 65 miles long, and the Harrises weave back and forth every mile. Theyve seen hundreds of red-tailed hawks on the routes in those three winters, but not a single ferruginous hawk. The annual Christmas Bird Count in the Twin Falls area has logged only 14 ferruginous hawks in the past 35 years, compared with 155 sharp-shinned hawks, for example, and 1,122 red-tailed hawks. Cheer College of Southern Idaho President Jeff Fox met with lawmakers in Boise this week to lobby for modest increases to the community colleges budget aimed at boosting the number of Idahoans with a college degree. At the same time he was meeting with lawmakers, dozens of new Clif Bar employees were on the colleges Twin Falls campus receiving job training tailored by CSI staff a reminder that while diplomas are important, the college serves the Magic Valley in myriad ways. Last year, 4,319 people received job training at the college through its workforce development program a 38 percent increase over the previous year. Businesses pay the college to craft training programs for their employees. There arent traditional degrees or credits earned through the program, but workers get the much-needed skills they need to keep our regional economy humming. Perhaps, then, its no surprise that CSI contributes more to the state economy annually than any other community college $255 million of $500 million. Gov. C.L. Butch Otter has called for a 9.6 percent increase to community college budgets. We hope lawmakers recognize the power such an investment will yield. Jeer Two extremely rare ferruginous hawks were found gunned down but still alive this week near Murtaugh. I cant understand people, why theyd do that such beautiful creatures, said Burley birder and photographer Linda Wilcox. We cant either, especially since birds of prey feed on pesky voles and other creatures at war with farmers. The birds, likely a mating pair, had to be put down. Cheer Who doesnt love chocolate? Now in its 11th year, the annual Death By Chocolate event has raised $255,000 for local charities, not counting the proceeds from this years event, held Thursday at Canyon Crest Dining and Event Center. Organized by the Rotary Club of Twin Falls, the Magic Valleys sweetest fundraiser pits area businesses and students in a contest to make the best desserts. Dozens participate in the chocolate challenge, and hundreds gorge on more than 25,000 samples. Congrats to the winners, listed in todays edition. The U.N. human rights office says it has turned up six more cases of alleged sexual abuse against children by European troops in Central African Republic (CAR), including a 7-year-old girl who said she had to perform sexual acts on soldiers in exchange for water and cookies. A U.N. team recently interviewed five girls and a boy who claimed their abusers were part of French and European Union military operations in the troubled African country, the office of High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad al-Hussein said. The sexual abuse allegedly took place in 2014 in or near a camp for displaced people near M'Poko airport in CAR's capital, Bangui, but only came to light in recent weeks, the latest in a string of similar allegations. France, CAR's former colonial ruler, deployed several thousand troops to the country in late 2013 as violence between Christians and Muslims sent thousands fleeing from their homes. An African Union mission that began in April 2014 was taken over by a U.N. peacekeeping force five months later, while the EU force ended an 11-month mission in March last year. At a news conference later Friday in New York, the U.N. announced new allegations against U.N. peacekeepers as well. Assistant Secretary-General Anthony Banbury came close to tears as he described four new child sex abuse cases in CAR involving U.N. troops and police from Bangladesh, Congo, Niger and Senegal. He also announced an allegation of sexual assault against a minor by a member of Morocco's military contingent serving with the earlier AU mission. For all of 2015, Banbury said, there are likely to be 69 confirmed allegations of sexual abuse or exploitation in the U.N.'s 16 peacekeeping missions around the world, including 22 in CAR. That's up from 51 in 2014, when there were no reported cases in CAR, he said. In a shift for the world body, Banbury said U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will issue a report next month with details of all allegations from 2015, including the names of countries whose troops are accused. The information, including the status of investigations, will be regularly updated online, he said. "It's hard to imagine the outrage that people working for the United Nations in the causes of peace and security feel when these kinds of allegations come to light," Banbury said, his voice breaking. Gross institutional failure The U.N. is under pressure to act more quickly after an independent panel last month described the world body's "gross institutional failure" in handling similar allegations in CAR against French and other peacekeepers. The panel's report said the months-long delay in addressing children's accounts of abuse had led to even more reported assaults. The U.N. can report such allegations, but countries themselves are responsible for prosecuting their troops over such crimes. Many do not. The U.N. rights office said three of the girls said they believed their abusers were members of a Georgian contingent within a European Union force, and another girl was allegedly abused by a soldier from another European country that was not named because "additional corroboration is needed" in that case. U.N. staffers interviewed a 7-year-old girl and 9-year-old boy who said they had been abused by troops in the French "Sangaris" operation. The girl said she had performed "oral sex on French soldiers in exchange for a bottle of water and a sachet of cookies," the statement from Zeid's office said. A spokesman for Zeid's office said the 7-year-old was the youngest alleged victim so far in any of the CAR cases. The two children said other children were abused in a similar fashion in repeated incidents involving several French soldiers, according to the statement. Rampant sexual abuse Almost 40 people drowned and 75 were rescued after a boat carrying refugees to Greece sank off Turkey's western coast on Saturday, according to local officials and the Turkish Dogan news agency. More than one million refugees arrived in the European Union last year and some 3,600 died or went missing, forcing the EU to mull suspending its Schengen open-borders area for up to two years. The Turkish coast guard was continuing search-and-rescue efforts where the boat carrying at least 120 people sank off the coast of Ayvacik, a town across from the Greek island of Lesbos, the Dogan news agency reported. "I am afraid the numbers will rise as divers continue the search," Mehmet Unal Sahin, the mayor of Ayvacik, told the CNNTurk news channel by phone. "Local people woke up to the sound of screaming migrants and we have been carrying out rescue work since dawn. We have an 80-kilometer-long coast just across from Lesbos, which is very hard to keep under control." At least five of those who died were children, Dogan reported, while rescued refugees were hospitalized with hypothermia symptoms. It said the refugees were of Syrian, Afghan and Myanmar origin. Chancellor Angela Merkel, who opened Germany's borders to Syrians fleeing civil war last summer, is under mounting pressure to halt the inflow. Merkel told a meeting of members of her Christian Democratic Union party on Saturday that despite efforts to help refugees, it was important to stress that they had only been given permission for a limited stay. "We need ...to say to people that this is a temporary residential status and we expect that once there is peace in Syria again, once IS has been defeated in Iraq, that you go back to your home country." Around 500,000 refugees from the five-year-old war in Syria traveled through Turkey and then risked their lives at sea to reach Greek islands in 2015. Under pressure from the European Commission about delays, Greece expects to have four of five "hot spot" centers for processing refugees operational in about two weeks, its migration minister said in a newspaper interview published on Saturday. "We are behind schedule on the installation of these hot spots," Greece's Yiannis Mouzalas told Austrian newspaper Der Standard. "Four of the five will be operational from mid-February." Neighboring Turkey is hosting 2.5 million Syrian refugees. In November it struck a deal with the EU pledging to help stem the flow of refugees to Europe in return for 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) in financial aid and renewed talks on joining the 28-nation bloc. Reuters Three senior TNA politicians, R Sampanthan, M Sumanthiran and S Sridharan are reported to be on their way to Britian to study the power-sharing arrangements in that country. This reminded me of an article I wrote for the Sunday Island more than 10 years ago when a team of Parliamentarians went to Brussels to study federalism. Re-posting because I believe there are relevant lessons. Ranil Wickremesinghe has realised one thing. He knows he can promise heaven and earth to Anton Balasingham in Oslo, Thailand and goodness knows where else, but at the end of the day he has to come to parliament and talk "co-habitation" because promises have got to be translated into constitutional enactment. And for this he needs the numbers. There are two ways of obtaining the numbers. He could obtain public support for ones proposal in overwhelming proportions so that the opposition will be politically forced to toe the line. This "option" is out as far as Ranil Wickremesinghe is concerned because the "peace" lie has lost its currency. This is why he has to go for the second option, that of buying/convincing the opposition. This is the secret of the everything-paid tours that have been arranged for PA parliamentarian so that they can benefit from the best lectures on federalism around. There is nothing wrong in people studying federalism or anything else for that matter, not least of all because studying anything is something that parliamentarians never do. Getting idea-less people who know nothing of historical process and historicity lectured to about these things is a good strategy because the chances are that they will swallow the line whole, ill-equipped as they are to offer counter arguments. There is another side to the political equation, however. If politicians make up one side, on the other side there are the people. Ranil has lost the people. This he knows. What he might not count on is that people are better students than politicians. They will listen to federal proposals, look at federal models and if there are holes to pick in these arguments they will pick them. They will do this objectively and empowered with an historical perspective, the things which politicians lack most. Our politicians are touring Europe, "studying" federal models. There are four such "models"; Italy, Austria, Germany and Belgium. Apparently, our political worthies are going to design the political solution to our "ethnic" problem after considering these models. As the eventual "beneficiaries" of these deliberations, it would be useful for us to study these models and the historical contexts within which they were developed. Let us start with Italy. In Italy, "the problem" was referred to as "The Roman Question". It arose in 1870 when the newly formed kingdom of Italy annexed the Papal States. The issue was resolved through the Lateran Treaty in 1929, signed for King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy by Prime Minister Benito Mussolini and for Pope Pius XI by Pietro Cardinal Gasparri, papal secretary of state. The agreements included a political treaty, which created the state of Vatican City and guaranteed to the Holy See full and independent sovereignty. Also agreed on were a concordat establishing Roman Catholicism as the religion of Italy and a financial arrangement awarding money to the Holy See in settlement of all its claims against Italy arising from the loss of temporal power in 1870. At the end of the day, what does the Italian Constitution have to say? Article 5 says that "The Republic, one and indivisible, recognises and promotes local autonomy, it shall apply the fullest measures of administrative decentralisation in services dependent on the State and adjust the principles and methods of its legislation to the requirements of autonomy and decentralisation. Lets talk about Italians now. Ninety eight per cent of them are Roman Catholic. Everyone speaks Italian. The people are 100% ethnic Italians. It is a homogenous country in this sense. The constitution reflects the socio-political-historical picture. On to Austria. It is a federal state, made up of 9 autonomous states, all German-speaking in a country where 99% of the population is ethnic Austrian. Historically a part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, when it became a republic, the states made up of ethnic Austrians came together to create present-day Austria. Article 8, pertaining to the official language says, "German is the official language of the Republic, without prejudice to the rights provided by federal law for linguistic minorities. In a nutshell, it is a mono-ethnic, mono-lingual state with an 80% population of Roman Catholics. How about Germany? The Federal Republic of Germany is a federal union of 16 states. A region with a long and complex history, Germany did not become a unified nation until 1871. Before that time, Germany had been a confederacy (1815-1867) and, before 1806, a collection of separate and quite different principalities. Protestants live primarily in the North and the majority of the Protestants are Lutherans and they make up about 37 percent of the people. This is what is key: It is an almost 100% ethnic German state, and everyone, including the Turks (4% of the population) speak German and in fact have been naturalised to speak German. It is basically a mono-ethnic, mono-lingual and mono-religious (Christian) country. Finally we have Belgium and there are good reasons why I left this for the last. In Belgium there are two distinct communities. In the North, there are the Flemish who speak Dutch and in the South the French speaking Walloons. Flemish outnumbered Walloons, but French was the language of the upper classes who controlled much of Belgiums wealth. Thus, Walloon interests were disproportionately represented in the government, and only the small segment of the Flemish who were bilingual could participate equally. The expansion of suffrage began to redress this imbalance, forcing the government to accord equality to both languages when transacting official business. The Walloons have inhabited the region now known as Wallonia for thousands of years, descending from an ancient Celtic people known as the Wala. The historic Flanders region (the Flemish North) was an economic power during much of the Middle Ages, and included parts of what are now the Netherlands and France. When Belgium gained its independence in 1830, it retained from this historic region only the area that became the provinces of East and West Flanders. Wallonia was not recognised as a region until the early 1960s, when Belgium was partitioned along historic language lines (with the exception of the city and suburbs of Brussels, which remained bilingual). Between 1970 and 1993 constitutional revisions transformed Belgium into a federal state, with most governmental authority devolving to Flanders and the other two administrative regions, Wallonia and Brussels. Belgiums history could have unfolded in other ways. For instance, the South could have joined France and the North, the Netherlands, based purely on linguistic considerations. Being neither Dutch nor French, ethnically, they chose to remain separate. So, in summary, in Belgium we have a union of two states, made up of the Dutch speaking Flemish and the French speaking Walloons. However, they have one thing in common; the vast majority of them (80%) are Catholic. There will be no wars, no crusades. "Ethnic harmony" is guaranteed, because they are beholden to the spiritual leadership of John Paul II. Lets summarise these findings. In Italy, we have a mono-ethnic (Italian), mono-religious (Roman Catholic), mono-lingual (Italian) unitary republic. Then we have a set of mono-ethnic (Austrian), mono-religious (Roman Catholic), mono-lingual (German) independent states coming together to form Austria. Germany is a mono-ethnic (German), mono-lingual (German), mono-religious (Christians of various denominations) federation. Now we come to the real focus of Ranils Federal Tuition Exercise: Belgium. In the end, it will be the Belgian model that will be considered. This is why we should compare the Belgian example with Sri Lanka. Belgium and Sri Lanka are roughly equal in size and both have (on the face of it) a North-South issue on linguistic and ethnic lines. This is where the comparisons stop. Personally, I like the Belgian model. It is the product of historical geo-political realities expressed in the form of a constitutional document. Like in Austria, Germany and Italy, it is the representation of the true state of affairs, not a historical fabrication or an imposed "geo-political reality". What of the Sri Lankan case? Just as the historic Flanders region (Flemish North) was an economic power during Middle Ages, the Sinhala Nation was during the same period (Anuradhapura-Polonnaruwa) a flourishing economic power. Like the Flemish in the North outnumbering the Walloons, the Sinhalese outnumbered the Tamils. We had a rich Tamil upper class dominating politics, the public service and the economy at the time of Independence. Like the Belgian Walloons. They controlled much of the countrys wealth. Tamil interests, like those of the Walloons were disproportionately represented in the government and the public service and only a small segment of the Sinhalese who were bilingual could participate equally (just like the Flemish). In Belgium this historical anomoly was corrected through federalism. After Independence, this skewed political culture began to correct itself. What federalism would do, is to reverse this and re-entrench the anomaly. In Sri Lanka, furthermore, the "issue" does not "enjoy" a similar history or historical span. In Sri Lanka the geo-political-historical reality was one where the Sinhala Buddhist Nation flourished from Nagadeepa to Deegawapiya and from Mahatitta (Mannar) to Gokannatitta (Trincomalee). The evidence is irrefutable. The Sinhalese, however, made two historical mistakes. The first was when the Dutch and Portuguese traders were harassing the Muslim traders. When they ran to the Sinhala king, he granted them relief. Traders became "temporary inhabitants" then "permanent residents" and later "refugees". Now they are claiming a historical mono-ethnic/mono-religious enclave and are moving towards a separate state. The second historical mistake was when the British decided to plant coffee. The Sinhalese could have worked in the coffee plantations (and later tea), poisoned or otherwise sabotaged the destructive enterprise. Instead, they refused, making room for the influx of indentured labour from Tamil Nadu. Today, the descendants of these Tamils who arrived after 1853 are also making "traditional-homelands" noises. These plantations were set up consequent to evicting the Sinhalese from their ancestral lands and destroying the forests that they had preserved for centuries. In both cases, the Sinhalese cannot blame the Muslims, Tamils, the Dutch, the Portuguese or the British. They were/are merely pursuing their self interest. The Sinhalese ought to have pursued theirs. The Sinhala leaders and the clergy of that time, instead, colluded with these invaders and betrayed the Sinhala people. Things could have been much worse. When coffee went into decline during the 1850s and 1860s, successive governors undertook an ambitious task of rehabilitating the complex tank systems that existed the North Central and Eastern Provinces. This began in 1855. Governors such as Hercules Robinson and William Gregory intensified this effort. The objective was to develop paddy cultivation in the Vanni, Ampara, Polonnaruwa, Ganthalawa (Kantale) and Mahatitta areas. These areas, by that time, were sparsely populated. There was a large land mass, countless acres of abandoned paddy fields and a dilapidated irrigation network. They used the Indian labour in these regions to begin the shift from coffee to paddy. Fortunately for the Sinhalese, a tiny insect called Anopheles struck a cohabitational arrangement with the malaria parasite to drive away the invaders. Had this not happened there would have been nothing for Balasingham to discuss in terms of "political realities". The Sinhalese would have been an almost extinct minority. These are mere facets of how the "ethnic equation" came about. The historicity, however, is not easily obliterated. Unlike in Belgium, the Tamils dont have any historical basis comparable with that of Walloons or the Flemish who have been living in those areas for thousands of years. In none of the four "federal cases" under study was an immigrant or transient population granted autonomy. In our case, the Tamils either came to grow tobacco (for the Dutch) or coffee and tea for the British. The Muslims came as traders. The Sinhalese built this civilisation and all the archaeological remains in every nook and cranny of the country (and especially in the North and East) and the irrigation works similarly scattered all over the island stand as incontestable evidence of continued Sinhala presence. That they are no longer the dominant community in some areas is due to systematic evictions due to invasions beginning from the Anuradhapura period right up to the recent exercises carried out by Prabhakaran. The "Belgian Way" proposal can only be met with a two-word response: "NO WAY". There is nothing wrong with federalism per se. It works, but only when the political and historical realities and antecedents point to such arrangements. Sadly for Ranil and for Balasingham, our history and our political reality do not extrapolate towards federalism. In Sri Lanka, the indisputable historical fact is that of an unarmed peace loving peoples continuously subjected to the terrorism of successive invaders. Accepting the product of such violent processes amounts to one thing. Abandonment. Of the Sinhala people. It is possible that Ranil is too poor to do anything else, but we are not. There is another "way". The solution to a political crisis is best obtained when a truly representative body engages in a frank discussion. All this time politicians have ruled the country. It is high time that they give way to human beings. I once again reiterate the need to establish a "Constitutional Commission" representing all segments of the citizenry. The result of deliberations engaged in by such a body will necessarily be representative of historical and political realities. The monopoly enjoyed by the politician in constitutional reform has to be done away with. Constitutional reform has been a business for the politicians. We have had parliamentary select committees, all-party conferences, individual pacts between politicians, and now study tours in the name of familiarisation, all of which soak up large amounts of public funds. They have had serious political repercussions as well. This has to stop. Citizens have to put a stop to this. United States THAAD launcher ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / United States Army) A U.S. missile defense system would be helpful for South Korean security if deployed on the peninsula, a defense official from Seoul said on Friday. The comments are the latest sign that Seoul is again considering allowing the U.S.-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to be deployed on its soil. Defense Ministry spokesperson Kim Min-seok said on Friday that the Korean government will consider every measure to prepare against North Koreas missile threats. He added, If U.S. Forces Korea deploys THAAD, it will help our national security and defense. However, Kim also refuted media reports that South Korea and the United States had begun negotiations on the subject next week. He said that the South Korean government has not been offered negotiations by the U.S. government, meaning no decision on the issue should be expected in the near future. Right now, he explained, both sides are discussing it internally with South Korea in particular looking at how effective THAAD would be. Media sources rumored that South Korea was moving forward on THAAD, pointing to numerous visits to the country by officials from Lockheed Martin, the U.S. defense company that manufactures the THAAD system, Yonhap News reports. Those reports come a few weeks after South Korean President Park Geun-hye told reporters that South Korea would review the THAAD system based on its national security interests. Theres good reason for Seoul to be considering or at least saying that it is considering deploying THAAD. North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test on January 6 of this year; satellite imagery suggests Pyongyang might be getting ready to follow that up with a ballistic missile launch. That once again drives home the increasing necessity for South Korea to have a missile defense system in place, to guard against potential North Korean missile strikes. Just as importantly, however, China North Koreas major ally and trading partner has shown no sign of changing its position toward Pyongyang, despite urging from Seoul. Meanwhile, China has been adamantly against the deployment of THAAD, which it believes is just as likely to be used against Beijing as against Pyongyang. The diplomatic tussle over THAAD led to some sniping back and forth between Seoul and Beijing last year, a rare bump in what has been largely a rosy relationship. Asked about the recent reports, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying reiterated Chinas stance on THAAD, saying that even when pursuing their own security, countries should take into account others security interests as well as regional peace and stability. Hua added that the situation on the Korean Peninsula is highly sensitive, urging relevant countries to use caution. Those diplomatic signals (coupled, presumably, with more overt pressure behind the scenes) effectively stonewalled any real discussion of THAAD last year. However, with Seoul frustrated at the limits of Beijings response to the recent nuclear test, revisiting THAAD is a way to prove to China that there are serious consequences for North Koreas actions consequences that also impact Chinas own security interests. About the author - Shannon Tiezzi is Managing Editor at The Diplomat. Her main focus is on China, and she writes on Chinas foreign relations, domestic politics, and economy. Shannon previously served as a research associate at the U.S.-China Policy Foundation, where she hosted the weekly television show China Forum. She received her A.M. from Harvard University and her B.A. from The College of William and Mary. Shannon has also studied at Tsinghua University in Beijing. THE DIPLOMAT ( ALL RIGHTS RESERVED) "Economic reform" in Cuba doesn't mean anything if it doesn't allow the people to eat what they want. When Cuban police raided food vendors doing business free of the normal controls, the people wanting and needing food pushed back. 14ymedio, via Translating Cuba, has the story: The raid against street-cart vendors selling fruits and vegetables launched in Havana last week by the government is causing unease among large sectors of the population. Most affected by the restrictions are those who find in this commercial alternative a chance to buy food in their own neighborhoods and streets, far from agricultural markets. For the elderly, people with disabilities or families with small children, the ability to buy fruits and vegetables on their doorstep has been very popular in recent years, despite high prices. In a clear strategy of cutting off their nose to spite their face, the authorities have decided to combat high food prices through maximum restrictions on intermediaries and street vendors. The scene of a group of people protesting when police demand to see his papers and confiscate the merchandise from a street-cart vendor, as shown in this video that has come into our hands, says a lot about the unpopular measures of control the government has adopted against private vendors; and it also highlights the shortages of food products Cuban society is suffering today. In the images posted on YouTube under the pseudonym SomosdeCuba (We are Cuban), the police harass street vendors selling fresh food. People start to gather and shout: Abusers, and then in a chorus yell Food! Food! Food! Finally the vendors start giving away their products rather than let the police confiscate them. American sponsors have subjected vulnerable Central American refugee children to sexual abuse, labor trafficking and starvation, according to a bipartisan report released on Friday by the Senate Subcommittee on Investigations. It confirmed similar findings by The Associated Press on Jan. 25 that identified more than two dozen cases of abuse and neglect. In one case, a trafficking ring in Marion, Ohio, forced six teens to work on an egg farm for 12 hours a day and did not allow them to attend school. In other states, fraudulent sponsors tried to get placements of children who were not related to them. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, who chairs the subcommittee, said there were serious, systemic defects in the screening process at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for placing uniquely vulnerable unaccompanied children with supposed sponsors. In a statement on Thursday, he said the trafficking case in his state could likely have been prevented if HHS had adopted common-sense measures for screening sponsors and checking in on the well-being of at-risk children protections that are standard in foster care systems run by the states, including Ohio. Failure to properly investigate temporary placement homes and weak child protection policies have left young migrants seeking refuge in the U.S. vulnerable to abuse and mistreatment. With more Central American children arriving daily, the U.S. government needs to strengthen, not weaken, its oversight of the homes where minors are placed. After they cross into the U.S., some refugees turn themselves in to immigration authorities, asking for asylum. Others make their asylum pleas after being captured and detained. Under U.S. law, unaccompanied minors seeking asylum must be sent to a facility run by the Office of Refugee Resettlement. The agency then places children with families while their cases are processed. Sponsors typically a friend or family member already in the United States house the children and get them in school. The resettlement office has internal procedures for conducting background checks and verifying that a sponsor is a friend or relative and not a human trafficker or someone with a criminal record. But according to the AP report, overwhelmed by the number of children needing placements, HHS began relaxing its placement procedures in 2014, when the arrivals of unaccompanied children reached record numbers. The agency stopped fingerprinting adult sponsors and requiring original birth certificates to verify their identity. It started placing children before conducting criminal history checks of the sponsors and sometimes even before completing background information forms. More than 95,000 unaccompanied minors have been placed with sponsors since October 2013. While the AP investigation uncovered some of the abuses, many more are suspected. Harvard researcher Jacqueline Bhabha called the revelations the tip of the iceberg. Increased refugee traffic is linked to growing gang- and drug-related violence in Central America. The current wave of immigration from the region fell in 2015 from the year before, but the number of Central American families and children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border rose dramatically during the traditionally slower months of October and November. More than a year after the United States and Cuba normalized relations, with promises from President Barack Obama that American appeasement would bring democratic change and respect for human rights to the island, how are the Castros doing? According to Human Rights Watch, which this week released a report on human rights around the world, not much has changed in Cuba: The Cuban government continues to repress dissent and discourage public criticism. It now relies less on long-term prison sentences to punish its critics, but short-term arbitrary arrests of human rights defenders, independent journalists, and others have increased dramatically in recent years. Other repressive tactics employed by the government include beatings, public acts of shaming, and the termination of employment. Hope in change, indeed. Read the whole report on Cuba here. Photo information: Cuban security personnel detain a member of the Ladies in White group after their weekly anti-government protest march, in Havana, on September 13, 2015. (Reuters) This happens every day across Cuba. From 14ymedio via Translating Cuba: 14ymedio, Havana, 29 January 2016 The houses of Alexeis Martinez and Carlos Oliva Rivery, both members of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), were raided by police this morning, according to the opposition organization. The two houses, located in the Mariana de la Torre neighborhood in Santiago de Cuba, were searched just after six oclock in the morning by uniformed personnel and the two activists were taken to the second unit of the PNR (Peoples Revolutionary Police) in Santiago de Cuba. Some witnesses commented to 14ymedio that participating in the operation were Special Troops of the Ministry of Interior along with the police. The 20 uniformed personnel presented a search warrant, but failed to summon two witnesses from the Committee for the Defense of the Revolution to be present during the search, as required by regulations, and instead took advantage of two unknown passersby to play that role. According Alianne Perez, the wife of Alexeis Martinez, at the conclusion of what she considered an assault, a computer, several disks and documents, two mobile phones, all the food in the house and two paintings hanging on the wall were seized. In Olivas house, the dining room serves the organizations members from other places who pass through the city to take courses, as well as other activists who work full time for UNPACU. Between last 22 November and today, the organization has already reported 15 raids. The Felix Houphouet-Boigny International Airport will get a $67 million makeover to boost it as a regional hub, the chairman of the board of operator Aeria said Thursday. The worlds top cocoa grower, French-speaking West Africas largest economy, is in the midst of a revival following a decade-long political crisis that ended in a brief 2011 civil war. With economic growth averaging around 9 percent, investor interest is growing, and Abidjans international airport is expecting to welcome 1.75 million passengers this year, up from a record 1.5 million last year. We are aiming to invest around 40 billion CFA francs over the next three years to offer quality service, because the number of passengers is increasing each year, Aerias Abdoulaye Coulibaly said, adding the funds will go towards tarmac and terminal upgrades. Aeria is also preparing a 140 billion CFA franc project to build an extension to the terminal that would more than triple capacity to 8 million passengers per year by 2022. Since 2011, the Ivorian government has approved large infrastructure projects such as highways and dams, and overseen the construction of a toll bridge that has cut traffic jams in Abidjan. The economy is forecast to expand by as much as 9 percent annually through 2020, a pace that is more than twice as fast as the average in sub-Saharan Africa, driven by household consumption, investment and exports. Tunisian Premier Habib Essid Thursday announced a series of measures including creation of 23,000 jobs for the first quarter of 2016. Essid appearing again before the parliament following Wednesday extraordinary session, announced the creation of 23,000 jobs during the first three months of 2016. The recruitment project will be effective during the first quarter of the on-going year, he said. Also part of the measures, Essid announced new recruitment in the security forces and in the military. He explained that the government every year enlists 30,000 people in the army while only 5,000 are currently operational. He said that once the recruits finish their military training they can be directly employed. The government plans to re-activate 90 per cent of projects that have been shelved as these projects can provide jobs to scores of unemployed youth. Among other solutions, the government indicated that it would lift some restrictions to incite entrepreneurship and boost the private sector. Essid also told lawmakers he instructed all ministerial departments to determine their needs and launch recruitments they deem necessary in line with law. Furthermore, a local media tunisienumerique.com indicated that Prime Minister Essid said he agreed with Wided Bouchamaoui, chairperson of the Tunisian business entrepreneurs association to create 50,000 jobs in the various shopping malls that have been allowed to operate. He also defended his cabinet saying that up to 70,000 people have been recruited so far during his tenure even though there is still much to be done. Tunisia has been rocked by social riots led by youths and graduates on the dole who took to the street to claim better living conditions. The protests started nearly two weeks ago in Kasserine where a young 28 year old Tunisia died electrocuted after he climbed a power pole in protest to the removal of his name from a government job list. His death sparked widespread protests across the country including capital Tunis where protests were followed by lootings. There are about 800,000 jobless people in Tunisia, including around 300,000 university graduates. The country registered a near zero economic growth in 2015 after the vital tourism industry was seriously hobbled by two major terrorist attacks which killed scores of people including 60 foreign tourists. Your digital subscription includes access to content from all our websites in your region. Access unlimited news content and The Canberra Times app. Premium subscribers also enjoy interactive puzzles and access to the digital version of our print edition - Today's Paper. Samsung Galaxy View Key Specification: 18.4-inch 1080P display Exynos 7580 @ 1.6GHz 2GB RAM 32GB memory 2.1MP front camera 451.86 x 275.84 x 11.94mm 2.65kg The Galaxy View is now available at your nearest Samsung Experience Store. Get an exclusive casing with every purchase of the Galaxy View while stocks last. Hurry, get yours today!www.samsung.com/my/ Posted by Samsung Mobile Malaysia on Friday, January 29, 2016 Liberia lost more than 4,800 people, including 189 health workers, in the devastating Ebola epidemic. This is Ebola situation report on Radio Gbarnga. This is where you get the latest updates about the Ebola situation in central Liberia, said Jefferson Massah, in an exceptionally calming voice for such a catastrophic time. You have invaded our houses. You have killed our children. You have killed our fathers. You have killed our mothers, sang a pop artist, in local dialect, to a catchy beat. And you are still not satisfied? The year was 2014, and the threat from the disease was immediate. Liberia was ground zero of an unprecedented epidemic, under attack by a virus that left 5,000 dead by autumn and eventually killed over 11,000 people across West Africa. Although the region was declared Ebola-free (despite several new cases) earlier this month, the trauma experienced in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia has had a massive impact. Cities and towns across the most affected areas continue to suffer from the emotional scars of the disease, with people blaming one another for failing to prevent the huge toll. Many orphans, widows and widowers struggle to emerge from the lingering health crisis. Now a new documentary airing Sunday on Al Jazeera is exploring the path of the disease, revealing the depths of the crisis and the human stories behind the epidemic. Stanley Juah, from Taylor Town, a small rural village in Liberia, is a man left alone after his wife, Mammie, and their four children died. When he visited their burial site in an isolated forest clearing, having just been released from an Ebola treatment unit, it was his first time looking at the final resting place for his entire immediate family. He wept upon seeing the flimsy grave markers identifying his wife and children, with sunset indicated as November 2014, when they died. You can't stay here, Stanley, health worker Wehaty Sangalaine told him. You said you wanted to see the place, then we brought you here. You have seen it. It will take some time for you to get through. But Juah has an even bigger problem. In addition to his familys deaths, more than a dozen other Ebola victims in Bong County can be traced to his bad decision to take his sick son to Taylor Town from Monrovia. People from the village have threatened him, and hes scared to go there. Ebola has taken everyone away, said health worker Mabel Musa. Some people get very afraid. You find children in the towns with no parents because Ebola has killed their mother, their father. Juah said his son had no symptoms and so he shouldnt be blamed or killed by vigilantes for violating the areas quarantine order and spreading the disease. But the villagers are furious. What Stanley Juah has done here, he has done it to the district, to Bong County and everyone in Liberia. Because for every person that has died, his future has died as well, said Augustus Sumu. This person could have become president, or his child could have become president. So what Stanley did here, he did to the whole world. The Rev. Victor Padmore was called to calm the situation and intervened to protect Juah. We cannot continue to let the issue of hate, the sense of hate, remain in the community, because thats Stanleys home, Padmore said. And some of the locals heed his call for reconciliation, despite Juahs refusal to admit wrongdoing. Stanley has killed so many of us. If he comes back and we kill him, it will not bring back our dead, said Siaka Goakai, a Taylor Town resident. So let him come to see for himself what good he has done. Padmore said that his goal is to continue engaging the people who are angry at Juah. Calm down, take a good heart, be able to talk to other people who feel bad about what has happened, said Padmore. Other people who are blaming us, we need to go back to them and say, along with our son Stanley, and say, We are sorry. Let this thing go. We all belong here. The towns capacity to forgive seems to grow as the number of new cases drops and sick people begin to heal. In a nearby treatment center, women began dancing and chanting to celebrate the progress. Padmores role was crucial in the long journey toward normality for the community. There is still hope, he said. So we come today to sit together with you people. We want to hear what you think. We came also with Stanley, who, after hearing you, has one or two words to say. We will continue from there. We are also here to help you to be able to jump over what has happened. Stanley Juah is one of more than 5,000 people who survived the Ebola virus in Liberia. Yet the villagers dont agree on what Juahs fate should be. I am going to see Stanley and [if] he doesnt kill me, I am going to kill him, said one man at the village reconciliation forum arranged by Padmore. Another man, Warner Fedju, chimed in. He used to be Juahs best friend. But now Fedju, having lost his wife to Ebola, claimed Juah is cursed and is a liar. Despite his anger, Fedju said, If I [did] something to you, Stanley, it will not bring my woman back to life. She has already died. So I got nothing to do with you, Stanley, he continued. You are forgiven. Although Ebola took more lives in Liberia than anywhere else, the country was the first to become officially free from the disease that is, until three new cases were announced in November 2015. The epidemic was said to be finished, for the third time, on Jan. 14. The good news didnt last long, as a new case was identified a day later in neighboring Sierra Leone. Liberia lost more than 4,800 people to the disease, including 189 health workers, so the pain runs deep. And its not easy for a man like Juah to show remorse when he too experienced such tragedy along with the entire nation. Stanley, this is your place. These people, you should respect them, Padmore said. You know, in our culture, if you ask for forgiveness, you must be on your knees. You cant stand tall. After heeding the reverends call to repent, Juah was overcome by despair. I lost all my children and my wife. I cant sit in that empty house. I can only be a visitor here, he said. No need to live. I just should die and follow my people. I dont know why God has spared my life. From Miami Herald columnist Dave Barry: NEWTON, Iowa -- I was in the mood for some excitement, so I drove out to Newton, the county seat of Jasper County, to hear Hillary Clinton. I got here early, so I ate lunch at the Midtown Cafe, in the heart of downtown, where the clientele was mainly older ladies (by which I mean ladies roughly my age) and large agricultural-looking men in bib overalls. The menu had an item called the Pancake Challenge: $14 if you fail, no leaving of table and no help. I asked the waitress about it, and she said the pancakes are gigantic. Only one person ever beat the Pancake Challenge, she said. So I went with the daily special, which was cream chipped beef on biscuits. It came in a portion the size of a four-person life raft. It was a meal suitable for working men, men in bib overalls who perform hard agricultural labor such as baling soybeans or neutering heifers. It was not suitable for a newspaper columnist whose most strenuous physical activity is typing in the Wi-Fi code. But it tasted good, and it will be lodged in my stomach for years to come. After taking the Chipped Beef Challenge I staggered over to the Clinton event, which was held in the Berg Middle School gymnasium. There was a banner with the Hillary logo and the slogan Fighting for us. Clinton was introduced by a slick video, which listed the many achievements she has accomplished in her lengthy career of holding positions while at the same time being a woman. Then Clinton came out and delivered her speech, which contained a LOT of specific policy information, and statements such as Im proposing something called the National Infrastructure Bank. At one point, talking about wind power Wind power is important! she informed us how many parts are in a turbine. It was something like 900, which I think we can all agree is an impressive number of turbine parts, but its not the kind of thing that excites people. The crowd, which was very pro-Hillary, applauded at the right times and even emitted some Whoo!s, but they didnt seem really fired up. I am no political consultant, but I think Clintons main image problem is that, while she wants us to believe shes Fighting For Us, the main vibe she gives off is that shes Way Smarter Than Us. (To be fair: I think Ted Cruz has the same problem.) More here. Photo credit: Daniel Acker, Bloomberg via @JknipeBrown In his 40 years overseeing inmate death cases in New Yorks prisons, Dr. Michael Baden says he has rarely seen a case as outrageous as Darren Raineys. Three and a half years after Raineys death in what witnesses say was a scalding shower at Dade Correctional Institution the autopsy has still not been publicly released, and the criminal case remains open. Details of the report were leaked to the Miami Herald last week that his death has been ruled an accident, a conclusion that stunned Raineys relatives, who still havent been able to see the autopsy report. Why are they still covering it up? asked Andre Chapman, Raineys brother. How did they come up with accidental? Baden, a nationally recognized forensic pathologist who served on New York States prison medical review board for four decades, said there is no reason that Raineys family should still be waiting for closure. Its extraordinarily unusual for an autopsy to take this long and if people are thinking this is a cover-up, well, this is what happens when it takes this long. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiners autopsy report, completed last week but still under wraps, found that Rainey died from complications of schizophrenia, heart disease and confinement in a shower on June 23, 2012, sources told the Herald. Story here. A prototype of the latest version of the MQ-1C Gray Eagle will be headed to Europe soon for a series of demonstrations, according to the ... Enjoy the music of the award-winning guitarist-vocalist combo Josh and his wife Sarah Snodgrass, as they lead a time of worship at Bethel Community Church. The service is scheduled at 10:45 a.m. Sunday at 1601 S. Sixth St. W. Analisa Unger showed up at 9:30 a.m. Friday at First United Methodist Church with a list of things she needed help with. Shortly after noon, the 35-year-old had a stroller, diapers and baby clothes for her first baby, due Feb. 1. "I just moved here a month-and-a-half ago. This really helped with finding the right services and places," said the Las Vegas transplant. Unger came back to town to resolve some legal issues and can't travel to her final destination in Oregon until after the baby is born. She'd expected to be there all day, but found help with housing for her temporary stay in Missoula, in addition to the baby items. The services came courtesy of the 10th annual Project Homeless Connect, a one-day event where some 75 local organizations band together to provide a one-stop selection of services for the community's homeless and those at risk of being homeless. "You're looking at 400 to 500 people coming through the door," said Michael Moore, the Reaching Home coordinator for the United Way of Missoula County. Contrary to the popular notion, he said many of them have jobs and children but still need help with the basics. The services include clothing and personal hygiene kits, aging and disability services, financial services, eye care and glasses, ID cards, mental health services and more. There's even food for pets and a popular clothing-repair service courtesy of four volunteers with sewing machines. Moore said the clothing and outdoors gear are heavily used, as are the free haircuts. "A lot of people are trying to reach housing services. That's people's fundamental problem," Moore said. Kevin Paddlety needed to replace his state ID card that expired years ago, but decided to get more information about housing he's been living at the Poverello Center for several weeks. Cody Ann Allery, an admissions technician for the Missoula Housing Authority, guided Paddlety, whose only income is a few hundred dollars a month from Social Security, through the various options for public and subsidized housing. Marge Samsoe ushered Paddlety around the many rooms in the basement of the church and the Missoula Children's Theatre's older building nearby, where some services like legal and public assistance were set up, as well as birth certificates. After the work is done, the guides will have a meal and visit with them. Project Homeless Connect relies on volunteers like Samsoe. Many work with nonprofits and others are community members donating their time. "Over 200 people volunteered just to be guides," Moore said. Back at the haircut station, Charity Atteberry, who helped organize the service, was washing a person's hair before they headed to a stylist. Atteberry took on the planning and organization this year, estimating that 90 people got cuts last year. Larry Hurley walked in with a full white beard and a long hair, and volunteer stylist Nicole Buhler set to work trimming it down. Vicky Bostick, a nine-year volunteer, had a station next to Buhler. She explained that many people "can't afford the luxury to have a haircut," and that it makes a dramatic difference for them. Buhler finished up Hurley's hair and Bostick exclaimed, "You look handsome." Hurley picked up his coffee and walked away smiling, barely recognizable from 10 minutes before. He'd told Buhler he hadn't had a haircut in two years, or a professional one in six. This week, off world: SpaceX launches Crew-5 mission to the ISS, the Sun roars fire, asteroid Ryugu's watery past and loads more... Heres where you can donate to help Ukrainian refugees and war victims Pick o' the podcasts: From the video store: The Sun roars ... This week, off world: Satellite images of the Kerch Bridge, the watery history of asteroid Ryugu, and loads more... Heres where you can donate to help Ukrainian refugees and war victims Pick o' the podcasts: From the video store: DART succee... This week, off world: NASA is about to try moving an asteroid, the NRO launch what is (probably) and imaging satellite and loads more... Heres where you can donate to help Ukrainian refugees and war victims Pick o' the podcasts: Spacepod 201: International space la... This week, off world: NASA's DART mission rips plumes of debris from an asteroid, SpaceX may launch a mission to service Hubble, and loads more... Heres where you can donate to help Ukrainian refugees and war victims Pick o' the podcasts: Advert From the video store: NASA cra... Factory in space, dark matter stars..... Prototype in-space factory built A company called Magna Parva has produced a prototype of an in-space factory that should be able to produ... This week, off world: Holy smokes is Russia trying to endanger the ISS on purpose? Sierra Space raises $1.4 billion for Orbital Reef, lunar CO2 use and loads more... Learn the ins and outs of pseudoscience, and debunking it: Read 'Escaping The Rabbit Hole' here . Want to support the future of scie... This week in space: Bizarre organic-cryogeology of Titan recreated, Jupiter hit by a space rock and... did SpaceX something :D ? Learn the ins and outs of pseudoscience, and debunking it: Read 'Escaping The Rabbit Hole' here . Want to support the future of sc... This week off world: NASA launches a mission to move an asteroid, more fall out from Russia's ASAT test, Mars in stunning HD and loads more... Learn the ins and outs of pseudoscience, and debunking it: Read 'Escaping The Rabbit Hole' here . Want to support the future of scie... This week, off world: An experimental rocket launcher throws them over the atmosphere, satellite images with the power to save lives, a new era of planetary defence and loads more... Learn the ins and outs of pseudoscience, and debunking it: Read 'Escaping The Rabbit Hole' here . Want to support the future of scie... Calling for "swift and severe" remedies, state regulators found Mountain Water Co. and its buyer and seller in violation of orders and moved Friday to pursue fines against the Missoula water utility and its new owner. In another unanimous vote, commissioners also agreed to seek assistance from the Montana Attorney General's Office in pursing all remedies. Earlier this month, The Carlyle Group sold Mountain to Liberty Utilities, a subsidiary of Algonquin Power and Utilities Corp., without approval by the Montana Public Service Commission. The PSC regulates private utilities, and the parties had requested the body review the sale. Then, they withdrew the application and consummated the deal anyway in a move a PSC spokesman earlier characterized as unprecedented. At Thursday's meeting, Chairman Brad Johnson said he normally prefers to withhold his opinion as head of the commission, but he made an exception in this case. "The conduct of The Carlyle Group and Liberty Utilities in this transfer represents a direct attack on the authority of this commission, and it is my hope that the commission's response in this case will be as swift and severe as the law allows it to be," Johnson said. In addition, the chairman said he wanted to be certain the Attorney General's Office understood the commission wanted to exhaust its ability to hold the parties accountable. With Commissioner Kirk Bushman opposed, the commission also voted that Mountain Water's rates may no longer be "just and reasonable." Commissioners made pointed remarks at the meeting as they debated the central question of their own authority to approve sales and transfers of private utilities. Staff attorney Laura Farkas said the commission has statutory power to regulate rates and services, and as such, "implied authority" to oversee sales. Commissioner Bob Lake, whose district includes Missoula, agreed. In fact, he said commissioners take an oath of office to protect customers, and if private parties don't go through the PSC's discovery process, they make it impossible for commissioners to do their duty in vetting a company's ability to deliver services. "The bottom line is we have that obligation under oath to protect the consumers in the state of Montana," Lake said. Commissioner Roger Koopman, though, said the parties raised a legitimate question about the body's authority, and he urged his fellow commissioners to remain dispassionate as they considered the legal matter. "We have a fine point here, an important point as to whether or not we indeed have jurisdiction," Koopman said. "I think the parties do raise some valid points." The parties argued they agreed to include the commission as "a contractual contingency," but they were "free to waive the contractual condition." They also argued the change has no impact on Mountain Water, its assets, operations or customers. *** Staff attorney Farkas, though, said the purpose of the agency's process is to gather enough information to know how the new ownership and capital structure will affect customers. The commission has overseen sales at least since the 1970s, and it either has authority to do so or it does not, she said. In this case, she said, the parties sought approval from the PSC "until it was inconvenient for them." "What we're not in the business of doing is expending agency time and resources on dockets that two private entities decided amongst themselves they wanted to initiate, while maintaining amongst themselves, unbeknownst to us that we don't really have jurisdiction," Farkas said. Although some commissioners agreed the question of the body's authority was relevant, they unanimously voted to find "the commission has jurisdiction over this sale and transfer proceeding." Commissioner Travis Kavulla said private owners are free to buy and sell all sorts of properties, from restaurants to gas stations, without regulatory approval. But when the private company has a monopoly business model with captive customers, it must submit to a regulatory agency. At the same time, he said, he was open to the possibility the Public Service Commission does not have jurisdiction. "This is a fantastic test case to go to court and finally answer the question," Kavulla said. The PSC may fine Mountain and Liberty $100 to $1,000 a day for being in violation of its order, and Kavulla said an onerous reading of the law could levy a daily amount per customer. "Obviously, you could result in some fairly substantial penalties, depending on how you calculate the fines," he said. In his remarks, Commissioner Bushman said the city appeared to want the PSC's oversight at times, but then argued in court it didn't have authority. "They seem to be arguing two sides of a coin," Bushman said. In June, Missoula County District Court ruled the city of Missoula had the right to buy Mountain Water. Mayor John Engen has said he intends to purchase it as soon as the court settles remaining questions of cost and the Montana Supreme Court has ruled on an appeal. At the meeting, the commission also approved the following motions: It has concerns Mountain Water may have violated "ring fencing provisions," or ones that protect its assets, and it must "show cause demonstrating why the commission should not immediately suspend upstream dividend payments." Mountain Water's rates may no longer be just and reasonable, and the commission "will institute an interim rate adjustment by Feb. 26, 2016, if it finds such an action to be appropriate." It is holding the proceeding in abeyance. The Montana commissioner of political practices has dismissed a complaint by a member of the Target Range School Board who alleged the school administration and staff had violated campaign laws. Gary Botchek filed the complaint last year while running for a one-year term on the board. He defeated two other opponents a week after the Office of Political Practices received the complaint. Botchek charged that a Target Range teacher gave false, negative information on me as a candidate for trustee while on the time clock and within the school building. But Commissioner Jonathan Motl said the teacher was responding to a parents question about open enrollment after students had been dismissed for the day, and There is no fact or suggestion that the teacher advocated a vote for or against any trustee candidate. A former school board chairman who is opposed to open enrollment overheard the conversation, objected to the teacher explaining her reasons for supporting open enrollment while on school property, and reported the exchange to Botchek, according to Motls decision. The commissioner noted that Montana law prohibits public employees from soliciting support for, or opposition to, the election of any candidate for public office while on the job or at their place of employment, but does not restrict the right of a public officer or public employee to express personal political views. The Target Range School District has a policy statement concerning staff ethics and political activity that reflects the distinction found in statute, Motl said. The facts of this matter show that the teacher acted appropriately within personal political limits, Motl wrote. The teacher spoke on an issue, open enrollment, in the context of her personal political views without crossing over into the area of elections. Further, the teacher did so in an appropriate manner by speaking in response to a question from a parent rather than pushing her personal views through contact with students. *** Motl also dismissed a second complaint by Botchek, that a school board member mailed out 1,400 postcards with incomplete or misleading information concerning candidates who were seeking two seats on the school board last spring. Bob Carter, who was not up for re-election, did not use his position as a trustee on the postcards that supported open enrollment, only that he was the parent of three Target Range students. The postcard named four school board candidates that Carter believed were in favor of open enrollment. It did not list the other two, Botchek or Evan Rosenberg, who Carter believed opposed open enrollment. Open enrollment accepting out-of-district students has been a contentious issue at Target Range, which approved the policy in 2006. Proponents like Carter say it brings in $1 million in funding annually, has reduced class sizes and taxes, and keeps the school fully open at a time when in-district enrollment is dwindling. Opponents like Botchek argue it forces Target Range taxpayers to subsidize the education of students whose parents pay taxes in other school districts. Carter spent $800 to $900 of his own money on the pro-open enrollment postcards, according to the Office of Political Practices, and had the school districts attorney review the content to make sure it did not violate any rules. In addition to his own phone number, Carter also listed the Target Range School phone number on the postcards in case anyone had further questions about open enrollment. Motl said his offices jurisdiction in the matter is limited to whether public funds were used on the postcards, and the open enrollment postcard did not involve any use of public funds or public resources. The commissioner called Carters request for the postcard be reviewed for policy conformance prudent and appropriate, and did not involve any use of public resources in the production of the postcard. *** Botchek, who said he will not seek re-election when his one-year term expires this spring, said he was disappointed in what he felt was a limited investigation into his complaints. Evidently the Office of Political Practices doesnt go that deep as to what affects an election, he said Friday. I didnt expect the type of limited look on whether this met the definition of breaking an election law. I was not impressed with the process, not because the commissioner didnt agree with me it just seemed very limited, at least with what he wrote, Botchek continued. One question Id be interested in having answered is when they have two people, and one says one thing and the other says another, how do you make that determination? Target Range elected two trustees last spring. Sharon Sterbis, one of the candidates listed on Carters postcard as an open-enrollment supporter, won a three-year term with 568 votes. She defeated Nathan Lucke, who was also listed on the postcard and got 512 votes, and Rosenberg, who was not mentioned on the postcard and had 482. Evan Rosenberg was not against open enrollment, he was just concerned with the magnitude of it, Botchek said. Botcheck got 441 votes in the three-way race for the one-year term, and defeated Shawn Skinner (293) and Elizabeth Moore (285), who were both listed as open-enrollment supporters on Carters postcard. POLSON Please dont feed the bears. Or the deer. Or the elk, moose, antelope or mountain lions. Its against the law. And be careful about feeding birds from songbirds to turkeys which also can be illegal if it attracts ungulates or bears. State and tribal authorities are reminding people of this after a game warden with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks found someone in the Polson area having hay and salt blocks delivered to their residence even though the landowner doesnt own livestock. The most recent incident in the Polson area was probably the worst example I have seen in my nine years, FWP game warden Ron Howell said. Hay and salt blocks were actually delivered to the residence just for the deer. Nearly 30 turkeys and countless deer were feeding on the pile when I arrived. People may only mean to lure turkeys or deer closer to observe them, Howell said, but the presence of deer can lure mountain lions, which can pose a threat not only to the people doing the feeding, but to their neighbors. Thats what happened in another incident in Ronan, Howell said. Neighbors called to report seeing mountain lions in the area after a homeowner began feeding turkeys. The feed also attracted deer to the area, and the mountain lions followed the deer. *** Montana Code Annotated makes it illegal to provide supplemental feed attractants to game animals on private or state land both on and off the Flathead Indian Reservation. Feeding wildlife is counter to all tribal efforts to reduce wildlife losses and minimize potential human-wildlife conflicts, said Germaine White, information and education specialist with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Natural Resources Department. According to MCA 87-6-216, it is illegal to purposely or knowingly (provide) supplemental feed attractants in a manner that results in an artificial concentration of game animals that may potentially contribute to the transmission of disease or that constitutes a threat to public safety. The law makes allowances for some activities, such as the normal feeding of livestock. But it also makes the recreational feeding of birds, in a manner that attracts cloven-hoofed ungulates or bears, illegal if a person has been issued a warning by authorities but continues to do so. The penalty for violating any section of MCA 87-6-216 is a fine of $50 to $1,000, and up to six months in jail. It can also result in the loss of hunting, fishing or trapping privileges. I try to educate folks on the law, and give them a chance to clean up the attractants and stop the feeding by issuing a written warning first, Howell said. If the feeding does not stop, then I will issue a citation. BUTTE After more than four hours of deliberation, jurors on Friday found a 51-year-old transient woman guilty of killing a Butte man at a campground in southwest Montana in 2014. Sandra Lee Ann Cantrell had testified in Dillon district court that she stabbed Mark Robert Mullen after he made another sexual advance toward her while she was cutting watermelon on Aug. 8, 2014, at Bryant Creek Campground near Wise River. In addition to finding Cantrell guilty of felony deliberate homicide, the jury of seven women and five men delivered guilty verdicts for felony assault with a weapon, felony tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, and misdemeanor theft. Beaverhead County prosecutors accused Cantrell of complicity in Mullens murder and fleeing the campsite with her common-law husband Christopher Lee Stiles, then 29, who clubbed Mullen to death with a stick. Stiles pleaded guilty to deliberate homicide in March 2015 and is serving a 100-year sentence with 50 years suspended at the Montana State Prison. Beaverhead County Attorney Jed C. Fitch said in a telephone interview Friday afternoon that he was gratified (the jury) found beyond a reasonable doubt that she had committed these horrendous crimes. Fitch said he was not surprised by the jurys verdict and expected Cantrell would be found guilty on all counts. She sat quietly, he said, as the verdicts were delivered, her face showing disappointment when the deliberate homicide verdict was read. She sat expressionless after that, said Fitch. After the verdict was read, Cantrell was returned to the Beaverhead County jail in Dillon, where she will await sentencing. Reached by telephone late Friday afternoon, court-appointed defense attorney Christopher C. Petaja said only one word summed up his reaction to the guilty verdicts: Disappointed. Fitch said the case was difficult, adding that Stiles finished off Mr. Mullen, but the initial stabbing by Ms. Cantrell could not be ignored. Mr. Mullen may have had faults, but he did not deserve to die for his conduct. Cantrell testified during the trial before Judge Loren Tucker that Mullen, believed to be in his early 60s, made sexual advances toward her, including grabbing her breast and butt, telling her that he had something in the camper that will make you feel better. Evidence admitted and shown to jurors revealed Mullen had close to 300 pornographic DVDs, sex toys and personal lubricant inside his motor home. Mullen, Cantrell and Stiles met at the Butte Rescue Mission after the couple came to the Mining City in 2013. Mullen lived in his motor home. Stiles and Cantrell lived a transient lifestyle staying at the mission, with friends and at Homeward Bound, a transitional housing program for homeless families, and individuals. Cantrell testified that Mullen had invited the couple to accompany him on a camping trip to Bryant Creek Campground. She recalled the men fished and Stiles hung out in the tent after the first day due to withdrawal symptoms from running out of his medications. Cantrell said Mullen was a Chatty Cathy he talked a lot. Puerto Rican officials, meeting with creditors on Friday, proposed a broad debt exchange program meant to ease the islands painful cash crisis by slowing down the payments it owes on its $72 billion debt. But as much as the plan had a financial purpose, it also had a political one: It was intended at least in part to help persuade skeptical members of Congress that the islands government was working in good faith to resolve its financial crisis and deserved Washingtons help. Puerto Rico, which has already defaulted on some bonds, has large bond payments due this spring payments it says it will not be able to meet without a reprieve from bondholders and some assistance from Washington, ideally in the form of access to bankruptcy court that the island, as a United States commonwealth, does not now have. Congress has been weighing that possibility, along with other forms of assistance, but Republicans, in particular, have been unenthusiastic, fearing that the island has not put itself on a secure financial footing that would help it avoid a similar financial crisis in the future. The plan announced Friday is the islands response to those concerns. In a statement released Friday evening, the group of island officials working on the plan said it had held six meetings with various groups of creditors throughout the day, representing the holders of all of the major tax-supported credits. A British woman who the police said had traveled to Syria to become a jihadi bride was convicted Friday of joining the Islamic State, as the authorities continued to push back against a small but steady stream of women who seek to join in jihad by going to the militants self-declared caliphate. The woman, Tareena Shakil, 26, went to Syria in October 2014 and returned about three months later to the United Kingdom, where she was arrested at Heathrow Airport in London. She was charged with being a member of a terrorist group. The authorities said Ms. Shakil was the first woman in the United Kingdom convicted of joining the Islamic State also known as ISIS, ISIL or Daesh although dozens of British women are suspected of having joined up in Syria and Iraq over the past 12 months. Ms. Shakil told the police that she and her son had been kidnapped while on vacation in Turkey and taken to Syria. In a police video of her questioning, which was released to the news media on Friday, she tells investigators, It was never my intention to enter into Syria. When founder and program director Dale Gausman began NAMC, NAMCs Full Set of Infant/Toddler Montessori Manuals NAMCs Full Set of Early Childhood Montessori Manuals NAMCs Full Set of Lower Elementary Montessori Manuals Our guiding principle of constant improvement sets NAMC Montessori manuals apart. NAMCs Full Set of Upper Elementary Montessori Manuals Today, NAMC is the global leader in Montessori curriculum development and resources. Purchase NAMC Montessori Manuals today! Click the following links to learn more: North American Montessori Center - originally posted in its entirety at Friday, January 29, 2016 . As much as possible, NAMC s web blog reflects the Montessori curriculum as provided in its teacher training programs. We realize and respect that Montessori schools are unique and may vary their schedules and offerings in accordance with the needs of their individual communities. We hope that our readers will find our articles useful and inspiring as a contribution to the global Montessori community. North American Montessori Center - originally posted in its entirety at Montessori Teacher Training on one of his goals was to make Montessori learning an inclusive experience that students could fit into their busy lives. From his own training and from running his local Montessori early childhood program, Dale knew how important well-written, complete Montessori manuals were to a teachers success. But he also understood that his students time was valuable, and he wanted to ensure that they were able to concentrate on learning the Montessori method rather than recording activities. Helping students find balance in their lives became the catalyst for the development of the comprehensive range of NAMC Montessori manuals.What seemed like a bold decision to many at the time was a natural progression to Dale: He decided to provide his students with a full set of published manuals that centered on classic Montessori presentations, giving them the resources they needed to focus on their learning. This innovative idea was quickly welcomed by schools across Canada and the US. Soon enough, NAMCs teacher training and Montessori manuals were being used around the world.Thanks in large part to demand from our Montessori community, NAMC continued to develop Montessori manuals for other programs. Within a year of publishing the 36 NAMC Montessori manuals, schools and teachers were asking for training and Montessori manuals for the infant/toddler age range. Soon after, similar demand encouraged us to publish NAMC Montessori manuals for the lower elementary program, followed by the upper elementary program.We consistently strive to provide our community with the best resources possible. We place a high priority on listening to our students and implementing their suggestions. Like true Montessorians, we reflect on our previous work, consider what we have learned along the way, and determine how we can improve with each new publication.You can see this guiding principle in every aspect of our Montessori manuals. In keeping with the principles of the Montessori environment, NAMC manuals are attractive as well as functional. The feel of the paper, the numerous beautiful full-color images, and the clearly formatted pages all add to the appeal of working with the manuals. But the manuals greatest value lies in the content. NAMC Montessori manuals seamlessly couple authentic Montessori theory and practice with proven contemporary learning in a manner that is clearly written and easy to understand. The activities include step-by-step instructions and full material lists. Photos, charts, and diagrams guide you through topical information and activities. And although the manuals are packed with information, their welcoming tone and clear language makes them enjoyable to read.We offer close to 50 professionally developed, full-color, comprehensive Montessori manuals that are used in over 120 countries. NAMC Montessori manuals offer daily guidance to Montessori teachers, daycare providers, and homeschoolers. They are also essential resources for private schools, public schools, infant rooms, preschools, childcare consortiums, school districts, and colleges. From daycare centers in Texas to school directors in Botswana, NAMC Montessori manuals are valued around the world as lifelong learning resources. This is an education-related blog written by Mrs. Leah Obach @LeahO77. Leah is currently working as the Literacy with ICT Teacher Leader for Park West School Division, working with K-12 students and teachers to help them use technology for teaching and learning. She has taught at the early years, middle years and high school levels. Student work, teacher reflection, resources and samples from classrooms around PWSD are included in this blog. Get new posts by email: Click here to Subscribe After more than four hours of deliberation, jurors on Friday found a 51-year-old transient woman guilty of killing a Butte man at a campground in southwest Montana in 2014. Sandra Lee Ann Cantrell had testified in Dillon district court that she stabbed Mark Robert Mullen after he made another sexual advance toward her while she was cutting watermelon on Aug. 8, 2014, at Bryant Creek Campground near Wise River. In addition to finding Cantrell guilty of felony deliberate homicide, the jury of seven women and five men delivered guilty verdicts for felony assault with a weapon, felony tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, and misdemeanor theft. Beaverhead County prosecutors accused Cantrell of complicity in Mullens murder and fleeing the campsite with her common-law husband Christopher Lee Stiles, then 29, who clubbed Mullen to death with a stick. Stiles pleaded guilty to deliberate homicide in March 2015 and is serving a 100-year sentence with 50 years suspended at the Montana State Prison. Beaverhead County Attorney Jed C. Fitch said in a telephone interview Friday afternoon that he was gratified (the jury) found beyond a reasonable doubt that she had committed these horrendous crimes. Fitch said he was not surprised by the jurys verdict and expected Cantrell would be found guilty on all counts. She sat quietly, he said, as the verdicts were delivered, her face showing disappointment when the deliberate homicide verdict was read. She sat expressionless after that, said Fitch. After the verdict was read, Cantrell was returned to the Beaverhead County jail in Dillon, where she will await sentencing. Reached by telephone late Friday afternoon, court-appointed defense attorney Christopher C. Petaja said only one word summed up his reaction to the guilty verdicts: Disappointed. Fitch said the case was difficult, adding that Stiles finished off Mr. Mullen, but the initial stabbing by Ms. Cantrell could not be ignored. Mr. Mullen may have had faults, but he did not deserve to die for his conduct. Cantrell testified during the trial before Judge Loren Tucker that Mullen, believed to be in his early 60s, made sexual advances toward her, including grabbing her breast and butt, telling her that he had something in the camper that will make you feel better. Evidence admitted and shown to jurors revealed Mullen had close to 300 pornographic DVDs, sex toys and personal lubricant inside his motor home. Mullen, Cantrell and Stiles met at the Butte Rescue Mission after the couple came to the Mining City in 2013. Mullen lived in his motor home. Stiles and Cantrell lived a transient lifestyle staying at the mission, with friends and at Homeward Bound, a transitional housing program for homeless families, and individuals. Cantrell testified that Mullen had invited the couple to accompany him on a camping trip to Bryant Creek Campground. She recalled the men fished and Stiles hung out in the tent after the first day due to withdrawal symptoms from running out of his medications. Cantrell said Mullen was a Chatty Cathy he talked a lot. BUTTE (AP) A transient who pleaded guilty to killing a Butte man at a southwestern Montana campground last August has been sentenced to 50 years in prison. District Judge Loren Tucker of Dillon sentenced Christopher Lee Stiles on Tuesday to 100 years in prison with 50 suspended for the death of Mark Robert Mullen at the Bryant Creek Campground near Wise River. Stiles and Sandra Lee Ann Cantrell were arrested three days later in Missoula. Charging documents allege Mullen was intoxicated and told Stiles and Cantrell that they were no longer welcome at his camp unless they had sex with him. Stiles said Cantrell stabbed Mullen with a knife and Stiles hit him over the head with a stick, killing him. Cantrell faces a July 20 trial for accountability to deliberate homicide. Ron Sarge Rowling is sure of one thing as he wades into his second bid to become Butte-Silver Bows chief executive: His announced opponents so far incumbent Matt Vincent and Commissioner Dave Palmer will carry more campaign cash in their pockets. I will guarantee you they have more money, said Rowling, a longtime county employee who works for the Road Division. That is a guarantee. They will outspend me. But Rowling, a Butte native who has spent most of his life here, says they wont outwork him. He got 445 votes during his first run for chief executive in 2012 and was one of three people who didnt get past the primary. Incumbent Paul Babb got 4,341 votes and Matt Vincent received 3,559, although Vincent narrowly won in November. What I learned from the last time is I need to get out and advertise more, said Rowling, who turned 51 this week. I need to get out and knock on doors. I will walk every street in this town and hand out flyers or put them on doors. I will overachieve and let the voters know I am the right person for the job. BOOSTING MORALE If elected, he pledges, among other things, to meet often with county workers and improve morale, be a spokesman for Buttes economic development efforts, and go after people who neglect their buildings and property. He also believes the county should dedicate more attention and time to the Flat. There is more to Butte than just Uptown, he said. Anything below Mercury Street needs to be thought of more often, not just the Central Business District. Rowling doesnt bring a political resume into the campaign but says he brings a work ethic instilled by his father, Bob Rowling, who became Buttes recreation director in 1967, took on additional park director duties in the early 1980s, and kept those posts until he retired in 2012. Sarge Rowling joined the Air Force in 1986 at age 21, spent more than four years serving his country, then returned to Butte in 1991 and began working as a laborer for the parks department. He says he earned an engineering degree from Montana Tech in 2000 and continued working for the county. Hes helped keep the Civics Center, other government buildings and parks cleaned and maintained; shoveled walks; dug holes; mowed; cut weeds you name it. Hes now with the Roads Division plowing snow, sanding streets and patching pot holes among other duties. SNOW REMOVAL He belongs to a labor union and has given a lot to the county, including he says with laughs work-related injuries to a big toe, a left knee and a wrist. The biggest thing I have given the county is my heart, he said. I enjoy getting up in the morning and going to work. I know who pays my wages. I am one of those taxpayers myself. Rowling knows snow removal is a hot topic this time of year but says he and others in the Public Works Department have the right strategy in making sure primary and secondary streets in Butte-Silver Bow are plowed first and kept clear before turning to side streets. That will get you to a store or the hospital or the police station or a gas station, he said. What voters have to understand is that 80 percent of the people use the primary or secondary roads. Rowling did not have any harsh criticisms of Vincent, the countys top official, but said a lot of higher-ups have been hired in the last four to six years, and rank-and-file employees arent listened to enough. You can see it in the morale of the workforce, he said. Sure, a lot of people are happy, but a lot of people are not happy. If and when Im elected chief executive, every person underneath me in county government will see my face once every two weeks, he said. The chief executive should be the lead in trying to attract more business to Butte, but that is a team effort, he said. Along those lines, dont approach the council with something at the last minute and kind of force their hand, he said. Give them time to review things. TAILINGS REMOVAL Rowling said he favors removal of the Parrot mine tailings but says they should be hauled to a repository near Opportunity instead of being dumped in the Berkeley Pit as the state has proposed. He believes the latter will cause contaminated water in the pit to reach critical levels faster than now projected. He favors an outdoor public pool being built in Butte but says Vincents $8.7 million proposal that includes large slides and a lazy river is too expensive for the 70 days or so it would be used each year. He thinks most voters will agree when its put to a vote in June. I think they will shoot that down in a heartbeat, he said. Vincent says it would cost $7.1 million just to build a basic, no-frills pool, but Rowling believes it could be done for $2 million, in part by using Public Works crews he says could do the work. Give people the pool first and design it so you could add onto it later, he said. Rowling questioned the amount of time Public Works crews spent doing work for the big three summer festivals in Butte last year the Montana Folk Festival, Evel Knievel Days, and An Ri Ra. FESTIVAL QUESTIONS They did a little more work than usual for the Folk Festival and An Ri Ra, he said, but a lot more for EK Days, including hauling big amounts of dirt in and out. We have never, ever spent resources like that, he said. People will tell you we did, and I will tell you we didnt. They (the festivals) had volunteer groups that did a lot of that work. We could be paving roads, we could be milling roads, he said. There are times the county has to learn to say no. Dont be afraid to say no. You are going to upset someone, but you have to learn to say no. Rowling, who has been married to his wife Leslie for eight years, says he will not take time out of his county work days to campaign, nor will he spend a lot of time seeking money contributions. He will probably have a fundraiser if he gets through the primary election on June 7, he said, but not before then. "I will tell the voters out there that I would rather have their vote on Election Day and for them to save their money and spend it on their families ... rather than donate it to my campaign," he said. Bingo slated at Butte Elks Feb. 13 The Butte Xi Iota Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi will host its annual bingo night, Meet for Bingo, Bingo for Meat, at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, at the Butte Elks Lodge, Montana and Galena. Three bingo cards are $5 and allow you to play 12 games. In addition, there will be 50-50 tickets and basket raffles. Proceeds go to Alberts Angel Fund, Camp-Mak-A-Dream and Intermountain Children's Home. Admittance is free, but a canned good for the Butte Emergency Food Bank would be appreciated. Details: Rita Rodoni, 406-723-6873. Mental health discussed at Rotary meeting TWIN BRIDGES The Rotary Club of Twin Bridges will meet at noon Wednesday, Feb. 3, at the Wagon Wheel Cafe in Twin Bridges. Guest speaker is Doris Fischer, a member of the Madison County Mental Health Local Advisory Council. She will give an update on efforts to improve and expand mental health services for Madison County residents, share information, promote a greater understanding of mental health, and dispel myths and stigma associated with these issues. The public is invited and encouraged to attend. Fundraisers benefit Butte America Foundation The Butte America Foundation will host back-to-back fundraisers at two local businesses Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 1 and 2. Monday night's event, "Dirty Radio," takes place from 5 to 8 pm at Muddy Creek Brewery, 2 E. Galena St., where 25 percent of all beverage sales go to the Butte America Foundation. On Tuesday, "Drink It Like You Mean It" is from 5 to 8 pm at Headframe Spirits, 21 S. Montana, and also benefits BAmF, whose mission is to promote social justice through community outreach and education. Headframe Spirits will contribute $1 for every drink sold. BAmF president Amanda Curtis says proceeds from both events will be invested in the foundation's community radio station, KBMF 102.5 FM, Butte America Radio. Dillon reading group meets Feb. 9 DILLON The Dillon Public Librarys Nonfiction Reading Group will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9, in the librarys basement programming room to discuss Ta-Nehisi Coates book Between the World and Me. Copies of the book are available for checkout at the library. Between the World and Me won the 2015 National Book Awards top honor in the nonfiction category. It is appearing on top seller lists across the country and was hailed by Toni Morrison as required reading. The book provides a good basis for conversation regarding the many issues of race which are currently occupying national attention. There are three additional titles lined up for monthly discussions, March through May, and copies of the items are available for checkout. The reading group is free and open to the public. Story time Tuesday at the library Story time at the Butte Public Library, 226 W. Broadway St., starts at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2, in the Children's room. The subject is Reading, and youngsters will listen to stories, sing songs, and do a reading craft. All ages are welcome. For details call Cathy Friel at 406-723-3361. 31 | Sunday SNOFLINGA WINTER FESTIVAL Noon to 2 p.m. Snoflinga 10K Frostbite Run, starts at World Museum of Mining west of Montana Tech. 2 to 4 p.m. Snoflinga 5K Ugly Sweater Fun Run/Walk, starts at Granite Mountain Memorial off North Main Street. 2 to 4 p.m. Snoflinga 3K Ugly Sweater Frosty Dog Jog , Skyline Park. 2 to 4 p.m. Free FatBike Expo, Montana Tech. Schedule of events and times are subject to change. All events are free of charge. This also includes equipment rental. Details: www.snoflinga.com. LEARN TO SKI Free Learn to Ski Day at the Mount Haggin Nordic Ski Area, south of Anaconda. Bring your own equipment. Session includes instruction in both skate and classic (in-track) styles. Starts at 11 a.m.; meet in the parking lot. Enjoy an after-ski warm-up at the new warming hut. BENEFIT CONCERT Soprano Janette Reget will perform at a concert to benefit the Jacob Wheeler Foundation at 2 p.m. at Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 1621 Thornton Ave. William Cook, violinist, and Ruth Rotondi, pianist, will assist. The Jacob Wheeler Foundation was founded in memory of Jacob Wheeler. Jacob tragically died on Jan. 1, 2014, at the age of 15. A free-will offering for the foundation will be taken at the concert. INTERNATIONAL DINNER The Whitehall Rotary Club will host the second annual International Dinner at 4 p.m. at the Whitehall Community Center, 11 N. Division. International foods are prepared by the community with local artists providing music. Proceeds go to non-profits. The cost is $10 for 10 tokens, with each token good for one food serving. Details: 406-980-1256. CHURCH BINGO A bingo fundraiser to benefit St. John the Evangelist Church and St. Joseph Church will be held at 2 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus, 224 W. Park St. Prizes will be given away. The cost is $5 for three cards for 10 regular games and $2 for a card for three special games. A January 18 letter in the Standard from Richard Wesnick of Billings mischaracterizes a Billings Gazette editorial of January 2 regarding Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte. But how would anyone in Butte know unless they happened to read the Gazette? Wesnick wrongly claims that Gazette Editor Darrell Ehrlick proposed Gianforte should respond to questions regarding his religious beliefs. In fact, Ehrlick wanted Gianforte to answer questions about his charitable contributions as they might provide insight into what he believes. Gianforte has already commented publicly on his charitable donations in the mission statement for the Gianforte Family Foundation -- to support the work of Christian organizations engaged in education, poverty, and outreach work. There is a predisposition toward organizations serving people in Montana, and those organizations with which the Gianforte family has personal relationships. Smaller gifts are made to non-Christian organizations that enhance the local community of Bozeman, Montana and other causes of particular interest to the family. This statement is unambiguous. Gianforte realizes his good fortune is the result of talented people willing to assume risk to take advantage of opportunity. And he believes a hand-up should be extended to others less fortunate for capturing their opportunities and, thus, benefiting the common good. Gianforte wants to help Montana communities in areas of poverty, education and the family. Giving to organizations he knows or has a relationship with is simply responsible charity. For example, he has donated to Butte Central Catholic Schools. Meanwhile, do Wesnick and the Gazette really want political candidates to list their charitable donations and explain them? If not, Wesnick and the Gazette should applaud those who do give generously, and many anonymously, for that is the Montana way. But if the Gazettes Ehrlick and letter writer Wesnick want to pursue a full disclosure of charitable donations to see what candidates believe, they should start with Gov. Steve Bullock and all of his donations, especially those to the Catholic Church of which he is a member. I suggest a more poignant discussion, however, would be about money coming in, especially political action committee (PAC) money, instead of a persons own resources going out. Political contributions are much more revealing than charitable gifts. Would the Gazette demand Bullock defend his campaign contributions from pharmaceutical, industrial, and energy companies, as well as other donations, so we might discover what he really believes? -- Cort Freeman, Butte WACO, Texas In the summer of 2003, Pete Lohmer was minding his own business while driving to his Lake Whitney home. But law enforcement officials stopped him at least 10 times, he said, though no law was being broken on his three-day trip from Montana. The authorities just wanted a photo of what Lohmer was driving: a 1956 American LaFrance fire truck that now belongs to the Waco Fire Department. Lohmer recently donated the open-top truck to be used in parades and funerals for firefighters either killed in the line of duty or after they've retired. The Waco Fire Department Honor Guard/Pipes and Drum nonprofit organization is thrilled with the vehicle, which began its history not far from where Lohmer's 2003 adventure began. The city of Dillon, a town of about 4,000 residents in southwest Montana, bought the truck new in 1956 from an American LaFrance dealership in New York. It still has Dillon's name on it along with the No. 3 engine number. Former Dillon Volunteer Fire Chief Roy Cornell remembers the truck well. Cornell spent 32 years with the Dillon Volunteer Fire Department and was fire chief from 1988 until his retirement in 2000. He now drives school buses in Dillon. "I'm surprised it's in Texas now," Cornell, 76, told the Waco Tribune-Herald. "I suppose the weather's better for it." He remembers driving the open-top vehicle around Dillon in temperatures well below zero degrees. "This is better than finding out it's in a junkyard," he said. "I kind of grew up with that truck. That was a new truck when I was a kid in school." Current Dillon Fire Marshal Rick Later said Dillon is known for its fly fishing and hunting, especially during the summer. The fire department, formed in 1905, has a large jurisdiction in southwest Montana, probably "bigger than some states back east," Later said. "It's a pretty neat place," Later said. "We draw a lot of people moving here from other places for retirement purposes." Cornell found documents showing the department sold the truck for $1,500 in 1996 to the Dillon Jaycees, a young men's nonprofit organization that hosts annual events, most notably a rodeo, which is "Montana's Biggest Weekend," according to the website. Mike Ferris, a former member of the Dillon Jaycees, said it wasn't used for the rodeo that year because the group had a better option. He said the truck wasn't around much longer, and he wasn't sure what happened to it next. Enter Pete Lohmer, the former Waco post office employee, Tarrant County deputy sheriff, Fort Worth Independent School District teacher, instructor of deaf children, and Scout leader. He bought the truck on eBay for $3,000 in 2003 from a Montana seller, not an unusual purchase for him. Lohmer, 62, developed his interest in fire trucks through his wife's grandfather, a former Fort Worth fire lieutenant. "He was as much of a grandpa to me as anyone," he said. "I loved him dearly." Well before his 2003 journey, Lohmer paid $1,500 for three antique fire trucks from the Walnut Springs Volunteer Fire Department in 1994. Why did he buy them? "I just wanted to help them out." After buying the American LaFrance in Montana, it was time for the 3,000-mile round trip: Fly to Billings, get the fire truck, drive home. He said a former member of the Dillon Jaycees sold it to him. The truck's purpose between 1996 and 2003 remains a mystery, but the amount of rust might indicate it wasn't covered. "It was a wonderful adventure," Lohmer said. "I'd stop at a Wal-Mart, walk back out, and there would be a crowd of people around it." Stops were frequent on the trip, as the gas-guzzling truck averaged about five miles to the gallon. It was an appropriate addition to Lohmer's other collectibles, which include player pianos and kerosene lamps that he says "look straight out of 'Gone With the Wind.'" When Lohmer finally got home, the spectacle didn't end. "My kids were in college, and they had sleepovers on our property, and they liked riding around with the fire truck," he said. "They fixed it up." But they didn't refurbish it as much as the Waco Fire Department now plans to. The Honor Guard created a GoFundMe page for the truck's improvements. The site accepts online donations, and the goal is set at $25,000. Waco firefighter Larry Denman said the money will fund new paint, brakes and other basic tune-ups. But half of the battle is already won because the engine still works. Denman, Lohmer's neighbor, currently has the truck at his home. "It's a nostalgic truck," Denman said. "It sits low to the ground. Once we remove the water tank, it's a good height for a casket vehicle. It would also be a good parade vehicle because it's not 10 feet tall." For those hip to automotive terminology, the 1956 truck has a 12-volt generator system, downdraft carburetor, and electric fuel pumps. "It fits the era of what most people would think," Denman said. He approached Lohmer about a year ago and asked if he would consider donating it to the Honor Guard, and Lohmer gladly agreed. "I support the fire department," Lohmer said. "They better take care of it. It's going to be a pretty vehicle." John Linda, a Waco Fire Department lieutenant, is especially excited for future parade use, which includes the Baylor University Homecoming Parade, Veterans Day Parade, and Christmas Parade. He said the Dallas and Houston fire departments also have trucks designated for parades and funerals. "The Honor Guard is going to start this. Waco has never had anything like this in modern history," Linda said. "It sort of gets Waco out there because other departments have one. It makes Waco look even better." Waco firefighter Tracy Blackshear is the only bagpiper in the organization and expects the truck to bolster the Honor Guard's reputation. "We try to run like the military does through the top to bottom chain of command," Blackshear said. "The presence of the Honor Guard is important when we post the colors of the American flag. It's one thing to do it and another thing to do it respectfully." Regardless of how the 60-year-old truck is used, Waco's three-year-old Honor Guard now holds responsibility. Lohmer, who returned home after undergoing rehabilitation following back surgery, knows his 2003 adventure served a purpose. "I definitely feel it's important to preserve that," he said. "If they didn't, I would myself. It's the same with so many more people. It's very much a reward in itself." Fabrice Beluze shows one of his works at his Beijing studio.[Photo by Zou Hong/ China Daily] Fabrice Beluze usually begins his day by putting on a black apron. He then sits down with different tools to either repair stringed instruments or make them. The curly-haired French citizen also has an eclectic taste in music ranging from Bach, his favorite composer, to heavy metal. Beluze, 40, is an artisan who lives in Beijing, spending his time keeping the traditions of a luthier alive. He likes to start his work early as mornings are "quiet and peaceful", Beluze tells China Daily at his workshop, which is tucked away in a sunlit corner of a building in downtown Beijing. Musical instruments hang from a wall, and the air inside is heavy with the scent of wood and lacquer. For Beluze, the most enjoyable part of his job is finding the right instrument for the right person. "You sit on a chair, and you feel very comfortable. You don't know why everything is adjusted for you. An instrument is like that. You play it and everything works for you. You just need to focus on playing," he says. Beluze has been purchasing, repairing, modifying and restoring instruments for musicians in France and China for the past 20 years. In 2012, he moved to Beijing from Shenzhen in the country's south and has since worked for many Chinese musicians. A few like renowned cellist Chu Yibing have even become friends. Chu led his cello ensemble to a performance at Beluze's workshop last year. In fact, Beluze is expected to give a lesson on being a luthier at Chu's "super-cello" party in the city for Chu's friends and fans in February, when the cellist celebrates his 50th birthday. "When I met Beluze in his studio, I was very excited because the place has tradition," says Chu, who is considered among the country's finest musicians. Chu started learning the cello at age 8 and went to Europe to pursue his music studies in 1983. He returned to China in 2004 as the head cello teacher for the capital's Central Conservatory of Music after working and living abroad. At a time when stringed instruments are being mass-produced in factories, Beluze is offering something authentic and customized, Chu says. PORTLAND, Ore. Ammon Bundy and his followers made ample use of social media and videos to summon armed recruits to join their takeover of a wildlife refuge and to declare their readiness to stand their ground. Now federal authorities are using the occupiers' own words against them. Court documents against the 11 occupiers under arrest show that FBI agents have carefully scrutinized social media postings, interviews and online talk shows that were broadcast from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge during the standoff that began nearly a month ago. Bundy and several other jailed leaders appeared Friday in federal court in Portland, where a judge denied their release. U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie Beckerman said Bundy, his brother Ryan Bundy, and Ryan Payne pose a danger to the community and she is concerned they would not follow orders to return to Oregon for criminal proceedings. Beckerman said she would release them only if the standoff ends. Four holdouts continued to occupy the refuge in the snowy high country near Burns, and they posted a YouTube video Friday demanding pardons for everyone involved in the occupation. A speaker believed to be David Fry said he asked the FBI whether it was possible to "get out of here without charges," but "they keep saying that's not possible." Ammon Bundy's lawyer Lissa Casey said her client is not aligned with those remaining at the refuge and wants to go back to his family in Idaho. "He is done in Harney County; his message has been sent," she said. Casey said Bundy didn't recognize Fry's name and that he was not a core member of the group. Hearings continued for others who were apprehended, and the Bundys will be back in court next week. Bundy and his followers took over the refuge Jan. 2 to demand that the federal government turn public lands over to local control. They have complained about what they say are onerous federal rules governing grazing and mining rights across the West. Court documents detail some of the evidence against the occupiers, including a memorandum filed by prosecutors Friday arguing against releasing defendants before trial. "As the armed group's unrepentant leader, he (Ammon Bundy) has consistently and publicly expressed support for an armed occupation that has endangered, and continues to endanger, many people," the document states. A criminal complaint filed earlier this week makes reference to an online video that showed Bundy saying the group planned to stay for several years. He called on people to "come out here and stand," adding, "We need you to bring your arms." A video posted Jan. 4 showed another defendant, Jon Ritzheimer, saying he was "100 percent willing to lay my life down." In a video posted a day later, Ritzheimer talked about Robert "LaVoy" Finicum and other occupiers taking up a "defensive posture" at the refuge against a feared FBI raid. "Right now underneath the tarp right there LaVoy Finicum is sitting underneath the tarp, and he's not going to let them come through," Ritzheimer said in the video. That raid never came. Finicum was killed Tuesday night in a confrontation with the FBI and Oregon State Police on a remote road. Bundy and four others were arrested during the encounter, and more followers were taken into custody by the next day. At one point, a couple dozen ranchers and other protesters were holed up at the refuge, but they began clearing out after the arrests and killing. The FBI on Thursday released a video showing Finicum's death to counter claims he did nothing to provoke his killing. In the aerial video, Finicum is pulled over in his white truck but then takes off in the vehicle and plows into a snowbank because of a roadblock. He gets out of his truck and has his hands up at first then reaches toward his jacket pocket at least twice. He is shot and falls to the snow. The FBI said a loaded handgun was found in the pocket. An undisclosed number of state troopers involved in the shooting have been placed on leave pending an investigation, which is standard procedure. The charges against the defendants say the refuge's 16 employees have been prevented from reporting to work because of threats of violence. Ammon Bundy is the son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who was involved in a tense 2014 standoff with the government over grazing rights. The younger Bundy's lawyer said he "is not an anarchist; he believes in government." Judge Beckerman said at the Friday hearing: "I'm not worried about him leaving the country; I'm worried about him occupying another government building." ORIGINAL NOTICE IN RE THE CUSTODY OF V.B., JOHNATHAN ROSENKILD, Petitioner, and Concerning KELSEY BEASON, Respondent. TO THE ABOVE-NAMED RESPONDENT: You are notified that a Petition to Establish Paternity, Custody and other issues of the minor child. V.B., born in 2015, was filed in the office of the Clerk of this Court on August 10, 2015, naming yoti as Respondent in this action. The attorney for the Petitioner is Esther J. Dean, whose address is 1102 Park Avenue, Muscatine, Iowa 52761. That attorney's telephone number is (563) 264-5523 and the facsimile number is (563) 264-8406. The attorney's e-mail address is deanIaw@machlink.com. You are notified that there will be a hearing on the application for temporary issues before the lowa District Court for Muscatine County, at the Courthouse in Muscatine, Iowa, at 8:30 a.m. on the 3rd day of March, 2016. You must serve a motion or answer within 20 days after service of this original notice upon you, and within a reasonable time thereafter, file your motion or answer with the Clerk of Court for Muscatine, at the County Courthouse, Muscatine, Iowa. If you do not, judgment by default may be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the petition. This case has been filed in a county that uses electronic filing. If you are going to represent yourself, you must register to eFile through the Iowa Judicial Branch website at https://www.iowacourts.state.is.us/Efile and obtain a log in and password for filing and viewing documents in your case and for receiving service and notices from the court. For further information on electronic filing, refer to the Iowa Courts Rules Chapter 16, Pertaining to the Use of the Electronic Document Management System, available on the Iowa Judicial Branch website. If you are unable to proceed electronically, you must receive permission from the court to file in paper. Contact the Clerk of Court in the county where the petition was filed for more information on being excused from- electronic filing. I f you electronically file your Answer or Motion, it will be served automatically on the Petitioner or on the Petitioner's Attorney(s). A Notice of Electronic Filing (NEF), will tell you if the Court has excused Petitioner from electronic filing. If the Court has excused Petitioner from electronic filing, you must mail a copy of your Answer or Motion to the Petitioner. If you need assistance to participate in court due to a disability, contact the disability coordinator at 563-263-6511. Persons who are hearing or speech impaired may call Relay Iowa TTY(I-800-735-2942.). Disability coordinator cannot provide legal advice. IMPORTANT NOTICE TO RESPONDENT: YOU ARE ADVISED TO SEEK LEGAL ADVICE AT ONCE TO PROTECT YOUR INTERESTS. STATE OF IOWA JUDICIARY Case No. DRCV023317 County Muscatine Case Title JOHNATHAN ROSENKILD V. KELSEY BEASON THIS CASE HAS BEEN FILED IN A COUNTY THAT USES ELECTRONIC FILING. Therefore, unless the attached Petition and Original Notice contains a hearing date for your appearance, or unless you obtain an exemption from the court, you must file your Appearance and Answer electronically. You must register through the Iowa Judicial Branch website at http://www.iowacourts.state.ia.us/Efile and obtain a log in and password for the purposes of filing and viewing documents on your case and of receiving service and notices from the court. FOR GENERAL RULES AND INFORMATION ON ELECTRONIC FILING, REFER TO THE IOWA COURT RULES CHAPTER 16 PERTAINING TO THE USE OF THE ELECTRONIC DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: http://www.iowacourts.state.ia.us/Efile FOR COURT RULES ON PROTECTION OF PERSONAL PRIVACY IN COURT FILINGS, REFER TO DIVISION VI OF IOWA COURT RULES CHAPTER 16: http:/twww.iowacourts.state.ia.us/Efile Scheduled Hearing: If you require the assistance of auxiliary aids or services to participate in court because of a disability, immediately call your district ADA coordinator at (563) 328-4145. (If you are hearing impaired, call Relay Iowa TTY at 1-800-735-2942.) Date Issued 0 1 /26/2016 08:03:28 AM District Clerk of Muscatine County /s/ Traci Harper MUSCATINE, Iowa She always makes something good happen. That was President Bill Clinton's message about his wife and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at a Friday afternoon rally at Jefferson Elementary School in Muscatine. With a raspy voice from long days and nights on the campaign trail, Clinton recalled meeting his future wife 45 years ago in March. He said she was an impressive figure in her own right even back then. She was the first student commencement speaker at Wellesley College in 1969. She led a movement to unseat the proposed speaker, Massachusetts Sen. Edward Brooke, a moderate Republican and supporter of the Vietnam War. Rodham Clinton argued for a student speaker saying the war had divided the nation. She went on to earn her degree from Yale Law School in 1973. "Women were a minority in law school. She could have gone anywhere," Clinton said. After a stint as a congressional legal counsel, she moved to Arkansas, marrying Bill Clinton in 1975. Rodham Clinton co-founded Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families in and was named the first female chairperson of the Legal Services While First Lady of Arkansas, she led a task force that reformed Arkansas' public school system. "She always makes something good happen," Clinton said. Clinton took time to draw comparisons between his wife and her opponent in the Democratic race, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Sanders supports free college for all and a single-payer health care system. Hillary Clinton supports reforming repayment of college loans to make them more affordable. On health insurance, she doesn't think such a big change is possible or advisable. "It's fine to say we ought to have a single-payer system. And maybe if we were starting all over again we would. We've been working on this for 60 years. We didn't get Medicare and Medicaid until 1965. The Affordable Care Act passed with 60 votes, not a single vote to spare," he said. "Who is the best change maker? Who understands the economy, social problems, political reform and who can keep the country safe and protect the Constitution? I don't think its really a very close question." He urged the crowd of some 350 people to come out and caucus for Hillary on Monday night. "She never does anything in the 45 years that I've know her that she didn't make better and that's why she ought to be president," he said, then the room erupted in applause. Members participated in the 2016 International Leadership Seminar for State Officers, as an annual, international opportunity through the National FFA Organization for past and present state FFA officers. The experience allows FFA members to experience foreign culture, learn about international agriculture and become more knowledgeable of the global marketplace. The past and present state FFA officers, representing 23 states, left the U.S. on Jan. 4. The group traveled throughout five of the country's nine provinces while surveying the agricultural landscape. FFA officers met with government and U.S. Embassy officials to learn about U.S.- South African trade relations, toured crop and livestock operations, met with business and industry leaders and explored a private game reserve, which is home to lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and buffalo. The group also met with fruit exporters and olive oil producers and much more. WAPELLO, Iowa Four more departmental fiscal year 2017 budget proposals were reviewed by the Louisa County Board of Supervisors on Friday, including the mental health/general assistance, conservation board, safety and sheriff/jail budget proposals. Community Services Director Pat Colthurst and General Assistance Director-Designee Cyndi Mears told the board the countys proposed $24,095 general assistance budget would be similar to current spending of $25,383. However, the two reminded the board the $390,635 mental health proposal, which compared to the FY16 re-estimated spending of $651,691, would be tied to the countys participation in the Southeast Iowa LINK (SEIL) regional consortium program. As a SEIL member, Louisa County has been able to maintain a mental health fund balance of almost $1.2 million, but Colthurst cautioned against using too much for the FY17 program. She said if the entire FY17 mental health budget was funded through the balance, eventually the balance would be depleted and the county would need to significantly raise taxes to cover future budgets. Supervisor Chris Ball suggested taking half of the proposed FY17 spending from the balance and raise the other half from local property tax revenue and the rest of the board agreed. Louisa County Conservation Board (LCCB) Executive Director Katie Hammond and board members Sherry Humphrey and Scott Heater met with the board next and presented the LCCB proposal. The LCCB budget contained three separate budgets, including the general budget, REAP and Conservation Reserve Fund (CRF). Hammond initially presented a $435,183 general budget, which compared with re-estimated FY16 spending of $422,150. Hammond indicated there was an increase in wages, health and other benefits because of recent personnel turn-overs. Supervisor chair Paula Buckman asked if the 3.1 percent increase could be reduced to around 2.5 percent. Eventually, officials agreed a $9,000 worker compensation insurance line item could be cut to $6,000 because of the LCCBs low accident rate. The LCCBs FY17 REAP spending of $10,600 and $16,500 CRF budgets are both down from the FY16 spending of $17,507 for REAP and $31,000 CRF budget. Hammond said no large projects or equipment purchases were being planned for next year. Safety coordinator Staci Griffin also presented her proposed FY17 spending plan of $2,599 to the supervisors. The re-estimated FY16 budget called for $2,560 in spending. She said the only change was to cover a slightly higher salary based on a 2.5 per cent salary hike. The supervisors have not taken any formal action on salaries, but most of the department heads have been using the same increase in their proposals. Louisa County Sheriff Brad Turner was the last to present his spending plan, but it included a proposed expenditure that local officials have been discussing for almost two years - a drug taskforce (DTF) officer. An effort to establish the position last year collapsed after the city of Wapello declined to include funding in its budget and other community leaders suggested the funding belonged in the countys budget. Even with the addition of the DTF officers salary and benefits, Turner reported his FY17 budget request of $1,735,671 would only be slightly higher than the re-estimated spending in FY16 of $1,733,008. However, he said a large portion of that decrease came because a one-time $102,000 anonymous donation had been made in FY16. There were however some anticipated savings in salaries, fuel and other sources, Turner explained. The county jail budget showed an increase from $864,543 to $874,105. The supervisors are expected to continue with budget reviews next week. Muscatines relationship with China has been a great journey of adventure, discovery and friendship. That thread of history runs through our leaders to our people. The United States established full diplomatic relations with the Peoples Republic of China in 1979. Then Iowa Gov. Robert Ray traveled to China in 1979 and met the governor of Guangdong Province, Xi Zhongxun, father of Xi Jinping. In 1980, Xi Zhongxun led a delegation of China governors to the United States that included a stop in Iowa where he was hosted by Gov. Ray. In 1983, Iowa Gov. Terry E. Branstad and Hebei Gov. Zhang Shuguang established a formal State of Iowa Hebei Province Sister State relationship. In 1984, Muscatine Joni Axel and I joined former Gov. Robert Ray on a three week International Friendship Force trip to China to experience Chinas opening to the world. In 1984, Branstad established the Iowa Sister State Friendship Committee (ISSFC) with former Gov. Ray as president to manage and grow Iowas Sister State relationships. I served on the ISSFC Board and later as the Executive Director. In 1985, one of the first delegations from Hebei Province to Iowa was an agricultural delegation led by Xi Jinping. I learned a Chinese delegation was coming to Iowa. I was eager for them to come to Muscatine. Muscatine industries and friends gave a warm welcome with potluck meals, home stays, industry visits and a Kent Feed Boat ride on the Mississippi River. Over the years, many exchanges continued between Hebei Province and the state of Iowa introducing American and Chinese culture to each others citizens, building trust, understanding, respect and friendships. In 2011, Branstad met with Vice President Xi Jinping in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing and invited him to visit Iowa. He said he would like to see his old friends (people he met in 1985). Branstad called me Jan. 8, 2012, and said Vice President Xi was coming to Iowa and inquired if the Landes would host a gathering in Muscatine. On Feb. 15, 2012, a blazing fire awaited a reunion of Xi Jinping with old friends in the Lande home. Old friends, Branstad and Xi Jinping shared memories of the 1985 visit to Muscatine. Xi Jinping stated, Coming here is really like coming back home. You cannot even imagine the deep impression I had from my visit 27 years ago, because you were the first Americans I came in contact with. My impression of America came from you. For me, you are America. He invited us to be his guests in China. We traveled to China in April 2012. Xi Jinping expressed the importance of exchanges in all areas: education, sports, government, business, arts, culture and especially people to people exchanges. Our countries need to know and understand each other to build trust and respect. Xi Jinping related in the next 10 years if our countries can collaborate in mutually beneficial ways and there will be a much greater opportunity for peace and prosperity in the world community. Upon the "Old Friends" return, the Mayors Muscatine China Initiatives Committee (MMCI) was formed to implement projects and goals focusing on friendship, education, business and trade. Later in 2012, Ye Changqing, executive vice president of the Hebei Peoples Association of Friendship with Foreign Countries (HPAFFC), suggested Muscatine explore a sister city with Zhengding County, the county where Xi Jinping served as Party Chief when he visited Muscatine in 1985. In November 2012, Mayor DeWayne Hopkins led the delegation of Tony Joseph, president of the Mayors Muscatine China Initiative; Deb Hutton, president of Muscatine Sister Cities; Sarah Lande, "Old Friend" of Xi Jinping; and Albert Liu, vice president of Asian sales for MUSCO; to China to explore a sister city relationship with Zhengding County and Muscatine. The Delegation visited US Embassy in Beijing and met with Gary Locke, U.S. Ambassador to China. Our friendship with China is rich with opportunities for the future. Please join in the People to People fun and friendship with China and our sister city in Zhengding County, Hebei Province China. MUSCATINE, Iowa In most cases, Bernie Sanders is not the stereotypical politician. But he went for a cliche moment upon his arrival at his campaign field office in Muscatine. A crowd of more than 100 people packed shoulder to shoulder let out a collective ahhh as Sanders, the senator from Vermont seeking the Democratic nomination for president, stopped to fawn over a baby as he reached the center of the narrow building at 106 E. Second St. Sanders thanked the supporters, with most in attendance there for a volunteer kickoff, and utilized the interaction with the child as a catalyst to talk about his goals if elected president. What this campaign is about Sanders said as he paused to find out the gender of the child he greeted upon his arrival, is the kind of world that little boy, my seven grandchildren and all of your kids and kids all over this country will be living in. He detailed his main platform: Guaranteed health care as a right; Tuition-free public colleges and universities; A tax system that demands wealthy and large corporations pay their fair share; Get rid of corrupt campaign finance system that allows billionaires to buy elections; Lead the world in transforming energy system so that the planet that this little guy grows up in is a healthy and habitable planet; Raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour and have equal pay for women workers. We are being criticized in this campaign because our ideas are just so unimaginable just so radical, you know? Sanders said. Imagine living in a country where somebody can work 40 hours a week and not live in poverty. Man, how radical can you be? Its those ideals that captured the attention of some volunteers. Michael Lanfier, 29, of Muscatine, is volunteering for a political candidate for the first time. Lanfier said its important to him for his 3-year-old daughter to have a shot at equal pay. I feel like he really cares about the people, not just about the system, said Lanfier, sporting a white T-shirt supporting Sanders. Taylor Aguirre, 21, of Muscatine, is also volunteering for a political candidate for the first time. She echoed Lanfiers sentiments about Sanders passion and integrity. He is genuinely for the people, his record shows that, his entire political career shows that she said. He sees that the average person isnt getting a fair shake, he wants to fight for us. Sanders said the Iowa Caucus has the potential to be a historic moment. This is, as everybody here knows, I think, a pivotal moment in the history of our country, Sanders said. And on Monday night not only will the eyes of America be on the state of Iowa, much of the world will actually be looking at Iowa. Its not just whether its Hillary Clinton or Martin OMalley or Bernie Sanders, the real issue is whether or not Iowa will lead this country into a political revolution which transforms our economic and political life. He said the most radical idea confounding the establishment is that people are standing up and demanding a government that represents us. Sanders added that the more that caucus, the more likely he would win. If we win here, we are off and running, Sanders said near the closing of his eight-minute speech before hopping back on his bus in downtown Muscatine to talk to more volunteers across the state. MUSCATINE, Iowa The VFW Auxiliary met at the Post Home on Jan. 12, 2016, with president Mary Brewer presiding. Essay Chair Teresa Chatfield reported the names of winners of the essay contest. Students from St.Marys/Mathias wrote about I Love America Because... Third grade winners were Cate Lear, first place; Luna Haskins, second place; and Anna Storr, third place. Franklin fourth grade wrote about What Does the Flag Mean to Me. First place went to LaDeja Warren. The fifth-grade winner was Abby Van Blarcom. A trivia night is being planned for March and it will be held at the Post Home. Date and time will be announced later. A donation was given to the Jubilee Center, 413 E. Second St., in Muscatine. The center is open to all children after school. The next meeting will be Tuesday, Feb. 9, at the Post Home. "A lie can get halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes." That nugget of wisdom dates from the 1800s, i.e., decades before anyone ever heard of the Internet much less Fox "News." If a lie traveled that fast in the 19th century, you can only imagine its speed in the 21st, when media and the World Wide Web have given it wings. Indeed, in 2016, the lie is so broadly and brazenly told as to cower truth itself and to render impotent and faintly ridiculous the little voice insisting, against all evidence, that facts matter. It seems increasingly obvious that to many of us, they simply don't. Not anymore. We find ourselves embarked upon a post-empirical era in which the very idea that facts are knowable and concrete has become quaint. These days, facts are whatever the politics of the moment needs them to be. We've seen this over and over in recent years. We've seen it in the controversy over Barack Obama's birthplace, in the accusations that Sept. 11 was an inside job, in the charge that weapons of mass destruction were in fact discovered in Iraq, and in the claims that there is no scientific consensus about global warming. Lunatic assertions that fly in the face of the known are now the norm in American political discourse. So last week's news out of Houston came as a welcome jolt. It seems Planned Parenthood was exonerated by a grand jury after an investigation into spurious charges the reproductive healthcare provider was selling baby parts for profit. Simultaneously, two so-called "citizen journalists" who orchestrated the hoax David Daleiden, 27, and Sandra Merritt, 62 were indicted. It was a moment of sweet vindication for Planned Parenthood, following months of vilification and investigation. This all sprang from a series of videos secretly recorded by Daleiden's anti-abortion group, "The Center For Medical Progress" during conversations with officials of various Planned Parenthood affiliates. Released last year, the videos purported to show the officials negotiating the sale of fetal tissue with people they believed to be medical researchers. As Planned Parenthood first protested, an investigation by FactCheck.org later indicated, and a grand jury now affirms, the videos were deceptively edited. Tissue from aborted fetuses has been used in biomedical research since the 1930s to study everything from polio to Parkinson's, and while the law prohibits its sale, the patient is allowed to donate it, and Planned Parenthood is allowed to recoup reasonable costs for preparation and transportation to supply it to scientists. This is what the Planned Parenthood representatives were talking about. This is what the videos were edited to hide. One is reminded of how, back in 2010, another activist used another deceptively-edited video to suggest that a speech by a black federal employee named Shirley Sherrod was proof of anti-white hatred. It turned out Sherrod's speech actually made precisely the opposite point; she spoke of the need to overcome such hatred. That video, like these, suggests that what we're dealing with here is not "citizen journalists" whatever that idiotic term even means but activist zealots out to advance their agenda and embarrass their opponents by any means necessary, without regard to simple decency or plain old truth. Increasingly, that is the way of things. So it's welcome news that the two CPM hoaxers find themselves facing felony charges for allegedly using falsified driver's licenses to identify themselves to Planned Parenthood. We are told that that constitutes fraud. In other words, Daleiden and Merritt were ensnared by the trap they set. Justice seldom gets more poetic. Yes, lies have always moved faster than truth. But it feels good to see truth pull even every now and then. Leonard Pitts is a columnist for The Miami Herald, readers may email him at lpitts@miamiherald.com. 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 [] The ANC Youth League (ANCYL) said it plans to picket and protest outside of the Idols auditions in Durban on Saturday. Thembinkosi Josopu of the ANC Youth Leagues national executive committee told ANN7 on Friday night that Gareth Cliff is a racist. A racist of the highest extremes and anti-black. We will picket outside at the Idols auditions in Durban. We are going to protest, he said. This comes after judge Caroline Nicholls ruled in the South Gauteng High Court on Friday that M-Net should reinstate Cliff as a judge on the reality singing competition. M-Net issued a terse statement hours after the court verdict, finally confirming that they will reinstate Gareth Cliff as a judge on season 12 of Idols. None of the judges will be present at the auditions in Durban as they only participate in the next round in which golden tickets are handed out for theatre week. Cliff intends to hold a press conference on Saturday at the CliffCentral headquarters in Johannesburg. Rival new reality singing show The Voice South Africa starts Sunday at 17:30 on the M-Net (DStv 101) with Idols thats been moved to the Mzansi Magic. Earlier this week M-Net told TV critics that The Voice SA is our new premium local production. TheJuice More on Idols Thrilled Gareth Cliff to respond to court judgment M-Net wanted Gareth Cliff to shock and provoke SA: High Court Judge In what has been described as a public disgrace, a 36-year old single woman, Jane Okeke has been stripped Unclad and arrested after she wa... Advertise Here Be seen advertise here. Contact us. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder on Friday signed into law $28 million more in emergency funding to address Flints lead-contaminated water. Its the second round of state aid for the city since the crisis was confirmed in the fall, bringing the total allocated to nearly $39 million. The Republican governor said the funding will provide immediate resources in Flint, but is not the end of state assistance. Improperly treated water leached lead from pipes into drinking water after Flint switched from Detroits water system to the Flint River in 2014 to save money while under state financial management. The switch was supposed to be an interim move until the completion of a new pipeline from Lake Huron. Flint has reconnected to Detroits system for now. Its time to stand up and recognize that things could have been done differently, Snyder said before signing the legislation at the annual meeting of the Michigan Press Association in Grand Rapids. Mistakes were made. ... Were going to solve them. Snyder has accepted responsibility for the emergency while also blaming state and federal environmental regulators, some of whom have resigned or have been suspended. But he remains the target of criticism, including longshot efforts to recall him from office. In pledging again to fix the problem, he said, how do you learn from things that didnt go right to be even stronger and better for the long term? After the switch to using the Flint River, state regulators failed to ensure the new water was properly treated and lead from pipes leached into the water supply. Some childrens blood has tested positive for lead, which has been linked to learning disabilities, lower IQ and behavioral problems. The state funding is intended to pay for bottled water, faucet filters, testing kits, additional school nurses, medical treatment and to help the city with unpaid water bills. There also is money to hire outside experts to assess whether Flints water system infrastructure must be replaced or repaired. On Thursday, U.S. Senate Democrats proposed up to $400 million in emergency federal aid for Flint contingent on the state matching the funds dollar for dollar. An assessment cited in Michigans request for a federal disaster declaration estimated the potential cost of fixing the damage to Flints water distribution infrastructure at $713 million. Snyder and the Republicans who control the state Legislature have said its too early to talk about wholesale replacement of the pipes. Also Friday, Snyder said he was not aware that the state had been offering bottled water for employees at a state office building in Flint last year while telling other residents that the citys tap water was safe to drink. The agency that manages state buildings said Thursday water coolers were introduced at the building after Flint flunked some drinking water standards not related to lead. Snyder told WWJ-AM that he had no knowledge of that taking place. SACRAMENTO All single-person bathrooms in California would become gender-neutral under legislation proposed in the state Legislature. Democratic Assemblyman Phil Ting of San Francisco said Friday that his bill would make bathroom access more convenient and fair. He says AB1732 would help transgender people, parents with children of different genders and adults caring for aging parents. The bill would not affect restrooms that have multiple stalls. Robert Thomasson of the advocacy group SaveCalifornia.com says the bill is "pushing an agenda in the face of everyone else." His group opposes Ting's proposal. Similar bills were introduced last year in Vermont and New York, but neither has advanced beyond a committee. Ting's office says the cities of Oakland, Denver, Boston and Philadelphia have adopted similar rules. PORTLAND, Ore. Ammon Bundy and his followers made ample use of social media and videos to summon armed recruits to join their takeover of a wildlife refuge and to declare their readiness to stand their ground. Now federal authorities are using the occupiers own words against them. Two criminal complaints unsealed this week against the 11 protesters under arrest show that FBI agents have carefully scrutinized social media postings, interviews and online talk shows that were broadcast from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge during the siege that began Jan. 2. As four holdouts continued to occupy the refuge in the snowy high country near Burns, Bundy and several other jailed leaders were due to appear in federal court in Portland on Friday to answer charges they used force or intimidation to prevent government employees from carrying out their duties. A federal judge said Thursday she will not release any defendants while the occupation continues. Bundy, through his attorney, has repeatedly called on the holdouts to leave peacefully. The ranchers and other protesters took over the refuge to demand that the federal government turn public lands over to local control. They have complained about what they say are onerous federal rules governing grazing and mining rights across the West. The criminal complaints detail some of the evidence against the occupiers. A day after the takeover began, for example, a video posted on a website showed Bundy saying the group planned to stay for several years. He called on people to come out here and stand, adding: We need you to bring your arms. A video posted Jan. 4 showed another defendant, Jon Ritzheimer, saying he was 100 percent willing to lay my life down. In a video posted a day later, Ritzheimer talked about Robert LaVoy Finicum and other occupiers taking up a defensive posture at the refuge against a feared FBI raid. Right now underneath the tarp right there LaVoy Finicum is sitting underneath the tarp, and hes not going to let them come through, Ritzheimer said in the video. That raid never came. Finicum was killed Tuesday night in a confrontation with the FBI and Oregon State Police on a remote road. Bundy and four others were arrested during the encounter, and more followers were taken into custody by the next day. At one point, there were a couple of dozen ranchers and other protesters holed up at the refuge, but they began clearing out after the arrests and the killing. The last four holdouts have demanded assurances they will not be arrested. The FBI on Thursday released a video showing Finicums death, to counter claims he did nothing to provoke his killing. In the aerial video, Finicum is pulled over in his white truck but then takes off in the vehicle and plows into a snowbank because of a roadblock. He gets out of his truck and has his hands up at first, then reaches toward his jacket pocket at least twice. He is shot and falls to the snow. The FBI said a loaded handgun was found in the pocket. An undisclosed number of state troopers involved in the shooting were been placed on leave pending an investigation, which is standard procedure. The charges against the defendants say the refuges 16 employees have been prevented from reporting to work because of threats of violence. Bundy is the son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who was involved in a tense 2014 standoff with the government over grazing rights. The group came to the desert of eastern Oregon in the dead of winter to decry what it calls onerous federal land restrictions and to object to the prison sentences of two local ranchers convicted of setting fires. In the 1930s, a restaurant and bar called Johnnys opened in the Mount View Hotel in Calistoga. Fifty years later, it closed its doors, but it will soon come to life again. Things just sort of fell into place, and Im very happy to be reopening and re-energizing a piece of Calistogas history, said Michael Dunsford, co-owner of the Calistoga Inn and the new co-owner of Johnnys bar and restaurant. The new eating and drinking establishment will be located in what used to be the Barolo Bar and Grill and JoLe, the two restaurants that recently closed in the Mount View Hotel. It was a surprise to many that the popular restaurants that had been operating in the space for nearly 10 years closed their doors. However, as the Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, Everything changes and nothing stands still. The new restaurants will be loosely modeled after the one originally created by Johnny Ghisolfo. Johnny built the hotel in 1919 and opened the restaurant in the 30s, said Dunsford, who is also the vice mayor. He also served as mayor and was on the City Council. Ive heard that he was even called Mr. Calistoga because of his commitment to this place. When I talked to Michael Woods owner of the Mount View Hotel about our concept to revive Johnnys, he really, really liked it, saying that it would provide his guests and the town with more amenities and services, so we worked out a lease. We expect to open in late March. Dunsfords vision includes creating a two-sided restaurant, a bar with pub-style food on one side and what he calls a California-style restaurant on the other. Were really excited about Dunsfords vision on this new project, said Woods. Its great that he wants to bring back a little of our history to the downtown, and its clear from what theyve done down at the Calistoga Inn that they know how to create an atmosphere thats comfortable and has high standards. The new Johnnys will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Well serve an excellent breakfast and lunch on the bar side, where well also have about five televisions so that people can just come in and watch a game and relax, Dunsford said. On the other side where JoLe used to be well be serving dinner. Nicolas Montanez, Calistoga Inns executive chef and Dunsfords partner in the project, will oversee the food side of the venture. Well have a chef du cuisine at Johnnys and Nicolas will still be the exec at the inn, but hell come up with the menu and direction, Dunsford said. Like California itself, the cuisine will represent a variety of influences. On the bar side well be serving things like sliders, fish tacos and wings, which will go well with the beer that we plan to make on-site, said Dunsford. On the restaurant side, well be serving a mix of old and new that will change from season to season. In the winter we might have stews and roasts, whereas in the hot summer months well feature our excellent local produce, focusing more on light and fresh. Because Calistoga and the valley have been created by so many ethnicities, we want to showcase that by including classic dishes from a bunch of different cultures, including German, Italian and Asian. According to Dunsford, Johnnys is intended to be a place where locals love to go and tourists can get a window into Calistoga, its history and people. Whichever side of Johnnys our guests walk into the bar or the restaurant we want them to feel comfortable, well taken care of and able to relax, Dunsford said. Johnnys will be down to earth, genuine and not pretentious. It will be a place where people can be themselves and hang out with friends. As I learn more about the original Johnnys, it inspires me, said Dunsford. Well be resurrecting Johnnys and with it, a little bit of the best of Calistoga. Hello, everyone. Lets start today with the words of the old Johnny Mercer song, youve got to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, latch on to the affirmative, dont mess with Mr. In-Between. Youve got to be your own Best Friend. When things look bleak, pull away and access your life in general. Look for the positives, thats where the joy is. Focus on the joy. Put on some of your favorite music, and sing along, dance to the music. This is our only trip through this life, and it can be glorious or it can suck. You are in control of that, no one else. If you think someone else can rule your life, you are wrong. Move away, take control, do the things that bring you joy. My friend Joanne Koenig, fellow member of Napa County Alliance for Senior Education, sent me some information to share with you, my friends. Its by way of Christiane Northrup, M.D. Dr. Northrup begins by saying: Something amazing happens as we grow older. We gain more confidence, have less trouble in saying no and we gain the ability to tap into an endless well of creativity and pleasure, virtually unknown during our younger years. You dont have to buy into societys false concepts that as you get older you will inevitably suffer from failing health. Growing older and aging are not synonymous. You can live vibrantly and radiantly no matter what your chronological age is. Getting older is inevitable, aging is optional. I love this, dont you? She also talks about our Life Force, and the healthy 100-year-old folks shes spoken with, and one of the things that they all agree on is that they hate being with old people, people with old beliefs, who talk constantly about their illnesses and their visits with their doctors. These happy 100-year-olds have chosen instead to realize that their emotions and their well-beings are under their control, and that they chose healthy, exalted emotions. By living life with joy and happiness, we are actually changing our hormones. Dr. Northrup suggests the following to get us started: Sleep well, eight to 10 hours, whatever you need to be fully rested. Rest when tired during the day. Do some simple, daily exercises, begin small and build up to as many as youd like. Practice rising from your chair, without using your hands, and then sitting back down in chair. Do this several times a day. Practice standing on one foot and balancing as long as you can. Then do the same on the other foot. Start small and build on this exercise until, eventually, you can do it with your eyes closed. These two exercises will help our balance and help prevent our falling. Well be moving in a much more surefooted way. And, finally, get out and walk. Enjoy the outdoors, breathe in that fresh air. Do this whenever the mood strikes. Its extremely beneficial. Wouldnt you rather feel radiant with much vitality than tired and depressed? I hope that you will see the value in Dr. Christiane Northrups excellent suggestions. Ive already started, and the balancing on one foot at a time is getting easier already. Remember, you are the player in your life. Have fun with it and run with it, or remain depressed and unhappy. Totally your call. If you are a regular reader of Senior Corner, youll know how we roll. Life is a blast, dont cheat yourself. Join the rest of us and opt for a rich and glorious life. You can do it! I know that you can. Make sure that your life has a purpose, that you have wonderful goals, hopefully helping others, which is such great soul food. My money is on you. You can do this. Remember: Live, vibrantly and radiantly. Goodbye until this time next week. Love hearing from you. Please write, bettyrrhodes@sbcglobal.net. AMERICAN CANYON The American Canyon Chamber of Commerce is preparing to launch a Buy American Canyon campaign to help boost businesses and broaden awareness among local residents of whats available in town to purchase. Being a bedroom community with thousands of residents who commute out for work each day, American Canyon has suffered from a disconnect between those who live in town and those operating businesses. This disconnect has resulted in many residents being unaware of what there is locally in terms of shopping opportunities for good and services. This situation, in turn, has frustrated many business owners who have struggled to build a stronger customer base. Theres been a longstanding issue of how do we get more attention and business for local companies and businesses, said James Cooper, the chambers president and CEO. Theres a lack of awareness on the part of many residents about what is here. Cooper said part of the problem is the negative daytime population count, referring to the fact so many American Canyon residents leave town for jobs outside the city. Statistics generated by CityData.com show nearly 25 percent of the American Canyon population leaves the city limits Monday through Friday. That amounts to about 4,800 people who arent around to shop locally. With help from City Hall, the chamber will begin a three-month Buy American Canyon initiative starting in February. The program will be largely Internet-based, with a new website still under construction (BuyAmericanCanyon.com" href="http://BuyAmericanCanyon.com" target="_blank">BuyAmericanCanyon.com) that will list all local businesses, what they offer, and how potential customers can find or contact them. The chamber plans to mail out postcards with the website address to every home and business in the city, according to Cooper. He said the mass mailing will be done three times during the February-May campaign to make sure people know about this new resource. Businesses will be asked during the campaign to offer a discount of some kind to AmCan residents, according to Cooper, such as taking 5 percent or 10 percent off regular sales prices, or offering buy-one-get-one-half-off deals to encourage local patronage. Businesses that will be listed on BuyAmericanCanyon.com will include both traditional brick-and-mortar companies as well as home-based businesses that often rely on a Web presence to sell their services and goods because, as Cooper put it, they can be largely invisible to people. Cooper said the chamber is still trying to determine just how many home-based businesses there are in the city. He said they started with a list indicating there were more than 300 of them. But as the chamber has reached out to each home-based business, Cooper said some businesses were no longer in operation or located in American Canyon. He said they eventually expect to have a more accurate count of home-based entrepreneurs as a result of the campaign. The buy-local effort will also include a side project to better connect the chamber with local restaurants, many of which are not chamber members. The chamber plans to hold a restaurant roundup on Feb. 29 so each side can get better acquainted with one another. The roundup will be a chance for the chamber to educate these business owners about its operation, said Mandy Le, the chambers administrator and marketing coordinator, and it will be an opportunity for them to educate us about what they are going through as a restaurant in American Canyon. Cooper said the citys new Welcome Center, operated by the chamber, is in a position to help drive customers to local eateries. It is the No. 1 question we get at the Welcome Center: Where can we go eat? he said. He added, The organizing of that group [restaurants] is really needed. If were going to embrace tourism here, we need to be in good with communication with our restaurants. The Buy American Canyon campaign is supported by city officials who want to see more economic development. The city and chamber are partnering on this project, and we are very excited about it, said City Manager Dana Shigley, who said the city is providing $20,000 for the project. The partnership works well, as the city has the funding for this kind of important effort, but not necessarily the expertise that the Chamber brings to the table, Shigley said. They know the businesses and local marketing strategies and will be very effective. Cooper said the campaign will run through May, after which the chamber plans to survey local businesses to see if it helped generate more sales. The results of those surveys will be provided to City Hall sometime during the summer, he said. Napa County in the 19th century had a substantial African-American community -- larger than Vallejo's -- that time and the history books have forgotten. Sharon McGriff-Payne -- a longtime Vallejo resident, retired journalist, historian and author -- will fill in the historical record as part of her presentation, "Napa County: An African-American Historical Perspective," on Wednesday night at the Napa County Library. McGriff-Payne said she found her retirement mission while researching the life of John Grider, a black pioneer who was a member of the Bear Flag Revolt. While writing John Griders Century: African Americans in Solano, Napa and Sonoma Counties from 1845 to 1925, she found a newspaper article about Grider and Napa County. Grider was a Teamster and drove to Napa County farms to haul commodities and supplies to and from those farms," she said in an interview. "However, an 1860s article noted Grider had come in contact with four African-American slaves working on a Napa County farm." At that point I began to wonder, because everyone always said there was never any African-American community in Napa County, McGriff-Payne said. McGriff-Payne found numerous newspaper accounts about blacks who lived and worked throughout Napa County during the 1850s-1890s. Napa has such a deep African-American history, she said. It was my biggest and most pleasant surprise while I was conducting my research. Napas African-American community was larger than Vallejos during the 1860s to early 1880s. They were also more politically active," she said. "The Napa African-American community held a big celebration when the 15th Amendment was ratified. This celebration of African-American mens suffrage included gun and a cannon salute. The county's first black man to register to vote was Frederick Sparrow -- a Napa barber. African-American men dominated this profession in Napa's pioneer period, she said. Two other black barbers, Edward Hatton and his son Joseph, left a mark of accomplishment in local history. "Edward established the Napa school for colored children. He and Joseph were also very active in the San Francisco Masons providing them even more stature, McGriff-Payne said. At that time, state law banned blacks and whites from attending school together. After President Lincolns assassination, Edward started a campaign to raise funds to build a house for Mary Todd Lincoln. It gained momentum nationwide until the politicians got involved, McGriff-Payne said. These three men, and another African-American Napa barber, William Christopher, "held and attended colored conventions where African-American men gathered to discuss current events and issues, such as the right to vote, McGriff-Payne said. These accounts were gleaned primarily from local and regional newspapers, including two Bay Area black papers: the Elevator and Pacific Appeal. This history is such a gift, McGriff-Payne said. "However, it also brought emotions of sadness and many questions. What happened to all these people? And why did they leave Napa County? There always seemed to be an unspoken sentiment in Napa County of we dont want African-Americans here! My mom worked at Napa State Hospital from 1950-1980," she said. "I remember feeling a certain amount of fear when we would go Napa because of that unspoken sentiment. Adding to that fear was the violence against blacks in the South during the Civil Rights Movement of that era, she said. But what cemented it in my mind was the sensational news coverage when Willie-the-Woodcutter was arrested for the murder of a Napa County coed, McGriff-Payne said. Walter "Willie the Woodcutter" Williams was a 57-year-old black man living in St. Helena who was convicted of murdering a female student at Pacific Union College in 1971. Shedding light on the departure of Napa Countys 19th-century black community was some notation among African-American Methodist Episcopal church records. Those records noted by the late 1800s almost all of the colored people had left Napa and Napa County because of the build-up of Jim Crow prejudice and racism, McGriff-Payne said. Also, as more and more Europeans were arriving they began taking the jobs held by African-Americans. I dont know if they were pushed out deliberately or otherwise, she said. "But I would like to know what happened to all of the African-American farmers who owned and worked over 700 acres of Napa County land. History may not answer all of her questions, McGriff-Payne said. "Sometimes you have to accept the fact we may never know the whole story. "One time when I was giving a talk to a group of African-Americans I was asked if I ever get angry because of what, who or how the historical newspapers reported on African-American events and people," she said. "I first admitted I did get angry until I realized I had no right to do so. "Those who had that right or those who should have been embarrassed or ashamed or feel guilty about how they treated African-Americans are all long dead. Anger and guilt get in the way of telling the stories well and truthfully, she said. Writing and talking about history is not to make people feel bad," McGriff-Payne said. "It helps us understand why our communities are as they are. I believe the documentation of all history is paramount. The more people researching, the better because the more information we have, the greater our understanding of ourselves and each other. And maybe we would get along better. With one last 50-acre transaction, the Land Trust of Napa County after almost a generation owns the entire 380-acre Archer Taylor Preserve in the mountains west of Napa. The Taylor family has transfered parcel after parcel of the property to the Land Trust over 23 years. The latest 50 acres represents the last two parcels of the preserve. Its really an amazing, long-standing relationship with the landowners who obviously believed in protecting this property, said Kimberly Barrett, development manager for the Land Trust. The property in the Mayacamas Mountains includes a redwood forest and Redwood Creek. Trails lead to a series of waterfalls known as Devils Well or Trinity Falls. The Land Trust of Napa County has had access to the 380 acres even as donations have occurred and allows guided hikes there. Now access for the entire property is assured in perpetuity. The preserve is named for Archer Taylor, a scholar who lived from 1890 to 1973. Daughters Constance Taylor and Ann Taylor worked with the Land Trust to preserve the property. Our parents bought the land in late 1944, so my sister and I grew up on the preserve and became determined to protect it forever, Ann Taylor Schwing said in a press release. Water availability and the beauty of the land would have made the 380 acres an ideal site for estate homes, she said. But the sisters didnt want to see that happen. What could we have purchased with developer money that could have provided any pleasure, knowing that the sale opened the land to development? she said. The last transaction involved two parcels totaling 50 acres with an assessed value of $1.3 million. The Taylors donated one parcel and sold the other for $200,000, Barrett said. Land Trust of Napa County received funding for the deal from The San Francisco Foundation, the Joseph and Vera Long Foundation and the Trustees of Peter and Vernice Gasser Foundation. We are so thankful to the two Taylor sisters for their long-term commitment to conservation of this beautiful site, Land Trust CEO Doug Parker said. In 1992, the Land Trust celebrated the formation of the Archer Taylor Preserve and other endeavors with a concert at Stags Leap Wine Cellars. A newspaper report from the time said the Land Trust would lease the 380 acres, with ownership eventually planned. The Taylor sisters made the initial donation of 80 acres in 1993. Now they have completed what they set out to do 23 years ago. Go to http://www.napalandtrust.org to learn more about the Archer Taylor Preserve and how to visit it. The Land Trust of Napa County is marking its 40th year and has protected 56,000 acres, more than 10 percent of the county. Located amid mountain greenery in the hills east of St. Helena, Pacific Union College might appear to be a world away from the demographic diversity that is a hallmark of California. Appearances are deceiving. According to U.S. News & World Report, this Seventh-day Adventist school of fewer than 1,600 students is the second-most diverse national liberal arts college in America. This is our most distinctive ranking, said college President Heather J. Knight, noting that PUC has received diversity honors four years in a row. PUCs student body last fall was 28 percent Latino, 25 percent Caucasian/non-Latino, 21 percent Asian, 9 percent black, nearly 2 percent Pacific Islander, with roughly 14 percent multi-racial or unknown, Knight said. I think were a national model for how do you have wonderful unity along with wonderful diversity, said Knight, who is both PUCs first female president and first black president. A key to the schools diverse makeup is the fact that 81 percent of students are Seventh-day Adventists, which is a global church with the vast majority of its 18 million members located outside the U.S., Knight said. In the U.S., Adventists are the most diverse Christian denomination, according to the Pew Research Center, she said. Juan Hidalgo, a senior from San Diego, said he experienced culture shock when he arrived at the Angwin campus as a freshman. Just walking around PUC on day one, I would hear four or five different languages. He grew up in a Hispanic neighborhood. Now when I go to a place of mostly Hispanics, I think, Where is everyone else? said Hidalgo, whose girlfriend at PUC is from Pakistan. Nic Miller, president of the Student Association, remembers seeing a whole lot of color going on up here when he grew up in Angwin and attended the colleges elementary school. At many colleges with diverse student populations, students self-segregate by color and ethnicity. That doesnt happen at PUC, Miller said. Those dividing lines dont exist on campus. Knight noted that PUC is a residential school, with 74 percent of students living in dormitories. Theyre living together. Theyre studying together, she said. What happens outside the classroom is important, to interact with people from different backgrounds. It enriches, Knight said. PUC cites the diversity of its student body as a recruitment tool. A lot of parents want diversity when theyre looking at a campus, Knight said. They want children exposed to what the real world is like. Student leader Miller said a shared Adventist faith helps create an atmosphere for acceptance between diverse populations that may not exist at larger, secular colleges. Those dividing lines dont exist on campus. Of course everyone brings different cultures to the table, but theyre not frowned upon, theyre embraced, he said. In this way, students do live in a bubble, Miller said. After four years enjoying the social harmony at PUC, I think for a lot of people it is a maybe a shock when they leave PUC and see the social barriers that exist. Diversity isnt PUCs only drawing card. The school promotes the rigor of its academic programs and the success that graduates have in graduate school. The college is also wont to mention that in 2011 Newsweek listed PUC as among Americas most beautiful campuses. A proposed initiative seeks to boost the number of animals at the Napa County animal shelter that escape euthanasia from 67 percent to at least 90 percent. Monica Stevens of Jameson Animal Rescue Ranch of St. Helena and Pam Ingalls of Wine Country Animal Lovers of Calistoga recently filed a notice of intent with the county Registrar of Voters. That allows them to gather signatures to try to qualify the measure for the Nov. 8 ballot. We do not believe that the community at large is aware that adoptable animals are being killed, the notice of intent says. Ingalls said Friday the county animal shelter is working with animal rescue groups. Ideally, the county will continue heading in the right direction and the ballot measure will not go forward, she said. We dont really want to go public and make it a campaign against the county, Ingalls said on Friday. We want to work with the county. But they also say a presidential election year is best for a ballot initiative. If they skip November 2016, they would have to wait until November 2020. I think were going to get it done outside of the ballot, but we cant risk not going forward and being prepared to go to the ballot of we have to, Ingalls said. County Deputy Public Works Director Liz Habkirk said the county and partner groups such as Wine Country Animal Lovers are working toward the same goal. But, she said, the prospect of having a 90-percent live release rate mandated in county code raises questions. Everyone wants to increase the live release rates as much as we can, she said. But were trying to balance that with other things. The county doesnt want an overcrowded and disease-ridden shelter, she said. It cant adopt out dangerous animals. The county must balance no-kill policies with the quality of life for the animals and with the resources available, Habkirk said. If the animal shelter couldnt achieve a mandated 90-percent rate using existing resources, the county might have to spend more money on the shelter. Space availability at the shelter is subject to ebbs and flows, Habkirk said. If a ballot measure comes through, wed certainly have to look at what our capital needs would be, what our space needs would be, she said. Ingalls doesnt view a mandated 90-percent live release rate as a budget-buster. Rather, she said, whats needed is a culture shift. If anything, it could be cost-effective, she said. The proposed ballot measure says that cities with a no-kill approach see new expenses offset by a reduction in euthanasia costs, more public support and an increase in adoption fee revenues. Local nonprofits are willing to work with the county when animals face adoption challenges. Habkirk said that the 67-percent live release rate achieved by the county has subtleties. The live release rate for dogs is 94 percent, while the release rate for cats is 57 percent. Napa County wants to look at creative options to handle feral cats. Some cities have barn cats that are adopted out to farms for rodent control, she said. The shelter under county law is to hold dogs and cats for six days while trying to find the owners. It will impound the animals for four days after successful notification. After that, it can destroy the animals. Instead of the destruction option, the proposed initiative calls for shelter staff to do a written behavioral and medical evaluation for each animal and make the evaluation public. The shelter would notify interested nonprofit groups within 48 hours if staff identifies adoption challenges. The shelter would provide prompt veterinary care and appropriate socialization for each animal. It would notify all animal welfare groups and nonprofits that have requested notification 48 hours in advance of killing an animal. The groups would have the option of taking custody of the animals. Exceptions to the proposed policies are animals with rabies, a dog that after attacking a person has been determined to be dangerous and animals with irremediable physical suffering. The California Department of Public Health has 2014 live release rate data available for the states 58 counties. Napas rate of 67 percent compares to: 90 percent in Sonoma and Yolo counties 89 percent in San Francisco County 72 percent in Sacramento County 71 percent in Contra Costa County 50 percent in Solano County 38 percent in Fresno County The Napa County Animal Shelter and Adoption Center is located at 942 Hartle Court near Imola Avenue and the Napa River. The county opened the $3.1 million, 7,500-square-foot shelter in 2002 to replace a shelter built in the 1950s that was condemned to make way for the Napa River flood control project. Napa Countys 2015-16 budget allots $1.3 million to the shelter. Of this, about $1 million is raised through license fees, charges for services and other revenue sources. To qualify an initiative for the November ballot, supporters must gather at least 3,900 signatures from local, registered voters. The Registrar of Voters has recommended turning in the signatures by May 10. If the required number of signatures are valid, the Board of Supervisors will either place the initiative on the ballot or adopt it into law. White House officials met Friday with Mayor Eric Garcetti, local nonprofits and business owners to discuss ways to encourage immigrants to become U.S. citizens. The meeting is part of a multi-city tour by the White Houses Task Force on New Americans, which the administration previewed in a call with reporters. Senior Deputy Director in the White House Office of Public Engagement Julie Chavez Rodriguez said Fridays meeting allowed federal officials and members of Garcettis staff to coordinate with local leaders in business, nonprofit and community organizations. Starting in California is a perfect kickoff from our perspective, she said. In recent years, California has moved repeatedly to provide rights, benefits and protections to immigrants in the country illegally, including in-state tuition, drivers licenses, rules to limit deportations and state-funded healthcare for children. Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Jose have signed on to participate in the task force, as have cities in 25 other states. Rodriguez praised several California efforts, including the partnership between U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Los Angeles Public Library system to create citizenship corners at every branch and hold citizenship classes, increased funding for citizenship and naturalization services by the Napa Valley Community Foundation, and targeting of individuals eligible for naturalization and connecting them with resources in San Francisco. Garcetti said Step Forward LA, a program created in 2015 that helps people determine whether they are eligible to become citizens and prepares them for the citizenship test, has helped 45,000 people. He said there are an estimated 350,000 legal permanent residents in Los Angeles alone who are eligible to apply for citizenship but havent. In the greater area, the number soars to 750,000. This isnt an abstraction for us. It isnt an abstraction for me, Garcetti said. Joining the White Houses effort is former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, who became a U.S. citizen in July. He said he wants people to know there are resources available to assist people starting the process and to help integrate new citizens. I am excited to vote in my first presidential election, he said. According to Garcettis office, attendees of the closed-door meeting included the mayor, Special Assistant to the President for Immigration Policy Felicia Escobar, Chief of the Mayors Office of Immigrant Affairs Linda Lopez, and USC Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration Director Manuel Pastor. Speakers include members of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, Refugee Forum of Los Angeles, California Endowment, Univision, Asian Americans Advancing Justice of Los Angeles, and the Youth Policy Institute. Jan. 25 marked the fifth anniversary of the Tahrir Square revolt an uprising organized by young Facebook-savvy Egyptians that came to symbolize the Arab Spring. At the time, I spent days in and around the square interviewing the revolts youthful leaders as well as ordinary Cairenes. Those conversations were inspiring, as housewives, cabbies, laborers, office workers and students debated how to transform an authoritarian regime into some form of democracy. We know how those hopes crumbled. Many of the revolts organizers are languishing in prison or have fled abroad. In the runup to the fifth anniversary, thousands of police patrolled downtown Cairo, civil society activists were rounded up and blogs were shut down. Tahrir Square was bare of demonstrators, except for a few supporters of Egypts President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. We are now living under a more brutal regime than that of Hosni Mubarak, says Shady el-Ghazaly Harb, a young doctor who was one of the uprisings leaders. The number of young people detained is enormous, in the thousands, and the crackdown is unbelievable. We never faced something like this, even in Mubaraks time, or in our parents time under (Gamal Abdel) Nasser. So what went wrong? I put that question to Harb, with whom I had spent hours talking in 2011. Why had their youthful revolt failed so badly, and what did it tell us about the future prospects for Egypt? We were caught in the middle between the Muslim Brotherhood and the institutions of the state (including the Egyptian army), he said by phone from Cairo. We were always the weakest because we didnt have an intact organization and we didnt have time to form one. Both of them had the tools to use against us, and we couldnt do much. For those who dont know Egypt, let me elaborate. Most of the Tahrir Square organizers came from the educated middle class and represented a relatively small slice of Egyptian society. But their message demanding that an autocratic regime give way to a less corrupt government that listens to the public resonated with a wide swathe of Egyptians. It definitely appealed to young people; more than two-thirds of Egyptians are under 35, and their unemployment rate keeps climbing. But while they excelled at turning out crowds, the revolts leaders had no experience in organizing political parties or mobilizing voters. Back in those heady days, I met Harb at Groppis, a faded Belle Epoque teahouse that became the dissidents meeting spot; he complained that liberals had to unite in one party and find one leader to gather around. Instead, they split, backing several parties, which ensured that the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, Mohamed Morsi, won the presidency in 2012. The Brotherhood overreached, seeking to control too many levers of power while governing badly. That unnerved many youthful leaders (and other sectors of the public). This enabled the army to rally them behind a coup against Morsi, and a massive, brutal crackdown on the Brotherhood. A weary public, and a low turnout, ensured that el-Sissi, a former general, won a presidential ballot; once in power, he felt free to crush the young democrats who made the 2011 revolt, lest one day they should challenge him. I asked Harb whether the failure of the revolt indicated that democracy was an impossible dream for Egypt. On the contrary, he said, The lesson of the past five years is that the only way for us to survive is to build a democratic, secular state. His reasoning: Egyptians have had it with autocracy and theocracy. The tumultuous year of Muslim Brotherhood rule disillusioned the Egyptian public with government by Islamists. The Egyptian people wont accept them, he insists. Meantime, the return of an autocratic, military regime is too deja vu. They are out of context, out of history; the younger generation wont tolerate it. That argument has some holes. True, an Islamist government failed, but any future Egyptian democracy wont be able to exclude Islamist parties that play by legal rules in a country with a strong religious base. Moreover, the torture and jailing of thousands of Muslim Brothers could boomerang, unless some way is found to reintegrate them back into society. Yet Harb is correct in the long term. Autocracy has failed, repeatedly, to meet Egyptians needs. The el-Sissi governments economic performance has been dismal. It justifies its crackdown to the public by pointing to a growing Islamic State threat. But Egyptian youths have nothing to do with that threat. (Nor did it emerge from the Brotherhood.) Only a more open system can galvanize the youthful energy that went into the Tahrir Square revolt and permit peaceful political parties to organize and develop. Only a more open system will enable Egypts economy to grow. The only way out is democracy, Harb insists. But unless el-Sissi creates the space for peaceful political activism, that energy will falter or go underground. If the government puts an end to peaceful protests, he adds, I can see the country going into chaos. If we, the sane, rational opposition, are not in the picture, then the irrational opposition, calling for violence, will prevail. In other words, the Tahrir Square revolution isnt over. We just dont know yet how it will end. Trudy Rubin is a columnist and editorial-board member for the Philadelphia Inquirer. One Sunday evening, my friend, Joseph, came over to my apartment. He started telling me about this elderly man that attended his church telling him that Anne Franks diary was a fake. I stopped him before he could continue with this unthinkable untruth. You must understand in junior high and high school I did scenes from The Diary of Anne Frank in my drama class. I played the part of Peter van Daan, the teenage Jewish boy in hiding with Anne Frank. His actual name was Peter van Pels. His familys name was changed in the publishing of the diary, along with the other man who later joined the two Jewish families in hiding. When I was in junior high, I read Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl on my own. I was curious about the Jewish girl who recorded her two years of hiding in an attic above her fathers jelly company from the Nazis in Amsterdam, Holland. The Frank family, the van Pelses, and Fritz Pfeffer were arrested by the Gestapo near the end of 1944. They were sent away to concentration camps. Annes father, Otto Frank, was the only living survivor from the group. His wife, Edith, starved herself to death after her two teenage daughters were transferred to another camp. At Bergen-Belsen, Anne perished from Typhus a few days after her older sister Margot died. Fritz Pfeffer, Hermann, Auguste, and Peter van Pels also died before the camps were liberated. Mr. Frank had his youngest daughters diary published after the war. Now, I was aware that there were people who didnt believe the Holocaust occurred. When the the British actress Vanessa Redgrave appeared in the 1980 television movie Playing For Time, there was some controversy in her playing the part of a real-life Holocaust survivor, Fania Fenelon, since she belonged to a radical group that didnt believe that this historical event happened. I told my friend Joseph that there many eyewitnesses that knew Anne Frank and are still alive today. Childhood friends of Annes, Hannah Goslar Pick and Jacqueline van Maarsen Sanders, are able to testify of the adolescent girls existence. They knew about Annes diary, and survived the Holocaust. Fifty-eight-years earlier, another man heard these same rumors about the diary being a forgery. He was Simon Wiesenthal, a Holocaust survivor, and went looking for the truth. In 1958, The Diary of Anne Frank was performing at the Landes Theater in Linz, Austria. A telephone call was made to Simon Wiesenthal informing him that teenage demonstrators were now picketing the play. Theyd said the play was a fraud, and Anne Frank never existed. In their opinion, it was attempt on the Jews to extort more restitution money for themselves. When he arrived at the theater, the demonstrators were being arrested and the play resumed its performance. Many of the protesters were Neo-Nazi sympathizers and believed the lie about Anne Frank not existing. The next day, the demonstrators were released. The parents of the kids wanted the incident forgotten completely. Simon Wiesenthal decided to search for the man whom arrested Anne Frank. He was the founder of Historical Documentation Center. His mission was to find war criminals and bring them to trial. From 1958 to 1963, it took him almost five years to discover the full name of the Gestapo who arrested Anne Frank. During his investigation, he went to Victor Kugler. Kugler was a non-Jewish employee of Otto Frank. He was responsible for hiding the eight Jewish people. He was arrested and taken down to the SS Headquarters, where he was interrogated and released. He vaguely recalled the Gestapos last name. It was Sibernagel, but not his first. He was told by other people that the name might be Siberthaler. Looking through telephone directories and other gathered documents, he was losing hope in ever finding the man. Then, one day during a flight, he was reading a page marked IV Special Squad, which was subtitled IV B Joden (Jews). The name Silberbauer stuck out at him. He wondered where the man was now. Then, it came to him. Silberbauer might work for the Vienna police department now. He mailed his request on June 2, 1963. For the next five months, the Vienna police department brushed off his request to look for this mans file. Finally, the news broke on Nov. 11, 1963. Karl Silberbauer, former Gestapo of the Jewish Documentation Center, admitted he was responsible for arresting Anne Frank and the seven other Jews. I was only doing my duty, he commented to the international press. Why pick on me after all these years? White lives in Napa. LONDON Last Land Rover Defender rolls off production lines in U.K. The last Land Rover Defender, the famed 4x4 off-road vehicle that has been made for almost seven decades, has rolled off the production line in Britain. More than two million of the boxy vehicles have been produced at the plant over the past 68 years, and fans range from farmers to Queen Elizabeth II, who has been photographed driving them over the decades. Dozens of workers at the Jaguar Land Rover plant near Birmingham in central England cheered Friday as the last one was presented with its lights flashing and horn blaring. Jaguar Land Rover did not say why the model is being discontinued. Jim Holder, editorial director of motoring magazines including Autocar, said it could be because the model can no longer keep up with emission and safety regulations. PARIS France considers recognition of a Palestinian state The French foreign minister says France will recognize a Palestinian state if its efforts to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks fail. Minister Laurent Fabius told French diplomats on Friday that France will prepare for an international conference to bring together the two parties and their American, European and Arab partners in order to make happen a two-state solution. If this attempt faces a deadlock, Fabuis say that France will have to recognize a Palestinian state. Frances Socialist government supports the idea of two states, but had previously argued that it was too early for outright recognition of a Palestinian state. SANAA, Yemen Suicide car bomber attacks police station in southern Yemen Yemeni security officials say a suicide car bomber struck a police station in the southern city of Aden. Witnesses said firefighters and ambulances rushed to the scene in the busy district of Crater. Body parts were scattered on the ground, but officials couldnt immediately give a number for casualties. Fridays attack comes one day after a suicide bomber blew up his vehicle near the presidential palace housing the president and prime minister. At least seven were killed in the attack, and an Islamic State affiliate claimed responsibility. IS has claimed responsibility for some of the deadliest attacks in Yemen since March, including the assassination of a city governor and the bombing of a hotel that formerly housed the Cabinet. MEXICO CITY Mexico City gets new status: almost a state Mexico City is getting a new status. Long considered an administrative district run by the central government, the city of 8.85 million will now be considered almost a state in itself. The measure signed into law by President Enrique Pena Nieto on Friday marks the latest stage in the citys long, somewhat equivocal relationship with the rest of the country. Many people still refer to the city simply as Mexico. For decades, it was known as the federal district. Under the new status, the citys borough leaders will become mayors. The current mayor has near-governor status. His new role is one of many things to be determined by a special assembly. The city was run by the central government until 1997, when residents were allowed to elect their leaders. UNITED NATIONS UN: 69 reports of sexual misconduct in peacekeeping in 2015 The United Nations says there are likely to be 69 confirmed allegations of sexual abuse or exploitation in its peacekeeping missions in 2015, including 22 in Central African Republic, where several children have alleged abuse. Assistant Secretary-General Anthony Banbury came close to tears Friday as he announced four new child sex abuse cases involving U.N. troops and police from Bangladesh, Congo, Niger and Senegal in violence-wracked CAR. He also announced an allegation of sexual assault against a minor by a member of Moroccos military contingent serving with the African mission that preceded the U.N. peacekeeping mission. Banbury says Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will issue a report next month with details of all allegations from 2015 and names of countries whose troops are involved. Such details also will be regularly updated online. GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip Hamas says it continues to build tunnels to attack Israel A senior leader of Hamas, the Islamic militant group that rules Gaza, says its gunmen continue to build attack tunnels into Israel. Ismail Haniyeh said Friday that militants dig tunnels and test rockets to attack Israel every day. He spoke at the funeral of 7 militants who died this week when a tunnel from Gaza to Israel collapsed while they were repairing it. Hamas has built a sophisticated network of tunnels that it has used to penetrate Israel to carry out attacks on civilians and soldiers. Israel destroyed dozens of the tunnels during the 2014 Gaza war. Israeli media has reported that people living in communities near the border with Gaza have complained to authorities after hearing tunneling sounds. A Russian combat aircraft violated Turkish airspace yesterday, despite repeated warnings by the Turkish authorities. Previous incidents have shown how dangerous such behaviour is. I call on Russia to act responsibly and to fully respect NATO airspace. Russia must take all necessary measures to ensure that such violations do not happen again. I welcome the direct contacts between Ankara and Moscow, and I call for calm and de-escalation. NATO stands in solidarity with Turkey and supports the territorial integrity of our Ally, Turkey. Allies agreed in December to increase the presence of AWACS early warning aircraft over Turkey, as we continue to augment Turkeys air defences. This decision precedes yesterdays incident. New Year's Eve is nearly upon us. If you are like me, you have the dress, the shoes, the bag, the accessories and the only thing left t... "The knowledge that we have now is but a fraction of the knowledge we must get, whether for peaceful use or for national defense. We must depend on intensive research to acquire the further knowledge we need ... These are truths that every scientist knows. They are truths that the American people need to understand." (Harry S. Truman 1948). YEREVAN. The thwarting of one of the two anti-Armenian reports at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is not yet victory. Azerbaijan had prepared two blows, and it was able to deal one of them. Head of the opposition Heritage Faction at the National Assembly of Armenia, Zaruhi Postanjyan, told the aforesaid to Armenian News-NEWS.am. If youre a member of an organization where you have opponents and theyve succeeded in one [of the report], I believe we [i.e. the Armenian side] have lost, Postanjyan said. As per the opposition MP, the Armenian delegation to PACE should have started fighting against these reports when they were becoming new drafts. When [such reports] are being born, you need to use the resources and opportunities to prevent it, she noted. Zaruhi Postanjyan believes that the Armenian delegation to PACE should switch from a defensive posture to an attacking one. It needs to prepare such reports on human rights in the adversary countries that the opponents shall start attempting to neutralize the reports by the Armenian side. PACE on Tuesday voted against MP Robert Walters (UK) anti-Armenian report entitled Escalation of Violence in Nagorno-Karabakh and Other Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan, but adopted MP Milica Markovics (Bosnia and Herzegovina) anti-Armenian report about Sarsang Reservoir in Nagorno-Karabakh, and entitled Inhabitants of frontier regions of Azerbaijan are deliberately deprived of water. To note, representatives of the PACE Unified European Left Group, the Socialist Group, and the European Peoples Party voted against both anti-Armenian reports. Trump's son made fun of Zelenskyy's ability to ask West for money EU to provide emergency aid for Armenia residents affected by recent Azerbaijan military aggression Azerbaijan army units fire at Armenia positions Mikhail Mishustin arrives in Yerevan EU approves new sanctions against Iran over alleged drone deliveries to Russia Eurasian Intergovernmental Council meeting begins in Yerevan Baku calls OSCE mission to assess situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border 'private visit' On fourth day of IRGC military exercises on border with Azerbaijan, artillery destroys planned targets Liz Truss quits as UK Prime Minister Turkey parliament to consider extending Turkish militarys mandate in Azerbaijan Dollar falls, euro rises in Armenia Russias Putin ratifies agreement on simplification of payments for goods transit within EEU territory Stoltenberg: Almost all NATO countries have agreed to Sweden and Finland joining the alliance Ombudswoman of Armenia: Azerbaijan prevents removal of remains of fallen soldiers Zakharova: Matter of holding CSTO Collective Security Council meeting being worked out Ombudswoman of Armenia: I received video materials from EU special representative about Azerbaijanis Armenia Security Council chief, UK army general discuss cooperation in security Armenia and Kazakhstan discuss bilateral military cooperation Iran says U.S. and Israel won't be able to split the republic 201 bodies are identified of Armenia soldiers who died as result of September military aggression by Azerbaijan Iran FM to arrive in Armenia today Turkey, Azerbaijan presidents officially open international airport in occupied Artsakh territory Armenia President visits several leading Bulgaria IT companies Ruben Vardanyan: I will assume Artsakh State Minister position at beginning of November Armenia PM on making EU observation mission permanent: I'm not sure about that US State Dept.: Our ultimate goal is peaceful resolution between Armenia and Azerbaijan Armenia, Qatar to collaborate in tourism sector Turkey president travels to Azerbaijan Bandits in Russia cut off Armenian man's hands, shoot him in legs President of Armenia, mayor of Bulgarias Plovdiv discuss avenues for deepening of cooperation Armenia has new customs attache at Upper Lars checkpoint on Russia-Georgia border Karabakh official: Baku goes for gradual escalation, provocation of situation Armenia to get 33mn grant from EU for police, migration service, business development in Syunik Province Lacote: OSCE observation mission deployment will contribute to respect of Armenia territorial integrity World oil prices going up Russia extends flight restrictions at 11 airports Newspaper: Karabakh delegation to head for Moscow, meeting with Putin considered probable Newspaper: Azerbaijan aggression on September 13 paralyzes Armenia public administration for some time Azerbaijan army opens fire towards Armenia positions at midnight Retired US Air Force general is offered consulting job in Azerbaijan at rate of $5,000 a day 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 President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has accused the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs of religious discrimination. Referring to the results of PACE voting and the calls of the mediators before the voting, Aliyev stated: Im very sorry that the Minsk Group Co-Chairs, who should immediately deal with the given issue [of Karabakh conflict], strive not for its settlement, but conflict freezing. Their current activity is absolutely senseless. They not only refrain from pressing Armenia, but also protect it from possible problems. Look at what their provocative activity at the recent Council of Europe hearings has resulted in. The question is: who do they think they are? Does this mean they will put pressure on all international organizations? And give instructions to all international organizations? The Council of Europe is an international organization. There certainly are different people there. [Among them] are those who have an anti-Azerbaijani stance, and also quite many Islamophobes. There are also those who express complete solidarity with Armenia, being connected with the Armenian lobbying. I know this: I used to be the member of the organization. But this organization has now put this issue on the agenda. The Minsk Group Co-Chairs are putting pressure on them so that this issue isnt considered. Due to this very provocative activity, we lacked 4 votes for the adoption of the resolution, he noted. I said and am saying this in their face, I speak about this openly today so that the public knows as well: It is mostly due to their fault that the issue isnt solved. Why? Because double standards are applied. For what reason? There is no answer to this question. This is also a kind of tactic. When the question isnt acceptable, it isnt answered. But we know the answer double standards. The religious factor plays a role here. We are Muslims, thats why we are treated from the position of double standards. Especially nowadays, when the Ispalomophopbia in Europe has reached its peak, Aliyev concluded. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev is probably trying to suggest that Baku will finally leave the [OSCE] Minsk negotiation process and act as it considers necessary, that is, lead things to war. Russian political analyst Alexander Khramchikhin told the aforementioned to Armenian News NEWS.am correspondent, touching on Aliyevs recent statement on the voting at PACE and the statement made by the OSCE Minsk Group prior to that. According to him, Aliyev merely stated a fact but for the statement about Islamophobia. The efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group are useless, since Armenia and Azerbaijan are in contrary positions and there is no way to bring them together. The OSCE Minsk Group has no resources to do this, Khramchikhin said. Responding to the question on whether this can be followed by certain steps on behalf of the OSCE Minsk Group, the political analyst said: These countries can achieve nothing as long as the positions of Armenia and Azerbaijan remain mutually exclusive. Referring to Russias stance in case war breaks out, Khramchikhin noted: I dont see any means through which Russia or other OSCE Minsk Group countries can seriously influence both Armenia and Azerbaijan. Russia will urge to solve the conflict peacefully, as it used to do before, although in the present case the peaceful way of solving the conflict is to merely freeze it. Hence the current status quo and thats all. Khramchikhin sees no peaceful ways to the conflict settlement. There is no possibility to change the mutually exclusive positions of Armenia and Azerbaijan only unless a revolution takes place in one of these countries and authorities with entirely different positions come to power. But I can imagine such a possibility neither in Armenia nor in Azerbaijan. Regrettable as it may be, there is no other way to solve the conflict but another war, the analyst concluded. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev today accused the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs of religious discrimination. Referring to the results of PACE voting and the calls of the mediators before the voting, Aliyev stated: Im very sorry that the Minsk Group Co-Chairs, who should immediately deal with the given issue, strive not for its settlement, but conflict freezing. Their current activity is absolutely senseless. They not only refrain from pressing Armenia, but also protect it from possible problems. YEREVAN. - The court of general jurisdiction of Yerevans Kentron and Nork Marash administrative districts today released on bail doctor Shushanik Bakhshyan, a suspect in the death of the maternity patient Meri Margaryan. Charges were brought against Shushanik Bakhsyan on January 26. The court earlier considered her detention unlawful and set her free. Relatives of the dead woman blame Shushanik Bakhsyan for the tragedy. Meri Margaryan, who was transferred from the Shengavit medical center on July 27, 2015, died on July 29 in Erebouni Medical Center, where she had delivered a baby through Caesarean section. But, subsequently, she was in very critical condition, and the woman passed away two days later. Even though her baby girls life was saved, she was in critical condition, however the newborn died on July 30. On August 3, a criminal case was launched on charges of notor improperlyperforming medical duties, and which has negligently caused a patients death, or human infection with the immunodeficiency virus. Shushanik Bakhshyan is charged under Article 130 (2) of the Armenian Criminal Code. YEREVAN, JANUARY 29, ARMENPRESS. Information related to the formation of new Electoral Code will be partially announced during the next week. The working group operates and some materials already exist though we are not still ready to publicize them, Hrayr Tovmasyan, head of the National Assembly's staff, mentioned after the government session, during the interview with reporters. Hrayr Tovmasyan is convinced the new Electoral Code will increase the supervision mechanisms of electoral processes also as a result of the technical equipment. Asked what equipment he talks about, Tovmasyan said he cannot mention anything yet. It depends what kind of support we will get over gaining that systems. Those systems refer to the electronic voting, that is such systems which will assure secured, uninterrupted work and in parallel with it providing paper-based control system will be possible, Tovmasyan said, Armenpress reports. Speaking about the publication of the lists, head of the National Assembly's staff said there is a problem connecting with it which is to ensure maximum supervision during the registration process of voters. He mentioned he is convinced that the system which is being formed right now will assure for 100% the impossibility of voting for the 2nd time instead of people who are not residing in Armenia. Posted by Mike Levine | August 3, 2009 From our colleagues at Cars.com, GM has issued a recall for 185,903 GMT 355 series midsize pickup trucks, including the 2004-09 Chevrolet Colorado and 2004-09 GMC Canyon twins and badge-engineered 2006-08 Isuzu I-Series, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The recall is to fix a faulty brake-lamp switch that could fail after becoming exposed to the environment, causing the brake lights to stop working or stay lit continuously. The recall applies to pickups originally sold or registered in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Texas, U.S. Virgin Islands and Utah. GM says a replacement switch will not be available until February 2010, so it will offer special coverage for all registered vehicles. Owners with the brake light problem can get free repairs but must return to a dealership when the newly designed parts become available. The inspection and replacement part will both be free. Owners can contact Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, GMC at 1-866-996-9463, and Isuzu at 1-800-255-6727 or the NHTSA vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236. [Source: Cars.com] YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS. Grigor Hovhannissian, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to the United States of America, presented his letters of credence to the President of the United States of America Barack Obama on January 28. President Obama congratulated Ambassador Hovhannissianon the occasion of his accreditation and expressed confidence that at the current junction of bilateral relations Ambassador Hovhannissian, through his experience, will contribute to further strengthening of the friendship between Armenia and the United States. Ambassador Hovhannissian conveyed to President Obama the greetings and warm wishes of the President of Armenia SerzhSargsyan, who will be attending the upcoming Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, DC. President Obama expressed his gratitude for Armenia's participation and highly valued the commitment of Armenia to this nuclear security initiative. In his address President Obama expressed hope that the historic level of U.S. investment in Armenia in 2015 is just the beginning of expanded trade and investment ties, which are of vital significance to Armenia, the Caucasus, and beyond. YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS. The number of maternal, infant mortality and infertility rate has decreased twice in Armenia during recent years. The Chief obstetrician-gynecologist of Armenia Healthcare Ministry Razmik Abrahamyan said the aforementioned to journalists on January 30. Abrahamyan noted that there have been serious achievements during the recent years: the number of maternal, infant mortality and infertility has decreased two times, but there are some problems that require more profound studies; for instance preterm delivery. He added that the more preterm delivery rate reduces, the more healthy newborns we will have. The Chief obstetrician-gynecologist of Armenia Healthcare Ministry informed that the cases of induced abortion have declined too. We had 7 thousand induced abortions last year, as compared to over 30 thousand induced abortions yearly several years ago. The procedure is carried out in open and transparent, normal conditions, he emphasized. According to Razmik Abrahamyan, infertility rate has also gone down two times. The figure was 30% in 2000, it decreased to 14,6% - in 2014-15. YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS. Armenian church of SurpGiragos in Diyarbakir has not suffered any damage till now due to the clashes between the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Turkish armed forces, the caretaker of the ancient Armenian church GaffurTurkay told Armenpress. He said that religious ceremonies are not being held in the church at the moment, as the curfew still continues. Turkay denied the news spread in media that PKK gunmen intruded into the territory of the church and use the Armenian church of SurpGiragos to fight the Turkish soldiers. There is no such a thing. All the doors of the church are closed, it has not suffered any damage till this moment and we hope it will never be damaged, GaffurTurkay concluded. YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS. MP Tevan Poghosyan, Secretary of "Heritage" Faction of the National Assembly of Armenia, does not wish to look for guilty parties related to the discussion of the anti-Armenian reports and adoption of one of them in PACE. The MP merely hopes that the Armenian party will form defense systems within such structures from now on in order to prevent adoption of anti-Armenian reports as well as promote the adoption of decisions in favor of Armenia. It is not my style to seek the guilty ones. We did not form a system; we realize our mistake and must not let such attacks happen in the future. We must develop ways to promote our interests, create defense systems, Armenpress reports, the MP stated. According to him, we already have the best experience of uniting all the forces. Lets hope it will not be a one-time experience, but a basis for forming a system for our activities within the international institutions, the MP added. MP Poghosyan emphasized that no one will follow the tracks of the adopted reports trying to regulate the issues by force; hardly anyone can be found to make investments for the modernization of Sarsang reservoir so that it becomes a source for combined use. He added that actions must be taken to quickly consign the reports to oblivion, and prevent their being cited by Azerbaijan in different institutions. He added that the instance of the aforementioned is the UN document with negative formulations for Armenia, which, however, was forgotten later. On January 26 PACE refused to adopt draft resolution on Escalation of violence in Nagorno-Karabakh and the other occupied territories of Azerbaijan by rapporteur Robert Walter (no longer a PACE member). 66 MPs voted for, 70 against the report. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted rapporteur MilicaMarkovics (Bosnia and Herzegovina) draft resolution on Inhabitants of frontier regions of Azerbaijan are deliberately deprived of water after making some changes and revisions to the draft. 98 MPs voted for, 71 against. 40 MPs abstained. YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS. President SerzhSargsyan sent a letter of condolences to the Simonian family on the demise of the renowned intellectual, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia Hrachik Simonian. As Armenress was informed by the Department of Public Relations and Mass Media of the Office to the President of the Republic of Armenia, the letter of condolences reads: Hrachik Simonian dedicated his entire scientific work to the research on the modern period in the history of the Armenian people and rightfully earned respect and appreciation of his colleagues and students. I express my deepest condolences to you, your relatives, friends and colleagues of the distinguished historian. YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS. MP Tevan Poghosyan, Secretary of "Heritage" Faction of the National Assembly of Armenia, considers that the possible coalition of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation is incomprehensible. As Armenpress reports, the MP found it difficult to say why the RPA is interested in such cooperation, as according to Tevan Poghosyan, it has the required power in the National Assembly and has announced on numerous occasions that it is ready to assume the responsibility of governing the country alone. I have already said once that I am not in favor of artificial coalitions, unfortunately, the culture of forming coalitions in Armenia is based on artificiality and does not have any positive history, the MP said. MP Tevan Poghosyan expressed an opinion that the coalition might be an opportunity for the Armenian Revolutionary Federation to bring to life their plans, vision, as well as acquire experience in state government, assume governance over some sectors and implement that. But if its to become an artificial coalition agreement or a format for cooperation, we should no more promote the formation of a very bad culture, MP Tevan Poghosyan said. There is apprehension that the Pakistan, India bilateral dialogue may suffer the same fate as the proposed dialogue after the Mumbai attacks, said a Pakistani daily which noted that "the post-Pathankot scenario has a chilling resemblance to post-Mumbai". An editorial on Pakistan-India talks in the Daily Times on Saturday said that if the latest statements of the Pakistani foreign office and the Indian foreign ministry are perused, what one finds is an all too familiar ring to these utterings. Pakistan "has thrown the ball back into Indias court as far as settling mutually convenient dates for the foreign secretaries talks originally scheduled for January 15 but postponed due to the Pathankot attack," said the daily. It observed that both sides had been careful to underline that the talks had only been postponed, not cancelled. "Yet here we are more than a month down the road since then, and all we are hearing from the Pakistani side as well as the Indian foreign ministry spokesman is that 'mutually convenient' dates are not yet in hand..." The editorial noted that despite Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs reiterations of resolve to counter terrorism and the detention of Maulana Masood Azhar of the Jaish-e-Mohammad, accused of masterminding the Pathankot attack, "immense uncertainty looms over the (preliminary) meeting of the foreign secretaries in order to pave the way for the Bilateral Comprehensive Dialogue to follow". "Both sides seem firmly bogged down in the old and worn ruts, particularly since Islamabad insists the evidence regarding the Pathankot attack provided by India is 'insufficient'." It went on to say that if there is a chink of light "one is the statement of the Pakistan High Commissioner in New Delhi Abdul Basit, who is confident the foreign secretary talks will begin in February and the other the report that the Pakistani and Indian foreign secretaries could meet this week on the sidelines of a conference in San Francisco, where they will take advantage of the opportunity to discuss dates for their formal interaction". It said that the "apprehension is that this bilateral dialogue may suffer the same fate as the proposed dialogue after the Mumbai attacks". "Governments in Islamabad and New Delhi changed while both sides were still dancing their minuet around the investigations of that terror attack and even the replacement governments have made little if any progress in that direction. Now comes Pathankot just as the two sides had groped their way back to the negotiating table after initial aggressive intent was on display from the Modi government. "On present trends at least, the post-Pathankot scenario has a chilling resemblance to post-Mumbai." The daily said that the people of the subcontinent await with a mixture of hope and resignation the reversal of this familiar Pakistan-India impasse. "...The eminently logical recourse to the weapon of language rather than the time-worn language of weapons remains to be established as the dominant and irreversible currency of the relationship. Hope for the best, but dont hold your breath where these two countries are concerned". --Indo-Asian News Service rd/bg ( 518 Words) 2016-01-30-12:15:34 (IANS) Mohammad Zubair Khaksar was killed after unidentified gunmen fired on his vehicle in Surkh Rod district Friday night, Xinhua quoted the provincial government as saying in a statement. Khaksar, a well known poet, was working as a journalist in the government-run Afghanistan National Radio and Television Network, he said. Nangarhar Governor Kandozai condemned the attack, the statement said, adding that local authorities have launched an investigation into the incident. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. Earlier in January, seven media workers of a private TV channel were killed and 24 injured after a Taliban suicide car bomber struck a minibus in Kabul. --Indo-Asian News Service py/bg ( 135 Words) 2016-01-30-13:39:34 (IANS) On Monday, he will call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, following which he will hold a bilateral meeting with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. He will leave for Jaipur on Tuesday where he will attend a conference on counter-terrorism. After spending Wednesday in New Delhi, he will depart from India on Thursday. Abdullah Abdullah's visit to India comes in the wake of Prime Minister Modi's visit to Kabul in December when the new Afghan parliament building, constructed with India's aid, was inaugurated. --Indo-Asian News Service ab/bg ( 120 Words) 2016-01-30-16:23:34 (IANS) YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS. Not the anti-Armenian, but pro-Azerbaijani moods were the main reason for the adoption of the anti-Armenian report in PACE. However, there are other international issues as well, which impact the atmosphere in PACE. Armenpress reports that National Assembly MP from the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) Lernik Aleksanyan said the aforementioned on January 30. The pressures on the Armenian party in PACE were predictable, as Armenia joined the EAEU and the main reason for pro-Azerbaijani moods in PACE is the caviar policy conducted by Azerbaijan, the MP said. Regarding the activities carried out by Armenian MPs in PACE, Aleksanyan said that the MPs did their best and the adoption of the report is not connected with the quality of their work. He added that the resolution does not imply any legal basis, but is capable of forming opinions. As MP Aleksanyan states, after the adoption of MilicaMarkovics anti-Armenian report, the Armenian party must achieve negotiations over the use of Sarsang reservoir in PACE with Artsakhs participation. The delegates must come and see the facts, the situation. And if they do not, it can be used in favour of the Armenian party too. On January 26 PACE refused to adopt draft resolution on Escalation of violence in Nagorno-Karabakh and the other occupied territories of Azerbaijan by rapporteur Robert Walter (no longer a PACE member). 66 MPs voted for, 70 against the report. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted rapporteur MilicaMarkovics (Bosnia and Herzegovina) draft resolution on Inhabitants of frontier regions of Azerbaijan are deliberately deprived of water after making some changes and revisions to the draft. 98 MPs voted for, 71 against. 40 MPs abstained. Mumbai, Jan.30 (ANI-NewsVoir): The first edition of Next Generation-Optical Transport Networks Summit 2016, an international conference-cum-exhibition concluded recently on a positive note. The conference was organized by Nexgen Conferences, one of India's leading conferences and B2B event organisers. It was held at The Lalit in Mumbai and designed to ensure highly focused communication across all segments of optical transport network including all ecosystems to come together under one roof to exchange ideas, develop expertise and share best practices. Speaking on the occasion, Sudhir Gupta, Secretary, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said, "Once government's telecom infrastructure projects take shape, the demand for further data growth is inevitable at a very high level. Hence, optical fibre networks play a very important role at this juncture. From the regulatory point of view, we (TRAI) are giving number of recommendations to the government particularly in this specific area." "We are already at inception point as far as data traffic is concerned. We have already seen data explosion happening and it is driven by Asian countries like China and India or let us put it reverse India or China. India is also leading the number of mobile subscriptions which is also causing a lot of growth in data traffic. Some years back we used to speak about next generation technologies, next generation transport etc. Now the time is here to say that this is the next generation, seeing how the traffic is growing, the need for huge increase in a large scale and also the characteristics that this traffic demands."- Sudhir Gupta further added. Chandan Kumar, Director- Marketing & Integrated Solutions, Huawei Telecommunications (India) Co. Pvt. Ltd said, "As data is growing at exponential rate and nature of data is also changing a service agnostic and flexible platform such as OTN is need of the hour at access, aggregation and core layer of a transport network. Huawei being leader in this domain has developed innovative solutions which can meet Indian Telecom operators needs to have advance networks which offers switching of traffic at right rate and at right place while offering lowest cost per bit transport with multiple fibre cut protection using ASON technology at layer1 and layer2 in OTN based DWDM solutions." Addressing the audience, Rakesh Kumar, CTO- Bharti Airtel said, "The growth of broadband in the country has been phenomenal. Technology like Optical Transport Network (OTN) allows to put all kinds of payloads of client signals into one transport bucket and also ability to switch across lambdas. Today, the operators have evolved their networks to OTN based technologies. OTN helps to increase in the amount of capacity that can be provisioned from 10G to 40G and 40G to 100G." Anjani Kumar Singh, CEO, Nexgen Conferences said, "We are delighted to see the participation of quality speakers from well-known organizations during the first edition of Next Generation-Optical Transport Networks Summit. We had very useful and engaging sessions at the summit where Optical Transport Network industry professionals deliberated on key challenges and opportunities of this industry with a focus on new-age technologies and emerging business solutions in India & globally" The network providers and networking equipment manufacturers are obliged to support a huge digital traffic flowing over the networks. The increasing usage of application through smart phones and mobiles has overloaded the current networks. However, Optical Transport Network (OTN) has come up as a huge success in the present scenario, as it can easily support high bandwidth. The conference brought together key industry players at one platform and will provide high level business networking opportunities to the participants. The conference also had an exhibition area where leading players showcased their products and services which include players like Huawei, Adva Optical Networking and Anritsu Corporation, among others. (ANI) Union Minister of Communications and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad today inaugurated a newly installed Intelligent Network Platform (IN Platform) in a function at BSNL Nodal Centre at Salt Lake here. On the occasion of Republic Day festivities he dedicated the IN platform for the service to the Nation. The IN system is Alcatel Lucent make and can handle the entire mobile subscriber base of Eastern and North eastern States of the country. Total cost of the IN Project has been estimated to be Rs 43 Cr and it has a capacity to handle 68 million subscriber and 380 million vouchers through its integrated Voucher management System Server. This new IN system has Disaster Recovery site at Cuttack in Odisha to take care of all the prepaid subscribers of East Zone in case of any failure in main site which in turn giving seamless service on 24X7 basis. Migration of all the prepaid subscribers of East Zone has been successfully completed to this new platform. On this occasions the minister also released a philately product prepared by the Chief Post Master General, West Bengal Circle on Andman and Nicobar Island and on Cellular Jail. The inauguration ceremony was attended by all the Senior Officers of DOT, DOP and BSNL. In his speech the Minister informed the gatherings that the central Government was giving full importance for the development of Telecom and IT Sector and he mentioned particularly that this sector can become an effective enabler for all other sectors in the country for all economic development. He reminded all the employees of BSNL and DOT that the performance of BSNL network and services in West Bengal needed to be improved significantly in order to visualise the Digital India initiatives of the Government. He mentioned that while the telecom services in Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi has improved significantly and BSNL as a whole has achieved an operating profit in last one year but West Bengal Telecom Circle and Calcutta Telecom District are still lagging behind. Mr Prasad encouraged all the officers and employees of BSNL, West Bengal Telecom Circle and Calcutta Telephones to work hard and provide best possible services to the people of this State. The central government will provide full support, wherever required. He mentioned about various initiatives that central Government and his Ministry have undertaken in last one and half years for the growth of Telecommunications, IT and Postal Services in the country. Earlier, while welcoming the Minister to this function CGM of West Bengal Telecom Circle R N Jha, highlighted the benefits of new IN Systems for the entire Eastern and North-Eastern States covering 9 Telecom Circles of BSNL. He informed the Minister that frequent cuts of OFC along the highway due to massive and expansion work are causing frequent interruption of services to many parts of this State. He also sought supports from the Government for augmentation of telecommunication network along the International Border areas with China, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan. Mr Shamik Bhattacharya, MLA from Bashirhat South, was also present in the function.UNI BM KK AJ AS2018 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0212-563581.Xml The call for the shut down came after Rahul Gandhi visited the Hyderabad Central University late last night and joined the students in the protests. He will re-join the students in their hunger strike today on the occasion of birthday of Rohith Vemula who allegedly committed suicide earlier this month. Meanwhile, hours before Gandhi's visit, the university changed its interim Vice-Chancellor. Interim VC Vipin Srivastava has gone on leave for four days. In his absence, M Periasamy, the next senior-most professor, will take charge. (ANI) Rebel Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Shatrughan Sinha on Saturday took a shot at his party once again by questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the 'hurry' to impose President's rule in Arunachal Pradesh. "I have tremendous faith in our dashing dynamic action hero PM. But wonder who the "great" advisors are who advised President's Rule in AP. That too when the matter is sub judice, in the Supreme Court, under a 5 judge constitutional bench. Wonder what was the hurry and worry," Sinha said in a series of tweets. He added that the task was cut out for the Prime Minister in case the decision does not go in the favour of the Centre. "God forbid, if the decision does not go in our favor, wonder what explanation and answer we will have for our respected PM," he said in another tweet. However, the Centre justified imposing President's rule in the state saying that the law and order machinery in Arunachal Pradesh was in a state of complete breakdown. Earlier, submitting its affidavit, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) pointed out that the state has been witness to recurrent insurgency as well as attempts by China to claims large parts of its territory and hence it is "imperative and in the interest of the country that the state is socially, economically and politically stable". Arunachal Pradesh Governor J.P. Rajkhowa had submitted his reply to the apex court yesterday in which he had claimed that former chief minister Nabam Tuki and his ministers had made it impossible for him to discharge his duties. According to reports, Rajkhowa accused Tuki of communal politics by provoking local tribesmen and funding public protests to seek his ouster. He also alleged that he was abused, threatened and nearly assaulted by some ministers. Meanwhile, Tuki has filed a fresh petition in the Supreme Court challenging the promulgation. President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday had given his assent to Union Cabinet's decision to impose the President's Rule in Arunachal Pradesh. The six month mandatory period to have an Assembly session in the state had lapsed on 21st of this month. (ANI) BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Saturday questioned Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's participation in a mass hunger strike at the University of Hyderabad campus with students who are protesting against the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula. "Why he (Rahul Gandhi) is joining the protest, is he a educationist? Why should he enter into this and complicate the matter? Without an enquiry and getting the truth of it, what is the use of him joining the protest?" Swami asked. "Here, the issue is very complicated, because we don't know what the suicide note is actually meant for," he added. Swamy further asked the Congress vice-president as to why he was not going to Verupuram near Chennai where students were reduced to servants which led to their suicide. "The fact is that Rahul Gandhi is going to this place, but what about the incidents taking place near Chennai and Verupuram. There the students were reduced to servants and denied education and their money were collected and they had to commit suicide. He is not going there," he asked. Swamy further said that vice chancellor of Hyderabad University might have been changed because the HRD ministry had sent a team and that may have pointed through some lapse. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday joined the mass hunger strike at the Hyderabad University campus to express solidarity with the students protesting against the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula who would have turned 27 today. The Hyderabad Central University (HCU) changed its interim vice-chancellor late Friday night, as Dr Vipin Srivastava went on leave just hours before Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi reached the university. Interim VC Vipin Srivastava went on a leave for four days and in his absence, M Periasamy, the next senior-most professor, will take charge. (ANI) The 58th convocation of Lucknow University(LU) will be held here tomorrow in which Union Science and Technology minister Harshvardhan would be the chief guest. UP Governor Ram Naik, who is the chancellor of the University would be the guest of honour in the convocation which will be held between 1100 hours to 1300 hours. LU Vice chancellor S B Nimse said here today that all the preparation for the convocation has been completed. He said this year on the directives of the UGC, the students would don traditional dresses during the convocation. Though the majority of medals will be won by the girls, still after a gap of several years, boys will walk away with the top two medals awarded by the varsity. While law graduate, Amitabh Srivastava will bag the coveted chancellors gold medal, given to the best student from all faculties, Apoorv Dev will receive the chancellors silver medal, awarded to the best postgraduation student from among all the streams. However, girls too have a reason to be happy. Maintaining their record, they have swept the overall medal tally at LU once again. In a tentative list of awardees, 120 medal winners out of the total of 159 are girls. Parvish Fatima will be felicitated with the chancellors silver medal for being the best female student of LU. In addition, 10 students will receive chancellors bronze medals. They are: Shivani Singh, Manvi Tripathi for BA, Shalini Jaiswal, Vivantika for B Sc, Arpita Saxena and Shubhangi Dubey for B Com, Pranav Tripathi for LLB Hons, Shivangi Tewari for LLB, Pramod Kumar for BFA and Arti Singh for BVA. Dr Chakravarti gold medal for service has been bagged by Rajat Shukla. The medal is awarded to a student who has set an example of good behaviour. The students, doing away with the decade old tradition of gown for the convocation, this time will wear traditional kutra-pajama along with 'angvastra' (stole).UNI MB SV RAI1234 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-564188.Xml In the wake of string of mass shootings in United States and with ongoing debates on easy access to guns, social networking giant Facebook has prohibited global users from coordinating person-to-person private sales of firearms on its website and on its Instagram photo-sharing service. U.S. President Barack Obama had also urged social media companies to clamp down on gun sales organised on their platforms. "Over the last two years, more and more people have been using Facebook to discover products and to buy and sell things to one another," Monika Bickert, Facebook's head of product policy, said in a statement. "We are continuing to develop, test, and launch new products to make this experience even better for people and are updating our regulated goods policies to reflect this evolution," Bickert said. Headquartered in California, Facebook, Inc. held its initial public offering in February 2012 and began selling stock to the public three months later, reaching an original peak market capitalization of USD 104 billion. On July 13, 2015, Facebook became the fastest company in the Standard & Poor's 500 Index to reach a market cap of USD 250 billion. (ANI) The BJP on Saturday asked Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi to "not politicise" the death of a Dalit research scholar who committed suicide two weeks ago and stop "playing politics on dead bodies". As Rahul Gandhi joined protests with the students at the University of Hyderabad past Friday midnight, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Sambit Patra said it is not a Dalit versus non-Dalit issue but a classic case of trying to score political brownie points. "Rahul Gandhi should start working in a positive way rather than playing politics on dead bodies," he said. Gandhi shuns his own responsibility and gatecrashes into other's protest, Patra said, adding the way he has shown insensitivity is the reason why "I say Rahul and responsibility cannot go together." Patra further questioned Rahul Gandhi for not responding to the Malda incident and the incident in Haryana where Dalits was burnt alive. "Did Rahul Gandhi shed tears for the four Dalits who were burnt alive? No, he has always been selective," he said. "Everyone knows what the condition in Malda is, has Rahul Gandhi ever visited Malda?". Patra said Rahul Gandhi was enjoying New Year when the Pathankot terror attack happened and blamed the government after 10 days. "When Pathankot attack was happening, Rahul Gandhi was in Europe enjoying his holiday. He came back after 10 days and blamed government," Patra said. Gandhi on Saturday continued his protest along with the students who are on hunger strike at the University of Hyderabad, demanding justice for a Dalit research scholar who committed suicide. Gandhi, who participated in a candle light vigil after midnight and spent the night on the campus, remained seated along with the students at the protest venue near Shopping Complex to mark the birth anniversary of Rohith Vemula. He was seated with four Dalit students, who were suspended along with Vemula, and Vemula's mother and brother. Dozens of other students are also on a day-long hunger strike to press for their demand for the resignation of Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and action against him and others responsible for the suicide. --Indo-Asian News Service gt/sd/bg ( 365 Words) 2016-01-30-13:25:36 (IANS) Tension gripped the Nababganj area of the district,after a 12-year-old dalit girl was gang raped and murdered here. Police sources here today said the girl, a student of standard fourth, went to the field to bring firewoods. Yesterday when she did not return, the family members went to search her. The naked body of the girl was found in the fields. The rapist also tortured the girl before killing her after raping. The people got annoyed with the crime, held demonstration and even went for candle march last night. Police said that the search were on to nab the culprits behind the crime.UNI MB CJ SV GC1445 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-564247.Xml Countering the charge by the BJP that Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi was indulging in politicisation of the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vermula, the party today said Mr Gandhi was only fulfilling his responsibility as the ''voice of the Dalits and the underprivileged'' even as the Modi government had been only representing the ''voice of the rich'' in the country.Talking to mediapersons here, AICC spokesperson Ajay Maken, reiterating the demand for the resignation of Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, Human Resources Development Minister Smriti Irani and action against Hyderabad Central University Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao, said, ''It is sad that instead of taking strong action against Vice-Chancellor, the Labour Minister and the HRD Minister, they are charging Mr Rahul Gandhi of indulging in politicisation.''However, I want to ask the BJP if the action by Mr Bandaru Dattatreya in writing letters to university authorities for action against Rohith did not amount to politicisation. Also, HRD Minister Smriti Irani holding a press conference to defend the suspension of Rohith was an example of politicisation.''Mr Maken said over the last one year, Mr Gandhi has emerged as the voice of the Dalits and the underprivileged across the country.''Whether it is taking up the cudgels for farmer, street vendors, labourers or dalits, Mr Gandhi has been reaching out to poor and the underprivileged. He participated in a candlelight march in Hyderabad in support of Rohith.''Today, he has emerged as the voice of the poor, dalits and the underprivileged sections in the country. This is in sharp contrast of the NDA government, who have been protecting the rights of only the rich in the country,'' Mr Maken said.Responding to the charge by the BJP that the Congress was indulging in politicisation of the issue when a probe has been ordered in the death of Rohith, Mr Maken said, ''How can an impartial probe be conducted into the matter as long as Ms Smriti Irani remains as HRD Minister. There is no point in expecting an impartial judicial probe as long as Mr Bandaru Dattatreya and Ms Irani remain in their post.''UNI AR AJ SW 1520 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0092-564573.Xml YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS. Republic of Armenia Defense Minister SeyranOhanyan paid a visit on January 30 to the best military unit of 2015 academic year. As Armenpress was informed by the Department of Information and Public Affairs of Armenia Defense Ministry, during the solemn ceremony held at the military units drill ground Minister Ohanyan congratulated the military staff on Army Day, thanking for their selfless service and for conscientious realization of their duties. SeyranOhanyan emphasized that 2015 was a year of achievements and progress in terms of quality for the Armed Forces of Armenia. He added that during 2016 academic year parallel to military training, activities must be carried out connected with eradication of bad practices among the servicemen in order to have fully trained and prepared citizens in our society. We have reached the final stage of the national armys formation, the significant components of which are the exceptional level of patriotism, knowledge of military science and traditions inherited from our fathers and grandparents, army friendship, justice and honour, the head of the Defense Ministry stated. At the end of the solemn event, Defense Minister Ohanyan handed the flag of honor to the best military unit as of 2015 academic year results, as well as decorated a number of soldiers with medals for their conscientious service in the army. In a memorandum submitted to Civil Aviation Minister P Ashok Gajapati Raju, who was here to lay foundation of international arrival block, MDC President C E Chakkunny and CIADS Chairman Dr K Moidu said introduction of medium aircraft 330, 200, Boeing dreamliner 787, among others, would reduce crisis to certain extent. The said Emirates and Saudi Airlines have expressed their willingness to operate B-777 and JUMBO 747 flights from the airport to provide a hassle free service to passengers in the region. Welcoming decision to increase existing weekly Air India services from 45 to 66 per week and assurance to complete work of the arrival block block by August 2017, they said re-introduction of E Code flight operations from the airport.UNI PCH VV AK1558 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0328-564551.Xml Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi today said IS and al-Qaeda have failed in spreading their presence in India. Mr Naqvi said the entire world has been working to destroy these evil forces. Such evil groups neither have relation with any religion nor do they have any ideology. "These forces want to establish their evil empire by killing human values." The Minister was speaking at the inauguration of N A Global Law School campus and Convocation of 12th batch of American Academy of Implant Dentistry here.Describing terrorism and radicalism as the biggest threat to the entire world, he said the educational institutes should impart education on principles of all the religions which oppose strongly any form of terrorism, bloodshed and violence as these terror forces are engaged in a campaign to misguide the people by misusing the religion. "Due to the strength of India's unity, harmony and brotherhood, IS and other terror outfits have failed intheir nefarious designs but still we have to be alert against these terror groups. There is a need for anation-wide awareness campaign against these forces," Mr Naqvi said. He added that the Narendra Modi government was dedicated to provide a better future to the youth. The programmes including 'Skill India', 'Make in India', 'Startup India' will provided ample opportunities to theyouths.Moreover, Mr Naqvi said: "It's our duty to strengthen fabric of harmony and prosperity in the country. Minorities' institutions should work to provide technical and mainstream education to far flung villages." UNI MSP MCN PS SW1513 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0421-564507.Xml Hitting out at People's Democratic Party (PDP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the absence of Jammu and Srinagar from the list of 20 smart cities, National Conference (NC) alleged that the promise made by both the parties to develop smart cities in the state has turned out to be yet another big, fat lie. Both PDP and BJP had made this promise with prominence in their Agenda of the Alliance, which PDP had recently termed a sacred document, while simultaneously maintaining that the sanctity of this sacred document had been violated in the last ten months under former chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, NC chief spokesperson Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi said. Upping the ante on PDP, he said, It is for Mehbooba Mufti and her party to explain why the promise of developing Srinagar and Jammu as smart cities has turned out to be yet another big, fat lie. Almost every single promise that PDP made in their Agenda of the Alliance with the BJP has been demolished with contempt in the last ten months while PDP watched on without uttering a word of protest, he said. The latest among those false promises to be exposed is the lie of developing Srinagar and Jammu and smart cities. Under an elaborate, covert understanding with New Delhi, the PDP-BJP government chose not to pursue this demand a feat that was achieved through administrative lethargy and inaction, the NC chief spokesperson said. Meanwhile, lashing out at PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, he termed her apparent posturing on the return of power projects as yet another ridiculous chapter in a theatrical performance that had robbed the people of the state of the right to have a representative government. If PDP was so concerned about the return of power projects, why did the party vote against the resolution seeking the return of power projects that was moved in the Legislative Council by a National Conference Leader? he asked. Also why did PDPs Cabinet Ministers, including its former Finance Minister maintain silence when Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal categorically ruled out the return of power projects to the state. For ten whole months Mufti Sahab kept praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and even went to the extent of saying that the RSS background of BJP leaders made them into better leaders and public representatives. A PDP leader and former finance minister had even agreed to be part of an RSS workshop in Nagpur and Ms Mufti herself was always forthcoming in not only defending this unholy alliance but also helped in its formation. It was none other than Ms Mufti who went to meet BJP president Amit Shah in Delhi and addressed a joint press conference to give the first formal indications of a PDP-BJP alliance, the NC Chief Spokesperson said.UNI BAS SW CS1540 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-564317.Xml A Delhi Court today granted bail to AAP MLA Mahendra Yadav, who was arrested for allegedly rioting and assaulting a public servant during a protest in Delhi seeking action against an alleged sexual offender.It is alleged that Mr Yadav had led a violent protest on the evening of January 28 in Nihal Vihar area in west Delhi following a sexual assault on a three-year-old girl. A mob had attacked public vehicles and tried to set one of them on fire. The legislator, along with four others, was arrested on Friday by the police.Metropolitan Magistrate Harvinder Singh today after hearing the arguments of the prosecution and defence counsel pass an order to release the MLA on furnishing of a personal bond of Rs 20,000 with a surety of the like amount. The court had also granted bail to four other arrested accused Rupesh Katyani, Devender Kumar, Roshan Kumar and Shailesh Kumar who were also arrested in the case.UNI XC SW 1641 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0421-564805.Xml DCP Kalyan Zone Sanjay Jadhav said yesterday the thieves had broken into the house of one Vishal Patil in Bail Bazar of Kalyan and decamped with the booty on January 10. The goods stolen include, silver idols of deities of lord Ganesh, Bhavani Mata, Mahalaxmi, Annapurna, Bal Krishna, Dattatreya, golden ornaments, and cash totalling Rs 3.17 lakhs. The police carried out a man hunt and finally nabbed the duo, recovering stolen goods worth Rs 1.55 lakhs, the police said adding that the search was still on for the rest of the goods. The duo were identified as Riaz Niazali Mohamad Shaikh (26) and Jitu Rtajesh Kadam, (20). Following the CCTV footage installed in the premises, we could solve this robbery, police said. A case has been registered under section 454,457 and 380 of the IPC they added. UNI XR NV PY CS1647 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0169-564243.Xml According to a statement Nagaland parliamentary secretary for Horticulture, Dobhashis and Gaon Burha Kejong Chang called for preserving culture and tradition and said the values of culture and tradition are the identity of ones own tribe. Deputy Commissioner of Tuensang Alem Jongshi, Nagaland Parliamentary Secretary for Bio Resource Mission (NBRM) and Fire and Emergency Service (F&ES) Toyang Changkhong, commandant 3rd Nagaland armed police, superintendent of police of Tuensang, and leaders of different communities residing in Tuensang attended the celebrations. The significance of the theme Chishok Lamshok (Treaty and Alliance) is the call of the Chang Tribal Hoho to have peace amongst each other. The speakers of the programme called for peace and progress adding that, the Chang people, as one of the major tribes, should exhibit and lead to peace and progress. UNI AS AKM SW CS1544 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0213-564227.Xml The doctors can make the exception in emergency cases when certain or surgical equipment are not available in the government hospitals. Barjinder Singh Brar Chairman Punjab Health System Corporation said here today that corporation would take serious action against the erring doctors as the state government was committed to provide cheap medical treatment to the patients. He added that the department trying to break the nexus of drug manufacturers, doctors and private chemists where in government doctors prescribed particular branded medicines in lieu of freebies offered by pharmaceutical firms. The chairman said 225 types of medicines for various types of cancer had been made available in the government hospitals, dispensaries across the state free of cost. UNI XC SW CS1611 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-564472.Xml Stating this here today, an official spokesman said a decision to this effect has been taken to protect the interests of depositors and provide a powerful legal tool to contain the irregularities and discrepancies in the financial sector. He said the EOW would act as the prime investigation unit for the offences committed under the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, Prize Chits and Money Circulation Schemes (Banning) Act, 1978, and the Protection of Interest of Depositors Act, 1913. The 10 units of the State Crime Branch are located in districts of Ambala, Panchkula, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Jind, Hisar, Bhiwani, Rohtak, Gurgaon and Faridabad. He said the Chief Minister has directed the Home Department to ensure formulation of rules under the Haryana Protection of interests of Depositors in Financial Establishment Act, 2013, and other formalities at the earliest possible.UNI NC SW VP1615 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-564632.Xml The All India Students Association (AISA) on Saturday protested outside the office of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) over the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula, terming it as 'institutional murder'. "RSS, ABVP, Smriti Irani and Appa Rao are responsible for the institutional murder of Rohith Vemula. The police are protecting them. We are protesting against that. They are saffronising the university," said one of the protestor. "We are protesting against the brahmanical forces which are against the students. We will continue with our protest," said another protestor. Meanwhile, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is on a day-long hunger strike along with the other protesting students at the Hyderabad Central University. "I am here today at the request of Rohith's friends and family, to stand with them in their fight for justice. A young life full of dreams and aspirations was cut short. We owe it to him, to the memory of Gandhiji, to every single Indian student who dreams of an India free from prejudice and injustice," Rahul said. Rahul, who arrived here at 12.10 am, also participated in a candle light march by 2000 students to mark Rohith's birth anniversary last night. This is the Congress vice-president's second visit to Hyderabad since the Dalit scholar's suicide as he had visited the university on January 19 and met agitating students and Rohith's family members. (ANI) New Delhi, Jan.30 (ANI-NewsVoir): Indian Institute of Public Health, Delhi (IIPH -Delhi), a constituent unit of the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) and Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Trivandrum signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)for offering Master of Public Health (MPH) programme at the Indian Institute of Public Health- Delhi. The MoU was signed by Professor Sanjay Zodpey, vice president and Director - Public Health Education, Public Health Foundation of India, New Delhi and Director - Indian Institute of Public Health, Delhi and Professor Asha Kishore, Director, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), in Trivandrum. Also present on the occasion were Dr V.Rao Aiyagari (PHFI), Professor Suresh Nair, Dr. V. Kalyana Krishnan, Professor K.R Thankappan, Professor V Raman Kutty and Dr. Sundar Jayasingh (SCTIMST, Trivandrum). As part of the MoU, IIPH-Delhi and SCTIMST will also be offering PhD program in Public Health, adding to its academic portfolio that already includes the Integrated MSc and PhD in Clinical Research, the Post-Graduate Diploma in Public Health Management, several distance learning and short-term training programs. Speaking on the tie-up Professor Sanjay Zodpey, Director, IIPH Delhi said: "We are delighted that IIPH Delhi has tied up with SCTIMST to launch a Masters in Public Health Programme for the academic year 2016. The programme is customised to cater to the needs of students with different levels of experience and qualifications which will enable them to further their career goals either on research, teaching and professional practice in public health in the country." Dr. Asha Kishore director SCTIMST said: "The Achutha Menon Centre for health science studies of Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, is a centre of excellence in public health research and training. The Centre has strong collaborations with several national and international public health schools and consults for several international agencies such as WHO, European Commission and World Bank." "We are excited at the prospect of working closely with PHFI-Delhi in furthering public health research and training in India. We are confident this association could strengthen the networking among Public Health schools in India and enhance student exchanges, multicentre studies and new learning and research opportunities," Dr. Kishore added. IIPH-Delhi has announced its call for applications, for the first batch of Master of Public Health being offered in the academic year July 2016 - June 2018, affiliated to Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) Trivandrum. The program is divided in four semesters over a period of two years. Students must complete 60 credits to graduate. For Indian nationals, the annual tuition fee for the students admitted in academic year 2016-17 is INR 1.38 Lakhs per student per academic year. For International candidates, the annual tuition fee for the students admitted in academic year 2016-17 is 5,060 USD per student per academic year. The degree will be awarded to successful graduates by Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Trivandrum. (ANI-NewsVoir) Let it be light between us,brothers and sisters from the Earth.Let it be love between all living beings on this Galaxy.Let it be peace between all various races and species.We love you infinitely. I am SaLuSa from Sirius Channel:Laura/Multidimensional Ocean , . . - . . . :Laura/Multidimensional Ocean The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Saturday said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA Government at the Centre and the BJP are playing and practicing'anti-Dalit' politics over the suicide of Dalit student Rohith Vemula. "Today, would have been 27th birthday of Rohith Vemula. His tragic suicide or institutional murder was a direct result of the intervention by important central ministers in the Modi cabinet, who took a stance and put pressure against young Dalit student. If there is any politics being played out in Hyderabad, it is the anti Dalit politics of the Modi government and his ministers," CPI (M) leader Brinda Karat told ANI. Meanwhile, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi is on a day-long hunger strike along with the other protesting students at the Hyderabad Central University. Rahul, who arrived here at 12.10 a.m., also participated in a candle light march by 2000 students to mark Rohith's birth anniversary last night. This is the Congress vice-president's second visit to Hyderabad since the Dalit scholar's suicide as he had visited the university on January 19 and met agitating students and Rohith's family members. (ANI) Dawn reported that the duo was held responsible for the security lapses and management. The committee said the BKU administration was unable to maintain security standards despite the fact that the Governor/chancellor had issued specific instructions to all vice chancellors in the aftermath of the Army Public School attack. The committee reportedly stated that the BKU security administration did not have the training to handle situations like one of a terrorist assault and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for both routine and terrorist attacks were absent. Committee findings also cited about the ineffective CCTV cameras and lack of coordination among the staff.(ANI) People's Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti today expressed deep grief and sorrow over the demise away of Gen (Retd) K V Krishna Rao, former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir. Ms Mufti conveyed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and prayed for the peace of the departed soul. A former Army Chief, Gen Rao served as the Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, Nagaland, Manipur and Tripura. He was the governor of Jammu and Kashmir for the first time from July 11, 1989 to January 19, 1990 and then from March 13, 1993 till May 2, 1998, when militancy was at its peak.UNI BAS SW 1729 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0134-564986.Xml It is sad and unfortunate that the North East ministers, except Assam, did not come for the review meeting. I had myself come for the meeting and invited them here to make it more convenient rather than traveling to New Delhi, Dr Heptulla said at the end of the meeting. It means that they have no interest for development of minorities, she added. Tripura has emerged as the best performer and Mizoram worst among North East states with regards to implementation of schemes for minority communities. Dr Heptulla said, "Tripura has been the best state and Mizoram is the most problematic one. Sikkim and Meghalaya are also good performing States." With regard to Assam, she said the state government had failed to submit proposals to her ministry on time and even Utilisation Certificates were delayed. Loan defaulters were also a concern area in the state, she added, urging the state government to ensure better recovery. Dr Heptulla termed the review meeting overall satisfactory and said issues raised by the States will be addressed. UNI SG KK SW VP1700 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0212-564730.Xml A local court today sentenced three men to death and three others to life in prison after convicting them in brutal gang-rape and murder of a college student, that had stirred a storm over womens safety in the state in 2013. Security was stepped up in and around the court-room as many women activists and people from village of the victim shouted slogans demanding the severest punishment for the convicts. In her order, Judge Sanchita Sarkar of City Sessions Court said, ''I award death sentence to three accused on charges of gang-rape and murder of the student and life imprisonment to three others for gang-rape, criminal conspiracy and causing disappearance of evidence. Public prosecutor Anindya Raut said, The three of the accused were convicted of gang-raping and murdering the 21-year-old woman, interfering with evidence and other charges while there others were convicted of gang-rape, criminal conspiracy and causing disappearance of evidence," he said. Two of the eight accused were acquitted on Thursday for lack of evidence. The gang had attacked the university student as she was returning to her home in Kamduni village in June, 2013. Soon after she got off the bus, the gang overpowered and dragged her to a nearby abandoned farm. She was found gagged and laying in a pool of blood with legs torn apart up to the naval and the throat slit in a field the next morning. Evidence showed she had been repeatedly raped before the brutal murder.UNI XC KK JN 1715 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0212-564751.Xml At a function held in front of the Chief Ministers Block at Assam Secretariat, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi led the state in paying homage to the martyrs of the freedom movement and Father of the Nation - Mahatma Gandhi, who attained martyrdom this day in 1948. Mr Gogoi laid a floral wreath at the portrait of the Mahatma, followed by officers and employees of the Secretariat. A two-minute silence was observed in memory of those who laid down their lives in Indias freedom movement. Salami do and Ulte Shastr were carried out by the guards followed by Shok Shastr. A siren was sounded following which vehicular traffic on city roads came to a standstill for two-minutes. Chief Secretary VK Pipersenia, Additional Chief Secretary to CM MGVK Bhanu, among others, were present on the occasion. Homage to Father of the Nation and all those who sacrificed their lives in the freedom movement. Let us imbibe their ideals to defeat the divisive, fundamentalist forces to further strengthen peace, harmony and development, Mr Gogoi tweeted. Meanwhile, Assam Freedom Fighters Association also observed Martyrs Day in the city where the Chief Minister laid the floral wreath at the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Gogoi said Mahatma Gandhi was a world leader who epitomised non-violence and under his leadership the nation attained Independence through non-violence. He further said these forces must be controlled for a tangible peace, progress and prosperity in the society. A memorandum was also submitted to the Chief Minister where office bearers of Assam State Freedom Fighters Association demanded to include the freedom fighters dependents in the pension scheme.UNI SG KK SW 1732 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0212-564897.Xml Two militants of United Achik Liberation Army (UALA) were arrested by a joint team of army and Meghalaya police from Pedaldoba village in South West Garo Hills district of Meghalaya late last night. A defence spokesperson said here today that the joint operation was launched in the village after receiving information of presence of militants in the area. Two UALA militants were held, who were identified as Binath M Sangma and Jingson B Marak. Two 9 mm Pistols and some ammunition along with one Motor Cycle and other war like stores were recovered from them.UNI SG KK SW SB1746 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0212-564900.Xml The Himalayan Times reported that speaking at a function organised at the Martyrs Memorial Park in Hetaunda-11 on the occasion of the Martyrs' Day today, President Bhandari also called on youth of the nation to work towards realising those dreams. She also offered garlands on a Martyrs Memorial Pillar and before statues of various martyrs as well as on her deceased husband Madan Kumar Bhandari at the park. She was of the opinion that republicanism in the nation was institutionalised with the promulgation of Constitution in September last year. The Head of the State also hoped that the historic charter would lead Nepal towards prosperity.(ANI) "The government should take back the land. We will carry on with our protest unless the land is taken back," said a protestor. Hema Malini's plans to start a dance academy on a plot of land in Mumbai's Andheri area have been described by an RTI activist as "land-grabbing". The Maharashtra Government allotted a 2,000-square-metre plot in the heart of Mumbai to BJP member Hema Malini, a trained Bharatanatyam dancer and a Parliamentarian from Uttar Pradesh. As per documents obtained by Right to Information (RTI) activist Anil Galgali, Hema Malini was allotted the plot worth crores of rupees for just Rs. 70,000. The land is worth at least Rs. 50 crore, according to some estimates. (ANI) Delhi Police on Saturday assured that necessary legal action would be taken against those involved in the death of a six-year old student at a school in South Delhi. "We were informed by the hospital at around 2:40 p.m. that body of a boy was brought from school. He was declared dead by the hospital. Investigation is going on and we will take necessary legal action," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Prem Nath. "It has been found out that the body was recovered from a water septic tank. We have found out that boy had gone missing around 7th period from class. The school authorities gave him first aid and then brought him to the hospital," he added. A six-year old student has been found dead in Ryan International School in Delhi's Vasant Kunj area. However, the cause of his death is yet to be known. (ANI) BISHOP DONALD LIPPERT | Catholic Diocese of Mendi LAY leaders from all the parishes and pastoral areas of the Catholic Diocese of Mendi have come together for the annual meeting of the Diocesan Pastoral Council. They were convoked by the bishop and joined by representatives of consecrated religious and the heads of the various diocesan secretariats to evaluate social conditions and pastoral practice of the past year and set the agenda for 2016. Each member had the opportunity to give a brief situation report of their parish community, then ideas were offered regarding the observance of the Jubilee of Mercy and the Golden Jubilee of the diocese. Many creative ideas were shared. In his message, Parrikar said "In the passing away of General K.V. Krishna Rao, the country has lost one of its best known military leaders. He was a visionary who led ably, inspired a generation of soldiers and initiated modernization of the Indian Army in the early 1980s. His contribution in the 1971 war and maintaining the unity and integrity of the country shall always be remembered". General Krishna Rao was appointed as Chief of Army Staff on June 1, 1981 and served in that capacity till July 1983. He was also Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, the highest appointment in the Services, during March 1982 to July 1983. From June 1984 to July 1989, General Krishna Rao was the Governor of the North Eastern States of Nagaland, Manipur and Tripura. He was also the Governor of Mizoram in June 1988 and March to July 1989. Later, General Krishna Rao was appointed as the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir during 1989-90. When a proxy war developed in Jammu and Kashmir and reached its peak, he was reappointed as Governor and served there from March 1993 to May 1998. In this capacity, he was instrumental in restoring peace and democracy in the insurgency-driven state. (ANI) By: I. Ramamohan Rao New Delhi, Jan 30 (ANI) In the passing away of General K.V. Krishna Rao, the nation has lost an eminent Army Officer who played an eminent role in the Army as also in putting down insurgency in Tripura, Nagaland and Manipur, and later in Jammu and Kashmir. During my stay in the Defence Ministry and later in Government as Principal Information Officer, I was in close contact with him . When I took over as Director of Public Relations in the Defence Ministry in 1981, he was the Chief of Army Staff. I had asked him that I would like to cover Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's address to the Army Commander's Conference, but he told me that only the Army Commanders, Defence Minister and the Prime Minister's team are permitted. He said the release will be given to me by the Army Headquarters by 5 p.m. However, after the meeting, I called on Defence Minister R.Venkataraman and asked him about the meeting. He gave me the details, the text of his speech, and what Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had told the commanders from the notes he had taken down. I prepared a release, cleared it from H.Y. Sharada Prasad in the Prime Minister's Office and the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Mr Alexander and with clearance from the Defence Secretary, released it at 5 p.m. as the Army Headquarters had not sent their copy. I was summoned to Army Chief's Office and Gen. Krishna Rao asked me where did I get the facts'' . He seemed to be annoyed. When I narrated the facts as to how I got the facts and got them cleared, he replied: "Ram, you have done a good job. My blokes would not have done as good a release as you have done.' He also told me to approach him directly any time I wanted to see him. I was the DPR (Defence) till he retired . in South Block, my office used to be below his office on the ground floor and he used to drop into my room in the evening. My association with him continued when he was a Governor in the North East and in Jammu and Kashmir . When Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi appointed him as Governor of Jammu and Kashmir in July 1989, after making a study, he said to put down the insurgency, he wanted a few paramilitary battalions. When suggested by Home Minister Buta Singh that he could use the Army, as CRPF units were required for duties during national elections which were due to he held shortly, he replied that he did not want the Army to be used in Jammu and Kashmir. The situation took a turn for the worse when the Congress lost power at the Centre and V. P. Singh took over. Following the release of militants in exchange for Rubiya Sayed, the daughter of former Home Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, and the worsening of the situation, he wanted to get an appointment with Prime Minister V.P. Singh. When there was a delay in getting the appointment, he resigned as governor. Jagmohan , who was appointed Governor, remained for a brief while and was replaced by G. C. Saxena. General Krishna Rao was reappointed Governor, when the Congress returned to power and Rajesh Pilot was appointed as the Minister of State in the Home Ministry. By that time, I had taken over as the Advisor to the Government of Jammu and Kashmir. I worked closely with him and the credit for preparing for the National Elections held in Jammu and Kashmir, and the Assembly elections should go to General Krishna Rao. He gained the confidence of the people of the state, dealt effectively with events like the police agitation, the Hazratbal crisis when militants took refuge in the holy shrine . Following the swearing in of the democratically elected government headed by Dr. Farooq Abdulla , he remained Governor for a short period and settled in Secunderabad. When he left his post as the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, he wrote in his reminicences: I accepted this assignment as I felt that the integrity of the nation being at stake. I could help in bringing back peace and reviving democracy, and I am grateful to God that He used me as his instrument to accomplish this task." Mr. I. Ramamohan Rao is a former Principal Information Officer of the Government of India. He can be reached at raoramamohan@hotmail.com (ANI) Veteran freedom fighter Dr H S Doreswamy todaysaid that youth should unite and come forward to bring thedeteriorating administrative levels in the country back on the trackas Government alone cannot act on corrupt politicians who arecontrolling them both directly and indirectly. Speaking at the Sarvodaya Day function held at the Gandhi Bhavanin Manasagangotri, Dr Doreswamy rued the growing influence ofmoneyed people in politics which should be shunned. Giving an example to highlight the influence of money inpolitics, the veteran freedom fighter cited an incident in which thethen Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa had to reportedly withdraw thetransfer of some officials in Ballari under pressure from miningbaron G Janardhan Reddy, who controlled the Government of thatperiod with his sheer money-power. Taking a dig at those criticising Mahatma Gandhi and thosefollowing his ideologies, Dr Doreswamy reiterated that it was thenon-violent agitation taken up by Gandhiji and other like-mindedpeople that resulted in India getting Independence and not by thosewith money power. At the stroke of 11 Oclock this morning, a three minute silencewas observed at all schools, colleges government offices to mark the68th Sarvodaya Day, which is also observed as Martyrs Day, to payhomage to Mahatma Gandhi, who was assassinated on this day in theyear 1948. IGP (Southern Range) B K Singh administered an oath to all thestaff to rededicate themselves to work for the welfare of the peoplewithout fear or favour and maintenance of peace and harmony not onlyin Mysuru but also across the country.UNI BSP MSP VV AK1830 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0287-564987.Xml The victim lodged a complaint with the police that she was living with her aunt (Bua) at Dera Pathana village and her uncle Satnam Singh went there to bring her to her native village Mulowali . When she was on way to her house, the accused who was on motorcycle, forcibly took her to an abandoned field and raped her, the victim alleged. Her uncle also threatened of dire consequences, if she told anybody. She brought the case to the notice of her mother, who informed the police. Police has registered a case against the accused who was absconding. Her medical examination was conducted from civil hospital here.UNI XC RJ CS1838 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-564990.Xml DCP Crime Branch, Ranjan Sharma informed here today that those booked under the MCOCA include Raju Bhadre, Diwakar Kotulwar, Ashish Kotulwar, Nitin Waghmare, Ashish Naidu, Kartik Tevar, Bharat aliasRahul Dubey, Khushal alias Jallad Thool and Nitin Patil. He said the criminals had abducted a local builder Raut on December 11, last year from Pratap Nagar police station area for ransom. The builder was later released after paying a ransom of Rs 1.75 crore. The kidnappers, while releasing the builder from their clutches, had threatened him with dire consequences in case, he informed the matter to the police. The criminals had also threatened him to kid nap his son in case he disclosed the matter to anyone. Mr Sharma said police came to know about the case, when the matter was highlighted in media and subsequently registered a case of kidnapping and extortion after contacting the victim. MCOCA charges were invoked against the criminals, in connection with the sad case here yesterday.UNI RS RB RJ SB1837 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0411-565059.Xml "Top LeT commander Abu Usama alias Zarar belonging to Pakistan occupied Kashmir was among the three militants killed by the security forces in Kupwara district today," a police official said in Srinagar. Acting on information that three LeT militants were hiding in a house in Lohar Mohalla of Dardpora (Lolab) village, personnel of the army's 28 Rashtriya Rifles and special operations group of the state police surrounded the house on Friday evening. When the security forces zeroed in on the house, the militants fired at them, triggering a gun battle. Three LeT militants, including Abu Usama, were killed in the operation. "The Pakistani militant commander was in the most wanted list of the security forces," the police official said. The house in which the guerrillas were hiding was destroyed in the gunfight. A search was launched in the area later by the security forces. --Indo-Asian News Service sq/pm/ ( 189 Words) 2016-01-30-20:17:34 (IANS) Stating that fundamentals have to be strong enough, Jaitley said that the budget has to weigh the areas of weaknesses where investments are required. Speaking at The ET Global Business Summit here, he said India should aspire for achieving economic growth rates of eight to nine percent to lift its people out of poverty. The Finance Minister also said that the Indian economy has to be put on a sounder platform as country has the potential to grow. The Finance Minister expressed hoped that the main opposition Congress will see reason and help in passage of GST Bill in the upcoming Budget session of Parliament. He said the Goods and Services Tax (GST) is an important reform of the UPA, and if he had to credit the authorship of the bill, he would give it to the Congress. Finance Minister Jaitley also said the three objections raised by the Congress are against the brain of the bill which the UPA had brought. (ANI) Bhumata Brigade chief Trupti Desai on Saturday welcomed the Aurangabad Court's order to send notices to the Union Government, the Maharashtra Government and the District administration over the Shani Shingnapur row, and termed it as a success for the struggle carried out by the organisation. "It is a success for the Bhumata Brigade's protest and struggle that notices have been sent by the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court to the parties involved in the issue,"Trupti Desai told ANI. "We welcome the court and its role. The parties should send their replies as early as possible and the gates of the temple should be opened for women," she added. Earlier today, the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court issued notices to the parties over the Shani Shingnapur row and asked them to file their replies by February 16. Meanwhile, spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has offered to help to end the ongoing impasse between women activists and locals over the entry of women in the shrine. Women members and supporters of the Bhumata Brigade arrived from Pune on Tuesday in six buses with an aim to enter the temple's sanctorum where the idol of Lord Shani is placed on an open-air platform. However, the group led by Trupti was stopped from marching towards the temple by police near Supa. They were also detained by police for some time, but released later. After being stopped by the police, Trupti said it was a "black day" for women as they were being stopped from exercising their rights. The temple drew attention in November 2015 after a woman had offered prayers at the popular shrine in "breach" of age-old practice that prohibits entry of women, after which the temple committee had to suspend seven security men and the villagers to perform purification rituals. The temple attracts millions of tourists and devotees from across the country and abroad. (ANI) In a condolence message to Narayan Rao, son of K V Krishna Rao, Mr Acharya said the General served Nagaland as the Governor, along with Manipur and Tripura from 1984 to 1989. He was also the Governor of Jammu & Kashmir and Mizoram. "We have lost a great soul who was the beacon of soldiering and iconic figure for not only for the Army, but our Nation," he said. He participated in the first war against Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir in 1947-48 and the founder instructor of the National Defence Academy, Mr Achrya recalled. In 1970-72, he commanded a Mountain Division engaged in Counter Insurgency Operations in Nagaland and Manipur. During this period, Rao's Division also participated in the 1971 war against Pakistan in the East and captured the Sylhet Area and liberated North East Bangladesh. His contributions towards the Nation will be remembered forever. In the message, Mr Acharya said, Please accept my condolences on the demise of your dear father. I pray to Almighty that the departed soul may rest in peace and may God embrace you in comfort during this difficult time. UNI AS AD RJ PR2107 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0108-565368.Xml I appreciate these resource price downturns are impacting government revenues, but they are also having a real impact on our private sector, especially on resource developers, contractors, suppliers, and on employees. The price of copper, silver and tin has halved. And the price of LNG has fluctuated to where it was in 2012, Mr ONeill told PNG Today. He has blamed PNGs increasingly dire economic problems on the downturn in commodity prices. PAPUA New Guineas prime minister Peter ONeill has admitted to PNG Today that the country is going through challenging times. Our government is not looking for business to fund shortfalls through tax increases. Know that business must continue to grow and governments cannot continue to impose constraints. To deal with the revenue reduction our government has cut recurrent and unnecessary spending. We have deferred projects that are not a priority and do all we can to return our budget to surplus. Mr ONeill went on to claim that the fundamentals of our economy are very strong, an assertion disputed by economists who say the government has not adequately addressed its budgetary problems. Economists also challenge the PNG governments view that its debt level is manageable and on a global scale is more than reasonable. In seeking to defend his governments performance a defence that did not mention the draining effects of corruption and mismanagement - Mr ONeill also made the dubious statement that Australia and New Zealand were facing similar challenges. In PNG Attitude yesterday, Opposition leader Don Polye said the government does not have any strategy to bail out the country from its economic dilemma. He [ONeill] is only good at spending, borrowing and selling sovereign bonds, Mr Polye said. Two minutes silence was observed before statue of Mahatma Gandhi at historic Ridge ground in mark of respect to national father. Chief Parliamentary Secretary Nand Lal, Mayor of Shimla Municipal Corporation Sanjay chauan, Local MLA Suresh Bhardwaj, Deputy Mayor Tekinder Singh Panwar, Deputy Commission er Dinesh Malhotra were prominent who paid floral tribute on his occasion. Mr Lal said the independence movement was spearheaded by Mahatma Gandhi and his teachings of non-violence and truth would always remain relevant to the mankind. Students of various school and artists of state public relation department also sung devotional Bhajan of Gandhiji.UNI ML RJ SB2115 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-565409.Xml The Head Constable today confessed of killing a former militant in a stage mannered event. Speaking to the media here at the Press Club, Thounoujam Herojit Singh said he killed the former insurgent after getting an order from the then Addl SP, A K Jhalajit Singh, who is now serving as SP, Imphal West. He had earlier confessed to his involvement in the case whichoccurred on July 23, 2009 at the heart of the city. He said eight other police personnel who were suspended forinvolvement in the case were not involved. Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam said the Government is ready to provide security if Herojit requests to the government. Mr M Tombi, President of JD (U) said SP Imphal West District Dr A K Jhaljit be put under suspension during the period of investigation and actions should be taken up against then DGP Y Joykumar, who is now a member of BJP. He urged president BJP Manipur Pradesh to expel the accused DGP.UNI NS AD AY RJ PR2215 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0108-565460.Xml Leading Indian and world renowned scientists will assemble on the campus of Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences tomorrow to discuss the challenges being faced by the Himalayan Ecology during the 2-day International Dialogue on Himalayan Ecology. The event is being organized by international study circle, Dialogue Highway in collaboration with Center of Research on Himalayan Sustainability and Development, Shoolini University. The event will bring together experts, academicians, policy makers, environmentalists,scientists, activists, students, speakers and civil society leaders on the same platform.The Dialogue Highway Trust is headed by an internationally known food policy expert, Devinder Sharma, who has addressed nine parliaments and delivered lectures in 74 countries. The dialogue will be presided over by Harish Rawat, Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, and will also see the participation of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) Chairman, Justice Swatanter Kumar. Judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Himachal Pradesh High Court, six vice-chancellors and directors of 10 institutes working on different aspects of ecology will also attend the event. Famous French painter Michel Granger,Padma awardee environmentalists, MC Mehta and Anil Joshi, will also grace the event. The two day event will have NGT Chairman Justice Swatanter Kumar as the Chief Guest while Justice Surya Kant of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and Justice Sanjeev Karol of the Himachal Pradesh High Court will be the Guest of Honour. Six technical sessions are scheduled to be held over two days and will be held in the presence of members of the judiciary who very often have to hear cases related to the environment. On Sunday the first technical session with the theme: Environment & Development will have Prof Arun Grover, Vice Chancellor, Panjab University, Chandigarh as the Chairman and Dr Shekhar Pathak of PAHAR, Nanital as the lead speaker. The second and third session will be on the theme Water Resource and Climate Change respectively.The second day will also see three sessions on theme Mountain Agriculture, Forests and Biodiversity and Towards a Himalayan Model.Spread over Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, China, Nepal and Bhutan, the Himalayas stretch to about 2,400 kms, carrying about 15,000 glaciers in its lap and is considered to be the third largest deposit of ice outside Arctic and Antarctica. The Himalayas are a unique repository of biodiversity, ecology and culture. It is one of the worlds biggest resource of fresh water. In Himachal Pradesh, where 249 glacial lakes have been identified, of which 11 are considered to be potentially dangerous. The goal of the dialogue is to bring people from different arena to discuss the challenges and possible solutions to the threats faced by Himalayan ecological balance. Prof PK Khosla, Vice Chancellor, Shoolini University and Devinder Sharma, Managing Trustee, Dialogue Highway, are very enthusiastic about the outcome of this event and are hoping to discuss and draw guidelines which can help in formulation of policy by the government. UNI XC VJ RJ PR2310 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-565404.Xml Tareena Shakil, a 26-year-old woman from Burton-upon-Trent in England, was found guilty of being a member of IS and encouraging acts of terrorism at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday, Xinhua reported. The mother boarded a plane to Turkey in October 2014 with her young boy, where she then crossed the border into Syria and spent the next three months there, police said. "She denied joining Daesh but her membership was proven as a result of enquiries carried out by the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit and other agencies," West Midlands Police said in a statement. Police noted that detectives were able to show Shakil had become a member of the extremist group and was set to become a jihadi bride. A photograph uncovered by police showed her posing in Syria underneath an IS flag. She was arrested by counter-terrorism officers when she returned to Britain on February 18 in 2015 after landing at Heathrow Airport, while her son was taken into care, police said. The woman was also found guilty of sending a series of tweets before she left the Britain "encouraging the public to commit acts of terrorism", police added. --Indo-Asian News Service vr/ ( 237 Words) 2016-01-30-03:57:34 (IANS) Spanish Princess Cristiana, the youngest sister of King Felipe VI of Spain, will have to return to the dock with the other 17 defendants of the "Caso Noos" corruption trial on February 9. Cristiana had tried to avoid standing trial for tax avoidance by evoking what is known as the "Botin doctrine", but her final appeal was rejected by the provincial court in Palma de Mallorca on Friday, according to Xinhua. In 2007, Emilio Botin, the former president of Spanish banking group Banco Santander, was able to avoid trial for fraud because accusations levelled against him came from a private source rather than the Spanish state prosecutor's office or the treasury. Cristiana's defence lawyers argued the charges against the princess came from the trade union Manos Limpios (Clean Hands). However, the three judges at the Court in Palma decided on Friday that Manos Limpias did have the right to press charges against the princess. She becomes the first member of the Spanish royal family to face charges which could theoretically lead to an eight-year prison sentence. The Noos case is over the dealings of the Noos Institute, a supposedly non-profit making institution set up by Cristina's husband, Inaki Urdangarin and his partner, Diego Torres. Noos is accused of embezzling 6.2 million euros ($6.7 million) for organising sporting and social events with some of the money siphoned off through a company called Aizoon of which Cristiana and her husband were the directors. Over 360 witnesses have been called to testify and 600 journalists accredited to cover the trial which is expected to last around six months. --Indo-Asian News Service vr/ ( 281 Words) 2016-01-30-04:29:34 (IANS) Pakistan's Sindh Rangers Chief Major Gen Bilal Akbar disclosed on Friday about the arrest of a senior Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader in a raid by the paramilitary force. According to the Dawn, his announcement was made to establish his claim about the success by the paramilitary forces in restoring peace to some extent in Karachi, however, he rejected the idea of direct role in governance, saying 'it's not our job'. "We are here with a purpose. Our job is to provide security and enforce law. Governance is not our job," he said. The Rangers Chief stressed on the role of his force, the "successful results" achieved and challenges of the Karachi operation. "Even political parties have recognised the fact that the ratio of crime in Karachi has gone incredibly down due to this operation. We have busted criminal gangs and arrested a number of assassins and dozens of militants during the operation which led to peace in the city. Only recently we have arrested a key leader of Taliban who was operating under three fake identities. His arrest is a big achievement and it suggests our strong ground intelligence and operational capability," the Rangers Chief was quoted as saying. The Rangers DG shared two names - Dawood Mehsood and Bilal Mehsood - of the Taliban leader who had multiple identities to deceive law enforcement and intelligence agencies. (ANI) Last January, long lines formed outside health clinics in Recife, a city in Brazil's northeast hit hard in recent years by outbreaks of dengue, a painful tropical disease.Doctors were on guard because federal health officials and the World Health Organization (WHO) had warned 2015 would be a bad year for dengue and possibly another viral disease, chikungunya, both spread by the same type of mosquito.But the symptoms of the hundreds of people seeking treatment did not fit dengue. Instead of high fevers and intense muscular aches that dengue is known to cause, patients were running only slight temperatures and complaining of joint pain. Many had rashes sooner than with dengue and chikungunya."We knew this was something else," says Carlos Brito, a doctor from Recife who told state and federal health authorities in January-February last year that they were wrong to classify all the cases as dengue. "But the authorities were slow to believe," he said.Kleber Luz, a physician in Natal, a city 300 km up the Atlantic coast, says he gave similar feedback but got the same response. The two - who were part of a group of doctors discussing the odd symptoms in text messages - grew frustrated with the authorities' narrow focus. They asked the federal health ministry to broaden its search beyond viruses known in the area.It took until early May for the health ministry to recognize that the Zika virus had arrived in Brazil and to alert the WHO's regional arm, the Washington-based Pan American Health Organization. And it wasn't until November that a Rio de Janeiro laboratory made a link between the virus and microcephaly, which can lead to abnormally small brains in developing babies.The WHO has been lambasted in the past couple of years by scientists, aid organizations, and public health experts for the slow way in which it initially reacted to the Ebola epidemic as it spread across West Africa in 2014. And so far, the hesitant response to the Zika outbreak, which has created the worst global health scare since Ebola, says much about the difficulties that the WHO and other health authorities face in combating unexpected public health threats.EXPLODING ACROSS THE REGIONOn Dec. 1, the WHO cited the lab evidence linking Zika to microcephaly in an advisory to its member countries. It will consider on Monday whether to declare an international emergency.The WHO said in Geneva on Thursday that Zika in the last few months has spread "explosively" to more than 20 other countries in the Americas and could infect as many as 4 million people.Whether the health authorities in Brazil and the leadership at the WHO have taken too long to get to this point is a subject of debate within the international health community.The Brazilian government says its response when it was first alerted by the doctors about the unusual symptoms they were seeing was driven by the evidence."It was too early," said Claudio Maierovitch, director of the health ministry's Department of Communicable Disease Surveillance. "There are so many other viral possibilities and Zika had never been seen in this hemisphere."And he said that when Zika was identified, the authorities' response was based on knowledge of the disease. Previous outbreaks of Zika, a virus first identified in 1947 in Uganda, had occurred in small and scattered rural populations in Africa and Southeast Asia and the symptoms were relatively benign."We based our response on the scientific knowledge available, that Zika caused a mild illness without major complications," said Maierovitch. "But as soon as we saw that there was an association with microcephaly, we reacted in record time."Critics say that the WHO has been slow to act after the link between Zika and microcephaly was made, and should have declared an emergency as soon as that was determined. "My chief criticism is of WHO in Geneva. After being widely condemned for acting late on Ebola, it is now sitting back with Zika," said Lawrence O. Gostin, a professor of public health law at Georgetown University, who has worked with the WHO and written extensively about pandemics and policy.WHO officials say the agency's response to Zika is driven by science, and they point out that much remains unclear, including the precise nature of any link between Zika and microcephaly."In any unfolding crisis you're dealing with a lot of uncertainty," Bruce Aylward, the WHO's assistant director-general, told reporters on Thursday.Since October, 4,180 cases of microcephaly have been reported in Brazil but only 270 have so far been confirmed, with just six so far linked by the government to Zika. Of the rest, 3,448 are still being investigated through a long process involving clinical research, laboratory testing and monitoring of the infants' development, and 462 were dismissed as not being microcephaly.Following the spread of the disease is difficult. Many of those who get Zika can recover quickly from only mild symptoms, and across the Americas, hospitals do not have the clinical testing materials to quickly and definitively determine whether a patient is infected."I THINK IT'S ZIKA"Luz, the Natal doctor, may have been the first person to make a link between the symptoms his patients had shown and Zika.After poring over scientific literature about a 2013 outbreak in French Polynesia, Luz in early March sent a text to a WhatsApp group for doctors, declaring: "I think it's Zika." He compared the symptoms he had seen with those reported in that outbreak.Soon, several doctors in the same region began collecting blood samples from patients and sent them to various laboratories for analysis. On April 30, a laboratory at the Federal University of Bahia, also in Brazil's northeast, said it had identified the presence of Zika in samples from one patient.The health ministry alerted state governments.On May 2, it notified PAHO. The notification put a Zika outbreak on record at the WHO.On May 7, PAHO issued an "epidemiological alert" saying "public health authorities of Brazil are investigating a possible transmission of the Zika virus."But concern remained limited mostly to the contagiousness of Zika, rather than whether it could be a serious threat. In its alert, PAHO wrote: "Complications (neurological, autoimmune) are rare."'REAL ANGUISH'In late May, Brito received a call from a Recife neurologist who noticed a surge of new patients with symptoms of Guillain-Barr, a little-understood autoimmune syndrome that can weaken the muscles and cause paralysis.Brito interviewed the patients, many of whom said they had previously suffered a light fever, joint pain and rashes. He collected blood samples and by June a laboratory had used genetic testing to find traces of the Zika virus."It was real anguish," Brito said of the patient's suffering and the wait for official confirmation of Zika's presence.But despite the results, there was no proof to show that it was Zika causing the syndrome. Neither the Brazilian health ministry nor PAHO heightened warnings.By September, the chat groups among doctors were abuzz over a spike in the number of babies born with microcephaly.Many mothers of affected babies recalled having Zika-type symptoms.In October, Adriana Melo, an obstetrician in the nearby state of Paraiba, noticed troubling signs in sonograms of a 34-year-old expectant mother.There were calcium deposits in the developing baby's brain, a possible sign of viral infection. The cerebellum, the part of the brain crucial for motor control, was shrinking.Melo phoned the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, a public health institute in Rio de Janeiro, and got a lab there to test the patient's amniotic fluid.By then, the number of babies born with microcephaly was surging. The health ministry, now more alarmed, declared a national emergency on Nov. 11 and in public comments mentioned that there were possible ties between the condition and Zika.The WHO was not yet ready to draw the same parallels.On November 17, the Rio lab said it had found the virus in the amniotic fluid. On Nov. 28, after lab tests from another baby, Brazil's government confirmed the link between the virus and microcephaly.Starting Nov. 30, WHO deployed a small team of researchers from PAHO's Washington headquarters to Brazil.On December 1, PAHO issued a new advisory, warning countries in the region of the link between the virus and microcephaly. Two months later, the WHO is considering whether to declare an international emergency."You have to gather the data," says Marcos Espinal, director of the department of communicable diseases at PAHO, dismissing criticism that the regional body or headquarters could have moved any sooner.REUTERS CJ RAI1222 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-564225.Xml Ten people drowned while 43 others were rescued after a boat carrying migrants to Greece sank off Turkey's western coast, Turkish news agency Dogan reported today.More than one million refugees and migrants arrived by land and sea in the European Union last year and some 3,600 died or went missing.The Turkish coast guard was continuing search and rescue efforts where the boat sank off the coast of Ayvacik, a town across from the Greek island of Lesvos. It was not immediately clear how many migrants had been on board.Five of those killed were children, the Dogan news agency said, and rescued migrants were hospitalised with hypothermia symptoms. It said the migrants were of Syrian, Afghan and Myanmar origin.Around 500,000 refugees from the five-year-old war in Syria travelled through Turkey and then risked their lives at sea to reach Greek islands in 2015. Despite the winter conditions and rough seas, the exodus has continued, albeit at a slower pace.Turkey is the first stop on Syrian migrants' journey to the European Union.Turkey struck a deal with the EU in November pledging to help stem the flow of migrants to Europe in return for 3 billion euros (3.3 billion dollars) in financial aid for the 2.5 million Syrian refugees it is hosting, as well as renewed talks on joining the 28-nation bloc.REUTERS DS CS1511 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0177-564567.Xml Russian air strikes on Syria have killed nearly 1,400 civilians since Moscow started its aerial campaign nearly four months ago, a group monitoring the war said today.The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which collects information from a network of sources on the ground, said the Russian strikes had also killed 965 Islamic State fighters as well as 1,233 fighters from various other insurgent groups.The main Syrian opposition group heading to Geneva peace talks today has demanded a halt to a joint Russian and Syrian bombing campaign they say targets mostly civilians in rebel held areas as a pre-condition for engaging in talks with the Syrian government.Russia began a major aerial campaign on September 30 to help its ally Syrian President Bashar al Assad. The air strikes tilted the war in Assad's way after major setbacks earlier in 2015 brought rebel groups close to the coastal heartland of his Alawite sect.Moscow says it is targeting Islamic State militants but rebels and residents say the Russian air strikes are causing hundreds of civilian casualties in indiscriminate bombing of civilian areas away from the frontline.REUTERS DS CS1620 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0177-564744.Xml At least 33 people drowned and 75 others were rescued after a boat carrying migrants to Greece sank off Turkey's western coast, a local mayor and Turkish news agency Dogan reported today.The Turkish coast guard was continuing search and rescue efforts where the boat sank off the coast of Ayvacik, a town across from the Greek island of Lesvos. It was not immediately clear how many migrants had been on board."At least 33 people are dead but I am afraid the numbers will rise as divers continue the search," Mehmet Unal Sahin, the mayor of Ayvacik, told CNNTurk news channel by phone."Local people woke up to the sound of screaming migrants and we have been carrying out rescue work since dawn. We have an 80-kilometre-long coast just across from Lesvos, which is very hard to keep under control."At least five of those who died were children, the Dogan news agency said, and rescued migrants were hospitalised with hypothermia symptoms. It said the migrants were of Syrian, Afghan and Myanmar origin.More than one million refugees and migrants arrived by land and sea in the European Union last year and some 3,600 died or went missing.Around 500,000 refugees from the five-year-old war in Syria travelled through Turkey and then risked their lives at sea to reach Greek islands in 2015. Despite the winter conditions and rough seas, the exodus has continued, albeit at a slower pace.Turkey is the first stop on Syrian migrants' journey to the European Union.Turkey struck a deal with the EU in November pledging to help stem the flow of migrants to Europe in return for 3 billion euros (3.3 billion dollars) in financial aid for the 2.5 million Syrian refugees it is hosting, as well as renewed talks on joining the 28-nation bloc. REUTERS DS SB1727 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0177-564934.Xml Its that time of year again, when mutterings of weekend getaways and date nights are heard in our tasting rooms. As Valentines Day approaches, the wineries are gearing up for a weekend of sweets and I dont just mean wine. Many of our member wineries host Valentines Day events for friends, couples and dynamic duos of any kind. Throughout the weekend, starting on Friday the 12th, Americana Vineyards offers Chocolate, Wine & Roses, its annual Valentine's Day weekend celebration. Customers are given a complimentary rose with any purchase in the winery or cafe and offered wine-and-fudge pairings at the tasting counter. Then, on both Saturday and Sunday, take advantage of the biggest red wine sale of the year: the Sweetheart of a Red Wine Sale at both Swedish Hill and Goose Watch wineries. The wineries are just minutes apart and both are owned by the Peterson family. For the perfect pairing, bring your valentine to sample featured red wines and receive a complimentary dessert at both locations. Experience the range of styles and flavors of their red wines, from dry to sweet, oak-aged or stainless steel. If your sweetheart loves red wine, this is a must-do. While you are out tasting, and if you plan to visit both Swedish Hill and Goose Watch, its also Sweet Sensation Weekend at Varick Winery & Vineyard, which is between the two. Enjoy fine wines paired with complimentary tasty treats such as cheesecake, apple pie, chocolate and brownies. Satisfy your sweet tooth all day long. Looking for a romantic dinner for two? Check out the Starry Starry Night Wine Dinner prepared by Executive Chef John McNabb at Knapps Vineyard Restaurant. With twinkle lights and flickering candles, your date is guaranteed to think theyre on the set of a romantic movie. Chef McNabb promises to create a special dinner that is way better than roses and chocolates. This five-course meal is paired with premium wines from Knapp Winery and others from the Finger Lakes region. Advance tickets can be purchased at knappwine.com. If youre not interested in all the hubbub of the Valentines Day theme, Americana Vineyards is still hosting its Friday night concert series with The Zydeco Trail Riders, with Greg Grodem on vocals and accordions, Jim Reidy on guitar, Ted Oberhaus on bass, Stuart Krasnoff on drums and Sally Freund on rubboard. On Sunday night, catch Blue Skies, known for its acoustic interpretations of vintage jazz and blues standards. Its musical style is a mixture of Paris hot club, New York City cabaret and Dixieland blues with some "old-fashioned string band" thrown in, all done on violin, mandolin, acoustic guitars and bass with combinations of solo and harmony vocals. The concerts are free, and I highly recommend the grilled cheese for dinner. With cheddar, gruyere, goat cheese, smoked Gouda and tomato on sourdough, I often refer to it as life-changing." If you traveled a ways to visit and might want to make a weekend out of it, I highly recommend picking up a new 2016 Vino Visa Coupon Book. Along with discounts from the wineries and local attractions, there are coupons for area accommodations in Seneca Falls, Ithaca, Romulus and Ovid. I would also be remiss to mention that were once again participating in Ithaca Loves Teachers Winter Recess, celebrating school teachers with a well-deserved discount. From Feb. 13 to 21 the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail is offering teachers $5 off a $35 wine purchase at any of the 16 member wineries. For those of you who might be busy on the weekend of Valentines Day, the trail is hosting the 14th annual Mardi Gras Celebration the following weekend, Feb. 20 and 21. There will be wine, prizes, food and fun at all 16 member wineries. Presale tickets are going fast. Its probably also a great time for me to mention that Bacon on the Lakein was such a hit the first year that were definitely having another. The dates are set for March 19 and 20, and weve already sold a significant amount of tickets. Transportation and accommodation packages are available for all events, making them the perfect gift for your valentine. More details can be found on cayugawinetrail.com and by calling the office at (800) 684-5217. Rwandan police have arrested several people suspected of being linked to Islamic State, less than a week after the police killed a preacher accused of encouraging youths to join the militant group.Police declined to say exactly how many people were arrested but said at least some of the suspects they had been pursuing had fled the country.On Monday, police detained Muhammad Mugemangango, the deputy imam at Kigali's Kimironko Mosque, and accused him of recruiting for the Islamic State, which is fighting in Iraq and Syria.Mugemangango was shot and killed while attempting to escape, police said.In a news conference today, police said that evidence obtained after Mugemangango's detention had led them to identify several other suspects. The group's aim had been to recruit new Islamic State members, the police said.They also seized jihadist preaching materials such as books, CDs and social network messages.After news of Mugemangango's death broke, the country's main Muslim association, Rwanda Muslims, said it planned to circulate messages condemning radicalization to all of Rwanda's mosques.Most Rwandans are Christian. Muslims account for about 2.5 per cent of population. REUTERS DS VP1750 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0177-564981.Xml The Serbian prime minister sent a letter to parliament today asking it to dismiss Defence Minister Bratislav Gasic over a sexist remark to a female reporter.Gasic, who is also a senior official in Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party, triggered public outrage and protests from journalists last December after remarking to a crouching female reporter: "I love these journalists who kneel so easily."A government statement said Vucic presented a letter to lawmakers seeking Gasic's dismissal at an urgent session of parliament session next Friday."Prime Minister Vucic thanked Gasic for his very good results in terms of combat readiness of the military...and the development of the defence industry, but he believes that words he used could not and should be not used in public," it said.Vucic also asked Finance Minister Dusan Vujovic to be acting Defence Minister until a new one was appointed.Gasic's removal will have little effect on Serbia's ruling coalition, which faces snap elections this spring, in which the Progressive Party is seen as a front-runner. REUTERS DS VP1833 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0177-565062.Xml The minuscule Marshall Islands, situated in the Pacific Ocean, has registered a case against India, Pakistan and Britain in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing the trio of failing to halt the nuclear arms race.According to The Guardian, ICJ announced late yesterday that separate hearings in the three cases would be held between March 7-16.In the cases brought against India and Pakistan, the court will examine whether the tribunal based in The Hague is competent to hear the lawsuits.The hearing involving Britain will be devoted to 'preliminary objections' raised by London.A decision will be made at a later date as to whether the cases can proceed, it said.In 2014, the Marshall Islands, having a population of 55,000, accused China, Britain, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia and the United States, of ''not fulfilling their obligations with respect to the cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament''.The government, based in the Marshall Islands capital of Majuro, said by not stopping the nuclear arms race, the countries continued to breach their obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), even if the treaty has not been signed by countries such as India and Pakistan, the English daily reported.The Marshall Islands had decided to sue the world's nuclear heavyweights as ''it has a particular awareness of the dire consequences of nuclear weapons'', it said.Between 1946 and 1958, the United States conducted repeated nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands, Majuro's representatives said in papers, filed in the court, according to The Guardian.UNI XC RJ JN 2036 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0098-565370.Xml Egypt's interior ministry denied today making any arrests in connection with the crash of a Russian passenger plane in Sinai last October that killed all 224 people on board. Sources familiar with the matter had told Reuters on Friday that an Egypt Air mechanic whose cousin joined Islamic State in Syria is suspected of planting a bomb on the plane and had been arrested along with two airport policemen and a baggage handler suspected of helping him put the bomb on board. "Contrary to recent media speculation, we can categorically confirm that there have been no arrests in connection to the ongoing investigations into the causes of the Metrojet crash," the Interior Ministry said. Russia and Western countries have said they believe the flight was brought down by a bomb smuggled on board. Egypt has so far publicly said it has not found any evidence of foul play. Any formal charges or official Egyptian confirmation that a bomb brought down the Airbus A321 could potentially expose Egypt to compensation payments to the families of the victims. Islamic State's online magazine carried a photo of a soft drink can that it said had been used to make an improvised bomb that brought down the airliner. Egypt is facing an Islamist insurgency in Sinai where hundreds of soldiers and police have been killed at the hands of militants. REUTERS AY PR2254 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0352-565514.Xml I usually enjoy reading The Citizens Lake Life columns from the communitys religious leaders. They provide a fresh perspective on how to better oneself. However, I found last Sundays Lake Life article on gender equality nothing more than a shameless attempt to discredit Islam, Judaism and Christianity. The author of the article, the Rev. Dr. Stanley Sears, begins by decrying the string of sexual assaults by male Islamic refugees on young German women this past New Year's Eve. His observation resonates with anyone with a simple moral compass. However, his essay quickly veers off the path of reason when he says, rape is but a symptom of poor theology and moral teachings on the issue of gender If rape were a symptom of poor theology then how does one explain atheists, agnostics and nonreligious who commit the crime of rape? What about the rapists with mental health issues? To suggest rape is a symptom of poor theology is simply a sloppy statement. Sadly, Sears wayward thinking doesnt stop there. He proceeds with a non-sequitur argument linking rape with Islam (they) were programmed to behave this way... and then subtly suggests Judaism and Christianity are really no different: "Some deeply religious Jewish men awaken in the morning with a prayer that says, 'Thank you God for not making me a woman.'" Apparently, Sears is unfamiliar with the history of the Birkhot Hashahar (morning blessings) or its meaning. This prayers origin dates back to the Roman persecution of the Jews who murdered Jewish men for worship and enslaved Jewish women. The great Jewish leader and martyr, Rabbi Akiva, encouraged the Jewish men to remain faithful and face death with bravery by thanking God for making them men with a death sentence. Contrary to Sears' distorted claim, Jewish men recite this prayer every morning as a reminder to remain confident and faithful to Gods will and boldly face the challenges of the day. Sears next turns his attack on Christianity, stating, In a perverse and ironic attempt at downplaying male sexual desire, it is common to read religious teachings that blame male sexual misbehavior on women. This, of course, goes all the way back to the early chapters of the biblical book of Genesis. Predictably, Sears offers no tangible evidence to support his claim, but runs his criticism on a weak and obscure reference to scripture. He then goes on to point out that Catholic nuns wear clothing similar to that of Muslim women. The radical difference that Sears fails to mention is that nuns freely chose to wear these garments, as they have offered their lives to God and to remain virgins. These women freely accept their habits and were always free to leave their convents at any time. For the good reverend this somehow is distasteful. In the final analysis, Sears article is just one more example of the dangerous cocktail of flabby thinking and polemics that has poisoned our society. That type of thinking leads to bad religion. Bad religion tells people what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear. Bad religion distorts scripture and tradition to rationalize morals that jive with wants of the people. The cost? The truth. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Matt 7:15 SKANEATELES | More than 50 people meandered down to Clift Park to watch the lighting of the Fire and Ice Tower Friday. This is the fourth year the chimney-like structure made from cut and etched ice has signaled the start of Winterfest in Skaneateles. Newly elected town supervisor and Skaneateles Sunrise Rotary Club member Jim Lanning officiated as ice sculptor Stan Kolonko lit his piece of artwork with a propane torch. You want to make sure the fire starts, Kolonko said. Its filled with the driest pine sticks I can find. He learned to create ice sculptures while attending the Culinary Institute of America. After working as a chef for many years, he recently opened HobKnob in downtown Auburn. Alan and Joyce Methelis are Florida residents who summer in Skaneateles. Actually, Joyce has summered in Skaneateles since she was girl; after marrying Alan, she converted him to Skaneateles summers, too. Alan even joined the Sunrise Rotary, the Winterfest sponsor, and with that obligation the couple makes it a point to come back to Skaneateles each Winterfest weekend to lend a hand. John Rooney said the fire usually burns for 45 minutes, but this year the ice cracked after 15 minutes and five minutes later the flames had turned to smoke. Rooney met with the fire department with Rotary's plans ahead of time and was advised to have fire extinguishers just in case. But in a snow-covered park, 22 degree parkland, with a lake full of open water and light snow falling, the extinguishers were definitely just a precaution. Skaneateles Noah and Emily Hanners were standing fireside with their three little boys, who were entranced by the fire. Emily said the whole family will attend the festivities in the village Saturday. Each year Kolonko also carves ice sculptures for area business that stand on display outside as long as Mother Nature allows. People are invited to stroll through the village to enjoy the sculptures and try tastings from each restaurant for a small fee that is donated to the Sunrise Rotary. SKANEATELES | No matter your hankering be it soup, cookies, chips, wine or cheese businesses in downtown Skaneateles had it covered. Saturday's Taste of Skaneateles is in its fifth or sixth year, according to John Rooney, president of the Skaneateles Sunrise Rotary Club. With about 30 different samples to choose from, it's one way to satisfy a hungry appetite. "Usually they're generous portions," Rooney said. "After about three or four tastings, you're usually full." Town Supervisor of Skaneateles Jim Lanning said Winterfest, the main event that includes the tasting, is the club's biggest fundraiser of the year. Now in its 12th year, Winterfest includes the tastings, ice sculptures, a scavenger hunt with prizes and a polar bear plunge. He said it's a great partnership between the club and local businesses. "We sell the tickets, and they get a little advertising and good will," Lanning said. There were some new participants with fare to share including Finger Lakes On Tap, which passed out tap pretzels and popcorn to guests. Twenty-seven area business participated in the tasting, including Vermont Green Mountain Specialty Co. Jennifer Scherrer works at the store, and handed out their popular fudge bars, chocolate-covered gingerbread men, ginger bread peeps and coconut cocoa tea. Scherrer said the tasting was bringing in a lot of business, especially once the day's Polar Plunge finished up. Crowds swarmed into the shops and restaurants to warm up inside and out. "It's like deja vu," she said of the crowd gathering inside the coffee and sweets shop. "It's like Christmas all over again." Proceeds from the day's events go to various charities that the Sunrise Rotary Club gives to including the Rotary Youth Exchange, the Sea Scouts Program, local food pantries and Honor Flight Syracuse, a group that flies veterans to Washington D.C. to see the war memorials. Rooney said he expects to raise several thousand dollars, which the club will distribute among the charities as needed. "We're just happy to have people come out and enjoy the winter, to walk around and have fun," Rooney said. There are two sides to every story and the ongoing debate over the statewide $15-per-hour minimum wage boost is a prime example. As expected, there are countless New Yorkers across the state who have virtually doubled down on supporting the sharp boost, even though many school business officials warn that the increase could put their district in a financial bind, likely to result in a severe loss of jobs. Still, unions and coalition groups have been lobbying for the $15 rate for all workers. Those same groups held a series of rallies across the Empire State with enthusiastic demonstrations in Albany, Rochester, Buffalo and Binghamton. While it's thoroughly understandable that the teachers' union (NYSUT) would argue it's entitled to more pay, it is inevitable that the governor's proposal could increase the pressure and burden on the already cash-strapped school districts. In those areas, it would be hard to raise the necessary revenues because of the current property tax cap. Ironically, some fast food employees themselves have served up yet another reason to take a cautious approach in the better pay scheme. Some waitresses in the Buffalo-Niagara area have raised their own concerns whether the bigger paychecks will impact the amount of tips customers now leave. We're not against giving any worker a reasonable pay raise, but such a sharp boost deserves a closer look at the effect on the communities involved. The Niagara Gazette Federal student loan and grant programs have not made college more affordable. They have merely provided billions of dollars in taxpayer money to help pay for it. President Barack Obama wants to add $2 billion a year to that price tag by expanding the Pell Grant program. Congress should say no. Pell grants already provide $29 billion a year in assistance to college students, with few, if any, strings attached to prod higher education to hold down costs. Incredibly, part of Obama's idea is to pay grant recipients $300 to reward them if they take 15 or more credits' worth of work in a semester. Why not insist on that as a requirement for any assistance, unless special circumstances are involved? Making college more affordable is a laudable, vital goal but Obama's proposal would not do it. Last summer, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan suggested the government should be paying more attention to whether students are getting their money's worth at colleges and universities. Federal aid involving higher education should focus "on whether students are actually graduating in a timely way with a meaningful degree," he explained. Apparently Obama and liberals in Congress were not listening. Duncan may well have had ideas such as the president's in mind when he suggested that current higher education policy is "merely finding better ways of paying for an unsustainable status quo." The Post-Journal, Jamestown President Barack Obama wants us to believe anti-American Iranian officials are our friends, now. They can be trusted, he insists. Iran has released four Americans held captive for years, in exchange for the United States turning over seven Iranians accused of various misdeeds. Robert Levinson was not among the Americans set free. He is the FBI agent, allegedly on a mission for the CIA, who disappeared in Iran in 2007. During the past nine years, there has been a substantial amount of discussion about Levinson between the two countries. Now they say they didn't turn Levinson over because they don't have him. In fact, they don't know where he is, the Iranians claim. And we're supposed to believe and trust these people? The Leader-Herald, Gloversville Regardless of medium, whether molding sheet metal, layering oil paint or etching into limestone, an artist must first develop technique. Their approach displays to the world what they believe a mark should make in style and subject. For decades, the annual School of Art Exhibition at Northern Arizona University has given students and the community a peek into what the School of Art instructors have been up to throughout the year in their own studios. Dr. George Speer, NAU Art Museum curator, noted the exhibition lends a spotlight to the faculty members approaches thematically, materially and methodically. "It's always helpful to remember that the individual faculty members, in addition to being dedicated teachers, are professionals who must constantly challenge themselves to try new approaches," he said. The community is invited to the Spring 2016 School of Art Faculty Exhibition, which runs through March 11. The exhibition opens Feb. 2 with a reception Thursday, Feb. 4 from 5-7 p.m. To learn more, call 523-3471 or visit nau.edu/cal/art-museum. An artistic chorus These exhibitions have brought new voices to bear upon the visual arts in our region, building on the strength of long-standing faculty members who have contributed so much," Speer added of the 2015-206 exhibitions. Of the 14 artists represented, one new voice emanates from Judith Baumann, foundations instructor, who is showing for the first time. Maureen Costa, who also teaches foundations, has shown in previous iterations of the exhibition. Were really starting to see her work develop from some of the first few pieces we saw her bring in two or three years ago, said museum manager, Ty Miller, of her painted wood sculptures. Miller noted with the faculty show, museum staff rarely know exactly whats to come until the boxes are unpacked. The task is then to define connections between the pieces to establish a determined flow to the exhibition. The themes of this exhibition follow subject matter largely inspired by the local landscape but also texture. For the people One longstanding voice in the exhibition is printmaking professor David R. Williams. His three lithographic prints contrast the texture of Steve Schaeffers smooth ceramic platters, Cloud Series, which hang to their right. Williams has shown in every faculty art exhibition since he arrived at NAU 18 years ago. From drawings etched in limestone, Williams images tackle a host of social statements. 1 in 10 depicts a swath of sweeping figures with only one distinguishable from the crowd, and notes the statistic of the disenfranchised. Forgotten Dreams shares a scene from a homeless shelter. A man lie on the ground, dreaming of himself as a child. When youre a kid you think youre going to be someone and when youre an adult it doesnt always work that way, Williams explained. The third, 99 percent, examines the surge of the Occupy movement. And for each, the artist said his social statements are perfectly communicated in the print medium. Printmaking has always been considered the art form of the masses. From the Russian Revolution, Chinese and Mexican Revolutions, Nazi propaganda posters all through history prints have always been part of social statements because you can mass produce them, Williams explained. Prints also signified education, he added. Before Johannes Gutenberg introduced movable type to Europe in 1439, wealthy people were the only group able to afford books. Printmaking has such a strong, rich history, Williams noted. Its been around for thousands of years, actually, since the Chinese pretty much invented it when they started working with wood block. Principles of process Williams brings these truths into the classroom where he teaches all types of printmaking. He said in any semester, he can have from 18 to 20 students per class. At the moment, eight art students at NAU are pursuing a major in printmaking. It takes a particular type pf person, he said of printmakers. Its a very processed art form. Lets put it this way, its not easy. Williams jumps between other techniques like intaglio in his work, and both are very different than what his wife and printing lab tech, Julie Williams, achieves with her woodcut printing that also enjoy a spot in the show. But the process of lithography offers the artist more depth and control in the etchings that operate under the principle that water and oil do not mix. The process, Williams said, is Zen even though hes had to learn to get used to working with the mirror image of his drawing. He added, Thats kind of the neat part about it, too. You dont know exactly what its going to look like until youre finished. Students and experts gathered in the Northern Arizona University Ashurst Auditorium Thursday night to discuss an issue that many students may be unaware of or unfamiliar with: human trafficking. The McCain Institute for International Leaderships Student Alliance Against Trafficking hosted the event, as part of the first human trafficking awareness week. The event featured Cindy McCain, wife of Sen. John McCain, as the keynote speaker, and featured state Representative Doug Coleman and Arizona State University student Erin Schulte, founder of the All Walks Project against trafficking. About 150 NAU students attended the talk, which focused on teaching attendees about ways to recognize human trafficking and giving resources and advice for how to report something they find suspicious. This issue is too important not to pay attention to, McCain told the group. Its a huge problem globally, but its an even bigger problem right here. You have seen human trafficking before, you just didnt know what you were looking at. McCain shared a story about a trip to India, before she knew anything about human trafficking. She said she was in a store and could hear movement underneath the floorboards. The shop owner said his family lived there, but she said she could see through a hole in the floor and see children underneath. She did not know about the problem of human trafficking at the time, and said she did not do anything about the children in the floor, and the image has haunted her since. If you see something, say something, McCain said. You could save a life, and it could be your own. McCain said college-aged students are at a high risk of being trafficked, due to monetary situations or trusting the wrong people. Your activism and enthusiasm is what we love about you, but you also need to police and monitor your own community, she said. These guys know exactly where to go and exactly what to say. Coleman said two different businesses in his area had been investigated due to potential labor trafficking, including a buffet, which hired Asian immigrants, took all their legal documentation and forced them to work for free. Without any legal documentation, the workers did not have options to go to for help. There are three markers for trafficking: force, fraud and coercion, Coleman said. Schulte, a junior at ASU, said college students are particularly vulnerable to human trafficking. She shared a story about a friend of hers who was approached by a man on ASU campus, trying to convince young women to go home with him for money. She said her friend called the police and the man was arrested and identified as a known sexual predator. We need to learn to recognize the signs, Schulte said. Students are a particularly vulnerable population. McCain told the group that her institution had worked to pass tougher legislation regarding trafficking, including protections for victims, especially children, including classifying them as victims, instead of prostitutes, which is a crime. She said they are also working to teach leaders and law enforcement about what victims look like, and identifying the signs of human trafficking. I believe that we can stop this, I really do, McCain said. But it is going to take all of us. A two-vehicle crash involving a Flagstaff Police Department patrol car caused delays on East Butler Avenue Friday. At about 11:45 a.m., an FPD patrol vehicle was involved in a collision while assisting in a funeral procession traveling west on Butler from Ponderosa Parkway. The collision occurred in the westbound lanes of Butler just east of East Sawmill Road. The funeral procession was approximately 300 vehicles long and was traveling at a slow pace in the inside lane of westbound Butler Avenue. One of the vehicles in the procession stopped to allow another vehicle that was traveling in the opposite direction to either turn left or complete a U- turn. This vehicle, an SUV, collided with the police vehicle that was in the outside lane assisting with the procession. During the collision the air bags were deployed and occupants of both the SUV and the police vehicle were transported to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. Butler Avenue was reduced to one westbound lane while the Arizona Department of Public Safety conducted a collision investigation. PHOENIX -- Gov. Doug Ducey is one again headed off to the California desert to spend some time with the billionaire Koch brothers and the group of big-dollar donors they are gathering at Palm Springs. Ducey press aide Daniel Scarpinato confirmed that the governor and chief of staff Kirk Adams are headed to the event today and will be returning Tuesday. "Gov. Ducey is looking forward to attending this conference with other elected officials, policy experts and business leaders from all over the country who are advocates of limited government, innovation and the free enterprise system,'' Scarpinato said in a prepared statement. He said the pair are flying commercially and paying for the trip themselves. The official host for the event is Freedom Partners, which has acknowledged its ties to Charles and David Koch. Ducey's ties to the brothers -- and their money -- actually predate his 2014 election. During the campaign, American Encore put more than $750,000 into ads targeting Democrat candidate Fred DuVal and spent another $650,000 promoting Ducey. That group is the successor to the Koch brothers-financed Center to Protect Patient Rights run by Phoenix political consultant Sean Noble. The group is organized under federal tax laws as a "social welfare'' organization and does not disclose its donors. But the links go back even farther. In 2012 Ducey was leading the campaign to defeat Proposition 204, which would have implemented a permanent 1-cent sales tax, largely to fund education. Americans for Responsible Leadership put $500,000 into killing that 2012 ballot measure. But facing charges of violating campaign finance laws in California, Adams, who headed that group at the time, had to reveal that its money came from the Center to Protect Patient Rights -- now American Encore. Ducey has been a supporter of the ability of groups organized under the federal tax code as "social welfare'' organizations to refuse to disclose the source of their funds. This is actually Ducey's third foray to the gathering. His first trip was during the gubernatorial campaign, where he was taped as saying, "I can't emphasize enough the power or organizations like this.'' He also made the trip in 2015, during his first year in office. President Obama has already introduced a new type of retirement account: the myRA. In his 2017 budget, he plans to further tweak the retirement account system. Here are some of the 401(k) and IRA changes Obama is proposing: Pooled 401(k) plans. Setting up and managing a 401(k) plan can be burdensome for small businesses. Under current law, employers with a "common bond" can form pooled 401(k) plans, and share the administrative work and costs. Obama will propose removing the "common bond" requirement in an effort to encourage more small employers to set up pooled retirement accounts. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez says these pooled 401(k) plans will allow small businesses to, "share administrative costs and reduce some of their compliance burdens." The rule change would also allow nonprofits to create retirement accounts for contractors and self-employed individuals who aren't eligible to participate in existing workplace retirement plans. Automatics IRAs. Employees are frequently automatically enrolled in the company 401(k) plan unless they opt out. Obama would like to automatically enroll workers without a workplace retirement plan in an individual retirement account. "Workers without a retirement plan at work rarely save," says Jeffrey Zients, director of Obama's National Economic Council. He says fewer than half of companies with less than 50 workers provide a retirement plan for employees. Obama's proposal would require employers with more than 10 workers to automatically enroll employees in an IRA if they don't provide another type of retirement benefit. Companies with 100 or fewer employees who sign their workers up for the automatic IRA would also receive a tax credit of up to $3,000. Workers who are not automatically enrolled in the IRA would be eligible to participate on their own if their income is below a certain cutoff. Bigger tax breaks for employers. Small businesses currently get a tax credit when they set up a new retirement plan. Obama wants to triple the existing credit to $1,500 per year for up to three years for small employers offering a new retirement plan. Small businesses that add automatic enrollment to their existing retirement plan would also get a tax credit of $500 per year for up to three years. Part-time participation. Employers are allowed to exclude part-time employees from participating in the company retirement plan. Obama is proposing that all employees who work at least 500 hours per year for three or more years be eligible to participate in an employer's existing retirement plan. The White House says this change would provide a million people with access to retirement plans. Portable benefits. Obama's budget will propose funding pilot programs that will make retirement benefits more portable as people change jobs. Nonprofit organizations and states would receive funding to design and evaluate retirement benefits that can accommodate job changes, intermittent deposits, unpredictable work patterns and contributions from multiple employers. "People are less likely to be there 40 years at the same job, much less liked to have a defined benefit plan, much more likely to want the portability and flexibility," Perez says. "Benefits need to be portable as workers move from job to job." Johannesburg (AFP) - A leading South African television entertainment network said Saturday it would reinstate an outspoken white judge it had sacked during a racism storm. Gareth Cliff, who is also a radio host, was kicked off South Africa's version of the internationally acclaimed TV talent show "Idols", early this month after being embroiled in racism dispute. He had tweeted that "people really don't understand free speech" amid an Internet furore over a white woman who had compared black people to monkeys. But a court on Friday ordered that he be given his job back. "As ordered by the South Gauteng High Court, and as a good corporate citizen that respects the rule of law, M-Net will reinstate Mr Cliff as a judge on season 12 of Idols SA," the M-Net network said in a statement. But it insisted "we believe we did the right thing by taking Mr Cliff off the show." Cliff said for M-Net to say it still believed it did "nothing wrong" was problematic. South Africa has in recent weeks been roiled by a string of bitter racial arguments on social media that have exposed deep divisions more than two decades after the end of white-minority apartheid rule. Anger peaked earlier this month when Penny Sparrow, a white realtor, complained on Facebook about black people littering beaches and said she would "address the blacks of South Africa as monkeys". At a news conference on Saturday Cliff described Sparrow's remarks as "idiotic, racist, hurtful and offensive", but that "the debate on racism must be allowed to continue. It must continue in an effective manner until we defeat these demons." "As a country we need to find the wisdom to make lemonade out of these bitter lemons," said Cliff. VIA YOUTUBE No, seriously. This isnt a joke. New reports say that recent United States Champion Alberto Del Rio has a lower back injury that has already forced him off the weekly shows and may keep him out of action even longer. Del Rio didnt wrestle on Raw, only appearing in the corner of his League of Nations partners, and didnt appear on (and reportedly wasnt even backstage at) Smackdown. Hes a top name announced for upcoming live events in Tennessee and Mississippi, but well have to wait and see if he sits them out. As you know, WWE has been destroyed by injuries in the last year, so much so that our injuries tag page is almost exclusively WWE-related. It also may be time to ask serious questions about whether or not Wade Barrett is cursed. King Barretts been dealing with injuries his entire career, including a recent nerve issue that demoted him from active League of Nations participant to non-wrestling-but-still-involved-in-matches apron stander. Since then, every member of the League has missed time. Rusev missed a few shows with a minor injury in early January, and just this week Sheamus was spotted wearing a cast. Now, Del Rio is injured. Should we be trying to quarantine Barrett? Algiers (AFP) - Algeria's parliament is to meet from Wednesday to adopt a draft revision of the constitution limiting the number of presidential terms to two, the presidency said. A statement said President Abdelaziz Bouteflika signed a decree to that effect on Saturday. The revision would restore the two-term limit which was suppressed in 2008. This enabled Bouteflika, first elected as president of the oil-rich North African state in 1999 and re-elected in 2004 for another five-year term, to stand again in 2009 and 2014. The 78-year-old appeared just once during the campaign for the 2014 election, in a wheelchair after suffering a stroke the year before. Public appearances by Bouteflika are rare, and he appears on local television only when foreign dignitaries visit. Introducing the draft revisions this month, Bouteflika's chief of staff Ahmed Ouyahia said that in 2008 the president had responded to a call by the people to remain in office. The announcement of his candidacy in 2014 gave rise to protests organised by the Barakat ("Enough") movement. The constitutional revision would also boost the status of the Berber dialect Tamazight to official language and also prevent Algerians holding more than one nationality from standing in elections for public office. This has angered many Algerians in France who are citizens of both countries. Also on Saturday, the presidency confirmed the creation of a new intelligence organisation following the dissolution of the powerful Department of Intelligence and Security (DRS). "The DRS has been dissolved and replaced by three security branches reporting directly to the presidency," Ouyahia said. Retired general Athman Tartag, an ex-security adviser to Bouteflika, is to head the new DSS. He was named in September as successor to longtime DRS chief General Mohamed Mediene -- better known as General Toufik -- head of a shadowy intelligence service that many viewed as a "state within a state". The move places the entire security apparatus under Bouteflika's direct control, with Tartag reporting to him on the activities of all the country's intelligence services. ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algerian troops killed four Islamist gunmen west of the capital on Friday, the defence ministry said, adding they were part of a group who left nine soldiers dead in an ambush last year. A ministry statement cited by state news agency APS said the four were "neutralized" in Ain Defla province and arms, munitions and grenades were recovered. "The four terrorists who were taken out today were part of the same group who carried out the attack on our soldiers," it said in a reference to the July 2015 attack. Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility for that attack, also in Ain Defla. Algeria emerged as one of the most stable countries in the region after its 1990s war with Islamist groups and has become a key ally in the Western campaign against Islamist militancy in the region. But al Qaeda-allied fighters and a splinter group loyal to Islamic State are still active, mostly in remote mountain areas and desert border regions. (Reporting by Patrick Markey; editing by Andrew Roche) As schools celebrate School Choice Week throughout Arizona, traditional district schools are getting creative about offering students choices within larger schools. Nearly half of all schools in the Flagstaff area are charter or private schools. But less than a quarter of all Flagstaff children attend schools that are not part of Flagstaff Unified School District. The smaller school setting, charter directors say, is part of the appeal of charter middle schools to parents of children coming out of small elementary schools. A lot of the charters in Flagstaff are very small, said Thomas Drumm, the director of Flagstaff Junior Academy, a kindergarten through eighth-grade charter school with about 260 students across two campuses. Many families choose FJA because they like a small school with a family feel. They feel like their student will receive personal attention. FJAs middle school enrolls about 150 students, compared with about 800 at FUSDs Mount Elden Middle School and about 930 at FUSDs Sinagua Middle School. Overall, FUSD enrolls 9,880 students while Flagstaff-area charters enroll roughly 2,500. FUSD spokeswoman Karin Eberhard said the most common time for a student to leave the district and go to a charter school is after fifth grade, the year a student would have to transition to a much larger middle school. FUSD now offers school-within-a-school choices like the Alpine Leadership Academy and the Pre-AP academy at MEMS, and the Middle School Institute of Technology and Engineering at Sinagua Middle School. Eberhard said since the programs were created, they have increased enrollment and have expanded to include more students. They have really exceeded our expectations, Eberhard said. The ones in middle school are incredibly popular, and they are so preparatory for many different things. They have been exceptionally well-received. But not all FUSD fifth-graders are choosing an FUSD middle school. Drumm said his charter schools enrollment data showed the FJA sixth-grade class was the largest one. For sixth grade, some parents try to envision their 11-year-old in a school that size, and it can be overwhelming, Drumm said. Drumm said the school does not formally study where the students go to high school after finishing eighth grade, but said students attend a mix of district and charter schools. He said the schools location on Bonito Street contributes to many students attending the nearby Flagstaff High School, though many also go to Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy or other charter schools. When students leave before finishing eighth grade, its usually to another charter school that has a high school, Drumm said. They say, We love FJA, but our number was pulled at Basis, and we dont know if we will have another shot. Drumm said the school has no plans to expand to include high school, so it is understandable that some parents might want that option. However, he said some families who have left FJA have experienced buyers remorse and wanted to return, but the school has a waitlist and fills openings quickly. For the fourth straight year, enrollment has increased in FUSD, after nearly a decade of decreases. The greatest decrease, which accounted for about 708 students, occurred in 2011, when a new school, Basis Flagstaff, opened. However, that decrease had been preceded by a loss of nearly 500 students the previous year after FUSD closed four schools. Basis also only enrolled about 300 students in its first year, which would not account for the 700-student decrease. Since the 2011 drop, the district has been gradually increasing in enrollment, and has added magnet programs, including the No Excuses University program at Leupp Public School and Thomas Elementary School, and the Kinsey Inquiry and Discovery School at Kinsey Elementary. Both Leupp and Kinsey experienced enrollment increases for the 2015-2016 school year. In the past five years, outside the creation of Basis, enrollment at most charter schools has remained stable or grown slightly. Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy experienced an increase of about 40 students and Northland Preparatory Academy increased by about 50 students. The largest gain in enrollment came from the newest school. Basis Flagstaff added fourth grade at the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year, with plans to gradually expand all the way to include kindergarten. The school began with about 300 students, and now enrolls about 550. Most Flagstaff-area charter schools have waitlists for openings after they have reached capacity. MEMS was one of the two district schools that experienced the greatest gain in enrollment in the 2015-2016 year, despite students leaving the district for charter middle school, according to data provide by the school district. FHS was the other school to experience the greatest enrollment gain, illustrating the trend that some students return to the larger district schools for high school. District schools do offer choices within them, Eberhard said, including specialized Career and Technical Education programs, dual-enrollment options, Advanced Placement, place-based learning and a variety of classes for students to decide what they want to take. As a public school district we are proud of the breadth of opportunities we can offer, due to the population of students, she said. We have opportunities for every level of student with almost any interest they may have. Eberhard said the district sends fliers to parents of fourth and fifth-graders highlighting the magnet programs at the middle school level, and said she and other district officials encourage parents to explore all their options when it comes to choosing a school for their students. Choice is great if you do your research, she said. Visit the programs that you are interested in and get a feel for all of the different offerings. Meaux (France) (AFP) - A man who was found to be carrying two handguns as he tried to enter a hotel at Disneyland Paris will go on trial Tuesday on charges of possessing and transporting weapons and ammunition, prosecutors said. The 28-year-old man was detained on Thursday after the weapons, along with ammunition and a Koran, were discovered in his bag during a routine security check at the amusement park's New York Hotel. He risks up to five years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros ($82,000), the prosecutor's office in the city of Meaux, east of the French capital, said in a statement Saturday. The incident comes as France remains on high alert after gunmen and suicide bombers killed 130 people in coordinated attacks in Paris in November. But prosecutors have already said the man is not suspected of any terrorism offences. During questioning the man said he had been carrying the guns -- two small calibre automatic pistols -- because he did not want to leave them at his mother's home where he was living, a police source told AFP earlier. Another police source, however, said the man initially told officers he had been armed because he feared for his own safety. The man's girlfriend was also taken in for questioning on Thursday but prosecutors said they were satisfied that she was not incriminated in any wrongdoing. Disneyland Paris is the most visited theme park in Europe, with 14.8 million visitors in 2015, according to Euro Disney's annual report. By Allegresse Sasse COTONOU (Reuters) - Benin's prime minister Lionel Zinsou, favored by the president to succeed him in next month's election, received a boost on Saturday when the leading opposition party also named him as their preferred candidate. In a ceremony on Saturday declaring their support, leaders of the PRD party described Lionel Zinsou as the "consensus candidate" that would bring prosperity to the tiny West African country whose economy has been hit by a slowdown in neighboring Nigeria. "With him, Benin can begin to develop," said Adrien Houngbedji, president of the PRD party. Zinsou said in December that he was running as the main candidate for the ruling FCBE party, dispelling fears that President Boni Yayi would defy constitutional term limits and seek a third term. He remains that party's candidate. Yayi has led the cotton-producing country since 2006. He is barred under the country's constitution from standing for a third term and the election, scheduled for Feb. 28, is considered wide open. "This is great support," said Zinsou, who has said he will focus his presidency on supporting the poorest and most vulnerable, bringing more workers into the formal economy and establish banking systems for agriculture. "Together we will face great challenges." However, earlier this month a group of dissidents from the ruling party, opposition politicians and trade union leaders said Zinsou was a bad choice, in part because he has spent a large portion of his life in France, far away from the realities of Benin life. He will face competition from a number of candidates, including Sebestien Ajavon, a prominent Benin businessman who announced his candidacy earlier this month, calling for a reduction in youth unemployment, improved access to energy and less corruption. (Reporting Allegresse Sasse; writing by Edward McAllister; Editing by Greg Mahlich) Sao Paulo (AFP) - Brazilian prosecutors summoned former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Friday for questioning over allegations he laundered money and hid assets linked to a massive corruption scandal. Lula, Brazil's hugely popular president from 2003 to 2011, is accused of failing to declare a condominium in the resort of Guaruja that was allegedly given to him by construction company OAS, one of the firms caught up in a multibillion-dollar scandal at state oil giant Petrobras. Sao Paulo state prosecutor Cassio Conserino summoned Lula and his wife, Marisa, for questioning on February 17. Lula, an icon of the "pink tide" of leftist leaders who swept to power in Latin America at the turn of the millennium, denies the accusations. "The suspicions of the attorney general's office are unfounded and the accusations over the alleged hiding of assets by former president Lula and his family are frivolous," Lula's foundation said in a statement. The property in question is a triplex apartment registered to OAS, which is among the companies accused of colluding with Petrobras executives to inflate construction contracts by billions of dollars and pocket the cash, passing some of it along to leaders in Lula's Workers' Party. Prosecutors say documents and witnesses confirm that Lula's family in fact owned the condo. "It was even remodeled by OAS, and they put a private elevator in for the ex-president's benefit," Conserino told newspaper O Globo. Prosecutors also summoned OAS's jailed owner, Leo Pinheiro, and the engineer in charge of the alleged remodeling job. When he was reelected in 2006, Lula declared on his income taxes that he had made a payment on the property, then under construction, to the former owners, a banking cooperative called BanCoop. OAS later acquired the condominium complex. The Lula Institute denied the former president or his family ever owned the apartment. "The truth will come to light as the investigation unfolds," it said. OAS is accused in the Petrobras investigation of giving out apartments in the same condominium complex as bribes. NAIROBI (Reuters) - A British and a French journalist arrested during a sweep for rebels in flashpoint districts of the capital were released on Friday, a witness said. Moise Nkurunziza, deputy police spokesman, said the police had picked up British photojournalist Phil Moore and Jean Philippe Remy, a French journalist, during raids in Jabe and Nyakabiga neighbourhoods in Bujumbura on Thursday. A Reuters witnesss said the two men were seen leaving the courthouse on Friday. They made no comment to reporters. In a statement on its website, Le Monde newspaper had demanded the release of both journalists, saying they were the newspaper's special correspondents in Burundi. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius had also called for the immediate release of the journalists, while the British Foreign Office said it was "urgently looking into reports" about the detention of a UK national. Remy is the Africa bureau chief for the French newspaper Le Monde, while Moore, a freelance photographer, has often reported from conflict zones in the region. Both men have won awards for their coverage of sub-Saharan Africa. Burundi has been in turmoil since April when President Pierre Nkurunziza announced plans to run for a third term in office, sparking weeks of street protests by the opposition who said his bid was unconstitutional. Nkurunziza's government foiled an attempted coup in May, but continued clashes and gun attacks in the central African nation have unnerved a region where memories of the 1994 genocide in neighbouring Rwanda are still raw. The United States and European nations have criticised the government's clampdown on media, including the shuttering of private radio stations. The government has also expelled foreign journalists, including Sonia Rolley from France's RFI radio who was reporting on sexual violence committed by police officers. In a statement calling for the release of Remy and Moore, the New York-based Human Rights Watch said the arrests had occurred "in the context of severe government repression against journalists, with all the main Burundian private radio stations suspended since April/May 2015". (Writing by Drazen Jorgic and Edith Honan; Additional reporting by Andrew Callus in Paris and Sarah Young in London; Editing by Ralph Boulton) LONDON (Reuters) - British police arrested nine people after clashes between anti-immigration groups and anti-racism protesters in Dover on Saturday, with media reports of smoke bombs and bricks being thrown. Far-right groups such as the National Front confronted activists rallying against racism, such as the Kent Anti-Fascist Network, resulting in disturbances in the port town that lies 20 miles by sea from France. Kent Police said one person suffered a broken arm and five people sustained minor injuries during the demonstrations, as BBC television footage showed dozens of hooded protesters pushing through police lines. Britain's government is trying to curb rising levels of immigration from both EU migrants and arrivals from elsewhere in the world, over fears about the strain on public services. Dover is symbolic as the entry point for many new arrivals. It is a short ferry or train journey from Calais in France, where thousands of refugees fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East have gathered over the past year, using it as a stopover point before trying to enter Britain. Kent Police said three arrests were made in Dover itself and six at a nearby motorway service station. "Extra officers were on duty in the town to allow a march to the Eastern Docks and a separate protest in the town center to go ahead as planned, while minimizing disorder and disruption to the community," the police said in a statement. (Reporting by Sarah Young; Editing by Stephen Powell) Addis Ababa (AFP) - Chad's President Idriss Deby took over the post of African Union chairman on Saturday, replacing Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. "I accept this task with pleasure, but with a little agony as the responsiblity you entrust in me is heavy and fraught with challenges," Deby said, in speech at AU headquarters in Ethiopia. He told fellow presidents that conflicts across the continent had to end. "Everything that we are doing now will be in vain and without purpose if we allow Africa to go through these perpetual crises: South Sudan, Libya, Somalia, Burundi, the Sahel, the Lake Chad basin," Deby said. "Through diplomacy or by force... we must put an end to these tragedies of our time. We cannot make progress and talk of development if part of our body is sick. We should be the main actors in the search for solution to Africa's crises." Deby, 63, one of Africa's longest ruling presidents, emerged as the leader of the arid north-central African state in December 1990, after the war which ousted the regime of Hissene Habre. Mugabe, Africa's oldest president aged 91, has held the ceremonial role for the past year, welcomed his "brother" Deby to the post. "Whatever support you want from me, I will still be there, until God says come, then I'll go and join the others," Mugabe said. "But as long as I am still alive, I will still have the punch." The one-year presidency which rotates between different regions of the continent. London (AFP) - Chelsea on Friday completed the loan signing of Brazilian striker Alexandre Pato from Corinthians until the end of the season, the London giants announced. Pato, 26, will add to Guus Hiddink's attacking options at Stamford Bridge with Diego Costa currently shouldering responsibility for providing the side's goal-threat now that both Loic Remy and Radamel Falcao are injured. "I am so happy to sign for Chelsea. It is a dream for me. I am looking forward to meeting and getting to know my new team-mates and cannot wait to play," said Pato. "I thank Chelsea for their support and hope I can repay this faith to the club and the fans." Pato began his career at Internacional in Brazil before moving to AC Milan in 2007. In his first season in Serie A, under the guidance of former Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti, he scored 14 goals in Milan's title-winning campaign of 2010/11. Pato left the San Siro in 2013 having scored 63 goals in 150 appearances. He returned to Brazil to play for Corinthians and subsequently enjoyed a successful loan spell at their city rivals Sao Paulo before moving to Chelsea. Pato has won 27 caps for Brazil, scoring 10 goals, and represented his country at both the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. Hiddink backed Pato to be a hit in the Premier League. "It's not a gamble," said the Dutch boss. "Coming on loan makes it possible to have a good view of him, whether he's able to adapt to the high demands of the club and the league. "We'll give him all the support in this, but it's up to him. If you buy those players, with all respect to him, who must take the next step then it's more of a risk," the Dutchman added. "Taking him on loan is good for everyone, to see whether he's happy at this club and if the club are happy with him." But Hiddink said there would be a period of adjustment. "He has to settle. We'll give him the time to settle and get used to a very demanding league. Pato was a promising youngster, and also a very stylish player. Then he had a few years in Milan. Story continues "After that, he didn't make a big step in Europe but went back to Brazil. Now he has another chance to make a big step in Europe, a brave step into England, and we'll help him to get fit." Remy's future at Chelsea has been questioned, with the striker linked with a move to former club Newcastle United. Hiddink confirmed the forward will miss Sundays FA Cup fourth round tie at Milton Keynes with a calf injury and said: "He's injured for the moment, a slight injury on his calf. We'll see what happens in the upcoming days." But the interim manager insisted, though, that Gary Cahill will not be leaving the club despite recent reports suggesting the player was concerned about his chances of making England's Euro 2016 squad after falling out of the Chelsea first team. "I spoke to him a few days ago about the situation, which I like to do always with my key players, and he's one of them," said Hiddink. "He's not to be considered second choice. He's of big importance and will be, with the multitude of games coming up. "He was very open and very clear, that he loves to stay in this club." By Mary Milliken and Jonathan Allen (Reuters) - The New York Times's editorial board endorsed Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican John Kasich as they seek to become their parties' nominees in the U.S. presidential election, calling Clinton one of the most "deeply qualified presidential candidates in modern history." Clinton, a front-runner facing a strong challenge from Senator Bernie Sanders, and Kasich, who has only dimly registered in the polls, received the endorsements from one of the nation's largest newspapers two days before voters in Iowa hold the first nominating contest for the Nov. 8 election. "Mr Sanders does not have the breadth of experience or policy ideas that Mrs Clinton offers," the board wrote, after praising him for making important points about economic inequality and foreign policy. The board praised Clinton's term as secretary of state from 2009 to 2013, and said she had shown a lifelong commitment to American workers, particularly women. The board criticized her as too quick to propose using military force abroad, but said she still would be a better military leader than her Republican rivals. The Times editorial board previously endorsed Clinton in 2008, when she ran against Barack Obama. In that endorsement, it also argued that Clinton had more experience and had presented more detailed policy ideas than her rival. Kasich, the governor of Ohio, was the only candidate in the crowded Republican field the board said it was able to stomach. "Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, though a distinct underdog, is the only plausible choice for Republicans tired of the extremism and inexperience on display in this race," the board wrote. It said Kasich had "been capable of compromise and believes in the ability of government to improve lives." The board said that front-runner Donald Trump did not have experience of international issues or interest in learning about them. It said Ted Cruz would "say anything to win." (Reporting by Mary Milliken; Editing by Kevin Liffey) By Ulf Laessing LAGOS (Reuters) - Coca-Cola has bought a 40 percent stake in Nigerian juice and snack producer Chi Ltd, it said on Saturday, as it continues to expand in Africa to tap a young and fast-growing population. The U.S. drinks giant bought the stake from unlisted TGI Group, the two companies said in a joint statement, but did not disclose the value of the sale. Coca-Cola "intends to increase ownership within three years, subject to regulatory approvals while working on other long-term commercial structures", the statement said. It already has a significant presence in Nigeria selling its fizzy drinks. One industry source said Coca-Cola was paying a "triple-digit-million-dollar" amount for the stake. Sources told Reuters last year Chi was valued at as much as $1 billion. Lagos-based Chi Ltd, whose owners had been considering a sale for some time, produces mostly fruit drinks, iced teas, snacks and dairy products. TGI is owned by a European family, according to industry sources. "The parties have agreed to jointly discuss and explore other opportunities in the region to further develop this relationship," the statement said, without elaborating. The investment comes as Nigeria faces one of its worst economic crises for decades as a slump in oil prices has eroded public finances, hammered its currency and hit consumer sentiment. In August 2014, Coca-Cola said it would invest $5 billion with African bottling partners in new manufacturing lines and equipment, as well as safe water access programmes, over six years. (Reporting by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Louise Ireland and Susan Fenton) Paris (AFP) - Cuba's Communist President Raul Castro will be welcomed under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris during a rare state visit Monday to showcase his island's warming ties with big world powers. The Cuban leader arrived in Paris on Saturday, two days ahead of the start of the official programme, sources at Orly airport south of Paris said. Castro's visit is an indication of his island's improved ties with major powers following last year's restoration of relations with longtime foe, the United States. On the back of that rapprochement the 84-year-old leader is now paying court to France, one of his most powerful European allies. French officials said when the visit was announced January 19 that it would mark "a new stage in the strengthening of relations between the two countries" following on from President Francois Hollande's own state visit to Cuba last May, the first by a western head of state in more than half a centrury. "This visit is important for Cuba's image," said Eduardo Perera, an expert in international relations at Havana University, specializing in Europe. "It will undeniably make Cuba shine on the international stage." Havana hopes the visit will allow Cuba to "widen and diversify its relations with France in all possible areas -- politics, economics, trade, finance, investment, culture and cooperation," said Rogelio Sierra, Cuban deputy foreign minister. Although Washington has yet to lift its half-century trade embargo on Cuba, US and European businesses are jockeying for a place in the market as the island's economy gradually opens up. Hollande urged an end to the blockade, which was imposed in 1962, on his Havana visit. Trade delegations have been flocking to Cuba, hoping to cash in on its highly trained workforce and natural assets such as its sundrenched Caribbean beaches, a draw for tourists. Cuba, meanwhile, needs to tap new sources of income as its main ally and financial backer, Venezuela, remains mired in economic and political crisis. Story continues During Castro's visit, France and Cuba are expected to sign an "economic roadmap" to improved ties, French officials said. They will also sign deals on transport, tourism and fair trade. Bilateral trade between France and Cuba is currently worth about $195 million. That level is "not in line with our ambitions," France's minister of state for foreign trade, Matthias Fekl, was quoted as saying in French newspaper L'Humanite. - Castros in the Elysee - Castro's Paris trip is his first state visit to Europe since he took over from his elder brother Fidel as leader in 2006. The latter visited France in 1995 and met then president Francois Mitterrand. French officials said Hollande will officially receive his guest Monday under the Arc de Triomphe at the top of Champs Elysees avenue, which will be decked with Cuban flags. Castro will then hold talks with Hollande at the Elysee presidential palace and attend a state dinner before Tuesday meeting various French officials. France recently engineered an agreement among the Paris Club of international creditors to write off $8.5 billion of Cuba's debt. It could now agree to further debt relief, potentially widening Cuba's access to international financial markets. Paris is also taking a leading role in strengthening Cuba's political ties with Europe as a whole. Human rights remains a sensitive issue, with international authorities accusing the Castros of repressing and harassing their political opponents. The government is sensitive about being lectured on the topic. A diplomatic source in Paris said human rights "will be discussed" during the bilateral talks. Hollande is expected to take a discreet stance on the issue, however, after his meeting with Fidel Castro last year drew some criticism. Hollande this week hosted Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, another head of state from a country whose leaders are accused of human rights abuses. Hailing a "new relationship," Hollande and Rouhani sealed a sheaf of large trade deals drawn up after nuclear sanctions on Iran were lifted. A super PAC leading Democratic efforts to retake the U.S. Senate is sharing resources with a new, allied nonprofit group that will not have to reveal its donors. In a campaign finance disclosure report filed Friday, Senate Majority PAC reported receiving more than $300,000 in reimbursements for staff, office space and other expenses during the second half of last year from a group called Majority Forward. In response to questions from the Center for Public Integrity, Senate Majority PAC spokesman Shripal Shah described Majority Forward as "an allied organization" with "shared office space, shared staff." Majority Forward will be engaging in nonpartisan voter registration work, he said in an email. The two groups share an address, and Washington, D.C., corporate records show Majority Forward was incorporated in June by Perkins Coie lawyer Marc Elias, who represents Senate Majority PAC. Elias, who is also general counsel for the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, said Friday night he could not immediately comment. Shah declined Friday evening to answer additional questions about who Majority Forwards contributors are and whether the group had any staff or resources independent of Senate Majority PAC, or to provide additional details about its voter registration work. This story is part of Politics. Campaign donations, lobbying and influence in government and reports on the special interests that are funding elections and buying power. Click here to read more stories in this topic. Don't miss another Politics investigation: Sign up for the Center for Public Integrity's Watchdog email. Senate Majority PAC advertises itself as a transparent organization, and as a super PAC, it files regular reports with the Federal Election Commission disclosing its donors and expenses. But this isn't the first time it has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from a so-called "dark money" nonprofit that engages in politics but doesn't reveal the source of its funds. Story continues For example, Patriot Majority USA, a liberal nonprofit organized under the same section of the tax code as Majority Forward 501(c)(4) gave it more than $500,000 during the 2014 election cycle for expenses such as salaries and insurance. Democratic presidential candidates Clinton and Bernie Sanders have both been highly critical of the influence of untraceable money in politics. We have to end the flood of secret, unaccountable money that is distorting our elections, corrupting our political system and drowning out the voices of too many everyday Americans, Clinton said in a statement posted prominently on her website. Sanders, for his part, blasts the huge piles of undisclosed cash in play in the 2016 election and wants wealthy individuals and corporations who make large campaign contributions to disclose where their money is going. Senate Majority PAC was the dominant Democratic group during the 2014 election cycle, and ran about 45,000 ads in Senate races more than any other non-candidate committee group. This story is part of Politics. Campaign donations, lobbying and influence in government and reports on the special interests that are funding elections and buying power. Click here to read more stories in this topic. Related stories Copyright 2016 The Center for Public Integrity. This story was published by The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization in Washington, D.C. Cold and shiny, they zip and zoom on the slick linoleum floors of Changi General Hospital, located deep in Singaporean suburbia. When I get in the way, they let me know. Please let me through, requests a 375-pound robot with bright eyes and a Splenda-sweet smile. I freeze. That wasnt a question, a nearby nurse whispers. The steely migrant is on a mission to deliver lab specimens to another ward. Changi General CEO Lee Chien Earn likes to call his hospital the living lab, a sort of incubator for medical helper bots, which, he says, will soon be the future of hospitals everywhere. Soon, meaning just a few years from now. The global medical robotics market is predicted to reach $7.6 billion by 2020, up from $2.7 billion in 2014, according to the India-based research firm IndustryARC. Some of these technologies first appeared more than a decade ago, but there wasnt much interest. This time around, though, the equipment is more advanced and administrators are under pressure to cut costs. Lee wouldnt disclose how much the hospital spent on its four artificial workers, but he says the investment will pay for itself in five years and that since arriving in February theyve boosted productivity by 30 percent. Nurses say that has allowed them to focus on more meaningful tasks, but the robots have taken some getting used to. Theyre kind of like big cockroaches, says assistant nurse director Tenny Chow, referring to the way they slowly creep through the halls. Others are experimenting with outsourcing the more personal aspects of the job. And this is where it gets weird. Dystopian cyborg takeovers aside, the prospect is a bit unnerving. In this high-tech Asian hub, robots are going beyond the menial tasks we once assumed they would do, like sorting pills, and into more intimate realms of patient care, spaces where we once expected not just physical exams but emotional empathy. Mark Stephen Meadows, who speaks internationally about ethics in artificial intelligence and is president of BOTanic, a San Francisco company that develops characters for social robots, says it raises a paradox that threatens the roles of families and caretakers in society: It may be that avatars and robots can take better care of Grandma than I can. The prospect seems far-fetched now, especially considering how slow personalized medicine and patient technology have been to catch on in the States, but Meadows agrees that its not long before robots outnumber nurses. Until now, the gold standard in this field has been the Da Vinci Surgical System, which allows surgeons to insert a 3-D camera into a patient (via a small incision) thats connected to a miniature instrument that can be manuevered from outside the body. But even that relies on humans to control the movement in real time. The machines Lee and Meadows speak of are voice-controlled androids that perform gynecological surgeries, automated delivery drones that can navigate the ICU, beds that convert Transformer-style to wheelchairs, computerized assistants that can sort out surgical instruments in the operating room and exoskeletons that do physical therapy with trauma patients. Singaporean hospitals are even rolling out a dancing Gangnam Style character to entertain patients. Others are experimenting with outsourcing the more personal aspects of the job. And this is where it gets weird. In the United States, the robot Sophie diagnosis patients. Meanwhile, BlabDroid provides an ear for the dying to share their last words. Its meant to be like a confessional booth, says Norrie Daroga, CEO of Wisconsin-based iDAvatars, which builds conversational bots. So these grinning mechanical zombies arent just going to be moving things anymore; well be trusting them with our terminal loved ones and sniffling babies, Daroga says. Health-care equipment experts like Dr. Yulun Wang, CEO of InTouch Health, which pioneered the first FDA-approved surgical robot, warn that these icy hunks of metal will create new liability issues, especially since technology has outpaced the law. If a computer delivers a misdiagnosis, who is to blame? The engineer? The manufacturer? The hospital? Wang argues that instead of being autonomous, medical robots should be seen as a tool for physicians. Even Lee, whose hospital is pioneering the robotic technology in Singapore, doesnt think droids can replace the human touch. Indeed, assistive robotic technologys greatest potential is that it will free up health-care professionals to spend more one-on-one time with patients. A robot should never tell patients they have cancer, Lee says. If it comes to that day, it will be very cold. And although Lee claims no workers have been laid off since the uptick in productivity, that is likely an inevitable consequence if cost-saving is a goal. On my way out of the hospital, my bossy robot friend joins me in the elevator. After a brief hello, the doors open and she zips away to deliver patient records to a doctor in the oncology clinic. Right at that moment, another high-tech laborer delivering hundreds of pounds of food to the cafeteria speeds by. The living lab is a well-oiled machine. Related Articles Ankara (AFP) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday embarks on a major tour of Latin American countries in a bid to expand Ankara's ties outside its traditional sphere of influence. His visits to Peru and Ecuador are the first-ever by a Turkish president and the stop in Chile is the first since late president Suleyman Demirel travelled there back in 1995. Regional and international issues will be on the agenda during talks with the leaders of South America, where Erdogan is also expected to attend business forums to intensify economic links. Erdogan had already in February 2015 visited Cuba, Colombia and Mexico. The Turkish president's itinerary will take him to Chile and then Peru before wrapping up his visit in Ecuador, the presidency said, adding that the trip "shows the importance we attach to the countries of Latin America." - 'Long-term ambition' - Turkey is seeking to diversify its partners beyond its traditional sphere of influence within the bounds of the former Ottoman Empire in the Middle East and the Balkans, analysts say. "The visit is part of Turkey's longer term ambition to expand its presence in Latin America, both to increase Turkish influence globally and also to reach out to new potential trade partners," said Aaron Stein, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, a US think tank. With its opening to Latin America, Turkey appears to want to forge new alliances in new regions at a time of tricky ties with the United States, the European Union and Russia. One of Turkey's major trade partners, Russia has imposed sanctions against Ankara after one of its war jets was shot down in November on the border with Syria. Stein said the trip to Latin America aimed at diversifying Turkey's ties. "It is part of Turkey's overarching ambition to deepen its relations with a range of actors, independent of its alliance with the United States and individual EU member countries," he told AFP. Story continues "It is a continuation of a foreign policy trend put in place in the mid-2000s." - 'Euro-centric system finished' - Turkey's "multi-vector" foreign policy also covers Africa, which has been the subject of significantly greater interest from Turkey and visits by Erdogan in recent years. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, a former foreign minister, is seen as the architect of this policy, pushing for a pivotal role for Turkey in global and not just regional affairs. This newly-assertive foreign policy by a key NATO member was slammed in some quarters for being "neo-Ottoman" and for drifting away from its Western axis. Erdogan's advisor Ibrahim Kalin has attacked such criticism for seeing the world through the "lenses of a Eurocentric world system". "Some even go so far as to see African and Latin American openings as diversions or 'moving away' from the West," he wrote in the pro-government Sabah Daily last year. "One wonders what meaning such analyses have in a world of growing interdependencies and new geo-political opportunities." In a sign of its growing soft power, Turkey's soap operas are taking Latin American countries by storm, prompting TV executives across the continent to start importing Turkish series to a region more used to exporting its own "telenovelas". This reverses the long-held trend of Turkey banking on Latin American prime time soap operas. By Dustin Volz WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Facebook Inc prohibited global users from coordinating person-to-person private sales of firearms on its online social network and its Instagram photo-sharing service on Friday, countering concerns that it was increasingly being used to circumvent background checks on gun purchases. The move comes as the United States debates the issue of access to guns after a string of mass shootings. U.S. President Barack Obama has urged social media companies to clamp down on gun sales organized on their platforms. It updates Facebook's regulated goods policy, introduced in March 2014, that banned people from selling marijuana, pharmaceuticals and illegal drugs. Facebook already prohibited private firearms sellers from advertising "no background check required," or offering transactions across U.S. state lines without a licensed dealer because the company said such posts indicated a willingness to evade the law. Licensed retailers will still be able to advertise firearms on Facebook that lead to transactions outside of Facebook's service, the spokeswoman said. "Over the last two years, more and more people have been using Facebook to discover products and to buy and sell things to one another," Monika Bickert, Facebook's head of product policy, said in a statement. "We are continuing to develop, test, and launch new products to make this experience even better for people and are updating our regulated goods policies to reflect this evolution," Bickert said. Facebook is the world's most popular online social network, with 1.59 billion users across the globe, 219 million of them in the United States and Canada. The National Rifle Association, a lobbying group opposed to limits on U.S. gun ownership rights, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Groups advocating increased gun control applauded the new policy. "Moms are grateful for the leadership shown by Facebook today," said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a part of the Everytown for Gun Safety campaign group. "Our continued relationship with Facebook resulted in today's even stronger stance, which will prevent dangerous people from getting guns and save American lives. (Reporting by Dustin Volz; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Bill Rigby) LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron has pledged to renegotiate Britain's ties with Europe and then give voters a referendum on European Union membership by the end of 2017. Cameron could reach a deal at an EU summit in February, paving the way for a public vote as soon as June. Following are the views of business leaders: AEROSPACE AND AIRLINES Chief executive of airline easyJet Carolyn McCall said: "We will do everything we can to make sure that consumers understand that they are far better off within the EU when it comes to connectivity and low fares." "We think it would be very difficult for our government to negotiate with 27 other member states to get the flying rights that we have today within the EU." Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O'Leary: "We're very actively supporting the campaign to keep the UK in the European Union. There's absolutely no doubt that the UK economy is better off in Europe than outside of Europe." Rolls-Royce President of Aerospace Tony Wood: "Uncertainty is unhelpful in any businessman's mind. This is a very long-term business. It takes us 10 years to design an engine, we make it for 15 to 20 and we continue to service it for another 15 to 20. Any kind of uncertainty politically is not good." Aircraft parts maker Meggitt CFO Doug Webb: "We want the business environment to be as supportive as possible and being able to easily trade across borders is important. Equally, being able to trade in an efficient way with as little red tape as possible is important. I guess what we would like to see is the best balance across that." AUTOMOTIVE Ian Robertson, BMW Director for Sales and Marketing: "The UK has the most diverse car industry in Europe and is the fourth largest market of BMW Group worldwide. From an industry perspective we would therefore regret seeing the UK leave the EU." Chief Executive of carmaker Opel , which owns the Vauxhall brand, Karl-Thomas Neumann: "We have plants in Luton and Ellesmere port. We will not turn our back on England. If Britons voted to leave the EU, life would carry on. We would continue to find ways to invest." CEO of Volkswagen-owned British brand Bentley Wolfgang Duerheimer: "Volkswagen Group has 110 locations around the world where they produce cars. That means they are not in any case reliant on the UK so if the situation changes dramatically, future decisions need to be considered among the circumstances you face." BANKING AND FINANCE Colm Kelleher, President of Morgan Stanley : "If Britain were to leave Europe you would see a significant backlash against London as a financial centre." Citi's UK head James Bardrick on what could happen post-Brexit: "We would have to operationally change the business and reallocate certain businesses back into the EU. That's not technically impossible ... but enormously costly and enormously inefficient ... and will mean the scale of our activities here will reduce." British Bankers Association Chief Executive Anthony Browne: "Some banks have recently moved operations and jobs out of the UK due to punitive hikes in bank taxes. Other banks have deferred decisions about whether to invest in Britain until after the referendum." Standard Life Investments Chief Executive Keith Skeoch: "This would be a shock that would register about 15 on the Richter scale," he said, referring to the possibility that Britons might vote to leave the EU. You want to make sure the rights you have today will persist for the next 20-30 years." (NB - the highest Richter scale earthquake ever recorded was 9.5) CONSUMER GOODS Paul Polman, the head of consumer goods company Unilever : "If there is uncertainty around things business is at its worst. So Im very much into how can we maintain the spirit of Europe, how can we make Europe work even better." ENERGY, OIL AND GAS Chief Executive of oil giant Royal Dutch Shell Ben van Beurden was quoted as saying by The Sunday Times newspaper: "We are a company with a strong heritage in the UK and on the Continent. There would be a real break between the two, which would affect freedom of movement of staff, trade we would be impacted. "There will be a path of divergence, and that will have all sorts of inefficiencies. Thats not good for companies like ours that thrive by there being no barriers. That is a fundamental economic aspect of it." BG Group Chairman Andrew Gould said: I am not in favour of Brexit. From an economic-business point of view I think it makes no sense at all. To create difficulties with a market as large as the EU doesnt seem to make a lot of economic sense to me Chief Executive of BP Bob Dudley told the BBC: "Being outside the EU would be worse for the country as many of the rules would still apply and Britain would be in danger of losing influence on the world stage. "There are lots of technical tax reasons, trade flows, regulation, that would make it better for our business and the energy business in general, the oil and gas business, (if Britain) were a part of Europe." National Grid Chief Executive Steve Holliday: "We cannot afford to lose the access to (European) energy supplies and interconnection, whatever the framework is eventually. Being part of the European energy market is unquestionably essential for the UK." HOUSEBUILDERS AND ESTATE AGENTS Managing Director of London-focused housebuilder Berkeley on what could happen if Britain leaves: "My concern would be around inward investment into London and it would slow down the growth of jobs and its influence." "If it retained less influence and less jobs, it will grow less quickly so it would actually need less homes built." Head of Commercial Research at real estate group Savills Mat Oakley: "The biggest risk to the commercial markets is that pre-vote period. Is it going to be three months, six months, nine months of speculation and the market may just go slightly quieter. "We have spoken to a number of people who've said we'll seriously consider moving our headquarters functions ... and our growth over the medium term to long term may well be more skewed to the EU ... if the UK were to leave." INDUSTRIALS AND CHEMICALS MANUFACTURERS Chief Executive of industrial equipment hire group Ashtead Geoff Drabble: "We have an ageing population in a small nation that needs to have skills in order to be globally competitive. And in a market that is becoming ever more global, I really struggle to see how increased isolation improves that situation." JCB Chief Executive Graeme MacDonald: "I really dont think it would make a blind bit of difference to trade with Europe. There has been far too much scaremongering about things like jobs. I dont think its in anyones interest to stop trade. I dont think we or Brussels will put up trade barriers. "What is needed is a lot less red tape and bureaucracy. Some of it is costly for us and quite frankly ridiculous. Whether that means renegotiating or exiting, I dont think it can carry on as it is. Its a burden on our business and its easier selling to North America than to Europe sometimes." INSURANCE Chief executive of the Association of British Insurers Paul Evans: "In the UK, the real political uncertainty for our sector comes from the dual and interconnected possibility that the UK could leave the EU and that the UK could dissolve if Scotland voted to become independent. Even five years ago, the likelihood of both would have seemed far more remote than they do now and so we certainly cannot be complacent." RECRUITMENT Steve Ingham, chief executive of one of Europe's largest recruitment firms Michael Page , told Reuters: "I am concerned about the disruption, because it causes uncertainty and uncertainty means that people are unprepared to make decisions. It's not good for a candidate thinking about moving job, and it's not good for a client and that's more a concern." RETAIL Chief executive of fashion retailer Next Simon Wolfson: "My view is that if we have Brexit then what will make a difference isnt so much the fact of coming out of Europe but whether the policies pursued by the government post Brexit are ... free trade, open, positive, embracing a global trade view or a protectionist one. I havent made my mind up yet. Im going to wait and see what deal the Prime Minister is able to secure. That matters." Marks & Spencer Chief Executive Marc Bolland: "I feel that some of those (European) reforms can be done and should be done. Actually, I think the best judgement call for Britain to take is to see what the result of the reforms are before they take a point of view (on EU membership)." "Europe is very important for Marks & Spencer because we have over 100 stores within the EU." TELECOMS Vodafone Chief Executive Vittorio Colao in a letter to Italian newspaper La Repubblica: "I think (Cameron) is right to say these reforms would be good for the entire EU and not just the UK, showing clearly the advantages all Europeans would get from them. "European companies have been asking for these reforms for years, sadly with limited results, while our competitors in the United States and Asia continue to grow more quickly." (Reporting By UK bureau and EMEA corporate finance team; compiled by Costas Pitas) (Reuters) - A draft EU reform package to help keep Britain in the European Union could be circulated on Monday following meetings between Prime Minister David Cameron and top EU officials. The following are key points of what Reuters has been told by sources close to the negotiations could be the proposal European Council President Donald Tusk will send to EU governments after talks over dinner with Cameron in London on Sunday: THE FORM Negotiators will work through the weekend to craft a single document laying out legislative and other measures responding to Cameron's November demands for reforms so he campaigns to keep Britain in the EU in a referendum by the end of next year. Depending on how Friday's talks in Brussels with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker have gone, and on the Cameron-Tusk meeting, the document could set out in more or less detail a classic EU negotiating text, including blank spaces and alternative wordings in brackets, to be haggled over up to and during a summit chaired by Tusk in Brussels on Feb. 18-19. Nothing is done until everything is. A deal, needing all 28 national leaders' assent, could pave the way for a referendum as early as June. Impasse would probably mean more talks. The EU sees its proposals as legally watertight, safe from challenges in court and not requiring amendments to treaties now - something hard to pull off quickly across all 28 EU states. On some issues, it will offer binding guarantees that treaties will be amended later if that is required to enact proposals. MIGRATION Cameron wants to discourage other Europeans coming to Britain by excluding them from the tax credits, child allowances and other non-contributory social benefits attached to low paid British jobs for at least four years. Without changing EU treaties guaranteeing free movement of labour and barring national discrimination, EU lawyers propose an "emergency brake", limiting those fundamental rights where vital national interests or economic stability are at risk. Legislation would give any state to curb in-work benefits for up to four years - if agreed to the European Council of fellow governments. Normally, Council decisions are by consensus - in effect, unanimity - but easier terms might be negotiated. Allowances for children could also be reduced long term. EU negotiators speak of "indexing" so that workers whose children live in cheaper states than the parent would receive less. EURO ZONE Cameron wants more legal safeguards for Britain's sterling-based economy and big financial industry from a risk of the euro zone countries writing EU rules to suit them. The EU proposes another "emergency brake" where Britain could object in the Council of all EU ministers. How far Britain may block measures and how far it would need allies is unclear yet. London and euro zone leaders all say Britain should not have a blanket veto. NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY Cameron wants assurances Britain need not hand more power to Brussels and to enhance the say of nations in the EU. The EU will be proposing a "red card", letting national parliaments acting in concert block EU legislation. How few legislatures could obstruct how much is still being negotiated. Britain wants it made clear that an EU treaty phrase calling for "ever closer union" among peoples does not mean more political integration. The EU will offer a binding decision by the European Council, echoing a reassurance it gave in 2014. COMPETITIVENESS The least contentious area of Cameron's four reform "baskets", calling for less red tape and more economic dynamism has broad backing so a set of declarations will echo EU policy, but with elements to show Britain Brussels is listening. (Reporting by Paul Taylor and Alastair Macdonald; Writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Lisa Shumaker) By Peter Henderson BURNS, Ore. (Reuters) - As four armed anti-government protesters held their ground at a U.S. wildlife refuge in Oregon on Friday, the family of a protester killed by police said he seemed to have been shot in the back with his hands up, although authorities said he was reaching for a gun. Relatives of Robert "LaVoy" Finicum, 54, a spokesman for the group that seized buildings at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, said he posed no threat and they were not accepting the authorities' assertion that he was armed. The Federal Bureau of Investigation released video on Thursday of state police fatally shooting Finicum, and contended it showed him making a move for a gun in his coat pocket. "LaVoy was not 'charging' anyone. He appears to have been shot in the back, with his hands in the air," the family of the Arizona rancher said in a statement through their attorney. "At this point we will await the outcome of any investigation, but based on the information currently available to us, we do not believe that LaVoy's shooting death was justified." Four armed protesters were still holed up on Friday at the remote refuge, 30 miles (48 km) from Burns, a small ranching community in the state's rural southeast. The FBI says it is working "around the clock" to negotiate with the holdouts. Ammon Bundy, who led the occupation that began on Jan. 2, was arrested on Tuesday along with other protesters including his brother, Ryan. Bundy has issued messages through his attorney urging those who remain at the refuge to stand down, and saying they would continue to fight federal land policy through the courts. Bundy and his brother Ryan were ordered held without bail pending trial on felony conspiracy charges, a U.S. District Court judge ruled on Friday. "There are no conditions I could impose that would ensure the safety of the community. I'm worried about him occupying another government building," U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie Beckerman told the hearing in Portland. Story continues Beckerman ordered most of the Bundys' co-defendants held without bail as well, at least until another next week. Following the hearing Ammon Bundy's attorney said that he had reached out to the final four holdouts in a bid to convince them to stand down, but that those men were skeptical without hearing directly from Bundy. The occupation began when Bundy and at least a dozen followers seized buildings at the refuge in the latest flare-up of the so-called Sagebrush Rebellion, a decades-old conflict over federal control of millions of acres of land in the West. Authorities said Finicum was armed when he was killed, and on Thursday night they released aerial video that showed him fleeing in a white truck, nearly striking an officer while trying to evade a police barricade, then barreling into a deep snowbank and exiting the car. The grainy footage shows Finicum raising his hands and then turning and flailing his arms. He then lowers his arms to his body and is shot by Oregon State Police troopers, the FBI said. Greg Bretzing, special agent in charge of the FBI's Portland office, told reporters Finicum can be seen reaching for his jacket pocket, where officers found a loaded 9mm semi-automatic handgun. But the lack of focus in the video makes it difficult to discern Finicum's precise movements. The dead rancher's relatives said the video seems to show him gesturing, or trying to keep his balance in the snow. "Although he may have been animated, he does not appear to have been threatening or posing any real threat or danger to anyone," Finicum's family said in their statement. That view was echoed by some the two dozen people who held a rally outside the Harney County courthouse on Friday. "It's kind of like murder, it looks like to me. They had every chance to take them peacefully," said 54-year-old local resident Cam Ray. A 79-year-old rancher, Monte Siegner, held a sign that read: "Ambushed and assassinated." "He got out with his hands up in the deep snow," Siegner said. "I didn't see any gun." The FBI video was released hours after Todd Macfarlane, a lawyer for Finicum's relatives, said other evidence may exist that shows Finicum was not threatening authorities. Macfarlane said one potential source of information about the shooting was Victoria Sharp, a woman who says she was friends with some of the armed protesters and claims she was at the scene and watched Finicum die. Sharp said in an interview with Reuters that Finicum was shot with his gun in his holster and his hands in the air, shouting and walking toward police. Neither state nor federal law enforcement would comment on whether Sharp was at the scene or on her description. Reuters was not able to independently confirm her version of the events. (Additional reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco, Victoria Cavaliere and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Writing by Daniel Wallis; Editing by Bill Trott, Toni Reinhold and Lisa Shumaker) (Reuters) - A tiny black Fiat 500L that carried Pope Francis through Philadelphia during his historic first visit to the United States was sold for $82,000 at an auction on Friday, organizers said. The auction drew more than 19 bidders and lasted just 11 minutes. Participants competed to take home the car, described as "Pope Francis' Philly Fiat" both remotely and in-person at the Philadelphia Auto Show, church and auction officials said. The winning bid of $82,000 was put forward by Michael and Kate Chapman of Chapman Auto Stores and the money will benefit the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, church officials said. The 79-year-old Pontiff chose the Fiat as a symbol of his concern for the environment and desire to put aside some of the rich trappings long associated with his office. A new Fiat 500L starts at a list price of about $19,000, according to the company's website. The Fiat was one of six used during the Argentina-born Pontiff's visit to Washington, New York and Philadelphia. He also used a white Jeep with open sides known as a "Popemobile" that allowed Francis to kiss babies as he passed. Thousands of Americans, both followers of the Catholic religion and the curious, packed the streets of the three cities during Francis' September visit, during which he also addressed the United Nations and met with prisoners and homeless people. (Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere in Los Angeles; Editing by Jacqueline Wong) Los Angeles (AFP) - The two remaining escapees from a jail break in southern California have been captured in San Francisco, police announced Saturday. The two -- identified as Hossein Nayeri, 37, and Jonathan Tieu, 20 -- were arrested after a passerby recognized their white van as the one authorities said had been stolen following the dramatic jail break last week in Santa Ana, near Los Angeles. Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens told reporters that Nayeri ran from the van, which was in the parking lot of a Whole Foods grocery store near Golden Gate Park, as police approached. Nayeri was arrested following a short foot chase, and Tieu was then captured when police returned to the van. Hutchens said "a number of" rounds of .380-caliber ammunition -- but no weapons -- were found in the vehicle. A fellow escapee, Bac Duong, 43, was arrested Friday in Santa Ana after turning himself in. The men's escape, in which they managed to cut through a ventilation grill and then use knotted bedsheets to rappel from the roof of the jail, had sparked an intense manhunt, leaving area residents in fear. The trio had been described as dangerous, "desperate" and probably armed. But on Saturday, Hutchens said that "the entire state can breathe a sigh of relief, because we have the other two dangerous individuals back in custody where they should be." She said her department was coordinating with San Francisco police, who made the arrest, for the men's return to Santa Ana. The parking lot where the men were found is on Haight Street, in an area made famous as a hippie destination in the 1960s and 1970s, and which still attracts a sometimes motley mixture of tourists, drifters, hipsters and well-to-do residents. The following editorial appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Thursday, Jan. 28: The unlawful armed occupation of a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon could be close to ending. Or not. Such vigilante actions have a way of inspiring copycat protests elsewhere, often by militants who are more fanatical than their predecessors. So there could be more trouble just around the bend even if authorities are able to end the nearly monthlong seizure of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Ore. The death of at least one militant and wounding of another in a shootout with law enforcement officers Tuesday is regrettable, but the protesters seemed to be prepared for this eventuality. In fact, they were inviting it. As soon as this Jan. 3 seizure escalated to armed confrontation, responsibility for any tragic conclusion rested solely with the extremists. Protest leader Ammon Bundy, who was arrested in Tuesdays confrontation, always had it in his power to disarm and turn the symbolic occupation into an encampment-style protest sort of a right-wing Occupy movement. That wouldnt have made his protest legal, but it certainly would have made it more palatable to those Americans who dont share the distorted view that government overreach requires a militia-style uprising. Instead, Bundy and his supporters decided to make this a gun-rights stand on top of other ill-conceived demands that federal lands be ceded to private ranchers. This occupation mimicked a 2014 armed standoff at the Bundy Ranch in Nevada that arose over the familys disagreement with federal grazing-rights restrictions. The protesters took on the mantle of lawless fanatics, initially using their guns to stand up for two men convicted of arson for having set fire to federal land and to hiding the fact that they had been poaching. Their message seemed to be that U.S. law was theirs to define, as though it were a smorgasbord from which citizens may pick and choose. The gunmen defied local police and federal authorities to intervene. Local groups urged the protesters to end their siege. Law enforcers demonstrated extraordinary tolerance when Bundy and others would leave their encampment to travel, hold meetings or stock up on food. They pushed everyones patience to the limit, and the time for an intervention was overdue. Never once did they convey a desire to end this peacefully. Their taunting manner and threats to shoot law enforcers turned the protest into something more akin to a terrorist standoff than a fight for liberty. The Bundy Ranch Facebook page describes the protesters as peaceful patriots supporting the Constitution and asks, Who are the terrorists? They were not peaceful. They were not patriots, and they were not supporting the Constitution. In our book, they are outlaws whose infliction of terror was never justified, regardless of the cause. In addition to being useful when traveling, learning a foreign language has been associated in several studies with helping boost cognitive function and delay the onset of dementia. Mobile apps can be a great solution for mastering a new tongue or brushing up on school-day skills because they're portable, convenient and relatively low cost. Here's a look at five of the best mobile apps for learning a foreign language. Babbel With 13 foreign languages available, the Babbel app offers a comprehensive learning system. It has functions to help learners improve their pronunciation and build vocabulary quickly through fun lessons. The app is free to download but language courses are paid for by subscription for one to 12 months, priced from 9.99 (or $9.99) to 59.99 (or $59.99). Download the Babbel app from Apple's App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android). Duolingo This entirely free app can help total beginners (including schoolchildren) and more advanced learners get to grips with 26 languages, including classic options like French and German, as well as more unusual choices such as Norwegian, Swahili and Klingon. Over time, users can progress to higher levels or choose to specialize in a specific field (business, medical, etc.). It's even possible to compete with friends also signed up to the platform. Download the Duolingo app from Apple's App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android). Memrise Memrise helps users learn a maximum number of words in a short space of time using visual learning techniques and memory games. A Premium subscription offers access to a wide choice of extra games, with prices ranging from 8.99 (or $8.99) for one month to 59.99 (or $59.99) for the year. Download the Memrise app from Apple's App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android). MosaLingua MosaLingua offers a choice of five languages (German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese) with different levels available. The app focuses on long-lasting memorization, using techniques based on cognitive and psychological concepts to tap into the learner's audio and visual memory. Most of the apps are priced at 4.99 (or $4.99) with add-on vocab packs available for in-app purchase. All of the apps are available for iOS and Android. Head to the MosaLingua website to see the choice of languages and levels. Busuu Busuu (which takes its name from a Cameroonian dialect) offers an original way to brush up on 12 languages. The platform is like a social network for language learners, where users can follow interactive lessons and connect with native speakers all over the world to practice their skills. Access is subscription-based, with prices ranging from 9.99 (or $9.99) for one month to 64.99 (or $64.99) for 12 months. Busuu has over 50 million users worldwide. Download the Busuu app from Apple's App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android). (Reuters) - A 22-month-old boy sitting inside a car was killed in a gang-related drive-by shooting in Florida, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said on Saturday. Neither the child nor the other occupants of the car appeared to be the intended target of the gunfire, authorities said. Shots rang out at about 6:10 p.m. on Friday, striking the child at least three times in the upper body, the sheriff's office said. The child, identified as Aiden Michael McClendon, was rushed to the hospital but has since died. Authorities were searching for a white vehicle that drove off from the scene. McClendon was in a parked car with his mother and grandmother when the vehicle drove past spraying bullets, according to local media. (Reporting by Barbara Goldberg; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn) Paris (AFP) - France is looking to quickly revive plans for an international conference to "bring about the two-state solution" to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Friday. "In the coming weeks, France will take... steps in order to organise an international conference gathering each of the parties' principle partners -- principally Americans, Europeans and Arabs -- in order to preserve and to bring about the two-state solution," he said in remarks to diplomats. France has in recent years raised the idea of hosting an international conference to revive peace efforts which would bring in all the key players in a show of support for a final settlement of the decades-long conflict. But the idea has never taken concrete shape. "We must not allow the two-state solution to fall apart," he said, noting that there had been no halt to Israel's settlement activity on land the Palestinians want for a future state. Peace talks collapsed in April 2014 and since then, the situation has deteriorated, with the prospects of fresh dialogue appearing more remote than ever. A wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks which began on October 1 has killed 25 Israelis, while over the same period, 159 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, most while carrying out attacks although others died in clashes and demonstrations. - Recognising Palestine? - Should efforts to breathe life into the moribund peace process fail, France would move to unilaterally recognise Palestine as a state, Fabius said. "And what will happen if this last-ditch attempt at reaching a negotiated solution hits a stumbling block?" he said. "In that case, we will have to live up to our responsibilities and recognise a Palestinian state." In November 2014, the French parliament backed a motion urging the government to recognise Palestine as a state as a way of achieving a "definitive resolution of the conflict" in a move which Paris has said could happen if the peace process remained in the doldrums. Story continues France has also pushed for a UN resolution that would guide negotiations leading to an independent Palestinian state and which could include a timeframe for talks. Until now, France's diplomatic efforts have been largely rebuffed by Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisting that peace would only come through direct negotiations between the parties and not through UN resolutions "imposed from the outside." Earlier on Friday, the Palestinians began waging a new campaign at the United Nations to revive peace prospects, with envoy Riyad Mansour highlighting the need for a "collective approach" to solve the conflict and saying a resolution condemning Israel's settlement expansion could be a first step. PARIS (Reuters) - Several thousand people marched in French cities on Saturday to protest against a state of emergency introduced after November's attacks in Paris and a proposed nationality-stripping law that led France's justice minister to quit this week. President Francois Hollande's Socialist government adopted state of emergency legislation following the Nov. 13 Islamist militant attacks that left 130 people dead, and it plans to extend the measures for a further three months after they expire next month. Opponents say the increased police powers and restrictions on public gatherings damage democracy and are ineffective in tackling terrorist threats. The debate has become intense as the government has pursued plans to deprive convicted terrorists of French nationality. Paris attracted the biggest march as 5,500 protesters, according to a police estimate, went from the traditional rallying point of Republic square through central Paris before dispersing near the Louvre museum. The organizers said 20,000 joined the Paris protest. Smaller marches took place in other French cities like Toulouse and Marseille as part of protests planned in 70 towns. "I think it's more than dangerous, the extension of the state of emergency," Alexandra Scappaticci, one of the protesters in Paris, told Reuters. "It has already been used during the COP 21 (climate talks) to lock down demonstrators who had nothing to do with terrorism, so I think that if it is extended, I don't know what more they could use it for, but in any case, it will not prevent terrorism." The Socialist government has the backing of most French people for the emergency measures and the wider use of nationality-stripping, opinion polls show. But it has angered some left-wing political allies, and Justice Minister Christiane Taubira, who had deep reservations about the reforms, resigned this week. (Reporting by Hortense de Roffignac, Marine Pennetier and Gus Trompiz) Try as it may, Microsoft simply cant compete in a smartphone market still dominated by Apples iPhone and an assortment of Android handsets. As part of the companys Q4 2015 earnings report, the company disclosed that it sold just 4.5 million Lumia phones during the busy holiday quarter. By way of contrast, Microsoft in the same quarter a year-ago sold 10.5 million units, a staggering 57% drop. DONT MISS: 8 reasons I still cant leave the iPhone and switch to Android In turn, revenue from Windows Phone devices also fell drastically, dropping 49% year over year. Seeing as how the modern smartphone market has been around for nearly nine years now, one struggles to come up with a scenario that would see Microsoft actually manage to create even a tiny dent in the 1-2 punch that is iOS and Android. Indeed, Microsoft CFO Amy Hood noted during the companys earnings conference call that Windows Phone revenue would decline a comparable amount in the coming quarter as well. As pointed out by Benedict Evans, cumulative Windows Phone sales are currently in the 110 million range. During the same time frame, iOS and Android phones together have amassed more than 4.5 billion in unit sales. Over the past few years, its been easy to harp on a few reasons why Microsoft, despite its vast resources, remained an inconsequential player in the smartphone market. But now, nearly nine years after the original iPhone launched, it doesnt really matter much anymore. It doesnt matter that Steve Ballmer famously ignored the competitive threat posed by the iPhone, nor does it matter that the Window Phone ecosystem never got off the ground in any serious way. What matters now is that Microsofts effort with Windows Phone has been nothing short of an abject failure. Marketshare wise, Windows Phone never even managed to crack 6%, peaking at 5.6% in 2013. Today, Windows Phone marketshare stands at about 1.6%. Windows Central adds: None of this should be surprising. Not only have there been very few high-end Windows Phones in the last two years, but carriers have also been reluctant to sell or promote those devices in the face of Apples iPhone and Samsung for Android (not to mention the likes of HTC, LG, and others). One thing that is clear, though, is that Windows Phone users left en masse during the holiday season. What exactly drove that shift is up for debate, though factors like expiring carrier contracts and tempting sales of competing devices likely compounded general dissatisfaction with the OS and the lack of an available Windows Phone upgrade path that many users face. Story continues As for what Microsoft makes of its Windows Phone disappointment, CEO Satya Nadella last month tried to downplay Windows Phones failure by articulating that Microsoft is already trying to get to a world where the device matters less than the services it is accessing. Related stories Microsoft's Edge browser is apparently saving your private browsing data How Microsoft's new iOS keyboard app will improve your texting game Microsoft's Windows Phone VP caught tweeting from an iPhone More from BGR: 6 ways Android outshines my iPhone 6s This article was originally published on BGR.com In casual news out of the former Confederacy, a Georgia lawmaker is spreading historically inaccurate tripe about the Ku Klux Klan in an effort to save the South from "cultural terrorism." In an exclusive interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Rep. Thomas Benton (R-Jefferson) insisted Thursday the KKK "was not so much a racist thing but a vigilante thing to keep law and order." "It made a lot of people straighten up," he said, referring again to the Ku Klux Klan. "I'm not saying what they did was right. It's just the way things were." The 11-year incumbent made the statements in response to a proposed bill, Senate Bill 294, which would prohibit the recognition of legal and public holidays in Georgia that celebrate "the Confederate States of America, its history, or the military or political leaders thereof." Benton also called the bill's main sponsor, Rep. Vincent Fort (D-Atlanta), a "fanatic," and said SB 294 amounted to "cultural terrorism." Rep. Tommy Benton (R-Jefferson) at an unrelated hearing in January 2015. "That's no better than what ISIS is doing, destroying museums and monuments," Benton told the AJC. "I feel very strongly about this. I think it has gone far enough. There is some idea out there that certain parts of history out there don't matter anymore and that's a bunch of bunk." Benton has proposed an opposing bill, House Resolution 1179, that would ensure Confederate monuments in the state are never altered or taken down. He also supports House Bill 855, which would make Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's birthday and Confederate Memorial Day legal and public holidays. Predictably, no reasonable person is happy about Benton's statements. "His defense of the KKK ignores a grave and dark history of violence and racism in Georgia," Bryan Long, executive director of the liberal group Better Georgia said in a statement, according to the AJC. "House Speaker David Ralston must immediately denounce Rep. Benton's statements and make sure the representative's neo-Confederate, revisionist history bills never receive a hearing." Story continues The state of Georgia has seen its fair share of debate over the salience of Confederate monuments in recent months. Back in November, a handful of Klan members rallied in Stone Mountain 20 miles northeast of Atlanta, and home to a well-known Confederate memorial to support the preservation of said monument and oppose a memorial to Martin Luther King Jr., being built nearby. Confederate memorial in Stone Mountain, Georgia. The rally came five months after a 21-year-old white supremacist named Dylann Roof shot and killed nine black parishioners at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. The murders sparked a nationwide conversation about symbols that celebrate white supremacy, and resulted in the removal of the Confederate flag from the statehouse grounds in South Carolina and Alabama. Much of the debate has focused on what these symbols mean today. Many Confederate flag supporters and supporters of other symbols lauding the Confederacy insist they don't advocate for slavery, but rather the preservation of Southern culture and heritage. But not only are these positions not mutually exclusive, they directly contradict the stated intentions of the original Confederate secessionists. "Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery the greatest material interest of the world," reads Mississippi's secession declaration from before the Civil War. As for Benton's claims about the Ku Klux Klan, he's wrong: It was very much "a racist thing." "We avow the distinction between the races of mankind as decreed by the creator," reads the "Ku Klux Kreed" from The Constitution and Laws of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (1921), "and we shall ever be true to the maintenance of white supremacy and strenuously oppose any compromise thereof." Benton did not respond to Mic's request for comment. h/t Atlanta Journal-Constitution Athens (AFP) - Two thousand people joined a rally in Athens Saturday organised by the far-right Golden Dawn Party to mark the anniversary of the 1996 Imia crisis that brought Greece and Turkey to the brink of war. Black-clad party members held torches and waved Greek and party flags, shouting ultra-patriotic slogans, as they marched from the Golden Dawn's main office in northern Athens to the nearby Ministry of Defence. In central Athens, meanwhile, counter-demonstrators gathered in defiance of a government ban on gatherings in the centre of the city. Police put the number of people at the Golden Dawn rally at 2,000 with around 500 counter demonstrators in central Athens. In January 1996, Greece and Turkey clashed over the sovereignty of a handful of rocky islets, called Kardak by Ankara and Imia by Athens, situated a few miles from the Turkish mainland. The two countries sent marines to two neighbouring islets in a sign of an imminent armed confrontation, but then withdrew their troops after heavy diplomatic pressure by the United States. Greek authorities on Friday announced a ban on all public gatherings in central Athens to avert any clashes between far-right activists and anti-fascists counter-demonstrators. Police concerns were also raised after 12 Germans, thought to be members of a far-right group who arrived in Athens to take part in Saturdays event, were attacked on Thursday by anti-fascists. Athens (AFP) - Negotiations between Greece and its creditors on the first review of the country's bailout will resume Monday, against the backdrop of ongoing demonstrations by farmers protesting pension reforms imposed by international lenders. The Greek finance ministry confirmed the resumption of the talks, which come as farmers continue to blockade highways in several places over the government's plans to scrap benefits such as income tax breaks and cheaper fuels and push through reforms to a national insurance scheme. The government has called on the farmers to enter talks on ending the two-week-old protests. In an interview with Naftemporiki newspaper on Saturday, Labour Minister George Katrougalos said the government was "ready to discuss with the farmers" and there was "room for improvement in their new insurance policy". The reforms will be discussed at the talks with representatives of the European Union and IMF, which will take place in two phases, with a break at the end of next week. In order to abide by the bailout terms, the leftist government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has announced plans to lower the maximum pension to 2,300 euros ($2,500) a month from 2,700 euros currently and introduce a new minimum guaranteed basic pension of 384 euros. It also wants to merge pension funds and increase social security contributions by both employers and staff. Lawyers, engineers and sailors also oppose the reforms and Greek unions have announced a general strike -- the third in as many months -- on February 4. "The agreement for the new insurance plan will reflect mutual compromises and concessions," Economy Minister George Stathakis told Agora newspaper. Greece must save 1.8 billion euros from state spending on pensions under a three-year bailout signed with the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund in July. Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos said Friday that after its bailout review Greece would get down to talks with its creditors on renegotiating its debt pile. Guatemala City (AFP) - Guatemalan health officials said Saturday that at least 105 people there had been infected with Zika, the virus suspected of causing grave brain damage in newborns. Health Ministry epidemiologist Judith Garcia told the newspaper Prensa Libre that the 105 confirmed cases emerged from a total of 200 suspected cases, 68 of them from 2015. For each confirmed case, Garcia said, there may be three more patients who have not come forward or who are asymptomatic, meaning the ultimate numbers could be much larger. Zika is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also spreads dengue fever and the chikungunya virus. It provokes flu-like symptoms including a low-grade fever, headaches, joint pain and rashes. "Guatemala's humid climate is quite favorable" to the virus, said Garcia. The World Health Organization (WHO) warned this week that the virus is "spreading explosively" in the Americas, with three million to four million cases expected this year. Hardest-hit so far has been Brazil, with more than 1.5 million cases since April. Health authorities there are investigating the possible linkage between Zika and more than 3,400 suspected cases of microcephaly -- abnormally small skulls and brains -- in babies born to infected mothers. Colombia announced earlier Saturday that it has 20,297 cases of Zika infection, including 2,116 in expectant mothers. Zika is present in 21 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to WHO experts. It was detected for the first time in Uganda in 1947 and was named for a forest south of that nation's capital of Kampala. Port-au-Prince (AFP) - Several hundred radical opposition protesters demonstrated Friday in Port-au-Prince, angry over an international election mission that they say will interfere in Haiti's presidential vote. The protesters, who back the election's opposition candidate, are upset by the Organization of American States' deployment of a special mission meant to ease the country's political crisis. The OAS is acting at the request of outgoing President Michel Martelly, and opposition activists claim that he and his foreign backers are bent on rigging the poll in favor of his chosen candidate. Demonstrators marched down the streets of the capital with red cardboard signs in hand which read "Down with the OAS." "The time has come that we take the destiny of our country in hand after 212 years of destruction, and the OAS is always in the middle of these conflicts," student Joenson Versailles said. Martelly is constitutionally prohibited from standing for re-election and his legal term in office ends on February 7, when he had hoped to hand over power. His favored candidate, the previously little-known Jovenel Moise, won October's first round with around a third of the vote and remains the favorite. But opposition flag-bearer Jude Celestin was close behind and refused to campaign ahead of the second vote, alleging the government was working against him. The second-round presidential runoff, which was originally scheduled for December 27, was postponed indefinitely last Friday, less than 48 hours before voting was to begin. Members of the UN Security Council expressed concern Friday "that the delay in elections may undermine Haiti's ability to address the security, economic and social challenges it faces." Since 1986, when president-for-life Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier fled a revolt, the Caribbean island nation, which is wracked by poverty and the after effects of a devastating 2010 earthquake, has struggled repeatedly to hold credible elections. Beirut (AFP) - The head of Lebanon's Shiite movement Hezbollah on Friday said he backs Christian ally Michel Aoun for president, a key post that has been vacant for 18 months. "We remain committed to General Aoun as long as he remains the candidate," Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised address. "This commitment is based on mutual trust." Nasrallah added however that Hezbollah would not force other political allies to back Aoun, 82. "We don't impose our decision on anyone," Nasrallah said. Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014, when the mandate of Michel Sleiman expired. Since then the country's Christians, Sunni and Shiite Muslims and Druze cannot agree on a candidate as the neighbouring war in Syria further polarises parties. Several previous votes have failed to produce a president and parliament is due to convene on February 8 for another attempt. Under Lebanon's power-sharing agreement, the president is always drawn from the Maronite Christian community, the prime minister is a Sunni and the parliament speaker a Shiite. It's nice to see 2016's Democratic presidential candidates agree on something. Earlier this week, both campaigns entered talks to have more televised debates, even without the Democratic National Committee's explicit sanction. Now, the chair of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, John Podesta, has released an official statement calling for the next debate to be held in Flint, Michigan. We should use the spotlight of the presidential campaign to keep focus on the water crisis in Flint. My statement: pic.twitter.com/5Alc83zYws https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CZ_tbt6WAAAnZgS.jpg:large Flint is currently experiencing a toxic water crisis caused by lead poisoning in the city's water source. President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency due to the situation in Flint on Jan. 16. "The water crisis in Flint is unconscionable," Podesta said. His comments echoed Clinton's own. On Jan. 21, Clinton tweeted out pictures of Flint's water, saying that this would never be tolerated in a "wealthy suburb." Flint Mayor Karen Weaver has also endorsed Hillary Clinton for president, citing Clinton's support during the ongoing water crisis. No one would tolerate these conditions in a wealthy suburb. Detroit students and teachers deserve better. -H https://twitter.com/micnews/status/689933201779855360 ... https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CZMil1SW0AAIK2g.png:large Podesta continued, "We should use the spotlight of the presidential campaign to keep the focus on Flint, and to lift up the historic underlying issues that Flint and too many other predominantly low-income communities of color across America are struggling with every day." He added the Flint water crisis is a part of the United States' systemic racial injustice, which poses problems for people of color in courts, schools, prison, employment, housing transit and pollution. Des Moines (United States) (AFP) - Since her school days, Hillary Clinton has chased success, earning honors and accolades that could fill a bookcase. The ambitious Midwesterner has managed it all in her lengthy career -- all except the presidency, her decades-long obsession. Clinton might have been forgiven for expecting a glide path to her party's nomination in 2016, after losing out to Barack Obama eight years earlier. She and husband Bill Clinton have not just endured but suffered and thrived in symbiotic tandem under the political spotlight since 1977, the year before Bill's election as governor of Arkansas. Now she is in the fight of her life against chief rival Bernie Sanders, who is seeking to imitate Obama and snatch victory from Clinton's grasp in Iowa, the state that votes first in the presidential nomination battle. Clinton has changed tack for this new campaign. She promotes her status as a new grandmother, but also as the torchbearer of America's women, a commitment that dates back to her early years as a lawyer and child advocate. Embracing her reputation as a "fighter," Clinton is keen to shed the has-been label and emerge as the nation's first female president. - From middle-class to Yale - Hillary Diane Rodham was born October 26, 1947 and raised in a middle-class household in Chicago suburb Park Ridge. She adored her mother Dorothy but described her father Hugh Rodham, born from Welsh immigrants, as a stubborn and rigid taskmaster. He imposed his work ethic on young Hillary, but also his frugality. She still puts uneaten olives back in the jar and is loath to waste anything, she wrote in her 2003 autobiography, "Living History." Clinton shared her father's Republican convictions in adolescence, as well as his thunderous laugh. The family is Methodist, and to this day Hillary Clinton remains in the church. From age 13, she took odd jobs to help finance her studies. Smart and ambitious, Hillary was admitted in 1965 to Wellesley, an elite women's college near Harvard where she was eventually elected president of her class. Story continues It was the social tumult of the sixties, and Clinton's eyes were opened to the struggle for civil rights, the explosive debate over Vietnam and the fight for gender equality. When she was accepted in 1969 at prestigious Yale Law School, she met Bill Clinton, the "Viking" from Arkansas who would change the course of her life. After working for the influential Children's Defense Fund, and a period in Washington in 1974 on the commission investigating the Watergate scandal, she gave in and joined Bill in Arkansas. He was soon elected Arkansas governor and Hillary Rodham joined a prestigious law firm, eventually becoming its first female partner. Chelsea, their only daughter, was born in 1980. - Political first lady - She soon dropped her maiden name and became Hillary Clinton, first lady of Arkansas and then the nation after her husband's White House election victory in 1992. Her assertive style contrasted with that of her predecessors. She played an active political role, symbolized by the location of her office in the West Wing. Her relations with lawmakers and journalists quickly soured, particularly over her efforts to reform the health care system, a role bestowed on her by her president husband. Republicans branded her a radical feminist. She suffered intense humiliation when news of Bill's affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky surfaced in 1998. But her popularity has never been higher than the 67-percent approval rating she enjoyed in December 1998, according to a Gallup poll at the time. - Solo career - Pressured by friends and associates in Hillaryland, the first lady launched herself into politics, winning a US Senate seat for New York in 2000. She laid low during the 2004 presidential race, but four years later she entered the fray to challenge fellow senator Barack Obama, who savaged her vote supporting the Iraq war. Clinton chose to run on her experience, refusing to campaign on gender. But Americans opted instead on the 40-something political neophyte Obama, bringing hope of change after eight years of George W. Bush. After a detente with his party rival, Obama appointed Clinton secretary of state. Her critics argue she can claim no major diplomatic successes, but her four globe-trotting years in the post cemented her image as a powerful stateswoman. In 2007, in his definitive Clinton biography, journalist Carl Bernstein cited his subject's dominant characteristic as "passion," exuded in her "enthusiasm, humor, tempestuousness, inner strength," and her "lethal (almost) powers of retribution." A Machiavellian image, one painted by her many enemies, clings to Clinton, especially in the eyes of voters who remember the turmoil of the 1990s. Her use of a personal email account instead of an official government one proved a crippling scandal for her last year, fuelling suspicions that the Clintons see themselves as above the law. In 2014 Hillary Clinton said she and Bill were "dead broke" when they left the White House, even though they owned two million-dollar homes. They subsequently made several million dollars each from speaking fees. But her years of diplomacy have cemented her image. For the last 14 years, she has remained the most "admired" woman in America in an annual Gallup survey. Eric Holder, former U.S. attorney general, attends the 2016 Tina Brown Live Medias American Justice Summit at Gerald W. Lynch Theatre on Jan. 29 in New York City. (Photo: Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images) Former Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. yesterday used a criminal justice conference in New York City to settle some scores with political rivals with whom hed clashed during his six and a half years of service in the Obama administration. In a series of comments heavy with scorn, Holder took on congressional Republicans for their role in blocking gun control measures in the wake of the Newtown massacre and for obstructing Obamas efforts to close the military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. But Holder reserved his most stinging comments for those who opposed his decision to try 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in federal court in New York, a decision that the White House reversed under bipartisan pressure from members of Congress and New York politicians. I was mad then, Im mad now. I was damn right and the people who opposed me were damn wrong, Holder told Tina Brown, who interviewed him at the American Justice Summit. Holder singled out Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., for placing politics above national security and implored New Hampshire voters to ask her about the issue on the campaign trial where she is engaged in a tight re-election race. Without naming names, Holder said that multiple Republicans have said that they received their biggest applause lines in calling out Holder for affording the same due process rights enjoyed by all Americans to the 9/11 defendants. But Holder said the fact that KSMs case remains mired in the military justice system with no signs of going to trial after more than six years proves that he was right, and his critics were wrong. If the decision to try the 9/11 defendants in civilian court had stood, Holder told Brown, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his confederates would be on death row right now instead of waiting for their first pre-trial hearing. Story continues Eric Holder talks with Tina Brown at Tina Brown Live Medias American Justice Summit on Jan. 29 in New York City. (Photo: Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images) Holder was equally caustic about Congresss lack of action in the wake of the Sandy Hook mass shooting that left 20 school children and six adults dead. He called his visit to the Connecticut school, where he saw the blood-spattered walls directly below the art work of first-graders, the worst day of his tenure as attorney general. He added that if the American people had seen the what he had seen, even the cowards in our Congress would have been forced to do the right thing. But Holder also acknowledged that the Obama administration should shoulder some of the blame for its failure to achieve meaningful gun-safety legislation. I do think in retrospect we should have pushed harder, Holder said in response to a question about why the administration did not make guns a priority during President Obamas first term. And Holder called the issue my biggest failure especially in light of the mass shootings we saw all the time. Holder also spoke out passionately about the need to bolster voter protections in the wake of the Supreme Courts Shelby v. Holder decision, which struck down key provisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Holder put the trend toward instituting voter ID laws in starkly political terms. Its an attempt to retard the growth of, lets be honest, the Obama coalition, which is very scary to some people. He observed that elements of the country are unsettled by the major demographic changes taking place, pointing out that the United States will no longer be majority white by 2043. He was subdued but more somber when the questions turned to the frayed relationship between law enforcement and the African-American community, a major focus of the conference. Holder recalled his visit to Ferguson, Mo., and the shock of learning how under siege black residents felt by the police. It was striking not to hear almost any defenders of law enforcement there, he said. He also retold his own experience of being racially profiled by law enforcement. One evening, he and his cousin were late for a movie in the affluent Washington, D.C., neighborhood of Georgetown. As they were running toward the theater, the police ordered them to stop, shined a light in their faces and asked what they were doing. Guilty of being black and running to a movie in a white neighborhood, Holder said dryly. At the time he was a young federal prosecutor. The conference was the second annual American Justice Summit, which explores efforts to reform the criminal justice system and is put on by Tina Brown Live Media. This years summit was held at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. Scroll to 5:57 to watch the Eric Holder interview with Tina Brown. A group of 100 masked men marched throughout central Stockholm on Friday, handing out leaflets saying "It's enough now" and threatening "north African street children who are roaming around ... [with] the punishment they deserve," reported the Guardian, per Swedish paper Aftonbladet. The leaflets said that police had proven themselves unable to handle the many immigrants arriving in the city, and the recent murder of a social worker at a Swedish refugee camp on Monday, leaving them with "no alternative" but to mete out vigilante justice. According to Reuters, witnesses saw the gang of men attack a number of individuals, and one of the group was arrested for "punching a plainclothes officer in the face." The group targeted people who appeared to be . Sweden: Group of masked men threatens migrants in downtown #Stockholm. http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=2054&artikel=6357252&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter ... Photo @Aftonbladet pic.twitter.com/75K4qces3D https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CZ9sbKzWEAAUq3Y.png:large The news may come as surprise to some in the U.S., where Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio recently cracked a joke about the country's supposed socialist leanings. But the ongoing refugee crisis has correlated with a surge in support for anti-immigrant parties in Sweden. Polling recently showed Sweden's ruling Social Democrats have just 23.3% of the electorate, the lowest the party has polled since 1967, according to the Local. The progressive wing consisting of the Social Democrats, Greens, and the Left Party polled a cumulative 37.2%, compared to the , which polled 42.8%. The Local reported the dip in the Social Democrats' popularity likely had to do with immigration Sweden took in 160,00 asylum seekers in 2015, including 26,000 unaccompanied minors. Up to 55% of those migrants are likely to have their applications for asylum rejected. Story continues Stockholm police guard arrested neo-Nazis on Jan. 23. Anti-refugee sentiment, protests and even acts of violence across Europe have grown in recent months amid rising tensions over how to deal with the more than migrants who arrived on the continent in 2015. "I think many people are concerned and worried that there will be more violence since Sweden has received so many unaccompanied children and young people," Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said after , according to the Guardian. "Many of those who come young to Sweden have traumatic experiences, and there are no easy answers." The prevailing theme of the 2016 election, so far, has been the appeal of rogue candidates and the defenestration of establishment politicians. Once the voting actually starts, however, the angry rumbling might settle down. Voters will finally head to the polls for primary elections in Iowa on Feb. 1 and in New Hampshire on Feb. 9. The nations first two primaries are always make-or-break events for candidates on the edge, which this year includes Democrat Martin OMalley and Republicans Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, Rand Paul, John Kasich, Carly Fiorina and a few others. A poor showing in one or both states will raise doubts about electability and prompt donors to throw in the towel, except for the most dogged and best-funded candidates. If the state of the economy still dominates voter behavioras polls suggest it doesthen voters in Iowa and New Hampshire will be more docile than Americans overall. Both states have an unemployment rate below 4%, compared with 5% for the nation as a whole. The New York Times recently described the difficulty employers have finding workers in Iowa, which of course creates stronger demand for labor. New Hampshire is tied to the vibrant economy near Boston and typically outperforms the nation as a whole. Here are some key economic indicators for Iowa and New Hampshire, plus South Carolina, which will hold the third Republican primary on Feb. 20, and the third Democratic contest on Feb. 27: Sources: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, St. Louis Federal Reserve By most measures, Iowa and New Hampshire are in better economic shape than America overall. Theres one other important economic factor that will influence voterslow gas prices, which been below $2 per gallon for nearly a month. That makes everybody feel better, even though no politician can credibly claim credit for an economic matter determined by global supply and demand. The question is how this relative prosperity in two small states will influence voters. In general, voters reward incumbents when they feel financially secure, while punishing incumbents when they feel like theyre falling behind. Strong job security, relatively high incomes and a stable housing sector in both states suggest voters will worry less about throwing the bums out and more on keeping the party going. Story continues Donald Trump is the leading Republican in both Iowa and New Hampshire polls, leading No. 2 Ted Cruz by a range of 7 to 19 percentage points. Since both are considered anti-establishment bomb-throwers, a prosperity vote might benefit Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, John Kasich or Chris Christie, all considered more mainstream. If the economy is, in fact, a calming factor in Iowa and New Hampshire, it would mean a less than impressive showing for Trump and Cruz, below where they stand in the polls. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton leads Bernie Sanders in Iowa while trailing him in New Hampshire. Clinton is the very face of incumbency, since her husband was president, her party holds the White House and she served in the current Obama administration as Secretary of State. If Democratic voters feel the nations current leadership has made them better off, look for Clinton to outperform in both states. South Carolina is a different story, with unemployment and household income numbers that are worse than the national average. Yet even there, things arent so bad. Incomes are growing, the cost of living is low and compared with other parts of Dixie, South Carolina is thriving. By next November, the overall economy may be improving just enough to allow Obamas Democrats to win a third consecutive term in the White House, according to an election model developed by Moodys Analytics that has accurately predicted every presidential outcome since 1980. The Moodys model predicts that Iowa and New Hampshire, which Obama won in 2008 and 2012, will back the blue candidate once again in 2016, though by slim margins. South Carolina will vote Republican, as it has for every presidential election since 1980. Overall, Moodys predicts that Democrats will rack up 270 electoral votes in Novemberthe bare minimum required to winwith the Republican nominee falling just short, with 268 votes. The key swing states of Virginia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin will go Democratic; Republicans will snag the battleground states of Ohio, Florida, Colorado and North Carolina. Something unforeseen could easily throw that prediction off, such as a sudden surge in gas prices, a flirtation with recession, an unnerving terrorist event or an unforeseen scandal involving Clinton, Trump or another heavyweight candidate. It all starts in Iowa, and at least well finally have some actual voting to place next to the ubiquitous polls. Rick Newmans latest book is Liberty for All: A Manifesto for Reclaiming Financial and Political Freedom. Follow him on Twitter: @rickjnewman. Asserting its position as the leading voice of the liberal Democratic establishment, the New York Times today strongly endorsed Hillary Clinton for nomination as the Presidential candidate of the Democratic Party. The Times support comes as Iowans prepare for Mondays caucuses, launching the primary season. As all the potential candidates from both major parties saturate the airwaves with radio and television ads touting their visions for the country or attacking the competition the former New York Senator and Secretary of State is in a statistical dead heat with the Vermont Senator in Iowa polling. Candidate Martin OMalley, the former governor of Maryland, is a distant third. On the Republican side, The Times endorsed Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, calling him the only plausible choice for Republicans tired of the extremism and inexperience on display in this race. Further explaining the boards choice, the Times wrote that Mr. Kasich is no moderate. As governor, hes gone after public-sector unions, fought to limit abortion rights and opposed same-sex marriage. Still, as a veteran of partisan fights and bipartisan deals during nearly two decades in the House, he has been capable of compromise and believes in the ability of government to improve lives. Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Martin O' Malley Making the case for Clinton, the Times editorial acknowledged that Sanders, a self-described Democratic Socialist, has proved to be more formidable than most people, including Mrs. Clinton, anticipated. He has brought income inequality and the lingering pain of the middle class to center stage and pushed Mrs. Clinton a bit more to the left than she might have gone on economic issues. Mr. Sanders has also surfaced important foreign policy questions, including the need for greater restraint in the use of military forceIn the end, though, Mr. Sanders does not have the breadth of experience or policy ideas that Mrs. Clinton offers. The editorial concludes that a Clinton candidacy offers Democrats an opportunity to present a vision for America that is radically different from the one that leading Republican candidates offer a vision in which middle-class Americans have a real shot at prosperity, womens rights are enhanced, undocumented immigrants are given a chance at legitimacy, international alliances are nurtured and the country is kept safe. Watch for the impact of the Times endorsements to be a key subject of debate on the Sunday morning Beltline programs. Related stories Dem Hopefuls Clinton, Sanders & O'Malley Hit CNN Town Hall Wednesday, MSNBC Debate Thursday Democratic Debate Added For February 4 On MSNBC No Hillary Clinton Red Meat In 'Weiner' Docu But Access Galore - Sundance A winter storm warning for the Flagstaff region took effect at 5 p.m., with the heaviest snowfall expected after 11 p.m. The National Weather Service is predicting between 5 and 9 inches of snow will accumulate through 5 a.m., with an additional 3 to 5 inches Monday. Winds will blow at 20 to 22 mph with gusts to 32 mph, creating dangerous driving conditions in blowing, drifting snow. Following are snow totals predicted by the National Weather Service through 5 p.m. Monday: ALPINE 6 TO 10 INCHES DONEY PARK 4 TO 6 INCHES FLAGSTAFF 9 TO 15 INCHES FOREST LAKES 9 TO 13 INCHES GANADO 2 TO 4 INCHES HEBER-OVERGAARD 4 TO 8 INCHES PINETOP-LKSIDE 6 TO 10 INCHES SHONTO 4 TO 6 INCHES SHOW LOW 4 TO 6 INCHES VALLE 2 TO 4 INCHES WHITERIVER 1 TO 3 INCHES WILLIAMS 7 TO 11 INCHES WINDOW ROCK 3 TO 5 INCHES 9 a.m. Sunday update: Storm to start as rain before whiteout conditions tonight A strong winter storm will start out as rain in Flagstaff Sunday afternoon before becoming a rain/snow mix then all snow by evening. The National Weather Service says the heaviest snow will fall between 8 p.m. Sunday and 6 a.m. Monday, with strong winds between 25 and 35 mph and blowing snow creating near whiteout conditions. Wind and snow will continue Monday morning, and the Weather Service predicts that some roads could become impassable due to snowdrifts. Snowfall totals for Flagstaff range between 12 and 15 inches, with 4 to 8 inches falling overnight Sunday and 3 to 5 more inches Monday, then 1 to 2 more inches Monday night. Skies will clear by Tuesday but temperatures won't get much above freezing until later in week, and nights will be bitterly cold. 8 p.m. Saturday update: Up to a foot of snow still in Flagstaff forecast A strong winter storm remains on track to dump up to a foot of snow on Flagstaff in 24 hours starting late Sunday afternoon. The National Weather Service has updated its snow totals slightly since Saturday morning, now predicting 9 to 13 inches in Flagstaff and 7 to 11 inches in Williams before the storm moves out late Monday afternoon. The heaviest snowfall is forecast for Sunday night, with 4 to 8 inches set for Flagstaff, then another 3 to 5 inches Monday. The snow will be even heavier north of the Grand Canyon, where Jacob Lake could get between 12 and 18 inches of snow. Other predicted totals are: FLAGSTAFF 9 TO 13 INCHES ALPINE 7 TO 11 INCHES DONEY PARK 4 TO 6 INCHES FOREST LAKES 9 TO 15 INCHES GANADO 3 TO 5 INCHES HEBER-OVERGAARD 4 TO 8 INCHES PINETOP-LKSIDE 6 TO 10 INCHES SHONTO 4 TO 8 INCHES SHOW LOW 4 TO 8 INCHES VALLE 3 TO 5 INCHES WHITERIVER 2 TO 4 INCHES WILLIAMS 7 TO 11 INCHES WINDOW ROCK 4 TO 6 INCHES FREDONIA 1 TO 3 INCHES GRAND CANYON 6 TO 10 INCHES JACOB LAKE 12 TO 18 INCHES NORTH RIM 13 TO 19 INCHES KYKOTSMOVI 1 TO 2 INCHES PAYSON 2 TO 4 INCHES PINE-STRAWBERRY 7 TO 11 INCHES PRESCOTT VALLEY 1 TO 3 INCHES PRESCOTT 3 TO 5 INCHES SELIGMAN 2 TO 4 INCHES 8 a.m. update: Flagstaff snow totals reduced slightly The National Weather Service has scaled back slightly the snow totals in its forecast for Flagstaff while upping them for Jacob Lake and the North Rim. But the total is still more than a foot of snow between 5 p.m. Sunday and 5 p.m. Monday. The latest forecast calls for between 8 and 13 inches of snow in Flagstaff and 16 to 22 inches in Jacob Lake north of the Grand Canyon. Williams is in for 9 to 15 inches and Forest Lakes 11 to 17 inches. The heaviest snow is still expected to fall after midnight Sunday and into Monday, with 3 to 5 inches by daybreak and another 3 to 5 inches during daylight hours. The storm will be preceded by strong, gusty winds today that will continue into Sunday and early Monday, causing possible whiteout conditions for motorists and icy, dangerous driving. Following are the projected snowfall totals from the storm by the National Weather Service for the 24 hours starting Sunday at 5 p.m. FREDONIA 1 TO 3 INCHES GRAND CANYON 6 TO 10 INCHES JACOB LAKE 16 TO 22 INCHES NORTH RIM 14 TO 20 INCHES ALPINE 8 TO 12 INCHES DONEY PARK 4 TO 6 INCHES FLAGSTAFF 9 TO 13 INCHES FOREST LAKES 11 TO 17 INCHES GANADO 3 TO 5 INCHES HEBER-OVERGAARD 5 TO 9 INCHES PINETOP-LAKSIDE 6 TO 10 INCHES SHONTO 3 TO 5 INCHES SHOW LOW 4 TO 6 INCHES VALLE 4 TO 6 INCHES WHITERIVER 2 TO 4 INCHES WILLIAMS 9 TO 15 INCHES WINDOW ROCK 4 TO 6 INCHES 10 p.m. Friday: A foot of snow and more Its going to get windy and then very wet, icy and snowy this weekend. The National Weather Service Bellemont is predicting 10 to 18 inches of new snow at elevations of 6,000 feet or higher by the end of the day Monday, preceded Saturday by wind gusts up to 40 mph. The main impact of the storm will be hazardous driving conditions, said NWS Warning Coordination Meteorologist Tony Merriman. Saturday will start off dry with a wind advisory for the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Flagstaff and Winslow, with possible gusts of up to 40 mph. The high temperature for the day is expected to be between 48 and 56 degrees with lows around 28 degrees. The snow wont start to fall until Sunday afternoon, with the majority of the snow falling north of Interstate 40 at elevations above 6,000 feet -- lower elevations can expect rain. The heaviest snow will fall after midnight Sunday, with 4 to 8 inches overnight and an additional 3 to 7 inches on Monday. Sunday evening, the winds will still be cranking and snow levels will slowly start to come down, Merriman said. After midnight the snow levels will really fall. At that point, areas that have been getting rain can expect it to start to freeze to road surfaces and the falling rain may turn into snow. The combination is expected to create some pretty slick roads with a coating of snow. The wind will also pick up around this time, creating the possibility of whiteout conditions with visibility at times being cut down to half a mile or less at times. The Monday morning commute may also be pretty hazardous, with the roads continuing to be icy and snow-covered with wind gusts around 28 mph. The snow will continue to fall all day on Monday with snow levels dropping to about 3,000 feet. The wind is also expected to pick up Monday afternoon with gusts of 32 mph for Flagstaff, increasing the chance of whiteout conditions on roadways. . Tuesday, the skies should clear but the high temperature will be around 25 to 33 degrees and the lows around 3 to 13 degrees. A three-week dearth of snow has put Flagstaff just nine inches ahead of normal for the season to date. Since October, the Flagstaff area has received 61.5 inches for snow. The normal snowfall is around 52.3 inches. By Ori Lewis JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel would consider a French invitation to peace talks with the Palestinians, but believes France has made a mistake by saying it will recognize a Palestinian state if the talks fail, an Israeli government official said on Saturday. "If and when we get an invitation to a conference, we will examine it and respond to it," the official, who declined to be named, said in a statement. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told foreign diplomats on Friday that if the conference he proposes hit a wall, "well ... in this case, we need to face our responsibilities by recognizing the Palestinian state". The Israeli official dismissed the idea, saying: "Why would the Palestinians budge on even a comma in a conference if they already know that, without making progress, they will get what they want?" Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, speaking to African leaders at a summit in Ethiopia, urged them to back France's conference plan. But two Israeli cabinet ministers, both allies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said Israel should boycott such a meeting. "Unequivocally, Israel will not attend a conference under threat," Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz told Channel 2 television, echoing a comment by Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz to Channel 1. PEACE EFFORTS STALLED U.S.-led efforts to broker a "two-state solution" collapsed in 2014, and there has been no serious attempt to revive them. Fabius has previously called for an international support group comprising Arab states, the European Union and U.N. Security Council members to put pressure on the two sides to compromise. But Netanyahu has called France's initiatives "counterproductive". A U.S. official responded cautiously to Fabius's statement. "The U.S. position on this issue has been clear. We continue to believe that the preferred path to resolve this conflict is for the parties to reach an agreement on final status issues directly," the official said. Despite anger in the U.S. administration over Israeli settlement building, there is little prospect of President Barack Obama supporting any initiative that could upset the U.S. Jewish lobby 10 months before an election. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called Israel's expansion of Jewish settlements in occupied land "provocative" and said that it raises questions about its commitment to a two-state solution. Palestine has non-member observer status at the United Nations and its flag flies with those of member states at U.N. headquarters in New York. Sweden became the first member of the European Union to recognize a Palestinian state in 2014, and several other states have followed. Palestinians seek a state in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, parts of which have been occupied by Israel since 1967. (Additional reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi; writing by Ori Lewis; Editing by Kevin Liffey) Rome (AFP) - Juventus striker Mario Mandzukic will be sidelined for a month with a calf injury and could miss the Champions League last-16 first leg against Bayern Munich, the Serie A giants announced on Friday. Mandzukic suffered the injury in Wednesday's 3-0 win over Inter Milan in the first leg of their Italian Cup semi-final, with Juve putting the timeline for the Croat's recovery at "four weeks". The 29-year-old is likely to miss Juve's game against Serie A leaders Napoli on February 13, and is also a doubt for the home leg of their Champions League tie against former club Bayern 10 days later. Mandzukic made a slow start in Italy following his close-season move from Atletico Madrid, but the Croat has since settled in Turin and has scored nine goals in 22 appearances this season. Juve are seeking a fifth successive Scudetto and Massimiliano Allegri's second-placed side are just two points behind Napoli following a run of 11 straight wins. Quebec City (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry refused to say Friday whether his predecessor Hillary Clinton's use of a private server to send emails now deemed to have contained top secret information had threatened national security. Asked about the controversy after the State Department confirmed seven Clinton email streams would not be made public because of their contents, Kerry said that was not a matter for his office. "The seven emails, or a few emails at any rate, are being withheld at the request of the intelligence community itself," he told reporters. "I can't speak to the specifics of anything with regard to the technicalities, the contents, what may or may not have taken place with respect to her personal server because that's not our job. We don't do that. "We don't know about it. It's in other hands," he said, explaining that the State Department's responsibility was to release the mails according to a Freedom of Information Act order and not to comment on their contents. "That is why it is happening at this moment. And that literally is all I am able to say about them -- not because I won't, but because we don't have any of the other information. It's not our information. We don't make any judgments about it. That is in other hands." Kerry took over the State Department in February 2013 and his predecessor Clinton has gone on to become the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in the 2016 race to the White House. Clinton's campaign has been dogged, however, by allegations that her use of a private email server, rather than a secure government system, while in office, had put US secrets at risk. On Friday, the State Department said emails had been removed from the latest batch to be released because they may contain top secret information -- a decision that infuriated Clinton's camp, which wants the mails to be released to prove her claim that they were anodyne. LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's opposition Labour party demanded on Sunday that the finance ministry explain how it arrived at a back tax payment by Internet giant Google that has put the government on the back foot. The settlement of 130 million pounds ($185 million) for the period since 2005, announced just over a week ago, was hailed by the government as a major success but criticized by other parties, and could be examined by European Union antitrust regulators. In a letter to Conservative finance minister George Osborne, Labour's parliamentary spokespeople for finance and justice asked him to provide more information on the deal to restore public trust in tax authorities. "We would urge you to address the widespread concerns that have been expressed about the lack of transparency surrounding the deal," Seema Malhotra and Charles Falconer wrote in the letter. They asked for additional information on whether Diverted Profits Tax had been levied on Google, and further details on the basis that authorities had used to arrive at the figure of 130 million pounds. Google says it is paying all the tax that is due. Tax avoidance has become a hot political issue in Britain, where people question whether the burden of strengthening public finances has been shared fairly. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has already challenged Prime Minister David Cameron to defend the deal, and the party has called for an investigation by the National Audit Office, while the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has said it will investigate the arrangement. (Reporting by Sarah Young; Editing by Kevin Liffey) So true, "Reforms are needed in all aspects of the country, but that doesn't mean we need a revolution." This is a middle-section excerpt. Read the whole article here. The Huffington Post, by Duha Safan MARCO LONGARI VIA GETTY IMAGES When the first protests started in Tunisia, I didn't really believe that they could make a difference. I didn't really pay much attention. But my opinion totally changed when the Egyptian revolution started, because I was aware of the terrible situation in Egypt -- not only the lack of democracy but also the horrible quality of life many were subjected to. I was really impressed with their revolution. I was amazed that something this big could come out of my generation. Watching the events in Egypt unfold made me seriously imagine the prospect of a new Middle East with governments that would reflect the choices and needs of the people -- governments that could say no to external powers if they challenged established beliefs and norms. I was really moved by these prospects. I was excited that for once we could have influential systems in the Arab world that could actually play a positive role in the Arab cause, not in the West's interests. Egypt itself represents power and strategy for many in the Arab world, so after the revolution many hoped that the new Egyptian system could help solve regional Arab conflicts -- like the situation in Gaza -- without compromising Arab interests. Sadly, the revolutions didn't go exactly as planned. Protests that began peacefully were soon dragged into violence by one of the sides or both, with variations of severity. But I understand why. Neither the people nor the governments understood how democracy works, and they didn't really see that before. So deep down even though the Arab Spring can appear to be unsuccessful and the cause of so much death and misery, I still believe that the road to freedom is not paved in marble and reaching a democratic state can take a while. Yet I'm also conflicted. Although I really support these revolutions, my country, Jordan, has suffered a lot because of them. The number of refugees in Jordan is huge -- over 900,000 Syrians alone -- not to mention refugees from Iraq and other countries. Jordan is suffering from huge economic losses because of the refugee camps that lack adequate external support. At the same time, walking the streets of Amman, you realize that they're also overcrowded. You can sense the increase in real estate prices and the frustration at the hiring preference of a refugee over a Jordanian because of lower rates. The refugees flooded into our country, some fleeing the repercussions of failed Arab Spring revolutions, and the impact isn't always easy to deal with. In spite of all this, I still believe in the Arab Spring movement as a whole, but I think these kinds of movements need to be more nuanced based on the situation at hand. I don't believe that Jordanians must revolt, even though we are facing many difficulties and suffering from a lack of services. Reforms are needed in all aspects of the country, but that doesn't mean we need a revolution. Reforms are needed in all aspects of the country, but that doesn't mean we need a revolution. This is a contradiction that I live with on a daily basis because I really care about the interests of the surrounding Arab countries. In the beginning, I completely believed that people should go after their freedom, even if the process involves violence. But from time to time I think to myself, is it worth all the losses and the innocent lives? Is it worth destroying a whole country and its history? If you ask me now, I'd say no, it isn't worth it. They should've stayed as peaceful as possible, but because they were already engaged in war, or a state of war, perhaps there was no choice but to continue fighting. In another respect, however, my opinion is more concrete, more definite. I'm against revolution in my country. Why? First of all, because the political situation in Jordan is not as bad as in Egypt or Syria or other countries. We've always had a parliament, there is always a discussion about decision making, and most of the time, anyone who does something wrong gets punished. We never heard the terrible stories of torture here that we have become accustomed to hearing about our neighbor Syria long before the revolution. It was known that if someone gets into any kind of prison in Syria -- even by mistake -- he will probably be lost forever. The inspiration of the Syrian revolution was actually for that purpose -- to change what had been going on with impunity. Jordan is not perfect. We have corruption and other major problems, but they can be solved very peacefully because the government actually listens to its citizens. At the very beginning of the Arab Spring revolutions, there were many protests in Jordan demanding reformation, and the government did take a few steps toward trying to please the public. That didn't happen in Syria. It didn't happen in Egypt. And that's why things got much bigger. And it's why a revolution in Jordan would only cause destruction. That's not to say that the spirit of revolution didn't necessarily impact Jordan positively. Now everyone criticizes the government harshly without fear, so there is touch of political resurgence here, too. As I reflect on the contradictions of this important movement in my region's history five years later, I can't help but recall the West's role in these revolutions and my frustration as a result. Western nations always interfere with a country in the midst of revolutions, and they do so looking for their economic or strategic interests in the region. None of them actually care about the freedom of the Arab nation. When the Arab Spring revolutions began five years ago, the West didn't care about freedom of speech in Libya, Tunisia or Egypt. Western countries interfered because of their own interests -- petrol, the security of Israel and others. And because their interests in Syria weren't worth risking for what awaited them there, they left Syrians to burn. No problem. Today, the repercussions of the decisions and indecisions during the Arab Spring continue to take shape. What irritates me is that the West always interferes in the name of humanity, but humans are what it cares least about. The war against the so-called Islamic State is actually taking the lives of innocent Syrians who are already suffering from two groups: the regime and ISIS. The West only used human rights as an excuse to interfere. The double standards are obvious: a movement of executions in Saudi Arabia will be globally criticized and serious action will be taken, but the massacres that Syrians are facing every day aren't worth interfering for and the suppression of opposition voices in Egypt goes completely ignored because the actual Egyptian government aligns with Western interests. It's a bit depressing, to be honest, but I will never lose my faith in this generation. I will keep my hopes up for a better future, for Jordan and for my fellow Arabs around the region. LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's opposition Labour party demanded on Sunday that the finance ministry explain how it arrived at a back tax payment by Internet giant Google that has put the government on the back foot. The settlement of 130 million pounds ($185 million) for the period since 2005, announced just over a week ago, was hailed by the government as a major success but criticised by other parties, and could be examined by European Union antitrust regulators. In a letter to Conservative finance minister George Osborne, Labour's parliamentary spokespeople for finance and justice asked him to provide more information on the deal to restore public trust in tax authorities. "We would urge you to address the widespread concerns that have been expressed about the lack of transparency surrounding the deal," Seema Malhotra and Charles Falconer wrote in the letter. They asked for additional information on whether Diverted Profits Tax had been levied on Google, and further details on the basis that authorities had used to arrive at the figure of 130 million pounds. Google says it is paying all the tax that is due. Tax avoidance has become a hot political issue in Britain, where people question whether the burden of strengthening public finances has been shared fairly. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has already challenged Prime Minister David Cameron to defend the deal, and the party has called for an investigation by the National Audit Office, while the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has said it will investigate the arrangement. (Reporting by Sarah Young; Editing by Kevin Liffey) French cosmetics brand Lancome is to release a fresh new version of its iconic "La Vie Est Belle" scent, with a light, floral and fruity flanker called "La Vie Est Belle l'Eau de Toilette Florale," due for release in February 2016. Launched in 2012, Lancome's original "La Vie Est Belle" fragrance is a happy and uplifting scent. Designed and created by a team of talented perfumers, the new variant is a veritable ode to life with its musky and floral floriental scent. Master perfumers Anne Flipo and Dominique Ropion placed osmanthus absolute, a plant native to Asia, at the heart of the fragrance. Fruity, apricot-tinged aromas and the leathery heart of osmanthus are combined with notes of rose and a violet leaf accord. This is matched with a floral bouquet borrowed from the original fragrance, with mimosa, freesia and sweet iris, and completed with patchouli and a base of amber wood and musk. The new fragrance inherits the trademark glass bottle from the original "La Vie Est Belle" scent, with a fabric flower added to the bottle's neck. Although barely more than three years old, Lancome's flagship fragrance has already seen a range of versions, including "L'Eau de Parfum," "L'Eau de Parfum Legere," "L'Absolu de Parfum," "L'Extrait," "L'Eau de Parfum Intense" and "L'Eau de Toilette." "La Vie Est Belle l'Eau de Toilette Florale" will be available from early February via www.lancome.com and from accredited retailers in 50 ml (70) and 100 ml (102) formats. Ayvacik (Turkey) (AFP) - At least ten migrants, including five children, drowned on Saturday when their boat sank in the Aegean Sea while trying to cross from Turkey to Greece, the Turkish coastguard said. An unknown number of people were still missing after the latest in a long list of migrant boat sinkings in the Mediterranean. So far, 43 passengers had been rescued, the private Dogan news agency reported. "We are sad. At least 20 friends are still missing," one weeping survivor told an AFP photographer at the scene. The migrants, who included Syrian and Afghan refugees, had set off from the district of Ayvacik in Canakkale province in an apparent bid to reach the Greek island of Lesbos. Turkey, which is hosting at least 2.5 million refugees from Syria's civil war, has become the main launchpad for migrants fleeing war, persecution and poverty to Europe. The Turkish government struck a deal with the EU in November to halt the outflow of refugees, in return for 3 billion euros ($3.2 billion) in financial assistance. Neither the deal nor the winter conditions appear to have deterred the migrants, who continue to pay people smugglers thousands of dollars for the risky crossing in overloaded boats. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said this week 45,361 migrants had arrived in Greece by sea so far this year, 31 times more than for all of January 2015. Some 90 per cent of the new arrivals were from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, it added. Ed Stewart whistles out the window of his pickup truck, gunning up a small hill towards a building that looks like an airline hanger. Come on, Nicholas! he yells. Lets go inside! He drives inside the structure, which houses a bed of dirt surrounded by a fence made of thick iron poles. Leaning against the fence are two bamboo sticks with padding on each end, resembling giant Q-tips. A man grabs one of the sticks as Nicholas makes his way inside the enclosure. You can almost feel him before you see him, Stewart says. Its true. Nicholas, a 12,000-pound Asian bull elephant, doesnt go anywhere quietly. His trunk is longer than most people are tall. The veins in his ears are larger than human fingers. His shoulder joints move like small boulders. Nicholas shuffles up to the fence and reflexively sticks his ear through a designated opening. The employee touches the sticks to different parts of the ear, whistling whenever contact is made, a training exercise to teach Nicholas to be comfortable with prodding, for when they need to clean him or take blood. The elephant, as relaxed as can be, repeats the process for his other ear and then for all four feet through a different hole, emitting a deep, gravely purr throughout the session. Afterwards, he gets a treat of bran and makes a little scoop out of his trunk to shovel it into his mouth. Then its back outside, to the acres of open land littered with trees, mud, and water that serve as his playground. Recommended: We're the Only Animals With Chins, and No One Knows Why Nicholas, now 22-years-old, is the largest animal at the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), the organization founded in 1984 by Stewart and his late partner, Pat Derby, to rescue large animals from subpar living situations at circuses, zoos, and illegal pet operations. He was born in captivity under the care of the Hawthorn Corporation, a company that rented performance elephants out of zoos. For the first several years of his life, the owners used bull hookslong pointed rods that resemble fireplace pokersto train him to ride tricycles and walk on balance beams. At age 5, he stopped performing and cooperating. He just wouldnt do it anymore. His owners moved him to a small concrete enclosure near the Illinois-Wisconsin border to live out the rest of his days. Story continues Derby, who regularly heard about situations like Nicholass through her ties to the animal-training world, wanted to take the elephant in, but Stewart was skeptical that they were equipped to care for himmale bull elephants are significantly larger and more aggressive than females. But at Derbys urging, he went to see Nicholas anyway; when he saw the 13-year-old elephants cramped living conditions, he changed his mind. When PAWS first adopted Nicholas, he refused to sleep on anything but concrete for six months, Stewart says. Hed gotten used to it. It took PAWS trainers 17 sessions to get him to sit still for checkups. Hed spent his earliest years learning to equate humans with pain; it was a long time before he could relax around them. Recommended: Why Are So Many Middle-Aged White Americans Dying? Almost every one of the 66 elephants, bears, tigers, and other animals in PAWSs three California facilities has a similar story. In the 30 years since its founding, PAWS has rescued hundreds of animals. Stewart now runs the organization on his own, an accidental animal lover who inadvertently found himself at the helm of one of the countrys biggest large-animal sanctuaries. He lives alone in the hilltop cabin he and Derby once shared at ARK 2000, PAWSs main facility (the organization also has two smaller sanctuaries). He can see the elephants plodding around from his window; at night, he can hear the big cats roar. A Siberian tiger named John-John walks down a hill in his enclosure at the ARK 2000. (Everett Cook) In PAWSs earlier years, Derby was the more knowledgeable of the two about how to care for the animals they were adopting. She had worked as an animal trainer throughout the 1960s and 70s, and also handled the Lincoln-Mercury cougar, a live mascot for the car company, often at national conventions. Derby and Stewart met in the 70s, when Stewart, fresh out of college and unsure about his next steps, was hired by Lincoln-Mercury to assist Derby and the cougar at an auto show in Cleveland. Hed never so much as owned a pet before, but as he and Derby got more serious, he grew to share her passion for animal welfare, eventually joining her in a lobbying campaign for California legislation banning wild animals as pets. Recommended: Why Police Shot Oregon Occupier LaVoy Finicum: The Video In 1984, the couple opened a 20-acre animal sanctuary in Galt, California. Originally, they planned to limit their facility to wolves and other smaller animals, but that didnt last longsoon after they moved, the Sacramento County Animal Control asked Derby if they could temporarily house a lion that had been kept as an illegal pet. The original plan was to keep the lion for a few weeks until a more permanent home could be found, but the couple didnt want to turn it over to a zoo or a circus, and those few weeks turned into 11 years. In the meantime, the couple opened a second, smaller facility, and continued to take in more animalsother big cats, antelope, bears, and eventually a baby elephant. As Stewart says, once youre responsible for an elephant, youre pretty much an elephant sanctuary. They needed to expand. By 2000, Derby and Stewart had raised enough money to open ARK 2000 on 2,300 acres in the California mountains. The rolling land is heavily wooded, with a river running through the middle. Large fences provide boundary for acre-large enclosures full of pools, trees, and buildings for sleeping. It didnt take long for their new facility, which now houses 32 animals, to fill up. Ben, a 14-year-old black bear, walks around his enclosure. (Everett Cook) One of ARK 2000s residents is Boo Boo, an American black bear, who had been purchased at a flea market in Ohio as a cub by a man looking to spice up his 4-year old daughters birthday party. After the party, the man kept the bear and chained him up to a tree. The bear grew, but the collar didntby the time a vet found him, Stewart says, Boo Boo was 9 months old and the collar dug an inch into his neck. He now lives in a two-acre enclosure with another black bear, big enough that it could legally fit 500 or so bears in California. Their largest adoption came in 2004, after authorities busted a man running a pseudo-sanctuary in Colton, California, with more than a hundred big cats living in deplorable conditions. Ninety dead tigers were discovered on the property, including 54 babies stuffed into a freezer. PAWS wound up with 39 of the living ones. For a while, until the tigers began dying of old age, PAWS spent an average of $3,000 a week on meat just for the cats. At ARK 2000, Stewart often stops mid-sentence to point out certain animal behaviors. Many of the animals spent the majority of their lives in cages, so when Stewart sees one using a skill it would use in the wilda bear climbing a tree, for example, or an elephant trying to knock one downit feels like a validation. It also helps Stewart knowing that the number of elephants in captivity in the U.S. is shrinking. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus recently announced that after 145 years of using circus elephants, the animals will participate in their last show in May. (A spokesman said the decision wasnt a reaction to pressure from animal-rights groups, but rather to the difficulty of complying with circus-animal regulations that vary by state and even by city.) Many zoos are also slowly phasing out their elephant programs, often because of coststhe San Francisco Zoo, for example, donated two elephants to PAWS before shuttering its program due to lack of funding. In Stewarts ideal world, he says, PAWS would eventually fold. The non-profit has a yearly operating budget of $3.5 million, which comes entirely from donors (including the former The Price is Right host Bob Barker). The money is a constant source of worry, Stewart says, but hopes that hell eventually close his sanctuaries because theyre not needed anymore, not because the moneys run out. In the meantime, hes learning to manage the facility without Derby, who died of throat cancer in 2013. Her illness was hard on the sanctuarys other residents, too: After she was diagnosed in 2011, she spent several months avoiding the animals, a necessary precaution for an immune system weakened by chemotherapy. Some of the elephants became visibly upset during her absence, Stewart says; when she finished treatment in 2012 and began interacting with them again, an elephant named Luluwho had been violently aggressive when PAWS first got herwas so excited that she bent over and put her head all the way to the ground to greet her. But he and the animals are adjusting to life without their companion. The elephants no longer peer around the corner, hoping to see Derby coming out of the truck. The bears are used to seeing Stewart alone. The Siberian tigers still occasionally sit on top of their hill, behind a tree, visually stalking him like they would a deer in the wild. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. "May God give us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, courage to change the things we can and wisdom to know the difference....." Caracas (AFP) - A high-profile group of Venezuelans has called on the opposition-controlled National Assembly to investigate persistent rumors that President Nicolas Maduro is in fact Colombian, disqualifying him from holding the office. A letter addressed to assembly president Henry Ramos Allup and reproduced in local news outlets refers to "the reasonable doubts existing around the true origins of Maduro, who has so far refused to produce his birth certificate." The letter -- with echoes of the challenges to the citizenship of US President Barack Obama -- carries 62 signatures, including those of a former ambassador, a leading businessman and some former military leaders opposed to Chavism, the leftist ideology associated with Maduro's predecessor, the late president Hugo Chavez. The letter asserts that Maduro, as the "son of a Colombian mother" and having lived in that neighboring country as a youth, is "Colombian by birth" under the Colombian Constitution. If Maduro should be found to hold both Colombian and Venezuelan citizenship, the letter asserts, it would "prevent him from exercising the functions of the president of the republic." Maduro, a socialist, has denied the rumors as the "crazed inventions" of right-wing politicians eager for his ouster. He says that he was born in Caracas on November 23, 1962. The opposition, which scored a historic victory in the December 6 legislative elections, has made no secret of its intention to push the president out before his term ends in 2019. On Friday, Ramos Allup said the opposition would decide by June on a legal means to proceed in that direction. By Brendan O'Brien MANITOWOC, Wis. (Reuters) - The television documentary "Making a Murderer," a gripping series about two Wisconsin men convicted of murder, has put this blue-collar city of 35,000 on the map, to the dismay of many residents. The wildly popular Netflix series, spread out over 10 episodes, details the case against Steven Avery and his nephew, Brendan Dassey. It suggests that authorities planted evidence against the men, a claim that has been rejected by local law enforcement. The spotlight will continue to shine on the city located on the shore of Lake Michigan, about 80 miles (129 km) north of Milwaukee. Two other, separate programs about the case are scheduled to air on Friday and Saturday, on NBC's "Dateline" and the Investigation Discovery channel. The Netflix series may be a popular success but some residents are tired of hearing about it. "It's like trying to keep religion and politics out of the bar," said Stacey Vanderbloomen, owner of Van's Bar and Grill, as she tended bar among flashing neon beer signs and electronic dart board machines. "I tell them let's not talk about it anymore," she said, as two burly men in heavy winter coats swigged beer and discussed the case. Her preference has not stopped self-professed legal experts in town from sharing their conspiracy theories after watching the series about Avery and Dassey, who were convicted of killing freelance photographer Teresa Halbach in 2005. It has also not stemmed the flow of curious outsiders traveling to Avery's Auto Salvage on the outskirts of town where authorities found Halbach's remains. Outsiders are visiting local restaurants and stores, but that does not make some residents happy. "It'll bring people who are going to eat and spend money, but that's not the type of money we really want," said Jim Kollath, 59, a regular at Van's. Gas station attendants near the salvage yard said they have been inundated with motorists asking for directions to the scene. If tourists arrive at the Avery residence rather than the family's nearby salvage yard, they are met by a handwritten sign posted at the corner of a snow-covered field, reading "No Trespassing. Private Drive & Property." "Somebody from out of state, two weeks ago, was out at the Avery property and they invited him in and they couldn't get rid of them," said Manitowoc Sheriff Robert Hermann as he scrolled through hate-filled emails related to the case. "We had to send a squad (car) up there and remove the person." In addition to drawing unwanted guests, the documentary has hurt the image of Manitowoc, residents said. "This is the worst mark that has happened to it," Kollath said. Manitowoc takes pride in its reputation as a city that built 28 submarines for the U.S. Navy during World War Two. One of its most noteworthy landmarks is a faded mural of a Budweiser bottle and cans on a malt plant that towers over downtown area. Jason Ring, president of the Manitowoc Area Visitor and Convention Bureau, believes it is only a matter of time before outsiders forget about the case. One business owner prefers that fans of the documentary just stay away. "I'm so sick of it. It's over," said the woman, who declined to give her name. The business community is more concerned about Manitowoc Company Inc's planned split into two companies. The maker of cranes and food-service equipment has announced it will separate its businesses after pressure from activist investors. "That is probably going to affect our community more than this (murder) case is ... but everyone is talking about the Avery case," said David Lockmann, owner of the Bike 'n Fit bicycle shop in downtown Manitowoc. "It's crazy." (Editing by Ben Klayman and Matthew Lewis) By Mary Wisniewski (Reuters) - The Michigan legislative black caucus voted on Friday to ask Governor Rick Snyder to fire Darnell Earley, the controversial Detroit Public Schools' emergency manager who had formerly presided over the city of Flint and its lead-contaminated water system. "Conditions have only worsened under Earley's tenure, as the city of Flint worsened with his involvement," said Representative Sheldon Neeley, a Flint Democrat and the caucus' first vice chair. "He is the problem, not the solution." Detroit Public Schools is under state oversight and pressure from declining enrollment. Heavy pension and debt obligations have left the district in danger of running out of cash in April. Earley was appointed as emergency manager for Detroit Public Schools in January 2015. The union for Detroit public school teachers sued the district on Thursday demanding Earley's immediate removal and a return of local control with a plan to repair the district's crumbling buildings. Under Earley's leadership as emergency manager of Flint, the city separated from the Detroit water department and switched its water supply to the Flint River in April 2014. Earley has said he is not to blame for the problem since the decision was made before his tenure. The city switched its water supply back to Detroit last October, after tests found high levels of lead in blood samples from Flint children. Lead is a neurotoxin that can damage the brain and cause other health problems. The Detroit Public Schools union has said teachers are frustrated over crumbling walls, rats, mold in classrooms and student overcrowding, combined with a teacher shortage and low pay. Detroit Public Schools spokeswoman Michelle Zdrodowski said in a statement that Earley has worked to make the system more financially secure. "Mr. Earley remains focused on preparing DPS for long-term financial sustainability and a return to some form of local control," she added. Earley said in a statement this week that plans to address building disrepair are part of a financial investment proposal before the legislature. He did not immediately return a request for comment on Friday. A spokesman for Snyder, who has been criticized nationally for the Flint water crisis, also was not immediately available for comment. Snyder on Friday signed a bill providing $28 million to address the Flint water crisis, including bottled water, lead testing, treatment and nurses in local schools. Both Flint and Detroit are mostly black. Earley is also black. (Reporting by Mary Wisniewski; Editing by Leslie Adler) Brussels (AFP) - NATO head Jens Stoltenberg on Saturday warned Russia it must "fully respect" alliance airspace as key member Turkey blasted Moscow for "irresponsible behaviour" over a new violation. "I call on Russia to act responsibly and to fully respect NATO airspace. Russia must take all necessary measures to ensure that such violations do not happen again," Stoltenberg said in a statement. "Previous incidents have shown how dangerous such behaviour is," he said. In November, Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet on the Syrian border, sparking a war of words with Russia which insisted its plane had not violated Turkish airspace. Russia launched a massive air campaign in September against rebels fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a long-time Moscow ally who Turkey bitterly opposes. As in the November crisis, Stoltenberg called for "calm and de-escalation," welcoming contacts between Ankara and Moscow. At the same time, he made absolutely clear that NATO would stand by Turkey, the second largest military power in the alliance after the United States. "NATO stands in solidarity with Turkey and supports the territorial integrity of our ally, Turkey." He recalled that the 28-nation alliance had agreed in December to help bolster Turkey's defences with the deployment of AWACS early warning and surveillance aircraft but added the caveat that this decision predated the latest incident. Anakara called in the Russian ambassador on Friday "to strongly protest and condemn" the latest alleged violation of its airspace. "We stress once again that all the responsibility for any unwanted grave consequences as a result of any such irresponsible behaviour will belong entirely to the Russian Federation," the Turkish foreign ministry said. Weve seen quirkier Airbnb listings before, but a new Netflix and Chill themed apartment in New York City might be the most interesting take on apartment rentals weve seen yet. What began as something of an art project has apparently turned into a bizarre money-making venture. And it can be all yours for just $400 a night. DONT MISS: Colbert brutally torches Trump until theres nothing left but ashes The appropriately named Netflix and Chill Airbnb room brings the famed meme to life and is everything you might expect. Theres a bed draped with a Netflix branded blanket and accompanied by, you guessed it, two Netflix branded pillows. Refinery 29 adds: The Netflix & Chill Room includes a bed with red Netflix-emblazoned sheets, a fully stocked mini-bar (Champagne, wine, rose, vodka, rum, gin, whiskey, beer, and mixers), an HD projector featuring AppleTV and Netflix, surround sound, a big bathroom, and a view of the city. If you decide youd rather stand on a roof and chill, they have that too. According to Tom Galle, one of the brains behind the Netflix-themed Airbnb listing, the primary goal of the funky apartment isnt to make money, but rather to create a project that makes a mark and gets seen. Since the listing went live earlier this week, Mashable notes that one person has already reserved the room. If youre at all curious about the apartment, the full listing details can be read below. The Space The Netflix & Chill Airbnb Room is a project presented by ART404 + Tom Galle. With this project we bring the famous Netflix & Chill meme to life and offer it as an IRL experience that people can rent for a night. ((URL HIDDEN) & @tomgalle) The room is designed and equipped to experience Netflix & Chill the best way possible. Everything a couple needs to fully experience: The original Netflix and Chill Bed A fully stacked mini bar: Champagne, Wine, Rose, Rum, Vodka, Gin, Bourbon, Whiskey, Beer etc, soda and all kinds of juices to mix drinks. A HD projector connected with the new AppleTV and Netflix account, with remote controllers for both. Surround sound speakers around the bed. A beautiful view over the city, especially during sundown. Access to the rooftop with beautiful New York skyline view. Large bathroom with marble finish. Great location with a wide variety of restaurants close by, to visit or oder to the room. Story continues Guest Access ROOF ACCESS: You will have access to the roof with beautiful views of Manhattan both north and south of the neighborhood. The roof is completely finished and has a bench for enjoying a glass of wine or dinner. The roof is shared, but there are rarely other people up there. Interaction with Guests There can be as much or as little interaction as youd like, aside from the essentials (checking in and out). We will be staying in an apartment just one floor above you, so we will be available whenever you have questions or concerns. If you would like more guidance in terms of getting to know the neighborhood or nyc, we are happy to give suggestions based on your interests (or go out with you based on the timing!) The Neighborhood Regardless of the time of year, people watching in West Village is always good. Washington Square Park is a 2 minute walk from the apartment, and there are many other small parks in walking distance. You can grab a bagel and coffee and hang out during the day, and at night there are so many cute places to check out. If youre into a casual, no frills (but always packed) live jazz place, head to Fat Cat (5 minute walk). Poisson Rouge is also less than a 10 minute walk away, where there are many affordable live bands, performances, and parties almost every day. If youre looking for something more fancy, there are tons of places Annisa and Aldea are both within walking distance, and I can always share my nearby favs (Fish and Trattoria Pesce Pasta are always so good). Related stories Airbnb nightmare: Couple finds hidden video camera in rented apartment Here are the 50 best places to work The worst AirBnB nightmare ever: Renter's house covered in vomit, semen More from BGR: 6 ways Android outshines my iPhone 6s This article was originally published on BGR.com Nicht Ihr Computer? Dann konnen Sie fur die Anmeldung ein Fenster zum privaten Surfen offnen. Weitere Informationen HELSINKI (Reuters) - Nokia and Samsung <005930.KS> are expected to settle their two-year patent dispute within days, with analysts forecasting a one-time payment of hundreds of millions of euros for the Finnish company. Nokia entered into a binding arbitration with South Korea's Samsung in 2013 to settle additional compensations for a five-year period starting from early 2014. The International Chamber of Commerce's arbitration court is due to make its ruling on the issue imminently. Nordea analyst Sami Sarkamies, one of few analysts to give a precise estimate, said the verdict could boost Nokia's operating profit by about 700 million euros ($758 mln) this year, forecasting the court will stipulate an annual patent fee of 300 million euros. "Samsung has been paying Nokia probably 100 million per year, and the rate could now come up to around 300 million euros (per year). The settled rate will also be paid retrospectively for the last two years," Sarkamies said. "But they have already booked perhaps 100 million a year from Samsung to their income statement, so the EBIT impact for this year could be around 700 million euros." Sarkamies has a "hold" rating on Nokia shares, which have fallen 9 percent since last April when it announced a 15.6 billion euro takeover of French network gear rival Alcatel-Lucent , due to be completed this quarter. Investors have worried about the integration process and special terms negotiated by the French government, but the share price could get a boost if the settlement with Samsung is much bigger than analysts forecasts. Last month, Sweden's Ericsson said that a patent license deal with Apple Inc would help lift its intellectual property rights revenue by up to 40 percent in 2015, sending its shares up sharply. Nokia, which once dominated the global mobile phones market, is now focused on telecom network equipment but still holds on to a portfolio of phone patents. It said last month that the International Chamber of Commerce had advised that the settlement with Samsung is expected by the end of January. A Nokia spokesman declined to comment on Saturday, saying the company had nothing to add beyond the previous statement. ($1 = 0.9233 euros) (Reporting by Jussi Rosendahl; Editing by Susan Fenton) One month ago, Virginia became a sudden and shining example of progress for the gun-control movement. The states Democratic attorney general, Mark Herring, announced that Virginia would no longer recognize concealed-carry permits of firearms owners in the 25 states with laxer gun laws than its own. The National Rifle Association promptly called his decision the biggest setback that gun owners had suffered politically in all of 2015. On Friday, the state reversed itself. As part of a bipartisan agreement with Republican legislators, Governor Terry McAuliffe announced that Virginia would keep granting reciprocity to out-of-state gun owners, so long as they had not been specifically denied a permit in Virginia. (The ban was to have taken effect next week.) In exchange, GOP leaders agreed to change state laws to prevent domestic abusers from possessing guns and to make it harder for private dealing from skipping a background check when selling at state gun shows. A beaming McAuliffe declared the accord a potentially life-saving victory for Virginia and the most significant bipartisan deal on gun laws in a generation. Yet gun-control advocates were enraged, accusing the Democratic governor of a betrayal that gives up a hard-fought victory by ending reciprocity rights for concealed-carry permit holders. This deal is a dangerous rollback that puts public safety at risk, wrote a group of Virginians who either survived gun violence or saw family members struck down by it. Its practically a giveaway. The letter was organized by Everytown for Gun Safety, the advocacy group funded in large part by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence piled on. We are deeply disappointed that Governor McAuliffe has given in to the demands of the corporate gun lobby, said Dan Gross, the organizations president. He has cut a deal, and it is a bad and dangerous one for people who live in and visit Virginia. He has basically rolled out a welcome mat for people who are armed and dangerous. Virginia already had only modest standards for deciding who is allowed to carry loaded, hidden guns. Now those standards are even lower, as domestic abusers and felons who have obtained concealed carry permits in other states with even lower standards will soon be able to menace the streets and neighborhoods of Virginia. Governor McAuliffe has made a raw deal for Virginians. Story continues The NRA backed the deal in a statement to The Washington Post, which reported the outlines of the agreement before McAuliffe and Republican leaders announced them on Friday. Thats important because gun-control advocates were angered that the NRA was apparently included in the negotiations while they were not. Andy Parker, the father of a local television reporter who was murdered on-air last year, criticized McAuliffe for trading the reciprocity ban for NRA-supported, watered-down gun-safety laws. Recommended: The Last Days of the Bush Dynasty? The governor dismissed the criticism from allies as the type of complaints inherent to bipartisan deal making. As governor, I gotta make decisions that are in the best interests of the commonwealth. I have to govern, McAuliffe told reporters. What we announced here today will make Virginians safer. While he applauded Herring and credited him for spurring action with his December announcement, McAuliffe made clear that closing loopholes in the background system had always been his priority. So which is it, a sell-out or a historic breakthrough on an issue where bipartisan achievements have been nearly impossible to come by? Its true that advocates for stricter gun laws have prioritized the expansion of background checks and policies that prevent domestic abusers from accessing guns. But the concessions that McAuliffe won from Republicans seem fairly minor. On background checks, the proposal would empower the Virginia state police to conduct checks on behalf of private, unlicensed sellers at gun shows who dont have access to the online system. (Only licensed firearms dealers do.) It would also require the police to be present at gun shows. But as McAuliffe acknowledged, the new law still wouldnt require background checks to be conducted for all sales; it would only help sellers who want to conduct them. On domestic violence, another law under the deal would force people under a permanent protective order to relinquish their guns. They are already prohibited from purchasing guns, and advocates have pointed out that the change is merely duplicating federal law. But McAuliffe argued that changing the state law is important because domestic-violence cases are rarely investigated by the FBI, so the federal law often goes unenforced. Recommended: Millennials' Political Views Don't Make Any Sense Gun-control advocates gave McAuliffe very little credit for those changes on Friday, choosing to focus almost entirely on the states reversal on reciprocity for out-of-state permits. And the dispute could potentially reverberate on the presidential campaign trail. McAuliffe is a very close friend and ally of Hillary Clinton, who has made gun control a central plank of her campaign platform. She was endorsed by the Brady Campaign, which assailed the agreement on Friday. And Everytown is the advocacy arm of Bloomberg, who reportedly is considering a presidential run of his own. The governor and Republican legislators played up the significance of the bipartisan agreement itself. Forget the details, they essentially said: The important thing is that the two parties had, for the first time in 23 years, worked out a compromise on the seemingly intractable issue of guns. In the most charitable view, the accord could set a new precedent for future reforms. In crediting Herring, McAuliffe also seemed to suggest that his declaration in December that Virginia would unilaterally reject out-of-state permits had jarred the opposition and drawn Republicans to the negotiating table. For gun advocates, however, it was a fleeting victory and an all-too-familiar feeling of two steps forward, one step back. This article is part of our With Great Power project, which is supported by a grant from the Joyce Foundation. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. By Ayesha Rascoe WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration announced plans to expand wage reporting requirements for private businesses on Friday, bolstering its efforts to narrow the longstanding U.S. gender wage gap. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's plan would require employers with 100 or more employees to provide the agency with detailed wage information, broken down by gender, race and ethnicity. Unlike a similar Labor Department rule proposed earlier, it would apply to all large businesses and not just federal contractors. The plan, which is expected to take effect in September 2017, will be open to public comment but does not require congressional approval. It is part of a long-running effort by Obama and federal agencies to close the yawning gap between pay for men and women. The commission's proposal would not require the disclosure of specific salaries of individual employees, but it would seek aggregate data on pay ranges and hours worked. "The goal is to help businesses that are trying to do the right thing ... to get a clearer picture of how they can make sure their employees are being treated equally," Obama said at a White House event. He spoke on the seventh anniversary of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. The measure, the first bill Obama signed into law, overturned a Supreme Court decision that severely restricted the time period for filing complaints of employment discrimination concerning compensation. Although fighting gender pay imbalances has been a focus for Obama, the pay gap has narrowed only slightly over the past two years. "We can't deliver on the promise of equal pay unless we have the best, most comprehensive information about what people earn," Labor Secretary Thomas Perez said in a statement on Friday. The median wage of a woman working full-time year-round in the United States is currently about $39,600, only 79 percent of a mans median earnings of $50,400. Gender equality in the U.S. work force, and globally, is still decades away, according to an independent report released on Wednesday. The US and Brazil have agreed to work together to develop a vaccine against the Zika virus which is spreading rapidly across the Americas. During a phone call on Friday evening, US President Barack Obama and his Brazilian counterpart Dilma Rousseff discussed their "shared concerns" about the mosquito-borne disease, which has been linked to brain defects in babies. "The leaders agreed on the importance of collaborative efforts to deepen our knowledge, advance research, and accelerate work to develop better vaccines and other technologies to control the virus," the White House said in a statement. It said the pair also "agreed to continue to prioritise building national, regional and global capacity to combat infectious disease threats more broadly". Ms Rousseff's office said a high-level bilateral group would "develop a partnership in the production of vaccines and therapeutics". It will be based on an existing cooperation agreement between Brazil's Butantan Institute of biomedical research and the US National Institutes of Health to develop a vaccine against dengue. But no matter how fast they are able to act, scientists have warned that it could take years for a Zika vaccine to become available. There is currently no specific treatment for Zika, and no way to prevent it other than to avoid mosquito bites. :: Zika Warning: UK Men Told To Wear Condoms Ms Rousseff has vowed to "win the war" against the virus amid criticism over her government's response. "As long as (the mosquitoes) are reproducing, we are all losing the battle. We have to mobilise to win it," she said. "We are going to show that the Brazilian people are capable of winning this war." Her comments came after her own health minister warned Brazil was "losing the war against Aedes aegypti," the mosquito that carries the virus. Since Zika was detected in Latin America last year there has been a surge in babies born with microcephaly, or abnormally small heads. Story continues Brazil, the hardest hit, sounded the alarm in October, when a rash of microcephaly cases emerged in the northeast. Since then, there have been 270 confirmed cases of microcephaly and 3,448 suspected cases, up from 147 in 2014. On Friday, Germany said it has had five cases of the virus between October 2015 and January 2016. By Alex Dobuzinskis LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The last two fugitives who broke out a California jail last week were arrested on a tip from a man who saw their stolen van in the parking lot of a San Francisco Whole Foods supermarket, authorities said on Saturday, a day after a third escapee turned himself in. The manhunt that began after the three inmates escaped from an Orange County maximum-security jail on Jan. 22 came to an end when Hossein Nayeri, 37, and Jonathan Tieu, 20, were taken into custody in San Francisco's park district about 375 miles (604 km) north of the lockup, police said. A man approached police officers and pointed out a white van in the parking lot of a Whole Foods market that looked similar to the one the fugitives were reported to have stolen in Los Angeles following their escape, San Francisco police spokeswoman Grace Gatpandan said at a news conference. Nayeri took off running when police approached the van, Gatpandan said. After a brief chase, officers caught the fugitive. Tieu, who police said was hiding in the van, was arrested a short time later, she said. The white van appears to be the same vehicle the two men stole and were believed to be living inside of following their escape, Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said at a separate news conference, where she expressed relief over the capture. "My fear was someone in the community was going to get hurt, because they really had nothing to lose," said Hutchens. The Orange County Sheriff's Department operates the jail in Santa Ana from which the three prisoners escaped. The daring Jan. 22 breakout recalled the escape of a pair of convicted murderers from an upstate New York prison last year. They evaded capture for three weeks before one of them was shot dead and the other was captured near the Canadian border. Orange County officials had offered a $200,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the three inmates, and on Saturday Hutchens expressed hope that the citizen who reported seeing the van in San Francisco could receive a reward. San Francisco police found rounds of .380-caliber ammunition in the van, but did not locate a gun, Gatpandan said. The third escapee, Bac Duong, 43, gave himself up on Friday in Santa Ana, officials said. Nayeri, the presumed mastermind of the breakout, was incarcerated at the Orange County jail on charges stemming from the 2012 mutilation torture of a kidnap victim. Tieu was facing murder charges and Duong has been charged with attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon, among other crimes. The pair are reputed to be connected with Vietnamese-American street gangs. The men made their getaway by cutting through steel grating inside the jail, climbing through a plumbing conduit to the roof and lowering themselves four floors to the ground with bedsheets, authorities said. Their disappearance went unnoticed for about 16 hours. Like the New York breakout, the California escape involved a female civilian employee of the correctional facility who provided help, authorities say. Nooshafarin Ravaghi, who taught English at the Orange County jail, was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of assisting in the escape. She is accused of furnishing the inmates with Google Maps information that included overviews of the jail rooftop and surrounding areas. Ravaghi, who is expected to be arraigned on Monday, had befriended Nayeri, according to authorities. In the New York escape, the fugitive inmates had help from a female prison employee who allegedly had sexual relations with one of them. She was sentenced to seven years for her role. (Additional reporting By Frank McGurty; Editing by Bernard Orr) The FBIs aggressive move to release video evidence which they say shows anti-government protester LaVoy Finicum reaching for a gun before being shot and killed by police apparently did little to persuade the dead mans family. LaVoy was not charging anyone, his survivors said Friday afternoon in a statement released through their attorney. He appears to have been shot in the back, with his hands in the air. Their comments, first reported by Reuters, come a day after the FBI took the unusual step of making a 26-minute surveillance video public two days after Finicum was killed. The aerial video, which the bureau published to its YouTube page, had more than 1.5 million views in less than 24 hours. A state trooper shot Finicum, 54, Tuesday when a team of law enforcement officers set up a traffic stop to arrest several leaders of the month-long protest over federal control of ranch lands. In this Jan. 6, 2016 photo, Arizona rancher LaVoy Finicum carries his rifle after standing guard all night at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Ore. (AP photo/Rick Bowmer) During the Tuesday confrontation, the FBI and Oregon State Troopers arrested five main figures in the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, including Ammon Bundy, their leader. The video, shot from an FBI airplane, shows Bundy's vehicle stopped by police on a road. A truck driven by Finicum was stopped but took off before plowing into a snowbank when encountering a police roadblock. The video shows a man, identified as Finicum, get out of the truck and take several steps through the deep snow. At first, he raises his hands, but then appears to reach toward the inside of his coat. On at least two occasions, Finicum reaches his right hand toward a pocket on the left inside portion of his jacket, Greg Bretzing, special agent in charge for the FBI in Portland, said Thursday night. He did have a loaded 9mm semi-automatic handgun in the pocket. Finicums family isnt convinced by the aerial footage. At this point we will await the outcome of any investigation, but based on the information currently available to us, we do not believe that LaVoy's shooting death was justified, they said in the statement. Story continues Despite the weeks dramatic turn of events, including the arrests of 10 occupiers, the standoff at the federal wildlife refuge continues. Four protesters are reportedly barricaded on the property, which is 30 miles south of Burns, Oregon. Earlier Friday, a Pacific Northwest patriot group urged protesters to immediately descend on Burns in response to the arrests and Finicums death. In a written call to action the Pacific Patriots Network a consortium of self-described constitutional advocate groups from Oregon, Washington, and Idaho pressed any and all Americans to come peacefully assemble and air grievances against these violent, malicious and deceitful tactics. Since the shooting, anti-government extremists have lauded Finicum as a martyr on social media. Many have shared an audio recording of an 18-year-old woman who was in Finicums truck and claims officers shot him without cause. This is a movement that has thrived on martyrs going all the way back to Ruby Ridge and Waco, said Mark Potok, a researcher with the Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization that tracks extremists groups. They are absolutely trying now to portray LaVoy Finicum as simply the latest martyr. Despite the early release of the video and the promise of an independent criminal investigation, the Pacific Patriots Network said they want all law enforcement present or involved in Finicums death be immediately jailed. A first-hand eyewitness account presents reasonable cause for arrest while the investigation takes place, the statement reads. The group, who claim some of the occupiers arrested have been lied to by federal agents, also wants the removal of all militarized FBI personnel from the county and the resignations of Harney County Judge Steve Grasty, Sheriff David Ward, and two commissioners. Clint Siegner (L) and his father Monte Siegner join other demonstrators during a protest outside the Harney County Court House in Burns, Oregon on Friday. (REUTERS/Jim Urquhart) The network asked supporters to show up in force, but with cool heads. If you have any ill intent, please do not come, the statement reads. We do not need you. Please come prepared with civilian attire and adhere to the policy of no long guns within the community. Potok said the network is comprised of local chapters of The Three Percenters and Oathkeepers whose national organizations have previously called for an end to the Oregon occupation. Sure it's worrying, Potok told Yahoo News. But I think it is very much up in the air though whether anyone will actually respond to this call to action. The reality is the patriot movement is very fractured about this. A few people are calling for this kind of action or even bloodshed, but I would say that the majority of people in this movement are urging others to stand down. Jason Sickles is a national reporter for Yahoo News. Follow him on Twitter (@jasonsickles). By Tom Polansek SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - A proposal for an online auction that could shake up the U.S. pricing model for cattle made its public debut on Friday after a secret test run last week, with the support of a unit of the world's largest meatpacker. Producers learned of the plan, backed by a feedyard owned by JBS SA, as exchange-operator CME Group Inc said it was studying steps to improve cattle futures after complaints about extreme volatility. The cash and futures markets have come under scrutiny over pricing following a setback from record levels reached in 2014 and a years long drop-off in cash sales. Terry Duffy, executive chairman of CME, said he was concerned about the decline in cash sales because futures contracts need a viable underlying cash market to function properly. "The industry needs to work a little harder to figure out how they're going to get more liquid in the cash trade," Duffy told Reuters on the sidelines of a trade conference in California. Cash sales, in which producers and meat packers negotiate for cattle a few weeks before they are killed, have declined as producers have increasingly locked in prices months in advance. Still, prices for the advance sales are usually based on average prices for cash sales, which are concentrated in certain geographic areas. Some producers say that method undervalues cattle, and the fall in prices has refocused attention on efforts to improve the system. A change could affect what consumers pay for steaks and burgers. Jordan Levi, managing partner for Arcadia Asset Management in Oklahoma City, told a meeting of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association that he organized a trial run of an online auction on Jan. 18 to improve price transparency. Representatives of the four major meat packers - JBS, Cargill Inc [CARG.UL], Tyson Foods Inc and National Beef Packing Company [NBEEF.UL] - took part, he said in a presentation that followed a Reuters report on the details. Levi aims to host a live auction within 60 days. He organized the trial with Mike Thoren, chief executive officer of feedyard JBS Five Rivers, said Ed Greiman, chair of the cattlemen's association's marketing committee. Thoren could not be reached for comment. In cattle futures, CME may reduce trading hours and take other steps to improve markets after producers complained about volatility. Duffy fingered increased cattle inventories and fundamental factors for pressuring futures prices. U.S. data on Friday showed the cattle herd was at a five-year high. (Editing by Matthew Lewis; Editing by Diane Craft) By Michel Rose and John Irish PARIS (Reuters) - France and Iran hailed the sale of Airbus planes and the renewal of a decades-old carmaking venture as symbols of thawing relations on Thursday while protesters in Paris tried to get human rights onto the agenda. President Hassan Rouhani was accompanied on his official visit to Paris, the first by an Iranian president since 1999, by ministers and business leaders who announced deals including a joint venture between carmakers PSA Peugeot Citroen and Iran Khodro and plans for Iran to buy 118 Airbus passenger planes to update its ageing fleet. His visit after a stop-off in Rome for more deals follows an agreement between Iran and the west on Iran's nuclear programme, allowing the lifting of sanctions this month. The deals were signed at a ceremony attended by Rouhani and French President Francois Hollande. Construction group Bouygues and airport operator ADP are set to build an extension for Tehran airport, while Vinci , another building firm, is lined up to design, build and operate new terminals for the Mashhad and Ispahan airports. French oil company Total said it would buy some 200,000 barrels of Iranian crude from the OPEC producer. There were also deals in shipping, health, agriculture and water provision, all signed despite continued diplomatic tensions. DEALS UNFINISHED, BANKS WARY The Airbus deal alone is worth $27 billion at list prices and French government sources put a 15 billion euro ($16 billion) overall tag on the agreements. But most have yet to be finalised or are subject to conditions. Senior French bankers have expressed wariness. Iran's industry minister Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh said an agreement between French export-credit group Coface and the Iranian central bank signed this week was an important step in the right direction. But he said French banks must support a corporate push into post-sanctions Iran. "If they don't get active, there will be no increase in business," he warned. For Peugeot, the Iranian factory tie up is critical. When it suspended sales in Iran in 2012 it lost nearly 10 percent of global deliveries and interrupted a relationship dating back more than 50 years. Under Thursday's deal, set to be finalised in the middle of this year, Peugeot and Iran Khodro plan to modernise a factory near Tehran and be producing cars by mid 2017. They target an initial 200,000 vehicles a year making Peugeot 208, 2008 and 301 models with a Peugeot investment of 400 million euros ($436 million) over five years. Away from the signing ceremonies and speeches, an estimated 3,000 people marched through Paris seeking to raise awareness about human rights. A protestor from the Femen womens' activist group dangled in a mock hanging from a bridge with an Iranian flag painted across her naked chest. Human Rights Watch criticised Iran on the death penalty and abuse of rights of women and minorities. It also said the state of emergency declared by Hollande after Islamist militant attacks in Paris on Nov. 13 last year threatens rights to liberty and freedom of movement. (Additional reporting by Tim Hepher, Michel Rose, Bate Felix, Gilles Guillaume and James Regan; Writing by Andrew Callus; Editing by Leigh Thomas and Ruth Pitchford) By Rod Nickel and Natalie Grover (Reuters) - Companies and scientists are racing to create a Zika vaccine as concern grows over the mosquito-borne virus that has been linked to severe birth defects and is spreading quickly through the Americas. Zika is now present in 23 countries and territories in the Americas. Brazil, the hardest-hit country, has reported around 3,700 cases of the devastating birth defect called microcephaly that are strongly suspected to be related to Zika. The Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO), stung by criticism that it reacted too slowly to West Africa's Ebola epidemic, convenes an emergency meeting on Monday to help determine its response to the spread of the virus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has activated an emergency operations center staffed around the clock to address Zika, agency officials told Reuters. On Thursday, the WHO said as many as 4 million people in the Americas may become infected by Zika, adding urgency to the research efforts. Vaccine developers made clear a vaccine for widespread public use is at least months, if not years, away. The closest prospect may be from a consortium including drugmaker Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc that could have a vaccine ready for emergency use before year-end, according to one of its lead developers. Inovio's share price gained more than 15 percent in Friday trading. Canadian scientist Gary Kobinger told Reuters on Thursday the first stage of testing on humans could begin as early as August. If successful, the vaccine might be used during a public health emergency by October or November, said Kobinger, who helped develop a trial vaccine for the Ebola virus. Privately owned vaccine developer Hawaii Biotech Inc said it began a formal program to test a Zika vaccine last fall as the virus started to gain traction in Brazil, although it has no timetable yet for clinical trials. "Right now, we are in the pre-clinical stage, as I suspect everyone is," Chief Executive Officer Dr. Elliot Parks told Reuters. Another private vaccine developer, Boston-based Replikins Ltd, said it was preparing to start animal studies on a Zika vaccine in the next 10 days. Data from the trials on mice and rabbits would likely be out in the next couple of months, Replikins Chairman Samuel Bogoch told Reuters. "No one has the $500 million on hand to take it (a vaccine) all the way to human trials. Somewhere along the course we hope to have big pockets join us," Bogoch said. 'FIGHT THE MOSQUITO' Zika had been viewed as a relatively mild illness until Brazilian health officials identified it as a matter of concern for pregnant women. While a direct causal relationship has not been established, scientists strongly suspect a link between Zika and thousands of children born in Brazil with abnormally small heads, brain defects and impaired vision. There is no treatment for Zika infection. Efforts to combat Zika are focused on protecting people from being bitten and on eradicating mosquitoes, a tough task in many parts of Latin America, where people live in poverty and there are plentiful breeding grounds for the insect. "We do not have a vaccine for Zika yet. The only thing we can do is fight the mosquito," Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said on Friday, reiterating her call for a national eradication effort. Rousseff said tests for the development of a vaccine would begin next week at the Butantan Institute, one of Brazil's leading biomedical research centers in Sao Paulo. U.S. President Barack Obama spoke on Friday with Rousseff about the spread of the virus, the White House said. "The leaders agreed on the importance of collaborative efforts to deepen our knowledge, advance research and accelerate work to develop better vaccines and other technologies to control the virus," the White House said in a statement. Zika has hit Brazil just as it prepares to host the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 5-21, an event that draws hundreds of thousands of athletes, team officials and spectators. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) assured teams on Friday the Olympics would be safe from Zika, but urged visitors to carefully protect themselves. U.S. lawmakers have begun to press the Obama administration for details of its response to Zika. At least 31 people in the country have been infected, all of them after travel to affected countries. The U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is planning a hearing on Zika "very soon," said Republican Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, who called the threat posed by the virus to the United States a "big concern." Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, said he did not expect the United States to be hit hard like other some countries in South America and the Caribbean. "We prepare for the possibility of a major outbreak but we believe it is unlikely to happen," Fauci said. (Reporting by Rod Nickel in Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Natalie Grover in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Amrutha Penumudi in Bengaluru; Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago, Toni Clarke in Washington, Karolos Grohmann in Berlin, Anthony Boadle in Brasilia, Jeffrey Dastin in New York; Writing by Frances Kerry; Editing by Will Dunham and Lisa Shumaker) Washington (AFP) - The Pentagon won't strip David Petraeus of his fourth star for providing his mistress classified information, a scandal that forced the resignation of a man feted for changing the course of the Iraq War. The retired general was given two years' probation and fined $100,000 in 2015 over the matter following a guilty plea in a US court. The US Army "completed its review of his case and recommended no additional action," Assistant Secretary of Defense Stephen Hedger wrote Friday in a letter to Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "Given the Army review, Secretary (Ashton) Carter considers the matter closed." A defense official confirmed the authenticity of the three-sentence letter, obtained by AFP, but declined further comment. The loss of his fourth star would have been a symbolic slap in the face for the military icon who is still widely respected. His retroactive demotion to a three-star general could reportedly also have cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of his retirement. Petraeus 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. Following his retirement in 2011, Petraeus went on to head the Central Intelligence Agency, but resigned in 2012, after serving just 14 months. Before his guilty plea in a North Carolina court, the Justice Department had said that Petraeus had acknowledged giving eight "black books" -- logs he kept as the US commander in Afghanistan -- to his lover and biographer, Paula Broadwell. The five-by-eight-inch notebooks in question were meant to serve as source material for Broadwell's book about the general, "All In: The Education of General David Petraeus." They included Petraeus's daily schedule, classified notes, the identities of covert officers, details about US intelligence capabilities, code words and accounts of his meetings with President Barack Obama, according to court documents. The black books contained "top secret" and "national defense information," they said. Petraeus now works at the global investment firm KKR. MOSCOW (Reuters) - Syrian peace negotiations between the main opposition and Syrian government delegates were only expected to involve "proxy" talks, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency on Saturday. He also said that there were no preconditions for the Syrian talks and that Moscow welcomed the decision by Syrian opposition coordinator, Riad Hijab, to take part in talks in Geneva. "(United Nations Syria envoy Staffan) de Mistura "has always planned to carry out proxy talks, that is to talk in turns with each delegations: the government and the opposition figures," Gatilov, who is heading to Geneva for talks, said in an interview with Interfax. (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Louise Ireland) By Shihar Aneez and Ranga Sirilal COLOMBO (Reuters) - A son of former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa was arrested on Saturday under the country's money laundering act and remanded in custody until Feb. 11, the police said. Several members of the Rakapaksa family are facing police investigations for alleged financial crimes. They include Rajapaksa, who was president for a decade until 2015, his brothers Basil and Gotabaya, his wife Shiranthi and eldest son Namal. Rakapaksa's second son, Yoshitha, a 27-year-old naval officer, was arrested with four others, including Rakapaksa's spokesman and a brother of Ports and Shipping Minister Arjuna Ranatunga. A local court ordered those detained to stay in custody until Feb. 11, police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said. President Maithripala Sirisena is under pressure to act on allegations of corruption against Rajapaksa and those who served his administration, especially from civil society organizations which backed Sirisena against Rajapaksa in last year's election. Rajapaksa is still popular among many ethnic majority Sinhala Buddhists who credit him with ending a 26-year-war against Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009. Yoshitha, who was Sri Lanka's national rugby team captain when his father was the president, was arrested after more than six hours of questioning by police, two officials told Reuters. Rajapaksa, who went to the local court to hear the order against his son, angrily condemned the police's use of the money laundering act to arrest his son. "Today they (the government) have used that act which we brought to deal with terrorists to put the son of the person who eradicated terrorism behind bars," Rajapaksa told reporters. "We have trust in the judiciary system and expect the justice will prevail. All these (actions) are to take revenge of me." Rajapaksa, now an opposition legislator, is being investigated for misappropriation of money in a state-run television channel during the 2015 presidential polls. Many Rajapaksa sympathizers believe these allegations were brought to tarnish his name and influence voters against him. (Writing by Shihar Aneez; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky) Kiev (AFP) - Ukrainian activists in the eastern city of Dnipropetrovsk on Friday night toppled a statue of controversial Bolshevik leader Grigory Petrovsky, implicated in a famine that killed millions in the 1930s, city hall said. Several young men toppled the 12-tonne bronze statue of Petrovsky -- nicknamed "the butcher" for his role in the collectivisation of agriculture that led to a famine known as Holodomor -- as they sung the Ukrainian national anthem, a YouTube video of the incident showed. The monument, which had been inaugurated in 1976, will be now kept in a museum, Dnipropetrovsk mayor Borys Filatov said on his Facebook page, referring to Petrovsky as "the butcher." Dnipropetrovsk, which is located near the pro-Russian separatist regions of Donetsk and Lugansk, was named after Petrovsky in the Soviet era and has since kept its name. The activists -- prompted by a local lawmaker close to Filatov -- sawed-off the monument from its pedestal before pulling it down, Interfax-Ukraine reported. "The statue is almost intact, it only lost its feet," city hall said. The several police officers called to the scene stood by as the monument was taken down, Interfax reported. Ukraine's Communist Party -- which was banned by a Kiev court last month in the latest move to break from the country's Soviet past -- said the statue had been toppled by "neo-Nazi vandals" and called Petrovsky a "true citizen of Ukraine" who "addressed important public and social issues in the interest of the Ukrainian people". Petrovsky, the de facto head of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic from 1922 to 1938, was also a signatory of the treaty that made Ukraine a Soviet republic. The Holodomor happened as Soviet police enforced the brutal policy of collectivising agriculture by requisitioning grain and other foodstuffs. Kiev recognises the Holodomor as a genocide while many Western historians say that Stalin's regime orchestrated the famine to destroy Ukraine's ambitions for independence. Russia has meanwhile contested this claim. The magnitude of the death toll remains hugely controversial among historians, with estimates of those who died in Ukraine ranging from five million to nine million. YENAGOA, Nigeria (Reuters) - A crude oil pipeline in Nigeria's southern state of Bayelsa operated by the local subsidiary of Italy's Eni was attacked on Thursday night, a state lawmaker told reporters on Saturday. This is the second major attack on the OPEC member's installations since an arrest warrant was issued this month for former militant leader Government Ekpemupolo, known as Tompolo. The hits follow years of relative calm in the country's oil-producing region after a 2009 amnesty halted a spate of attacks on oil installations and kidnappings of expatriate workers. "I want to condemn the latest attack on the Agip pipeline at Kpongbokiri. This is a clear sabotage by economic saboteurs," Israel Sunny-Goli, a member of the Bayelsa state assembly, said after preliminary investigations had been concluded. He said attackers hit a crude pipeline near Brass, a coastal city and site of a crude export terminal. Eni operates in Nigeria through its subsidiary Nigerian Agip Oil Company. A spokesman for Nigeria's state oil company said he could not yet say whether exports would be affected. President Muhammadu Buhari won last year's election on his vow to crush endemic corruption in the west African nation. Former government and military officials have already been charged, while Tompolo is the first high profile former militant which the security services have gone after. Following the amnesty, many former leaders enriched themselves through lucrative pipeline protection contracts under previous president Goodluck Jonathan but oil theft reached an industrial scale. Buhari can ill afford to start a conflict in the south with the military already stretched in the northeast fighting the Islamist jihadi group Boko Haram. The oil rich delta has been a source of tension since the presidency shifted to a northern Muslim. Ahead of the elections the militants threatened to return to the creeks should Jonathan lose. They also threatened action if the amnesty program that provides education and vocational training to about 30,000 former militants expired in December as Buhari suggested in his inaugural speech. It was extended this month for at least another year. Last week, Nigeria's state oil company was forced to shut down its Kaduna and Port Harcourt refineries following an attack on pipelines bringing crude to the plants. (Reporting By Tife Owolabi in Yenagoa; Writing by Julia Payne; Editing by Greg Mahlich) By Mark Hosenball and A. Ananthalakshmi WASHINGTON/KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Switzerland's chief prosecutor said on Friday a criminal investigation into state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) had revealed that about $4 billion appeared to have been misappropriated from Malaysian state companies. The office of Swiss Attorney General Michael Lauber said it had formally asked Malaysia to help with its probes into possible violations of Swiss laws related to bribery of foreign officials, misconduct in public office, money laundering and criminal mismanagement at the fund. It said it had identified four cases of alleged criminal conduct. 1MDB, whose advisory board is chaired by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, has been probed by Malaysian authorities following accusations of financial mismanagement and graft. Earlier this week, Malaysia's attorney general cleared Najib himself of any criminal offences or corruption, declaring that $681 million deposited into his personal bank account was a gift from Saudi Arabia's Royal family. The Malaysian attorney general's office said in a statement on Saturday it would take all possible steps to follow up and collaborate with its Swiss counterpart, but noted that the investigations into donations made to Najib were entirely separate from those into 1MDB. Najib has consistently denied any wrongdoing, saying the funds were a political donation and he did not take any money for personal gain. In its statement seeking Malaysia's assistance, the Swiss attorney general's office said: "The monies believed to have been misappropriated would have been earmarked for investment in economic and social development projects in Malaysia." It added that each case involved "a systematic course of action carried out by means of complex financial structures". 1MDB said it has not been contacted by foreign legal authorities on any matters relating to the company. The Swiss authorities began investigations last August into 1MDB for suspected corruption of public foreign officials, dishonest management of public interests and money laundering. Lauber's office said a small portion of the apparently misappropriated money had been transferred to accounts held in Switzerland by former Malaysian public officials and current and former public officials from the United Arab Emirates. The four cases of suspected criminal conduct related to former 1MDB subsidiary SRC International, Petrosaudi, Genting/Tanjong and ADMIC between 2009 and 2013, it said. When presenting his findings last week, Malaysia's top lawyer had asked the country's anti-graft agency to close all probes into SRC and the money deposited in Najib's account. Officials from Malaysia's anti-graft agency were not immediately available for comment on the statement by the Swiss authorities. Genting and Tanjong did not answer calls seeking comment. Petrosaudi and ADMIC could not immediately be reached. The Swiss statement said Lauber had discussed the 1MDB case with his Malaysian counterpart at a meeting in Zurich in September. Sources familiar with the September discussion between the two law enforcement officials said the Malaysian official strongly urged Lauber to abandon his 1MDB-related investigation. 1MDB is also under investigation by law enforcement agencies in Hong Kong and the United States, media and other sources have said. Tony Pua, a member of the Malaysian parliament with the opposition Democratic Action Party, called on the Malaysian attorney general to cooperate fully with foreign investigating agencies. "Such cooperation will not only go a long way towards identifying the culprits ... but also removing the perception that the Malaysian AG was biased in favor of the Prime Minister," Pua said. Malaysia's anti-corruption commission has said it will seek a review of a decision by the attorney-general to clear Najib. The Swiss statement said the request for mutual assistance is to advise the companies involved and the Malaysian government of the results of the Swiss criminal proceedings, "with the aim of finding out whether losses on this scale have been sustained". (Reporting by Mark Hosenball, A. Ananthalakshmi, Emily Chow, Rozanna Latiff; Editing by John Chalmers and Will Waterman) VIENNA (Reuters) - Switzerland has dropped an investigation of two men of Syrian origin arrested in Geneva last month over traces of explosives found in their car, the attorney general said on Saturday. Criminal proceedings were opened against the two under a law prohibiting groups such as al Qaeda and Islamic State. They denied having criminal intent and said they had only just arrived in Geneva and recently acquired the car. "The original suspicion was not confirmed," the attorney general's office said in a statement. It said one of the men had been released and had left the country, but the other had been remanded in custody for not having valid identification. It referred only to their country of origin without specifying their nationality. At the time of their arrest a prosecutor said the men had been carrying valid Syrian passports. A spokesman for the attorney general on Saturday declined to say whether both men were Syrian. A separate criminal proceeding opened last month in connection with a more general terror alert in the Geneva area remains in place, the attorney general's office said. (Reporting by Francois Murphy; editing by Jason Neely) Geneva (AFP) - Swiss prosecutors on Friday requested assistance from Malaysian authorities in investigating massive theft from a state-owned firm at the centre of a graft scandal. Swiss investigators believe around $4 billion has been stolen from Malaysian state-owned companies, funding that was earmarked for economic and social development projects in Malaysia. "A small portion" of the cash was transferred into Swiss accounts held by former Malaysian officials as well as current and former officials from the United Arab Emirates, the Swiss attorney general's office said in a statement. "To date, however, the Malaysian companies concerned have made no comment on the losses they are believed to have incurred," prosecutors added. "The object of the request for mutual assistance is therefore to advise the companies and the Malaysian government of the results of the Swiss criminal proceedings, with the aim of finding out whether losses on this scale have been sustained." In September, authorities announced the freezing of "tens of millions of dollars" worth of assets held in Swiss accounts as part of the investigation. The attorney general's office said the assistance request was made as part of criminal proceedings opened last August against two former officials of Malaysian state-owned fund 1MDB (1Malaysia Development Berhad) and "persons unknown". They are suspected of bribing foreign officials, misconduct in a public office, money laundering and criminal mismanagement. "So far four cases involving allegations of criminal conduct and covering the period from 2009 to 2013 have come to light," the statement said, "each involving a systematic course of action carried out by means of complex financial structures." The assistance request had already been discussed at a meeting between the Swiss attorney general and his Malaysian counterpart in Zurich in September, the statement added. Story continues Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has been under heavy political pressure over allegations that hundreds of millions of dollars were missing from deals involving 1MDB. He has for months denied accusations that huge payments into his own bank accounts -- just before a hotly contested 2013 general election -- were syphoned from the now-struggling state-owned company. Najib was cleared of corruption Tuesday when Malaysia's attorney general said the Saudi royal family was the source of the $681 million "donation" to his personal accounts. But the announcement triggered derision and fresh questions in a country well-used to graft allegations. Geneva (AFP) - Divisions among Syria's opposition and anger over regime blockades almost sank new peace talks in Geneva before they began, and analysts say prospects of a breakthrough at the negotiations remain slim. On Friday, after four days of suspense, Syria's main opposition umbrella group finally announced it would send representatives to Geneva. But formidable obstacles remain, including differences over the fate of President Bashar al-Assad, emboldened by recent territorial gains with support from Russian air strikes. In a sign of the challenges ahead, the Saudi-backed High Negotiations Committee (HNC) said it was sending a delegation "to participate in discussions with the UN, not for negotiations." The complexities of the conflict, involving a tangled web of moderate rebels, Islamist fighters, Kurds, jihadists and regime forces backed by Moscow and Iran, pose a huge challenge, experts say. "There is every reason to be pessimistic, and there is no realistic scenario in which a breakthrough would be reached," said Karim Bitar, an analyst at the Paris-based Institute of International and Strategic Relations. "For the time being, the disconnect between the Geneva process and the realities on the ground has never been bigger." The conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests and has evolved into a multi-sided war that has killed over 260,000 people and displaced more than half the population. In recent months, world powers have redoubled diplomatic efforts to solve the crisis, fuelled by fear of the Islamic State group's growing power, as well as the pressure of a wave of refugees fleeing to Europe. They have pinned their hopes on an ambitious UN-backed plan for negotiations in Geneva, followed by the creation of a transitional government, a new constitution, and elections within 18 months. But analysts say the atmosphere for these talks is even worse than a last round of failed negotiations in Geneva in 2014. Story continues After a series of setbacks last year, Assad's government has gone on the offensive and scored several victories since its key ally Russia began an aerial campaign on its behalf in late September. "Assad is feeling stronger and stronger so is being inflexible," said Agnes Levallois, a France-based Middle East analyst. "If anything, Russia and the regime will feel that they are slowly grinding down the opposition, that the trend from now on will not be unfavourable to them," added Yezid Sayigh of the Carnegie Middle East Centre. - Assad's future in question - At the same time, Western powers have moderated their previous insistence that Assad must step aside immediately amid fears of a power vacuum that could benefit IS and push more refugees towards Europe. "Authoritarian nationalism is back in fashion," Bitar said. Syria's opposition has long insisted that Assad can have no role in any political transition and must resign at the beginning of any such process. But even staunch supporters of the opposition, including Washington and Saudi Arabia, appear to be stepping back from that position, which could prove a major stumbling block for talks. It is "clear to the US and even to the Saudis" that Assad's departure cannot be guaranteed as a precondition, said Sayigh. "The real question is whether meaningful powers will go from Assad to a transitional council, including some mechanism that ensures that Assad is unable to run in future presidential elections," he said. With the opposition HNC saying it will not participate in actual negotiations, it remains unclear what the talks can achieve. The umbrella group said it would participate in the "political process" in a bid to force the government to implement "international obligations and humanitarian demands". It had hesitated to attend the talks in part over the UN's failure to enforce a 2015 Security Council resolution that demanded humanitarian access throughout Syria, an end to sieges, and protection of civilians. Sayigh, however, said any success at Geneva would be contingent on a "back-room process" that would see the US and Russia reach an understanding on a way forward. Perhaps in an effort to reach such an agreement, US Secretary of State John Kerry engaged in shuttle diplomacy ahead of the talks in an effort to narrow the gap between backers and opponents of Syria's regime. But Emile Hokayem, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the "dynamics on the ground are even less conducive to good-faith negotiations" than during the last round of peace talks in 2014. "Notwithstanding the energy, the positive outlook, the conditions aren't there." Geneva (AFP) - The umbrella body comprising Syria's principal mainstream opposition groups threatened Saturday to withdraw from peace talks shortly after its delegation arrived in Geneva if the "crimes" of Bashar al-Assad's regime persisted. "If the regime insists on continuing to commit these crimes then the HNC (High Negotiations Committee) delegation's presence in Geneva will not be justified," HNC coordinator Riad Hijab warned in a statement in Arabic posted online. "The delegation will inform (UN special envoy Staffan) de Mistura of its intentions to withdraw its negotiating team if the UN and world powers are unable to stop these violations," said Hijab, who was not among those present in Geneva. HNC representatives landed in Geneva late Saturday a day after a delegation for President Assad's government arrived and held preliminary talks with de Mistura. But the body, expected to meet de Mistura on Sunday, is refusing to engage, even indirectly, with the regime for now. They are demanding first that UN Security Council resolutions requiring an end to sieges of more than a dozen Syrian towns are adhered to and that bombardments of civilians cease. The intra-Syrian negotiations, if they get going, are part of a peace plan set out in November in Vienna by external powers embroiled in the five-year-old conflict, some on different sides. The process envisions elections within 18 months but leaves unresolved the future of Assad, whose regime has been making gains on the ground since Russia began supporting him with airstrikes in September. Another thorny issue is which rebel groups will be involved in the talks, although all sides agree on the exclusion of extremists from the Islamic State group and the Al-Nusra Front tied to Al-Qaeda. By Mariam Karouny BEIRUT (Reuters) - The leader of al Qaeda's Syrian wing tried unsuccessfully at a recent meeting to convince rival Islamist factions to merge into one unit, several insurgency sources have told Reuters. Abu Mohamad al-Golani, head of the Nusra Front, even suggested he was willing to change the name of his group if the others, including the powerful Ahrar al-Sham organization, agreed to the deal, the sources said. But he made clear that Nusra would not cut its ties with al Qaeda, and its allegiance would remain to Ayman al-Zawahri, who took over as leader after U.S. Navy SEALS killed Osama bin Laden in 2011. Much was riding on the outcome of the meeting, which the sources said took place about 10 days ago. Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham are the most powerful groups in northern Syria: when they briefly teamed up with other Islamists last year in an alliance called the Fatah Army, the rebels scored one of their biggest victories by seizing the city of Idlib. Some rebels believed a merger would create a stronger rival to Islamic State and might attract much-needed military support and recognition from regional and international powers. But the leaders left without an agreement, and the sources said the atmosphere was tense, with Nusra blaming Ahrar al-Sham for the failure. A few days later, members of the two groups clashed in the towns of Salqin and Harem in Idlib province, near the border with Turkey. Several fighters were killed on both sides, but other insurgent groups brokered a quick ceasefire. Jihadi sources, including some from Ahrar al-Sham, say it is only a matter of time before another battle between the two erupts. They say the rift between them is getting deeper, although mediation continues. One restraining factor has been an imminent assault by the Syrian army and its allied forces in northwestern Syria. "The situation is charged, the failure of initiatives could cause an explosion," said a jihadi in Idlib who is close to the two groups. "What happened just avoided all-out conflict, all-out battle. But it will be hard to tell what will happen in the future." Outright war between Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham would still further complicate the five-year Syrian conflict, in which rebel groups are mushrooming under different slogans and sometimes fighting each other. It would come hard on the heels of the United Nations' failure this week to bring rival parties together for peace talks in Geneva, the first attempt in two years to end a war that has killed a quarter of a million people. LACK OF TRUST Distrust between Nusra and Ahrar is mutual. Nusra accuses its Islamist rival of being a front for Turkey, addressing not the "interests of Muslims" but the agenda of Ankara in order to be part of a future political deal to rule Syria. Ahrar presents itself as a Syrian nationalist force, in contrast to al Qaeda's global jihadist ideology. It recently joined a Saudi-backed Syrian opposition council set up to join the U.N. peace talks, although the council is demanding an end to air strikes and blockades by the Syrian government and its allies before it will take part. Ahrar and other groups are pushing Nusra to cut its ties with al Qaeda as a step towards becoming more fully engaged in the struggle against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. "The problem is with the Qaeda link and its ideological implications. Nusra insists on its agenda, it doesn't want to maneuver at all," said a frustrated Ahrar commander, accusing it of "damaging the revolution". In the first few weeks after last year's capture of Idlib, the two groups divided responsibilities and territory without problems. But gradually divisions began to surface, as Ahrar and other insurgents became wary of Nusra and accused it of trying to seize power and sidelining them. "Nusra cannot work with others, they have a dominating project, they do not accept the others," said a fighter from Ahrar al-Sham in Idlib via the Internet. Some insurgents are suspicious of Nusra's long-term agenda in the region and globally, distrusting its declaration that it has no ambitions outside Lebanon and Syria. "This declared goal is an interim one. After it wins and establishes itself in Syria, they will move to the next step, which objects to the goal of the revolution," said an Islamist rebel who is allied with Ahrar al-Sham. "They will join the global jihad and this is against our revolution. Our revolution is limited to Syria." NO JEANS On the ground, Nusra imposes strict Islamic rules in villages and towns where it shares power. It has banned women from wearing make-up, showing their hair or wearing tight clothes like jeans, and applied a policy of segregation between the sexes. All these moves have served to assert its dominance, while provoking other groups. "There is no group on the ground that actually objects to having an Islamic government but the implementation and methods are different," said another Islamist fighter from a group that is allied with Ahrar. Highlighting the dilemma facing Syrian rebels, a local commander of an Islamist brigade that works closely with Ahrar al-Sham said: "It will be difficult for Nusra to disengage from Qaeda and it will be difficult for us to work with them. The situation is really difficult. Things are complicated and interlocked all together." Asked how long the groups could avoid hostilities, an Ahrar al-Sham military commander said: "We can avoid fighting with Nusra for now. For how long? That is a difficult question. Only God knows." (Writing by Mariam Karouny; Editing by Mark Trevelyan) Beatrice police arrested four people and cited a fifth after investigating a report of a stolen television. The Beatrice SWAT team was called in to serve a warrant when it was determined the home where a stolen television was believed to be located raised concerns about potential drug users and the presence of weapons, according to Police Cat. Gerald Lamkin. Lamkin said two men, one on foot and one on a bicycle, were reported carrying a television. A short time later, it was reported stolen from a Beatrice residence. An investigation led officers to a residence at 1814 Ella St., where the warrant was served. Joshua Leseberg, 27, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and theft by receiving stolen property. He was arrested after officers in SWAT gear served a search warrant on his residence after Leseberg gave verbal permission to search the house. A female resident, Ashley Foded, admitted Leseberg received a television that was stolen from a Beatrice residence, according to Gage County Court documents. She and Leseberg allegedly transported the television to a storage locker. During the search, officers were led to a pipe under a bed that was loaded with methamphetamine, court documents state. In a bedroom shared by Leseberg and Foged was a pink container that was swabbed and field tested positive for methamphetamine. Leseberg told officers he bought the television from William Umphenour and it was stolen. Lesebergs bond was set at $15,000 with a 10 percent deposit. William J. Umphenour, 25, was arrested for possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia. At 10:30 a.m. Beatrice Police contacted Umphenour in reference to the theft. During the investigation, he was placed in handcuffs and detained. Officers were advised Umphenour was wearing a pair of black pants belonging to another person over shorts and the other person wanted the pants back before Umphenour was arrested, Lamkin said. The pants were slightly rolled up and a white crystal-type powder was found on them. The powder tested positive for methamphetamine. Officers also saw a scale with a white substance in it sitting in the sidewalk where Umphenour had been sitting. The scale tested positive for methamphetamine. Umphenours bond was set at $15,000 with a 10 percent deposit. Ashley A. Foged, 25, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. During the search of the residence, a glass pipe containing suspected methamphetamine was found in plain sight in the living room. Foged stated that she had used methamphetamine as recently as 2 or 3 a.m. that morning, court documents state. The pipe was collected and found to contain a large amount of unused methamphetamine. Forged stated only she and Leseberg lived in the residence. Her bond was set at $7,500 with a 10 percent deposit. Cherish M. Lovell, 24, of Wymore, was also arrested for possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Lovell was found in a bedroom of the northwest corner of the house being searched and was detained while the warrant was being served. A resident of the house stated Lovell had slept in the bedroom the previous night. Inside a backpack found in the room was a green notebook with Cherish written on the cover. Inside a pocket of the backpack was a black case with team work written on the side. Inside the case was small plastic baggie with a white powdery residue, a scale and syringe, court documents state. A field test revealed the presence of methamphetamine. Her bond was set at $5,000 with a 10 percent deposit. Brandon Hatfield, 20, was cited at another location for theft related to the television and released. BAUCHI, Nigeria (Reuters) - Up to ten people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up on Friday at a busy market in a town in northern Nigeria where the jihadist Boko Haram group is waging an insurgency, residents and a Red Cross official said. Boko Haram has been waging an almost seven-year campaign in Nigeria's remote north to build an Islamic state. Thousands have been killed and more than two million people displaced by the campaign. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the attack bore the hallmarks of Boko Haram, which has been using suicide bombers since the army, helped by neighbours Chad and Cameroon, expelled the group from territory it had captured previously. A male suicide bomber attacked the market of Gombe in Adawama state, killing eight people and wounding 28, said a local Red Cross official. Two traders at the market put the death toll at ten, while a police spokesman said four had been killed and 17 wounded. Gombe lies near the border of the remote northeastern Borno state, where the insurgency started. (Reporting by Ardo Abdullah and Isaac Abraq; Writing by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Richard Balmforth) (Photo Illustration: Yahoo News, photo: AP) From his prison cell, Ted Kaczynski the Unabomber, who terrified the nation in the 1980s and early 1990s has carried on a remarkable correspondence with thousands of people all over the world. As the 20th anniversary of his arrest approaches, Yahoo News is publishing a series of articles based on his letters and other writings, housed in an archive at the University of Michigan. They shed unprecedented light on the mind of Kaczynski genius, madman and murderer. From his prison cell in Florence, Colo., Ted Kaczynski continues to have many declared enemies: modern technology, his family, his former attorneys and a long list of former pen pals he believes have wronged him in one way or another. But in recent years, a great deal of Kaczynskis rage has been directed at the media, which he believes has gotten the story totally wrong about his early life and how he came to be the Unabomber. Media people must be about the most dishonest and irresponsible people on the face of the earth, with the possible exception of lawyers, Kaczynski wrote to a correspondent in November 2002 expressing what, for him, was an uncommonly mainstream opinion. (He did not, as far as is known, try to murder any journalists, although one of his bombs killed Thomas J. Mosser, a New Jersey public relations executive. Kaczynski later said he targeted Mosser because he worked for the parent company of Burson-Marsteller, a public relations firm that handled the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska.) But the Unabomber hasnt always held reporters in total disdain. Letters in his archive of personal papers at the Labadie Collection at the University of Michigan library show how savvy Kaczynski was about the media from the early days of his case and how he tried to use reporters to push his own narrative about himself and his ideas. Slideshow: Unabomber Ted Kaczynski >>> Sitting in jail in Montana just days after his arrest, Kaczynski, who during his reign of terror successfully forced the New York Times and Washington Post to publish his 35,000-word anti-technology manifesto, drafted a proposed press release about himself to send to a local newspaper, in part to deal with the flood of correspondence he had received but was unable to respond to. Story continues He sent letters to the court-appointed attorney initially assigned to his case suggesting the clothes a sensible blazer, no tie he should wear to his first court appearance for the benefit of the massed cameramen. And later, he wrote his lawyers suggesting media leaks to counter his familys lies about him, including their assertions that he was mentally ill. Unabomber Letters Almost as soon as he was publicly identified as the Unabomber and arrested, Kaczynski was flooded with media requests from a whos who of big names in journalism, including ABCs Diane Sawyer and Yahoo News Global Anchor Katie Couric, at that time (in 1999) a host of NBCs Today show. Hundreds of pages of letters show that Kaczynski received requests from every major talk show, including CNNs Larry King Live, 60 Minutes and NBCs Dateline. Meanwhile, reporters from every major newspaper in the country wrote to him, asking for his side of the Unabomber story. He didnt respond. In 1998, he even received an interview request from a producer with The Roseanne Show. If you know anything about Roseanne [Barr], you must know that she is a nonconformist and rarely does what society expects of her, the producer wrote. I believe that you and her with definitely hit it off, and the conversation would definitely be interesting and fulfilling for both of you. Kaczynski did not reply. The following year, he gave what would be his only mainstream media interview: a sit-down with Stephen Dubner, who later co-authored the book Freakonomics, who interviewed Kaczynski about his brother, David. But according to his letters, Kaczynski thought the story, which ran in Time magazine, was disastrous because of its sympathetic treatment of David, who provided the tip that led to his arrest. A few months later, Kaczynski granted an interview to Joy Richards, a pen pal with whom he would eventually develop a romance, hoping to present his story with full editorial control. He later shopped the piece to Playboy, which replied with a rejection notice, and to Rolling Stones Jann Wenner, who exchanged letters with Kaczynski expressing interest in an interview, but with a writer of the magazines choosing. Kaczynski later called off the negotiations. Over the years, Kaczynski has written letters to the editor of publications including the New Yorker and the New York Review of Books which responded with form-letter rejections. And he has exchanged occasional letters with reporters but has declined most interview requests, citing anger over the 1999 Time article. He did not respond to a letter requesting an interview for this series. I will never again consider even for a moment the possibility of trusting a mainstream journalist, Kaczynski wrote in 2003. Read more in this Yahoo News Special Report: >> Addis Ababa (AFP) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned African leaders Saturday of the need for action in troubled Burundi at a summit aiming to end armed crises across the continent. African Union leaders face an unprecedented vote on deploying a 5,000-strong peacekeeping force despite Burundi's vehement opposition, but Ban was clear troops were needed to stem the violence. "Leaders who stand by while civilians are slaughtered in their name must be held responsible," Ban said, insisting that the Burundi crisis required the "most serious and urgent commitment". He said the UN backed the AU's proposal "to deploy human rights observers and to establish a prevention and protection mission" in Burundi. "I applaud you for taking collective responsibility and acting decisively," he added. Talks at the AU Peace and Security Council, attended by presidents and foreign ministers from across the 54-member bloc, stretched late into Friday night in an attempt to narrow positions before the formal summit began on Saturday. AU commission chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma opened the summit by commemorating AU peacekeepers killed in "efforts to silence the guns" as debate raged over whether to send a new force to Burundi. Talks on the possible peacekeeping deployment are being held behind closed doors and it is unclear when a vote may be taken. While the official theme of the African Union (AU) meeting is human rights, leaders are again dealing with a string of crises across the continent during two days of talks at the organisation's headquarters in the Ethiopian capital. - 'Situation under control' - Ban also stressed the need for action to end the violence in South Sudan. "Leaders in South Sudan have again failed to meet a deadline to form a transitional government," Ban said. "Instead of enjoying the fruits of independence, their people have endured more than two years of unimaginable suffering." Story continues "Leaders must protect their people, not themselves," he said. Neither South Sudan's President Salva Kiir nor Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza are attending the summit. Burundi has consistently opposed the idea of the proposed peacekeeping mission, saying the deployment of troops without its express permission would be tantamount to an "invasion force". Asked whether Bujumbura had the support of other nations opposed to the plan, Burundian Foreign Minister Alain Nyamitwe insisted it did. "Yes, very strong (support), you will see," he said on Friday. Burundi has been in crisis since April 2015 when President Pierre Nkurunziza ran for a controversial third term, sparking street protests, a failed coup, regular killings and a nascent rebellion. He went on to win the election in July, but since then, clashes between loyalists and the opposition have turned increasingly violent, with hundreds killed and at least 230,000 fleeing the country. "The deployment of this force is not justified," Nyamitwe said. "We believe that the situation in the country is under control." - Ending Africa's tragedies - With Nkurunziza unmoved by appeals from the AU and the UN, there have been moves to water down the proposed military force to that of an observer mission. "It is not only Burundi that is resisting this idea... most interveners in a country are not welcomed," Gambian President Yahya Jammeh said. Jammeh said he would not support a military deployment "without the consent of Burundi". A two-thirds majority will be required before deploying the force, known as the African Prevention and Protection Mission in Burundi (MAPROBU). It remains unclear who would contribute troops to the force. "In addition to Burundi's lobbying efforts, many heads of states will be reluctant to set a precedent of AU troop deployment in a country that clearly rejects it," said Yolande Bouka, of the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) think tank. Also on Saturday, Chad's President Idriss Deby took over as AU chairman, replacing Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe in the one-year ceremonial post. Deby told fellow presidents that conflicts across the continent had to end. "Everything that we are doing now will be in vain and without purpose if we allow Africa to go through these perpetual crises: South Sudan, Libya, Somalia, Burundi, the Sahel, the Lake Chad basin," he said. "Through diplomacy or by force... we must put an end to these tragedies of our time." Ottawa (AFP) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Friday the aboriginal community of La Loche in Saskatchewan where a student shot two classmates and two teachers dead last week. "Thanks for your respect, thank you," said La Loche acting mayor Kevin Janvier as he welcomed the prime minister and his entourage to the remote lakeside town of 3,000 inhabitants on the edge of the Arctic Circle. Last Friday, a 17-year-old went on a rampage at the local high school, killing two teachers and critically injuring seven others. Two brothers -- aged 13 and 17, respectively -- were also killed at their nearby home. Trudeau said in a statement that he wanted to "personally express the country's shock and sadness over last week's tragic shootings." The prime minister met with the families of the victims, police and medical personnel. He hugged students affected by the tragedy. ANKARA (Reuters) - A Russian SU-34 jet violated Turkish airspace on Friday despite radar warnings, Turkey's foreign ministry said on Saturday, underscoring the bitterness between the two countries involved in Syria's war. The Russian ambassador was summoned over the incident late on Friday, the statement said, adding that the violation was a clear sign that Russia wanted issues between the two countries to escalate. "We are making a clear call to the Russian Federation not to violate Turkish airspace, which is also NATO airspace," the statement said. "We are emphasising once again that the unwanted consequences of such irresponsible behaviour will belong fully to the Russian Federation," it added. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged Russia on Saturday to "take all necessary measures" to ensure NATO airspace was not violated again. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he wanted to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin after the incident. The two leaders have not met since the November jet downing incident. "I told our foreign ministry to convey my desire to meet Mr Putin personally. There has been no answer on this yet," Erdogan told reporters at the airport before departing for a visit to Latin America. Turkey shot down a Russian warplane in November in an incident that wrecked relations between the two countries. Russia has imposed economic sanctions on Turkey, hitting its tourism and exports. (Reporting by Ece Toksabay; Editing by Tom Heneghan and Stephen Powell) Moscow (AFP) - The Russian defence ministry Saturday dismissed as "baseless propaganda" Turkish claims of a new airspace violation by a Russian fighter jet, in the latest spat between the two countries. "There has not been a single violation of Turkish airspace by Russia air force planes in Syria," ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told Russian news agencies. "The Turkish declarations concerning the alleged violation of its airspace by a Russian Su-34 are baseless propaganda," Konashenkov added. Ties between the two countries have hit rock-bottom since Turkey, a key NATO member, shot down a Russian fighter jet on the Syrian border in November, sparking a war of words with Russia which insisted its plane had not crossed into Turkish airspace. Ankara alleges that a fresh violation took place on Friday, when it summoned the Russian ambassador to the foreign ministry in protest at the latest alleged airspace violation. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said Russia would "have to face consequences if it keeps up such violations". NATO head Jens Stoltenberg called on Russia to "act responsibly and to fully respect NATO airspace". By Edmund Blair and Aaron Maasho ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told African leaders on Saturday they should not use legal loopholes or undemocratic constitutional changes to "cling to power", and that they should respect term limits. Ban was addressing a two-day summit the African Union, a group of 54 states where several leaders have been in power for decades, some have changed constitutions so they can stay on and others are accused of seeking to remove limits. The debate about term limits has gained momentum after triggering unrest in places such as Burundi and Congo Republic. "Leaders should never use undemocratic constitutional changes and legal loopholes to cling to power. We have all seen the tragic consequences when they do," Ban told the gathered presidents, including Zimbabwe's veteran leader Robert Mugabe. It echoed remarks made by U.S. President Barack Obama in the same AU hall on a trip to Ethiopia in July. Mugabe, who turns 91 in February and the only leader Zimbabweans have known since 1980, made one of his regular swipes at Western powers who he accuses of still harboring colonial ambitions and of monopolizing power at the United Nations. "Do we allow that group to continue ... to harass us even in our independent countries," Mugabe asked after Ban had spoken. One of the top items on this summit's agenda is the crisis in Burundi, where violence erupted after President Pierre Nkurunziza announced his bid for a third term that opponents said was illegal. He won a disputed election in July. Supporters cite a court ruling that said he could run. In neighboring Rwanda, a constitutional change approved in a referendum means President Paul Kagame, who has been in office since 2000 and effectively in power far longer, can now run again in 2017 and could stay on until 2034 if he wishes. Western powers criticized Kagame for not stepping aside, saying he should set an example. Uganda's Western allies have said President Yoweri Museveni, bidding for another term in a February vote after three decades in office, should consider quitting although the Ugandan constitution does not set any term limits. "Leaders must protect their people, not themselves," Ban said. "I commend those leaders who committed to stepping aside and respect constitutional term limits." Tanzania's Jakaya Kikwete left office after a maximum two terms last year. However, the candidate of Kikwete's CCM party that been in power for more than half a century won the vote. (Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky) By Arshad Mohammed and Jonathan Allen WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department conceded for the first time on Friday that intelligence officials were correct to say that at least 22 emails sent through Hillary Clinton's private server contain some of the government's most sensitive secrets. The seven email chains from Clinton's time as secretary of state, amounting to 22 separate messages, will be withheld from the public as a result because the information in them is classified at the highest level as "top secret," State Department spokesman John Kirby said. The announcement came three days before the Iowa caucuses, when the first votes are cast for the presidential nominations and where Clinton is locked in a tight race with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders to become the Democratic nominee for the November election. "These documents were not marked classified at the time that they were sent," Kirby said. He added that the department was now investigating whether the information in them was classified at the time it passed through her private clintonemail.com email account run on a server in her New York home. The department and intelligence officials have been arguing about the emails, which are being made public under a federal court order, for at least five months. The State Department initially maintained that Clinton might have obtained the same information independently through non-classified channels. The decision to no longer pursue this argument will add to the questions Clinton has faced for months over her handling of sensitive government information as she seeks to maintain her position as the favorite to become the Democratic nominee. The Clinton campaign criticized the State Department's decision as the result of "bureaucratic infighting" and "over-classification run amok," adding that the emails should be released. Some information has been censored in more than 1,300 emails already made public because the State Department says it is classified, including the privately shared thoughts of foreign leaders and government officials. But this is the first time that entire chains are being withheld. Congressional Republicans have criticized and investigated Clinton for her use of a private email server for her work as a secretary of state from 2009 to 2013. Some of her Republican rivals for the presidency, including New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, have called for her prosecution. Reince Priebus, the Republican National Committee's chairman, said in a statement that Clinton had "put our national security and diplomatic efforts at risk." The government forbids handling of classified information, which may or may not be marked that way, outside secure government-controlled channels, and sometimes prosecutes people who remove it from such channels. The government classifies information as top secret if it deems a leak could cause "exceptionally grave damage" to national security. U.S. Representative Adam Schiff of California, the House Intelligence Committee's leading Democrat, defended Clinton in a statement, saying classification determinations are "often very complex" and she was "responding to world events in real time without the benefit of months of analysis after the fact." The Federal Bureau of Investigation has taken Clinton's server and other computer equipment, but has declined to share details of its inquiries. White House spokesman Josh Earnest downplayed questions about whether Clinton might be prosecuted by the Justice Department. "That's not something I'm worried about," he told reporters. Clinton initially said she never sent or received classified information through her email. In recent weeks she has more often said none of her emails were marked that way. Following a court-ordered schedule, the State Department has already released most of the roughly 30,000 work emails Clinton returned to the department. The department had been ordered to release all the emails by Friday, but last week asked the court for a one-month extension. The State Department also said it would agree with a request from the White House that Clinton's emails with President Barack Obama, 18 in all, be withheld from public release for several years under the Presidential Records Act. (Additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle in Washington; Editing by Eric Beech, Lisa Shumaker and David Gregorio) By Brendan Pierson (Reuters) - A U.S. government panel has ruled that a privately run Medicare plan must cover sex reassignment surgery for a Texas transgender woman, a decision her attorney said was the first of its kind. Charlene Lauderdale, a U.S. Air Force veteran, first sought surgery through her UnitedHealthcare/AARP Medicare Complete insurance plan in November 2014. The federally funded plan, operated by a unit of UnitedHealth Group Inc, denied the request. An administrative law judge with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ruled last April that the plan must cover the surgery, and the agency's Medicare Appeals Council upheld that decision this month. Lauderdale's lawyer, Ezra Young, said he received the council's decision on Thursday. "I am so relieved that I can now get the medical care that I have needed for so long," Lauderdale, 55, said in a press release. "I hope that my decision will help other transgender Americans who have also been denied health care." Until May 2014, Medicare excluded all sex reassignment surgery. Since that ban was lifted, coverage decisions for surgery and other transgender health services under Medicare have been made on a case-by-case basis. According to Young, many transgender patients have been unable to get coverage for sex reassignment surgery because insurers or contractors hired by Medicare to make such determinations have decided the procedure is cosmetic, or not medically necessary, among other reasons. Young said the decision in Lauderdale's case was the first time HHS ordered a Medicare Advantage plan to cover sex reassignment surgery. Though the decision is not legally binding on other cases, Young said he believed it would set an important "guidepost." In reaching its decision, the appeals council cited standards of care developed by the World Professional Association of Transgender Health, which first released such standards in 1979. Story continues It rejected UnitedHealthcare's argument that the surgery was not right for Lauderdale because she had suffered psychiatric problems, which led to four hospitalizations in 2014. The council noted that untreated gender dysphoria, a feeling that a person's body does not match his or her gender, can itself cause psychological distress. If UnitedHealthcare wants to challenge the decision, it must bring a lawsuit in federal court, according to Young. A spokeswoman for UnitedHealthcare could not immediately be reached for comment. HHS is currently considering a proposed regulation that would forbid private insurers from discriminating against transgender patients, as well. (Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New York, Editing by Anthony Lin and David Gregorio) Funeral services for Willard "Bill" C. Hauptmeier, 87, of Norfolk will be 10:30 a.m., Monday, Feb. 1, 2016 at Mount Olive Lutheran Church, Norfolk. Burial will be in New Lutheran Cemetery, Norfolk. Visitation will be Sunday from 4-6 p.m. at Home for Funerals, Norfolk, Neb. Willard died Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016 at Faith Regional Health Services. Bill was born on June 9, 1928 to Martha and Fred Hauptmeier in Sterling, Neb. He was the second oldest of four children, two brothers and one sister, Arlynn, Mary Lynn and Larry. He graduated from Sterling High School. Bill enlisted with the National Guard in 1948 for two years. He then enlisted in the U.S. Navy for four years. On Dec. 9, 1951, Bill married Darlene Broadbent in Redondo Beach, Calif. Together they had four children, Terry, Sid, Randy and Connie. After his time in the military, Bill and Darlene moved to Greenfield, Iowa, where he farmed for the next three years. In 1957, he found employment with Farmhand Machinery as a salesman. The family relocated to Creston, Glidden, Storm Lake and Oelwein, Iowa, as Bill was transferred to different territories for better opportunities. In 1974, the family moved to Norfolk, where Bill was employed at K& F International for 19 years. He became a member of Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in 1974 and served many years as an elder. In 1981, Terry was killed in a car accident and left behind a son, Jesse, who was raised from the age of 4 by Bill and Darlene. Darlene died Jan. 30, 1993. Bill retired later that year. Bill married again to Donna Beethe in 1999 and lived in Beatrice, until she died September of 2014. His family moved him to Norfolk Veterans Home in Norfolk, where he resided until his death. He made many friends through his life and was loved by so many. He enjoyed playing pinochle, solitaire and other card games. He loved spending time with his family and friends. In his later years, he enjoyed going to garage sales and had his own several times a year reselling his refurbished items. Bill is survived by his sons Sid Hauptmeier of Fall City, Wash., Randy Hauptmeier of Tomball, Texas, daughter, Connie (Duane) Leapley of Leigh, Neb., three grandsons and two granddaughters; Jesse (Jaci) Ricchio, Sara (Matt) Wight, Melissa (Graham) Sims, Bryce (Camie) Leapley and Tony Leapley, eight great-grandchildren, his younger brother Larry (Phyllis) Hauptmeier of Overton, Neb., and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Arlynn, sister Marylyn, wife Darlene, wife Donna and daughter Terry. Brussels (AFP) - The United States has attacked high-profile EU tax probes into American companies as unfair and encroaching on the US government's right to tax them, the Financial Times reported Saturday. The European Commission has cracked down hard on companies, including US icons such as Apple, Starbucks and Amazon, who worked out arrangements with EU member states allowing them to slash their tax bills. EU Competition Commissioner Magrethe Vestager has made a point of testing these "tax rulings," which are legal in themselves, to see if they breach strict bloc competition rules by giving some companies an advantage over their rivals. The FT said Robert Stack, a US Treasury official, met EU competition officials in Brussels on Friday to express Washington's concerns. "We are concerned that the EU Commission appears to be disproportionately targeting US companies," Stack was quoted as saying. Stack's visit came just one day after the Commission launched plans to stamp out tax avoidance by multi-national corporations. "The days are numbered for companies that aggressively reduce their tax bills," EU Economics Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said. The key proposal is that a company should report its profit country by country, rather than as now be allowed to shift earnings around into lower tax jurisdictions. The plans were unveiled amid a storm of protest at a British government agreement for Internet giant Google to pay 130 million ($185 million, 170 million euros) in back taxes. Critics denounced the deal as ridiculously low given Google's size and earnings but the company insisted the settlement was fair and that it complied fully with the tax laws in the countries where it operates. Italy is meanwhile demanding Google pay some 200 million euros in back taxes and France reportedly wants 500 million euros after an investigation that included raids by police. Google and Apple have complained they are being unfairly targeted by the European authorities. Commission officials were not immediately available for comment on the report but Brussels has rejected charges of an anti-US bias in the past. By Joseph Ax and Daniel Bases NEW YORK (Reuters) - Operations at New York and New Jersey's cargo terminals were being restored on Friday night after more than a thousand longshoremen walked off the job earlier in the day, shuttering one of the United State's busiest port networks, officials said. Employees stopped working around 11 a.m. (1600 GMT), though the precise reason was unclear. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the terminals and leases them to port operators, said some nine hours later that operations were being restored and gates would open as scheduled on Monday. The work stoppage came as a surprise because "there were no major issues that we knew of to precipitate this," according to a Port Authority official who requested anonymity. The Port Authority and the International Longshoremen's Association urged workers to immediately return to work. "We have heard your voices, we have heard your concerns, and we have taken action on your behalf," the union said in a statement. "We urge all ILA members to return to work." Over $200 billion worth of cargo moved through the port in 2014, according to the agency. About a quarter of U.S. gross domestic product is accounted within 200 to 250 miles (320 to 400 km) of the ports. Port Authority police were sent to the terminals to ensure public safety, according to the statement. The Port Authority official said there had been no word of any arrests by evening. Beverly Fedorko, a spokeswoman for the New York Shipping Association (NYSA), which represents the terminal operators and ocean carriers, said the longshoremen had not informed management of the "illegal" walkout. Fedorko said an emergency contract board meeting was called in the afternoon, resulting in deadlock. But an arbitrator found that the stoppage violated the contract's no strike provision, she said. "During this time discussions took place between the ILA and NYSA with regard to outstanding issues concerning chassis, jurisdiction, hiring and technology," Fedorko said in a statement. "It was agreed to expeditiously seek solutions to these longstanding issues." Story continues New York and New Jersey ports are a major entry point for crude oil and an exit for refined products such as gasoline and heating oil. It was unclear if energy sector workers in the ports were participating in the walkout. "I have not seen or heard anything yet that the strike was affecting the gasoline or heating oil futures markets," said Dominick Chirichella, senior partner at the Energy Management Institute in New York. Prices for both commodities were higher, in line with market fundamentals. The walkout affects several terminals, including Port Newark and terminals in Elizabeth and Bayonne, New Jersey, and the New York City borough of Staten Island. The port system is the third busiest in the United States and has 3,500 registered longshoremen, Fedorko said, although the number of workers on duty per day fluctuates depending on ships and other factors. The terminals annually handle nearly 6 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containerized cargo, according to the Port Authority. A standard 40-foot container equals two TEUs. (Reporting by Joseph Ax and Daniel Bases; Additional reporting by Scott DiSavino in New York and Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Toni Reinhold and Lisa Shumaker) Southeast Nebraska organizations have been frequent winners of Ak-Sar-Ben community grants, including projects in Adams, Brownville, Beatrice, Bennet, Odell, Palmyra, Plymouth, Crete and Pawnee City. Community grants from Ak-Sar-Ben are funded by the Ak-Sar-Ben Friends membership organization. Applications are open to 501(3) organizations within the region and typically are within the $500 to $1,000 range. The Ak-Sar-Ben Friends award a minimum of $5,000 each year in community grant money. The matching-fund grants are used to support organizations which strive to improve their communities in Nebraska and western Iowa. Grants are awarded based on demonstration of emerging community need, the goals and objectives addressed in the communitys need, the capacity to implement the proposed project, and the proposed results of the project. Grant applications must be sponsored and approved by an AKSARBEN Friends Ambassador Paul and Julie Hay in Southeast Nebraska serves as Ambassadors. The grant application is available on the web at aksarben.org, select Community, select Community Grants. 2016 Community Grant applications are due March 1, 2016. They can be completed online or mailed. For questions, email brittans@aksarben.org or call 402-554-9600 ext. 102. For a supporting letter, email application information to ambassador Paul C. Hay at phay1@unl.edu, or call 402-223-1384. Minshall returns, with The Dying Swan Thomas made good on the presentations sub-title, Ras Nijinsky in Drag as Pavlova, channelling the two great Russian ballet dancers Vaslav Nijinsky, often described as the greatest male dancer of the 20th century, and Anna Pavlova, for whom The Dying Swan was choreographed in 1905, and which she performed 4,000 times. The masquerader wore a large white couture dress, with long plumes, made by Ronald Guy James, which echoed Minshalls Joy to the World from 1995. As pannist Fayola Granderson played notes to Camille Saint- Sa?ns The Swan, Thomas glided onto the darkened stage, making tiny, nibbling steps, his back facing the audience, his arms exquisitely mimicking Pavlovas famous arm movements suggesting the wings of a bird seeking flight. He turned. CROWD IN AWE The effect and connection with the audience was instant. Applause broke out in the Grand Stand which had been dormant for most of the long night of the preliminary round of the Kings and Queens of Carnival. With his muscular limbs covered in white body paint, Thomas, portrayed the struggle of an animal staving off the inevitable. With memories of previous years when he had fallen in the competition still fresh, a palpable tension emerged. This added to the drama of the dying swan, struggling, under the glaring headlights, to carry on to the other side of the stage. The work will resonate, Minshall who was not at the Savannah on Thursday night yesterday told Newsday. I had seen Moko Jumbies all my life. But one day, suddenly, I thought: my God, he is a ballerina on toes. I added a little toe and calf and somehow it makes him look like a creature from Alice in Wonderland. This is not a costume, it is a mas. On Thursday night, Jha-whan played the mas. The veteran mas man, famous for Kings like, Mancrab and Saga Boy, said he came up with the ballerina idea around 2001 when he was working on another production at New York months before the September 11 attacks. He was also drawn to the fact that Thomas had, in several presentations over the years, fallen, including on Valentines Day 2007 when Thomas fell at the Savannah while wearing Brian MacFarlanes Raj Kumar Boyie, a giant elephant on stilts. Jha-whan had several accidents, Minshall, 77, said. I thought: come on! Lets do this! Lets do something that brings alive the Ballet Russes. Let us join classical Africa to classical Europe. That is what that mas last night was. Minshall continued, I didnt go to the Savannah in person because I trusted the team. And then when I saw what Jha-whan did! He nailed it. He got it. And you know what is more wonderful for me? The audience got it too. Thats incredible. The basis of our mas art is to never patronise. Aim for the highest. I do not want to die, said the swan. I want to live. Trinidad and Tobago must live. Or the whole world will die. THOMAS HONOURED Speaking with Newsday hours before crossing the stage on Thursday night, Thomas said he was honored to have been chosen by Minshall to do the mas. I know him from since I was fifteen, Thomas said. Everybody knows Minshall has not been in the mas game for some time, but he still has a passion for his culture and the mas. He thought this would do good for this year. It is a combination of great elements from times past. It can mean anything, but really the mas speaks for itself. The world will see this. The costume, which placed fourth in the preliminaries, returns to the stage at the finals next Tuesday night. Thomas became the first King of Carnival on stilts in 2008 with Pandemic Rage, from Mac Farlanes Earth Cries of Despair, Wings of Hope. That year, the masquerader tumbled in the semi-final and preliminary rounds, but crossed the stage without a hitch on finals night. While Minshall has brought out a King, he has not brought out a band. His design is featured as the King of Searching For Shangri-La, which is being presented by K2K Alliance and Partners. This year, the King and Queen of Carnival competition is following a new format. Forty Kings and 44 Queens crossed the stage on Thursday night, but only 15 of each will make next Tuesdays finals. There is no semi-final round. Other notable Kings who crossed the stage on Thursday included: Pan - Greek God of the Forest, carried by Ansel G Price; Esu Ajaguara, the Force of Creation, by Jonadiah Gonzales; reigning champion Roland St Georges Hocus Pocus; Keston Benthums Elfurdrakos; Curtis Eustaces Demonato Price of D Forbidden; Ravi Lakhans spooky Night of Horror; and Glenn Dave Lakhans Night of the Owling Creature. Reigning Queen of Carnival Stephanie Kanhai made clear her intention to keep her crown with, The Virgin Queen, a stunning costume which fused Elizabethan, Caribbean and contemporary sensibilities, flowing in blue, white and gold, and, like Thomas, on Moko stilts. This little piggy went to market this little piggy stayed home. Its not the destination that has caused one of the biggest urban-rural disputes in the Nebraska Legislature since Initiative 300 was offered as a solution to the farm crisis in 1982. This years debate is about LB176, a bill that would allow corporations to own hogs being prepped for market. The measure, awaiting a final legislative vote and a signature from Gov. Pete Ricketts, is bigger than an urban-rural split. It is about corporations and big farms versus small farmers. It pits the post I-300 days (the Initiative was ruled unconstitutional in 2007) of farming against the romance of the bucolic farms and ranches that dot greater Nebraska. Opponents like Sen. Al Davis, who ranches near Hyannis in Nebraskas Sandhills, and members of Bold Nebraska, the folks who fought the Keystone XL pipeline, worry that corporate ownership will lead to the further demise of family farms. Supporters, like Ogallala cattle feeder and farmer Sen. Ken Schilz, say it is the only way to save the hog industry and the farmers who rely on it for their livelihood. Under Schilz priority bill, a person who owns, leases or holds a legal interest in a swine production operation could enter into a contract to produce swine for a packer. The producer, or contract grower, would own the land and facilities used to raise the livestock and the packer would own the swine. Davis says the number of hogs raised in Nebraska has been increasing without allowing meatpackers to own hogs. The bill would eliminate the open market in the pork industry in Nebraska, allowing large corporations to set prices for hogs. He says this will change Nebraska agriculture for a long time. Center for Rural Affairs spokeswoman Traci Bruckner says the current ban on packer ownership prevents meat companies from dominating the pork industry the way they do the chicken industry. She says there will be more hog buildings on fewer farms. Ideally, the opponents would like to see more farms adding smaller numbers of pigs. Davis said producers are often locked into long-term contracts, many with confidentiality clauses that prevent them from sharing information with their banker, their spouses and others. He says that chains farmers to a corporation. Opponent Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha says letting meatpackers own the hogs that farmers feed would hurt farmers because when the corporation owns the pig, they own everything. The pig is everything and the corporation doesnt care about the barns or the silos because the corporation will tell the farmer what, when and how much to feed. That, he says, makes farmers servants to the corporation. Schilz says those concerns have been addressed by amending the bill to ensure a producers right to cancel a contract with a packer. The amendment also would allow the state Department of Agriculture to adopt contract regulations that would protect producers from coercion and unfair business practices. Another change would ban confidentiality clauses in contracts between growers and packers so that growers would be free to share details of the contract with others. Schilz says he just wants to allow packers with facilities in the state to contract with Nebraska hog farmers, something current law prohibits. He points to successful programs in top pork producing states like Iowa, Minnesota and North Carolina where packers such as Tyson or Smithfield Foods actually own the pigs and pay the farmers to raise them. Nebraskas ban on meatpacker-owned livestock is one of the only such laws still standing. Some hog farmers say corporate ownership will keep costs down and actually boost the rural economy. Opponents fear it puts too much power in the hands of packing companies. Bold Nebraska and other opponents have noted Smithfield Foods recent political contributions to the governor and to senators supporting the lifting of the ban. The company has responded that it, like other businesses, participates in the election process in states where it does business. A spokesman said the companys Political Action Committee follows state law in giving and reporting. There appears to be plenty of emotion and rancor involved. Lets hope that providing oversight from the state Department of Agriculture to adopt contract regulations will be a step in the right direction so that this little piggy can go wee wee wee all the way home. What you need to know about the Octagon Art Festival on Sunday in Ames news Certified teaching staff of Beatrice Public Schools will see a 1.47 percent increase in salary starting Sept. 1. The 161 staff members will seen an increase in salary to $34,025, which is $500 more than their current salaries. The change is a 3.37 percent increase in total compensation, which is a measure of base salary, federal income tax and other factors. BPS Director of Business Affairs John Brazell said this is the number the district focuses on. The BPS Board of Education approved Thursday night a negotiated agreement for the 2016-2017 school year that includes the salary change and a change in teachers health insurance options and the number of allowed sick days and personal days. Currently, teachers can choose between a $750 and a $1,650 deductible for health insurance. Starting Sept. 1, the prior will raise to $900 and the latter will raise to $2,000. Jan. 1, 2017, the $2,000 deductible will be replaced with a $3,500 high deductible plan, which gives the teachers access to a health savings account. The number of allowed sick days will change from eight to seven and the number of allowed personal days will change from three to four. Brazell said these changes, including the salary increases, are typical. It all comes back to legal court cases from the past, Brazell said, referring cases handled by the Nebraska Commission of Industrial Relations. CIR is a state agency designed to resolve public sector labor controversies with jurisdiction over state and local government employees including public utilities, according to its website. Schools are required to be compared to other schools, Brazell said, listing the school districts of Crete, York, Ralston and Plattsmouth as examples. The legal system has laid out a comparability formula that we have to follow. The system involves comparing districts salaries, benefits and costs and determining an average, which BPS must stay within a certain percentage of. Brazell said teachers and the school board could not come to a negotiation agreement in the past, so the matters were taken to court. If you go to CIR, you know whats going to happen, he said. The percent increases in total package costs for certified teachers in the past three school years, starting with the 2012 to 2013 school year respectively, are 3.34 percent, 3.03 percent and 2.92 percent. 11 Films You Must Watch Before Tuning In to the Oscars hollywood, Sat, 30 Jan 2016 NI Wire Summer is over, and you know what that means in Hollywood - time to dust off those statuettes and start lobbying. Film festival season is about to kick off in earnest, with Venice, Toronto and New York all taking place back-to-back over the next month, which means that we'll soon have a clear(ish) picture of the 2016 Oscar race. Specifically, we'll have a sense of which would-be frontrunners are shaping up to be this year's Birdman and Whiplash, and which look more like this year's Unbroken and Big Eyes. Let us take a look at all the contenders of 2016's best film. Carol Premiering at Cannes this year to rapturous praise and multiple standing ovations, Todd Haynes's period romance is already one of the year's most acclaimed releases. Based on Patricia Highsmith's long-banned novel of the same name, Carol stars Cate Blanchett as a mysterious married woman who enchants Rooney Mara's lonely young shop assistant. Steve Jobs Two years on from the best-forgotten Ashton Kutcher biopic, the life of Steve Jobs has been adapted once again in a much more promising form. Danny Boyle directs Michael Fassbender in the role of Jobs, from a script written by Aaron Sorkin which much like Sorkin's Oscar-winning script for The Social Network weaves together multiple timelines in its portrait of Jobs backstage at three iconic product launches. The Danish Girl Eddie Redmayne may have won Best Actor for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking last year, but he's making a strong run at round two with the role of transgender pioneer Lili Elbe, one of the first known recipients of gender reassignment surgery. Directed by Tom Hooper no stranger to the Academy after The King's Speech and Les Mis the film also stars Alicia Vikander as Elbe's wife, who plays a central role in her husband's gradual self-discovery. Joy If you felt like there was something missing at last year's Oscars, it was probably because Jennifer Lawrence wasn't nominated for a David O Russell movie, following her two-year hot streak with Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle. But she and O Russell are back in contention for 2016 with Joy, a biopic starring Lawrence as a struggling single mother who went on to invent the Miracle Mop. No, really. Macbeth He may have been memorably, inexcusably snubbed for Shame a few years back, but Michael Fassbender's formidable slate this year could put him in line for a double Best Actor nomination. Justin Kurzel's visceral adaptation of Shakespeare's Scottish Play stars Fassbender as the conflicted, ambitious anti-hero, and Marion Cotillard as the scheming wife steering him in his fateful plot to kill the King and take his throne. Suffragette Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter and Meryl Streep lead the cast of this impressive period piece, which tracks the early years of the British women's suffragette movement. Written by Abi Morgan, who has enjoyed prior Oscar success with The Iron Lady and Shame, this is a long overdue historical portrait that's sure to be recognised. The Revenant Coming off Birdman's unexpected sweep in the major categories last year, director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu hasn't been resting on his laurels. His upcoming drama stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a rugged fur-trapper in the 1820s Rocky Mountains, who's left for dead by his companions after a bear attack. Having survived the mauling, he sets out to wreak vengeance on the friends who abandoned him (Tom Hardy, Will Poulter and Domhnall Gleeson). Could this finally be the year Leo breaks his Oscar curse? Bridge of Spies Steven Spielberg's latest historical picture follows an American lawyer (Tom Hanks) who is recruited by the CIA during the Cold War, to help them negotiate the release of a pilot imprisoned in the Soviet Union. Co-written by Joel and Ethan Coen, the film will premiere at this month's New York Film Festival, but is already attracting a lot of early awards buzz. The Hateful Eight Quentin Tarantino's long-delayed Western follows a group of bounty hunters who are caught up in a treacherous plot, after being forced to take shelter together during a blizzard. There are several intriguing possibilities for comeback performances among the cast the central plot sees Kurt Russell's "The Hangman" escorting Jennifer Jason Leigh's "The Prisoner" to face justice for a murder and the leaked script drama has only heightened anticipation for the finished product. Trumbo Having deservedly won all of the Emmys for his career-redefining performance as Breaking Bad's Walter White, Bryan Cranston could now be in line for an Oscar nomination. He plays 1940s screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, whose career came to an abrupt and painful end after he along with other scribes was blacklisted as a communist. Previous years have borne out the idea that the Academy loves a Hollywood insider story, and the story of Trumbo's fight against government officials and studio bosses alike could well strike a particular chord. Room Abrahamson gets extra points for the degree of difficulty involved in filming an intimate drama, half of which takes place in a 10-by-10 room, with just two performers, relative newcomer Larson and kid actor Jacob Tremblay. Other films: Brooklyn, The Walk, Freeheld, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Black Mass, Genius, The Martian, Inside Out 1. From Atomic Insights: Clean energy, sustainable energy both terms include nuclear energy During a Democratic Party debate, Senator Sanders said he wants to move away from fossil fuel to energy efficiency and sustainable energy. Governor Martin OMalley declared that he believes in science and has a plan that will result in a 100% clean electric energy grid by 2050 that includes solar, wind, new technologies etc. Though Senator Sanders has a lengthy record of opposing nuclear energy, his use of the word sustainable provides an opportunity for changing his mind with new information. Governor OMalley has a record of supporting new nuclear plants from his time as Marylands governor. That indicates that his definition of clean energy includes nuclear. 2. Forbes James Conca DOE Tries To Change The Rules On Nuclear Waste Disposal DOE is trying to change the rules on nuclear waste disposal. For the better. Instead of the old top-down decision-making, DOE is going to implement a consent-based strategy. So instead of ordering some individual state to take all of the Nations high level nuclear waste whether they like it or not, well ask Who would like to take this waste? It will create fantastic jobs, will bring huge economic benefit to the region and, contrary to popular opinion, its safer than putting in a Mall. Deep Borehole Disposal uses a combination of the natural properties of deep crustal rocks plus engineered barriers like asphalt, bentonite and concrete to isolate waste for geologic time. At these depths, youre so deep in the crust that the overlying rocks dont matter. The water table doesnt matter. The climate doesnt matter. Human activities dont matter. Because of its size, it will take more technological advances for most of our nuclear waste, but some waste is small and perfect for this approach. Source: Sandia 3. Yes Vermont Yankee Renewables at 90% only IF grid-level storage comes first Renewables cannot be a high percentage of grid power, unless grid-level storage is available. Previous posts at this blog described how natural-gas fired electricity substituted for the nuclear plant output. Some people commented that renewables could eventually substitute for natural gas. The current post describes why renewables cannot expand to that level, without energy storage. 4. Neutron Bytes Dan Yurman The UK plans to become a global center for small nuclear reactors. Can it succeed? In addition to its plans for building four huge nuclear power stations, the UK government has also announced it wants to become a global Center for the development and manufacturing of small modular reactors (SMRs). This blog post assesses the UKs plans and concludes that it could succeed, but only if the UK is able to scale up its efforts sufficiently and if the government provides active policy support. 5. Energy Reality Project Guest Author Phil Ord Are Electric Cars Clean? Phil Ord is a strong advocate of Nuclear Energy. Here he writes a short concise review about how and when electric cars make sense. They just happen to be a particularly good match when there batteries are being charged by electricity fromguess? 6. Nextbigfuture Jaeyoung Park confirms publication of patent filing for Polywell Fusion and promises more technical disclosure in interview with Nextbigfuture Nextbigfuture interviewed Jaeyoung Park who leads the EMC2 commercial fusion effort. EMC2 is developing the work of late Dr. Robert Bussard for magneto-electrostatic fusion, also known as Polywell fusion. Dr. Park confirmed the recent publication of an EMC2 patent filing. Dr Park also discussed the reasons behind EMC2s silence, which had been driven by the Navys concern about technology disclosure of Polywell technology 7. Nextbigfuture- LPP Fusion explains why Tungsten and Beryllium electrodes for their dense plasma fusion reactor work The LPP Fusion research team is still working with the tungsten electrodes but they know the beryllium electrodes will be needed soon. Tungsten is being used now because of its extreme resistance to the heat generated by runaway electrons during the early stages of FF-1s pulse. They are combining that thermal resistance with a technique called pre-ionization to prevent vaporization of the electrodes and the resulting impurities in the plasma (see earlier report here.) This, they expect, will greatly increase the density of the tiny plasmoid the device produces and thus the fusion energy yield. If LPP Fusion is successful they could reduce the cost of energy to 10-20 times. 8. Nextbigfuture -China plans 60 MWE modular nuclear reactor by 2020 and a floating reactor by 2025 China has outlined its preferred framework for international rules on internet governance, couching them as a push for peaceful development of the four new frontiers of outer space, cyberspace, deep sea and polar regions. Wang Qun, Chinas ambassador to the United Nations (UN) and director-general of the nations Ministry of Foreign Affair, last week addressed the UN and outlined Chinas hope that the worlds can ensure the peaceful development and use of new frontiers to the benefit of the entire mankind. China wants that code of conduct to specify five things: Compliance comply with the UN Charter and other universally recognized basic norms governing international relations Respect for the cyberspace sovereignty of each state Resolution of international disputes in this field by peaceful means Cyberspace only to be utilized for activities for the maintenance of international peace and security Cyberspace should not be used as a means to interfere in the internal affairs of other states or to the detriment of the latters national interests. Chinas mightily peeved at the USAs online espionage activities and can always mention Edward Snowden when expressing its ire, as doing so rather dents any deniability Washington may attempt to muster. The Communist nations also indignant when accused of any online espionage of its own, declaring such suggestions baseless and unfair. SOURCES China UN, Register UK Advances in modern, ultra-quiet conventional diesel-electric submarines are a serious challenge to US nuclear submarines and aircraft carrier groups The threat of super-stealthy diesel submarines being deployed around the world has been present for decades. Still, newer boats are coming armed with advanced anti-ship weapons and are being combined with new air-independent propulsion systems (AIP) making them near impossible to find in the oceans depths. In 2005, The HMS Gotland, a modern AIP submarine serving in the Swedish Navy created havok in war games exercise. The Gotland virtually sunk many U.S. nuclear fast attack subs, destroyers, frigates, cruisers and even made it into the red zone beyond the last ring of anti-submarine defenses within a carrier strike group. Although it was rumored she got many simulated shots off on various U.S. super-carriers, one large-scale training exercise in particular with the then brand new USS Ronald Reagan ended with the little sub making multiple attack runs on the super-carrier, before slithering away without ever being detected. The 1600 ton displacement Gotland Class was the first operational Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) submarines in the world. AIP system can utilize advanced batteries that are charged by 75kw generators. The Gotland has generators run by a pair of diesel and liquid oxygen fueled Stirling Engines. The result of this unique, yet remarkably simple system is two weeks of submerged air independent propulsion while traveling at about 6mph. Kockums AIP system is virtually silent, even in comparison to multi-billion dollar nuclear powered boats that still have to pump high-volumes coolant to their reactors. The small and quiet sub is even more deadly with a state of the art combat management system. It features an incredible user friendly interface. During a single attack, the system can guide multiple torpedoes at once, which can result in more than a mission kill for even very large naval combatants like aircraft carriers, with each torpedo striking in a different section of the hull if ordered to do so. Maneuverability was a key factor in the Gotland Class design and this manifests itself in the boats X shaped tailplane structure. This unique design provides four independent maneuvering surfaces at its stern and is tied to another two planes mounted on the boats sail. These control surfaces, combined with the subs advanced and highly automated control system, allows for incredibly tight turns, dives and ascensions even in very close quarters, such as in shallow littoral environments. Due to the boats size, automation and maneuverability, the Gotland Class has been described as the F-16 Viper of the undersea combat world. The Gotland Class hull was specifically designed for high efficiency while producing a very low noise signature and it is coated with sonar deadening materials. She also carries a series of electromagnets to counteract her magnetic signature and can short circuit very low frequency fields on command. Her sail is also covered with radar absorbent material and designers are said to have gone through great lengths masking the boats infrared signature even when surfaced. On her interior, every piece of machinery is mounted on a series of rubber acoustic and vibration deadening buffers so as to minimize the accumulation of noise emanating from the crafts various mechanical subsystems. The Gotland Class boats then participated in open-ocean exercises in the Atlantic where they trounced much more advanced Spanish, French and US players, including a French nuclear fast attack sub and the American Los Angeles Class SSN, the USS Houston. Other exercises soon followed and the little Gotland Class boats continued to be a very lethal force to reckon with. By the mid 2000s, other countries were starting to field or develop AIP capable diesel-electric submarines, including Russia and especially China. Since the US Navy had retired its last diesel-electric (non-AIP) attack submarine in 1990, the USS Blueback (now a local resident here at Oregons Museum of Science and Industry) there was no indigenous force to practice hunting down diesel-electric subs, yet alone ones with advanced AIP capabilities. Thus the US Navy went to Sweden hat in hand in hopes of leasing one of their ninja-like Gotland Class boats, and its crew, for a year. The Swedish sub would be playing the adversary to Americas massive constellation of anti-submarine surface combatants, helicopters, fixed wing aircraft, and especially nuclear submarines. In 2006, a Chinese Song-class attack submarine, created at least partially by Russian and Western technology and likely not nearly as advanced as the Gutland (the Song-class does not have AIP technology, for example) tailed the Japan-based U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk in the East China Sea near Okinawa without being identified. While such a shadowing operation is quite normal, the sub surfaced within five miles of the carrier, in deep waters off Okinawa, and only then was it spotted, by one of the carriers planes on a routine surveillance flight. Such submarines are armed with advanced anti-ship missile and wake-homing torpedoes. Russia and China Pushing ahead with research and development to make AIP submarines stealthier and deadlier Russia has new AIP submarine designs, the active Lada Class and the upcoming Amur Class. And that is just the problem, not only are AIP boats so hard to detect, but they are also relatively cheap, and will give friendly and enemy states alike a resurgent clandestine subsurface capability. The USA does not have any diesel electric AIP submarines. The USA has been sticking with nuclear submarines that are at least 5 times more expensive. Russian Lada submarines are able to maintain such a low profile thanks to a clever implementation of a next-generation anti-reflective acoustic coating and a new improved hydro-acoustic system. With its new air-independent propulsion plant, a Lada submarine can remain submerged for as many as 25 days. With its vast array of weapon systems, the Lada is also worlds first non-nuclear submarine to be equipped with specialized launchers for cruise missiles. The bulk of Chinas conventional sub armada consists of 13 Song-class (Type 039) diesel-attack subs and 13 Yuan-class (Type 039A) air independent-powered (AIP) attack submarines with an additional 20 Yuan-class vessels planned for production. The Song- and Yuan-class attack submarines are equipped with German-made state-of-the-art diesel engines the 396 SE84 series designed by MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH of Friedrichshafen, Germany. They are the worlds leading submarine diesel engines, according to an experienced submarine engineer. Each Song- and Yuan-class vessel is equipped with three such engines, which have been built under license by Chinese defense contractors since 1986. The Yuan-class is also said to have incorporated quieting technology from Russian-designed subs and to be equipped with Stirling air-independent propulsion technology. China has also been experimenting with lithium-ion (Li-Ion) batteries, power sources that offer much higher energy density and longer dive times. Chinese researchers clearly see Li-Ion batteries as the wave of the future for conventional submarine propulsion. Theyre not there yet, but they are determined to get there, Erickson noted. Erickson said China was discussing putting Li-Ion batteries on a new generation of conventional subs sometime between now and 2020, but there is no indicator as yet of the type of submarine that might be. US Navy Procurement Bias to nuclear submarines The USA has a procurement bias to nuclear submarines. Admirals and officers have had decades of believing that nuclear submarines were the best option and they were Not since 1990 has the U.S. Navy operated conventionally powered boats. Over 25 years Admirals and officers get into coalitions in Navy internal politics The companies receiving tens of billions of dollars for more expensive nuclear submarines have a lot of influence Nuclear submarines had certain advantages over diesel submarines. Nuclear submarines had greater submerged endurance of 90-100 days versus 3 days for conventional submarines. This was limited by the amount of food that could be carried. Nuclear submarines also had higher speed. Air independent propulsion (AIP) submarines use fuel cells, stirling engines, batteries or liquid oxygen storage for closed cycle diesel engines or close cycle steam. AIP submarines are quieter While nuclear submarines have measures to reduce sound and magnetic signatures, nature of nuclear propulsion (steam turbine) makes them far more noisy than AIP submarine of same size. They also tend to be larger on a whole, making them even more detectable through either acoustic, infrared or magnetic sensors. Further weakness of nuclear submarine is that it has to cool down nuclear reactor, with hot water being dumped into ocean, leaving long trail behind the submarine; as such, it is even more detectable by IR sensors than just size difference suggests. Nuclear submarines have cruise speeds of 20 25 knots, compared to 10 15 knots for AIP subs. Combining slower cruise speed with bursts of high speed can allow AIP subs to cover relatively large area. They can deny access to enemy nuclear submarines. HDM and MESMA systems used in AIP subs (submarines using them typically cost 250 million USD) are far quieter than nuclear plant. Using traditional diesel engines, a fuel cell, large lithium-ion battery pack, and liquid oxygen to replace the air normally used in combustion engines, the SMX-Ocean sub concept could stay off-shore in deepwater operations for 90 days at a time. The AIP system also allows the sub to remain submerged for up to 21 days at a time, and gives it a range of about 18,000 miles at an average speed of about 10 knots. Here is details of AIP technology and capabilities. Submarine snorkling for oxygen can be detected with new radar Batteries continue to improve The Lithium ion batteries for the Soryu and SMX-ocean are getting higher energy densities and lower costs because of the success of electric cars like the Telsa Model S. These will further increase the advantages of the AIP submarines. AIP submarines cost $100 million to 900 million. The AIP models with the greatest market success are the Japanese Soryu ($600 million), Russian Kilo ($350 million), Swedish Gotland ($365 million), Spanish Scorpene ($500-800 million). They can be submerged for about 14-21 days. If you see Tesla and other electric cars with new batteries that double and triple range then there will be AIP submarines that can stay submerged for 40-80 days. It will be easy to upgrade old AIP submarines with a new set of batteries for about ten million dollars. The nuclear submarines are $1.3 billion to 3 billion. The equivalent AIP submarines are three to five times cheaper. Nuclear submarines may see a revival in cost effectiveness in 15-20 years when a new generation of molten salt reactors become available. However, for now there is little reason economically or militarily for nuclear submarines. Nuclear submarines have 20 megawatts of power compared to 3 megawatts for diesel submarines. There is no need for high power for any new laser or other weapon systems. The US is looking to add unmanned submarines for about $40 million each. Capable unmanned submarines seem to be 5-10 years away. The unmanned systems could track other submarines or operate as part of pack working with a primary manned mothership submarine. SOURCES -National Interest, Foxtrot Alpha Jalopnik, Defense Issues, TheDiplomat, AusAirpower Welcome to the new Enlightenment, an era when suppressed science, hidden history and the enlightening nature of reality are all revealed to those with eyes to see and ears to hear. These are the thoughts and ideas of New Illuminati - bold forerunners and pioneers of new awareness all over the globe. Notes on new emerging paradigms from the NEXUS New Times Magazine Founder R. Ayana, who lives in a remote Australian rainforest (and is no longer involved with the magazine) - Catching drops from the deluge in a paper cup since 1984. Follow us via Facebook, Google+, Friend Connect, rss, Networked Blogs, Twitter or join the mailing list below for regular updates. We won't use your address for anything else. Please COMMENT at the end of any entry and see the realtime CHAT ROOM below this column, where you can find plenty of STREAMING VIDEOS. Together we can create the best of all possible worlds! Never send a cop to do a man's job Behind the Facades in France: What expats and the mainstream media (French and American alike) fail to notice (or fail to tell you) about French attitudes, principles, values, and official positions If someone were to be asked about self-driving cars 20 years ago, they probably wouldnt be able to say much. Now, these cars are the prime example of what kind of cars are seen today. While self-driving cars are convenient, they arent the safest to use. Big car companies, such as Tesla and UPDATE MARCH 3, 2016 Chasing Yankees out of Georgia, Then and NowHere is the history of the Andrews Raid (The Great Locomotive Chase) that eventually was made into a movie Starring Fess Parker (of Davy Crocket fame) BCN Movie Database If you are a native southerner you do doubt know that we won every battle up until General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox. If he had just held off for a few more days, the South would rise again. One hundred and fifty one years later, many Rebels are still waiting for the South to rise again. Don't laugh, it is just possible, but the problem is that there may be more Yankees here now than native born Rebels. Of course, that has never stopped us before. We have always been outnumbered; it is a way of life down here.There are probably two songs that capture the spirit of the South. One is Dixie, which has been relegated to the trash heap since it is obviously a racist tune celebrating our dysfunctional past. The other is of course "The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down" written and sung by The Band. So far, that song is still allowed to be played and sang. My personal theory is because a Canadian wrote it. As everyone knows Canadians are not Yankees. The Band was all Canadians with the exception of Levon Helm who gave the group some authentic ambiance.The general story is that some dastardly Yankees captured a locomotive in Kennesaw (The Big Shanty) and drove it north destroying bridges and tracks along the way. The conductor of the stolen train gave chase on another locomotive. The story is now part of the folklore of the South's battle against Northern aggression that some people call the Civil War or War Between the States. Civil War Traveler For many years, the Chase Locomotive "The Texas" was housed in the Cyclorama in the Grant Park area of Atlanta. In our effort to purge the city of all vestiges of the Civil War, we have changed the name of streets from Confederate Generals to the current politicians. I don't mind that because politicians have always done that. Whoever is in control of the administration makes the rules. It's written in the Constitution somewhere I think.The Cyclorama is destined to be moved to Buckhead. For those not from Atlanta, Buckhead is a Yankee enclave that is just outside the official city limits of Atlanta. That is where the Atlanta History Center is located. It is also, where the Cyclorama and the Texas locomotive will eventually come to rest. That is until we decide that the property is just too valuable for a museum. I am actively scouting for property further from Atlanta where the Old South still exist. I thought I found a place called Tara that would be a perfect location but all my research indicated that no such place ever existed in Georgia. Hollywood yes, but not Georgia. The Atlanta History Center Here is an excerpt from the MovieFor all the Canadians out there who could care less about Civil War History, here is The Band singing The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. I'm sorry, it is one of my favorite non-Southern Southern songs. This is not the version from the Last Waltz Movie but the album by the same name which is featured on BCN here here Thank you for your patience and understanding, "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory" but "In Dixie's Land I'll take my stand,to live and die in Dixie".Is that still wrong?The Texas Will Undergo Historical Analysis, Restoration in the 1905 Back Shop at the N.C. Transportation Museum. The Texas Locomotive restoration project . If you live in this area, it might be worth a visit to see the Transportation Museum.The N.C. Transportation Museum, located in historic Spencer Shops, the former Southern Railway repair facility is located just five minutes off I-85 at Exit 79 in Spencer, N.C., and about an hour from Charlotte, Greensboro or Winston-Salem. The museum is part of the Division of Historic Sites and the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. " ... How many opportunities do they afford to tamper with domestic factions, to practice the arts of seduction, to mislead public opinion, to influence or awe the public... " [From George Washington's farewell address.] Other Quotes: "Don't worry about genius and don't worry about not being clever. Trust rather to hard work, perseverance and determination. The best motto for a long march is ' Don't grumble. Plug on.'....Be honest. Be loyal. Be kind. Remember that the hardest thing to acquire is the faculty of being unselfish. As a quality it is one of the finest attributes of manliness." Sir Frederick Treves "...To be clear, the Constitution of the United States of America is the United States of America. They are one and the same. Any individual or agency which seeks to subvert the Constitution and wage political and/or rhetorical war on it, are self-declared enemies of the United States of America, as they are subverting and waging war on the United States of America." - Pat Dollard The truth to the matter is that Obama lies but he does it with such finess that the easily fooled are easily fooled. ~ Norman E. Hooben "Going for the grandest illusion of all, [Obama] ... told the New York Times: 'We've actually been operating in a way that has been entirely consistent with free-market principles.' Excuse me while I pick my jaw off the ground. Everyone knows -- or should know -- that putting more and more of the government in charge of more and more of the economy is entirely inconsistent with free-market principles. This means that the president's statement to the contrary is what is known as a big lie." --columnist Diana West When you trust a stranger more so than your friend, you become stranger than the stranger; Barrack Husein Obama is a stranger. - Norman E. Hooben We the peopleWe the people now have a New World Order that we the people did not order. Norman E. Hooben "We are now in a great civil war of words and you have the honor of participating as a true patriot. The battle has not been won but you will be there when we are victorious. The pen is mightier than the sword and you will inscribe your name in the book of freedomand that, my friend is an honor "If you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a small chance of survival. There may even be a worse case: you may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves ." - Winston Churchill It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first. - Ronald Reagan Thomas Sowell For those who promote a race they are called, "racists". For those that promote American they are called "American". For 'American' is a 'concept' and no racial tones are tolerated either in shades or sounds. -Norman E. Hooben (In reference to Lourdes Galvan of San Antonio, Texas racial bigotry regarding American military heroes.) Note to NATIONAL COUNCIL OF LA RAZA ( Hola! I know you are watching): Will Rogers never met Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid. - N. E. Hooben, July 2008 Harvard University was once an all boys school...today they have no balls at all. - N. E. Hooben I will stand with the Constitution For The United States of America should the political winds shift in an ugly direction Politicians are like vampires... Whether its blood or money they want to suck it out of you till you die. ~ N. E. Hooben (Norman E. Hooben in response to a writer who complained of not having the honor of serving in the U.S. Military)Back in the days of "The Lone Ranger" program, someone would ask, "Who is that masked man?" People need to start asking that question about Barack Obama. -N.E. HoobenThe Police State of Massachusetts is now imposing laws against nature. Massachusetts is by far the most un-Constitutional government of the State, by the State, and for the State than any among the the fifty that hold a star on the banner of freedom. It is run by Socialists and hypocritical so-called Christiansthe worst among them are the Catholics who go to Church on Sunday and forget what they Prayed for on Monday. - Norman E. Hooben - "A proud Catholic proud of my Faith. A proud Catholic NOT so proud of my Church!" - July 16th 2008 N. E. Hooben When a people are satisfied with receiving gifts paid with their own taxes as a way of life Anarchy is sure to follow. - Fred Boutin 2008 From the first time I heard about the boogey-man as a child to the first time I got shot at in Vietnam, nothing in my entire lifetime, THAT'S NOTHING! has put more fear into me than this man Obama. - Norman E. Hooben - July 2008 We are here for only a mini-second in the sands of time. Then we become the dust that makes the sand; and the Hand of God molds us anew. Take care my friend and may God Bless... - Norman E. Hooben on the death of our dearly beloved pet dog, Stirling The evidence is overwhelming! In order to save America we must destroy the Socialst Marxist Party... - N. E. Hooben "America is like a healthy body and its resistance is threefold: its patriotism, its morality, and its spiritual life. If we can undermine these three areas, America will collapse from within." -- Josef Stalin -- When it comes to lying, prudent people are guided by a Higher Authority driven by thou shall not written in stone. Whereas Bill Clinton has no Higher Authority to guide him, thou shall not has no conscious objections; for without a conscience there is no guilt. - Norman Hooben The victor will never be asked if he told the truth. - Adolph Hitler The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny. - James Madison, the Federalists Papers There was a Chemistry professor in a large college that had some Exchange students in the class. One day while the class was in the lab the Prof noticed one young man (exchange student) who kept rubbing his back And stretching as if his back hurt. The professor asked the young man what was the matter. The student told him he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot while fighting communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow his country's government and install a new communist government. In the midst of his story he looked at the professor and asked a strange question. He asked,'Do you know how to catch wild pigs?' The professor thought it was a joke and asked for the punch line. The young man said this was no joke. 'You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come everyday to eat the free corn. When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they are used to coming. When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat the corn again and you put up another side of the fence. They get used to that and start to eat again. You continue until you have all four sides of the fence up with a gate in the last side. The pigs, who are used to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat, you slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd. Suddenly, the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they go back to eating the free corn. They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept their captivity. The young man then told the professor that is exactly what he sees happening to America. The government keeps pushing us toward Communism/Socialism and keeps spreading the free corn out in the form of programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for unearned income, subsidies, payments not to plant crops (CRP), welfare, medicine, drugs, etc. while we continually lose our freedoms- just a little at a time. One should always remember 'There is no such thing as a free Lunch!' Also, 'You can never hire someone to provide a service for you cheaper than you can do it yourself. You apparently don't share a sense of patriotism, Americanism, freedomism, or whatever kind of 'ism' that true Americans believe in... You do however, display a bit of socialism, communism, marxism or whatever kind of 'ism' that you make excuses for... ~ Norman E. Hooben (in response to an Obama supporter's views about the ACS census) A nation that knows not from where it came, knows not where it is going! Today, Americans know too little about the foundations of our nation. The result is a nation now in chaos, its people unable to discern what is wrong with the transformation (paradigm shift) of our society and form of government that, if left unchecked, will destroy every facet of freedom, liberty and justice. The price of freedom is vigilance; the price of vigilance is knowledge. Many of America's founding documents are now available on the web. ~ Learn USA Morocco took a number of measures worth over $5 million to help farmers and mitigate the impact of the current drought on the rural world. The measures were announced on the morrow of the meeting King Mohammed VI convened on Thursday with the Head of Government Abdelilah Benkirane and Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Aziz Akhannouch to discuss ways of supporting farmers in this difficult junction. In this vein, the King urged the cabinet to supply drinking water to remote areas most severely affected by rain shortfalls, to supply animal fodder and water to cattle breeders while ensuring veterinary checkups and immunization to livestock, and to protect solidarity-based farming, which plays an outstanding role in income and job generating. The King stressed the need to assist farmers in getting ready for the coming agricultural campaign and to promote spring crops. Part of the measures announced Friday by the Ministry of Agriculture, barley will be available throughout the country for 2 DH/KG (less than 50 cents) to safeguard livestock. Distribution and transportation of the subsidized barley will be ensured by the State. Many water points will be adjusted, developed or constructed to secure water to the cattle and immunization campaigns will be launched. To protect plant resources, some 93,000 hectares in rainfed areas will be irrigated part of a program seeking to optimize the use of water resources and moves will be made to store cereal seeds for the next season. The measures also provide for an agricultural insurance system that secures farmers products. This 2015-2016 agricultural season is marked by a rainfall deficit of 63% compared to a normal rainfall year. 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... Got em. Photo: Orange County Sheriffs Department After a week-long manhunt, all three inmates who had escaped a maximum-security prison in Santa Ana, California, have now been recaptured. The two remaining escapees, 37-year-old Hossein Nayeri and 20-year-old Jonathan Tieu, were arrested Saturday morning in San Franciscos Haight Ashbury district, reports the Los Angeles Times. The third convict, 43-year-old Bac Duong, had turned himself in to police on Friday. All three men were in prison awaiting trial for violent crimes, including torture, kidnapping, and murder. Authorities were apparently led to Nayeri and Tieu after being tipped off by a woman in San Francisco who recognized the white van the men had reportedly stolen. When officers approached the van, Nayeri ran from the vehicle and was chased and quickly arrested, while Tieu was found hiding inside the van. Officers found ammunition inside the van as well, but no weapons. Authorities had begun to suspect the men were in the Bay Area after a motel manager in the region alerted law enforcement that the two men might have stayed at his motel for two nights. Prior to that, the hunt for the men had primarily been focused in southern California, which is where the men had escaped from prison in Orange County. The escapees were at least partially aided by a language teacher at the prison, who had exchanged letters with Nayeri and formed a relationship that was, according to police, much closer and much more personal than it should have been. In addition, police had been putting pressure on Vietnamese criminal organizations in California which Tieu had been previously associated with, an effort which led to raids and some arrests. This post has been updated to reflect new information about the developing story. An unlikely matchup. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Darren McCollester/Getty Images With the Iowa caucuses just days away, the editors of the New York Times have announced their endorsements for the Democratic and Republican nominations for president. Selecting Hillary Clinton on the Democratic side, the paper calls her one of the most broadly and deeply qualified presidential candidates in modern history and praises her steeliness as an asset that would be valuable in this hyper-partisan era in American politics. In dismissing Clintons main rival, Bernie Sanders, the paper says the senator does not have the same breadth of experience or policy ideas as Clinton. Selecting Ohio governor and distinct underdog John Kasich on the Republican side, the Times spends most of the editorial complaining about the rest of the GOP field, especially front-runners Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. They then call Kasich the only plausible choice for Republicans tired of the extremism and inexperience on display in this race. Acknowledging the former congressman is no moderate either, the paper nonetheless praises Kasichs move to expand Medicaid coverage in Ohio and points out that he has been capable of compromise and believes in the ability of government to improve lives. He favors a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, and he speaks of governments duty to protect the poor, the mentally ill and others in the shadows. The RealClearPolitics poll aggregator currently puts Kasich in second place in New Hampshire with 13.2 percent support, while his Iowa and national numbers rank a dismal 2.8 and 2.4 percent, respectively. The fiery freshman senator has come a long way in this campaign, but may have stumbled at the worst possible time. Photo: Scott Olson/2016 Getty Images When Ted Cruz became the first Republican presidential aspirant to formally announce his candidacy in a March 2015 speech at Liberty University, he was generally considered a very long shot (oddsmakers initially rated him the sixth-most-likely nomination winner, with 16-1 odds). He was too young and too inexperienced (with the same Senate tenure as Barack Obama had in 2008, which Republicans had never stopped citing as disqualifying), had made too many enemies among his colleagues, and was pursuing too narrow a constituency in a very crowded field. He was mostly bumping along in the single digits in polls of his primary target, Evangelical-rich Iowa, until well into the fall of last year. And he had to overcome a very formidable assortment of rivals for Evangelical and movement-conservative votes. In retrospect, Cruzs accomplishment in getting to the eve of the caucuses as the putative second-place or possibly first-place finisher has been pretty remarkable. Two rivals for the Evangelical vote had deep roots and a record of victory in Iowa: 2008 winner Mike Huckabee and 2012 winner Rick Santorum. Cruz outorganized both of them and snagged the Christian-right endorsements that helped them forge their winning coalitions. The longtime governor of his own state, Rick Perry, had major Christian-right street cred of his own, and experience in Iowa. Cruz outlasted Perry, who later endorsed him. Scott Walker was an early favorite to win Iowa, in part because of an alleged deep affinity with Evangelicals. Cruz outlasted him, too, and also outlasted Bobby Jindal, the smartest guy in every room, who made Evangelicals his obsessive target. And Cruz endured a brief but massive boom of Evangelical support, in Iowa and nationally, for Dr. Ben Carson. Hes also become the de facto second choice of libertarian-leaning Republicans pending the likely early demise of Rand Pauls once-promising campaign. Like every other candidate, Cruz has been intermittently challenged and marginalized by Donald Trump, but through most of the invisible primary Cruz has handled that better than anyone else. The Cruz campaign is in fine financial shape and has a very clear path to the nomination with the big breakthrough planned for the so-called SEC primary on March 1. But its possible hes losing his mojo at the worst possible moment. Even before Thursday nights Fox News debate, there was talk that Cruz might have peaked too early in Iowa. Cruz narrowly led the Donald in the typically very accurate and influential Des Moines Register/Bloomberg poll released on January 13. But since then the polling has shown slippage for Cruz, generally attributed to a combo attack from Trump on Cruzs Canadian birth and from the Branstad family (Terry, the six-term governor, and son Eric, the ethanol lobbyist) on his opposition to special treatment of the corn-based alternative fuel by the federal government. Even more ominously, third-place candidate Marco Rubio, the favorite of both the Republican Establishment and of many conservative Evangelical leaders, was beginning to creep up on Cruz in Iowa polls amid a major spending spree on TV ads by the Floridian. Then came Thursday nights debates, where Cruz was almost universally deemed the worst performer and perhaps (depending on your assessment of the impact of Trumps absence) the big loser. Two particularly damaging moments were his trapped look when confronted with videos of his past statements seeming to support legalization of undocumented immigrants, and a shot of Terry Branstad chortling as Cruz struggled to explain his position on ethanol. And it didnt help the nerves of Team Cruz that Frank Luntzs post-debate focus-group report for Fox News was practically a Rubio rally. If the debate does move caucusgoers, it may not be reflected in late polls (e.g., the final Register-Bloomberg poll that will be released Saturday night) that were in the field before the event. More likely, the caucuses will remain a test of the turnout strategies of Trump, with his effort to expand participation deep into marginal voting segments, and Cruz, with his state-of-the-art organization focused on the most likely caucusgoers. If Cruz wins, the debate stumble will be forgotten instantly. If he finishes second, and particularly a weak second, chins will be stroked and lost opportunities will be weighed. And if he somehow finishes behind Rubio, his candidacy is in very big trouble. Any way you look at it, its been a long, strange trip for a freshman U.S. senator who would finish dead last in a poll of his colleagues. After following the weekly production statistics avidly for some months and initially being smugly pleased by the data saying exactly what I wanted to hear, I then became completely befuddled by the data saying the opposite. I had almost reached the conclusion that the weekly production data wasn't worth paying attention to. I apologise to the EIA for saying that, it is a Herculean task to capture production data across the United States of America on a weekly basis and even that fleeting thought did them a disservice. But I have poked and prodded the data and I think lurking within it, like a chicken's entrails on the altar, are the signs of what will happen in the year to come. So I have created a forecast of US production in 2016 and a forecast of how the 2015 data will eventually be revised (which is why I have titled this article a 2015 to 2017 production forecast). This is the chart that first pleased and then befuddled me. It had pleased me to see the rapid drop off in US production, which sat well with my expectations of very high decline rates from shale oil wells, it befuddled me to see US production climb week after week, as companies cut back on investment and stacked rigs. Related: OPEC Economies On Their Last Legs What I am showing in the chart above are three sets of data from the EIA, the dark blue line is made up from the weekly production estimates; the deep green is the monthly production data and the pale green is the monthly forecast production from the Short Term Energy Outlook. There is an important difference between the weekly estimates and the monthly figures. The latter get revised, the former don't. The EIA make the weekly estimate and they never go back and alter the number for the inevitable corrections that do occur as time passes. Oddly, if you convert the weekly data into monthly averages, the shape of the averaged weekly data line looks to be the historical monthly data echoed with a few months delay, see below. Well that doesn't make any sense does it? How can the up to the minute weekly data be echoing reality from a good few months back. This observation prompted me to do what I always do when faced with a conundrum. Get more data. So here is that same data, somewhat disaggregated and a little bit further back in time. "What?" you say, "this proves that the EIA are the champions of data collection and the finest oil agency on Earth, those weekly estimates are almost always spot on look at how brilliant and timely their reporting of the spikes down in production in 2005 and 2008 were". Actually that is all probably correct, but it's the almost in the "almost always" that interests me. Related: 9 Billion Barrels Of Crude At Risk In Massive Nigerian Oil Shakeup You will notice I have disaggregated Alaska and Offshore (strictly speaking offshore is only from the Federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico). Pretty much all the oil from these regions goes through well monitored pipeline systems with timely data collection. That is why when the offshore regions go offline as a hurricane approaches, the data is captured instantly. So maybe we should take them out of the equation. There you go, the work of a moment. Over a long time scale, it is still pretty good work, but you will start to notice that sometimes the weekly data does a passable impersonation of Wylie Coyote running off the edge of a cliff. Look at 1986, 1999 and to a lesser extent 1989 to see what I mean. At those points there were (for whatever reason, most likely price) severe declines in Lower 48 production, dislocations even. For some months the weekly data didn't recognise the extent of the decline, until eventually it did; and in 1986 and 1999 it did that with a thump. So let's take a look at that original chart but focussed in on the Lower 48 alone. It is pretty clear that, for whatever reason, once the revisions stop the monthly data is pretty close to the weekly data from a few months later on. However, there seems to be some kind of lag in the weekly numbers, I won't speculate why, just note it down, for later use. Related: Confusion On Saudi Proposed Production Cut See Oil Prices Spike Let's take a look at how stable those historic monthly numbers are. This chart shows the EIA's estimate of production and how the numbers get revised through time. While we are in a steady state, all is well, the first pass number tends to be pretty close to the final value. The more dislocation there is in the system the more change in the estimates as time passes and more reliable data reaches Washington. However this isn't the only forecast that the EIA makes. They have another very useful report called the Drilling Productivity Report. Therein are estimates of declines in legacy production, the number of rigs working in each basin and the productivity of those rigs. That rig productivity number conflates drilling and completion efficiency and well productivity, but is a pretty good indicator of how efficient the industry is becoming in a particular basin. They forecast a couple of months worth of data, but I have "improved" and extended that forecast with my own estimates of how some of the key parameters, like rig count and legacy production decline, will change. I have then added to that data the rest of the onshore, and made an estimate of where I see that going too. I estimated a 0.5% decline from now on, part of me thinks this is pessimistic (there hasn't been much decline so far) part of me thinks it is optimistic, there are a swathe of stripper wells losing money on a monthly basis. Then I have taken a look at the those historic numbers and applied a bit of judgement and intuition to come up with a forecast of how 2015 numbers will eventually be altered, based on a combination of the above and the insight that the weekly numbers are telling us something about the historic monthly numbers. Here is how I think it will alter the history. I realise I am sticking my neck out somewhat. The EIA, with all the latest data, has just revised the 2015 numbers upwards, the blue line versus the previous cluster of green lines, and here am I claiming that all those numbers were wrong and that in fact the numbers have to be reduced by about 100,000 bbls/day. I have no certainty that I am right, and the volumes of inventories around the world are telling me I am wrong, but stick my neck out I will. So here, in the chart below and in the thick red line, is how my 2015-2017 forecast compares to the EIA's work, seems I am a tad more pessimistic than they are. I guess that is my bias, because I expect the shale oil wells to decline very rapidly, but all I have done is take the EIA's data and rework it in a way that makes sense to me. I didn't set out to come up with a forecast which is about 170,000 bbls per day less than the EIA's forecast for 2016 but that's what I got. To calculate a total for the whole of the USA I need to add back in estimates for Federal Offshore in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska. The EIA knock out quite a substantial amount of production during the hurricane season and that's wise, the history tells you that the lost production can be very substantial, but it has been a long time since there has been a steady stream of hurricanes shutting down production there, so I moderated that a bit. I mean climate change doesn't always have to be for the worse does it? For 2016 my forecast is that the US will produce 8.59 mmbbls per day, the EIA forecast 8.74 mmbbls per day, I am suggesting that production will be about 150,000 bbls per day less than the EIA. By 2017 I think that US production will have stabilised at about 8.34 mmbbls per day, whilst the EIA are projecting an average of 8.47 mmbbls/day. Of course the reality of how oil prices evolve could change that but it seems to me that a drop of about 1.3 mmbbls per day, from peak production in March 2015, is already three quarters baked in. By Steve Brown More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: When it comes to risking life with less government, "we all live in Flint...." by Elizabeth Sawin Flint Michigan lead infected water was the result of cost cutting because the Republican Governor removed local government and put in place municipal management without citizen engagement. As a result of Republican Governor Snyder's decision to remove Flint Michigan's local government, the state's citizens will be saddled with unplanned for law suits and yet to be determined collateral costs required to respond to the water poisoning fisasco. Common Dreams reports "We Failed in Flint. Heres How to Avoid Making the Same Mistakes" - although the article is focused on how to avoid making the same mistakes about climate change, the succinct lessons are like a "TED talk" education about the risks of "less government". Four mistakes that led to tragedy in Flint are dangerously impacting global climate policy. Less goverenment mistake #1 Breaking the feedback loops between those who make decisions and those who live with the consequences. Flint residents complained for months about the safety of the water flowing out of their faucets, but decision makers and policy enforcers did little in response. There was plenty of evidence of a problem, but those who knew about the problem didnt have access to the power to fix it. Climate policy is dealing with the same consequences. For example, the people watch their islands succumb to sea level rise or their cultural traditions and food sources disappear under rising temperatures are, by and large, not the same people who are drafting climate treaties or implementing energy policy on the international stage. Solution #1 - Give decision-making power to those who will live with the consequences of the decision. The people who drink the water should decide about its management, and the people who are feeling the impacts of climate change should have a deciding vote in climate policy. Climate impacts disproportionately hit low-income people and people of color. Good system design (but not current reality) says that the people being slammed by climate change are the best people to craft a response. In that sense, voter registration drives in low-income communities , black lives matter actions, and community organizing in support of a livable wage, by increasing the power of marginalized groups, are also investments in a livable climate. "Whatever fear, grief, anger, disbelief, or horror you are feeling as the crisis in Flint unfolds, imagine those feelings expanded to planetary scale. Flint gives us a preview of the regrets that come from failing to act soon enough." Less government Mistake #2 Silencing the voices of future generations. The current crisis in Flint began with the switch to the Flint River as a water source. That water source elevated levels of chloride, likely from runoff containing road salt, making it corrosive to Flints water pipes and possibly damaging to aquatic life in the river. Who speaks for the river or the beings that swim in it? Who speaks for the children, those most vulnerable to lead toxicity, but too young to have a political voice? And who speaks for the future generations who will bear the brunt of the consequences of climate change? Solution #2 Recognize the rights of nature and future generations. Around the world people are experimenting with how best to do this. Some countries are establishing new structures, like the office for the Ombudsman for Future Generations, as existed in Hungary. Others are experimenting with various legal frameworks to protect the rights of nature and the rights of future generations. Still others are strengthening Indigenous land rights, tapping into thousands of years of cultural traditions that acknowledge the rights of Mother Earth and future generations. Imagine a state like Michigan with such rights enshrined in law, and ask yourself if the current crisis could have happened under such an ethic? Less government Mistake #3 Failing to recognize that irreversible threats require a different mindset than reversible ones. No words are more horrifying than irreversible neurotoxicity, but thats what parents in Flint are facing now. Climate change is also irreversible, at least on humanly relevant timescales. With irreversible impacts, you cant afford to wait and see how bad something is, and then decide to fix it if the impacts are unpalatable. Lead poisoning and climate change arent like potholes or park benches. They arent things that you can fix or reposition after you find out you dont like living with them as they are. But the Flint water managers and the global climate negotiators persist in treating irreversible problems with too much of a wait and see attitude. Solution #3: When facing an uncertain situation with irreversible consequences, stop what you are doing! Doctors, emergency managers, and the military all know the solution thats called for when the consequences are dire and irreversible. So do parents. If you cant bear the consequence of a risk, then dont take that risk. Its called the precautionary principle in policy discussions, but its also just simple common sense. Less government Mistake #4: Failing to invest in prevention, leading to wasteful and potentially catastrophic bills later on. News articles report that the corrosion problem in the Flint water system could have been solved with a relatively inexpensive anti-corrosion additive. Today, because that preventative measure was not taken, the consquential bills are mounting for emergency response, bottled water distribution, filtration systems, and medical intervention. For some (hopefully very small) number of people, there could be a lifetime of costs to try to compensate for neurological damage. Prevention would have been so much cheaper than trying to ameliorate the resulting damage. The same is true for climate change where the costs to transition to a low-carbon economy are miniscule relative to the costs of trying to carry on in a destabilized climate. Solution #4: Invest in prevention. Its not always glamorous, but there is nothing more prudent or effective than preventing problems in the first place. We know this in our own lives, where, like precaution, prevention is common sense. Repair the roof before it leaks, change the oil before the engine seizes up, quit smoking before you fall sick. When it comes to our global climate, we all live in Flint. Like those in Flint, our climate policy makers are largely disconnected from those with firsthand knowledge of impacts. Like the response in Flint, our climate responses are too slow and too weak when measured against the potential for irreversible harm. Whatever fear, grief, anger, disbelief, or horror you are feeling as the crisis in Flint unfolds, imagine those feelings expanded to planetary scale. Flint is a preview of the regrets that come from failing to act soon enough. The biggest difference between Flint and the global climate is that much of the harm of climate change can (hopefully) still be prevented. Flint and decades of wisdom from environmental justice leaders show us the steps to take. Give voice to the marginalized and to future generations. Dont risk what you cant afford to loose. Invest a little now to avoid being hit with a bill (like extraordinary reparations, class action suits and "consent decrees") that will be too big to pay in the future. What did you learn from this "TED Talks" syle of education? "If you cant bear the consequence of a risk, then dont take that risk. Its called the precautionary principle in policy discussions, but its also just simple common sense." Labels: Elizabeth Sawin, lead poisoning, Republicans, TED talks The grand staircase and the creaky wooden floors of the Goldmanns Department Store were a source of warm familiarity for generations of Milwaukeeans on the citys South Side until the department store closed about a decade ago. Now restored, the staircase leads to another community treasure: the Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center. The building at 930 W. Historic Mitchell St., once home to the all-inclusive department store, now houses the all-inclusive community health center, which moved from its former location a block west about a month ago. "Its a one-stop shop, and now it aligns more with our mission to improve the health and wellness of native people in the greater Milwaukee area," said Dr. Lyle Ignace, the health centers executive director. "Isnt it something look at it," said Marge Makowski, a health center staffer, as she climbed the staircase and walked past a few workers who were putting the finishing touches on the ceiling. "Goldmanns was the place to shop. Everything you needed was here, right here." Ignace, Makowski and the rest of the staff have spent the last few weeks unpacking boxes and getting settled into their new space. The move, according to Ignace, was made to accommodate the growing health and wellness needs of the community that the center serves. "Its a big deal for me because I live only 10 blocks away, and other doctors would have me go way far out," said Levi, a 50-year-old unemployed man who declined to give his last name as he sat in the waiting room. "This clinic comes in handy for me because my doctor is right here if anything happens." The 40,000-square-foot health center, paid for through $5.5 million in tax credits from the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority, is more than triple the size of the old space. The new space consists of a medical clinic, a behavioral health clinic, fitness center, a large community meeting room equipped with a full kitchen, a youth center and board room. The health center eventually will include eye and dental clinics. The old space "was out-of-date and inefficient" while the new location is "more conducive and more inviting. This is light years from what we had before," said Ignace as he strolled through the spacious, brightly lit hallways on the department stores refinished hardwood floors. The health center has about 7,500 patients, many of whom are poor and have had trouble accessing health care in the past. The Affordable Care Act has allowed those people much more access to care and, as a result, has created a need for a larger, more efficient health center, Ignace said. "There is a lot of unmet need out there, and the Affordable Care Act has helped tremendously reach the non-insured and underinsured," he said. The wide variety of services the health center offers was the vision of Ignaces father, Gerald, who helped open the original location in 1999. He wanted to serve Native Americans and others through a holistic approach that focuses on the body, mind and spirit of the individual. "Its not just a medical clinic. Its about providing a community with a wellness center," Ignace said. In addition to being larger, the design of the health centers interior creates more efficiency. The space has wide hallways and a dozen examination rooms, twice as many than the old location, allowing for more doctors to see patients and a better flow throughout the clinic, Ignace said. Other touches are intended to put patients at the center of their care, such as waiting areas and an examination room designed for children. While focusing on creating an efficient, inviting space for patients, Ignace wanted to instill a sense of community. As a result, he promised Makowski that he would keep and restore the famed staircase. He kept his promise. "You get the feeling of community here. Its all of us," she said. William K. Black January 29, 2016 Bloomington, Minnesota I am writing to announce the formation of a new group and a policy initiative that we hope many of our readers will support and help publicize. Gary Aguirre, Bill Black, Richard Bowen, and Michael Winston are the founding members of the Bank Whistleblowers' Group. We are all from the general field of finance and we are all whistleblowers who are unemployable in finance and financial regulation because we spoke truth to power and committed the one unforgivable sin of being repeatedly proved correct. Economists rely largely on "revealed preference" -- we think what you do matters more than what you say. For nearly seven years, every financial firm has known about my three colleagues. They are famous for their skills, courage, and integrity. Every financial firm claims that it now wants to make integrity their credo. Any financial firm that actually was committed to making integrity its credo, as opposed to its spin, would have long since hired my colleagues. Similarly, any government regulator, enforcer, or prosecutor that was serious about restoring the rule of law on Wall Street would have recruited us. Our group is releasing four documents today and they will appear here at NEP over the next couple of days. The first outlines our proposals, all but one of which could be implemented within 60 days by any newly-elected President (or President Obama) without any new legislation or rulemaking. Most of our proposals consist of the practical steps a President could implement to restore the rule of law to Wall Street. As such, we expect that candidates of every party and philosophy will find most of our proposals to be matters that they strongly support and will pledge to implement. The second document fleshes out and explains the proposals. We ask each candidate to pledge in writing to implement the portions of our plan that they specify to be provisions they support. Again, we invite President Obama to do the same. The third document asks each candidate to pledge not to take campaign contributions from financial felons. That group, according to the federal agencies that have investigated them, includes virtually all the largest banks. The fourth document explains why we formed our group is and contains our bios. I am personally proud and honored to be associated with my colleagues in this endeavor. We are (and have been) actively reaching out to encourage other bank whistleblowers to join our group. The bank whistleblowers share some common traits, but are also highly diverse and we want our group to reflect that full diversity. We cannot, however, in good conscience fail to act now given the urgency of the problems caused by the collapse of personal accountability for Wall Street elites. Our economy and our democracy are both imperiled by that collapse and require urgent redress. Please help us to get our proposals to every candidate, the media, and the public. The Bank Whistleblowers' Group's Plan of Urgent Financial Change January 29, 2016 We are a newly formed organization of financial sector whistleblowers dedicated to holding the elite financial leaders who led the fraud epidemics that caused the financial crisis and the Great Recession personally accountable and to helping to implement the urgent changes necessary to prevent or at least reduce the frequency and harm of future crises. Our group has expertise in finance, banking, real estate, accounting, underwriting, economics, law, securities, criminology, regulation, and financial derivatives. We also have international expertise. We are releasing four documents today. This first document provides the outline of our plan that would allow any newly elected President (or President Obama) to restore the rule of law and end "too big to fail" without any new legislation or rules within 60 days. The second document explains and fleshes out the outline of our 60-Day Plan. The third document is our proposal to encourage the candidates to pledge that they will not take contributions from banks (and their officers) that the federal government, after investigation, have found to have engaged in fraud or other felonies. The fourth document explains who the whistleblowers are and provides our bios and contact information. Our group is predominately former bankers who worked at fairly senior levels for enormous financial institutions. We do not hate banks or bankers as a group. We know, however, that when elite fraud is not stopped by the regulators and the prosecutors it is likely to create a "Gresham's" dynamic. The Nobel Laureate George Akerlof was the first economist to describe this dynamic in 1970. "[D]ishonest dealings tend to drive honest dealings out of the market. The cost of dishonesty, therefore, lies not only in the amount by which the purchaser is cheated; the cost also must include the loss incurred from driving legitimate business out of existence." We can confirm Akerlof's warnings about fraud. Indeed, we can testify from personal knowledge that when bad ethics is encouraged it will over time tend to drive good ethics out of individual firms. Fraudulent senior bankers deliberately create a Gresham's dynamic within the firm and in hiring "independent" professionals in order to drive honest employees out of the bank and to suborn outside professionals that are supposed to act as external "controls" to serve instead as fraud enablers. At places like Countrywide, thousands of employees left annually because they refused to abuse their customers. Only by restoring the rule of law to Wall Street can we allow honest banks and honest bankers to dominate Wall Street. Similarly, the financial regulatory agencies are often dominated and rendered feeble by leaders who are the products of the "revolving door" or plan to use that "door" to increase their income. We have seen first-hand how that "door" can impair once great agencies. Our goal of restoring accountability to Wall Street is not controversial. Indeed, there is unanimity among the candidates for the presidency that accountability for Wall Street elites has disappeared and urgently needs to be restored. But that same unanimity among candidates has existed for over a decade. Beginning with DOJ's failure to prosecute the elite bankers that aided and abetted Enron's senior managers' looting and destruction of Enron in 2000-2001 -- the consensus on the need to restore accountability has failed to produce accountability for elite bankers for over 15 years. Every political leader says they want to help honest bankers succeed. Nearly every political leader agrees that the "revolving door" corrupts Wall Street's regulators. The movie The Big Short has a scene at a pool that is designed to be emblematic of the public perception that the SEC (and, by extension, the other federal financial regulators, the FBI, and the DOJ) is staffed by lawyers whose goal in life is to be hired by Goldman Sachs. One of our major insights is how law enforcement priorities with regard to financial elites have become sharply perverse as the financial regulatory agencies' input to the FBI and DOJ have virtually ceased through the destruction of the agencies' criminal referral process and been replaced by misdirected law enforcement priorities pushed by the elite bankers. We propose concrete steps to return our priorities to the most damaging financial frauds, which are always led by elites. By David Swanson, American Herald Tribune I asked Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein about her platform this week and came away believing it had a better chance of winning than Bernie Sanders'. I know that platforms don't run, people do, and they do so within a two-party dominated system. But this already crazy presidential election could turn into a crazier five-way race. And, even if it doesn't, or if it does but still nobody ever learns that Jill Stein exists, there is nonetheless much for us and for the other candidates to learn from her platform. If you think free college is popular, you should see what young people think of free college and erasing all existing student debt. If single-payer healthcare with raised taxes (but net savings, if you make it to that fine print) excites voters, how do you think they'd respond to single-payer healthcare with no raised taxes? If fewer wars and asking Saudi Arabia to do more of the funding and fighting sounds promising, what would you say to no more wars, a 50 percent cut in the $1 trillion/year military spending, no more weapons sales to Saudi Arabia which is doing more than enough killing, thank you, no more free weapons for Israel either, and investment of some of the savings in a massive green energy jobs campaign producing a sustainable energy policy and a full-employment economy? Senator Bernie Sanders' domestic proposals have got millions excited, but the (unfair and misleading) criticism that he'll raise taxes may be a tragic flaw, and it's one he opens himself up to by refusing to say that he'll cut the military. Stein would cut at least half of the single biggest item in the discretionary budget, an item that takes up at least half of that budget: military spending. She'd cut fossil fuel subsidies, as well, and expect savings to come from healthcare, including as a result of cutting pollution and improving food quality. But the big immediate item is the military. Cutting it is popular with voters, but not with Democratic or Republican presidential candidates. Sanders will be labeled the Tax Man by the corporate media, while Jill Stein will have to be attacked in a different way if she gets mentioned. "Cutting the military budget is something that we can do right now," Stein told me, "but we want to be clear that we are putting an end to wars for oil -- period. And that is part of our core policy of a Green New Deal which creates an emergency program, establishing twenty million living wage jobs, full-time jobs, to green the economy, our energy, food, and transportation systems, building critical infrastructure, restoring ecosystems, etc. This is an emergency program that will get to 100 percent renewable energy by 2030. So this is a war-time-level mobilization in order to completely detoxify our energy system, and that means both nuclear and fossil fuel. In doing that, we deprive the empire of this major justification for wars and bases all around the world. So we want to be clear that that emphasis is gone, and goading the American public into war so as to feed our fossil fuel energy system -- that ends and makes all the more essential and possible the major cutting of the military budget." Which 50 percent of the military would Stein cut? Two places she named that she would start with (there would have to be much more) are foreign bases (she'd close them) and the U.S. nuclear weapons program. Would she unilaterally scrap U.S. nukes? I asked. "We don't even need to do it unilaterally," Stein said, "because the Russians have been begging to revive the process of nuclear disarmament, which the U.S., in its wisdom, undercut. ... The Russians have been persistently trying to restore those nuclear talks for the purpose of disarmament. And that would be step one -- is to make major reductions between the U.S. and Russia and then to convene a world forum to put an end to nuclear weapons altogether." The "war on terror," Stein pointed out, has only created more terror, while costing each U.S. household $75,000. "That's not going to make people terribly enthusiastic for it, particularly when you point out that all this has done is create failed states, worse terrorist threat, whether you look at the Taliban, the globalization of al-Qaeda, the creation of ISIS. This has been an utter, unmitigated disaster, and the massive refugee crisis which is threatening to tear apart the European Union. This is absolutely unsustainable by any count." To change U.S. foreign policy, Stein proposed financial reforms unheard of in any presidential debate thus far. She suggested that military and other government contractors should face "pay to play protections" preventing them from "buying their way into policy." Stein explained: "If you establish that anyone who contributes, who provides campaign contributions, or who lobbies is not eligible for contracting with the government, the minute you break that umbilical cord, then the industry loses its power to corral Congress and dictate foreign policy." Stein said such protections could also block U.S. government facilitation of weapons sales to foreign buyers. "War profiteering should not be allowed," Stein explained, "in the same way that energy profiteering is not compatible with our survival." Ultimately, the big profits, Stein said, are in healthcare: "We spend a trillion dollars plus on the military industrial complex every year, but we spend three trillion and counting every year on the sick care system, which doesn't make us well. It just enables us to tread water while we cope with these disastrous health impacts of the war economy and the fossil fuel economy." Stein did not hesitate to highlight differences when I asked her about Bernie Sanders. She cited his "support, for example, for the F-35 weapons system which has been an incredible boondoggle." While Sanders would keep killing with drones and "fighting terrorism," Stein calls "fighting terrorism" an oxymoron and points to counterproductive results: "Terrorism is a response to drones that sneak up on you in the night and to night raids and this is where we recruit and we enable ISIS and al-Qaeda to continue expanding ... something Bernie hasn't quite gotten straight by saying the solution here is to turn the Saudis loose; the Saudi's need to 'get their hands dirty'." "We can actually begin to rein in the Saudis with a weapons embargo and by impounding their bank accounts," Stein said. The same goes for Israel, she added, stressing the need to respect the law. Should the United States join the International Criminal Court, I asked. "Oh, my god, of course!" was Stein's reply. "And the treaty on land mines?" "Of course! My god. Yes. ... There are all sorts of treaties that are ready to move forward. In fact the Soviets and the Chinese have been prime movers in expansion of treaties to prohibit weapons in space and to establish the rule of law in cyberspace." So, what would President Jill Stein do about ISIS? She answered that question with no hesitation: "Number 1: we don't stop ISIS by doing more of what created ISIS. This is like the elephant in the room that none of the other presidential candidates are willing to acknowledge, even Rand Paul, I might say, surprisingly. So we don't bomb ISIS and try to shoot ISIS out. We've got to stop ISIS in its tracks by ending the funding of ISIS and by ending the arming of ISIS. How do we do that? We do that with a weapons embargo. And so the U.S. can unilaterally move forward on that, but we need to sit down and talk with the Russians as well, and Putin tried to do this. "You know, Putin, our arch enemy Putin, was actually trying to create a peace process in Syria. ... We need to begin talking with Russia and with other countries. We need to build on our relative detente with Iran to engage them, and we need to bring our allies into the process. Right now, the peace process, as I understand it, is held up by, guess who -- Saudi Arabia, who wants to bring in known terrorist groups as the representatives of the opposition. The Saudis should not be defining the way forward here ... Our ally Turkey needs to understand that their membership in NATO or their position with the U.S. and other allies around the world should not be taken for granted, and that they cannot be in the business either of funding ISIS and related groups through the purchase of their oil [or of] shipping weapons. They also need to close down their border to the movement of the militias." Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Reprinted from Paul Craig Roberts Website Myself, Michael Hudson, John Perkins, and a few others have reported the multi-pronged looting of peoples by Western economic institutions, principally the big New York Banks with the aid of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Third World countries were and are looted by being inticed into development plans for electrification or some such purpose. The gullible and trusting governments are told that they can make their countries rich by taking out foreign loans to implement a Western-presented development plan, with the result being sufficient tax revenues from economic development to service the foreign loan. Seldom, if ever, does this happen. What happens is that the plan results in the country becoming indebted to the limit and beyond of its foreign currency earnings. When the country is unable to service the development loan, the creditors send the IMF to tell the indebted government that the IMF will protect the government's credit rating by lending it the money to pay its bank creditors. However, the conditions are that the government take necessary austerity measures so that the government can repay the IMF. These measures are to curtail public services and the government sector, reduce public pensions, and sell national resources to foreigners. The money saved by reduced social benefits and raised by selling off the country's assets to foreigners serves to repay the IMF. This is the way the West has historically looted Third World countries. If a country's president is reluctant to enter into such a deal, he is simply paid bribes, as the Greek governments were, to go along with the looting of the country the president pretends to represent. When this method of looting became exhausted, the West bought up agricultural lands and pushed a policy on Third World countries of abandoning food self-sufficiency and producing one or two crops for export earnings. This policy makes Third World populations dependent on food imports from the West. Typically the export earnings are drained off by corrupt governments or by foreign purchasers who pay little while the foreigners selling food charge much. Thus, self-sufficiency is transformed into indebtedness. With the entire Third World now exploited to the limits possible, the West has turned to looting its own. Ireland has been looted, and the looting of Greece and Portugal is so severe that it has forced large numbers of young women into prostitution. But this doesn't bother the Western conscience. Previously, when a sovereign country found itself with more debt than could be serviced, creditors had to write down the debt to an amount that the country could service. In the 21st century, as I relate in my book, The Failure of Laissez Faire Capitalism, this traditional rule was abandoned. The new rule is that the people of a country, even a country whose top offiials accepted bribes in order to indebt the country to foreigners, must have their pensions, employment, and social services slashed and valuable national resources such as municipal water systems, ports, the national lottery, and protected national lands, such as the protected Greek islands, sold to foreigners, who have the freedom to raise water prices, deny the Greek government the revenues from the national lottery, and sell the protected national heritage of Greece to real estate developers. What has happened to Greece and Portugal is underway in Spain and Italy. The peoples are powerless because their governments do not represent them. Not only are their governments receiving bribes, the members of the governments are brainwashed that their countries must be in the European Union. Otherwise, they are bypassed by history. The oppressed and suffering peoples themselves are brainwashed in the same way. For example, in Greece the government elected to prevent the looting of Greece was powerless, because the Greek people are brainwashed that no matter the cost to them, they must be in the EU. The combination of propaganda, financial power, stupidity and bribes means that there is no hope for European peoples. The same is true in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the UK. In the US tens of millions of US citizens have quietly accepted the absence of any interest income on their savings for seven years. Instead of raising questions and protesting, Americans have accepted without thought the propaganda that their existence depends upon the success of a handful of artificially created mega-banks that are "too big to fail." Millions of Americans are convinced that it is better for them to draw down their savings than for a corrupt bank to fail. To keep Western peoples confused about the real threat that they face, the people are told that there are terrorists behind every tree, every passport, under every bed, and that all will be killed unless the government's overarching power is unquestioned. So far this has worked perfectly, with one false flag after another reinforcing the faked terror attacks that serve to prevent any awareness that this a hoax for accumulating all income and wealth in a few hands. Not content with their supremacy over "democratic peoples," the One Percent has come forward with the Trans-Atlanta and Trans-Pacific partnerships. Allegedly these are "free trade deals" that will benefit everyone. In truth, these are carefully hidden, secret, deals that give private businesses control over the laws of sovereign governments. For example, it has come to light that under the Trans-Atlantic partnership the National Health Service in the UK could be ruled in the private tribunals set up under the partnership as an impediment to private medical insurance and sued for damages by private firms and even forced into abolishment. The corrupt UK government under Washington's vassal David Cameron has blocked access to legal documents that show the impact of the Trans-Atlantic partnership on Britain's National Health Service. The assumption was that Bernie Sanders would have no chance of becoming the Democratic Party's presidential nominee. It was understood that he would get a few months to highlight the issues of austerity and inequality before quickly succumbing to Hillary Clinton's highly experienced and well-financed political machine in the early primaries--probably right after the votes were counted in New Hampshire, if not Iowa. He would then exit gracefully, assuring his supporters, with Hillary at his side nodding in agreement, that the important problems facing the "middle class" had been forcefully and irreversibly placed on the Democratic Party's presidential agenda, that it was going to be wonderful for America to have its first woman president, and that the most important thing to do now was to make sure the goddamn Republicans don't win. I'm still betting we are going to hear that speech. But the path to it is becoming considerably more complicated, and the stage may not look the same. It's interesting to consider how the dynamic of the Sanders campaign within the Democratic Party is unfolding. Preliminary note: I am not going to focus on the deep problems with Bernie's politics, which are important, but not crucial for this essay. For the purposes or this discussion, I'm going to treat the Sanders campaign as a vehicle that has attracted and mobilized many good progressives for substantively good reasons. My point here is to think about where this campaign is likely going. To clarify where I stand, I'll put some remarks on two of the substantive political issues that should not be ignored into the first endnote. 1 Let's first consider Hillary's assets and advantages. We must begin with the superdelegates. The superdelegate system, through which 20% of the convention delegates are appointed essentially ex officio, with no vote of the party's constituency, was created after the McGovern defeat precisely to prevent anyone remotely leftist from winning the Democratic nomination. This system gives the un-Democratic Party's establishment great confidence that it can squelch the kind of uprising of its popular base that is now roiling the more democratic Republican Party. Those superdelegates, and the Party establishment to which they belong, are, of course, overwhelmingly Hillary supporters. That means she starts out with a 20% lead. To be sure, there are scenarios that imagine scores of those superdelegates peeling off into a Sanders campaign after a couple of primary wins, as happened with Obama in 2008. These sugarplum visions ignore the fact that the difference between Obama and Hillary is nothing like the difference between Hillary and Bernie. Obama was vetted and approved by the ruling class and the Democratic Party establishment as entirely non-threatening, manageable, and amenable to its neoliberal agenda. When six Republicans met in South Carolina recently to discuss combating poverty their focus was predictable. Marco Rubio talked about broken families, dangerous neighborhoods, substandard housing, failing schools, and drug dealers, all while rejecting the idea of raising the federal minimum wage. He argued that welfare should be turned over to states, especially those that have recipient work requirements. Jeb Bush, who agrees with Rubio on states taking over welfare, blathered about giving Americans the "right to rise." Ben Carson said that "some people hate rats, some hate roaches, I hated poverty." And Chris Christie warned against drug addiction as the gateway to incarceration. Rubio invoked his parents, a bartender and a maid, to extol rising above poverty. But they had jobs which presumably they could get to without too much hassle, steady incomes, and, it would seem, someone to watch the kids. Bush's comments smacked of not wanting the problem in his neighborhood, and Carson seemed to equate poor people with vermin. It reminded me of Paul Ryan and the accolades he received when he said he "could not, and would not, give up [his] family time" to serve as House Majority Leader. But does he hold to that ideal for people who spend hours waiting for several buses to get to two or three minimum wage jobs, worried that there is no "angel in the house" to take care of the kids, and no decent day care? Does he realize, as Judith Shulevitz pointed out in a recent New York Times op ed., that there are more than four times as many American families run by single moms as by single dads, and that a third more households are headed by women on welfare than those run by men? The fact is the competing Republicans don't get the reality of poverty. They've never lived it and they don't like it. The only emotion it seems to raise in them is pity. God knows it's never empathy. Nor do they get the interconnections between major federal issues in need of urgent attention and poverty alleviation. Shove punitive, top-down, us/them welfare problems back to the states is their mantra. They don't want to see it and they don't want to deal with it, because dealing with it means addressing really big issues, and then funding them. Transportation infrastructure is one example. None of the naysayers has ever had to get to work without a car (and often a driver). How willing would they be to rise in the wee hours of the morning to catch several buses in any kind of weather? How many of them have ridden sophisticated transportation systems in other countries, where wait times are almost nil and connections are well planned so that people who really work for a living can be moved about by the millions with relatively little hassle? How many of the Horatio Alger guys have had to worry about quality, affordable, accessible daycare? Hey People on the Hill: Poor folk don't have nannies! They don't have stay at home spouses. They don't even have enough food to feed their kids half the time and some of you want to cut food stamps? Speaking of nutrition, it's a big part of staying healthy so you can work. So is affordable, accessible, quality healthcare. It might be worth factoring that into the equation for ending poverty while you're trying to gut Obamacare or avoid universal health care. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). "We have met the enemy, and he is us." - Pogo Reprinted from RT The alleged Syrian peace process now enters its Geneva charade stage. This could last months; get ready for lavish doses of posturing and bluster capable of stunning even Donald Trump. The notion that Geneva may be able to impersonate Damascus in a suit-and-tie pantomime is ludicrous to begin with. Even the UN envoy, the sartorially superb Staffan de Mistura, admits the Sisyphean task ahead -- even if all relevant players were at the table. Then we have Syrian "opposition figure" George Sabra announcing that no delegation from the Riyadh-based High Negotiations Committee will be at the table in Geneva. As if Syrians needed an "opposition" instrumentalized by Saudi Arabia. So in the interest of providing context, here's an extremely concise recap of recent, crucial facts on the Syrian ground which the "new capital" Geneva may ignore at its own peril. Let's start with last summer, when Iranian Quds Force superstar commander Qasem Soleimani laid down the law, in person, in Moscow, establishing without a doubt the grim situation across the Syrian theater of war. Essentially Soleimani told the Kremlin and Russian intelligence that Aleppo might be about to fall; that Jabhat al-Nusra was at the doors of southern Damascus; that Idlib had fallen; and Latakia -- home to Russia's naval base at Tartus -- would be next. One can imagine the effect of this jolt of realpolitik on President Putin's mind. That clinched his resolution to stop the fall of Syria, and prevent it from becoming a Libyan remix. The Russian Air Force campaign turned out to be the ultimate game-changer. It is in the process of securing the Damascus-Homs-Latakia-Hama-Aleppo network -- the urban, developed Western Syria that holds 70 percent of the country's population. ISIS/ISIL/Daesh and/or Jabhat al-Nusra, a.k.a. al-Qaeda in Syria, have zero chances of taking over this territory. The rest is mostly desert. Jaysh al-Islam -- a motley crew weaponized by Saudi Arabia -- still holds a few positions north of Damascus. That's containable. The country bumpkins in Daraa province, south of Damascus, could only make a push towards the capital in an impossible 1991 Desert Storm context. "Moderate rebels" -- that Beltway concoction -- did try to hold Homs and Al-Qusayr, cutting off the resupply of Damascus. They were repelled. As for the gaggle of "moderate rebels" who took all of Idlib province, they are being pounded mercilessly for four months now by the Russian Air Force. Aleppo's southern front is also being secured. It's easy to pinpoint who's livid with all the Russian action: Saudi Arabia, Turkey and -- last but not least -- the "Empire of Chaos," all at the table in Geneva. Jabhat al-Nusra -- remote-controlled by Ayman al-Zawahiri --is intimately linked to a gaggle of Salafi-jihadists in the Saudi-sponsored Army of Conquest, as well as tactically allied with myriad outfits nominally grouped in the nearly extinct Free Syrian Army (FSA). The CIA, using the Saudis for plausible deniability, fully weaponized "vetted" FSA outfits, which received, among other things, TOW anti-tank missiles. Guess who "intercepted" virtually all the weapons: Jabhat al-Nusra. The follow-up was nothing short of hilarious: Washington, Ankara and Riyadh furiously denouncing Moscow for bombing their "moderate rebels" and not ISIS/ISIL/Daesh. Slowly but surely, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), parallel to the Russian offensive, retook the initiative. The "4+1" -- Russia, Syria, Iran (Special Forces, many of them from Afghanistan), Iraq, plus Hezbollah -- started coordinating their efforts. Latakia Province -- which hosts not only Tartus but the Khmeimim Russian airbase -- is now under total control by Damascus. Articles Listed By Date List By Popularity Search Title Date Between Any 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 Any 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 and Any 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 Any 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Page 1 of 28 First Last Back Next 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 View All (3 comments) SHARE Pentagon Research May Be Dangerous to Your Health The Pentagon not only gets Americans killed in aggressive wars around the world but, in chewing up their tax dollars for war, starves the government of the money needed to push research that would expand the human lifespan. Tuesday, June 28, 2016The Pentagon not only gets Americans killed in aggressive wars around the world but, in chewing up their tax dollars for war, starves the government of the money needed to push research that would expand the human lifespan. (5 comments) SHARE Donald Trump's Hat Urges "Make America Great Again" Donald Trump's hat calls for making America great again---but it doesn't tell us how. Here are a few suggestions he might consider. Sunday, May 29, 2016Donald Trump's hat calls for making America great again---but it doesn't tell us how. Here are a few suggestions he might consider. (1 comments) SHARE Obama's "No Apology" Stance For Nukes Mirrors No Prosecution of CIA President Obama's dodge to excuse CIA torturers from prosecution for their Bush era war crimes when he took office was that he wanted to "look forward." Result: the CIA has killed thousands of additional people during his term. Now, he won't apologize for USA's WWII nuclear attacks when he visits Hiroshima this month on the same grounds. In fact, what he terms looking forward actually is turning a blind eye to war crimes. Tuesday, May 17, 2016President Obama's dodge to excuse CIA torturers from prosecution for their Bush era war crimes when he took office was that he wanted to "look forward." Result: the CIA has killed thousands of additional people during his term. Now, he won't apologize for USA's WWII nuclear attacks when he visits Hiroshima this month on the same grounds. In fact, what he terms looking forward actually is turning a blind eye to war crimes. (3 comments) SHARE Does CIA Project America's Highest Values? On Thursday the Deputy Director of the CIA told an audience at NYU law school that The Agency's operations reflect America's "highest values." The very next day, April 22, 2016, a Washington State district judge, in a victory for the ACLU, upheld a law suit aimed at bringing to justice CIA torturers alleged to have frozen one man to death and inflicted terrible suffering on others. Saturday, April 23, 2016On Thursday the Deputy Director of the CIA told an audience at NYU law school that The Agency's operations reflect America's "highest values." The very next day, April 22, 2016, a Washington State district judge, in a victory for the ACLU, upheld a law suit aimed at bringing to justice CIA torturers alleged to have frozen one man to death and inflicted terrible suffering on others. (10 comments) SHARE Anti-Trump Forces In Arizona Handed Him A Big Victory Today The anti-Trump protesters in Arizona have given the GOP front-runner a big victory today, one he is sure to make the most of by playing the role of the aggrieved citizen whose opponents would deny him his Constitutional rights. Saturday, March 19, 2016The anti-Trump protesters in Arizona have given the GOP front-runner a big victory today, one he is sure to make the most of by playing the role of the aggrieved citizen whose opponents would deny him his Constitutional rights. SHARE USA Today's Love Letter To The Pentagon The publishers of USA Today and the Pentagon appear to have worked very closely on an 88-page tabloid special edition titled "Vigilant" that makes America aggression appear to be nothing more than self-defense. Sunday, February 14, 2016The publishers of USA Today and the Pentagon appear to have worked very closely on an 88-page tabloid special edition titled "Vigilant" that makes America aggression appear to be nothing more than self-defense. (3 comments) SHARE Schoolyard Bully Trump Gets Mouth Washed With Soap It took awhile, and it was a close call, but eventually a demagogic campaign of slander and defamation against his opponents came back to defeat Demagogue Donald in Iowa. Tuesday, February 2, 2016It took awhile, and it was a close call, but eventually a demagogic campaign of slander and defamation against his opponents came back to defeat Demagogue Donald in Iowa. SHARE Nation Magazine Backing For Sanders Timely Although The Nation doesn't ordinarily make endorsements in a primary election, it has done so in this presidential campaign, asking readers to vote for Bernie Sanders. Considering the stakes in this election, it's a good thing, too. Saturday, January 30, 2016Although The Nation doesn't ordinarily make endorsements in a primary election, it has done so in this presidential campaign, asking readers to vote for Bernie Sanders. Considering the stakes in this election, it's a good thing, too. (2 comments) SHARE Zionists Entitled to Palestine? Why Not Other Aggrieved Peoples? The holocaust suffered by European Jewry during World War Two was not the only one during that war. The Chinese and the Russians also lost even more millions at the hands of the Japanese and the Germans. Saturday, January 16, 2016The holocaust suffered by European Jewry during World War Two was not the only one during that war. The Chinese and the Russians also lost even more millions at the hands of the Japanese and the Germans. (2 comments) SHARE Obama's XL Pipeline Veto May Boost USA's Global Image After years of continuing war that has hyped hostility towards America, President Obama's veto of the Keystone XL oil pipeline deal could have a positive public relations impact for America's image abroad. Sunday, November 8, 2015After years of continuing war that has hyped hostility towards America, President Obama's veto of the Keystone XL oil pipeline deal could have a positive public relations impact for America's image abroad. (2 comments) SHARE Boyle Charges U.S. Germ Warfare Program "Criminal Enterprise" The international legal authority who drafted the Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act of 1989--adopted by both houses of Congress without a single negative vote--now says the U.S. is in flagrant violation of the law as it is engaged in criminal germ warfare activity. Wednesday, September 23, 2015The international legal authority who drafted the Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act of 1989--adopted by both houses of Congress without a single negative vote--now says the U.S. is in flagrant violation of the law as it is engaged in criminal germ warfare activity. (2 comments) SHARE Boyle: New Pentagon War Manual Reduces Us To "Level of Nazis" The Pentagon's new Law of War manual provides a patina of legalistic cover for the Pentagon's accumulating aggressions and war crimes. Thursday, August 13, 2015The Pentagon's new Law of War manual provides a patina of legalistic cover for the Pentagon's accumulating aggressions and war crimes. (5 comments) SHARE The Water Crisis is Here Future historians may well regard America's leaders today as mad when considering the sums they spend on war in a time when rivers and taps are running dry, deserts are growing, and city water supplies are in peril of pollution or outright decay. Sunday, August 2, 2015Future historians may well regard America's leaders today as mad when considering the sums they spend on war in a time when rivers and taps are running dry, deserts are growing, and city water supplies are in peril of pollution or outright decay. (14 comments) SHARE Failure To Prosecute Bush For War Crimes Threatens World Peace If killers are free to kill and can walk away from their crimes, it is likely others will follow their example. Former President George W. Bush is one prominent example. This article cites three outstanding lawyers/human rights figures who establish beyond doubt the culpability of President Bush---and the remedies that may yet be taken. Wednesday, July 1, 2015If killers are free to kill and can walk away from their crimes, it is likely others will follow their example. Former President George W. Bush is one prominent example. This article cites three outstanding lawyers/human rights figures who establish beyond doubt the culpability of President Bush---and the remedies that may yet be taken. (2 comments) SHARE Making Corporate Offshore Tax Dodging A Campaign Issue Probably the vast majority of honest tax-payers oppose the current practice by corporations of setting up post office box headquarters in Bermuda and like places to dodge paying taxes. If this practice isn't stopped, Jane and Joe Taxpayers are going to pay what the corporation evades. Saturday, June 27, 2015Probably the vast majority of honest tax-payers oppose the current practice by corporations of setting up post office box headquarters in Bermuda and like places to dodge paying taxes. If this practice isn't stopped, Jane and Joe Taxpayers are going to pay what the corporation evades. (11 comments) SHARE Obama's Wars Hurting America's Middle Class Obama has failed to use his office for the betterment of humanity, instead, turning the nation instead into an ever-improved killing machine. Lost are precious opportunities to cure the world of disease and provide pure water for its abject millions. What's more Obama is taking the American middle class with him down the road to war, poverty and suffering. Friday, June 26, 2015Obama has failed to use his office for the betterment of humanity, instead, turning the nation instead into an ever-improved killing machine. Lost are precious opportunities to cure the world of disease and provide pure water for its abject millions. What's more Obama is taking the American middle class with him down the road to war, poverty and suffering. (4 comments) SHARE America Going, (Going, Gone!) To The Dogs (Of War) When will Americans connect the fact that the humane activities of America---doing right by its citizens--are being starved so that the military-industrial complex(MIC) can live off the fat of the land? What's worse, the money MIC spends is actually for aggression that is killing millions of innocent people overseas. If Americans are going to take their country back, impeaching Obama is a good place to start. Monday, June 22, 2015When will Americans connect the fact that the humane activities of America---doing right by its citizens--are being starved so that the military-industrial complex(MIC) can live off the fat of the land? What's worse, the money MIC spends is actually for aggression that is killing millions of innocent people overseas. If Americans are going to take their country back, impeaching Obama is a good place to start. (1 comments) SHARE S.C.-Style Killings Routine In Middle East The murders of nine Americans by a terrorist in South Carolina is denounced by a president who routinely orders similar killings in the Middle East. Saturday, June 20, 2015The murders of nine Americans by a terrorist in South Carolina is denounced by a president who routinely orders similar killings in the Middle East. (13 comments) SHARE Obama Versus Hersh: Who's Telling The Truth? Over and again, the Obama administration threatened its own employees not to talk about the bin Laden slaying. This was done likely to suppress the truth, that his murder was an execution, not a battle, and that he was probably unarmed. Saturday, June 13, 2015Over and again, the Obama administration threatened its own employees not to talk about the bin Laden slaying. This was done likely to suppress the truth, that his murder was an execution, not a battle, and that he was probably unarmed. (5 comments) SHARE Joan of Arc, President Obama, and The Dark Ages As we remember the martyrdom of Joan of Arc on this day in 1431, we need to consider how President Obama has turned the clock back to the 15th Century and his culpability for the murder of thousands of civilians, including 200 children by drone attacks. Saturday, May 30, 2015As we remember the martyrdom of Joan of Arc on this day in 1431, we need to consider how President Obama has turned the clock back to the 15th Century and his culpability for the murder of thousands of civilians, including 200 children by drone attacks. Page 1 of 28 First Last Back Next 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 View All Articles Listed By Date List By Popularity Search Title Date Between Any 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 Any 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 and Any 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 Any 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Page 1 of 4 First Last Back Next 2 3 4 View All SHARE Meanwhile, back in Washington, and Somalia, and Syria, and Kenya, and... America, know thyself (or at least what the government does in your name). Friday, May 27, 2022America, know thyself (or at least what the government does in your name). SHARE Can Anyone Actually Do Anything to Bring Universal Health Insurance to Californ California's Democratic governor and Democrat-controlled legislature proclaim support for state-based universal health insurance -- and never deliver. Monday, February 7, 2022California's Democratic governor and Democrat-controlled legislature proclaim support for state-based universal health insurance -- and never deliver. (2 comments) SHARE Andrew Bacevich's "After the Apocalypse" A review of Andrew Bacevich's "After the Apocalypse" Wednesday, January 19, 2022A review of Andrew Bacevich's "After the Apocalypse" (1 comments) SHARE On Michael Harrington Underlying today's Democratic Socialists of America is the work of Michael Harrington. Friday, May 14, 2021Underlying today's Democratic Socialists of America is the work of Michael Harrington. (1 comments) SHARE The San Francisco School Board and the public's trust The appearance of frivolous government poses a danger to progressive causes. Wednesday, March 10, 2021The appearance of frivolous government poses a danger to progressive causes. (1 comments) SHARE They're Biden's wars now Joe Biden has inherited the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, just as his two predecessors did. Wednesday, February 10, 2021Joe Biden has inherited the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, just as his two predecessors did. (1 comments) SHARE The Capitol, policing, rhetoric, and the left The wrong choice of words may make the wordly appear naive. Wednesday, January 20, 2021The wrong choice of words may make the wordly appear naive. (5 comments) SHARE Donald Trump wants to withdraw from Afghanistan? I support that. Ending the Afghanistan War would be a great thing, no matter who did it. Wednesday, November 18, 2020Ending the Afghanistan War would be a great thing, no matter who did it. (7 comments) SHARE Joe Biden, don't let Donald Trump run as the antiwar candidate! America wants to hear Joe Biden tell how he will end the Forever War. Thursday, September 3, 2020America wants to hear Joe Biden tell how he will end the Forever War. (12 comments) SHARE Russia Accused of a Plot to Steal Vaccine Research! The search for a vaccine is a global project, not a national or corporate one.C Thursday, July 23, 2020The search for a vaccine is a global project, not a national or corporate one.C (4 comments) SHARE Withdrawing troops from Afghanistan and Germany is still a good idea. Much as people might find it hard to reconcile, Donald Trump is right on removing American troops from Afghanistan and Germany. Friday, July 17, 2020Much as people might find it hard to reconcile, Donald Trump is right on removing American troops from Afghanistan and Germany. (3 comments) SHARE Killing them softly with sanctions When it comes to economic sanctions, the cure can be deadlier than the disease. Saturday, June 27, 2020When it comes to economic sanctions, the cure can be deadlier than the disease. (5 comments) SHARE What the class of '70's Old New Left might have talked about at their cancelled reunions If 1970's young voters had kept the faith, Bernie Sanders would be the Democratic nominee. Friday, May 22, 2020If 1970's young voters had kept the faith, Bernie Sanders would be the Democratic nominee. (3 comments) SHARE So, Joe Biden, Here's the Deal Want Bernie Sanders's supporters? You gotta show them something. Friday, April 17, 2020Want Bernie Sanders's supporters? You gotta show them something. (6 comments) SHARE Dealing with Biden, the D.N.C., and the rest of it, post-Sanders Before going #DemExit, consider the American electoral system as it really exists. Thursday, April 9, 2020Before going #DemExit, consider the American electoral system as it really exists. (2 comments) SHARE Sanders: Now more than ever The Sanders campaign message has never been more to the point. Thursday, March 26, 2020The Sanders campaign message has never been more to the point. SHARE Foreign policy - the primary debate's final frontier Do we really want a third Democratic presidential nominee who voted for the Iraq War? Tuesday, March 17, 2020Do we really want a third Democratic presidential nominee who voted for the Iraq War? (2 comments) SHARE Boomer, hold thy tongue. People who agree with Sanders on the issues need to stop undermining his candidacy. Monday, March 9, 2020People who agree with Sanders on the issues need to stop undermining his candidacy. (4 comments) SHARE To Paul Krugman on this Bernie Sanders and socialism thing We explain to New York Times columnist Paul Krugman that Bernie Sanders really is a socialist. Wednesday, February 19, 2020We explain to New York Times columnist Paul Krugman that Bernie Sanders really is a socialist. Page 1 of 4 First Last Back Next 2 3 4 View All Syracuse students agree: Let's keep the winning at home going. Syracuse had a huge win over Notre Dame on Thursday. Despite the short time off, Syracuse now turns their attention to Georgia Tech. And weirdly, Georgia Tech is a similar team to Notre Dame in their makeup. They typically outrebound their opponent and they shoot the 3 really well. However, Georgia Tech also averages just over 17 points per game in transition. Stopping G'Tech from running and getting easy buckets will be key to a victory. Playing the same defensive plan as they did against Notre Dame will help as well. Of course, not sure the defense mattered much against ND as the lead was so big for SU early. Not sure if they can do the same thing today, but if Malachi Richards keeps his hot shooting up, and Tyler Lydon adds a few, SU will be in very good shape. Georgia Tech has only managed to beat Virginia in conference play. Which is weird. But either way, I'm picking Syracuse at home. Especially after the way they have been playing lately. I'll take the Orange by 8. This game is available nationally on ESPN U / WatchESPN at nooner. Enjoy. Labels: ACC, Basketball, Preview 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 Complaints lodged by civil society against Maulana Abdul Aziz ISLAMABAD: Two separate complaints have been lodged by civil society representatives with Aabpara police, for the registration of a case against Lal Masjid cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz on Friday. One of the complaints, lodged by Khurram Zaki, stated that Maulana Aziz and Jamia Hafsa-Lal Masjid recently released a video message which was well distributed over social media (a CD of the video was attached to the application), in which the cleric attempted to incite sectarian hatred and violence against Shia Muslims by blaming them for leading the civil society campaign against him and Lal Masjid-Jamia Hafsa. The complaint said he also accused Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and its officials of supporting and promoting a sectarian agenda by trying to concoct false and fabricated evidence against him. He specifically accused an unnamed serving brigadier in the agency, who he claimed belongs to the Shia sect, the complaint added. It stated that such allegations are obvious and deliberate attempts from his side to malign and divide the national institution on sectarian lines, by fomenting sectarian hatred among the rank and file of the intelligence agency. It went on to say that such attempts to scandalise ISI falls out of the fair perimetres of genuine academic criticism of the wrongdoings of any state institution as no evidence was put forward to support his allegations. The complaint said that request was made to lodge and register an FIR against Molvi Aziz under ATA (Anti-Terrorism Act), including sections 6 and 8 and PPA (Protection of Pakistan Act) (Scheduled Offence II) and other appropriate sections of CrPC and other relevant laws and arrest him accordingly. Another complaint was lodged by Mohammad Jibran Nasir, which stated that a video was uploaded on the internet by unidentified students of Jamia Hafsa, which was also aired by an ARY news channel, which he also saw. In the video, students pledged support to the banned organisation Daesh otherwise known as Islamic State, ISIS or ISIL and asked it to avenge the Pakistani militarys operations against Osama bin Laden, Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa. Ume Hassan, the chief patron of Jamia Hafsa, and Maulana Aziz, also commended Daesh in their video messages, the complaint said, and expressed their desire for caliphate in Pakistan, and confirmed that the students had invited Daesh. The complaint added that, in an interview with a newspaper, they said that the students recorded the video message with their permission. The complaint stated that a terrorist organisation called Insarul Islam, which pledged allegiance to Daesh in August 2014, was operating out of a training camp named after Maulana Abdul Rasheed Ghazi, Maulana Azizs brother. The complaint said such acts were a declaration of war against Pakistan, as well as a conspiracy and threat. It said a case should be registered against those mentioned, including the students. Aabpara police said they have received the complaints and would send them to the police prosecution department for its legal opinion. They said the matter was sensitive, and advice would also be taken from the political corridor before any action is taken in response to the complaint. In January 2015, capital police registered a case over the video of Jamia Hafsa students, and was given a green light from the prosecution department, a police official said on condition of anonymity. However, the official said that when permission was sought from the political corridor, they were denied. Lal Masjid spokesperson Ehtesham Ahmed said: In my opinion, cases would not be registered in response to the two complaints, as I hope. Regarding the complaint by Mr Nasir, he said the students in the video inviting Daesh had completed their studies at Jamia Hafsa and had left the seminary. He said they were not students at the time the video was recorded and had nothing to do with Jamia Hafsa. He said the police may identify them and register a case against them, but Maulana Aziz and Ume Hassan never invited Daesh and there was no evidence against them in this regard. Regarding the complaint by Mr Zaki, he said: According to my information, the police already examined and watched the video, and did not find any hate speech. Govt announced privatisation of PIA for six months RAWALPINDI: PML-N Senator Mushahidullah Khan announced on Friday that the government had postponed the privatisation of the national flag carrier for six months and requested the protesting workers to end their strike. Addressing a press conference at the Aviation Division here, he said neither the PIA was being privatised nor its employees being sacked or their facilities withdrawn. The PML-N leader warned the protesting employees that the government would use its authority against all those elements who had locked the airline offices without any reason. He said the government would not get blackmailed by any protest and it had made the decision in the larger interest of workers and the country. He also requested the joint action committee of PIA employees to hold talks with the government to resolve the issue. The senator said that due to ongoing closure of PIA offices by its employees, the government was suffering a huge loss. He said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had said that neither the PIA was being privatised nor perks and privileges of its employees were being withdrawn or employees being sacked. Mr Mushahidullah asked the joint action committee of PIA employees to withdraw its decision of the strike and resume flight operations, otherwise the government would use its authority and impose the Essential Services Act, if PIA employees did not call off their strike. Meanwhile, a high-level meeting, presided over by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, reviewed the impact of PIA employees strike on Friday. A spokesman for the PIA said it was agreed at the meeting that the government expected PIA union leaders to support the organisations management in reviving the national flag carrier so that the good work done over the last two and a half years was taken forward. The meeting decided that no PIA employee would be laid off or lose financial perks and privileges and they would continue to enjoy job security. It was further decided at the meeting that strategic partner would not be engaged in the next six months and PIA should work hard during this period to improve its performance. The meeting observed that because of the strike the people were suffering and the organisation was also incurring losses of billions of rupees. This situation, the meeting noted, was bringing a bad name to the country and its reputation. This situation could not be tolerated, the participants noted. The meeting pledged that it would not be blackmailed by PIA unions and associations and if the strike was not called off, the national flag carrier would be declared a part of essential services by the government. Pakistan image abroad improved due to efforts of diplomatic team: Nawaz Sharif ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday said Pakistans image abroad had improved due to the 'untiring efforts' of his diplomatic team, a statement released from the PM's office said. In what was described as a significant diplomatic mission, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Gen Raheel Sharif last week met the Saudi and Iranian leaderships in their respective capitals for what the government described as a move to defuse tensions between the two Muslim countries that were sparked by execution of Saudi dissident Sheikh Nimr and the subsequent attack on a Saudi mission in Iran by protesters. But despite the premier's claims, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al Jubeir denied that Pakistan mediated between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Bahrains state media had reported on January 25. The premier, who also attended the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos on his way back from Iran, claimed that due to the efforts of the government's economic team, business leaders and communities across the world are eyeing the country positively. While reiterating his government's resolve to continue the fight against terror till the elimination of the last terrorist, Nawaz claimed the country was on the right track to become a peaceful and prosperous state. But his government's anti-terror policy, popularly known as the National Action Plan (NAP), came under severe criticism after militants breached the security of a university in Charsadda and shot dead 21 people including students and professors. The NAP, which was formulated after the brutal attack on an army-run school in Peshawar that killed 144 people, has been criticised by the opposition and experts, who say no major progress has been made since the policy's implementation an allegation that was reiterated after the Charsadda varsity attack. During today's cabinet meeting, the PM was briefed in detail about the attack on the Bacha Khan University and the progress on the investigation so far. The meeting was attended by Federal Ministers Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Ch Nisar Ali Khan, Pervaiz Rashid, Ahsan Iqbal and Khawaja Saad Rafique, Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Special Assistant Syed Tariq Fatemi, Senator Mushahidullah Khan, Irfan Siddiqui, Dr Asif Kirmani and retired Captain Muhammad Safdar. Uzair Baloch Lyari gang Leader arrested 30 January, 2016 Related News Imran Khan distributed loan cheques under Kamyab Jawan Programme PTI govt to face all challenges coming its way: Imran khan More on this View All Top 2021 Accessories We Know You Will Love Types of Casino Payment Methods Tips for Taking Incredible iPhone Travel Photos Are Slot Developers Important for players? Best Poker Hands ever played on a Casino Hand Wash and Toiletries in Pakistan And the Role of DUPAS in Reshaping the Industry Woke Bingo KARACHI: Pakistan Rangers, Sindh claimed to have arrested of Uzair Baloch, a notorious leader of the Lyari gang war and chief of proscribed Peoples Amn Committee (PAC), in a targeted operation from the outskirts of Karachi on Saturday. Rangers arrested Baloch in a targeted operation outside Karachi late on Friday while he was attempting to enter the city, said a press release issued by the paramilitary force. The press release also claimed the recovery of weapons from Baloch, alleged leader of one of the gangs operating in crime-infested Karachi's Lyari area. Baloch was arrested in Dubai by the Interpol in December 2014 while he was crossing into the United Arab Emirates from Oman by road, the Pakistani consulate in Dubai had confirmed at the time. A four-member special police team which was in Dubai for a month to seek Baloch's custody from UAE authorities had returned empty-handed in March 2015. Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah while denying any association with Uzair Baloch in August last year had expressed ignorance about his status. He [Uzair Baloch] was caught in Dubai, said Shah at the time. Then our police team went there to gain his custody but it could not materialise for unknown reasons. Now I dont know if he is still in custody in Dubai or has been released. It is not clear when and how Baloch arrived in Pakistan from UAE. Once known for his loyalty to the Pakistan Peoples Party and close contacts with the partys leaders and senior members in the Sindh cabinet, eg former home minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, Uzair Baloch took over as leader of Peoples Amn Committee in Aug 2009 when the notorious Abdul Rahman Baloch alias Rahman Dakait was killed in an encounter more than a year after the PPP government came to power. Though the committee is presented as community group by its leaders, it is blamed for its criminal activities which included killings, extortion and drugs business both by police and rival parties of the PPP. PAC was banned on October, 2011. Baloch's relations with the PPP started souring after April 2012 when the police launched Lyari operation. The two-week siege came to an end without any major arrest, but left a number of people, including policemen, dead. A foster brother of PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari, MNA Owais Muzaffar better known as Tappi wanted to contest elections from Lyari, which was refused by Uzair. The ensuing rift within the PPP-PAC relations called for a hastily put together operation in April 2012, which insiders say was based on completely political reasons. The operation was called off after a week and as a result the PPP had to bow down to Uzairs demands to pick and choose people from his cadre to contest in the general elections of 2013. The very next month the Sindh government announced bounty on most wanted criminals of the troubled Lyari neighbourhood. Uzair Baloch carried a prize of Rs2 million on his head. The head money notification, however, was withdrawn a month before the May 2013 general elections seen as a move by the PPP-influenced caretaker set-up to appease the Peoples Amn Committee, which enjoyed street power in Lyari, the partys stronghold. Differences within the Peoples Amn Committee and the widening gulf with the PPP government finally forced Uzair Baloch to leave Pakistan. In June 2014, Islamabad, on a request by the Sindh government, asked Interpol to issue red warrants of Uzair Baloch and Noor Mohammad alias Baba Ladla., The latter was at one time Uzairs close-aide, but later turned his rival. The arrest of the alleged gangster, who was once mentioned as wanted on Interpol website by the authorities of Pakistan for prosecution for murder charges, sparked an angry reaction in Lyari. Most shopkeepers had shuttered their businesses after learning about the development. Currently, as many as 55 cases are pending against Uzair Baloch in various courts. Of these cases, one relates to the murder of Arshad Pappu and another relates to keeping weapons and explosives. In 2012, a court warranted for the arrest of two leaders of the banned Peoples Aman Committee including Uzair Baloch and an alleged member of the proscribed Balochistan Liberation Army in illicit weapons cases. The police claimed to have detained the suspects in 2012 and alleged that the explosive stuff and illicit weapons were found in their possessions and they were involved in supplying arms and ammunition to criminals associated with the Lyari gang warfare. Uzair Baloch had been declared a proclaimed offender in the case and the court had ruled that proceedings against the offender would be conducted in absentia under Section 19 (10) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997. 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... A new-fangled modem that will employ an emerging technology called integrated photonics will be tested as part of NASAs Laser Communications Relay Demonstration mission. Credit: NASA A NASA team has been tapped to build a new type of communications modem that will employ an emerging, potentially revolutionary technology that could transform everything from telecommunications, medical imaging, advanced manufacturing to national defense. The space agency's first-ever integrated-photonics modem will be tested aboard the International Space Station beginning in 2020 as part of NASA's multi-year Laser Communications Relay Demonstration, or LCRD. The cell phone-sized device incorporates optics-based functions, such as lasers, switches, and wires, onto a microchipmuch like an integrated circuit found in all electronics hardware. Once aboard the space station, the so-called Integrated LCRD LEO (Low-Earth Orbit) User Modem and Amplifier (ILLUMA) will serve as a low-Earth orbit terminal for NASA's LCRD, demonstrating yet another capability for high-speed, laser-based communications. Data Rates Demand New Technology Since its inception in 1958, NASA has relied exclusively on radio frequency (RF)-based communications. Today, with missions demanding higher data rates than ever before, the need for LCRD has become more critical, said Don Cornwell, director of NASA's Advanced Communication and Navigation Division within the space Communications and Navigation Program, which is funding the modem's development. LCRD promises to transform the way NASA sends and receives data, video and other information. It will use lasers to encode and transmit data at rates 10 to 100 times faster than today's communications equipment, requiring significantly less mass and power. Such a leap in technology could deliver video and high-resolution measurements from spacecraft over planets across the solar systempermitting researchers to make detailed studies of conditions on other worlds, much as scientists today track hurricanes and other climate and environmental changes here on Earth. The project, which is expected to begin operations in 2019, isn't NASA's first foray into laser communications. A payload aboard the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) demonstrated record-breaking download and upload speeds to and from lunar orbit at 622 megabits per second (Mbps) and 20 Mbps, respectively, in 2013. LCRD, however, is designed to be an operational system after an initial two-year demonstration period. It involves a hosted payload and two specially equipped ground stations. The mission will dedicate the first two years to demonstrating a fully operational system, from geosynchronous orbit to ground stations. Once NASA demonstrates that capability, it plans to use ILLUMA to test communications between geosynchronous and low-Earth-orbit spacecraft, Cornwell said. An Exceptional Terminal ILLUMA incorporates an emerging technologyintegrated photonicsthat is expected to transform any technology that employs light. This includes everything from Internet communications over fiber optic cable to spectrometers, chemical detectors, and surveillance systems, to name just a few. "Integrated photonics are like an integrated circuit, except they use light rather than electrons to perform a wide variety of optical functions," Cornwell said. Recent developments in nanostructures, meta-materials, and silicon technologies have expanded the range of applications for these highly integrated optical chips. Furthermore, they could be lithographically printed in massjust like electronic circuitry todayfurther driving down the costs of photonic devices. "This technology will enable all types of NASA missions, not just optical communications on LCRD," Cornwell added. NASA laser expert Mike Krainak and his team plan to replace portions of this fiber-optic receiver with an integrated-photonic circuit, whose size will be similar to the chip he is holding. The team then plans to test the advanced modem on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/W. Hrybyk "We've pushed this for a long time," said Mike Krainak, who is leading the modem's development at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "The technology will simplify optical system design. It will reduce the size and power consumption of optical devices, and improve reliability, all while enabling new functions from a lower-cost system. It is clear that our strategy to leverage integrated photonic circuitry will lead to a revolution in Earth and planetary-space communications as well as in science instruments." In addition to leading ILLUMA's development, Krainak serves as NASA's representative on the country's first consortium to advance integrated photonics. Funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, the non-profit American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics, with headquarters in Rochester, New York, brings together the nation's leading technological talent to establish global leadership in integrated photonics. Its primary goal is developing low-cost, high-volume, manufacturing methods to merge electronic integrated circuits with integrated photonic devices. NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) also appointed Krainak as the integrated photonics lead for its Space Technology Research Grants Program, which supports early-stage innovations. The program recently announced a number of research awards under this technology area (see related story). First Step in Demonstrating Photonics Under the NASA project, Krainak and his team will reduce the size of the terminal, now about the size of two toaster ovensa challenge made easier because all light-related functions will be squeezed onto a microchip. Although the modem is expected to use some optic fiber, ILLUMA is the first step in building and demonstrating an integrated photonics circuit that ultimately will embed these functions onto a chip, he said. ILLUMA will flight-qualify the technology, as well as demonstrate a key capability for future spacecraft. In addition to communicating to ground stations, future satellites will require the ability to communicate with one another, he said. "What we want to do is provide a faster exchange of data to the scientific community. Modems have to be inexpensive. They have to be small. We also have to keep their weight down," Krainak said. The goal is to develop and demonstrate the technology and then make it available to industry and other government agencies, creating an economy of scale that will further drive down costs. "This is the pay off," he said. Although integrated photonics promises to revolutionize space-based science and inter-planetary communications, its impact on terrestrial uses also is equally profound, Krainak added. One such use is with data centers. These costly, very large facilities house servers that are connected by fiber optic cable to store, manage and distribute data. Integrated photonics promises to dramatically reduce the need for and size of these behemothsparticularly since the optic hardware needed to operate these facilities will be printed onto a chip, much like electronic circuitry today. In addition to driving down costs, the technology promises faster computing power. "Google, Facebook, they're all starting to look at this technology," Krainak said. "As integrated photonics progresses to be more cost effective than fiber optics, it will be used," Krainak said. "Everything is headed this way." Explore further NASA laser communication system sets record with data transmissions to and from Moon A strong earthquake of at least a 7.0 magnitude struck in Russia's Far East on Saturday morning, US and Russian scientists said, sending tremors across the coastal peninsula. The US Geological Survey said the quake occurred at 0325 GMT at a depth of 160 kilometres (100 miles), about 95 kilometres northeast of the Russian town of Yelizovo in the mountainous Kamchatka Krai region. It put the magnitude at 7.0. The Russian Academy of Sciences said on its website the first tremor, which it said measured 7.3 in magnitude, was followed minutes later by a 5.2 magnitude aftershock. Residents of regional capital Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky felt the earth tremble, a spokesman for the local branch of the Academy told Russia's Interfax news agency. The quake struck in an area close to the "Ring of Fire", an arc of fault lines that circle the Pacific Ocean which is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The National and Pacific Tsunami Warning Centers said there was no risk the earthquake had caused a tsunami. Explore further Strong earthquake struck off Indonesia's Talaud islands 2016 AFP 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. Saturday Mayflower Congregational United Church of Christ, 2940 Poly Drive: The all-acoustic Valinor Quartet performs at 7:30 p.m. The group hails from three different corners of the world and has a style that includes classical, The Beatles, gypsy jazz, klezmer, popular movie soundtracks and tango, with more surprises in between. General admission is $20 for adults, $15 for ages 65 and older and $10 for students. Net proceeds benefit the Billings Brain Injury Support Group. Reservations can be made by calling Ian Elliot at 656-2744. Peace Lutheran Church, 1301 Avenue D: The 5 p.m. worship service reflects South African influence in singing. Everyone is welcome to come and sing. Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, 1108 24th St. W.: Noisy Offering is collected during the 5 p.m. service. All proceeds benefit the LCGS Preschool Fund. Sunday Billings Association of Humanists, meeting at First Congregational Church, 310 N. 27th St.: At 1 p.m., Dr. Lori Byron and Dr. Robert Byron discuss, Climate Change, Paris and Beyond, including the work being done by the Citizens Climate Lobby, the encouraging results from COP 21 in Paris (the U.N. Climate Change Conference), and what you as a Montana citizen can do to help slow down the global warming trend. Messiah Lutheran Church, 2939 Colton Blvd.: The Rev. Mark Donald, director of Cristikon Bible Camp, is the guest preacher at the 9:30 a.m. service. Billings Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 2032 Central Ave.: At the 10:30 a.m. service, Mary Elizabeth Ortiz discusses, Building Beloved Community: Sharing Feelings. Ortiz is in the latter part of her masters degree program in clinical and counseling psychology. She is a member of the Billings Unitarian Universalist Fellowship and the program committee, the board chairperson of Not in Our Town, and serves on the board of the Montana Human Rights Network and the LAmare Foundation. She also facilitates the Billings chapter of the Montana Gender Alliance. King of Glory Lutheran Church ELCA, 4125 Grand Ave.: What happens when we die? Do we have a soul or are we a soul? What do Christians believe about heaven? Those questions are explored during the adult class, titled Death & Resurrection: Bodies, Souls, & Christian Hope, at 9:40 a.m. Pilgrim Congregational Church, 409 S. 36th St. S.: The family trio of Joyce Krieger, Gary Krieger and June Karst present special music at the 10 a.m. worship service. The congregation will join in commemorating the 33-year service of organist-pianist Shelly Moats. Mayflower Congregational United Church of Christ, 2940 Poly Drive: Special music for the 10 a.m. service is This Little Light of Mine, sung by Sally Phillips, soprano. Birthday Sunday honors all those with January birthdays after the service. St. Johns Lutheran Ministries, 3940 Rimrock Road: The Rev. Jan Witman, staff chaplain, leads worship in the Ocee Johnson Chapel at 7 p.m. Unity of Billings, 9 14th St. W.: At 10 a.m., the Rev. Jewel Lea Weiss, local minister and creator of the Living Wholeheartedly program, shares the message, Fruits of the Spirit. A Birthday Sunday celebration and fellowship follows, and everyone is invited. Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, 1108 24th St. W. Noisy Offering is collected during the 9 a.m. service. All proceeds go toward the LCGS Preschool Fund. Faith Evangelical Church, 3145 Sweet Water Drive: Everyone is welcome for fellowship and free ice cream during the Sundae Night Hymn Sing with the Men of Faith Quartet at 6 p.m. Atonement Lutheran Church, 1290 Sierra Granda Blvd.: New members are received at the 8 a.m. worship service with Holy Communion, with a reception to follow at 9:15. A potluck follows the 10:30 a.m. worship service with Communion. Billings First Church, 310 N. 27th St.: The sermon during the 11 a.m. worship service explores, What Are Your Food Rules? First United Methodist Church, 2800 Fourth Ave. N.: A preview of upcoming Financial Peace University classes, scheduled to begin Feb. 16, follows the 10:30 a.m. worship service. First English Lutheran Church, 1243 N. 31st St.: The years last Epiphany recital is at 4 p.m. The theme commemorates the 100th anniversary of World War I, with poetry and music by artists from countries involved in the war. The recital features American Guild of Organist members Barbara Gulick, Arle Lohof and Tim Bell of Bozeman, and readers Elizabeth McNamer and Valerie Hemingway. A reception follows. Wednesday Billings Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 2032 Central Ave.: At the Community Lecture Series at 7 p.m., Eli Hovland presents a viewing of "After Tiller," a film about late-term abortions and Dr. George Tiller, who was killed for his work in that arena. The film focuses on the reasons for the procedure and the emotional decisions women and men have to make before asking for the procedure. St. Johns Lutheran Ministries, 3940 Rimrock Road: A community meal is at 6:30 p.m. The Rev. Will Sappington leads an adult Bible study exploring the book of Acts at 7 p.m. First English Lutheran Church, 1243 N. 31st St.: A new schedule for the youth program begins. Bible stories, music and activities for ages 3 years through sixth grade is at 5 p.m. The theme is the disciples. Dinner for all youth is served at 6 p.m. Youth in grades seven through 12 meet at 7 p.m. The topic is, Can you accept the theory of Evolution and still be a Christian? Saturday, Feb. 6 Mayflower Habitat House Wall Raising: Everyone is welcome to the Mayflower Habitat House wall raising at Mike and Lisa Schaack's house, at 1122 Jordan Circle, at 9 a.m. (Directions: From Main Street in the Heights, turn east onto Hilltop Road; at the roundabout, take the second exit going north to Bench Boulevard; continue until reaching Dorothy Lane; turn east. Jordan Circle is located on the left.) Billings Aglow International: The monthly meeting begins at 10 a.m. in the conference room at Lexington Inn and Suites, 3040 King Ave. W. Following a time of praise and worship, the Rev. Abe Madinger, pastor of Life Source Church, shares a message on Gods love. A time to fellowship with and minister to one another follows, and coffee and treats are provided. Other news Hope United Methodist Church soup drive: Over the next month, Hope UMC is collecting cans of soup to be distributed to local agencies for distribution to those in need. The goal of the drive is to collect 1,000 cans by Feb. 21. Anyone wishing to donate is invited to bring cans of soup to Sunday worship at 9 a.m., or to the church office at 244 Wicks Lane during office hours, 8:30 a.m.-noon Monday through Friday. To submit items The deadline for submitting information for the Faith Guide is noon Tuesday for consideration for publication in the upcoming Saturday edition. The items should be special events open to the public and of interest to readers outside your congregation. You may mail information to: Faith Guide; Billings Gazette newsroom; P.O. Box 36300; Billings, MT 59107. Items also may be faxed to 657-1208 or emailed to citynews@billingsgazette.com. Be sure to address faxes or emails to the Faith Guide. Or you may drop off your item at The Gazette, 401 N. Broadway; please mark it to the attention of Rachelle Lacy. Items are used as space is available. For 35 years, members of First Presbyterian Church in Billings have gathered weekly to consider the issues of the day. That has meant looking at everything from religion and conflict in the Middle East to the ethics of life and death, mental health and addictions, the creation versus evolution debate, and abolishing the death penalty. Though the hourlong class initially based its discussions on a Presbyterian publication, since 2003 class coordinator Shari Dayton has lined up guest speakers to address a wide variety of topics. On Feb. 7, she and the class will hit a milestone: meeting with the 400th guest speaker, church member and retired psychiatrist Don Harr who will focus on greed. In all that time there has only been one caveat, Dayton said while sitting in a meeting room at the midtown church. The theme has to be faith-related or have a faith component to it, she said. Remarkably, class members have never been left high and dry. Every single speaker has shown up, Dayton said. Nobody has called in sick. The class itself goes back to 1980, when church member and Montana native Colin Scotty MacLeod started the class, patterning it on one he led while working for Conoco in Houston. He came here when he retired and began teaching the class, Dayton said. MacLeod based discussions on Church & Society, the magazine of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). He would use the publication as a source for his lectures. Each two-month issue would contain an overarching theme and then include a number of articles on specific topics. One that focused on the ethics of life and death looked at subjects ranging from justice and the health care system to faith perspectives on genetic modifications and whose holds responsibility for the uninsured. The format eventually shifted to class members using videos as the basis of discussion. Then the pastor at that time occasionally began to bring in guest speakers. When Dayton took over, she continued the practice of inviting speakers to address the class. She scoured local publications to find people who could bring a topic of interest to the group. If you are part of the community, you feel the pulse of who has expertise in an area, she said. She invited physicians and biblical scholars, people representing other faith traditions, and representatives from nonprofits to share details of their work. We had Nick Wolter from Billings Clinic, and the faith component to that was Jesus healed and hospitals heal, Dayton said. Billings plastic surgeon Alan Muskett is a popular favorite, as is Jim Gransbery, former agriculture and political reporter at The Gazette, she said. Dave Grimland, a retired American diplomat who has insights into the Middle East, has probably been featured the most. His talks always feature the effect of the varying religions over there and how they affect us, how Christianity plays a role, she said. The Rev. Dave Thompson, pastor of the church, said he appreciates Daytons determination to find guest speakers week in and week out. Shari is a good person in that role, Thompson said. She is well-connected in the community, and shes persistent. Dayton agreed that once a speaker has agreed to appear at the church, shell stay in touch until shes able to line up a firm date. And Dayton is always looking for new additions to her roster. I would say 99 percent of the people I make contact with agree to speak, she said. Some dont call back, but I bug them. I dont just call once. During each class, in addition to the talk, speakers provide time for questions from class members. As to attendance at the classes, Dayton said it varies by person. There are people who come every Sunday, regardless of the speaker, she said. There are people who pick and choose. Members of the public are always welcome to attend, as well, Dayton said. Upcoming speakers are listed in the church website. After one particular talk, Dayton said, a member of the audience raised his hand and said he thinks the class is especially valuable because participants who don't always agree with each other or the speaker are able to hold a civil discussion. And I think everybody agreed with that, Dayton said. Welcome Welcome to Conservative Musings. The purpose of this blog is to discuss with everyone (conservatives, moderates, independents and progressives) the issues of the day in an intelligent discussion. We believe that discussion can lead to agreement or an agreement to disagree but it must be held in a mutually respectful environment. We learn nothing from name calling or argument for argument's sake therefore we will not allow that to happen here. We will post our point of view and want a spirited discussion of the issues. Please express your opinions, hopefully we all can learn. Douglas V. Gibbs is a proud member of the American Authors Association Douglas V. Gibbs is a proud member of the Military Writers Society of America. For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browser Clarifying his position on rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, Republican candidate for governor Greg Gianforte endorsed nondiscrimination for workers Friday, but not for customers. Gianforte, who spent more than an hour with The Billings Gazette editorial board discussing his campaign, said it was a step too far for government to prevent businesses from deciding who they refuse to do business with. The candidates stance on nondiscrimination ordinances, or NDOs, for LGBT people, has become a point of attack for Democrats, who point out that Gianforte opposed an ordinance passed in 2014 by Bozeman, home to one of Montanas modern business success stories RightNow Technologies, which Gianforte created. Gianforte told Bozeman leaders the ordinance would be bad for business, advice Democrats are drumming into campaign messaging. Last week, Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock went to a Bozeman coffee shop to extend non-discrimination rights based on gender identity or gender expression. Bullock specifically identified the discrimination reported by 40 percent of lesbian, gay and bisexual people as well as the 90 percent of transgender people reporting harassment, mistreatment or job discrimination. The announcement came days before Gianforte officially launched his campaign for governor. Gianforte said he supported the spirit of Bullocks executive order. Discrimination is wrong and should not be tolerated. In our business, RightNow Technologies, we hired strictly based on peoples ability. They got promoted based on their contribution, Gianforte said. Theres a big difference between what was done in the executive order and the NDO that was ultimately proposed and passed in Bozeman, because the one in Bozeman went a lot further, particularly in the impact it had on businesses. I believe we have too many regulations in this state. These NDOs have passed in a number of these communities in the state. They have never been used, but they add the threat of increased cost for businesses. Billings was one of the few cities in Montana where the City Council voted against an NDO. Several businesses came forward saying they wanted the right to refuse service to LGBT people, based on their religious beliefs, or out of concern for offending preferred customers. Turning away LGBT customers has already proven a losing proposition for businesses around the country. In Colorado, a District Judge in 2014 ruled against a Lakewood bakeshop that refused to sell a wedding cake to a gay couple. In Portland, Ore., a court fined a bakery $144,000 for discriminating against a lesbian couple who wanted a wedding cake. Marriage has been legal for same-sex couples since a June 2015 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. Gianforte said he would side with a baker in a similar situation. In May 2014, when the Bozeman City Commission was considering its NDO, Gianforte suggested a religious exemption for businesses that objected to providing wedding services based on religious beliefs to gays and lesbians. That idea was not adopted. This is a very sticky issue, because our First Amendment guarantees freedom of conscience through the freedom of religion, Gianforte said. The challenge of the NDO is that it goes beyond regulation burdens, it also puts in law not so much elimination of discrimination, but forces participation. This country was founded on a freedom of religion basis and we have to respect individuals rights to believe as they choose. Gianforte recalled an instance when RightNow Technologies decided against doing business with the topless news Canadas Naked News, a subscription news service featuring nude newscasters. RightNow decided the affiliation would be bad for its brand. Gianforte founded the software company RightNow Technologies in Bozeman roughly 20 years ago. RightNow software enables governments and companies to answer frequently asked questions online. The companys workforce ballooned to 1,200 before it was sold to Oracle for $1.8 billion in 2012. CASPER Liz Cheney, a Wilson resident and daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, is running for Wyoming's only U.S. House seat. Cheney, a Republican, has filed statement of candidacy paperwork with the Federal Election Commission. She signed and dated the paperwork Thursday. The commission received it Friday. The Liz Cheney for Wyoming campaign will be based in Casper, according to the paperwork. Campaign officials said she plans to formally announce Monday in Gillette, the Associated Press reported. The Casper Star-Tribune was unable to reach Cheney on Saturday. Wyomings only U.S. House seat is open, as U.S. Rep. Cynthia Lummis, a Republican, said she will not seek re-election in 2016. The House bid is Cheneys second attempt for one of Wyoming's three Congressional seats. In 2013, she briefly ran against incumbent Sen. Mike Enzi, but quit the race six months later, in early 2014. She cited family health concerns at the time and later told the Star-Tribune her family was strong and moving forward. Cheney will enter the race in a crowded field, with the advantage of having the most name recognition from the start. She will likely face criticism from opponents that she isnt firmly enough established in Wyoming, having purchased her Wyoming home only in May 2012, questions she faced in her Senate race. Kevin Voyles, a Cheney supporter from Thayne who has been active in Republican politics for 15 years and attorney for the Wyoming GOP for 10, said the eldest daughter of the former vice president knows Wyoming and is the best conservative in the race. I think Liz understands the people of Wyoming, he said. She grew up with Wyoming values. Dick and Lynne Cheney are quintessential Wyoming folks. However, Ana Cuprill, chairwoman of the Wyoming Democratic Party, said Cheney is only interested in being a Wyomingite when it is politically expedient to her ambitions. If she is so interested to return to the East Coast she could just as easily return to her home in Virginia, Cuprill said. Cheney brings to 11 the number of candidates vying for Wyoming's House seat. Others include state Rep. Tim Stubson, a Casper attorney and the third ranking Republican in the Wyoming House, and state Sen. Leland Christensen, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee. Christensen is from the community of Alta in affluent Teton County, where Cheney also has her home. He and Cheney are expected to compete for contributions from the area. With her family name and connections, Cheney will likely set the fundraising bar. The race could also be a test of the Cheney brand in Wyoming. Dick Cheney has remained a favorite in Wyoming, even as his popularity diminished nationally. Fundraising Former U.S. Rep. Barbara Cubin, who held the House seat from 1995 to 2008, ran seven times for the office. Cubin said she couldnt guess exactly how much money candidates will raise. But it could be in excess of $1 million. If you have a contested primary and youre a Republican in Wyoming, you dont have to spend a lot in the general, she said. This being a contested primary, I wouldnt think that $1 million is outrageous. The entire state is the House district, and Wyomings sheer size requires cash. It costs money to fuel cars and rent charter planes, which might be necessary in this race. Candidates have to rent hotel rooms for themselves and their staffs. Advertising in newspapers, radio stations and on television also adds up, Cubin said. Running in Wyoming is different than if you live in a place like New York, where their district might be a square mile, versus 100,000 square miles, she said. Casper connection Dick Cheney and his wife, Lynne, are both Natrona County High School graduates. They have lived on and off in Wyoming for decades. The family returned to Casper after President Gerald Ford lost his re-election bid to President Jimmy Carter in 1976. Dick Cheney had been Fords chief of staff. Liz Cheney attended fifth and sixth grades at Park Elementary and seventh grade at Dean Morgan Junior High. In 1978, Dick Cheney was elected to the U.S. House seat, and the family returned to Washington. Cheney received a degree in political science from Colorado College in 1988. She graduated from law school at the University of Chicago in 1996. Cheney met her husband, also a Colorado College alum who was a few years ahead of her, in the summer of 1991. They were engaged the following summer and got married in 1993 in Jackson. She has been a contributor for Fox News, with a home studio in Wyoming. She and her father head the Alliance for a Strong America, which advocates for an aggressive U.S. foreign policy. The two recently authored a book together titled Exceptional: Why the World Needs a Powerful America. She's been a staunch defender of her father's legacy as vice president. When her father was vice president, Cheney was principal deputy assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs. Under President George H.W. Bush, she also worked in the State Department. Shes been employed by the Agency for International Development and the International Finance Corp., which invests in developing countries, as well. Large field There are now 11 candidates in the race. In addition to Cheney, Stubson and Christensen, there are six other Republicans: Darek Farmer, a stay-at-home father and former oil field worker from Guernsey; Mike Konsmo, a professor at Northwest College; Paul Paad; a Casper resident and lobbyist at the state Legislature for a motorcycle enthusiast group; Rex Rammell, a Gillette veterinarian has run for state and federal offices in Idaho; Jason Senteney, a state corrections officer who sought the office in 2014; and Charlie Tyrrel, owner of Charlie Ts pizzeria in Casper. Richard Grayson, a Democrat who lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., and the Phoenix area, is also running, as is independent John Meena, a database administrator and accountant for the state. A former employee of Lithia Chrysler Jeep Dodge of Billings will serve five years on federal probation after she admitted stealing $288,245 from the company over 11 years. For what its worth, Im really really sorry, said a tearful Renee Ann Zinnecker, 51, during a sentencing hearing on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Billings. Zinnecker said she wanted to provide her children things she never had. Earlier, she said she spent the money on groceries, clothes, utilities, medical bills and her children's cellphone bills. Zinnecker faced a prison range of 21 months to 27 months for her guilty plea in October to one count of wire fraud. Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Rubich recommended a two-year sentence saying it would send the wrong message to the community if Zinnecker were given little to no jail time. The damage Zinnecker caused and the need for deterrence required a serious sentence, Rubich said in court records. Zinnecker, he continued, used her position as office manager to defraud the company of a vast sum of money. Zinneckers motivation for stealing was because she felt she was being mistreated and underappreciated and not because she was desperate for money, Rubich said. Her $56,000 salary was "well beyond the median income" of Montanans, he added. Zinnecker used the money to pay for a more luxurious lifestyle for herself and her children and at one point referred to it as her fun money, he said. The money is gone, and it was not clear when, if ever, Zinnecker will be able to pay restitution, Rubich said. Assistant Federal Defender David Merchant successfully argued for probation saying that although Zinnecker had failed as an employee and a parent, she gave herself up. Probation would allow Zinnecker, who has struggled to find a job, to begin paying restitution, he said. U.S. District Judge Susan Watters agreed to vary from the guidelines and ordered probation, including one year of home detention along with mental health treatment. She also imposed $288,254 restitution, calling the amount staggering. Zinnecker, she said, had no criminal record and was remorseful. Watters said she was baffled at Zinneckers motivation, noting she did not have problems with alcohol or gambling but lacked peer relationships and got self-esteem by providing for her children. Things certainly got out of hand, Watters said. Prosecutors said the thefts ran from about 2005 until March 2014 and that Zinnecker skimmed the money using several bookkeeping and accounting schemes. In March 2014, the general manager told Zinnecker to explain why there were so many delayed deposits, but instead of providing answers, prosecutors said, she left the business and never returned, essentially abandoning her job. A conservative business man who is leading a national campaign to convince Congress to address climate change is financially supporting U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Willsboro. Jay W. Faison, founder of ClearPath Foundation, personally contributed $2,700 to Stefanik's re-election campaign in November and personally contributed $5,000 in December to E-PAC, the congresswoman's separate political action committee, according to campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. Faison, the chief executive officer of SnapAV has organized and is bankrolling a national education campaign and SUPER PAC to push conservative and moderate Republicans to take action on climate change action. Stefanik, a first-term congresswoman, is running for re-election in New York's 21st Congressional District. Mike Derrick, a retired Army colonel from Peru, in Clinton County, is seeking the Democratic nomination. Matt Funiciello, the Green Party candidate in 2014, is laying ground work to run again. Democratic congressional candidate Mike Derrick said he supports increasing the state minimum wage in New York to $15, but not necessarily at the federal level. Now the governor is pushing us in that direction. And I think, on balance, thats a good thing. We have to create a situation in our country where people earn a living wage, Derrick said Tuesday in a meeting with The Post-Star editorial board. I think this is one of those times in our country with the great diversity we have across 50 different states where this ought to be a state issue, he said. Fifthteen dollars an hour in rural Kansas goes a whole lot further than it does in Albany, N.Y. There are some regional disparities, regional differences. It goes a whole lot further in Columbus, Ga. Derrick said he would not commit to supporting a $15 an hour federal minimum wage, at this point. That would be, I think, a little heavy-handed on the part of the federal government to mandate that at $15 an hour, he said. Well see. Theres a lot of careful thought that needs to go in to that, like a lot of other important things in our government process. Derrick, a retired Army colonel from Peru, in Clinton County, is seeking the Democratic nomination to run against U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Willsboro, in November. Matt Funiciello, the Green Party candidate in 2014, is laying ground work to run again. Police in Hudson Falls and Fort Edward dealt with a rash of thefts from cars over night Thursday, and renewed warnings to area residents to lock cars and remove valuables. Winter's cold weather typically results in thieves who go through parked cars taking a few months off until weather gets more comfortable. But Hudson Falls Police Chief Randy Diamond said his department dealt with complaints Friday about thefts, including a purse stolen from an unlocked car, and Washington County sheriff's officers had cases just outside the village. Vehicle owners can not leave valuables in unlocked vehicles and expect them to be there in the morning, he said. WHITE CREEK Dairy farmer Lenny Austin has always been one of the first to pitch in to help others when they are in need. After a devastating farming accident on Jan. 13 severely injured Austin, the community is rallying to help him and his family. Austin, 59, the owner of Lincoln Hill Farm, suffered head, internal and arm injuries in a manure spreader accident. He has been in Albany Medical Centers intensive care unit since the accident. His oldest son, Andy Austin, said his father has not regained consciousness since the accident, and the most serious injuries included bleeding on the brain, broken ribs, pelvis, collarbone and punctured lungs. There have been some encouraging signs, including him squeezing the hands of loved ones and wiggling his toes, Andy Austin said. Doctors want to have him moved to a rehabilitation center, but his breathing has not stabilized enough yet, his son said. It takes time for the brain to heal, he said. They are telling us its a waiting game. Andy Austin said his father was hurt when the manure spreaders power takeoff activated as he was trying to free a frozen section of the machine. Fundraisers will help the family pay for medical bills that have already started coming in, Andy Austin said. An online fund has been started at www.gofundme.com/jyknkm9w, with nearly $10,000 raised as of Friday afternoon. Two events have been organized as well. The first is a spaghetti dinner with auctions that will be held at the North Hoosick Fire Department on Feb. 6. For information, call 378-4538. A second dinner and auction will be held Feb. 26 at the American Legion post in Cambridge. More information can be found on the A Night for Lenny or Lincoln Hill Farm pages on Facebook. A school-zone traffic stop led police four pounds of marijuana found in a man's vehicle, according to court filings. William Louis Lawrence Jr., 45, appeared Friday in Yellowstone County Justice Court on a charge of criminal possession of drugs with intent to distribute. Judge David A. Carter set his bond at $15,000 during the hearing. According to court documents, police pulled Lawrence over on Tuesday for speeding in the Burlington Elementary school zone on Lewis Avenue. An officer noted that Lawrence was digging under his seat and appeared nervous, and the officer asked to search the vehicle. Consent eventually came from Lawrence's probation officer, as Lawrence was under supervision for a previous conviction of burglary. According to court documents, police found a large red suitcase that contained a bag of what appeared to be marijuana and some canisters. More vacuum-sealed bags of the substance were found in the truck, the documents state. The total amount was measured at four pounds. The substance has been sent to the Montana State Crime Lab for further testing. Lawrence is scheduled to appear in Yellowstone County District Court on Feb. 5. He also faces a revocation of his suspended sentence from his previous conviction. Our immediate reaction to a suggestion from Washington County District Attorney Tony Jordan that specialized veterans courts are needed locally is that such courts are unnecessary, but a little research convinced us of the opposite. At first, we thought to ourselves, lots of people land in court because of problems in their past, and lots of people charged with crimes would benefit from a more understanding and less punitive approach to criminal justice. Why should veterans be singled out for special consideration? But research showed us that New York has already established various problem-solving courts, where circumstances beyond the immediate wrongdoing can be considered and treatment instead of punishment can be the focus. Adolescent diversion, drug treatment, domestic violence, human trafficking, mental health, sex offender and veterans all have specialized courts that take a more holistic approach to criminal justice. The goal in these problem-solving courts is to improve outcomes for offenders and break the cycle of violence, drug abuse and other dysfunction perpetuated in families one generation after another. Not everyone qualifies for these specialized courts. But for those who do, the alternative approach can offer a chance to get better and to do better, without being stigmatized as an ex-con. We support these efforts, not only because they are humane, but because the cost to society of guiding someone through rehabilitation is so much lower than the cost of imprisonment. Prison does not encourage good citizenship. Recidivism is high among those who do hard time. Its worth the investment in counseling and support services to get some people back on the right path (we know that, despite the best attempts, many will fail), because even saving just some will end up saving the rest of us lots of money and trouble. Combat veterans do have unique challenges. Americans know from painful experience how difficult it is for soldiers to move from the stresses of the battlefield back to the mundane demands of daily life. Many of our soldiers have returned with injuries to their bodies; many others have returned with invisible wounds to their minds and souls. Our soldiers are well-trained, but its difficult to prepare anyone for the horror of having friends shot down beside them or the trauma of killing another human being. Since we have demanded extraordinary sacrifices from the people we have sent over to Iraq and Afghanistan, its only right we give them special consideration as we do many others when the psychological consequences of those experiences land them in court. With understanding and assistance, many veterans can be recover from what theyve had to endure and be saved from suicide, drug addiction and crime. So we agree with Tony Jordan. The more we can find the potential for recovery in people who have been charged with crimes, the better off we all will be, and no one has more potential to be good citizens than our veterans. Not scorpions, tarantulas, or the lack of running water and electricity could keep a team from Summit Oral Surgery and Implant Center in Billings from bringing their skills and their big hearts to members of the Ngobe Tribe of Panama late last year. Three providers Amy Boeckel, an oral maxillofacial surgical assistant, Brooke Pollock and Dr. Bert Winterholler, an oral surgeon now retired from the practice surrendered their Christmas and New Years holidays to join about 30 other medical and dental providers as part of an International Medical Relief effort in remote portions of Panama. It's an area where about 20 percent of the population is extremely poor and half the children are poor, according to the World Bank. You could see that they trusted us and that they were thankful somebody was there to help them, Boeckel said. Many of them had never been to a doctor and never received an immunization." Summit sponsored the trip for the three providers. Throughout his career Winterholler has made several dental care trips all over the world, but Pollock and Boeckel were on their first mission. Instead of a retirement party, Dr. Winterholler decided he wanted to do another trip, Pollock said. She said both she and Boeckel plan to make another mission journey in two years to follow the tradition he set. On the last day, we helped a woman who had been trying to get her tooth out for two years, Pollock said. We did it, and she cried, and we cried, because it was such a relief for her. She was our last patient, and that just made our trip. Working up to 12 hours a day and seeing more than 400 patients during the first two days, the three spent the holidays sweltering in 95-percent humidity and 95-degree heat, camping in small tents. When they showered, they tapped into a five-gallon jug of water heated in the sun. When they were finished, they left their tents and sleeping bags behind for villagers to use. The three traveled by bus, four-wheel drive vehicle, even by motorized dugout canoe, to reach the remote mountainous villages. Those roads were treacherous, Pollock said. We were hanging on for dear life, but at the same time we were looking at each other like, This is fun! As the team paused from their grueling days to enjoy meals prepared by a chef who cooked delicacies like pineapple upside-down cake over an open flame, the thin neighborhood dogs would stare at them, begging for scraps. I never felt scared or alone, Boeckel said. This Christmas it was about giving strangers the gift of care. It was a Christmas gift for tribes who had never received a gift before. You feel good about yourself, because youre helping them get better. Winterholler said that Boeckel was in high demand among the 34 providers because of her ability to insert an IV. She helped save the life of an 8-year-old boy simply by hydrating him, Winterholler said. The providers described patients who came to them with leeches in their hair from bathing in the river, along with scabies and parasitic infestations. But there were perks during and after all that care, which occurred in three Panamanian villages. Following their work they spent a few days in Panama City, where they went on monkey safari, went kayaking, saw the Panama Canal and took in fireworks from the 22nd story of their hotel. "Panamanians are pyromaniacs," Winterholler said. He found a source for oranges and coconuts at one village, spending $13 to purchase hundreds of oranges and about 60 coconuts. He also dispensed bracelets and rings to the villagers. To protect their volunteers, International Medical Relief didnt release the teams itinerary. But the organization did send daily email updates to the families of volunteers so they wouldn't worry. "They weren't in the dark, but we had no cell service, no nothing," Boeckel said. The three said they were privileged to get a tour of a Panama City dump thats home to about 15,000 immigrants. It is polluted the likes of which you havent seen, Winterholler said. In May, an International Medical Relief team is set to return to the dump to offer those immigrants medical and dental care. In a blog she shared with IMR, Boeckel described an encounter with a local medicine man: He showed the team his various herbal remedies that he harvested from the surrounding jungle. Stomach pain was treated with water steeped from the bark of a certain tree. Snake bites were treated with a local flower that is ironically shaped like a snake. Hydrocephaly was treated with a red plant root. And allergies were treated with a local stalk plant. The man explained that his knowledge had been passed back for generations and that he himself was training the next generation. It was very hard leaving, she said. We had tears every time we left a village, because we built up real relationships with the patients. They would look at us like, 'Fix me, I am sick.' Even though we had maybe 30 minutes with them, we made them feel like they are someone and we gave them the best care we could give. Transparency. Montana voters are likely to hear that pledge time and time again in the coming months. Campaign finance law is complicated, with more loopholes than a Swiss cheese, and the voters and the media should demand that each candidate define publically what he or she means by a pledge of transparency. Even then, I suggest that whatever the candidates definition, voters should take the pledge with a good deal of skepticism. Heres the problem in a nutshell. First, according to the U.S. Supreme Court in Citizens United, contributions paid directly to a candidate breed corruption quid pro quo: I give you money; I buy your vote. Back in the day, it was called bribery. Thats why contributions and coordinated communications are subject to limits imposed by law. However, that same court decreed that expenditures made on behalf of a candidate do not have any such corruptive effect because the individual or entity expending the money is simply providing the public with information about a candidate or issue. These sorts of independent expenditures are unlimited. Money declared speech Second, under Buckley v. Valeo, a decision pre-dating Citizens United, the U.S. Supreme Court held that money is a form of and counts as speech. The court stated: A restriction on the amount of money a person or group can spend on political communication during a campaign necessarily reduces the quantity of expression by restricting the number of issues discussed, the depth of their exploration, and the size of the audience reached. And, [t]he electorates increasing dependence on television, radio, and other mass media for news and information has made these expensive modes of communication indispensable instruments of effective political speech. Third, the law provides that these independent expenditures cannot be made in cooperation, consultation, or concert with, or at the request or suggestion of, a candidate, a candidates authorized committee, or their agents, or a political party or its agents." Now, if a candidate wants to tear up or return direct contributions lawfully made to his or her campaign, by all means, shred or return away. But, when it comes to expenditures made on behalf of his or her campaign by individuals, corporations, special interests or super-PACs, Citizens United guarantees that the candidates wishes, pledges, promises or disavowals dont mean much. For one thing, as noted above, the law requires that the candidate have absolutely nothing to do with the independent expenditurethats why its independent. If he or she violates this law, then the commissioner of political practices gets involvedas per recent stories in the print and broadcast media. On the other hand, if XYZ Corporation, or super-PAC Americans for Motherhood and Apple Pie want to make an independent expenditure to fund a slick TV campaign for Candidate A, Candidate As disavowal and pledge not to accept institutional or PAC money is smoke and mirrors. Under Citizens United, the independent expender has a First Amendment, free political speech right to inform the electorate, and the electorate has a right to be informed irrespective of whether Candidate A agrees or not. Indeed, if its a true independent expenditure, the candidate cant stop it even if he or she is self-funding his or her own campaign. If there is no disclosure of the names of the individuals actually behind the independent expender, then we have dark money. Expenditures are bribes Remember, according to the Supreme Court, a contribution corrupts; but expenditure has no corruptive effect. For those living in a parallel universe that nuance may make sense, but, in the reality of the information age, it is a dichotomy grounded in a consummate fiction. By either definition, the contributor or expender is using money to influence an election and to secure a vote in favor of or against a candidate. Aside from fools or the Citizens United majority, does anyone actually believe that candidates are oblivious to who is expending money for or against them? And, can any thinking person doubt that when millions upon millions of dollars are expended on behalf of a candidate, that he or she is bought (bribed) as surely as if the office-seeker were handed a bushel basket of cash under the table? In short, voters should be skeptical of a candidates pledge to not accept PAC and special interest money. Frequently, wrapping oneself in the mantle of transparency is a cloak that is anything but transparent. I met John Kasich on the Flathead Lake tour boat, then named the Retta Mary, in the early 90s. He was a young Ohio congressman, and along with a few of the other passengers, I intruded on his Montana vacation to engage him in conversation. I remember that he was concerned about corporate welfare. His view was that government shouldnt play favorites among business and economic interests, and that the economic system functions better if government establishes general guidelines, and allows businesses to compete within them. I was impressed by his genuinely jovial and outgoing demeanor. He liked everybody on the small tour boat, and everybody liked him. A year or two later, I had a conversation with the president of the Ohio State Senate, and I asked him if he knew Kasich. He said he did, and that he had served with Kasich in the Ohio Senate before Kasich went on to Congress. He described him as independent-minded, outspoken, and sometimes out of line with party leadership. He commented that the young state senator frequently arrived for senate sessions on his motorcycle. Though he is now characterized as part of the establishment, I doubt that term ever fit John Kasich. Ive followed his career since meeting him. Hes been more of a maverick than an insider. I remember when he made the news by teaming up with activist Ralph Nader to reduce tax loopholes for large corporations. In researching this column I learned that Kasich grew up in a lower middle class family, the grandson of southern European immigrants who couldnt speak English. Hes been described by a long-time Ohio political observer, as a solid Republican, but a biological Democrat. Perhaps that observation helps to explain why he is hard to define on the political spectrum. Kasich has sometimes been criticized by the NRA, abortion rights groups, the Sierra Club, defense contractors, the Tea Party, public employees unions and the AARP. The people of his congressional district who knew him, however, liked him. In eight races for re-election, he never won by less than 60 percent of the votes. No middle-of-the-roader, he compiled a solidly conservative voting record over his 18 year in Congress. Kasich has been effective. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, he was repeatedly instrumental in reducing or eliminating wasteful and unnecessary defense spending. He formed alliances with liberal California Democrat Ron Dellums, and then with Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney. As chairman of the House Budget Committee he is best remembered as the chief architect of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, which created the only balanced federal budget in a sea of red ink extending back to the Eisenhower administration. Kasich was elected governor of Ohio in 2010 when the state was $6 billion in debt. By the end of his first term, the state was $2 million in the black. In 2014, Kasich was re-elected by Democrat and Republican, carrying 86 of the states 88 counties. Kasich is not colorful or charismatic. He just knows how to unify people and get things done. Too bad hes not a colorful huckster, more bombastic, a tougher talker. It will be too bad indeed, if the people never come to recognize the trustworthy and effective leader they have been looking for, because hes not a better showman. Author Linda Sue Parks 2010 novel A Long Walk to Water based on the life of Salva Dut, one of the lost boys of Sudan has now sold one million copies. To mark the milestone and the books impact, publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt will donate $15,000 to Salva Duts nonprofit, Water for South Sudan. WFSS provides fresh water to thousands of South Sudanese, and makes it possible for hundreds of children, particularly children, to attend school rather than spend their days walking to wells. Parks school visits and TED talk have inspired students globally to contribute to WFSS, raising almost $1 million for wells since the books publication, according to the organizations website. HMHs donation to WFSS in particular will fund the drilling and installation of a new well in South Sudan. The publisher is also launching a matching gift campaign for employees in order to raise an additional $15,000. HMHs support of WFSS comes out of its corporate social responsibility program, which is dedicated to improving pre K12 student outcomes in under-resourced communities through a variety of global initiatives. Park expressed her gratitude at HMHs gesture in a release, stating There are now hundreds of wells in South Sudan that have been sponsored by readers of the book, and I'm deeply moved that HMH is adding to that number. Ellen Archer, president of HMH Trade Publishing, added, By bringing safe, clean water sources to communities, WFSS provides multiple gifts to those it serves, including expanded access to education and opportunities for children to thrive. Were proud that A Long Walk to Water is a part of this larger story and that it continues to touch readers lives. The report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) recommends that some university undergraduates should instead be diverted into FE colleges as the best way of solving chronic skills shortages among school leavers in England. With one in 10 graduates leaving university still hampered by low levels of maths or literacy ability, the OECD says the money would be better spent in schools and in education for 16- to 19-year-olds tackling poor skill levels. The report was commissioned by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) after research showed young people in England had lower levels of skills than the previous generation, and below those of Poland and Spain. It argues that further education courses are a cheaper and more effective way of tackling the problem than expensive degree courses. Read more: 5 advantages of taking online courses seriously Instead, the Paris-based thinktank recommends that it be made harder for young people without qualifications such as a C in GCSE maths to enrol at university, while universities should also be stopped from allowing students to graduate while lacking basic skills. Fewer undergraduates would mean savings of hundreds of millions of pounds, according to the authors, which could be used for school improvements as well as funding professional courses for school-leavers. This would help to rebalance the English education system towards one which would be both more efficient in the use of public resources and fairer to all, the report claims. But the reports findings were disputed by higher education bodies, which argued that the success of graduates in finding well-paid jobs was evidence that universities were providing valuable skills. The percentage of people with university degrees in England deemed to have low skills is exceptionally small. The reports suggested change of approach does not seem justified based on the small numbers involved, said Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of Universities UK, which represents the executive heads of universities. Pam Tatlow, chief executive of Million+, a university thinktank affiliated with many newer universities, said: The OECD has taken a partial view of the university landscape, failing to understand the myriad ways universities support students in their degree courses regardless of their individual prior attainment. It remains the case that studying at university, including for a degree apprenticeship, remains the best choice an individual can make to be successful in the workplace. The OECD argued that traditional three-year undergraduate degrees are costly and unsuited to the educational needs of young people lacking numeracy and literacy, while students graduating with poor basic skills undermine the currency of an English university degree. These potential entrants should be diverted into more suitable provision that meets their needs. Such students need postsecondary alternatives that will address their needs and tackle basic skills, the report recommends. For students with intermediate levels of basic skills, much more needs to be done within universities to develop quite basic literacy and numeracy skills, alongside higher level study skills. Martin Doel, chief executive of the Association of Colleges, which represents FE colleges, said the sector already helped more than three million people gain skills each year. A university education is not the only option and policymakers need to recognise that a technical and professional education is just as valuable, Doel said. All 18-year-olds, whether going to college, university or a job, should have maths and English skills up to level two [grade C or above at GCSE]. It is appropriate, therefore, that universities should only accept students with these qualifications. Overall, the report blamed poor education at state schools for the existing low levels of skills among those aged up to 34. But it applauded the governments reforms as likely to tackle the problem, though it does suggest abolishing GCSE exams at 16 in favour of a baccalaureate qualification at age 18. While we are pleased the OECD recognises the progress we have made, we are not complacent and will maintain our relentless focus on literacy and numeracy so all young people have the chance to succeed, a spokesperson for BIS said. Funding for the FE sector has not only been protected, but will increase in cash terms under this government. This is because we recognise the key role the sector plays in equipping people with the skills they need to get on. According to Dr. Anthony Akoto Osei, the Minister had not right to announce the cancellation of the 1% tax when the bill had not been presented to parliament for approval. The Speaker, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, referred the bill to the Finance Committee of Parliament for consideration and delivery of a report to the House, when after it was presented to the house on Friday He said the committee could also look at any consequential issue and advise the House accordingly. The Income Tax Act 2015, which was passed by Parliament and assented to by President John Dramani Mahama on September 1, 2015, was supposed to come into effect on January 1, 2016. Under the act, all interest paid to an individual is to attract one per cent tax. Read More: > Misapplication of Funds PAC cites Terkper for violation of Financial Administration Act This means that any interest accrued on treasury bills, fixed income deposit, interest from banks, among others, will attract a tax of one per cent. The finance ministry quickly backtracked on the new law in a press statement saying processes were underway to ask parliament to amend the law. Days before Terkper appeared in parliament, the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) issued a press statement announcing the suspension of the tax. The suspension however irked parliament, with the ranking member on parliament's Finance Committee, Dr Anthony Osei Akoto accusing the GRA of being in contempt of parliament. He told Accra based Class Fm in an interview that nobody can change a law passed by parliament, and that if anyone wants to make amendments to a law, they must come to parliament. A law is a law and nobody, except parliament, can amend it, he said. His position was backed by the Speaker Edward Doe Adjaho during a brief deliberation on the matter when Terkper tabled the amendment motion. He said with the rate of recorded of the disease, self medication would lead to the rapid spread of the disease, which could increase its death toll. Dr Afreh gave the advice at the launch of a project dubbed Enhancing Maternal Mental Health of pregnant women, mothers and their children to realise the target goals for maternal and child health in Brong-Ahafo. He mentioned fever, headache, neck pains and convulsion as some of the immediate signs and symptoms of the Pneumococcal meningitis. Dr Afreh appealed to the public to assist people who complained of such symptoms to get to the nearest health facility. He said that 33 people had died since the virus was detected, with the region recording 139 cases. According to him, the disease had been recorded in 18 municipals and districts, cautioning that if immediate measures were not enhanced it would spread to all the 27 district assemblies. Dr Gabriel Gbiel Benarkuu, the Chief Executive Officer of the Mission of Hope Society, a Non-governmental Organisation, and project implementors said about 29,520 pregnant women and mothers would benefit from it. The three-year project is being funded by the DFID/UKAID through BasicNeeds Ghana at GHC218,000.00. Dr Benarkuu noted that globally mental health problems were rarely considered as a major public health challenge and evidence indicated that maternal mortality was still high. He said the project sought to contribute to improved maternal health and livelihood among poor and vulnerable women and girls in 18 target districts in the region. Dr Benarkuu appealed to traditional authorities, assembly members and faith-based organisations to support the project. Stroke, which was usually the disease which claimed more lives at the facility however came second, killing 163 last year. Authorities at the Koforidua Government Hospital have revealed that HIV/AIDS killed as many as 167 people at the facility in 2015, as compared to previous years. Head of Surveillance at the GHS, Dr. Franklin Asiedu Bekoe said constantly reporting the detection of a few cases in an area is the cause of the panic being experienced in the country. Speaking in an interview on Radio Ghana, Dr. Asare Bekoe stressed that Ghana is very safethe fact that you have reported one case in an area doesnt constitute the threat that you are talking about. One case does not constitute an outbreakOne case of meningitis shouldnt cause so much panic Lets not spread so much panic that there is one case here and there is one case there because averagely, we have about a 1,000 cases in Ghana yearlyso one case in a locality shouldnt create panic, he explained. The first case was recorded in the Brong Ahafo Region in December 2015 and has since spread to seven other regions with the latest being the Greater Accra Region. The Ministry of Health Organized a press conference to announce the steps it was taking to address the health problem. The Ministry also assured Ghanaians that personnel in the health sector were effectively handling the outbreak but these assurances seem to have not succeeded in calming the fears of Ghanaians. According to Dr. Asare Bekoe, meningitis is somehow endemic in Ghanaso it is not that it was absent in Ghana and it has appeared. He indicated that his outfit is on high alert to make sure that every case of meningitis that occurs in a locality is detected and treated. His pronouncement comes on the back of the declaration made by the Ashanti Regional Police Commander, DCOP Kofi Boakye that the MP for Asante Akyem North is wanted for inciting the youth of Agogo against the chiefs of the area and the Fulani herdsmen. The MP for Bekwai, Joseph Osei-Wusu on the floor of Parliament on Friday drew the attention of the Speaker to the matter. According to him, DCOP Boakye should have first brought the matter before the Speaker for the Speaker to invite the said Minister and go through the motions and for the necessary action to be taken. Its not that MPs are above the criminal law but the procedure of bring a Member of Parliament who is alleged to have committed a criminal offence must be followed. Going out to publish that a Member of Parliament is wanted gives the impression that the person is a fugitive of Justice and that is not the case, he explained. But Mr. Kumi in an interview on Radio Ghana stated that the matter is a constitutional issue and I believe it is about time somebody went to the Supreme Court to seek answers and interpretation to this wide and nebulous provision of the constitution. Parliamentary privileges and immunities are special rights enjoyed by the Speaker, Members and Officers of Parliament. Article 117 of the 1992 constitution states that; Civil or criminal process coming from any court or place out of Parliament shall not be served on, or executed in relation to, the Speaker or a member or the clerk to Parliament while he is on his way to, attending at or returning from, any proceedings of Parliament. The exception is with the Speaker's permission in the case of a criminal process. Also no civil or criminal process could be instituted against a Member of Parliament for anything s/he said on the floor of the House. These Parliamentary privileges and immunities are aimed at protecting the status and authority, as well as the dignity of Parliament as an institution. When do we arrest a Member of Parliament or an officer when the person commits an offence? Mr. Kumi asked. He said this constitutional provision could be abused by MPs who may lie to escape arrest. The delegates numbering over 2,000 will converge on the Trade Fair Center in La, Accra, to cast their vote. In all, four people are vying for the flagbearer position of the CPP. They are, immediate past chairperson and daughter of Ghanas first President and founder of the CPP, Samia Nkrumah, immediate past general secretary, Ivor Greenstreet, two-time defeated flag bearer and lawyer, Bright Akwetey and President of Providence Canada, a Canadian telecommunication company Mr Joseph Agyapong. The leadership of the party says the CPP has worked hard over the past three years to become the third force in Ghanas politics and thus, they are poised to wrestle power from the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC). Meanwhile, disqualified flagbearer aspirant and brother of Ms Nkrumah has secured a court injunction to stop the congress from taking place. Onzy Nkrumah accused his sister of masterminding his disqualification from race. Lissa Yellowbird-Chase may be the only person from North Dakota taking unpaid time off from work to sit through the trial of a man accused of hiring the murder of two men during the Bakken oil boom. Others including former Three Affiliated Tribes chairman Tex Hall, his companion Tiffany Johnson and New Town oil businessman Steve Kelly are subpoenaed witnesses in the trail, but Yellowbird-Chase says that, by observing quietly in the courtroom, she may learn where one of the slain men is buried. The trial of James Henrikson, 36, started Monday with jury selection in a Richland, Wash., federal courtroom. Hes accused in the killings of Kristopher KC Clarke, a truck driver, who the prosecution says was bludgeoned to death near Mandaree four years ago and still lies in an unfound grave, and Doug Carlile, an investment partner, who was shot to death in his suburban Spokane, Wash., home in December 2013. Woman to continue search for body of slain oil patch worker BISMARCK, N.D. A woman who says she has led more than 100 searches for the body of an oil The actual killer, Timothy Suckow, and accomplices, have pleaded guilty and will be witnesses against Henrikson, who withdrew his guilty plea and forced the ongoing trial. Yellowbird-Chase devoted hundreds of hours scouring the Badlands for Clarkes body through Sahnish Scouts Seeking Justice, an organization she formed to find missing or lost individuals. For months, she lived and breathed the case even before federal authorities opened their investigation. Shes on leave from work until Feb. 10 to attend the trial, and justice supporters are helping pay her travel and lodging through a GoFundMe account. Affidavits say that Henrikson paid Suckow to beat Clarke to death with a tire iron because Clarke was planning to start a competing trucking business. The killing was done at a truck shop owned by former tribal chairman Hall, who was leasing the shop to Henrikson, affidavits say. Yellowbird-Chase says she believes she knows exactly where Clarkes body was initially buried off of a U.S. Forest Service road north of Grassy Butte, but that Henrikson returned alone later to move it so that his accomplices couldnt use it against him, facts supported by affidavits filed in the case. Though its unlikely Henrikson will divulge the second burial location, Yellowbird-Chase said she knows where it likely is and that something more may slip during someones testimony. Trial expected to deliver tale of murder, dirty business dealings A trial next month in Washington state will lay out the twisted details of a Bakken oil patc I want to see if theres any elaboration where KC could be located, said Yellowbird-Chase, adding that believes Henrikson dumped Clarkes body into a septic tank excavation he dug with a rented back hoe outside Halls building. She said shell ask Hall if hell consent to an excavation, if it comes to that, when she sees him in court. What harm would there be to dig it up? she said. The trial is expected to last several weeks, with nearly 100 witnesses and the introduction of detailed cell phone logs between Henrikson and his accomplices and other evidence. Yellowbird-Chase said she knows Henrikson as an extremely intelligent, but twisted man, and that his ego is on trial in a case he has no chance of winning. He likes attention. This is his last hurrah. For him, its either go big or go to jail, she said. Yellowbird-Chase said shell provide updates during the trial. A statement signed by Nana Akrasi-Sarpong, Director of Communication and Public Affairs of the Ministry, said the Ministry is aware of the media reports concerning statements purported to have been made by the Minister during a recent visit to the Volta Region. It said during the visit the Minister discussed amongst others the recent increases in tariffs and their effects on the economy. The statement said what the Minister sought to discus in relation to the tariff increases referred to the reported real post-paid and pre-paid bills some residential, commercial and industrial customers of the ECG are said to be paying. It said this did not refer to the Special Energy Levy which necessitated the tariff increase to 57 per cent and which has now been reduced following negotiations between Labor and Government. The statement said the Minister did not condemn the PURC but that though the initial increment was around 57 per cent, many individuals and businesses reported that the actual payments they were making are more than 200 per cent, 300 per cent or even 500 per cent. It said it is based on these reported actual payments by some utility consumers which compelled the Minister to describe as excessive and outrageous the payments being made. The statement said in an election year, based on past experiences, it was possible for various public agencies to create mischief for the government by an adverse application of properly agreed tariff increases, thereby making the Government unpopular. It said in such instances stated tariff adjustments may be misapplied with some customers receiving exaggerated and excessive bills aimed at causing disaffection for government. The statement said the Trade and Industry Minister called on his colleague political appointees to be extra vigilant in supervising and monitoring agencies and departments under their oversight responsibilities. It said the Ministry was ready to discuss with public agenciessuch as the Lands Commission, Forestry Commission, Food and Drugs Authority, Ghana Standards Authority, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, etc-- that wish to revise levies, such that meaningful discussions can take place before new or increased levies are announced by some of these bodies. Punch newspaper reported that Philips was jailed few years ago for armed robbery and car snatching and got out of prison in July 2015. Apparently, he didnt learn anything from been locked away, because in no time he was back on the street engaging in the same act. I got out of prison and could not find a job. I was dying and had nothing to eat. I was lucky to find a locally made gun where someone hid it around our neighbourhood in Ebute Metta, Philip said. With a gun in his possession, the suspect connived with his two friends a 20-year-old Abiodun Salufu and 26-year-old Idris Sulaimon to go on a robbery, before they got crossed by the operatives of the Rapid Response Squad at Iganmu area of Lagos. I had the gun in my pocket and just wanted to wait till other passengers got down before I pointed it to the driver and ask for all his money. But before we could do that, the RRS double-crossed our vehicle and searched us. I did not know they had been trailing us before, the suspect confessed. Read More: My diabetes worsened when I was in prison. When I got out, I went to a doctor at a clinic in Ebute Metta and the doctor billed me N17, 000, Idris Sulaimon, one of the suspects paraded as an accomplice to the crime denied ever been a part of the robbery. I was at home when they (Philip and Salufu) were discussing the issue of the gun. They are both my friends. I know nothing about their crime but he (Salufu) went with him to rob. Abey (Salufu) asked for the gun and told him to let them sell it. But Philip said that he did not want to sell it because they still needed it. Later that day, they told me they were going to Ijeshatedo to rob and I told them good luck, Sulaimon said. Read More: Nigerian dies in South Africa after he swallowed drugs to avoid police arrest The nation news reports that a total weight of 216.8kgs of cannabis was confiscated during a comprehensive raid operation in the Obalende, Alaba Rago, Lagos Island, Isheri Idimu and Bolade Market area of Lagos. Read More: NDLEA nabs pharmacists with Tramadol disguised as condoms Furthermore, a statement from the NDLEA Lagos State commander, Aliyu Sule confirms that among the suspects arrested were three suspected drug dealers who will be prosecuted according to law, while other suspects will have to go through drugs counselling. The command has embarked on a routine raid across Lagos metropolis. Eighteen suspected drug peddlers were apprehended and cannabis weighing 216.8kg, including 119.3kg of abandoned cannabis at Lagos Island, was seized. Fifteen of the suspects found to be problem users had been placed on counselling while three suspected dealers are under investigation and will soon be charged to court. Read more: Nigerian woman gets life jail for drug trafficking in Tanzania Air Vice Marshal Isiaka Amao, the Deputy Theater Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole in charge of Air Component made this known when he briefed newsmen in Maiduguri on Saturday. Amao said that NAF had also destroyed the terrorists leadership hideouts; logistics support bases and infrastructure in its numerous air strikes. ``In continuation of the counter-terrorism operations under Operation Lafiya Dole, the air component has intensified air strikes against the Boko Haram terrorists. ``The air effort was focused on further degrading the terrorists operational capability as well as command and control structure, restricting their freedom of movement and destroying their logistics support base, he said. ``The air operation also intensified surveillance towards locating the abducted Chibok Girls and other citizens that may have been abducted by the terrorists group. ``The missions conducted led to the destruction of newly discovered terrorists hideouts, enclaves, logistics support bases and infrastructure, especially as they flee Sambisa to nearby locations due to aerial bombardments, he said. Amao said that the air efforts had further degraded the terrorists and denied them the opportunity to regroup as the case was in the past. ``Notable among the missions during the period was an air strike on Dec. 25, where some Boko Haram leaders and junior commanders who had gathered for a meeting in Sambisa forest were neutralised by a precision strike. ``Post strike assessment indicated that over 15 terrorists were killed, he said. He said that NAF also conducted several interdiction missions against terrorists targets on part of Sambisa forest on different occasion. ``The most significant strike was conducted on Jan. 17, after an intelligence report on the location of a high value terrorists leader taking refuge at a location south of Arra in Sambisa forest. This was contained in a statement by Mr Bisi Kazeem, Head, Media Relations and Strategy, FRSC, issued on Saturday. It said that the appeal was made when the FRSC Corps Marshal, Mr Boboye Oyeyemi visited the Minister of State, Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, in his office. ``They both agreed on need to involve the state governments in the SLD policy, bearing in mind that some of the states maintain fleet of vehicles for commercial transportation. ``They also made a resolution on the need to construct Helipads in some Teaching Hospitals and Medical Centres across the states for easy evacuation of crash victims through air ambulances. ``This will save more lives whenever there is fatal accident. ``There is need for relevant law enforcement agencies to check health conditions of drivers especially their eye sights, the statement said. It added that Oyeyemi had told the minister that FRSC teams nationwide have been directed to collaborate with immunisation officials administering polio drugs to children in transit. The statement quoted Osagie as saying that ``this is the beginning of a new effort in this era of change to plan on how to tackle the challenges emanating from the various disasters. ``We believe that the partnership will be of great service to the generality of the people.'' Tekema made the remark in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Makurdi. He berated those criticising the state amnesty programme as ``ignorant''. Tekema said no amount of money expended on securing peace and harmony would be considered too much. According to him the net gains of government in recovering arms is unquantifiable. ``There can be no development in an arms zone. ``The large catche of arms recovered through the amnesty programme is enough to equip a battalion of soldiers. "The amnesty has succeeded in bringing a colony of criminals under control.'' He said the recovery of arms was a significant step towards development. "The person who holds arms believes he is better than a university professor and the governor of the state because he can use the weapon to get whatever he wants. "The scale of damage they do cannot be equated with the monetary benefits meant for the surrender of such weapons." NAN reports that the state government had earmarked N80 million for the amnesty programme. A total of N51 million was set aside as stipends to those who surrender their arms and N29 million for the post amnesty programme. Takema said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Makurdi that the government would use the law to sanction corrupt officials. The SSG alleged that "over 70 percent of revenues earned in this state by the past administration were stolen" due to the failure of the government to deal with corrupt public officials. The SSG said the administration of Gov. Samuel Ortom was evolving ways to block revenue leakages and ensure transparency in the conduct of government affairs for effective service delivery. Takema disclosed that the government had also restructured tax administration, to enhance its revenue base. A statement issued by Mr Fidelis Okah, Chief Press Secretary to the chairman, said that the monarch was kidnapped from his palace by unidentified armed men on Friday morning. The statement, made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday said that Aghaza was whisked away at about 7.30 a.m. to an unknown destination. It said that Delta Police Command had been informed about the incident, adding that there had been no clue about the whereabouts of the monarch. It said that the local and state governments had directed all relevant security agencies to track the hoodlums. Earlier reports said two Anambra senators, Oduah and Andy Uba, were sacked by the sacked by the Supreme Court. barely two months after another senator, Uche Ekwunife, was sacked. Speaking to channels TV, Oduah said the reported verdict is In all its entirety, it is false. I have gone through the court judgment and the judge clearly did not give any judgement to that effect. Indeed, what the judgment and the case is all about is state exco and as we all know, state exco do not do election, neither do they submit list. So the issue of emergence of candidate, and the issue of candidates that won election was not the issue of this particular case", she said. The Judge was very clear on its judgment and it clearly says its not about who emerges or the election but about the legality of the excos, she said. Oduah, who served as the Aviation Minister, resigned her position to pursue politics while Uba was a former Special Adviser to former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Domestic Affairs. About 800 union miners at Stillwater Mining Co. approved a new four-year contract Friday, similar to one they twice rejected last summer. On Saturday, Scott McGinniss, president of Columbus-based United Steelworkers local 11-0001, said the contract includes small changes in incentives for rock breakers at the company's main Nye mine. Workers at the company's Columbus smelter were also represented in the negotiations. Those incentives were the key point of contention last summer for miners, who stated the new bonus structure based on overall company performance amounted to a pay cut. The miners base pay stays the same, according to McGinniss. Exact terms of the contract weren't immediately available, but Stillwater pays among the highest wages in the state. Jen Lawson, a Stillwater spokeswoman, declined to comment on Saturday. The miners understand the company is struggling with low commodity prices, McGinniss said. Prices of platinum and palladium have fallen more than 30 percent over the year, and Columbus-based Stillwater reported $11.9 million in losses for the third quarter last year. Some are still mad, but they understand, McGinniss said. Stillwater also laid off 119 workers in August. About 100 were union workers at Nye and the Columbus smelter. About two-thirds of workers voted last week in favor of the plan, the reverse of what happened last summer. After union members twice voted no on a proposal negotiated by both sides, Stillwater officials forced workers to take their last, best and final offer on Sept. 1. The United Steelworkers filed a federal unfair labor practice complaint, which was dismissed by the National Labor Relations Board in November. The two sides agreed to restart negotiations this month. The Friday vote means all of Stillwater's union employees are working under approved contracts. Workers at the East Boulder mine near Big Timber approved a four-year deal, also with no pay increases, in December. Stillwater is Montana's largest mining company and the largest employer in the South Central region. It's the only U.S. producer of platinum and palladium, operating two mines and a smelter in the Beartooth valley. Stocks of publicly traded Stillwater sold for $6.55 a share at close Friday. The companys stock price has been cut nearly in half since October, driven down by low metals prices and oversupply worldwide. 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! He was reacting to a newspaper report that he had attempted to withdraw $7.2 billion from banks in Dubai , United Arab Emirate , through channels in the Central Bank of Nigeria. We challenge these purveyors of falsehood to publish the full details of the purported $7.2 billion account and we urge the Federal Government of Nigeria to seize such sum and prosecute the owner if it does exist. People should learn to accept the outcome of elections and stop this kind of dangerous propaganda in the name of politics, he said. Electoral officers, voters and observers who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria in Suleja and environs said voter accreditation started late in many of the polling units. NAN checks revealed that many eligible voters who came out early for accreditation did not see electoral officials at their duty posts. NAN reports that accreditation started late at the Kuspa; Angwan Gayan; Town Hall; Technical (opposite INEC office); and Kwamba polling units. A voter at Kuspa Ward, Musa Shehu said: ``We just started accreditation now at12.30p.m. ``Many people have been waiting since morning; but we are happy because voters are being given ballot papers as they finished accreditation. At the Town Hall polling unit, voters, party agents and security personnel were seen waiting for the electoral officials. ``Our people are eager to cast their vote and we do not want any delay, Alhaji Mamman Gambo, the Deputy Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Niger said that his party was ready for the elections in spite of the lapses. ``We know all elections have one challenge or the other. ``This is a local election among brothers, so we do not expect any bad blood; It is a family affair, he said. Gambo also dispelled the rumour making the rounds that PDP was not participating in the election. Meanwhile, the security agents enforced the directive for partial restrictions of movement in the local government. NAN reports that only accredited electoral personnel, news men, medical staff were allowed to move around while voters were restricted to their polling units. Peterside disclosed this on Friday in a phone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). "I thank God for giving me the opportunity to go this far. "The learned Justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria have arrived at a decision, which was a clear departure from the earlier findings of the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal and Court of Appeal. "We accept the verdict. We magnify God for giving us the will to go thus far,`` he said. Peterside, a former member of the House of Representatives (APC-Opobo/Nkoro Federal Constituency), thanked the people of the state for their support during and after the election. According to him, the party fought for the good and interest of the state and not a selfish fight. "They know that we were not fighting for ourselves. We were fighting for the good and interest of all Rivers people and those who live in the state. "We urge all of them to take a cue from us and accept the verdict, same way we did and remain peaceful and keep trusting the Almighty God,`` he said. Peterside said the party would work for peace and development of the state by being a vibrant opposition. He urged the state government not to take it personal, any time the party criticises its policies and decisions. Mahdi Hashi, 26, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John Gleeson in Brooklyn, New York, in light of his guilty plea in May to a charge of conspiring to provide material support to al Shabaab. A week ago, the judge sentenced two Swedish citizens charged alongside Hashi for their support of al Shabaab, Ali Yasin Ahmed and Mohamed Yusuf, to 11 years in prison. But Gleeson called the facts as "complicated," accepting in part Hashi's position that he joined al Shabaab not to engage in violent attacks but because he thought it could restore peace to war-torn Somalia. "I believe you believe this organization you joined was dramatically different than what you thought or hoped it would be," he said. Prosecutors said from December 2008 to August 2012, Hashi, Ahmed and Yusuf abandoned their homes in Britain and Sweden to travel to Somalia where they joined al Shabaab. The militant group, which seeks to overthrow Somalia's Western-backed government and impose a strict version of sharia, or Islamic law, has links to al Qaeda and has carried out attacks in Kenya and Ethiopia. Unlike Yusuf and Ahmed, who fought in al Shabaab battles, prosecutors said they had no evidence Hashi engaged in violence before leaving the group. But they said he associated with figures including Omar Hammami, a U.S.-born militant on Washington's most wanted list until his death in a gun battle in 2013. Hashi, Yusuf and Ahmed were arrested in August 2012 in Djibouti after illegally crossing the border from Somalia on their way to Yemen to join al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, prosecutors said. Their lawyers said the men were tortured while in custody in Djibouti before being turned over to U.S. authorities for prosecution, though their case had no claims they intended any harm to the United States. The ministry of energy told mining companies they will pay 10.35 U.S. cents per kilowatt hour from January 1, up from 8.20 cents per kilowatt hour previously, one mining industry source told Reuters. "This would have been acceptable if it only applied to emergency power imports but, as it is, some mining companies may be forced to shut down some processing plants," a second industry source said. Energy minister Dora Siliya declined to comment. Mining companies operating in Zambia include Glencore, Canada's First Quantum Minerals, Vedanta Resources and Barrick Gold. Zambia's government said in December it was talking to mining firms about increasing tariffs to meet the rising cost of electricity. The recent motion filed by the state of Nevada to formally end the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository project has sparked both support and outrage among Nevadans. Yucca Mountain has been a subject of national controversy for more than 40 years since the projects environmental review process began. Jeremy Bernstein said he will be caucusing Monday night. But as of Friday, Bernstein, 44, who was waiting to listen to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie at the Rogalski Center at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, said he does not know who he will be caucusing for. Bernstein, of Davenport, a volunteer with AARP on Social Security issues, said that, "After seeing Christie I will have seen all of the candidates except Jeb Bush, and I will see him Sunday. Before I make my decision, I want to see who has a real plan to save Social Security, he said. Dont just tell me you have a plan. Show me how youre going to do it. I want to know my money will be there for me. The first question directed at Christie came from one of Bernsteins colleagues and it was on Social Security. I have a 12-point plan that will save $1 trillion over 10 years that can be used to pay the national debt and will save Social Security, Christie told the crowd of 360 people gathered for the town hall meeting. Christie said he will raise the age of retirement two years to 67 over a period of 25 years. Were all living longer, he said. Social Security began when life expectancy was in the middle 60s. Survivor benefits were smaller then, too. It was good for the government, Christie said. Christie said he also will install a means test, so that someone who has saved and invested enough to get $200,000 a year in retirement income will not qualify for full Social Security benefits. While some people may argue that its their money, Christie said, The government lied to you and stole it from you. There is no money in the Social Security fund. There are only IOUs, he added. Money for Social Security was all supposed to be in a trust fund, he said. But it has all been spent. Lyndon Johnson started spending it during the Vietnam War and every administration and Congress has been spending it since. For the rest of his plan, Christie told the crowd to visit his website. Before Christie arrived for his fifth town hall meeting of the day, Jeanne Christensen of Davenport said she has been making the rounds of candidates, but does not know who shell vote for. I will be caucusing in the Republican caucus, Christensen said. There are a lot of good candidates on this side. Its all a matter of who can beat the candidates on the other side. An explosion and fire at a Moline home late Friday continues to be investigated, while the house has been boarded up and deemed uninhabitable. Moline Fire Department Battalion Chief Jeff Snyder said firefighters were sent to 2608 7th St. at 10:39 p.m. for an explosion and fire at the residence. Upon arrival, firefighters found flames shooting from the rear of the 1 story single-family home that was built in 1941. The fire was growing in intensity, involving more of the home and threatening houses on each side. Firefighters began extinguishing the flames in the rear of the home and protecting the residences on either side, Snyder said. After making sure the fire would not spread to nearby homes, firefighters entered the home and put out the flames on the first and second floor, he said. Firefighters were on the scene until 4:15 a.m. An engine company and battalion chief from the Rock Island Fire Department, a fire investigator and canine assistant from the East Moline Fire Department, Moline Second Alarmers, Moline police, the Moline Public Works Department, MidAmerican Energy and the American Red Cross of the Quad-Cities Area assisted at the scene, Snyder said. The origin of the fire was an enclosed porch attached to the rear of the home, he said. It is not known how long the investigation into the cause of the fire will take. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. An antiquities dealer who inspired tens of thousands to search the Rocky Mountains for $2 million in hidden treasure now leads an increasingly desperate mission to find one of his fans. Forrest Fenn has been flying out in chartered helicopters or planes, searching remote stretches of the upper Rio Grande for any sign of Randy Bilyeu, now missing in the wild for more than three frigid weeks. Fellow treasure hunters also are searching for Bilyeu, who was last seen on Jan. 5 while trying to solve Fenn's mystery. "Every time we go out and don't find Randy it's discouraging but we're not going to give up," Fenn told The Associated Press. "There are still places out there that I want to look." Fenn, an eccentric 85-year-old from Santa Fe, has inspired a cult following since his announcement several years ago that he stashed a small bronze chest containing nearly $2 million in of gold, jewelry and artifacts somewhere in the Rockies. He dropped clues to its whereabouts in a cryptic poem in his self-published memoir, "The Thrill of the Chase." The hidden treasure has inspired thousands to search in vain through remote corners of New Mexico, Yellowstone National Park and elsewhere in the mountains. Treasure hunters share their experiences on blogs and brainstorm about the clues. The mystery has been featured by national media, igniting even more interest. Fenn gets about 120 emails a day from people looking for his 40-pound box, and believes 65,000 people have searched for the stash, some using family vacations to venture into the woods. "The hope of finding the treasure is one thing, of course, but there's a sense of adventure when you get out in the mountains and in the sunshine and the fresh air," Fenn explained. "One of my motives was to get the kids off the couch and away from the game machine." But the search can be risky: Some have forded swollen creeks in Yellowstone and were rescued by rangers. A Texas woman spent a worrisome night in the New Mexico woods after being caught in the dark. Others have been cited for digging on public land, and federal managers have warned treasure hunters not to damage archaeological or biological resources. No "Fenner" has been in a more dangerous a predicament than Bilyeu, a 54-year-old grandfather who moved to Colorado two years ago to follow this dream. Family and friends say he bought a raft and set out on Jan. 5 after scouting for two weeks along the river west of Santa Fe. He had a GPS device, a wetsuit and waders, and brought along his little white dog, Leo. More than a week passed before a worried friend reached out to his ex-wife in Florida, Linda Bilyeu, who filed a missing person's report on Jan. 14. His raft and dog were found the next day. Bilyeu left maps with markings in his car that fellow treasure hunters are using to narrow their search. He also left a sandwich, suggesting that he hadn't planned to be gone long. The New Mexico Search and Rescue team and state police scanned canyons and mesas along the river by air and on foot, even bringing in dogs to sniff for clues, but suspended their efforts after several days. "Unfortunately, we just don't have anything to go on right now," State Police spokeswoman Sgt. Elizabeth Armijo said. "If someone were to find clothing or footprints or just something that might be indicative of the hiker, then we would have an area to go to. But we just have not found that yet." The treasure hunters led by Fenn have not given up. "We know that Randy studied this area very well. He even noted that certain areas were dangerous when the weather was bad and he had done quite a bit of research," said Sacha Johnston, a treasure hunter helping to coordinate searches. "He wasn't just randomly kayaking down the Rio Grande one day. He knew where he was going. He had a plan." Fenn never meant for his treasure hunt to be easy: His poem points searchers to somewhere beyond "where warm waters halt ... in the canyon down ... too far to walk ... below the home of Brown." Getting out would be dicey as well, he wrote: "... from there it's no place for the meek/The end is ever drawing nigh/There'll be no paddle up your creek/Just heavy loads and water high." This was all supposed to be fun, of course. Now the search for Bilyeu is taking an emotional and physical toll on Fenn, who spends his days organizing, hiring aircraft, and worrying. His fans stand ready to admonish anyone who dares blame Fenn for Bilyeu's disappearance, saying they're all responsible adults. Fenn, for his part, has issued plenty of warnings, along with more clues. Among them: He says there's no point to searching in winter, when snow would hide the treasure. He also said "the treasure is hidden higher than 5,000 feet above sea level," but it isn't buried, nor in a graveyard, "nor associated with any structure." And he has no plans to reveal its location. "There have been too many people looking," Fenn said. "It would not be fair to them if we shut the thing down." A group of Iowa and Illinois lawmakers have a new appreciation for the Rock Island Arsenal's role in both the nation's defense and the Quad-City economy after a tour there Friday. Organized by the Quad-Cities Chamber of Commerce, the daylong visit was touted as the first bistate delegation to visit the Arsenal. Nearly 10 state lawmakers joined chamber officials in an eight-hour briefing of the Arsenal, touring various facilities and meeting with representatives of commands. After a morning tour that included sessions with the Arsenal, Army Sustainment Command, First Army and Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center, a group of the participants discussed the Arsenal's economic strength at a news conference at the Hotel Blackhawk, Davenport. They pointed to its $1.7 billion local economic impact, 7,000 jobs and its reach into the community. But Sen. Roby Smith, R-Davenport, said "the most important thing about what they do is protect our men and women who are in harm's way." Rep. Pat Verschoore, D-Milan, who has visited before and even worked on the Island as a pipefitter "in a previous life," said he quizzed Arsenal officials on the new direct flight to Washington, D.C., from the Quad-City International Airport. As the chief sponsor of the I-Fly legislation that provided a state subsidy for the flight, Verschoore added, "To keep it we're going, it's going to have to be utilized." Sen. Rita Hart, D-Wheatland, said she now has a deeper understanding of the Arsenal. "We talk about the Arsenal a lot, we all have a basic understanding ... but most lawmakers across Iowa probably don't know much about the Arsenal," she said, adding she hopes to bring Arsenal officials to Des Moines for a presentation. Asked what impact the state lawmakers can have on the federal installation, Hart said, "When the federal government decides to go make cuts like it has before if the state lawmakers are not singing the Arsenal's praises, it is easy for the feds to come in and start hacking away." Tara Barney, the chamber's CEO, said the delegation was another show of the collaboration and support the chamber receives on priorities related to the Arsenal. "What is so exciting about this is this set of elected officials all heard the same facts, at the same time, all together," she said. "This helps them to be more unified in how they work with our states ... it's phenomenal to have all their attention at one time." CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa Its been an entertaining campaign, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Saturday, but show time is over. Its game time. With the Iowa precinct caucuses coming up Monday night, Christie made his closing argument by asking 350 people at a Cedar Rapids bar to think about who they want to be the person who will represent our nation to the rest of the world. He made the case that hes the candidate best prepared to sit in the Oval Office and better prepared to make the life-and-death decisions that face a president than senators who get to choose which problems they will address. You dont get to choose when youre president, Christie said, which is something he knows from his experience as the two-term governor of a blue state. I didnt get to choose to have Hurricane Sandy to hit my shore. I didnt choose to inherit an $11 billion deficit on a $29 billion budget. I didnt choose those things. When you are governor or president, the events choose you, and then you need to deal with them. Former Iowa House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, emphasized Christies experience and decision-making ability in introducing Christie at the Chrome Horse. There is nobody better prepared to stand on the stage and debate and prosecute Hillary Clinton, he said. There is no one better prepared to sit across the table from people like Mr. Putin and restore the United States to its No. 1 position. Christie contrasted his experience with a pair of first-term senators also seeking the GOP presidential nomination Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who according to the polls is vying for the top spot in the Iowa caucuses, and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who according to the polls, looks likely to finish in third place. If his criticism seemed harsh, Christie reminded his audience that the U.S. elected a first-term senator seven years ago. Obama hadnt run a thing before and we give him the most important job in the world, Christie said. Please, lets not do it again. MUSCATINE, Iowa Florida Sen. Marco Rubio energized an overflow crowd Friday at the Riverview Center. "You will be the first people in the country to answer the question, 'What happens after Barack Obama?'" he told several hundred people at a rally in Muscatine during the noon hour. "I can only tell you this: If you make me president of the United States, I will do everything possible to bring this country back together. That doesn't mean we are going to agree on everything, that's not what unity means," Rubio said. "I will never pit you against other Americans in order to win an election. I will never ask Americans to fight with one another so I can win. ... I will seek to unite us." He vowed that, if elected, he would repeal Obamacare, repeal all executive orders signed by President Obama and cancel the treaty signed recently with Iran. "We can't be a great nation if we leave anybody behind. You know all those people that are going to say nasty things about me or put mean things about me on Twitter, the people that will never vote for me, I am going to cut their taxes, too. I will be a president for all Americans," he said to applause from the crowd. Rubio was asked about the national debt, term limits and abortion. "I don't think there's been a single question asked about abortion to the Democrats," he said. Rubio said Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton has "radical views" on abortion. He didn't mention any of his Republican challengers by name, taking aim straight at Clinton and fellow Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders. "It can't be Bernie Sanders," Rubio said. Sanders refers to himself as a democratic socialist. Rubio joked that made him a great candidate for president of Sweden but not the United States. "Of all the choices, I know that I can unify this party. I know that I can take our movement and reach people that haven't voted for us before," Rubio said. "People who are living the way I grew up. People who are facing the struggles I faced." Brothers Paul and Joseph DeGregorio of St. Louis, Mo., made the four-hour trip to see Rubio in Muscatine. "I've been following Sen. Rubio for a couple years," Paul DeGregorio said. "I read his books, following him on television and on the Internet. And I just think he's the right person to lead this country in the future. I have four daughters, four son-in-laws, six grandchildren, and I am concerned about the future of the country, and I really think Marco Rubio is the right person to lead this nation." The brothers stopped by the Rubio campaign bus for a photo as they left the the Riverview Center to follow the candidate to a stop in Clinton. "We can win this election, and then we will have a chance to turn this country around," Rubio said in closing to the crowd. "And that's why I need you to caucus for me on Monday. If I am your nominee, we win. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders lose, and America has a chance to be better than it's ever been." Kelli Hepton, of Davenport, still needs 1,000 more working hours and a few heavy equipment certifications to secure her spot in the Local 150, International Union of Operating Engineers. And on Monday night, the 27-year-old plans to caucus for the first time in support of Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders. I really believe hes for the working middle class, which is me, said Hepton, who will caucus at Monroe Elementary School in Davenport. I like that he hasnt changed his stance on anything. During his last stop in the Iowa Quad-Cities before Monday's first-in-the-nation caucuses, Sanders made it clear that he needs support from young voters to win the Iowa contest. If thousands of people who previously did not vote in the caucus come out, we win, the 74-year-old told a pumped-up crowd at Danceland Ballroom in downtown Davenport. Before Sanders took center stage, Ivy League professor Cornel West electrified the crowd with his preacher-like endorsement for the independent Vermont senator. West credited his dear brother, Sanders for focusing on the nations lower socio-economic classes, calling his campaign a rebirth of democracy. We will not be led astray by our dear sister Hillary Clinton, he continued. He may not be a household name now hes got big heart, big vision and hes got the people. In front of the confirmed crowd of 1,000 people, Sanders made sure to hit on all of his major talking points, many of which he introduced to Iowa voters during his first stop in Davenport last May. You want a radical idea? he said, revving up the venue. How about investing in education and jobs for our kids, rather than jails and incarceration? During his hour-long speech, Sanders stressed the need to diversify the countrys police departments, pleaded for campaign finance reform and signaled out business mogul Donald Trump for denouncing climate change. Among his many other brilliant assessments, what Donald Trump has determined, is that climate change is a hoax created by the Chinese, Sanders quipped. I found this shocking because I thought he would have believed that it was a hoax created by the Mexicans or maybe the Muslims. Sanders also touted his ideas for a better economy. He pledged to create millions of jobs through a trillion dollar public works program to fix our levies and our dams that need enormous amounts of work. Karlyn Gomez, a 75-year-old Davenport resident who plans to caucus for Sanders at the Friendly House, said she believes he is leading a revolution. Ive seen a lot of things go down in this country, but I want to see the money taken out of politics, and Ive been with Bernie from the get-go. SPRINGFIELD A day after Democrats in the General Assembly approved a bill to fund community colleges and grants to low-income students, two Republican state senators proposed a new plan that would also fund public universities. Because Illinois has been operating without a budget since July 1, universities, community colleges and the Monetary Award Program, or MAP, have not received any state funds. Similar to a previous GOP proposal, the plan Sens. Chapin Rose of Mahomet and Dale Righter of Mattoon announced Friday would fund universities at 80 percent of what they received in fiscal year 2015, community colleges at 90 percent, and MAP grants at 100 percent. However, they've dropped the condition tying the funding to another measure that would give Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner new authority to move money around within the budget to cover shortfalls a nonstarter with the Democrats who control the Legislature. Instead, Rose and Righter's plan would tie the nearly $1.7 billion in funding to a bill that revamps the process by which universities and community colleges buy goods and services. Rauner called for such changes Wednesday in his State of the State address and estimates that they would save $500 million annually. While acknowledging that the plan wouldn't cover the full cost of the higher education funding, Righter said the changes to procurement rules would have a long-lasting impact. "These would stay in place, which would save tremendous amounts of money in the out-years too," he said. Rose said the idea "transcends this fiscal crisis and will help students and their parents for a long time to come." "Universities have been asking for procurement relief for a long time," he added. At a committee hearing last year, then-University of Illinois President Robert Easter told lawmakers that the state's complicated rules result in an estimated $70 million in extra costs annually. "Quite frankly, I think it's something that's a no-brainer that everybody should get behind," Rose said of his proposal. Both lawmakers voted against the Democratic bill, which would spend $721.5 million, because they said there was no way to pay for it and because it didn't include universities. The bill had the support of public universities across the state. Thumbs up to the Iowa caucuses and everyone who works so hard to pull off. There's always chatter about Iowa's lead position in nominating candidates for president. And, after a while, Iowans start to grumble about the incessant campaigning, too. But there's something wholly democratic about all the stump speeches and campaign ads. Any interested Iowan can have face time with the next president, if they so choose. That's not the case in most of the country. From police to public works departments, the work put in to make the caucuses happen by local governments is laudable. Police, for example, pull double duty, reinforcing and assisting U.S. Secret Service during campaign visits. There were some substantial issues in 2012 with determining the winner, particularly on the Republican side. Let's hope the parties have fixed what was broken. Every four years, would-be presidents make their pitch to Iowans. The state is a snapshot of national politics and the meat grinder through which lesser candidates won't survive. It's pretty cool. Thumbs down to Shell Oil Company for rejecting a time-tested, beloved business model. Dittmer's Service Inc., on West Locust Street, lost its 96-year affiliation with the oil and gas giant after owner Scott Dittmer refused to bulldoze his service station to make way for a massive convenience store. We get it, business needs to evolve with the times. But Shell's insistence that Dittmer mimic gas stations throughout the country misses the point. The Dittmers have spent decades doing it the right way. And now, as an independent firm, we hope customers support that commitment to service. Thumbs up to Davenport's Creative Arts Academy. Students of Davenport Community School District's magnet school for the arts performed Thursday night at the Figge Art Museum for a small group of supporters. Organizers hope donors will help boost the small program's ranks. Fifth- and sixth-grade students sang, danced, performed short plays and displayed their artwork. High schoolers even preformed a farce about newspapers, which those of us in the audience from the Quad-City Times enjoyed. Too often, the arts are steamrolled by society's longing for technology-based jobs. But human creativity, the essence of the species, is expressed through the arts. The Creative Arts Academy is a hugely important institution. When I was a little girl, my family always thought of me as "nosy." I'd want to know the details of every conversation in earshot, whether I was supposed to be listening or not. I prefer the label "inquisitive" or "curious." No matter what you call it, it is a characteristic that has served me well in my 28-year journalism career, 26 years here at the Quad-City Times. As I tell many people I interview, "what other job gives you a license to be nosy than reporting?" In fact, it's just part of my DNA. But it's that curiosity that makes me take a second look anytime I see a new building going up, or find a good story idea in just a random conversation. All my friends will warn folks when I'm in the room "Watch what you say. This is on the record she's a reporter." I'm flattered that is how I'm always identified first. But I'm also a daughter, wife, mother, Boy Scout leader and a brand new title, grandma. Today, I'm launching a new business column that I want to become a grapevine for the business community. It will be an outlet to tell news bits and bytes about new businesses, longtime-standing businesses we've all known by name or because we've patronized them, and especially the people who make them a success. This won't be where we tell the big stories, but hopefully it can become a place to read about the new business opening down the street, an employee's accomplishment, a business' philanthropic gesture or an oddity happening in your workplace. But I'll need your help, your eyes and ears so that I can get as many names and businesses in this space as possible. So e-mail me your tips and ideas, who knows we might decide that it really is worthy of a story and not just a mention here. I'm at jdewitt@qctimes.com, please include "Biz Bytes" in subject line. And in today's newspaper, be sure to look for our Quad-City Business Journal Book of Lists. The annual business directory, produced by Quad-City Times staff, takes a closer look at specific business sectors in the Quad-Cities and provides valuable data about their operations. The Quad-City Times Jan. 26 column by Jon Alexander states, Theres an innate cognitive dissonance among the American exceptionalism crowd. That interesting set of adjectives can be translated as: Those who believe our nation and political system are better than the norm are wrong because that belief is somehow ingrained in our intellect, rather than proven through experience. Positive exceptionalism is begun and maintained with a vision. The belief that the U. S. is exceptional does not require us to be best in everything, just better than most. U.S. exceptionalism is historic. Countries of Europe that you praise for digging their way out of WWII would not have done it without our help; friends and foes. The U. S. is exceptional in philanthropy, we often rescue. But, our margin of exceptionalism is degrading. When a president says we are not exceptional, our vision dims. When media concentrates on presidential candidates with poor prior job performance or one who sounds like a 1930s European dictator to the exclusion of communicating the abilities of other strong candidates, opportunities for improvement are missed. When our social mores begin to accept any behavior, regardless of the impact on the health of society, we emulate the Greeks and Romans you reference and a civilization collapses. We're on a slippery slope and without efforts to be exceptional, the slide will continue. This isnt a subjective nationalistic leaning. It's history. Conservative or liberal, we need to find common ground, fix this political mess, and enhance our exceptionalism. Bill Porter Davenport I see the latest ill-considered Jan. 26 column in the Quad-City Times has the writer unable to figure out whats so special about the United States - this exceptionalism idea he just cant come to terms with. The British and the Germans are as free as we are, he says. As a journalist, he might be expected to know that in the United Kingdom, the libel laws are so much stricter that publishers are frequently subject to successful lawsuits by persons who are the subject of unfavorable coverage. There is no First Amendment protection of the press. The Official Secrets Act is also used against pesky journalists. Maybe thats not a big deal to the Quad-City Times. Oh, and the Germans? Maybe you hadnt heard, but within living memory, they started a world war, murdered millions of civilians in death camps, and brutally subjugated most of Europe; until the United States and the allies it supported destroyed the German government and much of the country. Then, the United States led a decades-long effort to rebuild West Germany and keep it free from a Soviet dictatorship. Thats why there is a relatively free German political system today. Stacy Thomas LeClaire A bill in the upcoming legislative session would chip away at Wyomings gender wage gap, one of the worst in the nation, by prohibiting employers from firing workers for discussing their wages. Reps. Mary Throne, the leading Democrat in the House, and Charles Pelkey, D-Laramie, will sponsor the bill. Women dont know if theyre being paid equally for equal work if they cant discuss earnings with their male colleagues, Throne said. Its a barrier. The Cheyenne representative added that workers wouldnt be required to discuss pay under the law, either. The Equality State typically leads the nation in the difference between womens and mens wages, based on an analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data of full-time wages. In 2014, women earned 69 cents for every dollar earned by men, ranking the state as third worst behind Louisiana and Utah. In 2013, Wyoming women also earned 69 cents to a mans dollar, ranking the state second worst in the nation. In 2012, the states women earned 64 cents to every dollar earned by men, crowning Wyoming worst in America in the gender-wage gap. Employers and economists in Wyoming say the energy sector may play a part. Men are more likely to work dangerous jobs in oil, gas and coal. However, in some desk jobs in Wyoming, there have been questions about whether there is still a gender pay gap. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleged in a federal complaint against Casper-based True Oil that women were earning less than men in accounting jobs. True denies the claims and is fighting them in court. Newly selected University of Wyoming President Laurie Nichols will earn less with a base salary and perks, such as a housing allowance, than previous UW President Bob Sternberg. She will earn more than Dick McGinity. McGinity started as an interim president after Sternberg resigned in 2013, and later became president. The bill, if it becomes law, would be added to the employment provisions currently in state law. I think in most workplaces, people talk about how much money they make, Throne said. But if you had an employer who had a policy that doesnt allow people to talk about how much money you make, the law would prohibit that. I hope itll have broad support. In Wyoming, we like to think were independent. People ought to be able to have the right to discuss how much money they make. We have provisions in the Wyoming Constitution about your labor being your own. I think its entirely consistent with Wyoming values. Under the bill, employers who fired employees for discussing wages would be liable for their unpaid income and damages. That is the same penalty for other violations of employment, Throne said. Its one tool, she said. I dont think its going to be the magic bullet. I think in Wyoming we first need to acknowledge the gender-pay gap is not good for the state. I think there are people who discount the meaning of it. As a relative term, it indicates there are fewer opportunities for women in Wyoming and thats problematic. We want everyone to come here and stay here. Forty-two American oil companies filed bankruptcy, according to CNN Money. Walmart has closed 269 stores world-wide, says USA Today. We now see the candidates denying everything wrong, painting us a rosy picture that everything's going to be all right. We have the Bernie Sanders promising us hope and change, when the mantra should be despair and disdain. We have the American superman seeking to blame all our troubles on blacks, Hispanics, Muslims, Jews and gypsies; for they spoiling everything for you. As the saying goes, those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. Tom Keith Moline SPACESHIP EARTH "We travel together, passengers on a little spaceship, dependent upon its vulnerable reserves of air and soil, all committed for our safety to its security and peace; preserved from annihilation only by the care, the work, and, I will say, the love we give our fragile craft. We cannot maintain it half fortunate, half miserable, half confident, half despairing, half slave to the ancient enemies of man, half free in a liberation of resources undreamed of until this day. No craft, no crew can travel safely with such vast contradictions. On their resolution depends the survival of us all." ADLAI STEVENSON , 1964 When the school superintendent job opened up in Robbinsdale, Minn., last year, two people advanced to the final round of interviews: Lori Simon and Carlton Jenkins. They rose way above everyone else, Robbinsdale School Board Chairwoman Patsy Green said in a telephone interview with the Journal this week. The board gave the job to Jenkins, who at the time was working as chief academic officer in the Atlanta public schools system. Simon stayed onboard in the position she still holds, executive director of academics and elementary schools at Robbinsdale, where she has worked for the last 5 years. Now Simon is one of four candidates being interviewed to replace Rapid City Area Schools Superintendent Tim Mitchell when he leaves at the end of June. And this time around, Jenkins, her boss, thinks Simon should get the job. I really feel like you guys are getting a dynamic leader, Jenkins said over the phone on Thursday. If shes chosen, you will not be disappointed. She knows how to take the long view and be in there for the long haul. Though they competed for the same job in Robbinsdale last summer, Jenkins said there never has been any tension between him and Simon, something he sees as a testament to her professionalism and good character. She made it a seamless transition for myself and made sure the district moved forward, Jenkins said. There are many great things going on here, and Lori has played a huge part in them. Sitting before a panel of community interviewers in Rapid City on Friday afternoon, Simon listed three priorities that she would focus on during her first year as a superintendent. First, she said, is the importance of establishing a strong financial foundation from which to launch her academic platform. From my research," she said, "I understand that there is some significant need here, so that would be a top priority. The next two priorities would be improving staff morale and bolstering of student attendance and achievement. I am not one to sit around and admire the problems, Simon said. I am very much solution-oriented. Having dug into the financial and enrollment data for Rapid City before her interview, Simon foresees a challenging time ahead for the district, but referred repeatedly to instances in her career in which she was able to lead school districts out of deep difficulties and on to success. "I understand some of these decisions are difficult," Simon said. "People's hearts are connected to schools. But my priority is whats best for our students." Situated in a suburb of Minneapolis, the Robbinsdale district Simon works for serves 15 schools and 12,700 students. Green, the board chairwoman, credited Simon with spearheading a task force to overhaul the middle-school curriculum, increase student rigor, and make facility improvement recommendations for the entire district. I know shell make a great superintendent, and I think shell be great in Rapid City because she understands very diverse demographics, Green said, adding that more than 50 percent of Robbinsdales students are non-white, and more than 60 different languages are spoken across the district. Peter Eckhoff, president of the Robbinsdale Federation of Teachers, said Simon has always worked well with area educators. She has a work ethic that is paralleled by few if any, Eckhoff said. Lori has had a consistent track record of being one of the first people in and one of the last folks out every day. Shes certainly not afraid of taking on projects big and small alike. She works very hard on having transparency in her work and communication style, and shes done a nice job relating to others what her vision is. Though Eckhoff identified her work ethic as a strength, Jenkins offered that it might also be a weakness. Im trying to get her to balance the work itself, Jenkins said. Sometimes she pushes herself real hard. I just want her to pace herself. Simon keeps her Fridays open, Eckhoff said, so she can visit classrooms and see firsthand how her academic direction is progressing. Simon held up that practice for her interviewers on Friday as an example of her boots-on-the-ground approach to district leadership. Its through those observations and interactions that shes really collected a lot of data over time to inform her and the administration, Eckhoff said. Diane Dickmeyer is the co-chair of the Interschool Council, an organization of Robbinsdale parents that meets regularly. Simon has been an active participant with the group, Dickmeyer said, attending meetings and answering questions about the district's elementary education. Shes a very knowledgeable and very capable person, Dickmeyer said. That activities of the Interschool Council became a topic in Simon's Friday interview in Rapid City. She noted the lack of a similar districtwide parent organization here and encouraged community leaders to consider forming one. Simon got her start as a kindergarten teacher then worked for eight years as a principal and assistant principal in Saint Paul, Minn. Her work there earned her a recommendation to collaborate this year with Minnesota state Rep. Mike Freiberg on a bill aimed at introducing more community-service programs into the states schools. Shes extremely knowledgeable, Freiberg said. She had a lot of good suggestions for how to work on the bill, and she was definitely an active participant. To illustrate how deeply he believes in Simon, Jenkins noted that he serves as a mentor for people working toward becoming superintendents. And I can tell you with all certainly, he said, shes ready. Simon was the second of the four candidates to be in Rapid City for day-long interviews. Darci Mohr, superintendent of the rural South Routt School District in northwestern Colorado, will interview on Tuesday, Feb. 9. Members of the public can observe the panel of community interviewers speaking with Mohr from 3:30 p.m. to 4:25 p.m. in the third floor conference room of the City/School Administration Building, 300 Sixth St. A series of photos displayed on a screen to a group of business and civic leaders on Friday morning showed where Rapid City was about 25 years ago and where it is now. The changes were as exciting as they were stark. The aerial images showed how business parks on the city's northwest and south sides have filled in with industry that has created thousands of jobs and pumped millions of dollars into the local economy. In 25 more years, similar overhead photos will likely show even more dramatic changes, such as the car dealership row that has emerged on Mall Drive, the soon-to-be bustling intersection of U.S. 16 and Catron Boulevard, new life in the downtown and around the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology campus, and extensive growth on the east side that could someday bridge the gap between Rapid City and Box Elder. A quarter-century after the Rapid City Economic Development Partnership was formed to stimulate growth in the region, new and old leaders of the nonprofit say they've helped the area expand and prosper. At a meeting celebrating the group's 25th anniversary, about 125 business and civic leaders had breakfast at the Hotel Alex Johnson, then listened as speakers shared their pride of accomplishment and their desire to continue to improve life in the region. There was strong agreement Friday that there is much more work to be done, and also that the stage is set for more big things, and more good jobs, to sprout in Rapid City and the Black Hills region. "There's an energy and a momentum ... there's something transformative happening here," said EDP President Ben Snow, who added that the partnership strives to raise the standard of living "one good, high-paying job at a time." Snow rattled off statistics that highlighted past growth and future potential. In 1990, Rapid City's population was 54,000 and the Black Hills region was home to about 145,000 people. Now, Snow said, Rapid City boasts 73,000 residents and the region is at 185,000. He said the area grows by about 6.5 people per day, and that the economic growth rate in the past 5-year period was the highest of any similar period in the history of the EDP. Snow said the agency will continue to pursue its main goals of improving life in the community by focusing on attracting employers both large and small, but mainly those who can provide good-paying jobs that can support families. He also wants the group to continue to foster partnerships with businesses, government and educational institutions to sustain an environment that makes growth possible. Former state Rep. David Lust, an attorney who was named chairman of the EDP board on Friday, said he supports trying to lure new businesses to town, but also wants to focus heavily on helping existing industry expand and to encourage local entrepreneurship. "That's the future of high-end, quality jobs in our town ... to focus more on what we have here now and growing that," Lust said. "Let's grow from within." Rapid City Mayor Steve Allender urged those present to stay active in the rebirth of downtown, which he said is "one of the most important billboards and barometers for Rapid City." Allender said a pair of families he knows of recently moved to Rapid City simply because they were so impressed with the walkable and prosperous downtown. A major study of downtown is now underway by a Denver consulting firm. "A dollar invested in downtown is a dollar invested into the whole city," he said. Allender also said visitors soon will see the best of Rapid City as they enter or leave town on U.S. Highway 16, the road to the Mount Rushmore National Monument. He said the removal of aging tourist attractions at Catron and Highway 16, and major projects proposed there such as the $70 million Black Hills Corp. headquarters and the massive Buffalo Crossing medical, retail and housing development, will spur new opportunities for growth. "Instead of seeing a broken-down water slide, they'll see all these corporate headquarters and medical facilities," Allender said. "It's going to change our gateway to the Black Hills." Allender said the shifting of auto dealers from old buildings downtown to shiny new palaces on Mall Drive provides an opportunity for rebirth in the city core that doesn't happen often. The former McKie Ford dealership that was torn down this month and the planned demolition of the Imperial Hotel downtown are examples of those opportunities, he said. "It's a shedding of our skin, which is good, because you shed your skin when you grow," Allender said. Talk about falling into the "if it ain't broke don't fix it category," why on earth are some of our state lawmakers tinkering with the South Dakota Board On Geographic Names? The Board, which is charged with replacing offensive place names in our state, has been the target of Watertown Republican Rep. Lee Schoenbeck and a solid phalanx of Republicans in the House and Senate. Numbered House Bill 1060, it was at birth an effort to "repeal" the Board, which was created by a law passed in 2009 to "solicit" input on possibly offensive geographical names in various spots throughout South Dakota. The Board is charged to then "make recommendations to the appropriate local, state and federal agencies" as part of a process to get the names expunged and replaced. The bill was later amended to change the word repeal to revise. As the amended bill cleared the House by a mostly partisan vote on Jan. 26, its effect is clear: geographic name changes will be dictated by the Legislature, not the Board. Apparently, Schoenbeck's intent of repealing the law met with some resistance, so his House Bill used his revision to effectively repeal the law by disempowering the Board. That means that despite failing to legislate it out of existence, Schoenbeck still has an opening to redefine its mission, which in this case would be to make it a tool of the Legislature, where grievances over offensive names would be decided in political terms. The de facto gutting of the boards power would suit Schoenbeck, who told the Rapid City Journal last week it "got all the work done that the statutes directed them to do." This is plain crazy because Schoenbeck's assumption is that there are no longer any places with offensive names in South Dakota. Schoenbeck's ethno-centricity blinds him to the fact that there are indeed offensively named places in this state. Anyone here ever heard of a mass murderer named Colonel William S. Harney? His slaughter, abduction and looting of an Indian encampment in western Nebraska is recognized by the Nebraska State Historical Society as "The Harney Massacre." Does Schoenbeck just shrug this off as one of those things? Is getting offended by the fact that our most significant mountain in South Dakota is named for a human exterminator just a PC distraction to him? Schoenbeck contended in the Journal interview that the law creating the Board was intended to replace names that have offensive words like "squaw" and "Negro" in them and that the recent dust-up over Harney Peak is a "whole different mission." Uh-uh. It is not a whole different mission. The Board's empowering statute mandates that it "consider issues related to geographical place names." Regarding Harney Peak, this is an "issue" that has been raised by many South Dakotans and the board is charged with considering it. The Board's work is not done and the Harney Peak name change is part of its mission. This thinly veiled effort at ripping codified authority from an existing board is a legislative power grab that merits some resistance. WASHINGTON | I adore Bernie Sanders. I agree with his message of fairness and I share his outrage over inequality and corporate abuses. I think his righteous populism has captured the moment perfectly. I respect the uplifting campaign he has run. I admire his authenticity. And I am convinced Democrats would be insane to nominate him. Hillary Clinton, by contrast, is a dreary candidate. She has, again, failed to connect with voters. Her policy positions are cautious and uninspiring. Her reflexive secrecy causes a whiff of scandal to follow her everywhere. She seems calculating and phony. And yet if Democrats hope to hold the presidency in November, they'll need to hold their noses and nominate Clinton. Ultimately, I expect that's what Democrats will do because as much as they love Sanders, they loathe Donald Trump more. It seems more evident each day that Republicans have lost their collective reason and are beginning to accept the notion that Trump will be their nominee. And I doubt Democrats will make an anti-immigrant bigot the president by nominating a socialist to run against him. Sanders and his supporters boast of polls showing him, on average, matching up slightly better against Trump than Clinton does. But those matchups are misleading: Opponents have been attacking and defining Clinton for a quarter century, but nobody has really gone to work yet on demonizing Sanders. Watching Sanders at Monday night's Democratic presidential forum in Des Moines, I imagined how Trump or another Republican nominee would disembowel the relatively unknown Vermonter. The first questioner from the audience asked Sanders to explain why he embraces the "socialist" label and requested that Sanders define it "so that it doesn't concern the rest of us citizens." Sanders, explaining that much of what he proposes is happening in Scandinavia and Germany (a concept that itself alarms Americans who don't want to be like socialized Europe), answered vaguely: "Creating a government that works for all of us, not just a handful of people on the top that's my definition of democratic socialism." But that's not how Republicans will define socialism and they'll have the dictionary on their side. They'll portray Sanders as one who wants the government to own and control major industries and the means of production and distribution of goods. They'll say he wants to take away private property. That wouldn't be fair, but it would be easy. Socialists don't win national elections in the United States. Sanders on Monday night also admitted he would seek massive tax increases "one of the biggest tax hikes in history," as moderator Chris Cuomo put it to expand Medicare to all. Sanders, this time making a comparison with Britain and France, allowed that "hypothetically, you're going to pay $5,000 more in taxes," and declared, "We will raise taxes, yes we will." He said this would be offset by lower health-insurance premiums and protested that "it's demagogic to say, oh, you're paying more in taxes." Well, yes and Trump is a demagogue. When Cuomo said Sanders seemed to be saying he would grow government "bigger than ever," Sanders didn't quarrel, saying, "People want to criticize me, OK," and "Fine, if that's the criticism, I accept it." Sanders accepts it, but are Democrats ready to accept ownership of socialism, massive tax increases and a dramatic expansion of government? If so, they will lose. Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire and former New York mayor who floated a trial balloon over the weekend about an independent run, knows this. As The New York Times reported: "If Republicans were to nominate Mr. Trump or Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, a hard-line conservative, and Democrats chose Mr. Sanders, Mr. Bloomberg ... has told allies he would be likely to run." President Obama seems to know this, too which would explain why he tiptoed beyond his official neutrality to praise Clinton in an interview with Politico's Glenn Thrush. "I think that what Hillary presents is a recognition that translating values into governance and delivering the goods is ultimately the job of politics," he said. He portrayed Sanders as "the bright, shiny object that people haven't seen before." It doesn't speak well of Clinton that, next to her, a 74-year-old guy who has been in politics for four decades is a bright and shiny object. The phenomenon has at least as much to do with Clinton as with Sanders: Democrats are eager for an alternative to her inauthentic politics and cautious policies. I share their frustration with Clinton. But that doesn't make Sanders a rational choice. Hidden treasures for beef producers are the various breed association websites, which are the doorway to better understanding the performance of the cattle available within each breed.One fairly new addition to sire summaries is a selection index, available from several breed associations. The selection index allows a producer to select bulls based on multiple traits through a single expected progeny difference (EPD) value. The selection index EPD value can meet maternal cow-calf selection or terminal beef production objectives.Today, I highlight the maternal indexes.The bull registration numbers are the keys that open the door to lots of information and provide a simple approach to review these available selection indexes within a breed. These indexes help group various traits, establish a relative importance for each trait and present the answer as a single EPD value for a particular bull for that particular trait.The North Dakota State University Extension Service publication Understanding Expected Progeny Differences for Genetic Improvement in Commercial Beef Herds (https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/ansci/beef/as1770.pdf) explains how a selection index is formed for a set of traits that have production importance within the beef cattle industry. The index should correlate with herd production or financial goals and combine performance records with economic weights, then generate a selection index value.As noted in the publication, in the cattle industry, these generally are reported as dollar values to indicate the amount of profit or savings the producer could expect when utilizing that index. The indexes are utilized the same way as performance EPD traits and do allow for a more streamlined approach to the utilization of multiple traits.As with all EPD values, without producer goals and objectives, consistent and repeated selection criteria will not be achieved. Producers need to research the various indexes available and make sure the selection end point matches their herd goal. Once that decision is made, then consistently following through in the years to come can accomplish the desired end point.This sounds complicated, but indexes do work. If a producer is looking for maternal influence within the herd, here are some examples (as noted in the publication): The American Hereford Association Baldy Maternal Index (BMI$) is an index to maximize profit for commercial cow-calf producers who use Hereford bulls in rotational crossbreeding programs on Angus-based cows. The American Gelbvieh Association $Cow (AGA $Cow) is an index of value expressed in dollars for a replacement female relative to other animals in the herd. AGA $Cow includes stayability, reproductive efficiency, milk, calving ease, moderate mature weight, calf gain, feedlot feed efficiency and carcass value. The American Angus Association Weaned Calf Value ($W), an index value expressed in dollars per head, is the expected average difference in future progeny performance for preweaning merit. The $W index includes revenue and cost adjustments associated with differences in birth weight, weaning direct growth, maternal milk and mature cow size. The American Angus Association also provides a Cow Energy Value ($EN). This is an interesting maternal index that, according to the American Angus website, assess differences in cow energy requirements, expressed in dollars per cow per year, as an expected dollar savings difference in future daughters of sires. The index assesses the impact of energy intake needed for lactation, along with the difference in mature cow size. The American Red Angus Association of America HerdBuilder index (HB) is an index using Red Angus bulls mated to cows and heifers, with replacement heifers retained from within the herd and all remaining progeny sold on a quality-based carcass grid. By using the HerdBuilder index, producers can increase the sustainability of the cow herd and, ultimately, their operation. The American Simmental Association All-Purpose Index (API) is an index that evaluates sires for use on the entire cow herd (bred to Angus first-calf heifers and mature cows), with the portion of their daughters required to maintain herd size retained and the remaining heifers and steers put on feed and sold on grade and yield.Let me repeat: Indexes are great tools, provided the producer has a long-term objective and bulls are selected to meet that objective through time. Study the various indexes available. They are a potential key for beef cattle selection.May you find all your ear tags.(For more information, contact https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/news or North Dakota State University Extension Service, NDSU Dept. 7000, 315 Morrill Hall, P.O. Box 6050, Fargo, ND 58108-6050.) Hamilton United Methodist American Baptist Churchs newest pastor has urged his parishioners to look beyond the churchs wall and into a community filled with need. John Duckworth will be installed as pastor of the church Sunday, Jan. 31 after a year of being the interim pastor. He has lit a fire on North Sixth Street, church member Virginia Opitz said. He has us focusing outward and more in tune with what we should be doing. Duckworth said he is given too much credit. Its always a challenge for a church to focus beyond its doors and beyond its walls and to see folks and needs from other perspectives, Duckworth said. Recognizing that God loves everybody not just those that come to church on Sunday and find ways to meet them where they are and minister to them where they are and where they hurt. Jesus was always helping people. The church is involved in the community service of community meals, encouragement for Washington School, The Commod and the Prison Fellowship. Free community meals are served from 5:30 to 7 p.m. every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday at Cornerstone Bible Church. Members of the United Methodist-American Baptist Federated Church take their turn cooking and serving dinners for the free community meal program on the third Tuesday of each month. The church members also gathered and wrapped presents for children with a parent in prison part of the Prison Fellowship Ministrys Angel Tree project. Our folks really got behind that, Duckworth said. They knit mittens for the students at Washington Elementary School and welcome teachers to the start of a new school year with a cake. Our church members are committed to the school next door to be a good neighbor, Duckworth said. The church has a member on the board of The Commod located just next door. The building is owned by the church and started the commodity center, Duckworth said. They are their own entity, but we charge them rent so we have money to maintain the facility. The congregation also gathers food for Haven House and Darby Bread Box and works to improve their own building. When the focus is on the mission, the structure is secondary, Duckworth said. Thats the drive to focus on what is it we are here for, how can we make a difference. It is a great group of people and they are giving me the credit for the work that they have had the heart for. Ted Jolley is the Chairman of the Ravalli County Ministerial Association and the senior pastor of Cornerstone Bible Church where the free community meals are served three times a week. Different groups come in to cook and serve, Jolley said. The numbers have increased and the average is now 60 to 80 people a night coming for a meal. S.A.F.E. is full and Gary Locke keeps us in touch with the numbers on the street. He sees the need for a family shelter to be built. Jolley said he saw fewer people coming directly to the church in need of help. Maybe thats because the community is getting better at meeting needs churches, Salvation Army, volunteer groups, Jolley said. When the RCMA does special services, like at Thanksgiving and Easter, we take offerings for benevolence and that has helped us meet needs. There are different avenues for help and community service is needed and essential, Jolley said. The United Methodist church and the American Baptist church combined their resources nearly 85 years ago. This church is unique because it is Baptist, which is my background, and Methodist, Duckworth said. Duckworths wife was a youth director for a Methodist church and he was familiar with the beliefs of those who attend the Methodist church. It is interesting and challenging, he said. It has been fun to explore other denominational experiences and see it from a different perspective. It has been good. They have asked me to stay on as pastor and Ive said yes. Opitz served on the search committee to find a new pastor. Its not common for the interim pastor to become pastor, Opitz said. I was on the search committee and we wanted John. It was loud and clear this was the guy for the job. Duckworth said he I loves Hamilton. There is no bad view of Hamilton. It is a gorgeous place to live, Duckworth said. Hillary Clinton is starting to secure support in the Cowboy State. The Clinton campaign announced Friday that Wyoming's four Democratic National Committee members Ana Cuprill, Mike Gierau, Mary Hales and Bruce Palmer have pledged their support for the former secretary of states presidential campaign. This is just how they each as individuals have chosen to cast their support in the primaries, said Aimee Van Cleave, executive director of the Wyoming Democratic Party. It could have just as easily been them backing Bernie Sanders or Martin O'Malley. The hotly contested Iowa caucus will be held Monday. Come July, the same four National Committee members will be superdelegates at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. The four of them do not by any means represent a majority, nor do they reflect the official stance of the Wyoming Democratic party, Van Cleave said. Wyomings county caucuses and conventions are set for April 9, when registered Democrats in each county will choose their delegates for the state convention. Theyll then head to Cheyenne for the state convention May 28, where theyll formally select Wyoming's 18 delegates for the national convention. There wasnt much competition for one of the DNC member's support. Cuprill, who is also the state chair of the Wyoming Democratic Party, said Sanders' campaign never reached out to her about supporting the senator from Vermont. And about Clinton, Cuprill said: "I believe she's the best candidate with the best resume that can win." From sight to insight. That is the hope. If you like or dislike what you read, please post your comments or send them to hasanzr@gmail.com. Sagarmatha Network Pvt. Ltd. is the organization dedicated in the field of printing, publishing service since 2001. As part of media, we've been publishing Review Nepal, an English medium weekly registered at District Administration Office (DAO) Kathmandu with registration number 130-162-163 and reviewnepal.com as an online digital newspaper, with registration number 849-075-076 at Department of Informational and Broadcasting (DIB) from Kathmandu, Nepal since 2003. Contributions to the Turner Report/Inside Joplin can be sent to: Randy Turner, 2306 E. 8th, Apt. G, Joplin, MO 64801. Send information, news tips, documents, or comments you prefer not to share on the blog or on Facebook to rturner229@hotmail.com. FEMA requires observation of its provisions in letter and spirit and if any contravention may land in penalties on the erring company and individuals. There are various conditions and stipulations in case of FDI , ODI , investment by individuals in foreign shares , purchase of assets in foreign countries , extending guarantees , availing ECBs , supplier's credit . In this column , I will discuss all intricacies and complications involving the interpretation of FEMA Act provisions in detail. o o o The Hindu - January 22, 2016 The dancer with a white parasol by Ranjana Dave Mrinalini was more inclined to performing, and was reluctant to teach. However, she realised in her new city that if she wanted more people to dance, she would have to train them. This laid the foundation for the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts When dancers look back at their lives, they often remark that they were born to dance. Mrinalini Sarabhai, who passed away in Ahmedabad on Thursday at the age of 97, took that conviction a step further. At a young age, she already knew she was a dancer, as opposed to wanting to become one. Her life was a celebration of this belief. Though primarily identified as a dancer, Mrinalini brought to her work an acute social and political consciousness, uncommon for the times she lived in. This awareness was home-grown a her mother, Ammu Swaminathan, was a freedom fighter and later a member of Indiaas first Parliament. Her sister, Lakshmi Sahgal, was part of the Indian National Army. Sarabhai was born in Kerala, spending her early years in Switzerland. In school, she was introduced to Dalcroze Eurhythmics, a system of introducing musical concepts through movement. She spent time studying acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. On returning to India, she enrolled at Santiniketan where she was profoundly influenced by Rabindranath Tagore and singled him out as her only real guru. Like many other dancers of her generation, Sarabhai trained in multiple dance styles. She learned Manipuri with Amubi Singh and Kathakali with Kunju Kurup. She also caught the attention of dancer Ram Gopal, who went on to cast her in some of his productions. Further, she studied Bharatanatyam with Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai and Muthukumar Pillai. She met the celebrated scientist Vikram Sarabhai, who is known as the architect of Indiaas space programme, in Bangalore. They got married in 1942 and moved to his home in Ahmedabad. There, Mrinalini had to counter the notion that being a performer was not an acceptable career choice for arespectable womena . Living in the post-Independence India, there was much to rejoice about. Yet, Mrinalini was also disturbed by the inequality she saw around her. Very early on, she brought social issues into her choreographic practice. aI was looking for subjects that would shake people in dance,a she once said in a documentary. For instance, Memory is a Ragged Fragment of Eternity (1960s) was triggered by the high suicide rate of women in India. It starts with an exuberant dance by three women celebrating their womanhood and their existence. It then segues into the story of one woman, taking us on a journey through her life. It masterfully eludes the literal in its depiction of the censure that drives this woman to the brink of suicide. Dancing in a diagonal coming downstage, two dancers use the sharp lines of a simple Bharatanatyam adavu (step) to express their suspicion and resentment towards her. Thrown at the protagonist, the mudras (gestures) have the potency of poisoned arrows. The costume reinforces the message, bringing the piece closer home. While the vocabulary is drawn from Bharatanatyam, the dancers are clad in colourful textiles from Gujarat, wearing chunky silver instead of the detailed temple jewellery of Tamil Nadu. Mrinalini was more inclined to performing, and was reluctant to teach. However, she realised in her new city that if she wanted more people to dance, she would have to train them. This laid the foundation for the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts, which was set up in 1948. It went on to grow into a centre for progressive arts in Ahmedabad, training thousands of students in dance, drama, music and puppetry over 68 years. Documentaries on Mrinalinias life show her walking into Darpana, her back erect, with a pristine white parasol in her hand. She was at the centre of its rich, chaotic activity. Even in her later years, she actively taught, mentored and created new work for her students. Mrinalinias dance legacy is now in its third generation. She is survived by her daughter, Mallika, a dancer and political activist. Her grandson Revanta is an emerging choreographer, with roots in classical and contemporary dance forms, while her granddaughter Anahita pursues various interests in dance and choreography. aMiddle-classa women who, sheltered by the relative safety of marriage, created careers in classical dance, are both admired for the institutions they created and criticised for the conventional choices they made. Mrinalini Sarabhai is one of them. What matters most is not the institutions she gave birth to, or the dancers she trained. It is the image that she passed on to her students a that of the woman with a white parasol who danced every day, as long as she could, because she loved it. (Ranjana Dave is a dancer and dance writer.) o o o The Times of India Mrinalini Sarabhai: Dance was the breath of her life, stage her mother TNN | Jan 22, 2016, 07.39 AM IST At 97, she leaves behind her a legacy that includes an army of Bharatnatyam dancers who trained under her watchful eye for well over half a century. A Padma Bhushan recipient, she was fondly referred to as Amma. She At 97, she leaves behind her a legacy that includes an army of Bharatnatyam dancers who trained under her watchful eye for well over half a century. A Padma Bhushan recipient, she was fondly referred to as Amma. She breathed her last at 10.10am on Thursday at her Ahmedabad home nestled inside the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts which she founded in 1949. She died of old age-related complications. In a befitting send-off, her daughter Mallika and granddaughter Anahita performed a classical dance rendition on the Darpana stage where her mortal remains were laid for people to pay their last respects. Mrinalini was born in Chennai on May 11, 1918, to a prominent family of freedom fighters. Ammu Swaminadhan, her mother, was a known Gandhian and her father an illustrious lawyer. Her sister Capt Lakshmi Sehgal, who had joined Subhash Chandra Boses Indian National Army (INA), died in 2012. Mrinalini belonged to Vadakath Tharavad family that has its roots in Anakkara village in Palakkad district of Kerala. After schooling in Switzerland, she went to Santiniketan as a pupil of Rabindranath Tagore and Nandlal Bose, where she received education in music and painting. Mrinalini began her training in Bharatnatyam at a very early age. She became a favourite pupil of the great master Sri Meennakshi Sundaram Pillai of Pandanallull 1945. In an interview to TOI in 1999, she said, "I knew I would be a dancer when I was four years old. I started seeing everything in images. While listening to music at age four, I would create my own movement." She would add, "Dance is the breath of my life and the stage is my mother. I was born with a desperate consuming desire to create and the need to question." She moved to Ahmedabad after she married Vikram Sarabhai, the father of Indian space programme, in 1942. She met him for the first time in Bangalore through re nowned Bharatnatyam dancer Ram Gopal, who was known to Sarabhai. "Papa said my mother broke the negative aura around Bharatnatyam at a time when women who danced were known as devdasis," Mallika told TOI in an earlier interview. Mrinalini is credited with popularising choreographic forms of Bharatnatyam and Kathakali on the international stage with performances in over 100 countries. Scores of foreigners still throng to Darpana every year to learn dance. In fact, there is a school in Tokyo by the name Darpana. In 1960-61, for the first time in the his tory of Indian classical dance, Mrinalini started conveying through her dances con temporary social issues like women empow erment, dowry deaths, Dalit rights, environ mental degradation, corruption and degradation of human values. "When nobody knew about the word `dowry death, she highlighted the issue in 1963 through her play after which the government published a white paper where the word was used for the first time," says Mallika. "Coming to Gujarat from a very different culture might have been a kind of adventure for her and she took all in her stride," said son Kartikeya, leading environmentalist who represented India at COP 21 in Paris recently. He mentioned that she also was associ ated with initiatives such as Friends of Tree. Mrinalini often blogged about how dance was her breath, her life. Till the last days of her life, she would oversee the affairs at Dar pana and remain present in almost all productions staged at the academy. In fact, her last performance was in Kadak Badshahi, a hit production celebrating the spirit of Ahmedabad in January 2015. She had over a dozen of masterpieces to her credit, including a choreography based on Beethovens "The creatures of Prometheus" in Italy where she worked with ballet dancing leg ends Milorad Miskovitch and Carla Fracci. o o o 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 Ex-officer was a churchgoer, family man. Police say he may be a serial rapist. The Allen family lived on the northwest side of Hutchinson, less than two miles from Rice Park, where several women said they were accosted. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Gregory will have books available for purchase at $20 each or people can bring their own copies. Jim Gregory will hold a book signing at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 4, in the Arroyo Grande High School library. To buy the book World War II Arroyo Grande is available online through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and the History Press, which published the book. Locally, copies are available through the South County Historical Society and the Barnes & Noble store and the History Center, both in San Luis Obispo. The list price is $21.99. While there might be a statistical debate over the number of organically certified farmers in the state, industry officials in North Dakota maintain such operations are growing alongside national trends. According to U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service from the Census of Agriculture and the individual Organic Production Surveys, the number of organically certified farms in North Dakota declined from 130 in 2012 to 94 in 2014. Im not sure what happened to cause the number of farms to decrease as much as it did from 2012 from 2014, but this is what the data told us, said Darin Jantzi, a state statistician for USDA NASS. Meanwhile, a USDA Agriculture Marketing Service database of certified organic-driven operations shows a count of 128 organic producers in North Dakota as of January, 12 of which were certified in 2015. This number is up from 116 in 2014, 109 in 2013 and 108 in 2012. Industry officials in the state tend to agree with those numbers. What weve been experiencing is an increase, said Christina Dockter, CEO of organic certification company International Certification Services Inc., particularly in the past two years. We havent dropped. If anything, we held stable. State Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said, over time, he has heard of more producers choosing natural production, which does not require payment for certification in certain standards. Operations also may choose to drop or not apply for organic status because they have a strong customer base familiar with their growing practices, according to Goehring. In other instances, organic producers have died or retired and those that purchase the property return it to conventional farming. Fluctuating status Crop insurance and available markets are two items farmers consider when weighing their organic options. It was kind of a financial thing, said Matt Locken, a farmer near Pekin who chose to let his organic certification lapse in 2013 and returned to conventional farming. Locken said crop insurance, which is based on yields, didnt provide adequate coverage because organic yields are naturally lower. He also couldnt get contracts guaranteeing buyers. Richard Krein, who farmed near Wishek, had been organically certified since 1998 when he let his certification expire in 2015. He is retiring and was unable to rent his land to other farmers willing to work the fields organically. Ryan Filler used to grow organic alfalfa near Goodrich. He still has the organic acreage and has not used chemicals, but he could not sell any hay marketed as organic because he let his certification lapse. Filler said the prices for organic production were too low for the yield he got. Also, he does not know of many organic meat or dairy operations that would purchase organic hay from him. Meanwhile, Irene Kaul, who farms organically with her husband near Harvey, said she sees opportunity. She said the Bisman Community Food Co-op grocery store being built in Bismarck has been helpful in that it provides a market for organic producers. Mismatched comparisons States with the most organic farm operators were California with 4,435, New York with 1,361, Pennsylvania with 1,058, Washington with 1,178 and Wisconsin with 1,619. Delaware and West Virginia had the least. States with similar numbers to North Dakota included Arizona, Kansas and Maryland. Goehring said comparing North Dakota to states leading the organic movement is apples and oranges. Where we see organic growing is in areas of higher population, he said. We have some good farm-to-market programs but we also lack the population. Goehring said North Dakota also grows less produce and specializes more in bulk grain production due to its shorter growing season. Were just not big vegetable producers, he said. Note that this only concerns my own imagery posted here, not imagery by others which I post with permission (the latter are clearly indicated as such in the subscripts)! Excerpt from United Nations resolution 2222 (XXI) Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies In order to promote international co-operation in the peaceful exploration and use of outer space, States Parties to the Treaty conducting activities in outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, agree to inform the Secretary-General of the United Nations as well as the public and the international scientific community, to the greatest extent feasible and practicable, of the nature, conduct, locations and results of such activities. On receiving the said information, the Secretary-General of the United Nations should be prepared to disseminate it immediately and effectively. 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. You be the state sentencing judge: how much prison time for former state official guilty of (small-time?) marijuana dealing | Main | Notable analysis of many capital defendants in Florida condemned to death by split juries January 30, 2016 Judge Jack Weinstein disregards severe federal child porn guidelines again A helpful reader alerted me to this notable local story describing the latest notable child porn downloading sentence imposed by US District Judge Jack Weinstein. The piece is headlined "Judge Gives Man 5 Days for Child Porn, Rails Against Harsh Sentences," and here are excerpts: A Brooklyn man who faced 10 years for downloading child pornography was sentenced to five days by a federal judge who sharply criticized punishment guidelines for failing to distinguish between dangerous offenders and those who pose little threat. U.S. District Judge Jack Weinstein wrote a 98-page decision explaining why he bypassed the guidelines and chose not to put the man in prison for possessing two dozen photos and videos some showing men sexually assaulting girls as young as 3 years old, according to court papers. "Removing R.V. from his family will not further the interests of justice," Weinstein wrote, using the defendant's initials. "It will cause serious harm to his young children by depriving them of a loving father and role model and will strip R.V. of the opportunity to heal through continued sustained treatment and the support of his close family." His opinion, first reported in the New York Law Journal, is the latest salvo in a war over whether penalties for possessing child pornography have gotten too harsh. The existing guidelines, Weinstein wrote, do not "adequately balance the need to protect the public, and juveniles in particular, against the need to avoid excessive punishment." The defendant, who agreed to speak to NBC News on the condition his name was not used, said he was surprised and relieved that Weinstein was so lenient after his guilty plea. "I prayed to God and took my chances," the 53-year-old father of five said. "I feel very remorseful. It's something that will never happen again." But child-abuse victims' advocates said they were appalled by Weinstein's reasoning. "I think Judge Weinstein's opinion minimizes the harm that is done to victims of these crimes from the mere act of viewing their images. It's a gross violation of privacy and an invasion of privacy that traumatizes them throughout their lives," said Paul Cassel, a former federal judge who is now a law professor at the University of Utah. In 2013, investigators remotely connected to the man's computer and downloaded four photos and videos showing men engaged in sexual acts with girls, including a 3-year-old and a 5-year-old, and they seized more porn on thumb drives with a search warrant, court papers said. The man also had "sexual" chats with underage girls online, but there was no evidence he sought physical contact with minors. When he pleaded guilty, the defendant said he understood the charge carried up to 10 years behind bars. Based on the specifics of his case, the federal guidelines called for a sentence of 6.5 to 8 years in prison. But Weinstein thought that was too much time for an offender who did not make, swap or sell child porn or try to abuse children. He said the five days the man served before making bail, plus seven years of court supervision and a fine, were punishment enough. The judge noted that the man was undergoing sex offender treatment and was deemed unlikely to relapse and that a psychiatrist testified he was not a danger to his own or other children. He also noted that the Internet has made child pornography accessible to a much wider group of Americans who might not otherwise have been exposed to it. The man who lost his $75,000-a-year job as a restaurant manager after his arrest told NBC News that he stumbled on child pornography while consuming legal, adult pornography online. "I just got caught up in it," he said. "It's not like I woke up and said, 'Listen, let me look at this stuff.' It kept popping up every time I was downloading." Weinstein is among a group of federal judges who have argued that sentencing ranges for possessing child pornography which were doubled by Congress in 2003 are too severe. The federal bench handed down sentences below the guidelines 45 percent of the time, the Associated Press reported in 2012. Those who favor tougher sentences point out that while many consumers of child pornography may not never lay a hand on a child, some do. And all, they say, play a role in a system that promotes the abuse of children.... Jennifer Freeman, an attorney who represents child-porn victims in efforts to obtain restitution, called Weinstein's opinion "a diatribe" and said he was using the particulars of one case to indict the entire sentencing structure. "He's basically saying it's not worth too much punishment," she said, adding that she did not want to comment on whether the man Weinstein sentenced deserved more time than five days. That man said that he had done something wrong and was ashamed of it but that locking him up would not have served any purpose and would have "put my family living out on the street." "It should be illegal," he said of child pornography. "No child should be put through that process." But he added, "I would never physically do anything. I never had even a thought of it." I will need to track down and review closely Judge Weinstein's lengthy opinion in this case before I would feel comfortable weighing in on this specific sentencing decision. But I already can state that I am sure federal prosecutors involved in this case are sure to feel quite uncomfortable when trying to decide whether to appeal this sentencing decision to the Second Circuit as unreasonable. Assuming Judge Weinstein did not disregard any applicable mandatory minimum statute nor made any other clear doctrinal error, federal prosecutors might have a hard time establishing on appeal that Judge Weinstein's exercise of his post-Booker discretion in this case was unreasonable (especially in light of the Second Cicuit's significant 2010 Dorvee ruling which stressed the "irrationality" of the child porn guidelines). But a decision by federal prosecutors not to appeal this sentence might be viewed, perhaps properly, as a tacit admission by the government that a non-prison sentence can be appropriate in some child porn downloading cases. UPDATE: A helpful reader sent me a copy of Judge Weinstein's sentencing opinion in this case, so I can now provide it here for downloading: Download US - v- RV weinstein sentencing opinion January 30, 2016 at 02:25 PM | Permalink Comments Kudos to Judge Weinstein! There are so many others like the defendant in this case who download Adult porn only to find there is unwanted CP in the mix, but by then, it's too late, 5-10 yrs behind bars. This guy didn't seek out CP, it found him. I'm sick to death of attorney's like J. Freeman, who represent CP victims in order to get restitution (which I'm sure makes the attorney some big bucks) constantly putting their two-cents in when a judge who's got it right, makes a ruling. She spouts that "basically he (the judge) is saying it's not worth too much punishment". I don't believe the judge is saying that at all. The people who made the porn, the people who put it online, they're the ones she needs to direct her anger towards, not the judge who's trying to make sense out of nonsensical punishments, nor the defendant who fell into this pile of crap while looking at adult porn. If there were more judges like Judge Weinstein who were willing to stand up and admit the severe punishments for non-production CP need fixing, the world would be a better place. Posted by: kat | Jan 30, 2016 3:13:55 PM Given the mandatory minimums (which are not going away anytime soon), decisions like this really just create an incentive for prosecutors to never bargain down from a distribution count to possession. Posted by: Jay | Jan 30, 2016 3:54:59 PM @Jay. That's a good point. It also illustrates how the distribution/possession distinction which Congress lifted from the drug wars no longer makes sense in digital child pornography cases because today child porn is shared via P2P networks, where it is difficult to possess without likewise distributing. So almost every possessor of child pornography is going to be a distributor of it. Since that is true, what charges a prosecutor decides to bring isn't going to vary based upon any behavioral distinctions of the offender but upon something unconnected to the law. Posted by: Daniel | Jan 30, 2016 4:19:33 PM I agree that the guidelines are too high for mere possession of child pornography. The offense level is raised for ordinary use of a computer, and for the number of images, even though one can download hundreds of images in a short period of time. However, this defendant's explanation is BULLSHIT. It is virtually impossible to inadvertently stumble across child pornography. It is beyond credulity that it "kept popping up." It is clinically unfathomable that anyone who magically managed to experience this constant barrage would keep it on their computer and offer it for download through a P2P shared folder (not to mention move some of the files to a thumb drive) if they were not aroused by it. The New York Journal article also mentions that defendant's downloading behavior spanned a year. The sentencing commission (often prodded by an hysterical congress) has forfeited it's credibility. Judge Weinstein has forfeited his as well. What a mess. Posted by: USPO | Jan 30, 2016 7:54:16 PM @USPO -- Yeah, this guy also pretended to be a teenage boy in chats with minors, and participated in video chats where teenage girls performed "sexual acts." I think the government will probably appeal this and has a good shot of prevailing. Posted by: Jay | Jan 30, 2016 9:09:49 PM Thing is, the idiotic guidelines don't take into account things like his other predatory conduct in establishing the sentence. The Commission didn't forfeit its credibility, Congress mostly ordered this idiocy. Also, the harsh restitution laws pending in Congress, ON TOP OF THE CRAZY, DISPROPORTIONATE SENTENCING just make this whole area a travesty. Ultimately, I think we are going to find that there is a sort of "internet addiction," whereby downloaders just become inured to all sorts of gross, disgusting stuff without having any signs of actual pedophilia. In any event, these guidelines need adjustment. Multiple offense armed bank robbers get lighter sentences than these cats. Posted by: Fat Bastard | Jan 31, 2016 10:37:59 AM Quick question for the legal pundits, I forget what my lawyer said exactly at the time - and I am not going to bother her over something trivial at the moment - but is a judge's sealed SOR ever unsealed or accessable? I too was a federal case for straight posession of CP with no jail time, 5 years probation, and while I have all the case paperwork I can't get the SOR on pacer. Thanks in advance! Posted by: chris | Jan 31, 2016 1:59:50 PM It's never unsealed (so it won't be on PACER), but it should be available to the parties. I would just ask your lawyer. If that doesn't work then write a letter to the court. Posted by: Jay | Jan 31, 2016 2:36:06 PM "I think Judge Weinstein's opinion minimizes the harm that is done to victims of these crimes from the mere act of viewing their images." One can be opposed to child pornography and still recognize that this statement shows an appalling misunderstanding of how the laws of physics work. Posted by: C.E. | Jan 31, 2016 4:44:16 PM C.E.: Yet the Supreme Court has ruled that mere viewing of an image causes an economically quantifiable harm to the victim. Physics is a difficult subject. Posted by: USPO | Jan 31, 2016 7:47:26 PM @USPO The Supreme Court has held many things that were later overturned by other Supreme Courts. So making an appeal to it as an authority is not only a logical fallacy, it's bad rhetoric because SCOTUS is bad authority for any non-legal proposition. Posted by: Daniel | Jan 31, 2016 8:41:12 PM What about the pervert that uploaded the child porn? Posted by: LC in Texas | Jan 31, 2016 8:54:24 PM Beware of opinions with table of contents. Posted by: Joe | Feb 1, 2016 1:09:55 AM Anytime a judge sentences based on politics or personal feelings like Weinstein does we are all in trouble. This Judge is a disgrace...He does this routinely and kids are going to be harmed by this decision. R.V should be in jail for several years...saying oops im sorry should not weigh once iota. Weinstein proves why the nomination of Judges is a political hand grenade today. Lets hope prosecutors appeal and 2nd circuit throws this out. Posted by: DeanO | Feb 1, 2016 8:25:55 AM Deano writes "Anytime a judge sentences based on politics or personal feelings like Weinstein does we are all in trouble. " But, unless compelled by a mandatory senence, every judge sentences to some extent at least based on politics or personal feelings. That's what discretion encompasses. Without it, you have sentencing by computer. Posted by: Dave from Texas | Feb 1, 2016 8:56:22 AM I basically agree with Dave from Texas -- judges should act within a certain window of reasonable judging and the system hopefully will encourage that sort of thing, but HUMAN judges will be affected by human emotions, politics etc. This is encouraged by the process of judicial selection by political actors. The same sorts of people, even if they on the merits have a lot of qualifications, are not likely to be chose by Democrats and Republicans, though there is overlap and in many cases such things don't come out. Posted by: Joe | Feb 1, 2016 9:56:13 AM Does anyone (including Judge Weinstein) expect this to result in anything other than an appeal, reversal, and reassignment to another Judge? And does anyone think that Judge Weinstein is actually writing opinions any more? His hundred-plus page treekillers read like the unedited work of a recent law grad. All the pieces are there, but they're clearly assembled by a recent student, not an experienced judge. Posted by: Curious | Feb 1, 2016 11:25:27 AM District court judges have a lot more tasks to do including holding trials. I would think many of them, including those almost half this guy's age, delegate a lot of the writing of opinions to clerks. But, these tomes are a tad excessive. Posted by: Joe | Feb 1, 2016 11:31:04 AM I was in a room full of people who were staring at some human hanging on a cross half naked and clearly dead. It think that they should go to jail just like these so called porn viewers. They kept calling the dead guy Hey Zeus. Posted by: Liberty1st | Feb 1, 2016 10:29:15 PM Daniel: You may have missed my sarcasm, or I did a bad job of conveying it. I was agreeing with C.E. Posted by: USPO | Feb 2, 2016 10:32:15 AM I have problems with statements like this, which are declarations, without any citation of authority, and in my experience is contrary to what I see as a prosecutor: "Child pornography viewing is played out against a primal parental fear of pedophiles harming their children. While there is a degree of overlap between child pornography viewers and child molesters, most non-production child pornography offendersand particularly the one now before the court for sentencingshow no mens rea suggesting the likelihood of future harm to children." (Slip. Op. at 2) There is also a distinction between believing the possession guidelines are "too harsh" and are "too blunt a tool" to distinguish among defendants, and imposing what is essentially a non-custodial sentence. An individual who takes gratification from the sexual abuse of children, especially prepubescent children and younger, has demonstrated that he (it is almost always a he) a danger to the community. Does it mean he deserves a sentence of 10+ years absent other aggravating circumstances, no, not necessarily, but at the same time it doesn't make an essentially non-custodial sentence reasonable either. Posted by: GrizzlyBear | Feb 3, 2016 12:10:52 AM Grizzly Bear: in what way have they proved they are a danger to the community? How much harm can one man cause sitting secretly in the dark of his home looking at pictures and videos that were created well before he ever logged on? Posted by: Justin | Feb 4, 2016 1:01:15 AM My son is facing a 5 years in a federal prison for acepting a plea agreement and plea guilty for transportation of CP for using a P2p program... My question is can he present a copy of this case to see if the judge can give him a short sentence and a fine instead of the 5 years minimum mandatory Get back to me before may 25 2016. Thats my sons sentencing day Posted by: Concern father | Mar 28, 2016 3:53:32 PM A new decision by Weinstein: http://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/convicted-child-molester-should-be-sent-to-medical-facility-brooklyn-judge-says-1.12106867 Posted by: US v DW | Jul 29, 2016 6:25:10 PM So if you are struggling to catch ideal pokemons to display to your close friends that additionally play pokemon go video game. This app is an idolizer device for you. Posted by: MagicJack | Nov 8, 2017 2:07:39 AM Post a comment Forces in Oklahoma talking about criminal justice reform via ballot initiative ... prompting question "is direct democracy the best way to approach criminal justice reform?" | Main | Judge Jack Weinstein disregards severe federal child porn guidelines again January 30, 2016 You be the state sentencing judge: how much prison time for former state official guilty of (small-time?) marijuana dealing The question in the title of this post is prompted by this local story from Michigan, headlined "Ex-state Rep. Roy Schmidt pleads, sold marijuana as 'source of income,' judge says." Here are the basics (with my emphasis added): Former state Rep. Roy Schdmidt pleaded no contest Thursday, Jan. 28, to manufacture of marijuana. Schmidt initially fought charges as a registered medical marijuana caregiver and disputed the amount of marijuana he possessed. But a police report, read by Grand Rapids District Judge Michael Distel to establish a basis for Schmidt's guilt, said he told police that he sold marijuana to 10 to 15 people who were not his registered medical marijuana patients. He told police that "he was operating his business as a source of income," Distel said. Schmidt was charged last year with manufacture or delivery of marijuana after police raided his home on Seventh Street NW and a house he rented from his son on Myrtle Avenue NW. Police said Schmidt possessed nearly three pounds of marijuana and 71 marijuana plants. Caregivers are allowed to possess 2.5 ounces of usable marijuana for each of up to five patients. Schmidt has maintained that his drying marijuana was not considered usable. He faces up to four years in prison when sentenced on March 22 in Kent County Circuit Court.... Under the plea, Schmidt admits no guilt but the plea is treated as such at sentencing. He was allowed to plead no contest because he could face civil forfeiture proceedings related to his marijuana operation. Schmidt is free on bond. Kent County prosecutors will drop a second charge of manufacturing marijuana. His arrest followed an ill-fated scheme to switch parties while he served in the House of Representatives. After being elected as a Democrat in 2008, he lost his seat four years later after a controversial switch to the Republican Party. He had spent 16 years on a Grand Rapids City Commission on the West Side of town. This case raises more than a few interesting classic "offender-based" sentencing issues: e.g., (1) should Schmidt's history as a relatively prominent politician be viewed as an aggravating sentencing factor (because it makes him more culpable as someone who was involved in making the state laws he broke) or as a possible mitigating sentencing factor (because he would seem like the type of person unlikely to be a serious recidivist); (2) should the prospect of Schmidt losing his home and/or his son's home through civil forfeiture proceedings significantly influence what criminal sentence he receives? But, what really captured my attention in this case (and prompted my cross-posting over at my Marijuana Law, Policy & Reform blog) is the different ways this defendant's offense might be viewed by a sentencing judge. His lawyers could perhaps claim, given the legalization of medical marijuana in Michigan, that Schmidt's crime is essentially a regulatory violation comparable to a liquor store owner who sold a dozen or so times to underage college students. But prosecutors likely will assert that Schmidt should be viewed and sentenced like any other greedy drug dealer. Thoughts, dear readers? January 30, 2016 at 01:17 PM | Permalink Comments "Police said Schmidt possessed nearly three pounds of marijuana and 71 marijuana plants. Caregivers are allowed to possess 2.5 ounces of usable marijuana for each of up to five patients." I do not see how one can take those facts and argue that this is essentially a regulatory violation. He was legally allowed to own about a pound (2.5x5=12.5, 16oz in a pound). So he had more 300% of the legal limit. It also isn't clear to me if the 71 plants are in addition to the three pounds or the 71 plants are where the three pounds come from. If it is the former that makes it even more unlikely that this is something akin to a regulatory violation and far more likely that he is using medical marijuana as a cover for his illegal dope dealing business. Posted by: Daniel | Jan 30, 2016 1:35:07 PM If the guy is unlikely to pull the stunt again, I hate to see him loose everything. Fine him $50K, 5 yrs probation and if he does it again, all of his assets are taken and he gets a guideline sentence plus what he missed on this episode. Might not seem harsh to any if you. Better believe I would be on the straight and narrow..Im sure a sentence like I described wouldnt or couldnt be done. But you get the drift of it and Im sure most judges could fashion a similar sentence. This would promote respect for the law to most anyone. Posted by: MidWestGuy | Jan 30, 2016 8:20:40 PM All fair points, Daniel, but that leaves open the question of what sentence you would impose under these circumstances. I am eager to hear youe specifics sentencing judgment (and others'). Posted by: Doug B. | Jan 31, 2016 11:09:52 AM Is a no-contest plea legally equivalent to a guilty later (meaning that he must report it as a conviction)? If not then I would say either whatever the statutory maximum is under the circumstances or reject the plea outright. If it is a conviction I would say a year or so in prison along with the pending asset forfeiture. I also strongly disagree with MWG on the specific point of forfeiture here. This is not a case where the state pursued forfeiture despite not prosecuting the criminal case. This guy fully deserves to lose everything. Posted by: Soronel Haetir | Jan 31, 2016 3:47:53 PM Post a comment Church to host community prayer Charity Lutheran Church will host the first community prayer offered by the Rev. Larry Jahnke at noon Wednesday. Jahnke plans to meet weekly on Wednesdays at various churches in an effort to unite the Christian community in prayer. He is the founding pastor of New Song Church. The group will meet Wednesday in Charity's sanctuary, and future locations will be included in Sunday bulletins. Charity is at 120 Aspen Ave. in Bismarck. Ministry to offer 'Heal the Sick' Healing Rooms of the Northern Plains will hold a "Heal the Sick" training Friday and Feb. 6 in Bismarck. The training is intended for altar ministers, bible study participants and anyone else eager to learn. There is no charge to attend, and participants can register at the door at 1605 E. Capitol Ave. in the Halkirk Office Building. The training starts at 6 p.m. Friday and continues at 9 a.m. Feb. 6. Church to sponsor worldwide event Surprise Church and Charity Lutheran Church are sponsoring an "IF: Local Gathering" for women Friday and Feb. 6. The IF: Gathering is a two-day worldwide event that provides space for women to wrestle with questions of faith, to dream and to connect. The two Bismarck churches will host a livestream gathering at Charity Lutheran from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Friday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 6. To register, visit www.surprisechurch.com/IF. Charity Lutheran is at 120 Aspen Ave. For more information about the IF: Gathering, visit www.IFGathering.com. Contact nicolepeske1@gmail.com with questions. Interfaith potluck set for Sertoma A third interfaith event for Muslims, Christians and people of other faiths is slated for Feb. 6 at Sertoma Park. The Bismarck Interfaith Group is inviting people of all faiths to the potluck lunch, which will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Sertoma Community Center. Attendees are invited to bring a potluck dish from their cultural heritage. The group will collect donations of paper towels, toilet paper, sponges, 60-watt light bulbs, toilet bowl brushes, cleaning supplies and packages of pens for Lutheran Social Services for refugee families. This well-established Blog is worth visiting on a regular basis for a wealth of information of interest to Armenian nationals and to the Armenian Diaspora world-wide. Although it has a particular role in promoting international recognition of the Genocide, the Blog encompasses much more and includes many articles of general appeal to all those concerned with Armenian affairs. Much of the content is difficult or impossible to find elsewhere and the long list of links provided gives easy access to a plethora of material on social, political, religious, educational and cultural matters, and many news items from around the world. Well, ladies and gentlemen and genderqueer fans of the former Lexington Club, the worst thing you may have expected would happen to the onetime lesbian bar is happening: It's becoming a high-end cocktail joint, and is getting a major makeover, under the name Wildhawk. This was, of course, inevitable after we learned that the PlumpJack group was taking it over. And as Inside Scoop reports, now that it's been nine months since the Lex called it quits, renovations have been underway and the new team is readying for a March opening for the new, bougier bar. Via a press release we learn that design inspiration is coming from the figure of Lola Montez, whom they call San Franciscos original bad girl, which is not exactly a fair characterization. Montez, a performer and notorious world-traveling maneater originally born Eliza Gilbert in Ireland, may have arrived in SF in 1853 and caused some tabloid fanfare, but she was only a California resident for two years, and left for Australia in 1855. As writer Gary Kamiya described in a brief profile of her in the Chronicle, Montez made a name for herself worldwide for her "erotic exploits, political intrigues, violent temper and extraordinary beauty," and having reinvented herself as a "Spanish dancer," she became a sensation on the SF stage for mostly male, Gold Rush-era audiences. Wildhawk sounds like it will be far more tame than Ms. Montez, with a cocktail program by Ken Luciano and Jacques Bezuidenhout, who also designed the drinks at PlumpJack's recently opened SoMa bar, Forgery. And, obviously, no more pool table or pinball machine or raucous parties. Previously: Lexington Club Bids Farewell This Weekend, Crowdfunds Commemorative Plaque NSFW Photos: [Update] Two Arrested After 'Take Back Dyke March' Splinters From New Parade Route, Overwhelms Police Barrier This week we took a first look at Fiorella, the new Italian/pizza spot in the Richmond, and we heard the news that the Lexington Club is becoming, predictably enough, a high-end cocktail bar called Wildhawk. Also, the Don Pisto's/Chubby Noodle guy is bringing a new tequila bar/taco spot to the Marina. But with the constant drum of the approaching Super Bowl making you wonder if you should just go ahead and skip town, and once you've hit up all the best beer bars in SF and Oakland, you may want to take a moment and revel in some of the other food happenings around the city. If you're in the mood to slurp, Leos Oyster Bar (568 Sacramento Street), from the people behind Marlowe and Park Tavern, opened last night in the former Wexlers space. Hoodline informs us that the FiDi restaurant will encourage day drinking, and, as the name suggests, focus on seafood. Another spot to open this week was Starboard (2919 16th Street), a hofbrau-style connected to the bar Slate which saw its first night open to the public last night. As Ms. Tablehopper notes, the restaurant bucks the weird San Francisco restaurant trend of closing early and both has a late-night menu and stays open until 3 a.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, serving stuff like scallion hushpuppies, pho, and open-faced turkey sandwiches. Meanwhile, big changes are afoot at the Twitter building's Market on Market, which is set to transition away from its partial grocery-store vibe and become more of a "Ferry Building-style food hall," the Chronicle tells us. This means more typical grocery fare will be ditched in favor of a sushi spot, a doughnut maker, a pizzeria, and so on. Burger pop-up Popsons, which we mentioned last week, has opened a semi-permanent spot in the former Marlowe Burger on Townsend, reports Eater. Chef Adam Rosenblum will hold that spot down until a planned truly permanent location opens on mid-Market in March. The Tenderloin is about to get a new Burmese restaurant, as chef and owner William Lue plans to open an offshoot of his popular Oakland Grocery Cafe. Eater hips us to the possible mid-February opening. Following in the footsteps of Joe's Crab Shack, Atelier Crenn has made the move to eliminate tips and simply increase prices. Owner and chef Dominique Crenn told Inside Scoop that the change will go into effect February 1. In closing news, Belcampo Meat Company's spot in the Mission shut down on Wednesday. Belcampo CEO Anya Fernald told the Scoop that they weren't able to sell the volume of meat they needed to in order to make the space work financially. But go ahead and drown those meat-sorrows out with some ice cream, as Smitten Ice Cream will shortly be opening up a new location in the Marina. So reports Eater, which informs us that the chain's seventh location will begin scooping this summer. The Mina Test Kitchen (2120 Greenwich Street) will have a new resident starting March 1, Eater tells us, with Indian-focused The Company from chef Vikrant Bhasin set to take over the space. The final night for Little Italy, the current resident, is February 14. The Inner Richmond just got a little hipper with the soft-opening of High Treason. The restaurant and wine bar, formerly known as Pivot, has sommeliers Michael Ireland and John Vuong at the helm, Eater reports. Food offerings, which are forthcoming, will be taken care of by chef Daniel Brooks. Stay tuned for details on when the kitchen will be up and running. InsideScoop brings us news that Marzano will live again. The Italian eatery closed in 2014, but has found a new home in Oakland. The restaurant's former general manager, Manna Tekie, and its inaugural chef, Rob Holt, will be in charge. Expect pizzas and pan roasted octopus. American Grilled Cheese Kitchen will open its third location this Monday. The opening of the new shop, located on Broadway and Battery, comes just ahead of the launch of co-founder Heidi Gibson's cook book, notes Hoodline. Bite Me Sandwiches opened their second location this week. The sandwich shop, Hoodline tells us, will likely soon have an upstairs wine bar to go along with the food. The new Castro location complements their existing spot on 16th Street at Mission Street. And finally, if you must go to Super Bowl City, you can expect to find some food and drinks for sale inside (it might be dicey trying to bring your own in). The fine folks over at KRON 4 inform us that eats from Woodhouse Fish Company, Graze, Bourbon and Steak, Southern Comfort Kitchen, and El Pipila will all be available for purchase. This Week In Reviews The Weekly's Peter Lawrence Kane makes us all a little jealous this week, as he tries out the Chinese New Year menu at Hakkasan. Chef Ho Chee Boon's special $138.88 menu offers dim sum, preceded by a ginseng and chicken soup. Kane notes that the star of the show is the "buttery-light" Chilean sea bass topped with Chinese honey. The special lasts for four more weeks, and Kane hints that it would be inauspicious to miss it if you can afford it, that is. Michael Bauer's mid-week update came with a visit to Berkeley's Gather, which opened in 2009 but got Tu David Phu as a new chef last year. Bauer repeatedly compliments the restaurant for being extremely vegetarian friendly without sacrificing anything, but in the end can't help but gush over the baked oysters calling the truffle bearnaise they were served floating in "a masterful blend." The vegan pizza was the star of the show, surprising even Bauer. In the end, he notes that the shift toward a more "mainstream" experience over the past seven years has actually been good for the place, and he gives it two stars. His Sunday review of Berkeley's La Marcha quickly moves away from any vegan flirtations, as Bauer declares the paella which takes 30 minutes to prepare and serves two to four people the must-have item on the menu. His favorite of the paellas offered is the Arroz Negro, and he notes the bottom layer of crusted rice adds complexity. Bauer details the selection of tapas, but seems fixated on the fact that his menus had food stuck to them when presented. In the end, however, Bauer thinks the food for which owners Sergio Emilio Monleon and Emily Sarlatte are responsible makes up for the slightly uneven service. He gives it two and a half stars. LOS ANGELES | Cuba Gooding Jr. wont say if he thought O.J. Simpson killed Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman more than 20 years ago. Its part of the process not to judge your characters, the Oscar-winning actor says. I have to give (the director) a blank slate and let him paint it in in the editing room. Cast as Simpson in The People v. O.J. Simpson, a 10-part miniseries airing this week on FX, Gooding was happy to get the role but perplexed that he couldnt shake it. It was probably the hardest character Ive ever played, he told reporters earlier this month. It was six months of an emotional roller coaster. It took me a month or so to finish the ride emotionally. Showing the case from various vantage points, the drama part of the new American Crime Story umbrella isnt designed to confirm guilt or innocence but to see more completely what went on in and outside the courtroom. This case was so polarizing when it came out you could only see it through your own prism, says Executive Producer Brad Simpson. Twenty years later, we were able to look back at it and try to understand the polarized reaction that came as a result. Your experience of the criminal justice system and policing is very different based on the color of your skin and where you are economically. Viewed on television by more than 100 million people, the not guilty verdict was a galvanizing event in American history, Brad Simpson says. It brought America together and then it tore America apart, largely on racial lines. The police chase (as O.J. Simpson tried to flee in a white Bronco) and trial were such a part of American viewing habits they gave rise to the 24-hour news cycle and reality television, according to Executive Producer Scott Alexander. Someone like Kato Kaelin or Faye Resnick would become famous and no one was really sure why. Sandwiched in the crowd: Robert Kardashian, head of the Kardashian clan that now populates reality TV. He was Simpsons friend and defense attorney, the only person of the key players who had nothing to gain, according to David Schwimmer, the actor who plays him. While members of Kardashians family turn up in several scenes, theyre not meant to titillate but to show the personal relationship the attorney had with Simpson. A little bit of sprinkling with the family, we thought, made a point, says Alexander. While Gooding was eager to be in the miniseries, John Travolta who plays attorney Robert Shapiro took four months to make a decision. And then I was convinced it was going to be a multi-layered message, which is what I would have hoped it would be, Travolta says. He came on board as a producer as well to ensure that viewers would understand why the verdict ended the way it did as opposed to chasing some rabbits that didnt matter. Most involved were concerned that this was the right time to revisit the case which dominated the news in 1994 and 1995. It was the subject of tabloid fodder to a degree that was unprecedented and still not rivaled, even in the era of the Internet, says producer Nina Jacobson. Because a number of racial incidents have occurred since the trial, now is the time when people are able to at least converse on the subject, Jacobson says. Theyre ready to come at it with the perspective of time, the perspective of history and through the prism of character. While some actors were eager to talk with the characters they played, Gooding resisted. I had no desire to visit him in his present condition, being incarcerated, being a shell of a man, he says. I have relatives who are incarcerated and it breaks a mans soul and spirit. I knew this portrayal in 1994 was a flamboyant, charismatic movie star/marquee athlete. Gooding says he used films and other research materials to shape his performance. Director Ryan Murphy says hes particularly proud of the productions ability to pull back the curtain and show what people like Johnnie Cochran, Marcia Clark, Shapiro and Kardashian were like when they werent participating in the trial. I thought I had known everything about that case, he explains. And reading the scripts, I quickly found out that I did not. Everybody knew the ending of All the Presidents Men, he adds, but it was paced with such urgency it kept you involved. Thats something I was always thinking about when I was directing them. The People v. O.J. Simpson airs at 9 p.m. Feb. 2 on FX. SIOUX CITY | The security detail for two high-profile presidential campaign rallies Sunday will include 10 Sioux City police officers -- an added personnel expense that will be paid by city taxpayers. Police Chief Doug Young said the Secret Service asked the Police Department to assist with security for rallies for Hillary Clinton and Trump that will be held within 45 minutes of each other downtown Sunday. Clinton is scheduled to speak at 5:15 p.m. at the Convention Center, while Trump is set to take the stage at 6 p.m. at the Orpheum Theatre. How much will the extra police protection cost? Young said it depends on how long the officers work. For similar events, some paid overtime is typically involved. Young said the city isn't reimbursed by the Secret Service or the individual campaigns for the costs. The police department budgets about $10,000 per election cycle for added security, he said. Police Sgt. Todd Sassman said the officers will be a part of the candidates' motorcades and others will assist with security during the events. Young said police assist with security details for all presidential candidates with Secret Service protection. The list is still relatively short. It includes Clinton, Trump and GOP candidate Ben Carson. Sioux City police also assisted with former president Bill Clinton's visit to Sioux City on behalf of his wife earlier this month. Trump did not have Secret Service during his first visit to Sioux City West High School in October, Young said. Alison Benson, a spokeswoman for the Sioux City school district, said Trump paid $2,100 for police, fire and medical services at the rally. He also paid $700 for school district overtime. Young added no streets or parking ramps will be closed for either the Clinton or Trump events Sunday. "We have never blocked off the street," Young said. "We might have one lane, but we've never blocked the streets off for either candidate." SIOUX CITY | Republican candidate Jeb Bush on Friday cited his achievements as governor of Florida and lessons learned from his brother and father who served as presidents as reasons he should become president himself. Speaking three days before the Iowa caucuses, Bush said he's "had a front-row seat watching history unfold," by observing his father George H.W. Bush and brother George W. Bush serve as presidents for a combined 12 years since 1989. "I had a brother that was a president of the United States and I had a father that was president of the United States, and I am proud of their service," Bush said to applause from the crowd of 180 people at Bev's on the River. Bush said he stood up to teachers unions to help reform education in Florida and used veto powers to wipe away bad legislation. "They called me Veto Corleone ... I hope you want a President Veto Corleone," Bush said to chuckles. Speaking again about his tenure as governor in Florida, Bush said, "I was a disrupter in Tallahassee. I want to be a disrupter in Washington, D.C." Friday's event was his second to Siouxland in this election cycle, following a previous stop at Morningside College in Sioux City. That makes Bush among those Republican candidates with the least campaign stops in Sioux City, ahead of only John Kasich and Jim Gilmore. Bush was seen as a front-runner with considerable fundraising resources and a strong political network when he launched his candidacy. However, he has languished in Iowa and national polls, placing well down in the 12-candidate Republican field with single-digit poll results. Bush also cited the need to respond militarily to the Islamic State terrorist group that claimed responsibility for attacks in Paris that killed more than 100 people. "This is a threat to Western Civilization. They have declared war on us; we need to declare war on them and be serious about it. I believe I have the steady hand and the right stuff to make it happen," Bush said. Julie Nelson, of Sioux City, is a Republican who plans to participate in Monday's caucuses for the first time ever. Nelson said she knows she doesn't like Republican Donald Trump, given his controversial comments. "I am really torn between (Ben) Carson and Bush and maybe (Marco) Rubio after that," Nelson said. She said it was good to hear from Bush in person. "I like that he's got a proven track record as governor," Nelson said. Ken Berg, of Sioux City, is an independent who is considering which candidate to support, and said he is uncertain if he will caucus Monday. Berg likes Bush and Democrat Martin O'Malley, who also was in Sioux City on Friday. Berg said the next president should be versed on health care and erasing the national debt. He also isn't a Trump fan. "(Bush) is a little more prudent, he is more reflective. He doesn't say rash things," Berg said. SIOUX CITY | When the Rev. Dan Rupp, 49, isn't working for his parishioners at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, he can be found restoring his special edition 1981 Pontiac Trans Am. "One of my favorite movies was (1980's) 'Smokey and the Bandit II,'" he said, showing photos saved on his computer. "That's why I always wanted a car just liked Bandit's." If Rupp doesn't seem like your typical priest, you're exactly right. A Cherokee, Iowa, native, he initially earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Iowa State University. It was while working as an engineer in Burlington, Vermont, that Rupp decided to enter the seminary. "When you're young, you don't necessarily know what you want to do in life," he remembered. "Even though I enjoyed engineering, I wasn't certain it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. When I was a little kid, I wanted to become a priest, so it was already in the back of my mind." "I figured going to seminary school would either put me on the right path or get it out of my system entirely," Rupp thought when entering Emmitsburg, Maryland's Mount St. Mary's College. "Before long, I knew becoming a priest was something I was meant to do." Ordained to the priesthood in 1998, Rupp worked in Vermont before returning to Iowa in 2013. He became Blessed Sacrament's pastor the following year. "I needed to be closer to family," he explained. "It was time to come home." That didn't mean Rupp is letting his engineering skills go to waste. He's created elaborate replicas of his church, the Sioux City Diocesan Office and other local landmarks, using styrofoam and cardboard. "The models are for Blessed Sacrament's Christmas nativity scenes," Rupp said. "Each year, our native scene will get bigger and better." Still, he said his passion remains with cars. "I often pepper my sermons with car stories," Rupp admitted with a laugh. "Men and children seem to like them. I'm not sure if the female parishioners are as crazy about cars as I am though." Nevertheless, he can't help but share anecdotes about the 1988 Chevrolet Camaro or the 1979 Tenth Anniversary Pontiac Trans Am he previously restored and the "Smokey and the Bandit" car that he is currently restoring at his dad DuWayne Rupp's home in Cherokee, Iowa. "As a priest, you work long hours and never really know what the day will bring," Rupp said with a smile. "On my days off, there is nothing more relaxing than working on my cars." SIOUX CITY | The Donald Trump factor has been seen as driving independents, Democrats and non-traditional voters to register as Republicans, but there hasn't been a big surge of new GOP registrations in Northwest Iowa. Bernie Sanders has attracted scores of young supporters, but Democratic registration numbers in the region are mostly flat. Iowans must register as either Democrats or Republicans in order to take part in Monday's caucuses, which are overseen by the two political parties, rather than county auditor offices that oversee traditional elections. Voters can register at the caucuses Monday, switch their existing registration label from "no party" to Republican or Democrat, change from Democratic to Republican or vice versa. Still, the latest registration numbers call into question predictions of record-breaking turnout Monday. As of Wednesday, seven of 15 Northwest Iowa counties have more registered Republicans, compared to the last contested presidential caucus in 2012, according to new figures released this week. For Democrats, registrations are down in 13 of 15 counties as of Wednesday, compared to 2008, the party's last contested caucus. That year, the Democratic contests shattered records for caucus-goers as Sen. Barack Obama turned out throngs of voters as he won a surprise victory in Iowa, en route to his first term as president. The registration numbers for the last two caucuses are from the dates of those contests, Jan. 3, 2008 and Jan. 3, 2012. County election officials this week said they expected the number of registered voters to rise in the final days through Monday's caucuses. That happened from last Monday to Wednesday. Nearly 240 more people registered as Republicans or Democrats in the region over those three days. "They realize the caucuses are coming very quickly," Dickinson County Deputy Auditor Boots Gross said. But in spite of admonitions from candidates in a spate of recent campaign appearances, there hasn't been a groundswell of new registrations in the region in the last month, according to a Journal analysis of the numbers. From Jan. 4 to Jan. 27, many counties gained a dozen to two dozen more Republican voters, with highs of 88 more in Woodbury County, 51 more in Sioux County and 36 in Dickinson County. Meanwhile, Democratic registrations changed little over those three weeks, either rising or falling by 10 voters or less. In Sioux County, the most Republican of Iowa's 99 counties, 51 more voters registered under the GOP banner from Jan. 4 to Wednesday. Overall, the number of registered Republicans in the 15 counties over the past three weeks increased by 352, from 82,270 to 82,622, with 170 of those coming Monday through Wednesday. The corresponding gains were paltry for Democrats, with a combined rise of 88 additional registered Democrats in the 15 counties, from 42,376 to 42,464. Sixty-nine of those happened in the last three days. Statewide, Republican registrations increased by 2,954 from Jan. 4 through Wednesday, while Democrats gained 2,100 voters. No party rose by only 150. As of Wednesday, there were 612,112 registered Republicans, 584,111 registered Democrats and 726,819 non party voters in the Hawkeye State. Gross said Dickinson County voters have switched from no party to Democratic and Republican registrations, and some residents not previously registered declared as Republicans. Ida County Deputy Auditor Shelley Bruning described similar registration changes also happening in her county. Compared to 2008, 13 of the 15 counties had Democratic registration drops of 180 or more. The biggest drop was in Woodbury County, where the number of registered Democrats is 1,019 fewer. Woodbury County at various points has been relatively balanced in terms of Republicans and Democrats, but now Republicans lead with 18,722, compared to 17,595 for Democrats. No party makes up the largest contingent with 19,502 registered voters. Over the last three weeks, the combination of the number of registered no party voters fell and the number of Republicans increased in seven counties -- Woodbury, Clay, Lyon, Cherokee, Buena Vista, Sac, Monona and Ida. Buena Vista University political science professor Bradley Best said Republican candidate Sen. Ted Cruz has a solid team that has been using field organizers to get people to register as Republicans and turn them out on Monday. Best said he is intrigued to see if Trump, who is leading in the polls in Iowa and nationally, can match Cruz's turnout team and mobilize people to caucus for the outspoken billionaire developer Sanders and Trump have held the largest rallies in Northwest Iowa this caucus cycle, with Sanders drawing more than 1,000 and Trump more than 2,300 at Sioux City rallies. Woodbury County Auditor Pat Gill said Sanders, who is locked in a tight race with former first lady Hillary Clinton, is pulling in new people he hasn't seen attend Democratic rallies. Gill said the Sanders supporters are younger, and it's a question of whether the new voters will turn out to caucus for Sanders on Monday. Note: Voter information for Woodbury, Plymouth, Sioux, Lyon, Osceola, O'Brien, Clay, Dickinson, Cherokee, Buena Vista, Sac, Monona, Ida, Crawford and Emmet counties was surveyed for this story. SIOUX CITY | Democratic presidential candidate Martin O'Malley stood in the center of his tightly packed Sioux City campaign office Friday night and told 70 people they need to prove political prognosticators wrong when the Iowa caucuses play out Monday. O'Malley said he knows there will be pressure at the caucus precinct events to move to the other two Democratic candidates, former first lady Hillary Clinton and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, who lead by a wide margin in polls. A former Maryland governor, O'Malley said Iowans should elevate him, as they did when fellow Democrat Barack Obama won the state and went on to win the presidency twice. "You are not intimidated by polls. You are not intimidated by pundits," O'Malley said. "Lift up a new leader, because we've never needed new leadership more than we've needed it now. We are going through a time of division, a time of polarization." In a 40-minute stop heavy on questions from the crowd, O'Malley said America needs a president who will push common sense policies to aid the working class and to close the gap between the lower pay women sometimes receive than men. "Seventy percent of us are still earning the same or less than we did 12 years ago. There is a growing opportunity gap, a growing income inequality," he said. On other issues, O'Malley said he supports comprehensive immigration reform to give a path to citizenship for undocumented residents. He also said he is worried the hard-line statements by Republican candidates such as Donald Trump have led too many Americans to think that "shredding the Constitution" is necessary to halt terrorism. Charlie Prochelo, of Sioux City, said he has been an O'Malley supporter since summer 2015. Prochelo said O'Malley fleshes out policy plans better than Sanders and said he thinks it is time to move on from family political dynasties. "We don't need another Clinton. We don't need another Bush," Prochelo said. "(O'Malley) is a governor and he has experience that he has demonstrated." The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is offering 5,815 turkey licenses for the spring hunting season, the same as last year. Five of the 22 hunting units have slightly more spring licenses than in 2015, two have fewer and 15 remain the same. Unit 21, consisting of Hettinger and Adams counties, is again closed in 2016 due to lack of turkeys in the unit. Spring turkey applicants must purchase a 2016-17 hunting license, as last years 2015-16 licenses expire March 31. First-time spring turkey hunters ages 15 or younger are eligible to receive one spring license valid for the regular hunting season in a specific unit. Spring turkey applicants can apply online at the Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov. Applications can also be submitted by calling 800-406-6409. The deadline for applying is Feb. 10. Online or phone applications must be logged before midnight that day. Spring turkey licenses are available only to North Dakota residents. The spring turkey season opens April 9 and continues through May 15. Todays top picks from our online calendar. Find more events at siouxcityjournal.com/calendar. Sioux City Camera Club Exhibit: Dozens of images by members of the century-old Sioux City Camera Club are on display at Betty Strong Encounter Center, 900 Larsen Park Road. Visit www.siouxcitylcic.com or call 712-224-5242 for more information. The West That Has Passed: Paintings by Sioux City artist Tom L. Roberts will be on display starting today through April 17 at Sioux City Art Center, 225 Nebraska St. Visit www.siouxcityartcenter.org or call 712-279-6272 for more information. First in the Nation: The State Historical Museum of Iowa traveling display explores the history of the Iowa caucuses from 1972 to 2012 through images and film clips from past caucuses as well as a selection of historical caucus artifacts from the State Historical Museum of Iowas extensive political collection. On display today through Feb. 13 at Morningside College Hickman-Johnson-Furrow Learning Center, 1501 Morningside Ave. Visit www.morningside.edu for more information. MARINETTE, Wisconsin | Perched atop the launching cradle next to the Menominee River, the USS Sioux City stood ready for its big day. In large letters, the name Sioux City stood out from the gray exterior as Sioux City officials, crew members, the media and contractors climbed the 62 steps of the yellow scaffolding Friday to get an up-close look at the ship that will carry the city's name around the world for decades to come. "It's time we put the Sioux City in the water and start trials," said Cmdr. Ken Lieberman, who will be the ship's executive officer, the second in command. "We hope to make your city and the country proud of what we bring to the Sioux City name." On Saturday, the ship will be christened and launched, an important step in the ship's journey from construction, which began in June 2013, to commissioning, likely to take place in the spring or early summer of 2017. On Friday, activity buzzed on board and around the ship. On the river, tugboats busted up the ice covering the river, a necessity when launching ships in northern Wisconsin in the middle of January. Workers onboard secured the ship, making sure nothing is damaged during the launch. Amid the hustle and bustle, Lieberman showed off what will be one of the Navy's more unique ships, able to operate with fewer crew members and change missions by swapping out one ship section for another. "We can plug and play just about anything the U.S. Navy imagines," Lieberman said on the flight deck, where helicopters and drones will land. The Sioux City, part of a new littoral class of ships designed to sail nearer the coast -- in the littoral zone -- and into shallower waters, is designed for mine detection and clearing, anti-submarine warfare and surface warfare. Each mission requires a different set of assets housed in modules, similar to building blocks, which can be loaded and unloaded through a huge door off the landing deck. "It can be totally reconfigured for those different mission modules," Lieberman said. The USS Sioux City is about 80 percent finished. There are no furnishings yet. Wiring will be bundled and insulated. Much painting remains. Weapons systems -- rolling airframe missiles and a 57mm cannon -- and many more sensitive components and systems will be installed once the ship is launched. It's all part of the process Lieberman called "fit and finish." Inside the pilot house, Lieberman said only three crew members will be needed to navigate and operate the ship, part of a base crew of 50. Up to 90 sailors will serve on board the ship, depending on its mission. Though the windows were covered for launch, it was easy to envision the 180-degree view those operating the ship will have. From a console in the middle of the room, Lieberman said, a crew member will be able to command 95 percent of the ship's operations from a touch screen. "That's what makes this unique among all other ships," he said. Docked nearby were the USS Detroit and USS Little Rock, sister ships nearer commissioning. Both provided a good idea of what the USS Sioux City, when fully armed and completed, will look like. Even without its full trappings, the Sioux City struck an imposing sight. At rest in the launching cradle, she appeared ready, eager, to join her sisters in the water where she belongs, ready to serve her country and make those living in her namesake city proud. MARINETTE, Wis. | With all the pomp and ceremony befitting such an occasion, the USS Sioux City left the land behind, splashing into the water where it is meant to be. The ship was christened and launched Saturday into the Menominee River at the Marinette Marine Shipyards, where she has been under construction since 2013. Hundreds of people, including Naval dignitaries, Sioux Cityans and many of the workers who built the ship, gathered near the dock on an unseasonably warm day to witness the first ship named for Sioux City move one step closer to joining the Navy fleet. "For the United States of America, I christen thee Sioux City. May God bless this ship and all who sail on her," ship sponsor Mary Winnefeld said seconds before shattering a bottle of champagne across the bow in one swing, drawing cheers. Within seconds, the ship slowly slid down the launching skids and landed with a splash that created waves shattering the ice covering the river. As the USS Sioux City rocked and bobbed in the water, a Navy band played "Anchors Aweigh," as the crowd cheered and whistled. Nancy Kielhold, who traveled from Sioux City with her husband, Nick, was still emotional after witnessing the ship strike the water. "I could have cried it was so emotional. The speeches connected to Sioux City and Iowa. It was so patriotic," she said, choking up slightly. "I swear I got hit by drops of water from the launch." Sioux City was well-represented by some two dozen people who stood to be recognized by the crowd during the ceremony before the launch. That so many would travel so far for the occasion showed Sioux City's commitment to supporting the ship and her crews in any way possible, mayor Bob Scott told the crowd. "We as a community are honored in a way you can't imagine," Scott said. "Our community has embraced this already and will continue to do so for the lifetime of the ship. We do have a rich history in the military, and this is an honor we will not soon forget." Throughout the past two days, shipbuilders, Naval officers and contractors expressed the amount of pride they had in a ship that has yet to sail. The pride Sioux City has showed in this ship made an impression on them, Siouxland Chamber of Commerce president Chris McGowan said. During the weekend, McGowan said, Navy officials were surprised that so many from Sioux City came to the launch. Most cities have far fewer citizens attend these ceremonies. "It's interesting to have learned some communities have not embraced their namesake ship and crew as Sioux City has," McGowan said after the launch. "The entirety of the two days just gave me an enormous sense of pride to say Sioux City is my home town. "We're going to do everything in our power to make sure the community continues to support the ship and its crew in the future." That the ship was named for a smaller city in a land-locked Midwestern state brings pride to sailors from those areas. Having a ship named for Sioux City is special, said Capt. Paul Young, a Fremont, Nebraska, native who oversees the crews that will serve on the ship. "It tugs at the heartstrings for sure because I know the quality of people in the Midwest, especially in Nebraska and Iowa," Young said. The launch capped off a ceremony of speeches from executives, Navy brass and politicians, many of them paying tribute to Sioux City. Though the USS Sioux City is a warship, it also will take part in peace-keeping missions and relief efforts, calling to mind Chief War Eagle and his desire for peace with early settlers in the Sioux City area, said Gloria Valdez, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for Ship Programs. Adm. Michelle Howard, vice chief of Naval Operations, the Navy's second-in-command, complimented Iowans' innovative spirit, citing the invention of the Eskimo Pie ice cream treat in Onawa. "This spirit is wrapped up in (the ship's) motto: 'Forging a New Frontier'. The Sioux City is going where few ships have gone before," Howard said. The ship is the 11th in the littoral combat class, a new class of ships designed to sail nearer the coast -- in the littoral zone -- and into shallower waters than other naval vessels. The ships are designed for mine detection and clearing, anti-submarine warfare and surface warfare. Building and development of the ships in the Sioux City's class involve 10,000 people and 900 companies in 43 states, said Stephanie Hill, general manger and vice president of Lockheed Martin mission systems and training, ship and aviation systems. Work remains to finish the ship's interior and install many of its operating systems. After up to 12 months of testing on Lake Michigan, the USS Sioux City will be commissioned before arriving in its home base in Florida. SIOUX CITY | With the end within sight to the Iowa caucuses, Republican presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Rand Paul made one more stop in Sioux City Saturday, confident in his chances of winning through his strength with young voters. The Kentucky senator spoke before a crowd of about 160 at the Holiday Inn, 701 Gordon Drive at noon. There, the candidate spoke of the disconnect between elected representatives and average Americans. Both parties overspend money, Paul said, before calling out fellow candidates Sen. Marco Rubio and Sen. Ted Cruz on their ideas to add more than $1 trillion to the military budget. The further we go into debt, the weaker we are, Paul said. Paul also attacked House Speaker Paul Ryan for raising the debt ceiling infinitely and spoke about what he called the over-regulation of agriculture. He also promised he would repeal every executive order President Barack Obama has issued during his administration. The (Environmental Protection Agency) has a swat team, Paul said. The way they classify your farms as wetlands so they can control them is insane. On foreign policy, Paul said regime change, which he claimed is the preferred method of dealing with enemies by the establishment in Washington, D.C., is a mistake. Some people thought they would topple (deceased Prime Minister of Libya) Muammar Gaddafi, and that Libya would elect Thomas Jefferson, Paul said. After asking the crowd to caucus for him -- through the snow Monday if necessary -- Paul stopped for photos and autographs with dozens of people before heading to his next event in Mason City, Iowa. Jeff Sis, of Denison, Iowa, got his photo taken with the senator, and said he liked Paul's talk about taking on the EPA and farming regulations, as Sis works at an ethanol refinery. "He's in my top two picks," Sis said. "Him and Rubio." In a brief interview after he spoke, Paul said he is confident of his chances of being declared the caucus winner Monday night, despite polls showing him in the bottom tier of candidates with single-digit support. I think were going to surprise people. The polls discount the younger people, especially college age who support us, Paul said. I think were going to win. ....see our time working at Birdnest in Kl here....... Our month or so recovery in our little hut right on Sritanu Beach on Ko Phanga... Disclaimer All posts on this blog are the personal views of named individuals: such views should not be taken to represent the collective views of the Sociology staff, the School of Social Science and Public Policy at Keele University, nor those of the University. We take no responsibility for any of the external links used on these pages. Please acknowledge the use of any materials from our posts. 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 Dr. Edward Ed Arthur Slocum, 68, Eagle Butte, S.D., died Jan. 18, 2016, at Dougherty Hospice House, Sioux Falls, from complications after a short hospital stay. As per Eds wishes, a family memorial will be held at a later date. Ed was born Dec. 10, 1947, in Vermillion, to Robert and Lorraine (Kundert) Slocum. He graduated from T.F. Riggs High School in Pierre in 1966 and promptly shipped out to the Navy. Ed was stationed domestically in San Diego and received an honorable discharge. Eds post-military education and career was dedicated to a life in public education. He received his bachelors degree in secondary education from Black Hills State University in 1973, a masters degree in education administration from South Dakota State University in 1978, an education specialist degree in 1984, and his doctoral degree in 1986 from the University of Wyoming. In his early career, he worked as a teacher at Baltimore (Md.) Public Schools and Pierre Indian School, and was the federal programs director at Douglas School District, before he transitioned into school administration. He served as the secondary principal and taught some classes at both Bison School District and Harding County School District. Ed served as the superintendent in Redfield, secondary school supervisor in Mission, and superintendent in Bison, before accepting the position of superintendent at New Town in 1993. He held that position for 13 years, before returning to South Dakota in 2006 to serve as superintendent at Cheyenne-Eagle Butte, until his retirement in 2013. It was at New Town where he spent the longest tenure of his career. He found tremendous gratification in arriving at a financially struggling school district and leaving it with a solid financial foundation. He led numerous building projects, the crown jewels of which were a new middle school wing and a major expansion at the elementary building. The pride of his career was providing the students there with a quality education while appreciating cultural and traditional aspects of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation. Although his job as superintendent sometimes called for less day-to-day student interaction than he preferred, he enjoyed getting to know all the students and he collaborated with school staff and other community organizations to prevent students from dropping out. Ed was an outdoorsman at heart, pursuing hunting and fishing adventures throughout his life. He instilled a love of nature in his children as well. He especially enjoyed casting a line and trolling for walleye. Everywhere he lived, he found a fishing spot, but New Towns Lake Sakakawea was spiritually significant to him. Shade Hill in Perkins County was another treasured fishing spot. His sense of humor was a defining characteristic, and he often opened a conversation or meeting with a pun that was sure to induce either laughter or eye rolling. Either way, his humor was sure to get a response and his wit was a hallmark of his skill as a communicator. Ed married the love of his life, Monica DelRae Marlow, in Rapid City on Nov. 25, 1978. To this union two children were born, Erica Elise and Robert Lewis. Ed was a loving husband, father and grandfather. Even in the last days of his life, he still enjoyed bragging to the nurses about Erica, Robert and his grandchildren. Ed was preceded in death by his father, Robert Roy Slocum. Ed is survived by his wife, Monica, Eagle Butte, S.D.; his son, Robert (Jerica), Isabel, S.D.; his daughter, Erica (Will) Stafford, Rapid City, S.D.; his mother, Lorraine, Rapid City; his brother, Bob (Pam) Slocum, Rapid City; and his sister, Rhonda (Rick) Rylance, Rapid City, and daughter, Elizabeth (Mathew) Bergendahl, Rapid City. Ed is also survived by numerous grandchildren and other family and dear friends. Monica, Erica and Robert take comfort in the memories of the time they had with him when he was in good health, and are grateful to have been able to be with him in his final days. His family knows he is casting his line in heaven, where it is not windy and there is no limit on walleye. Condolences may be sent to: P.O. Box 297, Eagle Butte, SD 57625. In the 1850s, London, the worlds largest city, still didnt have a sewer system. Waste simply flowed into the Thames, which was as disgusting as you might imagine. But conservatives, including the magazine The Economist and the prime minister, opposed any effort to remedy the situation. After all, such an effort would involve increased government spending and, they insisted, infringe on personal liberty and local control. It took the Great Stink of 1858, when the stench made the Houses of Parliament unusable, to produce action. But thats all ancient history. Modern politicians, no matter how conservative, understand that public health is an essential government role. Right? No, wrong as illustrated by the disaster in Flint, Mich. What we know so far is that in 2014 the citys emergency manager appointed by Rick Snyder, the states Republican governor decided to switch to an unsafe water source, with lead contamination and more, in order to save money. And its becoming increasingly clear that state officials knew that they were damaging public health, putting children in particular at risk, even as they stonewalled both residents and health experts. This story America in the 21st century, and you can trust neither the water nor what officials say about it would be a horrifying outrage even if it were an accident or an isolated instance of bad policy. But it isnt. On the contrary, the nightmare in Flint reflects the resurgence in American politics of exactly the same attitudes that led to Londons Great Stink more than a century and a half ago. Lets back up a bit, and talk about the role of government in an advanced society. In the modern world, much government spending goes to social insurance programs things like Social Security, Medicare and so on, that are supposed to protect citizens from the misfortunes of life. Such spending is the subject of fierce political debate, and understandably so. Liberals want to help the poor and unlucky, conservatives want to let people keep their hard-earned income, and theres no right answer to this debate, because its a question of values. There should, however, be much less debate about spending on what Econ 101 calls public goods things that benefit everyone and cant be provided by the private sector. Yes, we can differ over exactly how big a military we need or how dense and well-maintained the road network should be, but you wouldnt expect controversy about spending enough to provide key public goods like basic education or safe drinking water. Yet a funny thing has happened as hard-line conservatives have taken over many U.S. state governments. Or actually, its not funny at all. Not surprisingly, they have sought to cut social insurance spending on the poor. In fact, many state governments dislike spending on the poor so much that they are rejecting a Medicaid expansion that wouldnt cost them anything, because its federally financed. But what we also see is extreme penny pinching on public goods. Its easy to come up with examples. Kansas, which made headlines with its failed strategy of cutting taxes in the expectation of an economic miracle, has tried to close the resulting budget gap largely with cuts in education. North Carolina has also imposed drastic cuts on schools. And in New Jersey, Chris Christie famously canceled a desperately needed rail tunnel under the Hudson. Nor are we talking only about a handful of cases. Public construction spending as a share of national income has fallen sharply in recent years, reflecting cutbacks by state and local governments that are ever less interested in providing public goods for the future. And this includes sharp cuts in spending on water supply. So are we just talking about the effects of ideology? Didnt Flint find itself in the cross hairs of austerity because its a poor, mostly African-American city? Yes, thats definitely part of what happened it would be hard to imagine something similar happening to Grosse Pointe. But these really arent separate stories. What we see in Flint is an all too typically American situation of (literally) poisonous interaction between ideology and race, in which small-government extremists are empowered by the sense of too many voters that good government is simply a giveaway to Those People. Now what? Snyder has finally expressed some contrition, although hes still withholding much of the information we need to fully understand what happened. And meanwhile we are, inevitably, being told that we shouldnt make the poisoning of Flint a partisan issue. But you cant understand what happened in Flint, and what will happen in many other places if current trends continue, without understanding the ideology that made the disaster possible. (Paul Krugman writes a syndicated column for the New York Times.) 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. Staff forced to barricade themselves inside a room at the children's shelter A 19-strong group of young men attacked staff at a centre for refugee children in Sweden with makeshift weapons, forcing them to barricade themselves inside a room. The men in their care rioted at the accommodation centre in Emmaboda, south-east Sweden, on Wednesday night and staff members were only freed when police arrived. The incident follows the stabbing of Swedish aid worker, Alexandra Mezher, 22, who died as she tried to break up a fight at a shelter for unaccompanied child refugees in the country. +5 +5 Rampage: A 19-strong group of young men attacked staff at a centre for refugee children on Wednesday +5 +5 The violence started after staff refused a request for a resident at the refugee centre to buy sweets In the latest incident, the Swedish newspaper Expressen , quoting Ingela Crona from the local police in Kalmar, reported that a violent riot broke out at the centre. 'They broke loose, and a total of 19 people banded together and did this,' she told the newspaper, which reported that the men were carrying makeshift weapons. The violence started after staff refused a request for a resident at the refugee centre to buy sweets, John Nilsson, from the local police force, told Barometern newspaper '[They] became furious with the staff member,' he added. 'He collected together around 15 friends and the staff were forced to shut themselves in while they broke windows and did what they liked.' According to RT , police arrested two of the young men. The 16-year-old suspected of starting the riot is in custody and another person has been released. Sweden took in around 35,400 unaccompanied minors in 2015, nine times more than in 2014. ALS survivor Ted Harada testified in Annapolis on Thursday, January 28, that experimental drugs like the ones covered by the Right to Try Act added years to his life. (Photo by Leo Traub) ANNAPOLIS (Jan. 30, 2016)In August 2010, after seeing a doctor about a pain in his left leg, Ted Harada was given a grim diagnosis: ALS, or Lou Gehrigs Disease, with two to three years to live.Ill never forget what my doctor told me, Harada said. Theres no cure. Theres nothing you could have done to get it. Theres nothing you could have done to not get it.In the months after, Harada began walking with a cane, he said, and the pain spread to his right leg.On Thursday, five and a half years after his diagnosis, Harada walked on his own into a Senate committee meeting in Annapolis after undergoing an experimental treatment for ALS that could be made more accessible to terminally ill patients under the Right to Try Act.Marylands bipartisan-supported Right to Try Act would allow doctors to administer experimental treatments not yet approved by the FDA to terminally ill patients who sign a consent form. Similar Right to Try laws have already been passed in 24 states, Kurt Altman, a lawyer with the Goldwater Institute, said Thursday.Currently, patients can only undergo experimental medical treatments in clinical trials or as part of the FDAs expanded access programs. Otherwise, they will have to wait the eight to 10 years it takes for a drug to go to market, said state Sen. Bryan Simonaire, R-Anne Arundel.Patients dont have time, Simonaire said.With a disease like cancer, which spawns around 1 million new patients a year, 40,000 of those patients will apply to clinical trials for experimental drug treatments, Simonaire said.But clinical trials are costly, cumbersome and time consuming, said Simonaire, and only about 3 percent of patients who apply are accepted.Companies running the clinical trials set specific restrictions on who they will accept, Altman said, and patients have to be sick enough, but not too sick.The FDAs expanded access programs accept a majority of their 700 to 800 yearly applicants, but that still leaves thousands of cancer patients who tried applying for experimental drug treatments with clinical trials and were not accepted, Simonaire said.Some patients resort to traveling to Europe for non-FDA approved treatments, said Simonaire, but not everyone can afford the airfare.Harada, who lives in McDonough, Georgia, was accepted into a clinical trial for a stem cell treatment conducted by Neuralstem in Germantown. He met the drug companys trial requirements, based on applicants ages and progressions of the disease, he said.In the months after his first treatment in March 2011, Harada already began regaining strength in his legs, he said.Every night I prayed this wouldnt just go away when I woke up, he said.He now travels state to state as a public speaker, sharing his story and advocating for Right to Try legislation.Im very passionate about speaking for those that cant speak for themselves, and thats the terminally ill, Harada said. Ive been given hope, and I want everyone to have the same hope Ive been given.The bill, sponsored on the House side by Delegate Karen Lewis Young, D-Frederick, would grant patients access to medical treatments that have passed the first phase of the FDAs three-part drug testing process.The first phase of testing is usually conducted on small groups of volunteers and is primarily concerned with how the treatment is metabolized in the human body, including the treatments side effects and toxicity, said FDA spokeswoman Sandy Walsh.During phase one, theres very little known about safety and dosing, said Walsh.The experimental drugs covered by the bill are by no means a guaranteed treatment, Altman said, but they can give patients hope.These patients know where they are, they know that this isnt a magic cure-all. They want some control at this stage in their life, Altman said.Under the bill, patients would have to sign a letter of informed consent indicating their understanding of their diagnosis and of the treatment.The Right to Try Act would require manufacturers to provide the experimental drugs at no profit, whether for cost of production or for free, and insurance companies would not be required to cover the treatment.The bill would provide patients another option for treatment, said David Fishkin, a 28-year chiropractor in Montgomery County.Do you wish to die in the usual FDA-approved way, or do you want to fight to live? he said. KASSA family offered Jews a goat chalet where they took shelter. Font size: A - | A + The Weiss family lived in Hodrusa where the father, Aaron Weiss, owned several stores. There were no other Jews in the town, therefore the Weiss family managed to survive with the father's business until a relatively late stage of the war. The business was then transferred to a friend, who was running it for the father. From the beginning of the persecutions, the Weiss family pretended to be Christian. Gabriel said in his testimony that he remembers attending services at the Church. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement In 1944, after the outbreak of the Slovak uprising, they fled to the forests of Cierna Hora and Lucenec, their hometown. Ariel Weiss would describe their decision to come back to their hometown as follows: "This was the last place the partisans operated. We went through a bombing of German aircrafts. The uprising was basically over. We found a free room with one of the villagers in which we lived temporarily. I can remember sitting in the room next to the window and looking outside. Suddenly, a funeral procession of one of the partisans passed by, and I saw my father's distant cousin passing behind the coffin. It was Moritz (can't recall the family name) from Zvolen. Then my father said that if Moritz walked after the crucifix, so could we. Then he found a villager with a horse and a carriage, and he took us back to Hodrusa. The road passed through Banska Bystrica, where the Germans had settled. We managed to pass through the barricades. They sent father to the headquarters, and we received a confirmation to pass, I don't know how. We arrived to Hodrusa - no Germans were there, but everybody knew who we were. Fortunately, they turned a blind eye to it. We arrived to the same girl, Lonzi, in whose hands we had left the store. Her parents prepared for us a place in a cave above the village. There were beds and a stove. This was the entrance to a mine. The mine was blocked so people couldn't get in. We arrived during autumn. During the winter water started to drip from the ceiling, and we got wet. Because of that there was another place arranged for us at the other side of the village by a different family - the Kassa family. They offered us a goat chalet where we took shelter. This was a house consisting of one room for the goat shepherd. We settled there for four months. It was the winter season, when the shepherd doesnt stay there. While staying in the hut, the Kassa family delivered food to us. Stefan Kassa was coming to us every two or three days to bring food and water. We were lucky not to have been spotted. The house was hidden between the mountains. We were also in touch with the partisans that remained in the area to whom my father provided food when he was still running his store. We were there until the front started to come closer." The Weiss family spent the time entrenched in the hut. Mr. and Mrs. Weiss brought them food in the night. An SS soldier accommodated in the house of the Kassa family threatened the food supply. Gabriel described the events as follows: "I remember one night my father said we should go to get some milk from the Kassa family. Their house was situated at the end of the hillside. We approached the house from its left side in order to come in, but then my father pulled me back and I saw the boots of two SS people with a flashlight. They didn't see us and we managed to get away. We never went down again". Mr. Kassa and his son Stefan used to bring food to the Weiss family. Unfortunately Mr. Kassa was deported to the concentration camp near Linz in Austria. A cousin of Maria (Mrs. Kassa) serving with the Guardsmen threatened several times to report the family. When the front came closer, the Weiss family went back to the mine. There, they found "a whole village" hiding inside the bunker. They stayed there one week until the Germans withdrew and the red army arrived. The Weiss family immigrated to Israel in 1949. Maria and Stefan Kassa, both born in 1900, have been married for almost 60 years in Banska Hodrusa. They raised son Stefan and daughters Margita and Maria. They lived honest, hardworking and modest lives. The Weiss family has expressed their endless gratitude on multiple occasions. A warm relationship between the rescuers and the rescued has preserved until the present day. We have remained in contact with the Kassa family; and Maria Panikova visited us in Israel. They call their family. Our families have been corresponding for years, Gabriel Weiss said in his testimony. A campaign over whether to impose term limits on North Dakota lawmakers and the governor is a mismatch so far at least financially. Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Term Limits, has contributed more than $810,000 in the past two years to get the ballot proposal before voters. Lawmakers and opponents complain they can't keep up with out-of-state interests. Opponent say there has been no time to organize and raise funds before the vote. Last month the North Dakota Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the measure should be placed on the November ballot. "Has the US even decided who are the good guys in Libya and who are the bad guys?" Blum asked. "They're probably all bad guys: Another marvelous result of the US/NATO invasion [in 2011]." Far from destroying the Islamic State in countries where it operates, US military actions actually helped the terror group grow rapidly by inflicting civilian casualties and wrecking organized societies in those nations, Pierce maintained. "Apart from enriching our own military industrial complex, US military operations are self-evidently only serving the interests of groups such as the Islamic State, which owes its existence to the Iraq War, besides increasing the threat and numbers of terrorists," Pierce pointed out. The AUMF would also mark a giant step toward the consolidation of full military powers in the presidency, without Congress retaining any counter-balancing procedures, he warned. "By centralizing war decision-making in the so-called commander-in-chief, the same office assumed by the German president in the 1930s, we have recreated the same type of command authority exercised in Germany in the 1940s," Pierce argued. The AUMF is the latest step in a process of creating a more militaristic commander-in-chief, but such a centralization of power would lead to worse war-making decisions, not better ones, he predicted. There will be "an increased likelihood of the sort of national security decision-making which led the Wehrmacht to Stalingrad," he said. On Thursday, former Republican Congressman Ron Paul said that if Congress approves the AUMF, the US Constitution will become a dead letter. Taliban militants control more of Afghanistan than any time since the US invaded in 2001, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John Sopko reported to Congress. Overall, the government controls 71 percent of the territory as insurgent activity by the Taliban and other extremist groups is growing. "The insurgency is spreading (Afghan security forces) thin, threatening rural districts in one area while carrying out ambitious attacks in more populated centers," the report read. Despite the fact the US has spent over $113 billion in Afghan reconstructing the countrys infrastructure, it is still in poor condition and is deteriorating. Why did they set up this group in the first place? I think the government bent under the pressure of the Americans and their friends here in Finland. And still, even though Finland, like many other countries, is now cooperating with NATO, the whole idea is not very popular among our people, Backman told Radio Sputnik. He added that, according to the latest polls, a mere 27 percent of Finns favored NATO membership, while the rest said they did not like the idea. Even some members of the team assessing the risks of the neutral Finland joining the North Atlantic Alliance, including Rene Nyberg, Finlands onetime ambassador in Russia and Germany, have already said that Finland would be better off staying out of NATO. Johan Backman said he was confident that Finland would not give up its neutral status. This country has a good and constructive policy of neutrality. I am sure that that it will never become a NATO member and I think that simply bringing this matter up is totally absurd, he emphasized. The International Business Times news website reported that altercations erupted after far-right activists broke a windscreen of one of the transports used by their rivals to arrive in the city and drew a swastika on one of their vehicles. One man was reportedly injured and some 60 detained but the website admits that it could not verify the information. The owner of a guest house, Edith B., told Sputnik that such incidents involving migrants might be connected with their traditions or culture, in which they have a rather "dismissive attitude toward women". Another local entrepreneur, Alois B., believes that the open-door policy of Angela Merkel resulted in a situation in which the country accepts not only those who really need help, assuming that stricter border controls could help to resolve the situation. According to a member of the City Council of Social Affairs and Integration, Ines Schiller, many young refugees are unhappy over the long processing procedures of asylum applications. "Generally, people of their age are working or studying full-time, but here they are unable to do that," Schiller told Sputnik. "Processing terms can be different. We have had cases where they got appointment after three weeks. But, there have also been cases when they waited up to a year until the processing started." The mayor of Bad Ischl, Hannes Heide, is informed about the negative sentiment and security concerns prevailing in the town, but calls on the residents to avoid dramatizing the situation. "Of course, residents are discussing the problems caused by the influx of refugees. There are fears and concerns. And certain sentiments fall on a fertile ground," the official said. Meanwhile, the central province of Hama was the scene of heavy clashes between the militants and the government forces on Thursday, leaving at least 11 terrorists dead and their headquarters and weapons destroyed. In the northern countryside of Hama, a field source said that the army units had destroyed the terrorists positions in Morek and near al-Sayyad town. In the northwestern Aleppo province Syrian troops and popular defense forces managed to win back control over the town of Bluzah inflicting heavy losses on the terrorists and destroying a number of machinegun-trucks loaded with mortar shells. The ISIL launched a powerful assault on the government forces' defense lines near Haweija in Deir ez-Zor countryside, but the army soldier thwarted the terrorist group's attack, and forced them to retreat from the battlefield, the army said as quoted by Fars news agency. The Syrian Army identified and destroyed two explosive-laden vehicles of Daesh before the terrorist group could detonate them near the government forces' positions, which took the lives of several terrorists. According to a source, militants, most of whom were of foreign origin, suffered heavy losses and were forced to flee. It remains unclear in what direction the terrorists retreated, SANA news agency reported. To survive in Raqqa, a de-facto Daesh capital, one needs to follow a set of strict interpretations of Islamic rule. Residents who aren't familiar with the jihadists' interpretation of Sharia law are forced to take courses taught by Salafi professors in recently installed mosques, Slate Magazine reported. Daesh officials refuse to recognize a "non-Islamic education" received by people under the government of Bashar al-Assad. Therefore, everyone from that era is required to "graduate" from a Daesh indoctrination school, the source said. Small everyday pleasures, such as smoking, music and even shaving are banned in Daesh-held Raqqa. Last November, Daesh officials banned Wi-Fi satellites and Internet cafes, cutting Raqqa residents completely off from the rest of the world. Even some coffee shops were banned and forced to close down, Slate said. Those who break the law are subject to punishment, which might be a fine, jail time, a forced "Islamic course" or a more violent form of punishment. The most recent Daesh sanctions forced offenders to dig trenches around the city. It's dangerous work, as many of these workers have been killed during anti-Daesh airstrikes. "People have disobeyed God, and therefore God inflicts suffering [on them]," is a common explanation to justify punishment against those who break the rules, Slate reported. When Daesh militants took over Raqqa they forced all Kurds out of the city. As the Kurds left, Daesh confiscated all of their property. Besides the Kurds, the jihadists also scared away many Arab residents who ran from the new cruel regime. Site: wedatefree From: babybella Date: 2015-12-29 13:28:03 Hello dear i hope you are in good health? I just went through your profile and it caught my interest to write you. I felt we could establish a good friendship, because i have a proposal i would like to make to you. It will be of mutual benefit to us. So i would appreciate it so much, if you could take out your time to contact me at (bella4u1@hotmail.com), so that we can get to know each better and proceed. Thanks and stay blessed. Regards: Alima From: Alima Agurma Date: Thu, 31 Dec 2015 09:02:51 +0000 Subject: MY DEAR FRIEND Please Take Your Time To Read My Mail. How are you doing? I hope everything is fine with you? I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to communicate with you through your private email. I know that this mail will not come to you as a surprise? Since we have not met before or had a previous correspondence. Please understand with me that i would like to build a very good relationship with you, because i have a special reason why i contacted you. I decided to contact you this way because of the urgency my situation requires. My name is Alima Agurma. I am a 25 years old girl from Monrovia Liberia. The only daughter of Late Major General Johnson Agurma. My late father was the former deputy minister of national security, under the leadership of president (Charles Taylor) who is now in exile after many innocent souls were killed in my country during his reign as the president of Liberia. My father was killed by the government of (Charles Taylor) over an alleged accusation of coup attempt. I was constrained to contact you, because of the hatred and maltreatment i passed through in the hands of my step mother. Who planned to kill me, so she could take over my late fathers treasures and properties from me. Meanwhile i wanted to escape to the European Country, but she hid my international passport and other valuable traveling documents i could use to escape. But luckily, i managed to stole my late fathers private files, which contains his most important and valuable documents. So i managed to have my way to a west African country, the Republic of Senegal. Where i am presently living as a refugee and also seeking asylum under the United Nations Human Right Council, for the Refugees. Because i had no other place go to, or any other relation to rescue me. Mainly i decided to contact you personally for a long term business relationship and investment assistance in your Country. Because before the untimely death of my late father. He deposited a sum of money, ($3.5 million USD) in one of the leading banks in Europe with my name as the next of kin. For the purpose of establishing a gold miming company for me in my country, in the nearby future. Please i would not want you to disclose this to anybody else, because my late father kept it a secret till the time he died. Meanwhile i have already communicated with the bank on how to transfer the money to me here in Africa, to carry on with the project which my late father deposited the money for. But they disagreed, stating that my late father had an agreement with them. That encase he did not live to accomplish the project which he deposited the money for. That the bank can only grant me access to the money when i am 30 years old. But if am under 30 years before he dies. Then i will have to present a trustworthy partner, who would be capable to help me accomplish the project or invest the money in any business of my choice, as the money would be too much for me to handle being under 30 years old. So as you can see, i cannot have access to the money until after 5 years from today. But if you agree to help me, the bank will release the money to me on your behalf. However, I shall forward to you the necessary documents i have with me, but on confirmation of your acceptance to assist me till the end of the transfer. Without betrayal or disappointment on the process or after the transfer. I willingly promise to give you 20% from the total money after a successful end of the transfer to your account. Then the remaining 80% will be for the project and for my studies, because i was in my first year in the university when the whole crisis started. This is the reason why i contacted you, and i would prefer all communication's between us to hold on through this email address alone. As soon as i receive a positive response from you, showing your interest and willingness to handle this transaction sincerely. I will put things into action immediately. By giving you the banks information to communicate with them on the procedures to proceed with the transfer immediately. Due to my present situation, i don't have a complete access to internet, or a personal phone where you can call me, but i have a Rev Father here, whom you can reach me through his office number. His name is (Rev Father Tony Fuller). Whenever you call, tell him that you want to speak with Alima Agurma from Liberia. He will send for me to come and answer your call. So here is his office number +221777364816 Please i look forward to read your response as soon as possible. And don't forget to keep everything i told you a secret to yourself alone, until i come over to your country to join you immediately after the transfer.. Best Regards: Alima Agurma. From: Alima Agurma Date: Fri, 1 Jan 2016 23:54:29 +0000 Subject: Dear Here Is The Banks Contact! My dear i am very happy to read from you again. I want to thank you for your humble reply to me. Anyways i have already informed the bank about you as my trusted partner whom i have chosen to stand and act on my behalf, in regard of proceeding with the transfer of my late fathers fund to your bank account in your country. So my dear i want you to read carefully the bellow massage which i would like you to send to the bank. Fill your names and your country in the space bellow and then send the massage to the bank immediately through their email address of (ScotishRBS@accountant.com) for more details on the way forward. HERE IS THE MASSAGE: Good day to the management of Royal Bank of Scotland. My name is ....................... I am from .......................... And i am contacting you on behalf of my partner Miss Alima Agurma whom her late father deposited the sum of $3.5 million USD with your bank. The account name is Mr. Johnson Agurma. The next of kin is Miss Alima Agurma and the account number is (WT/1005 8703459). Please i would like to know the possibilities of transferring this fund to my account, as my partner have already introduced me to you. So i hope to read from you soon. BANK'S INFORMATION: Bank Email: ScotishRBS@accountant.com Bank Manager: Mr. Philip Hampton. Bank Phone: +447024045471 or +447031851319 ACCOUNT INFORMATION'S: Account Name: Mr. Johnson Agurma. Account Number: WT/1005 8703459 Amount deposited: $3.5 million USD Next of Kin: Alima Agurma. Please dear as soon as you send the massage to the bank, do not fail to reply to me, so that i will know what next to do. Thank you and have a nice day. From: "Royal Bank of Scotland Plc" Date: Wed, 6 Jan 2016 11:52:31 +0100 Subject: Royal Bank of Scotland Plc. Royal Bank of Scotland Plc. Banking And Finance. Registered In Scotland No: 90312 Registered No: 36 St' Andrews Square, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, EH2 2YB. Email address: ScotishRBS@accountant.com Tel: +447024045471 or +447031851319 TO YOUR KIND ATTENTION MR. ! We the Royal Bank of Scotland hereby inform you that we have received and read your mail from your partnal Miss Alima Agurma. And we understand that you are the trustworthy partner whom Miss Alima Agurma has found to stand as her legal trustee, to claim the $3.5 million USD deposited with our bank by her late father Mr. Johnson Agurma. We wish to clarify you that Miss Alima Agurma seek for your assistance in this transaction, not because she could not handle it by herself. But because she was bound to be grant access to the fund, in the agreement with we had with her late father some years ago, until she is 30 years old. But by presenting a partner of her choice, whom she trust to stand as her trustee to claim the fund, as written in the agreement. The bank will have no choice, but to grant her partner the complete access to the fund, by transferring the fund to his/her account, in agreement to carry on with the project her late father deposited the fund for. Which is establishing a gold mining company for her only daughter. But we will proceed to that after going through the legal processes that stands for the release of the fund. In this regard, before the Royal Bank of Scotland would grant you a complete access to the fund, as Miss Alima Agurma's legal trustee. We demand that you send to us the bellow mentioned documents for legal proofs and investigation's. 1: A Power of Attorney and an Affidavit of Oath permitting and authorizing you to claim and transfer the fund to your bank account, on behalf of Miss Alima as her legal trustee/partner. Note that a lawyer appointed and approved by your partner Miss Alima Agurma will prepare these documents for legal proofs about your partnership and relationship with her. 2: Late Mr. Johnson Agurma's death certificate, for a confirmation of his death, before you could be granted access to claim and transfer the fund to your bank account. 3: A copy of the fund deposit slip issued to Late Mr. Johnson Agurma by the Royal Bank of Scotland, for legal proofs. Note that the above listed documents must be placed available understand the custody of the Royal Bank of Scotland, before any further moves can be made concerning this transaction. Because it is to protect yours and our interest from any inconvenience. And also to ensure a smooth and a successful delivery of the fund to your bank account without the interference of the government. It has always been our desire and will remain our desire to render our best services to our costumers. So we advise you to get in-touch with your partner immediately for the procurement of the listed documents. Once we the Royal Bank of Scotland receives the above listed documents. The said fund will be transferred into any account you will provide with us, within our working 72 hours. So we look forward to read from you. Yours Sincerely In Service, Mr.Philip Hampton. Director of Foreign Operations. From: Alima Agurma Date: Wed, 13 Jan 2016 18:27:10 +0000 Subject: DEAR HERE IS THE LAWYER'S CONTACT. My dear how are you doing. I believe you are in good health, so thanks be to God. Dear i write to let you know that i have found a lawyer who will help me to procure those documents, which the bank requested from us. His name is (Barrister Mohammed Kebe). Our Rev Father gave me his contact information few minutes ago and he assured me that he will help us to procure the documents without having any problems with him. He also said that the lawyer is well known and respected here in Senegal. And he operates both local and international. So my dear, i have written a massage that you will send to him. I want you to read the bellow massage carefully and send it to the lawyer immediately through his email address of (humanrightlawchamber1960@hotmail.com). LAWYER'S CONTACT INFORMATION'S: Barrister Mohammed Kebe Chambers, Solicitors & Advocates. Address Rue 18 Laminu Guye Street, P.O.Box 26773 Dakar Senegal. Contact Email: (humanrightlawchamber1960@hotmail.com) Office No: +221763760983 THIS IS THE MASSAGE: Good day to you Barrister Mohammed Kebe. I am writing to you on behalf of my partner Miss Alima Agurma, concerning some documents which i would like you to procure in my name. (A) A power of attorney. (B) An affidavit of Oath. Please sir, your urgent actions towards telling me what is required of me to get these documents procured will be highly appreciated by me and my partner. So i look forward to read from you sir. So dear attached above, are my late fathers death certificate and the fund deposit slip which the bank needed. Send them to the lawyer while contacting him, so that he will know that we have gotten two of the documents, among the four documents the bank demanded from us. Please don't fail to get back to me as soon as you contact the lawyer. From: Mouhamed KEBE Date: Thu, 14 Jan 2016 14:08:43 +0000 Subject: GOOD DAY TO YOU MR. DE BARRISTER MOHAMMED KEBE DROIT HUMAIN LAW CHAMBERS, AVOCATS ET DES AVOCATS. Member Banque Regionale de Solidarite Senegal Avocats accredites. Address : 48, Rue Vincens x Abdou Karim Bourgi, P.O. Box 32 319, Dakar- Ponty Dakar, Senegal Tel: +221763760983 EMAIL: humanrightlawchamber1960@hotmail.com GOOD DAY TO YOU MR. Sequel to your mail to my noble law firm, in regard of procuring a letter of affidavit and a power of attorney for you, to enable you secure your partners late fathers fund, deposited with the Bank, i have made requirement about those documents, Meanwhile prior to the inquiries which i made concerning the cost of the (A) Power of attorney. (B) Affidavit of Oath. I have ascertained the legal cost of the documents which you are to pay before this noble law firm would be able to proceed with the procurement of the documents. So find bellow the legal fees. (A): A registration fee of your Particulars and Application Stamp Duty fee ($:370) (B): Processing issuance fee of the Power of Attorney and an An Affidavit of Oath ($650) (C): Notary Stamping at the Notary Office is ($:200) (D): My legal service fee is ($:150). In total is the sum of ($:1370). With the concession given above. You are to send completely the compulsory cost for the documents without delay, before this noble law firm will render it's legal services to you. use this account information and make the payment direct to me immediately, so that i will process your needed documents to you ok, here is the account information bellow, ACCOUNT HOLDER....... ... CAMARA OUSMANE NAME OF THE BANK..... .... BANK OF AFRICA SENEGAL BANK ADDRESS.............. YOFF DAKAR SENEGAL ACCOUNT NUMBER............ 05007960000 BANK CODE..................... SN100 CODE AGC..................... 01022 RIB..................... 77 SWIFT CODE..................AFRISNDAXXX IBAN.......................... SN08 SN10 0010 2200 5007 9600 0077 The legalized documents shall be officially applied for and will be ready for dispatch to you after 48 hours of it's official approval from the Notary Office. And the approval of the Oath of law from the Supreme Federal High Court of Senegal on your behalf according to law. So as soon as you make the payment. Send to me immediately confirmation of the payment. Thank you once again and do have a nice day. Yours Sincerely in Service: Barrister Mohammed Kebe, Solicitors & Advocates. If you received a similar letter, please ignore it. Do not answer it. If you do, you will end up on more of the mailing lists used by the criminals behind this fraud. Read more.... MOSCOW (Sputnik), Yulia Shamporova Last week, the UK government released arms sales statistics showing that British arms companies had boosted their sales to Saudi Arabia, which has one of the worst human rights records in the world, by more than 100 times over the course of last year. "We are quite surprised that the British PM [David Cameron] continues to supply British arms to countries who have track records of human rights abuse, despite his eagerness to promote the fundamental British value of democracy," the spokesperson said. However, the Pentagon still cannot accurately determine the true capacity of the aircraft and the feasibility of its use, reported the digital news publication The Fiscal Times. According to a report issued by J. Michael Gilmore, the director of Operational Test and Evaluation Office within the Department of Defense, the dates for the start of military testing of the F-35 have been shifted by a year with testing of fighters not to begin until August 2018. Nevertheless, more than 500 aircraft may be produced before the finished tests. The definite list of modifications to the basic model which are required by the US armed forces also remains unclear so far. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) The United States is urging Russia to advance the Geneva peace negotiations on the Syrian conflict, US Department of State spokesperson John Kirby told reporters during the press briefing following a phone talk between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. "Secretary [Kerry] stressed in his conversation with Foreign Minister Lavrov today the need for all international Syrian support group members to push progress on the political track, and encouraged Russia to press the Syrian government to implement critical steps to address the needs of the Syrian people now and to promote progress in peace talks in Geneva," Kirby said on Friday. Earlier in the day, the UN announced the intra-Syrian talks had started with a meeting between UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura and the Syrian government delegation headed by the country's ambassador to the UN, Bashar Jaafari. MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) Venezuelas Oil Minister Eulogio Del Pino, who is also the president of the state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA), will visit Russia on February 1 and hold a meeting with Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak. The Monday meeting will be part of Del Pinos tour of OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) and non-OPEC countries organized in an effort to promote a balance of oil prices. "on Monday February 4 [Del Pino] will meet his Russian counterpart Alexander Novak. On Tuesday the 5th he will meet with major oil producers of that nation. The next day he will meet with Mohammed [Saleh] al-Sada, OPEC President and Minister of Energy of Qatar; then he will visit the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," PDVSA said in a Friday statement. The Eastern Partnership initiative has failed because the Polish government "abandoned the plan as wrong," Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski said in his speech during a session of parliament. The Eastern Partnership is an initiative of the EU governing its relations and discussions with the post-Soviet states of Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus. Initiated and worked out by Poland and Sweden, the project was first presented in 2008. "The idea that a good Eastern policy can only be carried out via the European Union is a myth," the minister was quoted as saying by Radio Poland. He added that the partnership with the EU only creates illusions for Eastern European nations like Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia and Azerbaijan, with no perspectives for them to join the bloc as full-fledged members. "Russia is presenting enduring challenges to our allies and partners in multiple regions; therefore, it is a global challenge that requires a global response," the doctrine read. This is a dramatic change against the 2012 strategy which presented Russia as a potential partner to establish cooperation on the key issues. Andrei Koshkin, head of the political science department of the Russian Economic University, said that with statements about the "Russian aggression," the US tries to pressure Europe. "The point is that the migrant crisis has shocked Europe, and the US needs myths to shake Europe up and make it believe that this is Washington that can protect it from 'Russian aggression.' All of the above were put in the updated EUCOM doctrine. It is the old fears that have just been refreshed. We are in an information war, and these myths are used to change the situation," he told Radio Sputnik. He underscored that the current developments in Europe are complicated. "At a time when many European nations are nearing collapse due to the migrant crisis which was provoked by the US policy in the Middle East, the US needs to turn Europeans focus on the 'Russian aggression.' Americans wants to tame Europe which has begun to realize the roots of the crisis," Koshkin explained. According to the analyst, implementing its strategy, the US will try to "reverse" Russias successes. "They will organize various drills and maneuvers on land, in the sea and air which will be aimed against Russia. And all our advances in Syria will be presented as aggression. The legitimate maintenance of security in the Arctic will also be considered an act of aggression," he pointed out. At the same time he expressed confidence that relations between Russia and Europe would normalize. "Europe has repeatedly stated it would like to lift its anti-Russian sanctions, and these statements are not groundless. Im sure Europe will remove its sanctions against Russia, and we will work together in dealing with problems. Its sad that the US tries to interfere while Europe is drifting toward Russia. Washington is mad about that," Koshkin concluded. On May 19, 1916, a secret accord, known as the Sykes-Picot agreement , was signed by Europe's major powers, Britain and France. It was envisaged that the Ottoman Empire would be divided into British and French spheres of influence. After the beginning of the First World War in 1914 the Triple Entente of the United Kingdom, the French Third Republic and the Russian Empire started secret negotiations regarding the hypothetical future of the Ottoman Empire that fought at the time on the side of the Wilhelminian Germany. The talks resulted in the Constantinople Agreement, concluded on March 18, 1915. In accordance with the secret assurances, the Russian Empire was promised Constantinople (Istanbul), the Bosporus Strait and control over the Dardanelles. In return, Russia would agree to British and French claims on other territories of the Ottoman Empire and central Persia. As it turns out, each of them is solving its own problems. Riyadh is bogged down in Yemen; Ankara is waging war against the Kurds in southeast Turkey and Syria at the same time trying to gain control over the northern Syria region and oil-rich fields of the Iraqi Mosul. Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are fighting for control over Libyan oil fields. Israel is hunting Hezbollah in the suburbs of Damascus. In light of this the question arises: what really constitutes US leadership? "Too often what is labeled as leadership is really more like followership, in that it gets measured in terms of what other, coat-holding governments would like the United States to do," Pillar notes. To illustrate his statement the CIA veteran provided an example of leadership in corporations and other organizations. "In those places, for the boss to do everything himself or herself is not seen as leadership but rather as a sign of inability to exercise leadership," he underscores. "I have personally reached out to the ministers of defense in over 40 countries around the world to ask them to contribute to enhancing the fight against ISIL [Daesh] more special operations forces, more strike and reconnaissance aircraft, weapons and munitions, training assistance, as well as combat support and combat service support," US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said last week as quoted by The New York Times. Also in the pipeline is the sale of 100 Sukhoi Superjet-100 airliners within the next five years, and of 15 Tu-204SM medium-range passenger and cargo jets for Irans Kish Air carrier. Russias Rostselmash Company plans to cash in on the shortage of modern agricultural machines in Iran with the sale of 150 Vector combine harvesters the Iranians are ready to buy. With much of Irans industrial enterprises running on outdated technology due to a standing Western ban on the sale of modern technology, the Iranians want to manufacture at least part of the products they are going to buy in Russia in their own country. This would help them modernize their production facilities and gain access to new technologies. Some elements of the Superjet-100 airline can be built in Iran, just like the metro cars Russias Transmashholding plans to sell to the Islamic Republic. The Buyan-M, which is an upgraded version of the Project 21630 Buyan-class corvettes, also carries Igla 1M anti-aircraft missiles, a 100-mm main gun and two 30-mm air-defense guns and is equipped with electronic countermeasure equipment. It has a range of 1,500 miles and an endurance of 10 days. Most original in this modern ship is its architectural form, which was created in accordance with the requirements of low visibility. On October 7, 2015 four warships of the Russian Navy's Caspian Sea flotilla, three of them Buyan-M corvettes, fired 26 SS-N-30A land-attack cruise missiles at terrorist forces in western Syria, a thousand miles away. Ten Buyan-M class missile corvettes armed with Kalibr cruise missiles will join the Russian Navy by the end of 2019, Navy Deputy Commander Rear Admiral Viktor Bursuk said late last year. The Navy previously said that it planned to receive six such warships. "By the end of 2019, the entire series of these ships will be built, which is about 10," Bursuk said. The updated Russian military doctrine will probably be a response to the 2015 National Military Strategy of the US, which contains 13 mentions of Russia in a negative and aggressive context, Col. Gen. Leonid Ivashov, head of the Academy for Geopolitical Problems, told TV channel Zvezda Recently, Maj. Gen. Sergei Chvarkov, deputy head of the Academy of the Russian General Staff, announced that the Russian military doctrine will be revised with regard to the new Strategy of National Security, adopted in December 2015. The latest version of the military doctrine was approved by Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 26, 2014. The document focused on issues of cooperation with Russias BRICS partners as well as Abkhazia and South Ossetia. It also pointed out new threats emerging for Russia amid the Ukrainian crisis as well as developments in Northern Africa, Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. 4K SHARES 394 3.6K 2 7 I asked Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein about her platform this week and came away believing it had a better chance of winning than Bernie Sanders '. I know that platforms don't run, people do, and they do so within a two-party dominated system. But this already crazy presidential election could turn into a crazier five-way race. And, even if it doesn't, or if it does but still nobody ever learns that Jill Stein exists, there is nonetheless much for us and for the other candidates to learn from her platform. If you think free college is popular, you should see what young people think of free college anderasing all existing student debt. If single-payer healthcare with raised taxes (but net savings, if you make it to that fine print) excites voters, how do you think they'd respond to single-payer healthcare with no raised taxes? If fewer wars and asking Saudi Arabia to do more of the funding and fighting sounds promising, what would you say to no more wars, a 50 percent cut in the $1 trillion/year military spending, no more weapons sales to Saudi Arabia which is doing more than enough killing, thank you, no more free weapons for Israel either, and investment of some of the savings in a massive green energy jobs campaign producing a sustainable energy policy and a full-employment economy? If fewer wars and asking Saudi Arabia to do more of the funding and fighting sounds promising, what would you say to no more wars? Senator Bernie Sanders' domestic proposals have got millions excited, but the (unfair and misleading) criticism that he'll raise taxes may be a tragic flaw, and it's one he opens himself up to by refusing to say that he'll cut the military. Stein would cut at least half of the single biggest item in the discretionary budget, an item that takes up at least half of that budget: military spending. She'd cut fossil fuel subsidies, as well, and expect savings to come from healthcare, including as a result of cutting pollution and improving food quality. But the big immediate item is the military. Cutting it is popular with voters, but not with Democratic or Republican presidential candidates. Sanders will be labeled the Tax Man by the corporate media, while Jill Stein will have to be attacked in a different way if she gets mentioned. "Cutting the military budget is something that we can do right now," Stein told me, "but we want to be clear that we are putting an end to wars for oil period. And that is part of our core policy of a Green New Deal which creates an emergency program, establishing twenty million living wage jobs, full-time jobs, to green the economy, our energy, food, and transportation systems, building critical infrastructure, restoring ecosystems, etc. This is an emergency program that will get to 100 percent renewable energy by 2030. So this is a war-time-level mobilization in order to completely detoxify our energy system, and that means both nuclear and fossil fuel. In doing that, we deprive the empire of this major justification for wars and bases all around the world. So we want to be clear that that emphasis is gone, and goading the American public into war so as to feed our fossil fuel energy system that ends and makes all the more essential and possible the major cutting of the military budget." Which 50 percent of the military would Stein cut? Two places she named that she would start with (there would have to be much more) are foreign bases (she'd close them) and the U.S. nuclear weapons program. Would she unilaterally scrap U.S. nukes? I asked. "We dont even need to do it unilaterally," Stein said, "because the Russians have been begging to revive the process of nuclear disarmament, which the U.S., in its wisdom, undercut. ... The Russians have been persistently trying to restore those nuclear talks for the purpose of disarmament. And that would be step one is to make major reductions between the U.S. and Russia and then to convene a world forum to put an end to nuclear weapons altogether." The " war on terror ," Stein pointed out, has only created more terror, while costing each U.S. household $75,000. "Thats not going to make people terribly enthusiastic for it, particularly when you point out that all this has done is create failed states, worse terrorist threat, whether you look at the Taliban, the globalization of al-Qaeda, the creation of ISIS . This has been an utter, unmitigated disaster, and the massive refugee crisis which is threatening to tear apart the European Union. This is absolutely unsustainable by any count." The "war on terror" has only created more terror, while costing each U.S. household $75,000. To change U.S. foreign policy, Stein proposed financial reforms unheard of in any presidential debate thus far. She suggested that military and other government contractors should face "pay to play protections" preventing them from "buying their way into policy." Stein explained: "If you establish that anyone who contributes, who provides campaign contributions, or who lobbies is not eligible for contracting with the government, the minute you break that umbilical cord, then the industry loses its power to corral Congress and dictate foreign policy." Stein said such protections could also block U.S. government facilitation of weapons sales to foreign buyers. "War profiteering should not be allowed," Stein explained, "in the same way that energy profiteering is not compatible with our survival." Ultimately, the big profits, Stein said, are in healthcare: "We spend a trillion dollars plus on the military industrial complex every year, but we spend three trillion and counting every year on the sick care system, which doesn't make us well. It just enables us to tread water while we cope with these disastrous health impacts of the war economy and the fossil fuel economy." Stein did not hesitate to highlight differences when I asked her about Bernie Sanders. She cited his "support, for example, for the F-35 weapons system which has been an incredible boondoggle." While Sanders would keep killing with drones and "fighting terrorism," Stein calls "fighting terrorism" an oxymoron and points to counterproductive results: "Terrorism is a response to drones that sneak up on you in the night and to night raids and this is where we recruit and we enable ISIS and al-Qaeda to continue expanding ... something Bernie hasn't quite gotten straight by saying the solution here is to turn the Saudis loose; the Saudi's need to 'get their hands dirty'." "We can actually begin to rein in the Saudis with a weapons embargo and by impounding their bank accounts," Stein said. The same goes for Israel, she added, stressing the need to respect the law. Should the United States join the International Criminal Court, I asked. "Oh, my god, of course!" was Stein's reply. "And the treaty on land mines?" "Of course! My god. Yes. ... There are all sorts of treaties that are ready to move forward. In fact the Soviets and the Chinese have been prime movers in expansion of treaties to prohibit weapons in space and to establish the rule of law in cyberspace." We can actually begin to rein in the Saudis with a weapons embargo and by impounding their bank accounts. So, what would President Jill Stein do about ISIS? She answered that question with no hesitation: "Number 1: we don't stop ISIS by doing more of what created ISIS. This is like the elephant in the room that none of the other presidential candidates are willing to acknowledge, even Rand Paul, I might say, surprisingly. So we don't bomb ISIS and try to shoot ISIS out. We've got to stop ISIS in its tracks by ending the funding of ISIS and by ending the arming of ISIS. How do we do that? We do that with a weapons embargo. And so the U.S. can unilaterally move forward on that, but we need to sit down and talk with the Russians as well, and Putin tried to do this. "You know, Putin, our arch enemy Putin, was actually trying to create a peace process in Syria. ... We need to begin talking with Russia and with other countries. We need to build on our relative detente with Iran to engage them, and we need to bring our allies into the process. Right now, the peace process, as I understand it, is held up by, guess who -- Saudi Arabia, who wants to bring in known terrorist groups as the representatives of the opposition . The Saudis should not be defining the way forward here ... Our ally Turkey needs to understand that their membership in NATO or their position with the U.S. and other allies around the world should not be taken for granted, and that they cannot be in the business either of funding ISIS and related groups through the purchase of their oil [or of] shipping weapons. They also need to close down their border to the movement of the militias." We need to begin talking with Russia and with other countries. We need to build on our relative detente with Iran to engage them, and we need to bring our allies into the process. peace offensive,' which is the name we have given to our solution to the problem of ISIS. Peace is not passive. We need an active, interventionist program based on peace which means to stop the flow or arms and money, etc. So, we've already agreed that we see eye-to-eye on foreign policy." Stein was sounding an awful lot like the leader of the Labour Party in Britain, Jeremy Corbyn , and I asked her about him. "I have already met with Jeremy Corbyn," she said, "when I was in Paris for the climate talks, ... and we had a surprising amount of time to talk and we agreed completely on collaborating on this ',' which is the name we have given to our solution to the problem of ISIS. Peace is not passive. We need an active, interventionist program based on peace which means to stop the flow or arms and money, etc. So, we've already agreed that we see eye-to-eye on foreign policy." But Corbyn is in office with a shot at becoming prime minister. With the U.S. public completely sold on the hopelessness of third-party bids, at least by non-multi-billionaires, what is Stein's plan for actually becoming president? "First of all," she says, "there are 43 million young people and not-so-young people who are trapped in debt, in student debt . My campaign is the only campaign that will be on the ballot that will abolish student debt. We did it for the bankers who plunged us into this economic crisis that persists in spite of what they say. And they did that by way of their waste, fraud, and abuse. Yet we bailed them out to the tune of $16 trillion and counting. "So, isn't it about time we bail out the victims of that waste, fraud, and abuse -- the young people of this country whose leadership and whose civic engagement is essential for blazing the trail to our future? It has always required a fresh generation to re-envision, you know, what our future looks like. So, we need to bail out the young people, for their benefit and for ours. That can be done through another quantitative easing which is relatively simple, does not cost us, essentially expands the money supply in a way that works as a stimulus to the economy, unlike the bailout that they provided to Wall Street which has only created a stimulus for more reckless gambling waste, fraud, and abuse. ... I have yet to find a young person in debt who doesn't become a missionary for our campaign the minute they learn that we will cancel their debt. ... The 43 million young people that is a plurality of the vote. In a three-way race, that's enough to win the vote." Stein also pointed to 25 million Latinos who, she said, "have learned that the Democrats are the party of deportation, of night raids, and of detention, of refugees who are fleeing a crisis in their home countries that we created. How? Through NAFTA, though illegal coups and CIA-sponsored regime changes, and through the drug wars. ... If people want to fix the immigration problem, the answer is, 'Stop causing it.'" But will Stein be in the debates for the general election? "In my experience," she told me, "all you have to do is have a real conversation, have an open mic, a true presidential debate that actually allows presidential candidates to debate who have broad enough support that they are on the ballot for a majority of Americans and could numerically win the election. We are challenging the Commission on Presidential Debates in court and we will be challenging them soon with a direct action campaign, so stay tuned, because the American public deserves to know about the issues. The American public deserves the right to vote. And they have a right to know who they can vote for and what they are voting about." Er is iets heel griezeligs aan de gang in Nederland. Dat wij geleidelijk aan in een totalitaire 'democratie' wegzinken wordt steeds ... I have ceased to post on this blog as I am now at steadyaku47.com All that is here have been included in that website and, where possibl... I limited my blogroll to Northern Irish blogs in my previous role. I'm working to update these, if you want to be included drop me a line at nistephenpg AT gmail DOT com Disclaimer Please note the above list is from across the whole spectrum of politics. I do not personally subscribe to all the opinions contained within them, however they are as full a reflection as I can find of the divergence of political thought, commentary and motivation. LABELLE, FL. -- A young male was an apparent murder victim at the Port LaBelle Inn this morning, presumably from a handgun bullet. On scene ... One incumbent is running in the five-candidate race for two open seats. Longview looked different in 1966. In particular, it was more local, said Patti Lamb, who moved to Cowlitz County that year from Hood River. The restaurants were local. The stores were mom-and-pop stores, and the closest thing to a chain retailer was Augie Weitzs Super Valu grocery stores, she recalls. The mill town also smelled a little different, Lamb, 61, said with a smirk. My biggest childhood memory of Longview is the smell, she said, laughing. She lived in the area before the mills were cleaned up, but she remembers well the smelly car rides to Longview. She teased that each time she and her family passed Kalama, theyd take a nice deep breath of Longviews odor. But there were perks to the town being centered around the mill. Everyone knew everyone, she said. It was filled with people whose families had roots that dated back to the towns founding in 1923. She said she had trouble going through town without seeing someone you were related to or had cousins in common. Lambs own family has Longview roots that date back to 1923. Her grandfather spent his formative years in a Chicago suburb, where his family settled after coming to America from Germany. When he turned 15, he moved West, ending up first in Idaho, where he met Lambs grandmother. But he didnt find the success he wanted in Idaho, so in 1922 he headed for Southwest Washington. Her grandfather set to work helping to shape the fledgling town. Based on old photographs, Lamb said her family believes her grandfather helped dig out Fowlers Slough to create Lake Sacajawea. He helped level the building site for Long-Bells (lumber mill). He also helped build the citys main streets, which are laid out in a spoke or wagon wheel pattern, Lamb added. Any time Im driving down one of the core streets of the wagon wheel, I know that my grandpa worked there getting it ready for the concrete to come in. Lamb said Longview hasnt lost its charm. She enjoys the comfort of a small town. She said even the new people moving to Longview people who dont have roots in the town are doing amazing things for the city and population in general. Weve become more diversified, more separate, she said. Its still small town, and I still love it, but its definitely different than it was. Lamb was raised in the home of a longshoreman. Her stepfather had union ties, and she remembers her mother shopped exclusively at union stores. The strength of the union was a big deal, and it was quite an interesting trick for my mother to figure out how to buy groceries when the grocery clerks were on strike, she said, laughing at the memory. My stepfather absolutely refused to allow my mother to cross the picket line. When the grocery clerks went on strike in the late 1960s, Lamb said it was difficult for her mom to shop at smaller-scale stores, which sold food at much higher prices. That was quite the challenge for my mom to stay within the budget and honor the picket lines, she said. Lamb said she believes the citys heyday is yet to come. Its still growing, she said, adding that the city is relatively young. Ultimately, though, Lamb said much of her satisfaction with the city comes from knowing her relatives helped build and shape it. Its a little bit of family pride to be part of a town that my grandfather helped build. This week's featured state, Arkansas, is one that's very dear to me. Back during my single years, I had a girlfriend who was from Arkansas, and she and I made many road trips to Arkansas from Georgia to visit her family. There are such lovely people there, and I have great memories of Arkansas to this day! Do you remember the first tea room you ever visited? I wasn't keeping records (or blogging) back then, but I believe the Crumpet Tea Room in Rogers, Arkansas, was the first tea room I ever visited! My friend's mother introduced me to it, and I absolutely fell in love with the ladylike atmosphere, the mismatched china, the floral linens, and of course the delicious food. One of the foods they were known for was their Open Face Crab Sandwich on a crumpet (above), which I made and blogged about here using the recipe in their Crumpet Tea Room cookbook, a prized possession. The Crumpet, as locals called it, was also known for its legendary Orange Rolls, and that recipe is here . The Crumpet Tea Room continues today in two locations, so if you ever go to Arkansas and are in the area, be sure to look them up! If you've been to Arkansas, you've probably visited or at least heard about Eureka Springs. It's a beautiful tourist town in the Ozark Mountains, and I loved seeing all the wonderful Victorian cottages and homes there. Arkansas has clearly been blessed with tea rooms over the years, and when I devoted my Saturdays to exploring tea room cookbooks in 2013, I made quite a few dishes that originated in Arkansas tea rooms. Shown here are, clockwise from left, the Carrot Soup from the Victorian Sampler Tea Room in Eureka Springs ( recipe here ), Lemon Squares from the Yellow Daisy in Little Rock ( recipe here ), and the ridiculously easy and delicious Surprise Pie from Katy's Korner, the precursor of the Victorian Sampler ( recipe here ). So even if you've never been to Arkansas, you can dine as if you have! Arkansas is also the home of a "new" brand of tea I'd not heard of before, Betsy Ross Tea, which was once packed by Plunkett-Jarrell Grocer Co. in Little Rock, Arkansas. The side of the Betsy Ross tea tins reads, "Betsy Ross Brand Tea is a blend of Fine Teas, selected especially for this brand from the early pickings of young and tender leaves, skillfully blended, which will produce a delicious beverage, rich in strength and flavor that will satisfy the most critical consumer." I haven't been able to date this brand just yet, but based on the 10-cent price, I'm not looking for this one on my next visit to the grocery store! Between January 2003 and September 2006, out of 138 letters to the editor that I sent to the Financial Times before I placed them on this blog they published these 15 . Not bad! Thank you FT!Unfortunately, since then and until the very last day of the decade, out of some 1.000 letters that you can find here, FT published none, zero, zilch. Of course FT is under no obligation whatsoever to publish any of my letters and of course one should not exclude the possibilities that my letters might have quite dramatically gone from bad to worse yet one wonders.My usual suspects are:1. Someone in FT with a delicate ego feels his or her importance diminished by giving voice to a lowly non PhD from a developing country daring to opine on many issues of developed countries.2. That FT has some sort of conflict of interest with the credit rating agencies that makes it hard for them to give too much relevance to someone who considers they have been given too much powers.3. The FT establishment had perhaps decided there were only macro economic problems and not any financial regulation problems, and wanted to hear no monothematic contradictions on that.4. That FT feels slightly embarrassed when someone repeatedly asks the emperor-is-naked type question of what is the purpose of the banks and realizing this was something FT should have itself asked a long time ago.5. It is way too much oversight for FT to handle.6. Or am I just supposed to be a living example of one half of the Financial Times motto, namely that of "without favour"Which one do you believe is closest to the truth? hidden Amazon.com shares' unusual roller-coaster move before and after the world's No. 1 online retailer reported quarterly results on Thursday helped some traders make money shorting the stock. From Wednesday's close of trading to Friday afternoon, Amazon shares are only about 1 percent lower, trading at $579.50. In between, the stock was all over the place, hitting a Thursday high of $638.06 and falling to a low of $540 in the action after Thursday's close. The stock rallied 9 percent on Thursday before results were released. It was bolstered by solid earnings Wednesday from social media giant Facebook, and traders hoped for big gains for Amazon post-earnings, as the previous four quarterly releases had been celebrated by investors. Thursday's rally, the largest on the day of results over the last two years, invited shorts to capitalize on the spike, and they reaped gains when the shares slumped after the close. "I am a big fan of Amazon the company," said Kathryn Venator, a Annapolis, Maryland-based independent trader who runs Katwerks Ventures, a consulting business. "(But the) rally was out of control." Venator expected profit-taking at the day's end. She shorted 60 shares of Amazon for $628.33 apiece at around 3 p.m. EST (2000 GMT). But the trade did not work as expected. Shares kept rallying into the close, and Venator tried to close her short, to no avail. "I immediately began planning how I would exit on Friday with a loss," she said. Fortunately for her, Amazon shares plunged in after-hours action. The company posted its most profitable quarter ever but its per-share profit of $1.00 fell short of analysts' average forecast of $1.56. Shares dropped 15 percent, hitting a low of $540 in trading after the bell. Venator was able to cover her short position on Friday. Ali Banai, 20, a New York-based trader, says he largely depended on technical signals to put on his trade. "If you draw a trendline you see a bearish trend after it reached the $630 mark. That's when I started to do a short," he said. On Wednesday and Thursday, Banai shorted Amazon shares for an average price of $625. Banai, who is in the process of getting a license for his own investment firm, said his position was between 100 and 500 shares. He said the average post-earnings jump of 10 percent for the shares over the last four quarters meant the shares were overvalued. "There always has to be a pullback." Reuters tech2 News Staff Today's Google Doodle is in honour of Amrita Sher-Gil, considered one of the most prominent Indian painters of the 20th century. The Doodle is to celebrate Amrita Sher-Gil's 103rd birthday and pays tribute to her popular painting - Three Girls. Apart from the Google India page, the doodle is live in Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Kazakhstan, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Iceland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, and Lithunia. Born on January 30, 1913 to a Punjabi Sikh father and a Hungarian Jewish mother, she died at a young age of 28. She studied and practiced in Paris at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, where she got her start as an artist and life consummate bohemian. Her work became a clear salute to the feminine form, and Sher-Gil into an uncompromising talent, writes doodler Jennifer Hom. To create the final version, Hom reworked the image to match Sher-Gil's style and signature attention to the tone, texture and color of skin and clothing. Amrita Sher-Gil's work can be seen online at the National Gallery of Modern Art. tech2 News Staff Telecom operator Idea Cellular has announced the expansion of its high-speed 4G LTE services to 39 towns in Karnataka. The company said within a month it has expanded 4G LTE service footprint to 24 districts, including Bengaluru, Mysuru, Madikeri, Karwar, Chikmagalur, Belgavi and Chitradurga, covering 20 per cent of the state's population. With rapid expansion, Idea will launch 4G service in Mangaluru, Udupi-Manipal, Vijayapura, Ballari and 18 more towns by end of the fiscal, taking the total tally to 61. Idea has over 8.6 million consumers in Karnataka, the company said in a release here. In December, Idea had announced the launch of 4G LTE services in all four telecom circles (five states) of South India -- Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and Karnataka. Earlier this month, it launched services across three more circles - Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Punjab -- expanding its 4G LTE service footprint to seven telecom service areas. Ambrish Jain, Deputy Managing Director Idea Cellular said since last week of December, Idea has rapidly rolled out high- speed 4G LTE network to cover seven major markets in the country. By March, the services will extend to three more key markets -- Maharashtra and Goa, Northeast and Odisha and by June, Idea's 4G footprint will cover 750 cities across 10 telecom circles, he said. Idea Cellular currently holds 1800 MHz 4G spectrum in these 10 Telecom circles which cover 50% of telecom market but over 60% of Ideas gross revenue. Additionally, Idea has recently signed an agreement with Videocon Telecommunications Limited for acquiring Right to Use 1800 MHz spectrum under Spectrum Trading Agreement in two of its key telecom leadership markets of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh (West). Post completion of this transaction, 4G services will be extended to 12 service areas, covering 75% of Ideas revenue base in the country. With inputs from PTI tech2 News Staff Can't imagine Indian wedding photography without DSLRs and expensive gear? Then, this may change your perception. An Israeli photographer Sephi Bergerson has captured a big fat Indian wedding using an iPhone and the result is simply spectacular. He has shot the wedding of Ayushi Bhandari and Abhishek Singh using the iPhone 6s Plus. The couple had initial apprehensions, but after seeing his work, went ahead with the idea for the big day, Bergerson told The Huffington Post. The grand three-day wedding took place in Udaipur, India in November last year. The photos look brilliant and some of them have a painting-like look to them. Talking about shooting with the iPhone, he told the news site, the smartphone does have its limitations, especially when it comes to dim light shooting. Take a look at some of the shots below: Shooting a wedding on an iPhone has been on his mind for a long time, the Goa-based photographer told Mashable. "I keep telling my clients that it is not about who was at the wedding but how you felt at that moment. When you look at them later on you should be able to relive the feeling. What I like about the iPhone is it helps me get much closer to the subject and have eye contact. With DSLR, the camera comes between me and the subject, " Bergerson further told Mashable. You can view the complete album here. Image Source: Sephi Bergerson hidden Chinese consumer electronics maker LeEco plans to start selling virtual reality headsets and launch smart TVs in India in the June quarter, months after entering the country with its smartphone range, a company executive said. LeEco's VR headset, Le 3D Helmet, will come equipped with a 5.5 inch, 2K resolution screen with a 70 degree field of view. It was launched in China in September. Virtual reality (VR) is seen as the next big thing in technology but not many devices are available for sale in India. Oculus, the VR company Facebook Inc bought in 2014, started accepting pre-orders this month for its much-awaited headset, Rift, which is priced at $599. Atul Jain, India chief operating officer of LeEco, declined to disclose the price of the company's VR device. LeEco, formerly known as LeTV, entered India earlier this month with the launch of two smartphones - Le 1s, priced at 10,999 rupees ($162), and Le Max, priced at 32,999 rupees. The company, which got more than 300,000 registrations for a flash sale of the phones scheduled for Feb. 2 on e-commerce website Flipkart [IPO-FLPK.N], said it doesn't expect any supply glitches even if all those registrants convert into customers. "I'm actually expecting a much bigger (registration) number by the time the flash sales begin," Jain said. The company's China-based rivals, OnePlus and Xiaomi, had faced problems as demand outstripped supply, leading to a delay in deliveries. LeEco sells roughly half a million smartphones in China every month, Jain said. "There is a huge amount of production capacity available." Founded in 2004, LeEco started selling smartphones in China in April last year and has sold 4 million of them so far, said Jain, who earlier worked at Samsung Electronics. LeEco also plans to gradually bring all its products, including Netflix-like streaming service and electric cars, to India. The company has already tied up with ErosNow and YuppTV for providing online content and is in talks with others companies for possible partnerships. Jain declined to comment on any partnership talks with RelianceJio, telecom arm of Reliance Industries Ltd, which is building India's biggest 4G telecommunications network. Reuters Disclaimer: Reliance Jio is owned by Reliance Industries, who also own Network18, the publisher of Firstpost and tech2. This blog on Texas education contains posts on accountability, testing, K-12 education, postsecondary educational attainment, dropouts, bilingual education, immigration, school finance, environmental issues, Ethnic Studies at state and national levels. It also represents my digital footprint, of life and career, as a community-engaged scholar in the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin. This Blog was born during the Troubles of 2007, and thereafter continued as a weekly update on our life and thought within the work of Testimony Faith Homes, a 'home from home' for Kenya orphaned and destitute children,. Zika virus invading Asian states No travel advisory from BD Health Ministry yet Sagar Biswas :Bangladesh is yet to take any pre-cautionary measures to check the spread of Zika virus though several Asian countries, including neighbouring India, have issued advisories to prevent the disease which could be linked to birth defects and can cause temporary paralysis. There is an apprehension that Zika, an emerging Aedes-mosquito-borne virus which is spreading throughout the Americas recently, could reach Bangladesh anytime through travellers. But the Ministry of Health has not yet issued any caution or travel advisory in this regard. The issuance of travel advisory about Zika virus has got high importance when Thailand and Taiwan recently reported cases of the Zika virus infection among locals. It becomes a major concern in Bangladesh, as a good number of Bangladeshi people frequently travel both countries, which could increase the risk of entering the virus here.When contacted, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon told The New Nation last night, "We haven't got any kind of instruction from Health Ministry till the date. We cannot impose travel alert on health issue without their [Health Ministry] clearance." Aedes aegypti, the carrier of the virus, is also responsible for spreading dengue fever throughout the Indian sub-continent, especially in Bangladesh and India. Health Ministry officials, however, expressed satisfaction as saying that there have been no reports of outbreak of Zika in Bangladesh. On the other hand, Prof Mahmudur Rahman, Director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research [IEDCR], said on Saturday, "Bangladesh could be a victim of such a deadly virus if it starts to spread at an epidemic form. Any country of the world may face such situation."Meanwhile, the governments of several Asian countries have issued advisories in a bid to contain the mosquito-borne disease. Of them, India is stepping up surveillance and has set up a technical group to monitor the situation. Indian Health Minister Shri J. P. Naddahas has stressed controlling the spread of Aedes mosquitoes that transmit dengue and the Zika virus and breed in clean water.South Korean officials have advised pregnant women against travelling to Central and South America and required doctors to immediately report suspected cases. The Malaysian health authorities have asked travelers from South and Central America who display symptoms such as fever and rashes to immediately report to health centres. Japan's Foreign Ministry urges women to try to avoid travelling to Brazil and other affected countries during pregnancy, and advised all travelers to the region to use caution. It suggested wearing long sleeves and pants, using mosquito sprays and avoid leaving out buckets and other containers that can catch water, and report to medical institutions in case of developing suspected symptoms.The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is advising pregnant women to avoid travel in areas where Zika is active. Cambodia's Health Ministry is advising caution and says it's following the situation in countries with the Zika virus closely. Hong Kong Health officials are advising pregnant women and those planning pregnancy to adopt necessary anti-mosquito precautions, and consider deferring travel. The Vietnamese Health authority has warned people coming from countries with the Zika virus to monitor their health for 14 days and if they develop fever to report to medical facilities.The World Health Organisation's [WHO] warned that the Zika virus is "spreading explosively". The Zika virus has been associated with an unusual spike in Brazil, in babies being born with unusually-small heads. Meanwhile, WHO Director-General, Margaret Chan, will convene an International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on Zika virus on Monday [1 February] in Geneva to ascertain whether the outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.In May 2015, Brazil reported its first case of Zika virus disease. Since then, the disease has spread within Brazil and to 22 other countries and territories in the South America region. Catch Tuna fish in deep sea Badrul Ahsan : The government for the first time has planned to issue licence to 10 joint venture (JV) companies to catch tuna and tuna-like fishes in deep sea. The decision has been taken recently aiming to meet up protein deficiency in local market and to earn foreign currencies by exporting access fishes through ensuring optimum utilization of marine resources. To this effect, the Fisheries Department has asked local entrepreneurs to apply for the licence under joint venture with foreign companies having expertise in long-liner operation in deep sea. The joint-venture initiative was designed to help local operators gain experience, technology and create skilled manpower in the sector. This is the first time, Bangladesh is allowing long-liners at the Bay of Bengal above 200 metre depth at Exclusive Economic Zone, official sources said. However, due to poor response in first advertisement, the Fisheries Department has issued re-tender notice in newspapers for the second time. "We are happy that this time a good number of experienced JV companies have showed interest," said Ferdous Ahmed, Deputy Chief (Sea) of the Department of Fisheries said. He said though there is no estimate on how much catch of tuna and tuna-like species would be at the Bay since this is the first-ever initiative. Long-line fishing is a commercial fishing technique. It uses a long-line, called the main line, with baited hooks attached at intervals by means of branch lines called snoods. A snood is a short length of line, attached to the main line using a clip or swivel, with the hook on the other end. Long lines are classified mainly by where they are placed in the water column. This can be at the surface or at the bottom. Industrial tuna long liners are usually large vessel with length ranging between 30 and 70 metres. The basic requirements of a tuna long-liner, industrial type, are: adequate speed to reach far away fishing grounds, enough autonomy (fuel, water, accommodation of crew etc), capacity for operating in the high sea (sometimes very rough seas at cold temperature). The other facilities, the long-liners have to ensure, are facility for very efficient freezing storage (to attain extremely cold temperature under 45C) to keep the highly valued tuna for months together, suitable deck arrangement and equipment, protection of crew from rough weather and sea conditions, machinery for shooting and hauling up long lines quickly and proper storage facilities for keeping the fishing gears and accessories. These large specialised vessels can stay away from their homeports for 10-24 months. Ferdous Ahmed said the country's inability to have access to the deep sea for fishing only adds to the frustration. Deep-sea fishing is a big business, but the country's wooden boats or trawlers can fish within 20 sqkm (square kilometre) to 40 sqkm respectively. Contacted, M Shahadat Hossain, Director of Institute of Marine Science and Fisheries at the University of Chittagong, said Bangladesh has recently got membership at Institute of Marine Sciences and Fisheries Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC). "After getting this membership, Bangladesh is eligible for catching Tuna and Tuna-like species from the Bay of Bengal coast to deep Indian Ocean," he said. Tuna fish varieties include skipjack, bigeye bonitos, mackerels, and Spanish mackerels. Other important tuna-like species include slender Tuna, butterfly kingfish, wahoo, bonitos, Sarda, Spanish, king mackerels, seer fish and sierra etc. Bangladesh secured sovereign rights over more than 118,000 sq km of maritime territory, 200 nautical miles (NM) of exclusive economic zone, and 354 NM of continental shelf after the verdict in the international court resolving the boundary disputes with neighbouring Myanmar and India, which opened huge scope of catching different types of deep-sea fishes. Police leadership must be strong to save police from politics PRESIDENT Abdul Hamid and others in the government are asking police to restrain themselves and not to be harsh with the people. But the question is if they are ready to listen when they see they are being used to abuse their power at random for the politics of the government. Saying this will be understood by the government's sycophants that we are against the government. No responsible citizen wants the government to fail and chaos to engulf the country. The disturbing fact is political use of police do not allow police to remain as police. A sensible government not blinded by power understands this. The responsibility of police discipline has to come from police leadership. Police in civil clothes as well as their informants continue to harass the capital's the innocent civilians for personal gains. Students and others returning home alone or with their parents find it difficult to escape frisking, extortions or getting implicated in fabricated cases. The stories and incidents of police excess committed by field level officers and forces under their command in this month alone have crossed records and resulted in shocks in the public psyche. Those in the government giving meaningless advice that the police should behave like police are also feeling concerned about indiscipline in police. But nobody but government is responsible for making police feel too powerful and unaccountable. Stories of BB officer Rabbi and DSCC officer Bikash are of no reference now. Only on Friday, a Swedish couple was robbed of US$ 3000 in Jessore by the police. And also on day before, a young businessman and his female friend were extorted by the police on duty without no reason in Uttara in the capital city. Luckily, the senior police officers have been prompt in initiating actions against the offenders. Commenting on the prevailing situation Md. Nurul Huda, a former IGP, writes, 'Officers' personality features represent one element of the problem. Organisational culture and practices are also often responsible for police misconduct. Police deviance is symptomatic of a system-wide problem. The issue and the remedies, quite clearly could not be viewed in isolation'. It is the quality of leadership that maintains discipline in police. The police officers must not show political weakness for damaging police discipline. Police discipline is essential for building protection of the people and safety of the country. Indiscipline in police will only hasten chaos and increase crime. US warship sails near disputed island BBC Online :A US warship has sailed near a disputed island in the South China Sea to challenge efforts to limit freedom of access, the Pentagon said.The vessel passed close to Triton Island in the Paracel Islands, a statement said.China, one of the countries claiming the islands, responded by accusing the US of violating its laws.China and several other nations have rival claims in the South China Sea, which is rich in resources.The US says it does not take sides on such territorial disputes but wants to safeguard access to the important shipping routeThe mission aimed at countering "excessive maritime claims of parties that claim the Paracel Islands", the Pentagon said."This operation challenged attempts by the three claimants - China, Taiwan and Vietnam - to restrict navigation rights and freedoms," around the islands, said spokesman Capt Jeff Davis.According to the statement, the USS Curtis Wilbur destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island. No Chinese vessels were in the area at the time, the Pentagon said.But a Chinese foreign ministry accused the US of violating Chinese law "by entering Chinese territorial waters without prior permission".The US admitted it had not notified any of the claimants prior to the mission but this was "consistent with our normal process and international law".In a previous "freedom of navigation" operation, the US sailed a destroyer close to the disputed Spratly Islands last year, an incident that also sparked a protest from China. LUCEDALE, Mississippi -- A Dallas, Texas man has been arrested after a traffic stop in George County led to the discovery of approximately 250 grams of cocaine in his vehicle. A George County deputy initiated a traffic stop of a 2016 white Chrysler 200 on Highway 98 east around 5:30 p.m. Thursday. During the stop, a consensual search of the vehicle uncovered the cocaine, according to George County Sheriff Keith Havard. The driver, 42-year-old Jeffrey Curry Jr. of Dallas, was arrested at the scene and charged with aggravated trafficking. Havard said the estimated street value of the cocaine is $10,000. Curry was on federal probation on a previous drug conviction at the time of his arrest. He was taken to the George County Regional Jail under a $50,000 as he awaits his initial court appearance. . NEWS AND VIEWS THAT IMPACT LIMITED CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT "There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty." - - - - John Adams collage.jpg Gulfport police are searching for this man, seen in surveillance footage as he robbed a Hancock Bank late Friday afternoon. (Gulfport Police Department) GULFPORT, Mississippi -- Police in Gulfport are searching for a man who robbed the Hancock Bank on South Swan Road late Friday afternoon. According to Gulfport Police Sgt. Damon McDaniel, officers responded to the bank around 4:55 p.m. Friday. Upon arrival, they learned that a single white male suspect entered the bank and approached a teller. He then implied he had a weapon and demanded money. After obtaining an undisclosed amount of cash, the suspect fled south on foot. The suspect is described as a white male, 5-3 in height, 130-150 pounds, and was wearing a grey colored sweater, blue jeans and a black skull cap. He is to be considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information regarding these crimes is urged to contact the Gulfport Police Department at 228-868-5959. Information can also be provided to Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers at www.mscoastcrimestoppers.com or by telephone at (877)787-5898. Information can also be sent by texting CSTIP plus your message to 274637(CRIMES). 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. 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! NEW ORLEANS -- A 35-year-old Mississippi man has been formally charged in a murder-for-hire case. U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite said Saturday that Jeffery Howard, of Nicholson, Miss., was charged in a one-count indictment with use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire. Court documents show an investigation by the FBI's Domestic Terrorism division and the New Orleans Joint Terrorism Task Force became aware of Howard, a member of the Aryan Brotherhood. Howard was arrested in Pearl River County. Howard allegedly sold drugs to an undercover law enforcement officer and during one of the sales, Howard volunteered that he would be willing to commit a murder in exchange for money. Polite's office says Howard later accepted payment to commit a murder. If convicted, Howard faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. MP burglary collage.jpg Moss Point police are searching for these three suspects, captured in surveillance footage, who are wanted in connection with two separate burglaries on Orange Grove Road. (Moss Point police) MOSS POINT, Mississippi -- Moss Point police are seeking the public's assistance in identifying and locating three suspects wanted in connection with two burglaries on Orange Grove Road. According to Police Chief Art McClung, officers responded to a report of burglaries in two different locations on Orange Grove Road on Nov. 25, 2015. Officers learned the burglaries were committed by three black males over the course of four days. The suspects were captured on video surveillance during one of the burglaries. Anyone with information on the identity or whereabouts of any of the suspects is asked to call the Moss Point Police Department at 228-475-1711 or Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers by phone at 800-787-5898 or online at mscoastcrimestoppers.com. "A little fill here and there may seem to be nothing to become excited about. But one fill, though comparatively inconsequential, may lead to another, and another, and before long a great body may be eaten away until it may no longer exist. Our navigable waters are a precious natural heritage, once gone, they disappear forever," wrote the Wisconsin Supreme Court in its 1960 opinion resolving Hixon v. PSC and buttressing The Public Trust Doctrine, Article IX of the Wisconsin State Constitution. 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. PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- With the hopes of becoming a permanent stop should Amtrak resurrect passenger rail service along the coast, Pascagoula officials are hoping to make a good impression when Amtrak officials tour the coast next month. Officials with Amtrak and the Southern Rail Commission will tour the railway between New Orleans and Jacksonville, Fla., next month. Amtrak president Joe Boardman and other officials will ride the rails to examine the CSX railroad infrastructure and economic opportunities along the Gulf Coast. The "Inspection Train" tour starts Feb. 18 in New Orleans and will come through the Mississippi coast and Mobile, Ala., that same day. The 12:16 p.m. stop in Pascagoula is the only one scheduled in Jackson County, along with other Mississippi coast stops in Bay St. Louis, Gulfport and Biloxi. Pascagoula Mayor Jim Blevins said his city intends to roll out the red carpet for Amtrak officials when the train stops at the city's historic Depot off Magnolia Avenue. "I think it's a great economic development opportunity for Pascagoula," Blevins said. "We're going to try and take full advantage of this opportunity." Blevins said they hope to have city officials and others riding along on the invitation-only tour. "We want them to see what our city has to offer," Blevins said, noting the proximity of the depot to the downtown area, shopping, governmental buildings, Ingalls Shipbuilding and more. "We're very excited about having them stop here. Again, it's a wonderful opportunity for Pascagoula." Passenger rail service along the Gulf Coast was discontinued shortly before Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. A new study by Amtrak, requested by the Southern Rail Commission, indicated that extending service from New Orleans to Orlando, Fla., would generate annual ridership of 153,900, while necessitating $10 million in funding. An alternate proposal in the study says reinstituting passenger rail service from New Orleans to Mobile would cost $5.5 million and generate 138,300 riders annually. Other options studied include two daily trips to and from New Orleans to Mobile or long-distance only trips from New Orleans to Orlando. Like Blevins, Biloxi Mayor Andrew "FoFo" Gilich his hoping to make a big impression on Amtrak officials. He noted that all of the options included in the Amtrak study result in passenger rail service for the Mississippi coast. "Regardless of the favored scenario," Gilich said, "Biloxi and the Gulf Coast are directly in the path of the area being discussed, from New Orleans to Orlando. "I want to see this be a huge event for Biloxi," Gilich also said. "This is a great opportunity to showcase our stop, the multi-modal transit center already in place, with easy access to thousands of hotel rooms, a half-dozen casinos resorts, and MGM Park all nearby. We have all of the pieces in place, and now is our opportunity to show how we're ready for daily passenger rain service." CARBONDALE While one fast-food restaurant in Carbondale closed its doors this week, another one will soon open in its place. Kentucky Fried Chicken on Illinois 13 west closed this week, but it will be replaced by a Panda Express this year. Panda Express is a fast casual Chinese restaurant with more than 1,500 stores throughout the country, according to the company. The closest one to Carbondale is in Mount Vernon. Jim Tarpey, senior real estate manager for Panda Express, said the deal to come to Carbondale has been in the works for some time, and after working with the KFC owners who were interested, a deal was struck. He said the Chinese food company is excited to build in Carbondale, and after obtaining all the permits, the plan is to hopefully be finished in fall 2016. He said the company will demolish the standing building and begin construction on a new building probably in the early part of the summer. Tarpey said the company wants to be in Carbondale and Southern Illinois. It (Carbondale) is a great town with a university, he said. Carbondale is the biggest market so we wanted to start there. When asked about the level of competition the restaurants will face with a number of Chinese eateries already existing in Carbondale, Tarpey didnt seem concerned. We strive on delivering a great product, he said, We think there is room for all of us. CHICAGO For the second time in five months, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner signaled his distaste for broadening the state's new medical marijuana program, declining to add chronic pain and seven other health conditions to the list of diseases that can be treated with the drug. The Department of Public Health announced the decision Friday, spurning recommendations of an expert advisory board largely appointed by the governor's predecessor, Democrat Pat Quinn. The expert panel reviewed medical evidence and listened to patient testimony before recommending the eight conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder, which affects many military veterans. Other conditions recommended but rejected Friday were autism, irritable bowel syndrome, osteoarthritis and four pain syndromes. Illinois medical marijuana advocates push for expansion SPRINGFIELD Illinois medical marijuana advocates say they delivered 25,000 signatures to G New conditions would have meant adding more customers to a faltering industry: Regulated medical marijuana sales began Nov. 9 in Illinois, but just 4,000 patients have state approval to buy the drug at licensed dispensaries. Supporters hoped that after nearly three months of regulated sales, Rauner would have looked more kindly at the program. Industry groups and patient advocates had used a social media campaign to urge people to telephone the governor's office in support of the eight conditions, and some delivered thousands of signatures to Springfield this week and held a rally. In September, the governor vetoed legislation that would have added PTSD and his administration rejected 11 medical conditions recommended by the panel. At the time, he said in a veto message that it would be "premature to expand the pilot program before any patient has been served and before we have had the chance to evaluate it." The governor offered no further explanation Friday. Dr. Nirav Shah, the state's public health chief and a Rauner appointee, thanked the medical cannabis advisory board for its work. "Twice in a row, this is getting to be insulting, especially for our patients who are suffering," said board chair Dr. Leslie Mendoza Temple, who said she would meet with Shah next week to get his feedback. "The expertise of the board, the patient testimonies and evidence presented, as well as other states' precedents, made our recommendations reasonable." Gold-standard research on medical marijuana's efficacy has been blocked by federal barriers, though evidence that the drug is effective for chronic pain is fairly strong. Rauner's stance is being challenged in court. Five Illinois residents filed lawsuits seeking to expand the program to cover health conditions rejected in September. Illinoisans can suggest new diseases for marijuana program CHICAGO Illinois residents who want to add specific diseases to the state's medical mariju Lisa Arquilla's lawsuit seeks to add polycystic kidney disease. Three others filed lawsuits as anonymous "John Does," looking to use marijuana for chronic post-operative pain, irritable bowel syndrome and migraines. Military veteran Daniel Paul Jabbs, 34, has PTSD following service in Iraq. His lawsuit seeks to get his condition added to the list. "I'm flabbergasted," Jabbs said Friday. "I think (Rauner) is intentionally stalling the program. ... He's putting politics before people." The Illinois medical marijuana law, enacted before Rauner's election, authorizes a four-year pilot program that expires at the end of 2017. The law lists 39 conditions and diseases that can qualify a patient to use medical marijuana with a doctor's signature, including cancer, glaucoma, HIV, hepatitis C and multiple sclerosis. A day after Democrats in the General Assembly approved a bill to fund community colleges and grants to low-income students, two Republican state Senators proposed a new plan that would also fund public universities. Because Illinois has been operating without a budget since July 1, universities, community colleges and the Monetary Award Program have not received any state funds. Similar to a previous GOP proposal, the plan Sens. Chapin Rose of Mahomet and Dale Righter of Mattoon announced Friday would fund universities at 80 percent of what they received in fiscal year 2015, community colleges at 90 percent, and MAP grants at 100 percent. However, theyve dropped the condition tying the funding to another measure that would give Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner new authority to move money around within the budget to cover shortfalls a nonstarter with the Democrats who control the Legislature. Instead, Rose and Righters plan would tie the nearly $1.7 billion in funding to a bill that revamps the process by which universities and community colleges buy goods and services. Rauner called for such changes Wednesday in his State of the State address and estimates that they would save $500 million annually. While acknowledging that the plan wouldnt cover the full cost of the higher education funding, Righter said the changes to procurement rules would have a long-lasting impact. These would stay in place, which would save tremendous amounts of money in the out-years too, he said. Rose said the idea transcends this fiscal crisis and will help students and their parents for a long time to come. Universities have been asking for procurement relief for a long time, he added. At a committee hearing last year, then-University of Illinois President Robert Easter told lawmakers that the states complicated rules result in an estimated $70 million in extra costs annually. Quite frankly, I think its something thats a no-brainer that everybody should get behind, Rose said of his proposal. Both lawmakers voted against the Democratic bill, which would spend $721.5 million, because they said there was no way to pay for it and because it didnt include universities. The bill had the support of public universities across the state. Democratic Sen. Andy Manar of Bunker Hill said he doesnt believe including universities would have won Republican support. The university funding has to be addressed, but that university funding, if it was present in the bill that was passed (Thursday), it wouldnt have changed the vote, he said. Manar said hes backing a bill from Democratic Sen. Scott Bennett of Champaign that would fund universities. The Rauner administration has indicated that the governor will veto the Democratic bill. "Though defensive violence will always be 'a sad necessity' in the eyes of men of principle, it would be still more unfortunate if wrongdoers should dominate just men." - St. Augustine "A new idea is first condemned as ridiculous, and then dismissed as trivial, until finally it becomes what everybody knows." - William James "This is the real task before us: to reassert our commitment as a nation to a law higher than our own, to renew our spiritual strength. Only by building a wall of such spiritual resolve can we, as a free people, hope to protect our own heritage and make it someday the birthright of all men." -- Ronald Reagan A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government." -- Edward Abbey "A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government." ~~~George Washington"Conservatives are enemies of the government. Liberals are enemies of the nation because they are not enemies of the government."Aristotle the Hun"Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...it's about learning how to dance in the rain." ANONA nation that substitutes emotion and empathy for rational thought will eventually digress into the Dark Ages,Congressman Steve King (R-IA),Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies.The robber barons cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.They may be more likely to go to Heaven for good intentions yet at the same time likelier to make a Hell of earth. This very kindness stings with intolerable insult. To be cured against ones will and cured of states which we may not regard as disease is to be put on a level of those who have not yet reached the age of reason or those who never will; to be classed with infants, imbeciles, and domestic animals.~ C. S. Lewis TEHRAN, Iran Iran flew a surveillance drone over a U.S. aircraft carrier and took "precise" photographs of it as part of an ongoing naval drill, state media reported Friday. The U.S. Navy said an unarmed Iranian drone flew near a French and American carrier earlier this month, but couldn't confirm it was the same incident. The reported overflight by the unmanned aircraft came after a series of naval incidents between Iran and the U.S. in the greater Persian Gulf, including test rocket fire by the Islamic Republic and its brief capture of American sailors who strayed into its territorial waters. The U.S. Navy said it didn't open fire as the drone was unarmed and not threatening the ship's safety, but the incident again highlighted that tensions remain between America and Iran in Gulf waters despite their recent diplomatic detente. The Associated Press could not independently verify the footage, published by Iranian state television and the semi-official Fars news agency, which has close ties to the Revolutionary Guard. Cmdr. Kevin Stephens, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet based in Bahrain, said an unarmed Iranian drone flew near the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and "directly over" the USS Harry S. Truman on Jan. 12 as the vessels were in international waters in the Persian Gulf. He said the Navy launched a helicopter that determined the drone wasn't armed and "posed no danger to the ship" as the carrier wasn't conducting flight operations at the time. His comments implied that had there been active takeoffs and landings of U.S. aircraft, the situation might have changed. Stephens called the drone's flight "abnormal and unprofessional." He added that the U.S. Navy was "not in a position to verify the authenticity of the video as there are countless examples of similar footage to be found on the Internet." The report by state television said the drone flight occurred on the third day of the naval exercise, suggesting it happened Friday. Adm. Habibollah Sayyari, the commander of Iran's navy, called the drone overflight "a sign of bravery." It "allowed our men to go so close to the warship and shoot such a beautiful and accurate footage of the combat units of the foreign forces," he told state television. U.N.-hosted Syria peace talks get off to shaky start GENEVA Peace talks aimed at ending Syria's five-year civil war got off to a shaky and chaotic start Friday, with the main opposition group at first boycotting the session, then later agreeing to meet with U.N. officials while still insisting it would not negotiate. That small commitment by the group known as the Higher Negotiating Committee came just minutes before U.N. special envoy Staffan de Mistura met with a delegation representing the government of President Bashar Assad. The developments gave a glimmer of hope that peace efforts in Syria might actually get off the ground for the first time since two earlier rounds of negotiations collapsed in 2014. The conflict has killed at least 250,000 people, forced millions to flee the country, and given an opening to the Islamic State group to capture territory in Syria and Iraq. It has drawn in U.S. and Russia, as well as regional powers such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Iran. The HNC, a Saudi-backed bloc, had previously said it would not participate in the U.N.-sponsored talks without an end to the bombardment of civilians by Russian and Syrian forces, a lifting of blockades in rebel-held areas and the release of detainees. An HNC statement said the opposition decided to take part in the talks after receiving assurances from friendly countries about those humanitarian issues, and that a delegation headed by HNC chief Riad Hijab will leave Saudi Arabia for Geneva on Saturday. Only once the conditions are met will the delegation negotiate, the statement added. "We have decided to participate in a political process to test the seriousness of the other side through talks with the United Nations team about the implementation of international and humanitarian commitment as an introduction to the negotiations process and to move toward forming a transitional governing council with full executive powers," the statement said. De Mistura said he had "good reason to believe" the HNC would join the talks Sunday but refused to react formally until he got an official notice from its leadership. Authorities: 1 of 3 fugitive inmates arrested in California SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) One of three violent fugitives who escaped from an Orange County jail surrendered to police Friday by contacting a woman he knew at an auto electric repair shop just a few miles away, authorities and witnesses said. Bac Duong, 43, was taken into custody in Santa Ana, where the trio made their brazen escape on Jan. 22 from the maximum security facility, Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said. The other two jail fugitives remained at large. Lee Tran, whose family owns Auto Electric Rebuilders, said Duong came to the shop looking for Tran's sister, Theresa, and told her that he wanted to surrender. "He was scared for his life, pretty much," Tran said. "That's why he asked one of our people to turn him in." Tran said his sister called 911 and Duong stayed outside, smoked a cigarette and waited for police. "She was crying her head off," said Trach Tran, her father, who was also there. "Everybody was scared." Tran said his sister's boyfriend knows Duong and federal authorities had come by to speak with her earlier this week because she might have visited Duong in jail. An Orangeburg man has been sentenced to prison for manufacturing narcotics. Travis Mauricee Felder, 31, of 1642 Washington Street, pleaded guilty in Orangeburg County General Sessions Court last week to manufacturing narcotics. Circuit Judge Diane S. Goodstein sentenced him to prison for 10 years. He was given credit for having served 478 days in jail. In other cases: Darius Antwan Gulley-Smalls, 23, of 2501 Dawson Street, Holly Hill, pleaded guilty to strong-arm robbery and was sentenced under the Youthful Offender Act to six years. He must obtain his GED. Latisha Quanta Glover, 31, of 919 Chester Street, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to three counts of financial transaction card fraud and was sentenced to two concurrent terms of one year in prison, suspended to one year of probation. He must also pay $604 in restitution. Keith Zamount Bradley, 23, of 450 Jamison Avenue, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to third-degree burglary. He was sentenced under the Youthful Offender Act to a maximum of five years and probation for two years. He must pay $285 in restitution. Julie Ann Nealy, 31, of 1664 Poplar Hill Road, Cross, pleaded guilty to driving under the influence, .16 or higher, and was sentenced to jail for 30 days and given credit for 20 days. Shamahray Tashaun Jones, 18, of 180 Cantey Drive #227, Santee, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and battery. Jones was sentenced to prison for one year, suspended to probation for one year. Jones must stay under the care of mental health providers. Andreus Sherwood Gibbs, 21, of 719 Ellis Avenue, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and battery. Gibbs was sentenced under the Youthful Offender Act to a maximum of five years. He is required to successfully complete anger management and obtain his GED. Tracy Burke Hughes, 51, of 285 Rickenbacker Road, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to obtaining prescription drugs by fraud, manufacturing cocaine base first offense and possession of less than one gram of methamphetamine/cocaine base first offense. Hughes was sentenced to prison for up to seven years, but the sentence was suspended to probation for three years. Richard Anson Fleener II, 46, of 851 Lyons Road, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to disposal of methamphetamine and manufacturing methamphetamine. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Upon the service of two years, the sentence is suspended to three years of probation. He must successfully compete substance abuse counseling, undergo random drug/alcohol testing and must attend SCStrong upon release. Lavardis Anthon Brigmon, 35, of 217 Community Club Road, Elloree, pleaded guilty to first-degree harassment and was sentenced to prison for three years. Upon the service of 90 days, the sentence is suspended to two years of probation. He must also successfully complete anger management, undergo a mental evaluation and not have any contact with the victim. Anthony Stanley Wright, 45, of 1920 Walker Avenue, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine, first offense, and was sentenced to prison for three years, suspended to probation for three years. He must successfully complete substance abuse counseling and undergo random drug/alcohol testing with court-ordered zero tolerance for drug/alcohol use. Nehemiah Jimmy Mayes III, 21, of 132 Nancy Road, Pelion, pleaded guilty to failure to stop for a blue light and was sentenced to jail for 90 days. Mayes was given credit for having served 120 days in jail. Curtis Lamont Gadson, 32, of 412 Glenzell Road, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and battery. Gadson was sentenced to prison for three years, suspended to three years of probation. He must pay restitution in the amount of $3,961.23, must not have any contact with the victim and must successfully complete anger management. LUCEDALE, Mississippi -- Two George County juveniles have been arrested for a pair of commercial burglaries, according to George County Sheriff Keith Havard. The two suspect, ages 16 and 15, have been charged with commercial burglary and felony malicious mischief. The two were identified as suspects who entered American Tank & Vessel on Evanston Road in Lucedale on two separate nights over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, Jan. 16-18. The two juveniles damaged equipment and machinery inside the business. The have been turned over to the George County Youth Court. 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. 4,5AP,. Photo Over recent years theres been a steady escalation of concern about the admissions process at the most revered, selective American colleges. And little by little, those colleges have made tweaks. But I get the thrilling sense that something bigger is about to give. The best evidence is a report to be released on Wednesday. I received an advance copy. Titled Turning the Tide, its the work primarily of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, though scores of educators including the presidents and deans of admission at many of the countrys elite institutions of higher education contributed to or endorsed it. Top administrators from Yale, M.I.T. and the University of Michigan are scheduled to participate in a news conference at which its unveiled. Turning the Tide sagely reflects on whats wrong with admissions and rightly calls for a revolution, including specific suggestions. It could make a real difference not just because it has widespread backing but also because it nails the way in which society in general and children in particular are badly served by the status quo. Focused on certain markers and metrics, the admissions process warps the values of students drawn into a competitive frenzy. It jeopardizes their mental health. And it fails to include and identify the potential in enough kids from less privileged backgrounds. Its really time to say enough, stop wringing our hands and figure out some collective action, Richard Weissbourd, a senior lecturer at Harvards education school, told me. Its a pivot point. Weissbourd is one of the directors of the schools Making Caring Commonproject, which produced the report. Hes also the author of research that was one motivation for it specifically, a survey of more than 10,000 middle- and high-school students that asked them what mattered most: high individual achievement, happiness or caring for others. Only 22 percent said caring for others. The new report contemplates how the admissions process contributes to that psychology and how it might be changed. Some of those alterations would simultaneously level the playing field for kids applying to college from less advantaged backgrounds. Colleges spend a huge sum each year sending signals that influence the behavior of millions of students, the report notes. Why not rethink those signals to reshape that behavior? The report recommends less emphasis on standardized test scores, which largely correlate with family income. It asks colleges to send a clear message that admissions officers wont be impressed by more than a few Advanced Placement courses. Poorer high schools arent as likely to offer A.P. courses, and a heavy load of them is often cited as a culprit in sleep deprivation, anxiety and depression among students at richer schools. The report also suggests that colleges discourage manic resume padding by accepting information on a sharply limited number of extracurricular activities; that they better use essays and references to figure out which students community-service projects are heartfelt and which are merely window dressing; and that they give full due to the family obligations and part-time work that some underprivileged kids take on. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Advertisement Continue reading the main story Stephen Farmer, the vice provost for enrollment and undergraduate admissions at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, praised the report as consistent with his schools desire to be humbler and more alert to the many ways in which people can stake a claim on a place here. Continue reading the main story RECENT COMMENTS He said that the school had already, for example, downgraded the importance of A.P. everything, which doesnt necessarily measure true ability or intellectual hunger. Just making people jump through hoops because we can we dont want to do that, he told me, especially when some hoops are so arbitrary that we might as well be admitting these people on the basis of their height or the size of their neck. Turning the Tide follows other reexaminations of the admissions process. A growing number of colleges have made the SAT or ACT optional. And late last year, more than 80 colleges, including all eight in the Ivy League, announced the formation of the Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success, which is developing a website and application process intended in part to diversify student bodies. Colleges are becoming more conscious of their roles too frequently neglected in social mobility. Theyre recognizing how many admissions measures favor students from affluent families. Theyre realizing that many kids admitted into top schools are emotional wrecks or slavish adherents to soulless scripts that forbid the exploration of genuine passions. And theyre acknowledging the extent to which the admissions process has contributed to this. /By AzerNews/ By Nigar Orujova The government of Azerbaijan has recently set a goal to attract more investors to its non-oil sector and develop the local production. To make the country more attractive for foreign direct investment at a time of the global crisis, the state has already announced economic reforms aiming to create favorable conditions for investments. Today, promotion of foreign investments is one of the main areas, Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev said, attending a conference on development of the promising areas of agriculture in Baku on January 29. He said given the reduction in public investment, attracting more foreign investment into the country is needed to increase the economic activity. To this end, entrepreneurs working in Azerbaijan will be issued a certain document of the investment incentives, which is presupposed in amendments made in the Tax Code. Under this document, half of the revenue of an individual entrepreneur, profits of legal entity will be exempted from income tax for seven years. 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. Businessmen will also be exempted from property tax and land tax for a period of seven years from the date of receipt of the document. In the first years of independence, Azerbaijan saw foreign investments mainly in the oil sector of the economy, but now the volume of foreign investments in the non-oil sector is also growing. Investors from Russia and Turkey are more active in the non-oil sector. Azerbaijan offers a number of economic advantages, including geographic location and availability of raw materials. Combined with the liberal economic regime and competitive economy, all these create opportunities to further increase the flow of foreign investments. About 16 billion manats ($9.8 billion) were invested in the development of the economic and social spheres in Azerbaijan from all financial sources in 2015, which is 11.1 percent less than in 2014. Domestic investment accounted for 56 percent of the total investments. Furthermore, the country itself hugely invested in the development of marine, railway, automotive, utilities, and social infrastructures. Some bureaucratic hurdles were abolished. The country is now eye-catching for transportation, which means great revenue for the investors. The favorable geographic location promises expansion of transport routes, which will further increase the countrys attractiveness to investors in terms of easy delivery of products made in Azerbaijan to other markets. Today, along with the regional countries and CIS states, Azerbaijan can also import its production to Europe, as the EU is expecting Azerbaijani goods in its markets, especially agricultural products. Moreover, the EU supports development of this sector in the country. Currently, the government plans to strengthen cooperation with the private sector in the agricultural sphere. For this purpose, the National Confederation of Entrepreneurs of Azerbaijan and the Agriculture Ministry has signed an agreement on cooperation. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has attended the opening of Yeni Agdag gypsum plant of Metanet-A company in Qaradagh district, Baku. Minister of Economy Shahin Mustafayev informed the head of state of low-interest loans given by the National Entrepreneurship Assistance Fund to entrepreneurs in Baku suburbs. He said a total of 430 million manats were allocated to nearly 2220 entrepreneurs in Baku suburbs. Of this, some 286 million manats were spent to establish 86 high-technology enterprises covering a variety of production areas, including transformers, electrical devices, food industry, construction material, petrochemical industry, bread plants, sewing factory, and logistics centers. These loans contributed to the creation of more than 26,000 jobs. In Qaradagh district, 100 entrepreneurs received 78 million manats in low-interest loans, which created over 3,700 jobs. Head of Metanet-A Elkhan Bashirov informed the head of state of the company, which includes five plants. More than 800 jobs were created in these plants, with an average monthly wage of 600 manats. The President was informed of the company`s prospective projects, which include the construction of a drywall and mineral wool plant in Qaradagh, a limestone plant in Qazakh and an enriched quartz plant in Balakhani. A total of 105 million manats will be invested in the establishment of these plants, using state-provided low-interest loans. The plants will create a total of 1500 permanent and 500 seasonal jobs. The establishment of the plants will contribute to the creation of auxiliary production areas in Lerik, Absheron, Qaradagh, Qobustan, Dashkesan, Goranboy and Qazakh regions. Yeni Agdag gypsum plant occupies an area of 4.4 hectares. The plant will manufacture gypsum-based construction material. The plant will have an annual production capacity of 400,000 tons. The National Entrepreneurship Assistance Fund allocated a 1.5 million low-interest loan for the construction of this plant. President Ilham Aliyev viewed products to be manufactured by the plant. The facility will use mostly local raw material. Half of the plant`s products will be used to meet local demand, while the second half will be exported to Russia, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Iran and Ukraine. The head of state viewed products manufactured by other plants of Metanet-A company. President Ilham Aliyev launched Yeni Agdag gypsum plant, and then talked with its staff. Then a picture was taken. /By AzerTac/ Azerbaijan's Ministry of Finance does not agree with the rating of Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, published yesterday, the ministry's report on its website said. The report of S&P contained a number of inaccuracies, the ministry said. S&P lowered the long-term and short-term sovereign credit ratings of Azerbaijan in foreign and local currency from "BBB- / A-3" to "BB + / B". The Outlook "Stable". "Standard & Poor's has immediately lowered Azerbaijan's credit rating in the light of falling oil and oil products prices. The Ministry of Finance hopes that S&P will show the same efficiency and restore the country's investment rating if commodity prices increases," the ministry's report said. /By Trend/ Member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Co-Chair of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus Steve Cohen made a statement on the 26th anniversary of 20 January tragedy. The statement provides detailed information about the tragedy. The US congressman said that on 20 January 1990, Soviet troops stormed Azerbaijan's capital city of Baku and attacked civilians in the city. The congressman said that the January 20 tragedy united the Azerbaijani people and resulted with the declaration of independence in Azerbaijan. He also said Azerbaijan turned to rapidly developing country, adding democratic values and free market economy were established in the country. /By AzerTac/ Azerbaijan`s Ambassador to the US Elin Suleymanov has delivered a speech in the regional meeting of American Israel Public Affairs Committee in Miami city. The diplomat highlighted the role and place of Azerbaijan in the world. The Ambassador spoke about the tolerance traditions of Azerbaijan, saying representatives of various confessions lived in peace and unity in the country over the centuries. Elin Suleymanov also touched upon independence history of Azerbaijan, adding the first democratic republic in the Muslim East was established in the country. Strengthening the tolerance environment is the priorities of Azerbaijan. He added. The diplomat provided an insight into ongoing regional processes, as well as shared his remarks about US-Israeli bilateral partnership and cooperation. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee advocates pro-Israel policies to the Congress and Executive Branch of the United States. The mission of AIPAC is to strengthen, protect and promote the U.S.-Israel relationship in ways that enhance the security of the United States and Israel. /By AzerTac/ Italian insurance agency Servizi Assicurativi del Commercio Estero (SACE) has signed a line of credit insurance MoU with the Central Bank of Iran, worth 6 euros, said the CBI governor Valiollah Seif. According to the CBI's official website, the MoU was signed during Seif's visit to Italy on Jan.27. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani visited Italy in Jan 26-27, heading a big delegation. The sides signed up to 17 billion ($18.4 billion) contracts and a MoU. Before in December 1, Iran announced that SACE has signed a short-term line of credit insurance MoUs with three Iranian banks, Parsian, Pasargad, and Saman. The MoUs were signed in a meeting between an Italian delegation and representatives of Central Bank of Iran (CBI) in Tehran, the CBI Public Relations announced. The Italian delegation included representatives from 11 Italian banks that count for 55 percent of the countrys banking. During the meeting, CBI Vice President for Currency Qolamali Kamyab said Iran and SACE have held talks on the way of settling the Italian insurance companys previous debts to Iran. A day earlier, SACE President Giovanni Castellaneta said his company was ready to allocate insurance services worth 5 billion to Iran-Italy business deals. In a trade conference held in Tehran on November 29 with 360 Italian economic representatives, a number of MoUs were signed in the fields of tourism and trade. Iran-Italy trade turnover stands at $1.5 billion a year. The number had hit $7 billion before economic sanctions were set against Iran. /ByTrend/ President Barack Obama will welcome Italian President Sergio Mattarella to the White House next month, according abcnews. Mattarella is scheduled to visit Obama on Feb. 8, during a weeklong visit to the U.S. Obama spokesman Josh Earnest says the leaders will discuss efforts to counter the Islamic State group and the global refugee crisis. They'll also talk about economic developments in Europe and a pending trans-Atlantic trade agreement between the U.S. and Europe, among other issues. Mattarella has been president of Italy for about a year. /By AzerTac/ Report: Everton to land Niasse , 30 January, The Guardian, who first mentioned Everton's interest in Niasse earlier this month, claim that Lokomotiv Moscow have accepted the Blues' bid for the Russian league's player of the year. The report suggests that the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham have scouted Niasse extensively in recent months and that Monaco and Bayer Leverkusen have had bids for the 25-year-old turned down. Niasse, described as having blistering pace and ability to lead the line on his own, is believed to favour a move to the Premier League to be close to his wife who works in Manchester and could join Everton if he can agree terms at Goodison Park and complete a medical before the transfer deadline. MailOnline stop short of saying that a fee has been agreed with the Russian club, saying instead that the Blues have merely "joined the race" to sign Niasse for 15m. YouTube highlights reel Quotes sourced from The Guardian 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 I was elected in March 2008, the Member of Parliament for Petaling Jaya Utara under the Democratic Action Party (DAP). I'm also the DAP National Publicity Secretary, as well as the investment liaison officer for the Penang Chief Minister based in the Klang Valley.Before joining politics full-time in January 2007, I was the CEO and founder of a Malaysian IT company, publicly listed in Singapore. I divested all my shares in the company to be able to serve the community and take part in socio-political affairs of Malaysia.I've always had faith that there has been a guardian angel looking after me all these while - my personal well-being, my education, my career. Some will call it "God's will", some "fate" while some others, "destiny". 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TCK Facebook Tradcatknight FOLLOW TRADCATKNIGHT ON PINTEREST TradCatKnight Archbishop Lefebvre That Conciliar Church is a schismatic Church, because it breaks with the Catholic Church that has always been. It has its new dogmas, its new priesthood, its new institutions, its new worship, all already condemned by the Church in many a document, official and definitive.... The Church that affirms such errors is at once schismatic and heretical. This Conciliar Church is, therefore, not Catholic. To whatever extent Pope, Bishops, priests, or faithful adhere to this new Church, they separate themselves from the Catholic Church... The Divine Office Fr. Hesse Summary on Vatican II Exposing Vatican II & New Mass, Fr. Villa Binghatti Developers, a specialist in developing affordable residential units, said it has completed its apartment project at Dubai Silicon Oasis within a record period of 11 months. Binghatti Developers, a specialist in developing affordable residential units, has announced the completion of its Dh170 million ($46.2 million) iconic project Binghatti Apartments located in Dubai Silicon Oasis within a record period of 11 months. The project comprises 224 different units, varying in space and number of rooms, in unique layouts, including studios, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments as well as spacious duplex layouts for the one and two bedroom apartments. Muhammad Binghatti Aljbori, the chief executive and chief architect, said: "We have started delivery of the residential units to buyers and end-users, thus fulfilling our promise that the project will be ready within less than one year from the start of construction work." Aljbori said Binghatti has reached a business model that suits all customer segments, including both real estate investors and end-users, as its speed in delivering work allows investors to realise investment returns in record time through leasing or selling. "At the same time, our speedy delivery allows end users to relocate in their new residences within less than one year from the purchase date," he stated. According to him, the contemporary architecture of Binghatti Apartments seamlessly combines modern and functional touches of elegance that can be spotted in the iconic and trendy architecture to meet the demands of end-users. Each apartment has access to unmatched amenities such as a state-of-the-art health club, a swimming pool, a Jacuzzi, a running track, as well as a BBQ area and kids play area, he added. "Amid interest from various nationalities, including Indian, UK, South African, UAE and Arab investors, Binghatti Developers has successfully sold out the entire project," stated the top official. Prices ranged from Dh700 to Dh1,050 ($191 to $285) per sq ft, while apartment sizes ranged from 434 to 2,653 sq ft. On the local real estate sector, Aljbori said: "Dubais real estate market is undergoing a healthy and very positive correction stage to ensure high and sustainable growth rates on the long run." "After Dubai won the bid to host Expo 2020, the market saw huge price leaps that, if continued, could have led to unfavorable results. We anticipate that the sector will be on growth curve in early 2017," he added. Binghatti Developers, he stated, was planning to invest more than Dh1 billion ($272 million) in 10 new developments over the next two years in Dubai and Sharjah.-TradeArabia News Service Companies and scientists are racing to create a Zika vaccine as concern grows over the mosquito-borne virus that has been linked to severe birth defects and is spreading quickly through the Americas. Zika is now present in 23 countries and territories in the Americas. Brazil, the hardest-hit country, has reported around 3,700 cases of the devastating birth defect called microcephaly that are strongly suspected to be related to Zika. The Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO), stung by criticism that it reacted too slowly to West Africa's Ebola epidemic, is convening an emergency meeting on Monday to help determine its response to the spread of the virus. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has activated an emergency operations center staffed around the clock to address Zika, agency officials told Reuters. On Thursday, the WHO forecast that as many as 4 million people in the Americas may become infected by Zika, lending new urgency to research efforts already under way. Vaccine developers made clear that a vaccine for widespread public use is at least months, if not years, away. The closest prospect may be from a consortium including drugmaker Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc that could have a vaccine ready for emergency use before year-end, according to one of its lead developers. Inovio's share price gained more than 15 per cent in Friday trading. Canadian scientist Gary Kobinger told Reuters on Thursday the first stage of testing on humans could begin as early as August. If successful, the vaccine might be used during a public health emergency by October or November, said Kobinger, who helped develop a trial vaccine for the Ebola virus. Privately owned vaccine developer Hawaii Biotech Inc said it began a formal program to test a Zika vaccine last fall as the virus started to gain traction in Brazil, although it has no timetable yet for clinical trials. "Right now, we are in the pre-clinical stage, as I suspect everyone is," Chief Executive Officer Dr. Elliot Parks told Reuters. Another private vaccine developer, Boston-based Replikins Ltd, said it was preparing to start animal studies on a Zika vaccine in the next 10 days. Data from the trials on mice and rabbits would likely be out in the next couple of months, Replikins chairman Samuel Bogoch told Reuters. "No one has the $500 million on hand to take it (a vaccine) all the way to human trials. Somewhere along the course we hope to have big pockets join us," Bogoch said. 'FIGHT THE MOSQUITO' Zika had been viewed as a relatively mild illness until Brazilian health officials identified it as a matter of concern for pregnant women. While a direct causal relationship has not been established, scientists strongly suspect a link between Zika and thousands of children born in Brazil with abnormally small heads, brain defects and impaired vision. There is no treatment for Zika infection. About 80 per cent of those infected experience no symptoms, making it difficult for pregnant women to know whether they have been infected. Efforts to combat Zika are focused on protecting people from being bitten and on eradicating mosquitoes, a tough task in many parts of Latin America, where people live in poverty and there are plentiful breeding grounds for the insect. "We do not have a vaccine for Zika yet. The only thing we can do is fight the mosquito," Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said on Friday, reiterating her call for a national eradication effort. Rousseff said tests for the development of a vaccine would begin next week at the Butantan Institute, one of Brazil's leading biomedical research centers in Sao Paulo. Zika has hit Brazil just as it prepares to host the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 5-21, an event that draws hundreds of thousands of athletes, team officials and spectators. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) assured teams on Friday the Olympics would be safe from Zika, but urged visitors to carefully protect themselves. US lawmakers have begun to press the Obama administration for details of its response to Zika. At least 31 people in the country have been infected, all of them after travel to affected countries. The US Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is planning a hearing on Zika "very soon," said Republican Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, who called the threat posed by the virus to the United States a "big concern." "We need to ensure that federal agencies are working closely together and with the international community to stop its rapid spread," added Republican Ron Johnson, chairman of the US Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, said he did not expect the United States to be hit hard like other some countries in South America and the Caribbean. "We prepare for the possibility of a major outbreak but we believe it is unlikely to happen," Fauci said. Reuters Royal Philips recently held a roundtable discussion to address the challenges of cancer care in the region as well as raise awareness around the need to have an earlier cancer diagnosis. The meeting, which saw the participation of a number of prominent thought leaders from the region, was held as part of the company's wide range of activities during Arab Health 2016. The experts discussed key issues facing both healthcare providers and patients with the purpose to improve cancer care delivery. According to a study, cancer accounts for more than 10 per cent of all deaths in most Middle Eastern countries, and currently one in three women and one in two men are diagnosed globally with the disease in their lifetime. The regions ageing and growing population will result in an increasing incidence of cancer by 2030, it added. Philips is connecting care across the health continuum, and believes data integration as well as real time analytics is core to deliver a value added approach to personalizing cancer care. The companys solutions help make diagnosis quicker, exact and safer for the patient. The aim is to integrate clinical and patient data in one place, to potentially help clinicians improve multi-disciplinary collaboration, decision making and treatment outcomes while supporting patients during chemotherapy to improve the overall quality of life. The event is in line with Philips' continued efforts to delivering connected oncology care solutions across the health continuum from healthy living to disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment and homecare, said a senior official. Philips is addressing the growing need for a new approach to cancer care. We strive to deliver better, more personalized care to patients while reducing healthcare costs," remarked Arjen Radder, the CEO for Middle East and Turkey. "This is done by constantly looking at better ways to locate cancers earlier, diagnosing them more precisely, making therapies more accurate with minimal invasive and taking a personalized approach in giving the patient the best possible care," stated Radder. Not only are we providing integrated ways to collect and analyze information but our clinical and biological expertise enables clinicians to interpret this data and choose the optimal treatment for the individual patient, he added. While the vast majority of cancer diagnoses are made or confirmed by a pathologist, the increased demand for pathology services continues to grow. Philips IntelliSite Pathology Solution and advanced visualization helps care providers reach informed decisions through enhanced productivity with high resolution digital images, collaboration features and case management tools.-TradeArabia News Service Leading medical experts discussed different mental disorders that effects children at the fourth International Child and Family Behavioral Health Conference held in Abu Dhabi recently. Over 1,000 healthcare professionals took part in the seminar which discussed mental disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorders, dysmorphic disorders, autism, and other mental and behavioral disorders. Dr Fareeha Amber Sadiq, the lead consultant psychiatrist for children and adolescents at Camali Clinic in Dubai, said: "Around one in five children in the world experience significant mental health or emotional issues as per World Health Organization, and half of mental disorders in adulthood begin before the age of fourteen." "We see an important role for early intervention, improving quality of life and supporting young peoples emotional development," said the expert at the leading Dubai-based child and adolescent mental health service. In her address, Dr Haneen Jarrar, child psychologist at Camali Clinic in Dubai, introduced the attendants to their newly launched program, School Readiness, as a unique model that aims to bridge the gap between home schooling and mainstream schools for children with special needs. Official government figures estimate that 1 in 68 children in United States will be affected with autism in 2016 (Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2015). It is estimated that around 40 per cent would require specialized education services. Figures in the Middle East are almost similar. More healthcare facilities and supporting programs such as our School Readiness program should be considered, she stated. At the conference, Camali Clinic Dubai and United Eastern Medical Services (UEMedical), a leading privately owned healthcare development and investment company in Abu Dhabi, signed an official co-operation agreement to jointly deliver child and adolescent mental health services in the emirate. UEMedical owns the new flagship Danat Al Emarat Hospital for Women and Children, and HealthPlus chain of medical centers across Abu Dhabi. Mohamad Ali Al Shorafa, the chief executive and managing director of UEMedical and chairman of HealthPlus, said: "Our collaboration comes in line with the Health Authority of Abu Dhabis strategy to fulfilling a gap in the delivery of children mental health services in Abu Dhabi and increase access to high quality services." "It represents another step for UEMedical in the realization of the UAE leaders vision to provide the people of UAE with the highest standards of healthcare facilities," he noted. Majd Abu Zant, the chief executive of HealthPlus, said: "By the second quarter of 2016, Camali Clinic will be providing mental health services for children with emotional, behavioral or learning difficulties at our recently launched HealthPlus Childrens Specialty Center in Abu Dhabi." "With this significant agreement, a psychiatrist led team of highly qualified clinicians from Camali Clinic will be leading the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Department in our centre offering clinical services best suited for our population that would be consistent with the high standards, procedures and outstanding outcomes for which both organizations are reputed for, added Zant.-TradeArabia News Service Emirati nationals thronged the polling stations across Sharjah with their family and friends to cast their ballot at the first-ever Sharjah Consultative Council (SCC) elections. The first-ever polls to the 42-member Sharjah advisory body opened on Thursday (January 28) amid much fanfare will close tomorrow (January 31) after four days of voting. The elections to the highest advisory and decision-making body in the emirate are being seen as groundbreaking milestone for Sharjah and the UAE. The decision to hold the elections came after His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah announced that the SCC would have half of its 42 members directly elected for the upcoming term. A total of 195 candidates, including 43 women, are in fray for seats spread across the emirate in Kalba, Khorfakkan, Dhaid, Dibba Al Hisn, Bataeh, Maliha, Hamriya, and Madam. Up to 24,952 people above the age of 21, including 13,794 men and 11,158 women, from across the emirate have registered as voters and are casting their ballots. The popular response to Sharjahs nascent political and democratic experiment has been overwhelming with the UAE nationals turning up in large numbers at the polling booths for the last two days. Many of the nationals, who are casting their ballot for the first time, were euphoric about the whole experience of voting and electing their representatives, said a top election official. Even the Friday sermon in mosques across Sharjah was dedicated to the importance of shoura or the concept of consultation in Islam, he added. Expressing his satisfaction over the successful and smooth polling so far, Mansour Mohammad Nassar, the chairman of the Supreme Committee for SCC Elections, said that no effort is being spared to ensure the transparency and fairness of the polls. A special control room has been set up at the Sharjah Consultative Council to monitor the electoral process across the Emirate and quickly respond in case there is a technical glitch or disruption, he stated. According to him, all arrangements are in place for the counting of votes that commences soon after the polling ends tomorrow evening. Nassar said under the supervision of the Supreme Election Committee, three polling committees comprising seven members have been constituted to oversee the counting of votes. A number of dignitaries visited the main polling centre at Sharjah Cultural and Chess Club on Friday to either cast their vote or observe the polling. Abdullah Bin Mohammed Belhaif Al Nuaimi, UAE Minister of Public Works was one of the early voters on Friday. The counting process will be telecast live on various television channels and media outlets of Sharjah Media Corporation. The live transmission will continue throughout the night until the end of the counting and declaration of results, according to the Election Committee.-TradeArabia News Service Abu Dhabi International Airport has achieved record traffic figures in 2015, with more than 23 million passengers passing through its terminals, said the airport operator. For the first time in its history the airport crossed the two million passengers a month mark, with its four busiest periods ever in July, August, September and December, according to annual results released by Abu Dhabi Airports today. Overall, the airport experienced a 17.2 per cent increase in passenger traffic compared to 2014, with the first quarter alone showing 21.1 per cent growth, it stated. Ahmad Al Haddabi, the chief operations officer, said: "We continue to witness double digit traffic growth at the airport. To cross the two million mark for the first time in our history, for four months of the year, is a testament to the airports ability to connect the world." During the first quarter we opened expanded facilities in Terminal 1, part of a broader capacity enhancement program, to ensure that passengers using Abu Dhabi International Airport will always enjoy a world class experience, stated Al Haddabi. A large proportion of the increase in traffic can be attributed to the strong performance of Etihad Airways, which serves 116 passenger and cargo destinations around the world, stated the official. The national airline of the UAE carried 17.4 million passengers in 2015, 18.4 per cent more than in 2014. The expansion of its network through Alitalia and Jet Airways contributed to passenger figures to Italy, India and the US, increasing by double digits. With these and other new services, the airport saw an additional 271 flights per week to various destinations during the summer. "Etihad contributed significantly to these traffic figures as more than 74 per cent of the total passengers to and from Abu Dhabi International Airport in 2015 were carried by our national airline," he added. According to him, the aircraft movements went up by 11.6 per cent to hit 172,819 last year compared to 154,821 in 2014. December was the second busiest month in 2015, recording more than 2.1 million passengers, following August, which saw more than 2.5 million passengers traveling through the UAE capital, said Abu Dhabi Airports in the report. Traffic between Abu Dhabi and the US surged by 39.4 per cent last year with the launch of several new direct Etihad services, it stated. The airlines introduction of state of the art Airbus A380s on its Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow route helped to deliver a strong increase in passengers to the UK, with 27.5 per cent growth registered in 2015, said the report. The other busy routes from the capital included Australia, up 30 per cent, and Germany, up 15 per cent, it added. Abu Dhabi Airports said the strongest five country destinations in 2015 were India, the UK, Germany, Saudi Arabia and the US, which together recorded more than nine million passengers through the emirate's airport last year. In 2015, Abu Dhabi International Airport had handled 827,456 metric tonnes of cargo, up 3.8 per cent from 2014s figures of 797,069, it added.-TradeArabia News Service Gate To Wellness, the only specialised medical tourism company in Doha that is also approved by the Medical Tourism Association in the US, has announced attractive packages with extensive services in 2016. These new initiatives will specifically cater to the demands of the local community who wish to seek health and wellness treatments abroad, said a top official. Reem Al Daghma, the general manager of Gate To Wellness declared that the company was ready for a big start in 2016. On the latest activities, Al Daghma said: "We are currently working on the preparations for our second women's trip that's scheduled this year to Ananda Spa in the Himalayas. Known to be among the best health centres in India as well as across the world for detox and weight loss, this destination has been chosen after a specialised study to provide high quality services to suit all our participants." "Comprising seven nights, this trip will focus on three different programs, including the detox process that aims to clean and rejuvenate the body, besides 20 therapeutic massage sessions, a health examination and fitness check, which will be followed by consultation sessions with a health and nutrition specialist," stated Al Daghma. "The trip will also include a healthy cooking class and a visit to the famous Rishikesh river," she added. Since the launch of its operations in Doha, the company has been successfully co-ordinating health related tours many countries. These were characterised by discretion and simplicity, thanks to its relationship with more than 60 global hospitals spread over 13 countries around the world. "This was achieved by our positive reputation and constant visits to make sure that these medical facilities maintain high standards and provide our clients the best available resources and convenience during their health treatments," noted Al Daghma. She pointed out that the Gate To Wellness had succeeded in sending citizens and residents from Qatar to a number of countries like Germany, Turkey and Switzerland. Our future plans include creating a data base of the preferred doctors, clinics as well as health and wellness related services in Qatar and to refer our patients to them before and after the treatment. Also, we are working on a future plans to attract patients to Qatar" she said. About the detox program, Al Daghma said: "Detox is not only for people having extreme concerns about their health, but also for those individuals suffering from disorders, stress as well as physical pain. Cleaning the body of toxins, commonly known as Detox, is not a new process." "In fact, its been in use over the past several years across many countries and cultures. Here, the aim is to remove toxins from the body and consume healthy ingredients that protect individuals from diseases and strengthen their immune system," she added.-TradeArabia News Service Mission provides shelter from cold With the recent tragic death of Mr. Daniel Serratore due to hypothermia, Central Wyoming Rescue Mission wishes to remind everyone of our shelter services. Our hearts go out to family and friends of Mr. Serratore over his passing. Though Daniel was never a guest of the rescue mission, it is tragic that one should succumb to the elements, with help so readily available. We urge the public, as you see individuals in need, please help by making them aware of the services we provide. Hot meals and warm clean beds are available 365 days a year at 230 N. Park St, or for more information you may contact us at 265-2251. Looking for churches to help After a Disaster is working in partnership with the Cole Creek Fire Recovery Organization to join the blessings of Casper churches with families affected in the Cole Creek fire. We are seeking churches, bible study/ life groups, Sunday school classes, to adopt a Cole Creek family and bless them for 12 months with a monthly themed blessing. We currently have seven fire families on our waiting list to be connected with a Casper church and we would love to find those churches who will come forward and help. Our phone number is 307-215-9619 Email is info@afteradisaster.org and website is www.afteradisaster.org We would love to answer any questions, give more information, and match your church with a family on the waiting list. Help for Corrine In less than 18 months, Corrine Paschal has lost both of her parents. Corrine is an 18-year-old college freshmen who now is without a family. There are no relatives on either of her parents sides, leaving Corinne virtually alone. The kind hearts of two families in Casper have opened their homes to her, but she still needs lifes essentials. Corrine is a freshman honor student at Casper College and is a strong, determined and capable girl. She works part-time while attending college and helped with her mothers care, physically and financially for the last few months, as her mother, Suzanne, was dying of cancer. Unfortunately, the money has run out. She is not eligible for Social Security because she is 18 and out of high school. Therefore, Corinne needs our help. Please consider donating to the Suzanne Donation Memorial Fund through Wells Fargo, P.O. Box 2799, Casper, WY 82609/4141 E. Second St., Casper. This is truly an investment into one of our best youth in Casper. Corinne will give back to this world and our society. Jan 472-0454 Sew for Quilts of Valor We are organizing a Central Wyoming chapter of Quilts of Valor. Quilts of Valor are made entirely by volunteers using donated fabrics/supplies or monetary donations for supplies. We hold regular meetings every Wednesday from 2 to 5 p.m., at Blakeman Vacuum and Sewing in the Hilltop Shopping Center. Come join us from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, February 6 for Quilts of Valor National Sew Day! Snacks and coffee will be provided. We will also have a giveaway. Please join us for this worthy cause by making quilts to welcome home returning service men and women who have been touched by war. These quilts serve as a tangible reminder of our appreciation and gratitude to service members. Our chapter hopes to award quilts to veterans who reside in the central Wyoming region.If you have any questions please contact Yong Hui Torske at 258-5578 or Sandy Elliot at 554-0331. Collecting old cellphones Poverty Resistance is collecting cellphones for distribution to low-income folks. Also, older laptops and iPads will be graciously accepted. Phones can be dropped off at the food pantry, 450 S. Wolcott St., between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. any day except Sunday. It is about impossible to conduct a job search or otherwise function in todays society without access to a phone and the Internet. Poverty Resistance Food Pantry is a qualified agency under IRS rules 502(3) and your donation is tax deductible. For more information, email Mary Ann at mbudenske@aol.com. Freedom Fund luncheon Casper NAACP Freedom Fund Luncheon will start at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 20, at the Parkway Plaza Hotel & Convention Center. Carl Oleson is the keynote speaker sharing Our Journey to Equality. Tickets are $30 with the options of steak sandwich, shrimp scampi or vegetarian pasta. To reserve a ticket, call Joanne Tanner 234-6266. Ticket deadline Monday, Feb. 15. Insurance makes Habitat donation Farmers Insurance has presented a check to Habitat for Humanity in support of local Farmers employee Donielle Beard, a single mother of three children who is the recipient of a Habitat home currently under construction. Donielle Beard is a customer service representative/personal lines specialist at Sandy Widmer Farmers Insurance Agency. The $5,000 check was presented at the ribbon cutting for Beards Casper home by Widmer, who is the agency owner. The donation is comprised of funds from the Sandy Widmer Farmers Insurance Agency and the Farmers Insurance corporate office in Los Angeles. Donielle was selected by Habitat for Humanity to participate in the Homeownership Program that allows qualified families to purchase a home on a zero-interest mortgage. The construction of the home is conducted by community volunteers who are led by a site supervisor who is a licensed contractor. RSVP looking for volunteers Happy New Year! Is one of your New Years resolutions to become more involved in your community, meet new people or to help others? The Prairie Mountain Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) is for you. The mission of RSVP is to offer adults 55 and better the opportunity to share your time and talents on a regular basis in a variety of settings throughout your community. As a RSVP volunteer you will matched with a rewarding opportunity that fits your skills, interests and schedule. Not only will you be helping others, but you will also be helping yourself. Through service, you can add to the quality and health of your life. You will be giving your time, talent, wisdom and experience to your community and neighbors who need YOU. If you are interested in volunteering, you need volunteers, or you have any questions about RSVP, give Theresa Bush, R.N., Prairie Mountain RSVP Program Director, a call at 232-0124. Collecting old cellphones Poverty Resistance is collecting cellphones for distribution to low-income folks. Also, older laptops and iPads will be graciously accepted. Phones can be dropped off at the food pantry, 450 S. Wolcott St., between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. any day except Sunday. It is about impossible to conduct a job search or otherwise function in todays society without access to a phone and the Internet. Poverty Resistance Food Pantry is a qualified agency under IRS rules 502(3) and your donation is tax deductible. For more information, email Mary Ann at mbudenske@aol.com. Suggestions for food bags The Wyoming Food for Thought Project is now providing weekend food bags to nearly 600 children in Natrona County weekly. While all donations are appreciated and used, this year the staff has compiled a list of things to donate monthly, in order to stock the shelves of the pantry at the program center. Here is a list of suggestions for the entire year: February, cereal; March, mac and cheese; April, ravioli; May, tuna; June, peanut butter; July, canned vegetables; August, Chef Boyardee products; September, pork and beans; October, cereal; November, soup; December, canned chili. Donations can be dropped off any time at Food for Thought drop site locations, which include Great Harvest Bread, eastside WAC, Reliant FCU, Mary Anns Beans, Casper College Library, Aspen Ridge Dental, and the Food for Thought Program Center, 900 St. John St. Help fund Bernd scholarship Donations are being accepted now through the end of the year for the Michael J. Bernd Memorial Scholarship. The money will be used for a scholarship for Health Science students at Casper College. Michael Bernd was a physical therapist in Casper for 40 years. He was a lifelong learner devoted to his profession and helping people live life to their fullest. Donations may be sent to: Casper College Foundation, 125 College Drive, Casper WY, 82601. A pharmacist fired by Walmart after reporting safety problems was awarded $31m in damages by a jury Friday. ABC News: The jury awarded most of the money Thursday based on gender discrimination claims, but also found Wal-Mart's conduct was retaliation for her complaints about safety issues and/or privacy violations. McPadden, 51, said she was confident she would prevail even before the jury announced its verdicts after about three hours of deliberations. "I honestly feel the jurors listened intently," she told The Associated Press. "I really feel they wanted to send a message that the little guy has a voice, that Wal-Mart did something wrong." Dear friend and supporter of JusticeForHarkat.com This year marks the 13th anniversary of my husband Mohamed Harkat's arrest under a secret trial Security Certificate. Moe was detained behind bars for 43 months and has been held under several types of house-arrest/bail conditions (the toughest in Canadian history) over the past 13 years. All that, without ever being charged or knowing the so-called evidence against him. During the middle of the election campaign, Moe was suddenly issued his inadmissibility letter under a Harper government, kickstarting a deportation process against Moe that has him fighting forced return to Algeria, where he is at great risk of detention, torture or death because of the never-proven allegations against him. YOU CAN HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE-YOU CAN SAVE A LIFE!!! Under section 42.1 (1) of IRPA it states: The Minister may, on application by a foreign national, declare that the matters referred to in section 34, paragraphs 35(1)(b) and (c) and subsection 37(1) do not constitute inadmissibility in respect of the foreign national if they satisfy the Minister that it is not contrary to the national interest. Email us your letter of support which we will present to Minister Goodale. We even supply you with a template (see below; un lien vers la version Francaise disponible ci-dessous.) Also, please consider forwarding to your friends, family, your union or any organization that you are a part of. Get them to send a letter too. We are very far from our goal of 1000+ letters. Only 200 of you have emailed your letters so far. Make sure to include your name and full address at the bottom of your email and once completed please send to the minister of public safety ralph.goodale@parl.gc.ca and to us at letharkatstay@gmail.com *This is an opportunity to ask this new government to exercise its discretion and make a decision that is humanitarian and compassionate in the best sense of the words. PLEASE EMAIL LETTERS BY February 5th, 2016 (new and final deadline.) After all those support letters are collected, we will then request a personal meeting with the Public Safety Minister, Hon. Ralph Goodale and present him with the file (of support letters and supporting documents from groups/organisations) to prove that Moe should not be sent back to Algeria where his life is in danger. We have NO LEGAL AID So donations are desperately needed to continue our legal battle. We need to raise $12 000. Please send cheques or money orders to: The Justice for Mohamed Harkat Committee 14 Perkins Street, Ottawa, ON, K1R 7G5 or you can do e-transfer at www.justiceforharkat.com/donate . We would really appreciate any donation big or small. Let us put an end to this!!! Please help us make this a reality. Labels: bundys, lavoy finicum, Mohamed Harkat, oregon, Sophie Harkat, standoff, steve wolf, tony hall PHOENIX State utility regulator Bob Burns is not serving in office illegally despite the fact he was listed as a lobbyist for a telecommunications organization, the Attorney Generals Office concluded Friday. Assistant Attorney General Brunn Roysden acknowledged that Burns was registered as a lobbyist for the Arizona Telecommunications and Information Council. The complaint was that some of that organizations members are employees of or have business relationships with companies subject to regulation by the Arizona Corporation Commission, of which Burns is a member. Arizona law says anyone employed by or holding an official relation to a corporation which is regulated by the commission cannot hold office. The same is true of someone with a pecuniary interest in any regulated entity. But Roysden, in a letter to Sedona resident Warren Woodward, who filed the complaint, said he found no evidence that Burns had a relationship that would disqualify him from serving. Merely being listed as an authorized lobbyist with the Secretary of State is insufficient to establish a violation, the assistant AG wrote. He said someone who is an authorized lobbyist must be employed by or representing someone. But Roysden said there was no evidence Burns was employed or paid by ATIC or ever lobbied on its behalf. And he said the fact that Burns was listed by the organization as a lobbyist was simply an administrative oversight by the group. The conclusion of this investigation is in sharp contrast to the Attorney Generals Office filing suit to remove Susan Bitter Smith from the commission. In that case, Attorney General Mark Brnovich cited evidence she was a lobbyist for Cox Communications and head of a cable TV association. Brnovich said while the commission does not regulate cable, those firms also offer telephone service, which is regulated. The city planning department is studying a proposal by the real estate company Mainstreet to redevelop 8.5 acres at the vacant Fort Lowell Elementary School site, on East Pima Street near North Rosemont Boulevard. The city has received no protests regarding the project, said interim Zoning Examiner Jim Mazzocco. Plans call for a one-story, 47,300-square-foot transitional care center that would serve up to 72 patients who need care after a surgery or injury. A similar-sized project by Indiana-based Mainstreet this year was a $12.9 million investment, according to a company news release. A future phase could include two outpatient medical offices of 14,000-15,000 square feet each on the north side of the property. The city has listed 36 conditions for rezoning the school site, including considerations for lighting, parking and landscaping. The developers agreed to the conditions, Linda Morales, CEO of The Planning Center, said at the Zoning Examiners meeting. The Tucson Unified School District closed the school in 2010 during a budget crisis. Basis charter schools offered $1.6 million to buy it in 2011, but TUSD declined. TUSD still owns the site, and Mainstreet would buy it for $1.1 million once the rezoning plans are approved by the city. Mainstreet is the second company to use a city program incentivizing the redevelopment of the closed TUSD schools. The first was a housing project for the 9-acre Wrightstown Elementary School site. Public invited to talk on Islam, Quran The Tucson chapter of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community will hold a Holy Quran Exhibition at the Wheeler Taft Abbett Sr. Library, 7800 N. Schisler Drive, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30, according to press materials. For more information about the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association, visit muslimyouth.org or email Haroon Amin at qaid.tucson@mkausa.org. Christian Scientist church plans free talk The Third Church of Christ Scientist, Tucson, will host a talk about The Healing Perspective of Christian Science at the Oro Valley Community and Recreation Center, 10555 N. La Canada Drive, at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 30. The speaker will be Evan Mehlenbacher, a member of the Christian Science Board of Lectureship. The church, at 7355 N. Paseo del Norte, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this month, according to press materials. For more information about the free talk, visit cs3tucson.org or call 297-7683. March will honor Holocaust victims More than 25 churches, synagogues and other faith organizations will come together to honor victims of the Holocaust for the fifth Tucson March of Remembrance at Reid Park on Sunday, Jan. 31. The day begins with a 2:30 p.m. memorial service near the Reid Park band shell. Activities continue with a 3.5-mile or .75-mile walk around the park and a concert by Ironwood Hills Churchs music group The Gatekeepers. The event ends at 5:30 p.m. Holocaust survivor Andrew Schot, Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, U.S. Rep. Martha McSally and faith leaders from various churches and congregations. Last years march drew more than 1,200 participants and 2,000 are expected this year. For more information about the free event, visit marchofremembrancearizona.com online. Non-Jewish refugees in Israel is talk topic An associate law professor from the University of Nevada will discuss the response of Israel to non-Jewish refugees seeking asylum in the country. The Arizona Center for Judaic Studies will host Michael Kagans talk, Finding Refuge: Can Non-Jews Seek Asylum in the Jewish State? at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 1. The free event will be held at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, 3800 E. River Road. At 4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2, Kagan will discuss the dilemma of gay Palestinians attacked in Palestine and denied asylum in Israel at the UA Hillel Foundation, 1245 E. Second St. A four-story center for offices and events will replace the current Cathedral Hall at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucsons Cathedral Square, as part of a restoration project that would cost between $40 million and $45 million. The Phoenix-based Foundation for Senior Living will contribute about $22 million to turn Marist College and the Bishop Manuel D. Moreno Pastoral Center into a community center and affordable housing for seniors if the foundation receives federal low-income housing tax credits in June, said Bishop Gerald Kicanas at a news conference Friday. The diocese has tried before to secure public money to save Marist College, though unsuccessfully, because St. Augustine Cathedral has not wanted to relinquish ownership of its properties. In this partnership, Marist College is being leased to the Foundation for Senior Living, said Steff Koeneman, the director of communications for the diocese. The diocese anticipates spending about $15 million to build the four-story Diocesan Complex, restore the rectory and Our Ladys Chapel, make improvements to Ochoa Street and possibly add a level of parking above the current lot, said John Shaheen, the director of property and insurance for the diocese. St. Augustine Cathedral is about three stories, not counting the towers. The restoration is part of the dioceses commitment to stay downtown and fix something that has been a blight on the city and an embarrassment to the diocese, Kicanas said. The 50,000-square-foot Diocesan Complex alone will cost about $12 million. It will include offices for the cathedral on the first floor, a 500-seat event and education center on the second and the offices for the diocese on the third and fourth floors. The space is needed. It will replace St. Augustines parish hall, a facility not large enough to serve the 800 to 1,000 families in the parish, much less the diocese as a whole, Kicanas said. The diocese offices now at 111 S. Church Ave. will move to the new building as part of the deal to save Marist College. To make the ground-level community center, the Foundation for Senior Living needed a property that would provide additional housing for residents who would use the space. After purchasing the two-story administrative center for $2.5 million from the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of Tucson, the Foundation for Senior Living will construct a seven-story facility for senior housing there, Kicanas said. That building will have 75 units, and Marist College will hold eight, in addition to the community center. Both will be called The Marist at Cathedral Square. Of the $22 million sum the foundation is putting toward the project, about $19.6 million comes from federal tax credits, said Steve Hastings, the director of real estate services for the foundation. If that money comes through this summer, construction would begin in January 2017, Kicanas said. Already, the diocese has begun work on Our Ladys Chapel, which has been used lately as storage. To fund its part of the restoration, the diocese is relying on major donors instead of a capital campaign. So far, it has raised $4.6 million, according to Ernie Nedder, executive director of the Catholic Foundation. Part of the sale of the pastoral center may go toward restoration, as well. Kicanas added the diocese is debt-free now and may also take out a $3 million loan. Both the diocese and the Foundation for Senior Living are working with the city to make Ochoa Street more pedestrian-friendly. The foundation will receive $192,000 from the city of Tucson for that purpose, along with the waiver of about $300,000 in fees, Hastings said. Part of that project includes creating an entrance on the street for Our Ladys Chapel, removing parking meters and taking down part of the wall enclosing Cathedral Square. In the past, the church kind of saw itself as being walled off from the world, Kicanas said. But now certainly Pope Francis is saying our doors have to be wide open, greeting the world and not separating ourselves from the world. PHOENIX Gov. Doug Ducey is once again headed off to the California desert to spend some time with the billionaire Koch brothers and the group of big-dollar donors they are gathering at Palm Springs. Ducey press aide Daniel Scarpinato confirmed the governor and chief of staff Kirk Adams are headed to the event Saturday, Jan. 30, and will be returning Tuesday. Gov. Ducey is looking forward to attending this conference with other elected officials, policy experts and business leaders from all over the country who are advocates of limited government, innovation and the free enterprise system, Scarpinato said in a prepared statement. He said the pair are flying commercially and paying for the trip themselves. The official host for the event is Freedom Partners, which has acknowledged its ties to Charles and David Koch. Duceys ties to the brothers and their money actually predate his 2014 election. During the campaign, American Encore put more than $750,000 into ads targeting Democrat candidate Fred DuVal and spent another $650,000 promoting Ducey. That group is the successor to the Koch brothers-financed Center to Protect Patient Rights run by Phoenix political consultant Sean Noble. The group is organized under federal tax laws as a social welfare organization and does not disclose its donors. But the links go back even farther. In 2012 Ducey was leading the campaign to defeat Proposition 204, which would have implemented a permanent 1-cent sales tax, largely to fund education. Americans for Responsible Leadership put $500,000 into killing that 2012 ballot measure. But facing charges of violating campaign finance laws in California, Adams, who headed that group at the time, had to reveal that its money came from the Center to Protect Patient Rights now American Encore. Ducey has been a supporter of the ability of groups organized under the federal tax code as social welfare organizations to refuse to disclose the source of their funds. Help India! Ahmedabad-based trade unionist Mukul Sinha has been in the forefront of the struggle against fascism in Gujarat. Here he talks to Yoginder Sikand about his work. YS: What has been the role of the trade union movement in combating fascism in Gujarat? Support TwoCircles MS: I must admit that the trade union movement in Gujarat has been unable to combat Hindutva fascism. Even the state units of the CPI and CPI (M), that have a small presence in Gujarat, remained largely silent when Muslims were being massacred here in 2002. This is because the trade union movement has not addressed issues such as caste, ethnicity and religion, being focused simply on economic issues. Also, trade unions have largely cultivated simply a trade unionist mentality. Also, they have not given enough leadership roles to marginalised communities such as Dalits, Muslims and Tribals. For our part, our Gujarat Federation of Trade Unions, which is not affiliated to any political party, and our associated civil rights organisation, Jan Sangharsh Manch, have been involved in various popular struggles in Gujarat, including the struggle against Hindutva fascism. Our union workers were active in resisting Hindutva lumpens during the genocide at some places and are also resisting the moves of the government to demolish slums, which are predominantly inhabited by Dalits and Muslims. We are now trying to build a political platform through the New Socialist Movement that was inaugurated soon after the anti-Muslim genocide in Gujarat in 2002. It isnt simply the BJP that we are opposed to. Rather, we see hardly any difference between the BJP, the Congress and the Samajwadi party and even the CPI and CPI (M), who have given up on peoples struggles. We are also opposed to the extreme Left groups who claim that there is simply no scope for mass political activity. YS: The 2002 genocide witnessed attacks by Dalits, instigated by Hindutva groups, directed against Muslims. How do you see the issue of Dalit-Muslim relations in Gujarat today? MS: I believe that at this juncture the need for Dalit-Muslim unity to jointly struggle for their rights is really the need of the hour. In recent years in Gujarat, some Dalits have abandoned the Congress for the BJP. This is because all these years the Congress sought to garner Dalit votes without giving them any credible positions, and so several Dalit leaders shifted to the BJP, which offered them various posts, as president or this or that local Hindutva organisation. This gave these Dalit leaders a sense of empowerment and importance, false although it may have been. And that is how the BJP was able to win some support among Dalits. It isnt simply, as some people claim, that Dalits got attracted to the BJP because of religious reasons. The main attraction was the offer of leadership positions in the host of small outfits that the Hindutva-walas have spawned. To add to this is the fact that Dalits and Muslims live together in slums in urban areas, so even a small skirmish can always end up in a giant conflagration with the active instigation of Hindutva groups. Yet another factor is the role of certain NGOs that claim to be working among Dalits but which have totally depoliticised the Dalit youth associated with them. Talking about NGOs, I must remark that very few of them are working for minority rights and for promoting dialogue and better relations between the Dalits, Muslims and other marginalised communities in Gujarat. Several of them, as well as groups such as the Jamaat-e-Islami, stiffly opposed my proposal that cases lodged during the 2002 violence that involved Dalits and Muslims and related to relatively small issues such as stone-throwing, as opposed to major cases such as murder, be dropped in order to promote reconciliation between the two communities. They even accused me of working for Modi! That some NGOs, which are not really rooted in the lives of working-class people, opposed that demand was hardly surprising. Equally revealing was the opposition of the Jamaat-i-Islami, which was never happy with our work among Muslim workers, since they are vociferously anti-communist and pro-capitalist, as is clearly evident in their literature. They were also stiffly opposed to our working among Muslim women, hundreds of who come for our meetings and rallies. To some Jamaat-i-Islami leaders we were Hindus, and, by definition, therefore, our intentions were seen as suspect. They even probably thought that we were misguiding their women by encouraging them to come out on the streets in protest demonstrations. So, they went around telling people that we were Hindu agents. They even told this to the family members of Muslim POTA detainees whose cases we had taken up, but it boomeranged on them as I dont think many people bought that lie. Islamic fundamentalist groups like the Jamaat-i-Islami are simply not interested in Dalit-Muslim dialogue or in any sort of progressive agenda. In contrast, although the Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind is a pro-Congress outfit, it is more rooted in ordinary peoples lives and, therefore, potentially more amenable to more progressive politics. This is why the Jamiat has a working relation with us, and we, and other groups, have together held several rallies in the last two years against POTA and the illegal detention of a number of Gujarati Muslim youth under this draconian law. YS: How do you explain the rise to power of the BJP in Gujarat? MS: There are several reasons for this. One factor is the weakness of the Dalit and Tribal movements, although Dalits and Tribals constitute the single largest chunk of voters in the state. The Dalit movement has been historically weak in Gujarat because of the Gandhian presence. Then, land reforms in the 1950s led to major changes in caste relations, leading to the rise to power of the Patels, who were traditionally treated as a low Shudra caste who worked as sharecroppers in the fields of the upper castes. Seeking to use their new-found economic clout to rise up in the caste hierarchy, the Patels began sponsoring a number of Hindu religious outfits and backing Hindutva organisations in the state, thus presenting themselves as ardent Hindus, and, therefore, as high castes. One aspect of that newly constructed identity as super-Hindus was a deep hostility towards Muslims. In fact, the Patels, who comprise more than 30% of the Gujarati population, played a major role in the 2002 anti-Muslim genocide. Till the 1980s, the newly upwardly mobile Patels were not politically powerful. Gujarat was ruled by the Congress Party, which based its electoral calculations on the vote-banks of the Kshatriyas, Dalits, Tribals and Muslimsthe so-called KHAM theory. So, the Patels felt that their political fortunes lay with a non-Congress party. The average upper caste Gujarati Bania or Patel would not dream of giving his or her daughter to a Patel in marriage, because, despite their recent economic progress, the Patels were still seen as socially inferior. And so, in order to capture political power and also to assert the claim to a higher status in the caste hierarchy, from the 1980s onwards the Patels took to Hindutva in a big way. Many leaders of Hindutva outfits in Gujarat are Patels and they are among their major sources of finance. To add to this is the Patel diaspora, in England and America, that sends enormous amounts of money to fund Hindutva and Hindu religious groups in Gujarat and other parts of India. YS: What future do you see for progressive forces in Gujarat? MS: The situation is very grim. India is going through severe political and social crises. The country is being sold to Western imperialist powers under the garb of globalisation, leading to immense pauperisation, which is hitting marginalized communities, such as Dalits, Muslims, OBCs and Muslims, the most. It is bound to lead to escalation of caste and communal conflicts as the ruling classes seek to deflect peoples attention from their economic and political concerns. Hindutva forces, agents of imperialism, are bound to become more assertive and aggressive. They are working in tandem with imperialist forces, including the USA, whose perceptions about Muslims they share and whose economic agenda of so-called liberalisation, a euphemism for market fundamentalism, too, they support, while at the same time paying lip-sympathy to swadeshi. Gujarat today, as well as the rest of India, is being plundered by foreign, mainly American, multinational corporations, leading to the closure of thousands of factories and leading to millions of workers being thrown out on the streets. This is the Hindu Rashtra that they want to establish. But, let me stress, the Congress and other such parties are equally guilty. They share, broadly, the same economic agenda and vision, and have roughly the same position vis-a-vis American imperialism. This suggests the urgent need for mass struggles against American imperialism, against the politics of parties such as the BJP and the Congress, and against religious fundamentalism, Hindu, Muslim or whatever. I am firmly convinced that the socialist movement has an important role to play in this struggle. Help India! By K.S.Jayaraman, IANS, Bangalore : In yet another example of reverse technology transfer, a product developed by Nualgi Nano Biotech (NNB), a low profile biotech company here, is helping Americans to clean up polluted lakes. A three-acre Duck Pond in Croton-On-Hudson in New York state has been restored to normal health thanks to Nualgi an invention by NNB founder Thothathri Sampathkumar. Support TwoCircles Prior to the application of Nualgi in Aug 2011, the Duck Pond was in a highly impaired state with a variety of water quality issues such as bad odour, poor clarity and infestation with duck weed and algae, said John Tucci, president of Lake Savers, a small company in Richland, Michigan. Lake Savers, which has about 2,000 acres of lakes and ponds, including the Duck Pond, under its management, uses a combination of oxygenation systems, beneficial bacteria and enzyme formulations in its restoration projects. According to Tucci, this however did not work well in extremely impaired water bodies like the Duck Pond and so the company wanted to assess whether the addition of Nualgi to its programme could speed up recovery of this water body. The US company obtained 50 kg of Nualgi from Sampathkumar in August 2011 to try it out. In an email to the Bangalore company earlier this month, Tucci has acknowledged that the water quality in the pond showed a remarkable and sustained improvement after a single dose of Nualgi application. Duckweed disappeared in one month after application and did not come back till now, and no algae blooms either, while fish productivity and health has improved dramatically with the pond becoming a favourite destination for local fisherman, he said. Nualgi is a mix of micro nutrients in the form of nano particles including silica, iron and manganese, which triggers the rapid growth of a type of algae called diatoms, explained Mallimadugula Bhaskar, a collaborator of Sampathkumar. The oxygen released by diatoms through photosynthesis increases the dissolved oxygen level of water and thus keeps the pond clean and the diatoms converted into zooplanktons provide food for the fish. One kilogram of Nualgi can treat four million litres of water, he said. Apart from India, Nualgi has been patented in the US, Britain, Germany and South Africa. Encouraged by its successful experiment in Duck Pond, Lake Savers has obtained clearance from the US Environmental Protection Agency for using Nualgi on a large scale in the US. We are now aggressively embarking on more intensive studies and applications of Nualgi in a variety of water bodies from 5 to 120 acres, Tucci said. The Lake Savers which has so far purchased 350 kg of Nualgi, has expressed intent to buy another one tonne this year, Bhaskar said. According to Bhaskar, Nualgi is an economical alternative to treat sewage and organic wastes in eutrophic lakes and ponds as no skilled labor or energy is required. It is inexpensive and can be mass produced, he said. An eutrophic lake is characterized by excessive growth of algae resulting from contamination by nitrogen or phosphorus compounds such as by laundry detergents, untreated sewage, and fertilizer run-off from agricultural land. One obvious solution is to reduce these inputs but this is unrealistic, Bhaskar said, adding: The other solution is to remove the nutrients from water. The Nualgi-diatom-zooplankton-fish food chain is the best way to achieve this. Thus all the polluted lakes and rivers can be restored to their original glory using Nualgi. According to Bhaskar, Nualgi is being used in many lakes in southern India for the past seven years and fishermen are buying the product to increase their catch in water bodies. In Delhi only 30 per cent of the sewage of about four billion litres is treated, Bhaskar told IANS. If Nualgi is used, this can become 100 percent in one year without any capital expenditure. It is likely that Nualgi will be effective in oceans too, Sampathkumar said, adding it can be used to prevent algae bloom, known as red tide, like the one a week ago that reportedly killed nearly one million fish in the Gulf of Mexico. Oceanographer David Karl of Hawaii University has taken a small sample of Nualgi and is testing it in ship-board experiments in the Pacific, Bhaskar said. Nualgis developers hope to promote its use worldwide to revive fresh water eutrophic lakes and the over 500 dead zones in coastal regions so-called because they are so deprived of oxygen that they cant support any aquatic life. (K.S. Jayaraman is a Bangalore-based science writer. He can be contacted at [email protected]) Help India! By Abdul Basith MA, TwoCircles.net, Historical documents reveal that Syed Sanaullah Makthi Thangal born in 1847 at Veliyankodu of the Present Malappuram District was the first Muslim to write books in Malayalam. The year 2012 marks the death centenary of this Islamic reformist. If taken for printing today, the whole written works by Makthi Thangal would range up to 800 pages and is observed as capable of benefitting the Muslim community with renovating ideas and directions presented in a rather bold and poetic language. Support TwoCircles It was a period when the Mappila Muslim of Kerala werent even aware of the possibilities of education, they blindly accepted each and every so called Muslim spiritual leader, for whatever they said and there was nothing like the common Muslim having a word in the religious matters. Makthi Thangal boldly involved in the spiritual and community matters through his speeches, columns in the news dailies and through his own short books on matters relevant to the Muslim community in British India. His speeches and articles always had the nature of turning out to be either a wake-up call or a word of encouragement to the Muslim community. He was the first Muslim to start news daily, published books and set up a printing device on his own. He started Madrasas and took initiative to form knowledge groups and intellectual circles within the Muslim community. Thus he was successful in modernising and nourishing the then Muslim community to overcome the challenges and suit the needs of tomorrow through an essential renaissance. Born at Veliyankodu near Ponnani to Syed Ahmed Thangal and Shareefa Beevi, Makthi Thangal learnt Arabic from his father and received primary education at Chavakkad Higher Elementary School. He did his higher education in Islamic topics from Darss classes adjacent to mosques at Veliyankodu, Ponnani and Maranjeri [Darss is a Madrassa system still existent in Kerala within or adjacent to the mosque for pursuing studies beyond the normal Madrassa syllabus]. He soon was an expert in languages like Malayalam, Arabic, Hindustani, Persian and Tamil. On finishing his studies at Darss, Makthi Thangal worked as an excise inspector under the British govt for a few years. It was since then he badly felt the need to uplift the aimless Muslim community disrupted by ignorance and the British colonial oppressions. He decided to quit his job for this cause and started his mission by boldly resisting Christian missionary attempts to criticise and demoralise Islam. Along with this he took up the campaign against superstitious beliefs and non-Islamic customs within the Muslim community. According to available historical documents it was in the year 1884 Makthi Thangal wrote his first book in Malayalam, the first of its kind in the history of Muslim Kerala. The book named Kadora Kudaram was a resistance against the British supported Christian missionary religious conversions in the region, as Makthi Thangal strongly opposed missionary attempts to make use of the peoples ignorance and poverty. Another work got published by the name Paropakari [the one who helps others] in the year 1885 and these initiatives resulted in putting an end to the usual practice of writing on wooden boards, which was widely prevalent until then. As he efficiently defended Islam against moves by the Christian missionaries, they conspired to fabricate criminal charges against him and Makthi Thangal got isolated from the rest of the society, as even Muslims feared to keep in touch with him. The life thereafter for around six months was miserable for him, wandering in search of food and other necessities. Historian M Gangadaran refers to Makthi Thangal as a reformist who fought a way out for the Muslim community using his knowledge. Gangadaran notes that Makthi Thangal was the first reformist who learnt deep in to the religious aspects of both Muslims and Hindus. Makthi Thangal was of the opinion that learning Islam with the help of the native Malayalam language is essential for the true enlightenment of the Muslim community. He didnt want language to stay as a cultural barrier for Islam in the region. He considered language as the host and carrier of knowledge and tried to purify the orthodox Islamic language prevalent to win acceptance to Islamic teachings. He believed that patriotism essentially is a right as well as a necessity and was the first to write regarding the dreams of a unified state called Keralam. The phrase which he quoted in one of his writings called Muslim Janavum Vidyabhyasavum [Muslims and their education] thus demanding a Malayalam translation of the Holy Quran is like this: we take our kids to Mullahs to make them learn Quran; this last only for around 2-3 years and then they are asked to take up the Pathu Kithab [Pathu means ten] , as it is written in Arabic, Mullahs translate it by sentence to Malayalam, and this Malayalam would even make Malavasikal [people in mountain regions] laugh. M Ganagadaran says that, the Muslims of Malabar, now capable of handling Malayalam well should be considered the descendants of Makthi Thangal, than anybody else. He resisted and thus neglected all those boycotting attempts and oppositions from the British colonialists for around 30 years through his writings and speeches. As the health conditions deteriorated he decided to permanently reside at Fort Kochi. Day by day the health conditions got worse due to frequent and continuous oratory and debate sessions undertaken. He always used these communication modes as his tools to create awareness and thus resist the colonial desires. It was on September 18th, 1912 Makthi Thangal passed away. Now we cant even count the number of books published in Malayalam on Islamic topics and it wont be easy to keep an account of those Islamic authors. A Kerala based trust named Grace has decided this year to select the best ten Islamic books of the last hundred years and present them with the Makthi Thangal literary Award. Grace strongly believes that commemorating Makthi Thangal is equal to the action of creating a youth with passion towards knowledge, writing and independent thoughts. Makthi Thangals attempt to uplift the educational and social status of Muslims in Kerala was no different from the glories of Sir Syed in the North but alas the Kerala Muslim community took least care to acknowledge the great visionarys achievements. Help India! By IANS, New Delhi : It was on the night of Dec 2-3, 1984, that a toxic gas leak from the Union Carbide Corporations pesticide plant in the Madhya Pradesh capital killed and maimed thousands of people. Nearly three decades later, victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy are still fighting for justice. Support TwoCircles The victims have been waging legal battles demanding more compensation, better treatment facilities and removal of hazardous waste from the site, and jobs for affected people. Various social groups fighting for justice for the victims of one of the worlds worst industrial disasters are planning to hold a meeting in Bhopal Tuesday to reiterate their demands. Most of the victims blame the state and central governments for not paying heed to their needs. In the past 29 years, we have been fighting with limited resources we had but nothing substantial has come out yet. Both the state and central governments have been eye-washing the world on the matter, Rachna Dhingra, a member of the Bhopal Group for Information and Action, told IANS. Dhingra said 25,000 metric tonnes of toxic waste still lies inside the locked Union Carbide plant in Bhopal. So far, only 350 tonnes of waste has been removed and the rest continues to lie inside the plant with none having any answer to when will it be removed, she said. The Madhya Pradesh government has accepted about the contamination of groundwater in the region but no steps have been taken for its disposal, she said. The Bhopal gas tragedy killed over 3,500 people in a single night. An estimated 25,000 maimed and diseased have died over two decades. Balkrishna Namdeo of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pension Bhogi Sangharsh Samiti said the worst part is that the culprits behind the tragedy are still at large and the government has failed to put them behind bars. The people who were responsible for the whole tragedy have gone scot free and our government did not take any action to punish those responsible for taking so many innocent lives, Namdeo told IANS. Victims say the impact of the tragedy can be seen even today as hundreds of children born in the area even now suffer from disabilities. There are no jobs, victims are being given substandard medicines in hospitals and children continue to be born with disabilities of all kinds. We have been fighting and will continue for our rights, Rashida Bi, head of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh, told IANS. Help India! In the last part of the three-part series, Raqib Hameed Naik narrates five personal stories of half-widows who saw their husbands picked up by Indian Security Forces, never to return. This is the story of Safiya Azad. Rajbagh (Srinagar): The month of April is a signal of the change in weather in Kashmir, with cold, grey afternoons making way from crisp sunshine and clear skies. On April 20, 1993, Srinagar witnessed one such afternoon. In the Kursoo Rajbagh Area, the family of Himayoun Azad started their day early, like always, with male members leaving for their respective businesses. Support TwoCircles Himayoun, the youngest among eight siblings wanted to visit his sister, who was married and lived in Lasjan, another area of Srinagar. What happened during the day was to change the lives of the Azad family forever. Himayoun Azad, then 22 years old, was the son of Ghulam Rasool Dar, who was a retired forest ranger and died when his youngest child was just two. But for Himayoun, life had begun again, or so it seemed. A year and a half ago, he had got married to Safiya, 17, who was also a relative. The two had a child six months earlier, and was named Dawood. Himayoun Azad At around one in the afternoon, he decided to leave for Lasjan in his family car along with a friend. Before leaving, he asked his mother, Badkshan Begum, who was then in her 60s, to wait for his return for lunch as his wife Safiya along with his six month old infant had gone to join her relatives for a ring ceremony in the vicinity. Those words would haunt his mother for the rest of her life. As Azad and his friend reached a picket on the Mehjoor Nagar Bridgea five-minute drive from their residencethe soldiers of the 137th Battalion of the Border Security Force (BSF) stopped them and asked them for identities. On examining the identity card of Himayoun, the guards dragged him out of the car, claiming they had prior information about his travel. The BSF soldiers bundled him into their vehicle and took him straight to their camp which was then located near New Convent school, Rajbagh. A neighbor of Himayoun, who was witnessing these events from the other side of bridge, went straight to Azads wife and mother to inform them about what had happened. As the family members ran towards the bridge, they found his abandoned car. He had of course, already been taken to the BSF camp. While leaving for the ceremony, my husband had told me that he will come to join us in evening and these were his last words to me which have been echoing in my mind since last two decades, says Himayouns wife Safiya. The family members of Azad went to police station in Rajbagh to register a First Information Report (FIR) but they were directed to go to the Police station Sadar. The cops at the Rajbagh said they were powerless since the incident hadnt happened in their jurisdiction. Without losing time, the family went to the concerned police station and registered an FIR against the BSF. When they were heading back to their home, the alleys and roads surrounding their house were full of security forces. I had never seen that much soldiers in my entire life. They didnt allow us to go inside. After some time, a solider came outside on the direction of their Commanding Officer Sabarwal and asked me and my mother-in-law to come in, recalls Safiya. Safiya was locked inside the room where she saw that her other family members had already been confined. Azads mother was taken by the officer, and she saw Himayoun detained. He had been severely tortured and couldnt stand. After being taken to the camp, where he was tortured, he had been brought back by the forces to his house. Safiya Azad Safia recalls officer Sabarwals words to her mother-in-law, Agar bete ki Zindagi chaia toh ghar mai jo bhi hai dedo (If you want to see your son alive then give whatever you have in your house). The BSF personnels searched every corner of the house but found no ammunition. They took away one lakh rupees meant for the familys business investment. When the security forces were taking Himayoun back to the camp, he asked his mother, Ammi, Dawood (his six months infant son) ko niche lao (Mother, bring Dawood downstairs). By the time she could bring the infant downstairs to let Himayoun have a look at his son, he had been taken back to the BSF camp. This was to be the last time anyone from his family saw Himayoun. The house of Mehbooba Mufti Dal Lake is Sringars postcard picture. The Lake and its shikaras have long adorned many paintings, posters, calendars and personal memories for people from far and near. In the early 90s however, the Lake also a painful witness to the struggles of Kashmiris, and the serene waters of the lake saw blood, misery and torture; the last, right on its banks. Papa II was the inglorious name of an inglorious interrogation centre, the dreaded place where Himayoun was shifted to. For the Azads, there was to be no respite. We arranged meeting slips from Police Control room in Batamaloo, Srinagar, to meet my husband. When we went to Papa II, they rejected his presence outright in the torture centre, even though his name was present in a list of people in their custody and pasted on the notice board of torture centre, says Safia. As days turned into weeks, there was no word about him from anywhere. Then one day in May, 1993, the family got a ray of hope. Mind you, this was Kashmir in the early 90s; even hope has a dark side to it. The family came to know that a neighboring youth had also been locked in the torture centre Papa II. Safiya, along with her family members, went to meet the youths after obtaining meeting slips. The youth informed them that Himayoun was in the torture center for 12 days and later taken away by some BSF officer. Papa II continued until 1996, when the United Front government came to power and shut down most such centres. In the cruel, dark and twisted tale of Kashmir, the memory of Papa II however, survives. It is now the residence of Member Parliament and in all probability, the next Chief Minister of Jammu & KashmirMehbooba Mufti. It was the last time anybody had seen Himauyoun. The family went to almost every security force camps and police lockups across the state, but every time to return back home empty handed. Till 2000 we used to get clues from people. He is here; he is there. On visiting those places, we wouldnt find him, says Safiya. The family fought the case legally till 1996, where BSF had initially accepted detaining him up but later retracted from its statement claiming that he ran away from the custody while he was being taken to the Arina border sector in Jammu for a raid. If he had run away, he would have contacted us. But he didnt. So, it exposes their lies, says Safiya. While the search for Himayoun continued, the family was unable to pursue the case further as Himayouns mother fell seriously ill. Unable to cope with the loss of her son, she died due to cancer in 1999.For Safiya, the year marked the beginning of financial crunch as her mother in law had died who used to take care of her and her sons education. Safiya, who had studied up to the 10th standard, started looking out for low-paying jobs in factories, offices and schools where she worked to support the education and food for her only son, Dawood. So, to make ends meet, she started working in a local private kindergarten school where she looked after the admission work. She continued to live with her brother in-laws who live jointly, but everyone has been now been given a one-room kitchen as a part in property. In 2014 floods, she lost all her possessions to the floods, and had to start all over again. Presently, she is working in a book depot and earns Rs 3,000 per month which she considers insufficient for meeting day-to-day expenses. This is the only source of my income. But more importantly, it keeps my mind stays occupied with something. Otherwise, the whole day my husband memory haunts me. Some years after her husband disappeared, she was asked to remarry, but she refused and continued to live a life of half widow believing that her husband will return back home one day. You know how it feels when a vital body organ is missing? Whenever I think about my husband, I feel like that. It gives me thoughts of killing myself. I could have killed myself, but I am only living so that my son doesnt suffer, says Safiya. As tears started rolling down her eyes, she added, After marriage every girl has a dream and my dreams went away with my husband, Himayoun .I was even ready to accept that despite in innocence, he would be kept in a jail. At least, I could see his face once every month. We half widows, says Safiya, cant even share our emotional state with someone and instead learn to bury our pain and sorrows in our hearts and slowly die on the inside. Her son, Dawood Himayoun is now a 23-year-old graduate and has done a course in hotel management .He wanted to continue his study by enrolling for Chartered Accountancy, but lack of funds forced him to give up his plans midway. He is now looking for a job to support her mother financially, as she hasnt been keeping well for some time. If Abu (father) would have been with us, we could have lived a happy life. There is always a feeling that something is missing from our lives, says Dawood. Dawood has plans to move to some Gulf country to get a job in a hotel, as he feels Hotel management has no scope in Jammu and Kashmir. However, he has no money to pay the agent to get him a job in the Gulf, which is worrying and giving him sleepless nights. Safiya is now one of the hundreds who take off a day from work to join Parveena Ahangar and the members of Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) on the 10th of every month at Pratap Chowk, near Lal Chowk. Like others, she too carries a picture of Himayoun Azad, her husband, seeking answers from government. It has now been 23 years since Himayouns involuntary and enforced disappearance. But the mother-son duo, Safiya and Dawood, are still anticipating his return. My heart never believed that anything has happened to him. I am still hopeful that he will return someday, she added. Read Part-I here: Armed with a pictures that tell a thousand words: The protestors of Pratap Park Read Part-II here: The half widows of Kashmir: A story of endless wait and hardships Watch Short Film here: Half Widows of Kashmir Help India! By TCN News, Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh): Protesting against Akhil Bhartiya India Hindu Mahasabha for observing 67th Republic Day as black day, Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) has today demanded Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Kumar Yadav to take stringent action against its leaders. Support TwoCircles Over hundreds of activists of the Hindutva group Hindu Mahasabha waved black flags on the streets of Meerut on Tuesday. The group was led by Ashok Sharma, National Vice President of Hindu Mahasabha observing January 26, Republic Day, as black day. Demonstrating against such an act that it alleged as anti-national, SDPI activists here held a protest at Parade Park and submitted a memorandum to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister through District Magistrate demanding stringent punishment against those opposing the Republic Day. On this very day, we Indians were given a Constitution guaranteeing equality and it is unfortunate that some anti-national elements under the patronage of fascist groups are not only opposing to it but also observing this day as a black day, said Partys State General Secretary NafeesNoori. Sarwar Alam, media in charge of SDPI slammed Modi Government saying, Its the Cabinet Ministers of Modi who utter venomous statements against the Minorities and Dalits, and now we see that the goondas of Hindu Mahasabha are hell-bent to undermine our Constitution by their candid violent divisive acts. Hindu Mahasabha has been organising such a protest against the Constitution of India since last five decades and on 26 January when whole country celebrates Republic day, its activists take oath to make India a Hindu Rashtra. 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. Sharing news and opinion about public higher education since 2009 Former Full Tilt CEO Alive, Well, and Married, According to Report January 30 2016 Mo Nuwwarah Former Full Tilt Poker CEO Ray Bitar, one of the most pilloried people in poker after the events following Black Friday, had a serious heart condition and was "unlikely to live more than a couple years and nearly penniless," former Full Tilt Pro Allen Cunningham posted on TwoPlusTwo in October 2014. Whether that was the case or not is an open question after Charles Rettmuller of PokerUpdate reported that Bitar got married in October 2015 to one Jacquelyn Lucas. Rettmuller's report includes pictures that appear to be pulled from Lucas' publicly accessible Facebook page, in which Bitar appeals quite hale, and indeed healthier than he looked when serving as FTP's CEO. Bitar found himself in hot water with United States law after the Department of Justice shut down major online poker sites that were still catering to U.S. players in April 2011, in violation of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. He pleaded guilty to a handful of charges and forfeited a reported $40 million but was sentenced to only time served due to an apparent heart condition that made him a Class IV heart transplant candidate. It hasn't been reported whether Bitar indeed got the transplant. "The driving factor in this sentence is Mr. Bitar's precarious health condition," a judge said at the time of his sentencing. "The Federal Bureau of Prisons is not able to provide the care that Mr. Bitar needs. Prison almost undoubtedly would kill him. The possibility of prison would make Mr. Bitar ineligible for a heart transplant, which would also impose a death sentence." Online forums at TwoPlusTwo were predictably up in arms over the seeming leniency as many were still sore over the fiasco that ensued when Full Tilt players with funds on the site were unable to get their money for several years, until PokerStars purchased Full Tilt's assets. That's when Cunningham stepped in to assure posters that Bitar's condition wasn't a ruse to avoid prison time. "I feel like that's not getting away with it in a karmic way at least," Cunningham posted on TwoPlusTwo after repeating that Bitar was broke and in failing health. "I would trade places with any of his victims over him. Some people still haven't gotten paid and it's mostly Ray Bitar's fault, but he isn't benefitting from it." Photo courtesy of JeuxCasino.com . Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+! Sharelines Former Full Tilt CEO Ray Bitar alive, well, and married, according to a report. Art Unto Others All of my projects are posted for your instruction & enjoyment. You may recreate these projects to your heart's content and I'll be flattered. I'd love it if you give me credit. It would be cool if you didn't submit them for publication though or sell them and make a million dollars, because that's bad karma. Unless you split it with me. My photos and my words belong completely to me and can't be reused or republished, so you gotta make your own. That means you have an excuse to buy glitter. I participate in affiliate programs at Blick Art Materials, Arkon and others, which means I may receive a small fee when you purchase using my links at no additional cost to you. I appreciate your contribution towards the cost of running this blog. Thanks for respecting art & and for visiting me. It's an honor. Uprooted Palestinians are at the heart of the conflict in the M.E Palestinians uprooted by force of arms. Yet faced immense difficulties have survived, kept alive their history and culture, passed keys of family homes in occupied Palestine from one generation to the next. Year of the Monkey arriving in Washington Updated: 2016-01-31 05:18 By CHEN WEIHUA in Washington(chinadaily.com.cn) Not feeling the mood Chinese New Year celebration in Washington? The scenes at the Smithsonian American Art Museum on Saturday told a different story. Just as the door opened at 11:30am, crowds, mostly parents with young children, poured into the Kogod Courtyard of the Greek Revival architecture. Inside the enclosed courtyard with glass canopy, lion dancers from Johns Hopkins University were getting ready. After a brief lion awakening ceremony in front of the crowds participated by Chinese Ambassador to the US Cui Tiankai, Smithsonian Institution Under Secretary for History, Art and Culture Richard Kurin and American Art Museum Director Elizabeth Broun, the lion dance, a traditional program to celebrate the Chinese New Year, proceeded to the main stage, accompanied by the sound of drum and gong and traditional Chinese folk music. A suona (a double-reeded horn) solo of the Lantern Festival, a flute solo of Hanging Red Lanterns followed by erhu (Chinese two-string fiddle) solo of New Horse Racing, performed by artists from central Chinas Henan province, filled the 28,000-square-feet space of the courtyard with Chinese New Year festive mood. Many parents standing in the back of the huge crowds had to ride their children on their shoulders to see the performance. Matts Wycoff, holding on shoulders his two-year-old son Max dressed in bright silk Chinese costume, was among the crowds. "We enjoyed the dragon dance, we saw the panda, the moneky," said Wycoff, with his wife Michelle standing next to him. The family was travelling from Arizona. Many people often mistakenly refer lion dance as dragon dance. "I had experienced seven or eight Chinese New Years already and Max is still learning how to say gung hey fat choi (a Cantonese greeting wishing people a prosperous New Year)," said Wycoff, his wife half Vietnamese and half Chinese. Nearby, four-year-old Asa Darlington was playing with a chunk of yellow dough. "I am making a monkey. This is the Year of the Monkey," he said. At the table, 73-year-old Zhang Xihe, better known for his nickname Nihou Zhang (Monkey Figurine Zhang), was tutoring children how to make monkey figurines. There are more than a dozen tables like that in the courtyard filled with children learning and practicing everything from paper cutting, farmers painting, calligraphy, mask coloring, Chinese knot making and lantern making. Callun DeLele, 4, was almost done in making a red paper lantern. "I made it by myself," he said, with a sense of pride written on his face. In another corner, Christina Trifonova, a woman from Rockville, Maryland, was putting on a colorful Chinese costume with the help of a volunteer. Her two daughters, nine-year-old Ales and five-year-old Sinona, were already dressed up. They then posed for multiple photos. "Its really interesting for us to learn something from different country and culture," said Trifonova, who said they were in a hurry to catch the next lion dance. Richard Kurin, the under secretary of Smithsonian Institution, said his institution is dedicated to understanding people and culture, the tradition, the values, the aspiration of people around the world, history, art and the music. "So this is part of our regular program respecting the people and culture of the world," he said. "We want people to come together, to understand each other and celebrate each others culture," said Kurin. Two years ago, the Smithsonian Institution held a Chinese Folk Art Festival on the National Mall, drawing a million visitors. "We are very grateful for that," Kurin said, referring to the Chinese artists coming to the festival. In addition to the Saturday event at the American Art Museum, similar Chinese New Year celebrations to greet the Year of the Monkey, which falls on Feb 8 this year, will also be held in the surrounding areas, at Delaware State University in Dover on Sunday, Country Club Mall in Cumberland, Maryland on Feb 3, in Virginian Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia, on Feb 13 and at the Kennedy Center in Washington from Feb 5-8, including a concert by the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra. Year of the Monkey arriving in Washington Updated: 2016-01-31 05:18 By CHEN WEIHUA in Washington(chinadaily.com.cn) A girl paints a monkey on Saturday morning in the Kogod Courtyard of American Art Museum in Washington where the Chinese New Year Family event was held to greet the Year of the Monkey, which falls on Feb 8 this year. [Photo by Chen Weihua/China Daily USA] Not feeling the mood Chinese New Year celebration in Washington? The scenes at the Smithsonian American Art Museum on Saturday told a different story. Just as the door opened at 11:30am, crowds, mostly parents with young children, poured into the Kogod Courtyard of the Greek Revival architecture. Several European countries tighten rules on asylum seekers Updated: 2016-01-30 05:08 (Xinhua) A volunteer carries a migrant baby after the arrival of a rubber dinghy packed with refugees and migrants on a beach on the Greek island of Lesbos, January 29, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] BRUSSELS -- In recent days, several European countries rolled out tougher asylum regulations, as the European Union (EU) remains under tremendous pressure due to an influx of migrants. SWEDEN PLANS TO DEPORT ASYLUM SEEKERS Sweden is planning to deport up to 80,000 asylum seekers over the next few years, a government representative said on Thursday. Swedish authorities received some 163,000 asylum applications in 2015 but the country is now planning to step up deportation efforts, Interior Minister Anders Ygeman told public broadcaster Swedish Television. A spike in deportations should not be expected until a year from now, the minister said. Swedish authorities were planning to charter jets for the specific purpose of sending migrants back to their home countries, the minister said. The government is mulling over introducing government benefits for returnees, Ygeman added, meanwhile stressing the importance of stopping failed asylum seekers from staying in Sweden. Asylum admissions peaked in Sweden in November when the country admitted up to 10,000 migrants per week, according to figures from its migration agency. The Swedish government has since early 2016 been imposing fines on train, ferry and bus operators whose passengers enter the country from Denmark without valid photo identification. Netherlands to join US-led air strikes against ISIS in Syria Updated: 2016-01-30 06:06 (Xinhua) THE HAGUE -- The Netherlands on Friday decided to join US-led airstrikes against targets of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant(ISIS) in Syria. Since October 2014, the Netherlands has been sending F16 fighter jets to bomb ISIS targets in Iraq. But the coalition government has different views whether to extend its mission into Syria. The extension of the mission was expected after the junior coalition partner, the PvdA (Labor Party), on Tuesday decided to not to halt such an operation. "Only if we take away safe havens of ISIS in Iraq and Syria can we prevent attacks," Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said here in a press conference. In addition, the Dutch cabinet has agreed on a series of measures to solve the conflicts in Iraq and Syria through political and humanitarian means. "We are convinced that only a consistent approach will help to bring back stability in Iraq and Syria," said Foreign Minister Bert Koenders. 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. Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma today said India needs to learn from countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand to increase its share in world tourism market which currently stands at less than one per cent. "India has lot to learn and lot to give to the tourism industry. Using all our strengths and initiatives, almost 6.8 per cent of GDP share comes from tourism. But we have to learn from countries like Maldives, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand specially. We are still lagging behind," he said after inaugurating the South Asian travel show SATTE 2016 here. He said the government is "exploring the possibility" of making India a hub of medical tourism and called for the support of various stakeholders to showcase the strength of the country to the outside world. In medical tourism sector, he expressed the need for India to learn from countries like Thailand and Malaysia which have proved their mettle in attracting foreign tourists for health-related purposes. Sharma said tourism has "manifold benefits and manifold effects" and provides a platform to foster international peace as it connects people based on the strengths of communications. "There are sometimes international barriers or resentment between two communities or two countries, probably because of lack of communication. I think we can take the strength of tourism to enhance communication before taking any decision," he said. In India, he said the "tourism was not been given that push as it should have been" but under the leadership of the Narendra Modi government, this sector is alloted special focus as it is seen as the "engine of economic drive". Highlighting the huge potential of tourism sector in India, he said the country has strengths to attract tourists because of its spirituality, acceptance of its yoga worldwide, 7,500 km of coastal belt, snow, natural beauty and wildlife. He said the government is "trying to address" issues of security, cleanliness and hospitality to attract foreign travellers. What do we do to keep the lights on?, asks Andrews Daniel Andrews at a press conference on Thursday asked "what do we do to keep the lights on?" once coal fired power stations close before insisting his government had a plan to address the question. Were on our own: Flood levee divides Victorian town Residents on the wrong side of Echuca's "great wall" have voiced their frustrations about being left "on our own" as the Victorian town braces for rising flood levels. Palaszczuk responds to review into Australias COVID-19 response Speaking at the Housing Summit in Brisbane on Thursday, Ms Palaszczuk was asked to weigh in on the independent review into Australias COVID-19 response. Went too far: Dutton takes aim at Andrews in response to damning COVID-19 report The Opposition Leader has defended the former government's actions in Australia's coronavirus pandemic response while taking aim at Victoria for its lockdowns, which led to Melbourne being the longest locked down city in the world. Here I will share my feelings about America and her Future. Let it be known to all the World, I love all Humankind, however the poor actions of the few that take away the Freedom's of the many wear on my soul. I don't hate them I feel sad for their foolishness before God and humankind. Those leaders who seek to 'Keep their Oaths of office' and those who seek only self glory, power, tyranny and the destruction of America as it was founded, hoping to turn it into a Dictatorship, Marxist or other state of Tyranny. For a long while I was unsure of putting a blog together with my thoughts on this, however Truth must be shared, if not to Awake American's to their dangerous situation then to record the folly of the ways of the wicked who do exist in the leadership of our Nation, States, Counties, Towns. Sad that I must add this page. "We often search for things in life, yet seldom do we find. Those things in life that really matter, until we make the time." S.T.Huls God Bless the Republic of America! WATERLOO Police arrested a couple they say stole from a big-box store eight times, then police found their two babies home alone with an unsecured handgun. Christopher McCune, 21, of 321 Clay St. No. 1, of Cedar Falls, and Quiana Beatrice Hawkins, 22, of 116 Locust St., Waterloo, were arrested Friday and both charged with second-degree theft, fourth-degree theft, criminal trespass and two counts of non-serious child endangerment. Both were arrested at the Waterloo Wal-Mart Supercenter at 1334 Flammang Drive. According to Waterloo Police, McCune and Hawkins were caught trying to return items they had taken off Wal-Mart shelves, using receipts from the exact items they had purchased earlier from the same store. Wal-Mart officials told police the pair had done this at least eight times, according to police. McCune and Hawkins were caught Friday buying items from Wal-Mart, taking them to a vehicle, then returning to the store with their receipt, taking the same items off the shelf and attempting to pass them off as purchases they were returning, Waterloo Police said. After the pair was arrested, Hawkins said her children, ages 2 and less than a year old, were with a babysitter. When police went to check on them, the babysitter did not have them. Police say they then went to Hawkins house and found the children alone. Police say they also found a .380 handgun that was unsecured and in a place where the children could reach it. The children were put in the care of the Iowa Department of Human Services, according to police. McCune and Hawkins were booked into the Black Hawk County Jail. WATERLOO A newly built restaurant was closed while smoke and fire damage is cleaned up after a fire began in the kitchen early Saturday. Waterloo Police were called to an automatic burglar alarm at Tokyo Bay Restaurant, 2010 Sears St., noticed the fire and called Waterloo Fire and Rescue, according to Waterloo Fire Battalion Chief Mike Moore. For some reason, it set off the burglar alarm (first), he said. Sometimes smoke and fire will do that. The fire, which began after food placed in a plastic container on a countertop ignited just after 3 a.m., was captured on Tokyo Bays security cameras. That made it easy to determine how the fire started, Moore said. The staff cooked crunchies, food-based leftovers that were then placed in a plastic container on a countertop with no hood overhead, Moore said. The fire began at 3:11 a.m., and fire crews were finally called at 3:24 a.m. Moore said there was a lot of smoke damage to the entire building, and said insurance crews were on site Saturday morning assessing the damage. Though the building was turned back over to Tokyo Bay owners, the restaurant has to clean up, reinstall sprinklers and be cleared by Waterloo Fire and the Black Hawk County Health Department to re-open. If they got (clean-up crews) in there today started, it could be a week, Moore said. A lot of the smoke damage is so bad. Because the fire was caught on camera, Moore said it was immediately ruled not suspicious. Through PDCM Insurance, Tokyo Bay management released the following statement about the fire: To our loyal customers, Thanks for your patience with us as we clean up from our kitchen fire. The Waterloo fire department responded incredibly to mitigate any damage. From the bottom of our heart, thank you to the Waterloo police and fire departments. We are incredibly grateful for their assistance! Due to our sprinkler system and the quick response of the Waterloo fire department, most of the damage is from smoke damage. We have engaged our insurance agents from PDCM and will be working around the clock with our employees to get back open as soon as possible. In the interim, if you have any questions regarding reservations or previously planned engagements, please feel free to contact us at 319-433-0999. Again, we are very sorry to be closed to not serve our loyal and wonderful customers as we clean. We look forward to seeing you all back soon! Thank you, Tokyo Management WATERLOO -- The Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum, 503 South St., will be hosting Movies at the Museum through April. All movie showings are free with regular admission: $10 for adults, $5 for veterans and children ages 4 to 13, and free for GMD museum members and children ages 3 and younger. Popcorn also will be available at all movie showings for $1. WASHINGTON The Senate rejected the scientific consensus that humans are causing climate change, days after NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared 2014 the hottest year ever recorded on Earth. The Republican-controlled Senate defeated a measure Wednesday stating that climate change is real and that human activity significantly contributes to it. The Senate voted 50-49 on the measure, which required 60 votes in order to pass. Only in the halls of Congress is this a controversial piece of legislation, Schatz said. The chairman of the environment committee, Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., is an enthusiastic denier of climate change, saying it is the biggest hoax perpetrated against mankind. The hoax is there are some people so arrogant to think they are so powerful they can change the climate, Inhofe said Wednesday on the Senate floor. Man cant change the climate. Science can be SO inconvenient sometimes, right? All those facts and empirical data can really mess up a narrative. It can be exceedingly difficult to advance your agenda when the available facts just dont break in your favor. When it comes to climate change and your commitment to denying it, you have only 3% of climate scientists on your side. So whats a committed ideologue to do in order to perpetuate the dominant narrative? No worries, mate. All you need to do is ask the U.S. Senate (that noted chamber of [not exactly] climate experts) to pass a resolution declaring that climate change isnt caused by human activity. To support that definitive statement, it can also be helpful to have prominent Republicans discounting man-made climate change by relying on the Im not a scientist talking point. As with any pressing problem, its so much easier when you can ignore it and be convinced it will go away. If you admit a problem exists, you implicitly take on responsibility fro solving it. By sticking to the Im not a scientist talking point, you alleviate the need to formulate a plan and take action. So what if Rome burns while youre fiddling? Im not a scientist means you wont have to accept being held accountable for refusing to take actioncuz thats for scientists, right?? 2014 and 2015 may have been the two hottest years on record, but Im not a scientist. Come with me on a journey of discovery through Southeast Asias old war zones. This ground breaking travel blog has photos of post-war life, and stories introducing you to fascinating people living there today. Meet American war vets, former Viet Cong, Khmer Rouge and civilian survivors. All have incredible stories. Follow me to these mysterious lands on the far side of the world, and gain unique insight into a region long misunderstood. Comments welcome. If youre looking to try out an online casino, there are several things that will help you make a decision. Heres what you should look for when choosing an online casino Are they regulated? A lot of the larger ones have licenses issued by the authorities in their respective regions, so its worth checking this first. Do they offer games from different software providers? Some casinos just use one software provider and limit your selection. This is fine if you like playing those types of games but you may want to check other casinos as well. What does their payout percentage look like? The payout rate refers to how much money you can expect to win after every bet. A high payout rate means youll be able to play more often without having to worry about losing all your money. Its also important to know the minimum and maximum bets allowed on each game. If youre going to play roulette, for example, then you probably dont want a casino with a minimum bet of less than $2.50 or even lower than that. The players used to play the game slot online in the land based casinos in the past time. But now with time after the invention of the online casinos players play the game slot online. Online platform provide the players with the convenience in playing and even better winning. Even after keeping a good percentage of the profits, they distribute good funds to players. How many games do they offer? There are lots of different types of games to choose from. Roulette, blackjack and poker are some of the most popular options, but you might find slots, video pokers, video bingo and others as well. You can usually filter these games down to only show the ones that interest you best, so make sure that your list isnt too long! Is there a bonus offer? Many online casinos offer free bonuses as part of their welcome package which includes new players being awarded 100% up to $10 instantly, for example. These offers are great but not everyone has access to them all the time (and some require you to deposit real money). If youd prefer to avoid paying a fee, some casinos offer no-deposit bonuses where you can get a certain amount of funds before you need to put any actual money into the account. These are usually offered alongside welcome bonuses, so make sure you read both parts of the terms and conditions carefully before signing up. Does it offer live dealer games? Live dealers are much preferred by many over regular virtual versions, so it pays to check this option out too. Most online casinos now offer live dealer games in addition to their regular offerings, allowing you to experience the thrill of the real thing without needing to leave home. Now that youve got an idea of what to look for when choosing an online casino, heres some tips for making the right choice It really comes down to personal preference. No two people are exactly alike, so everyone has an opinion on what they like and dislike about each casino. That said, here are some things to consider in order to narrow down your choices Popularity. Check out reviews, forums and Facebook pages to see what other people think of the casino. Also, ask around at work or friends houses who they would recommend to you. You could always take a look at the casinos website too, to see what kind of information they provide about themselves. Reputation. Find out what the general public thinks about the casino. Check out any customer reviews on sites like Trustpilot, Amazon and Google Play to find out more. As far as gaming goes, you can also check out the Better Business Bureau to see whether there have been any complaints against the casino. Security. Make sure the casino uses SSL encryption to secure its transactions, meaning that your private data stays safe during transactions. Other than that, look for security seals on the site itself and verify that theyre legitimate. You can also check out the casinos privacy policy to see how they handle confidential information. Payment methods. Its good to have multiple payment options available, especially if you plan to play frequently. Its also nice to find a casino that accepts cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. If youre worried about safety, you can always opt for a credit card or PayPal instead. With all those criteria in mind, heres our top picks Betway: Betway is a relatively new UK casino offering online gambling to residents of the United Kingdom and European Union. They offer hundreds of games across both land based and digital platforms, with plenty of top software providers like Net Entertainment, Microgaming and Yggdrasil Gaming Network. With a generous welcome offer that gives players 100% up to 100, you really cant go wrong with Betway. Coral Casino: Coral Casino is operated by the same company that runs the famous Caribbean casino, Grand Reef. Like many casinos, Coral Casino offers a wide variety of games, including plenty of video slots and table games. New players can benefit from a huge 100% match bonus up to 1000, while existing customers enjoy 25% cash back on deposits made within 48 hours of opening an account. Ladbrokes Casino: Ladbrokes Casino is owned by the same company as the famous bookmaker that started life in 1921. With more than 500 games from leading software providers such as Amaya, NetEnt and Microgaming, you wont be disappointed by the quality of the games here. New players get a 200% match bonus up to 500, while existing customers can claim 35% cashback on their first three deposits. Paddy Power Casino: Paddy Power is another Irish-owned casino that operates throughout Europe. Not only does Paddy Power Casino offer traditional casino games like blackjack, roulette and slots, but it also provides a full range of sports betting, including football, tennis, boxing and horse racing. New players can receive a massive 100% match bonus up to 200, while existing customers can claim 35% cashback on their first three deposits. William Hill Casino: William Hill Casino is one of the biggest names in the industry, operating in Europe, Asia and North America. Founded in 1984, this online casino has more than 400 games to choose from, including slots and table games, with a wide array of software providers like WagerLogic, Big Time Gaming and Rival. Bonus: 100% Match Bonus up to 100 Register Now Betway: 100% Match Bonus up to 100 Claim Now Coral Casino: 25% Cash Back on Deposits Claim Now Ladbrokes Casino: 35% Cash Back on First 3 Deposits Claim Now Paddy Power Casino: 100% Match Bonus up to 200 Claim Now William Hill Casino: 100% Match Bonus up to 200 Claim Now If youre interested in trying out an online casino but arent quite ready to commit to one, why not try out one of the many no deposit casinos weve reviewed? You can test drive various casinos completely risk-free, so you can feel confident about your choice before you make a single penny deposit. 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 29, 2016 | By Benedict Denmark-based 3D printing specialist PLM Group has lent its expertise to plastics manufacturer Vilecon, also from Denmark, in order to optimize production of plastic components. Vilecons newly installed 3D printing facility has enabled the company to revive a long-abandoned project. Although several contemporary manufacturers have been using 3D printers from the get-go, other more established firms are making more gradual transitions into the world of additive manufacturing. Vilecon, a plastics manufacturer based in Hillerd, Denmark, is one such company. Vilecon witnessed the 3D printing revolution happening worldwide, considered investing in additive technology, but wanted to first ensure that a 3D printer could really help business. Consequently, the company contacted the additive manufacturing experts at PLM Group to see just how 3D printing could be used to support Vilecons day-to-day operations. After taking a good look at Vilecon, representatives from PLM Group agreed that the plastics manufacturer could use 3D printing to produce high quality, inexpensive molds for its injection molded parts. Injection molded parts offer some advantages over directly 3D printed alternatives, namely smooth and precise surface textures and a wider range of available colors. Unfortunately, producing the molding tools required for the process can be costlywhen traditional production methods are employed. This means that many good ideas end up in the drawer and development projects are often are discarded at an early stage, explained Andreas Vind, Support Specialist for Additive Manufacturing at PLM Group. Furthermore, companies normally do not want to invest in an expensive metal tool for projects where only a few parts are needed. Luckily for Vilecon, injection molding tools can also be made with a 3D printer, using a specialized technical plastic able to withstand temperatures of up to 350 degrees Celsius. Using 3D printed tools enables manufacturers to make parts in smaller batches, without large financial investment. Specifically, ordering a traditionally made aluminum tool can cost 11-12k and can sometimes take months to produce. In comparison, a 3D printed tool can be produced in a day, for less than 500, representing a price reduction of more than 95%. Vilecon experienced these savings first-hand, after using a 3D printer to produce a tool for an abandoned project. The plastics manufacturer had previously worked on an unusual project concerning the maintenance of Swedish churches, designing a series of small electronics boxes which would contain temperature and humidity sensors, as well as a small SIM card module. These boxes were to be installed in the churches so that their owners could monitor and therefore optimize energy consumption, but the project was shelved for several years due to the high cost of the required molding tool. The support of PLM Group enabled Vilecon to revive the project, with the company testing a number of designs before selecting the most suitable choice. The parts have now been produced using a 3D printed tool, and churches across Sweden could soon be dramatically reducing their gas and electricity bills. Throughout the process we have documented all the lessons learned, said Vind. This goes about getting the part design ready for print, about the structure of the tool to get the success rate as high as possible, and last but not least: How to adjust the injection molding machine correctly to take into account that the mold is made from the special plastic material. It is a very exciting technology, enthused Karsten Videbk, Development Manager at Vilecon. During the process with PLM Group we learned a lot which convinced me that there are great future perspectives in the use of 3D printed tools in the plastics industry. Posted in 3D Printing Application Maybe you also like: Jan 29, 2016 | By Alec Over the past few years, the use of 3D printing by professionals has exploded. Diverse companies and industries throughout the West and East Asia have been experimenting with it in one way or another, while 3D printers are even becoming full-fledged manufacturing tools. This seems to be something of a global trend, though Denmark is an exception. A new report by the Danish Technological Institute has revealed that just four percent of the countrys innovative companies use 3D printing effectively, and they warn that this lack of interest can seriously threaten the countrys competitive position. It has been quite noticeable that industrial 3D printing applications have been skyrocketing in popularity, in part boosted by technological and material innovations and dropping prices. Denmark is therefore quite an unusual anomaly. The report, called '3D printing in Danish companies', shows that the Danish manufacturing sector is lagging behind dramatically. As many as 80 percent of the interviewed businesses who focus on innovation have so far done nothing with 3D printing, while only four percent are regularly and effectively using it, the specialists from the Danish Technological Institute reveal. The report was prepared as part of the project Production in Denmark, funded by the Danish State Agency for Science and Innovation. This has caused quite some consternation, especially as the Danish experts feel that 3D printing has become mature enough to be of practical use for prototyping and small-scale production. They refer to a study done by PLM Group with the Danish plastics company Vilecon, which has shown that tooling costs could be reduced by as much as 95 percent. They also point to the technologys prototyping advantages, as it is so easy to implement small alterations. It also, they say, enables companies to avoid working with expensive subcontractors for production. As 81 percent of the surveyed companies are producing small quantities of products regularly or commission pre-production examples 3D printing really offers a lot to the Danish industry, the experts say. Faster and easier development of prototypes is also a prerequisite for continuing to remain competitive, but also to maintain a high level of product innovation and have the potential for quicker launches of new products, Claus Erichsen argued during the press release for the report. Overall, the Danish manufacturing sector is damaging their own competitive position by not adopting 3D printing technology, they conclude. Those Danish companies already using 3D printing can largely be found in the electronics, plastic, glass and concrete industries, and also include developers of electronic appliances. For the report, the Technological Institute interviewed the managers of small to medium-sized Danish manufacturing companies with 5 to 250 employees and discussed their (potential) use of 3D printing in product development and production. Posted in 3D Printing Technology Maybe you also like: Jan 30, 2016 | By Tess Thursday Finest, a Brooklyn based 3D knitted tie company, collaborated with New York based designer Joe Doucet to introduce a new capsule collection of bespoke ties that can be easily made to custom fit your size. The collection, which features a bold line of color cutting horizontally across the tie, was inspired by the tie bar accessory, a clip that traditionally falls between the second and third button of a mens shirt. Because the ties are custom made to fit the height of their wearer, the tie bar stripe is sure to always fall in the desired place. Joe Doucet Thursday Finest offers a unique retail experience, wherein you can customize the length of your tie by inputting your measurements, choose the colors of your tiethe company offers a choice of 31 specially picked huesand even pick the the type of knot you want. Once the desired color combination and style have been selected and ordered for the reasonable price of $83, a 3D knit file of the tie is generated and is sent to the companys in-house Japanese knitting machine, which additively manufactures the bespoke tie out of a merino wool. The reason I wanted to work with Thursday Finest is I think they found an interesting way to use technology to take the bespoke, which is something normally reserved for the only wealthy and make it accessible to a far broader audience. I found this really compelling and I knew we had to do something together, says designer Joe Doucet. What is especially remarkable about the company is that, thanks to the 3D knitting technology, once the tie is ordered it can be manufactured, packaged and shipped out in record time, even within the hour, making it much quicker than traditional custom tailoring processes. Sustainability has also been a major focus of the Brooklyn based company, as theyve rejected more standard manufacturing practices, such as mass production, and have opted for a made-to-order philosophy. As stated on the companys website, The clothing manufacturing process is backwards. Brands and retailers guess what you want, make it by the thousands and then spend an astronomical amount of money convincing you to buy itSo were re-engineered the process, making products custom and on-demand at a blazingly fast speed in order to put you at the center. The company has also made some progressive ethical choices, as 10% of the proceeds from the Joe Doucet capsule collection will be donated to Career Gear, a non-profit organization that helps to provide men in need with professional clothing, mentoring, and life skills. So if youve been looking for a new fashionable tie to sport at business meetings, a job interview, or even a hot date, why not pick one that is ethically and sustainably made from state of the art 3D knitting technologies and designed by one of New Yorks most innovative designers? Posted in 3D Printing Application Maybe you also like: Bre Pettis wrote at 2/1/2016 5:12:28 PM:Can we just stop adding 3D to every normally manufactured items. It's a tie knitted on an automated knitting machine. Just stop now.additivemistake wrote at 2/1/2016 10:43:35 AM:This is not a 3D Printing machine, nor is it by any definition additively manufactured. Digital knitting machines are fabrication machines and are used throughout the fashion and apparel industry. A Tie, or any piece of clothing is, by definition a 2D net that is stitched together to form a 3 Dimensional shape, or garment. The closest thing to a 3D Printing clothing machine is Electroloom. However this is also arguably a departure from what is defined as additive layer manufacturing. Please be more critical when recieving requests for article pieces from start-ups trying to capitalise on the bandwagon of 3D PrintingScott wrote at 1/31/2016 2:12:44 PM:3D knitting? really? Can you say stretching. Or jumping on the 3D trend as a marketing ploy? Jan 30, 2016 | By Andre The phrase the third industrial revolution as a means to describe the impact 3D printing will have on the world has been tossed around for quite a while now. The story goes that the mechanization of the textile industry got things rolling with the first industrial revolution prior to the ushering in of the second industrial revolution via Henry Ford's assembly line. 3D Printing, a technology that focuses on a collaborative and digitally inspired small-scale approach to manufacturing is arguably driving the third industrial revolution in these early, frontier days. At this years World Economic Forum, held annually in Davos, Switzerland, there has been talk of taking things one step further even still. In her featured essay, renowned architect and designer Neri Oxman introduces the a philosophy that would shift the scope on what we should strive for. In opposition to the World-as-Machine paradigm weve been used to since industrialization and mass-production first took hold, she hopes to instil the idea of a living quality into objects, buildings, and cities. By using modern technology like 3D printing in our digital age, Oxman believes a fourth industrial revolution, what she calls the biological age, is fast approaching. Examples of what she means include the notion that microorganisms can now mimic mimic factories by converting biomass to useful bio-products useful for clothing, construction materials and transportation; how E.coli can be converted into sugar, grass into diesel and corn into plastic. Throughout her essay, Oxman approaches the biological age holistically by suggesting a need for material ecology. This means a world that prioritizes computational design, digital fabrication, synthetic biology, the environment, and material itself as being one with the manufacturing process. She writes of photosynthetic building facades that convert carbon into biofuel; wearable micro-biomes that nourish our skin through selective filtration; 3D printed matter that repairs damaged tissue." And further that in "the Biological Age, designers and builders are empowered to dream up new, dynamic design possibilities, where products and structures will be able to grow, heal, and adapt. Her ambition to push forward a world-philosophy that is based around mimicking and coexisting with nature with the help of modern technology has definitely been felt in the 3D printing universe so its no surprise Oxman mentioned the technology as a cornerstone in her philosophy. The idea of creating physical things using synthetic biology, computational design and 3D printing instead of mining for them isnt lost on her. In another recent article, Oxman writes that new research at the intersection of 3D printing and synthetic biology will start to yield some striking creations: photosynthetic building facades that convert carbon into biofuel, wearable microbiomes and 3D-printed contraptions for repairing damaged tissue. This novel approach to using modern technology as a means to reimagine our future away from the mechanical, gear driven world and into a more organic one is nothing new to Oxman. She has been involved in 3D printed buildings, organic inspired art and furniture for quite some time. Additionally, she isnt alone in her quest change our perception on the world we live in. Stories of 3D bio-printing a nature inspired 4D Printing have been making news for years now. While it is still to be determined if well one day live in a world that mirrors more closely Mother Natures offerings without sacrificing our own accomplishments, the technology innovations in 3D printing and similar game-changing technologies might make it possible. The fact that Oxman was able to present her ideas at the World Economic Forum has at the very least granted her a stage in which the whole world can listen. Posted in 3D Printing Application Maybe you also like: Eduardo wrote at 1/31/2016 5:48:33 PM:Narcissus Kenneth Roth's World Report for 2016 at Human Rights Watch: Fear stood behind many of the big human rights developments of the past year. Fear of being killed or tortured in Syria and other zones of conflict and repression drove millions from their homes. Fear of what an influx of asylum seekers could mean for their societies led many governments in Europe and elsewhere to close the gates. Fear of mounting terrorist attacks moved some political leaders to curtail rights and scapegoat refugees or Muslims. And fear of their people holding them to account led various autocrats to pursue an unprecedented global crackdown on the ability of those people to band together and make their voices heard. In Europe and the United States, a polarizing us-versus-them rhetoric has moved from the political fringe to the mainstream. Blatant Islamophobia and shameless demonizing of refugees have become the currency of an increasingly assertive politics of intolerance. These trends threatened human rights in two ways, one well known, the other less visible. The high-profile threat is a rollback of rights by many governments in the face of the refugee flow and the parallel decision by the self-declared Islamic State, or ISIS, to spread its attacks beyond the Middle East. The less visible threat is the effort by a growing number of authoritarian governments to restrict civil society, particularly the civic groups that monitor and speak out about those governments conduct. More here. Erik Loomis in Aeon: As the United States enters into another presidential season, the media is once again covering the election as a horse race. CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News constantly discuss the latest polling debate, generate controversies in order to boost ratings, and wonder how particular candidates will lead when events such as the Paris bombings happen again. This personality-driven coverage credits presidents when things go right for the nation and blames them when they dont. In other words, it ignores the structural limitations of US politics. Yes, the president is the most important single individual in US political life, but the holder of that office cannot overturn a Supreme Court decision, break a Senate filibuster, or force the House to pass a budget. Power in the US is unusually decentralised for a strong nation. The fact that there are so many levers to that power should undermine narratives of presidential leadership. Alas, such complexity would not help television ratings. We can see how damaging this focus on presidential leadership is on the activism of the citizenry if we look at the aftermath of the 2008 election of Barack Obama. This was a remarkable election not only because Obama became the first African American elected to the nations highest office. Obama won in 2008 partly because so many people believed his hope and change narrative. They thought that, if they elected Obama, progressive change would transform the US. What they found out was that a) presidents dont lead social movements, and b) conservatives could undermine the presidents agenda by protests and expressions of anger in a variety of media. By the 2010 midterm elections, the shine was off the Obama administration. There was a lot of bitterness on the left that Obama had not created a single-payer healthcare system, that he had not closed Guantanamo Bay, that he had not prosecuted the banks for causing the financial crisis, and that we still had troops in the Middle East. But the fact is, Obama could not have changed any of these things. Too many other people had the power of veto. More here. As his Museum of Innocence comes to Britain, the Nobel prizewinner takes his fellow author Elif Shafak on a tour of his cabinet of curiosities. They talk about what Istanbul means to them and the collective amnesia of a country where writers can be jailed for a tweet. Elif Shafak in The Guardian: Istanbul is the name of a city and the name of an illusion. In reality, there is no such thing as Istanbul. There are only Istanbuls competing, clashing and somehow coexisting within the same congested space. That is one of the themes I want to talk about with Orhan Pamuk, the winner of the Nobel prize for literature. The loss of plurality and nuance. The increasing dominance of an ideology of sameness throughout our motherland. Turkey is a country of easy forgettings. Everything is written in water, except the works of the great architects, such as Sinan, which are written in stone; and the lines of the great poets, such as Nazim Hikmet, which are learnt by heart. Istanbul is a city of collective amnesia. As you walk the streets of London, you come across countless plaques commemorating the people composers, novelists, politicians who lived in those buildings. Memory is kept alive, through statues, signs and books, too. Not so in Istanbul. And where there is such lamentably poor memory, it is easier for the states selective memory to survive unquestioned. A subjective way of reading the past, introduced from above, means the majority view triumphs over individuality and diversity. Hence all the jingoistic rhetoric in Turkey about our noble Ottoman ancestors. These imperial dreams have encouraged a disastrous neo-Ottoman foreign policy in the Middle East, a dangerous fusion of nationalism and Islamism. We meet at Somerset House in London, where Pamuks Museum of Innocence is making an appearance. More here. The International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) is where the most influential people in the mining industry come together, delivering ideas, inspiration and serving as a meeting ground for industry. Visit... Quarterly Activities Report Perth, Jan 29, 2016 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Raya Group Ltd ( ASX:RYG ) announce the Quarterly Activities Report for the period ending December 2015. Highlights - Due Diligence of Xped Holdings Limited completed - $2m equity placement to strategic and institutional investors - KTM Capital appointed as lead manager for Prospectus Offer up to $8m - EAS Advisors appointed to assist future opportunities in North America - Sale of Pryme Energy shares paves way for new direction - Xped granted patents in Singapore and China - Technical Expert Review on Xped - Xped and UniSA make energy research study possible Completion of Due Diligence on Xped Holdings Limited As announced on 26th October Raya entered into a binding Heads of Agreement (HOA) with the key shareholders of Xped Holdings Ltd (Xped) to acquire all of the issued capital in Xped. On the 4th November Raya received the rights to acquire 100% of Xped following the agreement from all minority shareholders in Xped who accepted the terms. An announcement was made on 1st December indicating that Raya and the Xped Vendors have formally and satisfactorily completed their Due Diligence, and Raya would proceed in acquiring 100% of the shares in Xped. The Company is of the view that the acquisition of Xped will create a significant opportunity for both Raya Group and Xped stakeholders, enabling Xped to become a major force in the lucrative "INTERNET OF THINGS" (IoT) market. Raya spent considerable time and effort on ensuring the Xped transaction continued to progress as quickly as possible with the intention for completion of the acquisition by March 2016. $2m equity placement to strategic and institutional investors Raya advised to the market on 10th November it had completed a placement of $600,000 to a strategic investor under Section 708A at a price of 2c per share. The strategic investor was to originally receive additional 10,000,000 shares pending shareholder approval but this was subsequently cancelled following a revised capital structure as per Prospectus lodged on 18th January 2016. On the 20th November the Company announced it had completed a further private placement to a select group of institutional funds and sophisticated investors raising a total of $1,400,000 to progress the proposed acquisition of Xped. The funds were raised at a price of 3.5c per share. The 70,000,0001 shares issued in the two equity placements were put in a holding lock subject to ASX's escrow treatment until after completion of the Xped transaction and re-compliance with Chapters 1 and 2 of the ASX Listing Rules, expected to be in March. The $2m in funds raised will be utilised for working capital and ongoing costs to progress the Xped acquisition. Xped granted patents in Singapore and China The company announced on 23rd November that Xped had received a granted patent for its flagship Auto-Discovery Remote Control (ADRC) platform. The award of the "ADRC Multicontroller Patent", an extended version of the original ADRC patent already awarded in many other jurisdictions, paves the way for mass adoption of ADRC in the region with Singapore well positioned as the technology hub of Asia. Singapore is the first country this patent has been granted and there are many others including the USA and EU where it is still pending examination. On 1st December, the Company announced that Xped has been awarded a key patent in China for its technology that can create and transfer eCoupons using its unique "tap-to-connect" Internet-of-Things (IoT) solution. The patent award allows Xped to extend the application of its one-tap process to advanced eCommerce, whereby consumers can receive eCoupons when they use their mobile phones for purchases (such as using Apple Pay) at retailers. The downloaded information may relate to future specials, points of interest, and discounts that have some relevance to the consumer; with the information remaining dormant in the device until a future point in time. Xped continued to grow its portfolio of patents during the quarter and continues to seek further expansion of its patent portfolio during 2016. KTM Capital appointed as lead manager for Prospectus raising Raya announced on 8th December it had appointed leading Sydney based investment bank KTM Capital Pty Ltd (KTM) as lead manager for the proposed Prospectus Offering (Offering). KTM assisted Raya with the roadshow presentations during month of December with leading institutions and funds located in Asia, North America and Australia. Initially KTM was preparing to raise up to $6.8m but with overwhelming feedback from the institutions and funds visited this figure was revised to $8m under the terms of the Prospectus lodged on 18th January 2016. A supplementary prospectus was subsequently lodged with ASIC on the 28th of January which is to be read in conjunction with the Prospectus for any investor considering applying for share allocation. EAS Advisors appointed for North America On the 18th January 2016, the Company announced the appointment of EAS Advisors, LLC ("EAS") as North American corporate advisors to the Company. EAS is a New York based investment advisory firm founded in 2008, with a strong and successful track record in exposing ASX listed companies to US investors and industry partners In addition to exposure to US investors, EAS provides public and private companies with access to local industry contacts to enhance their growth and expansion. Technical Expert Review on Xped As part of the transaction with Xped, the Company sought an independent technology expert to review and produce a report on their findings regarding Xped and its technologies. The report was completed by Flocom Consulting and announced to the market on 23 December 2015. The technical expert review was later referenced by the Independent Expert engaged to assess the Xped transaction as being "fair and reasonable". The company was pleased that the Independent Expert deemed the transaction as "fair and reasonable" and full details regarding the expert's report and conclusion was released as part of the Notice of Meeting lodged on the 28 January. Xped and UniSA make energy research study possible The company announced on 22 December 2015, that Xped and UniSA are working together to build an energy monitoring system that will encompass the "revolutionary" and "patented" ADRC (Auto Discovery Remote Control). The equipment based on Xped's ADRC technology makes it very easy to install and configure as well as providing a very high level of data security. Appliances are connected to Smart Plugs that accurately measure the real power consumed as well as usage patterns. Data is collected via a secure hub, compressed and then uploaded to the cloud form where it can be conveniently accessed for detailed analysis. It is expected that field trials of the new energy monitoring system will begin in January 2016. Sale of Pryme Energy Shares On 12th October the Company sold its entire holding in Pryme Energy via on market trades and received funds totalling $667,000 after brokerage. The timing and disposal of the Pryme investment followed an opportunity to progress with the acquisition opportunity of Xped Holdings. Update on Current Projects Sokoria Geothermal Project The Company currently is awaiting approval from PLN on the Transmission Line Study tariff proposal for the Sokoria Geothermal Project with negotiations still ongoing. During the quarter Raya and Bakrie continued informal discussions with a large European Power group to discuss potential involvement with the Sokoria Project. Whilst the discussions remain early, this party hold all the capabilities to develop and fund the project should they wish to participate. They will continue to review Sokoria and other projects in the region and will advise their intentions when ready. Ngebel and Dairi Prima Geothermal Projects These projects were fully impaired at 30th June and the company will seek to divest its interest following the Xped acquisition and becoming an IoT technology company. All other in-country works have been put on hold. Australian Geothermal Projects No other direct works were completed on any of the Australian tenements during the quarter, other than in respect of licence renewals and the like to ensure that all of these tenements remain in good standing. As noted in the Prospectus lodged on 18th January 2016, the Company will look to divest its impaired geothermal assets as it seeks to become an IoT company following the Xped acquisition. Corporate R & D Tax Rebate Raya completed its claim for the R and D Tax Rebate credit of $64,500 Director Resignation The Company advised on 22nd October that Daniel Lanskey has retired from the board. Annual General Meeting held On the 25th November an Annual General Meeting ("AGM") was held to put forward the Company's Financial Reports and consider a number of resolutions to shareholders. All resolutions were passed in favour. Mining Tenements held at the end of the Quarter: Australia Penola Trough: Areas GEL 223 area in the south-east of South Australia. These tenements are 100% owned by the Raya Group. Limestone Coast: Areas GEL 611 area in the south-east of South Australia. These tenements are all 100% owned by the Raya Group. Indonesia Sokoria Geothermal Project: a Joint Venture with PT Bakrie Power, for a 30 MW geothermal development on Flores Island, Indonesia, with Raya holding a 45% interest in the project. Ngebel Geothermal Project: a Joint Venture with PT Bakrie Power, for a 165 MW geothermal development on East Java, Indonesia, with Raya earning into a 35% interest in the project. Dairi Prima Geothermal Project: a Joint Venture with PT Bakrie Power, for a 25 MW geothermal development in Northern Sumatra, Indonesia, with Raya holding a 51% interest in the project. Mining Tenements disposed of during the Quarter: Nil Finance and Administration Cash Holdings At the end of the quarter, the Company's cash position stood at approximately $2,577,000 Equity Holdings The company disposed of its equity investment in Pryme Energy ( ASX:PYM ) and currently does not hold any shares. HSEC During the quarter under review, there were no reportable incidents relating to health, safety or community related matters. About XPED Ltd XPED Ltd (ASX:XPE) is an Australian Internet of Things (IoT) technology business. Xped has developed revolutionary and patent-protected technology that allows any consumer, regardless of their technical capability, to connect, monitor and control devices and appliances found in our everyday environment. Xped provides technology solutions for Smart Home, Smart Building, and Healthcare. At Xped, were Making Technology Easy Again(TM) Quarterly Activities Report & Appendix 5B Brisbane, Jan 29, 2016 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Central Petroleum Limited ( ASX:CTP ) announce the Quarterly Activities Report & Appendix 5B for the period ending December 2015. HIGHLIGHTS - Dingo Gas Field commenced deliveries of gas into the Owen Springs Power Station. - Pressure and flow data has been gathered as part of the Mereenie reserve upgrade programme with initial results expected this quarter. - Development of the North East Gas Interconnector ("NEGI" or otherwise to be known as the Northern Gas Pipeline (NGP)) progressed with the NT Government's announcement that Jemena Northern Gas Pipeline Pty Ltd had been selected to construct and operate the pipeline. - Capital Raising to support NEGI reserves certification embarked upon with a Share Placement raising $10.5 million gross in November 2015 and a Share Purchase Plan raising an additional $1.7 million gross in December 2015. - New corporate website launched incorporating new corporate logo. MANAGING DIRECTOR'S REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS FOR THE QUARTER On 17 November 2015 the Northern Territory Chief Minister, Adam Giles, announced the unconditional award of the North East Gas Interconnector ("NEGI") to Jemena Northern Gas Pipeline Pty Ltd to transport gas to supply Incitec Pivot Limited's ("IPL") Phosphate Hill (Duchess) mine near Mt Isa. The initial gas volumes will be provided by Power and Water Corporation ("PWC") but the NEGI pipeline will be of sufficient size to accommodate the projected sales volumes from our Amadeus Basin assets. This effectively links the Territory's and Central's proven gas fields to the east coast pipeline network, although further capacity is still required to economically supply the large unsatisfied Eastern Seaboard gas demand. The negotiations will be assisted by three national processes which have become associated by the impending east coast domestic natural gas shortage. These processes are: (a) The Australian Energy Market Commission ("AMEC") Stage 2 with submissions closing in mid- February 2016; (b) The Senate Inquiry into Natural Gas with submissions closing in March 2016; and (c) The ACCC Report into the competitiveness of natural gas expected by April 2016. Whilst domestic demand remains strong for our natural gas, the Company does not need to commit to supply agreements immediately as the pipeline construction is not dependant on Central committing supply. We nonetheless expect to be able to give an update on our reserves this quarter. Over the last two years the Company has deliberately moved towards the domestic gas markets which remain robust. However, the collapse in international crude oil prices, which has buffeted the industry has affected our crude oil revenue stream (which accounts for less than a third of our total sales revenue). The Company will consider further cost saving measures in order to maximise cash reserves to ensure we have sufficient time to enter into more favourable gas sales agreements than otherwise. Richard Cottee Managing Director To view the full report, please visit: http://media.abnnewswire.net/media/en/docs/ASX-CTP-751005.pdf About Central Petroleum Limited Central Petroleum Limited ( ASX:CTP) is a well-established, and emerging ASX-listed Australian oil and gas producer. In our short history, Central has grown to become the largest onshore gas producer in the Northern Territory (NT), supplying industrial customers and senior gas distributors in NT and the wider Australian east coast market. Central is positioned to become a significant domestic energy supplier, with exploration and development plans across 180,000 km2 of tenements in Queensland and the Northern Territory, including some of Australia's largest known onshore conventional gas prospects. Central has also completed an MoU with Australian Gas Infrastructure Group (AGIG) to progress the proposed Amadeus to Moomba Gas Pipeline to a Final Investment Decision. We are also seeking to develop the Range gas project, a new gas field located among proven CSG fields in the Surat Basin, Queensland with 135 PJ (net to Central) of development-pending 2C contingent resource. By KrisAnne Hall Lets talk about whats going on in Malheur Oregon. It seems like the media want to talk about everything but the real issue at hand. Attorney KrisAnne Hall explains why the narrative is being deliberately distracting. What does the Constitution say about this? What are the precedents? In the photo, the mountain lion lies on its side on the shoulder of a Connecticut parkway. Tail lights shine in the distance. A Connecticut state trooper snapped the photo after a motorist had struck and killed the animal on a June night in 2011. Wildlife biologists quickly confirmed this mountain lion was the one photographed days before in front of an elementary school in Greenwich, Connecticut, about 40 miles west. (School was cancelled.) Within months, DNA evidence revealed that this animal was the same one seen in the backyard of a retired game warden in Lake George the previous December, and tracked in Wisconsin and Minnesota in 2009 and 2010. DNA testing also showed that the mountain lion came from the Black Hills of South Dakota, the nations eastern-most confirmed breeding population. This young male had walked an astonishing 1,500 miles. This, said Vermont Fish and Wildlife fur-bearer project leader Chris Bernier, is why he takes reports of mountain lion sightings seriously. Although the US Fish and Wildlife Service declared the breeding population of wild mountain lions east of the Mississippi extinct in March 2011, and biologists are confident there is no wild, breeding population in the Northeast, that doesnt mean a mountain lion couldnt show up in the Northeast because, well, one did. The last known wild mountain lion in the Northeast died in Maine in 1938. The last wild mountain lion in New Hampshire may have been killed in the White Mountains in 1885. In Vermont, it was 1881. The last mountain lion bounty in New York State was paid on one killed in Hamilton County in 1894 (between 1860 and 1894, the State paid just over 150 such bounties). Since then, there have been a handful of confirmed mountain lion sightings in the Northeast, although most have been thought to be escaped captive animals. There are also many unconfirmed sightings. Bernier gets more than 50 reports of mountain lions a year. Patrick Tate, New Hampshire Fish and Games fur-bearer project leader, receives about 20. There is no physical evidence for most sightings in the two states, and when there has been physical evidence, it has been at best inconclusive. The Connecticut mountain lion left tracks, scat, fur and game camera photos in four states. Mountain lions may be stealthy, but they do leave a trace. Sometimes physical evidence shows the sighting was of some other animal, including dogs, cats, fishers, coyotes, bears and bobcats. Mountain lion sightings in New Hampshire have increased along with the bobcat population, said Tate. You might think that it would be easy to tell the two cat species apart. Mountain lions weigh 105 to 140 pounds and can be up to eight feet long from the nose to the tip of the tail. Bobcats top out at about 40 pounds (most are much lighter than that) and are only about three feet long. Mountain lions have long, heavy tails, while bobcats have stumpy ones. But people mistake them all the time. I have plenty of bobcat photos from remote cameras where its a sideways view of the face, the torso is turned just so, hiding the tail, and it looks like a mountain lion, said Susan Morse, a naturalist and educator based in Huntington, Vermont, who has studied mountain lions throughout her career. I often use those photos in my presentations to show how easy it is to confuse things. On a research trip to Arizona, where there is a confirmed breeding population, a biologist told Morse that 90 percent of the mountain lion sightings he receives turn out to be bobcats. And thats in a place where there is a known mountain lion population, she said. If and when another mountain lion sighting is confirmed in the Northeast, it will almost certainly be a male. Male mountain lions travel much farther than females to find a territory of their own. Morse says they are looking or smelling, really for a place with females, prey, and no other males. Males from known western populations have turned up in Minnesota, Missouri, Louisiana, and elsewhere. Morse is confident that there are other male mountain lions wandering in the East. But a breeding population requires females, and Morse is not optimistic that female mountain lions will make it into to the East on their own, both because they tend not to travel as far as males, and because of intense hunting pressure. People want to see them, because they want to believe that they live in this rural, wild place, says Bernier. For now, however, well have to accept that these residents of the wild west are as rare in our own neighborhoods as true wilderness. Madeline Bodine is a writer living in Andover, Vermont. The Outside Story is assigned and edited by Northern Woodlands magazine and sponsored by the Wellborn Ecology Fund of New Hampshire Charitable Foundation: wellborn@nhcf.org. AF awards contract for next Air Force One The Boeing Company was awarded a contract Jan. 29 for risk reduction activities for the Presidential Aircraft Recapitalization program, which will field the next Air Force One. This is the first contract the Air Force has awarded for this program. Additional modifications will be made to this contract in the future to purchase the commercial 747-8 aircraft, as well as to design, modify and test those aircraft to meet the presidential mission. These efforts are the first step in a deliberate process to control program risks and life cycle costs. These activities will include the definition of detailed requirements and design trade-offs required to support informed decisions that will lead to a lower risk Engineering and Manufacturing Development program and lower life cycle costs. This is the start of our contractual relationship with Boeing. It will allow Boeing to begin working on what will be the next Air Force One, said Col. Amy McCain, the Presidential Aircraft Recapitalization program manager. This initial effort is about reducing risk, really understanding where the tough work will be, finding affordability opportunities, and getting the best value for the taxpayer, while continuing to meet the needs of our commander in chief. The secretary of the Air Force has made it clear that affordability will be a key element of the Presidential Aircraft Recapitalization program. We will continue to insist upon program affordability through cost conscious procurement practices, said Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James. The presidential aircraft is one of the most visible symbols of the United States of America at home and abroad, James said. We will ensure the next Air Force One meets the necessary capabilities established to execute the presidential support mission, while reflecting the office of the president of the United States of America consistent with the national public interest. The Air Force wants to own enough of the technical baseline to permit competition for modifications and sustainment throughout the aircrafts planned 30-year life cycle. Competition can keep costs down, spur innovation and provide technical options. We are focused on ensuring this program is affordable, McCain said. This contract gets us started on determining how to modify a 747-8 to become the next Air Force One, and finding opportunities for cost reduction through detailed requirements choices, competition of subsystems, and in the sustainment of the aircraft after it has been fielded. The current fleet of VC-25A presidential aircraft has performed exceptionally well, a testament to the Airmen who support, maintain and fly the aircraft, James said. Yet, it is time to replace them. Parts obsolescence, diminishing manufacturing sources and increased down times for maintenance are existing challenges that will increase until a new aircraft is fielded. Members from the Japan Self-Defense Forces and United States Forces Japan came together to conduct a joint-bilateral command post exercise Keen Edge 16 at Yokota Air Base, Japan, from Jan. 23-29; this was the 14th command post exercise since 1986.Keen Edge 16's purpose was to facilitate the interactions and to improve interoperability between U.S. military and JSDF personnel during real-world contingencies. The training also ensured that all subsequent exercises will be executed smoothly, allowing meaningful interaction between the participating units and improving the overall combat readiness of the U.S. and JSDF forces."This exercise is very important because it brings the U.S. military and JSDF together to train for potential crises," said Col. Houston Cantwell, the USFJ director of operations. "The training tests both nations ability to work together in a controlled environment giving both sides a better understanding of their combined capabilities."The training focused on bilateral coordination, force protection, host nation support, ballistic missile defense and non-combatant evacuation operations.It has historically been part of an annual exercise series that alternates between field training exercises (Keen Sword) and command post exercises. During KE16, various Japanese and U.S. headquarter staff employed computer simulations to practice and refine the steps they would take in the event of a crisis or contingency."We have to smooth U.S. and Japan bilateral operations to better defend Japan and work together in concert during various emergencies," said Capt. Satoru Onishi, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force 3rd Operations Division operations department director. "This training will be useful for us to successfully work together if we face these challenges in future contingencies."Command post exercises are a cost-effective way of providing military participants with realistic and unobtrusive training by simulating a crisis.Participants used a computer-based system, called the Joint Theater Level Simulation system, to direct and respond to exercise events. This system provided a realistic, though simulated, environment from which commanders and staff improved their skills by anticipating and reacting in real-time to the events generated by the simulation.Exercises such as Keen Edge provide an indispensable command post training environment for enhancing mutual understanding of each country's tactics, communication protocols, procedures and general interoperability."We are excited to be part of this exercise with Japan, because we depend on the Japanese for bilateral and host nation support," Cantwell said. " I hope that this will continue to help us form better relationships between both countries as we demonstrate that we are both committed to this alliance."The U.S. military frequently trains in joint and bilateral environments to enhance operations proficiency, contingency response, and help ensure peace and security throughout the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. Afghan Chief Executive Officer and Head of the Council of Ministers Abdullah Abdullah will arrive here on Sunday on a five-day visit to India. On Monday, he will call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, following which he will hold a bilateral meeting with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. He will leave for Jaipur on Tuesday where he will attend a conference on counter-terrorism. After spending Wednesday in New Delhi, he will depart from India on Thursday. Abdullah Abdullahs visit to India comes in the wake of Prime Minister Modis visit to Kabul in December when the new Afghan parliament building, constructed with Indias aid, was inaugurated. By Dan Olmsted If youve been wondering whats up with the suit filed by two whistleblowers against Merck for allegedly hiding the fact that the mumps vaccine doesnt work well, so have we. Now a timeline has emerged, although you might need a telescope to see its further reaches. An Amended Scheduling Order was released this month that extends deadlines even longer: dispositive motions to be filed by December 20, 2017 basically two years from now; motions involving class certification by May 3, 2018. That looks like the earliest a trial could start, and its not hard to see the whole thing going into 2019, if not a new decade entirely. This for an allegedly blatant fraud against taxpayers that occurred last decade in 1999! A key date appears to be October 31 of next year, when a status report from both sides is due on whether the parties would consent to alternative dispute resolution in other words, I believe, to settling out of court. Backed by a major California law firm that knows how to write powerful briefs and has a lot of material to work with, the whistleblowers Stephen A. Krahling and Joan A. Wlochowski havent budged. Attempts by Merck to get the suit thrown out on all kinds of grounds (such as, unbelievably, that the FDA knew about it and didnt care, so why should anyone else!) failed in federal court in Philadelphia. Discovery of documents must also be completed by that October date. Discovery the delivery of relevant material that might help make a case is exactly what private firms of all kinds dread, and one reason you see so many settlements where terms are not disclosed, nobody admits any wrongdoing and the whole thing goes away. The big firms pay millions to defend themselves, so whats a few more million out of billions in profits to buy someone off? Most people cant resist the temptation given that they could lose everything in court. Thats why getting to discovery in this lawsuit is the crux of the matter its so rare, and theres so much at stake. That includes billions in potential penalties for Merck if its found the firm defrauded the government, which pays hundreds of millions a year for the MMR the mumps, measles, and rubella shot. Merck has the only license to manufacture any of the MMR components in the United States, and in the worst outcome for Merck it could lose that lucrative monopoly entirely. There is no discovery allowed in the so-called vaccine court that has so far thwarted thousands of parents who claimed their childs autism was due to the MMR, the mercury in some vaccinations, or a combination of both. The judges who threw out all the cases ridiculed the families for having no evidence to that effect, a Catch-22 if ever there was one. So while it seems like bad news that this case is stretching so far into the future, the fact that it is still headed for daylight is kind of a miracle. If it makes it all the way, you have to wonder what a jury will make of some of the Merck documents already disclosed such as the one in which a Merck official told subordinates that their job was to show that the mumps vaccine met federal licensing standards, when it clearly did not. To bridge the gap, according to the suit: Merck set out to conduct testing of its mumps vaccine that would support its original efficacy finding. In performing this testing, Mercks objective was to report efficacy of 95 percent or higher regardless of the vaccines true efficacy. The only way Merck could accomplish this was through manipulating its testing procedures and falsifying the test results. Krahling and Wlochowski participated on the Merck team that conducted this testing and witnessed firsthand the fraud in which Merck engaged to reach its desired results. Merck internally referred to the testing as Protocol 007. Naming a secret project after a British spy with a license to kill might have seemed amusing inside Merck; perhaps not so much in an American courtroom. It is also worth pointing out that lawsuits like this are typically long slogs, but sometimes pay off big-time. An example is close at hand: For instance, Merck just paid $830 million to settle a lawsuit with shareholders over the painkiller Vioxx. That drug was pulled from the market 11 years ago, in 2004; since then, the company pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for violating drug laws; paid $900 million; and settled 50,000 lawsuits by patients in 2007 for nearly $5 billion. Before it settled, Merck engaged in a tobacco-style scorched earth policy of fighting every individual claim of harm or death from the drug, denying all, even after it became clear that thousands of people had died from heart attacks and strokes and Merck had been, shall we say, not forthcoming about the implications of its own studies of the drugs safety. (The master of that approach, its chief lawyer, was rewarded with the chairmanship of the company.) You may remember the heavy marketing of the drug skater Peggy Fleming in a TV ad holding her sore ankle, hardly the appropriate audience for a heavy-duty painkiller. That pill-popping approach to a compound not much better, and far more dangerous, than aspirin mirrors the mumps vaccine hype: According to research Mark Blaxill and I have done, the vaccine is unnecessary, given the mildness of most mumps infections in early children. Now, thanks to the vaccine, outbreaks are showing up more and more in adolescents and young adults, in whom it can cause sterility and other complication. Thats because, according to the whistleblowers, it doesnt even work. -- Dan Olmsted is Editor of Age of Autism. January 29, 2016 TEHRAN, Iran Only one day after the Jan. 16 announcement of the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the US Treasury unveiled new missile-related sanctions on Iran. The reason? Irans testing of its medium-range Emad ballistic missile in October. Following the new sanctions, Maj. Gen. Mohsen Rezaei, one of Irans highest-ranking military officials, penned a letter to President Hassan Rouhani in which he wrote, Just as Irans success in developing 20,000 centrifuges was a slap in the face of the United States and forced the Americans to come to the negotiating table and recognize our right to enrich uranium, I am hoping that with your support, the range of Iran's missiles will exceed 5,000 kilometers [3,106 miles]. Prior to Rezaeis letter, senior Iranian officials had never declared any wish to develop missiles with such a long range, always emphasizing that they consider the current range of Irans missiles, which is 2,000 kilometers (1,242 miles), to be sufficient for national security. Thus, what is the possible use of the missiles Rezaei brought up? Rezaei answered this question in his letter, writing, Without a doubt, when our defense capabilities include 5,000-kilometer range missiles, a range capable of reaching a variety of targets including the island of Diego Garcia, the site of the United States Air Force base, which was used during the Tabas attack [Operation Eagle Claw], then the United States will repent and see the futility of such actions. But can Iran develop ballistic missiles with such a range? Does it possess the necessary technology? How will such a missile system fit within Irans military and defense doctrine? And under what circumstances would Iran attempt to develop and fire these types of ballistic missiles? As far as the technology is concerned, Irans missiles are divided into various categories. In general, Irans short-range ballistic missiles such as the Hormuz, Persian Gulf and Fateh 110 are of high quality and technologically advanced. They have high maneuverability, and their accuracy and destructive capabilities have been improved. Irans medium-range solid and liquid fuel ballistic missiles, with ranges of between 800-2,200 kilometers, do not have such characteristics. The biggest weaknesses of these missiles are related to their maneuverability, destructive power and accuracy. Since Iran suffers from a lack of access to permanent reconnaissance satellites, guiding long-range missiles will be very difficult. The Emad missile is the first attempt by Iranian defense experts to improve the maneuverability of medium-range ballistic missiles. However, the majority of Irans warheads weigh between 600-900 kilograms. Thus, at best, the explosive power of a ballistic missile such as the Emad is only a little more than that of a bunker buster. Nonetheless, considering Irans space experiments in the past few years, including its launch of several satellites, building a missile with a range that exceeds 5,000 kilometers is achievable. Irans placing launch vehicles into Earths orbit shows that it has the potential to develop missile ranges of above 4,000 kilometers. However, the destructive power and maneuverability of these missiles continue to remain problematic. Although Rouhani has yet to react to Rezaei's letter, a look at his actions in relation to military and defense matters during the past two years, and also the military developments in the region, provides some insight. Although many hardliners criticize the administrations performance in military and defense matters as weak, the reality is different. Unlike former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who pursued psychological warfare through the launch of controversial missile programs, Rouhani is very wisely seeking to improve the quality of domestically manufactured military hardware. For instance, Rouhani has unveiled the production of a line of short-range Fateh 313 missiles, which clearly sent the message that the administration is focused on expanding the quality of ballistic missiles. The launch of the Emad missile, which has a higher maneuverability compared to other missiles in its class, is another example of Rouhanis intentions. Indeed, Minister of Defense Brig. Gen. Hossein Dehghan has clearly stated that his ministry seeks to increase the destructive capability of Irans ballistic missiles. Moreover, the Ministry of Defense is seriously pursuing an expansion of the quality of the armed forces. For instance, ever since UN Security Council sanctions were lifted as a result of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Iranian military officials have been focusing on buying modern fighter jets from Russia, new tanks, modern tactical weapons as well as advanced anti-aircraft systems. In this vein, Rouhani is clearly aware of two issues: the need to fill the huge technological gap that exists between different branches of Irans armed forces by increasing the quality of their equipment, and avoiding a policy of creating controversy by testing controversial and less accurate and less advanced ballistic missiles. Indeed, a review of the budget allocations for the Iranian armed forces during the past two years, and also the budget for the upcoming Iranian year (March 2016-March 2017), confirms the latter. The massive purchases of advanced military equipment by Irans rivals in the Persian Gulf, eastern Mediterranean and Egypt have resulted in serious worry and distrust among Iranian political and military officials. For them, the question is why the West, considering that the military capabilities of countries such Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Israel are far greater than that of Iran, constantly presents the Islamic Republic as a source of threat and worry. The fact is that Washingtons policy of arming countries such as Pakistan, Israel, Turkey and Egypt with long-range ballistic missiles, advanced fifth-generation fighters, and various other advanced heavy military equipment will only prompt Iran to expand its defense capabilities. Since taking office, Rouhani has made it clear that his administration is pursuing a defensive policy. He has shown in practice that Iran is neither seeking weapons of mass destruction nor trying to pursue a regional arms race. The administration has also shown that Iran is not trying to create tension, but is only seeking to increase its military capabilities in accordance with accepted equations and policies. However, Rouhani has also communicated that if Irans interests and sphere of strategic influence is threatened, it has the ability to expand its military influence in all directions and undertake strategic defense actions. If there is any doubt about the latter, it should be put to rest by Rouhanis order to step up missile development after the new US sanctions. January 29, 2016 DAMASCUS, Syria The Syrian regime forces achieved significant progress on the front opened in October on Latakia's countryside by controlling the town of Salma in the north of the province Jan. 12. On this same date, another military offensive opened on the southern countryside of Hama, specifically on the Homs-Hama border. The offensive began when the regime forces took control of the village of Jarjisa north of al-Rastan lake which separates the provinces of Homs and Hama and advanced eastward toward the village of Hirbnafsah controlled by Jabhat al-Nusra and other Islamic factions. Intense artillery shelling by the regime forces was met with violent clashes with Jabhat al-Nusra militants and other factions. The Syrian Arab News Agency did not cover the regime offensive on Hirbnafsah very extensively, only reporting Jan. 19 on the Syrian air force's destruction of vehicles of Jabhat al-Nusra fighters in the town. The National Defense Forces announced via YouTube that the regime forces were able to control the al-Madajen area north of Hirbnafsah on Jan. 20, a victory corroborated by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The pro-government daily Al-Watan reported Jan. 25 that the regime forces brought in reinforcements to Hirbnafsah to increase its effective presence in the region amid militants' attempt to achieve any victory on the Syrian army, even moral. Abu al-Qasim al-Hamwi, a media activist present with the militants of Jabhat al-Nusra and other Islamic factions in Hirbnafsah, told Al-Monitor via Skype that the regime forces' reinforcements have indeed arrived to Hirbnafsah. However, he said, The regime forces have been trying since the start of the military offensive to advance toward the town, but they have been failing every time to defeat Jabhat al-Nusra resistance fighters reinforced inside the town of Hirbnafsah. Hamwi added, Since Jan. 12, the regime has not stopped shelling Hirbnafsah with artillery and warplanes, whether Russian or Syrian, in an attempt to weaken the fighters in it, who in return targeted the regime checkpoints and forces with dozens of missiles. Hamwi pointed out that on Jan. 19 the opposition forces advanced and controlled the al-Bashakir factory checkpoint on the outskirts of Hirbnafsah. This led to the killing of a first lieutenant and the destruction of a tank and its full crew, along with two mortars used by regime forces, he said. Hirbnafsah is one of the largest towns in the southern Hama countryside, located on the administrative border between the provinces of Homs and Hama to the north of al-Rastan Dam on the Orontes River. Defected Syrian officer Khaled al-Barazi said the town is in a strategic location, serving as the Hama countryside's gate to the northern and northwestern Homs countryside. He told Al-Monitor via Skype from the Lebanese city of Tripoli, where he has been living for the past year, The regime forces recently adopted a policy of closing crossings aiming to separate the rural areas controlled by the opposition fighters. They recently succeeded in partly closing the northern Tier Malah crossing in Homs with the start of the fighting there. They also closed the road leading to the village of Jinan in southern Hama countryside and were able to control this village. Barazi stressed that the offensive waged by the regime forces on Hirbnafsah falls within the scope of the policy of closing the crossings to separate the Homs countryside from the Hama countryside. He said, The Syrian regimes control of Hirbnafsah will cut the road in front of opposition fighters between Salamiyeh southeast of Hama and Hama city. It will also cut off supply and communication routes between the armed factions in Hamas southern countryside and Homss northeast countryside. Barazi pointed out that the regime forces progress toward the strategic town of Hirbnafsah aims to open the way to the opposition-controlled Houla Valley area in the eastern countryside of Homs, near the Lebanese-Syrian border. Radio al-Kul, affiliated with the National Coalition for Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces, reported Jan. 21 that because of the continued military offensive in the region, thousands of residents in the villages of Hirbnafsah, Talaf and Deir al-Fardis have fled to the Houla Valley area in the countryside of Homs. It also reported that an estimated population of 70,000 people are living in this area under difficult conditions and many are in urgent need of baby formula four years into a siege imposed by the regime forces. Jamal Hazouri (a pseudonym), a leader in the pro-regime Baath Brigades, told Al-Monitor via Skype, The offensive started with the control the village of Jarjisa east of the town of Hirbnafsah, and the village of Deir al-Fardis to its north on Jan. 15. Then, the forces advanced toward Hirbnafsah under the Syrian regime's air and artillery cover. The battles are still ongoing against al-Nusra militants in the vicinity of Hirbnafsah. Our forces started the offensive in the west by targeting the village of Talaf with aerial and artillery shelling. Hazouri added, We launched this offensive to take back the southern Hama countryside, to oust al-Nusra and tighten the noose on militants in the northern and northeastern countryside of Homs, which will be our next target. He continued, Controlling Hirbnafsah gives our forces a defense line far from the city of Hama and creates a defense line extending from the village of Burayghith to the village of Jumaqliyah south of Hama, in order to cut off all supply routes to militants toward northern Syria and impose a siege on the militants in the northern countryside of Homs. Hazouri pointed out that controlling Hirbnafsah and the surrounding villages will allow the regime forces to reopen the Damascus-Aleppo road by controlling its surrounding areas, including the city of al-Rastan under the control of the opposition since 2012. Political analyst Ahmed Suleiman told Al-Monitor from Damascus, The Syrian regime is trying in its recent military operations to gain new cards before sitting at the negotiation table planned for Jan. 29 in Geneva. Suleiman added, The regime wants to gradually reduce the regions controlled by the opposition in an attempt to prove its strength at the negotiating table and force the opposition into submission, in case the latter invoked any conditions or solutions that are not accepted by the regime. This [offensive] allows the regime to appear victorious in the media. "This was clearly manifested during the visit by the assistant regional secretary of al-Baath Arab Socialist Party Hilal al-Hilal to the conflict regions in the southern countryside of Hama. The Syrian regime's offensive on the Latakia countryside, the Hama countryside and the Homs countryside which seems to be the regimes new destination, according to the military situation on the ground and the continued Russian support and its previous offensive on the countryside of Daraa plus truces in Homs and Rif Dimashq seem to be an attempt by the regime to control vital areas in Syria and secure major cities in the country, from Daraa to Hama and all the way to the coast, in order to have the strongest voice at the negotiating table. January 28, 2016 In Brussels, Al-Monitor followed the behind-the-scenes developments regarding the UN-sponsored Geneva III talks on Syria. Complications arose with the Syrian Kurdish representation as a third party to negotiate with the Damascus regime on ending the war, creating a peaceful political transition, implementing a cease-fire and finding ways to provide humanitarian aid. The Geneva meetings mark the first step of the Vienna Process initiated by US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, with regional representatives from Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia, among others, on board. One of the thorniest issues had been the composition of the Syrian opposition delegation, whose legitimacy has come under scrutiny. To try to resolve the thorny issue about the makeup of the opposition delegation, a conference convened in Riyadh in December to form the High Negotiations Committee. The committee includes a number of armed opposition groups, excluding the Islamic State (IS) and Jabhat al-Nusra. Members of the committee range from the US-backed Free Syrian Army (though it is uncertain what remains of that group) to Ahrar al-Sham, the largest Salafist-Islamist organization funded and supported by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar. Dubbed the Riyadh Group, the High Negotiations Committee is the segment of the Syrian opposition that had been funded, armed and supported by the Sunni axis made up of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar and endorsed by the United States. During the Riyadh meeting, the Syrian Kurdish nationalist Democratic Union Party (PYD) convened in Hassakeh province with the other Syrian opposition the secular moderates, in contrast to the sectarian and Islamist nature of the Riyadh group. They formed the Syrian Democratic Council with Arab co-chair and veteran dissident Haytham Manna. The council's members had provided the ground forces Washington had been relying on in its fight against IS. Raqqa, also known as the IS capital in Syria, was being threatened by the Kurdish-Arab coalition backed by American air cover. Yet it was well-known that around 75% of the Syrian Democratic Council forces are Kurds affiliated with the PYD. According to Turkish leaders, particularly Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the PYD is nothing more than an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party, and therefore a terrorist organization like IS. As the Geneva III talks near, the PYD the only reliable ally of the United States against IS in Syria is being left out of the UN-sponsored meeting, thanks to Ankaras adamant stand. The Kurds see the group's exclusion as the United States bowing to Turkish blackmail. That sentiment that the United States sold out the Kurds is not completely off-base. I arrived in Brussels on Jan. 25 to attend the European Parliament's annual conference on the Kurds, organized by its leftist party bloc, which includes Nobel laureates Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Shirin Ebadi of Iran and Jose Ramos-Horta of East Timor, as well as controversial American scholar Noam Chomsky. I was a speaker on a panel with Selahattin Demirtas, Turkeys popular pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) chairman, and Peter Galbraith, a former American ambassador considered a close friend of the Kurds because of the role he played in the struggles of Iraqi Kurds. PYD leader Salih Muslim was on the list of speakers for the second day of that conference. But when I arrived in Brussels, I was told Muslim had left for Geneva at the invitation of UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura. He would be back the next day and then would travel again to Geneva for the Geneva III talks, which were set for Jan. 29. Thanks to my Kurdish sources, who were in constant communication with Muslim, I learned that Galbraith had come to Brussels from Geneva, where he also had met with American officials working on the Geneva III talks. He had been told that the United States was keen on seeing the PYD at the table during the talks. On Jan. 26, before Muslim was back in Brussels, the news broke: De Mistura had issued invitation letters to the Arab members of the Syrian Democratic Council like Manna. It was assumed that Muslim would be returning to Brussels with his invitation letter in his bag. Instead, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who was in Strasbourg, said Turkey would boycott the Geneva talks if the PYD was involved. Some hours earlier, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, in an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, had said Turkey objected to the PYDs involvement because it is a terrorist organization, but would not object if it was included in the Syrian government's delegation. Galbraith was texting with Muslim, who informed him that de Mistura had not issued an official invitation to the PYD. Manna announced that if their Kurdish allies would not be at the talks, the other members of the Syrian Democratic Council would not be participating, either. The Kurdish sources in Brussels who were in constant contact with Muslim told me the morning of Jan. 27 that they had just spoken to Muslim, who was at that moment in a meeting with the Americans and that the PYD representation was still pending. He said everything would be clear by noon. By evening, word came from Washington. US State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner declared that the PYD will not be invited to Geneva. Here are some tidbits from the diplomatic farce played in front of the curtain, taken from the transcript of Toner's daily press briefing for Jan. 27: Toner referred questions about who will attend the conference to de Mistura or the UN, saying, "But our understanding is that the PYD will not be participating in this weeks talks." Toner was asked by a reporter, "Do you believe they should have been invited? The Russians say they should be invited. Lavrov himself said that without the PYD, there will not be a, quote-unquote, 'definitive resolution for the conflict in Syria.'" Toner replied, "I understand theres differing views and differing opinions on their inclusion or exclusion from the process. Id just say we stand by the [High Negotiations Committee], its current composition and the choice by Staffan de Mistura to invite additional representatives also to participate in this process. We stand by the process thus far." It is obvious that Ankara won the diplomatic battle waged behind the curtains not only against the PYD, but in a way, also against the United States. Boycotting Geneva has become a very effective blackmail. Somebody asked me, What if Ankara would not be included in Geneva? The boycott does not mean Ankara would not be attending, I responded. It means the High Negotiation Committee, the Syrian opposition supported by Turkey, Saudis and Qataris, would not be in Geneva. That means there would not be a Geneva III. The Geneva diplomatic farce has certainly been a win for Ankara. But at what price? The answer will come in the aftermath of Geneva III. By Gail Andrews, who has served as R. Hugh Daniel Director of the Birmingham Museum of Art since 1996. She first joined the Museum in 1976 as Curator of Decorative Arts, subsequently serving as Assistant Director and Acting Director. On Monday one of America's great artists died, Alabama native Thornton Dial. Dial's work ranged from small sculptures to large and ambitious mixed-media paintings and enormous installations. They also varied in tone and emotion as they reflected his life and worldview as an African-American man, born in 1928 and raised in Emelle and Bessemer, Alabama. Many nationally circulated articles this week have reported his early history, and how he saw the "things" he created for himself become recognized as powerful and important works of art. In a short time, his work went from being displayed literally in his own backyard to gracing the galleries of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum and, yes, the Birmingham Museum of Art, which acquired its first work by Dial in 1991. But the question that has frequently arisen is, why didn't more people in Alabama, specifically the Birmingham area, recognize and appreciate his talent? We can say the same about many other artists from our state, but this artist had a particularly stellar exhibition and gallery record. There is no easy answer, but here are some observations: Dial's art came to light in the 1980s, a time when national and international interest in what has variously been called self-taught, outsider, vernacular or folk art was at its peak. Generally understood as art produced by individuals not formally trained in art schools, the work was often made using discarded and recycled materials. By incorporating materials from their actual lives and world, their art spoke to the public with an honesty and directness that was refreshing and bold. That said, not everyone embraced this work. In the case of Mr. Dial, the work looked raw, unfinished and primitive to some. The same was said of Lonnie Holley's assemblages and his "one acre of art," eventually taken over by the airport for expansion. Gail Andrews, R. Hugh Daniel Director of the Birmingham Museum of Art, sits in front of "Nobody Know What Go On Behind the Jungle" by Alabama artist Thornton Dial at the museum (Tamika Moore/tmoore@al.com) More to the point, many of these artists came from Alabama and are African-American, out of the mainstream, and making art with sometimes very confrontational social messages about race, class and opportunity. Alabama's conservative culture may have contributed to our reluctance to embrace such a movement while the rest of the world began to think of our state as fertile ground for vernacular artistic expression. Indeed, Alabama is the epicenter of this self-taught art, yielding not only Dial and Holley, but also Joe Minter, Charlie Lucas, Ronald Lockett, Jimmy Lee Sudduth, Mose Tolliver, Juanita Rogers and Chris Clark, to name a few. These artists have brought forth visually strong and thought-provoking work, blurring the line between artists of formal training and those outside of the academic tradition. Today their messages are as important as ever, as we examine issues within an often volatile social and political climate. I am proud to say that museums in Alabama have exhibited and collected the work of self-taught artists for decades. At the Birmingham Museum of Art, we have organized and hosted a number of exhibitions and consistently include work by Alabama artists in our contemporary galleries. We invite you to come and see work by Mr. Dial, as well as other influential artists from our state to discover for yourself why the accolades are so well deserved. Cherokee County Sheriff Jeff Shaver said a Gaylesville man faces murder charges after the discovery of a body. Shaver said Thursday his office received a missing person report from the family of Scott E. Abernathy, 38, of Gaylesville. Abernathy's family said he had been last seen on Tuesday, Shaver said. Information developed in the ensuing investigation led authorities to suspect Abernathy had been shot and his body dumped in the water. Abernathy's body was found Friday by investigators and the Cherokee County Rescue Squad in the Chattooga River north of Gaylesville. Authorities arrested Ben Tillman McCool, 48, of Gaylesville on Thursday on unrelated charges of domestic violence and child abuse. On Friday, he was charged with murder. The Cherokee County Major Crimes Unit, ALEA's Marine Police and Aviation Unit, and the JSU Center for Applied Forensic Sciences all participated in the investigation, which is continuing, Shaver said. A woman was killed and three others, including two young children, were seriously injured in a Saturday morning crash in western Jefferson County. The crash involving two vehicles occurred at around 11:30 a.m. on Birmingport Road near Amanda Lane in Sylvan Springs. The 27-year-old driver of one vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. Two children, ages 2 and 3, in the same vehicle were seriously injured. The children were transported by ambulance to an unspecified hospital. The male driver of the second vehicle was critically injured and airlifted to an unspecified hospital. The preliminary investigation indicates one of the vehicles crossed into the opposing lane and collided head on with the other. The name of the fatal victim is being withheld pending notification of family. Anas Silwood moved to Jordan from Britain to study Arabic back in 2000. The 20-something was supposed to stay for only a few months, but he soon decided Amman was the place he wanted to be. He learned Arabic, converted to Islam and settled. Every time I went back to the UK I had the same problem, he says. People looked at me in a funny way because of what I was wearing. It happened over and over again, and thats how I realised there must be a lot of Muslims in need of better-designed and better-made clothing. Silwoods intuition quickly developed into a business. In 2002 he launched Shukr, one of the first Islamic fashion e-commerce sites catering to the needs of Muslims in Europe who wanted traditional Islamic clothing with attention to style. It was a success. Sales volumes rose and the company expanded to the United States and the Middle East and North Africa region. Back then Anas was a pioneer in a nearly untapped market. Today, according to the 2015-2016 State of the Global Islamic Economy Report, Muslim consumers spend an estimated $230bn on clothing, a number that is projected to grow to $327bn by 2019 larger than the current combined clothing markets of the UK ($107bn), Germany ($99bn) and India ($96bn). The business of Muslim fashion Overall clothing purchase by Muslim consumers does not directly translate into Islamic fashion, Rafi-Uddin Shikoh, the person behind the study, explains. But there are a number of drivers that suggest the modest fashion industry will be growing towards those numbers. First of all, there is the importance of religion in peoples life. Compared with Europe, where only one in three respondents deem religion important, or the US where that percentage hovers at around 50 percent, in majority Muslim countries 88 percent of the population define religion as important. Secondly, there are the demographics. The average age in Muslim majority countries is about 30, in Europe and the US it is about 44. READ MORE: Swedens hijabista selling Muslim fashion This is very important as the purchasing power of young consumers tends to grow over the years. The third important driver is an economic one. The gross domestic product of countries with a majority Muslim population is projected to grow at an average of 5.4 percent a year compared with the 3.4 percent of Europe and the US over the next few years. Last but not least, 29 percent of the global population is projected to be Muslim by 2030. It was right after 9/11 when a lot of my friends were taking off their hijabs .... I didn't want to, and because I come from a background in fashion I decided to style my own hijabs and clothing. by Rabia Z, a UAE-based fashion designer These are numbers that seemingly cannot be ignored, and, unsurprisingly perhaps, the number of fashionistas, entrepreneurs and designers rushing to seize the opportunity this presents is growing by the day. Among these is Modanisa, a Turkish-based e-commerce platform that is one of the largest players in todays market. Founded in 2012 by Kerim Ture, Modanisa sells Islamic clothing to about 60 countries. More than 200 Islamic fashion brands offer their goods on the platform. Consumers find what they want, order it, and it is delivered to their home. I remember when I realised there was this incredible need, Ture says. I went to a restaurant for a dinner and sitting next to me there was a 20-something girl and her mother dressed in the exact same way. There was no way they did not want different things to reflect their style. Since then, his business has received $5m in backing from STC ventures, a Saudi venture capital group, and has acted as a catalyst for other Islamic fashion entrepreneurs and designers eager to tap the market and make a name for themselves. The designers Rabia Z, a UAE-based fashion designer and a veteran in the field, is probably the most well-known in the region. I started creating modest fashion back in 2001, she says. I was living in the US back then. It was right after 9/11 when a lot of my friends were taking off their hijabs because of the historical moment. I didnt want to, and because I come from a background in fashion I decided to style my own hijabs and clothing. People liked it, so I decided to put my creation online. Client requests havent stopped since then. And I have to admit, I could not believe there was nobody creating clothing for millions of Muslim women. Neslihan Cevik, the author of a book on the transformation of the role of women in Islam and founder of M-Line Fashion, is keen to underline how Muslim women are typically presented as repressed monotone figures who are unable to make their own choices, but how, from a market-demand point of view, nothing could be further from the truth. Within certain standards of modesty, Muslim women have hundreds of different needs, she says. Also, its important to point out how these have increased in the last years and are, in part, a response of women across the Muslim world engaging more in public activities, having jobs, living outside of the house. Catering to specific needs and individual desires is what made Dilyara Sadrieva, a Russian Muslim, the successful entrepreneur and designer behind Bella Kareema fashion. I started making Islamic clothes as a hobby, because I wanted them for myself, she says. Most of the halal clothes sold in Russia come from Turkey or the Middle East, but they are not suited for our climate or taste so I decided to do something about it. Two years later, Bella Kareema was selling hundreds of items per year and taking part in fashion shows in London, the UAE and Turkey. My secret, I think, is elegance, combining culture and tradition with the need for a personal touch. And I know I am good at it: half of my customers are non-Muslim women that like the style and are looking for a sober dress. READ MORE: Bake-offs, hijabs and attacks against Muslim women in the UK Local entrepreneurs and designers are not the only ones to have jumped on the modest fashion bandwagon. Large international brands such as DKNY, H&M and Uniqlo have all created collections to cater to the Muslim market. More recently D&G unveiled its abaya and hijab collection, causing a stir in the luxury fashion world and setting a precedent other design houses are likely to follow. Italian entrepreneur Paolo Costanzo, the founder of Infinita group, and the regional representative of the Islamic Fashion and Design Council, is about to launch a luxury fashion website catering to high-end Muslim consumers. We have entered [into] agreements with a great number of small Italian producers [who are] able to deliver top quality products, Costanzo says. We have also teamed up with local designers and bloggers to really understand the market. For the longest time Muslim consumers have been treated as passive, as unable to choose, but they are more active then ever and we need to be careful to their specific needs if we dont want to be left out. Rabia Z agrees. I am happy foreign fashion brands are entering the modest fashion industry, she says. It means more choice for the consumer. But I also would like large brands to not see this market as a mere money making opportunity. I put my soul in my work, its a way to empower Muslim women and give them choice, help them express themselves and it should remain this way. As the citys traditionally liberal identity is challenged, we meet those on the right who stand to gain. Cologne, Germany Famous for its fun-loving carnival and vibrant artistic scene, Cologne has long been considered a left-wing city. But the events of New Years Eve, when hundreds of women reported being robbed and assaulted, may be challenging that tradition and allowing the right to gain more of a foothold here Police had registered 516 complaints, and, according to officials, many of those accused were of North African origin, which has led some to demand that the government re-evaluate its asylum policy. More than 1.1 million asylum seekers arrived in Germany in 2015, but experts suggest that Germanys once-welcoming culture is shifting and falling more in line with the position promoted by anti-immigration parties. Now, the citys leftist identity is seemingly being challenged. On January 9, more than 1,700 protesters attended a demonstration led by a coalition of right-wing groups in Cologne. So, if attitudes are changing here, who stands to gain? Putting fingers in wounds In the October 2015 municipal elections, Henriette Reker, who represents a coalition between the leftist Greens and centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), was elected mayor. That came a day after she survived an assassination attempt by an assailant who expressed anti-refugee sentiments. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) won only 4.01 percent of the vote. Founded in 2013 as a response to the euro crisis, the AfD is seen as likely to inherit disenchanted conservative CDU voters who disagree with some of the policies of CDU president and the countrys chancellor, Angela Merkel. We ask the tough questions and put our finger in the wound wherever possible, Hendrik Rottmann, the AfD chairman in Cologne, told Al Jazeera via email. Carlo Clemens is the president and cofounder of the Cologne chapter of Young Alternative, the AfDs youth faction, which has 70 members. Born in Bavaria to a Filipina mother and German father, the 26-year-old history student describes the political group as Germanys most rebellious youth organisation. We are standing for a politics that is more patriotic so that [Germans] have a normal way of thinking about [their] own identity, he says, standing beside the imposing Cologne Cathedral. For Michael Gautsch, the vice president of Young Alternative in Cologne, the AfD is the political party most closely aligned with his beliefs. The 26-year-old, who has one German parent and one Russian parent, says that he thinks it is important to question government policy even on sensitive issues such as immigration and further European integration. The [AfDs] biggest challenge is to sensitise people to the fact that its not bad when youre critical, he says. Despite their multicultural origins, both men say that they have been made to feel welcome in the Young Alternative and the AfD, which runs on an anti-immigration platform. According to the government, one in every five Germans has a parent or grandparent from another country. The Young Alternative says that it supports accepting those refugees it considers to be fleeing for their lives, but Clemens and Gautsch say that only three percent of asylum seekers in Germany qualify for such protection according to the Dublin Regulations, a European Union law that aims to determine the EU member state responsible for processing an asylum claim (often the point of entry into the EU), and safe country of origin cases, which are claims of people from safe countries in instances where its proven that a threat of persecution exists if they were to return. The group also calls for swift deportation measures for failed asylum requests and refugees who commit crimes. The local right As far as far-right political parties are concerned, Pro Koln is as local as it gets. The populist movement was founded in Cologne in 1996 as an anti-immigration and anti-Islamisation party. It would be hard to imagine a more quintessential Cologner than Michael Gabel, Pro Kolns chairman. The 55-year-old is openly gay and has enjoyed a long career as a theatre actor in the citys vibrant arts scene. But, he says, he has lost some professional opportunities as a result of his political affiliation. Gabel says that he decided to join the party after a physical confrontation with a group of Turkish men in 2008. I had it up to here. I had never experienced such an attack in Germany, he explains from his office. He has since become an active protester against mosques in Cologne, organising demonstrations whenever plans for a new one are announced. Pro Koln wants to place limits on the number of asylum seekers Germany takes in and believes that any asylum seeker who has arrived in Germany via a safe third country, such as Turkey, Italy or Greece, should be swiftly returned. We are just asking that laws [such as the Dublin Regulation] be applied, explains Gabel. At Pro Kolns weekly citizens meetings, about 30 dedicated supporters cram into a small room to discuss their concerns. The mostly greying members express their fear of young, male, Muslim refugees and say that they are worried about the safety of women in the city. An attendee suggests that women should demand the right to carry weapons to protect themselves. Another shouts that all refugees regardless of their country of origin should be sent back to their homelands. Another attendee expresses her support for non-Muslim refugees who face religious persecution. Just a patriotic girl Melanie Dittmer is a key player in Colognes far-right scene. Since arriving from nearby Essen three years ago, she has cofounded three branches of Pegida, the German acronym for Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West in the area, including Kogida the Cologne version of the movement that started in Dresden before launching her own initiative, Identity Action, in 2014. But the 37-year-old rejects the two adjectives commonly used to define her: right-wing and Nazi. I am a patriotic girl and identitarian because I fight for a Central and Northern European identity, she says from her home in Bornheim, a village near Cologne. Dittmer was 15 when she joined the Young National Democrats, the youth wing of the National Democratic Party (NPD), which is often described as a neo-Nazi organisation. Of the assaults on New Years Eve, she says: Women cannot feel safe because some [Muslims] think differently about women than people [in Germany] do. If she had her way, Germany would halt all asylum applications while reinforcing its borders with fences and extra security personnel. I would buy buses and planes to take [asylum seekers] out of Europe in a humane and nonviolent way, she explains. Dittmer says members of the left-wing Antifa movement have physically attacked her, including one altercation that left her needing hospital treatment, and that she now always takes her dog, some pepper spray and a Kubotan key chain weapon with her when she walks around Cologne. She says that she intends to run for office in the next municipal elections in 2020, but has not yet decided which party she would like to stand for. The persistent comparison The spectre of Germanys Nazi past seems to loom over so much of the discussion on refugees and immigration, but many on the right insist it is time for the German political discussion to evolve beyond the Nazi paradigm. It is mea culpa from morning to the evening, says Dittmer. READ MORE: Berlins refugee youth The relationship between the right-wing parties and the German press is also fraught with distrust. Many on the right dislike the way sections of the press refer to any party right of the CDU as neo-Nazis, while they refer to most media outlets as the lying press. Clemens says labelling political parties as Nazi is a strategy to push their ideas out of the acceptable range for political debate. If you push [the AfD] outside of the legitimate range of public discussion, then people have social pressure to stay away from us, he adds. Werner Patzelt, a professor of Comparative Government and Political Communication at the Dresden University of Technology and a commentator on the right in Germany, argues that a gap of representation has emerged as a result. Colognes shifting public opinion Over recent years, the perceived failings of German immigration policies have become the rallying point for far-right groups. But public opinion has not been on their side. However, the tide may just be beginning to turn. A poll recently published by public broadcaster ARD revealed that 51 percent of those questioned were sceptical of Angela Merkels plan for refugees. It is the first time more than half of all respondents have disagreed with their chancellor. After the New Years Eve attacks, people in Cologne are very frustrated. They have been very welcoming and this is the thanks they get, says Michael Gautsch. Right-wing leaders say that interest in their political parties has rocketed. They have all reported an increase in social media likes and followers, supportive emails and increased turnout at events. Patzelt expects the Eurosceptic AfD to gain the most public support of all right-wing parties in future elections. The Cologne events have significantly increased support for the AfD as a new party between the Christian Democrats (CDU) and the far right, he told Al Jazeera via email. But the left does not necessarily agree. Guldane Tokyurek, a member of Colognes city council from the left-wing Die Linke, said: The far right tries to exploit the fears many people have after the sexual attacks on New Years Eve. But the community of Cologne stood up against those attempts in the past and will continue to do so in order to defend the citys liberal and tolerant character. We have to make sure that women in Cologne are safe and feel safe, Tokyurek continued. For this purpose, we are developing an action programme against sexism. The far right does not have any solutions. They are causing even more trouble and distrust because they thrive on it. With the next municipal elections due in 2020, it is yet to be seen how far politics in the city will swing to the right and if Colognes liberal identity will recover. Refugees and those who work with them in the city worry that if it does not, they are the ones who will pay the greatest price. After New Years Eve, we have noticed an increase in racially motivated hostility and crime, said Marianne Jurgens, a spokeswoman for Caritas, a Catholic charity working with refugees in Cologne. There is a changing mood in an otherwise very tolerant city. It gives the impression that an entire group is blamed for the events. So we have concerns that our visitors and residents are the new victims. As talks get under way, the PYDs leader is staying in Geneva waiting for an invitation that seems unlikely to come. Geneva, Switzerland The leader of the most powerful Kurdish group in Syria, which currently controls about 15 percent of the country, is sitting with two of his aides in a modest apartment in a quiet neighbourhood not far from the UN headquarters in Geneva. Salih Muslim, who left his family in the restive Syrian city of Kobane, is waiting to receive an invitation to the peace talks being held here between the Syrian government and the Syrian opposition. But this seems unlikely to happen any time soon. UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura has already sent out the invitations and the talks have begun. Muslim and his PYD party have been excluded, despite the fact that the Kurds were the most successful fighting force on the ground in 2015. The armed wing of the party, the YPG, has managed to regain much of Syrias traditionally Kurdish territory from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), and according to the IHS think-tank, expanded the territory under its control by 186 percent within a year to occupy 15,800 square kilometres of Syria. There is something we really want: the peace process to be started in Syria, the softly-spoken leader told Al Jazeera. Its impossible for it to be done if we are not part of it. We are sincere and we are genuine and we would like to be part of it. RELATED: Inside Story Is there any hope for the Syria talks? Like his impeccably ironed white shirt, Muslims calm demeanour gives little clue to the fact that this is a man who has come from a battlefield or that, in 2013, his youngest son was killed fighting ISIL in the Kurdish-dominated Tal Abyad. Neither does it hint to his more than two decades of activism for Kurdish rights. The small, simply furnished apartment in which he is staying also says little about his influence as a political leader. We havent been invited. The Swiss government made some arrangement for us and other groups to be here, and we made it as a preparation for the peace process. We will get ready, but we have not had any invitation for now, Muslim explained. Some prominent voices have been against his attendance. The main opposition delegation, which was formed in Riyadh last month and includes a broad spectrum of opposition groups, accused the PYD of cooperating with the government of President Bashar al-Assad during the war. And Turkey, a key regional player, says the party is linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a 32-year insurgency against the Turkish state that has seen more than 40,000 killed and is listed as a terrorist group by the European Union and the United States. Muslim denies both claims, saying they are lies fabricated by Ankara. We are part of the Syrian revolution, the 65-year-old insists. The relation with Assad is just an accusation. Everybody knows that we have been struggling against the regime since 2004, seven years before the start of the Syrian revolution. We have had many martyrs killed by the regime, he continued. In 2004, a bloody crackdown by government troops on Kurdish demonstrations left an estimated 30 people dead. Anti-Assad in words Muslim says that since 2003, he has frequently been imprisoned by Assads government. But the fact that the YPG has rarely engaged in clashes with government forces since the mass uprising erupted in 2011 has raised questions about its alliances. Government troops simply withdrew from Kurdish areas during the conflict, and the YPG stepped in to replace them, leaving the Kurdish group to govern those areas and protect them from ISIL when it attempted to expand. Why doesnt the YPG launch at least one attack against regime troops? Maksim Alissa, a Syrian- Kurdish journalist, asked Al Jazeera, adding that Muslim is anti-Assad in words but not action. Alissa suggests that after the deterioration of relations between Syria and Turkey following the start of the uprising, Assads government decided to reach out to Muslim and his party to annoy Ankara. But Muslim says the Kurdish area is currently surrounded by extremists, and it is them the YPG is focusing its fight on. We are not only fighting ISIL but the mentality of ISIL, like Jabhat al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham. They have the same mentality. And we are also against the regime if they attack us, he told Al Jazeera. A representative of Ahrar al-Sham, one of the most effective fighting groups across Syria, is part of the opposition delegation included in the Geneva talks. When asked what he thought of that, Muslim said: If they are coming for the peace process then its OK. It means they believe in a democratic solution and a political solution. The first step in this process is ceasefire. So if they accept [a] ceasefire and are ready for a political solution, then any group which is genuine to accept this is no problem for us. A month ago, I was seated in a dimly-lit room in downtown Karachi, talking to militants representing three factions of the Taliban-al-Qaeda conglomerate that has ruled the underworld of Afghanistan and Pakistan since the 1990s. Not generally eager to reveal themselves, let alone to talk shop with a journalist, previous twice-yearly encounters had been rather stiff affairs in which the militants would be hospitable, but not particularly forthcoming. In the latter half of 2015, however, the militants were the ones repeatedly requesting a meeting and when it took place in December, it was clear that these hardened prodigies of Mullah Mohammed Omar and Osama bin Laden were alarmed by the rapidity with which the Khorasan governorate of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group has gained strength in Afghanistan. Officials there recently said that ISIL now controls 10 of the 21 districts of eastern Nangarhar province, and has expanded into neighbouring provinces, reaching as far as the borders of Kabul province. Broken bonds of allegiance It was chilling to see expressions of dread on the faces of men, each of whom have fought and ruthlessly killed in Afghanistan, Kashmir, Chechnya and beyond. What worried them most was the ease with which ISIL had persuaded al-Qaedas best or worst operations commanders as they were scattered from the North Waziristan tribal area by the Pakistani military. ALSO READ: ISIL prolongs US war of contradictions in Afghanistan The militants estimated that about 80 percent of their colleagues had broken the bonds of allegiance withered by the 2011 killing of Bin Laden and snapped by the 2013 demise of Omar, disclosed last July. As in Afghanistan and Pakistan, ISIL has used the propaganda value of its sick antics in the Middle East, Africa and Europe... by By the second half of January, it had become apparent that the ISILs expansion into Afghanistan was not merely a natural, isolated expansion into a country torn by civil war, well known to the elders of Raqqa, who had lived, trained and fought there as al-Qaeda jihadists for the decade up to the US invasion of 2001. Instead it was part of a strategic expansion into Asia, home to 62 percent of the worlds estimated 1.6 billion Muslims ISIL grabbed the headlines in Indonesia and Malaysia, the Muslim-majority states of Southeast Asia, by carrying out a somewhat amateurish attack on a central business district of Jakarta, nonetheless creating the kind of media hype that ISIL feeds on. Soon after, officials in both countries disclosed that they had been alerted to the threat of ISIL-inspired attacks on public gatherings and foreigners over the Christmas and New Year holiday, and were able to prevent them by deploying tens of thousands of security personnel and arresting of the plotters. Propaganda value As in Afghanistan and Pakistan, ISIL has used the propaganda value of its sick antics in the Middle East, Africa and Europe to attract the several hundred orphaned militants from Indonesia and Malaysia to the frontline in Iraq and Syria. It has also been working to create cells in Southeast Asian countries in which Muslim minorities suffer a sense of disenfranchisement or persecution: China, Myanmar, Philippines and Thailand. Security analysts say an ISIL cell, comprising Turkey-based Uighur dissidents from Chinas western Xinjiang province, was responsible for the bombing of Bangkoks Erawan Shrine in August. The same cell was said to have established a regional network in southern Thailand, where occasional clashes between Muslim separatists and Thai security forces have been going on for decades. Uighur militants associated with the al-Qaeda-affiliated East Turkestan Islamic Movement were previously based in Pakistans tribal areas until forced to relocate to Syria by the military offensive there in the summer of 2014. The same cell was subsequently reinforced by Syrian militants sent to Thailand in late October to target Russians, according to an alert sent to the Thai authorities by Russias FSB security agency. ALSO READ: ISIL wont get very far in Afghanistan for now Now the cell is instrumental in ISILs aim of uniting the disparate groups of the region under the umbrella of a new governorate, the leadership of which is being contested by figures in Indonesia and Malaysia, and in the Muslim-majority Philippine state of Mindanao, where President Benigno Aquino is struggling to obtain Congressional ratification for a 2014 autonomy agreement with Muslim separatists. As in Afghanistan, officials are warning of the dangerous ramifications of providing ISIL with the political space in which to establish a beachhead in Mindanao. Meanwhile, Indian authorities arrested members of an ISIL cell on suspicion of plotting an attack on the Republic Day parade in New Delhi attended by French President Francois Hollande, which went off without incident on Tuesday. Political circumstances and time, it seems, are on ISILs side. Tom Hussain is a journalist and Pakistan affairs analyst based in Islamabad. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. Doctors Without Borders says 16 people have died in the besieged town despite provision of aid in convoys. Residents of the besieged Syrian town of Madaya continue to die of starvation and a lack of medical supplies, despite the delivery of aid earlier this month, according to a leading humanitarian agency. Doctors without Borders (MSF) said on Saturday that at least 16 people close to one person per day have died since three aid convoys entered the town, near the Lebanese border, on January 11. The group said that an estimated 320 people in Madaya are suffering from malnutrition, 33 of whom are are in danger of death if they do not receive prompt and effective treatment. It is totally unacceptable that people continue to die from starvation, and that critical medical cases remain in the town when they should have been evacuated weeks ago, said Brice de le Vingne, MSFs director of operations. Devastating conditions Rebel-held Madaya has been under siege by government forces and Hezbollah fighters since July. Harrowing images of malnourished Madaya residents gripped the world in early January, showing wide-eyed babies without access to milk, and elderly men with cavernous rib cages. We would go for three days without food, then we would go and gather grass to just boil and eat it, Mubarak Aloush, a Madaya resident who managed to escape to Lebanon told Al Jazeera at the time. MSF said that 32 people have died from severe acute malnutrition since December, warning that the town urgently needed emergency aid and permanent medical staff. There needs to be a permanent and independent medical presence in Madaya immediately, as we expect the medical situation to worsen as access to healthcare for people inside remains extremely limited, said De le Vingne. READ MORE: We are living on water and salt Up to two million Syrians are trapped in sieges by the government or by opposition groups, the group said, adding that in many of these areas, medical evacuations are prevented, and necessities like drugs and food are repeatedly blocked at checkpoints. As a result, medical teams in these areas simply cannot cope with the demands they face. The situation in Madaya is even worse as there are no doctors present in the town, MSF said. Humanitarian measures UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has previously warned that the use of starvation as a weapon in Syria amounted to a war crime. All sides, including the Syrian government, which has the primary responsibility to protect Syrians, are committing this and other atrocious acts prohibited under international humanitarian law, he said shortly after the second international convoy in Madaya on January 14. READ MORE: Syria opposition en route to crunch Geneva peace talks A delegation representing Syrias main opposition bloc was travelling to Switzerland on Saturday to assess the intentions of the Syrian government in implementing humanitarian measures that could allow it to join political negotiations. The talks at the UN headquarters in Geneva are the first since two rounds of negotiations collapsed in 2014. Syrias conflict has killed more than 250,000 people, displaced millions and sent hundreds of thousands fleeing as refugees to Europe. Proposed legislation targets Islam as anti-Muslim discrimination soars in the United States, rights groups say. A state politicians bill to bar foreign laws, including Islamic law, from South Carolinas courts is an unnecessary move that fuels anti-Muslim sentiment in the United States, rights groups say. Introduced by State Representative Harry Chip Limehouse, a member of the right-wing Republican party, the bill proposes to bar Islamic jurisprudence and other forms of international defences in state courts. Limehouses bill was passed by a vote of 68-42 in the House branch of South Carolinas legislature. In order to become law, it still needs to be passed by the state Senate. Rising Islamophobia concerns US Muslims The bill comes at a time when several other states are considering similar bills, and just months after at least 31 states vowed to block Syrian refugees from resettling within their respective borders. Robert McCaw, a spokesperson for the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), explained that South Carolinas bill is part of a state and federal trend for support for legislation, which seeks to make the religious principles of Islam illegal. There were at least six anti-foreign law bills introduced in state legislatures across the country in 2015, while a similar bill barring Islamic law from federal courts was reintroduced in Congress last July. These bills overall are designed to stigmatise Muslim communities by seeking to ban state courts from using foreign laws, including Sharia [Islamic] law, McCaw told Al Jazeera. The supporters of these laws fail to mention that American courts are already constitutionally obliged to follow American law. Speaking to Al Jazeera by telephone, state legislator Limehouse defended the bill. We welcome everyone to the US: Christian, Muslim, Jew, he said. But they are going to operate and live under our laws when they get here and hopefully prosper. Limehouse argued that people who immigrate to the US, including Muslims, should take up the American culture. This includes the law of the land by which we run our courts and businesses and everything else. He added: Sharia is not an accepted form of justice in the United States. OPINION: The belief system of the Islamophobes With anti-Muslim sentiment already high, CAIRs McCaw explained that elected officials and candidates have created an environment of fear in order to push for discriminatory programmes and bills. Its obvious that this is an incredibly toxic, anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim environment, and that it has impacted our state and federal legislatures, McCaw said. We have politicians playing off public fears of terrorism to get votes. I want real legislation that keeps us safe and not phony legislation that gives us a false sense of security. US leaders, among them influential presidential candidates, have been accused of stoking anti-Muslim and anti-refugee fears. Trump controversy: Call for US Muslim ban condemned In December, Republican frontrunner Donald Trump called for Muslims to be banned from travelling to the US after 14 people were killed in San Bernardino, California, during an attack carried out by Muslim suspects. Less than a month earlier, the presidential candidate said mosques should be put under surveillance and that he supported implementing a database to track American Muslims. Those comments came in the wake of the deadly Paris attacks carried out by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group that killed 131 people, after which several mosques and Islamic religious centres were vandalised in the US. Wade McMullen, an international human rights lawyer at the Robert F Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, said that legislation banning foreign laws could cause legal complications for people who are party to business, marriage or adoption contracts drawn up in courts abroad, for instance. Any piece of legislation that targets Muslims is anti-democratic, unconstitutional and goes against US values, McMullen told Al Jazeera. Political scapegoating of minority groups is nothing new in this country, he said. Unfortunately, American Muslims are among the prime targets of this political posturing today. Follow Patrick Strickland on Twitter: @P_Strickland_ Violence-hit nation says it has backing of other countries to reject what it sees as a potential invasion force. Burundi said it has the backing of other nations in refusing to accept an African Union (AU) peacekeeping force as leaders from across the continent met ahead of an unprecedented vote on the potential deployment of 5,000 troops to the crisis-hit country. Talks at the AU Peace and Security Council in Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, attended by presidents and foreign ministers as well as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, stretched late into Friday night in a bid to narrow positions before the opening of a summit on Saturday. AU Peace and Security Council chief Smail Chergui said the stakes are indeed high, but Burundi remained defiant in its opposition to a mission it describes as an invasion force. FIND OUT MORE: Why is Burundi rejecting African Union peacekeepers? Burundis President Pierre Nkurunziza is not attending the talks, but foreign minister Alain Aime Nyamitwe insisted he had the support of other nations in opposing such a deployment. When asked whether he had the backing, Nyamitwe replied with an emphatic: Yes, very strong, you will see, according to a report by the AFP news agency. Al Jazeeras Catherine Soi, reporting from Addis Ababa, said that many people there believed that African leaders will be reluctant to endorse such a move because Burundi is a sovereign country. It has an elected president, it has an elected government even if that election is contested so what perhaps might happen is that these leaders might push more aggressively for political dialogue, a political solution to move the country forward. Gambian President Yahya Jammeh said: It is not only Burundi that is resisting this idea. most interveners in a country are not welcomed, AFP reported. When asked whether he also would oppose a military deployment, Jammeh said: Without the consent of Burundi, yes. A two-thirds majority would be required to send in an AU force, but it remains unclear who would be willing to contribute troops. However, the AU charters Article 4h gives the pan-African bloc the right to intervene in a fellow state in respect of grave circumstances, namely: war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. Ongoing violence Street protests, a failed coup and scattered violence began when Nkurunziza announced in Aprial his intention to run for a controversial third term, which he went on to win in a much-disputed July election. We have said that the deployment of this force is not justified, and we gave the reasons for this rejection, that we believe that the situation in the country is under control, Nyamitwe said. With Nkurunziza unmoved by AU and UN appeals, there have already been moves to water down the proposed military force to that of an observer mission. READ MORE: Foreign journalists among 17 arrested in Burundi swoop The UN has warned that Burundi risks a repeat of a 1993-2005 civil war, with some 400 dead since April and at least 230,000 people fleeing to neighbouring countries. South Sudan on the agenda The AUs Peace and Security Council also discussed efforts to combat terrorism on the continent and the devastating two-year war in South Sudan, which grinds on despite an August peace deal. Like Nkurunziza, South Sudan President Salva Kiir is also not expected to attend the summit on Saturday. But Nhial Deng Nhial, South Sudans government negotiator in peace talks, dismissed concerns negotiations were deadlocked, with violence ongoing and fears of potential famine. READ MORE: South Sudan marks two years of war As far as were concerned, the implementation of the peace process still remains on track, Nhial said. The conflict now involves multiple armed forces who pay little heed to paper peace deals and are driven by local agendas or revenge attacks, analysts say. Tens of thousands have died in the war, more than 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes and 3.9 million South Sudanese face severe food shortages. At least 33 people, including children, die after their boat capsizes while trying to cross from Turkey to Greece. At least 33 refugees, including at least five children, have died after their boat sank in the Aegean Sea while trying to cross from Turkey to a Greek island, according to Turkish media. The refugees had set off from the district of Ayvacik in Canakkale province in an apparent bid to reach the Greek island of Lesbos. State-run Anadolu Agency said that 75 refugees were saved and hospitalised by the Turkish coastguard on Saturday morning. READ MORE: Deadliest January on record for refugees raises alarm With Saturdays deaths included, the number of refugees who have died on their way to Europe so far this month is more than 250 a January record. As of January 29, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) recorded the deaths of at least 244 refugees and migrants who tried to reach Europe via the Mediterranean Sea, almost three times higher than the 82 people who died last January, and overwhelmingly more than the 12 people who died in January 2014. About 850,000 migrants and refugees crossed into Greece last year, paying smuggling gangs to ferry them over from Turkey in often frail boats. In a deal struck at the end of November, Turkey promised to help stem the flow of refugees to Europe in return for cash, visas and renewed talks on joining the EU. Turkey is host to 2.2 million Syrians and has spent around $8.5bn on feeding and housing them since the start of the civil war nearly five years ago. A group of Italian professors and researchers are planning to boycott Israeli academic institutions, saying the schools are complicit in violations of international law and human rights. Some 170 scholars from more than 50 Italian universities and research organisations have signed a pledge committing to the boycott. The signatories described themselves as a solid critical block of scholars who were no longer willing to tolerate Israeli academic complicity with Israels state violence. The utter lack of any serious condemnation on their part since the foundation of the state of Israel led to the initiative, the authors said in a statement. The academics who teach and work at prominent universities, including the University of Bologna, the University of Rome and the University of Milan noted that they were part of a growing global trend of scholars taking a stand for Palestinian rights. READ MORE: UK academics sever ties with Israeli universities I think it is important that members of the Italian academia have joined the international boycott, because this is a sign that even in Italy, the BDS [boycott, divestment and sanctions] movement is becoming mainstream, Federico Zanettin, an associate professor of English and translation at the University of Perugia, told Al Jazeera. The BDS movement is a Palestinian-led campaign that calls for economic and political pressure on Israel to give equal rights to its Palestinian citizens, and to end its occupation of Palestinian and other Arab territories, including the Syrian Golan Heights. The BDS movement brings back the real meaning and value to the notions of political agency and collective actions, Alaa Tartir, programmes director at al-Shabaka Palestinian Policy Network, told Al Jazeera. [The] reality of popular ownership to one of the tools for the self-determination struggle, is a key factor that explains the success, legitimacy and influential role of BDS. Tartir pointed to the spread of boycotts on campuses across Europe and the United States as evidence of the movements growing success. This is how the relationship between the occupied and the occupier should be: a relationship based on continuous confrontation to realise rights, he said. This is why it constitutes a major source of hope for Palestinians at home and in exile. Late last year, more than 300 academics from dozens of British universities pledged to boycott Israeli academic institutions to protest against what they called intolerable human rights violations against the Palestinian people. This came after a group of writers and academics, among them the renowned author JK Rowling, criticised boycotts that singl[ed] out Israel as divisive and discriminatory. It was clear at that point that all my concerns about academic freedom simply could not be prioritised over the rights of the Palestinian people. by Francesca Biancani, adjunct professor at Bologna University Italys boycott proponents have also faced some resistance at home over the years. Italian author Umberto Eco criticised a cultural boycott of Israel at the 25th Jerusalem Book Fair in 2011. Eco, one of Italys most celebrated authors, said: I consider it absolutely crazy and fundamentally racist to identify a scholar, a private citizen, with the politics of his government. In Israel, the Association of University Heads condemned the BDS initiative, calling it an aggressive global anti-Israel campaign, orchestrated by a fringe interest group, who for several years has supported the spreading of demonic lies against the State of Israel. Over the past several years, the BDS movement has been leading a hate campaign on academic, political and economic fronts, in order to incite hatred towards Israel, the association said in a statement to Al Jazeera. [Such] ideas have no place in academia. Academic boycotts clearly contradict both academic ethos and values and contaminate academic collaborations and international research overall. The association added: It is both ironic and absurd that specifically those supporting such boycotts are using politics in an attempt to incite and introduce hatred and racism into the Israeli academia. With these actions, they are attempting to create a division where one does not exist. FORUM: How can Palestinians legally fight occupation? The signatories say the initiative is particularly significant because of the special relationship between Israel and Italy. Italy [is] one of Israels key military and academic partners in Europe, the declaration noted. A military cooperation agreement between the two countries provides for joint military research, training exercises and development of weapons systems. In March, the Italian Society for Middle Eastern Studies will host a panel discussion on the general implications of academic and cultural boycott campaigns against Israel during its annual conference in Catania. This will mark the first time an academic association in Italy has publicly debated the Palestinian call for BDS. Simona Taliani, assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Turin, said Italian academics had just started to become engaged in boycott efforts. The campaign is important because it better informs academics in Italy, Taliani told Al Jazeera. Its so urgent to let people [become] aware of the complicity of Israeli universities in military investments and the repressive system against Palestinians. According to the signatories, the declaration also serves to support Palestinian scholars who experience grave human rights violations and denial of their basic academic freedoms. The initiative, however, does allow for individual collaborations with Israeli peers. OPINION: Game changer 10 years of BDS The boycott focuses specifically on the Haifa-based Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, which has developed technologies that have been employed by the Israeli military such as remote-controlled bulldozers used to demolish Palestinian houses. Some of Italys largest universities have collaborated with Technion, which develops dangerous technologies for the systematic colonisation of Palestine, Gabriele Usberti, a professor at the University of Siena, told Al Jazeera. The signatories to the boycott pledge said that a number of Italian universities had cooperation agreements with Technion, including the Polytechnic Universities of Milano and Turin, and the universities of Cagliari, Florence, Perugia, Rome and Turin. A spokesman for Technion declined to comment on the allegations pertaining to the institute, and referred Al Jazeera to the Association of University Heads. For some of the signatories, the decision to take part was not easy. Francesca Biancani, an adjunct professor at Bologna University, said she decided to heed the call for a boycott after a complex and at times painful process and long consideration, following 15 years of visits to Israel and the Palestinian territories. Episodes of racist comments made by academics, and measures approved by academic institutions Tel Aviv University for one to financially support students serving in the army in those days hit the bottom line in my view, Biancani told Al Jazeera. It was clear at that point that all my concerns about academic freedom simply could not be prioritised over the rights of the Palestinian people. Two arch-rivals have resolved their differences, raising hopes that Lebanon will finally be able to select a president. Beirut January 18 was a historic day for Lebanon: The leaders of the countrys most powerful Christian factions decided to put 30 years of bloodshed and political bickering behind them. Samir Geagea, head of the Lebanese Forces (LF), announced last week his endorsement of Michel Aoun, an ex-army general and head of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), for president. In doing so, Geagea essentially withdrew his own bid to be nominated president. The announcement, which took place at Geageas residence in the presence of an assortment of LF and FPM officials, was marked by the two former strongmen cutting cake together. The gesture signalled an end to a long and bloody feud, in which hundreds of cadres on both sides sacrificed their lives. READ MORE: Lebanon politician endorses rivals presidential bid During Lebanons 1975-90 civil war, Geagea headed a right-wing Christian militia allied with Israel, while Aoun was the head of the Lebanese army. Aoun fled to France and lived in exile until 2005, when he returned to Lebanese politics, while Geagea was convicted and handed four life sentences for assassinations he took part in during the civil war. He was released in 2005 during an amnesty agreement and also returned to politics. Analysts and political players see Geageas endorsement of Aoun as a move to strengthen Lebanons Christian minority in the face of rising tensions between the Middle Easts two dominant forces, Shia-majority Iran and Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia. What we have been seeing is an increased polarisation between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which translates to polarisation between the Sunnis and the Shias and thus the creation of a different dynamic in the region, explained Maha Yahya, a political analyst at Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. This has prompted concern within the Christian camps to join together and protect themselves in a war that theyre being dragged into This rapprochement is definitely a game-changer on many fronts. According to a source involved in the Geagea-Aoun rapprochement, the move is absolutely necessary in order to protect the Christians in Lebanon. Look at the Christians in the region at the moment, he said. We need to be united. Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014, and despite holding 33 presidential election sessions thus far, opposing parliamentary blocs have boycotted the sessions to prevent a quorum. The Lebanese constitution requires that the president be a Maronite Christian, and until recently Lebanons rival political camps, the Saudi-backed March 14 alliance and the Iranian-backed March 8 alliance, each endorsed their own candidate: Samir Geagea and Michel Aoun respectively. But will the reuniting of Lebanons Christians be enough to finally elect a president? Political alliances and manoeuvrings in the country are steeped in enough drama and controversy to rival any soap opera plotline and the presidential election is no exception. Last November, former Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri, the leader of the March 14 bloc, attempted to break the presidential stalemate by endorsing Suleiman Franjieh, a stalwart March 8 leader and bitter rival of Geagea, whom Hariri had previously backed. While many see Hariris nomination of Franjieh as the primary reason behind Geageas surprise move in endorsing arch-nemesis Aoun for president, others point out that the rapprochement between Geagea and Aoun has been in the works for many months now. I don't see an election happening on February 8... But then again, a lot can happen between now and two weeks' time. Two weeks in Lebanon is like a lifetime elsewhere. by Maha Yahya, political analyst Did Geagea nominate Aoun because Hariri nominated Franjieh, or did Hariri nominate Franjieh because Geagea and Aoun were moving closer? said one source within the March 8 movement. According to Rabie Barakat, a political commentator and opinion editor at the Lebanese daily newspaper As-Safir, Geagea decided to endorse Aoun because he was spending a lot of the time taking the back seat without gaining much from his political allies. Domestically speaking, this move is a game-changer, as it has overcome the stalemate based on the previous fault lines of March 8 and March 14, Barakat added. Sources within the March 8 movement have also said the rapprochement was encouraged by the Vatican, who consider it important for Christians to be united in the Middle East. Aoun supporters see Geageas endorsement as necessary given the current climate in the region. This was long overdue and absolutely necessary, said Nadeem Khoury, a long-time supporter of Aoun from the Christian-majority Metn area. We will sign a deal with the devil if we need to, for the sake of the Christians. Yet both sides of Lebanons political divide have concerns about what will happen in the long term. March 8 sources admit that Aoun has become so fixated on reaching the presidency that he will do pretty much anything to get to the chair, said one source. And this move has brought him one step closer. Others within March 8 have voiced concern that Geageas alliance with Saudi Arabia and the United States, coupled with his former alliance with Israel during the civil war, will cast a shadow over the March 8 Christians. Meanwhile, some within the March 14 camp have dismissed both Geageas and Hariris endorsements as blunders. Hariris blunder was nominating Franjieh. You cant be the leader of a political camp and nominate someone from the only opposing political camp, and do so without consulting your allies. This shows lack of leadership, said one March 14 source. At the same time, Geageas response to this blunder was another blunder. He had an immense opportunity to be a leader with Lebanons Sunnis, and hes just sacrificed this. VIDEO: Lebanons deepening crisis Both major presidential candidates now, Aoun and Franjieh, are considered pro-Hezbollah. And Geagea has been able to put aside personal issues regarding his relationship with Aoun and step up as a leader of the Christians, gaining supporters within the FPM camp for his endorsement of Aoun. Nevertheless, this does not mean Lebanon is any closer to electing a new president. The Amal movement, which is led by Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri and is a significant component of the March 8 bloc, has made it clear that its preferred candidate is Franjieh. And Hariris bloc, which holds the largest number of seats in parliament, will not be voting for Aoun. This leaves observers unconvinced that recent developments will lead to the election of a new president the 34th session is scheduled for February 8 until the regional impasse is resolved. I dont see an election happening on February 8, Yahya said. If we are going to connect a president here with some sort of resolution between Saudi and Iran, Im not holding my breath. But then again, a lot can happen between now and two weeks time, she added. Two weeks in Lebanon is like a lifetime elsewhere. Next Sunday, some 80 mosques will invite the public in to counter negative stereotypes about Britains Muslim minority. Mosques across Britain are planning to open their doors to the public in a bid to counter negative stereotypes about Muslims next week, against a backdrop of rising Islamophobia. Facilitated by the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), more than 80 mosques will participate in the Visit my Mosque day on February 7 in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Its an opportunity for Muslims in the UK to put themselves out there and reach out to their local neighbours, an MCB spokesman told Al Jazeera. The day will allow for people to meet face-to-face, get to know each other and tackle misconceptions. Visitors of all faiths and none can visit one of the participating mosques, where they will be welcomed to ask questions, go on guided tours and have tea and snacks with volunteers and those who run the place of worship. READ MORE: Muslims face worsening environment of hate in the UK There are at least 2.7 million Muslims in Britain, or less than five percent of the 64 million-strong population. Around half of British Muslims are born in the UK. We hope that the achievement will be that people of different faiths, and those with none, will better understand us, and we will be more integrated with everybody, Abdul Majid, chairman of the participating Camberley Mosque, told Al Jazeera. Typically, around 300 people usually attend Friday prayers at his mosque in Surrey in the southeast of England. We live in a small town, so we dont have many problems in this area. But there has been some misunderstanding in the media about Muslims, and this is the whole reason we are doing this day to foster understanding. OPINION: The right way to address Islamic schools in the UK Across the country, there have been more cases of Islamophobia following the attacks in Paris last November, which left 130 people dead. The November attacks were claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group, triggering a backlash against Muslim minorities in countries including France, Britain and the United States. Earlier in January, France held a similar open-door event to encourage integration, while Australia hosted a mosque open day in October last year. According to figures by the Metropolitan Police, which is responsible for Greater London, there has been a sharp rise in Islamophobic crimes. In December 2015, the force recorded some 158 offences across the capital, where the victims were known or perceived to be Muslim, more than three times as December 2014, when there were 50 Islamophobic crimes. READ MORE: Islamophobia surges amid a politics of fear Ive been in situations where people swear at me because Im a Muslim, Fatima Manjra, a volunteer at the Darul Arqam Mosque in Leicester, told Al Jazeera. I was just driving home from work one day, and some people cursed, calling me a f*****g raghead. I was on my own, I had to stay calm. Darul Arqam Mosque is another mosque taking part in the event next Sunday. I didnt report it [the incident]. I didnt know if it was worth reporting at the time Were not safe from this [Islamophobia]. Last year was the first time a national open-door mosque event was held in Britain. Then, only 20 or so mosques participated. Its incredibly important right now, given the negative attention Muslims receive in the media, said Manjra. If you open a building up and show its social value, people will see that we are normal people just trying to get by. I hope people will see that there is nothing that we are hiding. Follow Anealla Safdar on Twitter: @anealla Investigators believe funds earmarked for social development projects could have been stolen as scandal deepens. Swiss prosecutors have asked Malaysian authorities for help investigating the possible disappearance of about $4bn from a state-owned company at the centre of a corruption scandal. Investigators believe the funds earmarked for economic and social development projects may have been stolen. A small portion of the cash was transferred into Swiss accounts held by former Malaysian officials as well as current and former officials from the United Arab Emirates, the Swiss attorney generals office said in a statement on Friday. To date, however, the Malaysian companies concerned have made no comment on the losses they are believed to have incurred, prosecutors added. READ MORE: Support for Malaysias PM Najib dwindles after scandal The object of the request for mutual assistance is therefore to advise the companies and the Malaysian government of the results of the Swiss criminal proceedings, with the aim of finding out whether losses on this scale have been sustained. In September, authorities announced the freezing of tens of millions of dollars worth of assets held in Swiss accounts as part of the investigation. The attorney generals office said the assistance request was made as part of criminal proceedings opened last August against two former officials of Malaysian state-owned fund 1MDB (1Malaysia Development Berhad) and persons unknown. They are suspected of bribing foreign officials, misconduct in a public office, money laundering and criminal mismanagement, the office said. Derision and questions So far four cases involving allegations of criminal conduct and covering the period from 2009 to 2013 have come to light, the statement said, each involving a systematic course of action carried out by means of complex financial structures. The assistance request had already been discussed at a meeting between the Swiss attorney general and his Malaysian counterpart in Zurich in September, the statement added. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has been under heavy political pressure over allegations that hundreds of millions of dollars were missing from deals involving 1MDB. He has for months denied accusations that huge payments into his own bank accounts just before a hotly contested 2013 general election were syphoned from the now-struggling state-owned company. The Malaysian attorney generals office said in a statement on Saturday it would take all possible steps to follow up and collaborate with its Swiss counterpart, but noted that the investigations into donations made to Najib were entirely separate from those into 1MDB Najib was cleared of corruption on Tuesday when Malaysias attorney general said the Saudi royal family was the source of the $681 million donation to his personal accounts. Najib returned $620m to the Saudis as the money was not used, attorney general Mohamed Apandi Ali said. The announcement triggered derision and fresh questions in a country well-used to graft allegations. Opposition delegates say they will leave if government does not lift sieges on rebel-held areas and stop rocket attacks. Syrias main opposition bloc is holding its first meeting with UN envoy Staffan de Mistura in Geneva, before talks aimed at ending the war. Were optimistic and we are here to really find a solution for all Syrians no matter what side they are on, Salim al-Muslet, spokesman for the High National Committee (HNC), told reporters on Sunday. We wish to see food reaching the starving women and children. We want to see the women released from the regimes prisons. Representatives of the Saudi Arabia-based group HNC landed in the Swiss city late on Saturday, a day after a delegation representing the regime of President Bashar al-Assad arrived and held preliminary talks with de Mistura. HNC is threatening to pull out of the UN-sponsored peace talks if what it called the crimes of Assads government persist. Speaking to Al Jazeera in Geneva late on Saturday, Muslet said: We want the peace talks to work, but there is no seriousness on the part of the regime. Muslet said that the HNC would discuss with de Mistura on Sunday its conditions for joining the negotiations, which include the government agreeing to lift sieges on opposition-held areas and stop shelling them and agreeing to release prisoners. The priority is to lift the suffering of the Syrian people, he said. If we see an implementation of these demands, including allowing trucks of aid into besieged areas, we will consider this as a sign of goodwill. Riad Hijab, the HNC coordinator who did not travel to Geneva, said in an Arabic statement posted online that if the regime insists on continuing to commit these crimes, then the HNC delegations presence in Geneva will not be justified. Monzer Makhous, a member of the Syrian opposition delegation, said: We are here to test the intentions of the regime We do not have assurances, we have promises. The proposed intra-Syrian talks are part of a peace plan set out in November by external powers embroiled in the five-year-old conflict, some on different sides. The process envisions elections within 18 months but leaves unresolved the future of Assad, whose government has been making gains on the ground since Russia began supporting it with air strikes since last September. Another thorny issue is which rebel groups will be involved in the talks, though all sides agree on the exclusion of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and the al-Nusra Front, which is seen as allied with al-Qaeda. Turkey has warned Moscow of consequences after saying that a Russian warplane ignored several radar warnings not to violate Turkish airspace, in the latest spat between the two countries. Two months after Turkeys army shot down a Russian jet for allegedly crossing over its territory, Ankara said on Saturday that it had summoned the Russian ambassador after a Russian SU-34 jet crossed into Turkish airspace. The Russian defence ministry denied that there was any violation and dismissed the Turkish accusations as baseless propaganda. There has not been a single violation of Turkish airspace by Russia air force planes in Syria, ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told Russian news agencies. He added that Turkish radar installations were not capable of identifying a particular aircraft or its type or nationality, and that no verbal warning had been issued. Rising tensions Relations between the two countries are at their lowest point in decades, prompted by the November 24 downing of the Russian jet by Turkish forces. Moscow imposed a series of economic sanctions against Ankara after the incident, sparking the biggest crisis between the two countries since the Cold War. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Fridays incident was a sign that Russia wanted issues between the two countries to deteriorate. We regard this infringement which came despite all our warnings in Russian and in English as an effort by Russia to escalate the crisis in the region, Erdogan said on Saturday. If Russia continues the violations of Turkeys sovereign rights, it will be forced to endure the consequences, he added, saying he wanted to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin after the incident. READ MORE: Russians pay the price of new anti-Turkish measures I told our foreign ministry to convey my desire to meet Mr Putin personally. There has been no answer on this yet. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on Russia to act responsibly and take all necessary measures to ensure the blocs airspace was not violated again. A Russian combat aircraft violated Turkish airspace yesterday, despite repeated warnings by the Turkish authorities. Previous incidents have shown how dangerous such behaviour is, Stoltenberg said in a statement on Saturday. Less than two weeks since sanctions were lifted on Iran, President Rouhani visit Europe to drum up investments. It has been less than two weeks since international sanctions were lifted on Iran. And President Hassan Rouhani has wasted no time in seizing new opportunities, embarking on a trip to Europe in which hes signed billions of dollars worth of new business for Iran. As leader of a country thats been isolated for so long, Rouhani probably knows the importance of a charm offensive. And this trip, in which hes met French and Italian leaders, as well as the Pope, is also about restoring Irans image and position in the world. Rouhani says the visit marks a new spring in relations with Europe. With European nations ready to cash in on Irans return to the global economy, will money help restore Irans position in the world? And who stands to benefit from Iran opening up? Presenter: Jane Dutton Guests: Luciano Zaccara Research coordinator in Gulf politics in the Gulf Studies Center at Qatar University Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi Research analyst at Royal United Services Institute. Aniseh is a specialist on EU policy and Iran Shahriar Shahabi Iranian business strategist For more than a month, the United Nations has been preparing for talks aimed at ending the civil war in Syria. Opposition groups held multiple meetings in Riyadh to decide who would attend the talks. And the international community repeatedly debated the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, all in anticipation of negotiations that were scheduled to begin in January. Those talks were delayed once but have now begun. But without main members of the opposition. Theyre demanding that some prisoners be released, and calling for an end to air strikes and sieges. If these conditions arent met, the opposition members say, they wont be joining the talks in Geneva. Representatives of the Syrian government are there, as are some lesser-known members of the opposition and civil society. Theyre meeting with UN envoy Staffan di Mistura separately. But without key opposition figures, what can these Syria talks really accomplish? Presenter: Peter Dobbie Guests: Maram Daoud Member of the Syrian Democratic Front Randa Kassis President & Founder, Movement of the Pluralistic Society Fatih Erel UN Correspondent, Andalou Agency Syrian government and opposition teams are in Geneva, but talks remain stalled. Negotiations aimed at ending Syrias civil war, which has lasted almost five years and killed more than 250,000 people, began in Geneva on Friday. But without Syrias main opposition group. The Higher Negotiating Committee of the opposition has now arrived in Geneva, but talks are still not a guarantee. The opposition leaders flew to Geneva to meet UN officials about certain humanitarian conditions they say are crucial to the talks. And until those are met, theyre refusing to discuss an end to the conflict. The UNs envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura has been meeting the Syrian government delegation, which has been in Geneva since Friday. This first round of talks is meant to last about six months, but with this rocky start, will that be enough time? Presenter: Peter Dobbie Guests: Bassam Bittar Member, Syrian Democratic Council Farah Attassi Member, Riyadh Conference Ian Black Middle East Editor at The Guardian. We look at the Taliban threat and the future of Afghan journalism; plus, Davos global news event or PR exercise? On January 20, journalism in Afghanistan was dealt a killer blow. Seven employees of the countrys first ever 24-hour news network, Tolo TV, were killed when the Taliban targeted their bus in a suicide bombing. Last year, the armed group issued a statement in which it declared Tolo TV and Afghan network 1TV military targets. The threat came in response to the channels coverage of Talibans invasion of Kunduz last September. The stations alleged that fighters had been involved in gang rapes claims the Taliban denied and cited an example of propaganda by these satanic networks. The attack on Tolo TV leaves Afghan journalists between a rock and a hard place, with the threat posed by the Taliban exacerbated by pressure from government officials to report on Afghanistan in a way that suits their version of the political and social story that progress is being made. Until last weeks attack on the media, government officials and those with links to them had been responsible for more threats against Afghan journalists over stories about corruption, land grabs, violence against women and human rights abuses than the Taliban were. The phenomenal growth of Afghanistans media sector has been considered one of the great success stories of the post-2001 reconstruction. But with journalists under fire and pressure from different sides, what does this mean for the future of journalism in the country? Talking us through this story are Lotfullah Najafizada, the head of Tolonews TV; Abdul Mujeeb Khalvatgar, the executive director at Nai; Waslat Hasrat-Nazimi, Afghanistan correspondent at DW; and Frahnaz Frotan, a journalist at Ariana TV. Other stories on our radar this week: Multiple Japanese TV hosts lose their jobs after challenging the official government line; in Morocco, investigative journalists are on trial charged with threatening national security and undermining national territorial integrity; and The Guardian newspaper announces a 20 percent budget cut. Davos: Global news event or PR exercise? Every year, more than 500 journalists congregate in Davos in the Swiss Alps to report on an invitation-only meeting of the global elite, The World Economic Forum. Coverage of the exclusive annual alpine assembly offers business leaders and political figures a great media platform to spin their profit numbers and market their countries. Yet the forum has an optics problem. Advertised as a conference to improve the state of the world, it would be the ultimate place for journalists to challenge the rich on issues as inequalities and yawning wealth gaps. But with financial news outlets deeply embedded in capitalisms status quo, social and economic inequalities are everything but high on the news agenda. The Listening Posts Meenakshi Ravi reports on the annual spectacle that is Davos, the media embedded at the event, and how the forum is reported. And we finish the show in Davos with a selection of quotes compiled by the comms team there. Mantras, slogans intended to inspire but that sometimes work better seen through an ironic lens. Because if you want to grow your brand, you dont really need a new idea. An old one will do, as long as you recycle it and repackage it with some new buzzwords. CONCLUSIONS The International Contact Group for Libya (ICG-L) convened its 5th meeting, at the ministerial level in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 28 January 2016, on the margins of the 26th Ordinary Session of Heads of State and Government of the African Union. The meeting was co-chaired by the African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security, []http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Appa-sourceTheAfric... The Governor of the Bank of Botswana, Ms. Linah Mohohlo, and the Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Mr. Min Zhu, hosted today in Gaborone, Botswana, a regional conference entitled Small Middle-Income Countries in Sub-Saharan AfricaRaising the Bar [1]. Delegates included senior officials from a number of countries representatives of the private sector, []http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Appa-sourceTheAfric... Ethiopia is the latest country to back the campaign, which aims to accelerate universal energy access in sub-Saharan Africa. They pledged to boost solar energy access in a deal signed with Britain at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa. An estimated 5 million households in Ethiopia lack regular electricity access. This not only disrupts []http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Appa-sourceTheAfric... Vice-President in charge of Budget and Human Resources, Kristalina Georgieva and Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, will attend the 26th African Union Summit on Saturday 30 January in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The meeting will provide an opportunity for the EU to again show the African continent our commitment to take forward the []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] You may not know about Prologis, which at 97.54 megawatts trails only Walmart in the amount of installed rooftop solar capacity in the U.S. The company doesn't operate stores, doesn't fret much about what upscale American consumers think about its energy use, and doesn't even have much energy use to offset. Despite the low profile of its buildings and its brand, Prologis is a big-time company. It's the world's largest owner and operator of warehouses, with a portfolio of thousands of nondescript one- and two-story buildings around the world. Boasting 700 million square feet of space (about 25 square miles) in 21 countries, it has a market capitalization of more than $20 billion. Thanks to emerging trends in the production and regulation of renewables, Prologis has figured out how to turn the ultimate waste of space--the flat roof of a warehouse--into an emissions-reducing, money-producing power plant. Prologis has figured out how to turn the ultimate waste of space into a money-producing power plant. Retailers like rooftop solar in part because the juice that the panels produce can offset the high electricity bills created by their lighting, refrigeration, heating, and computers. But warehouses have a different energy profile. Prologis' buildings just kind of sit there. "If you imagine what is inside the facility, it'll be a basic shell, concrete floor, rows of racking filled with pallets, then forklifts driving around the place," says Matt Singleton, vice president for global energy and development at Prologis. Very few people work inside the warehouses. Offices make up about 5 percent of the space. So if solar doesn't cut the power bill much, why does Prologis like it? In a word, it's all about efficiency--of energy, yes, but also capital and space. "Traditionally the only purpose of the roof was to keep the building dry and secure," Singleton says. The company plans to own its buildings for decades. And when your capital is tied up in immobile assets for long periods of time, you want to make the best possible use of it. Most real estate owners can maximize revenues by renting out every inch of usable space at all times. But if you can find a way to produce an alternate revenue stream from the same building, it's gravy. "We were motivated to generate clean power, but also to leverage an underutilized asset," Singleton says. "This is a for-profit activity." Bank of America is preparing to submit 20 blockchain-related patents any day now to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, CNBC reported this week, citing a company spokesperson. The bank has been intrigued by blockchain technology for a couple years, technology and operations chief Cathy Bessant said at a CNBC event in Davos last week, the report said. But the bank is still uncertain how it would apply the technology to its business. Right now B of A just wants to stay ahead of the curve. "For us it's a balance between not wanting to be Neanderthal but not wanting to put something out in a commercial application" that is not ready for it, Bessant said in a videotaped interview that accompanied the CNBC report. B of A had filed 15 blockchain patents as of December, Bessant said. They include a cryptocurrency wire transfer system and a cryptocurrency transaction payment system, according to the patent office's website. The bank did not comment Friday in response to queries by American Banker. Most other financial institutions have been leery of digital currency but intrigued by the potential use of blockchain, a related technology, to settle trades in real-time. Goldman Sachs is the only other bank known to have filed a blockchain patent. The patent office publishes applications 18 months after their filing. Goldman is seeking to patent its own cryptocurrency that would guarantee instant execution and settlement of trades. Perhaps it was a first: a man winning a debate by not showing up. Thats my take, anyway, that Donald Trump prevailed at last nights GOP debate. Although, something curious did happen after the event that gives me pause for thought, but more on that later. The debate served to draw a significant and sharp contrast on todays top (or almost so) issue, immigration -- between Trump and the rest of the field. When the Fox News moderators showed Marco Rubio on video repeatedly saying he wouldnt support amnesty, even by another name, and then Megyn Kelly pointed out that he went on to be part of scamnesty group the Gang of Eight, it was a stake-through-the-heart moment. Even more amusingly, Jeb Bush chimed in and tag-teamed with Kelly; he emphasized that not only did Machiavellian Marco support the amnesty, but repeated at least twice that Rubio asked him to support it as well. Bush said that he did so and that what Rubio did was the right thing, but then castigated the Florida senator for cowardly retreating from his position. So there you had one guy trying to wriggle out of supporting stupidly disastrous policy being cornered by another guy who was proud of his stupidity. I guess its what happens when a wholly resistible force meets a thoroughly movable object. But three things occur to me: 1. I now completely believe the reports about large non-indigenous snakes invading Florida. 2. Oranges arent the only mandarins in the state. 3. Trump should send Bush a check (if I didnt know better, Id think Bush signed on with the Trump campaign). Video of Senator Ted Cruz supposedly supporting the Gang of Eight bill also was played, and, even though Cruz said he was manipulating the Democrats at the time, I suspect it didnt help him with the voters. Cruz explained his position better in an interview with Kelly after the debate than he did during it, pointing out that he was exposing liberal hypocrisy. To wit: the Democrats claimed they just wanted to bring people [illegals] out of the shadows, so Cruz introduced an amendment that would remove the promise of citizenship from the bill but allow for legalization. The idea was, Okay, if emigration from Shadowville is all you want, legalization will do it. But the Democrats balked, said Cruz, saying theyd kill the bill if it had such an amendment. This put the lie to their claims, proving (again) that what theyre interested in is importing undocumented Democrats, as 70 to 90 percent of the illegals will vote Democrat upon being naturalized. Nonetheless, understanding that kind of political maneuvering takes attentiveness and sophistication, so its hard to imagine the video of Cruz helping his cause. Most striking, though, was the complete dislocation from reality exhibited by all the candidates on terrorism. The night was heavy with talk about building up the military and fighting Daesh (ISIS), and securing our open back door to Mexico was mentioned. And rightly so. Yet not one candidate would second Trumps call to suspend Muslim immigration, and some, such as Bush, criticized the idea. Of course, the phenomenon is understandable. Westerners are awash in immigrationism, multiculturalism, religious-equivalence doctrine, and stupidity (but I repeat myself), and a fault common to man is that a building has to fall on him before hes able to break free from established thinking patterns. But heres the reality: We suffer from a collective delusion. FACT: Terrorism today is a Muslim phenomenon, meaning, virtually all the terrorists now bedeviling the West are Islamic jihadists. And its just a numbers game: if over time we admit one million Muslims and just one-tenth of one percent are terrorist-minded or will become so, thats 1000 dangerous jihadists. My figure is likely conservative. But the point is that if this were the 1970s, when the Weathermen were planting bombs, and we knew that a certain class of prospective immigrants shared their ideology, would we admit them? Look, heres the reality: Were under no obligation to accept any class of immigrants -- or any immigrants at all. Where is it written that the U.S. must be the flophouse, soup kitchen, and doormat for the world? If immigration doesnt benefit the host country, guess what? It doesnt happen. Period. Full stop. We dont have to explain it. We dont have to apologize for it. We dont have to feel bad about it. And if its questioned, our only response should be, So when did you become a traitor? The issue of Muslim immigration came up when the debate moderators played a video from the YouTube audience, from a Muslim young lady who lamented the rise in anti-Islamic feeling in America. I have her descriptive in quotation marks because she was quite Western, exhibiting a sartorial splendor that would inspire a beating by Daesh and speaking perfect English. She said that the anti-Islamic sentiment would only encourage Muslims to become terrorists, and Bush chimed in and agreed. This is lunacy. Its this inane, projection-inspired idea that unless were truly, amazingly, unbelievably nice -- bend over backwards and prove to the world what lovable, harmless little fuzzballs we are -- well, these jihadists are really, really gonna get mean. The truth is quite the opposite. Bush et al. should watch this interview with Dr. Nicolai Sennels on the psychology of Islam and Muslims. Dr. Sennels is a Danish psychologist who for years worked in prison with Muslim youth. Among other things, he points out that Islamic culture is radically different from what youre used to: Muslims view displays of anger and violence as synonymous with manliness, and they respect shows of force. And if you react to aggression with passivity and kindness, they view it as weakness and hold you in contempt. They not only will think you can be vanquished -- but that you deserve to be. One might also want to ponder this German study involving 45,000 young people; it found that while increasing religiosity among Christian youths made them less violent, increasing religiosity among Muslim youths actually made them more violent. Wake up, you people in the Bushes; its later than you think. Now we come to the curious post-debate happening. Pollster Frank Luntz conducted a focus group, and one question concerned their feelings on Rubio; you know, the guy not only proven via video to be completely dishonest, but who supported a culture-rending scamnesty bill. When Luntz asked how many in the group had planned on voting for Machiavellian Marco coming into the debate, about three people raised their hands. And after the debate? Forty to fifty percent of those present did. Beam me up, Scotty. It just renews my faith in my lack of faith in the average voter. But the explanation probably lies with a study some years back showing that if a person is articulate and eloquent, hell sway people regardless of what he actually says. Its style over substance, and the slick-talking, eye-candy Florida python has the former in abundance. Having said this, my guess is that Rubio only swayed some undecided low-info voters, and it certainly wont be enough to change his fortunes. As for the biggest presence on stage Thursday night, it was a man who wasnt even there. Image by Ronny Gordon Contact Selwyn Duke, follow him on Twitter or log on to SelwynDuke.com Aristotle once postulated, Nature abhors a vacuum. Meaning that any empty space must be filled with something, even if that something is hot air. Donald Trump, with his pronouncements, promises, and pomp, is filling the vacuum created by the Republican Party. Creating a vacuum requires two conditions. First is an active process of creating the vacuum and second is the lack of anything filling the empty space. Barack Obama created the vacuum and the GOP did nothing to fill it, or at least replace it with something of substance. How did Obama create the vacuum? Easy. His left wing radicalism emptied the country of traditional American values and hope, leaving a vacuum of angst and despair. Two thirds of Americans believe the country is heading in the wrong direction. Obamacare with its false promises and resulting chaos and costs. Open borders bringing the third world into our world, and making the dwindling American work force pay for it all through higher taxes. The Middle East in turmoil with radical jihadists inching closer and closer to America and Iran poised to get nuclear weapons. A thriving grievance industry based on identity group politics. And a culture of political correctness shutting down any criticism or legitimate discussion of these issues. The IRS, the most powerful and feared regulatory agency in the country, is targeting political enemies of the Obama administration, specifically the Tea Party. No one has been held to account, no one fired, no one indicted or jailed. Meaningless Congressional hearings with lots of huffing and puffing, but no accountability. No Congressional oversight. If the political parties were reversed, this would have been a much bigger scandal than Watergate. Instead it was a lot of nothing. Where was the GOP during these past seven years? Two landslide midterm elections gave Republicans control of the House and the Senate. They campaigned promising to stop the Obama agenda, or at least offer substantive opposition to the Democrats. Instead we hear whining and excuses of why they couldnt fulfill any of their campaign promises. Obamacare is still in place, funding intact. The borders are open with refugee migration programs fully funded. Abhorrent Planned Parenthood, selling aborted fetal tissues for profit remains fully funded. Far left judges are readily confirmed by a Republican controlled Senate. Budget deals are passed further increasing the national debt. In turn, debt limits are raised to accommodate the budget deals. No Republican opposition, despite being the majority party in Congress. Where is the GOPs bully pulpit? No effort to rally the support of the millions of voters who gave the GOP large Congressional majorities. Instead the GOP happily signs on to the Obama agenda. The agenda of the left marches merrily along, as if Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid were still running Congress. Along comes Donald Trump, promising to close the borders, build a wall, repeal Obamacare, stop the flood of unverifiable immigrants, with a pithy but resonating promise to Make America Great Again. If Republicans were doing what they promised, offering principled opposition to the Democrat agenda, there wouldnt be a need for a Donald Trump. Or a Ted Cruz. Instead the GOP establishment is directing far more vitriol and pushback to Trump and Cruz then they ever threw at Obama, Reid, or Pelosi. Fox News, a supposed right leaning news network, is at war with Trump. Even many good conservatives at the National Review Online are piling on The Donald. If the Republicans functioned as an opposition party rather than an enabling party, the Obama presidency would have merely nudged the country leftward, rather than turning the country in a far left direction. Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, or John Kasich would be perfectly positioned to take over and nudge the country back to the right. The establishments of both parties would be happy as the status quo would be maintained. Only a small course correction would be needed, not the total turnaround currently necessary. Much as Bill Clinton nudging the country left after George HW Bush, followed by George W Bush nudging the country right after the Clinton presidency. This is the void that Donald Trump is filling. Opposition to the leftist agenda of Barack Obama and his allies in Congress, the judiciary, regulatory agencies, Hollywood, academia, and the media. It didnt have to be Trump. Actually this revolt is bigger than Trump. He just happens to be well positioned and willing to fill this void. Which is why his supporters dont care what he says about migrants, or John McCain, or Megyn Kelly. Or whether he was pro choice once upon a time, or invited Bill and Hillary Clinton to his wedding. Its about the leftist agenda driving full speed ahead, fundamentally transforming America into a country most Americans dont recognize or want. The GOP was elected in two landslides to stop or slow the damage and the GOP did nothing. Thats the void that Donald Trump is filling. If the GOP wonders why Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are leading in the polls, all they have to do is look in the mirror. Brian C Joondeph, MD, MPS, a Denver based retina surgeon, radio personality, and writer. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter. Canadians have long thought of themselves as morally superior to the supposedly vulgar and abrasive Americans. According to the self-justifying Canadian mythos, we embody a more enlightened and humane outlook on the world. In addition to oil, maple syrup, and lumber, our most valuable export -- our gift, we imagine, to our southern neighbors -- is our vision of a sustainable and irenic future. Let us examine the most current incarnation of that vision. Canada is essentially a socialist country, closer to the increasingly decrepit European welfare and statist paradigm than to the (now faltering) classic American model of individual self-reliance. Canada instituted social programs like state-funded medicine relying on major tax hikes long before it became an issue in the U.S., and gambled on multiculturalism as a viable national project, in effect, as a kind of political eschatology. There is no question that the Canadian temper has always been more politically Arcadian than the American. The current refugee question in particular has become a pivotal and collective expression of this temper, with citizens opening their wallets, hearts, and homes to a migratory influx from the Islamic world. Our self-congratulatory generosity is amply demonstrated in the writings of celebrated Constitutional lawyer Julius Grey. Pontificating in the Montreal Gazette, Grey urges the welcoming of thousands of Syrian migrants as we proceed to create a society which has, on the one hand, citizens of myriad origins and, on the other, no barriers between them. The problem that Grey refuses to confront or even identify is that immigrants and refugees from historically backward, theocratic, anti-Semitic, Sharia-dominated, and terror-sponsoring nations are precisely the ones who are creating barriers, such as purpose-built ghettos, no-go zones, closed neighborhoods, special privileges and spaces, an atmosphere of threat, and who have no interest in Western-style individual autonomy and freedom -- Greys chosen vocabulary. Grey is the lawyer for the Muslim-friendly socialist New Democratic Party, but there is not much sunlight between the NDP and the governing Muslim-friendly Liberal Party. Indeed, in the October 2015 Federal election the Liberals, the NDP and the splinter, reactionary-left Greens ran between them a total of 23 Muslim candidates (the leftist/sovereignist Bloc Quebecois fielded two Muslim candidates, raising the combined total to 25 Muslim hopefuls), representing approximately 7 per cent of available parliamentary seats, over twice the Islamic percentage of the population. (The ousted Conservatives fielded only four Muslims.) In the end, the combined electoral seats won by the four left-leaning parties, the Liberals, NDP, Bloc and Greens, clocked in at 71 per cent; the center-right Conservatives polled just 29 per cent. This is the face of Canada today. During the election campaign, Islam became a prominent issue, with Liberal PM Justin Trudeau claiming that there was no place in his Canada for the previous Conservative governments divisive Islamophobia and exaggerated concern for national security. In his victory speech, Trudeau uttered the inevitable pieties a la Obama: We beat fear with hope, we beat cynicism with hard work. We beat negative, divisive politics with a positive vision that brings Canadians together. To a Muslim woman wearing a hijab, he promised a government that believes deeply in the diversity of this country. A perverse illustration of this stupefying attitude comes from the Bank of Nova Scotia (commonly known as Scotiabank), which has welcomed the migrant onslaught with its Welcome Syrians program. (The original webpage featuring large print and colorful graphics now seems to have been scrubbed.) Canadas third largest bank is offering every Syrian a hundred dollar gift deposit, a $2000 limit unsecured credit card, a free safety deposit box for one year and a $50 unsecured overdraft. Customers who bank at the Scotia and pay monthly fees to maintain their accounts have good reason to feel resentful -- unless, of course, they happen to be migrant sympathizers and soft on Islam. These Syrians, not all of whom are Syrians and some of whom are almost surely ISIS jihadists, receive housing, benefits, and gifts without having contributed an iota to the nations economy; indeed, they will be a limitless drain on our resources. The $1.2 billion cost of bringing in these refugees is only the beginning of our fiscal woes. Quoted by the CBC, coordinator Carl Nicholson said many factors have made the task of housing government-assisted refugees more difficult, including the larger-than expected size of some families that have arrived. The accompanying photo shows a couple with six toddlers. No wonder the Liberals shopworn immigration minister John McCallum has solicited the business community for donations in the amount of $50 million. I would encourage all Canadians, companies, individuals, communities, to continue to support the effort because we are entering a critical phase, he said. Darn right on the latter score. My parents and grandparents, fleeing starving, war-torn Ukraine, worked to the bone to earn a living while contributing through taxes to the national welfare. Many Canadians share the same history, yet they are expected to receive and bankroll a large number of migrants who will take advantage of the innumerable perks that our forebears, who fled famine and civil war and who helped build this country, had never enjoyed or even considered their due. Richard Butrick cogently argues in an important article for American Thinker that immigrants who came to America in the 19th and early 20th centuries knew they had to work hard to survive, at the same time contributing to the nations commercial, industrial, and scientific advances. Immigrants today, he continues, know the U.S. is a fail-safe environment, where they are subsidized and coddled. The so-called re-energizing immigration narrative has been superseded by, lets say, a parasitical model based on muddled sentimentality and false calculations, which Canada has bought into without sober forethought. A country built on welfare migrants is not a country built on hardworking immigrants. There are some signs that the Syrian Covenant is becoming more complicated than originally envisaged, as the initial euphoria for the migrants seems to be waning under an unforgiving reality. I have heard that families that have gloatingly affirmed their Canadian values and freely taken Syrians into their homes are petitioning their government for financial help. The City of Ottawa, Canadas capital, has called for a pause to its hospitality for lack of housing, facilities and funds. Toronto, Vancouver, and Halifax have also asked for a hiatus. The bloom is starting to come off the rose -- and the hue off the rose-colored glasses -- for many of these fallow enthusiasts. But with further government subventions and the media propaganda blitz saturating what remains of the Canadian mind, the early stages of skepticism and reluctance will probably lead to nothing much. This is how we do things in Canada. We throw out a Conservative government -- itself an anomaly in our political landscape -- that steered us safely through the devastating market crash of 2007/8, and objected to Islamic face coverings in citizenship swearing-in ceremonies and to the acceptance of barbaric practices in the cultural habits of these new citizens -- and bring in a Liberal administration dedicated to increasing the national debt and gradually submerging the country in an effluvium of Muslim migrants and refugees. The U.S. is clearly heading in the same direction with its national debt swelling exponentially and the inpouring of unvetted Syrian migrants exacerbating an already problematic Islamic infiltration. In effect, its the same set of cultural attributes, a big spending mentality and an open door policy, of which Canada has long been a shining exemplar. This is why the coming election is perhaps the most critical in U.S. history. A Democrat administration under Billary or Bernie would close the gap between our two countries dramatically. And this is why the candidacies of Donald Trump, for all his flaws, and of the Cruzio amalgam despite the media-generated flap over their eligibility, may determine whether America can return to some degree of sanity and a semblance of its former vitality -- or, heaven forfend, become Canada South. Entering the new year, something tragic happened in the world of grammar and language usage. Over 200 linguists of the American Dialect Society met in Washington, D.C. to choose their Word of the Year. They overwhelmingly chose the singular use of the pronoun they. Singular they, as it is called, is not some common usage found in sectors of the American public that has gained a significant following and found its way into the English language. Such is the normal way new word usage gains acceptance. There is certainly nothing wrong with this natural and organic manner of growth. What happened here, however, was something different. This new usage is politically-correct jargon that is being forced on the public. Singular they now refers to those sexually-confused individuals who do not wish to be called he or she. It has been determined that they can now refer to a known person as a non-binary identifier. Predictably newspapers like the Washington Post have already included this usage in their style books. In so doing, they (plural) have declared grammatical war upon the language. It is war, but a dirty war. One cannot help but be struck by the utter mediocrity and cowardice of the august assembly of linguistic warriors. Had these linguists had a bit of courage they might have adopted any of the numerous gender-neutral ridiculous-sounding pronouns such as jee, ney and thon that have already been created by activists to promote their cause. They (plural) could even have gone farther by making up their own new pronouns and challenging the world to use a novel new creation to accommodate the sexually unsure. Instead these jargonists prefer to take a perfectly good pronoun and strip it down to singularity. In so doing, they have mutilated, emasculated, and disfigured this faithful pronoun and emptied it of meaning. These pedantic paladins of political correctness hide behind the excuse that they already has some singular common usages as when used with words like everyone. This can be seen in a sentence: Everyone likes their dogs. However, this is purely a smokescreen in this dirty war to hide an agenda that uses languages as one of its most effective weapons. This development is truly tragic because such artificial impositions go against the very purpose of language. Language should give clarity to thought. Its beauty consists in its ability to define concisely and clearly. The richness of vocabulary comes from how well words express nuance and subtlety. But singular they? All is muddled and confused. If you have one they and add another they do they become two theys or are theys simply they? No one really knows, nor do the linguists really care. They (plural) want to make a political statement and force upon the users the task of determining the context of the usage. It assumes the public is savy to the esoteric world of politically-correct jargon. There is another reason why this usage of singular they is wrong. The principal purpose of language is to express the truth. Words are essential vehicles for uniting ideas to things -- a simple definition of truth. A man, for example, has an idea of what a cat is. When he sees the cat, he exclaims: Cat! The word communicates a truth to all those around him. It instantly unites the idea and the thing. In this case of singular they, however, the word refers to a non-existent reality. It involves denying the truth of the natural sex of a man or woman who is confused about his or her identity. The same man who saw the cat, could also see a sexually confused individual and exclaim: They! He proclaims no truth but merely participates in the persons confusion and enters into complicity with it. He further assigns a plural label to a singular fantasy. When language no longer expresses truth, it loses its beauty and poetry. Above all, imposed language destroys that organic connection with the people who by their contact with reality are the natural wordsmiths of any language. As Catholic thinker Plinio Correa de Oliveira once said, language is like the stained glass window of a people. It is that unique prism through which a people comes to know and express the truth. When modern ideologues destroy meaning and clarity in language, they (plural) obscure the light and a great darkness descends upon the land. Someone might object that singular "they" is only a word and hardly a great tragedy. But every word that is destroyed in this manner impoverishes, not enriches, language. Something precious has been taken from the people. That is why it is important to fight back and refused to use the singular they in this context. They (singular) is destroying the English language. The wrong usage of they should apply, as it always has, not to the sexually confused but to the grammatically challenged. John Horvat II is a scholar, researcher, educator, international speaker, and author of the book Return to Order, as well as the author of hundreds of published articles. He lives in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania where he is the vice president of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property. It may be enough for Hillarys lickspittles like Max Fisher and Paul Krugman, but the response of the Hillary campaign to the revelation that the State Department has refused to release anything from the contents of 22 emails on her server because they are too sensitive, including information on human sources, is pathetic. Via Josh Gerstein and Rachel Bade of Politico: This is overclassification run amok. We adamantly oppose the complete blocking of the release of these emails, campaign spokesman Brian Fallon said on Twitter. Appearing on MSNBC after the news broke, Fallon vowed to fight the decision. You have the intelligence community, including an Intelligence Community Inspector General, as well as the inspector general at the State Department, that have been insisting on certain ways of deciding what is classified and whats not," he said. "We know that there has been disagreement on these points, and it has spilled out into public view at various points over the last several months. It now appears that some of the loudest voices in this interagency review that had some of the strongest straightjacket-type opinions on what should count as classified, have prevailed. Thats unfortunate. We strongly disagree with the finding that has been reached today, and we are going to be contesting it and seeking to have these emails released. "We will pursue all appropriate avenues to see that her emails are released in a manner consistent with her call last year," Fallon said in a statement released through the campaign. Rope a dope, pure and simple. But that works only on dopes. They know the emails cant be released, so the demand to release them will be futile, and they will just claim that these were yoga positions and wedding dress plans that were mistakenly classified. They are in effect demanding that national security be compromised even further. That wont fly. Even the vile Max Fisher, attempting to justify the talking points in Vox, seems halfhearted, using works like possible: the key dispute is over whether the classification shows that Clinton was emailing out highly sensitive secrets or if these were everyday emails that just got swept up in America's deeply broken classification system. There's some real reason to believe that the latter is at least possible. As David Spade used to say on SNL, yeah, and monkeys could fly out my butt. Chuck Ross of the Daily Caller utterly demolishes this argument by pointing to the example of correspondence involving hatchet man Sidney Blumenthal: Previous State Department releases of Hillary Clinton emails have contained messages from her longtime friend and intelligence-provider, Sidney Blumenthal, that have been deemed to contain some classified information. But none of the records were completely classified, as is the case with four emails Blumenthal emails released by the State Department on Friday. (snip) The State Department has already released dozens of Blumenthal emails that contained highly sensitive information. But all of those emails had at least some portions that were viewable. That is not the case with four records released on Friday. As the Clinton ship sinks, numbers of rats will jump off. Others will simply go down with the ship. Vladimir Putin killed Aleksandr Litvinenko. The November 2006 assassination was no rogue hit. Putin had the motive, means, opportunity, and power to see that this human irritant received his comeuppance. Ive said what everyone knows but officially hesitates to declare until now. It took gutsy British judge Robert Owen, after a long inquiry, to say publicly that former KGB operative Litvinenko was killed with a dose of Polonium-210 as part of a KGB/FSB assassination and, based on the rarity of the radioactive poison used to kill him, probably under orders from Vladimir Putin. Litvinenkos assassination is only one of several. The earlier deaths included journalist/Putin critic Anna Politkovskaya in October 2006 and opposition leader Boris Nemtsov in February 2015. Both were on the wrong side of Putin, and both suffered standard KGB eliminations apparently random street shootings. This was especially easy, since their deaths took place in Russia, where Putins cronies pulled all the investigative strings to round up the usual suspects. This means these were in no way as thoroughly investigated as the Litvinenko case, which took place in London. A Putinesque assassination on a grander scale was also examined recently by an exhaustive Polish parliamentary inquiry. It examined the orchestrated 2010 plane crash in Smolensk, Russia, which (conveniently) killed Polands president and 96 members of the top echelon of his pro-Western government. The accident, ignored in the West as another airplane mishap, was reported later by the brave British judge as probably carried out under authority of Putin yet of little significance. It was linked, by its commemorative mission, to a far worse Russian secret service murder: the WWII Katyn Forest massacre of 22,000 Polish officer prisoners and senior officials, originally blamed by Russia for 75 years on the Germans. Russia was to finally admit responsibility for the Katyn Massacre in a public ceremony in Smolensk. But Putin, with his eyes on Ukraine and other gambits, decided it would be untimely PR and mounted a diversion permanently. The crash of the Polands Air Force One, a Tupolev Tu-154, solved the problem. It led to Polands post-crash government, loaded with pro-Russian holdovers and Russian apparatchiks, to quickly accept, without question, Russias explanation of the crash: pilot error while attempting a landing in bad weather. The Polish parliament, however, conducted its own investigation of the crash, backed by forensic evidence, which concluded it was caused by two bombs onboard the plane. The October 2015 Polish elections placed the pre-crash, pro-Western conservative Law and Justice party back in power. Because the new government sought to clear out embedded Russian propagandists and lackeys, as well as to halt unfettered, costly immigration of restless, anti-Western Muslim youth to the chagrin of Americas liberal media it was quickly tagged, by America, as too far right. Polands newly elected center-right government has now sued Russia for the return of the Smolensk plane, the black box, and all material from the crash scene. It sought a truthful inquiry. In a January 22, 2016 conference with the Polish delegation in Moscow, the Russians stated that the return of the wreckage of the Polish plane would be possible after the investigation is completed and only after mutual agreement regarding the cause of the crash a clear admission by the Russians that their perfidy will be obvious once the evidence is in neutral hands. It took Polands minister of national defense, Antoni Macierewicz, who chaired Polands parliamentary investigation, to challenge Putins version of the crash. It remains to be seen how our media explains Polands independence and ability to manage its own affairs now. Yet Putin bides his time, knowing that a fresh supply of his Russian-Polish operatives will tighten control of Poland and tamp down the nascent calls for justice to once again bring this noisy, untrained cur of a former satellite back under the control Russia had before the recent elections. And he has America and our media on his side to make that undemocratic silencing happen. Gene Poteat is a retired CIA senior scientific intelligence officer and president emeritus of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers. G2Poteat@gmail.com Sixty-nine-year-old part-time actress, full-time liberal activist, and all around rich Hollywood bigmouth (shes worth $50 million) Susan Sarandon nearly broke out crying as she introduced a man who demonizes affluent people like herself. In northern Iowa, on the campaign trail with presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Susan told a town hall crowd of about 1,000 that she was feeling the Bern because, unlike Hillary Clinton, who was for the Iraq war before she was against it, and against gay rights before she was for them, Sanders has never vacillated on either topic. Dressed in a socialist uniform, Susan wore a newsboy hat, boots, and a lumber jacket. After having manned the phones with Bernies doppelganger, actor/comedian Larry David, at the Night of Too Many Stars, Susan prepared for the part to work a Bernie phone bank with scruffy millennials and old hippies, both of whom are eager to share her wealth. Maybe Susan Sarandon doesnt realize that, despite her proletarian getup, shes among the few in whose hands, Bernie keeps saying, all of the wealth rests. A few years ago, while talking to Oprah about her Catholic upbringing, the parochial schoolgirl said this: I just didn't understand why they would put babies in limbo just because they weren't baptized Or why they would say every other religion was bad. Wait! Susan Sarandon is worried about unbaptized babies? Sorry, but one cant help but wonder where fiercely pro-choice Susan Sarandon believes the aborted babies she marched for the right to kill end up after being scraped out of the womb into a biohazard bag. Either way, whatever it is Susan believes, the Louise half of Thelma and Louise has decided to exercise her right to choose by ditching girl power. Why? Because according to Sarandon, gender is not whats important. Issues are what's important. Criticizing the contender who should be indicted but probably wont be, Susan said she prefers Sanders because she wants a candidate who has the courage to stand to do the right thing when it is not popular. Not that Bernie does the right thing, either, but on that point, Susan Sarandon is somewhat correct. Every chance she gets, Hillary escapes doing the right thing. Speaking of Hillary Clinton, when not wearing fake cankles and accepting a huge salary for doing absolutely nothing, in addition to pacifism and concern for homosexuals, the actress wants someone in office who will solve income inequality. Clearly, Susan is put off by Hillarys unwillingness to take on the fight for a $15 minimum wage , saying, That is not pragmatic; that's just cynicism. That's giving up before youve even tried. Simply put, for Susan Sarandon , this time around, an old Jewish socialist with egg salad in the corner of his mouth is a better candidate for president than a Methodist grandmother with blood on her hands. So how about Susan demonstrate her pragmatic lack of cynicism by donating 90% of her $50-million bankroll to Bernie Sanders? Then, to drive home her staunch support of the Vermont socialist the Hollywood actress could shame Hillary Clinton by requesting a $15-per-hour salary to star in her next movie. As we have learned in the past few days, the FBI has moved from a criminal investigation to an espionage investigation in the Hillary email scandal. The FBI is now going directly to the source of the classified documents found on Hillarys unclassified server to compare the originals with the documents that were found stripped of their classification markings. The damage to national security cant be underestimated, because the gist of the FBIs change of focus means employees of the intel agencies who had access to classified assessments, including special access programs (SAP), abetted the effort to disclose the information to unauthorized individuals. In some cases, extremely sensitive materiel may have been even been physically sequestered under strict security protocols that require an insiders knowledge to circumvent. Despite the vast majority of patriotic and talented people in the intelligence community (I.C.), the question becomes, then, who would take advantage of being read on to restricted programs to obtain these documents, thereby committing an act of espionage? I dont know the names, obviously; the FBI will take care of that. But I think there are three main types of people who would work around the safeguards. The first is the true believer. This is exemplified by the titular head of Hillarys informal intel network, Sid Blumenthal. Ever since Monica Crowley alerted us to Hillarys network, we know Blumenthal has been at the center of several covert and sleazy activities. Crowley asks the key questions: What was the Clintons hatchet man really doing? How did he cultivate such sensitive intelligence sources, and on whose orders? [emphasis added] Why was he apparently hip-deep in intelligence matters while his close friend was secretary of state? While the focus of the analysis was on a network designed to go around normal intel channels, the highly classified documents currently at the center of the investigation could have come only from Hillarys and Blumenthals sources in U.S. agencies. Weve already seen the effects of Hillarys true believers placed into the intelligence agencies during Bills presidency. A couple of decades is plenty of time for these dedicated souls to rise to leadership positions within the I.C., and who would be driven to see their gal as POTUS. The second type is the progressive, idealistic newbie. Its no secret that universities, particularly those on the eastern seaboard, are prime recruiting grounds for intelligence agencies. If they pass the wickets, these folks bring the leftist academic machine with them. In fact, the I.C. encourages it. Most are poli-sci majors, with very few being business, science, or engineering majors. (How poli-sci majors ever became the dominant force in the I.C. or thought of as great strategic thinkers is beyond me. See Ben Rhodes.) The leftist rookie, of course, would be easy to impress with promises of satisfying the boss with extra information that would surely help the SecState in accomplishing her objectives. There may be some moments of doubt, and likely some of them refused, but it would be challenging for the new guy to resist the possibility of a promotion and to aid the cause. Its not unreasonable to see this type fulfilling the role as the office gopher, who would print, scan, and perhaps alter classified docs for the supervisor. The third type could be from any demographic but has essentially been placed into a vulnerable position open to coercion and blackmail, and not from a foreign government. Over three years ago, a report surfaced that revealed a troubling and illegal practice at the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). The NRO was conducting an increasing amount of lifestyle polygraph tests, which in some cases would reveal that the applicant or current employee had committed serious crimes, including child molestation. Normally in DoD agencies, the counter-intelligence polygraph is the norm. This test asks only questions related to national security matters such as possible terrorist background indicators and unauthorized disclosure of classified information. McClatchys review found that the NRO was responsible for: Establishing a system that tracks the number of personal confessions, which then are used in polygraphers annual performance reviews. Summoning employees and job applicants for multiple polygraph tests to ask about a wide array of personal behavior. Altering results of the tests in what some polygraphers say is an effort to justify more probing of employees and applicants private lives. What might be shocking to some is that the applicants who were found to have committed drug abuse, child molestation, and sexual crimes were not referred to law enforcement for possible charges. But if one is a supervisor who wants leverage on his employees, this tactic is not surprising at all. By allowing access to classified materials to those with criminal backgrounds or serious behavioral problems, then getting them to do your bidding simply becomes a matter of coercion and blackmail. We know the what and the why of Hillarys espionage effort. What remains is the FBI finding out the who. In my estimate, the true believers would be a tough nut to crack. Right now, types two and three are probably quaking in their boots. The newbies would not want to ruin a chance at future employment somewhere else over Hillarys ambitions, nor would those with criminal backgrounds look forward to an espionage charge added to their rap sheet. All indications are that the FBI is doing its part in a professional and thorough manner. The question is, if the perps in the I.C. sing like canaries, can the DoJ fight off an indictment when it concerns charges of espionage? John Smith is the pen name of a former United States intelligence officer. Sightseeing around Venice generally involves sticking your nose up in the air marveling at historic buildings and sprawling vistas, but thats only half the show. The other half lies underneath your feet. Few tourists and even Venetians have paid any attention to the citys amazing mosaic floors despite walking over them every day. So when German photographer Sebastian Erras was in Venice, he turned his camera down and captured these beautiful yet unappreciated work of art. Sebastian discovered that floors can be beautiful too when he was visiting Marrakech, in Morocco, a few months ago. When he went back to Paris, where he lives, he started seeking out floors. I had no idea there was such a variety of floors in Paris. Its like a treasure hunt. He then went to Venice and did the same there for an interactive article on website Pixartprinting. In a city built on water the travel writer John Julius Norwich pointed out the endlessly shimmering reflections of churches and palaces constantly attracted the gaze [of Venetians] downward. So they made that vision even more joyful through luxurious floors. Paving is a serious issue in Venice: stone keeps out damp from the lagoon and drives the summers heat away. I was curious to discover a new side of Venice that is probably not so well known, as people usually dont pay attention to floors, Sebastian Erras said. A lot of these are hidden in churches and monuments. People who live there have told me, I walk here every day and I never noticed the floors. Its a different way of discovering a city. Palazzo Pisani Moretta Ca Sagredo Hotel Palazzo Pisani Moretta Galleria Giorgio Franchetti alla Ca dOro Scuola Grande San Giovanni Evangelista Scuola Grande San Giovanni Evangelista Scuola Grande di San Rocco Sestiere di San Marco Laboratorio Orsoni Negozio Olivetti - Piazza San Marco, Teatro La Fenice Sale Apollinee, Teatro La Fenice Caffe Florian Sestiere San Marco Sestiere Santa Croce Foundation Querini Stampalia Onlus Alliance Francaise di Venezia Alliance Francaise di Venezia Alliance Francaise di Venezia Alphabets Google X labs are always up to something innovative and just a bit zany, but most things they want to do require government approval, as they learned the hard way when California lawmakers put a serious damper on their self-driving car plans. Today, they submitted a filing to the Federal Communications Commission today asking for experimental authorization to conduct nationwide testing of airborne and terrestrial transmitters in the 71-76 and 81-86 GHz bands (collectively, the E-band). In the same filing, they outline some concerns that may be raised about the testing and try to assuage fears that the testing may interrupt or interfere with other uses of nearby spectrum, saying in their filing, although we respect that the commenters concerns are genuinely held, there is no factual basis for them. Google starts out by stating that their proposed terrestrial tests comply with applicable FCC standards, specifically those that are meant to mitigate exposure to microwaves and radio waves by the general populace and their devices. They say the same of their airborne testing, taking care to point out that although the airborne tests wont exceed the maximum specifications allowed for wave output, they will also be massively diluted by the time they hit the ground, presenting almost no exposure risk whatsoever. Googles filing also says that, both on the ground and in the air, other users of the E-band spectrum bands will not see interference from Googles test devices, specifying that they plan to use s proprietary interference-mitigation methods rely on the Commissions link registrations and information regarding Googles own operations, including the precise location of transmitters and the technical characteristics both the transmitters and the antennas deployed. They also state that much of the testing will likely take place outside of U.S. soil. Advertisement Since the testing is set to be airborne and use spectrum commonly used for directional waves, there is some speculation that this has something to do with Google Xs Project Loon. The fact that Google X head Astro Teller signed the original application that the filing pertains to presents even more evidence in that direction, however nothing is given away upfront. The actual filing is instead signed by Aparna Sridhar, a counsel for Google. There was no word on a possible or even desired time frame for approval of the testing, nor was there any sign of a list of locations and dates testing is supposed to take place. This means that if it is indeed Project Loon, industry news followers might in this case be just as well served to keep an eye on the skies as to continue keeping up with industry news. The Sony Xperia C6 has already been leaked a few times, and now we have a new render showing us what the device may look like when its finally announced. The Xperia C6 is likely to be announced at Mobile World Congress next month in Barcelona. Its likely to be a somewhat mid-range device, like the Xperia C5 which was its predecessor. Rumors are pointing at a 5-inch display here on the Xperia C6, which is supposedly going to be full HD along with the MediaTek Helio P10 which is an octa-core processor. Of course none of this is confirmed, and just rumors and leaks right now. So take that all with a grain of salt. Looking at the render leaked above, we can see that the device is likely going to be in gold, silver and gray. It also looks like the color will be matte, similar to the Xperia Z5 which was announced back at IFA in September. On the back we have a camera, which the megapixels isnt specified, along with a flash on the back. There appears to be no laser auto-focus here on the Xperia C6 as well. On the front it looks like we have no side bezels, but a pretty large top and bottom bezel with the Sony logo at the top along with an array of sensors on the left side of the front, and the front-facing camera on the right side. Its a pretty decent looking smartphone from Sony and it should sell pretty well, much like the Xperia C5 did. Advertisement Sony has already scheduled their press event for Mobile World congress in Barcelona, although we are unsure of what they will be announcing. It looks likely that the Xperia C6 will be debuting in Barcelona next month though. There likely wont be the Xperia Z6 announced at the event, seeing as we havent seen many leaks for the device just yet. But then again, you never really know. We will be at Sonys press event in Barcelona next month to see what Sony has in store for us. So make sure you keep it locked to Android Headlines. (ANSA) - Rome, January 29 - German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday praised the reforms passed by Italian Premier Matteo Renzi. "Premier Renzi has embarked on a very ambitious reform agenda, and the Jobs Act (labour reform) goes in the right direction," Merkel said after meeting Renzi for talks in Berlin. "The success of these reforms will be an important contribution for Europe and Italy". For his part Renzi said that "thanks to the efforts of the Italian government, to European collaboration and to our German friends, I am here today with a list of reforms and results, not promises". "Italy is no longer Europe's problem and wants to pull its weight, as is proper and as per the history of our country". He added he is aware Italy's public debt must come down. "We're the first to say (our) debt must come down," he said. "I don't say so to make Angela (Merkel) happy, but to make my children happy". Three of the highest priority goals for the government of Mayor Ada Colau are to work so that the differences between Barcelonas wealthy and poor neighborhoods stop growing every year, to alleviate the negative effects of tourism on the more popular areas, and to create social housing. Two of the top measures in these areas are the neighborhoods plan announced a few days ago, with a proposed investment of up to 150 million euros in the hardest hit areas, and the goal of building 4,000 council flats. But yesterday Colaus party, Barcelona en Comu, presented the full set of actions to be implemented through 2019: the Terms Action Plan (PAM in Catalan), a key element in Colau's negotiations with her partners. In fact, both ERC and the PSC have urged Colau to take the necessary steps with a view to reaching an agreement on the budget and the roadmap as a prelude to any stable government agreement, and yesterday ERC accused the local government of having announced the proposal without having tried to reach a consensus-- "it is not a very enticing move", they complained. The PSC offered to help improve the initial document. The plan rolled out yesterday by government spokesman Gerardo Pisarello, which now enters a negotiation phase, includes spending 1.66 billion euros during these years, applying budget surpluses, and keeping the gross savings level above 15%. The objective, he said, is to work so that "Barcelona does not continue to be a socially fractured city", but rather one single Barcelona. Among the policies proposed are, obviously, the great challenges already announced by Colaus government, such as the connection of the trams lines on Avinguda Diagonal, bringing in a metropolitan minimum wage and a municipal child benefit, and adapting Barcelonas metropolitan police force to the new needs of the city in order to make neighborhoods safer for everyone. But there are also less mentioned goals, such as changing taxation to compensate for the costs of tourist activity. According to Pisarello, they are studying the best way to go about it, but one formula could be to create a local tourist tax. The document includes projects inherited from the previous administration, such as continuing the transformation of the Placa de les Glories -- making it clear, however, that apartments and facilities are now priorities-- and promoting the Linear Park in the Sagrera neighborhood. The program also proposes more ideological challenges, such as working to facilitate the civil registration of all Barcelona residents, and aiming for the all-public management of municipal nursery schools. The PAM, which now enters into a discussion period with neighbors and opposition groups, is organized into five chapters and contains up to 321 specific initiatives. The objective of the government is to approve it in committee before the summer so as to give it a green light in Julys plenary session. To kick off the negotiating dance, yesterday the opposition all agreed to call the plan unambitious. Le CBD, cette molecule active du cannabis a aujourdhui le vent en poupe. Et cela est en grande partie du au fait quil permet... 460th Space Wing and Team Buckley quarterly awards Staff Sgt. Tiffany Hartman and Senior Airman Jonathan Rothe, both from the Air Reserve Personnel Center, stand with Team Buckley quarterly award winners Jan. 28, 2016, at the Leadership Development Center on Buckley Air Force Base, Colo. The award winners were chosen because of their hard work and dedication in their work centers. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Gabrielle Spradling) The END of 400 Years of European Meddling and Predation in America Americans Free at Last - The ties have been permanently broken by Anna Von ReitzSaturday, January 30, 2016In March, the IMFs governmental services corporation doing business as the UNITED STATES (INC.) went insolvent. It was entered into Chapter 11 without naming a Successor to Contract. That left the federal side of the Constitution vacant and flapping in the wind.The intention of the perpetrators is obvious. They meant to void the Constitution once and for all.So, what to do?We had already delivered Due Process to the IMF dba UNITED STATES and its franchises, resulting in a proper Judgment of Commercial and Administrative Default.We had already entered a properly constructed claim in commerce to claim back all the assets naturally belonging to the American people.We formed an alliance with the Lakota and the Athabasca, two of the largest Native American nations-which are federal and which have internationally recognized tribal governments, and we filed Sovereign Letters Patent and a Declaration of Joint Sovereignty.The Constitution was saved and a new foundation begun.The Native Americans are now free to come home to land that they were removed from, no longer POWs, they have regained their sovereignty as free, sovereign and independent people living on the land.The united States of America and the free, sovereign and independent people living on the land of the organic states have regained their sovereignty in the international jurisdiction of the sea.For the first time since 1789 Americans are in full control of both their natural land and sea jurisdictions. We are finally whole.Those who have read our affidavit of probable cause, You Know Something Is Wrong When.An American Affidavit of Probable Cause know that the Founders cut a deal with the British King allowing him to retain control of nineteen enumerated essential governmental services, all in the jurisdiction of the sea.This split the jurisdiction owed to American states and people and created two different populations of people from the outset- the free sovereign and independent people of the United States and the British Subject inhabitants who remained to provide these services under the Constitution.The so-called Federal Government was never a sovereign government. It was always an association of sovereign nation-states. And it was never our government though it was under contract to serve us. It was always a foreign government operating under the foreign jurisdiction of the sea and the equally foreign Law of the Sea.So long as the British King remained honest and honored his obligation to us to act as our Trustee on the High Seas and Navigable Inland Waterways, the future remained safe but almost immediately the Troubles began, as King George wiggled like a fish on a hook and sought to regain his position over the Americans.Things appeared to settle down after the War of 1812, but by 1845, the then-Pope and the British King sealed a secret pact agreeing that the egalitarian American Republic was incompatible with the idea of Papal Supremacy and the Divine Right of KIngs. The Secret Treaty of Verona was a grotesque, criminal, and highly secret Breach of Trust by both the British Monarch and the Holy See.Within 15 years members of the American Bar Association loyal to the British KIng had elected Abraham Lincoln, a lawyer, to the Office of President of the United States CEO of the commercial trading company deceptively called the United States (Trading Company) not the land, not the country, not the organic states, and not the people. The actual Constitution already had provisions denying any member of the Bar any public office, so in LIncolns case the only Presidency he could occupy was as the CEO of the trading company doing business as the United States.It is not a mistake that Abraham Lincoln led our country into a vicious Civil War, the results of which we are still dealing with 150 years later. The Civil War was not about ending slavery, as you can see by closely reading the 13th Amendment of the corporate Constitution called the Constitution of the United States of America adopted by the perpetrators of all this criminality, betrayal, and fraud in 1868.Though loudly proclaiming the abolishment of slavery, the 13th Amendment of this federal corporation document (which is actually a corporate by-law) goes on to enshrine slavery as a permanent part of the newly formed federal corporation doing business as The United States of America, Incorporateds form of law. It makes criminals slaves and leaves the corporate Congress an elected Board of Directorsfree to define who the criminals are.A close reading of the 14th Amendment shows that they made everyone who was a United States Citizen (Federal Citizen) a criminal by definition, a slave by definition, and a debtor, too. To this day, when these vermin bring innocent Americans into their private corporate tribunals (which are misrepresented as public courts) the charges are addressed to persons named after the victims. These persons are legal fiction entities defined as public trusts and more recently as public transmitting utilitiesand they are already guilty by definition.This is why it does no good for anyone mischaracterized as a United States Citizen to claim the guarantees of the actual Constitution, and why these courts do not hear any of the laws or the facts of any case and also the reason that their own court rules for judges admonish them to provide an appearance of Justice where there is none. All that is really going on is a determination of how much these criminals will charge you for their service and whether or not you will be impounded as cargo or held ransom as chattel backing the debts of their corporation.This heinous crime, duplicity, Breach of Trust, enslavement, and merciless abuse of the American people has gone on for 150 years and since the 1930s things have only gotten worse. Until now.The very mechanism they hoped to use to finish us off was turned against them. We slipped in, invoked our true standing, formed the new federal alliance, issued the new Sovereign Letters Patent, issued the new Declaration of Joint Sovereignty and booted both the British and the French off our shores once and for all.Our answer came by Divine Providence, even as representatives of the Wells Fargo Bank (owned by the US Attorney General) were claiming that the united States of America no longer existed, that we no longer had a national currency in circulation, that all the Americans had voluntarily given up their birthright and accepted the slave status of United States Citizens, that our land was abandoned property and the Secondary Creditors of the bankrupt UNITED STATES governmental services corporation should be allowed to come in under color of law and claim our land, our homes, our businesses and everything else to pay the debts run up under conditions of fraud by the IMF doing business as the UNITED STATES.A few weeks later Jacob Rothschild showed up. He assumed he could just cut a deal with the IMF and move into place as the Successor to Contract and begin the long-planned seizure of our land and other assets via the use of commercial mercenaries disguised as employees of our lawful government just like what is going on in Oregon now with the Uranium land-grab and the fake FBI.The FBI like the BLM are just brand names of old used-to-be units of other governmental services corporations long gone. Theyve been run under color of law for years as private security and property management subcontractors of the IMF dba UNITED STATES and its corporate municipal franchises. Those men shooting and threatening people in Oregon are private commercial mercenaries acting under color of law, impersonating government employees.That thing is Washington, DC that you were misled to believe was your government and which you trusted accordingly was never your government. It has always been an abusive and criminally mismanaged foreign government perched on our shores, here under contract to provide essential governmental services.We are not responsible for the debts of this foreign entity and we have repudiated them accordingly. All we ever owed the UNITED STATES were reasonable fees for nineteen services most of which we never received.It was our distinct pleasure to inform Mr. Rothschild that other arrangements have been made and his offer to act as Successor to Contract was accordingly refused.We will be providing our own services and taking care of our own business and our own people from now on.The drive is on to reclaim and repatriate all American assets to America and to Americans. The Bank of International Settlements has already agreed, the World Court has already alerted all six branches, and an initial brief has been filed. The American Armed Forces have been alerted and true Americans from every walk of life and corner of the globe as well as friends from around the world are rallying to our assistance.The world is waking up, led by tiny Iceland, and now by the Americans. We have lived for a long time under the thrall of criminals, as have many other nations. The British and the French, the Germans, the Japanese, the Canadians, and the Aussies- all direct victims of this same fraud and criminality, while the rest of the world has suffered both directly and indirectly from this plague of dishonest politicians, corrupt judges and the banks which have functioned as crime syndicates.Please do your part to support this mighty effort to restore the peace, prosperity, and health of the whole Earth and the people living on it. Together, we are all the True Sovereigns born to learn who we are, born to learn how to rule ourselves, born to be caretakers of each other and our beloved planet.Please print, post, send, carry, do whatever it takes to inform every American. Especially inform all members of the police, the military, the so-called law enforcement agencies, the clergy, the community leaders, school officials, everyone who needs to know.DO NOT FOLLOW ANY ORDERS TO HARM AMERICANS. THOSE WHO DO WILL BE TRIED FOR WAR CRIMES AND FACE THE DEATH PENALTY JUST LIKE THE NAZIS AT NUREMBURG.If you have resources, knowledge, or skills to offer, please stand by. There will be needs aplenty in the days to come. There may be possible disruptions of public services, possible disruptions of supply chains, possible confusion and very probably misinformation spewed by the Mainstream Media which is owned entirely by international corporations that have benefited from the fraud and very obviously failed to do their real job.It is either criminally stupid or a purposeful malignant circumstance when all a countrys major news organs are owned by foreigners. Now that you know that fact, turn the knob. Take everything these talking heads say with two grains of salt, use your own brain and common sense.Trust in yourself, your abilities, your skills, your friends, your families, your communities, your most cherished ideals, your fondests hopes. If you are like most Americans you will feel panic and anger and confusion when you realize just how close we have come to total disaster.Believe in the Magnum Mysterium, the True God, the Great Spirit that shares One Life with all of us with One Love that is truly Divine.Walk forward now, together, hand in hand, and fear no evil. When the Truth comes what is False must pass away.See this article and over 150 others on Annas website here:www.annavonreitz.com In a pastoral letter marking the third anniversary of his election, the Chaldean patriarch and primate of the Iraqi Church stresses achievements and outlines future challenges. In the Year of mercy, the latter include the need to forgive and be forgiven, and strong Christian political leaders to defend the rights of Iraqs Christian community. Baghdad (AsiaNews) On the anniversary of his election as Patriarch of Babylon for the Chaldeans on 31 January 2013, Louis Raphael Sako Mar I released a pastoral letter laying out what the Iraqi Church has achieved in the past three years. The main results include the ordination of six new bishops, and the reform of the Chaldean liturgy with respect to Mass, baptism, and marriage. This has meant preserving the Churchs Eastern originality whilst eliminating all strange traditions that are not in line with what the Bible teaches. At the same time, new laws were adopted to achieve justice among members of Clergy with the stress on spirituality, willingness to serve, and unity inside the church. Likewise, the role played by the Patriarchate in Iraq was enhanced and strengthened. Born on 4 July 1948 in Zakho, northern Iraq, Mgr Louis Sako was ordained priest on 1 June 1974. On several occasions, as archbishop of Kirkuk, he denounced the exodus of Christians, whose numbers have been more than halved, appealing to Church officials and local political leaders as well as the international community to ensure that Christians have a future in their native land. In recognition for his work, the prelate received the Defensor Fidei award in 2008; two years later, he was given the Pax Christi international award. In his message, sent to AsiaNews, the patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans and president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Iraq thanks God for everything", for "the difficulties and challenges we faced," as well as "the agony that came along with it". All these struggles did not kill us and did not take away our hope. In his pastoral letter, Mar Sako writes that the Church has named this year as a Year of Mercy and I have to be the first one to live and practice mercy. Thus, he would like to take this occasion to ask everyone who felt that I hurt him/her to accept my apology, although there should be no confusion between administration and personal relationships. The reference is to the contrasts, partly resolved, with the clergy of the Chaldean diaspora, in particular a diocese in the United States. I utterly realize that my cross is heavy, but I have to carry it with faith, confidence and happiness to serve my Chaldean Church, all Christians in Iraq, and my country as a whole. With the help of people of good will, I promise to do my best in; protecting our identity [. . .] supporting peace, as well as promoting the language of dialogue and coexistence. Mar Sako hopes that his work for the Church and the faithful is anchored on a solid humanitarian and evangelical base, although it hurts him to see [how] our beloved country has been torn apart with thousands of wounded and murdered innocent people, millions of displaced and the horrific demolition everywhere. In view of this, It is time to renew our commitment to the land and to each other as members of the ONE Iraqi family, in spite of our differences. In light of the mostly political divisions that affect Christians, and neutralise their efforts, Patriarch Sako noted that unity is a special spiritual, humanitarian, social, and political power. for this, We need actions not speeches and promises, such as the creation of a Unified Christian Ecumenical Gathering to act as a political reference for Christians, starting with the next elections. Lastly, he pointed out that as Lent is at hand, everyone should engage in fasting and prayers. The High Negotiations Committee announces it will send 30-35 people to Geneva to join UN, US and Syrian representatives to negotiate an end to a conflict that has claimed 260,000 lives since 2011. UN Security Council resolution approved last month calls for an immediate cease-fire, a transitional government in six months and elections within 18. Geneva (AsiaNews/Agencies) After saying no, the main Syrian opposition group has said it will join peace talks that have opened in Geneva. A senior opposition leader told AFP that the Saudi-backed High Negotiations Committee (HNC) will send "about 30, 35 people" to the talks. Initially, the opposition had ruled out negotiations with President Bashar al-Assad. This raises some hope for a solution to the Syrian crisis. UN, US and Syrian delegates arrived in the Swiss city yesterday. The opposition had two preconditions for participating, a ceasefire and humanitarian aid to besieged cities. Farrah el-Atassi, an activist close to the HNC, told Reuters that the opposition would focus on humanitarian relief and the release of political prisoners. US Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday had a phone conversation with the HNC, urging the group to attend the talks. State Department spokesman John Kirby later told reporters that Washington believed it was "important for these talks to continue without preconditions". The UN special envoy for the Syria crisis Staffan de Mistura said he had a "good reason to believe" that the main opposition group would join the talks in Geneva on Sunday. In a video message to the Syrian people on Thursday, Mr de Mistura said the talks "cannot fail". The goal of the negotiations - which are expected to last six months - is to stop the war in Syria, which has claimed more than 260,000 lives since March 2011, as well as forced 4.6 million people into exile, and displaced another 12 million within the country. The talks will focus on a timetable set in December by the United Nations Security Council, which provides for an immediate cease-fire, a transitional government in six months and elections within the next 18 months. The immediate priorities of the talks are a broad ceasefire, and humanitarian aid deliveries. This should lead to a peace settlement based on a transitional period ending with elections within 18 months, in line with a UN Security Council resolution approved last month. For their part, the opposition insists on a "transitional government" to put an end to the rule of President Assad. Francis opens the jubilee general audiences with a reflection on the "wonderful circularity" between mission and mercy. The actual sign that we met Jesus "is the joy we feel in communicating it to others. For the pontiff, this this is not proselytising. It is giving a gift. I give you what gives me joy. The pope ends calling on the crowd to pray for Ms Elvira, who worked at Casa Santa Marta, and was called by the Lord. Vatican City (AsiaNews) In his first, special monthly Jubilee general audience during this Year of Mercy, Pope Francis on Saturday spoke about the wonderful circularity between mercy and mission, noting that The Church lives an authentic life when she professes and proclaims mercy . . . and when she brings people close to the sources of . . . mercy. After a long tour among the crowd in the square, the Gospel is announced about the first encounter between Christ and Peter, led by his brother to meet the Messiah. The pope began his meditation noting how "we enter, day after day, into the heart of the Holy Year of Mercy live Holy. Through his grace, the Lord guides our steps as we pass through the Holy Door and meets us to remain always with us, despite our failings and contradictions. Let us never grow weary of feeling the need for His forgiveness, because when we are weak his closeness can make us strong and can enable us to live our faith with greater joy." As Christians we have the responsibility to be missionaries of the Gospel. When we hear good news, or when we undergo a beautiful experience, it is natural to feel the need to share it with others. We feel we cannot hold inside the joy that was given to us; instead, we want to spread it. " Such joy, the pope explained, encourages us to communicate it. The same should happen when we meet the Lord: the joy of this encounter, of His mercy . . . of communicating God's mercy. In fact, the actual sign that we really met Jesus is the joy we feel in communicating it to others." Speaking without his written text, the pontiff noted that this is not proselytising. It is giving a gift. I give you what gives me joy. Encountering Jesus, Francis said, "is like meeting ones love. This love transforms us and makes us able to pass onto others the strength that it gives us. At some level, we can say that from the day of our baptism onward, each one of us is given another name in addition to the one our mother and our father gave us. That name is 'Christopher', which means Christ-bearer. [It is] the name of our attitude, the attitude of the one who bears Christs joy and Christ's mercy. Every Christian is a Christopher, i.e. a Christ-bearer." The mercy that we receive from the Father, he said in concluding, "is not given to us as a [form of] private consolation. Instead, it makes of us tools so that others can receive the same gift. There is a wonderful circularity between mercy and mission. Living in mercy makes us missionaries of mercy, and being missionaries allows us to grow more and more in God mercy. Therefore, let us take seriously our being Christian, and let us strive to live as believers, because only this way can the Gospel touch peoples hearts and open it to welcome the grace of love." Some of you, Francis said before the greetings in Italian, "have wondered how the popes home is? Where does the pope live? The pope lives in the back, here, at Casa Santa Marta. It is a big house, home to about forty priests and some bishops, who work with me in the Curia. It also hosts some guests cardinals, bishops, lay people who come to Rome for meetings in the dicasteries and such things . . . A group of men and women do the house work: cleaning, cooking, setting the dinner table. These men and women are part of our family; they form a family. They are not distant employees, no [they are not]. We want them as our family. Let me tell you that today the pope is a bit sad because yesterday a woman who helped us a lot for many years passed away. Her husband too works with us. After a long illness, the Lord called her to him. Her name is Elvira. Please, today do two works of mercy: pray for the dead and console those who mourn them. Please, say a Hail Mary for Elviras eternal peace and that the Lord may console her husband and children." Tomorrow is the 63rd World Leprosy Day. Last year, India had the most new leprosy cases in the world: 125,785. With Brazil and Indonesia, that represents 81 per cent of all cases. PIME missionary Fr Bala Swamy Thota runs a dispensary in Taloja founded by F. Torriani. Despite his condition, one resident, Mahesh, is happy here because he found friends. New Delhi (AsiaNews) As in previous years, India had the highest number of new cases of leprosy in the world in 2015, this according to the Italian Raoul Follereau Association (Associazione Italiana Amici di Raoul Follereau, AIFO), which released data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) ahead of the 63rd World Leprosy Day, which falls tomorrow, 31 January. According to the Association, some 215,000 new cases were reported in the world last year, including 125,785 in India. Together the South Asian country, Brazil (31,064) and Indonesia (17,025), account for 81 per cent of all cases. Also known as Hansens disease, leprosy is still a major health problem in many countries, but it is no longer considered an emergency by many governments, which often rely on volunteers to treat and rehabilitate patients. One of the facilities involved in this kind of work is Swarga Dwar (Heavenly Gate) in Taloja, near Mumbai (Maharashtra), a medical dispensary for people living with leprosy set up in 1984 by Fr Carlo Torriani, a missionary with the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME). The centre is open to patients as well as their children. The latter are often rejected by public schools for fear of contagion. The facility also includes an ashram, a traditionally Hindu spiritual hermitage or monastery found across India and dedicated to meditation. Fr Bala Swamy Thota runs Swarga Dwar. Speaking to AsiaNews, he said that "at present, the centre has 16 long-term residents, plus some who come and go. We take care of 22 children, so that they can study and grow up. Some of the children are orphans or have lost a parent. Others are the children of patients, who have been marginalised by society." The centre welcomes people of "every religion. Everyone lives together and shares the same moments." The daily rhythm of life in the dispensary is tight, and everyone helps in the work. "If you dont work, you dont eat, said Fr Bala. If you eat without working, you are a thief." "Patients in the rehabilitation centre are paid for the odd jobs they perform, he added, whilst everything they get here food, clothing and basic necessities is free. The priest, who is a missionary with PIME, said that the centre also opens twice a week, on Wednesday and Saturday, for leprosy patients who do not live in Taloja. On these two days, doctors visit patients and monitor the health of their skin. Group prayers are held each day. "We wake up at 6.30 am and have breakfast with tea. At 7 am, we celebrate Mass and at 7.30 we gather to go to work. At 9.30, we take a break for a snack and then go back to our jobs. We stop at noon for lunch, rest until 14, and then turn our prayers to the Lord. At 7 pm, we get together in the Shanthisangam (a room for interfaith prayers) and pray for the day that is ending and the work that we just did. Finally, we have dinner and go to bed at 9.30 pm. Among those living with leprosy, one caught my attention, said Fr Bala. His name is Mahesh Sharma and he is 25 years old. He came to us in 2010. After he contracted the disease, he had to stop his technical studies. Today he is still with us and says that Swarga Dwar is the best place there is. " The young man helps the missionaries with house chores: he cleans and tidies up things, cares for patients and helps the doctors in the dispensary. Despite the sad condition of his disease, "Mahesh is happy here because he found friends and people who care for him. He is smiling again, Fr Bala noted. Now his dream is to find a young woman and fall in love. He would like to get married and found a family." Hi, We are currently gathering evidence and information for my husbands application for an Australian Partner Visa. He is a citizen of the Republic of Nauru (where he was born) but he also gained citizenship of the Republic of Marshall Islands through his mother. He lived there for 5 years when he was a teenager. My husband's Marshallese passport has expired and he hasn't bothered to renew it as he hasn't travelled there since he returned to Nauru when he was 21 (he is now 27). In the information provided for applying for a partner visa, it states that you have to get a police clearance for each country you have lived in for 12 months or longer in the last 10 years and you must provide details of any other citizenships you hold. It's very difficult to get a police clearance from Marshall Islands without physically going there and that's not something we want to do as we are trying to save all of our money for our move to Australia and I'm currently pregnant. My husband tells me that he doesn't want to mention Marshall Islands on the application, as citizenship or that he lived there for 5 years as its too difficult to get the information. Is there a way for them to find out about it if we omit that information from his application? If we do list Marshall Islands as another country where he holds citizenship, can we use an expired passport as evidence? Thank you The feature film drama Silver Ghost will mark a collaboration between the BAFTA Award winner and the legendary Martin Scorsese, and it will tell the tale of the founders of the Rolls-Royce brand.This means that the movie will cover the thrilling story of Charles Rolls and Henry Royce, the two masterminds behind the iconic British company, and their close friendship with Lord John Douglas-Scott Montagu. The motoring pioneer had a secret affair with his secretary, Eleanor Velasco Thornton.While this might seem unrelated to the Rolls-Royce brand, Miss Thornton was the inspiration for the famous Spirit of Ecstasy mascot used by the British firm. The mascot was designed by British artist and sculptor Charles Sykes and is present on all Rolls-Royce cars to this day.The upcoming movie will take the viewers through the highs and lows of what makes us human, promising to deliver an emotional experience that will surpass the big screen and touch the souls of those watching.As it happened with the SENNA movie, we expect the future Silver Ghost picture to be something worth watching even for those who are not into cars or motorsport. After all, it's the fantastic tale of a group of humans who shaped motoring history and led to the creation of an icon. What's not to like about that?Silver Ghost is developed by the late Richard Attenborough, an Academy Award winning director. He collaborated with producer Anthony Haas, who will work on the movie with the two names mentioned above, director Asif Kapadia and producer Martin Scorsese.Judging by the names involved in the production of this film, we expect a compelling cast and a work of art that will break the string of action-packed blockbusters with an emotional story about Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and the events that shaped the history of this brand. Nissan has issued its third recall for Altima midsize cars in order to fix a problem with their latches that could let the hood fly open while the vehicle is moving. The latest recall covers 846,000 units in the U.S. and 930,000 worldwide, and the models were made from 2013 to 2015 in factories in Smyrna, Tenn., and Canton, Miss., according to the Associated Press. The Japanese automaker said in a filing with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration that the Altimas in this recall might contain a secondary hood latch that could bend and stay in the unlatched position when the hood is closed, The Consumerist reported. This extra latch is intended to keep the hood shut if the primary latch is not working. If the primary and secondary latches don't work, the hood might open unexpectedly while you're driving, presenting a greater risk of an accident in the process. The first two recalls related to the problem were issued in 2014 and 2015, and Nissan said that dealers previously adjusted latches and applied lubricant, but the issue may remain if the lubricant wasn't put on evenly, the AP noted. Nissan will let owners know of the problem and have dealers replace the hood latches with new ones for free starting in mid-February. Toyota announced Friday that it intends to take complete control of Daihatsu Motor Co. in a $3 billion deal aimed at strengthening its small car operations. The goal is to turn Daihatsu, which is currently a Toyota subsidiary, into a global brand, according to Reuters. Toyota is currently focused on growing markets for smaller cars, which it says are becoming more popular due to environmental and traffic concerns as well as economic development. The Japanese automaker currently owns 51.2 percent of Daihatsu, and having full control of the company will allow it to adopt Toyota's next generation technologies. "We see this as the perfect opportunity to cement our relationship with Toyota, and, by doing so, to embark on a new period of growth, and to elevate the Daihatsu brand to a global standard," Daihatsu said in a statement. The deal will see Toyota swap 26 percent of its own shares for the 48.8 percent of Daihatsu that it doesn't currently own and delist the company's shares on July 27, The Wall Street Journal noted. Toyota President Akio Toyoda said at a press conference Friday in Tokyo that the deal was "an opportunity for us both to stop feeling that we need to go it alone," but he added that Toyota will keep the Daihatsu brand. "The Daihatsu brand will never disappear- let me assure you that," Toyoda said in a statement, Bloomberg reported. "It will be like Mini for BMW. That's the sort of goal we should aim for." Toyota has been working with fellow Japanese automakers in order to deal with tougher environmental standards and slower global sales growth. The company said last year that it would increase collaboration with Mazda Motor Corp. and is currently reportedly looking into forming an alliance with Suzuki Motor Corp. Daihatsu makes minicars with 660cc engines in Japan and compact cars in Southeast Asia, according to WSJ. The deal will also give Toyota the chance to work closely with Daihatsu's engineers. Daihatsu has experienced a jump in their shares since reports surfaced earlier this week about the deal with Toyota. 30 January 2016 10:12 (UTC+04:00) Azerbaijani Ambassador to the Czech Republic Farid Shafiyev has visited the country's Pardubice region to discuss bilateral relations between the regions of the two countries. The visit was organized on the initiative of Vaclav Snopek, member of the Czech-Azerbaijani interparliamentary friendship group who represent Pardubice region in the Czech Parliament. Farid Shafiyev met with MP Vaclav Snopek and Council member of Pardubice region Lyudmila Navratilova to discuss bilateral ties between Pardubice and Azerbaijani regions. The Azerbaijani diplomat then met with the Mayor of Pardubice and other officials of the City Council, as well as representatives of industrial, commercial, agricultural companies of the region. Saying they were interested in developing bilateral cooperation with Azerbaijan, Mayor of Pardubice Martin Charvat expressed readiness to contribute to the establishment of economic and trade relations with the country`s regions. Following the meeting, the Azerbaijani Ambassador responded to questions from Czech journalists. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 30 January 2016 11:40 (UTC+04:00) The dynamic partnership between Estonia and Azerbaijan will develop in the future in all areas, said Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves at a meeting with Azerbaijans new ambassador in Tallinn, Murad Najafbayli. Stressing that Azerbaijan is a friendly country, Estonian president expressed satisfaction with the level of bilateral cooperation, saying he is confident that this cooperation will further develop in all the areas, Azerbaijans Embassy to Estonia told Trend Jan. 29 Azerbaijani ambassador further presented his credentials to the president of Estonia. The ceremony for presentation of the credentials took place at the Kadriorg Palace. During a meeting held after the official ceremony, the ambassador conveyed sincere greetings and best wishes of Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev to his Estonian counterpart. The diplomat further pointed to the high level of relations between Azerbaijan and Estonia, and said he will make efforts to further strengthen and develop this cooperation. During the meeting, the sides also exchanged views on the current state and prospects of development of relations between Azerbaijan and Estonia, and the cooperation between the two countries at both bilateral and multilateral levels within international organizations. Azerbaijani ambassador also informed the president of Estonia on social and political, social and economic situation, as well as Azerbaijans success achieved under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev. The diplomat further informed President Toomas Hendrik Ilves about the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the continuation of aggression from Armenia, occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijani territories, and Armenias acting as if it is engaged in talks on a peaceful settlement of the conflict. 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. The ambassador also stressed Azerbaijans interest in further developing and strengthening relations with the friendly Estonia in all fields. The Estonian president, in turn, wished success to the ambassador, and thanked him for the greetings conveyed by President Ilham Aliyev, and asked to convey his greetings and best wishes to the Azerbaijani president. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 30 January 2016 12:23 (UTC+04:00) Azerbaijani soldier Nahid Safarov was killed on the countrys border with Armenia Jan. 29 at about 15:00 (GMT + 4 hours) as a result of an Armenian provocation, said Azerbaijans Defense Ministry Jan. 29 on its website. The ministry offered deep condolences and wished patience to the friends and relatives of the deceased, and said it is causing concern that international organizations react only when the Armenian side incurs losses. The message also said the Azerbaijani armed forces will take retaliatory measures. 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. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 30 January 2016 14:00 (UTC+04:00) Member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Co-Chair of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus Steve Cohen made a statement on the 26th anniversary of 20 January tragedy. The statement provides detailed information about the tragedy. The US congressman said that on 20 January 1990, Soviet troops stormed Azerbaijan's capital city of Baku and attacked civilians in the city. The congressman said that the January 20 tragedy united the Azerbaijani people and resulted with the declaration of independence in Azerbaijan. He also said Azerbaijan turned to rapidly developing country, adding democratic values and free market economy were established in the country. On January 20, 26,000 strong Soviet troops entered the Azerbaijani capital Baku from several directions, invading the city in a desperate, brutal and yet futile attempt to strangle the growing independence movement and to prevent the fall of the Soviet Communist regime in Azerbaijan and punish ordinary people who had rallied on the streets to voice their legitimate protest against the violation of their homeland's territorial integrity. Some 137 people were killed, 611 were wounded, 841 were illegally arrested, and five went missing as a result of the intrusion of troops into Baku and other regions of the country. The 20th of January, 1990 is marked in the modern history of Azerbaijan as one of the most tragic days of the country, and at the same time as a heroic page. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 30 January 2016 15:30 (UTC+04:00) The ministry of economy of Azerbaijan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) discussed the measures to minimize the negative impact of instability in global energy markets on the countrys economy, the message of the ministry said. Expansion of cooperation, priorities in Azerbaijans economy, etc. were also discussed during the meeting of the head of the ministry Shahin Mustafayev with the IMF delegation, according to the message. A meeting of the IMF delegation with Executive Director shahin of the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan Shahmar Movsumov also took place. In light of recent events, it was stated at the meeting in the first place that the IMF and Azerbaijan arent in talks to attract emergency aid package from international financial institutions. It was stressed that the country has sufficient foreign exchange reserves, the macroeconomic situation in the country is stable and sustainable. Transition to a new economic model within the framework of economic strategy put forward by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, prospects of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the IMF in this field and other matters were discussed at the meeting with the IMF representatives. Azerbaijan joined the IMF in 1992. The cooperation was particularly intense in 1995-2005. During these years, Azerbaijan often used IMFs advisory and financial assistance to support the government's economic programs. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 30 January 2016 16:18 (UTC+04:00) President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has attended the opening of Yeni Agdag gypsum plant of Metanet-A company in Qaradagh district, Baku. Minister of Economy Shahin Mustafayev informed the head of state of low-interest loans given by the National Entrepreneurship Assistance Fund to entrepreneurs in Baku suburbs. He said a total of 430 million manats were allocated to nearly 2220 entrepreneurs in Baku suburbs. Of this, some 286 million manats were spent to establish 86 high-technology enterprises covering a variety of production areas, including transformers, electrical devices, food industry, construction material, petrochemical industry, bread plants, sewing factory, and logistics centers. These loans contributed to the creation of more than 26,000 jobs. In Qaradagh district, 100 entrepreneurs received 78 million manats in low-interest loans, which created over 3,700 jobs. Head of Metanet-A Elkhan Bashirov informed the head of state of the company, which includes five plants. More than 800 jobs were created in these plants, with an average monthly wage of 600 manats. The President was informed of the company`s prospective projects, which include the construction of a drywall and mineral wool plant in Qaradagh, a limestone plant in Qazakh and an enriched quartz plant in Balakhani. A total of 105 million manats will be invested in the establishment of these plants, using state-provided low-interest loans. The plants will create a total of 1500 permanent and 500 seasonal jobs. The establishment of the plants will contribute to the creation of auxiliary production areas in Lerik, Absheron, Qaradagh, Qobustan, Dashkesan, Goranboy and Qazakh regions. Yeni Agdag gypsum plant occupies an area of 4.4 hectares. The plant will manufacture gypsum-based construction material. The plant will have an annual production capacity of 400,000 tons. The National Entrepreneurship Assistance Fund allocated a 1.5 million low-interest loan for the construction of this plant. President Ilham Aliyev viewed products to be manufactured by the plant. The facility will use mostly local raw material. Half of the plant`s products will be used to meet local demand, while the second half will be exported to Russia, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Iran and Ukraine. The head of state viewed products manufactured by other plants of Metanet-A company. President Ilham Aliyev launched Yeni Agdag gypsum plant, and then talked with its staff. Then a picture was taken. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 30 January 2016 10:00 (UTC+04:00) By Amina Nazarli Azerbaijan, well considering the harmony of the East and the West, seeks to develop tourism in the country. The investment in the national tourism is increasing, noted Culture and Tourism Minister Abulfaz Garayev at the event dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Culture and Tourism Ministry. Today Azerbaijan is one of the most visited countries in the region, attracting tourists with the blue sea, mountains of delicious fruit, exquisite cuisine, hospitable people and such a varied nature. Land of Fire reached significant promotions in tourism sector, improving the image of the country in the international arena. The country hosts a series of both luxury and 2-3 stars hotels, which now number 530 across the country currently. Some 2.5 million people from foreign countries visited Azerbaijan every year, the minister said. The national parks, providing a vast collection of beauties particularly the wildlife of the country, are among Azerbaijans main tourist attractions, since some 75,000 tourists visited the parks last year. Every year the ministry organizes several events across the world, promoting the rich samples of Azerbaijani culture with colorful dances, delicious cuisines and ancient history. Annually, several exhibitions and concerts, including Days of Azerbaijani Culture give the opportunity for the foreigners to get acquainted with the traditions and history of Land of Fire. The minister also praised the Heydar Aliyev Foundation for the exceptional work done to develop the Azerbaijani culture during the past 10 years. Museums are one of the first places that tourists are anticipated to visit in any country and the minister said Azerbaijani museums have entered a new stage of development. Baku is also famous with its grand museums of history, literature, music, culture and modern art. Earlier, the symbol of Baku --the Maiden Tower-- won the award of European Museum of the Year 2015 competition. -- Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 30 January 2016 10:52 (UTC+04:00) New deputy energy minister has been named in Kazakhstan. Kazakh Energy Ministry said on January 29 that Asset Magauov was appointed to the position of the deputy energy minister. Prior to this appointment Magauov served as the general director at the Kazenergy Association. In previous years, he also served as the deputy minister of oil and gas, and deputy minister of energy and mineral resources of Kazakhstan. The first deputy energy minister of Kazakhstan, Uzakbai Karabalin was dismissed last week as he has reached the age of retirement. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 30 January 2016 11:05 (UTC+04:00) Italian insurance agency Servizi Assicurativi del Commercio Estero (SACE) has signed a line of credit insurance MoU with the Central Bank of Iran, worth 6 euros, said the CBI governor Valiollah Seif. According to the CBI's official website, the MoU was signed during Seif's visit to Italy on January 27. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani visited Italy in Jan 26-27, heading a big delegation. The sides signed up to 17 billion ($18.4 billion) contracts and a MoU. Before in December 1, Iran announced that SACE has signed a short-term line of credit insurance MoUs with three Iranian banks, Parsian, Pasargad, and Saman. The MoUs were signed in a meeting between an Italian delegation and representatives of Central Bank of Iran (CBI) in Tehran, the CBI Public Relations announced. The Italian delegation included representatives from 11 Italian banks that count for 55 percent of the countrys banking. During the meeting, CBI Vice President for Currency Qolamali Kamyab said Iran and SACE have held talks on the way of settling the Italian insurance companys previous debts to Iran. A day earlier, SACE President Giovanni Castellaneta said his company was ready to allocate insurance services worth 5 billion to Iran-Italy business deals. In a trade conference held in Tehran on November 29 with 360 Italian economic representatives, a number of MoUs were signed in the fields of tourism and trade. Iran-Italy trade turnover stands at $1.5 billion a year. The number had hit $7 billion before economic sanctions were set against Iran. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 30 January 2016 11:19 (UTC+04:00) Economic agreements gradually paved way for more political discussions as Iranian President Hassan Rouhani left Italy for France, political analyst Mehdi Motaharnia said. What is noteworthy is the way Rouhani was greeted in Rome and Paris, that is, these countries approach to Irans doctrine of constructive relations, which found strategic depth after the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, aka nuclear deal], the political expert told Trend Jan. 29. Rouhanis trip was a genius choice for having included Rome and Paris. It carried a clear message. Iran wants to engage in effective cooperation with world according to a set outlook. It tries to put aside the pre-JCPOA risks, as well as that eras challenges with regional and other counties, Motaharnia underlined. Iran is keeping in mind those experiences and now has adopted a clear outlook for constructive cooperation aimed at creating mutual, effective relations, best exhibited in trips to places as special as Rome and Paris. The analyst also said it was in Paris that world order issues were discussed, the most salient topic of the talks being Iran-France cooperation against terrorism. Rouhanis meeting with the Pope was especially important, for Rouhani is at the same time a cleric, a member of [Irans] Assembly of Experts, as well as the second man in Iran according to the constitution, Motaharnia stated. He is the executive representative of a government that claims religious rule in Iran. Meeting the Catholic leader, against the backdrop of a blind fundamentalism that tries to introduce religion as a narcotic and a violence-boosting phenomenon, can lay ground for more Tehran-Rome cooperation toward presenting a more official view of religion, he added. President Rouhani wrapped up his four-day visit to Italy and France by leaving Paris for Tehran on Jan. 28 night. During his visit to Italy, Rouhani kick-started the two countries relations in political, economic, cultural, tourism, scientific and technological fields. Iran and Italy signed a total of 14 memorandums of understanding (MOUs) and agreed on a joint cooperation roadmap. The Iranian president met his Italian counterpart and prime minister in Rome, as well as the worlds Catholic Leader Pope Francis in Vatican. President Rouhani was accompanied by a group of representatives of Iran's private sector during his visit to Rome. He also met with Italian businessmen. While on a visit to France, Rouhani met with his French counterpart Francois Hollande. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 30 January 2016 11:27 (UTC+04:00) Iran is more than willing to sell its gas to Europe but the country might not be able to do this very soon, US expert on Central Asia and energy issues Bruce Pannier believes. To export large volumes of gas, pipelines are required and currently there are no pipelines linking Iran to Europe, Pannier told Trend. On January 16, the International Atomic Energy Agency verified Tehrans compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), opening the way for Iran's return to the global energy market. The same day, the US and the European Union announced that they were lifting their sanctions against Iran. The removal of sanctions against Iran will allow the country not only to increase its oil production and export, but also to become one of the major gas exporter to the global markets. Iran holds 17 percent of the world's proved natural gas reserves and more than one-third of OPEC's reserves, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). As of January 2015, Iran's estimated proved natural gas reserves were 1,201 trillion cubic feet. The country is also the world's third-largest dry natural gas producer, after the US and Russia. Pannier mentioned that Iran has expressed interest in joining the Trans Anatolian gas pipeline project, which is aimed at the transportation of Azerbaijani Shah Deniz fields gas from Georgian-Turkish border to the western borders of Turkey. SOCAR (State Oil Company of Azerbaijan) has expended significant time and resources toward realizing the project. I cannot imagine Baku would want to share pipeline capacity with anyone for the foreseeable future, so more pipelines need to be built, Pannier said. Iran's ambassador to Azerbaijan Mohsen Pak Ayeen recently said that after the removal of sanctions, Tehran is capable of joining major regional projects such as TANAP. Meanwhile, SOCAR high representative said that the commercial supplies of Iranian gas via TANAP have not been discussed up till now. There are also questions about the diplomacy involved in Iran joining a pipeline project through Turkey since Tehran and Ankara are not on the best of terms, according to Pannier. Meanwhile he believes Tehran will attempt to improve relations with Ankara because Turkey is the best (quickest and most economical) route for Iran to ship anything to Europe. The EU would probably encourage better ties between Ankara and Tehran and any gas pipeline projects carrying Iranian gas through Turkey could qualify to be considered as part of the EUs Southern Gas Corridor, Pannier said. And yes, there is certainly a large amount of money to be made, and not just by Iran as transit countries such as Turkey stand to gain, he added. At the same time, Pannier believes that LNG is probably Irans best opportunity for exporting gas to Europe in the near future. In some ways, Iran is fortunate that many European countries have already constructed or are constructing terminals to receive LNG, although the plans envisioned receiving LNG from North Africa and possibly some Gulf states, and sometime in the next decade, possibly from the US also, he said. So some of the necessary infrastructure is already in place and more is currently under construction. These terminals could take Iranian LNG as well, and its worth mentioning the current political situation in North Africa cast some doubts about supplies from that source, Pannier added. Iranian officials have stated that export of LNG to Europe is a priority for the country. Iran has already developed an LNG plant by 50 percent, which is expected to become operational in 2018 with 10.5 million tons annual production capacity. Within the next three years the country expects to launch five LNG projects. Currently Iran reportedly is in talks with France, Germany and Belgium for construction of LNG tankers. Pannier believes that Iran will be able to attract investments to develop necessary infrastructure in energy sphere. Reports said deals worth some $18 billion were signed when Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was in Italy and billions more in contracts were expected to be signed during his visit to France, Pannier said. But if Iran really needs the investment now, and if it wants to continue receiving foreign investment in its projects, the country might have to learn to become an easier partner to deal with, Pannier added. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 30 January 2016 12:08 (UTC+04:00) The Iranian Foreign Ministry has condemned a terrorist attack on a mosque in the Shia-populated region of al-Ahsa, in Saudi Arabias Eastern Province,Press TV reported. Hossein Jaberi Ansari, the ministry spokesman, said on Friday that the repetition of terrorist attacks on mosques and religious centers in eastern Saudi Arabia indicates worrying security situation in this region. It also showed the negligence of Saudi security forces in fulfilling their responsibilities to provide security for people against attacks by terrorists, he added. At least four people were killed and 18 wounded in the attacks, which targeted the Imam Reza Mosque in the town of Mahasen in al-Ahsa on Friday. There was no early claim of responsibility for the attack but it resembled previous assaults by Daesh terrorist group. Towns and cities in the Shia-dominated Eastern Province have been the site of peaceful demonstrations since February 2011. People have been voicing their protest at Riyadhs oppressive policies against the countrys Shia minority. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 30 January 2016 10:42 (UTC+04:00) Kazakhstans national carrier Air Astana signed a codeshare agreement with Chinese Hong Kong Airlines, the Kazakh airline said Jan. 29. A codeshare agreement is an arrangement between airlines that agree to share space with each other on certain flights in their schedules. This means that each airline publishes and markets the flight under its own airline designator and flight number as part of its published timetable or schedule. From now on, the passengers of Air Astana will be able to book tickets of both airlines in order to travel to the destinations where Hong Kong Airlines flies, such as China, Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan and Vietnam, said the airline. Thus, the number of Air Astanas codeshare partners has increased to seven. Air Astana has been operating since 2002, and today it has a fleet of 30 aircraft of western production. Its route network includes over 60 international and regional destinations. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 30 January 2016 14:50 (UTC+04:00) The Iranian Navy has test-fired advanced torpedo (cigar-shaped self-propelled underwater missile) its from submarines, Fars news agency reported. On the fourth day of the maritime drills named 'Velayat-94', Iranian forces also launched torpedoes from its Jamaran destroyer. Iran's navy also enabled its light submarine dubbed Qadir and a heavy submarine dubbed Tariq to follow and target moving objectives. Further, Iran's AB212 helicopter, equipped with rocket-launcher and machine gun, performed the precise-targeting missions. The naval drills cover an area of around 3 million square kilometers, down to the 10-degrees latitude, north of the Indian Ocean. A day earlier, the Iranian Navy test-fired several coast-to-sea and sea-to-sea cruise missiles named Nour (Light) with a range of 150 km during a massive naval drill underway in southeastern coasts of Makran, east of Strait of Hormuz. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 30 January 2016 17:47 (UTC+04:00) Iran is in talks with China and Russia for the development of West Karoun oil fields, said Abdolreza Hoseininejad, CEO of Oil Engineering and Development Co. He underlined that Chinese companies have recently proposed very high prices for developing Yadavaran fields phase 2 and they need to reconsider their offers, IRNA news agency reported January 30. However, he noted, Chinese companies are Irans strategic partners because they kept offering their cooperation in times when Iran was under economic sanctions. He also referred to North Azadega Phase 2, noting, Chinese companies claim the field has high risks, but we do not think so. Hoseininejad went on to say that Russian companies are not meant to return to Azar field. But, he added, they can propose developmental plans for Changuleh field. He said Russians have already presented proposals about West Karoun fields. Yadavaran, North Azadegan, South Azadegan, North Yaran, and South Yaran oil fields are dubbed West Karoun oil fields. The Economy Council of Iran has approved the development of West Karoun oil fields as the largest joint oil fields development plan. Investment of some $15.2 billion is projected for the plan over the course of four years. The production capacity is scheduled to reach 1.4 million barrels per day by 2021. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Hello my dearest,Salam I Blessed you with due respect in the name of Allah. Firstly I thank you so much, inline with the message, which I have sent to you, I am more than happy in your reply to my mail. How is every thing over there in your country,i believe that you are in good health, and the atmosphere over there in your country is very nice today? Mine is a little bit warm over here in Lome, Togo. My name is ( Fatima Abdel ) From Libya in North Africa, i am (23years old) but age doesn't matter in a real relationship, I am from (Libya,) 5.2ft tall, fair in complexion single,(never married ) and presently i am residing here in Lome as a result of the war that happened in my country which i was escaped to this country Togo were i am under refugee camp. My late father MAJOR GENERAL, ( ABDEL FATTAH YOUNES). My late father He held the rank of Major General and the post of Minister of Interior, but resigned on 22nd February 2011 to defect the rebel in Libyan civil war. My father was killed by members of an anti-Gaddafi military on 28th July 2011. When rebels anti-Gaddafi military troupe attacked our house one early morning killing my parents. Equally my mother was six months pregnant and she was a senior lecturer at the university before her death, it's only me that is alive now because I am the only child to my parents, and I managed to make my way with the help of UN to Togo, where I am leaving now as refugee. It was in an early morning attack by militant groups killed my family members both my mother and my father in a cold blood, Equally my mother was six months pregnant. Right now, as i am talking to you, i am the only person alive in my family, and I managed to make my way to this country (Togo) where i am leaving now as a refugee under the care of a Rev. Fr, SOLOMON KUMA who is the priest of the ( Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission Parish Catholic Church, (Togo) here in the camp, he has been very nice to me since I came here but i am not living with him rather i live in the female's hostel because the camp have two hostels one for men the other for women. Please do not be offended for this message that comes from me please, its just that i don't know what else to do, because my situation here as the refugee is giving me a great concern, therefore, i will like you to consider my situation as an orphan, and be kind with me, as i am putting the whole of my trust on you with out fear, though i don't know who you are before, but i believe that with Allah all things are possible and you can not betray me at the end. I have communicated to you because of my difficult situation here in this refugee camp, Its just like one staying in the prison and i hope by Allah,s grace i will come out here soon. I don't have any relatives now whom i can go to, all my relatives ran away in the middle of the war the only person i have now is the Rev Fr. SOLOMON KUMA , who is our guardian here in this refugee camp, he has been very nice to every body in the camp, but we are not living with him, rather we are leaving in the hostel, which is divided into two sections, one for the male, and the other for the female. The Rev father Tel number is (0022898244166) if you call, please tell him that you wants to speak with me Miss. Fatima from Libya he will send for me in the hostel to come and talk with you. Here in this camp I am sending you email through the church office computer at the Rev Farther office. Because As a refugee here we don't have any right or privilege to any thing be it money, phone, computer, or whatever because it is against the law of this country. I want to go back to my studies because I only attended my first year before the tragic incident that lead to me being in this bad situation. I was present when i saw my mother killed with six months pregnant. Please listen to this - ( because it's a secret, even no one knows about it except you and i knows about this), I have my late father's death certificate here with me, which i will send to you later, because when he was alive he deposited some amount of money in one of the leading banks in which he used my name as the next of kin, the total amount, is US$9.5M(Nine Million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars). So I will like you to help me to transfer this money to your account and from it you can send some money for me to get my traveling documents and air ticket to come over to meet you in your country. I kept this secret to people in the camp here the only person that knows about it is you and me. For your own information, i want you to view this news information about killing of my late Father, story through BBC WORLD NEWS http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/ world-africa-14336122 So i will like you to keep it to yourself as secret and don't tell it to anyone because i am afraid of loosing my life and the money if people gets to know about it. Remember i am giving you all this information due to the trust i deposed on you. I like honest and understanding people,truthful and people that have vision, hardworking and Allah fearing person. My favorite language is English and i speak English very fluently. can i trust you as a genuine friend ? Meanwhile i will like you to call me like i said, i have a lot to tell you. Have a nice day and think about my condition here Attached here is my pictures for you, Awaiting to hear from you soonest Thanks and remain blessed. with lot of love Yours. Those photos attached MY dear, how are you today? hopefully you are doing fine, i was more than happy to read your mail today, i was wondering if Allah have totally forgotten me here,Why i am facing all this kind of difficulties here, God have given you to me to stand for me for the claim of my Late father's wealth and help me to come out of here which i know that i did not make any mistake by chosen you. I thank you once again for your reply over my mails, and am happy to know who you are, i look forward to see you face to face,i like you very much and i want you to know that before i contacted you is the will of God that make me and you to know because i got you immediately after my 7 days, 6 to 6 fasting and prayers that's why i gave you all my trust and i believe that you will not betray me or let me down. Please i have not told anyone except you about the existence of this money and i will like you to please keep it secret to other people because since it is (MONEY) all eyes will be on it.Am using the church office computer to write you,Remember i trust you honey that is why i am giving you all this information! My love is for you and you alone,i will like to hear your voice please,just call the Reverend and tell him that you want to speak with me and he will send for me immediately.You can call me and ask me any question you want. Like as i told you I have informed the bank about my plans to claim this money and the only thing they told me is to look for a foreign partner who will stand on my behalf due to my refugee status and the laws of this country.You will have 20% of the total money helping me and the remaining money will be managed by you in any business of your choice.In this regards i will like you to contact the bank immediately with this information,tell them that you are my foreign partner and that you want to know the possibilities of assisting me to transfer my $ 9.5 million dollars deposited by my late father of which i am the next of kin of the Money. The contact information of the bank is as follows: ADDRESS: Name: ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND GROUP PLC . Email: Rbsonlinetransfer@caramail.com Email: ROYALBANK989@mail.com Telephone numbers. . . + (44) -704-577-0403 Office Fax number . . . . + (44) -703-1971-731 ( Account Information ) Account Name: Major General, abdel Fattah Younes Amount: 9.5 Million US Dollars Next of Kin to the Deposit: Miss Fatima abdel Email:abdelfatima9@hotmail.com Account Number: 121000358. CONTACT PERSON: Sir Philip Hampton Group chairman and Remittance Manager DIRECT: + (44) -704-577-0403 Email: ChairmanRBS@worker.com Already i have informed this bank about my intention to claim my late father's deposit of which my name appears as the next of kin. The only thing the bank told me is to look for a foreign partner who will assist me in the transfer due to my refugee status here in Togo, as a refugee i am not allowed direct claim of the money but through an appointed representative as the united refugee law governing refugee all over the world states. Contact them now on how to transfer the $9.5M (Nine Million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) deposited by my late father of which i am the next of kin.I have mapped out 15% for your assistance and 5% for any expenses that might come up in this transfer.My dear am glad that God has brought you to see me out from this situation and i promise to be kind and will equally need you in every area of my life plus investing this money since i am still too young to manage it. As i told you before,this camp is just like a prison and my prayers is to move out from here as soon as possible.Please make sure that you contact the bank so that after the transfer you can send some money from that money for me to prepare my traveling documents to meet with you in your country,for a better life. Please let me know immediately you contact the bank, Awaiting to hear from you soonest with your information!. Fatima . From: ChairmanRBS@worker.com CC: abdelfatima9@hotmail.com Subject: Royal Bank of Scotland Date: Sat, 30 Jan 2016 09:07:48 +0100 T o TheRoyal Bank of Scotland Plc United Kingdom. http://www.rbsmakeithappen.com Registered office Royal Bank of Scotland Plc.London, No.36 St. Andrew Square, Edinburgh,EH2 2YB. Email: rbsuk@europe.com Telephone number: + Office Fax number:+ (44) -703-197-7311 Date: January - 30 - 2016 - 11:30:52- GMT This is a message from the Regional Telegraphic Transfer Head Office of Royal Bank of Scotland Group P.l.c London. FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION Dear Client, I have been directed by the Director of Foreign operation/wire transfer chairman (Sir. Philip Hampton) to write you in respect of your mail we received, and your ability to claim and transfer the fund into your position as your partner instructed. Actually, we have earlier been informed about you by the young Lady Miss FatimaAbdel (the next of kin) that she wishes you to be her trustee/representative for the claim of her late father's deposit with this Bank. Late Major General. Abdel Fattah Younes was our late customer with sum substantial amount of money deposited with us, (USD $ 9.500, 000, 00). Hence you have been really appointed as a trustee to represent the next of Kin. However before our Bank will transact any business concerning the transfer with you. We will like you to send the followings Documents from FEDERAL HIGH COURT OF TOGO which MissFatima Abdel must sign and confirmed, because it will be prepare on your name. And send them immediately to our Bank. 1. A power of attorney permitting you to claim and transfer the funds to your Bank account on her behalf. Note: This Power of attorney must be endorsed by a Togolese resident lawyer. (Since the young lady is presently in Togo). 2.The death certificate of (Her deceased father) confirming his death. 3. An Affidavit of oath from Togolese high court, This is because the girl must SIGN the Documents. 4.Your Personal information including; contacts, full name, Your Designated bank account where the money is to be wired, the Name of The lawyer From Togo who does the legal powers, Note: The above are compulsory, and are needed to protect our interest, yours and the next of kin after the transfer has been made. These shall also ensure that a smooth, quick and successful transfer of the fund is made. (We promise to give our customers the best of our services.) If you have any question(s), please contact the Group chairman and Remittance Manager-Sir. Philip Hampton, for more directives/clarifications. Yours Faithfully, Mrs Shona Mackenzie Customers Relation Officer. If you received a similar letter, please ignore it. Do not answer it. If you do, you will end up on more of the mailing lists used by the criminals behind this fraud. Read more.... Friday it was a reunion between a pig and its owners you couldnt make up if you tried. Porkchop, aka Ciccarone, aka Lulu the pig, now has a new name to add to the list. Shes gotten to be a little Houdini pig, Lulus owner Denise Johnson said. And if you dont believe it, heres how Lulus day went on Friday. First Lulu escaped from her home this morning. She was found on the campus of Northeast High School in St. Pete. Then the pig was escorted home by a school resource officer, only to escape a couple of hours later. This time Dawn Fruci spotted Lulu. And get this, Lulu was crossing the street. I was driving to work this morning and I saw someone stopping traffic cause it was right across from Old North East High School and it was a lady looking at a pig. A pig was crossing the street, Fruci said. Thinking it was her neighbors pig, Fruci brought it home but quickly realized Lulu didnt live next door. I went in and placed all these ads today, posted it on Facebook and thats when I got contacted by Bay News 9 saying they wanted to do a report on it. I said I dont want to put the pig out there just in case its not the rightful owner, Fruci said. Once Bay News 9 put the women in contact with each other, Denise Johnson and her 7 kids and grandkids came to get Lulu. One of Lulus youngest owners, London says Lulu thinks shes a dog. We let her inside and let her play. Yes, because she eats dog food and tries to bark, London said. So thats pork chop, Ciccarone, Lulu, Houdini and pretend dog. Its safe to say this is no ordinary pig and her owners plan to make sure she doesnt pull another disappearing act any time soon. Lulus owners say the pig managed to dig under their newly installed fence to escape. They plan on adding concrete under the fence to make sure she doesnt escape again. Police in Bradenton are searching for a suspect witnesses and security camera footage show robbed a bank Friday morning. According to police reports, the suspect entered the BB&T Bank at 5312 Cortez Road West shortly before 11 a.m. and demanded money. He then fled the scene on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash. Bradenton police officers, with the assistance of the Manatee County Sheriff's Office K-9 unit, searched the area around the bank, but were not able to locate the suspect. Police describe the suspect as a dark-haired white male, around 6 feet tall and between 160 and 180 pounds. He was photographed wearing a yellow jacket hoodie with brown-striped sleeves and distinct lettering on the back, blue jeans, and black sunglasses. Anyone having information with regard to this case is asked to call Detective Adrian Meridan 941-932-9326. Those wishing to remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000, call Crime Stoppers (toll free) at 1-866-634-8477 (TIPS) or send an anonymous E-Tip thru the web at www.manateecrimestoppers.com. Tampa police are looking for a Ford Focus after a carjacking Friday night. It happened around 9:40 a.m. at the intersection of North Central Ave. and East Kirby St. A woman was sitting in the parked vehicle when a man approached her, pulled out a handgun and ordered her to get out, police said. The suspect and two other men got into the vehicle and then took off. The woman was not injured. The vehicle is a 2014 black four-door Ford Focus with Florida license plate of 153 AHM. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay at 1-800-873-TIP (8477). N. Oregon Coast's Rockaway Beach Has a Geologic, Land-Altering Surprise Published 03/27/2015 By Andre' Hagestedt (Rockaway Beach, Oregon) There truly are some awe-inspiring aspects of the Oregon coast simply hiding in plain sight. People may see a landmark all the time but never see the unusual detail right in front of them because they don't have the correct kind of trained eye. Yet sometimes, even the professional doesn't see the surprise coming. (Photo above: you can see a slight curve beginning here in front of Twin Rocks). Case in point: those famed Twin Rocks at Rockaway Beach are doing something interesting to the landscape no one has noticed. Until, this week, anyway. Oregon Coast Beach Connection brought a seemingly insignificant detail to the attention of Seaside geologist Tom Horning of Horning Geosciences and he saw something he'd never seen before. It turns out, that pair of sea stacks is creating a structure we can't see, and it's bending the beach around it. Photo above courtesy ormap.net: the curve of Rockaway's Beach is larger than you can see from the ground, but while on the ground you can a sizable bump in front of the rocks as well. Head to down to Minehaha Street in Rockaway Beach, and you'll find yourself the closest to Twin Rocks that you can get. The sea stacks are a mere half mile away from you maybe less. Look closely at the beach directly in front of the stacks. Notice anything different? The tideline curves outward here, away from the beach. There's a large chunk of sand that's maybe 20 30 feet closer to the rocks directly in front of them. This stretch is almost as long as the rocks are as well. Moreover, the curve is much bigger than you can see while standing on the beach. It's as if Twin Rocks are pulling at the sand. It turns out that's not too far off from the truth. Horning was surprised by the observation, and confirmed via aerial photographs the sand does indeed project out quite a ways at that spot. It comes down to the rock formation breaking up the power of the waves and then creating some kind of land mass underwater, which in turn builds even more sand in that spot. When the waves hit a rock or sea stack like that, they warp around it and they lose energy, Horning said. So it dumps sand directly behind the sea stack. Then there's one of two things happening here, Horning said, resulting in what is called a tombolo the term for a tract of land connecting two areas that are in the water. Or, in this case, something is connecting the rocks to the shore. If the tide was for some reason low enough, you might actually see a bridge of sand between the beach and the formations. Or, it could be made of gravel. Whatever it is, it's underwater. It's pretty far out and pretty deep, Horning said. Since the bar is high, at low tide it makes the shoreline appear to stick farther out into the ocean. If it's made of gravel, this could be erosion of rock coming off the Twins. The structure is about 17 million years old, having been created by a super lava flow that trudged this way from some three hundred miles to the east, from the same crack in the Earth that now fuels Yellowstone National Park. (Tectonic plate movement over those millions of years caused the land to shift well to the west, while the crack at Yellowstone stayed in the same place.) Twin Rocks was once part of something much bigger, but millions upon millions of years of geologic movement and then wave action whittled it away into its current form. What's eroding from the rocks may be creating this tombolo. It's hard for waves to move gravel, Horning said. So it forms a long, skinny ridge of rock maybe a quarter mile to half a mile long that connects the sea stack to the beach. So maybe what we're looking at there is part of the tombolo we can't see. The rest is under water. Manzanita Hotels in this area - Where to eat - Maps and Virtual Tours Whatever is exactly going on there, it has a reach far beyond just this little stretch of beach. And it's been around for a long, long time. Horning noticed the property lines of the oceanfront homes here jut further out to the west than the rest of Rockaway Beach as well. It's created conditions favorable to building construction a bit closer to the beach, another intresting fact on top of the hard-to-see curiosities of this beach's layout. More on Rockaway Beach below and at the Rockaway Beach, Manzanita Virtual Tour, Map. More About Manzanita, Rockaway, Wheeler Lodging..... More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining..... Coastal Spotlight LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles Back to Oregon Coast Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Marshall Middle School parents might not know until Sunday whether their children's school will be open Monday for classes because state inspectors and school district officials still are evaluating whether a boiler is at fault for spreading carbon monoxide through the school building on Thursday, sickening more than 150. Beaumont school district spokesman Ron Reynolds said he did not know when the district would have an answer on whether Marshall would reopen by Monday. The school was closed today. "It might be Sunday," he said, in response to a query about when the district might know. In a statement on the BISD website, the school district said, "Beaumont ISD will take as much time as needed to ensure the building is safe for students and staff to return. Parents will be notified through all forms of media and the district's phone messaging system regarding Monday's school schedule." If Marshall is not open, where will the students go?"I don't know," Reynolds said. Beaumont Fire Department Capt. Earl White said state inspectors from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation were on scene today. "If (the boiler) is found to be faulty, it will be repaired or replaced and it must get approved through the fire marshal and the city building official before it (the school) can be occupied," White said. "We are working diligently." White said 179 people were treated at the scene on Thursday and 69 were transported to local hospitals for further medical treatment. State Rep. Joe Deshotel, D-Beaumont, said he was asked by "concerned community leaders and constituents" about the extent of any threat from carbon monoxide leaks and if there are any actions that should be taken by the Legislature. Neither state law nor local ordinance mandate carbon monoxide monitors in public schools. "I am currently seeking out more information from the Texas Education Agency, BISD and others who may be able to provide important information or recommend appropriate legislative action," Deshotel said in a prepared statement. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Guiseppe Barranco/Photo Editor Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Four closures, three on I-10, over the course of the weekend could cause traffic backups in Jefferson, Orange and Liberty counties. The right lane of I-10 westbound at the Purple Heart Memorial Bridge will be closed from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Saturday for construction, the Texas Department of Transportation said in a release. Robert Dannenhoffer, MD, claims he was fired for reporting $10 million in fraudulent Medicare charges to Douglas County (Ore.) physicians, according to Oregon Live. Here are five key points: 1. The pediatrician said the board of Architrave Health fired him in February 2015 after he claimed the company self-reported improper Medicare payments to the Umpqua Medical Group, a Architrave subsidiary. 2. Dr. Dannenhoffer alleges the payments violated the False Claims Act and the Stark Act because Umpqua Medical Group (allegedly) created a compensation structure that paid its physicians more every time they prescribed certain drugs and procedures for Medicare patients. 3. DCIPA, a local physician group affiliated with Architrave, hired a criminal defense lawyer to advise two Umpqua Medical Group officials, Dr. Dannenhoffer claims. 4. Dr. Dannenhoffer is seeking reinstatement as Architrave's CEO in addition to back pay, punitive damages and attorney's fees. 5. CMS officials have not commented on the allegations. More healthcare news: DPR Construction moves forward in building Shriners for Children Medical Center's outpatient center, includes ASC: 4 highlights Patients trust providers with personal information, even with cyber attacks 6 observations 1% of physicians responsible for a third of malpractice claims: 5 key insights Shortages of drugs including anesthetics, painkillers, antibiotics and cancer treatments have become increasingly common in the U.S. Although some shortages create a stir in the media, patients are less frequently aware they are not being administered a certain drug as a result of rationing, according to The New York Times. The American Society of Health System Pharmacists says there are inadequate supplies of more than 150 drugs and therapeutics, according to the report. Reasons for drug shortages include manufacturing problems, new federal safety rules or drugmakers ceasing production of low-profit products. In turn, hospitals must decide which patients get certain drugs and which don't, raising ethical red flags and resulting in medically questionable practices, according to the report. Here are five things to know about drug shortages and rationing in hospitals. 1. To decide which patients will get rationed drugs, some institutions have created formal committees that include ethicists and patient representatives, while in others, individual physicians, pharmacists or drug company executives make the decision, according to the report. 2. Other criteria are used to decide which patients will receive drugs. For instance, researchers have found obese patients required nearly three times the amount of an antibiotic before surgery than average-size patients, but they were given only a standard dose at the Cleveland Clinic during a shortage. Age is another deciding factor at some hospitals. A Cleveland Clinic pharmacist said children were not favored over adults during a chemotherapy shortage, but at other hospitals, they are because of their potentially longer lifespan, or because they may require a smaller dose, according to the report. 3. Studies have found an association between alternative treatments during a shortage of a preferred treatment and higher rates of medication errors, side effects, disease progression and even death, according to the report. 4. Physicians and hospitals typically do not inform patients about shortages and rationing practices to prevent them from worrying or becoming angry. Ivan Hsia, MD, an anesthesiologist in Ontario, Canada, said many physicians follow a "paternalistic model," telling NYT, "I'll inform them when I think it's unsafe enough to inform them." 5. Dr. Hsia and his colleagues surveyed hundreds of patients at the Mayo Clinics in Arizona and Florida and other patients in Canada about their preferences when it comes to being informed on drug shortages and rationing. The majority of patients wanted to know about a drug shortage that could affect their care during an elective surgery, and many said they would delay the surgery. Vancouver, Wash.-based PeaceHealth has been highly active in recruiting healthcare executives. In May, Victoria King, RN, MSN, joined PeaceHealth as its first systemwide CNO. In November, PeaceHealth welcomed Liz Dunne as its new president and CEO. Ms. Dunne succeeded president and chief mission officer Alan Yordy, who retired in June. The system was also able to recruit Mark Adams, MD, a board-certified general and vascular surgeon, as its new systemwide CMO. Carol Aaron, senior vice president of culture and people and chief human resources officer for PeaceHealth, says these recruitments come as the system, with locations in Washington, Oregon and Alaska, is positioning and structuring itself to move to integrated networks to serve its communities. "We're looking at the structures, the roles and the competencies for the delivery of care in a new, forward-thinking way in the community in different access points," she says. For instance, after joining PeaceHealth in March, Dr. Adams will focus on strategies for clinical care, quality, safety and patient experience. Ms. King focuses on standards of care, care delivery and the whole care model at PeaceHealth. As for Ms. Dunne, she has a great vision toward community health and population health, given her experience working in nonprofit and Catholic systems, says Ms. Aaron. And PeaceHealth is currently looking at how it will continue to support its relationships with health plans and other payers following news that Cynthia Finter, senior vice president of payer strategy, innovation and operations, will be leaving PeaceHealth to return to her consulting business. Her last day will be Feb. 29. In addition to moving toward integrated networks, Ms. Aaron says PeaceHealth has an aging workforce, so employees have retired, leaving vacancies that need to be filled. Whatever the reason for bringing in somebody new, the system has looked to multiple areas of the country for recruiting. Prior to joining PeaceHealth, Ms. Dunne was community CEO for Renton, Wash.-based Providence Health & Services in South Bay, Calif., and Ms. King was CNO of Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center in Houston. Dr. Adams is currently community CMO of CHI Franciscan Health in Tacoma, Wash. Moving forward, Ms. Aaron said PeaceHealth will continue to be innovative and creative in the leaders it selects. "It is a very dynamic time for us. It's a great opportunity on how to engage in creating high-quality healthcare," she says. Ms. Aaron adds, "We're a mission-based, community-based delivery system that has always been changing. This is our legacy of change, today, tomorrow, the next day and into our future. That's what keeps PeaceHealth a vibrant organization." More articles on executive news: Banyan Medical Systems names executive VP of sales: 3 things to know 21 latest hospital, health system executive moves Partners HealthCare names chief diversity and inclusion officer: 5 things to know Some physicians are concerned about potential regulatory changes in Vermont this year, according to VTDigger. These providers testified on two major policy proposals from Gov. Peter Shumlin (D) at the state's House Health Care Committee and the Senate Finance Committee, according to the report. Here are the two major proposals, and why independent providers are concerned. First, Gov. Shumlin has proposed a 2.35 percent tax on independent physicians and dentists, according to the report. The VTDigger reports this tax will generate more than $10 million from physicians and more than $6 million from dentists. The federal government will match that with $20 million in funds to go toward Medicaid, according to the report. However, physicians say the financial burden of the tax outweighs the potential increase from improved Medicaid reimbursement for nearly all independent physicians. For physicians who treat large Medicare populations, the Medicaid rates will have little to no benefit, according to physician testimonials cited in the report, and they will not be able to shift the cost of the tax to customers because they don't have enough power to negotiate with payers. Second, Gov. Shumlin has proposed an all-payer model to promote the formation of accountable care organizations. This model would promote the OneCare ACO, which is run by the University of Vermont and Dartmouth Hitchcock medical centers, in Burlington, Vt., and Lebanon, N.H., respectively, according to the report. It could also promote a partnership between OneCare and other stakeholders, including community health centers and independent physicians, according to the report. However, physicians who are wary of this are primarily concerned about working under a hospital-owned ACO and about the paperwork associated with it, according to the report. More articles on integration and physician issues: CEP America expands anesthesia practice with Morpheus Anesthesia Antelope Valley Hospital partners with UCLA for pediatric care VA surgeon's body found in Spokane River From a federal jury convicting an Illinois physician of healthcare fraud to an ex-CEO claiming retaliation for blowing the whistle on millions of dollars in false Medicare charges, here are the latest healthcare industry lawsuits and settlements making headlines. 1. Walmart ordered to pay pharmacist $31M for gender bias After deliberating for less than three hours, a federal jury in New Hampshire ordered Walmart to pay $31.22 million to a pharmacist who claims she was fired because of her gender. 2. Ex-CEO claims retaliation for blowing the whistle on $10M in false Medicare charges The former CEO of a hospital-physician joint venture in Roseburg, Ore., filed a federal lawsuit against his former employer, claiming he was fired for reporting $10 million in fraudulent Medicare payments. 3. Southcoast Health urges court to toss Steward's monopoly lawsuit New Bedford, Mass.-based Southcoast Health System urged a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Boston-based Steward Healthcare, claiming Steward failed to state a claim under federal or state antitrust law. 4. Ex-operator of shuttered NC hospital to pay $148k in damages, fees Yadkin Valley Community Hospital in Yadkinville, N.C., unexpectedly closed last year, and a federal judge ordered the former operator of the shuttered facility to pay civil contempt damages and attorney fees. 5. Federal jury convicts Illinois physician in Medicare fraud scheme Banio Koroma, MD, a physician at now-shuttered Mobile Doctors in Chicago, was convicted on federal fraud charges. 6. Former physician sentenced to 2 years for illegally prescribing pain medication A 78-year-old former physician who practiced medicine in Niagara Falls, N.Y., was sentenced to two years in prison for conspiring to illegally dispense controlled substances from his medical office. 7. Managed care plan to pay $46.7M to settle fraud allegations CenterLight Healthcare and CenterLight Health System agreed to a $46.7 million settlement to resolve claims the companies enrolled ineligible members in the CenterLight Healthcare managed long-term care plan. 8. Court rules Johns Hopkins wrongly terminated job offer to deaf nurse A U.S. district court judge found Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Hospital violated the federal Americans with Disabilities Act when officials rescinded a job offer to a deaf nurse following her request for a sign language interpreter. 9. Planned Parenthood plot twist: 10 things to know about who was indicted Two anti-abortion activists and leaders of the Center for Medical Progress who made undercover videos of Planned Parenthood were indicted by a grand jury in Houston on felony and misdemeanor charges. More articles on health law: Physicians sued for malpractice once are likely to get sued again AHA weighs in on implied certification theory in False Claims Act case 14 recent legislative developments affecting healthcare Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Ill., intends to appeal a court ruling issued earlier this month that deemed part of a law that allows nonprofit hospitals to avoid paying property taxes unconstitutional, according to The News-Gazette. In 2010, the Illinois Supreme Court weighed in on the issue and handed down a decision that suggested nonprofit hospitals in the state that behave like businesses should not qualify for tax exemptions. Subsequently, the Illinois Department of Revenue denied tax exemptions to three hospitals. However, Illinois hospitals were issued a win in 2012 when state lawmakers passed legislation that simply required a nonprofit hospital's charitable services to exceed its property tax liability to qualify for tax exemptions. The tax exemptions were once again brought into question this month when the Illinois 4th District Appellate Court ruled the 2012 law is unconstitutional. The ruling was issued in a case brought by Carle Foundation Hospital against the city of Urbana and other local taxing districts. Carle Foundation was seeking relief from taxes for 2004-2011. The battle over the tax exemptions is not over, as Carle intends to take the case to the Illinois Supreme Court. "Carle believes it is entitled to its property tax exemptions granted decades ago, so people in need can get care regardless of their ability to pay something that is critical to our mission as a nonprofit healthcare provider," Carle officials said in a statement, according to the report. "Therefore, Carle will file an appeal of the 4th District Appellate Court opinion with the Illinois Supreme Court prior to the Feb. 9, 2016, deadline." Knowing it was likely the case would be appealed to the state supreme court, the Illinois Department of Revenue said it will put off issuing any new property tax exemptions to hospitals until the matter is resolved. The Champaign County Board of Review is not waiting for a decision from the state high court before moving forward. The board voted Wednesday to place Carle and Presence Covenant Medical Center in Urbana back on the tax rolls, according to the report. More articles on healthcare industry lawsuits: Former physician sentenced to 2 years for illegally prescribing pain medication Southcoast Health urges court to toss Steward's monopoly lawsuit Ex-CEO claims retaliation for blowing the whistle on $10M in false Medicare charges Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna and Boston Children's Hospital have resolved their dispute over reimbursement rates, according to The Boston Globe. Last week, The Boston Globe reported the insurer and Boston Children's would end their contract Feb. 15 if they couldn't settle their dispute. Boston Children's Hospital bought Hawthorne, N.Y.-based Children's and Women's Physicians of Westchester, a for-profit group, in 2015. Boston Children's wanted higher physician rates to "reduce the reimbursement gap" between it and its competitors. Aetna claimed these rates were too high. But now the organizations have solved the problem. "We look forward to our continued relationship with Boston Children's," said Aetna spokesman Walt Cherniak, according to the report. Boston Children's Hospital responded in a similar manner. "Boston Children's Hospital is pleased that we've reached agreement with Aetna assuring no patient will have care from their preferred caregiver interrupted," said hospital spokesman Rob Graham, according to the report. The Boston Globe did not disclose whether reimbursement rates will change. More articles on payer issues: Alaska, Oregon suspend Moda Health Plan activity due to financial fears MNsure audit found nearly $200M in insurance errors Health insurers in the news: Jan. 21-27 President Barack Obama signed a memorandum Thursday that officially kicked off Vice President Joe Biden's "moonshot" initiative to improve cancer care and research in his final year in office. The memorandum established a task force, which will be chaired by Vice President Biden and include the Department of Defense, HHS, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Cancer Institute, the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, among other executive branch departments and agencies. The task force will be funded by the NIH. It will focus resources on accelerating our knowledge of cancer, prevention, early detection, treatment and cures; as well as on improving patient access and care; supporting greater access to research and data; encouraging development of cancer treatments; addressing regulatory barriers and identifying opportunities for public-private partnerships. Vice President Biden will convene the first meeting of the task force on Monday. "We're not trying to make incremental change here," Vice President Biden wrote in a statement on the initiative. "We're trying to get to a quantum leap on the path to a cure. That's the goal of this moonshot. To make a decade worth of advances in five years and, eventually, end cancer as we know it." More articles on population health: Hawaii is No. 1 for well-being in US Violence prevention programs proliferate at hospitals US task force recommends physicians screen all adult patients for depression Technological advancements in spine devices and more minimally invasive spine surgeries will drive the market, according to a ReportLinker report. Here are six points: 1. The global spinal implants and devices market is set to grow at a CAGR of 8.2 percent in the Asia-Pacific region. 2. A growing population of patients, an increasing number of obesity cases, rising government funding and increasing income levels will drive the market's growth in the Asia-pacific region. 3. North America holds 64.9 percent of the market share, followed by Europe. 4. Emerging Asian and Latin American countries and an increasing number of hospitals offer new growth opportunities for the market. 5. The product approval process, costly procedures and reimbursement issues will act as barriers to the market's growth. 6. Medtronic and DePuy Synthes accounted for 47.4 percent of the market share in 2014. Here are nine spine and neurosurgeons in the news this past week: Michael Roh, MD, was named a Person to Watch in 2016 Richard Day, MD, hosted a class on neck pain. Tenner Guillaume, MD, used magnetic rods to treat pediatric scoliosis Anthony Rinella, MD, traveled to Colombia to treat adolescents with spinal conditions. Vikas Patel, MD, chief of orthopedic spine surgery at the University of Colorado, discussed stem cell therapy at the Vail Symposium. Orthopedic spine surgeon Chintan Sampat, MD, performed an urgent laminectomy that helped a man walk again after he couldn't move part of his legs and feet. A trial date for June 27 has been set for neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch, MD, whose episodes of care allegedly left patients maimed, paralyzed or dead. The posthumous memoir When Breath Becomes Air of neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi, MD, was released. Neurosurgeon Richard Rovin, MD, reached out the White House after President Obama called on Vice President Joe Biden to cure cancer. To continue following the latest news and information for Bedfordshire and surrounding areas, simply enter your full postcode below Eddie Redmayne will be hoping for a boost to his bid to win the best actor Oscar two years in a row - as he vies for his second Screen Actors Guild Award. The awards will be handed out at a star-studded ceremony in Los Angeles on Saturday evening. The SAGs are generally seen as a testing ground for the Academy Awards, as the last 11 stars to win the gong for male actor in a leading role also went on to pick up the best actor Oscar. Last year British actor Redmayne continued the tradition by winning his first SAG Award and then his first Oscar for his role as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything. The British actor is nominated again this year, for his role as transgender pioneer Lili Elbe in The Danish Girl. He will be up against Johnny Depp for his role as gangster James "Whitey" Bulger in Black Mass, Leonardo DiCaprio for playing Hugh Glass in the epic revenge film The Revenant, Irish actor Michael Fassbender for his titular role in Steve Jobs, and Bryan Cranston for his star turn as Dalton Trumbo in the film Trumbo. The only one of these not to also be in the running for the best actor Oscar is Depp. Instead, the Academy has given the nod to Matt Damon for playing a stranded astronaut in The Martian. Oscar nominees Cate Blanchett (Carol), Brie Larson (Room) and Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn) will compete for the SAG Award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a leading role. They will also face competition from Sarah Silverman for her role in I Smile Back, and Dame Helen Mirren for Woman in Gold. Dame Helen will be hoping for an awards show sweep after picking up nominations in multiple categories. As well as her leading actress nomination, she has also been recognised for her supporting role as Hedda Hopper in Trumbo. British actors Idris Elba and Mark Rylance will go head to head, competing against each other in two categories. Elba was nominated for the award for outstanding performance by a male actor in a television movie or miniseries for his role as DCI John Luther in BBC drama Luther, while Rylance was honoured for his role in period drama Wolf Hall. Elba and Rylance also scored nominations for outstanding performance by a male actor in a supporting role in a motion picture. Elba received the nod for his terrifying depiction of Commandant in Beasts of No Nation, while Rylance was nominated for his performance in Steven Spielberg's espionage thriller Bridge of Spies. Elba secured a third mention for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture for Beasts of No Nation. Jeremy McConnell has become the sixth housemate to be evicted from Celebrity Big Brother. The former Mr Ireland was happy to leave the house, although fellow nominee Stephanie Davis - with whom he has enjoyed a fledgeling romance - was left in floods of tears, insisting: "I want to go instead!" As he left the house, he gave her locket he had worn around his neck - a good luck present from his mother. Speaking to Emma Willis, he said he could not help falling for Davis - even though the former Hollyoaks actress was in a relationship with model Sam Reece. He said: " I just followed my heart and went with it ... I kept gravitating towards her. I don't know what it looks like. It is what it is, we felt for each other. I kept going back to her. I kept getting stronger like a snowball effect." He admitted that if he was Davis's boyfriend, he would have felt "gutted. Absolutely gutted". Reece was not present at the eviction, with Willis explaining: "We haven't been able to make contact with him." McConnell said: " Obviously, I like to think that I'm a respectful lad, I understand what her fella must be going through and that. "I do understand the boyfriend's situation ... I normally am proud of myself, I think I have a bit of integrity, but obviously I don't." Many housemates including Gemma Collins and Scotty T warned McConnell not to get involved with Davis in the house, but he chose not to follow their advice and wait until the end of the programme. He told Willis: "I know it was the right thing to do, to wait, but look - I can't explain what I'm feeling so I can't act differently what I've done, you know? It's too late now." With just a week left until the end of the reality show, the two will soon be reunited. On the future of their relationship, McConnell said: " Being apart, it gives both of us time to think. I'm not saying that when she comes out we're going to start being together. We both need time off. Even if you don't think it's right with Sam, you still need time to be single and reflect on what you want." During Friday night's episode, Stephanie Davis and Jeremy McConnell got intimate beneath the covers in the Celebrity Big Brother house - although i t was unclear whether the pair had full sexual intercourse. After viewing the scene as part of his exit interview with Willis, McConnell joked: "I thought that was one of those Hugh Hefner videos or something. Look, it is what it is. I can't really elaborate on that. That's what happened." In footage screened on the Channel 5 show, the two contestants shared a bed and made so much noise that other housemates were forced to leave the room. As they lay in bed together, Davis first said: "It's our last night in here." McConnell told her: "I'd never do anything like that in here." But the two continued to move under the covers together, with Davis complaining that she was not wearing nice underwear. She also let out a cry. Later, she worried: "Do you think I was loud? What if they show me doing that on TV?" Gemma Collins and Danniella Westbrook went to the kitchen after becoming fed up with "shenanigans" in the bedroom. Westbrook said: "A ll I can hear is them getting it on, I'm so embarrassed. I don't want to take my fingers out of me ears. "I couldn't do it, could you - on the telly? "Don't take her foot off the gas, does she? It's one thing after another. It's just a real shame. It's just a level of disrespect for everyone in that room." The Only Way Is Essex star Collins replied: "I cannot believe it." In bed, Davis told McConnell: "I think I'm falling really badly in love with you Jez." A lone hand throws a single white rose onto a column at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, close to the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on Wednesday to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The memorial consists of 2,711 concrete columns of the same length and width, but each of varying height. There is also an attached Place of Information underneath the memorial, featuring a timeline of the Final Solution, the stories of 15 Jewish families and a room containing the name of every Jewish Holocaust victim. According to architect Peter Eisenman, who created the memorial, the columns (or 'stelae') are designed to produce a feeling of uneasiness, or a confusing atmosphere. Holocaust Memorial Day was marked around the globe to commemorate more than six million Jews who were killed in the Nazi Final Solution during the Second World War. Holocaust Remembrance Day (or Holocaust Memorial Day, as it's known in the UK) has been held on January 27 each year since 2001. The date was chosen to remember the genocide as it was on that day in 1945 that Soviet troops liberated the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. More than 1.1 million people died at Auschwitz between 1941 and 1945. Most of them were Jews, but Poles, homosexuals, Soviet prisoners of war and thousands of others also died there. Those who didn't perish in the gas chambers were forced into labour. Most of those would go on to die from starvation, execution, disease or through grotesque medical experiments. When the liberating troops arrived at the camp, they discovered more than 7,500 prisoners. These were the sick or dying who had been left behind when Hitler ordered the evacuation of all the camps. The Nazis marched 58,000 of Auschwitz's prisoners towards Germany - around 20,000 of them survived the march to arrive at the Bergen-Belsen camp. On Wednesday, David Cameron revealed plans to build a Holocaust Memorial in London close to the Houses of Parliament. An international design competition will be launched with the monument being constructed in 2017 and will include an education and learning centre. Police at the scene following the death of 48-year-old Anthony McErlain in Ballycastle The sister of murdered Ballycastle man Anthony McErlain has paid a warm tribute to her brother, saying she "loved him deeply". Police investigating the murder of Anthony on Thursday night in Broombeg View said he suffered a traumatic and frightening death. His sister Rosemary Morton told the Belfast Telegraph that his problems with alcohol overtook him, but he did not deserve to die the way he did. She said: "I loved him deeply. He had a lot of problems with alcohol and we were trying to support him. "Anthony is the first of my 10 siblings to pass away and our entire family is very sad. He was his own worst enemy with the alcohol, as it was taking over. "Anthony was very intelligent and worked all his days as a labourer. "He helped build the Channel Tunnel and worked all over England, Wales and latterly in the Republic of Ireland. "When the problems with alcohol really took over three years ago we brought him up to Ballycastle to give him support. "We are all very shocked about it, but we are comforted by the fact the police are on the ball and have arrested a man over this terrible murder. "Anthony did not deserve that. He was a human being. No one deserves that." The area around the upstairs flat in Broombeg View remained cordoned off for most of yesterday as detectives and forensic officers conducted their searches. The body of the 48-year-old was found in an upstairs flat. The police have arrested two men, 33-year-old man and a 50-year-old man, on suspicion of murder. PSNI Detective Inspector Clara Heaton said: Detectives from Serious Crime Branch investigating the murder of 48-year-old Anthony McErlain have been given additional time by a court to question the 33-year-old man arrested on Friday, January 29. Police have been granted a further 26 hours to continue interviewing him. The 50-year-old man arrested yesterday, Friday, January 29 still remains in police custody. Locals described Mr McErlain as an "alcoholic" and a "harmless individual". Others described him as "more of a nuisance than anything else". One woman, who preferred to remain anonymous, speaking near the Diamond in the town, said: "I knew Anthony, or Tony as he was more better known as. "He would have sat every day around the Diamond area of the town drinking away. You would see him there quite often. It's shocking what has happened to him. It's really sad." It is understood Mr McErlain had two daughters, but he was living alone in the flat. He moved there following a fire that burned out his previous bungalow in Glentaisie Drive, just a few metres away, last September. Pub owners in Ballycastle told the Belfast Telegraph that while Mr McErlain was a heavy drinker, he was not permitted into many bars in the town. His sister said that she had told many of the premises and shops in the town which sold alcohol to refrain from serving Anthony for "his own sake". Local Sinn Fein councillor Cara McShane said Anthony's family were well-known in the area. She added: "He was such a harmless man who was well-known. The community is reeling from this horrendous attack. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this sad time." Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Gareth Talbot said: "While we are awaiting the results of a post-mortem, what is clear is that Mr McErlain suffered a traumatic and frightening death. I initially described this killing as a heinous crime and I stand by that assessment. "The investigation team is extremely keen to speak to witnesses or anyone who may have spoken to Mr McErlain over recent days. "We would especially like to hear from anyone who was in the Broombeg area at any time between 5pm and 8.30pm on Thursday and who may have witnessed or overheard an altercation or disturbance in or around number 4 Broombeg View. "The investigation team can be contacted on 101. Or if someone would prefer to provide information without giving their details they can call anonymously on 0800 555 111." No charges were ever brought against the boy over the attack A Co Antrim schoolboy arrested over the cyber attack on TalkTalk has settled his claim for damages against Twitter. The 15-year-old's privacy action was resolved on confidential terms, with no admission of liability by the social networking service. Meanwhile, his lawyers are seeking High Court permission to serve proceedings on Google at its headquarters in the United States. The internet giant is resisting the move, which is believed to involve a world-first attempt to sue it for negligence. An application for leave to issue a writ out of the jurisdiction has been adjourned until March. Separate lawsuits are also continuing against three national newspapers over the publicity surrounding the teenager's arrest. He was questioned in October last year by police investigating a major hack into the phone and broadband provider's database. The boy was among a number of suspects to be detained in connection with the TalkTalk probe. He was interviewed on suspicion of offences under the Computer Misuse Act before being released on bail. No charges were brought. Since then his lawyers have issued writs claiming negligence, misuse of private information, defamation, breach of confidence and data protection. The three newspapers defending the action, The Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail and The Sun, have all given undertakings aimed at protecting his identity pending the outcome of the case. Legal steps were also taken to secure the removal of material published online about the boy and where he lived. The court was told that the boy's family has had to move home following the publicity surrounding his arrest. His lawyers claimed he could be identified from newspaper articles and partially blacked out photographs which appeared at the time. Barristers Ronan Lavery QC and Sean Mullan contended that the content contributed to their client being "stigmatised" within his community. During one of a number of hearings in the case, a lawyer for the Daily Mail rejected claims that it had revealed his identity. A Dungannon company was yesterday fined nearly 25,000 after an employee was killed in a forklift accident in 2014 A Dungannon company was yesterday fined nearly 25,000 after an employee was killed in a forklift accident in 2014. Arkadiusz Makosa, a 49-year-old worker from Poland, was working for Cherry Pipes Ltd in August 2014 when the forklift he was driving overturned, trapping him between the safety frame of the vehicle and the ground and crushing him to death. The fatal accident happened at the pipe-making company's premises at Nutts Corner business park in Crumlin, Co Antrim. Antrim Crown Court heard that an investigation had concluded Mr Makosa did not have the proper training to operate the forklift as he was employed as a general operator, not a forklift operator. The company was fined 24,000, plus costs of 854, for four health and safety breaches that led to the death. David Cherry, the managing director of Cherry Pipes, called the death of Mr Makosa "a tragic loss". Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, he said: "We are a close-knit family company and Arkadiusz's death remains a tragic loss to his family and his work colleagues, and he is sadly missed by all his friends throughout the business." Following the court decision yesterday, Mr Cherry said that the company had taken steps to improve safety. "We have carried out a full review of our internal health and safety procedures to ensure that there will be no repeat of the accident," he added. "We wish to place on record our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Arkadiusz Makosa. "We have a strong connection to the Polish community through our workforce, and our fond memories of Arkadiusz will remain with us forever." Speaking after Friday's sentencing at Antrim Crown Court, Health and Safety Executive inspector Kevin Campbell added: "Employers must ensure that operators of forklift trucks are properly trained, competent and authorised to operate lift trucks." "No one should be allowed to operate a forklift truck unless they have received the appropriate training and instruction. "It is also essential that all employers provide health and safety information to their employees that is clear and easily understood." New speed limits will come into force on 76 roads across Belfast city centre tomorrow New speed limits will come into force on 76 roads across Belfast city centre tomorrow. It includes the main pedestrian zone, the Cathedral Quarter and the front and back of City Hall. The move brings Belfast into line with most major UK cities. However, there are fears some motorists will be unaware of the change, which was first reported in this newspaper on Monday. When a fine system for motorists who drove in bus lanes came into effect last June, 18,000 drivers were caught in just three months. That was even after a three-week period during which motorists were given warnings instead of fines. The Belfast Telegraph asked the PSNI if it would it be monitoring the new 20mph speed limits. However, it declined to give a clear answer. Chief Inspector Diane Pennington from Road Policing said: "Where there is a proven history of road traffic collisions or where there is evidence of speeding, police will enforce the speed limit. "For anyone detected breaking the speed limit, there are a range of disposal options, from fines, to speed awareness courses and potentially putting people before the courts. "While road safety is a priority for the police, the reality is that many of the most serious road traffic collisions which kill and seriously injure people could have been avoided." The new speed limit applies from tomorrow - more than three months later than originally planned. It had been due to come into operation on October 12. The Department for Regional Development said it had been postponed until January to minimise disruption to Christmas shoppers. Ukip MLA David McNarry, a member of the Assembly's Regional Development Committee, said he feared the project was another revenue-raising scheme. "I hope that this is not simply another way to fine people," he added. "My concern is we will have more speed checks and Belfast will become even more of a cold house for the motorist." Around 60 major towns and cities across the UK have 20mph limits. These include parts of London, Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Rod King from 20's Plenty for Us, which campaigns for 20mph zones in cities, said reduced speed limits had broad support. "Many of the city centres around the UK have 20mph limits, so Belfast isn't doing anything which is controversial or new," Mr King added. "A 20mph limit where you have high numbers of pedestrians and cyclists mixing with vehicles is considered to be best practice, both in the UK, according to the Department for Transport, and generally throughout the western world. "In most city centres, journey times are not really dictated by how fast you go on those streets, but how long you are stopped at congestion points." DRD said the limited zones were signed clearly and in accordance with national standards. "The introduction of these new speed limit zones are part of the department's commitment to the Northern Ireland Road Safety Strategy," it added. "We believe these schemes will improve safety for all users of Belfast city centre, particularly pedestrians and cyclists. "All the pilots will be closely monitored to evaluate their effectiveness and may be rolled out to similar areas in other parts of Northern Ireland." The powerful Northern Ireland Office television ad that first ran in 1993 used disturbing images of gunmen opening fire on customers in a pub to depict the futility of violence The powerful Northern Ireland Office television ad that first ran in 1993 used disturbing images of gunmen opening fire on customers in a pub to depict the futility of violence The powerful Northern Ireland Office television ad that first ran in 1993 used disturbing images of gunmen opening fire on customers in a pub to depict the futility of violence The powerful Northern Ireland Office television ad that first ran in 1993 used disturbing images of gunmen opening fire on customers in a pub to depict the futility of violence The powerful Northern Ireland Office television ad that first ran in 1993 used disturbing images of gunmen opening fire on customers in a pub to depict the futility of violence It was the most powerful advert ever to hit our TV screens, and two decades on it still stirs memories of a troubled time in Northern Ireland history. Entitled I Wanna Be Like You, it told the story of a father and son caught up in the violence of the Seventies and Eighties. When it first aired on UTV in 1993 it shocked viewers. Almost 23 years later its legacy endures, with the graphic images never forgotten by anyone who saw them. When the advert was uploaded to Facebook this week, it received 500,000 views in just 24 hours. "It became legendary," said David Lyle, the Belfast advertising guru behind the clip. "People of a certain age still talk about that ad and what an impact it had on them. It has an enormous emotional resonance." First broadcast on July 7 1993, the advert was commissioned by the NIO and showed a man's journey from paramilitarism to his realisation of the futility of violence. He neglects his family, ends up in prison and eventually sees his son grow up and follow in his footsteps as a terrorist. The son loses his life to violence and the advert closes with the image of his father grieving at his grave. The images are accompanied by a version of the Harry Chapin song Cat's In The Cradle. David, who is chief executive of LyleBailie International, said security concerns meant filming had to be done outside the province. "The ad was written by myself and Julie Anne Bailie," he explained. "This was unlike anything which had ever been made before or put on TV as a paid-for ad. It contained scenes which had never been seen on TV in a commercial break." The ad included an eerily prophetic image of a gunman opening fire in a bar. The UFF's Greysteel pub massacre came later in 1993. The following June, six men were shot dead by the UVF at the Heights Bar in Loughinisland. "Because of the security situation it wasn't safe to film in Northern Ireland," added David. "We filmed in Glasgow, apart from one scene on the Crumlin Road. "What we were trying to get across was that terrorism wrecks families. "I think we knew at the time that it was very strong, that it spoke deeply and powerfully to people. "We'd been asked to come up with a fitting line to end it. We thought 'Don't suffer it, change it' carried a very profound message. And, of course, the change eventually happened." A former soldier has asked the police to investigate a series of IRA attacks on him during the Troubles. Mike Harmson, who served for two years in the province as an private in the 1980s, said former soldiers and police officers should be treated the same way as other victims. The PSNI has now launched investigations into three attempted murders of Mr Harmson by the Provos and a number of other violent attacks. The ex-soldier explained how he escaped serious injury when he was targeted in a grenade attack in the New Lodge during a riot, a rocket attack on an Army base in Whiterock, and a bomb attack in the city centre. Mr Harmson, who left the military to join the RUC and then the PSNI, said he decided to report the attacks on him because he objected to the way ex-soldiers were being treated in Troubles-related cases. "You have all these inquiries and ex-soldiers being arrested, questioned and accused," he said. "I'm not saying that what happened in the past was right. I'm saying you have to treat everybody the same. "I think how these legacy cases are being handled is wrong. It got me thinking: 'Well, what about me as a victim'? "There seems to be no interest in helping the soldiers and police who were victims too. We are being treated as second-class citizens." Mr Harmson, who now lives in Manchester, criticised the way his report to the police was handled. "I was less than impressed with the service I got when I first contacted the PSNI two months ago," he said. "They didn't know what way to handle my call, and eventually told me to make a statement to my local station. "When detectives from Greater Manchester Police came out, they said Northern Ireland needed to sort this out to get it addressed, because if they get loads more veterans coming forward they would be swamped." Mr Harmson's case could open the floodgates for hundreds of ex-military personnel to report paramilitary attacks against them during the Troubles. "More than 300,000 servicemen and women served in Northern Ireland during the Troubles," he said. "If every one of those made a complaint to the PSNI about attempted murders, how do you think the PSNI would manage? "All victims deserve truth and justice, but how do we do that? Where do we draw the line? Stormont and the British Government need to work out how to deal with Northern Ireland's past." Earlier this week the Police Federation for Northern Ireland (PFNI) demanded that any examination of legacy issues "involve the hundreds of officers murdered and the thousands who were maimed in terrorist attacks". PFNI chairman Mark Lindsay said: "I'm the first to acknowledge there are real difficulties here. However, in the debate so far, there has been little attention paid to the sacrifice made by ordinary men and women who worked tirelessly to protect the wider community." A pet rabbit was at the centre of a dramatic rescue bid after it was catapulted on to the roof of a house during the severe winds yesterday. The Fire Service was called to the property in Omagh, Co Tyrone, when the black and white bunny became an unsuspecting victim of Storm Gertrude. Bumper was thrown on to the roof after the storm blew her hutch over. There was a tense stand-off between Bumper and the crew commander, who was dubbed the specially trained 'rabbit negotiation officer', before he finally managed to get the bunny off the roof with a carrot in hand. The rabbit was discovered on the roof of Woodbank House, a residential care home. The care home's deputy manager, Roisin, said that Bumper and her friends Thumper were now left without a home after Storm Gertrude destroyed the hutch, which was made by one of the tenants. "We have two rabbits, Thumper and Bumper at the care home," she explained. "Thumper is okay and was found in the hutch. The storm had lifted it off the ground and blew it apart and the rabbit landed on the roof. "We came outside and found it was broken and was lying at the side of the building. We tried to get Bumper down but couldn't so we had to call the Fire Service who rescued her. "She was a bit nervous afterwards but is okay now. We now no longer have a hutch and we're hoping someone will donate one as the two rabbits will have to sleep in the greenhouse." The rabbit rescue mission by the firefighters involved one short extension ladder, one reach pole and one tasty carrot. David Doherty, the Fire Service's district commander for Omagh, said the rescue was "something a wee bit different on a Friday morning". "Usually for animal rescues, we would pass the details on to the USPCA, but the circumstances to this were a little bit different as we were told the animal had been blown onto the roof by the wind," he added. "When the crew got there, they found the storm had caught the rabbit's hutch enclosure and catapulted the rabbit up onto the roof. "But It was quite easy for them to go up there and rescue the rabbit." A Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service spokesman said: "Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service received a call at 9.16am to a report of an animal rescue incident at residential premises at the Deverney Road area of Omagh. "One fire appliance from Omagh fire station was deployed to the scene of a rabbit blown onto a roof in the area. "Firefighters using a triple extension ladder, roofing ladder and a water rescue reach pole managed to successfully rescue the rabbit. "The rabbit has been safely returned to its owner." A local mother honoured by the Belfast Telegraph has spoken of her heartbreak at the closure of a nursing home for the disabled. It was confirmed last night that the Northern Ireland Institute for the Disabled (NIID) nursing home at Stewart Memorial House, Bangor, is to close on April 30 due to "unsustainable financial losses." Joyce Craig - the Belfast Telegraph's Mum of the Year - said she was heartbroken at the devastating news. She had been campaigning to save the centre, where her son Christopher (23), who suffers from cerebral palsy, is a resident. The shutting of the home means 17 people need a new place to stay. The NIID's decision follows 14 months of uncertainty, which included a public consultation process aimed at finding ways of making the home financially viable. "Sadly, the 17 lovely people, including my son, who have high-dependency needs, have been told to pack their bags and leave their home within the next three months," Joyce said. "As of today, they have no idea where they are going. My heart is breaking for each and every one of them, their families and carers and also the staff, who now have no jobs. "We all fought so hard to try and keep our loved ones' home open - a home that we have all come to love. What a sad day." The decision to close Stewart Memorial House brings to an end 30 years of nursing and social care at the north Down location. NIID chairman David McIlhagger said the trustees had taken the decision with deep regret, and he added that they had no option, given the shortfall between the home's income and the continuing cost of providing high levels of care. Blaming inadequate levels of public funding support for residents, Mr McIlhagger said that the mounting cost of running the care home was putting the entire existence of the NIID in jeopardy. "Care at Stewart Memorial is funded through health care trusts, with funding levels that are based on professionally assessed individual resident needs and pre-determined regional tariffs," he added. "However, in spite of individual uplifts by our local trusts, the funding received still fails to provide cost recovery for the specialist services Stewart Memorial House provides. "Stewart Memorial House has been suffering significant losses for many years - and whilst the NIID has been able to underwrite the total shortfall of 3m up until now, to continue to do so could jeopardise the entire future of the NIID." The decision, which a spokesman last night insisted was final, was given to the residents and their families at a meeting addressed by NIID chief executive Sam Humphries on Thursday. The funding gap, coupled with reliance on expensive agency staff, is not just a problem for the NIID but has become an issue for the care sector as a whole, according to the NIID spokesman. Mr McIlhagger continued: "These fundamental shortfalls have been exacerbated at Stewart Memorial House, where many residents have complex disability care needs requiring more intensive levels of resident care, which is more expensive to deliver." He said that staff from the health trust were now talking to residents to establish where they would be cared for when Stewart Memorial closes at the end of April. Mr McIlhagger added: "The bottom line is that we, with the residents and their families, want to deliver high quality care but there is insufficient funding available to deliver it." It's a moving message from one Co Antrim primary school on transfer exam results day - and it will melt your heart. As thousands of children across Northern Ireland wait anxiously for their transfer exam results, Harmony Hill Primary School in Lisburn left a lovely message for its pupils. The letter, which was posted on Twitter, encourages pupils not to worry if they didn't get the result they were hoping for. "We know that each one of you has worked very hard and with a great attitude. No score can ever take that away from you," it said. "In fact, we believe your attitude and who you are as a person is much more important than any mark on a test. "...You are quite simply 'unique' and we are very proud of you". "Remember, the score in the envelope is just a mark for some tests. It cannot measure how amazing you are!" "So, no matter what happens in the next few minutes, today you must celebrate you!" The Chief Constable has decided detectives from outside Northern Ireland should investigate the activities of a top British agent in the IRA allegedly linked to 50 murders, the High Court heard. A judge was told George Hamilton's "preferred option" was to have officers from another force probe claims about the Army's intelligence asset, who operated under the codename Stakeknife. Confirmation came during a legal action being mounted by the family of a Belfast woman killed by the IRA. Caroline Moreland, a 34-year-old Catholic mother-of-three, was abducted and murdered in July 1994 for allegedly being a British informer. Her children are seeking to secure a wide-ranging investigation into the full circumstances surrounding a series of killings stretching back to the 1980s and attributed to the IRA's internal security team. In October Director of Public Prosecutions Barra McGrory called for police to examine Stakeknife's activities, along with what was known by RUC Special Branch and MI5. Although relatives of those allegedly killed by the IRA's so-called 'Nutting Squad' have backed that move, they are opposed to the PSNI taking charge. At a previous hearing it was claimed that Belfast man Freddie Scappaticci was permitted to engage in the campaign in order to strengthen his position as a British spy. Scappaticci left Northern Ireland in 2003 when he was identified by the media as Stakeknife. But before quitting his home he denied being the agent. Counsel for the Moreland family argue that police with no ties to Northern Ireland should carry out the investigation. During an earlier stage in the case it was claimed that relatives of up to 50 murder victims were waiting for answers. In court yesterday a barrister representing the PSNI confirmed the decision reached on how the inquiry should be handled. Paul McLaughlin said: "The Chief Constable, I'm instructed, has identified a preferred option for dealing with (the DPP's) request, which involves bringing in external police officers. "He's at present engaged in discussions with the Policing Board about how to take that forward." The Department of Justice and the Secretary of State are also to be consulted on how the move can be funded. But with the plans not yet finalised, a judicial review hearing remains listed for next month. Sean Devine, for the Moreland family, contended that more details need to be provided. "We are told officers will be brought in, but we are not told if they will be under the command of the PSNI or whether they will have autonomy," he said. "There's still a significant issue about independence and the investigation having the confidence of the public given the subject matter." Mr Justice Maguire agreed to hear the case again in four weeks' time. People participate in a giant snowball fights in Dupont Circle in Washington on January 24, 2016. Snowball fights have become a tradition after every major snow storm in the Nation's Capital. A massive blizzard that claimed at least 16 lives in the eastern United States finally appeared to be winding down Sunday, giving snowbound residents the chance to begin digging out. AFP / Olivier DoulieryOLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP/Getty Images People walk on Pennsylvania Avenue in near whiteout conditions in Washington on January 23, 2016. A deadly blizzard walloped the eastern United States on Saturday, paralyzing Washington and New York under a heavy blanket of snow as officials warned millions of people to remain indoors until the storm eases up. / AFP / MANDEL NGANMANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 24: A snowplow clears snow in front of the U.S. Capitol on January 24, 2016 in Washington, DC. The blizzard that has brought massive snowfall and a standstill to the East Coast and the Mid Atlantic region has stopped. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) USA: A bulldozer clears snow on the East Front of the U.S. Capitol January 23, 2016 in Washington, DC. Heavy snow continued to fall in the Mid-Atlantic region causing "life-threatening blizzard conditions" and affecting millions of people. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images Little four month pup Daisy enjoys the snow in Moira Pacemaker press 30/01/16 A Chaffinch fluffs it's feathers to stay warm after an over night dusting of snow covers the ground around Loughgiel in Co Antrim. Picture Pacemaker press Pacemaker press 30/01/16 Sheep try to stay warm after a dusting of snow covers the ground around Loughgiel in Co Antrim. Picture Pacemaker press Pacemaker press 30/01/16 Sheep try to stay warm after a dusting of snow covers the ground around Loughgiel in Co Antrim. Picture Pacemaker press Pacemaker press 30/01/16 Sheep try to stay warm after a dusting of snow covers the ground around Loughgiel in Co Antrim. Picture Pacemaker press Pacemaker press 30/01/16 Sheep try to stay warm after a dusting of snow covers the ground around Loughgiel in Co Antrim. Picture Pacemaker press Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Lurgan , UK - January 30th, Pictured is Lurgan Park covered in Snow as dogs Marley and Sampson enjoy a run on the 30th January 2016 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye) Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Lurgan , UK - January 30th, Pictured is Lurgan Park covered in Snow as dad Elvis enjoys some time with children Ealiyah and Ealizah on the 30th January 2016 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye) Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Lurgan , UK - January 30th, Pictured is Lurgan Park covered in Snow as Sam rugby tacked his attempt at a snow man on the 30th January 2016 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye) Lurgan Park covered in Snow as Sam rugby tackled his attempt at a snow man on January 30 2016 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye) Some across Northern Ireland have woken up this morning to scattering of snow right across the province. It's a chilly start to the weekend, but the snow comes after thousands of homes were left without power yesterday morning after gusts of up to 85mph raked Northern Ireland. Send your snow pictures to us here Parts of the UK are braced for further weather-related trouble amid warnings that a wintry mix of high winds, snow and ice could create difficult driving conditions and disrupt power supplies. In Northern Ireland, Orkney and Shetland, and the north of England, the snow and wind warnings are at the lesser yellow "be aware" stage. On the amber warnings, the Met Office said: "Frequent snow showers are expected overnight and well into Saturday, heavy at times, with some more prolonged spells of snow likely. "Five to 10cm snowfall is likely to accumulate quite widely, with over 15cm in places above 300 metres. Ice is also likely to form on untreated surfaces. "In addition, gusts of 50-60mph are likely at times, occasionally 70mph across the far north and west of the amber area and over mountains. This will lead to blizzard conditions at times and drifting of snow. "Power supplies may be disrupted by ice accretion and also by lightning strikes, with hail also likely. "Be prepared for transport disruption, difficult driving conditions and disruption to power supplies." Meanwhile, fallen trees brought down electricity lines across the country, leaving almost 20,000 homes in the dark. NIE Network staff battled round the clock to get power restored after Storm Gertrude swept into Northern Ireland, causing particular disruption in counties Tyrone, Londonderry and Antrim. Smaller faults also cut off power in exposed rural and coastal locations in counties Down and Antrim. At its height, the storm cut off power to around 19,000 homes, but by teatime yesterday, electricity had been restored to 17,000 of them. NIE Networks said the damage included trees falling across power lines and broken electricity poles. Emergency crews battled to replace broken poles, clear trees and branches and replace and reconnect overhead power lines as part of a widespread effort to restore supply. The company opened its main incident centre in Craigavon, as well as local escalation bases, and said winds were high and working conditions difficult. Julia Carson, NIE Networks communications manager, added: "We were in regular contact with the Met Office and had mobilised NIE Networks emergency crews, engineers and call handlers in preparation for any damage the severe weather may cause." Trees were brought down across Northern Ireland, blocking roads and disrupting traffic. Fallen trees damaged cars and electricity lines in Plumbridge, Co Tyrone. A tree also fell on a car on the Mullagh Road in Maghera. While the driver suffered minor cuts and bruises, he was able to walk away from the vehicle. Forecasters Meteogroup said snow showers - even at lower locations and particularly in the west of Northern Ireland - and widespread gales were expected over the next few days. Rosemary Campbell, widow of murdered Catholic RUC officer Sergeant Joe Campbell, is comforted as she leaves Belfast Coroners Court yesterday An elderly widow whose Catholic police officer husband was shot dead in 1977 has waited too long for answers, a judge said. Sergeant Joseph Campbell, a father-of-eight, was gunned down as he closed Cushendall RUC station in County Antrim on a February night. His widow Rosemary sat within a few metres of Lord Justice Weir as the senior judge concluded his last case in a review of outstanding legacy inquests. He said: "You've had a long wait and I hope we can do something to move this on because it has gone on a long time - too long." The Police Ombudsman has said the murder could have been prevented by senior RUC commanders. But the watchdog added it did not believe the force colluded in the officer's murder. It has retained the murder weapon following its investigation into police conduct. A file had been submitted to the Public Prosecution Service Ombudsman lawyer Seamus McIlroy said. It could be two years before the full inquest is heard. Lord Justice Weir said: "Let's see if we cannot give it a bit of impetus." The Ministry of Defence is to be asked for any information it has in the interim, a preliminary hearing in Belfast was told. It could be longer before under-resourced Ombudsman Dr Michael Maguire begins his own separate investigation. Mr Campbell's son, Tommy, said he was encouraged by the judge's comments. "We are extremely happy that the case has gotten some impetus and that the judge has asked the Coroners Court to pursue the Ministry of Defence for information and any records that they have," he added. "It is the first step in a long ladder." Dr Maguire has said that the original investigation into the murder was "very poor" and that a second 1980 investigation had been undermined by a lack of information. The coffin of Robert Black arriving and being handled at Roselawn yesterday The coffin of Robert Black arriving and being handled at Roselawn yesterday The coffin of Robert Black arriving and being handled at Roselawn yesterday The coffin of Robert Black arriving and being handled at Roselawn yesterday The coffin of Robert Black arriving and being handled at Roselawn yesterday A secret funeral for serial killer Robert Black was held in Belfast last night, it can be revealed. The notorious paedophile was cremated after hours at Roselawn Crematorium on the outskirts of Belfast without any family or friends present. A black Ford Mondeo carrying the 68-year-old killer's body drove through the cemetery gates after the crematorium had closed to other services. No flowers or memorials adorned the coffin of the monster, who murdered nine-year-old Jennifer Cardy in Ballinderry in 1981. A quick cremation was carried out just before 5pm. The Presbyterian chaplain of Maghaberry Prison, the Rev Rodney Cameron, carried out the service, which lasted barely six minutes. He read a passage from Psalm 90 but made no reference to Black's murderous past. After a short prayer, he committed the killer's body for cremation with the words, "Earth to Earth, Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust." The paedophile's remains will now be disposed of at an undisclosed location outside of Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Prison Service refused to provide any comment on the child killer's funeral. The authorities have been keen to keep the details surrounding the service private, with only a few people privy to the full information. There had been anger that the public would have to cover the cost of Black's funeral because he died in jail and no family came forward to claim his remains. The cheapest cremation service available from the firm which carried out yesterday's service costs in excess of 3,000. Black died on January 12 at Maghaberry Prison, where he was serving 12 life sentences for the kidnap and murder of four little girls. Local undertakers had refused to handle his remains, leading to a delay in the holding of a funeral for him, the Belfast Telegraph has learned. Eventually, the Northern Ireland Prison Service found a funeral director prepared to take on the ceremony. Justice Committee chairman, DUP MLA Alastair Ross, said he was glad that "a line can finally be drawn under this terrible case. Hopefully now, the families of this man's victims can find some peace," he added. Following Black's death earlier this month there was huge concern about his funeral arrangements, with calls for his remains to be kept somewhere other than Northern Ireland, where he abducted and murdered Jennifer Cardy in 1981. The prison authorities have come under fire for refusing to release any information to the public about his funeral or the cost to the public purse. Ukip MLA David McNarry described the Prison Service's silence over the killer's service as "outrageous". "This shroud of secrecy is just treating the public with contempt," he added. Black was first accused of rape aged 12. He then went on to abduct and murder a number of young girls while working as a delivery driver. He was jailed in 1994 for the murders of Susan Maxwell (11) from Cornhill-on-Tweed, Northumberland, in 1982; Caroline Hogg (5), from Edinburgh, in 1983; and Sarah Harper (10) from Morley, near Leeds, in 1986. In 2011, he was also convicted of the murder of Jennifer (9), in Ballinderry, Co Antrim, in 1981. He was further convicted of a failed abduction bid on Teresa Thornhill in Nottingham in 1988, when she was 15. Following his death, detectives said they were days away from charging him with the abduction and murder of 13-year-old Genette Tate, who went missing in Devon in 1978 and has never been found. New information emerged after his death indicating that Black could have killed up to 15 more young girls, making him the country's most prolific serial killer of children. Gardai quiz boys as young as 14 over horrific daylight rape of teenage girl Gardai have interviewed a number of teenage boys in relation to the rape of a 14-year-old girl in Tallaght. Sources say none of the youths, who are all juveniles and from the Tallaght area, have been arrested, but they have been spoken to "informally" by the investigation team. It is understood the suspects are aged between 14 and 17. The rape happened shortly after 4pm on Monday in a green space close to the Ashgrove apartments, opposite St Mark's GAA Club on the Cookstown Road in the Springfield area of Tallaght. The traumatised victim has given a detailed statement to a specialist child interviewer, and officers are following a definite line of inquiry. It is understood that CCTV has played a major part in the investigation. Before making her statement, the victim was taken to the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit in the Rotunda Hospital, where she was treated for her injuries. Gardai said there is no link between the rape and the sexual assault of two other teenagers in the locality around an hour later. Officers received reports that two sisters who are aged in their late teens were attacked by six young men as they walked through Maplewood, which is also in Springfield, at 5.30pm. Source: Irish Independent Labour would secure a referendum on abortion, radically slash childcare costs and boost weekly State pensions if returned to government, party leader Joan Burton has vowed. In her keynote address to the party's national conference, Ms Burton also claimed her party would deliver full employment within two years and work to resolve the housing crisis if handed another term in office. Addressing her rank and file ahead of the imminent general election, she repeatedly attacked Fianna Fail's legacy on the economic crash and defended Labour's power-sharing administration with Fine Gael since 2011. "Fianna Fail inherited a boom and blew it," she said. "Labour, with our coalition partners Fine Gael, inherited a ruin and rebuilt it." Ms Burton appealed to voters to giver her party their number one on the ballot papers to "complete the journey". If elected again, she said they would ensure a referendum on abortion and campaign for repeal of the eight amendment of the Constitution, which outlaws the procedure unless there is a clear threat to the mother's life. Ms Burton also pledged to cut childcare costs to just two euro an hour under a "radical but affordable plan" aimed at parents with young children. Turning to older citizens, she said the very least they deserved was a yearly increase in their pension payments of at least five euro a week. The party would ensure everyone who wanted a job would have one by 2018, she added. This plan includes provision for 50,000 new apprenticeships. For those already working, Labour would make sure the universal social charge was axed for anyone earning up to 72,000 euro, she promised. Ms Burton said the junior coalition partner would bring in a save to buy scheme to help first time buyers onto the property ladder, which would give houseseekers a "cash top-up" when saving for a deposit. Her deputy, the outgoing Environment Minister Alan Kelly, will "chop waiting lists" for social housing "by building high-quality social houses for those who need them", she told the party gathering in Mullingar, Co Westmeath. In education, Ms Burton vowed to deliver the smallest class sizes in the history of the State if returned to power. Her party would also plan to extend free GP care to everyone "so that families will never again have to worry about the cost of going to the doctor," she said. "The journey of the last eight years has been a truly testing one for our people," she added. "We were knocked down, but we picked ourselves back up. We regrouped, rebuilt and redefined. "We will rightly commemorate 1916 this year with our economic freedom restored. "If we stay on the right course, we can sustain the recovery and strengthen the economy. "If we stay on the right course, we can use the strong economy to build a decent society. "If you want Ireland to stay on that course, it means giving Labour the mandate to finish what we started." There will not be political progress in Northern Ireland until it is accepted that victims' issues need to be dealt with in a transparent way, the son of a Catholic RUC officer shot dead 39 years ago said. Sergeant Joseph Campbell's murder is one of more than 50 stalled inquests forming part of a review into the most highly-disputed legacy cases in a bid to assess why they have not been heard, in some instances almost 45 years after the event. Sgt Campbell's son, also Joe, said the granting of an inquest into his father's killing is a "victory" for his family, and praised Lord Justice Weir for his comments during the two-week review when he posed serious questions to the Government about its resourcing of investigations into past murders. Mr Campbell was speaking at a conference in London on the legacy of the Troubles, chaired by former President of Ireland Mary McAleese. Relatives of those killed, including Michael O'Hare, whose 12 -year-old girl sister Majella was shot by the British Army, and Alan McBride, whose wife Sharon was killed in the IRA bombing of a fish shop on Belfast's Shankill Road, attended the Troubles, Tragedy And Trauma: Northern Ireland's Historic Legacy event. Mrs McAleese said the pain felt by loved ones of those who died in the violence that gripped the country is still fresh. She said: "It tells us something about the shelf life of these stories, the shelf life of grief, and of sadness and of these people who have been what you might call, I believe, patiently impatient." Sgt Campbell, a father-of-eight, was shot dead as he closed a police station in 1977. A Police Ombudsman's report subsequently said the murder could have been prevented by senior RUC commanders, but said it did not believe there had been collusion. His son, Joe Campbell, said explaining to the next generation what happened to the loved ones they never got the chance to meet is "difficult when the system will not acknowledge the wrong that was done". It is necessary to accept the need for truth and justice regarding the past, he said, before Northern Ireland can progress to a brighter future. He said: "In order that the political institutions in Northern Ireland can make progress, people need to come to an understanding that issues like ours have to be dealt with in the public eye." Describing the moment on Friday when Lord Justice Weir acknowledged his family's wait for truth had gone on "too long", Mr Campbell said " the lights came on" for his mother Rosemary. He said: "It is the first time in 39 years my family has felt this is someone (the judge) who is on the side of attempting to get to the truth, and he's dealt very robustly with the notion some organisations over there (Northern Ireland) cannot provide the necessary correspondence in order that the cases can be progressed." Lack of money to search for and process documents has been a constant refrain from lawyers for the Police Service of Northern Ireland and watchdogs which scrutinise them as well as the Ministry of Defence. Despite having been left disappointed countless times in the past after "knocking on so many doors", Mr Campbell said he still has hope, adding that he and others affected will not stop in their struggle for justice. He said: "We're resilient people and we will continue until we find the truth." The killings under review span allegations of security force misinformation to frame the IRA for bombings, state collusion in loyalist murders, inept police investigations, and IRA men shot dead by the army as part of a claimed policy of shooting to kill in which civilians were killed in the cross-fire. Lord Justice Weir will now compile a report on the cases, which relate to almost 100 deaths, for the head of Northern Ireland's judiciary, Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan. He is determining why they are still stuck in the coronial system and identifying a sequence for hearing them. Lawsuits against British veterans who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan could "undermine" soldiers' decision-making on the battlefield, the head of the Army has said. General Sir Nicholas Carter said he feared people "fabricating" claims against troops, which could hamper the military's ability to fight. The Government has paid out in hundreds of cases and hundreds more Iraq War veterans have been told they are under investigation. David Cameron earlier this month ordered action to bring a halt to "spurious" legal claims against veterans of the Iraq War. Sir Nicholas, chief of the general staff, told the Daily Telegraph: "There is potential for less scrupulous individuals to try and find ways of fabricating potential cases against soldiers and that is very sad. "It is something that would, over time, undermine our ability to take the sorts of risks that are necessary to be able to prevail on the battlefield. "If our soldiers are forever worrying that they might be sued because the piece of equipment they are using is not the best piece of equipment in the world, then that is clearly a potential risk to the freedom of action which we need to encourage in order to be able to beat our opponent." The Prime Minister has asked the National Security Council to draw up a plan to "stamp out" what he described as an "industry" trying to profit from service members through legal claims. Measures could include curbing the use of ''no win, no fee'' arrangements and strengthening the authorities' investigative powers. But seven human rights groups said the clampdown was "ill-judged and inappropriate" as many of the claims, although yet to be proven, were "extremely serious". More than 1,500 allegations have been submitted to the Iraq Historic Allegations Team (Ihat), which has sent documents to around 280 veterans telling them they were involved in an incident under investigation. A spokesman for law firm Leigh Day said the Government had paid compensation in more than 300 cases relating to the abuse and unlawful detention of Iraqis, including the death of Baha Mousa in 2003. A boy of 10 has been arrested over a violent street mugging in which a 12-year-old boy was punched and hauled to the ground in a headlock. The youngster was held this morning over the robbery by two attackers in Portsmouth in which an iPhone 4 was stolen, Hampshire Police said. The incident on Tuesday January 26 left the victim "very shaken", and the force initially said it was looking for two suspects, both aged "about 14 years old". But today a force spokesman said: "Officers arrested a 10-year-old boy from Portsmouth this morning on suspicion of robbery in connection with this incident. The boy has since been released on bail pending further inquiries until April 4." The attack happened in Angerstein Road, in the North End area of the maritime city between 6.50pm and 7.10pm after the victim got off a bus nearby and was approached by the other boys. The spokesman added: "They all headed towards Angerstein Road; once in the road one of the boys punched the victim in the stomach and the other boy pulled the victim to the ground in a 'headlock'." Holding children in police cells is meant to be an emergency measure when there is no other other secure accommodation An eight year old was among more than 22,000 children held overnight in police cells last year, according to new figures. Another one of the 22,792 under-18s was held for 15 days, data obtained by the BBC through a Freedom of Information request showed. The eight year old was held overnight by Gloucestershire Police. But the 2014-15 figures, from 39 forces in England, amounted to almost half the total for 2011-12, when 41,789 were held in police custody overnight. Holding children in police cells is expected to be an emergency measure when other secure accommodation is unavailable and once charged a youth suspect should be either bailed or transferred to council accommodation, unless it is impracticable, such as moving them in the middle of the night. Merseyside Police said just three out of 73 children were transferred to council accommodation in June and July 2015. Forces told the BBC there was a "lack of alternative accommodation". But Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, told the broadcaster: "The police know cells are not a nursery or a school. They are not an appropriate place for children to be. "Police stations are noisy and full of adults - some of whom are drunk and dangerous. "The cells are often subterranean and really unpleasant places." The father of a young soldier who may have been raped before she was found dead more than 20 years ago said he believes an "out of control" culture at her army barracks contributed to her death. A fresh inquest is set to open into the death of Private Cheryl James, 18, who was discovered with a fatal gunshot wound at Deepcut Barracks in Surrey in 1995 - one of four army recruits to die there over a seven-year period. New evidence emerged last month that suggested Pte James may have been sexually exploited by senior ranks shortly before her death. Speaking ahead of the start of the inquest on Monday, Des James said he hoped for "justice" for his daughter and the other young soldiers who died at Deepcut. He told the Press Association: "We know the culture at the camp was out of control. There was a drug and alcohol culture. "The bottom line is a culture was created at the camp which contributed to the death of four people. There has to be an acceptance that the culture was wrong. "The Ministry of Defence talk about a zero tolerance to bullying. What on earth does that mean? It means nothing. "The Deepcut situation is the tip of the iceberg. We have to get to the bottom of what happened." Pte James was undergoing initial training when she was found dead with a bullet wound between her right eye and the bridge of her nose in November 1995. Privates Sean Benton, James Collinson and Geoff Gray also died from gunshot wounds at Deepcut between 1995 and 2002. In 2014, High Court judges ordered a fresh inquest into Pte James's death after they quashed an open verdict recorded in December 1995. Alison Foster QC, representing the family, told a pre-inquest hearing last month that they had material suggesting Pte James "may have been sexually coerced or raped the night before, or before the time of her death". There was also a "direct allegation" that the teenage soldier might have been ordered to sleep with a person "by someone superior in rank to her", the barrister said. Mr James, 66, said hearing the new evidence was "shocking". "It was highly emotional," he said. "It's the last thing parents want to hear. It's the one thing a father dreads. "It's an allegation and it has to remain an allegation until it's properly investigated. We have to follow the evidence." He added: "I want justice for all four of them. It goes beyond my daughter and the kids who died at Deepcut. "This is an issue of recruits being passed weekly into the hands of the Ministry of Defence and their duty of care." Emma Norton, a lawyer for human rights charity Liberty - which is representing the family, said: "This process has always been about getting a proper investigation into how Cheryl came by her death. "The family does not have a particular outcome in mind. They will follow the evidence to wherever it leads them. "Right from the outset, an early determination was made that this must have been a suicide. Why? It's anyone's guess. That approach has affected everything that has followed. "The family is not saying suicide has not happened. They are saying the authorities have yet to establish that happened. "For years it was only the army involved in the investigation. That was a source of enormous concern." Pte James' father Des and mother Doreen applied through human rights campaign group Liberty for a new inquest after the Human Rights Act was used to secure access to documents held by the authorities about the teenager's death. The body of Pte James, from Llangollen in north Wales, was exhumed in August and a post-mortem examination was carried out by two experts. Metallic fragments were recovered which have been analysed by a ballistics expert. The full inquest will consider whether a third party was involved in her death and what happened on the evening before she died. I t will also address whether there were "shortcomings" with barracks policies on sexual behaviour, supervision of young females, drugs, alcohol and accommodation. The family have requested the scope of the new inquest be widened to take account of new testimony which they believe sheds new light on Pte James's state of mind. Ms Norton said the families of Privates Benton and Collinson, which Liberty also represent, had expressed their hopes for fresh inquests into their deaths in the near future. The inquest into Pte James's death is due to take place before Brian Barker QC at Woking Coroner's Court in Surrey and is expected to last seven weeks. David Cameron is calling for more comprehensive reforms from Brussels as his bid to renegotiate Britain's membership of the European Union enters a crucial phase ahead of a crunch summit next month. After talks with senior figures in Brussels, Mr Cameron said a proposed "emergency brake" on European Union citizens claiming benefits in the UK was"not good enough" and that the package "needs more work". A deal at the February 18-19 summit is seen as vital if Mr Cameron wants to hold an early referendum on EU membership, because an agreement at a later date would make it hard to schedule a vote before the school summer holidays. The Prime Minister said he could not be "certain" that a deal would be reached with the 27 other EU leaders at the meeting and stressed that he would only reach an agreement that addressed his concerns. Number 10 said "significant progress over the coming days" would be required. European Council president Donald Tusk, who will chair the summit, is due at Downing Street for dinner on Sunday to finalise "concrete" proposals which are expected to be published on Monday. During a hastily-arranged trip to Brussels, Mr Cameron held talks with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and European Parliament president Martin Schulz in an effort to keep his reform agenda on track. Mr Cameron had demanded an outright four-year ban on migrants from other EU countries claiming in-work benefits in the UK but the compromise mechanism proposed would apply across all 28 member states. There were signs of trouble in reaching an agreement however as Poland's foreign minister Witold Waszczykowski indicated his country would not back the brake mechanism. It is thought that the proposed measure would be available to all EU states and be activated when migration levels were deemed high enough to put public services or welfare systems under severe strain. Migrants from the EU would then be barred from claiming in-work benefits for up to four years. Crucially, it is believed that the decision on triggering the brake would be in the hands of national governments rather than EU officials. Ukip leader Nigel Farage rejected the Prime Minister's claim that access to benefits acts as a draw for migrants coming to the UK. He said: "The progress isn't very good, is it? We get an emergency brake that we have to ask permission to use. "He will go to the summit in February like Oliver going up to the table and saying, 'Please Sir, can we have some more concessions?'. It's all pretty thin gruel." After the talks, Mr Cameron called Francois Hollande to discuss the state of play in the negotiations. Number 10 said he told the French president that "a deal in February remained possible if significant progress can be made in the coming days". A spokeswoman added: "The Prime Minister said that if the deal on the table for February wasn't right, he wouldn't take it - there is no hurry and it is more important to fundamentally reform the UK's relationship with the EU." A ComRes opinion poll for the Daily Mail found voters in favour of the UK staying in the EU by 54% to 36%, with 10% undecided. ComRes interviewed 1,006 adults by telephone between January 22 and 24. Tareena Shakil's father Mohammed Shakil said he would have disowned her if she was a threat to national security The father of the first British woman to be found guilty of joining Islamic State has described her as "the perfect daughter". Tareena Shakil, 26, told her family she was going to Turkey on a beach holiday with her toddler son - but secretly fled across the border to Syria and was taken to the capital of the terrorist caliphate. During a two-week trial, the jury heard Shakil, of Beechfield Road, Birmingham, said she wished to become a "martyr" but also claimed she only travelled to Syria to live under sharia law when she left the UK in October 2014. Speaking to ITV News Central, Tareena's father Mohammed Shakil said it was a "mistake" for his daughter to take her 14-month-old son to the heart of the Islamic State. Speaking from his home in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, he said: "It was a mistake, that's right. "(She is) the perfect daughter, the daughter who never went out nightclubbing and never went out doing this or going there, who kept herself busy in studies, and who wanted to be somebody in life and have an important role. "That's who she wanted to be: a somebody, not a nobody." During the trial at Birmingham Crown Court, the jury were shown tweets, messages and photographs from her, including images of the black flag of IS and passages calling on people to "take up arms", and stating her wish to become a "martyr". Photographs recovered from Shakil's phone showed sinister images of her with an AK-47 assault rifle, holding a handgun and wearing an IS balaclava. Another photo showed her stood outside in a full-length black niqab carrying her child, and stood by an IS flag. Tareena Shakil, formerly of Burton-upon-Trent, told jurors she returned to the UK in February last year after realising she had "made a mistake" and was arrested at Heathrow Airport. Her father told ITV News Central: "The only evidence against her in all this was her own phone that she brought with her. "If she was that much of a mastermind and she left her phone behind, no-one could have even said she was there. "I did everything, fought tooth and nail to get my daughter back in the first place and helped her get back. "If my daughter today is sitting in prison, I should be sitting with her. I should be the "mastermind" behind her, because I helped my daughter to get her back (to the UK) and she listened to this fool." When asked if he ever felt his daughter was a terrorist, Mr Shakil said told the programme: "Not for one millisecond, no. My daughter is God-fearing. "If there was one element in her and I did think she was a threat to national security, I swear to God I would disown her. She would be no daughter of mine." The family will appeal against the conviction, he added. Tareena Shakil, who was also found guilty of encouraging acts of terrorism through messages posted on Twitter, will be sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday. The chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs has criticised the Government's plans GP surgeries are operating in "a state of emergency" because of problems with resources and staffing levels, a leading family doctor said. Dr Chaand Nagpaul, head of the British Medical Association's general practice committee, warned patients are "are being short-changed on a daily basis" in a speech at a conference in London. Dr Nagpaul, who practises in the capital, told the special conference of Local Medical Committees that research found 90% of GPs felt their workload was damaging the quality of care they provided, something he said was "a disgrace". GPs, he claimed, were having to deal with complicated cases in 10 minutes, treat a "conveyor belt" of up to 70 patients a day plus administration, with understaffed practices forced to continue to register patients. "To put it simply, it is not safe to carry on the way we are, and which is why this conference is highlighting that general practice is quite literally in a state of emergency," he said. "I'm constantly told by ministers that the greatest battle is getting money out of the Treasury. My message to the Chancellor is to use his financial nouse. "Stop penny-pinching and be pound wise, grab yourself a bargain while there are GPs out there because once they're gone they're gone, since it costs 136 for all-in unlimited care and home visits per patient per year which is less than the price of walking through a single outpatient clinic door once." GPs have clashed with Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt over his plans for a seven-day NHS. And last year Mr Hunt was forced to defend England's chief inspector of general practice after doctors called on him to resign. Professor Steve Field, who is based at the Care Quality Commission (CQC), came under fire over comments he made saying he was "ashamed" of colleagues who provided poor care. In a video message to the conference, Health Minister Alistair Burt said the Government was increasing funding for GP services by between 4% and 5% over the course of this Parliament and looking at measures to streamline bureaucracy, CQC inspections and the payment system. He said: "I know that general practice is under pressure at the moment, I meet a lot of GPs up and down the country. But I'm also aware of what it is we are trying to do to help." Hamlet will be performed at The Jungle camp in Calais Shakespeare's Globe is to put on a performance of Hamlet at The Jungle camp in Calais. The touring production of the Bard's timeless tragedy will play to an audience of displaced men and women on February 3, the London-based theatre company said. The show is part of the Globe to Globe world tour, which has also seen performances at refugee camps in Jordan, Djibouti and the Cameroon. It is being staged with the Good Chance theatre company, which is based at the camp. Dominic Dromgoole, the Globe's artistic director, said: "This performance will be yet another wonderful example of this ground-breaking tour's ability to reach displaced people across the world. It's a privilege that our Hamlet company have been able to perform in the Calais Jungle and our thanks go to Good Chance for enabling this." Some 6,000 people are living in unsanitary and dangerous conditions in the camp on France's north coast as European nations struggle to deal with the migrant crisis. In a joint statement Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson, the artistic directors of Good Chance, said: "As a production which has travelled to audiences all over the world, it is fitting that it visits the camp here in Calais, where the fault lines of over 20 different nations meet." The Jungle show will be followed on February 8 by a show for Libyan migrants on Malta. A man is fighting for his life after being stabbed in a mass street brawl that saw 10 people fight with weapons including an axe. He was one of five people taken to hospital - three for stab wounds - after the battle in Bury shortly after 10pm on Friday, Greater Manchester Police said. The force said "a number of weapons, such as an axe, a knife and a hammer were recovered at the scene" in Walmersley Road. Three men aged 32, 24 and 22 are being questioned by police on suspicion of violent disorder over the combat, which police believe followed a car chase involving a Volkswagen Bora, a silver Seat Leon and a white Hyundai. GMP Detective Inspector Charlotte Cadden said: "It appears the VW Bora was chased for a short period by the silver Seat Leon and a white Hyundai and a fight broke out between the occupants of the vehicles on the street. "Extra patrols are now in place in the area, and there a number of scenes which are currently being secured by officers." Detectives said they are searching for the Bora, registration number YE53 GHO, and a dark-coloured BMW 5 Series, registration starting MD06, which fled with two Asian men and two white men who had been in the Volkswagen. Waves break over a coastal road in Skelmorlie, Scotland, as Storm Gertrude hits the UK Parts of Scotland have been hit by snow after Storm Gertrude battered the country with high winds and rain. Police warned of hazardous driving conditions for some areas on Saturday, with routes affected by the white stuff. Met Office amber warnings for snow, ice and high winds have expired, but yellow "be aware" warnings for ice and snow remain in place across all of Scotland into Sunday. Those warnings also apply to Northern Ireland, Wales, northern England and the Midlands. And the weather is set to remain unsettled into next week, with more warnings - some of them amber - in place for the arrival of another storm on Monday. The Met Office said the vigorous low pressure system - named Storm Henry - is expected to pass just to the north of Scotland, bringing very strong west or southwesterly winds across much of the UK. Gales or severe gales with heavy rain are due across northwestern parts, possibly bringing disruption to transport and power supplies. In the meantime, the current warnings caution that icy patches are expected to form on untreated surfaces on Saturday night into Sunday morning, especially where further snow showers occur after dark. "The public are advised to take extra care and be aware of the potential for some disruption to travel," the Met Office said. Police Scotland said routes in Tayside had been affected by snow, with a number of collisions reported during the morning, particularly on the A90. Motorists were also advised to avoid the A9 at Drumochter Pass, Dalwhinnie, if possible because of the heavy snow. The road remains open but it has seen queuing traffic and delays in both directions. On the A82, the snow gates were closed at Tyndrum, Bridge of Orchy and Glencoe. They were also closed on the A93 from Braemar to Glenshee, the A939 from Tomintoul to Cock Bridge and the A821 Duke's Pass. Officials told drivers to take extra care on the A832.at Glen Docherty and the M74 at Johnstonebridge. The continuing unsettled weather comes a day after winds of more than 100mph from Storm Gertrude disrupted transport, brought down power lines and damaged buildings. Gusts of 105mph were recorded in Shetland on Friday afternoon, while winds reached 144mph in the Cairngorm mountains. Anglican bishops from around the world at Canterbury Cathedral to mark the opening of the Lambeth Conference Anglican churchgoers who support gay marriage outnumber those opposed to it for the first time, according to a new poll. The YouGov survey suggested 45% of Church of England followers felt same-sex marriage was right, against 37% who believed it wrong. Jayne Ozanne, a leading gay evangelical Anglican and member of the General Synod, the Church of England's ruling body, said the results showed the Church of England was "out of step" with its members. The Church's official position is that marriage is between a man and a woman and earlier this month the US Episcopal branch of the Anglican Communion was sanctioned by the faith's leaders over its stance on the issue. The poll showed support was higher among younger members of the faith, with around half of under 55s and three in four of those aged 25 to 34 being in favour. But Anglican men over 55 were least likely to approve, with just 24% giving their approval. Half of women declared their support. Churchgoers were behind the general public, of which 56% said they backed gay and lesbian marriage compared with 27% who opposed it. It marks an increase on a similar poll three years ago, which found support among Anglicans to be much lower. Ms Ozanne, who commissioned the poll, said : "These figures confirm what many of us have known for some time - that the Church of England leadership is seriously out of step with its members, and even more so with society at large. "Far more Anglicans now believe that same-sex marriage is right than those who think it is wrong. "It is deeply worrying that the one group that appears less open to change than any other is Anglican men over the age of 55, who are the least likely to approve of same-sex marriage. Unfortunately, this is exactly the profile of those in the senior positions of power and influence power within the Church." The survey questioned 6276 British adults, of which 1523 are living in England and have a Church of England, Anglican or Episcopal affiliation. Earlier this month, the Archbishop of Canterbury apologised to the gay and lesbian community for the "hurt and pain" caused by the Church following its decision to uphold its current position. Syria peace talks must take place "in good faith", Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said as he welcomed the main opposition group's decision to attend. The Higher Negotiating Committee (HNC) said it dropped a boycott after receiving assurances that humanitarian issues would be addressed. But it insisted that it would not enter negotiations in Geneva until conditions were met - including an end to the bombardment of civilians by Russian and Syrian government forces, a lifting of blockades in rebel-held areas and the release of detainees. The talks are the first stage of a United Nations-brokered process aimed at ending the civil war which has claimed at least 250,000 lives, allowed the self-styled Islamic State to take large swathes of territory and left neighbouring countries and Europe struggling to deal with huge numbers of refugees. Delegations are not expected to come face to face at this stage, with UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura acting as go-between in a hoped-for dialogue. Mr Hammond, who was among Western figures who urged HNC chairman Riyad Hijab to participate, said: "I welcome the difficult decision that the Syrian High Negotiating Committee has made to attend peace talks hosted by the United Nations special envoy Staffan de Mistura in Geneva. "Intra-Syrian peace negotiations must deliver a political transition away from Assad and end the suffering of the Syrian people. "The UK supports this process and calls for complete and unfettered humanitarian access across Syria, and an end to all violations of international humanitarian law, as set out in UN Security Council Resolution 2254. "The UK believes in a Syrian-led political settlement to the conflict and expects both sides to participate in good faith to finally provide the peace the Syrian people deserve." It came after the Netherlands agreed to join air strikes on IS targets in Syria. As the Government prepared to host an international summit in London next week aimed at securing funding pledges for Syria, International Development Secretary Justine Greening said it would continue to match donations to Unicef UK's Syria Winter Appeal for an additional month. The support was due to finish at the end of January. Around 3 million has been donated so far by the public to the latest appeal. Ms Greening said: "It's been such an amazing response from the British people that we've decided to extend our match funding for another month. "The whole point of this conference is to make sure the rest of the world steps up and plays its part in responding to the crisis. Together, we will send a clear message to the children of Syria that the world has not forgotten them." Actor Ewan McGregor, a Unicef UK Ambassador, welcomed the move. He said: "As the brutal war enters its sixth year, the violence has not ceased and the suffering experienced by children and their families has deepened. "A whole generation of children are being deprived of education and traumatised by the horrors of war. Increasingly they see their future shaped only by violence and bloodshed. "As the spotlight shines on London next week, when world leaders come together to pledge money for this humanitarian crisis, the public can support the children of Syria by donating." Detectives investigating the murder of teenager Stephen Lawrence more than 20 years ago have approached "a number of people" to give new DNA samples. Scotland Yard said that "advances in forensic examination and DNA profiling" since the brutal stabbing of Stephen, 18, had led officers to focus on an item recovered on the night he died, April 22 1993. But they added that the people asked to voluntarily give DNA samples "are not suspected of being involved in the murder". A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "Officers from the homicide and major crime command investigating the murder of Stephen Lawrence have contacted a number of people to ask them to provide a voluntary DNA sample to police. "Due to advances in forensic examination and DNA profiling, police inquiries are focusing on the significance of a certain item recovered on the night of the murder. "The individuals who police have approached for DNA samples are not suspected of being involved in the murder. "We will not discuss what the item recovered on the night of the murder is, or who we have approached for a DNA sample." Stephen, a would-be architect, was stabbed to death by a gang of white youths as he waited with a friend at a bus stop in Eltham, south-east London. It was more than 18 years before two of his killers - Gary Dobson and David Norris - were brought to justice. The pair were jailed for life in January 2012 for their role in the attack. The 1998 Macpherson Inquiry into the police handling of the original murder inquiry found evidence of "institutional racism" within the Met. Police at the scene of an overturned lorry on the A19 near Killingworth in the North East as Storm Gertrude sweeps the country Off Newcastle, the weather seemed calmer for two ships sailing in the North Sea The tree-lined road was made famous in Game Of Thrones as the Dark Hedges Farmers work to clear two 200-year-old beech trees that featured in Game Of Thrones that were uprooted by the near-hurricane force winds of Storm Gertrude in Co Antrim A woman walks along the seafront in Largs, North Ayrshire, amid the severe weather A rabbit was blown up onto a roof in Northern Ireland and had to be rescued by firefighters (Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service/PA) Riggers were buffeted by the winds as they removed the scaffolding Riggers remove scaffolding from a house building site at Lenzie after it fell down overnight, in winds of more than 90mph The Forth Road Bridge at South Queensferry is closed to all vehicles due to strong winds The lorry was blown over as winds of more than 90mph hit the west of Scotland A lorry was blown off the M9 near Falkirk as parts of Britain were battered by Storm Gertrude A staff member looks at a collapsed wall at Oxgangs Primary School in Edinburgh Winds of more than 100mph disrupted transport, brought down power lines and damaged buildings as Storm Gertrude swept the country. A rare red Met Office alert was in place for Orkney and Shetland earlier amid dangerously wild conditions in the Northern Isles on Friday. Many other regions across the UK have yellow or amber warnings in place until Saturday for strong winds, heavy rain, snow and ice as the extreme weather continues to batter the country. A gust of 105mph was recorded in Lerwick, Shetland, between 1pm and 2pm, and a similar speed was noted further north in Yell around an hour later, the Met Office confirmed. Elsewhere, winds above 80mph battered Inverbervie in Aberdeenshire and Orlock Head in Northern Ireland. Large parts of the Scottish mainland saw speeds of over 60mph. Winds reached 144mph in the Cairngorm mountains, and nacreous clouds, which the Met Office said are usually seen in polar regions, were also spotted in the north-east of Scotland. Thousands of homes were left without power in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The disruption in Scotland affected the Western Isles, Argyll, north west Highlands, Tayside, Aberdeenshire, Caithness and Shetland. Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution (Shepd) had restored supply to more than 11,000 customers by early Friday evening, with fewer than 3,000 customers remaining to be re-connected. In some areas flooding and road closures were hampering engineering teams, with strong winds and lightning grounding the helicopters used to carry out repairs and transport equipment. Elsewhere, a man in Edinburgh was being treated in hospital after he was struck by flying debris in the Pinkhill area of the Scottish capital. Flats were evacuated in Clydebank when scaffolding was blown through a roof. And a number of people were injured on the A96 in Huntly, Aberdeenshire, when a lorry was blown over on to a car. In Northern Ireland, it was a case of battening down the hutches after Storm Gertrude blew a pet rabbit up on to a roof in Omagh, Co Tyrone. All schools in the Northern and Western Isles were closed with more following on the mainland throughout the day. Oxgangs Primary in Edinburgh was forced to close after part of a wall was blown off. Even Prime Minister David Cameron was caught up in the disruption on his way to Belgium for EU talks. Speaking on BBC Good Morning Scotland, he said: ''My first challenge is to get to Brussels as with hurricane (sic) Gertrude I've already had a flight problem so I'm racing across Scotland at the moment to get to Edinburgh Airport but I hope I will make it.'' Train and ferry services are also vastly reduced. The latest front is expected to continue through the weekend. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has almost 40 flood warnings in place covering Ayrshire, Tayside, west central Scotland and the Highlands, while south of the border the Environment Agency is urging communities in southern England and parts of the North to stay alert to the risk of renewed flooding over the weekend. The River Ouse in North Yorkshire and the Severn at Shrewsbury are expected to be particularly high. Neil Davies, national flood duty manager at the Environment Agency, said: ''More wet weather this weekend means that communities in parts of southern England and the North should stay alert to the potential for further flooding. ''Teams from the Environment Agency will be out over the weekend continuing their work to check and repair flood defences as well as clearing watercourses and offering help and advice to communities still recovering from the impacts of flooding over Christmas. ''Strong winds combined with high tides could lead to large waves and spray especially for the Yorkshire coast and parts of southern and western coasts. We advise anyone near coastal paths and promenades to take extra care and to avoid the temptation to go 'wave watching'.'' P&O Ferries said the Pride of Hull ferry, from Rotterdam, had been unable to berth in the morning due to ''extreme weather conditions''. A spokesman added the ferry had experienced winds of 60 knots, which he described as ''rare''. Proton beam therapy causes fewer severe side-effects in child cancer patients than conventional radiotherapy, according to a new study. Researchers said common "toxic" effects of photon-based radiotherapy on the heart, lungs and stomach were not seen in those treated with proton treatment. The study, published in the Lancet Oncology journal, also said the two types had similar survival rates for young people with the rare brain tumour, medulloblastoma. The alternative treatment made came to public attention after Brett and Naghmeh King took their son Ashya out of hospital and travelled to the Czech Republic for proton therapy, which was not initially offered to them on the NHS. The study, led by Massachusetts General Hospital, said: "Our findings suggest that proton radiotherapy seems to result in an acceptable degree of toxicity and had similar survival outcomes to those achieved with photon-based radiotherapy. "Although there remain some effects of treatment on hearing, endocrine, and neurocognitive outcomes - particularly in younger patients - other late effects common in photon-treated patients, such as cardiac, pulmonary, and gastrointestinal toxic effects, were absent." "Proton radiotherapy resulted in acceptable toxicity and had similar survival outcomes to those noted with conventional radiotherapy, suggesting that the use of the treatment may be an alternative to photon-based treatments." The study analysed 59 patients aged between three and 21 from 2003 to 2009. Some 55 of the patients had the tumour partially or completely removed through surgery, while all patients received chemotherapy as well as proton beam therapy. Three years after treatment, 83% survived without the cancer getting worse, falling to 80% after five years. In terms of side effects, around one in seven had serious hearing loss after five years and more than half (55%) had problems with the neurendocrine system which regulates hormones. The proton therapy is a highly targeted treatment often used on hard-to-reach cancers and has a lower risk of damaging other body tissue. Mr and Mrs King sparked an international manhunt after they took Ashya, then aged five, from Southampton General Hospital without doctors' consent in August 2014. The couple were arrested a few days later in Spain, where they were forced to spend several nights in prison away from their son before being released. The youngster is expected to make a full recovery and returned to school full-time earlier this month. The proton therapy was not offered to Ashya on the NHS, although the health service later agreed to fund his treatment. Several new proton beam therapy centres will open in the UK from this year. The arrest came after a joint operation with the UK's Organised Immigration Crime Taskforce and the Belgian Federal police. A suspected people smuggler was arrested as part of a joint operation between British and Belgian police. Ukrainian national Marian Shkirko, 33, is suspected of having a leading role in the smuggling of people in return for money into the UK, via Belgium, using complicit drivers and false documentation. The Belgian authorities also want to speak to him in relation to the murder of a Lithuanian lorry driver whose body was found in Waasmunster, Belgium, in May 2015. The joint operation with UK's Organised Immigration Crime Taskforce and the Belgian Federal police saw Shkirko arrested on Friday in Battersea, south west London, as well as a number of people in Belgium. Shkirko will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on Saturday where extradition proceedings will begin. The pilot was trying to help authorities combat the threat of elephant poaching A British helicopter pilot has been shot dead by elephant poachers in Tanzania, a conservation charity has said. Englishman Roger Gower was helping authorities in Tanzania track the criminals when they fired on his aircraft, the Friedkin Conservation Fund (FCF) said. He managed to bring the helicopter down in the the Maswa Game Reserve, near Serengeti National Park in the country's north, but died from his wounds before he could be rescued. Pictures posted online show the badly damaged remains of the helicopter, including a bloodied bullet hole in the pilot's seat of the aircraft, which lay on its side in the savannah grass. In a message posted on its website, FCF founder Dan Friedkin said the organisation was "profoundly saddened by the loss of our dear friend". He said: "Roger was killed while piloting a helicopter during a co-ordinated effort with the Tanzanian wildlife authorities to track down and arrest active elephant poachers. In the course of this action the poachers fired upon the helicopter and Roger was fatally wounded. "We are committed to honouring Roger and his work. We are also committed to ensuring that those responsible for this attack are found and brought to justice. We believe that Roger can best be honoured by redoubling our commitment to protect elephants and our priceless wildlife heritage. "This tragic event again highlights the appalling risk and cost of protecting Tanzanias wildlife." Mr Gower is reported to be a former accountant who qualified as a pilot in 2004. Pratik Patel, a colleague from the Friedkin Conservation Fund, told the BBC Mr Gower was shot on Friday afternoon during a patrol as he approached the last carcass of three elephants that had been killed by poachers. He paid tribute to "a great guy, a great friend, a great pilot" who he said loved working with Tanzania's wildlife. He said: "Roger was an amazing person, an amazing character, full of joy, full of life. He loved Africa, he loved Tanzania and he loved being in the bush." The pilot's main role was flying people between the different camps on the reserve, Mr Patel said, but he also spent some time every day flying patrols to support ground staff in their work against poachers. Tanzanian MP Lazaro Nyalandu, a former minister for natural resources and tourism,paid tribute to the Briton's work. He said on Twitter: "RIP Capt Roger. You loved our country and I knew you on many flights we took together in defence of our wildlife heritage. Life is precious," he went on. "Those poachers who killed Capt Roger are coward(sic), evil, and sad people. A fine hearted individual gone too soon, and our hearts are broken. "Capt Roger's body was flown into Arusha early today, as those who killed him are still at large.Everything must (be) done to bring them to justice." A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We can confirm the death of a British national in Tanzania and are providing assistance to the family at this difficult time." The UK has opted out of the EU scheme to relocate refugees The European Commission has said it is up to the UK to decide whether to join a refugee programme that has rehoused a tiny fraction of the 160,000 people awaiting relocation. Just 400 refugees - 0.25% of the total - have been relocated four months into the two-year scheme to alleviate the pressure on refugee "hot spots" in Greece and Italy. The UK and Denmark has opted out of the scheme, which has been adopted by all of the other 26 member states. Ireland also has the right to opt out but it has volunteered to take a proportion of the refugees. The SNP said the UK Government has "a moral duty to take in our fair share of refugees and must do more". But the Commission said it "respects the UK's special status under the treaties", in relation to its decision to opt out of relocating people who have already entered the EU. It has also welcomed the UK's efforts to resettle thousands of people currently outside the EU who have been approved for refugee status or humanitarian protection. A European Commission spokeswoman said: "There is always contact between all member states and the Commission at all levels, at ministerial level and also at expert level. "These proposals have been discussed with the member states and the council. "Discussions are taking place jointly and then afterwards it is up to the member states with an opt-out to decide if they want to participate or not." Stephen Gethins, the SNP's Westminster spokesman on Europe, said: "Europe is facing the worst refugee crisis since the Second World War. "We should be doing everything we can to help those in need of protection, just as we would expect others to do for us in similar circumstances. "It is a national embarrassment that we have a Prime Minister who refers to refugees in derogatory terms and a UK government that has tried to do as little to help as it can get away with. "We have a moral duty to take in our fair share of refugees and the UK government must do more." Richard Harrington, Minister for Syrian Refugees, said: "Our vulnerable persons resettlement scheme will help up to 20,000 Syrians in need of protection: more than 1,000 refugees have already been helped under this scheme and earlier this week we announced that we have asked the office of the UNHCR to lead on a new initiative to resettle unaccompanied refugee children from countries around Syria. "As of last week, the European Commission's emergency scheme had resulted in the relocation of just 331 people. "We are committed to resettling directly from Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon to ensure we target our help at those most in need, deter people from attempting perilous journeys which have already led to so many tragic deaths and prevent criminal gangs from preying on human misery to profit any further from trafficking. "We have pledged over 1.1 billion in humanitarian aid to Syria and neighbouring countries, making us the second largest bilateral donor after the US. And we are providing nearly 25 million in response to the Mediterranean migration crisis, which includes life-saving humanitarian assistance within Europe." The Obama administration has confirmed for the first time that Hillary Clinton's home server contained closely-guarded government secrets, censoring 22 emails with material requiring one of the highest levels of classification. The revelation comes three days before the Democrats' presidential front-runner competes in the Iowa caucuses. State department officials also said the agency's Diplomatic Security and Intelligence and Research bureaux were investigating if any of the information was classified at the time of transmission, going to the heart of Mrs Clinton's defence of her email practices. The department published its latest batch of emails from her time as US secretary of state. Republicans have been trying to slow the momentum of Mrs Clinton's campaign by playing up her email issues, saying she made her own rules when it came to national security. But the potential political costs are probably of more immediate concern for the wife of former US president Bill Clinton. She has struggled in surveys measuring her perceived trustworthiness and an active government investigation, especially one buoyed by evidence that top secret material coursed through her account, could negate one of her main selling points for becoming commander in chief - her national security record. The Associated Press news agency learned ahead of the release that seven email chains would be withheld in full for containing "top secret" information. The 37 pages include messages a key intelligence official recently said concerned "special access programmes" - highly restricted, classified material that could point to confidential sources or clandestine programmes like drone strikes. "The documents are being upgraded at the request of the intelligence community because they contain a category of top secret information," state department spokesman John Kirby said, calling the withholding of documents in full "not unusual". That means they will not be published online with others being released, even with redactions. Department officials would not describe the substance of the emails or say if Mrs Clinton sent any herself. Mrs Clinton insists she never sent or received information on her personal email account that was classified at the time. No emails released so far were marked classified, but reviewers previously designated more than 1,000 messages at lower classification levels. The latest emails will be the first at top-secret level. Even if Mrs Clinton did not write or forward the messages, she would still have been required to report any classification slippages she recognised in emails she received. But without classification markings, that may have been difficult, especially if the information was publicly available. "We firmly oppose the complete blocking of the release of these emails," Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon said. "Since first providing her emails to the state department more than one year ago, Hillary Clinton has urged that they be made available to the public. We feel no differently today." Mr Fallon accused the "loudest and leakiest participants" in a process of bureaucratic infighting for withholding the exchanges. The documents, he said, originated in the state department's unclassified system before they ever reached Mrs Clinton and "in at least one case, the emails appear to involve information from a published news article". "This appears to be overclassification run amok," Mr Fallon said. Mr Kirby said the state department was focused, as part of a Freedom of Information Act review of Mrs Clinton's emails, on "whether they need to be classified today". Past classification questions, he said, "are being, and will be, handled separately by the state department". It is the first indication of such a probe. Department responses for classification infractions could include counselling, warnings or other action, officials said. They would not say if Mrs Clinton or senior aides who have since left government could face penalties. Separately, Mr Kirby said the department withheld eight email chains, totalling 18 messages, between President Barack Obama and Mrs Clinton. These are remaining confidential "to protect the president's ability to receive unvarnished advice and counsel" and will be released eventually like other presidential records. The emails have been a Clinton campaign issue since 10 months ago, when the AP discovered her exclusive use while in office of a homebrew email server in the basement of her family's New York home. Doing so wasn't expressly forbidden. Clinton first called the decision a matter of convenience, then a mistake. Last March Mrs Clinton and the state department said no business conducted in the emails included top-secret matters. Both said her account was never hacked or compromised, which security experts assess as unlikely. Mrs Clinton and the state department also claimed the vast majority of her emails were preserved properly for archiving because she corresponded mainly with government accounts, but they have backtracked from that claim in recent months. The special access programmes emails surfaced last week, when Charles McCullough, lead auditor for US intelligence agencies, told Congress he found some in Mrs Clinton's account. Mr Kirby confirmed the "denied-in-full emails" were among those Mr McCullough recently cited. He said one was among those Mr McCullough identified last summer as possibly containing top secret information. AP reported last August that one focused on a forwarded news article about the CIA's classified US drone programme. Such operations are widely discussed publicly, including by top US officials, and state department officials debated Mr McCullough's claim. The other concerned North Korean nuclear weapons programmes, according to officials. At the time, several officials from different agencies suggested the disagreement over the drone emails reflected a tendency to overclassify material and a lack of consistent classification policies across government. The FBI also is looking into Mrs Clinton's email set-up, but has said nothing about the nature of its probe. Independent experts say it is unlikely she will be charged with wrongdoing, based on details that have surfaced so far and the lack of indications that she intended to break laws. A laser terminal has been launched into orbit by the European Space Agency A new laser terminal has been launched into orbit by the European Space Agency as part of wider efforts to develop Europe's first optical communications network. The system will be able to monitor natural disasters and other catastrophes. The European Data Relay System terminal, launched on Friday from Kazakhstan, was released from its host satellite on Saturday morning. The stationary hub will collect information from surveillance satellites and relay it using an ultra-fast laser data connection to the ground. The agency and its partner, Airbus Defence and Space, said they will begin testing the system in the next few days and start delivering services to customers in the summer. A second data relay node is scheduled for launch next year, a third in 2020. A Fiat 500L used by Pope Francis during his US visit has been sold at auction for nearly 58,000 Philadelphia's answer to the Popemobile is staying local. O ne of two Fiat 500L cars used by Pope Francis during his trip to the US last year for the World Meeting of Families has been sold at auction for nearly 58,000. Michael and Kate Chapman, owners of Chapman Auto Group, which has seven local showrooms, secured the winning bid of 82,000 dollars at a black-tie event kicking off the weekend's Philadelphia Auto Show. Mr Chapman intends to put the black Fiat on display at his dealership in Horsham. The other Fiat will be displayed during the show, which runs until February 7. Archdiocese of Philadelphia spokesman Kenneth Gavin said more than 19 bidders from across the US took part in the 11-minute auction for the car. Charities and and the archdiocese's special education schools will reap the benefits of the sale, conducted by Max Spann Real Estate & Auction Company. "We are so heartened by the fact that this extraordinary gift will go on to enrich the lives of so many individuals," said Donna Crilley Farrell, executive director of the World Meeting of Families. Missing a trick: the Presbyterian General Assembly will elect a new Moderator from three male ministers This week the Presbyterian Church nominated three male candidates for next Tuesday's election as Moderator. That is hardly world-shattering, but it certainly should be important for the Presbyterian Church, which has more than 230,000 members in 545 congregations throughout Ireland. The Clerk of the General Assembly, the Rev Trevor Gribben, rightly points out that "democracy is one of the strengths and hallmarks of Presbyterianism", and the Church is perfectly entitled to name the Revs Robert Bell of Ballyclare, Tony Davidson from Armagh and Frank Sellar from Broomfield as candidates for the Moderatorship. I wish them all well. However, many people inside and outside the Church will be wondering why no woman has ever been elected Moderator, as the first female minister - the Rev Dr Ruth Patterson - was ordained 40 years ago this year. In 1976 the Presbyterians were ahead of the other main denominations in ordaining the first female cleric in Ireland, but since then they have slipped badly behind. The Methodists elected a woman president two years go, and, while we will wait a long, long time for a female Archbishop of Armagh, the Church of Ireland recently made ecclesiastical history by appointing the first woman Anglican bishop in the British Isles. Some Presbyterians claim that there is no grassroots demand for a female Moderator. That is not my experience from talking to many Church members, at all levels, so why is there still no prospect of a woman leader? Part of the reason is that very few pew members understand, or perhaps even care, about the way in which a Moderator is elected. The decisions are taken by 19 Presbyteries throughout Ireland, and the elders and clergy involved are predominantly male. In the Church at large there are only 21 women out of a total of 345 ministers, even 40 years after Ruth Patterson was first ordained. Speaking to me earlier this week, she expressed her disappointment that women in the Church "have a hard road to walk" and said she would like to see a woman elected as Moderator. As ever, Ruth was gracious and diplomatic in her language, but, in my opinion, it is absolutely astounding that in this age of gender equality in leadership, the Presbyterian Church has consistently refused to appoint a woman Moderator. This is not entirely due to the grassroots political skills of the Presbyterian conservative males who make sure that they usually get their way, and that their man gets the vote. Two years ago, however, they almost got their figures wrong, and the very capable Rev Liz Hughes of Whitehouse was a worthy runner-up, by only one vote. The dwindling band of liberals in the Presbyterian Church wring their hands in despair, like the liberals in the Labour Party who have been outwitted by the Corbynistas, but, unless they do something about it, the Presbyterian Church will be taken over totally by the ultra-narrow conservatives, if this has not happened already. The women clergy and laity themselves are also to blame for letting the men get away with such dominance for so long in selecting male Moderators. Unless all the Presbyterian women assert themselves, this gender discrimination will continue. The women have long tried the tactful and gentle approach, but spectacularly without success. It is time, now, that they took to heart the old adage: "The Lord helps those who help themselves." What a simple new tax system the Government has come up with. Instead of filling in complicated forms, executives from corporations such as Google now have dinner with ministers in the run-up to the deal with tax officials and drop hints about how much they fancy paying. Once this process is extended to the rest of us, it will be so efficient. Window cleaners and plumbers will meet an inspector in Harry's cafe for bubble and squeak, hand over 80 in rolled-up fivers and say: "Here you go sunshine, get yourself something nice." Then we can try it for all transactions. So you'll wander round B&Q, take some planks of wood and a lampshade you fancy, and instead of paying, a few years later, you give them a Kit-Kat. We can't know exactly what HM Revenue and Customs agreed with Google's bosses, as the Government refuses to say, so it may be that they handed over a fridge they were chucking out that needs a new door handle, and a pile of Beano annuals they found in the wardrobe. The inspectors agreed that Google doesn't have to pay much tax in Britain because it doesn't have a "permanent establishment" here. It does have offices with more than 1,000 staff, a cinema and allotments attached to its grounds, but that hardly suggests "permanent" - we all carry stuff like that around when we're just passing through. Even after the high-ups had the complex built, if they were asked if they fancied a cup of tea, they said: "No thanks, we're not stopping." Britain, they say, is a "branch office"; their actual office is in Ireland, which allows them to register in Bermuda, where companies pay hardly any tax. They might add that they decided on Bermuda to test their search engine thoroughly. Because even planes and ships go missing in Bermuda, so if Google can find information about who won the Grand National in 1965 out there, it proves its system works under the toughest conditions. Google's chairman, Eric Schmidt, showed why modern businessmen are suited to be the most powerful characters in society when he said he was "proud" of the way his company avoids paying taxes, explaining "it's called capitalism. We are proudly capitalistic" and adding that it had a "legal obligation to shareholders". So, Google has a moral, almost spiritual, obligation to pay as little tax as possible. It's heartening to see people in authority stick to their principles, unlike these rogues who pay the full rate of tax and the scum who make their full contribution to fund schools and old people's homes, and Franciscan monks and other sociopaths who go through life without a thought for registering billions in Bermuda for their shareholders. George Osborne announced the deal as an "enormous success", as it had brought in more money than before, which was nothing. This is a very novel approach to economics from a Chancellor of the Exchequer; any financial arrangement is an enormous success as long as it yields more than nothing. Having claimed the Google deal as a triumph for the Government, Osborne seemed to change his mind later, insisting that it was nothing to do with the Government, but was arranged entirely with the tax office and "not with ministers". So it's a puzzle that Google had 24 meetings with ministers, including Jeremy Hunt, Theresa May, half of the Cabinet and Osborne himself. One couple that must have enjoyed Google's tax deal is the Rutherfords, as they dedicate their lives to looking after their severely disabled grandson. Carers would sleep in their spare room, but under the rules of the bedroom tax, they were faced with eviction. Judges have ruled such evictions unlawful, but the Government will appeal because it is determined that people such as the Rutherfords, who are so selfish that they barely give a thought to their legal obligations towards shareholders, must be evicted to save taxpayers' money. Maybe the couple should register the disputed room in Bermuda. I blame Jeremy Corbyn. He has made class war fashionable again and in his own backyard the revolutionary forces are gathering. The barricades are manned and the first shots are being fired across the class divide. Eat the Rich. Or at least stop them turning on our lumiere show. This is a story of such trivial importance, yet it says something about Britain in the early 21st century. Acland Burghley is a comprehensive school in the Tufnell Park area of north London (the heart of Mr Corbyn's constituency) and, as part a programme of events to celebrate its 50th anniversary, it has organised a light show that will illuminate the school's brutalist facade. So far, so parochial. The headmaster of Acland Burghley, casting around for a celebrity to open the display, alighted (so to speak) on the actor Damian Lewis, who lives in the area. The star of Homeland was happy to do his bit and agreed to flick the switch. But this is where the story takes a disquieting turn. Some former pupils of the school took exception to Lewis, because he was educated at Eton. They say it is "wholly inappropriate" he should be given a lead role at such a demotic urban comprehensive. And so, in the way of the modern world, they launched an online petition, demanding that Lewis should be barred from the event. They urged that the school keep it real and ask one of its former students - such as the pop star Ms Dynamite - to perform the ceremonial duties. The headmaster, Nicholas John, was commendably unbowed in the face of a nascent digital protest. "Damian Lewis very kindly agreed to open the light show," said Mr John, "to give up an evening of his time. The school he went to is of no consequence." That assertion, of course, is not quite true. The school Damian Lewis went to cauterises its pupils with a confidence that gives them a distinct advantage over those of us who are closer to Acland Burghley on the educational spectrum. However, Mr John is right: the actor's background is of no significance. The rise of Mr Corbyn and the rhetoric he has inspired has quite correctly put the serious and growing inequalities in British society high on the political agenda. There are so many reasons to feel angry and social mobility is, indeed, one of them. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak walks to his car as he leaves parliament in Kuala Lumpur, Jan. 26, 2016. Malaysian authorities are believed to have blocked a foreign news website Friday after it carried a report questioning the basis of a government decision not to pursue any corruption-related charges against Prime Minister Najib Razak over hundreds of millions of dollars paid into his personal bank account. Malaysians who tried to log onto the Asia Sentinel online journal were greeted with a message Friday notifying them that this website is not available in Malaysia as it violate(s) the National law(s). We are aware that some are having difficulty accessing our website from Malaysia and we are looking into solutions right now, the Hong Kong-based Asia Sentinel which carries news, analysis and opinion on national and regional issues said in an email to readers. It sent to local subscribers a web link with a tool it said would them to circumvent online censorship. Malaysian authorities could not be immediately contacted for comment. The Asia Sentinel report had questioned claims by Malaysias top government lawyer this week that that U.S. $681 million (2.08 billion ringgit) transferred into Najibs personal bank account was a gift from the royal family in Saudi Arabia. Since Malaysian Attorney General Mohamed Apandi Ali announced Tuesday that his office was not pursuing corruption-related charges against Najib, the Asia Sentinel has carried three articles on the topic. The Friday report questioned Apandis statement that the $681 million deposited into Najibs private bank accounts was a personal donation from the Saudi royal family and that no crime had been committed. The Sentinel cited a Wall Street Journal report quoting Saudi officials as saying they had no information about such a gift and that a royal donation to the personal bank account of a foreign leader would be unprecedented. Other news sources say the Saudi government has begun an investigation to determine if any funds went to Najib, which is considered very unlikely, The Sentinel reported Friday. MACC source: Charges against PM recommended The attorney general issued his decision after receiving reports of investigations conducted by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) into the $681 million deposit and other financial transactions, in which Najibs name had surfaced in connection with 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), an indebted state fund whose advisory board is chaired by the prime minister. A source within MACC told BenarNews it had recommended that the attorney general pursue three charges of criminal misappropriation of property amounting to 42 million ringgit (U.S. $10.1 million) against Najib. The source who requested anonymity said the recommended charges were related to three tranches of money that added up to 42 million ringgit and were wired into Najibs private accounts from SRC International Subsidiaries, a state-owned firm linked to 1MDB. Apandi declined comment when contacted for this story. I am overseas attending a conference so sorry, he told BenarNews in a message. A day after he instructed MACC officials to close all files and cease investigations into the prime minister, the commission referred the attorney generals decision to two independent panels. In a statement, the commission said its top management had decided to refer the case to an Operational Review Panel (PPO) and another special panel whose members had yet to be appointed. The PPO is an independent body set-up by the Malaysian government to monitor the MACC, and is one of five independent bodies that monitors the performance and status of cases probed by the commission. On Thursday, MACC chief Abu Kassim Mohamed issued a statement rejecting news reports that, through the move to refer the case to the PPO, the commission was disputing or challenging Apandis decision to clear Najib of potential charges. The move was standard operating procedure in any case that had been closed, the head of MACC said. AG must not be fearful The attorney generals decision to not press charges against the prime minister has drawn criticism in Malaysia. PPO member Lim Chee Wee said Apandi owed it to the public to explain clearly why he did not prosecute Najib. The AG must not be fearful of the power nor position of any individual , Lim, a former president of the Malaysian Bar, told BenarNews via email. The attorney general also is legally obligated to give the public a detailed and satisfactory explanation for why he might disagree with recommendations made by any law enforcement agency when the allegations involve a high-profile personality, such as a prime minister, Lim added. Apandis announcement also came a day before the global NGO Transparency International (TI) released its Corruption Perceptions Index for 2015, in which Malaysia declined by four ranks since 2014 to 54th out of 167 countries and territories. Hata Wahari contributed to this report. Conservative news, video and comment from the Bluegrass state. Some might read this as a call for fiscal responsibility, but I was left with a different impression. Other members of Congress have staunchly opposed the idea of transferring Guantanamo detainees to prisons inside the United States because they fear the non-existent terrorist special forces will invade their states, but Representative Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) appears to be fishing for a payday. Congresswoman Jenkins is asking for a full accounting of expenses that will calm her constituents. This cost estimate on closing the detention center from the Congressional Budget Office will help members of Congress better evaluate the Presidents plan and inform our constituents, she said in written statement Wednesday. [...] These costs should include but not be limited to the increased security and law enforcement personnel, the economic loss due to voluntary move outs and the need for enhanced physical infrastructure around the city, county and region to assuage the residents fears and concerns, she wrote. I read this as Representative Jenkins saying she may not oppose the idea if it means she can bring home the bacon. If that's what it takes then so be it, but let's be honest; this has nothing to do with economic losses that may not even be incurred. This is about economic opportunity for Big Government spending in Kansas. It may not need to be said, but if local residents have grave "fears and concerns," Congressional Republicans at least partially responsible for that. They have done nothing to assuage their fears. They've only stoked them. Various reports have indicated the government will spend up to $300 million each year to house Guantanamo detainees after they've been transferred to a prison inside the United States and there are at least some Republican members of Congress who like the sound of that. Wow! Is Huma Qureshi Sporting A Cape Top For PC Jeweller Event? Fashion Kaustubha Huma Qureshi, the newbie of Bollywood, was spotted at PC Jeweller event for Rio Tinto Diamonds brands initiative. Huma was last seen in the movie Badlapur, starring with Varun Dhawan. Huma is known for her excellent performance in Dedh Ishqiya. When we saw Huma at the event, we couldn't help but take the note of her cape top. Remember when we said that cape dresses and tops will be a 2016 fad. So here it is. First we Deepika sporting a cape two-piece then Kajol wearing a white cape kurta at Jaipur Literature festival and now Huma is flaunting a cape kurta. Huma wore a sheer white cape kurta paired neatly with a black maxi skirt. Huma was also showing off her Rio Tinto Diamonds rings. We loved to see and click Huma in this great outfit. It was a delight to cover Huma here after so long. Let's give you guys a visual: For more Bollywood celeb outfit updates, follow us on Boldsky Instagram. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/01/2016 (2455 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo had a heartfelt plea for people gathered at a refugee sponsorship workshop on Friday. Please dont forget about Africa, said Kaneguro Mbindo, 32. Mbindo and his family arrived in Canada in 2012, and have been living in Brandon for the past year. He was a featured speaker at the workshop, presented by Westman Immigrant Services. Colin Corneau/Brandon Sun Kaneguro Mbindo came to Canada on a refugee claim from the Democratic Republic of Congo. He spoke to a workshop presented by Westman Immigrant Services on sponsoring refugees. His personal story served as a stark reminder of the life of hardship being experienced by so many in Africa. People who are in the refugee camp, they dont have good life, he said. They have very, very bad life. They live in the refugee camp because of war happening in their country. They dont have choice, they have to go to the refugee camp because if you are not going there, youll die. Mbindo spent several years living in a camp, and was one of the fortunate people who made it to Canada. His brother was able to sponsor him, but the process still took about eight years. If you dont have someone who can help you move from there, youll be in big problem, he said. Theres some people who live 20 years in a refugee camp. There is also the guilt of leaving relatives behind. Mbindo said he often receives phone calls from people hoping he can help them come to Canada, but he simply does not have the means. He spoke about the importance of private sponsorship, as he hopes many more people can be helped. Mbindo is grateful to be in Canada, and said when he first arrived, it was a big relief to know he and his family were going to live in a peaceful country. I will live a good life now, theres no running around, theres no fighting, he said. Approximately 100 people attended the workshop, held at McDiarmid Drive Alliance Church. Representatives from the Ontario-based Refugee Sponsorship Training Program presented on private sponsorship, preparing for the refugees arrival and the sponsors responsibilities. Mulugeta Haile, a settlement facilitator with Westman Immigrant Services, said Canada is playing an important role in the Syrian refugee crisis, which is a must. But he hopes attention is also being paid to refugees in other parts of the world, especially Eastern Africa where people are languishing in refugee camps for 15 and 20 years. Those refugees are dying there. There are refugees who are born in a refugee camp, raised in a refugee camp and some of them could even die there, and we need to remember those human beings, he said. Haile was encouraged to see such a good turnout for the workshop, which was organized after WIS received many requests for information from the community. Some are interested in sponsoring refugees, some want to partner, some want to become a volunteer, he said. Haile is originally from Ethiopia and has been living in Canada for more than a decade. He remembers the multiple challenges when arriving in a new country cultural challenges, language issues, where to go for help. My experience, until I stood on my feet, I needed somebody to stand beside me to help me, encourage me, he said. jaustin@brandonsun.com Twitter: @jillianaustin Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 29/01/2016 (2456 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. When leaders of the Winnipeg General Strike were arrested and placed on trial for seditious conspiracy in 1919, who was really leading the prosecution? Why? Who paid the bills? And why does it still matter today? Two members of the Brandon University faculty have traced the murky legal history of this chapter, uncovering evidence that one man may have stretched the truth and the law to advance what technically was a private persecution of the strikes leaders. It was a legal battle pitting state power against advocates of fundamental social change, a contest that remains important nearly 100 years later. Drawing on reams of previously unconnected documents, Tom Mitchell and Reinhold Kramer follow the money to show that Ottawa secretly siphoned off nearly $250,000 between 1919 and 1921 to pay lawyers to prosecute the wide-ranging seditious trial. The money, the equivalent of nearly $3 million today, had been part of a parliamentary fund set aside to pay for demobilizing soldiers from the First World War. The man behind the prosecution three-time Winnipeg mayor and wily Conservative strategist A.J. Andrews shrewdly jumped between provincial and federal law as his needs suited, using seditious conspiracy allegations to gather evidence in nationwide searches that asserted any socialist, anywhere, was a part of the Winnipeg General Strike conspiracy, simply by dint of sharing the same convictions. The strike is at the legal epicentre of the era, said Tom Mitchell, BUs archivist emeritus, pointing out that the same themes continue to be debated today. The trial of the strikes leaders deals with issues of security, of the limits of state power, of immigration and citizenship that are very relevant today. Mitchell and his co-author, English Prof. Reinhold Kramer, take what they call a largely legal perspective to examine the prosecution and eventual conviction of the strikes leaders. Its not a black-and-white story. Business leaders were right to be leery of the strikers, and they had a legitimate grievance, Kramer said. But of course, they went to huge, undemocratic lengths to break the strike. Thats always the concern, that people with greater access can bend the government to their will, and it leads to a sense that your government is working against you. Their new publication is called Daniel de Leon Drew up the Diagram: Winnipegs Seditious-Conspiracy Trials of 1919-20, alluding to a foreign socialist thinker with no known connection to Winnipeg, who was nonetheless presented by the business-led prosecution as part of a worldwide Bolshevik conspiracy that included the strike leaders. The chapter is included in the fourth volume of the prestigious Canadian State Trials series, which examines Security, Dissent and the Limits of Toleration in War and Peace, 19141939, and is published by the Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History and the University of Toronto Press. The Winnipeg General Strike is a seminal event in Canadian history, and to be able to contribute to the literature on the strike is a real privilege, Mitchell said. The Canadian government is again looking at security legislation, and as we are approaching the centennial of the Winnipeg General Strike, its time to put 1919 on the public agenda. Its such an interesting time, such a time of ferment, Kramer said. It kind of stopped the left-leaning direction that a lot of people were feeling at the time. Mitchell and Kramer have previously co-authored a book on the strike itself: When the State Trembled: How A.J. Andrews and the Citizens Committee Broke the Winnipeg General Strike, in 2010, as well as a book on a famed Brandon murder case: Walk Towards the Gallows: The Tragedy of Hilda Blake, Hanged 1899, in 2002. Submitted Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/01/2016 (2455 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. After spending the last 45 years in storage, the historic Coronation Bell will finally be dusted off and put on display. Brandon Fire and Emergency Services was approved for $30,000 in the citys 2016 budget to move ahead with mounting the 4,400-pound heritage piece in the museum located at the No. 1 Fire Hall. Submitted Brandon's Coronation Bell, made in 1902 out of New York, and shipped by riverboat up the Assiniboine River to Brandon, has been in storage since 1971. Were excited about getting it out and getting it shone up, and people will be able to actually see it and be able to touch it, said fire Chief Brent Dane. We have a significant number of tours, and certainly kids tours, so I think itll be something neat for the kids to be able to see and touch. But not everyone is thrilled with the plan for the bell. Phil Dorn, Samson Engineering president and owner of the former Central Fire Station on Princess Avenue, wants to see the historic bell back up in its original tower. The former fire hall is now home to Prairie Firehouse restaurant. Dorn said he believes putting the bell back in its original location is the right thing to do for the city, for our heritage, for our community. I know of no other city in the world where we would poach artifacts from an inventory of heritage buildings in the downtown and yet put forward that were trying to stimulate our downtown and preserve our heritage, he said. Dorn said he plans to speak with Mayor Rick Chrest and possibly appear as a delegation before Brandon City Council. The Coronation Bell rang out over the city of Brandon from the Central Fire Station for more than six decades. Named in honour of the coronation of King Edward VII, it was manufactured in New York with a base of 62 inches. The bell was donated to the Brandon fire department in 1902 and placed in the tower of the first station by a team of dray horses. It was taken down and installed in the bell tower of the Central Fire Station in 1911. The bell chimed for fires, but also throughout the day at 7 a.m. to announce the start of the day, at noon and 1 p.m., then at 6 p.m. to signal the end of the working day. The bell was removed in 1971 to reduce the stress on the tower, and had been in storage ever since. Dane said it is important to keep the bell in the department. Its always been part of the fire department its been a huge part of the fire department, he said. We have a museum (at the No.1 Fire Hall), we have the old fire truck and all that kind of stuff, so I think its a great fit. During the citys budget deliberations, some councillors questioned the $30,000 budget line for the bell mounting project. Coun. Barry Cullen (Victoria) said the budget is for firefighter service and delivery, not necessarily a museum piece. Cullen suggested the department look for other means of funding, instead of it coming out of general revenue. Dane said the department will look into other funding opportunities, such as heritage grants. Were certainly looking into that as the process goes along, he said. Mounting the bell had been part of the original building plan, when the fire department built its new fire hall on 19th Street North, completed in 2010. Over the years, the bell cost was always cut from the budget. Council ultimately approved the project for 2016. Weve been trying to work through it, thats been the focus right now, Dane said. Lets continue to finish off what the original plans were for this building and move forward with it. The next step is to hire a consultant to put together the conceptual drawings, followed by putting it out to tender and finally, installation. While there is no specific timeline, Dane said the goal is to have the project concluded by the end of the year. jaustin@brandonsun.com Twitter: @jillianaustin Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 29/01/2016 (2456 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. What does it mean when former finance minister and deputy premier Jennifer Howard, one of the Rebel Five who opposed Premier Greg Selingers leadership and tried to oust him, has decided not to run in the upcoming provincial election? She is joined in this decision to stand down with three other rebels/former cabinet ministers Erin Selby, Theresa Oswald and Stan Struthers. Does this mean Selinger is ridding his caucus of rebels? It could be. After all, an election is a convenient time to clean up the partys candidates and introduce new faces. It may very well be that Selinger is using this pre-election period to eliminate foes (real and imagined) as well as present a new slate of candidates to voters. Of course, it could also be that the four former cabinet ministers who have chosen to leave are quite sincere in their desire to get on with a life outside the legislature. After all, public service can be a challenging life, particularly in this ultra-heated political environment. Ruth Bonneville/Winnipeg Free Press Fort Rouge MLA Jennifer Howard, one of the Rebel Five who opposed Premier Greg Selingers leadership, answers questions from the media during a press conference at the Manitoba legislature on Wednesday to announce she will not seek re-election. It could be a complete coincidence that 80 per cent of the cabinet ministers who called for Selingers resignation apparently chose not to run of their own volition. Maybe they were the only caucus members who seek life changes outside politics. It happens, although it seems like a huge coincidence. Or, just maybe, they were told to hit the bricks by a premier who doesnt tolerate dissent. Perhaps there is another, more plausible explanation. That is this these four politicians have read the writing on the wall and believe the NDP is heading for a major collapse at the ballot box. If they already doubt the existing leadership, and they demonstrably do, why run and lose only to buck up Selingers re-election efforts? It is a considerable blow, both to personal finances and ego, to transition from cabinet minister to Opposition member. Your salary drops, the staff gets laid off and people dont return your calls quite so fast. A betting man might suggest these decisions not to run are not coincidental, but rather a combination of reading the writing on the wall and fortuitous timing. The upcoming election offers a perfect time to step down without gaining the ire of constituents by resigning early while also not being defeated at the polls. Its a win-win by not losing. It would not surprise me if we learn the four understand the questionable nature of their re-election chances and, quite frankly, the more perilous job facing them if the NDP were to be returned to office. Our provincial finances are, simply put, disastrous. We lack leadership at the highest levels and Selingers pre-election spending spree does nothing to improve our fiscal stability. Howard, a former minister of finance who purportedly opposed the PST hike, would understand better than most that Manitobas finances are in serious jeopardy. Of the foursome who have elected not to run, Howard is arguably the most talented politician. As a deputy premier and finance minister, she possesses marketable cache in the private sector, at least in government-related industries, including lobbying. At the same time, her departure leaves a huge hole in an NDP campaign team that already underwhelms. Rumour has it that they are struggling to find candidates at the present time. This news may even be giving Liberal Leader Rana Bokhari a real shot at winning Howards constituency of Fort Rouge. It would not surprise me if Howard plans a future return to Manitoba politics, perhaps to rebuild the very party she is abandoning when it needs her most. Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 29/01/2016 (2456 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Children on First Nations reserves do not receive the same level of child welfare that exists elsewhere in Canada. This week, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruled that this systemic discrimination has to end. This is the most recent reminder of the many and significant gaps in opportunity for prosperity within our province and across our country, a gap that we cannot let continue. On the heels of the reports from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, this is a poignant reminder that we have a long journey to reconciliation. And while we do see positive signals and some important initiatives, there remains ample evidence that there isnt equality of condition or opportunity between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples in Canada. Certainly this will be one of the indicators that we have moved closer to reconciliation. Leadership and commitment will be required from every corner of our society. While supporting indigenous peoples to realize the right to self-determination will be at the forefront, there is much others need to do in partnership to support achieving a more just society. In my view, our education system has a critical role to play. In todays world, education is the passport to greater prosperity. There is a definitive link between educational attainment and employment, income and health. A better education leads to a better life for individuals, families and communities. We have seen evidence (through organizations like the CanWest Global Foundation) that labour market outcomes for indigenous and non-indigenous people are relatively similar for those who have a college or university credential. However, there persists an educational gap between indigenous and non-indigenous populations. More needs to be done to bridge this gap. A continuing gap in educational attainment between indigenous and non-indigenous people only exacerbates the current prosperity gap, as 75 per cent of all new jobs will require some form of post-secondary education. There is much governments can do to help. During the most recent federal election campaign, the Liberals committed to invest an additional $50 million in the annual Post-Secondary Student Support Program, which provides financial assistance to First Nations and Inuit students and expand funding by $50 million to the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training Strategy. There is also a need for our colleges and universities to adapt and play an active role in reconciliation. We know that we need to make our post-secondary institutions more responsive to indigenous communities and more welcoming to indigenous learners. In December, Manitobas colleges, universities and public school boards came together to sign the Indigenous Education Blueprint. The goal was to make indigenous education a top priority. A sample of commitments from the blueprint include the following: Advancing reconciliation, language and culture through education, research and skill development; Building school and campus communities free of racism, value diversity and foster cultural safety; Engaging governments and the private and public sectors to increase market opportunities; Bringing indigenous knowledge, languages and intellectual traditions, models and approaches into curriculum and pedagogy; Increasing access to services, programs and supports to indigenous students, to ensure a learning environment is established that fosters student success. At Assiniboine Community College, we have a proud history working with and for indigenous communities and learners. One in five of our current students identify as First Nations, Metis or Inuit. We actively seek out opportunities to offer programs across rural Manitoba in and near indigenous communities. We are redeveloping our community engagement strategy, as it is clear that we have much more to do in order to achieve the commitments we have made through signing the Indigenous Education Blueprint. We will focus on expanding opportunity at our college for indigenous members of our community, doing our part to close this prosperity gap. Adapting our programs, learning environments and organizational culture will be its own journey, a journey we must undertake to truly serve the needs of all learners and all Manitobans as we commit to the process of reconciliation. Mark Frison is president of Assiniboine Community College. Police in England believe they may have found the remains of an Irish man who disappeared there 20 years ago. Hugh Toner from Newry, Co Down walked out of a hospital in 1994 dressed only in a vest and pyjama bottoms. By Daniel McConnell and Fiachra O Cionnaith The Health Service Executive (HSE) tonight conceded that no official apology was given to the intellectually disabled victim of rape and abuse in a foster home, despite earlier claiming it was. The Irish Examiner first revealed that the HSE finally admitted liability for the failure in the care of the woman who languished in the foster home for 13 years after abuse allegations were originally voiced. The HSE has also tonight been forced into a humiliating apology to the Dail's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) which has raised the plight of the victim and other children who passed through the foster home, which was in the South-East. The HSE has issued a statement this evening in which it said it had intended to apologise but the intention was not communicated clearly to local staff, who it told the PAC had delivered the apology. The statement said: "Having checked locally, the HSE did confirm to the PAC that an apology had been offered. "However, it now transpires that the staff members concerned were referring to their own personal comments of remorse and not to an 'official apology on behalf of the HSE," the statement said. "The HSE obviously apologises sincerely to the PAC for this error. The HSE never has - nor would it ever - intentionally mislead any Dail Committee. The HSE wants to confirm that it has apologised officially this week in person to 'Grace'. This official apology has been done both in-person and in writing with the assistance of the professionals now caring for her," the statement added. The latest twist in this foster home abuse scandal come after members of the PAC accused the HSE of lying to it in correspondence earlier this month when it said an apology had been issued. The HSE has been called to appear before a special meeting of the PAC next Tuesday to discuss the issue of the apology and the handling of the woman's case. The HSE initially contested claims by a whistle-blower who had brought the case to the TDs' attention and who said no such apology was delivered to either the woman, who is profoundly disabled, or to her birth mother. It also emerged that the local senior HSE officials in the South-East who were at the meeting concerned told their bosses no apology had been approved or issued. After being called to appear before the PAC, the HSE Director General Tony O'Brien asked the HSE's Social Care Division to examine what had been said "so we can get to the bottom of it". Connacht 30 Scarlets 17 Connacht boosted their Guinness PRO12 play-off hopes with a 30-17 bonus-point win over the table-topping Scarlets at the Sportsground. Pat Lams men avenged their recent narrow loss in Llanelli with three tries off lineout mauls and a fourth from lively replacement Rodney Ah Yous direct run. The hosts dominant scrum and maul provided the platform for a 13-0 interval lead, with flanker Jake Heenan crashing over twice. Having opted to play into a strong wind during the first half, the Scarlets turned around with the elements in their favour and hit back with a 10-point blitz, including a DTH van der Merwe try. But yellow cards for Phil John (scrum) and Tom Price (high tackle) in quick succession left the league leaders under all sorts of pressure, and tries from man-of-the-match Buckley and Ah You settled the issue. Although Gareth Owen responded for the weakened Scarlets side, their late push for a losing bonus point went unrewarded. With their forwards on top, Connacht made all the early headway with Matt Healy almost touching down from a Jack Carty penalty that bounced back off the right-hand post. The Connacht fly-half nailed his second place-kick in the eighth minute, rewarding some purposeful attacking from centres Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw. The Scarlets Kiwi captain Hadleigh Parkes slashed open the Connacht midfield on the quarter-hour, with Liam Williams making his first regional appearance since last May just held up near the left corner. While the visiting backs looked potent, their pack had no answer when Connacht muscled over for their opening try with 21 minutes gone. Carty plunged them back towards their line from a scrum penalty and Aly Muldowneys lineout take set up a maul that ended with Heenan crashing over. Cartys again found the woodwork with his conversion attempt and Connacht struggled to gain ground in the second quarter, the loss of lively winger Healy to injury not helping their cause. A powerful run up the right touchline from Henshaw got them back on track. The Scarlets held out initially but their scrum leaked another penalty and Heenan got over from a carbon copy lineout maul. Cartys conversion this time went narrowly wide. An improved scrum and three points from the boot of Thomas saw the Scarlets quickly make inroads on the resumption. The gap was down to three points just moments later, Ryan Elias scooping up a loose Connacht ruck ball and breaking from halfway with Owens final pass putting Van der Merwe over for a seven-pointer. The sin-binning of prop John following a scrum warning allowed Carty to make it 16-10, and the Scarlets were down to 13 men after lock Price saw yellow for a neck-high challenge on Caolin Blade. Buckley and Carty combined to restore the Irish provinces 13-point lead, the former muscling over from another lineout maul that marched forward in the 51st minute. The Ulster-bound Ah You then took a great line in the 62nd minute, powering onto a Blade pass to go through two tackles and touch down from close range, with Carty converting. The damage had been done but the Scarlets enjoyed a strong finish, some neat handling releasing centre Owen to go over in the right corner with Thomas brilliantly adding the extras. Into injury-time, Connacht had replacement hooker Dave Heffernan sin-binned for repeated infringements before the Scarlets bid for a losing bonus point fell short with Steve Shingler being bundled into touch. Defending champion Branden Grace held a slender lead heading into the closing stages of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters as Paul Lawries hopes of a third title suffered a major blow. Lawrie took a two-shot lead into the final round and maintained that cushion by matching Graces birdie on the first, but bogeyed the second after his wayward drive ended up on the edge of a small bush. The International Organisation for Migration says migrant drowning deaths are running at four times the rate of 2015, when many thousands daily sought to enter the European Union via Turkey by reaching one of more than a dozen offshore Greek islands, particularly nearby Lesbos. It comes as at least 33 people, including five children, drowned in the Aegean Sea today after their Greece-bound boat capsized off the Turkish coast. Turkeys state-run Anadolu news agency said coastguards rescued 75 others from the sea near the resort of Ayvacik en route to the Greek island of Lesbos. The agency has identified the survivors as natives of Afghanistan, Syria and Burma. Todays deaths take the drowning total for January above 250, whereas the agency recorded 805 drowning deaths on Turkey-Greece smuggling routes throughout 2015. In a statement, the Turkish coastguard said it dispatched three boats, a team of divers and a helicopter after receiving calls for help. Journalists at the scene said weather conditions on Saturday on the Turkish coast were relatively mild, with light winds and temperatures around 12C. Saim Eskioglu, deputy governor for Turkey's Canakkale province, said the 56-foot vessel carrying more than 100 people "hit rocks soon after it left the coast and, unfortunately, it sank". The Canakkale coast lies barely five miles north of the Greek island of Lesbos. We believe there are more bodies inside the boat, he told CNN-Turk television. A private Turkish news agency, Dogan, said police have arrested a Turkish man suspected of being the smuggler who organised Saturdays disastrous sea crossing. Joel Millman, a spokesman for the International Organisation for Migration, said the rate of deaths on Turkey-Greece human trafficking routes was increasing at an alarming rate. Mr Millman, speaking before Saturdays tragedy, said the rate of fatalities was running exceptionally high versus 2015. He said 55,000 had crossed by sea into Greece this month, a very small number versus the monthly flow in 2015. A Russian jet has violated Turkeys airspace, despite several warnings, according to Turkish officials. The Turkish foreign ministry has summoned the Russian ambassador after the alleged incident on Friday. Officials said the plane was warned in Russian and in English before entering Turkeys airspace. The statement accused Russia of escalating tensions, adding that Russia would be held responsible for any dire consequences. In November, Turkey shot down a Russian plane which violated its airspace near Syria, sparking a crisis between the two countries. LAHORE: While there is no let up in the spread of dengue, the Punjab government has increased the number of beds for... Liz Truss said on Thursday she was resigning as British prime minister just six weeks after she was appointed,... It was the campaign launch speech that sounded very much like the start of a federal election campaign. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is yet to name a date for the 2016 poll, but in Brisbane on Saturday morning Opposition Leader Bill Shorten looked very much like a man already in election mode. Bill Shorten looked very much like a man in election mode in Brisbane on Saturday. Credit:Michelle Smith On the eve of the one year anniversary of Queensland Labor's unlikely 2015 state election victory, Mr Shorten came, ostensibly, to kick off the party's Fight for Queensland campaign. But in a 25 minute speech, he delivered what sounded very much like an election campaign launch, outlining his party's plan to topple Mr Turnbull's government, with commitments to core Labor principles of education and healthcare for all, a commitment to penalty rates and a 10 per cent GST. An alleged burglar found in a south Canberra dance studio with a used syringe has been refused bail. Police found Douglas James Weedon, 35, behind a closed door in the office area of the DancEdge performing arts school in Kambah about 9.30pm on Friday, after a member of the public reported a series of loud bangs coming from the premises, court document said. Weedon appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court on Saturday charged with burglary, having been granted bail on separate charges on January 15. Police believed the defendant forced in a glass pane at the Kambah premises' front door, which had left an opening of about one metre by 80 centimetres, and was found in the dark holding an empty shopping bag and a CD while wearing a DancEdge branded jacket, according to the police statement of facts. A used syringe and a ballet badge were found by police in the defendant's trousers pocket, the court documents said. "We put them through their paces, we were away for a lot of the time staying hotels, sharing meals, and we were asking a lot of travel time, a lot of extra hours, a lot of overtime and they did it all with a great sense of humour and a great work ethic." The process of bringing Wanted to Queensland wasn't entirely organic. Part of the reason it came here was through state government incentives through Screen Queensland to ensure the entire thing was shot here. That contribution of just over half a million dollars ensured all filming and post-production happened here. It also means that something you almost never see on television happens in Wanted - the city of Brisbane steps in for Sydney. The show begins its life in Sydney, with just one shot in the first episode using a flyover of the Sydney skyline. After that, every Sydney building you see is actually one in Brisbane. As the series, which follows two women who get caught up in a crime as they try to escape from a criminal element chasing them across the country, more and more of Queensland gets showcased. "The weather is perfect, the people are awesome, the landscape is amazing," she said. "The wonderful thing about Queensland is it does have so many different landscapes, you have arid desert, rolling green hills, lush tropical rainforest and beautiful beaches. It was everything we needed for our show." While the shoot may have whipped Gibney and her crew around to a multitude of different locations, she did have time to stop and take some of them in and became particularly enamoured with one of our regional towns. "I really fell in love with Stanthorpe," she said. "It was so beautiful, we went to the Giraween National Park and it was just beautiful. We found this awesome winery, I went back three times in 24 hours, twice for lunch and once for dinner." The first episode of Wanted goes to air on Seven next month and the final parts of the series are in the last stages of post-production. Gibney said once that was completed she would begin turning her head to other projects. "I love it, I think having had over 30 years experience I know what I'm talking about, I know a good script and I think I can contribute," she said. Since leaving Packed to the Rafters, Gibney has mostly dedicated herself to short-run dramas for Seven - first The Killing Fields and then the spin off Winter. Wanted is another short run, but Gibney said she would happily return to long-form drama if the project was right. "I think after Rafters I needed a break from long-form drama," she said. "But for the right project, and if it was something I was creating, I would definitely go back to it." A novel art installation of floating latex balloons, live wall painting at the NSW Art Gallery and a pop up tattoo parlour are among the drawcards of The Sydney Morning Herald Spectrum Now Festival, presented by ANZ. A balloon chain will be floated above The Domain, the hub of the annual festival and its line-up of free public entertainment, which also includes burlesque dancers, fire breathers and feathered showgirls. Artist and Spectrum Now creative ambassador Del Kathryn Barton with her artwork, Cosmic Crime. Credit:Daniel Boud Artist Robert Bose, who has created balloon chains for actress Anne Hathaway's wedding and the Burning Man Festival, will tether balloons on high-strength line to create an eye-catching skyline display before the chain morphs into a rainbow celebration on March 5 for Mardi Gras. Nationally, there were 123,975 animals used in the "major physiological challenge" category of research, which means "the animals remain conscious for some or all of the procedure ... which causes moderate or large degree of pain/distress, which is not quickly or effectively alleviated". The revelations about the number of animals being used follows disclosures in Fairfax Media last week that baboons were being bred in Sydney and Melbourne and used in frankenstein-style experiments including the transplantation of a pig's kidney into a baboon's body. That baboon, named Conan, had to be killed after suffering fatal side effects. Not all the animals used experience pain and suffering. Some are just held for observation with "minor interference". But there were more than 25,000 animals subjected to an experiment with "death as an endpoint" in which the animal is suffering and the death of the animal is planned but it is not euthanised. We are not yet at a point where all medical research can be done entirely outside an animal. we are not yet at a point where all medical research can be done entirely outside an animal Ms Marston said that Australia was the fourth highest user of animals in experiments and surgery training in the world after China, Japan and the US. She said there has been a resistance to move away from the use of animals despite available alternatives which are being used around the world. Dr Denise Russell, a research fellow at the University of Wollongong specialising in animals and ethics, said there was a lack of ethical scrutiny of the experimental projects. "The ethical scrutiny for research comes at the end of a long process of grant application and approval," she said. "There is then an incentive for the animal ethics committees to simply accept the proposals. [If they don't institutions are denied that funding.] The scientists on animal ethics committees are required to be from areas using animal research and can't be expected to have good knowledge of alternatives." Dr Russell said most of the experiments performed were not done to get a cure for human disease. "There's often hype about a new drug then nothing eventuates," Dr Russell said. "All this suggests we are looking in the wrong place and alternatives should be investigated. Also the fact that there is poor transferability from animal to human studies suggests using animals to find out about humans is misguided." The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is responsible for funding research involving animals. It is reviewing its policy on the care and use of non-human primates for scientific purposes. NHMRC chief executive Professor Anne Kelso was unavailable to answer questions from Fairfax Media but told the ABC last week that, despite enormous advances in recent years, "we are not yet at a point where all medical research can be done entirely outside an animal". Professor Kelso said researchers were like the rest of the population and did not want to use animals unless there was strong justification. She said many people in Australia are working towards better models and some of the most advanced research in this area is being done in Australia. Animals are still being used for surgical skills training despite alternatives such as mannequins and simulated skin being available. Victoria, Northern Territory and Tasmania have not scheduled surgical training with live animals this year, but NSW, Western Australia, and South Australia have scheduled surgical skills training on live animals that will be killed afterwards. You can imagine the headlines: "PM to build luxury lakefront mansion". Or maybe "Taxpayers whacked $50m for Malcolm's manor". Which is precisely why no prime minister has had the intestinal fortitude to do what needs to be done and build a new Lodge. As you can see from these pictures, the current Lodge is pleasant enough in it's old-fashioned way. It's big though not quite stately tastefully appointed and full of history, and the grounds are gorgeous. Until now, TAFE has dominated vocational teaching, with 24,000 school students undertaking a TAFE course that led to a HSC credential in 2014, according to the TAFE NSW annual report. A third of HSC students took at least one vocational training subject in 2014. Credit:Jim Rice The Baird government will ramp up the privatisation of vocational training in schools, encouraging private training colleges to deliver Higher School Certificate subjects from next year. But the NSW Department of Education will put out a tender in April inviting private training colleges to bid for school courses in 10 areas, including business services, construction, environmental management, health services, tourism and hospitality and recreation services. The organisations need to prove they own or lease premises to conduct the training externally to schools and have a lease for equipment, plus experience with 15- to 17-year-olds, the tender notice says. Although private training organisations have been used by schools in limited circumstances, such as when there is no TAFE nearby, the NSW Secondary Principals Council says the new process will bring private colleges "to the fore". "There will be many more private providers," said council president Lila Mularczyk. "We need to make sure they are robust and credible providers and they have longevity and aren't a pop-up provider." Mike Baird kyboshed the hopes of four of his most senior ministers in casting his deciding vote against a Sydney University rail station in favour of his social housing agenda at Waterloo. The decision to build a station at Waterloo was made so the rail line could trigger the development of thousands of new apartments in the area, which would in turn pay for the reconstruction of low-cost housing. At the Cabinet Infrastructure Committee meeting organised to make the decision, which was announced on December 16, the Premier sided with three other ministers who supported a Waterloo station, sources told the Herald. A Queensland police officer will face court on Monday charged with the murder of his baby son in 2014. The senior constable's two-month-old boy died after suffering "significant" injuries at his home at bayside Victoria Point, south-east of Brisbane, on June 28, 2014, Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said on Saturday. Queensland Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski addresses the media with State Crime Command Detective Superintendent Cheryl Scanlon, after a 38-year-old senior constable was charged with the murder of his baby son. Credit:Kim Stephens The 38-year-old was stood down on full pay one month after the child's death, when an investigation was launched. Lord Mayor Graham Quirk will consider changing the names of Brisbane's Boundary streets, but only if such a change is embraced by the city's indigenous community. At least one prominent Aboriginal activist, Sam Watson, has rejected the push, saying Boundary Street in both West End and Spring Hill served as a constant reminder of the horrific treatment of the area's original inhabitants. Local Murri elder Sam Watson, believes the Boundary Street name should remain as a reminder of a cruel past. Credit:Michelle Smith The inner-city Boundary streets, on either side of the Brisbane River, were so named due to a racist policy that separated European arrivals from the local Jagera and Turrbal populations. Earlier this month, street signs at West End were changed to "Boundless Street" and, since then, an online petition has been set up to call for such a name change to be made official. A Queensland police officer has been charged with the murder of his baby son in 2014. Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski confirmed on Saturday the 38-year-old senior constable had been taken into custody on Saturday following a protracted investigation. A woman has been stabbed near Toowoomba. Credit:Tom Threadingham He said the two-month-old boy had died of "significant" injuries at a Victoria Point home on June 28, 2014. The officer was not on duty at the time of the alleged murder. Federal opposition leader Bill Shorten has called on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to use a government entitlements scheme to ensure sacked Queensland Nickel workers are paid $30 million in owed entitlements. In Brisbane on Saturday to launch Queensland Labor's Fight for Queensland federal election campaign, Mr Shorten said the government-funded General Employee Entitlements and Redundancy Scheme could be used as an interim measure, after the Clive Palmer-owned refinery went into voluntary administration. Bill Shorten says the federal government should ensure sacked Queensland Nickel workers get their $30 million in entitlements. Credit:Michelle Smith "I don't know why the government can't use the GEARS scheme to support the workers in their entitlements and then seek restitution from Mr Palmer or from the QNI company," he said. Weekend thunderstorms are likely to spread to anywhere in Queensland by Tuesday as temperatures soar, the Bureau of Meteorology predicts. On Saturday afternoon, the bureau issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Maroochydore, Gympie, Emerald, Blackwater, Moranbah in the Wide Bay and Burnett districts, with the possibility of flash floods. Hot temperatures are expected with this map showing the hot air mass moving across Queensland towards the coast on Monday. Credit:Bureau of Meteorology Bureau forecaster Rick Threlfall said there was an 80 per cent chance that the showers that developed across the east and north on Saturday afternoon would pick up and spread by Sunday. Thunderstorms are likely anywhere in Queensland by Tuesday with maximum temperatures forecast to hit the high 30s in the south-east and up to 42 degrees at Birdsville, 41 at Charleville and 40 at Roma and Gatton. The first week of school is over for 100 new faces at the Lady Cilento Children's Hospital School, a school that attempts to create a "normal" environment for children going through a vulnerable time in their lives. Located within the South Brisbane hospital, the school has been running since late 2014 and teaches prep through to year 12. Principal Michelle Bond with Brianna, 11, and Juvana, 12. Credit:Robert Shakespeare The school caters to children in hospital receiving treatment or who have siblings or parents in hospital and provides classroom programs or bedside lessons to ensure each child stays up to date with their education. Lady Cilento Children's Hospital School principal Michelle Bond said there were 25 teachers and 11 teacher's aides there to provide a special year for each student. A female police officer has been hospitalised with suspected concussion after authorities were called to break up a wild brawl between an estimated 20 people in South Bank on Saturday night. Attending police were forced to call for back-up after they went to break up the melee near the Wheel of Brisbane, in the inner city cultural precinct, and the group turned on them. The South Bank brawl broke out near the Wheel of Brisbane at South Bank. Credit:John Nolan/Facebook Seven people have been charged over the fight. A Queensland Police Service spokesman said police were called after a brawl erupted between two groups about 10.15pm. Geneva: Twelve more children in the Central African Republic have accused European soldiers and UN peacekeepers of sexual abuse, the UN says, one senior official saying such abuse was "rampant" there. Foreign troops were deployed in Central African Republic after mainly Muslim rebels seized power in the majority Christian country in 2013, provoking reprisals and fuelling religious and intercommunal violence that has killed thousands. Anthony Banbury, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Field Support, discusses the latest allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse. Credit:AP French troops have been in the country since December 2013, while European Union troops were there from April 2014 until March 2015. A UN peacekeeping mission assumed authority from African Union troops in September 2014. photo: AraabMusik at Pitchfork Fest 2012 (more by James Richards IV) Hip hop producer AraabMuzik ended 2015 with the release of two EPs, KING and Goon Loops. He just began a short North American tour in support of them last week, and it lands in NYC soon. He comes here for a show at Slake on February 6 with Nadus. Tickets for that show are on sale now. Tour dates are listed below. Nadus is also featured on Skrillex's new compilation album Worldwide Broadcast featuring artists from his record label OWSLA, which came out today. You can stream that comp, with the AraabMuzik EPs and tour dates, below... --- by Bill Pearis Rory reading the Bob Pollard interview in The Big Takeover, Gilmore Girls S2 Talk has been swirling for months that Gilmore Girls would be returning to television as a short-form Netflix series. Netflix confirmed it today: it's called Gilmore Girls Seasons and will be four 90-minute "movies" each set in one of the four seasons, within a single year. Series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, who was famously fired from the show after its sixth season on the WB, will return along with husband Daniel Palladino to write and direct all four. Hopefully this will right some of the wrongs committed in the show's not-very-good seventh, Palladino-free season. Almost the entire main cast -- Lauren Graham, Alexis Bledel, Scott Patterson, Kelly Bishop, Sean Gunn, and Keiko Agena -- have been confirmed for Seasons. Only Melissa McCarthy, who played chef Sookie and has since become a huge movie star, has not been announced as returning (she hasn't been announced as not returning either). Edward Hermann, who played Lorelia's father and sadly died in 2014, is the only other castmember who'll be notably absent. Filming starts Monday (February 1) but no premiere date has been set. Girlmore Girls remains one of the most musically obsessed shows ever on TV. Rarely was there an episode that didn't at least mention a band, Grant Lee Phillips and Sebastian Bach had a recurring roles, and Sonic Youth, The Bangles, The Shins, Joe Pernice, Yo La Tengo, and Sparks (!) all appeared in the series. (Most of these were all in the same episode.) There was also an episode subplot based on Brian Jonestown Massacre documentary DiG! (complete with Joel Gion appearance), and it is also the only show, to my knowledge, ever to mention The Shaggs by name. No word on whether Phillips, who played the town troubadour, will return -- he was last seen leaving Stars Hollow to open for Neil Young. Watch some of Gilmore Girls' most musical moments, below... --- Make way for your new favorite relationship on Pretty Little Liars. Haleb is dead and so is Spoby, but here comes Spaleb. It doesnt really roll off the tongue, but itll have to do. At first this new relationship between Spencer and Caleb didnt have fans all too excited, but after their heated exchange in episode 13, The Gloves Are On, PLL fans are starting to come around, as they should. It didnt seem ideal, but here are a few reasons why this new relationship just works. Pretty Little Liars Recap: Whats Happening with Emilys Health?>>> 1. Spencer Got Hannas Blessing First It would have been pretty awkward and a total betrayal if Spencer decided to go for it with Caleb without even talking to Hanna about it first. Luckily, she stuck to the Sis Code and waited before hooking up with him. If you think about it, this probably took a lot of restraint. Hanna was already engaged to someone else, so she wouldnt have any real ground to stand on if she tried to stop it. Every situation was just begging for a hookup, but Spencer and Caleb are much classier than that. It probably made their inevitable intimacy that much more steamy. 2. Theyve Both Had Years to Move On From Their Last Relationships Though it seems immediate to us, the viewers, the fact is that years have passed since both of their past relationships. Hanna has found new love and so has Toby. Its not as if anyone is still pining after anyone else. Hanna herself said, Caleb and I broke up years ago. Years. Theyve definitely waited an appropriate amount of time and then some. 3. We Dont Have to Worry if Caleb Plans to Ruin Hannas Wedding As fun and drama-filled as a wedding scene with Caleb bursting through the church doors would, or even a fight scene between him and Jordan, we dont have to worry about the emotional impact it would have on Hanna. The girl has been through enough, she deserves to be happy once and for all. In the scene where Caleb and Jordan met, the two were very mature about the whole thing. Nobodys in high school anymore, and Caleb admitted that hes happy to see how happy Hanna is. Besides, hes got a plus one to the wedding now. Pretty Little Liars: Is Emily Being Completely Honest?>>> 4. They Have a History Full of Romantic European Adventure The two were all alone in some of the most romantic parts of Madrid and all over Europe. Completely out of fate, they happened to spot each other across a train station in Madrid. They snuck into coliseums and split bottles of wine. No one would ever have known a thing. You cant really expect two people to go into all those situations in a completely platonic way. It looks like what happens in Europe doesnt stay in Europe. 5. Theyre Two of the Most Compatible People on the Show Spencer and Caleb are the biggest brains in Rosewood. Spencer spent all of high school buried in books (when she wasnt being kidnapped and locked up) and we all knew she was going places. Caleb was a computer hacking wizard who landed an incredible job doing Internet security. Theyre the wittiest and most intelligent people among their group of friends, so its no surprise that intellect attracts intellect. Pretty Little Liars season 6B airs Tuesdays at 8pm on Freeform. (Image courtesy of Freeform) 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 ... Micromax may have recently featured among the top global brands, but its professional management team has failed to maintain its toehold in the market. Since its latest set of management professionals joined Indias second largest mobile handset company, mostly during mid-2014, its market share has declined by 3.3 per cent. Micromaxs latest team of professionals led by Sanjay Kapoor joined the company in June 2014. Kapoor, a former chief executive and a veteran from Bharti Airtel, joined the handset major as chairman. Vineet Taneja entered Micromax as its chief executive (CEO) in September 2014 from its arch rival Samsung, where he served as country head for mobile and digital imaging business. During July-September 2014, Micromax had a share of some 20 per cent of the domestic smartphone market. A year later, its market share dropped to 16.7 per cent, according to International Data Corporations latest report. While Kapoor departed in October last year, speculation is rife in the industry that Taneja may leave the company, too. When asked, Micromax co-founder Rajesh Agarwal told Business Standard, We have not received any resignation from Vineet Taneja. It may be that he is planning something. He declined further comments. Taneja also maintained that he had not resigned yet. Micromax has been in the news, especially since 2010, for frequent changes in its management, many of which, according to sources , were the result of differences of opinions between its co-founders (and owners) and the professional management team. Variances in both the manner in which the business has been run as well as the companys valuation over time have been a bone of contention since the beginning. The company has been in a fix ever since it first looked at opting for an IPO in 2010 to sell 10 per cent stakes at a valuation of $1 billion. However, it withdrew the offer in July 2011. In October 2013, Deepak Mehrotra, the then CEO, quit abruptly, followed by Ajay Sharma, who joined the company from HTC to lead its smartphones division but exited in January 2014. According to industry experts, misreading the market trend has cost the company smartphones some market share during the year 2015, apart from pressure from its Indian peers including players like Intex and Chinese major Lenovo. While in Q3, 2014, both Intex and Lenovo held less than five per cent market share each and featured below the top five brands in India. In Q3, 2015, they held 10.8 per cent (Intex) and 9.5 per cent (Lenovo and Motorola), respectively. Intex is currently the third largest smartphone player, followed by Lenovo. The Indian Patent Office has refused a patent application of Japanese drug major Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd for its dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-4) inhibitor used to treat type-2 diabetes, which could be used as single weekly dose. While the company claimed that the compound is a succinate salt form, which is novel, the patent office said that it is not patentable under the Section 3(d) and 3(e) of the Patent Act. The PCT International application was published on May, 2009 and a first examination report was issued on February 18,2014, following which a hearing was held on October 27, 2015, on technical objections of non-patentability of the claimed subject matter and lack of novelty and obviousness under various sections of the Patents Act, 1970. The Patent Office said that the compound mentioned is already known and a revised claim submitted after hearin claims succinate salt of the said compound and claimed it as novel. The authoirity observed that a new salt of known compound can not be regarded as inventive unless the new salt exhibit any superior effect or surprising result. "The claim of the above salt in a single weekly dose of 50 mg clearly indicate that invention, if any, lies in the administration of the drug dosage but not in the drug or its formulation. The first page of the specification clearly reveals that the field of the instant invention relates to method of administering compounds to inhibit dipeptidyl peptidase IV as well as method of treatment only, which is not patentable under section 3(i) of the Act," said an order by Soumen Ghosh, Deputy Controller of Patents & Designs of Patent Office, Kokata. The claim 1, which was revised, and all dependant claims can not be considered to involve an inventive step or to have overcome the non-patentability criteria imposed under section 3(d), 3(e) of the Patents Act, said the order. The claims also fall under secton 3(i) of the act, indirectly, it added. While Section 3(d) says that the mere discovery of a new form of a known substance which does not result in the enhancement of the known efficacy of that substance or the mere discovery of any new property or new use for a known substance or of the mere use of a known process, machine or apparatus unless such known process results in a new product or employs at least one new reactant, are not inventions within the meaning of the Act. According to 3(e), a substance obtained by a mere admixture resulting only in the aggregation of the properties of the components thereof or a process for producing such substance is not an invention within the Act and Section 3(i) says that any process for the medicinal, surgical, curative, prophylactic diagnostic, therapeutic or other treatment of human beings or any process for a similar treatment of animals to render them free of disease or to increase their economic value or that of their products, are not an invention as per the Act. DPP-IV inhibitors are considered as useful agents for the treatment of diabetes, more particularly, type 2 diabetes mellitus. The specification given by the company to the Patent office details about several variations of the inhibitor. The share of branded kids' furniture in the overall Rs 10,000 crore branded furniture market in the country might be miniscule at the moment, but it is the segment to watch for in the coming years, says the industry. While organised branded furniture retail is clocking a 10-15% growth rate annually, this relatively niche and nascent segment is growing much faster, in the range 45-50% (partly owing to a lower base). The traction is much more in the online space, given that the buyers are mostly young parents who start their search for a perfect kids' room from the web. As Kashyap Vadapalli, chief marketing officer and business head, Pepperfry.com, an online furniture retailer claimed, "To fulfill the supply gap we recently launched a private label Mollycoddle especially for kids. There is a strong growth potential in the kids segment. Given the current trends we are expecting Mollycoddle alone to grow at a 300% year-on-year." As such the online furniture retailers are expected to come off age in near future. The current overall size of furniture and home products market in India is around $32 billion (with the domestic furniture market accounting for nearly 65% of this space), it is expected to touch $71 billion by 2020. According to industry estimates, while the total market is growing at 10-15% year on year, the online component is growing at around 300% year on year. Over the next four years, online retailers like pepperfry expect the online home and furniture business to become at least 9% of overall e-commerce and around 6% of the overall home and furniture market. Home and furniture segment constitutes more than 10% of e-commerce in markets across the world, around 13% in the US, 19% in China and about 20% of Brazil's e-commerce. India is anyway one of the major furniture importers in the world; it was the largest furniture importer globally in 2004-05 with a 17% share of furniture imports worldwide. The trend continues. Industry insiders claim that furniture imports in India have been clocking a 50% growth rate since 2009 and around 2014, India accounted for nearly 16% share of global imports. This perhaps assumes significance in the context that kids' furniture players have mostly been importing their range from countries like China, Indonesia, and even from Denmark. Founder and director of kids' furniture brand Child Space in Bangalore, Neelu Jain Prasanna said that she imports her entire range from China where she has tie-ups with five manufacturers. In fact, before setting up her studio (stand-alone store) in Bangalore in 2005, she travelled extensively in China and Malaysia to zero in on suppliers. Prasanna feels that much of the traction actually come from the online space, and her brand is available across leading online retailers. Vadapalli said that while there are very few branded players in this segment, some of the leading names are Alex Daisy & Child Space which are onboard with Pepperfry. "We also have Pink Guppy, Tezerac, Orka, and Mee Mee," he added. Godrej Interio, the furniture brand from Godrej & Boyce,is another major player. With a turnover of around Rs 800 crore, Godrej Interio actually enjoys around 8% market share of branded furniture market in India, and it also exports to countries in the Gulf, South America and Africa, with exports accounting for nearly 5% of its turnover. The share of kids' furniture in this is unknown as the company did not respond to emails sent to it. Denmark based furniture brand Flexa, a leading kids' furniture brand in Europe, recently entered India through a partnership with Trendsetters Retail Private Ltd, and launched its first brand store in India in Ahmedabad. Pranav Dalal, chief executive officer, Trendsetters Retail, which holds a sole franchise agreement with Flexa, said that this niche segment has been clocking a growth rate of over 50% in the recent years. "Flexa has been working with psychologists, paediatricians, therapists etc to design kids furniture and these are made of non-toxic material without any sharp edges or so," Dalal claimed. He would be importing his entire range from Flexa's Estonia factory, and says that the duty on furniture imports was not prohibitive at all, around 30%. One of them key reasons for fueling growth in this segment is rising disposable incomes. "Parents who have been classified as baby boomers are spending a large chunk on their kids rooms. They typically fall in the age group of 28-40 years hailing from metro cities and look for furniture ranging in the age group of 3-14 years. They are well traveled and informed about latest trends which is also a major driver in this segment," felt Vadapalli. Hamara V-C kahaan gaya? Honeymoon pe, honeymoon pe; Hamara V-C kahaan gaya? Honeymoon pe, honeymoon pe. On the otherwise desolate campus of Telanganas University of Hyderabad aka Hyderabad Central University (HCU), 40-odd students sit in front of a building, sharing the onus of ingenious slogans and calls for justice for a friend they have recently lost, Rohith Vemula. The guard sitting on the other side of the locked grill watches on wordlessly. He has lived this scene every day for close to two weeks now. A little ahead theres a makeshift platform covered in blankets and shawls. Like the batch of seven students before them, seven more sit on this platform now. After two straight days of fasting, theyre mostly quiet. A lone cardboard placard does the talking for them. Hunger Strike, it says. Come nightfall, theyll still be here, and joining them will be friends, about 50 of them, who will sleep out in the cold, away from their on-campus hostels. Right next to this is another makeshift shelter, the velivada, which is Telugu for Dalit ghetto. This is where research scholar Vemula slept with four of his friends after they were thrown out of their hostel in November last year; this is where he lived before he went back to his hostel and hanged himself on January 17. Vemula would have turned 27 on January 30. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal expressing solidarity with the protesters It doesnt matter whats on the certificate, he always said that the Dalit community was his family and he lived a Dalit life, says Kavyashree R, a member of Ambedkar Students Association (ASA) and the student-led Joint Action Committee (JAC) at HCU. Vemulas mother, Radhika, the daughter of a Dalit labourer, was adopted into a Vaddera (OBC) family; Radhika and her three children were treated as household staff in their house in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. This bit helps us understand where Vemula came from, in light of his slightly-cryptic suicide note that is making the rounds on social media. Vemula and his friends were suspended for allegedly beating up a student called N Susheel Kumar. But they were targeted because they were top leaders of the ASA, and Kumar is affiliated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), says Rupa Murala, another university student. A long series of unfortunate events have led up to this point, events that have been broken down and scrutinised by every Ram, Rahim and Ronald across communities. HCUs Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao Podile, who has now gone on leave, and Union minister Smriti Irani have been blamed for Vemulas death. What the management really wanted was that Dalits shouldnt sit in groups on campus. They just want us to come and go back quietly without speaking about the discrimination that we face, says Kavyashree. How long will you keep quiet if your family is talked about badly? she asks referring to when the VC allegedly called them goons. Picking on Dalits is a regular affair, chips in Murala. If Dalit students wear new clothes, upper caste students look at us and laugh. And our merit is always questioned. Its the same story everywhere we go, she says. The countrys reservation policies are at the crux of this conflict, opines educationist and economist BL Mungekar. Educational institutes have become less of centres of education and more of centres of caste-based discrimination. As more Dalits opt for higher education and know their rights, the upper class is increasingly feeling threatened, says the Rajya Sabha MP. Students wearing masks of Rohith's face English, which often serves as a bridge between worlds, has clearly emerged as a non-tangible player in a scene where a majority of Dalits are entering a stage previously unfamiliar to them. And instead of giving students the extra attention they need, upper-caste teachers choose to limit their interactions with them, says Sripathi Ramudu, a professor at HCU and the spokesperson of the SC/ST Teachers Forum. About 60% of the faculty are Brahmins. There are a number of ways untouchability is practised on campus; discrimination and humiliating Dalit students is just one of them, he says. Over the past two decades, more and more Dalits have opted for higher education, and university education comes with greater access to literature that focuses on human rights, says Ramudu. And this is a time of increasing social consciousness, where Dalits have found solidarity with different groups. Since HCU fills up all quotas, it explains why the Dalit movement here is so strong, opines another professor. Education and betterment of Dalit students, explains Ramudu, is more often than not seen as an unnecessary burden on the country by upper caste teachers. Theres no way to really measure how much discrimination students face after entering universities like HCU. And they often end up scoring far less than their peers, he adds. The other side Look at the issue logically, says social media activist Suresh Kochattil. There are no names on answer sheets, just codes, so how will a teacher ever know if the paper was submitted by a Dalit or non-Dalit? This is just politicisation of the issue. When there were close to nine suicides in HCU in the previous regime, most of them from Dalit backgrounds, no one came to the university, opines Kochattil, adding that ASAs violent reputation is an established one, much like ABVP's. Interestingly, Vemula went from Lal Salaam to Jai Bheem as he switched from being a Communist Party of India (Marxist) loyalist to a firebrand leader of ASA that professes to look at issues beyond Dalit identity. Many people are just trying to milk the incident now. What pains me today is that SC/ST professors are now demanding the resignation of Smriti Irani and the VC, says Kochattil. I can understand students putting up protests, but instead of guiding them, teachers are also propagating the idea of caste-based divisions and thats ridiculous. Vemulas family has rejected the Rs 8 lakh that was offered to them, saying they wouldnt take even Rs 8 crore from HCU. What they want is justice for Vemula. He made only one request in the note he left behind, that his fellowship money, which hadn't been paid for the last seven months and amounts to Rs 175,000, should be cleared. At the university, more and more teachers pour in to show solidarity with the students because, as Ramudu says, students arent the only ones facing the brunt of caste-based discrimination. A casteist mindset permeates all levels of our educational institutes and this kind of discrimination is a psychological disorder that boils down to the smallest of things, says Ramudu. When an upper caste head of department (HOD) enters the room, the attending peon, whos also of the upper caste, gets up to acknowledge the HODs presence, but when an SC/ST or Dalit HOD enters, theres no acknowledgement. And theres no fraternity between teachers at all. We have very limited interactions between teachers of lower and upper castes, he says. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with Rohith's mother Radhika Initially, 15 HCU teachers had resigned in solidarity with Vemula and his friends. On Thursday, four teachers also joined students in their hunger strike at HCU. Ramudu points to the nexus between politics and academics as the source of all trouble, citing political appeasement as the managements agenda. All this is because of ideological differences ASAs students are fighting caste and ABVP, which has been empowered after the new government came into power, is the one propagating a caste system. If the university really wanted to sort out whats happening on the campus, would it really have appointed Vipin Srivastava as the interim V-C, questions Ramudu. Srivastava was the chairman of the committee that had recommended the suspension for Vemula and his friends. The past isnt kind to him either. When Salems Senthil Kumar, another research scholar at HCU, committed suicide in 2008, Srivastava was one of the people who had allegedly harassed and provoked him. Stories pour in Answering the call of solidarity given out by JAC, students from across the country showed up at HCU last week. Some came with words of condolence and support, others with banners that demonised Irani. What they had in common were stories of discrimination, snippets from lives of other Rohith Vemulas like the case of Aniket Ambhore, the IIT-Bombay student who jumped to his death in 2014. Unlike Vemula, Ambhore didnt leave a letter behind, but family and friends attribute Ambhores death to the over-used yet understated phrase of caste-based discrimination. Its a really sad thing if someone has to die for everyone to acknowledge this, says Kavyashree as she checks on fresh water for those on hunger strike. As student union representatives take turns to speak at HCU, a JAC volunteer interrupts, putting a Mumbai-based student on speaker. This has just happened in Mumbai where students were leading a solidarity march, he says. A poster at HCU Breaking the silence is a slew of slogans that range from Jai Bheem, Hum ek hai, Jeena hai toh marna sikho, Awaaz do, hum ek hai and Rohith Vemula amar hai. Even as caste-driven politics continues to be closely intertwined with education, it is undeniable that the events in Hyderabad have given soil to the seeds of discontent that have been festering in the country. On campus, for instance, it is impossible to not see Vemula everywhere pictures of him smiling hang from trees and portraits of him dot the university. Then there are T-shirts and masks with Vemulas face on them. The student have demanded the promulgation of Rohith Act, on the lines of Nirbhaya Act, to ensure legislative protection for students from marginalised communities in higher educational institutions. The protests in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Aligarh and Lucknow are just some of the instances where Vemulas death has directly triggered a chain of events, a reaction that has knitted student minorities together. As winds of change blow, the choice is between building windmills and walls. After all, ours is a society in transition. After rolling out the new Enterprise Promotion Policy recently, the Haryana government is targeting to attract an investment of at least Rs 1 lakh cr in the state and generate an additional 400,000 jobs. The policy, targeted towards bringing in development of the entire state and not just limit it to select pockets, is offering several incentives and subsidies to companies. While the government has built up a land bank, it will not directly engage in negotiating or acquiring land for an investor. "We can help an investor to identify the land outside the several plots we have in stock, but the acquirer has to negotiate directly with the land - owner," the state's minister of industries, Captain Abhimanyu told media persons here. It has identified 31 such industrially backward blocks in the state where it is offering the investor exemption from obtaining 'change of land' clearances and has topped it up with subsidies. For every employment, which is created in these blocks by the investor, the government is offering a subsidy of Rs 30,000 for the general category and Rs 36,000 for people belonging to the scheduled castes. "These incentive benefits will be given directly to the company", he said. According to the minister, last year Haryana had attracted an investment anywhere between Rs 20,000-30,000 crore. He said balanced regional development and ease of doing business is atop the government's agenda to attract investors. The state's chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar along with Abhimanyu and other government officials was on a visit to West Bengal to attract investment in its upcoming investors' summit. Khattar said that until now he has spoken to 14 companies having operations in West Bengal discussing deals valued at Rs 5,000 crore. The companies it has spoken for investment until now include ITC (Rs 600-700 crore), India Power Corporation (Rs 1,650 crore), Vikram Solar (Rs 2,000 crore) and several others. Khattar is optimistic that this potential invetment figure may scale up after he meets several other investors. Indias growth potential is much higher than seven per cent and can be eight to nine per cent, American economist Nouriel Roubini said on Saturday, pointing out that the reforms being undertaken by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government are in the right direction, but the passage is slow. Roubini pointed out that the Indian economic reform process was hurt by political opposition. Speaking at a global business summit in New Delhi, Roubini pointed out that the Indian economic reforms process is hurt by political opposition. Potential growth for India is much higher than seven per cent. It can be eight to nine per cent. The key thing for India is to continue what they are doing but the country needs to accelerate their pace of reform, Roubini said. Indias gross domestic product (GDP) growth for 2014-15 was revised to 7.2 per cent from an earlier estimate of 7.3 per cent by the Central Statistics Office on Friday. The government has forecast growth to range between 7 and 7.5 per cent in the current financial year. Despite number of global economic headwinds, Indias economy remains strong, though the pace of growth should be stronger, Roubini said. The key economic reform of rolling out the goods and services tax (GST) has been stuck in the Rajya Sabha, blocked by Congress-led opposition. Niti Aayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya, however, said that GST will eventually be passed. If we stay on the reform path, there is scope for India to expand and touch even double-digit growth in the next three years, added Panagariya. Roubini, professor at the New York Universitys Stern School of Business, said that India must clarify on the retrospective taxation issue to attract foreign direct investment. Many of the companies are concerned about retrospective tax, good infrastructure, and in India acquiring land is complicated, he said, adding that land and labour reforms at the state level, if not at the central level, can help bring in more investment. Panagariya said that although the Indian economy remains in good shape, exports were a matter of concern. Defence Minister Condoles the Demise of General KV Krishna Rao . . The Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar has expressed his condolences on the passing away of the former Chief of Army Staff General KV Krishna Rao in New Delhi today. In his message, Shri Parrikar said in the passing away of General KV Krishna Rao, the country has lost one of its best known military leaders. He was a visionary who led ably, inspired a generation of soldiers and initiated modernization of the Indian Army in the early 1980s. His contribution in the 1971 war and maintaining the unity and integrity of the country shall always be remembered". . . General Krishna Rao was appointed as Chief of Army Staff on 01 June 1981 and served in that capacity till July 1983. He was also Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, the highest appointment in the Services, during March 1982 to July 1983. From June 1984 to July 1989, General Krishna Rao was the Governor of the North Eastern States of Nagaland, Manipur and Tripura. He was also the Governor of Mizoram in June 1988 and March to July 1989. Later, General Krishna Rao was appointed as the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir during 1989-90. When a Proxy War developed in Jammu and Kashmir and reached its peak, he was reappointed as Governor and served there from March 1993 to May 1998. In this capacity, he was instrumental in restoring peace and democracy in the insurgency-riven State. . . Nitin/N. Ao Facebook, Google and Microsoft have all delved into virtual and augmented reality technology. Now Apple is dipping a toe into the space too. Apple recently acquired an augmented reality start-up called Flyby Media and hired Doug Bowman, who ran the Center for Human-Computer Interaction at Virginia Tech and who has researched topics such as immersion in virtual environments. An Apple spokesman confirmed the Flyby deal and said, "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans." The acquisition and the hire were earlier reported by The Financial Times. Virtual and augmented reality are growing fields in the technology industry. Supporters like Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's chief executive, have said virtual reality is the next big platform after mobile. The technology, which can make users feel transported by immersing them in different environments, has the potential to transform games, movies, social networks and work. Almost $4 billion has been invested in virtual reality start-ups since 2010, according to PitchBook, a research firm. Developing virtual and augmented reality technology is about creating "the next operating system," said Linc Gasking, co-founder and chief executive of 8i, a company that creates virtual reality software. "Apple currently owns the computer in your pocket, and it needs to be part of the next big user interface if it wants to retain that ownership." Facebook bought the virtual reality headset maker Oculus for $2 billion in 2014. Microsoft has demonstrated its HoloLens device, which is focused on augmented reality, a related technology that lets people wearing smart glasses or headsets see and manipulate digital objects in the real world. And Google is the biggest outside investor in Magic Leap, a secretive start-up that is developing a wearable device for mixing real and digital images. Google's Cardboard glasses also let people watch virtual reality video on their smartphones. Apple has not, until recently, been publicly enthusiastic about virtual reality. While it has made tiny acquisitions in the field, it has not made a deal as large as Facebook's Oculus purchase and has not brought any hardware to market. Now rivals are delivering products to consumers. In addition to Google's Cardboard, an inexpensive product that has been on the market for months, Facebook plans to ship its $599 Rift headset in March. Facebook's partner Samsung is already selling a more rudimentary $99 headset, theGear VR. Apple has filed dozens of virtual reality-related patents in the past, including one in 2008 for a head-mounted display apparatus. The patent illustration shows a large pair of glasses that can hold an iPhone, and it looks much like Google's Cardboard. Matt Miesnieks, who is setting up an augmented reality-focused venture capital fund, said Apple had also been meeting with "advanced optics" start-ups, referring to the lens that a viewer looks through. Apple currently lacks such technology, he said. In a phone call with analysts to discuss Apple's most recent quarterly results, the company's chief executive, Timothy D Cook, was asked about virtual reality. He said he thought the technology was more than a niche. "It's really cool," Cook said. "It has some interesting applications." 2016 The New York Times News Service The most drastic change to Facebook in years was born a year ago during an off-site at the Four Seasons Silicon Valley, a 10-minute drive from headquarters. Chris Cox, the social network's chief product officer, led the discussion, asking each of the six executives around the conference room to list the top three projects they were most eager to tackle in 2015. When it was Cox's turn, he dropped a bomb: They needed to do something about the "like" button. The like button is the engine of Facebook and its most recognised symbol. A giant version of it adorns the entrance to ... Billionaire hedge fund manager Alan Howard says there will be "exceptional opportunities" to make money in 2016 because of divergent monetary policies and as four years of low market volatility comes to an end. A slowdown in global growth appears to be accelerating and if the trend continues central banks could find it increasingly difficult to support capital markets, Howard, 52, wrote in a letter to shareholders in BH Macro, a listed fund that invests in Brevan Howard Asset Management's main macro hedge fund. "Some exceptional opportunities are likely to present ... Companies and scientists are racing to create a Zika vaccine as concern grows over the mosquito-borne virus that has been linked to severe birth defects and is spreading quickly through the Americas. Zika is now present in 23 countries and territories in the Americas. Brazil, the hardest-hit country, has reported around 3,700 cases of the devastating birth defect called microcephaly that are strongly suspected to be related to Zika. The Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO), stung by criticism that it reacted too slowly to West Africa's Ebola epidemic, convenes an emergency meeting on Monday to help determine its response to the spread of the virus. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has activated an emergency operations centre staffed around the clock to address Zika, agency officials told Reuters. On Thursday, the WHO said as many as 4 million people in the Americas may become infected by Zika, adding urgency to the research efforts. Vaccine developers made clear a vaccine for widespread public use is at least months, if not years, away. The closest prospect may be from a consortium, including drugmaker Inovio Pharmaceuticals, that could have a vaccine ready for emergency use before year-end, according to one of its lead developers. Inovio's share price gained more than 15 per cent in Friday trading. Canadian scientist Gary Kobinger told Reuters on Thursday the first stage of testing on humans could begin as early as August. If successful, the vaccine might be used during a public health emergency by October or November, said Kobinger, who helped develop a trial vaccine for the Ebola virus. Privately owned vaccine developer Hawaii Biotech said it began a formal programme to test a Zika vaccine last fall as the virus started to gain traction in Brazil, although it has no timetable yet for clinical trials. "Right now, we are in the pre-clinical stage, as I suspect everyone is," Chief Executive Officer Elliot Parks told Reuters. Another private vaccine developer, Boston-based Replikins, said it was preparing to start animal studies on a Zika vaccine in the next 10 days. Data from the trials on mice and rabbits would likely be out in the next couple of months, Replikins Chairman Samuel Bogoch told Reuters. "No one has the $500 million on hand to take it (a vaccine) all the way to human trials. Somewhere along the course we hope to have big pockets join us," Bogoch said. 'Fight the mosquito' Zika had been viewed as a relatively mild illness until Brazilian health officials identified it as a matter of concern for pregnant women. While a direct causal relationship has not been established, scientists strongly suspect a link between Zika and thousands of children born in Brazil with abnormally small heads, brain defects and impaired vision. There is no treatment for Zika infection. Efforts to combat Zika are focused on protecting people from being bitten and on eradicating mosquitoes, a tough task in many parts of Latin America, where people live in poverty and there are plentiful breeding grounds for the insect. "We do not have a vaccine for Zika yet. The only thing we can do is fight the mosquito," Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said on Friday, reiterating her call for a national eradication effort. Rousseff said tests for the development of a vaccine would begin next week at the Butantan Institute, one of Brazil's leading biomedical research centres in Sao Paulo. US President Barack Obama spoke with Rousseff about the spread of the virus, the White House said. "The leaders agreed on the importance of collaborative efforts to deepen our knowledge, advance research and accelerate work to develop better vaccines and other technologies to control the virus," the White House said in a statement. Zika has hit Brazil just as it prepares to host the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on August 5-21, an event that draws hundreds of thousands of athletes, team officials and spectators. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) assured teams the Olympics would be safe from Zika, but urged visitors to carefully protect themselves. US lawmakers have begun to press the Obama administration for details of its response to Zika. At least 31 people in the country have been infected, all of them after travel to affected countries. The US Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is planning a hearing on Zika "very soon," said Republican Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, who called the threat posed by the virus to the United States a "big concern". As Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi joined the protests against the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on Saturday called for shutdown of colleges in Telangana, protesting against the "politics over dead bodies" being played. The call for the shut down came after Rahul Gandhi visited the Hyderabad Central University late last night and joined the students in the protests. He will re-join the students in their hunger strike today on the occasion of birthday of Rohith Vemula who allegedly committed suicide earlier this month. Meanwhile, hours before Gandhi's visit, the university changed its interim Vice-Chancellor. Interim VC Vipin Srivastava has gone on leave for four days. In his absence, M Periasamy, the next senior-most professor, will take charge. World number two Andy Murray has revealed that he will not be watching his brother Jamie's Australian Open men's doubles final on Saturday, saying that he finds his brother's matches 'pretty stressful' to watch. While praising Jamie for his consistent performance, brother Andy said that it was incredible to see both of them reach the finals of the same Grand Slam for the first time, Sport24 reported. Murray brothers reached the finals of the same Grand Slam for the first time in the Open era, with Jamie joining forces with Brazil's Bruno Soares in the men's doubles final. Meanwhile, Andy produced a battling performance to defeat a spirited Milos Raonic of Canada in order to advance to his fifth Australian Open men's singles final on Friday. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will provide counselling from next month to students appearing for board's examination. Counselling will be provided through telephone, newspapers and also on-line to help students overcome exam-related stress. The board in a statement released in said, counselling will begin from February 1 and will continue up to April 22. All the class 10th and 12th students can reach out to the CBSE helpline at 1800-11-8004 in case of the exam-related stress or other queries. CBSE experts will also answer queries of students through weekly 'Question-Answer' columns in major newspapers in February. For online advice, students can contact counselling.cecbse@gmail.com and sugandh.cbse@gmail.com For the seventh year, the CBSE has arranged counselling for differently-abled children to take care of the needs of special children, the statement added. The Centre on Saturday criticised Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi for joining the mass hunger strike at the University of Hyderabad campus to express solidarity with hunger-striking students over the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula. "The Congress, Communist and other parties are trying to make it a political issue forgetting that nine such incidents took place during the Congress regime, he never bothered to go there. Now, they are shedding crocodile tears to gain political mileage, polluting atmosphere of Universities" Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu told ANI. "This is a part of their anti-Modi campaign. All this is cheap politics," he added. Naidu further said that the Government of India has constituted a commission of enquiry headed by a former judge of Allahabad High Court. "Let the enquiry commission complete its job and let us know the truth behind the suicide, so that the preventive action can be taken for the future," he added. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi also accused the Congress vice-president of attempting to make the University 'a shelter of caste politics'. "Rahul Gandhi is trying to make the University campus a shelter of caste politics. But, this won't be successful. This is done for political mileage. It won't benefit him in anyway," he added. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today joined the mass hunger strike at the Hyderabad University campus to express solidarity with the students protesting against the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula who would have turned 27 today. The Hyderabad Central University (HCU) changed its interim vice-chancellor late Friday night, as Dr Vipin Srivastava went on leave just hours before Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi reached the university. Interim VC Vipin Srivastava went on a leave for four days and in his absence, M Periasamy, the next senior-most professor, will take charge. An Amritsar Court on Saturday sent wanted cop-turned-smuggler Ranjit Singh, who was arrested by joint forces of Border Security Force (BSF) and Punjab Police yesterday, to five days police custody. Array The breakthrough came after the Border Security Force and the Punjab Police launched a joint operation to nab the smuggler, who had been declared most wanted by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in connection with smuggling of 45 kilograms of heroin three years ago. Array Singh, who was on the run for over three years, was nabbed near the border where he had come to coordinate with the smugglers. The police have also found out that Singh had made several phone calls to Pakistan based smugglers in the last three to four days. Array Surprisingly, Singh is a former Assistant Sub-Inspector of the Punjab Police, who was suspended three years back for his involvement in smuggling of 45 kgs of heroin. Station house officer at the Aajnala Police Station Jagbir Singh said Ranjit Singh, a resident of an Attari village, had come to execute a smuggling operation, but was nabbed by police on the basis of intelligence input. Array A police official claimed that a mobile phone, Indian and Pakistani SIM cards and a diary containing the names and contact numbers of a few Pakistani smugglers have been recovered from Singh. Chief Executive Officer and Head of the Council of the Minister of Afghanistan Dr. Abdullah Abdullah will arrive here on a five-day official visit to India from Sunday. He will have discussions with the Indian leadership on bilateral and international issues. He will hold meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, and will leave for Jaipur on Tuesday to attend Counter Terrorism Conference 2016. Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday urged Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi not to make University of Hyderabad his 'political den'. Gadkari was responding to Gandhi joining mass hunger strike at the varsity to express solidarity with protesting students over the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula. Array He said Gandhi should worry about the future of the students instead of using them for political gain. "Exams are approaching in Hyderabad and students need to prepare for it. The government has already formed a judicial commission to probe the issue. At such a time, Rahul Gandhi is doing politics there, he should not make the university political den. Whatever he needs to do, he should do it in Parliament. He should worry about the future of the students and not make the university his political den," Gadkari told reporters here. Earlier, Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu accused Gandhi of 'shedding crocodile tears' to gain political mileage. "This is a part of their anti-Modi campaign. All this is cheap politics," he said. Rahul Gandhi today joined the mass hunger strike at the Hyderabad University campus to express solidarity with the students protesting against the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula who would have turned 27 today. The University of Hyderabad changed its interim vice-chancellor late Friday night, as Dr Vipin Srivastava went on leave just hours before Gandhi reached the campus. In his absence, M Periasamy, the next senior-most professor, will assume charge. I. Ramamohan Rao Array New Delhi, Jan 30 (ANI) In the passing away of General K.V. Krishna Rao, the nation has lost an eminent Army Officer who played an eminent role in the Army as also in putting down insurgency in Tripura, Nagaland and Manipur, and later in Jammu and Kashmir. During my stay in the Defence Ministry and later in Government as Principal Information Officer, I was in close contact with him . When I took over as Director of Public Relations in the Defence Ministry in 1981, he was the Chief of Army Staff. I had asked him that I would like to cover Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's address to the Army Commander's Conference, but he told me that only the Army Commanders, Defence Minister and the Prime Minister's team are permitted. He said the release will be given to me by the Army Headquarters by 5 p.m. However, after the meeting, I called on Defence Minister R.Venkataraman and asked him about the meeting. He gave me the details, the text of his speech, and what Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had told the commanders from the notes he had taken down. I prepared a release, cleared it from H.Y. Sharada Prasad in the Prime Minister's Office and the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Mr Alexander and with clearance from the Defence Secretary, released it at 5 p.m. as the Army Headquarters had not sent their copy. I was summoned to Army Chief's Office and Gen. Krishna Rao asked me where did I get the facts'' . He seemed to be annoyed. When I narrated the facts as to how I got the facts and got them cleared, he replied: "Ram, you have done a good job. My blokes would not have done as good a release as you have done.' He also told me to approach him directly any time I wanted to see him. I was the DPR (Defence) till he retired . in South Block, my office used to be below his office on the ground floor and he used to drop into my room in the evening. My association with him continued when he was a Governor in the North East and in Jammu and Kashmir . When Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi appointed him as Governor of Jammu and Kashmir in July 1989, after making a study, he said to put down the insurgency, he wanted a few paramilitary battalions. When suggested by Home Minister Buta Singh that he could use the Army, as CRPF units were required for duties during elections which were due to he held shortly, he replied that he did not want the Army to be used in Jammu and Kashmir. The situation took a turn for the worse when the Congress lost power at the Centre and V. P. Singh took over. Following the release of militants in exchange for Rubiya Sayed, the daughter of former Home Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, and the worsening of the situation, he wanted to get an appointment with Prime Minister V.P. Singh. When there was a delay in getting the appointment, he resigned as governor. Jagmohan , who was appointed Governor, remained for a brief while and was replaced by G. C. Saxena. General Krishna Rao was reappointed Governor, when the Congress returned to power and Rajesh Pilot was appointed as the Minister of State in the Home Ministry. By that time, I had taken over as the Advisor to the Government of Jammu and Kashmir. I worked closely with him and the credit for preparing for the Elections held in Jammu and Kashmir, and the Assembly elections should go to General Krishna Rao. He gained the confidence of the people of the state, dealt effectively with events like the police agitation, the Hazratbal crisis when militants took refuge in the holy shrine . Following the swearing in of the democratically elected government headed by Dr. Farooq Abdulla , he remained Governor for a short period and settled in Secunderabad. When he left his post as the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, he wrote in his reminicences: I accepted this assignment as I felt that the integrity of the nation being at stake. I could help in bringing back peace and reviving democracy, and I am grateful to God that He used me as his instrument to accomplish this task." Array Mr. I. Ramamohan Rao is a former Principal Information Officer of the Government of India. He can be reached at raoramamohan@hotmail. The British High commission in Colombo has informed that the warship, HMS Defender, will pay a routine visit to Colombo to take on stores and fuel before continuing its duties in the Indian Ocean. Array The Dawn reports that a Royal Navy warship is visiting Sri Lanka after four years. Array The British high commission said the ship's visit is an indication of the close defence relations between the two countries. Array HMS Defender is a Type 45 Destroyer, built in the United Kingdom and is one of the world's most advanced warships equipped with the Principal Anti Air Missile weapon system. M.Periasamy, the new acting Vice-Chancellor of Hyderabad University on Saturday said that his priority remains to bring peace back in the varsity as it is in crisis. "The University is in crisis and I would like to bring normalcy to the university so I accepted the proposal. What I would like to do is bring peace first as the protestors have some demands and we would like to fulfill them," Perisamy told ANI. "I will try to bring peace and would make sure that these things don't take place in future," he added. Perisamy elaborated that when the Ministry of Human Resource Development appointed vice-chancellor is not in the Hyderabad, the senior most professor of the University steps in to take the responsibility. "Yesterday, I was called by the registrar and informed that the senior most professor has gone for leave and if I am ready to take over as acting vice-chancellor. I told him yes, because I have been in the service of this university for last 34 years," he added. The Hyderabad Central University (HCU) changed its interim vice-chancellor late Friday night, as Dr Vipin Srivastava went on leave just hours before Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi reached the university. World number one Serena Williams has admitted that she was not a 'robot' and couldn't win every match she played after losing to Angelique Kerber in the Australian Open women's singles final on Saturday. The German seventh seed claimed a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 win over defending champion Serena in a enthralling summit clash that lasted two hours and eight minutes at Rod's Laver Arena. The 28-year-old power-hitting southpaw also denied Serena a chance to win a seventh Melbourne singles title, and to match German great Steffi Graf's 22 Grand Slams record. Congratulating Kerber on her maiden Grand Slam win, Serena said that she was inspired by the German's never-give up attitude with which she had played, News.com.au reported. The American insisted that the stunning defeat would spur her for the upcoming season, adding that she would be required to display her best performance to win big tournaments. Serena, who produced an error-strewn performance with 46 unforced errors, also conceded that Kerber was tactically superior to her. Two more militants were killed in an encounter in Lolab area of north Kashmir's Kupwara District on Saturday, taking the toll to three. After the killing of top commander Abu Usama on Friday night, two of his associates had taken refuge in a residential house of Shah Zaman Chohan in Dardpora village. A joint team of army's 28 RR along with the additional reinforcement from 18 RR and SOG laid siege around the house following which an encounter ensued in which both the militants were killed. Army and SOG used mortar shells and razed the house to rubble. Bodies of both the militants have been retrieved and there identification is being ascertained, the police officer said. Soon after the incident hundreds of people took to streets and clashed with government forces. The search operation in the area is still going on. The angry protesters threw stones at army and police vehicles following which the forces resorted to tear smoke shells and baton charge against the protesters. Earlier, after conducting all legal formalities, the local police handed over the body of militant Abu Usama to local Auqaf Committee in Dardpora for burial, where hundreds of people participated in his funeral. Following the killing, there was spontaneous shutdown in Dardpora, Lalpora and its adjoining areas. "Abu Usama, believed to be part of the group comprising of three to four members had infiltrated into this part of Kashmir some six months back and were hiding inside the dense bushes of Lolab", the police officer had said. Based on the specific information about the presence of some militants, the army's 28 RR had launched a cordon-and-search operation near Ziyarat Sharief at Lohar Mohalla last evening. As the forces were zeroing in, the militants opened fire upon them, triggering off an encounter. Lawyers who were part of the prosecution team that was involved with the 2013 Kamduni gangrape-cum murder case, said Saturday that they were satisfied with the court's verdict of handing out death sentences to three of the accused, and life terms to three others. Reacting to the judgment, Chief Public Prosecutor Tamal Mukherjee said, "My team has done very well, and since I am leading the team, I am proud of my friends and the prosecutors who were engaged in this case as they are really given the real effect for the resounding conviction. We are really very happy." State advocate Anindo Raut said, "We have told the court that the case was "rarest of the rare" and demanded the capital punishment, which is given." Array When asked about the two others who were acquitted, Raut said, "Let a copy of the judgment come, we will take a decision thereof." Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officer Anandmoy Chatterjee said, "We are happy that our demand that the court should treat the case "rarest of the rare" and the accused should be handed highest punishment was considered by the court." Ansar Ali, Saiful Ali and Amin Ali were sentenced to death, while Emanul Islam, Bhola Naskar and Aminur Islam were handed life terms. The college student was abducted when she was her way back home from a class, and gang-raped in a village in Kamduni, about 20 km from Kolkata. She was then killed and her body was found that night by her brother in a canal. Array The case had triggered a public outrage and demonstrations, demanding better safety for women. The Obama administration has confirmed that Hillary Clinton's unsecured home server contained some of the 'top US secrets', censoring 22 emails with material demanding one of the highest levels of classification. According to The Guardian, the revelation comes just three days before the Iowa presidential nominating caucuses in which Clinton is a candidate. US State Department will release its next batch of emails from Clinton's time as secretary of state today. The 37 pages include messages recently described by a key intelligence official as concerning so-called "special access programs" - a highly restricted subset of classified material that could point to confidential sources or clandestine programs such as drone strikes or government eavesdropping. Clinton, the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination, has insisted she never sent or received information on her personal email account that was classified at the time. Pakistan Rangers, Sindh has announced the arrest of Uzair Baloch, a notorious leader of the Lyari gang war and chief of proscribed Peoples Amn Committee (PAC), in a targeted operation from the outskirts of Karachi. Array The paramilitary force reportedly said that Rangers arrested Baloch in a targeted operation outside Karachi while he was attempting to enter the city. Dawn quoted the claimed recovery of weapons from Baloch. Array Baloch was arrested in Dubai by the Interpol in December 2014 while he was crossing into the United Arab Emirates from Oman by road, the Pakistani consulate in Dubai had confirmed at the time. Array It was however not clear when and how Baloch arrived in Pakistan from UAE. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Saturday expressed his condolences on the passing away of the former Chief of Army Staff General K.V. Krishna Rao in New Delhi today. In his message, Parrikar said "In the passing away of General K.V. Krishna Rao, the country has lost one of its best known military leaders. He was a visionary who led ably, inspired a generation of soldiers and initiated modernization of the Indian Army in the early 1980s. His contribution in the 1971 war and maintaining the unity and integrity of the country shall always be remembered". General Krishna Rao was appointed as Chief of Army Staff on June 1, 1981 and served in that capacity till July 1983. He was also Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, the highest appointment in the Services, during March 1982 to July 1983. From June 1984 to July 1989, General Krishna Rao was the Governor of the North Eastern States of Nagaland, Manipur and Tripura. He was also the Governor of Mizoram in June 1988 and March to July 1989. Later, General Krishna Rao was appointed as the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir during 1989-90. When a proxy war developed in Jammu and Kashmir and reached its peak, he was reappointed as Governor and served there from March 1993 to May 1998. In this capacity, he was instrumental in restoring peace and democracy in the insurgency-driven state. Badal Government has always been proactive when it comes to the security of the state. To strengthen its security further, the Government has commenced Rapid Rural Police Response System (RRPRS) with an outlay of Rs. 17 crores. The budget will be used to procure 250 jeeps, 250 motorcyles and other required equipment to operationalise the RRPRS. Rapid Rural Response system will be a modern system capable of responding to emergency situations such as terrorist attacks, major accidents and other untoward incidents in the countryside with prudence. Being a border state, Punjab needs to have futuristic security to check any infiltrations. The state Government is already in talks with the Centre Government for funds to upgrade the police force. The RRPRS will have well-trained personnel to deal with all type of emergency situations. There will be one central control room to manage the operations. All vehicles will be fitted with the global positioning system (GPS) and night vision systems to conduct night patrolling in vulnerable areas. Speaking of the initiative, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said: "Punjabis are known for their valor. This is one of the reasons that Punjab has been able to effectively neutralise the attacks made on its peace by the extremists." "But to combat the terrorists equipped with lethal weapons and latest technology, our Police force needs to be upgraded. We have already approached the centre to modernise the Punjab Police for better handling of infiltrations and safety of our brave men," he added. He further said: "RRPRS will ensure round the clock patrolling in the hinterland, backed with swift and fitting response to any sort of emergency. Hitting back at Rahul Gandhi for targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Dalit scholar's suicide in Hyderabad University, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday said the Congress vice-president was trying to score 'brownie points' by politicising Rohith Vemula's suicide. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said that Rahul should focus on problems of the Dalits rather than politicising an issue as serious as a suicide. "Rahul Gandhi is trying to politicize the whole issue. Rather than discussing and going into the depths of the problems of the Dalits in the country, he is trying to bring a political angle into the whole thing. This is the same campus where nine Dalit students have committed suicide in the last 10 years," Patra told ANI. "So rather than talk about the issues of Dalits, what he is doing is to score some political brownie points. That is why Rahul Gandhi should refrain from politicizing a suicide, politicizing a tragic incident," he added. Gandhi, who sat on fast along with the protesting students at the Hyderabad Central University, had alleged that Prime Minister Modi was trying to crush the spirit of Indian youngsters by imposing one idea from on top. Addressing protesting students at the university, he said, "When you let what has happened to Rohith happen in the country, it will happen to you one day, no matter who you are. You will one day find that the same people, who crushed Rohith, will be blocking your path to freedom, to progress." After addressing the students, Rahul and Rohith's mother ended their hunger strike. Activist and Professor Kancha Ilaiah offered juice to Gandhi and Rohith's mother to end their day-long strike. The students have been agitating after Rohith, a Dalit PhD student at the university, committed suicide by hanging himself in his room. Rohith and five other students were suspended by the university in connection with an alleged attack on an ABVP leader. On January 18, Gandhi had made his first visit to the university, a day after Rohith committed suicide. That day, he had promised complete support to their agitation. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday re-joined the protest against the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula with the students at Hyderabad Central University and participated in the mass hunger strike. Former Lok Sabha speaker PA Sangma also joined Rahul and the students at the protest site. Sitting on a podium with a garland around his neck, Rahul was seen interacting the four students who had been expelled along with Rohith. In a surprise visit, the Congress leader had joined a candle vigil at the University last night, joined the students in the protest. However, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has called for a shutdown of colleges in Telangana, protesting against the " over dead bodies" being played by Rahul. Around 50 ABVP members were detained last night as they took to the streets protesting against the Congress vice president's visit. Rahul had earlier gone to Hyderabad on January 18, a day after Vemula was found hanging in a hostel room, and met the research scholar's family and companions. Following the death of a six-year old child at the Ryan International School in Delhi, the victim's father on Saturday blamed the school authority and termed it as a 'conspiracy'. "There was a room and then again a room. But inside that, there were so many rooms and pipes. There was no chance that he could have gone to that small room where he was found dead. I think this is a conspiracy by the school," the deceased father's told the media here. "The school authorities told me that my son is in emergency. I kept asking the school staff what happened to my son, how he died, but no one replied. I asked the principal what happened to my son. He shouted at me and asked me to keep quiet. No one revealed the actual cause of the death," he added. A six-year old boy, Devansh Meena, was found dead in a septic tank of the school. The incident took place at around 12 noon when the boy went missing at the school. The child was rushed to the hospital where he was declared brought dead. The Delhi Police have assured that necessary legal action would be taken against those involved in the case. Meanwhile, the Delhi Government has ordered a magisterial enquiry into the incident. The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court on Saturday issued notices to the Union Government, the Maharashtra Government and the Ahmednagar District administration over the Shani Shingnapur row. The bench asked all parties to file their replies by February 16. Meanwhile, spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has offered to help to end the ongoing impasse between women activists and locals over the entry of women in the shrine. Women members and supporters of the Bhumata Brigade arrived from Pune on Tuesday in six buses with an aim to enter the temple's sanctorum where the idol of Lord Shani is placed on an open-air platform. However, the group led by Trupti Desai was stopped from marching towards the temple by police near Supa. They were also detained by police for some time, but released later. After being stopped by the police, Trupti said it was a "black day" for women as they were being stopped from exercising their rights. The temple drew attention in November 2015 after a woman had offered prayers at the popular shrine in "breach" of age-old practice that prohibits entry of women, after which the temple committee had to suspend seven security men and the villagers to perform purification rituals. The temple attracts millions of tourists and devotees from across the country and abroad. A six-year old student has been found dead in Ryan International School in Delhi's Vasant Kunj area. However, the cause of his death is yet to be known. Array The Sub-Divisional Magistrate and police are on the spot. Further details are awaited. The Punjab Police on Saturday claimed to have arrested a "most wanted" smuggler, Ranjit Singh, in Ajnala in connection with cross border smuggling. The breakthrough came after the Border Security Force and the Punjab Police launched a joint operation to nab the smuggler, who had been declared most wanted by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in connection with smuggling of 45 kilograms of heroin three years ago. A case has been registered by Ajnala Police against Ranjit Singh, a suspended Assistant Sub-Inspector of the Punjab Police. Station house officer at the Aajnala Police Station Jagbir Singh said Ranjit Singh, a resident of an Attari village, had come to execute a smuggling operation, but was nabbed by police on the basis of intelligence input. The ASI claimed that police have seized a mobile phone, Indian and Pakistani SIM cards and a diary containing the names and contact numbers of a few Pakistani smugglers. Further investigations are on, he added. BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Saturday questioned Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's participation in a mass hunger strike at the University of Hyderabad campus with students who are protesting against the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula. "Why he (Rahul Gandhi) is joining the protest, is he a educationist? Why should he enter into this and complicate the matter? Without an enquiry and getting the truth of it, what is the use of him joining the protest?" Swami asked. "Here, the issue is very complicated, because we don't know what the suicide note is actually meant for," he added. Swamy further asked the Congress vice-president as to why he was not going to Verupuram near Chennai where students were reduced to servants which led to their suicide. "The fact is that Rahul Gandhi is going to this place, but what about the incidents taking place near Chennai and Verupuram. There the students were reduced to servants and denied education and their money were collected and they had to commit suicide. He is not going there," he asked. Swamy further said that vice chancellor of Hyderabad University might have been changed because the HRD ministry had sent a team and that may have pointed through some lapse. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday joined the mass hunger strike at the Hyderabad University campus to express solidarity with the students protesting against the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula who would have turned 27 today. The Hyderabad Central University (HCU) changed its interim vice-chancellor late Friday night, as Dr Vipin Srivastava went on leave just hours before Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi reached the university. Interim VC Vipin Srivastava went on a leave for four days and in his absence, M Periasamy, the next senior-most professor, will take charge. Asserting that a young life had been snuffed out quickly, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi who is on a hunger strike along with the protesting students at the Hyderabad Central University, said that he was present at protest site at the request of Rohith Vemula's friends and family and will join their fight for justice. "A young life full of dreams and aspirations was cut short. I am here today at the request of Rohith's friends and family, to stand with them in their fight for justice," The Office of Rahul Gandhi said in a series of tweets. Remembering Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary, Rahul said the nation owed it to the memory of the father of the nation to fight for justice and aspire for an 'India free from prejudice and injustice'. "May Bapu's life and his message inspire us to strive for justice. We owe it to him, to the memory of Gandhiji and to every single Indian student who dreams of an India free from prejudice and injustice," Rahul tweeted. Rahul, who is presently at the University on a hunger strike with the rest of the protesting students, was joined by Rohith's mother as he interacted with the four students who were expelled along with the Dalit scholar. ALSO READ: Classic politics of vulturisation: BJP on Rahul Gandhi's visit to Hyderabad University Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party has hit out at Rahul, accusing the Congress of playing over a sensitive issue. "The Congress is trying the turn the Hyderabad University campus into a hub of caste . By making false allegations and trying to paint the picture in another light, they are trying to re-establish themselves," Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said. Earlier, in a surprise move, Rahul visited the Hyderabad University campus late and night yesterday and took part in a candle march by students demonstrating against the suicide of Rohith Vemula earlier this month. He later spent the night on campus. Following Rahul's visit, several Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) workers took to the streets accusing the Congress vice president of playing ' over dead bodies'. Campaigners, urging Latin American governments to reconsider their policies on contraception, fear that the spread of Zika virus will lead to rise in women's deaths from unsafe abortions as well as the predicted surge in brain-damaged babies. According to The Guardian, several governments in the region have advised women to postpone getting pregnant for up to two years, which reproductive health groups say is impossible in countries where birth control is not easily available and many women fall pregnant through sexual violence. Giselle Carino, deputy director of the International Planned Parenthood Federation's (IPPF) western hemisphere region, said that they are urging government to make contraception more easily accessible, especially to low-income groups. Carino said that they must expand access to safe abortion services and that they need an awareness campaign so women know about the risk of Zika and are aware of their options if they find themselves pregnant. Sales decline 1.20% to Rs 0.82 crore Net profit of Nova Publications India declined 33.33% to Rs 0.02 crore in the quarter ended December 2015 as against Rs 0.03 crore during the previous quarter ended December 2014. Sales declined 1.20% to Rs 0.82 crore in the quarter ended December 2015 as against Rs 0.83 crore during the previous quarter ended December 2014.0.820.832.443.610.020.030.020.030.020.03 Powered by Capital Market - Live News Receives bids for 3.03 crore shares The initial public offer (IPO) of Precision Camshafts received bids for a total of 3.03 crore shares, as per data from the National Stock Exchange (NSE) website. The IPO was subscribed 1.91 times. The bidding for the IPO closed yesterday, 29 January 2016. As per the breakdown of subscription for the IPO according to various categories of investors, qualified institutional buyers (QIBs) portion was subscribed 2.62 times, non institutional investors portion was subscribed 0.73 times, and retail individual investors (RIIs) portion was subscribed 2.01 times. The IPO is a combination of fresh issue of shares aggregating up to Rs 240 crore and offer for sale by promoters and one of the directors. The proceeds of the fresh issue will be used for expansion. The two promoters Yatin and Suhasini Shah sold a total of 25.86 lakh shares. Promoter group company Cams Technology had put on block 35.63 lakh shares and Jayant Aradhye, a non-executive director, sold 30 lakh shares through the IPO. Precision Camshafts raised Rs 123.05 crore by selling 66.15 lakh shares to anchor investors. Theses shares were allotted to the anchor investors at Rs 186 per share, the top end of the Rs 180 to Rs 186 per share price band for the IPO. The company proposes to utilize Rs 200 crore from the net proceeds of the IPO for establishment of a new machine shop for ductile iron camshafts at its existing export oriented unit (EOU) situated at Solapur in Maharashtra. The company currently has two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities - an EOU unit and a domestic unit - both situated at Solapur, Maharashtra. The company supplies over 150 varieties of camshafts for passenger vehicles, tractors, light commercial vehicles and locomotive engine applications. A majority of the company's revenue comes from export of camshafts to various OEMs directly and indirectly. The company has long term relationships with OEMs, including General Motors, Ford Motors, Hyundai, Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors and Mahindra and Mahindra. On consolidated basis, the company reported net profit of Rs 34.10 crore on net turnover of Rs 253.37 crore for six months ended 30 September 2015. Net profit stood at Rs 62.36 crore on net turnover of Rs 532.42 crore for the year ended 31 March 2015. Precision Camshafts, promoted by first generation entrepreneurs Yatin Shah and Suhasini Shah, is one of the world's leading manufacturers of camshafts, a critical engine component in passenger vehicles. Powered by Capital Market - Live News Total Operating Income rise 4.08% to Rs 3584.15 crore Net profit of State Bank of Hyderabad declined 44.59% to Rs 185.01 crore in the quarter ended December 2015 as against Rs 333.89 crore during the previous quarter ended December 2014. Total Operating Income rose 4.08% to Rs 3584.15 crore in the quarter ended December 2015 as against Rs 3443.66 crore during the previous quarter ended December 2014.3584.153443.6663.6673.21266.28519.89266.28519.89185.01333.89 Powered by Capital Market - Live News Over 150 eminent personalities on Saturday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, seeking arrest of Rajasthan BJP legislator Kanwarlal Meena, accused of leading an attack on NGO workers affiliated to organisations of activists Aruna Roy and Nikhil Dey in Jhalawar. "We strongly condemn the culture of impunity that allowed Kanwarlal Meena to blatantly violently attack the Jawabdehi yatra. We demand his arrest," said a statement signed by over 150 eminent people including journalist Pamela Philipose, professor Achin Vanaik, former information commissioner Shailesh Gandhi, and economist Jayati Ghosh among others. Others who signed the statement include Medha Patkar, Uma Chakravarti, Harsh Mander, Baba Adhav and Annie Raja. The social activists through their letters demanded immediate action against the perpetrators of the assault. "Those guilty of the attacks and the leaders behind them be brought to justice promptly. Proper compensation be paid for the medical treatment of those who were assaulted, and for the mental and physical trauma they have suffered," the letter said. They also demanded that the Rajasthan government publicly condemn the incident and institute a proper inquiry into it. "This attack is one more example of criminalisation of and the threat it poses to our democratic fabric. Using physical violence and leading a mob against social activists raising awareness about issues related to access to entitlements and justice by the poor shows how much our political establishment is willing to use criminal elements to suppress any dissent," said Jagdeep Chhokar of the Association of Democratic Reform. Afghan Chief Executive Officer and Head of the Council of Ministers Abdullah Abdullah will arrive here on Sunday on a five-day visit to India. On Monday, he will call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, following which he will hold a bilateral meeting with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. He will leave for Jaipur on Tuesday where he will attend a conference on counter-terrorism. After spending Wednesday in New Delhi, he will depart from India on Thursday. Abdullah Abdullah's visit to India comes in the wake of Prime Minister Modi's visit to Kabul in December when the new Afghan parliament building, constructed with India's aid, was inaugurated. To most supporters of Narendra Modi, including those outside the saffron fold who welcomed his economic agenda, the prime minister's tenure so far has been disappointing. That he has sensed the uneasy public mood is evident from his directive for action against non-performing bureaucrats. But, apart from disciplining the officials, what is expected of him is the kind of sternness which he showed as the Gujarat chief minister. As a result, he was able to marginalize his predecessors like Keshubhai Patel and silence rabble-rousers like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad's Pravin Togadiya. In Delhi, he has taken similar effective action against incorrigible trouble-makers like Yogi Adityanath and seems to have persuaded Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat to refrain from saying that all Indians are Hindus. But his task remains incomplete as the hooliganism of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activists recently showed in Allahabad University where they held a senior journalist hostage in the vice chancellor's office to prevent him from speaking at a seminar. Their charge against the journalist was that he was "anti-national", a label which they also used to defame the Dalit student, Rohith Vemula, who recently committed suicide in the Hyderabad Central University. It is patent enough that Modi's call for upholding constitutional governance, under which anti-nationals are to be identified only by the state and not vigilante groups, is not being heeded by some of his party members and associates. There is little doubt that their words and deeds are reflexive in nature. Having being tutored in the RSS shakhas (schools) to regard themselves as the epitomes of patriotism, the saffron-tinted activists have routinely dubbed those not adhering to their creed as enemies of the nation. Their pursuit of the same line, despite Modi's restraining efforts, is the main reason why sections of the intelligentsia have expressed misgivings about the prevailing intolerance in their view. Had the prime minister followed up his general advice with firm admonitions on specific occasions, the sense of despondency might have been dissipated. But perhaps because he feels that it is below his dignity to react to the various incidents which can appear to be minor in the larger perspective, he prefers either to say nothing or leave it to party president Amit Shah and others to speak to those who step out of line. However, his "dangerous silence", as the New York Times once called it, has begun to hurt the party as mavericks like Subramanian Swamy continue their campaign for building the Ram temple and suggestions are made by the RSS chief to regulate the media "to ensure that no ill-effects prevails in society" as a result of their writings. Although the temple is unlikely to be built in the near future - if at all - or Mohan Bhagwat's veiled plea for censorship implemented, it is a familiar tactic of fascistic outfits to keep on harping on their provocative projects to sustain communal tension. It is not surprising, therefore, that an opinion poll has shown Modi's ratings to be higher than the BJP's. There is little doubt that at the national level, the people across the board continue to repose considerable faith in his pro-development programme even if it is yet to reach the take-off point. But what the BJP has to be wary of is, first, the significance of the party's lower approval rating and, second, the fact of its inconsequence in states like West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puduchery which will go to the polls this year. Only in Assam, which will also go to the polls, can it expect to fare reasonably well, but it is still a touch-and-go affair. In Uttar Pradesh, too, the BJP may face a hard time next year because of the alienation of sizable sections of Muslims and Dalits in the aftermath of the targeting of so called beef-eaters and the suicide of Rohith Vemula. Amit Shah is right in saying that just as the political polarization at one time pitted Indira Gandhi against the rest, it is now Modi vs the rest. But there is a slight difference - the middle class today is much larger and more politically active than it was in Indira Gandhi's time. Modi's high approval rating comes from this segment of society, which was also largely responsible for his victory in 2014. But it is also a group which will not take kindly to the antics of the ABVP, the Shiv Sena and other Hindu militants. It is also possible that they are siding with Modi at present because there is no alternative at the all-India level. But this isn't the case in the states, which is why the BJP is unlikely to have an easy run in the assembly elections. To give the party a nationwide edge, the prime minister will have to crack the whip much harder where the saffron fundamentalists are concerned, for even an eight percent growth rate will not help him to usher in the missing achhey din if the extremists continue to rave and rant against the "anti-nationals". (Amulya Ganguli is a political analyst. The views expressed are personal. He can be reached at amulyaganguli@gmail.com) A Queensland Police senior constable in Australia has been charged with murder over the death of his baby son. Police charged the man after a probe by the child trauma task force within the child safety and sexual crime group, state crime command and the ethical standards command, ABC reported. The investigation was related to the death of a two-month-old boy in Victoria Point on Brisbane's bayside on June 28, 2014. The officer from the Brisbane region, who had already been suspended from duty with the Queensland Police Service, is due to appear in a regional court on Monday. Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said he could not release too many details about the case but confirmed "there were fairly significant injuries to the baby". "Our community needs to have confidence, in fact great confidence, that no matter who is responsible for these types of crimes, that its police service will be relentless and committed in ensuring that the investigations are brought to conclusion and that the offenders are brought to justice," he said. "I'm a father -- these sorts of crimes, irrespective of who commits them, are tragic and terrible. "I can only say that we are committed, as we have been in this instance, to making sure the offender is brought to justice," he said. Detective Superintendent Cheryl Scanlon said they would have kept the investigation away from public attention regardless of who was involved. "In terms of any sort of infant homicide, they aren't necessarily made known to the media," she said. Deputy Commissioner Gollschewski said the officer was suspended on full pay but now that he had been charged this would be reviewed. The BJP on Saturday held a demonstration here supporting the workers of three civic bodies who are on strike against non-payment of their salaries and burnt an effigy of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly withholding municipal funds. "Kejriwal government should stop misleading people on municipal funds. We have yesterday written to the chief minister giving facts on funds municipal bodies have got from Delhi government and our salary bills," BJP's Delhi unit president Satish Upadhyay told reporters. He said the salary bills were almost thrice the non-plan funds that the Delhi government gave. "We demand that Delhi government release about Rs.3,000 crore pending to the MCD (sic)," Upadhyay added. The strike by employees of the three municipal bodies entered the fourth day on Saturday. Their demands include regular salary, payment of arrears, regularisation of contractual employees and cashless health cards. Earlier in the day the striking employees dumped garbage outside the residence of Delhi assembly speaker Ram Niwas Goel to highlight their demands. Upadhyay said the Kejriwal government had used the tactic of invoking "ghost employees" of the erstwhile MCD to delay the release of funds. "Delhi BJP strongly condemns Kejriwal's ministers for raising this ghost employees issue to tarnish the image of sanitation workers on strike for their rightful wages. There is biometric attendance registration in MCD (sic) and BJP stands by the employee's integrity, especially that of Safai Karamcharis," he said. Their tactic was to say 'Safai Karamcharis don't work and take home bogus salaries,' Upadhyay said. Over 1.5 lakh employees of the three municipal bodies have been striking work over non-payment of their salaries. Taking note of the situation, the Delhi high court has sought the response of the Delhi government, the three municipal bodies and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) by February 2. The BJP on Saturday asked Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi to "not politicise" the death of a Dalit research scholar who committed suicide two weeks ago and stop "playing on dead bodies". As Rahul Gandhi joined protests with the students at the University of Hyderabad past Friday midnight, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Sambit Patra said it is not a Dalit versus non-Dalit issue but a classic case of trying to score political brownie points. "Rahul Gandhi should start working in a positive way rather than playing on dead bodies," he said. Gandhi shuns his own responsibility and gatecrashes into other's protest, Patra said, adding the way he has shown insensitivity is the reason why "I say Rahul and responsibility cannot go together." Patra further questioned Rahul Gandhi for not responding to the Malda incident and the incident in Haryana where Dalits was burnt alive. "Did Rahul Gandhi shed tears for the four Dalits who were burnt alive? No, he has always been selective," he said. "Everyone knows what the condition in Malda is, has Rahul Gandhi ever visited Malda?". Patra said Rahul Gandhi was enjoying New Year when the Pathankot terror attack happened and blamed the government after 10 days. "When Pathankot attack was happening, Rahul Gandhi was in Europe enjoying his holiday. He came back after 10 days and blamed government," Patra said. Gandhi on Saturday continued his protest along with the students who are on hunger strike at the University of Hyderabad, demanding justice for a Dalit research scholar who committed suicide. Gandhi, who participated in a candle light vigil after midnight and spent the night on the campus, remained seated along with the students at the protest venue near Shopping Complex to mark the birth anniversary of Rohith Vemula. He was seated with four Dalit students, who were suspended along with Vemula, and Vemula's mother and brother. Dozens of other students are also on a day-long hunger strike to press for their demand for the resignation of Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and action against him and others responsible for the suicide. A British mother has been convicted of offences after fleeing Britain with her one-year-old child to join the Islamic State (IS) in Syria, Britain's West Midlands Police announced on Friday. Tareena Shakil, a 26-year-old woman from Burton-upon-Trent in England, was found guilty of being a member of IS and encouraging acts of at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday, Xinhua reported. The mother boarded a plane to Turkey in October 2014 with her young boy, where she then crossed the border into Syria and spent the next three months there, police said. "She denied joining Daesh but her membership was proven as a result of enquiries carried out by the West Midlands Counter Unit and other agencies," West Midlands Police said in a statement. Police noted that detectives were able to show Shakil had become a member of the extremist group and was set to become a jihadi bride. A photograph uncovered by police showed her posing in Syria underneath an IS flag. She was arrested by counter-terrorism officers when she returned to Britain on February 18 in 2015 after landing at Heathrow Airport, while her son was taken into care, police said. The woman was also found guilty of sending a series of tweets before she left the Britain "encouraging the public to commit acts of terrorism", police added. Rallying behind Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, who protested along with students on hunger strike at University of Hyderabad, the party on Saturday blamed the Centre for the death of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula. "Rahul Gandhi always becomes the voice of the people whether they are farmers, Dalits or safai karmacharis. He is the voice of the poor and the underprivileged in the country. He also joined the candlelight vigil at Hyderabad university last night (Friday)," Congress leader Ajay Maken told reporters. "It is unfortunate that the BJP condemned Rahul Gandhi's participation in the candle march. Instead of probing the role of the vice chancellor and their own minister in the Dalit scholar's death, they are blaming Rahul Gandhi ji for politicising the issue. It is very unfortunate," he added. "Was it not politicising the matter when on the complaint of the ABVP (Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad) president, BJP minister Bandaru Dattatreya wrote a letter to HRD Minister Smriti Irani ji and she wrote five letters to Hyderabad university to probe the matter? "Was it not politicising the issue when the HRD minister justified the actions of the vice chancellor in a press conference?" Maken asked. Questioning the human resource development ministry, the Congress asked if there will be a fair probe in Vemula's death. "Instead of probing the role of their own ministers, the vice chancellor and the ABVP leader, who were responsible for the scholar's death, the BJP is targeting Congress leaders, who are playing the role of a constructive opposition," he added. Congress spokesperson Tom Vadakkan, meanwhile, said: "For the BJP, Dalit issues are political gimmicks. But for us, they are the lifeline of this country." Earlier, the BJP had asked Gandhi not to politicise the death of the Dalit research scholar and stop "playing over dead bodies". Gandhi on Saturday continued his protest along with the students, demanding justice for the Dalit research scholar. He took part in a candlelight vigil after Friday midnight and spent the night on the campus, sitting along with the students at the protest site. The Taseer Gallery from Lahore may be evoking lot of curiosity at the ongoing India Art Fair, but visa issues still remain a bone of contention as some of the Pakistan artists were denied the travel documents. Despite big talk of improving relations between the two countries, only one artist representing the Pakistan gallery could make it to India, while three of them were denied visas. This is ironoc as the four-day Fair has a special focus on emerging artists from South Asian countries this year. The eighth edition of the fair opened to public on Friday. Farida Batool, the only artist who managed to get visa at the "last moment" said that other artists were denied the document on political grounds. "I got visa at 12'clock at night, the day before I started the journey and the other three artists didn't got it. The denial of visa is clearly a political issue. It is unfotunate and our governments have to work on this," Badool told IANS. Her work 'Eik Shehr Jo Udaas Hai (a city that is sad) reflects the political situation in Pakistan. Using the metaphor of walls, Badool's piece is a commentary on life in Lahore in 2009, when it was attacked by Taliban. The work, which shows long brick walls has lives of people on rooftops. "I used the metaphor of wall since Lahore is known as the wall city. When Lahore was attacked by Taliban in 2009, people started to erect walls to safeguard their homes. In my work, you can see that there a life covered by walls," said Batool, who is also a political activist. Referring to the incidents of resistance against artists and artworks in India, Batool says that artists haven't faced much opposition from Pakistan. "I guess, it's because in Pakistan, the government never considered artists as very important people. We had our share of movements by artists and arrests and all," she added. Another work, titled "Dekhna Manaa Hai! (Seeing is prohibited)" is a horizontal display of over 450 pairs of male eyes placed like tiles on the wall with varied expressions. "The work is a critique on the male gaze. Any woman who live in a South Asian country can relate to it. We are always aware that the male gaze is following us. In my work, all the eyes are looking at me and winking. Its a kind of performance ," said Batool, who is a teacher by profession. The artist, who has a master's in art history and theory from the College of Fine Arts at the University of New South Wales, is also involved in cultural activities in Lahore in preserving the city's heritage. According to Sanam Taseer, owner of Taseer gallery, visa issues haven't dampened the spirit. "The response is quite good and we have a steady stream of visitors," said Taseer adding that the curation is about different aspects of life in Lahore. Other artists who are displayed at the gallery include Saba Khan, Mohsin Shafi and Humaira Abid. "These four young artists are talking about the various hues of the life in Lahore," Batool said. The fair, which concludes on Sunday, has a significant presence from Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Former Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai on Saturday visited a private hospital in Gurgaon where he underwent a few tests, a doctor said. Karzai reached Medanta - The Medicity hospital, located in Sector 38, around 8.30 a.m. following "some minor" health complications, a hospital source told IANS. He left the hospital after 1.30 p.m. after a few tests. "We cannot say anything about Karzai's visit or health complications but it was for his health check-up," a hospital official said. Four Canadians have been confirmed as being infected with the Zika virus, the country's chief public health officer said. Dr. Gregory Taylor on Friday said two cases were reported from the western Canadian province of British Columbia, one from Alberta and another from Quebec, all have recently returned from Zika virus-active areas such as Central and South America and the Caribbean, Xinhua reported. The Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that transmit the virus are not present in Canada because they are not adaptable to the country's cold climate, Taylor said. "So the risk of Zika virus infection in Canada is considered very low." Only one of the four cases is likely to develop symptoms, such as low-grade fever, joint pain, red eyes, rash, muscle pain, physical weakness, lethargy and headaches, which may last from two to seven days. Taylor explained that while mosquitoes are the main source of transmission, the virus could be passed from mother to child. According to a Canadian Public Health Agency notice, there is concern that an increase in the incidence of microcephaly, or abnormally small heads among newborns reported in Brazil last year may be linked to the Zika virus. Zika virus infection may also go unrecognised or be misdiagnosed as dengue, chikungunya or other viral infections causing fever and rash, according to the Public Health Agency. There is no vaccine for the virus at the present. A group of Canadian and the US scientists are working on a potential vaccine that is reportedly ready for testing on humans. The first clinical trial is expected to start this summer. A Gujarati family anxiously awaits the day when they will be finally able to see their head of family Vaaga Chauhan for the last time, nearly 40 days after he passed away in a hospital in Pakistan's port city of Karachi. Indian fisherman Vaaga Chauhan, hailing from Saurashtra region of Gujarat, died following an illness in a Karachi hospital on December 22, an activist group claimed here on Saturday. However, more than a month after his demise, Chauhan's body is yet to reach his mourning family members, said Jatin Desai, general secretary, Pakistan-India Peoples' Forum for Peace & Democracy (PIPFPD). "The 55-year old fisherman was arrested by the Pakistan authorities when his boat strayed into that country's territorial waters. It is more than five weeks since his death and his body is lying in the Edhi Foundation's morgue in Karachi," Desai told IANS. Lamenting that such long delays is the usual practice whenever an Indian or Pakistani fisherman dies in the prison of the other country, he appealed to both governments to take steps to expedite such cases. "PIPFPD strongly feels that this practice should be changed immediately and a decision be made that on humanitarian grounds, the body of the deceased must be sent to his/her country in the very next available flight," Desai urged. Citing similar instances in the past, he said an Indian fisherman from Junagadh Bhikha L. Shival, 35, died in Karachi on December 19, 2013. But the body was sent on February 15, 2014. In some other instances, Ramjibhai Vala's body came 45 days after his death in 2012, Dadubhai Makwana's body was received after three weeks, Kishore Bhagwan's body was sent after 55 days in 2014 and Arvind Vala's body came after 22 days in the same year (2014). From the Indian side, a Pakistani fisherman Nawaz Ali died in Ahmedabad on September 8, 2012 and his body was sent home after 25 days, Desai said. At a time when the Indian government has launched several promising initiatives to improve health care facilities in the country especially in the hinterlands, experts feel that it is high time that policymakers learn from past failures and step up efforts to give every citizen affordable, accessible and accountable quality health care. In a bid to explore the underlying challenges of delivering on the promise of "health for all" in India, Haryana-based O.P. Jindal Global University - in collaboration with Harvard Global Health Institute and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health - recently brought together stakeholders from various walks of life to deliberate on underlying issues impeding the much needed growth of the country's healthcare sector. "Nearly 18 percent rural population in the country has no access to health care," said Rakesh Kumar, joint secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, at the "International Conference on Delivering on the Promise of Universal Health Coverage in India: Policy Options and Challenges," in New Delhi earlier this month attended by academics, policymakers, doctors, lawyers, public health practitioners and government representatives. He warned that "70 percent of deaths in India will be caused by non-communicable diseases by 2020" if no serious steps are taken now. Explaining the impact of poor health care on the country, Ramanan Laxminarayan, distinguished professor from Public Health Foundation of India, reiterated that India is "very different from other countries" where "people may go into financial impoverishment" because of high primary health care cost. "Out of pocket medical expenses are 65 percent of the total medical expenditure while 86 percent of rural and 82 percent of urban population is not covered under any government scheme," added Narendra Gupta, joint convenor, Jan Swasthya Abhiyan. At a recent public event in the capital, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he envisions an India where every citizen has access to good health care. However, the problem of poor health care in the country runs much deeper. "The National Health Bill 2009 was good in spirit but its formulation was faulty and it failed to recognise that health is a state subject," informed Ravinder Singh Duggal, country coordinator, International Budget Partnership, adding that the "Draft National Health Policy 2015" is a good effort in this direction. According to Richard Cash, senior lecturer on global health from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, it is best for India to "find local solutions for local problems" as the issues of the state of Kerala might not be the same as that of Uttar Pradesh. While public-private partnership model for health care is thought to have the potential of transforming the sector, many stakeholders believe that in the absence of any regulatory framework for private players, it is not a viable option. According to Kesav Desiraju, former secretary, department of consumer affairs and former secretary, ministry of health and family welfare, out of 416 medical colleges in the country, about 60 percent are in the private sector. "At macro level the numbers could be impressive but we are not getting the desired results," he noted. "Public and private sectors have mutually reinforcing role in providing health care in India. In the last 10 years, some structural changes do have taken place in the policymaking and the major improvement is seen because of the private sector. Private sector's role needs to be strengthened in the value chain," emphasised Rajeev Malhotra, professor, Jindal School of Government and Public Policy and executive director, Centre for Development and Finance. Highlighting the legal framework when it comes to health care, Anand Grover, senior advocate, Supreme Court of India and former UN special rapporteur on right to health, said that there are no jurisprudence developed by high courts and the Supreme Court with regard to the right to health. For the prime minister, health care is an integrated system that understands and builds on the best and most effective of different traditions. On the way forward, Ajith M Sharan, secretary, Ministry of AYUSH, said: "We need to look at different kind of paradigm" with more focus on paramedics. "There are 700,000 trained AYUSH practitioners in India today and we need to integrate them officially into the system," he informed. In a recent move, a group of secretaries constituted by Prime Minister Modi has recommended providing free health and life insurance to 100 million extremely poor households in the country identified as "deprived" under the 2011 Socio-Economic Caste Census. Swinging behind Hillary Clinton, the New York Times on Saturday endorsed her "with confidence and enthusiasm" for the Democratic presidential nomination, saying she offers voters "the chance to choose one of the most broadly and deeply qualified presidential candidates in modern history". The Times editorial board endorses Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination, the paper said in an opinion piece. "Clinton is the right choice for the Democrats to present a vision for America that is radically different from the one that leading Republican candidates offer - a vision in which middle-class Americans have a real shot at prosperity, women's rights are enhanced, undocumented immigrants are given a chance at legitimacy, international alliances are nurtured and the country is kept safe," it said. Noting that Clinton would be the first woman nominated by a major party, it said: "The Times editorial board has endorsed her three times for federal office -- twice for Senate and once in the 2008 Democratic presidential primary -- and is doing so again with confidence and enthusiasm." Admitting that Clinton's main opponent, Senator Bernie Sanders, "a self-described Democratic Socialist, has proved to be more formidable than most people, including Mrs. Clinton, anticipated", it however held he "does not have the breadth of experience or policy ideas that Mrs. Clinton offers". The piece said his boldest proposals such on banks and health care reform have earned him support among alienated middle-class voters and young people "but his plans for achieving them aren't realistic, while Mrs. Clinton has very good, and achievable, proposals in both areas". "The third Democratic contender, Martin O'Malley, is a personable and reasonable liberal who seems more suited for the jobs he has already had - governor of Maryland and mayor of Baltimore - than for president," it noted. On the Republicans, it said that for "the past painful year", its presidential contenders have "been bombarding Americans with empty propaganda slogans and competing, bizarrely, to present themselves as the least experienced person for the most important elected job in the world". Democratic primary voters, on the other hand, "after a substantive debate over real issues, have the chance to nominate one of the most broadly and deeply qualified presidential candidates in modern history". The NYT called Clinton a "strong advocate of sensible and effective measures to combat the plague of firearms" and that one of the most attractive parts of her economic platform is her pledge to support the "well-being and rights of working Americans", especially women. "Mrs. Clinton is keenly aware of the wage gap for women, especially for women of color. It's not just that she's done her homework - Mrs. Clinton has done her homework on pretty much any subject you'd care to name," it said. It said as secretary of state, Clinton worked "tirelessly, and with important successes, for the nation's benefit" and in combination with President Barack Obama allowed the US to "repair relations around the world that had been completely trashed by the previous administration". The University of Chicago has established a professorship for the study of Sanskrit with a $3.5 million gift from an Indian-American couple to help it advance the study of the Indian subcontinent. The Anupama and Guru Ramakrishnan Professorship in Sanskrit studies supports a faculty member whose work focuses on the ancient classical language, according to a university announcement. Gary Tubb, professor in South Asian Languages and Civilisations and faculty director of the University of Chicago Centre in Delhi, will be the first scholar to hold the new position, it said. "The University of Chicago is world renowned for its excellence in the scholarship of South Asia," said Martha T. Roth, the dean of the Division of the Humanities. "Guru and Anupama Ramakrishnan's generosity allows us to sustain that tradition and makes possible continued rigorous study of the cultural heritage of South Asia through its literary, religious and philosophical texts." Sanskrit, the oldest literary language of South Asia, is the longest continuously taught South Asian language at Chicago University, having been offered since the first classes were held at the university in 1892. Tubb first encountered Sanskrit as an undergraduate at Harvard University. He said he was attracted to the language because it provided "access to a long and rich history of human thought". "Sanskrit really stands out among the world's languages - alongside other classical languages - as being a single language that provides access to an extraordinarily broad range of texts and histories." A leading Sanskrit scholar, Tubb examines the tradition's poetics, grammatical forms and commentarial traditions, and draws insights across the culture's philosophy, religion and literature. Tubb is the author of "Scholastic Sanskrit: A Handbook for Students". Tubb praised the Ramakrishnan family for its support of the Sanskrit scholarship. "It's fortunate this professorship carries the name of people who have serious interest in and respect for the way Sanskrit is studied," he said. The Ramakrishnans' gift is part of The University of Chicago Campaign: Inquiry and Impact, which will raise $4.5 billion and engage 125,000 alumni by 2019. To date, the campaign has raised $2.82 billion and engaged more than 59,000 alumni. Guru Ramakrishnan, MBA '88, is a founding partner at Meru Capital Group; Anupama Ramakrishnan is on the advisory board of the Agastya Foundation, a Bengaluru-based NGO that funds and operates educational programmes in rural India. The couple also supports a scholarship programme for Indian students at Chicago Booth, the Guru and Anupama Ramakrishnan Endowed Scholarship Fund. "We are delighted to fund this chair in Sanskrit - one of the oldest languages that has given the world the Vedas, Upanishads and other exceptional works of spirituality, poetry, music and dance," the Ramakrishnans said. "The University of Chicago's long-term commitment to scholarship in Sanskrit made it our institution of choice to partner with on this important initiative," they said. The University of Chicago is home to a rich array of resources for the study of the Indian subcontinent, including its Centre in Delhi. Currently, more than 60 faculty members are engaged in the study of South Asian history, culture and language. The university offers instruction in nine modern and two classical Indian languages, including advanced instruction in less commonly taught languages such as Marathi and Telugu. (Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in) An Indian-American Sikh has been elected the new head of the Canadian Police of Peel region in Ontario, media reported. Amrik Singh Ahluwalia was unanimously voted as the chair of Peel Police Services Board, reports said on Friday. He also received the backing of both Brampton Mayor Linda Jeffrey and Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie. "My first thoughts are, what a wonderful country we live in," he was quoted as saying in Toronto Star. After briefly describing how he arrived in Canada 40 years ago, "with $7 in my pocket," he said, at the time, he could not have fathomed one day being bestowed with the "honour" and responsibility of what was just bestowed upon him. "I am honoured. This is a great responsibility, I take with humility and with a sense of purpose that I want to do my very best," Ahluwalia was quoted as saying. "I will do my best to serve the public and serve the police force... the men and women in the force who day in and day out do such an exemplary job," he added. After Navdeep Singh Bains and Harjit Singh Sajjan who became the first Sikh Cabinet ministers in Canada, Ahluwalia is the third Indo-Canadian to rise in the country's government affairs. He was first appointed by the provincial government to the board in February 2011 and reappointed for a second term in April 2014. Popular for his volunteer work and organisational skills in the Punjabi-Canadian community, Ahluwalia has organised several youth camps and has served as president of the Sikh Society Calgary. The Peel Regional Police is Canada's third largest municipal police force, responsible for the provision of adequate and effective police services, law enforcement and crime prevention within the region, a duty it discharges through the enactment of policies. Irom Sharmila, charged with attempt to suicide, is likely to miss appearance in Delhi's Patiala House court on February 3 and 4 as Manipur authorities have failed to sanction travelling expenses for her and her team. The home department of the Manipur government has failed to sanction Rs 1.40 lakh as the travelling expense for Sharmila and her team. In the past, she missed some court appearances on the same ground. According to the jail manual, she has to be accompanied by police, jail and medical staff while travelling to Delhi. She is undergoing trial under Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code (attempt to commit suicide). She is on fast unto death since November 4, 2000, demanding repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958. It was imposed in Manipur on September 8, 1980 as the foreign trained insurgents got upperhand. One amicus curiae is representing her. This act allows her detention for one year at one go and at the end of each year she is ritually released. But she is always rearrested as she continues her fast outside the jail. After being released by the court of chief judicial magistrate, Imphal west, she rushed to Delhi on October 6, 2006 for carrying on the fast at Jantar Mantar. All along she has been denying the charge of attempt to commit suicide. She said, "I love my life and want to live. I am using fast as a weapon to achieve my goal". On January 22, 2015, the district and sessions court, Imphal west, ordered her release as she was found not guilty of the charge. However, later she was arrested on the same charge. A. Romenkumar, a high court court advocate told IANS the prosecution should file a petition for appeal or revision within three months of the court order. After expiry of this period the order reaches finality and becomes the rule of the law. Under the circumstances, the arrest of Sharmila under the same charge is questionable. London, Jan 30 (IANS/AKI) The Islamic State militant group has executed 3,895 people including 2,114 civilians in Syria in the past 19 months. The nearly 4,000 executed people included 78 children and 116 women, a monitor said on Friday. Execution methods included beheading, stoning, firing squad, immolation and hurling victims off buildings, said the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. IS also executed 422 of its own members since it declared an Islamic Caliphate across swathes of Syria in June, 2014, the watchdog said. The Observatory relies on a network of activists and doctors inside Syria for its information. --IANS/AKI py/bg A 23-year-old youth, who was arrested in Delhi after his arrival from Dubai for being a sympathiser of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, hails from Jammu and Kashmir's Ganderbal district, police said on Saturday. "Azhar-ul-Islam, who was handed over with two others to the Investigation Agency (NIA), belongs to Preng village of Ganderbal district, and his father is Abdul Satar Sheikh," a police officer told IANS in Srinagar. Family sources told police Azhar had gone to Dubai in 2015 to work as a waiter in a hotel. Police and intelligence agencies have been maintaining that the terrorist group has no presence in Jammu and Kashmir. Italian lifestyle brand Furla, which has been creating and distributing high quality bags, shoes and accessories since 1927, has launched its first India exclusive bag, Maaya -- a limited edition glitter clutch. Designed in champagne and gold, the accessory has a specially inscribed inside plate that reads "Furla Exclusive For India', which authenticates the exclusivity of the bag designed and developed only for Furla customers in India. Priced at Rs.2200, Maaya features a gold metal cross body chain, which makes it versatile for all occasions and attires whether Indian and western. The clutch is made of fabric glitter and it is available in two sizes, small and medium. It is available only at Furla stores across the three stores in India -- in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. The Japanese city of Minami Uonuma (MU) has expressed its desire to support small and medium sized information technology (IT) companies from Kerala to expand operations in the Japanese market by offering office space, accommodation and business development support at subsidised rates. The announcement was made at a joint meeting of the representatives of the IT industry in the state and a delegation from MU, led by its deputy mayor, held here. The Japanese delegation was hosted by the Group of Technology Companies (GTech), the industry body of IT and ITeS companies in Kerala. "A delegation of Kerala companies will visit Japan within three months to further the relationship. GTech in the past has led nine delegations in three years, to countries like Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Germany and the UAE on similar missions," said Renjith Ramanujam, chief executive officer of GTech. An Afghan journalist was shot dead in the country's Nangarhar province, an official said on Saturday. Mohammad Zubair Khaksar was killed after unidentified gunmen fired on his vehicle in Surkh Rod district Friday night, Xinhua quoted the provincial government as saying in a statement. Khaksar, a well known poet, was working as a journalist in the government-run Afghanistan National Radio and Television Network, he said. Nangarhar Governor Kandozai condemned the attack, the statement said, adding that local authorities have launched an investigation into the incident. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. Earlier in January, seven workers of a private TV channel were killed and 24 injured after a Taliban suicide car bomber struck a minibus in Kabul. Three people convicted for the brutal gang rape and murder of a college student in West Bengal's Kamduni village were on Saturday sentenced to death by a court here while three other convicts got life imprisonment. While the death sentence is subject to confirmation by the Calcutta High Court, the defence counsel said all the six convicts will be moving the high court against the verdict. The six were convicted on Thursday for gang-raping and murdering the 20-year-old girl while she was returning home from college in Kamduni village of North 24 Parganas district on June 7, 2013. Observing that the case fell within the 'rarest of rare' cases, Additional District and Sessions Judge Sanchita Sarkar pronounced capital punishment for Saiful Ali, Ansar Ali and Amin Ali, who were convicted of gang rape and murder. Sheikh Emanul Islam, Aminur Islam and Bhola Naskar, who were convicted on charges of gang rape, criminal conspiracy and causing disappearance of evidence, were sentenced to life imprisonment. As soon as news of the three getting death spread, the family of the victim as well as Kamduni villagers broke into tears hailing the verdict. While nine people were arrested and charged for the crime, the court on Thursday acquitted Rafiqul Islam and Nur Ali while the ninth accused Gopal Naskar died while the trial was on. Even as he cried in joy, the victim's brother said he will be meeting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee seeking reversal of the acquittal of the two accused. "We are very happy with the verdict but the happiness would have been greater if all the convicts had been awarded death penalty. We are also mulling meeting the chief minster over acquittal of the two accused," he said During the hearing for the quantum of punishment, the defence counsel contended that the case did not fall under the rarest of rare case and as such did not warrant death penalty. He cited several Supreme Court judgments arguing that convicts have not been awarded death penalty even in cases that were more heinous than the instant case. Pointing to the severe injuries inflicted on the victim's private parts, the prosecution pleaded for the death penalty, asserting that the convicts even after being convicted did not show repentance. Rejecting the defence counsel's arguments, the judge called out the names of each of the convicts as she pronounced the sentence. Refusing to comment on the verdict, the defence counsel said: "We will be moving the high court appealing against the verdict against all the six next week." The residents of Kamduni, led by Tumpa Koyal and Moushumi Koyal who had formed a forum seeking death penalty for all the accused, hailed the verdict saying their fight for justice has been vindicated. Alleging police slackness in the case, the forum members had knocked on the doors of top political and constitutional authorities including the president, demanding that the trial be expedited. Street protests singed Kolkata and other parts of the state in the days and months after the Kamduni incident. Political parties too welcomed the verdict. "Delayed, incomplete but justice nevertheless... Battle must continue in Kamduni and everywhere," said leader of Opposition and Communist Party of India-Marxist state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra. The state's ruling Trinamool Congress hailed the judicial system and said the punishment of the perpetrators was a "big achievement" for the administration. However rights group Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM) strongly condemned the pronouncement of capital punishment in the case. "The continued use of death penalty is regressive step. This reverse journey of the Indian judiciary is not only against the international standards but against the human rights ethos and practices," said MASUM secretary Kirity Roy. Mahatma Gandhi as a journalist was the theme of a discussion on Hickey's Day, observed on Saturday by scribes and students of mass communication at a function held here. On the occasion, organised by NGO Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society, tributes were paid to the pioneering crusader for free press James Augustus Hickey, who laid the foundation of journalism in the country with publication of his weekly Bengal Gazette, the first Indian newspaper, from Kolkata on January 29, 1779. The speakers lauded Hickey's anti-establishment stance, bordering on scandalous outbursts against rulers of the day and deliberated on Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi's journalistic career spanning over four decades, his exemplary stewardship of the Indian Opinion in South Africa, later Young Indian, Nav Jeevan and Harijan, throw light on the process of his evolution from a barrister to a mass communicator, said senior journalist Rajiv Saxena. Social activist Shravan Kumar Singh said for Mahatma Gandhi journalism was not a vocation rather a platform to interact and shape his ideas that eventually catapulted him as the tallest leader of the Indian freedom struggle. Gandhi himself had said "I have taken up journalism not for its sake but merely as an aid to what I have conceived to be my mission in life". Shiv Pratap Singh, a young journalist said Gandhi used journalism to educate public mind. "He wrote on a vast variety of subjects from nature, environment to women's empowerment, charkha weaving, British colonialism and western culture. In his columns he elaborated his thinking on Swaraj, Satyagrah and non-cooperation." The hall-mark of Gandhi's journalistic style was simplicity, tempered by transparency and sincerity, said Sachin Saini. "Gandhi wrote for the common man and made no pretension of being literary." About $4 billion may have been stolen from a fund owned by the Malaysian state, a prosecutor says. The 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) fund was set up in 2009 to pay for major new economic and social developments in the country. Last year, Swiss authorities opened an investigation into 1MDB after it amassed more than $11 billion of debt, BBC reported. Switzerland's attorney general Michael Lauber said on Friday there were "serious indications that funds have been misappropriated from Malaysian state companies". Some of the money, the office of Michael Lauber said, had been transferred to Swiss accounts held by Malaysian former public officials and current and former public officials from the United Arab Emirates. "To date, however, the Malaysian concerned have made no comment on the losses they are believed to have incurred," the attorney general's statement said. Lauber called on Malaysian authorities to give full judicial assistance to their Swiss counterparts. A Swiss investigation into 1MDB was opened in 2015, citing "suspected corruption of public foreign officials, dishonest management of public interests and money laundering". In a statement on Saturday, 1MDB said it "remains committed to fully co-operating with any lawful authority and investigation", but had not yet heard from any foreign legal authorities. Regulators in the US and Hong Kong were also reported to be investigating 1MDB. The fund's advisory board is chaired by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who launched 1MDB soon after taking office in 2009. Last July, Malaysia's then Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail linked a donation of $681 million made to Najib's account with and bodies which had ties to 1MDB. Patail was replaced, and, after an investigation, his successor last week cleared Najib of corruption saying that the money was a personal donation by the Saudi royal family to the prime minister's private bank account. "I am satisfied that there is no evidence to show that the donation was a form of gratification given corruptly," said Attorney-General Mohamed Apandi Ali. Most of the money was later returned, he said. Malaysia's anti-corruption commission said it would seek a review of the attorney-general's decision. Warning that there is every possibility of the ongoing agitation in Nepal over the newly adopted constitution spilling over into India, a group of visiting civil society leaders from the Himalayan nation has sought India's "democratic influence" to resolve the crisis. "The continuous disturbances in the Terai region has a political and socio-economic impact in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal," former Nepalese ambassador to Denmark Vijay K. Karna told journalists here. "The second impact is that the continuation of the agitation for such a long period may make our young people go for a separatist movement, militancy, which will lead to more killings, disturbances," he said, adding that he did not want what happened in Sri Lanka to happen in Nepal. Over 50 people have been killed in the now more than five-month-old anti-constitutional protest by Madhesis in the southern Nepali Terai. Most of the 41 transit and customs points along the southern portion of this open border with India have been besieged by the Madhesi protestors who are demanding, among other things, a redrawing of the boundaries of the provinces in Nepal as proposed in the new Constitution -- promulgated on September 20 last year -- and representation in parliament on the basis of population. "Long-term disturbances will lead to migration of people to India for security," Karna said Stating that they did not want India to get involved as in the case of Sri Lanka, Karna, however, sought India's democratic influence to end the impasse. "India has been facilitating our democratic process for a long time. We never considered it as an intervention," Karna said. "We are expecting the government of India to use its democratic influence because your border is also being disturbed." Unnerved by the prolonged Madhesi agitation, the ruling major-Left coalition as also the main opposition Nepali Congress last week approved two amendments to the four-month-old Constitution partly meeting the demands of the protestors. However, the Madhesi Morcha spearheading the agitation on Monday rejected the amendments to the statute and announced a fresh agitation programme besides calling for a broader alliance among all forces in the Terai-Madhes region. "This amendment is a farce," Karna said. "This has nothing to do with addressing the issues of representation and inclusion of the marginalised communities of Nepal. Actually it has again cheated the people. Without consulting the agitating political forces, they have done it on their own," he said. Dipendra Jha, a constitutional lawyer working in Nepal's supreme court, said that the very fact that amendments have been made show that the political parties have accepted that there was a flaw in the new constitution, which they at one time claimed to be the best in the world. "One was on reservation policy which we call inclusion in the state structure and another was on electoral system," he explained. "In the first amendment, they have definitely included the 'proportional' term but they continued with the term 'reservation' for Brahmins, Khas Arya Brahmins. It is against the principle of reservation to give reservation to the Khas Aryas. They coined the term 'economically weaker Khas Arya' which is actually economically weaker Brahmin," Jha said. "So, worldwide if you look at the principle of reservation, nowhere can you find that reservation is given for the ruling class or the Brahmins. It is for the scheduled caste, scheduled tribe, OBC, Dalits. So that is against the principle of reservation." The second issue, Jha said, was the electoral system. "In the electoral system, you have to understand that the recent amendment has not been able to recognise our aspirations. Definitely they have accepted that population would be the main basis but they have continued with the term geography as the second basis," he said. "So, what we questioned was how are you going to define geography and population ratio?" Then again, Jha said, the constitution says that there should be one seat in one district. "Our concern is that there are 55 districts in the hill areas and only 20 districts in the Terai. The population is higher in the Terai but from the geographic point of view, there are only 20 districts in Terai. So, that would automatically affect our representation in the legislature," he said. The visiting group of civil society leaders, which also includes Daman Nath Dhunguna, former speaker of the Nepal parliament, Tula Narayan Shah, a Madhesi activist, Shankar Limbu, a lawyer working for tribal rights, and Krishna Choudhury, a journalist, have met leaders of the BJP and the Congress as also Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar among others seeking their support. US President Barack Obama will host his Italian and Colombian counterparts next month, the White House said on Friday. Italian President Sergio Mattarella is scheduled to meet Obama on February 8 during his visit to the US on February 6-13. "Italy is a valued NATO Ally and a close partner on a broad range of global challenges," a White House press release said. The two leaders will discuss efforts to counter the Islamic State group and the global refugee crisis, and "they will also exchange views on economic development in Europe, the importance of concluding the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, and other issues of mutual interest", it said. In a separate news briefing on Friday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters that Obama will host Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos at the White House next week, reports Xinhua. During Santos' official working visit on Thursday, the two presidents will "hold a bilateral meeting" and "mark 15 years of ... cooperation through Plan Colombia". Vatican City, Jan 30 (IANS/AKI) It is acceptable to sin often and seek forgiveness but not be corrupt and to no longer see the need to atone for one's sins, Pope Francis said. "One can sin often, and always return to God seeking forgiveness, never doubting that it will be obtained," Pope Francis said on Friday. "It is especially when one becomes corrupt -- when one no longer sees the need to be forgiven that problems begin," he said. He gave the biblical example of King David, who impregnates Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, an army officer fighting at the front, whose death in battle David then arranges to conceal his adultery. "This is a moment in David's life that makes us see a moment through which we all can pass in our life: it is the passage from sin to corruption." "This is where David begins, taking the first step towards corruption. He has the power, he has the strength. And for this reason, corruption is a very easy sin for all of us who have some power, whether it be ecclesiastical, religious, economic, political... Because the devil makes us feel certain: 'I can do it'." --IANS/AKI py/vm Pakistan and Afghan military commanders agreed on Saturday on better coordination and enhancing security measures at both sides of the border, officials said. Pakistan and Afghanistan have neatly 2,600 kms border, mostly porous, and the militants take advantage of the inaccessible and difficult terrain to move across the border, according to Xinhua. Pakistan has long been seeking Afghanistan's help for better border coordination to check the illegal crossings. Both sides had earlier agreed on the establishment of bilateral border coordination centres at Torkham and Chaman border points. However, the centres have not yet been set up. As the military-to-military contacts have grown in recent days, an eight-member delegation of Afghan National Army headed by Corps Commander Lieutenant Mohammad Sharif Yaftali held talks with Pakistani counterparts in Peshawar and discussed cooperation, focusing on border coordination. The visit of Afghan National Army delegation is follow up of the Pakistan Army Chief Raheel Sharif's visit to Afghanistan last month in which it was decided that Corps Commanders from respective sides will hold meetings for better border management. The delegates discussed matters pertaining to mutual interest and security arrangements at Pak-Afghan border, a statement from the army's Inter-Services Public Relations said. Both militaries have also established a hotline to exchange views on security matters in line with decisions taken during the army chief's visit. The Afghan military officers visit Pakistan days after a group of the Taliban in a brutal attack on a university in Pakistan massacred over 20 students, teachers and security guards. The army said a Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan commander controlled the January 20 attack from Afghanistan. The Pakistan army chief had shared details about the attack with the top Afghan leaders and the foreign forces' commander in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday said the terror attack on an Indian Air Force (IAF) base in Indian Punjab's Pathankot town disturbed the peace process between Pakistan and India, a media report said. Sharif, who admitted that matters between the two countries were moving in the right direction, regretted that the January 2 terror strike disturbed the negotiation process, Radio Pakistan reported. Following the attacks, Indian and Pakistani governments postponed scheduled diplomatic talks till the end of January. Six terrorists of the now-outlawed Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) group stormed the IAF base in Punjab's Pathankot town and killed seven security personnel. They, too, were killed by the Indian security forces. India sought prompt action against the perpetrators of the attack, sharing "actionable" evidence against JeM Chief Masood Azhar with the Pakistan government. There were reports that Azhar was detained by the security forces. Sharif then held a high level meeting with security agencies and said a thorough probe be carried out, assuring India that Islamabad was seriously investigating the case and will not hesitate to act if anyone was found guilty. India whole-heartedly welcomed Pakistan's move and said it will welcome and help the Pakistani team probe the matter. Pakistan, however, turned down India's proposal to jointly interrogate Azhar and other suspects linked to the Pathankot attack. Pakistan's Daily Times, in an editorial on Saturday, noted that the Pathankot attack had come "just as the two sides had groped their way back to the negotiating table after initial aggressive intent was on display from the (Narendra) Modi government". "On present trends at least, the post-Pathankot scenario has a chilling resemblance to post-Mumbai," said the daily, referring to the 2008 attack in Mumbai that left 166 people, including many foreigners, dead. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday said that the terror attack in India's Pathankot town disturbed the peace process between Pakistan and India, a media report said. Sharif said that matters between Pakistan and India were moving in the right direction. He, however, regretted the Pathankot incident disturbed the negotiation process, Radio Pakistan reported. Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday inaugurated the country's World Trade Centre (WTC) in port city of Chittagong. With the setting up of the 300-foot high and 24-storey centre, Bangladesh has now become part of a global network spanning over 100 countries, Xinhua reported. Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Hasina expressed the hope that the centre will act as a catalyst for local and foreign organisations to network and explore new joint ventures and collaborations in their new initiatives. Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), an association of leading businessmen, constructed the centre as a part of the global network of World Trade Centres Association (WTCA) as well as a global hub for international business, which offer facilities and services associated with global commerce under one umbrella. The centre is expected to be a platform where the businesses from home and abroad would converge to stimulate trade and investment opportunities, CCCI President Mahbubul Alam said. He had earlier told journalists that the WTC aimed at facilitating trade and commerce of the country from Chittagong, which is considered as the commercial hub of this region with the country's premier seaport. He said the chamber obtained license from the New York-based World Trade Centres Association for the WTC in Chittagong. He said the centre houses banks, exhibition hall, shopping mall, food court, IT zone, International Trade Institute, International standard convention hall, meeting room, among others, to offer all kinds of business related services. A police official was on Saturday killed in a gun battle with Maoists in Bihar's Munger district, officials said. Bhawesh Kumar, assistant sub inspector at the Dharhara police station in Munger, was killed in the gunfight near Bangali Bandh. A group of Maoists attacked a patrol party of Bihar Police. They fired at the police personnel, and a bullet hit Bhawesh Kumar in the chest. He succumbed to his injuries on way to a hospital, a police official said. After the gun battle, a special task force along with paramilitary forces launched a combing operation in Munger and the neighbouring districts of Jamui and Banka. Security forces personnel checking the identity of IAF employees near the Indian Air Force base where an operation against militants was carried out in Pathankot There is apprehension that the Pakistan, India bilateral dialogue may suffer the same fate as the proposed dialogue after the Mumbai attacks, said a Pakistani daily which noted that "the post-Pathankot scenario has a chilling resemblance to post-Mumbai". An editorial on Pakistan-India talks in the Daily Times on Saturday said "if the latest statements of the Pakistan foreign office and the Indian foreign ministry are perused, what one finds is an all too familiar ring to these utterings". Pakistan "has thrown the ball back into India's court as far as settling mutually convenient dates for the foreign secretaries talks originally scheduled for January 15 but postponed due to the Pathankot attack," said the daily. It observed that both sides had been careful to underline that the talks had only been postponed, not cancelled. "Yet here we are, more than a month down the road since then, and all we are hearing from the Pakistani side as well as the Indian foreign ministry spokesman is that 'mutually convenient' dates are not yet in hand..." The editorial noted that despite Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's reiterations of resolve to counter terrorism and the detention of Maulana Masood Azhar of the Jaish-e-Mohammad, accused of masterminding the Pathankot attack, "immense uncertainty looms over the (preliminary) meeting of the foreign secretaries in order to pave the way for the Bilateral Comprehensive Dialogue to follow". "Both sides seem firmly bogged down in the old and worn ruts, particularly since Islamabad insists the 'evidence' regarding the Pathankot attack provided by India is 'insufficient'." It went on to say that if there is a chink of light "one is the statement of the Pakistan High Commissioner in New Delhi Abdul Basit, who is confident the foreign secretary talks will begin in February and the other the report that the Pakistani and Indian foreign secretaries could meet this week on the sidelines of a conference in San Francisco, where they will take advantage of the opportunity to discuss dates for their formal interaction". It said that the "apprehension is that this bilateral dialogue may suffer the same fate as the proposed dialogue after the Mumbai attacks". "Governments in Islamabad and New Delhi changed while both sides were still dancing their minuet around the investigations of that terror attack and even the replacement governments have made little, if any, progress in that direction. Now comes Pathankot just as the two sides had groped their way back to the negotiating table after initial aggressive intent was on display from the Modi government. "On present trends at least, the post-Pathankot scenario has a chilling resemblance to post-Mumbai." The daily said that the people of the subcontinent await with a mixture of hope and resignation the reversal of this familiar Pakistan-India impasse. "...The eminently logical recourse to the weapon of language rather than the time-worn language of weapons remains to be established as the dominant and irreversible currency of the relationship. Hope for the best, but don't hold your breath where these two countries are concerned." The protest over the suicide of a Dalit research scholar in University of Hyderabad intensified with Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi again joining the agitators at the campus and observing a day-long fast on Saturday, even as the BJP targeted him for "playing over dead bodies". For more than 12 hours, Gandhi, who had participated in a candlelight vigil after Friday midnight and spent the night on the campus, sat with students, including the four others suspended, and Rohith Vemula's family members, as they held a day-long hunger strike for justice at the protest venue near the Shopping Complex. They also marked the birth anniversary of Vemula, who committed suicide two weeks ago. Dalit ideologue Kancha Ilaiah offered fruit juice to him in the evening to end the fast. Noting there was "massive discrimination" in universities and other institutions, Gandhi asked the BJP and the RSS not to impose their ideas on students and suggested Prime Minister Narendra Modi "look into the possibilities of passing a law against discrimination at universities". "My main opposition to Modiji and the RSS is that they are trying to crush the spirit of Indian youngsters by imposing one idea from the top. Don't force one idea on students," he said. "Please put your idea in the market place of ideas and then if students accept that idea, I am fine with it," he added. Dozens of other students were also on the day-long hunger strike to press the demand for the resignation of Vice Chancellor P. Appa Rao and action against him and others responsible for the suicide. "I am here today at the request of Rohith's friends and family, to stand with them in their fight for justice," tweeted Gandhi, who visited the campus for the second time in less than a week. "A young life full of dreams and aspirations was cut short." Also paying tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary, he also commented that all owe it "to the memory of Gandhiji and to every single Indian student who dreams of an India free from prejudice and injustice". Former Lok Sabha speaker P.A. Sangma, workers of the Youth Congress, National Students Union of India (NSUI), students from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and various universities also joined the mass hunger strike. Congress' Telangana unit chief Uttam Kumar Reddy and other party leaders and workers were arrested near the campus when they staged a protest against the Modi government's inaction in the case. Police beefed up security on the campus in view of the call given by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) to protest Gandhi's visit, and for a shutdown of educational institutions across Telangana to protest what it calls the attempts of the Congress leader to play over the suicide. About 50 ABVP workers were arrested shortly after Friday midnight when they tried to stop Gandhi's convoy at the university's main gate. In New Delhi, students belonging to various groups staged a protest near the RSS office, raising slogans against its "interference" in academic institutions. Meanwhile, the BJP on Saturday asked Rahul Gandhi to "not politicise" the death of the Dalit research scholar, and stop "playing on dead bodies". BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra told reporters in the national capital that it was not a "Dalit versus non-Dalit" issue but a classic case of trying to score political points. The Congress dismissed the allegations, with spokesman Ajay Maken saying Gandhi was raising his voice for justice, while central minister Bandaru Dattatreya had politicised the issue by writing to the human resource development ministry to take action against the Dalit students. Gandhi had visited the campus on January 19, two days after Rohith committed suicide. The university remained shut since the student committed suicide with Joint Action Committee (JAC) continuing their protest and offering stiff resistance to the attempts by the administration to conduct classes over the last two days. Interim Vice Chancellor Vipin Srivastava, who had claimed on Thursday that normalcy will be restored soon, has proceeded on leave and the varsity said the next seniormost professor, A.M. Periasamy, will perform the duties of the vice chancellor till further orders. Srivastava had taken over only a week ago after Appa Rao proceeded on indefinite leave in the wake of students' demand for his resignation. However, the students refused to accept Srivastava as he had headed a sub-committee of the executive council which suspended five Dalit students following an alleged clash with a leader of ABVP. The JAC alleged that he was also involved in a case of suicide of Senthil Kumar, a Dalit research scholar, in 2008. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday continued his protest along with the students who are on hunger strike at the University of Hyderabad, demanding justice for a Dalit research scholar who committed suicide. Rahul, who participated in a candle light vigil after midnight and spent the night on the campus, remained seated along with the students at the protest venue near Shopping Complex to mark the birth anniversary of Rohith Vemula, who committed suicide two weeks ago. He was seated with four Dalit students who were suspended along with Rohith and also the mother and brother of Rohith. Dozens of other students are also on a day-long hunger strike to press the demand for the resignation of Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and action against him and others responsible for the suicide. "I am here today at the request of Rohith's friends and family, to stand with them in their fight for justice," tweeted Rahul Gandhi, who visited the campus for the second time in less than a week. "A young life full of dreams and aspirations was cut short," he tweeted. While paying tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary, Gandhi commented 'we owe it to him, to the memory of Gandhiji and to every single Indian student who dreams of an India free from prejudice and injustice." Workers of the Youth Congress, National Students Union of India (NSUI), students from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Film and Television Institute of India and various universities also joined the mass hunger strike. Police beefed up security on the campus in view of the call given by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) to protest Rahul's visit. The student group has called for a shutdown of educational institutions across Telangana to protest what it calls the attempts of the Congress leader to play politics over the suicide. About 50 ABVP workers were arrested shortly after midnight when they tried to stop Rahul's convoy at the university's main gate. Rahul, who landed at Hyderabad airport around midnight, drove straight to the university and paid tributes to Rohith at the memorial constructed by the students. Rahul had visited the campus on January 19, two days after Rohith committed suicide. The MP had demanded action against the vice chancellor, central ministers and others responsible for the student's suicide. The protest over the suicide of a Dalit research scholar in University of Hyderabad intensified with Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi joining the agiators at the campus on Saturday. For more than 12 hours, Rahul Gandhi sat with students and the family members of Rohith Vemula who are on hunger strike, demanding justice. He also participated in a candlelight vigil after midnight and spent the night on the campus. He remained seated along with the students at the protest venue near Shopping Complex to mark the birth anniversary of Rohith Vemula, who committed suicide two weeks ago. He was seated with four Dalit students who were suspended along with Rohith and also Rohith's mother and brother. Dozens of other students are also on a day-long hunger strike to press the demand for the resignation of Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and action against him and others responsible for the suicide. "I am here today at the request of Rohith's friends and family, to stand with them in their fight for justice," tweeted Rahul Gandhi, who visited the campus for the second time in less than a week. "A young life full of dreams and aspirations was cut short," he tweeted. While paying tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary, Gandhi commented 'we owe it to him, to the memory of Gandhiji and to every single Indian student who dreams of an India free from prejudice and injustice." Former Lok Sabha speaker P. A. Sangma, workers of the Youth Congress, National Students Union of India (NSUI), students from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Film and Television Institute of India and various universities also joined the mass hunger strike. President of Telangana unit of the Congress party, Uttam Kumar Reddy and party workers were arrested near the campus when they staged a protest against the BJP-led government's inaction in Rohith Vemula's case. Police beefed up security on the campus in view of the call given by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) to protest Rahul's visit. The student group has called for a shutdown of educational institutions across Telangana to protest what it calls the attempts of the Congress leader to play politics over the suicide. About 50 ABVP workers were arrested shortly after midnight when they tried to stop Rahul's convoy at the university's main gate. Rahul had visited the campus on January 19, two days after Rohith committed suicide. The university remained shut since the student committed suicide with Joint Action Committee (JAC) for social justice continuing their protest. The attempts by the administration to conduct classes over last two days met with stiff resistance from the JAC, which comprises 14 students' groups. Interim Vice Chancellor Vipin Srivastava, who had claimed on Thursday that normalcy will be restored soon, proceeded on leave. The university announced the next seniormost professor, A M. Periasamy, will perform the duties of the vice chancellor of the university till further orders. Srivastava had taken over as incharge VC only a week ago after Vice Chancellor P. Appa Rao proceeded on indefinite leave in the wake of students' demand for his resignation. However, the students refused to accept Srivastava as the interim vice chancellor as he had headed a sub-committee of the executive council which suspended five Dalit students following an alleged clash with a leader of ABVP. The JAC alleged that he was also involved in a case of suicide of Senthil Kumar, a Dalit research scholar, in 2008. JAC has also given a call for 'chalo Delhi' on February 4. The students plan to march from Mandi House to ministry of human resources development. The next day a protest meet will be organised at the Jantar Mantar and they will seek appointment to meet President Pranab Mukherjee. The JAC also launched 'postcard to President' campaign. Students, faculty, workers and all concerned individuals on campus and across the country will send postcards to the president to demand justice to Rohith. The students' groups are demanding arrest of vice chancellor, central minister Bandaru Dattatreya and two ABVP leaders booked on January 18. Disgruntled BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha on Saturday questioned the union cabinet's decision to recommend President's Rule in Arunachal Pradesh and wondered what was the hurry when the matter was in court. "I have tremendous faith in our dashing, dynamic, action hero Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Sinha tweeted. "But wonder who the 'great' advisors are who advised President's Rule in Arunachal Pradesh. That too when the matter is sub judice, in the Supreme Court, under a five judge constitutional bench. Wonder what was the hurry and worry," he added. Sinha's reaction came a day after the central government submitted in the Supreme Court its response to a petition filed by the Congress challenging Arunachal Pradesh Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa's report recommending the imposition of President's Rule in the state. "God forbid, if the decision does not go in our favour, wonder what explanation and answer we will have for our respected prime minister," Sinha said in another tweet. At least 50 Al-Shabaab suspects have been arrested in a joint security operation conducted by Somalia and AU peacekeeping mission forces in Jowhar town, the capital of Middle Shabelle on Saturday. Somali government's police commander in Jowhar town Mohamed Siyad Anjeh told reporters that they carried out home to home search to ensure the security at Hawadag neighbourhood, Xinhua reported. "We wanted to ensure total security in the Jowhar town as there are guests including high ranking delegates who are attending a conference to establish a new state for Hiiraan and Middle Shabelle region," Anjeh said. "We arrested 50 Al-Shabaab suspects during the operation, but we released some of them after investigation, we will also release others if they are not found guilty," he added. Jowhar is 90 kms north from the Somali capital, Mogadishu and there are government members from both the executive and federal parliament who are meeting to establish the last state in Hiiraan and Middle Shabelle regions. Similar operation by AU and Somali security forces have been conducted at Elasha-biyaha, 20 kms south of the capital Mogadishu, early this week. Government and regional leaders said they are going to take a major operation against Al Qaeda linked group of Al-Shabaab soon. The group lost many key towns in south and central Somalia, but it still carries out deadly attacks in Somalia including the killing of Kenyan soldiers in Gedo region on January 15 and attack on a beach restaurant in Mogadishu last week. A high percentage of street dog deaths were influenced by humans, says a new study, which also notes how human activities impact the sex ratio of the free-ranging dog population. In a five-year-long census based study in seven locations of West Bengal, researchers from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata (IISER, Kolkata) attempted to understand the pattern of population growth and factors affecting early life mortality in free-ranging dogs. "In 95 observed litters with 364 pups, only 19 percent of them survived the reproductive age. We found 63 percent of total mortality was human influenced, either directly or indirectly," Anindita Bhadra of the department of biological sciences at IISER, Kolkata told IANS. Published in Nature Scientific Reports on January 25, the analysis said that "while living near people increases resource availability for dogs, it also has deep adverse impacts on their population growth, making the dog-human relationship on streets highly complex". Further, the study shows how humans are also responsible for a skewed sex ratio in dog population. "People preferentially remove male pups from the population, and our simulation shows that this leads to higher mortality of females due to accidents, due to the sheer skew in the numbers of male and female pups/juveniles in the resulting population. "Humans not only are responsible for a high proportion of the mortality of free-ranging dogs in early life, but also cause a skew in the sex ratio of the cohort that attains sexual maturity," Bhadra said quoting from the report. The broader picture that emerges is that understanding population dynamics is crucial for successful dog control measures, said Bhadra. "Qualitatively, when we looked around, we saw dog numbers are not increasing every year. Biologically growth rate is not that high. What shocked us a lot was that in many places, people were mixing poison with food and feeding the dogs. Entire litters were washed out. This happens a lot," she added. The White House has declined comment on the case of Jagtar Singh Hawara, the main accused in the August 1995 assassination of then Punjab chief minister Beant Singh. "We cannot comment here on the specific foreign criminal justice matter raised in your petition," the White House said on Friday in its official response to the demand for the release of Hawara, named Jathedar (head) of Sri Akal Takht by some radical Sikhs. The White House responds to "We the People" petitions filed on its website once it reaches a threshold of 100,000 signatures. The petition initiated by New York based "Sikhs For Justice" (SFJ) in November 2015 urging "the President to seek release of Jathedar Hawara from India," gathered 106,320 signatures. "The president has made it clear that our nation's deep respect for religious liberty and pluralism must not stop at our shores," the White House said. In an address to the people of India last year, it recalled, President Barack Obama "stressed the importance of these fundamental principles to both our democracies". "In both our countries, in India and in America, our diversity is our strength. And we have to guard against any efforts to divide ourselves along sectarian lines or any other lines," it said, citing Obama's address during his visit to India last year to be the chief guest at India's Republic Day parade. "And if we do that well, if America shows itself as an example of its diversity and yet the capacity to live together and work together in common effort, in common purpose; if India, as massive as it is, with so much diversity, so many differences is able to continually affirm its democracy, that is an example for every other country on the Earth." The US, the White House said, "remains committed to coordinating with governments around the world to promote religious freedom for all citizens". It encouraged the petitioners "to continue to use the We the People platform to petition the administration to take action on the policy issues you care about, but we cannot comment here on the specific foreign criminal justice matter raised in your petition". In its November 10 petition, the SFJ suggested "Jathedar Hawara, is incarcerated for assassinating Beant Singh, the then chief minister of Punjab. Beant was responsible for death of over 100,000 Sikhs and his death put an end to Genocide of Sikhs". "Jathedar Hawara, being pro-Khalistan, faces risk of being eliminated," it said, alleging that "in 1993, another pro-Khalistan Jathedar, Gurdev Singh Kaunke was murdered by the Indian government". "Jathedar Hawara is undergoing 'imprisonment till death', a sentence which flouts the fundamental principles of justice and continuous detention of supreme religious leader will create discontentment in Sikhs," it said. Saying "Hawara's act of Beant's assassination is political in nature," SFJ legal advisor Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said, it "will continue to pursue this further as the US administration is obligated to intervene in such matters under International Religious Freedom Act of 1998". (Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in) Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) commandos of Meghalaya police on Saturday killed a commander of a Garo terrorist outfit wanted in the recent bombing in Williamnagar market. The commandos shot dead Pangkam Sangma, the second area commander of the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA), a terrorist outfit, while another terrorist, who ran away along with two others from the gunfight, is believed to have sustained bullet injuries, the police said. Based on intelligence inputs, a combined team of commandos stationed in West Khasi Hills district and East Garo Hills district raided Nengjugiitim village, about 375 km west of Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya. A gunfight erupted when the heavily armed terrorists fired at the commandos, Davies R. Marak, the district police chief of East Garo Hills, told IANS. "He (Pangkam) was wanted in several cases of murder, kidnapping and extortion besides in the January 9 Willamnagar blast in East Garo Hills where nine people were critically injured," Marak said. The death of Pangkam is the latest blow to the GNLA following the recent surrender and arrest of GNLA cadres. The killing also marks a major achievement for the Meghalaya Police, which has mounted a major combing operation in the insurgency-ravaged five districts of Garo Hills. "His (Pangkam) death in the encounter was a major achievement for the Meghalaya Police as he has been involved in several killings, abductions and extortions and was also one of the prime accused in the Williamnagar bomb blast," Marak said. A pistol, four mobile handsets, high-frequency wireless sets and incriminating documents were recovered from the site of the gunbattle. Meanwhile, Meghalaya Police has sounded a security alert in Garo Hills. The commandos belonging to SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) and CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) units continued their combing operations to track down other terrorists. The GNLA, one of the five Garo rebel groups fighting for a separate "Garoland" in western Meghalaya, is headed by police officer-turned-rogue Champion R. Sangma. It has also forged an alliance with the Myanmar-based National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang faction and operates jointly with the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland. Sangma was arrested from the India-Bangladesh border on July 30, 2012, and is presently lodged in Shillong jail. With battle lines drawn for the 2017 Assembly elections in Punjab, the emergence of the Aam Admi Party (AAP) on the state's political landscape is giving jitters to both the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (SAD-BJP) alliance and its traditional rival, the Congress. He is everywhere; most of us do not pass a day without seeing him. He peered at us as President Pranab Mukherjee addressed us on the eve of the Republic Day. Lately he has begun appearing on walls which used to be paan spit-stained, surrounded by strewn garbage. And he has been gone 68 years. He is Mahatma Gandhi, India's foremost political totem. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his respects to Mahatma Gandhi on his 68th martyrdom day at Rajghat around 9.30 on Saturday morning, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi was sitting with the students agitating over Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula's death at the Hyderabad Central University. Rahul reached the protest site a little after midnight and sat with the students for two hours. He rejoined them in the morning and sat on a fast nearly the entire day. It was the Congress vice-president's second visit - the first was on January 19 - to the university campus to express solidarity with the protesting students. According to sources, his closest advisers had gone an extra mile to ensure that few in the Congress knew about the Rahul's plan till the last moment. With his second visit, the Congress VP conveyed to the world that he is no longer 'episodic' in his political engagements but planned to persist with causes - whether it was the cause of Dalits, minorities, farmers or, in the days to come, entry of women at religious places. The visit coincided not just with the Mahatma's martyrdom day. Saturday would have also been the 27th birthday of Vemula. The research scholar, who left behind a moving suicide note, was found hanging in the varsity's hostel room on January 17. That Rahul plans to keep the issue alive portends poorly for a smooth Budget session of Parliament scheduled to begin on or after February 22. The Congress vice-president's Hyderabad visit spurred as many as half a dozen senior ministers of the Narendra Modi government to criticise him for "playing over dead bodies". While highways and shipping minister Nitin Gadkari said Rahul was indulging in cheap over a sensitive issue, parliamentary affairs minister M Venkaiah Naidu said the government was willing to discuss all issues in the forthcoming Budget session. The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs will meet on February 4 to decide the Budget session schedule. Naidu said the government was willing to advance the session if the Opposition were to agree. The government claims to be keen to get the Goods and Services Tax (GST) constitution amendment and Real Estate bills passed in the session. The winter session was largely disrupted because of opposition protests. On the other hand, in a tweet from Hyderabad Rahul said: "I am here today at the request of Rohith's friends and family, to stand with them in their fight for justice." "A young life full of dreams and aspirations was cut short. We owe it to him, to the memory of (Mahatma) Gandhiji and to every single Indian student who dreams of an India free from prejudice and injustice," he said in another tweet. Sources in the Congress said Rahul was clear that the party should reclaim its lost political ground by reaching out to Dalits and farmers, communities that were once its support base. They said Rahul had been successful in exposing the "suit-boot sarkar" on issues like the land bill. A source said, Rahul also understands that the prosperous middle class and the expatriate community were unlikely to support Congress in the near future. A senior BJP leader said a particular social order has persisted for thousands of years and such incidents have taken place in the past too. "But they are getting highlighted just because BJP-led government is in power," he said. Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh backed students union, has called for a bandh of colleges in Telangana to protest against the " over dead bodies when peaceful atmosphere was returning in the university". In Hyderabad, when students raised slogans against Union ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattaretreya, Rahul intervened and said: "Let us not say 'murdabad' to somebody. That will not do justice." "I want to respectfully tell Modi ji that when you call a young boy anti- it is a disservice to the people," Rahul added. The driver of school van was killed and 21 others, mostly students, were injured today after the van collided with another vehicle at Kwakeithel junction in Imphal West district, the police said. The driver of the school van identified as Koijam Mangijao (33) was badly injured in the accident and later succumbed to his injuries. The injured, including 18 students were rushed to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Imphal for treatment. A Village Defence Force (VDF) personnel, who was on traffic duty during the accident, was also injured and was undergoing treatment, the police said. One civilian was killed in a cross firing between activists of two rival ultra outfits at Bandgaon in Maoist-affected West Singhbhum distirct, a senior police officer today said. The firing between CPI (Maoists) and People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI) took place on Friday afternoon at Pondegar in Maoist-affected Bandgaon police station area, Superintendent of Police, Michael Raj said. Raj said one civilian, who was caught in the cross firing, was killed in the incident. Several rounds of shots were exchanged between the two outfit members before they dispersed. A massive search operation was launched by security personnel to track down the ultras, he added. Haryana government has designated 10 new units of State Crime Branch as Economic Offence Wing (EOW) to deal more effectively with financial sector irregularities. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar approved a proposal to designate 10 units of the State Crime Branch as EOW, an official spokesperson said here. The decision has been taken to protect the interests of depositors and provide a powerful legal tool to contain the irregularities and discrepancies in the financial sector, he said. The EOW units would act as the prime investigation body for the offences committed under the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, Prize Chits and Money Circulation Schemes (Banning) Act, 1978, and the Protection of Interest of Depositors Act, 1913, he said. The 10 units which have been designated as the EOW are located in districts of Ambala, Panchkula, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Jind, Hisar, Bhiwani, Rohtak, Gurgaon and Faridabad. The Chief Minister has directed the Home department to ensure formulation of rules under the Haryana Protection of interests of Depositors in Financial Establishment Act, 2013, and other formalities at the earliest possible, the Spokesperson said. At least 15 people were injured in a clash which broke out between two communities in northwest Delhi's Sangam Park area this evening. By midnight, several police teams were deployed in the area and a case of rioting was registered, said a senior police official. The violence erupted after a youth was thrashed by some locals when he was caught allegedly trying to forcefully enter the residence of a family belonging to the another community, said an official. People from the youth's community soon gathered at the spot and were confronted by a group representing the other community, the official said. The injured have been hospitalised and police are questioning locals, trying to ascertain the identity of those involved im the violence, the official. Earlier in the day, two youths were shot at by unidentified persons near the same locality where violence erupted later in the evening, police said. Two inmates who remained at large after breaking out of a California jail more than a week ago have been arrested, Orange County sheriff's officials said today. Jonathan Tieu, 20, and Hossein Nayeri, 37, were in the custody of the San Francisco Police Department, the Orange County sheriff's department said on its Twitter feed. A conference was scheduled for midday today. Authorities had been hunting for Tieu, Nayeri and a third inmate, 43-year-old Bac Duong, in Southern California since they pulled off a brazen jail escape on January 22. Yesterday, Duong walked into an auto repair shop and said he wanted to surrender. He told investigators he had last seen the other two inmates Thursday afternoon in San Jose, shifting the manhunt 640 kilometers to the north. The three men had all been jailed and awaiting trial on charges in separate violent crimes. They were held in a dormitory with about 65 other men in the jail about 50 kilometers southeast of Los Angeles. The men escaped in the early morning hours after cutting a hole in a metal grate and then crawling through plumbing tunnels and onto the roof of a four-story jail building. They pushed aside barbed wire and rappelled down using a rope made of bed linen. It took jail staff 16 hours to realize the three men were missing. On Thursday, authorities arrested a woman who taught English inside the jail. Nooshafarin Ravaghi, 44, gave Nayeri a paper copy of a Google Earth map that showed an aerial view of the entire jail compound, Hallock said. She was booked on suspicion of being an accessory to a felony and was being held pending a court appearance set for Monday. It wasn't clear if she had a lawyer. Ravaghi and Nayeri also exchanged "personal and close" handwritten letters, but sheriff's spokesman Lt. Jeff Hallock could not say if the two were romantically involved. Duong, a native of Vietnam, has been held since last month on charges of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. It was the first escape in nearly three decades from the Central Men's Jail, built in 1968, that holds 900 men. Tieu is charged with murder and attempted murder in a 2011 gang shooting. Nayeri had been held without bond since September 2014 on charges of kidnapping, torture, aggravated mayhem and burglary. Two Union Ministers today hit out at Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi over his protest at Hyderabad Central University and asked him to not "politicise" the issue of Dalit student's suicide when peace has been restored in the campus. "Exams are nearing in Hyderabad (university). All the students are busy with studies. The government has (already) announced judicial probe into the matter. Peace has been restored there. (In such times), Rahul Gandhi ji is politicising the issue," Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said. Gadkari asked Gandhi to take up "whatever" issues he wants during upcoming session of Parliament instead of turning the HCU into a "political hub". He made the remarks on the sidelines of a consultation programme on Clean Ganga here. Rural Development Minister Birender Singh, who too attended the event, also took a pot-shot at Gandhi and said the "the party which has been reduced to 44 MPs from 206 MPs is politicising every issue". "They are politicising every issue. There is nothing new in it," Singh said. Meanwhile, Singh also hit out at BJP MP and actor Shatrughan Sinha for allegedly targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Twitter over President's rule in Arunachal Pradesh. "What he (Sinha) is doing is not important. He is belittling himself by targeting the Prime Minister," the Minister said. Turkey's state-run agency says at least 33 people, including five children, have drowned in the Aegean Sea after their Greece-bound boat capsized off the Turkish coast. Anadolu Agency says coast guards rescued 75 others from the sea today near the resort of Ayvacik en route to the Greek island of Lesbos. The agency has identified the survivors as natives of Afghanistan, Syria and Myanmar. The International Organization for Migration says 218 people have died this year while trying to cross by sea from Turkey to Greece. Turkey is hosting an estimated 2.5 million refugees from Syria. In November, Turkey agreed to fight smuggling networks and stem the flow of migrants into Europe. In return, the EU has pledged 3 billion euros (USD 3.25 billion) to help improve the refugees' conditions. A boat smuggling migrants to Greece slammed into rocks off the Turkish coast today and capsized, killing at least 33 people including five children, as the choppy Aegean Sea continued to claim asylum-seekers' lives this month at an appalling pace, officials said. Coast guard officials said they rescued 75 people from the 17-metre vessel but government officials said they suspected more were trapped inside the sunken vessel and the death toll was likely to rise. Video footage on the Turkish shoreline showed police walking among bodies of several dead as they washed ashore, among them a toddler lying on his back in navy blue clothing. The International Organisation for Migration says drowning deaths are running at four times the rate of 2015, when many thousands daily sought to enter the European Union via Turkey by reaching one of more than a dozen offshore Greek islands, particularly nearby Lesbos. Today's deaths take the drowning total for January above 250, whereas the agency recorded 805 drowning deaths on Turkey-Greece smuggling routes throughout 2015. A Turkish government official said he expects rescue workers to find more dead who were trapped inside the wreckage of the boat, which sank shortly after departing from the Aegean resort of Ayvacik, barely 8 kilometres north of the Lesbos coastline. Saim Eskioglu, deputy governor for the coastal Canakkale province that includes Ayvacik, said the boat "hit rocks soon after it left the coast and, unfortunately, it sank." "We believe there are more dead bodies inside the boat," he told CNN-Turk television. Ayvacik's mayor, Mehmet Unal Sahin, said most of the migrants were Syrians. The state-run Anadolu Agency said the boat also bore natives of Afghanistan and Myanmar. In a statement, the Turkish coast guard said it dispatched three boats, a team of divers and a helicopter after receiving calls for help. The coast guard said its rescue teams recovered 33 bodies and were continuing to search. A private Turkish agency, Dogan, said police arrested a Turkish man suspected of being the smuggler who organised today's disastrous sea crossing. Journalists at the scene said weather conditions Saturday on the Turkish coast were relatively mild, with light winds and temperatures around 12 degrees Celsius. Joel Millman, a spokesman for the International Organisation for Migration, said the rate of deaths on Turkey-Greece human trafficking routes was "increasing at an alarming rate." Millman, speaking before today's tragedy, said the rate of fatalities was running exceptionally high versus 2015. He said 55,000 had crossed by sea into Greece this month, a "very small number" versus the monthly flow in 2015. A six-year-old student of a prominent school in south Delhi was found dead in a pit under the school's amphitheatre this afternoon. The boy, a class 1 student at Ryan International school in Vasant Kunj, was found unconscious. The school authorities took him to a hospital where he was declared brought dead. It was the hospital which informed the police, following which several police teams and government department officers rushed to the spot, said a police official. "Several police teams are at the spot. Investigation is underway," a senior police official said adding that a case of negligence is likely to be registered in this connection. (REOPENS DEL 72) During their interrogation, the accused told police that they were playing cricket in the park and not consuming alcohol when the alleged scuffle occurred. They claimed that a fight broke out between the two groups when their ball hit one of the boys sitting nearby, a police official said. The police are taking down statements of locals who had rushed to the spot after the fight. Investigation is underway, the official added. In a shocking incident, a six- year-old student of a prominent private school in South Delhi was found dead in a water tank under the school's amphitheatre today, triggering demands for cancellation of its licence even as Delhi government ordered a magisterial probe into the case. The boy, identified as Divyansh Kakrora, was a class I student at Ryan International School in Vasant Kunj, police said, adding he was last seen before the seventh period, which was around 12.20 PM. The authorities then started looking for him and after sometime he was found floating inside the pit which is used as a water storage tank. It is under the ampitheatre in the school's playground. The school authorities then took him to a hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. It was around 2.40 PM that the hospital authorities informed the police about the matter, police said. An FIR has been registered at the Vasant Kunj North Police Station under Section 304 (A) of IPC against unknown persons for causing death due to negligence. "Investigation of the matter is underway and whatever legal action needs to be taken, will be taken," DCP (South) Prem Nath said. Delhi Government has ordered a magisterial probe into the incident. "We have ordered District Magistrate of New Delhi to probe the case. I need a report to take action. The probe will find facts and fix responsibility for the child's death," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who holds the Education portfolio, said. Divyansh was also to participate in a poetry competition organised at the school today. His parents are both paramedic staff at AIIMS, police said, adding the family lives in Sultanpur locality in south Delhi's Mehrauli area. The boy's father termed it a conspiracy and alleged that someone from the school authority was behind the incident. Several police teams were rushed to the spot after the incident came to light. The school authorities were questioned and a case of negligence is likely to be registered in connection with the incident, a senior official said adding how he fell into the pit is still to be ascertained. The boy's body was later sent for postmortem examination at AIIMS, police added. In a shocking incident, a six- year-old student of a prominent private school in South Delhi was found dead in a water tank under the school's amphitheatre this afternoon, following which Delhi government ordered a magisterial inquiry into it. The boy, identified as Divyansh Kakrora, was a class I student at Ryan International School in Vasant Kunj, police said. He was last seen before the seventh period, which was around 12.20 PM, following which the school authorities started looking for him. His body was later found floating inside the pit, used as a water storage tank, under the ampitheatre in the school's playground, police said. The school authorities took him to a hospital, where he was declared brought dead. It was around 2.40 PM that the hospital authorities informed the police about the matter, police said. "Investigation of the matter is underway and whatever legal action needs to be taken, will be taken," DCP (South) Prem Nath said. Delhi Government has ordered a magisterial probe into the incident. "Ordered District Magistrate of New Delhi to probe in Ryan child death case. To find facts, responsibility and ascertain exact role of school management," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia tweeted. Divyansh was also to participate in a poetry competition organised at the school today. His parents are both paramedic staff at AIIMS, police said, adding the family lives in Sultanpur locality in south Delhi's Mehrauli area. The boy's father termed it a conspiracy and alleged someone from the school authority was behind the incident. Several police teams were rushed to the spot after the incident came to light. The school authorities were questioned and a case of negligence is likely to be registered in connection with the incident, a senior official said adding how he fell into the pit is still to be ascertained. The boy's body was later sent for postmortem examination at AIIMS, police added. On Wednesday, a five-year-old boy died after he fell into a septic tank of a municipal corporation-run school in south west Delhi's Kapashera area, following which a case of negligence was registered. The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) today called for a bandh of colleges in Telangana in protest against the " over dead bodies" done by Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi in the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) over the Rohith Vemula issue. "ABVP strongly opposes the politicisation being done by Rahul Gandhi in Central University at a time when peaceful atmosphere is returning in the university," ABVP executive member Kadiam Raju said in a statement. Gandhi should stop the " over dead bodies" and help restore normalcy in the HCU, he said. The call for shut down by the ABVP came as Gandhi came to the HCU campus late last night and is scheduled to join the fast to be undertaken by the agitating students of the university today on the occasion of birthday of Dalit Research scholar Rohith Vemula who allegedly committed suicide earlier this month. "ABVP questions why he (Rahul Gandhi) did not console when Dalit women students died in a medical college in Chennai," the statement said. Activists of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) today protested against the visit of Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi to the Hyderabad Central University campus over the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula even as it called for a "bandh" in Telangana colleges. Gachibowli Police Station Inspector J Ramesh Kumar said 24 ABVP activists were "dispersed". "They were not detained. They were identified and dispersed from there," he said. The BJP's student wing called for a bandh of colleges in Telangana in protest against "politics over dead bodies" by Rahul in the HCU. "ABVP strongly opposes the politicisation being done by Rahul Gandhi in Central University at a time when peaceful atmosphere is returning in the university," ABVP national executive member Kadiam Raju said. Gandhi should stop the "politics over dead bodies" and help restore normalcy in the HCU, he said. "ABVP questions why he (Rahul Gandhi) did not console when Dalit women students died in a medical college in Chennai," Raju asked. For the first time after more than a week of turmoil over the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula, academic activities resumed in the Hyderabad Central University yesterday even as protests by students in support of their demands, continued. Academic and administrative activities had come to a stand-still in HCU from January 18, a day after Rohith's suicide, with agitating students spearheading protests seeking justice for him. ABVP today hit out at Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi for playing "caste politics" over the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula and called for a two-day nationwide protest to "expose the leader's hidden agenda". National General Secretary of ABVP, Vinay Bidre also criticised CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, saying they were also playing "very bad politics" over the issue. "We are going to expose the hidden agenda of these people," Bidre said, while calling for a two-day nationwide protest starting from tomorrow in order to "stop the politicisation and save Hyderabad Central University Campus." Stepping up the offensive on the Dalit scholar's suicide issue, Gandhi today observed a day-long fast along with the agitating students of Hyderabad Central University after participating in a candle light vigil in the wee hours. Bidre, here to attend the state Conference of the ABVP, described as "sad and a serious incident" the suicide of Vemula. He, however, said the issue should not be construed as "a battle between the dalits and non-dalits." "Death should not be politicised. But Leftists are trying to obfuscate the whole issue and make it murkier by trying to portray Vemula as Dalit and Susheel, an ABVP activist in the Hyderabad University Campus a non-Dalit. "The ABVP contends that Vemula belongs to the Vaddera community and certificates which claim that he is a Dalit are false," he said. Bidre also condemned the lathicharge on protesting ABVP workers in Hyderabad today. Despite seven years of sustained efforts and spending billions of dollars and hundreds of its soldiers dead, the Obama administration still finds Afghanistan a dangerous country. "At this point it's clear that it's a very difficult situation in Afghanistan. It's a dangerous country," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said. He observed that the Afghan government and the Afghan national security forces have been in charge of the security situation in country for only about a year or so. There are lessons that the Afghans had to learn and some losses that they have sustained. But the US military and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) partners have made substantial contributions to offering training and advice, and assistance and expertise to those security forces, Earnest said. "There's also been a mission that US military personnel have undertaken, focused on counterterrorism, that has both an element of protecting the forces serving in Afghanistan, but also protecting the United States and our interests from extremist organisations operating in that region of the world," he said. Earnest said the president is certainly pleased with the performance of the US military and NATO partners. "We've actually seen from the Afghans a willingness to fight for their country, a willingness to respond to losses and to recover from them and fight back," he said. The US, he noted, would continue to have intensive conversations with its NATO partners about how they can contribute to the ongoing efforts inside of Afghanistan. "I would say that over past 15 years we've seen countries in NATO make substantial contributions to the situation in Afghanistan, and they're going to need to sustain those kinds of contributions moving forward," he said. "And I'm confident that will be an important part of the discussions over the course of this year, leading up to the NATO summit that's planned for later this summer," Earnest said. A magistrate's court here today sent a youth arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad for allegedly recruiting boys here for the ISIS to a children's remand home, as his lawyer claimed he was just over 16. "The court remanded him to remand home and asked the ATS and the defence to adduce (more) evidence about his age," an ATS officer said. When the boy was produced before the court, his lawyer Chirag Shah showed his SSC certificate to establish that he was 16 years and 8 months old. ATS, on the other hand, produced electoral roll from the website of Election Commission where his age is shown as 20. The magistrate then remanded the 'boy' to children's home and directed the defence and the prosecution to satisfy the court on the point of his age at next hearing on February 8. The prosecution said the accused was second-in-command of ISIS in India and was assigned the task of recruiting. He ran two safe houses -- one in Mumbai and another in Goa -- for the training of recruited youths, it said. The accused was arrested last week from Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh. ATS suspects he allegedly radicalised and guided Ayaz Sultan who left the country last month, reportedly to join ISIS. The ATS has registered a case against Ayaz, former BPO employee. Ayaz and three other youths reportedly left home to join ISIS after being allegedly radicalised by the accused. Two of them -- Noor Mohamad and Wajid Shaikh -- returned in last week of December. Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind today said that Dr B R Ambedkar readily resigned as the law minister from Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet when the government refused to back the reformist Hindu Code Bill. "Jawaharlal Nehru had told Babasaheb Ambedkar that nation is not ready for your modern thoughts on the issue of giving rights to Hindu girls in family property," Kovind said while addressing students at the Gujarat National Law University at Gandhinagar during a seminar on Ambedkar. "Ambedkar replied that as the country has become independent, it is our duty to create that type of awareness through a law. However, when Nehru went back on (introducing) the bill, Ambedkar resigned," he said. The Governor said that Ambedkar's aim was not to get political power from the British but the uplift of the people. "On the one side were Nehru, Gandhi and others who aimed at getting power (by throwing off the British rule), while Ambedkar never aimed at getting power. He believed that if ills present in the society are removed, the country will progress on its own," he said. Visual artist Ayesha Jatoi from Pakistan received her passport at the last moment and she literally walked across the border to be able to take part in the India Art Fair, which opened to the public here today. "I had to go through a lot to get visa and I missed my flight and had to walk across the border. I got my passport at 2.30 am yesterday. In fact, I had a flight to visit India in November too but I got my passport only on Thursday. I am but very happy to be here," she said. While Jatoi just about managed to mark her presence at the Fair, her contemporaries from the neighbouring country were unable to make it to the four-day long art event due to "visa issues." Works by the visual artist who has a keen interest in miniature art are being shown at the Fair by the Madrid-based Sabrina Amrani gallery. She also participated in one of the sessions at the Fair under the 'Spotlight Series' where she was in conversation with fellow Pakistani artist Lala Rukh. Taseer Gallery from Lahore, which is participating in the fair under its South Asian venture 'Platform' is showcasing the artworks of four emerging artists, out of which only one Farida Batool managed to sail through the border to arrive here early this morning. "We really had a lot of problem to come over to India because we weren't getting our visas. We got our passports at nearly 12 o'clock in the night after which we crossed the border. "The hotel that we had a booking in here perhaps did not know that we were Pakistanis and on learning that they refused us a check in. I have been visiting India for a long time now but this was the first time that we had such an experience," Batool said. Sanam Taseer, owner of Taseer gallery, who also had to tackle visa issues said the response from visitors was encouraging. "We have got a tremendous response at the Fair and people visiting have said they love the artworks. Just hope that the governments of the two countries can work together to grant visas to the artists," Taseer said. Other artists exhibited at the gallery include Saba Khan, Mohsin Shafi and Humaira Abid. Meanwhile, one Nepali artist whose works are being showcased by the Nepal Art Council, also faced a similar problem in transportation of her paintings to India. To fill up the vacant frames in her gallery booth she created a red swish of paint, depicting blood, trickling down to the floor. "Her work has been stuck at customs and is expected to arrive soon. Till then this will have to do," says gallerist Dina Bangdel. The 8th edition of the IAF, has drawn artists from the subcontinent to the event, which has its focus on art from the South Asia region. It also offers artists from India along with counterparts in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal to look at and engage with each other and their respective art practices to capitalise on expanding global markets. "When people get on a plane for example from Bangladesh, London, New York, Dubai etc we want to give them a one stop moment to educate themselves about the region," Zain Masud, International Director, IAF said. Issues explored in the art from the South region include that of migration, identity politics, boundaries, gender parity among others. Two works by Batool both made of lenticular photos are displayed at the fair. In one of the works titled "Why are you looking at me," she has assorted images of 550 pairs of eyes to symbolise the "male gaze." Her other work "Eik Shahar Jo Udaas hai" (A city that is in mourning) is a commentary on the climate of extremism that was prevalent in Lahore in 2009. At least 10 migrants, including five children, drowned today when their boat sank in the Aegean Sea while trying to cross from Turkey to Greece, the Turkish coastguard said. An unknown number of people were still missing after the latest in a long list of migrant boat sinkings in the Mediterranean. So far, 43 passengers had been rescued, the private Dogan agency reported. "We are sad. At least 20 friends are still missing," one weeping survivor told an AFP photographer at the scene. The migrants, who included Syrian and Afghan refugees, had set off from the district of Ayvacik in Canakkale province in an apparent bid to reach the Greek island of Lesbos. Turkey, which is hosting at least 2.5 million refugees from Syria's civil war, has become the main launchpad for migrants fleeing war, persecution and poverty to Europe. The Turkish government struck a deal with the EU in November to halt the outflow of refugees, in return for 3 billion euros (USD 3.2 billion) in financial assistance. Neither the deal nor the winter conditions appear to have deterred the migrants, who continue to pay people smugglers thousands of dollars for the risky crossing in overloaded boats. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said this week 45,361 migrants had arrived in Greece by sea so far this year, 31 times more than for all of January 2015. Some 90 per cent of the new arrivals were from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, it added. The Turkish coastguard today recovered the bodies of women and children washed up on a beach after yet another migrant boat sank while trying to reach Europe, leaving at least 37 dead. In harrowing scenes reminiscent of the death of Aylan Kurdi, the Syrian toddler photographed lying dead on a Turkish beach in September, the body of a small child could be seen among those strewn over a beach near the town of Ayvacik in northwestern Canakkale province, an AFP photographer at the scene said. An AFP picture showed the dead child dressed in dark trousers and a blue top, face covered with a small hat. In another image, a Turkish gendarme is seen lowering the body of an older child into a body bag. Another young child was also found dead in the water. A number of other children also drowned after the boat ferrying them and their families -- some from Syria, others from Afghanistan and Myanmar -- to the nearby Greek island of Lesbos sank just off the Turkish coast. A Turkish official, contacted by AFP, said the Turkish coastguard recovered 37 bodies including children. The incident comes two days after 25 migrants, including 10 children, drowned off the Greek island of Samos. In an earlier statement, the Turkish coastguard said 75 people had been rescued. The Turkish coastguard also said it could not give an exact number of migrants in the boat based on the testimony of the rescued migrants, adding that the rescue operation was continuing. "We are sad. At least 20 friends are still missing," a weeping woman who was among the survivors said earlier. The capsized boat was visible around 50 metres from the shore, where divers from the coastguard were still searching for the missing. Military police in green berets placed bodies in bags to be taken to a morgue. Life jackets and other refugees' belongings were seen dotted across the beach. The drownings continue a grim trend that accelerated last year when nearly 4,000 people died trying to reach Europe by sea, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The influx, which has been fuelled by Syria's civil war, has continued throughout the winter. During the first 28 days of 2016, a further 244 migrants died at sea, with at least a dozen more dying on land, the IOM said yesterday. Turkey, which is hosting at least 2.5 million refugees from Syria's civil war, has become the main launchpad for migrants fleeing war, persecution and poverty to Europe. The Turkish government struck a deal with the EU in November to halt the outflow of refugees, in return for 3 billion euros (USD 3.2 billion) in financial assistance, but the agreement has failed to check the migrant tide. Police arrested one of three violent fugitive inmates after he told a woman in the same city where the jailbreak occurred a week ago that he wanted to surrender, authorities said. The other two men remained at large. Bac Duong, 43, was taken into custody yesterday in Santa Ana, where the trio made their brazen escape on Jan 22 from the maximum security facility, Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said. Lee Tran, an owner of Auto Electric Rebuilders, said Duong came into the shop looking for Tran's sister, Theresa, and told her that he wanted to turn himself in. Tran says his sister called police and Duong went outside to smoke a cigarette and wait for police to arrive. He says his sister's boyfriend knows Duong and that marshals had come by to speak with her earlier this week because she might have visited Duong in jail. Shortly after the late-morning arrest, a team of well-armed officers in protective vests swarmed the business. Hutchens declined to provide any further details at a hastily called conference that lasted less than three minutes. "We just got this information and as you can imagine we are pretty busy working this," she said, adding that authorities were still searching for a white van they believe Duong had stolen last week. Authorities previously said the fugitives were likely still together and might be living out of the van. Duong, 20-year-old Jonathan Tieu and 37-year-old Hossein Nayeri had all been awaiting trial for separate violent crimes. They were held in a dormitory with about 65 other men in the jail about 30 miles (48.28 kilometres) southeast of Los Angeles. The men escaped in the early morning hours after cutting a hole in a metal grate then crawling through plumbing tunnels and onto the roof of a five-story jail building. They pushed aside barbed wire and rappelled down using a rope made of bed sheets. It took jail staff 16 hours to realise the three men were missing. Avanti Feeds today reported a 8 per cent increase in consolidated net profit at Rs 36.54 crore for the December quarter on account of rise in income. The company had posted a net profit of Rs 33.78 crore in the year-ago period. Total income from operations during the quarter under review rose to Rs 413.11 crore from Rs 385.03 crore in the same period a year ago, the company said in a BSE filing. The company's export sales rose to Rs 72.13 crore in the third quarter of the current fiscal as against Rs 44.47 crore in the year-ago period. During the third quarter of the current fiscal, the firm divested its shrimp processing and exports division to its wholly-owned subsidiary Avanti Frozen Foods Pvt Ltd by way of slump sale. Avanti Feeds is a leading manufacturer and exporter of prawns and fish feeds as well as shrimp processor. It has established a joint venture with Thai Union Frozen Products PCL, the world's largest seafood processors and leading manufacturer of prawn and fish feeds in Thailand. Avanti has three prawn and a fish feed manufacturing unit, in Kovvur, Vemuluru in West Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh and Pardi in Valsad District, Gujarat, with a capacity of 90,000 tonnes per annum. Bangladesh Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan today sought stronger bilateral relation with India to protect his nation from any "external aggression". "Pakistan is again hatching conspiracy against us. We need support from India as it did during the Liberation War in 1971 to save our small nation," Khan said at the centenary celebrations of Bharat Sevashram Sangha here. "We need more stronger bilateral relations with India to save Bangladesh from any external aggression,"he said. "We returned all Prisoners of War (POWs) in the 1971 war to Pakistan on condition that they will sentence them appropriately, but the Pakistani government have released all of them. Now they are hatching a conspiracy against us. We need support from India," Khan said. Lauding India for its contribution in Bangladesh's Liberation War and thanking the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Khan stressed for an everlasting friendship with India to ensure security of Bangladesh. Belgian police today arrested four people on suspicion they planned to go to Syria and Libya, the federal prosecutor's office said, as the nation remains on high alert following the Paris attacks. Officials believe around 500 Belgians may have gone as foreign fighters to Syria, joining up with jihadis from the Islamic State group which claimed the November attacks on the French capital. And with Libya in turmoil since the 2011 revolution, there are growing fears it could provide fertile ground for IS recruitment in a region much closer to Europe. A spokesman for the federal prosecutor's office said police arrested the four in Jumet, near the airport in the southern city of Charleroi, because they were "possibly planning to go to Syria or Libya." "A judge will decide tomorrow whether to detain them further," he said. The arrests were not linked to the ongoing investigation into Paris attacks, he said. Belgian police have arrested 11 people in connection with the November 13 attacks in Paris which left 130 people dead and hundreds wounded since it emerged that the violence was largely organised and coordinated from Belgium. Earlier this month, the authorities identified three safe houses used by key suspects -- in Brussels, in Charleroi, an hour's drive south of the capital, and in Auvelais, a village near the French border. A college student has allegedly received a phone call from Pakistan asking him to join ISI, police said today. Mukesh Kumar filed a written complaint with Bhabua police station of Kaimur district about receiving a call from Pakistan over his mobile phone luring him to join Pakistan's intelligence agency - ISI yesterday, Superintendent of Police Harpreet Kaur told PTI. Kumar, who studies in Intermediate (Class 12th) and also works as a part time salesman in a cloth shop, said in his complaint that initially he did not respond to the call. When the call came for the second time he responded to the caller who offered him handsome cash if he joined the ISI, Kumar said in his complaint filed soon after the call. He told police that he had refused the offer to the caller. The Kaimur SP said she had informed the state police headquarter at Patna about the incident for further action with Intelligence Bureau and other agencies. Hundreds of BJP workers today joined the strike by sanitation workers of municipal corporations even as the Delhi Government formed a Task Force to lift garbage across the national capital. PWD Minister Satyendar Jain, who has formed task force in every district, has directed his department to clear out garbage as the strike entered the fourth day. A senior government official said Cabinet ministers and AAP MLAs will also join the cleanliness drive from tomorrow in their respective constituencies. In the morning, scores of sanitation workers dumped garbage outside the residence of Delhi Assembly Speaker Ramniwas Goel. Yesterday, a group of workers and municipal corporation employees had staged a protest outside Transport Minister Gopal Rai's office in Babarpur in east Delhi. Sanjay Gehlot, president of Swatantra Mazdoor Vikas Sanyukt Morcha, demanded that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal pay salaries first and "later settle scores with the municipal corporations." He threatened that the protests will be stepped up if their demand is not met immediately. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has accused BJP leaders of the three municipal corporations of "instigating" the workers to throw garbage outside the ministers' residences and offices. Demanding regular salaries, payment of long pending arrears, regularisation of contract-based workers, health cards and unification of three municipal corporations, the workers launched the strike on January 27. Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) activists would block the Delhi Dehradun National Highway at Nawla village on Monday demanding dues and upward revision of cane price. BKU President Naresh Tikait, addressing a BKU panchayat at the headquaters in Sisoli near Muzaffarnagar last evening, appealed to his followers to reach the spot on February 1 for blocking the highway. He said the activists would launch a procession from Sisoli to Nawla village for the agitation. "The minimum sugar cane price fixed by the Uttar Pradesh government was not acceptable for the cane growers as it favoured sugar mill owners," he alleged. BKU has begun preparation for its agitation by holding meetings in different villages here. Britain's senior-most judge has spoken out against veils being allowed during criminal trials, saying women should not be allowed to cover their faces in court to rule out any doubts over their credibility. "I can see serious difficulties with the idea that a witness should have her head covered where evidence is contested. If there is any question of credibility, it should be uncovered," Lord Neuberger, the president of Britain's Supreme Court, told 'The Times'. "The jury system works in this country by contested evidence being decided by witnesses giving evidence before a jury and having credibility weighed - and one factor taken into account is the impression the witness makes and that includes being able to see the witness's face," he said. Lord Neuberger told the newspaper that previously he had been misunderstood when he was credited with backing the wearing of veils in court. "What I was saying that - and I don't think many would disagree - was that witnesses and parties in court may have beliefs, convictions, which are not those that most people have or the judge is familiar with and the judge should be sympathetic and understanding of those factors, such as a woman not used to appearing with her face uncovered." He said that judicial policy on veil-wearing was decided on a case-by-case basis and that seemed to be working. Senior judges had been considering issuing guidance but that did not at present seem necessary, he said. "If the case-by case system breaks down I would be happy to have a general policy. But if it is not necessary, don't have it," he added. On the UK government's review of Sharia courts, which is expected to begin in the coming weeks, Lord Neuberger said "given the concerns that undoubtedly seem to exist, it seems right to have an investigation and a review." His comments come days after UK schools inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw warned that schools in the country are likely to be marked down if veil-wearing pupils or teachers were seen to impede communication and learning. The Budget session of Parliament is likely to begin on February 23 as the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh meets here on February 4 to finalise the broad schedule. The main focus of the session will be the transaction of the General and Railway budgets but the government is also keen to get passed a number of key reforms measures including the contentious GST and Real Estate Bills. Sources said that the session is likely to begin on February 23. Usually, the budget session begins in the third week of February and concludes early May. There is a recess in between when the budgetary demands for grants are discussed in the committees. The General Budget is expected to be presented in the Lok Sabha on Feb 29, the last day of February, as is the practice traditionally. Meanwhile the process for the Assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry, where the tenure of the Assemblies is set to end in May-June, will begin in the midst of the session and that could raise questions about the number of sittings. A curtailment may be necessary to accommodate campaign by leaders during the elections. Against the backdrop of near washout of the previous sessions, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today expressed the hope that Congress will "see reason" and help in passage of GST legislation, which is stuck in the Rajya Sabha during the coming session. "It (GST) is the important reform of UPA. If I had to credit the authorship of it, I have to give credit to them. Now, If the author turns against his own script, what do I make... I have reached out (and) I have spoken to them. I have explained to them and I hope they will see reason... (and) see the rationale behind passing GST," he said speaking at a public function here. Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu had earlier this month met Congress President Sonia Gandhi seeking cooperation for the early passage of the crucial GST bill and the Real Estate bill. Naidu said today that Opposition should refrain from disrupting the proceedings. "We have no problem. Government is ready to discuss any and every issue," he said amidst indications that the Opposition might aggressively take up the issue of imposition of President's rule in Congress-ruled Arunachal Pradesh and the suicide of a dalit student in Hyderabad University. The Winter session had ended on December 23, leaving the Goods and Services Tax Bill and a number of other measures in a limbo. The government's legislative agenda had suffered a serious setback due to lack of support from the numerically stronger Congress-led opposition in the Rajya Sabha. This had prompted Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to raise the question of how an "unelected" house could overrule the mandate of the "elected" house. In the winter session, the Rajya Sabha saw passage of nine bills but lost 47 hours due to disruptions caused almost every day by Congress which raised one issue after another. The Lok Sabha performed a little better as it passed 13 bills and saw discussions over various issues like price rise, flood and drought situation, despite repeated uproar created by the opposition Congress over various issues. The stepchildren of the motorist killed in a 2015 multi-vehicle accident involving reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner have reached a settlement with the retired Olympian. The transgender star, 66, who was Bruce Jenner at the time of the crash on the Pacific Coast Highway in California, was sued by William Howe and Dana Redmond for the wrongful death of their stepmother. The adult siblings refreshed their suit in July last year, claiming Jenner's insurance policy did not cover their damages, reported E!Online. Jenner asked for the lawsuit to be thrown out, insisting the stepkids did not depend on Howe and were allegedly estranged from her at the time of the accident. The legal battle rumbled on, but now Howe's stepchildren have filed to dismiss the lawsuit after reportedly settling with Jenner. According to court documents, Howe and Redmond filed dismissals. Police reports suggest Jenner drove into the rear of Jessica Steindorff's Toyota Prius, which started a chain reaction, pushing Howe's Lexus into oncoming traffic. Cameroon is denying reports that its soldiers have killed dozens of civilians in cross-border raids pursuing Boko Haram extremists into Nigeria - the third such report from Nigerian villagers in two months. The Nigerian-based extremists frequently stage attacks in Cameroon, which is contributing to a regional force to wipe them out. On Monday, four suicide bombers killed 35 people in the border town of Bodo. In response, Cameroon said its soldiers crossed into Nigeria and killed 17 insurgents. On Tuesday, The Associated Press reported that at least 40 civilians were killed in cross-border operations, quoting the deputy commander of a Nigerian civilian defense group who said he spoke to villagers in the Gwadale border community in northeast Nigeria. The deputy commander, Muhammad Abba, said Cameroonians arriving Monday "began to shoot sporadically." Abba said his information came from relatives still trapped along the border. Abba also quoted villagers who said Cameroonian troops on January 18 fired rocket-propelled grenades indiscriminately that killed a family of four in Nigeria, then shot and killed two elderly men. Cameroon's Communications Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary yesterday dismissed the AP report, saying Cameroonian troops were working "in perfect synergy" with Nigerian armed forces and have been trained to avoid human rights abuses. Bakary said suicide attacks in northern Cameroon blamed on Boko Haram have killed 57 people and injured 70 since January 13. The first account of alleged atrocities came from Nigerian refugees who said Cameroonian soldiers on November 30 killed about 150 people, stole cattle and razed entire villages along a 150-kilometer (95-mile) stretch of the border. It came days after diplomats said Nigeria refused requests from neighboring states to evacuate civilians and create a no-go zone along the border. The White House said in October it would send up to 300 US troops to Cameroon to conduct airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in the fight against Boko Haram. Country star Carrie Underwood is set to honour soldiers and their families throughout her upcoming North American tour. Underwood, 32, said she will be meeting with military families to thank them for their service, reported Billboard magazine. "I'm honoured to be able to join Carnival Cruise Line and Operation Homefront to lift up these soldiers and their families," Underwood said. "I am really looking forward to meeting them on my tour and for the opportunity to personally thank them for all they do for our freedom. I feel country music has always been very close and very supportive of military members and their families. I feel like this is just another really cool opportunity to say thank you. Director Hansal Mehta today alleged that the Censor Board was acting like a cultural police and thwarting promotion of his upcoming film "Aligarh", which deals with the stigma surrounding homosexuality, by giving its trailer an 'A' certificate. "This is an attempt to thwart my promotion. They cannot ban the film, because my film does not in any way go against the guidelines of the Cinematograph Act," he told PTI on the sidelines of the maiden Difficult Dialogues conference here. "This is the cultural police deciding what we should see... I'm furious and very angry, because they've violated my expression," he said. Mehta, who has directed critically-acclaimed films like "Shahid" and "Citylights" in the past, said that there is nothing in the trailer which should attract the "A" rating and rued that because of the tag, he can only promote his film during screening of adult films and cannot push it during primetime television. He, however, said that the social media is the big hope, which will ensure attempts to suppress the film are not successful. He said the film is yet to get a nod from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and the board has asked for some "ridiculous cuts", which he is contesting. Sounding optimistic about a favourable ruling from the tribunals, Mehta said the film will not miss its February 26 release date. Mehta said more people should watch a film like his in a society having shades of homophobia and exuded confidence that the apex court will rule in favour of the sexual minority when it hears the curative petition. The censor board has been besieged with controversies since Pahlaj Nihalani took over as its head. The government has now formed a committee, headed by veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal, to look into the functions of the board. The film stars Bajpayee as professor Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras, who was fired from his job because of his alleged sexual orientation. On the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad, Mehta said he is pained by incidents like these. CBI today took Director of Royal International Group Nilima Dey into custody as part of its investigation into the chit fund scam involving Saradha Group and other such firms. CBI sources said Dey was taken into 14 days' custody for her custodial examination in the chit fund case pertaining to her company. She was in the custody of the local police. The sources said a court in Kolkata granted CBI the custody of Dey. They said the agency had registered FIR against the company as part of its probe into the chit fund scam involving the Saradha group and other such firms. Kolkata-based Royal International Group is considered the second largest chit fund firm, after the Saradha Group, and had operations across West Bengal and Odisha and crores of rupees were collected from thousands of investors who were lured with attractive returns. Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju today suggested that both the Centre and State government should work together for speedy development of the Calicut International airport at Karipur, near here. Addressing an interaction session with the members of the Calicut Chamber of Commerce and Industry and later with mediapersons here, he said, "aviation is government of India subject; land is the state subject. So, both the Centre and State should work together for development of the airport." To a suggestion that a time frame should be fixed for acquisition of land, Raju said "rehabilitation of people who gave up their land is important. Ours is a federal structure and we cannot force any state government." "Many state governments have put forth the idea of airport developments in their state. Whichever government handed over the land first, they will be given priority." To a question on skill development and starting a Commercial Pilots Centre in Malabar region as thousands of graduates come out of colleges every year, he said, "there is a mismatch in skill development sector.In some aviation sector the manpower is more while in some sector it is deficient. Skilling our own people is the priority of the government." On whether commencement of a new airport at Kannur will affect prospects of Calicut airport, Raju said "we will not pull down one for the sake of the other. Kannur is coming. But if you give the land, you will be the forerunner." On problems faced during Haj pilgrimage, he said "last year there was a little bit of problem, this year there is no problem and in the next year we have to learn from the problems faced." About airfares not being reduced despite lower ATF cost, Raju said "the states have to reduce taxes. In those states which have brought down the tax, airlines activities have gone up." Earlier, the Calicut Chamber of Commerce and Industry submitted a memorandum to the minister which requested to look into various problems faced by the people of Malabar region. They include cargo facilities from Calicut to promote export to Gulf countries, new flights to UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Doha in the next season, extension of Calicut airport runway to facilitate landing of Airbus and Boeing flights, domestic flights from Calicut to metro cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Bengaluru and visa on arrival facility at Calicut airport. A Chilean court brought formal tax fraud charges against the daughter in law of President Michelle Bachelet in a scandal the leftist leader tearfully admitted was a "painful" ordeal. The case first came to light a year ago and has shocked the public in Chile, which is ranked by Transparency International as one of the least corrupt countries in Latin America. The court in the central city of Rancagua banned Natalia Compagnon from leaving the country and ordered her to check in with police each month for a year while judges investigate. "I want to tell you from the heart that these have been difficult and very painful times for me and my family," a tearful-sounding Bachelet yesterday said after the ruling. Compagnon is married to Bachelet's son Sebastian Davalos, who previously worked in an unsalaried position in his mother's government. Compagnon is one of the bosses of a real estate company, Caval, which is being investigated over alleged financial irregularities in the purchase of land. The court ordered that Compagnon's partner in the company, Mauricio Valero, be held under house arrest for a year. A total of 13 suspects in the case face charges of influence-peddling, bribery and tax fraud. Critics had called for Compagnon to be held in prison pending the probe and said yesterday's measures were too lenient. Compagnon had to be escorted by security forces as she left the court, where an angry crowd yelled: "Thief!" Bachelet was elected to her current term in 2014 on promises to fight corruption in Chile, the world's biggest copper producer. She had earlier served as president from 2006 to 2010. The Caval case has dragged down her popularity rating to a record low of about 20 per cent. She faces a mid-term test in October when the country holds municipal elections. "This has clearly upset me deeply and that is a normal human feeling, but that has not for one minute clouded my sense of presidential responsibility," Bachelet said in an address yesterday at the presidential palace. BJP today slammed Rahul Gandhi's second visit to the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) campus in as many weeks over the suicide of a Dalit scholar, charging him and the Congress with politicising the issue and dubbing the visit as "classic of vulturisation". "Rahul Gandhi and Congress are so politically bankrupt and unemployed that he has to politicise tragic death of a student repeatedly," Telangana BJP spokesperson Krishna Saagar Rao said. "Why is Rahul Gandhi not in Chennai, where three girls' committed suicide almost a week ago," he asked. "His desperate attempt to earn some petty political expediency, has brought him back to HCU campus. This is classic of vulturisation," Rao said. Rahul arrived on the campus after midnight last night and took part in a "candle march" organised by the agitation students and spent about two hours with them. Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula, who committed suicide, would have turned 27 today. Congress has been demanding the sacking of HRD Minister Smriti Irani and Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and also removal of Vice Chancellor Appa Rao in the wake of the suicide by the Dalit scholar. This is Rahul's second visit to Hyderabad since Vemula was found hanging in the varsity's hostel room. The Congress Vice-President had visited the University on January 19 following the suicide by the Dalit scholar and met the agitating students and the family members of Vemula. Airstrikes by a Saudi-led coalition targeting Yemen's Shiite rebels killed over 32 people overnight including at least eight civilians in the capital, Sanaa, officials said today. The airstrikes appeared to target a rebel camp and factories producing food and plastic in northern and western Sanaa, the security and medical officials said. Yemen has been torn by conflict since 2014, when Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, allied with a former president captured large swaths of the country, including Sanaa, which they took in September that year. The Saudi-led coalition launched its air campaign against the rebels in March 2015. Since then, more than 5,800 people have been killed and over 80 per cent of Yemen's population is in dire need of food, water and other aid, according to the United Nations. Also today, the Houthis detained several activists and critics including a local journalist in Sanaa, security officials said. The detentions are part of a Houthi crackdown on activists and journalists, they added. Today's round-up came shortly after the rebels released three Al-Jazeera journalists they had kidnapped in the war-devastated western city of Taiz. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to reporters. They remain neutral in the conflict that has splintered the Arab world's poorest country. BJP today accused Congress of shedding "crocodile tears" over suicide of a Dalit scholar and attacked its Vice President Rahul Gandhi for using students as a "political tool" after he joined them at the Hyderabad Central University for a day-long fast over the issue. Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said nine cases of Dalit student suicides had taken place in the campus during the UPA rule but Rahul never bothered to go there as he asked opposition parties to wait for the report of the judicial commission probe ordered by the Centre into the suicide. "Congress is shedding crocodile tears simply to gain political mileage. Congress and communist parties are trying to make this a political issue and making a beeline to the university, forgetting that 9 such incidents happened during the UPA rule. This is part of their anti-Modi campaign across the country," he told reporters. BJP said the Congress vice president's protests reflected the opposition party's "frustration" as its leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi and most chief ministers were facing serious corruption charges. "At a place where students go for study, Rahul Gandhi is trying to vitiate its atmosphere. It shows how much frustrated Congress is that it is doing over a student's death. Such a divisive is poisonous and BJP condemns it," BJP secretary Shrikant Sharma said. He charged that both Rahul Gandhi and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi were doing over the death of Rohith Vemula, a Dalit scholar who had ended his life on the campus. Congress MP Hanumantha Rao had also written to the HRD Ministry over suicides by many university students coming from deprived background and the ministry had sent six reminders to the authorities in this regard but Congress had conveniently forgotten it, Sharma said. "His protests are nothing but part of Congress conspiracy to defame the Modi government on one pretext or another. UPA was a failure while the BJP government has been successful on all fronts. Congress is unable to stomach it. Now it has made the university a political theatre for its selfish motives," he said. Lashing out at Rahul Gandhi, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said his fast was a classic case of trying to score "political brownie points" and charged that his characteristic way of functioning was to shun responsibility and gatecrash into others' protests. "Rahul and responsibility, these two Rs never go together. Today he has proved the same. We are all very sad and disturbed about Rohith Vemula's suicide. But the way Rahul Gandhi has shown insensitivity is the reason why I say he and responsibility cannot travel together," he told a press conference. The Congress leader should not act as a judge as the HRD ministry had already ordered a judicial inquiry and the matter was also before a court, he said. "Rather than politicising it, he should have shown restraint and sensitivity," he said, adding that it was not a Dalit vs non-Dalit issue and "passion should not be stoked". "It is a classic case of trying to buy some political brownie points out of a tragedy. It is itself a tragedy... He has always shunned his responsibilities and gatecrashed into protests of others. He has never taken any issue to a logical conclusion," Patra said. Accusing the Congress leader of being "selective", he said Gandhi has chosen not to speak about Malda violence and about the Warangal Congress leader accused of killing his daughter-in-law. A Delhi court today allowed TERI Director General R K Pachauri, who is facing sexual harassment allegations by a former woman colleague, to travel to the United Kingdom and Finland to attend official events. Metropolitan Magistrate Vandana Jain allowed Pachauri's plea seeking permission to go to Finland to visit a university from February 2 to 4 and London from February 5 to 7 to make a presentation at an event. The court granted permission to Pachauri while accepting his submission that he had cooperated in the probe and made himself available for investigation when required by police. "From the previous record, contentions of the applicant (Pachauri) are found to be true. It is nowhere mentioned in the report of the Investigating Officer that applicant has ever refused to join probe or has violated any bail condition. "Application is hereby allowed subject to giving an intimation in respect of his return back to India on scheduled date to concerned court as well as to the police within two days," the link magistrate said. The court, while disposing of his plea, also directed Pachauri to inform it in advance with respect to any change in the schedule or the itinerary. Seeking permission to travel abroad, Pachauri, through his counsel Ashish Dixit, submitted that he has been invited by University of Eastern Finland on February 3-4 to enhance its cooperation with TERI and to make a presentation at an event in London on February 5. The police opposed the plea saying an application for cancellation of anticipatory bail to Pachauri was pending before the Delhi High Court which will be heard on February 11 and therefore he should not be allowed to travel abroad. To this, Pachauri's counsel said his client will be back to India on February 7 and will be available for the scheduled hearing in the high court. This is the eighth time Pachauri has been allowed to travel abroad by the court, including permission granted earlier this month for his visits to the USA and Guyana. During the pendency of the trial, he has travelled to various countries to attend global meets and conferences on environmental issues, including USA, China, Japan, Kazakhstan, Bolivia, Kuwait, Somalia, France and Saudi Arabia. On February 13 last year, an FIR was registered against Pachauri on charges of sexual harassment under IPC sections 354, 354(a), 354(d) (molestation) and 506 (criminal intimidation). In a setback to CPI(M) in Kerala, a lower court here today rejected the anticipatory bail plea of party's senior leader P Jayarajan, who is listed as an accused in the murder of an RSS functionary in 2014. Thalassery District and Sessions court Judge V K Anil Kumar rejected the bail petition of Jayarajan, who was arraigned as the 25th accused in the case connected with the murder of RSS activist E Manoj in September 2014. CBI had early this month listed Jayarajan, Kannur District Seretary of the party and framed charges against him under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in connection with the case. Jayarajan moved the court after CBI issued summons to him in connection with the probe. This the third time that the court has dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of the Marxist strongman. CPI-M state leadership has all along maintained that the case was politically motivated and was part a "conspiracy" hatched by RSS and Congress in the state. Jayarajan, who was admitted to a hospital soon after his bail plea was rejected on January 19, continues to remain in the hospital. Manoj (42), a district functionary of RSS, was hacked to death in politically-volatile Kathiroor in Kannur district on September 1, 2014 allegedly by a group of CPI-M workers. Jayarajan's counsel said that they would move the High Court against the district court order. CBI informed the court today that they wanted Jayarajan in custody for 24-hours for questioning. The agency, which took over the probe 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. A city court today rejected bail pleas of the three accused in the Red Road hit-and-run case on January 13 in which an Air Force official was killed and sent the trio to judicial remand till February 12. The court also granted the police plea to conduct a Test Identification Parade (TIP) of the three as a part of the investigation into the mishap. City Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Madhumita Basu rejected the bail pleas of accused Sambia Sohrab, younger son of former RJD MLA Mohammed Sohrab, Sonu alias Shanawaz Khan and Johnny and sent them to 14-day judicial custody. In their submission, the counsel of the accused trio stressed that police have failed to make any progress in their probe into the case and bail should be granted to them. The trio's counsel also said that they were, however, ready to be present in front of the Investigating Officer daily to help in the probe. The public prosecutor, however, said that the investigations were at a very very early stage and the police should be given some more time to reach to a decision. He also claimed that though the interrogations were over, some other vital parts of the probe were still pending. The trio have been booked under IPC sections 120(B) (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 212 (harbouring offender) and 427 (mischief causing damage). Sonu, alias Shanawaz Khan, was arrested by Kolkata Police with support from Delhi Police from his maternal uncle's house in Delhi's Ajmeri Gate area where he was in hiding. He was brought to the city on transit remand. Johnny, who had not been traceable since the incident on January 13, was arrested a few days after from a house in Ekbalpore area by city police sleuths. A look-out notice was issued by a city court for Mohammed Sohrab and his elder son Ambia. The Chief Prosecuting Officer had pleaded before the court that an FIR has already been registered in connection with the occurence and investigation has been handed over to the SP, North City, Sajad Khaliq. "The facts of FIR number 89/2016 are different and thus the present FIR will not be FIR for the occurrence. "The police have claimed that it was deceased and other accused persons in the present FIR who have committed offences under RPC sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 152 (assaulting or obstructing public servant when suppressing riot), 307 (attempt to murder), 336 (endangering life or personal safety of others) and 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house)," the court had said. "But on the other hand, the present application reveals that the police officer has exceeded his powers in the house of complainant and has shot dead the son of the complainant and thereby has committed a cognisable offence like murder," it had said. The applicant has claimed that it was police officer who has committed occurrence like murder, the court had said. In his application, Abdul Rehman Mir, father of the deceased, had alleged that DySP Qadri and other police personnel entered his house at Tengpora, Batamaloo at 18:45 hours. "I, along with the family members, was watching TV and the police party headed by Qadri forcibly entered my house and started smashing windows and doors. "My wife tried to stop the police officer. But,the police official was infuriated and he assaulted us and hurled invectives upon my wife," it said. "My son, Shabir Ahmad Mir, who was present on the spot, could not bear the beating of his parents and tried to rescue his mother from the clutches of the police officer and other police personnel. "Following this, the police officer went into rage and started beating my son. Thereafter, he fired two shots at my son from his pistol from point-blank range. He died on the spot," the application said. Cuba's Communist President Raul Castro will be welcomed under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris during a rare state visit on Monday to showcase his island's warming ties with big world powers. The Cuban leader arrived in Paris today, two days ahead of the start of the official programme, sources at Orly airport south of Paris said. Castro's visit is an indication of his island's improved ties with major powers following last year's restoration of relations with longtime foe, the United States. On the back of that rapprochement the 84-year-old leader is now paying court to France, one of his most powerful European allies. French officials said when the visit was announced January 19 that it would mark "a new stage in the strengthening of relations between the two countries" following on from President Francois Hollande's own state visit to Cuba last May, the first by a western head of state in more than half a century. "This visit is important for Cuba's image," said Eduardo Perera, an expert in international relations at Havana University, specializing in Europe. "It will undeniably make Cuba shine on the international stage." Havana hopes the visit will allow Cuba to "widen and diversify its relations with France in all possible areas -- politics, economics, trade, finance, investment, culture and cooperation," said Rogelio Sierra, Cuban deputy foreign minister. Although Washington has yet to lift its half-century trade embargo on Cuba, US and European businesses are jockeying for a place in the market as the island's economy gradually opens up. Hollande urged an end to the blockade, which was imposed in 1962, on his Havana visit. Trade delegations have been flocking to Cuba, hoping to cash in on its highly trained workforce and natural assets such as its sundrenched Caribbean beaches, a draw for tourists. Cuba, meanwhile, needs to tap new sources of income as its main ally and financial backer, Venezuela, remains mired in economic and political crisis. During Castro's visit, France and Cuba are expected to sign an "economic roadmap" to improved ties, French officials said. They will also sign deals on transport, tourism and fair trade. Bilateral trade between France and Cuba is currently worth about USD 195 million. As Rahul Gandhi went on a day-long fast in Hyderabad on Rohith Vemula issue, Congress today accused BJP of failing to initiate action against its leaders including Union ministers for the suicide of the Dalit scholar. "Who has resorted to in the matter? It is the BJP. Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya wrote to HRD Minister Smriti Irani against the dalit students following complaint from the ABVP President. The HRD Minister wrote as many as five letters to the University," senior party spokesman Ajay Maken told reporters. Wondering whether this was not politicisation, he accused BJP General Secretary Murlidhar Rao of making the "patently false" charge that Rohit was not a dalit and that the dalit scholars had links with the Naxals. He said the Congress Vice President has gone to Hyderabad to take up the cause of the students. "As an alert opposition leader, he is taking up issues relating to dalits, poor and farmers and going wherever injustice is being done". Congress has been demanding sacking of the two Union ministers and removal of the University Vice Chancellor. The Congress criticism came soon after BJP accused it of shedding "crocodile tears" over suicide of a Dalit scholar and attacked Gandhi for using students as a "political tool" after he joined them at the Hyderabad Central University for a day-long fast over the issue this morning. Amid protests over the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula, a group of members of Samatha Sainik Dal, an organisation founded by B R Ambedkar for the welfare of Dalits, today held a 'march-past' at Hyderabad Central University. The group paid tributes to Rohith. Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, who is undertaking a day-long fast along with agitating students, interacted with the group for sometime. "Gandhi talked to us about welfare of Dalits", the Dal's Advisor S R Darapuri, a retired IPS officer, said. Amidst widespread protest over the manhandling of former diplomat T P Sreenivasan by SFI activists, disciplinary action has been initiated against five policemen who were on duty at the venue of Global Education Meet and a manhunt has been launched to trace the accused. The "erring" policemen would be sent for intensive refresher training as part of the departmental action. "Two sub-inspectors and three constables will be sent for intensive refresher training at Kerala Police Academy in Thrissur. An oral enquiry has also been ordered into the incident," a top police official told PTI. There were allegations that police had remained a mute spectator while Sreenivasan, who is also the Vice Chairman and Executive Head of Kerala State Higher Education Council, was attacked by the agitators in Kovalam yesterday. Police sources said a massive manhunt has been launched to trace the key accused who slapped the diplomat. Meanwhile, CPI(M) veteran and opposition leader V S Achuthanandan today demanded strict action against the SFI activists who attacked the former diplomat. CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Pinarayi Vijayan also said that the agitators had crossed the limit and the party cannot approve these kind of personal attacks. The party's district secretary Kadakampally Surendran had apologised yesterday itself for the misbehaviour of agitators belonging to SFI, the student wing of CPI(M). SFI activists had attacked Sreenivasan during their protest against the "commercialisation of higher education" near the venue of Global Education meet at Leela Convention Centre in Kovalam. Sreenivasan was the former Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, Vienna, and Ambassador to Austria and Slovenia. A dismissed Assistant Sub-inspector of Punjab Police was arrested for his alleged involvement in smuggling of heroin from Pakistan, police said today. The accused, identified as Ranjit Singh, was arrested last evening and a Pakistani SIM card and phone contacts with Pakistani numbers were recovered from his possession, SHO of Border police station Ajnala, Jagbir Singh Aulakh said. His arrest came after Border Security Force (BSF) foiled an attempt of Pakistani smugglers to cross into India on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday, he said. The SHO said that investigation found that Ranjit was the "receiver" of the drug haul and was in contact with Pakistani smugglers, he said. Ranjit was dismissed from service after it was found that he was involved in a number of drug cases including the seizure of 23 kg heroin by Directorate of Revenue Intelligence in 2012. However, he had then managed to slip, Aulakh said. The accused was living in a village in Ramdas sector along Indo-Pak border where he had purchased agriculture land with fake identity for smuggling drugs consignments from Pakistan, he said. Ranjit was booked under relevant sections of Indian Passport Act, Foreigners act and Arms act, the SHO said, adding a local court has sent him to five day police remand. A family from Thane today claimed the body of an old man who died here two days ago after being taken to hospital in a garbage collection van, but the police have decided to go for a DNA test to verify the identity. Sopan Mandalik, (50), who watched the on TV arrived here yesterday and after seeing the body kept at Pravara Hospital at Loni claimed it was his 80-year-old father Gyaneshwar Ramchandra Mandalik. "My father had left our home in Thane on the morning of December 6, 2013, and didn't return. We lodged complaint with the police and searched for him at many places but in vain," Mandalik told PTI. He said he and his relatives recognised the body and want to take it home for performing last rites. However, the police remain sceptical about the claims as some marks on the body didn't match the family's description. Police inspector Pramod Wagh said DNA samples would be sent to a forensic lab in Mumbai to verify the claim. Some Marathi channels had yesterday aired visuals of the old man, who was found on Pimpalwadi road near the famous Saibaba temple here, being bundled into the van by municipal workers, sparking an outrage. Opposition NCP even demanded resignation of state health minister Deepak Sawant. Shirdi sub-divisional officer Kundan Sonawane subsequently suspended six contractual workers. Editors from various parts of the country and Union ministers would discuss crucial policy decisions and programmes of the Centre during the all India conference of Regional Editors from tomorrow here. Union Ministers representing the core social and infrastructure ministries will address various sessions in the conference being organised by the Press Information Bureau from February 1 and 2. About 100 regional editors are participating in it which would be inaugurated by Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi in the presence of Rajasthan Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Arun Chaturvedi. Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, JP Nadda, Kiren Rijiju, Jitendra Singh, Najma A Heptulla, Chaudhary Birender Singh, Sudarshan Bhagat, Mahesh Sharma and Thaawarchand Gehlot will be participating in the Conference. The session will conclude with a field visit in Nangal Susawtan, an open defecation-free gram panchayat on the outskirts of Jaipur. This will showcase the implementation of Swachh Bharat scheme of Government of India in Rajasthan. Hospitality major EIH Ltd, which runs hotels and resorts under Oberoi and Trident brands, will close Oberoi, New Delhi for two years for major renovations of the property. "The Oberoi, New Delhi will be closed effective from April 1, 2016 for major renovations. The hotel is expected to be ready for commercial operations by April 1, 2018," EIH Ltd said in a BSE filing. Oberoi, New Delhi had contributed Rs 186.88 crore in revenue which was 13.68 per cent of the revenues of the company for the last financial year ended March 31, 2015, EIH said. Founded in 1934, Oberoi Group operates 30 hotels, two Nile Cruisers and a Motor Vessel in the backwaters of Kerala. The Group has presence in six countries under the luxury 'Oberoi' and five-star 'Trident' brand. It is also engaged in flight catering, airport restaurants, travel and tour services, car rentals, project management and corporate air charters. The sessions court here today convicted four policemen from the city for causing the death of a man accused of petty theft in 2013. "All the four policemen (from Vanrai police station in suburban Mumbai) were convicted for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and sentenced to seven years' imprisonment," DCP Mohan Dahikar told PTI. Judge S M Bhosale also imposed a fine of Rs 15,000 on each of them. The crime branch had arrested four policemen Chandrakant Kamble, Kiran Pingle, Umesh Gosavi and Sandeep Salunke for causing the death of Manoj Salve alias Aniket Sudhir Khicchi (20). Salve had been apprehended while stealing a bag. Before handing him over to police, the people who caught him thrashed him and he was again thrashed by the policemen, which led to his death. Following this, the crime branch lodged a case of murder against the four policemen. France will recognise a Palestinian state if its efforts to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks at an international conference fail, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius has said. He told French diplomats yesterday that the conference will aim to bring together the two parties and their American, European and Arab partners in order "to make happen a two-state solution." If this attempt faces a deadlock, Fabuis said, France will have to recognise a Palestinian state. France's Socialist government supports the idea of two states, but had previously argued that it was too early for outright recognition of a Palestinian state. Fabius' announcement comes as the Palestinians, buoyed by the successful Iran nuclear talks and the start of UN-mediated talks on Syria, have been exploring steps that could lead to a two-state solution including an international conference and a Security Council resolution that would demand an end to illegal Israeli settlement building. Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian UN ambassador, told AP: "The Palestinian leadership do welcome the announcement of foreign minister Fabius today in Paris in connection with the convening of an international conference in the next few weeks, and if things fail the recognition of the state of Palestine by France." "I think the objective of this conference ... Has to be to open the process that would lead to the end of the occupation and the preservation of the two-state solution," he said. As for recognition, Mansour said, "France promised us some time ago that if there is no opening for a meaningful political process a collective process that would lead to the end of occupation and independence of the state of Palestine and therefore saving the two-state solution soon then they will recognize the state of Palestine." He said the Palestinians wanted recognition from France "some time ago," noting that the French parliament has unanimously recommended recognising the state of Palestine. "And we hope that they do that," Mansour said. "If they are tying it to the political process, that is their thinking. But eventually if you believe in a two-state solution, then recognising the state of Palestine is an investment." Israel's UN Mission did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Thomas Fabius, son of French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, has been charged with forgery in connection with his passion for gambling, judicial sources said today. He was also named as a "temoin assiste" -- an intermediary status between that of a witness and someone who has been charged -- in connection with fraud, tax laundering, breach of trust and misuse of corporate assets, with the information confirmed by a source close to the case. The 34-year-old son of France's top diplomat has run into a raft of legal problems over his passion for gambling, with an investigation into his financial affairs opened in late 2011 following a complaint by French bank Societe Generale. The bank accused him of writing a forged email while in Morocco, allegedly from his bank adviser, which allowed a Moroccan casino to believe he was about to receive 200,000 euros, a source close to the investigation said. Investigators have also been looking into his 2012 acquisition of a 300-square-metre (3,200-square-foot) apartment on Boulevard Saint-Germain, a chic neighbourhood in the heart of Paris, for seven million euros (USD 7.6 million at today's exchange rate). But Thomas Fabius has always insisted the property was legally purchased, partly through his winnings and partly by means of a bank loan. He is also wanted in the United States for allegedly writing bounced cheques at a Las Vegas casino, with a Nevada prosecutor issuing a warrant for his arrest at the end of October although it is not enforceable outside of the United States. According to the arrest warrant, which was seen by AFP, he is accused of writing cheques for more than USD 3.5 million (3.2 million euros) to cover gambling debts in several Las Vegas casinos in May 2012, with the prosecutor saying the money was for casino chips and high-value plaques. In one instance, using a chequebook issued by Italy's Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, he had written out three cheques to the luxury casino hotel The Palazzo amounting to a million dollars, the US prosecutor said. A source close to the case, however, said they were not cheques but "IOUs written on paper which have been authorised for payment." Often photographed at high-flying parties, Thomas Fabius has reportedly spent millions of dollars in casinos in the past. In mid-December, he was questioned as part of a probe into forgery, fraud and money laundering, police sources told AFP. Approached by AFP today, Fabius' entourage declined to comment on the case. His father, Laurent Fabius, was appointed French foreign minister on May 16, 2012. Delhi Government today deployed hundreds of PWD workers to lift garbage from across the city as nearly 60,000 sanitation workers of municipal corporations continued their indefinite strike demanding payment of their dues amid a blame game over the issue between AAP and BJP, which rules the three civic bodies. In more bad news, over 7,000 doctors and 10,000 nurses of hospitals run by the municipal corporations also went on indefinite strike demanding salary and arrears. Around 12,000 engineering staff of the civic bodies also joined the stir. Delhi government has been maintaining that it has provided adequate funds of over Rs 2,187 crore under non-planned head to the three municipal corporations in the current fiscal, alleging that a "salary scam" has led to the crisis. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is in Bengaluru for naturopathy treatment, said he has issued direction to deploy as many trucks as needed to clear the city of garbage and accused BJP of playing politics on the issue. "I have directed govt to deploy as many trucks as are needed to lift garbage. Public should not be inconvenienced," he tweeted. "BJP is spreading garbage across the city. AAP government is clearing them. Own politics. I appeal to people to help us clearing the garbage," he further said. On the fourth day of the strike by the sanitation workers, hundreds of BJP workers joined the agitators extending the party's solidarity with them. "Delhi government is responsible for the crisis. It has not allocated adequate funds to the three municipal corporations. They are not bothered about the problem being faced by the people," Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay said. Slamming the municipal corporations, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia asked where the money released by the Delhi government has gone and alleged a "salary scam" in the BJP-ruled civic bodies. "There is a salary scam and that is why they are not being able to pay the dues," he told a press conference. He said people are suffering due to the strike by sanitation workers and alleged that BJP was doing politics over the issue. (Reopens DEL 41) "Cleaning of Delhi is the most important thing for us and keeping this in mind, PWD has started removing heaps of garbage in different areas since morning. 91 PWD vehicles are lifting waste across the capital. Around 10 labours have been deployed in each vehicle. "We have also informed the police about our cleanness drive and asked them to provide security to PWD staff in case anyone obstructs the drive. Court recently directed police in this regard," the Deputy Chief Minister said. The decision was taken at a meeting on the garbage problem chaired by Sisodia. He said government will continue with drive till the strike of sanitation workers ends. "In the budget, we had set aside money to be given to all three municipal corporations in which there were different components under plan and non-plan heads. Money for salary of employees for 12 months were also mentioned under both heads," he said. The Deputy Chief Minister also wondered why MCDs were not seeking Rs 16,00 crore owed to them by the Delhi Development Authority. "I want to challenge MCD to make their all expenditures public so that people will get to know what they have done with funds collected from different sources," he said. A senior government official said that PWD Minister Satyendar Jain has formed task force in every district to clear out the garbage. Cabinet ministers and AAP MLAs may also join the cleanliness drive from tomorrow in their respective constituencies. The doctors, nurses and engineering staff joined the protest demanding their dues. Almost all MCD-run hospitals only run emergency services today. (REOPENS DES28) Services were affected in seven major hospitals as well as polyclinics and dispensaries run by the civic bodies as the associations of senior doctors, resident doctors, nurses, para medical staff and other hospital staff joined the strike. "We are referring stable patients to other hospitals due to the strike. The OPD services have also been stopped due to the strike by doctors, nurses, para medical staff and other hospital employees," said Dr R R Gautam, president of Municipal Corporation Doctors Association. MCD-run Bara Hindu Rao Hospital is visited by around 10,000 patients every day, of whom around 1,500 are admitted. Although emergency services have not been disrupted but thousands of patients will suffer due to the strike, he said. "All the employees of three municipal corporations, including sanitation staff, doctors, nurses, para medical staff, engineering department staff and teachers have gone on strike raising their demands for regular payment of salaries and arrears among others," said Rajesh Mishra, president of United Front of MCD Employees. Nearly 12,000 Engineering department staff including 1,500 engineers working with three municipal corporations have also joined the strike bringing to halt various works like removing debris and repair of roads, said Mishra, who is also president of the Forum of MCD Engineers. The agitating sanitation workers staged a protest in front of the residences of Speaker of Delhi Assembly Ram Niwas Goel and Delhi Health and PWD Minister Satyendar Jain. "Delhi government is deploying PWD staff to lift garbage while it has no money to pay the salaries of employees of corporations. How will it pay to those lifting garbage now," said Sanjay Gehlot, president of Swatantra Mazdoor Vikas Sanyukt Morcha. The general secretary of United Front of MCD Employees and leader of sanitation workers Rajendra Mewati said that protests were held across the city in all the 272 wards of municipal corporations. As per municipal corporation officials, a total of around 7,200-7,400 metric tonnes of garbage is generated in the areas under the three civic bodies. "The situation is worsening in North and East Delhi which are worst hit by the strike. Although areas where private parties have been assigned garbage collection are relatively clean," said a senior municipal corporation officer. The strike was launched by sanitation workers on January 27, demanding timely salaries and payment of arrears. Modernist painter Amrita Sher-Gil has been honoured with a Google doodle today on her 103rd birth anniversary. On its home page, the search engine has posted a depiction of Sher-Gil's famed painting 'Three Girls' created by Jennifer Hom. To create the final version, Hom has reworked the image to match Sher-Gil's style and signature attention to the tone, texture and color of skin and clothing. The reach of the Google doodle is seen in Argentina, Iceland, Portugal,Lithuania, Serbia, Slovenia, Israel, Kenya, Kazhakstan, Indonesia and Japan besides India. "Vivid color, graceful forms, and bold strokes mark the remarkable life and work of Indian painter described as the 'Indian Frida Kahlo'," Google says about her works, which have been declared as National Treasures in India. Sher-Gil is considered among the most important Indian painters of the 20th century. Like her Mexican peer Kahlo, with whom she shares Hungarian heritage, Sher-Gil was a rebellious and adventurous spirit who broke barriers in art and life. Born in 1913 to a Sikh father and Hungarian mother in Budaperst, the artist was influenced by both eastern European and South Asian styles and standards of female beauty. She studied and practiced in Paris at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, where she got her start as an artist and life consummate bohemian. After returning to India, she painted many portraits of her family and friends, the most notable being "The Three Girls." A total of 95 of the 174 documented works she created over the course of her brief career are held in the collection of the National Gallery of Modern Art. The painter passed away on December 5, 1941 before the age of twenty-nine. Government will soon exploit economically unviable coal mines for gasification to produce cheaper urea to cut down on huge Rs 55,000-crore annual subsidy on the fertiliser, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Saturday. "We cannot extract coal from 40 per cent coal mines in the country, which are not economically viable. The idea is to use these for coal gasification by which we can get urea at a cost of only Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 per tonne," the road transport and highways minister said at Economic Times Global Business Summit here. Four of the 30 chemical and fertiliser factories in India produce urea from naphtha, the cost of which comes to around Rs 40,000 per tonne, he said. The remaining 26 use gas, cost of which comes to $15 to 20 per mmBtu and hence, the urea produced is very costly. "We are giving subsidy of Rs 55,000 crore every year for the chemical fertiliser. Coal gasification will reduce the cost of fertiliser. I am pursuing this matter with chemical and fertiliser ministry and we are sitting in this regard to reduce the cost of the fertiliser by 50 per cent, and to save the subsidy of Rs 55,000 crore," Gadkari said. He said the government is importing urea from China which is making it through coal gasification. The minister said as far as the international scenario is concerned, efforts were on to set up a urea factory at Chabahar where the government is setting up a port. "We are making a port at Chabahar in Iran where the gas price is less than $1. If we get gas then we can make urea there and bring it to the country as the distance between Chabahar and Kandla port is less than that between Delhi and Mumbai," he said. For agriculture growth and development of rural economy it is very important to reduce the price of urea, he said. He had said earlier: "We are trying to procure gas at a very economical rate. In 2013, they had offered it at the rate of 82 cents, less than a dollar. We make urea from naphtha. We are trying to set up a urea plant in Iran," Gadkari said. India has pledged to invest about $85 million in developing the strategic port located off Iran's south-eastern coast, which would provide India a sea-land access route to Afghanistan bypassing Pakistan. The minister had visited Tehran in May, and both the nations had inked a pact to develop Chabahar port. Discussions are on for concluding the memorandum of understanding (MoU) agreements between India and Iran, which include possibility of India taking over the development and operation of Phase-II of Chabahar port. Guatemalan health officials have said that at least 105 people there had been infected with Zika, the virus suspected of causing grave brain damage in newborns. Health Ministry epidemiologist Judith Garcia told the newspaper Prensa Libre yesterday that the 105 confirmed cases emerged from a total of 200 suspected cases, 68 of them from 2015. For each confirmed case, Garcia said, there may be three more patients who have not come forward or who are asymptomatic, meaning the ultimate numbers could be much larger. Zika is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also spreads dengue fever and the chikungunya virus. It provokes flu-like symptoms including a low-grade fever, headaches, joint pain and rashes. "Guatemala's humid climate is quite favorable" to the virus, said Garcia. The World Health Organization (WHO) warned this week that the virus is "spreading explosively" in the Americas, with three million to four million cases expected this year. Hardest-hit so far has been Brazil, with more than 1.5 million cases since April. Health authorities there are investigating the possible linkage between Zika and more than 3,400 suspected cases of microcephaly -- abnormally small skulls and brains -- in babies born to infected mothers. Colombia announced earlier yesterday that it has 20,297 cases of Zika infection, including 2,116 in expectant mothers. Zika is present in 21 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to WHO experts. It was detected for the first time in Uganda in 1947 and was named for a forest south of that nation's capital of Kampala. An Indo-Canadian Sikh has been unanimously elected as the head of Canada's Peel Police, the country's third largest municipal police force. Amrik Singh Ahluwalia was voted as the new chair of Ontario's Peel Police Services Board after receiving backing from Brampton Mayor Linda Jeffrey and Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie. "My first thoughts are, what a wonderful country we live in," Ahluwalia said, immediately after yesterday's unanimous vote. Noting that he arrived in Canada decades ago "with USD 7 in my pocket", Ahluwalia said he couldn't have fathomed at the time that one day he would be bestowed with the "honour" and responsibility of what was bestowed upon him. "I am honoured. This is a great responsibility, I take with humility and with a sense of purpose that I want to do my very best," he said, adding that the board and the force would work to improve things "collaboratively". "I will do my best to serve the public and serve the police force... The men and women in the force who day in and day out do such an exemplary job," Toronto Star quoted Ahluwalia as saying. Ahluwalia was first appointed by the provincial government to the board in February 2011 and re-appointed for a second term in April 2014. After Navdeep Singh Bains and Harjit Singh Sajjan who became the first Sikh Cabinet ministers in Canada, Ahluwalia is the third Indo-Canadian to rise in the country's government affairs. A business leader with extensive background in manufacturing and petro-chemicals, Ahluwalia has organised several youth camps and served as President of Sikh Society Calgary. He is a volunteer with Seva Food Bank Mississauga. The Peel Regional Police is Canada's third largest municipal police force, responsible for the provision of adequate and effective police services, law enforcement and crime prevention within the region, a duty it discharges through the enactment of policies. The board is responsible for the police budget, oversees the actions of the chief of police and is the employer for the members of the police service. Making a case for 8-9 per cent growth rate, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today indicated that his upcoming Budget will not resort to "sheer populism" for good ratings and will focus on structural reforms. He also expressed hope that the Congress will "see reason" and help the government pass the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill in the Budget Session of Parliament beginning next month. "Indian economy has to be out on sounder platform. Don't forget India is one of the few economies of the world that survived 2001, 2008 and 2015 (global crises)," he said. Stating that fundamentals have to be strong enough, the finance minister said, "The Budget has to weigh the areas of weaknesses where investments are required. Therefore, I have to pitch in that direction. If a Budget for the cause of ratings goes in for sheer populism, it's not necessary that the cause of economics or even sounder politics that we are aiming at (is served)." Jaitley said the government would not pursue retrospective tax claims and added that he would like the remaining two or three disputes to get resolved "as expeditiously as possible". Taxes which are payable must be collected but "there must not be unfair taxes" as unfair assessments bring "bad name" and no revenue, he said at the ET Global Business Summit here. Hoping that the Congress would support GST that aims to create a unified market across India, he said, "It (GST) is the important reform of the UPA. If I have to credit the authorship of it, I have to give credit to them. Now, If the author turns against his own script, what do I make? "I have reached out (to the Congress), I have spoken to them. I have explained to them and I hope they will see reason... See the rationale behind passing GST." "The UPA allies like RJD, NCP and JD-U are openly supporting it," Jaitley said, adding that even the Congress-ruled states are for the uniform tax regime. "I don't see a reason why they (the Congress) should have a rethink on the Bill. If there is a discussion on a particular idea in the Bill, I am willing to discuss with them. But anything that makes it a flawed legislation... certainly, we can't bound future generations to a flawed legislation," the minister clarified. An official of Public Health Department here was arrested by SIT while another official of a sewerage treatment plant was sent to four-day police custody today in connection with alleged contamination of water that resulted in spread of jaundice in Shimla. Sub-Divisional engineer of Irrigation and Public Health Department A C Chauhan, who was placed under suspension on January 25, was arrested today by the agency, SSP Shimla D W Negi said. Contractor of Sewerage Treatment Plant at Malayana, who was the main accused in the case, was remanded to four days of police custody today, he said. The special Investigation team was constituted by Shimla police to probe the causes for jaundice outbreak in Shimla town and fix the responsibility for the alleged lapses. The number of total arrests made so far in this connection has gone up to four. Earlier, a Junior Engineer and supervisor at the plant were arrested over alleged contamination of drinking water which led to spread of jaundice in Shimla. The SIT is probing the matter and more arrests are likely to be made, Negi said. The agency is inquiring into various aspects of the case and the role of IPH, Pollution Control Board and Health department to ascertain that whether it was just negligence or complicity. "The SIT would mow focus on lifting of water samples to find out that why contaminated water allowed to be distributed to the residents when it was revealed that the water at Ashwani Khud water supply scheme was contaminated at the source due to mixing of sewage," Negi said. The water supply from Ashwani khud had been stopped from January 2 last and the SMC had made it clear that the supply would not be resumed till the National Institute of Virology certified the water was safe for drinking purposes. The number of jaundice cases has crossed the 1000 mark and the disease has spread from Shimla to Solan, prompting the government to take immediate effective steps to control the spread of the disease. Jordan's prime minister warned today that it will be "very, very difficult" to keep absorbing Syrian refugees unless his country receives significant economic aid and easier access to European markets. Abdullah Ensour made the link between refugee admissions and aid in unusually blunt comments today, during a visit to the Azraq refugee camp. He spoke ahead of next week's Syria conference where pledges of some USD 9 billion are being sought for 2016 to alleviate the fallout from the five-year-old civil war. The conflict has uprooted millions of Syrians, including more than 4 million who fled their homeland. Most live in overburdened regional host countries such as Jordan, which has taken in about 630,000. Deteriorating conditions in the host countries driven by aid shortfalls have prompted hundreds of thousands of Syrians to move to Europe. The upcoming aid conference in London will try to find ways to keep more refugees in the region, including by putting large numbers to work and making them less dependent on aid. Currently, most refugees are not allowed to work legally in Jordan and Lebanon, which face high domestic unemployment. Ensour today warned of possible changes in Jordan's refugee policy. "We have opened our borders," he said. "We will continue to do so provided that others come and help us help the Syrians ... I don't mean just sending cash or grants. I want them to help the economy at large, that's to say help the budget, help export ... Our products because if these people (Syrians) have to join the industry, then the industry has to sell elsewhere." If such support is not received, "then it would be very, very difficult for us to continue the way that we did in the past," he added. Jordan and Lebanon have already tightened entry restrictions for refugees in recent months. About 17,000 Syrians, including women and children, are stranded in rough conditions in a remote desert area on the Jordanian border, many already waiting for months to enter the kingdom. Jordan only lets in several dozen a day, citing the need for stringent security checks; officials say many of the refugees come from areas controlled by Islamic State extremists. International aid agencies have called on Jordan to speed up security checks and move refugees to the Azraq camp, which stands largely empty. Russia's top diplomat Sergei Lavrov will meet his American counterpart John Kerry on February 11 to review progress in the Syria peace talks, his office said today. The announcement came as key players in the Syrian conflict gathered in Geneva for indirect talks in a fresh effort to end the bloodshed, which has so far cost more than 260,000 lives since it began with anti-government protests in March 2011. During a phone conversation, Lavrov and Kerry "agreed to evaluate progress in the Geneva talks during the next meeting of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) on February 11," a statement said, without saying where the meeting would talk place. Washington and Moscow are the key players in the bid to end the bloody war in Syria, leading talks through the 17-nation ISSG. The two men also discussed the ongoing talks in Geneva which are being attended by representatives of President Bashar al-Assad's regime as well as opposition figures. In a last-minute announcement, Syria's main opposition body agreed to attend, but has insisted it will not engage in negotiations with regime figures. Earlier this week, Lavrov's deputy said Moscow wanted to hold an international meeting on Syria in Munich on February 11, saying there was an "agreement in principle" on the matter between the top US and Russian diplomats. High-ranking officials are due to gather in Munich on February 12 for an annual security conference. Western diplomats have piled pressure on the opposition to participate in the current round of negotiations, which would be only the second dialogue between Syrians since the start of the conflict. The talks are part of a UN-backed plan, agreed by top diplomats last year in Vienna, that envisages negotiations followed by a transitional government, a new constitution and elections within 18 months. US Secretary of State John Kerry welcomed a late decision by the main Syrian opposition coalition to take part in UN-backed talks designed to end their country's bloody civil war. "The United States welcomes the important decision by the High Negotiations Committee of the Syrian opposition to attend negotiations hosted by the United Nations in Geneva," Kerry said in a statement yesterday. "The United States also reiterates that UN Security Council Resolution 2254 must be fully implemented by all parties to the talks, including with regard to the urgent need for humanitarian access for besieged areas of Syria," he added. This had been a key demand of the rebel coalition, which had insisted that Syrian government forces and their Russian allies halt the bombing of besieged enclaves and allow humanitarian convoys to reach starving families. "The United States further expects that both sides in these negotiations will participate in good faith and achieve early, measurable progress in the days ahead," Kerry said. Next week, Kerry is to attend a fund raising meeting with donor states in London to support humanitarian efforts to ease the plight of refugees and displaced people caught up in Syria's civil war. Anirban Lahiri salvaged some confidence and pride with a two-under 70 in the second round but missed the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open, here. Coming after the first round 80, it was a relief of sorts for the 28-year-old Indian, playing his Rookie season on the PGA Tour. Lahiri started on the 10th and had just one birdie and one bogey on the back nine of the Torrey Pines (North) and then added two birdies on the second nine. That gave him a 70, but he still missed the cut by ample distance. It was Lahiri's debut at the Torrey Pines, but also missing out on the cut this week were defending champion and World No. 2, Jason Day (72-76), Rickie Fowler (73-71), Justin Rose (71-73), which meant three of the World's Top-10 stars had missed the cut and so did Phil Mickelson (69-76). Lahiri, winner of the Malaysian Open and Hero Indian Open early last year, was Tied-28th last week at Career Builder Challenge and will be back again at the USD 6.5 million Waste Managements Phoenix Open next week. However, coming into form at the right time was KJ Choi, who shared the lead with Gary Woodland as both players 68-67 in the two rounds. Trailing them by one going into the weekend was Dustin Johnson, who made a risky escape on of the one wild tee shots he hit. Still he was only one behind Choi and Woodland. Choi was a bit of a surprise, having not won on the PGA TOUR in nearly five years. The 45-year-old South Korean shot his 67 on the North Course. Scott Brown had a 71 on the South to join Billy Horschel (70 on the South) and Martin Laird (68 on the North) at 7-under 137. The cut was at 1-under 143. Day's missing the cut was the first a defending champion had missed the weekend since Jose Maria Olazabal did in 2003. In his second round Lahiri went through a bogey-free performance with three birdies to boot. He hit well and gave himself decent chances. He missed a seven-footer for birdie on par-5 18th, which was his ninth hole, but otherwise birdied the other three Par-5s to card 69 and bring his total to three-under 141 and be placed tied 46th, a massive improvement on his first round placing of tied 80th. In the first round, he birdied only one Par-5, bogeyed another and parred the other two. Lovemark played 27 holes on Friday. He completed a 5-under 67 in the first and added a 66 in the second in the event that has been hit by a long rain delay on Thursday. Lovemark, who is still winless on the PGA Tour, has birdied seven of the eight pars in two rounds. Vegas, whose last PGA Tour win came in 2011, shot 64-69 and he endured a little over 30 holes, after picking action midway from sixth hole. None of the players in the afternoon wave finished the round, with top-ranked Jason Day at 5-under and facing a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-5 11th when play resumes. Brian Stuard, the overnight leader after a 64 on Thursday, was a stroke behind the leaders at 10 under with six holes left. Harold Varner III was 8 under after a 67. Malaysia's attorney general promised today to cooperate with a Swiss call for help in probing alleged massive corruption that has placed Prime Minister Najib Razak under severe pressure. Swiss prosecutors yesterday had issued a statement saying they believe around USD 4 billion was stolen from Malaysian state-owned companies, including a firm with close links to Najib, and called for Malaysian assistance in their probe. The appeal came just days after Najib's attorney general, Mohamed Apandi Ali, sparked outrage and allegations of a cover-up by declaring Najib committed no wrongdoing in accepting a mysterious USD 681 million payment to his personal bank accounts in 2013. "My office intends to take all possible steps to follow up and collaborate with our Swiss counterparts," Apandi said in a statement quoted by Malaysian media. Malaysia has been rocked for more than a year by allegations that perhaps billions of dollars had gone missing from complex overseas transactions involving the Najib-linked company, 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). The scandal hit another gear last July when the USD 681 million payment to Najib, now 62, was revealed. The revelation fuelled suspicions that the money came from 1MDB, an investment company that has launched a fire sale of assets to pay off billions of dollars in debt. Najib and 1MDB have denied wrongdoing, but both face accusations from the opposition and other critics of hiding facts. Since last year, Najib's government has responded to the snowballing scandal by detaining whistle-blowers, shutting down media outlets and websites that reported on the affair, and warning that those who expose anything further could face prosecution. He also purged critics in his top ruling circle and fired his attorney general, who had been investigating the money paid to Najib, replacing him with Apandi. Apandi said last week the money was a harmless "personal donation" from the Saudi royal family, prompting derision in Malaysia. In September, Swiss authorities announced they had frozen "tens of millions of dollars" in suspicious assets in Swiss accounts held by current and former officials from Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates. "To date, however, the Malaysian companies concerned have made no comment on the losses they are believed to have incurred," the prosecutors' statement said yesterday. Pakistan's Ambassador to the UN Maleeha Lodhi, who held the same position in the US and UK, apparently acted as an informal messenger between the Obama Administration and the then Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, latest bunch of Hillary Clinton's emails indicate. However, the entire message delivered by Lodhi to the State Department on behalf of Kayani has been redacted. "I got a call from Maleeha Lodhi (former Pakistan Ambassador to US and UK) who is in London. She gave a message from Kayani," wrote Vali S Nasr on January 21, 2011. Nasr was then a senior advisor in the Office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. The readout of Kayani's message through Lodhi running into two paragraphs was sent to the then Secretary of State Clinton the same day. She asked this message to be printed on January 30, three days after an American diplomat Raymond Davis was arrested in Lahore on charges of killing two Pakistanis. The incident immediately resulted in a crisis in US-Pak relationship. "Please print," Clinton wrote to her aide Lauren C Jiloty on the email with the subject "latest from Pakistan on Kayani 3.0". The State Department yesterday released some 1,000 pages of emails of Clinton when she was the Secretary of State - during which she used a private email and a private server. The emails are being released in phases at the direction of a US court. While most of the portions of email related to Pakistan has been heavily redacted, it does contain in full the readout of the phone call between Clinton and the then Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar on July 3, 2012. "I once again reiterated our deepest regrets for the tragic incident in Salala last November. I offered our sincere condolences to the families of the Pakistani soldiers who lost their lives. Foreign Minister Khar and I acknowledged the mistakes that resulted in the loss of Pakistani military lives. We are sorry for the losses suffered by the Pakistani military. We are committed to working closely with Pakistan and Afghanistan to prevent this from ever happening again," Clinton said as per the email. "As I told the former Prime Minister of Pakistan days after the Salala incident, America respects Pakistan's sovereignty and is committed to working together in pursuit of shared objectives on the basis of mutual interests and mutual respect," she said. "In today's phone call, Foreign Minister Khar and I talked about the importance of taking coordinated action against terrorists who threaten Pakistan, the US and the region; of supporting Afghanistan's security, stability and efforts towards reconciliation; and of continuing to work together to advance the many other shared interests we have, from increasing trade and investment to strengthening our people-to-people ties. "Our countries should have a relationship that is enduring, strategic and carefully defined and that enhances the security and prosperity of both our nations and the region," Clinton said. A French prosecutor says a man who tried to enter a Disneyland Paris hotel last week with two handguns will face criminal charges. Prosecutor Dominique Laurens in Meaux, east of Paris, had already dismissed terrorism links but said today the man risks up to five years in prison and a fine of USD 82,000 if convicted. The charges include acquiring and transporting arms and ammunition. The man, who has not been identified, was detained Thursday with a female companion when he tried to bring the weapons into the hotel. The woman was cleared of complicity. The man was expected to go before a court Monday, a statement by the prosecutor said. France is under a state of emergency since November Paris attacks by Islamic extremist that killed 130 people. The body of a villager who was abducted by Maoists two days ago for refusing to join their ranks was today found in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, police said. The body of the victim, identified only as Hidma, was found lying in a pool of blood on the outskirts of his native village Madiyaras Korra, about 450 km from here, Santosh Singh, Sukma, Additional Superintendent of Police, told PTI over phone. The villager was abducted by armedmen from a local market on January 28. Hidma's throat was slit and his body bore multiple injuries which indicated he was beaten up with sticks, the police officer said. Preliminary investigation revealed that for the past few days, Naxals were pressurising Hidma to join the outlawed CPI (Maoist). However, the villager was reluctant to join the armed insurgency and this led to his murder, the ASP said. To cover up their heinous act, the rebels had branded the victim as "a police informer" before villagers, he said. A case has been registered and a manhunt launched to nab the attackers, the officer said. Members of over 60 organisations representing the youth, minorities and the disabled today held a protest march against "growing" incidents of religious intolerance and gender inequality. The march, held on the 68th death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, started from Mandi House and ended at Jantar Mantar. "This is a very important day for the nation and also a day to review and revisit the so-called traditions that are discriminatory. We have come together to defend our constitutional rights, fight against all divisive forces and express our solidarity with each other irrespective of religious affiliations," said Annie Raja of National Federation of Indian Women. Harsh Mander, a social activist and writer, said he could not recall a time when such a diverse set of people's groups and associations marched together to honour the spirit and letter of the Constitution and assert solidarity across class, caste, gender and disability. And more importantly, "to express our collective concern on the many assaults we are witnessing on the basic values of our Constitution; of freedom, justice, equality and fraternity, and our resolve to defend our republic," Mander said. Bharati Ali, Co-Director of the Haq Centre for Child Rights, said the time has come to speak in one voice against budget cuts imposed on key issues such as children, education and health. "Though the Constitution of India has recognised the rights of Dalits and special provisions have been made for their safety and protection, we are witnessing growing incidence of violence against them," said Annie Namala of the Centre for Social Equity and Inclusion. Namala demanded that "constitutional and legislative provisions be implemented properly to stop discrimination and violence against minorities". The tiny Marshall Islands will seek in March to persuade the UN's highest court to take up a lawsuit against India, Pakistan and Britain which they accuse of failing to halt the nuclear arms race. The International Court of Justice -- founded in 1945 to rule on legal disputes between nations -- announced late Friday dates for separate hearings for the three cases between March 7 to 16. In the cases brought against India and Pakistan, the court will examine whether the tribunal based in The Hague is competent to hear the lawsuits. The hearing involving Britain will be devoted to "preliminary objections" raised by London. A decision will be made at a later date as to whether the cases can proceed. In 2014, the Marshall Islands -- a Pacific Ocean territory with 55,000 people -- accused nine countries of "not fulfilling their obligations with respect to the cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament." They included China, Britain, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, and the United States. The government based in the Marshall Islands capital of Majuro said by not stopping the nuclear arms race, the countries continued to breach their obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) -- even if the treaty has not been by signed by countries such as India and Pakistan. The Marshall Islands had decided to sue the world's nuclear heavyweights as "it has a particular awareness of the dire consequences of nuclear weapons," it said. Between 1946 and 1958 the United States conducted repeated nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands, Majuro's representatives said in papers filed in court. But the court only admitted three cases brought against Britain, India and Pakistan because they already recognised the ICJ's authority. In March 2014, the Marshall Islands marked 60 years since the devastating hydrogen bomb test at Bikini Atoll, that vapourised an island and exposed thousands in the surrounding area to radioactive fallout. The 15-megaton test on March 1, 1954, was part of the intense Cold War nuclear arms race and 1,000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Bikini Islanders have lived in exile since they were moved for the first weapons tests in 1946. When US government scientists declared Bikini safe for resettlement, some residents were allowed to return in the early 1970s. But they were removed again in 1978 after ingesting high levels of radiation from eating local foods grown on the former test site. Delhi BJP leaders today staged a protest near Delhi Secretariat, demanding the AAP government stop "misleading" people and release the funds for municipal corporation employees. Scores of protesters marched on Vikas Marg from Nirman Vihar Metro station raising slogans against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. They also burnt the effigies of Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues. "Kejriwal government should stop misleading people through media statements on municipal funds. We have written to the Chief Minister giving the facts on the funds that the municipal bodies have got from Delhi government and their salary bills," Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay said. "MCDs salary bills are almost thrice above the non plan funds that have been given by Delhi government to them. We demand the government to release around Rs 3,000 crore pending funds to MCDs," he said. Meanwhile, BJP leader Vijender Gupta said Lt Governor Najeeb Jung should take over administration of Delhi. The Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly said that the AAP government was "intentionally" acting "against the Constitution" so that President's rule was imposed and it could go to the people saying that it was not allowed to work. Upadhyay also charged the government with using "job terror tactics" to curb the agitation of municipal employees, especially sanitation workers by deploying PWD staff for clearing garbage. Delhi government today deployed hundreds of PWD workers to remove garbage from across the city as nearly 60,000 sanitation workers of municipal corporations continued their indefinite strike demanding payment of their dues. A 10 million tonnes per annum capacity coal washery of Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) would come up in Odisha. Union Coal Secretary Anil Swarup, who is on a three-day visit to the state, laid the foundation stone of the Ib Valley Washery in Lakhanpur Area of MCL, which is estimated to be built at a cost of Rs 396 crore by October 2017. The washery will benefit the company, the common man and the country as a whole, Swarup said. The Ib Valley Washery is one of the four 10 MTPY coal washeries (two each in Ib Valley Coalfields and Talcher Coalfields) being set-up by MCL, which are expected come up in financial year 2017-18. Swarup also visited various opencast coal mines of MCL, where he was briefed on ongoing mining operation by the CMD and the directors of the MCL. The Secretary also planted saplings of plants on the reclaimed sites of coal mines. MCL, the leading coal producing company of the country, aims to contribute 250 million tonnes of coal to the one billion tonnes coal production target of Coal India Limited by 2020. Mobile phone production in India has reached 100 million with leading companies setting up their manufacturing base in the country, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said today. "Today, I am happy to announce that in December, Rs 1.14 lakh crore investment has come in electronic manufacturing in India. We have attracted around 15 new mobile plants. "Earlier in 2014, 68 million (mobile phones) were being manufactured and now 100 million are being manufactured," Prasad said at Global Business Summit here. Smartphone sales in India also reached 100 million by the end of December, 2015, he added. "All the major companies in the world namely Panasonic, Mitsubishi, Nidec, Samsung, Bosch, Jabil, Flextronics, Continental are in India besides all the top Indian companies who are already here," Prasad said. Indian Cellular Association founder and President Pankaj Mohindroo said that in terms of value, mobile phone production in the country has increased by 95 per cent in the ongoing financial year as compared to the previous fiscal. "Government has made sincere efforts to boost mobile phone production in the country. The new investment has created 30,000 new jobs in the country and state governments have shown keen interest in attracting these investments," Mohindroo said. Prasad said penetration of Internet is rising rapidly and increased by 100 million in a year to 400 million, including through mobile phones. "With God's blessing, I am confident that at this growth rate we will cross 500 million," he added. The minister reiterated his support for experimentation of new technologies in the country, including that of Project Loon by Google and White space spectrum use for broadband by Microsoft. "Once the pilot becomes successful, then depending on security concerns, final call will be taken," Prasad said. He added that India is growing at a phenomenal pace and the government is looking to expand reach of technology through broadband network being laid out in rural India. "We have scaled up optical fibre laying work by 500 times (compared to work done under previous government)," Prasad said. The minister lauded the efforts of operators who have built huge telecom networks in the country but asked them to use it optimally for providing good service quality as well. (REOPENS DEL 23) Besides spectrum auction, the panel also discussed revival of state-run telecom firm MTNL, plan for enhancing telecom connectivity in Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands and Bharat Net project for rural broadband. According to sources, the Telecom Commission also favoured VRS for MTNL employees aged above 50 years with government support of up to Rs 2,000 crore. Expenses on MTNL employees are 78 per cent of its total revenue against industry average of 3 per cent. Around 26,500 MTNL employees are estimated to retire in the next 10 years and under the proposed scheme about 5,300 will be eligible for VRS, which will be open for about three months period from the date of Cabinet approval. The panel believes that MTNL could save about Rs 500 crore from VRS offering which it can use for improving the quality of service. The TC also approved asset monetisation plan of MTNL like infrastructure-sharing and building rental. For improving connectivity in A&N islands, the panel has given nod to laying of submarine cable which will cost around Rs 1,000 crore to the government. At present, telecom services in the islands are provided through satellites. The panel has also approved increasing satellite bandwidth three times for Lakshadweep islands from 100 mbps to 300 mbps. For Bharat Net project, the panel has approved a plan to connect 1 lakh village panchayats with high speed broadband by March 2017 with the help of optical fibre and expeditious purchase of equipment. For rest 1.5 lakh village panchayats, the commission has approved Wifi-based connectivity through common service centres by September, 2018. With the recovery of more cash, arms and ammunition from the houses and offices of the arrested Dhalasamanta brothers, Odisha police today moved the SDJM court, Cuttack to take them on remand for ten days for further questioning. The two accused - Sushil Kumar Dhalasamanta, editor of a weekly magazine, chief patron of a city-based youth organisation and Director of Metaphor Trans Corporation Pvt. Ltd. And his elder brother Sushant - were arrested yesterday and remanded to jail custody after production, late on Friday night. The duo have nearly two dozen criminal cases pending against them at various police stations of Odisha. "In all we have seized one .9mm carbine gun, one double-barrel gun and four .9mm mousers and 150 rounds of ammunition and cash of over Rs 2.67 crore from the searches conducted in their houses at Bhubaneswar and Cuttack", Cuttack DCP Sanjib Arora said. Several bank articles, including 15 ATM cards were also seized. In a related development, a police team left for Vizag and another for Kolkata to conduct more searches there as the brothers were learnt to be operating from these localities having offices. Police are also verifying the data and stored information in the one laptop, 13 mobiles and some important documents, including some diaries seized from the house and office of Sushil, who was the chief patron of a social organisation known for organising blood donation camps and social functions for last two years. Union Urban Development Minister M Venakiah Naidu will discuss BJP's action plan for the coming Assembly polls with party leaders and cadres during his maiden visit here on February 1 after assuming office, a senior party leader said today. "The action plan for the party for the coming Assembly polls will be discussed at a meeting in which cadres and leaders of state level and district and constituency level units would participate," BJP's local unit president V Swaminathan said in a release. This will be Naidu's first visit to Puducherry after becoming a Union Minister, he said. The BJP is an alliance partner of the ruling AINRC. Former president of BJP's Puducherry unit M Visweswaran is the nominated legislator in Puducherry Assembly. Naidu wouldalso declare open the Arts and Crafts centre on the banks of the backwaters in neighbouring Murungapakkam. The Rs 5.32 crore centre on a four-acre site has been set up by the Puducherry Tourism Development Corporation in association with Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), official sources said today. It would enable skilled artisans produce their crafts, and display them for sale at the centre. Artisans from different parts of the country can display their products for sale at the centre, they said. Nepal's Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli may head to China ahead of India if the trade "blockade" is not lifted, a top official of the ruling CPN-UML party said today, making the normalisation of situation at the Indo-Nepal border a pre-condition for the premier's maiden trip to Delhi. Surya Thapa, deputy chief of the publicity committee of Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML), said that Oli is waiting for India to lift its "unofficial blockade", mainly at the Raxaul-Birgunj border check point, which accounts for about 70 per cent of the bilateral trade. "If the embargo is not lifted, the Prime Minister may visit China first, instead of India," Thapa told PTI. The usual practice of the new prime ministers of Nepal is to travel to India on maiden foreign trip. Only Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' had rubbed India the wrong way when he chose China as the first destination of his foreign visit after taking over as Nepal's prime minister in 2008. Thapa said though the Prime Minister has high regards for Indo-Nepal ties, if India does not show any gesture Oli's trip to China as the first foreign destination was inevitable. Preparations for Oli's China visit have been made at the same time as his India visit, likely in the third week of February, Thapa said. Shortly after Oli took charge about four months ago, he had a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who invited him to visit India. That same day, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Wu Chuntai also called on Oli and invited him to visit Beijing, Thapa said. There is pressure on Oli from party leadership not to visit India first, if the situation at the border does not return to normalcy, Thapa said, adding that the situation of Nepal-India relations was "unexpected and beyond imagination." "They are pressing the Prime Minister to visit China first, in case the situation doesn't improve," he said. Recently, Oli told a select group of journalists that "it would not be appropriate for him to visit India before lifting of the border blockade." Except the Raxaul-Birgunj border point, trade has resumed at all other posts. The Raxaul-Birgunj point was opened briefly a couple of days ago, but it was closed again. Nepal was facing acute shortages of petroleum products, medicines and other essential goods due to the five-month-long blockade of key border trade points with India due to protests by Madhesis, who share cultural and family links with Indians. (Reopens FGN 20) The Madhesis have been protesting in the southern Terai region for five months, demanding a re-demarcation of provinces, fixing of electoral constituencies on the basis of population and proportional representation. Nepal's parliament earlier this month voted to amend the Constitution four months after its promulgation to address two of the key demands - proportionate representation and seat allocation in the Parliament on the basis of population. But Madhesis rejected as "incomplete" the constitutional amendments for failing to address the re-demarcation issue. Because of the ongoing impasse, Nepal has likely warmed up to its northern neighbour China. Thapa said Nepal wants to take its China ties to historical heights during Oli's visit. Opening of more trading points, trade agreements, opening of new frontiers for Nepal's development are some tems that might be discussed during the Oli's China visit, Thapa said. China, effectively ending a 40-year Indian monopoly, recently provided 2.5 million litres of petroleum products to Nepal. Nepal's Finance Minister Bishnu Poudel will visit India early next month to lay the groundwork for Prime Minister K P Oli's maiden foreign trip to the country. Poudel is scheduled to travel to India at the invitation of the Indian government, finance ministry sources said here. The main purpose of the visit, likely to take place from February 7-9, will be to lay the groundwork for the upcoming trip of Prime Minister Oli, they said. Poudel will meet his Indian counterpart Arun Jaitley and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj along with other top officials. His visit comes amid speculation over Oli's travel to India after his remarks this week that it would not be appropriate for him to make a trip to the country until the "border blockade" ends. Oli is expected to travel to New Delhi next month on his first foreign visit as Prime Minister. Earlier, there had also been speculation that the Communist leader could visit China ahead of India. During his telephonic conversation with Oli a couple of months ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had invited him to visit India at an appropriate time. Nepal government has alleged that the "border embargo" had been imposed by the Indian government, a claim which India has denied. India has made clear that the obstruction in the movement of goods through the Indo-Nepal border was due to the protests by the Madhesis. Nepal is facing an acute shortage of cooking gas, petroleum products, medicines and other essential goods due to the five-month-long blockade of key border trade points with India as a result of the protests by the Madhesis. Madhesis are continuing their protests even after Nepal parliament last Saturday voted to amend the country's Constitution with a two-thirds majority four months after its promulgation, in a bid to resolve the political crisis. The amendments addressed two key demands of the Madhesis -- proportionate representation and seat allocation in the Parliament on the basis of population. Madhesis have rejected as "incomplete" the constitutional amendments passed by the Parliament for failing to address their concerns over redrawing borders. The agitating Madhesi community that shares strong cultural and family bonds with India is demanding demarcation of provinces, fixing of electoral constituencies on the basis of population and proportional representation. At least 55 people have been killed in the protests. Senior IFS officer Muktesh Kumar Pardeshi has been appointed India's next Ambassador to Mexico. Pardeshi, a 1991-batch IFS officer, is currently posted as Joint Secretary (Passport division) in the Ministry of External Affairs here. Government has also appointed P Harish, a 1990-batch IFS officer, as India's next Ambassador to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. He is currently posted as Consul General in Houston, the US. The New York Times today endorsed Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination and Ohio Governor John Kasich for that of the Republicans. The liberal newspaper's picks come just two days before voters in Iowa cast ballots in the first nominating contest of the 2016 presidential election season. The Times editorial board opted for a front-runner and a moderate underdog in endorsing Clinton for the Democrats and Kasich for the Republicans. "Voters have the chance to choose one of the most broadly and deeply qualified presidential candidates in modern history," the newspaper said of Clinton, a former secretary of state, senator from New York and First Lady. Clinton is in a dead heat with Bernie Sanders in Iowa, and the Vermont senator is leading the polls in New Hampshire, the next primary state, which votes February 9. Nationally, though, Clinton is ahead by a wide margin. The Times credited Sanders with generating enthusiasm among Democratic voters, but in the end, it said, he "does not have the breadth of experience or policy ideas that Mrs Clinton offers." The Times noted that it has endorsed Clinton on three previous occasions -- twice when she ran for senator in New York, and in 2008 when she ran unsuccessfully for president against Barack Obama. In assessing the Republican candidates, The Times appeared to have settled on Kasich through a process of elimination. It rejected Donald Trump, who has dominated the Republican race thus far, as a populist "who invents his positions as he goes along." "Mr Trump has neither experience in nor interest in learning about national security, defence or global trade," it said. It dismissed Senator Ted Cruz, number two in the Republican field, as driven solely by personal ambition. "Mr Cruz will say anything to win. The greater worry is that he'd follow words with action," The Times said. Kasich, "though a distinct underdog, is the only plausible choice for Republicans tired of the extremism and inexperience on display in this race," The Times concluded. A civil society organisation today raised concern over "safety gaps" in the Delhi metro and made a presentation to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh detailing the "lacunae". "The Home Minister has emphasized upon the need to incorporate public participation with respect to security at metro stations in Delhi NCR as no credible security mechanism is present between the main gate and security checkpoints," Anuj Agrawal, general secretary of Maulik Bharat, said. The forum suggested that additional battalions of Delhi Police be stationed at the metro premises and services of scouts and guides and other volunteers be used to tighten security. "The Home Minister said that this requires immense public participation for which work is already in progress and a volunteer force of 7,000 persons have already been trained in Kerala," a statement issued by the NGO said. Delhi Metro network runs over 200 kilometres with around 160 stations. It has six separate corridors criss-crossing the NCR including, Gurgaon, Noida and Faridabad. Terming tolerance as the need of the hour, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said that no religion teaches one to be intolerant and that Hinduism with its message to respect all has evolved into a "universal religion". "We must be broad minded. No religion has taught us to be intolerant. Hinduism is a universal religion with its broadness and teachings to respect people belonging to all other faiths," Banerjee said inaugurating the centenary celebration of 'Bharat Sevashram Sangha' here. "India's culture gives the lesson of unity in diversity irrespective of caste, creed and religion," she said. The CM said that the century old tradition of the Bharat Sevashram Sangha in helping the people in distress, has earned the humanitarian organisation enormous goodwill in the country and abroad. "We are proud of being able to confer 'Banga Bibhushan' on this respectable organisation for social service in 2015," the Chief Minister said while pledging all help and cooperation to the organisation. Earlier, Banerjee had in a tweet conveyed best wishes to the people of all communities on the occasion of 'Harmony Day'. Speaking on the occasion, Bangladesh Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan also lauded the Bharat Sevashram Sangha for its social work in the neighbouring country, especially during flood and cyclones in past years. Khan recalled memories of his association with Sangha's service to humanity on various occasions in Bangladesh. The Bharat Sevashram Sangha General Secretary Swami Biswatmananda Maharaj said the centenary celebration attended by the national and international dignitaries, was the beginning of a series of programmes to be held throughout the year. Founded by Swami Pranavanandaji Maharaj in 1917, at Faridpur in Bangladesh, the Bharat Sevashram Sangha is considered one of the biggest social service organisations in India. US President Barack Obama spoke with his Brazilian counterpart Dilma Rousseff to discuss shared concerns over the recent spread of the Zika virus in the Western Hemisphere. "The leaders agreed on the importance of collaborative efforts to deepen our knowledge, advance research, and accelerate work to develop better vaccines and other technologies to control the virus," the White House said after Obama's phone call. Obama and Rousseff agreed to continue to prioritise building national, regional, and global capacity to combat infectious disease threats more broadly. Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Member Tom Carper and Chairman Ron Johnson have written to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Thomas Frieden asking for more information about federal efforts to address the potential threat posed by this virus. "Just like with our response to Ebola, our response to Zika must be an all-hands-on-deck effort. It is also important that the federal government continue to explore any possible links between Zika and other serious maladies," Carper said. The reports of the spread of this virus, and the debilitating and life threatening conditions that it may be causing, are very concerning - especially considering the potential threat it poses to expectant mothers and their unborn children, he said. "The Zika virus has left tragedy in its wake, and while federal agencies are beginning to focus on the emerging threat of the virus, more must be done," Johnson said. Since last May, the Zika virus, originally believed to cause minor physical symptoms such as fever, has spread at an alarming rate throughout a number of Central and South American countries, as well as Puerto Rico. This recent outbreak has coincided with a large uptick in cases of microcephaly, a developmental condition in which affected children are born with abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains. Though no official connection has yet been made between the Zika virus and microcephaly, both Brazilian officials and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have identified several cases where children born with microcephaly also tested positive for the Zika virus. President Barack Obama plans to visit a mosque near Baltimore on Wednesday to make a plea for tolerance and religious freedom, the White House said today. It will be Obama's first visit as president to an American mosque -- though he visited a Jakarta mosque during a 2010 visit -- and comes at a time when American Muslims have reported a surge of anti-Muslim sentiment, linked partly to comments from Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump. "The president will travel to Maryland to visit the Islamic Society of Baltimore mosque to celebrate the contributions Muslim Americans make to our nation and reaffirm the importance of religious freedom," a White House official said. The mosque is in the city of Catonsville, just west of Baltimore. The official said Obama would meet with community members and then deliver remarks emphasising "the importance of staying true to our core values -- welcoming our fellow Americans, speaking out against bigotry, rejecting indifference and protecting our nation's tradition of religious freedom." Following the deadly attacks late last year in Paris and in San Bernardino, California, both linked to radical Muslims, Trump called for a temporary ban on all Muslims entering the country "until we can figure out what's going on." He has also insisted that he saw television images of Muslims celebrating in New Jersey after the World Trade Center attacks in 2001 -- something no independent source has been able to confirm. Amid anecdotal reports of increased attacks on Muslims and mosques, US faith leaders called for Obama to visit a mosque and make a high-profile appeal for tolerance, much as President George W Bush did when he visited the Islamic Cultural Center of Washington just days after the 2001 attacks and said, "Islam is peace." The Islamic Society of Baltimore was established by a handful of families in 1969, according to its website. It has grown to include a school, a nursery and a health clinic. The website says the centre "aspires to be the anchor of a growing Muslim community with diverse backgrounds, democratically governed, relating to one another with inclusiveness and tolerance. At least one person was killed and two others were wounded in a shooting in a tourist district of Rio de Janeiro during a pre-carnival celebration, the military police has announced. The streets of the Brazilian city, which will play host to the Olympic Games in August, have been filled in recent days with people celebrating in advance of its famous carnival, which officially begins on February 5. The shooting occurred as the musical group "Ceu na Terra" was parading before a crowd of some 8,000 people yesterday in the Santa Teresa district of central Rio. "Three people were wounded and one of them has died," a military police spokesman told. The Brazilian government is expecting a million tourists for this year's rendition of the world-famous carnival. But with the Olympics only months away, Rio remains a dangerous city, with regular clashes between criminal gangs and the police and at least three murders every day, mainly in the poorer neighborhoods. A 15-year-old student was today killed while two of his class mates were injured in an avalanche in Macchil sector of north Kashmir's Kupwara district, police said. Mehrajuddin Khan, a resident of village Katwara, died on-the-spot in an avalanche which hit near a madrasa at Chontiwari Payeen around 1230 hours, a police officer told PTI here. He said two other boys - Javid Ahmad Khan and Javid Ahmad Mir - were rescued and shifted to a local hospital where their condition was stated to be "stable". Macchil along with other high altitude areas of the Valley experienced heavy snowfall for the past two days, prompting authorities to issue an avalanche warning yesterday. About two to four feet of snow was reported from the high altitude areas especially near the Line of Control (LoC) including Machil. Authorities yesterday issued an avalanche warning for four districts of Kashmir including Kupwara and advised people not to venture out in avalanche prone areas including Chokibal-Tangdhar Keran, Gurez, Nawgam-Kalyan, Machil and Drass sector in Kargil. (Reopens NRG-23) Giving details of the rescue operation, an army official said a detachment near the scene quickly sprung into action after observing that the boys were caught in the avalanche. "Undeterred by the raging blizzard, 15-20 feet of standing snow and further avalanche warnings, the Army s Avalanche Rescue Team was immediately launched for the rescue equipped with rescue equipment including avalanche victim detector with the help of which contact with the boys was established quickly," he said. He said the team found the boys, buried under 10 feet of snow, in a state of shock and physical exhaustion and administered critical first aid at the site itself. "The rescue mission was able to successfully evacuate two boys. However, the third unfortunately succumbed to his grievous injuries," he added. A 30-year-old man was killed and eight were injured when a bus carrying them overturned in Kharwa village, police said here today. The deceased has been identified as Manoj, they said. The incident took place when the bus carrying 40 persons overturned on Hathras-Jalesar road last night, they said. Police said that the injured persons were taken to a district hospital from where three have been referred to Aligarh medical college. Representatives of Syria's main opposition body arrived in Switzerland today for UN-organised peace talks as the starvation death toll rose in Madaya, one of a string of besieged towns in the war-ravaged country. The High Negotiations Committee (HNC) begrudgingly bowed only late yesterday to US and Saudi pressure to at least show up in Geneva to test the waters for joining the biggest push yet to end a five-year-old civil war. But the body insists it will not engage in formal negotiations, even indirectly, with President Bashar al-Assad's regime until UN Security Council resolutions requiring an end to sieges of towns are adhered to. "We will not sit down at the negotiating table if our people continue to be massacred," HNC spokesman Salem al-Meslet said today. It is also pressing for bombardments of civilians to cease. Highlighting the dire situation, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) today said 16 more people had starved to death in Madaya, with several dozen more residents in "danger of death" because of severe malnutrition. Madaya is one of four towns included in a rare deal last year intended to halt fighting and allow in humanitarian aid, but access remains limited both there and in the rebel-besieged towns of Fuaa and Kafraya. Yesterday, the scheduled start of a planned six months of talks under an ambitious roadmap set out in Vienna in November, protesters highlighted the plight of ordinary Syrians with "siege soup" of grass and leaves. More than 4.5 million people with immense humanitarian needs are living in areas extremely hard to access because of fighting, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said today. A source close to the HNC said that the group was sending 17 negotiators and 25 others to the Swiss city. A 16-member delegation representing Assad's government arrived yesterday. Backed by external powers embroiled in Syria's war, the talks are seeking to end a conflict that has killed more than 260,000 people and fuelled the meteoric rise of the extremist Islamic State group. Millions of those fleeing the conflict have sought refuge in neighbouring countries and hundreds of thousands have risked their lives to reach Europe. Dozens of migrant men, women and children, including Syrians, today drowned when their boat sank off of Turkey -- joining the almost 4,000 who died trying to reach Europe by sea in 2015. The influx has also created tensions in Europe. Dozens of masked men believed to belong to neo-Nazi gangs carried out a number of assaults on migrants in Stockholm overnight, police said Saturday. The complexities of the Syrian conflict, involving a tangled web of moderate rebels, Islamist fighters, Kurds, jihadists and regime forces backed by Moscow and Iran, pose a huge challenge to the talks, experts say. Maharashtra Government today appointed senior IPS officer Dattatray Padsalgikar as the new Police Commissioner of Mumbai. Padsalgikar, a 1982-batch IPS officer, will take over the reins from the incumbent Mumbai Police chief Ahmad Javed, who is set to become India's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia after his retirement tomorrow. "Government is pleased to appoint D D Padsalgikar, IPS (1982) as the next Commissioner of Police, Mumbai with effect from January 31 on superannuation of Ahmad Javed, IPS (1980), the present Commissioner of Police, Mumbai. "The post of Commissioner of Police, Mumbai stands downgraded to the rank of Additional Director General of Police till further orders," a senior official said. Javed had replaced Rakesh Maria as the city's police commissioner in September last year in midst of the Sheena Bora murder probe. Javed was the DG (Homeguards) before taking up the post. Padsalgikar was on deputation to the central government in the Intelligence Bureau (IB) for the past few years. He will retire in August 2018. Earlier in the day, Javed got an official send off from his fellow police officers at Naigaon Police parade ground in Central Mumbai. During his short speech, Javed thanked the state police force for supporting him and congratulated the 13 President Medal's recipients from Mumbai police. Javed said he is proud to take over his next assignment. The Pakistan government has postponed the planned privatisation of its national flag carrier after ongoing protests by PIA employees. Labour union and pilots' organisation joined hands against the government decision to sell off limited shares of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) with management control. A major strike was held yesterday and a bigger one was announced for February 2 to jam all flights and operational offices of the company, prompting the government to review its plan. Senator Mushahidullah Khan from ruling PML-N announced that the government had postponed the privatisation for six months, asking protesting workers to end strike. He said government wants to improve working of the PIA and was not privatising it or sacking the employees. He asked a joint action committee of PIA employees to hold talks with the government. Khan warned that the government would come hard on those protesters had locked airline offices. According to sources Pakistan has already decided to offload several big organisations running into losses, including PIA, under an agreement with IMF and will ultimately sell it. Though, the government is giving the impression that with sale of limited share it was not going to privatise PIA. Pakistan will soon complete its investigation into the Pathankot terror attack and make it public, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said today. The attack had a negative impact and disturbed the talks with India which were "going in the right direction" after the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, he said. "The investigation into the Pathankot incident is underway and we will make its findings public soon," he said while talking to reporters here. "Whatever facts come out we will bring them forth before everyone," he said. Sharif vowed that Pakistan would go to any length to uncover the alleged use of its soil in the January 2 attack on the air base in Pathankot by suspected JeM terrorists. "It is our responsibility to uncover if our soil was used in the attack. We will do this and the ongoing investigations will soon be completed," he said. The terrorists were being defeated and in desperation, they were carrying out isolated acts to make their presence felt, he said, adding that the remaining ones will also be eliminated. Meanwhile, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said none of the 'suspects' arrested in connection with the attack have been charged. "The investigation team is probing the matter and its findings will be made public," Sanaullah told reporters. Responding to a question whether any link of Jaish-e- Mohammad (JeM) has been established with the attack, he said: "The investigation team is also probing this." Sharif had formed a six-member committee headed by Additional Inspector General of Punjab's Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) to investigate the attack in which seven security personnel were killed. Members of the women wing of the Congress party today staged a protest outside the house of BJP MP and actress Hema Malini in suburban Juhu over the allotment of a prime piece of land for her dance academy. Congress corporator Geeta Yadav led the protesters who shouted slogans condemning the BJP-led Maharashtra government's "double standard" on land allotment. The decision to allot her a plot in suburban Andheri for Natyvihar Kala Kendra, reportedly for as little as Rs 70,000, has triggered a controversy. The government had yesterday however said the price of the plot was yet to be worked out. Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RSS of trying to crush the spirit of students by imposing "one idea from the top", Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today likened the Rohith Vemula suicide case with the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. The Congress Vice President, at the end of his nearly nine-hour fast in solidarity with agitating students of Hyderabad Central University, also advocated that a law be enacted to end massive discrimination in our universities. "My main opposition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RSS is that they are trying to crush the spirit of Indian students and youngsters by imposing one idea from the top," Rahul said at the end of his fast. "Please speak about your idea. Talk about your idea. Put your idea in the marketplace of idea," Rahul said as he opposed forcing of ideas on students. He said students should be given due dignity and respect as they are not "foolish and stupid". "They do not need anybody, including me, to tell them what to do. That is the spirit for which I came here. I spent a day with you. The issue here is not about one student", he said putting his weight solidly behind the agitating students as he visited the campus for the second time in as many weeks. Noting that today is not only Rohith's birthday, but also Gandhiji's death anniversary, he said the Father of the Nation lived his life searching for truth and understanding of the world. "He lived like that and fought for that all his life. And he was eventually killed by very forces they did not want him to speak what the truth was aloud. It's exactly the same thing that has been done to Rohith," the Congress leader alleged. Rahul first joined the agitating students in a candle light vigil past midnight to mark the birthday of Rohith, who would have turned 27 today. He lit a candle before the portrait of Rohith at the protest site and spent about two hours past midnight with agitating students and family of the research scholar, who committed suicide on January 17. The Congress leader returned to the protest site in the morning to undertake the fast. Rohith was looking for truth regardless of his community or age, Rahul said, adding, "Nobody has the right to take way your right to search for truth." "What has happened here (HCU) is exactly what is done to Gandhiji. This bright young man was looking to understand his world...Did not want him to speak aloud about what he sought. They did not want him to express the truth..The truth that he sought in this institution. There was so much passion in him". : The Madras High Court today said police are entitled to impose conditions while granting permission for public meetings for a public cause and stop it midway if the conditions are violated. Justice S Vaidhyanathan allowing a petition by one A Velladurai, President, Ezhuchi(Awakening)Tamizhargar Munnetra Kazhagam, said police could also hold organisers responsible for any untoward incident. The judge suggested that police come up with a series of guidelines to grant permission for public meetings, which included keeping the premises clean and litter free and even ban use of plastic. The petitioner had sought permission to hold 'a public meeting for a public cause,' including abolition of liquor, corruption and to highlight other public demands. The judge said if the meeting was for a public cause, then cadres should not intake any toxic substance or liquor. In the event of doing so, police could very well check them by using breath analysers. They could levy conditions including that participants should not raise slogans for or against any party or its leaders, caste or community or creed. Participants should not wear attire showing offending slogans, sing songs in praise of community leaders or having communal overtones, while flex boards should not depict any particular community leader. The Judge said when petitioner's party had been allowed to hold meetings at two other places and the meeting was for a public cause, they could not deny permission at pudukottai. The Intelligence report put up by Police had no reference to this particular political party which wanted to conduct a meeting for a public cause. Police said some other persons tried to create law and order problem by assembling illegally. But they did not belong to the Political party of the petitioner. In case the submission of the petitioner was found false he could be taken to task for imposement of punishment for Perjury, they said. The judge directed police to give permission, leyving conditions after accepting fresh application for a different date for the same cause in pudukottai district. The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) today booked a police naik attached to Chalisgaon City police station for allegedly demanding bribe from a wood trader. "Police naik Natwar Kishor Jadhav, attached to Chalisgaon City police station in Jalgaon district, was booked by the ACB for demanding bribe of Rs 12,000 from a wood trader," an ACB release said here today. "Jadhav had on November 19, 2015, stopped the complainant's wood-laden truck in Chalisgaon, which was on the way from Kannad taluka in Aurangabad district to Malegaon city in Nashik district," it said. He then demanded Rs 12,000 from the trader to let the truck pass, following which the Nashik ACB laid a trap, it said. However, Naik restrained accepting the bribe and even avoided meeting the complainant, it said. But the ACB, in possession of proper evidence of the demand, today filed a police complaint in this connection, the release said. A case was registered under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act by Chalisgaon City police station, it said. A day after former diplomat T P Sreenivasan was manhandled by SFI activists near here, the prime accused, who slapped him, was arrested here today. City Police commissioner S Sparjan Kumar said the prime accused, Students Federation of India(SFI) leader J S Sarath, who was absconding soon after the incident, was arrested from a tea shop here this evening. He was arrested under various charges including IPC sections 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) and 341 (wrongfully restraining any person), he said. Police also initiated disciplinary action against five policemen, who were on duty at the venue of the Global Education Meet at Kovalam, where the incident occurred. The "erring" policemen would be sent for intensive refresher training as part of the departmental action. "Two sub-inspectors and three constables will be sent for intensive refresher training at Kerala Police Academy in Thrissur. An oral inquiry has also been ordered into the incident," a top police official said. There were allegations that police had remained mute spectators while Sreenivasan, who is also the Vice Chairman and Executive Head of Kerala State Higher Education Council, was attacked. Meanwhile, CPI(M) veteran and opposition leader V S Achuthanandan, today demanded strict action against the SFI activists who attacked the former diplomat. CPI(M) politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan also said that the agitators had crossed the limit and the party cannot approve these kind of personal attacks. The party's district secretary Kadakampally Surendran had apologised yesterday itself for the misbehaviour of agitators belonging to SFI, the student wing of CPI-M. SFI activists had attacked Sreenivasan during their protest against the "commercialisation of higher education" near the venue. Sreenivasan was the former Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, Vienna, and Ambassador to Austria and Slovenia. A delegation of All Schools Parents Association today demanded a probe by a retired High Court judge into the alleged suicide by a 16-year-old national-level swimmer in Govind Puram area here. The members of the body met District Magistrate Vimal Kumar Sharma and submitted a memorandum in this regard. Saira Sirohi's body was found hanging from the ceiling fan in her room by her younger sister on January 25. Sharma said if Saira's family members demand a probe by another agency, the administration would forward their request to the state government for its perusal. Rallying behind protesting students on the Dalit scholar suicide issue, Rahul Gandhi today went on a day-long fast here at Hyderabad Central University, drawing sharp criticism from BJP which accused him of "politicising" a sensitive matter. The Congress Vice President spent about two hours with agitating students and participated in a candle light vigil along with 2,000 students past midnight to mark the birthday of Rohith, who would have turned 27 today. He returned to the protest site this morning and joined the students on fast, expressing solidarity with them."Rahulji is on fast," NSUI President Roji M John said. Rahul, who is visiting the campus for the second time in as many weeks, tweeted, "I am here today at the request of Rohith's friends and family, to stand with them in their fight for justice. "A young life full of dreams and aspirations was cut short. We owe it to him, to the memory of (Mahatma) Gandhiji and to every single Indian student who dreams of an India free from prejudice and injustice," he said in another tweet. Rohith's mother Radhika and brother Raju were also present at the protest site. In Delhi, three Union Ministers accused Congress of shedding "crocodile tears" over the suicide issue and attacked Rahul for using students as a "political tool". Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said nine cases of Dalit student suicides had taken place in the campus during the UPA rule but Rahul never bothered to go there as he asked opposition parties to wait for the report of the judicial commission probe ordered by the Centre into the suicide. "Congress is shedding crocodile tears simply to gain political mileage... This is part of their anti-Modi campaign across the country," he told reporters. Also attacking Rahul, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said,"Exams are nearing in Hyderabad (university). All the students are busy with studies. The government has (already) announced judicial probe into the matter. Peace has been restored there. (In such times), Rahul Gandhi ji is politicising the issue." Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi lights a candle near a memorial of Rohith Vemula to pay him tributes during a visit to University of Hyderabad where the students are agitating, in Hyderabad "They are politicising every issue. There is nothing new in it," Singh said. Rahul, who arrived here at 12.10 AM, spoke to the agitating students and lit candles before Rohith's picture. Rahul Gandhi today went on a day- long fast at Hyderabad Central University backing protesting students on the Dalit scholar suicide issue and accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RSS of trying to crush the spirit of students by imposing "one idea from the top". "My main opposition to Mr.Narendra Modi and RSS is that they are trying to crush the spirit of Indian students and youngsters by imposing one idea from the top," the Congress Vice President said. Drawing parallel between Rohith's suicide and Mahatma Gandhi's assasination, he said "what has happened here is exactly what was done to Gandhiji". "Gandhiji was killed by the same forces which did not allow him to speak the truth he wanted to say. It is exactly the same thing that has happened to Rohith...They did not want him to speak the truth that he saw in this institution," he said. Insisting that the incident is not related to one individual or any one particular community, Rahul told the students,"You will find one day that the same people who crushed Rohith will be blocking your path to freedom and progress". "My message to every single student of this country is- when you let what happened to Rohith happen, it will happen to you one day," he said.. Rahul first joined agitating students in a candle light vigil past midnight to mark the birthday of Rohith, who would have turned 27 today, and later went on a nearly nine-hour fast with them. "Do not force your idea on these students. Give them their dignity and respect. I want to say without any animosity & with respect- Modiji, if you want India to progress,you have to unleash the power of these students. If they are feeling discriminated in their universities and their colleges, you will not be able to unleash the power of these students," he said. Rahul also advocated that a law be enacted to end massive discrimination in our universities. "It is time for India to have a law that targets such discrimination in all universities and institutions," he said asking the PM to look into the possibility of passing such a law. Rahul, who is visiting the campus for the second time in as many weeks, tweeted, "I am here today at the request of Rohith's friends and family, to stand with them in their fight for justice. "A young life full of dreams and aspirations was cut short. We owe it to him, to the memory of (Mahatma) Gandhiji and to every single Indian student who dreams of an India free from prejudice and injustice," he said in another tweet. Rohith's mother Radhika and brother Raju were also present at the protest site. In Delhi, three Union Ministers accused Congress of shedding "crocodile tears" over the suicide issue and attacked Rahul for using students as a "political tool". A high-level committee in Pakistan formed to probe the Taliban attack at Bacha Khan University has held inadequate security measures responsbile for the carnage that killed 21 people, and recommended the removal of the varsity's vice-chancellor and security in-charge. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's provincial government had set up a three-member committee to probe the January 20 assault at the University - named after the iconic Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan - in Charsadda that killed 21 people, including 19 students. The committee held university's vice chancellor and security in-charge responsible for "serious lapses in the security management" and recommended their removal. They were also held responsible by the committee for their failure to take any security aspect into consideration. The "university leadership failed its students and employees at all levels," the committee said in its report. According to the report, though preventative security measures including observation posts were in place and CCTV cameras installed but there was no central control room for monitoring the cameras. The committee found that the cameras installed at the point from where the terrorists scaled up the campus wall were facing the wrong direction. It said the security staff at the university were not trained and most of them were employed on daily wages. The committee filed its report based on oral and written statements of the staff, and also reviewed the available data and evidence. The attack revived memories of the horrific December 2014 Taliban attack on an army-run school in the nearby city of Peshawar that killed 150 people, 144 of them children. Taliban militants have threatened to target Pakistan's educational institutions. Media rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders has warned of a fresh wave of violence against journalists in Mexico, where two reporters have been reported murdered in as many days. The latest killings struck in Oaxaca, a southern state of Mexico, which is ranked as one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists, stricken by violence linked to drug gangs. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said yesterday that newspaper and radio reporter Marcos Hernandez Bautista, 38, was killed by a bullet to the head on January 21. Radio journalist Reinel Martinez Cerqueda, 43, was also shot dead the following day. "The cocktail of violence, corruption and impunity has turned Mexico into a disastrous country for journalism," RSF Latin America chief Emmanuel Colombie said in a statement. "We yet again call on the Mexican authorities to protect journalists. We also urge them to shed all possible light on these two murders." RSF estimates that 89 journalists have been killed and 17 have disappeared in Mexico since 2000. Not being able to get the Road Safety Bill passed in Parliament so far is the only "black spot" in his ministry, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said today, expressing hope that it will cross all hurdles and get cleared in the upcoming Budget session. "It pains me that the proposed Road Safety Bill has been the 'only black spot' in the ministry as we have not been able to get it passed despite the same promising widespread reforms. It is on concurrent list and we seek support from states for it," the Road Transport and Highways Minister said at the ET Global Business Summit here. "There is are lot of political problems with the subject. This is one subject where we could not get success but I am confident that in the next session the bill will be passed. I have talked to many Chief Ministers. We have assured them that we are not taking any powers from states," Gadkari said. The new Road Transport and Safety Bill seeks to come down heavily on traffic offenders and proposes steep penalties of up to Rs 3 lakh along with a minimum 7-year imprisonment for death of a child in certain circumstances, besides huge fines for driving violations. The minister said the government has already taken a decision to form a Road Safety Authority and the matter is pending before the Cabinet. Gadkari said once the law is enacted, it would overhaul the sector bringing in transparency and curbing malpractices. Unfortunately, India accounts for about 5 lakh road accidents per annum in which 1.5 lakh people die, he said, adding that the Bill aims to bring down fatalities as well as accidents. He said his ministry is committed to contributing at least 2 per cent to the GDP from the sector besides aiming to reduce accidents by more than 50 per cent in the next two years. "The Bill has been designed after studying relevant laws of US, UK, Singapore and Japan and would bring transparency in the sector. Presently 30 per cent of the licences in the country are bogus," he added. Earlier, allaying States' fear that new Bill will take away their rights, Gadkari has said, "I assure the states that they will not be disturbed. We will not take a single paisa from your revenue and in fact, we want to give support to the states. There are some misconceptions about the proposed Act." On road building targets, the minister said it will be raised to 30 km a day, from 18 km at present. Also he said that most of the 384 stuck projects have been rolled out and problems in 7 projects of total 21 problematic ones left have been resolved. He said contracts worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore have been awarded while work on all major projects including Eastern Peripheral have been started. Road and shipping sectors will create 50 lakh jobs, he said. At least three members of the Afghan security forces were killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in eastern Afghanistan, an official today said. Gen Abdul Habib Sayedkhaili, the Kunar provincial police chief, said the dead include the police chief and intelligence chief of Sarkano district. Two police officers were also wounded in the attack, he said. Sayedkhaili said four insurgents were killed and another three wounded in a gun battle in the district earlier today. Kunar is a particularly volatile region of eastern Afghanistan where Taliban-led insurgents have intensified their attacks on Afghan security forces. Meanwhile a state TV journalist and cultural adviser for the provincial governor was killed by unknown gunmen Friday night in neighboring Nangarhar province, said Salim Kunduzi, Nangarhar's provincial governor. The Congress and other Opposition parties were politicising the suicide of Rohith Vemula for their own gains, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot today said and assured his family will get justice. "Before this suicide, there were eight to nine students who had committed suicide on the campus (of Hyderabad Central University). We were in Opposition then but we did not politicise the matter and worked towards getting justice for the victims' families. "But now Congress and other Opposition parties are politicising the death (of Rohith) for political gains," he told reporters here. The BJP leader said the stipend Rs 25,000 given to the Dalit students, including Rohith, was stopped after the varsity authorities found that a campus group they were associated with was involved in "anti-national" activities like condemning the execution in July last year of Yakub Memon, who was involved in 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts. "When ABVP (BJP's students wing) objected to their activities, one of them, Sushil Kumar, was beaten up and later five students, including Rohith, were expelled," he said. He said a judicial inquiry has been initiated into the death of the PhD student. "We assure real culprits will be booked and Rohith's family will get justice." "Rohith's family members have refused to accept an ex-gratia amount of Rs 8 lakh. But we are giving them complete help and will ensure justice for them," the Minister asserted. Terming the expulsion of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula from Hyderabad University hostel as a "small incident", BJP leader Kailash Vijaywargiya today said he doubts whether this alone led to suicide by the "courageous youth". "The suicide of Vemula is unfortunate. He was a courageous youth who had a zeal to swim against the tide. Though a probe is on in his death, I don't believe he committed suicide just because of a small incident of his expulsion from the hostel," the BJP General Secretary said. "I don't think he took the extreme step because he was perturbed over his expulsion," he told reporters here. "I think those people who are responsible for his suicide are the ones who are agitating to defame Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government. Once the probe is complete, these people would get exposed," Vijaywargiya maintained. The 26-year-old scholar committed suicide early last week, a fortnight after he and four other researchers were expelled from the university hostel in connection with an alleged case of assault. Asked about Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi taking part in the agitation over Rohith's death, Vijaywargiya said, "Politics should not be done on the issue. Our political rivals are unable to digest that under Modi's leadership, the country's stature is rising in the world and therefore they are indulging in such acts." Referring to the issue of making public documents related to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, he said, "the earlier Congress-led governments were unable to fulfil this old demand. However, Modi fulfilled the promise he had made to Netaji's family members and because of this his great grandson joined BJP." The BJP leader, in-charge of poll-bound West Bengal, said the Modi government has made these documents public in national interest so that people know the historical facts related to the legendary freedom fighter. On the issue of quota, he said "we are of the opinion that society's weaker sections should get the benefit of reservation as before. Education ministers of South Korea, Japan and China today gathered for a three-way meeting in Seoul, the first of its kind between the countries that often spar over differing views of the wartime history described in school books. History education wasn't on the agendas of this meeting, where ministers will mainly talk about holding their gatherings regularly and strengthening student exchange, said Yoo Jiwan, an official at Seoul's Education Ministry. Further discussions are needed for history issues to be taken up in future meetings, he said. The countries have already agreed to at least two more meetings between their educational ministers, including one in Japan next year and another in China in 2018, Yoo said. The Northeast Asian neighbors have struggled to settle disputes stemming from Japan's brutal colonial rule of Korea in the early 20th century and its wartime aggression of China, and school books have often been part of such arguments. Seven people died today when a passenger boat capsized after hitting an object in the port city of Lagos, Nigeria's economic capital, a spokesman for the state-run emergency agency (NEMA) said. The boat was taking 17 passengers from Ijede in the Ikorodu area of the city to Badore when it hit an object and capsized at about 10:20 AM, Ibrahim Farinloye told AFP. "Seven people are confirmed dead. We recovered four bodies at the scene while three others died in the hospital," he said. Boat accidents are common in Lagos as many communities and residents on islands in the city and other parts of the country travel to work, school and markets daily by boat, in some cases to avoid monster traffic jams. In July last year, six children drowned when the boat ferrying them to school capsized after colliding with a bigger vessel on the city's lagoon. A fire at Deonar dumping ground two days ago has led Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to shut down 74 schools run by it for two days, as the smoke from the ground veiled the area causing breathing difficulties. The schools are located in M-ward where people are complaining about foul smell due to the burning garbage at the dumping ground, a BMC official said. Schools in M-ward including those in Chembur, Deonar, Tilak Nagar, Pestom Sagar, Shivaji Nagar, Mankhurd, Baiganwadi, have been closed for two days (Friday and Saturday), a corporator said. Deonar is one of the biggest dumping grounds in Mumbai and the amount of garbage is increasing from years leaving people fuming and complaining. BMC schools have a six-day week and are closed only on Sundays, the official said. Since Thursday, a thick blanket of smog has engulfed parts of Mumbai due to various factors including drop in minimum temperature to 14 degree Celsius, the fire incident at Deonar dumping ground and high levels of particulate pollutants in the city. According to weather sources, the air quality in Mumbai will continue to remain between 'poor' and 'very poor' in the coming days. (REOPENS BOM8) Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said BMC Commissioner has informed that smoke at Deonar is substantially under control. "I've asked CP, Mumbai to enquire into possibility of a sabotage," Fadnavis said. State Bank of Hyderabad today reported 44 per cent decline in its net profit for the third quarter ended December, 2015. The public sector bank had posted a net profit of Rs 333.88 crore during the same quarter of last fiscal. Income from investments rose by 5.26 per cent to Rs 688 crore during the quarter against Rs 653.84 crore in the corresponding quarter, SBH said in a BSE filing. Total income from interest stood at Rs 3,950 crore during the quarter under review against Rs 3,945 crore in the corresponding period. The bank's net profit in the nine months of the current financial year stood at Rs 811 crore. The net Non Performing Assets (NPAs) stood at Rs 2,894 crore, while total expenditure was Rs 3,096 crore in the quarter under review. Ukrainian activists in the eastern city of Dnipropetrovsk toppled a statue of controversial Bolshevik leader Grigory Petrovsky, implicated in a famine that killed millions in the 1930s, city hall said. Several young men toppled the 12-tonne bronze statue of Petrovsky -- nicknamed "the butcher" for his role in the collectivisation of agriculture that led to a famine known as Holodomor -- as they sung the Ukrainian national anthem last night, a YouTube video of the incident showed. The monument, which had been inaugurated in 1976, will be now kept in a museum, Dnipropetrovsk mayor Borys Filatov said on his Facebook page, referring to Petrovsky as "the butcher." Dnipropetrovsk, which is located near the pro-Russian separatist regions of Donetsk and Lugansk, was named after Petrovsky in the Soviet era and has since kept its name. The activists -- prompted by a local lawmaker close to Filatov -- sawed-off the monument from its pedestal before pulling it down, Interfax-Ukraine reported. "The statue is almost intact, it only lost its feet," city hall said. The several police officers called to the scene stood by as the monument was taken down, Interfax reported. Ukraine's Communist Party -- which was banned by a Kiev court last month in the latest move to break from the country's Soviet past -- said the statue had been toppled by "neo-Nazi vandals" and called Petrovsky a "true citizen of Ukraine" who "addressed important public and social issues in the interest of the Ukrainian people". Petrovsky, the de facto head of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic from 1922 to 1938, was also a signatory of the treaty that made Ukraine a Soviet republic. The Holodomor happened as Soviet police enforced the brutal policy of collectivising agriculture by requisitioning grain and other foodstuffs. Kiev recognises the Holodomor as a genocide while many Western historians say that Stalin's regime orchestrated the famine to destroy Ukraine's ambitions for independence. Russia has meanwhile contested this claim. The magnitude of the death toll remains hugely controversial among historians, with estimates of those who died in Ukraine ranging from five million to nine million. Scores of students today staged a protest near the RSS office in Jhandewalan demanding punishment for the "culprits" behind the "institutional victimisation" of Hyderabad Central University's Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula, whose suicide has triggered outrage. The protesters were stopped by police while marching to the RSS headquarters here but they pulled down the barricade and tried to move ahead. According to police, the agitation continued for around two and half hours and ended at around 6 PM. The protesters broke open the first barricade but could not break the second where maximum force was deployed, police said. The protesters alleged use of force by the police to stop their march adding that some students were taken to hospital due to injuries. A portal also alleged that one of their photo journalists was assaulted by the police and that his camera was snatched. However, police denied any use of force or detaining any protesters. "No protesters were detained and no force had to be used at all," DCP (Central) Parmaditya said. "January 30 marks the 27th birthday of Rohith Vemula and martyrdom day of Gandhiji. Both were victims of witch hunt by RSS. Rohith and his friends were victimised by BJP ministers for challenging RSS politics," All India Students Association (AISA) alleged in a press statement. "Come what may, our struggle will continue till Hyderabad Central University VC, Smriti Irani and Dattatraya resign," said Shweta Raj, president of AISA unit in JNU. A suicide car bomber struck a checkpoint in the southern Yemen city of Aden, killing seven, security officials said. The Islamic State affiliate in Yemen claimed responsibility for yesterday's attack in a statement posted by the group's supporters on Twitter. It was not possible to verify the claim. Witnesses said firefighters and ambulances rushed to the scene in the busy district of Crater. Body parts were scattered on the ground. Officials said eight people were injured. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the press. The checkpoint was manned by policemen and policewomen after authorities received tips that IS militants are disguising themselves as women. Yesterday's attack comes one day after a suicide bomber blew up his vehicle near the presidential palace housing the president and prime minister. At least seven were killed in that attack, and the Islamic State affiliate claimed responsibility. IS has claimed responsibility for some of the deadliest attacks in Yemen since March, including the assassination of a city governor and the bombing of a hotel that formerly housed the Cabinet. A suspected operative of Al Qaida in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), arrested for allegedly radicalising youths for terror activities here, was today sent to judicial custody till February 10 by a Delhi court. Maulana Mohd Abdul Rehman Kasmi was produced before the court on expiry of his two-day police remand and Special Cell of Delhi Police urged Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh to send him to judicial custody. The agency said he was not required for further custodial interrogation in connection with the case. Kasmi was remanded to two-day police custody after the Special Cell had said he was needed to be confronted with two other arrested accused, Abdul Sami and Syed Anzar Shah, who were earlier remanded to police custody till February 1. The police had said confrontation of these three accused was necessary to unearth the entire conspiracy and ascertain the funding of the outfit. According to the police, Kasmi is suspected to have links in countries like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Dubai. Besides, Kasmi, Sami and Shah, the other arrested accused in the case, are Mohammed Asif and Zafar Masood. The police had earlier alleged that Kasmi ran a madrassa in Uttar Pradesh where several students were enrolled and he was purportedly trying to radicalise them for terror acts. It had claimed that Masood was also propagating the terror agenda of AQIS among the youth and trying to attract them towards the terror outfit. According to the police, the other arrested accused were radicalising youths and propagating the terror agenda of the outfit in India. All these accused have been booked under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Suspected Russian air strikes killed at least 10 civilians today in a village held by the Islamic State group in the eastern Syrian province of Deir Ezzor, a monitor said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said three children were among those killed in the raids on Al-Hisan in the western part of the province. Much of oil-rich Deir Ezzor is controlled by the jihadist group which has also begun an offensive to wrest the provincial capital of the same name and the nearby military airport from government hands. Russia launched air strikes in Syria in September in support of President Bashar al-Assad's regime. It has stepped up its air raids on areas held by IS and rebel groups battling the regime in recent months. According to the Observatory, suspected Russian air raids killed 54 civilians in various parts of Syria earlier this week, including in Deir Ezzor. Today the head of the Britain-based monitoring group, Rami Abdel Rahman, said four months of Russian strikes in Syria have killed 3,578 people -- 500 more than a previous toll on January 20. Of the total he said 1,380 are civilians -- 332 children, 195 women and 853 men. The raids also killed 965 IS fighters and 1,233 other opposition militants, including members of Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front. On January 20, the Observatory, which relies on sources on the ground for its information, said Russian air strikes since September had killed 3,049 people. The latest developments come as representatives of Syria's main Saudi-backed opposition body arrived today in Switzerland for UN-organised peace talks. More than 260,000 people have been killed in Syria's conflict, which erupted nearly five years ago with anti-government protests. Millions have been displaced or forced to flee the devastation. Senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy today urged the Centre to give more stress to agriculture sector in the upcoming union budget. Participating in a pre-budget analysis session held at the Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIM-K)'s Kochi Campus, Swamy said farmers should be empowered to export their produce through Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious 'Make in India' programme. "I am totally in support of Make in India. It is a good idea. What is important is the process of Make in India. I think one of the things, we have to do is somehow promote agricultural system...Start empowering the farmers to export," he said. Suggesting reforms to accelerate export of agriculture produce, he said all "our agriculture products are cheap" and they could match the quality of the farm products of developed world including Japan and European countries. "The rice produced in India and the rice produced in same quality in Japan is seven times more expensive," he said, adding, milk and vegetables produced in India are also "less expensive" than any other parts of the world. Swamy said the government has been taking many positive steps for the Indian economy, since the last two years. "I hope that the Union Budget 2016 is growth-oriented and proves its commitment to the Indian middle-class by taking steps to alleviate their concerns," he said. He attributed much of the stress in financial institutions to loans advanced to large companies. "This budget should focus on measures to improve access of funds by Small and Medium Enterprises," he said. Swamy also suggested an enhancement of investments as well as measures to curb corruption. Swiss prosecutors requested assistance from Malaysian authorities in investigating massive theft from a state-owned firm at the centre of a graft scandal. Swiss investigators believe around USD 4 billion has been stolen from Malaysian state-owned companies, funding that was earmarked for economic and social development projects in Malaysia. "A small portion" of the cash was transferred into Swiss accounts held by former Malaysian officials as well as current and former officials from the United Arab Emirates, the Swiss attorney general's office yesterday said in a statement. "To date, however, the Malaysian companies concerned have made no comment on the losses they are believed to have incurred," prosecutors added. "The object of the request for mutual assistance is therefore to advise the companies and the Malaysian government of the results of the Swiss criminal proceedings, with the aim of finding out whether losses on this scale have been sustained." In September, authorities announced the freezing of "tens of millions of dollars" worth of assets held in Swiss accounts as part of the investigation. The attorney general's office said the assistance request was made as part of criminal proceedings opened last August against two former officials of Malaysian state-owned fund 1MDB (1Malaysia Development Berhad) and "persons unknown". They are suspected of bribing foreign officials, misconduct in a public office, money laundering and criminal mismanagement. "So far four cases involving allegations of criminal conduct and covering the period from 2009 to 2013 have come to light," the statement said, "each involving a systematic course of action carried out by means of complex financial structures." The assistance request had already been discussed at a meeting between the Swiss attorney general and his Malaysian counterpart in Zurich in September, the statement added. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has been under heavy political pressure over allegations that hundreds of millions of dollars were missing from deals involving 1MDB. He has for months denied accusations that huge payments into his own bank accounts -- just before a hotly contested 2013 general election -- were syphoned from the now-struggling state-owned company. Najib was cleared of corruption Tuesday when Malaysia's attorney general said the Saudi royal family was the source of the $681 million "donation" to his personal accounts. But the announcement triggered derision and fresh questions in a country well-used to graft allegations. Syrian Kurdish figures hoping to take part in fragile UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva have left the Swiss city after not receiving invitations to negotiations, sources said today. Saleh Muslim, head of the powerful Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), had travelled to Geneva last week in the hopes his movement would have a seat at the table. But he and his advisors left Geneva late yesterday, a member of his party's team in Switzerland said. "Yes, we left Geneva because we did not get invitations," the member told AFP, speaking anonymously because he was not authorised to speak to the press. "We will not commit to any decision that comes out of Geneva, including a ceasefire agreement," he added. And Ilham Ahmad, the Kurdish co-head of an Arab-Kurdish joint council in Syria, told AFP she had also left the Swiss city last night after not being invited to talks. The participation of Kurdish parties has been one of the sharpest points of contention among warring parties in Syria and their respective backers. Kurdish groups like the PYD and their armed wing, the People's Protection Units, insist that their participation is key to the success of any political process aimed at ending the nearly five-year war rocking Syria. The PYD has been one of the most successful fighting forces against the extremist Islamic State group, clearing jihadists out of swathes of territory in northern Syria. "Without us, this process will have the same fate as the last round of Geneva talks" in 2014, the PYD source told AFP. Russia, which has helped President Bashar al-Assad's forces regain territory since starting air strikes in late September, also says that the Kurds must take part in any talks. But the mainstream Syrian opposition body the High Negotiations Committee -- and its Turkish and Saudi backers -- have strongly objected to the PYD's participation. The talks are the latest attempt at putting an end to Syria's nearly five-year war, which has left more than 260,000 people dead. Representatives of Syria's largest mainstream opposition umbrella group were set to arrive in Geneva on Saturday, allaying fears they would boycott UN-brokered talks aimed at ending the country's brutal civil war. A delegation from the Saudi-backed High Negotiations Committee (HNC) was preparing to leave Riyadh, spokesperson Monzer Makhous said. "We will be arriving this evening in Geneva," he told AFP, adding that HNC Chief Riad Hijab would join the delegation later in the Swiss city. The announcement came after the group late yesterday grudgingly relented to Western and Saudi pressure to attend the talks, the biggest push to date to chart a way out of Syria's nearly five-year war. The HNC representatives will be arriving a day late for the UN-backed talks. Yesterday, a 16-member delegation representing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime held nearly three hours of preliminary talks with UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura. HNC had long refused to join the talks without an end to bombardments of civilians and an agreement on relief reaching hundreds of thousands of people stuck in besieged Syrian towns. But their about-face does not mean the situation on the ground has improved. Today, the Doctors Without Borders charity said at least 16 more people have starved to death in the besieged town of Madaya since an aid convoy entered earlier this month, bringing the number who have died of starvation there since December to 46. Several dozen more residents of the town are in "danger of death" because of severe malnutrition, the group known by its French acronym MSF warned. "This is the 21st century and we have children who are dying from hunger, and the world is watching," HNC member Hind Kabawat lamented to reporters in Geneva late yesterday, explaining that the group was coming to press for immediate action on the humanitarian front. While the HNC's decision to send a delegation to Geneva is certainly a positive step, breakthroughs in the negotiations are regarded as slim. In a sign of the challenges ahead, the HNC said in a tweet its delegation was going "to participate in discussions with the @UN, not for negotiations." A source close to the HNC however said the group was sending 17 negotiators and 25 others to the talks. A tearful Angelique Kerber stunned an errant Serena Williams to win the Australian Open today and thwart the American top seed's bid to equal Steffi Graf's Open-era record of 22 Grand Slam titles. In a huge upset, the seventh seed toppled the 34-year-old 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to win her maiden major title and become the first German Grand Slam champion since Graf at the 1999 French Open. Williams, the world number one and defending champion, had won all six previous Melbourne Park finals she had played and had also triumphed in her last eight Grand Slam deciders. But Kerber, inspired by a good luck message from Graf, knew all the pressure was on her opponent and she mercilessly exploited her weaknesses in a thriller at Rod Laver Arena. "My whole life I was working really hard and now I'm here and I can say I'm a Grand Slam champion, so it sounds really crazy," she said, choking back tears. "The best two weeks of my life and career. I had goose bumps here on the centre court when I was playing." The left-handed German, whose win will see her move up from world number six to two, has had an emphasis on consistency in Melbourne, patiently building control of the point as rallies develop. It worked well with the 28-year-old, who had never beaten a world number one before, dropping just one set en route to the final, in the opening round to Miskai Doi when she saved a match point. Williams had been in imperious form all tournament, but too many errors cost her dearly against an opponent she had beaten five times before and lost only once. "I was actually really happy for her. She's been around a really long time," said Williams. "I think I did the best I could today. You know, would I give myself an A, No. But today this is what I could produce today. "Maybe tomorrow I could produce something different. But that's all I can go off." The imposing American was the overwhelming favourite, having won three of the four Grand Slam titles last year, but said she was only human. "I mean, every time I walk in this (press conference) room, everyone expects me to win every single match, every single day of my life," she told her post-match press conference. "As much as I would like to be a robot, I'm not. (REOPENS FGN 13) The German faced the powerful Williams serve first up, and failed to win a point against it, reinforcing expectations that the top seed would take control. But Kerber began finding her range and against the odds broke to go 2-1 in front. An out-of-sorts Williams was hitting too many errors, but holding for 2-3 seemed to temporarily flip a switch in the American who broke back. But the mistakes piled up and Kerber broke again as she dictated the baseline points. Twenty-three unforced errors from Williams to the German's three told the story of the first set, which Kerber wrapped up in 39 minutes. Rattled, Williams cleaned up her act in the second set and it went with serve until the fourth game when two Kerber double faults helped Williams to a 3-1 lead. She took it into a deciding third set having made only five errors, in stark contrast to her wayward first set. But it was Kerber who grabbed a decisive break in the third set as she reeled off a brilliant passing shot on her way to a 2-0 lead. It went with serve until a titanic sixth game, when Williams saved four break points but couldn't save a fifth as she looped a forehand long. It spelled the end of the road as Kerber held her nerve to win her first Grand Slam and collapsed to the floor in delight when Williams put another volley long. Thousands of people marched through Paris today to decry the proposed extension of a state of emergency imposed after the November Paris attacks. Braving driving rain and shouting slogans including "state of emergency -- police state" the marchers protested loudly against a measure they see as curbing human rights. Police put participation at 5,000 while organisers said some 20,000 people took part. Several other cities including Toulouse in the south held smaller-scale marches organised by unions, human rights organisations and other pressure groups. A further gripe is a government plan to strip convicted French-born terrorists of their citizenship if they have a second nationality. That proposal has already triggered the resignation of Justice Minister Christiane Taubira who stood down in protest over the plan this week after the reforms were presented to parliament. Parliament is due in the coming days to debate the state of emergency as President Francois Hollande seeks parliamentary approval to extend the current three-month measure, which expires on February 26. The Senate is to vote on the proposal on February 9, followed by a vote in the National Assembly on February 16. Concern has been growing about the state of emergency, introduced after coordinated gun and bomb attacks left 130 dead in Paris on November 13. France's highest administrative court on Wednesday refused to lift the state of emergency. The Council of State ruled that the "imminent danger justifying the state of emergency has not disappeared, given the ongoing terrorist threat and the risk of attacks." But UN human rights experts last week said the measures placed what they saw as "excessive and disproportionate" restrictions on key rights. Today's protesters demanded an end to the state of emergency and the nationality proposal, measures they say "strike at our freedom in the name of hypothetical security." Marchers said they fear an open-ended state of emergency. "Until when? The end of Daesh (Islamic State)? Ten years? Never?" asked one woman, who gave her name as Chris, while another, Camille, said she feared that France is "experiencing a permanent coup d'etat." Despite the popular concern, a recent poll showed 70 percent of French people back maintaining the state of emergency. Three alleged ISIS sympathisers, who were deported from UAE for purportedly being on a mission to carry out terror attacks in India and some other countries, were remanded to 10 days' NIA custody by a court here today. Adnan Hussain, who hails from Karnataka, Mohammad Farhan from Maharashtra and Sheikh Azhar Al Islam from Jammu and Kashmir, who were arrested yesterday by the NIA after being deported from the UAE, were produced before the court in muffled faces amid tight security. The trio were detained by the NIA on arrival from the UAE at the IGI airport here last night. According to sources, during in-camera proceedings, the NIA sought custodial interrogation of the three accused saying they were required to be interrogated to unearth the entire conspiracy to carry out terror strikes. The sources said District Judge Amar Nath allowed the NIA's plea and remanded them to its custody till February 9. The three suspects, along with other unknown associates, were allegedly involved in a conspiracy to identify, motivate, radicalise, recruit and train Indian citizens, located in India and abroad, for planning and executing terror attacks in India and other countries, the sources claimed. On September 15 last year, the UAE had deported four Indians suspected to have links with ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria). The UAE had also sent back last year a 37-year-old woman Afsha Jabeen alias Nicky Joseph who was allegedly involved in recruiting youths for ISIS. In January 2015, Salman Mohiuddin of Hyderabad was arrested when he was preparing to board a flight to Dubai on way to Syria via Turkey. According to Indian intelligence agencies, around six Indians who had joined the ISIS were reportedly killed in different incidents in Iraq and Syria. Tamil Nadu Governor K Rosaiah led the state in paying tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his 68th death anniversary today. Rosaiah showered flower petals on a decorated portrait of Gandhiji beneath the Gandhi statue on Marina beach here, marking a state event to honour the Father of the Nation. Finance and PWD Minister O Panneerselvam and other state ministers too paid floral tributes to Gandhiji. Programmes were also organised in several schools and colleges across the state on the occasion. Goa Deputy Speaker Vishnu Surya Wagh today said tolerance levels of the ruling party towards the views of the Opposition in the State Assembly have diminished considerably over a period of time. "I am not happy with the kind of debate in the Assembly. There are two parts to it. Opposition and ruling (benches), both are different sides of the same coin. The coin of democracy has two faces. The voice of Opposition has to be heard and it is Opposition's right to point out mistakes of the government," Wagh said. "Opposition can pick up faults. The ruling (party) should also respect Opposition's right to pin point those mistakes. This tolerance off late has diminished," he said. The BJP legislator was recently elected to the post of Deputy Speaker during the winter session of Goa assembly. The post fell vacant after Wagh's predecessor Anant Shet resigned to successfully contest as a Speaker. Wagh said the tolerance has to be shown by both the sides - ruling and opposition. "Some of the opposition member come only to make commotion in the House while some ruling parties make their floor management in such a way, the moment opposition opens the mouth, their shouting brigade starts creating the problem. This is unfair. You should quietly listen to the debate," he commented. The Deputy Speaker said the impact of happenings in Lok Sabha, which are usually marred with disruptions, is also felt on Assembly in Goa. "The legislators see that those who are making noise get more attention in newspapers while somebody who comes with detailed research does not find place," he said. Wagh said direct telecast of the assembly proceedings is also affecting the functioning of the House. "The legislators are now speaking for the camera, knowing the worth of media, they don't speak for their people or the state. Most of them have now fallen prey to the camera. Media has trapped us, we are falling into the trap laid by the media," he said. "Actually it should have been reverse...The media should have been after us trying to get the news," said Wagh, who is also a former journalist. He said to run the Assembly peacefully, the Speaker can contribute a lot. "One of the observations is that during Question Hour due to prolonged supplementary questions we cannot even have four questions raised during the given time of an hour. We should have been able to discuss and debate at least ten or nine questions. The debate should be concise," Wagh added. "I have seen some of the members asking one question and twelve sub questions. They do it to harass the government machinery," he alleged. Days after three girl students of a private college killed themselves over alleged exorbitant fee demands, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Saturday ordered transfer of the yoga and naturopathy students from that institution to a state-run college. She also said the case of the triple suicide was transferred to the CB-CID (a special wing in the Crime Investigation Department) by the director-general of police, based on her orders. "Considering the welfare of students of SVS Yoga and Naturopathy Medical College (in Villupuram District), I have ordered transfer of students of yoga and naturopathy to the state-run Yoga and Naturopathy Medical College," she said in an official release here. As regards homoeopathy college of the same SVS group, she said she has ordered steps to get the students admitted in the government homoeopathy medical college after getting the requisite central approval. On January 23, three girl students of SVS Medical College of Yoga and Naturopathy at Villupuram had allegedly committed suicide by jumping into a farm well after harassment by the management demanding 'exorbitant' fees. The college head Vasuki Subramaniam surrendered in a court in Chennai on January 25 and was remanded to judicial custody, while two others, including its principal, were arrested in connection with the case. On January 27, the Madras High Court allowed a fresh autopsy of one of the three college girls who allegedly committed suicide, on request by her father. Tamilarasan had moved a petition on January 25 in the high court, seeking a CB-CID inquiry and a fresh postmortem in a state-run hospital in Chennai. He had also requested that a doctor of his choice be present during the autopsy. African leaders met today in a bid to end armed crises, including in troubled Burundi, with an unprecedented vote on deploying a 5,000-strong peacekeeping force despite Burundi's vehement opposition. While the official theme of the African Union (AU) meeting is human rights, leaders are again dealing with a string of crises across the continent during two days of talks at the organisation's headquarters in the Ethiopian capital. Talks at the AU Peace and Security Council, attended by presidents and foreign ministers from across the 54-member bloc, stretched late into Friday night in an attempt to narrow positions before the formal summit opened today. AU commission chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma opened the summit by commemorating AU peacekeepers killed in "efforts to silence the guns", amid fierce backroom debate on whether to send a new force to Burundi. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned that "leaders who stand by while civilians are slaughtered in their name must be held responsible," and said the crisis in Burundi required "most serious and urgent committment". He said the UN backed the AU's proposal "to deploy human rights observers and to establish a prevention and protection mission" in Burundi. Ban also warned of the need for action amid stalled talks to end war in South Sudan. "Leaders in South Sudan have again failed to meet a deadline to form a transitional government," Ban said. "Instead of enjoying the fruits of independence, their people have endured more than two years of unimaginable suffering." Neither Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza nor South Sudan President Salva Kiir are believed to be attending the summit. "Leaders must protect their people, not themselves," Ban added. AU Peace and Security Council chief Smail Chergui warned "the stakes are indeed high", but Burundi remained defiant in its opposition to a mission it calls an "invasion force". Burundian Foreign Minster Alain Nyamitwe on Friday insisted he had the backing of other nations. Asked whether he had support of others in opposing the proposed force, Nyamitwe said, "Yes, very strong, you will see." Street protests, a failed coup and now a simmering rebellion began when Nkurunziza announced his intention to run for a controversial third term, which he went on to win in July elections. Hundreds have died and at least 230,000 have fled the country in the months since. About 24,000 madrassas in Pakistan are funded by Saudi Arabia which has unleashed a "tsunami of money" to "export intolerance", a top American senator has said, adding that the US needs to end its effective acquiescence to the Saudi sponsorship of radical Islamism. Senator Chris Murphy said Pakistan is the best example of where money coming from Saudi Arabia is funnelled to religious schools that nurture hatred and terrorism. "In 1956, there were 244 madrassas in Pakistan. Today, there are 24,000. These schools are multiplying all over the globe. These schools, by and large, don't teach violence. They aren't the minor leagues for al-Qaeda or ISIS. But, they do teach a version of Islam that leads very nicely into an anti-Shia, anti-Western militancy. "Those 24,000 religious schools in Pakistan -- thousands of them are funded with money that originates in Saudi Arabia," Murphy said in an address on Friday to the Council on Foreign Relations, a top American think-tank. According to some estimates, since the 1960s, the Saudis have funnelled over $100 billion into funding schools and mosques all over the world, with the mission of spreading puritanical Wahhabi Islam. As a point of comparison, researchers estimate that the former Soviet Union spent about $7 billion exporting its communist ideology from 1920-1991. "Less-well-funded governments and other strains of Islam can hardly keep up with the tsunami of money behind this export of intolerance," Murphy said. "The uncomfortable truth is for all the positive aspects of our alliance with Saudi Arabia, there is another side to Saudi Arabia that we can no longer afford to ignore as our fight against Islamic extremism becomes more focused and more complicated," he said. "The United States should suspend supporting Saudi Arabia's military campaign in Yemen, at the very least until we get assurances that this campaign does not distract from the fight against Islamic State and al-Qaeda, and until we make some progress on the Saudi export of Wahhabism," he said. Murphy demanded that Congress should not sign off on any more US military sales to Saudi Arabia until similar assurances are granted. He said the political alliance between the House of Saud -- Saudi Arabia's ruling royal family -- and orthodox Wahhabi clerics is as old as the nation, resulting in billions funnelled to and through the Wahhabi movement. The vicious terrorist groups that Americans know by name are Sunni in derivation, and greatly influenced by Wahhabi and Salafist teachings, Murphy said, adding that leaders of both Democratic and Republican parties should avoid the extremes of this debate, and enter into a real conversation about how America can help the moderate voices within Islam win out over those who sow seeds of extremism. Turkey today accused Russia of a new violation of its airspace, warning Moscow against "irresponsible behaviour". "A Su-34 plane belonging to the Russian Federation air force violated Turkish airspace at 11:46 (local time) local time yesterday (Friday)," the foreign ministry said in a statement. The allegation comes just over two months after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane on the Syrian border on November 24, saying it had violated Turkish airspace. Ankara yesterday summoned the Russian ambassador to the foreign ministry to "strongly protest and condemn" the latest alleged violation, the ministry added, without specifying where it took place. Ankara called on Russia to "act responsibly" and warned: "We stress once again that all the responsibility for any unwanted grave consequences as a result of any such irresponsible behaviour will belong entirely to the Russian Federation." Moscow and Ankara are currently experiencing their worst relations since the end of the Cold War. In addition to the November 24 incident which sparked a bitter diplomatic row, the two countries back opposing sides in Syria's almost five-year civil war, with Russia the key supporter of the Damascus regime while Turkey argues that the ouster of Assad is essential to solving the Syrian crisis. Restoration work in Kedarnath and other pilgrimage sites in Uttarakhand, which was hit by a massive flash flood in June 2013, is in advance stage and the state government is expecting a record number of tourists this year. Union Minister Mahesh Sharma today said the Centre is committed to developing religious tourism in Uttarakhand, particularly Kedarnath, as the state administration completes the restoration process of the historic place. Releasing a magazine, 'Hill Mail', and a documentary film on restoration of Kedarnath, Sharma said "we are working together with the Uttarakhand government to bring back the glory of the historic temple." Uttarakhand is in advance stage of completion of the restoration work after a massive flash flood hit the hill state in June 2013. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat said the state is expecting a record number of tourists this year. Six helipads are being constructed between Sonprayag and Kedarnath to ensure smooth rescue operations in case of a disaster in future. A parking facility, which can accommodate 300 cars, is also being built at Sonprayag for tourists. Rawat said the state is bound by so many restrictions since the disaster took place that these are posing a major hurdle in the way of re-generating income and rehabilitation of victims. "So many restrictions have been put on us. Everyone is saying don't do this, don't do that... But no one is telling us what needs to be done," the chief minister said. "From the conferences of the Prime Minister to every small office, people use bottled water. But there is a ban on its use in Haridwar. How does the bottled water become dangerous in hills and safe in plains," he asked. Rawat said the state government is focusing on generation of employment and putting it at the core of every policy in order to deal with the post-devastation challenges in Kedarnath shrine. "We have prepared a comprehensive plan and needs everyone's cooperation in its implementation. We are focusing on employment creation as a major factor of development of the mountains," he said. Calling for integrated solutions to deal with the problems of the state, Rawat said, "people will have to think from our point of view. We are struggling for things as small as availability of cooking gas." Uttarakhand government has drafted a master plan for the planned development of Kedarpuri, the area comprising the temple and its surroundings, to ensure that natural calamities do not affect the pilgrimage site in the future. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned African leaders today of the need for action in troubled Burundi at a summit hoping to end armed crises across the continent. African Union leaders face an unprecedented vote on deploying a 5,000-strong peacekeeping force despite Burundi's vehement opposition, but Ban was clear troops were needed to stem violence. "Leaders who stand by while civilians are slaughtered in their name must be held responsible," Ban said, adding the crisis in Burundi required the "most serious and urgent commitment". He said the UN backed the AU's proposal "to deploy human rights observers and to establish a prevention and protection mission" in Burundi. Talks at the AU Peace and Security Council, attended by presidents and foreign ministers from across the 54-member bloc, stretched late into Friday night in an attempt to narrow positions before the formal summit began today. AU commission chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma opened the summit by commemorating AU peacekeepers killed in "efforts to silence the guns", amid fierce backroom debate on whether to send a new force to Burundi. Talks on the possible peacekeeping deployment are being held behind closed doors and it is unclear when a vote may be taken. While the official theme of the African Union (AU) meeting is human rights, leaders are again dealing with a string of crises across the continent during two days of talks at the organisation's headquarters in the Ethiopian capital. Ban also warned of the need for action amid stalled talks to end war in South Sudan. "Leaders in South Sudan have again failed to meet a deadline to form a transitional government," Ban said. "Instead of enjoying the fruits of independence, their people have endured more than two years of unimaginable suffering." Neither Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza nor South Sudan President Salva Kiir are believed to be attending the summit. "Leaders must protect their people, not themselves," Ban added. AU Peace and Security Council chief Smail Chergui warned "the stakes are indeed high", but Burundi remained defiant in its opposition to a mission it calls an "invasion force". Burundian Foreign Minister Alain Nyamitwe yesterday insisted he had the backing of other nations. Asked whether he had support of others in opposing the proposed force, Nyamitwe said, "Yes, very strong, you will see." Street protests, a failed coup and now a simmering rebellion began when Nkurunziza announced his intention to run for a controversial third term, which he went on to win in July elections. Hundreds have died and at least 230,000 have fled the country in the months since. The UN secretary-general today expresses horror over allegations UN peacekeepers and foreign troops sexually abused children in violence-plagued Central African Republic. In remarks before African leaders, Ban Ki-moon said the UN is ashamed and horrified over the damage by peacekeepers who exploited vulnerable people. Ban was addressing an African Union summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. The UN human rights office said yesterday that it had turned up six more cases of alleged sexual abuse against children by European troops in Central African Republic. The UN also announced new allegations against UN peacekeepers from Bangladesh, Congo, Niger and Senegal. The UN said there are likely to be 69 confirmed allegations of sexual abuse in its peacekeeping missions in 2015, including 22 in Central African Republic. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has reiterated the need for international participation in accountability probes into alleged human rights abuses and war crimes during Sri Lanka's brutal civil war. Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in New York yesterday that the Secretary General had reaffirmed the importance of a credible justice process and international participation in the judicial mechanism. The UN chief's comments came as Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena last week in an BBC interview ruled out the participation of foreign judges in the inquiry. A UN Human Rights Council resolution last October had prescribed a mechanism with the participation of international judges, prosecutors and investigators. Civil society organizations criticised Sirisena as backtracking on the resolution which was also cosponsored by Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka maintains there is no constitutional provision for foreign judges to operate in the island. But the government would be willing to seek foreign expertise in the mechanism to make it credible. Tamil and rights groups claim historically the Sri Lankan investigations have ended up as cover-ups than genuine processes to seek the truth. The government of Sirisena is likely to come under pressure from the Sinhala majority nationalists if international investigators are allowed to try army soldiers. The nationalists view the military as heroes for ending the LTTE's three-decade separatist campaign in 2009 in an ethnic conflict that killed about 100,000 people. The United States and Canada has vowed to work together in the fight against the Islamic State, even if Ottawa plans to withdraw its jets from the campaign. Secretary of State John Kerry and foreign ministers Stephane Dion of Canada and Claudia Ruiz Massieu of Mexico struck an upbeat tone at their annual get-together yesterday. But Dion made it clear that when Canada's new Liberal prime minister, Justin Trudeau, announces his war plan, his country's six CF-18 jets will leave Syrian skies. Dion will now travel to Rome next week to join Kerry and two dozen more leaders from the US-led coalition to discuss new ways to work together against the threat. "Air strikes will continue even if Canada invests its efforts in other areas that are also necessary, and soon we will announce what these efforts will be," Dion said. "We will continue our discussion on this in Rome soon." Kerry appeared satisfied by Canada's promise, acknowledging its effort in the fight so far and predicting a strong future coalition effort. "And Canada has played an outsized role really already in many different ways in both the military and the humanitarian component of the counter-Daesh struggle," Kerry said. "And I am absolutely confident from my conversation with Stephane that the prime minister and his security team are working on ways to continue the contribution and to continue to make a significant contribution to our efforts." The talks also formed part of preparations Trudeau's state visit to Washington on March 10 as US President Barack Obama's guest. "I know President Obama is very excited about welcoming Prime Minister Trudeau to Washington," Kerry said. "This is the first official visit of a Canadian head of government in nearly two decades, long overdue and much anticipated." The young Canadian leader's government is expected to have more in common with the Democratic administration south of the border than did its Conservative predecessor, but there are points of concern. Ottawa's plans to withdraw its warplanes from the US-led coalition targeting IS fighters in Syria is a symbolic blow against allied unity in the fight. The US is committed to coordinating with governments around the world to promote religious freedom for all, the White House said while responding to a petition seeking release of Jagtar Singh Hawara. The White House, however, refused to comment on the petition involving the convicted killer of Punjab chief minister Beant Singh in 1995. The petition, signed by more than one lakh people, on the White House website had sought the intervention of the Obama Administration for release of Hawara. "The United States remains committed to coordinating with governments around the world to promote religious freedom for all citizens," said 'We the People Team' on behalf of the White House yesterday. "But we cannot comment here on the specific foreign criminal justice matter raised in your petition," it said. The President has made clear that America's deep respect for religious liberty and pluralism must not stop at its shores, the response said and referred to Obama's address to the Indian people on his visit there last year in which he stressed the importance of these fundamental principles to both the democracies. "In both our countries, in India and in America, our diversity is our strength. And we have to guard against any efforts to divide ourselves along sectarian lines or any other lines," Obama had said in his address last year. A US researcher has processed thousands of images taken by satellites every night from the last 20 years to show the electrification history of India. In doing so, Brian Min, a professor of Political Science at University of Michigan has tracked satellite images of light output from more than 600,000 villages over 8,000 nights and more than 4.4 billion data points, a media release said. "The project shows dramatic changes in the brightness of villages across India," said Min. "While many rural areas in states like Punjab and Haryana have become much brighter, many states like Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have seen only small improvements in those decades," Min said. While villages using cow dung and kerosene lamps for their lights has decreased from 1993 to 2013, there are still vast areas that remain in darkness, the researcher says. The result is collected in a website nightlights.Io created in partnership with the World Bank, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Development Seed. It provides a fascinating perspective on the impact of the electrification projects and lets users zoom in on the state and district levels to see the change over the last couple of decades, the University said. "Even a villager can now access the maps to see how electrification has impacted their village," said Min. Interestingly, one can also see an increase in the light output around Hardoi, a city in Uttar Pradesh, when the state energy minister is elected from there. "In India, issues like electrification are driven by political considerations," said Min. A US guided missile destroyer today sailed within 12 nautical miles of an island in the disputed South China Sea claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam "to challenge excessive maritime claims" that restrict freedom of navigation. The "freedom of navigation operation" was conducted near Triton Island in the South China Sea, rich in natural resources and a major shipping lane. Over half of the world's commercial shipping passes through the Indo-Pacific waterways including one-third of the world's liquefied natural gas. "I can confirm the Department of Defence conducted a freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea on Jan 30, specifically in the vicinity of Triton Island in the Paracel Islands, to challenge excessive maritime claims," Pentagon spokesman Commander Bill Urban told PTI in response to a question. "During the operation, the USS Curtis Wilbur, transited in innocent passage within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island," he said, adding this operation was about challenging claims that restrict the rights and freedoms of the US and others, not about territorial claims to land features. Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis said no ships from China's military were in the vicinity of the guided-missile destroyer when it passed through the islands. Today's development comes three months after US warship USS Lassen sailed within 12 nautical miles of an artificial island Beijing is building in the Spratly Islands, triggering a major face-off. "This operation challenged attempts by the three claimants - China, Taiwan and Vietnam - to restrict navigation rights and freedoms around the features they claim by policies that require prior permission or notification of transit within territorial seas," Urban said. The excessive claims regarding Triton Island are inconsistent with international law as reflected in the Law of the Sea Convention, he added. "No claimants were notified prior to the transit, which is consistent with our normal process and international law," he said. "This operation demonstrates, as US President Barack Obama and Defence Secretary Ashton Carter have stated, the US will fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows." "That is true in the South China Sea, as in other places around the globe," Urban said. The daring freedom of navigation operation by the US, mainly aimed at China, was first reported by The Wall Street Journal that said the nearly three-hour patrol was "another in a series of operations intended to challenge Beijing's maritime and territorial claims in the region". The daily quoted a senior defence official as saying: "We saw nothing that was unusual in terms of the reaction." The US takes no position on competing sovereignty claims between the parties to naturally-formed land features in the South China Sea, Urban said, adding that the US does take a strong position on protecting the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all countries and that all maritime claims must comply with international law. China claims almost the whole of the South China Sea, resulting in overlapping claims with several other Asian nations like Vietnam and the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei. They accuse China of illegally reclaiming land in contested areas to create artificial islands with facilities that could potentially be for military use. An American warship today patrolled the disputed South China Sea claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam, "to challenge excessive maritime claims" that restrict the rights and freedoms of the US and others. The daring freedom of navigation operation by the US, mainly aimed at China, was first reported by The Wall Street Journal in a lead story. "A US warship conducted a patrol Saturday around an island in the South China Sea claimed by China and two of its neighbors, another in a series of operations intended to challenge Beijing's maritime and territorial claims in the region," the daily said. The Pentagon confirmed its operation in South China Sea. "I can confirm the Department of Defense conducted a freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea on Jan 30 (Jan 29 EST), specifically in the vicinity of Triton Island in the Paracel Islands, to challenge excessive maritime claims," Commander Bill Urban, a Pentagon spokesman, told PTI in response to a question. This operation challenged attempts by the three claimants, China, Taiwan and Vietnam, to restrict navigation rights and freedoms around the features they claim by policies that require prior permission or notification of transit within territorial seas, he said. The excessive claims regarding Triton Island are inconsistent with international law as reflected in the Law of the Sea Convention. "During the operation, the USS Curtis Wilbur, transited in innocent passage within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island," Urban said, adding that this operation was about challenging excessive maritime claims that restrict the rights and freedoms of the US and others, not about territorial claims to land features. According to the daily, the operation lasted about three hours, during which there were no Chinese army or navy seen in the area. "We saw nothing that was unusual in terms of the reaction," a senior defense official was quoted as saying. The US takes no position on competing sovereignty claims between the parties to naturally-formed land features in the South China Sea, Urban reiterated. However, Urban said that US does take a strong position on protecting the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all countries and that all maritime claims must comply with international law. "No claimants were notified prior to the transit, which is consistent with our normal process and international law," he said. This operation demonstrates, as US President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Ashton Carter have stated, the US will fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows. "That is true in the South China Sea, as in other places around the globe," Urban said. Since 1979, the US Freedom of Navigation program has demonstrated non-acquiescence to excessive maritime claims by coastal states all around the world. The program includes both consultations and representation by US diplomats and operational activities by US military forces. Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba, PVSM, AVSM, will assume charge as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command (FOC-in-C, West) here on Sunday. Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba completed his schooling from Mayo College in Ajmer. He is an alumnus of Defence Academy and was commissioned in the executive branch of the Indian Navy in January 1978, an official release said on Saturday. After specialising in navigation and direction in 1983 the officer served as navigating officer of INS Sindhudurg (Corvette) and INS Dunagiri (Frigate). He has commanded Indian Naval Ships Kakinada (minesweeper), Himgiri (frigate), and guided missile destroyers Ranvijay and Mumbai. He has completed staff course from Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, Tamil Nadu, long defence management course from College of Defence Management, Secunderabad and Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) course from RCDS, London. He has also been faculty at the College of Defence Management and has headed the prestigious Defence College of India as commandant. He has held various important staff appointments including fleet operations officer of Western Fleet, chief of staff at headquarters Southern Naval Command, flag officer sea training, flag officer commanding Maharashtra and Gujarat naval area, chief of staff at headquarters Eastern Naval Command and vice chief of naval staff. Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba is handing over the command of Southern Naval Command on Sunday. For distinguished service, he has been awarded Param Vishist Seva Medal (PVSM) and Ati Vishist Seva Medal (AVSM). Vice Admiral Girish Luthra today took over charge as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command from Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba. An impressive ceremonial parade was held at the Naval base on the occasion which was followed by the traditional 'Pulling Out' ceremony in which the outgoing Commander-in-Chief, Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba was ceremonially pulled out in a jeep by Flag Officers and Commanding Officers of ships and naval establishments of Kochi. Earlier in the day, Vice Admiral Luthra laid a wreath at the War Memorial, prior to assuming command, as a tribute to the thousands of martyrs who had fought for the country. The Flag Officer, a native of Haryana, had arrived in Kochi yesterday. In his farewell address, Vice Admiral Lanba reminded everyone, particularly the personnel under training, that it was incumbent upon them to utilise the top class training being accorded to them towards becoming excellent professionals in the service of the country. The parade was witnessed by many senior officers, men and families of Southern Naval Command. Vice Admiral Lanba will now assume the charge of the Flag Officer Commanding in Chief, Western Naval Command at Mumbai on January 31 on retirement of the incumbent, Vice Admiral SPS Cheema who had also been the FOC-in-C (South) earlier. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the government wants to create a network of Khadi Gramudyog across villages in the country to provide more job opportunities through the sector. In a letter addressed to people associated with Khadi Gramudyog on the 68th death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Modi said: "We want to create a network of Khadi Gramudyog across villages in India, so that people can get employment and families in villages can be empowered." Prime Minister expressed happiness saying the government's efforts to promote khadi were bearing fruit as various state- owned institutions were using products made from the fabric. "I am happy that the government's efforts are bearing fruit and various state-owned institutions are coming forward and using khadi products made by you. These include railways, police department, Indian Navy and Department of Posts, among other institutions. "I have been informed that an additional 18 lakh man days will be required to meet the needs of these institutions leading to higher wages of the workers," Modi said. Pointing out that khadi, which played an important role in the freedom struggle, has became a fashion statement, he said arrangements were being made to ensure that workers in the sector can easily avail benefits of government schemes like Atal Pension Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana. Modi also lauded the efforts being made to produce khadi using Solar Charkha and Solar Loom, noting that these will double income of the weavers and increase production. The Madras High Court today directed Tamil Nadu government and the Centre to file a counter by March 15 on a PIL by a social activist seeking to prevent the menace of wild boars in hilly areas of the state, especially in ghat sections in Kodaikanal. The division bench, comprising Justices T S Sivagnanam and R Mala, gave the direction to Government Pleader S T S Moorthy and the Assistant Solicitor General. Petitoner A R Gokulakrishnan also made the Union Secretary, Forest and Environment Ministry party to the issue. He submitted that the wild boar is a major pest, affecting agricultural production in ghat areas in Tamil Nadu, particularly in Kodaikanal area, putting plantation growers and tribals to great difficulty. Alleging that the findings of the Committee constituted by government to study the movements of wild boars were never made public, he said "swine plague spreads very quickly in wild boar with epizootics being recorded in Germany, Poland, Hungary, Belarus and Caucasus, the far East, Kazaksthan and other regions." He submitted that foot and mouth disease can also take on epidemic proportions in boar population. Gokulakrishan referred to various articles in English and Tamil dailies and submitted that farmers on an average spend Rs 8,000 to Rs 15,000 each season to save their crops. He said the problem was prevalent in a huge stretch of hilly terrain from Bargur to Thalavadi in Erode District. Farmers wanted Tamil Nadu government to lift the restriction on killing wild boars like that done in Kerala, he said. Gokulakrishnan alleged that the state government and the Forest and Enviornment Ministry had failed to secure farmers' crops from the menace of wild animals. He said there was no response from the authorities to his representations of August 7 2015, Dec 28 2015 and December 4 2015 and sought a direction from the court to the authorities concerned to take all remedial measures to prevent the menace of wild boars. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today met with the business community members who put forth their demands and suggestions on a host of issues- ranging from ease of doing business to tax structure, in front of the minister. Swaraj assured the community that their points will be conveyed to the Prime Minister. The community expressed unhappiness over certain existing provisions related to trade and industry, and wanted more specific measures to improve ease of doing business, she said. "I am very happy to see that people gathered here have expressed their concerns and listed demands without any hesitation. When I go to Delhi, I will convey to (to PM and Finance Minister) that business people are not happy with current situation," Swaraj said. The Foreign Minister was speaking at an interactive session with representatives from the business and corporate world on the second and last day of her visit to Mumbai. "I am here as a postman and will discharge my duty perfectly. I will convey not only your demands, objections and suggestion, but also your feelings manifested here to Prime Minister and Finance Minster." Swaraj was in the city as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's directive to his ministers to reach out to the people on the work done by the NDA Government. In the last two days, the senior BJP leader interacted with 32 different groups of businesspeople, students, youth, legal and medical professionals, representatives of capital market, minority community members, SMEs, small traders, women self-help groups, CAs, teachers and unorganised labourers. Elaborating on demands/suggestions made by these groups, Swaraj said they related to reducing industrial licencing requirements, simplifying tax procedures, keeping watch on online pharmacy and lowering services tax rate, among others. She advocated removal of certain commodities from trading on commodity exchanges. "This issue had been raised in the past too. It has been found that whenever the price of edible commodities rises, they (exchanges) have a key role in it. Hence, I agree with your presentation that edible commodities should be kept away from commodity exchanges," she said. BJP Member of Parliament Kirit Somaiya said "commodity exchanges are being manipulated by some multi-national companies, leading to rise in prices of items like pulses. Government is in progress to set up an agri-research institute in Kamrup district on the lines of Delhi-based Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI), Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said today. IARI was responsible for the agri-research leading to the Green Revolution in the country. A similar institute is being set in Assam to achieve second Green revolution. "Approval has been accorded for opening another IARI Institute in Kamrup district of Assam on the line of IARI situated at PUSA, Delhi. From past several months, we have been making efforts for transfer of land from the state government," Singh said at an event here. That apart, a Regional Office of the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) for the North East region will also be established in Guwahati, he said in a statement. "We have also requested the state government to provide land for setting up a KVK at Dima Hasayo district," he added. Highlighting measures taken to boost horticulture in north eastern region, the minister said the Centre has reduced the area ceiling for open field cultivation from 5 acre to 2.5 acre and for Poly House/ Net House from 2,500 square meter to 1,000 square meter exclusively for this region. "The very purpose of these changes is to ensure that hard working farmers of NE Region including Assam take maximum benefit of the schemes of the Government of India and contribute in the growth of the state," he said. The National Horticulture Board is promoting horticulture produce of north eastern region and also creating awareness among farmers about new technologies in various parts of the country through its Horti Fair known as "Hortisangam". Sharing the key features of the new schemes launched by NDA government in the agriculture sector, the minister appealed farmers to avail these schemes and contribute significantly in the development of the state. To boost the maritime sector, the government will begin the work before March for setting up three major ports at Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Maharashtra, said Union Minister Nitin Gadkari today. "We will invite tenders before March for setting up three major ports - one at Colachel in Tamil Nadu, one at Sagar in West Bengal and one at Dahanur in Maharashtra," Road Transport and Highways Minister Gadkari said addressing the Economic Times Global Business Summit. He said a note in this regard is pending with the Cabinet and is likely to get cleared next month. India at present has 12 major ports under the control of the Centre and 200 non-major ports. Gadkari said the government was also serious to develop 280 light houses and 1,300 islands as tourist attraction. "Expression of interest has been received for 70 light houses," he said adding, they will start attracting tourists soon. On waterways, he said he was hopeful of getting Parliament nod on bill to convert 111 rivers across the country into waterways. "So far only five waterways on Ganga, Brahmaputra, Buckingham canal (in Chennai), Kerala Backwaters and Mahanadhi river in Odisha have been declared by Parliament as National Waterways," he said. "The bill to convert 111 rivers into waterways, I expect, will be cleared in the next session of Parliament. Lok Sabha has already passed it," he said. The minister said it is unfortunate that the country is still to harness waterways as the medium of cargo and passenger movement. He said 47 per per cent of the cargo is moved by waterways in China while 43-44 per cent of cargo is moved by it in Korea and Japan but India the percentage is a mere 3.5 per cent. He said the work is on full swing to develop 1,620 km of Varanasi to Haldia stretch on Ganga for which the World Bank has already sanctioned Rs 4,200 crore. He said 30 small water ports will be developed initially in the country while three multi-modal hubs- one each at Sahebganj, Haldia and Varanasi are on the anvil. River traffic system to keep a vigil on vessels movement has already been introduced on Haldia to Farakka stretch, the minister added. Yemeni security officials say Shiite rebels have detained a number of activists and critics including a local journalist in the capital, Sanaa. Today's detentions come shortly after the rebels, known as Houthis, released three Al-Jazeera journalists they kidnapped in the western city of Taiz. Speaking anonymously in line with regulations, the officials said the detentions are part of a Houthi crackdown on activists and journalists. The officials remain neutral in the conflict that has splintered Yemen. Yemen has been embroiled in fighting since the Houthis allied with a former president captured large swaths of the country, including Sanaa, over a year ago. The UN says the war has killed over 5,800 people since March, when a Saudi-led coalition backing the internationally recognised government began launching airstrikes targeting the rebels. HELSINKI (Reuters) - Nokia and Samsung are expected to settle their two-year patent dispute within days, with analysts forecasting a one-time payment of hundreds of millions of euros for the Finnish company. Nokia entered into a binding arbitration with South Korea's Samsung in 2013 to settle additional compensations for a five-year period starting from early 2014. The International Chamber of Commerce's arbitration court is due to make its ruling on the issue imminently. Nordea analyst Sami Sarkamies, one of few analysts to give a precise estimate, said the verdict could boost Nokia's operating profit by about 700 million euros ($758 mln) this year, forecasting the court will stipulate an annual patent fee of 300 million euros. "Samsung has been paying Nokia probably 100 million per year, and the rate could now come up to around 300 million euros (per year). The settled rate will also be paid retrospectively for the last two years," Sarkamies said. "But they have already booked perhaps 100 million a year from Samsung to their income statement, so the EBIT impact for this year could be around 700 million euros." Sarkamies has a "hold" rating on Nokia shares, which have fallen 9 percent since last April when it announced a 15.6 billion euro takeover of French network gear rival Alcatel-Lucent, due to be completed this quarter. Investors have worried about the integration process and special terms negotiated by the French government, but the share price could get a boost if the settlement with Samsung is much bigger than analysts forecasts. Last month, Sweden's Ericsson said that a patent licence deal with Apple Inc would help lift its intellectual property rights revenue by up to 40 percent in 2015, sending its shares up sharply. Nokia, which once dominated the global mobile phones market, is now focused on telecom network equipment but still holds on to a portfolio of phone patents. It said last month that the International Chamber of Commerce had advised that the settlement with Samsung is expected by the end of January. A Nokia spokesman declined to comment on Saturday, saying the company had nothing to add beyond the previous statement. ($1 = 0.9233 euros) (Reporting by Jussi Rosendahl; Editing by Susan Fenton) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Switzerland's chief prosecutor said on Friday he has formally asked Malaysia for help with his probe into possible violations of Swiss law by the state-owned fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) involving suspected misappropriations of about $4 billion. The office of Swiss Attorney General Michael Lauber said in a statement that it had asked Malaysia for help in pursuing possible violations of Swiss laws related to bribery of foreign officials, misconduct in public office, money laundering and criminal mismanagement related to 1MDB. (Reporting by Mark Hosenball in Washington; Editing by Eric Beech) CROWBAR is a backcountry ski mountaineering race Saturday that is held entirely outside of ski area boundaries in Logan Canyon. Mike Taylor of sponsor Nordic United was a guest on KVNUs For the People program on Wednesday. So what does CROWBAR stand for? CROWBAR stands for the Cache Regional Overland Winter Backcountry Race, which is a mouthful but we wanted a cool acronym. So we came up with CROWBAR and the winners actually get golden crowbars as their trophy, Taylor explained. CROWBAR will start at the Sink Hollow trailhead located about 26 miles up Logan Canyon. The race starts at 9 a.m. Online registration is now closed but they will take same-day registration. Taylor said that there are different divisions. We actually have three divisions. Weve got a race division, and these are the people that are going to be wearing, like skin-tight lycra. They can actually pull off their skins when they get to the top without even stopping (or) taking off their skis. So they actually train, its part of a national U.S. Ski mountaineering association series. Theres about 12 races nationally this winter. But we also have a rec division for people like me who like to get out and run or hike or ski every so often. But I havent been training. So Im in it just to finish it, according to Taylor. Taylor said the race will be in the backcountry so you will need avalanche gear and some training. He said they work with the Utah Avalanche Center to find out exactly what the conditions are on the race course and if theres any concern on their part they will modify the race, so that skiers will go on less-steep slopes and stay out of danger areas. For more information on the race go to www.nordicunited.org/crowbar-backcountry-ski-race Andrew Lesky, 43, arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated assault, a third-degree felony and two felony counts of possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person. LOGAN A judge has refused to transfer Andrew Lesky to a different jail or assign a new prosecuting attorney in his nine pending cases, saying he had failed to show his constitutional rights were being violated. The ruling came Friday afternoon in 1st District Court following three days of testimony from the defendant, his prior attorney, the victim, jail staff and other witnesses. Lesky had filed three writs of habeas corpus, arguing that he was being treated unfairly by deputies and should be transferred. He also requested the county attorneys office be removed as prosecutors in the cases, claiming they had illegally intercepted private letters between the defendant and his then attorney, Shannon Demler. Judge Brian Cannell said the court specifically found no conflict of interest and no evidence that the jail staff or prosecutors opened sealed legal mail. Lesky had also claimed he was treated inhumanly in jail, kept in lockdown for 87 days and malnourished to the point he had lost weight. During Fridays hearing, a nurse from the jail testified that she would check on Leskys condition daily and that his weight loss may have been a result from when he had refused to eat while on a hunger strike. Judge Cannell said nurses acted appropriately to care for Lesky and the defense failed to introduce a standard to determine whether the 87 days in lockdown was inappropriate. Lesky was arrested in October 2014 after reportedly trying to shoot his ex-girlfriend outside her apartment. It is also alleged he threatened her and another man with a handgun and a knife. He faces a total of 10 felonies and 17 misdemeanors. A two-week trial has been scheduled to begin July 11.

will@cvradio.com A simpler way to buy Our experienced team is here to help with the entire processfrom financing, to selling your current home, were here to help you navigate the entire process through closing. GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Residents from the Hillcrest community raise their hands to show that they own a home in the area during a meeting with members of the Citizens Alliance for Fairness and Progress on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016, at the Oveal Williams Senior Center in Corpus Christi. SHARE GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Erin Gaines from the Texas RioGrande Legal Aid attorney and Equal Justice Works Fellow talks to residents from the Hillcrest community during a meeting Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016, at the Oveal Williams Senior Center in Corpus Christi. GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Residents from the Hillcrest community sign in during a meeting with members of the Citizens Alliance for Fairness and Progress on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016, at the Oveal Williams Senior Center in Corpus Christi. GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Residents from the Hillcrest community attend a meeting with members of the Citizens Alliance for Fairness and Progress on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016, at the Oveal Williams Senior Center in Corpus Christi. Contributed photo The Texas Department of Transportation plans to relocate the Harbor Bridge. By Chris Ramirez of the Caller-Times Hillcrest and Washington-Coles residents will have three years to decide if they want to take part in a voluntary relocation program while the Harbor Bridge is being replaced, officials said. The Citizens Alliance for Fairness and Progress, an advocacy group, held a workshop Saturday at Oveal Williams Senior Center. The meeting unveiled details of the relocation program that was brokered last month by the Port of Corpus Christi and other government entities. Residents of the largely minority neighborhoods are expected to be most affected by construction, which is expected to start in spring and continue for up to five years. The port will hire a consultant in March to manage the relocation program, said Rosie Gonzalez Collin, director of community relations for the port. By May, the port will begin notifying property owners of their relocation options. They will have three years from that time to decide whether to move. In December, the port, the City Council, the Texas Department of Transportation and the Corpus Christi Housing Authority authorized a program to purchase properties and relocate residents whose homes could be most severely impacted by construction. The port pledged up to $20 million to support the effort. Under the relocation plan, homeowners can be moved to a "comparable home." However, comparability is based on a variety of factors, such as the homes' size and amenities, not their value. All title-clearing costs, closing fees and moving expenses for homeowners would be covered under the plan. Renters are eligible to be relocated only if the landlord is eligible and opts to sell their property to the port. Kelly L. Haragan, director of the Environmental Clinic at the University of Texas School of Law, urged residents not to rush in making up their minds; moving quickly doesn't give them any advantage. Sandra Jackson isn't packing up her life just yet, but believes a move could be in her future. The mother of two has rented a home on Stillman Street for about four years. The owner of her home also owns other property in the neighborhood. "I'm anxious," said Jackson, 40. "A lot depends on what the landlord does. But I do know that I'm going to have to move at some point. Who wants to live around all that construction?" Juan Lopez has closely followed news coverage of the bridge and wanted information that would help him decide what to do with the Hillcrest home he bought 35 years ago. "I don't know what I'm going to do yet," said Lopez, 63. "For now ... I just wanted to hear what they have to say. That's all we can do." State officials say the Harbor Bridge, built in the 1950s, needs to be replaced for both safety reasons and to allow higher clearance for cargo vessels through the Corpus Christi Ship Channel. It has a vertical clearance of 138 feet. Transportation officials envision the new cable-stayed bridge to be six lanes with a minimum 205-foot vertical clearance above the 400-foot-wide ship channel. Twitter: @Caller_ChrisRam NORTHSIDE TIMELINE 1916: Hillcrest subdivision is platted. 1927: Real estate developer A.C. McCaughan, later mayor from 1937-45, develops the Hillcrest subdivision and codevelops the Oak Park subdivision. 1934: Southern Alkali, the first major industrial plant in the city, opens off Buddy Lawrence Drive. 1941: Construction begins on the D.N. Leathers Center Housing Project on Coke Street. It was completed in 1952. 1944: The Corpus Christi Planning Commission hears a report that the Washington-Coles subdivision is filling up and recommends opening the Hillcrest subdivision to black residents. 1948: Black residents are allowed to buy homes beyond Kennedy Street. According to census records, the racial profile of the neighborhood switched from predominantly white to predominantly black over the next two decades. 1952: A 27-block area is evacuated when an explosion and fire erupts at the General American tank farm north of Hillcrest. The fire took 17 hours to control and at least a dozen firefighters were injured. 1954: Residents in Hillcrest begin noticing foul odors and discoloring paint on their homes. It was determined that hydrogen sulfide gases from a nearby refinery were wafting through the sewer system. 1961: Construction on the first section of the new Interstate 37 project, between Waco Street and Peabody Avenue, begins. The state highway department began purchasing houses from the area the previous year, moving many homes and demolishing others. This first section bisected the Northside neighborhoods, which many pinpoint as the beginning of the decline of the Northside area. 1964: HIALCO, a social service agency whose name was an acronym for Hillcrest, Ayers, Leathers and Coles neighborhoods, is formed by black community members and Nueces County commissioners as part of LBJ's War on Poverty. The agency over the years provided services including a food bank, medical facility, vocational education classes and voter education projects. Programs began vanishing when federal support began to dry up after 1984. 1972: Construction of new streets and sewer lines begins in the Hillcrest area. Hillcrest and portions of Molina were approved in 1968 for a federal code enforcement program and received federal funding. The federal government covered two-thirds of the street project and allowed for low-interest loans for property owners to make home improvements. 1981: At 4 a.m. Jan. 8, an explosion rips through a gasoline storage tank at Southwestern Refining on Nueces Bay Boulevard, killing a refinery worker and injuring a delivery driver and triggering explosions in two adjacent storage tanks. While no mandatory evacuation was ordered, many Hillcrest residents who lived in the shadow of the tanks took refuge at the T.C. Ayers Recreation Center until the flames were extinguished. 1983: City Council moves forward with a neighborhood improvement program funded by federal Community Development Block Grant funds for areas north of Leopard Street between Carrizo Street and Nueces Bay Boulevard. 1993: The failure of a safety device at Southwestern Refining causes a large dark cloud of smoke to waft through the Hillcrest neighborhood. Residents complained of burning eyes and throats and were furious about the lack of communication between the city and refinery officials. 2003: City planners propose rezoning the neighborhoods north of I-37 as a research and technology park to bolster real estate values, but the plan is tabled after residents express overwhelming dislike of the change. 2005: The Texas Department of Transportation launches a plan for a new, higher, saltwater-resistant bridge after a 2003 study showed the Harbor Bridge needs an overhaul or a replacement. May 2007: The City Council approves a $316,957 sale of several city streets in the Oak Park neighborhood to next-door neighbor Citgo Refining and Chemicals Co. The neighborhood buyout began about 10 years prior when the oil refining company purchased about 300 homes in Oak Park and relocated residents. August 2008: A Houston-based consulting firm writes a renewal plan for the Northside. It calls for an increased buffer zone between the refineries and adjacent neighborhoods along with a city incentive plan that would lure mixed-use business development on Port Avenue to include retail such as a grocery store. 2011: An environmental study to replace the Harbor Bridge has four options, including one that relocates the bridge through the Northside. The bridge replacement is estimated to cost as much as $800 million and is a decade away from being built. Even so, the state agrees to set aside $291 million for the project. Those funds won't be available until 2017. 2015: The Port of Corpus Christi, the City Council, the Texas Department of Transportation and the Corpus Christi Housing Authority authorized a program to purchase properties and relocate Hillcrest residents whose homes could be impacted by construction of the new Harbor Bridge. The port pledged up to $20 million to support the effort. Sources: Caller-Times files, Corpus Christi Development Services CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Carl Faulk falls out of the plane while making a tandem dive with Skydive South Texas owner Jason Towns. Faulk celebrated his 80th birthday by sky diving. SHARE CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Carl Faulk enjoys the scenery after his chute deployed while tandem diving with Skydive South Texas owner Jason Towns. Faulk celebrated his 80th birthday by sky diving. FARES SABAWI/CALLER-TIMES Ruth Faulk embraces her husband Carl after he landed safely. Faulk celebrated his 80th birthday by sky-diving. FARES SABAWI/CALLER-TIMES Carl Faulk gets his harness on with the help of Skydive South Texas owner Jason Towns. Faulk celebrated his 80th birthday by sky-diving. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Carl Faulk freefalls from 11,000 feet in the air while making a tandem sky-dive with Skydive South Texas owner Jason Towns. Faulk celebrated his 80th birthday by sky diving. By Fares Sabawi of the Caller-Times PORT ARANSAS Carl Faulk has always been a daredevil. His career as a lineman was risky, and involved climbing tall power poles, sometimes during stormy weather. On Friday, he rode into Port Aransas from his home in Rockport on his Harley-Davidson with his wife Ruth in the side car for an entirely new stunt. He was going to jump out of a plane 11,000 feet in the air to celebrate his 80th birthday. As the pilot from Skydive South Texas started the engine, Faulk kept his arms crossed as his wife, daughter and her family watched him with both excitement and nervousness. "I'm not going anywhere at this point except up," Faulk said. In a matter of minutes, the plane took off and was out of sight. "Oh, I am terrified," Ruth said while the plane was still in the air. "I kept thinking he would talk and not go through with it." Ruth said her husband began thinking about sky diving about a year ago. An Army vet, Faulk was encouraged by his old paratrooper friends to take that leap. "The doctor had no objections, so there was no excuse," Ruth said. Soon, a blue chute was visible from the sky, and Faulk made his descent safely onto the grass. "I didn't know we'd free fall 6,000 feet," Faulk said. "I was glad to hear the chute open." Skydive South Texas owner Jason Towns said Faulk is not the first person in that age group to jump from one of his planes. "We probably take six or eight people a year over 80," Towns said. "At that age, why the heck not?" Faulk said he was happy to scratch an item off his bucket list. Ruth was just happy he made it back safely. "I'm so glad," she said as she rested her head on his chest. SHARE Contributed photo Map of affected area By Esther Hackleman Ingleside city officials say it's unclear when about 200 residents will be able to safely drink water from their faucets after issuing a do-not-drink notice Saturday. The city issued multiple alerts through social media, warning residents of elevated levels of a toxin produced by algae in the water. The notices came after city officials received reports that select areas had higher than normal levels of microcystins, city of Ingleside Chief Plant Operator of Wastewater Chris Burke said. Microcystins, or algae normally found in surface water, can cause an inflammation of the stomach and intestines and liver and kidney damage, according to the news release. City officials are investigating two areas suspected of being contaminated and are installing additional backflow preventers to isolate the contamination, according to a news release. In the same release, the city announced it will flush the water lines and continue testing water from the affected area. The do-not-drink advisory will remain in effect until city officials receive the results of the tests, which are being sent to labs at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Those results may not be released until as early as next week, Ingleside City Manager Jim Gray said. "We are instructing people not to drink the water until we have received the results of our own tests," Burke said. That advisory extends to food preparation, making ice cubes or brushing teeth. "We want to definitively say this is not a boil water notice," Gray said. "In this case that is not the correct thing to do because the bacteria can actually release a toxin when water is boiled." City officials worked Saturday to hand out flyers to residents within the affected areas and referred residents to the city of Ingleside website and the Ingleside Police Department for updates. Gray said that part of the outreach included making bottled water available to lower-income residents. All reports indicate the water advisory is confined to a square mile area bordered by Highway 361. Other nearby cities need not worry their water is contaminated. According to a post on the website for the San Patricio Municipal Water District, which also provides drinking water to municipal water systems in Odem, Taft, Portland, Gregory, Aransas Pass, Ingleside on the Bay, and Rockport-Fulton, there is no evidence of contamination of the district's treatment and transmission systems. Gray said city officials will meet again Sunday to reassess the situation. Twitter:@Caller_Esther | BY Ricki Green | Roger Box, one of the leading architects behind the multi-award-winning and world-acclaimed American Express Small Business Saturday campaign, has joined Clemenger BBDO Melbourne as director: digital experience. He has taken up responsibility for leadership of the agencys digital offering, as his predecessor, Mark Gretton, becomes head of digital strategy. Box was previously vice president of Digitas New York, one of the worlds top digital agencies, and led the massive American Express account. The Small Business Saturday campaign won nine Cannes Lions in 2012, generated US$5.5 billion in sales and achieved extraordinary national and international engagement and awareness. It is Boxs second stint at Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, having worked as an account director at the agency a decade ago. Says Peter Biggs, chief executive of Clemenger BBDO Melbourne: We are delighted to welcome Roger back home. Hes a world-class talent, born and bred in Melbourne. Digitas New York is a brilliant digital agency and its a fantastic coup to have Roger join us. I have no doubt that he will make our already strong digital capability even stronger. | BY Ricki Green | Yesterday the Chicks In Advertising came together at the Winery Surry Hills to celebrate the festive season and the end to a fabulous 2015. Over the last year the social networking group has more than doubled in size to over 250 members in Sydney, proving to be a valuable forum for industry producers and creatives to come together. | BY Lynchy | Clemenger BBDO, Melbournes director: digital experience Roger Box has departed to agency to take the agency lead role at Google, based in Melbourne. Box, who was one of the leading architects behind the multi-award-winning and world-acclaimed American Express Small Business Saturday campaign, joined Clemenger BBDO in August 2013 from a vice-president role at Digitas, New York. At Digitas New York, one of the worlds top digital agencies, he led the massive American Express account. The Small Business Saturday campaign won nine Cannes Lions in 2012, generated US$5.5 billion in sales and achieved extraordinary national and international engagement and awareness. Shadow banking is one of the most misapplied terms in financial services today. Apart from a few private lenders and small MICs, which comprise just 2-4% of Canadas mortgage market,1 no Canadian lender is operating in the shadows. There is a problem with the definition of shadow banking and it creates real difficulties for Canadas non-bank lenders. The Bank of Canada refers to shadow banking as Credit intermediation that takes place at least partly outside the traditional banking system. The BoC lumps government-insured mortgage securitization into that mix, which is somewhat preposterous given that the Department of Finance, the banking regulator (OSFI) and CMHC set, monitor and enforce the quality of mortgages permitted in government-sponsored securitization programs. The media, bankers and even (sadly) the Bank of Canada itself slap the shadow banking label on a host of lenders where it shouldnt apply. Take mortgage finance companies (MFCs), for example, which fund 12% of Canadian mortgages.2 According to the BoC, MFCs like First National or Street Capital are not subject to the same level of scrutiny as banks and in some instances dont have access to as stable and diversified sources of funding. Well sorry, the fact that MFCs are not regulated directly by OSFI and rely on major Financial Institutions (FIs) for funding doesnt mean they operate in the shadows. For one thing, MFCs in Canada are typically National Housing Act approved lenders originating insured mortgages. Default insurers are OSFI regulated and must continually ensure that mortgages from MFCs meet OSFI standards (which they do and typically exceed). Secondly, MFCs are funded by OSFI-regulated institutions and/or through CMHC securitization programs. Those entities are required to ensure that the lenders they fund or buy mortgages from meet OSFI requirements, including OSFI underwriting standards. Says OSFI, Federally regulated financial institutions (FRFIs) that acquire residential mortgage loans that have been originated by a third party should ensure that the underwriting standards of that third party including due diligence on the borrower, debt service coverage, collateral management, LTV ratios, etc. are consistent with the FRFIs RMUP and compliant with [Guideline B-20]. Funders and insurers constantly monitor lenders for compliance and benchmark their underwriting quality. Lenders are audited and those that fail see their funding taps closed or significantly tapered, depending on the nature of underperformance. Very few lenders are short-sighted enough to take shortcuts and systematically approve prime mortgages that should not be approved. Lenders that have failed their audits in the past have seen their lifeblood (mortgage funding) meaningfully curtailed. As a lender, it doesnt take you long to realize the importance of being conservative when a major FI or insurer threatens to stop accepting your mortgages. In the post-financial crisis era, there is no evidence that prime mortgages originated through Canadian MFCs bear higher overall default rates than bank mortgages. In other words, mortgages initiated by a non-bank lender are no more risky to the financial system than a mortgage from a bank outside the shadows, like RBC or TD. That said, if the Department of Finance wants to incentivize prudent underwriting for MFCs, all it has to do is publicly post the names of lenders that exceed and underperform acceptable standards for metrics like first-year arrears, credit deterioration post-funding, and so on. No lender, and definitely no lenders board or shareholders, wants to jeopardize their funding and see their name near the bottom of the list. Anyone who writes about the Canadian mortgage industry and is tempted to apply the shadow banking moniker should understand all this. This label should be limited to lenders that are unregulated or much less regulated: private lenders and MICs. And no, just because a lender is not directly supervised by a federal or provincial ministry of finance doesnt mean its unregulated. Fortunately, Canadas true shadow lenders, which perform a vital role for borrowers, by the way, represent a tiny fraction of mortgage lending, a fraction the Bank of Canada correctly surmises does not pose systemic risk. 1 Source: TD Securities 2 Source: Bank of Canada "A third of our qualified members have already been deployed and we are starting to run up against issues with availability," he said. "They all have to juggle work and family commitments too." "They courageously confounded the critics who did not accept that adolescents would respond positively to being treated as mature young people, that schools could involve parents and employers in curriculum design, that teachers were capable of both teaching and assessing students and that, despite this upheaval, university entry was still possible," he wrote. "We're lucky, but we also have been focused on gender equality for a long time, and have very well qualified women in areas where there isn't the same wage disparity as some others," she said. Analysts believe the growth is being driven by young people looking to enter the workforce, who are less likely to leave town than in previous decades, and those coming to the end of their working lives, who are more likely to stay. [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 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. 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 Citroens luxury brand celebrated its entry in the Iranian market with a ceremony attended by 200 VIPs and potential customers. Its launch in the country follows an announcement made in October, 2015, when a deal between DS and ARIAN Group was made to operate and oversee the manufacturers first venture in this part of the world. The DS brand is undergoing a major step in its international development. Iran is a key country for us and contributes to our ambition of radiating the French luxury know-how in automobile, said CEO of DS, Yves Bonnefont. The first DS Automobiles store is located in Tehran, in a space of 275 square meters at the northern part of the city. It has a modern facade and is loaded with plasma screens, photos displaying Paris and DS cars, which include the DS 5 flagship and the DS 6 SUV. Both models were launched at the showrooms opening and are in the Sport Chic range, carrying efficient engines and six-speed automatic transmissions. The cabin features premium Nappa leather or semi-aniline watchstrap leather seats, along with full leather dashboards. The DS 5LS will join the local lineup this year and it will be followed by other vehicles. With a population of approximately 80 million people, of which 70 percent live in urban areas and 15 million in its capital, Iran became an interesting market for major car manufacturers after the tensions between the Islamic Republic and the West eased and world powers lifted international sanctions. Audi is another key player interested in joining the market and it appears Daimler will follow as well. PHOTO GALLERY Its a buyers market if youre looking at compact sedans. One by one, automakers who wrongly predicted at the beginning of the decade that customers would put up with penalty boxes in exchange for good fuel economy and low monthly payments are rushing to correct their mistakes. The latest case is the 2016 Nissan Sentra, just facelifted and now on sale to atone for the sins of the past. Launched in late 2012, the current Sentra may have been more fuel efficient and value oriented than its predecessor, but it arrived on the market after Ford proved customers would pay for elaborate technology in a Focus, and after Honda bombed critically with its cheaper Civic. Fast forward to today, though, and these cars that used to be derided as penalty boxes are growing ever sleeker and more costly maybe because youre all off buying subcompact crossovers instead of compact sedans. Even though its sales have been healthy in recent years, the Sentra had to come in for a substantial reworking, complete with steering, suspension, safety and styling changes. Is it enough to make it stand out among newly refined rivals? All in the family One goal was clearly to spice up the Sentras knockoff Infiniti looks, so Nissan went to its 2016 Maxima flagship sedan for heavy doses of inspiration in the form of Energetic Flow in Nissan-speak. They did the same for the 2016 Altima, so what were you expecting? Like the Altima, grafting the new front (the designer says its a new car from pretty much the windshield forward) makes it really look like the car was designed at two different times. Still, theres a net gain in terms of making the Sentra look more interesting. LED headlights have emerged up front, available on SR and SL grades, and new 16-inch wheels are standard on lesser models. At the rear, however, changes are far less substantial and that makes the Sentra look disjointed. SR models get a set of appearance enhancements like an enlarged exhaust tip and decklid spoiler that looks like it came off a 90s Ford Escort. This doesnt really help the elevate Nissans compact sedan into the territory of the strikingly redone 2016 Civic, or even the classic Germanness of the Volkswagen Jetta. Tech talks Where Nissan has excelled greatly in the last few years is making sophisticated pieces of in-car tech available at reasonable prices. To that end, the company likes to tout that its possible to get a Sentra with features such as Siri Eyes Free, blind-spot monitoring and navigation for right around $20,000. Sure, you need to spend a few grand extra to get luxuries like leather seats and a sunroof, but the features people are expecting if they commit to a new car are there and for a lot less than expected. Considering 2016 Sentras start at $17,615 for a base S six-speed manual (the only Sentra youre going to row your own gears, mind you), the interior is a pretty nice place to be. Popular SV trim and higher get a nice five-inch color display between the gauges for trip computer functions. New this year is a power drivers seat for models equipped with leather upholstery its a worthy addition for reasons Ill get to later. The optional navigation system isnt blessed with an enormous touchscreen or dazzling graphics, but its still easy to use and gets you point-to-point with ease and most importantly its a cheap upgrade. Its kind of like the Sentras whole interior not particularly lavish but a perfectly nice place to be nonetheless. The dash top is soft and nicely grained, and most of the plastic surfaces you actually touch are for the most part quality pieces. Controls are simple to use and well-placed, as well. As far as simple tasks like adjusting the radio and climate control, the Sentra is well ahead of rivals such as the Civic, Focus and Toyota Corolla. Buyers less interested in interior technology can take note that while the Sentras rear seat space is nothing to write home about, the trunk is absolutely enormous. At 15.1 cubic feet, its large for the class. But its also deep enough to support tall items, while managing to still carry a spare under the carpet. It probably holds more than the back of a Juke does. Sudden Valley Nissan put us up in Newport Beach, a very nice California coastal town in Orange County. And when their route took us on a tour of most of the county between Los Angeles and San Diego, I realized the region has a lot of Nissan Sentras. It may come as no surprise, then, that the 2016 Sentra was basically tuned for Orange County. This has good and bad points. The 13 Sentra was least on its game when it came to actually driving the thing, as if it were tuned for the purpose of scoring high fuel economy at the cost of everything else. Improvements were introduced in subsequent years did try to refine some noise and power ailments, but the 2016 model goes the furthest. Revisions were made to the steering and suspension, with the hopes of sharpening up some of the Sentras cornering characteristics. Its not sporty by any means, but the car feels more substantial than before. The 1.8-liter, 130 horsepower four-cylinder remains the only engine and its unchanged for 2016, but the CVT gets revised programming. You still dont get any sort of manual control over it as you would in a Toyota Corolla or Scion iM with its seven gears, but at least there are Eco and Sport buttons that do have some influence over the way the transmission operates. Seeing as how theyre buried to the lower left of the dashboard and I only found the buttons when looking for the hood release, almost no Sentra drivers will get out of Normal mode. Thats too bad because Sport greatly improves the cars responsiveness when a burst of power is needed for on-ramp merging or passing maneuvers. Otherwise the Sentra responds with increasingly mean groans when you press your foot harder on the accelerator. Power does come, eventually, though. At least when youre cruising at any speed, the Sentra is very quiet. A thicker windshield, new engine mounts and more insulation make the car quiet and a good road trip companion. That is, until the backache sets in. The Sentras front seats feel comfortable at first. But theyre overstuffed and seem to be shaped opposite of the way humans are shaped. After about 30 minutes behind the wheel, I kept fussing with the seat controls in the search for a comfortable spot. I didnt find it over the course of a day. And if your front passenger is much taller than 5-foot-10 or so, he or she will wonder why the seat is mounted so high and why there isnt any height adjustment for it. Each time I got in, my hair brushed the sun visor, and by the end of the day, I was slouched into what has to be a yoga position. The Sentra, therefore, is happiest if your commute takes you from one side of Irvine to the other. Finding Sudden Valley A photo posted by Zac Estrada (@zacestrada) on Jan 26, 2016 at 3:36pm PST Youre a good man, Charlie Brown The Sentra is not a bad car, but its still a case of just getting what you paid for. The 2016 model is the car Nissan needed three years ago to stand out in the segment, but now its simply keeping pace with older designs rather than standing out among the fresh faces. Nissan would like to point out the most popular Sentra SV is more than a $1,000 less than where the least expensive Civic starts off. For $20,405, Nissan gets you a Sentra with the available Drivers Assist package that bundles desirable options such as navigation and blind-spot monitoring. Even a loaded SR model like the one I drove complete with the leather upholstery, power drivers seat and the technology suite goes for a shade over $25,000. The Honda Civic LX is still the better car and worth the price premium. But the Sentra has a place in the market. Its a compelling buy if you want a good amount of stuff for not a lot of money. Go in, get the one the dealer dying to get rid of by the end of the month and drive it through grad school or to your entry level job. Then after a few years or 150,000 miles, youll move on to something else. The Sentra doesnt have a glamorous role in life, but its doing the good work. Photos: Zac Estrada/Carscoops Photos The Blue Oval has just dropped its official sales and financial figures from 2015 which saw the marque hit profitability in Europe for the first time since 2011. Throughout last year, the American brand sold a total of 6.635 million vehicles, 1.53 million of which were delivered to customers across Europe. In North America, over 3 million sales were recorded (the highest number since 2005) and in the Asia-Pacific region, there were 1.5 million sales. Combined with rising sales in the Middle East and Africa, Fords pre-tax profits increased from $7.3 billion in 2014 to $10.8 billion, with $8.8 billion coming from vehicle sales and the rest were accounted for by Ford Credit that offers a range of financing options among other services. All told, Fords global sales last year were 0.2 per cent higher than in 2014. This comes despite falling sales across South America due to the deterioration of the local business environment. PHOTO GALLERY Nissan says that it plans to expand their engine offerings engines on the Sentra compact sedan, while also studying the possibility of adding a hatchback version to the range. Speaking to WardsAuto, Nissan North America director for production planning, Michael Bunce, said: From a product standpoint, in the future youll see more engine offerings, and its full steam ahead. Were fully focused on the segment. The automaker is also looking to bring back the Sentra hatchback, which was marketed in the States between 1982 and 1990, in the first and second generations of the car. These were available in a three-door body style and they were joined by a more practical 5-door variant. If Nissan gives the green light to a Sentra hatch, then it will target the Ford Focus, Mazda3, Hyundai Elantra, Kia Forte as well as the upcoming 2017 Chevrolet Cruze 5-door that was introduced in Detroit earlier this month. The report from Wards says that the Sentras platform-sibling in Europe, the Renault Megane, could act as a possible guide for the development of a hatchback version. . Meanwhile, the four-door Sentra has undergone a few changes and it has a starting price of $16,780, going up to $22,170 for the top of the line. PHOTO GALLERY Considering production of the Porsche 918 Spyder recently wrapped up, it seems likely that at some time in the future, the German marque will release another halo hypercar. As such a car could be several years away, its impossible to say just what shape it will take, particularly due to the changing nature of high-performance vehicles and the rise of all-electric powertrains. Nevertheless, Brazilian designer Guilerme Kataoka has decided to render such a car, based around the 919 Hybrid LMP1 race car. In creating his 919 road car, Kataoka has drawn on inspiration from the 918 and 919 racer and opted for a mid-engine layout. At the front, headlights reminiscent of those from the 919 are featured as are bulging front wheel arches and a set of aerodynamically-efficient wheels. Like the 918, the car includes a low-slung cabin with a central driving position, just like the McLaren F1. The rear end is arguably the most appealing element with a large rear wing seamlessly integrated into the wheel arches. Taillights then stretch up the uprights of the wing in a similar vein to the 2015 Honda Civic Type R Concept. PHOTO GALLERY Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer A preliminary inquiry for a brother and sister charged in connection with the killing of a young mother, Roxanne Louie, is slated to start in a Penticton courtroom on Tuesday, Feb. 2. Lawyers for both sides were court in Friday to confirm the starting date for the case against Pier and Grace Robotti. The siblings are both charged with second-degree murder. The victim was reported missing in early January 2015 after failing to show up at Penticton Regional Airport for a flight to Vancouver. A search for Louie, who was 26 at the time of her death and a member of the Osoyoos Indian Band, ended with the discovery of her body in the Naramata/Chute Lake area. Several rallies calling for "justice for Louie" have been held at the Penticton courthouse. Most recently, a candlelight vigil was held for the victim. Crown counsel Nashina Devji has made an application for one witness to appear from elsewhere in Canada, having moved away from Penticton. Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer A Kamloops woman accused of burning down three homes in Princeton was found not guilty in Penticton court, Friday. Justice Elliott Myers acquitted Ashley Gallagher, saying he could not find beyond a reasonable doubt that threats were made to burn her boyfriend's snowmobile and property. Gallagher faced multiple arson charges, stemming from an incident on March 27, 2014, in which three homes, including the one she lived in, were destroyed by fire. The homes were located in the Fenchurch Avenue neighbourhood of Princeton. Myers told court the case hinged on the threats to burn property, as there was no evidence as to the cause of the fire and no evidence putting Gallagher there. Therefore, he said, he had to be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that she started the fire. Her ex-boyfriend Robert Cormack, the judge said, gave three versions of the supposed threats. Dustin Gereau, Cormack's friend, did not say Gallagher threatened to burn anything. Myers found it strange that Gereau would threaten to call police about alleged drinking and driving, but not for the fire threats. Outside court, Gallagher said she's glad it's all over. The impact on her life has been horrible, she said, with a lot of rumours and her life being put on hold for two years. Her lawyer, Don Campbell, said it is still a tragedy that people lost their homes. Photo: Contributed A private group in West Kelowna has received its first refugee family from Syria. The family is sponsored by the West Kelowna Initiative for Refugee Settlement. Plans to sponsor a Syrian family began about a month ago when a group of friends gathered to discuss what they could do to help with the humanitarian crisis in Syria. They eventually applied to sponsor a family and were recently approved by the federal government. A family of six a mother, father and four children, aged two to 10 have now arrived. It has been a whirlwind of activity, says Gioia Morris, a group spokesperson. "We have come together very quickly and have worked incredibly hard to find temporary housing, shop for food, prepare to get the oldest children enrolled in school and tackle a multitude of paperwork to be able to welcome the family to Canada and help them transition into their new life in West Kelowna. The private sponsorship group is responsible for providing financial assistance to the family for a minimum of one year with some government support. The goal is to help the family become self sufficient as soon as possible. The group is hoping for some community assistance in helping meet some of the familys many needs as they arise. A number of fund-raising events are already in the preliminary planning stages. Information on fundraisers will be available soon on the group's Facebook page. Photo: Nicholas Johansen The Nixon family showing off their new key rack outside their new home. Two Okanagan families will be making monthly payments towards a mortgage rather than rent starting in February, thanks to Habitat for Humanity and the hard work of hundreds of volunteers. The Nixon and Salaly families were given keys to their new homes in Peachland Saturday, after thousands of volunteer hours and tens of thousands of dollars of donations went into the homes. Priscila and Westin Nixon, with their three and half year old son Elijah and a new baby due in June, were given keys to one of the new units in the duplex. Westin grew up in Peachland, with nine other siblings, and said hes excited he will be able to raise his family in the same place he was raised. Westin met Priscila, who is originally from Mexico, on Facebook, and she moved to Canada five years ago. It is great, my whole life we have been renting and now we are home owners so its great, said Priscila. Elijah ran around the parking lot as the key handing over ceremony was taking place, full of energy and enthusiasm. Thank you! he shouted when the microphone was passed down to him. The Nixon family is moving right next door to Westins brother, Travis, who moved his family into the first Habitat for Humanity duplex on the property in November. Its right beside my brother, my brother actually lives in 102, and his (Elijahs) cousin, who is just a half a year older than him, lives right there, said Westin. So hell be able to grow up around his cousin and get to know him more. The other unit went to Sandra Salaly and her 12-year-old daughter Cami. The Salalys had been renting from a social housing complex in Peachland for the last six years and Sandra was overjoyed they now have a place to call their own. I have a home now, she said. The families are not required to put a down payment on the homes and they pay their mortgage off monthly. Additionally, the families are required to put in 500 hours of work into the building of the homes. Westin said he took on more of that responsibility than Priscila, as she has had her own things to worry about. Me more than her, because shes been pregnant and going through morning sickness and all that, but weve put in the man hours, he said. The criteria Habitat for Humanity uses to choose suitable candidates for the homes include need, having a regular income and having children. A third duplex, on the same property as the first two, will be built in the coming months, with an expected completion of fall 2016. If you have just started your journey in an online casino or are looking for a new site to play,... 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. Louis Prosterman, 74, passed away peacefully on January 28, 2016 surrounded by his devoted family. Born at Erlanger Hospital on November 30, 1941, Louis attended Sunnyside Elementary School and The McCallie School. During his early years, Louis was a member of Ridgedale Baptist Church. He attended the Health Sciences school in Memphis and graduated from the University of Chattanooga, where he was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. Louis also received a Master's degree from the University of Cincinnati. For more than 40 years, Louis worked as a Development Supervisor for Hamilton County, collaborating to improve the practice of local government with a team of dedicated public servants that has included Judge Chester Frost, Judge Don Moore, former County Executive Dalton Roberts, former County Mayor Claude Ramsey, and County Mayor Jim Coppinger. His fundraising efforts touched nearly every aspect of life in Chattanooga, including law enforcement, criminal justice, health, social services, victims of domestic violence, childhood services, childhood lead poisoning prevention, community health clinics, and industrial development. Louis was deeply committed to the people of Chattanooga and made special efforts to improve the quality of their lives in this great city. He was responsible for services for the elderly and handicapped, bulletproof vests for the Sheriff's Office, DUI and gun violence prosecution, the drug task force, prevention of violence against women, a shelter for runaway youths, job training initiatives, housing for the poor, and emergency management services. Louis loved his work and the variety of challenges it brought. Along the way, he worked on a number of efforts that created jobs and gave people a second chance. His writing abilities contributed to many county departments in written reports and presentations. Louis helped acquire land for Enterprise South Nature Park and Centre South Riverport Industrial Park. Perhaps his proudest work involved the creation and refurbishment of neighborhood parks, Chester Frost Park and Campgrounds, and the Aquarium Plaza. Louis was active in securing funds for the completion of Finley Stadium and the preservation of the First Tennessee Pavilion. Louis's efforts brought in hundreds of millions of dollars for the betterment of a community he loved very much. Louis's life's work in county government culminated in the creation of the Tennessee Riverpark and the revitalization of the riverfront area, especially the Downtown Riverwalk, Battery Place Riverpark, and Coolidge Park. His latest project, scheduled for completion this spring, is the new Downtown Riverwalk expansion that stretches from Ross's Landing to the base of Lookout Mountain. In addition to his distinguished career, Louis served on the boards of the Chattanooga Human Services and the Metropolitan Council for Community Services. He was also a member of the National Environmental Health Association. Louis was an avid naturalist who enjoyed the beauty nature brings to our lives. A former president of the Tennessee Valley Daylily Society, Louis was passionate about growing and creating new varieties of his favorite flower. For the past 22 years, Louis was a dedicated participant at the Erlanger Lifestyle Center, whose staff and support were vital to his well-being. Nurses Dee Clark, Vicki Steele, and Christy Brewer deserve special recognition for their support and encouragement. The care Louis received at Hospice of Chattanooga during his final days was exceptional, and his family will be forever grateful. Louis was preceded in death by his beloved sisters, Dorothy Gates and Sarah Brown, as well as his mother and father, Lucille and Dr. Louis Prosterman, Sr. He is survived by his wife, Vickie Hagan; his son, Jeff Prosterman (Karen) and grandson Nicholas; his son, Dr. Daniel Prosterman (Megan Bryant), granddaughter Clara Bryant-Prosterman and grandson Samuel Bryant-Prosterman; his nephew Vic Howard; and his beloved French bulldogs, Lucy and Phoebe. A memorial service will be held on Thursday, February 4, at noon at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Chattanooga, 3224 Navajo Drive. In lieu of flowers, please make contributions to the Humane Educational Society of Chattanooga. Arrangements are by the East Brainerd Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory & Florist, 8214 East Brainerd Road, Chattanooga, TN 37421. The stores far more compact than the chain's old outlets and stocked with smartphones, tablets, gaming gear, notebooks, drones and 3-D printers sound less like a Circuit City than an AT&T or Verizon store. But bigger wasn't better before, and there's no point in dying the same way twice. After years of steady price increases, thanks in large part to sky-rocketing demand, almonds have suddenly become much cheaper. Almond prices, which reached record highs early last year, have fallen by roughly 25 percent since late 2014. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times) Almonds, the beloved snack that recently overtook peanuts as the most consumed nut in America, might have gotten a little too popular for their own good. After years of steady price increases, thanks in large part to sky-rocketing demand, the protein-packed nut has suddenly become much cheaper. Almond prices, which reached record highs early last year, have fallen by roughly 25 percent since late 2014. Advertisement "They dropped a lot faster and further than anyone had expected," said Vernon Crowder, who is a senior analyst Radobank, a food and agribusiness research firm. "Last year, the average price was about $4 per pound. I would guess that's down to around $3 today." The price plunge, while a welcome bit of news for almond eaters, is putting a strain on the industry dealing with suddenly lower prices. And it's also exposing the complicated and often unpredictable circumstances that dictate why certain nuts cost what they do. Advertisement Before almond prices fell, they rose to record highs, selling for as much as $5 a pound for premium varieties. The rise had a lot to do with demand, which grew by more than 200 percent between 2005 and 2012. But it also had to do with water - or really the lack thereof. Almonds are a famously water-intensive crop, requiring more than a gallon of water per almond. And California, which is responsible for producing roughly 80 percent of the world's almonds, has endured a crippling drought over the past few years. That has put a terrible strain on local nut farmers, who, without steady rainfall have found themselves with fewer nuts than in years past. For almond growers, this hasn't been a huge problem. They sold fewer nuts, but made up for the harvest shortfalls by selling them at a premium-a simple adjustment to the shift in supply. They also passed the cost of the irrigation needed to combat the drought onto consumers. And everyone paid the extra bit, at least at first. "Agricultural products tend to be inelastic," Crowder explained. "When the supply shifts, the price changes accordingly, because people still buy more or less the same amount." In the case of almonds, volume sales fell by about the same amount as the crop yield fell, but dollar sales remained strong. People, in other words, bought the almonds that were available, as they had in the past, but paid more for each because there were fewer. But then the American dollar began to strengthen, flexing its muscles against foreign currencies, like the euro and renminbi, turning high but manageable prices into headaches for anyone purchasing almonds abroad. And the thing is: many people do-somewhere between 60 and 70 percent of almonds produced in the Untied States are exported, the vast majority of which go to Europe and China. "It was unfortunate for the industry," said Crowder. "Buyers didn't respond well to the high prices. We know some products were dropped or switched out-some mixes were adjusted to use less almonds." Advertisement Most people associate almonds with their consumption whole, as a snack, but a significant portion of almond sales goes to food manufacturers, who chop, slice and crush them into various candy bars, trail mixes, cakes, pie crusts, and other desserts. And this is where companies, reacting to swollen prices in recent years, have skimped out. Total shipments of almonds fell by 12 per cent last year, while exports fell by 15 per cent, according to the most recent numbers released by the Almond Board of California. The icing on the cake, however, came this past fall, when last year's crop turned out to be far bigger than expected. Many new almonds trees had been planted in recent years, as farmers, looking to capitalize on historically high prices, switched out less profitable crops. But conditions were such that no one - not even the USDA - expected there to be such a glut. And that has created a problem. Buyers here in the U.S., anticipating a smaller crop, committed to pay more than they should have. Buyers abroad, meanwhile, began to walk away from deals they had made at prices they no longer wanted to pay. "The whole entire industry has dealt with a lot of defaults out of India and Dubai," Darren Rigg, a nut farmer in Tulare, Calif, told NPR syndicate Valley Public Radio earlier this month. "Guys going out of business, guys not picking up loads. And some of them just packing up shop and running off to the Himalayas. And so we still have cargo at foreign ports." The Financial Times, which wrote about the international backlash last week, put it even more grimly: "Last year's surge in prices depressed demand, and buyers in China, the Middle East and India, who have led consumption over the past three to four years, have disappeared. Trading has ground to a halt as prices continue to decline and the number of rejected containers by buyers refusing to honor contracts has jumped." Advertisement With extra almonds on hand, thanks to the unexpected glut, and even fewer people to buy them, the industry has had to sell its nuts for less money, or sit on them until prices rebound. "There's a little bit of a 'hey, let's wait and see what happens to prices' attitude out there right now," said Crowder. "Especially because of El Nino, which could either hurt or help the industry." The weather pattern, which is expected to bring far more rain to the motherland of almonds than in years past, is creating some optimism ahead of the 2016 crop. If that pans out, and demand-especially abroad-doesn't rebound, it could cause an even further drop in almond prices. But there is no assurance that it will. Almonds need rain, but they also need sunshine during a particular sensitive time of the year. More than 80 percent of commercially available bee hives are used to pollinate the plants during the blooming period, and the bees won't fly if it's too wet. If El Nino strikes at the wrong time, it could mean just the opposite: a disappointing crop-and price spike. "Every year we look at the bloom period, and try to guess how big the crop will be," said Crowder. "This one coming up is going to be important." Over time, Crowder, who believes the price has bottomed out, expects the market to correct itself. Buyers, he says, have started purchasing almonds at lower prices in anticipation of an increase, and demand seems to be picking up abroad. Meanwhile, while more almond trees are being planted, there is only so much space left in California to grow the popular nut. Advertisement "Land is pretty scarce here-water, too," said Crowder. "It's going to be hard to flood the market again-this was a very specific scenario, which is why everything happened so quickly and was so unexpected." Chris Jones, his fiancee Toni Turner and their children Aaron, 11, Charles, 10 and 10-months-old Baylis, pack their groceries into reusable plastic bags in checkout lines at Walmart store on 7535 S. Ashland Avenue in Chicago on Monday, June 15, 2015. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune) In the six months since Chicago's plastic bag ban went into effect, Jordan Parker, an environmentalist and critic of the city's bag ordinance, has lobbied aldermen to give it more teeth. But she has also felt encouraged by what appears to be growing awareness among some shoppers to cut down on plastic bags. Advertisement At her neighborhood Jewel in Uptown, Parker has noticed 1 in 3 customers carrying reusable bags as they shop, which she credits to prominent signage on store windows advocating BYOB bring your own bag and to cashiers asking shoppers at check out if they've brought their bag or wish to buy one. The grocery chain's educational campaign seems to be spurring a cultural shift as shoppers start to observe and emulate good bag habits, said Parker, founder and director of the grass-roots advocacy group Bring Your Own Bag Chicago. Advertisement Jordan Parker on the CTA Red Line stop platform at Irving Pk. Rd. and Sheridan Road Friday January 29, 2016. Parker is a reusable shopping bag advocate. She carries a few with her, attaching them to her purse, she also carries a reusable coffee cup. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune) "I actually cheer for people at Jewel," she said, when she sees they have brought reusable bags. "I'm that weird, eccentric bag lady." When the city's ban on the once-ubiquitous thin plastic bags went into effect Aug. 1, people questioned what environmental good it would do given that most retailers planned to just offer customers free thicker plastic bags that complied with the ordinance. The lead sponsor of the law, one of more than 200 in the country aimed at curbing plastic bag litter, swiftly pushed to make it stricter. While there are no statistics to show a change in behavior six months in; anecdotally, some retailers and customers report improvements. "By educating our customers and training cashiers and service clerks, Jewel-Osco has significantly reduced the number of plastic bags used since the Chicago plastic bag ban went into effect," Jewel spokeswoman Mary Frances Trucco said in an email. She declined to provide any more details. Before the ban, a typical Jewel went through 6,000 plastic bags daily. But Tanya Triche, vice president and general counsel at the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, said that while some shoppers and retailers have embraced the cause overall, the ordinance has done little but increase retailers' costs as they replaced thin plastic bags with pricier, thicker ones that customers are just as happy to take. "People have to be incentivized to bring their own bag; otherwise, it's just too easy for them to take the bag that's offered to them," Triche said. Jewel's policy is to offer paper bags or ordinance-compliant reusable plastic bags at no cost, and customers also can buy reusable bags starting at 10 cents, Trucco said. But Parker said that at her Jewel, customers have to pay 10 cents for a bag if they have fewer than eight items, which she applauds because it encourages people to think twice. As Cynthia Howe left Jewel downtown holding two of the store's plastic bags in her hands, she said she tries to bring her own bags but sometimes forgets, and she doubts the fee discourages people from buying them. Advertisement The recycling manager for Waste Management talks about how plastic bags jam up their recycling systems, as Chicagoans prepare for the city's plastic bag ban, which goes into effect on Saturday. (Zbigniew Bzdak, Chicago Tribune) (Chicago Tribune) "I don't think having to pay 10 cents is that much of a bother for people to bring their own reusable bags," Howe, 30, said. Ald. Proco "Joe" Moreno, 1st, one of the lead sponsors of the law, said the cleanup crews in his ward have told him they "absolutely see a reduction in plastic bags floating in our parks and streets." But he denounced the "bigger players" who are giving away the thicker plastic bags allowed under the ordinance, which take five times more energy to produce. He has introduced three amendments since July that are awaiting hearings in the committee on health and environmental protection. As currently written, the city's law prohibits chains with stores over 10,000 square feet from distributing the flimsy "T-shirt" carryout bags, and smaller chain stores, such as 7-Elevens, must comply by Aug. 1. (Restaurants are exempt.) It permits stores to offer recyclable paper bags, bags that can biodegrade in a commercial composting facility, and "reusable plastic bags" that are at least 2.25 mils thick, have handles and can carry at least 22 pounds for at least 125 uses. There is no mandatory fee, but retailers can impose one if they wish. Moreno's amendments include more than tripling the minimum thickness of a reusable plastic bag to 10 mils, making it so cost-prohibitive that retailers couldn't offer them for free. He also wants to require every retailer affected by the ordinance to provide weekly data identifying what type of bags are used in each point-of-sale transaction, with a hefty $1,000 to $3,000 penalty for each week they fail to do so. His proposed amendments also alter the policy around compostable bags to allow them only when residents have access to curbside compost collection, and to add an option for "oxo-biodegradable" plastic bags that fully degrade in an open environment. Advertisement Parker is critical of Moreno's proposals, saying the proposed thickness of plastic bags "is a little bit nuts" and far exceeds the 4 mils seen in the strictest ordinances elsewhere in the country. She is lobbying aldermen to introduce an amendment to impose a "token fee" of 10 cents for each bag provided at the register, to trigger awareness that nudges people away from a disposable economy. Triche, of the retail merchants association, also advocates imposing a mandatory bag fee on customers to level the playing field and to help retailers recoup the added cost of supplying more expensive bags. One of the group's smaller members, with three stores in Chicago, spent $40,000 buying new bags, while a larger chain spent more than $3 million, she said. The thicker plastic bags cost 7 to 12 cents, compared with 1 to 2 cents for the old thin bags. Paper bags cost about 10 cents. Pete's Fresh Market, which has 12 stores in the Chicago area, charges shoppers 10 cents per plastic or paper bag, one of the few retailers to impose a bag fee as a result of the ordinance. It also gives shoppers 5 cents off their purchase for bringing reusable bags. Jarvis Pledger, 24, a regular Pete's shopper, said the fee prompted him to start bringing reusable bags. But he disapproves of the policy because many of his fellow shoppers use food stamps that now must go toward bags as well as groceries. At Binny's, which started offering free compostable bags to comply with the new law, "we're still in the process of training our customers," communications director Greg Versch said. Customers are encouraged to return the bags to Binny's to be sent to a commercial composting site for proper disposal. Asked if customers have been doing so, Versch said: "A little." Advertisement But the company has had a 10 percent rise in sales of its 99-cent reusable bags over the past six months over the same period the prior year, Versch said. Remembering to bring those reusable bags shopping is one of the most difficult behavioral changes. As she steered her shopping cart through Pete's, Maria Bruno said she always forgets to bring the bags in with her, and paying the 10 cents is "no biggie" compared with the hassle of returning to the car. But now there's an app for that. Get Your Bags, 99 cents at the iTunes app store, uses GPS to detect when users are approaching pre-selected grocery stores and sends a notification to their mobile phone: "Get your grocery bags!" Tribune reporter Grace Wong contributed. Advertisement aelejalderuiz@tribpub.com Twitter @alexiaer To the Fat Babies, music of Jelly Roll Morton, Fats Waller, Fletcher Henderson and less-celebrated early masters are not relics to be approached with emotional distance and restraint. Quite the contrary, the band revels in vigorous interpretations of this music, even slow-tempo works dispatched with vibrant tone and urgent expression. Pre-bebop jazz needn't be regarded as a museum piece, these musicians seem to be saying, and they make their case compellingly. Wade is a rising new British writer and "Posh" is not without nuance among the posh, there are the posher and the richer and the yet-more connected, just as among America's rich there are the really rich and the just pretty rich. Those nuances are there, along with some nicely written glimpses of uncertainty and insecurity, qualities that invariably fuel this kind of bad behavior. Toward the end, the play does fall into a bit of a conspiracy-theory mindset there are sometimes consequences for this kind of behavior and there are cracks in the once-impenetrable walls that surrounded the posh. I'd also argue that there are layers of privilege below this amount of poshness, too, which the play does not always acknowledge, preferring to lop off the head. "But if you're new to politics and this is the first time you've really paid attention, you go, 'Oh, my gosh, look at all of this.' And you have to say to yourself, 'Why are they throwing all of that?' " Clinton said. "I'll tell you why: I've been on the front lines of change and progress since I was your age." Maybe there are a few people out there who think that mental illness is no immediate, personal concern of theirs, certainly not the kind of mental illness that might involve the police. Maybe they think it's just the stuff of news stories, the kind we've seen too much of lately, about less fortunate people in unfortunate places. A group of women allegedly fleeing from the Northbrook Court shopping center on Jan. 27 wound up crashed in Northfield after their getaway driver blew several stop signs, got a flat tire and then hit other cars waiting at an intersection, according to Northbrook and Wilmette police. Northbrook police said the incident began at Northbrook Court on Lake-Cook Road shortly before 4 p.m. Jan. 27. Northbrook police were called to the Macy's department store at the shopping center, where a store security officer told them three women had just stolen roughly $1,000 worth of Ralph Lauren Polo merchandise. The security official saw the three get into a white Hyundai Sonata with tinted windows, Northbrook police said. Advertisement The Northbrook department issued a bulletin on the car, and Northbrook police reported that a Northfield police officer saw the Sonata driving south on the Edens Expressway. It reportedly left the highway at the Skokie Boulevard interchange in Wilmette and sped west on Lake Avenue before causing the traffic crash. According to Wilmette Deputy Police Chief Kyle Perkins, the Sonata blew three stop signs as it headed west: at Laramie Avenue at Illinois Road, at Illinois and Happ Road, and on Happ at Winnetka Road. Advertisement Wilmette police said the Sonata hit two cars stopped in traffic on southbound Laramie, when the driver took a turn from Lake onto northbound Laramie. A third car was involved, but was not hit by the Sonata, Perkins said. The collision resulted in minor injuries, Perkins said, although no one was transported to hospital. Initial Wilmette reports didn't state how many people were involved or hurt. The driver continued fleeing after that accident, but the car now had a flat tire. The driver reportedly then crashed the Sonata through shrubs and bushes on a property on the 3500 block of Illinois Road before finally rolling to a stop on the 200 block of Happ Road. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > Perkins said Wilmette and Northfield officers were on the scene by the time the driver and passengers tried to run away. Wilmette police caught Travis and one passenger while Northfield officers nabbed the other two passengers. Northbrook police charged two of the women with felony theft charges connected with the Macy's incident: Tatiana Y. Coleman, 22, of the 7100 block of South Emerald Street in Chicago, and Shaquille O. Walls, 23, of the 12000 block of South State Street in Chicago. Both women were scheduled to appear in Cook County Court, Skokie, on Feb. 8. Wilmette police charged the driver, Kywanna M. Travis, 22, of the 13000 block of South Edbrooke in Riverdale, with felony aggravated fleeing and eluding, as well as misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest, leaving the scene of a personal injury accident, and multiple traffic violations. She was taken to bond court in Skokie on Jan. 28; the initial report from Skokie police did not give her next court date. The fourth person in the car was a juvenile, according to Northbrook police. She was not charged, and was turned over to a parent, Northbrook police said. The Northbrook report did not indicate where she lived. Pioneer Press reporter Irv Leavitt contributed. Advertisement kroutliffe@pioneerlocal.com Twitter: @pioneer_kathy Police officers investigate the scene of a shooting early on Jan. 30, 2016, at the intersection of Kilbourn Avenue and Washington Boulevard where a man was killed. (Alexandra Chachkevitch / Chicago Tribune) Three people were killed and at least eight people have been wounded in separate shootings since Friday afternoon into early Saturday on the city's South and West sides, officials said. A 31-year-old man was found shot to death around 2:55 a.m. Saturday in a vehicle in the West Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side, said Officer Ron Gaines, a Chicago police spokesman. Advertisement The man was shot in the side during a possible drive-by shooting at Kilbourn Avenue and Washington Boulevard, Gaines said. The man was pronounced dead at the scene, and no one was in custody, Gaines said. Advertisement Police blocked off Washington immediately east and west of Kilbourn with yellow and red crime scene tape. Inside the crime scene west of Kilbourn, a silver Audi SUV stood with its doors opened. The car's front touched a parked car on the north side of the street. Police were shining flashlights on a cluster of at least four shell casings lying in the middle of Washington immediately east of Kilbourn. Drivers on the one-way Kilbourn slowed down as they passed the crime scene. About a dozen people in total gathered nearby. On the north side of the scene, a man in a black jacket bent down and let out a moan. He sat on the ground next to another man, grieving. A few moments later, a woman in striped pants and a black jacket walked up to the two men, crying. "What the (expletive)? Why?" she said, holding up both her arms in the air. The man in the black jacket walked up to the crime scene tape and tried to pass it to see his friend's body. Advertisement "I need to see my homie. I need to see my homie. I need to see my homie," the man repeated, his eyes fixed on the silver SUV. Two police officers stopped him and were joined by a few other officers, who explained that the man couldn't go past the tape while police are investigating. "Do you wanna get arrested tonight?" one officer asked. "Man, I don't care if I get arrested," he yelled as the woman and several other friends of the man who was killed walked up to the crime scene. "You gotta let us do our job," said another officer, trying to bring calm to the situation. The man who tried to go past the tape stepped back and began pacing. Advertisement "It's gonna be a war that's coming. It's gonna be a war," he repeated as he walked back and forth. In another fatal shooting, a 19-year-old man was shot around 1:05 a.m. in the Englewood neighborhood on the South Side, police said. The man was identified as Damon Allen Jr., of the 1400 block of North Central Avenue, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. Officers responded to a report of gunfire in the 5900 block of South Bishop Street and found the man lying unresponsive on the sidewalk with gunshot wounds to the head and chest, Gaines said. He was taken to St. Bernard Hospital and Medical Care Center, where he was pronounced dead, Gaines said. He was pronounced dead at 1:13 a.m., according to the medical examiner's office. Police said they found drugs near the man's body. About 6:20 p.m. Friday, a 20-year-old man was fatally shot in the North Austin neighborhood on the West Side, Gaines said. Advertisement The man was walking in the 5100 block of West Division Street when an unknown male walked up to him from behind and fired gunshots, Gaines said. The man was hit several times in the back. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital initially in serious condition. He was later pronounced dead, Gaines said. In other shootings: A 44-year-old man was wounded in a shooting around 5 a.m. in the Parkway Gardens neighborhood on the South Side, said Officer Jose Estrada, a police spokesman. The man was shot in the leg in the 6400 block of South King Drive. He was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was listed in good condition, Estrada said. About 11:55 p.m., a 24-year-old woman walked into Rush University Medical Center after getting wounded in a drive-by shooting in the West Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side, Gaines said. Advertisement The woman was sitting in a vehicle in the 4300 block of West Wilcox Street when someone in another vehicle fired shots, striking her in the wrist, Gaines said. She managed to get herself to the hospital, where she was listed in good condition, Gaines said. At 11:30 p.m., a 26-year-old man was wounded in a drive-by shooting in the West Englewood neighborhood on the South Side, Gaines said. The man was outside in the 2100 block of West 71st Street when someone in a silver truck pulled up and fired shots, striking him in the foot, Gaines said. The man was taken to Holy Cross Hospital, where he was listed in good condition, Gaines said. About 11:10 p.m., a 20-year-old man was wounded in a drive-by shooting in the Englewood neighborhood on the South Side, Gaines said. Advertisement The man was walking in the 800 block of West 61st Street when a gray van pulled up and someone inside fired shots, Gaines said. The man was shot in the ankle and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was listed in good condition, Gaines said. About 10:55 p.m., a 28-year-old man, a 30-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman were wounded in a shooting near a liquor store in the East Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side, Gaines said. The two were sitting in a parked car in the 100 block of North Kedzie Avenue when an unknown male attacker came out form the side of the building and fired shots, Gaines said. Police officers investigate the scene of a shooting in the 100 block of North Kedzie Avenue. (Alexandra Chachkevitch / Chicago Tribune) The 28-year-old was shot in the arm, and the 30-year-old was shot in the leg, Gaines said. The woman, who was standing nearby, was shot in the foot, Gaines said. Advertisement Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > The two men were taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, and the woman managed to get herself to that hospital, Gaines said. The conditions of all three were stabilized, Gaines said. Earlier, a 20-year-old man was wounded around noon in another shooting in East Garfield Park. Police responded to a call of a person shot in the 300 block of North Hamlin Avenue, said Officer Ana Pacheco, a police spokeswoman. The man was standing in an alley when he heard gunshots and realized he was struck, Estrada said. The man suffered wounds to the right thigh. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital for treatment and was later released, Estrada said. No one was in custody in the shootings. Advertisement Chicago Tribune's Deanese Williams-Harris contributed. In the six months since Mayor Rahm Emanuel appointed him to take over Chicago Public Schools, Forrest Claypool has tapped into a network of his longtime aides, consultants and political supporters to help overhaul a district beset by scandal and poor finances. Former colleagues and past donors to Claypool's political campaigns have won district jobs and consulting contracts. Companies hired to dig through district operations had previously received lucrative, no-bid work from the Chicago Transit Authority during Claypool's four years as president of that agency. Advertisement Now, the self-styled reformer's trusted circle is playing a key role in moves that include the hundreds of job cuts the district executed earlier this month. Claypool, who took hard stances against patronage hiring during his days as a Cook County commissioner, said his decision to assemble his administration from a familiar cast of executives and companies fits with his plan to use "the very same techniques" he employed while running the CTA and the Chicago Park District. Advertisement "I don't have to apologize for hiring talented people," Claypool told the Tribune in a recent interview. "Again, there's a reason that you need good people, you need good consultants, you need good management plans, and I think you should measure us by the results that we achieve." Claypool hasn't run for office since a failed run for county assessor in 2010, and his political fund has been dormant. The individuals and companies working for CPS did not donate major amounts of money. Still, one campaign finance expert argued Claypool should have established an ethics policy prohibiting people who donated to his political campaigns from getting CPS work as part of a mission to restore credibility to a district in which the last full-time chief awaits sentencing on corruption charges. "I think you bend over backwards to avoid situations where people are going to call into question whose interests are being promoted, or if there is a pattern of insider politics," said Kent Redfield, a campaign finance expert and professor emeritus at the University of Illinois at Springfield. "If things were running really well, and there was a lot of trust in the people that are trying to solve the problem, then you would get a little more of the benefit of the doubt," Redfield said. "But they're certainly in a situation where people are going to be skeptical, and adding to that skepticism is just one more problem." The roster of Claypool insiders hired at CPS include: Carol Rubin, who donated $10,500 to Claypool's campaign fund and had high-paying consulting and executive roles at the CTA, was paid tens of thousands of dollars under a one-year CPS consulting deal before Claypool hired her full time to lead a district program management office. Analytic Innovations, a company that won more than $1.3 million of no-bid consulting business from the CTA under Claypool, won a three-month CPS contract worth up to $72,500 to assess the district's special education services. The company, owned by Stuart Taylor II, is also one of about 40 companies eligible for $14 million in professional services work through 2018. Advertisement Public Services PS Inc., a company owned by Paul Stepusin, an executive Claypool has worked with for years, is also one of the companies eligible for a share of the $14 million in consulting work. The company won more than $2 million of no-bid work from CTA after Emanuel appointed Claypool to lead the transit agency in 2011. Sally Csontos, who donated $7,500 to Claypool's political fund, was hired to direct a CPS "change management" office. Her spouse John Filan, a former state budget director, Park District aide under Claypool and also a donor works with a company that provides financial consulting services to CPS. Paul Toback, a fitness company executive who worked with Claypool during a prior stint at City Hall and donated $8,500 to his campaign fund, has a one-year district contract worth up to $75,000. Jose Alfonso de Hoyos-Acosta, hired by Claypool as the district's chief administrative officer, led a private risk analysis team for the CTA's Ventra fare system. In addition, Ronald Marmer, who contributed $24,000 to Claypool's political campaigns, was hired as the district's lead attorney, and Ron DeNard, also a Claypool donor and top CTA and Park District aide, was hired as the district's top financial officer. DeNard, who was present during the Tribune's interview with Claypool, interrupted at one point to summarize his credentials and qualifications for the schools job. Advertisement "I'd put my resume up against anyone, and not to say there aren't other qualified people, but I'm absolutely qualified for this job," DeNard said. "I'm not a political hack, I'm not patronage. I'm a polished professional." When reached by the Tribune, Rubin asked a reporter to direct questions to the district's press office. Toback and Csontos did not return calls and messages seeking comment. Taylor and Stepusin could not be reached. Claypool said the fact that some of his CPS advisers gave to his political campaigns is "irrelevant." "Have some of those people been in government? Yeah," Claypool said. "They've been in government so they know people, they may have made a donation here or there to somebody? That's understandable, but it doesn't mean in any way, shape or form that they're not qualified. In fact, they're extraordinarily qualified." Rubin worked with Claypool when he was chief of staff to then-Mayor Richard M. Daley. Then she took a job under Claypool at the Chicago Park District, where she helped recruit DeNard. Between 2002 and 2010, records show Rubin donated $10,500 to the Citizens for Claypool fund during his time as a Cook County commissioner. Advertisement Claypool awarded Rubin about $250,000 worth of CTA consulting contracts in the months after he was tapped to run the agency by a newly elected Emanuel, according to invoice summaries listed in CTA procurement records. By 2013, CTA employee records show Claypool hired Rubin as his chief administrative officer at the CTA at an annual salary of $120,000. In 2014, Rubin's CTA salary was $160,300. In September, Rubin, a former corporate strategy director with Exelon, began work under a one-year CPS contract worth up to $65,000. Rubin's tasks included orders to "review existing organizational charts to determine opportunities to restructure and streamline non-core education departments." Rubin's work was directed by chief internal auditor Andrell Holloway, who also supervised audits under Claypool at the CTA, and chief of staff Doug Kucia, who worked with Claypool at the CTA and the County Board. Rubin submitted the third-highest of six bids for the contract, but Claypool's administration used a purchasing process that didn't require it to select the lowest bidder, according to a CPS spokeswoman. Rubin was paid $36,060 under the consulting contract before Claypool hired her in November to a full-time position leading a project management office at an annual salary of $170,000. Advertisement Toback worked as an executive assistant to Daley while Claypool was chief of staff. By the late 1990s, Toback was an executive for the Chicago-based Bally Total Fitness Holding Corp., where he eventually became chairman and CEO. Toback led the massive fitness company until August 2006, when he was ousted amid steady annual losses, a plunging stock price and a lack of interest from potential suitors. Between 2002 and 2010, according to state campaign finance records, Toback donated $8,500 to Claypool's campaign fund. Now Toback works with Holloway's office under a one-year contract to "assist in the development of strategies for alternative delivery mechanisms for common core district services," according to district records. Since the school year started its 2016 fiscal year, district purchasing records show Toback has been paid $39,720. Claypool said political donations don't disqualify people from getting contracts. "Good managers don't say, 'Sorry, I know you're brilliant, and I know you've had great success in the past and we've worked well together, but I can't use you because you gave me that $250 check when I was in between careers too and running for County Board.' It's silly," he said. Analytic Innovations began working with CPS last fall under DeNard's direction. The company was responsible for a "comprehensive assessment of CPS's Diverse Learners Program in all areas of operation," according to the contract. That program was hit by layoffs earlier this month. Advertisement Between March 2014 and September 2015, the CTA paid the company about $1.6 million for consulting services. The bulk of that money was paid under the authority of a contract approved by the Chicago Transit Board in summer 2014 that declared "public bidding disadvantageous." Among the no-bid work Public Services PS Inc. won from the CTA under Claypool was a contract worth up to $619,500 to help with the 2013 budget, monitor a camera project and assist the finance and internal audit departments. The company's CPS contract calls for it to consult on construction and facilities management, finance, data analytics, organization consulting and other work. Claypool said his team has worked with Stepusin, the company's owner, "since the Park District days," and described the company's work as "extraordinary." "If somebody's already done extraordinary work and you have big challenges again, where do you go? Do you buy a pig in a poke, or do you go back to people you know can do the job over and over and over and do it successfully?" Claypool said. jjperez@tribpub.com Twitter @PerezJr A United Airlines jet makes the first landing at OHare International Airports new southernmost east-west runway on Oct. 15, 2015. Mayor Rahm Emanuel plans to announce Sunday a deal to build a sixth east-west strip to open in 2020. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune) Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the city's major airlines have struck a deal to build the final runway envisioned in the city's multibillion-dollar modernization of O'Hare International Airport, but new gates that experts agree are key to significant reductions in long-standing flight delays are not part of the pact. The agreement, which the mayor formally announced Saturday, calls for spending $1.3 billion to build a sixth east-west runway at the airfield's north end, de-icing pads to get planes to take off more quickly and new taxiways to pick up the pace of planes going to and from far-flung gates, city officials said. Advertisement However, the plan does not include additional terminal space that would increase the number of gates at the nation's second-busiest airport something Aviation Commissioner Ginger Evans said was needed to address flight delays when Emanuel appointed her last year. Emanuel remains hopeful that the runway agreement will pave the way for a possible city-airline deal on new gates, which American Airlines and United Airlines have long resisted because of the potential competition they would bring. Advertisement "This is the building block," the mayor said Friday in a telephone interview. "There's an order to this, and I know what we have to get done. They know it, we've been clear." Evans said the deal also includes plans for new hangars and ground-support equipment buildings. And the mayor said the city is making plans to build a pair of hotels and upgrade the Hilton that's already there. The hotels "will allow Chicago, for the business it used to lose, to win that back," Emanuel said. "Dallas is doing that. Denver is doing that. So that's kind of the new thing. ... That's a great source of revenue we don't have today." The city of Chicago reached a deal with the FAA United and American Airlines to build a new runway at O'Hare International Airport. Jan. 31, 2016. (CBS Chicago) In touting the deal, the mayor offered some lofty rhetoric, saying it's time to move beyond measuring O'Hare simply by the number of flights logged there each year. "One way in the past to measure O'Hare was busiest," Emanuel said. "That's one measure. My goal is best. And that's 'O'Hare 21,' which is what I'm naming this, but everything we're going to do is preparing O'Hare to be the economic engine, job-growth engine for the 21st century. It played a central role in Chicago's ability to be a world-class city in the last 40 years, but if we don't invest in it we can't rest on our laurels." The O'Hare deal is a bit of good news for Emanuel, whose administration has been rocked for months by the fallout from the release of the Laquan McDonald police shooting video. But the new runway also could lead to more complaints from anti-noise advocates who live near the airport. Indeed, congressmen representing areas surrounding O'Hare late Friday expressed concern about proceeding with the construction of the sixth runway, even as they lauded the focus on "some much needed improvements," specifically the de-icing pads and new taxiways. "We believe that prioritizing the construction of yet another east-west runway without first addressing the significant increases in noise that our constituents have endured since the implementation of the O'Hare Modernization Program comes at the expense of our constituents' health and property values," U.S. Reps. Mike Quigley, Tammy Duckworth and Jan Schakowsky said in a joint statement. Advertisement The latest plan will have three funding sources: $345 million from the Federal Aviation Administration; $200 million from passenger facility charges tacked onto each airline ticket; and hundreds of millions of dollars in aviation bonds to be covered by airport revenue, largely through fees paid by the airlines under "use and lease" agreements, Evans said. The project will not result in increased costs to passengers, she said. Evans said the next big effort is to negotiate new use and lease agreements with United and American, with the current ones set to expire in 2018. Since 2005, the city has spent about $10 billion on the modernization project. Despite the construction of new runways in a parallel, east-west configuration designed to increase capacity and efficiency, O'Hare continues to have some of the longest flight delays among large U.S. airports. "The shortage of gates is a serious issue that has to be addressed," said travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt of San Francisco-based Atmosphere Research Group. The shortage not only causes delays but also drives up the price of flying in and out of O'Hare because it limits the ability of lower-cost airlines like Spirit and Virgin America to add flights. That lessens competition for American and United, which consistently have resisted efforts to end their near-monopoly at O'Hare. "That borders on anti-competitive behavior, and those airlines are going to have to learn to take it on the chin when it comes to what the city wants," Harteveldt said. United and American executives issued statements praising the deal but declined interview requests. The original O'Hare modernization plan was rolled out by then-Mayor Richard M. Daley in 2003, and it called for more gates and a new terminal at the west end of O'Hare that would have added about 50 gates. But United and American executives have long resisted that aspect. Advertisement Evans reiterated Friday that new gates are an important piece of untying the O'Hare gridlock, but she said the improvements that have been agreed to will clear the way for eventual new terminals by removing an old diagonal runway and taxiway system that's blocking development at the north end of the airport. "When you take those two things out, we end up with a massive piece of real estate to develop, and that is what will allow us to completely modernize O'Hare," Evans said. Talks on how to do that can move along now, she added, as work proceeds on the new runway that's slated to open in 2020. "We'll be looking at different layouts for concourses, terminals, what will suit their business plans best," she added. When she took the job last June, Evans hinted at changes to the Daley plan by saying that additional gates were needed elsewhere at the airport to accommodate the increased flight capacity created by the construction of new runways in recent years. On Friday she said the prospect of potential gates elsewhere at the airport could entice the two big airlines. "For the first time Chicago has put a plan on the table that allows them to add gates to their facilities," Evans said. "So this is huge for them. The old plan kind of sent the message that we're going to build gates for somebody else. Of course they opposed that. "This plan is specifically intended to say to United and American (that) we want you to grow at O'Hare and we intend to give you the real estate to do that," she said. Advertisement Evans also said that there would be room for "OALs," or "other airlines," to use some of the new gates the city would like to build. The city will seek their input as it tries to move forward with expanded terminal plans, she added. For years, United and American executives had resisted the new runway, which they maintained was not yet necessary, given current levels of traffic at O'Hare. Their approval is crucial, given that the fees they pay finance a large chunk of airport improvements. "I've been here 7 1/2 months now," said Evans, who replaced longtime Commissioner Rosemarie Andolino. "When I came, this deal was deader than a doornail." To cement the agreement, Emanuel began talking to FAA officials in September on a trip to Washington, D.C., about getting a big chunk of federal funding sooner to make it more affordable for the airlines, Evans and Emanuel said. The new runway and taxiways also could help improve on-time flight performance for the airlines after their recent moves to return to a system that "banks" flights in blocks of closer takeoff and landing intervals. More runways will help that system run smoother, Evans said. "The cost of delays is not insignificant," Evans said. "The cost to them of having delayed aircraft is tens of millions of dollars. So they need that extra capacity to follow through on the commitments they made to their customers about improving the experience as they go through the terminals and concourses and O'Hare." Advertisement Although he questioned the $1.3 billion price tag for the new work, travel industry analyst Harteveldt did say the new runway and de-icing pads should improve efficiency and reliability and help the city keep United and American happy. Moving de-icing pads away from the terminal buildings, in particular, will allow departing planes to leave gates more quickly, creating space for arriving planes to reach their gates, he said. The new runway will be 11,245 feet long, which makes it capable of handling "the biggest airplanes on the planet," Evans said. "These are the large airplanes that go to Hong Kong, Shanghai and Sydney." Today those big planes, which Evans called "heavies," take off from an airstrip at the south end of the airport. Once aloft they head north, which prevents the use of three other runways as they depart O'Hare. By moving the big planes to the new runway, only one of five runways will be blocked. Once the new runway is complete, the annual capacity for O'Hare airport takeoffs and landings will increase from 214 an hour to 267, or about 25 percent, she said. Evans also said the new de-icing pads, which will move those wintertime operations away from the gates where they now take place, will free up the gates for other planes to use. The new taxiway configuration also will help, Evans said. But that increase in capacity also is sure to rile the activists who have been protesting the airplane noise on the city's Northwest Side and the suburbs surrounding O'Hare. On Wednesday they emerged from a long-sought meeting with Emanuel to declare that he didn't care about them an allegation Evans immediately rejected. Advertisement Since late 2013, when flight paths moved more to the east and west under the new runway configuration, noise has increased dramatically in some areas, while decreasing in others. That triggered a dramatic increase in complaints. Completion of the new runway, Evans said, could benefit places like Schiller Park, where airplane noise rose under the new configuration. That's because the city, under FAA rules, can work to soundproof homes in those harder-hit areas as the runway is being built. Jets are at their gates at the United terminal at O'Hare International Airport on Oct. 8, 2015. The view is from the old Air Traffic Control Tower. (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune) Evans noted other sound-mitigation efforts the city is working on, such as alternating nighttime use of the east-west runways and implementing "precision-based navigation" that would allow planes to shift flight paths to the north and south quickly after takeoff. Airlines, meanwhile, are converting to quieter engines, she said last week. Another point the anti-noise advocates won't like: The plan requires closing and demolishing a diagonal runway they wanted the city to maintain to spread flights out in areas near O'Hare. One of four diagonals already has been shut down, and another must go to help clear the land where the city envisions new terminals, Evans said. hdardick@tribpub.com kjanssen@tribpub.com Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has decided not to impose any further punishment on David Petraeus, the former CIA director and retired Army general who was forced to resign in a sex-and-secrets scandal in 2012. In a brief letter sent on Friday to the leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Pentagon reported that Carter had agreed with the Army's recommendation not to discipline Petraeus. Advertisement "Given the Army's review, Secretary Carter considers this matter closed," Stephen C. Hedger, the assistant secretary of defense for legislative affairs, wrote in the three-sentence letter, obtained by The Washington Post. The letter did not elaborate. The Pentagon letter was addressed to Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the chairman and top Democrat, respectively, of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Advertisement In a public letter of their own on Jan. 20, the senators had urged Carter to let the Petraeus matter lie and allow him to keep the four-star rank he had earned during his long career in the Army. After a lengthy investigation by the FBI that disgraced the onetime military hero, Petraeus pleaded guilty in April in federal court in North Carolina to a misdemeanor charge of mishandling classified materials. He received two years of probation and a $100,000 fine. Petraeus's civilian sentence, however, did not necessarily exempt him from further punishment at the hands of the military. Although he retired from the Army in 2011 to take the top job at the CIA, under the Uniform Code of Military Justice he still could have faced discipline for his actions. Under military law, Carter could have imposed a range of disciplinary measures, from issuing a non-binding letter of concern about Petraeus's actions to demoting him from his current rank as a retired four-star general. Besides further tarnishing Petraeus's reputation, stripping him of a star could have cost him tens of thousands of dollars a year in pension payments. Carter's decision effectively ends a long and embarrassing period of uncertainty for Petraeus, one of the Army's most venerated leaders before his reputation was shredded by the scandal. Petraeus's attorney, David Kendell, declined to comment on Saturday on the outcome of the case. As part of Petraeus's plea deal with the Justice Department, he admitted in a signed statement that he had committed wrongdoing while he was still in the Army before he retired in 2011 to take charge of the CIA. Advertisement He also admitted that he lied to FBI agents. Specifically, Petraeus acknowledged providing eight notebooks that contained highly classified material to his biographer, Paula Broadwell, in the waning days of his Army career. Petraeus has also admitted to having an affair with Broadwell. The notebooks were kept by Petraeus when he served as commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan in 2010 and 2011. They contained code words, war strategy, the names of covert officers and other sensitive information. In addition, the books outlined deliberative discussions with the National Security Council and President Obama. Broadwell was not charged in that federal investigation. She is still an officer in the Army Reserve, and a senior Army official has said the service was not contemplating taking action against her. The Justice Department shared its investigative case file on Petraeus with the Army after his guilty plea, and some Justice Department officials made little secret of their desire for the military to take further action against the former spymaster. Advertisement After a review, however, then-Army Secretary John McHugh made a formal recommendation in the fall that Carter take no further action in the case. McHugh issued the recommendation as one of his final acts in office before he stepped down as Army secretary on Nov. 1. Petraeus remains a revered figure within the Army for his leadership during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Despite the scandal that led to his downfall at the CIA, he also maintains close ties with many influential members of Congress. Dozens of migrants drowned Jan. 30, 2016 when their boat sank in the Aegean Sea while trying to cross from Turkey to Greece. (Ozan Kose / AFP/Getty Images) ANKARA, Turkey A boat carrying Syrians attempting the short sea journey from Turkey to Greece struck rocks and capsized at dawn on Saturday, causing at least 37 people to drown, among them several babies and young children. Images of dead children on a beach on Saturday were another soul-searing reminder that Europe's migrant crisis keeps destroying lives and families by the day. Advertisement They recalled the photo of 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi lying face down on a Turkish beach last year. His story put an intimate face on the Syrian refugee crisis for people across the world, prompting many to finally grapple with the magnitude of the suffering being inflicted by the war in Syria and treacherous attempts by many to find safety in Europe. Saturday's tragedy occurred when the boat capsized as dozens of people attempted the deceptively short crossing from the Turkish coast to the Greek island of Lesbos barely 5 miles away. Advertisement More than 250 migrants have drowned already this month trying to reach one of Greece's offshore islands, entry point to the European Union and its uncertain promise of refuge from war and poverty. The Turkish coast guard said three ships, a helicopter and team of divers were searching the partially submerged craft and surrounding seas for more bodies as police on shore placed bodies, some 10 children among them, in black bags. Journalists at the scene tried to interview some of the 75 survivors, but police took them away in buses, some bound for a local hospital to be treated for hypothermia and other injuries, others into police custody for questioning. Turkish police officers carry the body of a migrant who washed up on a beach Jan. 30, 2016 after dozens of people drowned when their boat sank in the Aegean Sea while trying to cross from Turkey to Greece. (Ozan Kose / AFP/Getty Images) A Turkish government official said by the late afternoon, rescuers had recovered bodies trapped inside the wreckage of the 56-foot boat, which sank shortly after departing from the shore near the Aegean resort of Ayvacik, raising the death toll to 37. Saim Eskioglu, deputy governor for the coastal Canakkale province that includes Ayvacik, said the boat "hit rocks soon after it left the coast." The state-run Anadolu Agency said 39 died. "There were around 10 children among the dead," Eskioglu told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "Four of them, unfortunately, were babies about one or two years old. We are deeply saddened." Bodies are washed up on the beach after dozens of migrants drowned when their boat sank in the Aegean Sea while trying to cross from Turkey to Greeceon Jan. 30, 2016. (Ozan Kose / AFP/Getty Images) Eskioglu and Ayvacik's mayor, Mehmet Unal Sahin, said most of the migrants were Syrians. The Anadolu Agency said the boat also bore natives of Afghanistan and Myanmar. A private Turkish news agency, Dogan, said police arrested a Turkish man suspected of being the smuggler who organized Saturday's failed sea crossing. The man denied responsibility, telling the Dogan agency that he also had relatives on board. Weather conditions did not appear to be a significant factor in the sinking. Journalists at the scene said weather conditions Saturday on the Turkish coast were relatively mild, with light winds and temperatures around 54 degrees Fahrenheit. Advertisement The International Organization for Migration says drowning deaths are running at four times the rate of 2015, when many thousands daily sought to enter the European Union via Turkey by reaching one of more than a dozen offshore Greek islands, chiefly Lesbos. The agency recorded 805 drowning deaths of migrants on Turkey-Greece sea routes throughout 2015, and a further 218 this month alone excluding the ultimate total of Saturday's tragedy. Joel Millman, a spokesman for the International Organization for Migration, said the death toll was "increasing at an alarming rate." He said it was all the more surprising, given the reality that fewer people are attempting the crossing during winter. Turkey, which is hosting an estimated 2.5 million refugees from Syria, in November agreed to fight smuggling networks and stem the flow of migrants into Europe. In return, the European Union pledged 3 billion euros ($3.25 billion) to help improve the refugees' conditions. The country says it has started rejecting Syrians who arrive without valid visas via third countries. It also has agreed to grant work permits to Syrians as an incentive for them to stay put in Turkey. Associated Press The Girls Who Code founder and CEO gave the keynote speech at the Womens Business Development Centers 29th annual Entrepreneurial Womens Conference. (Keri Wiginton, Blue Sky/Sept. 2, 2015) Members of Prospect High School's new Girls Who Code club learned from the founder of the national non-profit organization that it's important to fail. "When I was growing up in Schaumburg, I was terrified of math and science and my parents were both engineers," Reshma Saujani, CEO of the group that aims to close the gender gap in technology by inspiring girls to pursue computer science-related careers, said last week. "In life, you should be failing as much as you can, and trying to be imperfect. If you do that, you will succeed." Advertisement The former deputy public advocate of New York City, Saujani, 40, received an invitation to visit Prospect from senior Molly Mueller, 18, who spent last summer working as a Girls Who Code intern for Groupon in Chicago. She said she launched the non-profit in 2012, following her becoming the first South Asian woman to run for Congress. Despite her defeat at the polls, Saujani said the experience was invaluable. Advertisement "I had just suffered a humiliating loss, and I was desperately trying to get someone to write about Girls Who Code," Saujani said. "And then Twitter put out a message about us, and it went viral. I remember going to bed that night, and my husband saying, 'How can you sleep? We're trending in Korea!'" Four years later, Saujani said Girls Who Code has gotten support and shout-outs from tech luminaries including Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg, as well as celebrities like Beyonce. Traveling across the U.S. to inspire girls to pursue careers in computer science, Saujani said the organization also has a team of technology experts, including engineers, executives and entrepreneaurs, who have joined forces to raise the dismal rates of women in STEM fields.She pointed out the irony of those rates compared to the leadership roles many women assumed when computers first debuted in offices in the early 1980s. Then, it was considered akin to secreterial work. In 1984, for example, 37 percent of all computer science graduates were women, but that number has dropped to just 18 percent today. Only 20 percent of AP computer science test-takers are female, and just 0.4 percent of high school girls express an interest in majoring in computer science. The statistics are alarming to Saujani, a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, and Yale Law School. Her program matches girls with mentors teaching programming fundamentals, web development and design, mobile development, and robotics. Prospect computer science teacher Frank Novak said serving as the Girls Who Code club sponsor provides the perfect opportunity to recruit more girls to enroll in his classes, which feature developing apps for iPhones and iPads. "We strive for everyone to succeed, and no one fails," Novak said. "Everyone works together to find the answer, working collaboratively, just like in the real world." Mueller said it was important for her to start a club affiliated with the organization at Prospect "because there's not a ton of women in STEM fields." Advertisement "At my Girls Who Code internship at Groupon, we started with the basics, and it gradually got harder, but it's super fun," she said. Saujani, the daughter of Ugandan refugees, recalls her parents giving her three options for college majors after she graduated from Schaumburg High School in 1992. "We are an immigrant family, so you were either going to be a doctor, a lawyer or an engineer," said Saujani, who is slated to deliver a TED Talk soon on the theme of "Boys are taught to be brave, but girls are taught to be perfect." "You guys are going to change the world," Saujani said to the girls at Prospect. "You can build and create whatever you want." kcullotta@tribpub.com Twitter: @kcullotta Almost 60 years after it opened, St. Alphonsus Liguori Catholic School is at risk of closing next fall. (Stacey Wescott, Chicago Tribune) With the deadline looming for raising $400,000, supporters hoping to save St. Alphonsus Liguori Catholic School are ramping up student recruitment efforts to ensure the Prospect Heights school remains open next fall. Comparing the school to "The Little Engine that Could," St. Alphonsus parishioner and marketing director Betty Cloud said that supporters are celebrating Catholic Schools Week with school building tours from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. last Sunday, and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday. Advertisement "We have had our ups and downs over the last few months, but we are determined to succeed," Cloud said. "We hope to continue our tradition of excellence in education which began in 1958." Cloud said supporters are hoping to achieve two goals by Monday, Feb. 8 -- raise $400,000 to fund operating expenses for the 2016-2017 school year and register 135 students. Advertisement The goals were set earlier this year by officials of the Chicago Roman Catholic Archdiocese, who have been meeting with concerned parishioners and school officials. In recent weeks, several other Catholic schools, including St. Agatha Catholic Academy in Chicago, St. Peter School in Antioch, Seton Academy in South Holland, and Saint Edmund School in Oak Park,have been told they're closing in the fall. In addition, officials also announced a merger between St. Margaret Mary School and Northside Catholic Academy in Chicago. St. Alphonsus has been told it must meet fundraising and enrollment goals or risk closing. To date, Cloud said the school has received $332,000 in donation pledges, with $110,000 already paid, and 80 students have registered for next year. All pledged donations must be paid by Feb. 8 to be included in the $400,000 goal, she said. To aid in recruitment, student fliers were printed in Polish and Spanish because of the increasing numbers of Polish and Latino immigrant families in the community. Parishioners are now circulating a petition asking the archdiocese for permission to offer a Polish language Mass on Sundays, Cloud said. The school is also offering a discounted, "in parish" rate for families who attend St. Thomas Becket Catholic Church in Mt. Prospect and St. Joseph of the Worker Catholic Church in Wheeling, Cloud said. "We're getting new payment checks from our pledges and more students registering every single day,"she said. "We've been so blessed with the outpouring. Now, we're hoping that families will come out to see our beautiful school, and visit with our teachers." Cloud said families interested in registering students or donating to St. Alphonsus Ligouri Catholic School can visit www.saintalphonsusschool.com or call the school office at (847) 255-5538. Advertisement kcullotta@tribpub.com Twitter: @kcullotta Aurora police officials work in the parking lot outside La Quinta de los Reyes restaurant last week. A man was shot and killed in a brawl in the lot last weekend. (Sarah Freishtat, The Beacon-News) Before a recent brawl and shooting in the parking lot of a downtown Aurora restaurant, city officials warned in a letter that the promoter of a party planned at the restaurant was associated with an Aurora gang. In the letter, obtained by the Beacon-News, city officials asked an attorney to "strongly advise" La Quinta de los Reyes to reconsider the Jan. 22 party. Advertisement "Given the known gang-affiliations of the promoter and attendees and the fact that rival gang members are congregating in the same location, there is a very real probability that a violent incident will occur on or in the licensed premises," Assistant Corporation Counsel Blanca R. Dominguez wrote in the letter. "Indeed, it is not implausible that, should a fight breakout amongst the rival gang members, one or more persons could suffer serious bodily harm and/or be killed." La Quinta co-owner Jesus Sanchez said he didn't know about the promoter's alleged gang ties. He said the restaurant didn't receive the letter, dated eight days before the party, until after the brawl, when he said it came with a notice temporarily closing the restaurant. Advertisement The letter was sent to Aurora attorney Robert Motta, who said he briefly represented the restaurant in one matter but no longer does. Motta said the letter was delivered to his office, but he didn't look at it. After the 1980s- and '90s-themed party, police arrived early Jan. 23 to find about 100 people shouting and fighting in the parking lot next to the restaurant. Marcus Holland, 36, was shot more than once and died at the scene, according to police. A 22-year-old Batavia man was stabbed and treated for injuries in an incident that police think was gang-related, police department spokesman Dan Ferrelli has said. Sanchez said the restaurant was closing when the brawl broke out. City officials said police took extra steps that night but declined to elaborate for security reasons. In the letter, Dominguez wrote that the same promoter for that party had hosted an earlier party that Sanchez said took place Jan. 1. The promoter "is associated with a well-known Aurora gang," Dominguez wrote. Several attendees at the earlier party were associated with at least four rival gangs, she wrote. There were no liquor violations that night, but three people who attended the party were "gang-affiliated" and arrested on outstanding warrants, according to the letter. City officials said the letter is part of discussions with the restaurant about an open liquor violation from April 2015. They said the case was related to two earlier incidents, one involving "mob action" and the other battery. The restaurant agreed to provide additional security, according to the city. An earlier violation, from October 2013, involved "a number of criminal incidents" at the restaurant over 11 months, according to a statement from the city, and the restaurant was fined $2,000. The restaurant also cooperated with that case, working with the Aurora Police Department to reduce the number of incidents, city officials said. That case was closed the following year. Sanchez characterized incidents at the restaurant as small things, such as fights in the bathroom. He said the restaurant has hired more security and enforced a dress code to help reduce problems. Advertisement "We are a family restaurant," he said. "We are not a bar." In a statement, the city said La Quinta was represented in an open liquor violation by the Motta and Motta law firm the firm to which it sent the warning letter and that city lawyers called the law firm before and after the letter was sent. Robert Motta said he briefly represented the restaurant in an earlier violation, but he didn't remember the details because there was never a hearing. He doesn't represent the restaurant now, he said. Sanchez said the restaurant owners didn't know about the promoter's alleged gang ties. He said he didn't remember the promoter's full name. He said the restaurant's job is to prevent fights before they start. But that Friday, everything seemed normal until shots were fired in the parking lot, he said. Once the fight began, "those are the things you cannot control for one second," he said. Advertisement Sanchez said he would never want to jeopardize the business and the jobs of the employees who work there. "(If) we would have received the letter, we would never have had this event," he said. The restaurant was temporarily closed after the party and brawl, and a hearing initially scheduled for Friday will now take place Wednesday afternoon to address the closure. City ordinance only allows the shutdown to last seven days. Sanchez said the restaurant was scheduled to reopen Saturday. sfreishtat@tribpub.com Twitter @srfreish District 308 Superintendent of Schools Matthew Wendt (right), here attending an Illinois School Board meeting in Oswego with state Rep. Stephanie A. Kifowit (D-Oswego), is taking a new job in Arkansas. (Sean King, The Beacon-News) As Oswego-area schools Superintendent Matthew Wendt prepares for a new job in Fayetteville, Arkansas, he said the city has felt like a "second home" for several years. But he has work to tie up before he leaves Community Unit School District 308, including bringing the district's special education program in-house and revamping the controversial dual-language program. He hopes to continue focusing on academics over the coming months, and resolve the issue of where kindergarten classes should be held. Advertisement "The idea of the individual who's looking for their next job is not committed to their current job is ridiculous," he said. "And I believe that my commitment to the district is as strong today as it has been in the past, and it's going to be strong all the way through June 30, pending the board's approval of my resignation." Wendt's conversations with the retiring Fayetteville superintendent about the job began in late fall, he said. The outgoing superintendent is a retired professor at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville who has known Wendt, who received a doctorate degree at the university, for years. Advertisement Wendt and the Fayetteville Public Schools board recently finalized a three-year contract, setting his salary at $218,000 plus benefits, such as an annuity and a district-owned vehicle. He is set to begin working in Fayetteville in July, pending the District 308 school board's approval of his resignation. Wendt has worked in District 308 since 2012. His current contract in District 308 runs through 2019. It does not entitle Wendt to a severance package, but does allow him a payout of some unused vacation days. He will be earning less under his new contract than his current, $250,000 base salary, a change Wendt said does not bother him. He also is not worried about moving to a district smaller by more than 8,000 students than his current, 17,900-student district. "I don't do this work for money," he said. "And I do not do this work based on the size of the school district." When Wendt interviewed for the Arkansas job, District 308 school board president Matt Bauman initially said the superintendent had not had serious discussions with the board about leaving. When Wendt was offered the job, he said the board and Wendt had an understanding that he would notify the board if he were to become a finalist in Fayetteville. The Fayetteville school board, however, did not name a group of finalists before selecting Wendt. Wendt said though he enjoys his job in Oswego, the move is about his quality of life. His aging parents live about three hours from Fayetteville and his daughter attends college about an hour and a half away. His son is currently a student at the nearby University of Arkansas. "I believe people who are my age or who have parents that are older, I want to believe they understand exactly what I'm doing and why I'm doing it," he said. The move also positions Wendt, 47, to "transition into the next phase of life" when he decides he no longer wants to be a school superintendent and allows him to pursue some of his hobbies, he said. Advertisement He said he knows the city well, and hopes one day to consult or teach classes at the nearby university, which he said is a "significant" draw for him. At the same time, he said he will be a good fit in the Fayetteville district that is focused on academics, improving ACT scores, and providing more flexible options for students. But before he leaves Oswego, he plans to continue work to withdraw from the Kendall County Special Education Cooperative, and create a district-run special education program. He also plans to focus on revamping the district's dual language program, which has drawn criticism from parents, and improving curriculum and test scores. The district must decide before he leaves whether to move kindergarten classes from East View Kindergarten Center to students' home schools, he said. That will affect school boundary lines, a conversation he said will likely take place after he leaves. Bauman has said the board will decide whether to look internally for a replacement for Wendt or to search outside the district, but the first opportunity to discuss the next steps will be at the board's regular February meeting. Wendt said it is too early to begin setting goals in Fayetteville. The district is working to create a new strategic plan that aligns with Wendt's beliefs as an educator, he said. Advertisement "I was not searching for a position anywhere in the country as a way to get out," he said. "I did not search for a larger district, or what might be viewed as a promotion. I did not seek a job to increase my salary. I think that when people understand what I'm doing and the reasons why I'm doing it, this has been well thought out." sfreishtat@tribpub.com Twitter: @srfreish Lockport Township resident Sue Curtis adds "horse trails" to a list of transit priorities at an open house Thursday on Will County's long-range transportation plan. (Susan DeMar Lafferty / Daily Southtown) When it comes to planning future transportation needs, Will County residents offered a wide range of suggestions, from horses to self-driving cars. In its second round of five open houses, which ended Thursday in New Lenox, more than 200 people gave their opinions on what the county should do to improve traffic flow and mobility. The public can still weigh in on future transportation issues through April 14 by participating in an online survey at www.WillConnects2040.org. Advertisement All input will be compiled into a final plan, which will be presented in public hearings this summer before it is approved by the county board. In updating its 2030 plan, the county is looking at all forms of transportation roads, bus, rail, bicycle, trucks and pedestrian and will identify priorities as it finalizes the plan over the next few months. Advertisement Maps depicted several scenarios and options, such as wider interstates and local roads, new bridges and bike trails, expanded commuter rail and bus service. "There's a lot to look at here," said Manhattan Township Road Commissioner Jim Baltas, who wanted to digest it all before forming opinions. The often-discussed Houbolt bridge linking Interstate 80 directly to the intermodal centers in Joliet and Elwood, "would take so much congestion off the roads," he said. "Any way you look at it, the intermodals are here to stay. We have to improve the roads" to accommodate that traffic. Frankfort Mayor Jim Holland and Harry Cook of New Lenox Township both wanted to widen Laraway Road, which was clearly noted on the maps. "If there's no Illiana (toll road) we have to do something to move trucks," Holland said. Also on his list of priorities were bike trails, better paratransit service and an improved Harlem Avenue from Steger to Stuenkel Road, to accommodate that new interchange at Interstate 57 and Stuenkel all projects that he realizes could be 10 years away. "Laraway should be taken care of first," said Cook, who now finds it difficult to make a left turn onto Laraway from his residential street. Some residents were surprised to see the Illiana toll road still on future maps connecting Interstate 55 in Wilmington to Interstate 65 in Lowell, Indiana believing that the state killed that controversial project in southern Will County. "We still have to plan for its potential," said Christina Kupkowski, project manager for the 2040 plan at the Will County Division of Transportation. The county's final version of its 2040 plan will likely include two scenarios with and without the Illiana, she said. "It's not our project, but we have to plan around it." Advertisement And planning around it meant not only widening Laraway Road, but also Wilmington-Peotone Road, I-80 and I-55, and building the Houbolt bridge. The maps showed no improvements to Route 53, which has become a heavy truck route to the intermodals. Participants completed a survey, weighing their options and prioritized their needs based on a limited budget. They were given 10 $10 stickers to "spend" on a variety of transit options. Most put their money on expansion of existing roads, preserving roads and bridges, improving commuter rail service and bike connections. In weighing future transportation options, the county has to consider what will improve safety and stimulate the economy, said Joe Delreal of Shorewood, who spent money on "optimizing operations." "We need smarter highways, not bigger highways," he said, adding that better signals would keep traffic moving. Traffic signals that "talk" to each other and roads for self-driving cars are "not far-fetched," Kupkowski said, after hearing one participant insist that travel infrastructure will have to change in the next 20 years to accommodate such technology. Discussions on such topics are "in their infancy," she said. Advertisement Despite the futuristic talk, Sue Curtis, a 40-year resident of Lockport Township, was there to promote more horse trails. That was not one of the spending options, so she wrote it in and placed $80 of her $100 on it. "The horse industry is a viable economic business that is growing," she said, estimating that there are 1,000 horses in her area. Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > Others wanted to see more sidewalks and railroad overpasses in the New Lenox area. For Carl Bebrich, transportation planning should be about improving the quality of life in Will County. "I'm all in favor of planning, but a lot of projects are short-sighted," he said. He was opposed to the Caton Farm/Bruce Road connection currently a contentious issue in Lockport and Homer Townships that was not included on the map because it is not a Will County project, but a state project. Advertisement "It will exacerbate problems, not alleviate them, and it would destroy the (unincorporated) Fairmont community," Bebrich said. As an alternative, he suggested extending 159th Street "straight across" the river, with a wider bridge, or making the connection at Route 6 instead of Bruce Road and Oak Avenue in Fairmont. "We need to look at preserving agricultural land. You cannot replace that. So much has been eaten up by the county's expansion," he said, adding that it all comes down to, "What do we want Will County to look like in 2040?" slafferty@tribpub.com A man who was accused of wielding a gun during a Downers Grove Radio Shack holdup was found guilty Friday night of armed robbery, DuPage County prosecutors said. A jury delivered its verdict about 7:30 p.m. against Brandon Jones, 22, of Woodridge, capping a trial that began Tuesday. After deliberating about 10 hours, jurors convicted Jones of armed robbery and armed violence but acquitted him on a kidnapping charge. Advertisement Authorities said Jones and another man entered the store at 75th Street and Lemont Avenue about 10:30 a.m. Dec. 11, 2013. They pepper-sprayed the clerk and threatened him with a pistol and also sprayed a woman who walked into the store during the holdup, prosecutors said during the trial. The men stole 16 telephones before driving off in a car with a third man, who prosecutors said had surveilled the store. The three were arrested a short time later near a senior living facility in Naperville after a short chase with police, who had received a description of the car from witnesses. Advertisement At Thursday's closing arguments, Jones' attorney Richard Mottweiler argued that prosecutors had failed to prove that Jones was one of the two men who robbed the store. But prosecutors pointed to what they called "overwhelming" evidence of Jones' guilt, including testimony from police who witnessed two hooded sweatshirts worn during the holdup being thrown from the getaway car as it traveled on Interstate 88. One sweatshirt had DNA from Jones, prosecutors said. Police also recovered a revolver alongside the road that they say was used in the holdup. "He's trying to flee from the responsibility of committing this despicable crime," Assistant State's Attorney Mike Fisher said during closing arguments Thursday. Jurors acquitted Jones on a charge of aggravated kidnapping for forcing the store clerk into a bathroom at gunpoint. Carlos Brown, the Downers Grove man who robbed the store with Jones, pleaded guilty to armed robbery and was sentenced to 18 years in prison. The third man, BL Jones, of Chicago, received an eight-year term for his role. Jones is due back in court Feb. 29 for return of a presentence report. Clifford Ward is a freelance reporter. Streamwood High School students, from left, Mitch Bendis, Alyssa Pacheco and AJ Knox all traveled to Iowa earlier this month to canvass for Bernie Sanders and see how the electoral sausage is made from inside the campaign. The trip was made possible via the non-profit Mikva Foundation, which pairs up students with random campaigns. Teacher Nick Vassolo said the trio was attached to Sanders campaign randomly, but could have ended up working for several Republican contenders as well. (Courtesy of Nick Vassolo) Three Streamwood High School seniors got an up-close look at the electoral process earlier this month when they traveled to Iowa and worked for the Bernie Sanders campaign. The opportunity for students Mitch Bendis, Alyssa Pacheco and AJ Knox was made possible via the Mikva Foundation, a non-profit, non-partisan group that helps students get involved in the political process, according to Nick Vassolo, a Streamwood civics teacher who accompanied the students on the bus ride to Des Moines. Advertisement After applying and being accepted, the students had all their costs paid for by Mikva and even received a daily stipend, he said. The trio were paired with the Sanders campaign by chance, Vassolo said. Advertisement "We happened to be placed in the Bernie office, but we could have easily been placed with (Jeb Bush) or (Marco Rubio)," he said. Bendis, 18, said he was particularly excited since he supports the Sanders campaign already. The students traveled there on Jan. 15 and got inside looks at the campaign's nerve center and the inglorious work that goes into a modern presidential campaign. Students from all over the country worked in different campaign offices, Vassolo said. The Sanders campaign office "was straight up, down and dirty, stacks of computer paper everywhere," he recalled. The students set one part of the weekend cold-calling Iowa voters, asking them to come caucus and seeing how it feels to get hung up on or not receive an answer, Vassolo said. "They were still super stoked about it," he noted. "This is what it takes to get a president elected in America, and it's really neat to see." They also door knocked more than a dozen square blocks, trying to get out the vote for Sanders, which offered interesting insight into how hyper-focused campaigns get on selected neighborhoods, Vassolo said. Advertisement A self-avowed political junkie, Bendis said he got to attend a town hall event hosted by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and even got to meet the candidate and chat with him. Despite the occasional drudgery of cold calls and door knocking, Bendis said he dug it all. "I really enjoy doing the grunt work, and I got to talk to a lot of cool people," he said. "I met Jeff Weaver, Sen. Sanders' campaign manager, as well as his Iowa director. I got to meet some big movers and shakers in the presidential campaigning world." Bendis also said he was surprised by how the locals all cared about the same basic things, regardless of their political persuasion. The buzz of the campaign office was not what he expected either. "I kind of expected a bunch of people sitting in cubicles, not talking to each other," said Bendis, who hopes to work in politics and maybe run for office one day. "But it was a very vibrant community. There were all sorts of different people there. There were millennial hipsters and Vietnam veterans making calls." Advertisement geoffz@tribpub.com Twitter: @JournoGeoffZ Kane County Commissioner Barbara Wojnicki remembers how farmers were skeptical of the Farmland Protection Program, viewing it as an effort by government to take their land. Once Kane County launched the program aimed at protecting farmland from development, though, the list of farmers who wanted to participate quickly grew, Wojnicki said. Advertisement The Farmland Preservation program is marking its 15th anniversary in March, and Kane remains the only county in the state with its own funded program, said Janice Hill, executive planner and Farmland Protection manager. Kendall, Boone and McHenry have created programs modeled after Kane's program but have not received funding, she said. "It wasn't happening in the state (back in 2001) and the county moved on it. It was a wise idea," Hill said during a recent presentation to county officials. Advertisement Kane County has invested $20.1 million in purchasing easements using gaming revenue and has obtained $12.3 million in federal funding, Hill said. The county has closed on 37 properties and has six properties pending, she said. Approximately 5,400 acres have been preserved, she said. Janice Hill, executive planner and Farmland Protection Manager, explains the program to county board members. The program started 15 years ago and has saved thousands of acres for farming. (Gloria Casas / The Courier-News) A census of agriculture showed the county had 759 farms, totaling 192,373 acres, in 2007, according to data. By 2012, the number dropped to 590 farms consisting of 168,541 acres, the data showed. The census data showed the number of farms overall within metropolitan areas are decreasing, she said. "That is part of the concern of how land is used in metropolitan areas, especially when we have such fine soil quality. The land is used for development and we see that in the loss of farms." Through the program, "we will retain some of our land base for agriculture," while redirecting development to municipalities, Hill said. "This is a plan and policy (that) we will not use all of our land for development. This program is meant for the long term." Advocates say the program is important because farming is a billion dollar market. Illinois residents spend $14 billion on fruit and vegetables yet 96 percent of those dollars leave the state, Hill said. "Everyone is trying to recapture that money," she said. "It represents a lot of opportunity for farmers and the county." Kane's Farmland Protection Program allows the county to purchase easements to farms at the market value, Hill said. The value fluctuates and had been as high as $8,000 per acre but is now around $2,000 to $3,000 per acre, she said. Advertisement An easement is a voluntary, legal agreement between the landowner and conservation organization or government that permanently limits a property's use in order to protect it, she said. The county basically buys the land's development rights, she said. A deed for the easement is created and states that development is forever prohibited on the land, she said. Property owners keep the land and can sell it, but owners can never put houses on the land or create subdivisions, Hill said. It remains farmland forever, she said. A Kaneville farm owned by Bill and Roger Mangers was the first in the program, said Matt Tansley, land use planner with Kane County Development and Community Services. Farms that have been protected include Heritage Prairie Farm and Rustic Road Farm, both in Elburn, Tansley said. Many farms have come up with innovative and interesting ways to market the farms, he said. Heritage Prairie is big on Agritourist and community supported agriculture where people can buy shares in crops and get regular boxes of produce, he said. It becomes a good way for farms to supplement revenues, he said. "This program sold neighbor to neighbor. One neighbor would tell another neighborhood," and so on, Hill said. "A lot of developers were calling land owners asking if they wanted to put land for sale and speculate. There was a lot of pressure on these families, and the timing (of Kane's program) was really a relief that there would be an option." A key of the program's success has been its adaptability, Hill said. Kane County has done surveys of farmers to get new ideas and adapt the program as necessary, she said. One idea that came from a survey was leasing public land to farmers. The Forest Preserve District of Kane County took that step by renting out land at the Brunner Forest Preserve in West Dundee to an organic farm last year. Advertisement "The lease of Brunner Farm is really an innovative thing. It is really the first time farmland exclusively for food production was leased out," Tansley said. Kane County worked with the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning on putting policies in place. As the program has evolved, changes have also been made to the size of land accepted, from larger acreages to smaller ones, Hill said. New policies were created to protect land for vegetable farming, from three acres to 300 acres, she said. An example of a smaller lot is Lamb of God Farm in Big Rock where eight acres have been protected. "We really have a range ... diversity of agriculture is what is our strength in the county," Hill said. Kane County's Farmland Protection Program is a model for other counties, local officials say. (Gloria Casas / The Courier-News) Kane's program will continue with a focus on more leasing of public lands for farms, researching the idea of creating a food hub to encourage more local produce and encouraging a next generation of farmers, she said. What is changing soon is the availability of federal grants, Hill said. Kane County has applied for funding this year under the Agriculture Act of 2014 and is waiting to hear if the application is approved, she said. In 2017, there will be $500,000 in funding available, but the amount will be reduced to $250,000 in 2018 the year the act expires, she said. The pot of money is decreasing while competition around the nation is increasing, Hill said. Under the act, local governments had to provide funding. Kane County used Grand Victoria Casino Riverboat grants to come up with the local portion, she said. However, the casino has seen a drop in revenue, which leaves less money for grants, she said. Advertisement Since video gaming has cut into the casino's revenue, Commissioner Joe Haimann wondered if a portion of revenue municipalities get could be recaptured by the county and used for the program. Kane County is the only entity using gaming revenue as a local match for federal funds, so the idea of using video gaming revenues would be another creative way to fund the program, Hill said. But it's an idea she said would require research, she said. The Kane County board will be asked to pass a resolution in March commemorating the Farmland Preservation Program's anniversary, Hill said. Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News. The city is currently in negotiations with the U.S. Postal Service about the parking of its vehicles downtown. (Bob Seidenberg, Pioneer Press) Evanston officials say they are reluctant about the possible renewal of a parking agreement with the U.S. Postal Service, feeling it may not be the best use of two city-owned lots in the long run. At the Transportation/Parking Committee meeting Wednesday night, committee members backed staff in a plan to negotiate a shorter-term lease in response to the request for a 15-year agreement from the Postal Service. The agreement would allow the Postal Service to park 44 vehicles in the 1800 Maple Avenue Parking Garage, and park another 24 vehicles in city parking lot No. 42, located at 1612-1616 Maple Avenue. Both lots are in close proximity to the main post office at 1101 Davis St. Advertisement With other developments, including several restaurants coming to the area soon, officials were reluctant to tie the city to a 15-year commitment, Assistant City Manager Martin Lyons told the committee. "In this case, we would like to see a higher use than postal parking in the spaces," he said. Advertisement In a memo, Lyons, and Rickey Voss, the city's parking/fleet manager, noted that the city had originally entered into a four-year lease with the United States Postal Service in 2012, allowing the Postal Service to park its mail carrying vehicles in the lots. The agreement included bi-annual incremental increases and worked out to about $100 per space for the city, officials said. The Post Office's new request seeks 15 years, with three consecutive five-year leases, officials said. The proposal includes no incremental increases built in and seeks a lower per space cost ($80 per space) than the current one, they pointed out, generating revenue under a $1 million. The city's Economic Development team was against such a long commitment, Lyons said. The city's counterproposal would run four years, with bi-annual incremental increases, generating revenue around $400,000, officials said. "We have restaurant activity in this area where the restaurateurs are interested in valet parking," Lyons told committee members. Two restaurants, Taco Diablo and Lulu's, are currently under construction on Davis Street. The restaurant owners, under zoning requirements, must secure parking spaces in the neighborhood to accommodate customers. Advertisement Officials estimate sale of permit spaces in the city lot and a night time charge for valet services operating for the restaurants could generate close to $50,000 in revenue. Lyons told the committee that the issue also raises "a bigger, delicate question," about the need for a post office that requires both distribution and retail operation in one facility downtown. If the post office's distribution operation was located in one of the city's industrial areas, he said, truck parking could be accommodated there. Retail post office operations could be located separately, he said. Committee members also joined in discussion about an apparent decline in use at the main post office and what that bodes for the building's future. Committee member Mary Lou Smith spoke of mailing a letter from one Evanston address to another, "and then it went to Palatine," she said, referring to the USPS distribution center. But Reshia Braswell, the city's acting postmaster, contacted about the parking situation Thursday, said having the vehicles parked close to the main post office is a key element in the Evanston distribution system. Unlike some other communities, with parking on site, the Postal Service has to pay for its parking in Evanston, she said. Even with mail routed through a distribution center in Palatine, it is still shipped back here, she said. Advertisement "The carriers take the mail, load up their vehicles and drive to routes and deliver it," she said. "We fill the vehicles up." "Some of these routes are so big they (mail carriers) have to take some of them (sacks of mail) out, come back in the middle of the day, and load up again," she said. Braswell said she understands the city looking at generating more cash. bseidenberg@pioneerlocal.com Twitter: @evanstonscribe An indictment tying the widow of Fox Lake police Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz to her husband's alleged misconduct could make the process of determining what pension benefits she is eligible to receive even more difficult for Fox Lake's Police Pension Board. "This is such an unusual set of circumstances," said Illinois Public Pension Fund Association president James McNamee. "It's unique unto itself." Advertisement Two months after Gliniewicz's Sept. 1 fatal shooting, authorities announced he had committed suicide, staging his death to look like murder. Lake County Major Crime Task Force officials said he feared alleged thefts from the youth group he ran would be discovered. On Wednesday, his wife Melodie Gliniewicz was charged with felony money laundering and misuse of charitable funds, with authorities saying they believe the couple misspent more than $10,000 from the Police Explorers group Gliniewicz led. Her lawyers denied the charges in a statement, saying she was a victim of her husband's actions. Advertisement Illinois police pension experts have said the Lake County Major Crime Task Force's announcement that Lt. Gliniewicz committed suicide could have major financial consequences for the family, likely ruling out their chances of receiving the larger benefits owed survivors of officers killed in the line of duty. McNamee said the task force's conclusions, including allegations of Lt. Gliniewicz's thefts, also call into question whether his survivors are entitled to the more limited pension benefits. Under Illinois law, the spouse of a retirement-eligible officer who dies, but not in the line of duty, receives pension benefits of at least half the officer's salary, and up to 75 percent depending on their years of service. The law also states no pension benefits will be paid to police officers convicted of a felony related to their police work and allows the Attorney General go to court to stop pensions being paid to anyone convicted of a felony related to their service as an employee, though allegations of Lt. Gliniewicz 's wrongdoing surfaced only after his death. McNamee said he could not recall any examples of a pension board deciding whether to award benefits where allegations of criminal activity weren't known until after the officer's death, much less one where the officer's beneficiary was also facing felony charges related to the officer's work. While there's no question the family would be entitled to receive a refund of contributions Lt. Gliniewicz made to the pension fund, McNamee said the pension board would likely want to wait until Melodie Gliniewicz's case works its way through the courts. "I think the best thing they can do is sit back and see what happens. If they do get an application, they'll rule on it with what they have," he said. "They've got their hands full." In September, before authorities ruled Lt. Gliniewicz's death a suicide, Fox Lake's Police Pension Board attorney Laura Goodloe said she had directed the board to have Melodie Gliniewicz file a formal application for pension benefits. Advertisement No application has yet been submitted, Fox Lake spokesman Dave Bayless said Thursday. Goodloe could not be reached for comment, but previously issued a statement saying that without an application for a survivor's pension benefit, "it would be inappropriate at this time for either the Pension Board, its individual trustees, or its legal counsel to comment any further with respect to additional questions concerning this matter or with respect to Ms. Gliniewicz 's continued eligibility or entitlement to a survivor's pension pursuant to the Illinois Pension Code." If Melodie Gliniewicz applies for benefits, the pension board would hold a hearing to consider evidence, testimony and arguments on her claim before making its determination, Goodloe said in the statement. lzumbach@tribpub.com Twitter @laurenzumbach Naperville officials are suggesting that it would be more cost effective to plow Naperville Township roads as part of the work they currently do on city streets. (Susan Frick Carlman / Naperville Sun) The city of Naperville could take over some or all roadway services for Naperville Township, if a proposal to be considered Tuesday gains support. City officials estimate they could cut Naperville taxpayer bills by 43 percent for roadway services over 10 years, from an estimated $1.86 million to $1.07 million, or nearly $800,000, according to city documents. Services would involve improving and maintaining all road right-of-way throughout the township. Advertisement "Naperville has a strong history of intergovernmental collaboration and will continue to seek out opportunities to form more partnerships to save taxpayer dollars," city documents detailing the proposal said. The idea comes from Gov. Bruce Rauner's Task Force on Local Government Consolidation and Unfunded Mandates, which issued a report earlier this month encouraging the consolidation of local government services and passag of "a constitutional amendment on unfunded state mandates," according to city documents. Advertisement The task force also noted, "Illinois residents pay some of the top local tax rates in the country due to the high number and many layers of Illinois government entities." Naperville officials said in council documents they already provide road services for the city and could expand to serve all of the township, which includes DuPage County residents north of 87th Street and west of Washington Street. Potential services the city could expand include roadway maintenance, mosquito abatement, brush collection services, forestry services, snow plowing, leaf collection services, streetlight maintenance, stormwater management, street sweeping, mowing and herbicide services, sidewalk and curb replacement, the documents said. According to the proposal, the city would take over the township highway department's vehicle fleet and hire two equipment operators of the department's seven-person staff. City officials estimated a zero net cost to residents, as the expense of taking over services would be paid for by new taxpayer revenues, the documents said. City council members on Tuesday are to consider taking the proposal to township officials for their response. gbookwalter@tribpub.com Twitter: @GenevieveBook DuPage County law enforcement officers have saved the lives of 100 people experiencing drug overdoses by administering Narcan, which counters the effects of heroin and other opiate drugs. (Mel Evans, AP) Early Thursday morning, DuPage County sheriff's deputies administered a dose of Narcan to an unresponsive man believed to be overdosing on heroin. He was the 100th person to be saved by the emergency medical treatment in DuPage County since its use was approved in 2013, and the seventh saved already this year, according to the DuPage County Health Department. Advertisement Had the medication not been available, it's not certain the 24-year-old Willowbrook man now being treated at Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield would have survived, DuPage County Coroner Richard Jorgensen said. The fact that 100 people are alive today because of it is "amazing," he said. Narcan responds to and reverses the effects of an opioid antagonist, and when administered during an overdose situation, it can prevent death, experts say. It's credited with saving 32 lives in 2014 and 61 in 2015, according to county data. Most law enforcement agencies in DuPage County have been trained to administer it. Advertisement Hitting a milestone of 100 lives saved is a dubious honor given that it's also a stark reminder that the heroin problem plaguing the Chicago area is not going away, Jorgensen said. The majority of people saved with Narcan have been under the age of 30, he said. "We're seeing high school kids using heroin. It's not a good story," Jorgensen said. "The bad thing about this is it shows there's heroin in this county, it's being used and people are dying from it." But saving lives with Narcan also allows those addicted to heroin and other opiates to receive treatment and turn their lives around, he said. "That's one of the most important things that this program allows us to do," he said. Narcan is administered as a nasal inhalant to individuals who have overdosed on an opioid, typically heroin. The treatment works by blocking opiates from the opioid receptors in the brain, which can stop or reverse the effects of an overdose. Until November 2015, Narcan was not approved as an inhalant by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and it had to be administered as an injectable. Law enforcement officer discovered a way to administer it through an atomizer so that it could be inhaled, giving them an alternative to using a syringe or similar device inject it, Jorgensen said. It was "not fair or safe" to ask deputies to try to administer an injection in a high-stress situation, he said. Law enforcement's success using the atomizer helped persuade the FDA to fast-track approval of Narcan as an inhalant, Jorgensen said. Advertisement The DuPage Narcan Program, a partnership between multiple county agencies including the health department, coroner and sheriff's department, was established in 2013 in response to a high number of county deaths attributed to opiate overdoses, Jorgensen said. Among them were seven Naperville high school students in 2011, followed by the arrest of a 17-year-old student who was dealing heroin in 2012, a situation that put a national spotlight on the city. The Narcan program is supported through a combination of public and private funds and has allowed 2,560 people to be trained to administer the treatment, Jorgensen said. Alex Keown is a freelance writer for the Naperville Sun. Gary Detectives and Sheriffs deputies arrive on scene at the site of a dual homicide on the 1100 block of Lane in Gary on Aug. 6, 2015. (Jim Karczewski, Post-Tribune) Crime is down in Gary, a news release issued by city officials announced. Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson praised Gary police officers "for their untiring service to the Gary community," adding that "nearly all police and fire personnel received pay increases in 2015 and 2016." Advertisement The Gary for Life program, initiated in mid-2014, targets the most violent criminals in an effort to deter their activities but also provide jobs and education. Last year, the program contacted 32 men and women on parole or probation, and of those, four have taken advantage of assistance, Cmdr. Del Stout said. Statistics show a decrease in all major categories for the second straight year. While 2015's 50 homicides were one less than 2014, reported rapes dropped from 44 in 2014 to 25 last year, the news release states. Advertisement Robberies, assaults, burglaries, larceny, auto theft and arsons dropped in 2015, the news release states. The number of assaults, which include shootings, stabbings and felony battery, has dropped 50 percent since 2013, the news release shows. As many cities across the country, including Chicago, are entrenched in controversy over police-involved shootings, Gary's news release states that its police department had none in 2015. Gary crime statistics Homicide: There were 50 homicides in 2015, 51 in 2014 and 55 in 2013. Rape: There were 25 rapes reported in 2015, 44 in 2014 and 47 in 2013. Assault: There were 181 assaults reported in 2015, 354 in 2014 and 463 in 2013. Burglary: There were 990 burglaries reported in 2015, 1,249 in 2014 and 1,454 in 2013. Larceny-Theft: There were 2,027 reports in 2015, 2,253 in 2014 and 2,533 in 2013. Advertisement Motor vehicle theft: There were 380 reported motor vehicle thefts in 2015, 461 in 2014 and 732 in 2013. Source: Gary Director of Communications Jo Carol Kimery thought her final goodbye to her longtime family friend came when her family told doctors they were ready to have Lyle Eaton's body taken to be donated to the Indiana University Northwest School of Medicine. That's why she was so touched at the memorial ceremony that first-year students in the program held Friday in what has become an annual tradition. Advertisement "We thought that would be it," she said, adding that they didn't expect to hear anything until they received his cremated ashes. "This is amazing." The ceremony honored six adult donors Eaton, Patricia Kelly, Christina Brimm, Edwin Scott, Cathleen Mitchell, and a man named Kevin whose last name was not provided as well as fetal donors who had given their bodies to science, which allows the students to get hands-on experience in their anatomy class. The bodies sat in caskets placed on the anatomy tables normally used to study them, with cloth draping over and flowers placed on top. Advertisement Ernest Talarico, an associate professor and course director for human gross anatomy and embryology, noted that the theme was "First Patient, First Teacher," as the donors were the first patients these students had. Students expressed their appreciation to each donor and their families in letters that were read aloud, writing that they learned needed medical knowledge and the ability to show compassion to their patients. "Patricia has not only helped us but indirectly our future patients," the students wrote in the letter to Kelly's family. They added that learning about anatomy is the basis for all medical knowledge, something they will use throughout their careers. In a letter to Scott's family, the students thanked them for both his and their courage in donating his body. "Edwin's presence in our lives has changed us for the better," they wrote. For Pamela Frazier, Kelly's daughter, the ceremony was the second one she has gone through. She told the audience that her mother was so taken with the care and compassion shown to her husband after he died several years ago that she decided to also donate her body. "She spent her days and nights reading those letters," Frazier said, adding that they helped her mother through her final days. Advertisement Frazier said she now also wants to donate her body if possible and noted that her family remains in touch with students who studied her father. The Rev. James Wetzstein from Valparaiso University spoke of what their gift means. "Their gift is to us, and through us to all those we will touch and serve in our lives," he said. "It is the most profound gift that one can offer." The service also included military honors for Scott and Eaton, who both served with the U.S. Army in the Korean War. Student Rana Torabi said the ceremony was especially important to her as she was part of the prosection team, a summer group that allows nonmedical students to learn about human anatomy while also helping prepare the bodies for the anatomy class, and she had met the Kellys through the program. Torabi noted how easy it can be for medical care and learning to become clinical and said that the class helps emphasize the humanity of all their patients. Advertisement "It's really easy to kind of get tunnel vision and forget what you're doing it for," she said. Torabi, who worked with Scott during the anatomy class, said she was able to learn more about him through pictures and a letter his family sent. After the ceremony, students ate lunch with the relatives as photos of the donors and even those shot by Eaton, who was a photographer for the National Geographic, were shown. Kimery, whose family shared their holidays with Eaton for 30 years and considered him part of the family, said the program helped him achieve a dream, as the high school dropout announced toward the end of his life with his dry sense of humor, "Finally, I'm getting into university." tauch@post-trib.com You are here: Home Davlatbekova Madina, a 33-year old woman from Tajikistan, has brought her five-year old daughter to Beijing to witness her receiving an award as one of China Communications Construction Company Ltd's best overseas employees. Savanah Oliveira Kunz (center), from Brazil, is one of the 10 excellent overseas employees of China Communications Construction Company. [Photo/China Daily] "Children have very sharp ears," said Madina, in fluent Chinese. "She can already tell the difference between Russian and Tajikistan dialects, and Mandarin." Madina has been working for the Tajikistan office of China Road and Bridge Corp, a subsidiary of CCCC, for 10 years and is in charge of its coordination work there. CCCC is a State-owned transportation infrastructure group principally engaged in the design and construction of transportation infrastructure, dredging and heavy machinery manufacturing. It has projects in more than 120 economies across Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe, the United States and Australia. The company has just recognized its 10-best foreign employees working in its overseas subsidiaries, including Madina, with the others coming from Brazil, Germany, Sri Lanka, Jamaica, and Angola. Madina says the firm's road construction projects in her country, such as one connecting it to Uzbekistan and China, have made a huge difference to people's lives. "In winter, many routes can be blocked by heavy snow. But the new roads have significantly shortened travel times." Other overseas managers to gain recognition in Beijing included Lutz Werner, and Savanah Oliveira Kunz. Werner is operations director for the European center of procurement and logistics at Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery, another subsidiary of CCCC, who joined the operation two years ago. "China's presence in Germany's infrastructure construction sector is not very large at the moment - but it has potential to grow as the country shifts its energy strategy to increase the use of sustainable energy. For example, a lot of wind farms are going to be built in my country," he said. Savanah Oliveira Kunz, meanwhile, left her home in Brazil at a young age to study in the United States, and chose to join Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co Ltd, a CCCC subsidiary, five years ago. She has since helped ZPMC sign agreements in Columbia, Venezuela, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, and the US. "My entire family all worked for Siemens AG, the German multinational conglomerate." Flash The UN Security Council on Friday condemned "in the strongest terms" the terrorist attack at a mosque in the Ehsaa Region of Saudi Arabia, which resulted in many deaths and injuries. In a statement, the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security. The Security Council members expressed their deep sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims of this heinous act and to the government of Saudi Arabia, the statement said, adding that they wished a speedy recovery to those injured. "The members of the Security Council underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice," it said. "They stressed that those responsible for these killings should be held accountable, and urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with the Saudi authorities in this regard," said the statement. "The members of the Security Council reiterated that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed," it added. At least four people were killed and 18 others wounded on Friday in a suicide bomb attack on a Shia mosque in eastern Saudi Arabia, the first such terrorist attack in 2016. Officers detain members of the Daguan House Church in a raid on May 24. (Photo: China Aid) China Aid Reported and written in Chinese by Qiao Nong. Translated by Carolyn Song. Edited in English by Ava Collins. (Daguan, GuizhouNov. 25, 2015) Three sisters from Chinas inland Guizhou province who were detained for 15 days in mid-October have been released as other members of their house church await final decisions in court. An anonymous member of the Daguan House Church told China Aids reporter Qiao Nong on Nov. 22 that Xu Guoying, Xu Guoyan and Xu Guoqiong were released from their administrative detention after serving a 15-day sentence. The only reasoning given for the detention, according to the church member, was that the sisters had violated the public security administrative punishment law. In October, Daguan police detained the three women, all sisters, who were worshipping in their home. The sisters were previously detained in June for illegal assembly and organizing cult activities and released after a short detention. Authorities detained Xu Guoying and Xu Guoqiong both twice during the summer for a total of 25 days. The three sisters have a brother, Xu Guoqing, who is currently still detained with four other Daguan House Church members, Dai Xiaoqiang, Kang Chengiu, Huang Huaxin, and Tang Huanggui. Authorities detained these five across two raids on May 24 and June 7. The June raid took place during a church meeting in Xu Guoqings home. On Sept. 1, the Qianxi County Procuartorate officially arrested the five who are still in custody, although China Aid only recently received information indicating that Huang Huaxin and Tang Huanggui were also among the detained. More recently, the procuratorate decided that evidence provided by the public security bureau was insufficient and returned the case to the bureau for further investigation, which means no verdict has yet been determined for Xu Guoqing, Dai, Kang, Huang and Tang. A Christian told the reporter that he believed the procuratorate would not be able to get the case settled for at least another month. Xu Guoqings situation is the most severe of these cases, he said. [Xu] was the person in charge. If Xu Guoqing can be returned, the others will be too. Daguan House Church, which was founded 13 years ago, has not gathered since the raids in May and June, for fear of retaliation. We dare not meet, the Christian said. We would get arrested immediately. China Aid works to expose abuses of religious freedom and legal rights, such as those faced by the Daguan House Church. China Aid Contacts Rachel Ritchie, English Media Director Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985 Email: [email protected] Website: www.chinaaid.org Officials detain members of Daguan House Church. (Photo: China Aid) China Aid Reported in Chinese by Qiao Nong. Translated by Carolyn Song. Written in English by Brynne Lawrence. (Daguan, GuizhouJan. 29, 2016) A public security bureau (PSB) in Chinas southern Guizhou province recently transferred the cases of five Christians to the local Procuratorate for prosecution after receiving orders in late November to investigate the incident further. Eight members of Daguan House Church were criminally detained earlier last year for meeting illegally, organizing cult activities and violating Article 300 of the Criminal Code. Eventually, three of them were released on bail, and, on Sept.1, authorities formalized the arrests of the five othersDai Xiaoqiang, Xu Guoqing, Kang Chengju, Tang Huanggui and Huang Huaxinon the charge of using a cult organization to undermine law enforcement. The church unsuccessfully appealed to the PSB to repeal the punishment. After the PSB sent the cases to the Procuratorate, the authorities ruled that the evidence was insufficient and ordered that the bureau investigate the situation further. China Aid learned on Jan. 25 that the cases have been re-submitted, and the Christians now await prosecution. Despite the imminent release of their verdicts, the government has not permitted the defendants to hire lawyers. When Huoshi Church pastor Yang Hua, who followed this case closely, went to the PSB on May 29 with Li Guisheng, a lawyer, and requested to meet with the incarcerated, the officials rejected their request, and men wielding knives followed Yang and Li into town. In another incident, Yang led renowned human rights lawyer Zhang Kai and eight other people to the Qianxi County Public Security Bureau and the detention center on June 18, but about 100 unidentified men confronted them and smashed their vehicles. Persecution of Daguan House Church began on May 24, 2015, when dozens of officials disrupted a weekly service and apprehended 30 church members. Most were later freed, but 12 remained in criminal detention for several months for illegally gathering. On June 7, officials returned to the church and took more parishioners into custody. Additionally, Christians reported that anti-riot police raided the church twice since the June 7 arrests and that officials closely monitor the relatives of the incarcerated. Due to this, the church no longer holds services, and church attendees are afraid to hire lawyers or have contact with reporters. Anonymous Christians claimed that, if reporter contacted them, they would be arrested. China Aid exposes religious freedom abuses, such as those experienced by the members of Daguan House Church, in order to promote religious freedom and rule of law in China. China Aid Contacts Rachel Ritchie, English Media Director Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985 Email: [email protected] Website: www.chinaaid.org Su Tianfu (left) with Yang Hua (right). (Photo: China Aid) China Aid Reported in Chinese by Qiao Nong. Translated by Carolyn Song. Written in English by Brynne Lawrence. (Guiyang, GuizhouJan. 27, 2016) The lawyer defending a pastor accused of divulging state secrets told China Aid that authorities in Chinas southern Guizhou province denied his request to meet with his client on Jan. 21, among other instances of interference. [The officials] denied me a meeting [with Yang Hua], under the excuse that I did not have permission from the police, said Chen Jiangang, the attorney hired on behalf of Yang Hua, a pastor from Huoshi Church. I contacted the police, but there has been no response yet Half a month ago, I submitted a written request by mail, and they have already signed [for the request, demonstrating that they officially received it]. Like Chen, Yangs wife, Wang Hongwu, described disrupted attempts to reach her husband. On Jan. 21, she said that officials were withholding information regarding Yang from her. She attempted to send him money for daily necessities, but none of her efforts reached him. When Wang went to the Nanming Branch of the Guiyang Municipal Public Security Bureau to sign the arrest form, the official who received her refused to answer her questions. Wang also told China Aid that Yangs charge changed from illegally holding state secrets, for which he served time in criminal detention, to divulging state secrets once the Procuratorate approved his arrest. This is not a legal charge and is never mentioned in the Criminal Law [of the Peoples Republic of China], Chen added. Now, this kind of criminal case can be in the hands of the police, [which is] arbitrary. It can even exceed the law. Basically, there are no restrictions. Despite these incidents, Wang says her most significant concern is for the members of Huoshi Church, who the police have serially harassed. On Nov. 29, 2015, approximately 30 officials interrupted a church service and detained several Christians. Wang said that officials still interview many of the church members on a regular basis, which has impacted the churchs ability to continue its normal activities. For many years, the police have been eyeing Yang Hua and Huoshi Church with hostility, Chen said. [They] deliberately fabricated charges against Yang Hua in order to imprison him. Now, all the houses purchased by [Huoshi Church] have been confiscated by the authorities. Currently, the circumstances [in which legal stipulations are carried out] eradicate all the churches that are not controlled by the government. Regarding these kinds of cases, the polices [actions] are largely arbitrary. We still cant hold [church] services, Su Tianfu, another Huoshi Church pastor, said. There are some people who meet in their homes, and others go to other churches. Most of the time. I am [monitored] by someone [from the government]. Su also reported that the case of Zhang Xiuhong, an incarcerated accountant and the chairwoman of Huoshi Churchs Board of Deacons who authorities accused of illegal business operations, has been transferred to the Procuratorate for prosecution. Additionally, authorities imposed a fine that accrued to 110,296 Yuan (U.S. $16,700.00) between Nov. 22 and Dec. 8. They alleged that the churchs members deviated from the approved use of their building, even though the Christians consistently reported all activities. In response, Su filed an administrative reconsideration, but his application was rejected on Jan. 11. [the next step is to] sue, he said. The case itself is a case of religious persecution, Chen said. [Authorities] arrested and detained a pastor in order to pressure a church. Therefore, [Yang Hua] simply cannot be involved in a crime. At this point, China is basically comparable to the Cultural Revolution or North Korea. An individual has no guarantee of obtaining basic human rights. A translation of the hiring authorization document, in which Su Tianfu commissioned lawyers to represent Huoshi Church, can be read in full below. To learn more about Huoshi Church, please watch the video below. China Aid reports on cases of abuses, such as those experienced by Huoshi Church, its pastors and members, and Yang Huas lawyer, in order to promote religious freedom and rule of law in China. Hiring Authorization Document Client: Name: Su Tianfu, ID No.5225021970073031111 Mailing Address: 255 Yaxiang Community, Building A, Huaxi Ave, Nanming District, Guiyang 550003 Phone: 158-8505-3034 The hiring authorization document. (Photo: China Aid) The commissioned: Name: Li Baiguang, Liu Peifu Occupation: Lawyer Company: Beijing Gongxin Law Firm Address: Room 709, ZuoAn Community, 68 North 4th Ring Road, Haidian District, Beijing Telephone: (010) 8282-7326 Cell phone: 158-1068-9698 The client hereby hires the commissioned to act as the clients representation in the case of Guiyang Municipal Nanming District Religious Affairs Bureau suppressing the lawful rights of Huoshi Church, of which the client is in charge, which triggered a dispute. Savanah Oliveira Kunz (center), from Brazil, is one of the 10 excellent overseas employees of China Communications Construction Company. [Photo/China Daily] Davlatbekova Madina, a 33-year old woman from Tajikistan, has brought her five-year old daughter to Beijing to witness her receiving an award as one of China Communications Construction Company Ltd's best overseas employees. "Children have very sharp ears," said Madina, in fluent Chinese. "She can already tell the difference between Russian and Tajikistan dialects, and Mandarin." Madina has been working for the Tajikistan office of China Road and Bridge Corp, a subsidiary of CCCC, for 10 years and is in charge of its coordination work there. CCCC is a State-owned transportation infrastructure group principally engaged in the design and construction of transportation infrastructure, dredging and heavy machinery manufacturing. It has projects in more than 120 economies across Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe, the United States and Australia. The company has just recognized its 10-best foreign employees working in its overseas subsidiaries, including Madina, with the others coming from Brazil, Germany, Sri Lanka, Jamaica, and Angola. Madina says the firm's road construction projects in her country, such as one connecting it to Uzbekistan and China, have made a huge difference to people's lives. "In winter, many routes can be blocked by heavy snow. But the new roads have significantly shortened travel times. Other overseas managers to gain recognition in Beijing included Lutz Werner, and Savanah Oliveira Kunz. Werner is operations director for the European center of procurement and logistics at Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery, another subsidiary of CCCC, who joined the operation two years ago. "China's presence in Germany's infrastructure construction sector is not very large at the moment - but it has potential to grow as the country shifts its energy strategy to increase the use of sustainable energy. For example, a lot of wind farms are going to be built in my country," he said. Savanah Oliveira Kunz, meanwhile, left her home in Brazil at a young age to study in the United States, and chose to join Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co Ltd, a CCCC subsidiary, five years ago. She has since helped ZPMC sign agreements in Columbia, Venezuela, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, and the US. "My entire family all worked for Siemens AG, the German multinational conglomerate. With tax income under pressure, analysts say it is time to raise the shortfall target Figures released on Friday showed how the slowing economy has taken its toll on China's collection of taxes and fees in 2015, which registered the slowest expansion pace in 28 years. But things are not looking better this year, either, which could make way for setting a record high target for the fiscal deficit of up to 3 percent of GDP - up from 2.3 percent in 2015, analysts said. General fiscal revenue, including taxes and fines, rose 5.8 percent to 15.22 trillion yuan ($2.42 trillion), the slowest since 1987, the Ministry of Finance said. That was a drop from 2014's 8.6 percent and 10.2 percent in 2013. It also was the first time that fiscal growth had been slower than GDP growth, which was 6.9 percent last year. For the past decade, fiscal revenue has been expanding much faster than the overall economy - often growing ferociously at above 20 percent. The ministry attributed the slowdown to a deep slump in the producer price index and setbacks in industrial output and corporate profits, which weighed on major tax categories. The value-added tax, the largest tax, expanded only by 0.5 percent from a year before, while VAT and excise tax on imports fell 13.2 percent as a result of a contraction in foreign trade. Special-purpose governmental funds, a separate income category, registered its first contraction in history, down 15.9 percent to 4.23 trillion yuan, compared with 3.5 percent growth in 2014 and a 39.2 percent rise in 2013. Land sale revenue, which usually accounts for 77 percent of governmental funds, tumbled 18.5 percent. Despite the revenue slowdown, China is having to spend more to counter the economic slowdown, which has further intensified the mounting conflict between revenue and expenditures. Government outlays surged 13.17 percent to 17.58 trillion yuan. That left a record 2.36 trillion yuan fiscal deficit, or 3.47 percent of GDP. That is significantly bigger than the 1.62 trillion budgeted deficit at the beginning of 2015, which leaves open the possibility that this year's budget deficit target could hit 3 percent of GDP. A number of institutions have said that to counter this year's ongoing downturn, the fiscal deficit target should be raised from 2015's 2.3 percent. "To address the downturn, besides widening the deficit, the only way is to cut spending. You can't cut spending on welfare or infrastructure. You could only downsize the bureaucracy itself," said Hu Yijian, a tax professor at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. Finance Minister Lou Jiwei in an earlier meeting stressed the importance of government austerity. Besides greater spending, the government will also bolster growth by cutting taxes and fees. Hu said besides tax reform, the government should also lower administrative fees on enterprises. "In the short run this will definitely bring down revenue, but the hope is that less of a burden on enterprises would spur investment, which in the long run would cultivate a bigger tax base," he said. [Photo/IC] The reorganization of China's six major rare earth groups is expected to be complete by the end of June, Vice-Minister of Industry and Information Technology Xin Guobin said on Friday. The companies' core competence "will be enhanced", he said, "through closing down factories, weeding out and transferring outdated capacity. "All the substantive restructuring will be finished by the end of June." He said ministry officials will also continue to implement targeted policies to support the reshuffle, and the six groups themselves will continue to improve their coordinating mechanism to further help stabilize the rare earth market. The six companies are: China Northern Rare Earth (Group) High-tech Co Ltd, China Minmetals Corp, Aluminum Corp of China, Guangdong Rare Earth Corp, China South Rare Earth Group and Xiamen Tungsten Co Ltd. They are being reorganized as part of a national program to adjust and optimize the country's domestic rare earth industry. China South Rare Earth Group, Xiamen Tungsten and China Northern Rare Earth have already finished their restructuring. Among them, South Rare Earth Group is being integrated into four of the other firms, Ganzhou Rare Earth Group, Jiangxi Copper Cooperation, Jiangxi Rare Earth and Rare Metals Tungsten. As well as the restructuring, Xin said in future China will continue exercising tight controls on rare earth mining, smelting and production quotas, and investigate and prosecute illegal and unauthorized projects. The price of rare earths have fallen sharply due to overcapacity and illegal mining. Major global rare earth miners have been asked by governments to cut output. Last year, the ministry announced the first batch of rare earth production quotas, which included a 52,500-ton quota for mining, and a 50,050-ton quote for smelting. The ministry has said the country's rare earth industry is still considered strategically important within the 13th Five Year Plan (2016-20), and middle- and high-end application products are still expected to see rapid growth. "We will establish pilot testing, industrialization and application evaluation systems related to the real earth industry, relying on public technological service platforms," said Xin. Ding Haiyan, assistant general manager of Aluminum Corp, which is yet to complete its integration process, said the company will accelerate its plans this year, while scaling down annual output target. Ding said: "Our rare earth output was cut by 5 to 10 percent last year." A clerk counts yuan bills at a bank in Huaibei, East China's Anhui province. [Photo/IC] BEIJING - China's central bank is pumping huge flows of cash into the financial system via open market operations to stave off a pre-holiday liquidity squeeze. The People's Bank of China (PBOC) on Friday offered 100 billion yuan ($15.3 billion) of funds to the market, using reverse repurchase agreements (repo), a process in which central banks purchase securities from banks with agreements to resell them in the future. The move, following Tuesday's 440-billion-yuan reverse repo operations, the largest single-day liquidity injection in three years, and Thursday's injection of 340 billion yuan, has resulted in a net 690 billion yuan being pumped into the market this week. The central bank said on Thursday that it would temporarily increase the frequency of its open market operations to every working day around the Lunar New Year holiday, compared with previously twice a week -- on Tuesday and Thursday. The massive liquidity injection is intended to satisfy surging cash demand ahead of the week-long Lunar New Year holiday, which starts on Feb. 7. Following the cash injection, the Shanghai Interbank Offered Rate (Shibor), which measures the cost at which Chinese banks lend to one other, fell slightly to 1.989 percent on Friday. A tourist poses for a photo on board a hot air balloon flying over the UNESCO World Heritage Rock Cave site of Cappadocia in Turkey, June 22, 2012. [Photo/IC] HAIKOU - China will invest 20 percent more in its tourism industry this year than in 2015 in hope that the industry's annual revenue will rise by 10 percent, according to a senior tourism official. Investment will rise to 1.2 trillion yuan ($180 billion) and revenue to 4.55 trillion yuan, said Li Jinzao, head of the National Tourism Administration, at an industry conference on Friday. Chinese are expected to make 4.38 billion trips for tourism within China this year, up 9.5 percent on 2015, and revenue from their travels will rise by 11 percent year on year to 3.8 trillion yuan, said Li. A total of 263 million tourist trips are expected to be made by Chinese going abroad and foreigners coming into China in 2016, up 5 percent year on last year. Tourism is playing an increasingly important role in China's economic growth as the country is steering the economy from one led by investment to one more driven by consumption. The sector accounted for about 10.8 percent of total GDP growth and 10.2 percent of national employment last year. Two extra "hands" of China's top court heard more than 1,700 cases last year, helping residents solve disputes at home and relieving the burden of filing petitions in Beijing. As a part of judicial reforms to ease the pressure on the nation's top court and make it more convenient for litigants to file lawsuits, the First Circuit Court and the Second Circuit Court, which the Supreme People's Court established in January last year, have played a great role in improving judicial credibility. In 2015 alone, the First Circuit Court in Shenzhen - which is responsible for the provinces of Guangdong and Hainan, and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region - handled 898 cases, of which 843 have been concluded, according to the top court. Meanwhile, the Second Circuit Court in Shenyang - in charge of hearing cases in Heilongjiang, Liaoning and Jilin provinces - finished 810 of 876 disputes, the statement said. Most of the cases were commercial, civil and administrative disputes involving long-standing appeals or needing a retrial, it said. "The building of the circuit courts reduces the time and costs for local and regional litigants," said Liu Min, a chief judge of the First Circuit Court, adding that the move also motivated judges to solve disputes where the conflicts took place. Thirteen judges from the Second Circuit Court came to litigants' residences to read materials, open trials and have face-to-face communications 195 times last year, the statement added. "Providing convenience for residents to file lawsuits is one of the advantages of building the circuit courts," said Yu Zhengping, vice-president of the Second Circuit Court. The circuit courts have also eased the daily lineups of petitioners wanting to submit complaints or file appeals at a few central government offices in Beijing. The First Circuit Court accepted more than 10,000 petitions from the three regions in 2015, while Shenyang broke 33,000, the top court said. Zhao Xuguang, a law professor at China University of Political Sciences and Law, applauded the fruits of the circuit courts, saying that they also contributed to reducing local government interference. Although they are still part of a pilot project, he suggested extending the courts to other areas of the country. Shanxi province wants to prove that it is no mere coal producer, as it expands its economy into new areas to tap its economic potential. "We will develop the modern service sector as the new growth engine," said Wang Yixin, vice-governor of the province. A fresh GDP ranking listed Shanxi 30th out of 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities with a 3.1 percent growth rate, less than half the nation's average. Many attribute that to low prices of coal, the main product of the province, and are rather pessimistic about the province's goal of hitting a 6 percent GDP growth rate in 2016. However, Wang believes that financial services, aviation, exhibitions and e-commerce will help develop the province's economy. "We hope finance can not only support the real economy, but also be a new growth point," Wang told China Daily in an exclusive interview. "Shanxi has the tradition - in the early 1900s, Shanxi businesspeople opened the earliest domestic banks all over the nation." More local financial institutions are springing up, while more nationwide institutions, such as those involved in import and export, will open their branches in Shanxi within the year, he said. His words echo Premier Li Keqiang, who during an inspection tour to Shanxi earlier this month encouraged them to resort to the traditional Shanxi business spirit, the earliest version of finance in modern China. "Many renowned modern businesspeople, like Li Yanhong of Baidu, come from our province," Wang said. "Yet unlike Ma Yun, who founded Alibaba in his home province of Zhejiang, they established firms somewhere else. We need to improve our business environment." One of the keys to that is the e-commerce sector, Wang said, and in the last two years the province has seen immense progress in that area. For example, lecuntao.com serves as a trading platform for rural regions where most online shops do not provide service because of difficulties in transportation. It covers over 60,000 villages in 10 provinces. Another is gongtianxia.com, which began by selling local agricultural products from Shanxi and gradually enlarged its business to other agricultural provinces. It saw sales of 465 million yuan ($70.7 million) in 2014. "We need to pay as much attention to the new sector as to the coal industry," Wang said. In early 2015, local supermarket giant Meetall founded quanqiuwa.com to sell goods purchased from overseas via local third-party agents. Currently, over 2,000 shops employing 20,000 people have joined the website, serving consumers within and out of the province. "Even as the No 1 retailer in the province, we felt the challenge from online retailing," Meetall board chairman Chu Dequn said. "Last year we decided to go online, too." Zhang Zhouping, a senior researcher at independent think tank China E-Commerce Research Center, visited Taiyuan two months ago at the invitation of a local coal company that wished to found an online trading website. "It is more urgent for Shanxi to improve the soft rather than hard environment for e-commerce," Zhang said. "It must give up the idea of selling resources and focus on promoting interconnectivity. That's a change of philosophy, not only behavior," Zhang said. China must overcome hesitancy on the part of both municipal governments and rural residents in order to boost the numbers of migrants settling in cities, the country's top economic planner said. It's a challenge being addressed through incentives, according to Hu Zucai, vice-chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, who spoke at a news conference on Friday. Hu said a key document passed by the State Council a week ago includes incentives in support of the 2014 landmark Blueprint for New-Style Urbanization. The document asks all cities, except for a few of the largest such as Beijing and Shanghai, to ease restrictions to allow college graduates, skilled workers and overseas returnees to obtain household registration permits, or hukou. Hu acknowledged that although 771 million, or 56.1 percent of the Chinese population, worked and lived in cities by the end of 2015, those with urban hukou accounted for less than 37 percent of the population. That means nearly 20 percent of population lives in cities but is not entitled to public services such as healthcare. That rate falls short of the progress Beijing had hoped would be made by now toward its 2020 goal. Authorities set a target of having 60 percent of its citizens living in cities, with 45 percent having urban hukou, by 2020. Hu said current progress suggested that while the urbanization target could easily be reached or surpassed by 2020, the percentage of those with permits would be "difficult to achieve". "The hukou holder rate increase was impeded by two factors: local governments' reluctance and rural residents' wariness," Hu said. Raising the rate would require local governments to pour money into new residents' healthcare, housing and education, without immediately palpable benefits. Prospective rural migrants are hesitant because they worry that if they have an urban hukou, they would have to give up their entitlement to rural homes, he said. To persuade the two groups, the new document linked the number of migrant workers a local government assimilates to three prized quotas: the central government's transfer payments to local governments, permission to make more land available for construction and construction funding. Transfer payments are a key revenue source for local governments, contributing 30 percent of many local budgets in 2014and a much higher figure in underdeveloped regions. Urban construction land is increasingly scarce in major cities. The document promised that even if rural residents get an urban hukou, they could sell their land rights back home, or hold onto them if they prefer. Rudi Wolf provides professional advice to help rescue the miners since Dec 27, working over 15 hours per day. He said he was very happy after the miners were rescued. [Photo by Ju Chuanjiang/chinadaily.com.cn] For Rudi Wolf, from Germany, his experience as technical consultant for the rescue team at the site of the collapsed gypsum mine in Pingyi county, Shandong province in China, was most tiring and rewarding. "The job here has been the most difficult one in my life," Wolf said. Special: Shandong rescue Wolf, 55, who works for Prakla, a Germany company that specializes in drilling technologies, has about 35 years' working experience and has helped in similar rescue operations in other countries such as Germany and Chile, he said. "The reason that the rescue operation took so long is we have very, very bad ground here," Wolf said. Wolf said the underground space of the site of the collapse is extremely complex and unstable, making the drilling operations to rescue the four survivors very difficult. The underground space contains different layers made of materials such as claystone, gravel and limestone with caves, and "is hard and then it gets softer, and then it gets hard again and then soft again". The drilling teams had to change drilling methods constantly to cope with the complex underground geology and frequent breakdowns, he said. Guan Guojun (Middle) patiently waits for his father,Guan Qingji, to be realeased from the intensive care unit. Guan Qingji is the third trapped miner lifted to the ground on Friday. Photo taken on Saturday by Ju Chuanjiang/chinadaily.com.cn Special: Shandong rescue When Guan Qingji, a 58-year-old signal worker, was pulled out on Friday night by rescuers, Guan Guojun, Guan Qingji's son, could not help but jump off his seat in front of his television and shout. Guan Qingji had been trapped more than 200 meters underground for 36 days in the collapsed gypsum mine in Pingyi county, Shandong province. "I was so glad and I could not find any words to express my feelings," he said. "The past month has been a torture for us, and it is over." Brazil urged its neighbors on Wednesday to unite in fighting the Zika virus, blamed for a surge in brain-damaged babies, as airlines offered refunds to pregnant mothers afraid to travel to the country. Brazil has been the country hardest hit by the outbreak of the mosquito-borne virus, which is blamed for a sharp rise in infants born with microcephaly, or abnormally small heads. The outbreak is particularly concerning officials as the country prepares to host the Olympic Games, which will bring hundreds of thousands of travelers from around the world to Rio de Janeiro in August. China Northern Rare Earth (Group) High-tech Co Ltd said on Oct 13 that it was effecting a 10 percent reduction in its rare earth output target, as prices have fallen sharply due to oversupply and illegal mining. The company, China's largest rare earth miner, said its reduced rare earth output for this year would be 2,596 metric tons. The move, the company said, will "help stabilize the market and prop up prices of rare earth products". An informed source told China Daily that the company was asked by the government to cut its output target in September, after prices fell more than expected, and many rare earth mining firms slipped into the red. "The other five major rare earth miners will also roll out measures to cut their output targets for this year," the source said. "We hope this will bring normalcy to the industry and relieve the pressures caused by a glut in the market." Operating revenue of the company rose 35 percent to 3.2 billion yuan ($502 million) for the first half of this year, but its profit was only 260 million yuan, up a mere 2 percent for the same period. The average prices of neodymium iron boron permanent magnets made out of rare earths and used in strategic industries such as smartphones, military and airplane equipment, have plummeted since 2011. Prices fell to their lowest this year, as China decided to drop export quotas in January, and announced cancellation of rare earth export tariffs in April, in a bid to curtail smuggling. Meanwhile, the sharp drop in prices has boosted overseas sales of rare earths, as foreign buyers are going on a shopping spree, taking advantage of low prices. China, the world's largest rare earth supplier, exported 3,658 tons of rare earths in July, the highest level in four years, double the amount from a year earlier. However, the average prices have witnessed a drop of about 30 percent. During the first three quarters of this year, about 23,400 tons of rare earths were exported to countries like the United States and Japan, data from the General Administration of Customs showed. Chen Zhanheng, deputy secretary-general of the Association of China Rare Earth Industry, said that the curbs on production are expected to push up prices in the short term. However, technology will be the key to solving the problems faced by the rare earth industry in the long term. "Companies will have to shift to downstream business to absorb the excess production," Chen said. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced the first batch of rare earth production quotas in 2015. This includes a quotas of 52,500 tons for rare earth mining and another 50,050 tons of rare earths smelting and separating production quotas. lvchang@chinadaily.com.cn Train attendants prepare to board at Nanjing Station, East China's Jiangsu province, Nov 10, 2015.[Photo/Xinhua] This Spring Festival holiday will see at least 2.91 billion people travel across the country in less than 40 days, with many of them using high-speed trains. Indeed, high-speed trains have become a source of pride for China, but that should not prevent the authorities from taking measures to not only strengthen railway hardware but also further improve on-board services. That may better justify them as a symbol of industrial upgrading. For example, the authorities should introduce inexpensive packaged meals on all high-speed trains as they promised. According to China Railway Corporation, by the end of 2015 the country had 121,000 kilometers of railways, including the world's longest high-speed railway of 19,000 km. But the on-board and off-board management, especially when it comes to catering service, is hardly as impressive. The 15-yuan ($2.3) meal boxes, which should have been available 24x7 on all high-speed and bullet trains by now, as required by the CRC a year ago, were reportedly sold out on a high-speed train from Nanjing in East China's Jiangsu province to Shanghai within 10 minutes of its departure. Like most passengers, not once has this correspondent been informed of the customer-friendly meal box (or the 2-yuan prepackaged drinking water) while traveling by high-speed trains. More often, attendants in uniform push trolleys full of "nutritious set meals" costing more than 40 yuan and other foodstuff back and forth trying to avoid questions about the less expensive deals. There is good news, though, as Germany, a global industrial leader, is seeking further collaboration in railway technology with China. Deutsche Bahn AG, Germany's largest state-owned railways company, is opening its first international procurement office in Shanghai after identifying some 40 potential suppliers of train products in China. Cai Meng/China Daily Get out of the kitchen and relax. The Chinese New Year caterers are on their way "Let me propose a toast to her majesty the Queen, the President of the Republic and all her ministers and to all my friends. But most of all, here's to you, my family, for being here." If you have ever dreamed of being Cinderella or a handsome prince at a state ball or dinner, dream no longer. The invitations have been issued and you are at the top of the VIP list. The date: Feb 7, Chinese New Year's Eve. Venue: Your place (as long as you are in Beijing or Tianjin). Time: About midnight. Dress: Whatever you like. The food: To be supplied, at a modest charge, of course, by the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, which has decades of experience in serving the world's most powerful people in fine style. The home-delivery catering industry has grown immensely over the past couple of years, and the tablecloth for eat-at-home dining has stretched to the traditional Chinese New Year's Eve dinner. Not only that, but Diaoyutai Food and Biotechnology, a business Diaoyutai State Guesthouse set up in late 2015, announced in Beijing last month that some of the guesthouse's signature state-banquet dishes are to be sold on the Chinese online shopping website Tmall. Cai Meng/China Daily The lunar new year gives many young Chinese a lot to look forward to, and at least one thing to dread It's that time of year when all over China those of a particular age wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night worrying about what is about to befall them. Shortly they will face a patience-testing trek home crammed into trains with thousands of others just as on edge as they are, and at the end of this journey the final dose of morale-draining torture, administered orally just as they begin to unwind from their trip, will be dispensed by their loving parents: "Why are you still single?" It's a ritual of Spring Festival that millions in their late 20s or early 30s face, and everyone handles it in their own way, even as the more positive aspects of the occasion - hugs, chatting and laughing around the meal table and the distribution of red gift envelopes - proceed as they should. "I really can't face going home," a friend from Guangzhou tells me. "It was my father's birthday last week, and that day I called my mother. Do you know what she said? 'Your grandfather is going to have a serious talk with you.' I know exactly what he's going to say: 'You must get married.'" She is the only one in the family's third generation who is single. "I just don't get it," she says. "Why should they care about it? What has my being married or not got to do with them?" This woman is in her mid 30s and has worked in Beijing for 15 years. Life is comfortable, and she owns a small, comfortable apartment in a nice area. She has had a boyfriend for nearly 10 years, and every weekend she takes a one-hour trip on the subway to see him, staying with him and his parents over the weekend, before returning home on Sunday night. Chinese marine surveillance ship Haijian No. 46 (L) tries to approach towards Japanese fishing boats (2nd and 3rd from front) while a Japan Coast Guard boat sails (front), in the East China Sea, near Diaoyu islands, in this photo taken by Kyodo May 26, 2013. [Photo/Agencies] Beijing urges Washington to "be cautious in words and actions in regard to the Diaoyu Islands issue", the Ministry of National Defense said on Friday, a stern warning over recent remarks by a top United States Navy official. Harry Harris, commander of the US Pacific Command, spoke about Chinese territory in the East China Sea on Wednesday at a Washington think tank event. Referring to the islands, Harris said: "We will clearly defend them if they are attacked by China," Japan's Kyodo News Agency reported. In a written reply to China Daily on Friday, the Chinese ministry said: "China has taken notice of the relevant report," adding that the Chinese military's determination to safeguard regional peace and stability is "unswerving". It is hoped the US side will "take tangible efforts in safeguarding the peace and stability in the region as well as the big picture of China-US relations", the ministry said. Ruan Zongze, vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies, noted that US President Barack Obama promised over two years ago to honor US treaty obligations in defending the islands. Ruan called Harris' remarks aimed at encouraging Japan to be bold in its military actions there. "As Washington attempts to make Tokyo part of its so-called patrols in the South China Sea, it has to make an additional offer, some more defense commitments, in exchange," Ruan said. Harris is actually encouraging Japan's self-defense forces to play a bigger role and boost its equipment, Ruan added. Teng Jianqun, a senior expert on US studies at the CIIS, said Washington's outspoken remarks and its security commitments made to treaty allies in Asia "often go further than its actions", leading to a drastic mismatch. Although it seems embarrassing to have such mismatches, it is unlikely Washington will break away from such a pattern, Teng said. In addition to his comments on the East China Sea, Harris also drew Beijing's criticism for his comments on the South China Sea situation when speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Wednesday. Harris said the US will continue to challenge China's position on the South China Sea. He also said his personal view is that "those islands do not belong to China". On Thursday night, Yang Yujun, the ministry's spokesman, said: "Such remarks astonish me as they completely lack historical common sense." Peace and stability in the South China Sea should be safeguarded by China and the ASEAN countries, and, "We do not need countries outside the region finger-pointing on this issue, let alone making any ignorant remarks," Yang said. BEIJING - China on Saturday urged the United States to respect and abide by its laws, and not to undermine the mutual trust and regional peace and stability. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying made the remarks as reports said a US Navy guided-missile destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of Zhongjian Dao, Xisha Islands. According to the China's law on the territorial sea and contiguous zone, foreign warships entering China's territorial waters must be approved by the Chinese government. "The US warship violated Chinese law and entered China' s territorial sea without authorization. The Chinese side conducted surveillance and vocal warnings to the US warship," Hua said. (Photo : Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images) Malaysian authorities have announced that Chinese visitors will be allowed to stay in the country without a visa for 15 days this year between March and December this year. Advertisement Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced on Thursday that Chinese tourists will no longer need to acquire a visa to enter the country. Hamidi said that between March 1 and December 31 this year, Chinese nationals will be allowed to stay in Malaysia without a visa for a maximum of 15 days. Malaysia aims to attract eight million Chinese tourists over the next few years, a big step from last year's 1.3 million Chinese tourists. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The government hopes that the Chinese visitors can boost the tourism sector by RM 22.1 billion. Although this may sound ambitious, the deputy prime minister is optimistic. "The RM22.1 billion spending power may seem very big but it is not impossible to garner because every Chinese tourist spends on the average RM3,345 now on food, lodging and shopping," he said. The government will also streamline the implementation of e-Visa to several countries to help other foreign tourists easily enjoy what Malaysia has to offer. "The presence of tourists with their spending power will give an immediate effect to national economic growth because we find that their spending habit has a positive impact on the economy of our country," he said. Hamidi said that tourism agencies such as Tourism Malaysia will receive assistance to further promote the sector through tourism advertisements and promotional activities. The deputy prime minister also hopes that Malaysian artists in China will also help attract tourists. "It is hoped that tourism-related agencies will also promote other states abroad, without solely depending on the state governments to do this, because everything is for the good of the Malaysian tourism sector," he said. Furthermore, Hamidi said that the money allocated should be spent effectively and towards improving the national economy, hinting a subtle warning against corrupt officials. Advertisement Tagsmalaysia china, Malaysia invites Chinese tourists, Malaysia tourism, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (Photo : BAC Mono) BAC Mono, the world's first ever race car for public roads, is set to be launched in China after the Lunar New Year celebrations. Advertisement A car that can go as fast as 96.5 kilometers per hour in 2.8 seconds is set to debut in mainland China after the Spring Festival, Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) told Xinhua. The BAC Mono, the only single seat racing car built to run on public roads, is described as the ultimate 'road beast.' Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The company plans to launch the car in Beijing. Its founders, brothers Nick and Ian Briggs, are positive that BAC Mono will become a 'big boy' accessory for young executives in China's big cities. "This car is aimed at a niche market, as an accessory, just as a Rolex watch would be," Neil Briggs said. Briggs said that the fact that the brand is from Britain will make it an instant eye-candy in China, apart from its hand-crafted beauty. BAC is based in Liverpool, England. "The main challenge we have in China is to get road-legal status. We currently sell our cars to a number of countries which have passed it to be driven on public roads. It is really about educating people about the car, and we hope to use agencies such as the United Kingdom Trade and Investment (UKTI) to help us." As for the launch, Briggs told Xinhua that the company will wait until the end of Spring Festival and is already eyeing Beijing and Shanghai to be the first cities to have BAC Mono. With the car's launch in China, Briggs said that the company hopes to find their first female customer in the mainland. The car is worth $235,000 (1.5 million) without delivery price and taxes. The car debuted in Hong Kong in November 2015. Advertisement TagsBriggs Automotive Company, BAC Mono, racecar for public roads, China automotive industry, UK China relations (Photo : Photo by Ashley Pon/Getty Images) Taiwanese workers protest against pension reforms on Labor Day in Taipei in 2013. A study by Yes123 has revealed that a majority of Taiwanese workers prefer high-paying jobs abroad. Advertisement Taiwan's unemployment rate might rise as a survey has revealed that 87 percent of Taiwanese want to leave their current job after the Chinese Lunar New Year. Yes123, a career website where people can post and find jobs, released a research on Thursday detailing the perspectives of Taiwan's labor sector. Up to 1,148 full-time employees participated in the study. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement According to the website, 78 percent of the people polled said they want to work abroad. Hong Kong and Macau were favorites, with 41 percent choosing them as dream job destinations. Japan was close with 40 percent, the United States with 39 percent, Southeast Asia with 32.8 percent, and Australia and New Zealand with 30.3 percent. Canada, mainland China, Europe, South Korea, and India were also included. "Overseas job seekers tend to negotiate higher salaries to help cover the extra costs of working abroad. This shows the Taiwanese workers' strong motivation work abroad," said Yang Tsung-pin, spokesperson of Yes123. The workers' monthly salary will increase by 119 percent when they work overseas compared to their salary in Taiwan. "Taiwan's new government should come up with solutions to the problem of stagnant salaries and low wages by pushing transformation and upgrades of industry infrastructure," Yang added. Taiwan's regular monthly wage was NT$36,678 ($1,150) in the first 11 months of 2015. As heads turn to foreign countries, Taiwanese workers hope that their monthly salaries can reach NT$84,700 ($2,500). In an earlier report by Yes123, 72.9 percent out of 1,308 people surveyed wished for an 11.3 percent wage hike for the New Year, as well as a better job. Advertisement TagsTaiwan unemployment rate, labor sector, Taiwanese workers, working abroad (Photo : Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) Relatives of two murdered women have voiced their dissatisfaction after a court in Taiwan reduced the sentenced of Wu Min-cheng, who has been found guilty of killing both women, from a death sentence to life imprisonment. Advertisement Taiwan's high court on Wednesday retracted its ruling of death penalty and changed it to life imprisonment for a convicted murderer. The convict, Wu Min-cheng has been found guilty of killing two women, both his former lovers, in separate incidents. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Wu was in a relationship with one of his co-workers surnamed Tang in 1993. He killed her by stabbing her with a knife multiple times, earning him a ticket to jail. When he was on parole in 2009, he shot Huang, a kindergarten teacher, in the head after learning that she wanted to break up with him. He was found guilty and sentenced to death for Huang's death in 2009, with a second retrial resulting in a similar ruling. However, a third retrial held on Wednesday saw the court withdraw the death sentence and change it to life imprisonment. It is important to note the Wu is a wealthy man. "The government and the justice system kept on giving Wu a chance, but who gave the two women he killed a chance to live? The system allowed Wu to renew his life and gave him parole after the first murder, which resulted in Huang's death. Who can give her a chance to live again?" Huang's brother said. Chen Cheng-yu, convener of the Alliance Against the Abolishment of Capital Punishment, is also against the decision. "The value of a human life should not be measured by money. It is one thing that Wu is wealthy and he can pay compensation, but it is another matter if the family are not willing to accept his apology," Chen said. Wu and his lawyers negotiated a settlement worth NT$2.2 million ($65,199) with Huang's family. Wu reportedly cried during the retrial and knelt down in front of Huang's family, begging for their forgiveness. "The judge says this man can be rehabilitated. It is impossible. We do not believe this can happen. This man is cunning and acting to elicit sympathy from the judge," Huang's brother added. The latest ruling could still be appealed. Advertisement TagsTaiwan high court, Wu Min-cheng, death penalty to life sentence, life imprisonment, convicted murder (Photo : Reuters) A military sentry (above) guards a missile site in this photo taken in North Korea. Camouflage screens on North Korea's Sohae (also called "Tongchang-ri") rocket launching site impede a precise assessment of Pyongyang's progress toward a test launch, according to one expert. Nonetheless, the country is thought to be preparing for a long-range missile launch. Advertisement North Korea may be preparing a missile test in defiance of international sanctions and a new United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resoultion condemning Pyongyang for detonating what it claims was a small hydrogen bomb earlier this month, experts have said. New information based on satellite imagery of North Korea's Sohae Satellite Launching Station suggests Pyongyang is preparing to launch a long-range ballistic missile, with camouflage panels erected in key parts of the facility apparently meant to obstruct satellite surveillance. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement "We predict that North Korea's next significant military provocation will be carried out in a surprising manner," said Kim Min-seok, spokesman for the South Korean defense ministry, at a press conference on Thursday in Seoul. The new information comes on the heels of a new UNSC resolution condemning North Korea for its latest underground nuclear test. Some observers have raised concerns that a rocket launch coming so soon after a nuclear test could mean that North Korea plans to load nuclear warheads onto its long-range ballistic missiles. Experts have said this would give Pyongyang the capability to launch a nuclear strike on Japan, South Korea and the US western seaboard. China's Predicament CBS News reports that many South Korean experts see the North's continued military provocations as a carefully calculated move, "with tangible objectives." North Korea's testing of a long-range missile is likely to push Seoul toward the deployment the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile systems championed and manufactured by the US and vehemently opposed by China. The radar systems of the THAAD missile arrays extend well into Chinese borders, and their deployment could spark a diplomatic row between Beijing and Seoul. Professor Kim Han-kwon of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy in Seoul believes the provocations are part of a North Korean strategy to isolate China -- its only remaining ally -- from the rest of the international community. China is under increasing pressure to impose crippling sanctions against Pyongyang, but Beijing has so far avoided concrete steps toward punishing its troublesome ally for fear that a political collapse in the North would spill chaos into Chinese territory. The UNSC impasse has already put into stark focus a division between China and the US and its allies in the council. "North Korea appears to be intent on driving a wedge between the US and China," Kim told South Korea's YTN news network. "From North Korea's perspective, a schism between China and the US is the ideal situation." He said a new long-range missile test would wheedle the US and its allies to push for stronger sanctions against Pyongyang, which would in turn force China to defend its wayward neighbor. "Because of the strategic interests at stake, China will be forced to further embrace North Korea," Kim added. Suspicious Movements In a report published by the 38 North website, scientist Jack Liu says the camouflage screens on the North Korean missile site impede a precise assessment of Pyongyang's progress toward a test launch. Some analysts have speculated that the North may also be using an underground railway to transport parts of the rocket to the facility, making movement impossible to track from space. "If North Korea follows previous pre-launch preparation activities, we would expect to see in the coming days increased site-wide activity," Liu said, predicting the appearance of tracking equipment and more movement around the launch area's fuel bunkers and launch pad. Previous analysis on 38 North conducted by academics from America's Johns Hopkins University accurately identified preparations for Pyongyang's last missile launch in December 2012, and its nuclear test blast on January 6. Both Tokyo and Seoul have put their defense forces on alert, and several South Korean media outlets have reported that Japan is considering the deployment of missiles to shoot down North Korean rockets that enter Japanese airspace. "We will take steps to respond, but I will refrain from revealing specific measures given the nature of the situation," said Japanese defense minister Gen Nakatani on Friday when asked about Japan's defensive preparations. Advertisement Tagschina north korea, North Korea nuclear test, UN security council violations (Photo : Photo by Greg Wood - Pool/Getty Images) China offers sonar-equipped Hai Jui 101 ship to Australia to support search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Advertisement The Chinese government will send a top-of-the-line sonar-equipped ship to aid the Australian government in search of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370. Australian Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss on Friday announced the addition of China's Dong Hai Jiu 101 to Australia's search operation in the Southern Indian Ocean. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement "The ship has recently been refitted and will be equipped with the ProSAS-60, a 6000-meter depth-rated synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) towed system," Truss said. Experts say that the SAS is notches higher than the standard 75 kHz side-scan sonars that the Australian government was using to search the 120,000 square-kilometer search area. In comparison, an image seen by a standard acoustic sonar will be more pixelated as the distance between the sonar and the object increases, but with the SAS, the image remains clear despite the long distance. Truss said that Chinese Premier Li Keqiang offered the ship to Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in November last year. The Dong Hai Jiu 101 is currently docked at Singapore and will leave for Australia on Sunday. "It will commence operations in the search area towards the end of February," Truss said. "The ProSAS-60 will be operated by Phoenix International Holdings and Hydrospheric Solutions. Both companies have experience in the search for MH370 having previously operated on the search vessel GO Phoenix." Dong Hai Jiu 101 is the fourth vessel that will join the operation alongside Fugro Discovery, Fugro Equator, and Havila Harmony. According to Fugro Survey, operator of the three other vessels, they prefer using a reliable sonar system. Company director Paul Kennedy said that SAS is still a developing technology and its reliability is not guaranteed 100 percent. Kennedy said that because they are searching a very remote area, the company chose to use established technology "with ready supplies of spare parts." Incidentally, Fugro Discovery lost its sonar unit and a 4.5-kilometer cable last week when the equipment passed an underwater volcano. It is now headed to the Fremantle port for new supplies. More than 85,000 square kilometers have been covered since 2014 in search of the remains of flight MH370 that mysteriously vanished. Aboard the plane were 239 people, 154 of them are Chinese. Advertisement Tagssearch for flight MH370, Australia China relations, Australia Deputy Prime Minister, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (Photo : Photo by Andy Wong - Pool /Getty Images) Adm. Harry B. Harris, Jr., U.S. Navy Commander, U.S. Pacific Command, left, and Fan Changlong, vice-chairman of China's Central Military Commission. China has cautioned Washington over Harris' comments regarding the East China Sea. Advertisement China has advised the United States to be cautious in its words and actions with regards to the disputed Diaoyu Islands. The Ministry of National Defense served hte stern warning to Washington on Friday after learning about the recent comments of a top United States Navy official. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command Harry Harris made a remark about the contested territory in the East China Sea saying "We will clearly defend them if they are attacked by China", Japan's Kyodo News Agency quoted him saying. This remark was made during an event in Washington. "China has taken notice of the relevant report," the national defense ministry said, adding that China's determination to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity in Diaoyu Islands will not falter. The ministry expressed hope that the U.S. will consider China-U.S. relations and will continue to maintain peace and stability in the region. Ruan Zongze, the vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies, recalls President Barack Obama's statement over two years ago that the U.S. will uphold treaty obligations in defending the islands. Ruan believes that the statement was aimed at encouraging Japan to make bold military actions in the Diaoyu Islands. He added that Tokyo needs to show some defense commitment in exchange for Washington's help in safeguarding the East China Sea. With the commander's statement, Ruan believes that the .S.is calling on Japan's self-defense forces to increase its role and advance its equipment. Aside from Harris' remarks on the East China Sea, he also earned Beijing's ire for speaking on the South China Sea situation during an event at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Wednesday. Harris's questioned China's territorial claims in the area. He added that the U.S. will continue to challenge China's position on the South China Sea. Meanwhile, China's National Security Ministry's spokesman Yang Yujun has expressed surprised over the remarks by the commander. Management of peace and stability in the South China Sea should be handled by China and the ASEAN countries, he said. Advertisement TagsASEAN, Territorial disputes in the South China Sea, Diaoyu Island, China-Japan Diaoyu Island Dispute, china warns US (Photo : Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) Carriers of Zika virus, the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, but health authorities have downplayed the possibility of an outbreak of the virus in the country. Advertisement The National Health and Family Planning Commission said on Friday that although the mainland is at risk of the Zika virus, there is a low possibility of an outbreak. Travelers from different parts of the world are expected to increase in the following weeks with the celebration of the Chinese Lunar New Year on February 8, raising the possibility of importing Zika virus from outside the mainland. No case has been reported in China thus far. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement "The risk for cases to be imported into China is quite high," George Gao, deputy director general of the Chinese Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told Bloomberg. The Zika virus is terrorizing Latin America and the Carribean, and is expected to enter North America. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there could be three to four million cases of Zika virus in the Americas. The virus is believed to be the cause of microcephaly in the region. Since the outbreak in 2014, the number of infants born with microcephaly or abnormally small heads has increased. The government of Latin American countries have been extremely alarmed that they have urged women to avoid getting pregnant until 2017. But the CDC is optimistic that should a case of Zika virus enters the country, the cold weather will keep it from spreading too much. Nevertheless, they warned the public to be extra vigilant and watch out for symptoms which include joint pains, headache, muscle and eye pains, fever, rash, and conjunctivitis. The CDC assured that they already developed testing reagents to diagnose the virus. "China has made huge progress in technologies and acts more swiftly in response to any outbreak of infectious disease 12 years after the SARS outbreak," said He Xiong, deputy director of the Beijing CDC. Carriers of Zika virus, the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, are found in large areas in Southern China, but the CDC is now training health professionals to identify and treat the virus. It added that they will work with WHO to monitor the outbreak in other regions. Advertisement TagsZika virus outbreak, Zika virus in China, Zika virus cases in China, China Center of Disease Control and Prevention (Photo : Photo by Ashley Pon/Getty Images) Criminal Investigation Bureau search through the crash site where TransAsia Airways flight GE222 crashed the night before near the airport at Magong on July 24, 2014 in Penghu Island, Taiwan. Advertisement Taiwan's Aviation Safety Council (ASC) released a detailed report on Friday about the TransAsia flight that crashed on July 2014. The TransAsia Airways Flight 222 departed from Kaohsiung Airport on July 23, 2014, and was supposed to land at the Magong Airport in Penghu, Taiwan. There were 58 people on the plane - 54 passengers and four crew members. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The force of impact and a post-impact fire is reported to have destroyed the plane. The investigation found out that the crew of four aboard the plane broke many standard operating procedures (SOP), causing the death of 48 people and injuring many others as the aircraft crash landed into a residential area near Magong Airport. Only 10 people survived. "The crew's recurring non-compliance with SOPs constituted an operating culture in which high-risk practices were routine and considered normal," the report said. The report said that the captain flew the aircraft below the safe minimum descent altitude (MDA) even though they are not aware of the runway environment because of the weather. There was a thunderstorm at the time, bringing visibility issues and changes in wind direction and speed. "The captain was likely overconfident in his flying skills. That might lead to his decision to continue the approach below the minimum descent altitude without an appreciation of the safety risks associated with that decision," the report notes. Meanwhile, the first officer did not question the captain's action and even "collaborated with the captain's intentional descent below the MDA." Analysis revealed that the captain's performance was probably affected by his fatigue from the multiple flights and duty time in the previous months. "The aircraft's hazardous flight path was not detected and corrected by the crew in due time to avoid the collision with the terrain, suggesting that the crew lost situational awareness about the aircraft's position during the latter stages of the approach," the report said. The report noted that the crew failed to recognize the need for a new approach until the plane was so low that that collision with the terrain was unavoidable. None of the flight crew recognized the need for a missed approach until the aircraft reached the point (72 feet, 0.5 nautical mile beyond the missed approach point) where collision with the terrain became unavoidable. Advertisement TagsTransAsia flight 222, TransAsia Airways, Taiwan plane crash, Aviation Safety Council (Photo : Photo by Ashley Pon/Getty Images for Autism Speaks) The owners of Taipei 101 are looking to diversify visitors of the tallest building in Taiwan over concerns that the number of Chinese tourists to the island nation may be dropping. Advertisement Taipei 101, formerly Taipei World Financial Center, aims to diversify its visitors over concerns of being too much reliant on Chinese tourists. Taipei 101 is the tallest building in Taiwan. It was named the tallest building in the world in 2004 until Dubai's Burj Khalifa dethroned it in 2009. Taipei 101 currently houses an observatory, a wide variety of shops, restaurants, and offices of private companies. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Taipei 101 is owned by Taipei Financial Center Corporation. Official data showed that 2.96 million people visited the observatory on the building's 89th floor in 2015. This represents a 30 percent year-on-year rise - an increase of more than 700,000 visitors. But, according to Taipei 101 spokesman Michael Liu, Chinese visitors from the mainland decreased. "The number of visitors from China, which accounts for about 60 percent of the total, dropped by about 10 percent in the run-up to the January 16 presidential and legislative elections," Liu said at a press conference on Thursday. The company fears that the market of mainland tourists is unstable, leaving Taiwan vulnerable if they only depend on that one market. Taipei 101 already has its eyes on the Middle East and Southeast Asian markets. Efforts to attract visitors from South Korea, Europe, and the Americas are also underway. The building's owners are also considering a Muslim prayer room so visitors from Indonesia and the Middle East can relax and experience a friendly environment in the building. They also encouraged restaurants in the building to acquire a Halal certificate, a document that ensures that the products in an establishment are safe and follow the Islamic law. Advertisement TagsTaiwan China tourism, Taipei 101, Muslim friendly places, tallest building in Taiwan Baptist state paper editors express concerns over lack of transparency in IMB changes 29 January, 2016 by CE Staff , | RICHMOND, Va. (Christian Examiner)Southern Baptist state newspaper editors are expressing concern over what they have said is a lack of transparency from the denomination's international missions agency during its recent staff and missionary force reduction. [David Platt's] absence is disturbing to a number of people including myself. He is the face of the IMB. Since the announcement was made, he has not been available to Baptist state paper editors. Last August, in what was designated as a first phase of the International Mission Board's organizational "reset," the IMB announced the need to eliminate 600 to 800 positionsboth staff and missionaryin an effort to turn around a $210 million shortfall since 2010. On Jan. 14 the IMB announced that it was eliminating its Communications Center and 30 staff communications positions. At least two state Baptist newspaper editors published editorials this week questioning the way the moves have been handled by IMB President David Platt, particularly challenging his perceived lack of transparency and openness. "I'm troubled by the lack of communication coming from the IMB especially with the news last week that the Richmond Communications Center has been eliminated, and 30 of 40 people lost their jobs," wrote Lonnie Wilkey, editor of the Tennessee Baptist and Reflector, a publication of the Tennessee Baptist Convention. Wilkey noted the IMB had not yet released the names of missionaries who accepted the voluntary retirement offers by the agency at the end of last year. He asked why the IMB needed to eliminate the 30 positions at all if the reports are accurate that the number of people who accepted the retirement offer relieved the financial burden proposed as the reason for the RIF. "That's just one of the questions that IMB President David Platt has not shown a willingness to answer. His absence is disturbing to a number of people including myself," Wilkey wrote. "He is the face of the IMB. Since the announcement was made, he has not been available to Baptist state paper editors." Bob Terry, the longtime editor of The Alabama Baptist, expressed similar concerns. He noted that while Platt has the authority to reorganize the IMB's structure and complete communications tasks "in the way he deems best," he has the responsibility to do it "transparently" before Southern Baptists. "IMB may be a corporation, but it is not like a private business," Terry wrote. "At its core Southern Baptists are a volunteer body which demands transparency and open communication in order to function effectively." Terry noted that the IMB had signaled that regular IMB communications work would be done by the IMB's global communications teams based in London and Chiang Mai, Thailand. He also said that sources are suggesting that the Brentwood, Tenn., organization "The A Group," which markets Platt's "Radical" organization, will be used in the entity's communications plans. Terry expressed doubt about whether outside public relations firms will be able to tell effectively the story of SBC missions abroad. He suggested that eliminating IMB storytellers could negatively impact the agency's ability to connect with Southern Baptists and mobilize them to pray for, give to and participate in missions. An article by Baptist Press described a Jan. 20 conference call between the IMB and state Baptist paper editors less than a week after the elimination of the communications positions. According to the article, the IMB and the editors had different goals from the outset. IMB leaders were attempting to gather questions and information for Platt ahead of a Feb. 16 meeting between him and the editors. The editors were hoping the conference call would lead to additional details about the IMB decision. In the conference call Gary Ledbetter, editor of the Southern Baptist TEXAN, told IMB leaders that state papers "have always appreciated the news coverage from the field and basically world-class photography that we get from the IMB" and Baptist journalists "expect it to continue." He added that state editors need help in understanding the changes in strategy occurring at the IMB and expressed frustration that getting that information has seemed "difficult." Baptist Press shared five questions editors asked during that conference call that the IMB was not prepared to answer. What website or person will provide journalists with articles and photographs going forward? Why has Platt not yet discussed communications cuts and strategy changes with members of the Baptist media? Will Platt address the media before his meeting with state paper leaders Feb. 16? Were IMB trustees informed of the Richmond Communications Center closure before it was announced? What roles are served by communications personnel who were retained? Despite the questions raised by state paper editors, Baptist Press reported that they expressed, on multiple occasions during the call, their continued support for the IMB and its leadership. A massive water main break has caused a geyser to shoot up and flood parts of Bowie, Maryland on Friday morning. The 24-inch water main break led to an approximated three million gallons of water bursting out onto the streets, flooding Mitchellville Road at 5:30 AM, according to the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC). Due to the recent blizzard that buried Bowie under an approximate two feet of snow, shutting down the water's main valves will take a few hours, said officials. Local civilians living around Mitchell Road area stated that while they were using water, they noticed the color of the water changing from clear to murky. In the past month, Maryland had a few recurring incidents of water breaks. First, there was a water main break on Cranbrook Road, said an official. Furthermore, he said, When the bus went over it this morning, part of the roadway collapsed and the back end of the bus fell into a sinkhole. A school bus near Baltimore County school was on its way to Dulaney High School when all of a sudden, it was stuck in a sinkhole after water main break back in January 6, 2016. Out of the blue, the bus came to an abrupt stop and lunged forward as the bus plunged into the pavement. With the power of two massive tow trucks, the bus was safely taken out of the sink hole. The road was jammed and ice was scattered everywhere. Baltimore also faced devastating water breaks near Dukeland Street and Gwynns Falls Parkway around 9 p.m. on January 13, 2016. Department of Public Works spokesman Jeff Raymond stated that the team worked vigorously through the night to shut down the water to the 36 inch line. In addition, they checked the surrounding area basements for potential flooding and salt trucks had a graveyard shift to make sure the road was clear from ice build-up. The following schools closed the next morning because of the water break: Gwynns Falls Elementary, ConneXions, and the Maryland academy of Tech and Health Sciences. According to Baltimore City Schools, these three schools did not resume for the weekend. A good chunk of Mitchellville Road will remain closed the midst of fixing the water break in Bowie due to the geyser. Britain First condemned by UK Churches Far-right political party Britain First has been criticised by every major Christian denomination in the UK, according to the Huffington Post today. The group recently held a "Christian Patrol" in Luton, during which members brandished wooden crosses and claimed to be defending "Christian values" while handing out anti-Islam newspapers to Muslims. Although the march and others like it have only attracted marchers in their tens, a video of the Luton patrol has been viewed more than 21 million times on Facebook. As stated on its website, Britain First's first principle is a commitment to "the maintenance of British national sovereignty, independence and freedom". It campaigns primarily against mass immigration, and its rhetoric repeatedly calls for a return to 'Christian culture'. Former BNP councillor Paul Golding, who has led Britain First since 2011, defended his party's stance in an interview with Christian Today in 2014, insisting that Britain "is built on Christianity". Golding said: "Jesus Christ did use physical violence according to the Gospels in the temple in Jerusalem, and he met a very violent end. He preached love and forgiveness etc, but he also said he didn't come to bring peace; he came to bring division and a sword, he came to bring fire upon the world to sort the world out." When asked how he reconciled discriminatory policies with a Christian ethos, he responded: "Quite easily." However, representatives from 14 major British Christian Churches and groups told the Huffington Post that Britain First does not represent their views. "They [the actions of Britain First] are deeply provocative, self-fulfilling, self-serving and not recognisably actions motivated by Christian faith," the Bishop of Bedford, Rt Revd Richard Atkinson, said. On behalf of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, Rev. Dr. Damian Howard S.J. added: "It's extremely painful for any Christian when the name of Jesus Christ is hijacked to justify hatred and to spread fear and mistrust. It is actually a kind of blasphemy." He said he had "no hesitation in denouncing their [Britain First's] crude and divisive tactics as totally contrary to the true spirit of Christian love." "Catholics and others will follow the spiritual leadership of Pope Francis who encourages us all to welcome the stranger and to set out on the path of dialogue with people of other religions" Other denominations that distanced themselves from Britain First and its divisive rhetoric included the Presbyterian Church, the Methodist Church and the Baptist Church. Director of advocacy at the Evangelical Alliance, Dr David Landrum said: "Let's get this straight. Britain First do not speak for Christians. Their message of hate is entirely at odds with the Christian faith, and their self-styled 'Christian patrols' are very much at odds with the healing effect of the gospel. "So, I can speak with confidence for many when I say 'not in my name'." Holocaust never happened, Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei claims on Remembrance Day As Europe and some other parts of the world commemorated International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Wednesday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei uploaded a video to his official website claiming that the Holocaust never happened. The release of the new video comes on the heels of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's official visit to Italy and France to drum up trade and diplomatic links after his country signed a historic deal to limit its nuclear ambitions. The video titled "Are the Dark Ages Over'' shows a montage of images of slain and injured Palestinian children during the Nazi regime, including one of Adolf Hitler. It features images of Holocaust deniers Roger Garaudy, Robert Faurisson, and David Irving, the Telegraph reported. Khamenei, who is presumed to be the narrator in the video, questioned the historically accepted account of genocide against the Jews and condemned the nations of the world for offering support to Israel, according to reports. "No one in European countries dares to speak about the Holocaust, while it is not clear whether the core of the matter is reality or not... Even if it is reality, it is not clear how it happened. Speaking about the Holocaust and expressing doubts about it is considered to be a great sin. If someone does this, they stop, arrest, imprison and sue him. This is why they claim to be supporters of freedom." He then called on the "dear people of Iran" to "stand up against the ignorance" of the West, the report said. During an address in 2014, Khamenei said: "The Holocaust is an event whose reality is uncertain and if it has happened, it's uncertain how it has happened." Iran's Supreme Leader also condemned the Western powers headed by the U.S. for supporting the "fake Zionist regime." The International Remembrance Day was marked with public vigils, numerous newspaper columns and political speeches across Europe on Wednesday. In America, President Barack Obama addressed the Righteous Among Nations ceremony at the Israeli embassy in Washington, according to reports. Wednesday was also the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenauby, a Nazi death camp in German-occupied Poland where more than one million people, majority of them Jews, were killed during World War .II. The former extermination camp has now become the world's biggest Jewish cemetery. Between 1941 and 1945, the Nazis attempted to annihilate all of Europe's Jews. In one of the largest genocides in history, approximately six million Jews were killed by Hitler's Nazi regime and its collaborators. School teacher changes 'God' to 'Allah' in Christian hymn to avoid offending Muslims The parents of 10-year-old students in Austria are furious and have complained to authorities after a teacher assigned a homework for their children where they are taught a Christian hymn but with one word in the lyrics changed from "God" to "Allah." According to the Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung, the teacher at a Wels school changed the Christian song "Gottes Liebe ist so Wunderbar" or "God's Love is So Wonderful" to "Allah's Liebe ist so Wunderbar" purportedly so as not to offend Muslim children who now comprise the majority in the class. The word "God" was replaced with "Allah" in the entire song. An angry father complained with the regional school board about the incident, saying the teacher could not just rewrite the song. The school inspector investigated the teacher and principal about the incident, and found out that the teacher had indeed altered the lyrics of the Christian hymn. "In this case, the students could have received a wrong copy," the inspector said. The song has been removed by the school. Meanwhile, a University of Vienna professor who made a study for the Austrian government's integration ministry said the government is actually cooperating with Salafist or Islamist organisation in the radicalisation of children in kindergartens, according to Breitbart and Infowars. Ednan Aslan spoke to Der Standard about the Salafist and Muslim Brotherhood religious extremists' control of school with the apparent reluctant acceptance of regional and national politicians. He said the Austrian government should look into where foreign money for projects in Austria is coming from. He said there are about 150 "problematic" Islamist schools in Austria. Aslan said schools have been influenced by radical Islam without being detected by authorities by following rules set by the Austrian government while running fundamentalist education. "They are very legalistic, attaching great importance to education and avoiding conflicts with the legislation, but internally operate a conservative, very [doctrinaire] theology... in a kindergarten the status of legislation in Islamic theology is valued higher than reason, the woman is depicted as inferior to the man," he said. Supermodel Tyra Banks, husband welcome 'miracle baby boy' born through gestational surrogate Supermodel Tyra Banks and her husband, Norwegian photographer Erik Asla, have welcomed their "miracle baby boy" after years of struggling of being not able to have one due to infertility. On her Instagram account, Banks posted that they now have a child, thanks to a gestational surrogate who carried their baby. Under this arrangement, the harvested eggs from a mother are fertilised with the father's sperm and the embryo is placed in the uterus of a gestational surrogate, who carries the baby until birth, according to WebMD. "The best present we worked and prayed so hard for is finally here. He's got my fingers and big eyes and his daddy Erik's mouth and chin," wrote Banks, 41. "As we thank the angel of a woman that carried our miracle baby boy for us, we pray for everyone who struggles to reach this joyous milestone," she wrote. "York Banks Asla, welcome to the world." Asla also posted "Witnessing the dawn of life is quite possibly life's greatest gift." The host of "Tyra Presents FABLife" told People magazine last September of her desire to have children, according to Gospel Herald. "Since I was 24, I used to say every year, 'I will have kids in three years.' I kept saying it over and over again. Because my business is very entrepreneurial. I'm not for hire, so I have to do everything. I kept trying to find that time for that to happen," she narrated. She said undergoing in-vitro fertilisation was not easy. "When you're like, 'OK, I'm just going to do it,' then it's not so easy as you get older," Banks said. She added, "I've had some not happy moments with that, very traumatic moments. It's difficult as you get older. It's not something that can just happen." Last September, she opened up with co-host Chrissy Teigen about the pain of infertility during a segment on "FABLife." The deadliest cities in the world almost entirely reside in Latin America. All but four of the top 50 are in the Western Hemisphere, according to a new report by the Mexico Citizens Council for Public Safety. Caracas, the capital of tumultuous Venezuela, topped the rankings that looked at crime data from 2015. The Venezuelan capital has a staggering homicide rate of 119.87 murders per 100,000 people. For reference, the United States has a homicide rate of 4.5 per 100,000. Tony Mandola's namesake restaurant has gone through changes in style, menu, location and name over three decades. The restaurant owned by Tony and Phyllis Mandola started out as Blue Oyster Bar when it opened in 1982. Then there was Tony Mandola's Blue Oyster Bar when it opened on Shepherd. Then came the big move to River Oaks on West Gray when it became Tony Mandola's Gulf Coast Kitchen. And then another shift when they moved into grand new digs on Waugh and the name changed again to, simply, Tony Mandola's. Today, the restaurant name changes once more with a new look, a new menu, a new chef and a casual new approach to its familiar Creole meets Italian fare. Welcome Tony Mandola's Gulf Coast Kitchen. Again. Call it Tony Mandola's 5.0, the restaurant remains at 1212 Waugh (where it opened to a giddy, packed house in the summer of 2011) but with a new approach that returns to its roots. Two weeks ago the restaurant got a new paint job to make it stand out (an eye-catching salmon with aqua trim). It dispensed with the white tablecloths, suggesting a shift from fine dining. It also hired a new chef, Juan Arellano, who has worked at Cheesecake Factory, McCormick & Schmick's, Perry's Steakhouse and the Union Kitchen. "We decided to remind people: Hey, we're here," Phyllis Mandola said. "We said let's step back and look at what we're doing. We decided to re-energize our restaurant and go back to what we're known for as a good, old-fashioned seafood and Italian food restaurant." The Gulf Coast Kitchen days were good ones; and good roots, Tony Mandola said. "We are a New Orleans-style oyster bar and seafood house with an Italian flair. We have gotten rid of the tablecloths, re-landscaped the patio, changed the color scheme of the interior and exterior. And have introduced a new menu featuring the dishes we started with: fresh Texas Gulf seafood, shrimp, oysters, fish, and home-made pastas, red beans and rice, Mama's Gumbo, and Mama's Bourbon Bread Pudding." Mamas figure large in the co-owners lives. Tony Mandola comes from the great, successful, expansive Mandola family of restaurateurs. His mother, the late Grace Mandola, was a homemaker whose extraordinary cooking skills inspired her son and others in the Mandola family (she also went to work for Tony when he opened Blue Oyster Bar). Phyllis Mandola is the only daughter of the late Mama Ninfa Laurenzo, the legendary Houston restaurateur and community leader whose original restaurant on Navigation is credited with popularizing fajitas and changing the face of Tex-Mex as we know it. "Our motto has always been dedicated to the preservation of the art of our mothers' cooking. That's who we are," Phyllis said. "Our food is a reflection of our culture the culture that both Tony and I grew up in." That culture lives strong in Tony Mandola's Gulf Coast Kitchen where guests can dine on raw, baked and fried oysters; crab cakes, fried calamari and Cajun boudin; gumbo, red beans and rice, and etouffee; a variety of iconic pasta dishes; grilled meats and seafood; fresh seafood dishes; and po-boy sandwiches. In some cases the menu changes also reflect more gentle pricing. That the Mandola's hired chef Arellano also is something of a family affair: both his parents worked for Mama Ninfa at Ninfa's on Navigation. "I was the kid hiding under the expo station watching the tacos al carbon being made, which was what Ninfa's was built on," Arellano said. "Getting to work with Phyllis and Tony and Tony Mandola's is like coming full circle for me. I am home. And I'm glad to be back." And in many ways Tony and Phyllis Mandola have come full circle too. And home again. To begin with, no one could improve on the original. From the slow journey of the famed white Bronco along the Los Angeles freeways, with a fantail of cop cars rolling behind in synchronized formation, to the trial itself, the whole country was watching in 1994-95 when O.J. Simpson went from being an American sports hero, rental-car TV pitch man and familiar face in Hollywood movies and TV shows, to a pariah. Twenty-one years later, memories of TV's insatiable coverage of the trial will be rekindled by the new anthology series "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story." Based on Jeffrey Toobin's book "The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson," the 10-part series premieres Tuesday on FX. It has much to recommend, some painful miscues in casting and direction, but like that original coverage, you can't stop watching. The story begins on the night of June 12, 1994, as a limo driver is waiting at Simpson's home in LA's tony Brentwood section to take him to the airport for a flight to Chicago. A few hours earlier, Brown's ex wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and a friend, Ronald Goldman, had been savagely murdered. Their bodies were discovered outside her home by a man walking his dog shortly after midnight on June 13. More Information 'The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story' When: 9 p.m. Tuesday Network: FX xxxx See More Collapse A few days later, the cops were ready to arrest Simpson and called his lawyer, Robert Shapiro, to arrange for the actor to turn himself in. Instead, Simpson and a friend got into a Ford Bronco and began driving aimlessly around Los Angeles, soon followed by cops and, inevitably, TV cameras and the eyes of the nation - all of this before the ubiquitous transparency of the era of social media. The trial was broadcast gavel to gavel by Court TV, and large portions of the testimony were aired daily on other broadcast and cable channels. Day after day, America watched the testimony and the agonizing procedural discussions in the courtroom of Judge Lance Ito. Everyone had an opinion about whether O.J. did it or not. The story had everything: bumbling cops; a detective who collected Nazi war memorabilia and was said to have a history of racism; a Brentwood woman with a cocaine habit who wrote a quickie tell-all book about her late friend, Nicole Simpson; charges of using the so-called "race card" in the courtroom; unintended comic relief in the testimony of Simpson house guest Kato Kaelin; and the trial's equivalent of a smoking gun, the "bloody glove," found behind O.J.'s guest house. Although we didn't know it at the time, it also had the seeds of a future pop-culture franchise, in the children of Simpson friend and attorney Robert Kardashian. Their names were Kim, Kourtney, Khloe and Rob Kardashian. These are just some of the rich elements Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski had to work with in their adaptation for FX, produced by Ryan Murphy, among others, the mastermind of "Glee," "American Horror Story" and "Scream Queens," as well as "The Normal Heart." The writers' biggest challenge was to boil down a heavily covered murder case and eight-month trial into 10 one-hour segments. On the basis of the first six episodes, they've done a laudable job. The script tells the story largely through a small handful of major figures: Simpson (Cuba Gooding Jr.), defense attorney Johnnie Cochran (Courtney B. Vance), Assistant District Attorney Marcia Clark (Sarah Paulson) and Simpson's attorney, Robert Shapiro (John Travolta). Secondary characters include Robert Kardashian (David Schwimmer), Deputy DA Christopher Darden (Sterling K. Brown), defense "Dream Team" members F. Lee Bailey (Nathan Lane) and Alan Dershowitz (Evan Handler), and Detective Mark Fuhrman (Steven Pasquale). Robert Morse has a memorable turn as journalist Dominick Dunne, and Connie Britton camps and vamps it up with abandon as Nicole's coke-snorting friend Faye Resnick, who went on to become a cast member of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills." The enduring notoriety of the Simpson case and memories of the live courtroom broadcasts are enough to hook viewers regardless of the problems with the series. Some of the problems are minor, others we can sweep under the rug as the show progresses, one is unfortunately insurmountable. The minor problems include casting Gooding as O.J. He's just not right for the part. He doesn't project the magnetic aura of the real O.J., who looked like he could have posed for the Heisman Trophy. Behind the scenes, he may very well have been whiney, petulant and impatient, as his character is here, but he still would have been O.J. At times, Gooding comes across like a little kid who's up past his bedtime. More serious problems with the series have to do with uneven direction. The early episodes, in particular, are smothered in melodrama and big, emotionally punctuating orchestral music. The directorial style is what we are used to in "Scream Queens" and "American Horror Story," but it's just dead wrong for this story. Fortunately, when the actual trial begins, the direction shifts to a more appropriate docudrama style, and the relative restraint enhances the real drama of Marcia Clark's conflict trying to be a single mom and the lead prosecutor for the biggest trial of the decade. The one insurmountable problem in "The People v. O.J. Simpson" is casting Travolta as Robert Shapiro. Granted, the character is an ego-driven show-boater, but Travolta has one gesture - touching the tips of his fingers together as if in thought - and one expression, a tight-lipped grimace. He looks embalmed, thanks to a garish makeup job, but at least the look is in keeping with his performance. When he delivers dialogue, it's as if his jaw is wired shut. The rest of the performances are solid, and two in particular are superior, those of Paulson as Marcia Clark and Vance as Johnnie Cochran. Every flaw, every inner conflict, every aspect of Clark's complex, driven character comes alive in Paulson's performance. It is both magnificent and magnetic. Meanwhile, Vance makes Cochran not only the smartest guy in the room, but the most commanding as well. His Cochran may have a sizable ego, but unlike Shapiro, he always knows how to avoid being the victim of hubris. Clark was ill-prepared to be blinded by the glare of public attention, while Cochran feasted on it. That essential difference makes them formidable adversaries. But what does "The People v. O.J. Simpson" tell us about our culture, then and now? The defendant was African-American. His most important defense attorney was African-American. The prosecution recruited an African-American assistant district attorney in part for what they called "the optics" of the televised trial. Both sides carefully considered the racial makeup of the jury, which was drawn from a pool of more than 900 people. The defense worried that African-American female jurors would resent Simpson for marrying a white woman. Early in the trial, Darden made a pre-emptory move to bar the defense from using what he called "the N-word" in questioning Mark Fuhrman, the cop with the Nazi memorabilia. Cochran was outraged. Darden argued that if the defense was allowed to use the word "and play the race card, the direction and focus of the case changes: It is a race case now." Looking back through the lens of our own time, it is clear no one needed to play the "race card" in the Simpson trial, any more than it needs to be played in national conversations about the killings of Laquan McDonald or Michael Brown. The nation watched the Simpson trial as if it was an especially well-scripted eight-month-long episode of "Law & Order." It was great TV, certainly among the best reality TV ever. "The People v. O.J. Simpson" may not be great television, and it isn't reality TV. But by evoking the original coverage of the trial, it reminds us of how little has changed in 21 years. It's still about race. BUCKNACKT'S SORDID TAWDRY BLOG We should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive & well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate, bier or wein in hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WHOO-HOO, WHAT A RIDE!!!!!!" This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate This week the New York Times uncovered an unsettling fact about Texas, one that will absolutely chill some of us to the bone. In some places in Texas, our fellow Texans will wait up to five hours in line for barbecue. Yes, its true. Some of us will set aside a few hours of a day just to get a chance to eat smoked meat, starchy sides, and drink beer with friends, family, or even total strangers. If we arent mistaken it wasnt that long ago that New Yorkers sat in lines not unlike the one at Austins Franklin Barbecue for a cronut (that little not-as-good-as-Texas-barbecue croissant doughnut pastry). RELATED: Quiz: How Texas are you? Its not something that people notice. Thats just how you go eat barbecue, said full-time BBQ critic Daniel Vaughn with the Texas Monthly when a reporter asked him about our meat mania. The big burn was that even rapper Kanye West and his entourage had to wait for Aaron Franklins world-famous meat. Somewhere, Wiz Khalifa is laughing. But as Vaughn said, this is normal in Texas. There are even lines at some of our most in-demand tacos places on weekend mornings. RELATED: 21 awesomely weird Texas town names In the Houston area you will find long lines at Killens BBQ in Pearland, Corkscrew in Spring, and Roegels Barbecue on South Voss. Once they run out of meat, they close. Texans love food madly. Look how we act when it comes to chicken fried steak, Tex-Mex, and pecan pie, or the way we pined for Blue Bell Ice Cream for most of 2015 during the companys shutdown was a little unnerving. Were used to lots of things in Texas that are alien to those in other states because Texans are cut from a different cloth as someone in say, Pennsylvania. Check out some more of the things that may seem weird to everyone else but are totally normal for us Texans above. The tale of Warren Jeffs, the leader of the polygamous offshoot the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is back in headlines this week. A former security chief for his group testified in a Phoenix courtroom about the secrecy and subversive measures taken to shield Jeffs from authorities. News / Local by Staff Reporter "Film Auditions P*** Actors and Actresses wanted for a short film project. Ages 18 and above Venue, 35 Samora Machel Ave & Leopard Takawira @ Memorial Building, Third Floor room 2 Date, 30 Jan 2016, from 10am to 16,00hurs App or call Fidel on 0733100147, 0771535677 Pass it on." A text message circulating on social media in Bulawayo calling for an adult movie auditions sparked excitement in the city.The message targeting people aged 18 and above indicated that the auditions are on this Saturday form 10 am to 4 pm.Reads part of the textHowever, the is no Samora Machel Ave in Bulawayo.The script writer, Fidelis Zamanga dismissed the text saying "I am doing a film but then it's not that kind of film that has been circulating on Whatsapp. The original script addresses issues like abortion and peer pressure""The response I've got from this false text is surprisingly large because I've had texts from India, people trying to find out about the type of film and I had to explain that I am not working to produce any p*rnographic material."He added " I suspect that it may be a prank or a result of other competitors in the field that aim to move against any personnel that seek to establish themselves in this discipline because this is my first film project,"He said auditions are in today but not for an adult movie.Source- B-metro News / Local by Auxilia Katongomara THE $60 million upgrading of Basch Street Bus Terminus, popularly known as Egodini, is set to start next week, Terracotta, the South African civil engineering firm that won the tender to implement the project, has said.An official from Terracotta, Ottis Tshabalala, told The Chronicle newspaper that the construction of the regional transport hub and shopping complex would start soon after a ceremony to handover the site to them from the Bulawayo City Council on February 3."We have set February 3 as the tentative date for the handover ceremony which will be held in Bulawayo. However, Bulawayo City Council has not confirmed if the date is suitable but we can safely say construction will commence early next month when we take over the facility," said Tshabalala.The Egodini project entails the construction of a shopping mall with modern facilities that include informal trader stalls, a transport hub, loading and offloading bays.The mall is expected to create hundreds of jobs for locals.The project includes 250 modern informal trader stalls in the retail basement section and 500 informal trader stalls on the roof of the complex to create a flea market for retail traders.The complex will include a public transport and off-loading facility capable of handling 20 regional and cross border buses as well as 75 minibus taxis at the same time.Tshabalala has previously said the company, which is partly owned by Zimbabweans, would take between 18 and 24 months to construct the massive structure.Bulawayo Deputy Mayor Gift Banda confirmed that the project would take-off next month as it was now at implementation stage.He could not immediately give an exact date."The agreement has been signed and now it's off our jurisdiction but what I know is that they are organising an official handover and takeover ceremony. It's now at implementation stage," said Banda.He said vendors operating at Egodini would be moved to other sites in the city before referring further questions to Terracotta.This is the first time that the council and the contracted company have confirmed dates when work on the long awaited project is expected to start.The South African civil engineering firm won the tender ahead of two local companies.The company was also awarded a 99-year lease to the terminus.Past projects that Terracotta has worked on include Edendale Shopping Mall in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu Natal, Chris Hani Crossing Taxi facility in Gauteng and the Tsakane Mall Taxi rank again in Gauteng. News / Local by Pamela Shumba VICE President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Friday visited two of the country's liberation war stalwarts, former Senate Deputy President Naison Khutshwekhaya Ndlovu and former Deputy Minister Jane Ngwenya in Bulawayo.The VP visited Ndlovu, 85, at his Luveve home where he is recuperating, and Ngwenya, 81, the former Deputy Minister of Labour, Manpower Planning and Social Welfare at an Old People's Home where she is living.VP Mnangagwa visited the two after presenting a lecture to students from different tertiary institutions at the Bulawayo Polytechnic.The lecture was on constitutional requirements for young people.Speaking at Ndlovu's home, VP Mnangagwa said it was the obligation of political leaders to support veterans of the country's liberation struggle such as Cdes Ndlovu and Ngwenya in times of need."Ndlovu isn't well. So I thought I should take this opportunity to visit him and see how he's doing. I also went to see Ngwenya because these are our old veterans of the struggle. They were our bosses when we were growing up."I'm happy that they're looking bright and well. Of course Ngwenya has problems with her legs but she's looking bright. Ndlovu is also looking bright. From the reports I was getting, I thought I would find him sleeping. I'm hopeful that God will continue to strengthen him through prayers from the party and his loved ones, said VP Mnangagwa.Ndlovu, who was visibly excited to see the VP, said he was feeling a lot better, adding that he believed that the prayers from the party and family members were strengthening him."I'm recovering and I've greatly improved. I'm grateful that the VP visited me. His visit has lifted my spirit".Ngwenya was also happy with the visit and thanked VP Mnangagwa.Three weeks ago, Zanu-PF Poiltburo members, Professor Jonathan Moyo and Joshua Malinga, also visited Ndlovu at his home.Earlier this month, Ndlovu's wife Sithokozile said it was a difficult time for the family and they needed support, especially from Zanu-PF. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate According to reports late Friday, a man accused of luring a 12-year-old girl into a bathroom at a Houston-area CVS drugstore and sexually assaulting her has been arrested out of state. KTRK and KPRC say Christopher Barillas, 27, was taken into custody in Virginia. The sexual assault occurred in October in the bathroom of a CVS in the 3900 block of Bellaire Blvd. in the Southside Place area, just south of West University. Police told the Houston Chronicle that the girl went into the bathroom after the man and that's when the assault occurred. He reportedly told her that he was 27. The girl was at the store with her mother, police say. As authorities investigated the case, a Southside Place police detective was criticized for comments he made. Detective Mike Kelly came under fire from an author at Jezebel for making a seemingly insensitive comment on the case. "She was not necessarily all that unwilling," Kelly told ABC13, "but at the age of 12 it doesn't matter." Barillas was reportedly charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child, and his bond was set at $100,000. U.S. Rep. Al Green of Houston has endorsed Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, giving the Democrat a sweep of her party's congressional representation in the city. "I am proud to announce my support and endorsement of the Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton for President of the United States of America," Green said in a statement to the Houston Chronicle, adding the choice would put him on "the right side of politics because she is supremely and superbly prepared to be President from day one, and the right side of history because she will become the first Madam President." News / National by Freeman Razemba The Zimbabwe Republic Police has said it is putting adequate security measures to curb cases of cattle smuggling along the country's borders. This follows a meeting of the 8th Session of the Zimbabwe-Mozambique Joint Permanent Commission on Defence and Security.Zimbabwe and Mozambique have since agreed that all people living close to national borders brand their cattle by the end of next year.A team of senior officers led by the National Anti-Stock Theft Unit Assistant Commissioner (administration) Jimmy Khumalo, is visiting some of the areas along the country's borders.In an interview, Asst Comm Khumalo said the visits were meant to sensitise the police and communities in the affected areas on the need to brand their cattle."The visit is in partial fulfilment of the agreement arising from the resolutions that were made between Zimbabwe and Mozambique," he said."All we are saying is that all the cattle within 50 kilometres from the borders should be branded with personal brand marks for easy identification and traceability."Smuggling of cattle has become rampant along the borders.Officer commanding Chiredzi District, Chief Superintendent Amon Ndou said there were 174 698 cattle in the district."Most of them (farmers) feel like it is a ZRP programme, yet it is for their benefit," he said. "Out of the 174 698, only 12 752 cattle have been branded with personal brands. Five hundred farmers have also applied for personal brands so far and 357 have managed to acquire brand certificates and brand tools."Chief Supt Ndou said they were working closely with their counterparts in Mozambique to help curb cattle smuggling. He said transport problems were making it difficult to effectively patrol the border. Police staff officer for the Anti-Stock Theft Unit Chief Superintendent Andrew Phiri urged officers to engage stakeholders in the fight against stock theft."There is need to engage senior Government officials and traditional leaders on cattle branding so that they will act as pace setters for the people to fully comply on this campaign," he said. In the fall, more Metro Houston voters than ever will be paying attention to electoral politics. But by then, the fate of many races will be sealed - the decision made by a small minority of area residents who took the time to participate in the Democratic and Republican primaries in March. The civic tragedy doesn't only touch presidential races, which will always draw the biggest media interest and the greatest number of voters. Lamentably, important down-ballot contests are decided by even fewer voters. And the consequences pile up fast. If you don't participate in the party primaries, you effectively forfeit your ability to determine who represents you in Washington, D.C., and Austin. Reversing the trend Online voter registration, as proposed in the state Legislature last year, would be a big help. But after a push against the initiative led by Harris County Tax Assessor/Collector Mike Sullivan, that's not coming to a computer near you any time soon. Voter registration cards are available at most U.S. post offices and county offices. The registration form must be sent in by Feb. 1. Now you're ready to participate. And, yes, it's going to require some work on the part of voters to learn candidates' qualifications and stands on public policy issues. Do they support transparency in government? What will they do to ensure the office or agency they will oversee runs efficiently? Unlike the electoral process in the fall, candidates' different partisan affiliations will be of no help. Voters will be casting ballots either in the Republican or Democratic primary. There is no straight ticket. Balance of power The Houston area is represented by 11 U.S. House members, 10 state senators and 37 state representatives. In only a couple of these 58 races is there really much doubt today about which party's candidate will be victorious in November. Similarly, Texans will be voting in eight statewide contests in which the Republican candidate is the overwhelming favorite; no Democrat has won statewide since 1994. While the number of competitive area races in November (outside of countywide contests in Harris County) will be minimal, there are a host of competitive Democratic and Republican primaries on Houston-area ballots this March, from the Republican presidential primary to several U.S. House races to a dozen state House contests. The outcomes will play an important role in determining if the balance of power in the U.S. Congress and the Texas Legislature will move to the left or right, if the influence of the Houston area in D.C. and Austin will rise or fall and if the area's legislators will more or less accurately mirror the ethnic/racial composition of their districts. Skipping the primary In a vast majority of Texas federal and state elections, the candidate who wins in November is the one whose personal traits and policy positions are most closely in line with those of the majority who participate in the candidate's party primary. In simplest terms, if you play, you win. For example, the 2014 Republican state attorney general primary featured two centrist conservatives, Dan Branch and Barry Smitherman, and one tea party movement conservative, Ken Paxton. Of the state's 19 million voting age adults and 14 million registered voters, only 1.3 million cast a ballot in this primary, with Paxton winning 569,034 votes. In the May runoff, Paxton handily defeated Branch, 466,407 to 269,098. Later that fall, and in 2015 when Paxton was indicted on three charges of felony securities fraud, it was common to hear Democrats and establishment Republicans lament that Paxton had been elected as attorney general. But those same groups did not turn out in large numbers to support Paxton's rivals in the GOP primary, whereas the state's tea party movement conservatives mobilized to back the contest's one proven constitutional conservative. And, as the victor in the Republican primary, Paxton was a virtual lock to be the state's next attorney general. In the end, the attorney general of 28 million Texans was effectively chosen by around a half million Texans, or 2 percent of the state's residents. Stand up and vote In a general election, even if a voter has never heard of any of the candidates in a race, they at least have the valuable informational cue provided by the candidates' party labels. In a primary, everyone has the same party label, and, if voters enter the voting booth uninformed, they run the risk of nominating a suboptimal candidate via random voting or voting based purely on some vague real or imagined familiarity with a candidate's name. A case in point was the 2012 Democratic Harris County District Attorney primary involving two candidates, the high-quality and credible Zack Fertitta and gadfly Lloyd Oliver. Oliver won, and in doing so made it difficult for many Harris County Democrats to recommend that voters cast a straight Democratic ticket in 2012. Early voting starts Feb. 16 and goes through Feb. 26, with Election Day March 1. Any registered voter can participate in the primary of either party. Make sure that this year you are one of those Texans who is having an impact by participating in the primary as an informed voter, not one of those Texans who is sitting on the sidelines and letting others determine who speaks for them in Washington, D.C., and Austin. Jones is the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy's Political Science Fellow and the Joseph D. Jamail Chair of Latin American Studies at Rice University. 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. News / National by Tendai Mugabe Government has directed the Zimbabwe National Road Administration to regularise its computerised tolling agreement with Univern in line with the State Procurement Board procedures.Further, Government directed the road fund administrator to float a tender for a new partner in the administration of new 10 tollgates set to be operationalised by March this year.Zinara partnered Univern, a private company, to computerise its tolling system, a move which helped plug off revenue leakages, resulting in improved tolling collections.Addressing Zinara management and staff after a tour of the parastatal's offices in Harare and the Goromonzi toll plaza on Thursday, Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Dr Jorum Gumbo said Government was concerned with the intricate relationship between Zinara and Univern."Government is gravely concerned at the intricate contractual relationship that now exists between Zinara and Univern," said Dr Gumbo."I am advised that my predecessor in office expressed the same sentiments to Zinara during his term of office, and it was hoped that by now the board and management would have heeded the call and revised the agreement as directed by my predecessor."Minister Gumbo said although the two parties were doing a commendable job in collecting toll fees, their agreement was not sanctioned by Government."We welcome that and they are doing a fantastic job, but it has to be formalised through a tender," he said. "Coming to the 10 new tollgates, the Ministry is going ahead with the tendering for the construction of the tollgates and management and operation of the same shall then reside in the department of roads or any other entity the minister shall designate in terms of the Toll Roads Act."I also wish to make the point that the expectation of the Ministry is to see the bulk of the funds you collect channelled towards the rehabilitation and maintenance of the national road network."In an interview, Zinara board chairperson Mr Albert Mugabe said they had already approached the SPB seeking condonation on the Univern deal.He said engagements were still under way with the tender board to resolve the matter."We have engaged SPB whom we will furnish with some information for clarity," he said. "The current board inherited existing contracts which were premised on a public private partnership arrangement."The previous board approved to engage Univern, but the administration's accounting officer may have overlooked some procurement procedures."After visiting Zinara, Dr Gumbo also toured the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe where he implored the organisation to introduce traffic training centres countrywide."I believe these should be replicated in all the other centres so that children from all provinces and even in high density suburbs benefit," he said."In this regard, I hope you will work with other stakeholders, namely local authorities, in acquiring land for the construction of these centres."Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe managing director Mr Obio Chinyere said: "We have 550 driving schools in the country and we tirelessly monitor them in terms of the Statutory Instrument 309 of 1985."Last year alone we dragged more than 20 unregistered instructors to court." News / National by Staff Reporter The Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association has told the state media that they will resist efforts to extricate them from their close relationship with President Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace Mugabe.The war veterans who held a provincial inter-district meeting in the capital this Saturday said they are fully behind the leadership of President Mugabe and Grace.In an interview with ZBC after the meeting, which was also attended by the Minister of War Veterans, War Collaborators, former Detainees and Restrictees, Christopher Mutsvangwa, the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association Secretary-General, Victor Matemadanda said war veterans remain solidly behind the First Family.They also said they support Presidential spokesperson George Charamba on his stance with regard to goings on in the party. Barbara Banda: "People are open to the conversation now that will foster change" While there is a long way to go on race at work with many still feeling the need to self silence an evolution is firmly in motion, says the leadership consultant and author of new book The Model Black News / Press Release by Obert Gutu The current rain season has been nothing short of a disaster. Zimbabwe is facing the horrifying spectre of an unprecedented famine largely caused by the El Nino weather conditions coupled with a very poor disaster management system in the country. The Zanu PF regime appears clueless in the face of a massive food shortage that will affect no less than three (3) million people. As if this was not enough, the regime has not yet declared a state of national emergency in order to promptly and effectively harness the necessary resources that are now urgently needed to avert mass starvation.The MDC is gravely concerned by the casual and rather lackadaisical attitude of the Zanu PF government in handling the impending severe food shortage. Even though it is now abundantly clear that the country will need to import maize to feed about three (3) million people, there are no concrete plans that have been activated to ensure that our grain silos are timeously re-stocked. We note, with trepidation, that GMB grain silos at all major depots such as Lion's Den, Chinhoyi, Aspindale and Banket are still empty and in a serious state of disrepair.A few days ago, the State-controlled media reported that the government has arranged a US$200 million credit facility with a certain foreign import-export bank but the reality on the ground is that people are already starving; particularly in the southern provinces of Masvingo, Matebelend South and Matebeleland North. As the MDC, we would like to call upon President Robert Mugabe not to waste any more time before his government declares a state of emergency. It doesn't make good planning sense for the government to wait until people start starving before it treats the impeding drought with the seriousness that it obviously deserves.The Zanu PF regime should also take prompt measures to rectify the far-reaching deficiencies in its much-talked about land reform program. Put simply, all those people who are not productively utilising the land that was allocated to them should have that land taken away from them and re-distributed to Zimbabweans who will be able to use the land more effectively and productively. Because of the ravages brought about by climate change, our farmers should deliberately move away from rain-fed agriculture and focus more on irrigation technology. There are more than 11 000 dams in Zimbabwe and thus, we shouldn't have any excuse for failing to grow enough food crops to feed our rather small population of only 13 million people.The effects of global warming cannot be wished away. Already, weather experts have predicted that the entire southern African region is going to experience below normal rainfall for the next three or four farming seasons. It is, therefore, incumbent upon the Zanu PF government to channel more resources to enhance the country's irrigation facilities. Zimbabwe is not at war with any country and neither are we facing any serious security threat. Reports that both the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) as well as the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) are planning to recruit more than 30 000 new recruits each are therefore quite depressing and unfortunate. Instead of wasting our limited financial and material resources on building up a massive security system, the Zanu PF government should, instead, focus more on feeding the millions of starving people and also resuscitating the ailing economy. The government should prioritise the importation of grain rather than utilising our limited financial resources in purchasing expensive motor vehicles for government ministers and other regime bureaucrats.President Robert Mugabe should also try to spend more time in the country attending to pressing national issues rather than travelling from one foreign destination to another. Zimbabwe needs a hands-on administration that is prepared to bite the bullet and take immediate corrective action to avert any further bleeding of the comatose economy. Amongst other actions, the government should ruthlessly clamp down on corruption in both the public and private sectors. The Masvingo birthday jamboree that has been planned for the soon to be 92 years old ruler, Robert Mugabe, should be cancelled. The US$800 000 that has been budgeted for this useless and expensive birthday celebration should be channelled towards the urgent importation of maize. It is high time that the extravagant Zanu PF regime takes a few lessons from President John Magufuli of Tanzania. President Magufuli is only 56 years old but there is absolutely no doubt that the 92 year old President Mugabe has got a lot to learn from the Magufulis of this world.It is actually humiliating to note that only less than two decades ago, Zimbabwe used to be the breadbasket of Southern Africa; capable of feeding no less than 250 million people. Thanks to the Zanu PF induced violent and chaotic land reform program, Zimbabwe is now effectively a basket case; struggling to feed a small population of 13 million people. What a shame! What a fall from grace!MDC : EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALLOBERT CHAURURA GUTUMDC NATIONAL SPOKESPERSON Laurie Anderson & Philip Glass to Perform at Big Ears? Big Ears has been known for its boundary blurring performances, but this year festival goers will be treated to the once in a lifetime opportunity of hearing avant-garde artist Laurie Anderson and classical composer Phillip Glass perform together. Big Ears founder and curator, Ashley Capps, explained that the pair had only collaborated on stage once before and likely would never be doing it again. Making sure that the festival doesn't do as much harm as good, Big Ears has also announced the return of their complimentary bike rental service for all Big Ears patrons. They may seem like unlikely collaborators, but this spring experimental performance artist, Laurie Anderson will be taking the stage at Big Ears Festival with classical American composer Philp Glass in tow. During a recent interview with Rolling Stone, festival founder and curator Ashley Capps explained that Anderson had actually approached him about performing with Glass at Big Ears this year: "It's a performance that will most likely only take place at Big Ears during 2016. "They've only done it once before, in Italy this past summer. Laurie was so excited about it. She was just like, 'We've gotta do this at Big Ears.' "Not that I would want to say no, but how could you say no?" While Capps' festival is all about bringing unique musical talents together, Big Ears is dedicated to doing so in an environmentally responsible way. In a recent press release, the powers that be at Big Ears announced that once again they would be encouraging the festival's patrons to use bicycles when traveling around Knoxville: "We're proud to announce the return of our complimentary Bike Rental service to all Big Ears patrons presented by MailChimp and powered by Tennessee Valley Bikes! "Available throughout the duration of the festival, bikes can be rented on a daily basis at Tennessee Valley Bikes' shop, located within walking distance to all of our Big Ears venues!" For more information about bike rentals or Big Ears 2016 lineup be sure to check out their official website. 2016 The Classical Art, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. TagsLaurie Anderson, Philip Glass, Big Ears, Big Ears Festival, Big Ears Music Festival, Bike Rentals AKRON, Ohio -- A Summit County jury on Friday found an Akron woman guilty of luring her ex-boyfriend to his death in an attempt to gain custody of their five children. The seven-woman, five-man jury found Tiffany Powell, 34, guilty of complicity to aggravated murder and obstructing justice in the April 26, 2014 death of James Harris, 69. The jury deliberated about six hours Friday before reaching a verdict. Summit County Common Pleas Judge Thomas Teodosio will sentence Powell Feb. 26. Powell faces a maximum of life in prison without parole eligibility. Harris' daughter, Jamila Mitchell of Navarre, said she was happy with the jury's verdict. She it would help Harris' 10 children, including her. He had five children from a first marriage and five with Powell. "I am very happy they were able to see through some of the lies and antics and manipulation," she said. "The five of us needed it but the other five kids needd it too." Eleven days before Powell faced losing custody of her five children, she concocted a plan to lure Harris to her home in order for her boyfriend, Paul Reed, to kill Harris. Powell used a 19-year-old woman she befriended at a battered women's shelter to lure her ex into her Minota Avenue home. The woman, at Powell's direction, told Harris that she had a car and washing machine to sell. Harris repaired cars and appliances after he retired from a 30-year career as an Akron teacher. Harris arrived and was led down the basement by the woman. Reed was in the basement waiting to ambush Harris. He hit Harris with a pole, knelt on his back and slammed the front of his head in to the floor at least 15 times. Reed admitted during trial testimony that he killed Harris, despite objections from the defense attorney handling his appeal. Reed was convicted during a trial in February 2015 of murder and is serving a sentence of life in prison with parole eligibility in 15 years. Both Powell and Reed testified during the trial that she meant to lure Harris to the home in order to get him arrested, not killed. She said she believed she had a protection order against Harris stemming from a 2006 conviction for disorderly conduct. No protection order existed. Reed said he was downstairs doing laundry and that Harris brought a gun into the home. A gun was found next to Harris' body. Prosecutors argued during the trial that the gun was put there to make it appear that Reed and Powell acted in self-defense. Both admitted during the trial to lying to police during their investigation. Barberton police A Barberton man is accused of accidentally shooting a woman in the arm through a closed door. (File photo) BARBERTON, Ohio -- A Barberton man is accused of accidentally shooting a woman through his closed front door. Derrick Whittington, 24, is charged with felonious assault and possessing a weapon as a felon. He is jailed on $500,000 bond after his appearance Friday in Barberton Municipal Court. The shooting happened about 10:45 p.m. Thursday in the 200 block of 3rd Street N.W. The woman and several others went to Whittington's home. The group announced they were going to come inside. Whittington, with a gun in his hand, tried to slam the door shut on the group, according to police reports. Witnesses told police that the someone pushed the door back at Whittington, whose gun went off. Whittington told he initially thought the gunshot came from someone outside the door. He realized about 10 minutes later his own gun had fired, according to police reports. The bullet went through the front door and hit the woman's lower right arm, causing a minor injury. The woman left and later decided to go to Barberton Hospital. Barberton police found Whittington's gun in his closet. They also found the fired bullet and shell cashing on the front porch of the home, according to police reports. Court records say Whittington was not allowed to possess a gun because of previous convictions for burglary. He was also sentenced to probation in December for heroin possession. Whittington also has a lengthy criminal record as a juvenile, court records say. CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque will host the Tuesday debut of a new Tom Ball documentary, "Modernism Renewed," charting the nationally significant renovation of the Celebrezze Federal Building in downtown Cleveland that involved wrapping the building in a new glass skin. The project is considered a milestone of sustainability and preservation of an important mid-century modern skyscraper, and as one of the first examples in the U.S. of re-cladding an existing tower with a new facade. A poster for Tuesday's free event on the Celebrezze tower renovation at the Cleveland Institute of Art. The free screening, starting at 6:30 p.m. at Cleveland Cinematheque, 11610 Euclid Ave., will be followed by a panel discussion among major protagonists in the four-year, $121 million project, now just about complete. Preview What's on: "Modernism Renewed," a documentary on the Celebrezze tower renovation and panel discussion. Venue: Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque. Where: 11610 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. When: Doors open 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2. Admission: Free. Call 216-626-5755 or go to aiacleveland.com They'll include Cleveland architect Peter van Dijk, who designed the Celebrezze tower, built in 1967; Chicago architect Charles Young of Interactive Design Architects, who led the project, Chicago architect and preservation consultant Gunny Harboe,Regina Nally, Regional Historic Preservation Officer for the Great Lakes Region of the U.S. General Services Administration, and Robert Theel, Regional Chief Architect for the GSA. Yours truly will moderate. The renovation of the Celebrezze building was intended to provide a transparent new outer shell that would seal an insulating cushion of air between it and the building's original facade. The film explores the process, which made the Celebrezze tower safer and more environmentally sustainable, and "preserved much of the buildings original design integrity," according to the Cleveland Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Doors open for the event at 6 p.m., and the panel discussion will commence approximately at 7 p.m. Roughly 120 people have registered so far according to the local AIA chapter, but with 300 seats in Cinematheque, there's room for many more. NORTH RIDGEVILLE, Ohio -- In support of North Ridgeville's initiative to increase physical fitness and healthy eating in the community, the city recently received two mini-grants totaling more than $60,000 from the Lorain County General Health District. South Central Park The first grant will help link existing and new homes with sidewalks for better access to the library, schools and South Central Park. Secondary sponsors of the project include the Lorain Public Library System's North Ridgeville Branch Library and North Ridgeville City Schools. The new sidewalks will provide greater accessibility to the buildings. The second grant was awarded to the North Ridgeville Seniors, Inc., which supports the North Ridgeville Office for Older Adults (Senior Center). The monies will afford older adults easier access to workouts geared towards their physical abilities and needs from the "Older Adult Fitness Station," which will be built next to the Senior Center. The Motion Wellness System will be the first of its kind installed in Ohio. Orthopaedic Associates and St. John Medical Center are secondary sponsors of the Fitness Station which also received support from North Ridgeville's Heart & Sole initiative. The businesses will work together with the Senior Center to promote wellness and independence for local older adults through workouts emphasizing balance, stability and coordination. "We are very pleased to receive both of these grants," said Mayor David Gillock. "One of the top priorities of my administration, working in coordination with North Ridgeville Heart & Sole, is to support all efforts of better health in our community. These grants certainly exemplify this endeavor." Both projects will begin later this year. The Fitness Station is scheduled to be completed by mid-summer and the new sidewalks will be installed by Aug. 31. AVON Author contest: Heritage Elementary School needs your help to win a national contest. The school or library with the most parents, teachers, friends, or supporters who enter the contest featuring Author Jan Brett, will win a free school or library visit from Brett in the 2016-2017 school year. Schools coming in second to 10th places win 10 Jan Brett books and 11th to 100th places wins a signed Jan Brett poster. With more than 40 million books in print, Brett is one of the nation's foremost author illustrators of children's books. Contest ends April 4. To vote, log on to bit.ly/1PKgw3N. Enter "Heritage" as the school and "35575 Detroit Road Avon, OH 44011" for the address. Ohio presidents: Celebrate Presidents' Day Feb. 15 at Lorain Public Library System's Avon Branch from 7 to 8 p.m. Learn about the lives, wives and presidencies of the eight U.S. presidents that came from Ohio. Adults and families with older school-age children and teens are invited to the free program presented by Jim Smith from The Lorain County Historical Society. Preregistration is required and is available online at LorainPublicLibrary.org or by calling the library at 440-934-4743. Race night fundraiser: The Avon Lions Club is hosting a "Race Night" Feb. 20 at 6 p.m. at Tom's Country Place, 3442 Stoney Ridge Road. Proceeds from the event benefit Lions International and the Avon Lions Club in its local efforts in volunteering and helping those less fortunate with sight and hearing disabilities. Tickets are $25 and include buffet style food, wash, soda, beer and wine. BYOB spirits and snacks. Name your horses, sponsor races, and advertising is also available. For tickets, call 216-534-0941 or email info@avonlions.org. Norton Place subdivision: It's not retail, but plans are moving forward to bring a new subdivision east of Jaycox Road on Middleton Drive. Dan Barcikoski of Atwell representing Perpetual Development, recently requested approval from the city's Planning Commission for a new 42 single family home subdivision. The proposed subdivision will be directly in front of Middleton coming out of Avenbury near Avon Commons on Jaycox. More pizza: According to information posted on its website, Master Pizza is coming to Avon Commons in the space currently occupied by Dolce Wraps. Master Pizza is planning to open in the spring. Dolce Wraps is currently looking for another location in the area, but plans to remain open for the next few months at the current location. Bagel chain coming: Barry Bagels is coming to Avon in the plaza at the southwest corner of Route 83 and Detroit Road. The family-owned and operated bagel chain offers 17 varieties of fresh baked bagels, as well as homemade soups and sandwiches. This is the chain's first opening in northeast Ohio. Several locations are currently in the Toledo and southern Michigan areas. Heritage Science Night: In preparation for Avon's 15th annual Heritage Family Science Night, organizers are currently recruiting adults who have a science-related hobby or collection that they are interested in presenting during the event. The group is looking for a variety of presenters, and welcomes first-timers, as well as past presenters. The goal for the evening is to share enthusiasm and knowledge regarding science with students and families, and for students to walk away with a greater awareness and appreciation. Family Science Night takes place March 10 at the Heritage Elementary School campus, 35575 Detroit Road, Avon, from 6 to 8 p.m. Booth set-up begins at 5 p.m. For more information, email Amy Rottman at rottmana@avonlocalschools or call 440-937-9660. College honor: Avon High School graduate, Leah Mazzola, currently a freshman pre-nursing major at Kent State University, was named to the Fall 2015 President's List. Mazzola is among 953 undergraduate students who have earned and received academic recognition on the Fall 2015 President's list. To qualify for this honor, undergraduate students must obtain a 4.000 GPA while maintaining 15 or more credit hours in a semester or session. Scholastic writing award: Avon resident, Zuha Jaffar, was among 11 students from Birchwood middle grade to receive recognition from the 2016 Regional Scholastic Writing Awards. He earned an Honorable Mention for his short story, "I'll be Here for You." Birchwood School is a private, coeducational school in Cleveland. AVON LAKE Summer Market vendors needed: In preparation for Avon Lake's annual Summer Market, applications for vendors are currently being accepted through Feb. 15. The Summer Market is a unique, outdoor event, held on the shores of Lake Erie in Veterans Park, offering shoppers an exceptional mix of vintage, beachy and handmade wares. If you are an artist, maker, grower, antiquer, chef, baker or shop owner that is interested in being part of the Summer Market 2016, you are encouraged to apply. The event takes place July 29-30. Apply online at thesummermarket.com/vendor-application. Meet HAL: Last month members from the former Avon Lake Historical Society and the Lakeshore Women's Club welcomed the Avon Lake Landmark Preservation Society (ALLPS/Folger Home) to finalize the merger of the three groups. The new group is called, Heritage Avon Lake (HAL). The new president of HAL is Gerry Vogel. "I am thrilled that we have finally put together these three organizations and we can go into 2016 with energy and focus for maintaining our rich history here in Avon Lake," said Vogel. Additional board members were also elected last month including: Melissa Clifford, vice president; Patti Zilka, secretary; Sandi Gerhan, treasurer; and trustees Kris Burns, Tony Tomanek, Karl Zuber. Barb Piscopo, executive director of the Lorain Historical Society, will give a talk on how the love for local history made it possible for the society (formerly known as the Black River Historical Society) to accomplish what they have over the last three years. She will also talk about their plans for their upcoming 35th anniversary. The event will take place Feb. 8 at 1 p.m. in the Gallery of the Avon Lake Public Library. Zumba fitness class: Join licensed instructor Ann Dabrowski Feb, 10 from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Avon Lake Public Library for a one-hour, cardio-dance workout. Zumba combines choreographed dance moves and Latin music for a fun fitness experience. Comfortable clothing, a water bottle, and towel are recommended. The class is for participants ages 16 and up. Connecting for Kids fundraiser: The group will hold its 4th annual fundraiser Feb. 26 at Ahern Catering & Banquet Center, 726 Avon Belden Road, Avon Lake from 6:30 to 10 p.m. The cost for the evening is $65 per person and includes dinner, cocktails and dessert. Discounted tickets are available for Table Sponsors (10 tickets for $600). The evening will feature a grand raffle with Florida and Cancun vacations, a silent auction, wine pull, DJ and dancing. All proceeds from the event will benefit Connecting for Kids, a nonprofit organization that provides education and support for families with questions or concerns about their child. The fundraiser is being sponsored by Olympic Forest Products. For more information or to reserve your tickets, visit connectingforkids.org/2016fundraiser. For questions, email info@connectingforkids.org or call 440-250-5563. The deadline to purchase tickets is Feb. 19. NORTH RIDGEVILLE Civil War musician and re-enactor: Timothy Krugman enacts the life and duties of a Civil War soldier/musician at Lorain Public Library System's North Ridgeville Branch Feb. 7 from 3 to 4 p.m. Krugman's program is presented in the first person in period costume. He uses historically correct instruments for an authentic period sound. The program is sponsored by The Friends of the North Ridgeville Branch Library, Inc. For more information, call the library at 440-327-8326. Harry Potter science: Potions class is in session at Lorain Public Library System's North Ridgeville Branch Feb. 10 from 6:45 to 7:45 p.m. Kindergarteners through fifth-graders are welcome at Harry Potter Science night -Preregistration is required and is available online at LorainPublicLibrary.org or by calling the library at 440-327-8326. Olde Towne Hall Theater: Tickets are available for the theater's production of "Fiddler on the Roof." The famous musical, by Joseph Stein, tells the story of Tevye, a poor milkman, whose love, pride and faith help him face the oppression of the turn-of-the-century czarist Russia. Show dates are Feb. 19-20, Feb. 26-28, March 4-6 and March 11-12. Friday and Saturday shows are at 7:30 p.m. Sunday matinees are 3 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for children and seniors. To purchase tickets, log on to oldetownehalltheatre.com. The theater is located at 36119 Center Ridge Road, North Ridgeville. If you have news to share regarding an event, award or other interesting tidbit happening in Avon or Avon Lake, and North Ridgeville send me an email at jshortavon@aol.com. The column's online version is at Cleveland.com/Avon, which offers direct links for many of the news items listed. COLUMBUS, Ohio - Huge majorities of Ohio voters are adamantly opposed to paying higher monthly electric bills bankrolling FirstEnergy and American Electric Power power plants, newly released polling shows. FirstEnergy and AEP say their old coal-fired power plants and FirstEnergy's 40-year-old Davis-Bessie nuclear plant are unable to compete in wholesale power markets dominated by new, natural gas power plants and wind turbines. Both power companies have requests pending before the Pubic Utilities Commission of Ohio seeking to have customers pay extra for up to eight years, buying all of the more expensive power from the old plants in order to keep them operating. The companies believe market prices will eventually increase when, or if, regional natural gas prices increase. The Ohio Consumers' Counsel has estimated the total extra charges paid by FirstEnergy and AEP customers could reach $6 billion over the next eight years. Although the PUCO is not working on a specific timetable, it is expected to rule on the requests this spring. Ohio AARP and the newly formed Alliance for Energy Choice jointly issued findings from separate polls Friday revealing the depth of consumer concerns about utility bills and about these specific proposals. The Alliance survey, part of the broader statewide Ohio Omnibus Survey, conducted earlier this month by Columbus-based Fallon Research, found 75 percent oppose the PUCO approving the special "power purchase agreements." 63 percent think the power company requests are just "an unneeded government handout that come at the expense of higher costs for families and businesses." 55 percent, including voters who now support the proposals, said provisions included in the purchase agreements guaranteeing a profit for the companies would make them less likely to support the deals. Another 38 percent said they were concerned the deals would "unfairly" raise their electric bills, while 25 percent said they worried that approval of the plans "would unfairly reward" companies that had not invested in new efficient power plants. The AARP findings, included in a wide-ranging poll of voters 50 and older last summer, found that: Affordable utility bills were crucial "top-of-mind" issues for 82 percent of those polled. Nearly two-thirds, 64 percent, said their income was falling behind the cost of living and cited rising utility bills as a major reason for that. More than two-thirds, 69 percent, said a candidate's position or actions affecting their utility bills would be very important in determining their support. "Consumers lose big time with these proposed settlements," said Trey Addison, of AARP Ohio, in a prepared statement. "They are especially onerous for those who can least afford another hit: Ohioans who live on fixed incomes and whose Social Security checks will not see a cost of living adjustment this year." Alliance spokesperson Todd A. Snitchler, a former PUCO chairman, said, "AEP reported a $2 billion profit last year, even as the company claims that their plants are not making enough money. Why should Ohioans be forced to pay the company more?" Ohio AARP has 1.5 million Ohio members. Alliance for Energy Choice members are independent power companies that fear they will not be able to compete with the FirstEnergy and AEP plants once they are subsidized. Cleveland Heights police Cleveland Heights police say a man who was found stripping in the road was also found in possession of suspected drugs. (File photo) Suspected drug possession Ivydale Road: Officers found a man undressing next to an SUV just before 6 a.m. on Jan. 23. The man had removed his pants, jacket and shoes. The man asked if the officer was real and touched his arm. The man said it was his birthday and that he had taken drugs. The man was found in possession of two small bags containing suspected drugs. He was taken to the hospital for treatment. The suspected drugs will be tested and the man could face criminal charges. Criminal mischief, Noble Road: A man is accused of kicking in an apartment door just before 11:30 p.m. Jan. 21. The man was attempting to enter the apartment to retrieve some of his belongings. Attempted motor vehicle theft, Lancashire Road: An unknown person damaged a 2004 Jeep's ignition in an apparent attempt to steal it sometime before 12:19 a.m. Jan. 22. Nothing was missing from the Jeep. Simple assault, Lee Road: A CVS manager reported at 1:14 a.m. Jan. 22 that a man was stumbling around the store and tampering with merchandise. The man also shoved a security officer into a shelf. The man was arrested and charged with simple assault and public intoxication. Breaking and entering, East Overlook Road: An unknown person broke into a vacant house and stole copper piping sometime before 1:16 p.m. Jan. 22. The house was last checked in November. Lost property, Forest Hills Boulevard: An unknown person stole a satellite dish off a woman's house sometime before 6:32 p.m. Jan. 22. Suspicion of drunken driving, Mayfield Road: A Jeep crashed into a parked Ford F-150 just before 1:45 a.m. Jan. 23. The Jeep's driver failed series of field sobriety tests and was taken to the police station, where he submitted to a blood test. The driver was charged with suspicion of drunken driving. Attempted motor vehicle theft, Northvale Boulevard: An unknown person broke a 2006 Jeep's window and removed its ignition in an apparent attempt to steal it sometime before 5:08 a.m. Jan. 23. There are no suspects. Motor vehicle theft, Noble Road: An unknown person stole a woman's 2003 Chevrolet sometime before 2:09 p.m. Jan. 23. The keys were left in the car. There are no suspects. Suspicion, Noble Road: A woman reported hearing what sounded like approximately five gunshots at 5:10 p.m. Jan. 23. No victims were found and officers did not find any shell casings in the area. Disorderly conduct, Mayfield Road: Two people were arguing in an apartment at 3:15 a.m. Jan. 24. Officers spoke with a woman who said a man was drunk and couldn't control himself. The man refused to identify himself and fought with officers when they tried to handcuff him. He was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, obstructing official business and resisting arrest. Trespassing, Brentwood Road: An ex-boyfriend followed a woman to her mother's house at 2:35 p.m. Jan. 24. The ex-boyfriend then forced his way into the house. No one was harmed. The man was advised to stay away from the house or his ex-girlfriend's house. The mother signed a complaint accusing the man of trespassing. Burglary, Noble Road: An unknown person stole a handgun from a woman's apartment sometime before 8:28 p.m. Jan. 25. The woman said she did not have paperwork for the gun because "a nice guy just gave her a gun with no paperwork or box." The woman suspected her ex-boyfriend took the gun. Disorderly conduct, Greyton Road: Two men were involved in a fight at 11:32 p.m. Jan. 25. Each suffered minor injuries to his face. They were issued citations accusing them of disorderly conduct. Fraud, Shannon Road: An unknown person used a woman's identity to open a bank account sometime between Dec. 31 and Jan. 26. The woman's identity was also used to obtain a loan. The bank is investigating. Unwanted guest, Greyton Road: A 17-year-old girl is accused of entering a neighbor's home without permission just before 9:15 p.m. Jan. 26. The neighbor said the wanted the girl to stay away from her children and that she was not welcome in the home. The girl is facing juvenile charges accusing her of trespassing. Criminal mischief, Kildare Road: A woman reported at 11:30 a.m. Jan. 27 that a teenager shot out her window with a pellet gun. Officers spoke with the teenager, who denied owning a pellet gun. There are no further leads, police said. Motor vehicle theft, Overlook Road: An unknown person stole a man's 2003 Jeep sometime between 9:20 a.m. and 6 p.m. Jan. 27. There are no suspects. Criminal damaging, Coleridge Road: A man reported at 5:54 a.m. Jan. 28 that he saw an unknown man tampering with the door on his roommate's car. The unknown man then ran from the area. No suspects were located. Motor vehicle accident, Covington Road: A Chevrolet Blazer hit a woman while she was crossing the street at 6:50 a.m. Jan. 28. The woman fell and injured her hand. She was taken to University Hospitals Case Medical Center for treatment. The driver was issued a citation accusing him of failure to yield. GARFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio -- A shooting outside a Broadway Avenue bar left one man injured early Saturday, police said. The shooting took place about 1 a.m. in the parking lot of Niecy's Place. A fight between "numerous" people started and bar security managed to separate the combatants and kick everyone out, police said. It is unclear what caused the fight. Shots were fired in the parking lot and a bullet struck a 22-year-old man sitting in his car, police said. The man was taken to MetroHealth for surgery. His current condition was not available Saturday morning. Police said most of the people involved in the fight had left the area by the time officers and paramedics arrived. No additional details were available Saturday morning. Opinion / Columnist The way forward Was development goals' yardstick unfair to Africa?In just two decades, primary school enrolment in two of the world's poorest countries - Niger and Burkina Faso - increased from 20% to more than 60%. Despite this encouraging trend, both countries are rated as having failed to reach the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of universal primary education by 2015.Over the years, the lack of an appropriate yardstick to monitor progress in poor countries' development programmes has often been criticised by experts.As the MDGs come to a close, some experts believe the global community needs to be aware that the assessment process was unjust to Africa and that progress made by countries such as Burkina Faso and Niger ought to be recognized."It took the United States over a century to make the transition from Burkina Faso's current enrolment rate to universal primary schooling," noted Michael Clemens and Todd Moss, senior research fellows at the Centre for Global Development, a US-based think tank, in their paper, What's Wrong with the Millennium Development Goals?Long-time critics of the MDGs, Mr. Clemens and Mr. Moss asked: "Would it not energize the development community more to celebrate Burkina Faso's performance than to condemn it as disaster?"A March 2015 paper by Laura Rodriguez Takeuchi, Emma Samman and Liesbet Steer of the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), a UK-based think tank, also faults the MDGs' evaluation system for failing to account for national realities.Countries are classified as either "on track" or "off track" in a non-linear way with countries at various stages of development, notes the paper. The authors found that depending on the indicator, up to 46% of poor countries for which sufficient data were available "have registered better-than-expected progress on some MDG targets, even though they are not on track' to meet them.""This country-level application (of global targets) has been problematic in some cases and promotes a misperception of real progress made," the authors asserted. "Applying the same targets to all countries suggests similar efforts will result in similar gains' across different countries. But our analysis alongside that of others shows progress is rarely linear: improvements in people's lives across different dimensions occur at varying rates across countries. For some MDG targets, progress has been faster for countries further from a target; for others it has been slower.New York University professor and economist William Easterly has argued that making the first MDG about halving poverty by 2015, compared to its level in 1990, "biased the campaign against Africa in the sense that it was much more likely that Africa would fail' than other regions, for two reasons."First, in his influential 2007 paper, How the Millennium Development Goals Are Unfair to Africa, Mr. Easterly is critical of the choice of 1990 as the baseline year (the MDGs campaign started in 2000) when economic growth in Africa was particularly poor. "This means that countries and regions are judged not only on their progress during the campaign, but also for progress made (or not made) before the campaign started," he said.Second, Mr. Easterly argues, the decision to make reduction in poverty a goal places more weight on economic growth as a driver of poverty reduction (a trickle-down effect) than on efforts to improve the incomes of those already living below the poverty line. Mr. Easterly finds bias against Africa in setting the target for each of the MDGs, such as claiming Africa has failed to reduce maternal mortality by two-thirds, despite the lack of reliable data indicating this.Many of these critiques are well-known and have been documented by various researchers over the years. The criticism has influenced the monitoring of the progress of the MDGs, leading observers away from simply noting that "Africa is off track" to a more nuanced approach, one that considers the level of progress of each country in its own specific context.According to the MDG 2014 report, Assessing Progress in Africa toward the MDGs, African countries have made some progress towards achieving the MDGs despite difficult initial conditions. Thirty-four out of the 48 countries that are classified as least developed countries are in the Africa region."Producing country case studies to better understand both the level of progress achieved and the specific factors that have driven it is crucial," notes Susan Nicolai, head of the Development Progress project at the Overseas Development Institute. The institute has produced 49 case studies exploring the progress different countries have made over the past two decades and what lessons can be drawn for the global community.Following the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the end of the MDGs process in September, ODI's Ms. Takeuchi noted that the process of developing this new set of goals had "been much more inclusive, both in terms of bringing the voices of different countries to the table but also of different groups within countries." She cites as an example MyWorld2015, a global survey conducted by the UN to gather the views of over 7 million people "from around the globe on what they think would make their lives better in the next 15 years." The survey results were communicated to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) negotiators through civil society.Discussions on setting indicators to measure progress on the 17 SDGs are still continuing, says Ms. Nicolai. The need to use country-specific indicators to show progress is feeding into the discussions. If a country establishes its own parameters of development, it will require strong incentives to push itself towards excellence.Financing sustainable development Ms. Takeuchi reckons that surveys such as MyWorld2015 can be powerful tools in ensuring national targets are in line with national priorities. "Data is another great incentive. We now have much more data to track progress than we did in 1990 (although my colleagues at ODI have shown that there are still huge gaps) and we can use it as an input to know what is realistic for a country to achieve."Money to finance development is a major requirement as well. Aid played an important part in the MDGs' implementation. However, unlike the MDGs, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is universal and is expected to receive global financial support for implementation as spelt out in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, which was adopted by world leaders at the Third International Conference on Financing for Development held in Ethiopia in July 2015. The Action Agenda emphasises the need to mobilize domestic resources, and lays the foundation for implementing the SDGs. To broaden the revenue base to finance the SDGs, member states agreed to improve their tax collection systems and to combat tax evasion and illicit financial flows. They hope to encourage more private investment and aid for poor countries.There is no doubt that the international community expects the SDGs to benefit from the invaluable lessons learned from implementing the MDGs.http://www.un.org/africarenewal/ MEDINA, Ohio: As I've mentioned before in this column, I spend most Tuesday mornings at the John Smart House Museum, volunteering for the Medina County Historical Society. One of my usual duties is to retrieve phone messages - because we don't have paid staff, messages may sit on the phone for a week before we access them on Tuesdays. Two weeks ago, I listened to a message from Craig Vanderhoef, the great grandson of Lorenzo Vanderhoef, a Civil War Veteran who grew up in Medina County. I was familiar with the Vanderhoef name because I had read a book at the museum titled "I Am Now a Soldier!: the Civil War Diaries of Lorenzo Vanderhoef," edited by Kenneth Martin and Ralph Snow and published in 1990. The book recounts the story of Samuel and Roxe Ann, Lorenzo's parents who moved from New York State to Homerville in 1834. They gave birth to ten children, nine of whom lived to adulthood. Lorenzo, the fifth child, was born on June 20, 1840. According to the book's editors, the names of the siblings were "irresistibly printable." I agree - they are Philansey, Reuben, Orange, Orson, Lorenzo, Ransom, Mary Joanna, Emma Sabrina, and Lorissa Melinda. Lorenzo worked on the family farm and taught school until he enlisted in the 8th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Company K, in April 1861. He started his diary "the day he traveled from Homerville to Medina and signed up." The entries tell about his experiences, his travels, sermons he attended, sick friends, and letters he wrote and received. On September 17, 1862, he took part in the Battle of Antietam in a close quarters melee around Bloody Lane, a sunken road. "Corporal Lorenzo Vanderhoef went down on his face with one wound, only to be hit again as he lay helpless, taking 'four gunshot wounds, one (slight) in the head, one near the lower point of the breastbone, one downward through the left shoulder joint..., and the fourth in the right side.'" "As night fell, Lorenzo's inert body had been left for dead near Bloody Lane." On Sept. 18, Vanderhoef lay unclothed - his body stripped of anything useful by a burial detail. According to the Vanderhoef family's oral tradition, "On the day following the battle, the driver of the ambulance recognized the face of his friend Vanderhoef. As he looked down at the body, it moved." Lorenzo was taken to a makeshift hospital where the house's owner, a Southern sympathizer, volunteered to care for him in her private rooms. He spent the rest of 1862 recovering from his wounds, but lost the use of his left arm. He moved to Grand Haven, Michigan, completed a course in accounting and general business at the Eastman Business College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., then was a partner in an insurance business in Grand Rapids, Mich. He married Anna Grove in 1868; they had their first child, Lora, in 1870. The family moved to Washington, D.C. in 1877 where he worked in the Treasury Department. Anna bore four other children, one who died in infancy, Wilford, and twins Ralph and Roy. Lorenzo died in 1912 at a hotel in Los Angeles where he was attending a GAR convention. Lorenzo's great grandson had called the Historical Society because he would like to donate the original diaries to the museum. He's planning to come to Medina from his home in Virginia this spring to bring the diaries to us. Because he piqued my interest in the Vanderhoef family, I looked up the name in a book called "Tombstone Inscriptions from the Cemeteries in Medina County Ohio," a book compiled and printed in the early 1980's by the Genealogical Society. There I found that Samuel and Roxe A. Vanderhoef are buried in the Simcox Road Cemetery, formerly called the Vanderhoef Cemetery, in Homerville. I passed the information on to their great, great grandson, and I plan to take a field trip to find the graves before he comes to visit. Windows 10 Medina SeniorNet Computer classes at Western Reserve Masonic Community, 4931 Nettleton Road, will offer instruction for all skill levels beginning on March 14. Affordably priced, small sized classes enable hands on instruction on all computing dilemmas whether it's learning about the new Windows OS, how to use software programs or figuring out what to do with that new device. Register early as classes are limited to six students. Visit the website at www.medinaseniornet.org for class schedule and registration form or call Sue Misiak at 330-239-1177 or email her at suetom44256@yahoo.com for further information. Genealogical Society The Medina County Genealogical Society will present a program at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 14, entitled "Ask the Experts" at the Medina Library, 210. S. Broadway. Experienced genealogists will be available to help participants answer questions about family research problems and brick walls. Bring your laptop or another electronic device to help in the search for those elusive ancestors. The public is invited to attend the meeting and earlier social time at 1:30. For more information call Pat Morgan at 330-725-7540. Cataract surgery Dr. Chester of the Cleveland Eye Clinic will speak about new advancements in Cataract Surgery as part of the 55 and Better Guest Lecture Series at 10:30 a.m. on February 19 at the Medina Community Recreation Center, 855 Weymouth Road. Following the speaker, lunch will be provided by the Cleveland Eye Clinic. The program and the lunch are free of charge and are open to the public. For more information, call Susan Becks at 330-721-6934. Puppet Show "Mindy Mouse Finds a Flower" will be presented from 2-3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13, at the Wolf Creek Environmental Center. Mindy discovers the most beautiful flower in the park and brings it home. After the other animals see her flower, they decide they need to have their own flowers and start digging up the park looking for them. Children must come to this hilarious puppet show with an adult companion. Interest level ages 4-10. Free, but registration is required for everyone attending the program. Register online by visiting www.medinacountyparks.com, click on Programs and Activities, then on Program Registration, or call 330-722-9364. To submit news or personal items for this column, email whatsbrewing@zoominternet.net. Mentor fatal fire.jpeg James Omersa, 43, died in a fire Friday morning at Print Shack on East Avenue in Mentor, police said. (Evan MacDonald, cleveland.com) MENTOR, Ohio - The mother of the man who died Friday in a fire at a Mentor print shop described him as a generous person who wouldn't hesitate to help others. James Omersa Jr., 43, died in the fire that broke out just after 5:15 a.m. at the Print Shack on East Avenue. A passerby reported the fire at 5:19 a.m. Firefighters arrived at the scene and had the fire under control in 23 minutes, police said. It appears the fire was accidental but its cause has not yet been determined, officials said Friday afternoon. Firefighters found Omersa's body while searching the building. Omersa had many friends and was generous, once donating materials for fliers and posters to raise money for a young girl who had cancer, his mother Linda Omersa said in a phone interview with cleveland.com. "Jimmy was well-liked," she said. "He was a good-hearted kid. This is such a shock." James Omersa Sr. founded the business three decades ago. Linda Omersa inherited the business from her husband when he died in 2008. She passed the family business on to her son. Omersa had been living at the business with his two dogs. The dogs, a German shepherd and a German shepherd/pit bull mix, also died in the fire. Neighbors said Omersa kept to himself but was friendly and could be seen walking with his dogs. Omersa worked long hours at the Print Shack, often late into the night, his mother said. "Jimmy was really good at what he did," she said. Omersa was divorced with one daughter. He also leaves behind a sister and a brother, his mother said. Opinion / Columnist There is something about slogans that Zimbabweans find totally irresistible!Zanu PF's slogan - The people's choice!MDC-T slogan - The party of excellence!People First Movement slogan - "Tiri Vavaki, Vavaki veZimbabwe!" (We are builders, Builders of Zimbabwe!)What is so ironic about these slogans is that the say the one thing the respective parties are not. Zanu PF has yet to hold free, fair and credible elections so how can it be the people's choice when that is the one thing democratic choice -the party has gone to great lengths to deny the people.President Mugabe has had millions of our people beaten and/or raped and over 30 000 murdered to impose and sustain his no-regime-change mantra. What choice did the people have in that!?MDC had the best chances ever to effect meaningful democratic changes in Zimbabwe and yet chance after chance they have wasted them all. The best chance to effect democratic change was during the GNU and yet in five years they failed to get even one democratic reform implemented."We in the MDC were wrong in participating in that (2013 general) election on the assumption and belief that the sheer numbers of Zimbabweans would overwhelm whatever shenanigans Zanu PF had planned to subvert the will of the people," admitted Tsvangirai soon after the Zanu PF blatantly rigged the elections.The golden opportunity for change was lost and today the nation is stuck with the corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF facing a real grim future.In failing to get even one democratic reform implemented MDC leaders proved beyond all reasonable doubt that they are breathtakingly corrupt and incompetent. MDC is a party of excellence! Excellence my foot!Joice Mujuru, Rugare Gumbo, Kudakwashe Bhasikiti, Didymus Mutasa and all the other People First Movement leaders have been in power for donkey years and they all have nothing to show for it. As key members of Mugabe's Zanu PF team they have played their part in creating the corrupt and ruthlessly tyrannical regimes that have brought ruin, destruction, death and despair to the nation.Joice Mujuru is renowned for her laziness, incompetence and corruptions. For individuals like Mutasa and Bhasikiti one has to add murder to that list; the pair have master-minded the murder of a number of innocent people on Mugabe's behalf.Oh yes Mujuru and the other PFM members are "builders of Zimbabwe" alright but builders of the corrupt and tyrannical Zimbabwe; if we want to build a free, progressive and democratic Zimbabwe then they are not the builders we want!Yes Mai Mujuru and company, we know you are builders of corrupt and tyrannical nations but that is exactly what we do not want to build, another corrupt and tyrannical dictatorship! watch now The JPMorgan Chase staffers stopped, briefly startled by construction sounds resembling a jackhammer that interrupted their gathering on the ninth-floor offices of its digital headquarters. They quickly returned to the task at hand: billiards. Needless to say, this is not your ordinary bank office. JPMorgan's digital initiative made its new home in 5 Manhattan West, near the city's developing Hudson Yards district and representative of a culture shift taking place on Wall Street. The bank aims to recruit millennial talent away from startups and tech industry titans, whose experience is ripe for financial services products that are increasingly being consumed online. Read More JPMorgan playing ball with Steph Curry, Warriors Today, the bank's digital operations headcount is more than 1,500; it seems certain that figure will only grow. "We really need to attract talent from across the industry spectrum," Gavin Michael, JPMorgan Chase's head of digital, told CNBC.com in an interview. Wall Street has to compete for tech talent with Silicon Valley companies eager to cater to needs and whims with in-office chefs, exotic retreats and benefits extending to employees' pets. It comes as pay on Wall Street, especially on the entry-level scale, has failed to match the banking business' outsized expectations. Billiards, foosball and leather pants Sometimes it means hiring developers, product specialists and designers away from Silicon Valley behemoths like Alphabet , although newly-minted PhDs in mathematics and engineering are in demand as well. The dress code at 5 Manhattan West, which opened its doors in early December 2015, is always casual it might not be uncommon to run into a millennial in leather pants, for example. There is a break room, where a couple of employees take one another on at FIFA on XBox; nearby acoustic and electric guitars and amps await their next jam session. Read More Banks fend off digital competitors All of Wall Street not just JPMorgan is grappling with ways to integrate increasingly diverse young talent who perceive the generational gap between themselves and would-be managers as being enormous. This isn't JPMorgan's only millennial-friendly office; the firm has established similar offices in Brooklyn; Columbus, Ohio; Delaware and San Francisco, with plans to open still more digital work spaces. Conference rooms at the West Side office are named for New York City landmarks, like Highline, the elevated walkway that connects to Hudson Yards and stretches through the West Village. West Village is also a name for a segment of Chase's digital office, and other neighborhoods, like Murray Hill, have designations. These are New York ZIP codes millennials live in (or, at least aspire to); but Staten Island's Dongan Hills, for example, is nowhere to be found. The blue hues one might expect at a Chase branch are also not in sight, and shades of purples, greys and greens abound instead. On top of the billiards table that, surprisingly, was getting use mid-morning on a Tuesday, there are multiple foosball tables. Ping-pong will eventually be incorporated as well. Individual offices are scant in the open-seating plan; conference rooms are walled off with glass, although it's easy to see inside. 'Environment plays a role' Hudson Yards number 7 train subway station Steve Sands | Getty Images watch now Companies reported some spectacular quarters this week, and Jim Cramer thought it just added more fuel to the fire in Friday's rally. It was the stocks that had huge moves this week that made it to Cramer's shopping list for next week, because he is confident that there could be more sell-off days ahead. First on Cramer's list was Facebook , which blew away investor expectations when it reported. Cramer thinks this stock remains cheap, even after its remarkable run. "Here is a company that is making a fortune off you, and you love it," the "Mad Money" host said. Cramer also recommended Johnson & Johnson , MasterCard , Visa , Paypal and McDonald's . "Procter & Gamble dazzled, despite a strong dollar, and I was blown away by the margin improvement and the organic growth. Neither Procter nor McDonald's is done going higher," Cramer said. Read More Cramer: Your shopping list for the next market dip After a miserable market last week, this week ended with a bang. And Cramer was happy to see progress made to help prepare investors for another week ahead in earnings. However, with employment numbers on the horizon, that doesn't mean stocks are in the clear. "Employment numbers trump everything else, so tread lightly, because if hiring picks up and wages rise dramatically, the bullish move we got this week could be repealed in a heartbeat," he said. Stocks were able to leap forward this week because the averages were finally decoupled from the Chinese stock market. That was a big deal because the Chinese market deservedly will continue to go down. In Cramer's perspective, it was all a bubble. Additionally, the price of oil bounced to $33 from $26, and that is good news for struggling oil companies that need to raise cash to stay in business. Read More Cramer's game plan: Don't get cocky next week! One stock that has taken a serious beating this year is Brunswick Corporation, the world's top maker of recreational boats with a sideline of fitness machines. Cramer regards this company as one of the best plays out there for discretionary spending. Brunswick reported a mixed quarter on Thursday. Despite beating Wall Street's earnings estimates, revenue came in lower than expected. Cramer thinks the reason why the stock has been slammed so hard is because investors are wary about the state of the global economy, and are therefore less likely to buy extravagant items such as a boat. To learn more, Cramer spoke with Brunswick Chairman and CEO Dusty McCoy. "I think another thing going on ... people may be comparing us to what other people I would call are into power sports. That's ATVs, motorcycles, all of that. And those guys have been having a tough time," McCoy said. 737 Max Hero Boeing Meghan Reeder | CNBC Almost 40 people drowned and 75 were rescued after a boat carrying migrants to Greece sank off Turkey's western coast on Saturday, according to local officials and the Turkish Dogan news agency. More than one million refugees and migrants arrived in the European Union last year and some 3,600 died or went missing, forcing the EU to mull suspending its Schengen open-borders area for up to two years. The Turkish coast guard was continuing search and rescue efforts where the 17-meter boat carrying at least 120 people sank off the coast of Ayvacik, a town across from the Greek island of Lesvos, the Dogan news agency reported. Read MoreNew Banksy protests treatment of migrants "I am afraid the numbers will rise as divers continue the search," Mehmet Unal Sahin, the mayor of Ayvacik, told the CNNTurk news channel by phone. "Local people woke up to the sound of screaming migrants and we have been carrying out rescue work since dawn. We have an 80-kilometer-long coast just across from Lesvos, which is very hard to keep under control." At least five of those who died were children, Dogan reported, while rescued migrants were hospitalized with hypothermia symptoms. It said the migrants were of Syrian, Afghan and Myanmar origin. - T. S. Eliot Thoughts After Lambeth "The World is trying the experiment of attempting to form a civilized but non-Christian mentality. The experiment will fail; but we must be very patient in awaiting its collapse; meanwhile redeeming the time: so that the Faith may be preserved alive through the dark ages before us; to renew and rebuild civilization, and save the World from suicide." We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Submit Danny Santulli's siblings, cousins hold vigil for him in Peace Park An end to hazing was the point of a Wednesday candlelight vigil in Peace Park organized by Danny Santulli's siblings and cousins. The NYC Netflix & Chill Airbnb Apartment We Found Your Next Date Spot That's Sure To Get You Lucky And It's Freaking Hilarious The Story The Snapshot The Lesson Three brilliant New Yorkers have designed a one-bedroom apartment in the West Village centered around the Netflix and chill meme. In other words, its decked out to be a place where you watch (or um, dont watch) Netflix and then chill (or um, have sex). Sure, it might seem like theyre going a little too far with the joke, but not so bizarre that the Internet hasnt started to catch on. The $400-a-night room (featuring a Netflix bedspread, a fully stocked mini-bar, an HD projector with an Apple TV and Netflix account and access to the roof has already booked for the entire month of February in less than 24 hours.While Netflix hasnt commented on the room, AirBNB shared the listing on their Twitter, releasing tons of Internet reaction, most of which is praise for their creativity. The big takeaway here? You can make money off designing sex-themed Airbnb listings. Get to it, people! Any memes youre dying to see brought to reality? Dont be afraid to give it a go, or how the Internet will follow. One special note though: The apartment is only for two people, so dont plan on fulfilling your threesome fantasies while watching Breaking Bad. Sorry. If Congress does not get anything else done this election year and it's doubtful that it will lawmakers should pass meaningful reforms to the way we sentence people for nonviolent crimes. Specifically, the House and Senate should say yes to a bipartisan-supported bill that, among other things, does away with mandatory minimum sentences mostly for nonviolent drug offenses. The Senate version of the bill also would seek to end recidivism and end the practice of putting juveniles in solitary confinement in federal prisons. President Barack Obama took care of the latter last week by announcing executive action to ban solitary confinement of juveniles in federal lockups. Momentum toward passage of the overall reform bill has been building since last year, with some conservative Republicans in Congress joining forces with liberal Democrats in a push to make it happen. For many conservatives, it is a dollars and cents issue. Locking up nonviolent criminals for long stretches is obscenely expensive, particularly at the state level, and is going up every year. For liberals, it is a social justice issue. A disproportionate number of people languishing behind bars for nonviolent crimes are poor and minority. Either way, strong sentiment appears to be there to get sentencing reform legislation passed. Or at least it was there. Last week, however, various national news outlets were reporting on efforts by freshman Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton to put a stop to the sentencing reform bill. "It would be very dangerous and unwise to proceed with the Senate Judiciary bill, which would lead to the release of thousands of violent felons," Cotton, told the web site Politico. "I don't think any Republicans want legislation that is going to let out violent felons, which this bill would do." Except that it wouldn't, according to Texas Sen. John Cornyn, a leading Republican who is pushing for the bill's passage. In fact, the bill does the opposite. It increases sentences for violent offenders while reducing prison time for low-level drug crimes. And yet, Cotton's crusade is getting attention, particularly among uncompromising law-and-order conservatives. An article slamming Cotton last week in New York magazine's online site said Arkansas' junior senator is angling for a potential White House run four or eight years from now. And killing a bill deemed soft on crime would only improve his already-strong conservative credentials. But for Pete's sake, this is no time to worry about distant political aspirations. It is time to end the unfairness of tossing nonviolent offenders most of them African-American men into prison and leaving them there to harden and fester for years. No one is served by doing that not even a politician from across the Mississippi River with a future eye on the presidency. A freight train backed into the Cargill plant on Presidents Island in September 2014, when the company announced plans to close the corn mill in January 2015 due to underutilization and high costs. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal) Nick Vrettos knew what would come would hurt. But he didnt turn off the lights. He didnt lay off a worker. He stayed open after Cargill closed the massive Presidents Island corn mill one year ago, idling 440 industrial employees. I would say overall we have lost at least 15 percent of our business, said Vrettos, owner of The Port, a store, restaurant and bar down the road from the corn mill. I didnt lay off anyone. But we adjusted. We cut back hours. Trimming worker hours at The Port, in a quiet way, sums up Greater Memphis in 2015. The unemployment rate in nine-county metropolitan Memphis rate slipped to 6.1 percent in December, compared to 7 percent a year earlier, data keepers at Tennessees Department of Labor and Workforce Development reported Thursday. Looking behind those numbers, though, are signs that are at once vexing and encouraging. Whats positive is the job growth. It has been slow in the Memphis area since the national recovery from the financial crash began in 2009, yet it sped up in December. Surveys of people in their homes found almost 584,000 metro-area residents said they had full- or part-time jobs in December compared to about 560,000 a year earlier, the Department of Labor and Workforce Development reported. Whats vexing is the hiring boom. The surge isnt reflected in a separate employer survey maintained by the data keepers at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. They say metro-area employers reported a total of 636,700 payroll jobs in December. While thats a solid rise compared to December a year ago, an increase of about 8,000 payroll jobs, it is far fewer than the gain of 24,000 found in the household survey. Its common for the household and employer surveys to diverge. BLS data keepers offer no good reason why, although some analysts contend both surveys are probably flawed. They also suggest a large share of the December gains trace to a lot more people working two or more jobs. If you have to pick the most accurate survey, most analysts say look at the unemployment rate that comes out of the household survey, while the employer survey provides a better yardstick of where the jobs are. By that measure, Nick Vrettos has a front-row seat on the big change. What were seeing is a lot of places on Presidents Island are still here, but there are a fewer people in them, Vrettos said. The whole face is changing, just like the country is changing. Manufacturing just isnt what it used to be. Were seeing truck lines come in here. Warehouses are coming in. Factories arent. Known during the 20th Century as one of the Souths largest industrial centers, Memphis long relied on high factory wages to help sustain its middle class. During the 1990s economic boom, the $1.4 billion annual industrial payroll in Memphis and Shelby County was exceeded only by the $1.7 billion health sector payroll, which counted in doctors pay and had 25 percent more workers than in the factories. Good industrial wages have been a reason the Greater Memphis Chamber has tried to recruit factories and the city-county Edge Board hands them PILOT tax cuts. But every year since 2007 (the year before the economy crashed) the metro area has lost manufacturing jobs, despite the new Electrolux, KTG Paper and Mitsubishi Electric plants. Losing factory work is a reason the number of middle-income households earning $40,000 to $75,000 has slipped to 99,000 from 102,000 metro-area homes in 2009, the U.S. Census reports. Last year, 1,400 industrial jobs vanished, dropping the metro-areas factory workforce to 43,400, a decline of 8,000 manufacturing jobs in eight years, and about 25,000 fewer jobs than in 1998, the modern peak for manufacturing employment here. Deploying robots and automation ramps up factory output using fewer people, a point often made to explain the steady decline in manufacturing employment in the United States. Theres some merit in this argument. The value of industrial goods produced in the metro area, when measured by the 2009 dollars buying power, rose from $7.4 billion in 2007 to $8 billion in 2014, the most recent year examined by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Output rose even as many factories closed. In the metro area, 289 fewer plants were running in 2013 than 1998, a drop of 26 percent to 812 plants by 2013, the most recent year cited in County Business Patterns, a report from the U.S. Census Bureau. Memphis and Shelby County took the brunt of the closings. Despite the chamber efforts to recruit factories, Memphis hasnt seen an influx of manufacturers since Electrolux, Mitsubishi and KTG opened. Hiring by stores, distribution centers, truck lines, health care providers and the tourism-driven hospitality industry of museums, hotels, bars and restaurants has carried the region. Government, information, business services (which includes temp agencies) and factories lost jobs, while construction held even. But what came in often doesn't pay as well as the lost industrial work. For the 16 employees of The Port, all this means the new normal is shorter hours. Bartenders come in later. Waiters stay home certain days. Cooks come in later. It is what it is, said Vrettos, 66, who has owned the business since 1980. I dont see things changing on Presidents Island anytime soon. Kikumi Kuriyama (from left), Miki Morrison, who is carrying Kent Morrison; Robert Morrison and Yuki and Go Watanabe were at the Japan America Society of Tennessee reception before the Midori concert at GPAC. SHARE Vince Carroll (from left), Sarah Johnson and Taylor Box were at Memphis Does Bowie. Jimmy Ishii (from left), Melissa Duong and Yuki Namba were at the Midori concert at GPAC. Matthew and Kate Gurney were at the Japan-America Society of Tennessee reception before the Midori concert at GPAC. Craig and Jodi Brewer were at Memphis Does Bowie. About 70 performers took the stage for "Memphis Does Bowie, a Benefit for St. Jude," a tribute to David Bowie, who died Jan. 10. About 1,200 attended and 18 bands took part in the event, held Jan. 23 at Minglewood Hall, said event organizer Graham Winchester. About $20,000 was raised for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, he said. Graham came up with the idea after "seeing how many people were affected by his death." He wanted to turn Bowie's passing into "something beautiful. Celebrate his life." Asked what sets Bowie apart from other performers, Graham said, "The complexity of the chord changes and the structures and the individual guitar solos. Everything is so advanced, but it sounds so natural and catchy. That's kind of my favorite thing about Bowie and his songwriting. When our bands were practicing for the shows, we chose songs we thought would be easy, and we kind of opened that can of worms: 'Oh, my gosh!'" The finale for the more than six-hour-long show included "All the Young Dudes" and "Heroes." "This was epic," said audience member Shelby Luigs. "I'm very impressed." Shelby was at the show because of the performers on stage, not just Bowie. "I'm a big fan of all these people, too," she said. "I have a lot of respect for all these guys." More shows in the same vein to benefit other charities may be on the horizon, Graham said. "We're talking about doing more 'Memphis does so and so benefits' in the future," he said. "It could be 'Memphis Does Big Star' or 'Memphis Does Zeppelin.' We're talking about making this a couple-of-times-a-year thing." Meeting Midori Veteran Memphis violinist Joy Brown Wiener was impressed with violinist Midori's performance with the IRIS Orchestra on Saturday night at the Germantown Performing Arts Center. Referring to Midori's encore, Bach's fugue from Violin Sonata No. 2, Joy said, "You will never hear it played any better than she played it. Only violinists would understand what she accomplished. It's a very difficult work to perform. She made it look as though it was effortless. But it is that difficult." The diminutive Midori greeted fans in the lobby following her Saturday night performance, which included Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto. Among those at the concert were members of the Japan-America Society of Tennessee. IRIS conductor/founder Michael Stern spoke to the group at its preconcert reception in the Delores Kinsolving Patron Lounge. Yuki Maguire, the group's liaison, said they held the reception "because Midori is a renowned Japanese artist." They wanted the Japanese community to support her as well as "strengthen the friendship of Japan and the United States in this area." Chili Contest Describing his chili, Jim Napolitano said, "It gets a little bit of burn, but it goes right down." Maybe that's because the layers in his chili include Trinidad Scorpion, Red Ghost and Peach Habanero peppers. Jim's chili came in second place at the High Point Pub Kathy Allen Memorial Chili Contest, which was held Jan. 24 in the breezeway in front of the neighborhood pub on High Point Terrace between Walnut Grove and Summer. The chili contest, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this year, was named after one of the bar's patrons who recently died. Craig Pollard, a member of the Barbeque Republic barbecue team, was first-place winner. Curt Carie, a High Point Pub owner, described Craig's chili as "a very meaty chili. Full flavored." His prize? High Point Pub paid his entry into the Memphis Polar Bear Plunge & Chili Cook-Off 2016, a benefit for Special Olympics Greater Memphis. The event will be held Feb. 6 at Mud Island River Park. SHARE By Kayleigh Skinner of The Commercial Appeal A former Memphis Police officer was sentenced Friday for stealing hundreds of dollars from Hispanic men while on duty and in uniform, according to Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich. Lorenzo Couch, 31, was sentenced to four years in jail for an incident that took place in January 2011. He was already convicted by a jury in December on two counts of official misconduct, official oppression and theft of property. On Friday he plead guilty to another count of official misconduct from a similar 2011 incident, Weirich said. Footage from a service store surveillance camera shows Couch arriving at the location at Wells Station Road and Macon Road on Jan. 27, 2011. Couch pulled up next to two men in a pickup truck and got out to talk with them before motioning for the pair to pull over onto a darkened area on the street, Weirich said. The two brothers, who are from Mexico, reported the incident and identified Couch in a photo spread. They told an interpreter that Couch stole $492 from their wallets. Couch gave a statement, saying he robbed the men because they looked Hispanic and he assumed they would not report the incident out of fear of deportation, according to the District Attorney's office. Couch told the jury Friday he stole $86 from another Hispanic victim around the same time. "They had to do what I said because I was in uniform and had a gun and a badge," Couch read in a statement to the jury Friday. "Because I was in control." Judge Chris Craft ordered Couch to serve four months beginning April 1, and then serve the next four years on probation, Weirich said. Couch joined the police department in January 2010 and resigned Feb. 1, 2011.

Aug 19 2015 - Mike Williams, A C Wharton, Harold Collins, and Jim Strickland prepare for media interviews at the conclusion of a mayoral debate held at the University of Memphis . (Nikki Boertman/The Commercial Appeal)

By Ryan Poe of The Commercial Appeal A group of well-known Memphis businessmen was behind a political action committee that opposed former mayor A C Wharton's reelection last year, according to the PAC's financial disclosure Thursday. Neighborhood Alliance PAC includes several supporters of Mayor Jim Strickland, including developer and Shelby County Schools board member Billy Orgel, Paul Boyle and Mark Halperin of real estate firm Boyle Investment Company, and HealthChoice CEO Mitch Graves. Strickland said Friday that he didn't know, and the "chances are zero" that his campaign staff knew, who was funding Neighborhood Alliance. Jordan Libowitz, a spokesman for watchdog organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), said the group passed their donations through another PAC, which avoided having to disclose the donations until after the Oct. 8 election. The PAC received all of its $113,000 in donations in September from another PAC, Conservatives for Effective Government, according to disclosures filed before the election. Conservatives for Effective Government received $132,500 in September from six people and one company, all from Memphis. That doesn't violate any election rules, although Libowitz said the approach put up a "roadblock to transparency." Because of Conservatives for Effective Government's national focus, the PAC is only required to file disclosures twice a year in off-election years, like in 2015. If individuals had given money directly to Neighborhood Alliance, they would have had to reveal their names and donations in September. "This was set up strictly to delay the disclosure," Libowitz said. The most generous donor to Conservatives for Effective Government was Orgel, who gave $57,500. His company, cell phone tower development firm Tower Ventures, and the company's vice president, Craig Weiss, each gave $25,000. Orgel is redeveloping the Tennessee Brewery, a project that includes a nearby $5.1 million public parking garage. The filing also showed a $10,000 donation from Michael E. Keeney, a Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority board member and the managing shareholder at law firm Lewis Thomason, and $5,000 donations each by Boyle, Graves and Halperin. Halperin declined comment Friday. Calls to the other donors were not immediately returned. Neighborhood Alliance was one of two mystery PACs that tried to influence last year's mayoral election. The other, Citizens for a Brighter Memphis, was funded by another PAC, the Black Alliance for Educational Options Action Fund, and opposed Strickland. "I wondered through the entire campaign who was funding each one," said Strickland, who said he opened his mail one day to find a Citizens for a Brighter Memphis mailing attacking him. By the end of September, according to its lone filing, Neighborhood Alliance spent $95,325 on strategic consulting, voter data, polling, get-out-the-vote calls, and direct mail. Perhaps the most visible way the group tried to influence the election was by putting up its colorful "report card" yard signs that gave Wharton a failing grade on jobs, safety and finances, an "A" for corporate tax giveaways, and a "C" for top aides' ethics. Follow more politics and policy coverage from the InforMemphis team on Twitter and Facebook. By Ryan Poe of The Commercial Appeal Shelby County Trustee David Lenoir is slated to take over property tax collections for Memphis this July in a move that could save the city millions. But after a three-year pilot program, some city officials are getting cold feet over the arrangement. City officials haven't come up with standards to judge the trustee's performance since mid-2013 in collecting delinquent city property taxes, and in a handful of recorded cases found that the trustee gave the county delinquent tax payments meant for the city. Those issues are raising questions about whether the city should pay the trustee more than $1.25 million a year to collect all city property taxes, which at $388.7 million last fiscal year made up the bulk of the city's revenue. "When you have a city the size of Memphis, we should collect our own taxes," said Memphis City Council District 7 member Berlin Boyd. "I don't like giving up autonomy." Boyd said Wednesday that he will seek to dissolve or delay the relationship, which was formed by joint resolutions from the council and County Commission and expires this year unless the city exercises an option to extend it another three years. Even Lenoir said he's bothered his office's performance isn't being measured, but said the math still adds up to savings. "Post-conversion, it is mutually beneficial," he said. "But before the conversion I hate to use the phrase 'this is how the sausage gets made,' but it's not pretty." A CLOSER LOOK AT SAVINGS Mayor Jim Strickland said most cities and counties in Tennessee partner to collect taxes because of the efficiencies, but also because of the ease of access for property owners. Strickland, who supported the contract with Lenoir's office when he was the City Council Budget Committee chairman in 2012, said he's willing to discuss the trustee's contract with City Council members. But, he added, he wasn't immediately sure whether the city can legally back out of the deal now. "We're certainly willing to engage in that conversation," he said. The three-year contract signed in 2013, and with a three-year extension option that the city has exercised lets the city terminate the agreement for any reason, but only with a year's notice. Lenoir and city Chief Finance Officer Brian Collins said they believe the contract will create substantial savings for a city that in recent years has been rocked by financial body blows. "We're in the midst of a battle, if you will, in terms of this data transition, that we've got to see to completion," Lenoir said. "I can't stress enough the magnitude of the transition, but also it's importance. It's our financial lifeline, and it's also the city's." Under the contract for delinquent collections, the trustee's office receives a flat fee of more than $1 million a year, plus a reimbursement for fluctuating expenses like for advertising and title work. The fee will rise to $1.25 million, plus those additional expenses, once the trustee begins collecting all city property taxes. The net cost is expected to be around $2.27 million a year. Here are some of the ways the city expects to save money: - The transition will let the city eliminate nine to 12 of the 16 positions on City Treasurer Pat Black's staff. Some employees will be moved to other departments, while the rest will oversee collections of various fees and non-property taxes. The treasurer has a current-year budget of $986,251 for personnel. - The city won't have to mail 260,000 tax notices. The treasurer has a current fiscal year budget of $358,255 for materials and supplies. - The city won't have to spend $3.5 million upgrading its computer software. Lenoir said the city saves about $500,000 a year now from having the trustee collect delinquent taxes. He declined to disclose the number he said he has in mind for city savings post-conversion. 'WHAT GETS MEASURED GETS DONE' Lenoir, who describes himself as a "what gets measured gets done" kind of guy, said he asked the city early on for a way to measure his office's performance. "The biggest challenge with our relationship with the city right now is our reporting," he said. "Their data is not on our system, so if you were to ask me today in the three-year relationship we've had with the city, how much we've collected, quite honestly, I couldn't tell you. And that bothers me." City officials tried to come up with a historical comparison, but comparing the period before 2011 to the period after 2011 would be comparing apples and oranges, Collins said, because of the city's practice of selling rights to some delinquent tax payments to financial firm Tower Capital Management. Also, he said, the ups and downs of the economy play a big role in the amounts collected. With that caution in mind, the city's latest Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) shows that the trustee collected $4.5 million in delinquent city taxes in its first year, 2013-14. That was a small decrease from the previous year, but a 37.5 percent drop from the $7.2 million collected in 2011-12 and a 67.9 percent drop from the $13.9 million collected in 2010-11, adjusting to remove collections tied to lien sales. Delinquent collections rose to $9.2 million in 2014-15. Chart: Delinquent property taxes collected (with interest) Lenoir said the low collections in his office's first year could have been because his employees didn't start work on the previous year's delinquent taxes until mid-2013. Tax bills are in most cases mailed July 1 and become delinquent 60 days afterward. As collections flagged, the city's balance of outstanding delinquent taxes from prior years grew, and quickly. The balance rose from $37.9 million in 2012-13 to $45.9 million in 2013-14 and then to $48.2 million in 2014-15 the highest balance going back to at least 1996. THE CITY'S '$100 PROBLEM' In five to 10 recorded cases since 2013, the trustee's office has applied money to county taxes that should have been given to the city, said Debra Gates, chief administrative officer to the trustee. The amounts ranged from less than $100 to $4,000 and the money was returned to the city. Boyd said he's afraid giving collections to the trustee's office will let those kinds of errors go unchecked. "It's definitely a concern of mine," he said. "The city of Memphis needs all the money it can collect. That's a fact." But both Lenoir and Collins said finishing the merger of the city and trustee's tax data in a new system where payments will be allocated automatically will resolve the problem. In the meantime, they said, errors are being corrected manually. "We don't want to divert our attention and spend a million dollars to solve a $100 problem that's going to solve itself in five minutes," Collins said. City Council District 3 member Patrice Robinson said she hopes the council which has had significant turnover since 2012 will reexamine the transition to see if it's in the city's best interests. "We will need to know there's accountability there," she said. Follow more politics and policy coverage from the InforMemphis team on Twitter and Facebook. Tammy Smith SHARE By Linda A. Moore of The Commercial Appeal Once Shelby County starts having clean elections and "stays out of the newspaper," there will be more trust in the election process, a candidate for the county's administrator of elections told the Election Commission on Friday. Tammy Smith spent more than an hour fielding questions from the five-member election commission board that is charged with finding a replacement for Richard Holden, who retired in December. Smith was offered the job, which pays $107,000 a year, but said she has a child in school and would need to think about the offer. She was expected to have a final answer for the board by next Friday. Smith was aware of past problems with Shelby County's elections, which she said were "preventable" and have led to widespread distrust with the election process. "A lot of it is perception," Smith said. "They can't feel like you're hiding something, because in this business, there's nothing to hide. Because in this business everything is public record except Social Security numbers." During Holden's term, thousands of voters across the county received incorrect ballots, resulting in one overturned election. Holden was suspended for three days. The Shelby County Commission, in an action led by some of its Republican members, approved a no-confidence resolution against Holden, also a Republican. The nonpartisan Memphis City Council followed that action, approving a similar resolution. State Rep. G.A. Hardaway called for a "full criminal investigation." Smith, 46, noted the success of the Wilson County Election Commission's website in reducing telephone calls to the office, because it is easy to use and answers voter questions. She stressed the importance of investing in good poll workers who are engaged throughout the year and making sure the election commission staff has clear work objectives and are allowed to grow in their work. Robert Meyers, Shelby County Election Commission chairman, said he thinks the county's current team is doing a good job. "They just now need leadership that will take them to the next level." Smith is currently assistant administrator of elections for Wilson County, which is just east of Nashville and has a population of about 122,000. She is a graduate of Western Kentucky University and previously worked as administrator of elections in Macon County, Tennessee. January 29, 2016 - Memphis Police Col.Terry Landrum (right) jokes with fellow officers at MPD's Tillman Station during a going-away party ahead of his promotion to Deputy Chief. (Brandon Dill/Special to The Commercial Appeal) SHARE Frank Garrett Sharonda Hampton Mike Ryall By Yolanda Jones of The Commercial Appeal Memphis' interim police director Michael Rallings promoted several top leaders in the department to his command staff. The promotions come after Memphis Police Director Toney Armstrong left the department this week for a job at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and several other top brass retired or plan to retire this year. "In a couple of days, an interim director was announced, a deputy director was announced, we announced the promotions of three additional deputy chiefs, we also promoted three new colonels to replace the newly appointed deputy chiefs and two acting lieutenant colonels," Rallings said. "That was one of my priorities, getting promotions and getting people in place to stabilize the ship." Deputy Chief Mike Ryall will be Rallings' second in-command as he was promoted to Deputy Director. Ryall is replacing former Deputy Director Anthony Berryhill, who retired on Dec. 31. Deputy Chief Gerald Perry also retired on Dec. 31. To fill the vacancies on the command staff the following colonels were promoted to deputy chief: Frank Garrett, who was precinct commander at Old Allen. Sharonda Hampton, who was precinct commander at Mt. Moriah. Terry Landrum, who was precinct commander at Tillman Station. They join Deputy Chiefs Rowena Adams, Jim Harvey and Clete Knight. Harvey and Knight are retiring later this year. So, that will leave Adams, Garrett, Hampton and Landrum as Deputy Chiefs. Others promoted were: Major Sam Hines to colonel at Mt. Moriah. Lt. Col. Mickey Williams to colonel at Tillman Station. Major Paul Wright to colonel at Old Allen. Wright will also serve as acting lieutenant colonel at the North Main Station. Major Eddie Bass to acting lieutenant colonel in special operations/traffic division. Giannotto: Ja Morant show is back and everybody wants a piece of it The full effects of what Ja Morant and the Grizzlies created last year were on display in Wednesday's season-opening win over the Knicks. January 28, 2016 Teach901 special projects coordinator Shelby Smith, (from left) City Leadership executive director John Carroll, St. Georges Independent School 11th grader Alton Stovall, 17, and Serve901 coordinator Jeff Riddle pose for a photo inside Living Hope Church in the Vollintine-Evergreen neighborhood. Through a partnership between the organizations, 7,000 square feet of space in Living Hope is being renovated to accommodate as many as 100 people at once staying at the church as part of volunteer work through Serve901. The work includes installation of showers and beds, as well as improving on features such as the churchs outdoor quad. (Brandon Dill/Special to The Commercial Appeal) By Jane Roberts of The Commercial Appeal Alton Stovall looked in amazement Thursday at the cleared Sunday school rooms in the basement of McLean Baptist Church where he could be bunking this summer, studying Memphis up close from a living, thriving service lab that now also stands on the power of collaboration. The St. George's/SERVE901 Bunkhouse opens June 1 in the whitewashed Midtown church at McLean and Jackson. It represents a meeting of the minds between St. George's Independent School and John Carroll, the whirlwind idea man who created the marketing brand, CHOOSE901. "I can imagine one moment cutting the ribbon and in the next, kids will be packed and ready to move in," said Ross Peters, head of schools at St. George's. The school announced the deal Friday. Bunkhouse is no misnomer. With $250,000 from St. George's parents, Beth and David Skudder, work crews are adding men's and women's sleeping quarters, adjacent shower rooms, central air, plus amenities in an all-purpose room that will soon become the breakfast/gathering area for hundreds of students. "We're building sleeping space for 100 because that's the size of St. George's (grade levels)," said Carroll, who was leading a construction tour early Thursday. "Realistically, we'll have space for 115 or more." Fifteen to 20 weeks a year, SERVE901 will fill the bunks with college kids coming to Memphis for spring and fall work camps. The rest of the year, St. George's will be in residence, running its own city-inspired service projects or offering classes or sleep-ins for students in its upper school. "It almost a fourth campus," said Stovall, who besides helping clean up the church basement, is among the nucleus of students at St. George's in on the planning. "We have a program called MLK Day On," he said. "We go out in the Memphis community and work. One thing we're talking about is extending that over many days. Because we have an established a base, we can spend the night." St. George has a tentative "Amplify Memphis" on the drawing board, a three-week course for upperclassmen on Memphis history that would involve a service project. St. George's, which by design has campuses in Memphis, Collierville and Germantown, will have a presence between Rhodes College and Crosstown and a chance to work with SERVE901 "which is doing so much to attract people to Memphis and back to Memphis," Peters said. "We want our students learning how to live that life of contribution now. But it is more than that. We want them to be learning not just to deliver service but to live in a community in a way that contributes to it." The vision in part is that when St. George's students are in college, they will have a reason to invite their friends to service projects here and be able to offer free lodging. The larger idea is that the experience could be so meaningful, both will decide make their lives in Memphis. It's no pipe dream to Carroll, who's seen it happen countless times with college students he's brought to Memphis over a half-dozen years for service projects. "We have great amenities they can experience the National Civil Rights Museum, the zoo, the Redbirds, the Grizzlies, the local food scene, the Greenline. They love it. They love the city." McLean Baptist is owned by Living Hope, a congregation in Piperton, Tennessee, which also offers programming in the church. It was looking for tenants but didn't have the money to build showers and bunk facilities Carroll needed for SERVE901. "Living Hope told us, 'If you are willing to put the showers in, you can use this space as much as you want,'" Carroll said. That's where the Skudders come in. They donated the money because they wanted to expand St. George's service potential but also because they believe in SERVE901. Carroll's 501(c)(3), City Leadership, negotiated a 10-year lease on 7,000 square feet of basement classrooms for $1. The deal gives St. George's and SERVE901 access to the chapel, courtyard and sanctuary, now a gymnasium and the worship space for two congregations that hold services there, including McLean Baptist. But it also has an industrial kitchen and plenty of parking, perks that would cost both tenants if they had to build them. But until Rhodes College bought Evergreen Presbyterian, there was no deal, Carroll says pointing to the new $400,000 sprinkler system that changed the trajectory. "Evergreen's day school moved here, and when they made the investment to put the after-school program here, they paid for the sprinkler system. That immediately allowed us to have the conversation," he said. Carroll, delighted with the connections, didn't know how much they meant to the neighborhood until he spoke last weekend to the Vollintine Evergreen Community Association. "I'd been talking about five minutes and they gave me a standing ovation. They are so excited to have this in the neighborhood instead of having it torn down for a Walgreens or some decaying old building. They're going to have this incredibly active community center right in the hub of their neighborhood." Updates throughout the day at http://calevbenyefuneh. blogspot.com. If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.Twitter updates at LoveoftheLand as well as our Love of the Land page at Facebook which has additional pieces of interest besides that which is posted on the blog. Also check-out This Ongoing War by Frimet and Arnold Roth. An excellent blog, very important work as well as a big vote to follow our good friend Kay Wilson on Twitter. . ..Commentary Magazine..29 January '16..This week President Barack Obama reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to Israels security with the sort of ringing rhetoric that might have soothed the concerns of even his most strident critics. It was possible to point out a gap between the reality of American actions on the Palestinians and Iran and the presidents words. But, as I noted yesterday , theres no denying that the administration has continued the security alliance with the Jewish state even if President Obamas main goal in the relationship continues to be the establishment of more daylight between the positions of the two nations. But even as some pundits were touting the presidents appearance at an Israeli embassy event as a sign of a rapprochement between Washington and Jerusalem, we must now figure into the equation the news that the U.S. has been operating an extensive electronic spy operation against the Israelis for 18 years The revelations, which are part of the Edward Snowden leaks of classified data, were apparently published by his journalistic collaborator Glenn Greenwald in The Intercept as well as. The anti-Israel hacking dates back to the Clinton administration and was a joint operation of U.S. and British intelligence that was conducted from a base in Cyprus that is used by the U.K. forces. Though the operation could be used against any number of nations in the Middle East, its primary focus was clearly the state of Israel and resulted in the U.S. being able to track the transmissions of Israeli aircraft and view videos and any commissions between planes, drones, and Israeli commanders. The point of the endeavor was apparently to keep tabs on any possible Israeli moves against Iran as well as to merely give U.S. spooks and their political masters the ability to know just about everything that Israel is doing in its efforts to defend the country from Hezbollah and Hamas terrorist bases. It is being described in the Israeli press as the worst disaster in the history of Israeli intelligence , and its hard to argue with that. The point is, if the U.S. and the Brits have been able to crack Israeli encryption systems then not only must Jerusalem worry about what use its friends are making of this data, it must also worry about whether they will keep it secret. Just as scary is the prospect that enemies have also been able to snoop on Israeli military communications.What conclusions should we draw from this?First, no one should be shocked. All nations spy on each other, including allies. Israel is still getting over the Jonathan Pollard scandal even though it took place over 30 years ago. Given the damage that foolish operation caused both for the U.S.-Israel alliance, its likely that the Jewish state hasnt repeated the blunder and is keeping its word about not spying on the Americans. But although the White House continues to say that the U.S. doesnt spy on everyone without a specific, validated national security reason for the effort, thanks to Snowdens illegal leaking, we know that the U.S. devotes quite a lot of effort to spying on Israel. In particular, reports have told of the expenditure of a great deal of U.S. effort seeking to snoop on Prime Minister Netanyahu during his long argument with Obama over the Iran nuclear deal.Second, from an Israeli frame of reference, there ought to be a hue and cry about the failures of its vaunted spooks. For decades, Israeli intelligence has had a legendary reputation that gave it enormous prestige abroad and its leaders tremendous influence at home. This persisted despite a history of intelligence catastrophes that often left the country surprised by technological advances on the part of its enemies. That doesnt make them unique but it ought to remind Israelis that there is a reason why civilians should have the ultimate decision-making power over operations, not spies or generals.This is especially relevant because a number of former heads of Israeli intelligence have taken on a political role in recent years, seeking changes in policy regarding the Palestinians and opposing even the idea of a strike on Iran despite support from elected leaders. History will tell whether or not they or Netanyahu was right. But this fiasco ought to put their claims to omniscience in perspective. Israeli intelligence is no more infallible or in possession of unique insight than the CIA. And no one, even those of us that greatly admire the work of the people who toil bravely for U.S. intelligence would like them to be in charge of American policymaking. Israels Gatekeepers need to account for their own failures (along with what are, no doubt, their many successes) beforeLast, there is the question of how much effort the U.S. is expending on seeking to restrain Israeli measures of self-defense while largely ignoring the efforts of both Hezbollah and Hamas to prepare for a new war against the Jewish state.This week, we also learned that a tunnel collapse took the lives of seven Hamas operatives in Gaza . These werent the first tunnel casualties but the willingness of Hamas to talk openly about the setback only underscored the massive nature of the tunnel building operation going on along Israels southern border.Hamas apparently has more than 1,000 people working around the clock six days a week to dig more tunnels under the Israeli border. Moreover, its commander is openly boasting that during the next conflict with the Israelis, it will operate inside the territory of 1948, meaning Israel. Thats a helpful reminder to Westerners that think the conflict is about Israels occupation of the West Bank. Hamas states openly that it views Tel Aviv as being under occupation every bit as much as any hilltop settlement in the West Bank. Moreover, Palestinian public opinion in both Gaza (from which Israel withdrew completely in 2005) and the West Bank seems to agree with them.Hamas has also completely replenished its stock of missiles and rockets since the last war it fought with Israel in 2014. That it did so with the assistance of its Iranian patron is not in doubt.The same is true of Hezbollah, which has been fighting in Syria at Irans behest on behalf of the Assad regime. Yet it has also amassed an enormous arsenal of rockets aimed at Israel. According to no less an authority than Secretary of State John Kerry, it now has 80,000 missiles aimed Israeli targets, also provided to them by Iran. He said that in the context of acknowledging that Iran is likely to use some of the great wealth it will acquire as a result of the nuclear deal with the West to fund both Hezbollah and Hamas terrorism.So the situation in the Middle East is such that Israel must be ready for a resumption of hostilities with Iranian-backed terrorists in both its northern and southern borders. It must do so knowing these enemies are preparing to rain down destruction on its cities, or to invade its territory to kill and kidnap its citizens. The U.S. has sought to give Israel more military aid to combat these threats, though, as happened in 2014, the White House may shut down any resupply operations if it wants to squeeze the Israelis at any moment. But if that wasnt worrisome enough, the U.S. is also indirectly helping to fund the terrorists and expending great energy spying on the Israelis.If Israelis are sometimes confused about whether the administration means it well, they cannot be blamed. Its a cruel world where friends spy on each other. But the willingness of the U.S. to look the other way about terrorists planning mayhem takes the cognitive dissonance of this situation to a new and altogether more troubling level. SHARE By Mandy Rough and Robert M. Solmson We are involved with Memphis Opportunity Scholarship Trust (MOST), a privately funded, need-based scholarship (voucher) program that provides families the opportunity to send their preK-12 children to area private schools. Every day in our work, we see firsthand the value of parental choice when it comes to education. MOST helps more than 500 students attend private or parochial schools each year. With a waiting list for new scholarships of nearly 700 children (and that's just for our entry points of preK-3 through first grade), we know that the need to expand parental choices is great. We wish MOST could help more children, but are always reminded of Loren Eiseley's "Starfish Story." A man sees an older man on a beach picking up one live starfish after another and tossing them back into the ocean. When asked why he is committed to something that seems to make little difference in the vastness of sea life, the old man says, as he saves another starfish, "It made a difference to that one." Similarly, educational options can be life changing for each child who has the opportunity to attend a school that is the right fit. Yes, our public schools are working hard to improve, and those efforts are essential to making our community stronger. Charter, Achievement School District and Shelby County Schools' iZone schools offer options for our children, and some of those schools are having outstanding results. But turning around the giant ship of public education will take time. There are things that can be done for at least some children now, and one is to allow them to attend schools that already are doing a great job, and that should include private schools. Are private schools available to all children? No. Should they change their admission standards to allow entrance for all children? Absolutely not. In fact those two things small class sizes and standards for entrance are what set private schools apart and make them a desirable choice for many parents and students. That said, private schools' limited seats prevent a "run" on state-funded vouchers. In areas that have had vouchers for years (such as Milwaukee and Cleveland), the transition to vouchers has been slow and deliberate and with a limited number of vouchers granted (as would be the case in Tennessee). Furthermore, only a portion of funds allocated per public school student is used for a voucher. The rest remains in the public school budgets, saving the state the difference. Public schools are typically the first educational option parents consider for their children, and where schools are strong, they are typically the first choice. In any community private schools are not chosen without much deliberation. Should there be a larger-than-expected "run" on vouchers in our community, perhaps the public school situation is graver than we thought. But, should children who, simply by virtue of their parents' income level and ZIP code, be relegated to a poorly performing school? The school a child is zoned for might not be the best choice for that child. Why not add private schools to the pool of options, allowing lower-income families the same options as wealthier families? Education is not a one-size-fits-all matter. Any teacher will attest to that. We must focus on the students, giving each child the best chance at reaching his or her potential as a scholar, an athlete, a class leader, an artist and we must do it now. The children can't wait. Robert M. Solmson is the founder and board chairman of Memphis Opportunity Scholarship Trust (MOST). Mandy Rough is its executive director. 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. What Does It Mean To Be A Farmer In Vidarbha? By Shubhda Chaudhary 30 January, 2016 Countercurrents.org A comprehensive study of the National Crimes Record Bureau had revealed that one-and-a-half lakh farmer suicides took place in Vidarbha from 1997-2005. Few of the worst affected districts include Yavatmal and Amravati. This disconnect does not allow us to delve deeper, to ask questions as to why the Cotton belt of the Deccan suffers. So, what does it mean to be a farmer in Vidarbha? Vidarbha, located in the eastern region of Maharashtra has constantly called for attention due to the rising number of farmer suicides. In tandem, the government is trying to scrutinise the causes that are leading to this affliction, though, without understanding the loopholes that continue to mar the relief packages, introduced time and again by them. Though, relief packages are being distributed but one is hardly questioning why the farmers are unable to repay the loan, what are the reasons that are contributing to this phenomenon and at what level, are farmers still falling prey of it, in spite of the relief packages amounting to crores. At the same time, this agrarian crisis of farmers suicides which became even more prominent after 2000, have underlying root causes that date back to several decades, rather than being an immediate consequence of an embryonic malady. There are several reasons behind the dramatic rise in the number of farmer suicides, the prime being the case of rapid rise in farmers indebtedness. This agrarian crisis further worsens due to the poor pricing of cotton produced along with crop failure. One needs to understand that most of the cotton farmers are small farmers and since the very colonial times, they have been very sensitive to the price fluctuations in the market. When the prices of cotton were improved in 1990s as the Indian economy opened up to trade liberalisation, the number of cotton farmers also grew. But then, the domestic market of cotton farmers in India was destroyed when the government started permitting imports of cotton from USA at five per cent duty only. As a result of the government lifting the quantitative restrictions under liberalisation scheme, the cotton imports from USA increased from 21,221 tonnes in 1999 to 48,805 tonnes in 2000. This step quintessentially was going to affect the domestic cotton farmers in India in the years to come. But the measure of its affliction was perhaps ignored or not thought about, to this degree as it is now. The fact that BT cotton leads to greater yield can be debated because greater yield of cotton is due to increase in the area under cotton production. Also, the increase in yield is due to several factors such as soil quality, water, nutrition and climate rather than just the use of BT cotton. But the farmer indebtedness has increased as BT Cotton seeds are the only ones available in the market. They are herbicide resistant and have toxin producing gene. Paradoxically, a large number of farmers are committing suicides by consuming pesticides. At the same time, scholars like Vijay Jawandhia argue that yield is not the problem at all, as the problem primarily consists of problems of food storage and loopholes in food distribution system. Thus, rather than involving middle-men or farmer leaders or foreign giants, the government should take steps on improving food processing facilities at the village level so that the cotton farmers do not have the only option of shifting to soya farming, which would have detrimental impact in the coming decades as our cotton production would then drastically reduce. Nevertheless, Vidarbha region in Maharashtra still receives a great deal of attention and coverage by the press on this issue. Consequently even if the governments in these states have been forced to acknowledge the problem and are forced to take some steps to mitigate the crisis, they have not been flawless. In fact, they have been quite flawed, right from the very start, be it the designing or the thought implementation of the relief packages. In a nutshell, would this semi-arid, poor, backward region in the heartland of India where the problems of farm suicides in terms number, rate, intensity and trend would ever stop becoming such an acute and worrisome fact? Is the farmer himself, who now needs to take on the mantle and narrate the stories, rather than drinking pesticides and waiting for relief packages? Or would the same top to bottom approach of the government would suffice, one day, no matter, when that one day comes. Well, when it comes to Vidarbha, there are many questions that haunt us today and would continue to do so, in the times to come. Shubhda Chaudhary is a PhD scholar in International Relations at Jawaharlal Nehru University. She specialises in West Asian politics and works with think-tanks in Abu Dhabi and South Africa. Email id: shubhda.chaudhary@gmail.com Death Of Rohith Vemula: Caused By Acts Of Omission And Commission Of The Authorities, Finds Indian Peoples Tribunal By Preliminary Fact Finding Report By Indian Peoples Tribunal 30 January, 2016 Countercurrents.org The Joint Action Committee for Social Justice had requested the Indian Peoples Tribunal to send a fact finding team to investigate into the death of Rohith Vemula on 17th January 2016 on the Campus of the University of Hyderabad. A team of Justice (Retd) Justice Suresh H, Sujata Surepalli Editor Desi Disa, US Rao- Chairman CBC Federation, Meena Menon Writer-Researcher and Senior Advocate Gayatri Singh visited the University of Hyderabad on 25th and 26th of January 2015 and met with students, faculty, friends and family of Rohith Vemula and some of the administration authorities who were available. The observations of the Fact Finding Team are as below; 1. The death of Rohith Vemula was caused by the acts of omission and commission of the authorities. 2. On 18th December 2015, Rohit along with other members of ASA met the VC and requested to revoke the Order of Suspension and raised the humiliating issue of social boycott. He was pained to know that the VC was adamant and refused to resolve the issue on the spot. Rohit wrote the letter dated 18th December 2015 which indicates his assessment that the students would not get any justice from the Vice Chancellor. 3. The Office of the Vice Chancellor suppressed the letter dated 18th December 2015, refusing to invoke even basic protocols in such situations. This is not only dereliction of duty cast on University Authorities but it also constitutes grave contempt of the Orders of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, particularly in the conduct of the composition of the Committees, procedure mandated for incidents that may lead to expulsion, and appellate provisions thereto. 4. That the Office of the Vice Chancellor allowed the incident of 3 / 4 August 2015 to spiral out of control is shocking. It is evident from the documents on record that Vice Chancellor allowed his office to be pressurized by the Minster of Human Resource and Development to advance their own political agenda. 5. Recommendations of the Proctoral Committee are shocking to say the least. The prohibition by the Committee against students associating in groups transgresses on fundamental protection of association provided within the Constitution. That the Committee could prescribe such a punishment reflects their lack of understanding of the Constitution, and is a matter of concern. 6. That the extended members of the Proctoral Committee were not allowed to deliberate and influence the outcome of the Extended Proctoral Committee exposess the sham it was. 7. The call of the Proctoral Committee to ban all associations on the basis of ideology, Caste, Religion reflects a deep rooted prejudice against politically active students and their associations and goes to root of the matter that ails this university. That the administration can echo a position that is contrary to the fundamental rights guaranteed in the Constitution is a matter of deep concern. 8. That the Executive Sub Committee constituted by the Vice Chancellor did not take umbrage to the aforesaid observations of the Proctoral Committee casts doubt over the competency of a primafacie extremely prejudiced Executive Sub Committee. 9. The dereliction of duty exhibited by the Office of the Vice Chancellor, to even engage with protesting students, is a clear abdication of his foremost duty to act in the best interest of students. 10. That the University of Hyderabad , failed to take cognisance of recurring suicides by students from rural and marginalised communities is horrifying. That comprehensive investigations were taken up only in some cases is disturbing. That the recommendations of these investigations were ignored, strengthens our resolve that the disregard for students from rural and marginalised communities seems to be a concern that will require systemic correction. 11. That Rohit Vemula was folded into the alleged incident of 3rd August 2015, when he was not even present at the said incident or referred too reflects a pre-set agenda to target him. This is further borne out by the sequence of events which shows the taking cognisance on a complaint by a rank outsider, manipulation of facts, tampering with evidence. That these events followed the intervention of Bandaru Dattaray and the Minister of HRD strengthen our view that the University was not concerned about an impartial investigation but was only keen to bend over backwards to please the Minster of HRD. 12. That students from Rural and Marginalised Communities are denied timely payment of their Fellowships, runs contrary to the purpose and objective of the fellowships. That there is no effective administrative oversight to ensure timely payments to students from rural and marginalised communities, has allowed systemic bias to be perpetuated without any redress. It is obvious that this system enjoys tacit approval of the administration and even some of the faculty members. 13. The continuing and growing incidence of tragic suicides of students belonging to marginalised sections of society makes it imperative that a Rohith Law be enacted, which is the demand of both students of the Joint Action Committee and Rohiths family. This should ensure punitive action against university administrations guilty of encouragement, abetting or even inaction in the case of the persistence of exclusionary practices in Universities. War Is Still Not The Answer: Antiwar Sentiment May Have Evaporated, But War Is As Horrible As Ever By Justin Podur 30 January, 2016 Podur.org The unelected Saudi monarchy began the year by executing 47 people. It continues to bomb hospitals, homes, and civilians in Yemen as it has done for nearly a year. In October of last year, a few weeks before the election, the Turkish state almost certainly arranged bombings in Ankara that killed more than one hundred people at a peace demonstration. The ruling party won the election, have now accelerated their own war on the Kurdish population of their country, and are targeting anti-war academics. Egypt's current dictatorship came to power in a coup and cemented its power with a major massacre in August of 2013. Israel has spent the months since October extrajudicially executing Palestinians. When the Swedish Foreign Minister mentioned the possibility of investigating these executions, a former educational secretary in Israel suggested that the Swedish Foreign Minister should be assassinated. All of this is to say, a quick regional roundup of very recent atrocities suggests that there are few governments in the region that have not lost the moral authority to govern. If Syria's dictator, Assad, must go, perhaps these other governments must, as well. But how? What if, in a moment of republicanism, the US decided on regime change in the Saudi Kingdom? What if in a fit of sympathy for the Kurds, Washington were to draw up a plan to bomb Turkey from the air until it withdrew from the Kurdish areas? Or to bomb Cairo, until Sisi resigned and elections were held? Or to bomb Israel until it ended the occupation of Palestinian lands? Or, if they wanted to avoid open warfare, perhaps Washington could sponsor some republican armed groups in Saudi Arabia, provide advanced weapons and conduct assassinations on behalf of the Kurds and the Palestinians, arm and train the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, all in the name of helping the oppressed? All of these would be horrible ideas, with horrible outcomes. The result would be tremendous death and suffering, and the intended beneficiaries of these policies, the ordinary people in these countries, would suffer the most. What's more, it's not clear - whatever the moral authority of the targeted regimes that the US (or any other government) has the moral authority to go around deciding, through violence, who governs. Instead, as painful and long as the road to liberation is, it is the task of the oppressed people in the region to liberate themselves from dictatorship and occupation. What outsiders in the West can offer is not war, but solidarity often in the form of stopping the West from helping (or being) the oppressors. This used to be somewhat widely understood. After World War II, a body of international law was created and one of the intentions motivating it was to prevent war. International aggression was deemed the supreme crime of WWII, the crime from which all the other crimes flowed. When the US went to war in Vietnam, the antiwar movement spelled out a series of arguments, none of which depended on the angelic nature of the Vietnamese communists that the US was fighting or the Soviet Union that was supporting them. Those arguments included legal (international law), moral (aggression was the wrong means, for the wrong ends, and would cause harm to people), and practical (war would be harmful to US interests, create more enemies, be costly in economic terms and in lives). The US ruling class blamed the antiwar movement for a Vietnam Syndrome that constrained the US's ability to fight wars. Antiwar arguments held through the 1980s, through decades of covert operations. They were present in 1990/1 when the US first attacked Iraq. There were cracks in the antiwar bloc in 1999, when the US went to war in Kosovo, but among leftists, the antiwar idea remained strong. Even in 2001, when the US invaded Afghanistan after 9/11, the opponents of war held to all three lines of argumentation legal, moral, and practical, despite the horrible nature of the Afghanistan's Taliban government that was targeted by the US. The movement peaked in 2003, in the lead-up to the invasion and occupation of Iraq, with millions of people in the streets and the declaration that global public opinion was a second superpower again, despite the horrible dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. Antiwar arguments continued to be made in spite of the nature of the governments targeted. Antiwar movements sought alternatives to aggression, especially the use of international law and diplomacy. They also made a deeper critique of the arms industry and war profiteering, of the power politics of regime change, of racism and indifference to the lives of people bombed, and of war propaganda and deception. In 2011, the overthrow of Gaddafi in Libya faced no meaningful antiwar opposition. Leftists split like they hadn't in decades over a question that had not arisen even with governments at least as bad or worse than Gaddafi's (Saddam Hussein, the Taliban) by human rights measures. Hillary Clinton was able was able to quote Julius Caesar (who was writing about a country that his Roman army destroyed and annexed using genocidal warfare, including kidnapping and publicly murdering the opposing general at a parade) and say we came, we saw, he died, as a kind of joke. The moves from the beginning of the civil war to the establishment of a no-fly zone to regime change and Gaddafi's lynching all proceeded with almost no debate or dissent and with amazing speed. A Libya Cure was found to the Vietnam Syndrome. Today, the Syria civil war rages with about 10 countries participating, some of whom, including the US, are fighting on both (or perhaps more accurately multiple) sides. The number of people in the West - including leftists - who are arguing that war is not the answer, is almost zero. The number of people again including leftists - who see war as the answer if it can meet this or that imaginary criterion is much higher. People who oppose regime change through war are ridiculed as naive or unprincipled. But are they (we) ridiculous? Has the record of war really changed so much since 2011? Did Libya really disprove the many arguments that antiwar movements used to hold to? Is Syria a case of the success of war as a strategy for accomplishing something? Something other than more war and more destruction? Here are some easy predictions: In the years ahead, we are promised austerity, poverty, violence, and ecological catastrophe. If societies want to deal with any of these problems, they will also have to deal with the problem of war, because through all this, we will also have war. As a result, people will need to develop antiwar movements. The arguments that those movements will rely on will be the same ones that are mocked today, the very same ones that used to be more widely accepted, but have somehow been forgotten. Justin Podur is the author of Haiti's New Dictatorship (Pluto Press 2012). He has contributed chapters to Empire's Ally: Canada and the War in Afghanistan (University of Toronto Press 2013) and Real Utopia (AK Press 2008). He is an Associate Professor at York University's Faculty of Environmental Studies. First published at TeleSUR English Jan 28, 2016 Updates throughout the day at http://calevbenyefuneh. blogspot.com. If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.Twitter updates at LoveoftheLand as well as our Love of the Land page at Facebook which has additional pieces of interest besides that which is posted on the blog. Also check-out This Ongoing War by Frimet and Arnold Roth. An excellent blog, very important work as well as a big vote to follow our good friend Kay Wilson on Twitter. . ..Pundicity/ JPost ..27 January '16..Last week, amid subfreezing temperatures in a Ukrainian city founded by Cossacks, I saw living proof that the Jewish spark can truly burn brightly even under the most unlikely circumstances.Indeed, while the snow in Krivoi Rog may be kneedeep, blocking roads and turning thoroughfares into slippery escapades, that doesn't seem to deter the small local community of Subbotnik Jews from faithfully trudging to their modest synagogue, where they continue to turn their hearts and their hopes toward Zion.Rivka, a young member of the community, is a student of architecture at the local university who has taught herself to speak Hebrew. When I asked her how she envisions her future, she said, "I want to live in Israel so that with God's help I can have a Jewish wedding and educate my children in the spirit of Torah. This is very important to me."Andrei, who is 19, told me that his dream is to serve in the IDF."I believe that doing so is a mitzva and that defending the Land of Israel is something sacred," he said.The 200-year-old saga of the Subbotnik Jews is one laced with tragedy and persecution, but characterized by tenacity and resolve, and it is time for Israel to reward their fidelity and bring these precious people home.The Subbotniks' origins trace back to southern Russia in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, when Judaizing sects arose for reasons that various scholars have struggled to explain. According to Czarist archives and Russian church documents of the time, the movement spread rapidly and grew to number in the tens of thousands.While remaining Christians, many adherents took on some Jewish practices, such as observing the "Subbot," or Sabbath, on Saturdays, leading them to be referred to as "Subbotniks."Among them, however, was a small group which left behind the Russian Orthodox faith and underwent conversion to Judaism.They referred to themselves as the "Gerim," using the Hebrew word for converts, and began to practice Judaism openly, which in Czarist Russia was no small feat.These Subbotnik Jews observed Jewish law, married Russian Ashkenazi Jews in the city of Voronezh, and some sent their children to learn in yeshivot in Lithuania and the Ukraine.Their embrace of Judaism did not go unnoticed, and the Russian regime wasted little time in trying to destroy the movement.According to the late Simon Dubnow, the great historian of Russian and Polish Jewry, Czar Alexander I learned of the existence of the Subbotnik Jews in 1817, when they petitioned him to complain about the anti-Semitism they were suffering "on account of their confessing the law of Moses."Rather than protecting his subjects, the Czar chose to persecute them. He issued a series of cruel decrees against the Subbotnik Jews, which included kidnapping their children, and which culminated in their deportation to the far reaches of eastern Siberia.Over time, many migrated back, settling again in southern Russia or the Ukraine while valiantly trying to preserve their identity in the face of Czarist and later Soviet oppression.In the 1920s, the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, sent an emissary named Rabbi Chaim Lieberman to live and work with the community. He established a kosher slaughterhouse as well as a tallit, or prayer shawl, factory, which were manned by Subbotnik Jews and which serviced Jewish communities throughout Russia. They operated until Rabbi Lieberman was arrested and murdered by the Communists in 1937 for his promotion of Judaism.When the Germans invaded the Soviet Union during World War Two, they slaughtered many Subbotnik Jews on account of their Jewishness, including some of those living in Krivoi Rog, where the community had been formally established in 1927.Subsequently, in the dark days of Stalinist Russia, Subbotnik Jewish men in Krivoi Rog were arrested for praying together in a minyan and keeping Bibles at home, and were shipped off to the Siberian gulag for periods ranging from eight to 10 years.Decades of living under Communism took their toll, with the community in Krivoi Rog now consisting of 40 people, with dozens more in nearby towns.Altogether, there are an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 Subbotnik Jews spread throughout the former Soviet Union, many of whom wish to make aliya.For nearly a century, the Subbotnik Jews were freely immigrating to Israel, until in 2005 the Jewish state's vaunted bureaucracy shut down their aliya.Prominent figures in our nation's modern history, such as the late IDF chief of staff Rafael Eitan and the legendary Alexander Zaid, a pioneer of the Second Aliya who founded the "Hashomer" Jewish self-defense group a century ago, were of Subbotnik Jewish descent. So too was Yossi Korakin, a legendary commander in Israel's vaunted special operations naval unit Shayetet 13, who died during a counter- terrorism operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon in September 1997.There is no reason to think that the Subbotnik Jews will not continue to provide Israel with more heroes in the future, if given the chance to do so.In fact, many of the Subbotnik Jews of Russia and the Ukraine, including those whom I visited in Krivoi Rog, have relatives and loved ones already living in Israel, but have been unable to reunite with them.With each day that passes, the danger of assimilation continues to mount, which is why it is critical that Israel move quickly to allow the remaining Subbotnik Jews to make aliya.There are various halachic issues that will need to be addressed in light of the community's unique history and in order to remove any doubt regarding their personal status, as well as bureaucratic obstacles that will also need to be overcome. Hopefully, this will happen soon.Through stubborn dedication and determination, the Subbotnik Jews have somehow managed to keep the flame of Jewish life alive despite everything they have endured. Israel should now bring home the remaining Subbotnik Jews of Russia and the Ukraine to ensure that heroic blaze is never extinguished. Rohith Vemula And Steve Biko: Implications Of A Tragedy By Pushkar Raj 30 January, 2016 Countercurrents.org Rohith Vemulas social murder early this month is in some ways similar to the political murder of Steve Biko by the South African regime, in the aftermath of Soweto student uprising, at the height of apartheid oppression in 1977. There, the collaborating institution was the apartheid police; here, close home, it is Hyderabad Central University. Steve Biko, the young leader of the black consciousness movement, was an outstanding critique of the white supremacy and apartheid. Rohith was at an ideological war with the brahmanical supremacy and its various organizational off shoots including RSS, ABVP and the ruling regime at the centre. Death of Steve Biko galvanized South African youth to come out, organize and form the United Democratic Front- an anti-apartheid umbrella group. Inspired by the ideology of black consciousness under the banner of UDF, the new leaders emerged leading the nation into the turbulent eighties and liberation in early nineties. It would be a fitting tribute to Rohith Vemula, if something similar emerges and spreads across India to decrease the social exclusion and suffering for an average Dalit student that he/she goes through in the system today. Rohiths death is symptomatic of a larger disease in the contemporary Indian society that has crept into it in recent times. Hindu rightist affiliated forces have arrogated to themselves the authority and power to put lid on an individuals freedom to think, express and disagree. Anyone who does not conform to their archaic, patriarchal, discriminatory and exclusive world view is termed anti-national. It is a term which is empty, emotive and open to interpretations and relates to an abstract entity than a mass of people. One may be insisting on justice-social, economic, political- for the people but still be dubbed anti-national by them. Steve Bikos murderers were let off lightly despite clinching circumstantial and photographic evidence. The apartheid system was so insensitive, arrogant and unjust that it thought, it could get away with it. Sensitivity and justice to it was the sign of cowardice. Same is happening in Rohiths case. Confronted with the protesting students, the Prime Minister of the country resorts to symbolism to respond to the tragedy of Rohiths death as if he was never a real human being who did not matter, except in relation to maa bharti, an abstract entity. At the same time, the foot soldiers of maa bharti continue to be in office and assert that it is not a Dalit issue. On top of it a section of mainstream and social media has started Rohiths identity assassination, killing him over again. The angry Dalit students demonstrations all across India suggest that there is a deep rooted discrimination against the Dalit youth in the educational system. These are the students who spontaneously identify with Rohith Vemula. The student protests are indicative of emergence of a new youth amongst Dalits- those who are, aggrieved and assertive. Dalit students now understand that mainstream student organsiations can neither give them space nor articulate their aspirations. They will have to be at their own, not at the mercy of so called liberals. It is time for Dalit youth to create a new vocabulary of Dalit reality and empower their community. In their fight against the oppressive Indian social system they require an alternative narrative such as black consciousness in South Africa. This narrative, as it did in South Africa, should ensure that by being described as Dalit they start on a road to emancipation; they commit themselves to fight against all forces that seek to use caste as a stamp that marks them out as an inferior being. They must organise as a group in order to cast away themselves of the chains that bind them to continuous victimhood. What Dalit youth require now is solidarity of enlightened amongst them. They need an ideology (different from critique of Hinduism) with a pan Indian character, binding them across the regions that liberates them first psychologically and induces them for a lasting action. Rohith Vemulas birth anniversary today should serve as a starting point to that direction. Pushkar Raj is a Melbourne based writer. Formerly, he taught political science in Delhi University and was the National General Secretary of Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) India. He can be reached at raajpushkar@gmail.com An American Big Lie About Terrorism' By Eric Zuesse 30 January, 2016 Strategic-culture.org Micah Zenko is a blogger who posts on a main site of America's foreign-policy establishment, the Council on Foreign Relations, and he posted there on January 6th, How Many Bombs Did the United States Drop in 2015? He calculated: Last year, the United States dropped an estimated total of 23,144 bombs in six countries. Of these, 22,110 were dropped in Iraq and Syria. His curiosity about this question had been sparked because he noticed that, The primary focus meaning the commitment of personnel, resources, and senior leaders' attention of U.S. counterterrorism policies is the capture or killing (though, overwhelmingly killing) of existing terrorists. I often ask U.S. government officials and mid-level staffers, what are you doing to prevent a neutral [Islamic] person from becoming a terrorist?' They always claim this is not their responsibility, and point toward other agencies, usually the Department of State (DOS) or Department of Homeland Security (DHS), where this is purportedly their obligation internationally or domestically, respectively. But, Zenko noted, The problem with this kill-em'-all with airstrikes' rule, is that it is not working. One reader-comment there was, This is b/c we are fighting an IDEOLOGY. We are not fighting a traditional military. However, whereas in the non-Islamic world, it's an ideology, it is instead a sect within the Islamic world; and, right now, it's a rapidly growing one. It is, in fact, an offshoot of the Wahhabist sect of Sunni Islam that the Saud family have been advocating and promoting ever since the year 1744, and upon which they have established the nation that they now own. But, recently, it is inflaming much of the world. Another, more-extensive, reader-comment, from a Michael Beer, observed: If the USA were fighting an ideology, then it would be bombing and confronting the ideological heartland, namely Saudi Arabia. There is no significant ideological difference between Saudi Arabia (Wahabbis), Al Nusra, Al Quaeda and ISIIL. USA's militarized response to September 11 has cost trillions, killed more than 1 million people and helped rip many societies apart. Since Obama took office, he has slaughtered thousands of innocent Arab men, women and children to prop up fossil fuel monopolies and to make blood money profits for defense contractors. Responses to that response were generally in the nature of: I agree 100% with your comment. If only the average American knew and understood your statements the farce that is the political system and the military industrial complex would have no leg to stand on. So: even regular readers of a U.S. establishment website are coming to recognize that something is very wrong with American foreign policies regarding terrorism. This problem goes deep: America's leaders use the word terrorist to refer to Shia Islam, and not only to Sunni Islam. But the reality is that all international jihadism except against Israel, has come from fundamentalist Sunni Islam, and is based in fundamentalist Sunni interpretations of the Quran. The only instances where there has been from Shiites anything like that terrorism the terror-attacks against the U.S. and Europe, such as 9/11 and Charlie Hebdo was when the Shiite organization in Lebanon, Hezbollah, in the 1980s and '90s bombed the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon, Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia, and the Israeli Embassy in London, especially so as to punish the U.S. for donating $3 billion each year to enable Israel to continue being an apartheid state oppressing Muslims (called Palestinians). Whereas Israel (as long as it continues being an anti-Muslim apartheid state) has sound reason for opposing Hezbollah, no Western country has reason to consider Shiite nations to be a threat yet the U.S. does, and so do its European satellites. There is important history behind this reality: Iran is the center of international Shiism. In 1953, the U.S. and UK overthrew, in a U.S.-run coup, the democratically elected non-sectarian and progressive Iranian President Mohammed Mossadegh, and installed there a brutal Shah, who became world-renowned for his tortures and who did with Iran's oil and gas what the U.S. told him to do with it. Since Iran is the world's leading Shiia-majority nation, the decades between the installation of the U.S. puppet-Shah in 1953 and his overthrow by the increasingly rabidly anti-U.S. Iranian public in 1979, were a chamber of Iranian horrors that served Washington and the oil-based U.S. aristocracy, and that largely created the ongoing war between Shiia Islam itself, versus the U.S. and its allies. Leading the anti-Shiite war is not the U.S., but instead the al-Saud family, which gained its rule in 1744 on an oath to destroy Shiites. As The Atlantic headlined on 21 September 2010, Understanding the $60 Billion Saudi Arms Deal: It's About Iran. Then, on 8 September 2015, the Congressional Research Service reported that, during the five-year period from October 2010 through October 2014, the U.S. and the Sauds signed deals to deliver $90 billion of U.S. weaponry to them. That's a lot of weapons-sales, all of which are from America's arms-makers, to Saudi Arabia, for use by the al-Saud family enough to join-at-the-hip America's aristocracy to the Saud family, who are the core Saudi aristocrats and the world's most powerful family. On 28 January 2012, the Dayton Business Journal issued a carefully researched study, headlined Top 10 foreign buyers of U.S. weapons, and here were the rankings at that time: #1=Saudi Arabia; #2=UAE; #3=Egypt; #4=Taiwan; #5=Australia; #6=Iraq; #7=Pakistan; #8=UK; #9=Turkey; #10=S. Korea. He who pays the piper calls the tune: those are the American aristocracy's main allies. The Western countries are allied with the royal families all of them fundamentalist Sunnis that own and run Saudi Arabia (the al-Sauds), Qatar (the al-Thanis), Kuwait (the al-Sabahs), Bahrain (the al-Khalifas) and the six royal families of UAE. All of those aristocratic families even when they have conflicts between each other, such as the al-Thanis versus the al-Khalifas all of them are led by the al-Sauds, because King Saud is by far the world's richest person, owning and controlling at least a trillion dollars and perhaps in the tens of trillions, most of which is owned secretly but even the visible part is over a trillion (and was over ten trillion when oil was at $100/barrel). Perhaps none of the other royal families has anyone who controls more than a trillion dollars. Neither Forbes nor Bloomberg, in listing the world's billionaires, includes any royal family, because capitalism gets a bad image if the public come to know that most of the world's wealth is inherited, not earned by the owner. It's mainly the result of two things: conquest, plus inheritance. The origin of King Saud's wealth goes all the way back to the time 1744, when the jihadist preacher Muhammad Ibn Wahhab agreed with the Arab gang-leader Muhammad Ibn Saud, for Saud and his descendants to exterminate all Shiia and take over the world and impose Wahhab's version of Sunni Islam, and for Wahhab's followers to recognize and accept the Saud family's right to control the government. That's what America has become allied with. The American Government now doesn't represent the American people at least not in international relations. It represents the Sauds, who hate especially Iran and the Shiite secularist Bashar al-Assad who leads Syria, but also hate the Russians, for not only having been consistently opposed to jihadists (that's to say, consistently opposed to Sunni extremists such as those Arab potentates send around the world), but for having friendly relations with Shiite-led countries, which these Arab potentates aim to destroy if not take over. Increasingly since 1970, U.S. foreign policy serves those potentates and, above all, serves the Saud family. No Saudi King has ever bowed to any U.S. President. Hierarchy exists in international power. However, for U.S. Presidents to bow to Saudi Kings does not mean that the U.S. Government subordinates itself to the Saud family in all matters, but only that in an overall sense the U.S. Government in international affairs serves primarily the interests of the Saud family the world's richest family. That's what these bows mean; that's what they actually signify. The Sauds keep control over their own country not only by means of the local clergy authenticating the Sauds' authority from God to rule, and by means of the U.S. supply of weapons and training to the Sauds' army, but also by means of the Sauds' iron control over all their nation's news-media, so that the Saudi public will continue to accept the political status-quo in their country and will believe that anyone the Sauds kill is deserving of death. If any of these means of controlling the public weapons, media, and clergy were to end, violent revolution would break out in their country, and the Saud family (or at least ones that survive) would all flee abroad, perhaps mostly to America. They'd still be enormously rich because of their having diversified their portfolios so as to be not entirely dependent upon the economic output of only one land, Saudi Arabia. However, they'd be operating from abroad, to try to regain control over the mayhem that their family has been building towards since 1744. The Saudi public are brainwashed so much that they admire ISIS. On 19 March 2015, the muslimstatistics website bannered Saudi Arabia: 92% approve of ISIS representation of Islam and Sharia law Poll. (One can't reasonably blame the Saudi public for what they don't know, and for what they do know that's actually false. But that's how things actually are: they're mental slaves.) Therefore any democracy' which might follow after the end of the Sauds' rule there would inevitably be just as extremist as the al-Sauds themselves are but incredibly violent and chaotic, and probably led by the Wahhabist clergy directly (which would be the only remaining authority there), basically cutting the Saud family out of the political picture and installing instead a professedly jihadist government (which the Sauds are not they couldn't be that and simultaneously retain any support from their subordinate aristocracies, especially the American and other non-Islamic ones). Saudi Arabia, under the al-Sauds, is the world's largest market for U.S.-made weapons, and, unlike Israel, which buys U.S. weaponry with three billion dollars annually that's donated by U.S. taxpayers, the far larger volume of U.S.-made weapons that King Saud buys for his country are being bought with cash from Saudi Arabia's taxpayers not from America's. America's military-industrial complex depends very heavily upon that market. It includes not only the Sauds, who buy the most U.S. weapons, but #2=UAE; #3=Egypt; #4=Taiwan; #5=Australia; #6=Iraq; #7=Pakistan; #8=UK; #9=Turkey; #10=S. Korea. Several commentators have noted the similarity between the Islamic law that's applied by ISIS in Iraq and Syria, and the Islamic law that's applied by the Saud family in Saudi Arabia. When the U.S. Government allies with the Sauds, the only agreement or disagreement about anything is with the personnel in charge, not on any matter of principle, because the U.S. Government is already allied with extremist Sunnis. The U.S. Government is allied with Arabic royal families and, above all, with the Sauds. (In fact, the top royal Sauds were also the top financial donors to Al Qaeda, at least pre-9/11.) America's foreign policies are therefore personal, not based on principles (except on the principle: Might makes right, and wealth means might; so, wealth means right). When the U.S. Government opposes Shiite-led nations such as Iran and Syria, the purpose isn't to defeat terrorism (except perhaps against Israel), but to serve the aspirations of the Sauds and their friends. If the U.S. Government were serious about protecting its people against terrorist attacks, then the U.S. Government would apologize to the people of Iran and would switch its alliances within the Muslim world to Iran and away from the Saud family. This would not mean that the U.S. would have to endorse Shiite sectarianism: in fact, Iran's chief ally abroad is the Shiite leader of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, whose basic commitment (as a leader of the Ba'ath Party) has always been to oppose any control over the state by any religion. On 21 April 2015, International Business Times headlined Christians Threatened By ISIS In Lebanon Turn To Hezbollah For Help, and their Alessandria Masi reported from Ras Baalbek Lebanon, and interviewed Rifat Nasrallah [who] commands the Christian militia of Ras Baalbek, aligned with Shiite group Hezbollah, to fight the Islamic State group in Lebanon. His army were allied with Hezbollah fighters. The members of the Shiite militia, which the European Union and the U.S. both consider a terrorist group, are concerned about the Sunni jihadis from Syria enough to make common cause with Christians. In fact, the Christians of Ras Baalbek and the Iran-backed militants are downright friendly to each other. They are pioneering a new approach: Christians and Shiites together, against the Sunni extremists. The only people who are protecting us are the resistance of Hezbollah,' Nasrallah said. The only one standing with the army is Hezbollah. Let's not hide it anymore.' ISIS was spreading from Syria into Lebanon. Indirectly, their common enemy then was the United States (and its European allies) because the U.S. was actually allied with the Sunni extremists who were fighting to bring down the non-sectarian Shiite, Bashar al-Assad, in Syria, and replace him with a fundamentalist-Sunni leader, in accord with the desires of the Arabic oil families. It would be wrong to say that the United States is a terrorist nation, but the U.S. is the world's leading backer of international terrorism. The U.S. supplies the weapons through its fundamentalist-Sunni allies in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Kuwait, UAE, and Libya. The U.S. is serving as the most important international agent of the Saud family. That's the reality. The Big Lie about terrorism is that the West (U.S. and its subordinate aristocracies in Europe) opposes international terrorism. International terrorism in Iraq, Libya, and Syria, drives millions of refugees from those countries into Europe, but the United States is allied with the Saud family producing this refugee crisis there. That's just a fact. And even some regular readers of propaganda-sites for the American aristocracy have come to understand this. Investigative historian Eric Zuesse is the author, most recently, of They're Not Even Close: The Democratic vs. Republican Economic Records, 1910-2010, and of CHRIST'S VENTRILOQUISTS: The Event that Created Christianity. By Steve Anderson, Contributing Writer Share This week brought with it the arrival of ITEXPO (News - Alert), one of the biggest technology conferences of the year, which means a glut of call center news. Now that we've got a weekend afoot, it's a great time to take a step back and consider the larger implications of all that news. To help out on that front, and help get a handle on the biggest events, settle in for our Week in Review coverage! First, word from Kaiser Permanente announced a new call center coming to Georgia this fall. Growth in call center employment in the United States was on an upward trend in 2015, but some doubted it had the legs to carry on into 2016. Kaiser Permanente's new center means over 800 new jobs for Atlanta by 2020, with most actually in place by 2017. Since Atlanta is the seventh largest market for call center workers in the country, that made it a great choice for Kaiser Permanente. Next, word from Startel and Parlance emerged about a new contact center solution geared toward the healthcare market. This new solution brings together Parlance's Operator Assistant tool with Startel's Contact Management Center, allowing a solution that allows call handling to more closely replicate a live operator, allowing for faster code alerts and dispatching to make doctors and staff more responsive to issues that emerge. A customer focus is a fairly clear path to success these days, and so we took a look at how to make that call center experience a winner for the customer. With some new direct financial incentives coming about as a result of better service in hospitals, this is especially noteworthy. Making a better experience starts as simply as listening to the callers, referencing previous calls to help identify problems solved and problems still ongoing, following up to make sure there are as few unresolved issues as possible, and putting a new focus on patient outreach. Then, Opt Teleservices made an arrival at ITEXPO, and brought with it an exciting new concept. Missed calls can mean wasted time and resources for a company, so Opt Teleservices' new product allows call centers to identify misplaced calls and eliminate those numbers from records. That helps ensure that call lists are as up to date and active as possible, meaning each call has the best chance to make sales. Finally we had a look at the most important part of any call center operation: the call center agent. High attrition can be a huge cost to call centers, trying to find replacement employees, train same, get same added to the payroll system, and so on. There are means to work around this matter, however, like modern workforce optimization tools that allow for a better work experience and, from there, a decreased likelihood of turnover. That was the week that was in call center services, and there was no shortage of news coming out. ITEXPO brought with it plenty of news, and our global online community was right in the thick of it all. So be sure to join us back here next week for all the latest on this growing front, and every weekend as well for our Week in Review coverage! SHARE EVENTS Installation Service: for Janet Buente, new minister of St. Peter's United Church of Christ in Wadesville, 10 a.m. Sunday. Black History Lecture: "Speak What We Feel, Not What We Ought to Say" presented by Dexter Brewer, judicial vicar and vicar general for the Diocese of Nashville, Tennessee, 7 p.m. Tuesday in St. Bede Theater at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in St. Meinrad. The lecture is free. Parking is available at St. Bede Hall and in the Guest House and student parking lots. Call Mary Jeanne Schumacher at 812-357-6501. Center for Congregations workshop: "Improving Your Online Presence," 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday at Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer at 1811 Lincoln Ave. Digital marketing professional Zac Parsons will offer congregational leaders a basic understanding of how people access and experience the congregation's website and other online tools. The cost is $10 per person and includes lunch and workshop materials. To register, call 812-618-2012 or visit centerforcongregations.org. St. John the Baptist Mother to Mother Ministry Spring and Summer Children's Consignment Sale: 8 a.m. to noon Feb. 6 at St. John's, 625 Frame Road in Newburgh. Due to safety, no children younger than 12 are allowed to enter the sale. Babies may be worn in soft carriers. Admission is $1. For more information, call 812-490-1000 or email m2msale@gmail.com. Faith Fest: 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Feb. 6 at Bethlehem United Church of Christ, 6400 Oak Hill Road. Children age 3 (and potty trained) through grade 5 are invited to enjoy a day of Bible story, crafts, games, drama and music. Class sizes are limited. Register at bethlehemucc.org. The Sisters of St. Benedict of Ferdinand Program: "Forgiving What You Cannot Forget," 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 13 at the Benedictine Hospitality Center at Kordes Hall on the grounds of Monastery Immaculate Conception in Ferdinand. Presenters will be Sisters Jane Becker and Jane Will. Cost is $75 and includes lunch. Registration deadline is Feb. 10. For more information or to register, call 800-880-2777 or 812-367-1411, ext. 2915, or visit thedome.org/programs. Saint Meinrad Archabbey Library Gallery: St. Meinrad, an exhibit of wall hangings "Healing the Earth" by artist Joanne Weis, through Feb. 28. The exhibit is free and open to the public. Weis will give a gallery talk at 10 a.m. Feb. 6. For library hours, call 812-357-6401 or 800-987-7311, or visit saintmeinrad.edu/library/hours/. Teaching from the Book of Revelation: 11 a.m. every Sunday until completion at Church of God of Prophecy, 3407 Bellemeade Ave. Speaker is Bishop William Gaddis (free). Call 812-459-2359. The Mighty Acts of God in Zion: The Storyline of the Bible: 7-8 p.m. on Tuesdays in the fellowship hall of St. Ananias Orthodox, 4411 Washington Ave. Old Friendship Church Celebrate Recovery Program: 7 p.m. on Fridays at Oak Hill Christian Center, 4901 Oak Hill Road. Traditional Roman Catholic Latin Mass: 3 p.m. every Sunday at St. Paul's Chapel, 629 E. Louisiana St. meals Neighborhood Breakfast: 8-9 a.m. Saturday at Bethel United Church of Christ, 3029 N. Green River Road (free). Fish Fry: 5-7 p.m. Feb. 5 at St. Wendel Knights of St. John. Menu consists of fried cod, potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans, macaroni and cheese, cornbread and drinks. Grilled cheese also will be available. The cost is $8.50 for adults and $4 for children. For more information, call Jerry Knapp at 812-963-6159. St. Anthony Catholic Church Buffet Breakfast: 8 a.m. to noon Feb. 7 in the school cafeteria. Cost is $7. Lenten Fish Fries: 4:30-7 p.m. Feb. 12 through March 18 at Nativity Catholic Church, 3635 Pollack Ave. Menu includes fried catfish or baked tilapia dinners. Call 812-476-7186. Bethel United Church of Christ, 3029 N. Green River Road, will host its monthly Free Neighborhood Breakfast from 8 to 9 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 30 in the fellowship hall. SHARE By Megan Erbacher of the Courier and Press You are what you share (online), according to Jamie Hill and Laura Sohn, Google co-presenters for the Online Safety Roadshow. Technology is great, Hill told North Junior High School students Friday afternoon, because it's portable and makes it easy to connect with people from all over the world. "But think about what you're sharing before you actually share it," she said. "Because you never know how far it can go." Google's Online Safety Roadshow teaches students how to stay safe and secure while using the Internet. During the 45-minutes assembly, students learned skills on how to protect the content they share as well as their personal information, including how to create a safe and memorable password, and identify phishing scams. Congressman Larry Bucshon welcomed Google with an introduction before the assembly. Bucshon told students that years ago, when the Internet didn't exist, he had to either call or send "snail mail" to communicate with friends in a different city. "It's amazing how fast technology has advanced," he said. "And your generation will continue to advance this because you have all grown up in a connected world. And you're probably part of the first generation that communicates more digitally than in person." And like all things, Bucshon said there are smart ways to use technology, and some not-so-smart ways. Hill and Sohn shared five tips to help kids be responsible online: Tip 1: Think before you share Tip 2: Protect your stuff, with things like secure passwords Tip 3: Know and use your settings Tip 4: Avoid scams Tip 5: Be positive "With great power, comes great responsibility," Sohn said. "I challenge you to do something positive online every day." Eighth-grader Ethan Heusmann uses the Internet to download games, videos and share car pictures with friends on social media. Heusmann, 13, said he'll be better about not sharing his password. "I learned to not give anybody my password," he said. "Because I always do that." And Preston Gordon uses the Internet to buy shoes. "I'll try not to share any important information online," said Gordon, 13. SHARE By Megan Erbacher of the Courier and Press Academy for Innovative Studies-First Avenue Principal Kristine Eichholz said her students desperately want to go somewhere in life. "They just don't know how to get there," she said. "That's where we come in." Starting in the 2016-17 school year, AIS First Avenue students will have the opportunity to earn a 12-credit-hour credential in child development through a partnership with Ivy Tech Community College Southwest. With the completion of the four classes, students can then transfer into an associate of applied science degree at Ivy Tech. Two of the classes will transfer into an associate degree as part of Ivy Tech's Transfer Single Articulation Pathway, or T-SAP, which leads directly to a bachelor's degree program at any public university in Indiana. including the University of Southern Indiana. Ivy Tech Southwest and Wabash Valley Chancellor Jonathan Weinzapfel told Evansville Vanderburgh School Board members at their Monday night meeting that he's excited about the "innovative partnership." Weinzapfel said it's a great example of how the EVSC and Ivy Tech can create opportunities for local students. "The most important thing is, this is creating job opportunities for these students," he said. "With the credential, on completion and passing of the four classes and of course passing the certification test, there are numerous job opportunities out there in early childhood. I can almost venture to say that with the current workforce demands in this area, it would almost be a guaranteed job." Dan Ulrich, EVSC director of career and technical education, said early childhood education and education in general was listed No. 3 on the Hoosier Hot 50 jobs list for this region. Several months ago, Ulrich said talks started about the possibility of offering the program after discussions about the early childhood education program being offered at Bosse, North and Retiz high schools. "Our AIS students will be afforded a tremendous opportunity," he said. Obtaining 12 credit hours, completing an internship and earning a certification will open up "endless opportunities" for students, according to Eichholz. The program will not only prepare students for college, she said, but they will already have one "successful semester behind them." "They will know they can make it (in college)," she said. "And the experiences they will have during the internship will equip them with the necessary skills they need to be successful in the workforce. The program will provide students "purpose and direction," Eichholz said. Similar to the Certified Nursing Assistant program that launched at AIS-First Avenue earlier this year, Eichholz hopes for an 85 percent or better pass rate, as well as secured employment in a child care field upon graduation. "This partnership will not only benefit the students of AIS, but it will also benefit the community," she said. "Because our graduates choose to remain in Evansville after graduation." Managed services News Partners: Xerox Split Will Lead To Deeper Channel Focus Rick Saia Share this Xerox solution providers said the company's plan to split into two independent, publicly traded companies -- one focused on hardware, the other on business process outsourcing -- will drive more targeted investments in both companies and create a deeper focus on the channel. "This is absolutely a good thing for the reseller community," said Steve Jenkins, president of Xerox partner Precision Document Solutions of Carrollton, Texas, likening it to the split last year of Hewlett-Packard into HP Inc. and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. "Both this split and the HP split are great for the reseller community." "I think what this is going to do is give the hardware side of the business an increased focus," and make Xerox more competitive in the products marketplace, Jenkins said, adding that he also sees value for Xerox shareholders. [Related: Xerox CEO: Split Was Board's Call, Not Icahn's] Meanwhile, Joshua Justice, president of Southern Solutions, a Waldorf, Md.-based Xerox partner, said he believes the split will help partners. The split will allow focused support for Xerox business lines he works with, such as managed print and development of Xerox applications, all the way through to the top of the organization. "I'm very positive about it," Justice said. Justice said he has been happy with past support from Xerox, and expects the split will allow it to focus more on its channel partners. "In terms of my business, I'm just looking forward to the increased attention on my business and the focus on a stronger partnership," Justice said. Xerox on Friday confirmed that it will split into two companies, one focused on its hardware products, the other on its business process outsourcing business. The Wall Street Journal first reported the split Thursday. "This will define the next chapter" of the company, Chairman and CEO Ursula Burns said Friday morning on the company's fourth-quarter earnings call, labeling the intended split as "bold steps." "The benefits of separation outweigh the benefits of the current structure," she said, calling each of the two groups "strong businesses" that face "different market realities." Xerox on Friday also said it has reached an agreement with activist investor Carl Icahn, who declared in November the purchase of a roughly 7 percent stake in the Norwalk, Conn.-based technology giant -- whose Global Services division ranks No. 7 on CRN's 2015 Solution Provider 500 list. Icahn will control three of nine seats on the board that will oversee the outsourcing company. "I applaud and respect Ursula Burns for doing what she believes shareholders want," Icahn said via his Twitter account. In a separate Xerox statement, Icahn added: "We strongly believe that an independent [Business Process Outsourcing] company with fresh, focused leadership and best-in-class corporate governance will greatly enhance shareholder value, and we are proud to be a part of that process." NEXT CHAPTER' FOR XEROX Interviewed on CNBC earlier Friday, Burns said the board and management agreed earlier this month on the split. In spite of perceptions that Icahn -- who has bought large stakes in companies in order to force change -- forced Xerox's hand, Burns dispelled that notion, emphasizing that her board drove the decision. However, she told CNBC that she informed Icahn of the decision, which he apparently supported. "He had nothing to do with the initiation, the contemplation, the analysis or any discussion around the deal," she said. "We are happy that we are in agreement with it, but he did not drive it." A committee of the current board will begin to look outside the company for a CEO of the business process outsourcing company and will allow a person selected by Icahn to observe and advise the committee during that process, the company said. The BPO side, which is growing at an annual rate of more than 5 percent, "needs to be highly adaptive" as it responds to clients' "fast-growing needs," Burns said on the earnings call. She also said a split would allow each entity to be more focused in its hiring activities as they seek professionals with more targeted skill sets. In a slide presentation that accompanied Friday's earnings call, Xerox underscored the growth potential in services, with the margin on its services business -- 9.4 percent -- having exceeded company expectations of 9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2015, while the margin on the products side -- 11.8 percent -- fell within expectations. The document technology business generated about $11 billion in revenue in 2015, while the business process outsourcing business took in about $7 billion, according to the company. The latter has a "large base" of recurring revenue -- more than 90 percent -- with high renewal rates and a chance to expand its margins. Responding to a question on the earnings call, Burns said the split would allow the BPO side to invest more in the automation of its services delivery infrastructure, such as cloud-based services, without having to compete with the products side for investment. Xerox expects to complete the split by the end of this year, subject to conditions. During its third-quarter earnings call in late October, Burns said the board of directors had approved a review of operations -- including its business portfolio and capital allocation -- in an attempt to grow sales. "We are looking into what we can do differently," Burns said, adding that the board was to look into many options, but selling the company was not one of them. The split essentially undoes Xerox's 2010 purchase of Affiliated Computer Services for $5.6 billion, according to Ken Stewart, a print services market analyst with Photizo Group of Mauldin, S.C. While that purchase was not necessarily a bad decision, Stewart told CRN on Thursday, he said he thinks Xerox missed the mark on the execution of its services vision. "I think the strategy was sound to begin with. I think the execution has been flawed since Day 1," he said. But in her interview with CNBC on Friday, Burns said she did not believe it was a mistake to buy ACS. "Not at all," she said, calling it a "great" move that "actually helped strengthen the Xerox brand," boosting innovation on the services side. Going forward, Burns added, Xerox needs to "maintain" the value it got from the deal. FOURTH-QUARTER EARNINGS UP, REVENUE DOWN In its earnings report for the fourth quarter, which ended Dec. 31, Xerox reported a 43 percent jump in net income, to $285 million, or 32 cents per share, beating Wall Street expectations of 28 cents. But revenue fell about 8 percent, to $4.7 billion, because of a drop on the products side, as well as currency fluctuations. The services segment generated $2.6 billion in revenue, down 3 percent, but saw a 22 percent jump in bookings. For the year, Xerox took in $18.2 billion in revenue, a drop of 7 percent. Adjusted operating income of $1.53 million, was down nearly 19 percent from 2014. Sarah Kuranda and Jimmy Sheridan contributed to this story. Another Major Split In The Works There are a lot of details behind Xerox's announcement this week to split into two companies. Xerox whose Global Services division ranks No. 7 on CRNs 2015 Solution Provider 500 list has enjoyed a long and storied history as a manufacturer of photocopiers, printers and other business products. In 2010, it bought Affiliated Computer Services (ACS), a services and outsourcing company, for $6.4 billion. But in 2014, it sold its IT outsourcing business to French services company Atos for $1.05 billion. Here are five things you need to know about the proposed split, from what each of the entities will do, to whats driving it, and how they will be governed. Breaking encryption technology used by terrorists and criminals poses a frustrating dilemma for intelligence agencies and, most recently, congressional lawmakers. Bipartisan legislation to create a commission to study U.S. encryption policies and practices is still weeks away from being introduced as discussions continue, congressional aides familiar with the plan told Computerworld. The commission approach, backed by Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, (R-Texas) is intended to bring experts together to dive into the differing points of view, where tech companies want to protect privacy with encryption, while the FBI and other law enforcement agencies want to prevent acts of terrorism and crime by monitoring encrypted communications. Meanwhile, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) are working on a separate bill that would guarantee law enforcement access to encrypted data, aides said Thursday. The terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif., have ignited the debate in Congress over encryption. The Burr-Feinstein approach is seen as taking a harder line on breaking encryption tech, although policymakers appear to have moved away from language calling for mandating a "back door" to break encrypted apps and communications. The McCaul-Warner commission approach, meanwhile, is not intended to delay, deflect or bury the planned Burr-Feinstein bill, as some critics have claimed, aides working on the commission legislation contended. Whatever work the commission eventually recommends is expected to have an impact for decades to come, so a deliberate approach is needed, they added. Both McCaul and Warner and their aides have repeatedly said there's "no silver bullet" legislative approach for solving the encryption dilemma. The lawmakers have pointed out that any U.S. law would only apply to U.S. companies, while many encryption apps and technologies are designed by companies outside the U.S. For example, some terrorists in the Paris attacks used Telegram, a messaging app with end-to-end encryption that was built by a Belgian-based company. In addition, tech companies have argued that third-party access to decryption keys or other means of breaking encryption could only create a hole for criminals and terrorists to sneak through. Recent reaction by other policymakers The debate over encryption policy in Washington was addressed by two other top officials speaking before think tanks in recent days. On Thursday, Senate Homeland Security Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), said that legislating encryption standards might "do more harm than good" in the fight against terrorism, according to The Hill website. "Is it really going to solve any problems if we force our companies to do something here in the U.S.?" he asked at a presentation at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank. "It's just going to move offshore." Johnson also said that encryption helps protect personal information, a position strongly backed by Apple CEO Tim Cook and other tech companies. Apple has been among the most vocal in defending its privacy policies with end-to-end encryption. On Jan. 21, National Security Agency Director Adm. Michael Rogers told an audience that "encryption is foundational to the future." In remarks at the Atlantic Council, an international affairs think tank, Rogers said that spending time arguing that encryption is bad and should be done away with is a "waste of time." Rogers' comments are recorded in video at The Intercept. Crypto experts weigh in Professor Darren Hayes, director of cybersecurity at Pace University, said he supports the idea of a congressional commission to review encryption laws and policies. "The whole idea of government access to communications is nothing new," Hayes said in an interview. "Every telecom company has to set up their infrastructure so that law enforcement can set up a wiretap" subject to a court order. He also said that some type of legal step may be needed to gain greater access. "The vast majority of companies will never hand over data without any kind of warrant or subpoena. The idea that companies will help out law enforcement is not true at all." Hayes has served as a forensics encryption specialist in more than two dozen criminal cases in the New York area since 2008 to help prosecutors bring cases against people accused of being pedophiles and other crimes who have resorted to hiding criminal activity with encrypted data. Hayes is well aware that any U.S. law on encryption wouldn't apply to other countries, but said a broad-based discussion "is a good discussion to have The list is growing of potential prosecutions held up by [not having] a full disclosure of encrypted data." In any event, he added, "I'm a big proponent that you have to have a warrant to gain access." Two representatives for tech companies based in Silicon Valley said recently in interviews that they were open to the idea of creating a congressional commission, but would want to review the final legislation before signing on. Conversely, Kevin Bocek, vice president of cybersecurity for Venafi, called the idea of creating an encryption commission "very concerning." Venafi works with 250 large banks and retailers in setting up encryption and authorization software to protect their data. In an interview, Bocek said he is worried that creating the commission could turn into an entity that is powerful and ominous. "I don't understand how an encryption commission is going to deal with encryption already being widely used," he said. "It's counterproductive and more productive to talk about how to live in a world with encryption and how to safeguard national security." Bocek said there was a broad national discussion about cryptography policy that was fought in the 1990s. "The crypto wars of the 1990s won freedom and there's no sense in moving backwards," he said. "Encryption controls were very painful years ago and here we are again, facing the same problem which can harm American business. Encryption, keys and certificates must be free Blanket legislation will do nothing but cause more problems." In 1996, the National Academy of Sciences published a 688-page document entitled Crytography's Role in Securing the Information Society. In the executive summary, the authors wrote a preamble that seems to summarize the ongoing encryption debate in 2016: "U.S. policy should be changed to promote and encourage the widespread use of cryptography for the protection of the information interests of individuals, businesses, government agencies and the nation as a whole, while respecting legitimate national needs of law enforcement and intelligence for national security and foreign policy purposes to the extent consistent with good information protection." This story, "Encryption bills pose challenges for Congress" was originally published by Computerworld . Successful entrepreneurs understand the difference between a good business relationship with more people and having more friends. In fact, the focus on social networking platforms, starting with Facebook, has destroyed the meaning of the word friend and even changed it from a noun to a verb. Its now common to have hundreds or thousands of friends online -- but no relationships. Related: The 4 People Who Will Help You Achieve Your Goals In the world of entrepreneurs and startups, professional relationships are critical. You cant start a business with friends alone. You need business partners, investors and customers. Of course, we all need friend relationships in our private lives, and some of these may evolve from or lead to business relationships. Here is my summary of how business relationships relate to friends. 1. Everyone needs private friend relationships. Most psychologists agree that starting from a very young age, friend relationships are critical to building social skills and lead to a balanced view of morality, integrity and right versus wrong. These should never be confused with social-media friends that you have never met or hardly know. 2. All business relationships need not be friends. The best professional relationships may also involve friendship, but entrepreneurs need to be able to manage relationships with competitors, partners and customers who have no interest in being friends. Friends are motivated to help you, while business people want to help their business. 3. With friends, quality is more important than quantity. With maturity, most people actually shrink their circle of friends to focus on a few trusted ones who become confidants. There is some evidence that the average circle has grown smaller over the years, as the level of trust in other people has dropped from 77 percent to 37 percent. 4. In business, you cant have too many relationships. More professional connections means more credibility, more insight into the market and more customer clout. This fact is the basis for the business axiom -- Its not what you know, its who you know. Many entrepreneurs will admit that they get almost all of their business through relationships. Related: Stop Chasing Away the People You Meet 5. True friendship requires a personal emotional connection. Friendship is a person-to-person relationship involving mutual affection, the ability to be oneself, express feelings and make mistakes without fear of judgment from the friend. Many entrepreneurs find their role lonely due to the fear that business and friendships simply dont mix well. 6. Business relationships depend on accentuating the positive. The first rule of business is that spilling your troubles wont help your business, your leverage or your relationship. Some entrepreneurs assume that they can make everyone their friend by exposing shortcomings -- only to find out that these are often used against them. 7. Social networking friends have real business value. Free mobile and online technologies will find friends at no cost, with no emotional investment required, so they have very little personal value. Ironically, these friends have real business value since they may become advocates and write testimonials or influence their real friends. 8. Online networking alone does not build business relationships. Networking may identify an opportunity, but personal contact is normally required to build a real relationship. Its too easy to create a false persona online, compared to the authenticity of connecting face-to-face, comparing beliefs, goals, point of view and personality. Friendship with emotion is the glue that makes personal relationships work, but these same emotions often get in the way of decisions in a rapidly changing business requirement. Business relationships, on the other hand, are more logically tuned to expediting business transactions. If your business seems harder than it should be, maybe its time to stop focusing on friends. Related: 5 Networking Lessons Entrepreneurs Can Learn From Actors Related: Beirut To Host MENA Games Conference 2016 In April 8 Reasons Why Entrepreneurs Need More Business Relationships and Fewer Friends How to Immediately Connect With Anyone Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WESTPORT Ten minutes into class Monday, the English teacher dismissed his students. Another teacher canceled her class usually a welcome development for teenagers except on this day. There was no lesson plan for this. Nothing could have prepared faculty and students at Staples High School for what happened to Cody Thomas, a young English teacher who took his own life two days earlier. It was the teachers who were the ones suddenly in need of consoling, especially those closest to Thomas. The first day, she couldnt even teach class, Staples freshman Kathleen Konkos, 14, said of one teacher. More Information Suicide statistics In 2014, there were 353 suicides statewide, nearly one a day. Fewer than 20 were of children and teens.* Nationwide, there were 42,773 reported deaths by suicides and 25 attempts for every suicide, a number that is said to be on the rise.** Connecticut ranks 47th nationwide in suicide deaths.** About twice as many people die by suicide in Connecticut each year than homicide.** Tips & Resources Words make a difference. It's helpful to say that a person 'died by suicide,' rather than 'committed suicide,' which implies wrongdoing. Also, it is better to frame education programs on suicide as "awareness" rather than prevention programs. If another suicide occurs, it implies prevention efforts failed. For more information, see these websites: The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention at https://afsp.org The state Department of Mental Health Services has information at: http://www.preventsuicidect.org/ Westport at a Glance Per capita income is $90,792, the sixth highest in the state. There are 26,391 residents. Public school enrollment5,745 Staples High School enrollment1,854 Percent of students who qualify for free and reduced price lunch 3.7% Diversity: students listed as minority students14.7% SAT scores: Class of 2015, fifth-highest in the state1,763 Advanced Placement tests: In 2015, 574 students at Staples sat down for 1,258 AP tests. Of that, 1,149 came back with scores of 3 or better which is considered passing. Percent who go on to higher education97.1% vs. 82.6% for state. See More Collapse Thomas, 27, was beloved by many of his students and served as a faculty adviser to the student newspaper. The award-winning publication is called Inklings, not that students and teachers saw this coming just like they didnt on Dec. 23, when a freshman at the school, Christopher Lanni, took his own life. Two suicides in exactly one month at a school of high achievers has scratched the glossy veneer of this affluent town on the marshy banks of the Saugatuck River, exposing a darker side. You have kids killing themselves. You have teachers killing themselves, said Julia Kempner, 18, a senior at Staples. Behind the scenes, this place is not what it seems. Reality check The deaths of Lanni and Thomas have this Ivy League-obsessed bastion, one with top-ranked public schools, Tiffany, Patagonia and SoulCycle, reassessing its ideals and priorities. They have also spawned fears of copycat suicides, which prompted organizers of a community vigil Tuesday night for Lanni to cancel the event at the last minute. Yes, I think many of us are concerned that for some people, this might seem to validate a tragic approach to dealing with a problem, said Jim Marpe, the towns first selectman. The cycle of self-destruction has Westport collectively recalculating the stress threshold of students, and now, teachers. Its also revealed a potential blind spot when it comes to common mental health threats such as burnout and bullying, which Lannis parents have publicly suggested may have contributed to their sons death. You attract a lot of successful people who want the best for their kids, but they also have high expectations, said state Rep. Jonathan Steinberg, D-Westport. Thats a lot of pressure to put on kids. It may even warp their sense of what success means in our society. Steinberg is a graduate of Staples, like his eldest two daughters. His youngest is a current student. A lot of us have evolved our thinking about whats best for our kids, Steinberg said. Teenagers are almost hormonally prejudiced against viewing the world rationally. Do we really do enough appropriately to build every kids self-esteem so they sort of have this wellspring to carry them through tough times? An alarming metric Staples routinely ranks among the top public high schools in the state and nation, as rated by educational indexes, including U.S. News & World Report, which gave the school a gold medal in its 2015 survey. That reputation has pushed the median home value in town to $1 million and made Westport, home to Paul Newman before his death, a magnet for families. But be careful what you wish for, some locals say. Maybe its gotten to that point, said Ron Loeser, 60, a local real estate agent and parent of a Staples graduate. Once you hit the top. In a statistics-driven culture the average SAT score was 1,763 out of 2,400 in 2015 and 62 percent of students took Advance Placement classes Staples is suddenly stigmatized with a different kind of number. To have two suicides involving the same school in one month is an anomaly, according to Andrea Duarte, a suicide prevention specialist with the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. In 2014, there were 353 suicides in Connecticut. But there are no indications that Thomas, a third-year faculty member, and Lanni, a karate black belt and Life Scout, even crossed paths at the school of 1,900 students. The pattern has created a dilemma for local mental health professionals, who say that the constant discussion of suicide is unhealthy. We dont want to glorify suicide for kids in this community, said Kim Freudigman, a local psychologist and organizer of a grief counseling forum Thursday night at Christ & Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. The search for answers After their son hanged himself, Lannis parents urged school administrators to investigate whether bullying on social media sites such as Instagram led to his suicide. They declined an interview request. Westport police ruled out cyberbullying as a factor in the death of Lanni, who classmates recalled as a confident extrovert, including during a Spanish class orientation. He literally just got up and started break-dancing, Konkos said. Hes the last person I would imagine ever (taking his life). School administrators declined to discuss their review of the bullying claims, characterizing it as a confidential process. We speak to all of our kids about bullying, treating each other fairly with empathy, said Mike Rizzo, director of pupil services for the Westport school district. Obviously, we take all bullying seriously. We investigate any concerns. But in a Jan. 6 letter to school administrators, Peter Lanni and Cornelia Gallo wrote that the schools policy requiring students to bring laptops and other electronic devices to class led to problems for their son. Such policy presently seems to result in social media access during school hours, which is counterproductive to the learning environment and subjects kids to additional cyberbullying, the couple wrote. Removing a scab Christopher Lanni died Dec. 23, the final half-day of classes for the semester before the holiday recess. A tribute was in the works when tragedy struck again. If we havent finished the grieving process for one loss and there is a second loss, then that compounds the pain, said the Rev. Alison J. Buttrick Patton, pastor at Saugatuck Congregational Church. Patton was part of a group of local clergy members and grief counselors that met with students and faculty last week at the school after the death of Thomas, which was announced by individual teachers in their classrooms and over the schools intercom. In addition to grief counselors from the outside, Staples has 10 full-time guidance counselors, four school psychologists and three social workers on staff. The message we want to get out to everybody is there is always help available, Rizzo said. Not an inkling The page was torn out of a spiral notebook, taped to the bedroom door. On it, written in blue ink, were foreboding and plainspoken instructions. Dont open the door. Call the police. There was no explanation why or long goodbye from Thomas, whose Jan. 23 suicide is still under investigation by police in neighboring Fairfield. Its there that he shared a house on Flushing Avenue with two of his friends who are brothers, one a fellow English teacher at Staples. On the Friday before last after school, the housemates called it a week at an unspecified bar in Westport, according to police, who were able to piece together details about Thomas final hours through interviews and text messages. The others continued on to ONeills Pub & Restaurant in South Norwalk without Thomas, who told his roommates he wanted to go home and lie down. At 10:22 p.m., Thomas texted his roommate that he had just woken up from a nap and asked if his friends were still out. They were. It was the last contact from Thomas. An upstairs neighbor told police that they heard loud music from Thomas apartment around midnight. And then there was silence. The next morning, one of his roommates found the note taped to Thomas door, but told police that he thought it was a joke and went back to bed. The brothers returned to the room at 11:14 a.m., and found his body. A shotgun was recovered at the scene. He seemed like he had everything together, said Connor Rainey, 17, a Staples senior. Red flags? But a guest column by Thomas on the Connecticut Mirror news website in December 2014 seemed to contradict that myth. I just completed my first year as a teacher and burnout has been on my mind, Thomas wrote. If my profession is replete with impossible working conditions, I wonder, Am I destined for cynicism and burnout, too? I cant blame colleagues who leave the profession early or who stayed, only to find themselves somewhat disgruntled and abused. Teaching is emotionally exhausting and it goes underappreciated even after years in the vocation. Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon confronted the disturbing circumstances behind Thomas death in a letter to parents Monday, in which he encouraged an open dialogue about the delicate subject. Even though we might try to understand the reasons for him doing this, we can never really know what was going on that made him take his life, Landon said. One thing thats important to remember is that there is never just one reason for a suicide. Head of the class Had it not been for a chance meeting between Thomas and Landon at a jobs fair, the Stamford native and New York University graduate might have found another calling. I encouraged him to apply because of his passion and love for teaching, his brilliant and creative mind, his educational and employment experience and background, Landon told Hearst Connecticut Media by email. Thomas carved a niche for himself as an English teacher and as a sounding board for aspiring student journalists, schooling them in the fundamentals of grammar and the Associated Press Stylebook. He was an instructor for the Connecticut Writing Project at Fairfield University, a poet and musician. I knew he did amazing things there with the kids, said his uncle, Randall Thomas. Students say Thomas distinguished himself with the bonds he formed in the school community and the interest he took in others. They looked to Thomas, who previously wrote for the Hearst-owned (Stamford) Advocate and the rock-and-roll publication Revolver, as a young mentor to whom they could relate. Hundreds of students ... are running around out there in the world carrying with them a part of your sarcasm, your motivation, your sick writing skills, your tenacity, Zoe Brown, a Staples graduate and University of Southern California freshman, wrote on her blog after Thomas death. Thomas was laid to rest Friday in Stamford, where a busload of students came to pay their final respects. Outside the student newspaper, Post-it notes with written remembrances and photos were plastered to a bulletin board. As of Friday, students had raised $2,265 on the website GoFundMe for a memorial bench for Thomas. A scholarship in Thomas name is also being discussed. It seems like this hits everyone, said Marpe, Westports top office holder. Most Westporters I know are caring and are concerned about their neighbors, their friends and want our community to be a community that takes care of each other. The pursuit of excellence Some students wondered whether the openness of the town and its schools on its ills will have staying power when reputations are at stake, however. I think theyre afraid to talk about suicide and mental illness in general, Rainey said. His classmate, Kempner, put it more bluntly. I hope these two deaths are kind of a wake-up call about that, she said. neil.vigdor@scni.com; 203-625-4436; http://twitter.com/gettinviggy Brad Loper / McClatchy-Tribune News Service DANBURY - The citys lawmakers in the Senate and the House of Representatives are calling for a ban on guns while shopping. In a letter to the Connecticut Food Association, U.S. senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy and Rep. Elizabeth Esty called for a policy that would prevent people from openly carrying firearms in member grocery stores. When it comes to fraternity life, the common imagery involves red plastic cups, lots of alcohol and John Belushi in a toga. For years, Greek life has been linked to hazing and numerous scandals, while at the same time they are responsible for contributing millions of dollars to philanthropic efforts and driving career connections. Whether it's for the parties or the job placement, fraternities continue to be popular on college campuses across America. StartsClass, a higher education research site, used surveys to determine the percentage of male students involved in social fraternities. Two Texas schools cracked the top 10, while a couple of the schools reported about half of the males enrolled at the college were part of a fraternity. 'Joe Biden can have them': Mastriano vows to bus migrants to Delaware politics Democrats demand DeSantis share plans on restricting abortion Abortion is among the biggest campaign topics. But Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and many Republicans are silent as the midterm election nears. 10th Sejong International Cartoon Contest SICACO 2021, Korea : Informed about the sending by e-mail on 23 November 2021 * The 4th International Competition of Cartoons Aleksandar Klas 2017, Serbia: All whose cartoons are selected in the catalog and the exhibition will receive a free copy of the catalog ( ). 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 In perhaps less than 140 days time, voters will be asked to decide on a matter whose historic significance cannot be exaggerated. Its a question with profound implications for our sovereignty, democracy, freedom, accountability, economic philosophy, foreign policy, trade, defence, food production and, most important of all, the border controls so crucial to our national identity. Yet the deeply depressing truth is that, with so much at stake and so little time to hear the arguments, the level of debate on the mighty issues raised by the EU referendum is frankly pathetic. Prime Minister David Cameron, pictured, has cynically sought to narrow a debate on the EU referendum Indeed, David Cameron has cynically sought to narrow it to a footling discussion of the rights and wrongs of restricting migrants entitlement to certain in-work benefits. Leave aside that the breakthrough his friends claim he achieved this week is no such thing. On the contrary, its smoke and mirrors, a three-card trick which will leave Brussels, not Britain, to decide if and when to apply an emergency brake on welfare payments to EU migrants and then only on condition that UK citizens are similarly penalised. Is this really the best the Prime Minister can manage, as he stands at a crossroads in our history, with the fate of 70million souls in his care? This paper rejoiced when Mr Cameron promised the referendum, four decades after voters were last consulted on our membership of what was then the Common Market a free-trading organisation vastly different from the European superstate that has since evolved. After enduring years of meddling and corruption from Brussels, we applauded when he signalled that he would be happy to walk away from the EU if he failed to secure a deal that was right for Britain. And what a robust set of demands he put forward: full-on treaty changes, repatriating powers to Westminster; reform of the cripplingly expensive Common Agricultural Policy, which consumes 40 per cent of the EU budget; curtailing the jurisdiction of the European Court over criminal law. He also wanted to scrap the open-borders Schengen Agreement, while demanding the right to send unemployed migrants home after six months and refuse entry to those without job offers. David Cameron wanted to scrap the Schengen Agreement and refuse entry to migrants without job offers For good measure, he called for an end to the insanity of moving the European Parliament backwards and forwards between Strasbourg and Brussels. Yet look at Mr Camerons bargaining hand now. Gone are his no-nonsense demands. In their place, chicanery over migrant benefits aside, are three vague suggestions on red tape, sovereignty and economic governance aimed not at rolling back the EUs over-mighty powers, but just at discouraging Brussels from encroaching yet further. As for his threat to lead a walkout, he no longer even pretends he means it. Yet worse, even worse, than his personal surrender to the EU are his efforts with his head honcho Sir Cover-Up Jeremy Heywood to stifle and skew the debate, employing the dark arts of spin and mobilising the government machine to secure a vote to remain. Most shameful of all is the way he is gagging eurosceptic ministers. Indeed, the fact they are so meekly allowing themselves to be muzzled is offensive to democracy. Theresa May, Michael Gove, Sajid Javid, Philip Hammond, Iain Duncan Smith all have voiced passionate opposition to EU interference in the past. So, too, have Boris Johnson and William Hague. Iain Duncan Smith, pictured, is one of the ministers who has voiced passionate opposition to EU interference But listen to them now. A deafening silence. Not a sound, that is, apart from a statement from Foreign Secretary Mr Hammond that he cannot envisage opposing the Prime Minister and nods and winks that others will soon be joining the remain camp. Indeed, with the notable exception of IDS, all appear to be backing away from what they led us to assume were their principles. What are they afraid of? Undermining Tory unity? The future of this nation is vastly more important than party-political advantage. Are they nervous, then, of jeopardising their careers by backing the losing side? If so, how contemptible. How foolish, too. For win or lose, there is honour in standing up for principles. And with the sclerotic EU buckling under the crises of the euro and the migrant tsunami, there is every chance history will vindicate the sceptics. No, the gags on the eurosceptic heavyweights must come off now. Not for nothing has Sarah Lancashire become one of Britain's most treasured actresses. On screen she does tragedy and comedy, froideur and warmth, with equal, award-winning aplomb. Similarly, off screen it appears you're never quite sure what you're going to get. She's known for being reluctant to open up in interviews, but today - despite being about to film the toughest scene in the most 'brutal' show she's ever appeared in - she couldn't be more candid. The surroundings are fitting for the second series of Happy Valley, the gritty police drama that had millions of viewers transfixed in 2014; we're in the mourners' room at a Halifax cemetery where today Sarah will film a key scene as her tough-talking policewoman Catherine Cawood comes face to face with her nemesis Tommy Lee Royce, played by War And Peace heart-throb James Norton. Sarah Lancashire has become one of Britain's most treasured actresses and returns to screens in the new series of Happy Valley And there would be no Catherine Cawood if it weren't for Sarah. Sally Wainwright, who wrote the hit series Last Tango In Halifax for which Sarah won a BAFTA as lesbian headmistress Caroline, was so blown away by that performance she created the role of Catherine specifically for Sarah. Given that Sally is one of the most acclaimed screenwriters around, it's perhaps the ultimate feather in the cap for Sarah, who left Coronation Street in 1996 after five years as barmaid Raquel, then spent the next two decades plugging away at drama with roles in Clocking Off and The Paradise. Now she's one of that rare breed, a former soap actress who's earned the respect of her peers. The first series of Happy Valley was a phenomenon; building up steam by word of mouth it attracted almost 8 million viewers and won a clutch of awards including a BAFTA for Best Drama Series, while Sarah herself won a number of awards too and was BAFTA-nominated as Best Actress. 'I was totally taken by surprise by the reaction,' she admits. 'When you're in something you never know how it's going to turn out. I think the story captured people's imaginations.' You won't find me moaning about ageism It centred on neighbourhood copper Catherine's horror when Tommy - the man who she believes raped her beloved daughter - is let out of jail. Her daughter committed suicide after having his son, and Catherine's determined to keep an eye on Tommy, unaware he's embroiled in a kidnapping that's about to go wrong. Add into the mix the fact that Tommy discovers his son Ryan is being brought up by Catherine, and their lives become intertwined in a very violent way. The series was envisaged as a one-off - Tommy was last seen being carted off by the police - but the reaction was so overwhelming that the BBC commissioned another. 'I wasn't sure it was necessary,' says Sarah. 'Sally Wainwright and I had a chat about it. We could have just left it but she convinced me there was more to say. But I was nervous, I am nervous, about doing it. You're never sure; we can only hope we match the first series.' Not that Sarah, 51, ever actually watched it. 'I don't watch anything I'm in,' she says. 'I'm too critical. I look at the choices I made and the performance level and it's destructive. It's something I learned early on. It's best for me not to look at my own work; I dissect what I do in an unhealthy way. When I'm working in theatre I never go to the bar with the other actors; I go home and think about what I did wrong.' On screen she does tragedy and comedy, froideur and warmth, with equal, award-winning aplomb So was she at least proud of her work in Happy Valley? 'I never feel proud of anything I do really,' she says, almost whispering, twisting her body as if she wants to disappear. All the fuss, all the plaudits are, she says, 'uncomfortable'. 'It's fleeting and then you have to go out and prove it all over again. Sometimes you get it right and other times you don't. It feels like a constant battle. It's torturous.' A good old-fashioned Northern don't-get-too-big-for-yer-boots attitude is, in Sarah's case, mixed with a sensitive disposition. The Oldham-born daughter of TV scriptwriter Geoffrey Lancashire, Sarah has talked in the past of being so depressed she considered suicide. While she was entertaining millions as Raquel on Coronation Street in the 90s she was so low she struggled to get out of bed and ended up having a breakdown. At the time she said, 'The breakdown was a timebomb waiting to go off. It was absolutely debilitating. Every day I was hysterical at the thought of getting out of bed, but I made myself. My family knew, but I certainly didn't tell anybody at the studios, and I didn't take any time off. I was terrified of being judged and misunderstood. I just battled along. It was the worst thing I could have done. 'Being in the public eye makes you frightened to talk openly about things -which is precisely why you should. You can really make a difference and open up subjects that are taboo.' Later she revealed she'd been diagnosed with clinical depression at 18, saying, 'I have never known what it feels like to wake up in the morning full of the joys of spring, and wander through the day feeling capable of coping.' But a few years ago she described herself as 'a little more together', joking that she was 'just about ready to go on a bus by myself', keeping her depression at bay with therapy and medication. 'I have my good and my bad patches, my fantastic and my debilitating patches,' she added. Sarah with the cast of Last Tango In Halifax. She won a BAFTA as lesbian headmistress Caroline Many of Sarah's characters have the cloak of sadness surrounding them, few more so than Catherine Cawood who's grieving for her daughter. But Sarah's reluctant to talk about whether the role affects her; how she becomes Catherine. 'I don't talk about the how or why of the job because I loathe doing that,' she says firmly. 'It's so luvvie.' Happy Valley 2 picks up 18 months after the last series finished. Tommy's in prison for the three murders he committed in series one and Catherine's getting on with her job. But it's impossible for her to escape him. She finds the murdered body of someone he was close to, and he's secretly in contact with his son Ryan, who's now 11, from jail and has found an even more twisted way of getting involved in his son's life: through 'prison groupie' Frances, played by Shirley Henderson (Harry Potter's Moaning Myrtle), who idolises Tommy and visits him in jail. 'Time has moved on but Catherine's life is as rosy as ever,' laughs Sarah. 'But I wouldn't want it to be any other way. Her disposition can be draining; she carries her emotional state of mind with her. She'll always be the mother of a dead girl. Meanwhile the Ryan thing is difficult for her; it's clear he needs to talk about his father but Catherine doesn't know how to approach it. How do you tell an 11-year-old that his father is a murderous psychopath who raped his mother? 'She has no love life or anything like that but I'm glad. What I love about this show is that it's so different to what you expect to be given as a female actress in a role like this. It was also important for me that Tommy should be back in it otherwise it would just be another cop show. This is a psychological piece of drama.' Sarah as neighbourhood copper Catherine Cawood in Happy Valley The last series attracted some criticism for its violence, in particular the scene where Tommy confronts Catherine in his mother's cellar. Sarah says there may be controversy about the brutality in this series, but she insists it's necessary. 'The first series was brutal both emotionally and physically and this is more of the same,' she says. 'Catherine is a police officer and the violence she was subjected to is something female police officers get every day of the week. I would never condone anything that I thought was salacious or at all gratuitous. Everything is in context and there wouldn't have been a fuss if it had been a male police officer. 'I had a lot of letters and emails from female police officers who said it was the first time they'd seen an officer portrayed accurately [as well as crime-fighting, Catherine was seen dealing with drunks and drug addicts]. A lot of it's down to Lisa Farrand, our cop advisor. The first thing she said to me when we met was, "You're going to have to man up."' Retired former Halifax police sergeant Lisa was a primary school friend of Sally Wainwright's and is a constant presence on set. A holder of the Queen's Police Medal for services to policing, she was once deliberately run over by four men after the Bradford riots of 2001 and had to retire in 2013 after being attacked while trying to make an arrest; she was left with a metal brace on her arm. 'A lot of Catherine is based on Lisa,' adds Sarah. 'You don't look at her and think, "There's a female officer." She's just an officer.' I had a lot of letters and emails from female police officers who said it was the first time they'd seen an officer portrayed accurately In between Happy Valley and Last Tango, which will begin filming for a fourth season later this year, Sarah's glad to get back to her most important job; that of mum. She has three sons - Tom, 28, and Matthew, 26, are from her ten-year marriage to musician Gary Hargreaves, a relationship she later described as lasting ten years too long. She also has a 12-year-old son, Joseph, with her second husband, BBC executive Peter Salmon. They live in Twickenham, south-west London, where they share a home with Sarah's mother Hilda. 'The older I get, the harder it is to be away from home,' she says. 'I love being at home. I have nothing in the diary and I plan to do nothing. I'm very much Mum when I go home - the mums among us know it's a full-time job. I've been away from home such a lot doing this job that I'm ready to have a really big break. I'm looking forward to doing nothing.' While she was entertaining millions as Raquel on Coronation Street in the 90s, pictured, she was so low she struggled to get out of bed and ended up having a breakdown The success of Happy Valley coincided with a number of cop shows with strong older female leads, from The Fall with Gillian Anderson, who's 47, the previous year to Unforgotten with Nicola Walker, who's 45, last year. Sarah's happy to be at the crest of the wave but isn't sure it's the start of a seismic change in TV. 'I know how fortunate I am in getting through that tricky turn into your fifties,' she says. 'We're going through a good cycle at the moment for women of a certain age, but will it dip again? Yes. Drama is cyclical. It's no different for actors. 'I don't really like talking about the age issue for actors; it's not something you'll find me moaning about, because it's an issue for everyone. Teachers, accountants, doctors, journalists - we're all subject to it. It's the same with all the discussion about the pay gap between the genders. There's no point me complaining about it; it's the entire bloody world, not just my profession.' For now Sarah sees herself simply as 'lucky' for having the chance to intersperse Happy Valley with her role in Last Tango. 'I'm the luckiest person ever to have been involved in two of the most beautifully created and written series; it's been phenomenal,' she says. 'But it's a purple patch and I know it will go.' For those who felt hard done by when the BBC chose not to commission a second series of Our Zoo, the highly acclaimed drama starring Anne Reid that told how the Mottershead family created Chester Zoo in the 1930s, there's good news. Channel 4 has picked up the mantle with a new fly-on-the-wall documentary series that goes behind the scenes at the famous zoo - and it's just as emotional as the drama. From the mating rituals of the tarantulas to a baby giraffe dropping 6ft through the air as it's born, there's never a dull moment here. Part wildlife programme, part soap opera, The Secret Life Of The Zoo uses special filming techniques to capture the animals and their keepers - and shed light on the species-saving work that goes on at the pioneering institution. When it comes to birds, veteran 22-year-old penguin Rud is top of the pecking order. Pictured with Spike Established by animal lover George Mottershead as a revolutionary 'zoo without bars', Chester Zoo is now one of Britain's busiest tourist attractions. But on top of the 12,500 animals from 450 species that are looked after every day, the zoo boasts extensive conservation projects designed to protect endangered creatures, from native sand lizards to Caribbean mountain chicken frogs. 'There's a lot more to the zoo than the public face,' explains bird keeper Mark Vercoe. 'We wanted to show all the work we do, not just the fluffy bits.' One of these projects helps institutions around the world to optimise their elephants' fertility. 'The delivery men sometimes get a bit upset when they find out they've been transporting frozen elephant dung,' laughs Dr Sue Walker, who heads the academic team, referring to the samples that arrive regularly for analysis. And as if to justify their work, in the first episode a new baby Asian elephant named Nandita is born. Her mother Thi had become rather grumpy (as you might if you'd been pregnant for almost two years) and viewers will see the keepers' relief when she finally gives birth as she'd previously delivered a stillborn calf. Nandita's arrival triggers boisterous antics from Hari, a playful young member of the herd who feels displaced and takes it out on his grandmother Sithami. As baby elephant Nandita came into the world, they lost two-year-old Bala to sudden illness It's clear that everyone at Chester Zoo is passionate about their work, like Andy Woolham who's in charge of incubation and rearing at the bird centre. 'The first thing you see when you shine a light into an egg is a little heartbeat,' he says. 'I've worked here for 33 years, but that moment still gives me a massive buzz.' He recalls once finding a nest of abandoned chicks and giving them mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. 'Health and safety goes out of the window. It's your instinct as a keeper to keep them alive,' he says. When it comes to birds, veteran 22-year-old penguin Rud is top of the pecking order. 'We give him vitamins in his fish for his dodgy hip,' says Sally Baross, the penguin keeper. 'He's one of our OAPs and he's got a spot of arthritis, but he's in a cosy long-term relationship with another penguin named Spike. She keeps him going. They all have distinct personalities.' Our mountain chicken frog hasn't found her Prince Charming He's just one of the unique characters that keep the visitors pouring in. There's Jung the red panda, who since the arrival of two new cubs has been getting the cold shoulder from his partner Nima. In the chimp enclosure, troop leader Dylan is struggling to keep youngster Eric in line, while Frankie the 40-year-old crocodile has just been moved to a cutting-edge new tank, the first time she's been able to swim in deep water for years. And the five Sumatran tigers - with only 500 left in the wild these majestic creatures are critically endangered - have settled into their new home too after a nerve-wracking start. Little cub Kasarna was especially nervous at being moved. 'Putting a tiger in a box, it's not that simple,' says Tim Rowlands, the curator of mammals, describing the six-month programme he devised in order to get the tigers to be safely transported in crates from their old enclosure to the new one. 'It's a tall order,' he says. 'But that's why I love the job. It's a constant challenge.' No two days are the same here: during my visit a huge spider was delivered, having arrived in Britain in a delivery of car parts from South America. Gerardo Garcia, curator of lower vertebrates and invertebrates, soon identifies it as a poisonous Brazilian wandering spider, which can have a leg span of up to 13cm (5in). He deposits it in a safe place pending further enquiries as to what to do with it. Pip Carter-Jones with a mountain chicken frog. The zoo boasts extensive conservation projects designed to protect endangered creatures, from native sand lizards to Caribbean mountain chicken frog Meanwhile the critically endangered Sulawesi macaques are settling into a bespoke enclosure in the new Islands complex, which replicates south-east Asian island life. They bound around their new home, their trademark bright bottoms on show, one adorable baby clinging to his mother for dear life. But for every success story here there's a setback too, like the breeding initiative for the endangered mountain chicken frog (its meat tastes like chicken, apparently) which is still awaiting a result despite keeper Pip Carter-Jones's attempts to create a 'love nest' for them, complete with a Barry White-style frog-mating soundtrack. The frogs are now almost extinct in the wild and getting them in the mood for love is proving difficult. Holding one of the giant creatures aloft Pip explains, 'She just hasn't found her Prince Charming yet. We have two males and 50 females, but they don't seem to be compatible so we're investigating a swap with another zoo.' And as baby elephant Nandita came into the world, so a little toddler departed when they lost two-year-old Bala to sudden illness. But the staff cannot afford to be deterred. As the zoo's resident cheetahs prowl around their lair, lush coats in peak condition, and the occasional roar from the lions' enclosure breaks the air, you know that behind the scenes the work to keep these animals thriving goes on. Saturday Kitchen host James Martin dishes up another helping of delicious home-cooked meals in this second extract from his new book. I don't know that 'posh' is the right word for this really - although it uses oysters and lobster, you can get hold of both easily nowadays in supermarkets. The grated potatoes make a great topping, just make sure you give them a thorough squeeze to remove any excess water. I don't know that 'posh' is the right word for this really - although it uses oysters and lobster Serves 4-6 Ingredients 140g (5oz) unsalted butter 2 heaped tbsp plain flour 600m(1pt) double cream 350m(12foz) champagne (or prosecco) Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 500g (1lb 2oz) salmon, boneless and skinless, cut into chunks 400g (14oz) smoked haddock, boneless and skinless, cut into chunks 1kg (2lb 4oz) cooked lobster, shelled and cut into chunks 8 oysters, shucked 350g (12oz) raw king prawns, shelled and deveined 100g (3oz) samphire (try Waitrose, Tesco or some fishmongers) 1kg (2lb 4oz) white potatoes, peeled and coarsely grated 3 egg yolks 200g (7oz) frozen peas Method Preheat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Put 75g (2oz) of the butter into a saucepan and heat untimelted, then add the flour and cook for 2 minutes untithickened and light golden-brown. Add the cream gradually, whisking althe time, and cook untithickened and smooth. Pour the champagne in a steady stream into the sauce, stilwhisking althe time, untithick enough to coat the back of a spoon, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Place the salmon, smoked haddock, lobster, oysters, prawns and samphire in a large ovenproof dish. Pour the sauce over the top to coat everything. Put the grated potato into a clean tea toweand squeeze the liquid from it. Place in a bowl. Melt 50g (1oz) of the remaining butter in a saucepan, then mix with the potato and egg yolks and plenty of salt and black pepper. Sprinkle over the top of the fish, then place on a baking sheet in the oven for 30 minutes untigolden and cooked through. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add the peas and cook for 2-3 minutes untitender. Drain and return to the pan, add the remaining butter and season to taste. Serve with the fish pie. The actor stars alongside Natalie Portman in the Western Jane Got A Gun, which hit theaters on Friday Boyd said Elizabeth, 26, ended their engagement over the phone in 2015 on the same day he learned his best friend David Armstrong had died Narcos star Boyd Holbrook may be at the height of his career, but the actor has revealed that it was his devastating breakup with his ex-fiance Elizabeth Olsen on the day his best friend died that prompted him to dedicate last year to work. The 34-year-old, who shows off his Southern good looks in the online magazine Mr Porter, detailed the personal struggles he faced after Elizabeth, 26, ended their six-month engagement over the phone on the same day that he learned his close friend, fashion photographer David Armstrong, had died of liver cancer at the age of 60. 'After all that, man, I just wanted to work,' he told the publication. 'I was like, lets do it. You and me. Lets go. Lets head-butt.' Scroll down for video Strike a pose: Boyd Holbrook can be seen modeling a black Dries Van Noten wool-satin blazer in a new shoot for the online magazine Mr Porter Sad year: Boyd told the publication that he threw himself into his work in 2015 after his engagement with Elizabeth Olsen ended up on the same day he learned his best friend David Armstrong had died Boyd plays Steve Murphy, an American Drug Enforcement Administration agent, in the Netflix series Narcos, which chronicles the rise and all of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. And while the show's intriguing plot may have seemed destined to succeed, Boyd admitted that he was surprised about what a critically-acclaimed success it has become. 'That show blew up, like, 100 per cent more than I was expecting,' he said. However, he noted that the true life story is far from predictable. Heartbreak: Boyd revealed last month that Elizabeth, 26, had ended their engagement over the phone in early 2015 after three years of dating Gritty role: The 34-year-old plays Steve Murphy, an American Drug Enforcement Administration agent in the Netflix series Narcos, which chronicles the rise and all of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar 'I mean, you couldnt make a lot of this s**t up,' he said. 'At one point [Escobars] Medellin Cartel were making so much money that they didnt know what to do with it, so they came up with the bright idea of digging holes in the ground and burying it. 'They buried, like, $27 million in cash, but they didnt wrap it up properly, so when they came back to retrieve the money, it had all just decomposed.' The Kentucky native, who considers himself a 'blue-collar guy from hillbilly Appalachia, looks far more refined his his recent photoshoot, which sees him modeling a brushed cashmere coat by Theory and an Olivier Spencer pleated cotton-flannel suit and trousers. Ruggedly handsome: The former model is pictured wearing a cashmere sweater from The Elder Statesman and a denim button-down the Brunello Cucinelli Critically acclaimed: Boyd admitted that he was surprised about the success of his Netflix series, which was nominated for a Golden Globe this year In another image, Boyd smolders in a Lanvin bomber jacket and 1970s Chuck Taylor Converse sneakers as he leans against a wall with his hands in his trousers pockets. Boyd launched his career at a local theater, following the advice fellow Kentucky native and actor Michael Shannon, who told him to find any work at a theater he could. While working at the local establishment, Boyd was approached by a woman who asked if he wanted to model. Before he got into acting, boy modeled for the likes of Hedi Slimane and Dior Homme. Fashionable start: Before he broke into acting, Boyd worked as a professional model, starring in campaigns for several high-end brands, including Dior Superstar: Boyd plays Steve Murphy, an American Drug Enforcement Administration agent, in the critically-acclaimed Netflix series Narcos, which chronicles the rise and all of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar When he was in his early twenties he sent a script to his favorite directors Gus Van Sant, hoping that he would take on his project. And while that never happened, the director did give him a small part in his 2008 film Milk, allowing Boyd to give his first on-screen line to Sean Penn. Boyd said the legendary actor is still one of his greatest influences, along with his other former co-stars Liam Neeson and Christian Bale. The blonde stunner appears on the big screen again alongside Natalie Portman in the highly-anticipated Western Jane Got A Gun, which hit theaters on Friday. But instead of racking up romances or red carpet appearances, sweet-natured Sofia seems content to stay close to her fathers side She's one of the most eligible blondes in London and is often referred to as Britains richest teen. But Sofia Abramovichs heart belongs to just one man: Daddy. The 18-year-old daughter of Russian tycoon and Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich could have her pick of potential beaus, if she so wished. And its not just her reported 1billion fortune thats attractive. In a picture she posted online this week, she showed off a newly trim figure in a revealing 200 Melissa Odabash swimsuit while holidaying in the Maldives. But instead of racking up romances or red carpet appearances, sweet-natured Sofia seems content to stay close to her fathers side and, indeed, it would be a brave young man who took on the protective Roman. All this isnt to say that Sofia doesnt lead the most fantastically gilded life. Whether its hopping over to the family pad in Antibes (by private jet, naturally), drinking the finest champagne or spending 200,000 on a New Years break with her celebrity friends the Beckhams, what Sofia wants, she gets. After all, she is Daddys Billion-Pound Princess... Sofia Abramovich is known for her love of a party, including this birthday celebration complete with macaron-covered cake, created by baker Peggy Porschen MISS CHELSKIS FABULOUS PARTIES How better to celebrate your 18th birthday than in your own nightclub, with 500 friends and teen pop-band favourites Scouting For Girls and McBusted? Thats how Sofia marked her coming of age last April. Her bash, described by one guest as extravagant and flashy, is conservatively estimated to have cost Daddy 30,000. Im told Roman didnt even attend the festivities reasoning that as his former wife Irina, Sofias mother, was there, it might be a tad awkward. The event was held at the Under The Bridge nightclub at Chelseas Stamford Bridge ground, and a clearly delighted Sofia posted a snap with McBusted online afterwards. But this was far from the most luxurious bash Sofia has attended. This New Year, for example, she rang in 2016 with her mother and younger siblings, Arina and Ilya, at their usual haunt: the One & Only Reethi Rah nightclub in the Maldives, the pinnacle of tropical luxury at an estimated price of 200,000. Sofia partied alongside her celebrity friends, the Beckhams and the Ramsays. Its said that Sofia is close to Gordon Ramsays daughter, Megan, 17, and the two hung out on the beach throughout the holiday. Another close friend is Clementine Stewart, daughter of the ITN newsreader Alastair. Daddy, meanwhile, threw his globally famous New Year party at his 70-acre estate on St Barts with his third wife Darya, putting up guests such as film-maker George Lucas on his huge yacht. Sofia is chauffeur-driven everywhere in Range Rovers, reported to be bulletproof, including to university PERSONAL GUARDS IN ARMOURED CARS Sofias daily commute to university, Royal Holloway, in Egham, Surrey, is rather more ostentatious than most. She is chauffeur-driven everywhere in Range Rovers, which are reported to be bulletproof. Her older sister, Anna, said that their journeys to the 15,000-a-year Godolphin and Latymer private school in West London often started with a helicopter flight into a Battersea heliport. A waiting chauffeur-driven car bristling with bodyguards would complete the five-mile journey to the school. Indeed, school friends also note that Sofia and her siblings never go anywhere without man mountain bodyguards, a provision ordered by their father. As Sofias mother confirmed in a very rare interview: My life with Roman was not the fairytale the papers reported. For my security, and that of our children, he hired a group of bodyguards from a protection agency. We changed mobile phone numbers once a week so no one could trace our whereabouts. We were afraid of kidnapping attempts, yet we could not hide our children and not show them real life. So we went to theatres and museums with a crowd of bodyguards. Each year it got harder. Sofia has posted numerous touching snaps of herself with her adoring father, who is worth around 9.5billion FOND SNAPS WITH A DOTING DAD Sofia clearly adores her father, Roman, who is worth around 9.5 billion. She has posted numerous touching family snaps of them together, showing herself as an angelic youngster with arms wrapped around her father or sitting on his shoulders. Each photograph is captioned with nostalgic remarks such as: When everything was simple #throwback #dad #family #goodmemories #loveyou #goodoldtimes. Romans gentleness in these snaps belies his notoriously ruthless business sense. After starting a doll-making business, he invested in Russian oil and gas and, along with the late Boris Berezovsky, bought the oil company Sibneft, which laid the foundations for his stupendous wealth. To this day, there is plenty of talk about bribery scandals and mafia pay-offs. Yet hes also a philanthropist whos donated billions of pounds to good causes. Sofia has six siblings and step-siblings from her fathers various marriages. Blonde Irina, a one-time air hostess and Romans second wife, was married to him for 16 years and bore him five children: Anna, 23, Arkadiy, 21, Sofia, 18, Arina, 12, and Ilya, ten. By the time their divorce was announced, Roman had been spotted numerous times with the future Mrs Abramovich number three, Darya Zhukova, a former model known as Dasha, with whom he has two children, Aaron, six, and Leah Lou, two. After pictures of Roman kissing Dasha were published, Irina apparently issued an ultimatum to choose between them. The emotional fall-out from her fathers relationships, then, gives a certain air of sadness to Sofias nostalgic family snaps. Roman is already seemingly grooming his oldest son and heir, Arkadiy, whose name is derived from the Greek word for bear. At 21, he already has his own investment company, ARA Capital. ADDICTED TO SELFIES AND CHAMPERS... Two of Sofias great loves are champagne and selfies. Before recently locking her Instagram account after being targeted by trolls, she posted pictures of parties with friends one Twenties-themed bash was a particular favourite, with Sofia captioning it #bestnight. But she also shows more thoughtfulness than you might expect from an oligarchs daughter. After suffering online abuse over her weight last year, she wrote a rather considered response, saying: Ive been scrutinised and some people said some really horrible things that Ive had to delete or block. Roman would rather Sofia didn't post selfies online, like this one appearing to show a vast walk-in wardrobe This made me feel even more self-conscious about myself and my body. It put me under a lot of pressure to look perfect. Only recently have I realised that everyone has a different perfect. I may have never been perfect in other peoples eyes or even my own, but I have decided to be happy and positive. I know I will never be a skinny model . . . however, I know my body isnt as healthy as it could be so Im going to change that. This weeks stunning swimsuit selfie was one in the eye for her critics. But her father would rather she did not post pictures of herself online, as biographer Chris Hutchins reveals: Roman keeps a close eye on his seven children and was said to be concerned when Sofia posted revealing pictures of herself taken in her bedroom at Fyning Hill. One picture, in which she was wearing just a T-shirt, showed Sofias vast walk-in wardrobe, packed with clothes by blingy designers such as Roberto Cavalli and Missoni. Advertisement JUMPING STAR ON 300,000 HORSES Aside from spending time with her father, Sofias idea of heaven is riding her horses, Bugsy and Rainbow, who cost around 300,000. Sofia regularly posts pictures on social media posing with her horses at her own stables, beaming happily as she snuggles them. Shes become a fanatical showjumper, riding for Russia at the Longines Global Champions Tour and events in Monaco, too. Doting Roman does all he can to see her ride, arriving at showjumping meets in his helicopter. Horses, then, have become an increasing part of Sofias social whirl. Shes close to other rising stars of the show-jumping world, such as Christie Pritchard and Yazmin Pinchen, who has a column in Horse magazine and is an ambassador for equestrian charity Just World International. When Sofias not with her horses, her Alsatian dog, who she calls My Babe, keeps her company. Older sister Anna, who lives in New York, pictured, announced her engagement to a man a decade her senior when she was just 18, and was later pictured with notorious lothario and party boy Calum Best REBEL SISTER A BAD INFLUENCE Any man with Romans wealth would be protective of his children. But when you learn about the antics of his tearaway oldest daughter, Anna, you begin to understand quite why Roman keeps Sofia on such a tight leash. Anna lives in New York with her cat, where, as well as studying at Columbia University, shes been partying hard. She recently posted a picture of herself on Instagram looking bleary-eyed in a beanie hat with the following caption: Gilded reject looking for creative solutions for glass problems. In what seems to be a reference to her stupendous family wealth, she also wrote: Most people have a job. Some people have a purpose. I have no job and no purpose. Interesting situation. When Anna was 18 and still at school, she announced her engagement to lawyer Nikolai Lazarev, who was almost a decade her senior. Roman was said to be appalled, and they never wed. She was later noted hanging out with notorious lothario and party boy Calum Best. PALACES FIT FOR A PRINCESS With not one, but two central London mansions to call home one in Belgravias Eaton Square and another in nearby Chester Square Sofia is spoilt for choice. Both properties were given to her mother, Irina, in her 2007 divorce from Roman. And with luxury homes like these, why wouldnt you enjoy staying in the bosom of your family? As writer Chris Hutchins, author of Abramovich: The Billionaire From Nowhere, says: Sofia really is a homebody. But like every good London society girl, she heads to the countryside for weekends, staying at the familys main base in Britain the 18 million Fyning Hill Estate in Petersfield, West Sussex. Sofia has the choice of two central London mansions to call home one in Belgravias Eaton Square and another in nearby Chester Square (general view of Chester Sqaure, pictured) Lucky Irina was also given the 425-acre estate as part of her divorce settlement, as well as 150 million in cash. But Fyning Hill is something of a gilded cage, according to Hutchins: The estate is all very high security they dont encourage people wandering up there. It bristles with surveillance cameras and theres a helicopter pad that Sofia and Irina can escape from should there be a kidnap attempt. As for the summer months, Sofia often chooses to escape to the Duke and Duchess of Windsors former home in Antibes on the French Riviera. Roman bought it for 15 million, but never really liked it so gave it to Irina. Sofia makes regular trips to the holiday home by private jet with her family. Her lucky school friends are also treated to weekend breaks in Antibes even in term time. Advertisement Now, though, she seems to be single. Everyone is getting married and having babies and I still havent unpacked from a trip I took in 2009, she wrote recently. As well as something of a taste for wine she regularly posts pictures of her favourite bottles she also seems keen on marijuana. Pictures of gold rolling papers, a Ganja Kitchen cookbook and a list of the merits of cannabis over alcohol were among some of the more concerning social media posts she has made. Alone of the older children, she went to spend New Year with her father in St Barts. Possibly this marked a reconciliation in their tricky relationship. Afterwards, she wrote: First family New Year in 12 years #family thank you all so much for being there for me! Xo. One source close to the family says: Roman indulges her in a way that only a multi-billionaire can. He spoils her rotten. She has had the use of one of his yachts for entertaining her friends on the worlds oceans. The one habit that displeases him, however, is her love of booze Roman doesnt touch the stuff. THOUGHT OF THE DAY I think I could turn and live with animals... They do not sweat and whine about their condition; they do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins; not one is dissatisfied; not one is demented with the mania of owning things. Walt Whitman (American poet 1819-1892) Advertisement Dear Bel I would like your thoughts before pursuing assisted dying. Some 18 months ago my boyfriend of 13 years (friends for 14 years before this) left me suddenly. I adored him and cannot cope with the loss. Im 57 and lost my parents a few years ago. I met Peter at work and we found the passion, fun and affection that was missing in our respective marriages. Peter moved in with me for a while, before buying a house on his own. Hes always hated commitment, so I was careful not to suggest living together. I bought a cottage in his village. The relationship was never straightforward. I suffer from anxiety and miss my parents enormously; Peter doesnt like people to be clinging or dependent and is evasive. We both suffered financially in the recession. Peters children refused to accept me and he wouldnt address this. Despite all my efforts, I can no longer go on without him, writes JANE. Theres a gaping hole in my life: all light, warmth and hope have gone Despite difficulties (hed rarely acknowledge me as his girlfriend, and would sometimes not get in touch for days or weeks) we had many good times together. One morning we went shopping together for our coming holiday. That afternoon he told me it was over: hed wanted to tell me for several years, intended to date other women and didnt like my negativity. Today, I remain grief-stricken and shocked. Antidepressants helped for a while, but Im not depressed, Im heart-broken. He calls around from time to time Im aware of girlfriends and he seems to think we can still be friends, but thats impossible. At my age I wont find anyone else, nor do I want to. I am thankful for many things. I have a work contract with a lovely charity, loyal friends who have supported me with much love, and a re-established relationship with my estranged sister and her family. Im accepted for Samaritan training (although not sure I can cope with it yet), became an Official Prison Visitor, write to people on death row, and do voice-overs for blind people for a local magazine. I have many interests as well. Despite all my efforts, I can no longer go on without him. Theres a gaping hole in my life: all light, warmth and hope have gone. So Ive been investigating outfits such as Dignitas and believe I can get them to help me. I think I can get a medical professional to certify that I am suffering from depression. Intellectually I know this is probably wrong, and my late parents would be so disappointed in me. I talk to them every night, miss them so much, and would love to be with them now. The life I hoped for with my much-loved Peter is gone for ever and I am entirely alone terrified of the future, exhausted with crying and desolation. Do you have thoughts before I pursue this action? Jane How I wish I could meet you and tell you quietly what I think privately. Somehow I must summon the words to convince you that life not just any life, but YOUR life is beyond price. By now, you will have had a proper letter from me. But what Id really like to do is grip you by the arms, look you in the eyes and tell you, simply, that the world urgently needs you to live. You have to believe me. The end of a long relationship is like a death: no surprise you are still grieving after 18 months. The sudden brutality of loss makes a mockery of the sweetest memories, since you were forced to confront the cruel truth about the man you loved so much. It surely makes matters worse that you live nearby; better never to see him again than to endure his visits, hear about his dates. Jilted women tell me they think widows suffer less than the heartbroken ones whose once-beloved men have turned into torturers. Its probably true. Im sure loyal friends have reminded you that this relationship was very far from perfect as you admit. Few people could have put up with Peters lack of commitment and carelessness. Did he care at all how you felt? It worries me that, with the passage of time, you are choosing to recall the good times and forgetting the nights you spent alone, wondering where he was. Or the times you were out with him and he failed to introduce you as his partner. You must have been so hurt and humiliated. Can you forgive him? Yet you think of suicide due to one man who wounded you so badly. You would call time on the sight of flowers in spring, the sound of birds preparing to nest, the taste of warm tomatoes with fragrant basil, the smell of ground coffee and fresh bread, the sensation of warm sand beneath the feet or velvet on fingertips? You would shock and wound family and friends. You would voluntarily relinquish your one precious life for the sake of such a flawed, weak, dishonest human being when each day the proofs come in of how much the world needs you? O h no, no, no. Id bet my whole house that you are needed far more than pathetic old Peter, who doesnt do anything very well except inflict pain on you. You tell me you want to die, and yet have listed all the things that make you grateful. In your darkest time you have signed up to help people. You consider ending your own life yet have been approved by the Samaritans (who, as Im sure you know, you can contact at any time by calling 116 123 or visiting samaritans.org). You say all, light, warmth and hope have gone from your life when that is clearly not the case, since you are already bringing life, warmth and hope to others, some of whom you have never met. Jane, you sound like a wonderful person whom anybody would want to have as a friend. What am I to make of this conundrum? I believe it would be a sin and a crime for a medical professional to sign you off as depressed (even if you are and I sincerely hope you are receiving proper treatment) to help you go to Dignitas. It is wrong, wrong, wrong because I just do not believe you will feel this way in a years time. You have no idea whether or not you will meet anybody else, nor whether your business will grow, nor whether you will decide to change the colour of your hair, nor whether it will rain on February 14. Put your hand on your heart now. Feel it beating. That is all you can know and the more you think about it, the more precious it will seem. Ask your parents tonight. They will tell you that Im right and instruct you to return to life for their sakes and applaud me when I tell you. Stay with us. Please be brave. Please stay. Before I got pregnant, I was treated for depression and panic attacks for years, writes Alyson As a new mum, I fear going back to work Dear Bel Before I got pregnant, I was treated for depression and panic attacks for years. I think the root cause was that I focused too much on my own life and spent far too much time judging myself. Im 31, and since having my baby six months ago Ive been overcome with purpose and happiness. My daughter is the best thing that has ever happened to me, and every day that passes makes me feel so different to my past worries. My wonderful fiance of six years has always been here for me and is so happy to see me come away from the darkness and depression. My job is in our family business, which Ive no interest in taking over. The problem: my maternity leave is up, but I dont want to go back. Ive recently become panicky about this, as I was never happy at work and love being at home with my child. Unfortunately, with our wedding only eight months away, we need the extra income. My fiance has promised that after the ceremony, if I am still unhappy working, he will support us both. How can I help myself and stop the panic attacks when I think of work? I am seeing a counsellor but would be grateful for extra help and advice. My lovely baby will be going to my cousin while I am at work (we are not particularly close, but she offered to help out). Unfortunately, I feel like someone is going to take her away from me. Alyson Many women find it hard to leave their babies, even without a history of depression. How heartwarming to learn how this wee girl has transformed your life. Its good that you are still receiving counselling for panic attacks; my instinct says it would be unwise to stop the sessions. It would be tragic if you slipped back into depression, when your new roles of mother and wife-to-be are bringing so much happiness. I worry that your tendency to judge yourself will be made worse by guilt at working. I suspect youre only going back to help pay for the cost of your forthcoming wedding. You took maternity leave from the family firm, so the moral obligation is also there, but for how long? Im worried you feel additional pressure to earn money at this point. Your wonderful fiance has already said he can support you to stay at home with your baby after you marry. My question is: why not sooner? You say you need the extra income. This is understandable, but is it unavoidable? Are you planning a big wedding? If so, wouldnt it be sensible to scale it back in order to stay at home, as you yearn to? If you knew you need only work for a few months, youd feel much less stressed at leaving your baby with your cousin. So often we human beings lock ourselves into prisons of our own making. Perhaps a couple plans a fancy wedding needing two incomes to fund it therefore a young mum who hates work and adores her baby forces herself towards the former and away from the latter. Why? I think you and your fiance should have a serious talk about options and consider changing your plans for the sake of your health. In the meantime, in between sessions with your therapist, make sure you do breathing exercises morning and evening, whether or not you feel anxious. Look at drweil.com for useful relaxation tips. Put a picture of your baby and your man in a pretty locket and wear it every day, holding it tightly whenever you feel upset in work, and saying firmly: It will be all right because we all love each other. These are just two little tricks to help during the time away from your baby girl. And finally... Enduring tale of boy meets girl There I was, in the British Museum yet again, feeling lucky that this amazing place is our heritage. I saw the exhibition Egypt: Faith After The Pharaohs (on for one more week) and found something that made me think about this column. The exhibition introduces us to an intermingling of cultures over 12 centuries, as Jews, Christians and Muslims lived side by side in one land. The objects on display tell a fascinating, complex story of peaceful coexistence, but also intermittent tension and violence between Jews, Christians and Muslims. Not much change there. Most of all I love the small things that move the heart: a childs tunic, a toy, a small statue of a mother and child, a lamp, a pair of curtains. TROUBLED? WRITE TO BEL Bel answers readers questions on emotional and relationship problems each week. Write to: Bel Mooney, Daily Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT, or e-mail bel.mooney@dailymail.co.uk. A pseudonym will be used if you wish. Bel reads all letters, but regrets she cannot enter into personal correspondence. Advertisement Political regimes may change and religions cause chaos, but throughout history mothers will cuddle their children, making sure they are clothed and the lamps are lit in the evening. People will also fall in love, often hopelessly. The item I spotted among the wonders was a fragment of parchment with a spell written on it. Even when Christianity was the state religion (around AD 400), people turned to old methods of magic. So they would write out spells and leave them in cemeteries, asking for help with their problems. No wonder this interests me! This particular spell/prayer was put in a pot with a little wax model of two figures in a passionate embrace. Oh, wishful thinking! Its written by Theon, who begs the dead to make a girl called Euphemia burn with love for him. He even names her mother, Dorothea maybe so the spirits dont go to work on the wrong girl. Lovelorn Theon promises that if they help him to get lucky, he will ask the old god Osiris to make sure theyre not thirsty and find rest. One is a luxury brand that costs a hair-raising 119 and boasts the ability to transform womens locks, ordaining them with the glamour of Russian royalty. The other is a bargain product sold at a budget supermarket for just 75p and simply promises to leave you with shiny, supple hair. But when Britains most expensive shampoo and conditioner went head to head with the cheapest in a blind test which came out on top? In an experiment conducted by The Mail on Sunday, ten women were asked to replace their usual haircare products with alternative brands. Half of the group were given Cien Provitamin 300ml shampoo and conditioner from Lidl. The other half were given the ultra-chic Philip B Russian Amber Imperial brand, which at 119 for a single pot of shampoo and the same price for the conditioner is the costliest haircare product on the British High Street. The testers didnt know which they were using. The Philip B range, created by Hollywood hairdresser Philip Berkovitz, is reported to be a favourite with celebrities including Gwyneth Paltrow, Halle Berry and Sandra Bullock. The firm sells an even more staggeringly expensive special edition of its shampoo in a crystal-encrusted jar for just over 1,000. The apparent secret to the high-end haircare lines success is its special ingredient amber oil said in its advertising to channel the opulence of the Romanov dynasty. In comparison, Cien Provitamin shampoo and conditioner, at 75p, comes in simple white, plastic bottles and makes no great claims apart from to strengthen hair and give it more shine. Although this was not a truly scientific study, our three-week trial of the two products produced a surprising result Posh or not? (left to right) Rebecca Malcolm, 33, Jodi Nicholls, 28, and Sophie Gorman, 27, give their verdicts on the products after using them for three weeks Can you tell? Half of the subjects were given Philip B Russian Amber (left) products, which cost 119, and the other were given Cien products from Lidl (right), which cost just 75p Could you tell the difference between a shampoo or conditioner costing a few pence and some that cost more than 100? Almost certainly not, judging by a remarkable Mail on Sunday experiment which revealed that, if theyre not told the price beforehand, women actually prefer a 75p shampoo over a 119 one, and rate a 75p conditioner just as highly as one more than 150 times the price. And a leading hair expert found it impossible to tell which women had used which products purely by looking at the hair. We asked ten women to blind-test products in place of their usual shampoo and conditioner. What they didnt know was that half of them were given Cien Provitamin Colour & Shine shampoo and conditioner budget supermarket Lidls own-brand haircare whose 300ml bottles cost only 75p each. The other half were given some of the most expensive products on the high street: Russian Amber Imperial Shampoo (119 for 355ml) and Russian Amber Imperial Conditioning Creme (119 for 178ml), from American beauty brand Philip B. The brand, chosen only because of its price, has also released a special-edition version of the shampoo in a crystal-encrusted jar costing about 1,000. It claims the shampoo gives you the sexy, full, shiny-smooth hair of your dreams in just one use. After three weeks, our volunteers were asked to rate the shampoo out of five on the products appearance and consistency, how much they liked the scent, how it lathered when applied to the hair, and its efficacy at cleaning the hair. Conditioner was scored on appearance, consistency, scent, and how well it detangled hair. The results showed that the cheaper shampoo outclassed its more expensive rival, scoring 88 out of a possible 125 compared to Philip Bs 66. Out of 25, Lidl scored 16 for lather while Philip B scored just seven; 18 for appearance to Philip Bs 13; and 18 on consistency compared to Philip Bs eight. Philip B scored marginally better on scent and efficacy, with 19 in both categories compared to Lidls 18. For the conditioner, Lidl proved the winner again, scoring 72 out of 100 overall compared to 69 for Philip B. Although this was not a scientific study, trichologist Iain Sallis, a hair expert with clinics throughout the UK, agreed to examine our testers hair to see if he was able to spot any differences before and after the experiment. He said before the tests: Im not really expecting to see huge changes in the hair fibre. You might see a build-up of silicone, or roughening of the cuticle, but with shampoo and conditioner, the effects are almost psychosomatic. Its about feel, smell, texture its very emotive. When you buy an expensive shampoo, you buy into the ethos of an expensive shampoo; you almost end up selling it to yourself. You think, Ive spent 20 on this shampoo so it must be good for my hair. Surprised: (left to right) Meraid Griffin, 49, said it was money down the plughole, Alison Smith said she was 'staggered' at the price, but Jenny Dale didn't think much of the Lidl brand either WHETHER IT'S PRICEY OR CHEAP, IT'S ALL 70 PER CENT WATER Iain Sallis says the ingredients listings for the products made interesting reading. He explains that the main ingredient about 70 per cent in all shampoos and conditioners is water. After water, the biggest ingredient in a shampoo is the detergent, he says. Interestingly both shampoos use sodium laureth sulphate usually considered to be the cheap detergent as their main detergent. In the Philip B shampoo, the third most abundant ingredient is fragrance. This is not a good sign, as if someone has a skin reaction to a product, it is usually because of the perfumes or preservatives used. Something with a high proportion of fragrance may irritate a lot of people. And its not just the fragrance that Iain sees as a problem. The cheaper shampoo contains 22 ingredients, the more expensive one 58. Similarly, the cheaper conditioner contains 18, while the more expensive one has 65. The more ingredients there are in a product, the more likely it is to cause an adverse reaction, he says. But surely all these ingredients are doing wonders for our hair? Im not convinced, says Iain. There are a number of amino acids listed here. Theyre the building blocks of the proteins that make up your hair, if you eat them, but putting them on the hair doesnt do anything. As for other ingredients, yes, essential oils are expensive, but theyre present in such small quantities that they might as well not be there at all. Advertisement So when you blind someone to the cost, the packaging, the marketing and the experience of buying a product, you get a far truer representation of what they actually think of its performance. While it was not a clinical trial, we told our testers that we were carrying out an investigation into luxury haircare products, and that although we couldnt reveal much about the products they were testing, they were quality products that had passed all the required safety tests. At The Mail on Sundays London offices, Iain examined the hair of all the women and took samples to compare with second samples he would take three weeks later. The women were sent away with shampoos and conditioners decanted into unbranded bottles, and told to use them as they would their usual products, and to answer a series of questions about their product. When the questionnaires came back three weeks later, there were certain things that stood out. All of the testers who tried the expensive shampoo remarked on its consistency. Comments included like fudge, unpleasant, sticky and glue-like, thick and gloopy, like putting honey on my head. Conclusive: (left to right) Shuva Datta, 31, Mary Ellen Hentschel, Suzanne Taylor, 46, and Anke Holst, 45, were among the group of women who gave Cien 85 out of a possible 125, compared to 66 for the luxury brand And they all found it very hard to create a lather because of the lack of suds, I wasnt quite sure if Id rinsed properly was one of the comments. It was this feedback that Iain admitted helped him identify which of the testers had used the expensive products. It was clear from the questionnaires that one shampoo smells complex but does not lather well, while the other lathers very well and still has a nice smell, he says. Foaming agents tend to be more of a mass-market product as most people like a product that lathers up nicely. In the end, Iain correctly identified the products in six out of ten cases. Of the others, three trialled the cheaper products and one trialled the expensive products. Philip B products claim to transform any hair type, and a number of factors determine the price. These include raw materials, marketing, packaging and distribution, not to mention that intangible emotional cachet that comes with buying a premium product. Iain says: This experiment has proved that not only is a cheaper product not functionally worse, it can actually outperform a more expensive one on the right person. Site: waydate From: sussan19 Date: 2015-12-08 14:20:52 It is my pleasure to write you after much consideration I want you to per attention in this proposer. My name is Miss Sussan Karim The only Daughter of late Josephn Karim, from Sierra-Leone (I am 18 years of age. My father was former Director of finance Sierra-Leone diamond, Gold and Mining Corporation, in Free Town, the economic capital of Sierra Leon before his untimely death. After his business trip, my father got an accident with my mother of which my mother died instantly but my father died five days after in a private hospital in our country. On that faithful afternoon, I didn't know that my father was going to leave me after I had earlier lost my mother, but before he gave up the ghost, it was as if he knew he was going to die. My father called me and told me that he deposited the sum of Nine Million, United State Dollars. USD ($9,000.000.00) left in fixed / suspense account in one of the prime bank in LOME the economic capital of TOGO West Africa. That the money was meant for his diamond and Gold Company he wanted to establish in Tunisia, according to my father he deposited the money in suspense account using my name as the next of kin. My reason to contact you is to assist me to transfer the fund into your account, my late father made an agreement with bank I cannot access to this fund due to my age, although the only I can have access is by making a choice from foreign partner from oversee to help me transfer the money and invest it. I will further more with you as soon as I hear from you, I have Agreement Bond between bank and my late father and also the Deposit Slip of the fund. If you are interested send Email to my ID Email here (susankarim02@yahoo.fr) for more information about the transaction.. yours faithful. Miss. Sussan Karim. Date: Fri, 11 Dec 2015 09:49:47 +0000 (UTC) From: Sussan Karim Subject: From Miss Sussan Karim... My Dear Beloved , Thanks for your response, I am happy to read from you today, I need you to assist me transfer this inherit fund from my late parents sum amount $9.000,000,00, I want you to know that we have to start in the process of the transfer to your account as I have discussed with the bank officials and they also agreed to made the transfer to your account, what I am concern is that we have to understand ourselves in this transaction first before we are together so that you and I will know the reality of our situation. And I promise you as soon as the money is transfer in your account you will be reward according to your effort in transferring the money in your account, Base on the genuineness of this transaction, I must not hesitate to provide you with my late father company information and the Death Certificate of my late father and my School national certificate, please kindly find below my address, and other information's for your references. I am sending you these details in trust and confidence and would want you to keep them absolutely confidential for security reasons please. My name and address: Miss Sussan Karim: profession: student Lot 15 Rue des jardins Free Town-Sierra, Leone, West Africa. My father: Mr. Joseph Karim (blessed memory) Profession: Businessman (diamond, Gold and mining corporation) Lot 15 Rue des jardins Free Town-Sierra, Leone West Africa. Official address: Joseph & Karim ETS. Export & Import Compagni 4eme etage, Immeuble la Roi face de la garde de Bassam Treichville-Sierra, Leone West Africa. I want you to send to me your information below here so that I will go to the bank to submit it. 1. If you will remain sincere to me throughout and after this transaction? 2. Send your full name 3. Send your address 4. Send your private telephone number 5. Send me your Id with your photo I need all this information's from you base of building our trustee in this transaction as soon as I receive them I will go and submit it to the bank so that the bank will contact you for the transfer of the money in your account. I shall send you the deposit and agreement documents as soon as I receive the information from you. I'm waiting to hear from you time to times for our conversation in this transaction. Yours faithfully. Miss. Sussan Karim. Date: Sat, 12 Dec 2015 10:19:54 +0000 (UTC) From: Sussan Karim Subject: Sign the partnership agreement,, Hello My Dear Beloved , Thanks for your response, I want you to know that we have to start this transaction immediately with the bank, I have discussed with the bank officials about the transfer and they also told me that they will assist us in transferring the money in your account as soon as possible. Today I went to a lawyer here to get partnership agreement between me and you regarding of sincerely and offer of percentage for your effort in this transaction for your input. I made it clear for to understand me that I am honest to offer you 15% from the total money transfer, as soon as you succeeded assist me in this transaction and my money transfer in your account. I paid the lawyer up to 950 dollars everything I spent today was 1285 dollars to get the partnership agreement between me and you. I have signed the partnership agreement I want you to sign it too and send it to me. I have go to the bank to submit your information to them so that they will normally contact you on behalf of my transaction. Let me know as soon as you hear from the bank, although the bank is working half day today being Saturday believe they will contact you shortly as the bank said. I attach you the document of the deposit of this fund. I am waiting to hear from you. Yours faithful. Miss. sussan Karim. From: "African Development Bank" Date: Sat, 12 Dec 2015 11:51:37 +0100 Subject: AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (ADB) AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (ADB) Groupe de la Banque africaine de Developpement Immeuble de la BOAD - 6e etage 68, Avenue de la Liberation 01 B.P. 2722 Lome, TOGO ATTENTION MR. 12/12/2015 Dear Sir/ This is to inform you as the business partner to (Ms. Sussan Karim) regard of transaction business which you and your partner is applying for the transfer, we are here to render our assistance to the process of this transaction between you and your partner to commence the whole said funds into your destination bank account as you and (Ms. Sussan Karim) wish. We are contacting you based for the request of (Ms. Sussan Karim) instruction of her demand, for the assistance of this bank, we are here to address you of acknowledgement in this transaction, first, the transaction will commence as far as the immediate process on the line of the transfer is done under the bank requirement transfer process on your behalf. In the line of this transaction you will obtain /Change of Ownership/ documents to approve this fund transaction in the name of yours as new beneficiary then the bank will approve the transfer legally in case of consequence along the transaction to be proved of the transfer in your destination country bank account. 11L, first, we require to change the name of the depositor late (MR. JOSEPH KARIM) to the new beneficiary person as the receiver of the whole said funds what Nine Million United State dollars only (USD$9.000,000,00). Secondly, we will send you a form to fill where your statement of your bank account will be filled for the moment of the transaction. Thank for the receipt of this mail, we shall procedure the transfer process in your feedback. You find the letter of acknowledgement bank document attach. Welcome to African development bank (AfDB) BEST REGARDS DR.RAYMOND RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL REMITTANCE DEPARTMENT TEL/ FAX +22893062803 (AFBD) From: "African Development Bank" Date: Sat, 12 Dec 2015 11:58:22 +0100 Subject: LETTER OF BANK APPLICATION TRANSFER FORM AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (ADB) Groupe de la Banque africaine de Developpement Immeuble de la BOAD - 6e etage 68, Avenue de la Liberation 01 B.P. 2722 Lome, TOGO ATTENTION MR. 12/12/2015 Dear Sir/ Here are the bank transfer form attached here in the file document, fill the form with your bank information and send it back to us to setup the transfer of the said fund you and your partner Miss. Sussan Karim has applying from this bank. We will commence the transfer as far as the transfer process is completed in the rules of bank transfer legal. Your bank account information are waiting for the transfer, fill out the form and send back to us to set up the transfer in the line transfer system. Welcome to African development bank (AfDB) BEST REGARDS DR. RAYMOND RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL REMITTANCE DEPARTMENT TEL/ FAX +22893062803 (AFBD) From: "African Development Bank" Date: Mon, 14 Dec 2015 10:11:25 +0100 Subject: AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (ADB) AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (ADB) Groupe de la Banque africaine de Developpement Immeuble de la BOAD - 6e etage 68, Avenue de la Liberation 01 B.P. 2722 Lome, TOGO 14/12/2015 ATTENTION MR. Dear Sir/ Note, your mail has received in our bank today, to understand of your mail to us, we are the banker and we know what the bank rules and regulation in such transaction. You have not to be worry to about anything in the line to the transaction fund, you have to follow the bank instruction as instructed you in this transaction so that the transfer papers will get done in the name of the new beneficiary to claim. Sending attachment to PDF is allowed to save the attachment from the virus. You are urging to fill the form as instructed you and send it to us for the immediate of the transfer, and also to provide us the /Change of Ownership/ in this transaction before the fund will commence into your bank account. We are here to protect you and also to give you the best of our banking transfer service. Fill the form and forward it back to us for us to process the remaining transfer requirement on your behalf in this transaction. Welcome to African development bank (AfDB) BEST REGARDS DR.RAYMOND RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL REMITTANCE DEPARTMENT TEL/ FAX +22893062803 (AFBD) From: "African Development Bank" Date: Tue, 15 Dec 2015 14:47:20 +0100 Subject: Re: AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (ADB) AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (ADB) Groupe de la Banque africaine de Developpement Immeuble de la BOAD - 6e etage 68, Avenue de la Liberation 01 B.P. 2722 Lome, TOGO 15/12/2015 ATTENTION MR. Dear Sir/ We have received the form you have filled your bank information. Below are the list documents of /Change of Ownership/ to obtain in this transaction in your name. to get the documents you will contact our bank lawyer to assist you. 1/ (Official Letter of Claims) Which will Officially Authorize us to Notarize the Bond and Effect the Change of Ownership on the Deposit File for Refund. Also to Certify that MR. as the Next of Kin Has Willingly and Officially Ordered African Development Bank. to Release Her inherited Fund to You as the Beneficiary. 2/ (Certificate of Fund Origin) From Ministry of Finance here in Lome-Togo for Easy and Normal Legitimate Transfer into your Account, we will personally forward it to your bank before the transfer of the fund will be made so that there will not be any query from any Security agents on the fund when it arrives into your Account. Contact our bank lawyer. AHMED CHAMBERS 20 JONES NELSON ROAD ADABRAKA BP 1907. LOME P.O. BOX 821, LOME-TOGO. TELE/ +22893549658 E-MAIL: ahmedsamba-law@outlook.com Welcome to African development bank (AfDB BEST REGARDS DR. RAYMOND RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL REMITTANCE DEPARTMENT TEL/ FAX +22893062803 (AFBD) From: OXFORD CHAMBERS Date: Tue, 15 Dec 2015 17:39:48 +0000 Subject: FROM DESK OF BARRISTER: AHMED SAMBA FROM DESK OF BARRISTER: AHMED SAMBA AHMED CHAMBERS 20 JONES NELSON ROAD ADABRAKA BP 1907. LOME P.O. BOX 821, LOME-TOGO. TELE/ +22893549658 E-MAIL: ahmedsamba-law@outlook.com ATTN: SIR Your mail is well received in our Law chambers. I understood of your request to assistance you obtain the documents required from African development bank on behalf of yours transfer fund. These transfer documentations will cost you money to get them from ministries of finance and justice. As a practices lawyer I will assure you that the documents will be ready within 3 hours working day the cost of those Two (2) vital transfer documents is 3,000,00 Euro each of one is 1,500,00 Euros then the Two is 3,00,00 Euro. 1/ (Official Letter of Claims) The cost is 1,500,00 2/ (Certificate of Fund Origin) The cost is 1,500,00 If you are in need of those transfer documents urgent, I will urging you to send the fee through western union or even money gram through the name of my assistance. Here are the Western Union (OR) Money Gram information to send the documents fee. COUNTRY NAME: TOGO CITY NAME: LOME RECEIVER NAME: DURU BEDE JOHN THANK YOU. REGARDS BARRISTER AHMED SAMBA.(ESQ) From: OXFORD CHAMBERS Date: Wed, 16 Dec 2015 20:18:01 +0000 Subject: HERE IS THE DETAIL'S OF THE ACCOUNT FROM DESK OF BARRISTER: AHMED SAMBA AHMED CHAMBERS 20 JONES NELSON ROAD ADABRAKA BP 1907. LOME P.O. BOX 821, LOME-TOGO. TELE/ + 22893549658 E-MAIL: ahmedsamba-law@outlook.com ATTN: MR. , This are the account you requested for the payment. Attach the transfer payment Slip as soon as you made the payment. BANK NAME: ECOBANK Account Holder Name: Luke Michael Account Number: 7020111409280601 Bank Code: TG055 Agency Code: 01702 Swift Code: ECOCTGTG Cle Rib: 22 THANK YOU. REGARDS BARRISTER AHMED SAMBA.(ESQ) If you received a similar letter, please ignore it. Do not answer it. If you do, you will end up on more of the mailing lists used by the criminals behind this fraud. Read more.... She revealed her baby's name weeks before giving birth, and it seems Bristol Palin remains just as keen on her baby Sailor Grace's moniker - so much so that she's plastered it all over her daughter's baby blanket. The 25-year-old mother-of-two, who announced the arrival of her baby daughter on Christmas Eve, shared a precious new picture of the one-month-old on Saturday, which sees her lying on a purple fleecy blanket which has been printed with her name in all different fonts and colors. Grinning away while staring at something off camera, the tiny tot is pictured wearing a white babygro and a pair of brown moccasin-style booties, and was happily waving her arms around in the air while her mom snapped the pic. Scroll down for video What's in a name? Bristol Palin shared this image of her baby daughter Sailor Grace lying on a personalized blanket on Saturday afternoon Mom's love: On Thursday, the 25-year-old mother-of-two also shared this sweet image of Sailor Grace 'Two of our favorites right now,' Bristol captioned the sweet snap, referring to the purple-colored blanket - which she tagged as being from a brand called Cuddle Muffins Blankets - and Sailor Grace's booties - which she revealed are from babywear company Grace and Belle. The brightly-colored blanket is not the only personalized item in Sailor Grace's closet, however; weeks before the little girl was born, Bristol shared an image of a fluffy Christmas stocking with her daughter's name printed on it, and what looks like another blanket - although this one looked to have some kind of furry lining. And since her daughter's birth just over one month ago, Bristol has been sharing plenty of images of the baby girl, regularly updating her social media followers with new pictures. On Thursday night, Bristol shared an up-close picture of her baby girl Sailor Grace, who looked to be swaddled in a floral blanket in her arms. 'Lookin' like she's trying not to smile!' Bristol wrote on Instagram about her little bundle of joy, whose birth she announced just five weeks ago. Family photo: Bristol, who is pictured with her son Tripp, seven, and Sailor Grace on Monday, revealed earlier this week that she has returned to work as a dermatologist, just one month after giving birth Personalized property: Weeks before Sailor Grace was born, Bristol revealed her name, while also sharing this image of some named items she had already got for her Pretty in pink: Since Sailor Grace's birth, Bristol has been happily sharing regular updates of her day-to-day life with her social media followers Meanwhile, her ex Dakota Meyer - whom she is currently embroiled in a custody battle with - has been sharing mostly cryptic messages on Instagram, including a new one just hours after Bristol's photo of Sailor went up. 'Kindness is a language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see,' read his post, a quote attributed to Mark Twain. Bristol has not acknowledged Dakota's messages, uploading the sweet snapshot of her daughter just hours after posting another one of her seven-year-old brother Trig and her 14-year-old sister Piper at their great-grandmother's memorial service. Their father Todd's grandmother, Helena 'Lena' Andree, passed away last Wednesday at the age of 95, and the family spent time this week 'celebrating' her life with a joyous gathering. On Wednesday, Bristol's sister Willow, 21, shared her own picture of herself, Bristol, and Piper smiling brightly at the camera as they wore Alaskan kuspuks, colorful tunic-length hooded overshirts that are commonly worn among Alaska Natives. 'Celebrating our Great Grandma's 95 years of life,' Willow captioned the picture, which also sees people milling about and smiling in the background. 'We loved and cherished every moment spent with you Gg, and know you were smiling ear to ear looking down at everyone being together today. See you soon Gg. [sic]' It has been a busy week for Bristol, who returned to work on Monday only a month after announcing that she had birth to her daughter Sailor Grace. Unbreakable bond: On Wednesday, Bristol attended a memorial service for her late great grandmother, along with her sisters Willow (center), 21, and Piper, 14 Family time: Bristol shared this photo of her Piper and her seven-year-old brother Trig, who has Down syndrome, pursing his lips at the memorial service The mother-of-two revealed earlier this week that she was leaving her daughter for the entire day for the first time since her birth in order to head back to work. To commemorate the end of her short maternity leave, Bristol shared a photo of herself holding her newborn in a car seat as she posed with Tripp, her seven-year-old son with her ex-boyfriend Levi Johnston. 'Back to real life today! I was fortunate enough to take the last month off to stay home with my babies, today marks the first time I've left SailorG, but I could not be more thankful she's in the best of hands!! [sic],' she captioned the family photo. In the image, Bristol is wearing a black long sleeve shirt, black pants, taupe ballet flats, and a chunky gold necklace. Her hair is pulled half-way up while her Louis Vuitton bag sits open in front of her with her water bottle peeking out. Tripp is pictured in a neon green Nike sweatshirt, camouflage cargo pants, and red Nike sneakers, presumably heading off to school, while Sailor is bundled up in her pink carrier with only a bit of her head peaking out. And while some people may think a one-month long maternity leave is too short, Brisol's mother Sarah Palin only took three days off after her youngest son Trig was born with Down syndrome in 2008. Despite her reality show and appearances on Dancing with the Stars, the daughter of the former Republican vice presidential candidate has apparently been working at Dr. Michael L. Cusack's office at Alaska Dermatology Laser and Skin Cancer Center in Anchorage for years. Bristol is currently in the midst of a custody battle with her ex-fiance and Medal of Honor recipient Dakota, 27, who is making a bid to get joint custody of her one-month old daughter Sailor. Overjoyed: Bristol announced the birth of her daughter in December by sharing this photo on social media Broken romance: Bristol got engaged to marine Dakota Meyer (pictured), 27, in March, but eventually called off their wedding. They are now in a custody battle over Sailor Grace The former reality star, who often shares photos of her children and family adventures on Instagram,announced her daughter's birth on social media on December 24 with a photo of her cuddling her newborn in bed. Meanwhile, her ex-fiance shared his own precious snap of the mother with her newborn on his Twitter account on Christmas Eve, after months of speculation over whether he is in fact Sailor's father. Dakota is now being forced to take a paternity test as part of the former couple's increasingly bitter custody battle over her new baby. Court documents seen by Daily Mail Online reveal that Meyer's bid for joint custody in a suit filed in Kentucky and Alaska has stalled pending the results of the paternity test. A question has also been raised over the actual birth date of Bristol's baby. The Instagram photo posted by Bristol announcing the birth of Sailor on December 24, places the birth date one day earlier. The date of birth on court papers filed in the custody case is also given as December 23. But the same Instagram picture posted by Dakota with the caption 'Best Christmas present ever!!' reveals a detail whited out in Palin's account the date scribbled on her IV line. Theres only one author ruder than Booker Prize-winner John Banville the man who once called Ian McEwan dismayingly bad and thats his crime-writing alter ego Benjamin Black. So how does Banville rate Blacks thrillers? Theyre childish, he tells Event, and badly researched! 'You cant say anything any more without horrible little people in anoraks twiddling with their thumbs and putting it on Twitter. Thats a real containment of freedom of speech,' said John Banville 'Its terribly easy to annoy people, says John Banville. Have you noticed that? The Booker-winning Irish author of The Sea and The Book Of Evidence should know he has impressive form when it comes to rubbing people up the wrong way. I talk too much, he admits. I should shut up. During an appearance at a literary festival in Cork in 2012, Banville was asked if he had been influenced by Salman Rushdie. Salman Rushdie is not of any consequence to me, he responded. Hes not a serious writer. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Rushdie hasnt spoken to him since. I can hardly blame him, says 70-year-old Banville. But you cant say anything any more without horrible little people in anoraks twiddling with their thumbs and putting it on Twitter. 'Thats a real containment of freedom of speech. One should be allowed to abuse people behind their backs! Then there was the time he trashed Ian McEwans novel Saturday a dismayingly bad book in The New York Times. McEwan hasnt spoken to him since, either. And its not just celebrated British authors who get it in the neck. I regard Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen as arch-charlatans, he says when the conversation turns to music. Its just warmed-up surrealism smeared over the worst of American popular music. Its enough to make you wonder whether he started writing noir fiction simply because it offered a new demographic to provoke. Born in Wexford in 1945, Banville is an amusing contrarian. He dislikes Christmas its not my time of year and writes his crime novels in summer because I hate the summer, its the most boring season of all. So I kill the summer by writing Benjamin Black books. Benjamin Black is Banvilles crime-writing alter ego. He created the Quirke series in 2006, later adapted for television a brave effort with Gabriel Byrne playing the inscrutable pathologist in murky Fifties Dublin. Hes just published the seventh novel in the series, Even The Dead. He created the Quirke series in 2006, later adapted for television a brave effort with Gabriel Byrne playing the inscrutable pathologist in murky Fifties Dublin Banville won the Booker Prize in 2005 for The Sea and is regarded as one of literatures great prose stylists. He has won the Franz Kafka Prize and the Irish PEN Award, and is considered a decent bet for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Why did he start writing pseudonymous crime fiction? I like having characters to go back to, he says. As Banville Im not interested in dialogue, plot, characters, but Black uses up that side of me. 'Its essentially childish, making up stories and imaginary friends, but theres great pleasure in it. He admits to doing absolutely no research. The procedural bores me. With one Quirke book I was ten pages from the end and I still didnt know who the murderer was. 'I really dont care who killed Professor Plum in the library with a pipe. 'I deplore the thing in Agatha Christie books where theres just a body in the library and it doesnt really matter who it is. 'What fascinates me is, why is there a body in the library, and who is this person? The best crime fiction does that. 'With those Scandinavian shows like The Bridge, a lot of the time I dont have a clue whats going on, and I dont seem to care. 'Its all atmosphere and anticipation, and every ten minutes there will be some extreme violence. I dont go in for that, which is probably why I dont have bestsellers. Even as Black, Banville is not immune to controversy. Appearing at the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival in 2009, he antagonised the audience and other crime-writers by revealing that he wrote his crime books much more quickly than his other novels. The implication was that, as Black, Banville was slumming it. Cue uproar. I got into terrible trouble, he admits. I think they just didnt like the cut of my jib. Far too hoity-toity. 'Obviously I wouldnt keep doing Quirke if I felt I were dumbing down. 'What you get with a Banville book is a result of concentration, and what you get with a Black book is a result of spontaneity. 'As Banville, I write with a fountain pen and put it onto a word processor. With Black I write straight on to the computer. It needs speed. 'Crime books are driven by plot, character and dialogue its a completely different way of writing and I dont know why it annoys people to say that. Through Quirke he is able to explore the Ireland of his childhood. All that repression, all those hidden sins, all that drink and cigarette smoke its perfect for noir fiction. Quirkes arch enemy, the powerful and corrupt Costigan, symbolises a nation betrayed by its institutions. A writer cant afford to be angry, they just have to get the job done, but I do feel anger, mainly about what we allowed ourselves to put up with, he says. Banville was taught by priests and Christian Brothers. The priests were worse than the Christian Brothers. I was top of the class so didnt get picked on, it was the weak ones in the back row who got abused. 'Kids in our class would disappear. There would be no explanation, they would just be gone to a reformatory, these awful industrial schools, and we put them out of our minds. 'I still feel both angry and guilty about that. After leaving school Banville worked as a clerk for Aer Lingus rather than attend university, before going into journalism. In 1971 he published his first novel, Nightspawn which he later dismissed as absurdly pretentious before undertaking a series of ambitious works, including The Revolutions Trilogy, which made finely wrought fiction from the lives of Copernicus, Johannes Kepler and Isaac Newton. Even The Dead is his 26th novel. Recently, he said he should have lived more and written less. Does he stand by that? Oh, I think so. The cost is very high to the people around one. You have to be dedicated, you have to be ruthless, and you have to be a cannibal. I feel guilt about that. He sighs. Bit late now. He has two grown-up sons from his first marriage and two daughters the youngest is 19 with his second wife. I wasnt a good father to my sons, or to my daughters. I tolerated them. I loved them, but love without action isnt love at all. I didnt do enough for them but they forgave me. Despite all the accolades and prizes everyone who publishes a book should get a prize, he laughs Banville says he is still waiting to hit my stride. 'Any decade now! I havent done all I hoped to do. All works of art fail because they aim for perfection and we cant have that. 'Its the Samuel Beckett thing: fail again, fail better. Thats all we can do. He wishes he hadnt said no to 007 or posed naked in Cosmo. But mostly, he wishes he hadnt blown it with the love of his life... are you listening, Sally Field? What has been your greatest achievement? 'My dad never told me he loved me but, towards the end of his life, he told me he was proud of me. That meant the same to me as being told I was loved,' said Burt Reynolds What is your earliest memory? Its 1941. Im five, living in Michigan. My father has been drafted and is about to go off to war. I remember turning to my mother and asking when he was coming home. She said, Hell be back as soon as hes done with whipping the Germans. What sort of child were you? So much of my childhood was about pleasing my father, proving myself worthy of him. I idolised him. He was always tough on me and maybe I needed that. If it hadnt been for the discipline he instilled in me, Id have probably gone off the rails. Whats your guilty pleasure? Painkillers. In 1984 I was shooting City Heat with Clint Eastwood and, during a fight scene, someone accidentally smashed me in the jaw with a metal chair. It shattered my temporomandibular joint. The pain was constant, worse than a migraine. I didnt work for two years and got myself addicted to painkillers. I was taking 50 Halcion pills a day. Those pills did the job. They took my pain away. Whats your biggest regret? Ive turned down a lot of great roles, including the lead in Die Hard and the part of Han Solo in Star Wars. I dont regret those. I do regret turning down the chance to play James Bond. The Bond people approached me in 1970 after George Lazenby had quit the role. In my infinite wisdom I told them that an American couldnt play Bond and that they needed a British actor. They turned back to Sean Connery and I spent the rest of my life kicking myself. 'Ive turned down a lot of great roles, including the lead in Die Hard and the part of Han Solo... I dont regret those. I do regret turning down the chance to play James Bond,' said Burt (pictured at home in Florida, 1967) If you could edit your past, what would you change? Id like to pretend its something other than posing naked for a Cosmopolitan centrefold in 1972, but thats the thing I would change. The magazine came out before the release of Deliverance and Im certain that it was a distraction from the movie. Apart from that, Id like to have been a racing-car driver. I used to race Steve McQueen. We were equally fearless. McQueen told me I should quit acting for racing cars. He said, Youll either become world champion or youll kill yourself. They sounded like good odds to me. But I stuck to acting and never had the chance to find out. What is your biggest disappointment? Sally Field. I did four movies with Sally and spent five years with her. She was the love of my life and I screwed the relationship up. That sense of loss never goes away. I have no idea what Sally thinks about it. She could pick up the phone and speak to me but she never does. I spoke to her son recently. He said that his mum talks about me all the time. Maybe shell phone me one day. Id love to have that conversation. What law would you change? I think were too soft on child molesters. Those guys should never be allowed out. Let them stay in prison forever, in a section of the jail where other guys can beat the living c*** out of them. When did you last feel really happy? I was never happier than on the set of Deliverance in 1972. I beat Jack Nicholson, Lee Marvin and Gene Hackman to the role of Lewis Medlock. Everything felt right during the filming of that movie. What do you most dislike about your appearance? My legs. Theyre so beat-up. Ive had so many operations. Apart from my legs Im OK with how I look. Even at the peak of my success I never bought into the idea that I was this Hollywood god. 'I did four movies with Sally (Field) and spent five years with her. She was the love of my life and I screwed the relationship up. That sense of loss never goes away. I have no idea what Sally thinks about it,' said Burt What was the best night of your life? My dad was a huge John Wayne fan and couldnt believe it when he heard we had become friends. One night in the Seventies my dad came to visit me in LA and I fixed it so that we hooked up with John in an Italian restaurant. My father was in awe. John Wayne was a man of enormous charisma. When he walked into a room, it all went quiet. But he didnt play up to being a big movie star. He was a kind man with a great sense of humour. Whats your most treasured possession? During the shooting of Deliverance we smashed up most of the boats we used for filming. But one of the canoes survived and I kept it. It now sits in the living room of my home in Florida. Who would be your dream dinner date? I got to know Mae West in the late Seventies. Id go to her art deco house in Los Angeles, sit on her bed and listen to her talk all day. She died in 1980 at the grand old age of 87. Id love to have one more night with her, listening to her tales about Hollywoods golden age. If you could go back in time, where would you go? Id like to go back to the 1870s and live in one of the wild frontier towns that were springing up in the States. My ego tells me I could have handled it. Id have been like the Al Swearengen character in Deadwood, shooting anyone who got in my way. What has been your greatest achievement? My dad never told me he loved me but, towards the end of his life, he told me he was proud of me. That meant the same to me as being told I was loved and it felt like a huge achievement. After he told me that I ran to my room and cried. It touched me so much. War And Peace Sunday, BBC1 Rating: Sugar Free Farm Tuesday, ITV Rating: The Real Marigold Hotel Tuesday, BBC2 Rating: Many of those complaining about War And Peace are saying it just isnt as good as the book almost no-one has read, aside from historian Simon Schama, who has shyly admitted to reading it eight times. (What? He didnt understand it the first time? Has he tried Coles Notes?) Its as if some are doing everything in their power not to enjoy this Andrew Davies adaptation, when its so beautifully done, and theres so much thats blissful to watch. War And Peace has Jim Broadbent performing Jim Broadbent at full pelt. This whole book comparison business is a bore. This War And Peace is not the book. This is television and should be judged as that (pictured: Tuppence Middleton as Helene in War And Peace) War And Peace marks the primetime return of the wonderful Greta Scacchi. War And Peace happens at such a rollicking pace that Natasha is seduced and betrayed, and you dont have to wait forever for Anatole to receive his comeuppance. (I wonder: will Tuppence ever receive her comeuppance?) And this isnt worth an hour of your time? There are 168 hours in a week, so this isnt worth a 168th of your week? If so, what are you doing that is so endlessly fascinating? I would seriously wish to know. This whole book comparison business is a bore. This War And Peace is not the book. This is television and should be judged as that, in the same way you would judge cheese as cheese, without referring back to the fact it was once milk. It wouldnt exist if it werent for the milk, but its a different product now. So what you have to ask is: does War And Peace work as TV? Does it keep making you go back for more? In all seriousness, how can it not? It is visually stunning: the gowns, the furs, the shimmering ballrooms, the palaces, that sled ride though the snow to visit Uncle Mikhail in his little house in the woods, where there was dancing of the kind that involved much heavy stomping of the feet, and which is the dancing I seem to do anyway. (Id be a natural, is what Im saying, and I long to wear a big fur hat; I should have been a rich Russian, circa 1805.) It is not, as has been suggested, simply a posh soap. It is not Downton Abbeski. In Downton, every character remained the same. Edith was always Edith and Mary was always Mary and Carson was always Carson but, here, characters are complex and change. Natasha is being forced to grow up, while Pierre, once such a wet ditherer, has finally found his backbone. When he pinned Anatole to the wall, didnt you want him to bash his brains out? Didnt you want to stand on a chair and shout a hooray! for Pierre? Were four episodes into six, and its become gorgeously gripping. Will Andrei and Natasha get back on track? Will we see Helenes bum cheeks again? And aside from Aneurin Barnard is his Boris meant to be this wooden? the performances are smoking. Ive even warmed to Lily Jamess Natasha, now shes stopped skipping about like Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, and as for Jim Broadbent performing Jim Broadbent at full pelt I NOW HAVE TO GO AND DO THE KIND OF WORK YOU WOMEN AND CHILDREN WILL NEVER BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND how could anyone not wish to see that? Six celebrities are staying on a farm that is a luxury farm and a prize-winning farm with every mod con, and which has to be a nightmare, as you can imagine in Sugar Free Farm (pictured: Jane McDonald) Alternatively, you could have given 168th of your week to Sugar Free Farm, which charged six celebrities a former soap star, someone from Towie, Jane McDonaldthe usual suspects with giving up sugar for a fortnight. To this end, they are staying on a farm that is a luxury farm and a prize-winning farm with every mod con, and which has to be a nightmare, as you can imagine. Certainly, the voiceover talks it up such that youd think they were about to go over Niagara Falls in an egg box. Can they do it? Can they? Oh no. Day Two and Jens crashed! With a headache! Bring in the medics! I dont know what the follow-up to this series might be, but perhaps well be asking: can Spencer from Made In Chelsea post his own letter? Can he? Can he? OMG, he had to lick the stamp and has passed out. Call an ambulance! The Real Marigold Hotel took six celebrities (cant even be bothered to list them) to India to, ostensibly, see if they might wish to retire in Jaipur, but it was obvious, from the outset, that this was never a serious proposition The Real Marigold Hotel is a disingenuous exercise. The Real Marigold Hotel is based on The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, the film in which a group of older Brits retire to India, and which proved enormously popular at the box-office, not because its an especially fine film it isnt: it is sentimental, predictable, cliched but because there is so little interest in older people otherwise. This took six celebrities (cant even be bothered to list them) to India to, ostensibly, see if they might also wish to retire in Jaipur, but it was obvious, from the outset, that this was never a serious proposition. Instead, this is yet another celebrity travelogue, as further hampered by the fact that you wanted it to be The Miriam Margolyes Show, as she is by far the most entertaining, with her sudden and urgent toilet demands. That said, I was momentarily intrigued by Bobby George, but only because I heard him introduced as dance champion, and I thought he looked interestingly unlikely, even if he only did my kind of stomp dancing, but then I realised Id misheard darts champion and lost interest entirely. Elton John Wonderful Crazy Night Virgin EMI, out Friday Rating: This is Elton Johns 32nd studio album. The question is, can anybody name the 31st? I reviewed it here, but still had to look it up. Ah yes, The Diving Board. It appealed to the critics, and to the fans (straight in at No 3 in Britain), but not to a wider public (sales stuck in five figures). Good enough to keep the ball rolling, not good enough to add to the classics: every old rocker knows the feeling. At 68, Sir Elton still has a powerful engine. This is Elton Johns 32nd studio album. The question is, can anybody name the 31st? I reviewed it here, but still had to look it up. Ah yes, The Diving Board Tonight, he is playing Las Vegas, for about the 400th time; by Friday, he will be on stage in Paris. Although he talks about spending more time with his family, another 50 gigs are planned this year, including a midsummer run of the medium-sized outdoor shows that he has made his own (Good evening, Longleat!). No pop veteran keeps busier. Lately Elton has been acting as a DJ on Apples radio station, Beats 1, and writing songs with Lady Gaga. He has been raising money, as ever, for HIV sufferers. He has been falling out with people, also as ever most recently his long-serving publicist, who apparently clashed with David Furnish. And he has been taking calls from Vladimir Putin, prank or otherwise, to discuss gay marriage. His appetite for novelty is formidable until he goes into the studio. Wonderful Crazy Night is yet another album co-written with Bernie Taupin, his partner in rhyme since 1967. Its produced by the rock-solid T-Bone Burnett, a fixture since 2010. The big news last time was that Elton had left his touring band out of the process; the smaller news this time is that theyre back. The youngest is Davey Johnstone, who is 64. Its not a crime to be getting on a bit, or to work with your contemporaries. But if you surround yourself with old dogs, youre not going to learn many new tricks. On Radio 4 the other day, Elton summed up the new album as like Southern rock n roll Little Feat and Canned Heat. Two bands whose heyday was in the Seventies. Wonderful Crazy Night could have been made in the Seventies too. Of the musical omnivore who plays Grimes and Hudson Mohawke on Beats 1, there is no trace. But if you dont mind that, this album has a lot going for it. After an introspective decade, Elton is stepping up the tempo. Wonderful Crazy Night begins as it means to go on, with a riff; pulsating, insistent, repetitive but not dull. Wedding guests beware: Elton has found his inner dad-dancer. Wonderful Crazy Night begins as it means to go on, with a riff; pulsating, insistent, repetitive but not dull. Wedding guests beware: Elton has found his inner dad-dancer The first single, Looking Up, is almost rockabilly, with a bar-band guitar lighting the touchpaper and Elton piling in on pub piano. He has finally got back to Honky Cat. If you love him for his mid-tempo chuggers, youll revel in the warm soft rock of Blue Wonderful, Tambourine and In The Name Of You. If you prefer a big ballad, you may be disappointed: theres only one, Good Heart, which redeems its dreary title with a delicious tune. The weak link is the words. Its not that theyre bad; its that they seldom feel real. As a man with a husband, never mind the boys, Elton is living a life that hardly anyone has ever lived before, yet Taupin would rather dwell on the mythical America they both fell for 40 years ago. I am the Elder Utah Smith, one song begins, and you expect another fable like The Ballad Of Blind Tom. In fact its a true story, about a man Elton describes as a wonderful chubby black pastor. But the lyric is a page from Wikipedia when we could do with an episode of Modern Family. The only number that touches on kids, Childrens Song, is relegated to the bonus tracks because Elton was afraid it was schmaltzy. The worry proves to be unfounded. This is a very decent album, glowing with energy: it would just be more powerful if it came with a dose of real life. Elton remains a giant of his craft, but one best appreciated in concert. Pradnya Patil broke many rules when she moved into her new home in Pune. The apartment she had bought was luxurious and beautiful - it was a dream come true, in many ways. But more remarkable - as anyone who witnessed her housewarming ceremony would have seen - was 41-year-old Chitra Lele sitting on the floor before aesthetically-placed statues of Hindu deities, sunlight filtering through the windows, and the warm benign presence of the almighty filling every corner. Women have now started performing rituals that were earlier considered to be a man's job Priest Chitra Lele, dressed in a bright, colourful sari spun out of silk, explained rituals in local Marathi to an intently listening family. Pradnya was very clear that she wanted a female priest to conduct all the pujas in her home, not just for the housewarming, but all the ceremonies they would ever hold. Her reasons were more practical than consciously feminist. She explained that male priests take forever to finish a puja, which a priest like Chitra can perform in a shorter period and far more pleasant manner. She finds women priests far more sincere and committed, and Pradnya is happy that a lot of her family members and friends have shifted to using their services. Chitra is married with a daughter and she is happy that her child is also interested in Vedic literature, Sanskrit and Hinduism. Ritu, a widow with two daughters and a son, proudly performed the wedding rituals for her elder child, sitting in the mandap with pride and a heart filled with blessings. She had borne the beautiful bride and it was unfortunate that her husband had passed. She had brought up the bride and her siblings in the best way possible and believed that she had every right to perform these sacrosanct ceremonies alone. She had no intention of looking for a married couple in the family who would agree to do the kanyadan. Ritu was still alive. Nobody complained. And the couple are exceedingly happy. In another instance in the Lodi Crematorium I was witness to three sisters perform the last rites of their father unhesitatingly and sure-footedly. It was a sight to both break and warm hearts when the eldest sister gathered her younger siblings and all three girls put their arms around each others waist before sending their beloved father on his last journey. There was no need to look for a male cousin or relative to perform the act, and why would they when they had served their father better than an army of sons could? No one protested. If you see a woman purohit performing all the rituals at a wedding ceremony, dont be surprised. People find them softer, kinder and easier to communicate with. A welcome change from male Brahmins who lay out too many uncomfortable rules to follow and dont know how to accommodate or innovate. Women priests understand the limitations a Hindu home may have and find happy workarounds to the rituals. When the University Grants Commission introduced a course in Functional Sanskrit, the erstwhile tradition of women conducting traditional pujas seems to have experienced a second coming. Girls pursuing this course find it a wonderful experience and are happy to explore a career in priesthood. But are parents comfortable with their daughters performing religious rituals at ceremonies? I remember reading an article where Nivedita Jha, a graduate in Sanskrit and a Masters in Astrology from the Lucknow University, says that there is no problem. She finds great peace when she chants mantras for herself and others. So, it comes as no surprise that women are fighting for the right to worship in any temple of the land and on all days of the month. These bastions, set up by a patriarchal society for reasons which have been often discussed, are meant to be stormed and broken. And now it is time for women to break such barriers by protesting at the Shani Shingnapur temple and breaking into its sanctum. In olden times, the men who made these rules could not have women enter temples freely as priests or as worshippers for a simple basic and ugly reason. Women were devdasies. The word essentially means someone who is the servant of God. Nothing wrong with term, save that here, they serviced the Lord indirectly. They were told that their salvation lies through the lurid path of servicing the men who served god, the priests. To give the women an equal place would have caused too much inconvenience to the men who enjoyed this service. My best wishes to all those ladies who have decided enough is enough. They will make India a fairer place for the generations of girls to follow. After a delay of five years and nine extensions, decks have been cleared for the auction of the iconic Taj Mansingh Hotel. Proprietor of the 5-star luxury property, New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), took the call in a high-level meeting on Friday. NDMCs transaction advisor, SBI Capital Markets, made a detailed presentation to the council recommending the auction. Proprietor of the 5-star luxury property, New Delhi Municipal Council, took the call to auction Taj Mansingh Hotel Chairperson Naresh Kumar, who helmed the panel, is said to have agreed. As the HC has already refused to legally stay the auction, as sought by the Ratan Tata-owned Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), the panel is said to have understood that it is now free to sell its property. When contacted by Mail Today, the Taj spokesperson said: Since the issue is sub-judice, we would not like to make any comment in the matter. We will examine the notice and take necessary action. We stand committed to our guests, employees and partners and remain invested in the hotel. The meeting took place on Friday morning at NDMCs headquarters, the Palika Kendra. ] The two-hour long discussion was attended by only the chairperson, secretary Chanchal Yadav, SBI Cap representatives and NDMCs finance and legal teams. NDMC Council member Anita Arya told Mail Today, At least, a months notice will be provided to IHCL. Auction model The hotel, one of the flagship properties of the Taj Group, pays a revenue of Rs 190 crore annually to NDMC. SBI Cap has already laid out the roadmap, including the financial model, but the NDMC may tweak them slightly to make the process easy. However, as the HC has already granted us the goahead to sell our property, we will do it, Arya added. She did not specify the reserve price fixed on for the 3.78-acre property or dates for the bidding process to begin. Kumar had hinted on the auction during councils annual budget conference on January 12 as well. We are assessing all the assets of Taj Mansingh and completing the documentation for the auction purpose. The property was with the existing company (IHCL) for the last 33 years. As per the decision of the council, further action will be taken, the chairman had said. Nine extensions have already been granted to IHCL by NDMC. Earlier, the Delhi HC had refused to stay the auction of the hotel. However, the court, in its final interim order, allowed the Taj group of hotels to take legal action if the NDMC tried to threaten or coerce it into dispossession of the building. The IHCL had approached the court to secure a stay on the auction of the property. Though the land belongs to the NDMC, IHCL has invested in the construction of the hotels building and hence, it claimed equity in the property. History The 11-storey hotel had come up in 1978 and was a joint venture between the NDMC and IHCL, wherein land and construction cost of the property was borne by NDMC and operation and maintenance was with IHCL. The lease expired on October 10, 2011. The 1984 anti-Sikh riots following the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi were carried out by miscreants, President Pranab Mukherjee has noted in his autobiography The Turbulent Years 1980-1996. The president also observed in his memoirs that though Congress leader Sanjay Gandhi has been characterised as a villain in most post-1975 writings, he was a doer and his ideas were good and targeted at bringing about positive change. The 1984 riots have been used by the Congress rivals since then to target the Grand Old Party, which accuses the BJP of playing communal politics. President Pranab Mukherjee with Vice President Hamid Ansari and Senior Congress leader Karan Singh during the release of his memoir "The Turbulent Years: 1980-96" at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi In his autobiography, which was released on Thursday, Pranab, who was the senior most minister in the Indira Gandhi Cabinet in 1984, recalled the incident that shocked the country: The brutal assassination of Indira Gandhi had filled people with grief and miscreants took advantage of the situation, killing innocent Sikhs and looting their shops and houses. Two decades later, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, a Sikh, apologised for the 1984 riots in 2005 after the Congress-led UPA came to power in 2004. On Sanjay Gandhi, who is alleged to have played the role of an extraconstitutional authority during the Emergency period 1975-77, the President had words of praise. In much of the post-Emergency period, Sanjay Gandhi has been characterised as a villain, devoid of any good qualities. This animosity and venom against him was to a large extent the result of the euphoria surrounding the Janata Partys creation, a wave of anti-Mrs Gandhi and the divisions in the Congress, the President has said in his autobiography. He further noted: Every human being is a mixture of good and bad. However, no one can fault the intentions of guiding Sanjays decisions whether these pertained to population control, tackling illiteracy or afforestation. According to the President, Sanjay played a crucial role in the 1980 general elections. Indira Gandhi was voted back to power in 1980 after she faced the voters wrath in 1977 national polls and paid the price for imposing Emergency. Sanjay proved his political mettle in the 1980 general elections and the subsequent assembly elections. He was the principal architect of the Congress victory, along with Mrs Gandhi. Sanjay had charisma and an instant connect with the youth, said the President. Talking about the events in Punjab, which led to Operation Blue Star (when the Army entered the Golden Temple, the famous Sikh shrine in Amritsar) and the subsequent killing of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards, the President noted in his memoirs that the Akali Dal played a dubious role. Had the Punjab movement been limited to the original demands of the Akali Dal, it may have found an easier resolution. But as it progressed, the establishment of an independent Khalistan emerged as its principal goal. It thus became a movement challenging Indias unity, territorial integrity and security. There's something about soldiers in uniform. 'Arms swinging, heels digging, heads held high; proudly marching on,' rang the commentary at the 67th Republic Day parade at Rajpath, as contingents of Army, Navy and Air Force walked in perfect blocks of synchronised order. The parade was a delightful spectacle in itself, almost artistic if one may say, as marching groups of colour-coordinated men and women proudly kept pace. A marching contingent of Assam Regiment during the 67th Republic Day parade at Rajpath on Tuesday Their white-gloved hands peeped out from behind them with every swing of the arm, and impeccably cocked hats created a grander presentation than any runway could possibly attempt. The livery or No.1 uniforms of each regiment is a testimony to the ceremony itself which represents Indias strength and unity in diversity as details of the ensembles reflect the local essence of a given area. Every contingent speaks of the cultural flavour of its region, its customs, traditions and way of life as seen in the style of the hat, the emblem worn on the beret or other finery. The Assam Regiment, which won the best marching contingent in the services category, has a uniform that is distinct in its styling, and true to the heritage of the Northeast. Perhaps the most identifiable feature is the signature headgear called the Gurkha terai hat a headgear that gets its name from the Terai region of Nepal. A print of 'The 3rd Goorkhas' during the march to Kabul, sketched by Lieutenant C. Pulley (dated November 30, 1878). The soldiers wear white-coloured gaiters over pants and boots Worn only for guard duty and parades, it is made of khaki-coloured felt (the word khaki derives from the Persian word khak that literally means dust). A chinstrap holds the hat together, that is tilted low on the right side so that the brim touches the ear. The emblem of a rhino is on the left side of the hat, which was selected a few years ago as the official insignia. A scarlet red, green and thin black striped cravat and cummerbund belt complete the distinctive aspects of the look. Meanwhile, the 11 Gurkha Rifles contingent can be seen in a similar ensemble, with differences like the cap badge of two upward intersecting kukris (knives) and the number 11 in Roman numerals in between them. An oxblood-coloured cravat scarf and a shining badge on it are other identifying features. Notably, every army officer wears similar ceremonial uniform at the parade, but how did the style of uniform enter the Indian Army? A painting of the 33rd Punjabi Army wearing khaki uniforms, done by Major A.C Lovett (dated before 1923) The advent took place way back in December 1846, when the Corps of Guides was raised of Indian recruits for frontier service in Peshawar Valley (NWFP). The border troops wore their native attire back then comprising a smock, white pyjamas and a cotton turban. To bring uniformity to the troops, Commandant Sir Larry Lumsden and his Second-in- Command William Stephen Raikes Hodson decided on the drab (as it was called back then) or khaki uniform. By the end of the 19th century, all British-Indian regiments officially wore them. It was only when Independence took place in 1947 that the uniform colour was changed to olive green or the OG colour. Another interesting reason for adopting khaki uniforms was the need for military prudence and reform in dress. The British Army, until the 19th century, wore woollen redcoats during active service a time when the battlefield would lose visibility under the smoke of muskets and black powder. The Indian Army livery has inherited many features from earlier uniforms A bright coloured uniform was an advantage in identifying British troops from the enemy. However, with the advent of rifles and smokeless powder in the mid 19th century, drab clothing became far more prudent than bright attire, especially on Indias dusty terrain. As a result, the redcoat was reserved for regimental bands and even today, the Indian Army Band presents an impressive show, armed with trumpets and drums, in their red, gold and black ensemble. Currently, the soldiers uniform for Republic Day comprises a shirt with epaulets that states the name of the regiment, trousers, beret and belt that carry the regiments crest, scarf with the regiments colours and stripes, ribbons and gallantry awards on the chest, and protective white-coloured gaiters strapped over the boots and up till the knees. A similar style can be seen in sketch of soldiers during the Afghan War, dated November 20, 1878. For the patriotic Indian, there is great pride in witnessing our armed forces striding down in full regalia, bringing to the ceremony their own customs, traditions and war cries while owing allegiance to a common cause. The colours, pomp and pageantry bear witness to the countrys diverse and rich heritage, and we salute our soldiers for being the pride of our nation. An exclusive line for men Why should girls have all the sartorial fun? Designer Amit GT has crafted an exclusive collection for men for the online fashion portal, Exclusively.com, that includes sherwanis inspired by the grandeur of Indian royalty. Even before dengue season starts, the government already has another mosquito-related anxiety to worry about. The concern this time is the Zika virus which is spreading explosively across north and south America. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the virus can also affect countries like India. According to health experts, mosquitoes and their breeding sites pose a significant risk factor for the spread of Zika virus infection. Pictured, a worker sprays insecticide for mosquitos in a Thai village Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, JP Nadda, on Friday held a meeting with senior officials from the Health Ministry and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to firm up Indias response to deal with the situation. Health Ministry has asked the states to control Aedes mosquito responsible for spreading deadly dengue. The same mosquito is also the source of the Zika virus. There should be an increased focus on prevention to control the spread of the Aedes mosquito that breeds in clean water. Community awareness plays an instrumental role in this regard. There is a need for greater awareness amongst community, Nadda said. Zika virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in rhesus monkeys through a monitoring network of sylvatic yellow fever According to health experts, mosquitoes and their breeding sites pose a significant risk factor for the spread of Zika virus infection. Prevention and control relies on reducing mosquitoes through source reduction (removal and modification of breeding sites) and reducing contact between mosquitoes and people. It is also important to empty, clean or cover containers that can hold water such as buckets, flower pots or tyres, so that places where mosquitoes can breed are removed. Health Ministry on Friday also decided to form a technical group to monitor the situation arising out of spread of Zika virus and strengthen its surveil- SMOKE IT OUT Zika virus is transmitted by the Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes that also carry the Dengue and Chikungunya viruses. People with Zika virus disease usually have a mild fever, skin rash (exanthema) and conjunctivitis. These symptoms normally last for 2-7 days. The Zika virus also causes microcephaly, a eurological condition that leads to babies being born with abnormally small heads. There is no specific treatment or vaccine currently available to fight the virus. Zika virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in rhesus monkeys through a monitoring network of sylvatic yellow fever. The deadly virus was subsequently identified in humans in 1952 in Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania. lance system. We are closely monitoring the situation and all necessary steps have been initiated to ensure that India is well prepared in case of any eventuality. We are focusing on especially strengthening the surveillance system, Nadda said. The Zika virus can infect up to four million people, the WHO warned on Thursday as it issued a warning to all countries, including India. Aedes Aegypti mosquito carries the virus which is thought to cause neurological problems like microcephaly, a condition that results in abnormally small heads in babies. This mosquito also carries the viruses that cause Dengue and Chikungunya which are of great concern in tropical countries like India. The Zika outbreak began in Brazil last year and has now spread to 24 countries in North and South America. Such is the level of alarm that many Latin American countries like El Salvador, Colombia and Ecuador have urged women to postpone pregnancy till 2018. The Aam Aadmi Party governments bid to dissolve the three municipal corporations and conduct fresh elections suffered a setback on Friday with the Delhi High Court ordering the state election commission to conduct by-elections for the 13 vacant wards within three months. This will be a challenge for the AAP which has so far been reluctant to contest the by-elections. Instead, the party has been focusing on the municipal elections scheduled for 2017. The Delhi High Court ordered the state election commission to conduct by-elections for the 13 vacant wards within three months. Pictured, corporation sanitation workers dumped garbage on the city's roads to highlight their demands The high courts order came a day after Deputy CM Manish Sisodia demanded dissolving the three MCDs citing financial irregularities and complete mismanagement. The development will put pressure on the AAP over the question of whether to contest the elections or not, sources said. The party is likely to face public ire due to sanitation woes if elections are held, while staying away from the elections would put AAP in a bad light, they said. The bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath directed the state government to make available the manpower sought by the State Election Commission (SEC) as well as the required funds within four weeks to conduct the elections for filling up casual vacancies in terms of the provisions of DMC Act. The election commission requires nearly Rs 21 crore for the by-polls and manpower of 4,500 ground level staff and 50 officers, which are to be appointed as returning officers and poll observers for two months. The courts order came after a PIL was filed by one law student Sanjana Gahlot on bad civic conditions in her village, with overflowing drains and garbage resulting in a foul smell. Seven wards in South Delhi Municipal Corporation, four in the north and two in the east are currently without councillors. Though both the SEC and Delhi government expressed their readiness to conduct the by-elections, it is un-understandable as to why the elections could not be conducted to fill up the casual vacancies till date, the bench said. From holding onto a deposit to hiking the rent, sometimes it can seem like landlords hold all the power when it comes to the letting market. Indeed, earlier this week it emerged that as many as 300,000 landlords could be failing to register tenant deposits in a protection scheme, which is a legal obligation. But now one landlord is helping tenants fight back when they feel they have been treated unfairly with a service providing support. Protection: If you have a problem with a landlord or letting agent there are lots of free services you can turn to for help Yoko Cruz has been a landlord for six years and runs a portfolio of four properties around Durham and has teamed up with lawyers to launch a mediation and legal service that will deal directly with landlords on a tenants behalf. She claims its the first service of its type anywhere in the world. Is it any good? The 87-a-year Renter's Rights service acts as a form of insurance, although it isn't actually a regulated product. Tenants can access a landlord reference service that will carry out background checks on who they will be renting from. The service will contact the landlord and try to speak to three of their current or previous tenants. If the landlord is new to the business and doesn't have any previous tenants, Renter's Rights will request character references. However, as these contact details will be provided by the landlord, it could be difficult for Renter's Right to verify the identities of the individuals concerned. Renter's Rights also gives the tenant access to legal support and letters written as and when problems arise. RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES As a tenant, as long as you pay the rent and bills on time and repair any damage, you have a right to: Live in a property thats safe and in a good state of repair Have your deposit returned within ten days of the tenancy ending - and have it protected Challenge excessively high charges Know who your landlord is Live in the property undisturbed. A landlord must give you at least 24 hours notice if he or she wants to come to the property. See an Energy Performance Certificate for the property Be protected from unfair eviction and unfair rent Have a written agreement if you have a fixed-term tenancy of more than three years. Cruz says the support will be offered by a team of 'in-house' solicitors - but she refuses to name them and so This is Money has been unable to check that they are members of the Law Society. Cruz says this service will be particularly beneficial to tenants with no assured shorthold tenancy agreement. Without this, there is no requirement for a landlord or letting agent to register with an ombudsman or even register the deposit with a protection scheme. An example of a tenant who may not have an assured shorthold tenancy is a lodger, many of whom dont receive tenancy agreements so may not be protected elsewhere. Cruz says that typical disputes her service will tackle include deposit issues or repairs that arent being completed. Tenants and landlords can get quite emotional and tense when dealing directly with each other so having someone in between can be beneficial,' she adds. There isnt really anyone working on behalf of the tenant, so we are stepping in. That doesnt necessarily mean we will always be writing legal letters, but we are providing a service to help resolve issues. She argues that free mediation services such as those offered through the Property Ombudsman or tenancy deposit scheme are only useful once problems arise and can take months to resolve, while Renter's Rights can help 'take the emotion out of disputes and construct complaints more effectively to sort them faster'. The service isn't particularly expensive. Paying 87 a year only works out at 7.25 a month and Cruz's website states that solicitors can charge 150 an hour for legal advice and support. So the service could work out cheaper than instructing a lawyer to help with disputes. But there are many free services available to tenants and some contents insurance policies cover such issues. Lettings expert Kate Faulkner urges tenants to first consider these free support services, some of which are provided by charities Shelter and Citizens Advice. 'I think there are better ways for people to get not just this kind of cover, but for other legal issues too, probably for the same price or less. However, its good to raise awareness that tenants can protect themselves.' Here's a look at some of the other forms of free support available to tenants struggling with problem landlords and rental property. Ombudsman services All lettings agents must be registered with an ombudsman-style scheme. There are three schemes - the Property Ombudsman, the Property Redress Scheme and Ombudsman Services Property. All have the power to expel members for misconduct and award compensation to victims where an agent is found to have behaved unfairly, hidden charges or demonstrated poor or slow service. Typically, if a tenant has a complaint they have to go to the letting agent first and if it can't be resolved within eight weeks then the ombudsman service can consider both sides and issue a judgement. It is a free service and lettings agents are supposed to display which ombudsman service they belong to. It is a criminal offence for a letting agent not to be a member of a redress scheme and they could be fined up to 5,000 by the local council. These services can help tenants who have difficulty with an agent when arranging lettings - which may include being charged unfair fees - or when the agent manages the letting for the landlord. It can also help when the agent is too slow to contact a landlord on a tenant's behalf to raise an issue. Money back: Free redress and ombudsman schemes can mediate and get you compensation Tenancy deposit schemes All tenants with an assured shorthold tenancy agreement should have their deposit placed in a government-backed scheme by their landlords. The schemes can mediate for free over any disputes over how much of it to give back at the end of the tenancy. There are three government-backed deposit schemes in England and Wales, the Deposit Protection Service, MyDeposits and the Tenancy Deposit Scheme. Scotland and Northern Ireland also have their own schemes. Tenants give the deposit to the landlord who then chooses a scheme. In some cases the deposit scheme will act as a custodian and look after the deposit. Alternatively, there are insurance-backed schemes where the landlord holds the money but pays a premium. Landlords must tell tenants who their money is held with so they know who to contact if there are any disputes. Legal expenses insurance If a tenant finds their landlord is not registered with an ombudsman service or the complaint falls outside of the remit of a deposit service they may have access to legal support through their contents insurance. A little-used benefit of many home contents policies is legal cover. Some insurers provide this as standard while others charge an extra premium or an add-on of 20 to 30. Policies provide a set level of cover, typically between 50,000 to 100,000 to help issue or deal with legal complaints. If Google hoped to win some Brownie points by announcing a deal to pay 130m to HM Treasury in back taxes, then the plan badly misfired. The pitiful sums paid by US tech giants such as Uber, Facebook, Apple, Amazon and Starbucks have dominated the national conversation for a full week and the topic shows no sign of dying down. It is a legitimate debate. The companies in question, along with others such as Airbnb, are great disruptors, and their arrival in Britain has shaken old ways of doing business to the core. Virtual world: The tax system for multinationals was created in the 1930s for a very different type of corporation When a London black cab driver says he is trying to find out whether he can claim benefits as his earnings have been below the minimum wage this month because everyone is using Uber as one who drove me this week did then the US tech brigade cannot be surprised that their tax affairs are closely scrutinised. But the row is more complicated than it might first appear. Most of the businesses in the dock have been highly innovative and have run up huge development losses over the years, all of which can be written off against tax. That seems sensible rather than scandalous, if we want to encourage new technology. The tax system for multinationals was created in the 1930s for a very different type of corporation: one that had a physical presence, employed armies of people and sold actual goods. They operated in a world that was politically also very different: the financial system was less developed, capital controls were common, and countries such as China were not the forces on world markets they are now becoming. Now the authorities are trying to tax virtual corporations, carrying out virtual business, against competition from nations such as China that are not bogged down by legacy technology, and in a global financial system without borders, where capital is highly and rapidly mobile. Clearly, the tax system we have is not fit for purpose, and while Google et al have a social responsibility to pay an acceptable amount of tax, they are not to blame for that. But there is a bigger problem that ought to be preoccupying George Osborne, and that is: why has the UK has failed to produce its own equivalent of Google or Amazon? On the stock market, the nearest thing we have to a tech champion is ARM, which makes chips for smartphones. There is also the lack of what Nigel Wilson, the chief executive of Legal & General, calls a geek meets money culture. States-side, in Silicon Valley, and in other parts of the country such as Boston, young brainiacs with a great biotech idea, for instance, can easily find venture capitalists. In the UK, venture capitalists with the right expertise and appetite for risk are thin on the ground. A particular problem is the gap in the market for funding to develop products and bring them to market, in the 5m to 25m range. Another big factor is the education system, which was designed a century ago to service an economy dominated by big traditional industry and run by mandarins. We are not producing bright young people with the skills for a digital economy quickly enough and in sufficient numbers. In Israel and India, two countries that have had some success in turning themselves from arable economies to high tech ones, there has been huge investment in education. Urban regeneration is important in this context. Our great northern cities and towns have their industrial glories behind them and they are excluded from the London finance bubble. But Leeds, Newcastle, Sheffield and Manchester all have fabulous universities harbouring clever students and dons with amazing ideas, many of which could be turned into money. These should be a breeding ground for spin-out companies that could be the next Sage, where the founder collaborated with a team from Newcastle University, including a computer expert who had previously worked on the first Nasa Apollo mission to land a man on the moon. The other missing link in this picture is the big City investment funds. One of their duties to their ultimate investors you and me is to seek out the companies with the potential to turn into tomorrows Google, and back them. With a couple of honourable exceptions, such as L&G under Wilson and Neil Woodford with his Patient Capital fund, this has been lacking. If we want a decent pension, we need a fund manager capable of investing in a company that will be prospering in 30 to 50 years time. What savers do not need is just another suit, who stuffs money into sunset industries and then pushes them into takeovers and mergers. Short-term gains like these are bought at the price of long term-decline. Unhappy: Gareth Stace, director of lobby group UK Steel European lawmakers have launched a crackdown on cheap Chinese imports of steel that are crippling UK plants. The European Commission announced a set of tariffs on Chinese imports for a type of steel used to reinforce concrete called rebar. Lower growth in China has left the country with an excess of steel and it has been exporting this to Europe in a practice called dumping. Britains steel makers have been calling on the EU to take action and say the latest tariffs have taken too long and do not go far enough. Gareth Stace, director of lobby group UK Steel, said: The commissions decision to publish provisional duties at this very low level clearly shows that the scale of the crisis affecting the European steel sector has not yet fully registered with Brussels bureaucrats. It is a slap in the face for UK manufacturers of rebar, which has seen China taking more than 45 per cent of the UK market from zero in as little as four years. He said the Americans have set duties at 66 per cent which were brought in after 45 days from the start of its investigation compared to the 9 per cent from the EU after almost a year. Earlier this month Tata Steel was forced to lay off 750 jobs at its Port Talbot plant in South Wales along with 200 in support functions. The competition watchdogs probe into whether bank customers are getting a good deal has been delayed after its initial findings were attacked for going too soft on the High Street giants. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) came under fire last October when it dismissed calls for a major shake-up of the big banks despite accusing them of taking customers for granted for years. It rejected demands to break up the biggest names, or even to send customers monthly bills spelling out the hidden costs of free banking such as overdraft fees and lost interest. Storm on the horizon: The CMA came under fire when it dismissed calls for a major shake-up of the big banks The watchdog yesterday admitted it has been forced to go back to the drawing board after being swamped with submissions from consumer groups. Having published its provisional findings and recommendations in October, the CMA had been due to publish another interim report laying out its proposed reforms next month. The final report was due to be published in May but in a statement yesterday the CMA said it would extend the timetable of its investigation into the retail banking market after receiving a number of new suggestions. It will be decided in early March for how long the report will be delayed. This is another setback for the watchdog as its probe into the energy market has also been hit by delays. Alasdair Smith, chairman of the retail banking investigation, said: Retail banking affects nearly every business and consumer in the UK, so this investigation and the measures that result from it are of vital importance to the whole economy. He added that the initial report had generated a lively debate and the CMA has received proposals to help current account customers with overdrafts. Insiders refused to specify which proposals it is focusing on. James Daley, founder of consumer website Fairer Finance, described the CMAs initial report as a wasted opportunity. He said: We have to hope that this delay means the CMA plans to come up with more meaningful reforms. There is a general feeling that the banks are back on top. The natural fear is that behind closed doors, agreements have been made to ensure this report was not too disruptive for the banks. The CMAs investigation into the 16bn current account market found millions of customers who regularly use their overdrafts get a poor deal. It also discovered that customers with free in credit accounts are losing about 8bn a year in hidden charges, including overdraft fees and missed interest. The 4.5m report also said heavy overdraft users each pay 300 a year for their current accounts and could be 260 a year better off by switching. Interest: Sainsburys chief executive Mike Coupe Top executives at Sainsburys are locked in talks to agree a price with Argos-owner Home Retail Group. The supermarket giant has until 5pm on Tuesday to make a bid or walk away for the chain. Sainsburys first made a bid in November but was rebuffed the following month. Since then Home Retail has sold its Homebase chain for 340m to Australias Wesfarmers. Sainsburys previous offer is reported to have valued Home Retail at close to 130p a share and it is believed the grocers board is unwilling to offer more than around 150p a share valuing it at about 1.2bn. However, Home Retail has been holding out for at least 170p a share. Sources close to the deal suggest Home Retails management may have to come closer to what Sainsburys is offering. Sainsburys did not comment yesterday but earlier this month chief executive Mike Coupe highlighted that Home Retails share price was less than 100p at the start of the year before news of Sainsburys interest emerged. Sainsburys finance boss John Rogers earlier this month was reported to have said the deal is not a deal that we have to do. He added: Well look at this in a very financially disciplined way and we wont overpay for this transaction. The supermarket chain can ask for the bid deadline to be extended. Some investors are even betting the deal will fall apart. Billionaire hedge fund manager Crispin Odey has taken short positions betting that shares in Home Retail and Sainsburys will fall because he believes the two sides will not be able to agree. Odey told news service Bloomberg: We are sceptical a deal will be agreed, because Sainsburys shareholders wont support a higher bid. On Thursday it was revealed hedge fund Toscafund had sold 10m shares in Home Retail, reducing its stake to 7.25 per cent. Tosca has previously criticised Home Retails management for rejecting the offer from Sainsburys without first consulting shareholders. Stories about bank customers being duped out of thousands by pounds by scammers who con their victims by phone have become a regular feature in the consumer pages. The rise of telephone banking scams was laid bare in the autumn with figures showing a 95 per cent surge in losses to criminals. Telephone fraud losses hit 14.4million in the first six months of 2015, almost double the sum last year as more customers are tricked by conmen. This is Money has documented various cases of readers who have been duped by criminals pretending to telephone from their bank and using an array of tactics to make the call seem genuine. This includes telling them to hang up and call their bank back only to stay on the other end and convince panicked customers into moving cash into a 'safe holding' account, before then swiping the money. A while ago, I arrived home to this garbled message on my answer machine (click above to listen). It took me about 11 listens before I could write down the telephone number. I've since had two more of these messages, equally impenetrable. I post the recording here without further comment - other than to ask whether anyone dares to guess whether this is a genuine message from HSBC or an attempt by one of the bank scammers we hear so much about to get my bank details. The message we ram home to readers is be on your guard all the time against potential audio-based financial terrorists. Vote now and I will post the answer in due course... Banks for nothing: Could a world-leading bank's communication really be this bad? Vote now. Poll Banker or scammer - could this message really from HSBC bank or it is just another phishing scammer after my login details? Banker Scammer Banker or scammer - could this message really from HSBC bank or it is just another phishing scammer after my login details? Banker 394 votes Scammer 1644 votes Now share your opinion Advertisement A new book tells the fascinating story of one of Australias most lethal military men and how his exploits are now part of army folklore. Stone Cold: The extraordinary story of Len Opie Australias deadliest soldier by Andrew Faulker, details the story of distinguished soldier Len Opie whose heroic deeds were legendary. Opie fought in three wars World War II, the Korean War, and Vietnam War over thirty years, and became one of the most formidable soldiers Australia ever produced. Len Opie fought in three wars. Here he is dressed in the black pyjamas worn by Vietnamese villagers during the Vietnam War with matching black face-paint, pistol, holster and rifle Opie won a Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) in Korea for almost single-handedly capturing an enemy position. Many thought he should have got a Victoria Cross (VC) amazingly no Australian got a VC in the Korean War. Leading a team of only six men he captured a hill known as Hill 614 that had held up the whole brigade of 3,000 men. The Chinese were well dug in and it was a very steep and well-fortified hill. Len charged up the hill with his small group of men, using at least three different weapons along the way. They cleared out foxholes up the hill, killing Chinese soldiers as they went, the book's author Faulker told Daily Mail Australia. When they had reached the summit Opie was the only man standing. His only injury was a shrapnel wound in his hand from when a grenade went off close by. During the attack Opie used an Owen gun, a .303 he took from a dead Chinese soldier, a US Garand rifle, Mills bombs, Chinese grenades and an M1 carbine. Opies won the DCM for his courage the first awarded to an Australian soldier in Korea. Only five were awarded in the three-year war. Opie was a master at unarmed combat and he is seen here demonstrating his skills to his south Vietnamese students in Vietnam A picture taken by Opie shows he and his regiment landing at Balikpapan, Borneo, in World War II Opie shows off his personal arsenal at Tam Ky in Vietnam. It was (from left to right) an M1 folding stock carbine, .30 calibre, AR-15 .223 calibre, an M79 grenade launcher, a Swedish 'K' 9mm and (holding) an 73 rocket launcher Christmas Day in Korea in 1950 and Opie (back, right, in slouch hat) is about the only digger with no beer, but he is sporting a very impressive moustache During the Korean war he also once led a section of men to capture a tank. He excelled in the epic Battle of Kapyong and played a key role at the Battle of Maryang San - which some call the Australian industry's finest hour,' Faulkner said. 'He was an example to others. It was in Korea where his reputation really burgeoned he said it was his favourite war. Opies Korean War experience was sandwiched between fighting the Japanese in World War II in New Guinea and Borneo, and the Vietnam War where he was a highly decorated member of the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam. He was later transferred to the CIA's black ops program, Phoenix, to be its head of training. It made Opie a crucial cog in America's counterinsurgency war in Vietnam. Some believe his CIA association even continued after the Vietnam War. When I met him he was a sweet, kindly old man who was very well mannered and polite. But at the same time he was revered in army circles. He was a master at hand-to-hand combat and in using any weapon. He was seen as the supreme soldier, Faulkner said. Opie loved animals, especially dogs, and if he ever saw them being mistreated he'd spring to their defence This is the remains of Obie's plane after it was hit by ground fire as it landed at Pleiku in Vietnam's central highlands in 1967 Obie captioned this photo from his personal collection as 'sometimes I sit and think and think and sometimes I just sit' Opie is pictured with his students at the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam in Vietnam He went to St Peters College in Adelaide, which is a very prestigious school. He was in the cadets there and he had instructors in the cadets that fought in World War I and the Boar War. He said that he leaned more from them than anyone in the army when it came to the basics of infantry fighting when it came to hand-to-hand fighting and bayonet skills. It was common knowledge that he was very effective after dark in Korea on his solo patrols. He was renowned among his peers for hand-to-hand combat. But Opie was also a man of contradictions. he killed people in battle with his bare hands, and even with a sharpened shovel or piano wire. Kill or be killed was his mantra. In Korea he was king of the solo patrol, working extensively at night. Slipping through the shadows he was deadly. Highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat and comfortable using any weapon, he was made for warfare. But the Adelaide man was also tee-total and drank nothing stronger than weak tea, never smoked and seldom swore. In civilian life he loved building model train sets. Killing humans didnt bother him, but if anyone hurt an animal hed make sure theyd regret it. Opie (back left) 11 platoon pictured on their final manoeuvres in Japan before heading for the Korean front In a local ceremony receives rice wine from a hamlet chief at a sacrificial ceremony in 1967 in Vietnam Wherever you'd see Opie in a village you'd generally see him with a dog or two. He's pictured with a few as he poses with fellow Phoenix instructors in Vietnam After completing a biography of South Australias only winner of the Victoria Cross, Arthur Blackburn, Faulkner was then approached by Opie to help him write his memoirs. However, after only a few meetings Opie sadly passed away but a publisher was still keen on Faulkner doing the book, which he did by using Opies detailed diaries and talking to his family and friends. Even when he was in his 70s he was requesting to go away to Afghanistan. He was steeped in the army, Faulkner said. When Opie died at the age of 84 he was one of Australias most decorated and respected soldiers. He may be classed as this cold-eyed killer but my impression of Len was that he was a really decent human being who had high standards and expected people to live up to them, Faulkner said. Stone Cold: The extraordinary story of Len Opie Australias deadliest soldier is now on sale at bookstores in Australia. Opie is pictured (far right) as a young man in the scouts. He was a very different kind of scout in the Korean War Advertisement Its taken a year and a half of delays and a cost of $9 million in renovations, but the Prime Ministers home in Canberra - The Lodge - is finally finished and the countrys most powerful couple have been having people round already. Malcolm Turnbull and his wife Lucy spent their first night at The Lodge on Saturday and only three days later they were hosting events on Australia Day. But it wasn't like the builders were still in. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the couple had just moved into the newly renovated Lodge two days when they had to host a get-together for Australian of the Year finalists and their partners. Scroll down for video Lucy Turnbull, wife of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, shows off the sitting room at The Lodge in Canberra It's very large, the Prime Minister told Tasmania's Australian of the Year, conservationist Jane Hutchinson. [There are] lots of rooms and corridors. But he also told Ms Hutchinson that he had found a spot to make tea. Meanwhile Mrs Turnbull was chatting about decor with philanthropist (and art expert) Tim Fairfax - a nominee for Senior Australian of the Year. She pointed out that there was a Rosalie Gascoigne, among many other works by famous artists in The Lodge, as well as many period furnishings. The home has been empty since Kevin Rudd stayed there in 2013 the same year renovations began in the heritage home. The historic home has been vacant since 2013 and has undergone extensive renovations over the last 18 months The Lodge's initial budget spilled over by $6 million creating a final price tag of $9 million and it was finished in December Lucy Turnbull stands in The Lodge's impressive dining room as she shows media around The Prime Minister's wife poses on the stairs of the newly-renovated Lodge The exterior of The Lodge in Canberra has retained its original colour despite the renovations However, the Turnbulls were actually downsizing when it came to their sprawling Point Piper mansion in Sydney (pictured) The original 'Prime Minister's cottage' was built between 1926 to 1927. Ousted former PM Tony Abbott has never spent a night at the house. The renovations were expected to be complete in April 2014 and cost $3.19 million, but 18 months of delays kept Mr Abbott from ever moving in. Its initial budget also spilled over by $6 million creating a final price tag of $9 million as renovations finished in December. The home has undergone bathroom upgrades, security improvements and a new kitchen, as well as asbestos removal, roof replacement, new lights and upgrades to the heating and cooling systems. Mr Turnbulls wife, Lucy, has spent time picking furnishings and choosing artwork to hang with the help of curators at the National Gallery of Australia. But despite the renovations to The Lodge, the Turnbulls were actually downsizing when it came to their sprawling Point Piper mansion in Sydney. Mr Turnbulls wife, Lucy, has spent time picking the furnishings herself for The Lodge The rusty, old letterbox at The Lodge was the only thing that didn't have a new makeover Mrs Turnbull choose artwork to hang in The Lodge with the help of curators at the National Gallery of Australia The Turnbulls bought their Wunulla Road property in Sydney, which sat on a 1,940sqm block, back in 2010 for $3.17 million The Turnbulls' home in Sydney was built in the 1930s but Australia's first family have kept its original features Mrs Turnbull greets media at the front door of The Lodge before giving them a guided tour of the property They bought their Wunulla Road property, which sat on a 1,940sqm block, back in 2010 for $3.17 million. But they did not waste any time expanding their home in Sydney's east, buying up next door's $1.7 million Gwandalan property and slicing off 600sqm to make the most of the waterfront views of the Sydney Harbour, Domain reported. The Turnbulls' home was built in the 1930s but Australia's first family have kept its original features - including its Juliet balconies, arched doorways and wrought-iron gates. Adding to its luxury, the home also boasts a swimming pool, boat shed and its own jetty. The grandeur of the multi-million-dollar, Mediterranean-style mansion is a far cry from the more conservative The Lodge Original features that the Turnbulls kept at their Point Piper mansion in Sydney included its Juliet balconies, arched doorways and wrought-iron gates The couple expanded their home in Sydney's east, buying up next door's $1.7 million Gwandalan property and slicing off 600sqm to make the most of the waterfront views of the Sydney Harbour The Lodge's mahogany panels and wooden floors are a special feature of The Lodge Her goal is to help other drug addicts and sex workers recover Now she is a case manager at the rehab centre She has been clean since 2009 when she completed rehabilitation At 32, she entered prostitution and became suicidal After a near lifetime of abuse and self-destruction, Kim Den Hertog has transformed herself into a person she can be proud of. Now, 50, she is a former drug addict and drug dealer, an ex-prostitute and a victim of vile child abuse by an unloving father. Ms Den Hertog is now telling her story to provide hope for other women caught in a destructive cycle like the one she experienced. Former drug addict and prostitute Kim Den Hertog, 50, has turned her life around Ms Hertog was sexually and physically abused from the age of four and started using drugs at 11, before turning to prostitution at 32. Now the mother of three has been clean for six years and is a case manager at the Transformations rehabilitation centre in Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Queensland. She has also kick-started the 'Flawless Women' ministry which involves a Valentine's Day Pamper Day for other drug addicts and sex workers to help them feel worthy and beautiful. She is also transitioning into pastoral care work at the Transformations City Church while working full time in Flawless, where she visits women in brothels and brings them home cooked meals. Ms Den Hertog was born in Penrith, NSW by her adopted parents and was sexually abused from age 4 Her father told her he didn't love her and she began to formulate negative opinions about her identity Ms Den Hertog's lifestyle was very different six years ago. Adopted as a child, she was born and raised in Penrith, in western Sydney, Den Hertog told Daily Mail Australia she was sexually abused from the age of four while her father told her that he didn't love her. 'I was made to stand naked as a little girl in our lounge room and there would be people sitting around drinking coffee looking at me. I felt shamed like I wanted to hide myself, there were women involved too - not just men.' By age 10 she was drinking alcohol, smoking pot regularly at 13, and tried heroin at 15 At seven Ms Den Hertog was continuously being sexually abused by a woman who was known to her parents. 'This went on for a few years - I was about 10 and it went as far as friends' relatives touching me.' 'I knew that it was not okay, but I didnt know how to stop,' she said. As a young girl, Ms Den Hertog formulated negative opinions about herself based on her father's lack of affection. 'From very early on I formed a negative opinion of my identity.' By the age of 10 she was drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana regularly at 13, and had her first injection of heroin at 15. 'That stuff [heroin] was unreal. It made me feel numb.' She was raped and suffered from domestic violence, then left school at 14 and had her first child at 18 She continued to experiment with drugs and left school at 14, before having her first child at 18 and another two children a few years later. She suffered in a series of abusive relationships that included domestic violence and rape. 'I never fit in anywhere,' she said. She had two more children, but would still drink and take drugs. 'It was a very crazy and dysfunctional family environment - I was threatened with guns to my head, held in rooms, raped and bashed.' She ended up suicidal and in a psychiatric ward when her partner at the time died from an overdose In the mid-1990s, Ms Den Hertog hit rock bottom and a near-death experience. 'They had to keep putting me in the shower because I lost control of my bowels and bladder as a result of taking alcohol and heroin together,' she said. 'During that time I had quite regularly slept with different men for drugs and so I was already prostituting myself anyway.' In 1996, she moved to the Gold Coast in an attempt to escape her destructive lifestyle. She managed to stay clear of drugs for two years before being introduced to brothel work in 1998. 'I hated what I did but at that time I really got high on the power that my sexuality had over men and I had never experienced that before so I ran on that for a while and then it wasn't long before I was shooting heroin again.' As her heroin use increased, so did her unkempt appearance and desire to make more money. 'It was quite a quick downfall when I went from working in the brothels to the streets,' she said. She became a prostitute and street worker when she was 32. Here she is pictured clean from drugs In 2000, Ms Den Hertog said she experienced genuine love for the first time in her life when she met a fellow drug-user on the streets. She lived with him for three years and they would sell crystal methamphetamine up and down the Gold Coast. 'I felt safe with him, he never physically violated me and to me that was something so foreign,' she said. She came home one day and found him dead on the toilet from an overdose. It was too much, and Ms Den Hertog said she attempted suicide shortly afterwards and found herself in a hospital psychiatric ward. Still, her life remained a downward spiral of drugs, sexual abuse and trouble with the police. 'My whole existence was to get stoned, have sex with people and get money,' she said. Ms Den Hertog completed the Transformations rehabilitation program in 2009 and hasn't looked back since The turning point in Ms Den Hertog's life came a few years later when someone stopped in the street and handed her an Easter egg. 'Something on the inside of me broke and it touched me. She would just come and find me and sit with me when I was on the streets,' Ms Den Hertog said 'It made me think that maybe I was worth something, maybe there is some hope because I was suicidal. She deposited hope into my heart.' In 2009, Ms Den Hertog completed a program with Transformations - a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre on the Gold Coast with campuses all over Australia - and she hasn't looked back. 'I havent touched a drug, drunk alcohol, smoked cigarettes, and I dont swear.' Following the rehabilitation program, she worked as a house supervisor giving back to women in the industry, spent a year in Bible college and joined the Transformations City Church. Through her work, she hopes to do what was done to her - inspire other women that have no hope and are stuck in a cycle of addiction and not feeling valued. 'The world says we have to look and be a certain way, but I'm passionate about letting women know their beauty and uniqueness.' 'My heart is to impart that to other women so they can feel the freedom to be who they are no matter what theyve been through.' 'I couldnt tell you how many men I've had sex with..thousands..but I'm clean but society wouldnt say that, but thats not the truth,' she said. Ms Den Hertog will launch the Flawless Ministry on February 13, the day before Valentine's Day, where women will get their hair and makeup done by professional beauticians, enjoy a high tea and wear donated gowns. 'After this pamper day, a team of girls will go into brothels while they wait for clients and see what their needs are - that interaction with just sitting with somebody and letting them know they're valuable changes you.' Please ring +61 2 5592 3677 if you can help supply white seat covers, table cloths, flowers, dresses and/or tiaras. A psalm book once owned by a judge in the Salem witch trials more than 300 years ago is being auctioned. The previously unknown seventh edition of 'The Bay Psalm Book' that once belonged to Jonathan Corwin could sell for $40,000 when it is auctioned on Thursday by Swann Auction Galleries. Corwin was a judge during the 1692 trials, when 19 innocent people were hanged and another one was crushed to death. Corwin's home, now owned by the city of Salem, is known as the Witch House. Scroll down for video The inside cover of the seventh edition of The Bay Psalm Book that once belonged to Jonathan Corwin, a judge during the 1692 trials when 19 accused witches were hanged and another was crushed to death in Salem Auction director Rick Stattler told Salem News that the first edition dates to 1640, when it was printed in Cambridge, but the version up for auction was printed in 1693. The book has a second connection to the witch trials, as it was also owned by the descendants of John Proctor, who was tried, convicted and hanged as a witch in 1692. Stattler said: 'Knowing it came from one of the judges of the trial, they kept it as an heirloom and called it The Witch Book.' The book, which was printed in 1693, could auction for as much as $40,000 Earlier this year, a team of researchers used historical documents and 21st-century archaeological techniques to confirm the site where the 19 innocent people were hanged during the Salem witch trials. The site, known as Proctor's Ledge, is a small city-owned plot of woods nestled between two residential streets and behind a Walgreens pharmacy, according to Salem State University history professor Emerson 'Tad' Baker, a member of the seven-person team. Historian Sidney Perley had pinpointed Proctor's Ledge nearly a century ago as the site of the hangings by using historical documents, but his findings were lost to time and myth, misconceptions and conspiracy theories had taken their place, Baker said. The top of nearby Gallows Hill had long been thought of as the site of the hangings, but there was no evidence to support that. Proctor's Ledge is at the base of Gallows Hill. Salem State University history professor Emerson Baker walks through an area that he and a team of researchers said is the exact site where 19 innocent people were hanged during the 1692 witch trials in Salem To determine the spot, the team looked at eyewitness accounts of the hangings, then used modern-day aerial photography and ground penetrating radar that wasn't available a century ago. The team made other interesting discoveries when they determined there probably never was a gallows at the site and more than likely, the executioners tossed a rope over a large tree. Baker stressed that there is no evidence that any of the victims were buried at Proctor's Ledge because it's too rocky and the soil is too shallow. THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS In 1692, mass hysteria swept through Salem, Massachusetts. Superstitious townspeople, fearful of the devil, began accusing men and women of witchcraft and hounded scores of 'witches' to put on trial. The hysteria began after a group of young girls claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several local women of witchcraft. As hysteria spread throughout Massachusetts, a court convened in Salem to hear the cases. The first convicted witch, Bridget Bishop, was hanged that June. Eighteen others followed and some 150 more men, women and children were accused over the next several months. Trials continued until early 1693, but by that May, the governor of Massachusetts had pardoned and released all those in prison. Advertisement Footage has emerged of Syrian 'moderate' rebels allegedly carrying out a public flogging on three men accused of harassing women in north-western Syria. The video shows several militants from the Gulf-backed rebel coalition Jaish al-Fatah (Army of Conquest) implementing Shariah law in the rebel-held city of Idlib. The three young men were accused of harassing women and were sentenced to a multiple lashes which were implemented in front of a large crowd. Scroll down for video: Footage has emerged of Syrian 'moderate' rebels allegedly carrying out a public flogging on three men accused of harassing women in north-western Syria The video shows several militants from the Gulf-backed rebel coalition Jaish al-Fatah (Army of Conquest) implementing Shariah law in the rebel-held city of Idlib Some of the coalition rebel groups are considered part of the 70,000 'moderate' rebels, which David Cameron has indicated Britain may provide support. The news comes after Syria's main opposition body agreed to travel to Geneva, where peace talks following a phone call from the U.S. Secretary of State. The High Negotiations Committee (HNC) has receiving guarantees that their demands would be met. It repeatedly said the Syrian government and its allies must first halt bombing and lift blockades of besieged areas before it will join the talks, which have been delayed by four days. The HNC signalled it would still leave the process if these measures are not implemented and only agreed to attend after receiving assurances from the US. 'Guarantees came that (United Nations) Resolution 2254 would be implemented in full ... so we will go to Geneva to discuss humanitarian issues,' spokesman Salim al-Muslat told the Arabic news channel al-Arabiya al-Hadath on Friday. 'The HNC will go to Geneva tomorrow to discuss these humanitarian issues which will pave the way into the political process of negotiations,' al-Muslat said. After receiving invitations to the talks this week, the Saudi-backed HNC wrote to the U.N. secretary general requesting clarification on the implementation of steps outlined in a December U.N. Security Council resolution that endorsed the peace process. These included the lifting of blockades on besieged areas, a halt to attacks on civilian areas, and a release of arbitrarily detained people. The footage shows how one of the militants announced the men's crimes to a large crowd The three young men were accused of harassing women and were sentenced to a multiple lashes which were implemented in front of a large crowd The decision to travel from Riyadh, where the HNC has been meeting to debate their attendance, came after a telephone call with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and after receiving an answer from the U.N. to their letter. 'We have agreed on a certain time period, which I cannot disclose now,' al-Muslat said. 'Perhaps the coming days will show a serious approach to this issue. If there is then we will continue. If we don't see a serious approach then there will be a different decision.' Lawson resigned before an investigation into his conduct started He then asks Baker if he wants to 'step out and talk' He can be heard saying: 'I don't care about your people, man, go' A white police officer who was caught on a dashcam video telling a black driver: 'I don't care about your people' has resigned. Maurice Lawson appeared in footage shot in November last year in Greater Atlanta, pulling over middle school teacher Brian Baker, 33, who was allegedly speeding and failing to maintain his lane. Baker asked Lawson if he could go after receiving two citations. Lawson can be heard saying: 'Can you go? Leave. Go Away. Go to Fulton County. I don't care about your people, man, go.' The officer, who completed a 16-hour training class on de-escalation and was suspended without pay for two weeks, has now left his job. Scroll down for video In footage (pictured) from a November 16 traffic stop at about 2am, Officer Maurice Lawson is heard saying to the driver, Brian Baker, 33, 'I don't care about your people' after issuing traffic citations Cobb County police Capt. J.D. Adcock said an investigation found that Lawson (pictured) violated the department's code of conduct during the stop northwest of Atlanta, in suburban Cobb County He handed his resignation letter to Chief John Houser of Cobb County Police Department, who accepted it, effective from today. In the letter Lawson claimed he said 'I don't care about YOU people,' not 'your people' in response to a memo written by Houser earlier this month. He also wrote that there was no racial motivation behind his comments, but that he had lost his temper when Baker was uncooperative during the stop. In the video, Lawson says to Baker: 'Alright, I'm gonna give you two tickets. One for speeding, one for failure to maintain lane. All right? If you don't mind signing, that's it.' It appears Baker did not hear or understand the last part of what Lawson said and is heard saying 'you say I know what? You said something and I did not understand you'. The officer then repeats the citations and clarifies that he had said 'if you don't mind' before Baker signs. He then asks the officer 'can I go?' before the officer asks him, 'can you go?' Brian Baker, 33, a middle school teacher (pictured), had been pulled over because he was allegedly speeding and failing to maintain his lane The officer then is heard saying: 'Can you go? Leave. Go Away. Go to Fulton County. I don't care about your people man, go.' Bake responds back 'you don't care about my people? My people?' Lawson says, 'Go to Fulton County, cuz. Go. You're p***ing me off.' The driver asks again, 'You said you don't care about my people?' The officer and driver go back and forth, talking over each other, before the officer says he said 'Fulton County' but Baker tells him that is not what he said. 'Do you want to step out and talk to me?' he says to Baker, who asks: 'What am I going to step out for? To fight the police, for what?' The two continue the heated exchange, with some parts inaudible, before Baker eventually drives off. After he leaves the scene the officer is heard telling two other officers at the scene: 'I lose my cool man, every time. 'Why do I got to deal with s*** like that? This is the f***ing America we live in, ain't it?' Houser wrote in the memo to Lawson that asking Baker whether he wants to get out of the car to 'talk with' him could be seen as 'an invitation for a possible altercation'. Lawson also tells Baker: 'Can you go? Leave. Go Away. Go to Fulton County. I don't care about your people man, go' Lawson then continued to engage in heated conversation with Baker, Houser wrote. Authorities worried this might not have been an isolated incident based on the officer's statements. Videos of other traffic stops performed by Lawson were reviewed randomly and officials ordered him to get a fitness for duty evaluation performed by a physician. Lawson had also been ordered to attend 20 additional hours of training on verbal defense in March. But Houser said: 'In preparation for his return to active duty with a field training officer, we reviewed additional videos and additional policy issues were discovered.' Lawson immediately recognized his behavior was contrary to policy and reported his own actions before any investigation had begun, Houser said. The Department of Public Safety's Code of Conduct demands that officers show courtesy and tact and that they control their temper. 'We will be reiterating the importance of courtesy and compliance with policy to our members since unbecoming conduct reflects discredit upon the individual and the Department and will not be tolerated,' Houser said. After he leaves the scene the officer is heard telling two other officers: 'I lose my cool man, every time' Lawson is heard telling the two officers: 'Why do I got to deal with s*** like that? This is the f***ing America we live in, ain't it?' 'Affluenza' kid Ethan Couch will be unable to prevent himself from messing up, and it is a foregone conclusion that he will face more legal trouble as an adult, prosecutors are convinced. It is just a case of waiting for the spoiled teen to run foul of the law again and then he will finally get the punishment he should have received when he killed four people in a drunken car smash, they say. 'You can tell if someone is on the right path or the wrong path,' Richard Alpert, a veteran assistant district attorney for Tarrant County, Texas, said. 'Ethan is on his own path.' Couch, 18, was in juvenile court in Fort Worth on Friday after returning voluntarily from Mexico where he and his mother Tonya had fled after a video of him at a beer pong party showed up online. He was given a slap-on-the-wrist 10-year probation term for the crash in which he had a blood alcohol level three times the adult limit. One of the terms of his probation was that he should not drink. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO Couch (pictured on Thursday) was taken to Mexico City Airport from an immigration holding center where he had been held 'Affluenza' teenager Ethan Couch (pictured yesterday at Dallas Fort Worth Airport) has appeared in court to decide whether he will be held in an adult jail ahead of future proceedings for allegedly violating his probation But prosecutors want his punishment upgraded to adult probation - he allegedly breached his juvenile probation after he turned 18. If he is upgraded to adult status and breaks the terms of his adult probation he could face up to 40 years in jail. If the judge decides he should continue under juvenile probation, the maximum term for any breach would be 120 days, including the most recent alleged breach. 'I have a pretty good idea of how he will do,' said Alpert. 'History tends to repeat itself. 'He has never apologized to the victims. Every time the families come here to court they are waiting for a sense of justice. Now it is a case of having him put in the adult system and waiting for him to do what I believe he will do.' Alpert was speaking outside the Scott D. Moore Juvenile Justice Center after Judge Tim Menikos had said he will now consider whether Couch should be transferred to an adult jail while he awaits a February 19 hearing on his probation status. Court officials told reporters Menikos' decision could come at any time. Cuffed: Couch and his mother, Tonya, were detained in the resort of Puerto Vallarta in December 'We are requesting he be transferred because he is no longer a child,' said Alpert. 'The judge did not close the door on that. He is taking his time to consider it. It's in his hands. 'The important thing right now is that Ethan is here. He is not going to Mexico again. We have him under our control.' Couch appeared in court in a khaki short-sleeved detention center uniform over a white t-shirt. Despite getting his hair dyed brown in late December, his blond roots were not showing through in either his hair or beard. The wood-paneled courtroom was packed with attorneys and dozens of reporters. The hearing lasted less than 10 minutes. Before the case began, 14 family members and friends of the victims filed into court to sit in the front row of the public gallery. A bailiff brought over tissues for them. 'You can tell if someone is on the right path or the wrong path,' Richard Alpert, a veteran assistant district attorney for Tarrant County, Texas, said. 'Ethan is on his own path' Connecticut-based Colleen Sheehey-Church, the national president of the non-profit Mothers Against Drunk Driving, was also in court. 'Ethan Couch has done nothing bur show blatant disregard for the law since Day One,' said Sheehey-Church, whose 15-year-old son Dustin drowned when the car in which he was a passenger drove into a river. The driver was drunk. Couch's slight figure was dwarfed by defense lawyers Scott Brown and William Reagan-Wynn as they spoke in whispers to Judge Menikos. A probation officer said that Tonya Couch had indicated that she would attend the brief hearing, but neither she nor Ethan's father Fred showed up. The only family member in court was a sister-in-law. After the hearing, defense attorney Brown insisted that Couch is remorseful for his actions. 'Of course Ethan is sorry,' he told reporters. But he could not answer when quizzed on why a remorseful person would run off to Mexico where he spent nights living it up in strip clubs before his December 28 arrest. 'He is relieved to be home,' said Brown. 'And he is concerned about what the future holds for him.' Couch has long been a poster boy for spoiled behavior. He was just 15 when he was cited as a minor in consumption of alcohol when he was found urinating in a parking lot. Inside his truck, cops found a passed-out, naked 14-year-old girl. A probation officer said that Tonya Couch had indicated that she would attend the brief hearing, but neither she nor Ethan's father Fred showed up. The only family member in court was a sister-in-law But it was the accident in the Fort Worth suburb of Burleson, Texas, in June 2013 that brought him to national attention. He had stolen two cases of beer from a Walmart to host a party at his home on Burleson-Retta Road. Later, he and seven guests piled into his father's Ford F-150 truck to go to a convenience store. He was just 16 at the time and with a blood-alcohol level three times above the legal limit, he barreled along at speeds of up to 70 mph failing to see a white Mercury Mountaineer SUV that had spun off the road and into a culvert. The driver of that car, 24-year-old Breanna Mitchell was killed by Couch, along with mother and daughter Hollie and Shelby Boyles and local pastor Brian Jennings who were among a group who had gone to help her. The accident pushed Jennings's car into another vehicle causing more injuries. Tim McLaughlin, whose 13-year-old son Isaiah was in Jennings's car, was one of those in court on Friday to see the latest round in their fight for justice. 'I don't want to see Ethan Couch's life ruined,' McLaughlin told Daily Mail Online. 'I don't want to see him go to jail for life, but I do want to see him do time because he needs that kind of reality check. 'I come to the court hearings because hopefully I will see justice eventually,' added McLaughlin. Also in court was Tim Williams, who was best man at Pastor Jennings's wedding. He too said he does not want to see Couch jailed for life. 'I lost my best friend that night,' said. Williams. He said he has compassion for Couch because of his 'difficult' childhood, when he was more or less left alone to do what he wanted. 'He was driving himself to school aged 13,' said Williams. 'He had no boundaries.' The son of Tim McLaughlin (left) was injured in the accident caused by Ethan Couch and Tim Williams, friend of one of the drunk driving victims, attended the hearing to today at juvenile court AFFLUENZA TEEN'S LEGAL TIMELINE February 19, 2013: Ethan Couch, then 15, is caught in a truck with a naked, unconscious 14-year-old girl. He is sentenced to probation, an alcohol awareness course and community service. June 15, 2013: Couch kills four people in a 70mph DUI crash in Texas. He was more than three times over the blood alcohol limit. December 10, 2013: A judge spares Couch jail and gives him 10 years of probation following his 'affluenza' defense. December 3, 2015: A video emerges appearing to show Couch playing beer pong, which would violate his probation. December 15, 2015: An arrest warrant is issued for Couch after he and his mother, Tonya, go missing. December 28, 2015: Couch and his mother are arrested in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. December 30, 2015: Tonya Couch is deported to the United States. January 28, 2016: Ethan Couch is deported to the United States. Advertisement Couch, who was also found to have Valium in his bloodstream, was charged with four counts of intoxication manslaughter and two of intoxication assault, after the crash. He pleaded guilty but psychiatrist G. Dick Miller, who was called by the defense, claimed Couch had been so spoiled by his wealthy parents Fred and Tonya Couch - who divorced in 2007 and later remarried - that he didn't know wrong from right. Miller said the Couches' parenting 'strongly enabled' the accident. Miller used the term 'affluenza' and Judge Jean Boyd accepted his diagnosis, even though it is not medically recognized. She gave Couch 10 years juvenile probation, which included a term that he should not touch alcohol or drugs and time in rehab. The case was fading from memory after 30 months when a six-second video clip was posted on Twitter on December 3 by a woman with the handle @blondespectre, who tagged the Tarrant County sheriff's office with the words 'ya boy ethan couch violating probation. i got more if u want.' The video showed a game of beer pong and a man collapsing a table by jumping on it face first. Couch is seen in the background laughing and clapping. Soon after Couch and his mother disappeared, driving 1,200 miles to the Pacific coast resort of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Authorities realized they were missing when he failed to turn up at a scheduled meeting with his probation officer. Defense attonery for Ethan Couch William Reagan Wynn (front ) and Scott Brown arrive at the juvenile court in Fort Worth They were eventually arrested after a ping from one of their cellphones for a Domino's Pizza order was traced. Couch would have faced only up to 120 days in jail for breaching his juvenile probation. His mother now faces up to 10 years for aiding his flight. Fred and Tonya Couch have been widely blamed for their role in their son's self-destruction. A profile in Dallas's D Magazine was titled 'The Worst Parents Ever.' Divorce papers unearthed by the magazine showed that Tonya called then 9-year-old Ethan her 'protector' against Fred's alleged violent outbursts. When Tonya complained that Fred wasn't involved in the boy's upbringing, he replied: 'I am not a mom.' A social worker said the main concerns for the boy were 'the codependent relationship Ethan has with his mother and the fathers lack of a regular and consistent relationship with Ethan,' combined with the fact that 'both parents have "adultified" Ethan and have allowed him to become overly involved in adult issues and decisions.' But it didn't stop at the divorce. When his private school principal questioned why he was driving himself to school, Fred Couch, who made his fortune from his sheet metal factory, reportedly offered to buy the school. When his parents remarried Ethan took to living alone at the 4.000 sq. ft. ranch style house complete with a swimming pool where he hosted his party on the fateful night of the crash. US animal rights activists have interrupted Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop's appearance at a Los Angeles university. The activists, holding up bloody, graphic photos of livestock and calling for an end to Australia's live animal exports, held their protest during a question-and-answer session on Friday on the UCLA campus as part of the G'Day USA program. 'Can I talk to you later?' Ms Bishop asked activist Amanda Copeland. Ms Copeland declined the invitation and kept describing what she said was the inhumane treatment of Australia's live export animals. Scroll down for video Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop (left) was interrupted by activists (in grey) protesting during a question-and-answer session on Friday at a Los Angeles University She was heckled twice by activists who said Australia's live export animals were treated inhumanely. Two police officers armed with guns led the second activist (left) out of the room Ms Bishop agreed to privately speak to a third activist when the Q&A event finished Some of the 100 or so audience members, including US and Australian officials, told the activist to 'sit down'. Ms Bishop, who had been discussing the role of Australia, the US and China in the Asia-Pacific, calmed the room by allowing Ms Copeland to continue. 'Let her go,' the foreign minister said from the stage. Soon after Ms Copeland finished, another activist, Glenn Alexander, stood up and continued to lambast Australia's live export trade. Two UCLA police officers, armed with guns and Tasers, arrived and led Mr Alexander out of the room. Ms Bishop agreed to privately speak to a third activist when the Q&A event concluded. Ms Copeland, of the Earth Peace Foundation, said she had unsuccessfully tried to set up a meeting with the Australian Consulate in LA so took her message directly to Ms Bishop. 'We feel very strongly this must end,' Ms Copeland said. 'This is a blight on Australia.' 'UCLA endorses #live trade by endorsing a talk to Australia's Julie Bishop': Protesters held up graphic pictures on campus and posted slogans online before they heckled the foreign minister at the Q&A Ms Bishop had been discussing the role of Australia, the US and China in the Asia-Pacific Just a day earlier, on a rare break from her political duties as Foreign Affairs Minister, Julie Bishop put on a stylish display at the G'Day USA Black Tie Gala. While the 59-year-old usually opts for Giorgio Armani suits and designer heels, this time the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party chose a white gown with a sparkly overlay when she appeared on the red carpet with her boyfriend Robert Hill. The politician, who has said in interviews in the past that she tries to wear clothes that will promote an appropriate image for Australia, could easily double up as Fashion Minister, and this was in full evidence at the Gala, as she and her husband posed for the cameras. Speaking to Sky News, Julie Bishop said that the theme of this year's G'Day USA Gala was innovation. 'Innovation, ingenuity, Australian creativity and a sophisticated diverse economy,' she said, arguing that there would be a push for more films to be produced in Australia. 'We've had some successes with the Thor film and the next Alien film and we are hoping to attract more,' she said. Meanwhile, Julie Bishop has been in the USA between 21 and 31 January. She is currently in LA on the last leg of her US tour. She is there to meet with business leaders from the film and television industry and will return to Australia afterwards. All white: The 59-year-old fashionista politician attended the G'Day USA Black Tie Gala in LA a day earlier A white Chicago police officer who shot a black teenager dead 16 times did not tamper with his squad car's dashcam, his attorney has said. The statement comes in response to a Chicago news outlet's report this week that the device was intentionally damaged. DNAinfo Chicago obtained Chicago Police Department maintenance records through a public information request that show the dashboard video and audio recording device in officer Jason Van Dyke's vehicle was damaged and repaired at least twice in the months leading up to the October 2014 shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald. Scroll down for video White Chicago cop Jason Van Dyke (pictured left) was accused of tampering with the dashcam on the fateful night he shot and killed 17-year-old Laquan McDonald But in his preliminary hearing today, his attorneys, Will Fahy, left, and Dan Herbert, foreground denied the allegations. Herbert said: 'Let me be very clear on this, my client had nothing to do with any tampering of an audio' During the night of the shooting, the system recorded video but did not capture any audio. Also Friday, Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office announced expanded police reforms that include enhanced training for police officers and 911 dispatchers on interacting with people in crisis, particularly those with mental illness. The training is in part a response to another fatal police shooting on December 26, in which officers responded to a domestic disturbance. Police have said 19-year-old Quintonio Legrier was 'combative' toward police; a neighbor who wasn't involved in the disturbance, 55-year-old Bettie Jones, was also killed. The city agency that investigates police misconduct said this week that Legrier called 911 three times before he was shot. Van Dyke (mugshot left) has been charged with first-degree murder in Laquan's (right) shooting. He fired at the teenager 16 times in October 2014 The squad car video of the McDonald shooting, which was released in November, contradicted officer accounts that McDonald lunged at them, setting off weeks of protests, accusations of a cover-up and demands for Emanuel's resignation. It also prompted a wide-ranging civil rights investigation by the U.S. Justice Department. Van Dyke attorney Dan Herbert told reporters after a preliminary hearing held today on Van Dyke's charges of first-degree murder: 'Let me be very clear on this, my client had nothing to do with any tampering of an audio,' 'If this audio was tampered with then it was tampered with by somebody other than Jason Van Dyke.' The maintenance records show that a day after technicians fixed the device's wiring in June, it was intentionally damaged, the DNAinfo report said. It was fixed another time in October, but on the night of the shooting, 12 days later, the system did not record any audio. A review of videos downloaded from the system concluded that personnel failed to sync the microphones, the report said. Herbert said no individual police officer is assigned to one specific vehicle, suggesting that if the device in the vehicle that Van Dyke used the night of the McDonald shooting had been damaged, another officer could be to blame. Videos from four other squad cars at the scene also did not have audio. The stills from the dashcam show the incident unfold, but failed to record audio Several experts on the type of equipment commonly installed in police vehicles spoke to The Associated Press in December about the lack of audio and said that it's plausible for a single squad car to have a glitch, but they could not imagine how an entire fleet of cars would lose audio at the same time and place by happenstance. Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said today that he said could not comment on whether Van Dyke tampered with the dashcam in his vehicle because the case is under investigation. Chicago Police conducted an audit that determined that about 80 percent of the department's cameras did not have functioning audio systems and acknowledged some had been 'maliciously' damaged by officers. The department has taken a number of steps to try to regain the trust of the community. Interim Police Superintendent John Escalante warned officers that they would be disciplined if their dashboard cameras were not in working order or failed to turn on their dashcam microphones. Lead prosecutor Risa Lanier, center, approaches the bench along with defense attorneys, Randy Rueckert, left and Will Fahy during a status hearing on the killing of Lacquan McDonald Van Dyke (pictured centre) who is charged with first-degree murder, has pleaded not guilty Guglielmi said Friday that the department now audits dashcams on a daily basis and that 'officers and supervisors will be held accountable.' Since the closer scrutiny began last month, 20 officers and supervisors have faced discipline ranging from reprimands to a few days' suspension, Guglielmi said, adding that 'there is still work to do.' Van Dyke, who is charged with first-degree murder, has pleaded not guilty. His attorney told reporters today that the officer and his family have received death threats. He has no formal protection, but the police department is aware of the threats and 'taking precautions,' Herbert said. He also said he's still considering making a request for a change of trial venue, because he says it will be 'extremely difficult' to seat an impartial jury in Chicago. Other officers at the scene are also under investigation because of apparent discrepancies between what they said happened in their reports and what the video shows happened. Grieving: John and Marilyn Miller's Red Cap son Corporal Simon Miller, 21, was shot 34 times The grieving parents of a military policeman slaughtered by Iraqis nearly 13 years ago have been blocked from finding out the names of their sons alleged killers because of data protection. John and Marilyn Miller, whose son Corporal Simon Miller, 21, was shot 34 times, said it was the ultimate betrayal to have had no justice for their sons death while British soldiers were being relentlessly hounded over alleged incidents in Iraq. After a request under the Freedom of Information Act, they have obtained witness statements taken shortly after six Red Caps were massacred in Iraq in June 2003. These show how local police handed over a list of nine suspects to the Ministry of Defence. The previously unseen documents also reveal how 16 witnesses described what happened on the day, including graphic details of how insurgents armed with AK-47 assault rifles fired at the police station where the British soldiers were and shouted kill them. Despite this, not one Iraqi has been held responsible for the slaughter. The MoD has released the witness statements but the suspects names have been redacted in black. The FoI Act has exposed numerous scandals and wasteful public spending in the public sector, but the publics right to know is under threat from a Government review of the Act. The Millers are furious that, as taxpayers fork out tens of millions of pounds to fund claims against British veterans of the Iraq war, barely a penny has been spent by the Government on bringing the Iraqis responsible for the Red Caps murders to justice. Since 2003, the MoD has spent 100million on Iraq-related investigations and compensation, with 44million more earmarked for ongoing compensation claims from Iraqis up to 2019. A further 55.7million has been set aside for the Iraq Historical Allegations Team to investigate cases up to 2019. Mr Miller, 64, of Washington, Tyne and Wear, said: Im disgusted and outraged at the number of allegations against British troops in Iraq. Pictured, Corporal Simon Miller was killed by insurgents armed with AK-47s in Iraq, in 2003 What is even worse is that there is no reciprocation for the brutal murder of my son and his five Royal Military Police comrades. If this isnt the ultimate betrayal then nothing is. He said it was absolute nonsense that they were not able to have the names of the suspects, nor the name of the interpreter who was with their son at the time so they could speak to him. They keep telling us it is for data protection reasons and that they dont want to jeopardise any court case in Iraq, he added. It is absolute nonsense. They dont want us to know because they dont want to do anything about it. I want to know who killed my son. I want to be able to use those names to fight for justice. I want to see the Iraqis investigated like we are investigating our guys. The Red Caps were attacked in the southern Iraqi town of Majar al-Kabir in June 2003, weeks after Saddam Hussein was toppled. Some of their bodies were found riddled with bullets while others had marks which suggested they had been dragged, tied up, or beaten with rifles. In February 2010, eight suspects were taken into custody, but charges against six were dropped. The other two, Hamza Hateer and Mussa Ismael al Fartusi, were due to stand trial in Baghdad. But the judge dismissed the charges after nine witnesses testified that they had not seen any of the killers. The witness statements reveal a new list of nine alleged killers, but all the names are blacked out. The MoD said: The UK Government remains committed to obtaining justice for the six soldiers and their families and continues to seek updates from the Iraqi government on their investigation. HEROES CORNERED AND SLAUGHTERED The murders of six members of the Royal Military Police cornered by a mob of 500 locals at a police station was one of the most notorious incidents of the Iraq War. Corporal Russell Aston, 30, Corporal Simon Miller, 21, Lance Corporal Thomas Keys, 20, Corporal Paul Long, 24, Sergeant Simon Hamilton-Jewell, 41 and Lance Corporal Benjamin Hyde, 23, were killed in June 2003. The Red Caps, who had been training Iraqi officers, were attacked in the town of Majar al-Kabir, near Basra, southern Iraq. In an act of tribal vengeance, the mob had been hunting coalition forces and came upon the six Britons in a police station. The military policemen had been sent into a powder-keg, unaware that a Parachute Regiment unit had been involved in firefights with local people, or that there was fury over rumours that four Iraqis had been killed during a riot in the towns market square earlier that morning. An inquest in 2006 heard that the Red Caps had been given antiquated radios and inadequate ammunition, meaning they could not summon help or defend themselves. Advertisement WITCH-HUNT FIRM HELPS CYPRUS MIGRANTS By Larisa Brown A law firm hounding British soldiers over their role in the Iraq War is now representing migrants who landed on a military base in Cyprus. Leigh Day has taken on the cases of 11 of the 115 refugees who arrived on RAF Akrotiri by boat from Lebanon late last year. The firm which is facing a tribunal over allegedly unscrupulous practices says the three families are Britains responsibility and the country has to uphold their human rights by taking care of them. Solicitors hounding UK troops over their role in the Iraq War are representing migrants in Cyprus (file photo) They claim the migrants, including a pregnant woman and four children, were effectively forced by the Ministry of Defence to claim asylum with the Cypriot authorities. Those who did not were allegedly told they would be sent back to Lebanon. The firm is seeking a judicial review, arguing that the UK is shirking its legal responsibilities to take care of the arrivals because they landed on British soil. It means the migrants could stay on the base at taxpayers expense for months until their case is heard in the British courts. If Leigh Day wins the case, refugees who land at the base could be allowed to come to Britain, opening up the prospect of Cyprus becoming a back door to Britain. But last night a senior government source told the Mail: Were crystal clear that this is not a back door into the UK. It seems these ambulance chasers are now going after migrant boats and well be robustly defending these spurious claims. The migrants, originally from Syria, Lebanon and Palestine, arrived at Akrotiri in October. They said they had made the crossing from Syria via Turkey, and were heading for Greece when they landed on the base by accident. Leigh Day has taken on the cases of 11 of the 115 refugees who arrived on RAF Akrotiri by boat from Lebanon Five migrants have agreed to be sent back to Lebanon, and one has been flown back. Some 110 have claimed asylum, and 64 are in Cypriot territory. The other 46, including the families represented by Leigh Day, remain on British soil on the island. In a scathing attack on Leigh Day, Tory MP David Davies said: These lawyers are creaming money off the taxpayers in order to undermine this country. They are an absolute disgrace to the profession, and they should stop getting cash for cases the vast majority of the British public would completely disagree with. Sir Gerald Howarth, a former defence minister, added: This is Cyprus, not the UK. If migrants choose to land on the beaches alongside the base it must be the responsibility of the Cypriot government, not the British government. We would do no favours to people by simply hoovering up hundreds of thousands of people and importing them to the UK. Asked if they should be given sanctuary in Britain, he said: Absolutely, certainly not. A father and his wife were found guilty of murdering of his five-year-old daughter Friday in a Michigan courtroom. The couple, Andrew, 25, and Hilery Maison, 27, of Port Huron were convicted of felony murder in the death of Mackenzie Maison. In addition, they were also found guilty of first-degree child abuse and torture of Mackenzie and her three-year-old sister Makayla. Hilery Maison wept in court before handcuffs were snapped around her wrists after the verdict was announced, the Times Herald reported. Mackenzie was found dead at the couple's home on May 26 weighing just 25 pounds, while her three-year-old sister Makayla, who managed to survive, weighed just 17 pounds. Guilty: Hilery Maison, 27, wipes away a tear as she is handcuffed after being found guilty, Friday for the felony murder and torture of her five-year-old stepdaughter, Mackenzie Andrew Maison, 25, looks down as he is handcuffed after being found guilty Friday for the felony murder and torture of his five-year-old daughter Mackenzie, who died last year Heartbreaking: Mackenzie (above) died after suffering from severe dehydration and malnutrition and weighing just 25 pounds Authorities said that both girls were severely malnourished and dehydrated. During the trial the court heard that a girl of three would normally be around 30 pounds and a girl of five years should be about 40 pounds, though that can vary based on height and other factors. Mona Armstrong, the senior assistant prosecutor, said that the girls achieved some level of justice thanks to the jurors' verdict. 'It doesn't change what happened and it doesn't bring back Mackenzie,' Armstrong told the Times Herald. 'It does serve a measure of justice. But it should never have gotten to this point.' During the six-day trial, more than 20 witnesses testified, including family members, friends, firefighters, paramedics, police and medical experts. According to 911 calls that were played in court during the trial, Hilery Maison, Mackenzie's stepmother, called dispatchers before 8.30pm on the day of her death. Hilery and Andrew Maison speak quietly during a brief break in the second day of their trial. They were also found guilty of first-degree child abuse and torture of Mackenzie, and her three-year-old sister Makayla Andrew (mugshot left) and Hilery (mugshot right) stood trial on charges of murder, two counts of torture and two counts of first-degree child abuse Mackenzie (above) was found dead at the couple's home on May 26 weighing just 25 pounds, while her 3-year-old sister Makayla, who managed to survive, weighed just 17 pounds Hilery Maison first told dispatchers that the five-year-old girl was 'rebelling' against food, but then later said that she wasn't breathing, the newspaper reported. Medical crews spent roughly 45 minutes attempting to resuscitate her, but she was pronounced dead at the hospital. During the trial, medical experts testified that Mackenzie was malnourished, dehydrated, had pneumonia and was bruised. Her younger sister, who only weighed 17 pounds, was taken to the children's hospital in Detroit for treatment of malnourishment and has since doubled her weight while in foster care. It was revealed during the trial that neither girl had seen a doctor for at least a year prior to Mackenzie's death. The Times Herald reported that the couple was remanded to the St. Clair County jail without bond and their sentencing is March 10. The raccoon that mauled a six-year-old New Jersey boy as he walked to school with his mother has tested positive for rabies, it was confirmed Friday. Aryan Gavali had to get nine stitches on his face and received a deep cut under his right eye before he was saved by a heroic neighbor during the vicious attack Wednesday morning. The child was on his way to the 16th Avenue Elementary School with his mother, Monali Gavali, when a large raccoon jumped on his back and and proceeded to bite and scratch him in the face. Aryan was released from the hospital on Thursday as his family awaited the results. Lucky to be alive: Aryan Gavali, six, pictured left and right with his mother, required nine stitches to his face after being mauled by a raccoon in New Jersey. The attack occurred as the boy was walking to school Pratap Gavaili, the boy's father, said the doctors' are ready to start any necessary vaccinations and that his son is 'eating well and sleeping well'. 'But it's going to take a little bit of time to heal his stitches on his face,' Pratap told The Record. 'It's still swollen and there's a little bit of pain there. He's on antibiotics right now.' Elmwood Park resident Danny Walls was driving back home to get gas before heading to work when he heard the screams of Aryan's mother. 'Within a second, he screamed, "Mommy"', Monali told NBC New York. 'Then I turned around and saw that he was on the ground...something was there, something was on his back.' Walls saw Monali 'screaming hysterically' for help and then saw the raccoon clawing Aryan's face. 'I've never seen anything like it, the most vicious thing I've ever seen in my life,' he told The Record. 'He was gnawing at his face...like a dog playing with a toy. And he was growling so viciously.' Dangerous varmint: The carcass of the dead animal was later taken to a lab, where it tested positive for rabies 'At that very moment, I felt that was my son. It was really emotional, and I knew that I had to actually kill that raccoon.' Walls grabbed a pole, made of fiberglass and aluminum, that he used for work and separated the raccoon from Aryan so he would have enough space to kill it without hurting the boy. 'The raccoon screamed and I gave it more effort,' he told the newspaper. 'But he still wanted to attack the boy. He had so much fight in him.' But Walls, who has a son and stepson, said Aryan was tough too - doing his best to fight back. Hero: Neighbor Danny Walls rescued Aryan by grabbing a painter's pole and whacking the raccoon until it died This image shows Walls recreating how he struck the animal until it let go of the six-year-old boy Walls visited Aryan at the hospital on Thursday for an emotional reunion where the boys' family expressed their gratitude. 'He was happy to see me, he smiled at me,' Walls said. 'That was good enough for me. That was beautiful. He made me even more emotional than I already am.' He was happy to see me, he smiled at me, Walls said. That was good enough for me. That was beautiful. He made me even more emotional than I already am. The school has not addressed the lawsuit or the world history The parents of a Maryland teenager have launched a lawsuit against their daughter's public high school, claiming the district forced the 16-year-old to take classes that promote Islam over Christianity and Judaism. John Wood, a former Marine, and his wife Melissa Wood, have filed a civil rights complaint against La Plata High School, alleging their daughter - identified only as C.W. - spent one day in a modern history class studying Christianity, followed by two weeks immersed in Islam. According to court documents obtained by The Daily Mail Online, the 11th grader 'had to profess the Shahada by claiming ''There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.''' 'Such discriminatory treatment of Christianity is an unconstitutional promotion of one religion over another,' President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center Richard Thompson said. 'Parents must be ever vigilant to the Islamic indoctrination of their children': John Wood, a former Marine, and his wife Melissa Wood, have filed a civil rights complaint against La Plata High School in Maryland Thompson claims that, for non-Muslims, reciting such a statement is the equivalent of converting to Islam. He also said the school failed to clearly make known to students and their families that a study of Islam was to be part of the world history curriculum. Students were also required to memorize and recite the Five Pillars of Islam and were subjected to disparaging teachings about Christianity, the Woods claim. 'The course also taught false statements such as Allah is the same God worshiped by Christians and Islam is a '''religion of peace'',' Thompson said in the filings. World history: Maryland high school is being sued for teaching religious studies to students 'A school cannot achieve diversity by punishing and alienating students who hold Judeo-Christian beliefs, while bolstering the doctrines and teachings of other religions. 'Parents must be ever vigilant to the Islamic indoctrination of their children under the guise of teaching history and multiculturalism. 'This is happening in public schools across the country. And they must take action to stop it.' Additionally, the suit claims that Mr Wood was banned from the school grounds after complaining about the curriculum. Mr Wood served eight years in the Marine Corps and was deployed in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. He was also deployed to the Pentagon as a firefighter during the September 11 attacks. The suit also says that, following Mr Wood's complaint, he was told his daughter would fail the subject if she were to pull out. The family is asking for declaratory and injunctive relief barring the promotion of Islam over other religions on school grounds. They also want the no-trespass order against Mr Wood to be lifted. La Plata High School has not yet addressed claims that a world history class had students 'memorize and recite the Five Pillars of Islam and were subjected to disparaging teachings about Christianity' The defendants are named in the suit as Charles County Public Schools, the Charles County Board of Education, La Plata High School principal Evelyn Arnold and vice-principal Shannon Morris. A Charles County Public Schools spokesman refused to comment on the lawsuit when contacted by local newspaper The Bay Net this week. 'We are aware of the lawsuit, but we have not yet been served,' the spokesperson said. 'We cannot comment further at this time.' However, the school did send a statement to WTOP, clarifying the curriculum of their world history class. 'The particular unit in question is on the formation of Middle Eastern empires in which students learned the basic concepts of the Islamic faith and how it, along with politics, culture, economics and geography, contributed to the development of the Middle East,' the statement said. 'Other religions are introduced when they influence or impact a particular historical era or geographic region. For example, when reviewing the Renaissance and Reformation, students study the concepts and role of Christianity. 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. Those who drive as part of their job should face stiffer punishments for using a mobile phone at the wheel, a top police officer has said. Delivery drivers and salesmen should face a ban if they are caught twice, according to Chief Constable Suzette Davenport, who says tough penalties would act as a deterrent. She has called for a two-tier system, with other drivers being punished less harshly. Chief Constable Suzette Davenport said salesmen should face a ban if they are caught on their mobile phones twice. She has called for a two-tier system, with other drivers being punished less harshly (file photo) Miss Davenport, the Association of Chief Police Officers lead officer on road policing, suggested that professional drivers pose a disproportionate risk to others as they travel up and down the nations motorways and A-roads. She said the vast majority who use mobiles know their actions are illegal but are under such pressure from their employers they are willing to flout the law. If you get caught twice on a mobile phone during a set period of time you should receive a short-term ban, she said. If you cannot conduct your professional life or business, that is really going to impact on people and I hope it would be a deterrent. She said the vast majority of people are concerned about the issue. Miss Davenport does not think current proposals to increase penalties go far enough. Ministers are planning to raise fines for drivers caught on their mobiles from 100 to 150, as well as increasing the number of endorsement points they receive on their licences. This would rise from three to four, and from three to six for drivers of large vehicles such as HGVs. But the vast majority of drivers will escape any penalty at all as first-time offenders are offered educational courses aimed at changing their behaviour. The use of mobile phones was a contributing factor in 21 fatal accidents and 84 serious accidents in 2014, the last year for which figures are available. Strict: Suzette Davenport, pictured, says tough penalties would act as a deterrent to drivers Police unveiled two national campaigns cracking down on mobile use behind the wheel last year, catching 2,690 drivers in June and another 2,276 in September. Miss Davenport added: I am looking at people running up and down the motorways, these are often young men aged 20 to 35. They are professional drivers. If these people are driving as part of their business and they are taking more risks as a result, in return they should face higher enforcement. Police are desperate to make using a mobile phone behind the wheel a social taboo, just like drink driving or not using a seatbelt. However, motoring organisations voiced concerns about any move to implement two tiers of punishments. Edmund King, of the AA, said there is evidence that business drivers are involved in more crashes, but he is cautious about treating some motorists differently. He said: Pressure is put on them to get to four of five appointments a day, this results in them choosing to speed and use their phone, but shouldnt we treat all drivers the same? According to Ministry of Justice figures, just 17,414 prosecutions against drivers using their phone began in magistrates courts in England and Wales in 2014, down by 47 per cent from 32,571 in 2009. This is despite a 2014 Department for Transport study that found 1.6 per cent of drivers in England were observed using a mobile, up from 1.4 per cent in 2009. Ministers may consider banning drivers from using hands-free phones thanks to new technology, it was claimed last night. Hands-free calls only escaped the ban when it was introduced in 2003 because it was felt police could not actually enforce the law. Lunchtime in rural Iowa and an orderly queue begins to form outside the locked doors of a high school gymnasium in a small community called Marshalltown. A chill wind is blowing flurries of snow into the faces of anyone hardy, or foolish, enough to venture out of doors but that hasn't stopped growing numbers of locals from standing patiently in line to be first across the threshold when the doors open in three hours' time. To keep at least partially warm, many in the crowd are wearing distinctive woolly hats. They bear the stars and stripes flag and a four-word campaign slogan that can also be found plastered on billboards across the county. Once dismissed as a joke candidate, Donald Trump has managed to utterly dominate the early running in the race which culminates in November Yet to the utter bafflement of his countless liberal critics, Trump's bandwagon has only gathered pace Trump's campaign rallies have become some of the hottest tickets in America It reads: 'Make America Great Again' the slogan of Donald J. Trump, the outspoken entrepreneur and TV personality mounting an audacious bid for the U.S. presidency. Loathed by the Establishment, and with no prior experience of politics, the 69-year-old billionaire was until last year known primarily for building luxury apartment blocks named after himself, owning a gold-plated toilet, having flamboyant golden hair, and travelling in a private jet with his name embossed on it in large, gold letters. Since 2004, he has cemented his status as a household name by fronting the hit U.S. version of The Apprentice. Yet recent months have seen Trump make an unlikely transition from buffoonish celebrity into an increasingly serious contender for the White House. Once dismissed as a joke candidate, he has managed to utterly dominate the early running in the race which culminates in November by generating endless news coverage via a series of provocative statements and policy pronouncements. Before Christmas, for example, Trump, who is bidding to become the Republican nominee, called for 'a total and complete shutdown' on Muslims entering America, in order to prevent terror attacks. A few months earlier, he pledged to build a vast wall across America's southern border to keep out illegal Mexican immigrants, saying: 'They're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists!' Yet to the utter bafflement of his countless liberal critics, his bandwagon has only gathered pace. At present, Trump leads every single poll of potential Republican candidates, with the backing of between 35 and 40 per cent of the party's supporters, across the U.S. The Republican presidential candidate holds a depiction of himself in The Simpsons and a photo with Mike 'Iron' Tyson That's roughly twice the figure of his nearest rival, an evangelical Christian called Ted Cruz, and four times that of the Establishment's preferred candidate, former Florida governor Jeb Bush, brother of George W. Bush. Bookmakers this week also made Trump clear favourite to eventually become the party's nominee, with his odds shortened to 6/4. On Monday, the hype surrounding the perma-tanned property mogul's campaign will finally be tested at the ballot box, when Iowa becomes the first of the U.S.'s 50 states to allow supporters of both the Republicans and Democrats to select their preferred presidential candidate. One thing is certain: Trump's campaign rallies have become some of the hottest tickets in America, which is why the crowds outside Marshalltown's gymnasium are hoping to get front-row seats. Many wear badges with their favourite Trump slogans: 'Bomb the s*** out of ISIS,' or 'Up Yours, Hillary!' a reference to Mrs Clinton, his likely Democratic opponent should he win the Republican nomination. Others wave placards proclaiming: 'Mr Trump, you're hired!' By the time the show starts, just before 6pm, more than 2,500 people are shoehorned into the room. It's one of the biggest crowds that Marshalltown, which has a population of just 27,000, has ever seen. What follows turns out to be quite unlike any political rally I have ever seen. Trump, who strides onstage to the music of Adele, doesn't bother to stand at a podium and deliver a speech. Nor does he lay out any sort of grand, sweeping vision for America. Instead, in a spectacle that is part chat-show, part circus act, he parks his backside on a sofa and, with a flick of gravity-defying hair, begins complaining about the state of America and the 'idiots' who run it. 'Jobs are being lost,' he tells his interviewer, a local radio host. The economy is a 'mess'. Illegal immigration is 'out of hand', the government is 'weak' on the international stage and allows 'political hacks' to conduct its affairs. Trump's appeal to the electorate is based around a single, defining emotion: anger Many are drawn to Trump because of rather than in spite of his lack of political experience Across the world, he says, things are equally out of hand. Europe is a 'disaster' thanks to 'stupid politicians' who have allowed immigration to get 'out of control'. 'We've got to get rid of ISIS,' he says, 'because we can't just have people chopping off heads.' As for his rivals for the Republican nomination, they are all 'hopeless'. Ted Cruz is 'a nasty guy; people don't like him'. Jeb Bush 'has no shot'. Glenn Beck, an influential commentator critical of Trump's campaign, is a 'wacko . . . a total nut-job'. He pauses for breath only when the tirade is interrupted by a group of Hispanic protesters who stand up to complain about his attitude towards minorities. As they are carted from the room by security, the atmosphere turns briefly ugly, with sections of the crowd shouting 'Shut up!' or 'Go back to Mexico!' and 'Go home!'. The Punch and Judy nature of proceedings seems out of place in Iowa, a state roughly four hours' drive west of Chicago and famous for its corn farms, traditional values, and modest, God-fearing residents. Yet spend a little time following Trump's bandwagon and you'll soon realise that it reflects a simple truth. For Trump's appeal to the electorate is based around a single, defining emotion: anger. It's been this way since last June, when he launched his campaign with a simple message: 'The American dream is dead.' The country is being run by 'losers', he told a press conference. 'We have people that are morally corrupt. We have people that are selling this country down the drain.' It was to prove a compelling pitch to the crowds who have since flocked to his cause. Indeed, almost every Trump supporter you meet sings from a similar hymn sheet: they distrust career politicians and want to deliver a firm kick up the backside of the Establishment. Many of them were drawn to Trump because of rather than in spite of his lack of political experience. Many are also attracted by the fact that he can finance his bid for office without the help of wealthy donors. 'He's different. He's paying his own way, so he isn't going to owe rich people favours down the line,' says Dan Chyma, 67, who clutches a copy of Trump's new book, Crippled America. 'He's his own man.' The rise of Trump is part of a global phenomenon that has seen anti-Establishment parties such as Ukip (in Britain) the Front National (in France) and the Left-wing Syriza in Greece prosper Jesse Gale, a 21-year-old student who will be voting for the first time in November, adds: 'Trump's not an ordinary politician. America is in crisis. We need real change, and he's a breath of fresh air.' Little wonder, one might observe, that Trump has chosen for his campaign anthem the 1984 song Stay Hungry, by Twisted Sister, with its chorus: 'We're not going to take it / No we ain't going to take it / We're not going to take it any more.' To comprehend the appeal of this sentiment in the U.S. right now, you need perhaps to look to statistics. On paper, America is booming: unemployment is at a seven-year low, GDP is growing steadily, and the stock market, despite recent wobbles, is nearly double the level President Obama inherited in 2008. Yet not everyone is cashing in. For while elites have prospered, many middle-class families and blue-collar workers the demographic which, perhaps more than any other, shaped modern America have seen their fortunes steadily decline. Indeed, figures from the respected Pew Research group estimate that the average income of a middle-class U.S. household fell by 4 per cent, in real terms, between 2000 to 2015. Their overall wealth is down 28 per cent over a similar period. To blame are a number of factors, from the great recession to complex economic trends that have seen blue-collar manufacturing jobs disappear overseas. It is the victims of these trends who are the bedrock of Trump's support. Supporters also appear happy to overlook holes in Trump's CV that would have felled a lesser candidate Cary Covington, an associate professor in Politics at the University of Iowa, says: 'There is a core component of the Republican base who are not wealthy, or elite, but who have been on the losing end of government policies and global trends for some time. 'Politicians have been promising them action for decades, but have never delivered. So they are angry and they want someone who speaks to that.' To Covington, the rise of Trump is part of a global phenomenon that has seen anti-Establishment parties such as Ukip (in Britain) the Front National (in France) and the Left-wing Syriza in Greece prosper. It also, he argues, reflects a growing distrust of mainstream politicians that is perhaps most evident, in Britain, in the election of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader. 'Wherever you look, there is a section of people who feel they are on the losing end of the cultural bargain and want to take dramatic steps to correct the balance,' he says. In the U.S., such people blame the Washington elite for everything from the Iraq war to the doubling of the national debt in the past seven years. As a self-styled outsider, Trump exerts a magnetic pull on their loyalties, seemingly allowing him to flout traditional rules of politics. So it goes that socially conservative voters seem prepared to ignore his three marriages (Melanie, his wife, is a 45-year-old Slovenian former model), his previously liberal views on abortion and gay rights, and seemingly ambivalent attitude to religion. He also seems able to survive, and indeed thrive, after mis-steps that are traditionally supposed to kill a campaign stone dead. In July, for example, he appeared to insult war veterans by putting down Republican Senator John McCain, a former Vietnam prisoner of war who was the party's presidential candidate in 2008, with the words: 'He's a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren't captured.' The son of Fred Trump, a self-made property tycoon, Trump owes his wealth largely to an inheritance he received in the mid-Seventies This week, he dominated the news agenda by refusing to take part in a campaign debate chaired by Megyn Kelly, a Fox News host who has previously asked the twice-divorced Trump awkward questions about his attitude to women. Critics argued that a man scared of a TV presenter is hardly qualified to face down Vladimir Putin. Yet on these, and every other one of the many occasions he has made what would normally be regarded as a mistake, Trump's poll ratings have gone up, rather than down. Partly, his success has been due to an ability to generate headlines. While his rivals are dull, professional politicians, he embraces such colourful eccentrics as Sarah Palin. Only last week, he was endorsed by the former Alaska governor. Unthinkably, perhaps, for the Washington establishment, Palin is now expected to have a role in any future Trump administration. She may even be his running mate. On matters of policy, different rules seem to apply to Trump, too. 'Trump hasn't allowed himself to get nailed down on policy he doesn't have ten-point plans, or anything that a normal politician would have,' is how Steffen Schmidt, a professor of political science at Iowa State University, puts it. 'He just says, 'I'll sort it out. I've made deals. I'm very wealthy. Trust me.' In a time of chaos, people can be attracted to a strong person who has simple explanations and solutions to very complex problems. Trump is that man.' Supporters also appear happy to overlook holes in Trump's CV that would have felled a lesser candidate. The son of Fred Trump, a self-made property tycoon, Trump owes his wealth largely to an inheritance he received in the mid-Seventies. During his subsequent business career, he's presided over four corporate bankruptcies, and a string of failed ventures. Critics often claim that Trump's net worth is put by the Bloomberg financial service at $2.9 billion. Had he merely invested his inheritance in a stock market tracker fund, he'd have more than $8 billion. With this in mind, there are many who still regard Donald Trump as a flash in the pan. Some analysts believe his supporters will fail to turn out. Still more believe a new candidate, such as the admired former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg could make a late entry into the Republican race. Yet even if Trump loses, he will, as he recently told the New York Times, simply 'go back to being Donald Trump, but even bigger'. Hillary Clinton's pollster accused Bernie Sanders today of getting his hands dirty in the Democratic primary and going negative after he said he wouldn't. 'I think he's going negative. I think, in fact, hes probably running the most negative campaign of any Democratic presidential candidate,' top Clinton aide Joel Benenson said today to CNN's Kate Bolduan. Providing context, he told Bolduan, 'I think so in a presidential primary season.' SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO Hillary Clinton's pollster accused Bernie Sanders today of getting his hands dirty in the Democratic primary and going negative after he said he wouldn't 'I think he's going negative. I think, in fact, hes probably running the most negative campaign of any Democratic presidential candidate,' top Clinton aide Joel Benenson said today to CNN's Kate Bolduan The comments were sparked by a 30-second ad that Sanders' campaign dropped yesterday that cunningly slammed Clinton, seen here today in Iowa, without even mentioning her name. Instead, it derided investment banking firm Goldman Sachs. Clinton and her husband have received more than $2.8 million from Goldman Sachs in personal checks for speeches Benenson worked for Barack Obama in 2008 when the then-senator competed against Clinton for the title of Democratic nominee for president. He said today that campaign 'hard fought' - but 'I don't think we had the range of negativity on either side, and I was on Obamas side then, that we've had now.' The Democratic operative charged that Sanders has increasing made his attacks on Clinton 'personal' in his stump speech on the campaign trail. The comments were sparked by a 30-second ad that Sanders' campaign dropped yesterday that cunningly slammed Clinton without even mentioning her name. Instead, it derided investment banking firm Goldman Sachs, which Clinton and her husband have received more than $2.8 million from in personal checks for speeches. The ad specifically targeted Goldman Sachs as one of the responsible parties for the 2008 financial crisis and said, 'How does Wall Street get away with it? Millions in campaign contributions and speaking fees.' 'Our economy works for Wall Street because its rigged by Wall Street - and that's the problem. As long as Washington is bought and paid for, we cant build an economy that works for people,' the ad declares. Sanders crusade against the millionaires and billionaires of the country is a defining characteristic of his campaign. But as the race between he and Clinton has tightened, he's set his sights on Clinton's post-government pay day. Since leaving the State Department in 2013 Clinton has cashed checks in the total amount of $675,000 from the banking giant. Democratic presidential candidate Sen Bernie Sanders speaks at a campaign rally in Davenport, Iowa, on Friday Activist Cornel West (center) cheers as Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders (right) speaks at a campaign event Sanders autographs a Bernie Flag after speaking at a campaign event at the Grand River Event Center in Dubuque, Iowa, on Friday Mary Nettesheim, of Davenport, Iowa, cheers for Sanders during a campaign rally at Grand River Event Center, in Dubuque. She carried a sign that read 'Bernie is the best candidate I've seen in my 97 years!' The Clinton campaign is throwing down over the Sanders ad, released just four days before the Iowa cacuses are held. 'This last-minute sneak attack from the Sanders campaign is clearly meant to plaster the Iowa airwaves in the days before the caucus with negative ads slamming Hillary Clinton, without giving our campaign time to respond,' Matt Paul, Clinton's Iowa director, said in response. 'It's a cynical political ploy.' The day before the ad came out, on Wednesday, Sanders called Clinton for pausing her campaigning in Iowa to hold an out-of state fundraiser at the Office of Franklin Square Capital Partners in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 'She is raising money from a Philadelphia investment firm. Frankly, I'd rather be here with you,' he said during a rally in Mason City, Iowa. He was joined that evening by actress Susan Sarandon who hit Clinton directly for her ties to Goldman Sachs. 'If you want to know how people are going to react and where they really stand, you have to look at whos giving them their money,' she told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview. She moments later sharpened her criticism and said, 'When you have the other candidate taking money from Goldman Sachs, speaking to Goldman Sachs, getting a lot of money from Monsanto, I think it's really naive to believe that that's not going to have some kind of influence over policy.' The barbs between Clinton and Sanders have become more pronounced since the start of the New Year, with both of the candidates getting more aggressive in the final weeks before the polls opened. Supporters of Sanders hold up electric boards spelling his name as they wait for his appearance at a campaign event at the Grand River Event Center in Dubuque, Iowa, on Friday Sanders speaks to an enthusiastic crowd at a campaign event at the Grand River Event Center in Dubuque, Iowa, on Friday Sanders takes a moment to autograph campaign posters reading 'The Revolution Starts Now' after speaking at a campaign event on Friday Sanders speaks in Dubuque three days before the first in a series of intra-party contests to determine party nominees are held in Iowa Clinton has unabashedly taken Sanders to task over his plans to overhaul federal health programs like Obamacare and turn them into a Medicaid-for-all-program. Today she said at a rally in Davenport, Iowa, the Affordable Care Act increased national health coverage to 90 percent. 'I think we can get to 100 percent, and I do not believe that it is the right policy, as Senator Sanders has suggested to start all over again, to throw people back into a contentious debate.' She made a similar comment at her first public event of the day in Des Moines. 'He wants us to start over with a plan that will be very difficult,' she said. Her criticism of the Vermont senator has been mild compared to the attacks she made on Obama in 2008, however. After he sent out mailers she said mischaracterized her position on healthcare she said the then-Illinois senator was 'using tactics that are right out of [GOP operative] Karl Rove's play book'. 'This is wrong, and every Democrat should be outraged because this is the kind of attack that not only undermines core Democratic values but gives aid and comfort to the very special interests and their allies in the Republican Party who are against doing what we want to do for America,' she said. Adding with a shout, 'So shame on you, Barack Obama!' Sanders' campaign brought the moment back up this month in response to her jabs at him over the universal health care program he has proposed. 'In another flip-flop, shes doing exactly what she once decried,' Sanders' campaign said. Obama wasn't without blemish, either, when it came to attacking Clinton. He memorably said in a 2008 debate that she was 'likeable enough' and called her 'Annie Oakley' over her position on guns. Sanders comes out from behind a curtain as his wife Jane O'Meara Sanders looks on during a campaign rally at Danceland Ballroom in Davenport, Iowa Eleven-year-old local supporter Rylon Hall (center) holds up a sign reading 'Elect Bernie Sanders for us all!' as Sanders speaks in Davenport, Iowa, on Friday Supporters react at Bernie speaks to voters during a campaign rally at the Danceland Ballroom in Davenport, Iowa, on Friday Sydney is being hit by a wild electrical storm which has caused power outages and flash flooding across the region. The heavy rain rolled in just before 5pm, bringing with it dark clouds which turned the bright sky to night earlier than usual. Lighting lit up the clouds as rain pored down and thunder continued to roll over the city. A severe weather warning has been eased after a violent downpour over Sydney A storm which hit Sydney on Saturday has cause flash flooding across the city Heavy rain and dark clouds were lit up by lightning which streaked across the sky Driving rainfall and hail has smashed Sydney's west and northwest, with 36mm of rain falling at Strathfield in just 15 minutes and 42mm received at Goulburn. Among those saved was a 50-year-old man who clung to a tree at Edmondson Park, in Sydney's southwest, for more than two hours after his car was swamped by floodwaters. An entire unit block at Lidcombe in western Sydney was evacuated after the building's roof blew off, while a house's roof in the Blue Mountains collapsed in ferocious weather. A whirl pool on someone's flooded veranda An undercover Bunnings' car park filling with water The view of the harbour during the storm The SES are expecting calls for help, and believe this storm could be worse than the one which tore through the city yesterday. 50,000 homes have already been left without power as a result of the storm. On Friday one man was killed and a 17-year-old girl was injured in Queensland as huge storms battered Australia's east coast. The storm has been responsible for power outages across the city which included a shopping centre in the southern suburb of Miranda. A view of the storm as it lashed Sydney The SES are expecting more call outs than usual because of the severity of the storm This storm could be worse than the one on Friday 'Emergency crews are being hampered in patrolling these areas to make safe and commence the restoration process by ongoing lightning and heavy rain,' Endeavour Energy said in a statement. SES spokeswoman Sue Pritchard again warned people to steer well clear of floodwaters. 'Don't drive through them, don't walk through them, don't let your kids play near them,' Ms Pritchard told AAP. 'We've had so much rain lately that anything that hits the ground is going to run off, and there are so many spots where it's just too dangerous. 'If you're driving and come across floodwaters, stop, turn around and find another way.' Traffic lights are blank at an intersection in Miranda Shoppers continue their grocery shopping in darkness after a power failure at Woolworths in Westfield Miranda The storm brought with it strong winds, reaching up to 98km/h at Badgerys Creek at 4:19pm. 30mm of rain fell in 10 minutes at Toongabbie. Severe wearther warnings have been eased for the city however the Illawarra, South Coast, Central Tablelands, Southern Tablelands, South West Slopes, Snowy Mountains, Australian Capital Territory and parts of the Hunter, Central West Slopes and Plains, Riverina and Northern Tablelands districts are still under alert. Hervey Bay - a holiday town 300 kilometres north of Brisbane - appeared to be the worst hit by a storm front that battered southeast Queensland on Friday evening. Parramatta road is flooded following the storm Traffic was forced to slow down to travel through the floodwater Heavy rain fell across Sydney on Saturday afternoon The rain clouds turned the sky black Impressive lightning featured against the darkened sky Saturday's storm as it moved across Sydney The heavy rain can be seen dropping in the distance A 68-year-old man died after being struck by a falling tree branch at a caravan park in the region. And a 17-year-old girl sitting on a metal toilet seat in a public bathroom block was struck by lightning and rushed to hospital - luckily with non life-threatening injuries. In contrast to the rain in the east, a raging bushfire in Western Australia threatened to wipe out Wedge Island - a coastal town about 170 kilometres north of Perth. The threat eased on Saturday. A storm passes over suburban Sydney Rain falling as a storm passes over Sydney The sky turned dark mid-afternoon By 5.10pm the sky looked as dark as night Menacing storm cell passing through Mountain Tamborine in southeast Queensland on Friday afternoon. The state is expected to be hit with similar conditions today Hervey Bay (pictured) in southeast Queensland appeared to be the worst hit by the wild storm on Friday night. A 68-year-old man was killed by a falling tree and a 17-year-old girl was struck by lightning Hail, destructive winds and flash flooding is expected to continue in parts of NSW including Sydney on Saturday Tropical cyclone Stan is expected to hit the northern coast of Western Australia, just south of Broome, early on Sunday morning. The cyclone is expected to reach category 3 intensity and bring 'extremely destructive' gale force winds with gusts up to 170km/h when it hits land - between Port Hedland and east to Wallal. The Bureau of Meteorology issued severe weather warnings in place for Tasmania and Victoria. The mercury in Brisbane could reach as high as 33C on Saturday and 32C on Sunday, but the muggy temperatures are unlikely to stop a passing thunderstorm - which could bring as much as 80mm of rainfall in two days. Flood warnings were also issued in Queensland on Saturday morning for the Fitzroy, Condamine, Thomson, Cooper, Georgina, Eyre, Dawson and Maranoa Rivers. Emergency services deal with flood waters in southern Sydney late on Friday night Trees were ripped from their roots and smashed homes in Hervey Bay The weather bureau warns that Sydney could be hit by thunderstorms More than 50,000 properties across central and southern Queensland lost power on Friday In Victoria, thunderstorms and heavy rain which may lead to flash flooding are expected for people in the North Central, North East, South West, Central, West and South Gippsland and East Gippsland districts. Melbourne will endure light winds and rain on Saturday afternoon, which should stick around for much of Sunday and could linger till Monday afternoon. The heat and humidity experienced by Sydneysiders on Saturday morning could quickly turn to large hailstorms, flash flooding and punishing winds by afternoon, the weather bureau warns. WEEKEND WEATHER FORECAST SYDNEY Saturday: Showers increasing - min 20, max 29 Sunday: Shower or two - min 20, max 29 ADELAIDE Saturday: Shower or two - min 14, max 25 Sunday: Mostly sunny - min 15, max29 MELBOURNE Saturday: Shower or two - min 14, max 24 Sunday: Shower or two - min 15, max 25 HOBART Saturday: Shower or two - min 17, max 23 Sunday: Shower or two - min 17, max 23 BRISBANE Saturday: Possible storm - min 25, max 34 Sunday: Possible storm - min 24, max 33 PERTH Saturday: Possible storm - min 22, max 29 Sunday: Morning shower or two - min 19, max 23 DARWIN Saturday: Possible storm - min 27, max 32 Sunday: Possible storm - min 26, max 31 CANBERRA Saturday: Likely storm - min 12, max 27 Sunday: Possible storm - min 12, max 24 Advertisement Liverpool in Sydney's south west was hit by lightening and thunder early Friday afternoon The storms are also expected to drench Sydney well into Saturday and people are being told to make sure their homes are secure and cars are undercover Emergency services on Australia's east coast are now bracing for more thunderstorms on the horizon Residents in many parts of NSW including Sydney were on Friday warned to batten down the hatches as another round of severe storms and damaging winds closed in on the state. The brutal storms on Friday triggered more than 350 calls for help and cut power to more than 40,000 homes in the state. Flooding sparked at least three rescue calls, with State Emergency Service crews swooping on a Sydney family of four whose car was overcome on Friday afternoon. Emergency services are now bracing for more thunderstorms on the horizon, SES spokesman Phil Campbell told AAP on Friday. 'There still are some storms kicking around the west and northwest, and the real risk now is those storms redeveloping tomorrow. 'We could be looking at a repeat of today all over again.' A Watch and Act alert is now in place for the communities of the south-western part of Dandaragan in Western Australia after a lightning strike sparked a fire in the region on Tuesday evening, ABC reported. The blaze has already burnt through close to 15,000 hectares, but about 90 Parks and Wildlife and Bush Fire Service firefighters are working to strengthen the containment lines. Huge bolts of lightning strike down near Hervey Bay late on Friday evening - lighting up the night sky A raging bushfire that threatened to wipe out much of Wedge Island on Friday - a coastal town about 170 kilometres north of Perth - has been downgraded as firefighters work to contain it. Picture by Lancelin Victim: Stephen Lawrence was murdered in 1993 Police in the Stephen Lawrence case have made a potentially crucial forensic breakthrough. It has led to a number of people connected to the murder investigation being asked to provide DNA samples. Detectives hope to identify a sixth white youth they believe was involved in the 1993 killing. The dramatic move follows a fresh round of tests on items recovered on the night 18-year-old Stephen died. Scientists found previously undetected DNA that is said to be of great interest to detectives. Those asked to provide a sample via a mouth swab are not thought to have been involved directly in the murder. One theory is the DNA is that of a friend or accomplice of the killers. Another is that it is from someone who witnessed the stabbing but has been too terrified to talk to police. The development comes four years after two of the original suspects, Gary Dobson and David Norris, were belatedly convicted of Stephen's murder. The pair were trapped when a forensic breakthrough including DNA, hair and fibre evidence linked them to his death. But three other suspects, brothers Neil and Jamie Acourt and Luke Knight, have yet to face justice. The latest DNA breakthrough has raised hopes that police will be able to secure enough evidence to bring fresh murder charges. A number of other significant lines of inquiry are being followed. The Met said: 'Due to advances in forensic examination and DNA profiling, police inquiries are focusing on the significance of a certain item recovered on the night of the murder. 'The individuals who police have approached for DNA samples are not suspected of being involved in the murder. 'We will not discuss what the item recovered on the night of the murder is, or who we have approached for a DNA sample. 'This line of inquiry commenced after two convictions were secured in 2012. Samples will be taken via a mouth swab by a police officer.' A former senior detective said: 'The fact that the Met is carrying out a DNA sweep shows its importance.' In 2007, The Mail's front page revealed how the suspects faced re-arrest after forensic breakthrough. The others who were arrested were Neil Acourt (second from left), his brother Jamie (centre) and Luke Knight (second from right) A-level student Stephen was stabbed to death near a bus stop in Eltham, south-east London, in a racist attack. After years of bungling and failed inquiries, a new investigation led by Detective Chief Inspector Clive Driscoll led to an investigation that brought the case to court successfully. Drug dealer Dobson and gangster's son Norris two of the original five prime suspects named as Stephen's killers by the Daily Mail in 1997 were convicted of murder in January 2012. The fact that the Met is carrying out a DNA sweep shows its importance (former senior detective) After their convictions, Norris launched a failed appeal on the basis that the use of a surveillance video in evidence was prejudicial. In the video, shot 20 months after Stephen's murder, Norris was secretly filmed telling friends he wanted to torture and kill black people. Dobson was seen in one clip recalling a time he threatened a black colleague with a knife. In March 2013 Dobson dropped his appeal against his conviction. That May Norris lost a second attempt to challenge his conviction when he was refused permission to appeal by three judges sitting at the Court of Appeal. Hopes of a new breakthrough in the case rose in April 2013 after police said a 20th anniversary appeal for information had prompted 'two very significant' phone calls. The appeal on BBC1's Crimewatch programme came two weeks after Metropolitan Police chief Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe told the Mail he had no plans to close the multi-million pound investigation into Stephen's murder. The US Navy's Littoral Combat Ship struggled in at-sea drills to fight off a swarm of small attacking watercraft similar to the Iranian boats the ship could face in the Persian Gulf, the Pentagon's chief weapons tester said. Though the USS Coronado ultimately defeated the attacking boats, two exercises resulted in an attacking boat coming to close, into the ship's 'keep out' zone, Pentagon testing director Michael Gilmore said. The information was released as part of Gilmore's annual report on major weapons submitted to congressional defense committees. Though the USS Coronado ultimately defeated the attacking boats, it struggled in at-sea drills as two exercises resulted in an attacking boat coming to close, into the ship's 'keep out' zone Gilmore did not directly mention Iran as a threat, but the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guards operates such attacking ships in the contested waters of the Persian Gulf, according to Bloomberg Business. Gilmore wrote that the Coronado's 'inability to defeat this relative modest threat beyond "keep-out" range routinely under test conditions raises questions about its ability to deal with more challenging threats'. Defense Secretary Ash Carter ordered the Navy to cut a 52-ship mix of original LCS vessels and upgraded models to 40 that would be better armed. Twenty-six ships are currently under contract in a $23billion program. Gilmore's report questions the vulnerability and reliability of the ships, which have been designed to operate in shallow waters in two versions by Lockheed Martin Corp and Austal Ltd. In one of the drills, the Coronado's crew 'expended a large quantity' of 57mm and 30mm ammunition. This occurred while the crew was 'contending with repeated network communications faults that disrupted' information that flowed to gun systems, Gilmore added. It also disrupted firings through weapon evaluation flaws that occurred more than a dozen times, he said. Testing results for the USS Coronado (pictured left with the USNS Millinocket) were revealed as part of Pentagon testing director Michael Gilmore's annual report on major weapons submitted to congressional defense committees During at-sea drills, the Coronado's crew 'had difficulty keeping the ship operational as it suffered repeated failures of the ship's diesel generators, water jets and air conditioning unit,' he said in the report. Gilmore sited reliability issues with both models of the watercraft, citing generator and air-conditioning troubles to 'cybersecurity deficiencies that significantly degrade operational effectiveness'. In order to survive in combat, the ships depend of communicating with better-armed vessels and on-shore support. The Freedom-class model, manufactured by Lockheed, isn't 'operationally suitable because many of its critical systems supporting ship operations, core mission functions and mission package operations are unreliable,' Gilmore wrote in his report. The Lockheed-built USS Fort faced testing failures of subsystems 'fundamental to ship operations', including mobility and maneuvering, 'caused the ship to return to port for repairs or reduced readiness at sea for 42 and 36 days respectively,' before departing on a 16-month deployment in November 2014, Gilmore wrote. Proudly wearing her tutu and showing off her pointed toes, she looks like any other little girl excited to start ballet classes. But Sophie Thomlinson's family never dreamt they would see the day she could dance. Two years ago the cerebral palsy sufferer could not even walk and was forced to watch from her wheelchair as her friends played. Her life was transformed by kind-hearted Daily Mail readers who donated more than 60,000 so she could have surgery in the United States. Sophie, now four, was turned down for the procedure at the same Leeds NHS Trust where aspiring glamour model Josie Cunningham was given breast enlargement surgery at the taxpayers' expense. Proudly wearing her tutu and showing off her pointed toes, she looks like any other little girl excited to start ballet classes. But Sophie Thomlinson's family never dreamt they would see the day she could dance Doctors said Sophie was 'not disabled enough' because she could shuffle around on her knees. But just five months on from the intense four-hour operation in St Louis, Missouri, Sophie is taking her first steps along the path to achieving her dream of becoming a dancer. Her mother Allison, a nurse, said: 'It is unbelievable. She's gone from shuffling about on her knees to doing dance. 'When we went to buy her tutu I started crying in the shop because I just couldn't believe it was happening. 'I'm so excited for her starting ballet classes. Every mum wants their little girl to do girly things, and I was no exception. 'To see her walk for the first time was wonderful but to think she could have a career as a dancer is just magical.' Mrs Thomlinson, 42, said Sophie had always loved dancing and used to jiggle around in her wheelchair whenever music came on. 'Now she can be sat at home playing with her dolls or doing a jigsaw but the second she hears the jingle of an advert she's up on her feet and twirling around and around with a huge smile on her face,' she said. Doctors said Sophie was 'not disabled enough' because she could shuffle around on her knees Mrs Thomlinson, 42, said Sophie had always loved dancing and used to jiggle around in her wheelchair whenever music came on To keep moving, Sophie still needs seven sessions of physiotherapy a week but can only get one or two on the NHS She said she was 'amazed' at how successful the surgery had been. 'I didn't expect her progress to be so good - now she loves showing off. 'She smiles with bewilderment at the things she can do - she is walking, running, standing on one leg shouting 'Mummy look, my leggies are working!'. You can see by her smile she is bursting with pride. 'Now we can walk down the street together as she hold my hand, it's simple things we never thought would be possible. 'She still has some balance issues but her physiotherapists say ballet will help with that.' To keep moving, Sophie still needs seven sessions of physiotherapy a week but can only get one or two on the NHS. David Cameron yesterday retreated over a vow to stop migrants sending child benefit back home David Cameron yesterday retreated over a vow to stop migrants sending child benefit back home. The Prime Minister had pledged to prevent the practice in his election manifesto last year. But last night he signalled he would accept a renegotiation deal under which EU workers would still get the handout but at a lower rate. Indicating that he was ready to water down his proposals for reform of child benefits, he told BBC Scotland: I said we shouldnt be paying British rates of child benefit to people who come here and leave their families at home. Im confident we will fix that. The embarrassing retreat came as Mr Cameron flew to Brussels for last-minute talks ahead of the publication of a draft deal over Britains renegotiated membership of the EU. Over a lunch of lobster stew, fillet of turbot and chocolate mousse, he and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker discussed the offer of an emergency brake on migrant in-work benefits if migration levels were deemed high enough to put public services under severe strain. But the PM later warned the proposals were not good enough. He said: It needs more work but we are making progress. If the deal is good enough Ill take it, if its not I wont. The U-turn over child benefit comes after the Tory leader last year pledged: If an EU migrants child is living abroad, then they should receive no child benefit, no matter how long they have worked in the UK and no matter how much tax they have paid. He also told European Council president Donald Tusk in November that we should end the practice of sending child benefit overseas. Britain is providing child benefit for more than 34,000 youngsters who live elsewhere in the EU two thirds of them in Poland. David Cameron and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker discussed the offer of an emergency brake on migrant in-work benefits if migration levels were deemed high enough to put public services under severe strain The payment is worth 89.70 a month for the first child and 59.37 for the second and subsequent offspring. Other EU member states have called for migrants to be able to continue receiving the handout but at a reduced rate that reflects the lower cost of living in their home countries. A European Commission source last night said the meeting between Mr Cameron and Mr Juncker was difficult but constructive. But Ukip leader Nigel Farage told the BBC yesterday that Mr Cameron was a little bit like the boy in Oliver! going up and saying, Please sir, can we have some more concessions it is pathetic. Polands foreign minister Witold Waszczykowski said he would not accept a mechanism that denies social benefits to Poles living in the European Union. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the final renegotiation deal had to include measures that would help reduce the number of migrants coming to Britain. Reykjavik, Bratislava, Riga, Berlin, Sofia, Schloss Elmau, Valletta, Milan: the late Poet Laureate John Betjeman could have turned such a list into verse. Lisbon, Ljubljana all stations to Crewe to Paris and Brussels, Madrid, too, we flew. Something like that, perhaps. Those destinations, with the exception of Crewe, have been visited in recent weeks by David Cameron as he has gone about his so-called EU renegotiation. Quentin Letts rejoiced when David Cameron, pictured, promised a radically reformed relationship with the EU It is a good thing that peak-capped officials no longer stamp travel documents at EU borders (if such borders can even be said to exist these days) or our Prime Minister would be needing a new passport. Mr Camerons physical stamina is not in doubt. Ditto his ability to remember the names of all the obscure foreign leaders he has feted. Beside genuine big-hitters Merkel and Hollande there has been a young Estonian called Taavi Roivas, Polands Beata Szydlo pronunciation lessons for the Downing Street team before that encounter? and Croatias Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic. Dont try that one after lunch, Prime Minister. I have seen Mr Cameron at such bilaterals and he brims with enthusiasm, leaping out of his motor car and entering EU flag-bedecked buildings double-quick. A flash of teeth. Pop of camera bulbs. Off they scurry for secret talks. Only yesterday he was back in Brussels to meet the European Commissions bibulous Jean-Claude Juncker. He declared that current proposals from Brussels on his reform agenda are not good enough, but insisted we are making progress. The Prime Minister admitted there was still very hard work ahead to win a deal aimed at loosening ties with Brussels ahead of the referendum. He declined to comment on whether he was still on schedule for an agreement on EU reforms and a public vote on Britains future within the bloc in the summer. That depends what happens in February, he said. If the deal is good enough Ill take it; if its not, I wont. He added: Weve made some progress today its not enough; its going to be hard work. Mr Cameron is elected premier of some 70 million souls. Britain is a nuclear military power, a member of the UN Security Council, moral fount of the Commonwealth, the fifth biggest economy in the world. M Juncker was once leader of Luxembourg roughly the size of Bristol. No. 10s upbeat spin yesterday was that things are coming to a head. The BBC said: Britain is closing in on a deal. Yes, but is that a deal for the British people or for the political convenience of our theatrical Prime Minister? Is it really the British people who need this deal? Or is it designed to benefit our deeply troubled European Union partners? The brutal fact and they know it is that if Britain left the EU, it would be a body blow to Brussels. Three years ago Tory ministers were 'bleeding' to support the Ukip party run by Nigel Farage, pictured Three years ago, Mr Cameron was forced to offer British voters an in or out say on the EU. His Tories were bleeding support to Nigel Farages Ukip at the time. He saw that a Conservative manifesto pledge to hold a referendum would tempt some Ukip supporters to vote Tory in the general election in May 2015. He was right. They did. When he agreed to the referendum, he perhaps suspected there was little chance he would win the election and ever have to honour his promise. But success brings its own dilemmas. Having won his unexpected majority, Mr Cameron is stuck with the referendum. When he made his 2013 announcement about the referendum, I was uncertain how I would vote in it. I was open to persuasion and felt it was wonderful that, finally, the British people were to be offered a say. Like most of todays electorate, I am too young to have voted in the sole previous referendum on Europe, in 1975. Back then, it was to decide whether or not to remain in what was merely a free-trading bloc, the Common Market. Our forthcoming referendum, by contrast, could not be more fundamental. It effectively asks: what kind of people do we British wish to be in the future? The EU costs us billions of pounds a year and affects our trade, security, legal system, defence, welfare and most other aspects of public administration. In some areas, such as pollution control, the EU is a force for virtue. In others, such as bureaucratic overload, it is a plain nuisance. Europe also affects our civic values, our notion of government (how big we expect officialdom to be) and our national identity. Prime Minister David Cameron is welcomed by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncke After all, a country that loses control of its borders will soon lose its ability to decide who joins its citizenry. If millions and that number is not fanciful of incomers with different philosophies are allowed into the UK through open borders, what will happen to that national identity? This last aspect is particularly important for me. I am an Anglican churchgoer. Does the EU, which is in some ways a continuation of the Holy Roman Empire, buttress Western Christianity against militant Islam? Or do its secularist, egalitarian creeds weaken our religious heritage and make us easy meat for militant Islamists? Back in 2013, as I sat in a City of London audience listening to Mr Cameron make his referendum announcement, I thought I was on the same page as politicians say. He spoke warmly about the EUs potential as a trade bloc, yet he deplored its tendency to interfere by proposing things such as the working time directive (which tries to limit the working week to 48 hours). Hear, hear! He claimed to be irked by Brussels expansionism, its almost daily assault, directive by petty directive, on our sovereignty. But he remained open to the idea of European cooperation on the world stage. He did seem genuinely to want to re-set the principles of our EU membership. What did I expect that to mean? At very least, I thought Britain would be allowed to set our own immigration and welfare rules. I presumed British lawmakers would be allowed to set our tax rates (VAT on tampons, for instance, which at present our Government wants to scrap but is not allowed to under EU law). I hoped our MPs would have control of decisions affecting employment and the City about how much state support to give industry. EU limits on such state-aid have recently destroyed large parts of our steel industry. Sense needed knocking into lunatic European agriculture and fishing rules, the latter so immoral that they led to freshly-caught fish being thrown back into the sea, dead. Smaller but symbolic matters: I wanted our MPs to decide whether or not prisoners should have a vote. BBC journalist Nick Robinson queried Mr Camerons willingness to walk away from EU negotiations in 2013 I wanted us no longer to be forced to have EU emblems on our car number-plates, atop public buildings and on passports. I wanted our EU membership fees sharply reduced. And should the European Parliament not be forced to close its scandalously wasteful chamber in Strasbourg? I wanted an EU that was not run by a small, unaccountable, unelected elite a body so corrupt that its finances have not been signed off by accountants for years. Those were my thoughts that day back in 2013 when David Cameron announced a referendum. I found it exciting. If we could attain such reforms, I could see the EU idea being revived not just in Britain but in its other nation states, currently so sclerotic with social and industrial decay. That would be good for our country and for our shared European civilisation. As the father of three children, and therefore someone with an emotional investment in the second part of the 21st century, I could see myself happily voting yes for such an EU. Nick Robinson, then political editor of the BBC, was the first journalist to ask a question to Mr Cameron that day in 2013. Clever man, that Robinson. He did not raise a nerdy point of detail. He queried Mr Camerons willingness to walk away from negotiations. It was a telling point. Without being ready to do that, Mr Cameron would not secure those reforms. As any poker player knows, unless the other side believed he was prepared to back up his threat in Britains case, to leave the EU it would call his bluff. Mr Cameron, laughing, told Nick Robinson: Who goes into a negotiation hoping and expecting to fail? While he chuckled and moved to the next questioner, I comforted myself that when push came to shove, Downing Street officials would prove more canny. When haggling with a knick-knack vendor in the tourist souks of North Africa, you make your first offer a low one. You play hard to get. William Hague has not been the same man since he entered the Foreign Office in 2010, writes Quentin Letts If the merchant does not lower his price, you walk out of the shop. Eventually, he will run after you. Is that not how negotiating works? Would our Rolls-Royce civil servants not know that? Naive schmuck that I am, I excused Mr Camerons upbeat tone that day. It sounded more attractive than the baleful noises coming from the Eurosceptics. Mr Camerons sunny disposition has done wonders for the Tories electoral fortunes since he became their leader in 2005. He is good at putting on a genial face. There is a lot to be said for optimism. Since then, alas, Nick Robinsons scepticism has been shown to be all too justified. Despite all the foreign summits, all the Air Miles, it has become apparent that Mr Cameron went into the EU negotiations with flimsy demands. There seems to have been almost nothing behind the smiles. Although occasionally biting on his lower lip and muttering I rule nothing out, Mr Cameron has always sounded far more convincing when saying as he should never have done that he hoped we would remain in the EU. OK, he might think that, but he was crazy to admit it! His renegotiation requests at all those summits were amorphous, opaque, hard for the voter to comprehend. A country that loses control of its borders will soon lose its ability to decide who joins its citizenry He sought a target on competitiveness. He chased tweaks to dry sub-clauses on economic governance. He spoke of fresh nuances to the phrase ever-closer union. The one area where something more definite was sought, on immigration and benefit rules, was soon diluted. It now seems to have resulted in a woolly metaphor, with EU officials deigning to offer a temporary brake on our obligations. This brake (which we will not be allowed to operate ourselves!) may allow us, sometimes, to hold back benefits from immigrants for four years. Maybe. And those benefits may have to be denied to some indigenous Britons. I am afraid the bitterest truth is that our Prime Minister has proved a terrible pushover so much so that we must question if he ever was serious in the first place about securing changes to our EU membership. He seems to have been more interested in occupying the short-term centre ground of Westminster politics. The maddening thing is that, with Labour so weak, he never had a better moment to grab his destiny and demand profound changes from Brussels. Meanwhile, the tone of the debate altered. The foreboding noises, formerly evident on the Ukippy side of the argument, now emanate from the pro-EU camp. The Remain camp, dabbling in the politics of fear, has issued blood-curdling warnings about the consequences of withdrawal from the European project. It is Remain who scowl and shout. By contrast, those on the Leave side seem to be more genial and relaxed and liberal. Already we are hearing implausible warnings from Remain zealots about job losses. We are being told that everything from climate-change control to Welsh economic prosperity to NHS staffing levels even bird-life, for heavens sake will be doomed unless we stay in the EU. Energy Secretary Amber Rudd disingenuously claimed that leaving would have unknown consequences for our energy security and could harm the interests of UK families. This is like having innumerable hillsides of boys crying wolf!. Meanwhile, Europe staggers from disaster to disaster, its citadels ablaze from Islamist bombs, its border-posts flattened by rampaging migrants, its economies with dreadful youth unemployment in a state of paralysis. Mr Cameron is being ruthless in gagging Cabinet colleagues who might be tempted to campaign for a Leave vote. Officially, he says ministers have leeway to vote as they wish, but in reality the only ones allowed to talk about the EU are those who support Remain. The most unedifying sight has been the parade of former Eurosceptics coming out to declare a sudden admiration for Brussels. They have sounded like those war-zone hostages with knives held to their necks making false confessions. William Hague, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, backbencher Nick Herbert and Sir Eric Pickles have caved in. I am afraid the bitterest truth is that our Prime Minister has proved a terrible pushover so much so that we must question if he ever was serious in the first place about securing changes to our EU membership The same Hague, as Tory leader in 2001, ran hard on Euroscepticsm, saying that years general election was the last chance to save the pound. He has not been the same man since he entered the Foreign Office in 2010. We are told that Michael Gove (who, in 2013 said we could contemplate [leaving], there would be certain advantages) and Boris Johnson (only last August he said: Would London flourish outside [the EU]? Yes, of course it would) will also soon be joining the Remain camps colours. Behold the ignoble spectacle of the British Establishment setting its face against change - the hideous sight of careerists sucking up to authority. How depressing to have ones worst fears about unprincipled politicians confirmed. These are men who have been my personal friends. I expected better of them but I was wrong. I trusted them. I should not have done. Business leaders are being pressured to speak up for Remain. The BBC, various arts institutions, think-tanks and the business body the CBI are on a heavy-sell for Remain. That slippery peddler of the dark arts, Lord (Peter) Mandelson, is on his lean-fingered manoeuvres, along with other spectres from the past such as the pusillanimous John Major. Many are the same people who once tried to get us to join the Euro - and what a disaster that would have been. We have been here before. A quarter of a century ago, Europe dominated the news bulletins. Margaret Thatcher had just been toppled after disagreements over Europe with her ministers. Our currency was roped to the continental economy by the Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM) - or as Norman Tebbit labelled it the eternal recession mechanism. Billions of pounds were wasted propping it up. Eventually, on Black Wednesday in September 1992, the dam burst and Britain quit the ERM. On that day of drama, when our democracy was made to look frighteningly powerless, a photograph caught the then Chancellor, Norman Lamont, making a panicked statement on a Whitehall pavement. Behind him, on the edge of the shadows, lurked a young man wearing an expression of exhausted shock. It was his special adviser, one David Cameron, aged 25. Did he and we learn nothing? Freed from the ERM, our economy rebounded astonishingly fast. Beforehand, experts had insisted that prosperity could be found only in unity with the European project. Those experts, as happens so often, were wrong. As these past few months have played out, with our Prime Minister so gifted in many ways selling us a charade, with the grip of the Establishment and its dubious big-business cronies tightening round the throat of the British voter, I dont think I have ever felt angrier. Last week I wrote in the Mail after the latest Commons session on the subject: What a blatant, contemptible lie this renegotiation has become. I have seldom felt such fury. Blood boils my bones like casserole juices bubbling round a rabbit carcass. Recent days have made the cooking pot even more hellishly hot. David Cameron has gone to all those foreign capitals, has schmoozed with fellow European leaders for the cameras - and has brought back...almost nothing. Back in 2013 there was a chance for something bold, thrilling, significant. We had a chance to remould the EU not just for ourselves but for the whole of Europe. We had a chance to renew the EU in a way that could have won security for our country and continent for another generation. But unauthorized sales of firearms are now forbidden on the websites Some users advertised guns and negotiated private sales on social media Unauthorized dealers have been banned from selling guns on Facebook and Instagram. Some users had been using the social media websites to put guns up for sale and negotiate private deals, which is now against the rules for both platforms. Facebook, which acquired Instagram in 2012, had already prevented unauthorized sellers from trading prescription drugs and marijuana - and has now extended this restriction to guns. The new rule can be found in Facebook's Community Standards, under the category 'regulated goods'. Facebook updated its policy to prevent unauthorized dealers from advertising guns and negotiating private sales on its website 'We prohibit any attempts by unauthorized dealers to purchase, sell, or trade prescription drugs, marijuana, or firearms,' the website says. 'If you post an offer to purchase or sell alcohol, tobacco, or adult products, we expect you to comply with all applicable laws and carefully consider the audience for that content. 'We do not allow you to use Facebook's payment tools to sell or purchase regulated goods on our platform.' A similar rule can be found in Instagram's Community Guidelines, which state: 'Instagram is not a place to support or praise terrorism, organized crime, or hate groups. The amended rule, which can be found in Facebook's Community Standards page (pictured), also mentions a previous restriction on prescription drugs and marijuana 'Offering sexual services, buying or selling firearms and illegal or prescription drugs (even if it's legal in your region). 'Remember to always follow the law when offering to sell or buy other regulated goods.' Both platforms restricted posts about buying or selling guns in 2014. With 1.59billion users every month, the network has been under political pressure in the U.S. to prevent posts that could help people avoid gun-buying laws or background checks. 'Over the last two years, more and more people have been using Facebook to discover products and to buy and sell things to one another,' Facebook's head of product policy Monika Bickert said. The policy change will not affect licensed gun dealers on Facebook. Advertisement It's the vision of a celebrated property developer inspired by a 'floating estate' in Singapore, and is now up for sale for $35million. But that's just for the vision, and the land. The incredible Beverly Hills home - designed by Michael Palumbo, who described it the seven-bedroom abode as 'the pinnacle of my career' - has been listed on the market as a plan. Buyers wanting the finished product - which includes 14 bathrooms, an 18-seat dining room, bowling alley, nightclub and an infinity pool looking out over downtown Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean - will have to fork out $100million. The 24,500-square-foot compound is on the last available lot in the very well-to-do Trousdale Estates, better known as 'Billionaire's Row'. It also has its own nail salon, as per the design. Would you pay $35million for the plans of a house?: Buyers wanting the finished product - which has seven rooms, 14 bathrooms, an 18-seat dining room, bowling alley, infinity looking downtown Los Angeles - will have to fork out $100million The incredible Beverly Hills home - designed by Michael Palumbo, who described it the seven-bedroom abode as 'the pinnacle of my career' - has been listed on the market as a plan for $35million, and $100million for the turnkey Flowing: The design of the house, which was based on a 'floating estate' in Singapore, was meant for it to be surrounded by water The magnificent entryway leads into an acrylic pool (above). The rooms of the house are designed to be flooded with natural light Ultimate luxury: As part of the outside plan, there is an incredible day bed overlooking downtown LA and the Pacific Ocean 'I've been doing this for 33 years and this is probably the biggest labor of love and the best project I've been involved with,' Palumbo told Robb Report. 'It's the pinnacle of my career.' Palumbo further explained that the house was designed to appear as if it is completely surrounded by water. At the entry is a reflecting pool that leads to an acrylic pool in the foyer. That then connects to a lap pool, which extends to the infinity pool at the edge of the property. 'You can't really tell where the water stops and starts because there isn't really any stop and start at all,' Palumbo said. 'The lower level is really special because of all the amenities that we were able to fit and still have light completely coming in it through the center of the house.' Also on the lower level is a 20-seat theater, a 'wellness center' and a garage that can fit up to eight cars. Palumbo's vision was designed by architects Shubin + Donaldson. The listing is being handled by Joyce Rey and Christopher Damon, of Coldwell Banker Previews International, The Los Angeles Times reported. Buyers wanting the finished product - which includes 14 bathrooms, an 18-seat dining room, bowling alley, nightclub and an infinity looking out over downtown Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean - will have to fork out $100 million On the surface: Below the pool is another level to the house featuring a bowling alley, nail salon, garage and theater Eight people who were found guilty of being part of an IRA kidnapping gang have been awarded 1.6million by the Government after their convictions were quashed, it was reported last night. The convictions of the seven men and a woman were overturned because the role of a high-level British agent, codenamed Stakeknife, was hidden from the courts at the time of the trial. Stakeknife was exposed as agent Freddie Scappaticci in 2003. He is now in hiding. The defendants were on trial for the imprisonment of an informer, Alexander Sandy Lynch, 25 years ago. The Northern Ireland Appeal Court quashed their convictions in 2009 after seeing secret intelligence files. Eight people who were found guilty of being part of an IRA kidnapping gang have been awarded 1.6million by the Government after their convictions were quashed, it was reported last night Danny Morrison the former Sinn Fein director of publicity will now receive a 200,000 payout under the out-of-court settlement, The Times reported. Gerard Hodgins, a former IRA hunger striker, will receive the same payment. The couple who owned the house where Lynch was allegedly held will also receive damages. Some of the eight claimants are seeking further damages. The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) said the payments had been authorised based on laws that were not fit for purpose. But MP Kate Hoey, a Labour member of the Northern Ireland affairs select committee, which is investigating the failure to compensate victims of IRA bombings, added: I wish the NIO would put as much time and effort into helping the IRAs victims as they seem to have done to compensate those who appear to have been linked to paramilitary groups. MP Kate Hoey, a Labour member of the Northern Ireland affairs select committee, said she wished the government would spend more time helping the IRA's victims Last night Jonathan Ganesh, who leads the Docklands Victims Association for people injured in the 1996 East London bombing and was himself injured in the blast said: I am shocked that the Government can pay out in a case like this but will not lift a finger to help us innocent victims. A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Office said: These payments had to be authorised as a result of legislation which had ceased to be fit for the purpose of defining a miscarriage of justice, following a decision by the Court of Appeal in 2008 and a Supreme Court judgment in 2011. We fully understand and share the public concern and anger there will be over this. That is why the Government acted decisively last year to tighten the law to make it more difficult for these cases to succeed in future. Detective Chief Superintendent Darren Williams was fired from his 80,000-a-year job after a string of complaints A police chief was sacked after simulating a sex act with a banana while a woman tried to give a radio interview. Detective Chief Superintendent Darren Williams was fired from his 80,000-a-year job after a string of complaints, including putting his tongue in a female officer's ear and rubbing a scarf belonging to another against his groin. The borough commander was found guilty of gross misconduct last April. But at an appeal hearing yesterday he said he should not have been sacked, claiming he behaved badly because he was burned out after trying to turn around the 'underperforming' borough of Merton, in south west London. His appeal was rejected, however, by the tribunal at the British Transport Police headquarters in Camden, north London. Stephen Morley, representing the Metropolitan Police, told the hearing: 'The first allegation relates to the staff officer, and he put his tongue in her ear. 'The second incident was a lady who was the temporary staff officer, and his behaviour included stroking her neck, telling her she looked nice, putting his tongue in her ear, asking embarrassing questions and kissing her. 'All unwanted attention. This is sexualised behaviour by a senior officer towards junior female staff. 'The third finding of gross misconduct by the panel involved a lady, not a member of the police service, but an employee of the borough. This was sexually explicit behaviour as she was trying to give a radio interview. He simulated oral sex with a banana, and said afterwards, 'I bet that put you off'. 'The fourth incident of gross misconduct was towards a female PC. He rubbed her scarf between his legs and against his groin in a sexualised manner.' John Beggs QC, representing Williams, said the original misconduct panel had made a mistake by disregarding the senior officer's personal mitigation and his record as borough commander. Stephen Morley, representing the Metropolitan Police, told the hearing: 'The first allegation relates to the staff officer, and he put his tongue in her ear' Mr Beggs said: 'His impact on public confidence and the reputation of the police service was utterly exemplary.' He said Williams' behaviour was a result of the 'high-pressure work' he had been doing after being 'parachuted' in to turn the 'underperforming borough' around. But his call for the tribunal to overturn Williams' dismissal and give him a written warning instead was rejected. The family of an anti-government protester who was killed by law enforcement agents near an occupied US wildlife refuge in Oregon said on Friday that it seems his death was unjustified and that he was shot in the back while posing no threat. The relatives of Robert LaVoy Finicum said they were not accepting at face value the FBI's statement that the 54-year-old rancher from Arizona had been armed when he was fatally shot after fleeing from a traffic stop on Tuesday. 'LaVoy was not "charging' anyone". He appears to have been shot in the back, with his hands in the air,' Finicum's family said in a statement via their attorney. 'At this point we will await the outcome of any investigation, but based on the information currently available to us, we do not believe that LaVoy's shooting death was justified.' The family's comments come as a federal judge denied bond for Ammon Bundy and other members of the group that occupied the refuge who were arrested following the shooting of Finicum. Shot dead: Rancher Robert 'LaVoy' Finicum, pictured, was shot in a clash with police on Tuesday Family man: Finicum (center) and wife Jeanette (right) had been married for 23 years. He had 11 children Mourners stand near a wooden cross on Highway 395 near Burns, Oregon on January 29, 2016, at the location where Robert LaVoy Finicum was shot dead and others were arrested Mandi Jacobs (left) and Jenna Lynn (right) react on Highway 395 near Burns, Oregon on January 29, 2016, at the location where Robert LaVoy Finicum was shot dead A protester gathered to voice his opposition against law enforcement actions related to the Malheur Wildlife Refuge occupation is told to keep an open path for people entering the building at Harney County Courthouse in Burns, Oregon on Friday Eleven people have been arrested - ten in Oregon and one in Arizona - but no one has left jail, according to CNN. Prosecutors said in a Portland courtroom on Friday that the defendants were a flight risk and a threat to the community because the supported armed resistance to the federal government. By its very nature, this offense demonstrates a remarkable inability on the part of all charged defendants to follow the law and thus comply with the terms of court-ordered supervision," the government's memorandum in support of pretrial detention said. Ammon Bundy explained in court why he and the others took over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in southeast Oregon earlier this month. I do love this country very, very much, he said, according to KPTV. I love the people in it. And my only goal from the beginning was to protect freedom for the people. But the judge denied bond to Ammon Bundy, Ryan Bundy, Ryan Payne, Dylan Anderson and Jason Patrick, Oregon Public Radio reported. She granted bond to Joseph O'Shaughnessy and Shawna Cox, but prosecutors have appealed. No hearings have been held for Pete Santilli, Brian Cavalier and Duane Ehmer, the station said. In a video released on Thursday, the FBI claims that Finicum can be seen reaching for his weapon before he was shot dead on Tuesday. Finicum was killed after he and eight other members of the three-week stand-off in Burns, Oregon, were stopped by traffic cops as they headed to a meeting in a neighboring town. Rancher Tucker Dunbar sits in the cab of his family ranch truck at a checkpoint near the Malheur Wildlife Refuge near Burns on Friday Police monitor a checkpoint near the Malheur Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Oregon, on Friday after 11 arrests were made Demonstrators stand near a court house during a protest against government actions in Burns, Oregon, on Friday The demonstration came a day after the FBI released video showing Robert LaVoy Finicum being shot by police Judy and Jeff Maupin protest outside Harney County Courthouse in Burns, Oregon, on Friday holding a 'Free the Hammonds' sign Approximately twenty local protesters gathered to voice their opposition against law enforcement actions related to the Malheur Wildlife Refuge occupation on Friday A law enforcement officer guards an entry to a complex of buildings at the Harney County Court House as the demonstration takes place The unedited video, released by the government agency on Thursday, shows a white car speeding down a highway then veering into the snow to avoid three cars engaged in a traffic stop. Nine minutes into the video, a man, who is said to be Finicum, clambers out of the white car and stumbles through the snow with his arms in the air, surrounded by FBI agents who are pointing guns at him. At one point, he places his hands in his pockets then pulls them out again. It is difficult to decipher from the distant and shaking video whether there is a weapon in his hand. As he does so, an agent runs up from behind him and, as he turns, shoots him in the chest. Finicum falls backwards into the snow. Group leader Ammon Bundy's brother, Ryan, was also shot in the arm during the incident. Greg Bretzing, special agent in charge for the FBI in Oregon, said Finicum had a loaded handgun in his pocket and he 'on at least two occasions' reached his right hand toward the pocket inside his jacket. Bundy followers had given conflicting accounts of how Finicum died. One said Finicum charged at officers, who then shot him. A member of the Bundy family said Finicum did nothing to provoke the FBI. The FBI posted the video to its YouTube channel. Ammon Bundy and seven other main figures in the takeover were arrested in the traffic stop Tuesday night. Bundy's group seized the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Oregon on January 2 to protest federal land use policies. This is the moment LaVoy Finicum jumps out of his car with his hands up (left) then reaches for his pockets (right) as an armed FBI agent approaches him in the snow on the side of an Oregon highway on Tuesday As he reaches for his pocket an agent runs up from behind him (left) and, as he turns, shoots him in the chest Bundy and six others were declared a flight risk on Thursday afternoon and refused release lest they return for the group's last stand. Dozens of supporters packed the courtroom for the hearing. The remaining militiamen have spoken of their dismay at the death of Finicum. In a live video rant, one militia member angrily blasted the FBI as 'murderers'. 'The media has been ordered to leave that means they're coming to kill us, they don't want them to see that. They're going to murder all of us... The American people better wake up,' he said. Another said: 'If I die, I died for my country, I died a free man. That's how I want to die.' And in an interview with the Plain Dealer on Wednesday, another named David Fry said: 'I'll pass on and move on to the next life. I don't know (how it will end), but I'm willing to go that far. 'Obviously they are murdering people at this point. They've been doing it for a long time now, and you guys are watching it.' Four militia members are still refusing to leave the Malheur National Wildlife Reserve following the 28-day stand-off with police, which has left one dead; 11 arrested and has brought widespread condemnation from the local community. They were named on Friday and include a married couple. They say they won't leave unless authorities assure them they will all be free to return home and not face charges. Cosmetologist Sandy Anderson and her husband Sean traveled from Wisconsin to join the protest and are refusing to surrender. Arrested: Oregon militia leader Ammon Bundy (left) and his brother, Ryan Bundy (right), were arrested Tuesday night Charged: Shawna Cox (left), 59, was taken to Multnomah County Jail along with the other detained militia members Tuesday. Jon Ritzheimer (right), 32, was arrested in Peoria, Arizona, after turning himself in to police Busted: Brian Cavalier, 44 (left), and Ryan Payne (right) were charged along with the others with conspiracy to impede federal officers Facing jail: Joseph O'Shaughnessy (left) and Peter Santilli (right) were arrested in Burns, Oregon, a short time after the traffic stop and shoot-out Speaking to Oregon Public Broadcasting, she said: 'Prison isn't an option, but I would hope that the FBI would consider what we've been asking. It was the same offer given to everybody the night LaVoy was killed.' The couple are joined by 27-year-old Fry from Ohio and Jeff Banta, 46, of Elko, Nevada, Oregonlive reports. In a live video broadcast from the Oregon ranch this week, Sean Anderson, said the FBI is 'going to kill them', but refused to leave unless the authorities met their demands. Another added he is 'willing' to die in a final bloody siege with the authorities if negotiations fail. Their comments come after the last leader of the occupation voluntarily handed himself in at a police checkpoint. So far 11 members of the militia have been arrested. Leader Ammon Bundy and his brother, Ryan Bundy were seized on Tuesday alongside Shawna Cox, 59, Brian Cavalier, 44, Ryan Payne, Joseph O'Shaughnessy and Peter Santilli. Jon Ritzheimer, 32, was arrested in Peoria, Arizona, after turning himself in to police Duane Leo Ehmer of Irrigon, Oregon, Dylan Wade Anderson, 34, of Provo, Utah and Patrick, 43, were arrested on Wednesday. The arrests follow the release of federal court documents which claim that the militiamen were equipped with night vision goggles and explosives. Arrested leader Bundy has called on his followers to pull out of the wildlife reserve in a statement released through his lawyer Mike Arnold. 'Please go home': Ammon Bundy, pictured earlier this month, released a statement through his attorney Wednesday asking the remaining four protesters to leave the site of their armed anti-government protest Married in the militia: Sandy and Sean Anderson are among the four protesters left on the Oregon nature reserve where the armed group have been locked in a stand-off with cops for 28 days Last-stand: Sandy Anderson and 27-year-old David Fry are among the four left in the Oregon rancher protest Blackout: Sean Anderson, who is one of four remaining on the protest, claimed the FBI had ordered the media away from the nature reserve so their 'killings' wouldn't be recorded He said: 'To those remaining at the refuge, I love you. Let us take this fight from here. Please stand down. Go home and hug your families. This fight is ours for now in the courts.' However, his father Cliven urged the remaining group to keep fighting. 'I'll tell you one thing, we're dang sure going to have to fight this battle over and over if we just give up right today,' he told CNN during an interview at his Nevada ranch. Authorities vowed to continue in their quest to bring the protest to a peaceful conclusion. Special agent Greg Bretzing of the FBI's Portland office said: 'We will continue to look for safe, peaceful procedures on how to bring this to a peaceful conclusion.' Harney County Sheriff David Ward said he regretted the death of Finicum and wants a peaceful end to the stand-off. 'I'm disappointed that a traffic stop that was supposed to bring peaceful resolution to this ended badly,' he said. 'Multiple law enforcement agencies put a lot of work into putting together the best tactical plan they could, to take these guys down peacefully... If it was as simple as just waiting out some folks down there to get out of some buildings, we could have waited a lot longer. 'But this has been tearing our community apart. It's time for everybody in this illegal occupation to move on. There doesn't have to be bloodshed in our community.' Ward said if the occupiers had legitimate grievances with the government, they should use the 'appropriate manner' to address them. 'This can't happen any more. This can't happen in America and it can't happen in Harney County,' he said. The NHS out-of-hours hotline needs more doctors and nurses to prevent another tragedy like the death of one-year-old William Mead, the Health Secretary admitted last night. Days after calling the 111 hotline a victim of its own success, Jeremy Hunt said its staff needed to be better trained and that the public were very confused about where they could get urgent medical help. But he drew anger by suggesting parents could be encouraged to search the internet to find out what was wrong with their children, instead of speaking to a doctor or nurse. The Mail revealed this week that a damning NHS report following Williams death found the 111 service was unsafe for seriously ill children. It found William might still be alive today if a 111 call handler had realised how ill he was. The NHS out-of-hours hotline needs more doctors and nurses to prevent another tragedy like the death of one-year-old William Mead (left), Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt (right) admitted last night And in a finding which raised questions over the service, it found that if a nurse or doctor had taken the call, they probably would have spotted he was seriously unwell, and his life could have been saved. The report which also identified a string of other NHS blunders provoked an outcry, and led to growing questions over the controversial 111 hotline, which is staffed by workers with no medical training or qualifications who use a computer to decide if patients need urgent help. The call advisers are supposed to be supported by a nurse or paramedic at all times, but many say the shortage of nurses is so severe they are often unable to seek medical advice. A Mail investigation last year revealed the hotline was in meltdown in many parts of the country. The service was plagued by chronic staff shortages, with just one nurse left to cover a population of 2 million and tens of thousands of calls going unanswered. Mr Hunt who has apologised to Williams family on behalf of the NHS and who met with them yesterday said he wanted airline levels of safety in the NHS. He admitted that many parents still did not know where to turn for out-of-hours care, but insisted the main problem was not 111. He said: People know what to do if they think their life is under threat they dial 999. They know what they do if they want to get a flu jab book an appointment with their GP. But theres a range of things between where the NHS offer is very confusing. He suggested an online alternative to 111 could be the answer. The Mail revealed this week that a damning NHS report following Williams death found the 111 service was unsafe for seriously ill children. He is pictured with his parents Paul and Melissa Mr Hunt said: We may well need more 111 doctors and nurses. But if youre worried about a rash your child has, an online alternative where you look at photographs and say my childs rash looks like this one may be a quicker way of getting to the bottom of whether this is serious or not. The comments led to claims that Mr Hunt was encouraging parents to Google symptoms. Andrew Gwynne, Labours health spokesman, said: Parents need medical advice, not a search engine. Ministers need to take urgent action to address the problems facing NHS 111. A spokesman for the Royal College of Nursing added: The focus should be to ensure they have enough nurses to deal with calls in a safe and timely manner. Mr Johnson believed to be eyeing up senior cabinet role in the reshuffle Boris Johnson turned down a move to the Cabinet as Minister for Fun, it has emerged. Tory sources told the Daily Mail that David Cameron asked Mr Johnson to be Culture Secretary just after last years election. But Mr Johnson turned down the job, fearing it would be incompatible with his role as London Mayor. A Tory source said Boris Johnson, pictured with Prime Minister David Cameron, was 'flattered' by the job offer The revelation underlines Mr Camerons determination to install Mr Johnson in his top team. In the run-up to the election, the Prime Minister described his fellow Old Etonian as the Tories Wayne Rooney, adding: Ive always said I want my star players on the pitch. Talks about a Cabinet role in the expected reshuffle this year have continued behind the scenes. No formal offer has been made but Mr Johnson is now eyeing a more senior role, such as defence secretary, to put him on a par with leadership rivals like George Osborne and Theresa May. Before the election, Mr Johnson had pledged not to take a Cabinet job until his term as mayor expires this May. Friends say he feared any move would have handed a propaganda victory to Labour during this years mayoral elections, when the Tories are fighting to retain control of the capital. But within hour of the Tories surprise election win, Mr Cameron tried to persuade him to break the promise. The two men held secret talks in Downing Street after they had both attended the VE Day commemorations the day after the election. A Tory source said: The Prime Minister asked if there was any possibility of Boris continuing as mayor and joining the Cabinet at the same time. The post of culture secretary was discussed. Boris was very clear with the Prime Minister that he was flattered, but that he could not justify holding what would effectively be three jobs MP, mayor and Cabinet minister. He pointed out it would raise real questions about the Tories commitment to London, which would be seized on by Labour and damage our chances this year. It is believed that Mr Johnson, pictured in a school rugby session, is eyeing up a senior role in the reshuffle Mr Johnson was eventually made a member of Mr Camerons political cabinet a more informal grouping that meets from time to time to discuss Tory strategy, but which does not bind him into collective responsibility on government policy. Last month there was speculation that Mr Johnson could be fast-tracked into the Cabinet in the event of walk outs by Eurosceptic ministers in the run-up to the referendum. But, with Ministers now given permission to campaign for Brexit, the prospect has faded, and friends of Mr Johnson insist he is determined to stick to his pledge not to take another job whilst serving as mayor. Friends acknowledge that he is eyeing a move to the Cabinet in the reshuffle that is expected to follow the referendum on Britains membership of the EU. But they believe Mr Cameron must now offer him a more senior role that would put him on a par with other likely leadership contenders. They also warn that the Prime Minister will have to resolve the issue of expansion of Heathrow or risk Mr Johnson resigning from Cabinet in protest. Tory veteran John Whittingdale, pictured, was given the Culture Secretary role after Mr Johnson turned it down One friend said: Cameron has to be seen to be fair on this. It has to be a big job that looks equivalent to the main contenders. One Tory source said Mr Johnson should be rewarded with one of the big five jobs in government. The source dismissed speculation that he could replace Jeremy Hunt as health secretary. But a move to defence might be a possibility if the current defence secretary Michael Fallon could be persuaded to take another role. The installation of Mr Johnson as culture secretary would have handed him a dramatic return to Westminster politics, and given him the chance to cut his teeth as a Cabinet minister in a small department. In the event, the job was given to veteran Tory John Whittingdale, a safe pair of hands who had chaired the Commons select committee on culture, media and sport for years. The Department of Culture, Media and Sport was dubbed the Ministry of Fun when it was first established. Mr Johnson once served as shadow culture minister in opposition, but was sacked by then leader Michael Howard over allegations about his private life in 2004. The unusual burial of author Tom Sharpes ashes with a bottle of Famous Grouse whisky, his favoured fountain pen and a Cuban cigar has landed his partner with a costly fine. Sharpe, who wrote some of the countrys most outlandish black comedy plots in classic tales such as Porterhouse Blue, Blott on the Landscape and Wilt, died in Spain in 2013. A year later, his partner Dr Montserrat Verdaguer, found documents detailing Sharpes wish to be returned to Thockrington, Northumberland, where his father the Reverend George Sharpe had practised as a vicar. Tom Sharpe, who wrote some of the countrys most outlandish black comedy plots in classic tales such as Porterhouse Blue, Blott on the Landscape and Wilt, died in Spain in 2013 Dr Montserrat Verdaguer (right) followed his last wishes and returned him to the church in Thockington, Northumberland, where his father had practised as a vicar She drove 1,200 miles from north Spain to north-east England and dug a hole in the cemetery at St Aidans Church in the village, where the ashes and tribute items were buried. But they were later exhumed because Dr Verdaguer did not have the churchs permission. Now she has been fined 1,320 after a hearing of the Church of Englands Consistory Court. Dr Verdaguer, who had been with Sharpe for ten years when he died, dug the hole with her hands. She was accompanied by a local man named as Charlie Harrison and a Spanish film crew. As a result, the court heard church officials found out about the burial and Euan Duff, Chancellor of the Diocese of Newcastle, gave permission for the remains to be exhumed. Reverend Michael Slade, the current vicar at St Aidans, found some loose mortal remains (ashes) from a small plastic bag, a medium-sized bottle of Famous Grouse whisky, a fountain pen, two small tea-light candles and two red plastic numerals (broken). But she did not have the church's permission to bury him - and she has now been fined 1,320, and the ashes exhumed after they were discovered in 'a small plastic bag, a medium-sized bottle of Famous Grouse whisky, a fountain pen, two small tea-light candles and two red plastic numerals' Dr Verdaguer has been told she must pay the fine before she can to reclaim her late partners possessions and ashes Sharpe died in June 2013 in Llafranc, north-east Spain. Both his wife, Nancy, and Dr Verdaguer spoke at the funeral. Sharpes widow expressed her surprise and distress at what had occurred, the hearing heard, but she acknowledged that he would have wished to have been buried at Thockrington. Hospitals may be told to reduce the numbers of frontline staff just three years after an official report into the Mid Staffordshire care scandal ordered them to do exactly the opposite, a leaked letter has revealed. The advice sent to trusts this month comes despite intense concern amongst health professionals that reducing staff will increase waiting times and threaten patient safety. Nurses and managers jobs would be particularly vulnerable if the advice, sent by NHS regulator Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority (TDA) to 241 hospital trusts is followed. Protestors pictured outside Stafford Hospital after a healthcare scandal which prompted an NHS report recommending hospital staffing levels should be 'increased and protected' During the late 2000s high mortality rates and poor care uncovered during the Mid Staffordshire care scandal, prompted ministers to suggest that staffing levels should be increased and protected. But now hospitals are losing millions of pounds every month after funding changes. Addenbrookes in Cambridge, for example, which has been losing 1.2million a week during 2015-16 and could end the year 60million in deficit. St Georges hospital in south London is also expected to record a deficit of about 46.2million. To save 1million, a trust would have to lose 25 nurses, according to the Kings Fund think tank. The calculation would suggest that some hospitals would have to shed hundreds of staff to balance their books, The Guardian reported last night. The regulators advice has been prompted by increasingly frantic efforts to tackle the NHSs spiralling deficit, projected to be 2.2bn by the end of March. The letter referred to headcount reduction as a solution for those hospital trusts most in the red. There is a 1.8billion bailout fund available from April, which will aim to stabilise NHS finances, but it is only those trusts that make moves towards balancing the books will benefit. The letter, signed by the TDA deputy chief executive, Bob Alexander, and his Monitor counterpart, Stephen Hay, says: We will be meeting a number of challenged providers this month to agree a set of actions, including headcount reduction, additional to the current plan, with the clear intention of improving the financial position of those individual providers. The change has prompted experts to voice concerns that patients will bear the brunt. If trusts do begin to reduce headcount the impact on patients would be swift, through either rising waiting times or reduced quality of care or both, The report said Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, which ran the hospital, pictured, had a 'shocking and appalling' system for looking after patients Richard Murray, the Kings Funds director of policy, said. Three years on from Robert Franciss report into Mid Staffs, which emphasises that safe staffing was the key to maintaining quality of care, the financial meltdown in the NHS now means that the policy is being abandoned for hospitals that have run out of money. Howard Catton, the Royal College of Nursings director of policy, said: Patients will suffer without the right number of skilled and experienced frontline staff in place. Monitor and TDA said in a statement last night: We are supporting the NHS to ensure organisations have the right amount of staff with appropriate skills in permanent jobs rather than having to rely on expensive agency staff to plug long-term gaps. Alongside this, we are also supporting the NHS to make other changes, such as those set out by Lord Carter, to ensure that it provides an efficient service. MPs raised the alarm last night over a top detective who is under investigation after blowing the whistle on one of Scotland Yards most controversial inquiries. Detective Chief Inspector Paul Settle has been sidelined and is being probed for alleged misconduct following his role in the investigation of an allegation of rape against Lord Brittan. He told a Parliamentary committee that his original decision to end the inquiry was overturned amid pressure by campaigning MP Tom Watson. Mr Settle set out his actions in public despite frantic behind-the-scenes attempts by his superiors to muzzle him. Detective Chief Inspector Paul Settle (pictured) has been sidelined and is being probed for alleged misconduct following his role in the investigation of an allegation of rape against Lord Brittan But since then the independent police watchdog has begun to assess two allegations that he leaked information, and his career hangs in the balance. Police Federation sources say Mr Settle is the victim of a campaign orchestrated by activists linked to the child abuse fantasy lobby, many of whom use fake twitter accounts to make wild allegations on the internet. Last night, Keith Vaz, Labour chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, said he is concerned that Mr Settle has been singled out for his actions. Any witness who gives evidence should do so without fear or favour and in an unfettered way, he told the Daily Mail. The committee was also clear that it did not want to see a witness singled out because they have given evidence to Parliament. We made it very clear that Mr Settle should not be fettered in any way. Of course we would be concerned if any witness, a police officer such as DCI Settle or someone else, subsequently felt they were being targeted. We recommended that he should not be kept at home. Last night, Keith Vaz, Labour chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, said he is concerned that Mr Settle has been singled out for his actions Mr Settle was the head of Operation Fairbank, the Mets umbrella inquiry into all historic allegations of child sex abuse against senior figures, until May 2014. This included examining claims of a Westminster child sex ring at Dolphin Square in Pimlico, Central London, the Elm Guest House in Barnes, West London, and elsewhere. But he was thrust into the public eye following his investigation into a rape claim against Conservative peer Lord Brittan. Mr Settle found that there was no case to answer against Lord Brittan - but his superiors, under fierce lobbying from Mr Watson, persisted with the case. Lord Brittan died months after lawyers concluded the case was too weak, but police failed to inform the cancer-stricken peer. The Metropolitan Police subsequently apologised to his widow, and Mr Settle was commended for his approach by MPs. A close friend of Lady Brittan has praised Mr Settle for helping her gain retrospective justice for her husband over the false rape allegation. Lord Brittan died months after lawyers concluded the case was too weak, but police failed to inform the cancer-stricken peer However, during his appearance before the committee, the senior policeman admitted that he has been taken off historic child sex abuse cases and has been left doing very little. Mr Settle faces two complaints, one received by the Met in September and a second in October. They have both been passed to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), the second in December. One is believed to relate to Darren, an alleged victim who has since admitted most of his outlandish claims were untrue. The convicted bomb hoaxer is believed to have accused Mr Settle of leaking his identity before journalists arrived at his house asking questions about his background. He has recently retracted previous claims that he witnessed two boys being murdered. The subject of the second complaint is unconfirmed, but may be linked to claims an officer spoke to the BBCs Panorama for a programme broadcast last October. Tory MP Tim Loughton, a fellow member of the Home Affairs Select Committee, also said he was concerned to hear that Det Chief Insp Settle is under investigation. If it transpires that he is being investigated as a direct result of giving evidence to the committee this would be a serious abuse of Parliamentary scrutiny, he said. Tory MP Tim Loughton, a fellow member of the Home Affairs Select Committee, also said he was concerned to hear that Det Chief Insp Settle is under investigation He was very brave in coming forward with his report and it had a major impact on our investigation. The committee was very concerned that he had been treated shoddily after a distinguished career in this very difficult part of police investigations. If this is true it further compounds the way that the police have side-lined him for simply doing his job. A spokesman for the IPCC said: We are investigating two complaints regarding the disclosure of information to the media. The investigation is at a very early stage and follows a referral from the Metropolitan Police Service. A Met spokesman confirmed that the complaints against Mr Settle have been passed to the IPCC. A former restaurateur was sentenced to nine years in prison Friday for slipping his pregnant girlfriend an abortion drug. Gail Greaves gave an emotional and impassioned victim impact statement in court as her former boyfriend, Table 8 partner Joshua Woodward, 43, stared straight ahead without looking at her. 'Do you not understand that you are a textbook psychopath?' Greaves said during Woodward's sentencing in Los Angeles County Superior Court. 'Do you really not understand what you've done to me, yourself, your family? You took my choice away. Scroll down for video Guilty: Joshua Woodward (right) was sentenced to nine years in prison Friday for slipping his pregnant girlfriend an abortion drug The former restaurateur who once owned several eateries across the country, is expected to serve at least 85 percent of his prison sentence Gail Greaves (above) gave an emotional and impassioned victim impact statement and explained how Woodward robbed her of a chance at becoming a mom at age 39 when he purposely gave her dosages of the early-term abortion drug misoprostol 'I get to see you sitting there right now with no remorse. You are a sick, sick individual, and you are disgusting. 'You don't care who you hurt as long as you get what you want.' She explained how Woodward robbed her of a chance at becoming a mom at age 39 when he purposely gave her dosages of the early-term abortion drug misoprostol. Greaves, who is now 45, suffered a miscarriage in October 2009 after she was given the drug by Woodward on at least three occasions before losing the baby. Prosecutors said that he drugged her once orally and twice by placing the drug inside of her vagina during foreplay. Prosecutors said that Woodward (above) drugged greaves once orally and twice by placing the drug inside of her vagina during foreplay Woodward was taken away after the sentencing by officers. Above he is pictured with Paris and Nicky Hilton, who have no connection to the case, at the opening of Table 8 VIP Opening Party in Los Angeles in 2007 While speaking, Greaves added that Woodward, who was operating restaurants in New York, Los Angeles and South Beach, even drugged her pickles in the refrigerator, and did not care that she lived with another woman who was pregnant at the time. 'All you (did) was think about yourself, and try to get what you wanted, when you wanted it, because there's no rules for you, there's no consequences,' she said in the courtroom. She explained that he 'begged' her to get an abortion, but she wanted to raise the baby on her own without his financial assistance. The couple broke up, but then Woodward claimed that he wanted to reconcile and try to give their relationship a chance by moving to Los Angeles, Greaves said. Prosecutor Habib Balian told KABC that Woodward conducted several secret searches on the Internet about dosages for the drug and how long it could be detected in a person's blood. 'While I was Googling, 'Should I vaccinate my child?' 'What are the good schools?' 'What are the best strollers?' 'What are the best cribs?'You were Googling 'Evil ways to force an abortion,' and how to use chloroform to knock me out and different ways to drug me,' Greaves said in court. Misoprostol, left, is a drug known to induce labor or cause early-stage abortions. Woodward used the drug to terminate his then-girlfriend's pregnancy after he 'begged' her to get an abortion Prosecutor Habib Balian said that Woodward conducted several secret searches on the Internet about dosages for the drug and how long it could be detected in a person's blood 'And I was one of your closest friends and have never done anything to you ever,' she added. Greaves said that she suffered severe cramping and then miscarried the fetus roughly 15 hours later. She noticed a powdery substance in her underwear and called police, who then set up a sting operation in an effort to catch Greaves, the New York Daily News reported. At the time, investigators told her not to share that she had a miscarriage and invite Woodward back to her apartment. He was arrested by police a week later outside of her apartment in Los Angeles with more misoprostol. 'With his right hand he pulled out a small piece of clear plastic with a white powdery substance from his right front pocket and started grinding the item on his pants just below the pocket,' the detective wrote in the 2009 court paperwork, obtained by the Daily News. By this time next year, a new occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue will be pretty much settled in and at work, but in the meantime, all eyes are on the Hawkeye State. Candidates seeking the Democrat and Republican nominations for the Presidency are focused on Iowa, as Monday night will bring about the first official votes of 2016, as the Invisible Primary gives way to visual results. Iowa will not as much be about the very small number of delegates at stake, but about momentum and credibility as the contests will go on throughout February and then the spring. Candidates who have no realistic chance of winning Iowa, will at least hope to have a better than expected showing and more fertile ground elsewhere, such as New Hampshire.Polls show Hillary Clinton is more likely to narrowly win Iowa over Bernie Sanders, but with a very large turnout, snowstorm or not, an upset could be brewing. Eight years ago, Clinton, once a strong front-runner in Iowa, wound up finishing in third place. There is little doubt that Sanders is drawing bigger crowds and has garnered more enthusiasm, but will that translate to votes? The younger a Democrat voter is, the more likely they are to back the 74 year old Sanders, while older voters, who are somewhat more reliable, lean more towards the 68 year old Clinton. In New Hampshire, the site of Hillary Clinton's surprising 2008 comeback win, she is now running very well behind in the polls.Not long ago, Barack Obama gave an interview in which it seemed like he was basically endorsing Clinton. With that in mind, and wanting to appear officially neutral, Obama hosted Sanders at an Oval Office meeting this week. Clinton though is going very much out of her way to embrace the legacy of Obama and continuing his policy. She is even talking about nominating the outgoing President to a future Supreme Court vacancy. All of that might help Clinton capture the loyalties of Democrat partisans, especially African-Americans in the primary season, but if she advances to a general election, she is now far more boxed in as the candidate of the status quo, in a year where voters from all ideological perspectives appear angry and wanting fundamental change.Amid all this, as I have written about many times before, is a story that Republicans love to talk about but Democrats go to great lengths to avoid. Hillary Clinton is under federal investigation and with each passing week, the news for her looks more ominous. Just yesterday, the State Department said it would be unable to release many of her emails from her time as Secretary of State because they contained "top secret" information. Clinton and her backers continue to insist she has done nothing wrong and that this is all a partisan witch-hunt. Yesterday, Tom Vilsack, the current Agriculture Secretary and former Iowa Governor seemed to accuse officials in the Obama Administration of having a political agenda by releasing this information. From the White House, Press Secretary Josh Earnest said it did not appear that the investigation was likely to result in an indictment of Secretary Clinton, but that is a matter for the Justice Department to formally decide of course, and unnamed sources apparently took issue with Earnest's conclusions.Democrats are hyper-sensitive to the arguments that Republicans are out to get the Clintons, and thus, Sanders and Martin O'Malley have walked on egg shells around this issue. That does not stop the fact that many Democrat voters state they have issues with Hillary Clinton's honesty and trustworthiness. A young Iowa voter even stated that to her during a CNN Town Hall meeting earlier in the week, as Clinton forcefully defended herself in an animated fashion saying, as she has for decades, that everything about her and her husband are basically Republican smears.I still think it is very unlikely that the Obama Justice Department and Attorney General Loretta Lynch are going to indict Hillary Clinton or even impanel a Grand Jury but this is going to still be a story, whether Democrats want it to be or not. If the FBI professional recommend prosecution, and the political higher-ups refuse, there may be a resignation of FBI Director James Comey and others, and that will reflect very badly on Obama. However that works itself out, the evidence is just piling up that Clinton has been very dishonest about her email practices, and what she claims was only done for "convenience" put America and Americans at risk. The eventual Republican nominee will certainly be making the case that such actions disqualify her from being Commander in Chief, even if she will never see the inside of a jail cell.Who will be that Republican nominee? That continues to be a very good question, but in regards to Iowa, it looks more like Donald Trump will be an unfortunate winner, and some pundits will breathlessly proclaim him wrapping the nomination up on Monday night. Nothing can be further from the truth. A tremendous amount of people in the GOP will fight like hell to prevent that from ultimately happening, but that fact is that Trump looks like he has succeeded in pushing back a challenge from Ted Cruz in Iowa. A weak showing for Cruz, in a state where he once had a large lead in the polls could prove near fatal for his campaign. The turning point certainly seemed to be Trump making an issue out of Cruz's Canadian birth. For a while, Trump tried to say it was about legal challenges that could emerge that would prevent Cruz from being elected, but now Trump is just all out mocking Cruz as a Canadian, taking issue with his very American citizenship and calling him an "anchor baby."Trump dominated the coverage this past week in other ways. Mainly, by refusing to take part in the final Iowa debate on Thursday night. Since the first GOP debate in August, Trump has taken great offense at a fair question asked of him by Megyn Kelly. He apparently tried to get her removed from the debate as a condition for his appearing, and Fox executive Roger Ailes pushed back in an eye-raising and snarky way. Trump then took a lot more offense at that and stood by a decision to refuse to debate.There was so much talk this week about Trump's move and if he would really skip the debate and who would win in a fight between Trump and Fox News. Some said this would hurt Trump by insulting Iowans and looking afraid to face tough questions, especially from a woman reporter. Others said that as a front-runner, Trump had little to gain from being there, and looked "stronger" for standing up to a big institution. Apparently, Trump's fans do not trust Fox News at all either. Thus, Trump held a somewhat bizarre alternative event a few miles away from the debate site, which the other cable networks provided coverage of. Technically, it was some sort of benefit for veterans. After taking part in an undercard debate (along with Carly Fiorina and Jim Gilmore), Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum showed up at what was still basically a Trump rally. These are the past two winners of the Iowa Caucus but now they are also-rans. Huckabee appeared delighted to be subservient to Trump, and I think by this time next week, he will have endorsed him, but Santorum's body language gave off mixed images. He had to act like a bit of a contortionist to speak at the podium of the microphone without standing behind the podium itself with it's Trump logo.By skipping the debate, Trump might have lucked out in not facing the tough questions that Fox News gave to the candidates. The strongest candidates in Iowa were subjected to some video clips of how they flip-flopped over the issue of immigration. With Trump gone, Cruz was the de-facto frontrunner at center stage, and by many accounts, he did not have a strong night. Some of his jokes fell very flat and he was probably outpointed by Marco Rubio on an exchange. Rand Paul also tangled a bit with Cruz.This has led to some conventional wisdom that Cruz's momentum in Iowa is on the decline while Marco Rubio, who was endorsed last Saturday (along with Hillary Clinton) by the Des Moines Register. Despite a lack of success of nominating winners by the paper, it is a sign that many establishment voters might be apt to move towards Rubio. He had a fairly strong debate as he usually does, although he did not emerge totally unscathed. Jeb Bush sort of got the best of him over his switch on the Gang of Eight immigration bill and Chris Christie got in some good soundbites attacking Senators and "Washington bull." Christie was more aggressive than ever in going after Hillary Clinton but both national and state polls show that Christie might have hit a wall.Ben Carson and John Kasich were pretty much afterthoughts in the final Iowa debate, but Jeb Bush was said by many pundits to have had a strong night. Many remarked that without Donald Trump on stage and in his head, Bush was a far more relaxed and compelling candidate. This probably will not mean much to Bush in Iowa, as he is not even planning to hold an Election Night party there, but might pay dividends in New Hampshire the following week. It is noteworthy that the former Florida Governor is now openly embracing being the son and brother of Presidents. I guess he has nothing more to lose at this point. He has cut a campaign ad featuring his mother Barbara, a beloved figure to many in America for decades now, and there is some anticipation that former President George W. Bush might make a rare campaign appearance in the near future in South Carolina, on behalf of his younger brother.Right now, Cruz and Rubio seem to be most focused on trying to hurt the other candidate. It will be a pretty big but impressive showing if Rubio were to somehow finish second (or win of course) in Iowa over Ted Cruz. My sense is that with his organization and support of many Evangelical voters, Cruz is still going to finish ahead of Rubio, and by at least a few points. I would not be upset to be wrong though. If Jeb Bush cannot get nominated, I would like Rubio to be as viable as possible down the road. It is kind of a tricky situation for a supporter of a candidate, but that's the kind of cycle this is. In other developments this past week, former candidate George Pataki endorsed Rubio, despite the fact that other Governors are in the race, and former candidate Rick Perry endorsed Cruz, despite the fact that he worked to try to prevent Cruz from being the U.S. Senate nominee in their home state back in 2010.After Iowa, either Trump or Cruz will be slightly wounded, while the other will be slightly stronger for having won. Of course, New Hampshire sometimes holds that against an Iowa winner. Everyone else who was not counting on finishing strong in Iowa, such as Carson, and also-rans like Huckabee and Santorum will be relatively fine, even if Rubio does not meet expectations. New Hampshire will definitely be do or die to candidates like Christie and Kasich, while Bush will at least have a flicker of hope left in South Carolina, even if he finishes behind Rubio in New Hampshire. However, it looks very possible that while Trump leads the polls in New Hampshire, Cruz, Rubio, Kasich, and Bush all look like they could potentially take the silver in the Granite State.That's more for next week though. Iowa will be the focus this weekend and eventually both parties will have nominees emerge from the coast-to cast primary process. Will the nominees be so divisive that a third party effort by billionaire businessman and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg look attractive to some? Hillary Clinton asked if it was as awkward as George W. Bush's trip to China where he slapped the back of a Traveling the world with Vice President Joe Biden is an 'adventure,' said one Hillary Clinton associate in emails released today from the State Department. 'It's like a Disney ride with dips and spins and surprises around every bend,' the email, addressed to 'H' read. The note came to Clinton from diplomat Kurt M. Campbell who accompanied the veep to Beijing in 2011. Scroll down for video Vice President Joe Biden's diplomacy was described like 'a Disney ride with dips and spins and surprises around every bend' in an email sent to then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton This exchange was uncovered in today's release of Hillary Clinton's State Department emails US Vice President Joe Biden (R) and Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (L) in China's southwest province of Sichuan in 2011 Joe Biden (R), shares a light moment with Mongolian Prime Minister Sukhbaatar Batbold as they inspect honor guards upon arrival at the Chinggis Khaan International Airport in Ulan Bator in 2011 Clinton, serving as secretary of state, replied that she couldn't wait to hear stories and asked if it was anything like 'W and beach volleyball?' Former President George W. Bush had made his own trek to China in 2008 to catch portions of the Beijing Olympics. He memorably slapped the bikini-ed back of American volleyball player Misty May Treanor. 'There's no talking in beach ball,' Campbell replied. 'It's unlike any diplomacy I've seen,' he continued. 'Any possible topic or reference or poet or Irish lymric or historical reference or 60s pop culture data point can appear with little or no warning.' 'Entertaining, but unpredictable,' the diplomat added. The Biden exchange was one-lighthearted convo to come from today's email release, which made headlines after the State Department announced it would not release 22 of Clinton's messages because they are 'top secret.' 'The documents are being upgraded at the request of the intelligence community because they contain a category of top secret information,' State Department spokesman John Kirby told the AP. He described the decision to withhold documents in full as 'not unusual.' U.S. President George W. Bush playfully patting the backside of U.S. Women's Beach Volleyball team player, Misty May Treanor, at her invitation while visiting the Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball Grounds at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing The State Department says it will not release 22 of Hillary Clinton's emails today in its monthly, court-mandated dump because they are 'top secret'. Her campaign blasted the move from Iowa, where's she's speaking to voters today, and said it was 'overclassification run amok' A Fox News source, however called these emails 'too damaging' to national security to release under any circumstances, the network reported. The ruling means the emails won't be published online with the rest of Clinton's digital communications, even with blacked-out boxes. The Clinton campaign quickly responded with a denial that Clinton's email account and home server contained state secrets. 'This is overclassification run amok. We adamently oppose the complete blocking of the release of these emails,' said campaign spokesman Brian Fallon. The campaign then said in a blast to reporters, 'We firmly oppose the complete blocking of the release of these emails. 'Since first providing her emails to the State Department more than one year ago, Hillary Clinton has urged that they be made available to the public. We feel no differently today.' The Clinton campaign decried the process used to release the former cabinet official's emails as one that has 'been dominated by bureaucratic infighting that has too often played out in public view.' 'The loudest and leakiest participants in this interagency dispute have now prevailed in blocking any release of these emails.' It argued that emails in question were not marked top secret at the time they were sent 'and have been called 'innocuous' by certain intelligence officials.' Furthermore, her campaign said, the emails were likely sent through State's unclassified system and remained that way 'for years.' One of the messages, Fallon said, involves information that was public, having already been detailed in a news article. 'This appears to be over-classification run amok,' he again stated. 'We will pursue all appropriate avenues to see that her emails are released in a manner consistent with her call last year.' The Obama administration confirmed for the first time today that Clinton's unsecured home server contained some of the U.S. government's most closely guarded secrets, censoring nearly two dozen with material demanding one of the highest levels of classification. Seven email chains are being withheld in full , the Associated Press reported, because they contain information deemed to be 'top secret.' The 37 pages include messages recently described by a key intelligence official as concerning so-called 'special access programs' a highly restricted subset of classified material that could point to confidential sources or clandestine programs like drone strikes or government eavesdropping. Department officials wouldn't describe the substance of the emails to AP or say if Clinton sent any herself. They also wouldn't disclose if any of the documents reflected information that was classified at the time of transmission, but indicated that the agency's Diplomatic Security and Intelligence and Research bureaus have begun looking into that question. The revelation comes just three days before the presidential nomination fight between Clinton and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders unfolds in Iowa. Clinton, the front-runner for the Democrats, has insisted she never sent or received information on her personal email account that was classified at the time. No emails released so far were stamped 'CLASSIFIED' or 'TOP SECRET,' but reviewers previously had designated more than 1,000 messages at lower classification levels for public release. Today's are the first at the top secret level. For those that Clinton only read, and didn't write or forward, she still would have been required to report classification slippages that she recognized. But without classification markings, that may have been difficult, especially if the information was in the public domain. Kirby said the State Department's focus as part of the Freedom of Information Act review of Clinton's emails was on 'whether they need to be classified today.' Questions about their past classification, he said, 'are being, and will be, handled separately by the State Department.' Possible responses for classification infractions include counseling, warnings or other action, State Department officials said, though they declined to say if these applied to Clinton or senior aides who've since left the department. The officials weren't authorized to speak on the matter and spoke to AP on the condition of anonymity. Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, has insisted she never sent or received information on her personal email account that was classified at the time Today is the deadline for State to release the final batch of the more than 55,000 pages emails Clinton turned over to the government last year. It is sitting on 9,000 pages and told a court that it cannot get them all out today. The federal entity has asked for a one-month extension to finish the tedious job that includes running the former secretary of state's emails by multiple government agencies that have a vested interest in making sure sensitive information is not released to the public. It is expected to release roughly 1,000 of Clinton's later today. State's excuse for failing to complete the court order in time is a blizzard that hit Washington last week and shut down the government for two business days and an entire weekend, pushing it into overtime. The release comes at an awkward time for Clinton. The Iowa caucus is on Feb. 1, and her main challenger, Sanders, is running neck and neck with her in the polls there and leads solidly in New Hampshire. Clinton still holds a strong advantage in national polls. The emails have been an issue for Clinton's campaign since it became known 10 months ago that she exclusively used a nongovernment account linked to a homebrew server while in office. Donald Trump was quick to attack Hillary Clinton after learning that 22 of her emails were 'top secret' and cannot be released to the public Sanders, who has the most currently to gain from the email scandal, wouldn't attack. 'As I said at the first Democratic debate, there is a legal process in place which should proceed and not be politicized. The voters of Iowa and this nation deserve a serious discussion of the issues facing them,' the Vermont senator said in a statement. Republicans, however, had a field day. Frontrunner Donald Trump called the release a 'disaster.' 'At a minimum, how can someone with such bad judgement be our next president?' he added. Both Chris Christie and Marco Rubio said the revelation 'disqualified' Clinton from being president. 'Now didn't she look us in the eye and tell us that there was not a bit of classified information on her personal server?' Christie said today before a room of Iowa voters. 'She has now definitively, without any question, lied to us.' 'Hillary Clinton put some of the highest, most sensitive intelligence information on her private server because maybe she thinks she is above the law,' Rubio said at a campaign stop today. 'This is unacceptable. This is a disqualifier.' RNC Chairman Reince Priebus also smacked Clinton. 'Democrats will have to decide whether they really want to nominate a candidate who could face severe legal repercussions in the middle of the campaign and who has so brazenly violated the public trust with her reckless disregard for our national security,' he said in a statement today. Clinton first called the decision a matter of convenience and then termed it a mistake, even if doing so wasn't expressly forbidden. But the matter could prove more troublesome now that Clinton's former agency has confirmed that business conducted over the account included top-secret matters. Like Clinton, the State Department discounted such a possibility last March. Both also said her account was never hacked or compromised, which security experts assess as unlikely, and that the vast majority of her emails were preserved properly for archiving purposes because she corresponded mainly with government accounts. They've backtracked from the archiving claim, while the AP discovered several phishing attempts on her server connected to Russia. The question of special access programs first surfaced last week, when Charles I. McCullough, the inspector general for U.S. intelligence agencies, cited examples on Clinton's account in a letter to Congress. Republicans pounced on the report, though Clinton's campaign insisted none of the exchanges were 'classified at the time' and accused McCullough and GOP lawmakers of selectively leaking materials to damage her presidential hopes. Kirby confirmed that the 'denied-in-full emails' are among those McCullough recently cited. One of the emails, he said, was among those McCullough identified last summer as possibly containing top secret information. The AP reported last August that one focused on a forwarded news article about the classified U.S. drone program run by the CIA. MADAM PRESIDENT? MAYBE: Clinton has struggled in surveys measuring her perceived trustworthiness and an active federal investigation, especially one buoyed by evidence that top secret material coursed through her account, could negate one of her main selling points for becoming commander in chief: Her national security resume Such operations are widely covered and discussed in the public sphere, including by top U.S. officials, and the State Department immediately pushed back against McCullough's claim. The other concerned North Korean nuclear weapons programs, according to officials. At the time, several officials from different agencies suggested the disagreement over the drone emails reflected the government's tendency to over-classify material, and the lack of consistent policies across difference agencies about what should and shouldn't be classified. The FBI also is looking into Clinton's email setup, but has said nothing about the nature of its probe. Independent experts say it is highly unlikely that Clinton will be charged with wrongdoing, based on the limited details that have surfaced up to now and the lack of indications that she intended to break any laws. 'What I would hope comes out of all of this is a bit of humility' and an acknowledgement from Clinton that 'I made some serious mistakes,' said Bradley Moss, a Washington lawyer who regularly handles security clearance matters. Legal questions aside, it's the potential political costs that are probably of more immediate concern for Clinton. Wilson's family claim she was schizophrenic and prescribed medication, but they say she was harmless Dearborn police chased after her, and when she tried to flee again, she was shot by an officer A Detroit woman who was shot dead by police following a chase on Wednesday was not armed with a gun, but was 'armed with a three-ton vehicle' that she was driving, police said. Janet Wilson, 31, was shot dead by Dearborn police outside the Fairlane Town Center after nearly striking mall security with her car, officials said on Wednesday. Her death was ruled a homicide and was caused by multiple gunshot wounds. It's the second fatal shooting involving the Dearborn police department in recent months. Michigan State Police First Lt Michael Shaw confirmed on Thursday that Wilson was not armed with a gun, but was 'armed with a three-ton vehicle'. Janet Wilson, 31, of Detroit, was shot dead by police outside the Fairlane Town Center in Dearborn, Michigan, after nearly striking mall security with her car, officials said on Wednesday. Her death was ruled a homicide and was caused by multiple gunshot wounds. It's the second fatal shooting involving the Dearborn police department in recent months. Police say they responded to a 'distraught' woman outside the mall. Wilson became 'combative' and drove away, almost hitting a mall security officer 'Armed or unarmed, what does that mean exactly?' Shaw told the Detroit Free Press. 'I think everyone wants it to be clear-cut, but more police officers are killed during the year with a vehicle than guns. ... So was she armed? Absolutely.' Wilson's family claim she was schizophrenic and prescribed medication, but they say she was harmless, according to WJBK. Authorities are collecting possible surveillance footage and dashcam video of the shooting, and they are re-interviewing witnesses in hopes of finding answers following the shooting. Dearborn Police said in a statement that the department was 'deeply saddened' by the shooting and was cooperating in the investigation into the incident. At about 4.10pm on Wednesday, mall security arrived outside JCPenny at Fairlane Mall to find a 'distraught' woman. Witnesses described Wilson as having 'some type of mental incapacity', and soon after security arrived on scene, she became 'combative' and drove away, almost hitting a mall security officer with her black Chevrolet, Shaw said. He added that Dearborn police chased Wilson in their vehicle, but within one or two blocks, she was stopped in traffic congestion. Officers approached her vehicle on the driver's side and tried to arrest her. She tried to flee again, and almost hit another officer as she attempted to drive away, Shaw said. 'At that moment in time, traffic cleared, she was able to accelerate, almost striking one of the officers who was on foot,' Shaw told the Free Press. 'And one of the on scene officers discharged their duty weapon, striking the suspect and killing them.' After she fled, she got stuck in traffic and police caught up to her. When they approached her vehicle, she tried to flee again, and almost hit another officer as she attempted to drive away, police said When she nearly struck the officer, 'one of the on scene officers discharged their duty weapon, striking the suspect and killing them', Michigan State Police First Lt Michael Shaw said The incident began outside of the JCPenny at Fairlane Mall in Dearborn, Michigan, at about 4.10pm on Wednesday Wilson was taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. An officer was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Shaw said he could not confirm if the officer who was involved in the shooting had been put on administrative leave following the incident. Friends of Wilson have called her death a 'murder'. 'She was murdered,' Daryl Burke, a close family friend, told WJBK. 'That's how I feel. She was murdered.' 'There could've been a prevention of her being murdered,' friend Lorraine Bell told WJBK. 'I feel like she was murdered.' The Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality said in a statement on Wednesday that it as 'on high alert' following the second recent fatal shooting involving the Dearborn police. Kevin Matthews, 35, a black man from Detroit, was shot multiple times by a Dearborn officer on December 23 after a struggle, police said. Mathews was unarmed, wanted on a probation violation warrant and suspected of larceny, police said. Dearborn police Chief Ronald Haddad issued a statement on Thursday following Wilson's death. The statement said: 'The Dearborn Police Department is deeply saddened by the two officer-involved fatal shooting incidents that have occurred over the past month. 'Both of the officer-involved shooting incidents are being independently criminally investigated by outside agencies, and we are totally committed to transparency and disclosure by fully cooperating with these investigations. 'While we are very proud of our long history of civil rights advocacy as well as our history of appropriate use of force, we will closely examine all of our policies and procedures to ensure that we are employing the latest training and following national best practices in all of our responsibilities to the community. The second-place-polling Republican launched a Cruz missile at Donald Trump on Friday night after an energetic rally in rural eastern Iowa, suggesting that the front-runner lacked the 'respect to show up' at Thursday debate. 'I think any candidate running for president owes it to the men and women of Iowa to show the respect to show up,' Ted Cruz told DailyMail.com in the town of Wilton an unmistakable swipe at Trump for skipping the event in favor of holding his own fundraising rally for veterans charities. Cruz said each candidate should 'show the respect to answer hard question about your record' and 'show the respect and humility to ask for the support of Iowans.' It was an evening of sharp barbs for the Texas senator who months ago in Iowa chided reporters for expecting him to engage in 'Republican-on-Republican violence.' Scroll down for video NO MORE MR. NICE TED: Sen. Ted Cruz unleashed barbs at Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton on Friday night in the rural Iowa town of Wilton PEP RALLY: Hundreds crowded into the Wilton Community Center, including a woman who shouted that Hillary Clinton is 'a criminal!' 0 and Cruz agreed with her Cruz is running behind Trump in national and statewide polls; Monday's Iowa caucuses represent his best chance to earn momentum against The Donald, who has seemingly insurmountably leads in New Hampshire and South Carolina, the other two earliest-voting primary states. He saved a salvo for Hillary Clinton, the front-running Democrat whom he hopes to face in a November general election. Earlier in the day the State Department acknowledged that 22 emails on a private server Clinton operated while she ran the agency had been classified after-the-fact as 'top secret,' adding heft to the conservative drumbeat demanding her indictment for risking the exposure of state secrets. 'We're noting today the breaking news that Hillary Clinton, on her email server, had 22 top secret emails,' Cruz said in a contemplative break from what had been a pep-rally atmosphere at the Wilton Community Center. 'She's a criminal!' shouted a woman in the audience. 'That actually is an accurate statement,' Cruz replied. 'This is getting more and more serious.' 'Material is classified "top secret" because revealing it in public could pose a grave threat to the national security of this country,' he said, '[and] could potentially endanger the lives of covert operatives.' Cruz said he had reflected on the Washington guessing game centered on whether the federal government would prosecute Clinton. NO-SHOW: Trump held his own rally in Des Moines while his rivals debated across town Thursday night, announcing that he had raised $6 million for veterans charities CAMPAIGN TRAIL: Cruz and his wife Heidi embraced earlier in the day as he waited to speak at 3Generations Bar & Grill in Ringsted, Iowa 0 one of 14 campaign stops the senator had planned between Friday and Monday FAMILY AFFAIR: Many Iowans brought young children to the Cruz rally, holding them up when Mrs. Cruz spoke; some kids wore Cruz shirts and hats, and a few had bumper stickers plastered to their clothing Reporters in the nation's capital, he claimed, generally believe that 'whether Hillary gets indicted depends on whether the Obama White House wants to indict her.' 'If they decide politically that they've had enough with Hillary, then she gets indicted,' he said journalists generally believe. 'If they decide they haven't, then she doesn't.' Cruz called it 'a disgrace' that media outlets accept a DOJ where 'the administration of justice depends on some political hack in the West Wing.' The tea party favorite is keeping a blistering pace in the final days leading up to Monday's precinct caucuses, with 14 separate campaign events between Friday and Monday. Some include special appearances by right-wing Iowa Congressman Steve King, radio host Glenn Beck and 'Duck Dynasty' patriarch Phil Robertson. For Friday night's rally in Wilton, Cruz brought Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley who has also stumped with Trump, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, retired surgeon Ben Carson and Ohio Gov. John Kasich Calling Cruz 'a good colleague of mine' and 'an outstanding conservative,' Grassley's support could go a long way toward reversing Cruz's reputation as a china-shop bull with few friends on Capitol Hill. Cruz, he told the assembled hundreds, is singularly devoted to the U.S. Constitution and an unusually articulate communicator. 'I can say something that will take 15 minutes, and when I'm done saying it you'll wonder what I said, the 82-year-old Grassley explained. 'Ted Cruz can say the same thing in five minutes, and you know exactly what he said.' Grassley praised the Texan for joining him in bucking the Senate's 'go along to get along' trend. 'Well, Senator Cruz and I do not follow that rule,' he said to cheers. NO GUN-FREE MILITARY ZONES: Jihadis intent on shooting up military bases, Cruz pledged, will 'encounter the business end of firearms wielded by a dozen Marines' if he is president 'CRIMINAL'? Cruz said it was an 'accurate' word for Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state who is the Democratic Party's presidential standard-bearer Despite campaigning with several Republican White House hopefuls, Grassley has said he won't make a formal endorsement and will support any GOP candidate who can keep Hillary Clinton out of the White House. 'We've got this seven-year Obama itch,' he said Friday night. 'We're itching to do something about it.' Heidi Cruz introduced Ted to the audience, calling him 'my husband, my partner, and my best friend.' The senator wound through standard stump material about Iran, common core education standards, the Obamacare medical insurance overhaul, religious liberty, immigration policy, veterans affairs, terrorism and abolishing the IRS, finally taking a dramatic pause when he addressed what he sees as a lapse of the Second Amendment on military bases where 'gun free zones' have taken hold. The next president, he said, should focus on 'protecting the constitutional right to keep and bear arms of every serviceman and woman.' 'So the next time a jihadist walks into a recruiting center in Chattanooga, he's going to encounter the business end of firearms wielded by a dozen Marines!' He took questions from Iowans, including an elderly man who asked if he was ready to throw President Barack Obama's teleprompter away. 'Thankfully I won't need to,' Cruz quipped without skipping a beat, 'because he takes it with him wherever he goes!' SENATOR SPEAKS UP: Cruz earned the support of Chuck Grassley, the legendary Iowa senator said, by joining him in abandoning Washington's 'go along to get along' culture CAPACITY CROWD: Sen. Chuck Grassley offered a 'who cares?' to the notion of an overflow crowd that violated the town of Wilton's fire marshal ordinances Cruz made one nontraditional campaign-stump request, along with asking for support in Monday's statewide caucuses. 'Lift this nation up in prayer just one minute a day,' he urged, asking God to 'awaken the body of Christ that we might pull back from the abyss' as a country. It's a message Cruz will likely tone down in New Hampshire. But Nearly six in 10 Iowa Republicans are self-described evangelical Christians. He fed them red meat Friday night, from the second book of Chronicles. 'If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways,' Cruz recited from memory, 'then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.' It's a Bible passage promoted heavily by the Family Leader, an Iowa-based Christian group whose powerful Republican kingmaker Bob Vander Plaats endorsed him this month. It's also the verse of scripture on which President Ronald Reagan rested his hand as he took his oath of office, Cruz said. Outside minutes later, it was no more Mr. Nice Guy as Cruz could be heard tearing down Donald Trump and Marco Rubio for the benefit of a local TV news reporter who had asked about immigration policy. 'While I was leading the fight, along with Jeff Sessions and Steve King, against the Rubio-Schumer amnesty,' Cruz said while looking down the barrel of a video camera, 'Donald Trump was nowhere to be found.' Cruz has found himself in the line of fire from conservatives who say he has waffled on the issue when it was politically convenient. But in WIlton, moments after asking for prayers, he had slipped on his armor and gone to battle. The customers said they re-applied and used as instructed still got burnt The spokesperson says they should be used as instructed on the package The people all used Banana Boat sunscreen, many used SPF 50+ Angry customers want answers after being burned while using sunscreen Users of Banana Boat Australia sunscreen have claimed the company's products have failed to protect them from the sun and left children with severe sunburn and blisters. Customers around Australia have taken to social media with photographs of red, raw and blistered skin they say are the result of time spent in the sun despite using the company's sunscreen. Most of those complaining are mothers who say they lathered their children in preparation Banana Boat sunscreen during the school holiday period in December and this month. Rachel Pullicino, marketing director, Edgewell Personal Care Australia, which is the parent company of Banana Boat, said the company was aware of the complaints but was not aware of any faults with the product. Scroll down for video The 'post blister' stage of sun burn on Damian McCaull's face after he used Banana Boat sunscreen on Australia Day Many complaints have been made against the company over the last month, these blisters are on Corey Higginson's shoulders after he spent a few hours in the sun with SPF 50+ spray on 'We can confirm we are not aware of any specific issues with our product range,' she told Daily Mail Australia. She added that the products needed to be used as instructed on the label. 'Use only as directed and reapply frequently as directed.' The customers Daily Mail contacted said they had reapplied the sunscreen and used it as directed, but were still badly burned. Complaints have come from across Australia with people furious about the severe burns they have suffered Nancy Higginson wants Banana Boat Australia to 'fix their faulty products, or get them off the shelves' after her six-year-old granddaughter, Khloe, and 11-year-old grandson, Corey, were severely burnt on Australia Day. 'They were in the sun for 3-4 hours and I made sure I sprayed them every hour,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'I normally use the Coles brand sunscreen and they have never been burnt like this before. Nancy Higginson and her grandson, Corey on Australia Day, before they were burnt Ms Higginson's grandaughter, Khloe on Australia Day before she was burnt Khloe's burns the day after Australia Day 'My grandson has autism and it is hard him understand time to heal and not to touch blisters.' 'He is in excruciating pain.' The grandmother says the children were playing with another family on the day who also used Banana Boat sunscreen and who are also blistering from the burns. 'This brand is supposed to work it is supposed to protect our children from the sun, I am so angry, they need to sort their product out or get it off the shelf. 'It isn't fair that the children are suffering for it.' Ms Higginson is concerned the product is faulty and says it should be fixed or removed from sale The grandmother says she re-applied the product every hour Hayley Shuttleworth and her two year old daughter suffered severe burns on Australia Day after using Banana Boat products too Hayley Shuttleworth has been left with second degree burns on her lips, her two-year-old daughter Pacey, who already suffers from dermatitis and eczema is now dealing with bubbling red skin. 'I am an adult I know how to apply sunscreen to my self and I know that I did it properly. 'I was only in the sun for about two and a half hours all day and reapplied lathering my self and my daughter in the sunscreen. The mother has been left with second degree burns on her lips, after 'lathering' herself with the product She has been given antibiotics to stop any risk of infection 'I paid special attention to my lips because my dad lost his lips to skin cancer when I was younger,' the mum said. She was also burnt on Australia Day, and now has eight large blisters on the inside of her lips. 'I felt very hot all day like my skin was on fire, she said. 'When we got home I stripped off my daughter and I rang my mum almost in tears because of the burns.' The mother says this is the second time she has used Banana Boat sunscreen, the first was almost a decade ago and she was burnt then too Many of those who were burnt were using SPF 50+ protection This is not the first time Ms Shuttleworth has been badly burnt wearing sunscreen. 'When I was 13 I had to go to the emergency department after using the same brand,' she said. 'I am so angry at myself for using it again. The blisters and redness is common among those complaining Children burnt on Australia Day have to go back to school with their sore, red skin 'But so many people had told me it is different it is great now so I gave it a go, I will never use it again. 'I just keep thinking how the hell did she (her daughter) get burnt I layered it on her three times. 'I am angry at the company for not looking into it.' Crystal Suesskow is angry after her baby was burnt when using the product at the beach The mother says she re-applied and was not in the sun for long She was burnt as well, and used the same product- which she says was labeled SPF 50+ on herself She is not the only mum who has been 'burnt twice' using the sunscreen. Three years ago Melissa McCaull was in Queensland and was burnt after covering herself in the cream, she decided to 'give it another go' on Australia Day this year and regrets her decision. The mum covered herself, her nine-year-old son Damian and her son's friend in the sunscreen, and re-applied every hour and a half, making the children dry off and wait before going back into the water. Damian McCaull was burnt severely after his mother decided to give the brand 'another go' after a bad experience three years ago The boy has suffered from scorched skin and blistering since Australia Day His mother says she will never use the product again 'Anywhere the children didn't have clothes on they got burnt,' she said. The mum had bought the sunscreen after misplacing her usual product- which she buys from Aldi. She found the usual cream as she was leaving the house and applied that onto her arms, they did not get burnt but she says the rest of her body, which were already covered in the Banana Boat product were severely damaged. She posted photos of the burns on Facebook after she didn't hear back quickly enough from the company. The red-haired boy and his similarly coloured mother always use sunscreen, and are shocked by the outcome after re-applying generously throughout the day The red-haired boy and his similarly coloured mother always use sunscreen, and are shocked by the outcome after re-applying generously throughout the day The burns were so bad Damian blistered 'I want them to take note- to take responsibility it is not just Damien who got burnt, it has happened to so many other people- I don't want them to just fob it off. The family had gone to the beach once a week for six weeks and had not suffered from sunburn until the day they changed their sunscreen. 'It was the only thing we changed we applied it the same way, at the same times and this was the result. 'I know the dangers of the sun, we are both red heads, it is not rocket science give I am sorry I gave them the benefit of doubt and tried them again.' Ms McCaull was offered an apology pack for the incident, but is unsure if she trusts the products enough to try them again. Another unhappy user of the product took this photo to show how badly she was burnt after she says she used the SPF 50+ cream This customer said her husband applied sunscreen on her back Michelle Edwards is another angry customer, she says she slathered her self and her children in the SPF 50+ sunscreen before going into the sun- a photo she uploaded with her complaint shows her red-raw skin. 'I don't know how you are getting away with selling such dangerous and obviously faulty products, it is disgusting! I will never buy your products again and I will be sure to tell everyone I know what a crappy product it is,' she wrote. Crystal Suesskow' three-year-old daughter and 18-month-old son are also burnt after using the sunscreen in January. The family were at the beach Ms Suesskow says that all three of them were badly burnt even after re-applying the cream twice over a few hours. 'I will not be using the products again,' she said. Rachel Pemberton's burns after spending the day at the pool, and reapplying twice This burn shows where a child was burnt, only the sections covered by her swimmers were untouched Rachel Pemberton went to the pool on January 8 and even got her husband to help her apply sunscreen to her back. The woman says she was at the pool and in the sun for an hour and a half, before she had lunch ad re-applied. 'I have never used this brand before, and never will again,' she told Daily Mail Australia. Ms Bowen's blisters have made her not want to leave the house after she was burnt on January 16 The woman was badly burnt even after applying sunscreen to her face and body Liz Bowen was in the sun for a few hours on January 16- and still has blistering and redness two weeks after being burnt whilst wearing the SPF 50 version of the sunscreen. Ms Bowen says that she also put a few lines of the cream, some leftover on her fingers, on a friend's child's face and they burnt badly where the product had been applied. 'I feel like I can't leave the house my face is so embarrassing,' Ms Bowden said. 'The blisters on my mouth look disgusting.' The woman says she will never buy Banana Boat products again Her legs the day after they were badly burnt Ms Bowen says she will never use the product again. April Excmel has also had a bad experience with the company, which she says has been prolonged after they didn't get back to her initial complaint. The mother used the Banana Boat SPF 50+ sunscreen on her children on December 6, their burns took weeks to heal. After the blisters popped this boy's face was still sore to touch More burns from Australia Day She says her child began to blister three days after being in the sun, and that after 10 days the marks were still there, she describes them as looking like a 'chemical burn'. Some people have come to the aid of the company by commenting on the graphic pictures. Some of the parents who made complaints on Facebook decided not to speak out any further because of the abuse they received from other's on social media. Ms Pemberton's burns even though she asked her partner to get those hard to reach places This photo was taken ten days after this child was burnt in December Melissa McCaull whose post went viral in just days says that most of the comments she has had are positive, however some have told her to 'improve her parenting', blaming her for not using the product as instructed. She says she will ignore the trolls because most of the 300 messages in her inbox have been positive. Complaints on the page have come from Perth, Adelaide, Sydney, Newcastle, Gladstone in Queensland and the NSW Central Coast. Ms Pullicino said 'Banana Boat has a dedicated customer service team that responds to all consumer inquiries and investigates each individual case'. 'We want to reassure our consumers that we are confident that all Banana Boat sunscreen products labelled with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) offer the stated level of SPF if stored and applied as directed on the label. More blistering caused by severe burns 'Any product claiming an SPF must meet precise testing requirements before it can be sold in Australia. 'Our products are uniquely formulated and rigorously tested to meet the claimed SPF as required by the Australian sunscreen standard and in compliance with the TGA Regulations. 'During summer we sometimes receive complaints from consumers who have experienced sunburn. The company says they are not aware of any problems with their suncare range 'At Banana Boat, we want to stress that although there are many sunscreens now offering a high SPF, sunscreen is only one part of an important combination of actions Australians must take to protect themselves against the sun. 'We always recommend our consumers avoid prolonged exposure to the sun and always wear protective clothing, hats and eyewear. 'Its also important to follow our product label instructions: always store sunscreen in accordance with its labels, use only as directed and reapply frequently as directed. The red and white patched skin shows where this boy was wearing a rash vest while in the sun Schrock's General Store, a shop known as the 'Amish Walmart' due to its clientele, counts its family's gospel songbook of as one of its best-selling items. Business is booming but its Amish owners Lawrence, 62, and Barbara Schrock, 60, are now looking to sell the store and retire. The couple have served the local community in Spartansburg, Pennsylvania for 26 years. Loyal customer Marilynn Moore looks for chocolate-covered raisins at Schrock's General Store, known as the 'Amish Walmart' due to its clientele Barbara, who works the cash register, said: 'It's not that we don't like it. It's just too much.' They had hoped to pass the business down to their four children, but three of them no longer live nearby, and the other isn't keen about taking on the responsibility. The store also sell quilting and craft supplies, along with straw hats, battery-powered head lamps and hand-cranked blenders for the Amish, who are known for their rejection of modern conveniences. The Schrock family's songbook, titled Joyous Melodies, has sold out each previous edition and is currently in its sixth run of 3,000 prints. Lawrence told the Fresno Bee: 'It's unreal how many we've sold.' The couple's strategy is simple. Lawrence said they stock whatever sells and offer the things that struggle to fly off the shelves at a discount. The shop also includes fudge, pumpkin pie mix, seasonings, candy, natural remedies, straw hats and perishables from butter to sausage casing. The Schrocks, who originally opened a butcher shop that processed 800 deer a year, evolved and expanded their shop several times over the last two decades. There was certainly a gap in the market, since the Amish would previously travel to bigger towns to purchase their necessities. Schrock's General Store in Crawford County, Northwest Pennsylvania, has catered to the local Amish communities and attracted the wider world in the process Straw hats, sorted by size, line the shelves along with quilting and craft supplies, battery-powered head lamps and hand-cranked blenders Over the years, however, their shop has brought the wider world to Crawford County in Northwest Pennsylvania, and become a must-see destination. The shop and its unusual selection of goods has attracted people from outside the Amish community, with customers making the 40-mile trek from Erie, Pennsylvania and beyond. Good customer service also works in their favor. The couple know their regular customers, recognize those who stop by less frequently, and give new visitors a tour of their old fashioned shop. One loyal customer, Marilynn Moore, has been shopping at the store for a decade, bringing friends and family to buy paring knives, food, gloves and fabric. She said peacocks used to roam outside, although ducks have now taken their place. The couple are even willing to guide the new owners in a smooth hand-off. Regardless, the Schrocks will be close by for a helpful hand and a watchful eye. They live in a house across from the store's parking lot, with an underground pipe connecting their home to the store. Two escaped convicts who remained at large after fleeing from a California jail more than a week ago have been recaptured in San Francisco today, police said. Hossein Nayeri, 37, dubbed 'Hannibal Lecter' by prosecutors in his case, and Jonathan Tieu, 20, were in the custody of the San Francisco Police Department this afternoon, officers confirmed. Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said that a tip-off by a member of the public had led officers to arrest the pair outside a McDonald's this morning. Their arrest comes 24 hours after fellow escapee Bac Duong, 43, was recaptured after handing himself back over to police in Santa Ana. Hossein Nayeri, 37 (left), dubbed 'Hannibal Lecter' by prosecutors in his case, and Jonathan Tieu, 20 (right), have been recaptured today a week after they broke out of a jail in California Their arrest comes less than 24 hours after fellow escapee Bac Duong, 43, was also recaptured after turning himself over to police Duong had helped to tighten the noose on Nayeri and Tieu after he told investigators the men were last seen in San Jose causing police to shift their search 400 miles north after previously suggesting that the men had not left Southern California. However, according to SFGate, it was down to a member of the public to make the final sighting which led officer to arrest Nayeri and Tieu. A tip from Duong (pictured) caused police to relocate their search 400 miles to San Jose shortly before the two men were recaptured Shortly before 9 a.m., a citizen flagged down two officers and said he had spotted one of the escapees, saying he recognized him because he 'had seen them on TV,' the chief said. The men were eventually traced to a McDonald's restaurant on Haight and Stanyan streets along with a stolen utility van they were using. When the officers approached the man, 'the chase was on,' Suhr said, with the suspect running down Stanyan Street toward Waller Street and then toward Kezar Stadium. Police managed to collar the pair after a short chase. Ammunition but no weapon was later discovered inside their vehicle. Shur added: 'This is a great example of the public seeing something, saying something and now we have the two escapees in custody. You really cant draw it up any better than this.' The men were arrested near Golden Gate park, an area popular with both tourists and the homeless. Vergel Dalusung said he saw three police cars surrounding a white van that was parked across the street from a McDonald's, just outside a Whole Foods Market. He only saw police handcuff one man and put him in a patrol car, and it happened very quickly, he said. The three men had all been jailed and awaiting trial on charges in separate violent crimes and were being held in a dormitory with about 65 others in a jail 30 miles southeast of Los Angeles. The men escaped in the early morning hours after cutting a hole in a metal grate then crawling through plumbing tunnels and onto the roof of a four-story jail building. They pushed aside barbed wire and rappelled down using a rope made of bed linen. It took jail staff 16 hours to realize the three men were missing. Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said that a tip-off by a member of the public had led officers to arrest the pair outside a McDonald's this morning Hutchens said officers chased Nayeri down before arresting him, before returning to the van to discover Tieu. Ammunition was later discovered inside the vehicle, but no weapon was found Prosecutor Heather Brown previously compared Nayeri to horror movie character Hannibal Lecter, most famously played by Antony Hopkins, calling him 'sophisticated, incredibly violent and cunning'. Nayeri is accused of participating in a 2012 attack against a Newport Beach resident who ran a licensed marijuana dispensary in Santa Ana. In that attack, according to Brown, Nayeri burned the victim with a butane torch, beat him with a pistol and a rubber hose, and eventually ordered another suspect to cut off the man's penis. Authorities allege the three men took the dispensary owner's penis with them 'so that it could never be re-attached.' Tieu had been held since 2013, accused of murder and attempted murder in a 2011 gang shooting, while Duong, who had been in the jail for only a month, is charged of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. On Thursday, authorities also arrested Nooshafarin Ravaghi, 44, who taught English inside the jail. Local police say a sighting by a member of the public led to Nayeri and Tieu being tracked to this McDonald's on Haight Street in San Francisco where they were arrested this morning Duong was apprehended by police yesterday after calling officers from this repair shop in Santa Ana which is owned by a friend in order to turn himself in Ravaghi is accused of helping the three men escape by giving Nayeri a paper copy of a Google Earth map that showed an aerial view of the entire jail compound. She was booked on suspicion of being an accessory to a felony and was being held pending a court appearance set for Monday. Ravaghi and Nayeri also exchanged 'personal and close' handwritten letters, but sheriff's spokesman Lt. Jeff Hallock could not say if the two were romantically involved. Duong, who is originally from Vietnam, came to the United States legally in 1991 but was told he would be sent home seven years later. The order came shortly after he served time in state prison on a 1997 burglary conviction, state records show. Immigration officials said they took Duong into custody in 2003 and released him the following year. He continued to check in with authorities as required until 2014, the statement said. Also under arrest is Nooshafarin Ravaghi, 44, an English teacher at the prison who is accused of helping the men by giving Nayeri a paper copy of a Google map image showing the prison from the air The trio, all of whom were accused of murder, fled the Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana last Friday after sawing through a grate, crawling through pipes to the roof (pictured), then abseiling down using bedsheets During that time, he also faced a series of charges involving burglary and drug possession and did stints in state prison. Last year, he was charged with attempted murder and assault in the shooting of a man outside a home in Santa Ana. Federal officials can't keep immigrants locked up indefinitely while they await deportation. Most must be released after six months, except those accused of posing a terrorist threat or deemed especially dangerous. For many years, Vietnam did not honor U.S. government requests to repatriate deportees. Officer were unaware the men had fled for 16 hours, allowing the men a considerable head start before search crews began looking for them (pictured) A man suspected of slashing a woman with a machete on the New York subway appeared in court on Friday after he turned himself in to the police for allegedly threatening to 'chop up' his victim. Ras Alula Nagarit appeared Brooklyn criminal court for his arraignment and has been charged with felony assault, attempted assault, weapon possession and menacing. Nagarit is accused of attacking a woman on Tuesday at the Atlantic Avenue/Barclays Center station in Brooklyn. The 37-year-old suspect handed himself in after the NYPD released a photograph taken by the victim moments before the attack. Scroll down for video Ras Alula Nagarit appeared Brooklyn criminal court for his arraignment on Friday after allegedly slashing a woman with a machete on the New York subway on Tuesday Nagarit was charged with felony assault, attempted assault, weapon possession and menacing. He is accused of attacking a 29-year-old woman at the Atlantic Avenue/Barclays Center station in Brooklyn The 37-year-old suspect handed himself in after the NYPD released a photograph taken by the victim moments before the attack (pictured above) It is alleged that Nagarit, pictured, told the victim 'I will chop you up on this train' before slashing her with a machete Nagarit, pictured, allegedly used a cloth-covered machete to create a two-inch gash on the woman's hand The 29-year-old woman told detectives that the suspect warned 'I will chop you up on this train' before slashing her on the hand. The pair were riding on a 3 train in Brooklyn at about 9.30pm when the incident occurred. Investigators said he used a cloth-covered machete in the attack, leaving the woman with a two-inch gash on her hand, according to CBS New York. There have been at least five suspected slasher attacks on the subway since the beginning of the year. Earlier this week, Damon Knowles was charged with assault with intent to cause and serious physical injury. Carmen Rivera, a mother-of-three and grandmother-of-nine, was attacked on Monday morning on a southbound 6 train that was approaching the Bleecker Street station around 7.15am. Damon Knowles, 21, was taken into custody late on Tuesday night suspected of slashing Carmen River, 71 Courageous: Carmen Rivera, a 71-year-old grandmother-of-nine, smiles as she returns to her home in the Bronx on Tuesday, one day after she was slashed by a stranger on her morning commute to work Optimistic: Rivera, who takes the same train to work each day, needed 30 stitches to close the four-inch cut Damon Knowles, pictured, was escorted to Manhattan Criminal Court where he was charged with the attack The NYPD said a male passenger sitting across from Rivera lashed out at her. Both the man and Rivera got off at the next stop. Footage from inside the subway station shows the suspect jumping over the turnstile as he ran away. Knowles reportedly became a suspect after he was charged with criminal trespass and resisting arrest in another incident on Tuesday, according to the Daily News. Speaking outside her home on Tuesday, Rivera said she did not realize she had been cut until getting off the train. She said the man fell on her as she was sitting, and somehow managed to hide the slashing and the blade. Rivera needed 30 stitches to close the four-inch cut on her left cheek. However she insisted on returning to her job as a sample maker on Tuesday, and remains defiant about what happened to her. 'What's going to happen is going to happen. That's it,' she told CBS New York. 'I'm not afraid. I've never been afraid. I guess that is just me.' 'I take that train every morning.' Family members said Rivera initially denied what happened to her, saying she had cut herself at work, before finally admitting that she was attacked. Knowles, pictured, was arrested following Monday's attack on the 6 train which injured Carmen Rivera Wounded: The injured woman was taken to Bellevue Hospital suffering from a four-inch laceration to her face Anthony Cristopher-Smith, 30, from Newark, New Jersey, was walking in the East village on January 19 when a man yelling profanities knocked him off his feet and slashed him in the face from his ear to his jawline. Police later arrested Francis Salud, 28, in connection to the attack. Salud has also been charged for a similar attack on East 23rd Street in October. On New Year's Day, a 28-year-old woman suffered a facial wound at the hands of a total stranger in The Bronx, and less than a week later, 24-year-old Amanda Morris was sliced with a sharp object while walking to work in Chelsea. Kari Bazemore, a 41-year-old man suffering from mental illness, has been charged in connection to both attacks. He was also linked to several similar incidents across the city in recent months. Amanda Morris was viciously slashed in the face on her daily commute to work in Chelsea on January 6 Advertisement An upcoming auction next month will feature dozens of items and archival material that belonged to The Godfather author Mario Puzo. The online auction, which begins on February 11, features a number of materials related to The Godfather films and novel, including both handwritten outlines and storyboards for the novel and a 744-page draft manuscript of the original novel. It will also include letters written between Puzo and director Francis Ford Coppola about all three of the films in the famous franchise. The handwritten notes written by Puzo and Coppola, as well as materials that trace the progression of The Godfather II from its first drafts to the final product. The treasure trove of material includes Puzo's copy of a March 7, 1970 letter that he sent to iconic actor Marlon Brando, that shares disappointment that he would likely not get the lead part in the film. Puzo requested that Brando play Don Corleone, since he pictured him in the title role since he wrote the first novel. When Coppola was hired by Paramount to direct the film adaption, the director supported Puzo's request to get Brando in the film. Online bidding for the RR Auction's Literary Rarities sale will conclude February 18th at 6pm E.T. Historic: An upcoming auction next month will feature dozens of items and archival material that belonged to The Godfather author Mario Puzo Forty-five boxes filled with archival material that belonged to Mario Puzo will be sold including various officially bound versions of The Godfather III script (above) Mario Puzos copy of Francis Ford Coppolas Godfather Bible, an enormous, impeccably organized three-ring binder (above) covering virtually every aspect of filming, is also being sold The Godfather II first draft (left), which was submitted December 1, 1971, is up for grabs. A letter from Mario Puzo to actor Marlon Brando is also being sold in the auction. The letter discusses Puzo's disappointment in that he didn't think Marlon would get the lead part in the film The cover of the third draft of the screenplay (left) with hand written antidotes from Puzo is being sold along with the revised first draft of Godfather II (right) Six large oak tag storyboards (pictured above) that outline the lengthy nine-section novel will be sold in the auction next month Hand written notes (above) about the scene in which Michael Corleone first gets married overseas in Sicily are included in the auction Up for grabs in the auction is Mario Puzos 1965 Olympia typewriter. RR Auction says that it is almost certain he used it to write the Godfather novel Both the hitman, an associate and Potik are now in custody facing charges However he offered his hitman a total $125,000 not to take out the hit Mitnik is embroiled in a bitter divorce with his wife, Ronit Mitnik Mitnik was allegedy the target of a hit by his father-in-law, Anatoly Potik A New York shipping executive says he is lucky to be alive after escaping execution - allegedly at the hands of his father-in-law - by paying off the hitman himself. A hit was allegedly taken out against Oleg Mitnik by the father of his estranged wife, Ronit Mitnik, with whom he is embroiled in a multi-million dollar divorce and custody battle. However Mitnik negotiated with his would-be killers - who were to be paid $100,000 for the assassination - by agreeing to pay the agreed amount plus an additional $25,000 sweetener. Outside Manhattan Supreme Court on Friday, where Mitnik is fighting for custody of his two teenage children, he told The New York Post: 'I'm happy I stay alive.' Messy split: A hit was allegedly taken out against shipping exec Oleg Mitnik (left) by the father of his estranged wife, Ronit Mitnik (right), with whom he is engaged in a multi-million dollar divorce and custody battle Mitnik runs TRT International, a freight-shipping company in Newark. According to reports, he approached the FBI last year after one of his father-in-law's associates requested a meeting with him at a restaurant in Brooklyn. Mitnik and his wife have been separated for at least three years, it is believed. Mitnik was informed at the meeting that a $100,000 hit had been taken out against him by his father-in-law, Anatoly Potik, according to court documents obtained by The Post. However the associate offered to spare Mitnik's life for the sum of $125,000. Mitnik agreed to pay $50,000 by check to cancel the hit. The rest of the money would then follow, as per the agreement. The would-be hitman, Boris Nayfeld, along with an associate, Boris Kotlyarsky, were soon arrested by the FBI on extortion charges. Police claim the pair accepted sums of $50,000 from both Mitnik and Potik. Oleg Mitnik is currently embroiled in a nasty divorce battle with his wife, Ronit Mitnik (pictured), which included custody of the couple's two teenage children Potik, a Long Island businessman, was also arrested on a charge of murder for hire. He is yet to face court. Speaking to The Post outside court Friday, Mitnik said he could not elaborate further on any of the cases he is involved with. 'The FBI told me not to say anything. There are more charges coming,' he told the newspaper. However, according to the federal complaint detailing the alleged hit on her husband, Ronit told her husband 'late in the evening' on January 20 that she 'would entertain a proposed settlement' if he 'would tell law enforcement he had made things up'. The former couple are fighting out a divorce worth a reported $20 million. Once upon a time the pair, along with their children, were regulars on the Hamptons social scene, before their marriage unraveled. No names have been released and no charges are expected to be filed Police said they both stared at each other before she started to shoot The woman entered the home with her handgun and saw the man coming down the stairs When she returned an unfamiliar Jeep Wangler was in the driveway The woman and her toddler left the Robeson County house to run errands A North Carolina woman shot and killed a man who she found holding her iPad after he broke into her home, police said Friday. The woman and her toddler left the house in Robeson County to run an errand, and when they returned found an unfamiliar silver Jeep Wrangler in the driveway. The Jeep had been reported stolen more than 30 miles away in Hoke County, Robeson County Sheriff's Office spokesman Maj. Anthony Thomspon told The Fayetteville Observer. Police received an alarm activation signaling that someone had broken into the home, but the woman returned to her house before officers arrived on the scene. A North Carolina woman shot and killed a man who she found holding her iPad after he broke into her Robeson County home (pictured) on Friday When she saw the Jeep the woman, who is a military wife, entered the home with her handgun and that's when she saw the man coming down the hallway, according to Thompson. 'She looked at him, he looked at her. He had her iPad in his hand. She started shooting,' Thompson said. Officers struggled to identify the man, who Thompson said was not carrying identification. The Robeson County Sheriff's Office said no charges are expected to be filed against the woman but the district attorney will make the final decision. The name of the woman and the man she shot have not been released. Rising high school juniors and seniors interested in being part of the 15th annual Youth Leadership program of the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce will apply electronically for the Class of 2016-17. Youth Leadership, first introduced in 2002, provides an opportunity for high school students to develop leadership skills and gain better understanding of the local community. The program also seeks to find those young people who will have a positive influence on the future growth and development of Cleveland and Bradley County. The Youth Leadership program was a natural outgrowth of the Chambers highly successful adult Leadership Cleveland program, Bernadette Douglas, executive vice president, said. Leadership Cleveland, in existence since 1984, has more than 400 alumni. According to Sherry Crye, coordinator of the Youth Leadership program and liaison to the area schools, a selection committee comprised of Leadership Cleveland alumni will review applications and select eight rising juniors and seniors from Bradley Central, Cleveland and Walker Valley High Schools and two from Tennessee Christian Preparatory School, totaling 26 students in the program. The selection committee requested that we move to an electronic application process for the new class, Ms. Crye said. Tomorrows leaders will utilize more computer skills than ever before and its the next logical step for selecting students with leadership skills. Plus, typed applications will make reviewing numerous applications a much easier process. Following the selection of the Youth Leadership Class of 2016-17, the 26 students will participate in a daylong retreat and a number of day trips designed to help the students learn about the local economy, heritage and tourism, city and county government and services, and health and human services. They also experience a day in Nashville to learn about state government. Recruitment begins Feb. 4, Ms. Crye said. Students who want to apply should visit the Chambers website at www.clevelandchamber.com and follow the instructions there. School guidance offices also will have instructions and access to the link for the application site beginning Feb. 4. All applications must be completed and turned in to the guidance offices by Feb. 24. Students selected will be notified by early April. If you know students who would be good candidates for our Youth Leadership program, please have them contact their schools guidance office or visit the website at www.clevelandchamber.com, Ms. Crye said. The 2016-17 Youth Leadership class will run from August through March. An 86-year-old home that is in disrepair and requires major renovation has just gone on the market in Vancouver - for $2.4million. Yes, you read that correctly. The actual three-bedroom two-bathroom house, built in 1930, up for sale in the Point Grey neighborhood is only valued at $45,000, with only minor updates made to the interior. This 86-year-old home that is in disrepair and requires major renovation has just gone on the market in Vancouver - for $2.4million The house, built in 1930, is up for sale in the Point Grey neighborhood The actual home is only valued at $45,000, but the 4,026 sq ft property is valued at $2.15m But the $2.15m 4,026 sq ft property has only continued to increase in value - jumping 21 percent from it's worth of $1.75m in July 2014, according to Vancity Buzz. The price might not seem to match the pictures, but it comes as no surprise to the Vancouver residents who have only seen their property value rise as the years go by. One couple who bought their West Point Grey home forty years ago have seen the $16,000 residence raise to $1.6m in value. Louise Weinberger said she and her late husband watched the neighborhood, just four streets down from this current house on the market, become one of the most affluent. 'In my opinion, it's one of the nicest places in the city to live,' she said. Only minor updates have been made on the interior of the home The price might not seem to match the pictures, but it comes as no surprise to the Vancouver residents who have only seen their property value rise as the years go by Single-family homes in Vancouver are worth an an average $1.47 million - jumping 20 per cent in the last year The Point Grey area is close to the popular Jericho Beach as well as the University of British Columbia, along with a number of shopping centers and plenty of parks. The area is now so expensive that Weinberger's adult children cannot afford to live in the area they grew up in, she told the Vancouver Courier in 2013. And that gap has only grown in the last two years, with single-family homes at an average $1.47 million asking price - jumping 20 per cent in just the last year, according to The Globe and Mail. 'It's really the value of the land that is driving prices higher for detached properties and widening that gap,' Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver president Darcy McLeod told the paper. McLeod said that detached single-family homes in Vancouver have become a 'luxury item'. Even if they may be falling apart. Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver president Darcy McLeod said that detached single-family homes in Vancouver have become a 'luxury item' 'It's really the value of the land that is driving prices higher for detached properties and widening that gap,' McLeod told The Globe and Mail She's the first British woman to be convicted after returning from warzone Tareena Shakil has been found guilty of taking her son and joining ISIS and encouraging terror on the internet The first British woman to be found guilty of travelling to Syria to join ISIS paid for the trip using a student loan. Detectives believe the only reason Tareena Shakil began an HND in hospitality management in Birmingham was to obtain a student loan. It is understood that Shakil used the funds to purchase flight tickets to travel from East Midlands Airport to Turkey, from where she crossed the border into Syria with her infant son. According to The Sun, Shakil received 1,215.50 in September 2014 and booked the flights a month later. Shakil fled to the war-torn region in October 2014 after telling her family she was going on holiday to Turkey. She was found guilty of terror offences at Birmingham Crown Court yesterday, becoming the first British woman to be convicted after returning from the extremist heartland. The court heard the 26-year-old, who used to live in Burton upon Trent in Staffordshire and adored watching The Only Way is Essex, posed her boy for pictures wearing an ISIS-branded balaclava before returning home claiming she'd 'made a mistake'. During a two-week trial at Birmingham Crown Court, Shakil had denied the charges, claiming she only travelled to Syria because of a wish to live under the rule of sharia law. However, the jury did not believe her account after seeing tweets, messages and photographs, including images of the black flag of ISIS and passages calling on people to 'take up arms', and stating her wish to become a 'martyr'. She was found guilty of being a member of ISIS and encouraging acts of terror, becoming the first British woman to be convicted after return from the terror heartland. Judge Melbourne Inman QC told Shakil - who looked stunned by the verdicts - that she would be sentenced on Monday. The Recorder of Birmingham said: 'You may go down and be remanded in custody until Monday's sentence.' Shakil initially told police that she was kidnapped from a beach by a man she met on holiday in Turkey, taken to Syria and forced to send out propaganda Tweets for the organisation. Shakil sent photographs of her son in Syria, including one image showing him sitting next to an AK-47 machinegun. The caption of the picture describes him as 'Abu Jihad al-Britani' The 26-year-old also posed with her son wearing a black balaclava bearing the slogan of ISIS But in court she admitted she had been in an abusive relationship with the boy's father and was seeking to start a new life. Detectives believe she was married off to an ISIS fighter as a jihadi bride and that the marriage went sour within weeks. Shakil, pictured at East Midlands Airport with her toddler before they boarded a flight to Turkey en route to Syria In a conversation with her father on WhatsApp, in mid-December 2014 while living under ISIS rule, she told him: 'I want to die here as a martyr.' She later claimed these messages were sent under duress by female ISIS minders. Jurors heard that before going to Syria, Shakil had chatted online with 'prominent IS member' Fabio Pocas. She was also in touch with Sally Ann Jones, the British widow of Birmingham jihadi Junaid Hussain who was killed in a drone strike in Syria last year. There were further signs of growing radicalisation, including searches for videos of Anwar al Awlaki, an al-Qaeda-linked extremist who was killed in a US drone strike in Yemen in 2011. The 26-year-old also changed the status of her Facebook page - emblazoned with the black flag of ISIS - to read: 'If you don't like the current events in Sham (Syria) take to arms and not the keyboard.' After going to Turkey, she secretly fled across the border into Syria, where she was later taken to Raqqa, the de facto ISIS capital. Photographs of her in a flat in the city, suggest she had gone through a marriage ceremony and been allowed to move out of the house where single women without male guardians are forced to live in Raqqa. Explaining her reason for wanting to return home, Shakil complained that the rules in the women's house were too strict and she had her mobile phone taken off her. Shakil told Birmingham Crown Court: 'Your phone was taken off you and there was this evil Saudi woman' who ran the house for single women, known as a maqqa. Shakil in her police interview. She claimed she was kidnapped but later admitted wanting to start a new life A blurred photo posted online by Shakil shows an unidentified woman wielding a Kalashnikov rifle Shakil listed the rules: 'No phones, no ipads - if you get caught there are big problems rules if you are not Syrian and not married, how she expected you to act, taking turns cooking and cleaning and womanly duties.' In a message discovered on her phone, she advised another single woman thinking of joining ISIS: 'I'm married ukhti [sister]. Life is hard 4 single sisters, too many sisters run. Please don't come alone, u have to be married here ukhti. Trust me, u r young, look after ur parents and tell all single sisters, I said don't come alone.' Speaking after the verdict, Assistant Chief Constable Marcus Beale, who leads on counter-terrorism across the West Midlands, said: 'Tareena Shakil had self-radicalised by viewing extremist material on the internet, before leaving the UK in October 2014. 'Our assessment is that she was not naive; she had absolutely clear intentions when she left the UK, sending tweets encouraging the public to commit acts of terrorism here and then taking her young child to join Daesh in Syria.' Assistant Chief Constable Beale added: 'Photographs seized from her phone showed Ms Shakil posing with a firearm and wearing a Daesh balaclava. Another showed a rucksack with a Daesh logo and person holding a handgun. These were taken while she was in Syria. 'Ms Shakil had already incited others to commit terrorist acts on social media and having spent months living under Daesh, she no doubt presented a real threat on her return to the UK from the country early last year. 'Thanks to proactive counter-terrorism policing, we were able to intercept Shakil at the airport and put the necessary measures in place to protect her child from their mother's extremist ideology.' The Student Loan Company have been asked for a comment on Shakil's account. Photos shown to the jury showed Shakil posing in an ISIS balaclava and with a Kalashnikov rifle Shakil's Facebook page under the name Tameena al Amirah where she started posting extremist messages Shakil told Birmingham Crown Court: 'Your phone was taken off you and there was this evil Saudi woman' who ran the house for single women, known as a maqqa 'YOU ARE HANGING OVER THE GATES OF HELL': TAREENA SHAKIL'S TROUBLED ROUTE TO RADICAL ISLAM Tareena Shakil's father was from Pakistan and her mother was white and from Australia, but only converted to Islam four years ago. Her family were not religious but she was sent to the mosque for religious education between the ages of eight and 12. She attended Victoria Primary School and then De Ferrers High School in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, where she passed eight GCSEs and went on to get two Bs in media and film and a D grade in psychology at Burton College where she did her A-levels. While at college she also worked part-time for Morrisons supermarket and then for the New Look high street fashion chain. Shakil went on to study counselling and psychology at Wolverhampton University from 2009 to 2010 but dropped out of the course after getting married. Her new husband had become jealous of other men on the course and 'it became difficult with the accusations. My marriage was not too good and I decided it was not worth the headache,' she said. After leaving university, she found a job as a rehabilitation support worker in Hinkley, Leicestershire, for a year, working with patients with burn injuries, however, Shakil was soon pregnant with her son and left work to become a fulltime parent. Shakil's father was violent and often in trouble with police, she said, while her older brother followed his father in getting into trouble and was thrown out of school. Her mother ran away from home on one occasion but Shakil added: 'He got her back, he found out where she was and turned up. She was in hospital due to injuries. I was 11 or 12.' She had met her husband, Samim, on a night out with her friends in June 2010. He was married but she didn't find out for five months, when she also discovered that he had two children by two different women. However he got a divorce in January 2011 and by February she had moved into his flat in Moseley Road, Balsall Heath in Birmingham. 'From the beginning it took a rapid downward spiral fuelled by alcohol on his part not mine- within a week of moving in together,' she said. Shakil was asked by Tim Moloney QC, defending, if the relationship was violent and said: 'There was a lot of violence. He's done various things - very serious and it got worse.' They got married in July but in October 2011, police were called to the house they were sharing after an anonymous caller reported a disturbance. Officers found broken furniture and smashed plates and found Shakil hiding in a cupboard in the bedroom 'visibly shaking and upset' after Samim had allegedly pulled her hair, slapped her and punched her. At the end of 2012, she fell pregnant and the baby was born in August 2013. 'Samim used to kick me out and throw my clothes over the balcony. It wasn't secure to live in that situation so I got a place of my own,' she said. 'Samim's violence was fuelled by alcohol, he would come home paralytic drunk. He might pick up my son and drop him. I can't control him when he's sober, let alone when he's drunk. 'I gave him the option, I said, you need to stop and he said when the baby was born he wasn't going to drink but two weeks after he was back out partying. He'd been saying the same thing for four years.' But even with her own place, her husband would turn up at her flat in Sparkhill, Birmingham. 'I didn't have a peaceful life in Birmingham, he would come knocking on my door,' she said, explaining that she spent much of her time back at home in Burton-on-Trent. At the end of July 2014, her husband left for Yemen to go to his sister's daughter's wedding, with members of the family flying in from America. 'He would say he was getting married again and starting a new life out there and he didn't want to live in England any more. 'Because we had got a child together, I wouldn't want him to start a life there. I have been through a lot with this man.' She said she was also upset that he had ruined her 'chance' of a better life by forcing her to drop out of university and turning down an opportunity to go and work with her grandfather in Australia. 'I thought, you are going to leave me here, broken, just leave me, lost,' Shakil said. With her husband in Yemen, Shakil started to join the campaign to Free Palestine and re-started her Facebook account which she hadn't used since leaving university four years earlier. 'I was always interested in going to live in another country, for no other reason than I just wanted to,' Shakil said. She said she was contacted by a man calling himself Abu T who said he was in 'Sham' she said. 'At the time, I didn't even know where Sham was,' she said. 'He explained what hijra [emigrating] was and staying in the land of the non-believers. He said you can't live where there is not shariah [Islamic law] its haram [forbidden]. 'He said, 'Look sister, while you are in England, you are hanging over the gates of Jahannam [hell]. If you die, the gates will open, that's where you're going.' Advertisement Trial of runaway mother hears she is one of about SIXTY British women who have gone to join ISIS The jury which convicted Tareena Shakil of travelling with her child to join ISIS was told that about 60 British females were thought to have gone to Syria. During her trial at Birmingham Crown Court, Dr Florence Gaub an expert on the subject of conflicts in the Arab world estimated the latest figure for the number of British women who have joined the brutal terror group. Dr Gaub said evidence suggested the total number of women from Europe, North America and Australia who had gone to the self-declared caliphate was about 600. A senior analyst for the European Union Institute for Security Studies, Dr Gaub said it was thought that about 5,000 Western 'foreign fighters' - a number including women, although they cannot bear arms for IS - were now in Syria. That figure makes up roughly a quarter of the 40,000-strong military force which IS was estimated to have, based on data from summer 2014. She added that half of that figure were classed as foreign fighters, those who were neither Syrian nor Iraqi, and included those who had come from countries like Tunisia and Saudi Arabia. Dr Gaub said all of the information had come from sources including Western military and domestic intelligence services data, and analysis of other sources like media reporting. Turning to the subject of defections from ISIS, she said somewhere between a third and a half had left to either return home or depart ISIS-occupied territory. She said: 'Between 1,500 and 2,500 individuals from the European Union, UK and North America are said to have left ISIS territory.' The jury which convicted Tareena Shakil (pictured back, centre) of travelling with her child to join ISIS was told that about 60 British females were thought to have gone to Syria The brutal terror group in Syria and Iraq have reported attracted 60 British women to their cause She added the number of women defectors was thought to be between 80 or 90. Separately, the Government has estimated 800 Britons have gone into Syria in the past four years, with half still believed to be in the country. Speaking on a visit to Turkey earlier in January, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the security services had stopped 600 British nationals from entering the war-torn Middle Eastern state trying to join ISIS and other jihadists. There is 'no link' between the migrant crisis and the wave of sex attacks in Cologne during New Year celebrations, EU officials believe. The European Commission wants to remove 'false associations' between the increasing number of some criminal acts and the arrival of migrants, documents show. Internal minutes taken at a cabinet meeting on January 13 suggest officials are also growing concerned about the possibility of a public backlash in relation to the attacks. Scroll down for video There is 'no link' between the migrant crisis and the wave of sex attacks in Cologne during New Year celebrations, EU officials believe. Above, fireworks were thrown into the New Year's crowd outside Cologne's main station, prompting members of the public to flee They document the first vice president of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, stating that the two events are 'not related', according to Matthew Holehouse for The Telegraph. Minutes state: 'As far as the crimes in Cologne were concerned, he [Timmermans] said that these were a matter of public order and were not related to the refugee crisis.' They also suggest officials want 'the unconditional rejection of false associations between certain criminal acts, such as the attacks on women in Cologne on New Year's Eve, and the mass influx of refugees'. But the officials simultaneously do not want to 'downplay' the problems. A large group gathers outside Cologne train station six days after the attacks. The European Commission wants to remove 'false associations' between the increasing number of some criminal acts and the arrival of migrants, documents show The attacks prompted a protest by hundreds of people, who waved German flags and carried banners with the slogan 'Rapefugees Not Welcome' President Jean-Claude Juncker ended the debate and stressed he wanted to maintain the 'credibility of the Commission', the minutes reveal. Hundreds of women filed sexual assault complaints after the wave of attacks in the German city on New Year's Eve. A mob of men - believed to be of North African and Arab origin - were said to have molested and robbed women after congregating at the city's central station. One woman told police she was surrounded by 20 men of North African appearance before they attacked her intimate parts while another said she was pinched in the crotch. Volunteers pull a raft packed with refugees and migrants as they arrive on a beach on the Greek island of Lesbos on Friday. Around 1 million refugees are thought to have now entered Europe illegally The exposure of the minutes by The Telegraph comes after Swedish police revealed they have dealt with around 5,000 incidents involving migrants since October. Two bomb threats, four rapes and more than 550 assaults were among the reported offences officers were called to, according to data obtained by SvD. They also attended 450 fights, 194 violent threats and 58 fires involving migrants or asylum seekers. It also comes after 22-year-old aid worker Alexandra Mezher was knifed to death at the child migrant centre where she worked in Molndal, Sweden, on Monday. A 15-year-old boy from Somalia appeared in court on Wednesday charged with murder. George Osborne, pictured, is facing three inquiries over his deal with Google that will see the internet giant pay 130m to cover a decade of back-taxes Conservative ministers are said to have turned on George Osborne following the Google tax shambles, denting his hopes of becoming Prime Minister in the process. The Chancellor has been widely criticised by Labour politicians after lauding the 130million UK tax deal with the company as a 'major success', despite observers describing it as too lenient. It is believed that Tory members are also now unhappy with the chancellor and his handling of the deal, with certain ministers branding him a 'social cripple' and 'weird'. One minister told the Sun: 'A five-year-old could have done a better job with this deal. 'He's exactly like Gordon Brown. He is a social cripple, he is awkward, a schemer, his budgets have a habit of unravelling and he has the same right-to-rule attitude.' Other ministers are said to have questioned the Chancellor's ability to rule and win votes for the party, representing a major blow to his hopes of succeeding David Cameron. Mr Osborne has faced a barrage of criticism over the deal that will see Google pay just 130million to cover a decade of back-taxes and is facing three inquiries over the 'sweetheart deal'. Tory MPs have been queuing up to demand further action to extract tax from Google and other giant corporations that contribute little or nothing in the UK. Labour said the deal set a dangerous precedent, and asked why ministers were settling for so little, when Italy was demanding 1billion from Google. Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said analysis by experts suggested the effective rate of tax faced by Google is around 3 per cent against the current corporation tax rate of 20 per cent. Both Google and HM Revenue and Customs are now set to be hauled in front of MPs to explain the deal, after the Commons public accounts committee and the Treasury committee launched separate inquiries. Sources at the National Audit Office revealed they are also poised to investigate the deal. Google has agreed to pay just 130million in taxes dating back to 2005. The amount was branded 'derisory' in light of the fact that the firm racked up sales of 4.5billion in Britain in 2014 alone Shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn has hit back at the critics using his late father's anti-war stance to attack him over Syrian air strikes. In the wake of his rousing and explosive December speech in the House of Commons, in which he defiantly spoke out in favour of air strikes against IS in Syria, many hit out at the Labour MP - claiming be had betrayed both his late father and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. However, speaking this week, Mr Benn told Simon Hattenstone from The Guardian: 'It's interesting that some people feel they can use him to bash me over the head, like they own him and his memory, and that somehow I have dishonoured his memory, and that I have some responsibility to think entirely like him.' Scroll down for video Shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn has hit back at the critics using his father's pacifism to attack him over air strikes on Syria Mr Benn, the son of the Labour MP Tony Benn, who maintained an anti-war stance and argued against the bombing of Iraq in 1998 - was also attacked by former leader of the SNP Alex Salmond, who said Tony Benn would be 'birling in his grave' after his son delivered his passionate speech. Hilary Benn's father, late Labour MP Tony Benn, argued against the bombing of Iraq in 1998 Former SNP first minister Mr Salmond told LBC: 'His father, whose speech I heard in the Iraq debate all these years ago, would be birling in his grave hearing a speech in favour of a Tory prime minister wanting to take the country to war and that's just a reality.' While the comments sparked fury, Salmond later added he had meant 'no disrespect meant to Tony Benn, who I held on the highest regard'. However talking to The Guardian, Mr Benn said the comment was 'pretty cheap'. While supporters used social media to hail Mr Benn as a 'future PM in waiting', he faced an onslaught of online trolls following the December House of Commons speech - with many claiming he had 'betrayed' the memory of his socialist father Tony and was 'making a pitch for leader of the Labour party on the bones of the Syrian people'. One Twitter user wrote: 'If @hilarybenn wonders what the strange whirring noise is it's his father turning in his grave. Well done, murderer.' Another wrote: 'Blood on your hands sleep well murderer.' Hilary Benn, pictured here with his father Tony, said it was 'interesting' people felt they could use his father 'like they own him and his memory' Another Twitter user said: 'You Father would feel betrayed by our homicidal trajectory today. Hilary Benn, you ought to be deeply ashamed of yourself.' Harry Paterson told Mr Benn: 'Let's plug your auld man's corpse into the National Grid. It's now spinning so fast we could power the nation. You in?' Hilary Benn's speech inside the House of Commons, during the debate on launching airstrikes against Islamic State extremists inside Syria, on December 2 Aides to Mr Benn initially dismissed the abuse, saying that he was unmoved by it after more than a decade on the Labour frontbench: 'He has been there for 12 years non-stop. 'Nothing much phases him,' said a friend. 'He is an incredibly balanced individual.' Mr Benn now says he has replied to the emails he received which made reference to his father - telling one woman 'Can I just gently point out, with great respect, you have absolutely no idea what my parents would have thought of me?' Mr Benn also said he had 'no interest' in leading the Labour party. Hilary Benn, with his father Tony speaking at the historic Toynbee Hall in London's East End in 2007 Says she's faced opposition before, with one parent taking a swing at her Letter soon became international news after being shared on social media Plea was in response to adults turning up at Darlington school in nightwear Kate Chisholm (pictured) wrote a letter to parents to ask them to stop dropping off children while wearing their pyjamas The headteacher who wrote to parents asking them to stop dropping off children while wearing their pyjamas has said she will not back down despite increasing opposition. Kate Chisholm, headteacher at Skerne Park Academy, Darlington, urged adults to dress properly so they set a decent example to pupils. The letter soon became national news after being shared on social media, with some parents turning up the following morning in full nightwear to make their point. Miss Chisholm soon discovered the story had reached beyond the shores of Britain after a friend in Australia called to ask her why she was appearing on her television. The headteacher says she has had to face quite the backlash since the letter found its way online, even disabling her Facebook account in an effort to avoid the negativity. She told the Daily Telegraph: 'I've been called an overpaid prostitute and a failed fat supermodel. Both times, this was parents saying these things to me in front of their kids.' Miss Chisholm made it clear that the majority of parents are 'absolutely fantastic, wonderful people', but said this was not the first time she had attracted criticism from a select few. 'I've had parents take a swing at me,' she added. 'It was because I wouldn't back down over school uniform.' Miss Chisholm had complained about the trend of a number of parents wearing pyjamas and slippers at the gates - with some even attending school assemblies and meetings in night-time attire. In her letter to parents she wrote: 'I have noticed there has been an increasing tendency for parents to escort children to and from school while still wearing their pyjamas and, on occasion, even slippers. 'Could I please ask that when you are escorting your children, you take the time to dress appropriately in day wear that is suitable for the weather conditions.' Ms Chisholm said her letter was not a 'judgement' but was in a bid to set good example for the children. Scroll down for video Turning up to school the next day, parent Karen Routh, left, said she was running late because she got cramp while on the toilet, while Connie, right, who has a niece at the school, wore a dressing gown in rebellion 'If we're to raise standards it's not too much to ask parents to have a wash and get dressed,' she said. 'I have had loads of support from the community and people saying it's about time something was done. If I get the parents on board then we often get the children too and in order to get the best chances for the children we have to raise the bar with the parents.' She later defended her decision, saying the trend had 'escalated', particularly for the afternoon pick-up. 'Then there were some parents turned up in pyjamas to see their children in the Christmas performances and even for parents evening,' she said. 'It is now becoming the norm. 'It is important that parents are role models and for them to see that they should maybe not attend events in nightwear. 'That they should not sit around in pyjamas because they don't have to get dressed for work. She wrote the letter (pictured) after noticing an increase in the number of parents wearing pyjamas and slippers at the gates - with some even attending school assemblies and meetings in nighttime attire 'I don't give two hoots how people dress at home, I just think if they're a good role model for their children and want them to get a job and better yourself then they ought to get dressed.' She added: 'I do believe it's possibly the case that pyjamas have become more trouser-y but I really don't think it's too much to ask.' Ms Chisholm said she had mainly had support from the parents who received the letter. 'I've had lots of positive remarks from parents at the school and in the community,' she said. 'But I have also had negative remarks, mainly from those people who choose to wear pyjamas. 'But in the next breath they have told me they consider that I dress too nice for work. Us staff have a dress code and the children have a dress code too. It's about us all feeling part of a team. 'I imagine there might be some people who keep up wearing pyjamas for the next six months to prove a point. 'I can't force people to get dressed but I will keep sending letter home in the hope that they decide to put on a pair of jeans.' You can do more with a blender than just using it for smoothies and soups as one resourceful man has proven. The Brazilian man, who has not been identified, has fashioned a lawn trimmer out of a household blender attached to a stick. Although seemingly rudimentary, the DIY mower appears to work remarkably well. Gardening: Man was seen trimming the grass with a hand-held device wearing a t-shirt, shorts and flip-flops Proud: The unidentified man appears proud as he stops to show off his mower, which was actually a blender DIY: The blender was attached to a stick (left) with a handle and its dial could still be seen on the side (right) In the amateur footage uploaded to YouTube, the man, who's wearing t-shirt, shorts and flipflops, is seen trimming the grass. He stops for a moment to speak to the camera in Portuguese, at which point he holds up his lawn trimmer. As it turns out, the mower is in fact a household blender and you can clearly see the dial on one side of the machine as he explains that it's a blender. It has been attached to a long stick, complete with a handle, so that when the man uses it, it's at the perfect height for him to trim the grass. The man seems particularly proud of his invention as he shows it off. Hand-held: The main power button for the device appears to be on the stick (left) and it's held in the same way as conventional lawn trimmers (right) Effective? Results of the trim is varied as there appears to be uneven patches of grass left at the end (above) To demonstrate, he turns on the blender again and whizzes through a section of uncut grass. The blade seems to cut through the grass with ease as it glides over the top. However, while the process is quick, the results are not quite manicured. A couple of spots appear to have been left out, leaving an uneven green outline. The footage ends as the man stops the blender again. Brazilian blog Tata News has described the man as Brazilian in the caption that accompanied the video. It read: 'In times of crisis - Brazilian invented lawn mower with blender.' Outgoing prison inspection chief Nick Hardwick has admitted that Britain's prisons have deteriorated over the past five years as he prepares to step down. The 58-year-old outgoing chief inspector of prisons has introduced annual checks on youth detention facilities and improved the quality of women's prisons. However, in male adult prisons, the situation is more bleak. He said: 'In the adult estate, the reality is things have got worse, and I think they would have been even worse were it not for us.' Nick Hardwick, pictured, is standing down as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons and claimed that the most depressing thing about his job is how rapidly you find the poor conditions inside jail as normal In an interview before his departure with The Guardian, Mr Hardwick said one of the hardest things about the job is how easy it is to become desensitised to the poor conditions within the prison system. He said: 'You shouldnt do this job for too long because you get used to things you shouldnt get used to.' He cited a recent inspection his team had completed: 'We went through the physical conditions, saying, "Lots of people doubled up in cells mean, for one, toilets not adequately screened, next issue" and he went, "Hang on a minute, thats disgusting." And we all said, "Yeah it is." But when youve seen it so often In my early reports I used to bang on about two men in a small cell with an unscreened toilet, one of them eating their meals sitting on the bed next to a toilet, and Ive stopped banging on about that now. But actually we should keep banging on about it because it is disgusting.' Justice Secretary Michael Gove has appointed former Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Peter Clarke to replace Mr Hardwick. Former Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke, pictured, has been appointed to replace Mr Hardwick and is an expert in dealing with the problem of Islamic radicalisation withing society While with Scotland Yard, AC Clarke ran the investigation into the 7/7 bombings and most recently oversaw the investigation into the 'trojan horse' plot involving a 'hardline Islamic plot' to take over control of some schools in the Birmingham area. It is expected that Mr Clarke will use his expertise to tackle the growing problem of Islamic radicalisation within the British prison system. HM Chief Inspector of Prisons is appointed from outside the prison service, normally for a term of five years. The holder of the post reports directly to ministers on the treatment of inmates, conditions in prisons, young offender institutions and court custody, as well as any other matters as directed by the Justice Secretary. Only Bayside City Council residents are eligible to buy the beach boxes In 1982 a Brighton beach box was purchased for $1400 The beach boxes accelerate faster in value compared to local houses A retired couple in their 80s have forked out a record breaking price for a tiny seaside beach box in Melbourne. Two Brighton beach boxes, just 12 square metres in size, were sold under the hammer for a combined price of $565,000. 'It was a fantastic day, we had strong bidding on both beach boxes and one was sold for a record price of $285,000 to a local couple who've lived in Brighton for 60 years,' auctioneer Sam Paynter told Daily Mail Australia. Scroll down for video Two Brighton beach boxes, just 12 sq m in size, were sold under the hammer for a combined $565,000 The boxes were expected to fetch about $200,000-plus, but both received a final bid well over Brighton's previous record of $260,000, set in 2011 About 60 people gathered around the orange and blue boxes to watch Wal Gibson, 87, place the final bid for 76E Beach Box The south-east Melbourne boxes were expected to fetch about $200,000-plus, but both received a final bid well over Brighton's previous record of $260,000, set in 2011. About 60 people gathered around the orange and blue beach boxes to watch Wal Gibson, 87, place the final bid for 76E Beach Box. He told the Herald Sun that he bought the box as an investment and for his six children and 16 grandchildren to use 'I've got a big family who'll use it too. I don't know how all the grand kids will fit in though.' According Mr Paynter, 'history shows that they have accelerated in price faster than the local housing market,' 'In 1982 a woman purchased another Brighton beach box for $1400, so you can see what kind of investment these properties are.' However, the Dendy St beach boxes rarely come up for sale as they are held by families for generations. About 60 people gathered around the orange and blue beach boxes to watch Wal Gibson, 87, place the final bid for 76E Beach Box Generations: The Dendy St beach boxes rarely come up for sale as they are held by families for generations Great investment: 'History shows that they have accelerated in price faster than the local housing market' 'They are an iconic part of Melbourne and Brighton's history... they are rare and are only allowed to be sold to Bayside City Council residents and ratepayers,' Mr Paynter said. The two beach boxes were built before Christmas by the Bayside Council, who said the proceeds of the auctions would help fund the construction of a new lifesaving club. Another Brighton beach box owner Diana Carlile, told the Herald Sun that she bought hers 38 years ago for just $750 and hasn't been persuaded to sell. 'We've had a lot of fun in it,' she said. Advertisement Parts of Britain woke up to a blanket of snow today - just hours after Storm Gertrude brought winds of up to more than 140mph causing chaos across the country. Weather warnings remained in place as heavy snow and blizzards are expected to batter swathes of the country this weekend. Icy conditions and snowdrifts could wreak havoc across roads in the north of England and police have warned motorists to be aware of hazardous driving conditions. Up to six inches of snow fell in parts of Scotland and an amber 'be prepared' warning was put in place for snow, ice and wind. A yellow 'be aware' warning will remain in place for today for most of northern England and Northern Ireland. Train services from Inverness to Thurso, in Scotland, and from Perth to Inverness were cancelled due to flooding from Storm Gertrude. Whiteout: A man clears snow from cars on a garage forecourt situated close to the A907 near Dunfermline, Scotland, which is closed because of the weather Tricky: A Renault Clio struggles up a steep incline in heavy snow near Dunfermline, Scotland, as severe blizzards hit the north of Britain Winter wonderland: Snow covers the hills around the A924 near Pitlochry, in Scotland, as a 4x4 make its way up the wet road today Picture perfect: A dusting of snow covered Lowther Hills, in Scotland, this morning as the Met Office warned for more unsettled weather this weekend Covering: Families in Northern Ireland woke up to snow on the ground today as forecasters predicted more icy weather Wrapped up: A woman, wearing a winter coat and carrying her shopping, braves the freezing temperatures in Pitlochry, Scotland, today The Met Office said: 'Frequent wintry showers, heavy at times, are expected across northern UK during Saturday," the Met Office said. 'The heaviest snow showers are most likely north-west of the Central Belt of Scotland. Here, away from the immediate coast, around 5-10 cm of snow could accumulate. Elsewhere, snow accumulations will be more localised, with around 2-5 cm possible, primarily above 100 metres. 'Widespread gales are also expected with some gusts of 70mph across northern and western Scotland at times. Here, drifting of snow is likely in strong to gale force winds with local blizzard conditions, particularly on high ground.' The public were also urged to be aware of difficult driving conditions and disruption to travel. Police Scotland said routes in Tayside have been affected by snow, with a number of crashes reported during the morning, particularly on the A90. In Northern Ireland, Orkney and Shetland, and the north of England, the snow and wind warnings are also at the lesser yellow 'be aware' stage. The north of England, the Midlands and Wales have also been warned to expect ice on untreated roads and pavements, while the south of England can expect further spells of heavy rain. MOTHER WHOSE CAR WAS CRUSHED BY A TREE HIT OUT AT THOSE WHO TOOK PICTURES OF HER TRAPPED Terrilee Hope (left) and her mother Susan McKay narrowly escaped series injury when a tree was blown onto their car A mother and daughter whose car was crushed by a falling tree say bystanders who took photographs of them trapped in the vehicle instead of helping them should be ashamed. Susan McKay and Terrilee Hope narrowly escaped serious injury when a tree was blown onto their car in strong winds in Ferryhill, County Durham, yesterday morning. The pair, who were trapped in the Nissan Note, said they were horrified to see people taking pictures instead of helping them. Susan, 49, of Ferryhill Station, said: 'I was screaming and panicking, I was trapped by the steering column and the tree brought power lines down onto my daughter's side of the car. 'We couldn't get free and I was thinking our number was up but people were gawping at us, there were people I recognised and others had gone out of their way after hearing about it to come and look, to get pictures. 'I was begging them to help and to get my daughter out but no one did, I'd like to think I would rush to help not watch.' usan, who is recovering from a serious illness and was travelling to visit a long-lost relative in Thornaby, said a bus driver was the only person who helped by calling 999 and talking calmly to them. She said: 'He was really good, we're grateful to him and emergency services but disgusted with the others, I'm mortified by their actions and they should feel ashamed.' The women were freed from the vehicle by emergency services and treated for minor injuries at the University Hospital of North Durham, in Durham City. The tree also brought down an electricity cable which meant properties in nearby street temporary lost power. PC Paul Jackson, from Cleveland and Durham Road Policing Unit, also condemned the behaviour of bystanders. He said: 'The driver and her passenger were trapped in the car and calling for help. 'Apparently a number of people decided to film or take photos on their mobile phones rather than offering assistance, and that is disappointing to hear.' The tree smashed through the blue Nissan Note in Ferryhill, County Durham, yesterday as high winds battered North East England Advertisement A 300ft cargo vessel stranded in rough seas off the coast of Britain was towed to safety in the early hours of this morning with the help of a 6,000 tonne Dutch warship. Verity, the huge cargo container, was stricken in violent waters close to the North Devon coast. Lifeboat crews toiled tirelessly for 24 hours amid strong winds and heavy swells of water to keep the ship and its crew safe on the sea before it was towed back to safety. The continuing misery comes a day after winds of more than 100mph from Storm Gertrude disrupted transport, brought down power lines and damaged buildings. A rare red Met Office alert was in place for Orkney and Shetland during some of yesterday amid wild conditions in the Northern Isles. Gusts of 105mph were recorded in Shetland on Friday afternoon, while parts of the mainland saw speeds of 60-80mph. Look ahead: Forecasters predicted more rain for the North East of England and snow for parts of Scotland tomorrow Be prepared: An amber weather warning was in place for parts of Scotland today, while a yellow warning was issued for the north (left). Forecasters also predicted scatters of rain and blizzards for Scotland, the North East and parts of Ireland (right) Watch out: There is a wind warning for Monday (left), plus eight flood warnings and 46 alerts in place for England and Wales (right) Winds reached 144mph in the Cairngorm mountains, and nacreous clouds, usually seen in polar regions, were also spotted in the north east of Scotland. Thousands of homes were left without power in Scotland and Northern Ireland after airborne debris and lightning brought down overhead lines and poles. Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution restored supplies to 14,000 customers over the course of yesterday, but said its engineers had been hampered by flooding and the high winds. Yesterday's storm saw a man in Edinburgh treated in hospital after he was struck by flying debris, flats evacuated in Clydebank when scaffolding was blown through a roof, and a lorry blown on to a car on the A96 in Aberdeenshire. Devastation: Two 200-year-old beech trees blocked a road after they were uprooted in strong winds yesterday. The trees were part of the Dark Hedges near Armoy, Co Antrim, which gained worldwide fame as one of the locations for scenes from the Game Of Thrones Hard at work: A farmer works to cut up one 200-year-old tree yesterday which was uprooted in Armoy, County Antrim, - a backdrop for TV drama Game of Thrones Big job ahead: Two 200-year-old uprooted trees cover a road in Armoy, County Antrim, yesterday as two farmers work to clear the area In Northern Ireland, the storm blew a pet rabbit up on to a roof in Omagh, Co Tyrone. All schools in the Northern and Western Isles were closed and train and ferry services were vastly reduced. The Pride of Hull - one of the world's largest ferries - was unable to berth this morning due to the extreme weather conditions and docked later in the day. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has dozens of flood warnings in place across the country, while south of the border the Environment Agency is urging communities in southern England and parts of the North to stay alert to the risk of renewed flooding over the weekend. A number of trees making up the famous Dark Hedges, in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, which provided the backdrop for hit fantasy drama Game of Thrones, also came down in high winds, while a lorry in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, was blown over on its side. Damage: The windscreen of a lorry on the southbound carriageway of the A96 near Huntly, Aberdeenshire, was smashed when it overturned in strong winds yesterday Submerged: A car drives through surface water as waves break over a barrier and on to the road in Skelmorlie, Scotland, yesterday Tricky: A plane lands in high winds and heavy rain at Leeds Bradford International Airport today as stormy weather battered the north of England Swamped: A train about to enter Saltcoats Station, in North Ayrshire, Scotland, is pounded by waves, while the salt water is causing arcing on the power lines above yesterday Rescue: Firefighters in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, scrambled onto a roof to save Bumper the bunny who was blown up there yesterday A new bill in the Tennessee State House, the Tennessee Choice & Opportunity Scholarship Act (H.B. 1049), will provide students in struggling schools with what the bill defines as a "scholarship," also known as a voucher. Vouchers pay tuition for students to attend private schools. Proponents of the bill say that it increases choice for parents, a noble cause. Sure, the idea of a voucher system may seem like a good idea, but intrinsic and specific problems arise when implementing it on any level, especially on a sweeping state level. The Compelling Myth Vouchers have sparked much discussion, and for good reason: a voucher program offers disenfranchised students in struggling school districts (those in the bottom five percent of performance) the chance to attend a private school with a better performance record. For many lagging districts, a voucher option seems to yield very positive short term effects, remedying educational inequality by temporarily leveling the playing field for some students. But the community benefits stop in the short term and only affect a select few of students. A Brookings and Harvard study looked at African-American students performance on either side of a voucher program in New York City. African-American students in the program experienced an increase in the competitiveness of the colleges that they attended. The percent that went to a selective college, one with a median SAT score of at least 1,100 out of 1,600, increased from three percent to seven percent. The increase suggests that voucher programs work in the long-term, and the logic follows. Better schools produce better students, so when students have an opportunity to go to a better school, they perform better. Interestingly, the study failed to see much increase in the Hispanic community. The biggest takeaway from the study lies in the fact that their success seemed largely cherry-picked. Brookings and Harvard conducted the study in only one citys program and saw statistically significant changes in only one demographic. They noted that neither extensive nor long-term evidence has yet to cumulate. The biggest problem with the basic argument for the benefits of vouchers for those students lucky enough to receive them lies in the inconsistency in evidence for even the most basic pillar of voucher proponents argument. Further, the benefits, difficult to prove in the first place, have many limits for the number of students that will receive the scholarship in a struggling district. The bill, H.B. 1049, even sets up a mechanism for when private schools run out of seats in 49-1-1204 Section A, Subsection 3 : If the number of eligible students who submit applications exceeds the permissible number of scholarships available statewide or the available seats at participating schools for any grade level, the department shall conduct a random selection process to award scholarships that provides each eligible student with an equal opportunity for selection. While this provision offers private schools the legal ability to close their doors to voucher students, it effectively means that not every student in a struggling school will have the opportunity to access the voucher. So much for a level playing field. The rollout of voucher programs in other parts of the country caught the eye of the National Education Association, or NEA, who said, In the places where vouchers exist, access means a chance in a lottery. One's name is thrown into the hopper. If it is pulled out, the parent gets a chit good for use in a limited number of places. Education should not be a lottery for those in struggling communities. It should be an unwavering beacon of hope and opportunity. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor said, Until we get equality in education, we wont have an equal society. Education should play the great equalizer, the engineer of a meritocracy. It connects hard work to success, but only when we let it. These voucher programs will launch few out of a dim future and darken the road ahead of many more. The Grim Reality Education reform consisting of a new scholarship program will cost money, but the bills fiscal note indicates that the bill will not levy any new costs on the state government. Rather, it will pull $221 million out of funding over the first five years and $71 million per year after that. In this way, 49-1-1204 Section A, Subsection 2 accounts for the costs, For the purposes of funding calculations, each scholarship recipient shall be counted in the enrollment figures for the LEA in which the student resides and is zoned to attend. The scholarship funds shall be subtracted from the total state funds otherwise payable to the LEA and shall be paid directly to the participating school. Without the legal jargon, the provision says that for each voucher given to a student from a district, the cost will come straight out of the funding for the public schools in the district. While the students will still count for funding, the subtraction will mean that expensive private school tuitions will take a toll on public school districts. A dire future for failing school systems lies behind the well-intentioned measure to prevent a fiscal note. Tennessee schools have not received the full amount of funding which the law requires, contends TREE, Tennesseans Reclaiming Educational Excellence. Further, The Tennessean reported that Shelby County Schools and Hamilton County Schools filed lawsuits against the Tennessee Department of Education because the district could not provide adequate salaries to teachers and money for facilities. School systems have tabled special programs for student engagement. Tennessees schools spend way too little to fully serve the needs of students. According to the NEA, Tennessee lands at 47th in total expenditure and school revenue per student although Tennessee lands at 37th in income per capita. The same report outlines the percentage of expenditure for local schools that comes from the local government. While Tennessee already has anemic schools, its local governments supply 40 percent of total revenue. For this reason, Tennessee lands at 27th in local spending on schools. In the same report, states dependency on federal funds soars as the state supplies less revenue. Atop that list stands some of the states that lag behind the most: Mississippi (1st), Louisiana (2nd), Alabama (13th), and Tennessee (14th). The ACT reports state averages, and the ranking for those that lag behind stands as follows: Mississippi (50th), Louisiana (49th), Alabama (34th), and Tennessee (46th). Since 100 percent of Tennessee high school graduates take the ACT, an average score of 19.8 represents the states quality of education. Only 8 percent of Tennessee students took part in the SAT, reports college advisory company PrepScholar. This evidence shows that Tennessee lacks two things: non-compulsory participation and credibility for cited SAT scores. Inequity and poor funding distribution leaves a gaping hole that forces the poorest districts to throw up their hands and roll out inadequate schools and subpar educations. Through the formula adjustment, the most cumbersome districts for Tennessees average score would feel the biggest impacts. Vouchers do not present a viable solution for Tennessees geographically disparate quality of education. The best answer remains unclear, more difficult, and potentially more expensive for the state government. The Practical Solution This is the part no one wants to hear. Vague political ideology cannot solve the widespread academic drought in Tennessee. Governor Haslam must develop a cost-effective, comprehensive, and equitable program to tackle the issue of failing schools. When failing school districts become a pattern, the governor has the obligation to step in and correct it. He has tried to fulfill this obligation by throwing his support behind H.B. 1049. Governor Haslams endorsement of vouchers does not cut it. Struggling schools need a combination of funding, guidance, and programming. Extracurricular activities are the aspects of school that offer the most diversity of thought and activity, engaging and improving students perceptivity. Offering engaging things to do can play a pivotal role in the success of students in a struggling area. Therefore, the best course of action for Governor Haslam could very well reside in a cocktail of BEP funding increases, comprehensive extracurricular programs, more rigorous standards, and pulls for new teachers. Ultimately, the best response to struggling schools lies in the hands of the school boards. Without funding to keep the lights on, school boards simply cannot find the money to pursue stimulating programs. Governor Haslam should focus on empowering good statewide programs for extracurriculars, like the Tennessee High School Press Association, the Tennessee High School Speech and Drama League, the YMCA Tennessee Center for Civic Engagement, and International Baccalaureate programs. For most students, the best way to learn is to do. With a focus on doing, not only will schools help students better realize the connections between their education and the real world, but schools will help them also stay off the streets, out of trouble, and on the right track. What You Can Do Luckily, Tennessees state legislators represent small constituencies, so people in support or opposition to any legislation have leverage over their respective legislators actions. Bottom line, you can stop a voucher program, so do it. The most effective way to swing your representatives vote is to gather a large (or small) group of people to call your state senator and representatives office and essentially file your complaint. Coupled with calling their office, flooding it with letters also helps convince your legislator of the repercussions of their vote. As long as your legislator knows that a vote for vouchers means a vote against his or her job, they wont cast it. Further, you can always push grassroots organization to muster the votes to replace your legislator if he or she decides to risk losing his or her job. Finally, you can organize a local protest at your legislators office so that your objection becomes clear and persuasive. While legislators politicize Tennessees failing school systems, the schools will lag farther and farther behind. Democracy exists for this reason: forcing leaders to do the right thing Connor K. Carroll, TNYD High School Caucus Chairman Britain's wounded war heroes have been left without heating or clean drinking water at the country's premier rehabilitation centre for two months. Veterans at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre have been warned not to use the facility's water supply to brush their teeth after it was contaminated by a potentially deadly bacteria in September. They have also been told not to let the water get in to any cuts or open wounds, and if showering at the facility they must cover any injuries up with waterproof dressings. Veterans at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre have been warned not to use the facility's water supply to brush their teeth after it was contaminated by a potentially deadly bacteria in September Meanwhile staff at the centre, which is homed inside Headley Court, near Epsom, Surrey, have been made to warm themselves with transportable heaters after the central heating system failed in November. Both issues have yet to be fixed, despite the fact that the Ministry of Defence notified its contractor CarillionAmey of the problems at the time. An insider told The Sun: 'Since well before Christmas there has been something in the water that wasn't told to the guys. 'Coupled with that, we've had no heating. There are portable heaters all around and people are working at their desks in coats.' It is believed that the water has been contaminated by the pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria, which can be particularly dangerous to those who are considered unwell. Clive Smith, who lost his legs in an explosion in Afghanistan, works on his rehabilitation at Headley Court An MoD spokesman said: 'While the issue is affecting a small number of areas and the risk to patients is low, it needs to be resolved. 'The contractor is responsible for that and we are working with them so it happens as quickly as possible.' The 84-acre site, which provides medical care for 20,000 injured servicemen and women each year, currently treats about 100 patients a year and employs 400 staff. However the centre is set to move out of its current home at Headley Court as become 'small' and 'limited', according to the MoD. The new Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre at Stanford Hall in Loughborough, Leicestershire, is due to open in 2018. The new Loughborough site will be four times the size of Headley Court, with funding coming from donors following an initiative by the Duke of Westminster. Stanford Hall was chosen due to its central location and accessibility to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, where military personnel are also treated, and construction is currently under way. They were arrested after taking their son abroad for brain tumour treatment, as the NHS initially refused to offer proton beam treatment. The case of Brett and Naghmeh King, who took their son Ashya from Southampton hospital and travelled to the Czech Republic for proton therapy, sparked an international manhunt and made the headlines in the summer of 2014. Eventually, the boy was treated at a Prague hospital and declared cancer-free in March last year. Now, a study published in the Lancet Oncology journal states that proton beam therapy causes fewer side-effects in child cancer patients than conventional radiotherapy. Researchers said common 'toxic' effects of photon-based radiotherapy on the heart, lungs and stomach were not seen in those treated with proton treatment. Brett and Naghemeh King sit with their son Ashya, 5 at the time, in his hospital bed on the intensive care ward at the Proton Therapy Centre, Prague, Czech Republic in 2014 Ashya, here pictured while leaving the Proton Therapy Centre in Prague, was declared cancer-free in March last year A study published in the Lancet Oncology journal states that proton beam therapy causes fewer side-effects in child cancer patients than conventional radiotherapy The study, led by Massachusetts General Hospital, also said the two types had similar survival rates for young people like Ashya who had medulloblastoma, a rare brain tumour. 'Our findings suggest that proton radiotherapy seems to result in an acceptable degree of toxicity and had similar survival outcomes to those achieved with photon-based radiotherapy,' the study said. 'Although there remain some effects of treatment on hearing, endocrine, and neurocognitive outcomes - particularly in younger patients - other late effects common in photon-treated patients, such as cardiac, pulmonary, and gastrointestinal toxic effects, were absent.' The parents of Ashya King were arrested in Spain after they took their son Ashya out of Southampton hospital against medical advice Brett King (pictured) and his wife are forced to spend several nights in prison away from their son, who was sent to a hospital in Malaga for urgent treatment, before being released A high court ruled that King could receive proton therapy in Prague 'Proton radiotherapy resulted in acceptable toxicity and had similar survival outcomes to those noted with conventional radiotherapy, suggesting that the use of the treatment may be an alternative to photon-based treatments.' The study analysed 59 patients aged between three and 21 from 2003 to 2009. Some 55 of the patients had the tumour partially or completely removed through surgery, while all patients received chemotherapy as well as proton beam therapy. Three years after treatment, 83% survived without the cancer getting worse, falling to 80% after five years. In terms of side effects, around one in seven had serious hearing loss after five years and more than half (55%) had problems with the neurendocrine system which regulates hormones. The proton therapy is a highly targeted treatment often used on hard-to-reach cancers and has a lower risk of damaging other body tissue. Ashya King's case - a timeline 24 July 2014: Ashya King undergoes surgery to remove a medulloblastoma, a type of brain tumour, at Southampton General Hospital. 22 August: The boy undergoes a further operation to his brain. As a result of these procedures he was unable to speak, unable to eat or drink on his own and relied on a food pump. 28 August: Mr and Mrs King take their son from Southampton hospital against medical advice and board a ferry to France. They flee after disagreeing with doctors about Ashya's treatment and deciding to seek proton beam treatment abroad. 30 August: Brett and Naghemeh King are arrested and detained in Madrid, Spain after an international manhunt. They are forced to spend several nights in prison away from their son, who was sent to a hospital in Malaga for urgent treatment, before being released. Ashya King arrives with his parents Brett King and Nagmeh King at Prague hospital for proton beam treatment The Prague hospital where Ashya King underwent proton beam therapy The NHS later agreed to fund Ashya King's proton beam therapy 5 September 2014: A high court rules that King could receive proton therapy in Prague. 9 September: The boy arrives at the Proton Therapy Centre in Prague, where he undergoes proton beam therapy. The NHS later agreed to fund his treatment. March 2015: Four months after the proton treatment ended, Brett King told a national newspaper a recent scan showed 'no evidence' of the tumour. In an interview with the Sun, Mr King said his son is free of cancer, recovering at the family's Spanish home, starting to speak again and playing with his brothers and sisters. 'It's incredible news. We are absolutely delighted. It has justified everything we have gone through because things are working out for Ashya,' he told the newspaper. July 2015: After being declared cancer-free, Aishya is brought back to live in the UK. Four months after the proton treatment ended, Brett King told The Sun that a recent scan showed 'no evidence' of the tumour Jeremy Corbyn showed off Diane Abbott while she was naked in his bed to impress his Left-wing activist friends following the breakdown of his first marriage, a new book has claimed. The Labour leader - who has been married three times - invited pals round to his London flat before they discovered Ms Abbott in his bed, one friend claims. According to Comrade Corbyn - a biography on Corbyn by leader Rosa Prince - the incident took place in 1979 when he split from his first wife Jane Chapman. Lovers: Jeremy Corbyn, pictured in London with Diane Abbott at the time of their relationship in the late 1970s, showed her to his fellow MP to impress his activist friends, a new book claims In the book, which is being serialised by The Telegraph, one Labour figure claims a group of party activists were told to attend Corbyn's bedsit to pick up campaign leaflets before they discovered Ms Abbott in bed. The witness said: 'One Sunday autumn morning, he had broken up with Jane [Chapman, his first wife], and we were out leafleting. And for some reason he called four or five of us and said: 'Oh, we've got to go back to my flat and pick up some leaflets.' 'It seemed a bit odd 'Why the hell didn't you bring them with you, Jeremy?' So we all bowl along to his bedsit, follow Jeremy into the room; there on the mattress on the floor in the one room is Diane with the duvet up to her neck, saying: 'What the ****'s going on?'' Corbyn and Ms Abbott had a brief relationship in the late 1970s when he was a councillor in Haringey, North London. Mr Corbyn was separated from his first wife, Professor Chapman, a fellow Labour councillor he had married in 1974. Professor Chapman said she married Corbyn for his 'honesty' and 'principles', but admitted his intense dedication to Left-wing politics eventually became too much. A party colleague of Mr Corbyn and his former wife, both 66, said Professor Chapman had hoped they would be reconciled but believed his burgeoning relationship with Ms Abbott, 61, made their divorce inevitable. TIMELINE: CORBYN'S LOVE LIFE 1974: First up the aisle with Jeremy Corbyn was 24-year-old academic Jane Chapman. They met while working on Labour's election campaign. 1979: Fed up with coming second to politics, his habit of eating cold baked beans from the tin and never once being taken out for dinner, Jane Chapman left Corbyn. 'The problem is that his politics are to the exclusion of other kinds of human activities, such as going out for a meal, to the cinema or buying clothes,' she said recently. Mid-1980s: He met second wife, Claudia Bracchitta, an exiled Chilean designer, while listening to a speech by old friend Ken Livingstone and they later marry. 1999: After three sons, Corbyn split from his second wife. One reason for the marriage's failure, she said, was disagreement about whether son Ben should go to grammar school. Ben ended up going to Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School in Barnet. 2013: Jeremy secretly married Laura Alvarez, a coffee importer 20 years his junior, in her native Mexico. Two years on, he's leader of Her Majesty's Opposition. Advertisement The love affair only lasted a year but the pair continued to be friends - a companionship which still lasts today. Mr Corbyn's first wife had also previously claimed that he was known to eat cold baked beans out of a tin and never took her out for out for dinner in their five years of marriage. 'He was out most evenings because when we weren't at meetings he would go to the Labour headquarters and do photocopying - in those days you couldn't print because there were no computers', she recalled in an interview. Mr Corbyn 'had quite a good appetite, but he didn't mind what the food was because he couldn't be bothered to give it the time. So he would just grab a can of beans and eat it straight from the can', Prof Chapman said. Miss Abbott was working at the National Council for Civil Liberties when she is believed to have begun her relationship with Mr Corbyn. Friends said the couple made no secret of their affair and Miss Abbott regularly stayed at Mr Corbyn's home. The new Labour leader was elected as MP for Islington North in 1983 and four years later Miss Abbott won the neighbouring constituency of Hackney North and Stoke Newington, becoming the first black woman MP. Mr Corbyn married for the second time in 1987, to Claudia Bracchitta, having met the exiled Chilean designer while listening to a speech by Ken Livingstone then leader of Greater London Council. The pair had three sons. Their middle son, Seb, helped run his leadership campaign and works for hard-Left Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell. In 1999 Corbyn split from his second wife and one reason for the marriage's failure, she said, was disagreement about how son Ben should be schooled. At the time of their relationship, Mr Corbyn was separated from his first wife, Jane Chapman, and his affair with Miss Abbott, pictured with Mr Corbyn in July last year, is said to have made their divorce 'inevitable' Still close: The alleged former lovers sat next to each other on the Labour front bench in the House of Commons in September last year Anti-fascist demonstrators were addressed by the shadow secretary of state for international development today during a protest in Dover She wanted him to go to a grammar but Mr Corbyn was adamant the child should be placed in the comprehensive. His wife is said to have complained her husband was 'first the politician and second the parent'. Mr Corbyn is now married to Laura Alvarez, who he met at a Latin American support group. They married two years ago and live together in his flat in Islington, North London. His Mexican wife has made one major appearance next to her husband but has no plans to continue this. A stray dog with a hunchback has gained a legion of fans after finding home at a canine rescue shelter in what could be the perfect fairy-tale ending. Quasimodo, whose chest is about a third of the size that it should be at his age, has virtually no neck to support his full-sized head. His unusual appearance is caused by short spine syndrome - a condition that only affects 13 known dogs in the world. The pure-breed German Shepherd was found in Kentucky, USA, earlier this month and arrived at his temporary home in Minnesota on January 28. Now, thanks to a fast-growing fan-base, he could find a permanent home sooner than expected. Scroll down for video Hunchback: Quasimodo (pictured) has short spine syndrome, which left him with an unusually short frame Scared: First photos of Quasimodo taken at Secondhand Hounds showed a reserved and slightly scared pooch Puppy eyes: The four-year-old German Shepherd is said to behave more like a puppy than a grown up dog He is currently homed at Secondhand Hounds, a non-profit animal rescue operation in Eden Prairie, MN, where he gained his fame. Quasimodo grew up in a kennel and had been in a southern shelter according to his Facebook page. Staff at the shelter named him after the well-known Disney character from the Hunchback of Notre Dame. X-ray images of the animal shows that his spine is twisted and gnarly. His internal organs are also severely compressed as a result. However, Quasimodo has a full-sized head and legs. Lovable: Quasimodo cuddles up to Rachel Mairose, founder of Minnesota dog charity Secondhand Hounds Friendly: Quasimodo is friendly with other members of staff as well as he snuggles up for a kiss (pictured) Famous: Adorable photos of Quasimodo (pictured) has gained him legions of fans on Facebook this week Dr Susan Miller at Mission Animal Hospital, MN, told Fox News that she has 'never seen anything like this, only in pictures' and that its closest human condition would be spina bifida. She added: 'We think a genetic defect - not sure if it's inbreeding. 'Something along the way caused his spine not to fully harden, so they think the softened vertebrate just compressed either in utero or very soon after birth, and then at some point it hardened, but it didn't harden soon enough.' Although Quasimodo will be having surgery to improve his condition, he still could have complications in the future. However, offers to adopt Quasimodo have flooded in thanks in part to his impressive Facebook profile. Taking a moment: Quasimodo holds still as he goes into an X-ray so that doctors can sleuth his condition Compressed: X-ray of Quasimodo shows that his spine is twisted while his organs are compressed together Long-term: Although Quasimodo will be having surgery to improve his condition, he still could have complications in the future Secondhand Hounds first shared a six-second clip of the four-year-old dog on its Facebook page on January 9, which has since had more than 100,000 views. When he arrived at the shelter earlier this week, a Facebook page was set up to document his life at the shelter. Within two days, it has had close to 15,000 likes. Several offers of adoptions has already appeared on the page. However, keen adopters will have to wait. Rachel Mairose told MailOnline: 'He might have surgery as soon as Monday - waiting for confirmation from the surgeon. 'Right now we are focusing less on finding him a home and more on getting him healthy. We already have hundreds of requests for adoption.' Rare: Quasimodo's unusual condition, short spine syndrome, is thought to affect just 13 dogs in the world An audit conducted by Chicago Police has revealed that 80 per cent of the department's cameras do not have functioning audio systems. An analysis of police maintenance logs by website DNAinfo also found microphones stashed in glove boxes, batteries removed and antennas damaged. Chicago Police have acknowledged that some of those 80 per cent found to be malfunctioning had been 'maliciously' damaged by officers. John Escalante, the interim superintendent of police, told CBS that while technical problems or human error can happen at any time, there are other times when it's deliberate. Scroll down for video The stills from the dashcam on the fateful night of Laquan McDonald's death shows how the incident unfolded, but failed to record audio. And an audit by Chicago Police has found this malfunction is not an anomoly: with some 80 per cent of dashcams not having working audio John Escalante, the interim superintendent of police, said that while technical problems or human error can happen at any time, there are other times when it's deliberate. He has warned officers they will be disciplined if dashboard cameras were not working Experts on police vehicles equipment said that while it's plausible for a single squad car to have a glitch, they could not imagine how an entire fleet of cars would lose audio at the same time and place by accident. And as well as audio malfunctioning, about 12 per cent of the department's 850 dashcams experience 'video issues' on any given day due to 'equipment or operator error', DNAInfo reported. But in a preliminary trial held yesterday, the attorney of Jason Van Dyke - who shot Laquan McDonald 17 times in October 2014 - said the officer did not tamper with his squad car's dash cam. During the night of the shooting, the system recorded video but did not capture any audio. The 17-year-old's killer (Jason Van Dyke, left) will now stand trial for first degree murder. His attorney said yesterday he did not tamper with the dashcam The statement came in response to DNAinfo's report this week that the device was intentionally damaged. The news outlet obtained Chicago Police Department maintenance records through a public information request that show the dashboard video and audio recording device in officer Jason Van Dyke's vehicle was damaged and repaired at least twice in the months leading up to the fateful night when Laquan McDonald was killed. The maintenance records show that a day after technicians fixed the device's wiring in June, it was intentionally damaged, the report said. It was fixed another time in October, but on the night of the shooting, 12 days later, the system did not record any audio. A review of videos downloaded from the system concluded that personnel failed to sync the microphones, the report said. Van Dyke (mugshot left) has been charged with first-degree murder in Laquan's (right) shooting. He fired at the teenager 17 times in October 2014 But Van Dyke's attorney, Dan Herbert, said no individual police officer is assigned to one specific vehicle, suggesting that if the device in the vehicle that Van Dyke used the night of the McDonald shooting had been damaged, another officer could be to blame. Videos from four other squad cars at the scene also did not have audio. Also on Friday, Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office announced expanded police reforms that include enhanced training for police officers and 911 dispatchers on interacting with people in crisis, particularly those with mental illness. The training is in part a response to another fatal police shooting on December 26, in which officers responded to a domestic disturbance. There has been much unrest in the city of Chicago following the death of Laquan McDonald and the Police department say they have taken a number of steps to try to regain the trust of the community. Officers have been warned they would be disciplined if their dashboard cameras were not in working order or failed to turn on their dashcam microphones Police have said 19-year-old Quintonio Legrier was 'combative' toward police; a neighbor who wasn't involved in the disturbance, 55-year-old Bettie Jones, was also killed. The city agency that investigates police misconduct said this week that Legrier called 911 three times before he was shot. The squad car video of the McDonald shooting, which was released in November, contradicted officer accounts that McDonald lunged at them, setting off weeks of protests, accusations of a cover-up and demands for Emanuel's resignation. It also prompted a wide-ranging civil rights investigation by the U.S. Justice Department. Herbert told reporters after a preliminary hearing held yesterday on Van Dyke's charges of first-degree murder: 'Let me be very clear on this, my client had nothing to do with any tampering of an audio,' 'If this audio was tampered with then it was tampered with by somebody other than Jason Van Dyke.' Van Dyke (pictured centre) who is charged with first-degree murder, has pleaded not guilty Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said yesterday that he said could not comment on whether Van Dyke tampered with the dashcam in his vehicle because the case is under investigation. The department has taken a number of steps to try to regain the trust of the community. Interim Police Superintendent John Escalante warned officers that they would be disciplined if their dashboard cameras were not in working order or failed to turn on their dashcam microphones. Guglielmi said yesterday that the department now audits dashcams on a daily basis and that 'officers and supervisors will be held accountable.' Since the closer scrutiny began last month, 20 officers and supervisors have faced discipline ranging from reprimands to a few days' suspension, Guglielmi said, adding that 'there is still work to do.' Van Dyke, who is charged with first-degree murder, has pleaded not guilty. His attorney told reporters today that the officer and his family have received death threats. He has no formal protection, but the police department is aware of the threats and 'taking precautions,' Herbert said. He also said he's still considering making a request for a change of trial venue because he says it will be 'extremely difficult' to seat an impartial jury in Chicago. Other officers at the scene are also under investigation because of apparent discrepancies between what they said happened in their reports and what the video shows happened. A woman who receives obscene images and messages on social media from men - including pictures of their genitals - is dealing with the problem bluntly. Emily Sears, an Australian model based in Los Angeles, has taken to sending the inappropriate messages and images to the men's girlfriends and family members. Sears has more than 2.3 million followers across her social media profiles, and she said it was not uncommon to receive at least two to three 'd*** pics' a day, Buzzfeed reported. Scroll down for video Australian model Emily Sears says it is not unusual to receive at least two or three 'd*** pics' a day on social media The Los Angeles-based model is taking a direct approach to combating the offensive messages and images, contacting partners and relatives of the men who send them Ms Sears said she sent the messages to remind men that they needed to respect women One of Ms Sears' reactions to a man who sent her a picture of his penis But she does not just receive pictures of men's penises. Often, she is propositioned for sex acts by unknown social media users Laura Lux is a friend of MsSears, and is using the same approach to combat the men who send her similar disgusting pictures and messages MS Lux said: 'I actually find it really absurd that men are still sending unsolicited dick pics to women considering how much dialogue there has been about how much we dont like it and how inappropriate it is' Ms Lux received a picture of a man's penis, so she posted her response to the message on Twitter for her followers to see The responses the pair give to men sending them vile messages is often blunt 'Ive never heard a woman say, Really? I love opening my inbox to d*** pics from random guys. It totally makes me want to have sex with them,' Ms Lux said Laura Lux (left) and Australian Emily Sears (right) are taking a no-nonsense approach to men who send them vile messages online The pair are often posting on social media telling fans that actions such as sending pictures of genitals is harassment 'Its just been consistently happening for so long. I became absolutely fed up with these kinds of disturbing and disgusting messages and comments online,' she said, Now, she and friend, DJ Laura Lux, who receives similar messages, are dealing with the messages in their own way. If they receive an inappropriate image or message, they access the man's profile and see if they have a partner. Often they will then take a screen grab of that profile - or of family members of the men - and send it to the harasser. The pair often cute men who send them pictures of their penises down to size One of the many warnings the pair send out to their followers on social media about sending inappropriate messages Ms Sears said the same people who called her a s*** when she wore a bikini called her intelligent when she put on her glasses Sometimes they will message the man's partner to let them know what sort of behaviour the men are engaging in. They will also post the pictures - with identities hidden - on their social media profiles to warn others what will happen. 'We send the photos as a reminder for them to have respect for women,' Ms Sears told Buzzfeed. It also served to remind them of accountability which was often lost online due to perceived anonymity, she said. Despite often getting apologies, they did not seem sincere, the women said. 'I dont believe theyre sorry so much as theyre sorry youre putting them on blast,' Ms Sears said. Ms Sears said since posting her responses to social media as a warning to others, the number of unsolicited messages had 'significantly' decreased Sometimes the women receive messages such as this one, asking: 'May I f*** you' Ms Sears said - not counting inappropriate messages such as this - it was not uncommon to get at least tow to three 'd*** pics' a day Although they had support from many women - sometimes including those who they had alerted to the behaviour of their partners - often they received abuse from men. They said it was not just models being harassed, but that it could happen to any woman online, which was unacceptable. 'I actually find it really absurd that men are still sending unsolicited dick pics to women considering how much dialogue there has been about how much we dont like it and how inappropriate it is,' Ms Lux told Buzzfeed. 'Ive never heard a woman say, Really? I love opening my inbox to d*** pics from random guys. It totally makes me want to have sex with them.' But their approach seems to be working. Ms Sears told Buzzfeed since posting her responses, the number of offensive messages had been 'significantly lower'. And they intend to keep going. 'We have to keep telling the guys why what theyre doing is wrong.' Ms Lux described the men who sent her such messages as 'creepy and inappropriate' Ms Sears said: 'We send the photos as a reminder for them to have respect for women' Ms Sears (left) and Ms Lux (right) said it was not just models being harassed, but that it could happen to any woman online, which was unacceptable Ms Lux (pictured) and Ms Sears don't plan on stopping their methods any time soon Boeing has tested its newest generation of fuel-efficient jets as its 737 MAX took off for its maiden three-hour flight. The plane, nicknamed Spirit of Renton, took to the skies at 9.46am on Friday at Boeing's airfield in Seattle. The aircraft is an updated version of Boeing's 737 and has new engines and aerodynamic enhancements to make them more environmentally friendly. They will be rolled out next year, with Southwest Airlines set to take the first delivery in late 2017. Scroll down for video Lift off: Boeing has tested its newest generation of fuel-efficient jets as its 737 MAX took off for its maiden three-hour flight The plane, nicknamed Spirit of Renton, took to the skies at 9.46am on Friday at Boeing's airfield in Seattle The aircraft is an updated version of Boeing's 737 and has new engines and aerodynamic enhancements Boeing pilots Craig Bomben, left, and Ed Wilson, right, wave as they step off out the Boeing 737 Max jetliner Boeing will offer airlines three versions of the plane, the MAX 7, 8 and 9, USA Today reported. Their capacity will range from 126 to 220 passengers and are expected to cost 14 per cent less to manufacture than current 737s. The 737 MAX is the third major upgrade to the class of planes that have proved popular with airlines for medium and short-haul flights. The planes are seen as direct competition to Airbus' new A320neo jets, which were delivered to airlines for the first time last week. The A320neos are outstripping MAXs in terms of sales by almost 1,400 planes, with Boeing taking 3,072 orders for their new aircraft. The 737 remains the most popular passenger plane in the world, with nearly 9,000 planes made since they were first flown in 1967. The planes' capacity will range from 126 to 220 passengers and are expected to cost 14 per cent less to manufacture than current 737s The 737 MAX is the third major upgrade to the class of planes that have proved popular with airlines for medium and short-haul flights The planes (737 MAX pictured) are seen as direct competition to Airbus' new A320neo jets, which were delivered to airlines for the first time last week Boeing will offer airlines three versions of the plane, the MAX 7, 8 and 9. This is the Boeing MAX 8 Craig Bonben, one of the test pilots on board the maiden flight, praised the new plane in a press conference after landing. 'It flew beautifully, the engines were extremely quiet,' he said. 'We worked through the checklist quickly, because there weren't any problems.' It has been a good week for Boeing, which yesterday won a contract to build a new Air Force One fleet based on its 747-8 jet. The Pentagon said the U.S. Air Force had given Boeing an initial contract worth $25.8 million to design the new plane. Details about the total value of the new contract have not been released, but the Air Force has previously said that it had earmarked $1.65billion for two replacement jets. Advertisement A Bangladeshi man dubbed as the tree-man because of wart-like lesions growing from his hands and feet has been admitted to hospital. Abul Bajandar, 25, from Khulna, has been suffering from a disease known as Epidermodysplasia Verruciformis - a rare and inherited skin disorder - for the past seven years. Doctors at the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) will now decide on his treatment after forming a medical board of experts. Abul Bajandar, 25, from Khulna, in Bangladesh, has been suffering from a disease known as Epidermodysplasia verruciformis, where tree-lie roots grow from his hands The rare inherited skin disorder means gnarled growths sprout from his hands and feet. Medics will now decide on his treatment after forming a medical board of experts in Bangladesh Mr Bajandar sits on his bad at a hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh, as medics come together to discuss possible treatments for him The skin condition, which is in inherited, cases wart-like lesions on the body. The lesions are pictured on Mr Bajandar's feet above WHAT IS EPIDERMODYSPLASIA VERRUCIFORMIS? Epidermodysplasia verruciformis (EV) is a rare and inherited skin disorder which creates wart-like lesions anywhere on the body. The condition is caused by infection with the human papillomavirus and can create widespread skin eruptions, including wartlike lesions and reddish-brown pigmented plaques. In order to inherit the disease two abnormal EV genes, one from each parent, must be present. No serious treatment against EV has been found, yet several treatments have been suggested. Notable cases include a Romanian man named Ion Toader who was diagnosed with the condition in March 2007, and the Dede Koswara, from Indonesia. Advertisement Dr Samanta Lal Sen, chief coordinator of National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery of the DMCH, made the announcement today. On duty doctors visited Mr Bajandar at the burn unit, where he had been admitted today. According to the dailystar.net, the ricksaw-van puller was previously taken to the Gazi Medical College Hospital in Khulna. According to local reports, the original tree-man Dede Koswara, of Indonesia, died today. Tribunnnews.com reported that it wasn't the disease to cause his death. In 2008 the Discovery Channel told the story Mr Koswara. In the programme, he returned home from hospital after having six kilo warts surgically removed from his body. An American doctor had previously said the warts were the result of severe Human Pappiloma Virus (HPV) infection and doctors thought his type was the worst in the world. The father-of-two first noticed the warts on his body after cutting his knee as a teenager. He was later sacked from his job and shunned by neighbours when the branch-like growths covered much of his body and stopped him from working. At the time it was reported that he would need at least two operations every year. Previously, Mr Koswara was forced to take part in a circus act in Bandung in order to make ends meet. But once his case was publicised donations from the public began to flood in for his treatment. On duty doctors from a burns unit are expected to visit Mr Bajandar, who is pictured lying on a hospital bed in Dhaka The ricksaw-van puller, who has been suffering from the rare skin disorder for seven years, is checked over by a doctor at the hospital Mr Bajandar was admitted to the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) today with the condition, which he has suffered from for seven years A 16-year-old girl died in police custody hours after officers put her in a martial arts-style restraint. Investigators said several officers put Gynnya McMillen in an Aikido stress position after she refused to take off her hoodie so a mugshot could be taken. The next morning she was found dead in her cell, but only hours after officers first noticed she was unresponsive. Gynnya McMillen, 16, was put in an Aikido martial arts restraint before she died in police custody Gynnya was put in the restraint 'by multiple staff to ensure the safety of the youth and staff', officials said Gynnya was arrested on January 10 after allegedly assaulting her mother in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. She was taken to Lincoln Village Regional Juvenile Detention Center but refused to take off her sweater so she could be searched and photographed, Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) spokeswoman Stacy Floden said. 'The youths repeated refusal to cooperate with staff and remove her outer garment prompted the restraint,' Ms Floden told the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting. Gynnya was then put in the restraint 'by multiple staff to ensure the safety of the youth and staff', Ms Floden said. The DJJ refused to say whether the 16-year-old was in pain while she was being held, but said that was under investigation. On January 11, Gynnya was found dead in a 'sleeping position', authorities said. Authorities refused to say whether the 16-year-old was in pain while she was being held, but said that was being investigated Detention center staff failed to try to rouse Gynnya after she did not respond to them on three occasions in the hours before she was found dead Coroner William Lee said a surveillance video from inside her cell showed her last moving at midnight and estimated that she died at around 7am, WDRB reported. Detention center staff offered her breakfast at 6.30am but did not try to wake her when she did not respond, Ms Floden said. The teenager was asked whether she wanted to take a phone call at 8.17am but again did not respond and staff did not try to rouse her. She was offered food again at 8.53am but did not reply, the DJJ spokeswoman said. Authorities only discovered that she was not breathing shortly before 10am when staff needed her to get ready to appear in court. They attempted to revive her but she was pronounced dead shortly afterwards. Each of the three times she was asked questions, staff entered her room. Juvenile detainees are supposed to be checked on visually every 15 minutes. The employee who did not check on Gynnya has been placed on leave with pay while an investigation takes place. The coroner said Gynnya had no obvious signs of injury and he is awaiting toxicology results. Police do not suspect foul play, but the girl's family have questioned detention center staff's accounts of how she died. 'We deserve to know what happened to her! And if there's nothing to hide, there's no reason why our questions should be unanswered,' a loved one wrote on a Facebook page created in Gynnya's honor. Police do not suspect foul play, but Gynnya's family have questioned detention center staff's accounts of how she died Gynnya was arguing with her mother the day before she died and was arrested for allegedly assaulting her Gynnyas uncle, Ronald Caldwell, told WDRB his niece had been arguing with her mother before the arrest and had been living in care since she was 14 years old. She had been visiting her mom for the weekend. Mr Caldwell said: 'We're still very hurt and upset and confused about it. Because you have no closure although she's buried now you want to know what happened to her, what caused all of this, so we're still torn apart about this. 'She was real active, you know, real energetic, smart as a whip she really was. Very intelligent girl, but she had a little wildness in her like all teens.' A full statement from the DJJ said: 'There was an Aikido restraint performed on a youth at the Lincoln Village Reginal Juvenile Detention Center on January 10, 2016. 'The youth was instructed to remove the youths outer garment hoodie which was covering the youths head and neck area in order to be searched and photographed as part of the booking process. 'The youth repeatedly refused and was non-compliant with the staff request. The staff performed an Aikido restraint hold to safely conduct a pat-down search and remove the youths hoodie. 'The purpose of having multiple staff involved in a controlled restraint is to ensure the safety of the youth and staff. 'A female staff conducted the pat-down search and removed the youths hoodie that was covering her head and neck area. At least 39 refugees, including five children, have drowned in the Aegean Sea after their Greece-bound boat capsized off the Turkish coast. Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency said coastguards rescued 75 others from the sea on Saturday near the resort of Ayvacik en route to the Greek island of Lesbos. One Turkish citizen suspected of being the smuggler who organised Saturday's disastrous sea crossing of more than 100 people has been arrested. The survivors were taken to the hospital with hypothermia symptoms. Turkish gendarmes carry the body of a migrant on a beach in Canakkale's Bademli district A baby pacifier lies next to the body of a child on a beach in Turkey At least 39 refugees, including five children, have drowned off the Turkish coast The body of a migrant boy lies on the beach near Ayvacik in scenes reminiscent of Aylan Kurdi The body of a baby could be seen among those lying on a beach in Ayvacik in gruesome scenes reminiscent of Aylan Kurdi, the Syrian toddler pictured lying dead on a Turkish beach in September. Another baby was found dead in the water. The 56-foot vessel was visible around 50m from the shore, which was dotted with refugees' belongings and life jackets. Divers from the Turkish coastguard were still continuing search and rescue efforts where the boat sank. The Turkish coast guard said that it had dispatched three boats, a team of divers and a helicopter after receiving calls for help. 'We are sad. At least 20 friends are still missing,' a woman who was among the survivors told AFP earlier, weeping. Refugees' belongings and life jackets could be seen dotted around the beach. Pictured: A man looks at the washed up bodies of refugees who drowned on Saturday during a failed attempt to sail to Lesbos The sinking boat was still visible around 50m from the Turkish shore The Greece-bound boat was packed with Afghan, Syrian and Burmese refugees Migrants bodies are washed up on a beach in Bademli district The boat, full of Afghan, Syrian and Burmese asylum-seekers, was heading for Lesbos, which has seen a surge in the arrivals of migrants in the past year. It set off from near Bademli, a village in Turkey's Canakkale province, before running into trouble during the crossing and sinking. Saim Eskioglu, deputy governor for the province, said the boat 'hit rocks soon after it left the coast and, unfortunately, it sank'. The Canakkale coast lies barely five miles north of the Greek island of Lesbos. 'We believe there are more bodies inside the boat,' he told CNN-Turk television. A Turkish gendarme carries the body of a child after the shipwreck. These scenes were reminiscent of Alan Kurdi, the Syrian toddler pictured lying dead on a Turkish beach in September Bodies of refugees are seen on Ayvacik beach after the shipwreck that killed up to 39 people Turkey is hosting an estimated 2.5 million refugees from Syria The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said 218 people have died this year while trying to cross by sea from Turkey to Greece A refugee woman cries after being rescued by Turkish Coast Guard after a boat sank in the Aegean sea The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said 218 people have died this year while trying to cross by sea from Turkey to Greece. Joel Millman, a spokesman for the IOM, said the rate of deaths on Turkey-Greece human trafficking routes was 'increasing at an alarming rate.' Turkey is hosting an estimated 2.5 million refugees from Syria. Criminal Court Judge Barry Steelman sentenced Monica Delk, 35, to three years in prison for stabbing her boyfriend to death. Judge Steelman ordered split confinement, meaning Ms. Delk will be on probation after she serves 11 months and 29 days in the workhouse. The probation is for 10 years, during which she must seek psychiatric treatment. Because she has already served 18 months at Silverdale, she does not have to return to the workhouse and gets to go home. Ms. Delk stabbed her boyfriend, Charles Brown IV, 27, in the heart with a knife on Jan. 5, 2014 in her apartment on Grove Street. On the day of the killing, Ms. Delk and Brown were reportedly in a violent fight. Because Ms. Delk said she feared for her and her two young sons lives, she stabbed Brown. But she said she did not mean to kill him. She was arrested for second-degree murder and later pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter. While she was incarcerated at Silverdale, Dr. Robert Brown Jr., who testified as an expert psychologist, psychoanalyzed her and discovered the inability for her to have normal judgment. Since Ms. Delk was born premature, she suffered many neurological complications not treatable by medication. Dr. Brown diagnosed Ms. Delk with acute distress disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder. He recounted a dream she had where she saw Brown singing in the choir. Brown was happy again and so was she. She never wanted to commit harm to Brown; she never wanted him to die, Dr. Brown said. On cross-examination, Prosecutor David Schmidt asked Dr. Brown that since the defendants brain deficits are not treatable, couldnt she kill again if things did not go quite right. There is risk, Dr. Brown said. But, ethically, the last thing she ever wants to do is what she did to Brownthats why she has post-traumatic stress disorder. Judge Steelman said he believed Ms. Delks testimony. He said he thought she would have avoided killing Brown had she had the chance to rewind. However, the judge did not grant Ms. Delk her diversion because he thought it necessary to keep the felony charge on her record. He said the public had the right to know what she was capable of. At the end of the hearing, Ms. Delks attorney John McDougal said Ms. Delk gets to go back to her family and her job and start to rebuild her life. If she does not comply with her probation, however, she will have to return to prison to finish out the rest of her three-year sentence. Lashanda Smith, former sister-in-law of Brown, has had custody of Brown's 10-year-old daughter since she was 1 1/2 years old. Ms. Smith would bring Brown's daughter to Chattanooga from Texas at least three times a year. She said Brown's relationship with daughter had its struggles but that "Charlie was a decent father." She said his daughter was very distraught when he died and is in counseling. The daughter wrote a letter to Ms. Delk saying what she did was very wrong, but that she forgave her because "God has the final say." Brown's younger sister said her brother was silly and her best friend. They would pray together and Brown would sing gospel songs to her. "The relationship that we had as brother and sister was an irreplaceable relationship," she said. When she heard the news her brother had been murdered, she was in shock and broke down. Her husband told her to calm down, but she said, "I can't calm down because my brother's dead." She cried as she testified, "It took a major effect on us." Mary Kilgore, aunt of Ms. Delk, said Ms. Delk had problems at birth and doctors said she would not live to be beyond five years of age. She said Ms. Delk was a good child who went to church every Sunday and is still going to church. Currently, Ms. Delk lives with Ms. Kilgore at her home in East Tennessee. Ms. Delk's sons now live with her ex-husband. The aunt never met Brown, but one night one of the boys called the aunt's phone to let her hear a fight between Brown and Ms. Delk. Ms. Delk was in the Army Reserves for eight years. "She's a good person...she loves everybody and she is a good person," Ms. Kilgore said. She currently has a job at Bojangles. Ms. Kilgore said she and Ms. Delk are very close, but Ms. Delk hasn't spoken to her aunt about the incident since it happened. Dr. Steven Cogswell of the medical examiner's office said it is possible that the victim could have gotten to surgery and been saved had he had immediate help. But he said it did not take him long to die from internal bleeding after being stabbed in the heart. He said he also had a stab wound in the back, plus another superficial stab wound. He also had a number of abrasions and contusions around his face and neck as if he had been in a struggle. Dr. Cogswell said the victim also had chemical burns on his back that could have been caused by lying on his back in a fabric that was soaked with cleaning agents. Police said Ms. Delk cleaned up the crime scene. Doris Hart, grandmother of Brown, said she raised him, while noting his mother died when he was seven and his father was always in jail. She said he was a happy child, but a slow learner who did not finish Brainerd High School. She said he continued to live with her until he was 27. She said she had urged him to go out on his own, and he had been living with Ms. Delk and at a hotel for a few months prior to his death. He was working at a chicken processing plant before losing that job. It was testified that Ms. Delk called police earlier to complain about Brown, who was the father of a boy and a girl. Ms. Hart said Brown called her every night, including the night before his death. She said he told her, "I need help." Ms. Hart said she thinks about "him lying there bleeding, and she wouldn't help him." That testimony caused two women in the courtroom to begin crying. The judge took a recess in the case and the women left the courtroom. A former prostitute and notorious thief known as 'Crystal' who seduced men to steal booty worth hundreds of thousands, has avoided jail after a $20,000 payout was given to her victim. Subhanna Beyah, who was a victim of sex trafficking, had operated for more than 12 years under the influence of an abusive pimp, court documents revealed. The 'seductive' swindler had robbed victim Scott Rosen of three handguns, a diamond-encrusted Rolex and three marquise diamonds valued at $300,000 back in 2013. Subhanna Beyah - known as Crystal - seduced victim Scott Rosen and stole three handguns, a diamond-encrusted Rolex and three marquise diamonds. Beyan, pictured right in court was sentenced yesterday and avoided jail Ryan Elkins (left) was Beyah's accomplice in the crime - but is currently at large. The pair were two parts of a female gang known as the 'Foxy Four', who seduced men and stole booty worth thousands of dollars Rosen had met Beyah at Las Olas Boulebard bar in South Florida in April of that year and was accompanied home by her and blonde accomplice Ryan Elkins, after which he 'passed out' allowing Beyah and her cohort to strike, Sun Sentinel reported. Beyah, now 27, then made local headlines a month later after South Florida police released a sketch of her warning men in the area to 'Watch Out for Crystal', along with three other woman who were wanted for a series of thefts totaling millions of dollars. She was arrested soon after in Jamaica, Queens. But after Beyah pleaded no contest to the grand theft charge in December, Rosen said he would back a non-prison sentence in exchange for a restitution payment of $20,000. Prior to yesterday's sentencing, the notorious temptress had been living in Hompstead struggling to find work, after serving a residential treatment program, house arrest and probation for three other similar cases in Miami, reported Sun Sentinal. Along with the check given to 57-year-old Rosen, Beyah will serve a sentence of five months probation along with five hours of community service each month. This comes despite sentencing guidelines calling for between two and a half and 30 years behind bars. Beyah's prior record includes nearly two dozen arrests stemming from charges of prostitution, grand theft, fraud, forgery, and illegal use of credit cards She has gone by the name Christina More, Christian Moore, Christine Brown, Christin Miller and Crystal Alex Jones But Broward Circuit Judge Lisa Porter said Rosen's desire for restitution, along with Beyah's history of victimization, abuse, mental health and addiction issues factored into her final decision. It is also understood that if Beyah's cohort Elkins - who is believed to have drugged Rosen prior to the robbery - ever surfaced, Beyah would be called to testify against her. Speaking to Sun Sentinal outside the courtroom yesterday, Rosen said that Beyah had 'bought her way out prison'. Beyah avoided jail but will serve a sentence of five months probation along with five hours of community service each month Another Victim: Giants defensive tackle Shaun Rogers met Beyah at a club in Miami and then brought her back to his hotel room. He woke up to find more than $500,000 worth of jewelry was missing Broward Circuit Court heard that Beyah was forced into prostitution at the age of 14 and was controlled by pimp for 12 years. Having avoided jail, the mother-of-two is to be reunited with her children, aged three and nine, and is 'attempting to get her life straightened out', according to her attorney Jonathan Meltz. It is unclear who loaned her the $20,000 that secured her freedom. Beyah's prior record includes over two dozen arrests stemming from charges of prostitution, grand theft, fraud, forgery, and illegal use of credit cards. She has gone by the name Christina More, Christian Moore, Christine Brown, Christin Miller and Crystal Alex Jones. FROM 'THE FOXY FOUR' TO THE 'B-GIRLS': A HISTORY OF SEDUCTIVE SCAMS The 'foxy four', which included Subhanna Beyah; Johnnina Miller; Keshia Clark; and Ryan Elkins operated perpetrated a series of thefts totaling half a million dollars in cash, guns, luxury watches, diamonds and other possessions in the summer of 2013.The thefts all followed a simple pattern: the women hit on men at a Fort Lauderdale bar, went home with them, then made them a cocktail - and that's the last thing their victims remember. The men then come to and are missing everything valuable they own. Russian mobster Alec Simchuk was sentenced in January 2013 to at least three years in federal prison after admitting he ran a Miami Beach scam that used so-called "B-Girls" to lure wealthy tourists into secret bars where they were charged exorbitant amounts on credit cards for alcohol. The scantily clad women trolled South Beach bars looking for rich men and invited them back to private clubs operated by Simchuk's gang. Atlanta strip club owner Steve Kaplan pleaded guilty in 2001 to charges that included cheating customers and funneling club profits to the Mafia. Kaplan was sentenced to three years in prison and also agreed to pay a $5 million fine, turn the club over to the federal government and pay restitution to some customers. Advertisement Two parts of the 'Foxy Four', Johnnina Miller, left, and Keshia Clark, which also included Subhanna Beyah and Ryan Elkins operated a series of arrests totaling half a million dollars in 2013 A man who was caught on tape allegedly pummeling a woman's husband after having an argument with her on the subway has been arrested. Police say that the fight, which was caught on camera, was instigated after Queen Muhammad, 33, tried to squeeze into a seat next to construction worker Patrick Crow, 34, on January 20. Muhammad told police that Crow elbowed her and she elbowed him back, starting a fight that lasted from a stop in Manhattan to Jackson Avenue in the Bronx. Police say that the fight, which was caught on camera, was instigated after Queen Muhammad, 33, tried to squeeze into a seat next to construction worker Patrick Crow, 34, on January 20. Pictured here is a verbal altercation between the pair Muhammad reportedly spat at yellow vest wearing Crow who then punched her husband Tesfa Walters, 38, over a dozen times and kicked him in the head, according to the New York Daily News. Video taken by a passenger shows Crow and Muhammad arguing. At one point Muhammad puts her phone up to Crow's face to let him know that he is filming. Muhammad can also be heard screaming out the window for help and asking Crow to get off the train. Crow tells her he's trying to get to work before she approaches him and spits on him - instigating the alleged assault against her husband who can be seen trying to de-escalate the argument. Im gonna f your n up,' Crow could be heard screaming in video of the alleged attack. Walters can be seen writhing on the ground as Crow punches him continually as people scream in the background. 'I cant f--- you up, so I f----d your man up,' Crow reportedly said, according to the complaint. 'You're going to jail,' an onlooker can be heard saying to Crow in the background. Crow was arrested on Wednesday and arraigned in a criminal court on Thursday on charges of misdemeanor assault, harassment, and menacing. He pleaded not guilty and was released without bail, according to the New York Daily News. A married father-of-five who admitted downloading child porn and taking part in video-chats with young girls has been allowed to walk free from a New York court. The 52-year-old, who is identified only by his initials 'R.V.' in court documents, was facing up to 20 years behind bars for downloading images featuring men sexually assaulting girls as young as three. Judge Jack Weinstein, who has been reprimanded for lenient sentences involving child porn before, ripped up guidelines which had called for at least six and a half years in jail for R.V. Justifying the sentence in an extraordinary 98-page decision published in the New York Law Journal yesterday, Judge Weinstein said jailing R.V. was 'not in the interests of justice'. Judge Jack Weinstein (pictured) has published an extraordinary 98-page defense of his decision not to jail a married father-of-five who was caught downloading child porn on to his computer He wrote: 'It will cause serious harm to his young children by depriving them of a loving father and role model, and will strip R.V. of the opportunity to heal through continued sustained treatment and the support of his close family.' The judge also said that 'shifting societal norms' around what was considered 'acceptable pornography' had played a role in his lenient decision. He added that the rise of computers and widespread access to the internet has 'largely removed physical barriers to child pornography.' From May 2013 until roughly May 2014, R.V. downloaded images of pre-teen girls on to a computer at the family home he shares with his wife and children. It will cause serious harm to his young children by depriving them of a loving father and role model Judge Jack Weinstein justifying his decision not to jail R.V. In addition, the court heard, R.V. also engaged in live video-chats with female minors, though it is unclear exactly how old they were. R.V. was arrested in May 2014 and spent five days in jail before making bail and being released. Three months later he entered his guilty plea, and Judge Weinstein sentenced him to the five days he had already served, seven years of supervised release, and an unspecified fine in April 2014. Prosecution lawyers had challenged the decision, calling for a punishment that fell between federal guidelines of between six and a half and upwards of eight years in jail. However, Judge Weinstein disagreed, and published his extensive justification earlier this week. In the document, he claims that the sentencing guide for child pornography does not adequately balance the need to protect the public, and juveniles in particular, against the need to avoid excessive punishment.' He said this results in 'unnecessary cost to defendants' families and the community, and the needless destruction of defendants' lives.' Judge Weinstein, who has been slapped down for lenient child porn sentences before, claimed that jailing the defendant would 'strip R.V. of the opportunity to heal through treatment and the support of his close family' Judge Weinstein also noted that R.V. was a 'possession-only child pornography user', and that he had not produced any of the material he was caught viewing. The judge said he had come to his decision after speaking to the man's children, and hearing expert testimony from experts who claimed he 'posed no further danger to his children or other children.' Judge Weinstein has previously been slapped down by the U.S. Court of Appeals over sentences for child porn that fell outside of federal guidelines. In 2011, Pietro Polizzi, 57, from Queens, was convicted of downloading thousands of images of young girls being sexually assaulted from a pornography site. In a highly unusual move, Judge Weinstein asked jurors if knowing about a five-year minimum sentence would have changed their minds, to which some answered yes. As a result, Judge Weinstein jailed Polizzi for a year on one count, and then ordered a re-trial on four others. After twice having his rulings overturned in the Court of Appeals, Judge Weinstein eventually sentenced Polizzi to five years, though complained about being allowed 'no discretion'. In 2013, he was again overruled by a Second Circuit court after handing a sentence of just 30 days to a man convicted of distributing child pornography and told to give at least five years in jail. Sir Michael Wilshaw, pictured, said a return to the grammar school system in the England would be 'economic suicide' The chief inspector of schools has said a return to the grammar school system in England would be 'economic suicide'. Ofsted head Sir Michael Wilshaw told a conference of Catholic school leaders in London that dividing students by academic ability was not what the country needs anymore. Grammar schools were a key part of the education system in this country in the 1960s and 1970s which gave an education to the most academically gifted 20-25 per cent of pupils. According to the Guardian, Sir Michael said: 'What we need because the economy is now so different from when I started teaching is for more young people to do better than ever before. 'Im a big supporter of comprehensive education. It can work, one size does not have to fit all if schools have great leadership it can work.' Speaking at the Catholic Association of Teachers Schools and Colleges annual conference, he added: 'Unless we raise the performance of disadvantaged pupils in general, and the white working class in particular, we stand little chance of becoming a more economically productive nation or a more socially cohesive one.' It comes after a grammar school in Kent was granted permission by the government to open a selective satellite school in Sevenoaks last October. The move could open the door for a new wave of grammars, and at least eight more regions are preparing applications for extensions at local schools, according to The Daily Telegraph. Labour passed a law in 1998 banning the creation of new grammar schools, but an existing school can expand if it can prove there is sufficient demand. Sir Michael also moved to reassure faith schools that they have 'nothing to fear' from Ofsted's new plans to inspect how a school is preparing pupils for life in modern Britain. Sir Michael, pictured visiting a school in East London, pledged his support for the current school system As reported, he said society is becoming increasingly 'secular and materialistic', with 'seemingly ever greater intolerance of other people's beliefs'. Young people can easily 'have their heads turned and lose sight of what really matters' while in other parts of the world, such as the Middle East, Christians are suffering 'brutal persecution' simply for 'what they believe', he argued. But schools can help to instill good morals and values such as tolerance and compassion, the Ofsted chief suggested. Polish translators were the most requested across the UK last year Court translators speaking 226 languages are costing UK taxpayers 60,000 a day. More than 50 per cent of the interpreters were used in criminal courts, a third at immigration cases and the rest were paid for working in family courts. One cash-strapped police force, Gloucestershire Constabulary, is spending 100,000 a year on translators, despite 20 million in budget cuts since 2011. Polish translators were the most requested across the UK last year, followed by Romanian and Lithuanian, according to the Daily Mirror. In 2012, the service was privatised and the Ministry of Justice said it has spent 38million less on court translators since. In Gloucestershire, the majority of the money spent was on interpreters for Polish suspects. Between 2011 and 2015 the force has been forced to axe 15 per cent of its 130m budget - but annual spending on translators has remained consistently around six figures. Will Windsor-Clive, the Tory candidate to become the next Police and Crime Commissioner, obtained the figures after an FOI request. He said: 'This is an unseen cost of high levels of immigration. Taxpayers quite rightly want their money spent on keeping their community safe, not on providing translating services. 'I'm determined to find ways of cutting back-office costs to spend on frontline policing and this is one area that needs investigating.' Current Police and Crime Commissioner, independent Martin Surl, defended the figures. More than 50 per cent of the interpreters were used in criminal courts and a third at immigration cases He said: 'Translators are highly qualified professionals who provide a fundamental service. 'Victims must be protected and the law administered without fear or favour and effective communication is essential to the process of justice. Rolf Harris has reportedly told friends and family that he plans to call his new comeback album Justice for All, which could be released by the end of the year. Harris's new album will allegedly feature a track called 'Can't keep that dingo down' as well as 'A bird in the hand (Is worth two in the bush.)' The 85-year-old former children's TV host is serving five years and nine months after being found guilty of the indecent assaults against four girls aged as young as seven. Scroll down for video Rolf Harris has reportedly told friends and family that he plans to call his new comeback album Justice for All, which could be released by the end of the year A source told The Sun that composing music had helped Harris 'survive' in prison and that he was thinking about releasing a new album. 'Rather than keep his material to himself, he's telling those around him he has every intention of releasing it,' the source claimed. 'The stuff has rockier influences than the music he's known for, because he wants to get across his anger at what he sees as injustice.' The artist is also thought to have written a song called Woodworm Women whilst in prison. The song was criticised due to the manner it criticised his victims and those who claimed compensation. Harris was convicted of 12 indecent assaults on June 30, 2014 - one on an seven-year-old autograph hunter, two on girls in their early teens and a catalogue of abuse of his daughter's friend over 16 years. During the trial, Harris, a family favourite for decades, was finally unmasked as a predator who was fixated with under-age girls Harris was convicted of 12 indecent assaults on June 30, 2014 - one on an seven-year-old autograph hunter, two on girls in their early teens and a catalogue of abuse of his daughter's friend over 16 years. During the trial, Harris, a family favourite for decades, was finally unmasked as a predator who was fixated with under-age girls. It was recently reported he has made 76,000 while in jail through an investment firm he was formerly a director of. A group of Oregon college students believe that Dr Martin Luther King's most famous quote, I Have a Dream, is politically incorrect. The plaque with the civil rights leader's inspiring words was at the heart of a debate by students who said King's call for all people to be judged equally was not inclusive enough. The plaque has filled the entrance of the Erb Memorial Union at the University of Oregon since 1986, but renovations sparked the debate on the Student Union Board and campus about the relevance of the message, according to the Daily Emerald. Scroll down for video Students at the University of Oregon (pictured) recently ended a debate where some believed the words from the speech were politically incorrect Laurie Woodward, director of the school's student union, posed the question to others on the board, as well as students. The issue arose when a student asked: 'Does the MLK quote represent us today?' Sophomore, Mia Ashley, told the school paper that 'diversity is so much more than race'. She added: 'Obviously race still plays a big role. But there are people who identify differently in gender and all sorts of things like that.' Alveda King, the niece of Dr King, said his message was very inclusive because 'he loved the human family', according to Fox News. A decision was made that the quote would remain at the entrance of the building. Civil rights leader Dr Martin Luther King, Jr (pictured) waves to supporters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington where he delivered his famous I Have a Dream speech 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. I have a dream... Dr Martin Luther King Jr A decision was recently made that the quote would remain at the entrance of the building. Students at the school also questioned a quote in 1985, by former Dean of Administrative Emeritus William C. Jones. 'Established by an enlightened state for service and inspiration-Reverent before its heritage of principle and institution-Eager in its adventure with idea and deed-Guardian of the noble in man's aspiration for the humane society-Leader in the quest for the good life for all men.' Because of its use of 'men' for all of humankind, it was replaced by the MLK quote. Republican presidential hopefuls sharpened their rhetorical knives on Saturday as the latest bombshell in the Hillary Clinton email saga coincided with the final days of their Iowa caucus campaigns. Clinton, they say, is unfit to be commander-in-chief because of trust issues raised by cavalierly handling America's closely held secrets and hiding the ball when congressional investigators caught her with a hand in the digital cookie jar. 'Hillary has said she's done nothing wrong,' former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Thursday during a rally in Iowa, 'but she has lied.' Scroll down for video Hillary Clinton, pictured with her daughter Chelsea in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday, has come under fire from Republican candidates over her email scandal 'Hillary has said she's done nothing wrong, but she has lied.' former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said on Thursday during a rally in Iowa Republican front runner Donald Trump weighed in too, saying the revelations were a 'disaster' for Clinton GOP front-runner Donald Trump was quick to lash out against Clinton after news surfaced on Friday that the Obama administration had acknowledged 22 of the emails once held on her private home-brew server were 'top secret' so sensitive that they can't be shown to the public in any form. The revelations were a 'disaster' for Clinton, he said on Twitter. 'At a minimum, how can someone with such bad judgement be our next president?' Also on his Twitter feed, The Donald boomed that 'Hillary Clinton is a major national security risk. Not presidential material!' Some of the emails are said to contain information gathered by human intelligence sources, raising the possibility that releasing them or failing to secure them, as Clinton is accused of doing could endanger human lives. Both Chris Christie and Marco Rubio said Clinton's behavior 'disqualified' her from returning to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington. 'Now, didn't she look us in the eye and tell us that there was not a bit of classified information on her personal server?' Christie asked a roomful of Iowa voters on Friday. 'She has now definitively, without any question, lied to us.' Marco Rubio said Clinton's behavior 'disqualified' her from becoming President of the United States Trump's main challenger Ted Cruz said Clinton's legal predicament 'is getting more and more serious' Rubio added during a campaign stop that 'Hillary Clinton put some of the highest, most sensitive intelligence information on her private server because maybe she thinks she is above the law'. 'This is unacceptable. This is a disqualifier.' Ted Cruz, a tea party senator who is fighting with Trump for the top spot on the Republican side of the Iowa contest, said in rural eastern Iowa on Friday night that Clinton's legal predicament 'is getting more and more serious'. When a woman in his audience shouted that 'She's a criminal!', Cruz responded: 'That actually is an accurate statement.' Cruz said reporters in Washington have accepted the idea that 'whether Hillary gets indicted depends on whether the Obama White House wants to indict her'. 'If they decide politically that they've had enough with Hillary, then she gets indicted,' he said journalists generally believe. 'If they decide they haven't, then she doesn't.' Cruz called it 'a disgrace' that 'the administration of justice depends on some political hack in the West Wing'. He told radio host Hugh Hewitt earlier on Friday that if Hillary Clinton is criminally indicted, 'it is difficult to see how she could successfully run for president'. 'I would put nothing past the gall and audacity of the Clintons to try. But even the Democratic Party I would find it hard to believe that they would be eager to nominate someone who is under indictment and could well face felony incarceration.' Clinton has said repeatedly that she did nothing that was forbidden by State Department rules when she kept all her digital correspondence as the agency's chief on a private server in her Chappaqua, New York home. And she has insisted that nothing she sent or received was 'marked' classified at the time. That distinction may not matter under the federal Espionage Act, which includes a provision for prosecuting 'negligence' the crime of merely failing to exercise appropriate caution with the nation's secrets. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie accused Clinton of lying to voters by claiming none of the emails on her private server were top secret Lady in red: Clinton looked like she had more positive matters on her mind as she arrived at a campaign stop in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday Happy families: Chelsea Clinton had her mother's crowd cheering as they campaigned together in Iowa, alongside Gabrielle Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly Clintons' campaign on Friday asked the government to release all the emails in question, saying they contained nothing the public shouldn't see. That demand, however, is fraught with problems: Only President Barack Obama can unilaterally declassify top secret materials, and the White House doesn't want to be seen as putting its thumb on the scales of justice while the FBI is investigating Clinton. The Iowa caucuses, a collection of more than 1,000 neighborhood meetings across the state, will take place Monday. While Clinton is leading her main Democratic challenger Bernie Sanders in national polls and in New Hampshire, the two are running neck-and-neck in the Hawkeye State. Clinton is still trying to shake the ghosts of 2008, when she entered the Iowa caucuses as the presumptive favorite and ended up finishing third behind the unheralded then-Senator Barack Obama of Illinois and the scandal-prone Senator John Edwards of North Carolina. Her nemesis this time around is Sanders, a self-described 'Democratic socialist' Vermont senator whose campaign has caught fire among young voters and typically attracts much larger numbers of people than Clinton does to campaign events. But even though he has the most to gain from her email scandal, he has kept his powder dry famously declaring in their first primary debate that 'the American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damned emails!'. '[T]here is a legal process in place which should proceed and not be politicized,' he reiterated Friday in a statement. 'The voters of Iowa and this nation deserve a serious discussion of the issues facing them.' All the Iowa hopefuls are barnstorming the state this weekend, trying to motivate their bases of supporters to show up for Monday night's caucuses. Polls show Clinton and Trump leading their parties' fields Hillary more narrowly than the billionaire real estate developer but anything can happen in the caucuses, and usually does, in the first-in-the-nation balloting in the 2016 presidential race. Clinton has studiously avoided mentioning her email scandal on the campaign trail. On Saturday morning in Des Moines, according to a press pool report, she talked about the Affordable Care Act and jobs in African-American communities, but took no questions. Turkey has warned Russia that it will suffer the 'consequences' if its fighter jets continue to violate Turkish airspace, after Ankara reports a new infringement by a Russian bomber. NATO-member Turkey said another Russian warplane violated its airspace on Friday despite several warnings - just two months after its military shot down a Russian jet for crossing over Turkish borders. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said 'If Russia continues the violations of Turkey's sovereign rights, it will be forced to endure the consequences.' War of words: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, has warned Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, that Moscow will 'endure consequences' if Russian fighter jets continue to cross Turkish borders Infringment: Ankara reported an Su-24 bomber, like the one pictured, crossed into Turkish airspace on Friday However, he did not specify what those consequences might be. Erdogan claimed he attempted to reach Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the issue but the Russian leader did not respond. He said: 'These irresponsible steps do not help the Russian Federation, NATO-Russia relations or regional and global peace. On the contrary they are detrimental.' Turkey's Foreign Ministry said the SU-34 aircraft crossed into Turkish airspace, ignoring several warnings in Russian and in English by Turkish radar units. It said Ankara summoned the Russian ambassador to the ministry Friday evening to 'strongly protest' the violation. But It was not clear where exactly the new infringement had occurred. The ministry said: 'We stress once again that all the responsibility for any unwanted grave consequences as a result of any such irresponsible behaviour will belong entirely to the Russian Federation.' NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also called on Russia 'to act responsibly and to fully respect NATO airspace' but also urged 'calm and de-escalation' of tensions between Moscow and Ankara. In a statement he said: 'Russia must take all necessary measures to ensure that such violations do not happen again. 'NATO stands in solidarity with Turkey and supports the territorial integrity of our ally, Turkey. 'Previous incidents have shown how dangerous such behaviour is.' Pictured, a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 jet is shot down by Turkish F-16 fighter planes near the Syrian border There has been no immediate comment on the incident from Moscow. Russia launched a massive air campaign in September against rebels fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a long-time Moscow ally who Turkey bitterly opposes. Then in November Turkey shot down a Russian plane which violated its airspace near Syria, sparking a crisis between the two countries. It was the first time in more than half a century that a NATO nation had shot down a Russian plane. The incident seriously strained the previously close ties between the two countries, damaging a strong economic partnership. Pictured, the Su-24 crashes near the Turkish-Syrian border on November 24 - leaving Two Russians killed Turkey brought down the Su-24 bomber near the border with Syria on November 24, saying it violated its airspace for 17 seconds despite repeated warnings. One pilot and a Russian marine of the rescue party were killed in the incident and Moscow continues to deny the aircraft ever entered Turkish airspace. After the incident the Russian military quickly sent missile systems to Syria and warned that it would fend off any threat to its aircraft. Moscow also punished Turkey by imposing an array of economic sanctions. On Saturday, Stoltenberg said NATO had agreed in December to increase the presence of airborne warning and control systems over Turkey to increase the country's air defenses. Ted Cruz didn't whack around his opponents at a packed rally this morning in Ames, Iowa and instead used his top talkers, Glenn Beck and his wife Heidi, to show the human, earnest side of the Texas senator. Beck, the former Fox News personality, touted how Cruz 'has done everything that he said he would do' while serving in Washington. 'If you turn out to be a weasel, I'm going to expose you.,' Beck said he's told Republicans, including Cruz, heading to Capitol Hill. 'Ted has not done that,' Beck added. Heidi Cruz asked the Iowans in attendance, who will caucus Monday in the first contest of the presidential race, to please 'fall in love with Ted Cruz just like I did.' Scroll down for video Cruz's Crew: Radio host Glenn Beck (left) and wife Heidi Cruz (right) were two parts of a spirited opening act for Sen. Ted Cruz in Ames, Iowa, this morning with just two days before the caucuses Ted Cruz's surrogates are trying to combat Donald Trump's claims that the Texas senator is a 'nasty' guy and is despised by his colleagues in Washington Heidi Cruz, an accomplished executive who has taken leave from Goldman Sachs to assist the campaign, said she went from her conservative Christian family in California to Texas to work on former President George W. Bush's campaign and that's where she met Ted. 'I met Ted Cruz and I voted for him within the first five minutes,' she gushed. She talked about their home life and their two girls, Catherine and Caroline, who both attended today's rally. 'Each of our kids reflects the parents to a certain degree and Caroline is a lot like her dad,' Heidi Cruz said. She told a story about Ted and Caroline doing math homework together in which he was supposed to read her the instructions and she was to complete the problems. 'Caroline said, "You know dad, thank you, that's very interesting, but I disagree with that advice. I think we should do the problem this way,"' Heidi Cruz said, quoting the 7-year-old. 'And she did it and it turned out just fine.' There was a greater parallel to her story. When it was Ted Cruz's turn to talk he also defended his reputation in Washington, suggesting it was a good thing he rattled Washington elites. ''I kind of thought that was the whole point of the campaign,' he said Heidi Cruz, being squeezed by hubby Ted Cruz, is telling stories voters about her husband at home - a doting husband and father who takes her out to late dinners and helps the kids with homework 'You have a senator who went to Washington and looked at the party leadership and did not do exactly what he was told,' Heidi Cruz said. 'He did what you told him to do, not what the Republican party told him to do,' she told supporters. She also ticked off a number of nice-guy things her husband had done: taken her out to a late dinner on her birthday and he arrived first 'as most of us wives can probably guess,' she laughed. He held a friend's hand through surgery for six hours, she said, and he didn't forget last Valentine's Day, even while being in the midst of planning his presidential campaign. 'Ted never forgets to remind the women in his family how special we are,' Heidi Cruz said. 'He's also the person who's going to be there when you need him.' Without saying Donald Trump's name outright, Heidi Cruz's stories about her husband at home were one way the campaign tried pushing back today on The Donald's claims that Cruz is a 'nasty' guy and that's why he doesn't have any friends in Washington. Instead of being a noxious human being, both Mrs. Cruz and Beck suggested that Cruz wasn't sitting at the cool kids' table in D.C. because he was doing what voters asked. 'And the reason 27 million Texans are so happy with their junior senator from Texas is because, to the chagrin of many in Washington, our junior senator Ted Cruz has done exactly what he said he would do,' Heidi Cruz said, using nearly identical language to Beck on that point. When it was the Texas senator's turn to sell himself, he repeated many Ted Cruz classics. He'd nuke the Iranian nuclear deal and move the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. He'd 'padlock' the IRS and send its agents to the U.S.-Mexican border instead. 'You're swimming across the Rio Grande and the first thing you see is 90,000 IRS agents you'd turn around and go home too,' he said. He suggested to voters if they wanted someone to go to Washington and 'just kind of fiddle around the edges then I ain't your guy,' he said, promising wide-scale change. And then he addressed that same problem that his surrogates were sent in to fix that he's despised by the 'Washington elite.' In an opinion filed Friday, the Supreme Court held that parents constitutional right to fundamental fairness in termination proceedings does not require adoption of a separate procedure that allows parents to further appeal termination orders based on ineffective representation by appointed counsel.The Court recognized that many other states have adopted such a procedure. However, the Supreme Court concluded that applying the criminal law concept of ineffective assistance of counsel claims into parental termination proceedings would have the potential for doing serious harm to children whose lives have by definition already been very difficult.The Court recognized that a parents right to the care and custody of her child is among the oldest of the judicially recognized fundamental liberty interests protected by the Due Process Clauses of the federal and state constitutions. The Court pointed out, however, that the State has a special duty to protect minors, that parental rights are not absolute, and children require secure, stable, long-term, continuous relationships with their parents or foster parents. The Court therefore declined to adopt a procedure that could result in years of litigation regarding parental rights, explaining that such a procedure could cause immeasurable damage to children.The Court emphasized that Tennessee already has many procedures in place to ensure parents are afforded fundamentally fair parental termination proceedings, including rigorous grounds that must be established by clear and convincing evidence before any court may terminate parental rights.To supplement these existing procedures, the Court imposed an additional safeguard in todays ruling and held that, in an appeal from an order terminating parental rights, the Court of Appeals must consider whether the evidence supports the trial courts findings as to all the grounds for termination alleged and as to the best interests of the child, even if the parent fails to challenge these findings on appeal.Typically on appeal, only those issues raised when the appeal is filed may be considered by the appellate court.In this case before the Supreme Court, the mother had lost custody of the child in 2005, when he was 13 months old, and had never regained full custody. The trial court found that she had last visited with the child in 2012 and had no meaningful relationship with him. The Supreme Court affirmed the trial courts decision terminating the mothers parental rights based on persistent poor living conditions, noncompliance with a parenting plan, and mental incompetence. The Court pointed out that the Department of Childrens Services had provided the mother with assistance and services for ten years before filing the petition to terminate her rights. Two years before the petition was filed, the juvenile court found that DCS had made Herculean efforts to rectify the issues that ultimately resulted in the termination of the mothers parental rights.Chief Justice Sharon G. Lee wrote a separate concurring and dissenting opinion, which retired Justice Gary R. Wade joined. The justices agreed that the mother in this case had received a fundamentally fair hearing and that the Court of Appeals must review all grounds for termination. They, however, would have required appointed counsel to render effective assistance of counsel in parental termination proceedings to ensure that proceedings with the effect of severing the bond between parent and child are fundamentally fair. Chief Justice Lee wrote, in those rare situations where a lawyer makes a mistake or fails to do his or her duty to such an extent that the termination proceeding is not fundamentally fair, I favor providing the parent with an opportunity to seek relief. In my view, providing counsel for an indigent parent but not requiring counsel to render effective representation is an empty gesture. She further concluded that recognizing a right to effective assistance of counsel will not unduly compromise a childs interest in finality, permanency, and safety.To read the majority opinion in In Re Carrington H., authored by Justice Cornelia A. Clark, and the separate concurring and dissenting opinion, authored by Chief Justice Lee, go to the opinions section of TNCourts.gov David H. Petraeus (pictured) was disgraced after a sex-and-secrets scandal in 2012 but will not face any disciplinary action from the military The U.S. military has decided not to demote or discipline former CIA director and retired Army general David H. Petraeus, who was forced to resign in a sex-and-secrets scandal in 2012. The Pentagon reported that Ashton B. Carter had agreed with the Army's recommendation not to discipline Petraeus in a letter sent Friday to the Senate Armed Services Committee, . 'Given the Army's review, Secretary Carter considers this matter closed,' Stephen C. Hedger, the assistant secretary of defense for legislative affairs, wrote. The letter, obtained by The Washington Post, was three-sentences long and did not elaborate. The letter was addressed to the chairman and top Democrat of the Senate Armed Services Committee: Senator John McCain and Senator Jack Reed. The senators had asked Carter to let Petraeus off without punishment and to let him to keep the four-star rank he earned in the Army, in a public letter of their own on January 20. Petraeus pleaded guilty in April in federal court in North Carolina to a misdemeanor charge of mishandling classified materials after a long investigation by the FBI, which marred the military hero's past. He received two years of probation and a $100,000 fine. Petraeus's civilian sentence, however, did not prevent the military from taking potential disciplinary actions. Petraeus retired from the Army in 2011 to take the top job at the CIA. Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice he still could have faced repercussions for his actions. Senator John McCain (right) and Senator Jack Reed (left) both fought for Petraeus not to be reprimanded Carter could have taken action as minor as issuing a non-binding letter of concern about Petraeus's actions to something more substantial such as a demotion from his rank as a four-star general. Demotion of a star rank could cost tens of thousands of dollars a year in pension payments. Petraeus signed statement that he had committed wrongdoing while he was still in the Army before he retired in 2011 to take charge of the CIA and said he lied to FBI agents. He also acknowledged giving eight notebooks that contained highly classified material to his biographer, Paula Broadwell, who he also had an affair with. The notebooks were kept by Petraeus when he served as commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan in 2010 and 2011. Making a Murderer's Steven Avery has penned another letter to his supporters from behind bars Making a Murderer's Steven Avery has penned another letter to his supporters from behind bars. The convicted murderer insists he is innocent and the Netflix series about his trial has led to thousands to call for his release from prison. His letter, posted on Twitter by his lawyer, said: 'To my supporters: I want every forensic test possible done b/c I am innocent. Steven Avery.' Attorney Kathleen Zellner added: 'SA (Steven Avery) thrilled about chance of new forensic testing - like innocent men always are.' The scrawled message follows another letter sent last week in which Avery again maintained his innocence. 'The real killer is still out there. Who is he stalking now? I am really innocent of this case and that is the truth!!! The truth will set me free!!!!!!!,' Avery wrote. The mail, to WISN reporter Colleen Henry, was his first communication since the release of the Netflix series Making a Murderer. Avery also wrote a similar letter saying that he is innocent to Ted Perry of Fox News. Avery, 53, a Wisconsin native, spent 18 years behind bars for a sexual assault he did not commit. He was released in 2003 after DNA evidence proved his innocence but he was convicted in 2007 of killing photographer Teresa Halbach. Avery pleaded not guilty and he and his attorneys are fighting for his freedom following the release of the documentary. The convicted murderer insists he is innocent and called for further forensic tests in his latest letter Murderer: Avery (left) was convicted in 2007 of killing photographer Teresa Halbach (right) The storyline has captivated viewers around the world since it began streaming on Netflix on December 18 last year. It details the prosecution of Avery after Ms Halbach, a 25-year-old photographer, was murdered in 2005. Her last known whereabouts were at the Avery familys auto salvage yard in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, where she had gone to photograph a minivan for Auto Trader magazine. Shortly before he was arrested for Ms Halbachs murder, he had filed a $36million federal lawsuit against the county, its former sheriff and district attorney for the wrongful conviction in his sexual assault case. The case was settled for $400,000 after Avery was charged with first-degree intentional homicide for the murder of Ms Halbach. Averys defense attorneys Dean Strang and Jerry Buting argued that Manitowoc County officers, who were in the middle of being deposed in the lawsuit, were also involved in the gathering of evidence in the Ms Halbach case and may have planted evidence to frame him. But Averys nephew Brendan Dassey, who was 16 at the time, then confessed to sexually assaulting Ms Halbach and cutting her throat on his uncles orders - but later said the confession had been coerced by investigators. Avery wrote another letter last week to a Milwaukee reporter from behind bars, maintaining his innocence once more Avery's lawyers think he deserves a new trial because it was revealed that his property was illegally searched and that a juror was pressured into voting guilty. Avery, 53, and Dassey, now 26, were both convicted in March 2007 and remain in prison. Avery was sentenced to life in prison without parole but Dassey, who is also serving a life sentence, has a chance for early release in 2048. The documentary on Avery questioned the handling of his case and the motivation of Manitowoc County law enforcement officials. It suggests authorities planted evidence against the men, a claim that has been rejected by Robert Hermann, the current sheriff of Manitowoc County. Both men continue to protest their innocence but despite the Netflix series casting doubt on their convictions, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has ruled out any chance of a pardon. An escaped convict was apprehended on Friday after he visited his friend's auto body shop and asked them to call the police so that he could turn himself in. Tri and Theresa Nguyen told The Los Angeles Times that they were shocked after Bac Doung, 43, showed up to Auto Electric Rebuilders in Santa Ana looking scared and pale after being on the run for seven days following his break from a Santa Ana prison. Theresa Nguyen didn't recognize Duong at first but when she did, she rushed over to him and asked how she could help. Scroll down for video Called police: Law enforcement teams converge on the Auto Electric Rebuilders shop on Harbor Boulevard in Santa Ana, California, after jail escapee Bac Duong had been taken away after surrendering on Friday Capture: Bac Duong, 43, was taken into custody seven days after he and two other inmates, 37-year-old Hossein Nayeri and 20-year-old Jonathan Tieu, broke out of the Santa Ana facility Tired: Law enforcement teams converge on the Auto Electric Rebuilders shop on Harbor Boulevard in Santa Ana, California. Employees of the auto body shop said that Duong asked them to call police because he was tired of running from the law That when the Nguyen's said Duong, looking haggard, simply asked them to call police so that he could be taken back to jail. 'I feel good for him because he did the right thing,' Tri Nguyen said. 'He doesn't have to run around anymore.' Twenty minutes after the call was made to police, the store was filled with law enforcement who took Duong into custody at 11:30 a.m. The owner, who had known Duong for 10 years, told KCAL the inmate spoke to his wife who then called the police. 'He knows us. He wants to feel safe,' employee Michael Knoski said. 'That's why he came here.' Hunt: Law enforcement teams converge on the Auto Electric Rebuilders shop on Harbor Boulevard after jail escapee Bac Duong had been taken away after surrendering on Friday. On Saturday, the two other escaped inmates, Hossein Nayeri and Jonathan Tieu were apprehended near a McDonalds restaurant Official: Orange County Sheriff's Department Public Information Officer Lt. Jeff Hallock says escaped inmate Bac Duong, marked 'Captured,' left, surrendered in Orange County earlier on Friday, just a day before his alleged accomplices were apprehended The Nyguyens said that they knew Duong for 10 years and met him in the Little Saigon neighborhood where Duong rented rooms. Duong also held jobs as a delivery man and also worked in construction. Nguyen told the Los Angeles Times that he believes Duong has two sons who live in San Diego and that he is divorced. Shop owner Tim Tran said that with his hair shaved in a buzz cut, Duong looked nothing like the wanted posters. On Saturday, the authorities announced that two other escaped inmates, Hossein Nayeri and Jonathan Tieu were apprehended near the McDonalds restaurant at Haight and Stanyan streets across from Golden Gate Park, according to SF Gate. An Orange County Sheriff's K-9 team searches for other jail escapees in the parking lot of the Pueblo Motel in Santa Ana, California. They were apprehended on Saturday Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said the citizen alerted police officers just after 9 a.m., who were nearby handling an unrelated medical call. The men were eventually traced to a McDonald's restaurant on Haight and Stanyan streets along with a stolen utility van they were using. When the officers approached the man, 'the chase was on,' said police chief Greg Suhr, with the suspect running down Stanyan Street toward Waller Street and then toward Kezar Stadium. Police managed to collar the pair after a short chase, and they are now back behind bars. Shur added: 'This is a great example of the public seeing something, saying something and now we have the two escapees in custody. You really cant draw it up any better than this.' All three captures come just two days after Nooshafarian Ravaghi, who taught English as a second language to inmates, was arrested for allegedly aiding the escape by giving them tools. Duong was supposed to have been deported to Vietnam in 1998, but never left because his native country didn't want him back. Instead he has stayed in the United States and gradually built up a long record including assault and the attempted murder charge for which he was awaiting trial He was in custody in the Orange County Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana waiting for his court date when he escaped with Thieu (left) and Nayeri (right) - who has been compared to Hannibal Lecter by a prosecutor dealing with his case. He allegedly cut off a marijuana dispenser's penis and tortured him Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens (left) confirms Duong was taken into custody after turning himself in It comes days after Nooshafarian Ravaghi, who taught English as a second language to inmates, was arrested for allegedly helping the escape by giving them tools (mugshot pictured) Less than two hours before Duong's capture, Lt. Jeff Hallock of the Orange County Sheriff's Department said authorities felt 'very strongly' that Tieu and Nayeri - who has been compared to Hannibal Lecter - were still in the Southern California area. They were believed to be driving a 2008 white GMC Savana utility van that was reported stolen from South Los Angeles on January 23, the day after the escape. Duong was supposed to have been deported to Vietnam in 1998, but never left because his native country didn't want him back. Instead he has stayed in the United States and gradually built up a long record including assault and the attempted murder charge for which he was awaiting trial. He was in custody in the Orange County Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana waiting for his court date when he escaped with Thieu and Nayeri. This Internet 'wanted' poster provided by the Orange County Sheriff's Office shows that they have captured one of three violent inmates who last week broke out of their Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana, California Orange County Sheriff agents search the back of an auto shop for escaped inmates in Santa Ana on Friday Orange County Sheriff's Department Public Information Officer Lt. Jeff Hallock says escaped inmate Bac Duong, marked 'Captured,' left, surrendered in Orange County earlier Friday Duong, who has now been on the run for four days, came to the United States legally in 1991 but was told he would be sent home seven years later. The order came shortly after he served time in state prison on a 1997 burglary conviction, state records show. Immigration officials said they took Duong into custody in 2003 and released him the following year. He continued to check in with authorities as required until 2014, the statement said. During that time, he also faced a series of charges involving burglary and drug possession and did stints in state prison. Last year, he was charged with attempted murder and assault in the shooting of a man outside a home in Santa Ana. Federal officials can't keep immigrants locked up indefinitely while they await deportation. Most must be released after six months, except those accused of posing a terrorist threat or deemed especially dangerous. For many years, Vietnam did not honor U.S. government requests to repatriate deportees. Ravaghi, a Lake Forest woman, had some kind of relationship with one of the men, authorities said. The relationship 'developed between the two as a result of initially (what) was a student-teacher relationship', Orange County sheriff's Lt Jeff Hallock said The vent screen (above) had been cut and removed from the inside of the jail cell where the three men escaped from sometime on Friday, January 22 Above is pictured the jail cell and vent screen that had been cut, near the floor at center rear, inside of the Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana, California by the three inmates A cord made of an undetermined fabric that facilitated the escape of three inmates is pictured above inside the central men's jail in California This undated combo photo provided by the Orange County Sheriff's Office shows tattoos and other markings on the body of Duong, one of three inmates who escaped on Friday This undated photo provided by the Orange County Sheriff's Office shows a 2008 White GMC Savana utility van that authorities believe the three escaped inmates had stolen In 2008, Vietnam agreed to provide travel documents for deportees but only those who entered the U.S. since July 1995. Duong escaped from the Orange County jail on Friday by sawing through a quarter-inch thick grill on a dormitory wall and climbing through plumbing tunnels to reach an unguarded area of the roof. There, the three men moved aside razor wire and rappelled to the ground using bed linen. All three were considered dangerous and were awaiting trial in separate violent crimes. Authorities focused their search in the county's sizable Vietnamese-American community, where sheriff's officials say two of the men have ties to gangs. Tieu had been held at the county jail since 2013, accused of murder and attempted murder. Nayeri was arrested in 2014 on charges including kidnapping and torture. Authorities said he abducted a marijuana dealer, burned him with a blow torch and cut off his penis because Nayeri thought the man had buried money in the desert. Ravaghi, (left) was said to have been close to escapee Hossein Nayeri, 37 (right) who is believed to be the mastermind behind the escape plan According to her website, Ravaghi, who was born in Iran, has authored a multicultural children's book called the 'Noosh Collection' Authorities allege the three men took the dispensary owner's penis with them 'so that it could never be re-attached'. They say the owner spent an 'extensive time in the hospital recovering from his injuries.' Heather Brown, a prosecutor dealing with his case, compared him to movie villain Hannibal Lecter. 'He is sophisticated, incredibly violent and cunning,' Brown told the Orange County Register. Nayeri was a U.S. Marine with special operations training and a history of mental illness who once told his wife he was 'upset with the world'. People who knew him told the Register his life fell apart after a 2005 accident in which he drove drunk and rolled a car, an incident that killed his friend in a fiery crash after they had been partying at a casino in Madera County. Ravaghi, a 44-year-old Lake Forest woman from Rancho Santiago Community College, was arrested on Thursday, and authorities said she had some kind of relationship with one of the men. Authorities with the Orange County Central Jail stand on the top jail floor in Santa Ana, California, on Tuesday Hallock said Nayeri attended several of Ravaghi's classes - the pair are both originally from Iran. 'All we know is that there was some type of relationship that developed between the two as a result of initially (what) was a student-teacher relationship and it developed into a close relationship where she then began providing him information,' Hallock told KABC. 'She's denying having brought the tools, but what we do know is she provided Google maps, those types of things, to prepare for the escape,' Hallock said. The escape of the three men echoed the June 2015 New York prison escape when convicts Richard Matt and David Sweat went on the run for three weeks after breaking free from a maximum-security Clinton Correctional Facility. Ravaghi had worked at the jail for six months, according to CNN. The 44-year-old worked as a part-time instructor in the inmate education program, Judy Iannaccone, a spokeswoman for the Rancho Santiago Community College District, said. She began the program in 2014 and passed a background check before her assignment at the jail. According to her website, Ravaghi, who was born in Iran, has authored a multicultural children's book called the 'Noosh Collection.' She settled in California in 1997 and holds two master's degrees, one in French literature and the other in education. Tanzanian authorities have arrested three suspects over the killing of a British helicopter pilot, who was shot down by AK-47 fire as he tried to stop poachers escaping with ivory they had taken from dead elephants. Roger Gower was taking part in a helicopter operation to catch the gang in a game reserve next to Serengeti National park. The poachers had already killed two elephants when Mr Gower, 37, saw a third elephant which had only just been slaughtered, said colleagues at the conservation group he was working for. Roger Gower, 37, was killed after being shot while flying a helicopter over a Tanzanian game reserve The vehicle crashed while it was tracking a group of elephant poachers near the Serengeti National Park 'They did see the two carcasses. While he was looking for the poachers, he heard gunshots and moved to the area and a saw a fresh carcass, the third elephant that had just gone down within 24 hours,' Pratik Patel, a close friend working on the same anti-poaching operation, told BBC Radio 5. 'I guess the poachers heard the helicopters searching and tried to make away with the ivory and hide. 'When Roger came across the carcasses, he hovered over them and moved forward to search the area. What he saw was evidence of ivory and turned the helicopter to come back to the spot.' 'At that point, one of the poachers sneaked out of the bushes and shot Roger, forcing the helicopter to hit the ground really hard.' A second man who was in the helicopter with Mr Gower managed to bring it down, but at that point the man was really badly shot. 'The bullet that hit Roger cut through the floor of the helicopter, through his leg, part of his body and shoulder and hit his face, before going through the roof of the helicopter,' Patel said. 'It was from a heavy calibre gun probably the same gun that they used to kill the elephant.' Tanzanian minister Jumanne Maghembe announced the arrests and pledged that any other suspects will be caught in security operations after the attack in Maswa wildlife reserve. Lazaro Nyalandu, a former minister of tourism and natural resources, wrote on Twitter that Gower was killed by AK-47 assault rifle fire. 'You loved our country and I knew you on many flights we took together,' Nyalandu wrote. Shocking pictures were posted on Facebook last night including this one of the pilot's blood-stained chair Mr Gower, who trained as an accountant, was working with the Friedkin Conservation Fund in Tanzania Patel paid tribute to 'a great guy, a great friend, a great pilot' who he said had loved working with Tanzania's wildlife. Last night, shocking pictures of the helicopter were posted on Facebook. They showed several bullet holes, including one through Mr Gower's bloodstained seat. Dan Friedkin, chairman of the Friedkin Conservation Fund, who Mr Gower was working with, released a statement last night saying: 'On Friday, we lost our colleague Roger Gower who was killed in the fight against elephant poaching in Tanzania. 'We are profoundly saddened by the loss of our dear friend. This tragic event again highlights the appalling risk and cost of protecting Tanzania's wildlife.' Mr Gower trained as an accountant in London and became a helicopter pilot in 2004. Before working in Tanzania, he flew from neighbouring Kenya, working for safaris and excursions. The Foreign Office said: 'We are providing assistance to the family at this difficult time.' The Foreign Office has confirmed it is providing support to the victim's family Maswa, the park where Gower was operating, lies on the southwest boundary of Serengeti. The regions massive wildebeest migration passes through Maswa in January and February, according to the Friedkin Conservation Fund. The parks rangers encounter poachers on a regular basis, it said. One person has died and several others have been shot and stabbed after a clash between rival biker gangs the Mongols and Iron Order at the National Western Complex. Denver Police Chief Robert White said at an evening news conference that four people were shot and one person was stabbed at the motorcycle expo. White said that no arrest have been made, but a person of interest in connection with the incident is being questioned. According to NBC News, law enforcement sources say the fight happened between the Mongols and Iron Order biker gangs and it sparked the shooting incident. Scroll down for video One person has died and several others have been shot and stabbed after a reported clash between rival biker gangs at a convention at the National Western Complex Denver Health Medical Center tweeted that nine people had been taken to hospital following the shooting The complex is located near the Denver Coliseum. Police initially tweeted that the incident occurred at the Denver coliseum when they confirmed one person was dead and numerous others were wounded. Denver Police escorted a man in handcuffs away from the National Western Complex Saturday afternoon. Police have said no one has been arrested Men hug after a shooting at a motorcycle expo at the National Western Complex in Denver on Saturday Two people from each gang are said to be in grave condition, NBC News reported. White said that they 'strongly suspect there's more than one shooter.' Authorities are investigating whether other law enforcement officers from outside of Denver were involved. Several off duty officers were at the expo prior to the shooting. The event did not have a security screening. White explained that they did not close the event after the fight because there was a heavy police presence and the event was nearing it's closing time. Police escorted several people from the building, including the man pictured above left wearing an Iron Order Colorado patch on his leather vest. The group started on July 4, 2004 and their official badge is pictured on the right According to The Mongols Motorcycle Club's website, they were established on December 5, 1969 in the East Los Angeles area in California. Pictured above is their official badge 'We allowed them to finish out their evening,' he said. The city and county of Denver announced that the second day of the 38th Annual Colorado Motorcycle Expo would be canceled in light of the incident that happened Saturday. Witnesses told The Denver Post that the shooting took place outside the Colorado Motorcycle Expo during a fight between two biker groups. Denver Health Medical Center tweeted that nine people had been taken to local hospitals and the hospital's emergency department has gone into lockdown following the shooting. Dr. Kevin McVaney of Denver Health Medical Center told the Associated Press that six people were admitted to the hospital. He said three were in critical condition and three were stable. McVaney did not release details about what injuries they were being treated for. The complex is located near the Denver Coliseum. Police initially tweeted that the incident occurred at the Denver coliseum when they confirmed one person was dead and numerous others were wounded. A large crowd of people are pictured above outside of the National Western Complex after the shooting incident on Saturday in Denver Police officers stand watch outside the Rocky Mountain Regional Trauma Center after a shooting at a motorcycle show on Saturday in Denver The hospital is currently on lockdown after the shooting at the motorcycle expo Police escorted several people from the building, however 9News reported that the motorcycle expo is continuing. Darren Moffitt told the station that he crawled under a table when someone yelled to get down. He said he could smell smoke and he walked through a puddle of blood as he left the restaurant he was hiding in. A shooting between two unrelated biker gangs at the Twin Peaks restaurant in Waco, Texas, in May last year left nine dead and ended in the arrest of 177 gang members. On the the Colorado Motorcycle Expo's website, it bills itself as 'one of the largest motorcycle events in the country.' People gather outside the National Western Complex on Saturday after the deadly shooting and stabbing Bikers were seen leaving the arena in Denver following the shooting and stabbing at 1pm this afternoon The Prime Minister and his wife Samantha, pictured together in Mayfair, have discussed obtaining a place for Elwen, who turns ten next month, at 18,000-a-year Colet Court Preparatory School David Cameron is considering sending his son to one of Britains top private schools, The Mail on Sunday can disclose. The Prime Minister and his wife have discussed obtaining a place for Elwen, who turns ten next month, at 18,000-a-year Colet Court Preparatory School. Colet Court is part of the exclusive St Pauls School in Barnes, South-West London. Pupils often go on to leading public schools, including Eton, where Mr Cameron was educated. It is understood that the Camerons have not made a final decision about Elwens future education. It is normal for couples in such circumstances to apply for a number of schools in both the state and private sector. Their decision to consider Colet Court comes seven years after Mr Cameron declared: Id like my children to go to state school. Its crazy that we should have to pay lots of money for private schools. We all pay our taxes. You should have really good state schools available for all. Allies of the Prime Minister last night rejected suggestions that he is guilty of hypocrisy. They pointed out that he had never ruled out the possibility that he and wife Samantha could educate their children privately. However, Labour could claim it is tantamount to an admission that he has failed to bring state schools up to scratch. He once said it was a disgrace that in some parts of our country there are no good schools available to local parents. A decision about their sons future may provide a fresh insight into the Prime Ministers surprise vow last year to stand down before the 2020 Election. If Elwen goes to Colet Court, he would begin there in September next year, at age 11. He would then be expected to move up to a senior public school in September 2019, which is when Mr Cameron is expected to step down. Once Mr Cameron is out of Downing Street, he will be under less pressure to pay attention to public opinion. But if he stayed on to fight an Election months after his son had started at an expensive private school, he could face jibes for shunning state education. It is part of the exclusive St Pauls School in London. Pupils often go on to leading public schools, including Eton Elwen currently attends a Church of England primary school in West London, which older sister Nancy, 12, attended until last year. A state alternative to sending Elwen to all-boys Colet Court is Westminster City, the closest comprehensive to Downing Street. In 2004, a female teacher was raped by a 15-year-old pupil in the school. Earlier this month a pupil appeared in court with other youths, accused over an IS-inspired terror plot. I'd like my children to go to state school. It's crazy we should have to pay lots of money for private schools. You should have really good state schools available for all. What Cameron said in 2009 The Camerons decision to contemplate private schooling for Elwen, who will be ten on Valentines Day, is all the more intriguing as they chose a state secondary school Grey Coat Hospital in Westminster for Nancy. It is rated outstanding by Ofsted, and ten girls apply for each of the 151 places on offer at age 11. It meant Mr Cameron was the first Tory Prime Minister to send his child to a state secondary school while in office. Society magazine Tatler has said Colet Court is one of the top boys prep schools in the capital. It is the main feeder school for St Pauls, where most of its pupils go after age 13, and where annual fees are 22,500 for day pupils and 34,000 for boarders. However, Colet Court also boasts of its close connections with Eton, which costs 36,000 a year, and Winchester, which charges 35,600. Colet Court former pupils, called Coletines, include actor Eddie Redmayne and financier Nat Rothschild, who both went on to Eton, and Chancellor George Osborne, who went on to St Pauls. Their decision comes seven years after Mr Cameron declared he'd like his children to go to state school. The state alternative for Elwen is Westminster City, which is the closest comprehensive to Downing Street Mr Camerons surprise announcement during the last Election campaign that he would not try to win a third term spawned a number of theories as to his motives. The Times linked it to Elwens education, claiming a source close to the Prime Ministers family had stated Mr Cameron wants to send Elwen to Eton but cant do it while hes in Downing Street. Some members of the Downing Street inner circle say Mrs Cameron, who attended Marlborough School in Wiltshire (34,000 a year), believes their childrens education must not suffer as a result of political considerations. Whatever the real reason, there is no question they have both agonised over the issue. In 2010, Mr Cameron said he was terrified by the prospect of getting a decent education for Elwen because of the lack of good comprehensives close to No 10. Asked if he sympathised with parents who cant find good schools for their children, he said with feeling: Totally. Ive got a six-year-old [Nancy] and a four-year-old [Elwen] and Im terrified living in Central London. Am I going to find a good secondary school for my children? I feel it as a parent, let alone a politician. A year earlier he said it was crazy that good state schools were not available to all. However, he gave himself an escape clause, saying he would always do the right thing for his children and I have nothing against the independent sector. The Camerons are not the first political family to face scrutiny over their childrens schooling. Tony Blair came under fire for sending his eldest two sons to elite London Catholic state school, The Oratory. Jeremy Corbyn and his second wife divorced after she insisted on sending one of their sons to a grammar. And Labour MP Diane Abbott faced the wrath of Left-wingers for sending her son to a private school. Two men have been arrested after police discovered a meth lab across the road from a police station in Maine. Joseph Marcous, 29, and Samuel Johnson, 28, have been charged with running the drug factory that was just 200ft away from Lewiston Police Department headquarters. Cops and anti-drug agents raided the property on Friday and found the meth lab, before discovering a second above a nearby tropical fish store hours later. Joseph Marcous (left), 29, and Samuel Johnson (right), 28, have been charged with running a meth lab 200ft from a police station The meth lab was across the street from Lewiston Police Department's headquarters Marcous and Johnson have been charged with unlawful operation of a methamphetamine lab and are being held on a $15,000 bail, the Lewiston-Auburn Sun Journal reported. Marcous - who was taken to a hospital for a medical check after his arrest - lives at the home where the first meth lab was found, while Johnson lives in the apartment above the fish store, police said. Residents were evacuated from the building on Friday as police swept the area but were eventually allowed back in after a few hours. The owner of the exotic fish store does not live there and had rented the apartment to Johnson, authorities said. Cops said there was a recent fire in that apartment, which is now believed to be linked to the meth factory. The pair moved their cooking gear to Marcous' home after the fire, police claimed. Cops and anti-drug agents raided the property (pictured) on Friday and found the meth lab, before discovering a second above a nearby tropical fish store hours later Investigators said it appeared as if Johnson and Marcous had been making meth for their own consumption, rather than to sell it to anyone else. Tenants living near both discovered meth labs said they had not seen or smelled anything suspicious until the police raid. England is home to more than three million Muslims for the first time ever, new figures show. The number in the country has doubled in just over a decade as a result of soaring immigration and high birth rates. In some parts of London, close to half the population are now Muslims, according to detailed analysis by the Office for National Statistics obtained by The Mail on Sunday. On current trends they will be the majority in those areas within a decade. Scroll down for video Eight areas around the country where Muslims make up a significant number of local residents have been highlighted. In the borough of Tower Hamlets (pictured) the proportion stood at 45.6 per cent in 2014 Half of those following Islam in England and Wales were born abroad while more are under ten years old than in any other age group, indicating their numbers will grow still further in generations to come. The three million milestone representing one in 20 people across the country will reignite debate about the changing face of Britain amid growing calls for all Muslims to integrate into society. Education watchdog Ofsted has warned that schools could be branded failing if veil-wearing by students or teachers is deemed a barrier to learning and yesterday Britains most senior judge, Lord Neuberger, said there were serious difficulties with witnesses giving evidence in criminal trials with covered faces. David Cameron has called on Muslim women to help the fight against extremism by learning English, while Theresa May is setting up an independent review of Islamic courts amid fears that the Sharia code discriminates against women. Another review, ordered by Justice Secretary Michael Gove, is investigating fears that the growing number of Muslims behind bars now one in five inmates in Category A jails is fuelling radicalisation. But there is also a backlash against what many Muslims see as Islamophobic stigmatisation, with some campaigning against the Governments Prevent agenda which calls on communities to report suspected terrorist sympathisers. Trouble has flared at public rallies held by nationalist groups against Islam. Former equalities chief Trevor Phillips sparked outrage last week by claiming that some Muslims will always remain apart, saying it may be that they see the world differently to the rest of us. Last night, Lord Green of Deddington, the former diplomat who chairs Migration Watch UK, told The Mail on Sunday: This is clear evidence of the way in which mass immigration is rapidly changing the nature of our society. The Home Secretary was right in her conference speech to point to the potential pressures on social cohesion. The rapid growth of the Muslim population of England and Wales is revealed in unprecedented depth by the new ONS figures. Britains most senior judge, Lord Neuberger, said there were serious difficulties with witnesses giving evidence in criminal trials with covered faces In 1991 it stood at just under one million 950,000 representing only 1.9 per cent of the total. At the time of the next Census a decade later, there were 1,546,626 Muslims in the country three per cent of the total. But by 2011, the Muslim population of England and Wales was 2,706,066 representing 4.8 per cent of the overall number. As the ONS noted, this represented a 75 per cent jump in the space of a decade. New figures published for the first time this month show that the rise has continued, with a record 3,046,607 Muslims across England and Wales in 2014 representing 5.4 per cent of the population. Across Great Britain, the total rises to 3,114,992, and of those slightly more than half (1,554,022) were born overseas. The vast majority 1,484,060 came from outside the European Union. A detailed breakdown obtained by this newspaper shows that Muslims are much younger than the general population. One in four Muslims in England and Wales 746,000 is aged under ten. In the whole country, the proportion is about one in seven. The ONS has also identified eight areas around the country where Muslims make up a significant number of local residents. In the East London borough of Tower Hamlets the proportion stood at 45.6 per cent in 2014, while in neighbouring Newham it is 40.8. Muslims account for 29 per cent of the population in Blackburn; 26 per cent in Slough; 25.7 per cent in Luton; 23 per cent in Birmingham; 20 per cent in Leicester; and 18 per cent in Manchester. The Muslim population will rise further as a result of the unprecedented surge in refugees from Middle Eastern and North African countries trying to reach Western Europe in the past year. A record 5,095 asylum applications were made to the UK in October 2015, latest figures show, with one in ten made by Syrians. Ministers are under pressure to accept thousands of lone children into the country from the squalid camps in France, but are instead only offering to take those still near the areas ravaged by civil war and Islamic State. As of April, police will be required to make detailed records of Islamophobic attacks amid concerns that the number of anti-Muslim hate crimes is on the rise in the wake of terrorist attacks by Islamic State. A spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain said: This statistic highlights the diversity in modern Britain, and the need that this is reflected in all spheres of life, from top management opportunities to political representation. It was a generous if much derided wedding present from the Queen that fell into rack and ruin and became a poignant symbol of Prince Andrews failed marriage to Sarah Ferguson. Now, the former home of the Duke of York, dubbed SouthYork because of its resemblance to the Southfork home of the Ewing family in TVs Dallas, has finally been razed to the ground. Sunninghill Park in Berkshire became mired in controversy when the Prince sold it to Kazakh tycoon Timur Kulibayev nearly a decade ago for 15 million 3 million more than the asking price following his divorce. Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson's (pictured) former Berkshire home has finally been demolished Sunninghill Park today, pictured, where Kazakh tycoon Timur Kulibayev plans to build a six-bedroom property The mansion, pictured in 2008, had 12-bedrooms but lay derelict for years after the 15million sale in 2007 The 12-bedroom mansion then lay derelict for years, prompting speculation that Mr Kulibayev, the billionaire son-in-law of Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev, had bought it only to win the Princes friendship during his role as UK trade ambassador. But in 2013, the new owners submitted plans to bulldoze the house and replace it with a similarly lavish six-bedroom property. But their ambitions ran into difficulties when environmentalists found that rare bats were living in the home, delaying its demolition as the animals were found alternative roosts. A leading Tory is fighting to save the great British biscuit from Brussels meddling as part of his battle for the EU referendum Out campaign. Jacob Rees-Mogg is rallying fellow Eurosceptics against an EU plan to ban trans fats, which improve the taste and shelf-life of processed foods but have also been linked to higher rates of heart disease. The Somerset MP has pledged to defend British eating habits from a new European Commission proposal to impose an EU-wide harmonised legal limit on hydrogenated fats. Tory MP Jacob Reed-Mogg, pictured, has vowed to battle EU plans to impose limits on hydrogenated fats in products including biscuits, cereals, frozen meals and pizzas Mr Rees-Mogg said that if the plan was adopted, it could sound the death knell for products such as breakfast cereals, ice cream, cakes, frozen meals and pizzas. The move comes as Prime Minister David Cameron tries to convince his party that he will secure significant concessions for the UK over sovereignty from Brussels. Mr Rees-Mogg, a member of the House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee which is examining the plan, said the Government should resist the power grab. Brussels should keep its nose out of it, he said. They could be taking these goods off the shelves within two years, or at the very least rendering them so disgusting that no one wants to buy them. 'I would be very concerned if it meant the end of any of the many excellent foodstuffs which require trans fats to make them taste delicious. Mr Rees-Mogg added: The continuing extension of EU powers highlights why the Brussels deal we appear to be heading towards is so inadequate. Such fats are used in products such as custard creams, pictured, to improve the flavour and shelf-life Trans fats are naturally produced by animals such as cattle, sheep and goats and can be found in their meat, but industrially produced versions are formed when fats and oils are modified using factory processing techniques. Health Minister Jane Ellison told the committee: The Government is currently considering its policy on trans fats and will take into account the Commission Report. More than 70 per cent of the UKs retail and manufacturing market already avoid the use of artificial trans fats. Fire raced through a house this afternoon at 7638 Austin Dr. No injuries were reported. The Chattanooga Fire Department received the alarm at 4:23 p.m. and responded with four fire companies. Battalion Chief Nate Middlebrooks said flames were shooting through the roof when the first firefighters arrived on the scene. It took the firefighters roughly 30 minutes to get the blaze under control. Chief Middlebrooks said the house was a total loss, with the damages estimated at $85,000. The cause of the fire has been ruled accidental. A resident in the house told firefighters that she was heating up grease on the stove, but left it unattended. Chief Middlebrooks said the grease eventually got hot enough to burst into flames, which quickly spread to other parts of the house, including the attic. The fire displaces two adults. Volunteers with the American Red Cross of Southeast Tennessee were called in to provide assistance to the displaced residents. Chattanooga police, Hamilton County EMS and EPB also provided assistance on the scene. For the latest on the refugee crisis visit www.dailymail.co.uk/refugeecrisis It is believed 244 migrants have died crossing the In horrific scenes the world hoped it would never see again, a Turkish police officer lifts a tiny, lifeless child from a beach and gently places it into an open body bag. The moment is harrowingly reminiscent of the fate of Alan Kurdi, the Syrian toddler whose death shocked the world after he was washed up on a Turkish beach in September last year. Four months later, these pictures from the drowning yesterday of at least 39 migrants attempting to cross the sea from Turkey into Europe convey a tragedy now all too chillingly familiar. Scroll down for video A Turkish police officer lifts the body of a drowned migrant child on a beach in Canakkale's Bademli district Only hours earlier, the child, dressed in an anorak to protect it from the cold, had been among 120 refugees hoping to sail from mainland Turkey to the Greek island of Lesbos a popular route for migrants seeking entry to the European Union. Even in the dark it should have been a relatively straightforward journey of just five nautical miles aboard a 56ft yacht and it seems many of the passengers were issued with lifejackets. Yet just minutes after casting off from the village of Behram in the province of Canakkale, the vessel struck rocks and began taking on water. Many of those crouching above deck jumped into the sea and swam to safety. But those below deck were trapped. As the sun rose over the Turkish coastline yesterday, their bodies began drifting back towards the shoreline, near the resort of Ayvacik. Horrified locals used the lifejackets to cover bodies of the dead including at least one other child, while a babys dummy and a tiny blue woollen hat were also seen on the beach. The vessel could be seen just 50 yards out to sea. As mayor Mehmut Sahin said: Local people woke up to the sound of screaming migrants and we have been carrying out rescue work since dawn. I am afraid the numbers [of dead] will rise as the divers continue the search. Tragedy: A small 56ft boat, which carried the 120 migrants, sinks into the sea off Turkey's western coast Those divers from the Turkish coastguard were still continuing search and rescue efforts where the boat sank. The coastguard said that after receiving calls for help, three boats had been dispatched, along with a helicopter. Rescuers picked up at least 60 migrants from the water they were taken to hospital, many suffering from hypothermia. One grief-stricken survivor burst into tears as she explained: We are sad. At least 20 friends are still missing. Those on board were apparently from Syria, Afghanistan and Burma. It was also reported that Turkish police had arrested a man suspected of organising their trip. But he is thought to be a middle-man rather than a main player in the lucrative and cruel people-smuggling business thriving as a consequence of the migrant crisis. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said last night that 244 migrants had drowned in the Mediterranean so far this year, while 55,568 had survived the journey. Shocking: The lifeless body of the migrant boy lies on the beach, with his face covered by a blue woolly hat As many migrants have arrived every single day in 2016 as arrived every month in 2014. An IOM spokesman said: The death rate on the Turkey-Greece human trafficking routes is increasing at an alarming rate. Numbers for January are close to the total recorded in the relatively safe month of July 2015, when calm seas allowed 54,899 to make the journey. The latest tragedy, thought to be the largest single loss of life at sea since the incident involving Alan Kurdis boat, comes just days after 26 migrants drowned when their vessel sank off the coast of the Greek island of Samos. Alan Kurdi died along with his five-year-old brother, Galip, and their mother, Rehan. Their father, Abdullah, survived. They were attempting to flee to relatives in Canada, even though their asylum application had been rejected. Turkish police officers have the awful task of looking for bodies on a beach in Canakkale's Bademli district Turkey is currently hosting 2.5 million Syrian refugees. In November, the country received 2.5 billion of EU investment to help stem the flow of migrants. More than one million migrants arrived in the EU last year and some 3,600 died or went missing. Around 500,000 refugees from the five-year-old war in Syria travelled through Turkey and then risked their lives at sea to reach the Greek islands in 2015. Meanwhile, Germanys Chancellor Angela Merkel was last night continuing to resist pressure to terminate her open-door policy on refugees, insisting that asylum- seekers would go back home once the conflicts had ended. Advertisement Pluto may be covered in a lot more water ice than astronomers previously thought. This revelation stems from new data gathered by Nasas New Horizons spacecraft, which reveals an abundance of water ice on Plutos surface. The space agency has stitched together images from the observations to create a three-dimensional data cube to map the findings. Scroll down for video The two scans were taken 15 minutes apart on July 14, 2015 from 67,000 miles away, showing the hemisphere visible to New Horizons as it flew by. According to Nasa, water ice is the crustal bedrock of Pluto, over the course of the changing seasons, it is covered by more volatile ices THE TROUBLE WITH THE MAPS In the first map, on the left, Nasa realized the disadvantages of plotting data compared with a pure water ice spectrum. Methane ice commonly blocks out spectral signature of water ice, and this technique only reveals very water rich, or methane depleted areas. The second map uses more sensitive techniques, and includes the many kinds of volatile ices found on Pluto. It too is limited, but Nasa writes that it will be updating this map continually as data improves. Advertisement Using observations taken in infrared light by the Ralph/Linear Etalon Imaging Spectral Array (LEISA) instrument, astronomers have created false-colour maps to plot the concentration of Plutos water ice. The two scans were taken 15 minutes apart on July 14, 2015 from 67,000 miles away, showing the hemisphere visible to New Horizons as it flew by. According to Nasa, water ice is the crustal bedrock of Pluto, and over the course of the changing seasons, it is covered by more volatile ices. One of these other ices is methane, which can block the spectral signature of water ice. In the first map, shown on the left, the researchers compared LEISA spectra with a pure ice template spectrum to work around this. But, the map only shows areas that were either very rich in water, or very low in methane. For the second map, the team used more sensitive techniques, including the various kinds of ice found on the surface, in addition to water ice. While this method is also limited, Nasa writes, it will be updated continually as more data are collected. The more detailed map reveals the spread of water ice across much of Pluto, much more than previously known. Some regions on the map, including Sputnik Planum, the western region of Plutos heart, and Lowell Regio in the north, were observed to exhibit little evidence of water, if any at all. This suggests that the bedrock in these areas is buried beneath an accumulation of other ices, such as methane, nitrogen, and carbon monoxide. Earlier this month, New Horizons sent back one of its most intriguing images of the surface of Pluto. It shows a mysterious object appearing to 'slide' through the surface. Nasa experts believe the object may be a 'dirty block of water ice'. Nasa experts believe the object may be a 'dirty block of water ice' which is floating in denser solid nitrogen. Also visible are thousands of pits in the surface, which scientists believe may form by sublimation. WHERE IT WAS TAKEN Transmitted to Earth on Dec. 24, this image from the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) extends New Horizons' highest-resolution views of Pluto to the very center of Sputnik Planum, the informally named icy plain that forms the left side of Pluto's 'heart' feature. Sputnik Planum is at a lower elevation than most of the surrounding area by a couple of miles, but is not completely flat. Its surface is separated into cells or polygons 10 to 25 miles (16 to 40 kilometers) wide, and when viewed at low sun angles (with visible shadows), the cells are seen to have slightly raised centers and ridged margins, with about 100 yards (100 meters) of overall height variation. Advertisement They say it is 'floating' in denser solid nitrogen, and which has been dragged to the edge of a convection cell. Also visible are thousands of pits in the surface, which scientists believe may form by sublimation. Transmitted to Earth on Dec. 24, this image from the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) extends New Horizons' highest-resolution views of Pluto to the very center of Sputnik Planum, the informally named icy plain that forms the left side of Pluto's 'heart' feature. Sputnik Planum is at a lower elevation than most of the surrounding area by a couple of miles, but is not completely flat. Its surface is separated into cells or polygons 10 to 25 miles (16 to 40 kilometers) wide, and when viewed at low sun angles (with visible shadows), the cells are seen to have slightly raised centers and ridged margins, with about 100 yards (100 meters) of overall height variation. Mission scientists believe the pattern of the cells stems from the slow thermal convection of the nitrogen-dominated ices that fill Sputnik Planum. A reservoir that's likely several miles or kilometers deep in some places, the solid nitrogen is warmed at depth by Pluto's modest internal heat, becomes buoyant and rises up in great blobs, and then cools off and sinks again to renew the cycle. 'This part of Pluto is acting like a lava lamp,' said William McKinnon, deputy lead of the New Horizons Geology, Geophysics and Imaging team, from Washington University in St. Louis, 'if you can imagine a lava lamp as wide as, and even deeper than, the Hudson Bay.' Computer models by the New Horizons team show that these blobs of overturning solid nitrogen can slowly evolve and merge over millions of years. The ridged margins, which mark where cooled nitrogen ice sinks back down, can be pinched off and abandoned. The 'X' feature is likely one of thesea former quadruple junction where four convection cells meet. Numerous, active triple junctions can be seen elsewhere in the LORRI mosaic. Scientists from NASAs New Horizons mission have also combined data from two instruments to create this composite image of Plutos informally named Viking Terra area. Nasa also revealed new images of Plutos informally named Viking Terra area. The combined data includes pictures taken by the spacecrafts Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) on July 14, 2015, from a range of about 31,000 miles (49,000 kilometers), showing features as small as 1,600 feet (480 meters) across. Draped over the LORRI mosaic is enhanced color data from the Ralph/Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC), gathered about 20 minutes after the LORRI snapshots were taken, from a range of 21,000 miles (34,000 kilometers) and at a resolution of about 2,100 feet (650 meters) per pixel. The entire scene is 160 miles (250 kilometers) across. Among the features scientists find particularly interesting are the bright methane ices that condensed on many crater rims; the collection of dark red tholins (small soot-like particles generated from reactions involving methane and nitrogen in the atmosphere) in low areas, like the bottoms of craters; and the layering on the faces of steep cliffs and on crater walls. In areas where the reddish material is thickest and the surface appears smooth, the material seems to have flowed into some channels and craters. Scientists say tholin deposits of that thickness arent usually mobile on large scales, suggesting that they might be riding along with ice flowing underneath, or being blown around by Plutos winds. The images are the latest to show mysterious 'pits' on the 'heart' of Pluto have been revealed in unprecedented detail, along with colour images of the dwarf planet's 'badlands'. Mission scientists believe these mysterious indentations may form through a combination of ice fracturing and evaporation. The scarcity of overlying impact craters in this area also leads scientists to conclude that these pits typically hundreds of yards across and tens of yards deep formed relatively recently. Their alignment provides clues about the ice flow and the exchange of nitrogen and other volatile materials between the surface and the atmosphere. On July 14 the telescopic camera on NASA's New Horizons spacecraft took the highest resolution images ever obtained of the intricate pattern of 'pits' across a section of Pluto's prominent heart-shaped region, informally named Tombaugh Regio. The image is part of a sequence taken by New Horizons' Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) as the spacecraft passed within 9,550 miles (15,400 kilometers) of Pluto's surface, just 13 minutes before the time of closest approach. The image is part of a sequence taken by New Horizons' Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) as the spacecraft passed within 9,550 miles (15,400 kilometers) of Pluto's surface, just 13 minutes before the time of closest approach. The magnified view is 50-by-50 miles (80-by-80 kilometers) across. The large ring-like structure near the bottom right of the magnified view - and the smaller one near the bottom left - may be remnant craters. The upper-left quadrant of the image shows the border between the relatively smooth Sputnik Planum ice sheet and the pitted area, with a series of hills forming slightly inside this unusual 'shoreline.' Pictured here is the mountainous shoreline of Sputnik Planum. In this highest-resolution image from New Horizons, great blocks of Pluto's water-ice crust appear jammed together in the informally named al-Idrisi mountains. 'The mountains bordering Sputnik Planum are absolutely stunning at this resolution,' said New Horizons science team member John Spencer of the Southwest Research Institute Nasa also revealed a new colourised version of the surface. This enhanced color mosaic combines some of the sharpest views of Pluto that NASA's New Horizons spacecraft obtained during its July 14 flyby. The pictures are part of a sequence taken near New Horizons' closest approach to Pluto, with resolutions of about 250-280 feet (77-85 meters) per pixel revealing features smaller than half a city block on Pluto's surface. Lower resolution color data (at about 2,066 feet, or 630 meters, per pixel) were added to create this new image. The images form a strip 50 miles (80 kilometers) wide, trending (top to bottom) from the edge of 'badlands' northwest of the informally named Sputnik Planum, across the al-Idrisi mountains, onto the shoreline of Pluto's 'heart' feature, and just into its icy plains. They combine pictures from the telescopic Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) taken approximately 15 minutes before New Horizons' closest approach to Pluto, with from a range of only 10,000 miles (17,000 kilometers) with color data (in near-infrared, red and blue) gathered by the Ralph/Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC) 25 minutes before the LORRI pictures. This image reveals new details of Pluto's rugged, icy cratered plains, including layering in the interior walls of many craters. 'Impact craters are nature's drill rigs, and the new, highest-resolution pictures of the bigger craters seem to show that Pluto's icy crust, at least in places, is distinctly layered,' said William McKinnon, deputy lead of the New Horizons Geology, Geophysics and Imaging team 'The wide variety of cratered, mountainous and glacial terrains seen here gives scientists and the public alike a breathtaking, super-high-resolution color window into Pluto's geology,' Nasa said. From its rugged 'badlands' to its mountainous shorelines, the latest pictures are part of a sequence taken 15 minutes before New Horizons' closest approach on July 14. The science we can do with these images is simply unbelievable The resolution is stunning. At around 80 metres per pixel, incredible details can be picked out, such as huge ice blocks, dramatic craters and crumpled ridges - all less than half the size of a city block on Pluto's diverse surface. 'These close-up images, showing the diversity of terrain on Pluto, demonstrate the power of our robotic planetary explorers to return intriguing data to scientists back here on planet Earth,' said John Grunsfeld, former astronaut and associate administrator for Nasa's Science Mission Directorate. 'New Horizons thrilled us during the July flyby with the first close images of Pluto, and as the spacecraft transmits the treasure trove of images in its onboard memory back to us, we continue to be amazed by what we see.' These latest images form a strip 50 miles (80 km) wide on a world three billion miles away. The pictures trend from Pluto's jagged horizon about 500 miles (800 km) northwest of the informally named Sputnik Planum, across the al-Idrisi mountains, over the shoreline of Sputnik, and across its icy plains. 'These new images give us a breathtaking, super-high resolution window into Pluto's geology,' said New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan Stern, of the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in Boulder, Colorado. 'Nothing of this quality was available for Venus or Mars until decades after their first flybys; yet at Pluto we're there already down among the craters, mountains and ice fields less than five months after flyby. The science we can do with these images is simply unbelievable.' The images were captured with the telescopic Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) aboard New Horizons, about 15 minutes before New Horizons' closest approach to Pluto from a range of just 10,000 miles (17,000 km). They were obtained with an unusual observing mode; instead of working in the usual 'point and shoot,' LORRI snapped pictures every three seconds while the Ralph/Multispectral Visual Imaging Camera (MVIC) aboard New Horizons was scanning the surface. This mode requires unusually short exposures to avoid blurring the images. These new images are six times better than the resolution of the global Pluto map New Horizons obtained, and five times better than the best images of Pluto's cousin Triton, Neptune's large moon, obtained by Voyager 2 in 1989. Mission scientists expect more imagery from this set over the next several days, showing even more terrain at this highest resolution. It follows an image released by Nasa last month showing 10 close-ups of the frosty, faraway world today, representing one Pluto day, which is equivalent to 6.4 Earth days. Pictured are Pluto's 'Badlands'. This highest-resolution image from Nasa's New Horizons spacecraft shows how erosion and faulting have sculpted this portion of Pluto's icy crust into rugged badlands topography NEW HORIZONS' NEW MISSION The spacecraft that gave us the first close-up views of Pluto now has a much smaller object in its sights. New Horizons is now track to fly past a recently discovered, less than 30-mile-wide object out on the solar system frontier. The close encounter with what's known as 2014 MU69 would occur in 2019. It orbits nearly 1 billion miles (1.6 billion kilometers) beyond Pluto. Nasa and the New Horizons team chose 2014 MU69 in August as New Horizons' next potential target, thus the nickname PT-1. Like Pluto, MU69 orbits the sun in the frozen, twilight zone known as the Kuiper Belt. MU69 is thought to be 10 times larger and 1,000 times more massive than average comets, including the one being orbited right now by Europe's Rosetta spacecraft. On the other end, MU69 is barely 1 percent the size of Pluto and perhaps one-ten-thousandth the mass of the dwarf planet. So the new target is a good middle ground, according to scientists. The team plans to formally ask Nasa next year to fund the mission extension for studying MU69. Scientists promise a better name before showtime on January 1, 2019. Advertisement The more distant images contribute to the view at the 3 o'clock position, with the top of the heart-shaped, informally named Tombaugh Regio slipping out of view, giving way to the side of Pluto that was facing away from New Horizons during closest approach on July 14. The side New Horizons saw in most detail what the mission team calls the 'encounter hemisphere' is at the 6 o'clock position. The more distant images contribute to the view at the 3 o'clock position, with the top of the heart-shaped, informally named Tombaugh Regio slipping out of view, giving way to the side of Pluto that was facing away from New Horizons during closest approach on July 14. The side New Horizons saw in most detail what the mission team calls the 'encounter hemisphere' is at the 6 o'clock position. These images and others like them reveal many details about Pluto, including the differences between the encounter hemisphere and the so-called 'far side' hemisphere seen only at lower resolution. Nasa's latest Pluto pictures depict an entire day on the dwarf planet. The space agency released a series of 10 close-ups of the frosty, faraway world today, representing one Pluto day, which is equivalent to 6.4 Earth days. The New Horizons spacecraft took the pictures as it zoomed past Pluto in an unprecedented flyby in July. Pluto was between 400,000 and 5 million miles from the camera for these photos Flowing ice and a extended haze are among the discoveries from Nasa's New Horizons mission, which reveal distant Pluto to be an icy world of wonders. This panorama was captured by the New Horizons spacecraft from 18,000 kilometers (11,00 miles) away, just 15 minutes after the probe's closest approach THE SNAKE ON PLUTO: HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGES REVEAL STRANGE 'ANIMAL SKIN' TERRAIN ON DWARF PLANET In this extended colour image of Pluto taken by New Horizons, rounded and bizarrely textured mountains, informally named the Tartarus Dorsa, rise up along Pluto's day-night terminator and show intricate but puzzling patterns of blue-gray ridges and reddish material in between. This view, roughly 330 miles (530 kilometers) across, combines blue, red and infrared images Just like Charon, Pluto's landscape is far more varied than scientists could have ever imagined. The latest high-resolution images of the dwarf planet, published last week, show this diversity in unprecedented detail, highlighting what appears to be snake-skin-like patterns on its surface. The clearest image of this was taken near the line that separates day from night, capturing a vast rippling landscape of strange, aligned linear ridges that Nasa said astonished New Horizons team members. 'It's a unique and perplexing landscape stretching over hundreds of miles,' said William McKinnon, New Horizons Geology, Geophysics and Imaging (GGI) team deputy lead from Washington University in St. Louis. 'It looks more like tree bark or dragon scales than geology. ' This'll really take time to figure out; maybe it's some combination of internal tectonic forces and ice sublimation driven by Pluto's faint sunlight.' Scientists aren't sure what causes the pattern, but theories include the impact of plate tectonics rippling the surface, or frozen gasses that are released when surface temperatures increase. The 'snakeskin' image of Pluto's surface is just one tantalising piece of data New Horizons sent back in recent days. The spacecraft also captured the highest-resolution colour view yet of Pluto, as well as detailed spectral maps and other high-resolution images. The new 'extended colour' view of Pluto shows the extraordinarily rich colour palette of Pluto. Advertisement MailOnline Travel tries out three - in Havana, Vinales and Trinidad - and has a quite wonderful time in each There are plenty to choose from in Cuba, with many offering absolutely superb food and accommodation Advertisement A mojito on the sea-view terrace of the luxurious Hotel Nacional in Havana, my guide book had said, was a crucial experience. But here I am on the roof terrace of a small dwelling in a rural part of Cuba that I'm staying at sipping a mojito made by the owner Ida and wondering if the grand old hotel in the capital hadn't been trumped. My girlfriend and I had popped into the Nacional a few days earlier and found the mojito experience was indeed very pleasant. Casa Idaisys in Vinales is a wonderful place to stay, Ted discovers. Pictured are two rocking chairs on the front porch Casa Idaisys is one of three homes or casa particulares - in Cuba that Ted booked into through the Homestay website The rooftop terrace at Casa Idaisys is a superb place to sip a mojito and gaze out across the lush countryside Ted and his girlfriend stay in this bedroom at Casa Idaisys, which is adjacent to a cute outside dining area But the mojito Ida has made is the best I've ever had, the view across the lush countryside is mesmerising and she is hovering with the offer of more rum, eager that the cocktail is just right. I feel like I'm in Nirvana. The experience is an epiphany, underscoring how staying with a family in Cuba can be one of the most enjoyable ways of experiencing the country. Ida's house, 'Casa Idaisys', is one of three homes or casa particulares - in Cuba we've booked into through the Homestay website, which sprang up in 2013. All three prove to be utterly delightful. One is in Havana, another in Trinidad and Ida's in Vinales, a small town in the west of the country that's surrounded by astonishingly lush vegetation and eye-catching vertiginous limestone hills called mogotes. Vinales is a small town in the west of the country that's surrounded by astonishingly lush vegetation - and Casa Idaisys commands great views of it all Fantastic dinners and breakfasts are laid out at Casa Idaisys on a pleasant veranda (left). Pictured right is Ted (second from right) with cheery hosts Ida (third from left), her husband Alex (far right) and Ida's mother and father (far left) With Homestay, travellers share properties with live-in hosts, the idea being to connect you with locals rather than sealing you off from reality in a hotel. And it works a treat. We're welcomed into Ida's home like long-lost friends. She lives with her mother and father, French husband Alex and a friendly hound called Yero. Ida and Alex speak brilliant English and make our stay delightfully easy and enjoyable, arranging everything from bike hire to restaurant reservations. Our three-night stay is wonderful from start to finish, with magical moments coming thick and fast. We have to work for one, though, getting up at 5am to scramble up a steep muddy hill with a guide to watch the sun rise over the mogotes and tobacco fields. It's worth the bleary-eyed, calf-burning strain, though, with the rays slowly dispelling the misty darkness over the countryside ranking as one of my top holiday moments ever. Gasps of astonishment were emitted. On the way down our guide, Emilio a trained botanist reveals just how varied the wildlife and vegetation is, pointing out Cuba's national bird, the colourful trogon, squawking on a nearby branch, leaf-cutter ants marching on the forest floor and cotton and banana plants among the trees. This incredible photograph shows Vinales' dramatic mogotes - limestone hills that pepper the verdant countryside Ted (pictured) and Gersende get up at 5am to witness a sunrise over Vinales - and the early start is truly worth it Ted is pictured here with a local guide, Emilio, who takes him to a vantage point from which to watch a sunrise. And on the way down reveals just how varied the wildlife and vegetation is There are cigar factories near Vinales that tourists can visit. This one is within easy walking or cycling distance of the town A tobacco drying house near Vinales, which is famed for the quality of its cigars A tobacco farmer showing Ted how cigars are rolled - and demonstrating how he personally likes to dab a bit of honey on the end Ida also rustles up two mountain bikes for us to roam around on and another savvy guide Fidel - who takes us around a local tobacco factory and farm, where we are shown how cigars are rolled - and how tobacco farmers often coat the end of cigars with honey or rum to sweeten the taste. After all the hill scrambling and mountain biking, it's time for a bit of carefree beach lolling, so we stump up $35 each for a bus and boat to a nearby paradise island Cayo Levisa. It's the sweetest mangrove-laced eye candy, with a stunning strip of white sand forming the perimeter on the northern side. Ordinary Cubans aren't allowed here, though, which is hugely unfair. We spend a day flapping about in beautifully warm waters and watching hermit crabs scuttle about on the beach. For around $35 tourists can be bussed to the idyllic island of Cayo Levisa (pictured), which features crystal clear waters and white sands The only downside is that there's only one dining option a distinctly limp buffet (included in the ticket price) at the island's sole hotel. In contrast, dining at our casa is first-rate with superbly cooked, tasty food for breakfast and dinner. In general, food in Cuba is no great shakes, but this casa has the art of cooking and cocktails - nailed. We leave with heavy hearts, but more magic awaits in Trinidad, a noisy six hours away by taxi Ida books us a pre-1959 US motor - to the east. This is a town that's truly frozen in time. It celebrated its 500th anniversary in 2014, having been discovered by conquistador Diego Velazquez de Cuellar in 1514. Fast-forward to 1988 and Unesco is moved enough to declare it a World Heritage Site. Fast-forward again to December 2015 and I'm wandering its streets as the sun sets feeling that Unesco made the right decision. Any director wanting to shoot a movie set in the 19th century could do so here without needing a set designer. Spanish colonial architecture abounds in every direction, locals sit chatting amiably on doorsteps and the softening sunlight rolls across heavily cobbled streets. Many of Cuba's towns and cities are described as 'outdoor museums' - and Trinidad is surely one of the most enchanting. And we soon discover that it likes to party, too. We're staying in a splendid casa called Hostel Ana, where we have not one but three terraces to lounge around on. And a clean and comfy room with an en-suite that boasts a walk-in shower. Any director wanting to shoot a movie set in the 19th century could do so in Trinidad (pictured) without needing a set designer Trinidad celebrated its 500th anniversary in 2014, having been discovered by conquistador Diego Velazquez de Cuellar in 1514 Many of Cuba's towns and cities are described as 'outdoor museums' - and Trinidad (pictured) is surely one of the most enchanting Tourists and locals dance together to live music in Trinidad's main square - the focal point of the town's nightlife There are no bike hire shops in Trinidad, but the host of the casa Ted (pictured) is staying at arranges for him to pick up a bike from a neighbour. He's pictured here heading back to the town from a nearby beach After freshening up we head to the town square where a large crowd is being entertained by a superbly dextrous Cuban band. The atmosphere is joyous and before too long there are dozens dancing in front of the stage. Young and old, locals and tourists, all salsa-ing like their lives depended on it. We can't resist joining in. The next day we opt for more mountain bike hiring, with our host, Ana, arranging for us to pick up two cycles from a friend around the corner. There are no hire shops. The machines are modern and work well and we decide to peddle to the coast, 30 minutes away, where we find a cute little beach next to a small resort called Playa Ancon. Our beverage and fodder needs are taken care of by a worker from the nearby hotel who has taken to capitalism now allowed in Cuba in small doses a little over-zealously. He tries to charge us a dollar each for locking our bikes to a tree on the edge of the sand. In the end we get free parking for agreeing to buy a ham and cheese sandwich at lunchtime. The water by the beach is clear and warm and the beach itself almost completely empty, save for a group of German sunseekers. Bliss. The ham-and-cheese sandwich is one of only a handful of dining options at Playa Ancon. But in Trinidad itself, you're spoilt for choice. We have superb meals at Vista Gourmet which also serves up great views from its top floor terrace Cubita, which boasts courtyard dining beneath a tree of Avatar dimensions, and Sol Ananda, which boasts dining in the presence of an antique double bed. Best for drinks proves to be La Botija, which has a terrific houseband comprised of a very skillful violinist and a groovy bassplayer. For caffeine pick-me-ups the gong goes to Don Pepe Cafe. The brew is served strong and smooth in a leafy courtyard, with a chocolate on the side. While Trinidad and Vinales have a bucolic setting, Havana has a pulsating environment, which takes a little bit of getting used to. The streets are full of old US cars eye-catching, but they belch out fumes and decaying buildings and you're never more than a few steps away from a pile of rubble in some parts. La Casa Azul's (the blue building on the left) Neptune Street location means it's within walking distance of the old part of the city and the seafront La Casa Azul's hosts, Jorge and his wife and daughter, are pictured left, while the image on the right shows the comfy bedroom that Ted stays in Jorge's house features two stunning columns and a spacious living room and kitchen. It's here that Jorge's wife lays out a wonderful breakfast each morning Jorge and his wife wave from the balcony of their casa. It's one of the smarter houses on the street But it's got a spirit that's captivating and the dilapidated state of the buildings strangely adds to their allure. Still, I'm glad that our casa, La Casa Azul, is in great shape it even has two grand columns in the living room and the hosts, Jorge and his wife, are simply wonderful. Jorge, despite a lack of English, gamely attempts communication regardless using a translation app on his phone and engaging with my girlfriend's smattering of Spanish. I mainly smile and nod politely. His wife lays on a hearty breakfast with superb coffee every morning and our en suite double room is clean and roomy, with an extraordinarily tall ceiling (a giraffe could stand in it with a few inches to spare). Havana Vieja (pictured is the district's plaza) is gradually being transformed by a regeneration programme. The old buildings are all being renovated Note the unevenly sized towers of Catedral de San Cristobal in Havana Vieja. The building is a huge draw for tourists Ted enjoys delicious dishes at San Cristobal in Centro Havana, Cafe Laurent (left, with one of its prawn cocktails pictured right) in the Vedado district and in the swanky environs of Otramanera Havana is a city with enormous spirit, despite the population living in buildings that are often in a state of complete disrepair They really do look after us. Jorge even jumps into a taxi to the city centre with us on the first night to make sure that we're safe. We only have two full days in the city, but make the most of it. I particularly love the old part, Havana Vieja. A decades-long restoration programme has restored many of the beautiful buildings there to their former glory. So plenty of time is spent gazing admiringly at grand colonial architecture. But we also sprinkle our itinerary with visits to some of the city's bar and restaurant offerings, having heard that the food and beverage scene has drastically improved. Russian-themed bar Nazdarovie on the famed Malecon affords patrons fantastic views of Havana's seafront At the end of Ted's final night in Havana he visits Fabrica De Arte Cubano (pictured), a peanut oil factory that's been transformed into a cross between an art gallery, bar and concert venue. A bold, exciting venture that would be a point of pride in any European city The mojitos at Hotel Nacional (pictured) are special, partly because of the sea view. This image shows the grand entrance We have delicious dishes at San Cristobal in Centro Havana, Cafe Laurent in the Vedado district and in the swanky environs of Otramanera which even serves up an amuse bouche. Believe me, that's a rare entity in Cuba. The mojitos at Hotel Nacional are special, partly because of the sea view, though there's an even more enticing coastal vista available from a Russian-themed bar called Nazdarovie on the famed Malecon. At the end of our final night in Havana we visit Fabrica De Arte Cubano, a peanut oil factory that's been transformed into a cross between an art gallery, bar and concert venue. A bold, exciting venture that would be a point of pride in any European city. But for all that I experienced in Cuba, it's the warmth and friendliness of the casa hosts that forms the fondest memory. Homestays are where my heart is, for certain. Memories of smoke-fugged Irish pubs, grizzled chests twinkling with gold chains, and oil-slicked backs and shoulders the colour of undercooked beef have kept me away from Spains Costa del Sol for 20 years. I spent a couple of mercifully short breaks on a seemingly endless strip of coastline full of high-rise apartment blocks, stretching west from Malaga airport almost down to the Rock of Gibraltar. But head east from Malaga and you enter another world and its one to which I can hardly wait to return. Simply sublime: Nerja's Calahonda beach as seen from the balcony of Europe Our destination was Nerja, a scenic 30-mile drive from Malaga, the birthplace of Picasso. Nerjas modern version of a parador the state-owned hotels dotted around Spain has been designed by Philippe Starck, and perches high above its own private beach. The view craggy mountains rippling muscular brown flanks down into the vast crescent of Nerjas largest bay is of the kind that makes you gasp with delight. Sipping a glass of wine late that first evening while watching a full moon, we glimpsed a tiny line of wavering lights gliding out across the dark water, converge, and settle restfully into place. Nerja is still a working fishing town and what we were seeing was the gentle original of one of Picassos best-loved paintings. The artist may have called his work Night Fishing At Antibes, but the homage was to his boyhood by the sea in Malaga. The sublime view from the Parador de Nerja has only one close rival the Balcony Of Europe. The vantage point got its name when a sympathetic king visited Nerja after an earthquake in 1885 and, strolling out on to what looks like the top of a big toy drum wedged into the side of a massive promontory, consoled residents with the news that they were enjoying the best view in all Europe. (The monarch was right: it is.) A bronze of King Alfonso still stares placidly out to sea, alongside ancient cannons that recall the Balconys earlier use as a defence in the Peninsular Wars. Here, both tourists and locals like to linger under the palm trees and cool arcades, a nod to Nerjas Moorish past. Wandering through Nerjas twisting cobbled streets, its tempting to stop at every pretty restaurant and friendly tapas bar. Our favourites were Puenta del Mar for another breathtaking view and El Nino, for the fish caught just hours before. Watch your step: Even goats find El Torcal reserve tricky to navigate For Sunday lunch it has to be Ayo, the biggest and jolliest of the beachside restaurants, where paella is served straight from a gigantic fire-scorched pan, and where the roar of the sea is drowned out only by the appetising crackle of flames. Ayos owner is the man who helped discover Nerjas least-kept secret and its a story he loves to tell. One January night in 1959, a group of children went bat-watching at Maro, five miles out of town. The bats vanished into a crevasse which, when the excited boys entered, turned out to lead into massive caverns of stalagmites and stalactites icicles of stone. Partially open since 1960, the Nerja cave system is believed to be the largest in Europe, and reaches all the way up to Granada. Here, more than 30,000 years ago, Cro-Magnon man lived in and painted the walls of what must have felt like a vast, underworld palace. Today, you can walk for miles through this subterranean landscape or even listen to concerts there. The Cuevas de Nerja are the areas biggest tourist attraction. Visiting in May, we had these beautiful, fairy-like caves almost to ourselves. Wed come on holiday to relax. For hardier souls, Nerja is a dream destination. The scuba-diving is said to be the best along this coastline, and for hikers there are any number of secluded mountain villages to explore. Id recommend hiring a guide there are plenty available to take you up to the enchanting town of Frigiliana, or for a lunch of venison or boar at Don Antonios in Acebuchal (known as the Lost Village). Picasso used the boats at Nerja as inspiration for his Night Fishing At Antibes (above) Leaving Nerja behind later in the week, we drove a couple of hours inland to enjoy a totally different experience. The Parador de Antequera is clean and quiet. From the restaurant, you look out at La Pena de los Enamorados the Lovers Leap, a giant limestone crag that eerily resembles a vast female face (think a laid-back Mount Rushmore) emerging from a massive plain. That silhouette still haunts me today. Antequera is a hilltop, walled community near the unmissably wonderful El Torcal nature reserve, a moonscape heaped with gravity-defying towers of Neolithic stone saucers, above which eagles soar. Here, even an intrepid goat (never mind one enthralled tourist) might step with caution. Antequera, charming in its miniature scale but as rich in monuments and churches as a full-blown city, is best seen from the hop-on, hop-off trolley bus. Its typical of the towns friendly spirit that when we asked the driver where we should go for dinner, he blithely rattled off route to take us right to the doors of his favourite restaurants Santiago (casual) and La Fuerza (gourmet). His choices were perfect and we had two of the best nights out during our wonderful week-long stay in southern Spain. If his crooked nose and pointed chin and her classic blonde looks are all too familiar, it's because they are prodigy of superstar parents. Hopper Penn, 22, and his sister Dylan, 24 - the offspring of Sean Penn and Robin Wright - made their fashion modeling debut together on Friday. The good-looking siblings are showing off their impressive genetics in a campaign for Fay. Following in footsteps: Hopper Penn, 22, and his sister Dylan, 24 - the offspring of Sean Penn and Robin Wright - made their fashion modeling debut together on Friday Dylan - who stands tall at 5ft 7in - shows off her long limbs in a series of shots which are taken in the California desert. Her honey locks are long but otherwise the beauty is the spitting image of her House of Cards actress mum, 49. Looking wistfully into the distance, they pose artfully with motorbikes in front of a disused gas station against a vast sky. Proud parents: The Milk actor was married to Robin Wright from 1996-2010 Hopper - who was named after Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson (Jack is his middle name) - has close-shaven hair and shares Sean's steely blue eyes. Their chic get-up includes some military inspired structured outfits, with plenty of embellishments and chunky fastenings. Dylan, who has previously modeled for Gap, flashes her tanned and toned pins rocking a flirty skirt and cowboy boots. Leggy display: Dylan - who stands tall at 5ft 7in - shows off her long limbs in a series of shots which are taken in the California desert Like sisters: Her honey locks are long but otherwise is the spitting image of her House of Cards actress mum, 49 Lookalike: Hopper - who was named after Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson (Jack is his middle name) - has shaven hair and shares Sean's steely blue eyes Desert shoot: The good-looking siblings are showing off their impressive genetics in a campaign for Fay They will also be representing the brand on the catwalk next month at Milan Fashion Week. The Milk actor was married to Robin Wright from 1996-2010, after a four year marriage to Madonna from 1985. Sean, 55, recently sparked controversy by interviewing notorious Mexican gang leader Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman for Rolling Stone magazine. Perhaps he found a taste for Mexican food while he was on the trail of the notorious drug-lord as Sean was spotted with Hooper last Thursday at Baja Fresh in Los Angeles. They've grown: The siblings are seen with their parents in happier times, pictured in 2004 Kay Burley, 55, said she wanted to break down the taboo surrounding the issue by renaming it At 55, Kay Burley describes herself as a woman of a certain age. But you won't find her fretting about hot flushes, mood swings or sudden weight gain. The Sky News TV presenter prefers to look at this time of life in a positive way. She won't even countenance the word menopause insisting that 'power surge' is a far better description. Miss Burley, hosting a women's health charity lunch, said she wanted to break down the taboo of the menopause especially for women at work by renaming it. 'The theme of this lunch is the menopause, or given that I am a woman of a certain age, the 'power surge' as I prefer to call it. I think you'll know what I mean,' she said. She later explained that men often found the problems associated with this time in a woman's life difficult to discuss. And if your boss is a man that can make it even tougher. 'I think there is a big taboo as far as menopause is concerned,' she said. 'I think if you make it a little bit more light-hearted, men don't feel quite so intimidated. Even though there is a 'men' in menopause they seem to get a little bit bent out of shape. So if you use the phrase 'power surge' I think they are much more accommodating of it.' Miss Burley, Britain's longest serving news presenter still working, said she was going through the menopause herself although had been lucky enough not to experience any unpleasant symptoms. 'I don't think that people are aware [I'm going through it],' she said. 'But I also do have a very supportive employer so I don't feel I'm in a position where I have to justify it if I'm a bit under the weather. 'Thankfully I haven't been in that position, but for all those other women who have, I just want to say to them that you can go to your employer, and you can be open about how you feel, and talk to other women. You don't have to go through it on your own.' Miss Burley, who is the longest-serving British news presenter still working, was hosting a lunch organised by the womens health charity Wellbeing of Women Pensions minister Ros Altmann also spoke at the lunch, hosted by women's health charity Wellbeing of Women. Baroness Altmann, 59, called on employers to provide more help for older women workers. 'Far too many women seem to be finding the strain of menopause the final push that ends up leading them to leave work, and they don't come back, which is such a shame,' she said. 'I don't believe that this should go unaddressed. In a twenty-first century work place we can accommodate myriad health issues so let's help this one as well. We need menopause management. We need greater awareness of the issue and a greater willingness to discuss it.' She became a national hero at the Beijing Olympic Games, winning three gold medals for swimming and later being awarded the Order of Australia. But after announcing her retirement from the sport in 2014, Queensland native Stephanie Rice, 27, is ready to move on to bigger and better things. The Los Angeles-based athlete is taking the next step by selling off the luxury inner Brisbane home she bought for $1,265,000 in 2010, according to property website Domain. Scroll down for video Golden girl: Retired competitive swimmer Stephanie Rice, 27, pictured at the Melbourne Crown Casino in 2014, is auctioning off her four-bedroom inner Brisbane home she bought for $1,265,000 in 2010 Desirable: Stephanie's tri-level home, which she has been renting out, is being sold at an auction next month Located in the desirable inner suburb of Paddington, just three kilometres from the Central Business District, Stephanie's four-bedroom property is set to go under the hammer next month. The three-level house's online listing states that a 'price guide can not be provided' because it is being sold by auction. However, it is likely Stephanie will receive more than what she paid for the home due to the rising property price tide, recent figures suggest. Swimmer's paradise: Fitting its Olympian owner, the property has an outdoor plunge pool Luxury: The Paddington property includes a 'partly' furnished media room featuring sleek, cinema-like decor Last October, The Courier Mail reported CoreLogic RP Data research head Tim Lawless saying that Brisbane's most expensive quartile of properties was 'up 4.5 per cent over the year.' The median house price had also risen notably in the five years before Stephanie bought the property in 2010. Meanwhile, the property itself - which features a 'partly' furnished media room, gourmet kitchen and study - was described to Domain by Place West real estate agent Tim Douglas as appropriate for a broad range of buyers. He said: 'It would be a good investment home, and would also be good for an older family with older kids who want a low maintenance'. 'Then again, it would also be good for a single, young person like Stephanie.' Stylish: The main living area has tiled floors and white, simple decor as bi-fold doors lead to the rear terrace All mod cons: The lounge area on the lower level borders the luxury media room Photos released by the real estate group this week reveal a series of spacious, luxury interiors, tailor made for stylish, modern living. The open plan living room on the lower level blends effortlessly with the dining table and kitchen areas, as bi-fold doors direct guests to the rear terrace. And the kitchen itself 'boasts stone bench tops, Miele appliances and the level of finish you would expect in a home of this quality', the listing claims. The media room has the sleek, dark look of a cinema, featuring black decor and purple ceilings and a full-length wall print of Hollywood starlet Marilyn Monroe. Spacious: The outdoor, terraced lounge area looks perfect for parties and entertaining guests Modern: The lower level is designed for open plan living Stepping outside there is another living space, perfect for entertaining, beneath an awning. And beside that is located a combination plunge pool and spa bath, which must have appealed to Olympian Stephanie when she first purchased the house. Upstairs, at the street level, there is a swanky master suite adorned with low-hanging lights and black, floral patterned wallpaper. Fitting the luxury theme, the main bedroom has a spacious, modern en-suite bathroom which flows into a walk-in wardrobe. Design: The master bedroom is adorned with low-hanging lights and black, floral patterned wallpaper It's got everything! The walk-in wardrobe has plenty of space for shoes and clothes The top level features the property's three additional bedrooms and a guest bathroom, making it a perfect house-share or home for a growing family. Real estate agent Tim concluded: 'The designs are amazing and it has a really fantastic courtyard.' Over the last few years, Stephanie hasn't been living at the property, instead renting it out for $1,050 a week, as of June. A neighbour told Daily Mail Australia on Saturday that they 'didn't see much of' the Olympian, who last year relocated from Australia to Los Angeles to launch a career in holistic health and well-being. Stephanie's Brisbane home is set to go to auction on February 20th at 11am. Family size: The top level of the house features three additional bedrooms Justin looked particularly anguished when as he helped carry a casket to a waiting hearse. Luckily, it was all for the cameras, as Amy Schumer was on hand as well for the taping of an episode of her show, Inside Amy Schumer, on Friday in New York. In an interesting twist, the 34-year-old comedienne apparently decided to make a political statement with her outfit too. Scroll down for video Working hard: Amy Schumer, 34, was on hand for the taping of an episode of her show, Inside Amy Schumer, on Friday in New York The Trainwreck star wore a grey thigh-length dress underneath a substantial brown winter coat with fur trim for her walk to set. Some unique black ankle boots with fleece lining and a contrasting light brown sole added a dash of style to the simple ensemble. Her blonde tresses were tied back in a simple ponytail. Of course her orange beanie topped with a pom pom obviously drew all the attention, though she mostly held it in her left hand as she walked. See more on Amy Schumer as she dresses to remember gun violence victims Sending a message? Of course her orange beanie topped with a pom pom obviously drew all the attention, though she mostly held it in her left hand as she walked The hat, which was embroidered with 'Wear Orange,' is meant to raise awareness about the victims of gun violence. Such clothing items are usually worn to commemorate National Gun Violence Awareness Day, which takes place on June 2nd in America. Amy is known for her pro-gun control advocacy, and even teamed up with her cousin Senator Chuck Schumer to urge congress to act on gun control legislation back in October. Activism: Amy is known for her pro-gun control advocacy, and even teamed up with her cousin Senator Chuck Schumer to urge congress to act on gun control legislation back in October Dressed for death: For the segment, Justin Long of Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story fame, wore an all black suit as he took on the roll of a pallbearer Sad group: The 37-year-old actor solemnly carried a silver coffin with others to a waiting hearse As it's the depths of winter, it wasn't clear if the hat would serve as a prop for the faux funeral that was being filmed. For the segment, Justin Long of Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story fame, wore an all black suit as he took on the roll of a pallbearer. The 37-year-old actor solemnly carried a silver coffin with others to a waiting hearse, where he then appeared to immediately lighten up after filming, enjoying a bottle of water and a chat with a crew member. Justin just returned from a promotional tour of Iowa in support of presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Australian actress Abbie Cornish was certainly dressed to impress when she arrived at the 5th Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) International Awards in Los Angeles on Friday. Oozing Hollywood glamour, 33-year-old Abbie stunned in a sleek black gown, the floor-length number featuring a sultry slit down the front to reveal a glimpse of her trim pins. Her long-sleeved dress also featured gold detail across the front and the sides, adding a glitzy touch perfect for the awards event celebrating the talents of Australians on the big screen. Scroll down for video Red carpet glamour: Australian actresses Abbie Cornish was certainly dressed to impress when she arrived at the 5th AACTA International Awards in Los Angeles on Friday The blonde beauty wore her luscious locks out in loose waves, as opposed to fellow actress Samara Weaving's chic updo for the red carpet event. Former Home And Away star Samara showed off her toned physique in a fitted frock featuring several shades of grey. The 23-year-old niece of actor Hugo Weaving managed to reveal a glimpse of her bra underneath the long-sleeved number, while a pair of nude coloured strappy heels accentuated her model height. Glamazon: Oozing Hollywood glamour, 33-year-old Abbie stunned in a sleek black gown, the floor-length number featuring a sultry slit down the front to reveal a glimpse of her trim pins Flaunting it: The Australian actress showed off her curves in the form-fitted gown A slick of scarlet lipstick completed the blonde's bombshell look as she posed for photographers in front of the media wall. Meanwhile Best Supporting Actress winner Rooney Mara showcased her typically minimalist, modern fashion sense at the event. Stylist Ryan Hastings put the 30-year-old Oscar nominee in a black retro, ruffled high-low dress and peep-toe stilettos. Golden girl: Her long-sleeved dress also featured gold detail across the front and the sides, adding a glitzy touch perfect for the awards event celebrating the talents of Australians on the big screen Glowing: Abbie sported lashings of jet black mascara while her pout was painted a luscious light pink Australian pride: Abbie was seen posing with actor Dan MacPherson for some photos The triumphant Pan actress skipped the jewellery but rocked dark vampy lipstick, mascara, and a sleek updo on the Avalon Hollywood red carpet. Mara flashed her dimpled smile alongside Australian actor Joel Edgerton, who was nominated for best supporting actor. It looks like sleek black ensembles were the fashion trend on the night. Stunning Samara: Former Home And Away star Samara Weaving stunned in a fitted frock featuring several shades of grey Revealing look: The 23-year-old niece of actor Hugo Weaving managed to reveal a glimpse of her bra underneath the long-sleeved number Stylish: Rooney Mara flaunted her petite physique in a strappy black number Actress Anna Torv stunned in a chic black cocktail dress, the cap-sleeved outfit featuring a peek-a-boo cut-out down the front. The beauty teamed her frock with a pair of metallic silvery heels, while her blonde tresses were pulled back in a stylish updo. Rachel Griffiths also wore a short black dress, the 47-year-old's outfit featuring intricate beading of a chandelier. Signature looK: Best supporting actress winner Rooney showcased her typically minimalist, modern fashion sense at the event Putting her best fashion foot forward: Stylist Ryan Hastings put the 30-year-old Oscar nominee in a black retro, ruffled high-low dress and peep-toe stilettos Photo time: Mara flashed her dimpled smile alongside Australian actor Joel Edgerton, who was nominated for best supporting actor But there was of course some colour to mix it up on the red carpet. Miranda Otto made quite the statement in a bright red dress. She teamed the fitted number with a pair of nude coloured pointy-toed heels, while a sleek black clutch completed her accessories. Working it: Anna Torv tunned in a chic black cocktail dress for the occasion Attention to detail: Rachel Griffiths' dress featured a beaded chandelier while Anna's had a sultry cut-out along the front Different touch: The beaded detail on Rachel's dress gave her outfit a shimmering touch The 48-year-old wore her ginger tinged locks out in a natural wave, while her striking lipstick complemented her outfit perfectly. Meanwhile actor Jonathan LaPaglia's wife Ursula Brooks stunned in a soft blue and white dress. The blonde beauty's floor-length gown was predominantly white and splashed with a blue leafy print throughout. Shimmer and shine: Jessica De Gouw's black gown featured a silver sequinned embellished bodice Co-stars Thomas Cocquerel and Jessica De Gouw posed together on the red carpet Sparkling: Radha Mitchell stunned in a short-sleeved sequinned dress Classy: Radha teamed her glimmering dress with a metallic gold clutch She posed on the red carpet next to her man who of course was suited up for the prestigious occasion. Jonathan, 46, wore a black blazer and matching trousers, along with a crisp white shirt on the night. Oozing sex appeal thanks to his facial hair, the Love Child star also wore a pair of spectacles and a patterned tie completed his look. Red hot: Miranda Otto arrived in a vibrant frock Strutting it: She teamed her red dress with a pair of nude pointy-toed heels Group shot: Michael Caton, Dan MacPherson, Angus Sampson, Rachel Griffiths and Miranda Otto posed for a photo together The dark-haired stud was only one of many famous men serving as the ultimate male eye candy at the event. Joel Edgerton arrived in a black suit teamed with a blue shirt and blue tie. The 41-year-old was nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category for his performance in Black Mass, but unfortunately lost the gong to Bridge Of Spies' Mark Rylance. Suited up: Luke Bracey was present at the film awards event Very suave: Joel Edgerton and Dan MacPherson were also dressed to impress on the night The big time: Former MTV Australia host Keiynan Lonsdale enjoyed his first taste of a Hollywood awards night George Miller's film Mad Max: Fury Road took home two AACTA International Awards on the night - Best Film and Best Direction. Meanwhile Cate Blanchett won the Best Lead Actress gong for her performance in Carol, as her co-star Rooney Mara was awards Best Supporting Actress. In high spirits: Helen Esakoff and husband Michael Caton appeared to be in high spirits Cute couple: Love Child star Jonathan LaPaglia cuddled up to his wife Ursula Brooks on the night Movie mastermind: Director George Miller and Margaret Sixel were also in attendance Being named after a saint is a lot to live up to. And that's exactly how Australian actress Teresa Palmer felt growing up in Adelaide after her mother, Paula Sanders, gave her a famous namesake. Speaking to news.com.au in an interview published Saturday, the 29-year-old admitted: 'I was named after Mother Teresa because my mother is very religious and so I felt I had so much to live up to.' Scroll down for video Pressure to be perfect: Teresa Palmer has revealed she grew up feeling the pressure from her religious mother, Paula Sanders, to live up to her namesake Mother Teresa Teresa explained the pressure to be like Mother Teresa came from Paula's strong religious values and growing up in a strict Catholic household. Now a mum herself, the blonde beauty appears to no longer focus on how she 'should' behave and instead seems to be enjoying the moments with husband Mark Webber and their son Bodhi Rain. The actress, who is about to hit the screens in a Nicholas Sparks adaptation and see her career reach the next level, also opened up about juggling her career and motherhood. Hitting the big time: The blonde beauty appears to no longer focus on how she 'should' behave and instead seems to be enjoying the moments as her career hits the next level Proud mother: Teresa proudly posts lots of shots online with her almost two-year-old son Bodhi Rain 'While I was so immersed in the magical world of bonding with Bodhi Rain all of a sudden these films came along and I was able to bring my family everywhere with me. 'I havent spent one night away from my son yet. Thats been amazing.' the actress revealed. As a proud mum to the almost two-year-old, Teresa regularly photos of her cherubic tot on her Instagram account, who's no stranger to having his picture taken. Bodhi recently joined his doting mother in an editorial shoot for the fashion magazine Elle Australia. Family first: Despite her growing career and Hollywood presence, the mother-of-one has not yet spent a night away from her young son Still smitten: Teresa and her husband Mark Webber celebrated their second wedding anniversary in December last year and are still smitten Teresa and her husband Mark Webber celebrated their second wedding anniversary in December last year and are still smitten. Bodhi is the couple's first child and Mark has another son, Isaac, from a previous relationship with actress Frankie Shaw. Although they are based in the US, it's been a busy couple of years as Teresa's acting career, and it's taken the young family around the world together. In her latest lead role, the actress appears in the film adaptation of Nicholas Sparks's romance novel, The Choice, which will be released in cinemas around Australia, on February 4. Every day I get dozens of emails and earlier this week I got a dandy. I dont know who wrote it, other than a guy who remembered what happened one day when he was 12 years old back in 1967. I can imagine the kid hanging around a little airport in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, watching the planes come and go and imagining that maybe one day he might be a pilot. Immediately the boy found, as youll read, there was a beautiful, rebuilt P-51 Mustang on the tarmac. Mustangs single-seat fighters -- had about 1,500 horsepower and, when these planes got into the thick of World War II, they were so fast and nimble that P-51s quickly owned the skies, shooting down almost 5,000 German Luftwaffe aircraft. They were legendary and, towards the end of the war in Europe, they were outfitted with bombing gear where the fighter planes could also knock out land targets, from anything to heavy trucks or a locomotive or a bridge with pinpoint accuracy. Hermann Goring was the commander of the Luftwaffe during the war and famously said, When I saw Mustangs over Berlin, I knew the jig was up." Oh, and never forget the code name for those P-51 bombing sorties they were deliciously called Chattanooga. Heres what a 12-year-old remembers about one morning in 1967: * * * In the morning sun, I could not believe my eyes. There, in our little airport, sat a majestic P-51. They said it had flown in during the night from some U.S. Airport, on its way to an air show. The pilot had been tired, so he just happened to choose Kingston for his stop over. It was to take to the air very soon. I marveled at the size of the plane, dwarfing the Pipers and Canucks tied down by her. It was much larger than in the movies. She glistened in the sun like a bulwark of security from days gone by. The pilot arrived by cab, paid the driver, and then stepped into the pilot's lounge. He was an older man; his wavy hair was gray and tossed. It looked like it might have been combed, say, around the turn of the century. His flight jacket was checked, creased and worn - it smelled old and genuine. Old Glory was prominently sewn to its shoulders. He projected a quiet air of proficiency and pride devoid of arrogance. He filed a quick flight plan to Montreal ("Expo-67 Air Show") then walked across the tarmac. After taking several minutes to perform his walk-around check, the tall, lanky man returned to the flight lounge to ask if anyone would be available to stand by with fire extinguishers while he "flashed the old bird up, just to be safe." Though only 12 at the time I was allowed to stand by with an extinguisher after brief instruction on its use -- "If you see a fire, point, then pull this lever!" he said. (I later became a firefighter, but that's another story.) The air around the exhaust manifolds shimmered like a mirror from fuel fumes as the huge prop started to rotate. One manifold, then another, and yet another barked -- I stepped back with the others. In moments the Packard-built Merlin engine came to life with a thunderous roar. Blue flames knifed from her manifolds with an arrogant snarl. I looked at the others' faces; there was no concern. I lowered the bell of my extinguisher. One of the guys signaled to walk back to the lounge. We did. Several minutes later we could hear the pilot doing his pre-flight run-up. He'd taxied to the end of runway 19, out of sight. All went quiet for several seconds. We ran to the second story deck to see if we could catch a glimpse of the P-51 as she started down the runway. We could not. There we stood, eyes fixed to a spot half way down 19. Then a roar ripped across the field, much louder than before. Like a furious hell spawn set loose -- something mighty this way was coming. "Listen to that thing!" said the controller. In seconds the Mustang burst into our line of sight. Its tail was already off the runway and it was moving faster than anything I'd ever seen by that point on 19. Two-thirds the way down 19 the Mustang was airborne with her gear going up. The prop tips were supersonic. We clasped our ears as the Mustang climbed hellishly fast into the circuit to be eaten up by the dog-day haze. We stood for a few moments, in stunned silence, trying to digest what we'd just seen. The radio controller rushed by me to the radio. "Kingston tower calling Mustang?" He looked back to us as he waited for an acknowledgment. The radio crackled, "Go ahead, Kingston." "Roger, Mustang. Kingston tower would like to advise the circuit is clear for a low level pass." I stood in shock because the controller had just, more or less, asked the pilot to return for an impromptu air show! The controller looked at us. "Well, what?" he asked. "I can't let that guy go without asking. I couldn't forgive myself!" The radio crackled once again, "Kingston, do I have permission for a low level pass, east to west, across the field?" "Roger, Mustang, the circuit is clear for an east to west pass." "Roger, Kingston, I'm coming out of 3,000 feet, stand by." We rushed back onto the second-story deck, eyes fixed toward the eastern haze. The sound was subtle at first, a high-pitched whine, a muffled screech, a distant scream. Moments later the P-51 burst through the haze. Her airframe straining against positive G's and gravity. Her wing tips spilling contrails of condensed air, prop-tips again supersonic. The burnished bird blasted across the eastern margin of the field shredding and tearing the air. At about 500 mph and 150 yards from where we stood she passed with the old American pilot saluting. Imagine. A salute! I felt like laughing; I felt like crying; she glistened; she screamed; the building shook; my heart pounded. Then the old pilot pulled her up and rolled, and rolled, and rolled out of sight into the broken clouds and indelible into my memory. I've never wanted to be an American more than on that day! It was a time when many nations in the world looked to America as their big brother. A steady and even-handed beacon of security who navigated difficult political water with grace and style; not unlike the old American pilot who'd just flown into my memory. He was proud, not arrogant, humble, not a braggart, old and honest, projecting an aura of America at its best. That America will return one day! I know it will. Until that time, I'll just send off this story. Call it a loving reciprocal salute to a country, and especially to that old American pilot: the late Jimmy Stewart (1908-1997), Actor, real WWII Hero (Commander of a US Army Air Force Bomber Wing stationed in England), and a USAF Reserves Brigadier General, who wove a wonderfully fantastic memory for a young Canadian boy that's lasted a lifetime. * * * Gosh, what I would give to have been that 12-year-old boy. royexum@aol.com She is nominated for one of the most prestigious gongs of the night at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. And Kate Winslet arrived in style just ahead of the important gala. The 40-year-old actress showed her specs appeal as she arrived at LAX Airport on Friday night. Scroll down for video Jetset: Kate Winslet arrived at LAX Airport in Los Angeles on Friday night The Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless mind actress showed her hipster style in a pair of large, thick-rimmed black plastic glasses as she made her way out of the international travel hub. She was a casual flyer in a grey denim jacket over a black top, skinny black trousers and grey suede boots. Along with the specs, she accessorised with a large navy blue leather messenger bag as she rolled along her green luggage. Casual flyer: The 40-year-old actress was dressed stylishly as she arrived at the international travel hub Specs appeal: She wore a pair of thick-rimmed black plastic eyeglasses Touching down: She wore a grey denim jacket over black top, skinny jeans and grey suede boots Comfortable customer: She had her blonde locks in a ponytail and had minimal make-up on her face Her blonde locks were pulled back in a messy ponytail as she wore minimal make-up on her face highlighted by a swipe of pink lip. At the star-studded gala on Saturday night, Kate will be up for one of the biggest prizes of the night: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role for her performance in Steve Jobs. She faces stiff competition as she is pitted against Rooney Mara in Carol, Rachel McAdams in Spotlight, Helen Mirren in Trumbo and Alicia Vikander in The Danish Girl. Side by side: An image shared by People Magazine's Instagram account revealed that Kate and Leonardo DiCaprio will be sitting next to each at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Saturday Embrace: The pair were photographed embracing during the Golden Globes Iconic: The pair starred as ill-fated lovers in the 1997 classic romance Titanic When Kate takes her seat at the gala, she will be greeted by a familiar face as her Titanic co-star Leonardo DiCaprio will be seated right next to her at the SAG Awards. An image shared by People Magazine's Instagram of the preparation process revealed the seating arrangement, in which the former co-stars will be sitting next to each other. The 41-year-old actor's role in The Revenant has not only won him glowing praise, but also a SAG nomination for Outstanding Performance By A Male Actor In A Leading Role. Man with a plan: Eddie Redmayne was also spotted at LAX with wife Hannah Bagshawe Going for the gold: The 34-year-old British actor is up for a SAG Award Keeping it cool: He clutched onto a brown leather briefcase as he walked outside of the terminal Relaxed: The Oscar-winner sported a black sweater, grey jeans and beat-up grey Converse All-Stars Biker chic: His publicist wife wore a burgundy suede biker jacket over a black top, trousers and leather boots Big day: He had an attendant helping him push his luggage featuring a rather large Gucci bag He will be competing against Bryan Cranston, Johnny Depp, Michael Fassbender, and Eddie Redmayne. The 34-year-old actor Eddie was also spotted arriving at the LA travelling hub along with his wife Hannah Bagshawe. The runway at the airport certainly appeared to be as star-studded as any awards season gala as Will Smith, Dascha Polanco and Gwendoline Christie were also spotted at LAX. The Screen Actors Guild will air love via simulcast on TNT and TBS on Saturday night at 8 pm (ET)/ 5 pm (PT). Coming through: Will Smith was also spotted at the international airport Good spirits: The 47-year-old actor was all smiles shortly after arriving He's the greatest: Will did not hesitate in signing autographs for fans including a boxing glove Fresh outfit: Dascha Polanco wore a red shit with the image of rappers Tupac and the Notorious BIG along with Air Jordan XIII retro reflective silver trainers All business: Game Of Thrones actress Gwendoline Christie was also spotted arriving Casual: The 37-year-old actress sported a black button-down top with rolled up blue jeans and strappy black leather flat shoes Happy flyer: George Clooney was spotted arriving across the country at JFK Airport in New York Bundled up: THe 54-year-old actor wore a long black double-breasted coat Silver fox: He wore a T-shirt for a tequila brand along with relaxed fit jeans and brown suede boots Rolling away: He also sported a pair of shades during the outing Glamour girl: Catherine Zeta Jones was also spotted arriving at JFK Pretty lady: The 46-year-old actress sported a black suit Designer digs: She also had a large black leather quilted Chanel bag with a gold chain and black leather heels Dynamic duo: She was joined at the travel hub by her mother Patricia Fair Heading in: Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan was also seen jetting into LAX that afternoon Getting excited: She's one of the biggest hopefuls for this season's awards month because of Brooklyn Fan frenzy: She caused something of a fan frenzy at arrivals too What a joker: Will seemed to find the extra attention amusing and batted off the cameras It's been over a month since Naomi Campbell's reps claimed she sustained a 'light foot injury.' But the 45-year-old supermodel still relied on the use of a wheelchair and cane as she made her way through JFK airport on Thursday. The British beauty cut a frail figure and was unrecognisable as she kept undercover in dark sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat. Scroll down for video Under wraps: Naomi Campbell, 45, was incognito at JFK on Thursday as she was spotted with a wheelchair and walker a month after sustaining 'light foot injury' Her rep previously told MailOnline that Naomi was dealing with 'a light foot injury' that she had sustained before a visit to London. The first time she was spotted wheelchair-bound was arriving at Sao PauloGuarulhos International Airport in Brazil just a few days before Christmas. Furthermore, it was reported earlier in December that she was set to undergo hip replacement surgery by The Sun's Dan Wootton. Campbell stepped out at the premiere of The Danish Girl in London, which is where Wootton claimed she was discussing her supposed hip surgery plans. Campbell's concealed: The supermodel cut a frail figure and remained low-key in dark sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat Onlookers saw Naomi using a cane at the premiere and told The Sun at the time: 'Naomi had to hobble in through the back door to avoid being pictured. She said her injury was down to wear and tear.' An insider also told the paper: 'It's become well-known in the industry that she's been suffering.' 'There have been a lot of whispers about what's wrong with her, given that she has even needed a wheelchair at certain points.' 'Whilst it is a private matter, it is a light foot injury which Naomi sustained before her visit to London,' the statuesque model's spokesperson told MailOnline previously. Suffering supermodel: It was reported earlier in December that she was set to undergo hip replacement surgery by The Sun's Dan Wootton The rep added: 'She is out and about as usual. There is no scheduled surgery.' The Swan author has spent the past three decades strutting up and down the catwalks but has said to be in so much agony recently when she walks. Additionally, Naomi's rep insists her injury is not linked to the time that she tore a ligament in her leg during a mugging in 2012. Naomi was attacked in Paris and though she refused to have a medical examination at the time, the model was later pictured in a wheelchair and wearing a leg brace. Confidential: 'Whilst it is a private matter, it is a light foot injury which Naomi sustained before her visit to London,' the statuesque model's spokesperson told MailOnline previously Heather Mills didn't appear to have let her recent terrifying ski slopes accident hinder her spirit on Friday night. It was revealed on Saturday that Paralympic athlete is undergoing extensive physio after a freak ski accident in December left her with a broken wrist and her right knee split open. The 48-year-old exposed a full wrist brace on her left arm as she let her hair down at a Crystal Magic concert at the Hotel Astoria as she continued her winter ski season in Austria, undeterred. Scroll down for video New injury: Heather Mills brandished a wrist brace on Friday night as it was revealed that she had been involved in a freak snowmobile accident in December A spokesperson for Heather told MailOnline on Saturday: 'Heather was in the charity snowmobile race at Saalbach Hinterglem and was hit by a snowmobile from behind and was ejected from it. 'She broke her wrist and had to have her scaphoid screwed back together, she also sustained 19 stitches from having her right knee split open. 'This happened on the 5 December and she has just recently had her cast off after several weeks and is doing lots of physio.' Not letting it hold her back: The Paralympic athlete wasn't letting the injury hold her back as she attended a Crystal Magic concert at the Hotel Astoria, Austria Soldiering on: The star was ejected from her snowmobile and is currently undergoing physio Back on her feet: The star recently had the cast taken off her wrist Trading her ski suit for a dazzling jumpsuit, Heather didn't seem to have lost any of her spirit despite what seemed like a repeat of her 1993 motor accident ordeal. Paul McCartney's daredevil ex-wife, previously had to have her left lower leg amputated after a London road accident. As she had done with her accident over 20 years ago, the star wasn't letting her ailments hold her back. With her scarlet lipstick slicked on and nails perfectly manicured, the star clapped along to the music, simultaneously brandishing the injury to her right hand. She has been enjoying a winter ski season in the European country since last September, feeding her extreme passion for the sport with regular jaunts on the slopes. Daredevil: Paul McCartney's daredevil ex-wife, skiing here in August 2013, previously had to have her left lower leg amputated after a London road accident in 1993 Setting records: Last April, Heather was named fastest disabled female skier when she set the new world record in the Alpine resort of Vars Last April, Heather was named fastest disabled female skier when she set the new world record in the Alpine resort of Vars. Heather said at the time that she felt 'amazingly proud' after she hurtled down the French mountain at 103.6mph. The athlete simultaneously announced her intention to compete in the Paralympics in South Korea in 2018, saying that having reached the milestone age of 50 by then wont be holding her back. In 2015, Heather was eliminated from Channel 4 reality TV competition The Jump when he prosthetic leg - a replacement that she does not usually have to rely on - shattered. Austria is, incidentally, the spot where the 2016 competitors will be battling for glory, with stars including James Argent, Mark Francis and Brian McFadden taking part this year. Still smiling: Like her 1993 road accident, the star's injury has not held her back She rose to fame playing Lady Mary's loyal servant Anna on Downton Abbey. But on Friday it was clear that actress Joanne Froggatt has traded in her maid's costumes for good as she put on a show-stopping display at the Entertainment Weekly SAG Awards party at Chateau Marmont In Los Angeles. The 35-year-old beauty was a vision in black, wearing a large oversized skirt over a textured black dress with flower detailing at the neckline. Scroll down for video Back to black: On Friday Joanne Froggatt put on a show-stopping display at the Entertainment Weekly SAG Awards party at Chateau Marmont In Los Angeles Completing her all-black attire, she wore black heels with straps across her toes and ankles, and carried a black Devi Kroell clutch with floral embellishments. However, her most eye-catching accessory was definitely her husband James Cannon. Towering over his wife of three years, James cut a stylish figure in a sharp tailored suit, which he teamed with a crisp white shirt and smart black shoes. What a pair: Joanne's husband and long-time partner James Cannon cut a stylish figure in a sharp tailored suit, which he teamed with a crisp white shirt and smart black shoes The 35-year-old beauty was a vision in black, wearing a large oversized skirt over a textured black dress with flower detailing at the neckline The couple tied the knot at a private ceremony in October 2012 and recently moved to Los Angeles so that she can pursue opportunities in the US. Speaking exclusively to The Daily Mail ahead of the Golden Globes, Joanna said she has rented out her house in the UK for six months. 'We're actually homeless. We're living in a hotel until we can find ourselves somewhere to rent out here. We have some feelers out and we're assembling a list of places to view. Reunion: Joanne mingled with her Downton Abbey co-stars, including Sophie McShera and Raquel Cassidy 'I have no jobs lined up in Hollywood but there are so many opportunities to be had. We're going to have a little bit of a break first and then plunge right in and see what's out there. I won't be here forever. 'My home is in England. I just want to see what happens.' Joanne, who portrays a drug support worker in the upcoming film A Street Cat Named Bob, certainly wasn't feeling homesick at the SAG Awards party. She caught up with several of her Downton Abbey co-stars, including Raquel Cassidy, Allen Leech, Sophie McShera and Lesley Nicol. Glamorous threesome: Downton Abbey actor Allen Leech cosied up to actresses Amy Landecker and Angelique Cabral Out of the kitchen: Sophie McShera and Lesley Nicol, who portrayed scullery maid Daisy and cook Mrs Patmore, were all smiles as they embraced on Friday No tomboy here: Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams sashayed into the party wearing an off-the-shoulder mini dress with an embroidered forest motif Top-up: Maisie, who spent much of Thursday roller skating on the beach, was radiant and sun-kissed at the bar Luminous: Game of Thrones actress Hannah Marie popped in this orange dress with floral embellishments His captivating on-screen portrayal of Peter Allen, earned him the Best Lead Actor gong in December at the 5th AACTA Awards in Sydney. And on Friday, Australia's rising star Joel Jackson, graced the AACTA red carpet once again for the International Awards show, held in Los Angeles. Clad in a sleek black suit with a matching black bow-tie, the 24-year-old breakout star made a fashion statement with his twist on a traditional tuxedo, adding a shirt with black buttons. Scroll down for video The Boy from Oz! Rising star Joel Jackson graced the red carpet at the 5th AACTA International Award in Los Angeles on Friday Joel shot to fame last year after nabbing the coveted lead role in Channel 7 biopic Peter Allen: Not The Boy Next Door. It marked the second time Joel took on a role based on real life, with the Western Australian native also appearing in Foxtel's war drama series Deadline Gallipoli last year. Posing alongside the handsome actor at the award ceremony was Looking For Grace actress Radha Mitchell, 42, who glittered in a white beaded gown and matching pearl earrings. Fashion statement: The 24-year-old breakout star made a fashion statement with his twist on a traditional tuxedo, adding a shirt with black buttons The next big thing: Joel shot to fame last year after nabbing the coveted lead role in Channel 7 biopic Peter Allen: Not The Boy Next Door Star studded event! Posing alongside the handsome actor at the award ceremony was Looking For Grace actress Radha Mitchell, 42, who glittered in a white beaded gown The young actor led a brigade of dappers Boys From Oz who made their way down the red carpet at the high profile event, including some of Australia's most notable names such as Joel Edgerton and Dan MacPherson. Joel Edgerton, 41, was nominated in the category of Best Supporting Actor award for his role American crime drama film Back Mass. While he lost out to actor Mark Rylance for his role in Bridge of Spies, Joel certainly won the attention of fans with his daring red carpet ensemble. Trend setter: While Joel Edgerton lost out to actor Mark Rylance in the Best Supporting Actor category, he certainly won the attention of fans with his daring red carpet ensemble Adding some colour: The Black Mass star flaunt his quirky style by clashing his inky blue suit with an emerald coloured vest and teal coloured tie Confidently clashing! He continued to bend the fashion rules by donning a pale blue shirt He dared to flaunt his quirky style by clashing his inky blue suit with an emerald coloured vest and teal coloured tie. He continued to bend the fashion rules by donning a pale blue shirt and black dress shoes. Later, Joel was spotted posing for photos with Rooney Mara, 30, who received an AACTA International Award on the night for her role in 1950's drama Carol. Host with the most! Dan MacPherson was also in tow at the glitzy event, taking on the role of MC Dapper Dan! The handsome ec-Neighbours star flaunted his sartorial prowess by donning a sheeny black suit, a crisp white shirt and a thin black tie embellished with a pin Dan MacPherson, 35, was also in tow at the glitzy event, taking on the role of MC alongside actress Rachel Griffiths, 47. The handsome former Neighbours star flaunted his sartorial prowess by donning a sheeny black suit, a crisp white shirt and a thin black tie embellished with a pin. He completed his look with a simple white pocket square and a pair of brogue-style dress shoes in black. Dan was spotted chatting to actress Abbie Cornish, 33, who looked elegant in a black gown that featured patches of gold embellishments. Finer details: The 35-year-old completed his look with a simple white pocket square Denise van Outen relished in some last minute tanning time as she soaked up the sun on the morning of Kimberley Walsh's wedding in Barbados on Saturday. The former TV presenter looked every inch the beach babe as she showcased her enviable bikini body in a playful Instagram photo. Denise, 41, showed off her glorious apartment as well as her stunning figure as she turned her back to the camera, dressed in an animal print two-piece. Scroll down for video Bottoms up: Denise van Outen showcased her bootylicious bikini body in an animal print two-piece hours ahead of Kimberley Walsh's Barbados wedding on Saturday The former Strictly Come Dancing contestant looked toned and tanned from head to toe in the shot which she captioned: 'That's enough sun this morning @royalwestmorelands villa. Time to get ready for @kimberleywalshofficial & Justin's wedding SO EXCITED #Barbados.' The wedding party's excitement was building the night before as Denise - along with Cheryl Fernandez-Versini and Nicola Roberts - attended a drinks reception in honour of Kimberley and her long-term partner Justin Scott. She was channeling tropical vibes on Friday night as she anticipated the long-awaited arrival of her good friend's special day. Posting a picture of her dinner dress for a date with Eddie Boxshall on Saturday morning, the blonde shared her excitement that the 'big day' had arrived. Cute couple: Denise, 41, shared a picture from the night before Kimberley Walsh's wedding as she enjoyed cocktails with Eddie Boxshall She wrote: 'Today is the big day! Can't wait to see my lovely friends @kimberleywalshofficial and Justin tie the knot here on this beautiful Island .' Enjoying a holiday with a purpose alongside her gorgeous boyfriend, she shared a second picture, saying: 'We are having so much fun here #Barbados' The group were enjoying a cocktail evening and welcome drinks before the wedding. Wedding guest dressing: She wore florals in a hint at what she could be wearing on the big day Denise followed the lead of Kimberley's best pal and bridesmaid Cheryl who was similarly spending her Friday night sharing a tribute to the star. Feeling a bit emotional ahead of the sunshine ceremony Cheryl penned a touching message about her friendship with her former Girls Aloud bandmate alongside a throwback picture. It's a bittersweet occasion, no doubt, thanks to her as-yet unconfirmed impending divorce from husband Jean-Bernard. Flashback Friday! She shared Cheryl Fernandez-Versini's lead in paying tribute to Kimberley Walsh before the wedding She brushed her own drama to one side and wrote: 'So on this Final Friday of @kimberleywalshofficial being just Miss Walsh I am going to throw it back to this little golden nugget. 'I don't know how I ever got so fortunate to find, share & grow the past 14 years of my life with such an amazing, beautiful, kind, considerate and genuine true friend.. This journey we have shared growing from girls to young women has shaped us into the people we are today.' Continuing with the emotional post, she wrote: 'And I could not be more proud of the woman, mother & very soon to be wife you are and have became.. I love you soooo much. I am honoured to share with you one of the happiest days of your life.' Terrific trio! Kimberly, Nicola Roberts and Cheryl have been inseparable since meeting on Pop Stars where their group Girls Aloud was formed Hinting that the mum-of-one was planning on having another child, she continued: 'I wish you both eternal happiness, filled with love, laughter & a beautiful life with your husband to be and your gorgeous (hopefully growing soon) family...' She finished off the sentimental post by writing: 'Justin I love you & thank you forever for making her the happiest most content & best version of herself that she is today. You are one very lucky guy. I love you both #walshxscottwedding' Clad in a backless halterneck maxi dress, the brunette beauty is seen cosying up to a fresh faced Kimberly who dons a leopard printed number with gold hooped earrings. Flashback Friday! Whilst Cheryl (R), Kimberley (L) and Nicola's (second right) friendship has stood the test of time, Sarah Harding (second left) and Nadine Coyle (centre) were reportedly not invited to the wedding The sweet snap was not dated, but appears to have been taken during their Girls Aloud heyday. But whilst Cheryl and Kimberley's friendship has stood the test of time, the pair do not seem to see eye to eye with some of their fellow bandmates. Cheryl and Nicola Roberts were chosen to be bridesmaids on Kimberley's big day, whilst somewhat controversially, Sarah Harding and Nadine Coyle were reportedly left off the guest list entirely. Elsewhere on the wedding trip, Kimberley and her fiance Justin had the legalities to attend to as they headed to the local government offices to pick up their marriage certificate. The Girls Aloud star was spotted making the most of the sunshine in a pretty strapless maxi dress as she left the office with her partner of 14 years. Kimberley, 34, looked gorgeous in her maxi, already showing off a hint of tan after jetting into Barbados with her family the day before. She has been dating property developer Justin for 14 years, and they welcomed their first child into the world in late 2014. Cheryl Fernandez-Versini news as she arrives in Barbados for Kimberley Walsh's wedding Sorting out the forms: Earlier in the day, Kimberley and her fiance Justin Scott had the legalities to attend to as they headed to the local government offices to pick up their marriage certificate He is currently at the centre of an ongoing custody battle between his father Guy Ritchie and his superstar mother Madonna. But Rocco didn't look as though he had a care in the world when he enjoyed some bonding with his director dad and step-mother Jacqui in London on Saturday. The family seemed incredibly tight-knit as they relished in an active afternoon with Guy's oldest son, as the couple left behind their young children Rafael, four, Rivka, three, and Levi, one. Scroll down for video Still smiling! Despite the ongoing custody battle between his mother Madonna and father Guy Ritchie, Rocco didn't look as though he had a care in the world as he enjoyed a bike ride with his dad and step-mother Jacqui Ainsley on Saturday Rocco was seemingly riding high on the trip as he laughed incessantly while his filmmaker father lead the way. Wrapping up for their daytime excursion, the 15-year-old was casually clad in a green North Face sweater, waterproof trousers and Vans. Snatch director Guy, 47, looked ever the country gent in a padded jacket, chinos and a flat cap, a look that is fast becoming his signature. Bonding: The family seemed incredibly tight-knit as they relished in an active afternoon with Guy's oldest son as the couple left behind their young children Rafael, four, Rivka, three, and Levi, one Good spirits: Rocco was seemingly riding high on the trip as he laughed incessantly while his filmmaker father lead the way Jacqui, 34, looked the toastiest of the bunch in a black padded knee-length coat with a cosy fur-lined hood, beneath which she wore polka dot trousers and ankle boots with a wool lining. Their cheerful outing comes as a nice surprise given that the family are embroiled in a custody battle with Rocco's mother, Madonna. The teen has been staying his father in London, with his parents set to go to court to reach an agreement over his living arrangements, according to reports. Wrapped up: Jacqui, 34, looked the toastiest of the bunch in black padded knee-length coat with a cosy fur-lined hood, beneath which she wore polka dot trousers and ankle boots with a wool lining Pared-down: Wrapping up for their daytime excursion, Rocco, 15, was casually clad in a green North Face sweater, waterproof trousers and Vans Very rural: Snatch director Guy, 47, looked ever the country gent in a padded jacket, chinos and a flat cap, a look that is quickly becoming established as his signature style The battle began in December when the youngster refused to return to New York despite a Manhattan judge's court order. The Rebel Heart songstress appeared in court in the city on December 23 after Rocco rejected her plea for him to return home for the holidays, with the judge ordering him to return to his mother while she and Guy work out custody. However, Rocco is adamant he wants to remain with his father, though the news has unsurprisingly come as a slap in the face to Madonna, 57, who hinted at her frustration by sharing a thinly-veiled message about the drama on social media earlier this month. Chin up: Their cheerful outing comes as a nice surprise given that the family are embroiled in a custody battle with Rocco's mother, Madonna Drama: Rocco has been staying his father in London, with his parents set to go to court to reach an agreement over his living arrangements, according to reports 'It's possible to be an entertainer and a good mother!!! Too bad we don't live in a society where many encourage strong independent single working moms!' she ranted. But while Rocco reportedly feels 'settled' living with his dad at their 9 million Wiltshire estate, it's claimed the Holiday crooner is far from comfortable with the idea, especially after discovering that her son has adopted a love of hunting. 'Madonna hugely disapproves of hunting, which Rocco is fully aware of. She doesn't want him growing up thinking it's OK to harm animals. But despite his mum's views, he was intent on going out with his dad and is a decent shot,' a source recently told The Sun. Raging: Madonna commenced the custody battle in December when the youngster refused to return to New York despite a Manhattan judge's court order Kris Jenner is not going to like this. TMZ reports Rob Kardashian wants back on television, just not with his family. The site reports that instead of coming back into the fold with the reality show royalty, the 28-year-old wants to do a show with new love Blac Chyna. Rob wants to out his reclusive years behind him - which saw the star hide from the public eye after gaining a reported 100 pounds - and come back into the light with his 27-year-old new love. Scroll down for video Big plans: Rob Kardashian (pictured 2014) reportedly wants to do a new reality show with Blac Chyna (pictured Friday afternoon) The website reports the show 'will chronicle their day-to-day lives' as they deal with the issues of already living together and, of course, his disapproval from his family as Chyna is the ex of Tyga - Kylie Jenner's boyfriend. No love is lost between the two love rivals and that combined with Rob's already strained relationship, is set to add to the drama. Due to his E! Network's contract from Keeping Up With The Kardashians, which he has ducked out of for a number of years, they would get first priority for the show. However, TMZ reports his mother Kris Jenner and sisters don't want to be involved and the momager is not happy about the relationship or the television proposal. Mug shot: The 27-year was arrested in Austin, Texas, for public Intoxication and Possession of a Controlled Substance after being removed from a departing flight on Friday night The way they were: Rob is still reportedly under contract with E! from his time doing Keeping Up With The Kardashians (pictured is a promo shot from 2013) so E! has first rights on any new show he will do This comes after Chyna was arrested in Austin, Texas, where she has been unceremoniously dumped off her flight to London - where she was meant to host a night at the Beorma Club. Initially it was believed that the star had been arrested for being just drunk on the plane but the DailyMail.com has confirmed that Chyna was also arrested for being in possession of a controlled substance. Despite the family friction, People reports Rob does not care as he is happier than he has been in a long time. Staying loyal: Rob stood by the 27-year-old on Friday night when they video chatted after her arrest A source told People: 'Rob seems really happy with Blac Chyna. He's really not thinking about what his family thinks, or how everyone else feels 'He's had a really hard couple of years and so if she makes him feel good, that's all that matters right now.' It seems Chyna's arrest has only made the new couple stronger with Rob posting a grab of him Facetiming a tired looking Chyna just hours after she was taken into custody for drunk and disorderly behaviour on a flight. Got her back: Just a few hours later, Chyna thanked Rob for his support as she created her own hashtag Change of plans: the model was meant to be hosting a night at Beorma Club in Birmingham, England, for the club's big opening night The screenshot shows heavily bearded former recluse Rob, 28, in the bottom left corner as he appears to help Chyna get off to sleep. After their call, Chyna thanked Rob for his support as she created her own hashtag '#freechyna'. She wrote on the Instagram: 'When Zaddy [which means daddy in a romantic way] holds u down no matter what.' Party time: Never one to miss a promotional opportunity, Chyna revealed that she would be hosting a night at West Hollywood's Ace Of Diamonds strip club on Monday Been there done that: The 27-year-old is a former exotic dancer herself and her hosting duties come just two weeks after her ex Tyga also played host at the strip club Never one to miss a promotional opportunity, Chyna revealed that she would be hosting a night at West Hollywood's Ace Of Diamonds strip club on Monday. The 27-year-old is a former exotic dancer herself and her hosting duties come just two weeks after her ex Tyga also played host at the strip club. Tyga is now, of course, dating Rob's sister Kylie Jenner. Friday had certainly been a long night, with the model arrested just after 6pm for allegedly making a disturbance on her connecting flight as it prepared to leave from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport for London. Taken into custody: Chyna was flying from LA (pictured on her way out) to London with a layover in Austin when she was arrested Austin police said in a statement issued to the DailyMail.com: 'Austin Police Officers were informed that there was an intoxicated female on a flight that was about to depart from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, causing a disturbance and would not be allowed to remain on the plane.' Police arrested the model 'Public Intoxication and Possession of a Controlled Substance, 1 gram or more but less than 4 grams'. Chyna, 27, was taken into custody by police who were waiting for her at the airport when the plane landed, according to the site. Security checks: She abided by the checks and seemed to be acting sensibly earlier that night at LAX An eyewitness told TMZ that Chyna was 'fighting' with a member of the flight crew, behaving 'like a drunken fool' and seemed 'heavily intoxicated.' Law enforcement also told the gossip site that things had started off badly before she had even got on the flight as they claim she had stormed the gate then screamed 'nasty a** b****' at a flight attendant. While the Kardashian family are probably not Chyna's biggest fans, Kanye West may be a little more accepting to the model as she certainly as a lot of respect for his Yeezy Boost sneakers. An eyewitness claimed the star said: 'Y'all got no respect for me. I gotta tie my shoes. Let me tie my Yeezys.' On her way: Chyna was pictured smiling as she arrived for the flight at LAX earlier on Friday London-bound: The former exotic dancer was headed to London and had a layover in Austin Chyna was reportedly handcuffed by police and was seen 'crying as she was taken away,' according to TMZ. Prior to her arrest, the model had been spotted a few hours earlier arriving for the London-bound flight at Los Angeles International Airport. She was pictured wearing a black hoodie over black trousers with her long pale hair in a ponytail over one shoulder, and smiling at passers-by. Earlier in the day, Chyna confirmed that she is dating Rob, going as far as to reveal that she has put her new boyfriend on a meal plan and won't let him eat any red meat, according to TMZ. Confirmed: Earlier in the day, Chyna (pictured Thursday) confirmed that she is dating Rob, going as far as to reveal that she has put her new boyfriend on a meal plan and won't let him eat any red meat Moving day: A moving van was spotted arriving at Chyna's gated community in the LA suburb of Tarzana on Friday He seemed to poke fun at the comment when he posted a video to his Instagram page which showed a meme of a woman spitting out lettuce. That same day Kris Jenner was spotted visiting Chyna's house, days after Rob moved into the star's Tarzana home, apparently to talk some sense in her son. Rob, who once was a regular fixture on his family's reality show Keeping Up With The Kardashians, has spent the last two years avoiding the public eye as he battled depression amid significant weight gain. She's never been one to mince her words. And Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace certainly didn't hold back as she celebrated assault charges against her being dropped following a five-month probe, taunting her rival Teen Mom star Farrah Abraham via Twitter on Saturday. Prosecutors dropped charges against the former Big Brother contestant, who had been facing trial after an explosive, champagne-throwing argument with Farrah, 24, on Channel 5's Celebrity Big Brother's spin-off Bit On The Side back in September 2015. Scroll down for video Result: Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace, 37, celebrated after her assault charges were dropped following a five-month probe, rubbing the news in Teen Mom star Farrah Abraham's face via a taunting Twitter video The model, 37, gloated: 'Stupid b***h.... Now the REAL justice is served. You committed a crime not me @F1abraham #cbb .' She also recorded a video - complete with a middle finger salute to her rival Farrah - referencing their televised spat last September. The video accompanied a tweet that read: 'There are SOME things I don't know.... Like HOW that dumb b***h thinks she 'won' she's been cautioned Not me.' Clash: Prosecutors dropped assault charges against ex-Big Brother contestant Aisleyne (left) after a five month probe into champagne being thrown during a row with Teen Mom's Farrah Abraham (right) Cheeky: Aisleyne sent out a visual message to Farrah after the charges against her were dropped following their feud Bold: The foxy blonde wore a woolly hat in the video and showed off her ample bosom in a peekaboo black top laced up at the front In the video, Aisleyne can be seen celebrating her news as she dances around in a car and flicks her middle finger up as she bops along. The foxy blonde was wearing a woolly hat in the video and showed off her ample bosom in a peekaboo black top laced up at the front. But the American reality star wasn't going down without a fight, calling Aisleyne a 'stalker' and a 'nobody' as she hit back on the social media site. Farrah implied the loud-mouthed blonde wasn't on her level, taking several digs at her reputation and branding her a 'criminal' and a 'liar'. Hitting back: American reality star Farrah refused to keep quiet and lashed out at Aisleyne Giving as good as she gets: The Teen Mom star cheekily retorted, 'I win as always' Feisty: In the video Aisleyne can be seen celebrating her news as she dances around in a car and flicks her middle finger up as she bops along Charges dropped: Aisleyne took to Twitter to gloat that 'real justice has been served' after the CBBBOTS row It had been reported that the trial would have cost the taxpayer 15,000, but now the case has been ditched after a u-turn by the Crown Prosecution Service. 'The CPS finally saw the evidence from the show and agreed Aisleyne had no case to answer,' a source told The Mirror. 'Aisleyne stuck to her guns and was prepared to have her day in court. Thankfully the CPS decided she did no wrong, unlike two of her co-panellists.' Aisleyne welcomed the news that the case against her had been dropped in a tweet directed at Farrah. 'My full story will soon be told.... Be worried darling @F1abraham I only speak the truth.....,' she wrote. She also thanked her friend, model Nicola McLean, writing: 'Massive thank u to my rock through all this drama the past 5 months I have a love for u that will never be broken @NicolaMcLean.' Not over: Aisleyne revealed she is yet to tell her full story following her furious fall-out with Farrah Revellation: Aisleyne welcomed the news that the case against her had been dropped in a tweet directed at Farrah Appreciation: She also thanked her BFF, model Nicola McLean, writing: 'Massive thank u to my rock through all this drama the past 5 months I have a love for u that will never be broken @NicolaMcLean' A CPS spokesman told MailOnline: 'The CPS regularly review cases according to the Code for Crown Prosecutors. 'Upon a review of this case it was decided that, whilst there was sufficient evidence, it would not be in the public interest to proceed therefore the case was discontinued.' Police were called to the set in Elstree, Hertfordshire, in September after the row broke out between the celebrities during a discussion about nominations, causing the show to come off air 12 minutes early. Viewers heared Miss Horgan-Wallace call Miss Abraham a 'nasty horrible b****' who should 'f*** off' back to America, to which she responded by shouting 'Hag be quiet, hag be quiet'. Clash: Police were called to the set in Elstree, Hertfordshire, after the row broke out between Farrah (left) and Aisleyne (right) during a discussion about nominations Heated: Farrah (left) was on CBB's spin-off to discuss the recent evictions of Janice Dickinson (centre) and Jenna Jameson (second from left), who had joined Vicki Michelle (second from right) and Aisleyne (right) for a post-show analysis before the row boiled over The feuding pair are said to have thrown champagne glasses, while former supermodel Janice Dickinson, 60, was accused of throwing a chair. Channel 5 have not confirmed what happened after the programme went off air. Janice Dickinson (pictured) and Miss Abraham were later cautioned for common assault 'Allo 'Allo actress Vicki Michelle, 64, who was also appearing on the programme but was not involved in the argument, had to be rushed to hospital after she was apparently caught in the crossfire. The dramatic incident came days after mother-of-one Farrah, who rose to fame when she appeared on MTV reality series Sixteen And Pregnant, was evicted from the competition following weeks of aggressive behaviour. She was on CBB's spin-off to discuss the recent evictions of Janice and Jenna Jameson, who had also joined them for a post-show analysis before the row boiled over. Janice and Farrah were later cautioned for common assault, but Aisleyne- who appeared in Big Brother's seventh series in 2006, did not accept a caution, alleging that the show's producers had engineered the spat. Following a five-month police investigation Aisleyne, from north London, was charged with assault, after Farrah was allegedly injured by the champagne. A trial was set to take place in March, and witnesses who could have been called to give evidence included the programme's presenter, Rylan Clarke, Vicki and two of the show's producers. They have just welcomed a new addition to their family. And along with all the other well wishers who have sent congratulations, Tyra Banks has received a gift from an unexpected quarter - Miley Cyrus. The popstar sent a bunch of silver balloons to the new mum on Friday, which spelt out her son's name: York. Scroll down for video Congratulations! Tyra Banks got a gift from an unexpected quarter on Friday wishing her well after the birth of her son York Tyra, 42, posted a picture of the gift which was situated on her stairwell. She captioned the shot: 'Your Congratulations Balloons are HUGE and on our stairway, @mileycyrus' Banks captioned the snap. 'Were looking at them now like, Whoa! Theyre so cool! Love and appreciate you so much! T&E.' Thoughtful: Miley Cyrus sent her best wishes to the model and her longtime boyfriend Erik Asla, who welcomed their child via surrogate Pretty impressive: Tyra, 42, posted a picture of the gift which was situated on her stairwell and captioned the shot: 'Your Congratulations Balloons are HUGE and on our stairway, @mileycyrus' Tyra and longtime boyfriend Erik Asla have welcomed their first child via surrogate on Wednesday She confirmed the happy news as she shared a photo of the newborn's pink and blue striped hospital hat. She wrote: 'The best present we worked and prayed so hard for is finally here. He's got my fingers and big eyes and his daddy Erik's mouth and chin. 'As we thank the angel of a woman that carried our miracle baby boy for us, we pray for everyone who struggles to reach this joyous milestone. York Banks Asla, welcome to the world.' Tyra, who has been dating Norwegian photographer Erik for two years, has previously spoken about her struggles to conceive. 'The best present we worked and prayed so hard for is finally here': The supermodel thanked the 'angel of a woman' who carried her child She told People in a statement on Wednesday: 'We are so excited for our new baby boy bundle of joy. The journey to now has not been an easy process, as Ive shared before. But there was a beautiful bright light at the end of the tunnel for me and his father, Erik. 'As I gaze into the beautiful eyes of my son, I think about all the people who struggle with fertility or carrying a child and continue to pray for them every day. My hopes and dreams are filled with well wishes that they get to feel what my little treasure, York Banks Asla, feels like in my arms.' Last September Tyra broke down in tears on her recently cancelled FABLife television show, as she hit out at social media bullies who constantly demand to know why she has not had any children. Proud parents: This is Tyra's first child with her boyfriend Erik, who she is pictured with here last month The star, who has had failed IVF treatments in the past, made the emotional proclamation after Chrissy Teigen brought up her own fertility troubles. Tyra said: 'I'm so tired of seeing on my social media, "why don't you have kids, why don't you have kids?" 'You don't know, you don't know what I'm going through. You have no idea.' She then explained how she had been certain she would have a large family for her whole life, and was shocked when it did not turn out that way. The America's Next Top Model host said: 'For a long time, it was so funny, I was 23-years-old, I used to tell myself "in three years I'm going to have kids." Baby joy: The 42-year-old has previously spoken about her struggle to conceive, and revealed she has undergone IVF treatments 'Then I turned 24, "in three years I'm going to have kids." Every single year I just kept saying that. And then after a while it's like, now I want to, it's not so easy.' Tyra also spoke to People about her fertility struggles in September, and shared that she had undergone IVF procedures. 'I've had some not happy moments with that, very traumatic moments,' she said. 'It's difficult as you get older. It's not something that can just happen.' She added: 'When I turned 40, the one thing I was not happy about is that I did not have kids. I'm like, "Damn, the clock is ticking!" Happy couple: The star has been dating Erik for two years. Here they are pictured in February 2014 'Since I was 24, I used to say every year, "I will have kids in three years." I kept saying it over and over again. Because my business is very entrepreneurial. I'm not for hire, so I have to do everything. I kept trying to find that time for that to happen.' Now that America's Next Top Model has ended following 22 seasons, and FABLife has been cancelled, the beauty has more time on her hands to care for her newborn child. However she will still be juggling her career and parenting, as she has signed on to reprise her role as Eve in a sequel to Disney TV movie Life-Size, which aired in 2000. While York is Tyra's first child, Erik also has three daughters who live with him in LA, according to Photo Artwork Agency. Hezbollah leader committed to Aoun for Lebanon presidency The head of Lebanon's Shiite movement Hezbollah on Friday said he backs Christian ally Michel Aoun for president, a key post that has been vacant for 18 months. "We remain committed to General Aoun as long as he remains the candidate," Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised address. "This commitment is based on mutual trust." Nasrallah added however that Hezbollah would not force other political allies to back Aoun, 82. Hezbollah secretary general Hassan Nassrallah (L), seen here in his first meeting with Lebanese politician Michel Aoun in 2006, said he will back the Christian legislator for president Joseph Barrak (AFP/File) "We don't impose our decision on anyone," Nasrallah said. Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014, when the mandate of Michel Sleiman expired. Since then the country's Christians, Sunni and Shiite Muslims and Druze cannot agree on a candidate as the neighbouring war in Syria further polarises parties. Several previous votes have failed to produce a president and parliament is due to convene on February 8 for another attempt. Russia opposes arms embargo, sanctions on South Sudan Russia said Friday it opposes an arms embargo on South Sudan and sanctions on its leaders for their role in the brutal two-year war. A UN panel of experts has recommended the measures in a report to the Security Council, which is struggling to forge a common approach to try to end the violence in the world's youngest nation. Russian Deputy UN Ambassador Petr Iliichev said sanctions were "not conducive" for the peace process because the panel proposed putting the president and rebel leader on the sanctions blacklist. South Sudanese soldiers secure a road near Juba's airport on August 26, 2014 Samir Bol (AFP/File) The panel submitted a confidential list of four names for sanctions: President Salva Kiir, rebel chief Riek Machar, army chief of staff Paul Malong and internal security chief Akol Koor. Diplomats confirmed the names on the list. Kiir and Machar signed a peace deal in August that has failed to take hold, but Iliichev said there was "slight progress" in steps to form a national unity government. "The government of national unity, the transitional governance, is almost there, and we are going to cut everything" with sanctions, he said. On the proposed arms embargo, the Russian envoy said it was a "no-go" because the restrictions would hit the government more than the opposition. "The region is already inundated with arms so what we need is to control those arms that are there," said Iliichev. South Sudan has been torn by fighting between forces loyal to Kiir and rebels allied with Machar since December 2013, and the violence has exploded along ethnic lines. Marshalls to open March legal assault on nuclear powers The tiny Marshall Islands will seek in March to persuade the UN's highest court to take up a lawsuit against India, Pakistan and Britain which they accuse of failing to halt the nuclear arms race. The International Court of Justice -- founded in 1945 to rule on legal disputes between nations -- announced late Friday dates for separate hearings for the three cases between March 7 to 16. In the cases brought against India and Pakistan, the court will examine whether the tribunal based in The Hague is competent to hear the lawsuits. Islanders from nuclear weapons test-damaged Rongelap Atoll march while holding banners marking the 60th anniversary of the Bravo hydrogen bomb test at Bikini Atoll, in Majuro on March 1, 2014 Isaac Marty (AFP/File) The hearing involving Britain will be devoted to "preliminary objections" raised by London. A decision will be made at a later date as to whether the cases can proceed. In 2014, the Marshall Islands -- a Pacific Ocean territory with 55,000 people -- accused nine countries of "not fulfilling their obligations with respect to the cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament." They included China, Britain, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, and the United States. The government based in the Marshall Islands capital of Majuro said by not stopping the nuclear arms race, the countries continued to breach their obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) -- even if the treaty has not been by signed by countries such as India and Pakistan. The Marshall Islands had decided to sue the world's nuclear heavyweights as "it has a particular awareness of the dire consequences of nuclear weapons," it said. Between 1946 and 1958 the United States conducted repeated nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands, Majuro's representatives said in papers filed in court. But the court only admitted three cases brought against Britain, India and Pakistan because they already recognised the ICJ's authority. In March 2014, the Marshall Islands marked 60 years since the devastating hydrogen bomb test at Bikini Atoll, that vapourised an island and exposed thousands in the surrounding area to radioactive fallout. The 15-megaton test on March 1, 1954, was part of the intense Cold War nuclear arms race and 1,000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Bikini Islanders have lived in exile since they were moved for the first weapons tests in 1946. When US government scientists declared Bikini safe for resettlement, some residents were allowed to return in the early 1970s. But they were removed again in 1978 after ingesting high levels of radiation from eating local foods grown on the former test site. The Marshall Islands Nuclear Claims Tribunal had awarded more than $2 billion (1.4 billion euros) in personal injury and land damage claims arising form the nuclear tests, but stopped paying after a $150 million (110 million euros) US compensation fund was exhausted. Swiss prosecutors request Malaysian help in graft probe Swiss prosecutors on Friday requested assistance from Malaysian authorities in investigating massive theft from a state-owned firm at the centre of a graft scandal. Swiss investigators believe around $4 billion has been stolen from Malaysian state-owned companies, funding that was earmarked for economic and social development projects in Malaysia. "A small portion" of the cash was transferred into Swiss accounts held by former Malaysian officials as well as current and former officials from the United Arab Emirates, the Swiss attorney general's office said in a statement. Trucks drive past a billboard with the 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) logo at a construction site in Kuala Lumpur on September 22, 2015 Manan Vatsyayana (AFP/File) "To date, however, the Malaysian companies concerned have made no comment on the losses they are believed to have incurred," prosecutors added. "The object of the request for mutual assistance is therefore to advise the companies and the Malaysian government of the results of the Swiss criminal proceedings, with the aim of finding out whether losses on this scale have been sustained." In September, authorities announced the freezing of "tens of millions of dollars" worth of assets held in Swiss accounts as part of the investigation. The attorney general's office said the assistance request was made as part of criminal proceedings opened last August against two former officials of Malaysian state-owned fund 1MDB (1Malaysia Development Berhad) and "persons unknown". They are suspected of bribing foreign officials, misconduct in a public office, money laundering and criminal mismanagement. "So far four cases involving allegations of criminal conduct and covering the period from 2009 to 2013 have come to light," the statement said, "each involving a systematic course of action carried out by means of complex financial structures." The assistance request had already been discussed at a meeting between the Swiss attorney general and his Malaysian counterpart in Zurich in September, the statement added. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has been under heavy political pressure over allegations that hundreds of millions of dollars were missing from deals involving 1MDB. He has for months denied accusations that huge payments into his own bank accounts -- just before a hotly contested 2013 general election -- were syphoned from the now-struggling state-owned company. Najib was cleared of corruption Tuesday when Malaysia's attorney general said the Saudi royal family was the source of the $681 million "donation" to his personal accounts. US, Canada to seek new ways to fight IS after jets withdrawn The United States and Canada vowed Friday to work together in the fight against the Islamic State, even if Ottawa plans to withdraw its jets from the campaign. Secretary of State John Kerry and foreign ministers Stephane Dion of Canada and Claudia Ruiz Massieu of Mexico struck an upbeat tone at their annual get-together. But Dion made it clear that when Canada's new Liberal prime minister, Justin Trudeau, announces his war plan, his country's six CF-18 jets will leave Syrian skies. Canadian Foreign Minister Stephane Dion (R) and US Secretary of State John Kerry attend the North American Foreign Ministers Meeting on January 29, 2016 in Quebec City Florence Cassisi (AFP) Dion will now travel to Rome next week to join Kerry and two dozen more leaders from the US-led coalition to discuss new ways to work together against the threat. "Air strikes will continue even if Canada invests its efforts in other areas that are also necessary, and soon we will announce what these efforts will be," Dion said. "We will continue our discussion on this in Rome soon." Kerry appeared satisfied by Canada's promise, acknowledging its effort in the fight so far and predicting a strong future coalition effort. "And Canada has played an outsized role really already in many different ways in both the military and the humanitarian component of the counter-Daesh struggle," Kerry said. "And I am absolutely confident from my conversation with Stephane that the prime minister and his security team are working on ways to continue the contribution and to continue to make a significant contribution to our efforts." The talks also formed part of preparations Trudeau's state visit to Washington on March 10 as US President Barack Obama's guest. "I know President Obama is very excited about welcoming Prime Minister Trudeau to Washington," Kerry said. "This is the first official visit of a Canadian head of government in nearly two decades, long overdue and much anticipated." The young Canadian leader's government is expected to have more in common with the Democratic administration south of the border than did its Conservative predecessor, but there are points of concern. Ottawa's plans to withdraw its warplanes from the US-led coalition targeting IS fighters in Syria is a symbolic blow against allied unity in the fight. And the Liberal government also expects to review the terms of the Trans-Pacific Partnership -- a 12-country deal that Kerry and Obama see as key to the US trade agenda in their final year in office -- before ratifying it. On the TPP treaty, the American side hopes it will have more success, despite concerns raised by some of the Liberal lawmakers who now form a majority in the Canadian parliament. Canada's government said Monday that it would sign the free trade deal next week at a meeting of the 12 partner countries from around the Pacific basin. - 'Still have questions' - But, before the treaty is ratified, the Canadian parliament will want to debate it, and Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland has acknowledged that some have concerns. "Many Canadians still have not made up their minds and many more still have questions," she said on Monday. A US official traveling with Kerry said Washington was aware of the concerns, but still confident the deal would be approved in Ottawa. "That was pretty clear, even in the campaign, and so we're looking forward to being able to move ahead," she said. And, with Ruiz Massieu, the US delegation is keen to discuss the case of recaptured drug cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, whom Washington is keen to see extradited as soon as possible to face charges in the US. The three-way talks formed part of preparations for the state visit of Canada's new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured, to Washington, DC on March 10 Ozan Kose (AFP/File) Syrian opposition head to peace talks as Madaya starvation toll rises Syria's main opposition body headed to Switzerland Saturday to demand progress on the dire humanitarian situation before formally joining peace talks, as the starvation death toll in the besieged town of Madaya rose. The High Negotiations Committee (HNC) late Friday begrudgingly bowed to US and Saudi pressure to at least show up in Geneva to test the waters for joining the biggest push to date to end a five-year-old civil war. But the body insisted it will not engage in negotiations, even indirectly, with President Bashar al-Assad's regime until UN Security Council resolutions requiring an end to sieges of towns are adhered to. A rebel fighter, reportedly belonging to the Faylaq al-Rahman brigade, looks up from his hiding spot in the rebel-controlled area of Arbeen, on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus, on January 29, 2016 Amer Almohibany (AFP) Highlighting the dire situation, medical charity MSF on Saturday raised the death toll from starvation to at least 46 since December 1 in Madaya, one of more than a dozen Syrian towns blockaded by regime or rebel forces. "We will not sit down at the negotiating table if our people continue to be massacred," HNC spokesman Salem al-Meslet said Friday after the group finally announced its attendance in Geneva after four days of wrangling in Riyadh. On Friday, the scheduled start of a planned six months of talks under an ambitious roadmap set out in Vienna in November, protesters highlighted the plight of ordinary Syrians with "siege soup" of grass and leaves. - Complexities - The HNC are also pressing for bombardments of civilians to cease. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Saturday that Russian air strikes, which began in late September to support Assad, have killed 3,578 people in total including 1,380 civilians. The Observatory also reported regime shelling on the Aubin camp for displaced people in Latakia in northwest Syria, in the second such case in as many days. A source close to the HNC said that the group was sending 17 negotiators and 25 others to the Swiss city. A 16-member delegation representing Assad's government arrived on Friday. Backed by external powers embroiled in Syria's war, the talks are seeking to end a conflict that has killed more than 260,000 people and fuelled the meteoric rise of the extremist Islamic State group. Millions of those fleeing the conflict have sought refuge in neighbouring countries and hundreds of thousands have risked their lives to reach Europe, causing political tensions there. On Saturday, dozens of migrant men, women and children, including Syrians, drowned when their boat sank off of Turkey -- joining the almost 4,000 who died trying to reach Europe by sea in 2015. But the complexities of the Syrian conflict, involving a tangled web of moderate rebels, Islamist fighters, Kurds, jihadists and regime forces backed by Moscow and Iran, pose a huge challenge to the talks, experts say. - Meeting Sunday? - "There is every reason to be pessimistic, and there is no realistic scenario in which a breakthrough would be reached," said Karim Bitar, an analyst at the Paris-based Institute of International and Strategic Relations. The future of Assad, emboldened by recent territorial gains against rebels thanks to Russian support, in any peace deal remains uncertain. Attacks claimed by IS in Paris, Lebanon, Indonesia and the downing of a Russian airliner over Egypt last year have led Western powers to moderate their demands for him to go, seeing him as the lesser evil, experts say. For now, no face-to-face talks between the opposition and the regime are expected. Instead "proximity talks" are envisioned whereby UN envoy Staffan de Mistura will shuttle between the participants. The UN envoy was to meet with HNC delegates "perhaps tomorrow (Sunday)", HNC spokesman Makhous said. In a controversial move, the alliance has named Mohammed Alloush, member of the Army of Islam rebel group, as its chief negotiator, but sources hinted he was not among those travelling to Geneva. Excluded meanwhile, in the initial stages of the talks at least, are Kurdish representatives, with Saudi Arabia and in particular Turkey vehemently opposed to their participation. Kurdish figures -- including Saleh Muslim, head of the powerful Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) -- hoping to be included have left the Swiss city after not receiving invitations to negotiations, sources told AFP on Saturday. The PYD has been one of the most successful fighting forces against the extremist Islamic State group, clearing jihadists out of swathes of territory in northern Syria. "Without us, this process will have the same fate as the last round of Geneva talks" in 2014, a PYD source told AFP. UN envoy Staffan de Mistura (2nd left) chairs the Syrian peace talks in Geneva, on January 29, 2016 Fabrice Coffrini (AFP) A rebel fighter keeps watch in the rebel-controlled area of Arbeen, on the outskirts of the Syrian capital, Damascus Amer Almohibany (AFP) A UNICEF employee measures the arm of a malnourished child in the besieged Syrian town of Madaya, on January 14, 2016 Iran to buy 40 ATR planes: vice minister Iran expects to finalise within days a deal to buy up to 40 planes from ATR, the European manufacturer of turboprop aircraft, a deputy transport minister said Saturday. "We discussed the deals in Italy and France and ATR officials are expected in Tehran in the coming days to complete the agreement," Asghar Fakhrieh Kashan said. "There will be 20 firm and 20 optional orders," he added, without specifying the value of the contract. ATR is co-owned by European aircraft manufacturer Airbus and Italian aerospace group Finmeccanica Remy Gabalda (AFP/File) ATR is co-owned by European aircraft manufacturer Airbus and Italian aerospace group Finmeccanica. This week, during President Hassan Rouhani's trip to Italy and France, Iran signed a contract for the purchase of 118 Airbus aircraft, to be delivered in the next four years. Quoted by Iranian media, Kashan said the Airbus deal was worth $10 to $11 billion, while the previously mentioned amount was $25 billion. The deal is to purchase 73 long-haul and 45 medium-haul Airbus planes, the French manufacturer detailed in a statement. Before a nuclear deal with world powers took effect this month, Iran's aviation industry was subject to a US embargo preventing Western manufacturers since 1995 selling equipment and spare parts to the Islamic republic. The sanctions hindered maintainance operations and pinned to the ground part of Iran's ageing fleet -- currently 140 working aircraft, with an average age of about 20 years. Syria peace talks face formidable challenge Divisions among Syria's opposition and anger over regime blockades almost sank new peace talks in Geneva before they began, and analysts say prospects of a breakthrough at the negotiations remain slim. On Friday, after four days of suspense, Syria's main opposition umbrella group finally announced it would send representatives to Geneva. But formidable obstacles remain, including differences over the fate of President Bashar al-Assad, emboldened by recent territorial gains with support from Russian air strikes. Staffan de Mistura (2nd L Below) faces Syrian ambassador to the UN and head of the government delegation Bashar al-Jaafari at the opening of Syrian peace talks with the Syrian government delegation at the United Nations (UN) in Geneva Fabrice Coffrini (AFP) In a sign of the challenges ahead, the Saudi-backed High Negotiations Committee (HNC) said it was sending a delegation "to participate in discussions with the UN, not for negotiations." The complexities of the conflict, involving a tangled web of moderate rebels, Islamist fighters, Kurds, jihadists and regime forces backed by Moscow and Iran, pose a huge challenge, experts say. "There is every reason to be pessimistic, and there is no realistic scenario in which a breakthrough would be reached," said Karim Bitar, an analyst at the Paris-based Institute of International and Strategic Relations. "For the time being, the disconnect between the Geneva process and the realities on the ground has never been bigger." The conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests and has evolved into a multi-sided war that has killed over 260,000 people and displaced more than half the population. In recent months, world powers have redoubled diplomatic efforts to solve the crisis, fuelled by fear of the Islamic State group's growing power, as well as the pressure of a wave of refugees fleeing to Europe. They have pinned their hopes on an ambitious UN-backed plan for negotiations in Geneva, followed by the creation of a transitional government, a new constitution, and elections within 18 months. But analysts say the atmosphere for these talks is even worse than a last round of failed negotiations in Geneva in 2014. After a series of setbacks last year, Assad's government has gone on the offensive and scored several victories since its key ally Russia began an aerial campaign on its behalf in late September. "Assad is feeling stronger and stronger so is being inflexible," said Agnes Levallois, a France-based Middle East analyst. "If anything, Russia and the regime will feel that they are slowly grinding down the opposition, that the trend from now on will not be unfavourable to them," added Yezid Sayigh of the Carnegie Middle East Centre. - Assad's future in question - At the same time, Western powers have moderated their previous insistence that Assad must step aside immediately amid fears of a power vacuum that could benefit IS and push more refugees towards Europe. "Authoritarian nationalism is back in fashion," Bitar said. Syria's opposition has long insisted that Assad can have no role in any political transition and must resign at the beginning of any such process. But even staunch supporters of the opposition, including Washington and Saudi Arabia, appear to be stepping back from that position, which could prove a major stumbling block for talks. It is "clear to the US and even to the Saudis" that Assad's departure cannot be guaranteed as a precondition, said Sayigh. "The real question is whether meaningful powers will go from Assad to a transitional council, including some mechanism that ensures that Assad is unable to run in future presidential elections," he said. With the opposition HNC saying it will not participate in actual negotiations, it remains unclear what the talks can achieve. The umbrella group said it would participate in the "political process" in a bid to force the government to implement "international obligations and humanitarian demands". It had hesitated to attend the talks in part over the UN's failure to enforce a 2015 Security Council resolution that demanded humanitarian access throughout Syria, an end to sieges, and protection of civilians. Sayigh, however, said any success at Geneva would be contingent on a "back-room process" that would see the US and Russia reach an understanding on a way forward. Perhaps in an effort to reach such an agreement, US Secretary of State John Kerry engaged in shuttle diplomacy ahead of the talks in an effort to narrow the gap between backers and opponents of Syria's regime. But Emile Hokayem, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the "dynamics on the ground are even less conducive to good-faith negotiations" than during the last round of peace talks in 2014. "Notwithstanding the energy, the positive outlook, the conditions aren't there." Demonstrators holding a Free Syria flag and placards reading "Stop the killing in Syria" take part in a protest outside the United Nations (UN) offices in Geneva on January 29, 2016 on the opening day of Syrian peace talks Fabrice Coffrini (AFP) After a series of setbacks last year, Assad's government has gone on the offensive and scored several victories since its key ally Russia began an aerial campaign on its behalf in late September - (SANA/AFP) Western powers have moderated their previous insistence that Assad must step aside immediately amid fears of a power vacuum that could benefit IS and push more refugees towards Europe - (SANA/AFP/File) Chad's Deby becomes new African Union chairman Chad's President Idriss Deby took over the post of African Union chairman on Saturday, replacing Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. "I accept this task with pleasure, but with a little agony as the responsiblity you entrust in me is heavy and fraught with challenges," Deby said, in speech at AU headquarters in Ethiopia. He told fellow presidents that conflicts across the continent had to end. Chadian President Idriss Deby has been in power since 1990 Ahmed Ouoba (AFP/File) "Everything that we are doing now will be in vain and without purpose if we allow Africa to go through these perpetual crises: South Sudan, Libya, Somalia, Burundi, the Sahel, the Lake Chad basin," Deby said. "Through diplomacy or by force... we must put an end to these tragedies of our time. We cannot make progress and talk of development if part of our body is sick. We should be the main actors in the search for solution to Africa's crises." Deby, 63, one of Africa's longest ruling presidents, emerged as the leader of the arid north-central African state in December 1990, after the war which ousted the regime of Hissene Habre. Mugabe, Africa's oldest president aged 91, has held the ceremonial role for the past year, welcomed his "brother" Deby to the post. "Whatever support you want from me, I will still be there, until God says come, then I'll go and join the others," Mugabe said. "But as long as I am still alive, I will still have the punch." At least 37 dead, including children, as migrant boat sinks off Turkey The Turkish coastguard on Saturday recovered the bodies of women and children washed up on a beach after yet another migrant boat sank while trying to reach Europe, leaving at least 37 dead. In harrowing scenes reminiscent of the death of Aylan Kurdi, the Syrian toddler photographed lying dead on a Turkish beach in September, the body of a small child could be seen among those strewn over a beach near the town of Ayvacik in northwestern Canakkale province, an AFP photographer at the scene said. An AFP picture showed the dead child dressed in dark trousers and a blue top, face covered with a small hat. A pacifier lay close to the body. In another image, a Turkish gendarme was seen lowering the corpse of an older child into a body bag. Turkish gendarmes carry the body of a migrant on a beach in Canakkale's Bademli district on January 30, 2016 Ozan Kose (AFP) Another young child was found dead in the water, according to the AFP photographer. An unknown number of other children also drowned after the boat ferrying them and their families -- some from Syria, others from Afghanistan and Myanmar -- to the nearby Greek island of Lesbos sank just off the Turkish coast. The fatalities came as German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she expected most of the refugees being taken in by Germany from Syria and Iraq to return home once peace has returned to their countries. Merkel has faced strong pressure over her welcoming stance towards asylum seekers. "We expect that once peace has returned to Syria, once the Islamic State (group) has been defeated in Iraq, that they will return to their countries of origin, armed with the knowledge they acquired with us," Merkel was quoted as saying by the DPA news agency. She cited the refugees from former Yugoslavia as an example, saying that 70 percent of those who arrived in Germany in the 1990s returned home once it was safe to do so. Elsewhere on Saturday, Swedish police said dozens of masked men believed to belong to neo-Nazi gangs had gathered in Stockholm late on Friday and handed out leaflets calling for attacks against young migrants. Police had beefed up their presence in the city centre, deploying anti-riot and helicopter units after learning that extremists were planning "aggression on unaccompanied migrant minors" in the city. - 50 metres from the shore - The migrant deaths off Turkey follow another incident two days ago in which 25 migrants, including 10 children, drowned off the Greek island of Samos. A Turkish official contacted by AFP said the Turkish coastguard recovered 37 bodies from the scene of the latest tragedy including children. In an earlier statement the Turkish coastguard said 75 people had been rescued. AFP's photographer counted at least 19 bodies. "We are sad. At least 20 friends are still missing," a weeping woman who was among the survivors said. The capsized boat was visible around 50 metres (yards) from the shore, where divers from the coastguard were still searching for the missing. Military police in green berets placed bodies in bags to be taken to a morgue. Life jackets and other refugees' belongings were seen dotted across the beach. The drownings continue a grim trend that accelerated last year when nearly 4,000 people died trying to reach Europe by sea, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). During the first 28 days of 2016, a further 244 migrants died at sea, with at least a dozen more dying on land, the IOM said Friday. Turkey, which is hosting at least 2.5 million refugees from Syria's civil war, has become the main launchpad for migrants fleeing war, persecution and poverty to Europe. The Turkish government struck a deal with the EU in November to halt the outflow of refugees, in return for 3 billion euros ($3.2 billion) in financial assistance, but the agreement has failed to check the migrant tide. Merkel said Friday that with 2,000 new asylum seekers entering the Balkans on their journey to northern Europe every day the EU "urgently" needed to implement its side of the agreement. Italy has however questioned how much of the money should come from the EU budget, and how much control the bloc will have over how Ankara spends the funds. Turkey's minister for EU affairs Volkan Bozkir Saturday dismissed any problems with Italy about the release of the EU money and said the funds would be released in February. Migrant tragedies in the Aegean Sea Philippe MOUCHE, Thomas SAINT-CRICQ, Jules BONNARD (AFP) Turkish police carry the body of a migrant who washed up on a beach in Canakkale's Bademli district on January 30, 2016 Ozan Kose (AFP) Migrants who were rescued when their boat sank in the Aegean Sea arrive in Canakkale's Kucukkuyu district on January 30, 2016 Ozan Kose (AFP) A Turkish policeman guards the beach as a boat sinks into the Aegean Sea off the coast from Canakkale, on January 30, 2016 Ozan Kose (AFP) This is the blog of China defense, where professional analysts and serious defense enthusiasts share findings on a rising military power. Taylor ton leads England to crushing tour win James Taylor hit a century to set up a 163-run win for England against South Africa A at the Diamond Oval on Saturday. Taylor made 116 off 116 balls as England piled up 368 for seven after winning the toss and deciding to bat in their only one-day warm-up match before a five-match one-day international series against South Africa starts in Bloemfontein on Wednesday. South Africa A were bundled out for 205, with left-arm opening bowler Reece Topley, seamer Chris Jordan and leg-spinner Adil Rashid picking up three wickets each. England's batsman James Taylor (R) plays a shot during day 3 of the fourth Test match between England and South Africa at the Supersport stadium on January 24, 2016 in Centurion, South Africa Gianluigi Guercia (AFP/File) Captain Eoin Morgan made 41 and Jonny Bairstow thrashed 58 off 30 balls, with six sixes, to provide the most significant support for Taylor. All the other batsmen in the top eight reached at least 20. All the South African bowlers proved expensive, providing minimal guidance for the national selectors, who are likely to add at least one bowler to their one-day international squad, with Dale Steyn having been ruled out because of injury and other leading bowlers needing some rest. Turkey accuses Russia of new airspace violation Turkey on Saturday accused Russia of a fresh violation of its airspace, warning Moscow it would "face consequences" as relations between the two countries hit a new post-Cold War low. The Turkish foreign ministry said a Russian Su-34 plane violated Turkish airspace at 0946 GMT on Friday despited repeated warnings from Turkish air radar units in Russian and English. The Russian defence ministry dismissed the claim as "baseless propaganda". A Russian Sukhoi Su-34 bomber lands at the Russian Hmeimim military base in Latakia province, in the northwest of Syria, on December 16, 2015 Paul Gypteau (AFP/File) Ties between Ankara and Moscow plummeted after Turkey, a key NATO member, shot down a Russian fighter jet on the Syrian border in November, sparking a war of words with Russia which insisted its plane had not crossed into Turkish airspace. Russia launched a massive air campaign in Syria in September against rebels fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad, a long-time Moscow ally whom Turkey bitterly opposes. Ankara on Friday summoned the Russian ambassador to the foreign ministry to "strongly protest and condemn" the latest alleged airspace violation. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Russia would "have to face consequences if it keeps up such violations". "Such irresponsible steps do not benefit either the Russian Federation, or Russia-NATO relations, or regional and global peace", he told reporters at an Istanbul airport before setting off for a Latin America tour. He also said he had asked to meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss the crisis in their relationship, although it was not immediately clear if the request came after the latest airspace incident. The Turkish strongman has in recent weeks repeatedly, and in vain, called for a meeting with the Russian leader. "I've asked our foreign ministry undersecretary that I want to meet with Mr Putin but our embassy there has informed us here that there's been no response from (Russia) since then," said Erdogan. - 'NATO solidarity' - NATO head Jens Stoltenberg meanwhile called on Russia to "act responsibly and to fully respect NATO airspace". "Russia must take all necessary measures to ensure that such violations do not happen again," Stoltenberg said in a statement. "Previous incidents have shown how dangerous such behaviour is". But Russia insisted there had been no violation of Turkish airspace. "The Turkish declarations concerning the alleged violation of its airspace by a Russian Su-34 are baseless propaganda," defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told Russian news agencies. A Russian embassy spokesman confirmed its ambassador had been summoned but declined to comment on the meeting. "We will not comment on the subject of discussions with his colleagues at the foreign ministry," spokesman Igor Mityakov told the Russian news agency RIA Novosti. The Turkish foreign ministry did not specify where the latest violation took place although it is likely to have been close to the Syrian border where Russian troops are operating. "This violation is a new and concrete indicator of Russian Federation actions to escalate problems despite clear warnings from our country and NATO," the ministry said. Relations between Moscow and Ankara are at their lowest ebb in decades, triggered by the November 24 downing of the Russian jet which infuriated Moscow. Putin has vowed that Turkey will be made to regret the incident, with the Kremlin announcing sanctions including a ban on the import of some foods and a halt on sales of holiday packages, a major blow to Turkish tourism. The two countries also back opposing sides in Syria's almost five-year civil war, with Russia the key supporter of the Damascus regime while Turkey argues that the ouster of Assad is essential to solving the Syrian crisis. Last year Turkey started flights to Syria to bomb Islamic State positions in the war-torn country as part of the international air campaign against the jihadist group. But Turkish media reported that the Turkish airforce suspended missions of its aircraft over Syria in the aftermath of the downing of the Russian jet to avoid further controversy with Russia. Stoltenberg on Saturday made clear that NATO would stand by Turkey, the second largest military power in the alliance after the United States. "NATO stands in solidarity with Turkey and supports the territorial integrity of our ally, Turkey." President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, seen in Ankara on January 28, 2016, warns that Russia would "have to face consequences if it keeps up such violations" after the Turkish foreign ministry said a Russian Su-34 plane violated Turkish airspace Adem Altan (AFP/File) NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, pictured on January 28, 2016, called on Russia to "act responsibly and to fully respect NATO airspace" Emmanuel Dunand (AFP/File) Some struggle with how to mark death of Buddy Cianci PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) As affection poured in following the death of former Providence Mayor Buddy Cianci and city officials made plans for him to lie in repose at City Hall, other leaders struggled Friday to come up with the appropriate way to mark the death of a man forced from office twice due to felonies. Cianci, the city's longest-serving mayor, died Thursday at age 74. He was convicted in 2002 of racketeering conspiracy for running the city as a criminal enterprise and spent 4 years in prison. U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, who was U.S. Attorney at the start of the criminal investigation that ultimately brought Cianci down, offered a terse reply when asked about his death on Friday. FILE - In this Sept. 10, 2014, file photo, former Providence Mayor Buddy Cianci attends a campaign fundraising event in Providence, R.I. The former mayor was hospitalized Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016 after experiencing severe stomach pains. Cianci died Thursday, Jan. 28, in Providence. He was 74. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File) "I send my condolences to his family," Whitehouse replied, declining to answer further before walking out of the building where he had attended an unrelated event in the city. Whitehouse, a Democrat, was outspokenly opposed to Cianci in 2014 when Cianci ran as an independent to try to regain the mayor's office. Whitehouse said at the time that Cianci "stained the city with corruption, and governed in a uniquely vengeful, vindictive style." U.S. Rep. David Cicilline, a bitter rival of Cianci's who won the mayor's office after he was sent to prison, sent out his condolences on Twitter, avoiding mention of any bad blood. "Buddy Cianci is a part of the history of our great city and state. Everyone who knew him has a story to tell," Cicilline wrote. "I suspect those stories will be told and retold at barber shops and coffee counters and board rooms throughout the state in the coming days." Meanwhile, Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo reversed her position of Thursday and said state flags at government buildings would be flown at half-staff for Cianci but only during the two days he will lie in repose and on the day of his funeral. The governor said on Thursday that flags would not be lowered statewide because the city was lowering them, and that was a more appropriate place. On Friday, she said she reconsidered. Her spokeswoman says Rhode Island flags will be lowered out of respect for the office Cianci held. Cianci's body will lie in repose for two days at City Hall, in front of the office he occupied for more than 21 years, said former Mayor Joseph Paolino, a close friend of Cianci's. Visiting hours will be Feb. 6-7 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. The funeral mass will follow at 10 a.m. Feb. 8 at the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in downtown Providence and officiated by Bishop Thomas Tobin. Paolino, a Democrat, was elevated to mayor after Cianci, a Republican who eventually became an independent, resigned the first time in 1984. The two had once been political adversaries but became close in later years. Paolino said Providence "lost its greatest champion" when Cianci died, adding, "He gave his heart to Providence." ___ Rubio urges against mass deportation as fix to immigration MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) Republican presidential hopeful Sen. Marco Rubio said Friday that if he is elected president, he will not look to deport 12 million people in the U.S. illegally, and will instead propose solutions to accommodate those who have no criminal record. In an interview with The Associated Press, Rubio, campaigning in Iowa ahead of the state's leadoff presidential caucuses, said that the realistic approach to America's problems with illegal immigration is to round up only criminals, while finding ways to accommodate the rest. "We're not going to round up and deport 12 million people," Rubio said, speaking on his campaign bus from eastern Iowa. "Criminals can't stay. Felons, people who are dangerous they are not staying." Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., speaks during a interview with The Associated Press, Friday, Jan. 29, 2016, in Burlington, Iowa. Rubio isnt backing off his position that would allow millions of people in the country illegally to stay, saying Americans are prepared to deal with a process that does not involve mass deportations. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) "But we're going to deal with the people that are here," he added. Addressing reporters later Friday, Rubio noted that the approach he sees as feasible is to administer a background check for individuals who have lived in the U.S. "for a defined period of time." If passed, provide authorization for anyone in the U.S. illegally to get a 10-year work permit. "We're not going to force it down their throat," he said in the interview, later remarking to journalists: "You have to learn English. You have to pay a huge fine. You have to start paying taxes. You get a work permit. And that's what you'll have for at least 10 years. That's my idea." Immigration has become a critical issue for Florida's freshman senator, who co-wrote a lengthy 2013 immigration bill that detailed a path to citizenship for many of the 11 million immigrants in the country illegally. The legislation passed in the Senate on a bipartisan vote but ended up dying in the House. Rubio has since distanced himself from the sweeping bill, saying he wants to secure the border before dealing with the millions of people living in the U.S. illegally. At the Fox News GOP debate Thursday, Rubio and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush squared off over immigration policy. Rubio said he never supported a pathway to citizenship for people in the country illegally. Former Gov. Jeb Bush asserted that Rubio did. Rubio was challenged to defend his past statements as a candidate for Senate where he opposed "blanket amnesty," but then went on to lead a bipartisan Senate group that would have allowed people to seek citizenship after a series of other requirements. Speaking to reporters Friday, Rubio explained that "blanket amnesty" means "anyone here would be granted legalization or citizenship" and that the American people should decide what criteria should determine who can and cannot stay. Accusations of flip-flopping ensued throughout Thursday's debate and into Friday. In his closing argument to Iowa voters, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz cast himself as the only true conservative who can be trusted to keep his word, especially on immigration. At a restaurant in Ringsted, Iowa, Cruz drew sharp contrasts between Rubio and national front-runner Donald Trump. Cruz, fighting to retake his December lead in Iowa, took a swipe at Rubio, saying he campaigned for the U.S. Senate in 2010 by opposing amnesty for immigrants living in the country illegally, but then flipped his position after being elected. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, whose presidential campaign rests largely on how well he does in the Feb. 9 New Hampshire primary, charged both Rubio and Cruz with both changing their positions on immigration. "Neither of them will admit it," Christie said during an appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "America needs a Washington-to-English dictionary so they can understand what these people are talking about," Christie said. "Sen. Rubio did not tell the truth on that stage." ___ Scott Bauer contributed from Ringsted, Iowa. Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., speaks during a interview with The Associated Press, Friday, Jan. 29, 2016, in Burlington, Iowa. Rubio isnt backing off his position that would allow millions of people in the country illegally to stay, saying Americans are prepared to deal with a process that does not involve mass deportations. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) What We Know: A shaky start to peace talks on Syrian war Peace talks aimed at ending Syria's civil war are off to a shaky start, with the main opposition group at first boycotting the session, then agreeing to meet with U.N. officials but still insisting it won't negotiate. Here's what we know about the sometimes confusing events that took place in Geneva: The opposition group, called the Higher Negotiating Committee, has said it wouldn't participate without an end to airstrikes on civilians by Russian and Syrian government forces, a lifting of blockades of towns in rebel-held areas, and the release of detainees. Then, as U.N. special envoy Staffan de Mistura opened the session by meeting with a delegation representing the Syrian government, the HNC said it would come to Geneva. It would wait until its conditions are met, it added, and only then would it negotiate. UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, sits after arriving for the round of negotiation between the Syrian government and the opposition in Geneva, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 29, 2016. The United Nation's Syria envoy says he has "good reason to believe" that the main Syrian opposition group will join Geneva peace talks Sunday. Staffan de Mistura says he is still waiting for "formal indication" that the opposition coalition, known as the Higher Negotiating Committee, will attend the talks. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP) SWITZERLAND OUT De Mistura said he had "good reason to believe" the HNC would join the talks on Sunday. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Washington welcomes the HNC's "important decision ... to attend negotiations." Google parent Alphabet may soon top Apple's market value SAN FRANCISCO (AP) As the digital advertising market booms and demand for smartphones wanes, Alphabet Inc. could soon dethrone Apple as the world's most valuable company. If it happens, Alphabet will move to the head of the class just five months after Google reorganized itself under the holding company. The Silicon Valley rivals could trade places soon, given how rapidly the financial gap between them is narrowing. At the end of trading on Friday, Apple's market value stood at $540 billion; Alphabet was worth $524 billion. FILE - This Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013, photo shows Google's headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. Alphabet Inc. is poised to move to head of the corporate class just five months after Google created its new holding company. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File) That's a dramatic swing from where things stood just 13 months ago. Apple then boasted a market value of $643 billion, almost twice Google Inc.'s $361 billion. Since then, investors have soured on Apple Inc. The company has struggled to come up with another trend-setting product amid slumping sales of its most important device the nearly 9-year-old iPhone, which accounts for roughly two-thirds of Apple's overall sales. Apple has already acknowledged the iPhone will begin this year with its first quarterly sales decline since it debuted in 2007. The slowdown helped push down Apple's stock price by 12 percent since the end of 2014. In contrast, Google has maintained its leadership in the lucrative Internet search and ad market while building other popular products in video, mobile, web browsing, email and mapping. That bundle of Google services brings in most of Alphabet's revenue, and is expected to deliver growth in the 15 percent to 20 percent range as marketers shift even more of their budgets to digital services. Alphabet also has impressed investors by reining in its spending. Google hired a Wall Street veteran, Ruth Porat, as its chief financial officer last May. In addition to reversing a long expansion of Google's operating expenses, Porat also persuaded Alphabet's board to spend $5 billion buying back its own stock. That move signaled a more shareholder-friendly approach to managing the company's cash hoard. Investors also have applauded the creation of Alphabet, which is structured to provide more information about the cost of the company's experimental ventures into self-driving cars, Internet access services, health science and city management. All of those factors have helped lift Alphabet's stock previously Google's by 43 percent since the end of 2014. It's a potentially big shift for Apple, which has held bragging rights as the world's most valuable company for most of the past four-and-a-half years. (ExxonMobil seized the high ground for a brief time in 2013.) Alphabet would become the 12th company to rise to the most valuable spot, according to Standard & Poor's. BGP Financial analyst Colin Gillis believes the potential changing of the guard reflects a wider recognition that Alphabet is fostering a "culture of innovation" while Apple has lost some of its magic since the October 2011 death of co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs. "I no longer see a sense of urgency at Apple," Gillis said. Alphabet could surpass Apple's market value early next week after it releases fourth-quarter earnings on Monday. Investors expect a big quarter after Google's closest competitor in digital ads, Facebook Inc., announced that its revenue soared 52 percent in the period. Of course, Apple isn't just rolling over. It's reportedly working on new products such as self-driving cars, virtual reality and Internet TV that could conceivably re-ignite its revenue growth as could any resurgence in the iPhone itself. Alphabet has shown no signs of letting up on Google's grip in Internet search or its expansion into other markets. Agents seized luxury cars, watches from illegal pot grow DENVER (AP) Federal prosecutors want to take ownership of luxury cars, homes, watches and more than 1,000 pot plants seized from marijuana growers accused of illegally cultivating pot and sending it to Florida, a case authorities say represents the growing problem of illegal drug traffickers seeking a safe haven in Colorado's flourishing marijuana industry. A forfeiture lawsuit filed Thursday involves a case in which 20 people, many of them Cuban, were accused of buying properties in rural southern Colorado to illegally grow pot. The group would then drive or ship the marijuana to Florida, where it can sell for more than double what it fetches in a legal Colorado shop, according to court documents. U.S. Attorney John Walsh has said the case illustrates the trend of illegal traffickers growing weed among the state's sanctioned pot warehouses and farms, then covertly shipping it elsewhere and pocketing millions of dollars from the sale. In many cases, drug dealers make no effort to comply with the state's pot laws. The court filings offer a glimpse into how lucrative such an enterprise can be. When investigators raided the properties in September, they found more than $30,000 in cash, Rolex watches, 28 firearms, 50 pounds of dried pot, more than 1,000 plants and hundreds of pieces of growing equipment. None of the 14 people whose names were included in the forfeiture filings had employment histories in Colorado, and some of them had criminal backgrounds that included drug trafficking, according to the court filings. The documents also highlight the complexity of such investigations. This probe took more than a year, with authorities relying on evidence that included electric bills from the properties, because marijuana grows require large amounts of electricity. The accused drug dealers racked up massive electrical bills, especially compared to the properties' previous owners, the documents show. Herpes outbreak puts Phoenix racetrack under quarantine PHOENIX (AP) A Phoenix racetrack's horses remained under quarantine Friday as officials worked to get the upper hand on an equine herpes outbreak that has infected more than a dozen horses in New Mexico. One horse had to be euthanized this week at Turf Paradise in north Phoenix, manager Vincent Francia said. The horse was one of three that arrived Jan. 20 from Sunland Park, New Mexico. The other two are under isolation for 21 days. So far, they show no signs of the virus. A quarantine warning is displayed outside the horse racing track at Turf Paradise, Friday, Jan. 29, 2016, in Phoenix. Turf Paradise has euthanized one horse and is quarantining two others in the wake of a herpes outbreak that surfaced in New Mexico.(AP Photo/Matt York) When the facility first learned horses in Sunland Park were testing positive for the virus, the three horses were tested. Francia said a nasal swab came back negative for all three and the animals seemed fine. Then one, a mare, was suddenly unable to stand Wednesday. She eventually had to be put down. The horse was sent to a lab in Tucson for testing. Though the results won't be available for a week, Turf Paradise staff immediately enacted measures to disinfect anything that comes in contact with the horses. "We got very aggressive," Francia said. "This virus is so easily transferable from human to horse." Workers have been sanitizing everything in stable stalls including the walls, tack supplies and even water buckets. Even the starting gates have had to be cleaned. Jockeys will have to use Chlorox wipes on their hands and disinfect their riding boots after each race. Only essential personnel such as veterinarians will be allowed in the stables, Francia said. Turf Paradise currently houses 1,700 horses and will continue to hold races as scheduled. However, no horses will be allowed to leave or enter the facility for the duration of the quarantine. Even if nothing turns up under the quarantine, Turf Paradise will likely not accept horses from New Mexico for the foreseeable future. "It's not because we're trying to be tough with New Mexico," Francia said. "But the situation (in Sunland Park) on a daily basis keeps getting worse." Officials at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino say they have temporarily suspended all races because of the outbreak. So far, 18 horses have tested positive for the equine virus. Of those animals, one was euthanized. On Friday night, Oaklawn Racing & Gaming of Hot Springs, Arkansas, announced that is has banned from its racetrack all horses from New Mexico and Arizona or those that have been in these states since Jan. 1 because of the outbreak. The company also said that racetrack employees from New Mexico and Arizona "including, but not limited to jockeys, grooms, farriers and trainers" will not be allowed on the grounds until they have been cleared by the racetrack stewards. "We are being overly cautious because our main concern is for the safety of the horses currently stabled on our grounds," Director of Racing David Longinotti said in a statement. A horse is quarantined at Turf Paradise horse track, Friday, Jan. 29, 2016, in Phoenix. Turf Paradise has euthanized one horse and is quarantining two others in the wake of a herpes outbreak that surfaced in New Mexico.(AP Photo/Matt York) The infield of the horse racing track at Turf Paradise is shown, Friday, Jan. 29, 2016, in Phoenix. Turf Paradise has euthanized one horse and is quarantining two others in the wake of a herpes outbreak that surfaced in New Mexico.(AP Photo/Matt York) The quarantined stalls are shown behind the horse racing track at Turf Paradise, Friday, Jan. 29, 2016, in Phoenix. Turf Paradise has euthanized one horse and is quarantining two others in the wake of a herpes outbreak that surfaced in New Mexico.(AP Photo/Matt York) A horse is quarantined at Turf Paradise horse track, Friday, Jan. 29, 2016, in Phoenix. Turf Paradise has euthanized one horse and is quarantining two others in the wake of a herpes outbreak that surfaced in New Mexico.(AP Photo/Matt York) The finish line of the horse racing track at Turf Paradise is seen, Friday, Jan. 29, 2016, in Phoenix. Turf Paradise has euthanized one horse and is quarantining two others in the wake of a herpes outbreak that surfaced in New Mexico.(AP Photo/Matt York) The starting gates beside the horse racing track at Turf Paradise sit idle, Friday, Jan. 29, 2016, in Phoenix. Turf Paradise has euthanized one horse and is quarantining two others in the wake of a herpes outbreak that surfaced in New Mexico.(AP Photo/Matt York) Patrons watch simulcast horse racing at Turf Paradise Friday, Jan. 29, 2016, in Phoenix. Turf Paradise has euthanized one horse and is quarantining two others in the wake of a herpes outbreak that surfaced in New Mexico.(AP Photo/Matt York) The horse racing track grandstands are empty at Turf Paradise, Friday, Jan. 29, 2016, in Phoenix. Turf Paradise has euthanized one horse and is quarantining two others in the wake of a herpes outbreak that surfaced in New Mexico.(AP Photo/Matt York) Monks delivered via Amazon as role of Japanese temples fade YACHIYO, Japan (AP) In Japan, where communal ties to local Buddhist temples are fading, families have in recent years been able to go online to find a Buddhist monk to perform funerals and other rituals. But when Amazon Japan allowed a provider to offer "Obo-san bin," or "Mr. Monk Delivery," on its website, it shone a spotlight on the emerging trend and prompted a major Buddhist organization to criticize the Internet marketer of commercializing religion. A basic plan for monk, transportation and a donation offered by the Tokyo-based provider, Minrevi Co., one of dozens of emerging budget companies, costs 35,000 yen ($300). Three other options are available for more money. The monks would typically go to a home, funeral hall or a grave to perform the requested ceremony. In this Jan. 28, 2016 photo, a laptop monitor shows Obo-san bin, or Mr. Monk Delivery, tickets which can be ordered at the home and kitchen section of Amazon.co.jp. in Tokyo. In Japan, where communal ties to local Buddhist temples are fading, families have in recent years been able to go online to find a Buddhist monk to perform funerals and other rituals. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) "Such a thing is allowed in no other country in the world. In this regard, we must say we are disappointed by an attitude toward religion by Amazon," Akisato Saito, director of the Japan Buddhist Association, said in a statement. Many Japanese, however, welcome the service as a consumer-friendly approach to Buddhist rituals, whose cost is often perceived as murky and overpriced. Buddhist-style memorial services offered by temples comparable to the "monk delivery" could cost as 100,000 yen ($830). Funerals are even more expensive and can cost well over 1 million yen ($8,500). Monk delivery services have emerged as many of Japan's 75,000 temples are losing offerings and business with hereditary members in their communities which traditionally have been the main source of financial support. That is threatening the survival of many temples in rural areas. In fact, some experts predict that the majority of Japanese temples without income from tourism and other businesses are expected to close over the next several decades. Minrevi spokesman Jumpei Masano says the service seems to attract those who want to have Buddhist funerals but are uneasy about pricing system, and want to keep their distance from temples. "Many people don't have ties with temples and they have no idea where and how to arrange Buddhist rituals, while monks are increasingly concerned about their declining temple membership," Masano said. "We can cater to the needs on both sides and hopefully we can bring them together." Some monks acknowledge that the growing business highlight the Buddhist temples' complacency and their failure to reach out and adapt to the people's needs. "We do understand there are criticisms of us as well and we take them seriously. And we must ask ourselves if and how we can change," said Hanyu Kakubo, public relations secretary for the Japan Buddhist Association. When Yutaka Uematsu's 17-year-old son Kakeru died just over a month ago after battling cancer, he searched on the Internet for a funeral service provider. Uematsu didn't consider asking his father's family temple as he had heard the prices charged for a family member's funeral were "outrageous." So he and his wife went to the Minrevi website and picked for their son a package at a price less than half or even cheaper than an average, conventional service. "Honestly, the cost was my biggest concern," Uematsu said. "I liked its price system that was simple and clear." At first, he was worried about the quality of the service he might get, but that wasn't a problem. A 24-hour customer service line was also helpful for the couple emotionally devastated by the loss of their son. While it didn't offer counseling services, representatives could be reached regarding funeral details at any time, helping them feel more at ease during a painful time. Uematsu also arranged the traditional 49th-day posthumous ritual for his son using the same service. Amazon declined to comment, saying it's only renting the space to Minrevi to promote the service, which offers only for monk delivery and a separate 20,000-yen ($170) charge for a posthumous Buddhist title, not funeral packages. Minrevi, whose orders for the monk delivery service has tripled over the past five years, said Internet-based inquiries and phone calls surged after it placed the service on Amazon. More surprisingly, some 100 monks came forward to register for the delivery service. The company already has contracts with 400 monks nationwide, said Masano, the spokesman. Kaichi Watanabe, the 40-year-old monk dispatched to a memorial ceremony for the Uematsu family recently, said he had been looking ways to perform rituals to earn a living and meet more people to share Buddha's teachings. His elder brother had succeeded the temple founded by their grandfather, also a monk, in Fukushima prefecture, so Watanabe had to go elsewhere. About a year ago, he found Minrevi and signed a contract. "Today, nobody comes to temples asking for us to perform funerals for their parents," Watanabe said in an interview before the service, at which he chanted in front of an altar decorated with chrysanthemum flowers and Kakeru's photo in a black frame. "I'm hoping that a service like this, a brainchild of the Internet age, could make Buddhist temples a more approachable place for everyone." "There is no point being a monk," he said, "if we can't offer a helping hand when someone needs us." In this Jan. 24, 2016 photo, Buddhist monk Kaichi Watanabe stands in front of an alter for a memorial ceremony for a family member of the Uematsu family at a funeral hall in Yachiyo, east of Tokyo. In Japan, where communal ties to local Buddhist temples are fading, families have in recent years been able to go online to find a Buddhist monk to perform funerals and other rituals. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) In this Jan. 24, 2016 photo, a Buddhist monk Kaichi Watanabe speaks to the Uematsu family who lost a family member during a memorial ceremony at a funeral hall in Yachiyo, east of Tokyo. In Japan, where communal ties to local Buddhist temples are fading, families have in recent years been able to go online to find a Buddhist monk to perform funerals and other rituals. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) In this Jan. 24, 2016 photo, a Buddhist monk Kaichi Watanabe speaks to the Uematsu family who lost a family member during a memorial ceremony at a funeral hall in Yachiyo, east of Tokyo. In Japan, where communal ties to local Buddhist temples are fading, families have in recent years been able to go online to find a Buddhist monk to perform funerals and other rituals. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) In this Jan. 24, 2016 photo, Buddhist monk Kaichi Watanabe speaks to the Uematsu family who lost a family member during a memorial ceremony at a funeral hall in Yachiyo, east of Tokyo. In Japan, where communal ties to local Buddhist temples are fading, families have in recent years been able to go online to find a Buddhist monk to perform funerals and other rituals. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) In this Jan. 24, 2016 photo, Buddhist monk Kaichi Watanabe performs rituals for the Uematsu family who lost a family member during a memorial ceremony at a funeral hall in Yachiyo, east of Tokyo. In Japan, where communal ties to local Buddhist temples are fading, families have in recent years been able to go online to find a Buddhist monk to perform funerals and other rituals. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) In this Jan. 24, 2016 photo, a Buddhist monk Kaichi Watanabe speaks to the Uematsu family who lost a family member during a memorial ceremony at a funeral hall in Yachiyo, east of Tokyo. In Japan, where communal ties to local Buddhist temples are fading, families have in recent years been able to go online to find a Buddhist monk to perform funerals and other rituals. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) In this Jan. 24, 2016 photo, a member of the Uematsu family performs rituals for their lost reative during a memorial ceremony at a funeral hall in Yachiyo, east of Tokyo. In Japan, where communal ties to local Buddhist temples are fading, families have in recent years been able to go online to find a Buddhist monk to perform funerals and other rituals. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) China will accelerate the construction of a 1,629-kilometer Sichuan-Tibet railway starting this year, heads of the two regions' governments confirmed. 1,629-km line perched on high mountains to be complete in early 2030s "The government will start a preliminary survey and research of the Kangting-Lyingchi railway project this year, and accelerate the construction of Sichuan-Tibet railway in the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) period," Losang Jamcan, chairman of the Tibet autonomous region government, said at the fourth session of the 10th People's Congress of Tibet in Lhasa on Wednesday. Yin Li, acting governor of Sichuan, sent out similar message in the fourth session of the 12th People's Congress of Sichuan in Chengdu earlier. The railway connecting Lhasa and Chengdu will be divided into three sections from west to east: Lhasa-Lyingchi, Lyingchi-Kangting, and Kangting-Chengdu. Nearly 1,000 km of it will be in Tibet. Construction of the west and the east sections began last year. The whole project is expected to be completed in the early 2030s. Perched at over 3,000 meters above sea level, and with more than 74 percent of its length running on bridges or in tunnels, the railway will meander through the mountains, the highest of which is over 7,000 meters. It will cross the major rivers Minjiang, Jinshajiang and Yarlung Zangbo, said Lin Shijin, a senior civil engineer at China Railway Corp. "The accumulated height it will climb reaches more than 14,000 meters, and it will cross many fault zones," he added. "It's like the largest rollercoaster in the world. With a designed service life of 100 years, it is believed to be one of the most difficult railway projects to build on Earth." "It will cost at least 100 million yuan ($15.87 million) per kilometer, similar to the cost of high-speed railways on plains," said Zhao Jinxue, a rail construction risk appraiser with an insurance company in Chengdu. The Sichuan-Tibet railway presents its builders multiple difficulties to overcome, such as avalanches, landslides, earthquakes, terrestrial heat, karst caves and underground streams, Lin said. "Yet, it is still a worthwhile project." To travel from Chengdu to Lhasa currently takes 42 hours by train and three days by road. The rail line will shorten the travel time to less than 15 hours. "I hope the railway can be finished as quickly as possible. Then, I'll take the train back home. It is more economical, safer and comfortable than airplanes," said Qiao Liang, a Chengdu businessman in Lhasa, who regularly commutes between the two places. The southeast is the most populous region in Tibet, and the west of Sichuan is the least developed region of the province. The two regions are filled with breathtaking natural views and fascinating ethnic cultures. "The railway will effectively boost tourism, and bring a new Shangri-La to the world and tangible revenue to local people," said He Ping, a tourism agency manager in Chengdu. Obama forced again to rethink troop numbers in Afghanistan WASHINGTON (AP) Fifteen years into the war that few Americans talk about any more, conditions in Afghanistan are getting worse, preventing the clean ending that President Barack Obama hoped to impose before leaving office. Violence is on the rise, the Taliban are staging new offensives, the Islamic State group is angling for a foothold and peace prospects are dim. Afghanistan remains a danger zone. It's hobbled by a weak economy that's sapping public confidence in the new government. Afghan police and soldiers are struggling to hold together the country 13 months after the U.S.-led military coalition culled its numbers by 90 percent. FILE - In this Dec. 25, 2013 file photo, U.S. troops gather in to Wardak province, eastern Afghanistan. Conditions in Afghanistan are getting worse, 15 years into a war that few Americans talk about any more. Thats preventing the clean ending that President Barack Obama hoped to impose before leaving office. Violence is on the rise, the Taliban are staging new offensives, the Islamic State group is angling for a foothold and peace prospects are dim. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul, File) The bottom line: For a second time, Obama is rethinking his plan to drop U.S. troop levels from 9,800 to 5,500 before he leaves office in January 2017. "I don't see any drawdowns" in the near future, said James Dobbins, Obama's former special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan. He predicted Obama would leave the decision to the next president. "They are just hoping that things hold together and they won't have to face a decision on whether to actually implement the force reduction they're talking about until late summer, early fall, by which time the administration will be on its last legs," Dobbins said. Top military officials, as well as Republicans and Democrats in Congress, think that trimming the force any more during Obama's presidency is a bad idea. Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Thursday that Afghanistan was in a "crisis situation." Initially, Obama announced plans to reduce the force to 5,500 troops by the end of last year, and to 1,000 by the end of 2016. Last fall, Obama changed his mind, saying the situation remained too fragile for the American military to leave. He announced plans to keep the current force of about 9,800 in place through most of 2016 to perform not in an offensive combat role but to continue counterterrorism missions and advise Afghans battling a resurgent Taliban. It's been a tough year on the Afghan battlefield. Afghan soldiers and policemen bankrolled by $4.1 billion in U.S. taxpayer money fought virtually on their own last year for the first time since the U.S. invasion in 2001. NATO officials have told The Associated Press that Afghan troops are displaying prowess yet suffering sustained heavy casualties 28 percent higher in 2015 than before the international combat mission ended in December 2014. Lt. Gen. John "Mick" Nicholson, Obama's pick to be the next top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, said at his Senate confirmation hearing Thursday that the Afghan security forces have "more than held their own against the insurgency," but are not yet "self-sustainable." Asked whether the U.S. effort in 2015 had resulted in gains or losses, Nicholson replied: "The Taliban came at the Afghan security forces more intensely than perhaps we anticipated. Because of that, we did not make the advances we ... thought we would make." When U.S. and other foreign troops left on an announced schedule, the Taliban pounced. Last fall, they briefly seized Kunduz, a city of 300,000 in northern Afghanistan. It marked the militants' first capture of a major city since before the U.S.-led invasion and was marred by the mistaken U.S. strike on a charity hospital run by Doctors Without Borders, killing 42 people. Hamdullah Mohib, Afghanistan's ambassador to the United States, acknowledged that Kunduz was a setback. But he said it also reminded Afghans what life was like under the Taliban. "They don't want to return to that," he said. In the south, Afghan army units have been engaged in fierce fights with the Taliban for months in Helmand province, where militants sow more than $3 billion a year in opium revenue. The Afghan army in Helmand has been plagued by incompetence and corruption. The Afghan military recently fired and replaced top Afghan army leaders there. Also in the south, U.S. and Afghan forces last year killed 150 to 200 al-Qaida members in a large training camp, complete with tunnels, that was discovered in neighboring Kandahar province, another militant stronghold. A current Afghan official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, acknowledged the army's many setbacks this year, but said the Taliban had sought to achieve major victories after the U.S.-led coalition announced it would end its combat mission on Dec. 31, 2015. Instead, they failed to retake huge swaths of land, the official said. FILE - In this Jan. 20, 2016 file photo, Afghan security forces inspect the site of a suicide attack near the Russian embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. Conditions in Afghanistan are getting worse, 15 years into a war that few Americans talk about any more. Thats preventing the clean ending that President Barack Obama hoped to impose before leaving office. Violence is on the rise, the Taliban are staging new offensives, the Islamic State group is angling for a foothold and peace prospects are dim. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul, File) FILE - In this Dec. 22, 2015 file photo, Afghan security forces patrol in Nad Ali district of Helmand province, Afghanistan. Conditions in Afghanistan are getting worse, 15 years into a war that few Americans talk about any more. Thats preventing the clean ending that President Barack Obama hoped to impose before leaving office. Violence is on the rise, the Taliban are staging new offensives, the Islamic State group is angling for a foothold and peace prospects are dim. (AP Photos/Abdul Khaliq, File) Army Lt. Gen. John Nicholson Jr. testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016, before the the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on his nomination to become the next top American commander in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Cash flow could be issue for 4 GOP contenders seeking boost WASHINGTON (AP) Money may be growing tight for four Republican presidential hopefuls clustered under Donald Trump and Ted Cruz just when they're about to need it the most. Financial reports coming out Sunday will show who began the year with enough cash to put their long-range campaign plans into motion. For Chris Christie, Jeb Bush and John Kasich, the aim is a strong showing in New Hampshire on Feb. 9 that power-boosts them deep into primary season. Marco Rubio's imperative is to do well enough in the first four states to vote that he can make a sustained climb in the weeks that follow. That sort of long slog would be costly because it involves travel around the two dozen states that hold contests on or before March 15. And some of those states, including Virginia, Florida and Ohio, have expensive advertising markets. In this Jan. 29, 2016, photo, Republican presidential candidate, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush speaks during a campaign event at Greasewood Flats Ranch in Carroll, Iowa. Money may be growing tight for four Republican presidential hopefuls clustered under Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, just when theyre about to need it the most. Financial reports coming out Jan. 31 will reveal who began the year with enough cash to put their long-range campaign plans into motion. For Chris Christie, Bush and John Kasich, the aim is a strong showing in New Hampshire on Feb. 9 that power boosts them deep into primary season. Marco Rubios imperative is to do well enough in the first four states to vote that he can make a sustained climb in the weeks that follow. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) "If you're going to proceed after New Hampshire, you're absolutely going to need considerable funds," said Fred Malek, who has helped four decades of Republican presidential candidates raise money. "The pace of the primaries builds up rapidly. It's far better to already have the cash on hand rather than have to ramp up." The financial health of the campaigns of Christie, Kasich, Bush and Rubio is critically important because they're competing not only with each other, but with Trump, a billionaire who has vowed to spend whatever it takes to win, and Cruz, who began the year with $19 million in the bank an amount that probably exceeds most of his rivals. The foursome is considered to be competing for mainstream Republicans in a campaign that has seen Trump and Cruz most effectively tap populist anger and disdain for the establishment. In addition to the candidates, the outside political groups known as super PACs helping them must turn in progress reports on their fundraising and spending Sunday. Stanley Hubbard, a billionaire Minnesota broadcast executive, said he's poised to write a large check to a super PAC backing any one of his preferred candidates, Rubio, Christie and Bush, among others. "If we get someone who really has a chance of doing something, I'm ready," he said. "Someone just needs to rise to the top." Asked if he is confident anyone will have enough money to compete with Trump or Cruz, he said: "No, I do not feel confident. But I'm hopeful." There are signs that Rubio, a Florida senator, could be facing a cash crisis. After his campaign began leasing corporate jets and hiring dozens of additional employees at the end of the year, it recently downsized its advertising plans in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, according to advertising tracker Kantar Media's CMAG. His campaign said it would air a 30-minute Rubio town hall over the weekend on several Iowa TV stations. Federal broadcast filings show that sets him back at least $12,000. On Friday, Rubio acknowledged the obvious, telling reporters he's not going to be the candidate with the most campaign cash. He also said he believes his campaign has spent money wisely, building up staffing slowly and trimming the ad buy to save money. For Bush, the budget crunch arrived in October, when a fundraising shortfall combined with the realization that the primary could last well into 2016 prompted him to narrow what had been a large national campaign to focus squarely on New Hampshire. "It's super hard to raise money," said Anthony Scaramucci, a New York-based top fundraiser for Bush. "We've knuckled down to the new reality." But he said the Bush finance team is working furiously and "generating cash every day for the campaign." Judging by their ad buys, Christie and Kasich haven't been reaping much contributor cash, either. Even as they barnstorm New Hampshire, they've each spent only about $500,000 on commercials there, CMAG shows. That's less than retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who has paid little mind to New Hampshire. Christie campaign strategist Mike DuHaime said he expects "a new influx" of cash if Christie performs well in New Hampshire and at least some of his competitors drop out. But under several scenarios, all four candidates could think they've done well enough to continue on. Come Sunday, fundraising reports answer the question which of the four is best financially prepared to do so. As of Sept. 30, the last time the campaigns had to report, Christie had collected $4.2 million for the year, Kasich $4.4 million, Rubio $15.5 million and Bush $24.8 million. Previous filings also hinted at a fundraising challenge facing them: They're struggling to connect with low-dollar donors who can give again and again, replenishing campaign treasuries if the candidates survive deep into the primaries. For Christie, Bush and Kasich, people giving $200 or less were barely a blip in their fundraising totals. About 20 percent of Rubio's operation is supported that way, compared with 42 percent of Cruz's. That could be why all four lean heavily on super PACs to communicate with voters through paid media. While campaigns can raise no more than $2,700 from each donor for the primaries, super PACs can and do take million-dollar checks. These outside groups have accounted for almost 90 percent of the $129 million in radio and television ads aired by the four establishment Republicans, according to CMAG. But super PACs can only do so much, as Scott Walker and Rick Perry can attest. Both had well-funded outside efforts in their corner, but folded up their presidential bids when their campaigns couldn't raise enough money to keep going. __ Associated Press writers Chad Day in Washington, Jill Colvin in Iowa City, Iowa, and Steve Peoples in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed to this report. __ Follow Julie Bykowicz on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/bykowicz In this Jan. 27, 2016, photo, Republican presidential candidate, Ohio Gov. John Kasich speaks during a town hall meeting in Davenport, Iowa. Money may be growing tight for four Republican presidential hopefuls clustered under Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, just when theyre about to need it the most. Financial reports coming out Jan. 31 will reveal who began the year with enough cash to put their long-range campaign plans into motion. For Chris Christie, Jeb Bush and Kasich, the aim is a strong showing in New Hampshire on Feb. 9 that power boosts them deep into primary season. Marco Rubios imperative is to do well enough in the first four states to vote that he can make a sustained climb in the weeks that follow. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) In this Jan. 20, 2016, photo, Republican presidential candidate, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks during a campaign stop at Gilbert H. Hood Middle School in Concord, N.H. Money may be growing tight for four Republican presidential hopefuls clustered under Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, just when theyre about to need it the most. Financial reports coming out Jan. 31 will reveal who began the year with enough cash to put their long-range campaign plans into motion. For Chris Christie, Jeb Bush and John Kasich, the aim is a strong showing in New Hampshire on Feb. 9 that power boosts them deep into primary season. Marco Rubios imperative is to do well enough in the first four states to vote that he can make a sustained climb in the weeks that follow. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) PICTURED: A selection of pictures from the past week Highlights from the weekly AP photo report, a gallery featuring a mix of front-page photography, the odd image you might have missed and lasting moments our editors think you should see. This week's gallery features girls reading the Quran, Islam's holy book, at a local madrassa, or seminary, in Karachi, Pakistan; a student protester demanding the resignation of the education minister in New Delhi, India; and a model wearing a creation for Maison Margiela's Spring Summer 2016 Haute Couture fashion collection in Paris. ___ Girls read the Quran, Islam's holy book, at a local madrassa (seminary) in Karachi, Pakistan, on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan) This gallery contains photos published Jan. 23-Jan. 29, 2016. See the latest AP photo galleries: http://apne.ws/TXeCBN The Archive: Top photo highlights from previous weeks: http://apne.ws/13QUFKJ ___ Follow AP photographers on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AP/lists/ap-photographers Follow AP Images on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AP_Images Visit AP Images online: http://www.apimages.com http://www.apimages.com/ ___ This gallery was produced by Patrick Sison in New York. A student shouts slogans demanding the resignation of the education minister as she is detained by police during a protest against the death of student Rohith Vemula in New Delhi, India, on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016. Vemula and four others were barred from using some facilities at their school in the southern technology hub of Hyderabad. Protesters accused Hyderabad University's vice chancellor and two federal ministers of unfairly demanding punishment for the five lower-caste students after they clashed in 2015 with a group of students supporting the governing Hindu nationalist party. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri) A model wears a creation for Maison Margiela's Spring Summer 2016 Haute Couture fashion collection presented in Paris on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016. (AP Photo/Zacharie Scheurer) An Andean woman wearing traditional clothing applies mascara before the carnival in Ayacucho, Peru, on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016. The carnival in the Andean region of Peru begins at the same the time farmers plant their crops. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia) Palestinian militants from the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, a military wing of Hamas, pray by the bodies of seven Hamas members killed repairing a tunnel, during their funeral at a mosque in Gaza City, on Friday, Jan. 29, 2016. Hamas has built a sophisticated network of tunnels that it has used to penetrate Israel to carry out attacks on civilians and soldiers. Israel destroyed dozens of the tunnels in the war with the militant group in Gaza in 2014. (AP Photo/Adel Hana) Headstones are covered with snow at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016. A blizzard with hurricane-force winds brought much of the East Coast to a standstill Saturday. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) An Afar boy walks through failed crops and farmland in Magenta area of Afar, Ethiopia, on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016. Crops have failed and farm animals have been dying amid a severe drought that has left Ethiopia appealing for international help to feed its people. (AP Photo/Mulugeta Ayene) Daniele Ferreira dos Santos holds her son, Juan Pedro, as he undergoes an exam at the Altino Ventura foundation in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil, on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016. Santos was never diagnosed with Zika, but she blames the virus for her sons defect and for the terrible toll it has taken on her life. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) The Capitol in Washington is seen at sunrise on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) A look at federal cases on handling classified information WASHINGTON (AP) News that Hillary Clinton's home email server contained top-secret messages brings renewed attention to the security of her mail system and to the laws and regulations that control classified information. The new disclosure, and the question of whether it exposes her to more serious legal problems, was certain to escalate political heat on the Democratic presidential candidate ahead of Monday's Iowa caucuses, the first contest on the 2016 nominating calendar. FBI Director James Comey, whose agency is looking into the setup of the server, has said only that the investigation is being conducted without regard for politics. Officials have given no public hint as to when or how the probe will be finished. FILE - In this March 5, 2015, file photo, cables are connected to a server capable of handling an email server at the Washington bureau of The Associated Press. News that Hillary Clintons home email server contained top-secret messages brings renewed attention to the security of her mail system and to the laws and regulations that control classified information. The new disclosure, and the question of whether it exposes her to more serious legal problems, was certain to escalate political heat on the Democratic presidential candidate just days before the first ballots are cast in Iowa in the 2016 nominating process. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick, File) Stephen Vladeck, an American University law professor and national security law expert, said it would be a stretch, based on what's now known, to think Clinton could be charged under existing statutes for her behavior. The few relevant laws on the books almost certainly weren't written with this situation in mind. "This is an area where the government tends not to test the margins too often," Vladeck said. It's not uncommon for workers with access to classified material to mishandle it, and by far the bulk of those cases don't attract the attention of federal prosecutors. But when the Justice Department does pursue a case, it often relies on a statute that bars the unlawful removal and retention of classified documents. That low-level charge, meant for cases in which defendants improperly hold onto information that they know to be classified, carries a fine and maximum yearlong prison sentence and is reserved for people who have "really, really screwed up," Vladeck said. Other, more serious laws make it a crime to knowingly disclose classified information to someone not authorized to receive it, and threaten punishment for anyone who through "gross negligence" allows national defense information to be removed from its proper place of custody. Each case that's resulted in prosecution has unique facts, making comparisons difficult, but investigators invariably take into account questions of knowledge, potential damage to national security, who sent, received or stored the information, and whether the material was classified at the time of transmission. Some examples of past cases concerning classified information: DAVID PETRAEUS The best-known recent prosecution involves the former CIA director who pleaded guilty last year to a misdemeanor count of unlawful removal and retention of classified materials. He was spared prison as part of his plea and was given two years' probation by a judge who faulted him for a "serious lapse in judgment." The retired four-star Army general admitted that he loaned his biographer, Paula Broadwell, with whom he was having an affair, eight binders containing highly classified information regarding war strategy, intelligence capabilities and identities of covert officers. FBI agents seized the binders from an unlocked desk drawer at his home, instead of a secure facility that's required for handling classified material. One critical distinction is that while Clinton has repeatedly said she didn't send or receive anything that was classified at the time something the State Department now says it's investigating the Petraeus plea deal makes clear that he knew the information he provided was classified. He told Broadwell in a recording revealed by prosecutors that the binders had "code-word stuff in there." When questioned by the FBI, he denied having given Broadwell classified information, though he avoided being charged with making a false statement. The outcome drew accusations of a double standard for senior brass from defense lawyers who asserted that their less-influential clients wouldn't have been treated with such leniency. ___ JOHN DEUTCH Deutch was CIA director from May 1995 until December 1996. He came under Justice Department investigation after his resignation when classified material was found on his home computer in Maryland. An internal CIA investigation found that he stored and processed hundreds of files of highly classified material on unprotected home computers that he and family members also used to connect to the Internet, making the information potentially vulnerable to hackers. A report by the Defense Department inspector general found that Deutch had failed to follow "the most basic security precautions" and faulted him for rejecting Pentagon requests that security systems be installed on his home computers. Deutch apologized for his actions and was pardoned by President Bill Clinton before the Justice Department could file a misdemeanor plea deal for mishandling government secrets. ___ SANDY BERGER Berger was the national security adviser during Bill Clinton's second term. After leaving office, he found himself in trouble for destroying classified documents. Berger, who died in December at age 70, pleaded guilty in 2005 to illegally sneaking classified documents from the National Archives by stuffing papers in his suit. He later destroyed some of them in his office and lied about it. The materials related to terror threats in the United States during the 2000 millennium celebration. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of unauthorized removal and retention of classified material, and though he avoided prison time, he lost access to classified material for three years. A judge fined him $50,000, higher than the amount recommended by prosecutors. Berger called his actions a lapse in judgment that came as he was preparing to testify before the Sept. 11 commission that examined the events leading up to the 2001 attacks. "I let considerations of personal convenience override clear rules of handling classified material," he said at the time. ___ BRYAN NISHIMURA Nishimura, a former Naval reservist in Afghanistan in 2007 and 2008 and a regional engineer for the U.S. military, was investigated for downloading and storing classified information on his personal electronic devices. Prosecutors say he carried the materials with him off-base in Afghanistan and took classified Army records to his home in Folsom, California, after his deployment ended. His lawyer, William Portanova, said Nishimura never intended to break the law but was a "pack rat" who thought nothing of warehousing Army records at home alongside personal belongings. FBI agents who searched his home found classified military records, both in hard copy and digital form. Nishimura also admitted to investigators that he had destroyed some of the information. Nishimura pleaded guilty in July to unauthorized removal and retention of classified materials. A judge fined him $7,500, and he was ordered to surrender his security clearance. The violation was a technical and unintentional one, Portanova said, but one that the Justice Department nonetheless thought it needed to punish "to make its point." ____ Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP Sri Lanka ex-strongman's son detained in money case COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) A Sri Lankan court on Saturday ordered a son of the country's former strongman leader detained during an investigation into money laundering allegations, an official said. Yoshitha Rajapaksa, a navy officer and the second son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, was arrested by financial crimes investigators after being questioned over his involvement in the management of a private television company and money laundering allegations that arose from it, police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said. The judge ordered the younger Rajapaksa held for 14 days, Gunasekara said. Yoshitha Rajapaksa, son of former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa shows hand cuffs to the media as he is taken away in a prison bus from a magistrate court in Kaduwela, outskirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. Sri Lanka's police on Saturday arrested the son of the country's former strongman leader over an alleged financial offense, an official said. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) He said Rohan Weliwita, media secretary to the former president, and former Sri Lankan cricketer and cricket administrator Nishantha Ranatunga were also arrested on the same allegations. Yoshitha is the second member of the once-powerful family since Rajapaksa unexpectedly lost the election last year to be arrested for alleged offenses committed during his presidency. A brother who was a former government minister was arrested earlier and charged with misusing state funds. The former president, his brothers and elder son were powerful in the government while Yoshitha was influential in the navy after enrolling to encourage youth to fight in the civil war against Tamil separatists. The military's victory ended the civil war in 2009. The Latest: Aunt of drowned 3-year-old makes emotional plea ANKARA, Turkey (AP) The Latest on Europe's migrant crisis (all times local): 9:30 p.m. The aunt of a drowned Syrian boy whose death last year put a human face on the suffering of Syrian refugees says she's heartbroken to see new photographs of the body of another dead boy lying face down on a Turkish beach. The lifeless bodies of migrants lay on the shoreline near to the Aegean town of Ayvacik, Canakkale, Turkey, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. A boat carrying migrants to Greece hit rocks off the Turkish coast on Saturday and capsized, killing at least 33 people, including five children, officials and news reports said. Some 75 other migrants were rescued. A Turkish government official said he expects the death toll from the incident to rise as rescue workers try to reach other migrants believed trapped inside the wreckage of the boat which sank shortly after departing from the Aegean resort of Ayvacik. (AP Photo/Halit Onur Sandal) Tina Kurdi says the world "should not forget" her nephew, 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi, who drowned last September with his mother and older brother trying to reach Greece, and the other young children who are dying every day. She says, "We have to stop the war or this won't stop. Children dying. ... No more Aylans dying please. It just breaks my heart." Kurdi spoke to the AP from the hair salon she recently opened in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia. ___ 8:55 p.m. German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she expects many of the refugees who have flooded into Germany from war-torn countries like Syria to eventually return home once the hostilities end. Speaking Saturday to members of her Christian Democratic Party in the northeastern city of Neubrandenburg, Merkel said that many of the 1.1 million asylum seekers who entered Germany last year would return home, as was Germany's experience with refugees from the Balkans did in the 1990s, the dpa news agency reported. She says "we expect that if there's peace again in Syria, if IS is defeated in Iraq, then they will return to their homelands with the knowledge they have gained here." ___ 8:10 p.m. Police in the port of Dover on the English Channel say there were arrests and injuries connected to a protest organized by far-right groups opposed to immigration into Britain. The demonstration by the National Front and the South East Alliance was met with a counter-rally organized by two groups of opponents: Dover Stand Up to Racism and the Kent Anti-Racism Network. A strong police deployment largely kept the peace but there was pushing and shoving throughout the day. Some bricks and smoke bombs were thrown. Kent Police said a total of nine people were arrested, including one at an incident at a highway service station that was believed to be linked to the protests. More than 20 weapons were recovered, including a knife, brass knuckles and pieces of wood, glass, hammers and bricks, police said. One person suffered a broken arm and five others sustained minor injuries at the rallies. In addition, six other people suffered "non life threatening" injuries at the service station incident. ___ 5:35 p.m. German media are reporting the country's intelligence agencies enlisted the help of 850 asylum seekers as informants for more than a decade. Der Spiegel and the dpa news agency reported Saturday that the asylum seekers were used to provide information between 2000 and 2013 to the domestic intelligence agency known as the BfV and the foreign spy service BND. Both cited a report to Parliament presented in response to an official query by the opposition Left Party. Left Party member Martina Renner suggested to dpa that the asylum seekers might have informed in an attempt to help their own cases, likening the now-ended practice to extortion and saying it is "fully unacceptable in a democracy." She says the value of any information obtained would have been questionable. ___ 5:20 p.m. Activists opposed to overcrowded conditions at a migrant detention center in the Spanish city of Barcelona are holding a rally calling on authorities to dismantle the facility. More than 1,000 protesters marched Saturday to the prison-like center situated between the city's port and international airport and delivered speeches calling for the permanent closure of the fenced-in compound, one of nine currently used in Spain. The "Close the Immigrant Detention Center" movement that organized the protest said in a statement that Barcelona should be "a city without borders that guarantees freedom of movement for all people," without what it called "prisons, raids or deportations." Those detained are part of a migration wave from Africa to Europe, with thousands risking their lives in the quest for a better life in Europe. ___ 4 p.m. Paramilitary police on Turkey's coast with Lesbos have begun to place victims in black body bags as their corpses wash ashore. Among the dead seen by journalists is a young boy. The state-run Anadolu news agency says the death toll in Saturday's latest migrant boat sinking has risen to 39. Officials at the government offices for Turkey's Canakkale district say the death toll has risen above the previously announced figure of 33, but are declining to offer a new specific figure as coast guard vessels and diving units continue to search the sea. Photographers at the scene say police have taken some survivors to a local hospital for treatment for hypothermia and other injuries, other survivors into detention for questioning. ___ 3:20 p.m. Chancellor Angela Merkel says new measures being adopted by her government should help slow the flow of migrants into Germany, but that a European-wide solution is still needed. Merkel told CDU party members at a meeting in the northeastern city of Neubrandenburg on Saturday that such a solution must include the reliable protection of the European Union's external borders and a fair distribution of asylum seekers among its member states, the dpa news agency reported. She rejected calls by some to restrict Europe's so-called Schengen area of passport-free travel, saying "the price for a country to fully seal itself off, if that's even possible, would mean a decline in the economic dynamic for a nation like Germany." Merkel's coalition reached a deal Thursday to streamline handling the migrant influx. ___ 11:55 a.m. A Turkish government official says rescue workers are trying to reach a submerged migrant-packed boat that sank Saturday shortly after it departed for Greece but he expects the death toll of 33 to rise. Saim Eskioglu, deputy governor for Turkey's Canakkale province, says the 17-meter (56-foot) vessel carrying more than 100 people "hit rocks soon after it left the coast and, unfortunately, it sank." The Canakkale coast lies barely 8 kilometers (5 miles) north of the Greek island of Lesbos. "We believe there are more dead bodies inside the boat," he told CNN-Turk television. Coast guard officials earlier reported 75 people were rescued. ___ 11:15 a.m. Swedish police say a group of masked men have been questioned after they distributed anti-migrant leaflets in the center of the capital, Stockholm. Police spokeswoman Towe Hagg says officers detained four men Friday night after leaflets urging Swedish citizens to organize illegal protests against suspected refugees were handed out. She says one man was charged with assaulting a police officer, while the others were charged with being masked in public illegal in Sweden and with causing a public disturbance. All risk fines. Sweden, one of the top destinations for asylum-seekers in Europe, received a record 160,000 arrivals last year. The country has experienced a sharp drop in newcomers since photo ID checks were introduced this month. ___ 11:05 a.m. Turkish coast guards say 33 migrants have drowned while trying to cross the Aegean Sea and reach the Greek island of Lesbos, one of the most popular gateways for entry into the European Union. In a statement the coast guard says nine victims were trapped inside the capsized craft as patrol boats collected 75 survivors and continued to search the waves for others. A private Turkish news agency, Dogan, says police have arrested a Turkish man suspected of being the smuggler who organized Saturday's disastrous sea crossing. ___ 10:45 a.m. Turkey's state-run news agency says at least 33 people, including five children, have drowned in the Aegean Sea after their Greece-bound boat capsized off the Turkish coast. Anadolu Agency says coast guards rescued 75 others from the sea Saturday near the resort of Ayvacik en route to the Greek island of Lesbos. The agency has identified the survivors as natives of Afghanistan, Syria and Myanmar. The International Organization for Migration says 218 people have died this year while trying to cross by sea from Turkey to Greece. Turkey is hosting an estimated 2.5 million refugees from Syria. In November, Turkey agreed to fight smuggling networks and stem the flow of migrants into Europe. In return, the EU has pledged 3 billion euros ($3.25 billion) to help improve the refugees' conditions. A Turkish paramilitary police officer holds the lifeless body of a migrant boy near the Aegean town of Ayvacik, Canakkale, Turkey, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. A boat carrying migrants to Greece hit rocks off the Turkish coast on Saturday and capsized, killing at least 33 people, including five children, officials and news reports said. Some 75 other migrants were rescued. A Turkish government official said he expects the death toll from the incident to rise as rescue workers try to reach other migrants believed trapped inside the wreckage of the boat which sank shortly after departing from the Aegean resort of Ayvacik. (AP Photo/Halit Onur Sandal) The lifeless body of a migrant boy lies on the beach near the Aegean town of Ayvacik, Canakkale, Turkey, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. A boat carrying migrants to Greece hit rocks off the Turkish coast on Saturday and capsized, killing at least 33 people, including five children, officials and news reports said. Some 75 other migrants were rescued. A Turkish government official said he expects the death toll from the incident to rise as rescue workers try to reach other migrants believed trapped inside the wreckage of the boat which sank shortly after departing from the Aegean resort of Ayvacik.(AP Photo/Halit Onur Sandal) A Turkish paramilitary police officer holds the lifeless body of a migrant boy near the Aegean town of Ayvacik, Canakkale, Turkey, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. A boat carrying migrants to Greece hit rocks off the Turkish coast on Saturday and capsized, killing at least 33 people, including five children, officials and news reports said. Some 75 other migrants were rescued. A Turkish government official said he expects the death toll from the incident to rise as rescue workers try to reach other migrants believed trapped inside the wreckage of the boat which sank shortly after departing from the Aegean resort of Ayvacik.(AP Photo/Halit Onur Sandal) The dead body of a migrant boy lies on the beach near the Aegean town of Ayvacik, Canakkale, Turkey, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. A boat carrying migrants to Greece hit rocks off the Turkish coast on Saturday and capsized, killing at least 33 people, including five children, officials and news reports said. Some 75 other migrants were rescued. A Turkish government official said he expects the death toll from the incident to rise as rescue workers try to reach other migrants believed trapped inside the wreckage of the boat which sank shortly after departing from the Aegean resort of Ayvacik.(AP Photo/Halit Onur Sandal) The dead body of a migrant boy lies on the beach near the Aegean town of Ayvacik, Canakkale, Turkey, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. A boat carrying migrants to Greece hit rocks off the Turkish coast on Saturday and capsized, killing at least 33 people, including five children, officials and news reports said. Some 75 other migrants were rescued. A Turkish government official said he expects the death toll from the incident to rise as rescue workers try to reach other migrants believed trapped inside the wreckage of the boat which sank shortly after departing from the Aegean resort of Ayvacik.(AP Photo/Halit Onur Sandal) Turkish paramilitary police officers stand near a dead body of a migrant on the beach near the Aegean town of Ayvacik, Canakkale, Turkey, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. A boat smuggling migrants to Greece slammed into rocks off the Turkish coast on Saturday and capsized, killing at least 33 people, including five children, officials and news reports said. Some 75 other migrants were rescued. A Turkish government official said he expects the death toll from the incident to rise as rescue workers try to reach other migrants believed trapped inside the wreckage of the boat which sank shortly after departing from the Aegean resort of Ayvacik. (AP Photo/Halit Onur Sandal) The remains of the boat that was carrying migrants seen off the shore near the Aegean town of Ayvacik, Canakkale, Turkey, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. A boat carrying migrants to Greece hit rocks off the Turkish coast on Saturday and capsized, killing at least 33 people, including five children, officials and news reports said. Some 75 other migrants were rescued. A Turkish government official said he expects the death toll from the incident to rise as rescue workers try to reach other migrants believed trapped inside the wreckage of the boat which sank shortly after departing from the Aegean resort of Ayvacik.(AP Photo/Halit Onur Sandal) Turkish paramilitary police officers collect the dead body of a migrant from the beach near the Aegean town of Ayvacik, Canakkale, Turkey, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. A boat carrying migrants to Greece hit rocks off the Turkish coast on Saturday and capsized, killing at least 33 people, including five children, officials and news reports said. Some 75 other migrants were rescued. A Turkish government official said he expects the death toll from the incident to rise as rescue workers try to reach other migrants believed trapped inside the wreckage of the boat which sank shortly after departing from the Aegean resort of Ayvacik.(AP Photo/Halit Onur Sandal) The lifeless bodies of migrants lay on the shoreline near the Aegean town of Ayvacik, Canakkale, Turkey, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. A boat carrying migrants to Greece hit rocks off the Turkish coast on Saturday and capsized, killing at least 33 people, including five children, officials and news reports said. Some 75 other migrants were rescued. A Turkish government official said he expects the death toll from the incident to rise as rescue workers try to reach other migrants believed trapped inside the wreckage of the boat which sank shortly after departing from the Aegean resort of Ayvacik.(AP Photo/Halit Onur Sandal) Turkish paramilitary police officers collect the dead body of a migrant boy from the beach near the Aegean town of Ayvacik, Canakkale, Turkey, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. A boat carrying migrants to Greece hit rocks off the Turkish coast on Saturday and capsized, killing at least 33 people, including five children, officials and news reports said. Some 75 other migrants were rescued. A Turkish government official said he expects the death toll from the incident to rise as rescue workers try to reach other migrants believed trapped inside the wreckage of the boat which sank shortly after departing from the Aegean resort of Ayvacik.(AP Photo/Halit Onur Sandal) Turkish paramilitary police officer holds the dead body of a migrant boy from the shoreline near the Aegean town of Ayvacik, Canakkale, Turkey, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. A boat carrying migrants to Greece hit rocks off the Turkish coast on Saturday and capsized, killing at least 33 people, including five children, officials and news reports said. Some 75 other migrants were rescued. A Turkish government official said he expects the death toll from the incident to rise as rescue workers try to reach other migrants believed trapped inside the wreckage of the boat which sank shortly after departing from the Aegean resort of Ayvacik.(AP Photo/Halit Onur Sandal) Turkish paramilitary police officers collect the dead body of a migrant child from the shoreline near the Aegean town of Ayvacik, Canakkale, Turkey, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. A boat carrying migrants to Greece hit rocks off the Turkish coast on Saturday and capsized, killing at least 33 people, including five children, officials and news reports said. Some 75 other migrants were rescued. A Turkish government official said he expects the death toll from the incident to rise as rescue workers try to reach other migrants believed trapped inside the wreckage of the boat which sank shortly after departing from the Aegean resort of Ayvacik.(AP Photo/Halit Onur Sandal) A protester holds a placard against detention camps, outside a migrant detention center demanding the closing of the facilities in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. Around 1,000 people gathered outside the immigration detention center in Barcelona, which is currently empty due to renovation, calling for the closure of the institution and freedom for the migrant detainees. In Spain, there are a total of nine immigration detention centers (CIE for Centros de Internamiento de Extranjeros) spread all over the country. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) Protesters sit in front of a migrant detention center demanding the closing of the facilities in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. Around 1,000 people gathered outside an immigration detention center in Barcelona, which is currently empty due to renovation, calling for the closure of the institution and freedom for the migrant detainees. In Spain, there are a total of nine immigration detention centers (CIE for Centros de Internamiento de Extranjeros) spread all over the country. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) A migrant holds a placard outside a migrant detention center during a protest in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. Around 1,000 people gathered outside an immigration detention center in Barcelona, which is currently empty due to renovation, calling for the closure of the institution. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) Clinton campaigns with Giffords, focuses on gun control AMES, Iowa (AP) Hillary Clinton campaigned Saturday with gun-control advocates Gabby Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly, trying to draw a contrast between her push for stricter laws with rival Bernie Sanders' record. "How can we continue to ignore the toll that this is taking on our children and our country?" Clinton said. "When you go to caucus Monday night please think of this." Giffords, the former Democratic congresswoman from Arizona, was gravely wounded in a shooting five years ago in Tucson. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, center, accompanied by former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords, second from right, and her husband Mark Kelly, right, arrives for a rally at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Clinton wants caucus-goers to make gun control a "voting issue." She has tried to portray Sanders as a National Rifle Association ally by citing his votes against a waiting period for gun purchases and for granting gun manufacturers legal immunity. Sanders now supports efforts to repeal that immunity and says he's been a tough opponent of the pro-gun lobby. Syrian migrants in Russia wait to cross tightening border MURMANSK, Russia (AP) Outside Maher al-Masihi's rooms in the Arctic city of Murmansk, the snow is deep and the temperature far below freezing. He pulls out a smartphone and gazes at a map of Syria, where the weather is sunny and balmy. The weather aside, he is happy to be in Russia and frightened he'll be forced back to Syria. "We cannot go back. There's a big war in our village, near our house," he says. But al-Masihi and his family of four may be living on borrowed time in Russia. He had hoped to follow the path of thousands of other Syrians who had entered Western Europe via Russia, many of them crossing into Norway, which had been accepting asylum-seekers without visas. In this photo taken Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016, Syrian refugee Nihad Sadder, left, and his family pose for a photo in Murmansk, Russia. When Nihad Sadder and his family set out four months ago, they planned on traveling to Norway via Russia to avoid the risky Mediterranean sea crossing. Now, the family is stranded in the Russian Arctic city of Murmansk, held up by bureaucracy and border control. (AP Photo/Roman Stepanovich) Then Norway tightened its restrictions on allowing asylum-seekers to enter, and is looking at deporting some of those who have already arrived via Russia. Meanwhile, the tourist visas that al-Masihi and his family used to enter Russia have expired and Russia can force them to leave within 15 days. Now, he said, "We are trying to go to Finland, just to be safe." Trying the Russia route has been crushingly expensive for al-Masihi, who said it cost about $20,000 in all for him and his family. A friend, Nihad Sadder, who is in Murmansk with three family members, said he spent $18,000. "I sold my car in Syria. I sold everything," said al-Masihi, who was a telecommunications engineer at home. He said he and Sadder decided the expense was better than the risks of the perilous journey that many other Syrian migrants have taken a sea crossing to Greece followed by land journey up the Balkans. Crossing the sea in small boats is risky and criminals prey on the migrants. "That route is dangerous. A lot of men from our village are dead" after unsuccessfully trying to cross the sea, said Sadder, who worked in a cafe and owned a watch shop. "Before the war, we were in a good situation," al-Masihi said. While asylum seekers are technically still allowed to enter Norway via Russia, the Norwegian government has begun to deport migrants with valid work or residency permits in Russia, something that has frightened off many would-be asylum seekers. Russia has also stopped allowing asylum seekers without a valid visa to cross the border to Norway. Determined to make it through to Europe, al-Masihi and his family changed their planned route once in Murmansk, and now plan to try to go to Finland rather than Norway. But bureaucratic processes have prolonged many refugees' stays in Russia. Some asylum seekers may wait from two weeks to a month to reach the Finnish border waiting for permission to approach border crossing points with Finland that are located beyond a Russian military zone. As a result, hotels along the road from Murmansk to Finland are packed with waiting refugees. So far this January, 468 asylum seekers have already crossed the border from Russia to Finland, according to the Finnish border service. Housing in local hotels is sometimes provided free of charge by a local nongovernment organization that helps foreigners in the Murmansk region, though several refugees told The Associated Press they had to pay for hotels. Al-Masihi looks at his phone frequently. Not for the maps to see how far they have come or to mourn the home he left behind, but to check if a message has finally come in saying it's his family's turn to cross into Europe. ---= Associated Press writers Katherine Jacobsen and Jim Heintz in Moscow contributed to this story. Swiss release 2 Syrians after no terrorism links found BERLIN (AP) Swiss prosecutors say they have released two Syrians taken into custody in December after finding no evidence to support suspicions they had been transporting explosives. The two men were taken into investigative custody Dec. 11 after authorities said they found possible traces of explosives in their car at a road checkpoint in Geneva. Federal prosecutors in Bern, the Swiss capital, said in a statement Saturday that forensics testing had failed to back up that suspicion. The two, whose names weren't released, also were investigated for possible terrorist links but no evidence was found. Roadside bombing kills 3 officers in eastern Afghanistan KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) An Afghan official says at least three members of the security forces have been killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in eastern Afghanistan. Gen. Abdul Habib Sayedkhaili, the Kunar provincial police chief, said on Saturday the dead include the police chief and intelligence chief of Sarkano district. Two police officers were also wounded in the attack, he says. Sayedkhaili said four insurgents were killed and another three wounded in a gun battle in the district earlier Saturday. Kunar is a particularly volatile region of eastern Afghanistan where Taliban-led insurgents have intensified their attacks on Afghan security forces. Mr. Janos Pasztor, Assistant Secretary-General on Climate Change, speaks to media at the United Nations headquarters in New York, Jan. 29, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday announced the appointment of Janos Pasztor of Hungary as senior adviser to the UN secretary-general on climate change. In his new role, Pasztor will support the efforts of the secretary-general to mobilize world leaders and all sectors of society to implement the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement, reached in the French capital by the end of last year, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters here. "The secretary-general expresses his deep gratitude for Mr. Pasztor's dedicated service and leadership over the past quarter of a century with the United Nations on the key global challenges of climate change, energy and sustainability," Dujarric said. Also on Friday, the secretary-general announced the appointment of a group of 10 experts to support the Technology Facilitation Mechanism, which was launched at the UN Sustainable Development Summit on Sept. 25, 2015. The Technology Facilitation Mechanism (TFM) is meant to support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a set of 17 targets adopted by world leaders in September 2015 in a bid to end poverty, achieve gender equality, fight inequalities and tackle climate change. "The 10-member group consists of representatives of civil society, the private sector and the scientific community," the spokesman said. "They will advise the UN Inter-agency Task Team, in particular on preparations for the annual meetings of the multi-stakeholder forum and on support for the development and operationalization of the online platform." A Cruz-Rubio feud flares in Iowa closer MANCHESTER, Iowa (AP) As if hearing Marco Rubio's footsteps creeping up on him, Ted Cruz directed much of his final advertising against the Florida senator in the frenzied weekend prelude to the Iowa caucuses, feeding a Republican feud that turned increasingly bitter before voters have their first say in the 2016 presidential race. Considered to be vying with front-runner Donald Trump for Iowa victory Monday, Cruz denounced the next in line, according to polls, sharply challenging Rubio's conservative credentials on the airwaves while ignoring him face to face with Iowans. One ad said darkly of Rubio: "Tax hikes. Amnesty. The Republican Obama." "The desperation kicks in," Rubio said in response to Cruz. "From my experience, when people start attacking you it's because you're doing something right." Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., listens to a supporter while greeting the crowd after a rally Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016, in Council Bluffs, Iowa. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) On the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders implored Iowa supporters Saturday to get on their feet in two days and convert their monthslong infatuation with his upstart campaign against Hillary Clinton into actual votes. That call to action was echoed by Democratic and Republican hopefuls alike as they worked to motivate Iowans to attend the caucuses. Trump, the showman of the Republican race and its front-runner, made a dramatic entrance to a Dubuque rally as his jet flew low over a hangar half-filled by the waiting crowd and music played from the movie "Air Force One." There was more drama inside, as a small group of protesters interrupted him and Trump joined the crowd in chanting "USA" to drown out the discord. He asked security to "get them out" but "don't hurt them." Iowa offers only a small contingent of the delegates who will determine the nominees, but the game of expectations counts for far more than the electoral math in the state. Campaigns worked aggressively to set those expectations in their favor (meaning, lower them) for Iowa, next-up New Hampshire and beyond. Asked whether Rubio could win or come second, his senior strategist Todd Harris laughingly responded with an obscenity and said the goal in Iowa is third, behind the flamboyant Trump and the highly organized Cruz. "There's no question we are feeling some wind at our back," he told The Associated Press. But, he added, "It's very hard to compete with the greatest show on earth and the greatest ground game in Iowa history. So we feel very confident that what we need to do here is finish a strong third. I don't care what any of the polls say, Ted Cruz is going to win this caucus." With that, he tried to set expectations so that if Rubio finishes better than third, it can be proclaimed a great performance and if Cruz doesn't win, it will be seen as a great failure. In the last major preference poll before the caucuses, Trump had the support of 28 percent of likely caucus-goers, with Cruz at 23 percent and Rubio at 15 percent. The Iowa Poll, published by The Des Moines Register and Bloomberg, also found Clinton with 45 percent support to Sanders' 42 percent. The poll of 602 likely Republican caucus-goers and 602 likely Democratic caucus-goers was taken Tuesday to Friday and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. Cruz's campaign was challenged by Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate over a mailer sent to potential voters that seemed designed to look like an official notice warning recipients about "low expected voter turnout in your area." The mailer refers to a "voting violation" and grades the recipient's voting history and that of several neighbors, citing public records. Pate said Cruz's campaign "misrepresents Iowa election law." There's "no such thing as an election violation related to frequency of voting," he said, and insinuating otherwise is "not in keeping in the spirit of the Iowa caucuses." Cruz brushed off the fuss. "I will apologize to nobody for using every tool we can to encourage Iowa voters to come out and vote," he said. In Charles City, Iowa, a testy Sanders accused Clinton of misrepresenting his positions. He cited an ad from her campaign that says she would defend Planned Parenthood, "not attack it," and implies he has taken on the organization that offers contraceptive and abortion services. The ad, without naming him, also says she would "build on Obamacare," not start over, and stand up to the gun lobby, "not protect it," all swipes at the senator. Sanders slammed the "idea that I am attacking Planned Parenthood when I have a 100 percent lifetime voting record for Planned Parenthood" and bristled at the implication that he's not for tougher gun laws. "Let's debate those differences of opinion, but let's not go around distorting a record that I am very proud of," he said. Clinton has worked assiduously to avoid a repeat of 2008, when then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama scored a surprise win in Iowa, she dropped to third and her days as the prohibitive favorite for the nomination faded. She faced the prospect of escalating political heat from revelations Friday that the private email server she used when she was Obama's first secretary of state contained top-secret messages that should have remained within proper, secured channels. That heat was coming from Republicans; Sanders earlier declared the email flap a nonissue in his mind. But at a Sanders rally in Manchester, Iowa, Ruth Lewin, a retired grocery store clerk and child care provider, said the latest news about Clinton's emails reinforced why she will be caucusing for Sanders on Monday. "It's a matter of honesty, integrity along with other issues I have about her," Lewin said. "When you get $600,000 for a speaking engagement, I mean that's more than I've made in my entire lifetime." And Sanders? "I believe he's like we are," she said. ___ Bauer reported from Ames, Iowa. Associated Press writers Steve Peoples, Lisa Lerer, Tom Beaumont and Catherine Lucey in Iowa and Julie Bykowicz in Washington contributed to this report. Candace Richarei, of Burlington, Ill., cheers as Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a campaign rally, on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks during a campaign event, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., pauses for a moment while speaking at a rally Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016, in Council Bluffs, Iowa. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) NYC pilot program aims to foster greater school diversity NEW YORK (AP) Gentrification has been coming fast to Brooklyn's Crown Heights neighborhood. The influx of wealthier, white residents is being reflected in the hallways of Public School 705. The elementary school is still half black and more than a quarter Hispanic, but Principal Sandra Soto has seen enough change to worry that P.S. 705 was on the cusp of a phenomenon that has occurred elsewhere in the city, where poorer, minority children disappear as their families are priced out of the neighborhood. "The next thing you know I have a whole slew of middle-class white families," she said, while black and Hispanic families are left feeling, "Here we go. We're marginalized again." Now, P.S. 705 and six other New York City schools are part of a pilot program that will let them change their admissions policies to try and maintain some rare diversity in a school system that has been labeled one of the most segregated in the nation. Instead of drawing only from their enrollment zones, schools in the pilot program will set aside a portion of their seats for low-income students and those who are learning English. At P.S. 705, also known as the Brooklyn Arts and Science Elementary School, 20 percent of seats would be set aside for English language learners and children in the child-welfare system. "Your child is going to be in a classroom with children who are different from them," Soto told parents during a tour this month, in between fielding questions about the school's fencing program and its chess club. That's not always the case. The city's 1.1 million public school students are 40 percent Hispanic, 28 percent black, 15 percent Asian, 15 percent white and 2 percent other. But this ethnic mix is not spread evenly. Many schools are almost 100 percent black and Hispanic, while others are mostly Asian or white. A 2014 report by the Civil Rights Project at UCLA concluded that New York's public schools are the most segregated in the nation. The problem is partly due to where people can afford to live. New York may be a melting pot, but its neighborhoods still break down along racial and socioeconomic lines. Maintaining diversity by reserving seats for black or Hispanic students would not survive a challenge under the 2007 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down school integration efforts in Seattle, Washington and Louisville, Kentucky. But using a category like English language learners or students whose families are being monitored by a social worker would be permitted, Soto was told, so she is preparing to welcome some of those students to her fall 2016 kindergarten and pre-kindergarten classes. Backers hope the pilot diversity program will be expanded if it can chip away at the status quo. "Students learn from the diverse experiences and cultures of their fellow students, and it's important that our schools match the diversity of our city," Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina said in announcing the program in November. Opposition to the pilot program could come from parents who live near one of the schools but whose children don't get a seat because low-income kids and recent immigrants take precedence. Education officials are treading carefully after drawn-out battles in the past year over attempts to redraw school zones in two neighborhoods where families said they bought their homes so they could send their children to a favored school. Believers in school integration say research shows all children benefit. In the 2014 UCLA report on New York's segregated schools, authors John Kucsera and Gary Orfield said segregation "has strong and lasting impacts on students' success in school and later life." New York is not alone in wrestling with school diversity. A San Francisco Chronicle series found a steep rise in segregation after San Francisco instituted citywide school choice in 2011. The UCLA group that issued the New York segregation study has reported widespread school segregation throughout California as well as in Illinois, Pennsylvania and elsewhere. Amy Stuart Wells, a professor of sociology and education at Teachers College at Columbia University who studies school diversity, said American educators could use policies like magnet schools and targeted recruitment to reduce segregation. She praised the New York principals who pushed for the diversity pilot for grappling with the issue. The Latest: Trump gives money to veterans charity DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) The Latest on the 2016 race for president on the final weekend of campaigning before Monday's leadoff Iowa caucuses (all times local): 9:10 p.m. Donald Trump has presented a $100,000 check to a charity that provides service dogs to wounded veterans. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump distributes a check to Puppy Jake during a campaign event at the Adler Theater, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016 in Davenport, Iowa. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) The money is the first disbursement of the $6 million that Trump says he raised Thursday night at an event he staged after deciding to boycott the last GOP debate before the Iowa caucuses because of a spat with Fox News. Representatives from the Puppy Jake Foundation accepted the check in a photo op Saturday night at the Adler Theater in Davenport, Iowa, where Trump was interviewed on stage by Jerry Falwell Jr. The evangelical leader and president of Liberty University endorsed Trump last week. Falwell says it's "unbelievable" to see "a presidential candidate on the campaign trail giving money away." 9 p.m. Bernie Sanders is addressing a large audience at the University of Iowa, imploring young people to help him prove his critics wrong. Sanders says he needs a large voter turnout to defeat Hillary Clinton in Monday's caucuses and most pundits don't expect young people to participate. Sanders asks the crowd, "How would you like to make the pundits look dumb on election night?" The event features a concert by Vampire Weekend and Sanders and his wife, Jane, joined the band on stage after his speech and sang along in a cover of Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land." 8:10 p.m. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is defending a campaign mailer that Iowa's secretary of state says misrepresents election law. The mailer bills itself as a "voting violation" notice and tells the recipient it's been sent due to "low expected voter turnout in your area." It then grades the recipient's voting history and that of several neighbors, citing public records. Cruz told reporters in Sioux City, Iowa, on Saturday that the mailing is "routine." He says he won't apologize for "using every tool we can" to encourage Iowa residents to vote. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate says in a statement that there's "no such thing" as an election violation related to voting frequency and that insinuating otherwise is "not in keeping in the spirit of the Iowa Caucuses." ___ 8 p.m. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz says he's "thrilled" with the state of the Republican presidential race two days before the Iowa caucuses. Cruz said before a Saturday town hall in Sioux City, Iowa, that he remained hopeful front-runner Donald Trump would accept his invitation for a one-on-one debate. Cruz said "Duck Dynasty" star Phil Robertson, who's campaigning with Cruz, brought along a duck call normally used for hunting to try to lure Trump to the stage. Cruz also downplayed a new preference poll showing him just trailing Trump two days before the caucuses. He says "if you had told me a year ago that two days out from the Iowa caucuses we would be neck and neck effectively tied for first place in the state of Iowa, I would have been thrilled." ___ 7:15 p.m. Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. is touting Donald Trump's good deeds and family values to Iowa voters. Falwell says the often braggadocios Trump doesn't boast about many of the charitable things he's done. He told of how Trump once paid off the mortgage of a couple who stopped to help Trump when his limo broke down on the side of the road. The son of televangelist Jerry Falwell endorsed Trump last week after Trump delivered a convocation speech at Liberty. He gave a similar introduction then. Falwell Jr. says the country needs a businessman, not a career politician, as a leader. He compared electing a president to choosing a doctor for your child. He says the goal is to choose the best doctor, who "may not be a doctor that goes to your church." ___ 6:05 p.m. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is accusing rival Hillary Clinton of misrepresenting his record. Sanders said during a Saturday stop in Charles City, Iowa, that a Clinton ad in which the former secretary of state says the nation should defend Planned Parenthood and "not attack it" implies Sanders has taken on the organization. Sanders says he has a "100 percent lifetime voting record for Planned Parenthood." He also says he has a D-minus grade from the National Rifle Association, so "don't tell me that I'm defending or protecting the gun lobby." Clinton's campaign has highlighted Sanders' vote for 2005 legislation that granted gun manufacturers immunity, and his vote against the Brady bill. ___ 5:50 p.m. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz doesn't like breakfast for lunch, and he's citing an egg meal he had at his daughter's school as a reason to abolish the Department of Education. Cruz was asked at a presidential campaign stop Saturday in Ida Grove, Iowa, if he could improve school lunches there. Cruz said he couldn't, but then drew cheers for saying he wants to abolish the U.S. Department of Education and leave decisions like what to serve for lunch to states and local school districts. Cruz says he recently had lunch his second-grade daughter's school and was served eggs and waffles. Cruz says he found that "bizarre." He also took a swipe at first lady Michelle Obama's push for healthier school meals. Cruz says when his wife is first lady "it means French fries are coming back to school." ___ 5:35 p.m. Donald Trump is urging Iowa voters to caucus Monday, even if an impending winter storm arrives early. Speaking to a Dubuque crowd Saturday, Trump said: "You're from Iowa. Are you afraid of snow?" The National Weather Service says snow is expected to start falling in the state close to midnight Monday. The caucuses are at 7 p.m. While the snow shouldn't hinder caucus attendees, the storm's timing complicate Tuesday travel for any candidates left in the state. Most will be seeking to quickly get to New Hampshire ahead of that state's Feb. 9 primary. ___ 5 p.m. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is infusing his closing argument to Iowans with Biblical references as his campaign visits some of the state's conservative strongholds. Cruz has made courting Iowa's evangelical Christians a cornerstone of his campaign and he has long tapped the Bible in his stump speech. At a stop Saturday at Darrell's Place in Hamlin, Iowa, Cruz urged his supporters to "awaken the body of Christ that we may pull back from the abyss." The line drew loud cheers from the western Iowa crowd. ___ 4:55 p.m. Bernie Sanders supporters from across the country are coming to Iowa to help the final push before the Feb. 1 caucuses. At the Des Moines headquarters for the Vermont senator's insurgent presidential campaign Saturday, volunteers made calls and had training to prepare to out and knock on voters' doors. Many people decked out in Sanders buttons said they came in from out of town for the weekend. Some drove in from Chicago or St. Louis; 21-year-old Emily Isaac used her college graduation gift money to fly in from California along with her 52-year-old mother and 18-year-old brother. Isaac says she wanted to do whatever she could because "it's so important that Bernie win Iowa." ___ 4:35 p.m. Sen. Marco Rubio calls recent attacks by fellow senator and Republican presidential rival Ted Cruz a positive sign just days before the Iowa caucuses. Rubio told reporters before an appearance in Ames, Iowa, that "when people start attacking you, it's because you're something right." But Rubio, who has been polling in third place in Iowa behind Cruz and businessman Donald Trump, declined to say whether the development raises expectations for his finish Monday night. He says he's "just trying to get as many people to caucus for me as possible." While in Ames, Rubio took a rare, lighthearted jab at Trump whose name hadn't come up during earlier events Saturday. Saying he and other Republicans "obviously" have policy differences, Rubio quipped: "Or in the case of Donald, no policy." ___ 4:20 p.m. Sen. Bernie Sanders' campaign says it's discussing proposed spring debate sites with Democratic rival Hillary Clinton's campaign. Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver says in a statement that the Clinton campaign hasn't accepted debates his campaign proposed for March 3 in Michigan and April 14 in New York. Weaver says they "apparently agreed" to May 24 in California. Weaver notes that Clinton's campaign wants to debate in Flint, Michigan, which has battled with a lead-contaminated water crisis. He says Sanders is "pleased" to do so on March 3 before the Michigan primary, as long as Clinton will agree to one in Brooklyn, New York on April 14. The two campaigns have agreed to hold another presidential debate next week in New Hampshire, and three more in the spring. The national party hasn't yet signed off on the additional debates. 4 p.m. Iowa's Secretary of State says a recent mailer from Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz's campaign "misrepresents Iowa election law." The mailer bills itself as a "voting violation" notice and tells the recipient it's been sent due to "low expected voter turnout in your area." It then grades the recipient's voting history and that of several neighbors, citing public records. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate says in a statement that there's "no such thing as an election violation related to frequency of voting" and insinuating otherwise is "not in keeping in the spirit of the Iowa Caucuses." The bottom of the mailer says registration and voter history are public records "distributed by the Iowa Secretary of State and/or county election clerks." Pate's statement says his office "never 'grades' voters" and doesn't maintain caucus participation records. He notes state political parties not state or local election officials organize the caucuses. ___ 3:40 p.m. Donald Trump's daughter has released a YouTube video explaining how to caucus to Iowa voters. In the video posted Saturday, Ivanka Trump explains how voters can determine their caucus location, offering resources through Trump's campaign website and provided phone numbers. She also explains how to register at the caucus site. Ivanka Trump tells voters the Monday night process should take about half-an-hour, adding "you just write down the name Trump, and you are done." Ivanka Trump and her siblings have joined their father in Iowa, and she says in the video that they all will be out a various caucus locations Monday. ___ 3:10 p.m. Voters at several Hillary Clinton events say they're not concerned about the discovery of more than 20 "top secret" emails on Clinton's private email server. The State Department says it's not releasing some emails from Clinton's correspondence as secretary of state because the information they contain is too classified. Voter Jann Morales said ahead of a Davenport rally that she doesn't think the issue has "any relevance" to Clinton's ability to do the job of president. In a Saturday morning CNN interview, Clinton said that if "Republicans want to use this for political purposes, that's their decision, but I'm going to keep talking about what the voters in Iowa keep talking to me about." Clinton's campaign has called for the emails to be released. She insists she never sent or received information on her personal email account that was classified at the time. ___ 2:45 p.m. Hillary Clinton's campaign is calling for a Democratic debate to be held in Flint, Michigan, as the city copes with a lead-contaminated water crisis. Clinton's campaign has agreed with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' campaign to hold another presidential debate next week and the campaigns are discussing three more in the spring. The party hasn't yet signed off on additional debates. Clinton's campaign says in a Saturday statement that one of the later debates should be in Flint, to "use the spotlight of the presidential campaign" to highlight the struggles of that city and "too many other predominantly low-income communities of color across America." Clinton previously called Flint's water contamination "a civil rights issue" and said the response would have been more rapid if the situation had been in "a rich white suburb." More than half of Flint's 100,000 residents are black. ___ 2:20 p.m. Donald Trump made a dramatic entrance to a Dubuque, Iowa, rally, with his jet flying over a crowd gathered in an airport hangar as music from the movie "Air Force One" swelled. The hangar was about half-filled on a cold Saturday afternoon two days before the Iowa caucuses. Trump asked the children in the crowd to gather near the stage and said he would let them run through the plane after his remarks. Shortly after Republican presidential front-runner started speaking, a small group of protesters interrupted his remarks. Trump joined the crowd in chanting "USA!" to drown out the protests. He asked that security officials "get them out," adding "don't hurt them." ___ 2:10 p.m. Hillary Clinton is focusing on gun control during a campaign stop at Iowa State University with former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly. Giffords was gravely wounded in a mass shooting five years ago and has become a prominent gun control advocate. Though Clinton is not mentioning Democratic rival Sen. Bernie Sanders by name, her support for tougher gun restrictions is designed to cut an implicit contrast with his congressional record. The Vermont senator voted for 2005 legislation that granted gun manufacturers immunity, and against the Brady bill. Clinton remains in a tight race with Sanders ahead of Monday's Iowa caucuses. Senior staffers say they feel good about the first-in-the-nation voting. Chairman John Podesta says the campaign is "just going to work for every vote." ___ 1:50 p.m. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is bemoaning what he's calling "kitchen sink" attacks in the waning hours of the Iowa campaign, saying "that's what they throw at you." Campaigning in Iowa Saturday, Rubio focused heavily on Republican rival Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. Rubio accuses Cruz of deciding "to run a deceitful campaign." Cruz has directed all of his final-weekend advertising in Iowa at Rubio. One of Cruz's ads ends with the ominous quote: "Tax hikes. Amnesty. The Republican Obama." Rubio supports allowing immigrants in the U.S. illegally to stay with certain provisions, including no criminal background, but not until legislation to curb illegal immigration is enacted. Rubio has been polling in third place in Iowa behind Cruz and businessman Donald Trump, but has amassed enthusiastic crowds in Iowa's larger cities in recent days. ___ 1:40 p.m. Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad is continuing to make his presence known ahead of Monday's caucuses. A spokeswoman for Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's campaign says Branstad will introduce Christie at a Sunday event in West Des Moines. Samantha Smith says the campaign doesn't expect an endorsement. A Branstad spokesman didn't immediately return a call for comment. Branstad and Christie have had a close relationship for many years. Several former Branstad staffers work for Christie's campaign. The six-term Iowa governor typically doesn't endorse before the caucuses. He recently made headlines by publicly urging Iowans to support candidates other than Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Cruz opposes the federal renewable fuel standard, which requires a minimum amount of petroleum additives such as corn-based ethanol. Iowa leads the nation in ethanol production and is a leader in other renewable energy sources. ___ 1:30 p.m. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is steering clear of talking about his Republican rivals, even as his advertising against Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is intensifying. Cruz did not mention Rubio or Donald Trump during his first two of six campaign stops Saturday. Cruz did joke during a stop in Ames, Iowa, that the campaign has been "crazy" and "entertaining." He says, "I'm told next year Lady Gaga is going to run." Cruz got a boost at the event from conservative commentator Glenn Beck. Beck told the overflow crowd of hundreds that he'd never endorsed anyone for president before, but sees Cruz as a conservative who can be trusted to do what he promises. "Duck Dynasty" star Phil Robertson is scheduled to appear with Cruz at his final stop of the day in Sioux City, Iowa. ___ 1:10 p.m. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders may soon begin receiving Secret Service protection. The Department of Homeland Security says it has received an official request for Secret Service protection from the Sanders campaign. The agency did not provide any additional details on the Vermont senator's request, but it is an initial step for a presidential candidate to get the protection. The Sanders campaign is not commenting on the request. Sanders' Democratic rival Hillary Clinton has long had Secret Service protection as a former first lady. __ 12:50 p.m. The Democratic presidential campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have reached an agreement in principle to hold another presidential debate next week in New Hampshire and three more later this spring. Both campaigns say a final deal has not yet been reached and the Democratic National Committee has not signed off on the agreement. But the New Hampshire debate next Thursday would give Clinton and Sanders a high-profile encounter before the nation's first presidential primary. The agreement was first reported by BuzzFeed. Clinton and Sanders are in a tight race before Monday's Iowa caucuses and Clinton trails the Vermont senator in New Hampshire. Clinton has urged the DNC to add the televised forums while Sanders has been willing to appear at the proposed debate next week in exchange for three more debates later this spring. ___ 12:25 p.m. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is attacking the readiness of first-term Republican senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz to be president. Christie campaigned in a packed Cedar Rapids bar Saturday afternoon. The second-term governor says Rubio and Cruz have "never run anything in their life." He compared serving in the Senate to being in elementary school. Christie says that in both places, they tell people when to show up, where to sit and when to take recess. Says Christie: "Somehow, we're going to say the first executive position they ever have should be president of the United States?" ___ 12:10 p.m. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is kicking off the final weekend before the first-in-the-nation caucuses with a pitch to his Iowa supporters to make the rest of the nation follow their lead. Sanders says at an event in Manchester that the "eyes of America, in fact much of the world" will be on Iowa Monday. He says an election held today would be a "toss-up" against Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, calling the race "virtually tied." But Sanders says he'll win Monday night if there is a large turnout. He warns "we will lose the caucus" if turnout is low. The self-described democratic socialist says Iowa could be a model for the nation if "ordinary people working people, middle-class people, seniors, young people become involved." ___ 11 a.m. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is defending his call to repeal President Barack Obama's signature health care law. Cruz was confronted about the stance Saturday by an audience member at a campaign stop in Hubbard, Iowa. Voter Mike Valde told Cruz his brother-in-law couldn't afford health insurance until Obama's law, but by the time he went to a doctor he was dying and couldn't be saved. Cruz says health insurance is too expensive under the law and told Valde his brother-in-law could have gotten insurance earlier if he could have afforded it "but because of government regulations he couldn't." Valde said after the event that promising to repeal Obama's law is just a campaign slogan and he wanted to hear Cruz's plan for a replacement. Valde says he intends to caucus for Democrat Hillary Clinton. ___ 10:15 a.m. John Kasich says a situation involving lead-tainted water in an Ohio town is "not even comparable" to the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. The Ohio governor's comments came during a Saturday presidential campaign stop in New Hampshire in response to a voter question about elevated lead levels in the water in Sebring, Ohio. Residents in the town recently were told that high lead levels were found in drinking water last summer. Environmental regulators say the water system operator failed to notify the public, an allegation the plant superintendent denies. Kasich says Ohio's environmental regulators "sprung immediately into action," and took away the operator's license. He said a federal EPA administrator said the state EPA had taken steps beyond what's required. Kasich says, "we're on top of it and things are fine." Flint, Michigan, is under a public health emergency after its drinking water became tainted following a 2014 switch in the city's water source. ___ 9:45 a.m. On one of the last days before Iowans kick off the 2016 presidential contest with the state's caucuses, Ohio Gov. John Kasich is in New Hampshire. The Republican is focusing his efforts on the second state on the primary calendar. He says he's a candidate who can bring people together amid the increasingly nasty battle among his rivals. Speaking at a Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in Merrimack, Kasich says he plans to govern by forming coalitions to get things done. He says that includes working with Democrats. In a sign of that promise, Kasich told a voter concerned about climate change that he's committed to reducing carbon emissions. Climate change is an issue that few of his fellow Republican candidates see as a priority. Kasich will campaign in New Hampshire through the weekend and on Monday, the day of the Iowa caucuses. He says campaigning in New Hampshire is more manageable and he insists a strong finish in the state will bring new national interest to his candidacy. ___ 8:40 a.m. Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio is airing 30-minute television programs in every Iowa television market this weekend. Rubio is flying from Dubuque to Sioux City and other cities on Saturday as part of a busy weekend of campaigning heading into Monday's Iowa caucuses the first contest in the 2016 race for president. The TV programs will show excerpts of the town hall-style meetings Rubio has relied on in recent months, and especially in the days before the caucuses. Rubio's team has focused more on Iowa in the past several weeks. His campaign sees an opening to rise into the top tier of the GOP field alongside Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. The Florida senator has held more public events in Iowa since Thanksgiving than any other Republican. Erica Weri, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, holds a sign during a campaign rally with Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump waves to supporters as he arrives at a campaign rally at Clinton Middle School, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016, in Clinton, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a campaign rally at Delaware County Fairgrounds, on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016, in Manchester, Iowa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., center, talks to supporters after a rally Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016, in Council Bluffs, Iowa. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, right, accompanied by her daughter Chelsea Clinton, third from left, former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords, left, and her husband Mark Kelly, second from left, speaks during a rally at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Republican presidential candidate, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks during a town hall meeting, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016, in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) Hillary Clinton takes on Bernie Sanders over guns DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) Hillary Clinton campaigned Saturday with gun-control advocates Gabby Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly, trying to draw a contrast between her push for stricter laws with rival Bernie Sanders' record. "How can we continue to ignore the toll that this is taking on our children and our country?" Clinton said. "When you go to caucus Monday night please think of this." Giffords, the former Democratic congresswoman from Arizona, was gravely wounded in a shooting five years ago in Tucson. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, center, arrives for a rally at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Clinton wants caucus-goers to make gun control a "voting issue." She has tried to portray Sanders as a National Rifle Association ally by citing his votes against a waiting period for gun purchases and for granting gun manufacturers legal immunity. Sanders now supports efforts to repeal that immunity and says he's been a tough opponent of the pro-gun lobbying group. Former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords, center, and her husband Mark Kelly, left, take the stage for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, second from right, right, during a rally at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at a rally at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) ANKARA, Turkey (AP) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Moscow on Saturday that it would be forced to "endure the consequences" if its jets continue to violate Turkish airspace, after Ankara reported a new border infringement incident by a Russian plane. NATO-member Turkey said another Russian warplane violated its airspace on Friday despite several warnings two months after Turkey's military shot down a Russian jet for crossing over its territory. The past incident seriously strained the previously close ties between the two countries, damaging a strong economic partnership. "We regard this infringement which came despite all our warnings in Russian and in English as an effort by Russia to escalate the crisis in the region," Erdogan told reporters before departing on a Latin American tour. "If Russia continues the violations of Turkey's sovereign rights, it will be forced to endure the consequences." FILE - In this Oct. 22, 2015 file photo, a Russian Su-24 takes off on a combat mission at Hemeimeem airbase in Syria. Turkey said Saturday Jan. 30, 2016 that a Russian warplane SU-34 has again violated its airspace despite several warnings two months after Turkey's military shot down a Russian jet for crossing over its territory. (AP Photo/Vladimir Isachenkov, File) He did not specify what those consequences might be. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, denied that there was any violation of Turkey's airspace and called the Turkish statements "unsubstantiated propaganda." His statement was carried by state news agencies Tass and RIA Novosti. Erdogan said he attempted to reach Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the issue but that the Russian leader did not respond. "These irresponsible steps do not help the Russian Federation, NATO-Russia relations or regional and global peace," Erdogan said. "On the contrary they are detrimental." Turkey's Foreign Ministry said the Russian SU-34 crossed into Turkish airspace on Friday, ignoring several warnings in Russian and in English by Turkish radar units. It said Ankara summoned the Russian ambassador to the ministry Friday evening to "strongly protest" the violation. It was not clear where exactly the new infringement had occurred. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also called on Russia "to act responsibly and to fully respect NATO airspace" but also urged "calm and de-escalation" of tensions between Moscow and Ankara. "Russia must take all necessary measures to ensure that such violations do not happen again," he said in a statement. "NATO stands in solidarity with Turkey and supports the territorial integrity of our ally, Turkey." There was no immediate comment on the incident from Moscow. In November, Turkey shot down a Russian plane which violated its airspace near Syria, touching off a crisis between the two countries. It was the first time in more than half a century that a NATO nation had shot down a Russian plane. Turkey brought down the Russian Su-24 bomber near the border with Syria on Nov. 24, saying it violated its airspace for 17 seconds despite repeated warnings. Russia insists the plane never entered Turkish airspace. One pilot and a Russian marine of the rescue party were killed in the incident. The Russian military quickly sent missile systems to Syria and warned that it would fend off any threat to its aircraft. Moscow also punished Turkey by imposing an array of economic sanctions. Kids ask Hillary Clinton the darndest things DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Hillary Clinton is used to tough questions, but a recent query from a little girl actually moved her. Before about 700 people at Keota High School last month, the grade-schooler clutched the microphone during a town hall meeting and asked: "What are you going to do about all this bullying?" Encouraged by Clinton, the girl went on to say: "I have asthma and occasionally I've heard people talking behind my back about not wanting to be near me because I have asthma. I mean, people, it's not contagious." FILE - In this Dec. 22, 2015 file photo, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton gets a hug from fifth-grader Hannah Tandy during a town hall meeting at Keota High School in Keota, Iowa. Before about 700 people at Keota High School last month, the grade-schooler clutched the microphone during a town hall meeting and asked: What are you going to do about all this bullying? Clinton opened her arms for a hug, before telling the crowd that it was important to stand up to bullies wherever they are. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) Clinton opened her arms for a hug, before telling the crowd that it was "important to stand up to bullies wherever they are." In the long slog of campaigning, with multiple events and the same speeches and questions again and again, it was a memorable moment. Indeed, for Clinton, some of her standout points in the campaign have been when she gets personal with children who are prepared to speak up about everything from bullying to pet preferences. Critics question if such moments are staged, thus inauthentic. Clinton's team says no. Encounters with children allow her to get to a "deeper place" than potential voters may otherwise see, says spokesman Nick Merrill. Clinton's campaign events are typically professional and disciplined, though she often speaks about her baby granddaughter. At a recent Cedar Rapids event, a serious economic question came from a girl who asked: "Will more jobs in sports be open to women and will they get equal pay?" Clinton, an advocate for equal pay, said: "I hope so. I really do hope so." And then a light moment, when a child asked: "Do you have a dog or cat?" "We now have two dogs. One is a labradoodle and one is a toy poodle," Clinton said. "We love labs so maybe we'll get another lab." Democratic pollster Peter Hart said recent focus groups he did of Ohio voters for the Annenberg Center for Public Policy showed that many struggled to make an emotional connection with Clinton, though all thought she'd be qualified for the presidency. "They have no doubts about Hillary's backbone. They have questions about her heart," he said. But he watched the moment when Clinton talked to the girl about bullying. "What made it so marvelous," he said, is that "she didn't answer with a program. She had the sensitivity to turn and say tell me about you.... It felt genuine." Model Blac Chyna kicked off Texas flight, arrested AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Texas authorities say a model known as Blac Chyna was arrested after being kicked off a flight for allegedly being intoxicated and causing a disturbance. Austin police say the 27-year-old woman, whose real name is Angela Renee White, was arrested Friday night at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport after officers were summoned to deal with passenger who appeared intoxicated and who was causing a disturbance on a flight preparing to take off. White was booked on a misdemeanor charge of public intoxication and a felony charge of possession of less than four grams of a controlled substance. Police didn't specify which substance. Angela Renee White is shown in an undated photo provided by the Austin Police Department. Austin police say 27-year-old Angela Renee White, a model known as Blac Chyna, was arrested Friday night, Jan. 29, 2016, at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas, after allegedly being intoxicated and causing a disturbance on a plane. Travis County jail records show White was freed early Saturday on a personal recognizance bond. (Austin Police Department via AP) Hope for answers as release of Amtrak crash evidence nears PHILADELPHIA (AP) Eight months after a deadly Amtrak derailment, federal investigators are poised to release evidence and reports that could help clear up the mystery of why the train streaked into a sharp curve at double the speed limit. The release, expected Monday, will be the first major development in the investigation since a preliminary report a few weeks after the May 12 crash in which the National Transportation Safety Board pinpointed excessive speed as a key factor. A final report isn't expected for months. The train was accelerating out of an 80 mph speed zone when it should have been slowing to 50 mph for the coming curve, investigators said. It reached 106 mph just before the engineer activated emergency brakes. In this Wednesday, May 13, 2015 file photo, emergency personnel work at the scene of a Tuesday night derailment in Philadelphia of an Amtrak train headed to New York. Federal investigators are expected to release interview transcripts, locomotive data and other evidence Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, that could help clear up the mystery of why the train streaked into a sharp curve at double the speed limit. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File) David Hernandez, who lives near the tracks, said the crashing train sounded like shopping carts smashing together. "They go so fast up there," Hernandez said. But why, with more than 300 northbound Amtrak trains safely navigating the curve every week and scores more from Philadelphia's commuter rail, did Train 188 speed to a derailment that left eight dead and more than 200 injured? In the absence of an official conclusion, several theories have emerged. Early in the investigation, the NTSB focused on whether the train had been hit with a rock or other projectile minutes before the crash. The left-side of the locomotive's windshield had a grapefruit-sized fracture. The operator of a commuter train running along the same tracks reported being hit and passengers on another Amtrak train said something struck their train. Did that startle Train 188's engineer, Brandon Bostian? Did Bostian, who encountered exhausting mechanical problems on his earlier trip from New York to Washington and a shorter than expected break, lose track of where he was? The NTSB said Bostian's cellphone wasn't in use, but could he have been using a burner cellphone to get around a ban, as has happened in some cases? Or, perhaps the ACS-64 locomotive far more powerful than the other model primarily used on the Northeast Corridor accelerated faster than Bostian, who had only been on the route for several weeks, anticipated. "The only person that really knows for sure is the guy who was sitting in the cab of that locomotive," said David B. Clarke, a railroad expert at the University of Tennessee. Even that may not be the case: A few days after the crash, the 32-year-old Bostian told the NTSB he did not recall anything after ringing the train's bell as he passed through the North Philadelphia station about three miles before the curve. Bostian's lawyer, Robert Goggin, offered a different account the day after the crash, telling ABC News that Bostian recalled that the train was "pulling into speed-restricted track" but did not remember activating the emergency brake. He said Bostian wasn't under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Goggin has not returned repeated messages from The Associated Press. Bostian, regarded by friends for his safety-mindedness and love of railroading, is on unpaid leave from Amtrak. The Associated Press visited Bostian at his parents' vacation home in Arkansas in late December. He said he couldn't speak about the accident while the investigation was pending, citing instructions from a lawyer. Amtrak installed an automatic speed control at the Philadelphia curve within days of the derailment, as it had in Boston in 1990 after a train entered a 30 mph curve near Back Bay Station at 76 mph and derailed into a commuter train. The railroad has since enabled speed technology for all but a small portion of the 450-mile Northeast Corridor. The lack of clarity on what caused the Philadelphia train to speed has frustrated crash victims, some of whom have racked up more than $1 million in hospital bills and are continuing to rehabilitate from injuries. The train's conductor, Emilio Fonseca, was in the bathroom of the first passenger car turned into a mangled husk by the derailment and suffered a deep head wound and broken bones along with significant emotional trauma that may keep him from returning to work. Chef Eli Kulp, made a quadriplegic by the crash, has had to adjust to the "new normal" of life in a wheelchair, said his lawyer, Benedict Morelli. They are among dozens of victims suing Amtrak for a share of $295 million in damages, raised by Congress last month from $200 million. Amtrak has conceded responsibility for the crash, but the cases likely won't be settled until after the NTSB investigation is complete leaving victims on the hook for medical costs until then while they grapple for answers. "When you get on a train, you think, 'get off the train,'" said Morelli. "You never think, 'get on the train, go to the hospital,' or 'get on the train, go to the morgue.'" __ Associated Press writer Kelly Kissel in Little Rock, Arkansas, contributed to this report. The Latest: Syrian opposition delegation arrives in Geneva GENEVA (AP) The Latest on United Nations-sponsored Syrian peace negotiations in Switzerland (all times local): 7:40 p.m. A Syrian opposition official says the main opposition delegation has arrived in Geneva. However it remains uncertain whether the delegation from the Higher Negotiations Committee will actually participate in United Nations-sponsored peace talks. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media. Syrian chief negotiator and the country's ambassador to the U.N. Bashar Ja'afari, right, attends the Syria peace talks in Geneva, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 29, 2016. Indirect peace talks aimed at resolving Syrias five-year conflict began Friday at the U.N, headquarters in Geneva, without the participation of the main opposition group. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP) The HNC skipped the start of the talks on Friday, saying it would not participate until a set of preliminary demands are met: releasing detainees, ending the bombardment of civilians by Russian and Syrian forces, and lifting government blockades on rebel-held areas. They agreed to come to Geneva to further discuss the matter with U.N. officials, but still have not agreed to participate in the talks. ---Bassem Mroue in Geneva ___ 5 p.m. An official with Syria's largest Kurdish group says senior members of their party have left Geneva after not being invited to take part in indirect negotiations aiming to end Syria's civil war. The talks began here Friday with a meeting between the U.N. envoy and the Syrian government delegation. Kurdish official Nawaf Khalil says Saleh Muslim, the co-president of the Democratic Union Party or PYD, left Geneva Saturday. Turkey considers the PYD a terrorist organization and the main opposition group known as the Higher Negotiations Committee claims they are close to the Syrian government. The PYD departure came as the HNC team left Saudi Arabia for Geneva where they will work with the U.N. on ending the bombardment of civilians and lifting blockades in rebel-held areas. UN Special Envoy of the Secretary General for Syria, Staffan de Mistura left, attends the Syria peace talks in Geneva, Switzerland, Friday, January 29, 2016. Indirect peace talks aimed at resolving Syrias five-year conflict began Friday at the U.N, headquarters in Geneva, without the participation of the main opposition group. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP) Over 1 million face loss of food aid over work requirements JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) More than 1 million low-income residents in 21 states could soon lose their government food stamps if they fail to meet work requirements that began kicking in this month. The rule change in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program was triggered by the improving economy specifically, falling unemployment. But it is raising concerns among the poor, social service providers and food pantry workers, who fear an influx of hungry people. Recent experience in other states indicates that most of those affected will probably not meet the work requirements and will be cut off from food stamps. In this Jan. 29, 2016 photo, Terry Work stands outside a store that accepts food stamps in Bon Aqua, Tenn. Work's 27-year-old deaf son recently was denied disability payments, meaning he is considered able-bodied. And that means he stands to lose his food stamps, even though she said her son has trouble keeping a job because of his deafness. More than 1 million low-income residents in 21 states could soon lose their government food stamps if they fail to meet work requirements that began kicking in this month. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) For many people, "it means less food, less adequate nutrition. And over the span of time, that can certainly have an impact on health and the health care system," said Dave Krepcho, president and chief executive of the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. Advocates say some adults trying to find work face a host of obstacles, including criminal records, disabilities or lack of a driver's license. The work-for-food requirements were first enacted under the 1996 welfare reform law signed by President Bill Clinton and sponsored by then-Rep. John Kasich, who is now Ohio's governor and a Republican candidate for president. The provision applies to able-bodied adults ages 18 through 49 who have no children or other dependents in their home. It requires them to work, volunteer or attend education or job-training courses at least 80 hours a month to receive food aid. If they don't, their benefits are cut off after three months. The U.S. Department of Agriculture can waive those work rules, either for entire states or certain counties and communities, when unemployment is high and jobs are scarce. Nearly every state was granted a waiver during the recession that began in 2008. But statewide waivers ended this month in at least 21 states, the largest group since the recession. An Associated Press analysis of food aid figures shows that nearly 1.1 million adults stand to lose their benefits in those 21 states if they do not get a job or an exemption. That includes about 300,000 in Florida, 150,000 in Tennessee and 110,000 in North Carolina. The three states account for such a big share because they did not seek any further waivers for local communities. In Tennessee, Terry Work said her 27-year-old deaf son recently was denied disability payments, meaning he is considered able-bodied. And that means he stands to lose his food stamps, even though she said her son has trouble keeping a job because of his deafness. "I know there's going to be a lot of people in the county hurt by this," said Work, founder of Helping Hands of Hickman County, a social service agency in a community about an hour west of Nashville. Nationwide, some 4.7 million food stamp recipients are deemed able-bodied adults without dependents, according to USDA. Only 1 in 4 has any income from a job. They receive an average of $164 a month from the program. In states that already have implemented the work requirements, many recipients have ended up losing their benefits. Wisconsin began phasing in work requirements last spring. Of the 22,500 able-bodied adults who became subject to the change between April and June, two-thirds were dropped from the rolls three months later for failing to meet the requirements. Some states could have applied for partial waivers but chose not to do so. North Carolina's Republican-led government enacted a law last fall accelerating implementation of the work requirements and barring the state from seeking waivers unless there is a natural disaster. State Sen. Ralph Hise said the state was doing a disservice to the unemployed by providing them long-term food aid. "People are developing gaps on their resumes, and it's actually making it harder for individuals to ultimately find employment," said Hise, a Republican who represents a rural part of western North Carolina. In Missouri, the GOP-led Legislature overrode a veto by Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon to enact a law barring the state from waiving work requirements until at least 2019. The three-month clock started ticking Jan. 1 for 60,000 people in Missouri, where unemployment is down to just 4.4 percent. "We were seeing a lot of people who were receiving food stamps who weren't even trying to get a job," said the law's sponsor, Sen. David Sater, a Republican whose Missouri district includes the tourist destination of Branson. "I know in my area you can find a temporary job for 20 hours (a week) fairly easily. It just didn't seem right to me to have somebody doing nothing and receiving food stamps." Others say it's not that simple to find work, even with an improving economy. Joe Heflin, 33, of Jefferson City, said he has been receiving food stamps for more than five years, since an injury ended his steady job as an iron worker and led to mental illness during his recovery. He said he gets nearly $200 a month in food stamps and has no other income. Heflin was recently notified that his food stamps could end if he doesn't get a job or a disability exemption. "I think it's a crummy deal," Heflin said while waiting in line at a food pantry. "I think they ought to look into individuals more, or at least hear them out. ... I depend on it, you know, to eat." Policymakers often "don't realize a lot of the struggles those individuals are dealing with," said Mariana Chilton, director of the Center for Hunger-Free Communities at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Some are dealing with trauma from military service or exposure to violence and abuse, Chilton said. Others have recently gotten out of prison, making employers hesitant to hire them. Some adults who are considered able-bodied nonetheless have physical or mental problems. A study of 4,145 food stamp recipients in Franklin County, Ohio, who became subject to work requirements between December 2013 and February 2015 found that more than 30 percent said they had physical or mental limitations that affected their ability to work. A similar percentage had no high school diploma or equivalency degree. And 61 percent lacked a driver's license. "There should have been more thought on how we look at employment and not thinking that people are sitting there, getting food stamps because they are lazy and don't want to work," said Octavia Rainey, a community activist in Raleigh, North Carolina. Some states have programs to help food stamp recipients improve their job skills. Elsewhere, it's up to individuals to find programs run by nonprofit groups or by other state agencies. Sometimes, that can be daunting. Rainey said people who received letters informing them they could lose their food stamps sometimes were placed on hold when they called for more information a problem for those using prepaid calling cards. And in Florida, food aid recipients received letters directing them to a state website for information. "A lot of these folks, they don't have computers, they don't have broadband access," said Krepcho, the Central Florida food bank executive. "That's ripe for people falling off the rolls." ___ Associated Press reporters Jonathan Drew in Raleigh, North Carolina, Travis Loller in Nashville, Tennessee, and Greg Moore in Milwaukee contributed to this report. ___ Follow David A. Lieb at: http://twitter.com/DavidALieb Chinese biggest Internet company Alibaba announced another 10 billion yuan investment in rural e-commerce during the second World Internet Conference held last December in China. It showed the decisive ambition of CEO Jack Ma to enter into the rural market after its "Taobao Village" project, which has been expanding fast from three in 2009 to 780 in 2015. Jingdong, another well-known Internet company, showed the same strong interest in rural e-commerce, and is about to launch a logistics network construction including cold chain, storage and distribution as reported. It is expected that these Internet companies are changing or promoting agriculture development somehow, in terms of providing a way helping farmers to sell agri-products and buy commodities. The fast development of Internet, especially mobile Internet technology in the past decade, has made China the leading Internet power, given its biggest population and their keenness on smart-phone. It was reported by the CINIC (China Internet Network Information Center) that there were 680 million netizens by mid-2015; 88.9 percent of them use a smart-phone to access the Internet. Those living in rural areas take up 186 million of the total. In fact, many rural users were counted as urban-based by working as migrant workers and living in cities for much of the year. The great number of netizens create a big potential of remote selling and buying by means of e-commerce, and this potential market has been proved by a sharp increase of online sales in recent years, especially the November 11 online promotion by Taobao that has become an annual fixture, reaching new highs year by year in terms of sales volume and participants. Alibaba reported the sales volume of "Taobao village" at 170 million yuan in 2015, almost tripling the previous years figure of 60 million yuan. This big consumption market in turn provides incentives for innovations and development of IT, to either traditional Internet companies such as BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent), or developing companies such as Jingdong and some start-up enterprises. It has also brought prosperity to logistics companies such as ShunFengExpress, etc. "Taobao village" is a sort of innovation by Alibaba in this sense. It bridges rural and urban markets by selling rural products to urban consumers while buying industrial products for farmers via B2C with direct transactions at a reasonable price. On the other hand, the Internet also promotes "big data," which is very important for family workshops or farms to prepare in advance according to consumers preference. Besides the B2C model, there are many "Taobao villages" starting B2B businesses recently. In comparison with those commercial goods produced in factories close to urban areas and with better transportation and storage access, online selling of agri-products which are mainly raw or fresh products from remote rural areas needs more demanding logistics and storage conditions, while generating higher costs and risks. A company that sells fresh vegetables and fruits online in southwest Chinas Guangxi went bankrupt recently. Most people believe that online sales are not likely to solve the problem of selling fruits or vegetables, because of inevitable losses during long-distance transportation, and the heavy weight that generates higher logistics cost. Even though there is no detailed information on the sales volume of agri-products by the "Taobao village," it is obvious that the majority of products are not raw and fresh agri-products. Would the fate of this company have been changed if a better logistics network had existed? In what way could the Internet Plus make a difference in solving the problems of agriculture production and increasing the income of farmers? I would discuss those questions in a future article. The author is PhD student at the Rural Development Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. Now deeply Christian, Cruz's religion once wasn't so obvious AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Ted Cruz sometimes sounds more like a preacher than a presidential candidate, praising the transformative love of Jesus Christ and promising to defend religious liberty. But the Texas senator rarely evokes the biblical tenet of tithing, the mandate that 10 percent of possessions be donated to God. That's because Cruz doesn't tithe. He and his wife donated less than 1 percent of their income to charity and nothing to churches, including to their own in Houston, according to tax returns from 2006 to 2010, the most recent Cruz has released. His campaign declined requests from The Associated Press to provide recent tax returns or otherwise demonstrate donations since 2010. Cruz has said he and his wife were more focused on using their seven-figure annual income to build a financial foundation for their family. In this Friday, Jan. 29, 2016 photo, Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks during a town hall meeting in Wilton, Iowa. Cruz has made his Southern Baptist faith a centerpiece of his presidential campaign. But the Texas Republican didnt always embrace his religious side so publicly and was once known more as a fiery fiscal conservative than a campion of the Christian right. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) Being a past charitable cheapskate provides a glimpse of who Cruz was before running for president, when he was known more as a fierce fiscal conservative than a devout Southern Baptist. Cruz's religious side similarly didn't dominate his 2012 run for Senate in Texas. Cruz suggested shortly after taking office that politicians should "avoid ostentatiously wrapping yourself in your faith" advice he has ignored amid his rise in national polls. "It's not like this is a new issue, it just wasn't front and center," James Bernsen, the spokesman for Cruz's Senate campaign, said of religion. "Ted's main focus was on Obamacare, taxing and spending, the national debt." On the night he won the 2012 Texas primary, Cruz reminded a packed Houston hotel ballroom that victory came on what would have been the 100th birthday of free-market champion Milton Friedman. Only after that did he praise God. The following year, Cruz told the Christian Broadcasting Network: "I think anyone in politics, you've got a special obligation to avoid being a Pharisee, to avoid ostentatiously wrapping yourself in your faith." Now seeking the White House, Cruz has done the opposite. He is trying to solidify support from evangelical Republicans against Donald Trump and religious conservatives like Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee, whose supporters have questioned Cruz's lack of tithing. Cruz launched his presidential bid at evangelical Liberty University and has sought support from pastors in all 99 Iowa counties. A super political action committee built a website trumpeting his faith bona fides, including a video detailing how a then-8-year-old Cruz "surrendered his heart to Jesus" during summer camp at a Christian ranch. Cruz mentioned faith repeatedly in Thursday's GOP debate. Cruz's past charitable donations weren't so generous, though he isn't alone in withholding more recent tax records. Trump also hasn't disclosed his tax returns. Jeb Bush, Carly Fiorina, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have released partial returns from recent years. Clinton reported giving away 13 percent of her family's taxable income in 2014, and Bush reported donating 4 percent of his that year. Sanders did not release the part of his 2014 return that shows charitable donations, but his campaign said he and his wife gave away about 6 percent of their taxable income. Fiorina reported donating what amounted to 22 percent of her family's taxable income in 2013. Cruz's Senate campaign released five years of tax returns through 2010 showing that he and his wife donated about $44,500 of the more than $5 million they made over the period less than 1 percent of their income. Those returns didn't include itemized donations, but Cruz gave a list to the San Antonio Express-News in 2012. The newspaper reported that, while some donations went to faith-based organizations, no money was reported to have been donated to churches, including Houston's First Baptist, where the Cruzes have worshipped since 2008. Cruz responded that he'd "worked and saved to build a solid financial foundation to provide for my children." He has two daughters. Recently asked about tithing by the Christian Broadcasting Network, Cruz said "I will readily admit that I have not been as faithful in this aspect of my walk as I should have been." Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks during a town hall meeting, Friday, Jan. 29, 2016, in Wilton, Iowa. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) Socialists meet to plan coalition strategy to govern Spain MADRID (AP) Socialist Party leaders are meeting in Madrid to plan a strategy on how to form a coalition with the anti-austerity Podemos party in Spain. Leader Pedro Sanchez addressed the gathering Saturday, reiterating his decision to rule out linking-up with the center-right Popular Party that won most votes in the Dec. 20 election but fell short of a parliamentary majority. Sanchez said acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy should "abandon hope" of reaching a power-sharing agreement, and "we aren't going to back him." Spain's socialist party leader Pedro Sanchez, left, sits with party members before the start of a socialist party meeting in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. Spain's King Felipe VI has started a second round of talks with Spain's political leaders, renewing his tense search for a candidate to form a government following inconclusive elections last month. Sanchez last week received an unexpected offer from the Podemos group to form a coalition government along with the small United Left party that has split the Socialists. (AP Photo/Paul White) No party won a majority in the 350-seat Parliament, but newcomers Podemos and Ciudadanos shattered the dominance of Rajoy's Popular Party and the main opposition Socialists, which have alternated in government for decades. Socialists must overcome qualms about joining forces with a far-left group it has lambasted for years. Spain's socialist party leader Pedro Sanchez waits for the start of a socialist party meeting in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. Spain's King Felipe VI has started a second round of talks with Spain's political leaders, renewing his tense search for a candidate to form a government following inconclusive elections last month. Sanchez last week received an unexpected offer from the Podemos group to form a coalition government along with the small United Left party that has split the Socialists. (AP Photo/Paul White) Spanish socialist party members from all over the country, leave their suitcases at the entrance of a meeting hall in front of a poster of socialist leader Pedro Sanchez before a party meeting in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. Spain's King Felipe VI has started a second round of talks with Spain's political leaders, renewing his tense search for a candidate to form a government following inconclusive elections last month. Sanchez last week received an unexpected offer from the Podemos group to form a coalition government along with the small United Left party that has split the Socialists. (AP Photo/Paul White) The Latest: Man sees police handcuff 1 escaped inmate SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) The Latest on the search for two inmates who remain at large after breaking out of a California jail on Jan. 22 (all times local): 12:55 p.m. A witness says he saw police in San Francisco handcuff one of two escaped fugitives. This undated photo provided by the Orange County Sheriff's Office shows Bac Duong, one of three inmates who escaped Friday, Jan. 22, 2016, from the county's Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana, Calif. Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said Wednesday that some arrests have been made in the investigation, but the inmates themselves have not been captured. (Orange County Sheriff's Office via AP) Vergel Dalusung says he saw three police cars surrounding a white van that was parked across the street from a McDonald's, just outside a Whole Foods Market. Dalusung says it was all very quick and he only saw them handcuff one man and put him in a patrol car. At that point, he said he stopped looking. Orange County Sherrif Sandra Hutchens says one of the men ran from the van and was caught by police. The other was found still near the van. The site is near Golden Gate Park, an area popular with tourists and the homeless. ___ 12:20 p.m. Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens says a tip from an observant woman led San Francisco police to catch two escaped inmates who had been on the run for more than a week. San Francisco police were responding about 8:50 a.m. Saturday to an unrelated call when a woman said she saw a parked white van that looked like the one authorities said the fugitives had stolen, Hutchens said during a news conference. As officers approached the van, 37-year-old Hossein Nayeri started running. He was caught after a short chase. The sheriff says officers then went back to the van and found 20-year-old Jonathan Tieu hiding. Police found ammunition but no gun in the van. A third inmate who escaped with them turned himself in Friday. ___ 11:00 a.m. Orange County sheriff's officials say two inmates accused of violent felonies who broke out of a California jail more than a week ago have been taken into custody. The sheriff's department said Saturday on Twitter that 37-year-old Hossein Nayeri and 20-year-old Jonathan Tieu were arrested by the San Francisco Police Department. A news conference was scheduled for 12 p.m. The two men and one other -- 43-year-old Bac Duong -- escaped from jail on Jan. 22. Duong surrendered on Friday to a civilian in Santa Ana. _____ 9:19 a.m. Officials with the Orange County sheriff's department will hold a news conference at 2 p.m. Pacific to provide an update on the hunt for two inmates accused of violent felonies who broke out of a California jail more than a week ago. Lt. Jeff Hallock, the sheriff's spokesman, says no new information about the case will be released until then. Authorities say two of three men who escaped were in San Jose at recently as Thursday afternoon. The pair may be headed to Fresno in a white van that was stolen last weekend. The third escapee turned himself in on Friday. He walked up to a Southern California auto shop where a friend works and had her call police. Orange County Sheriff agents search for additional suspects as they search the back of a hotel in Santa Ana, Calif., on Friday, Jan. 29, 2016. Authorities say they have captured one of three inmates who escaped from a California jail last week while facing charges involving violent crimes. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) This undated photo provided by the Orange County Sheriff's Department shows Nooshafarin Ravaghi. Ravaghi, 44, who taught English classes at Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana, Calif., was was arrested Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016, on suspicion of helping three inmates escape the lockup. She was arrested nearly a week after the men one an alleged killer cut their way out of the jail and rappelled down an outside wall last Friday. (Orange County Sheriff's Department via AP) A wanted sign is displayed for the The reward for information leading to the arrest of the the three escaped inmates from the Orange County Central Men's Jail on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016, in Santa Ana, Calif. Hossein Nayeri, Jonathan Tieu and Bac Duong are believed to be dangerous and all were awaiting trial for separate violent felonies, authorities said. (Paul Rodriguez/The Orange County Register via AP) MAGS OUT; LOS ANGELES TIMES OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT This undated combo photo provided by the Orange County Sheriff's Office shows tattoos and other markings on the body Bac Duong, one of three inmates who escaped Friday, Jan. 22, 2016, from the county's Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana, Calif. Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said Wednesday that several arrests have been made in the investigation, but the inmates themselves have not been captured. (Orange County Sheriff's Office via AP) CORRECTS DAY TO SATURDAY, JAN. 23- This undated photo provided by the Orange County Sheriff's Office shows a 2008 White GMC Savana utility van that authorities believe three escaped inmates from Orange County, Calif., stole from South Los Angeles on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016, following their jailbreak Friday. Sheriff's Lt. Jeff Hallock said Nooshafarian Ravaghi, a 44-year-old woman who taught English as a second language to inmates, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of helping three inmates escape the lockup. (Orange County Sheriff's Office via AP) This undated photo provided by the Orange County Sheriff's Department shows Hossein Nayeri. Sheriff Sandra Hutchens earlier this week cited Nayeri's troubled and conniving past when she labeled him as "most probably the mastermind" of a stunning jail break that blindsided authorities and has put three inmates on the loose. Nayeri racked up a stunning list of criminal exploits in the decade leading up to his breakout, including a high-speed police chase, a sordid torture case and a flight overseas to avoid capture. (Orange County Sheriff's Department via AP) Orange County Sheriff agents search the back of a hotel for escaped inmates in Santa Ana, Calif., on Friday, Jan. 29, 2016. Authorities say they have captured one of three inmates who escaped from a California jail last week while facing charges involving violent crimes. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) The Latest: Russia denies its jet violated Turkish airspace ANKARA, Turkey (AP) The Latest on what Turkey says is a new violation of its airspace by Russia (all times local): 10:30 p.m. Russia's Defense Ministry denies that one of its jets violated Turkish airspace. The ministry spokesman, Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, said that "there were no violations of Turkish airspace by planes of the Russian air group in the Syrian Arab Republic. Turkey's statement on the alleged fact of airspace violation by a Russian Su-34 is unsubstantiated propaganda." His comments were carried by state news agencies Tass and RIA Novosti. He added that: "None of these radars are able to establish the type and the nationality of the aircraft whether Russian or of the U.S.-led so-called antii-ISIS coalition." Such identification "is possible only by means of direct visual contact with another aircraft, which there was not. To say seriously that with the help of these radars someone warned someone else 'in Russian and English' can only be done by ignorant propagandists watching Hollywood blockbusters." ___ 7:50 p.m. NATO's top leader called on Russia "to act responsibly and to fully respect NATO airspace" after a Russian plane violated Turkey's airspace. Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement Saturday that "Russia must take all necessary measures to ensure that such violations do not happen again." He added that the Western military alliance "stands in solidarity" with its NATO member Turkey. Turkey's Foreign Ministry said Saturday said that a Russian SU-34 crossed into Turkish airspace from Syria on Friday, ignoring several warnings that were delivered both in Russian and in English by Turkish radar units. 7:40 p.m. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned Russia that it will "be forced to endure the consequences" if it continues to violate Turkey's airspace. Erdogan's comments came Saturday, hours after Turkey announced that a Russian plane had again violated the Turkish border. The new incident comes two months after Turkey shot down a Russian jet for infringing its border, touching off a crisis between the two countries. Erdogan accused Russia of taking "irresponsible steps" which harm global peace. ___ 6:45 p.m. Turkey said Saturday that a Russian warplane has again violated its airspace despite several warnings two months after Turkey's military shot down a Russian jet for crossing over its territory. The past incident seriously strained the previously close ties between the two countries, damaging a strong economic partnership. A Foreign Ministry said Ankara summoned the Russian ambassador to the ministry Friday evening to "strongly protest" the violation. In November Turkey shot down a Russian plane which violated its airspace near Syria, touching off a crisis between the two countries. 2 remaining escaped inmates arrested in San Francisco SANTA ANA, California (AP) Two inmates who remained at large after breaking out of a California jail more than a week ago have been arrested, Orange County sheriff's officials said Saturday. Jonathan Tieu, 20, and Hossein Nayeri, 37, were in the custody of the San Francisco Police Department, the Orange County sheriff's department said on its Twitter feed. A news conference was scheduled for midday Saturday. Authorities had been hunting for Tieu, Nayeri and a third inmate, 43-year-old Bac Duong, in Southern California since they pulled off a brazen jail escape on Jan. 22. This undated photo provided by the Orange County Sheriff's Office shows Bac Duong, one of three inmates who escaped Friday, Jan. 22, 2016, from the county's Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana, Calif. Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said Wednesday that some arrests have been made in the investigation, but the inmates themselves have not been captured. (Orange County Sheriff's Office via AP) On Friday, Duong walked into an auto repair shop and said he wanted to surrender. He told investigators he had last seen the other two inmates Thursday afternoon in San Jose, shifting the manhunt 400 miles (640 kilometers) to the north. The three men had all been jailed and awaiting trial on charges in separate violent crimes. They were held in a dormitory with about 65 other men in the jail about 30 miles (50 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles. The men escaped in the early morning hours after cutting a hole in a metal grate and then crawling through plumbing tunnels and onto the roof of a four-story jail building. They pushed aside barbed wire and rappelled down using a rope made of bed linen. It took jail staff 16 hours to realize the three men were missing. On Thursday, authorities arrested a woman who taught English inside the jail. Nooshafarin Ravaghi, 44, gave Nayeri a paper copy of a Google Earth map that showed an aerial view of the entire jail compound, Hallock said. She was booked on suspicion of being an accessory to a felony and was being held pending a court appearance set for Monday. It wasn't clear if she had a lawyer. Ravaghi and Nayeri also exchanged "personal and close" handwritten letters, but sheriff's spokesman Lt. Jeff Hallock could not say if the two were romantically involved. Duong, a native of Vietnam, has been held since last month on charges of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. It was the first escape in nearly three decades from the Central Men's Jail, built in 1968, that holds 900 men. Tieu is charged with murder and attempted murder in a 2011 gang shooting. Nayeri had been held without bond since September 2014 on charges of kidnapping, torture, aggravated mayhem and burglary. Orange County Sheriff agents search for additional suspects as they search the back of a hotel in Santa Ana, Calif., on Friday, Jan. 29, 2016. Authorities say they have captured one of three inmates who escaped from a California jail last week while facing charges involving violent crimes. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) This undated photo provided by the Orange County Sheriff's Department shows Nooshafarin Ravaghi. Ravaghi, 44, who taught English classes at Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana, Calif., was was arrested Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016, on suspicion of helping three inmates escape the lockup. She was arrested nearly a week after the men one an alleged killer cut their way out of the jail and rappelled down an outside wall last Friday. (Orange County Sheriff's Department via AP) A wanted sign is displayed for the The reward for information leading to the arrest of the the three escaped inmates from the Orange County Central Men's Jail on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016, in Santa Ana, Calif. Hossein Nayeri, Jonathan Tieu and Bac Duong are believed to be dangerous and all were awaiting trial for separate violent felonies, authorities said. (Paul Rodriguez/The Orange County Register via AP) MAGS OUT; LOS ANGELES TIMES OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT This undated combo photo provided by the Orange County Sheriff's Office shows tattoos and other markings on the body Bac Duong, one of three inmates who escaped Friday, Jan. 22, 2016, from the county's Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana, Calif. Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said Wednesday that several arrests have been made in the investigation, but the inmates themselves have not been captured. (Orange County Sheriff's Office via AP) CORRECTS DAY TO SATURDAY, JAN. 23- This undated photo provided by the Orange County Sheriff's Office shows a 2008 White GMC Savana utility van that authorities believe three escaped inmates from Orange County, Calif., stole from South Los Angeles on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016, following their jailbreak Friday. Sheriff's Lt. Jeff Hallock said Nooshafarian Ravaghi, a 44-year-old woman who taught English as a second language to inmates, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of helping three inmates escape the lockup. (Orange County Sheriff's Office via AP) This undated photo provided by the Orange County Sheriff's Department shows Hossein Nayeri. Sheriff Sandra Hutchens earlier this week cited Nayeri's troubled and conniving past when she labeled him as "most probably the mastermind" of a stunning jail break that blindsided authorities and has put three inmates on the loose. Nayeri racked up a stunning list of criminal exploits in the decade leading up to his breakout, including a high-speed police chase, a sordid torture case and a flight overseas to avoid capture. (Orange County Sheriff's Department via AP) Orange County Sheriff agents search the back of a hotel for escaped inmates in Santa Ana, Calif., on Friday, Jan. 29, 2016. Authorities say they have captured one of three inmates who escaped from a California jail last week while facing charges involving violent crimes. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Tip about van led to arrest of escapees in San Francisco SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) After a week with SWAT raids and a gang dragnet, it was an observant citizen who led police to the two remaining violent fugitives who broke out of a California jail eight days ago using a Google Earth map and a rope made of bed linens. The Man flagged down officers near San Francisco's Golden Gate Park just before 9 a.m. Saturday and pointed out a parked white van that looked like one believed stolen by the trio of inmates during the brazen escape, Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said at a news conference. The man also said someone who looked like one of the fugitives was in the area. Police approached and Hossein Nayeri, the suspected mastermind of the jail break, was captured after a short foot chase. Police discovered the second fugitive, 20-year-old Jonathan Tieu, hiding in the van with ammunition but no gun, she said. He surrendered without incident. This undated photo provided by the Orange County Sheriff's Office shows Bac Duong, one of three inmates who escaped Friday, Jan. 22, 2016, from the county's Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana, Calif. Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said Wednesday that some arrests have been made in the investigation, but the inmates themselves have not been captured. (Orange County Sheriff's Office via AP) "I think I did a big 'Whoop!' in the air," Hutchens said, describing her excitement about the arrests. "No sheriff wants to have an escape, especially as dangerous as these individuals were. My fear was that someone in the community was going to get hurt because they really had nothing to lose in my mind." A third inmate, Bac Duong, 43, surrendered Friday after walking into an auto repair shop in Santa Ana just a few miles from the jail where the trio had been housed. He told police he had been with the others in San Jose, and the search immediately shifted to the San Francisco Bay Area. Authorities were interviewing the inmates, hoping to fill the many holes about the escape and their week on the run. How did they get the sharp cutting tools to hack their way through jail walls? What did they do outside the walls? Where did they stay? How did they get money for gas and food? Orange County resident Devin Gyst would like those answers. He was glad the three were caught but is concerned about jail security. He also wondered how the inmates could have traveled hundred miles while sheriff's officials were publicly stating they believed the men still were in the area. "It's frightening to know these people were out who've done severe crimes. I don't want to be a victim," said Gyst, who lives in nearby Tustin. "I mean, how did they get all the way to San Francisco?" The three did not know each other before being housed in the Orange County jail. They were awaiting trial on charges including murder, attempted murder, torture and kidnapping. Duong and Tieu have ties to street gangs that operate in the shadows of Orange County's thriving Vietnamese community. While behind bars the three were housed together in a large jail module that held 65 other men, about half of whom were in custody for violent felonies. Early on Jan. 22, the trio sawed through a metal grate covering a plumbing tunnel, then crawled through piping to reach the jail's roof. There, they pushed aside barbed wire and used a rope made of bedsheets to rappel four stories to the ground. Jailers did not realize the inmates were missing for 16 hours, an embarrassment for Hutchens that has prompted changes in jail operations, but no firings. The intensive search and investigation produced no tangible results for days and then, on Thursday, authorities arrested a woman who taught English at the jail. Nooshafarin Ravaghi, a 44-year-old children's book author, gave Nayeri a paper copy of a Google Earth map that showed an aerial view of the entire jail compound, sheriff's spokesman Lt. Jeff Hallock said. She was booked on suspicion of being an accessory to a felony and was being held pending a court appearance set for Monday. It wasn't clear if she had a lawyer. Authorities say she and Nayeri_who both were born in Iran_exchanged letters and had a relationship that was closer than it should have been, but stopped short of calling it romantic. Nayeri is a former Marine who grew up in the Fresno area, and authorities say it's unclear why as an English speaker he was in her class that teaches English as a second language. The day after the escape, Duong responded to a Craig's List ad for the white GMC van and stole it during a test drive, authorities said. Saturday's arrests happened in an area popular with both tourists and the homeless. Vergel Dalusung said he saw three police cars surrounding a white van that was parked across the street from a McDonald's, just outside a Whole Foods Market. He only saw police handcuff one man and put him in a patrol car, and it happened very quickly, he said. "And that's when I stopped looking because I figured it was all taken care of," Dalusung said. Hutchens said the men's capture clears the way for an intense probe into how they were able to escape. "We do not want another escape from an Orange County jail, I can tell you that," the sheriff said. "We're going to do everything we can in our power and it's not enough to say, 'Gee, we have an old jail, it's a challenging place.'" Built in 1968, the jail that housed the men holds about 900 inmates. It was the first breakout from the facility in nearly 30 years. The three will now return to the jail from which they escaped, Hutchens said. "I can tell you they won't be together," she said. ____ Rodriguez reported from San Francisco. Orange County Sheriff agents search for additional suspects as they search the back of a hotel in Santa Ana, Calif., on Friday, Jan. 29, 2016. Authorities say they have captured one of three inmates who escaped from a California jail last week while facing charges involving violent crimes. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) This undated photo provided by the Orange County Sheriff's Department shows Nooshafarin Ravaghi. Ravaghi, 44, who taught English classes at Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana, Calif., was was arrested Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016, on suspicion of helping three inmates escape the lockup. She was arrested nearly a week after the men one an alleged killer cut their way out of the jail and rappelled down an outside wall last Friday. (Orange County Sheriff's Department via AP) A wanted sign is displayed for the The reward for information leading to the arrest of the the three escaped inmates from the Orange County Central Men's Jail on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016, in Santa Ana, Calif. Hossein Nayeri, Jonathan Tieu and Bac Duong are believed to be dangerous and all were awaiting trial for separate violent felonies, authorities said. (Paul Rodriguez/The Orange County Register via AP) MAGS OUT; LOS ANGELES TIMES OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT This undated combo photo provided by the Orange County Sheriff's Office shows tattoos and other markings on the body Bac Duong, one of three inmates who escaped Friday, Jan. 22, 2016, from the county's Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana, Calif. Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said Wednesday that several arrests have been made in the investigation, but the inmates themselves have not been captured. (Orange County Sheriff's Office via AP) CORRECTS DAY TO SATURDAY, JAN. 23- This undated photo provided by the Orange County Sheriff's Office shows a 2008 White GMC Savana utility van that authorities believe three escaped inmates from Orange County, Calif., stole from South Los Angeles on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016, following their jailbreak Friday. Sheriff's Lt. Jeff Hallock said Nooshafarian Ravaghi, a 44-year-old woman who taught English as a second language to inmates, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of helping three inmates escape the lockup. (Orange County Sheriff's Office via AP) This undated photo provided by the Orange County Sheriff's Department shows Hossein Nayeri. Sheriff Sandra Hutchens earlier this week cited Nayeri's troubled and conniving past when she labeled him as "most probably the mastermind" of a stunning jail break that blindsided authorities and has put three inmates on the loose. Nayeri racked up a stunning list of criminal exploits in the decade leading up to his breakout, including a high-speed police chase, a sordid torture case and a flight overseas to avoid capture. (Orange County Sheriff's Department via AP) Orange County Sheriff agents search the back of a hotel for escaped inmates in Santa Ana, Calif., on Friday, Jan. 29, 2016. Authorities say they have captured one of three inmates who escaped from a California jail last week while facing charges involving violent crimes. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Beyond Bowie, other notables who left distinctive requests NEW YORK (AP) David Bowie's wish to have his ashes scattered in a Buddhist ritual in Bali is the latest in a series of distinctive provisions in celebrities' wills. Surprising specifics, and curiosity about them, go back at least as far as Shakespeare's bequest to his wife of his "second-best bed." Here's a look at some other luminaries whose final instructions had uncommon features. ___ A MODEST REQUEST FILE - In this Jan. 19, 2014 file photo, Philip Seymour Hoffman poses for a portrait during the Sundance Film Festival, in Park City, Utah. After Hoffmans death from an overdose in on Feb. 2, 2014, his will asked that his offspring grow up in Manhattan, Chicago or San Francisco, to be exposed to their arts and architecture. (AP Photo/Victoria Will/Invision/AP, File) As Benjamin Franklin parceled out property ranging from land to printing materials to books in his will, he left his daughter a diamond-encrusted miniature portrait of France's Louis XVI, a gift from the king. But it came with a request that she not make the stones into jewelry "and thereby introduce or countenance the expensive, vain and useless fashion of wearing jewels in this country." Franklin's enthusiasm for the new nation and his fellow founders was also reflected in a bequest of a gold-tipped walking stick to a man he called a "friend of mankind": George Washington. Franklin died in 1790. ___ A WILL, AND A WON'T Illusionist Harry Houdini was famed for his suspenseful escapes, and he evidently expected death would have its own trapdoor: He arranged with his wife a secret code to be used to communicate with her from beyond the grave. His widow, Beatrice (also known as Bess), duly tried to connect with his spirit at seances on the anniversary of his Halloween 1926 death. She gave up after a decade: "Ten years is long enough to wait for any man," she later explained. When she died in 1943, her own will declared she'd never believed in spirit communication and specified that any service be devoid of "spiritualist creed or belief." ___ HAVE DINNER ON ME Choreographer and director Bob Fosse left a special thank-you to 66 of his friends in the arts: $378.79 apiece to "go out and have dinner on me." The beneficiaries who included actors Dustin Hoffman and Jessica Lange, playwright Neil Simon and novelist E.L. Doctorow "all have, at one time or another during my life, been very kind to me," Fosse explained in his will. The director and choreographer of "Sweet Charity," ''Chicago" and "All That Jazz" died in 1987. ___ BEQUEST TROUBLE Hotel tycoon, convicted tax evader and "Queen of Mean" Leona Helmsley earned new notoriety after her 2007 death, when the public learned that her will left $12 million to her dog, a Maltese named Trouble. A judge eventually trimmed the bequest to $2 million. Trouble went on to live in Florida until her own death in 2011. ___ AD OUT The Beastie Boys' Adam "MCA" Yauch rapped during his life that he wouldn't "sell my songs for no TV ad," and his will sought to make sure that pledge survived him. It specified that his music, image and name couldn't be used for advertising. Yauch, who died in 2012, was a founding member of the groundbreaking hip-hop group behind such hits as "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" and "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)" ___ CHILDREN'S CULTURE Philip Seymour Hoffman wanted to provide for his children not only financially but culturally and to him, that meant living in Manhattan, Chicago or San Francisco. The Oscar-winning actor's will asked that his offspring be brought up in those locales or at least visit them twice or more each year, to "be exposed to the culture, arts and architecture that such cities offer." The star of "Capote," ''Doubt" and "The Master" died in 2014. ___ Reach Jennifer Peltz on Twitter @ jennpeltz. See some of her work at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/jennifer-peltz FILE - In this Jan. 12, 2010 file photo, musician Adam Yauch attends the National Board of Review of motion pictures awards gala in New York. Yauch, a member of The Beatie Boys, rapped during his life that he wouldn't "sell my songs for no TV ad," and his will sought to make sure that pledge survived him. It specified that his music, image and name couldnt be used for advertising. AP Photo/Peter Kramer, File) The Latest: Huge fire destroys stockyard complex in Kentucky LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) The Latest on a large fire at the Blue Grass Stockyards in Kentucky (all times local): ___ 5:19 p.m. The interim chief of the Lexington Fire Department says no one was hurt in a massive fire that destroyed seven acres of a beef cattle auction company and several nearby businesses. The fire destroyed the Blue Grass Stockyards off S. Forbes Road in Lexington. Chief Operating Officer Jim Akers said about 20 beef cattle were inside. He said he did not see how they could have survived. The company was celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. Interim Fire Chief Harold Hoskins said the wind was a major factor as it quickly spread throughout the wooden facility. Hoskins said the fire crossed the street and consumed about one block worth of businesses, including destroying many cars that were parked at a towing company. Several of the cars exploded during the worst of the blaze. The fire sent thick, black smoke into the air that darkened the skies on a mostly cloudless day in Lexington. The smoke was visible for miles, and many people gathered along Leestown Road to watch. Hoskins said it was the biggest fire in his 33 years with the fire department. About 120 firefighters battled the flames. None were injured. ___ 3 p.m. A fire official says a large fire has broken out at the Blue Grass Stockyards complex in Kentucky. Lexington Fire Department spokesman Joe Best says the blaze is one of the largest he has seen in his 25 years with the department. He told The Associated Press that a call came in to the department about 2:20 p.m. Saturday. Around that time, AP reporter Adam Beam saw thick black smoke coming from the area and heard explosions. Storm Henry waiting in wings as Gertrude brings wind, rain and snow Parts of Scotland have been hit by snow after Storm Gertrude battered the country with high winds and rain. Police warned of hazardous driving conditions for some areas on Saturday, with routes affected by the white stuff. Met Office amber warnings for snow, ice and high winds have expired, but yellow "be aware" warnings for ice and snow remain in place across all of Scotland into Sunday. Waves break over a coastal road in Skelmorlie, Scotland, as Storm Gertrude hits the UK Those warnings also apply to Northern Ireland, Wales, northern England and the Midlands. And the weather is set to remain unsettled into next week, with more warnings - some of them amber - in place for the arrival of another storm on Monday. The Met Office said the vigorous low pressure system - named Storm Henry - is expected to pass just to the north of Scotland, bringing very strong west or southwesterly winds across much of the UK. Gales or severe gales with heavy rain are due across northwestern parts, possibly bringing disruption to transport and power supplies. In the meantime, the current warnings caution that icy patches are expected to form on untreated surfaces on Saturday night into Sunday morning, especially where further snow showers occur after dark. "The public are advised to take extra care and be aware of the potential for some disruption to travel," the Met Office said. Police Scotland said routes in Tayside had been affected by snow, with a number of collisions reported during the morning, particularly on the A90. Motorists were also advised to avoid the A9 at Drumochter Pass, Dalwhinnie, if possible because of the heavy snow. The road remains open but it has seen queuing traffic and delays in both directions. On the A82, the snow gates were closed at Tyndrum, Bridge of Orchy and Glencoe. They were also closed on the A93 from Braemar to Glenshee, the A939 from Tomintoul to Cock Bridge and the A821 Duke's Pass. Officials told drivers to take extra care on the A832.at Glen Docherty and the M74 at Johnstonebridge. The continuing unsettled weather comes a day after winds of more than 100mph from Storm Gertrude disrupted transport, brought down power lines and damaged buildings. Army supremo: Lawsuit fear could cripple fighting ability Lawsuits against British veterans who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan could "undermine" soldiers' decision-making on the battlefield, the head of the Army has said. General Sir Nicholas Carter said he feared people "fabricating" claims against troops, which could hamper the military's ability to fight. The Government has paid out in hundreds of cases and hundreds more Iraq War veterans have been told they are under investigation. General Sir Nicholas Carter David Cameron earlier this month ordered action to bring a halt to "spurious" legal claims against veterans of the Iraq War. Sir Nicholas, chief of the general staff, told the Daily Telegraph: "There is potential for less scrupulous individuals to try and find ways of fabricating potential cases against soldiers and that is very sad. "It is something that would, over time, undermine our ability to take the sorts of risks that are necessary to be able to prevail on the battlefield. "If our soldiers are forever worrying that they might be sued because the piece of equipment they are using is not the best piece of equipment in the world, then that is clearly a potential risk to the freedom of action which we need to encourage in order to be able to beat our opponent." The Prime Minister has asked the National Security Council to draw up a plan to "stamp out" what he described as an "industry" trying to profit from service members through legal claims. Measures could include curbing the use of ''no win, no fee'' arrangements and strengthening the authorities' investigative powers. But seven human rights groups said the clampdown was "ill-judged and inappropriate" as many of the claims, although yet to be proven, were "extremely serious". More than 1,500 allegations have been submitted to the Iraq Historic Allegations Team (Ihat), which has sent documents to around 280 veterans telling them they were involved in an incident under investigation. You are here: Home Flash U.S. President Barack Obama will host his Italian and Colombian counterparts next month, the White House said Friday. Italian President Sergio Mattarella is scheduled to meet Obama on Feb. 8 during his visit to the U.S. on Feb. 6-13. "Italy is a valued NATO Ally and a close partner on a broad range of global challenges," a White House press release said. The two leaders will discuss efforts to counter the Islamic State group and the global refugee crisis, and "they will also exchange views on economic development in Europe, the importance of concluding the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, and other issues of mutual interest", it said. In a separate news briefing on Friday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters that Obama will host Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos at the White House next week. During Santos' official working visit on Thursday, the two presidents will "hold a bilateral meeting" and "mark 15 years of ... cooperation through Plan Colombia." UK must make decision on refugee relocation scheme - European Commission The European Commission has said it is up to the UK to decide whether to join a refugee programme that has rehoused a tiny fraction of the 160,000 people awaiting relocation. Just 400 refugees - 0.25% of the total - have been relocated four months into the two-year scheme to alleviate the pressure on refugee "hot spots" in Greece and Italy. The UK and Denmark has opted out of the scheme, which has been adopted by all of the other 26 member states. The UK has opted out of the EU scheme to relocate refugees Ireland also has the right to opt out but it has volunteered to take a proportion of the refugees. The SNP said the UK Government has "a moral duty to take in our fair share of refugees and must do more". But the Commission said it "respects the UK's special status under the treaties", in relation to its decision to opt out of relocating people who have already entered the EU. It has also welcomed the UK's efforts to resettle thousands of people currently outside the EU who have been approved for refugee status or humanitarian protection. A European Commission spokeswoman said: "There is always contact between all member states and the Commission at all levels, at ministerial level and also at expert level. "These proposals have been discussed with the member states and the council. "Discussions are taking place jointly and then afterwards it is up to the member states with an opt-out to decide if they want to participate or not." Stephen Gethins, the SNP's Westminster spokesman on Europe, said: "Europe is facing the worst refugee crisis since the Second World War. "We should be doing everything we can to help those in need of protection, just as we would expect others to do for us in similar circumstances. "It is a national embarrassment that we have a Prime Minister who refers to refugees in derogatory terms and a UK government that has tried to do as little to help as it can get away with. "We have a moral duty to take in our fair share of refugees and the UK government must do more." Richard Harrington, Minister for Syrian Refugees, said: "Our vulnerable persons resettlement scheme will help up to 20,000 Syrians in need of protection: more than 1,000 refugees have already been helped under this scheme and earlier this week we announced that we have asked the office of the UNHCR to lead on a new initiative to resettle unaccompanied refugee children from countries around Syria. "As of last week, the European Commission's emergency scheme had resulted in the relocation of just 331 people. "We are committed to resettling directly from Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon to ensure we target our help at those most in need, deter people from attempting perilous journeys which have already led to so many tragic deaths and prevent criminal gangs from preying on human misery to profit any further from trafficking. Philip Hammond: 'Good faith' needed in Syria peace talks Syria peace talks must take place "in good faith", Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said as he welcomed the main opposition group's decision to attend. The Higher Negotiating Committee (HNC) said it dropped a boycott after receiving assurances that humanitarian issues would be addressed. But it insisted that it would not enter negotiations in Geneva until conditions were met - including an end to the bombardment of civilians by Russian and Syrian government forces, a lifting of blockades in rebel-held areas and the release of detainees. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has welcomed the Syria peace talks The talks are the first stage of a United Nations-brokered process aimed at ending the civil war which has claimed at least 250,000 lives, allowed the self-styled Islamic State to take large swathes of territory and left neighbouring countries and Europe struggling to deal with huge numbers of refugees. Delegations are not expected to come face to face at this stage, with UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura acting as go-between in a hoped-for dialogue. Mr Hammond, who was among Western figures who urged HNC chairman Riyad Hijab to participate, said: "I welcome the difficult decision that the Syrian High Negotiating Committee has made to attend peace talks hosted by the United Nations special envoy Staffan de Mistura in Geneva. "Intra-Syrian peace negotiations must deliver a political transition away from Assad and end the suffering of the Syrian people. "The UK supports this process and calls for complete and unfettered humanitarian access across Syria, and an end to all violations of international humanitarian law, as set out in UN Security Council Resolution 2254. "The UK believes in a Syrian-led political settlement to the conflict and expects both sides to participate in good faith to finally provide the peace the Syrian people deserve." It came after the Netherlands agreed to join air strikes on IS targets in Syria. As the Government prepared to host an international summit in London next week aimed at securing funding pledges for Syria, International Development Secretary Justine Greening said it would continue to match donations to Unicef UK's Syria Winter Appeal for an additional month. The support was due to finish at the end of January. Around 3 million has been donated so far by the public to the latest appeal. Ms Greening said: "It's been such an amazing response from the British people that we've decided to extend our match funding for another month. "The whole point of this conference is to make sure the rest of the world steps up and plays its part in responding to the crisis. Together, we will send a clear message to the children of Syria that the world has not forgotten them." Actor Ewan McGregor, a Unicef UK Ambassador, welcomed the move. He said: "As the brutal war enters its sixth year, the violence has not ceased and the suffering experienced by children and their families has deepened. "A whole generation of children are being deprived of education and traumatised by the horrors of war. Increasingly they see their future shaped only by violence and bloodshed. Father says woman who joined IS 'was perfect daughter' The father of the first British woman to be found guilty of joining Islamic State has described her as "the perfect daughter". Tareena Shakil, 26, told her family she was going to Turkey on a beach holiday with her toddler son - but secretly fled across the border to Syria and was taken to the capital of the terrorist caliphate. During a two-week trial, the jury heard Shakil, of Beechfield Road, Birmingham, said she wished to become a "martyr" but also claimed she only travelled to Syria to live under sharia law when she left the UK in October 2014. Tareena Shakil's father Mohammed Shakil said he would have disowned her if she was a threat to national security Speaking to ITV News Central, Tareena's father Mohammed Shakil said it was a "mistake" for his daughter to take her 14-month-old son to the heart of the Islamic State. Speaking from his home in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, he said: "It was a mistake, that's right. "(She is) the perfect daughter, the daughter who never went out nightclubbing and never went out doing this or going there, who kept herself busy in studies, and who wanted to be somebody in life and have an important role. "That's who she wanted to be: a somebody, not a nobody." During the trial at Birmingham Crown Court, the jury were shown tweets, messages and photographs from her, including images of the black flag of IS and passages calling on people to "take up arms", and stating her wish to become a "martyr". Photographs recovered from Shakil's phone showed sinister images of her with an AK-47 assault rifle, holding a handgun and wearing an IS balaclava. Another photo showed her stood outside in a full-length black niqab carrying her child, and stood by an IS flag. Tareena Shakil, formerly of Burton-upon-Trent, told jurors she returned to the UK in February last year after realising she had "made a mistake" and was arrested at Heathrow Airport. Her father told ITV News Central: "The only evidence against her in all this was her own phone that she brought with her. "If she was that much of a mastermind and she left her phone behind, no-one could have even said she was there. "I did everything, fought tooth and nail to get my daughter back in the first place and helped her get back. "If my daughter today is sitting in prison, I should be sitting with her. I should be the "mastermind" behind her, because I helped my daughter to get her back (to the UK) and she listened to this fool." When asked if he ever felt his daughter was a terrorist, Mr Shakil said told the programme: "Not for one millisecond, no. My daughter is God-fearing. "If there was one element in her and I did think she was a threat to national security, I swear to God I would disown her. She would be no daughter of mine." The family will appeal against the conviction, he added. David Cameron unveils equality drive for access to universities Universities will be forced by law to disclose what proportion of ethnic minority applicants get places, David Cameron has announced as part of a concerted Government anti-discrimination drive. The Prime Minister said the transparency rules should prompt institutions such as Oxford to work harder to broaden their intake and warned the police, the courts and the armed forces they also had to act. Education chiefs have been summoned to Downing Street on Monday for talks with Business Secretary Sajid Javid to discuss why young black men are more likely to be in prison than studying at a top university. David Cameron is to urge universities to be more transparent about their admissions And Labour MP David Lammy has been recruited by the PM to review discrimination in the justice system, in particular why black offenders are more likely to be jailed than their white criminal counterparts. Mr Cameron, who made equality a key theme of his Conservative Party conference speech, used an article for the Sunday Times to rail against ongoing discrimination that "should shame our country and jolt us to action". "Consider this: if you're a young black man, you're more likely to be in a prison cell than studying at a top university," he wrote - in what will be seen as part of an effort to woo centre-left voters away from Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party. "Only one in 10 of the poorest white boys go into higher education at all. "There are no black generals in our armed forces and just 4% of chief executives in the FTSE 100 are from ethnic minorities. "What does this say about modern Britain? Are these just the symptoms of class divisions or a lack of equal opportunity? Or is it something worse - something more ingrained, institutional and insidious?" The UK had come a long way, he added, "but there is much more to do, and these examples I mention should shame our country and jolt us to action". "I don't care whether it's overt, unconscious or institutional - we've got to stamp it out," he added, warning it would otherwise only "feed those who preach a message of grievance and victimhood". Mr Cameron rejected what he called " politically correct, contrived and unfair solutions" such as quotas but said it was " striking" that Oxford's 2014 intake of more than 2,500 included only 27 black sfudents. "I know the reasons are complex, including poor schooling, but I worry that the university I was so proud to attend is not doing enough to attract talent from across our country," he said. The new rules will require routine publication of data on applicants, broken down by course, g ender, ethnicity and socio-economic background. His intervention is likely to further fuel protests by some students at Oxford over the refusal to remove a statue of British colonialist Cecil Rhodes from the front of Oriel college they say represents racism and oppression. Mr Cameron said public institutions needed to "dig deeper" , warning he also intended action to eradicate "the stubborn problem of under-representation in our police and armed forces". "It's not enough to simply say you are open to all. Ask yourselves: are you going that extra mile to really show people that yours can be a place for everyone, regardless of background?" Mr Lammy, who wrote a book on the 2011 riots that were sparked by the killing of a black man by the police in his Tottenham constituency, has been tasked with rooting out the causes of "disgraceful" gulfs in sentencing treatment. "It's disgraceful that if you're black, it seems you're more likely to be sentenced to custody for a crime than if you're white," the PM said. "We should investigate why this is and how we can end this possible discrimination. That's why I have asked David Lammy MP to lead a review of the over-representation of BME communities in the criminal justice system. Angela Eagle dismisses Jeremy Corbyn 'fairness' policy as 'not a runner' Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's proposal to ban companies from paying shareholder dividends unless they pay all their workers the living wage has been dismissed as unworkable by his own shadow business secretary. Angela Eagle told The Sunday Times that the plan was "not a runner" and said the Opposition had to make sure it was "realistic" in the policies it put forward to press firms for action over issues such as pay inequality. The snub came as Ms Eagle - who as shadow first secretary of state is the leader's de facto deputy - again declined to rule out Mr Corbyn being ousted before the 2020 general election. Angela Eagle (left) said Jeremy Corbyn's 'fairness' pitch was 'not policy' And she poured cold water on his push for negotiations with Argentina over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands and questioned the approach to the divisive issue of Trident renewal. Mr Corbyn put forward the dividend ban as one way to "institutionalise fairness" in a recent keynote address to the Fabian Society alongside t he imposition of "pay ratios" between those at the top and those at the bottom of a company's pay scale. "Only profitable employers will be paying dividends. If they depend on cheap labour for those profits then I think there is a question over whether that is a business model to which we should be turning a blind eye," he said. It drew criticism from bosses and Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron called it "anti-business". Ms Eagle, who heads the party's manifesto-setting National Policy Forum and has been tipped as a possible successor should Mr Corbyn be removed, told the newspaper: "A ban on dividends is not the way to do it. "It is an interesting idea, but it does not actually work." She said: "It was an idea. It has since been reported as a policy but it is not a policy. "The idea that you could ban people from paying dividends unless they pay the living wage is not a runner." Stressing the need for a "credible economic and business offer", she went on: "We need to be realistic about how we make steps towards fairness." She laughed off questions about Mr Corbyn's controversial call for some kind of accommodation with Argentina over the Falklands. "The Falklands issue was settled when I was at university," she said. Speculation over a challenge to Mr Corbyn has rumbled ever since his shock victory in the contest to succeed Ed Milband, fuelled by a series of stark disagreements with MPs over issues such as Syria air strikes and the UK's nuclear deterrent. Russian finance ministry readies for fight with big oil over tax By Margarita Papchenkova and Denis Pinchuk MOSCOW, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Russian oil firms would have to pay more tax on some of their fields under reforms being prepared by the finance ministry, which is seeking to get more revenue into the budget, according to three officials and a draft of the plans seen by Reuters. The proposal will be a test of whether the ministry, which has been lobbying for austerity in the face of an economic slump, can stand its ground against the powerful energy lobby, which argues it needs support not higher taxes. According to the officials, who belong to two different ministries and spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, a consequence of the tax reform would be the de facto cancellation the tax breaks on some fields. That could affect all greenfield, or newly developed, oilfields that currently enjoy various tax breaks, the sources from the finance ministry and the energy ministry said. According to Vygon Consulting, a total of 198 fields, including brownfields, or long-operating oil fields, currently benefit from various tax breaks. Among the greenfields with tax breaks are those operated by oil majors such as Surgutneftegaz and Gazpromneft . The cancellation of the tax breaks on fields is part of a broader reform of the way energy companies are taxed. The main measure will be a profit-based tax in addition to those used now: mineral extraction tax (MET) and oil export duty. Oil MET and export duty on oil and oil products contributed 6.6 trillion roubles ($87 billion) to the budget in 2014, or 46 percent of total revenues. The sources could not say how much tax would be raised by the new proposal as discussions are ongoing. Sergey Yezhov, Chief Economist at Vygon Consulting, said that under the proposed system, greenfields in their early stages would benefit: they will pay no tax compared to 10 percent of the oil price now under the tax break regime. According to Yezhov, fields with no tax breaks are paying around 42 percent of the oil price in the form of export duty and MET. But under the new system, a 40 percent tax will apply to all fields once they become profitable, whether or not they previously enjoyed tax breaks, plus a profit-based tax of 70 percent of positive cash-flow. ENERGY SECTOR Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose allies hold leading posts in the energy sector, had previously promised not to increase taxes on all economic sectors before 2018. In a sign of the pressure on the Russian budget caused by the falling oil price, compounded by Western sanctions, Putin's government had to change tack last year. It de facto increased tax on energy companies by delaying a promised cut in export duty, which brought the budget around 200 billion roubles. The finance ministry, custodian of the battered Russian budget, argues there is a strong case for getting the energy companies to pay more still. "Amid severe problems in the economy, Russian oil companies could be seen as fat cats" and there is no need to keep giving them tax relief on fields, said one official, who is not associated with the ministry of finance. Oil companies have revenues in dollars and pay most of their costs in roubles, so they have benefited from the falling currency, as well as from progressive taxes which fall as a share of revenue as oil prices drop. FAT CATS THINNER The energy companies are resisting further tax increases, arguing that more tax means less money for investment in new production. They say that would handicap Russia as it fights to keep production high to defend its market share. "In future we may lose market share", said a manager at a big oil company, warning against increasing taxes on the sector. The oil companies support the idea of a new tax in principal, but want a reduction in the overall tax burden under the proposed new system, two officials said. The Energy Ministry is proposing that the new tax be implemented in stages, with a first stage in which tax breaks are not affected, an official in the ministry said. The oil industry argues that there is little room for further tax increases. An official close to the energy ministry said the cash-flow of many oil companies may be negative this year because of foreign debt repayments and lower income from refining. "The fat cats are becoming thinner," the official said. Swiss prosecutor asks Malaysia to help in 1MDB probe WASHINGTON, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Switzerland's chief prosecutor said on Friday he has formally asked Malaysia for help with his probe into possible violations of Swiss law by the state-owned fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) involving suspected misappropriations of about $4 billion. Swan song: humans implicated in huge Australian bird's demise By Will Dunham WASHINGTON, Jan 29 (Reuters) - The mystery behind the extinction of a huge flightless bird called Genyornis that flourished in the grasslands and woodlands of prehistoric Australia may have been solved, with burned eggshells as the clue and people as the culprits. Scientists said on Friday burn patterns detected on eggshell fragments indicate that the humans who first arrived in Australia roughly 50,000 years ago gathered and cooked the big bird's eggs, playing havoc with its reproductive success. The study is the first to provide direct evidence that these early human inhabitants preyed on the remarkable large animals that once thrived in Australia but disappeared after people got there, University of Colorado geological sciences professor Gifford Miller said. Genyornis, at almost 7 feet tall (2 meters) and perhaps 500 pounds (225 kg), was much bigger than today's large flightless birds like the ostrich or emu. It possessed powerful legs, small wings, large claws and a big beak for eating fruit, nuts and maybe small prey. It was a member of a family of giant birds called dromornithids, some reaching 10 feet (3 meters) tall and 1,100 pounds (500 kg), that was related to ducks, geese and swans. Genyornis vanished around 47,500 years ago, Miller said. The researchers analyzed burned Genyornis eggshell fragments, some only partially blackened, discovered at more than 200 sites. The eggs were the size of a cantaloupe, weighing about 3-1/2 pounds (1.5 kg). "We conclude that the only explanation is that humans harvested the giant eggs, built a fire and cooked them, which would not blacken them, then discarded the fragments in and around their fire as they ate the contents," Miller said. "Wild or natural fires could not produce such patterns. We have no direct evidence that humans hunted the adults, but loss of eggs certainly reduced reproductive success." There has been a long-running debate over whether people caused the extinction of Australia's unique collection of large animals, also including a 25-feet-long (7.5 meters) monitor lizard called Megalania, a nearly rhinoceros-sized wombat called Diprotodon, large marsupial predators and 1,000-pound (450-kg) kangaroos. More than 85 percent of Australia's large mammals, birds and reptiles disappeared after people arrived. Did Brazil, global health agencies fumble Zika response? By Paulo Prada Rio de Janeiro, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Last January, long lines formed outside health clinics in Recife, a city in Brazil's northeast hit hard in recent years by outbreaks of dengue, a painful tropical disease. Doctors were on guard because federal health officials and the World Health Organization (WHO) had warned 2015 would be a bad year for dengue and possibly another viral disease, chikungunya, both spread by the same type of mosquito. But the symptoms of the hundreds of people seeking treatment did not fit dengue. Instead of high fevers and intense muscular aches that dengue is known to cause, patients were running only slight temperatures and complaining of joint pain. Many had rashes sooner than with dengue and chikungunya. "We knew this was something else," says Carlos Brito, a doctor from Recife who told state and federal health authorities in January-February last year that they were wrong to classify all the cases as dengue. "But the authorities were slow to believe," he said. Kleber Luz, a physician in Natal, a city 300 km up the Atlantic coast, says he gave similar feedback but got the same response. The two - who were part of a group of doctors discussing the odd symptoms in text messages - grew frustrated with the authorities' narrow focus. They asked the federal health ministry to broaden its search beyond viruses known in the area. It took until early May for the health ministry to recognize that the Zika virus had arrived in Brazil and to alert the WHO's regional arm, the Washington-based Pan American Health Organization. And it wasn't until November that a Rio de Janeiro laboratory made a link between the virus and microcephaly, which can lead to abnormally small brains in developing babies. The WHO has been lambasted in the past couple of years by scientists, aid organizations, and public health experts for the slow way in which it initially reacted to the Ebola epidemic as it spread across West Africa in 2014. And so far, the hesitant response to the Zika outbreak, which has created the worst global health scare since Ebola, says much about the difficulties that the WHO and other health authorities face in combating unexpected public health threats. EXPLODING ACROSS THE REGION On Dec. 1, the WHO cited the lab evidence linking Zika to microcephaly in an advisory to its member countries. It will consider on Monday whether to declare an international emergency. The WHO said in Geneva on Thursday that Zika in the last few months has spread "explosively" to more than 20 other countries in the Americas and could infect as many as 4 million people. Whether the health authorities in Brazil and the leadership at the WHO have taken too long to get to this point is a subject of debate within the international health community. The Brazilian government says its response when it was first alerted by the doctors about the unusual symptoms they were seeing was driven by the evidence. "It was too early," said Claudio Maierovitch, director of the health ministry's Department of Communicable Disease Surveillance. "There are so many other viral possibilities and Zika had never been seen in this hemisphere." And he said that when Zika was identified, the authorities' response was based on knowledge of the disease. Previous outbreaks of Zika, a virus first identified in 1947 in Uganda, had occurred in small and scattered rural populations in Africa and Southeast Asia and the symptoms were relatively benign. "We based our response on the scientific knowledge available, that Zika caused a mild illness without major complications," said Maierovitch. "But as soon as we saw that there was an association with microcephaly, we reacted in record time." Critics say that the WHO has been slow to act after the link between Zika and microcephaly was made, and should have declared an emergency as soon as that was determined. "My chief criticism is of WHO in Geneva. After being widely condemned for acting late on Ebola, it is now sitting back with Zika," said Lawrence O. Gostin, a professor of public health law at Georgetown University, who has worked with the WHO and written extensively about pandemics and policy. WHO officials say the agency's response to Zika is driven by science, and they point out that much remains unclear, including the precise nature of any link between Zika and microcephaly. "In any unfolding crisis you're dealing with a lot of uncertainty," Bruce Aylward, the WHO's assistant director-general, told reporters on Thursday. Since October, 4,180 cases of microcephaly have been reported in Brazil but only 270 have so far been confirmed, with just six so far linked by the government to Zika. Of the rest, 3,448 are still being investigated through a long process involving clinical research, laboratory testing and monitoring of the infants' development, and 462 were dismissed as not being microcephaly. Following the spread of the disease is difficult. Many of those who get Zika can recover quickly from only mild symptoms, and across the Americas, hospitals do not have the clinical testing materials to quickly and definitively determine whether a patient is infected. "I THINK IT'S ZIKA" Luz, the Natal doctor, may have been the first person to make a link between the symptoms his patients had shown and Zika. After poring over scientific literature about a 2013 outbreak in French Polynesia, Luz in early March sent a text to a WhatsApp group for doctors, declaring: "I think it's Zika." He compared the symptoms he had seen with those reported in that outbreak. Soon, several doctors in the same region began collecting blood samples from patients and sent them to various laboratories for analysis. On April 30, a laboratory at the Federal University of Bahia, also in Brazil's northeast, said it had identified the presence of Zika in samples from one patient. The health ministry alerted state governments. On May 2, it notified PAHO. The notification put a Zika outbreak on record at the WHO. On May 7, PAHO issued an "epidemiological alert" saying "public health authorities of Brazil are investigating a possible transmission of the Zika virus." But concern remained limited mostly to the contagiousness of Zika, rather than whether it could be a serious threat. In its alert, PAHO wrote: "Complications (neurological, autoimmune) are rare." 'REAL ANGUISH' In late May, Brito received a call from a Recife neurologist who noticed a surge of new patients with symptoms of Guillain-Barre, a little-understood autoimmune syndrome that can weaken the muscles and cause paralysis. Brito interviewed the patients, many of whom said they had previously suffered a light fever, joint pain and rashes. He collected blood samples and by June a laboratory had used genetic testing to find traces of the Zika virus. "It was real anguish," Brito said of the patient's suffering and the wait for official confirmation of Zika's presence. But despite the results, there was no proof to show that it was Zika causing the syndrome. Neither the Brazilian health ministry nor PAHO heightened warnings. By September, the chat groups among doctors were abuzz over a spike in the number of babies born with microcephaly. Many mothers of affected babies recalled having Zika-type symptoms. In October, Adriana Melo, an obstetrician in the nearby state of Paraiba, noticed troubling signs in sonograms of a 34-year-old expectant mother. There were calcium deposits in the developing baby's brain, a possible sign of viral infection. The cerebellum, the part of the brain crucial for motor control, was shrinking. Melo phoned the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, a public health institute in Rio de Janeiro, and got a lab there to test the patient's amniotic fluid. By then, the number of babies born with microcephaly was surging. The health ministry, now more alarmed, declared a national emergency on Nov. 11 and in public comments mentioned that there were possible ties between the condition and Zika. The WHO was not yet ready to draw the same parallels. On November 17, the Rio lab said it had found the virus in the amniotic fluid. On Nov. 28, after lab tests from another baby, Brazil's government confirmed the link between the virus and microcephaly. Starting Nov. 30, WHO deployed a small team of researchers from PAHO's Washington headquarters to Brazil. On December 1, PAHO issued a new advisory, warning countries in the region of the link between the virus and microcephaly. Two months later, the WHO is considering whether to declare an international emergency. Some African states oppose AU peace force for Burundi - Gambian president By Aaron Maasho ADDIS ABABA, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Some African states oppose sending peacekeepers to Burundi without the government's consent after the president said such a move would be treated as an invasion, Gambia's president said on Saturday, the first day of an African Union summit. The African Union's peace and security council announced a plan in December to deploy a 5,000-strong force to the central African nation, where hundreds have died in the worst violence since an ethnically charged civil war ended in 2005. Burundi is high on the agenda for the two-day summit as rising violence has rattled the region which has a history of ethnic conflict. The 1994 genocide in neighbouring Rwanda killed 800,000 people. "It is not only Burundi that is resisting that idea," Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh told reporters at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa when asked if there was opposition to the plan for peacekeepers. He did not name any nations. But when asked if Gambia, which is a member of 15-member AU peace and security council was among them, he said: "Without the consent of Burundi, yes." Before the summit, an African diplomat had told Reuters that Egypt, another council member, had voiced reservations. Egyptian officials could not be reached for comment. Officials have said African leaders at the summit would try to persuade President Pierre Nkurunziza - who triggered the crisis by standing for a third term in July elections - to accept such a force. But they also said it was unlikely to succeed. "When it comes to troops, our position has not changed. It is a no-go area under any conditions," Burundi's Foreign Minister Alain Nyamitwe told reporters in Addis Ababa. Leaders from the 15 members of the council met on Friday in a bid to resolve differences but failed to reach a decision, said Smail Chergui, the AU's peace and security commissioner. If the AU sent a force without Burundi's consent it would have to invoke Article 4 of the AU charter that allows it to intervene in a member state "in respect of grave circumstances, namely: war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity". U.N. Security Council would give final authorisation. The United States has urged African leaders to work "behind closed doors" to convince Burundi's president. "The country now stands perilously close to the brink," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the AU council on Friday, praising the plan for a peacekeeping force, known as MAPOBRU. "Now we must do everything we can to put in place an inclusive political process." he said. Flash A British mother has been convicted of terrorism offences after fleeing Britain with her one-year-old child to join the Islamic State (IS) in Syria, Britain's West Midlands Police announced Friday. Tareena Shakil, a 26-year-old woman from Burton-upon-Trent in England, was found guilty of being a member of IS, also known as Daesh, and encouraging acts of terrorism at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday. The mother boarded a plane to Turkey in October 2014 with her young boy, where she then crossed the border into Syria and spent the next three months there, police said. "She denied joining Daesh but her membership was proven as a result of enquiries carried out by the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit and other agencies," West Midlands Police said in a statement. Police noted that detectives were able to show Shakil had become a member of the extremist group and was set to become a jihadi bride. A photograph uncovered by police showed her posing in Syria underneath an IS flag. She was arrested by counter-terrorism officers when she returned to Britain on February 18 in 2015 after landing at Heathrow Airport, while her son was taken into care, police said. The woman was also found guilty of sending a series of tweets before she left the UK "encouraging the public to commit acts of terrorism," police added. Assistant Chief Constable of West Midlands Police Marcus Beale said that Shakil "had self-radicalized by viewing extremist material on the internet" before leaving Britain in 2014. "Our assessment is that she was not naive; she had absolutely clear intentions when she left the UK, sending tweets encouraging the public to commit acts of terrorism here and then taking her young child to join Daesh in Syria," he elaborated. Photographs seized from Shakil's phone showed her posing with a firearm and wearing a Daesh balaclava, while another showed a rucksack with a Daesh logo and person holding a handgun, Beale said. He added that Shakil "no doubt presented a real threat on her return to the UK from the country (Syria) early last year." In 2015, 56 women and girls were reported missing to the police by their families, all feared to have traveled to Syria, according to West Midlands Police. Almost 40 dead after migrant boat sinks off Turkey By Ece Toksabay ANKARA, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Almost 40 people drowned and 75 were rescued after a boat carrying migrants to Greece sank off Turkey's western coast on Saturday, according to local officials and the Turkish Dogan news agency. More than one million refugees and migrants arrived in the European Union last year and some 3,600 died or went missing, forcing the EU to mull suspending its Schengen open-borders area for up to two years. The Turkish coast guard was continuing search and rescue efforts where the 17-metre boat carrying at least 120 people sank off the coast of Ayvacik, a town across from the Greek island of Lesvos, the Dogan news agency reported. "I am afraid the numbers will rise as divers continue the search," Mehmet Unal Sahin, the mayor of Ayvacik, told the CNNTurk news channel by phone. "Local people woke up to the sound of screaming migrants and we have been carrying out rescue work since dawn. We have an 80-kilometre-long coast just across from Lesvos, which is very hard to keep under control." At least five of those who died were children, Dogan reported, while rescued migrants were hospitalised with hypothermia symptoms. It said the migrants were of Syrian, Afghan and Myanmar origin. GREEK CENTRES Chancellor Angela Merkel, who opened Germany's borders to Syrians fleeing civil war last summer, is under mounting pressure to halt the inflow. Merkel told a meeting of a members of her Christian Democratic Union party on Saturday that despite efforts to help refugees, it was important to stress that they had only been given permission for a limited stay. "We need ...to say to people that this is a temporary residential status and we expect that once there is peace in Syria again, once IS has been defeated in Iraq, that you go back to your home country." Around 500,000 refugees from the five-year-old war in Syria travelled through Turkey and then risked their lives at sea to reach Greek islands in 2015. Under pressure from the European Commission about delays, Greece expects to have four of five "hot spot" centres for processing migrants operational in about two weeks, its migration minister said in a newspaper interview published on Saturday. "We are behind schedule on the installation of these hot spots," Greece's Yiannis Mouzalas told Austrian newspaper Der Standard. "Four of the five will be operational from mid-February." Rwandan police arrest suspects believed tied to the Islamic State KIGALI, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Rwandan police have arrested several people suspected of being linked to Islamic State, less than a week after the police killed a preacher accused of encouraging youths to join the militant group. Police declined to say exactly how many people were arrested but said at least some of the suspects they had been pursuing had fled the country. On Monday, police detained Muhammad Mugemangango, the deputy imam at Kigali's Kimironko Mosque, and accused him of recruiting for the Islamic State, which is fighting in Iraq and Syria. Mugemangango was shot and killed while attempting to escape, police said. In a news conference on Saturday, police said that evidence obtained after Mugemangango's detention had led them to identify several other suspects. The group's aim had been to recruit new Islamic State members, the police said. They also seized jihadist preaching materials such as books, CDs and social network messages. After news of Mugemangango's death broke, the country's main Muslim association, Rwanda Muslims, said it planned to circulate messages condemning radicalization to all of Rwanda's mosques. Most Rwandans are Christian. Muslims account for about 2.5 percent of population. Turkey says Russian jet violated its airspace, envoy summoned ANKARA, Jan 30 (Reuters) - A Russian SU-34 jet violated Turkish airspace on Friday despite radar warnings, Turkey's foreign ministry said on Saturday, and the Russian ambassador was summoned over the incident. The ministry said in a statement that the violation was a clear sign that Russia wanted issues between the two countries to escalate. Some African states oppose AU peace force for Burundi - Gambian pres. By Aaron Maasho and Edmund Blair ADDIS ABABA, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Some African states oppose sending peacekeepers to Burundi without its consent after it said that would be seen as an invasion, Gambia's president said on Saturday at the start of an African Union summit. Rifts in Africa about whether to deploy the 5,000-strong force will worry Western powers and others, who fear Burundi will slide into ethnic conflict if there is no intervention. The African Union's peace and security council announced the plan for the force in December, but Burundi swiftly rejected it. The AU charter allows a force to be sent against the will of a host country if there is a risk of serious violence, such as genocide. But some African leaders may be concerned about setting a precedent that could be turned on them, experts say. "It is not only Burundi that is resisting that idea," Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh told reporters at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa when asked if there was opposition to the plan for peacekeepers. He did not name any nations. Asked if Gambia was among them, he said: "Without the consent of Burundi, yes." Burundi, facing its worst crisis since an ethnically charged civil war ended in 2005, is high on the agenda for the two-day summit as violence that has killed hundreds of people rattles a region where memories of Rwanda's 1994 genocide are still raw. Officials have said African leaders would try to persuade President Pierre Nkurunziza - who triggered the crisis by standing for a disputed third term in July elections - to accept such a force. They also said they were unlikely to succeed. "When it comes to troops, our position has not changed. It is a no-go area under any conditions," Burundi's Foreign Minister Alain Nyamitwe told reporters in Addis Ababa. Leaders from the 15 members of the council met on Friday in a bid to resolve differences but failed to reach a decision, said Smail Chergui, the AU's peace and security commissioner. An African diplomat said South Africa and Tanzania, two main brokers of the peace deal that brought Nkurunziza to power in 2005, were among those opposed to sending an unwanted force. Ivan Simonovic, U.N. assistant secretary-general for human rights, said a failure to deploy troops would be a concern, but the AU should at least send more African human rights observers or send police. Germany's Merkel says refugees must return home once war is over By Andreas Rinke NEUBRANDENBURG, Germany, Jan 30 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel tried on Saturday to placate the increasingly vocal critics of her open-door policy for refugees by insisting that most refugees from Syria and Iraq would go home once the conflicts there had ended. Despite appearing increasingly isolated, Merkel has resisted pressure from some conservatives to cap the influx of refugees, or to close Germany's borders. Support for her conservative bloc has slipped as concerns mount about how Germany will integrate the 1.1 million migrants who arrived last year, while crime and security are also in the spotlight after a wave of assaults on women in Cologne at New Year by men of north African and Arab appearance. The influx has played into the hands of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD), whose support is now in the double digits, and whose leader was quoted on Saturday saying that migrants entering illegally should, if necessary, be shot. Merkel said it was important to stress that most refugees had only been allowed to stay for a limited period. "We need ... to say to people that this is a temporary residential status and we expect that, once there is peace in Syria again, once IS has been defeated in Iraq, that you go back to your home country with the knowledge that you have gained," she told a regional meeting of her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Merkel said 70 percent of the refugees who fled to Germany from former Yugoslavia in the 1990s had returned. Horst Seehofer, leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the CDU's Bavarian sister party, has threatened to take the government to court if the flow of asylum seekers is not cut. Merkel urged other European countries to offer more help "because the numbers need to be reduced even further and must not start to rise again, especially in spring". A MILLION MORE Fabrice Leggeri, the head of the European Union's border agency Frontex, said a U.N. estimate that up to a million migrants could try to come to Europe via the eastern Mediterranean and Western Balkans next year was realistic. "It would be a big achievement if we could keep the number ... stable," he told the magazine Der Spiegel. Merkel said all EU states should have an interest in protecting the bloc's external borders, and all would suffer if the internal passport-free Schengen zone collapsed and national borders were closed. AfD leader Frauke Petry told the Mannheimer Morgen newspaper that Germany needed to reduce the influx through agreements with neighbouring Austria and a reinforcement of the EU's external borders. But she also said it should not be shy about turning people back and creating "border protection installations" - and that border guards should, if necessary, shoot at migrants trying to enter illegally. No police officer wanted to shoot at a migrant, Petry said, adding "I don't want that either but, ultimately, deterrence includes the use of armed force". Such comments evoke memories of Germany's Cold War division, when guards in the communist East, led by Erich Honecker, were under orders to shoot people attempting to cross the heavily fortified border into the West. Flash Peru's Health MinisterAnibal Velasquez (C) attends a press conference in Lima City,capital of Peru, on Jan. 29, 2016. Anibal Velasquez reported onFriday that the South American country recorded the first case ofZika virus infection in a Venezuelan young man. The 17-year-oldVenezuelan young man is being treated at a hospital aftercontracting the virus during his visit to Colombia, according tothe official information.[Photo/Xinhua] Peru has registered its first case of the Zika virus in a 17-year-old Venezuelan boy, the country's Health Minister Anibal Velasquez announced Friday. The teenager, whose name has not been released, arrived in the Peruvian capital city of Lima last week from Colombia, said the minister, adding that the patient was hospitalized after showing signs of the virus including fever, rashes and joint pain, among other symptoms. The patient is isolated in a medical center and has already received all the medical attention necessary, noted Velasquez. The Ministry has reported the case to the Directorate of Epidemiology and the National Health Institute in order to carry out an analysis. Zika is most commonly passed on through the "Aedes aegypti" mosquito. This mosquito also spreads dengue fever, yellow fever and chikungunya. People infected with Zika are not affected as badly as the other viruses carried by the mosquito in terms of symptoms. However, pregnant women are at higher risk than everyone else as it could cause their child to be born with microcephaly. Virologists say there is currently no cure for or vaccine against Zika and developing such a vaccine will surely take a long time. The "Aedes aegypti" mosquito thrives in warm climates and reproduce in stagnant water. Venezuela has reported 4,500 cases of potential infection. Zika virus is spreading "explosively" in the Americas, and could spread even further afield amid an "extremely high" level of alarm, said the World Health Organization (WHO) Thursday. RICHMOND Reporters who cover the state Capitol will return to the Senate floor Monday, nearly three weeks after Republicans who control the chamber had consigned them to its gallery. On Monday morning it is my expectation, after some significant and fruitful discussions with our friends from the Fourth Estate, that they will be returning to the floor of the Senate in a little bit of a reconfigured fashion, Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment Jr., R-James City, said Friday on the Senate floor. Weve come to a good mutual resolution, Norment said. On Jan. 13, the first day of the General Assembly session, the Senate, in which Republicans hold a 21-19 edge, voted along party lines for a change in Senate rules that removed reporters access from the floor, where journalists have covered the state Senate for decades. State and national media organizations denounced the surprise move as a blow against public transparency. To ease movement on the Senate floor, reporters will now have access to six desk chairs, each with a fold-over leaf to support a computer. Previously, there were tables on each side of the rostrum that could accommodate four people apiece. Floor seats for credentialed media will be on a first-come, first-served basis. If demand for floor seating exceeds availability, each media organization will be limited to one floor seat. Other journalists from the organization could then sit in the gallery. Reporters will be able to use laptop computers, but will no longer be able to plug them in while working on the Senate floor. The Virginia Capitol Correspondents Association said in a statement: Denying reporter access to the Virginia Senate floor session was a mistake that could have been avoided; restoring it was the right thing to do. While the revised floor access arrangement places additional limitations on our members flexibility to cover proceedings, it is workable and returning is an important step toward ensuring we can do our jobs and provide accurate and timely reporting. It added: The VCCA will continue to promote media access in the Capitol and the publics right to know that the people elected to serve Virginia are conducting its business in the best traditions of open and transparent government. Jim Nolan, a political reporter at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, is president of the Virginia Capitol Correspondents Association. Sen. Thomas A. Garrett Jr., R-Buckingham, who had called for restoring reporters access to the Senate floor, issued a statement through his 5th District congressional campaign, hailing the result. Today, all those who support transparency in government will celebrate a victory for the First Amendment to our Constitution, said Garrett, who is seeking the Republican nomination for the seat. (Rep. Robert Hurt, R-5th, is not seeking re-election.) As a result of my willingness to stand and fight for principles of constitutional governance, press freedom and legislative transparency, Republican leadership has allowed the sunshine of a free and open press back into Virginias Senate, Garrett said. Im proud to have stood on principle in leading this fight, even if it makes me unpopular with the Republican Establishment, Garrett said. This issue is not about right and left its about right and wrong. Citizens from all sides of the political spectrum can agree that limiting the First Amendment and impeding the flow of information to a free press is wrong. About three-fourths of states in the U.S. allow reporters on the floor of their Senate and House chambers and many provide seats or desks for them to use, according to The Associated Press. The press tables that had been on opposite sides of the rostrum were removed before senators voted Jan. 13. Reporters then had to cover Senate sessions from the gallery above the floor. Journalists said that vantage point made it harder to hear senators comments and observe their interactions and to get copies of floor amendments and vote tallies. On Jan. 20 a delegation of journalists who cover the state Capitol met with key state senators to discuss the removal of reporters access to the Senate floor. There was no resolution of the issue at that meeting, which lasted about an hour, but the journalists and senators aired their concerns and characterized it as a productive discussion. Senators attending the Jan. 20 meeting in a conference room off the Senate chamber included Norment; Senate Minority Leader Richard L. Saslaw, D-Fairfax; Senate Majority Whip William M. Stanley Jr., R-Franklin County; and Ryan T. McDougle, R-Hanover, chairman of the Senate Republican Caucus. During that meeting the journalists sought a return to work space on the Senate floor. Topics that were discussed also included Republican senators concerns about limited space on the Senate floor and about reporters adherence to long-standing rules governing when journalists can interact with senators on the floor. Under the new arrangement, rules of conduct on the Senate floor are more clearly spelled out, as is a graduated set of sanctions on media access to the chamber should reporters violate the rules. Andrew Cain reports for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Hyderabad: Former Army chief General K.V. Krishna Rao (retd), who played a key role in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War and was credited with modernising the Army, died in New Delhi on Saturday following a cardiac arrest. He was 92. Gen. Rao also served as the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir at a time when militancy was at its peak in the state. Commissioned into the Army on August 9, 1942, he became the 14th chief of the Army staff. His former colleagues remembered him as a true soldier and a leader. Lt. Gen. A. Seshagiri Rao (retd), told this newspaper, I interacted with him regularly when he was J&K Governor and I was Chief of Staff at the Northern Command in Udhampur in 1996. His experience helped me a lot. He was a true soldier and feared none. A true professional, he never ever indulged in gossip. After he retired as Governor, I used to meet him in Sainikpuri (Hyderabad), he said. Col. Henry Bhaskar (retd) said he knew Gen. Krishna Rao since he was a Senior Colonel of the Mahar Regiment. He was very fond of South Indian food and culture. Though very outspoken, he used to make it a point to talk with all. He used to personally sign and hand over greeting cards to all of his subordinates, he said. A man with a golden heart, he donated all his medals and trophies to the Mahar Regiment, said Col. Bhaskar. He recalled an incident which left all jawans motivated: Gen. Rao took the trouble of meeting them in minus 20C temperatures. Gen. Rao made free rations available to all Army personnel irrespective of rank. Earlier, it was available only for Army personnel of a certain rank. This is the least I can do for the officials, he had said. Condoling his death, defence minister Manohar Parrikar said in New Delhi, the country has lost one of our best known military leaders. He was a visionary who led ably, inspired a generation of soldiers and initiated modernisation of the Indian Army in the early 1980s. Army chief Gen. Dalbir Singh Suhag condoled the demise of Gen. Krishna Rao. Microsoft Exchange Server, which many of the world's largest companies rely on for email services. (Representational Image) San Francisco: In reporting better-than-expected fiscal second-quarter earnings on Thursday, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella touted his company's success in the cloud. "Businesses everywhere are using the Microsoft Cloud as their digital platform to drive their ambitious transformation agendas," he said. What he didn't mention was the role that one of the company's much older products played in the success of this new technology: Microsoft Exchange Server, which many of the world's largest companies rely on for email services. When companies begin moving data to the cloud, typically a network of servers managed by an outside company, a common first step is to move email, often with other office software tools but sometimes on its own. For companies already relying on Microsoft Exchange and Outlook for sending and receiving email, information technology managers say, turning to the same company to handle that data in the cloud seems like a logical move. That's what happened at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. The school was looking to streamline its technology by moving to the cloud, starting with email, because it is "a pain to operate," said Bob Plankers, a virtualization architect at the university. "Aside from email servers, you need to worry about spam and virus scanning," he added. For the transition, Plankers said he chose Microsoft's cloud-based Office 365 product because the university already used Outlook. "It's just a really natural thing," said Matt McIllwain, an investor at Madrona Venture Group, about companies starting their cloud transition with email and other widely used office software from Microsoft. "It's easier and can be more cost effective to run it on the cloud, and let Microsoft worry about your Exchange servers." Such thinking helps explain how Microsoft has become the second largest provider of cloud infrastructure, services and software, well ahead of Salesforce, Oracle and Google, according to a Goldman Sachs analysis. The company announced Thursday that it was on track to generate $9.4 billion in annual cloud-based revenue, up from $5.5 billion a year ago. Microsoft remains far behind market leader Amazon, but it has become the fastest-growing major cloud provider. Its key Azure business has more than doubled year on year, well above the 65 percent growth rate of market leader Amazon, according to Goldman. Microsoft has worked hard to exploit the advantage its mail software provides. "Maybe one of the first steps is you want to move your email. That's fine," says Takeshi Numoto, corporate vice president for cloud and enterprise marketing. "That gets us more opportunity to engage with customers." Investor McIllwain called that strategy smart, because customers who move their Outlook email to Microsoft's cloud typically use a Microsoft directory service that controls access to that email. It then becomes simple to use that same directory to provide designated employees access to other data and services that are later moved to Microsoft's cloud. The strategy isn't foolproof, however. Over seven months last year, Clif Bar, an Oakland, Calif.-based snack provider, moved all its Outlook email, along with other applications like document management and workflow, to Azure. The company nevertheless moved its enterprise resource management to the cloud services of another longtime partner: Oracle. As cloud services rapidly expand, Microsoft will have to demonstrate that its products are equal to, or better than, those of its competitors in both quality and price. Currently, many companies favor Microsoft because it offers more flexibility in terms of moving software around, say from a company's own data center to the one it has outsourced to Azure, said Frank Gillett, an analyst at Forrester Research. But Amazon's AWS offers more types of tools, and has a longer track record selling cloud services, he said. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Protest march in Port-au-Prince against the Haitian President, Michel Martelly and the Organisation of American States. ( Photo: AFP) Port au-Prince: Several hundred radical opposition protesters demonstrated on Friday in Port-au-Prince, angry over an international election mission that they say will interfere in Haiti's presidential vote. The protesters, who back the election's opposition candidate, are upset by the Organisation of American States' deployment of a special mission meant to ease the country's political crisis. The OAS is acting at the request of outgoing President Michel Martelly, and opposition activists claim that he and his foreign backers are bent on rigging the poll in favor of his chosen candidate. Demonstrators marched down the streets of the capital with red cardboard signs in hand which read "Down with the OAS." "The time has come that we take the destiny of our country in hand after 212 years of destruction, and the OAS is always in the middle of these conflicts," student Joenson Versailles said. Martelly is constitutionally prohibited from standing for re-election and his legal term in office ends on February 7, when he had hoped to hand over power. His favored candidate, the previously little-known Jovenel Moise, won October's first round with around a third of the vote and remains the favorite. But opposition flag-bearer Jude Celestin was close behind and refused to campaign ahead of the second vote, alleging the government was working against him. The second-round presidential runoff, which was originally scheduled for December 27, was postponed indefinitely last Friday, less than 48 hours before voting was to begin. Members of the UN Security Council expressed concern Friday "that the delay in elections may undermine Haiti's ability to address the security, economic and social challenges it faces. Since 1986, when president-for-life Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier fled a revolt, the Caribbean island nation, which is wracked by poverty and the after effects of a devastating 2010 earthquake, has struggled repeatedly to hold credible elections. Officials caution that Obama has not yet been presented with concrete military plans, though the security situation is acute. (Photo: AP) Washington: US President Barack Obama has asked key advisors to draw up options for ratcheting up the fight against the Islamic State group, including opening a new front in Libya. Eighteen months after a US-led coalition began airstrikes against IS in Iraq and Syria, multiple administration sources said Friday that the White House wants to speed up and broaden the effort. Efforts will deepen to retake Raqa in Syria, Mosul in Iraq and to check the jihadists' growth in Afghanistan, but there is an increasing focus on Libya. Potential options are said to range from intensified air strikes to participation in an UN-backed ground force that would help take on Libya's estimated 3,000 Islamic State fighters. The Defense Department "stands ready to perform the full spectrum of military operations as required," spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Michelle Baldanza said. "We also continue to work with the international community to mitigate conflict in Libya, promote stability, and strengthen governance." Officials caution that Obama has not yet been presented with concrete military plans, though the security situation is acute. "Action in Libya is needed before Libya becomes a sanctuary for ISIL, before they become extremely hard to dislodge," said one US defense official. "We don't want a situation like in Iraq or Syria." Since rebels and Western airpower toppled Moamer Kadhafi's regime in 2011, the country has effectively lacked a government. In the chaos a disparate group of foreign fighters, homegrown militiamen, tribes and remnants of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group have coalesced around the IS banner and gained a foothold. Jihadists have recently taken control of Kadhafi's home town of Sirte, a strategic port near oilfields that could provide a lucrative source of income. Next steps Until now, US involvement in Libya has been limited to isolated airstrikes and the deployment of US Special Forces, who are building ties with local armed groups and providing intelligence. In November, an American F-16 fighter jet struck the eastern town of Derna, killing Abu Nabil also known as Wissam Najm Abd Zayd al-Zubaydi the local IS leader. On Thursday, Obama convened his National Security Council to discuss current operations and the next steps. "The president directed his national security team to continue efforts to strengthen governance and support ongoing counterterrorism efforts in Libya and other countries where ISIL has sought to establish a presence," according to a White House account of the meeting. Republicans, with one eye on November's US presidential election, have pilloried Obama and one-time secretary of state Hillary Clinton for not doing more to prevent the Islamic State's rise. "Congress has been calling for a real strategy from the president to defeat ISIS," said a spokesman for House Speaker Paul Ryan. "We'll see whether this is just more talk or if it will be backed up with the will and the resources necessary for victory." Further steps including ground operations are likely to depend on Libyans' ability to form a Government of National Accord, which the United Nations is still trying to bring together. "There needs to be a political solution to get a military solution," said another defense official, echoing comments from diplomats. "We hope that there is the beginning of a political solution so that there is a legitimate government that can invite us to go after ISIL." Washington is also looking to European nations facing a more acute threat from the collapse of a country a short distance across the Mediterranean to play a leading role, including former Libyan colonial power Italy. Obama will host the Italian head of state, President Sergio Mattarella, at the White House on February 8. France and Britain are also slated as possible contributors. Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to meet his European counterparts in Rome on February 2. "The idea is to have a coalition of nations," a defense official said. Some security experts say the deteriorating situation on the ground may leave the administration few options but to launch a ground campaign, even if the long-term path is unclear. "The unfortunate reality is that this is a bad option, but it's the only one," said Patrick Skinner, a former CIA case officer now with The Soufan Group, a consultancy. IS-linked terror attacks from Turkey to Indonesia have sharpened concerns about the group's reach and potency, even as it suffers losses in Mesopotamia. "They cannot let the Islamic State run Libya, they just can't." "They are holding really key spots. You can't let the Islamic State have a port, that's insane." According to Karim Mezran, a Libya expert at the Atlantic Council, any government in Libya is unlikely to survive without foreign support and would have to invite in foreign troops. "Without an international force of support, there is no way the new government can ever get into Tripoli," he said. A strong earthquake of at least a 7.0 magnitude struck in Russia's Far East today, US and Russian scientists said, sending tremors across the coastal peninsula. The US Geological Survey said the quake occurred at 0325 GMT at a depth of 160 kilometres (100 miles), about 95 kilometres northeast of the Russian town of Yelizovo in the mountainous Kamchatka Krai region. It put the magnitude at 7.0. The Russian Academy of Sciences said on its website the first tremor, which it said measured 7.3 in magnitude, was followed minutes later by a 5.2 magnitude aftershock. Residents of regional capital Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky felt the earth tremble, a spokesman for the local branch of the Academy told Russia's Interfax news agency. The quake struck in an area close to the "Ring of Fire", an arc of fault lines that circle the Pacific Ocean which is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The National and Pacific Tsunami Warning Centers said there was no risk the earthquake had caused a tsunami. Extremely high levels of pollution in Yamuna over the last two weeks had forced water treatment plants to stop producing potable water, leading to shortages in the city. A solution is now in the works. The problem of water supply being affected due to rise in ammonia in Yamuna has been recurring for some years. However, if the government is to be believed, the supply to households wont be hit after three months as a new plan is being devised. Under the new system, water supply from Haryana will be cut off from the Wazirabad pond if the ammonia levels rise. Instead, Delhi Jal Boards treatment plants will draw water directly from the Western Yamuna Canal through a pipeline. Apart from giving water from the Western Yamuna Canal, Haryana sometimes releases it directly through the course of the river. While the water from the canal is not contaminated, water taken directly from the river flows over a riverbed containing pollutants, resulting in a rise in ammonia levels. Around January 19, Haryana government stopped releasing water from the canal due to an incident and instead discharged it through the riverbed which is dry and heavily polluted with industry effluents from Panipat and Sonepat, and beyond treatment, forcing closure of Wazirabad and Chandrawal plants, said a senior DJB official. The acceptable limit of ammonia in raw water is 0.5 parts per million (ppm). If the quantity increases beyond that, the operation of treatment of raw water has to be suspended as ammonia, with the treating agent chlorine gives rise to trihalomethane, which is carcinogenic in nature, Delhis Water Minister Kapil Mishra had earlier said. According to the new plan, if the ammonia levels rise again, the DJB will take the clean water directly from the Western Yamuna Canal and cut off the supply of contaminated water to its plants from the Wazirabad pond. We have told Haryana not to release water from the river course, but we cant stop pollutants coming into the river from there. Through this new pipeline, at least our plants wont be affected, Kapil Mishra told Deccan Herald. The work is being taken up on a war-footing and is likely to be completed in three months, he said. During the last two weeks, the DJB had to curtail the operations of its Wazirabad and Chandrawal Plant by 50 per cent and once even by 100 per cent. Mishra suggested that after the project is completed, plants wont be hit so hard and will not be completely shut. The National Green Tribunal had this week slammed the DJB over rising ammonia levels and asked what action it was taking. After high levels of ammonia ranging between 2 and 2.5 ppm were traced in the river, Mishra wrote a letter to Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti, asking her to intervene as Haryana has been releasing untreated sewage and industrial waste into the river. A domestic help and his four accomplices fled with over Rs 50 lakh worth of cash and jewelley from the house of his elderly employee while his sons were away in Vietnam enjoying a vacation. Prakash Chandra Jain, 85, was tied with rope and beaten by them in his house in northwest Delhis Ashok-Vihar. Jain lives in Ashok Vihars phase-2 with his two sons and their families. Jains daughter had come to his house in their absence. His sons have a jewellery shop in Karol Bagh. The victim and his daughter along with his servant Dinesh were in the house on Tuesday night while the guard Ashok was present outside, said an investigating officer. Jain was sleeping in his room. Dinesh was also sleeping on the floor in the same room, and his daughter was asleep in another room, said police. Around 3 am on Wednesday, Jain suddenly woke up after hearing a sound. He saw Dinesh along with four other men standing in front of him. As the elderly man was still trying to figure out the situation, one of the five men rushed forward and tied his hands and legs, a police officer said. They also thrashed Jain when he tried to resist them. Poured hot water Jain was then taken to the bathroom where in a bid to intimidate him they switched-on the geyser and poured hot water on him. When he calmed down and stopped resisting them, they ransacked the house, and fled with jewellery worth Rs 50 lakh and Rs 2 lakh in cash. According to police, Jains daughter was fast asleep when the robbery happened. Only after he managed to untie himself and woke her up that she got to know about it. The daughter then shouted for the security guard Ashok. When she didnt get a reply she went outside and found he had been gagged and his hands and feet tied up. Ashok told Jain and his daughter that four people came to the place around 2.30 am and overpowered him. After that they called for Dinesh, who opened the door and led the four inside the house. Police said the Jains had hired Dinesh only two months back after a reference from an acquaintance. Although they had asked for his police verification, it couldnt get done. Police are conducting raids at places Dinesh is known to visit. The tiny Marshall Islands will seek in March to persuade the UN's highest court to take up a lawsuit against India, Pakistan and Britain which they accuse of failing to halt the nuclear arms race. The International Court of Justice -- founded in 1945 to rule on legal disputes between nations -- announced late Friday dates for separate hearings for the three cases between March 7 to 16. In the cases brought against India and Pakistan, the court will examine whether the tribunal based in The Hague is competent to hear the lawsuits. The hearing involving Britain will be devoted to "preliminary objections" raised by London. A decision will be made at a later date as to whether the cases can proceed. In 2014, the Marshall Islands -- a Pacific Ocean territory with 55,000 people -- accused nine countries of "not fulfilling their obligations with respect to the cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament." They included China, Britain, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, and the United States. The government based in the Marshall Islands capital of Majuro said by not stopping the nuclear arms race, the countries continued to breach their obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) -- even if the treaty has not been by signed by countries such as India and Pakistan. The Marshall Islands had decided to sue the world's nuclear heavyweights as "it has a particular awareness of the dire consequences of nuclear weapons," it said. Between 1946 and 1958 the United States conducted repeated nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands, Majuro's representatives said in papers filed in court. But the court only admitted three cases brought against Britain, India and Pakistan because they already recognised the ICJ's authority. In March 2014, the Marshall Islands marked 60 years since the devastating hydrogen bomb test at Bikini Atoll, that vapourised an island and exposed thousands in the surrounding area to radioactive fallout. The 15-megaton test on March 1, 1954, was part of the intense Cold War nuclear arms race and 1,000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Bikini Islanders have lived in exile since they were moved for the first weapons tests in 1946. When US government scientists declared Bikini safe for resettlement, some residents were allowed to return in the early 1970s. But they were removed again in 1978 after ingesting high levels of radiation from eating local foods grown on the former test site. BJP today accused Congress of shedding "crocodile tears" over suicide of a Dalit scholar and attacked its Vice President Rahul Gandhi for using students as a "political tool" after he joined them at the Hyderabad Central University for a day-long fast over the issue. Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said nine cases of Dalit student suicides had taken place in the campus during the UPA rule but Rahul never bothered to go there as he asked opposition parties to wait for the report of the judicial commission probe ordered by the Centre into the suicide. "Congress is shedding crocodile tears simply to gain political mileage. Congress and communist parties are trying to make this a political issue and making a beeline to the university, forgetting that 9 such incidents happened during the UPA rule. This is part of their anti-Modi campaign across the country," he told reporters. BJP said the Congress vice president's protests reflected the opposition party's "frustration" as its leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi and most chief ministers were facing serious corruption charges. "At a place where students go for study, Rahul Gandhi is trying to vitiate its atmosphere. It shows how much frustrated Congress is that it is doing politics over a student's death. Such a divisive politics is poisonous and BJP condemns it," BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said. He charged that both Rahul Gandhi and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi were doing politics over the death of Rohith Vemula, a Dalit scholar who had ended his life on the campus. Congress MP Hanumantha Rao had also written to the HRD Ministry over suicides by many university students coming from deprived background and the ministry had sent six reminders to the authorities in this regard but Congress had conveniently forgotten it, Sharma said. "His protests are nothing but part of Congress conspiracy to defame the Modi government on one pretext or another. UPA was a failure while the BJP government has been successful on all fronts. Congress is unable to stomach it. Now it has made the university a political theatre for its selfish motives," he said. Lashing out at Rahul Gandhi, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said his fast was a classic case of trying to score "political brownie points" and charged that his characteristic way of functioning was to shun responsibility and gatecrash into others' protests. "Rahul and responsibility, these two Rs never go together. Today he has proved the same. We are all very sad and disturbed about Rohith Vemula's suicide. But the way Rahul Gandhi has shown insensitivity is the reason why I say he and responsibility cannot travel together," he told a press conference. The Congress leader should not act as a judge as the HRD ministry had already ordered a judicial inquiry and the matter was also before a court, he said. "Rather than politicising it, he should have shown restraint and sensitivity," he said, adding that it was not a Dalit vs non-Dalit issue and "passion should not be stoked". "It is a classic case of trying to buy some political brownie points out of a tragedy. It is itself a tragedy... He has always shunned his responsibilities and gatecrashed into protests of others. He has never taken any issue to a logical conclusion," Patra said. Accusing the Congress leader of being "selective", he said Gandhi has chosen not to speak about Malda violence and about the Warangal Congress leader accused of killing his daughter-in-law. Days after three girl students of a private college killed themselves over alleged exorbitant fee demands, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today ordered transfer of the yoga and naturopathy students from that institution to a state-run college. She also said that the case of the triple suicide was transferred to the CB-CID by the Director General of Police based on her orders. "Considering the welfare of students of SVS Yoga and Naturopathy Medical College (in Villupuram District), I have ordered transfer of students of yoga and naturopathy to the state-run Yoga and Naturopathy Medical College," she said in an official release here. As regards homoeopathy college of the same SVS group, she said she has ordered steps to get the students admitted in the government homoeopathy medical college after getting the requisite Central approval. On January 23, three girl students of SVS Medical College of Yoga and Naturopathy at Villupuram had allegedly committed suicide by jumping into a farm well after harassment by the management demanding 'exorbitant' fees. The college head Vasuki Subramaniam surrendered in a court in Chennai on January 25 and was remanded to judicial custody, while two others, including its principal, were arrested in connection with the case. On January 27, the Madras High Court allowed a fresh autopsy of one of the three college girls who allegedly committed suicide, on request by her father. Tamilarasan had moved a petition on January 25 in the High Court, seeking a CB-CID inquiry and a fresh post-mortem in a state-run hospital in Chennai. He had also requested that a doctor of his choice be present during the autopsy. After the suicide of three students, several issues related to their college including alleged collection of exorbitant fee, absence of requisite infrastructure and its non-affiliation for the current academic year to TN Dr MGR Medical University cropped up. Students demanded that they be transferred to a state-run college and had also requested reimbusement of fee component over and above fixed by the government and taken by the private college management. Yesterday, the College head, Vasuki Subramanian was sent to police custody by a Kallakurichi court till February 4. Against this background, Jayalalithaa explained how the college now in the thick of controversy came into existence. She said an entity, "SVS Education, Social Seva Trust" got permission in 2008 from the then DMK regime to establish SVS Yoga and Naturopathy College and Research Institute with an annual intake of 50 students. Since then (2008-09), the TN Dr MGR Medical University has given continuous provisional affiliation till 2014-15, she said. "The application of this college (in Kallakurichi near Chinna Salem in Villupuram District) seeking affiliation for 2015-16 is under the consideration of the varsity," she said indicating clearly that so far approval has not been given for it for the current year. On February 28, 2011, the then DMK regime gave no-objection certificate for the SVS trust to set up a Homeopathy Medical College with an annual intake of 50 students. "However, the application of this college was rejected by the Central government (for homeopathy college)," she said. The SVS Trust went to the Madras High Court over this issue. "Based on the High Court's orders, the TN Dr MGR Medical University gave permission for admitting students for 2014-15 and 2015-16," she said. The Central government also gave permission for the homeopathy college on September 28, 2015, she said. She said transfer of students in SVS Yoga and Naturopathy College to a state-run institution was ordered by her to ensure that their education was not disturbed. As regards homeopathy students, approval of the Central Government and the Central Council of Homeopathy was needed for their transfer to other institutions, she said. "I have ordered the authorities to take steps for getting Central nod immediately and get the students of the SVS homeopathy college transferred to the Government Homeopathy Medical College," she said. Activists of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) today protested against the visit of Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi to the Hyderabad Central University campus over the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula even as it called for a "bandh" in Telangana colleges. Gachibowli Police Station Inspector J Ramesh Kumar said 24 ABVP activists were "dispersed". "They were not detained. They were identified and dispersed from there," he said. The BJP's student wing called for a bandh of colleges in Telangana in protest against "politics over dead bodies" by Rahul in the HCU. "ABVP strongly opposes the politicisation being done by Rahul Gandhi in Central University at a time when peaceful atmosphere is returning in the university," ABVP national executive member Kadiam Raju said. Gandhi should stop the "politics over dead bodies" and help restore normalcy in the HCU, he said. "ABVP questions why he (Rahul Gandhi) did not console when Dalit women students died in a medical college in Chennai," Raju asked. For the first time after more than a week of turmoil over the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula, academic activities resumed in the Hyderabad Central University yesterday even as protests by students in support of their demands, continued. Academic and administrative activities had come to a stand-still in HCU from January 18, a day after Rohith's suicide, with agitating students spearheading protests seeking justice for him. Amidst widespread protest over the manhandling of former diplomat T P Sreenivasan by SFI activists, disciplinary action has been initiated against five policemen who were on duty at the venue of Global Education Meet and a manhunt has been launched to trace the accused. The "erring" policemen would be sent for intensive refresher training as part of the departmental action. "Two sub-inspectors and three constables will be sent for intensive refresher training at Kerala Police Academy in Thrissur. An oral enquiry has also been ordered into the incident," a top police official told PTI. There were allegations that police had remained a mute spectator while Sreenivasan, who is also the Vice Chairman and Executive Head of Kerala State Higher Education Council, was attacked by the agitators in Kovalam yesterday. Police sources said a massive manhunt has been launched to trace the key accused who slapped the diplomat. Meanwhile, CPI(M) veteran and opposition leader V S Achuthanandan today demanded strict action against the SFI activists who attacked the former diplomat. CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Pinarayi Vijayan also said that the agitators had crossed the limit and the party cannot approve these kind of personal attacks. The party's district secretary Kadakampally Surendran had apologised yesterday itself for the misbehaviour of agitators belonging to SFI, the student wing of CPI(M). SFI activists had attacked Sreenivasan during their protest against the "commercialisation of higher education" near the venue of Global Education meet at Leela Convention Centre in Kovalam. Sreenivasan was the former Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, Vienna, and Ambassador to Austria and Slovenia. A wizened old lady sat outside her minuscule shop, strung with colourful T-shirts and doodads, eyes almost unseeing yet all-knowing. In the seven decades of her life, she had seen much she told us, a wan smile lighting her face. We were in George Town, the main city of Penang Island in Malaysia, brimming with character and a certain swagger that comes from knowing that it has a rich history, dating back to its life as a trading post in the colonial era. The historic heart of George Town yet reeks of its colonial past, she said, but it is also garnished with dashes of Chinese, Indian and Malay influences. Indeed George Town seems to have kept the 21st century at arms length; time has not just bypassed this UNESCO World Heritage site, it has skulked past like a defeated thief empty handed. We explored the towns underbelly, its secret lanes, and caressed its wind-swept stone; ducked into some of its weathered buildings in order to dip into its multi-cultural flavour, to inhale the intriguing aroma of its street food and gaze at its vibrant street art. Visiting the city was like meeting an old aunt who had aged gracefully and still had a lot of spunk in her. The old & the new George Town hums with boutiques, cafes, galleries and museums that have mushroomed in traditional Chinese shop houses and in colonial remnants; its finger-licking street food and playful wall murals, Chinese and Hindu temples, mosques and churches make it a pastiche of memories overlaid with a living culture. And strolling in this lively enclave was like having that mythical aunt relate stories from the past about the Blue Mansion with its 38 rooms and 220 windows, built by a Chinese entrepreneur called the Rockefeller of the East. The Blue Mansion (called thus because of the blue lime wash) had fallen on bad times but was saved from the wreckers ball in the 1990s and magnificently restored. Now a chic hotel, it is favoured by global gadabouts who stay there for its ambiance and sheer luxury. Another curiosity is the Khoo Kongsi, the clan house of the highly successful Khoo clan, studded with stone carvings and murals. The clan house caught fire on the night of its completion in 1901 and the present one dates from 1906. The Khoo Kongsi is located in Armenian Street, named after the highly successful immigrant community of Armenians. This community included the Sarkies brothers (of Raffles Hotel, Singapore, fame) who built the grand all-suite Eastern and Oriental Hotel in 1885, in the heart of George Town, which is a landmark even today. The Peranakan Museum too houses memories of the opulent lifestyle of the Peranakans, descendants of Chinese immigrants who inter-married with local Malays. There were carved wedding beds, opium beds of rare wood, dinner porcelain, ceremonial costumes, crafts and tableaux that showcased the communitys 12-day wedding ceremony. But what we found most engaging was our walk down Harmony Street with its line-up of houses of worship. The incense-filled gilded Goddess of Mercy temple, the Sri Maha Mariamman temple with its soaring gopuram, the brick Kapitan Keling Mosque and St Georges Church all testified to the fact that the tourism slogan Malaysia Truly Asia wasnt just hype. This is a country whose social fabric is intact and in fact richly woven with colourful strands of Malay, Chinese and Indian influences. Beyond these enchanting spiritual spaces in a town that heaved with life and colour, bicycle rickshaws, bedecked with plastic flowers and dolls, ferried happy tourists who gawked at the passing scenery. There, we saw a tombstone engraver, a paper craft-maker for Chinese ritual offerings, a rattan weaver, a shoe maker who crafted traditional beaded shoes and the countrys oldest retailer and wholesaler of perfume compounds and essential oils! The little alleys and store fronts were a throwback to an earlier era and we often caught ourselves wondering which century we were living in. Had spice traders, rice farmers and opium dealers walked into what is virtually a movie set of what Malaysia used to be, they would have fitted nicely into the frame. Colourful culture George Town may be about fugitive flavours and aromas of times past, but it has clearly refurbished and amped up its offerings for the tourist. The highlight, of course, are the wall murals that beguile and ambush tourists as they explore the labyrinthine streets; murals that seemed to indicate that George Town is having a good chuckle at its own expense. On Armenian Street we stumbled on the famed mural of a little girl taking her baby brother for a ride on her bicycle. One of two on the street, done by Lithuanian artist Ernest Zakarevic, who was commissioned to execute the murals for the George Town Festival in 2012. A crowd had gathered there, as a beaming bridal couple was posing for a photo shoot in front of the mural and sportingly obliged the paparazzi in the crowd with more Instagram-worthy poses. Another one of a little boy straining to reach up to a window, a boy and his pet dinosaur, two girls on a swing, a trishaw puller taking a break on his trishaw, murals of lost kittens all seem to heighten the ordinariness and quirkiness of daily life and raise it to the level of art. And what could be more artful than street food in George Town which is said to surpass culinary sleight of hand found anywhere else in Malaysia! Its become the foodie capital of the country and offers a delicious distraction from all the tumult and colour of the town. Chinatown, Little India, hawker stalls and food courts all offered blandishments that we could not resist. The hot-to-the-touch naan bread, the steaming vessels of biryani in Little India cooked in the Indian-Muslim style but enhanced with Malaysian flair; hawker stalls, wreathed in billowing smoke, sell the iconic char koay teow (stir-fried noodles) cooked on a charcoal fire, tart assam laksa, an intense fish soup spiked with tamarind; bak kut teh, a Malaysian breakfast of slow-cooked pork and herbal soup; Chinese dim sum in a historic teahouse the options were many and we tried some. We washed it all down with refreshing passion fruit green tea and a rich pearl milk tea with fruits The tea, however, did not wash away the sensory overload that George Town inflicts on visitors, nor did it take away the memories of making a connection with the old lady, the trishaw puller and the hawker stall owner all of them part of the George Town package! Pakistan will soon complete its investigation into the Pathankot terror attack and make it public, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said today, even as he acknowledged that the incident had a negative impact on Indo- Pak ties. The attack disturbed the talks with India which were "going in the right direction" after the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, he said. "The investigation into the Pathankot incident is underway and we will make its findings public soon," he said while talking to reporters here. "Whatever facts come out we will bring them forth before everyone," he said. Sharif vowed that Pakistan would go to any length to uncover the alleged use of its soil in the January 2 attack on the air base in Pathankot by suspected JeM terrorists. "It is our responsibility to uncover if our soil was used in the attack. We will do this and the ongoing investigations will soon be completed," he said. The terrorists were being defeated and in desperation, they were carrying out isolated acts to make their presence felt, he said, adding that the remaining ones will also be eliminated. Meanwhile, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said none of the 'suspects' arrested in connection with the attack have been charged. "The investigation team is probing the matter and its findings will be made public," Sanaullah told reporters. Responding to a question whether any link of Jaish-e- Mohammad (JeM) has been established with the attack, he said: "The investigation team is also probing this." Sharif had formed a six-member committee headed by Additional Inspector General of Punjab's Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) to investigate the attack in which seven security personnel were killed. Beware an "Eyes Only" Site Stories All About Alaska and More... Contact the Ghost of Spam McGee We All Tweet in a Twitter Submarine: @AlaskaChinook E-mail: doctorv.roomvroom@gmail.com (CopyRight Protected) [ 47 U.S.C. 230 ] ~ This Machine KILLS Fascists ~ Solidarity National Anthem "This Land Is Your Land" Roads and Highways is one of the major sub-sectors within infrastructure, contributing to around 15-20 per cent of the investment in infrastructure. The road network in India carries about 60 per cent of all goods in the country, and about 85 per cent of the total passenger traffic. Development of the road network, thus, has a significant impact on economic growth. Recognising this importance, the government had initiated the National Highway Development Project (NHDP) in 1997, with a target to develop over 48,000 km of road length. Several states also developed comprehensive programmes for the development of state highways. Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan are examples of states with highly evolved road development programmes. By 2014, significant progress on National Highway development had been made. Out of the total identified road length, about 35 per cent was complete, 27 per cent was under implementation and 37 per cent was to be awarded. However, the sector was facing significant stress, and construction activity had come to a virtual standstill. Nearly 50 per cent of all private projects was under financial stress. Most of these were stuck in construction stage due to hindrances in land acquisition and clearances. Several of those completed were not attracting enough traffic to service debt. Some developers were unable to bring in equity to complete their projects. This also meant that while projects awarded grew from 3,300 km in FY10 to 6,000 km in FY12, it trickled down to less than 500 km in FY14, with several bids attracting no bidders. From annuity model to toll model The National Highways PPP programme started with the annuity model, and as a supplement to the traditional item-rate contracts. From 60 per cent in FY06, the traditional contracting route became zero by FY09, forcing contractors to become PPP developers. At the same time, the PPP model shifted from annuity to toll (along with a capital grant under the Viability Gap Funding scheme). By FY12, nearly 70 per cent of the toll project developers were offering a premium to NHAI instead of asking for a grant. It was becoming evident that winning a toll project depended entirely on the ability to take an aggressive view on future traffic (and being able to convince the lenders), and not on the ability to build the road in least time and cost, and to the prescribed quality. The variation between financed project cost and authority estimate of project cost was visibly higher in toll projects than in annuity projects. Several steps have been taken in the last couple of years to address the challenges. First, the government increased public spending on roads sector, with a 50 per cent increase in allocation. This was coupled with a project-by-project focus on addressing land acquisition and clearances for stalled projects. While projects under dispute continue on an arduous path, this combination did manage to get the construction cycle restarted. Several construction companies now have their order books filling up fast. The return of private investment remains a more challenging proposition, though some progress is visible. The emphasis on clearances is helping some projects restart construction. Where this is not possible, part commissioning has been permitted. Easier exit norms have helped viable projects churn their equity investments. However, schemes for last-mile financing from NHAI, and more liberal restructuring or refinancing by banks, has had limited impact so far. Debt issue needs to be addressed In 2014, bank debt to the National Highways sector was about Rs 1,30,000 crore. In April 2015, the transport sector accounted for 11.5 per cent of stressed assets, and 14 per cent of restructured stressed assets of the banking system. This remains an issue to be addressed before private investment can come back into the sector in a big way. The hybrid annuity model brings focus back on the developers ability to deliver prescribed quality in least cost and time, and is amenable to long-term financing. Seven toll PPPs and two hybrid annuity PPPs have been awarded this year, and another twenty (more than half hybrid annuity) are under bidding. The competition is limited and the bids are not aggressive. While the public sector banks are still struggling with stressed assets, the private sector banks would probably find this a good time to re-engage with the sector. While this is a positive story, it may be insufficient to get private sector investment in large enough volumes. Public spending will need to continue in parallel, at least in the short term. Several recommendations of the Kelkar Committee need to be implemented for PPPs to regain credibility, at National Highways as well as at the state level. More proactive approach to actionable stress, as recommended, will require bold steps in taking a pragmatic view of the government actions (or inactions) leading to stress. Hastening dispute resolution processes will require implementation of the proposed amendments to Prevention of Corruption Act and to Arbitration Act. The proposed National Facilitation Committee can better institutionalise the process of project preparation ahead of bidding. Removing the threat of CAG audit of project SPVs is important. The most radical recommendation, of setting up a Tribunal by an Act of Parliament, to enable re-negotiations in future, will take some time to set up, but will go a long way in increasing investor comfort. Implementation of these could result in increased foreign developer interest, as well as flow of long-term pension and infrastructure funds into the sector. That, in turn, could result in new benchmarks in construction cost, execution time and maintenance quality emerging in the road sector. (The author is the Partner, Leader Infrastructure at PwC India) German and French consul generals have expressed their wish to enhance the existing investment climate in Karnataka, by giving more thrust on the infrastructure front. In an exclusive interaction with Deccan Herald ahead of the Invest Karnataka 2015, German Consul General Jorn Rohde and French Consul General Francois Gautier expressed their wish that the state government take up the infrastructure issue seriously to attract more investments. Rohde said that at the German and Indian government levels, there is good relationship, and the bilateral relationship is growing at a fast pace. German Chancellor Angela Merkal came to Karnataka to understand what is happening at the ground level. We discussed commercial relationship and increasing trade. For this to happen, we need a good investment climate, good infrastructure, then ease of doing business and loosening of bureaucratic hurdles. We are working for Indian companies in Germany with that aim, as well, he said. Rohde said there are 6,000 German companies in India, of which, 580 are present in Karnataka, and participate in Make in India and Make in Karnataka. Besides increasing the manufacturing base, many German companies are involved in R&D activities. Our companies are involved in skill development to help India compete globally. The Indian Chamber of Commerce and Fraunhofer Institute have been doing a phenomenal job in India, especially in Bengaluru, he said. The meeting is an excellent opportunity for Karnataka to showcase its potential power. For the consulate, it is an opportunity to become ambassadors of Karnataka to showcase the opportunities to German companies, he said. Road map to investors He expressed his wish that in the investors meet, the Karnataka government will showcase the road map to investors, and address the existing shortcomings in infrastructure. Reliable investment parameters and infrastructure are the precondition for becoming competitive in a globalised economy, he said. Meanwhile, French Consul General Gautier said his country is also looking at opportunities, and infrastructure is a big issue. We have already committed an investment of 20 billion in India. Over the next five-year period, we plan to commit 10 billion more investment. Along with research and development and IT, defence and aerospace will attract more investments, he said. Gautier said that Karnataka is the most sought-after destination for investment as far as French companies are concerned. We are very much acclimatised to its climate and talent pool. We have also begun tapping the startup ecosystem flourishing in Bengaluru, he said. The pain of segregation was visible in Rohith Vemulas five-page suicide note: 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 stardust. In every field, in studies, in streets, in politics, and in dying and living. After a few lines, he reflects on his childhood: All the while, some people, for them, life itself is curse. My birth is my fatal accident. I can never recover from my childhood loneliness. The unappreciated child from my past. I am not hurt at this moment. I am not sad. I am just empty. Unconcerned about myself. Thats pathetic. And thats why I am doing this. But Rohith is not the first Dalit student to commit suicide on University of Hyderabad campus. The Ambedkar Students Association (ASA) website stated that Vice-Chancellor Prof Podile Apparao, who was the chief warden between 2001-2004, had expelled 12 students from the hostel as they were protesting against the segregation of vegetarian students from non-vegetarians in the dining hall. It was a clear ploy to divide Dalits and non-Dalits, the website says. A minor scuffle at the chief wardens office took place following which the 12 students were rusticated. Including Rohith, at least nine Dalit students committed suicide on campus in the past one decade, owing to caste politics, says K P Zuhail, president of the varsity students union. While providing details, Zuhail said Dalit students are discriminated and looked down as lesser human beings. Students from marginalised communities are often laughed at by research guides for their ideas, their dependence on fellowships for maintenance and poor language skills. It is a practice here that guides pick up students from the list based on their surnames like Sarma, Reddy, Choudhary, Gupta, Naidu etc. It is very difficult for a Dalit student to get a guide, even if he gets a guide, they will not allow him to publish a paper, Zuhail added. Another Dalit research scholar Senthil Kumar who committed suicide in 2008 was not provided with a guide for more than a year. Senthil was also not receiving his fellowship at the time he consumed poison and took his life. Similar was the case with Rohith. He did not receive his fellowship for the past seven months putting him under severe financial duress. He had to send that money to his mother who earns less than Rs 3,000 per month, pointed out Devi Prasad, a Dalit Research scholar in Sociology. Keshavachary and Ravula Balaraju (2009), Tejawath (2011), Pulyala Raju and Madari Venkatesh (2014) are the other Dalit students who committed suicide, the ASA stated. However, Prof Vipin Srivastava, the interim vice-chancellor as Apparao has proceeded on long leave, said: The university administration has appointed committees but none of them passed any serious strictures against anybody. My role in Senthil Kumars death was probed by the CID and they gave me a clean chit, he added. M Venkatesh, a Dalit PhD scholar from Advanced Centre for Research in High Energy Materials with two international papers to his credit, committed suicide on November 14, 2014, after his pleas for a guide and doctoral committee went unheard by the varsity for months. This was confirmed by the Justice Ramaswamy Committee appointed to investigate his death. There is no support system for Dalit students to assist them during their stint at the campus. This often forces several of them to discontinue their academic pursuits, said Prof Ramesh Babu, Dean of Student Welfare and also member of the SC/ST Teachers Forum. He pointed out that the perpetrators often take part in the investigation under the very vice-chancellor who has been encouraging hegemony of the upper castes. Why kill the sceptic in the student. Why wont they allow us to have a different point of view? After all, it is the unity in diversity we all talk about right? questions Agnes, a Dalit research scholar. Story of stardust At 28, Rohith was a Dalit research scholar in the Department of Science and Technology and Society Studies of the University of Hyderabad. He bagged admission into the prestigious Central university under the open category, though he declared that he was a Scheduled Caste in his admission form. Rohith also received the CSIR-Junior Research Fellowship twice and was also a core committee member of the ASA and a prominent student activist. On January 2, five Dalit research scholars, including Rohith, were expelled from the hostel and also barred from moving in groups within the campus following a scuffle between ASA members and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad leader N Susheel Kumar on the intervening night of August 3 and 4, 2015. These Dalit scholars then sat out in the open near the campus shopping complex and named it Velivada, a Dalit ghetto. All they had was their baggage, posters of Ambedkar and other Dalit leaders. They refused to leave the campus and continued with their protest for almost 14 days. The sit out was harsh and the nights were cold. The five research scholars made the open space their home. We are not new to segregation, all Dalit students face discrimination at some stage of their life. In our case, the silence of the university authorities is the cruelest of all, said P Vijay Kumar, one of the five research scholars. Rohith was not new to the ghetto either. Along with his mother Radhika, a tailor and daily-wage earner who was separated from her husband Mani Kumar, Rohith and his two siblings have lived in several Dalitvadas. Rohith was the elder son, after the birth of the third child, I moved to my mothers place in Gurajala, Guntur, and saw to it that they all grew in the Dalit atmosphere as per our customs, said Radhika. But it all came to an abrupt end on January 17. Fifteen days into the protest, Rohith went to a friend Umamaheswar Raos room in the New Research Scholars hostel, spent the day and hung himself from the ceiling fan using the blue ASA banner. Around 7:30 pm, Rohiths friends found him hanging, lifeless. --------------- The suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula at University of Hyderabad has gone a long way to highlight the discrimination that students belonging to the most deprived classes face not just in pursuit of their education, but in their life itself. Unlike the previous suicides by Dalit students on the same campus, Rohiths death has triggeredand rightly sowidespread protests across the country. ---------------- EVENTS THAT LED TO ROHITH VEMULAS SUICIDE August 4, 2015: ABVP leader Susheel Kumar files police compliant that ASA activists in University of Hyderabad (UoH) manhandled him for opposing eulogising Yakub Memon August 17: Union Minister Bandaru Dattareya writes to HRD Minister Smriti Irani on the issue September 9: Five Dalit students of named by ABVP suspended; students protest and demand revocation of the decision September 11: Then VC R P Sharma limits suspension to hostels and curbs taking part in campus elections and public gatherings September 21: Prof Apparao Podile takes over as VC December 18: ASA files Writ Petition in the Hyderabad HC challenging Sharmas decision December 21: UoH, reportedly under pressure from MHRD, reverses its decision and throws out 5 students January 3, 2016: Expelled students refuse to leave campus, pitch tents at Dalit ghetto and form a Joint Action Committee of all unions except ABVP, condemn Bandaru Dattareyas letter to MHRD January 13: JAC blocks Administrative building January 17(Morning): JAC calls for indefinite strike January 17 (Evening): Rohith Vemula was found hanging in one of the rooms in New Research Scholars wing January 18: Protests erupt. Cases booked against Bandaru Dattareya and four others for abetting Rohiths suicide. MHRD sends two-member fact finding committee to UoH Other Dalit students suicides at UoH 2014: M Venakatesh and Pulyala Raju 2011: Tejawath 2009: Keshavachary and Ravula Balaraju 2008: Senthil Kumar Venakatesh committed suicide after his pleas for a guide and doctoral committee went unheard by the varsity for months. This was confirmed by Justice Ramaswamy committee, appointed to investigate into his death. Senthil Kumar was not provided with a guide for more than a year He was also not receiving his fellowship. INCIDENTS RELATING TO DALITS IN OTHER INSTITUTIONS IIT-Madras: Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle, a students' organisation, was derecognised by IIT-Madras following complaint forwarded by HRD Ministry that it was critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. After outrage, IIT-Madras lifts the ban on the outfit. JNU, Delhi: Dalit researcher accuses his department of discriminatory practices. Threatens to commit suicide if his research grant is not extended next year. Nine other Dalit students also accuse JNU administration of caste bias. Rajasthan Central University: FIR filed against VC A K Pujari and seven professors on court orders after complaint by a student, who claimed that one of the professors was demanding money from him. ------------------- Complaints of harassment to SC/ST students in AIIMS, New Delhi(2007). Then UGC chairman Sukhadeo Thorat committee, which went into the complaints, found: 80% of student respondents reported differential treatment being faced in distribution of instructions, in informing schedule of examination or rescheduling of classes, class trips and cultural activities. 69% of the SC/ST students reported that they do not receive adequate support from teachers. The notion that religion and culture, religion and religiousness and religion and nationality are same is wrong, said writer Prof Baraguru Ramachandrappa. Speaking after inaugurating Sahabalve Sagara Samavesha, a convention for co-existence of different communities, organised by the Karnataka Komu Souharda Vedike, to mark the Sadhbhavana Day here on Saturday, Prof Ramachandrappa said: Culture is a way of life. There are different cultures in the country and state. Those who speak on religion should introspect and find out whether they are religious in true spirit, he said. In modern society, religiousness is being equated with nationality. The preachings and principles of Gandhi, Tilak, Subhash, Bhagath had nationality in it. During the independence movement, Gandhiji had used Charaka and salt as symbols of nationality. But today people have made religion itself a nationality and a sense of fear is being created among the people, he said. In fact, Gandhiji is a model to prove that person who believes in religion can become secular, he said. The writer said that Gandhi, Ambedkar, Lohia, Mao, Marx have opposed fundamentalism. We all want a social revolution to bring in changes in society. We need to invite our opponents for a face-to-face talk. We have to set aside our differences and move ahead towards progress. Lamenting that the democracies are preaching intolerance in the world, he said that even when kings were ruling the country, they had believed in the principles of tolerance. Today we are facing intolerance in various forms, be it in gender discrimination or economy. Ours was a country which faced intolerance since medieval ages - when there was conflict between Jains and Vaishnavites in 12th century, the ruler Bukka calmed down the situation and brought tolerance in society. The edicts of Bukka call for warding off the rift. The ruler had ordered the Jains to paint the Vaishnava temple and Vaishnavas to assist Jains in their rituals, he said. Message of love and trust In a session on secular society- religious coexistence, speakers said that there was a need to spread the message of love and trust among the people. The principles of religion should not come in the way of religious coexistence. Inaugurating the session, writer Chandrashekar Patil (Champa) said attempts should be made to understand preachings of Buddha, Basavanna and Ambedkar without any reference to religion. Saanehalli Mutt seer Dr Panditaradhya Shivacharya Swamiji said that religious centres attempt to disrupt harmony in society. There is a need to construct toilets to highlight cleanliness than to construct masjid, churches and temples. Maulana Abdul Ajeej Darimi said that the concept of religious co-existence was there since time immemorial and the temples and mosques should continue religious co-existence in true spirit. Those who failed to understand ones own religion are creating problems in society, he said. In a first of its kind in the country, driving licences issued in Udupi district will have the option of organ donor. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the initiative, Deputy Commissioner Dr Vishal R said that those seeking driving licence will be shown at 15-minute clip on the importance of organ donation at the office of the regional transport authority. The applicant or a DL holder can exercise his or her option on organ donation after watching the clip. The initiative is also aimed at making Udupi, an organ donor district. He said that a person can help seven patients by donating heart, pancreas, liver, kidneys, corneas, lungs and heart. There are two types of transplants - live transplant and cadaver transplant. The multi-organ transplant is the need of the hour, said the deputy commissioner. Spain is the country where permission to retrieve organs is automatically granted, said the deputy commissioner. Sri Lanka, which was the highest donor of corneas, has decided not to lend corneas outside the country and this will massively affect the demand for corneas across the world, he said. Karnataka will also come up with restrictions not to supply body organs outside the State, he added. Great charity Describing organ donation as a great charity, Dr M Dayananda, Medical Superintendent of KMC Manipal said a donor can help several people and also their families. The executive, legislature and judiciary play an important role in promoting organ donation and the administrative set-up should simplify the procedures involved in organ donation. Awareness programmes should be taken up extensively, he added. He said that KMC Manipal has set-up a committee on brain dead persons comprising a neurosurgeon, a doctor, anesthetist and counsellors. Two counsellors have already been trained and are into service, while another two would shortly join the set-up, he informed. Superintendent of Police (SP) Annamalai said there is a huge problem pertaining to organ donation and called for a change in the mindset of the people. The process involved in the organ donation is laborious, there is a need to set-up clear data base, he opined. He said that Udupi, as one of the most literate districts, should be a role model for all other district across the country. District administration has come up with the ideas to ease out the tough and laborious procedures involved, he added. Priyanka Shylendra, Director Operations, Gift Your Organ Foundation, Bengaluru, said 50,000 people across the country are waiting for heart donors while about 2,000 people are waiting for organs in Karnataka. The awareness was created among 1.25 lakh people across the State and 49,000 people have come forward to pledge their organs. There is a gradual increase in the number of people coming forward as organ donors. If 60 people become organ donors, 279 people will benefit by this endeavour, she said. Around 98.6 per cent organ donation pledges in the USA are through driving licence applications. Driver licence cards are carried by most of the people all the time in wallet and in case of accident, the ambulance doctors usually check the wallet for identification and will know that he or she has opted to be an organ donor, she explained. Minister of State for Labour P T Parameshwar Naik has reportedly got transferred police officers and retained the services of his favourite officers in Ballari district through 45 recommendation letters between June 2013 and January 2015. The matter came to light when city-based advocate B Vinod obtained the copies of recommendation letters signed by the minister, under the RTI Act. The revelation assumes significance in the backdrop of the recent transfer of Anupama Shenoy, the DySP of Kudligi in the district, reportedly at the instance of the minister. In one such letter dated June 10, 2014, addressed to Director General and Inspector General of Police, police headquarters, Nrupatunga Road, Bengaluru, the minister has appealed to the authorities concerned to continue the services of N Rudramuni, DySP of Ballari Rural sub-division and Murugannanavar, DySP of Ballari City, citing their family problems. In another letter dated September 10, 2014, the minister appealed to the higher officials of the police department to transfer B S Savishankar Naik, DySP, CID, Bengaluru, to Ballari district. The minister says that Savishankar Naik may be posted in place of Murugannanavar, DySP of Ballari City sub-division, as the services of the former were essential for the city. This way, the minister has misused his powers, Vinod said. The advocate said that MLAs and ministers submitted 750 recommendation letters to the authorities concerned seeking transfer of police officers across the State in the last year and a half. As per the verdict of the Supreme Court, only the Police Establishment Board has to deal with the transfers of police officers. The elected representatives have no role in the transfers. Of the 750 letters, 489 have been accepted. In some of the letters, the minister has even asked the higher officials to post specific persons to the Lokayukta wing. This shows that Naik left no stone unturned to make sure that police officers above the rank of inspector in Ballari district are those close to him, Vinod said. DH News Service A CBI special court on Saturday dropped charges against all the accused, including retired IAS officer M Shamim Banu, in the Rs 1,232-crore iron ore mining case against Deccan Mining Syndicate Pvt Ltd (DMSP). The CBI had filed the charge sheet in the case in September 2013. The CBI had pressed charges of criminal conspiracy, theft, criminal trespass and also offences under Prevention of Corruption Act against CEO of DMSP Ritesh Milap Chand Jain, its Managing Director Rajendra Kumar Jain, the then Secretary, Commerce and Industries Shamim Banu, Principal Secretary M Vishwanathan, Deputy Director, Mines and Geology S K Raju and police inspector Ramakant Y Hullur. It was stated that DMSP had carried out illegal mining of iron ore in mining licence (number 2525), which fell within the lease area allotted to National Mineral Development Corporation Ltd (NMDC). The CBI had arrested Ritesh Milap Chand Jain, Rajendra Kumar Jain, retired IAS officer Vishwanathan and two other government servants during the investigation and named another retired IAS officer Shamim Banu in the charge sheet. The charge sheet stated that DMSPs application for renewing its lease was cleared despite submission of a changed sketch, deliberately including vast areas of land leased to NMDC in two neighbouring villages Kumaraswamy and Subbarayanapalli. The court took cognisance of the charge sheet in September 2013 and summoned all the accused, including Banu. Rejecting her appeal for interim bail, the court had remanded her in judicial custody. She was later granted bail. On Saturday, CBI court judge Mallappa discharged all the accused. The CBI had registered the FIR in the case on the directions of the Supreme Court in October 2011. DH News Service Former Union Minister and Congress leader B Janardhana Poojary has sought Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to dismiss Labour Minister P T Parameshwar Naik from the Cabinet for misusing power. Naik has been in the dock over getting officials transferred in Ballari district. Speaking to media persons at the District Congress office on Saturday, Poojary said people would lose faith in the party if no action was taken against the minister and hence Siddaramaiah should initiate measures against Naik at the earliest. He said there was no need for the chief minister to sacrifice the party for a single person. Referring to Rahul Gandhi meeting the kin of Rohit Vemula, the dalit research scholar who committed suicide in Hyderabad, Poojary regretted that not even a single minister from the Andhra Pradesh government had met the relatives of Vemula. A fire broke out inside the premises of the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC)s new refinery at Paradip on Saturday evening triggering panic in the port town. The cause behind the fire is not yet known. Seven fire brigade vehicles were trying to douse the fire at the time of writing this story. The details of the damage due to the fire are also not yet known. The multi-crore refinery, one of the biggest in eastern India, is scheduled to be dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 7. The mishap at a time when hectic preparations are on for Modis trip to the new refinery has come as a major setback for the authorities. Sources in Paradip said fire broke out near the gate number one of the refinery where construction activities were on for a helipad. The fifth Australia-India Youth Dialogue (AIYD) concluded in Bengaluru on Saturday after youth leaders from both countries came together to discuss issues around culture, sustainability and entrepreneurship. The youth leaders have been meeting over the past three days in Delhi and Mohali. Bengaluru was the final stop for the dialogue. Shaun Star, co-founder and Chair of AIYD, said young leaders came together in these three cities to discuss regional economic opportunities and global and security challenges facing the two nations. Over the course of four days, leaders from the countries from diverse backgrounds also discussed issues pertaining to culture, sustainability and entrepreneurship. A total of 30 young politicians, CEOs, journalists, social entrepreneurs, athletes and young achievers also dwelt on issues that are important to the future of both Australia and India. Trade between India and Australia currently stands at $15 billion and with a free trade agreement in the works and both countries prime ministers pledging greater co-operation, the young leaders also focused on innovation, entrepreneurship, security, sustainability and social justice. Star said: The Australia-India Youth Dialogue 2016 has concluded with a group of 30 new enthusiastic alumni who are now more aware. These young leaders from two dynamic, multi-cultural, democratic nations will add to our melting pot of talent and innovation. We know they will accept this beacon of the AIYD alumni and help the dialogue culminate into favourable outcomes. AIYD has previously given out grants to their alumni Amoghavarsha and Pinki Chandran, both of whom have used their grants to help others in their respective communities. DH News Service Corporal punishment, bullying, child sexual abuse and sexuality in adolescence are some of the emerging challenges the present day principals of schools have to tackle, according to Dr Shekhar Seshadri, a child psychiatrist with the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (Nimhans). Speaking at a seminar on Emerging Challenges for Todays School Principals organised by Deccan Herald in Education (DHiE) in Bengaluru on Saturday, Dr Seshadri said the basic premises of what a school should be would help to correct misconceptions on corporal punishment, attention deficit, hyperactivity disorder, sexuality and child sexual abuse. A students universe is unique and ridden with limitations, too. Are we addressing the childs issues with insight? The power that a teacher has on the life of a child is unimaginable. Difficult children may be in difficult situations, so the conversation between the student and teacher is of great importance, he said. Dr Seshadri said corporal punishment includes slapping, standing on a bench, kicking, mental harassment and discrimination like sarcasm, among other things. Such punishment increases aggressive behaviour in a child. The best response, he said, is a conversation with the child. A UGC panel found that a large percentage of children are bullied in schools. A new form is emerging which is of great concern - cyber bullying. A policy and a students body are helpful, he suggested. He advocated a proactive and enabling approach by schools in dealing with students problems. Dr Seshadri asked principals to leave their comfort zones. Provide a framework. Perspective building is important. Acknowledge a childs needs, provide information, consider consequences, boundaries, he suggested. The Supreme Court has directed CBI probe into the 2012 murder of a Dalit woman whose minor daughter was also raped, ruling that the starting of trial could not come in the way of ordering fresh probe. The power to order fresh, de-novo or re-investigation being vested with the constitutional courts, the commencement of a trial and examination of some witnesses cannot be an absolute impediment for exercising the said constitutional power which is meant to ensure a fair and just investigation, a bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Prafulla C Pant stated. The court allowed the plea by a man from Karnal in Haryana, challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court order, which rejected his petition for a CBI probe into the killing of his wife on September 2, 2012. Some of the accused were also involved in the rape of his minor daughter in August 2012. They had also threatened the victim, forcing the authorities to give police protection. The high court has declined his request for the CBI investigation even though the Haryana government favoured it, noting that the trial has begun and some of the witnesses had already been examined. It even disregarded the fact some of the police officers connected to the case were transferred and even demoted as part of department action. Overturning the high court decision, the apex court said it can never be forgotten that as the great ocean has only one test, the test of salt, so does justice have one flavour, the flavour of answering to the distress of the people without any discrimination. The fair trial may be quite difficult unless there is a fair investigation, it said. We are disposed to think that purpose of justice commands that the cause of the victim, the husband of the deceased deserves to be answered so that miscarriage of justice is avoided. Therefore, in this case the stage of the case cannot be the governing factor, the bench said, directing the trial court not to proceed till the CBI completed its investigation and filed its report. Tension prevailed in Uttar Pradesh's Orai town, about 200 kilometres from here, after Bajrang Dal activists tonsured a man accused of converting three youths to Christianity and making them eat beef. Police sources here said the saffron activists tonsured the man, identified as Awadhesh Kumar, and rode him around the town on a donkey. They arrested five Bajrang Dal activists over the incident, sources said. It was alleged that Awadhesh took three youths from his village to Mirzapur, where they were converted to Christianity and were made to eat beef. Awadhesh denied the allegations and said the youth merely attended a religious meeting. The French government has come forward to extend necessary support to set up the proposed Centre of Excellence in Aerospace in the State, said Higher Education Minister T B Jayachandra on Saturday. Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, he said that the State government would sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the French government in this regard during the Global Investors Meet. We will enter into an agreement to set up a School of Economics on the lines of the London School of Economics during the meet. I had a detailed discussion with the officers in London during my visit there recently, he said. Delay in appointment Regarding delay in appointing the Lokayukta, he said that there was delay in appointing the Lokayukta in Uttar Pradesh and the Supreme Court had to intervene in this regard, but such a situation will not arise in Karnataka. He added that a meeting will be held with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah shortly. The State Cabinet will meet on Monday where the dates for the joint session of the legislature would be decided, he said. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) will not be honouring Canadian leader and Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne with a traditional siropa (robe of honour) as Wynne, a lesbian, is a strong supporter of same-sex marriages. The Canadian leader is scheduled to pay obeisance at the revered Golden temple in Amritsar on Sunday morning. Wynne is part of a delegation which is on a 10-day business trip to India. Same-sex marriages are strongly opposed by the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs, reason behind the SGPC decision not to honor her with the Siropa even as the leader will be facilitated in all way possibly to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple. SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said it will be against the Sikh ethics to offer the visiting Canadian leader a siropa. Akal Takht head priest Giani Gurbachan Singh, too, endorsed the SGPC view. The Akal Takht had earlier issued an advisory to management of Sikh shrines across the globe not to solemnise same-sex marriages. Minority community, especially the Sikh diaspora, has often come in conflict with Wynne. There were protests when a sizeable section of Sikhs raised voice against her move to introduce sex education curriculum among school students. Many in the community felt the content was premature for students and promoted same-sex relationships as well. Nevertheless, the curriculum was implemented. Wynne courted controversy in 2014 when she did not allow Sikhs with turbans to ride two-wheelers, including motorcycles, without wearing a helmet. This led to widespread resentment among the Sikh diaspora. Several Union ministers and BJP leaders on Saturday described Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhis second visit to the University of Hyderabad (UoH) within a span of two weeks as an attempt to gain political mileage out of an unfortunate incident, the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula. Rahul, who undertook a day-long fast along with the agitating students, said Rohith was killed by the same forces that killed Mahatma Gandhi. Union ministers and BJP leaders accused him of doing politics over the death and wondered why he offered no condolences when nine Dalit students of the institute ended their lives during the UPA rule. Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said Rahul never bothered to visit the campus or offer condolences when nine students committed suicide. He told opposition parties to wait for the report of the judicial commission probe ordered by the Centre. The Congress is shedding crocodile tears simply to gain political mileage. The Congress and communist parties are trying to make this a political issue and making a beeline to the university, forgetting that nine such incidents happened during the UPA rule, he said. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said Rahul was trying to make the Hyderabad university a den of political activity. The government has set up a judicial commission and peace has come to the Hyderabad campus. At such a time, Rahul Gandhi is doing politics there. While seeking to side with students, he should not make the university a den of political activity. He should not engage in any agitation and should think about the future of students there, that is my appeal to him, he said. Rural Development Minister Birender Singh said the party that was reduced from 206 MPs to 44 MPs after the Lok Sabha polls is politicising every issue and there is nothing new in it. BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said Rahuls protests reflected his partys frustration because its leaders were facing corruption charges. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said it is not a Dalit versus non-Dalit issue but a classic case of trying to score political brownie points. Rahul Gandhis characteristic way of functioning was to shun responsibility and gatecrash into others protests... The way he has shown insensitivity is the reason why I say he and responsibility cannot travel together, he said. Patra added that Rahul had chosen not to speak about the Malda violence and the Warangal Congress leader accused of killing his daughter-in-law. Defending Rahul, Congress spokesperson Ajay Maken said, Union Minister Dattatreya wrote to HRD Minister Irani against the Dalit students following complaint from the ABVP president. The HRD minister wrote as many as five letters to the university. If this is not politicisation, what else is? A city court on Saturday sentenced three persons to death and three others to life imprisonment for the gang-rape and murder of a 21-year-old girl in June 2013. While all the six men, convicted of their crimes on January 28, are planning an appeal before the Calcutta High Court, the victims family also plans to knock on the higher courts doors against the acquittal of the two other accused. The court sentenced Saiful Ali, Ansar Ali and Amin Ali to death for gang-rape and murder and gave life term to Imanul Islam, Aminur Islam and Bhola Naskar for gang-rape, criminal conspiracy and causing disappearance of evidence. While Rafiqul Islam and Nur Ali were acquitted on Thursday due to lack of evidence, another accused, Gopal Naskar, died in August 2015 during the course of the trial. Additional District and Sessions Judge Sanchita Sarkar, who found the six men guilty on Thursday, announced the quantum of punishment after hours of deliberations by defence lawyers on Friday and first half of Saturday. Judge Sarkar, who was to announce the sentence on Friday, took another day to go through the submissions of Ansars lawyer, who argued that his client should get a life term and not a death sentence. The victims younger brother said after announcement of sentence that he will go to Calcutta High Court, appealing for further action against Rafiqul and Nur. Im happy but Ill go to a higher court and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the acquittal of two accused, he said. The public prosecutor said that one of the convicts described in graphic detail how they tortured the victim for which they deserved capital punishment. The 21-year-old girl from Kamduni in North 24 Parganas was dragged into an abandoned farmhouse on June 7, 2013, while she was returning home from college and gang-raped. The men later tore her legs all the way up to her navel and left the body in a field. The case triggered widespread outrage, particularly after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed demonstrators outside the victims house had Maoist links, when they raised anti-government slogans during her visit to meet the family. After much flip-flop and dillydally, the State government on Saturday decided to ban the entry of private buses into Bengaluru city between 7 am and 10 pm from February 1 to 5 in view of Invest Karnataka-2016 summit. Long-distance private buses will be denied entry into the Outer Ring Road. They may, however, operate inside the city after 10 pm and up to 7 am. An order to this effect has been issued. Entry of trucks into the city has already been banned between 6 am and 10 pm on the designated days. The temporary measure is aimed at easing traffic flow during the global investors meet, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) M A Saleem said. The government had earlier planned to ban entry of both trucks and private buses round the clock from February 1 to 10. Later, it reduced the duration of the ban to five days and also lifted it during the night, owing to stiff opposition from the private transporters. The global investors meet or Invest Karnataka-2016 is scheduled to be held between February 3 and 5. Sources in the Transport Department said the government also toyed with the idea of dropping the proposal to ban the entry of private buses. A delegation of private transporters had met Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy and urged him to prevail upon the government not to impose the ban. This may have led the City police to delay issuing the order banning private buses. The order banning truck entry into the city was issued on Friday, sources pointed out. Ramalinga Reddy told reporters that he had written to Home Minister G Parameshwara urging him to permit movement of private buses in city limits between 10 pm and 7 am. Several objections (to the ban) were raised in the media as it would cause inconvenience to the commuting public. So I suggested the partial ban during GIM, he stated. The BMTC, meanwhile, made aternative arrangements to ferry passengers to the different satellite bus stands on the outskirts of the city, where the private long distance buses would be parked. The Union government has informed the Supreme Court that it was willing to frame a law on passive euthanasia but preferred to await the decision of the Constitution bench in this regard. In an affidavit, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare submitted that an expert panel has deliberated and discussed between July 2014 and July 2015 on the issue of withdrawing medical treatment to the terminally-ill patient with an intention of allowing death. The committee favoured passing a law. Based on the recommendations of the expert committee, the Directorate General of Health Services has proposed formulation of legislation allowing passive euthanasia. The expert committee has also suggested certain changes in the draft bill. The committee has not consented to active euthanasia since it has greater potential for misuse and as on date it is prevalent in very few countries worldwide, the government said. The Health Ministry, however, decided not to move ahead after consulting the Ministry of Law and Justice in view of the fact that a five-judge Constitution bench is likely to adjudicate on the issue. Notably, a Lok Sabha private members Bill The Euthanasia (Regulation) Bill, 2002 kickstarted the debate on the subject. But the government did not favour it as it may amount to intentional killing and go against the Hippocratic oath. The Law Commission, in its 196th report, favoured euthanasia and drafted the Medical Treatment of Terminally Ill Patients (Protection of Patients and Medical Practitioners) Bill, 2006. The SC in 2011, in the case of Mumbai nurse Aruna Shanbaug, laid down guidelines for passive euthanasia. Later, another verdict on living will of the patient referred the matter to the Constitution bench. The matter was again examined by the Law Commission, which in its 241st report in 2012 recommended a re-look at passive euthanasia. It finalised a new draft law titled The Medical Treatment of Terminally Ill Patients (Protection of Patients and Medical Practitioners) Bill. A six-year-old student of Ryan International School in south Delhis Vasant Kunj was found dead in a water tank in the campus on Saturday. Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has ordered a probe by District Magistrate (New Delhi). Devansh Meena, a Class I student, lived with his parents and three-year-old sister in south-west Delhis Sultanpur. He was under treatment for attentiondeficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a condition of the brain that affects a persons ability to pay attention. According to the police, there was a delay in the school authorities informing them about the death. The incident occurred at around noon, but police were informed by staff of Indian Spinal Injuries Centre in Vasant Kunj at 2:30 pm. Devansh was declared brought dead at the hospital. We were told that he was found in a pit near the schools amphitheatre, said DCP (south) Prem Nath. The body has been moved to AllMS for post-mortem. Devanshs father Rahmat works as a radiology technician at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), while his mother Mamta is a nurse in the hospital. He was admitted to the school three years ago. Police had informed Rahmat about Devanshs death. He now alleges that the school principal tried to hush-up the matter and threatened him. Aap chup rahiye, isee mein aapka fayda hoga, Rahmat told media, while quoting the principal. Refuting allegations against the school, Principal of Ryan International School Sandhya Sabu said that Devansh was a hyperactive child who had a tendency of running away from the classroom, PTI reported. This child was a special child, who was hyperactive. He had the tendency of running away from the classroom. We understand what the parents are going through at this moment of loss. The allegations (on school) are absolutely wrong, she said. Devansh was sent to the school on Saturday for a poetry competition. He was reported missing by the teacher between noon and 1 pm. A search was conducted during which Devansh was found in a water tank behind the schools main building. The tank is 5 to 6 feet deep, Nath added. The probe will decide the need for a case of negligence against the school authorities. The principal has been asked to join the probe, Nath said. Devanshs death comes days after a 5-year-old boy died after falling inside an open septic tank in his school in south-west Delhis Kapashera. Ankit Kumar was also a Class I student. The civic workers strike entered its fourth day on Saturday as garbage began to pile up on the streets of the national capital. The Delhi government launched a drive to remove garbage dumped by striking MCD workers, with no end in sight for the indefinite strike. The nurses and doctors associations also joined the strike on Saturday, according to the president of Municipal Corporation Doctors Association, Dr R R Gautam. Public Works Department Minister Satyender Jain said he has asked officials to ensure that garbage is cleared from areas where it had been deliberately thrown by striking workers. The government has disbursed funds to pay 12 months worth of salary, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told a news conference. We think there is a big scam in MCD, he said. Over 1.5 lakh workers have shunned work to protest on the streets of the city, demanding payment of the due salaries. While the city government initiated a cleanliness drive on Saturday, municipal doctors and nurses, including the paramedical staff joined the indefinite strike demanding timely payment of salaries, though doctors said they never wanted to go on strike in the first place. We apologise to the public to have taken this step. But we were left with no choice. The city government and the municipal corporations are playing blame game over the issue of salaries. We didnt join the strike because we thought the government and corporations will find a solution to this mess. We were forced to join the ongoing agitation, said Dr Gautam. BJP leaders also joined the protests and shouted slogans against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The City police in association with Bengaluru Commercial Association, will organise Happy Streets on Commercial Street on Sunday. The vehicular movement on the entire stretch will be banned from 7 am to 2 pm. A senior police officer said that the event aims to encourage people to take a walk on the street by leaving behind their vehicles. Usually the Commercial Street is jam-packed with vehicles and pedestrians get little space. On Sunday, we want people to take a walk and enjoy the fun-filled activities. M A Saleem, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) said, Whoever is visiting Commercial Street on Sunday will have to leave behind their vehicles. After the success of banning vehicles in Cubbon Park on particular days, we are implementing it on Commercial Street, he said. Road asphalting works worth Rs 258.56 crore will soon be taken up in the City on priority. Speaking to mediapersons after launching the works here on Saturday, BBMP Mayor Manjunath Reddy said that 211.96 km of roads will be asphalted including the roads in Hebbal Assembly constituency. Bengaluru Development Minister K J George said that Rs 700 crore has been allotted for various developmental projects under the Nagarothana scheme and tenders will be called by February 25. In four months, all roads will be restored. Elevated roads will be constructed in southwestern and northeastern areas of the City, he said. Public Works Minister HC Mahadevappa said that the Public Works Department (PWD) has been allotted Rs 400 crore for new corridors and Rs 200 crore for signal-free roads. A traffic decongestion committee has been formed to work towards easing traffic problems in the City. Mahadevappa added that the PWD, Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA), BBMP, Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), will prepare a detailed plan to develop the Satellite Town Ring Road (STRR), connecting the City to Dobbspet, Kanakapura, Devanahalli, Nelamangala, Magadi and Hoskote. The minister added that they have approached the Surface Transport Ministry for further assistance. Meanwhile, BBMP Opposition leader Padamanabha Reddy said that the BBMP should have sought more funds under the Nagarothana scheme. A complaint has been filed with the Lokayukta police against officials of the revenue department and the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) alleging that they had illegally transferred BDA land to four private persons. The land in question is at survey number 105 of Doddathogur village in Begur, Bengaluru South taluk. The complaint by Janaadhikaara Sangharsha Parishath (JSP), an NGO, stated that out of 10 acres and 22 guntas of BDA land, 10 acres and four guntas had been allotted to private persons from 2010 till 2016. These private persons are benami for realtors and politicians, the complaint stated. According to a complaint in 2007, gomala land was transferred to the BDA for building houses for the poor displaced during eviction drives on several government lands in the past 10 years. Only 18 guntas left The market value of the land around is Rs 150 crore. The first allotment to a private person happened in 2010 when Ramanjaneya was the special deputy commissioner. Two acres and 24 guntas were transferred to Annayyappa. Subsequently, four acres were allotted to Mariyappa, one acre and 20 guntas to K D Changappa and two acres to Gangappa, till 2016. As a result, the BDA now has only 18 guntas left in this survey number. The real purpose of transferring the gomala land to the BDA has been systematically usurped by unscrupulous elements. Unauthorised construction and formation of layout is going on rampantly on these lands, co-president of JSP Adarsh R Iyer said. The complaint stated that despite its land being transferred to private persons, the BDA had not taken any action. Complaint filed JSP has filed the complaint with ADGP Lokayukta Dr S Parashiva Murthy and also Upalokayukta Justice N Ananda. Revenue officials like special deputy commissioners, village accountants, revenue inspectors, deputy tahsildars and tahsildars are responsible for all the illegal transfer of land in survey number 105. The BDA officials have deliberately failed to prevent the illegal transfer of the lands, causing a huge loss to the State exchequer. We understand that many people have bought sites in the illegal layouts formed on this land by a resident of Mylasandra in Begur hobli. We have requested the ADGP to launch a criminal investigation into the issue, Iyer said. Pristine Bellandur lake with water fit even to drink. But that is a distant memory, cherished only by a few elderly residents of the village. Today, the residents want to be rescued from the severe health hazards posed by the alarming levels of pollutants in the lake. Dengue and other diseases linked to the lakes dreaded water have taken several lives over the years. People have died due to complications after repeated exposure to the gases coming out of the chemical-infested lake. For instance, Monil, who stays barely 100 metres away from the lake, lost his mother to lung infection followed by a multiple organ failure two years ago. With a heavy heart, he recalls, The incident happened all of a sudden. She could not breathe properly and was having cough along with cold for two days. When we took her to hospital, the doctors said that both her lungs were infected. Later she succumbed to multiple organ failure. Monil and his wife themselves feel suffocated. He adds, Respiratory aliments are common here. We are planning to move out from here soon. Monil sees desilting of the lake as the only solution to the problem. As a temporary measure, he recommends making a channel system to divert sewage water and closing down the inlets that let sewage water into the lake. Another Bellandur village resident, Tulsi N, complains of frequent headaches despite closing the doors and windows all through the day. Besides, due to the infectants in the air, all silver articles at her house turn black every now and then. This is due to the air and water pollution. At night, we see industries releasing hazardous chemicals into the lake. Garbage dumping into the lake is also a common sight here. Residents say that four months back, two to three sprinklers were put up across the lake by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB). But, this has not been of much help as the sprinklers are used only when the foam rises to a certain level. Says Tulsi, These sprinklers are functional for an hour every day. Also, the borewells are defunct with groundwater being contaminated. We depend on private tankers for drinking water. As if these issues are not tough enough, the residents have to battle the problem of improper garbage collection, mosquito menace and illegal stormwater drain connections. Earlier, we used to visit the lake to get a whiff of fresh air. Now we cannot stand there even for a minute because of the mosquitoes and the smell. All the houses in the area are using mosquito nets, says Sandeep B J, another Bellandur resident. Polluted to the core, encroached all around, vandalised mercilessly, Bellandur lake remained orphaned for years. But even as the citys biggest lake gasps agonisingly in its deathbed, a faint ray of hope has arisen: An unprecedented collective push by locals, scientists, lake activists and students for a final solution. That passion to save the lake somehow was clearly evident on Friday, as a bunch of active stakeholders met in Varthur to chalk out a plan of action. Many of the stakeholders had been fighting for the lakes cause for years on end without much effect. Yet, their spirit appears unwavering. Yes, a concrete, workable solution is nowhere in sight. Neither the government nor the civic agencies have woken up from their deep slumber. But concerned citizens are teaming up, in big numbers. Human chain, marches First on the agenda is a 1,000-strong march and a human chain with schoolchildren, all designed to attract the States attention in the next few weeks. The big idea, as veteran lake activist Narayana Reddy asserts, is to spur a multi-agency, coordinated response to revive the lake. There is just no time to lose. The lake is totally contaminated due to sustained inflow of industrial effluents and untreated sewerage, large-scale dumping of building debris and solid waste. Stormwater drains and the lakebeds are encroached, reminds Dr T V Ramachandra, Indian Institute of Science. Armed with lake research reports spanning decades, he draws attention to another dangerous twist: Contamination by heavy metals, a sure recipe for groundwater pollution in all areas surrounding Bellandur lake. High Nitrate in the water could take health concerns -- hitherto restricted to skin allergies, asthma and other lung ailments -- to more serious, cancerous levels, warns the scientist. Ineffective STPs An estimated 40 per cent of the citys sewage ends up untreated in Bellandur lake through a chain of lakes and Stormwater Drains (SWD). One standard solution offered by the government is the sewage treatment plants (STPs). But the cost to build, operate and maintain them is prohibitive. For proof, check the partly dysfunctional 248-MLD capacity Koramangala and Challaghatta Valley STP. Part of the treated water from this STP does get into Bellandur lake. But it quickly gets mixed with untreated sewage that comes in through the other inlets, negating the very treatment exercise. Several activists, scientists and urban experts repeatedly stress that smaller STPs of capacities in the range of 10 to 20-MLD could be cheaper and more workable. Yet, the civic agencies push for large STPs, eyeing lucrative contracts and potential for kickbacks. Localised solutions The priority then should be to explore localised solutions. But opinion is divided over the issue of drying up and desilting the lake. Bellandur Gram Panchayat ex-president and long-time lake campaigner, Jagannath K prefers to first divert all water entering the lake and then take away the muck accumulated over decades. However, many fear that drying up the lake could be a risky proposition. It would be an invitation for further encroachments by builders and other vested interests, including government agencies. Dr Ramachandra suggests a different approach: Wet-dredging. He explains: Desilting the lake without draining out the water is possible through wet dredging. The Navy, for instance, uses this method even in the sea, at the ports. The same strategy had been adopted to desilt Ulsoor lake too, although subsequent entry of untreated sewage negated the benefits. Once the accumulated silt is removed, options will open up to store rainwater and eventually recharge the groundwater resources in the surroundings. The solutions proposed are aplenty. But nothing can work without a sustained, collaborated approach by all the stakeholders involved. The local communities, lake activists, scientists and concerned environmentalists are readying for a final push to save Bellandur lake. But caught up in blame-game, are the Citys civic agencies ready to shed their fragmented ways and willing to participate in this big campaign? In the Yupik culture, we embrace each other with a warm and welcoming greeting by offering a hand to shake accompanied by the exclamation, Cama-i! It is in that same spirit we announce that a Cama-i Dance event is arriving soon! The two-day event is sponsored by the SouthWest Alaska Arts Group (SWAAG) and starts Saturday, March 26th with doors opening at 11:30 AM, and ending Sunday March 27th at 9pm. There will be world-class crafts from local and regional artists, a fur fashion show, panel discussion for a new book, Ircenrraat: Other-than-Human Persons, and traditional dancers who will share their history through dance and music. The theme for this years festival is Cangerliim Nalliini During a Pandemic. It is customary for a Cama-i event to dedicate the event to an inspiring individual and pay tribute to the memory of an individual whose legacy helped to shape and preserve our cultural traditions in the delta. This year, the event is dedicated to all who have lost their lives to COVID-19 and honoring our living treasures: all who are doing their part to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 by masking up & are vaccinated. We intentionally called this event, Cama-i Dance and omitted the usual Festival because it will be a scaled-down version of the Cama-i that everyone has become accustomed to. Our planning team has risen to the challenge of creating an event that is both unique and safe, striving to maintain the spirit of the dance. Please take note of these additional changes to minimize confusion during the event: this event will be two days, instead of the usual three. It will be held at the Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center, so seating will be limited. This event is broken down into 4 sessions, 2 sessions on each day (schedule and list of groups at the following link). Admission for each session is $8 per person, and tickets are sold ONLINE ONLY at: https://bethelartscouncil.networkforgood.com/events/37756-camai-dance-2022 Only water and light snacks will be sold. Access to the artists selling crafts in the hall of the cultural center, as well as AVCPs Museum space will be open to the public and free of admission. However, the access into the main event room for any of the 4 sessions will require a ticket. Cama-i always strives to create an experience that is both entertaining and educational; aiming to celebrate our local culture, as well as transport us to different parts of the world through music and dance. Performing local groups are: Qasgirmiut, Upallret, Yurartet, the Kuskokwim Learning Academy, Ayaprun Elitnaurvik, Gladys Jung Elementary, Bethel Regional High School, and the Delta Illusion Dancers. One adaptation that we have made as part of our COVID-19 mitigation measures is that we have pre-taped Ayaprun Elitnaurviks performance. Additional Yukon-Kuskokwim region communities of Chefornak, Kwethluk and Napaskiak will also be joining us. This years guests representing the Pribilof and Aleutian Island communities are the Unangax Dancers from Anchorage. Other highlights include: the Underground Dance Company, a group performing Hip Hop and Street Style dancing. The event will be live streamed on SouthWest Alaska Art Groups YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKGVEhnYE5etbhtPaWgzNYQ COVID-19 Mitigation Measures: the event requires everyone in the Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center be masked, with the exception of performing drummers and dancers. Plan on joining us this year, as we celebrate resilience through dance! Share this: Tweet Email AVCP has joined up with TCC, Kawerak, and AFN to formally request a field hearing on the State of the Salmon in Alaska. This letter, dated September 8, 2021, was submitted to U.S. Congressman Don Young, and U.S. Representatives Lisa Murkowski and Daniel Sullivan with a copy sent to Mike Dunleavy, Governor, State of Alaska. Dear Senator Murkowski, Senator Sullivan, and Congressman Young: On behalf of the Association of Village Council Presidents, Kawerak Inc., Tanana Chiefs Conference, and the Alaska Federation of Natives, we request that the Alaska Congressional Delegation hold a field hearing on the State of Salmon in Alaska. Healthy and abundant salmon stocks are vital for the nutritional, cultural, and economic well-being of our tribal communities. Salmon are essential for food security and provide economic benefits to commercial and subsistence fishermen, fisheries and canneries employees, and their families in areas with the highest cost of living and unemployment rates in, not only the State of Alaska, but the entire Nation. While tribal communities have experienced fisheries disasters and community economic hardship many times over the last thirty years, the declines in the last two years have been extreme. In 2020, the State of Alaska declared fisheries disasters for the Chignik, Kuskokwim River, Norton Sound, Prince William Sound, Southeast Alaska, Upper Cook Inlet, and Yukon River salmon fisheries.1 The 2021 season has been even more disastrous, with Chinook, summer chum, and fall chum salmon harvests on the Yukon River estimated at 0% of average. Due to the unprecedented challenges to our subsistence way of life and the economic health of our communities, we respectfully request a meeting with the Alaska Congressional Delegation for share these challenges with you firsthand and make recommendations for protecting these resources for our communities and our future generations. Please send your reply to Vivian Korthuis, [email protected] or (907) 543.7304. We are happy to assist you in fulfilling this request in any way that we can. If you have questions or need further information, please dont hesitate to contact us. Sincerely, Vivian Korthuis, Chief Executive Officer ASSOCIATION OF VILLAGE COUNCIL PRESIDENTS; PJ Simon, Jr., Chief/Chair TANANA CHIEFS CONFERENCE; Melanie Bahnke, President KAWERAK, INC.; Julie Kitka, President ALASKA FEDERATION OF NATIVES Share this: Tweet Email by 1st Lt. Balinda ONeal Dresel and Capt. David Bedard Retired Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Harry Alexie pushed a gray industrial-grade platform shopping cart at the Bethel Alaska Army National Guard Aviation Facility. He needed the carts capacity to load up with bags of flour, boxes of cereal, cases of mac and cheese all at prices a fraction of what could be purchased locally. The discounts were possible because the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA), at the request of the Alaska National Guard, provided discounted groceries to eligible military- and Department of Defense-affiliated patrons during a one-day event Aug. 7 in the remote village hub of Bethel. Several days prior to the event, tons of high-demand goods were transported via a C-17 Globemaster III of the Alaska Air National Guards 144th Airlift Squadron from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson to the small community on the coast of Western Alaska along the Kuskokwim River. Commissary grocery shopping is an earned benefit that is accessible to those near or able to drive to a military installation. Alaska is one-fifth the size of the continental U.S., and travel to most village communities is not accessible via road travel. Alaskan retirees, for example, in these remote locations are not able to readily use their Commissary shopping benefits, and this is a challenge DeCA and the Alaska National Guard are working to address. Alaska Air National Guard Maj. Gen. Torrence Saxe, commissioner for the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and adjutant general of the Alaska National Guard, initiated the Commissary event as a way to show current and former service members in rural Alaska communities that the Guard wants to help them access their earned benefits. This has absolutely been a group effort, and we are very excited that we were able to successfully accomplish this mission, Saxe said. The purpose really is to be able to provide discounted groceries to eligible military patrons. People, from recruitment through retirement years, are our greatest resource and we need to show them through our actions that we value and appreciate them. Command Chief Master Sgt. Winfield Hinkley, Alaska National Guard senior enlisted leader reinforced the importance of the event. Due to the uniqueness and geographical isolation in Alaska, it can be challenging for eligible personnel to get access to the benefits that they have earned through service to their country, he said. We are proud to partner with DeCA to help realize their goal of providing Commissary benefits to all eligible patrons. Octavia Thompson, the Alaska National Guards Warrior and Family Services program director, said the effort was the continuation and reestablishment of DeCA and Alaska National Guard outreach to rural Alaska. Its probably been a good 10 years since we have been able to come out to Bethel to provide this resource to our eligible patrons, she said. Considering the last year that weve had, this has been a great way to support the community because a lot of our eligible patrons havent been able to come into Anchorage to go shopping at Elmendorf or even at Fort Wainwright up in Fairbanks. On Aug. 2, Staff Sgt. Merick Ahlberg, 144th AS loadmaster, was responsible for loading the dozens of pallets of groceries and supplies into the cavernous cargo hold of the C-17 and working with material-handling equipment on the Bethel end to disgorge the freight. Hinkley said the operation was similar to what could happen if the National Guard had to assist state and local agencies during an emergency. There is a very real possibility that during a disaster we could be called upon to provide food to a local community, he said. This training mission is two-fold as it affords us the opportunity to demonstrate our capabilities while supporting the local community. Representatives from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Rural Health Programs; State of Alaskas Office of Veterans Affairs; USO Alaska; Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve; and Alaska National Guards Warrior and Family Services and Retirement Services, and volunteers from the Alaska State Defense Force offered staff on site to support and provide information for attendees. Dwight Brown, store director of the Anchorage Area Commissary, travelled to Bethel with a squad of Commissary employees to serve eligible customers. As a member of the small team responsible for the logistically complex sale, Brown leveraged his years of retail experience, personally fulfilling roles from stock clerk to customer-service representative throughout the operation. Getting the benefit to remote locations, that means the world to me, he said. Ultimately, I feel proud. I think everything is falling in line, and now I just want to see the smiles on customers faces. Once the doors of the aviation facility opened, residents poured in, flashing veterans IDs or clutching DD 214 separation paperwork to prove eligibility. As a hub city, Bethel is the logistics and retail focal point for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, a region that, at 75,000 square miles, is larger than the Mississippi River Delta. There are no highways connecting Bethel to the rest of Alaska, so contact with the outside world is by air, while contact with the outlying villages is by snowmachine in the winter and river boats in the summer. After the initial surge of customers hailing primarily from Bethel and immediate outlying areas made their early morning purchases, customers streamed in from other villages using boats to traverse the veins of the YK Deltas smaller rivers before fording the Kuskokwim to make their way to Bethel. Hinkley said the successful operation demonstrated the Alaska National Guards commitment to the states military community. This mission is another way to demonstrate our commitment to take care of our members, families and retirees from recruitment through retirement, he said. Share this: Tweet Email by CVRF Staff With the approval of an extra $330,000 in spending at its March meeting, the Coastal Villages Region Fund (CVRF) Board of Directors finalized its annual community benefits budget with over $18 million in projects set for 2019. The approved $18 million in community benefits funding will support a wide range of projects and programs, including scholarships, internships, a growing offering of youth pathways programs, another round of the popular People Propel program, regional support buildings and staff, and the second phase of CVRFs tiny house pilot program. It is great to see the wealth generated in the Bering Sea, benefiting the residents in our communities said CVRF Board Vice Chairman Stephen Maxie, Jr. of Napaskiak. CVRF works hard every fishing season to generate revenue to fund programs and provide opportunities for our residents. It is great to be able to share the organizations success with all CVRF residents. The CVRF Board approved spending to support established programs like the heating oil program that kicked off last week and the tax assistance program that is just wrapping up as well as some exciting new community benefits, including the expansion of the Ciuneq program to include an 11th grade curriculum. The Ciuneq program is designed to build an educational pathway that attracts high performing students from CVRF communities and helps them grow into world-class leaders who can contribute to local economic growth. Building off successful 9th and 10th grade curriculums that bring students to Anchorage and Seattle, this new offering will bring students to our nations capital and explore opportunities on the East Coast. I am proud to be part of an organization that is committed to always growing, and doing more for our residents, said CVRF Board Chairman Richard Jung of Napakiak. Ive been on the CVRF Board for over 10 years and the $18 million in community benefits approved by the Board shows our continued commitment to creating sensible, tangible, and long-term opportunities for our residents. It is exciting to see our legacy programs, like Youth-to-Work, breaking records and the development of new programs that help address some of the biggest issues in our communities. After successfully completing the organizations first housing project in Eek, the CVRF Board of Directors also approved a budget for a second phase of the pilot program that includes a plan to construct seven additional housing units in 2019. The second phase of CVRFs innovative approach to housing will focus on minimizing construction costs to reduce the overall cost to homeowners and exploring sustainable partnerships with federal and local entities. This new community benefit was developed in response to a survey of CVRF residents who indicated that housing is one of the biggest issues facing their communities. The CVRF Board of Directors held its quarterly meeting on March 12, 2019 in Anchorage. Share this: Tweet Email The Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program is currently hosting 47 middle school students from more than 20 schools in the Kenai Peninsula Borough and Lower Kuskokwim school districts for its February Middle School Academy at the University of Alaska Anchorage. During the two-week component, students live like college students while participating in hands-on science, technology, engineering and math activities designed to foster enthusiasm for pursing an education and career in these areas. Thanks to the generous support of ANSEPs strategic partners, the February session is one of eight Middle School Academies planned for 2017. On Friday, Feb. 17, students received a special visit from Vivian Korthuis, CEO of Association of Village Council Presidents. AVCP joined ANSEP last year as a strategic partner, by way of a three-year $1.5 million grant. AVCP supports students from the region through ANSEPs suite of components. Korthuis stopped by as students were finishing up the computers they built this week as part of an innovative curriculum designed immerse students in hands-on STEM learning activities. It was an honor to have Vivian on campus to experience an integral part of our program the computer build and visit with students who are directly benefiting from AVCPs generosity. The funds awarded last year allowed us to expand our reach in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region, meaning more students from this area will arrive academically and socially prepared for college and for their careers, said ANSEP Founder and Vice Provost Dr. Herb Ilisaurri Schroeder. Throughout Middle School Academy, students participate in a number of team-based STEM learning activities centered around real-world problem solving, such as Arctic wall and bridge builds as well as earthquake engineering and science exploration sessions led by industry professionals and ANSEP staff. The students chosen to participate in the all-expenses-paid, residential component include: Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Homer Middle School: Hannah Hatfield McNeil Cangon Elementary (Homer): Jenna Lapp Nanwalek School: Lavenya Hetrick and Abigail Kvasnikoff Nikiski Middle/High School: Dwyght Mullins Skyview Middle School (Soldotna): Rhys Cannava, Harley Johnson and Ayden See Tebughna School (Tyonek): Alicia Smoke Tustumena Elementary School (Soldotna): Trinity Donovan and Evan Veihdeffer Lower Kuskokwim School District Akiuk Memorial School (Kasigluk): Katie Dementieff Akula Elitnaurvik School (Kasigluk): Victoria Beaver, Kaylila Johnston and Korben Martin Anna Tobeluk Memorial School (Nunapitchuk): Eliza Enoch, Wassilie Tobeluk and Alexandra Watson Ayaprun Elitnaurvik School (Bethel): Atsaruaq Bill, Hayden Carlson, Anson Jimmie and Alyssa Motgin Gladys Jung (Bethel): Hannah Colvin, Rosey Chakuchin, and one more Bethel Regional High School: Cheyenne Murphy and Carmen Wasuli Ketacik Aapalluk Memorial School (Kwethluk): Bradley Jackson and Dustin Jackson Kuinerrarmiut Elitnaurviat: Kody Cleveland Kwigillingok School: Jelsa Beaver, Reagan Evon, Kyra John, Jerome Paul and Sean Snyder Nelson Island School (Toksook Bay): Summer Cartier Nuniwarmiut School (Mekoryuk): Kaylee King Kasigluk School: Daniel Slim Z.J. Williams Memorial School (Napaskiak): John Amik The ANSEP model begins at the middle school level and continues through high school and into college undergraduate, graduate and doctorate programs. A recent study released by ANSEP in conjunction with the University of Alaska and State Department of Education and Early Development revealed that more than 60 percent of Alaskas college-bound students require remediation upon entering the university. Students who start with ANSEP in middle school do not need remediation, and 77 percent complete algebra 1 before entering high school. Nationally, that number is 26 percent. ANSEP saves families years of college tuition because high school students earn college credit, and ANSEP saves the state millions of dollars as students move through the education system faster. To learn more about ANSEP and its components, visit www.ANSEP.net. About ANSEP The Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program, founded by Herb Ilisaurri Schroeder, Ph.D., is part of the University of Alaska system. The program strives to effect systemic change in the hiring patterns of Alaska Natives in science, technology, engineering and mathematics career fields by placing its students on a path to leadership. Beginning at the middle school level, ANSEPs longitudinal model continues through high school and into undergraduate, graduate and doctorate programs, allowing students to succeed at rates far exceeding national numbers. In 2015, the organization launched ANSEP STEM Teacher to further remedy Alaskas rural education issues by supporting students pursuing STEM-related teaching certificates. ANSEP plans to place one ANSEP STEM Teacher in every Alaska village by 2025. Share this: Tweet Email GRAND JUNCTION A Minnesota hunter accused of fatally shooting a 14-year-old boy while hunting on western Colorados Grand Mesa has pleaded guilty to all charges. The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reports that 59-year-old Guy Pohto was handcuffed and remanded into custody of the Mesa County Jail after entering his plea on Wednesday. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter as well as a misdemeanor count of hunting in a careless manner. Pohto is charged in connection to the Sept. 13 death of Justin Burns of Palisade. The boy died of a gunshot wound to his chest at the Big Creek Reservoir in the Uncompahgre National Forest while bow hunting with his father. Sentencing has been scheduled for April 6. Welcome to "What Sister Never Knew and Father Never Told You." I have always had a passion for history, and Church History (or, as it is better termed "The History of the Church") and in this blog I hope to bring up interesting--and frequently deliberately overlooked--facets of the history of the Catholic Church. I will probably also dip into the history of other Christian Churches from time to time and even that of non-Christian religions, but I do hope to keep my focus on the History of the Catholic Church. I am particularly anxious to show that the Catholic faith--which while doctrine tells us "comes from the Apostles" (and presumably to them from Jesus) is in fact, like all historical institutions, an evolutionary phenomenon. There is a huge difference between Tradition and traditions,. What many "Traditionalists" are caught up with today is not Tradition at all but various minor customs of human origin and little or no theological significance. As a Catholic myself, I am anxious to separate the wheat of the Gospel from the chaff of religiosity. I am a life-long Catholic and a professional historian (M.A., Ph.D) who also has a Master's in Theology. My grade school (Sisters of Mercy), high-school (Society of Jesus), and undergrad university (Society of Jesus) education is all in official Catholic, Kennedy Directory listed, educational Institutions as is the Grad School where I earned my Theology Degree. My History Degrees, Master's and Doctorate, are from a private East Coast University (where Jews teach Christianity to atheists) that ranks in the top one-hundred American Colleges and Universities lists. I chose a secular campus for my history work precisely so that I could not be accused of having done an "in-house" educational program. As it worked out I had one Catholic professor for one course and that course was "The History of Islam." I currenlty teach on a graduate faculty and specialize in medieval spirituality (of which I am not only a professor but a practioner) and in History of the American Church. I have also been invited around the English Speaking World to give classes and workshops--England, Ireland, Australia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, India, and Texas (among other places). I have spoken at conferences in Rome, Sao Paulo, Nantes, Krakow and other non-Anglophone locations in Europe and the Americas. I have done lecture tours on a prominent cruise line commeting on European History and the various ports of call--a great job if you can get it. In other words, I am not an amateur at this. I am thoroughly committed to the program of the SecondVatican Council as it was promulgated in 1965 (as contrasted with how it has been reinterpreted, in some cases almost out of existence) by both self-appointed and divinely anointed authorities over the last thirty-some years. As I get older I realize that the Council is an opportunity for us Catholics to embrace the Gospel as the guiding light of our lives and is too great an opportunity to be bypassed by those who are anxious to see a revival of the juridicism, triumphalism, and clericalism decried by Bishop Emil de Smedt in the opening session of the Council. There are those "fleshpots of Egypt Catholics" who want to retreat to the slavery of pre-conciliar American Catholicism," but as for me, I still believe that John XXIII (and Pius XII before him and Paul VI after him) saw a promised land of a mature and evangelical Catholicism so needed in the 21st century and I for one embrace the future, not the past. By the way, historians are those who e mbrace the future and realized that the past is there to guide us toward it. Those who embrace the past and seek to restore it are antiquarians. Christians know that we stand facing the future for that is from where the Kingdom of God calls us. Those who prefer restoring the past have not yet heard that call. Or, as one spiritual director once told me: "If God had wanted you to live in the 13th century (or the 18th, or the first half of the twenti eth) he would have put you there. He put you in the present facing the future. Looking for great things to do this weekend? Here are 10-plus events An iPhone with a 4-inch display and some features found in Apples latest models will launch in March or April, 9to5Mac reported last week. The model reportedly will be called the iPhone 5se for special edition and will be offered at the same price point as the iPhone 5s. The iPhone 5se will have design features similar to the 5s, which was released in 2013, but it will have internal, hardware and software features gleaned from more recent models, according to the report, which cited unnamed Apple sources. Those features include the following: Curved glass edges like the iPhone 6 and 6s; 8-megapixel rear and 1.2-MP front cameras; Support for panorama photos and for autofocus in video mode; A barometer to track elevation in the Health app; An NFC chip for use with Apple Pay; The iPhone 6s A8 and M8 processors; Support for Bluetooth 4.2, VoLTE and 802.11ac WiFi, all found in the iPhone 6s; Live Photos from the 6s; A headphone jack; and 6s color offerings in silver, space gray, gold and rose gold. Cant Wrap Hands Around Phone Release of the rumored iPhone 5se could be a winning strategy for Apple. It seems very likely that Apple has demand for a 4-inch iPhone, and that they will accommodate the market with one some time this year, said Tim Bajarin, president ofCreative Strategies. Its a very likely and viable product. It wont be their best-selling phone, but it will offer an option for folks who are interested in that size screen, said Bob ODonnell, chief analyst withTechnalysis Research. Apples newer models with larger screens are not pocketable, noted Ramon T. Llamas, a senior research analyst for mobile devices technology and trends at IDC. There are lots of Apple users out there who like Apples products but cant wrap their hands around some of these larger phones, even if theyre only 4.7 inches, he told TechNewsWorld. The [iPhone 5se] is an acknowledgement of what some customers have been asking for some time now. Balancing Price and Features A number of Apple users are sticking with older iPhone models like the iPhone 5 and 5s because of the size issue, Llamas pointed out. On the other hand, people dont want to skimp out on every feature, he said. They may not get 3D touch with the [iPhone 5se], but theyre going to get Apple Pay, Siri and FaceTime. The se stands for special edition, but maybe they should call it the ge for good enough,' he noted. Youre not getting all the latest, greatest features, Llamas continued, but youre getting the features that most people can get by on. A number of factors would be needed for the iPhone 5se to be successful, said Carolina Milanesi, chief of research atKantar Worldpanel ComTech. They include a price tag lower than other iPhone models, features that drive user engagement and monetization for Apple, and enough differentiation that consumers who can afford to buy a more expensive model will do so. I feel that Apple has learned from the 5c, and if all the rumors about the [5se] are true, they would hit all my points, she told TechNewsWorld. What I feel people should not count on is a drastically cheaper iPhone, as this is still not Apples business, Milanesi said. Breaking Cadence If Apple were to introduce an iPhone with a 4-inch display, it would expand the screen options for customers looking to upgrade their phones. Many people, especially with smaller hands, prefer the 4-inch models, while others like the 5-inch and 5.5-inch versions, Creative Strategies Bajarin told TechNewsWorld. Apple would just be giving customers more options, he added. The iPhone 5se also could open up a worthwhile revenue channel for Apple. If youre Apple and you see how much of your revenue is driven by the iPhone, youll want to take a look at some adjacent markets where you can reap incremental revenues, while at the same time leverage what you already have in place, IDCs Llamas said. Although a release of a new iPhone in the spring would break the cadence for phone introductions theyre usually released in September Apple has been known to break cadence now and again. Every once in a while Apple will do something like that just slip a product out all of sudden, Technalysis ODonnell told TechNewsWorld. It tends to be a modestly iterative version of a previous product. I think thats how theyre going to treat this one. At this time of the year, theres a great clamoring among the business publishing class for predictions. That is partly because prediction stories are considered easy to write, and once theyre done the staff can go celebrate the holidays while their publication continues to deliver content. However, having written a lot of prediction stories in the past, and having looked at some of those predictions years later, I can tell you that they are not easy to write, and they are an effective way to make yourself look like a buffoon should anyone wish to look up your past prognostications. Even in the CRM space, a relatively contained sector of seemingly methodical evolution and advancement, predictions are a difficult and tricky thing. Chain of Connections They bring to mind the television show Connections, which was hosted by James Burke. If that was before your time or it escaped your attention, the shows premise was to reveal how a sequence of seemingly unrelated events shaped the state of technology (and even society itself). For example, one episode began with the credit card, pointing out that credit began with the dukes of Burgundy hundreds of years earlier. These dukes used credit to buy armor for their military; in response, the Swiss developed large armies of ill-trained peasants using the pike square formation. Armies therefore increased in size and could no longer live off the land, so during Napoleons time, the need for provisions resulted in canned foods. Even so, some of this food went bad, spurring the development of cooling technologies for food and in 1892 the invention of what we know as the Thermos. Rocket pioneers adapted these thermal flasks to hold liquid hydrogen and oxygen; the V-2 rocket of World War II used the thermal flask principle, as did the Saturn V rocket that propelled man to the moon. Thus, without the invention of credit, we may have never landed on the moon. CRMs Sales Origins CRM and its associated disciplines and technologies are very much like this. In retrospect, we can see how the connections led us to where we are today. The success of some salespeople presumably with either outstanding capabilities for recall or unique data organizational skills gave them a better command of information about the people they sold to. This led to sales managers discovering that sales best practices were bettered when combined with access to this data and a desire to extend the abilities of these exceptional salespeople to the entire sales force. This led to the first contact management software, which allowed sales to scale the number of contacts salespeople could manage but created an information gulf about the interactions they had with those contacts. CRM evolved from this to capture these interactions. At the same time, other customer-facing parts of the organization began to see the utility of this data, and so marketing and support became part of the CRM mix. Sales also saw the value in viewing data generated from marketing and support activities, further increasing the need for data visibility. Internal Influence While CRM was at first the domain of large, well-funded companies, its capabilities were so promising that smaller companies began clamoring for a means to gain access to it. In the early 2000s, we saw SaaS-based CRM emerge as a result, removing financial barriers to entry and accelerating cloud computing in general. The parallel rise of social media saw customers producing a new and rich set of data about themselves and opening a new channel for conversation with the companies they bought from. In response, what was called social CRM emerged, only to be subsumed by CRM as social media became an increasingly common means for customers to communicate. Marketing automation blossomed in response to a need for marketing to keep up with productivity increases in sales, and soon it was being more tightly integrated with CRM. As the need for an advantage in selling has grown, marketing automation increasingly has become a part of sales tool set. That gets us to today, roughly. Would anyone have predicted that the skills of smart salespeople eventually would lead to marketing automation? Probably not. Heck three years ago, who would have foreseen the disappearance of the term social CRM from the conversation about these technologies? That is why predicting whats next for CRM is difficult. It can be influenced by a host of factors internal to business, the customer or the technology. External Events Its easy to make predictions about business moves in the coming year. Its a much harder task to predict the factors that will drive change in CRM. How will customer attitudes about data change as the Internet of Things becomes a fleshed-out reality? How will companies find competitive advantage from analytics as the tools mature and become widely available? How will CRM vendors pursue the creation of a more complete set of capabilities for their customers, and how will they apply a reality check to them to ensure that theyre a fit for the problems customers face and the directions their businesses are being forced to take? If youre a good prognosticator, youre looking for those external events, those shifts in perception and the new problems people face in sales productivity, customer experience and customer loyalty. These three dynamics push and pull on one another what may be good for todays sales productivity may damage customer experience and ultimately loyalty, and whats good for loyalty may result in reduced sales productivity. Getting the balance correct while satisfying all the needs of the buyer, the seller and all the other parties involved in the relationship is easy in a vacuum but other economic, social and business trends will conspire to throw off the equilibrium. When youre trying to predict the future of CRM, pretend youre the host of Connections, looking at the timeline halfway through an episode. Dont become fixated on CRM itself watch for the events taking place in the broader world, because even the most unlikely trend may set in motion a series of developments that transform the CRM landscape. Spotting the right trend and anticipating the timing of its impact on CRM will pay off in a competitive advantage for those who look keenly into the future. 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. T-Mobiles Binge On streaming video service violates Net neutrality rules, according to a report authored by Barbara van Schewick, director of The Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School. The Binge On service, says the report, is problematic for the following reasons: It doesnt offer unlimited video streaming, raising transparency concerns; It gives participants a competitive advantage; It harms competition and stifles free expression; It is discriminatory due to its substantial technical requirements; It favors video streaming over other Internet uses; and It creates a slippery slope. The report points to three alternatives that would not endanger Net neutrality: a zero-rated low-bandwidth mode, truly unlimited video, and more data for everyone. At the Heart of the Controversy The Stanford report represents the latest argument in the already-heated debate over whether Binge On does indeed infringe Net neutrality. In defense of T-Mobile, its standards dont appear to be onerous, said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group. Much like requiring a shirt and shoes to eat in some restaurants, T-Mobile is free to set conditions to use a service particularly if its free if they have a reason that isnt, at its core, discriminatory, he told the E-Commerce Times. The company throttles all video, not just the zero rated video on Binge On, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has charged. That brought a sharp response from Legere, followed by a torrent of criticism that eventually led him to apologize. Binge On is a free benefit that consumers can turn on or off at will, which makes it pro-Net neutrality, Legere maintained. However, it is turned on by default. The company uses proprietary techniques to detect video, determine its source, identify whether it should be free, and adjust streams for viewing on handheld devices, he said. Potential partners only have to do a minor amount of technical work to help T-Mobile identify their video data reliably, Legere insisted. Throttling is not an engineering term, pointed out Doug Brake, telecom policy analyst at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. T-Mobile has to slow down video traffic, but thats a tradeoff to allow them to offer unlimited streaming, he told the E-Commerce Times. Its incredibly misguided to say this is throttling and, therefore, bad. Carriers dont have the capacity or the financial capability to build out networks to meet the pent-up demand for access to free video, and theyre trying to do it in a way that will keep Net neutrality advocates happy, Brake continued. T-Mobiles argument is that requiring Binge On participants to use compatible technology is no different than demanding that all telephones on the public switched telephone network have to use the same standards for touchtone dialing, remarked Mike Jude, a research manager at Frost & Sullivan. However, the FCC isnt talking about tech standards its talking about discrimination, he told the E-Commerce Times. T-Mobile on Thursday made it easier for consumers to disable Binge On. It also added new partners, including Amazon, Fox News and Univision. The Fait Accompli Maneuver By virtue of the Net neutrality rules, T-Mobiles a Title II telecoms provider, which means they cant discriminate, observed Frost & Sullivans Jude. Restricting technologies available on the Internet by placing requirements on access means the company is in fact violating Net neutrality, Jude contended, because it is providing a pipeline but putting a gateway in front of it. The United States Federal Communications Commission will take van Schewicks contentions seriously, Jude suggested, because the argument lends validity to their rules, and they wont pass up any opportunity to establish precedent. An appeal against the FCCs Net neutrality order is before the courts, but if people tacitly agree, Jude explained, then the FCC could argue that maybe its not within their purview, but its a fait accompli. That approach has been used before. 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The top story this week was the announcement by Federal Opposition Leader, Bill Shorten, of the largest school funding boost in two generations. Shorten took to social media to make the announcement, committing to the full six years of Gonski funding a commitment the Australian Education Union (AEU) challenged the Federal Government to match. Given this success so far, why would you not deliver the full funding recommended by the Gonski Review? AEU federal president, Correna Haythorpe said in a statement. Federal Education Minister, Simon Birmingham responded by attacking Labors education policy, which he said was short on detail. Labors schools press release fails the basic lesson of the last decade more money doesnt automatically equal better student outcomes, he said.In other news, it was back to school for thousands of students on Thursday. For some of them, the experience can be a traumatising one. The Educator spoke with professor Susan Spence from the Australian Institute of Suicide Research and Prevention about how schools and parents can make the experience a less stressful one for such students. If it is a new school then make sure that students have visited the school and know their way around [with a visit before school starts] and know where their classroom, toilets and other facilities are, Spence said. She added that it was also important for parents to talk about the positive aspects of school and what there is to look forward to.Finally, as Geelong and Ballarat prepare to open the doors of their brand new P-Tech schools , The Educator spoke with Nicholas Wyman, CEO of Skilling Australia Foundation about the career opportunities the revolutionary schools will provide. In Geelong, youth unemployment pushing towards 20%, so its absolutely critical for the students of the region to be prepared well beyond school, Wyman told The Educator. All of the Year 9 students are enrolled in the learning experiences over the next 12 months, and this will be an opportunity for them to meet the employers and get involved in some hands-on project-based activity. Wyman said schools should look at the way they deliver their curriculum and ask whether it is engaging and suitable for all students. He added that P-Tech schools will give students the opportunity to undertake regular high school but also advanced STEM-based learning programs. Their ranks have decreased by two thus far, but the makeshift group of survivors fleeing an infected Los Angeles on Fear the Walking Dead will possibly be gaining another new face. Kim Dickens Talks About The Possibility Of A 'FTWD'/'TWD' Cross-Over According to Deadline, Arturo Del Puerto from Ride Along 2 has booked a recurring role on the show's upcoming second season. His role is described as Carlos, someone who is guarded but "possesses a spiritual understanding of the world." It is unclear exactly what role Carlos will play with Madison (Kim Dickens) and Travis' (Cliff Curtis) group, who are headed to the Abigail, Strand's (Colman Domingo) boat in the water, in an attempt to escape the apocalypse. The group has fled the "safe zone" that was supposed to be their neighborhood in L.A. but that was slated for being destroyed. They managed to rescue Nick (Frank Dillane) from a medical facility, along with Strand, but the struggle cost them Griselda (Patricia Reyes Spindola) and Liza (Elizabeth Rodriguez). Did The 'FTWD' Season Finale Live Up To Hype? Now, Madison, Travis, Strand, Nick, Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey), Ofelia (Mercedes Masohn), Daniel (Ruben Blades) and Chris (Lorenzo James Henrie) are all awaiting the chance to get aboard the boat, in the hope that they will be able to escape the apocalypse, which is beginning to takeover Los Angeles. The show, which is a companion series to the original Walking Dead, shows the effects of the zombie apocalypse from its onset. The second season is slated to premiere on AMC later this year. The government and the Medical Council of India must get more serious about medical education. One of the priority areas for strengthening healthcare in India is dealing with the low doctor to population ratio. While the World Health Organization suggests one doctor per 1,000 people, Indias ratio is as low as 1:1,428 and then 74% of these doctors serve in urban areas. The government has tried many measures to increase the number of doctors in the population. These include permitting the establishment of private medical colleges and encouraging institutions which give training in Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH). The National Rural Health Mission had, as one of its objectives, the mainstreaming of AYUSH to fill the void in public health service delivery. In September 2014, the National Democratic Alliance government approved the launch of the National AYUSH Mission to fill the gaps in health services, especially in remote areas, and one of the components of the mission was supporting private education in the AYUSH systems. Publishing in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine Professor Che Connon and Dr Stephen Swioklo describe the low-cost seaweed solution. Che Connon, Professor of Tissue Engineering at Newcastle University explains: "The stem cells are surrounded by an alginate gel which protects them from the environment -- a bit like frogspawn. We found them unchanged even after three days at room temperature. "This has lots of advantages and applications. For example, we have used them to make a bandage which contains human stem cells which could be applied to a wound such as an ulcer or burn to speed up the healing process." Stem cells for healing There is much scientific evidence showing stem cells from fatty tissue (adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells) can be used to improve wound healing by reducing inflammation and speeding up wound closure. However, until now the problem has been that these stem cells have had to be stored and handled by experts under specialised conditions -- limiting their practical use. Rather than keeping them at 37 degrees Celsius, in atmospheric oxygen and 5% carbon dioxide, encasing the stem cells in an alginate gel is shown in the academic paper to prolong their life for up to three days at ambient temperatures. This offers an effective and simple solution to many of the challenges of transporting cell cultures. Alginate is a natural material extracted from seaweed that is used in cosmetics, food manufacturing and more recently in healthcare. Alginate on its own without stem cells is used in wound dressings to keep burns moist. The study found that after three days at a range of temperatures (between 4 and 21 degrees C) up to 90% of the stem cells were still viable and available for healing. Medically, 70% viability is considered acceptable. The team think that the alginate encapsulation offers a degree of protection from the environment. They also believe it may be acting like a corset, preventing the stem cell from expanding and being destroyed, a process known as lysing -- which would normally occur within a day when unprotected cells are stored in their liquid state. Stem cell encapsulation method Using the alginate solution the Newcastle University team have been able to develop stem cell beads and also a gel which can be put into a mould to form a jelly pad or film. Dr Stephen Swioklo describes the process: "The stem cells are grown from the standard frozen form and then mixed into the alginate solution. This is extracted from a type of brown algae, a seaweed commonly used in food and medical applications. "This can either be dropped into a vial of calcium chloride which forms cross-links making the alginate set, forming tiny beads. Or the gel can be placed into a mould to form a film which sets in a couple of minutes. We have used this to make plasters and bandages. "One circular disc just an inch diameter was demonstrated in our study to effectively preserve a million stem cells and could easily contain up to 10 million." ### The 'Stem-gell' bandage has many potential uses from paramedics treating people at the scene of an accident to the army battlefield. Some of the work has been funded by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), part of the Ministry of Defence. The study was also funded by the Biotochnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). Getting 'Stem-gell' into the clinic The Newcastle University scientists say 'Stem-gell' offers many exciting opportunities for therapeutics, for ease of transport, in cell printing, in improving the results with injections of stem cells and for wound healing. They are now working to get 'Stem-gell' scaled up and into the clinic for trials. Professor Connon said this new process offers many exciting opportunities: "With this new technology we are able to put stem cells directly onto an open wound with a stem cell bandage. The gel retains the cells so that they don't leave the bandage -- it's the chemicals these cells make that actually do the healing. "The product could also be used for cell printing, for example, a doctor's surgery could purchase a cartridge of stem cells in the alginate gel to keep in the fridge and when needed print tissues providing rapid personalised medicine there and then. "And we're not talking about far into the future -- we're looking at this being something we can all be treated with in a few years." Reference: Alginate-Encapsulation for the Improved Hypothermic Preservation of Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells. Stephen Swioklo, Andrei Constantinescu, Che J. Connon. DOI:10.5966/sctm.2015-0131 Proton beam therapy--a more precise form of radiotherapy--to treat the childhood brain cancer medulloblastoma appears to be as safe as conventional radiotherapy with similar survival rates, according to new research published in The Lancet Oncology journal today. Importantly, the findings suggest that proton radiotherapy may not be as toxic to the rest of a child's body as conventional radiotherapy. The study was led by Dr Torunn Yock, Massachusetts General Hospital, Proton Center, Boston, MA, USA, and colleagues. Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain cancer in children, and develops at the rear and base of the brain, near the bottom of the skull. Medulloblastomas are rapidly growing tumours that, unlike most brain tumours, spread through the cerebrospinal fluid to different locations along the surface of the brain and spinal cord. Conventional treatment usually involves surgery to remove the tumour, photon radiotherapy and chemotherapy. However, patients are often left with significant side effects including hearing loss (which can severely impact a young child's learning and language development), effects on cognition, hormone function as well as toxic effects on the heart, lungs, thyroid, vertebra and reproductive organs as a result of healthy bodily tissues being exposed to radiation. Typically, the younger the patient is at the time of treatment, the worse the long-term effects are. Compared with traditional radiotherapy, proton beam therapy is highly targeted and is used to treat hard-to-reach cancers, with a lower risk of damaging the surrounding tissue and causing side effects [see image]. Proton beam therapy entered the news headlines in 2014, especially in the UK and Europe, when UK parents Brett and Naghmeh King took their son Ashya from Southampton General Hospital, UK, without doctors' permission so that he could be treated with proton beam therapy in Prague in the Czech Republic. At the time, proton beam therapy was not available on the UK National Health Service (NHS), although the NHS later agreed to fund his treatment. Two UK centres for proton beam therapy are currently being planned (Manchester and London) which are due to open in 2018 [1]. In this new study, a total of 59 patients aged 3 to 21 were enrolled between 2003 and 2009. Most patients (55) had the tumour partially or completely removed through surgery. All patients (59) received chemotherapy as well as proton beam therapy. On average, patients were followed-up for 7 years. At 3 years after treatment, 12% of patients had serious hearing loss. This rose to 16% at 5 years. Patients also displayed problems with processing speed and verbal comprehension, but perceptual reasoning and working memory were not significantly affected. At 5 years, over half (55%) had problems with the neuroendocrine system which regulates hormones - with growth hormone being the most commonly affected. However, the study reported no cardiac, pulmonary, or gastrointestinal toxic effects which are common in patients treated with photon radiotherapy. At 3 years after treatment, progression-free survival was 83%. At 5 years, progression-free survival was 80%. The authors say: "Our findings suggest that proton radiotherapy seems to result in an acceptable degree of toxicity and had similar survival outcomes to those achieved with photon-based radiotherapy. Although there remain some effects of treatment on hearing, endocrine, and neurocognitive outcomes--particularly in younger patients--other late effects common in photon-treated patients, such as cardiac, pulmonary, and gastrointestinal toxic effects, were absent." They conclude: "Proton radiotherapy resulted in acceptable toxicity and had similar survival outcomes to those noted with conventional radiotherapy, suggesting that the use of the treatment may be an alternative to photon-based treatments." Writing in a linked Comment, Dr David R Grosshans, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA, says: "I believe that radiation oncologists have always understood that our treatments are associated with the potential for severe adverse effects. I also believe that many in radiation oncology embrace new technology, not simply to have the latest and greatest innovations, but rather to reduce the effect of radiation therapy on patients' quality of life. Nowhere in oncology is this more important than for paediatric cancers." He concludes: "This study sets a new benchmark for the treatment of paediatric medulloblastoma and alludes to the clinical benefits of advanced radiation therapies." ### NOTES TO EDITORS: Study funded by US National Cancer Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital [1] https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/spec-services/highly-spec-services/pbt/ A team of Korean researchers, affiliated with UNIST has recently pioneered in developing a new simple nanowire manufacturing technique that uses self-catalytic growth process assisted by thermal decomposition of natural gas. According to the research team, this method is simple, reproducible, size-controllable, and cost-effective in that lithium-ion batteries could also benefit from it. In their approach, they discovered that germanium nanowires are grown by the reduction of germanium oxide particles and subsequent self-catalytic growth during the thermal decomposition of natural gas, and simultaneously, carbon sheath layers are uniformly coated on the nanowire surface. This study is a collaboration among scientists, including Prof. SooJin Park (School of Energy and Chemical Engineering) and Prof. Sang Kyu Kwak (School of Energy and Chemical Engineering), Dr. Sinho Choi (UNIST), Combined M.S./Ph.D. Student Dae Yeon Hwang (UNIST), and Researcher Jieun Kim (Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology). In a study, reported in the January 21, 2016 issue of Nano Letters, the team demonstrated a new redox-responsive assembly method to synthesize hierarchically structured carbon-sheathed germanium nanowires (c-GeNWs) on a large scale by the use of self-catalytic growth process assisted by thermally decomposed natural gas. According to the team, this simple synthetic process not only enables them to synthesize hierachially assembled materials from inexpensive metal oxides at a larger scale, but also can likely be extended to other metal oxides as well. Moreover, the resulting hierarchically assembled nanowires (C-GeNWs) show enhanced chemical and thermal stability, as well as outstanding electrochemical properties. The team states, "This strategy may open up an effective way to make other metallic/semiconducting nanomaterials via one-step synthetic reactions through an environmentally benign and cost-effective approach." ### This work was supported by the Basic Science Research Program and Mid-Career Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grand, funded by the Korean government (MSIP). Journal Reference: Sinho Choi, Jieun Kim, Dae Yeon Hwang, Hyungmin Park, Jaegeon Ryu, Sang Kyu Kwak* and Soojin Park* "Generalized redox-responsive assembly of carbon-sheathed metallic and semiconducting nanowire heterostructures". Nano Lett. (2016) Electrodes in patients' temporal lobes carry information that, when analyzed, enables scientists to predict what object patients are seeing Using electrodes implanted in the temporal lobes of awake patients, scientists have decoded brain signals at nearly the speed of perception. Further, analysis of patients' neural responses to two categories of visual stimuli - images of faces and houses - enabled the scientists to subsequently predict which images the patients were viewing, and when, with better than 95 percent accuracy. The research is published today in PLOS Computational Biology. University of Washington computational neuroscientist Rajesh Rao and UW Medicine neurosurgeon Jeff Ojemann, working their student Kai Miller and with colleagues in Southern California and New York, conducted the study. "We were trying to understand, first, how the human brain perceives objects in the temporal lobe, and second, how one could use a computer to extract and predict what someone is seeing in real time?" explained Rao. He is a UW professor of computer science and engineering, and he directs the National Science Foundation's Center for Sensorimotor Engineering, headquartered at UW. "Clinically, you could think of our result as a proof of concept toward building a communication mechanism for patients who are paralyzed or have had a stroke and are completely locked-in," he said. The study involved seven epilepsy patients receiving care at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Each was experiencing epileptic seizures not relieved by medication, Ojemann said, so each had undergone surgery in which their brains' temporal lobes were implanted - temporarily, for about a week - with electrodes to try to locate the seizures' focal points. "They were going to get the electrodes no matter what; we were just giving them additional tasks to do during their hospital stay while they are otherwise just waiting around," Ojemann said. Temporal lobes process sensory input and are a common site of epileptic seizures. Situated behind mammals' eyes and ears, the lobes are also involved in Alzheimer's and dementias and appear somewhat more vulnerable than other brain structures to head traumas, he said. In the experiment, the electrodes from multiple temporal-lobe locations were connected to powerful computational software that extracted two characteristic properties of the brain signal: "event-related potentials" and "broadband spectral changes." Rao characterized the former as likely arising from "hundreds of thousands of neurons being co-activated when an image is first presented," and the latter as "continued processing after the initial wave of information." The subjects, watching a computer monitor, were shown a random sequence of pictures - brief (400 millisecond) flashes of images of human faces and houses, interspersed with blank gray screens. Their task was to watch for an image of an upside-down house. "We got different responses from different (electrode) locations; some were sensitive to faces and some were sensitive to houses," Rao said. The computational software sampled and digitized the brain signals 1,000 times per second to extract their characteristics. The software also analyzed the data to determine which combination of electrode locations and signal types correlated best with what each subject actually saw. In that way it yielded highly predictive information. By training an algorithm on the subjects' responses to the (known) first two-thirds of the images, the researchers could examine the brain signals representing the final third of the images, whose labels were unknown to them, and predict with 96 percent accuracy whether and when (within 20 milliseconds) the subjects were seeing a house, a face or a gray screen. This accuracy was attained only when event-related potentials and broadband changes were combined for prediction, which suggests they carry complementary information. "Traditionally scientists have looked at single neurons," Rao said. "Our study gives a more global picture, at the level of very large networks of neurons, of how a person who is awake and paying attention perceives a complex visual object." The scientists' technique, he said, is a steppingstone for brain mapping, in that it could be used to identify in real time which locations of the brain are sensitive to types of information. Lead author of the study is Kai Miller, a neurosurgery resident and physicist at Stanford University who obtained his M.D. and Ph.D. at the UW. Other collaborators were Dora Hermes, a Stanford postdoctoral fellow in neuroscience, and Gerwin Schalk, a neuroscientist at the Wadsworth Institute in New York. "The computational tools that we developed can be applied to studies of motor function, studies of epilepsy, studies of memory. The math behind it, as applied to the biological, is fundamental to learning," Ojemann said. ### by Eric Ellis Gulf-based deal adviser Amanda Staveley News that Gulf-based deal adviser Amanda Staveley has launched a claim for up to 1 billion against Barclays over her role in the banks emergency capital raising in 2008 reopens a sore that now irritates a new generation of leaders at the UK bank. The Financial Times reported on Friday that Staveleys company, PCP Capital Partners, filed suit in Londons High Court claiming damages because of PCPs role as an investor, as well as an adviser to both Qatari- and Abu Dhabi-based funds, a claim that Barclays says it will fight. The role of Staveley in the 5.8 billion capital raises has been the subject of intense dispute and speculation over the past seven years. In May 2013, Euromoney published an exclusive article based on papers seen by the magazine, which revealed for the first time the extent of Staveley and PCPs involvement, and the drawn-out row over the compensation they received. On April 30, 2009, Staveley and her then business partner, London-based lawyer Craig Eadie, were informed that the sum of 29.5 million had been deposited in her account. First light Euromoneys disclosures cast the first light on what happened to 110 million in fees paid by Barclays nominally to Abu Dhabi royal Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who had invested 3.5 billion in Barclays, but in reality were fought over by a cast of advisers, associates and family members, of which Staveley was a major beneficiary. The 29.5 million appeared to be considerably less than Staveley believed she deserved. However, correspondence seen by Euromoney between the various Barclays players show that Staveleys relations with the Abu Dhabi camp has deteriorated since the capital injection. At one point, just before Christmas 2008, Staveley was given a deadline by her Abu Dhabi interlocutor to accept just 5 million, or nothing at all. Documents seen by Euromoney revealed the complexity of Mansours investment, involving a series of shelf companies called PCP Gulf Invest 1, 2 and 3 first set up in Staveley and Eadies names, that were then transferred into Abu Dhabis beneficial ownership. It is possible these vehicles form the basis of Staveleys claim she was an investor as well as an adviser in the capital raise. In that context, the sum claimed of close to 1 billion, which includes interest expenses, should be seen in light of the 3 billion that Sheikh Mansour made from his investments over a two-year period. The claim is a further headache for new Barclays CEO Jes Staley. Barclays says in a statement. We believe the claim against Barclays is misconceived and without merit, and Barclays will be vigorously defending it. The Sri Lanka operation of MSLGROUP will be managed under the leadership of Ranil de Silva, who is accountable for all the Publicis Groupe brands in Sri Lanka. MSLGROUP will function under the guidance of Glenn Osaki, Asia President of the group MSLGROUP from the Publicis Groupe umbrella has announced its presence in Sri Lanka by taking over the PR agency- Arc PR. Arc PR handles a diverse portfolio of clients including multi-nationals such as Coca-Cola, Samsung, Oman Air and major local companies such as Blue Mountain Group, CIC, Peoples Bank, Hirdaramani and Amana Takaful. Since its inception in 2006, Arc PR has changed the face of public relations in Sri Lanka. The agency will continue to retain its current team, comprising of nine professionals, and will be led by Caryll Van Dort, who will now be designated as Director, MSLGROUP. The Sri Lanka operation of MSLGROUP will be managed under the leadership of Ranil de Silva, who is accountable for all the Publicis Groupe brands in Sri Lanka. MSLGROUP will function under the guidance of Glenn Osaki, Asia President of the group. On the association Osaki said, 2016 will be a great year for MSLGROUP globally and in Asia. Last year, we launched our Asia strategy which focus on three Is Insight, Integration and Impact. Arc PR joining MSLGROUP benefits both agencies, as well as local, regional and global clients. MSLGROUP is expanding its geographical footprint and capabilities, allowing us to seamlessly support our clients in the important market of Sri Lanka. We can now offer all of our clients in Sri Lanka a combination of local insights and international best-in-class global and regional resources. I know the Sri Lanka team, and have collaborated with them on numerous occasions. They have always impressed me with their sharp insights and integrated mindset. Arc PR associated with Leo Burnett and the other Publicis Groupe agencies in the market to provide its clients with seamless and integrated solutions to support their businesses and brands to create impact in the market place. Commenting on the development, Ranil de Silva, Managing Director, Leo Burnett (LBSI), Sri Lanka said, We are extremely proud to have partnered with MSLGROUP, the largest brand and reputation advisory network in Asia and Europe. This partnership will definitely strengthen our presence in Sri Lanka and enable us to drive the progress of Sri Lanka's PR industry. I am confident that this partnership will take our work for our valued clients to new heights, enabling us to provide international expertise and services to meet their strategic PR needs. We will always continue to provide our clients with local insights and expertise. Being part of MSLGROUP will help us to seamlessly tap into the best in class PR practices both regionally and globally. As MSLGROUP, we are confident that well be able to set a new standard for the entire industry here in Sri Lanka. It will also give our employees opportunities for international learning and access to world leading talent programs, added Dort. Read more news about (ad news, latest advertising news India, internet advertising, ad agencies updates, media advertising India) Here are this weeks most read stories on FarmandDairy.com: Ron Hendrick, Ohio State Universitys acting vice president for agricultural administration and acting ag dean for the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Science, will be recommended as dean of Michigan State Universitys College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Hendricks is an MSU alumnus. The 46th annual Power Show Ohio is being held at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus through Jan. 30. The show is known for bringing together agriculture, construction and outdoor power equipment. More than 500 brands of equipment is shown at the show and there are also daily educational seminars. Earlier this week, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) published a blog post that undermined the values found in the National FFA Organizations code of ethics. In response, Farm and Dairy reporter Catie Noyes shares her personal experience as an FFA alumna, which explains why she stands up for FFA. She reminds advocates of programs like 4-H and FFA to encourage open conversations and to live by FFAs values. Dont give up on growing plants just because temperatures are below freezing and snow is falling. Make use of your home during winter to grow houseplants. Farm and Dairy online columnist Ivory Harlow explains how to regulate temperature, humidity and light for plants. She gives pointers for choosing appropriate containers and potting medium, and explains watering and fertilizer schedules to keep houseplants healthy during the winter months. Harlow also lists 10 easy-to-grow houseplants. Henry Bergfeld of Pine Hill Farm, Summitville, Ohio, received the Ohio Cattlemens Association Industry Excellence award at the groups annual meeting and awards banquet. Aside from his leadership roles in the Ohio Cattlemens Association, the Certified Angus Beef Board, American Angus Association Board and the Ohio Angus Association, Bergfeld was part of the forming of the Buckeye Beef Improvement Federation. Pete Conkle, another Columbiana County cattleman, won the OCAs Environmental Stewardship award. Conkle runs a grass-fed Red Angus operation near Hanoverton. Conkle works for the Columbiana County Soil and Water Conservation District. The Commercial Cattleman of the Year award was presented to the Rauch Family of Rauclif Farms, Washington County. By the time you read this, theres a good chance the ground will be covered by a blanket of fresh snow. At least thats what the meteorologists are predicting. When snow flies, activity at bird feeders peaks. Cardinals become especially conspicuous. These spectacularly beautiful bright red birds are hard to ignore against a snowy background. A few days ago an initial wave of snow flurries arrived in advance of the big storm. I counted two male and two female cardinals at my feeders. The males glowed like red hot coals in the snow. The females blended into the gray/brown background of the drab winter woods. Three consecutive days of single digit low temperatures seemed to presage the storms impending wrath. But the cardinals very presence brightened the day and lifted my spirit. Its no wonder informal surveys rank cardinals as one of Americas favorite birds. In fact, seven states (Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Indiana and Illinois) honor the cardinal as their state bird. Warmer days In the spring, the males song tells us warmer days lie just ahead. Their slurred whistles say, What cheer! What cheer! or Purdy, Purdy! In the summer, after raising a brood or three, parent cardinals escort their broods to backyard feeding stations. The elders introduce the young to their favorite feeder food sunflower seeds. In the fall, family groups form flocks that later in the year will visit feeding stations. The colder and snowier the weather, the larger the flocks of cardinals seem to be. And in the darkest hours of winter, theres nothing more uplifting than a tree full of cardinals against a white snowy background. Its a scene that makes a heavy snowfall almost worth the inconvenience it brings. Attracting attention The males brilliant red plumage and loud slurred whistles attract both attention and admiration from birdwatchers. But dont assume every singing cardinal is a male. Unlike many songbirds, female cardinals sing, too. Our only crested red bird, cardinals are easy to recognize. The reddish brown female pales in comparison to the brilliant scarlet male. Adults of both sexes have bright pink or red bills and black faces. Cardinal bills are massive and powerful perfect for cracking seeds. Bird banders handle cardinals with care because they like to bite the tender flesh between the thumb and index finger. As a rule, cardinals are well adapted to habitat disturbances. Look for them along forest edges, old fields, parks, cemeteries and backyards. A better understanding of cardinal behavior comes from carefully observing what occurs at backyard feeders. Remain together Though the pair bond relaxes during the nonbreeding season, mated cardinals remain together during the winter months. Throughout the winter, males often eat their fill before allowing females access to feeders. This behavior changes abruptly when spring courtship begins. Then males not only permit females access to feeders, they even husk seeds and pass them, bill to bill, to the female. These kisses continue throughout the breeding season, serving to strengthen and maintain the bond. Sometimes pair bonding and territorial behavior get extreme, and this is when some cardinals demand to be noticed. They attack windows, car mirrors, hubcaps, and even shiny door kick plates. In so doing, they often leave behind a mess of feathers and blood. Though this usually occurs in the spring, I get reports of this behavior throughout the year. Defending the territory Male cardinals are strongly territorial, and although their aggressive tendencies subside during fall and winter, territorial outbursts can occur at any time. When a male cardinal sees his reflection on any shiny object, he sometimes responds as if the rival is real. And yes, sometimes females do it, too. These attacks can last for an hour or more until more powerful urges fatigue or hunger prevail. The solution is to eliminate the reflective surfaces. Put screens on windows, cover car mirrors with paper bags or wash shiny surfaces with soapy water and let them dry to a dull film. After a spectacular run as the centrepiece of the gold medal winning UK Pavilion at the 2015 Milan Expo UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, announced yesterday that the stunning structure, The Hive, will take up its new home within Kew Gardens from June 2016. Soaring 17 metres in the air, The Hive is an immersive, multi-sensory experience inspired by UK groundbreaking scientific research into the health of bees. Showcasing British creativity, innovation and leadership in overcoming global challenges, this magnificent aluminium structure will draw visitors into the space via a wildflower meadow, as though they were worker bees returning to the hive. The wildflower meadow will serve to build understanding and appreciation of these habitats, and their significance for insect pollinators. Hundreds of glowing LED lights bring this 40 tonne lattice structure to life, while a beautiful symphony of orchestral sounds fills the air, with an atmospheric undercurrent of buzzes and pulses. Triggered by vibration sensors within a real beehive, the sound and light intensity within the pavilion increases as the energy levels in the living hive surge, giving visitors an incredible insight into the ever moving life of a bee colony. As visitors wander through this continually changing space, they will begin a journey, exploring the vital role of bees and other pollinators in feeding the planet - of the 100 crop species that provide 90% of food worldwide, 70 are pollinated by bees. Crucial links between food security and pollinators will come alive, as Kew scientists share their solutions for pollinators under pressure, from their innovative research into the plant chemicals in pollen and nectar that enable bees to overcome disease, to the development of high quality wildflower seeds by Kews UK Native Seed Hub. Richard Deverell, Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew said: "We are truly delighted to announce The Hives move to Kew, both for its magnificent aesthetic appeal and for the resonance it has with our work I can think of no better home for this remarkable marriage of architecture and science. "The Hive creates a powerful, immersive space for us to explore the urgent issues we face in relation to pollinators, their intimate relationships with plants and their vital role in helping us feed a rapidly growing population. To be able to bring those stories alive here at Kew a centre of scientific knowledge and expertise and one of the planets most biodiverse city landscapes is a true honour." Lord Maude, Minister of State for Trade and Investment, said: "The UK Pavilion at the Milan World Expo 2015 was an outstanding success. It was visited by over 3.3 million people in just 6 months, with a further 450 million people viewing it across the worlds media and online, and it received multiple awards, including the Expos gold medal for best architecture and landscape design. "Our business legacy is already secured with over 800 million in business wins from the global Grown in Britain and Northern Ireland business programme. As a physical legacy, it is fantastic that more of the UK public will have the opportunity to experience the Hive for themselves in the perfect setting at Kew. The Expo focused on sustainable ways of feeding a growing global population whilst protecting our environment: I cannot think of a better home for it now that the Expo is over." Lord Gardiner of Kimble, Lords Spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: "Pollinators like bees and other insects are integral to our natural environment, and play a vital role in our food industry. The Hive is an extraordinary structure, which symbolises how the UK champions the protection of bees and nature. I am delighted to see it make a return to the UK at Kew, where it will continue to amaze the public and raise awareness of how vital pollination is." With the new branding of 'AgConnectWA', the committee recognised that in addition to young farmers, there is a myriad of young people in rural, regional and metropolitan areas with a passion for agriculture and progressing rural communities and can interact with other like-minded young people. Fayetteville man sentenced in 2020 strip mall parking lot killing Damarcus Jerome Ray, 22, was sentenced to at least nine years and five months in prison by Cumberland County Judge Claire V. Hill on Oct. 7. The Screen Actors Guild Awards are upon us as we continue the countdown to the 2016 Oscars... it looks like it is going to be another exciting awards evening. The Big Short It is the acting performances that are in the spotlight at the SAGs, but will we get the same results as the Golden Globes? There are only a few hours to go until we discover who wins what. Who do you think is going to triumph? We give our predictions on who will win what later tonight. Leonardo DiCaprio is a major favourite for the Best Actor Oscar and already has a Golden Globe under his belt. I really cannot see the SAGs surprising us by awarding the gong to anyone else tonight. DiCaprio is nominated alongside Bryan Cranston (Trumbo), Johnny Depp (Black Mass), Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs), and Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl) - it is a terrific line-up of acting talent but there is only going to be one winner. Brie Larson was the big winner at the Golden Globes earlier this month, triumphing in the Best Actress category for her stunning performance in the big screen adaptation of the novel Room. But will she make it two major awards out of two? Cate Blanchett (Carol), Helen Mirren (Woman In Gold), Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn), and Sarah Silverman (I Smile Back) are the other performances in the running. While I do think that Larson will triumph, Blanchett could be the one to spoil her night. The supporting categories really are very exciting and are not yet clear cut. The Best Supporting Actor category tonight looks very different to the Oscar line-up as only two of the Oscar nominees are in the mix at the SAGS; Christian Bale and Mark Rylance. Bale and Rylance are nominated for their performances in the Big Short and Bridge of Spies, while Idris Elba, Michael Shannon, and Jacob Tremblay have also been recognised for Beasts of No Nations, 99 Homes, and Room. Personally, I would love to see Elba win after missing out on an Oscar nomination. The Best Supporting Actress is another loaded category as Rooney Mara (Carol), Rachel McAdams (Spotlight), Helen Mirren (Trumbo), Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl), and Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs) are all in the mix. I think that it could well be a two-horse race between Winslet and Mara and it is tough to say who is going to come out on top. Winslet already has a Golden Globe under her belt this awards season and could just sneak it on the night. The SAGS recognised Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture rather than award a Best Picture gong and Beasts of No Nation, The Big Short, Spotlight, and Straight Outta Compton are all nominated. There is a lot of noise about Spotlight and The Big Short; the latter triumphed at the Producers Guild of America Awards earlier in the week and could well come out on top again. Support for The Big Short is building - could this be the film that is set to be the main challenger to The Revenant for the Best Picture Oscar? I guess we are going to have to wait and see. Full List of Predictions: Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture: The Big Short The Big Short Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role: Leonardo DiCaprio Leonardo DiCaprio Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role: Brie Larson Brie Larson Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role: Idris Elba Idris Elba Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Kate Winslet Kate Winslet Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture: Mad Max: Fury Road The SAG Award winners will be announced later today. by Helen Earnshaw for www.femalefirst.co.uk find me on and follow me on Valentine's Day is traditionally one of the most romantic days of the year - and this year will be no exception! Weddings on Female First A new study of 10,000 people by Stag and Hen do organiser Chillisauce has revealed that Valentine's Day is the second most popular day of the year to propose (beaten only by Christmas Eve). 29% of women want their man to put a ring on it on Valentine's Day, so there will be lots of expectant ladies come February 14th. If you have a unique and interesting proposal story that you'd like to share (and be in with the chance of winning a romantic prize from Swizzels Love Hearts) then just type in http://www.lovehearts.com/sweetproposal/ BUT despite what you might think, it doesn't just have to be the man who gets down on one knee. As 2016 is a leap year, tradition dictates that for one day only, women can ask their partner to marry them on the 29th February. Women proposing has certainly become more common in recent years, but would you go against tradition and ask the big question yourself? It might surprise you to learn that 21% of women would pop the question to their man in a leap year and 43% of men also admitted they would be 'totally fine' if their girlfriend proposed to them. You'd be in good company too! Judge Judy, Jennifer Hudson and Pink are just a few of the famous ladies who've taken matters into their own hands and asked their partners to marry them. There are lots of unique and different way to propose - you could even pop the question with one of the nation's most romantic sweets, Love Hearts. Swizzels produce 8 million Marry Me Love Hearts every year, so you'd always be able to find one for the big moment. Everyone's idea of romance is different, so if you're thinking of taking the leap and asking your man, making it personal is a sure fire way to impress. A fifth of women chose the anniversary of when they got together as their dream day for a proposal and men are also likely to appreciate the significance of choosing this day. Other romantic options that are popular include returning to the location of your first kiss, or recreating a magical moment from early on in your relationship. All of this shows your partner that you have put real thought into how you pop the question. It might seem unusual for the women to ask the man, but if you're in love and want to spend your life together then why not. Swizzels, makers of the nation's most romantic sweets, Love Hearts is on the hunt for the UK's sweetest proposal. To celebrate Valentine's Day, the sweet manufacturer is searching for people who've thought outside the box when it comes to proposing to their other half in a truly unique way. The lucky couples with the sweetest proposals will win a top prize of a luxury weekend spa break for two and the four runners up will receive a year's supply of Love Hearts goodies. To share your story and be in with a chance of winning type http://www.lovehearts.com/sweetproposal/ (The deadline for entries is Sunday 31st January - so hurry!) After a damning report by the India Committee of the Netherlands (ICN), a Dutch non-governmental group, highlighting appalling living conditions, low wages and lack of freedom of movement of workers in garment factories in Bengaluru, clothing majors such as H&M, Inditex, C&A and PVH have committed to improving the lives of workers in the city.American brand Gap Inc., which also sources apparel from Bengaluru, did not respond to the report by the ICN, according to a statement by the Dutch non-governmental group. A draft of the report, Unfree and Unfair, was presented to the companies in November 2015, Thomson Reuters said. After a damning report by the India Committee of the Netherlands (ICN), a Dutch non-governmental group, highlighting appalling living conditions, low# The condition of garment workers in South Asia have been under the spotlight following the 2013 Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh, in which over a thousand workers were killed, many of them employed by suppliers to Western retailers.While the apparel and garment sector is a major employer in the Indian economy, the ICN report paints an unflattering picture. According to the ICN report, hostels run by the Bengaluru factories lacked basic amenities such as beds and clean water, and that workers earned between 95 euros (Rs 7,000) and 115 euros (Rs 8,472) per month, just above the official minimum wage of 93 euros (Rs 6849) to 103 euros (Rs 7,588).Bengaluru, a hub for apparel exporters as well as for information technology companies, draws migrants from different parts of the country seeking better economic prospects.There are an estimated 1,200 garment factories in and around Bengaluru, making apparel for large global brands.Many of the workers are women from poor backgrounds who do not know the local language and are unaware of their rights, making them more vulnerable to exploitation, according to the ICN report based on interviews with 110 migrant workers at four garment factories in the city."Global companies have a responsibility to ensure better conditions for the workers, as they are directly benefiting from their labour," Raphel Jose, vice president of supply-chain sustainability at the Centre for Responsible Business in Bengaluru, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation."This is an area where the brands can come together and collaborate with a local agency and pressurise the industry to improve conditions." Dutch clothing retailer C&A, Swedish retailer H&M and Spain's Inditex, which owns the Zara and Massimo Dutti brands, will work together and liaise with local trade unions to provide training and address workers' grievances, ICN said.Inditex will evaluate the state of workers at its suppliers and factories across India, while PVH Corp., which owns brands including Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein, is developing new guidelines for its suppliers, ICN said."If the brands commit to these issues and their plan of action, we expect that considerable progress can be made in addressing the working and living conditions of young migrant garment workers in Bangalore," ICN said in the statement. (SH) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India Electronics For Imaging, Inc (EFI) is relocating its APAC headquarters from Singapore to a new facility in Shanghai from March 8, which is more than twice the size of its former APAC headquarters.According to an EFI press release, located in one of the most dynamic cities in the world, the facility is a high-tech environment designed to provide a valuable showcase experience for visitors. Electronics For Imaging, Inc (EFI) is relocating its APAC headquarters from Singapore to a new facility in Shanghai from March 8, which is more than# The building houses a new, high-tech customer experience centre to provide real-life demonstrations of EFI's industrial inkjet, the Fiery and integrated MIS/ERP workflow and web-to-print software products.EFI's brand new APAC headquarters provides a platform for further growth in a region where face-to-face interaction is extremely important, said Stephen Green , EFI's APAC vice president of sales.It also offers a great working environment for our employees, something we work hard to do in all of our facilities around the globe, Green added.The move to the new Shanghai facility is the latest EFI investment in the region to address and support customers' ongoing success using EFI products, the company stated.The company, which also has APAC facilities in Japan, Australia, New Zealand and India, continues to hire additional service, sales and R&D or product development staff in the region.In addition to serving the entire region, the new facility directly supports growing business opportunities taking place in China that is set to become the world's largest market for printing technology by 2017.China already is one of the top countries for EFI's Cretaprint ceramic tile printers, print servers and inks, while EFI Reggiani textile and Vutek superwide-format inkjet printers also have a strong, growing presence.The company has recently introduced a range of value-priced, dedicated roll-to-roll LED printers featuring advanced material handling capabilities in the China market. (AR) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India Government of Ghana would support the textile manufacturing sector to create more job opportunities, said Dr Ekow Spio Garbrah, minister of trade and industry, Ghana news agency reported. While touring the Tema Free Zones enclave, Garbrah recommended the manufacturing industries to come up with appropriate growth orientated strategies with their analysis, while the government creates the atmosphere required for them to flourish. The government is extending its support to invest in the local textile industries and promote it in the international market. The ministry is also working to revamp the dormant textile manufacturing companies to make Ghana an export- rather than import-oriented nation. Government of Ghana would support the textile manufacturing sector to create more job opportunities, said Dr Ekow Spio Garbrah, minister of trade and# Garbrah expressed his disappointment at the deprived state of the textile and garment industries in the enclave. He requested the free zone industry operators to see the ministry of trade and industry as a partner, keen to help them overcome their challenges. Recently, speaking at the 50th anniversary celebration of the Ghana Textile Printing (GTP) company, Kweku Ricketts Hagan, the deputy minister of trade and industry said, that the government is determined to revive the textile industry to produce more for its exports, to make it an export oriented country. (NA) Fibre2fashion News Desk - India German manufacturer of viscose specialty fibres Kelheim Fibers said it has completed the next step in the development of IR reflecting fibres.During the last months, the incorporation of mineral IR-reflecting particles has been tested in several spinning trials, a Kelheim press release informed. German manufacturer of viscose specialty fibres Kelheim Fibers said it has completed the next step in the development of IR reflecting fibres.During# Different levels of these particles were integrated into the fibre's core, thereby preserving the fibre's inherent properties, rather than being added as a topical finish using additives.The effects of the new method are permanent and cannot be washed out, the fibre producer added.According to Kelheim, the trials showed that the new fibre delivers a level of IR-activity that could be proven in measurements of the Total Solar Reflectance Value (TSR).Visible light is reflected by 90-95 per cent, while in the near infrared range, a reflectance of up to 90 per cent has been achieved, depending on the wavelength spectrum, it stated.This proves a clear benefit in the reflectance of direct sunlight, where the fibre is capable of providing a cooling effect, for example by protecting the human body from outside radiation, the company observed.Kelheim further added that the fibre may also be used in warming applications, where thermal radiation emitted from the body is reflected by these particles back to the body, reducing the cooling effect and keeping the person warm.In the mid IR-range an increase of reflectance of about 20 per cent of m-IR radiation was achieved in tests compared to normal viscose, the press release noted.As per the company, the fibre can be used for both textile and nonwoven processes, where the fabric can either protect against outside influences or reflect the IR-radiation back to the inside source.Comfortable feel-good clothes and functional special clothing are just two obvious applications for our new IR fibre, Dr. Daniela Bauer of Kelheim Fibres' R&D team said.The level of loading can be adapted according to the requirements of the final product, which provides high versatility, Bauer too added.As a next step, the fibre will be tested for its effectiveness in various end-applications in cooperation with our partners, she remarked.Kelheim Fibres GmbH is a leading producer of viscose speciality fibres and a preferred supplier of viscose fibres for the tampon industry and manufactures approximately 90,000 tons of viscose fibres annually.The fibres are used in most diverse applications, from fashion, hygiene and medical products to nonwovens and speciality papers. (AR) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India RCS Capital will sever all ties with its founder Nicholas Schorsch when it files for bankruptcy, according to a source familiar with the situation. The pre-planned Chapter 11 bankruptcy is expected on Sunday, the source said. The company said earlier in January it would restructure its largest holding, the broker-dealer Cetera Financial Group, with a $150 million injection of capital from lenders to convert it to an independent firm. Read more: Cetera Bailout: Carlyle, Eaton Vance, Fortress Forgo RCS Debt Payments To prevent an exodus of Cetera's 9,000-plus advisors, RCS has been scrambling to restructure itself. The bankruptcy will provide the most efficient manner of doing so, the source says. "These actions continue to advance our broader plan to become a Cetera-only, independent, well-capitalized, private company, no longer burdened with legacy issues," Cetera Financial Group CEO Larry Roth said in a statement. "Our restructuring provides Cetera with a truly fresh start." RCS Capital purchased Cetera in 2014. Not long after, RCS stock collapsed following an accounting scandal at another Schorsch-owned firm. RCS stock was delisted earlier in January. More than two-thirds of RCS Capital first- and second-lien lenders, as well as the holders of a majority of the companys outstanding unsecured debt, have reached an agreement on the bankruptcy terms. That agreement will maximize value available for all the company's creditors. The bankruptcy will "extinguish" all of RCS Capital's debt obligations. Cetera advisors will continue with business as usual during the bankruptcy proceedings. The bankruptcy will impact the holding companies of Cetera's various brokerage firms, but not the firms themselves, the source says. As guarantors of RCS Capitals debt, the holding companies are being included in the bankruptcy in order to eliminate these guarantees without impairing or impacting any other aspect of the business, according to the source. The advisor retention program, composed of cash and equity in RCS stock, will begin making distributions to advisors over the next couple of months, the source says. The restructuring, Roth said in the statement, will provide "additional capital to continue to invest in the best possible platforms, products and services for the financial advisors and financial institutions we support. "I look forward to a bright future for Cetera Financial Group and our loyal advisors, financial institutions, employees and business partners," Roth added in the statement. When asked if the company should be referred to as Cetera or as RCS Capital, the source told Financial Planning, "I will have to get back to you on that." Read more: PHOENIX, AZ--(Marketwired - January 30, 2016) - CAPITAL FUND 1 (https://capitalfund1.com), an Arizona-based private money lender, has aligned with Empire Group to finance the development of the prime location of 40 th Street and Osborn in the Arcadia Phoenix neighborhood. The 40 th Street property rests upon 10 acres of land and is platted for a 44 luxury home community. The location was formerly home to well known Bakers Nursery for decades prior to Empire Group's strategic acquisition of the property. Unlike traditional institutional lenders, Capital Fund has lending programs tailor made for Real Estate Builders and Developers who need to act quickly on opportunities. Capital Fund specializes private money loans for "in fill" projects throughout the Valley. Mike Anderson, President of Capital Fund, says, "Since our loan criteria is based upon the value of the asset and not the investors credit score or financial history, we can get loans funded in days and many times fund loans conventional banks would not be able to. Our business is to provide Real Estate developers the Financing for A & D -- Acquisition and Development Capital needed to acquire land, develop the infrastructure as well as provide the construction funding to build their projects. The Arcadia Project that Empire Group is doing fits us like a glove. We couldn't be happier with their site selection to build a Luxury Home Community." Anderson adds. The Empire Group initially came to Capital Fund in early 2015 to obtain financing for the acquisition of the land consisting of approximately 10 acres. Capital Fund is also providing the funding for the horizontal improvement costs to develop the 44 home subdivision with combined loan amount of approximately $5.3 million dollars. While "pre-sales" of the homes will be opening up in the first quarter of 2016, the estimated completion of the community is slated for later in 2016. "We use Capital Fund because they have in depth knowledge and experience in land development and homebuilding. They respond quickly to our loan requests and always fund our projects on time," states Rich Zacher, Principal with The Empire Group. "The property site could not be positioned in a better location," according to Mike Anderson, President of Capital Fund, "This location was particularly interesting to us because it is nestled right in Arcadia. It is close to the Biltmore Shopping Center, Scottsdale Fashion Square, and several Restaurants such as Postino, La Grande Orange, 40 th North, Steak 44, Buck and Rider, and The Henry to name a few -- all within a mile or so away from the site. The schools, the grocery stores, and virtually everything a family needs is right there." Anderson continues. About Capital Fund Capital Fund is an Arizona Based Private Lender who specializes in offering private funds for non-owner occupied residential homes, commercial properties, construction projects, and lots or raw land. Our extensive knowledge and experience as a private lender has helped us in offering not only funds for investment properties, but also being a excellent resource to use in all real estate investment situations. Learn more about Capital Fund by visiting them online at: https://capitalfund1.com. Media Contact: Troy Bohlke Tel: 480-584-2909 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. / Smartika, a Milan, Italy-based social lending platform, recently completed 4.52m funding round. The round was led by and structured by London-based Hamilton Ventures, a UK-based merchant banking boutique focused on investments in tech and fintech. The company intends to use the funds to grow operations. Led by founder Maurizio Sella, Chairman of the board, and Luciano Manzo, CEO, Smartika provides a Peer to Peer lending platform that connects borrowers and lenders each other, without the need of traditional credit and investment intermediaries. Founded in 2012, Smartika is authorized and regulated by Bank of Italy as a Payment Institution in accordance with d.lgs. 11/2010. FinSMEs 29/01/2016 Kolkata: India's Rs 150-billion ($3 billion) biscuit industry, the third largest in the world, is witnessing a major shift towards 'premiumisation' as consumer preferences change, fuelled by soaring disposable incomes in smaller towns and health awareness. People with lower incomes are also upgrading from the 'affordable' glucose biscuits to mass cream biscuits and mass cookies. The biscuit industry, which consists of economy, middle, premium and super-premium segments, is likely to grow at 20 percent annually in the next few years. But the premium and super-premium segments, according to industry experts, are believed to be growing at a much faster rate, probably more than 30 percent on a year-on-year basis. "Currently, economy and middle segments (mass segment) comprise about 70 percent of the total biscuit market in India. I think in the next five years, the share of the mass segment would come down to 60 percent and the rest would be premium and super-premium segments," Parle Products group product manager B Krishna Rao told IANS over phone from Mumbai. Parle, which is India's largest biscuit maker with a 45 percent market share, said biscuit companies in the country are coming up with more products in the rapidly growing premium segments to tap the market. "Competition in the economy segment is extremely difficult as it would put pressure on the bottom line (profit)," Rao said. Explaining the reasons for the consumers' growing preferences towards the premium biscuits than the mass products, he said smaller towns were now having modern trade centres with consumers possessing more disposable incomes, which resulted in spreading of mall culture. "Currently, there are about 40 mini metros across the country. The scenario was different a few years ago. Smaller towns like Durgapur, Asansol, Surat and Rajkot now have modern trade centres like malls. Retail chains like Big Bazaar are coming up also in tier II and tier III cities," he observed. He said while the economy segment was likely to grow at a range of 15 percent to 18 percent annually, the premium segment was expected to clock 30 percent growth. As a result, Rao said, a lot of companies would introduce products in the premium and super-premium biscuit segments in the days ahead. Parle, which owns brands like Parle-G glucose biscuits and 20-20 in the mass segment, also possesses brands like Hide & Seek and Hide & Seek Milano in the premium segment. While biscuits priced at Rs.100-150 per kg are categorised as middle segment, biscuits with an MRP of Rs.125-150 per kg fall in the premium category. Priced at below Rs.100 a kg are in the economy segment and above Rs.150 a kg in the super-premium segment. Another biscuit major Britannia seconded Parle's observation on the consumers' preference shifts towards premium products. "Over the last few years, the biggest shift that has been happening (in the country's biscuit industry) is the premiumisation shift," said Anuradha Narasimhan, category director, health and wellness, Britannia Industries. "And this is best borne out by the reducing contribution of the glucose segment. The glucose segment used to contribute 33 percent by value a couple of years ago and this has dropped to 24 percent," Narasimhan stated. According to her, people belonging to the lower income group are upgrading to mass cream biscuits and mass cookies. She said the current trend would not just continue but grow in magnitude and people would prefer not just 'affordable delight' but seek specific benefits in food products, including health needs. "We see the benefits of health as well as indulgence being played out - these benefits will democratise and not just be the purview of top-end audiences. Health and convenience are primary drivers of food consumption - with the health need being very key," she pointed out. Narasimhan said the health wave in India was being fuelled by the high prevalence of diseases such as diabetes and hypertension as well as awareness driven by the media. "We believe the biscuit market will continue to grow in the range of 20 plus percent - with premium segments growing much faster," she added. Britannia, which operates in both the mass and premium segments, has popular brands like Marie Gold, Little Hearts and Time Pass. IANS MUMBAI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Clothing companies H&M, Inditex, C&A and PVH have committed to improving the lives of workers in Bengaluru, after a report said employees lived in appalling conditions and were denied decent wages and freedom of movement. Gap Inc., which also sources apparel from Bengaluru, did not respond to the report by the India Committee of the Netherlands (ICN), according to a statement by the Dutch non-governmental group late on Thursday. A draft of the report, Unfree and Unfair, was presented to the companies last November. The conditions of garment workers in South Asia have come under sharp scrutiny following the 2013 Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh, in which 1,135 workers were killed, many of them employed by suppliers to Western retailers. The ICN report said hostels run by the Bengaluru factories lacked basic amenities such as beds and clean water, and that workers earned between 95 euros($104) and 115 euros per month, just above the official minimum wage of 93 euros to 103 euros. Bengaluru, a hub for apparel exporters, is also known as India's Silicon Valley for its numerous information technology companies, and draws migrants seeking better economic prospects from its home Karnataka state, as well as from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and the country's north and east. There are an estimated 1,200 garment factories in and around Bengaluru, making apparel for large global brands. Many of the workers are women from poor backgrounds who do not know the local language and are unaware of their rights, making them more vulnerable to exploitation, according to the report based on interviews with 110 migrant workers at four garment factories in the city. "Global companies have a responsibility to ensure better conditions for the workers, as they are directly benefiting from their labour," Raphel Jose, vice president of supply-chain sustainability at the Centre for Responsible Business in Bengaluru, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "This is an area where the brands can come together and collaborate with a local agency and pressurise the industry to improve conditions." Dutch clothing retailer C&A, Swedish retailer H&M and Spain's Inditex, which owns the Zara and Massimo Dutti brands, will work together and liaise with local trade unions to provide training and address workers' grievances, ICN said. Inditex will evaluate the state of workers at its suppliers and factories across India, while PVH Corp., which owns brands including Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein, is developing new guidelines for its suppliers, ICN said. "If the brands commit to these issues and their plan of action, we expect that considerable progress can be made in addressing the working and living conditions of young migrant garment workers in Bangalore," ICN said in the statement. ($1 = 0.9176 euros) (Reporting by Rina Chandran, Editing by Katie Nguyen; 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 to see more stories.) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Oil prices will average just over $40 this year, the biggest cut to monthly forecasts in a year, as an influx of Iranian barrels hits an already-saturated world market, a Reuters poll showed on Friday. The survey of 29 economists and analysts forecast benchmark North Sea Brent crude will average $42.5 a barrel, down $10 from last month's poll. This would be the largest drop between monthly surveys since January last year and the eighth successive monthly Reuters poll in which analysts have lowered their price forecasts. Brent crude, which averaged about $54 a barrel in 2015, has fallen nearly 9 percent so far in January and has crashed from around $115 a barrel in June 2014. Oil prices fell below $30 a barrel this month to their lowest since 2003, under pressure from mounting concerns about the inability of even robust demand to keep pace with supply and the unlikely prospect that the world's largest producers would agree to curtail output. "The most immediate issue for the market will be just how much oil Iran brings back to the market ... A significant difference to Iranian production in either direction should have an impact on prices," Capital Economics commodities analyst Thomas Pugh said. Geopolitical tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran may prevent the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries from coming to a consensus on cutting supply, analysts said. "The chance of OPEC taking any decision to cut output is highly unlikely. Saudi Arabia will participate in the output cut only if all the OPEC members as well as other big producers (like Russia) also reduce output," CRISIL Research director Rahul Prithiani said. Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said on Friday the country's output could decline as a result of lower investment, but the state would not intervene to balance the market. That appeared to pour cold water on possible joint OPEC and non-OPEC production cuts mentioned by Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak on Thursday, comments which raised hopes of the first such global output deal in over a decade. Record-high production from OPEC's second-largest producer, Iraq and the addition of Iranian barrels after Western sanctions on Tehran were lifted have heightened concern that even growing demand will not be enough to absorb the extra supply. "Even if no major event happens but supply remains more resilient than expected and demand a bit weaker, we could still see prices drift lower," Pugh said. Analysts expect Brent and WTI futures to average $34.4 and $33.2, respectively, in the first quarter, considerably higher than what the futures market is pricing in. Brent was trading at $33.85 a barrel and WTI was at $33.29 for March delivery. The poll forecasts U.S. light crude will average $41 a barrel this year compared to around $49 in 2015. JPMorgan had the lowest 2016 forecast for Brent at $31.25 a barrel, while Standard Chartered had the highest at $63. (Additional reporting by Nithin Thomas Prasad and Nallur Sethuraman in Bengaluru, editing by David Evans) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. New Delhi: As the AAP-led government and the BJP continue the game of finger-pointing over the protest of nearly 1.5 lakh civic body workers, who have decided to go on indefinite strike from Saturday, the question who is telling the truth remains unanswered. While the government has been claiming that it has cleared the funds for the BJP-headed corporations, the latter have been contesting it. They maintain that theres no scope for salaries for employees in the funds allotted. Now, where does the truth lie? "It is extremely shocking that despite the Delhi government having provided the three MCDs all the funds meant for payment of salaries before time, salaries have not been paid to the employees, said AAP spokesperson Raghav Chadha. He added: The three corporations of North Delhi, East Delhi and South Delhi have themselves admitted to having received Rs 892.92 crore, Rs 465.53 crore and Rs 668 crore respectively under the head of non-planned expenditure in the current financial year, which will come to an end on 31 March. It is clear that 90 percent of the non-planned allocation is for payment of salaries. The basic question is why havent the MCD employees been paid their salaries? Why are the MCD mayors scared of getting the accounts audited? Why are they not revealing how much income they have generated from the sources of income under their control?" Speaking on the same issue earlier, senior AAP leader Dilip Pandey had said, We give around Rs 1.25 lakh crore to the Centre as taxes in every three months but in return we get Rs 2,000 crore. Except this and a few other small grants, we do not have any Central fund to support the MCDs. As set by the Delhi Finance Commission, we have to give the civic body 10.5 percent - 4.5 percent under the head of planned expenditure, 4.5 percent under unplanned expenditure and 1.5 percent based on performance - from our share of the tax collection. We give 9 percent as planned and unplanned budget to the corporations but do not give their 1.5 percent performance-based share because the three corporations have miserably failed to perform their duties." According to the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act (Amendment), 2011, 10.5 percent of the states share in Central taxes is delivered to the civic bodies in three quarters (25 percent of the total amount in the first quarter of April-June, 50 percent of the total in July-December and the rest 25 percent in the final quarter of January-March). But the BJP-ruled corporations say that the money released by the Delhi government is not sufficient to clear salaries of all the employees. EDMC Mayor Harshdeep Malhotra said his corporation has to shell out Rs 1,100 crore as salary of staff, from commissioner to sanitation workers but his corporation was allocated only Rs 465.53 crore in the January-March quarter of the ongoing financial year. They stipulated Rs 576 crore for EDMC in their financial budget out of which we were given Rs 465 crore. They owe us Rs 111 crore. In addition, they have an additional outstanding of Rs 275 crore of Municipal Reform for the past three years. We are asking for it because our income from house tax, toll tax, conversion, parking charges and advertisement stands at Rs 750 crore but the total expenditure stands at around Rs 1,800 crore, including salary of our employees, Malhotra told Firstpost. When asked why EDMC does not put efforts to generate more revenue, he said House tax is the main source of EDMCs income but only 30 percent of the houses in East Delhi are liable to pay the tax. The rest 70 percent are either unauthorised colonies or slum clusters, which are not required to pay the tax. We earn small amounts of Rs 7.8 crore from parking and Rs 10-15 crore from advertisements. SDMC Mayor Subhash Arya urged the state government to depute its charter accountants to sit together with the three corporations and get the accounts audited to resolve the crisis for ever. We have an agreement with the city government that it will give us 10.5 percent, which increases every year, of the total tax collection we do. But we were not given our share. We received what we were getting three years ago in the Congress regime. As a result, the government owes us around Rs 3,000 crore. According to their own figures, we gave them a tax collection of around Rs 23,000 crore in 2012-13, Rs 25,000 in 2013-14, Rs 27,000 in 2014-15 and Rs 34,000 in 2015-16. Now, they should give us our share at the rate of 10.5 percent as agreed for the past four financial years. But on an average, we get only Rs 800-900 crore only which is insufficient to pay salaries. While we have to spend about Rs 1,800 on salary, NDMC has to give around Rs 2,400 crore, he said. The NDMC also says the amount released by the Delhi government is not enough. We still need an additional amount of Rs 100 crore to pay salaries and pensions. In addition, our global share, which stands at Rs 300 crore in every financial quarter, must be released without delay so that we can continue our services, NDMC Mayor Ravinder Gupta told Firstpost. Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta thinks the trifurcation of the MCD into South, East and North corporations in May 2012 is the prime reason of the fund crunch. He advised Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to see the financial issues in proper perspective. While trifurcating the MCD, the then Delhi government had promised to financially sustain the local bodies till the time they were able to generate sufficient revenue to sustain themselves. But it is an act of treachery that the Delhi government has backed out of its promise. The present crisis is due to its political ambitions and breach of promises made while carrying out trifurcation, Gupta told Firstpost. The trifurcation of MCD has brought in its fair share of problems. The resources in unified MCD were equally divided among the entire local bodies without reference to geographical areas. The erstwhile MCD had a loan liability of Rs 1,800 crore and contractors liability of Rs 650 crore, which was to be waived or cleared as one time grant. Instead of it, the liability was passed on to the newly-formed corporations. In fact, the East, North and South Municipal Corporations should have not been burdened with the liabilities of the erstwhile MCD, experts say. This amount is being recovered with 13.5 percent interest. It is being deducted from grants and revenue-sharing. While the NDMC has a loan of around Rs 2,000 crore, SDMC has dues of about Rs 1,700 crore. On the other hand, the EDMC owes about Rs 1,300 crore. The Delhi government owes Rs 1,800 crore to the three corporations for implementing the Unit Area Method of property tax. The government in 2004 had assured to compensate the loss caused by the new method. The global share of the MCD in the state governments income was reduced from 5.5 percent to 4 percent. A cut of 1.5 percent was made as an incentive for implementing the municipal reforms. Despite repeated pleas, the 1.5 percent cut has not been released. Also the remaining 4 percent has been adjusted against the loan given to the three corporations, said Gupta. The EDMC is the worst when comes to financial condition. On 1 April, 2012 (a month before the trifurcation of the MCD), we were in the deficit Rs 451 crore. Therefore, the corporation sought a subsidy grant of Rs 421 crore. But instead of the grant, the Sheila Dikshit-led Congress government in the state gave only Rs 335 crore at a hefty rate of interest of 10.5 percent. We have paid back about Rs 300 crore in the past three years, said Malhotra, the EDMC mayor, adding that the Delhi government was supposed to give a grant of Rs 140 crore to the EDMC in the current financial quarter, but has given only Rs 76 crore. Although post the trifurcation the Delhi government got partial control over the functioning of the MCD, the three bodies are still administered by the Centre through the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957. Director of local bodies, who reports to the state government, now keeps an eye on the working of the corporations. Earlier, the civic body used to get funds from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. By Anne-Sophie Galli/DPA Hong Kong: Erwiana Sulistyaningsih only wanted to do what tens of thousands of other Indonesians do: support her family at home by working as a housemaid for the wealthy in Hong Kong. Maids' remittances pay down their parents' debts, cover their children's school fees, or accumulate capital to later open up their own businesses or buy a house. It didn't work out that way for Erwiana, who was 22 when she arrived in the city. Instead, eight months later she found herself in a hospital bed, hardly able to walk, after her employer beat and starved her, while making her work for up to 21 hours a day. Her case made international headlines two years ago when it came to light, with thousands demonstrating on the streets and demanding "Justice for Erwiana." Last year her employer was sentenced to six years in jail and fined around 1,850 dollars. It wasn't enough, said Erwiana. "It seems that while we recognize maltreatment of migrant workers as bad, and (know) that slavery exists in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong government seems to tolerate it," she said outside the court. Rights organizations say food deprivation, 17-hour working days, unpaid wages, beatings and even rape are just some of the dangers that migrant workers mostly women face in Hong Kong. And it's not just employers, but the authorities too, who put the workers' safety at risk, according to a report by Amnesty International. Getting a job abroad is often only possible via unscrupulous government-licensed placement agencies. "Most of them demand illegal or disproportionately large fees," says Anna Olsen of the International Labour Organization (ILO). Many women don't see a cent of their wages for months. Their salaries are paid directly to the agencies and their passports are taken away to prevent them from leaving. "For many it's a modern form of slavery," says Olsen. "Because employees can't really escape from their abusive jobs." Hong Kong's migration rules, whereby housemaids have to find new employment within two weeks of leaving a job, make the situation even more difficult. Domestic worker recruitment is a billion-dollar business, and it's growing as the population ages. Worldwide there are 67 million domestic workers, 11 million of whom work abroad, mostly in Asia, according to the ILO. And at least 3.4 million people work in slave-like conditions, with agencies and employers stealing around 7.6 billion dollars through illegal fees for recruitment and low wages, the organization charges. In some countries, remittances from their workers abroad are crucial to the economy. Around 10 per cent of the Philippines gross domestic product (GDP) comes from remittances, according to the World Bank. One recruitment agency, founded by David Bishop, has been trying to introduce a new "fair" business model to the industry in Asia. At his Fair Employment Agency, the employers pay all the costs of recruitment, which prevents the kind of thing that happened to Erwiana, says Bishop. That's because though Erwiana fled her employer, the agency sent her back there because she still owed them money. Bishop has recruited around 400 domestic workers since 2014 and the governments of Singapore and Malaysia have shown an interest in the model. "We want to prove that you can also make a fair profit," says Bishop. "Until now, government haven't really regulated agencies, because then they say that they can't be profitable." Hong Kong's government has said that its laws adequately protect its 330,000 foreign domestic workers. They are guaranteed a minimum wage, health insurance, one day off a week and the right to demonstrate, which they don't have in many other countries. "But it's still the responsibility of employees to register abuse," says Eni Lestari, spokeswoman for the biggest association of foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong. Legal action can often take months and most can't afford it. "Everybody knows how bad the situation is," says lawmaker Emily Lau Wai-hing. "But there's a lack of political will to do more." "There's no evidence that Hong Kong is a source territory, a destination or a transit point for human trafficking," a government spokesman says. The rights group Justice Centre plans however to present "worrying" evidence to the contrary in February. According to spokeswoman Victoria Wisniewski Otero, the organization has produced the first representative study of forced labour among domestic workers in Hong Kong. A current example is that of a Pakistani man who has accused the government before the courts of not doing enough to protect victims of human trafficking. His lawyer, Patricia Ho, says her client is one such victim. He was brought to Hong Kong on a visa for foreign domestic workers and worked as a forced labourer for four years. When he sought help from the local authorities, they took no action. "My client hopes that no one else is ever treated in the same way," says Ho. "He's fighting for justice." DPA I have been quite intrigued by the emotionally-charged release of 100 files in the Netaji papers as promised by the Government of India on 23 January , 2016. That a presumably long-dead man is able to exert a huge influence on the public imagination today is an indication that India suffers from a paucity of heroes. Subhas Chandra Bose is a hero, albeit a flawed one; and the mystery behind his death has by no means been cleared up by the release of these papers. Bose appeals to Indians for all the right reasons: he is the one person who took to arms to bring down the mightiest empire in the world. The fact that he came close to overthrowing the British, if only the Japanese sweep through Asia had not been halted in Assam, makes it all the more poignant. He clearly had charisma: he was elected to head the Congress (although he was maneuvered out of it), and he was able to convince 50,000 Indians, especially from Southeast Asia, to march in the Indian National Army. He had a brilliant mind, and he was a man of action as well as of thought. Bose also never disappointed us by actually ruling us. That is the privilege of those who die young: in our imaginations they remain forever young, uncorrupted, idealistic. The contrast to those who did rule us, chiefly the Nehru dynasty, is dramatic. The Nehrus have made a right hash of things; and we imagine that Bose might not have. Who knows? It is one of the imponderables of history. But there are also wrong reasons for remembering Bose. One is an idealization of him as some god-like creature: he was human, and therefore there were all-too-human failings.I was reminded of the truism that we are fresh out of messiahs. There are no knights in shining armor, either. This I have learned from bitter experience: all our heroes end up being flawed, and they will usually disappoint us, partly because we project our own hopes, insecurities and fears upon them. Thus, no leader (except some spiritual leaders for instance Vivekananda and Sri Aurobindo and the Dalai Lama) stands up to pitiless scrutiny. And they should be scrutinised, not turned into little tin gods whom we put in the closet, and trot out with pious, insincere homilies every now and then. This is about to happen to Gandhi, on January 31st. He has become a shibboleth. All the humbugs will cry crocodile tears, but none will seriously question whether in fact it was Gandhis pacifism that got us independence. Nobody will question his crazy insistence that when facing murderers, we should just allow them to kill us: as he told Jews, and Hindus. His bizarre experiments lying naked with his teenaged female relatives were simply outrageous. Similarly, Dr Ambedkar was a great man, and a lot of what he said made sense: for instance, he foresaw the consequences of what would happen if there were no complete population transfer during Partition; he also realized that for SC/ST, it was better to stay in the Indic path of Buddhism than to convert to semitic faiths. But I hold against him his major achievement: an unreadable, over-long Constitution that over-reaches itself and attempts to anticipate all future eventualities. And it violates its own precepts of equality by explicitly giving extra privileges to certain religions via Articles 29 and 30. Similarly with Netaji. Here are a few legitimate questions about him, and I think they are appropriate to ask, and here are my conjectures as to the answ/ers: Did the Nehru dynasty try to erase Netaji and many others from history? Yes. Why? That is a very good question. Eliminating competition (much like Mughal princes used to bump off most relatives)? General megalomania? Who knows? This should be explored as a case study in cynical thought control Did Netaji die in Taiwan in a plane crash? Unlikely, even though unfortunate plane accidents are rather common to get rid of inconvenient people (eg Sanjay, Zia, Pilot, Reddy). The weight of accumulated evidence suggests that the plane crash story was a covert operation put about just to throw others off the trail Did he die in a Siberian gulag? Quite possibly. A Soviet gulag would be an excellent place to keep an eye on a difficult person. And Nehru was pretty chummy with the Soviets Was he justified in pursuing the ends, whatever the means? Probably. His ends were clear: complete independence. In this quest, he felt justified in allying with anybody, including the Germans and the Japanese. There were other great freedom fighters who advocated the same, such as Rashbehari Bose and Chempaka Raman Pillai. Besides, at least at that time, the Germans and Japanese looked like the lesser of the evils, compared to the known devil, the brutal British Was he wrong to advocate violence? Probably not. The British realized they were on precarious ground: they had managed to brainwash a lot of Indians into unthinkingly following orders (eg. the massacre at Jallianwallah Bagh). But if their Indian troops mutinied, the British would have been wiped out in days. Violent bullies that they were, the British understood violence Was he a leftist? Yes, definitely. The party he formed, the All-India Forward Bloc, is totally leftist. If you look at his family (other than his German wife and daughter) the better-known ones are lunatic-fringe leftists. Of course, hes not responsible for them, and, to be charitable, Indian leftism then wasnt Stalinism yet, it was mostly anti-imperialistic; but he definitely was a leftist Was he a Hindu patriot? I doubt it. He was a leftist and a socialist, which was fashionable at the time, and he may have actually believed in it. He may also have been an atheist. He may have tried to appease Hindu sentiment to unite all Indians to fight against the British Did he appease Muslims? Possibly. His excessive use of Urdu, even in all the forms used by the INA, and in the very words Azad Hind Fauj and Ittefaq, Etemad, Qurbani suggests this. He wanted the Muslims of what are now Pakistan and Bangladesh to support his struggle. There is a suggestion that the INA flag had a leaping tiger (instead of the Congress charkha) as a nod to Tipu. Besides, it is standard leftist behavior everywhere to be extra solicitous of Muslims Did he try to appeal to South Indians? Apparently not. Despite the irony that a large part of the INA that marched with him to India were Tamils from Southeast Asia (some of whom had never even been in India), he didnt feel the need to indulge them, even though all the Urdu would have been completely meaningless to them Was he a war criminal? No. The term war criminal in relation to WW2 really meant someone who was against the west. Thus, the war crimes trial in Japan, for instance, was opposed by the dissenting Indian jurist Radha Binod Pal as merely a kangaroo court, with victors taking revenge. The sworn testimony that Nehru wrote a letter to Clement Attlee naming Bose a war criminal brings into focus that Nehru himself was guilty of crimes against humanity for policies that ensured that 500 million Indians have suffered from extreme poverty Would India have been a better place under him than Nehru? Sentiment says yes, but that is the $64,000 question. Bose was a better human being and a patriot, and he was not a brown sahib. He was also significantly smarter, and it is less likely that he would have been duped by the Brits (eg. Nehru taking Kashmir to the UN) or the Chinese (eg. Nehru in 1962). But it is entirely possible that Bose would have followed some kind of leftist policy akin to what Nehru did that was conventional wisdom at the time. So, on balance, we need to deconstruct Bose carefully. In fact, to be cynical, Id say that the principal value of Bose today is as a stick to beat the Nehruvian Stalinists with; the latter do have reason to be embarrassed. There are those who do not understand this, and indulge in absurd hero-worship. One possible reason is Bengali chauvinism. I was reminded of this when I had a brief Twitter argument with one Saswati Sarkar, a Bengali-American professor. Well, argument is the wrong word, because she attacked me; I was polite, but she kept abusing me till I finally gave up in disgust. Sarkars contention was that I was ignorant and bigoted. Ok, fine. She had written a very long essay on the Durga Puja where she quoted a few writings by Bose, and my crime was that I had not read it. But I did read it, and it did not change my mind. If you are a committed leftist, by definition you are converted to that pseudo-religion, and you can no longer be a Hindu: I see daily the gyrations of communists in Kerala to pretend to be Hindus (especially now that they are concerned about losing the Hindu vote). What she quotes could well have been cynical and calculated for effect. To sum it up, we need to take a look at Netaji dispassionately and without prejudice, and evaluate him not only based on todays 20:20 hindsight, but also based on the prevalent wisdom of his time. I believe he will come across as a hero still, but not some demi-god beyond criticism. We must do the same for all of our other beloved leaders. No, there are no messiahs, and if you believe in them, I have a bridge in Brooklyn Id like to sell you. Dr Vipin Srivastava, who took charge as the interim Vice-Chancellor of Hyderabad Central University (HCU) amid protests over the alleged suicide by a Dalit scholar here, proceeded on leave from this afternoon. "Dr Vipin Srivastava who took charge as the interim Vice-Chancellor of Hyderabad Central University has proceeded for leave from the afternoon of January 29 and the next senior most professor Dr M Pariasamy will perform the duties of the V-C till further orders," a university official said. The reasons behind his leave are not immediately clear, the official said. Srivastava could not be contacted for comments. He was appointed as the interim VC on January 24 after V-C Appa Rao Podile went on leave amid protest from the student community over the death of Rohith Vemula. Meanwhile, AICC vice president Rahul Gandhi visited the campus today. It is the Congress leader's second visit to the city since the death of the research scholar. Gandhi had last visited the campus on January 19. About 2,000 students organised a candle light march last night on the campus ahead of Vemula's birthday. They shouted slogans against Podile and Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani and demanded their resignations. Vemula was found hanging inside a hostel room in the university on January 17. PTI The Kerala High Court on Friday gave Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Power Minister Aryadan Mohammed a two-month respite from being investigated by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau in the Solar scam case. Saritha Nair, one of the main accused, alleged she had paid a bribe of Rs.1.9 crore to the Chief Minister through Thomas Kuruvilla - an aide. In recent days, Chandy has chucked out three official aides after they were named as alleged middlemen in the scam which traces its roots to 2013. Nair has also alleged that Power Minister Aryadan Mohammed was given Rs.40 lakh. The vigilance court in Thrissur on Thursday had ordered a probe after an FIR against Chandy and Mohammed. The Hindu reports that the High Court came down heavily on S.S. Vasan, the vigilance judge who had issued the order based on a complaint by a local activist. Meanwhile, Saritha Nair's deposition continued for the third day and she dragged a new bombshell in - Chief Minister Oommen Chandy's son, reports The Indian Express. Saritha on Friday also claimed she met the chief minister many times and not just three times as Oommen Chandy said before the commission. Television channels in Kerala this week aired the audio of a purported conversation between Congress state general secretary Thampanoor Ravi and Saritha S Nair in which Ravi can be heard tutoring Nair ahead of her deposition before a judicial commission. In the audio, Ravi, a loyalist of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, can be purportedly heard telling Nair that her statement before the commission should be in line with what Chandy had said. In his statement, Chandy had told the commission that he had met Saritha three times. "The Chief Ministers resignation would virtually mean acceptance of guilt. His continuation would fuel the Oppositions agitation, Congress insiders told The Indian Express. And even as Saritha Nair, one of the main accused in the scandal who hurled bribery allegations against the chief minister on Wednesday, threatened to prove that Chandy was guilty, the UDF lost an RSP legislator, who said he was disgusted with Chandy's government. Police investigators estimate that around Rs 6 crore has been swindled in this scam. If there is an iota of substance in the allegation, I will quit public life, Chandy has said. A court in Thrissur told Kerala's vigilance department to file a First Information Report (FIR) against Chandy on corruption charges in what has come to be known as the "solar scam". The genesis of the scam goes back to 2013 when a fake solar energy company named Team Solar -- floated by Biju Radhakrishnan and Saritha S. Nair -- duped several influential people of about 70 million rupees by offering to make them business partners. They also allegedly received advance payments by offering to install solar power units . The company used two women to create political contacts with links leading up to the Chief Minister's office. CNN IBN has the lowdown. An editorial comment in The Hindu says Chandy has no option but to fight his case legally. "By doing so politically, and perhaps by pleading his case to his party in the run-up to Assembly elections a few months from now, he would risk drawing Kerala into a constitutional crisis," says the newspaper. With Agencies ANKARA Almost 40 people drowned and 75 were rescued after a boat carrying migrants to Greece sank off Turkey's western coast on Saturday, according to local officials and the Turkish Dogan news agency. More than one million refugees and migrants arrived in the European Union last year and some 3,600 died or went missing, forcing the EU to mull suspending its Schengen open-borders area for up to two years. The Turkish coast guard was continuing search and rescue efforts where the 17-metre boat carrying at least 120 people sank off the coast of Ayvacik, a town across from the Greek island of Lesvos, the Dogan news agency reported. "I am afraid the numbers will rise as divers continue the search," Mehmet Unal Sahin, the mayor of Ayvacik, told the CNNTurk news channel by phone. "Local people woke up to the sound of screaming migrants and we have been carrying out rescue work since dawn. We have an 80-kilometre-long coast just across from Lesvos, which is very hard to keep under control." At least five of those who died were children, Dogan reported, while rescued migrants were hospitalised with hypothermia symptoms. It said the migrants were of Syrian, Afghan and Myanmar origin. GREEK CENTRES Chancellor Angela Merkel, who opened Germany's borders to Syrians fleeing civil war last summer, is under mounting pressure to halt the inflow. Merkel told a meeting of a members of her Christian Democratic Union party on Saturday that despite efforts to help refugees, it was important to stress that they had only been given permission for a limited stay. "We need ...to say to people that this is a temporary residential status and we expect that once there is peace in Syria again, once IS has been defeated in Iraq, that you go back to your home country." Around 500,000 refugees from the five-year-old war in Syria travelled through Turkey and then risked their lives at sea to reach Greek islands in 2015. Under pressure from the European Commission about delays, Greece expects to have four of five "hot spot" centres for processing migrants operational in about two weeks, its migration minister said in a newspaper interview published on Saturday. "We are behind schedule on the installation of these hot spots," Greece's Yiannis Mouzalas told Austrian newspaper Der Standard. "Four of the five will be operational from mid-February." Neighbouring Turkey is hosting 2.5 million Syrian refugees. In November it struck a deal with the EU pledging to help stem the flow of migrants to Europe in return for 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) in financial aid and renewed talks on joining the 28-nation bloc. (Additional reporting by Andreas Rinke in Neubrandenburg, Germany, and Francois Murphy in Vienna; editing by Jason Neely) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. BURNS, Ore. An anti-government protester who was killed after fleeing a traffic stop near the armed occupation of a U.S. wildlife refuge in Oregon seemed to have been shot in the back while his hands were in the air, his family said on Friday. Relatives of Robert "LaVoy" Finicum, 54, a spokesmen for the group that took over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, said he posed no threat and they were not accepting the Federal Bureau of Investigation's assertion that he was armed. "LaVoy was not 'charging' anyone. He appears to have been shot in the back, with his hands in the air," the Arizona rancher's family said in a statement through their attorney. "At this point we will await the outcome of any investigation, but based on the information currently available to us, we do not believe that LaVoy's shooting death was justified." The FBI released video on Thursday of state police fatally shooting Finicum. Law enforcement officials contend he made a motion toward a gun in his coat pocket. Four armed anti-government protesters were still holed up at the remote refuge on Friday. Ammon Bundy, who led the month-long occupation of the refuge, was arrested on Tuesday along with other protestors including his brother, Ryan. Bundy has issued messages through his attorney urging the remaining protesters to stand down and saying they would continue to fight federal land policy through the courts. (Additional reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco, Victoria Cavaliere and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles and Daniel Wallis in Denver; Writing by Daniel Wallis; Editing by Bill Trott, Toni Reinhold) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. AMMAN/GENEVA A delegation from Syria's main opposition group flew to Geneva on Saturday to assess whether to join Damascus government officials in United Nations-brokered peace talks, an opposition representative said. The 17-strong team included the head of the Saudi-backed Higher Negotiation Committee (HNC), which includes political and militant opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the country's five-year civil war. The HNC has said it wants to discuss humanitarian issues including a stop to Russian and Syrian government bombing before engaging in the peace talks that started on Friday in Geneva. Russian air strikes on Syria have killed nearly 1,400 civilians since Moscow started its aerial campaign nearly four months ago, a group monitoring the war said on Saturday. "We are going to Geneva to put to the test the seriousness of the international community in its promises to the Syrian people and to also test the seriousness of the regime in implementing its humanitarian obligations," Riyad Naasan Agha said. "We want to show the world our seriousness in moving towards negotiations to find a political solution," he told Reuters. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Saturday the Geneva talks must ensure human rights are upheld as participants work towards a political transition in Syria. "Humanitarian law must be respected and the objective of a political transition actively pursued to enable the talks to succeed," Fabius said in a statement sent to Reuters. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov was quoted by Russian Interfax news agency as saying that no direct talks were expected in Syria, only proxy talks. Gatilov, whose country has also objected to the opposition's composition saying it included groups that it deemed as terrorist, said there were no preconditions for the Syrian talks and that Moscow welcomed the decision by Syrian opposition coordinator, Riad Hijab, to take part in talks in Geneva. The U.N. earlier said the aim would be six months of talks, first seeking a ceasefire, later working toward a political settlement to a war that has killed more than 250,000 people, driven more than 10 million from their homes and drawn in global powers German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told German newspaper Welt am Sonntag the negotiations would be test of intentions. "Only at the negotiating table will it become clear if both sides are prepared to make painful compromises so that the killing stops and Syrians have a chance of a better future in their own country." The HNC's demands include allowing aid convoys into rebel-held besieged areas where tens of thousands are living in dire conditions, Agha said. The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said on Saturday that 16 people had starved to death in the government-besieged town of Madaya since aid convoys arrived this month and blamed the authorities for blocking medical supplies shipments. It is totally unacceptable that people continue to die from starvation, and that critical medical cases remain in the town when they should have been evacuated weeks ago, said Brice de le Vingne, MSFs director of operations in a statement. Agha said the opposition delegation, including HNC head Hijab and chief negotiator Asaad al-Zoubi, would not call for a complete cessation of hostilities but would demand an end to "the indiscriminate shelling of markets, hospitals and schools by the regime and its Russian backers". Russia and Syria deny targeting civilians, saying they take great care to avoid bombing residential areas. In separate comments before heading to Geneva, Zoubi said they would not engage in any negotiations before these goodwill measures were taken. "Without concrete steps, Geneva would be futile" he told Reuters. He said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry gave assurances by phone to the HNC's leadership, saying Washington supported a UN-backed political transition period without Assad - a bone of contention among warring parties. The HNC have also been under pressure by mainstream armed groups represented within it not to give in to Western pressure perceived as a sellout, with some rebel groups already threatening to pull out of the body. "Preserving principles after entering the political process whose rules are against us will turn into an impossible mission with the absence of assurances and few honest mediators," said Labib al Nahhas, a prominent figure in Islamist Ahrar al Sham, which is represented on the HNC, on his Twitter account. (Additional reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin in Moscow, John Irish in Paris, Michelle Marin in Berlin Writing by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Tom Heneghan and Stephen Powell) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. ADDIS ABABA U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told African leaders on Saturday they should not use legal loopholes or undemocratic constitutional changes to "cling to power", and that they should respect term limits. Ban was addressing a two-day summit the African Union, a group of 54 states where several leaders have been in power for decades, some have changed constitutions so they can stay on and others are accused of seeking to remove limits. The debate about term limits has gained momentum after triggering unrest in places such as Burundi and Congo Republic. "Leaders should never use undemocratic constitutional changes and legal loopholes to cling to power. We have all seen the tragic consequences when they do," Ban told the gathered presidents, including Zimbabwe's veteran leader Robert Mugabe. It echoed remarks made by U.S. President Barack Obama in the same AU hall on a trip to Ethiopia in July. Mugabe, who turns 91 in February and the only leader Zimbabweans have known since 1980, made one of his regular swipes at Western powers who he accuses of still harbouring colonial ambitions and of monopolising power at the United Nations. "Do we allow that group to continue ... to harass us even in our independent countries," Mugabe asked after Ban had spoken. One of the top items on this summit's agenda is the crisis in Burundi, where violence erupted after President Pierre Nkurunziza announced his bid for a third term that opponents said was illegal. He won a disputed election in July. Supporters cite a court ruling that said he could run. In neighbouring Rwanda, a constitutional change approved in a referendum means President Paul Kagame, who has been in office since 2000 and effectively in power far longer, can now run again in 2017 and could stay on until 2034 if he wishes. Western powers criticised Kagame for not stepping aside, saying he should set an example. Uganda's Western allies have said President Yoweri Museveni, bidding for another term in a February vote after three decades in office, should consider quitting although the Ugandan constitution does not set any term limits. "Leaders must protect their people, not themselves," Ban said. "I commend those leaders who committed to stepping aside and respect constitutional term limits." Tanzania's Jakaya Kikwete left office after a maximum two terms last year. However, the candidate of Kikwete's CCM party that been in power for more than half a century won the vote. (Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. WASHINGTON Seven private email chains of former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be withheld from the public in their entirety because they contain top secret information, the U.S. State Department said on Friday. The material, amounting to 37 printed pages, contained information U.S. intelligence agencies said was classified as top secret, State Department spokesman John Kirby said. "These documents were not marked classified at the time that they were sent," Kirby said, adding that the department would investigate whether the information in them was classified at the time. "We firmly oppose the complete blocking of the release of these emails," Clinton's presidential campaign said in a statement. Some information in previous email chains has been censored, but this is the first time that public release of entire chains have been blocked. Congressional Republicans have criticized and investigated Clinton for her use of a private email server in her New York home for her work as a secretary of state from 2009 to 2013. Her campaign downplayed the latest announcement as "bureaucratic infighting" and "over-classification run amok." The announcement came three days before the Iowa caucuses, when the first votes are cast for the Democratic and Republican nominees for the November presidential election. It was likely to reignite criticism by her Republican opponents that she made highly sensitive government secrets vulnerable to hackers. The government forbids handling of classified information outside secure government-controlled channels, and sometimes prosecutes people who remove it from such channels. The government classifies information as top secret if it deems a leak could cause "exceptionally grave damage" to national security. "Housing top-secret emails on an unsecure, personal server put our national security at grave risk," Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas who serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement. "Did our enemies hack these emails? And were lives put at risk as a result?" U.S. Representative Adam Schiff of California, the House Intelligence Committee's leading Democrat, defended Clinton in a statement, saying classification determinations are "often very complex" and she was "responding to world events in real time without the benefit of months of analysis after the fact." The Federal Bureau of Investigation has taken Clinton's server and other computer equipment, but has declined to share details of its inquiries. Clinton initially said she never sent or received classified information. In recent weeks she has more often said none of her emails were marked that way. The government warns those given access to classified information that it may come in both marked and unmarked forms. In keeping with an order by a federal judge, the State Department has already released most of the roughly 30,000 work emails Clinton returned to the department. More than 1,300 of those published emails have been partially censored because the State Department says the information is classified. This is the first time the department has said it is withholding entire email chains. The department had been ordered to release all the emails by Friday, but last week asked the court for a one-month extension, saying it had forgotten to share thousands of emails with other departments for their review. The State Department said it would agree with a request from the White House that Clinton's emails with President Barack Obama, 18 in all, also be withheld from public release for several years under the Presidential Records Act. They are being withheld "to protect the president's ability to receive unvarnished advice and counsel," Kirby said, adding none of the information in those emails was determined to be classified. (Additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle in Washington; Editing by Eric Beech, Lisa Shumaker and David Gregorio) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Oak Creek: The gunman who killed six people inside a Sikh temple in the US and was killed in a police shootout was a 40-year-old army veteran, officials said Monday, and a civil rights group identified him as a "frustrated neo-Nazi" who led a white supremacist band. Police called Sunday's attack an act of domestic terrorism. The FBI said there was no reason to think anyone else was involved in the attack, and they were not aware of any past threat made against the temple. The shooter was Wade Michael Page, said First Assistant US Attorney Greg Haanstad in Milwaukee. Page was discharged from the army in 1998 and declared ineligible to re-enlist, according to a U.S. defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information about the suspect. Officials and witnesses said the gunman walked into the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin and opened fire as several dozen people prepared for Sunday morning services. Six were killed, and three were critically wounded. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said the gunman used a legally purchased 9mm handgun and multiple magazines of ammunition. Local authorities said they had had no contact with Page before Sunday. "We never thought this could happen to our community," said Devendar Nagra, 48, whose sister escaped injury by hiding as the gunman fired in the temple's kitchen. "We never did anything wrong to anyone." The Washington-based Sikh Coalition has reported more than 700 incidents in the US since the 11 September 2001, terrorist attacks, which advocates blame on anti-Islamic sentiment. Sikhs are not Muslims, but their long beards and turbans often cause them to be mistaken for Muslims, advocates say. Page was a "frustrated neo-Nazi" who led a racist white supremacist band, the Southern Poverty Law Center said Monday. Page told a white supremacist website in an interview in 2010 that he had been part of the white power music scene since 2000, when he left his native Colorado and started the band, End Apathy, in 2005, the civil rights organization said. He told the website his "inspiration was based on frustration that we have the potential to accomplish so much more as individuals and a society in whole," according to the SPLC. He did not mention violence in the interview. Page joined the military in 1992 and was a repairman for the Hawk missile system before switching jobs to become one of the Army's psychological operations specialists, according to the defense official. So-called "Psy-Ops" specialists are responsible for the analysis, development and distribution of intelligence used for information and psychological effect; they research and analyze methods of influencing foreign populations. Fort Bragg, North Carolina, was among bases where Page served. Joseph Rackley of North Carolina told The Associated Press that Page lived with his son for about six months last year in a house on Rackley's property. Wade was bald and had tattoos all over his arms, Rackley said, but he doesn't remember what they depicted. He said he wasn't aware of any ties Page may have had to white supremacists. Witnesses to Sunday's shooting said the gunman looked like he had a purpose and knew where he was going. Satpal Kaleka, wife of the temple's president, Satwant Singh Kaleka, saw the gunman enter, according to Harpreet Singh, their nephew. "He did not speak, he just began shooting," said Singh, relaying her description. Worshippers said they had never seen the man at the temple before. Oak Creek Police chief John Edwards said the gunman "ambushed" one of the first officers to arrive at the temple as the officer tended to a victim outside, shooting him eight to nine times with a handgun at close range. A second officer then exchanged gunfire with the gunman, who was fatally shot. The wounded officer was in critical condition along with two other victims Monday, authorities said. Four people were found dead inside the temple and two outside, in addition to the shooter. Gurpreet Kaur, 24, said her mother was among a group of about 14 women preparing a meal in the temple's kitchen when the gunman entered and started firing. Kaur said her mother felt two bullets fly by her as the group fled to the pantry. "These are people I've grown up with," Kaur said. "They're like aunts and uncles to me. To see our community to go through something like this is numbing." Many Sikhs in the US worship on Sundays at a temple, or gurdwara, and a typical service consists of meditation and singing in a prayer room where worshippers remove their shoes and sit on the floor. Worshippers gather afterward for a meal that is open to the entire community. Sikhism is a monotheistic faith founded more than 500 years ago in South Asia. It has roughly 27 million followers worldwide. Observant Sikhs do not cut their hair; male followers often cover their heads with turbanswhich are considered sacredand refrain from shaving their beards. There are roughly 500,000 Sikhs in the US, according to estimates. The majority worldwide live in India. Police in New York and Chicago issued statements saying they were giving Sikh temples in those cities additional attention as a precaution. Valarie Kaur, who chronicled violence against Sikh Americans in the 2006 documentary "Divided We Fall," said the shootings reopened wounds in a community whose members have found themselves frequent targets of hate-based attacks since 11 September. "We are experiencing it as a hate crime," she said. "Every Sikh American today is hurting, grieving and afraid." AP 2000 - 2022 24 .- . focus-news.net, () . 24 . 24 . . 24 . Its been a while since we last met with you, our loyal readers and we were planning to host an evening for you all. To make this happen, we are teaming up with the like-minded folks from Opera India one of the popular names helping us surf the World Wide Web. Operas products such as Opera browsers, Opera TV and Opera Max enable more than 350 million consumers to discover and connect with the content and services in the most efficient manner. Now, we are presenting you a unique opportunity to meet, interact and network with the team behind these revolutionary products. Bruce Lawson, Operas Deputy Chief Technology Officer will be present at the venue representing the companys senior management team. Some of the members from the FoneArena team will also be around to interact with you and to answer any tech questions you might have. We will be carry some of the hottest gadgets with us and surely, you can play with them. Thats not it! We will also be giving away some Opera goodies and merchandise! Hi-tea is on us and we promise you that its going to be a fun evening! Since our readership is spread throughout the country, we are doing our meet up in more than one location this time. The Bangalore gathering will happen later next week on Friday, the February 5 followed by the meet up in Chennai on Saturday, the February 6. We just cant wait to meet you all! If you are interested in attending our Bangalore meet up, then go ahead and register yourself for our event in the link below. CLICK HERE TO RSVP FOR BANGALORE EVENT! If you can join our Chennai event, please register yourself in the below form and we will get back to you with more details. CLICK HERE TO RSVP FOR CHENNAI MEET UP! Note: We have limited space and we cant promise to accommodate everyone. However, we will make sure that folks who RSVP first will get a chance to be a part of our meet-up. Sony Xperia C6, successor of last years Xperia C5 Ultra has surfaced in a new render from @OnLeaks, who says that the render is based on raw factory schematics. The new leak shows the phone in Grey, White and Rose Gold colors. According to the image, the phone is expected to come with ultra narrow bezel. The Xperia C5 Ultra has a 6-inch 1080p display with just 0.8mm slim bezels, so the bezels on the C6 might be less than that. We still dont have the specifications of the smartphone. According to earlier rumors the phone is expected to come with a 5.5-inch or a 6-inch 1080p display and powered by an Octa-Core MediaTek Helip P10 SoC. According to live images that were leaked earlier this month, the smartphone could come with a metal frame. Sony already announced that it will hold its MWC 2016 press conference on February 22nd. Hope we have expect the Xperia C6 to be announced at the event next month. Half of the current producers have no legitimate right to be in a business where the price forecast even in a recovery is going to be between, say, $50, $60. They need $70 oil to survive. -- Fadel Gheit, senior oil and gas analyst at Oppenheimer Oil prices dropped below financial-crisis lows last week, marking a 12-year low for the commodity. The recent declines have sparked fears of bankruptcies that could affect a number of U.S. oil and gas producers. In fact, some observers say a third of exploration and production companies could go bankrupt. Gheit thinks half of the producers could enter bankruptcy. He notes that the likes of ExxonMobil (XOM 0.98%) and Chevron (CVX 1.69%) have never seen an environment like this and might need to think about their dividend policies. With calls from major investment banks for oil to hit the $20 area, should investors be concerned? Let's touch on some bankruptcy history in the O&G sector and things that may need to happen before we see a bottom in the sector. We've seen this before According to John LaForge, head of real assets at Wells Fargo, we saw north of 25% of E&P companies declare bankruptcy in the 1986-1987 period. He also mentions that once oil bottoms out, it usually takes another two months for the oil and gas companies to follow suit. Only 7% of the E&P companies have declared bankruptcy in the current downturn, which leads us to believe there may be more pain to come in the sector. The drop in energy prices is the worst since 1987 when oil fell over 65%. However, companies continue to drill and pump despite the glut of supply globally and depressed prices. They have to keep pumping to collect cash at a loss to pay interest payments from the massive debt load in the industry. It will take bankruptcies for these businesses to stop as they lose access to capital. Yes, some bankrupt companies are able to continue operations and drill during bankruptcy. However, as bankruptcies pick up in the industry, the access to capital is a major concern as banks and investors will be unwilling to invest in energy companies that cannot make money in a depressed commodity environment. Bankrupt energy companies will continue to drill. However, it's not a winning strategy. This is a strategy that will work in the short-term and assumes that they will be able to access additional capital and negotiate better debt structures. The issue is the capital may not be there to save them all. Overseas, Saudi Arabia has made clear its intentions to increase production if U.S. demand increases. All indications have shown that we're experiencing higher demand already because of the lower oil and gas prices. But the U.S. oil industry isn't built for $30 oil. Still, that doesn't mean $30 oil won't stick around longer than expected. That's why investors need to look at high-quality businesses that can withstand an extended low-price energy climate. In such a hostile environment, it's best to focus on companies with multiple revenue streams and great balance sheets. Such companies include many of the integrated oil and gas players, including Exxon and Chevron. Also, midstream companies such as Phillips 66 (PSX 1.88%) are likely to do well in a lower oil-price environment as demand and profit margins pick up. It won't be easy for these companies. They've already cut spending, but they'll probably have to cut even more. I wouldn't be surprised to see these companies keeping their dividends as is or cutting slightly, but I don't see them cutting their payouts completely. Many of the companies in the energy complex are not generating enough cash to cover dividends with commodities at such depressed levels. Should we be concerned with bankruptcies Bankruptcies happen at market bottoms. I would even go out on a limb and say they're a necessary evil to some degree because they wipe out a broad range of competition and weak operators in depressed industries. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. Less competition sets the stage for higher oil prices, and rising oil prices will be the signal to invest opportunistically for the long term in the oil and gas sector. Higher prices in commodities will signal to investors that the worst may be behind us. So should investors be concerned? Yes and no. In the short term, we need to navigate the environment to find the winners for the long term. We want to be careful in this environment, but we also want to be opportunistic and pick the higher-quality companies with the best balance sheets and integrated business models in the industry. This is a focus on companies with good debt-to-equity and debt-to-assets ratios. The companies with the best balance sheets will ultimately be the long-term winners as they're better positioned to weather the storm. As we can see in the chart below, the industry has a debt to equity ratio of 0.39 while Exxon, Chevron, and Phillips 66 all have debt to equity ratios at or below the sector average. Company Debt to Equity XOM 0.20 CVX 0.23 PSX 0.39 It doesn't look like it's going to be a great year for the energy sector, but that also means it may be the time to start looking for opportunistic long-term investments by picking the companies with staying power. They're the ones that will benefit from the bankruptcies and market consolidation when the energy market recovers. Ready or not, here comes marijuana! The past two decades have featured a fairly steady expansion in the legal uses of marijuana across the United States. Since 1996, when California passed Proposition 215, which allowed marijuana to be medically prescribed to treat select ailments, a total of 23 states, along with Washington D.C., have legalized the use of marijuana for specific approved conditions. But legal marijuana isn't just for the sick anymore. Voters in Colorado and Washington state in 2012, and Oregon and Alaska in 2014, approved initiatives legalizing recreational marijuana for those 21 and older. Serving as guinea pigs for the rest of the country, Colorado's and Washington's legislatures have relished the extra revenue being generated by retail marijuana sales. This tax revenue isn't going to close huge budget gaps, but it is providing much needed extra capital for schools and law enforcement. In 2016, we could see in the neighborhood of a dozen states sporting marijuana initiatives or amendments on their ballots. Nevada has already collected the required number of signatures to get a recreational marijuana initiative on its ballot, and strong campaigning in California and Ohio could very well join it. (Ohio advocates will likely try to get both recreational and medical marijuana use on the ballot in the upcoming election.) In Vermont, legislators are considering bypassing residents altogether and simply passing a law allowing for the legal purchase of recreational marijuana, with a few exceptions. However, legal marijuana use could be expanding even faster if not for a long list of barriers it has yet to overcome. The biggest of those, of course, has been the inaction of Congress on the issue of rescheduling or decriminalizing marijuana. The majority of lawmakers say they are waiting for additional long-term data on marijuana that will allow them an encompassing look at its potential benefits and well-documented risks. Only when this data is fully at their disposal is Congress expected to make a determination on marijuana's future at the federal level. For now, it remains very much illegal despite the federal governments' hands-off approach at the state level. A new marijuana barrier emerges Yet a new barrier may have reared its head last week in an unlikely state: Kansas. Kansas isn't one of the 23 states that have legalized medical marijuana, nor is it one of the 19 that have decriminalized marijuana, according to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). Decriminalizing marijuana doesn't make it legal, but it's often viewed as one step toward eventual legalization, as it reduces the penalties for possessing small quantities of the drug, and often removes the possibility of possessors facing jail time. Nonetheless, residents in Kansas' largest city, Wichita, passed their own ordinance in April 2015 that eased the penalties associated with first-time marijuana possession and paraphernalia offenses. The proposal essentially made a first-time offense of possessing less than 32 grams of marijuana punishable by a $50 fine. Current state law in Kansas allows for fines of up to $2,500 and up to one year in jail for a first-time offense of the same nature. Overall, there were 20,075 "yes" votes (54%) in favor of the decriminalization of marijuana within Wichita. But it appears that vote won't matter. Last week, the Kansas Supreme Court voted 7-0 to overrule the Wichita ordinance on account of filing and disclosure rules that were never met. The Kansas Supreme Court advised Wichita that it was required to follow certain protocols to ensure that residents of Wichita fully understood what they were voting for in April. Because that criteria wasn't met, the highest court in Kansas is voiding the ordinance. This isn't the first time Of course, this isn't the first time we've witnessed the law standing in the way of marijuana's expansion at the state level. Oklahoma and Nebraska have filed a lawsuit against Colorado that seeks to overturn Colorado's recreational marijuana law. The reasoning? Both states suggest that drug crimes have increased in their state due to the inability of Colorado to properly regulate the flow of legally grown marijuana into retail channels. Should Nebraska and Oklahoma be victorious, it could open a Pandora's Box, as it would essentially be allowing federal law to trump state law. We're even seeing challenges within states. For instance, Colorado's recreational marijuana bill passed in 2012; yet years later only around a quarter of all Colorado jurisdictions recognize the state law as valid. The remaining three-quarters still either outlaw marijuana entirely, or allow only valid medical uses of the drug. This makes regulating and policing marijuana virtually impossible, because its legality is being determined, in some instances, on a city-by-city basis. Marijuana: Promising, but still dangerous On the whole, legal marijuana appears to have a bright future. Public opinion polls suggest that a slim majority of Americans want to see it legalized, or at least decriminalized, on a national level. Furthermore, the tax revenues that can be generated from marijuana could give a significant boost to ailing state budgets. These two factors alone would imply long-term growth potential for an industry that ArcView Market Research has predicted could be worth as much as $35 billion by 2020 (ambitiously assuming nationwide legalization). But, challenges and an unpredictable timeframe remain. With congressional lawmakers insisting they'll stand pat on marijuana until they have more data to comb through, marijuana businesses continue to work through major disadvantages. These businesses often have very limited access to basic banking services -- because banks simply don't want to run the risk of federal prosecution for abetting a criminal enterprise -- and they can't take any normal business deductions on their taxes. As a result, they're making less profit than they otherwise would be, and their ability to expand is constrained. In short, it's actually not a great time to be a marijuana investor, as tempting as it might be. It's always possible that Congress will change its tune -- and if that happens, marijuana stocks may actually deserve some consideration. However, as long as marijuana remains a schedule 1 drug at the federal level, I don't believe it merits a spot in your portfolio. The farm industry seeks any yield-enhancing edge it can find, and Monsanto (MON) has made it its mission to give farmers the tools they need to succeed. Yet in its recent quarterly report, Monsanto fell short of its hopes, suffering from the same headwinds that have held back peers like farm-equipment specialist Deere (DE 0.41%). Still, Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant and his team of executives have a lot of confidence in the seed and fertilizer company's future prospects. Let's take a closer look at what Monsanto's leaders had to say. "The breadth, depth, and productivity of our pipeline give us confidence in both our long-term growth targets as well as the strong role that we believe we will play in addressing the evolving landscape across agriculture." -- CEO Hugh Grant Many investors have focused on Monsanto's near-term challenges. Crop prices are down, and that makes farm professionals less willing and able to spend money on the yield-enhancing products that Monsanto offers. Yet Grant takes a longer-term view, pointing to Monsanto's strategy toward creating gene stacks that will allow combinations of desirable traits to suit farmers in various climates and environments around the world. Given its technological edge, Monsanto expects great things in the future. "We'll continue with a disciplined approach to evaluating M&A opportunities as we seek a strong strategic fit and synergistic value."-Grant Consolidation has hit the agricultural productivity industry hard, with two of Monsanto's main rivals choosing to merge. Monsanto's own efforts to find a partner with which to merge have thus far come to naught, but Grant isn't upset with that fact. In his view, the company has a strong plan as an independent player in the industry, and he believes that it will be a partner of choice for prospective merger partners. With choices ranging from licensing relationships, collaborative partnerships, or full-out acquisitions, Monsanto has set the stage to retain its leadership role in the industry. "The competitive advantage in R&D is what feeds our biggest commercial advantage."-CTO Robb Fraley Monsanto's pride and joy is its breeding program, and the company hasn't been afraid to spend to enhance it. With the largest and most diverse germplasm library, an unparalleled set of discovery technologies, and a huge integrated testing network, Monsanto has been at the forefront of finding attractive new traits to offer its customers. Genomewide selection will only add to Monsanto's capabilities and bring new products to the table even faster. "We continue to progress with our plans for the coming U.S. season at Climate, where we're working toward the closing of our most recent agreement with John Deere."-COO Brett Begemann Monsanto's purchase of The Climate Corporation broadened its ability to use data-analytics techniques to assist farmers in crop management. Late last year, the company made a deal with Deere by which Deere would acquire the Precision Planting equipment business, and Climate would make its FieldView platform available in Deere's farm equipment. The move will give farmers the ability to get seamless access to agronomic data in the field, letting them be as precise as necessary in planning strategies for planting, fertilizer and pesticide application, and harvesting. Monsanto's coordination with Deere is a natural fit that could yield further gains in the future. "Despite some moderating in our outlook for currency and corn price-mix lift with the competitive pricing dynamics in this challenging kind of environment, we still see an opportunity for a 5% to 7% growth in Seeds and Genomics gross profit."-CFO Pierre Courduroux Monsanto has faced many of the same challenges as other companies throughout the economy. The strong dollar has hit the company's revenue and earnings, and it expects further weakness to come due to the devaluation of the Argentine peso. Nevertheless, Monsanto sees plenty of licensing revenue coming through its pipeline, and that should help offset crop-price and currency challenges and give the company the ability to sustain its growth even in tough times. Monsanto has taken a short-term hit from weakness in the industry. With its long-term vision, though, Monsanto is setting itself up for a rebound as soon as commodity prices start to cooperate. Looks like our trash is no longer going to Sierra Leone, as rumors said. Its now going to Russia. Photos from Facebook ALSO READ: A comprehensive solution for the ongoing garbage crisis in Lebanon Nabil el-Jisr, head of the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR), told the media that Chinook the controversial and rather shady company in charge of exporting our waste has obtained Russias approval to take in Lebanons trash.Great news? Shall we celebrate? Not so sure.The deal does not cover waste older than 45 days, which must be sorted in order to meet international waste trade regulations,. Chinook told the CDR that the garbage sent to Russia would be incinerated. As it stands, officials project the trash export scheme to cost the state $200 million, at a price of $212 per ton, over its 18-month-long duration. But the figure does not factor in the cost of treating the older waste, and many in the waste sector have said they expect the true price to be much higher.If we forget about the money for a moment and the big profit some politicians are going to make out of all this the big question is whats going to happen to the hundreds of tons of garbage rotting everywhere for the past 7 month?Some was burned, poisoning our air. Some was randomly buried, poisoning our soil. Some was thrown in forests and valleys, poisoning what's left of Lebanons lush and beautiful green spaces. Most of it is just sitting there, spreading all sorts of viruses.Our trash may be going north, east or west, the country is going south. Hillary Clintons email headaches grew Friday as the State Department confirmed several emails under review contain information too top secret to release in any form while at the same time delaying the release of thousands of other pages. The department released roughly 1,700 pages of emails Friday evening. But the latest developments fueled Republican allegations just three days before the Iowa caucuses that Clinton was irresponsible in her email use, and that the department she used to lead is still trying to protect her by dragging out the process until after the start of primary contests. Fox News first reported earlier Friday that some emails were too damaging to national security to release. The State Department formally announced Friday afternoon that seven email chains, found in 22 documents, will be withheld in full because they, in fact, contain Top Secret information. In addition, a spokesman said another 18 emails between President Obama and Clinton will be withheld for now but they are not classified and will be released eventually. Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon pushed back, though, criticizing the intelligence community for flagging those emails. "We firmly oppose the complete blocking of the release of these emails, he said in a statement. "This appears to be over-classification run amok. We will pursue all appropriate avenues to see that her emails are released in a manner consistent with her call last year." The more than 1,000 pages that were released, though, are a fraction of the total remaining number. Among the 1,670 pages released Friday evening, 242 emails were upgraded to classified; 11 of which were considered 'secret'. One email from January 2013 included intelligence from three other government agencies, the Defense Intelligence Agency, National Reconnaissance Office and National Geospatial Intelligence Agency. The NRO and NGA are both satellite and mapping agencies, with which the State Department does not have jurisdiction over classification of information. The agency that generates the intelligence, owns the information, and therefore has final say on classification. The latest batch of released emails also contained a few examples of some State Department employees not understanding the classification system and its protocols. On April 25, 2012 Clifford Hart, then U.S. special envoy for six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program, sent an email that reads, "sensitive but unclassified" but is then heavily redacted and classified. In a court filing Thursday night, the State Department said it would not make the Jan. 29 release deadline -- and about 7,000 pages still needed to be sent out for interagency consultation. The agency acknowledged these pages had been missed and not sent out for review earlier. The filing drew Republican complaints. The notion that a months-long process could be hit with 11th hour delays reeks of political favoritism designed to hide the ball from voters on the eve of early state voting, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said in a statement. Voters deserve to know the facts before they cast their ballots, not after. The Iowa caucuses are Monday, followed by the New Hampshire primary a week after that, and Clinton is locked in a tight race for the Democratic presidential nomination with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. The first four contests will be over by the end of February. The department, though, in part tried to blame the blizzard for the delay. Since discovering its oversight, State has moved diligently to process the documents and send them to the appropriate agencies for review, a process that was interrupted by the blizzard that struck Washington, D.C. over the weekend, the agency noted in the filing, which asked for a 30-day extension. The agency has produced some 43,000 pages of emails in last several months. There were two dumps totaling 6,000 in January. While hundreds of these documents were retroactively classified, Fox News first reported that this included emails classified at a level beyond top secret. A Jan. 14 letter from Intelligence Community Inspector General I. Charles McCullough III to senior lawmakers said a review identified several dozen additional classified emails -- including specific intelligence from special access programs (SAP), which indicates a level higher than top secret. In an interview with NPR, Clinton claimed the latest IG finding doesnt change anything and suggested it was politically motivated. She has claimed that the emails found on her private server and email were innocuous and never classified at the time. But after the State Department confirmed some emails are so secret theyre being withheld in full, Republicans seized on the announcement. We now know Hillary Clintons use of a personal email account during her tenure at the State Department wasnt just negligent, it was completely dangerous, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said in a statement. To put our country in danger for personal convenience is arrogant and irresponsible and its illegal. She should face the same consequences that any federal employee who behaved similarly would face, including criminal prosecution. An FBI investigation remains underway into Clintons email practices. Asked Friday whether Clinton would not be indicted, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said it does not appear the investigation is headed in that direction. But a law enforcement source close to the DOJ investigation pushed back on those remarks, telling Fox News the investigation is still very much ongoing and a decision has not been made on the matter one way or the other. Meanwhile, State Department spokesman John Kirby reiterated Friday that the 22 documents in question were not marked classified at the time they were sent. But he said the State Department will look at whether they were classified at the time they were sent. He said: These emails will be denied in full, meaning they will not be produced online on our FOIA website. In response to a FOIA request, it is not unusual to deny or withhold a document in full. We are not going to speak to the content of these documents. Fox News Catherine Herridge, Matthew Dean, Lucas Tomlinson and Kelly Chernenkoff contributed to this report. The campaigns of Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders have reportedly agreed to four additional debates, including one Thursday in New Hampshire before the states Feb. 9 primary. However, both camps said the agreement was not final and that Democratic National Committee had yet to give its OK. The committee has not agreed to debates beyond the original four sanctioned ones, amid complaints from Sanders and other Democrats that Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, D-Fla., has limited the schedule to protect the front-running Clinton. But in recent days, Clinton has urged the party to add the televised forums, and Sanders purportedly has accepted the invitation to debate Thursday in exchange for Clinton agreeing to three more in Spring. The DNC did not immediately comment on the development, first reported by BuzzFeed. The Thursday debate would fit in between Monday's Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. The two remaining, sanctioned debates are Wisconsin on Feb. 11 and Florida on March 9. Campaign officials said the three Spring debates would come in late March, April and May. Clinton and Sanders, I-Vt., are in a tight race before the caucuses, and Clinton trails Sanders in New Hampshire, raising the possibility that she could lose the first two contests. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, the third candidate and another outspoken critic of the limited debate schedule, trails both candidates by wide margins. At a stop Saturday in Des Moines, Clinton thanked supporters for agreeing to caucus for her and said she hoped "to persuade some more of you because we've got to keep the progress going. We've got to support what President Obama has accomplished for our country." Sanders told supporters in Manchester that the election was likely a "toss-up" and would hinge on whether he could turn out working-class and young voters. "We will win the caucus on Monday night if there is a large voter turnout. We will lose the caucus on Monday night if there is a low voter turnout," Sanders said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The Republican presidential candidates are seizing on the top secret Hillary Clinton emails in the final weekend before the Iowa Caucus, trying to slow their top Democratic rival by arguing her mishandling of the messages makes her unfit to be president. Hillary Clinton is a major national security risk. Not presidential material! GOP frontrunner Donald Trump tweeted after the State Department said Friday that it will withhold 22 emails from Clinton's correspondence as secretary of state because they are classified top secret. Trump and the 10 other Republican candidates are barnstorming across Iowa this weekend ahead of the Iowa Caucus on Monday, the first-in-the-nation balloting in the 2016 presidential race. Clinton, the Democratic frontrunner, revealed last spring that she used a private server and email accounts for official business when she was the countrys top diplomat. The State Department has in compliance with a federal court order released thousands of page of Clinton emails, with classified information redacted. However the agency said Friday that the 22 top-secret messages, in seven email chains, will not be released. The intelligence community has deemed some of Clintons emails too damaging" to national security to release under any circumstances, a U.S. government official close to the ongoing review told Fox News. The new e-mail release is a disaster for Hillary Clinton, Trump also tweeted. At a minimum, how can someone with such bad judgement be our next president? Clinton has repeatedly said she never sent classified information through her private accounts. Her campaign on Friday questioned the secrecy of the messages and called for the State Department to release them. The FBI is investigating the matter, which has raised questions about how federal agencies have different rules for classifying information and whether some of the emails were marked classified after the fact. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Clintons top primary challenger, has declined to talk about the emails. There is a legal process in place, which should proceed and not be politicized," he said Friday. During the first Democratic debate last year, Sanders famously dismissed the issue by saying, "the American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails!" He trails Clinton by rough 5 percentage points in Iowa but leads her by roughly 15 points in New Hampshire, which votes Feb. 9, according to the RealClearPolitics poll averaging. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, running third in most GOP polls behind Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, told an audience in Clinton, Iowa, that such sensitive emails being on Clintons server is not acceptable. Cruz suggests that Clintons use of the private server and emails now appears far more serious than previously thought and that the most recent revelations put her candidacy into more peril. Cruz, who has 15 events in Iowa before the caucus, is also raising questions about whether the Justice Department, run by the Obama administration, would indeed indict Clinton, if the investigation leads to that decision. There is an acceptance that the enforcement of criminal justice is decided not by the laws of this country, but by some political hack in the West Wing of the White House.That is not how our Constitution is meant to operate, Cruz said on the Hugh Hewitt radio show. If she is indicted, it is difficult to see how she could successfully run for president. I would put nothing past the gall and audacity of the Clintons to try. But even the Democratic Party, I would find it hard to believe that they would be eager to nominate someone who is under indictment and could well face felony incarceration. Fox News' Catherine Herridge and Pamela K. Browne and The Associated Press contributed to this report. A US Navy destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles or within the territorial waters of an island claimed by China in the South China Sea, in a sign of increasing tension in the region days after Secretary of State John Kerry visited Beijing attempting to settle long standing territorial disputes. Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims to the island as well. The guided missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54) conducted a freedom of navigation operation Saturday near Triton Island, part of the Paracel Island chain in the South China Sea, a Pentagon spokesman confirmed to Fox News. There were no Chinese warships in the area at the time and the transit was characterized as "innocent." "This operation was about challenging excessive maritime claims that restrict the rights and freedoms of the United States and others, not about territorial claims to land features," said Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman. Davis said none of the three claimants to the island were notified before the US Navy warship transited the area as part of a "normal process" supported by international law. Davis refused to single out China specifically. Tension in the region has been building for months. In October, another US Navy destroyer, USS Lassen, conducted a patrol within 12 nautical miles of another Chinese island, a disputed man-made island in the South China Sea part of the Spratly chain of islands, drawing a strong rebuke from China. In November US Air Force B-52 bombers flew near other contested Chinese islands. The following month, the U.S. military deployed a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon reconnaissance plane to Singapore. Earlier this month, China landed a pair of civilian airliners to test a newly constructed airstrip atop Fiery Cross reef, which the Chinese have converted into an artificial island in the South China Sea. US defense officials believe military jets could be coming soon. Earlier this week in Beijing, Secretary Kerry refused to criticize his host publicly or accuse the Chinese of wrong doing in the South China Sea over the build-up of artificial islands worrying its neighbors in the region. Kerry said the United States "does not take sides on the sovereignty questions underlying the territorial disputes." But his Chinese counterpart was less ambiguous. "I pointed out to Secretary Kerry that the South China Sea Islands have historically been China's territory. China has a right to protect its own territorial sovereignty," said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. A spokesman for Secretary Kerry was asked about the recent exchange at a press briefing Friday. "We continue to be concerned about Chinese activities with respect to militarization on these reclaimed features," said State Department spokesman John Kirby. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said in Asia last summer he was "deeply concerned" about China's build up on its man-made islands which risked "miscalculation or conflict." Carter has promised more military operations in the South China Sea. "Make no mistake: The United States will fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, as we do around the world, and the South China Sea is not and will not be an exemption," said Carter in Boston in October standing alongside Secretary Kerry and their respective Australian counterparts. Dozens of state and federal investigators are looking into child abuse allegations at a privately-owned boarding school for troubled teens in southeastern Iowa. Agents descended on the Midwest Academy campus in Keokuk to serve a search warrant Thursday and Friday, interviewing students and employees. They served a second warrant at a related building, the Midwest Treatment Center, in Montrose. The Division of Criminal Investigation said the warrants stemmed from a complaint alleging that a staff member of Midwest Academy sexually assaulted a resident. The Iowa Department of Human Services and the FBI are also investigating. A former employee claims in a lawsuit that she was fired in December, one day after reporting to DHS that a female student had been sexually abused by a staff member. Academy officials declined comment. Federal authorities say an Ohio seminary student has been arrested in California on suspicion of intending to travel to Mexico to have sex with a toddler or baby. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a statement that 23-year-old Joel Wright was taken into custody after getting off a plane in San Diego. Authorities say he had written emails to an undercover agent posing as a travel guide that he wanted to adopt or purchase a female child under age 3 in Tijuana, Mexico, for the purposes of having sex with her. He's scheduled to be arraigned Monday, and an after-hours call to determine whether he has an attorney wasn't immediately returned. Wright attends Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus. A school spokesman, the Rev. John Allen, tells the Columbus Dispatch they are "shocked and saddened" at the "reprehensible" allegations. Wright has been expelled. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday he is confident that Canada's contribution to the mission against the Islamic State group will be "significant" despite Canada's previously announced decision to remove its fighter jets. Kerry, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion and Mexico's Claudia Ruiz Massieu held a meeting in Quebec City on Friday. New Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has vowed to remove the six jets but has said Canada will ramp up its military training role. Kerry said he looks forward to hearing the plan. "While they have made a choice with respect to one particular component of that effort that does not reflect on the overall commitment or capacity to contribute significantly to the road ahead," Kerry said. "We have confidence that Canada will continue to make a significant contribution." Dion said Canada will unveil its plan soon and says it "will be well-received, I am quite optimistic." Canada was excluded from a meeting of defense ministers in Paris earlier this month to discuss the fight against IS in an apparent snub. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter didn't mention Canada in a speech in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, ahead of the meeting when he said he would meet defense ministers from nations in Paris who are playing a "significant role" in the coalition. The U.S. has asked coalition members to boost their military contributions in Iraq and Syria against IS after the deadly attacks in Paris in November. Trudeau long ago said Canada would pull its jets and made it a part of his election campaign. After he won the Nov. 19 election, he said allies understand that Canada will step up military training for forces fighting IS. Canada has had 69 special forces soldiers in a training role in northern Iraq with the Kurds. A Canadian soldier was killed by Kurdish fighters in a friendly-fire incident last year. The Canadian mission also includes six CF-18 fighter jets, a refueling tanker aircraft, two surveillance planes and one airlift aircraft, with about 600 airmen and airwomen based in Kuwait. The Canadian jets continue to participate in air strikes, and it is unclear when Canada will remove the planes. A fugitive convicted on drug and theft charges was arrested after authorities found him in an elaborate tunnel system underneath his Alaska trailer home Wednesday. The tunnels narrowed as the officers walked further through the system, forcing them to get on their hands and knees to continue on. Sitka police said they eventually spotted Jeremy Beebes foot sticking out of another hidden entrance, catching him after an officer pulled back the skirting around the trailer. The Sitka Sentinel reported that the 42-year-old Beebe failed to report to the police department on Jan. 12 after he was sentenced to nearly two years in prison, according to Police Lt. Lance Ewers. Officers approached the property Wednesday acting on a tip and saw Beebe heading into one of the units. A woman who answered the door said Beebe wasnt there. Police then used a battering ram to get through a plywood door they found on the outside of the trailer, which led to the discovery of the tunnel system. Ewers said Beebe could face additional charges of contempt of court. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The attorney for a white Chicago police officer who shot a black teenager 16 times said Friday his client didnt tamper with his squad cars dashcam after a Chicago news outlet reported this week the device was intentionally damaged. The website DNAinfo Chicago obtained Chicago Police Department maintenance records through a public information request that show the dashboard video and audio recording device in officer James Van Dykes squad car was damaged and repaired at least twice in the months leading up to the October 2014 shooting death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald. During the night of the shooting, the camera didnt catch any audio. The squad car video of the McDonald shooting contradicted accounts that McDonald lunged at officers, setting off weeks of protests, and accusations of a cover-up and demands for Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuels resignation. The Justice Department also started a civil rights investigation into the shooting. "Let me be very clear on this, my client had nothing to do with any tampering of an audio," Van Dyke attorney Dan Herbert told reporters after a preliminary hearing on Van Dyke's charges of first-degree murder. "If this audio was tampered with then it was tampered with by somebody other than Jason Van Dyke." According to DNAinfo Chicago, maintenance records show that a day after technicians fixed the devices wiring in June, it was intentionally damaged. The device was fixed a second time in October, but on the night of the shooting just 12 days later the system failed to record any audio. A review of videos downloaded from the system concluded that personnel failed to sync microphones, the report said. Herbert said that officers do not have an assigned patrol car, suggesting that another officer could be to blame for the device not operating properly. However, videos recordings from four other cars at the scene that night dont have audio either. Several experts told the Associated Press in December that its plausible for a single squad car to have a glitch, but they couldnt imagine how several vehicles would all lose audio. Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said Friday that he said could not comment on whether Van Dyke tampered with the dashcam in his vehicle because the case is under investigation. Chicago Police conducted an audit that determined that about 80 percent of the department's cameras did not have functioning audio systems and acknowledged some had been "maliciously" damaged by officers. The department has taken a number of steps to try to regain the trust of the community. Interim Police Superintendent John Escalante warned officers that they would be disciplined if their dashboard cameras were not in working order or failed to turn on their dashcam microphones. Guglielmi said Friday that the department now audits dashcams on a daily basis and that "officers and supervisors will be held accountable." Since the closer scrutiny began last month, 20 officers and supervisors have faced discipline ranging from reprimands to a few days' suspension, Guglielmi said, adding that "there is still work to do." Van Dyke, who is charged with first-degree murder, has pleaded not guilty. His attorney told reporters Friday that the officer and his family have received death threats. He has no formal protection, but the police department is aware of the threats and "taking precautions," Herbert said. He also said he's still considering making a request for a change of trial venue, because he says it will be "extremely difficult" to seat an impartial jury in Chicago. Other officers at the scene are also under investigation because of apparent discrepancies between what they said happened in their reports and what the video shows happened. The Associated Press contributed to this report. 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 More than 50 members of the MS-13 gang in and around Boston have been indicted on federal racketeering charges, federal authorities announced Friday. The notoriously violent gang, also known as La Mara Salvatrucha, is known for using machetes to kill and injure rival gang members. In 2012, MS-13 became the first and remains the only street gang to be designated by the U.S. government as a "transnational criminal organization," according to the indictment. In all, 56 gang members were indicted on racketeering conspiracy charges, including charges related to murder, conspiracy to commit murder and attempted murder. Some are also charged with drug trafficking, firearm violations, immigration offenses and fraudulent document charges. The gang has more than 30,000 members internationally mainly in El Salvador, Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala and over 6,000 members in the U.S., the indictment says. Authorities said 37 of the 56 suspects were in custody Friday morning, some taken in during early morning raids in Boston, Chelsea, Everett, Lynn, Revere and Somerville. The indictment alleges that several of those charged are responsible for the murders of at least five people since 2014 and the attempted murder of at least 14 people. It also alleges that MS-13 members in Massachusetts commit robberies and sell cocaine, heroin and marijuana to pay monthly dues to leaders of MS-13 who are imprisoned in El Salvador. Prosecutors allege that members of MS-13 recruited prospective members typically 14 or 15 years old inside local high schools from communities with significant immigrant populations from Central America. The search for a missing 2-year-old ended in tragedy Friday when the boy was found dead in a fast-moving creek behind his home. Grayson Hill had wandered away from his home in Monroe, Wash., about 12:20 p.m. Friday, Q13 Fox reported. Searchers found his body three hours later in Woods Creek, which runs about 35 feet from the home. The Snohomish County Sheriffs Office believes the blonde-haired boys death was just a tragic accident, the station reported. That heartbreak, that panic, neighbor Viva Brown told the station. Its just instant. Oh, my goodness (you think), Where are they and are they okay? Graysons parents called 911 to report him missing shortly after he disappeared, the Seattle Times reported. The sheriffs office said the boys father was with the swift water team when they found the body, Q13 Fox reported. We were able to recover him, the medic tried to work and revive him, but he was gone, Lt. Rodney Rochon of the sheriffs office told the station. He was extremely hypothermic and we were unable to revive him. The creek was running high and fast due to recent rains. Monroe residents announced on Facebook plans to hold a candlelight vigil Saturday to support the boys parents. Click here for more from Q13 Fox. Authorities are reportedly seeking a DNA swab of an Indiana man who may have a connection to the 2011 disappearance of Lauren Spierer. A source told Fox 59 Friday that a Bloomington Police detective, along with a defense attorney, was seeking Justin Wagers DNA. Wagers has been held at the Johnson County Jail since last August on public indecency charges. Authorities raided a property where Wagers, 35, used to live on Thursday. The place is located in Morgan County in the 3900 block of Old Morgantown Road near Martinsville. The FBI and Bloomington police searched for evidence at the property and conducted a dig after a cadaver dog picked up a hit on the property, according to law enforcement sources. According to Fox 59, a source said Bloomington Police told Charlene Spirer they were following a tip that Wagers could have knowledge of Lauren Spierers disappearance. The guy looks very scary to me, Charlene told the Bloomington Herald-Times. Wagers has not been named a suspect in the Spierer case. Wagers lived at the property before he was arrested in August for indecent exposure. He is currently being held at Johnson County Jail. He was accused of exposing himself to a woman at a Shell gas station near State Road 37 and Bluff Road. Police had been investigating a serial flasher wanted in several cases prior to Wagers arrest but could not say if he was connected to each case, according to Fox 59. A white truck was found at the Wagers property and was towed. However, it doesnt match the description of the truck investigators sought when the case initially opened. FLASHBACK: WHERE IS LAUREN SPIERER? Spierer, a 20-year-old Indiana University sophomore from Greenburgh, N.Y., was last seen June 3, 2011, after a night out with friends and acquaintances in downtown Bloomington. A male acquaintance claimed he watched from his apartment balcony as Spierer barefoot and without her cell phone walked alone in the dark at approximately 4:30 a.m. She never made it home. Despite massive searches by air and land, no traces of Spierer were found and no arrests have been made. Wagers has been arrested at least six times since 2001, when he was charged with four counts of public indecency after several women reported he had exposed himself and masturbated in public. In 2002, while he was still on probation for indecent exposure, police said he pulled his pants down and fondled himself in front of middle school girls at a Martinsville bus stop, according to Fox 59. In 2004, police say Wagers exposed and fondled himself in front a teen girl near Mooresville High School. Months later, he was sentenced to three years on sexual gratification charges. In 2013, Wagers was arrested three times for public indecency, invasion of privacy, and intimidation charges. He also knocked on a womans door in Johnson County without pants in August 2015. Doug Wagers, Justins father, told the Bloomington Herald-Times the search lasted about six hours and the property belongs to Justins grandparents. I said you do a thorough search. I dont care if it takes three days, but when youre done, dont come back, Doug Wagers said he told the investigators. He said is son isnt connected to the disappearance of Spierer. Anyone with information on the disappearance of Lauren Spierer is urged to call the Bloomington Police Department 24-hour tipline at 812-339-4477 or contact them by email at policetips@bloomington.in.gov. FoxNews.com's Cristina Corbin contributed to this report. At least one person has been killed and multiple others injured after what one bystander described as a fight between rival biker gangs at a motorcycle exposition in Denver, police told the Denver Post. At least two people had been shot and one stabbed during the incident at the National Western Complex, where the Colorado Motorcycle Expo was being held, police spokesman Sonny Jackson said. Initial reports cited the Denver Coliseum, which is in the proximity of the complex, as the site of the incident. The bystander asked the Denver Post for anonymity out of fear of retaliation. At least nine people have been sent to area hospitals, according to Denver Health. Of the seven sent to Rocky Mountain Regional Trauma Center, one has died, three are in critical condition and three in stable condition, Denver Paramedics medical director Kevin McVaney said. McVaney said the hospital was on lockdown. Officials would not elaborate on the purpose of the lockdown. Police Technician Raquel Lopez said she couldn't provide an exact number of the injuries. She also couldn't say whether any gangs were involved. No arrests have been made. Bob Cook told the Denver Post (http://dpo.st/1SsnPvS ) that the shooting happened near his leather goods company booth. Cook said he heard two shots fired and saw people dive under tables. He said he didn't hear any arguments before the shooting and doesn't know what prompted it. A posting on the Colorado Motorcycle Expo Facebook page said the event was going on as scheduled Sunday. "Rest assured that all of the offending parties have been ejected and all is well," the posting said. No information was immediately available on the identities of those injured. Fox News' Will Carr and the Associated Press contributed to this report. An airplane mechanic, whose family member has ties to Islamic State in Syria, is accused of planting a bomb on the Russian passenger plane which crashed in Egypt last October, according to a published report. Two unidentified sources told Reuters the EgyptAir mechanic had been arrested along with two airport officers and a baggage handler who is suspected of helping the man plant the bomb on the airliner. After learning that one of its members had a relative that worked at the airport, Islamic State delivered a bomb handbag to that person, one of the sources told Reuters. The source also said the suspects cousin joined Islamic State just over a year ago. He was told not to ask questions and get the bomb on the plane. Egypt has publicly denied the MetroJet flight was brought down by an act of terrorism. The plane took off from Sharm el-Sheikh airport, exploded and crashed in the Sinai Peninsula killing all 224 people on board. The Interior Ministry has also said there have been no arrests in the case and a senior security official told Reuters that none of its employees were arrested. Russia and Western countries have long held the assumption the flight was brought down by a bomb planted on the plane. Egypt has also been questioned in its efforts to fight ISIS in the Sinai Peninsula and along the resort areas of the country. Islamic States propaganda magazine published a photo after the crash of a can of soda and said it was used to make an improvised explosive that took the plane down. The photo showed the can and what appeared to be a detonator and several components. The EgyptAir official said state security police have investigated all workers at the airport and didnt find any evidence of them attempting to cause an act of terror. An Interior Ministry source also said they are still awaiting results of the investigation. Click for more from Reuters. A boat smuggling migrants to Greece slammed into rocks off the Turkish coast Saturday and capsized, killing at least 33 people including five children, as the choppy Aegean Sea continued to claim asylum-seekers' lives this month at an appalling pace, officials said. Coast guard officials said they rescued 75 people from the 17-meter (56-foot) vessel but government officials said they suspected more were trapped inside the sunken vessel and the death toll was likely to rise. Video footage on the Turkish shoreline showed police walking among bodies of several dead as they washed ashore, among them a toddler lying on his back in navy blue clothing. The International Organization for Migration says drowning deaths are running at four times the rate of 2015, when many thousands daily sought to enter the European Union via Turkey by reaching one of more than a dozen offshore Greek islands, particularly nearby Lesbos. Saturday's deaths take the drowning total for January above 250, whereas the agency recorded 805 drowning deaths on Turkey-Greece smuggling routes throughout 2015. A Turkish government official said he expects rescue workers to find more dead who were trapped inside the wreckage of the boat, which sank shortly after departing from the Aegean resort of Ayvacik, barely 8 kilometers (5 miles) north of the Lesbos coastline. Saim Eskioglu, deputy governor for the coastal Canakkale province that includes Ayvacik, said the boat "hit rocks soon after it left the coast and, unfortunately, it sank." "We believe there are more dead bodies inside the boat," he told CNN-Turk television. Ayvacik's mayor, Mehmet Unal Sahin, said most of the migrants were Syrians. The state-run Anadolu Agency said the boat also bore natives of Afghanistan and Myanmar. In a statement, the Turkish coast guard said it dispatched three boats, a team of divers and a helicopter after receiving calls for help. The coast guard said its rescue teams recovered 33 bodies and were continuing to search. A private Turkish news agency, Dogan, said police arrested a Turkish man suspected of being the smuggler who organized Saturday's disastrous sea crossing. Journalists at the scene said weather conditions Saturday on the Turkish coast were relatively mild, with light winds and temperatures around 54 degrees Fahrenheit. Italian police discovered an underground bunker in the countryside of southern Calabria Friday with two mobsters, considered among Italy's most dangerous fugitives, holed up and sleeping inside. Police said they are trying to find a network of accomplices they suspect helped 'ndrangheta clan bosses Giuseppe Crea and Giuseppe Ferraro elude capture for 10 years and 18 years respectively. Crea, 37, faces 22 years in prison for Mafia association; Ferraro, 48, was sentenced to life imprisonment, including for a murder conviction. The two had a dozen firearms, including a Kalashnikov, neatly hung up on a wall, video released by police of the bunker's interior showed. Also hanging from a wall was a pasta pot. Tomatoes, salad and what looked like a plate heaped with ricotta were on the counter. Despite its being dug deep into the ground, the hideout was furnished with electricity, and the mobsters had a satellite TV and a computer, police said. Vines and bushes camouflaged the hideout in the province of Reggio Calabria. Ferraro is considered one of the last survivors of a decades-long ferocious 'ndrangheta clan feud that claimed at least 20 lives, according to police. Among those victims was a mobster whose body was fed to pigs and a 9-year-old boy who was accidentally shot when his grandfather's car was mistakenly fired on, daily Corriere della Sera reported. Announcing the capture of the pair, Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano noted they were "both on Italy's list of most dangerous fugitives." Authorities described the two as being clan bosses from 'ndrangheta territory near Gioia Tauro, a port on the Tyrrhenian coast which, investigators have long maintained, the syndicate frequently uses as a base for activities such as drug and arms trafficking. This hideout was in remote farm country. But many of the bunkers discovered by police hunting for other 'ndrangheta mobsters in Calabria have been found tunneled under farm buildings or reached through hidden trapped doors leading from kitchens, bedrooms or other rooms in homes. Fugitive mobsters prefer to stay close to their power bases, where they can count on logistical support and rely on the reluctance of locals to tip police, turning on its head the expression to "being on the run." After convicted Cosa Nostra chieftain Bernardo Provenzano was captured in 2006 in a farmhouse near Corleone, Sicily, after 43 years as a fugitive, prosecutors said he was able to live on farmland right near his home base because family and friends brought him food and freshly laundered clothes and bedding. Investigators hoped the latest capture would send a message to people in the nearby town of Rizziconi, whose city council was sent packing by the Italian central government because of infiltration by organized crime. The cocaine-trafficking 'ndrangheta is one of the world's most powerful criminal organizations. The Calabrian syndicate's bosses and foot soldiers are overwhelming drawn from family ranks. A defense official says a U.S. Navy ship has sailed near a disputed island in the South China Sea to exercise the U.S.'s freedom to navigate in international waters. The USS Curtis Wilbur destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island, in the Paracels chain, Saturday without notifying the three claimants to the surrounding seas beforehand, according to Defense Department spokesman Mark Wright in Washington. China, Taiwan and Vietnam have claims in the Paracels and require prior notice from transiting ships. Wright reiterated that while insisting on freedom of navigation, the United States took no position on the competing territorial claims to natural islands in the South China Sea. In October, another U.S. warship sailed in the disputed Spratly Islands near Subi Reef, where China has built an island. This article is archived and available in its entirety for free for registered members only. Please login or register to read more. For last year's words belong to last year's language And next year's words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning. ~T.S. Eliot, "Little Gidding" Here we are, almost one month into the start of another new year of the Julian-Gregorian calendar. Our friends at the Pantone Color System have deemed Rose Quartz (a soft pink) and Serenity (a pale violet) as the official colors of 2016. It is the first time ever that the color maverick has chosen two shades blending into one. Although I personally do not see these two shades as a reflection of our current status here on Spaceship planet Earth, I do appreciate the concept of two colors that represent tranquility gently melding together. The choice feels more like a snapshot of what many of us gentle, peace loving souls hold in our hearts as what we wish to witness in 2016. According to Pantone Joined together, Rose Quartz and Serenity demonstrate an inherent balance between a warmer embracing rose tone and the cooler tranquil blue, reflecting connection and wellness as well as a soothing sense of order and peace. As I contemplated these two hues in reference to scent, several ideas came to mind, specifically what would these two shades represent in terms of a fragrance or aromatic notes? In the art forms of visual, musical and aromatic art there are many parallel universes. Today lets look at the relationship of color to aromatic materials. In 1992 Jeanne Rose devised the Basic Seven Vocabulary of Odors to help her students formulate a language for describing scent combined with a visual tool. This is not a fragrance wheel used to define fragrance families in perfume. The Vocabulary of Odors is a system to describe notes that exist in any object containing a fragrance. For example when we inhale the scent of a collection of fresh fruits the note we primarily experience is fruity. Complex aromas contain dominant notes with subsidiary and back notes. The dominant note in a stargazer lily flower is floral with a subsidiary note of spice. The world of wine uses a similar classification scheme. Jeanne Rose organized her system as follows: Red = Floral Orange = Fruity Yellow = Citrus Green = Green/Vegetative Blue = Woody Indigo = Herbaceous/Camphoraceous Violet = Spice This vocabulary can be further expanded, eventually including a list of 28 descriptive words. Floral, Powder, Honey, Oily/Fatty, Musk/Amber, Waxy, Fruity, Aldehyde, Hay, Citrus, Green, Vegetative, Conifer, Mint, Almond-like, Fungal, Marine, Moss, Wood, Smoke, Leather, Earth, Civet, Herbal, Camphor, Balsamic, Carmel and Spicy. Can you think of more? Here are some: Resinous, Rich, Edible or Gourmand, Agrestic (referring to rich hay-like notes), Animalic and Balsamic. GregSpalenka, http://www.spalenka.com/ "Just because we have a standard set of words doesnt mean we should lock ourselves into a cage with them, instead let your imagination run wild with abandon and creativity." During the perfume classes at my studio I have students smell scent strips blindly and then describe the fragrance before knowing what it is. This allows the right brain, creative mind to run free. One of my favorite scent descriptive words that has come out of these classes is spooky in relation to a dusty-earthy note. Just because we have a standard set of words doesnt mean we should lock ourselves into a cage with them, instead let your imagination run wild with abandon and creativity. Patchouli (Pogostemon cablin) essential oil has dominant notes of Wood and Herbaceous/Camphoraceous with a back note of Green/Vegetal and a subsidiary note of Spice. Patchouli does not have a Fruity note, thus we would term Fruity as being absent. If we were using the twenty eight word vocabulary we would lead with the word Earthy and add Musk/Amber to our back or subsidiary note. It all depends which patchouli you are experiencing. Each patchouli will be different depending where it comes from (Indonesia, Madagascar or India) how it is produced (EO, C02 or absolute) and how old it is. An aged patchouli may have a dominant note of Floral compared to a really fresh, newly distilled patchouli that can be very Green/Vegetative. Blue tansy (Tanacetum annuum) Looping back now to pairing the hues of Rose Quartz and Serenity to fragrance my first thought was that the pink of Rose quartz is well represented by soft florals and the powder blue violet of Serenity aligns well with the watery notes of blue tansy (Moroccan chamomile). Using the color system we just learned, these are the hues that more closely relate to pink and cool powder blue: Red = Floral Blue = Woody Indigo = Herbaceous/Camphoraceous Violet = Spice Thus our beginning selection of a soft floral and blue tansy works well. Contemplating further and going through all my essences like a library catalogue in my mind, orris butter emerges as a beautiful melding of both these hues. Distilled from the roots of Iris pallida, this rare beauty has a balance of warm and sweet which brings to mind violet flowers and a moist earthy, balsamic wood note with hints of powder. There is great potential with the basic schematic of orris butter as our main base note uplifted by an accord featuring herbaceous blue tansy and another accord with gentle florals. Iris Pallida Now it's your turn! What building blocks do you suggest for a fragrance based on the 2016 Pantone colors, and why? Roxana Villa of Illuminated Perfume. Like the facets of a gem Roxanas pure botanical perfumes reflect a myriad of synergistic disciplines. Professional training in aromatherapy cultivated her nose with a firm knowledge of the healing attributes found in the plant kingdom. As an award winning artist she brings gifts of storytelling, conceptual thinking and a strong visual aesthetic to her work in fragrance. These two disciplines weave seamlessly with her natural instincts into authentic expressions of olfactory art as both a maker and teacher. NEW YORKPaul Kantner, a founding member of the Jefferson Airplane who stayed with the seminal San Francisco band through its transformation from 1960s hippies to 1970s hit makers as the eventual leader of successor group Jefferson Starship, has died at age 74. Kantner, who drew upon his passion for politics and science fiction to help write such rock classics as "Wooden Ships" and "Volunteers," died on Thursday of organ failure and septic shock. He had been admitted to a San Francisco hospital after falling ill earlier in the week, his former girlfriend and publicist Cynthia Bowman, the mother of one of his three children, told The Associated Press. The guitarist and songwriter had survived close brushes with death as a younger man, including a motorcycle accident during the early 1960s and a 1980 cerebral hemorrhage, and he recovered from a heart attack last year. Few bands were so identified with San Francisco or so well-embodied the idealism and hedonism of the late '60s as Jefferson Airplane, its message boldly stated on buttons and bumper stickers that read "THE JEFFERSON AIRPLANE LOVES YOU." The Airplane advocated sex, psychedelic drugs, rebellion and a communal lifestyle, operating out of an eccentric, Colonial Revival house near Haight-Ashbury. Its members supported various political and social causes, tossed out LSD at concerts and played at both the Monterey and Woodstock festivals. Formed by veterans of the folk circuit in the mid-'60s, the Airplane combined folk, rock, blues and jazz and was the first group from a Bay Area scene that also featured Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead to achieve mainstream success, thanks to the classics "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit." Besides Kantner, who played rhythm guitar and added backing vocals, the Airplane's best-known lineup included singers Grace Slick and Marty Balin; lead guitarist Jorma Kaukonen; bassist Jack Casady; and drummer Spencer Dryden, who died in 2005. Jefferson Airplane, named in part after blues artist Blind Lemon Jefferson, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 and is scheduled to receive the Recording Academy's lifetime achievement award this year. "He was the first guy I picked for the band and he was the first guy who taught me how to roll a joint," Balin wrote of Kantner on his Facebook page. "And although I know he liked to play the devil's advocate, I am sure he has earned his wings now" Kantner, who looked as much like a college student as a rock star with his glasses and shaggy blond hair, did not have the vocal or stage presence of Balin and Slick, or the instrumental power of Kaukonen or Casady. But he became the conscience of the band and by the end of the '60s was shaping its increasingly radical direction, whether co-writing the militant "Volunteers" with Balin or inserting a profane taunt into his own incendiary "We Can Be Together," leading to an extended fight with their record company, RCA. Meanwhile, Kantner and Slick reigned as one of rock's most prominent couples. Rolling Stone would note their contrasting styles, labeling Slick "the Acid Queen of outrageousness" and Kantner her "calm, dry, sardonic flip side." In 1971, Slick gave birth to their daughter, whom the couple originally wanted to call God, but decided to name China. (China Kantner became an actress and MTV VJ.) Slick and Kantner broke up in the late 1970s and Kantner had a son, Alexander, with Bowman, and another son, Gareth. Kantner was the Airplane's only native San Franciscan and its most political and experimental thinker. He had been a science fiction reader since childhood and with friends David Crosby and Jerry Garcia among others recorded a 1970 concept album about space travel, "Blows Against the Empire," credited to Kantner and "Jefferson Starship." Kantner, Crosby and Stephen Stills would collaborate on the escapist, post-apocalypse fantasy "Wooden Ships," which Jefferson Airplane and Crosby, Stills and Nash each recorded and performed at Woodstock. With perfect timing for a '60s band, the Airplane began splitting apart at the end of the decade. Kaukonen and Casady founded the blues group Hot Tuna, and Balin, the band's estranged original leader, also left. In 1974, Kantner and Slick brought in new musicians and renamed the group Jefferson Starship. Their sound softened and, with Balin back, they had hit singles with "Miracles" and "Count On Me" among others and a No. 1 album, "Red Octopus." But by the mid-1980s, when Slick and Mickey Thomas were lead vocalists, Kantner thought the music so "mundane" that he left the Jefferson Starship and successfully forced the remaining members not to use the name "Jefferson." (His former bandmates called themselves "Starship" and had three No. 1 songs, including "Sara" and "We Built This City"). Over the past 30 years, Kantner, Balin and Casady occasionally performed as the KBC Band and a reunited Airplane briefly toured and recorded. Kantner made a handful of solo and Jefferson Starships albums and used various musicians in the studio and on the road, including daughter China on vocals and son Alexander on bass. Kantner was born in 1941, the musical and nonconforming son of a traveling salesman. He dropped out of college to pursue a career in folk music and became friendly with Crosby and future Starship member David Freiberg, spending days and nights on the beach, strumming guitars and indulging in Crosby's premium stash of marijuana. Soon after the release of the Airplane's first album, "The Jefferson Airplane Takes Off," the group underwent a fateful change: Vocalist Signe Toly Anderson left to have a baby in the fall of 1966 and was replaced by Slick, who had been a member of the Bay Area group The Great Society. Slick brought a fiery, charismatic style and, just as important, "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit," anthems for 1967's "Summer of Love" and highlights of the Airplane's landmark psychedelic album "Surrealistic Pillow." Kantner, who spent much of his life in his native city, would look back years later and remember a golden age of art, free love and joyous possibility. He joked that San Francisco was a privileged haven, "49 square miles surrounded by reality." (The correct number is closer to 47). He believed deeply in the '60s dream, often citing an anecdote that for a few days in 1966 the stars were so aligned that you could expect any wish to be granted. "Which, needless to say, it was," he liked to add. Reporters who cover the state Capitol will return to the Senate floor Monday, nearly three weeks after Republicans who control the chamber had consigned them to its gallery. On Monday morning it is my expectation, after some significant and fruitful discussions with our friends from the Fourth Estate, that they will be returning to the floor of the Senate in a little bit of a reconfigured fashion, Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment Jr., RJames City, said Friday on the Senate floor. Weve come to a good mutual resolution, Norment said. On Jan. 13, the first day of the General Assembly session, the Senate, in which Republicans hold a 2119 edge, voted along party lines for a change in Senate rules that removed reporters access from the floor, where journalists have covered the state Senate for decades. State and national media organizations denounced the surprise move as a blow against public transparency. To ease movement on the Senate floor, reporters will now have access to six desk chairs, each with a fold-over leaf to support a computer. Previously, there were tables on each side of the rostrum that could accommodate four people apiece. Floor seats for credentialed media will be on a first-come, first-served basis. If demand for floor seating exceeds availability, each media organization will be limited to one floor seat. Other journalists from the organization could then sit in the gallery. Reporters will be able to use laptop computers, but will no longer be able to plug them in while working on the Senate floor. The Virginia Capitol Correspondents Association said in a statement: Denying reporter access to the Virginia Senate floor session was a mistake that could have been avoided; restoring it was the right thing to do. While the revised floor access arrangement places additional limitations on our members flexibility to cover proceedings, it is workableand returning is an important step toward ensuring we can do our jobs and provide accurate and timely reporting. It added: The VCCA will continue to promote media access in the Capitoland the publics right to know that the people elected to serve Virginia are conducting its business in the best traditions of open and transparent government. Jim Nolan, a political reporter at the Richmond TimesDispatch, is president of the Virginia Capitol Correspondents Association. Sen. Thomas A. Garrett Jr., RBuckingham, who had called for restoring reporters access to the Senate floor, issued a statement through his 5th District congressional campaign, hailing the result. Today, all those who support transparency in government will celebrate a victory for the First Amendment to our Constitution, said Garrett, who is seeking the Republican nomination for the seat. (Rep. Robert Hurt, R5th, is not seeking re-election.) As a result of my willingness to stand and fight for principles of constitutional governance, press freedom, and legislative transparency, Republican leadership has allowed the sunshine of a free and open press back into Virginias Senate, Garrett said. Im proud to have stood on principle in leading this fight, even if it makes me unpopular with the Republican establishment, Garrett said. This issue is not about right and leftits about right and wrong. Citizens from all sides of the political spectrum can agree that limiting the First Amendment and impeding the flow of information to a free press is wrong. About three-fourths of states in the U.S. allow reporters on the floor of their Senate and House chambers and many provide seats or desks for them to use, according to The Associated Press. The press tables that had been on opposite sides of the rostrum were removed before senators voted Jan. 13. Reporters then to had to cover Senate sessions from the gallery above the floor. Journalists said that vantage point made it harder to hear senators comments and observe their interactions and to get copies of floor amendments and vote tallies. On Jan. 20, a delegation of journalists who cover the state Capitol met with key state senators to discuss the removal of reporters access to the Senate floor. There was no resolution of the issue at that meeting, which lasted about an hour, but the journalists and senators aired their concerns and characterized it as a productive discussion. Senators attending the Jan. 20 meeting in a conference room off the Senate chamber included Norment; Senate Minority Leader Richard L. Saslaw, DFairfax; Senate Majority Whip William M. Stanley Jr., RFranklin County; and Ryan T. McDougle, RHanover, chairman of the Senate Republican Caucus. During that meeting, the journalists sought a return to work space on the Senate floor. Topics that were discussed also included Republican senators concerns about limited space on the Senate floor and about reporters adherence to long-standing rules governing when journalists can interact with senators on the floor. Under the new arrangement, rules of conduct on the Senate floor are more clearly spelled out, as is a graduated set of sanctions on media access to the chamber should reporters violate the rules. Marble Management Adds Specialized Equipment To Their List Of Services Marble Management is located in the United Kingdom, more precisely Cardiff. This company is well-known for hosting different events across the United Kingdom. All events they hosted and recorded high amount of visitors and positive reviews. -- Marble Management is responsible for hosting and planning events across the United Kingdom. This has to be one of the hardest things to do, due to the fact guests want only the best and the latest things. It looks that this company manages to achieve their expectations. United Kingdom Jan, 26 2016 Cardiff: Marble Management announces that they added new type of service to their offer. In essence, they can lend any type of equipment, needed for hosting events where hundreds or thousands of people will attend. The company previously offered hosting and planning services, which they still offer. However, the latest addition is more than welcomed and appreciated. After announcement, the spokesperson said "We planned for this addition for a long time. Today, we have an opportunity to share with the world our latest and the most important offer. If fact, we can provide you all the equipment you need for your event. In addition, we can also help you plan and host the event. Simply said, all you need to do is to call us and we will do all for you." The equipment in question includes: laptops, plasma screens, projectors, lightening and etc. In fact, it includes all needed for a big even to host. According to the latest reports, Marble Management is one of the most popular and frequently used even hosting company in the United Kingdom. The popularity will continue to grow, due to the fact in 2016, there are more events than ever. Celebrity concerts, weddings and sport-related parties are included in this report. Last week Marble Management offered re-designed website to all visitors and potential clients. It is appreciated due to the fact it is easy to use and contains important information, all in one place. Surfing is also easier than ever and the website looks modern and fresh. After this addition was announced, the company said that they are preparing a few more surprises. One of them is going to be announced in a few days (in Febuary). Others are expected in March, this year. For more information about us, please visit http://www.marblemanagement.co.uk/ Contact Info: Name: Bogdan Popa Organization: Marble Management Address: Third Floor,14 Museum Place, Cardiff, CF10 3BH Phone: 02920 508722 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/marble-management-adds-specialized-equipment-to-their-list-of-services/102455 Release ID: 102455 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) Shark Wheel announces offering of All-Terrain & Lightning Fast Longboard Wheels Recently, the All-Terrain Longboard Wheels and Lighting Fast Wheels were made available to skateboarding enthusiasts and lovers. The All-Terrain Longboard Wheels is designed particularly for rough terrains. The company said that it recognizes the sine-wave pattern that needs to be addressed when designing wheels -- Shark Wheel has announced its offering of two general types of longboard wheels specifically designed for skateboarding. Recently, the All-Terrain Longboard Wheels and Lighting Fast Wheels were made available to skateboarding enthusiasts and lovers. The All-Terrain Longboard Wheels is designed particularly for rough terrains. The company said that it recognizes the sine-wave pattern that needs to be addressed when designing wheels. Thus, they were able to develop and produce the best wheel in the world. These have made Shark Wheel as one of the best cruiser wheels. The company stated in its official website sharkwheel.com that the wheels physically move debris, dirt, water and pebbles out of the way as they roll. The ride is smoother as it kicks objects alternately following a right and left pattern. They also highlighted the Lightning Fast Wheels. In the website, the company described it as a type of wheel with "less friction touching the ground" and "less rolling resistance." In the recently concluded 2015 Miami Ultraskate, Shark Wheel won and was able to post the fastest time for lap. In 2014, it has also won awards in numerous international competitions. The wheels are "scientifically tested to have a 15% rebound advantage over top wheels in the market," the company further stated in its website. The company is glad to have known about a shark wheel review that expresses very positive feedback about their products. Many customers have actually agreed with the company's line "The next generation wheel is here." Truly, users have enjoyed their skateboarding experiences when using the longboard wheels. There have been numerous customer testimonials that prove the wheels are really of high quality and caliber. The small team that founded Shark Wheel Company has expressed how thankful they are in the success their wheels are gaining. They said that after the company was founded in Southern California. David M. Patrick revealed that he is working with Pedro Valdez to develop and create the latest innovations at Shark Wheel. Patrick is the inventor of Shark Wheel while Valdez is a renowned mold maker in Hollywood. Their knowledge and creativity were the reason behind the ingenious shark wheel. With the high quality longboard wheels, the company said that it has received requests to become a distributor from customers all over the world. This is why it also announced the requirements that interested individuals have to satisfy to become a licensed distributor. On the company's official website, an interested individual has to fill out the form that requires company name, individual's name, email address, and other details such as if the individual has an online or retail store. For individuals who want to pay visit at the Retail Shop, the company is open for personal visits so customers and interested distributors can try out the wheels themselves. They can be reached through phone at 310 936 2436. Their address is located at 22600 Lambert St Bldg. A, #704 Lake Forest, California. With their well-made wheels, the company expects to gain more interest from individuals around the world who are interested in or are currently skateboarding. For more information about us, please visit https://sharkwheel.com/ Contact Info: Name: David Patrick Organization: Shark Wheel Address: 22600 Lambert St. Bldg A, #704 Lake Forest, CA 92630 Phone: 310-936-2436 Release ID: 102467 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) Some savers will not be able to benefit from the pension freedoms unless more is done to address the pitifully low level of retirement income in the UK, warned KPMG. A report produced by the professional services firm and supported by the Association of British Insurers, urged industry stakeholders to come up with a clear strategy to address this growing savings gap. According to KPMG, there are two key policy levers: auto enrolment and tax incentives. It argued that while auto-enrolment is welcomed, its success is still dependent on consistent levels of contribution, suggested it should be made compulsory or extended to cover self-employed individuals and those on low and variable wages. Changes to current incentives for pension accumulation were also outlined as a way of altering British savings culture. Andy Masters, UK head of savings and wealth management at KPMG, said that post-pension freedoms, policymakers must now focus on Britains savings deficit. They must be bold enough to galvanise savings in ways that materially increase average retirement pots. Drawing on interviews with more than 40 industry figures and policymakers, the report also warned that most consumers are neither sufficiently engaged, nor capable of taking responsibility for making pension freedom decisions. Low levels of financial literacy and decades of a paternalistic pensions culture were identified in the report as barriers to raising capability and engagement. It also warned that shifting responsibility from the state to savers is unlikely to take less than a generation. However, new technologies were identified as ways to engage consumers, with the report pointing to digital channels such as robo-advice becoming commonplace. Its overdue, but Britains savings culture needs a sea change, said Mr Masters. Policymakers need to ensure auto enrolment becomes a success, while doing their part to encourage engagement and financial literacy. Pension providers must deliver innovative solutions which provide tailored advice to a wider range of customers. Otherwise Middle Britain may struggle to cash in on the new freedoms. He added that while pension freedom has made life more complicated for retirees, this is doubly true for pension firms, as the onus is on providers to modernise infrastructure to support flexible, multi-channel propositions. Consolidation is inevitable and within five years we expect the retail market to be dominated by fewer firms focused on a simpler, customer centric model. Yvonne Braun, director of long-term savings policy at the ABI, commented that the industry is looking at ways to simplify the language used to talk about pensions and long-term savings. Throughout their working lives, people should have easy access to information about their pension saving, so they can keep track of how well prepared they are for retirement. The industry is keen to support the development of a pensions dashboard. This requires a partnership with government and an over-arching strategy for delivery. katherine.denham@ft.com Fertiliser spreader, drill and power harrow maker Sulky Burel is now operating in its own right in the UK alongside fellow French manufacturer Gregoire Besson. Emily Padfield explains what the company will be offering. Fertiliser spreader, drill and power harrow manufacturer Sulky Burel announced its intention to make an amicable split from long-time importer Reco and go down the direct distribution route at the back end of last year. See also: Sulky drops Reco to distribute farm kit direct The 100% family-owned company has three production facilities in France and is the market leader in France for both fertiliser spreaders and seed drills. The company had an annual turnover of 42m (32m) last year, with 30% of that coming from export. The UK is its third largest market, and one that the company is keen to expand. The aim is to double the export turnover by 2020 and be in the top three when it comes to the share of the spreader market. In addition, theres a subsidiary specialising in min-till and direct-drilling technology near Nante under the Sky Agriculture name, which also has a 150ha farm that farmers can visit and try different seeding techniques, adds marketing manager Stephane Billerot. The company now holds an extensive amount of stock at its UK headquarters in Bourne, Lincolnshire, which it operates in collaboration with Gregoire Besson. We share a team with Gregoire Besson and the logistics work well, explains Mr Billerot. Gregoire Besson shares the same family values as us, and it is logical for salesman and technicians to work with both companies as neither conflicts with the other in terms of product. Sulky Burels range includes mounted and trailed fertiliser spreaders, soil preparation implements like power harrows and disc harrows and both mechanical and air seed drills. Fertiliser spreaders On show at Lamma were a number of new products, which included the X40+ spreader range. Available in 18m to 44m working widths with hopper capacities of 1,900, 2,500, 2,600 and 3,000-litres, the X40+ has maximum flow rate is 520kg/min. The larger X50+ offers working widths of 24m to 50m with hopper volumes of 2400-, 3200- and 4000-litres. Payload is 4t and again the flow rate goes up to 520kg/min. Sulky Burel collaborates with the IRTSEA institute in France, which has a specific and independent spreader testing bench to model spreading patterns. This 3D method allows us to understand the ballistics of fertiliser granules and the spreading shape curve, allowing us to design a machine that manages the curve during spreading, he adds. 900 types of fertiliser More than 900 different types of fertiliser have been tested by the company with settings available via an online portal called Fertitest, which has around 1,000 hits a day during the spreading season. The Econov variable rate control system is accessed via the new Isobus Sulky Quartz 800 display, which allows operators to see both machine and guidance on the same screen, with 12 automatic boom sections clearly visible (if opted for). There is also a dual-control feature giving independent variable rate control between left and right sides, for field areas like headlands. This can be operated through the John Deere Green Star 2630 display, too. Meanwhile, the large capacity XT range of trailed fertiliser spreaders can handle up to 90ha/hour of granular fertiliser (when worked out at a healthy 300kg/ha at 18km/hour). Drills Sulkys Xeos Pro range of combination drills come in 3m, 3.5m and 4m rigid toolbar versions, while there is also a folding toolbar model, which expands the working width offering to 4m, 4.5m, 5m and 6m models. All Xeos drills use the ADS universal metering system, capable of handling most crops from oilseed rape to peas, and can work with less than 1kg right up to 450kg/ha. The Cultidisc notched disc system exerts up to 80kg pressure and is 415mm in diameter. It works at a 4deg angle, resulting in less seed-bed disturbance and reducing the power requirement. The Xeos can be fitted up front with the Cultiline HR power harrow or the Cultiline XR compact disc harrow. With a 3m power harrow combination, working speeds of 8-10kph are possible, resulting in workrates of around 2.4ha/hour, whereas with the disc setup speeds of 12-14kph are plausible, upping the workrate to 3.43ha/hour. A Pinch of Salt: To vote now or to vote later that is the question Nov. 1, 1931 Jan. 12, 2016 Born in rural, southern Missouri, Ann described her childhood as a carefree exploration of the Ozark hills and creeks. At age 16, she left Cabool to attend university in St. Louis, Missouri, and spoke fondly of the kindness shown to her as she became acculturated to life in a large city. She married Robert Bob Rhodes in 1952 and their union was blessed with three sons: Steven, Mark and Ron; and a daughter, Julianne. After raising the family, Ann began attending college again and, in the mid-70s, earned a degree in accounting. In the service of her employer, Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., she traveled from her home in the San Francisco Bay Area all around the country from Arizona to Maine and Alaska. After her retirement, Ann decided to do some real traveling and spent three years in the Peace Corps in rural Honduras working with local women to set up cooperative business ventures. A desire to live in a smaller town brought her from the Bay Area to Corvallis in 2006, where she found friendship among a group of avid hikers like herself. In 2012, she celebrated turning 80 by ascending Half Dome in Yosemite with three of her children. Her health faltered in 2015 and the family wishes to thank, with much gratitude, her many wonderful friends who rallied around her to make her last year a happy one in spite of the challenges. She will be remembered as a short woman with a strong, sure stride; a woman who loved to walk and knew her flowers. She was preceded in death by her brother, Robert Pilkinton. She is survived by her ex-husband, Bob Rhodes; half-sister Mamie Haddock; four children, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. A celebration of life is planned for 11 a.m. Friday, April 15, at the Columbarium, 1 Loraine Court, San Francisco, California. All are welcome. The world-famous Oregon State University mammoth femur made a surprise visit to Fridays meeting of OSU's Board of Trustees at the Memorial Union. Anthropology professor Loren Davis, the lead researcher working on the big bone, wheeled it into a lounge area adjacent to the Horizon Room, where the trustees were meeting. I really was hoping that you would find that this was, in fact, an ancient beaver, said President Ed Ray, as trustees and OSU staffers crowded around the 10,000-year-old leg bones. Pat Reser, chair of the board, went so far as to suggest changing the school mascot to the Woolly Beavers. Davis told the trustees that the mammoth was probably 15 feet tall, weighed 12 tons and ate the equivalent of 4,000 hot dogs per day. We have the opportunity to learn about the past right beneath our feet, Davis said. Ray asked Davis if there was any sonar or other device the researchers could use to see if there were other such fossils on campus. I dont have the equipment, Davis said. It costs $100,000. Lets talk. James Day Luck, so the saying goes, is where preparation meets opportunity. If that's the case, for Clifton Booher and John Zimmerman of the Albany Fire Department, Jan. 20 was a lucky day, indeed. Zimmerman, a fire lieutenant and a Scio resident, has been with the department 20 years and has served with the 20-member water rescue team for just about all that time. Booher, of Salem, is a firefighter/paramedic and joined the water rescue team 12 years ago, three years after his hiring. On Jan. 20, both were able to combine preparation and opportunity to rescue a 46-year-old Hood River woman from drowning in the Willamette River. The woman was taken to Samaritan Albany General Hospital in stable condition following the rescue. More recent information on her condition was not immediately available. Earlier this week, the two firefighters talked about the factors that led to her rescue. Booher and Zimmerman had been on a call at Albany City Hall when the department received a first-alarm all stations respond for a water rescue at Bryant Park. A woman had been seen in the Calapooia River and was being swept rapidly toward the Willamette. Station 11 is just a few blocks from the park, but City Hall is even closer. The two made it to Takena Landing, on the Benton County side of the river, even before crews got there with the 20-foot metal sled known as Boat 11. Response time was a key factor in the rescue. The woman's head could still be seen bobbing above the current, and she'd been in the water only three or four minutes before the call came in. On the other hand, the United States Geological Survey recorded the Willamette as flowing at 50,000 cubic feet per second that day, about twice as fast as its 25,000 cfs median, and the water was a brisk 44 degrees. The Mayo Clinic warns of the possibility of hypothermia anytime a body's core temperature drops below 95 degrees. Reaching the woman and getting her out safely involved efforts by the whole crew to get the boat in the water and keep the woman in sight, Booher and Zimmerman stressed. "If you can actually lay eyes on the person, that's a huge bonus," Zimmerman said. They said they were simply the two who were able to get to where she was the fastest. Booher operated the boat and helped Zimmerman pull her out, just 12 minutes after receiving the call. The two said they also had their training to thank. That includes a year's worth of classes and preparation to be on the water rescue team, and a minimum of once-a-month training with the boat more, when they can slip in a few hours after their regular shifts. Both men say they grew up wanting to be firefighters, and both have always loved being in and around the water. Both jumped at the opportunity to join the water rescue team. "I found the right place and the right time, and it all worked out for me," Booher said. The most rewarding thing about the job, whether they're winching a submerged vehicle from the river at Bowman Park (one of Zimmerman's more memorable calls) or going on a standard medical call, is being "able to make a difference in someone's life," Zimmerman said. The Corvallis City Council will discuss a plan to replace its standing committees with a work session format at its 6:30 p.m. meeting Monday at the downtown fire station, 400 N.W. Harrison Blvd. City Manager Mark Shepard has proposed the change, which he said would increase council efficiency and save money. The plan that the council will consider would continue the current City Council meetings on the first and third Mondays of each month, with work sessions scheduled for the next day. Shepard has proposed changing the council meeting start time from 6:30 to 6 and running the work sessions from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. The work the full nine councilors undertake at the work sessions would replace the issues that were dealt with by the three three-person standing committees: Administrative Services, Human Services and Urban Services. In other public meetings coming up: Today The League of Women Voters is hosting a legislative town hall from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, 645 N.W. Monroe Ave. Scheduled to be on hand to discuss the Oregon Legislature session will be state Sen. Sara Gelser and state Reps. Andy Olson and Dan Rayfield. The five-week session begins Monday. The league plans to hold a second session March 5. Ward 5 Corvallis Council Mike Beilstein will be the government comment corner guest from 10 a.m. to noon at the library. Monday U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden will hold a town hall at 9 a.m. at the Philomath High School auditorium, 2054 Applegate St. Tuesday The Benton County Board of Commissioners will meet at noon in the county boardrooms, 205 N.W. Fifth St. The agenda includes a proclamation for African American History Month and the second reading of an ordinance to allow the use of electronic signatures on county contracts. The Corvallis Climate Action Task Force meets at 5 p.m. at the Madison Avenue Meeting Room, 500 S.W. Madison Ave. The task force is tentatively set to discuss preliminary targets for greenhouse gas reductions. The Philomath Parks Advisory Board meets at 5 p.m. at City Hall, 980 Applegate St. and will select a chair and discuss updates on the 11th Street Park and planning for Music in the Park. Wednesday The Philomath Public Works Committee meets at 3 p.m. at City Hall and will discuss tree removals on South 15th Street and in Westbrook Park as well as water and sewer rates and the parks master plan. The Corvallis Planning Commission meets at 7 p.m. at the downtown fire station. Commissioners originally were scheduled to hold a public hearing on the possible expansion of the Boys & Girls Club, but that hearing has been delayed until March 2. Wednesdays session will feature more discussion of the land development code. The Corvallis Library Advisory Board meets at 7:30 p.m. at the library. Thursday The Philomath Police Committee meets at 3 p.m. at 1010 Applegate St. The group will discuss 2015 crime stats and a marijuana laws update Candidates for the open position of city of Corvallis Community Development director will hold a meet-and-greet session with the public from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the library. Residents can mingle with the candidates from 5:30-6:45, with candidate presentations following. The group working on the design for the new Franklin Square Park playground meets at 5:30 p.m. at the Corvallis Senior Center, 2601 N.W. Tyler Ave. Friday The Corvallis Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board meets at 7 a.m. at the downtown fire station. This log includes incidents in which there might have been a public disturbance or a risk to the public. Information comes from the Corvallis Police Department, the Benton County Sheriffs Office and Oregon State Police. It does not include all calls for service. The status of incidents might change after further investigation. Locations are approximate. People arrested or suspected in crimes are considered innocent until proven otherwise. On-time graduation rates across Oregon rose 2 percentage points to 74 percent, the Oregon Department of Education said Thursday in its annual report on rates of school completion throughout the state. Philomath High School had Benton Countys highest four-year graduation rate for the 2014-15 school year at nearly 91 percent. That represents an increase over the 2013-14 school year when 85 percent of students graduated in four years. Melissa Goff, who started as Philomaths superintendent in July 2015, said the districts success is made possible only through the individual attention teachers and staff members can give to each student. She gave credit to her predecessor, Dan Forbess, and the districts staff, saying that result is not just the work of the high school teachers, but K-8 teachers as well. And, she noted, despite the high graduation rate, it still means 12 to 15 students each year do not graduate. Thats significant to those students, she said. The districts staff, she said, is not going to be satisfied until every student is leaving Philomath with a diploma. In all of Benton County, the graduation rate saw an increase to 86 percent for the 2014-15 school year, up from 84 percent in the 2013-14 school year. Most of the countys smaller schools saw drops in their graduation rates. Alsea High School, which had eight graduates in 2014-15, had a graduation rate of just 53 percent in 2014-15, down from 82 percent in 2013-14 and 78 percent in 2012-13. Kings Valley Charter School had a graduation rate of around 63 percent in 2014-15 with a graduating class of five; in 2013-14 the school had a 57 percent graduation rate with a class of four. Last year, the statewide graduation rate increased but the majority of the gains were from changes to the way the state calculates the rates, which the Department of Education said were intended to bring Oregons methodology more in line with the rest of the country. This years increase is particularly notable because there was no change to methodology or reporting, the department said. BIS grows : Bonn International School expansion Plittersdorf To accommodate a growing number of international students, BIS plans an expansion for 23 more classrooms. Groundbreaking ceremonies were on Friday. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken Bonn International School is growing again. A symbolic groundbreaking for a school addition took place yesterday. It should bring 23 more classrooms. A 2300 meter third floor will be added to the colorful WAVES building. School spokesperson Natalie Niklas said the older students are very happy about having the new space, which will give them the needed facilities to prepare for the demanding International Baccalaureate diploma. Growth at BIS has continually climbed and the extra space is needed to accommodate more students. In 2006, the school had a total of 350 students in the WAVES building. A second building was constructed a few years ago, the AGORA, and now the school has a total of 780 students. They come from 70 different countries, and are from ages 3 to 19. Although there are more than 40 different mother tongues amongst the students, the common language spoken at the school is English. However, all students also learn German. School Board Chair Eric Voss said the expansion was necessary to maintain the high quality of education at BIS. One of the concepts for achieving this is to keep class sizes at a maximum of 22 students. The addition is expected to be finished in December of this year so it is ready to accommodate students after the Christmas break. Bonn Strengthening Bonns role as a United Nations host city, the federal government announced a grant of 5 million Euro annually. Beginning immediately, United Nations conferences in Bonn will get a financial boost from the federal government. Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary of the Ministry of Environment announced that the United Nations would be given 5 million Euro annually to support their conferences at the World Conference Center Bonn (WCCB). He said it is necessary because it is cheaper to do conferences in Geneva. This gives them a competitive advantage. He gave one example that translators in Geneva are permanently onboard, while in Bonn they have to be booked for each conference at additional costs. Switzerland Is Planning To Pay All Its Citizens $2400 Per Month - $570 For Children! nametalkam at 30-01-2016 03:35 PM (6 years ago) (m) Switzerland is seen by many as a unique country in more ways than one, and they could become more unique if this radical proposal gets voted into law. A referendum to be held in the tiny European nation on the 5th of June, would decide whether the proposal should be implemented. Introduced by a group of intellectuals in the country, the proposal is meant to end poverty and combat inequality- under it, every adult citizen would be entitled to an amount circa $2400 every month. Children would be entitled to an amount approximately $570 per month. Critics of the proposal say it would encourage a huge percentage of the populace to stop working, but the group proposing the policy cites a study which showed that most Swiss would keep working despite the income. The argument of opponents that a guaranteed income would reduce the incentive of people to work is therefore largely contradicted, it said. Whilst I would love to live in such a country, this looks like a disaster waiting to happen. Human beings are not good at doing things without the proper motivation. A referendum to be held in the tiny European nation on the 5th of June, would decide whether the proposal should be implemented.Introduced by a group of intellectuals in the country, the proposal is meant to end poverty and combat inequality- under it, every adult citizen would be entitled to an amount circa $2400 every month.Children would be entitled to an amount approximately $570 per month.Critics of the proposal say it would encourage a huge percentage of the populace to stop working, but the group proposing the policy cites a study which showed that most Swiss would keep working despite the income.The argument of opponents that a guaranteed income would reduce the incentive of people to work is therefore largely contradicted, it said.Whilst I would love to live in such a country, this looks like a disaster waiting to happen. Human beings are not good at doing things without the proper motivation. Post Reply I specialize in investigative reportage across several subject matter and sectors but mainly focus on metro events and investigation. Do leave your thoughts and opinion on my reports to let me know what you think about them. Thank you Posted: at 30-01-2016 03:35 PM (6 years ago) | Addicted Hero OOSSYY at 30-01-2016 04:23 PM (6 years ago) (m) NICE DECISION Posted: at 30-01-2016 04:23 PM (6 years ago) | Upcoming NICE DECISION Reply nono24 at 30-01-2016 04:25 PM (6 years ago) (m) is good Posted: at 30-01-2016 04:25 PM (6 years ago) | Upcoming is good Reply emma4love3 at 30-01-2016 04:27 PM (6 years ago) (m) aaaaaaaah this one na for everybody to declear citizenship ooooh...... well is a nice one but might cause some problems later in the future Posted: at 30-01-2016 04:27 PM (6 years ago) | Hero aaaaaaaah this one na for everybody todeclear citizenship ooooh...... well is a niceone but might cause some problems laterin the future Reply angesco at 30-01-2016 04:51 PM (6 years ago) (f) Ssh Switzerland don't shout it out too loud or you will have ALL the refugees - and pretend refugees - running to your country! Posted: at 30-01-2016 04:51 PM (6 years ago) | Gistmaniac Ssh Switzerland don't shout it out too loud or you will have ALL the refugees - and pretend refugees - running to your country! Reply angesco at 30-01-2016 04:54 PM (6 years ago) (f) Lets see how fast the percentage of Nigerians seeking political asylum and refugee status in Switzerland goes up!!! Posted: at 30-01-2016 04:54 PM (6 years ago) | Gistmaniac Lets see how fast the percentage of Nigerians seeking political asylum and refugee status in Switzerland goes up!!! Reply gogoman at 30-01-2016 05:07 PM (6 years ago) (m) naija brother next stop na SWITZERLAND!!!!!!!! Posted: at 30-01-2016 05:07 PM (6 years ago) | Addicted Hero naija brother next stop na SWITZERLAND!!!!!!!! Reply Trueyarn at 30-01-2016 07:13 PM (6 years ago) (m) Hope Naija govt can embark on this,wetin come my mind,nah the conversion of $2400 to Naira. See money. Posted: at 30-01-2016 07:13 PM (6 years ago) | Hero Hope Naija govt can embark on this,wetin come my mind,nah the conversion of $2400 to Naira. See money. Reply AmazingMarie at 30-01-2016 08:16 PM (6 years ago) (f) good one what Nigeria ought to have done for her citizen in the 90s most part of 2000s now oil is almost wortless Posted: at 30-01-2016 08:16 PM (6 years ago) | Hero good one what Nigeria ought to have done for her citizen in the 90s most part of 2000s now oil is almost wortless Reply SOGaiya at 30-01-2016 08:22 PM (6 years ago) (m) I pity my nation leader cmmon job opportunity zero,schl,social amenities all na zero Posted: at 30-01-2016 08:22 PM (6 years ago) | Gistmaniac I pity my nation leader cmmon job opportunity zero,schl,social amenities all na zero Reply zauber at 30-01-2016 09:01 PM (6 years ago) (m) looted Money from africa. africa africa africa. baboone and monkeys- Posted: at 30-01-2016 09:01 PM (6 years ago) | Upcoming looted Money from africa. africa africa africa. baboone and monkeys- Reply Ennyolalekan at 30-01-2016 09:16 PM (6 years ago) (m) hmmmmmm.... how I wish am from dis noble country Posted: at 30-01-2016 09:16 PM (6 years ago) | Gistmaniac hmmmmmm.... how I wish am from dis noble country Reply Maxwell29 at 30-01-2016 09:48 PM (6 years ago) (m) Let's b reasonable for a second it can't work, u can't pay ppl n expect dem to work der govt I lackin vision dey nid to build not spend let dem not end up like nigeria under pdp Posted: at 30-01-2016 09:48 PM (6 years ago) | Upcoming Let's b reasonable for a second it can't work, u can't pay ppl n expect dem to work der govt I lackin vision dey nid to build not spend let dem not end up like nigeria under pdp Reply winace at 30-01-2016 10:15 PM (6 years ago) (f) Nice gesture but hmmmmmm.... Refugees pls migration start right now o. Posted: at 30-01-2016 10:15 PM (6 years ago) | Addicted Hero Nice gesture but hmmmmmm.... Refugees pls migration start right now o. Reply AOYNATZRAYA at 30-01-2016 10:32 PM (6 years ago) (m) Trueyarn, the conversion is not an issue. The real deal is how much the person with $2400 in Switzerland will spend with change. Compare this environment with Nigeria and the Government's attempt to advance N5000 to applicants and you will agree that just getting to the collection point will erase the money from one's pocket. That is the real issue here. The Naira performs badly inside Nigeria. If that changes, our hope will have been rewarded. Quote from: Bamidele adesoye george on 30-01-2016 07:13 PM Hope Naija govt can embark on this,wetin come my mind,nah the conversion of $2400 to Naira. See money. Posted: at 30-01-2016 10:32 PM (6 years ago) | Newbie Trueyarn, the conversion is not an issue. The real deal is how much the person with $2400 in Switzerland will spend with change.Compare this environment with Nigeria and the Government's attempt to advance N5000 to applicants and you will agree that just getting to the collection point will erase the money from one's pocket.That is the real issue here. The Naira performs badly inside Nigeria. If that changes, our hope will have been rewarded. Reply osarobo62 at 30-01-2016 10:58 PM (6 years ago) (m) that country is loaded with stolen wealth in numbered accounts Posted: at 30-01-2016 10:58 PM (6 years ago) | Hero that country is loaded with stolen wealth in numbered accounts Reply theonice at 30-01-2016 11:10 PM (6 years ago) (m) Good country, nice country, if the citizens of Switzerland stop working then let them leave the job for Nigerians, we are willing to take the work force of the country whilst the citizens enjoy the $2400 benefits. QED. Posted: at 30-01-2016 11:10 PM (6 years ago) | Newbie Good country, nice country, if the citizens of Switzerland stop working then let them leave the job for Nigerians, we are willing to take the work force of the country whilst the citizens enjoy the $2400 benefits. QED. Reply scotik at 30-01-2016 11:13 PM (6 years ago) (m) Stolen money from other nation of the world, mostly from Africa, IBB and co, can u see. They have enough now they want to spree the money to the ordinary citizens. Posted: at 30-01-2016 11:13 PM (6 years ago) | Upcoming Stolen money from other nation of the world, mostly from Africa, IBB and co, can u see. They have enough now they want to spree the money to the ordinary citizens. Reply willyking at 31-01-2016 12:47 AM (6 years ago) (m) On ur mat get ready..still waiting 4 them to pass the law Posted: at 31-01-2016 12:47 AM (6 years ago) | Gistmaniac On ur mat get ready..still waiting 4 them to pass the law Reply Section of Mediatek powered Smartphones officially confirmed to be Vulnerable to Attacks News oi -Sayan After initial rounds of rumours, Mediatek has officially confirmed the presence of a bug in their recent generation of chipsets which have put various smartphones at risk. The vulnerability was originally reported by security researcher Justin Case earlier this month. Apparently the vulnerability is caused by the presence of a bug that could possibly allow an attacker to remotely enable root access in the affected device. SEE ALSO: 10 E-Mail Etiquette You should Follow By rooting your device the attacker can access various data including those which are normally protected by the smartphone manufacturer themselves. Chase further mentioned that the attack can easily brick a phone or spy on a user remotely utilizing this vulnerability. Today Mediatek has officially come up with an explanation to this issue, stating that not at all but a indeed a small portion of their user base is under this vulnerability threat. Interestingly the Chinese chipset vendor claims that only device running Android KitKat are under the risk of being a subject to this recently discovered hack. So Mediatek broke basic security features to have this backdoor work. Readonly properties are NOT read only! pic.twitter.com/pEjtMNpo9v Justin Case (@jcase) January 13, 2016 Officials from the company state that the vulnerability originates from a debug feature that come with the chipset for testing telecommunication inter-operability in China. In fact the MediaTek spokesperson's claims that it's a responsibility of the smartphone manufacturer to disable the debug feature before shipping their products. In fact most of their partners disable it before shipping their products. However a few manufacturer didn't disable this feature, thereby resulting in this potential security issue. SEE ALSO: Is your smartphone down with virus? Here is what you need to do While Mediatek weren't ready to divulge further information in this regard, the official from the company stated that they have alerted all the manufacturers about the feature and its possible risk. Best Mobiles in India Pushkar-Gayathris Vikram Vedha showcases that a film can be made in any language or for any audience, can be told with the premise & outcome without deviating and keeping the narrative tight. US, Japan participate in Keen Edge 16 By Senior Airman David Owsianka, 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs / Published January 29, 2016 YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan (AFNS) -- Members from the Japan Self-Defense Forces and United States Forces Japan came together to conduct a joint-bilateral command post exercise Keen Edge 16 at Yokota Air Base, Japan, from Jan. 23-29; this was the 14th command post exercise since 1986. Keen Edge 16's purpose was to facilitate the interactions and to improve interoperability between U.S. military and JSDF personnel during real-world contingencies. The training also ensured that all subsequent exercises will be executed smoothly, allowing meaningful interaction between the participating units and improving the overall combat readiness of the U.S. and JSDF forces. 'This exercise is very important because it brings the U.S. military and JSDF together to train for potential crises,' said Col. Houston Cantwell, the USFJ director of operations. 'The training tests both nations ability to work together in a controlled environment giving both sides a better understanding of their combined capabilities.' The training focused on bilateral coordination, force protection, host nation support, ballistic missile defense and non-combatant evacuation operations. It has historically been part of an annual exercise series that alternates between field training exercises (Keen Sword) and command post exercises. During KE16, various Japanese and U.S. headquarter staff employed computer simulations to practice and refine the steps they would take in the event of a crisis or contingency. 'We have to smooth U.S. and Japan bilateral operations to better defend Japan and work together in concert during various emergencies,' said Capt. Satoru Onishi, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force 3rd Operations Division operations department director. 'This training will be useful for us to successfully work together if we face these challenges in future contingencies.' Command post exercises are a cost-effective way of providing military participants with realistic and unobtrusive training by simulating a crisis. Participants used a computer-based system, called the Joint Theater Level Simulation system, to direct and respond to exercise events. This system provided a realistic, though simulated, environment from which commanders and staff improved their skills by anticipating and reacting in real-time to the events generated by the simulation. Exercises such as Keen Edge provide an indispensable command post training environment for enhancing mutual understanding of each country's tactics, communication protocols, procedures and general interoperability. 'We are excited to be part of this exercise with Japan, because we depend on the Japanese for bilateral and host nation support,' Cantwell said. 'I hope that this will continue to help us form better relationships between both countries as we demonstrate that we are both committed to this alliance.' The U.S. military frequently trains in joint and bilateral environments to enhance operations proficiency, contingency response, and help ensure peace and security throughout the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address OIR Spokesman: Coalition Applies Consistent Pressure on ISIL By Cheryl Pellerin DoD News, Defense Media Activity WASHINGTON, January 29, 2016 Over the past week the coalition has kept pressure on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant across the depth and breadth of the battlefield, Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren said today. During a video briefing live from Baghdad, Warren told the Pentagon press corps here that the coalition's fundamental concept is to provide simultaneous pressure on ISIL. "Keep pressure on this enemy, all the time, everywhere," he said, "because that forces them to have to make very difficult decisions." This week on the battlefield, coalition airstrikes over Iraq and Syria targeted mainly Mosul, Ramadi in the Anbar corridor and the Raqqa area. Isolate Through Fires "Our focus on Raqqa really is to isolate through fires," Warren said. "We're trying to isolate them to make their lives harder, to make it more difficult for them to move things in and out of the city, and we're trying to degrade them, chip away at their strength and their combat power." Friendly forces are maneuvering around Raqqa near the Tishreen Dam to the west and Hawl to the east, he added. "As [ISIL] sees the forces maneuver," Warren said, "the enemy has to then try to predict what's going to happen next and act accordingly, and by doing that he exposes himself to our airstrikes." In Iraq On the ground this week in Iraq, operations have focused on clearing ISIL stragglers in Ramadi, improving defensive positions in Sinjar and patrolling in Beiji, he added. In Syria, fighting along the Mara Line in the country's northwest continues to be contested as both forces conducted limited offensive operations. Friendly forces holding the Tishreen Dam near Aleppo improved their defensive positions. In a training update, Warren said the 72nd Iraqi Army Brigade has finished training in Besmaya, Iraq. "That training is led by the Spanish and the Portuguese contingents," he said, adding that the training was extended by about six weeks to include a new focus on obstacle breaching. Training Iraqis The standard training, he said, is eight weeks long, with extra time possible for commando school, sniper school, some medic training, and other mission-specific areas. Warren said coalition teams have so far trained about 20,000 Iraqi security forces -- including police and Sunni tribal fighters. "What we're doing now is building the force that will go to Mosul eventually," he added, noting that about 10 brigades must be built and trained. "We believe that all the forces we've already trained and run through Ramadi, for example, are certainly capable of moving to Mosul. But we [decided to] run them through another cycle of training. Are they trained? Yes. Could they go to Mosul now? Yes. But we would prefer to give them additional training before they go," Warren told reporters. Tidal Wave II In other coalition activity, Warren said operation Tidal Wave II continues to target ISIL's illicit oil infrastructure in Iraq and Syria. Several coalition airstrikes recently targeted gas and other separation points in the region between Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa, he added. "Our operations to strike at other elements of ISIL's financial system [also continue]," Warren said, "the most notable [being] our strikes against banks where we destroyed piles of Daesh cash." Daesh is another term for ISIL. On Russian airstrikes in northwest Syria, Warren said they have helped strengthen Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, particularly in the Aleppo region where the airstrikes have been most intense. "Those airstrikes have benefited the Assad regime and have allowed [Assad] to push back moderate Syrian opposition forces," he said, "and in some cases ISIL." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Leaders From 18 Nations, Southcom Meet To Discuss Caribbean Security By Michael Wimbish, U.S. Southern Command DoD News, Defense Media Activity KINGSTON, Jamaica, January 29, 2016 Drawn by an interest in addressing regional threats of mutual concern, delegations from 18 nations including the United States met in Kingston, Jamaica, Jan. 26-29, for talks on security cooperation capacity building in the Caribbean. More than 100 leaders and experts in defense, government, law enforcement and emergency management took part in the 14th Caribbean Nations Security Conference, or CANSEC XIV, where they examined known challenges to regional stability and discussed the policies, strategies, initiatives, mechanisms and capabilities that support regional collaboration and shared security goals. The annual conference was co-hosted by Chief of Staff of the Jamaica Defense Force Maj. Gen. Antony Bertram Anderson, and U.S. Navy Adm. Kurt Tidd, commander of U.S. Southern Command. "Much of the work we do nowadays is within a multiagency, multinational context, rather than the traditional military operation, even though those traditional partnerships remain essential," Anderson said during remarks at the opening ceremony. "This current paradigm allows us to approach the business of securing our countries in innovative ways. When we get these partnerships right, we will achieve a synergy in security that will allow collective efforts to be far more effective than if we attempted to go it alone." Tidd told attendees he was eager to hear their perspectives and ideas on ways to improve collaboration. "From what I know and from what I have learned over these past few weeks, I see tremendous opportunities for improving information sharing between our countries and leveraging already established mechanisms. Let me know what obstacles remain, what still needs to be done, and what Southcom can do to help," he said during his opening ceremony remarks. Caribbean Security U.S. and Caribbean leaders provided updates on the Caribbean Community Crime and Security Strategy and the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative. "Between 2010 and 2015, we provided over $387 million under CBSI [for] law enforcement programs to address the threats, complemented by longer-term, rule-of-law programs, economic development activities, and military capability programs," said Matthew Mullins-Hall, a foreign affairs officer with the U.S. State Department. Mullins-Hall called the State Department-funded Technical Assistance Field Team, one of the most successful programs assisting the region under CBSI. Based at Southcom, the 15-member team is comprised of engineers, electricians, technicians, communications specialists and logisticians from the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Army. The team assists the region's naval and maritime security forces with improving maintenance, supply and logistics capabilities critical to ensuring the sustainment and availability of maritime patrol fleets for counter illicit trafficking operations. "They're actually here in Jamaica this week helping the Jamaica Defense Force launch their SAFE [patrol] boats," he added, referring to boats recently donated to Jamaica by the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement. Day Two The second day of CANSEC XIV began with discussions on cooperative efforts to counter transnational organized crime in the Caribbean and improve information sharing. "A common understanding of data and the practical aspects of how [information] must be shared needs to be worked out now. It cannot wait until the next piece of critical information is received. It cannot wait until the problem becomes more complex or dynamic We must understand the connecting points before we can begin to use them," said Robert Post, a Southcom analyst. Delegates visited the Caribbean Military Maritime Training Center and the Caribbean Military Aviation School, where faculty members acquainted the guests with how their institutions support training and operations for Jamaica and other Caribbean nations. "We've been working for a while, specifically with Canada, in developing this capability," Anderson said. "Because of our relatively small size it may be useful for some of the partner nations from the Caribbean to look at what we're doing." The final day of CANSEC XIV included a briefing by the Inter-American Defense Board and updates on the 12th Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas, a meeting of Western Hemisphere defense ministers to be hosted in October by Trinidad and Tobago. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Islamic State Caliphate Crunched by US-Backed Forces by Jeff Seldin January 29, 2016 The borders of the Islamic State's self-declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria are steadily eroding, but it will likely be months before U.S. and coalition-backed forces are ready to take on the terror group's strongholds in Mosul or Raqqa. New estimates from U.S.-led Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) show Islamic State (IS) fighters have lost 40 percent of the territory they once held in Iraq and five percent of the territory they once held in Syria. "We've seen small dust-ups in both the Euphrates and Tigris River valleys but no significant tactical action," OIR spokesman Col. Steve Warren told Pentagon reporters from Baghdad regarding IS activity in Iraq. Warren said in Syria, IS fighters were carrying out limited offensive operations along the so-called Mara line in the country's northwest, making some small gains against regime forces in Aleppo. The U.S.-led coalition has also been pressuring IS from the air, focusing the majority of its airstrikes in and around Ramadi and Mosul in Iraq and around the terror group's de facto capital of Raqqa in Syria. Waiting for Mosul Since Iraqi forces retook Ramadi from Islamic State fighters last month, there have been growing expectations that Mosul would be next, with Kurdish Peshmerga fighters moving on the city from the north while Iraqi forces attacked from the south. Yet despite the progress, Col. Warren cautioned a move on Mosul is not imminent. "Nobody's ready to really slap the table yet and say, 'This is it. We're moving out,'" he said. "This is going to be many months before we're going to see actual operations for Mosul begin." The Pentagon estimates it will need 10 brigades with 2,000 to 3,000 soldiers each to retake Mosul from Islamic State. Two of the brigades are likely to be Kurdish Peshmerga and some will come from the force used to recapture Ramadi. But the others need to be built from scratch, with soldiers going through an average of eight weeks of training before they would be ready for combat. Another factor behind the wait to retake Mosul: U.S. military officials have recommended that the brigades that helped retake Ramadi go through another cycle of training before taking part in what is expected to be a bigger and more complex battle. In the meantime, U.S. officials say they are ramping up efforts to degrade Islamic State's capabilities by continuing to target the terror group's oil facilities, its cash reserves and also key officials, especially in and around Raqqa. Slow approach to Raqqa Col. Warren said U.S. and coalition-backed forces have also slowly been moving on Raqqa, taking key points to the west and east of the city, forcing Islamic State fighters to expose themselves to airstrikes. "It's a process right now of isolation and degradation," Warren said. "It is certainly feasible that Raqqa can be pressured or even assaulted in the next year." But Warren cautioned a lot still depends on the ability to build relationships with anti-Islamic State forces on the ground. "We have to see how rapidly we can develop some of these partner forces, some of these moderate Syrian opposition forces.' Pentagon officials say the U.S. currently has 3,700 troops in Iraq as part of the ongoing train, advise and assist mission. U.S. special forces, including a specialized expeditionary targeting force, are also on the ground in Iraq and Syria, helping to gather intelligence and to target high ranking Islamic State leaders. U.S. President Barack Obama recently instructed his national security team to intensify efforts to destroy Islamic Sate cells no matter where they are. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Obama Ramps Up Strategy in Fight Against Islamic State by Mary Alice Salinas January 29, 2016 President Barack Obama met with his defense chief at the White House on Friday as the White House ramps up its strategy to defeat Islamic State and the group's attempts to expand beyond Iraq and Syria into Libya. The president met with Secretary of Defense Ash Carter after directing his security team to "intensify those elements of our strategy that are showing progress," said spokesman Josh Earnest. That includes the use of U.S. special expeditionary forces to carry out raids, free hostages, capture IS leaders and gather intelligence. "We need to accelerate the defeat of ISIL [Islamic State]," said Carter during an interview with National Public Radio (NPR) on Friday. The Pentagon has said IS fighters have moved into Libya to train and recruit fighters and warned they may be plotting to capture large swaths of territory, as they did in Syria and Iraq. The U.S. has sent some of its forces into Libya to assess what is happening on the ground and is open to sending more personnel. During the NPR interview, Carter said Obama is willing to consider proposals to do more to combat Islamic State. "He has granted every proposal we've asked him," said Carter. "And do I expect more in the future? Yes. We're looking for opportunities to do more." Earnest said the White House had no announcement to make on Friday regarding the possible deployment of additional expeditionary forces into Iraq, Syria or Libya. However, he added, the White House is "mindful" of the Islamic State strategy to establish a foothold in areas where there is chaos, such as in Libya. There is much "turmoil and violence," and Libya is "struggling to put together a central government," said the White House spokesman. The U.S. supports a U.N.-backed plan to build a united Libyan government. But power struggles and regional rivalries are threatening the effort. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian Peace Talks Start Without Opposition Representatives by Luis Ramirez January 29, 2016 U.N. officials in Geneva went ahead with peace talks Friday on ending the war in Syria, despite a boycott by the main Syrian opposition group. The talks started with a meeting at the U.N. offices in Geneva between U.N. Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura and a Syrian government delegation headed by the Syrian ambassador to the U.N., Bashar Jaafari. After the meeting, de Mistura told reporters he hoped to meet with representatives of the opposition group, the High Negotiations Committee, on Sunday. 'I have good reasons to believe that they are actually considering this very seriously, and therefore to be in a position on probably Sunday, to actually start the discussion with them, in order to be able to proceed with the intra-Syrian talks,' de Mistura said. The group, which has been meeting in Riyadh, said it would send a small team of representatives to Geneva late Saturday to talk with U.N. officials, but "not to negotiate." The HNC had earlier said it would not join the negotiations after its demands were not met for an end to airstrikes on civilians by the Syrian government and Russia and a lifting of the sieges in areas they control. On Friday, the group said it decided to send a delegation after receiving "assurances." A spokesperson gave no details of what those assurances were. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement, 'The United States welcomes the important decision by the High Negotiations Committee of the Syrian opposition to attend negotiations hosted by the United Nations in Geneva.' The talks are the first attempt at peace since negotiations collapsed in 2014. Difficult process The civil war in Syria has dragged for nearly five years, killed a quarter-million people and displaced millions more. The conflict has also seen the birth of the Islamic State militant group and triggered a massive wave of refugees to Western Europe. The battles in Syria have intensified since September, when Russia began airstrikes in support of President Bashar al-Assad, countering the efforts of opposition groups supported by the United States, some members of the European Union, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. The complicated backdrop makes the peace process especially difficult. With Russian support, Assad's forces have made significant gains. Analysts say the government has little incentive to negotiate with an opposition that is weak and fractured. Even with the opposition joining the talks, analysts are pessimistic. Nadim Shehadi, director of the Fares Center at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Boston, sees little chance of success. "We are pressuring the opposition to prove that they are united, coherent, that they have a strong leadership and that they have a vision and a policy and a certain consensus on what the future will be, and I don't think they do,' he said. 'I don't think they will in the near future, and I don't think they can." The talks had been set to begin on January 25, but discussions about who should represent the opposition delayed them to Friday. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran Sending Afghan Refugees to Fight in Syria by Noor Zahid, Mehdi Jedinia January 29, 2016 Iran has sent thousands of undocumented Shi'ite Afghan refugees to Syria to fight alongside forces of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard forces in support of the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, sources in Iran and Afghanistan told VOA. Thousands of Afghans from Iran are in the "Fatemiyon Brigade," the second largest group of foreigners fighting for Assad in Syria. Western media estimate their numbers at between 10,000 and 12,000. Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported on Friday that some Afghans are sent against their will. Iran has said Afghans are going to Syria voluntarily. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is also fighting for Assad in Syria, recruits Afghans with promises of Iranian citizenship and improved living standards for their families. "Iran has not just offered Afghan refugees and migrants incentives to fight in Syria, but several said they were threatened with deportation back to Afghanistan unless they did [complied]," Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. Afghan fighters are paid between $400 and $600 per month, said Phillip Smyth a researcher at the University of Maryland and author of the blog 'Hezbollah Cavalcade.' Some Afghans are pulled from prisons to go fight in the battlefields of Syria, Smyth said. "In other cases, undocumented Afghan [Shi'ite] refugees are threatened with jail time if they don't serve," he said. Roughly three million Afghans live in Iran. Most settled there after fleeing war and conflict in their homeland. Many Afghans in Iran lack basic rights and live without a formal status. About 950,000 are classified as refugees. Afghans in Iran sent to Syria come mainly from Qum and Mashhad centers for a majority of the Afghan diaspora. Iranian sources told VOA that Afghans are being sent to the Syrian frontlines to defend the Zeinab Shrine, a holy site for Shi'ite Muslims. Syrian rebel commanders say they face Afghan fighters throughout the country. "Their presence has been stronger than ever," said Islam Alloush, spokesman for the Army of Islam, the main opposition force in eastern Damascus. "But they are mainly based in Aleppo," he told VOA. "They have units around Damascus. The regime relies on them because it is running out of manpower." The commander of Iran's Quds Force, Major General Qassem Soleimani, has paid visits to the Afghan brigade in Syria, according to Iranian media reports, and took pictures with some of its members. The Afghan units have been trained in Lebanon-based camps run by Hezbollah and fight alongside the Lebanese militant group in Syria, researcher Smyth said. Most of them reportedly receive anywhere from 10 days to one month of preliminary training in Mashhad and in southern outskirts of Tehran prior to their deployment to Syria, Iranian sources told VOA. Reports indicate that Afghan casualties in Syria are mounting as Iranian-backed fighters have become a major ground force for the Assad regime. Ali Alfoneh, a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies who tracks Syrian war casualties, told VOA that more than 200 Afghan fighters have been killed in Syria since September 2012. "They are lured in to sacrifice their lives for a few hundred dollars," Mujtaba Jalali, an Iranian-born Afghan photographer from Mashhad who covered the public funerals of Afghan fighters, told VOA. The families of Afghans who serve in Syria receive benefits in Iran. "This is a very good gateway for some Afghan refugees to put their step into a new life if they come back alive," a Tehran-based Afghan who lost his brother in the Syria fighting told VOA on the condition of anonymity. "In our case, my brother sacrificed himself for his family," he said. "My mother can now receive medicine for her ill heart and the rest of family gained Iranian valid documentation." Iran's Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs offers financial help, spiritual support, and medical expenses for the families of Afghan casualties. But Human Rights Watch said in its report on Friday that compensation is arbitrary. The Afghan government says it is investigating reports of Afghans fighting in Syria. Qayyum Sajjadi, a Shi'ite parliament member in Afghanistan, says the harsh socioeconomic circumstances that Afghan refugees face in Iran force them to participate in regional conflicts. "These youths in Iran are sent to Syria where they either die or get captured by opposition groups," Jamaluddin Sayyar, head of the provincial council in Afghanistan's Kunar province, told Radio Liberty. Human Rights Watch said that Iran must stop using Afghans to fight in Syria. "Iran should be offering greater protection to Afghan refugees, not coercively recruiting them to fight for Assad," HRW's Bouckaert said in a statement. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close BLACKSBURG Virginia State Police set up a mobile command center Friday near the Blacksburg apartment where 13-year-old Nicole Madison Lovell was last seen three days ago, but no new information was released as the search intensifies. The case is made especially urgent because Lovell requires prescription medication daily for a previous liver transplant, members of her family have said. After three days without medicine, her family said doctors have told them, she may be at risk of liver failure. If shes not found by Saturday, that will be day four. Lovells uncle, Fred Hawks, said Thursday that it appears the teen left home on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning on her own accord, pushing a dresser in front of her bedroom door and then climbing out a first-floor window. Hawks added that Lovell has never done anything like that before, and there hadnt been an argument or some other reason she would run away from home. Blacksburg Police Department spokesman Lt. Mike Albert said investigators are following every lead and havent yet determined if this is a runaway situation. Local, state and federal officers are aiding in the search. Lovell was active on social media, participating in several teen dating Facebook groups. Her last post was Tuesday morning. Hawks said it appears his nieces phone has been turned off ever since she went missing. Hawks said his niece attends Blacksburg Middle School and Auburn Baptist Church. He said she has one of those personalities where everybody who meets her just loves her. Montgomery County schools spokeswoman Brenda Drake said the school is offering Blacksburg Middle students and teachers additional counseling support as the search continues. Lovell is said to have brown hair and blue eyes is wearing black jeans, a gray-striped shirt and brown and pink boots. Computer software developer and vendor AvePoint has opened an office in Richmond and plans to hire 100 people here over the next three years. The New Jersey-based company has moved into office space in the Riverfront Plaza building in downtown Richmond and already has hired 10 people, said Brian Brown, AvePoint's global general counsel and a long-time Richmond-area resident who is managing the company's new Richmond office. "We have got interviews lined up for another 20 people so far," Brown said. "We are definitely looking for good quality candidates." Richmond will serve as a sales operations center for the company, which develops, sells, and supports software that provides governance, compliance and management solutions for its customers, about 14,000 businesses and organizations. The company is looking for candidates for sales jobs ranging from entry level to highly experienced, he said. In addition to the new local hires "there will be a lot of interaction with our other offices globally," Brown said. "So we anticipate bringing in a lot of people from Europe, China, Japan, Singapore and Australia who will rotate in to work with the 100 people here." Founded in 2001, the privately-held company has about 2,000 employees working at 29 offices in 15 countries. Avepoint also plans to expand its office in Arlington County, creating 55 new jobs. The company plans to spend $1.5 million to establish the office in Richmond. It is currently occupying 10,000 square feet but expects to expand, Brown said. The Richmond area successfully competed against Newark, N.J., Philadelphia and Atlanta to win the company's expansion project, according to a statement from the Greater Richmond Partnership, a regional economic development group that recruited the company. Tom Lin, AvePoint's corporate vice president of North America sales, said in a statement that AvePoint has long considered expanding in Virginia and specifically in Richmond and Arlington. "The highly specialized work force, temperate weather, booming culture, ever expanding and exceptional food and craft brewery scenes, pro-business economy and abundance of Southern charm and hospitality made it a clear choice for AvePoint," Lin said in a statement. The Greater Richmond Partnership said it received a call from Brown in September expressing interest in establishing the sales operations center in Richmond. Brown, who has lived in the Richmond area for 17 years, had an office just a few floors above the Partnerships office in Riverfront Plaza. This was the shortest distance we ever had to travel to meet with a prospect, said Barry Matherly, the president and chief executive officer of the Partnership. Smolley is the right choice for SLVWD As environmental scientists, we are writing to support Mark Smolley for one of the open seats on the San Lorenzo Valley Water Board. Mark has extensive professional environmental protection experience that is relevant to SLV Water District projects. He is a Licensed Professional... "...king of the hate left..."-- "As my friend Capper -- the best Wisconsin blogger ever -- says, there will be more. There's always more." - karoli "...the psychiatrically attuned Capper..."-- "This is really great of you! I'm so proud to know someone like you"-- "Capper, a reasonable (and maybe even likeable) Lefty..."-- "capper, the Sidney Freedman of the hate left..."-- "I love capper because, well, what's not to love. But I also hate capper for alerting me to nonsense like this."--- "Capper, you really have a knack for this kind of writing. Really."-- "Crap. I agree with capper. Can Armageddon be far behind?"-- "capper is right. OMG, did I actually say that?"-- Your digital subscription allows you to view any content, comment on any issue and submit your own news to our newsroom. Digital subscriptions do not include home delivery of the Tracy Press. To receive the paper at home, sign up for Premium Membership. VANCOUVER, Jan. 29, 2016 - North American Nickel Inc. (TSX VENTURE:NAN) (OTCBB:WSCRF) (CUSIP: 65704T 108) (the "Company" or "NAN") announces it has granted incentive stock options to certain directors, officers, employees and consultants of the Company. The Company has granted incentive stock options to certain directors, officers, employees and consultants of the Company to purchase up to 6,058,000 common shares in the capital of the Company pursuant to the Company's stock option plan. All of the options are exercisable for a period of five years at an exercise price of $0.21 per share. The grant includes a total of 50,000 options to consultants Mr. Michael Senn, Geologist and Mr. Mark Fields, P.Geo., B.Comm, which relate to and vest upon the Company obtaining a metallic mineral lease. About North American Nickel North American Nickel is a mineral exploration company with 100% owned properties in Maniitsoq, Greenland and Sudbury, Ontario. The Maniitsoq property in Greenland is a Camp scale project comprising 2,985 square km covering numerous high-grade nickel-copper sulphide occurrences associated with norite and other mafic-ultramafic intrusions of the Greenland Norite Belt (GNB). The >75km-long belt is situated along, and near, the southwest coast of Greenland accessible from the existing Seqi deep water port (See NAN News Release dated January 19, 2015) with an all year round shipping season and abundant hydro-electric potential. The Post Creek/Halcyon property in Sudbury is strategically located adjacent to the past producing Podolsky copper-nickel-platinum group metal deposit of KGHM International Ltd. The property lies along the extension of the Whistle Offset dyke structure. Such geological structures host major Ni-Cu-PGM deposits and producing mines within the Sudbury Camp. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mark Fedikow, President, North American Nickel Inc. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Sydney, Australia (ABN Newswire) - KBL Mining Ltd. (ASX:KBL) announce the Quarterly Activities Report for the period ending December 2015.Key Points:Mineral Hill - Transformed to Gold and Silver Producer- The Carbon In Leach (CIL) circuit accepted its first ore in late November, treating 21,773 tonnes by the end of the quarter, consisting of sulphide tails and oxide ore from Pearse open pit.- Currently high grade sulphide ore from the Pearse open pit is being processed through the flotation circuits with average gold recoveries improving over the quarter peaking in December at an average of 53%. CIL recoveries are currently adding up to 11% with optimisation works ongoing, giving total overall recoveries around 65%.- A total of 361,581 BCM has been excavated from the Pearse open pit for the December Quarter with a total of 918,609 BCM mined in total from Pearse pit to the end of December, with more than 80% of the life of the mine now removed.- Pearse open pit produced and delivered over 60,000 tonnes of ore to the plant and stockpiles. The open pit ore has averaged 6.68 g/t Au and 40.44 g/t Ag, which is above expectations.- Commissioning of the CIL gold plant, site laboratory and gold room were all completed during the quarter, with first gold dore delivered in January 2016.- C1 unit cost of production for the quarter is $1,106/oz Au (including Ag credits).Securing the Future- Within the Southern Ore Zone (SOZ) underground development of the main and west G Lode lenses has availed potential stoping of +50,000 tonnes between two levels, at 1025 and 1060 mRL. Extension of these development levels will provide access for stoping of the main H Lode lens, and further increase level tonnages.- The SOZ decline, now at 300 metres below surface, is on course to develop the next two levels of the SOZ (a further 50m in depth) to access the richer defined resource of both the G and H Lode mineralisation.- Additional infill and extension drilling at the Pearse North deposit commenced late in the quarter with initial drilling indicating higher than currently modelled gold and silver grades which will significantly lift the current resource estimate.Sorby Hills ProjectKBL's immediate priority has been establishing sustainable gold production at Mineral Hill, which is now well underway. Once CIL performance has stabilised the Company will readdress the Sorby Hills feasibility study.MANAGING DIRECTOR'S OVERVIEWThis December quarter was a milestone for the Company with the completion of the CIL plant and flotation circuit. The completion of the CIL plant resulted in the first dore bar of gold sold in early January.The transition of the Company to solely being a gold and silver producer also occurred in the quarter with the gold production of 5,124 ozs being greater than the total gold production in the previous three quarters. Gold production is expected to continue to grow in the coming quarters.While the resources of Mineral Hill together with the Mineral Hill infrastructure point to a great long term potential of the projects, and profitable ongoing production, the over budget cost and delay in commissioning of the plant has put significant pressure on short term cash flow. We are working with our suppliers and service providers to resolve this issue.During the quarter the Company acquired a new filter press which is currently being refurbished and is due to be operational for the start of March. With the new filter we will be able to increase throughput by over 75% in the flotation circuit and 50% through the CIL circuit. This results in a very profitable operation with a C1 cost below $600/oz. The cash generated from the Pearse orebody will enable the Company to return to executing long term plans of mining the Mineral Hill orebodies from surface and underground over the next 10+ years.During the quarter, KBL consolidated open pit mining operations, having now fully developed both stages of the higher grade Pearse open cut gold and silver reserves, establishing considerably lower cost production for the next 6-8 months prior to returning to the SOZ underground. Processing of the transitional and fresh sulphide ore through the reconfigured flotation circuits was successfully brought through a brief commissioning period into continued production during the quarter. A balance of throughput and metal recovery has continued to be optimised with throughputs up to 30 tonnes per hour being realised, and with average recoveries for gold and silver up to 53.2% and 50.0% respectively sustained during December.Commissioning of the CIL circuit was commenced during the quarter with testing and loading of the CIL circuit, with the first gold pours successfully realised in early January 2016. Completion of the zinc thickener, concentrate rotary kiln dryer, refurbishment of the fine ore bins and commissioning of the CIL circuit, site lab and gold room were concluded over the December Quarter platforming mill processing capabilities for future gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc production from the Mineral Hill deposits.Following the transition from underground to open pit, underground development of the SOZ decline, and the G and H Lodes on the 1060 mRL and 1025 mRL levels were further progressed during the quarter such that the full extent of the G Lode Main and G Lode West lenses on these levels are both developed. Preliminary resource estimation for G Lode lenses between the 1060 and 1025 levels suggests +85,000 tonnes of G Lode material has been accessed with these two levels with further development now on the verge of entering the adjacent H Lode zone of mineralisation. Three underground diamond drilling locations have also been developed ready for the purposes of infill and exploration drilling of a number of different SOZ lodes (primarily for the purposes of targeting A and G/H Lodes).Ore production from Pearse for the quarter totalled 62,407 tonnes of ore grading 7.05 g/t Au and 40 g/t Ag delivered to the run of mine stockpile (ROM). Ore production tonnes and grades to date continue to exceed KBL's mine models and plans. The development of both stages of the Pearse open pit over the December quarter platforms lower required waste volumes over the coming two quarters with access to remaining in-situ reserves of near to 200,000 tonnes.Through October, steady mining of the stage one Pearse pit down to the 1290 mRL and the stage two Pearse pit reached the 1305 mRL bench. Ore grades continued to outperform the resource model averaging 6.63 g/t Au for the month of October. However, the processing team battled with mill throughput and poorer than expected recoveries during this time. A number of issues were identified and new methodologies were adapted to improve recoveries and establish a steady state mill throughput going into November.Mining of the stage one Pearse pit progressed well through November with the completion of the 1285 bench. The mining of the stage two Pearse pit advanced down to the 1295 bench. Ore grades averaged 6.23 g/t Au for the month of November. During November the float circuit was undergoing further optimisation, improving recoveries at reduced mill throughput. The Pearse flotation tailings were stored separately in the purpose built tailings compartment up until mid-November, with the first flotation tailings passed to the CIL circuit on 18 November, with CIL loading since then on.December saw mining down to the 1275 mRL in the stage one and down to the 1285 mRL in stage two of the Pearse open pit. Ore grades averaged 7.72 g/t Au for the month, well above expected grades for the month.A consistent mined feed of high grade sulphide ore assisted in the production of near to forecast shipment quantities of gold and silver concentrate for the December quarter. A total of 8,990 tonnes of Pearse oxide ore slightly below 2 g/t Au was fed to supplement to the float tails feed to the CIL circuit as part of the startup phase during December. Electrowinning and gold room functions were commenced in the latter half of December, with the first gold pours of CIL gold/silver Dore conducted from early January 2016 on.Mineral Hill ExplorationOverviewWith the CIL plant approaching operation, exploration activities during the quarter focussed on the evaluation of near-surface oxide-sulphide gold targets. A total of four drill holes were completed for 275.3 metres comprising two scoping holes at Mt Marshall and two infill holes at Pearse North.Mt MarshallThe Mt Marshall gold prospect is a quartz vein stockwork occurring at the junction of the Eastern and Western ore zones (EOZ; WOZ) which were historically mined in the Eastern Pit. Mineralisation is primarily associated with steeply north dipping (to sub-vertical) east-west trending quartz veins and in consideration of the predominant east-west directed historical drilling, two short diamond (KMHDD028 & KMHDD029) holes for a total of 80m were drilled towards the south and southeast to test continuity of grade within the interpreted mineralised corridor (Figure 1).Significant intersections included:- 1m at 1.67g/t Au from 29m (KMHDD028)The target is currently the subject of geological review and may form part of the resumed drilling program in 2016.Pearse NorthThe Pearse North deposit, located just 200 metres northwest of the operating Pearse open cut gold mine, comprises shear-hosted epithermal gold-silver mineralisation of the same style as Pearse. The deposit has an Inferred Mineral Resource of 203kt @ 2.1g/t Au and 21.1g/t Ag The current drilling program of three diamond and 13 RC holes is designed to provide improved geological understanding and an increased data density to inform a revised Mineral Resource estimate in 2016.Two diamond drill holes (KMHDD030 & KMHDD031) were completed in the December quarter for 195.3 metres and final results are expected by early February. Visual indications of mineralisation (especially in KMHDD030; Figure 2 in link below) were significant with strong foliation and shearing evident from about 6 meters depth in the oxide zone, continuing through the zone of transitional weathering, to fresh pyritic (+arsenopyrite-stibnite) foliated and sheared volcaniclastic rock at approximately 42 meters down-hole. Encouraging sulphide mineralisation was observed to approximately 53 meters down-hole.SORBY HILLS, WESTERN AUSTRALIA (KBL 75%)Project and ApprovalsThe Sorby Hills Project, located in the East Kimberley Region of Western Australia, is a joint venture between KBL 75% (Manager) and Henan Yuguang Gold & Lead Co., Limited 25% (Yuguang). Yuguang was established in 1957; listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in 2002 (exchange code: (SHA:600531)), and is the biggest electrolyzed lead and silver producer in China.The Project consists of nine shallow high grade deposits within a linear north-south mineralised trend extending over a 10 kilometre strike length. To date, the total Resource of the trend, as defined by KBL stands at 16.5 Mt at 4.7% Pb, 0.7% Zn and 53 g/t Ag, which has the potential to support a multi decade operation.In late 2013, KBL announced a maiden Ore Reserve estimate for the Sorby Hills DE deposit. The Probable Ore Reserve of 2.4 Mt @ 5% lead and 54g/t silver (applying a cut off of 2% lead), underpins the plan for an initial 10 year open cut operation, processing over 400ktpa. In conjunction with the Reserve, a new Mineral Resource estimate for DE Deposit totalled 5.8 Mt @ 3.5% lead, 0.4% zinc and 41g/t silver (applying a cut off of 1% lead). The Mineral Resource is inclusive of the Ore Reserve and consists of both Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources.While the Company is focused on the Mineral Hill mine for short to medium term production the Sorby Hills project is the focus for development of new long life lead-silver production. A recent gap analysis indicated that there are no significant issues for the project to progress to a full feasibility study.KBL expects a range of funding options will be available for its share of the development costs due to the robust project economics, the low risk of development and operating parameters, well developed infrastructure, proximity to port, and strong international demand for the off take. The development task will be assisted by the Company's operating experience and expertise already in place with the Mineral Hill operation and the support of its 25% Joint Venture partner, Yuguang with its large lead, zinc and copper smelting facilities in China.The receipt of environmental approval for the project from the WA Minister for Environment; Heritage in April 2014 has opened the way for the completion of licensing and an accelerated development program.To view all tables and figures, please visit:http://media.abnnewswire.net/media/en/docs/ASX-KBL-750882.pdf KBL Mining Ltd. (ASX:KBL) is an Australian resource Company listed on the ASX with a focus on producing precious and base metals. KBL's main assets include the Mineral Hill copper-gold-silver-lead-zinc mine near Condobolin in New South Wales and Sorby Hills lead-silver-zinc project in Western Australia. The Company has been operating the refurbished processing plant at Mineral Hill since October 2011 to produce copper-gold concentrates and in 2013 commenced producing a separate lead-silver concentrate. Sorby Hills (KBL holds 75% with Henan Yuguang Gold & Lead Co. Ltd (HYG&L) holding 25%) is a large near surface undeveloped silver-lead deposit close to port infrastructure and a short distance from Asian markets. A PFS for stage 1 of the project (400,000tpa open cut ore processed) was released on 6 December 2012 Environmental approvals for stage 1 were granted in 2014. A BFS is in progress to be followed by project financing.Greg Starr, Managing DirectorPh: +61 2 9927 2000 Brisbane, Australia (ABN Newswire) - KGL Resources Ltd. (ASX:KGL) (KGL or the Company) continued to discover new areas of mineralisation at the 100% owned Jervois Copper-Silver-Gold Prospect in the Northern Territory.The board is mindful of the current low commodity prices and has implemented a number of cost cutting activities including a reduction in the size of the board, a reduction in board fees and reducing the size of the workforce to reflect the reduced level of activity.On 29 December 2015, the Company announced a capital raising to raise up to $3 million by way of a two for nine pro rata non-renounceable entitlement offer, fully underwritten by the KGL Chairman, Mr Denis Wood. The funds are for the exploration and development of Jervois as well as corporate overheads, working capital and offer costs.The offer is now closed, 285 shareholders contributed to the entitlement offer with over 30% of these shareholders applying for additional top up shares. This raised a total of $1.72m.The remaining funds will be contributed through the underwriting agreement.Drilling and other exploration activities this year will be highly targeted and cost less than in previous years. During this period of low commodity prices, reduced spending will reduce the need for further capital raising at low prices with the aim of minimising dilution to existing shareholders.At the end of December, prior to the receipt of the $3m from the entitlement offer, the Company had a cash balance of $1,384,641.Jervois Copper-Silver-Gold Project, Northern Territory (KGL 100%)The results of the completed Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) of the Jervois Project were announced early in the quarter, in time to be included in the previous quarterly report.The PFS was based on a total Indicated and Inferred Resource of 30.5 Mt containing 327,000 t copper, 22.6 Moz silver, 143,000 t lead and 47,000 t zinc.Exploration to increase and upgrade the Resource continued into the quarter.A 10-hole drilling program was completed, following up a 3D induced polarisation (3DIP) in the Bellbird region to search for additional zones of mineralisation in a poorly tested yet highly prospective zone along the 12km mineralised strike length at Jervois.Several of the holes discovered new zones of copper mineralisation.Drilling and down hole electro-magnetic surveys were completed at the Rockface prospect.Diamond drill hole KJCD171 intersected an extended length of strongly mineralised core from 253m, deeper than any previous hole drilled at Rockface and well below the current Inferred Resource:- 13m @ 2.14% copper, 12.5 g/t silver, 0.10 g/t gold from 255m- 2m @ 2.83% copper, 10.8 g/t silver and 0.05 g/t gold from 278mThe Rockface trend does not feature in the PFS mine schedule. Rockface appears to improve with depth and has the potential to add a new open pit and underground mine to the Jervois project.At the Killeen prospect, further high grade copper was intersected near the surface:- 2m @ 3.18% copper, 11.8 g/t silver and 0.03 g/t gold from 19m (hole KJC167)At Bellbird East, drilling at hole KJC169 intersected 4m @ 0.51% copper, 1.09% lead, 4.27% zinc and 16.4 g/t silver from 119m.Exploration is planned to resume at the Jervois site in February and will include a detailed gravity survey over the entire exploration license, shallow drilling near the top of the Rockface deposit to better define mineralisation near the surface, deeper drilling targeting the conductors identified in the down-hole electro-magnetic survey at Rockface and some drilling at Green Parrot to twin some of the historical holes with the aim to upgrade the resource.Shallow RC drilling is also planned at a number of new prospects on the exploration license that were generated through the mapping, soil sampling and RAB drilling programmes which were completed in the previous quarter.Yambah prospects, Northern Territory (KGL 100%)Two new base metal prospects were discovered on exploration licences at Yambah. The Yambah project was acquired last year due to the close similarity of the mineralisation style and host rocks to Jervois.Rock chip results produced copper and lead-zinc occurrences extending for over 500m.Further field work is planned to locate additional mineralised trends and to progress the new and previously known prospects to a drill ready status.In view of the continuing success of exploration drilling late in 2015 indicating high grade extensions to known deposits and new areas of mineralisation within the 12km strike length at Jervois, the Company will focus on upgrading and extending Resources. A detailed gravity survey and RC and diamond drilling will commence in February.Baseline monitoring for the Environmental Impact Assessment has also commenced.Negotiation of a mining agreement with the Central Land Council has been progressing and is expected to be completed in the current quarter.To view the full report, please visit:http://media.abnnewswire.net/media/en/docs/ASX-KGL-903805.pdf KGL Resources Ltd. (ASX:KGL) is an Australian mineral exploration company focussed on increasing the high grade Resource at the Jervois Copper-Silver-Gold Project in the Northern Territory and developing it into a multi-metal mine.Mr Simon Milroy, Managing DirectorPhone: 07 3071 9003 FILE - This Wednesday, May 16, 2001 file picture shows French director Jacques Rivette arriving for the screening of his film "Who Knows", in competition at the Film Festival in Cannes, France. French director Jacques Rivette, a secretive pioneer of convention-bashing New Wave film who brought renown to women actors such as Emmanuelle Beart, has died at 87. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File) SHARE By The Associated Press PARIS (AP) French director Jacques Rivette, a secretive pioneer of New Wave film acclaimed for expanding the boundaries of movie making and for creating rich roles for actresses such as Emmanuelle Beart, has died at 87. Known for his often-tousled hair and slight build, he was among the last survivors from a generation of directors that included Francois Truffaut who startled filmgoers and revitalized filmmaking in the 1950s and '60s. French President Francois Hollande, in a statement Friday announcing Rivette's death, hailed him as "a cineaste of the woman." Serge Toubiana of the Cinematheque museum in Paris described Rivette's "sense of conspiracy, sense of secrecy" and the "magnificent place" he provided to women characters. Among them were roles in an early film "La Religieuse" (The Nun), censored when it first came out in 1966; the award-winning, nearly-four-hour "La Belle Noiseuse" (The Beautiful Troublemaker) with Beart in 1991; and a 1994 version of the Joan of Arc tale called "Jeanne la Pucelle" starring Sandrine Bonnaire. He was known for working without scripts, for telling stories within stories and for disregarding rules of commercial cinema, notably with his nearly 13-hour "Out 1," a film all the more legendary because few have seen it in its entirety. "I've never started with the idea of making a film more than two hours long," Rivette told The New York Times in 1991. "But I don't think the true cinemagoer, someone who is not looking at his watch the whole time, minds if a film lasts longer than two or two and a half hours." A native of Rouen, Rivette became fascinated by movies in the 1940s after reading a book by Jean Cocteau about his adaptation of "Beauty and the Beast." ("La Belle et La Bete"). He moved to Paris in his early 20s and regularly attended screenings at the Cinematheque Francaise, becoming part of an impassioned and gifted circle of young movie lovers that included Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard and Claude Chabrol. Many went on to become critics, then filmmakers, influenced by everything from French literature to American gangster movies, their work a dynamic hybrid of intellectualism, romanticism and raw energy. The New Wave ("La Nouvelle Vague") was at the center of a thriving film culture worldwide. Rivette was a private man and not as famous as Truffaut or Godard, but his career as a director predates them with his 1956 short "Le Coup du Berger" ("Fool's Mate") and he was an important influence as a critic. Hired by the revered Andre Bazin for the then-emerging Cahiers du Cinema, he wrote tributes to such American filmmakers as Nicholas Ray and John Ford that nurtured an appreciation in France for Hollywood and in turn inspired Martin Scorsese and other Americans to treat their own country's movies with heightened respect. His last film was 2009's "36 vues du Pic Saint Loup" ("Around a Small Mountain"). "He was the most experimental of the French New Wave directors," Scorsese said in a statement. "Rivette was a fascinating artist, and it's strange to think that he's gone. Because if you came of age when I did, the New Wave still seems new. I suppose it always will." I have found that in almost every conversation regarding any contentious issue, humility is rarely an ingredient. Often, opposing sides are tempted to talk more than they listen, and they tend to make claims that exceed their own areas of expertise. As I write, I have a lot of tabs open in my web browser about radiocarbon dating, inconsistencies between the lead byproduct and helium diffusion of zircon decay, paleontological discoveries of soft tissue in the femur of a Tyrannosaurus Rex that could not survive millions of years, and recent geological discoveries that suggest a vast ocean of water between the upper and lower mantles that makes the biblical account of a global flood plausible. All have been written from both old- and young-earth perspectives. I wanted to write about all the science that informs my conviction that the earth and all of creation is not older than 10,000 years. I have, in fact, presented some of my evidence recently, but I now think scientific evidence for creation is better presented by creation scientists. I would encourage you to look up scientific organizations like the Institute of Creation Research (icr.org) and Answers in Genesis (answersingenesis.org). I love science. I love to read about science. In my free time, I am passionate about biology, astronomy, cosmology, geology and physics. But, I am not a scientist. I am a pastor. My formal training and research is in theology, philosophy and human thinking. This week, I was reminded of how important humility is, and that conviction has disqualified me from presenting a case based on the aforementioned scientific evidence. Instead, I would like to offer a case I am actually qualified to make, beginning with a single, almost universal assumption: people have value. All the world screams about the mistreatment of people. We rightly condemn racism and sexism. We affirm equality and eschew discrimination. We oppose and protest genocide and war. The news is full of one person or group of people committing violence against another person or group of people. We read or watch it and say, "The news is so negative." We evaluate the ubiquitous mistreatment of people as bad. In fact, our society identifies an individual who is not able to respect the "rights of others" as having a psychological disorder. The fifth edition of the Diagnostics and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders defines, in part, Anti-social Personality Disorder as "Lack of concern for feelings, needs, or suffering of others; lack of remorse after hurting or mistreating another." If people don't have objective value, the "lack of concern" described is a sign of clear thinking, not a mental defect. Human value is inconsistent with the old-earth account of our origins. In that view, we are, as Neil deGrasse Tyson has famously said, only stardust. Nothing more. Our mental processes are purely chemical. Our personalities and consciousness are illusions. Our value is arbitrary. There is no good reason for us to continue to exist other than our own arbitrary, biological imperative to do so. But if we all die, so be it. If we are just matter and energy, then we have no greater value than any other matter or energy. If the beginning and end our lives and everything we know is truly the product of chance and time, the logical response is to despair. "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die" (1 Corinthians 15:32b). "All is vanity. What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun?" (Ecclesiastes 1:2b-3). No death, human or otherwise, is logically lamentable. Atheist existential pioneer Friedrich Nietzsche, having lived in a way consistent with his declaration that "God is dead," died in despair, insanity, disease and poverty. Creationism the view that God directly created humans on purpose and with value makes sense of what you intuitively know about the value of life in general and human life in particular. This means that your existence and mine are fraught with objective purpose and meaning far greater than that which are arbitrarily produced by highly-evolved chemical reactions in our brains. You have objective value because you have and objective reason to exist. All of creation, in fact, is sacred, and Earth is worthy of our care and stewardship because it is not just an insignificant curiosity of the cosmos. It was given to us by its creator to care for; the earth and all of the life on it, especially other human lives. It seems there are two philosophical options to choose from. Either humans are an accident and therefore indistinguishable in value from cosmic dust on the moon, or we are created with purpose and value and therefore should be regarded and treated respectfully. We tend not to want to make the former choice. At least, we do not want to live out its logical consequences. I do not presume to claim that evolutionists do not care for the planet, the life on it or other people. Their actions clearly prove otherwise. My claim is that without a creator, there is no objective reason to care at all. Kyle Hooks is the associate pastor at Angelo Bible Church. Contact him at 325-716-4258 or kyle@lookingupfrombelow.com. You can like Looking Up at facebook.com/lookingupfrombelow. El Paso, Texas, Mayor Oscar Leeser, discusses plans for the upcoming Feb. 17 visit by Pope Francis to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, which sits on the border with El Paso, Texas, doing a city meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016, in El Paso, Texas. The Council on Tuesday approved plans to close a portion of a major border highway, several downtown neighborhoods, and city government for the day. Leaders say the pope's visit to Jurez at the end of a five-day tour of Mexico will draw hundreds of thousands to both cities. (AP Photo/Astrid Galvan) SHARE El Paso city Rep. Cortney Carlisle Niland expresses concern over the closure of a low-income neighborhood along the U.S.-Mexico border for the upcoming Feb. 17, 2016, visit of Pope Francis to Juarez, Mexico, during a Council meeting Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016, in El Paso, Texas. The Council on Tuesday approved plans to close a portion of a major border highway, several downtown neighborhoods, and city government for the day. Leaders say the pope's visit to Jurez at the end of a five-day tour of Mexico will draw hundreds of thousands to both cities. (AP Photo/Astrid Galvan) El Paso Police Chief Greg Allen, left, explains the public safety plans for the upcoming visit by Pope Francis to Ciudad Juarez, which sits on the border with El Paso, Texas on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016 in El Paso, Texas. The Council on Tuesday approved plans to close a portion of a major border highway, several downtown neighborhoods, and city government for the day. Leaders say the pope's visit to Jurez at the end of a five-day tour of Mexico will draw hundreds of thousands to both cities. (AP Photo/Astrid Galvan) By The Associated Press EL PASO, Texas Declaring it an "unparalleled high profile event," the El Paso City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a set of plans for Pope Francis' visit to neighboring Ciudad Juarez. Leaders say the pope's visit to Juarez at the end of a five-day tour of Mexico will draw hundreds of thousands to both cities. El Paso's plans include closing a portion of a major border highway, several downtown neighborhoods and city government for the day. The city estimates this will cost nearly $1 million in city services, salaries and equipment. At least two El Paso school districts are also closing the day of the visit, scheduled for Feb. 17. "This is such a positive thing for our community," El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser said. "I'll tell everyone, El Paso is Juarez and Juarez is El Paso." Many El Paso residents work in Juarez and vice versa. Although Pope Francis won't be crossing over to El Paso, the city is prepping for the many who will attempt to hear a Mass held on a large Juarez field next to the international boundary. The Catholic Diocese of El Paso is hosting a live-stream public viewing event at the Sun Bowl, a stadium that holds over 50,000 people. The event will include musical performances and will cost $18 per person. Rep. Cortney Carlisle Niland said she was concerned about the large number of residential streets being shut down. City manager Tommy Gonzalez said the city was doing community outreach, including door-to-door notifications to residents in the areas affected by closures. SHARE By Carmen George FRESNO A new "Support Blue Fresno" campaign aimed at broadening support for local law enforcement the latest project of the nonprofit Fresno Police Chaplaincy began with an unexpected conversation in the home of its executive director, Rodney Lowery. One day his 15-year-old son, a "very articulate, intelligent young man," asked his dad what was going on with "all the police brutality." Lowery asked his son to consider this: In Fresno alone, police come in contact with hundreds and hundreds of people every day. "That's one agency," Lowery told his son. "We've got 900,000 officers that work in our nation. Imagine all the contacts that are going right, where the cop is doing the right thing." They had a good conversation, but his son's question took him by surprise. Lowery had worked as a police officer in Selma and Fresno for 15 years, retiring after he was hit while on duty by a drunken driver. "If a young man in my home could question what's going on nationally, it stands to reason that in the homes where they are neutral or maybe even anti-law enforcement what's going on in that mindset? "Quite honestly, that's what started this Support Blue. The need to say, 'Yes, do we make mistakes? Absolutely. Are there officers who do not need to be in the profession? Absolutely. But let's not forget about the 99 percent who whether you hate them, love them if you call, they will come and risk their life for you." The chaplaincy will lead a number of Support Blue events at which people can show support for local law enforcement. Part of the campaign includes a video at supportbluefresno.com documenting a Fresno officer involved in an officer-involved shooting and a suspect's sister, who saved the officer's life. There were nine officer-involved shootings in Fresno last year. "It's an attempt to just show Fresno, 'Listen, you can't buy everything on social media,'" Lowery says. "There are two voices out here. Take some time to listen to ours and see how this officer was impacted by being involved in a shooting." The chaplaincy, with approximately 55 volunteer chaplains providing a number of support services for police officers and community members, has been an important link in helping officers strengthen relationships with Fresno residents. Founded in 1981 with the intent of meeting the "rising emotional and spiritual needs of the officers" by providing a kind of informal counseling, the chaplaincy has expanded to extend that service to community members experiencing crime-related trauma. Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer says his department receives around 1,200 calls a day for service. Fresno police analysts reported the dispatch center received more than a million 911 and nonemergency calls in 2015 for the first time ever. Many are related to domestic abuse. The chaplaincy has one chaplain devoted to helping with these calls full-time. "Our detectives are handling over 7,000 domestic violence cases a year. There's a whole lot more domestic violence calls that don't make it to their level," Dyer says. The chaplaincy also has programs aimed at helping Fresno youths, including Project STEALTH (Stop Trafficking Exploitation and Liberate Through Hope) and RISE (Resilience in Student Education). RISE chaplains visit around 2,200 first-graders once a week throughout the Fresno Unified School District to help teach children how to overcome challenges in a positive way. Dyer says chaplains are helping create future productive adults by teaching integrity, accountability and making good choices. "Our goal is to be in every elementary school, and Fresno Unified is going to fund that." Dyer proposed a donation of $1,000 per school to help the program at each of the district's 60-plus elementary schools. The chaplaincy is in the process of recruiting more volunteer school chaplains for the program. The head of the program, John Edmondson, spent 34 years as an educator and administrator for Fresno Unified, retiring as its coordinator for state and federal programs. Last week, he made his weekly visit to Pyle Elementary School in central Fresno. He read a book aloud to first-graders about a mouse who didn't lose heart after failing many times to find a way to get to the other side of a seemingly insurmountable wall. After reading, Edmondson opened a class discussion about the mouse. "She failed. Did she get sad?" "No." "Did she get mad?" "No." "What did she do? She kept on going. We call that perseverance. You keep on trying." Dyer says far too many children in Fresno experience emotional, psychological or physical abuse and RISE chaplains help teach kids "how to bounce back." Project STEALTH focuses on helping prevent runaways from becoming victims of human trafficking. There are between 2,700 and 3,000 children who run away from home in the city of Fresno every year, on average, Lowery says, and an estimated 10 to 12 percent are lured into human trafficking. "Here locally, between 200 and 300 young girls are working the streets of Fresno," Lowery says. To prevent more from being exploited, STEALTH chaplains are mentoring around 30 children who ran away from home, meeting with them once a week for an hour or two. "Nine of them who were not enrolled in school are now enrolled in school, caught up on their units and are no longer runaways," Dyer says. "And three of them that were failing last year are now straight-A students. And we've had another couple of teenage boys who, as a result of the efforts of the chaplains, turned away from a gang lifestyle." Chaplains write up many of the initial reports for runaway cases. Lowery likes that chaplains are on the "front lines" in this way. Volunteers spend time with children and families, talking through issues and assessing whether a child might be in danger at home, along with connecting children to services such as the mentoring program. Dyer looks forward to seeing the chaplaincy programs and the services chaplains provide to officers continue to grow. "It's a difficult job," Dyer says of the work of police officers. "So it's important that we take care of them, and our chaplains do a great job of doing that." SHARE By The Kansas City Star (Tns) Elder Donald D. Deshler, of the Seventy, North America Central Area, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Since our nation's founding, the First Amendment of the Constitution has afforded protections for all voices to be heard in the public square. The freedom of conscience and the right to practice diverse religions or none at all and to engage in dialogue and debate in public settings has been a hallmark of our democratic society. Varying religious perspectives and faith traditions have helped weave the strong moral fabric of our country. As new, novel or fringe religious movements emerge, they should be embraced and not shunned as long as their practices do not harm health or safety. Regrettably, religious freedom faces growing challenges from those who view this fundamental right narrowly. Specifically, some argue that religious practices and expressions should be confined to the home or houses of worship, but these practices should not be expressed or exercised publicly. This perspective is inconsistent with the intent of our Founding Fathers. If religious freedom becomes restricted, our culture will be adversely affected because of the crucial role that religion has played and will continue to play in strengthening individuals, families and communities. In short, to ensure the rights of all to practice diverse religions, laws should be framed that achieve a balance of protecting the freedoms of all people while respecting those with differing views. This will lay the foundation of a safe, moral and vibrant democratic culture that enhances the quality of life for all of its citizens and advocates for the dignity of every person. The Rev. Penny Ellwood, Blue Springs campus pastor, United Methodist Church of the Resurrection: It is difficult to answer a question like this with a simple yes or no. On principle, I don't believe that fringe religious groups should be eliminated. Truth be told, Christianity would have been considered a fringe religion or cult in the second century Roman Empire when Christianity began. As Americans, we highly value the opportunity to live in a country founded on the civic principle of religious freedom. This civic principle happens to be rooted in our understanding of the Bible. Part of being "created in the image of God" (Genesis 1:26) means having the freedom to make decisions, even if we make the wrong decisions. In Matthew 19:16-23, a rich young ruler comes to Jesus. After a brief conversation, the young man "went away grieving," choosing not to follow Christ's instruction, and Jesus let him go. God does not "force" belief in him, and we should take care not to force our beliefs on anoth- er. With that said, there are some fringe religious groups that are destructive, and care should be taken to protect helpless victims. Not all groups, even though they appear to incorporate strange beliefs and practices, are necessarily destructive. Religious groups that isolate their members physically and emotionally from the outside world and/or require complete submission and obedience to the laws of a cult leader and not the laws of the state are suspect. When a religious group engages in abusive conduct detrimental to a person's health, safety and welfare, then intervention may be warranted. While we cannot interfere with an individual's religious beliefs, there are times religious conduct and practices should be prohibited. To reach the Voices of Faith columnists, send email to faith@kcstar.com. SHARE Experts give 9 predictions for 1st contest By Andre Tartar And Ben Brody WASHINGTON After months of campaigning, Iowans will finally cast the first votes of the 2016 presidential race Monday. Political junkies and casual observers alike want to know who will win. From poll aggregations and betting markets to Google search data, the predictions are stacking up. And to judge by these numbers, the race is close and seemingly only getting closer as Monday approaches. PREDICTWISE: Trump and Clinton The research project led by David Rothschild, an economist at Microsoft Research in New York City, successfully predicted the winner in 21 of the first 26 primary contests in 2012, including Iowa. This time he has aggregated various prediction markets to come up with a 56 percent chance of Donald Trump winning the caucus. After favoring Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (currently seen with a 38 percent chance) for most of December and early January, the markets flipped back strongly for Trump because, as Rothschild explains, "they're looking at things beyond the polls here: the governor of Iowa strongly pushing against Cruz, the question of how people may vote strategically, this question of where the establishment wants to show its support going into New Hampshire." On the Democratic side, Rothschild sees an even higher 68 percent chance of Hillary Clinton pulling out a win in the end. FIVETHIRTYEIGHT: Trump and Clinton As of Thursday, FiveThirtyEight.com, the news organization run by former New York Times stats guru Nate Silver, gave Trump a 59 percent chance of winning the caucuses with its weighting of state polls. (The site has spent months predicting a blowup by the mogul that hasn't yet materialized.) Cruz came in second with a 32 percent chance. On the Democratic side, the site gave Clinton a 65 percent chance of winning the Democratic caucuses in its weighting of Iowa polls. REALCLEARPOLITICS: Trump and tossup The site, which aggregates polls, had Trump in the lead among Republicans, with support from 33.2 percent of those polled, and 26.7 percent for Cruz. For the Democrats, it had Clinton leading in Iowa by just 1.1 percentage points. GOOGLE TRENDS: Trump and Sanders Looking at Iowans' Google searches, the momentum on the Republican side is clearly behind Trump, who has been the most-searched candidate every day for the past week outside of a few hours Sunday when Marco Rubio, who had just received the Des Moines Register Republican endorsement, grabbed the Internet spotlight. Trump accounted for 46 percent of the searches (others, in descending order, were Cruz, Rubio, Ben Carson and Rand Paul.) The Democratic side of the coin shows Sanders edging out his chief rival this past week, with 52 percent of candidate search interest in Iowa to Clinton's 42 percent. CHARLIE COOK: Cruz (in the end) Political analyst Charlie Cook, of the venerated "Cook Political Report," wrote Jan. 8 that Cruz would consolidate conservatives because of the strength of his organization "which is paramount in trying to get voters out and stick around for two hours on a very cold Monday night." BALLOTCRAFT: Cruz and Sanders This fantasy politics game co-founded by two Stanford grads has thousands of players, according to CEO Dennis Jiang. Players buy shares in candidates using fake money in an attempt to correctly predict debate and election results to eventually win. BallotCraft puts the chances of a Cruz victory in Iowa at 44 percent as of Thursday afternoon (and ahead of Trump with 40 percent), thanks in part to player confidence in his ground game. Players also see a tight race on the Democratic side but give Sanders 51 percent odds to Clinton's 47 percent. POLITICAL INSIDERS: Cruz and Clinton If history is anything to go by, endorsements by sitting and former local lawmakers should count for something, even amid a seeming wave of intense anti-establishment fervor. Ironically, it's Ted Cruz who, despite seemingly having few friends among his own colleagues in the Senate, has received the only official endorsement from a member of Iowa's congressional delegation tea party darling Rep. Steve King. He has also locked up the support of 12 current Iowa state lawmakers, more than any other candidate in the race, by Bloomberg's latest count. Hillary Clinton is an endorsement juggernaut, already outpacing any Democratic nominee since at least 1984 in congressional endorsements, according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis. GOOGLE NEWS: Trump and Clinton With 1,164 stories written about him in Iowa over the past four weeks, Donald Trump remains the master of free media coverage going into the caucuses, according to an analysis by Google News. As for the Democrats, Hawkeye readers (and voters) will have seen nearly more headlines about Clinton (1,157 stories) than about Sanders (989). KEN GOLDSTEIN: Depends on turnout The University of San Francisco professor and Bloomberg Politics contributor said it will depend on how many first-time caucus-going supporters Trump can turn out. "If you think the Iowa caucus electorate is going to be a bit over 120,000 people and have the composition that it typically does, then Cruz will likely win," he said. "If you think that both the size and shape of GOP caucus participants is likely to be larger and different, then Trump will likely win." SHARE By Abilene Reporter-News Officials at Dyess Air Force Base have released the name of an airman who died at his off-base residence early Thursday morning. According to a news release from the base, Tech. Sgt. Jeremy Cross, 36, was pronounced dead at 1 a.m. Thursday. Cross was assigned to the 317th Maintenance Squadron as the noncommissioned officer in charge of analysis. Foremost, I would like to offer my own condolences to the family of Jeremy Cross, said Col. Stephen Hodge, commander of the 317th Airlift Group. The loss of an airman is a tragedy felt by many, and I encourage anyone who knew Jeremy not to hesitate when seeking support. Losing any of our outstanding maintainers is truly a heart-wrenching moment, as each of our airmen is part of a tight-knit community here not only at Dyess, but in Abilene. said Maj. Cleve Rodriguez, commander of the 317th Maintenance Squadron. My leadership team and I are always available to support not only our maintenance team but the Cross family as well to help with this difficult time. No other information, including cause of death, was available, the release said. SHARE A 2011 Lake View High School graduate and San Angelo native, Petty Officer 3rd Class Santos Tobias, is serving in the Navy as part of a crew working aboard the USS Wyoming. By Navy Office Of Community Outreach Petty Officer 3rd Class Santos Tobias is an electrician's mate serving aboard the Kings Bay-based boat, one of 14 Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines. A Navy electrician's mate is responsible for the electrical distribution of a submarine. "I like the amount of responsibility required for maintaining the electrical equipment," said Tobias. Measuring 560 feet long, 42 feet wide and weighing more than 16,500 tons, a nuclear-powered propulsion system helps push the ship through the water at more than 20 knots. The Navy's ballistic missile submarines, often referred to as "boomers," serve as an undetectable launch platform for intercontinental ballistic missiles. They are designed specifically for stealth, extended patrols and the precise delivery of missiles if directed by the president. The Ohio-class design allows the submarines to operate for 15 or more years between major overhauls. On average, the submarines spend 77 days at sea followed by 35 days in port for maintenance. "We demand the highest standards from our sailors both professionally and personally," said Rear Adm. Randy Crites, commander, Submarine Group Ten in Kings Bay, Georgia. "Petty Officer Tobias' chain of command, family and our great nation take immense pride in his devotion and service to his country. The importance of our sailors is immeasurable; people like Santos Tobias are absolutely crucial to ensuring our ships and submarines are operating at their best always mission ready, providing our nation with the greatest Navy the world has ever known. I'm so very proud he is on our team." Tobias is part of the boat's gold crew, one of the two rotating crews, which allow the ship to be deployed on missions more often without taxing one crew too much. A typical crew on this submarine is approximately 150 officers and enlisted Sailors. Because of the stressful environment aboard submarines, personnel are accepted only after rigorous testing and observation. Submariners are some of the most highly trained and skilled people in the Navy. The training is highly technical and each crew has to be able to operate, maintain, and repair every system or piece of equipment on board. Regardless of their specialty, everyone also has to learn how everything on the ship works and how to respond in emergencies to become "qualified in submarines" and earn the right to wear the coveted gold or silver dolphins on their uniform. "Our crew's standards exceed excellence as shown through our performance," Tobias said. Although it is difficult for most people to imagine living on a submarine, challenging submarine living conditions actually build strong fellowship among the crew. The crews are highly motivated, and quickly adapt to changing conditions. It is a busy life of specialized work, watches, and drills. As a member of one of the Navy's most relied upon assets, Tobias and other Wyoming sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes. "The Navy has taught me there is always going to be hard work but if you're able to make it through it's worth it in the end," Tobias added. Graphic Illustration SHARE I was sitting in a deer blind at our ranch near O.H. Ivie Reservoir when I received an email from my son Lance, an attorney in Dallas. Every year one of the partners in his firm sends out to all the attorneys a copy of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" and recommends they read it as a part of observing MLK Day. I sat there in the silence of nature and read these remarkable words again and I urge you to do the same. It is such a beautiful work, full of God's love, courage and true patriotism. Then as MLK Day arrived, I kept reading quotes of his on my Twitter feed and on Facebook. Quote after quote showing the remarkable character of this truly great man. A few examples: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige, and even his life for the welfare of others." "There are some things so dear, some things so precious, some things so eternally true, that they are worth dying for. And I submit to you that if a man has not discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live." "I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. That is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant." "Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." "I have decided to stick to love ... Hate is too great a burden to bear." "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." "There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right." I could not help but read these words and reflect on how they compare to the words of Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and other Republican candidates for president against Muslims, our current president, immigrants, the press and anyone who thinks differently than they do. And much of what they say they claim to say as persons of faith. What strikes me most is the anger being expressed today compared to the way Martin Luther King fought for civil rights with love and civil disobedience. Friends, if you are a Republican, that does not make you my enemy. We may view some things differently, but we are Americans and we must try to solve our problems as a nation working together, not attacking each other. Anger eats you up inside; it causes you to lose perspective; it destroys your soul. As Martin Luther King exhibited for us all, stand for what you believe in, do not stay silent in the presence of evil, but stick to love no matter what the situation. David R. Currie, Ph.D., is chairman of the Tom Green County Democratic Party. Graphic Illustration SHARE It might seem crazy what I'm about to say, as Pharrell Williams sang in the "Happy" song, but I am another happy guy, which is just as irritating in its own way. Sadly, I am a happy but lonely outlier. A poll announced earlier this month confirmed what we already knew that Americans are in a growing state of rage. As a people, we are angrier than wet hens. We are madder than nudists caught outdoors when a cold front arrives. We are more peeved than some of the readers of this column, which is saying a lot, as some appear to live in a constant state of peevedom. Of course, these descriptions are mine informed by my own interactions with the chronically agitated and do not appear in the findings of the poll. It was called the "American Rage Survey" and was a joint project of NBC News, Survey Monkey and Esquire. It is appropriate that Survey Monkey was involved, especially as the subject was Americans going ape. Fortunately, this was an online poll, so the monkeys did not have to go tree to tree with clipboards, which might have upset sloths. Everybody knows that you don't want to upset sloths, as they have many friends in government. The pollsters questioned 3,257 adults in November a few days before Thanksgiving, and some of you are doubtless outraged that you weren't participants. Please don't blame me, I am just the messenger. Ah, to heck with it, blame me anyway if it makes you feel better I'll still be happy. A naive person might suppose that people would be feeling more grateful than usual around Thanksgiving but outrage takes no holiday. The poll found that 49 percent of Americans feel angrier now about current events than they did a year ago. White people were the angriest, 54 percent of them more outraged than last year, compared with Latinos (43 percent) and African-Americans (33 percent). Among political groups, Republicans were angrier than Democrats, proving once more that the GOP stands for Grumpy Old Party. Some 64 percent of Republicans were more irked by current events than they were a year ago, compared with 42 percent for Democrats. This perhaps reflects what might be called the reverse of Obamacare, Obamaconsternation, in which the patient suffers severe political pangs not covered by any insurance. What is wrong with me that I am not mad? I certainly feel the odd man out. I am a white man who until recently was always registered as a Republican before finally overcome by shame (it helped that I moved away and had to re-register to vote). Oh, I sometimes get angry, but overall I have been outrageously happy living in America where the opportunities for political humor are so rife. Although everything is far from swell, I believe in American exceptionalism, the nation's exceptional ability to muddle through every adversity no matter who is in charge. Of course, I was a liberal Republican, which meant that I also had to endure much loneliness. Orphans in the poorhouse on Christmas Eve did not feel so isolated. Will Rogers once said: "I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat." I said: "I am not a member of any sane political party. I am a Republican." Ah, those carefree days of shutting down the government, American rage in action to no effective purpose. Still, while my liberal Republican days lasted, it did feel good to be covered by the Endangered Species Act as if I were a whooping crane. I miss that now as an independent. But it's just as well. Most of us should be unaffiliated. George Washington was right. He warned of factions parties, we call them and we now know they lead to nothing but anger and disappointment. Sometimes I will reply to a disgruntled reader and say: "You know, if my politics made me as bitter and unhappy as yours, I'd get a new sort of politics." To believe that politicians will end up doing what you want them to do is to make a date with severe disappointment. You might as well be a Cincinnati Bengals fan and expect your team to go the Super Bowl. This nation has way too much politics going on way too much of the time. No wonder way too much anger exists. Politics is too often a monkeyshines joke. My fellow Americans, laugh already, don't rage. It may sound crazy but it isn't. Reg Henry is a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist. Contact him at rhenry@post-gazette.com (TNS) -- When presidential candidates turn to data crunchers at Rocket Fuel in Silicon Valley for help finding voters who want tougher immigration enforcement, the firm comes up with a surprisingly specific answer: Chevy truck drivers who like Starbucks.The data modeling from Rocket Fuel shows that this group leans against a path to citizenship for workers in the U.S. illegally. And these particular voters have become surprisingly easy some argue creepily so for campaigns to find and approach. So have consumers of frozen vegetables, who are more likely to oppose abortion. As have people curious about diabetes, a group that tends to settle on a candidate early in the race.Knowing the nuances of each voter beyond whether they lean right or left makes every difference, said JC Medici, the firms national director of politics and advocacy. We can identify what people are persuadable.But as presidential campaigns push into a new frontier of voter targeting, scouring social media accounts, online browsing habits and retail purchasing records of millions of Americans, they have brought a privacy imposition unprecedented in politics. By some estimates, political candidates are collecting more personal information on Americans than even the most aggressive retailers. Questions are emerging about how much risk the new order of digital campaigning is creating for unwitting voters as the vast troves of data accumulated by political operations become increasingly attractive to hackers.The security breach last month at the major voter database controlled by the Democratic National Committee, and another days later involving a large political data firm, have raised concerns about the fitness of candidates to safely manage their data. At the same time, the methods used by independent data brokers that acquire and disseminate private details for political campaigns and scores of other clients are at the center of a yearslong regulatory battle, with the Federal Trade Commission warning Congress that consumers need more protections.Yet the push for more accountability and transparency rules on the accumulation of private data is faltering in Congress, where lawmakers are reluctant to rein in the industry that they increasingly rely on to win elections.This is the Wild West, said Tim Sparapani, a data privacy consultant and former director of public policy for Facebook. There is nothing that is off-limits to political data mining. The fleeting, impulsive nature of campaigns, he said, means they often have far less stringent security procedures than retailers and social media firms, which themselves often fail to adequately protect sensitive information.The mining of such data for politics is not a new phenomenon. Presidential candidates began pioneering the approach more than a decade ago, and it was a key part of Barack Obamas winning strategy in 2008 and 2012. But technological advancements, plunging storage costs and a proliferation of data firms have substantially increased the ability of campaigns to inhale troves of strikingly personal information about voters, spit it into algorithms, and use the results to narrowly customize messaging and outreach to individual households.There is a tremendous amount of data out there, and the question is what types of controls are in place and how secure is it, said Craig Spiezle, executive director of the nonprofit Online Trust Alliance. The groups recent audit of campaign websites for privacy, security and consumer protection gave three-quarters of them failing grades.The campaigns and the data companies are cagey about what particular personal voter details they are trafficking in.One firm, Aristotle, boasts how it helped a senior senator win re-election in 2014 using over 500 demographic and consumer points, which created a unique voter profile of each constituent. Company officials declined an interview request.When investigators in Congress and the FTC looked into the universe of what data brokers make available to their clients be they political, corporate or nonprofit some of the findings were unsettling. One company was selling lists of rape victims; another was offering up the home addresses of police officers.The data companies are required by law to keep the names of individuals separate from the pile of data accumulated about them. Instead, each voter is assigned an online identification number, and when a campaign wants to target a particular group say, drivers of hybrid vehicles or gun owners the computers coordinate a robocall, or a volunteers canvassing list, or a digital advertisement with relevant accounts.Since campaigns are ultimately in the business of finding particular people and getting them to show up to vote, some scholars are dubious their digital targeting efforts offer the same level of anonymity as those of corporations.A retailer doesnt care what person is behind a particular online profile, just that they are buying new sneakers, said Ira Rubinstein, a research fellow at New York University School of Law who specializes in data privacy. This is about targeting very specific people to go out and vote.A detailed paper Rubinstein recently published on voter privacy found that political dossiers may be the largest unregulated assemblage of personal data in contemporary American life.Basic privacy guidelines that apply to other industries dont appear to apply to candidates. Some do not even have clear privacy policies posted on their websites, which would be grounds for a private business to have their site shut down under both federal and California law, according to the Online Trust Alliance.Rules that require companies to notify their customers if there has been a data breach also do not necessarily apply to campaigns, Rubinstein said.Its an unregulated entity whose only goal is to elect a candidate over a short term, then it goes away, he said. They are not circumstances in which security is made a priority.Campaign digital strategists take umbrage. They say their operations are constantly withstanding the attacks of hackers, and that candidates are in no position to be cavalier with all the sensitive information on their servers, as voters would punish them for it.Yet it is also unclear whether many voters are aware how much could be on those servers. Among the regulations the Federal Trade Commission is urging Congress to implement is one that would allow consumers to find out what information the data brokers are selling to their many clients, political campaigns among them. Consumers could more easily adjust which data are being sold or could opt out of the monitoring altogether.The problem with the data broker industry is consumers have no idea this is going on, said FTC commissioner Julie Brill. They are creating hundreds of millions of profiles of American consumers. Some of this information can impact consumers in a negative way.Back at Rocket Fuel, which specializes in placing potential voters into hundreds of different audiences, each targeted for a package of digital advertisements specifically catered to their interests, there are warnings that more regulation could have its own unintended consequences.Wed no longer be able to put the right message in front of the right people, Medici said. If what we are putting in front of voters is relevant to them and of interest, it is a natural part of the process. 2015 State of the State Analysis With revenue bouncing back in many states, governors once again are talking about investment. But are any of them talking about sinking that new money into technology? The answer is, not really at least not overtly.Our analysis of State of the State addresses delivered to date found relatively few direct references to improving the technology systems that run government or launching new digital services. Still, the priorities spelled out in these speeches will drive new tech investment and deployment in a range of areas. Two clear winners in the contest for gubernatorial attention are transportation and education.Many governors want to spend more on state transportation systems predominantly highways and bridges. Some proposals included changes to funding models like raising gas taxes or vehicle registration fees to pay for repairing existing infrastructure and building new roads to serve expanding populations. Several governors tied these improvements to economic competitiveness because of their importance to local manufacturers and other businesses.New technology for smarter roads and infrastructure didnt make it into the State of the State discussion but that doesnt mean tech wont be part of these projects as officials look to make highways safer and more efficient. For instance, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee rarely mentioned technology in his Jan. 16 address, but he used the speech to promote a new transportation plan released in December. That plan recommends using lidar imagery to detect landslide danger, creating electric vehicle charging stations and adopting performance dashboards at the Washington Department of Transportation to track revenues and project status.Schools also can expect more money if governors get their way. State of the State speeches often called for better classroom technology and stronger curriculum for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Utah Gov. Gary Herbert wants to boost school funding by a half-billion dollars, which could be used for everything from buying new technology to hiring more teachers and guidance counselors. And Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval proposed increasing school technology funding from $4 million to $50 million over the next several years.More broadly, governors talked up the need to train or retrain their workforces to meet the needs of desirable high-tech employers. Delaware Gov. Jack Markell pointed to a program developed by private employers and the state to train hundreds of IT workers at a coding school, launching this fall. Several others also pointed to public-private partnerships aimed at reskilling workers, as well as incentive programs designed to promote innovation and attract entrepreneurial companies.Broadband was one of the few areas where governors mentioned technology directly. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants broadband for 500,000 state residents and 4,000 businesses that lack high-speed connectivity. Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad urged state lawmakers to approve a plan to boost broadband availability in rural areas. And Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead lauded the completion of a broadband network that brought Ethernet-speed Internet connections to every school district in his state.Governors invariably linked broadband projects to economic viability. A state that doesnt have broadband is not going to be economically successful going forward, Cuomo said.Finally, technology was a lifeline for governors facing budget shortfalls. Although finances have improved for many states, not all of them are out of the woods. Hawaii Gov. David Ige described his states budget picture as "sobering." Hes counting on a tax system modernization project to boost revenue collection, and encouraging efficiencies like the state Senates recent move to paperless operations that saved $1.2 million. And Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin listed consolidation of 911 call centers estimated to save almost $2 million among his efforts to close a $94 million state budget gap.Check out page 2 for our detailed analysis of governors' State of the State speeches.Gov. Robert Bentley began his March 3 address by praising the foresight of state leaders more thantwo decades earlier who lured Mercedes to Alabama, effectively launching the automobile industryin the state. He similarly touted a growing aerospace industry, which will produce the first Alabama-made airliner in 2016. Outlining progress made to date in ensuring Alabama lives withinits means, Bentley pointed to a number of efficiency measures, including a brief mention of anoverhaul of state IT presumably a reference to recent modernization projects like an updatedERP system that replaces legacy HR and financial applications.1 starIncoming Independent Gov. Bill Walker delivered a unique one-two punch with his Jan. 21 State of the State address followed by a Jan. 22 budget address. Many of Walker's comments focused on the state's fiscal challenges, worsened by the falling price of oil a fact celebrated by American drivers but bemoaned by Alaskans. Walker explained the challenge in no uncertain terms: "This has moved us from a $7-million-per-day deficit just six months ago to a $10-million-per-day deficit today." Acknowledging the state's dependence on oil, Walker attaches fiscal sustainability to increased reliance on natural gas and other natural resources, predicting that the state could begin generating revenue from natural gas as soon as 2023. In his only note related to technology, Walker mentioned enlisting the help of University of Alaska students to help sift through crowdsourced budget suggestions coming in from across the state. He also urged decision-makers to be open to potential solutions that combine services in innovative ways in the name of efficiency. Technology wasn't specifically mentioned as part of the streamlining solution, but would likely play a role.: 1 starFormer Cold Stone Creamery CEO Doug Ducey served as state treasurer before besting his opponents in the 2014 governor's race. Not surprisingly then, he spent some of his State of the State address vowing to tackle the budget shortfall while leveling the playing field in public education and expanding the economy in part by improving the business climate. While not mentioned specifically, technology will likely play a key role in bringing the efficiencies to state government that Ducey pointed to as a better solution to the state's fiscal woes than tax hikes.: 0 starsGov. Asa Hutchinson's speech is not yet scheduled.Gov. Jerry Brown's fourth term began with the nation's first State of the State address on Jan. 5, which pointed to successes like a balanced budget, reduced unemployment and the establishment of a rainy day fund to better protect the drought-ridden state's water supply. He also outlined pressing challenges like prison overcrowding, rising health-care costs and ensuring the quality of K-12 and higher education systems. In addition, Brown announced progress on stated environmental goals of increased reliance on renewable energy sources and cleaner vehicles. In his one brief mention related to technology, he credited the state's cap-and-trade system with helping the market generate environmental innovations to help combat climate change.: 1 starCollaboration was a theme of Gov. John Hickenlooper's State of the State address on Jan. 15, crediting elected leaders with "walking the talk of bipartisanship." Business climate and job growth were both cited as positive indicators of the state's health, along with a historic statewide water plan that strategically allocates resources to serve both urban and agricultural areas. Specifically Hickenlooper talked up Colorado's desirability for innovative technology startups, and the work of the Colorado Innovation Network in continuing to nurture the state's innovation ecosystem. He also made brief mention of the telecommunications reform law passed in the last legislative session that promised broadband expansion throughout the state.: 2 starsAt the outset of his second term on Jan. 7, Gov. Dannel Malloy mentioned the state's status as a national model for its health-care system, which cut the number of uninsured citizens in half. Widely cited for its effective technology and capable administration, Access Health CT Executive Director Kevin Counihan was later recruited [http://www.govtech.com/health/Connecticut-Health-Exchange-Director-Leaving-to-Run-Federal-Website.html] as the first CEO of the federal health-care exchange. Malloy used the majority of his speech to urge state policymakers to support investments in transportation infrastructure to ensure the state's continued prosperity. Citing recent increases as progress, he promised more details on comprehensive plans to widen Interstate 95, upgrade commuter rail service, as well as a transportation "lock box" that prevents monies raised from being diverted to other projects.: 1 starGov. Jack Markell led his State of the State address with a list of standard acknowledgments of special guests in attendance, with one notable addition Dover police officer, Master Cpl. Jeff Davis, whose lip-synced dash-cam video of Taylor Swift's Shake It Off went viral following its release by the Police Department's Public Affairs Unit. Markell led with an acknowledgment of the benefits of the digital age, which "has brought amazing innovations to improve our quality of life." Paired with globalization, he warned of a growing potential for the middle class to be left behind if they don't have the proper skills to excel in this new economy. Markell announced several initiatives toward that end, aiming by 2025 to have 65 percent of the workforce with a college degree or professional certificate. Statewide pathways for key industries, including IT, will set up partnerships between employers, K-12 schools and universities. In addition, eight major employers are working with the state to get hundreds of IT workers trained and hired using accelerated programs and a "coding school," set to launch in fall 2015. A pet project of Markell's, tech company CAI will hire autistic employees, acknowledging their abilities as software testers and programmers. Several technology companies growing in Delaware were also called out by Markell, including IT provider SevOne and data management company IPR International. And the governor noted that business incubators are coming to the University of Delaware and Delaware State.: 3 starsAmong the long laundry list of brag-worthy stats rattled off by Gov. Rick Scott during his State of the State speech was the fact that Florida has the lowest number of state workers per capita in the United States. Technology mentions were limited to workforce development and education investments, as Scott itemized plans for $20 million in advanced workforce training at Florida tech centers, $5 million to encourage affordable STEM degree programs at state colleges and $1 million for paid STEM training for teachers.1 starGov. Nathan Deal delivered his fifth State of the State address on Jan. 14, calling it an occasion to "celebrate areas of great health and seek cures for what ails us." Backed by stats from several rating agencies calling Georgia the No. 1 state in which to do business, Deal's prognosis is strong. He also cited private-sector hiring, a growing rainy day fund and an increasing automobile manufacturing base as evidence of the state's positive trajectory. Technology has a role to play in improving the state's public schools, evidenced by Deal's brief mention of iPads and Androids as tools used by modern students. The education funding formula, he argued, should be updated to match the needs of a modern classroom. And while Deal didn't explicitly mention tech in outlining improvements to how agencies involved in corrections and social services work together, surely streamlined systems allowing for improved information-sharing will be part of the conversation.: 1 starGov. David Ige describes being met by a "sobering" budget picture upon assuming office in Hawaii, and he's setting his sights on federal dollars to help get the state into the black. In an interview with Government Technology last year as a gubernatorial candidate, Ige expressed disappointment in the state's handling of technology: "There really needs to be a transformation to embed technology and reorganize government," he said. In his State of the State address, Ige spoke about a Tax System Modernization program due to start this year which will help increase tax revenues within two years. The upgrade will allow taxpayers to file electronically, access their information online and get refunds more quickly. Ige also talked up the state Senate's transition to a paperless operation, saving $1.2 million and 8 million sheets of paper, hoping that model could inspire similar efficiencies throughout the state. Ige briefly acknowledged the collective disappointment with the Hawaii Health Connector, stating his desire for a "sustainable exchange." A critical component of Ige's plan to grow the state's economy is to nurture innovation with modern infrastructure, whether it's broadband or creating "innovation parks." Ige attached $10 million in funding support for the Hawaii Growth initiative in support of innovation.: 2 starsLike many other state chief executives, Gov. Butch Otter called upon decision-makers to do better than the partisan conflict that typifies national politics. Facing contract rebidding dates for the Idaho Education Network (IEN), which connects rural students to educational opportunities previously available only in bigger metro areas, Otter urged continued funding support. He called the IEN an important part of an overall strategy to prepare students to fill the needs of the state's employers in STEM and other fields. In another oft-cited theme of this year's addresses, Otter spent time on Idaho's infrastructure needs, expressing concern that changes in the Highway Trust Fund formula could leave Idahoans paying disproportionately more into federal highways than the benefits they receive. Otter quickly added that broadband infrastructure was part of the vital infrastructure picture, while also contrasting Idaho's health-care exchange with the federal model, which he said "overpromised and profoundly underdelivered.": 1 starGov. Bruce Rauner laid out a long list of ambitious and likely controversial proposals in his Feb. 4 State of the State address. The new Republican governor wants to reform the states workers' compensation law, raise the minimum wage, promote more diversity in construction contracting, cut property taxes, implement performance pay for state workers and give voters control over local government collective bargaining agreements. These and other changes are aimed at making Illinois more competitive with its neighbors, said Rauner, adding, The states around us have been kicking our tails. The governor made no reference to large new technology investments, which isnt surprising, given Illinois chronic budget deficit and massive unfunded pension liability. Still, he did vow to increase funding for K-12 schools and community colleges, which presumably would drive technology upgrades, particularly in disadvantaged school districts. And Rauners proposal to enact performance pay and bonuses for state workers could help state agencies attract technology talent. These changes often are cited by CIOs as important tools for hiring and retaining skilled IT workers.1 starRinging in his second term on Jan. 13, Gov. Mike Pence delivered a State of the State address that was long on accolades about Indianas balanced budgets, strong reserves, largest tax cut in the states history, rapidly declining unemployment rate, investments in education and infrastructure, and dedication and bravery of its people. Tonight, there are 49 other governors across this country who wish they could be me! Pence said, moving into what Hoosiers should expect in 2015. Maintaining fiscal discipline, increasing investments in education and pressing on with the anti-Obamacare approach to health-care reform, called the New Healthy Indiana plan, are top priorities, as is continuing to reduce infant mortality. Though it was Pences Management and Performance Hub a coordinated effort that provides centralized data sharing, correlation and analysis that is making this reduction in infant deaths possible, he made no mention of it. When it came to education, however, he did note that the state has improved vocational and technical education for students, distributed millions in grants and seen innovation in schools. One such innovation is in LaPorte County, where the high schools and the local utility are collaborating on the Energy Academy, which prepares students for careers in electronics and energy.: 1 starThe overarching theme of incumbent Gov. Terry Branstads 2015 State of the State address was togetherness. He began his speech on Jan. 5 by stating that the condition of Iowa is strong a strength that comes from collaboration and a joint commitment to making prudent choices. Thanks to this togetherness, veterans returning to the U.S. and leaving the service neednt worry about finding a career, thanks to Home Base Iowa a portal dedicated to helping them find jobs and make a smooth transition to civilian life in Iowa. Through this initiative and portal, more than 24,000 jobs have been posted on the Home Base Iowa jobs bank and more than 600 veterans have been matched with jobs in the state. Increasing government transparency and expanding broadband throughout the state were major foci for Branstad, who called for a new Government Accountability Portal to make state government more open, accessible and easier to navigate and will field requests and respond within one business day. As for broadband, Branstad called for the Legislature to come together and pass the Connect Every Acre plan, which focuses on providing more broadband in rural Iowa and encourages service providers to build out networks not just to the ending point, but also to the rural communities in between. One of the perils of being connected, however, is cyberbullying something that, along with school bullying and domestic violence, Branstad is looking to end. He is calling on all Iowans to stand up against bullying, and for his state to enact legislation that expands the use of GPS monitoring on dangerous domestic abusers.: 4 starsGov. Sam Brownback's Jan. 15 State of the State address included a quick look back at his last four years in the states drivers seat when two of the biggest challenges were its economy and budget. Despite reforms like eliminating, consolidating or privatizing multiple state agencies and redundant functions, and reducing the public-sector workforce by more than 3,000 positions, Brownback argued that more work must still be done: He proposed a balanced two-year budget, noting that, as expected, K-12 education, public pensions and Medicaid are the major drivers in state spending. Brownback called for the Legislature to do two things: appropriate money directly to school districts so it can be spent in the classroom, and repeal the existing school finance formula, to allow time to write a new modern formula that meets the states needs for great 21st-century schools.: 0 starsIn his eighth and final State of the Commonwealth address, held Jan. 7, Gov. Steve Beshear painted a picture of a recession-plagued nation when he took office in December 2007. Today, however, the unemployment rate is continuing to fall and jobs are being added each day. Last summer, the Federal Reserve declared that Kentucky had more than recovered all of its losses from the Great Recession. Electronic health records and the states successful health benefit exchange received mention Kentucky became the only Southern state to both expand Medicaid and create its own state-operated Health Benefit Exchange . Beshear also acknowledged that job training in the state has not been adequate for 21st-century jobs, something he aims to fix. And moving forward, he is looking to improve education and childcare by adding accountability and transparency to all early child-care facilities and implementing the data-driven Accelerating Learning Statewide Through an Advanced Rating System plan, for which the state received a federal grant. Public-private partnerships (P3) also were a topic of conversation, and Beshear called on the Legislature to pass legislation that would make it clear we are able and eager to partner with private businesses to procure, build or finance capital projects or services. In December, the state signed an agreement to use a P3 model to expand high-speed broadband access in the state, and Beshear hopes the same approach can soon be used on transportation projects as well.: 2 starsLouisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's speech is not yet scheduled.Gov. Paul LePage noted in his 2015 State of the State address, held Feb. 3, that its time to innovate that we need an efficient, effective and affordable government. This mention of innovation was the sole nod to anything tech related in this years address, which centered primarily on tax reform. LePages vision is a Maine with no income tax, something that will take time as he is no magician. The next step in this plan is to cut income taxes to 5.75 percent down from 7.95 percent. Helping local government to identify sources of revenue outside of income and other taxes also is a priority, as they too must help ease the burden on the states residents. LePages plan expands the Property Tax Fairness Credit, which helps low- and middle-income homeowners, and he aims to eliminate the estate tax and the tax on military pensions. The states Medicaid program has been reformed, and the elderly, disabled and those with intellectual disabilities have been prioritized. And when it comes to welfare, he said, the state is making sure those limited dollars go to Mainers in need, not illegal aliens. LePage caused a bit of controversy in this years speech when he blamed undocumented immigrants for spreading such diseases as HIV, hepatitis C and tuberculosis, something he also did during a hepatitis A scare in October 2014.0 starsTech references were nonexistent in Gov. Larry Hogans Feb. 4 address. The newly elected governor devoted most of his speech to improving the states competitiveness through tax relief and other changes. He also signaled that new state spending would be hard to come by this year as his administration works to close a $700 million revenue gap. Every penny that is added to one program must be taken from another, he warned. One winner in that balancing act is education. Hogan said his fiscal 2016 budget includes record investment for K-12 education, including more than $290 million for school construction. Higher education would get a funding boost too. State agencies could see a shakeup as the administration seeks savings. Hogan said hell urge Cabinet secretaries to innovate. Their primary mission will be to find ways to restructure their agencies and to make state government more efficient and more cost effective.1 starMassachusetts Gov. Charlie Bakers speech is not yet scheduled.During his fifth State of the State address, held Jan. 20, Gov. Rick Snyder the self-proclaimed tough nerd, who was named a Top 25 Doer, Dreamer and Driver in 2013 for leading a massive technology modernization in the state focused much less on technology and more on people. This year, his theme was creating an environment in which all residents can succeed, through public-private partnerships and a strategic realignment of government services, so that government treats individuals as real people instead of numbers on a page. Snyder noted the successes Michigan has seen over the last four years, including the creation of more than 300,000 private-sector jobs, strong fiscal stewardship and bold innovation. Looking forward, Snyders priorities include transportation infrastructure; improving reading levels for third-graders; creating affordable higher education opportunities; connecting students with careers in skilled trades that are both well paid and in high demand; developing an aggressive strategy to combat abuse of prescription medication; establishing an energy agency; and maintaining an efficient, effective and accountable government. The way to do this, he said, will be to work with legislative partners and stakeholders to develop a performance and financial grading system for all public-sector entities, including schools and municipalities.: 1 starMinnesota Gov. Mark Daytons speech is not yet scheduled.Gov. Phil Bryants fourth State of the State address, given Jan. 21, focused heavily on workforce and economic development. He announced the $50 million Keep Mississippi Working Fund that will provide workforce training over the next two years. Combined with the requested $3 million Mississippi Works Scholarship Fund, which will focus on high school students involved in a career readiness curriculum, Bryant aims to develop a better skilled and prepared workforce. His one technology-specific mention touted Mississippis work on telemedicine, calling it cutting-edge health care. We are one of only seven states to earn an A rating from the American Telemedicine Association, said Bryant. Corrections reform was another key focus as well as increased funding for education.: 1 starTo mark the beginning of his second term, Gov. Jay Nixon gave a State of the State address on Jan. 21 that challenged Missourians to work together to leave the state better than they found it. Noting that in Missouri, fiscal discipline is a value, Nixon outlined how state government has gotten smarter thanks to technology over the past several years. From hunting permits to child-care provider information, he said, "Missourians can now access hundreds of government services from their smartphones saving time, money and aggravation." Though technology has dramatically improved quality of life, it also has created security challenges. Nixon dedicated some time to talk cyberterrorism, committing to ramping up cybersecurity efforts by partnering with businesses, law enforcement and universities to identify best practices and educate the public. Making Missouri a leader in cybersecurity, he said, will make families and personal information safer, create more jobs in the tech sector, and strengthen the states growing economy. He also vowed to expose children at an early age to effective STEM programs, such as Project Lead the Way, where kids analyze DNA and design software. While Missouri currently has more Project Lead the Way programs than any other state, Nixon's budget provides start-up grants to expand into another 350 elementary schools. Focusing on higher education is also key; Nixon said his administration is working to provide state-of-the-art facilities that prepare students for high-tech jobs.: 4 starsThe state of Montana is strong, Gov. Steve Bullock announced at the outset of his 2015 State of the State address, held Jan. 28. Unemployment is down more than 25 percent, with 12,000 new jobs being created in 2014 alone. Technologies being developed at Montana universities are being brought to the marketplace, and the workforce is being better prepared for 21st-century jobs. Partnering with the university system, local officials and 100 businesses, the state is investing more than $40 million to expand and streamline education and training opportunities in advanced manufacturing, health care and the energy industry. Bullock also briefly noted that 21st-century classrooms help ensure that Montana communities and businesses flourish. Bullock said the state also has made government more effective and efficient. The budget is balanced and there are hundreds of millions in the bank something he noted that constituents can see for themselves on the Montana Data Portal . He also is calling for transparency in campaign finance. Every penny spent in our elections should be disclosed, he said, and [Sen. Duane Ankney] and I are proposing we do just that.: 2 starsNewly sworn-in Gov. Pete Ricketts gave his first State of the State speech on Jan. 22, focusing on Nebraskas high taxes and the need to create more jobs. Technology did not play a role in his speech but he did mention the hiring of an economic development director to help recruit businesses to the state, which may include tech startups. Ricketts also called for reform of the corrections system and specifically addressed the issue of inmates who are mistakenly released early. Numerous corrections departments throughout the U.S. have enlisted biometric technology to help with this issue, making it something to watch in Nebraska. Finally, he called on state agency directors to innovate ways to reduce regulatory burdens and bureaucratic delays. It will be interesting to watch how Nebraskas CIO responds to that request, with technology procurement being a potential issue for innovation.: 0 starsGov. Brian Sandovals Jan. 15 speech focused on modernizing and transforming Nevada for its next 50 years of success. And, as outlined in the State of the State address, technology will play a major role in those goals. Sandoval first outlined tech wins that are helping lay the foundation for the future: the state is one of six UAV training sites in the country; electric car manufacturer Tesla is moving to Nevada following a competitive site selection process; and the state has attracted numerous other companies including in the industries of cybersecurity and data storage. As he looked forward, one of Sandovals main focus areas will be to improve the states education system. Numerous initiatives make up this goal, including modernizing classrooms through instructional technology and outfitting middle school students with digital devices, while ensuring teachers are trained for the tech-savvy education environment. Fewer than $4 million was invested in school technology over the last two years going forward that amount will be increased to $50 million. As we expand technology, we must take steps to protect privacy, Sandoval said, adding that he is encouraging lawmakers to enact legislation protecting student data. His proposed budget also includes funds to reignite the Governors Office of Science, Innovation and Technology, which will focus on the states STEM strategy and coordinate broadband connectivity to schools and communities while enabling telemedicine. In addition, data center company Switch will expand in the state with a $1 billion investment and a plan to add 1 million square feet of new data center space in Las Vegas thats worth another $1 billion. This will make Nevada the most digitally connected state in the nation, said Sandoval.: 5 starsThe theme of innovation was repeated throughout Gov. Maggie Hassans Inaugural Address on Jan. 8, but technology mentions were few and far between. She focused on the economy and continuing to build it for the future, in part through supporting job-creating companies and investing in an R&D tax credit to help businesses invest in new technologies. We are proposing to update and modernize our securities regulations act, making it easier for innovative businesses to raise the capital they need to grow and flourish, Hassan said. Preparing the workforce was another area of focus. She mentioned a task force that modernized STEM education last year, adding that standards need to be updated for the 21st century to ensure students are prepared to compete for jobs.: 2 starsAmid talk of an expected run for president in 2016, Gov. Chris Christies Jan. 13 speech outlined the work done in New Jersey over the last four years saying, The state of our state continues to get better. Christies speech was very light on technology, with brief mentions that New Jersey ranks third nationally in the use of solar power and is in the top 10 of states in data centers. Key themes included the states growing economy, reforming of the criminal justice system, a new one-stop clearinghouse for individuals battling drug addiction and the states struggling pension system. Hurricane Sandy and Bridgegate were both absent from the speech.: 1 starsGov. Susana Martinez touted the states growing number of jobs and companies during her Jan. 20 speech, saying New Mexico has the 15th fastest growing private sector in the U.S. While companies have been relocating to or expanding in New Mexico, she said the state also needs to be become a high-tech jobs leader while ensuring that new developments made at national labs, military bases, universities and companies are brought to the marketplace in the state. We can make that happen, through the Technology Research Collaborative, said Martinez. The collaborative was signed into law in 2012 to support the development and commercialization of innovative ideas. In addition, she said stronger incentives are needed to create tech jobs and increase private investment in tech startups. The majority of the speech focused on children and bettering the education system to improve students outcomes. And she addressed child abuse, saying the state will implement a system to allow police officers to access a familys history when responding to a child abuse incident.: 3 starsGov. Andrew Cuomos Jan. 21 speech addressed numerous social issues, including economic opportunity, education, public safety and government reform. Education reform and raising the minimum wage were headline news the next day but some tech initiatives were also mentioned. Cuomo said when speaking about infrastructure that today the focus is less on roads and bridges and more on broadband. A state that doesnt have broadband is not going to be economically successful going forward, he said. The goal is to bring access to the 500,000 homes and 4,000 businesses in the state that lack broadband by leveraging $500 million in private-sector investment. Cuomo also wants to keep startups in the state and will use a $100 million venture fund to invest in the small companies. In addition, he discussed the proposed $15 million online storm response system that will help coordinate with local governments when theres an emergency. The system will track costs, aiding FEMA reimbursement procedures, and allow officials to see across county lines for situational awareness.: 4 starsGov. Pat McCrorys Feb. 4 speech covered the bases of economic resilience, attracting more businesses, increasing the number of jobs in the state and ensuring that students get a quality education. But the most interesting statement from a technology standpoint was McCrorys call-out of the states inefficiency in IT. What weve found is that the piecemeal approach weve taken during the past decade to information technology has had disastrous results, he said, adding that 74 percent of the states IT projects have been over budget and behind schedule. To improve operations, McCrory proposed creating a new cabinet-level Department of Information Technology, which all IT employees in cabinet and executive branch agencies will report to. He also thanked CIO Chris Estes for his groundbreaking work on launching the new IT department. Additional technology mentions included: bringing Wi-Fi to all classrooms and long-distance learning to children and adults; installing self-service kiosks for renewal and/or replacement of drivers licenses or ID cards; beginning this year to accept credit and debit cards at DMV offices; and implementing intelligence-based policing initiatives with the goal of preventing crime.4 starsGov. Jack Dalrymple, North Dakota's chief executive since 2010, covered many key topics including the oil industry during his State of the State address on Jan. 6, but technology was not mentioned. The state recently reached a new population record (nearly 740,000 people), with numbers also showing a shift toward younger residents. As the state's economy and population continue to grow, it can be expected that North Dakota will turn to IT initiatives and investments to meet the needs and expectations of its citizenry. A few other topics addressed by Dalrymple also may have a tech aspect. For example, Dalrymple discussed public safety investments, which although not mentioned in the speech, likely includes the planning of a statewide next-generation 911 system : 0 starsGov. John Kasich spent much of his Feb. 24 State of the State speech discussing taxes. He wants to continue reducing state income taxes, while increasing taxes on business revenue, cigarettes, and oil and gas obtained through fracking. Technology mentions were rare in the speech. While discussing Ohios economy and job growth, he said the state needs to be attractive to cutting-edge industries including cloud computing, 3-D printing, telemedicine, medical devices and IT services, which appeal to younger workers. We cant continue to be known as the Rust Belt, said Kasich. He also briefly addressed an analytics center IBM opened in the state, as well as two-year colleges move to adopt online competency-based courses.1 starGov. Mary Fallins Feb. 2 speech focused on the state budget, education and incarceration rates, with technology playing a supporting role to many of the key themes. For example, she said the state is implementing performance-based budgeting and it will post information about 160 measurable objectives on the OKStateStat.ok.gov portal. Using OkStateStat, Oklahoma will become the first state in the nation to develop a comprehensive budgeting system that ties spending to measurable goals and outcomes, Fallin said. She also addressed Oklahomas ranking as fourth highest in the U.S. for prescription drug abuse and called for lawmakers to pass a prescription drug monitoring bill that would likely include a database to track the use of commonly abused drugs. Keeping with the trend of many governors this year, Fallin focused on the workforce and ensuring that both students and employers have the skills needed to succeed in the 21st century. Looking back on her time since assuming office in 2011, she said, We made huge strides in making government more efficient and effective. One example highlighted in the speech was the states IT consolidation, which Fallin said is more than 50 percent complete and is saving money while increasing cybersecurity.3 starsEntering his historic fourth term as Oregons governor, John Kitzhaber spent part of his Jan. 12 inaugural address reflecting on how he was inspired to enter public service. The speech was heavy on history, as Kitzhaber discussed the accomplishments of the Greatest Generation including defeating Nazi Germany and the Axis powers and then rebuilding the U.S. Today things are a bit more ambiguous, he said. The problems we face are more complex and often interrelated; the solutions less clear; there is little low-hanging fruit and no quick fixes in a nation addicted to fast food and instant gratification. Technology wasnt directly addressed, as he covered key themes like Oregons growing economy, which despite decreasing unemployment and growing GDP, still doesnt allow many residents to meet their basic needs.: 0 starsAfter assuming office in January, Gov. Tom Wolf gave his first State of the State speech on March 3, focusing on three themes: schools and education, jobs and efficient government. While he did not specifically address technology, Wolf mentioned the creation of the Governors Office of Transformation, Innovation, Management and Efficiency, which he said will focus on improving coordination between agencies, modernizing state government operations, and seeking out partnerships with the private sector. According to the February executive order that established the office, it will also promote and foster open data.1 starIncoming Gov. Gina Raimondo didn't have a lot of specifics in her Jan. 6 Inaugural Address. But it's clear she views technology as a piece of the puzzle as Rhode Island confronts some serious challenges. The state posted the nation's highest unemployment rate for nine straight months, and it ranks 49th among states where companies want to do business, according to Raimondo. "At the same time, our government has become larger but less effective," she added. Part of the answer is modernizing how the state government operates. The governor called for more digital services for citizens and online permitting for businesses. She also said the state needs to help cities share services to reduce operating costs. In addition, Raimondo proposed modernizing school buildings and coursework, along with streamlining business regulations and taxes. "Before adding jobs, [companies] want to know that there will be a steady supply of well trained workers and a 21st-century infrastructure," she said.: 3 starsGov. Nikki Haley proposed lowering state income taxes by 30 percent over the next 10 years to make South Carolina more attractive to businesses. At the same time, she called for 10-cent-per-gallon hike in the state gas tax to fund highway improvements. New highway funds would be tied to structural changes in the state Department of Transportation designed to improve how those dollars are spent. Technology mentions in Haley's Jan. 21 address were few and brief. The governor noted that her 2015 budget includes more money for school technology. She also said state was improving technology used by caseworkers in the Department of Social Services.: 1 starThe need to boost funding for road and bridge maintenance was a major theme of Gov. Dennis Daugaard's Jan. 13 State of the State address. The governor proposed increases to fuel taxes, vehicle excise taxes and vehicle registration fees that would generate an additional $50 million for highway and bridge construction across the state. High-tech pavement assessment conducted by a camera- and laser-equipped state vehicle dubbed the "Spider Van" was a big part of Daugaard's pitch that South Dakota both needs new highway funding and needs to spend those dollars efficiently. "This tool provides objective measurements at each mile of the state highway system and allows the DOT to make well informed decisions on how and where to spend its limited resources," the governor said. He also pointed out continuing efforts to improve government transparency. Two years ago, South Dakota launched a single Web portal containing information on the rulemaking processes for all state agencies. This year, Daugaard announced the launch of a one-stop site listing members, meeting notices, agendas and information packets for more than 100 boards and commissioners in the state. Daugaard did not announce any future technology-related initiatives, however.: 3 starsOn the heels of a failed proposal to expand federally funded health insurance to low-income residents of the state through Insure Tennessee, Gov. Bill Haslam's Feb. 9 State of the State address led with a vow to find a different way to tackle health-care issues. Focusing heavily on education and jobs, he detailed progress to date and future plans to make state jobs competitive with comparable positions in the private sector. Another highlight of Haslam's address was the progress he reported on the Tennessee Promise program launched last year, which provides high school graduates with two free years of education at a community college or technical school. Approximately 58,000 of the state's 65,000 high school seniors applied for the program in its first year. Haslam's speech made no specific mention of technology initiatives.0 starsIncoming Gov. Greg Abbott gave his first State of the State address on Feb. 17, touting the state's No. 1 status in job creation, adding that in 2014, more jobs were created than ever before. Abbott outlined a list of five emergency policy items: early education, higher education research initiatives, transportation, border security funding and ethics reform. And while he talked about funding more STEM teachers, his only direct mention of technology was when he committed to using border security funds on technology to help reduce transnational crime.1 starUtah is a perennial all-star when it comes to using technology to improve state government. The state routinely tops the Center for Digital Government's Digital States Survey and it's been a trend-setter in the use of social media and citizen-to-government transactions. None of that made it into Gov. Gary Herbert's Jan. 28 State of the State address. The governor did, however, say he intends to boost education spending by a half-billion dollars, the state's largest increase in student spending for public education in 25 years. Herbert said the money could be used for everything from new technology to hiring more teachers and guidance counselors, depending on the needs of local school districts. Although Herbert didn't specifically mention Utah's digital government efforts, he noted that state agencies have improved efficiency, pointing to the fact that Utah has fewer state employees per resident today than it did 15 years ago. Transportation will be another investment target. Herbert contends Utah's current revenue sources will fall $11 billion short of meeting the state's long-term transportation needs. He intends to work with state lawmakers this year to find new long-term funding sources for highway construction and maintenance.: 1 starThird-term Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin laid out his 2015 agenda in an unusual two-part speech the first covering quality-of-life goals and the second confronting a $94 million state budget deficit. Neither was particularly tech-centric, but both signaled where Shumlin views technology as important. The governors Jan. 8 Inaugural Address made extensive references to renewable energy and unveiled a new Energy Innovation Program. Shumlin said the program will help residents adopt solar power and other money-saving technologies, while spurring growth of clean energy companies and cutting reliance on fossil fuels. Shumlins Jan. 15 Budget Address laid out his plan close the budget gap, caused by smaller-than-projected revenue growth. Technology will help on several fronts. Shumlin proposed consolidating several 911 call centers, saving an estimated $1.7 million. The governor also called for giving Vermonts Green Mountain Care Board formed in 2011 to improve state health care more power to align health-care technology investments with unified statewide standards as part of a broader move to contain health costs and improve outcomes.: 2 starsGrowing and diversifying Virginias economy was the crux of Gov. Terry McAuliffes Jan. 14 State of the Commonwealth address. Although he focused on business incentives, rebuilding traditional infrastructure and improving access to health care, McAuliffe also pointed to a few areas where technology will be an economic driver, including cybersecurity. The governor said his administrations commitment to cybersecurity including last years launch of the Virginia Cybersecurity Commission makes the state a top contender for a planned federal government cybercampus. While luring new federal investment on one hand, McAuliffe sought to reduce dependence on federal government spending on the other. He said federal budget cuts triggered by sequestration had cost Virginia-based contractors billions of dollars over the past few years, driving the need to expand the states economic base. McAuliffe proposed investing $4.2 million to complete a new electron ion collider at the Jefferson Lab in Newport News, a project he says will generate nearly 5,000 jobs within 10 years. He also called for new efforts to grow Virginias bioscience and clean energy industries.: 2 starsGov. Jay Inslee's 2015 State of the State Address ran about 2,600 words, almost none of them were "technology." The governor called for boosting education spending particularly for early grade levels reinvesting in vital health and safety services, and rebuilding transportation infrastructure. Although he didn't overtly mention technology in his address, Inslee did tout a transportation plan he unveiled in December which recommends the use of lidar imagery to detect landslide danger, creation of electric vehicle charging stations and the adoption of performance dashboards at the Washington Department of Transportation to track revenues and project status.: 1 starTechnology references in Gov. Earl Ray Tomblins Jan. 14 address were confined to workforce training and improving the states junior high and high school curriculum. On the later point, Tomblin proposed new funding to review and expand science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs for West Virginia middle and high school students. He also vowed to introduce legislation making it easier for classes to be taught by technology professionals and others who lack traditional education degrees. We must give local school systems better flexibility to train and hire subject-matter experts to fill long-term vacancies in critical subject areas, said Tomblin, who focused the bulk of his address on attracting employers to the state, rebuilding roads and bridges, and expanding the scope of an ongoing corrections-reform initiative.: 1 starGov. Scott Walkers Jan. 13 address spent more time on the Green Bay Packers than technology. Walkers only possible tech mention requires some connecting of the dots. The governor, a proponent of school choice, called on state lawmakers to pass legislation requiring objective information to be made publicly available for every school receiving public funds. If passed, the measure presumably would drive new data collection and Web development in order to make the information public. The rest of Walkers relatively brief address concentrated on the state's success in creating jobs, the need for vocational education and state agency consolidation, and power of the Packers to unite Democrats and Republicans.: 1 starBroadband Internet connectivity figured prominently in Gov. Matt Mead's Jan. 14 State of the State address. Mead pointed to the completion of the Unified Network project, an initiative he championed to boost Internet speeds throughout the state. "This network, I'm pleased to report, as of today is fully built," he said. "[It] brings an even higher standard of broadband to our state, more fiber-optic connections and gigabit speeds." All 48 school districts in the state now have Ethernet-speed connections, Mead said, up from just two in 2011. In addition, the network is facilitating gigabit-speed connections in a growing number of Wyoming communities, making the state more competitive for tech employers. The governor added that incentives and aggressive recruiting to lure data center operators to the state are paying off. Microsoft recently opened a biogas-powered data center in Wyoming and is expanding an existing facility there. Finally, Mead noted that all state employees are on the same email system, one benefit of several years of government consolidation efforts.: 4 stars (TNS) -- Access to data from so-called vehicle black boxes, capable of tracking how a motorist drives, would be restricted under a bill being circulated by a trio of GOP state lawmakers.Sen. Duey Stroebel, R-Saukville, and Reps. Jesse Kremer, R-Kewaskum, and Romaine Quinn, R-Rice Lake, are seeking support for the bill among fellow lawmakers.It gives vehicle owners control of data collected by their vehicles black box known in the industry as event data recorders, or EDRs specifying that others could access it only with the owners permission.Most newer vehicles have such boxes, capable of tracking things like a vehicles speed, whether the driver brakes or accelerates and whether that person is wearing a seat belt.Currently, the boxes record such data only in the seconds before, during and after a crash. But critics worry about how much more information the devices might collect as they become more sophisticated.As EDRs develop in complexity and interactivity, this legislation will ensure that Wisconsins motorists are sufficiently protected from unauthorized data access and transmission, the lawmakers wrote in a memo to their colleagues.Who owns EDR data is a state-by-state question. Wisconsin law is silent on the matter, bill supporters told the Wisconsin State Journal. Kremer said its a typical case of state law not keeping pace with technology.At least 23 other states have passed laws defining who owns EDR data, according to Steve Panten, a spokesman for ABATE of Wisconsin, a motorcyclists rights advocacy group that supports the bill.We need to start addressing some of these privacy issues, Kremer said.The bill says insurance companies would not be able to link the issuance or renewal of a liability policy to whether the vehicle has such a box, or whether the motorist allows the insurer to access or use data it collects.Some insurers have begun offering safe driver discounts contingent on motorists installing a device that tracks how they drive. The bill lifts its data-access restrictions for motorists who consent to share the data with their insurer for such a policy.The bill faces a steep climb to become law this year, as its on course to be introduced near the close of the current two-year session.If nothing else, Quinn said he hopes the bill makes more Wisconsinites aware that their vehicles may collect data on how they drive and that they should be conscious of who obtains it.Technology today really can be more invasive than you think, and potentially can be used against you, Quinn said. Watching all the negativity flying around the stage at the Democratic Town Hall Forum the other night, something struck me. Why, after watching Hillary and Bernie go after each other's left-liberal throats, would anyone ever want to vote for either one of them? They had nothing but rotten things to say about the other. Hillary's too cozy with Wall Street. Bernie's too soft on the NRA and naive about negotiating with Iran. Hillary's insufficiently progressive and takes obscene speaking fees from Goldman Sachs. Bernie's expensive progressive ideas will never make it in the real world. Etc. Etc. The Democrat debate got so dirty that Hillary has had to call her pet attack dog David Brock in from the kennel and let him off his leash. Brock is the nasty former right-wing hit man whose pro-Clinton super PAC has sent out emails equating Bernie Sanders with dead Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez. His PAC has also attacked Bernie for not including enough "people of color" in his nice feel-good TV ad featuring Paul Simon's song "America." Somebody actually counted the blacks and Latinos in the video and declared that Bernie was insufficiently diversity-minded. Now the dirty dogs in Brock's pack are running ads calling for Sanders to release his medical records. The Republicans presidential finger-pointers are just as negative, thanks mostly to attacker-in-chief Donald Trump. Actually, since there are more attackers and attackees, and since the attacks are constant and usually more personal, and since Trump is mixed up in all of it, the GOP negativity is much more self-harmful. It's been hard to keep track of who's been hitting whom in the Republican primary brawl, but here are just some helpful headlines from the Internet: Trump: Ted Cruz flip-flopped on birthright citizenship New Ted Cruz ad attacks Donald Trump's 'New York Values' Bush: Rubio, Cruz are followers, not leaders on Syria Carson questions authenticity of Trump's faith Rubio hits Trump's debate 'theatrics' Trump hits Cruz on loans, citizenship: 'Did he borrow unreported loans from Canadian banks?' Trump, Rubio and evangelicals target Cruz as Iowa caucus nears Kasich super PAC attacks Trump immigration plan Carly Fiorina repeats after girl: 'Donald Trump's a moron' Christie on Trump skipping GOP debate: Leaders have 'got to show up' Pro-Bush super PAC hammers Rubio for credit card controversy Rand Paul: 'Trump is a delusional narcissist and an orange-faced windbag' Rand Paul must have hired a new writer, probably a sophomore in high school. But what's going on is not funny. We're all being played for suckers. After we hear months of this nonstop Republican-on-Republican bashing, we're supposed to forget about it and vote for one of these bums to be our next president? They don't like each other, for both good reasons and stupid reasons. But I bet half of the GOP candidates won't have the stomach to vote for the nominee in the fall. If you believe all their negative ads and what the candidates say about each other and their ideas, it makes sense. There's not a damn person worth voting for. Copyright 2016 Michael Reagan. Michael Reagan is the son of President Ronald Reagan, a political consultant, and the author of The New Reagan Revolution (St. Martins Press). He is the founder of the email service reagan.com and president of The Reagan Legacy Foundation. Visit his websites at www.reagan.com and www.michaelereagan.com. Send comments to Reagan@caglecartoons.com. llow @reaganworld on Twitter. 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. Shell Oil Company has signed an agreement with Ryder System for 15 liquefied natural gas (LNG) heavy-duty vehicles supporting oil and gas logistics operations in Lafayette, La. and Houston, Texas. Shell has relied on Ryder for logistics solutions for more than 10 years. As Shells logistics provider, Ryder currently manages road transportation for Shells freight hauling activities across its US exploration and production (E&P) activities, including a dedicated fleet that directly supports its Gulf of Mexico operations. The new 15 LNG fueled vehicles will replace Ryder diesel-powered vehicles in the existing fleet and will be serviced out of Ryders Lafayette, La. facility, which is being engineered to meet the unique compliance requirements for natural gas. As part of this initiative, Ryder has signed a five-year fuel agreement with Shell which will provide LNG fuel for the dedicated natural gas fleet. The Shell sea port and cross state routes are an application ideally suited for natural gas vehicles. Ryder worked with Shell to develop a customized truck specification that was weight-sensitive to maximize freight revenue, while assuring durability and operability in the field. Ryder Dedicated Transportation Solutions has more than 200 customers in the oil and gas sector. Ryder is also the leader in natural gas vehicle solutions for the commercial transportation industry, with more than 50 million miles of experience, 18 natural gas vehicle maintenance facilities, and more than 6,000 natural gas vehicle trained maintenance and support personnel. Ryder has deployed CNG and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) vehicles into the fleets of Ryder customers in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and Quebec, Canada. The Company operates Liquefied to Compressed Natural Gas (LCNG) fuel stations at its Fontana and Orange, Calif., service locations. The natural gas vehicles are being made available through Ryders participation in the Texas Natural Gas Vehicle Grant Program (TNGVGP), funded by the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP) initiatives and administered by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). The African Network for Environmental Sustainability (ANFES) aims to ensure that environmental sustainability research agenda and commercial exploitation of local communities natural resources benefit local communities by responding to their needs and aspirations and by improving their livelihoods opportunities. Christ United Methodist Church at 410 Holden Road is raising money and awareness for the Syrian refugee crisis by hosting a luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. today. Soup for Syria is open to the public, and soups, sides and traditional Middle Eastern desserts will be served to those who attend. In addition to food, the luncheon will provide entertainment from local musical groups, including the Childrens Tapestry Choir of First Lutheran Church in Greensboro. Admission for the luncheon is $12 at the door. Additional quarts, as available, will be at the event. Proceeds from the event will be donated to Church World Services, to help with the cost of resettling Syrian refugee families to the Guilford county community. Soup for Syria Greensboro is a community-based manifestation of a newly popular recipe book with the same name. The book was written by Barbara Abdeni Massad, a world-renowned chef who was moved to help victims of the refugee crisis after witnessing the struggles of Syrians living in Jordanian refugee camps. Massad asked more than 80 chefs to contribute their favorite soup recipes for the book, and the publisher, Interlink Publishing Group, dedicates the proceeds to organizations involved in helping refugees. The idea for the luncheon was started by local community members Mona Flynn and Leslie Millsaps, who came across the book while researching ways to help Syrian refugees. For more information about the event, visit facebook.com/SoupforSyriaGreensboro or contact Mona Flynn and Leslie Millsaps at soupforsyriagreensboro@gmail.com. Low-maintenance landscape workshop A workshop on low-maintenance landscaping will be offered several times in February at these Greensboro locations: 6:30 p.m. Feb. 8, Kathleen Clay Edwards Library, 1420 Price Park Road 6:30 p.m. Feb. 9, Guilford County Cooperative Extension, 3309 Burlington Road 6:30 p.m. Feb. 11, Bur-Mil Wildlife Education Center, 5834 Bur-Mil Club Road 4 p.m. Feb. 14, Greensboro Arboretum, 401 Ashland Drive. The workshop is free and registration is required. To register, call (336) 641-2400 or email pamela_marshall@ncsu.edu. Be sure to indicate the class choice, date, and location. Reading tutors can take 3-part course Reading Connections, an adult literacy agency, will offer a free, three-part training in February for those who wish to become volunteer tutors. Orientation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Feb. 10 with Sessions I and II following from 5 to 8 p.m. Feb. 15-16. All sessions will be held at the High Point Public Library, 901 North Main St. in High Point. Currently in Guilford County, there are more than 70 people waiting for a tutor. To register, call Lydia Davis at (336) 884-7323 or e-mail ldavis@readingconnections.org. Two authors coming to HPU reading series High Point Universitys Phoenix Reading Series will host authors Xhenet Aliu and Susan McCarty at 7 p.m. on Feb. 11 in the Plato S. Wilson School of Commerce Ballroom. Alius debut fiction collection, Domesticated Wild Things, won the Prairie Schooner Book Prize in Fiction and was released in September 2013. McCarty is the author of the 2015 collection of short stories, Anatomies. Evening of Spicy Romance is Feb. 13 The High Point Arts Council will hold an Evening of Spicy Romance from 7 to 10 p.m. Feb. 13 at the Centennial Station Arts Center, 121 S. Centennial St. in High Point. Nobodys Business, a High Point based jazz group specializing in Jazz, Blues, Swing, and Things in Between, will perform. Tickets for this event are $40 per person which includes dinner and a full night of dancing at Centennial Station. The dinner by Plain and Fancy Catering will be on the spicy side, too with Spanish roast pork loin with saffron rice, rotisserie style herb roast chicken, winter vegetable medley and a salad with avocado, mango, and jicama served with a cilantro-lime dressing. Chocolate-inspired desserts will be offered as well. To make a reservation, call (336) 889-2787 before Feb. 10. Activities The Rev. Mike Aiken recently presented an $81,000 check from the Rev. Mike Fund for the Homeless to the Salvation Army of Greensboro. The money will be used to continue the agencys fight against homelessness. The Rev. Mike Fund for the Homeless fund supports efforts to prevent, reduce, and end homelessness in Guilford County by providing financial assistance to move the homeless into their own homes. Aikens friends created the fund when he retired after 30 years as the executive director of Greensboro Urban Ministry. Grants The Randolph Hospital Community Health Foundation recently awarded $98,362 in grants across Randolph County. The recipients are: $6,000, Boys and Girls Club Central Asheboro Club/Trees NC. $3,897.50, Carl and Linda Grubb Family YMCA. $3,000, Eastside Improvement Association. $3,300, First United Methodist Church/Communities in Schools. $1,948.27, Franklinville Elementary School. $10,000, Grays Chapel Elementary School. $4,916.80, Hopewell United Methodist Church. $2,500, Randolph Community College to host the fifth annual RCC Substance Abuse Forum for Professionals. $7,000, Randolph County Partnership for Children. $5,000, Randolph County Senior Adults Association. $24,600, Randolph County Wellness Collaborative. $11,200, Randolph Hospital. $15,000, town of Ramseur. A Greenwich man has pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement while his trash-hauling company was going through a bankruptcy reorganization. On Friday, Anthony Green, 39, waived his right to indictment and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford. When he faces the federal judge again on April 29, Green faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years behind bars, a quarter-million dollar fine, as well paying bank the funds he deposited in his personal bank accounts. Deirdre M. Daly, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut, said Green was a managing member of a garbage collection business known as T-Green Carting, LLC. In April 2012, T-Green Carting filed a voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. While the bankruptcy case was pending, Green was required to deposit all of the customer checks for services performed by the T. Green Carting into its debtor-in-possession bank account. Thats something, federal prosecutors said, Green failed to do. Between approximately April 2012 and May 2013, Green caused more than $160,000 in cash and cash proceeds that belonged to the T-Green bankruptcy estate to be deposited into his personal bank accounts. He also transferred funds out of and into T-Greens debtor-in-possession account, resulting in an additional loss of approximately $18,700 from the bankruptcy estate, Daly said in a prepared statement. This case was investigated by the FBI and the Greenwich Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Cherry. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate John Yoon stepped onto the stage in Greenwich High Schools auditorium and peered into the bright glare of lights shining down on him. Not long ago, it looked like the band director would have to buy a ticket if he wanted to see the inside of the gleaming new performance hall. Yoon spent most of 2015 not in a 1,325-seat theater but a windowless room in the school districts headquarters. The people there were not listening to him conduct music, but give testimony as he battled with administrators who wanted to fire him for allegedly bullying two of his students. This week, back where he wants to be, in front of the music program he brought to national prominence, Yoon sat down to discuss the difficult year behind him, and his undiminished expectations for the years ahead. Reinstated last month by the Board of Education, Yoon said he is elated to be back in the classroom. The end goal was trying to get back to doing what I love best, and thats teaching music, Yoon said in his first interview since his reinstatement. Its really wonderful to be back. The kids have been great. They give me a lot of energy because theyre very excited to have me back, and Im excited to see them and work with them. The year of controversy has not diminished his love or commitment to teaching, he said. Buoyed by the expressed support of many students and parents, Yoon wants to lead the band for many more years. But the memory of last years tumult will not fade quickly, for Yoon or for school officials conscious of the shadow the case still casts over the band director and the districts top administrators. Looking back Yoon was suspended in late April in response to accusations by two students and their parents that he had bullied them. Superintendent William McKersie moved to fire Yoon in June, prompting an appeal that set off three months of public hearings. The often bitter sessions matched sparring attorneys who presented sharply conflicting portrayals of the band director and the administrators trying to get rid of him. No Greenwich teacher in memory, perhaps ever, had faced such a public inquest into his or her classroom practices. There was a lot of stress, Yoon said. That takes a toll on anybody. I feel like Ive suffered a great deal emotionally, professionally. Google my name, and what comes up? The son of a minister, Yoon said he found solace and reassurance in his faith. He belongs to a Korean missionary church in Norwalk, and dozens of fellow congregants turned out at each of the hearings to support the band director. I knew what the truth was, Yoon said. You understood what the truth is, and you have to accept whatever consequences may come. Sometimes it doesnt happen in our society. But thats part of faith and prayer you believe that people will see through to the truth. The band director said he does not feel anger toward McKersie or Greenwich High Headmaster Chris Winters for trying to fire him. But the edges of his voice harden at times when discussing the case. Would I rather not have gone through the whole process? Absolutely, Yoon said. It wasnt good for the town either. McKersie in a statement this week said: We have welcomed John Yoon back to GHS and the (Greenwich Public Schools). We do not comment publicly about staff personnel matters. Winters declined to comment directly, deferring comment to McKersie. Yoon also said he does not resent the students who made the complaints against him, known during the proceedings as Student A and Student B. Student B graduated last year. Student A is a senior at the high school, but no longer in the band program. Yoon has not spoken with either since he was suspended, and neither testified at the hearings, but he said he would be open to a conversation. They still had to deal with stress and suffer from the situation, Yoon said. I hope they learn from this and have a better perspective on human interaction and understand how important it is to realize how certain things could affect people in a profound way. Student A and Student B and their families could not be reached for comment. Back in the classroom Yoon returned to the high school at the beginning of this month, after the Board of Education decided to reinstate him at a special meeting Dec. 9 to hear his case. Despite spending eight months away, Yoon said the transition back to working at 10 Hillside Road has been manageable. He is still learning some of his first-year students names and still working on finding some of his teaching materials including books the music department moved into the new auditorium over the summer but he said teaching again does not feel strange. He still prides himself on being a demanding teacher who sets high expectations for his students. He lauds the new auditorium for its acoustics, but he looks forward to practicing in the rehearsal rooms now under construction. From Yoons perspective, the sound in the new performance hall is a bit too forgiving for still-developing musicians. It flatters them too much, he said. The new band room is designed to be dryer, so they dont sound good unless they really work on it. You have to work on it. Its like lifting weights. Yoon does not return with a clean slate. Although school board members reinstated him, they did not strike his suspension from his record. While they said he did not deserve to lose his job, some on the board said Yoon could have better handled recent interactions with students and colleagues. The last-chance agreement that he signed in May 2014 after he was suspended for getting into a verbal altercation with another music teacher also still stands. Yoons lawyer, Daniel Young, has repeatedly challenged the validity of the accord, but school board members did not change it when they ended Yoons suspension. He said that the prospect of losing his job and his long appeal has made him more introspective about his teaching. You always think about how can I do things better? Yoon said. I try to learn. Thats why I go to conventions and why I speak with people and seek advice. Im not perfect. I want to be better at everything I do. But his expectations for his students are as high as they ever were, he said. If students are not meeting those standards, he said he would not hesitate to tell them. And if the situation were to warrant it, he said he would still discipline a student. If I set lower expectations, then Id be giving up on them, Yoon said. Excellence is excellence, no matter what. Students interviewed for this article said they and the resounding majority of their classmates have welcomed Yoons return. The atmosphere in the wind ensemble is even more supportive and welcoming than that of prior wind ensemble classes, said senior Nick Szabo, who plays baritone saxophone in the wind and jazz ensembles. I feel hes been humbled by the hearing process and hes gained an in-depth perspective on how to be the best that he can be. Mia Costanzo, a junior who plays trombone in the wind and jazz ensembles, said Yoons suspension has not hurt his reputation among students. I think most people have a very high level of respect for him, she said. When hes present and teaching, he pushes everyone to play their best. We really value the way we sound when we play in front of him. Junior Jackie OMalley, who plays flute in the symphony band, said Yoon projects a reassuring presence, as he did before he was suspended. Its good to have Mr. Yoon and (assistant band director) Mr. (Ben) Walker both there checking in on us, OMalley said. Its nice to know you have someone in the school you can go to. Whenever you see him in the school, he asks how your classes are going and to keep studying. As a person, I dont see him any differently. Hes still a great band director. Yoon has not scaled down his ambitions for the band program. He wants to grow enrollment from a current total of about 200 to 250 and add another section to the concert band. Travel will also continue to figure prominently in his plans for his students. In late March, they will head to a competition in Boston. He also has not ruled out taking the band on another trip overseas. In recent years, they have performed in Cuba, China and Greece. Yoon said he wants to finish his teaching career at Greenwich High and intends to lead the band program for another 10 years. He said he is confident he will avoid repeats of past contentious episodes with other music teachers and administrators. Ive been teaching close to 50 percent of my life here, Yoon said. Im invested in this town, and Im invested in this school. I want to finish it out. Im going to do my very best to make it work. More scrutiny At the Dec. 9 meeting when they decided to reinstate Yoon, school board members directed sharp criticism at administrators for their investigation of the complaints against the music teacher. But so far they have not pressed for a formal review of human-resources policies and practices related to Yoons case. The board reviewed a district human resources report earlier this month. The document did not mention Yoon, but administrators intended it to serve as a general review of recruitment, management, development and retention of employees. Board Chairman Laura Erickson said she was satisfied with how administrators responded to the boards reinstatement of Yoon, but she would support her colleagues if they wanted an additional review of HR issues related to Yoons case. The boards next evaluation of McKersie would offer an opportunity to assess administrators treatment of Yoon, she said. If there are outstanding concerns or questions that need to be asked, we will get answers, Erickson said. I think the administration, both at the superintendent level and the high school level, have implemented the boards decision (to reinstate Yoon) in a very professional manner. Mr. Yoon is back at work. Its been handled well. Board member Peter Sherr said he hopes he and his colleagues will study key takeaways from the case. This case revealed some larger organizational and cultural issues that must be addressed for the school system to succeed, Sherr said. I think the community is looking for us to pay attention to everything that was learned in the hearing officers report. Yoons attorney also urged school officials to further review the case. There are many lessons to learn, to make sure that past mistakes are not repeated, Young said. While I have no doubt that (new human resources director) Bob (Stacy) would have handled things far differently, I think everyone would benefit from a thorough analysis of why this happened, what went wrong and how it should have been handled, to better protect the students and the teachers involved. However school officials proceed, the saga is now an inextricable part of Yoons legacy at the high school. He describes it as the greatest challenge of his career. It was a pretty grueling and intense process, and you learn something from this, Yoon said. If you dont learn from something like this, then youre not really open to becoming better as a person and having a deeper understanding and knowledge. It cant help but affect you. pschott@scni.com; 203-625-4439; twitter: @paulschott Sony has started rolling out the Android 5.1 Lollipop update to both Xperia M5 and M5 Dual smartphones. The update also includes Android security patch for the month of January. Weighing in at around 600MB, the new update bumps the M5's build number to 30.1.A.1.33, and that of the dual-sim variant to 30.1.B.1.33. It brings along the ability to take pictures from the camera using the SmartWatch 3, as well as improvements related to volume and silent mode control. For those who aren't already aware, the M5 will land in Europe in February - it's currently up for pre-order in the UK, with shipments beginning February 8. Via As with any other great tech advancement in history, smartphones have developed rapidly from luxury to a necessity and as such are constantly becoming more and more affordable. OEMs, especially those operation out of China are always pushing the envelope on what is possible on a shoestring budget and it is an undeniable fact that you can now get a decent mid-range Android device from a major brand for around $200 and enjoy a modern Android experience. But what if you want to go cheaper still? A quick search online revels that you could opt for a no-brand device or a very outdated one for as little as $40. Blueboo's latest model, the Xfire 2 definitely goes one step beyond. We don't typically dip our foot into the vast sear of obscure Chinese brands, but this one is definitely an eye-catcher, at least on paper that is. For $59.99, the handset offers a metal unibody design, with a nice-looking arc and even complete with a 2.5D glass and a back-mounted fingerprint reader. That is definitely great value. The rest of the specs sheet is also decent with a 5-inch HD panel and powered by an MTK6580 quad-core processor and Mali 400 GPU. Memory is set at 1GB for RAM and 8GB for internal storage, but there is also a microSD card slot for up to 32GB more. The camera setup includes a 5MP main shooter with AF and a single LED flash and on the front there is a 2MP unit, which it also has an LED flash of its own. Powering the show is a 2150 mAh battery and the Xfire 2 boots Android 5.1 Lollipop out of the box, so you are really getting an up-to-date experience for your buck. The only real, obvious, downside of the Bluboo Xfire 2 specs-wise is the Lack of 4G LTE, but perhaps such handsets will also become reality in the sub $100 price range soon, thanks to MediaTek's latest line of ultra-affordable chips. According to the manufacturer's website, the Bluboo Xfire 2 is currently in pre-sale for the special price, which will later be raised to $69.99, still an amazing value. Both GearBest and Geekbuying currently have the dual-SIM variant listed for $73.86 and $79.99, respectively and shipments are expected to begin in February. Source | Via Haiti - Politic : A delegation of the CELAC will assess the situation and propose solutions On the sidelines of the participation of Haiti in the 4th Summit of Heads of State and Government of CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean) which takes place in Quito (Ecuador), the Haitian Chancellor Lener Renauld requested the collaboration of CELAC as part of the continuation of the electoral process in Haiti. After discussion, the CELAC has accepted the request of the Haitian government to send a delegation to Haiti which will be composed of Ministers of Foreign Affairs from Uruguay, Bahamas, Ecuador and Venezuela to gather information on the electoral situation and propose to the government of Michel Martelly possible solutions through mediation of the multilateral block. According to the president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, designated Ministers will take care to verify whether an intervention by the CELAC is needed face of the threat of foreign intervention in the political crisis that persists in Haiti for several months "Haiti is a member the CELAC and we have to respond to its request," stressed the President Correas. At the request of representatives of Argentina and Mexico, it was agreed that the final decision on possible intervention in Haiti CELAC will be taken in consultation with the 33 member countries. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16449-haiti-news-electoral-zapping.html SL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Electoral Zapping... The protests threaten the sovereignty of Haiti Mario Dupuy, the Minister of Communication reminds actors concerned in general and in particular those of the opposition, that if Haiti continuing to send signals to the international showing our inability to manage our country, this could put the sovereignty of Haiti at risk and open the door to foreigners to come and run the country for us. The G8 against the mission of the OAS Reacting to the OAS mediation mission, requested by the President Martelly and implemented by the Permanent Council at its meeting Thursday, January 27 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16458-haiti-elections-oas-special-mission-in-haiti-this-sunday.html the G8 deplored "an inappropriate and initiative likely to aggravate the current crisis" The G8 contests "the interference of the OAS in Haiti's internal affairs" and considers that this organization "is suffering in Haiti, of a neutrality deficit and is an irritating factor in finding a solution to the Haitian crisis ." The opposition wants the immediate resignation of Martelly On Friday, the opposition has again taken a street in the capital for demanding the resignation "immediately" of President Michel Martelly and the establishment of a transitional government that will call new elections as a solution to the current political crisis. The demonstrators chanted slogans against the Head of State and expressed their joy for the resignation of Pierre Louis Opont, former President of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP). Note that these repeated demands to want the resignation of President Martelly before February 7 have fore sole objective to be able to invoke Article 149 of the Constitution stipulates that "In case of vacancy of the Presidency of the Republic or by resignation, destitution, death or in case of permanent physical or mental incapacity duly established, the Council of Ministers, chaired by the Prime Minister exercises executive power until the election of another President [...]" The socio-political instability harmful to the economy Following a meeting with Cholzer Chancy, the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Ms. Carline Joseph, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Haiti CCIH), said that the political insecurity is of great concern for the Haitian entrepreneurs. She stressed the need that the political actors and public authorities are working to find a solution to the electoral crisis. According to the President of the CCIH, violent demonstrations and uncertainties contribute to socio-political instability harmful to the economy, whose the entrepreneurs are the main victims, recalling that the rioters are attacking mainly to private companies. The ANMH advocates a wide consensus CEP In response to the request of the Head of State to replace their representative on the Provisional Electoral Council CEP), the National Association of Haitian Media (ANMH) advocates in its response the creation of a new CEP, which would result from a a comprehensive agreement from a broad consensus likely to put in confident the nation, for a solution to the political crisis... HL/ HaitiLibre Published on 2016/01/29 | Source Actress Lee Sung-kyung, who won the Best New Actress award last year, attended the opening ceremony for the women's clothing brand, LAP at COEX Mall in Samsung-dong, Seoul on January 29th. Lee Sung-kyung, who plays Baek In-ha in "Cheese in the Trap" currently running, Melody Day members, Yeoeun, Ahn Yein, Chahee, Yoomin, who gained popularity with an original soundtrack for 'Answer Me 1988' and model Jeong Ho-yeon, who is currently dating 'Answer Me 1988' star, Lee Dong-hwi attended the promotional event. Advertisement Harlow is a former New Town in Essex with a population of 86,000. Located in the upper Stort Valley, it was built in the decades after the Second World War to ease overcrowding and London and provide homes for people bombed out during the Blitz. It includes Britain's first pedestrian precinct and first modern residential tower block, The Lawn. Old Harlow, the historic part of the town, was mentioned in the Domesday Book. David and Victoria Beckham's former home, Rowneybury House, nicknamed 'Beckingham Palace', is nearby. 15:19, 20 OCT 2022 By Kaitlan Morehouse A month-long campus- and community-wide conversation entitled How We Talk About Race in 2016 begins this weekend at Appalachian State with a performance of A Raisin in the Sun on Sunday. The series will conclude with performances of Clybourne Park Feb. 24-27. A Raisin in the Sun will be read by the In/Visible Theatre group at 3 p.m. on Sunday in the Valborg Theatre, and the performance will be free for audiences. Clybourne Park will be read by the universitys theatre and dance department, also held in the Valborg Theatre and free for audiences. Between the readings of each play, students and on-campus departments will study each play through the Sustained Dialogue Initiative and discuss the central issues within each performance. Participating departments will include the Office of Arts and Cultural Programs; the Office of Equity, Diversity and Compliance; and the Office of Multicultural Student Development. Why A Raisin in the Sun? In/Visible Theatre Producing Director Karen Sabo said it is a renowned, classic American play and one that all students who study theatre will learn. The play was groundbreaking when it was first debuted. Not only was it Lorraine Hansberrys most important, but it was the first Broadway play to invite audience members of different races into the Broadway theatre. I think that, for our community here or any community, its a really great way to discuss some of our conversations here about race, especially white audiences who may not have thought about it before. Its really entertaining in a non-threatening way, especially for white audiences to learn what they are going through, Sabo said. In/Visible Theatre Artistic Director Derek Davidson said the group is excited to be part of the conversation. Its an opportunity for us to do a play thats outside of our companys mission, he said. So its a really great opportunity to do a play that we wouldnt get a chance to do. Sabo said she is looking forward to finding out more about the each of the other events and attending. The free reading is open to the general public on a first-come, first-seated basis, and the doors will open 30 minutes prior to the performance. Why Clybourne Park? This Bruce Norris play is a spin-off of A Raisin in the Sun. The two stories are told nearly 50 years apart, but address the same key issues. The two pieces complement each other, each working to illuminate the audiences understanding of the other. Sabo said the ideas present in the play are catalysts for how we talk about race, including gentrification, diversification, suicide, PTSD and the differences between each. You can see Clybourne Park at $10 for students or $17 for adults at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 24-27 or at 2 p.m. on Feb. 28. App State Chancellor Sheri N. Everts will attend the final performance. Sustained Dialogue Initiative The Sustained Dialogue Initiative will bring folks together across campus and the community between the performances of A Raisin in the Sun and Clybourne Park for post-show conversation, lectures in late February, historical exhibits in the theatre department and dozens of classroom studies. Participating students will be meeting in small groups for the next eight weeks to discuss different social justice topics. Appalachian Student Government Association President Carson Rich said students dont always need professors around to talk about important issues, so the dialogue is open to all students who are interested in talking about race, gender or other topics. Clybourne Park Director Keith Martin said the Sustained Dialogue Initiatives program on campus has been proactive. Davidson said both plays are as much about social class as they are about race, which is also an important issue in the 21st century. In both of the plays, we have moved to polarized positions, regarding these matters, said Davidson. Its very clear that these are extremely relevant issues. Students can use the plays as springboards for honing skills on talking a bout these ideas as mindful and purposeful members of the community. The plays and the related education and outreach programs also have been scheduled to coincide with the African-American History Month events on campus. For more information, visit the ASU Theatre and Dance Department website, the In/Visible Theatre website or the In/Visible Theatre Facebook page. Share this: Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Reddit Pocket Via Thomson Reuters: INSIGHT-Did Brazil, global health agencies fumble Zika response? Excerpt and then a comment: Last January, long lines formed outside health clinics in Recife, a city in Brazil's northeast hit hard in recent years by outbreaks of dengue, a painful tropical disease. Doctors were on guard because federal health officials and the World Health Organization (WHO) had warned 2015 would be a bad year for dengue and possibly another viral disease, chikungunya, both spread by the same type of mosquito. But the symptoms of the hundreds of people seeking treatment did not fit dengue. Instead of high fevers and intense muscular aches that dengue is known to cause, patients were running only slight temperatures and complaining of joint pain. Many had rashes sooner than with dengue and chikungunya. "We knew this was something else," says Carlos Brito, a doctor from Recife who told state and federal health authorities in January-February last year that they were wrong to classify all the cases as dengue. "But the authorities were slow to believe," he said. Kleber Luz, a physician in Natal, a city 300 km up the Atlantic coast, says he gave similar feedback but got the same response. The two - who were part of a group of doctors discussing the odd symptoms in text messages - grew frustrated with the authorities' narrow focus. They asked the federal health ministry to broaden its search beyond viruses known in the area. It took until early May for the health ministry to recognize that the Zika virus had arrived in Brazil and to alert the WHO's regional arm, the Washington-based Pan American Health Organization. And it wasn't until November that a Rio de Janeiro laboratory made a link between the virus and microcephaly, which can lead to abnormally small brains in developing babies. The WHO has been lambasted in the past couple of years by scientists, aid organizations, and public health experts for the slow way in which it initially reacted to the Ebola epidemic as it spread across West Africa in 2014. And so far, the hesitant response to the Zika outbreak, which has created the worst global health scare since Ebola, says much about the difficulties that the WHO and other health authorities face in combating unexpected public health threats. EXPLODING ACROSS THE REGION On Dec. 1, the WHO cited the lab evidence linking Zika to microcephaly in an advisory to its member countries. It will consider on Monday whether to declare an international emergency. The WHO said in Geneva on Thursday that Zika in the last few months has spread "explosively" to more than 20 other countries in the Americas and could infect as many as 4 million people. Whether the health authorities in Brazil and the leadership at the WHO have taken too long to get to this point is a subject of debate within the international health community. The Brazilian government says its response when it was first alerted by the doctors about the unusual symptoms they were seeing was driven by the evidence. "It was too early," said Claudio Maierovitch, director of the health ministry's Department of Communicable Disease Surveillance. "There are so many other viral possibilities and Zika had never been seen in this hemisphere." And he said that when Zika was identified, the authorities' response was based on knowledge of the disease. Previous outbreaks of Zika, a virus first identified in 1947 in Uganda, had occurred in small and scattered rural populations in Africa and Southeast Asia and the symptoms were relatively benign. "We based our response on the scientific knowledge available, that Zika caused a mild illness without major complications," said Maierovitch. "But as soon as we saw that there was an association with microcephaly, we reacted in record time." Having reacted so quickly, with such dramatic worldwide results, Brazil and WHO are now well invested in some kind of causal link between Zika and microcephaly. It may be politically difficult to retreat from that position if evidence emerges that association is not causation. Though I suddenly found myself converted into a Zika-microcephaly skeptic yesterday, I'll be delighted to re-convert if strong evidence does establish a causal link between the two. A gangland assassin has been ordered to "back off" by the Christy Kinahan cartel after he agreed to take up a contract on the life of under-threat criminal Wayne Bradley, the Herald can reveal. The hitman was suspected of making two failed attempts to murder exiled crimelord John Gilligan in the space of three months, and is also currently a participant in the separate west Dublin feud which centres around Jason 'Jay' O'Connor. The Herald previously revealed that he had been enlisted to kill Bradley after his release from Portlaoise Prison last month - but now that plan has been scrapped. "Gardai have received information that the message was given from on high in Spain for the hitman to back off," a source told us. Attention "The view seems to have been that a high-profile murder of someone like Wayne Bradley would have been very bad for business, because of all the attention that it would have brought from gardai for months if it went ahead. "A murder like that would have definitely disrupted the drugs trade and it was decided that it was simply not worth it. "It would not be true to say that everything is now sweetness and light between the two factions, but there is no doubt that Wayne is not under anything like the threat he was facing a month ago," the source added. While a 'peace deal' has not taken place, sources say that Wayne's jailed brother, Alan 'Fatpuss' Bradley, has played a big part in the matter being resolved. "Lots of people in the criminal fraternity consider Wayne something of a joke, but his brother 'Fatpuss' is a lot better thought of," the source pointed out. "Fatpuss was extremely concerned about the reports he was getting in jail about what was happening, and it seems he had a word with some senior members as well - which may have influenced the situation to calm down." Sources stress that, while the situation now seems to be resolved, the unpredictable nature of the Finglas-based hitman means that this may not be permanent. Wayne was released from the high-security Portlaoise Prison at the start of last month, having served a five-year jail sentence for his role as a look-out during a raid at a Tesco store in Cellbridge, Co Kildare, in 2007 - under the direction of slain gang boss Eamon 'The Don' Dunne - while his brother Alan is still serving a six-and-a-half year sentence for his role. 'Fatpuss' will not be released for another 11 months after he also pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to conspiring to steal cash from Chubb Ireland on November 2, 2007, at Tesco in Kildare. Wayne had served his last 10 months in Portlaoise Prison after he was transferred there when he got a severe hiding in the exercise yard of Mountjoy Prison - which left him in hospital for a fortnight. The hitman who was after Wayne was previously closely associated with Kevin Ledwidge, a 27-year-old Finglas criminal who was shot dead in July 2007, as well as convicted Finglas murderer David Cully (24), who was jailed for life last July for the gun murder of his uncle. He is also linked to a Cabra criminal who was recently jailed in relation to a savage assault, after which the victim died. Powerful The hitman has forged a feared reputation over the past 18 months and is now considered one of the most powerful gangsters in north Dublin. He is a convicted armed robber who is said to have a "pathological hatred" for veteran criminal John Gilligan, who fled Ireland after the latest attempt on his life at his brother's Clondalkin home in March 2014. The hitman is also suspected of entering the Halfway House on the Navan Road in north Dublin armed with a 9mm handgun looking for Gilligan in early December 2013. More recently, he has become involved in the Westies gang feud in north Dublin, and has linked up with a criminal who has been at war with Jason 'Jay' O'Connor. He has also forged links with the Kinahan cartel and has been seen in their company. Thanks to Judz Lanimac for alerting me to this report on the Facebook page of the Jamaican Ministry of Health: Jamaica Confirms First Case of the Zika Virus. Excerpt: The Ministry of Health has confirmed one case of the Zika virus in Jamaica. The patient who has now recovered is a four year old child from Portmore, St. Catherine. The child began showing symptoms on January 17, 2016 after earlier returning to Jamaica from travel to Texas in the United States. The child was investigated at the Bustamante Hospital for Children and samples sent to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) for testing on January 26, 2016. The Ministry received the positive zika virus test result from CARPHA late Friday afternoon (January, 29, 2016). The case is being investigated to determine the source of infection and the childs parents and family have been contacted and briefed by a team from the Ministry of Health. No other family member is ill at this time. As part of its investigations the Ministry of Health has undertaken the necessary community interventions in and around the area where the child lives to determine whether there are other cases and has heightened vector control activities. The Minister of Health will provide a full update to the nation at a press briefing to be held on Monday, February 1, 2016. Independent TD Mick Wallace is faced with having to pay 2m to a US vulture fund that he raised concerns about in the Dail. A judgment for 2m was granted against Mr Wallace over his guarantee of a loan given by Ulster Bank to a company of his. The loan has since been bought by US vulture fund Cerberus. A three-month stay applies on execution of the judgment. At the Commercial Court, Mr Justice Brian McGovern ruled that the fund which took over the Ulster Bank loan, Promontoria (Aran) Ltd, the Irish subsidiary of US fund Cerberus, was entitled to summary judgment. He said the Wexford TD had raised no arguable defence to the fund's claim. Mr Wallace was one of the fiercest critics of Cerberus' purchase of Nama's Project Eagle Northern Ireland loan book for 1.6bn in April 2014. Claims of political kick-backs on the margins of that purchase are being investigated by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA), the US Securities and Exchange Commission and a Stormont committee. Mr Wallace had also opposed the sale of another Nama asset portfolio, known as Project Arrow, to Cerberus for around 800m, calling on Finance Minister Michael Noonan to suspend the sale until the NCA investigation was complete. Yesterday, Mr Justice McGovern entered judgment for 2m, the maximum amount of Mr Wallace's liability under his guarantee of a 2.1m loan made to his company, M & J Wallace Ltd, and also awarded costs against the TD. The three-month stay is to allow for the effect of an expected sale of a restaurant property at Dublin's Ormond Quay on Mr Wallace's indebtedness. Earlier, Stephen Walsh, for Mr Wallace, sought a stay of three or four months on grounds of Mr Wallace's personal circumstances. The stay application was a plea for "the type of practical and sensible justice" operating in the courts. Mr Walsh said ACC Bank has had a 20m judgment against Mr Wallace for four years and made "modest" recovery from that. If Promontoria thought it would "leapfrog" over ACC and "snaffle" some asset, it was "naive in the extreme" as there was "nothing" there to execute the judgment against, he said. An application to wind up M & J Wallace, founded in 1970 by Mr Wallace's father, was for hearing on February 15. Mr Wallace had to direct his attention to that matter, which had emotional significance for him. Mr Wallace will also be seeking re-election in the forthcoming general election, expected to be held on February 26, counsel said. Jockeying The TD may be "jockeying" in post-election negotiations and would be very busy up to and after February 26, he added. Counsel agreed with the judge that the TD had to be re-elected first. Mr Walsh said the best ground for a stay was because the expected sale of a restaurant property - the Taverna di Baccio - on Ormond Quay, on which the fund held security, would reduce Mr Wallace's overall indebtedness. Paul Gardiner, for the fund, said this was a "very unusual" stay application and Mr Wallace had effectively already had a stay for three months. The debt of the Wallace company will be reduced below 2m by the property sale, but the sale would not extinguish the debt, he said. Wallace faces 2m bill to vulture fund at centre of Dail claims It's fair to say that most people find the first day of a new job a little bit daunting. Stephen Donnelly TD made a classic blunder as he made his way to Leinster House for his first day as a newly-elected member of the 31st Dail in 2011. "After the three-day count in my constituency of Wicklow I was just exhausted," he said. "I remember saying to Susan, my wife, that I had better go into the Dail and get cracking. "When you're not a member of a political party there's nobody ringing you and telling you when to show up." Mr Donnelly said that on the first day in his new job he travelled into town by Dart, and after getting off at Pearse Street made his way towards the Dail. "As I neared what I thought was the Dail, I spotted two gardai, young fellows, tall men, standing outside," he said, "so I said to them, 'Stephen Donnelly reporting for duty'. "To their credit, the two lads didn't even crack a smile. Their eyes may have moved slightly, but that was it." The Social Democrat recalled the warm greeting he received from the two guards. "They said, 'Well, Deputy, congratulations, it's a great honour. Now, you absolutely could head in here, but this is the Museum of Natural History and what you'll be looking for is the Dail'." Mr Donnelly cringed as he recalled his embarrassment at getting the Dail mixed up with what is commonly known as the Dead Zoo. "I was literally standing there with my lunchbox and my schoolbag, it was such a typical first-day look," he said. Mr Donnelly should take comfort in the fact that his mistake does not even come close to Plinthgate, which saw the newly-elected Mary Mitchell O'Connor of Fine Gael accidentally drive her car down a series of concrete steps outside the Dail after mistaking them for a ramp. Mr Donnelly's party has issued an appeal for 100 supporters or more to come along to the filming of their broadcast which will be screened on RTE on February 20. "Lets Make a Movie" was the message to supporters who were invited to turn up tomorrow for a three-hour afternoon film shoot in Dublin. "We have something very exciting planned," the Social Democrats said. The filming will be at St Joseph's Boys School in Fairview, and supporters are invited to be there for 1.30pm. "Our 14 candidates have been asked to bring their teams, which will mean at least 70 or 80 people, along with 60 other supporters who have signed up so far," said party spokeswoman Anne Marie McNally, a candidate in Dublin Mid West. "We're keeping the concept under wraps. We've a great production team." The party is allowed a 90-second broadcast compared with the three minutes granted to bigger parties. Via America's North Shore Journal, Charles Simmins writes: Microcephaly and Zika. It's invaluable, especially its data table. Excerpt and then a comment: In a Jan. 26 article in Nature, Declan Butler explores the possibility that the increase in reported microcephaly cases in Brazil is unrelated to an outbreak of Zika viral illness and may even be non-existent. The article, titled "Zika virus: Brazils surge in small-headed babies questioned by report," is based upon a report from the Latin American Collaborative Study of Congenital Malformations (ECLAMC) [6]. In the article, Butler reports that as of Jan. 27, Brazil had 4,180 suspected cases of microcephaly recorded since October. The government had examined 732 of those, and had rejected 462, 63 percent, as false diagnoses. While the ratio of false diagnoses of 462:732 is unlikely to be the final result, it provides an additional set of data that can be analyzed in a limited way. Using the 4,180 suspected cases as a starting point, the analysis suggests that 1,547 cases will be found to be properly diagnosed as microcephaly. That number is very uncertain but it is useful. If incidence rates other than those from the Brazilian government and the rates labelled CDC A and CDC B are used, 1,547 begins to look a lot like a normal number of cases. ECLAMC notes in its report that the Brazilian authorities are using an unproven criteria for microcephaly. The government has changed the diagnostic criteria to reflect that all children with a head circumference of less than 33 cm. should be reported as a case of microcephaly. Normal head circumference is known to vary by ethnicity. [15] Newborns in the United States have been found to have a larger head, on average, then those in the Third World. It is also noted that an exam and measurement of the skulls of a newborns parents is also warranted as the family may just be expressing a trait for a smaller than average skull. More than one study has noted that the WHO charts vary from those produced by the CDC. For children in industrial countries, the mean OFC is larger than that indicated in the WHO standard values, which are based on measurements taken from about 8500 children in Brazil, Ghana, India, Oman, and the USA. [16] OFC is the abbreviation for occipital-frontal circumference. Conclusion Data exists that suggests that the number of confirmed cases of microcephaly in Brazil will be far lower than the number of reports. In addition, the actual number of cases of microcephaly per year in Brazil prior to the arrival of the Zika viral illness is less clear than it might be. It is impossible to draw a sound conclusion that the Zika outbreak has or has not added to the number of cases of microcephaly in Brazil. The data is suggestive that the number of microcephaly cases will range, in a given 12 months, from normal to two or three times normal. It remains an issue of great concern but the hype seems to have far exceeded the threat. In its latest epidemiological update, the Brazilian Ministry of Health lists just 270 confirmed microcephaly cases as of week 3/2016, and just six positive tests for Zika. Pernambuco has 138 confirmed cases, and zero Zika positives. Halloween is coming! Here's when to trick or treat in your town lifestyle A national overview of the situation in the Daily Trust: Death toll rises as deadly Lassa fever rages on. Lassa fever has so far affected 18 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, even as federal and state governments work to contain it. The death of one person each in Jigawa and Ebonyi states this week has added to the number of states affected by Lassa fever. These include Niger, Nasarawa, Plateau, Taraba, Rivers, Edo, Delta, Kogi, Ebonyi, Zamfara, Ekiti, Lagos, Gombe, Oyo, Bauchi, Kano, Ondo, Jigawa states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. In Jigawa State 26 people were quarantined, while another was diagnosed with the disease, the Commissioner of Health, Dr. Abba Zakari disclosed. The first case in Ebonyi came four days after the state commissioner for Health, Dr. Umezurike, denied any recorded case. State governor, Engr. Dave Umahi, said in Abakaliki that the victim who died on Monday in his hostel was a 26-year-old male student of the state university (EBSU) and he had instructed the state ministries of Health and Education to quarantine close friends of the deceased, including his roommate and those living in the same hostel. Akwa Ibom State also confirmed its first victim from the Lassa fever disease recently. The states Commissioner for Health, Dr. Dominic Ukpong, said the victims were diagnosed with the virus at different locations of the state. He said the dead victim, a 53-year-old woman, died shortly after she was diagnosed and advised the public to visit the hospital once they notice any of the symptoms. In a related development, Taraba State, which has been on the list of states affected recorded four more deaths, bringing the number of victims in the state to seven, head of clinical services, Federal Medical Centre, Jaingo, Dr. Iliya Attah has confirmed. In an effort to check spread of the virus which has claimed three lives, Rivers State revealed over 400 persons were being followed. The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Theophilus Odagme said they were followed after the death of the medical doctor that passed on at the Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital (BMSH), Port Harcourt, after contacting the disease. Rivers State has launched a campaign to eliminate rats, while Lagos State has declared a war on rodents in communities and markets across the state and has so far killed about 7, 423 rodents since the campaign took off. An earlier advice by the Medical and Health Workers Union, Lagos State council, to Nigerians to stop drinking soaked garri because of Lassa fever has generated intense reactions, with experts saying an attack on garri staple could create needless panic. A virologist and co-founder of the Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria (IHVN) Dr Alashle G. Abimiku has said sustained heat can help kill the Lassa fever virus. He said if people are afraid to drink soaked gari because of Lassa fever, then they have to worry about every other food. Lassa fever has so far killed over 44 people across Nigeria. It was first discovered in Lassa town, Borno State, in 1969. This weekend might be the last warm one we have in awhile This domain has expired. If you owned this domain, contact your domain registration service provider for further assistance. If you need help identifying your provider, visit https://www.tucowsdomains.com/ It is 5pm, and Katrina Kaif has already given a couple of interviews. Yet, when we walk up to her for our turn, the actor, who is wearing a white asymmetrical short lace dress, welcomes us with an endearing smile. You must be tired, we say, almost sensing her fatigue, to which she replies, I am actually hungry, and orders a grilled fish. A picture of composure, Katrina settles down, and signals that we start the interview. There have been rumours about your relationship with Ranbir Kapoor. Would you like to set the record straight once and for all? From the start of my career to now, personal stories have always come hand in hand with the professional ones. So, I take it the same way as I have always done [in the past]. I take rumours with a pinch of salt. I have always taken a stance of not commenting on my personal life. So, for me, there is nothing to address. Read: Did Katrina Kaif meet Salman Khan before breaking up with Ranbir Kapoor? Katrina Kaif interacts with HT Cafe journalists in HT Mumbai office in this file photo from Aug, 2012. (Photo by Santosh Harhare / Hindustan Times) You havent done too many films in the past couple of years It was a conscious decision. I was focusing on different things in the past two years. In a career spanning 13 years, there will be some years where you end up focusing on something else, for personal reasons. But this year, I have three films releasing, and thats going to be fun. For around nine years, I had four movies releasing every year, and I was running from pillar to post. So, its good to have a balance, and break the monotony. But in a competitive industry like Bollywood, is it wise to take things slow, especially when your contemporaries are doing so many projects? I compete with myself. I think that is something that most people, who have an identity of their own, have in common. I know that last year, I had taken a step back, and put my focus on other things. Now, I will focus on the kind of films I am doing. Im always aware of where my focus lies. Read: Is Katrina insecure over Deepika-Ranbirs chemistry in Tamasha? On the finale episode of Bigg Boss 9, Salman Khan recently called you the most hard-working person he knows. Do you immerse yourself in whatever you do? I try to, and I feel its a good philosophy for everyone to abide by. You should try to do whatever you are doing to the best of your ability. But I am aware of the few times that I have not put in my 100% into my work. I feel bad about that. Katrina Kaif and Aditya Roy Kapur promote their upcoming film Fitoor on the sets of Salman Khans Bigg Boss 9. It was the finale episode of the reality show. (COLORS) Salman also called you a very strong person Its such a general statement that its hard to dissect it. Strength can mean different things to different people. If you are a person who knows his or her mind, who believes in his or her choices, and has conviction in his or her decisions, then, for me, all those qualities define a strong woman. Read: I am in awe of Katrina Kaif, says Salman Khan on Bigg Boss Katrina Kaif and Tabu during the trailer launch of Fitoor in Mumbai. (IANS) Do you feel that more often than not, people focus on your looks rather than your performances? No, I dont think so. Sometimes, we do pay too much attention to the styling or the glamorous side of an actress, especially nowadays, since it is becoming more and more important on digital platforms and social media. But, as an actor, every time I have gotten into character, whether it was for a role in Raajneeti (2010) or Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011), I feel the response has been appropriate. It is not that my performances went unnoticed. Katrina Kaif in a still from Rajneeti. (YouTube grab) You are mostly calm and composed, and hardly get embroiled in any controversies. Is that the real you? I believe that your behaviour should be dignified at your place of work. You owe it to the platform you are on whether it is representing a movie, or a collection like La Vie En Rose by LOreal Paris. You owe it to them to behave in a dignified, respectable and calm manner. It is my job. It makes me feel secure, whether it is financially or professionally. So, I treat it like that. By nature, I feel that Im outspoken and fun-loving, but only with the people I know well. However, Im not an extrovert. Watch Katrina Kaif in Fitoor trailer Do you feel that celebrities nowadays get targeted a lot more than they were earlier? If you are in the public eye, and you get the benefits that come with being famous, then you also have to be careful about what you do and what you say. That is because your words come with a certain weight, and your behaviour also carries a certain weight. Faced with divided views on public spending, finance minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said he was actively considering the pros and cons of higher public spending and its impact on the fiscal maths. Jaitley said the final decision on the fiscal deficit target would be spelled out in the budget based on the resources, growth potential and tax buoyancy. Jaitleys comments came in the wake of RBI governor Raghuram Rajans statement on Friday warning the government over increased borrowings to spur spending for higher economic growth risking macroeconomic stability. I can tell you I have been consulting all shades of opinion. This is the first time that I have come across people holding sharply divided views and each one has a strong argument in his favour. There is an argument being given that in the current economic situation public investment holds the key, Jaitley said. Then there is another argument, and the alternate argument is also equally important with regard to credibility of government. One year you deviated from target, will you do it again and particularly if oil prices are one-third of what they were? If you still cant meet the target, when will you do that? And, therefore, both the arguments have a way, he added. Jaitley shared that his ministry was also weighing whether in a fast moving global situation it was necessary to fix a target beforehand. Of course, the government has the benefit of these three views. Predominantly, industry is of the view that you must spend more, the economists view is sharply divided, he said. I think all these inputs will go into determining the policy of the government. Almost a month before the Union budget, Jaitley indicated his speech on February 29 would pitch for structural reforms and not resort to sheer populism. Calling for strong economic fundamentals, Jaitley said the country needed to focus on better infrastructure, irrigation and farm productivity. We probably have potential to have a growth that is higher than what we have achieved. This 7-7.5% is not our optimum range. The Indian normal is 8-9% category. And it is only when you grow at that pace, you can get rid of poverty, he said. Highlighting the positives for India amid a slump in oil and commodity prices leading to a global slowdown, Jaitley said the situation suits us as the country is a net buyer of these items. What we have to do is to put our house in order. I think the first important thing that we have to do is to carry on structural reforms, he said about how India could take advantage of the global situation. Talking at an event, Jaitley pushed for a shift in focus towards infrastructure, irrigation, agricultural productivity and manufacturing. At the end of the day, what is it that you are asking for is to get that cutting edge that you must grow at 1-1.5% faster than what you are doing today. I think with all these changes, and hopefully, in future rain gods being kinder to us than in the last two years, it is not very difficult or impossible target for India to achieve, Jaitley said. Hopeful of passing GST Jaitley expressed hope the Congress will see reason and support the passage of the long-pending Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill. It (GST) is the important reform of the UPA. If I have to credit the authorship of it, I have to give credit to them. Now, if the author turns against his own script, what do I make? he said. The finance minister maintained he had reached out to the Congress over the GST issue and hoped it would see the rationale behind passing the bill. He pointed out that UPA allies such as the RJD, NCP and JD-U were openly supporting the legislation. On subsidies Jaitley clarified the government was not against subsidies, but maintained they should be meant for the needy and not the wealthy. His remarks came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke of rationalising and targeting of such benefits. The Prime Minister had a valid point and the valid point is at the end of the day, the government per se is not against the concept of subsidies, Jaitley said. If you look at the whole structure of the Indian economy, its agriculture sector, particularly in the last two years due to the poor monsoon, has been stressed. Therefore, you need to put funds in that particular sector. Therefore, there would be targeted subsidy, he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday called for targeted subsidies and reforms that transform the lives of the poor, and questioned tax incentives for corporates, barely a month before the government presents the budget for 2016-17. Why is it that subsidies going to the well-off are portrayed in a positive manner? Let me give you an example. The total revenue loss from incentives to corporate tax payers was over Rs 62,000 crore, the PM said at an event in the Capital. He also took a dig at experts for seeking an overhaul of Indias subsidy regime while remaining silent on incentives for the well-off that often distort the tax system. Dividends and long-term capital gains on shares traded in stock exchanges are totally exempt from income tax even though it is not the poor who earn them. Since it is exempt, it is not even counted in the `62,000 crore, he said. Modis comments marked a departure from the usual practice of top government functionaries who avoid commenting on specific tax-related issues weeks ahead of the budget. Companies sometimes exploit bilateral treaties to avoid paying taxes, he said. Double taxation avoidance treaties have in some cases resulted in double non-taxation. This also is not counted in the `62,000 crore. Yet, these are rarely referred to by those seeking reduction of subsidies. Perhaps, these are seen as incentives for investment. If the fertiliser subsidy were to be re-named incentive for agricultural production, I wonder if some experts might view it differently, he said. Finance minister Arun Jaitley had in his budget speech last February said the government would reduce corporate tax rate to 25% over the next four years from the present 30%. But this would be accompanied by a corresponding phase-out of tax exemptions and deductions, which would bring more clarity to the tax regime, hed said. In November, the government had laid down a comprehensive road map for phasing out corporate tax exemptions over the next two years as it looked to reduce the tax rate, simplify administration and improve Indias competitive edge globally. The move could hurt companies that have been benefiting from these exemptions for years, at least in the short to medium term. I must confess I am surprised by the way words are used by experts on this matter. When a benefit is given to farmers or to the poor, experts and government officers normally call it a subsidy. However, I find that if a benefit is given to industry or commerce, it is usually an incentive or a subvention, Modi said. The PM said there cannot be any ideological position on such matters. We have to be pragmatic. We have to eliminate bad subsidies, whether or not they are called subsidies. But some subsidies may be necessary to protect the poor and the needy and give them a fair chance to succeed. Hence, my aim is not to eliminate subsidies but to rationalize and target them, he said. True reforms are those which result in transformation in the lives of citizens. In an indiscreet reference to Opposition tactics to block proceedings in Parliament, the PM spoke about the 758 obsolete laws awaiting passage in the upper House, thrice using the term upper House. Homebuyers and activists are crying foul over the parking-related amendment in the proposed Real Estate Regulation Bill (RERB), according to which only open parking areas will be part of common areas and facilities in a group housing project Common areas are common facilities such as green and other areas for elevators etc used by owners of apartments in housing societies. Many builders and residents of housing societies are usually locked in battles claiming rights over such areas. According to various apartment and urban area acts and court judgments, builders cannot sell common areas and facilities separately and have to hand these over to the association of apartment owners free of cost once the project gets a completion certificate. Unfortunately, the Real Estate Regulation Bill, instead of helping homebuyers enforce their rights on the common areas and facilities, will make things difficult for them once enacted in its present form. Thats because Section 2 (N) (iii) of the Bill, while defining the common areas, among various other things also include the common basements, terraces, parks, play areas, open parking areas and common storage spaces. There will be negative consequences of this type of definition of common areas and facilities, especially when it comes to parking areas. Developers will create open parking in the space meant for green areas and parks, says a senior consultant from the ministry of housing and poverty alleviation, on conditions of anonymity. He also suggests that by associating the word open with parking areas, the Bill excludes stilt parking as part of common areas and facilities and thus denying apartment owners claim over the same. Many homebuyers and activists have asked for changes in the definition of common areas and facilities in the Bill, especially when it comes to parking and said if the Bill is passed by the Cabinet in its present form it will legitimise the sale of parking in the stilt area - a space that should belongs by right, and free of cost, to the association of apartment owners. According to Amit Jain, an activist and a key contributor to the drafting of the Real Estate Regulation Bill, Now a builder will not only claim exclusive rights over stilt parking, but in future in case FAR (floor area ratio, which allows builders extra space for additional construction in a project) is increased in that area, he can get the stilt area converted to flats and sell them. When FAR is increased in any area, the developer gets the right to construct more apartments on the same piece of land on which he has constructed an apartment earlier. So he wants to control such common areas and make money out of it whenever possible. Jain claims to have been shocked to see the persistence of the builders lobby to continue to thwart all our efforts to bring some rationality and sanctity to the otherwise errant real estate sector. We are writing to the prime minister for his personal intervention to ensure that the RERB should be meant for the protection of homebuyers instead of legitimising all the illegalities and issues that we have fought against builders in the past. Associating common areas and facilities with parking (in the bill) also contradicts the Supreme Court judgment in Nahalchand Laloochand Private Limited vs Panchali Co-Operative Housing Society Limited case. The apex court, on August 31, 2010, had said that stilt parking was nothing but a part of the common areas and facilities. Stilt parking space/s being part of `common areas of the building developed by the promoter, the only right that the promoter has, is to charge the cost thereof in proportion to the carpet area of the flat from each flat purchaser. A recent judgment from the Delhi High Court in the Anup Mittal vs Kanungo Co-operative Group Housing Society Ltd, while holding that open parking congested common areas and facilities, said, Air pollution is not the only environmental impact that the vehicles would cause. Parking of the excess cars, especially permanent, in open areas, reduces available open space underneath them for rain water harvesting which enables charging of ground water aquifers - another adverse impact on environment, to which the petitioner could be a contributory. Surprisingly, the original draft bill had used the word parking areas. However, when the Bill went to the select committee on the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill 2013 of the Rajya Sabha, set up for deliberations and suggestions in the Bill, the committee prefixed the world open before the parking areas, for reasons best known to it. Highlighting the select committees observation and recommendations on the definition of common area, the report said, The Committee desires that the definition of common area should be made succinct so as to convey that the common area is the entire common place in the project including the open parking, terraces, common facilities .. Its interesting to note that the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already approved the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2015, as reported by the select committee. Activists and property owners allege that builders lobby is trying to influence the government and provisions amended in their own favour. Its sad that government is making changes in the Bill under builders pressure. Whats the point of having a legislation to regulate the housing sector if such regulations legitimise illegal practices?, asks Rahul Mehta, an apartment owner in Noida. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The showdown between Delhis AAP government and the BJP-led municipal corporations over funding of salaries escalated on Saturday as city-wide protests marked the fourth day of a civic workers strike, leaving roads strewn with garbage and several hospitals locked. As light rain was forecast over the coming few days, the city braced for a public health crisis because of the piled-up garbage even as chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said arrangements were being made to ensure nobody faced any inconvenience. I have directed government to deploy as many trucks as are needed to lift garbage. Public should not be inconvenienced, Kejriwal tweeted. A special PWD task force was pressed into action to lift garbage on Friday but the task appeared far from accomplished by Saturday. Read | MCD workers protest outside AAP leaders house as deadline ends More than 130,000 employees have been on strike since Wednesday, bringing municipal schools and hospitals to a standstill apart from leading to a breakdown of the state sanitation machinery. Nearly 1.2 million students enrolled in 1,860 municipal schools were either sent back home or refused to be taught by their teachers. Massive traffic jams were seen in many parts of the city on Saturday as the protesting workers marched on roads joined by local political leaders sympathetic to their demands, with east Delhi the worst affected. New Delhis Hindu Rao hospital has been shut due to workers Strike on Saturday, January 30, 2016, (Photo by Arun Sharma / Hindustan Times) (Arun Sharma / HT Photo) Emergency as well as OPD services remained suspended at municipal hospitals as doctors joined the strike. BJP leaders and municipal councillors also held a protest against the Delhi government, holding it responsible for the repeated financial crises faced by municipal authorities. The Kejriwal government should stop misleading people through media statements on municipal funds. We have yesterday written to the chief minister giving the true facts on funds municipal bodies have got from the Delhi government and our salary bills. MCD salary bills are almost thrice the non-plan funds that have been given and we demand the Delhi government release around Rs 3,000 crore pending funds, Satish Upadhyay, Delhi BJP president, said. The Delhi government retaliated, claiming all funds had been disbursed and attributed the current financial condition to corruption and a lack of municipal reforms. There is a salary scam in municipal corporations. MCD should make its accounts public. When we have given them the money, it must have been diverted somewhere. There should be a proper investigation, deputy CM Manish Sisodia said. The situation is likely to worsen on Monday with employees threatening to dump garbage across the city. We will continue to protest against delayed salary payments and will also ensure that our protests are not disrupted, Sanjay Gehlot, president of the Mazdoor Vikas Samyukta Morcha, said. Read | As garbage stink rises on Delhi, no end to stalemate over civic strike Supporters of Donald Trump in the United States are flabbergasted at his praise for India. The reason I love Trump is because he hates so many people Mexicans, Chinese, Blacks, women, said a diehard fan from the Deep South, adding he would have to re-think his support now. Wheres the petty-minded rancour, the ill-will, the intolerance of anything remotely foreign? This is not the obnoxious loudmouth we love, wailed a Trump bhakt. Trump has let us down badly, said a fiery couch potato from Oklahoma who had tuned in to the CNN interview, hoping to hear a racist diatribe. I wanted him to fulminate against another religion, you know, like Buddhism or something, so when he mentioned India, I thought maybe he would rant and rave against one of their religions, they have people who call themselves Janes there and there was this girl called Patel whom I dated who said she was Jane, she was a regular plain Jane let me tell you and yet she ditched me so I totally hate Janes. So when Trump says India is doing good I felt really sick, I mean, whats the whole point of voting for a chap who says nice things about other people, I might as well vote for a commie like Bernie Sanders, eh? A more coherent hater from the Mid-West said he was shocked his idol was praising people who not only took American jobs but were also brown. Ill have to look for a more rabid hate-spewer now, he lamented. Other Republican presidential candidates have been quick to barge in on the opportunity. Trust me, unlike Trump, I think Indias growth numbers are completely made up, they arent doing well at all, said one of them. Another said whether India is doing great or not is beside the point, what mattered was he disliked Indians, unlike Indian-lover Trump. A candidate whose name no one knew said Trumps comments on India showed that beneath that foul-mouthed exterior, he was actually a softie, in fact a little girlie. With floppy hair, he added. In India, however, Trumps comments have had a rapturous welcome. Take that, all you pseudo-seculars, even a beef-eater says were doing just great, said a pro-Trump pseudo-nationalist Indian waiting for his visa. A traditionalist lady opposing the entry of women into temples said she just lapped up all that Trump had to say. For instance, she said, he had retweeted that If Hillary cant satisfy her husband, what makes her think she can satisfy America? That is such a wonderful thing to say to a woman, she added. A building contractor said he had a lot of respect for Trumps building. We should build a wall around Bangladesh, just as Trump wants a wall around Mexico, he said. If the US doesnt elect Trump, he should come to India and become our president, said a local bigot. He predicted, With his fantastic ability to flaunt his prejudices, his narrow-mindedness, his contempt for minorities, his jingoism, his wealth and his hair, hell be a great inspiration for many of our political leaders. Manas Chakravarty is Consulting Editor, Mint . The views expressed are personal. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Im not a historian nor an expert on Subhas Chandra Bose but I find it inexplicable, even baffling, that many, including members of his close family, refuse to believe he died in a plane crash on the 18th of August 1945. That some actually believe he spent years incarcerated in a Soviet Gulag camp or hiding in Manchuria or disguised as Gunnami Baba is simply unbelievable. Yet some people do. However, for those who wish to be rational its possible to work out what happened to Bose. Im not relying on the files declassified last weekend. They, no doubt, help. But the best compilation of the evidence is available on www.bosefiles.info. Compiled over 25 years of meticulous research by the London-based journalist Ashis Ray, one of Boses great nephews, it presents a compelling case. Rays research shows that Bose was in Malaya when he heard the Japanese had offered to surrender. That was on the 12th of August 1945. He then returned to Singapore where he learnt the Japanese were prepared to give him shelter in Japan. On the 16th of August he began the journey that was intended to take him to Tokyo. In the first stage he got to Bangkok. There he decided that although he would go to Tokyo, to thank the Japanese government for all the assistance they had given him, he would, thereafter, proceed to Russia via Manchuria. Unfortunately, things worked out very differently. On the 17th Bose left Bangkok reaching Saigon by midday. That evening he took off for Taipei but because darkness was falling the pilot made an unscheduled night-stop at Tourane on the Indo-China coast. On the 18th the day he died Bose took off from Tourane for Tokyo via Taipei, where concerns arose about one of the planes engines. Although the engineers satisfied themselves the problem was clearly not resolved. Shortly after the plane left Taipei for Tokyo a loud explosion was heard. The plane tilted to its left and one of its propellers fell off. It crashed 100 metres beyond the runaway and caught fire. Col. Rahman, Boses ADC, who was with him, has graphically described his injuries and the last message he left for the Indian people. At least three others, who attended to Bose at the Nanmon military hospital where he was taken, have given an account of his last hours. They are Capt. Yoshimi, the Medical Officer In-charge of the hospital, Dr Tsuruta, a Japanese doctor, and a Taiwanese nurse. Now, the files released last weekend add that Capt. Nakamura, a Taiwanese translator, was also present when Bose died. He says his last words were: I want to sleep. Ten minutes later, Nakamura reports, he died. Ashis Ray comes to the following conclusion: There is overwhelming, irrefutable, hard documentary evidence to reconfirm that Subhas Bose unquestionably met with a plane crash at Taipei on 18th August 1945. He died hours later. Boses daughter, Anita Pfaff, accepts this. Is it just their fondness for conspiracy theories that prevents others agreeing? Anita Pfaff has suggested a DNA test be done on the remains which are said to be her fathers at the Renkoji Temple in Tokyo. Its an eminently sensible idea. But the problem is: What happens if they turn out not to be Boses ashes? Does that mean he didnt die in the air crash? And that hes still alive somewhere? For those who dont want to accept there will always be some reason not to believe. The views expressed are personal SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Unlike the airport in my home town, Bengaluru, or the airports in two cities I visit often, Mumbai and Delhi, the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose airport in Kolkata is run not by a private firm but by the Airports Authority of India. This must be why, unlike in Bengaluru, Delhi or Mumbai, as one approaches the security check counters of the Kolkata airport, one is confronted by a sign-board listing all those who are exempt from frisking and having their bags x-rayed. So far as I recall I havent been to Kolkata for about a year now that board listed 18 individuals who enjoy privileges the rest of us are denied. Most were defined by the post they held. They included the President and Vice President, the Chief Justice of India, and governors and chief justices of states. One omnibus category was those under SPG protection; another, holders of the Bharat Ratna. Only two of these exempted individuals were listed by name. These were His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Robert Vadra. Someone once said that India is home to all that is noble as well as all that is disgusting in the human experience. I have never been more conscious of the truth of this remark when passing that sign-board at the Kolkata airport. No two individuals living in our Republic could be a greater contrast than Robert Vadra and the Dalai Lama. One owes his rise entirely to nepotism and political connections. The other has achieved his position entirely due to the nobility and decency of his own character. I have been in the same room with the Dalai Lama only twice. Yet I have known about him all my life. I was born and raised in Dehradun, which is home also to a large number of Tibetan refugees, some of whom went to the same school (Cambrian Hall) as I did. From them I learnt of their sufferings at the hands of the Chinese, and how the community was kept going in exile through the spirit and example of their leader. I first saw the Dalai Lama in person at five-thirty in the morning of January 30, 1990. Earlier that winter, a wave of bloody riots had broken out across northern India, as a result of the (misguided, malign) campaign to have a Ram temple built where a mosque stood in Ayodhya. Among those distressed by the violence was the philosopher Ramchandra Gandhi, a grandson of the Mahatmas. In response, he organised a night-long vigil of peace at the place where Gandhi himself had been assassinated, on Tees January Marg in New Delhi. The audience, huddled together in the winter cold, sat on dhurries under a shamiana enclosed on three sides, hearing poems and songs in praise of inter-faith harmony. The vigil concluded with a discourse by the Dalai Lama. As soon as he arrived, and placed himself on the (modestly elevated) stage, the curtains behind him were lifted, to reveal that he sat in an absolutely straight line with a portrait of Gandhi, suitably illuminated for the occasion, that hangs almost precisely where he was shot on January 30, 1948. The second time I saw the Dalai Lama was earlier this month. This was also in Delhi, but in an enclosed room this time. His Holiness had recently turned 80; and his Indian friends had gathered to wish him. The organisers had kindly asked me to come and (briefly) speak about the person being honoured. At lunch, I was placed on a table next to the chief guest, from where, while I looked across respectfully, I did not go across and introduce myself. One of my table-mates did not share my restraint. Choosing his moment, he walked over to the next table, and, in a voice that resounded around the room, remarked: Your Holiness! How are you!! You remember we met in Calcutta! The Dalai Lama did not respond with anything remotely resembling a show of recognition. So the attention-seeker continued: We met in Calcutta! With Mother Teresa! The older man now took off his glasses, wiped his face, and softly said: I am sorry I dont remember you, but I do remember Mother Teresa. In my speech I would say that the Dalai Lama resembled Mahatma Gandhi in three crucial respects: his commitment to non-violence, his respect for people of all faiths (or none), and his deep concern for ecological harmony. I would add that, like the Mahatma, he had the courage to take on the fundamentalists in his own faith, as he had recently done with the Burmese Buddhists persecuting the Rohingyas. Now I could further add that the Dalai Lama was akin to the Mahatma in another, and scarcely less significant respect his mischievous sense of humour. The Dalai Lamas view of the world is succinctly stated in his 2011 book Beyond Religion. This outlines a trans-religious ethic of compassion and care, to heal the wounds that currently afflict cultures, nations, and the globe itself. Although no fan of Communism (whose brutalities he experienced at first hand), the Dalai Lama is deeply worried about the failure of the market to improve the lives of the majority. On the issue of economic inequality, he writes, I consider myself at least half Marxist. For a man who has suffered so much, the Dalai Lama is altogether without bitterness. He has compassion even for the Chinese who demonise him. In our fractured times, his is a voice for tolerance, reason, and hope. We Indians are very lucky to have had him spend the bulk of his life in our otherwise tortured and unforgiving land. Ramachandra Guhas most recent book is Gandhi Before India. The writer tweets as @Ram_Guha The views expressed are personal SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Delhi government on Saturday formed a task force to clean up the garbage left unattended by the corporation workers due to the ongoing strike which entered the fourth day, and asked the municipal corporations to make their accounts public. MCDs should make their expenditure public. Doctors, teachers and sanitation workers should know where the money meant for their salary has been diverted, said deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia. Highlighting that both the people of Delhi as well as corporation workers suffered, he alleged a salary scam in the corporations. The task force put together by PWD minister Satyendra Jain began cleaning up the large-scale squalor in the city and expects to finish clearing the mess by Monday. The PWD began the cleaning work with 93 machines and requisite personnel. Teams were instructed to continue work till garbage is cleared from all areas, particularly from those where it had been deliberately thrown, said Jain. He said the Capitals residents could not be left to suffer because of the political conspiracy hatched by the BJP to keep the city dirty. It is shocking the mayors of three corporations are unable to explain how the money provided by Delhi government has been spent by them. Despite having received the entire budgetary allocation (both planned and unplanned) for the current financial year, the three corporations are unable to provide salaries to their employees, said an AAP leader. Sisodia claimed that for the first time the Delhi government decided to not ask the corporations to repay the loans in the current financial year. The corporations owe the Delhi government around `6,000 crore. The government also decided not to seek repayment of any interest on this loan during the current year. Sunil, a 34-year-old taxi driver, had turned up outside a fashion designing institute in Lal Bagh in northwest Delhi on Thursday with a loaded pistol, a bottle of sulfas tablets and a note in his pocket. His intention was clear -- kill the woman he had been stalking for a year and commit suicide. Quick action of two policewomen present in the locality saved the woman. Head constable Jaswini and constable Pooja were meeting women in Lal Bagh area as part of Operation Bharosa, an outreach programme, when someone informed them about a man trying to abduct a woman at gunpoint. Acting swiftly, the two cops rushed towards the street where they found the man holding a pistol in his hand and dragging the woman. The man threatened to shoot the woman if anyone intervened. The policewomen asked him to release the woman but he continued to threaten , said Vijay Singh, deputy commissioner of police (northwest). Nobody from the crowd came forward to rescue the woman when the two cops suddenly jumped on the man, snatched his pistol and released the woman from his grip. The man tried to run away but he was overpowered again. This time, he took out a small plastic bottle and swallowed some pills. Jaswini tried to take out the pills from his mouth. The police rushed him to a nearby hospital, DCP said. A note recovered from Sunil said he had planned to kill the woman and then commit suicide by consuming poisonous tablets. A resident of Azadpur village in north Delhi, Sunil was in love with the woman, a second-year college student of Delhi University, but it was one-sided, police said. A loaded pistol with three cartridges and a plastic bottle with sulfas pills were recovered from Sunils possession. Sunil was previously arrested in July 2015 for molesting the same woman. A case was then registered at the Ashok Vihar police station. Singh applauded the courage of the two policewomen posted at the Adarsh Nagar police station. A recommendation will be sent to Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi for suitably rewarding the two women cops. Operation Bharosa was launched last year by the Delhi Police to generate confidence among residents, especially women, after the murder of Meenakshi who was killed by her neighbours for resisting molestation. Customs officials at Delhis Indira Gandhi International Airport were in for a surprise when a man with fractured legs whom they detained on the suspicion of smuggling saffron was also trying to sneak out gold worth Rs 1 crore in his cast. A total of four gold bars two wrapped in each leg and covered with plaster and tapes were recovered. Each gold bar weighed one kilogramme. Because of the weight of gold he wasnt able to walk properly, though everyone thought it was because of the fractured legs, said a senior customs official. Customs officials stopped the middle-aged Indian national arriving from Dubai in an Indigo flight on January 26 morning based on intelligence inputs about saffron smuggling. During the X-ray screening of his check-in baggage, we noticed some suspicious items. When opened, a total 17.25 kg of saffron was recovered from his baggage, said the official. He said smugglers often bring expensive spices from Dubai as it is cheaper there and sell it in Delhi at higher rates. During interrogation, when officials noticed the plaster on both his legs and decided to remove it, they found four gold bars beneath the dressing. Customs officials said ever since they ramped up vigil at the airport, smugglers had been trying every possible trick in the book to sneak gold into the Capital. Around five days ago, officials arrested a man who was trying to smuggle 2kg gold worth Rs 53 lakh by hiding it behind his baggage trolley. In other recent cases, smugglers tried stitching gold into a bra, stuffing it into the rod of a baby walker and tying it on thigh guards and around the waist. The amount of gold seized has also increased in leaps and bounds, according to official data. Against the 6.6 kg seizure of gold in 2012-13, the quantity of gold seized in 2013-14 increased to 384 kg and reached an all-time high of 574 kg in 2014-15. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Delhi high court on Friday told the AAP government to take action against private schools that were demanding money from parents to admit kids under the management quota. Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia submitted in a sealed cover a list of documents and evidence given by parents who alleged some private schools were asking for money to admit students. Why dont you take action against those schools since you have evidence? What were you doing for the past six to three months when you had received these complaints? Justice Manmohan said. If some schools have indulged in malpractice, take action against them. There is no stay order against you (Delhi government). What is the point of handling it (the list) to the court in a sealed cover? the HC said. Sisodia responded that it was a complex issue as there was fear among parents that their kids would be harassed if the government took action against the schools. To this Justice Manmohan said, They (parents) and you have to have the courage (to take on the schools). The HC, which is hearing a bunch of petitions challenging the scrapping of 62 criteria, including management quota, in nursery admissions, reiterated its earlier comment that public schools would have to improve for people to have a fair alternative to private schools. Sisodia said many netas who had over the years opened their own private schools in the capital purposely lowered the standard of public schools for their benefit. The education minister accused some private schools of making over 400% profits over their investment. Loot ka adda bana diya hai (It has become den of corruption), Sisodia said. Senior advocate S Guru Krishnakumar, appearing for the Delhi government, said the AAP government had in a very short period of time improved the infrastructure of public school, including drinking water and toilet facilities. During the hearing, Justice Manmohan said as per the procedure under law, the January 6 notification should have been issued by the Lieutenant Gover nor. As the hearing remained inconclusive, the HC posted the matter for Monday. The January 6 notification has been challenged by the Action Committee Unaided Recognised Private Schools and Forum for Promotion of Quality Education For All, which claim to represent various private unaided schools. Terming the AAP governments order as illegal, the committee said it was not trying to champion the cause of all the scrapped 62 criteria, barring a few like management quota. Read more: Delhi nursery admissions begin amid confusion SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The world is teeming with viruses and bacteria , some good, some bad and some harmless. Some, like gut bacteria, help you stay healthy, some add flavour to your food, some make you sniff and cough, while others cause inconvenient fever and aches and pain.?A few maim and kill. Among the most worrisome are those that routinely cause mild disease but turn deadly when they infect pregnant women and their unborn baby. The deadliest five to watch out for are: Zika Virus Countries with local transmission such as Brazil, Colombia and Honduras have recommended women not get pregnant this year. (AP) Zika, a virus that causes mild fever, rash, pink eye and joint pain in one in five people it infects, has emerged as the newest threat to pregnant women and their unborn babies. Though there is no conclusive evidence that Zika causes microcephaly, a congenital defect that results in babies being born with small heads and brain damage, but circumstantial evidence indicates it does. Scientists in Brazil, where close to 4,000 babies have been born with microcephaly since the Zika outbreak started a year ago, have found that the virus can cross from the infected mother to the baby through the placenta. Before 2015, Brazil had less than 20 cases of microcephaly each year. Countries with local transmission such as Brazil, Colombia and Honduras have recommended women not get pregnant this year, El Salvador has advised against pregnancy until 2018. Though the risk to pregnant women is highest during the first trimester, many countries -- including India -- have advised pregnant women against travel to affected countries. Genetic testing for Zika virus is the only way to know if a mother has caught the infection, but with less than one in five people developing symptoms, diagnosis is often missed. Also, unlike Ebola and Hepatitis C that are present in the blood for months after infection, Zika stays in the blood for just a week, which means infected people test positive only if tested in the week-long window when the person is still ill. The upside is that once the virus clears the body, it becomes safe for women to get pregnant, but for women living in countries with local transmission, re-infection is possible. Rubella (German measles) Rubella is highly contagious and spreads through cough and sneezes. In healthy people, it causes mild symptoms of fever, headache, joint pains and sore throat, but can cause miscarriage, stillbirth or birth defects newborns, including heart and brain damage, hearing loss and cataracts. Babies of pregnant women who get infected during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy develop congenital rubella syndrome, for which there is no treatment. Read: Govt calls emergency meet on Zika, issues travel advisory The MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine protects against rubella infection. It is still not part of Indias universal immunisation programme, though it is included in several state-run programmes and is now recommended routinely for children. Since many women over the age of 20 in India may not have got the MMR vaccine, consider getting tested for rubella immunity. If youre not immune, get vaccinated at least one month before conceiving. The vaccine contains a live virus that may cause rubella infection in the baby, so pregnant women must not get vaccinated. Group B Strep Infection by the ubiquitous Group B strep bacteria is harmless to almost everyone except pregnant women and newborns. Getting infected from the mother can make newborns very ill and may even kill them. Pregnant women must test for group B strep in the 35-37 weeks of pregnancy, and if infected, must get treated with antibiotics (usually penicillin) to prevent the bacteria from infecting the baby. Some obstetricians recommend giving all pregnant women penicillin routinely during labour to lower risk. Cytomegalovirus CMV spreads through body fluids such as saliva, urine, blood and semen. (Shutterstock) Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common, harmless virus that stays dormant in healthy people for life but can cause hearing loss in newborns and babies who get infected in the womb. Theres no cure for CMV, but drugs can help treat newborns and people with weak immune systems. The threat to the babys health is highest when women develop an active infection during pregnancy and infects the baby in the womb. Infected babies often appear healthy at birth, but some develop hearing, vision loss or mental disabilities many months or years after birth. CMV spreads through body fluids such as saliva, urine, blood and semen. For pregnant women, exposure is usually through sexual activity or contact with saliva and urine of young children, who shed more virus in body fluids than adults. Listeriosis Pregnant women are 10 times more likely than others to get infected with Listeria, a bacteria that causes mild symptoms of fatigue and aches but can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery or severe infection in newborns. Infection occurs from contaminated food, such as unpasturised milk and cheese, cold cuts, and undercooked or raw meats and fish. Pregnant women and new mothers must avoid unpasturised and uncooked milk, dairy and seafood and get tested for listeriosis if they feel sudden fatigue and aches. If infected, getting treated with antibiotics is recommended to protect the baby. No treatment is needed if a person is infected but doesnt have symptoms.. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A 14-year-old girl, whose family was forced to leave their home during the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, was allegedly gang-raped by three men in Ambeta village of Uttar Pradeshs Shamli district. According to the complaint lodged by the victims brother, the girl had gone to the fields where her mother was working on Friday. On her way back, the three youth accosted her and raped her. The girl was later found in an unconscious state. The 2013 riots have been called the worst incident of violence to hit Uttar Pradesh in recent history. The violent clashes between the Hindu and Muslim communities in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts in August-September 2013 resulted in at least 62 deaths, with more than 50,000 people displaced, including the victims family. Her family had fled their home in Baghpat district during the riots and had been rehabilitated in Ambeta village. Circle officer NP Singh on Saturday said one of the accused, Shahrukh, has been arrested and a special team has been formed to nab the other two, who have been identified as Zulfam, the son of a former gram pradhan, and Zunaid. A case has been registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act against all three. The victims family members were also allegedly beaten up by the accused when they confronted them. (With PTI inputs) Read | Delhi man gets life for raping, impregnating his teen daughter A special court on Saturday allowed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to interrogate for 10 days three men who were deported from UAE and arrested on Friday night on suspicions of being Islamic State (IS) sympathisers. Special Judge Amar Nath sent the trio Sheikh Azhar al Islam Abdul Sattar Sheikh, Mohammed Farhan Mohammed Rafiq Shaikh and Adnan Hussain Mohammed Hussain to police custody till February 9 after NIA told the court that they had reasonable apprehension that the three men had been planning to carry out terrorist attacks in India. According to sources, NIA said the men had to be interrogated about their associates who had also become part of the IS terror modules operating in the UAE. The agency said it also wanted to ascertain the whereabouts of a Bhatkal native Shafi Armar aka Yusuf al Hindi believed to be the main recruiter for IS in India and Gulf. AQIS operative in judicial custody A suspected operative of Al Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), arrested for allegedly radicalising youth, was sent to judicial custody till February 10 by a Delhi court on Saturday. Maulana Mohd Abdul Rehman Kasmi was produced before the court on expiry of his two-day police remand and the Special Cell of Delhi Police urged additional sessions judge Reetesh Singh to send him to judicial custody. Kasmi had been remanded to two-day police custody after the Special Cell had said he had to be confronted with two other arrested accused, Abdul Sami and Syed Anzar Shah. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will not seek prosecution sanctions under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in the Rs 6,000 crore-worth Bank of Baroda (BoB) illegal forex remittances scam despite a trial court questioning its first chargesheet, which was submitted in December, on legal grounds. The court is yet to take cognizance of CBIs chargesheet, which was filed 45-days ago, since requisite sanctions under the CrPC were not secured against the accused. The agency had then argued, that it took the sanctions against the accused under the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act. When asked if the agency was considering seeking fresh sanctions under CrPC in the case, a CBI source said, CBI always takes sanctions under the PC Act in banking-related and other corruption cases, so it will not seek sanctions under the CrPC Act. The source said, The CBI has submitted its grounds for securing sanctions under PC act to the competent court and the case is sub-judice. The agency seeks sanctions under CrPC in cases of serious crimes where it is certain that the offences were not committed while discharging official duties, the source added Another source said, We are examining all legal options to ensure that the accused are prosecuted. The BJP on Saturday accused Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi of shedding crocodiles tear over the suicide by a Dalit scholar after the opposition leader rejoined protesters in Hyderabad, intensifying the political storm over an alleged caste bias in campus. The Congress leaders visit to the University of Hyderabad came in the wake of the acting vice-chancellor too going on leave, barely a few days after he had assumed charge from institutions head Podile Appa Rao, who undertook a similar leave amidst cries for his sacking. The university campus has turned into the epicentre of nationwide protests after research scholar Rohith Vemula committed suicide earlier this month following his suspension along with four other students for alleged assault on a leader of the right-wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). A young life full of dreams and aspirations was cut short, Gandhi said in a tweet before he started a day-long fast in the morning in a show of solidarity with students who are on the warpath for nearly a fortnight. He had also participated in a candlelight vigil past midnight along with 2,000 students to mark the birthday of Rohith, who would have turned 27 on Saturday. We owe it to him (Rohith), to (the) memory of Gandhiji, to every single Indian student who dreams of an India free from prejudice and injustice, he added in another tweet. Rohiths mother Radhika and brother Raju were also present at the protest site. Watch | Rahul Gandhi joins hunger strike for Rohith Vemula The Congress-led opposition has been demanding action against vice-chancellor Appa Rao as well as Union ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya, who are accused of putting pressure on the university to suspend five students including Rohith. Gandhis visit, however, irked the BJP which launched a coordinated attack on the opposition with several leaders speaking on the same line throughout the day. Read | Rahuls HCU visit an attempt to earn petty political expediency: BJP In Delhi, Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu said Gandhi was using students as a political tool and alleged that nine cases of Dalit student suicides had taken place in the campus during the UPA rule. Congress is shedding crocodile tears simply to gain political mileageforgetting that nine such incidents happened during the UPA rule, he told reporters. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said Gandhis fast was a classic case of trying to score political brownie points and added that the Congress leader always gatecrashed into protests of others. Telangana BJP spokesperson Krishna Saagar Rao described Gandhis visit as classic politics of vulturisation. The ABVP also called for a bandh of colleges in Telangana in protest against the politics over dead bodies by Rahul Gandhi. Prior to the arrival of Gandhi, the university announced that Vipin Srivastava who took charge as the interim vice-chancellor has proceeded on leave from Friday afternoon. Dr Vipin Srivastava who took charge as the interim vice-chancellor of Hyderabad Central University has proceeded for leave from the afternoon of January 29 and the next senior most professor Dr M Pariasamy will perform the duties of the V-C till further orders, a university official said. No reasons were given but the protesting Srivastava too had faced angry protests by students who had refused to heed his plea for calling off the strike. On Saturday, a group of students from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) at Pune which had seen similar protests against the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the chairperson -- also joined the protesters at the university. Read Dattatreya created conditions for Dalit students suicide: Rahul Rohith Vemulas mother told Rahul how she raised him single-handedly Gen KV Krishna Rao, 92, former chief of Army Staff and a former governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland, Manipur and Tripura, passed away at the Armys Base Hospital, Delhi Cantonment, on Saturday. Lt Gen KJ Singh, Army Commander, Western Command, expressed condolences on behalf of all ranks on the demise of the former commander of Western Command. He described him as a general with extraordinary leadership qualities and finest military mind. Kotikalapudi Venkata Krishna Rao was born on July 16, 1923 and remained the governor of Jammu and Kashmir from 1989-90 and from 1993-1998. Gen Rao was commissioned in Mahar Regiment in 1942. As a young officer, he served in Burma, North West Frontier and Baluchistan during Second World War. He participated in the first war against Pakistan in 1947-48. He commanded a Mountain Division during the 1971 war, wherein his division captured the Sylhet area and liberated northeast Bangladesh. He displayed outstanding leadership, courage, determination and drive during this war and was awarded the Param Vishisht Sewa Medal. As the debate over legalising passive euthanasia gathers force, the government has shied away from taking a definite stand at this stage, saying the issue was still under consideration. In an affidavit filed before the SC, the ministry of health and family affairs said it had initiated an exercise in 2014 to get public feedback on the Law Commission of Indias recommendation favouring passive euthanasia but did not proceed after a public interest litigation (PIL) on the contentious issue was referred to a Constitution bench. But the affidavit said two government-constituted expert committees had advised to let a terminally ill patient decide whether he or she should not be kept on life support in case there is no hope for a cure. However, the committee did not support the concept of a living will under which a person can opt for no treatment if he is diagnosed with a serious disease. Interestingly, in 2006 the government had declined to introduce a bill on passive euthanasia for various reasons. On January 15, the SC asked the Centre if it was contemplating to regulate passive euthanasia. The petitioner, Common Cause, has demanded legalising passive euthanasia and a living will. The bench specifically wanted to know as to who will decide whether a patient can or cannot be cured. The ministry affidavit evades SCs queries. Instead, it recalls how in 2006 it had rejected a bill regulating euthanasia. According to the ministry, the Hippocratic Oath is against the intentional and voluntary killings of patients. Progression of medical science to relieve pain, suffering, rehabilitation and treatment of so-called diseases will suffer a setback if passive euthanasia is allowed. An individuals wish to die may be a fleeting desire out of transient depression and this may be treatable by psychiatric care, the ministry said. It had even questioned the expertise of medical professionals to have a final say on whether a disease is incurable and a patient is permanently invalid. In India, the SC in 2011 had allowed passive euthanasia with certain strict safeguards. It said life support system can be withdrawn only on the recommendation of a panel of doctors after permission of the high court concerned on an application by family members or next friend. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Underlining the achievements of the NDA government, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said on Saturday that recognition of yoga at the global level and Indias standing among comity of nations has gone up after Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office. The senior BJP leader, who arrived in Mumbai on a two-day visit, met individuals from various strata of society and also interacted with party workers. Swaraj said she interacted with 20 representatives from educational institutes, power looms, small scale industries and Mahila Bachat Gats (women self-help groups). The first scheme that was launched by our government was Jan Dhan Yojana. The scheme (related to financial inclusion) was appreciated in the international arena and brought India tremendous respect, she said during one of the interactions. She also spoke about various other government schemes like insurance cover at an annual premium of just Rs 12. The external affairs minister said the NDA government faced four major challenges regarding Indians living abroad after coming to power. Our government successfully evacuated Indians from (trouble-torn spots) like Ukraine, Iraq, Libya and Yemen. Yemen was the most difficult operation. India was requested by 28 countries to evacuate their nationals from Yemen. This is unheard of. We evacuated people from more than 28 countries. Swaraj said respect for India has grown tremendously and its global standing increased after Modi became Prime Minister. Modi ji expressed a desire that June 21 be declared as International Yoga Day. As many as 177 countries backed this desire. Also, on his trip to US, President Barack Obama welcomed Modi ji with open arms. This is the country which did not give him a visa earlier, she said. It was a year that in some ways spoke to the relative safety of Cumberland County, but at the same time showed signs of the worst society has to offer. In 2015, Cumberland County only saw one case of violent homicide, more than 1,300 DUI cases, the release from prison for a woman found guilty of one of the most notorious arsons in county history, and a string of sexual crimes against children that made even District Attorney David Freed take pause. Addiction I think heroin continues to be the story, Freed said. Ive got a stack of complaints on my desk right now. If its not heroin possession, its paraphernalia, or its a retail theft or robbery, access device fraud or theft that has to do with getting money to get heroin. Heroin accounted for nearly half of the 41 overdose deaths last year, according to Cumberland County Coroner Charley Hall Addiction also continued to be a driving force behind many of the criminal cases in Cumberland County in 2015. Nearly half of all the cases started last year were either DUI or directly drug-related crimes, according to Cumberland County Insight, a web application developed by The Sentinel that provides Midstate residents a unique look into the criminal justice system. Freed said many more cases cross his desk because of an underlying substance abuse problem, but dont directly involve drugs in the crime. More than 1,000 drug-related cases and more than 1,300 DUI cases began in Cumberland County Courts in 2015, according to Cumberland County Insight. Both were up from the year prior. This analysis would include any offenses that occurred in previous years but were charged in 2015, and would not include any cases that were expunged prior to April, when the records were collected. Arrests also increased from the year prior for drug possession, manufacturing, and sale crime, according to Pennsylvania State Police. In 2015, there were 748 arrests for drug offenses in Cumberland County, up from 714 in 2014. DUI arrests however decreased, according to state police, dropping from 1,009 in 2014 to 930 countywide in 2015. Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Adam Reed said these numbers will like rise as more police departments finalize their reporting and numbers in the Pennsylvania Uniform Crime Reporting system are incomplete until the release of the annual report. I will be a little interested when we get a little distance from the end of the year and take a look back, Freed said about DUI cases. I dont think we have any less and I fear we have more. Freed said he was also alarmed that the blood alcohol content levels of defendants charged with DUI continues to increase. Thats very troubling, he said. We certainly have a lot of drug DUI cases as well. Certainly, we dont have any less and thats troubling. Homicide There were six homicide cases that began in the county in 2015, according to Cumberland County Insight. These cases included five offenders and encompassed the deaths of six people. Only one offender, John Tyler Howard-Bee, 22, of Carlisle, was charged with criminal homicide. His is the only case in which the coroner listed the manner of death of his victim as homicide, according to a search of public records. Howard-Bee is accused of beating his 6-week-old son so severely on Nov. 10 that the child later died from the injuries while in the hospital. Hall previously told The Sentinel that this was one of the worst cases he had ever seen. Howard-Bee was interviewed by police on Nov. 10 and claimed that the child had fallen off the bed causing the injuries. During that interview Howard-Bee indicated that about 8 oclock in the morning the baby wouldnt stop crying, so he shook him in a forceful manner and yelled at him, Why wont you let me sleep, Freed said during a Nov. 19 press conference. Later in the day the baby started crying again, so he struck him with his hand on the buttocks causing swelling and bruising. He also said that he jammed his thumb into (the infants) left eye socket to try to get him to stop crying. Howard-Bee was taken into custody on Nov. 11 and charged with multiple offences, including aggravated assault. He was charged with three counts of criminal homicide on Nov. 23, following the childs death. Bail was denied at the time of his arrest and a motion to set bail was denied on Jan. 11, according to court records. A formal arraignment is scheduled for 9 a.m. March 31 in the Cumberland County Court of Common Pleas. One homicide-by-vehicle case and three defendants facing drug-delivery-resulting-in-death charges comprise the remaining four cases. Hall said there is one other case in which manner of death was still undetermined that may end up being a homicide. Sexual crimes against children Some of the most heinous and notorious crimes to come out of 2015 were those involving the sexual assault or exploitation of children. The number of people charged with rape of child in Cumberland County doubled over the year prior. Cases involving the possession or dissemination of child pornography increased from 12 cases in 2014 to 19 in 2015. The (Pennsylvania) Attorney Generals Office, despite the problems in that office, the child predator unit is still fairly active, Freed said. ... A lot of child sexual assaults, unfortunately. Those cases seem to continue at a pretty steady clip. He said one of the reasons the number of cases has increased is because more people are willing to come forward, allowing for more prosecutions. We are penetrating the consciousness of people saying something when they see something or something is happening to a child, Freed said. This is coupled with the capabilities we now have of forensic interviewing, it makes the cases that much better. It is one of those cases that Freed called one of the most difficult he has ever had to handle. Charges, including rape of child, were filed in October against Ira Scott Task, 62, of Harrisburg. Task allegedly raped a 6-year-old boy and filmed the crime, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed by North Middleton Township Police. Task has been HIV positive since 1994, according to court records. Im reminded today that after nearly 20 years as a prosecutor and having seen all manner of the damage that human beings can inflict upon one another, there are still cases that hit the most seasoned police officer or prosecutor in the core of our being, Freed said during an Oct. 21 news conference. Tasks case came in conjunction with an early arrest of William C. Byers-Augusta, 19, of North Middleton Township. Byers-Augusta faces three separate cases in which he is accused of raping the boy on three separate dates, filming the crimes and setting up incident involving task, according to court records. Both men are currently being held in Cumberland County Prison and are awaiting further court proceeds. Letitia Smallwood One woman in 2015 saw her first steps outside of prison after being locked up for more than four decades for a crime she repeatedly claimed not to have committed. In April, Letitia Smallwoods conviction for a 1972 fire that killed two people was vacated and new trial ordered by Cumberland County Court of Common Pleas Judge Edward Guido. Smallwood was arrested and later found guilty of setting a fire at the former Strand Theater in Carlisle. The fire killed Steven Johnson, 26, and Paula Wagner, 23, and Smallwood was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences. Through the help of the Pennsylvania Innocence project, Smallwood won her appeal based in large part on what Guido referred to as a revolution that has occurred in the in science of determining the cause and origins of fires. Smallwood now in her 60s was released on bail and Freed said his office is currently appealing Guidos decision in the Pennsylvania Superior Court. Oral argument in Smallwoods case is scheduled for March 15. Fearing an outbreak, India is issuing a travel alert on Saturday asking pregnant women to avoid travel to the 24 countries and territories where the Zika virus is suspected to cause microcephaly, a condition in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and brain damage. Each year, 26 million babies are born in India, which puts several thousands of them at risk from getting infected and developing abnormalities in the womb. Unlike the influenza viruses such as H1N1 (swine flu), Zika infection does not spread directly from people to people. Transmission occurs only when a mosquito gets infected after feeding on an infected person and spreads the infection to other people it feeds on. Isolating infected travelers with symptoms makes it possible to break the chain of infection from spreading across continents if infected people are stopped at the borders and treated in isolation. Beginning next week, all international airports in India will have signs asking passengers coming from south and central Americas and the Caribbean to report symptoms of fever, body rash, conjunctivitis and joint and muscle pain within two weeks of travel. In south Asia, Sri Lanka has begun screening visitors from affected countries. Asia spared so far Zika, which was first detected in Uganda in 1947, is not new to the tropical parts of Asia but has not caused any big outbreaks over close to 70 years. Apart from Samoa, no country in Asia-Pacific region has reported localised transmission during the current outbreak. Though the traces of the zika virus were detected in people across six states India in 1952-53 , no outbreaks have occurred in India, which means the populations immunity against this new virus is likely to be low. Zika has not been reported in Singapore, China and Malaysia, but it is found in the Asia-Pacific region, from where it has travelled to other countries. Thailand detected its first case in 2012 and since then, has reported an average of five cases a year, including one this year. It was first reported in Micronesia in 2007, in French Polynesia in 2013, and since then, in several Pacific Island countries including Fiji, Samoa, Cook Islands, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. New Zealand has had nine cases, all among travellers to the Pacific Islands. No vaccine, no cure While there are vaccines that protect against yellow fever and recently, dengue, Zika has no vaccine or cure, which has led to the virus spreading explosively and becoming a threat that could infect up to 4 million people in the Americas, the World Health Organization said Friday. It is not scientifically proven that Zika causes microcephaly, but research in Brazil has found the virus can cross from the infected mother to the baby through the placenta. Close to 4,000 newborns are affected, with the numbers rising sharply. In 2015, 3,174 cases of microcephaly were reported in Brazil, and by January 16, the number had gone up to 3,893. Many affected countries in the Americas have advised women not to get pregnant till the outbreak is over and declared a war in the aedes egyti mosquito, which also causes dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever. Brazil is the worst hit and has deployed more than 200,000 troops to kill mosquitoes. There is no cure and treatment involves drinking fluids to prevent dehydration and having paracetamol to lower fever and pain. Union health minister JP Nadda set up a joint-monitoring committee to track the outbreak globally. Apart from National Institute of Virology (NIV), six more labs are being equipped to test suspected cases for Zika. Punes NIV is already started random screening to monitor traces of the virus in the community, but all the samples have tested negative. Mapping Zika Countries and territories with active local transmission, which means mosquitoes there are infected with Zika virus and are now spreading it to people. (www.cdc.gov) Americas # Barbados # Bolivia # Brazil # Colombia # Dominican Republic # Ecuador # El Salvador # French Guiana # Guadeloupe # Guatemala # Guyana # Haiti # Honduras # Martinique # Mexico # Panama # Paraguay # Puerto Rico # Saint Martin # Suriname # US Virgin Islands # Venezuela Pacific Islands # Samoa Africa # Cape Verde Source: Centers for Disease Control Four reasons to fear Zika # Strongly suspected to cause birth defects and neurological problems in newborns # High pandemic potential in India because the infecting agent is the aedes egypti mosquito, which also spreads dengue and chikengunya # No population immunity against the virus # No vaccines, no cure SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A 23-year-old Kashmiri youth, from Preng village of Jammu and Kashmirs Ganderbal district, was amongst three alleged IS sympathisers who were deported from UAE on Saturday for purportedly being on a mission to carry out terror attacks in India and some other countries. On their arrival from UAE, the trio, Sheikh Azhar Ul Islam from Jammu and Kashmir, Adnan Hussain from Karnataka and Mohammad Farhan from Maharashtra were arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. They have been placed in NIA custody till February 9. Speaking to the media, Islams family denied allegations and said their son was working as a waiter in UAE since 2015 in a bid to relieve his family of debt. His father told a local news portal, Kashmir Dispatch, that his son was a graduate pursuing a bachelors in education. I am a poor man and have debt on me. He went abroad to relieve us of the debt. We are poor people, he was quoted as saying. Family sources said their son was arrested after some activity on social media. Check our family history; no one amongst us has ever taken the path of violence in life. People who know him in our neighbourhood will vouch for him, he said. According to sources, during in-camera proceedings, the NIA sought custodial interrogation by saying they needed to invesitgate the matter to unearth the conspiracy. Sources said district judge, Amar Nath, allowed NIAs plea and remanded them to their custody for 10 days. The three suspects, along with other unknown associates, were allegedly involved in a conspiracy to identify, motivate, radicalise, recruit and train Indian citizens, located in India and abroad. This was being done to plan and execute terror attacks in India and other countries, the sources claimed. On September 15 last year, the UAE had deported four Indians suspected to have links with ISIS. According to Indian intelligence agencies, around six Indians who had joined the ISIS were reportedly killed in different incidents in Iraq and Syria. (with PTI inputs) Nagaland may be given a separate official flag under the final accord expected to be signed soon by the Union government and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah), sources said. The issue of giving the northeastern state its own flag is almost decided, the sources familiar with developments in the ongoing negotiations told HT. A separate flag is one of 33 demands made by the NSCN-IM, which has been engaged in talks with the central government since a truce was finalised in 1997. The NSCN-IMs demand for a separate currency has been ruled out. VS Atem, an emissary of the NSCN-IMs central leadership and a key figure in the talks, had told HT earlier: If Kashmir can have a separate flag, why not Nagas? China also has separate flags for Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Other demands include a separate constitution, dual citizenship and the creation of Nagalim by integrating all Naga-inhabited areas of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland, but the last demand is expected to be put on the backburner for now because of opposition from the other states. Under the final agreement, certain items are expected to be transferred from the Central and Concurrent list of the Constitution to the State list, which would imply greater powers for Nagaland. The peace accord is expected to figure in the forthcoming budget session of Parliament as the document will have a few clauses requiring parliamentary sanction. They include the concept of shared sovereignty, special constitutional privileges to safeguard the traditional rights of Nagas with recognition of the uniqueness of their history. The central government and the NSCN-IM inked a framework agreement in August last year to pave the way for a final accord to end one of the longest running insurgencies in Asia. Nagaland is presently governed under Article 371 A of the Constitution, which confers the right over land and resources to the Nagas. The negotiations have been a closely guarded secret since August 3, 2015, when the Prime Minister and top government officials invited the NSCN-IM leadership for a hastily convened function to unveil a framework for the impending agreement. According to sources, even the home ministry and the Intelligence Bureau are not privy to the discussions, with the National Security Council assuming a vital role that is steered by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Joint Intelligence Committee chief RN Ravi. Ravi is the interlocutor for the talks and is learnt to have been making frequent trips to Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam to hasten an early resolution. The Naga insurgency with independence as the main demand is more than six decades old. While government figures say about 3,000 have died in the conflict, unofficial figures put the toll at about 50,000. There are three major Naga insurgent groups NSCN-IM, NSCN (Khaplang) and NSCN (Unification) with about 4,500, 2,500 and 1,000 armed guerrillas respectively. Nepals Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli may head to China ahead of India if the trade blockade is not lifted, a top official of the ruling CPN-UML party said on Saturday. Making the normalisation of situation at the Indo-Nepal border a pre-condition for the premiers maiden trip to Delhi, Surya Thapa, deputy chief of the publicity committee of Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML), said that Oli is waiting for India to lift its unofficial blockade, mainly at the Raxaul-Birgunj border check point, which accounts for about 70% of the bilateral trade. If the embargo is not lifted, the Prime Minister may visit China first, instead of India, Thapa told PTI. The usual practice of the new prime ministers of Nepal is to travel to India on maiden foreign trip. Only Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda had rubbed India the wrong way when he chose China as the first destination of his foreign visit after taking over as Nepals prime minister in 2008. Thapa said though the Prime Minister has high regards for Indo-Nepal ties, if India does not show any gesture Olis trip to China as the first foreign destination was inevitable. Preparations for Olis China visit have been made at the same time as his India visit, likely in the third week of February, Thapa said. Shortly after Oli took charge about four months ago, he had a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who invited him to visit India. That same day, Chinese ambassador to Nepal Wu Chuntai also called on Oli and invited him to visit Beijing, Thapa said. There is pressure on Oli from party leadership not to visit India first, if the situation at the border does not return to normalcy, Thapa said, adding that the situation of Nepal-India relations was unexpected and beyond imagination. They are pressing the Prime Minister to visit China first, in case the situation doesnt improve, he said. Recently, Oli told a select group of journalists that it would not be appropriate for him to visit India before lifting of the border blockade. Except the Raxaul-Birgunj border point, trade has resumed at all other posts. The Raxaul-Birgunj point was opened briefly a couple of days ago, but it was closed again. Nepal was facing acute shortages of petroleum products, medicines and other essential goods due to the five-month-long blockade of key border trade points with India due to protests by Madhesis, who share cultural and family links with Indians. Politics over the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula reignited on Saturday as Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi sat on a day-long hunger strike and said the government was pushing its ideology on the youth, while the BJP accused him of politicising the issue. The protest was to mark the 27th birthday of Vemula, who committed suicide on 17 January creating a political storm across India with opposition party leaders making a beeline for the University of Hyderabad. Incidentally, it was also the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. A young life full of dreams and aspirations was cut short, Gandhi said in a tweet before he started the day-long fast in a show of solidarity with students who are on the warpath for nearly a fortnight. Rahul Gandhi, who participated in a candlelight vigil on Friday night, on Saturday said Vemula like Gandhi had been prevented from speaking his mind. They are similar in their agony, he told the gathered students at the protest site. We owe it to him (Rohith), to (the) memory of Gandhiji, to every single Indian student who dreams of an India free from prejudice and injustice, he said in another tweet. The university campus has turned into the epicentre of nationwide protests after research scholar Rohith Vemula committed suicide earlier this month following his suspension along with four other students for alleged assault on a leader of the right-wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). The Congress leaders show of solidarity with the protestors, however, did not go down well with the BJP, which accused him of shedding crocodile tears and using the students as a political tool. Rahul Gandhi responded with a salvo on the ruling BJP: My main opposition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the RSS is that they are trying to crush the spirit of Indian youngsters by imposing one idea from on top. When you let what has happened to Rohith happen in the country, it will happen to you one day, no matter who you are. You will one day find that the same people, who crushed Rohith, will be blocking your path to freedom, to progress, he told the protesting students. I am here today at the request of Rohith's friends and family, to stand with them in their fight for justice Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) January 30, 2016 At the end of the fast, he asked PM Modi to pass a law to end discrimination against students in universities. I am here today at the request of Rohiths friends and family, to stand with them in their fight for justice, Gandhi had tweeted on Friday night as he reached the protest site, where Rohiths mother Radhika and brother Raju were also present. For more than 12 hours, Rahul Gandhi sat with the students and Rohiths family who are on hunger strike, demanding justice. About 20 students from the Osmania University too joined the protest, demanding the resignation of the vice-chancellor. The Congress leaders visit to the University of Hyderabad came in the wake of the acting vice-chancellor too going on leave, barely a few days after he had assumed charge from the institutions head Podile Appa Rao, who undertook a similar leave amidst cries for his sacking. With interim vice-chancellor Vipin Srivastava proceeding on leave for four days, senior-most professor of the university, M Periasamy, has taken charge. This gives the administration an opportunity to start talks with the students as Periasamy had no role in the suspension of the Dalit students, as opposed to Appa Rao and Srivastava. The Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM), the Muslim arm of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) will start organising milk parties across the country from March in an attempt to strengthen the Sangh and the BJP-led governments campaign against the consumption of beef. The plan comes days after the All-India Majlis-e- Ittehadul Muslimeens (AIMIM) Assaduddin Owaisi told voters in Hyderabad to vote for his party if they wanted to continue eating beef. Beef festivals were organised in several parts of the country, particularly university campuses, to protest after the death of a Muslim man in Western Uttar Pradesh who was lynched over a rumour that he ate beef. The MRM said its campaign will counter what it describes as attempts to politicise beef eating. It is unfortunate that some political parties are using beef-eating as an excuse to divide the people of this country, Mohammad Afzal of the MRM told Hindustan Times. The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and its political arm the Bharatiya Janaya Party (BJP), which rules the centre and more than ten states, oppose the consumption of beef since Hindus regard the cow as a holy animal. Besides the milk parties, the MRM has also decided to organise a special prayer ceremonies for peace in the country. From February 18 to 25, the Ayat-e-Karima will be recited at venues across the country to pray for peace in the country. We want tolerance and secularism in this country and not bloodshed on account of terrorism, therefore, prayers will be recited 1.25 lakh times as part of the Ayat-e-Karima for wish fulfilment, Afzal said. Also on the agenda of the MRM is arranging meetings between Hindu and Muslim groups to broker an agreement on the issue of constructing a Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Afzal said between February and March, the Muslim Rashtriya Manch leaders will fan out across the states to build consensus on the Ram Temple issue. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In a remark that could potentially stir fresh controversy over womens entry into the Shani Shingnapur temple, Madhya Pradesh home minister Babulal Gaur on Friday said they should first worship at home. Leave it, women can worship at home, he said when his response was sought on the ongoing debate on whether women should be allowed into the temple in Shani Shingnapur, a village about 330 kilometres (KM) northeast of Mumbai. On Tuesday, around 400 members of the Bhumata Ranragini Brigade had attempted to break a decade-old tradition by entering the Shani Shingnapur Temple, which prohibits women from entering its sanctum sanctorum. The protesting women, however, were prevented from entering the premises after a clash with the police and locals, and they had later sought Maharashtra chief minister (CM) Devendra Fadnavis support to put an end to the gender bias. The temple first drew attention after a young woman defied common practice and performed abhishek of Lord Shani on November 27 last year. Disgruntled BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha on Saturday criticised the Centres decision to impose Presidents rule in Arunachal Pradesh, taking potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modis great advisors and wondering what answers they will have if the Supreme Court ruled against it. Sinha, who has been at variance with the party leadership over a host of issues, questioned the governments hurry and worry when the matter was being heard by the apex court. The BJP-led government has come under attack from the Congress for allegedly trying to topple democratically elected governments of opposition parties. I have tremendous faith in our dashing, dynamic action hero PM. But wonder who the great advisors are who advised Presidents Rule in AP. That too when the matter is sub judice, in the Supreme Court, under a 5 judge constitutional bench. Wonder what was the hurry and worry, he said in a series of tweets, a day after the Centre justified its decision in the apex court. God forbid, if the decision does not go in our favour, wonder what explanation and answer we will have for our respected PM, said Sinha, a Bollywood actor turned politician known as Shotgun. On Friday, the Centre had submitted an affidavit in the Supreme Court justifying imposition of Presidents Rule in Arunachal Pradesh, saying there was complete breakdown of governance and law and order in the state where the Governor and his family apprehended grave danger to their lives every day. President Pranab Mukherjee had earlier this week given assent to the Union Cabinets decision to impose central rule in the northeastern state. Arunachal Pradesh governor JP Rajkhowa had told the apex court that chief minister Nabam Tuki and his ministers had made it impossible for him to discharge his duties. Rajkhowa has also accused Tuki of communal politics by provoking local tribesmen and funding public protests to seek his ouster. He also alleged that he was abused, threatened and nearly assaulted by some ministers. Tuki has filed a fresh petition in the Supreme Court challenging the promulgation. Terrorists, clever at brainwashing the youth, are recruiting at the global level through their most potent weapon yet social media. Australian politician Timothy Graham Tim Watts shared this concern with HT on Friday at the Indian School of Business (ISB) in SAS Nagar . Social media is a double-edged sword, being misused to manipulate and radicalise teenagers, said the Australian Labor Party member representing the division of Gellibrand, Victoria. A member of the Australian House of Representatives since September 2013, Watts is visiting SAS Nagar for the Fifth Conference of the Australia-India Youth Dialogue. Terrorism, he said, was a challenge for every country but in Australia, we are fighting the lone wolf kind of terrorism, which is unlike the coordinated attacks elsewhere in the world, and for which the radicals are using the social media fairly largely. Our security agencies are, thus, working with the social media operators to keep a check on this activity. A lone-wolf terrorist commits violence in support of some group, movement, or ideology, but operates alone, outside of any command structure, without material assistance from any group, though he or she may be influenced or motivated by its beliefs. Considering this, the security laws in Australia have undergone a change and online interaction is under the surveillance of the security agencies, while the operators are expected to store data for two years, said the Australian MP. Racial attacks on the wane About the racial attacks on Indian migrants in Australia, the politician from Oz said: A spurt came between 2008 and 2009, since the migrants were unaware of the security issues they could face abroad; but now that we are working constantly for their safety and awareness, there has been a decline in these crimes. For easy visa The Australian MP said he was all for visa relaxation for emigrating to Oz, as it was a solution to his countrys workforce-related issues. We dont have many people in the age group of 32 to 40. Most of the Indian come to Australia on study visa, so we need to work towards retaining this effective workforce, said Watts, highlighting a great demand for skilled workforce in the information technology and health sectors Down Under. Punjabis popular Down Under Punjabis are the largest growing community in Australia because of their entrepreneurial qualities and hard work, says Watts, adding: For me they are the 3Cs commerce, community and culture and they add colour to our culture with their festivals. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A Kolkata court on Saturday sentenced three people to death and three others to life in prison for gangraping and murdering a woman at Kamduni village in West Bengals North 24 Parganas district in 2013. Additional district and sessions judge Sanchita Sarkar sentenced Ansar Ali Mollah, Saiful Ali and Amin Ali to death and awarded life imprisonment to Bhola Naskar, Imanul Islam and Aminur Islam. A court on Thursday had found six of the eight accused men guilty of gangraping and murdering the woman. Two accused, named in the charge sheet, were acquited and one died in the course of the trial. Friends and family members of the victim, who had been demanding capital punishment for all eight persons named in the charge sheet, were disheartened with the quantum of sentence and said they would move the high court against the verdict. Some of them broke down into tears. We would move the Calcutta high court against this verdict. We want capital punishment for all the eight, the victims brother said. The 20-year-old woman was attacked while she was returning home from college on June 7, 2013. The second-year BA student was forcibly taken inside a factory where she was gangraped and then brutally murdered, sparking widespread outrage across the country. Her disfigured body, with injury marks all over, was discovered the next morning in a field behind the factory. The court arena was teeming with people including friends, family members of the victim and Kamduni villagers. Security was tightened and a large contingent of police was deployed. The hearing that started around 11am went on for more than an hour. The announcement of the sentence was withheld on Friday after the defense counsel argued against a possible death sentence to some of those found guilty claiming that earlier cases of more gruesome incidents invited lesser sentences. The prosecutor, however, tried to prove it as a rarest of the rare case as the victim was raped after she was hit and made unconscious. When she regained consciousness she was again hit and raped, he said. Later she was murdered and her legs torn apart. Medical examination proved two major injuries in the victims private parts. The incident had raised a storm in the state, with the villagers, many of them friends and relatives of the victim, floating a platform Kamduni Pratibadi Mancha and seeking speedy justice and capital punishment to the guilty. The ruling Trinamool Congress and police had to face public ire right from the beginning. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee even dubbed the protesters Maoists during her first visit to the village 10 days after the incident. The face of drug overdoses in Cumberland County may not match what people typically consider the face of crime, but crime or criminal behavior was closely tied to fatal overdoses last year. Individuals with recent criminal charges were nearly 110 times more likely to die of a drug overdose in Cumberland County in 2015 than those without, according to an analysis of county court and coroners records conducted by The Sentinel. There were 41 overdose deaths in the county last year, according to Cumberland County Coroner Charley Hall. Court records show that 25 of those individuals equating to more than 60 percent of the deaths had criminal charges filed against them since 2010. Its a shame but its names that we know, Cumberland County District Attorney David Freed said. I spent a lot of time talking to my wife about it over the weekend because it is such a, especially as it relates to the substances that can readily kill you like opiates and heroin, it is such an insidious thing and life changer for people. ... It becomes the singular focus for these people. How am I going to get my fix? The data A little less than half of all overdose deaths in 2015 were attributed to heroin, according to Hall. This is up from 14 deaths the year prior and more than three times the number deaths attributed to a heroin overdose in 2012. As we know with heroin, the more deadly it is the more desirable it is for people who are truly addicted, Freed said. Overdose deaths as a whole have increased in the county by more the 46 percent in four years, jumping from 28 in 2012 to 41 in 2015. The average age of all overdose victims was 37 years old last year, with the youngest being 17 and the oldest 70. This is less than half the average life expectancy of the countys general population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and it gets worse for people with recent criminal charges. For those people, the number dropped to just 31 years old, compared 43 for those without charges. Heroin and opiates are so indiscriminate, Freed said. Theres sort of a sweet spot for criminal activity. High crime years are typically late teens to early 30s, and people who are truly involved in criminal behavior, they get out of it, go to jail or they die. What we see with heroin is it extends that age group and it frankly hits counties with our demographics even as hard, or harder, than it hits inner cities. All of the overdoses involved a white victim except for one, who was Hispanic, according to the death records. To put this in perspective, only about 1.4 percent of the countys white population was charged with a crime in 2015, meaning a very small portion of society accounted for the majority of overdose deaths. Drug overdoses, whether they resulted in a death or not, have also taken a financial toll on the Midstate. Between 2011 and 2014 hospitalizations for heroin overdoses nearly tripled across Pennsylvania, almost overtaking the number of hospitalizations for prescription drug overdoses, according to the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council. In 2012 alone, the group reported that overdose hospitalizations carried a roughly $12.2 million price tag. A few days after the uproar over suicide by three medical students in Villupuram, Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa on Saturday ordered the transfer of all the SVS Naturopathy and Yoga College students to government colleges, as was being demanded by the students and parents. In a statement, the chief minister said all the students of the private college would be transferred to government-run naturopathy and yoga colleges. The homeopathy students of the private college would also be accommodated in a government college, it added. Jayalalithaa issued the orders after the students met the MGR Medical university vice-chancellor on Thursday, demanding they all be transferred. Many students had joined the private college which did not even have basic facilities as they were allotted the college during the counselling conducted by the MGR Medical University. The chief minister also used the opportunity to hit out at the DMK, saying it was the Karunanidhi government that had granted permission to the college. Jayalalithaa said the case has been handed over to the CBCID after serious doubts were expressed over the impartiality of the local police, which the parents of the deceased alleged was trying to hush up the case. Bajrang Dal activists tonsured a youth and paraded him on a donkey in a Uttar Pradesh village for allegedly converting another man to Christianity without his consent, police said. Police added they were probing the claim of one Sangam Jatav who alleged that the accused Avdhesh Savita had forcefully converted him to Christianity without his knowledge. After the BJP swept to power at the Centre in 2014, right-wing groups including the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) have launched a campaign against large scale religious conversions of Hindus allegedly by Christian and Muslims. The outfits had even launched a programme called ghar wapsi to re-convert those people to Hinduism, triggering a debate on the sensitive issue. Jatav alleged that Avdhesh Savita took him to a village in Varanasi on the pretext of getting me a good job. There, I was forced to convert to Christianity. I somehow managed to escape, alleged Jatav. Bajrang Dal activists, who tonsured Savita, also tried to take the accused to the SPs office but had to release him after police intervened. Police said investigation was on and Jatav was being interrogated. Members of Bajrang Dal and Durga Vahini also handed over a memorandum to the Orai superintendent of police demanding action against agents involved in religious conversions. Read | Shelter forcibly converted children to Christianity, raided by police An overjoyed Indore celebrated its entry into the smart cities list at the 11th rank with fireworks at the historic Rajwada in the presence of the civic body biggies, including the mayor and municipal commissioner . It is the third city of Madhya Pradesh, besides Bhopal and Jabalpur, to have figured on the top-20 smart cities list which was announced by union urban minister Venkaiah Naidu in Delhi, claiming that the selection was purely merit-based and that Delhi had nothing to do in it. The announcement was part of the first round of test which every entrant city had to quality by providing smart answers to a template with 43 questions. Hoping that smart city would lead to a clean and healthy development of Indore, the residents enthusiastically participated in the process of selection and had sent more than 91,000 suggestions through different platforms. City mayor Malini Gaud, who has the project as a top priority, has congratulated the Indore residents and thanked them for their participation and pouring in valuable suggestions. Starting from September last year, the Indore Municipal Corporation and the district administration left no stones unturned to reach out to public to get their feedback on the project. Extending his wishes on the occasion, district collector P Narahari said, The entire credit goes to smart citizens of Indore for their enthusiasm in the form of suggestions and creating a positive environment. We will together now put the plan into reality and try to convert the city into a true smart city, he said. The Centre has earmarked Rs 48,000 crore for development of 100 smart cities across the country. For implementation of first phase of the mission, the Centre has now picked 20 cities, consecutively in next two years the Centre will select 40 cities each for the mission. The selected cities will receive funding of Rs 500 crore spread over the next five years, and the same contribution will be made by the state. THE ROAD AHEAD FOR SMART INDORE Development plan Around 550 acres in Rajwada and MOG Lines will be developed under the Smart City project IMC will concentrate on retro-fitting development in Rajwada area while open and government lands in MOG Lines will be used for vertical development Narrow lanes in Rajwada will be turned into a no vehicle zone There will be no overhead electric lines in this area and at least 10% of electricity supply will be met by solar power The area will get piped gas connections; an incubation centre for brainstorming, inventions and startups for the youth will be developed Multi-level parking and a control centre for monitoring smart solutions, like smart garbage management and smart traffic management, will be constructed Funding The city will receive Rs 1,000 crore funding over next five years from the Centre and the state. At least `5,000 crore would also be raised through a Special Purpose Vehicle on public private partnership basis Garbage management app The municipal corporation is planning to introduce mobile application-based municipal solid waste management system. The civic body is planning to introduce smart traffic management system. These two features will be introduced for entire city The announcement of sentence of the Kamduni rape and murder case, in which six people have been found guilty, was withheld on Friday. It could be announced on Saturday after a brief hearing. Three of the six culprits have been found guilty of IPC sections that carry capital punishment, something that was underscored by the judge on Thursday when she announced the verdict. Accused Ansar Ali Mollah, Saiful Ali and Amin Ali may face the death penalty while Bhola Naskar, Imanul Islam and Aminur Islam could be interned for at least 20 years. On Friday hearing started around 3 pm in a packed courtroom. But the lawyers of the guilty informed the court that they were yet to receive a copy of the judgment without which they wont be able to plead. The judge served the counsels a copy of the judgment and a closed door meeting took place for more than an hour. Everyone inside the court room was asked to leave, including junior lawyers, family members of the accused and the media. Hearing resumed again at 4 pm and went on till 5 pm after which it surfaced that the sentence could be announced on Saturday. The defense counsel pleaded that the guilty should be given life sentence instead of capital punishment. On Thursday the court had held six guilty and two were acquitted. One of the accused died during the trial process A 20-year old college student was abducted on her way back home on June 7, 2013 at Kamduni village on the outskirts of Kolkata. She was raped and killed in Kamduni village by a gang of nine men. Her mutilated body was found a day later. Even though the ruling Trinamool Congress and police were at the receiving end right from the beginning, the incident turned into a movement because of chief minister Mamata Banerjees way of dealing with the protests. Mamata had dubbed the protesters Maoists during her first visit to the village 10 days after incident. Tumpa Koyal one of the two women who became the face of the Kamduni movement however said: We are concerned with the duo who has been acquitted. Those behind the bars threatened us yesterday after the judgment. Imagine what their associates, who are free now, can do. Hundreds of students, activists and villagers of Kamduni gathered on the Bankshal court premises to hear the sentence. They demanded that the culprits be awarded capital punishment. All of them should have been awarded capital punishment, said Mousumi Koyal, another prominent protester and a homemaker. Senior IPS officer Datta Padsalgikar has been appointed as the citys new commissioner of police on Saturday. Padsalgikar, who takes charge on Sunday, will be the citys 40th police commissioner. He will take over from Ahmad Javed, who has been named Indias ambassador to Saudi Arabia. KP Bakshi, additional chief secretary (home), made the announcement. Outgoing police commissioner Ahmad Javed during his farewell ceremony in Mumbai on Saturday. (Kunal Patil/HT photo) Padsalgikar has been appointed as next commissioner of police, Mumbai, from January 31 on superannuation of Ahmad Javed, the order stated. Padsalgikar, an officer from the 1982 batch, returned to the state police cadre on January 14 after serving with the Intelligence Bureau (IB) for more than a decade. Padsalgikars appointment assumes significance as the island city has been vulnerable to terror attacks, said a senior official from state home department. He is also said to be chief minister Devendra Fadnaviss first choice and was offered the post last September after Rakesh Maria was transferred following Sheena Bora murder case. He, however, reportedly rejected the offer. For this appointment, the government has downgraded the post of CP to the rank of additional director general of police (ADG). It was upgraded to the rank of director general to appoint Javed last September. Padsalgikar is the senior-most ADG in the current state cadre. The post of commissioner of police, Mumbai now stands downgraded to the rank of additional director general of police (ADG) till further orders, Bakshi said. The order comes just five months after the state government ousted Maria as the police commissioner and upgraded the post to the rank of the director general. The senior officer had even served at several embassies including the US. He has worked as personal and community affairs officer at the Indian Embassy in Washington DC in 2012. Padsalgikar is scheduled to retire in August 2018. A day after the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) expressed annoyance over keeping Sikh Regiment out of the Republic Day parade where French President Francois Hollande was chief guest, the Akal Takht also said it was displeased with the Union government over this matter. Taking the exclusion as a cruel joke on the Sikh community, Akal Takht jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh said on Friday here: Sikhs face a lot of issues in France, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was required to take those up with the French President. That he didnt is great injustice to Sikhs. In France, Sikhs are not allowed to wear turban and now even in their own country, for which they have even sacrificed their lives, they are kept out of a military parade. We are hurt. The jathedar said that for all this, Sikh disunity was also to blame to an extent. After failing to establish a university in 2011 as vociferous protests by the staff forced the management to take a back step, the Khalsa College Governing Council (KCGC) has initiated a fresh move to establish the Khalsa University, saying that the decision will have no impact on the existing Khalsa College or any of its departments. However, rubbishing the reports that the Khalsa College would be a private university, KCGC honorary secretary Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina, on Friday, said, The university will be an independent entity separate from the Khalsa College, which is housed in the heritage buildings on the campus He added, The University Grants Commission (UGC) has given Khalsa College an autonomous status and therefore the college will continue to be under Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, with its aided programmes and courses intact. The much- awaited education project of the Khalsa College Governing Council to establish Khalsa University, Amritsar (KUA) will soon be a reality, but the independent academic atmosphere of the college will remain autonomous, he said. A team headed by Anurag Verma, secretary, higher education, recently visited the Khalsa College to make an assessment. The team has been convinced with the infrastructure, financial status and the available expertise with the management to set up the new university, informed Chhina. University and its features This professional varsity would be set up separately on about 35 acres of land available with the society on the Ram Tirath Road. KUA would be a multi-faculty and professional university. The college authorities assure that they have more built up area than required for setting up the new varsity. More buildings to house various departments will come up in the times to come and the plans for these building are already ready. The varsity will be a centre of excellence for professional courses, said one of the officials. The society that would run the university affairs as per the laid guidelines of the state government, the UGC and other monitoring bodies, is a non-profit-making society and is elected every five years (with no change in the constitution since 1892) Currently, there are 11 colleges and five schools, apart from historic Khalsa College being run under the society. Proposal and controversy The project report of the proposed Khalsa University was prepared by the then principal Daljit Singh and was forwarded to the government. However, this proposal created panic amongst the teaching and non-teaching staff, which under PCCTU came out raising slogans and taking on the principal, accusing him and the management of changing the very existence of the historic institution. This agitation lasted for around three months and the leaders of various political parties came out in the support of the teachers. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON After British opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn, another British MP, Rob Marris, who chairs All Party Parliamentary Group for British Sikhs, has sought intervention of David Lidington, minister of state for Europe, in getting back fugitive Khalistani terrorist Paramjit Singh alias Pamma to the United Kingdom. In his letter on Friday, Marris apprised Lidington of the recent orders of the Portuguese court that extended Pammas detention till February 16 in view of the pending decision of Portuguese minister of justice. He asked the minister to intervene and urge the political authorities in Portugal to facilitate Pammas early return to the UK. In his letter, he mentioned that the Indian government was trying to use a back door route to seek his return to their jurisdiction. The British government granted him asylum as it was accepted that he had a well-founded fear of persecution were he to return to India. In a situation such as this, the individual UK resident should be returned from the other European Union country (Portugal) back to the United Kingdom, and then the Indian authorities should make its case by applying to the English courts for extradition. The Portuguese minister for justice, it is learnt, has nearly three weeks to decide whether the extradition proceedings against Pamma should start before the Portuguese court or the evidence presented by the Indian authorities is not sufficient to continue with the proceedings. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Police on Saturday sought seven-day remand of two of the accused in the case involving the bomb blast that took place in a Swift Dzire car at Dugri village, near here, on December 5, to recover a bomb and a laptop from Uttar Pradesh and New Delhi respectively. The rural police produced the accused Harbhej Singh of Jiwan Nagar in Sirsa and Ranjit Singh of Delhi in a local court. The two were in police custody since January 26 after they were arrested at the Delhi international airport as they were trying to flee the country. A lookout circular was issued against them after their name was added in the first information report (FIR) filed in the case. The police told the court that it was a deep-rooted conspiracy and the two have made their disclosure statements during their five-day interrogation. The police said Harbhej can help them recover a bomb from Puranpur in Pillibhit of UP and has also disclosed the involvement of Palwinder Singh of Sirsa and Mehanga Singh of Rohini in Delhi. They said Ranjit told them about the laptop that contains information about the entire conspiracy and module and it has to be recovered from Rohini. The defence counsel argued that when the police had even produced other accused Hardeep Singh of Bholath and Jagmohan Singh of Gadaipur in another court and had sought their remand for recovering a bomb from Muktsar, but did not take them to the alleged spot. After hearing the arguments, the court sent the accused in police custody till Monday (February 1). Meanwhile, Lambra police have booked another accused Hardeep Singh for murdering NRI Hakam Singh who was found dead in his house at Dhaliwal village of the district on October 15, 2014. A case was registered against unidentified persons four days later. The police told the court that supplementary statements by the complainant and a nambardar have named Hardeep in the case and sought seven-day remand to investigate his role in this. The defence counsel argued the police have booked Hardeep in this case just to procure his remand. He filed an application requesting that if the police want to quiz him in the murder case, he (the counsel) should be present during interrogation. The court allowed the defence application and sent Hardeep to three-day police custody. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Congress councillors created ruckus in the first House meeting of the newly elected mayor, Arun Sood, as they alleged foul play in counting of votes for elections to the finance and contracts committee (F&CC) held on Friday. The commotion started around noon and continued till 3pm. The Congress members boycotted the meeting and demanded recounting of votes and also sealing of the ballot box. They even gave representations to municipal corporation commissioner B Purushartha, UT adviser Vijay Dev and home secretary Anurag Agarwal. Taking note of the representation, the adviser marked an inquiry to the home secretary and asked him to get a detailed report from the MC commissioner. A legal opinion has also been sought. In the five-member committee of the finance panel, members are elected through preferential voting an election method that involves ranking candidates in order of preference. Six members were in the fray two each from the Congress and the BJP and two nominated councillors. In the first round, two BJP membersSat Praka sh Aggarwal and Asha Jaswal Congress Subhash Chawla and nominated councillor Aruna Goyal were elected. However, in the second round, nominated councillor Shagufta Parveen and Congress councillor Gurbax Rawat got four votes each. Suspecting foul play, the Congress members said that ballot papers should be shown, but the mayor turned down their demand. Later, the mayor declared Shagufta the winner without completing the counting process. This added fuel to the fire as Congress members started raising slogans against Sood calling him illegal mayor. The agitators said they would not allow the House proceedings if their demand of recounting of votes was not met. Earlier, Congress councillors questioned the mayor how he postponed the F&CC elections from January 22 to 29 against the Act. To this, the mayor said: I have the power to postpone the elections and it was done as per the Act. Reacting to Soods statement, former mayor and Congress councillor Subhash Chawla said the postponement of elections was against the MC Act. The mayor, however, said: Congress members have the right to hold protest as they are in opposition after so many years. The protest is pre-planned. He also adjourned the house for 10 minutes. BJP vs Cong Former mayor Pardeep Chhabra and BJP councillor Satish Kainth entered into a verbal duel when the latter poked a fun at the former saying: You are abiding by the law as you are in opposition. Chhabra lost cool and said: Dont forget that you were in the Congress for years and have joined the BJP last year. Ex-mayors sit on table Former mayors Poonam Sharma and Pardeep Chhabra sitting on a table . (Ravi Kumar/HT Photo) During the adjournment of the House meeting, former mayors and Congress leaders Pardeep Chhabra and Poonam Sharma degraded the House by sitting on a table with their shoes on. As they realised that their pictures were being clicked by photojournalists, they got down. Whistle protest Taking a dig at the BJP over non-inclusion of Chandigarh in the first list of smart city, Congress members blew whistles and said: We are only left with whistles. Former mayor Poonam Sharma said: Our MP Kirron Kher was busy pressing the Centre for Padma Bhushan to her husband, but forgot Chandigarh. Had she pushed the citys case, we could have been in the list of smart city. CARLISLE Carlisle Police believe more than one weapon was used in Wednesday night shooting in the 500 block of North Hanover Street, according to Carlisle Police Chief Stephen Margeson. From the info and the statements weve gathered so far its very possible there was two guns used in the shooting, he explained. Hata Hrnjic, 27, and Robert Anderson, 38, both of Carlisle, were taken to Hershey Medical Center for non-life-threatening injuries as a result of the shooting. Margeson said as of Friday afternoon, both victims are in stable condition. Theyre able to communicate at last on a limited basis, he added. Theres good reason for optimism for both of them. Another point of optimism for police is the case itself, at least thats how the chief seems to see things. While the police are still without an arrest or warrant issued, Margeson did say we think weve developed some promising leads, but at this point, not where we can name a suspect. He said that the forensic evidence collected to this point, along with interviews with the victims and neighbors have allowed the police to compile a fuller picture of what actually happened and who the participants were. Were optimistic we will be able to make an arrest in the not too distant future, he said. Unfortunately, these things do take time. Residents with any information about the shooting are urged to call the Carlisle Police tip line at 240-6660. High alert has been sounded after four armed men with covered faces robbed a grocer of his Tata Indigo car near his Dashmesh Nagar house here at gunpoint on early Saturday morning. The incident took place around 5 when the victim was on his way to a gurdwara. Varun Jain, 25, said he stopped the car metres away from his house to pick up his friend when the masked men arrived on the scene and threw a liquid on the windscreen. As he tried to wipe the screen, it turned opaque. When he stepped out, the men threatened him at gun point to leave the car. They beat him up after he resisted, he claimed. He said the men kidnapped him after making him smell a cloth, following which he fell unconscious. Later, when he came to, he found himself lying at Sirhind road, a few kilometres away. Jain said as the men had removed the battery of his phone, he called his family and police using someone elses phone. He said the men who wore masks spoke in Hindi and all were around 6-ft tall. Jain said the white car was earlier engaged with OLA cab service but for the past few months he himself was using it. Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Gurmeet Singh Chauhan said the police had shared the details with the police of other districts. A case had been registered against the unidentified men under Section 392 (robbery) of the IPC. The SSP said nothing related to terrorist activity had come to the fore, but they were exploring all angles. A Punjab and Haryana high court bench on Friday directed the Chandigarh Child Rights Protection Commission not to inspect the school buses for compliance of rules during the school hours. The direction came from the HC bench of justice Rajive Bhalla during the resumed hearing of a matter, wherein the HC is monitoring the compliance of rules framed for the safe transportation of school children in the city under the Safe School Vahan Policy. During the hearing, one of the counsel representing the city schools highlighted that the schools were being asked to send their buses to a particular place by members of the panel for inspection. It was also alleged that such a move was resulting in harassment of the schools and affecting their academic work. The HC bench directed the commission members to check buses either before the school hours or after the school timings were over. They should send their representatives to schools and check school vehicles there only, the HC directed. The bench further directed the panel to inspect buses of government as well as private schools and submit status reports on the next date of hearing. Read: Contraceptives found in another Chandigarh school bus Check eve-teasing in public transport vehicles, HC to UT Another HC bench directed the city police to take steps to check incidents of sexual harassment in public transport vehicles. The direction came from the HC bench of justice Mahesh Grover on a contempt of court petition filed against the inspector general of police, UT, alleging deliberate non-compliance of the Supreme Court orders. This was with regard to apex court direction to states and UTs to take appropriate steps to prevent incidents of molestation and eve-teasing in public transport vehicles like buses, autos and taxis. Justice Grover exhorted the police to exploit technological advancements in this regard and use technology such as global positioning system for the same. The HC bench also suggested that taxies must pick up passengers only at specified places/ points, where the government officers could note down particulars of taxi driver as well as those of passenger, his address and place to which he/she was travelling. This would instill confidence in the mind of passengers and fear in the minds of taxi drivers. In a fresh twist to the Jalandhar car bomb blast case, Jalandhar rural police on Friday brought Hardeep Singh of Bholath on production warrant from Kapurthala jail and produced him in a local court claiming that they wanted to interrogate him. Hardeep, an accused from whose possession police had recovered a tiffin bomb, was interrogated by police and sent back to Kapurthala jail. Police said revelations made by two other accused, Harbhej Singh of Jiwan Nagar in Sirsa and Ranjit Singh of Delhi, who are in police custody, pointed towards Hardeep as he might possess information about the source of explosives and other accomplices, who were roaming free with explosives and bombs. Police suspect that attacks similar to Pathankot may be carried out in future and claimed that interrogation of Hardeep was necessary. However, the defence opposed the police in the court by citing that the sleuths had already interrogated Hardeep on various occasions in the past and there was no need to send him to police remand. Police officials, including Maqsudan SHO Rupinder Singh told the court that police had not sought any remand and only wanted to interrogate Hardeep, which was granted by the court. Police officials took Hardeep Singh to the canteen and interrogated him there for an hour. It is pertinent to mention here that Harbhej and Ranjit were arrested from IGI international airport when they were trying to escape the country but airport security officials nabbed them on January 25 as Jalandhar rural police had already issued lookout circulars for them. They were brought here by Maqsudan police and produced in court. They were remanded in police custody till January 30. They would be produced in the court on Saturday. On December 6, 2015, at Dugri village, 20km from Jalandhar, a bomb explosion inside a Maruti Swift Dzire had killed Ajay Kumar, a resident of Moti Nagar and injured Jagmohan Singh of Gadaipur, who was facing three cases of murder and another of drug trafficking. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Press Council of India former chairman justice (retd) Markandey Katju on Saturday arrived at Behbal Kalan village in this district to start his independent inquiry into the October 14 police firing incident in which two Sikhs protesting against the sacrilege incidents were killed. The former Supreme Court judge has taken up this fact-finding mission on the invitation of volunteer groups Sikhs for Human Rights, Punjab Human Rights Organisation and Lawyers for Human Rights International. Sometimes people dont trust the government-appointed commissions of inquiry, biased or not, he said. Katju opened his three-day visit to the district by going to the spot where Gurjeet Singh (25) of Sarawan and Krishan Bhagwan Singh (45) of Behbal Khurd were killed in what is alleged to be unprovoked and indiscriminate firing by cops on the protesters gathered on the Behbal Kalan link road. Former director general of police (prisons) Shashi Kant and lawyers from the Sikh organisations were with him. Talking about his terms of reference, Katju said: Ill look into what provoked the police to open fire and whether they had followed the due procedure in this and the cane charge in Kotkpaura. My inquiry will be fair, unbiased, and based on facts. Katju refused to comment on the official inquiry commission of justice (retd) Zora Singh. I have informed the district administration about the public meeting I am going to hold at the village gurdwara to record the statements of the villagers, he said. Katjus report is supposed to be submitted to the Peoples Union on Civil Liberties, which might file a public-interest petition on its basis. Katju said the findings would be made public for anybody to take any legal recourse. Zora Singh free to join us I am not in politics, nor do I intend to join it, so I dont have to please anybody through the inquiry. Our only purpose is to bring forth the truth about what had happened at Behbal Kalan, said the chairman of the peoples commission appointed by the volunteer bodies. Shashi Kant is the commissions general secretary. A copy of the inquiry report would also go to the state government, which, though, is not bound to act on it. The state government had already appointed justice Zora Singh, a retired judge of the Punjab and Haryana high court, to look into the Behbal Kalan incident along with the sacrilege incidents at Burj Jawahar Singh Wala and Bargari, reported on June 1 and October 12, respectively. He has already been to Faridkot in December but found people, including the families of the two victim, reluctant to record their statements with him. Justice Katju denied that his findings would also be laid before the official commission, but said justice Zora Singh is free to send us a report of his inquiry. Besides, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is also examining three related cases the theft of the bir of Guru Granth Sahib from Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village on June 1; appearing of two objectionable posters at the village on November 25; and tearing and scattering pages from the Sikh holy book at Bargari on October 12, which triggered widespread protests in the region. Allegedly to shield the police officers, the government did not move the Behbal Kalan case to the CBI. Shashi Kant said people still had questions in their minds about the police firing, as it was unprovoked, and the government-appointed commission has done nothing, so far, to bring out the truth. He said they had requested the Punjab government through the chief secretary to join the peoples commission and would also made a similar request to Justice Zora Singh. He said that on the last day of his visit, justice Katju would also meet some families of the farmers who committed suicide. Katju said these suicides were sad and asking for urgent response. Even after the absence of key adversaries, the stakes are still high for the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in the by-election for this Punjab assembly seat. A tooth-and-nail fight is missing after the Congress boycott of the contest but the ruling party is not taking any chances even as the victory looks like in sight. Now pitted against six low-profile candidates, Akali candidate Ravinder Singh Brahmpura has shifted his focus to the victory margin in the February 13 verdict. His remaining opponents are Puran Singh of the Bahujan Samaj Party (Ambedkar) and independents Sukhdev Singh, Bhupinder Singh, Sumail Singh, Harjit Singh and Anantjeet Singh. Another independent, Ajit Singh Saini, withdrew his candidature on Saturday. With the nomination papers of independent candidate Bhai Baldeep Singh rejected, the SAD nominee is hitting out at the Congress for running away from the battle. Led by his father, Lok Sabha member Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, Ravinder has still campaigned in many villages. We have already won. We are campaigning just to increase the lead, the Akali leader claims. Left with no heavyweight to face, the junior Brahmpura told voters at Manochahal village: I would like to ask the Congress supporters why back a party that ran away from the battle, leaving you alone. Give me the opportunity to serve you. I assure you a lot of affection and development. Later, he told HT: The Congress boycott has killed all the interest in the fight. Its state president Captain Amarinder Singh thinks that if this bypoll is lost, his leadership will be under challenge from the rivals within, including Partap Singh Bajwa. How will a national-level party that has ruled the country for the majority of the years after independence and had most states under its control show its face to the voters in the Punjab elections of 2017? The nerves may have gone, but the Akali campaign is on with the same intensity. Aware that the SADs popularity in the state has got a beating, the party workers are knocking at the doors of the voters, while the leaders are engaging the villagers by holding corner meetings. Our party president, Sukhbir Singh Badal, has asked us not to be complacent. A record lead is the target to prepare the party for the 2017 war, says the SAD nominee. The ruling party is aware that a section of Sikh masses is still unhappy with it over the incidents of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib reported in different villages of Tarn Taran and many other districts, which had led to huge turnout at the radicals Sarbat Khalsa (Sikh congregation) on November 10 last year at Chabba village of Amritsar district, which is near this constituency. Political pundits opine that the absence of any strong challenge would make the Akali victory hollow. Hence, all eyes will be on the victorys size. Congress rebel Bhupinder Singh Bittu, who has entered the race as an independent, is likely to give some fight to Ravinder Singh Brahmpura, if the supporters of the last legislator, Ramanjit Singh Sikki, back him. Sikki resigned as Congress MLA from this segment in protest against the sacrilege incidents. He had defeated senior Brahmpura in the 2012 assembly polls. His reluctance to run again forced the Congress to pull out of the election at the last minute. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne arrived in Amritsar amid tight security on Saturday after the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) said it would not welcome her with a siropa (robe of honour) during her visit to the Golden Temple as she is a supporter of same-sex marriages. Pro-gay Canadian leader runs into an ethical wall in Punjab Wynne looked unruffled by the controversy surrounding her visit but declined to talk to the media. Though her visit to Amritsar is part of a 10-day business trip to India, it is being seen as a move by Wynne, who is a lesbian, to placate Canadian Sikhs against her pro-gay policies. The SGPC stand is in line with the view of Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs, which is opposed to same-sex marriages. Soon after landing at the Amritsar airport, Wynne headed for a dinner with business delegates at a hotel. Several leaders of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) were also present at the hotel. Punjab govt in fix The SGPC stand has put the Punjab government in a fix as the premier leads a 90-member delegation to build business ties. According to sources, senior SAD leaders are in touch with the SGPC to find a way out of the piquant situation and avoid any embarrassment to Wynne. SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar had said on Friday that though the siropa would not be offered to Wynne as such a move would be against Sikh ethics, everyone was welcome to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple. Read: Homophobia not surprising, says Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne Wrong precedent Former Akali minister Manjit Singh Calcutta disagreed with Makkar, saying that not offering the siropa to Wynne would be setting a wrong precedent. I got a call from the chief ministers office today. I have also talked to Makkar and Akal Takht jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh. I have told them that we should honour the dignitary with the siropa. We have seven Sikh MPs in Canada and that country has made a Sikh its defence minister. It will be very wrong if the SGPC doesnt offer her the siropa or honour her, he said. If the Akal Takht has given a direction (against same-sex marriages) then that applies only to Sikhs and not to other religions. So, the SGPC should not rake up such issues, Calcutta added. The Punjab Police on Saturday claimed to have arrested a most wanted smuggler Ranjit Singh in Ajnala in connection with cross border smuggling. The breakthrough came after the Border Security Force and the Punjab Police launched a joint operation to nab the smuggler, who had been declared most wanted by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in connection with smuggling of 45 kilograms of heroin three years ago. A case has been registered by Ajnala Police against Ranjit Singh, a suspended assistant sub-inspector of the Punjab Police. Station house officer at the Aajnala Police Station Jagbir Singh said Ranjit Singh, a resident of an Attari village, had come to execute a smuggling operation, but was nabbed by police on the basis of intelligence input. The ASI claimed that police have seized a mobile phone, Indian and Pakistani SIM cards and a diary containing the names and contact numbers of a few Pakistani smugglers. Further investigations are on, he added. The mother and wife of a city-based doctor were brutally murdered in broad daylight at Sher-e-Punjab Colony on Barewal road in Ludhiana on Friday afternoon. The deceased have been identified as Pushpawati, 84, and her daughter-in-law Sarita Aggarwal, 55. Pushpawatis son Rakesh Aggarwal is a heart specialist at Deep Hospital, Model Town. The women, alone at home, were done to death with sharp-edged weapons. The bodies were first spotted by domestic help Pooja, who came to the house around 2.15pm. She raised the alarm and informed relatives of the family who live in the neighbourhood. Police were also informed of the murder in the posh locality. Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Narinder Bhargav said it was a suspected case of robbery. A case of robbery and murder has been registered at the PAU police station. No CCTVs were installed in the whole area. Police commissioner Paramraj Singh Umranangal, DCP Narinder Bhargava, assistant commissioner of police (ACP, west) Rupinder Kaur Saran along with a dog squad and forensic experts reached the spot and initiated investigation. The ACP said some women of a labourer family residing nearby have seen some suspects with covered faces. The ACP fur ther added a purse belonging to Sarita Aggarwal containing around Rs 5,000 cash is missing. Some of almirahs were opened and ransacked, but the family has not given any idea about missing articles and money. He said after investigating the crime scene, it seems that the deceased women had tried to resist the killers as there was blood all over the house. Bhargava said it was suspected that the killers were known to the family and had access to the house. They had entered through the main gate. Prima facie, it is a case of robbery, but the police are investigating the matter from all angles. Family shifted to locality 2 years ago The family was shifted in Sher-e-Punjab Colony in April 2014 from Rishi Nagar. Vinod Aggarwal, a close relative, said Dr Rakesh Aggarwal used to leave house at 7 am, while his younger son, Akhilesh Aggarwal, who is an engineer, used to leave for work around 9 am. Bhuvnesh Aggarwal, elder son of Dr Aggarwal shifted to the US with his wife. A neighbour has told police that around 1 pm, volunteers from a cow shelter used to collect rotis and alms from all households daily for cows. On Friday, Sarita Aggarwal was seen giving volunteers some rotis and then went inside. The ACP said the incident took place between 1 pm and 2 pm. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Not many would imagine that the chief of communications at Rourkela steel plant in Odisha, Ramendra Kumar, would take out time from his schedule to indulge in storytelling with kids. Kumar, a father of two, says I believe storytelling is a powerful mode of showcasing creativity. It enraptures the audience and teleports author and kids to a make-believe world. Kids, who gathered at the Chandigarh Childrens Literature Festival at Dikshant Global School in Zirakpur, broke out in uncontrollable laughter numerous times during the authors act. Kumar also got the kids to dance to his not-so-very melodious vocals. Children are undoubtedly the best audience. They have a clear heart and theyre easy and honest. He broke into a song as easily as he adorned different voices for his storytelling act called Paplu the Giant. With his spontaneity he judges the vibe and alternates the act whenever he needs to. I have never had an experience where I didnt get a positive vibe from kids, he says. When asked if kids in metros were any different from the kids he interacted with in small towns, he agreed there was a huge difference in their attitudes. There definitely is a difference. In metro cities, there are always a few children in the crowd who look at you and wonder What the big deal is? I feel they are slightly fast to judge maybe. In smaller towns, I have experienced an instant connect; it has been natural and uninhibited. Theyre there to enjoy my act and they do so. He believes his children are his best critics and his greatest fans. They listen to his ideas and stories and tell him what they think of them. And he prizes their opinion above all. Kumars writings have been published in several Indian and foreign languages as well as in the Braille script. Six of his books have also been recommended by CBSE as supplementary readers. Students and parents were seen waiting clueless outside Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 38 West, on Friday morning after the school management committee head and BJP SC Morcha head Rajesh Kalia locked the school gate. The step was taken to protest against the failure of the UT education department in filling up the post of the school principal, which has been lying vacant since the past six months. Chaos prevailed outside the school for about half an hour till director school education instructed deputy director, school education, Chanchal Singh to reach the spot to resolve the matter. Talking to HT, Kalia said, Functioning of a school in absence of principal is not easy, leads to a lot of pressure on all of us and also impacts students performance. He said the department has been extremely ignorant about the absence of school heads in various government schools since long. According to sources, Chanchal Singh has assured that the school would have a principal or an officiating authority to look into the issue by Monday. Confirming the same, Kalia said, If the education department fails to fulfill its promise, we will take the protest to city roads and start protesting outside other schools in which the post of principal is lying vacant. DSE Rubinderjit Singh Brar said, The issue was sorted out amicably. HT had highlighted last week that the DSE had claimed that all government schools running without principals will get school heads before March 31 this year. The DPSE (department of planning statistics and evaluation) has already prepared a tentative list on the basis of seniority and department officials said they have sent out a proposal to fill up the vacant posts in the senior secondary schools without principals. Government schools that are running without principals or officiating principals include GMSSS-45, GMSSS-35, GMSSS-15, GMSSS-19, GMSSSManimajra, GMSSS-Sarangpur, GMSSS-Colony No. 4, GMHS-24, GMHS-26, GMHS-28C, GMHS-39, GMHS-40, GMHS-46C. President of UT cadre educational employees union Swarn Singh Kambhoj said, Officials must form some advance mechanism so that these posts are not left vacant for more than 15 days on account of transfer or retirement. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The fate of the historic Bell Tavern in Silver Spring Township is still up in the air, although one local woman has set up a Facebook page to gather support for its restoration. The stone building at 7086 Carlisle Pike has been in the spotlight since real estate company Triple Crown Corporation, which owns the property, began demolition as part of a development project earlier this month. The company voluntarily stopped demolition when questions surfaced regarding the history of the building and its possible link to the Revolutionary War. Silver Spring Township Manager Theresa Eberly said this week that the township had begun to research the property and asked its engineer, Herbert Rowland & Grubic, of Harrisburg, for an estimate on stabilizing the building. Stabilizing the building would involve replacing one wall that was destroyed before demolition ceased. We asked our engineer to look at the building and give us an idea of what it would cost if we were to take on that project, Eberly said. You cant really tell the complete cost (at this point) because you dont know what the inside looks like. The discussion is still ongoing. There really havent been any further developments in the last week. Facebook page Christine Musser, a local historian and member of the townships Conservation and Preservation Committee, said the former Bell Tavern has historical and architectural value, and she hopes the building can be restored. I think it can be saved, and I would like it to be saved if at all possible, she said. I think there are a lot of local people who would like it to be saved. However, the cost (of restoration) is an issue in order to be historically accurate. To gather support, Musser set up a Facebook page, Save the Historic Bell Tavern, on Sunday night. I had 113 people connected (by 12:30 p.m. Monday), and I havent even put it on Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus yet, she said. Its just being passed around by word of mouth. She said she hopes to use social media to inform people about the historic building and encourage them to contact the township and Triple Crown and tell them the importance of the tavern and having it saved. The history Musser said the building dates back to 1780, when it was built along what is now Route 11. Route 11 started out as an Indian path and then developed into a major thoroughfare for people to travel from the East Shore to Carlisle and beyond, she said. The road went all the way to the Potomac. It was called the Great Road. Musser said Revolutionary War Cpt. James Bell purchased the property from his father-in-laws estate and established Bell Tavern, which was used by Anti-Federalists as the site of the Stony Ridge Convention in 1788. They had the Stony Ridge Convention at the Bell Tavern because James Bell was an Anti-Federalist, and he was sympathetic to the cause, she said. The primary purpose (of the Stony Ridge Convention) was to develop discussion points for the Harrisburg Convention and to plan the Harrisburg Convention. There at the Harrisburg Convention, they wrote a Bill of Rights, but those rights never made it to the Pennsylvania Legislation. When Bell died, his son, Thomas, took ownership of the tavern and renamed it the Sign of the Rattlesnake, Musser said. Musser said the Bell Tavern was determined in a 1992 survey report to be architecturally and historically significant, and eligible to be listed on the National Registry. She doesnt know why the paperwork was never completed to have the tavern listed. Its very sad, she said. Its a complete oversight. Township investigating Preliminary research by township staff indicates the stone structure at 7089 Carlisle Pike might not be the building where an Anti-Federalist meeting was held on July 3, 1788 that supposedly had an influence on the development of the U.S. Bill of Rights. Township officials met Monday with representatives of Triple Crown Corporation, the Lower Paxton Township-based company that was demolishing the building to make way for future development, Township Solicitor Sean Shultz said last week. Triple Crown has agreed to halt demolition for roughly a month to give township staff time to pursue the facts on the true history of the building and its prospects for preservation. Everything they have done so far has been voluntary, Shultz said of Triple Crown. He said last week the township has no legal recourse to penalize the company for the partial demolition, nor can the township compel Triple Crown to preserve the building or to cover up the interior, which is now exposed to the elements. As part of their due diligence, township staff members reached out to the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia to seek information on the role the Bell Tavern may have played in the framing of the U.S. Bill of Rights. Historians at the center have advised township staff that while the Bell Tavern may have had significance in the Anti-Federalist movement in Pennsylvania, it is not exactly the birthplace of the Bill of Rights, Shultz said. The real threshold question for us is whether the stone building is the Bell Tavern. Chatura Rao, festival director of the Chandigarh Childrens Literature Festival, stumbled into writing books for children when Penguin publishers told her, her book (which she wrote for herself, when she was in her 30s) was meant for children. Slightly surprised she accepted she had the knack of writing for kids and went on to write a number of short stories for kids, including The Case of Disappearing Colour. On the first day of the three-day literature festival, organised at Dikshant Global School in Zirakpur on Friday, Rao spoke to school students about creative writing and shared her experience as well. The perceptive kids asked her intelligent questions which included, how do you come up with the title of your book? What is your inspiration behind writing? Why do you write fiction for kids when you are a journalist? She had the kids attention as she answered each question with utmost sincerity. Ask her why she started writing and she says, I think I was an escapist as a child. As I grew older, I grew complacent with fiction through my writing. However somehow I always seemed to find a way back, stronger. She continues to be a freelance journalist and regularly conducts workshops with kids over the country in Bombay, Bangalore and Delhi amidst others to hone their creative writing skills. A mother of two, she says children are the most intriguing audience to have. Children have fresh ideas, they arent grilled by the same day- today vagaries of life like us. Theyre unpredictable with their thoughts and reactions. It is great fun and a challenge to perform for them. Rao says children open her mind and help her think originally. Nature plays a very important role in her narration. I have always had a soft corner for nature and through my writing in various instances Ive put forth emotion through nature. She recalls how children gave a great response to passages where she described nature. She continues to hold workshops and aid children who want to give the pen a shot. Stepping into the war of words between the loyalists of Captain Amarinder Singh and former Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Jagmeet Singh Brar on Friday after the latters third consecutive day of tweet taunts against state party president, Congress general secretary in charge of Punjab affairs Shakeel Ahmad has asked both sides to exercise restraint. In the latest salvo, Brar posted on online social networking service Twitter that Amarinder had a tacit understanding with the Badals, states ruling family. Reacting to Thursdays statement from at least 20 former Congress legislators demanding his expulsion from the party, Brar on Friday tweeted this message to Amarinder: My humble suggestion to you please get signatures of Badal Sahib and Sukhbir + Akali Dal MLAs to complete quorum. 2+2=4. For the remarks, Dera Baba Nanaks Congress legislator Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa called for strict party action against Brar. Brar has been hammering Amarinder since his decision of boycotting the Khadoor Sahib assembly byelection. Ahmad stepped in to douse the fire. I have requested both (Jagmeet) Brar and other leaders who have issued statement against him to restrain from discussing internal party issues in public. Anything and everything can be discussed within the party. Otherwise it harms partys interests, he said. Randhawa, meanwhile, issued a statement here that it was unfortunate to see a senior leader such as Brar breaking party discipline and criticising the party leadership. He added that Brars outburst could be the result of his losing one election after another. He ( Brar) is frustrated that he has lost his popularity. Its because of his self-centric approach and portraying himself bigger than the party, said Randhawa, who is also Gurdaspur District Congress Committee (DCC) president. Brar cannot question others when he himself is responsible for the Goa poll defeat (in 2012). There are reports that he sold party ticket, Randhawa alleged, demanding action against Brar. Addressing the media in Gurdaspur on Friday, he said Brar had even dared to question the authority of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi. Indian Youth Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, present with Randhawa at a Youth Congress seminar, said Brar spoke against own party as he was looking to switch. On Thursday, 40 MLAs justified Amarinders stand of not contesting the Khadoor Sahib bypoll, followed by a statement from 20 former MLAs demanding Brars expulsion for breach of discipline and embarrassing the party. Amarinder had on Wednesday announced not to contest the bypoll. Brar has praised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the crowd it was able to pull on January 14 for the Maghi Mela rally in Muktsar. Though he had claimed that he had neither the intention nor any invitation to join the AAP, Brar on Friday was unavailable over telephone to talk about this possibility in the light of his controversial tweet. On January 17, Shammi Haque and Ananya Azad experienced their first snowfall in Berlin, Germany. These two, among the main voices of free-thinking and atheism in Bangladesh, had fled their motherland after repeated threats from extremist groups last year. Walking freely on the streets of the German capital has come as a relief for the two bloggers. There are no shadows following us, neither do we have to live under police protection here, unlike in Bangladesh. Its a free world here, but, Haques voice trails off. The 23-year-old has led several protest rallies under the Ganajagaran Mancha a movement demanding capital punishment for the 1971 war criminals, including Jamaat-e-Islami leaders and written vociferously against intolerance and religious fundamentalism, a career that landed her on a hit-list containing the names of atheist bloggers. Even in exile, she continues to write. A women rights-conscious person needs to be an atheist, she wrote on her blog Istishon (station), a post that has been read by over 1,200 people. It is her atheist and liberal thinking that had attracted the wrath of the radical Islamists. The last time HT spoke to Haque in September 2015, a fundamentalist group had threatened to pick her up from her home in Dhaka and rape her. Bangladesh has witnessed a series of attacks on outspoken rationalist writers in the last three years. Several bloggers and writers have been living in exile in different countries, after blogger Rajib Haider was hacked to death on February 5, 2013, followed by writers such as Avijit Roy, Washiqur Rahman Babu, Ananta Bijoy Das and Niloy Chatterjee in 2015. Frustrated over the Sheikh Hasina governments recent decision to block Twitter, WhatsApp and Skype, the 23-year-old BBA student says: I used to talk to my mother on WhatsApp and Skype after coming to Germany. But now, the government has blocked them, citing security threats. Calling her regularly is now not possible due to high call rates. Haques friend Ananya, 26, has resumed blogging after arriving in Berlin on June 29, 2015. He was forced to stop publishing his views after his name was featured on the hit-list of 84 bloggers that The Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), a fundamentalist group, had uploaded on social media. The group also circulated his picture with a cross mark on June 3, 2015. I got scared after seeing this. This group was behind the attacks on many bloggers previously I was being followed everywhere, so I started wearing a helmet before I would go outside, Ananya recalls. Son of a prominent Bangladeshi author Humayun Azad who was found dead in his apartment in Munich, Germany, on August 12, 2004, following his scathing critique of Islamist fundamentalism in his book Pak Sad Bad, Ananya was forced to quit his MBA due to increasing threats in Bangladesh. Now, he is doing research from a university in Germany. In Germany, I am safe and free to move around, but in my own country anyone who wants to think or write freely and talks of free speech is forced to leavebut I will go back at any cost, even if that means that I will be hacked to death or jailed, he said. Camelia, 27, still cant believe that her inspiration Avijit Roy is no more. I was supposed to meet him for dinner at his residence on February 27, 2015, a day before he was hacked to death, she tells HT from Sweden, where she has been living since May 25 last year, after being repeatedly threatened by radical groups. Not only because of my writings, the fundamentalists were targeting me since I was an atheist and have married a Hindu, Foring Camelia, as she is popularly known, said. In 2013, Camelias husband Subrata Adhikari Shuvo along with several bloggers were arrested allegedly for blasphemy after pressure from extremist Muslims. Camelia and many others then took to the streets demanding their release. It was back then when radical Muslims first targeted me. But I kept fighting for Shuvo. Fundamentalist Islamist group Hefazothe Islam branded her an infidel and demanded punishment for her. Farabi Shafiur Rahman, now behind bars for the murder of Roy, issued a fatwa against me where he stated that I ought to be slaughtered, says Camelia. Fearing for their lives back home, Camelia, a journalist, seeks the Indian governments intervention in the matter. She is also ready to take refuge if the Indian government offers her asylum. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A suicide bomber attacked a mosque in Shia-populated eastern Saudi Arabia during Friday prayers, killing four people before worshippers disarmed and tied up his accomplice who had fired on them. The state Al-Ekhbariya news channel quoted an interior ministry spokesman as saying four people died and 18 were wounded. An initial ministry toll said two people were killed and seven hurt in the attack at the Al-Rida mosque in Mahasen, a neighbourhood in the eastern Al-Ahsa region. We started to pray, and then we were surprised to hear shooting, said Mohammad bin Salman al-Ahmadi, 25, who was slightly injured in the attack. We rushed and closed the doors. After that they shot at the door trying to break in. The suicide bomber blew himself up and the door flew open. Power inside went out, leaving the mosque in darkness and filled with smoke as a second attacker randomly shot at worshippers, who tried to hide, Ahmadi said. Eventually the worshippers attacked him and took away his gun and took off his suicide belt. We tied him up using our shemaghs and held him till police came, he said, referring to a traditional cloth head covering. Fridays incident was the latest assault on members of the Sunni-dominated kingdoms Shia minority, after a string of shootings and bombings claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group. The interior ministry said two suicide bombers were prevented from entering the mosque by security personnel. When security approached to intercept them, one of them responded by blowing himself up at the mosque entrance while an exchange of fire took place with another, it said. The ministry said the second suspect was injured, and arrested with help from citizens. A suicide belt was found in his possession, it said, adding that automatic weapons were also recovered. Increased security Since deadly attacks claimed by IS last year against Shia mosques in the kingdoms east, security has been increased and community guards now inspect visitors to houses of worship. Fridays attack happened in an area largely populated by employees of the state-owned Saudi Aramco oil company, a resident said. Most of Saudi Arabias Shias live in the kingdoms Eastern Province which includes Al-Ahsa, an oasis region where much of the kingdoms oil reserves are located. A video circulated on social media purportedly showed the aftermath of the attack, where several people lay still on a carpet, surrounded by broken glass. One man could be seen applying a tourniquet to the thigh of a victim whose white robe was soaked with blood. People were so angry, and apprehended one of the alleged suspects themselves, the resident told AFP, asking for anonymity. Police started shooting in the air so they could take him away. Another resident said Mahasen is a mostly Sunni neighbourhood, and the mosque that was attacked is a house that they turned into a mosque. IS, a Sunni extremist group, has claimed several deadly attacks against Saudi Shias, whom the jihadists consider heretics, since late 2014. Fridays bombing was the first against Eastern Province Shias since October, when a gunman fired on faithful commemorating Ashura in the Qatif area, killing five before police shot him dead. Ashura is one of the holiest occasions for the Shia faith. In June, four Shias died preventing a suicide bomber from entering the hall of Al-Anoud mosque in Dammam city. Days earlier, 21 people were killed in another Shia mosque bombing in Eastern Province. Groups claiming affiliation with IS said they carried out those blasts and the Ashura shooting. During Ashura in 2014, gunmen killed seven Shia worshippers, including children, in the eastern town of Al-Dalwa. The interior ministry said the suspects had links to IS. The group has also claimed deadly attacks on Saudi security forces. At least 16 more people have died of starvation in the besieged Syrian town of Madaya since an aid convoy entered earlier this month, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF). The group warned that several dozen more residents of the town are in danger of death because of severe malnutrition. The latest deaths bring the number of people reported to have died of starvation in Madaya to 46 since December, according to MSF. But the medical charity said the real toll could be even higher. MSF has clear medical reporting for 46 starvation deaths since December 1, the group said in a statement to AFP. The real number is almost certainly higher, as MSF is aware of reports of people dying of starvation in their homes. A toddler is held up to the camera in this still image taken from video said to be shot in Madaya on January 5, 2016. (REUTERS) Located in Damascus province, Madaya is under government siege, and its fate has been one of the sticking points for fresh peace talks on the Syrian conflict that opened on Friday after delays. Syrias opposition wants to see the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions demanding an end to sieges in the country before committing to new negotiations. Madaya is one of four towns included in a rare deal last year that was intended to halt fighting and allow the entry of humanitarian aid. But despite the deal, the UN and other aid groups have had only limited access to Madaya, along with rebel-held Zabadani, and the government-held towns of Fuaa and Kafraya, which are under opposition siege. Conditions in Madaya have reportedly been among the worst, with about 42,000 civilians there surrounded by government troops who have laid mines around the town to prevent people leaving. While the government has some ability to airdrop supplies to Fuaa and Kafraya, the opposition has no similar capacity, and aid groups have regularly urged continuous aid access to all four towns. They have also called for the evacuation of those suffering malnutrition or sick with other illnesses. Citing medics it supports in the town, MSF said there were at least 320 cases of malnutrition in the town, including 33 that were so severe that the individuals could die without prompt treatment. It is totally unacceptable that people continue to die from starvation, and that critical medical cases remain in the town when they should have been evacuated weeks ago, said MSFs director of operations Brice de le Vingne. The warring parties responsible for these besiegement strategies need to allow unhindered medical and humanitarian access immediately, he added. After the September deal for the four towns, an initial aid delivery was made, but no subsequent assistance was allowed in until January 11, after reports of deaths in Madaya. Additional convoys of food and medicine entered Madaya, Fuaa and Kafraya on January 14, and then all four towns on January 19. But aid groups have said the piecemeal deliveries are insufficient. The UN estimates around 486,700 Syrians are living under sieges imposed by the regime, rebels or the Islamic State. The UNs aid chief said this week that 75 percent of its requests for aid deliveries in Syria went unanswered by the government. The state department on Friday said for the first time that some of Hillary Clintons emails passing through a private server she used as secretary of state contained top-secret information. Seven email chains, precisely, or 22 emails, spread across 37 pages, the state department spokesperson said, adding, however, they were not marked classified at the time they were sent. The documents are being upgraded at the request of the Intelligence Community because they contain a category of top-secret information, said John Kirby, the spokesman. He went on to say those emails were not being included in the tranche of 1,000 additional pages from Clintons email account made public online on Friday. That her emails contained top-secret information has been reported before based on leaked official documents but this was the first time they were acknowledged by the administration. Clinton has already apologized for using a private server and her campaign moved quickly Friday to prevent the new revelations from impacting her White House run just two days before the Iowa caucuses. This appears to be over-classification run amok, Brian Fallon, Clintons spokesperson, said in a statement, blaming it on bureaucratic infighting and interagency dispute. He called for the emails to be released as the rest. Clintons Democratic rival for the party nomination, Bernie Sanders, refused to attack her on her emails as before, but Republicans were not about to let her off the hook. The new e-mail release is a disaster for Hillary Clinton. At a minimum, how can someone with such bad judgement be our next president? Donald Trump said in a tweet. He called her a major national security risk in another tweet. Many Republicans, and some Democrats, believe these emails could lead to Clinton being indicted on charges of mishandling confidential information, which could damage or end her run. Clinton handed over 30,490 printed emails about 55,000 pages to the State Department for archiving in December 2014, after deleting as many that she said were personal. This was prompted by a new rule introduced by National Archives then that government officials must not use personal emails for official use. Clinton had, so she turned them over. It turned contentious gradually when it was reported that these emails were hosted on a private server, whose security could not be guaranteed, given the nature of information passing though it. The state department had planned to release all by January 2016, but a court dealing with a Freedom Of Information Act petition ordered it to start releasing them in batches every 30 days. The state department should have completed the process Friday, the last day as directed by the court. But it had sought, and was given, more time, with many pages still to be released. About 24,000 madrassas in Pakistan are funded by Saudi Arabia which has unleashed a tsunami of money to export intolerance, an American senator has said, adding that the US needs to end its effective acquiescence to the Saudi sponsorship of radical Islamism. Senator Chris Murphy said Pakistan is the best example of Saudi Arabia funding religious schools that nurture hatred and terrorism. In 1956, there were 244 madrassas in Pakistan. Today, there are 24,000. These schools are multiplying all over the globe. These schools, by and large, dont teach violence. They arent the minor leagues for al Qaeda or IS. But they do teach a version of Islam that leads very nicely into an anti-Shia, anti-Western militancy. Those 24,000 religious schools in Pakistan -- thousands of them are funded with money that originates in Saudi Arabia, Murphy said in an address to the Council on Foreign Relations, a top American think-tank, on Friday. According to some estimates, since the 1960s, the Saudis have funnelled over $100 billion into funding schools and mosques all over the world with the mission of spreading puritanical Wahhabi Islam. As a point of comparison, researchers estimate that the former Soviet Union spent about $7 billion exporting its communist ideology from 1920-1991. Less-well-funded governments and other strains of Islam can hardly keep up with the tsunami of money behind this export of intolerance, Murphy said. The uncomfortable truth is for all the positive aspects of our alliance with Saudi Arabia, there is another side to Saudi Arabia that we can no longer afford to ignore as our fight against Islamic extremism becomes more focused and more complicated, he said. The United States should suspend supporting Saudi Arabias military campaign in Yemen, at the very least until we get assurances that this campaign does not distract from the fight against IS and al Qaeda, and until we make some progress on the Saudi export of Wahhabism, he said. Murphy demanded that Congress should not sign off on any more US military sales to Saudi Arabia until similar assurances are granted. He said that the political alliance between the House of Saud - Saudi Arabias ruling royal family - and orthodox Wahhabi clerics is as old as the nation, resulting in billions funnelled to and through the Wahhabi movement. The vicious terrorist groups that Americans know by name are Sunni in derivation, and greatly influenced by Wahhabi and Salafist teachings, Murphy said, adding that leaders of both Democratic and Republican parties should avoid the extremes of this debate, and enter into a real conversation about how US can help the moderate voices within Islam win out over those who sow seeds of extremism. British lawmakers may have to comply with the Sharia law including an alcohol ban when they move out of the Westminster Palace and will be shifted into a new complex which is governed by the Islamic law. A UK parliamentary committee searching for a new temporary home for the House of Commons away from the Palace of Westminster has identified Richmond House, home to the UKs Department of Health, as a favoured option. But the building in the Whitehall political hub of London was transferred to finance an Islamic bond scheme of Sukuk two years ago, and a condition of its lease is that it cannot be used for purposes not sanctioned by Sharia law. An official told The Times newspaper that under terms of the deal agreed with the UK Treasury, the sale of alcohol is among activities explicitly forbidden. MPs and peers were told this week that they are likely to have to move out of the Palace of Westminster entirely for at least six years to allow for a four-billion pounds overhaul of the crumbling neo-Gothic pile. According to the newspaper, parliamentarians will have to leave behind at least 10 licensed bars and restaurants, each well-stocked with competitively priced drinks. The Richmond House complex, just north of the existing parliamentary estate, has been narrowed down as a favoured options as it can easily be taken within a security cordon and could comfortably accommodate a temporary debating chamber. In July 2014, UK chancellor George Osborne had announced that the Treasury was launching the first Islamic bond in a western financial centre. The 200 million pounds bonds, known as Sukuk, would help make Britain the western hub of Islamic finance and the undisputed centre of the global financial system, he said. The offer was more than 10 times oversubscribed as central banks and sovereign wealth funds in Gulf states snapped up bonds that pay just over 2% annually for five years. Devout Muslims cannot buy traditional government bonds because they pay interest. Sukuk, an Islamic alternative, permit guaranteed returns if they are linked to rental payments. In the Treasury version, three government buildings including Richmond House are being used to finance the products. To ensure that the Sukuk were fully compliant with Sharia, the Treasury agreed to conditions on the properties use including a ban on the sale of alcohol. The committee is looking at a range of options and no final decision has been taken. It is aware that Richmond House is under a bond, a spokesperson for the joint committee on the Palace of Westminster said. The 182-year-old Palace of Westminster currently has eight bars in its premises. A British woman has been found guilty of taking her toddler son to join the Islamic State group, becoming the first woman to be convicted of the offense after returning to the UK from the self-declared caliphate in Syria. Tareena Shakil, 26, was convicted of being a member of the Islamic State and encouraging acts of terrorism. She will be sentenced on Monday. Police said in October 2014 she and her one-year-old son boarded a plane to Turkey, where she crossed into Syria and spent three months there. Counter-terrorism officers arrested Shakil on suspicion of Syria-related terrorism offenses and child neglect at Londons Heathrow Airport when she returned last February. Her son has since been taken into social care. During her trial, Shakil denied the charges, claiming she only travelled to Syria because she wanted to live under strict Islamic law. But a photo on her phone showed her posing with a firearm and wearing an Islamic State balaclava, and another photo showed her posing in Syria under the groups flag. Police also said she had sent a series of tweets before she left Britain, encouraging others to commit terror acts. Our assessment is that she was not naive; she had absolutely clear intentions when she left the UK, said Marcus Beale at West Midlands Police. He added that she presented a real threat to Britain upon her return. Like many other European countries, Britain is increasingly concerned about residents especially young people travelling to Syria to fight or support militants. Figures released this month showed that the number of girls and women travelling from Britain to Syria is increasing, with 56 believed to have left for the conflict-torn country last year. Thank you! You've reported this item as a violation of our terms of use. This content was contributed by a user of the site. If you believe this content may be in violation of the terms of use, you may report it. Arthur Patterson was sentenced to 20 years in jail Friday for a stabbing incident that resulted in the death of a South Korean student in a Burger King bathroom in Seoul in 1997. Thirty-six-year-old Patterson contested to the allegation before, insisting that the victim, Cho Joong-pil, was killed by Edward Lee, a Korean-American accomplice, but Lee insists that Patterson is guilty. Lee was already convicted to life for the murder in 1998, but the decision was reversed because there was not enough evidence. Judge Shim Gyu-hong noted that the Burger King bathroom was too small for two people to alternately stab the victim. "Given the small size of the bathroom, it is highly unlikely that the two could have switched sides to take turns stabbing. With the two constantly accusing each other, it is obvious that one of the two is lying," Gyu-hong said, according to The Korea Times. "While Lee only had a small amount of blood on his head and shirt, Patterson's head and clothes were covered with a large amount of blood that he was unlikely to have gotten elsewhere," the judge added. The university student victim Joong-pil was stabbed nine times in a short period of time, which means that there was a huge amount of blood loss. Patterson has been claiming innocence even until he was brought back to South Korea from Los Angeles in 2015. "There is credibility in statements made by Edward Lee, an accomplice, that (he) witnessed Patterson stabbing the victim," the Seoul Central District Court stated, USA Today reported. "(Lee) incited Patterson to murder (Cho) and led the way into the bathroom (where the incident took place)." Patterson lived in Seoul because his father used to be a contractor for the U.S. military. The Burger King where the incident happened is located in Itaewon, which is near a U.S. base, according to BBC News. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Republican front-runner Donald Trump returned to attacks on Ted Cruz's birthplace on Friday, suggesting that he's not a U.S. citizen and calling him a Canadian "anchor baby" at a campaign event in New Hampshire just three days before the Iowa caucuses. "Now, Ted Cruz may not be a U.S. citizen. Right? But he's an anchor baby in Canada. No, he's an anchor baby. Ted Cruz is an anchor baby in Canada," Trump said today at his event in Nashua, N.H., according to the Dallas Morning News. The pejorative term implies the child helps the non-citizen parents obtain legal status. Trump also mentioned Cruz's debate performance Thursday night, saying the Texas senator got "pummeled last night," adding, "They didn't even mentioned he was born in Canada," according to ABC News. Donald Trump boycotted Thursday night's debate in Iowa over an ongoing feud with FOX News. "In theory, I would've rather done the debate because you're leading. You don't want to change the wheels...," Trump said today at his event in Nashua, New Hampshire. "I took a chance...Whatever the result I did the right thing. I did the right thing because I did something great for veterans." The Trump campaign said Thursday night that the billionaire businessman raised more than $6 million for veterans groups at a rally in Des Moines, Iowa, that he held instead of participating in that night's GOP debate. Trump said that he pulled in the majority of funds from big donors - including a $1 million contribution of his own - and another $500,000 via his website, according to CNN. For his part, Cruz has long dismissed claims of ineligibility for his White House bid by virtue of his Canadian birthplace, arguing that because his mother is American, he is a natural-born citizen. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A new fleet of planes will be rolling out of Boeing's factories sooner than you think. A Boeing 737 MAX, the first of its kind, took flight on Friday from Renton, Wash., just south of Seattle, CNBC reported. The aircraft was first produced last month at Boeing's assembly facility in Renton, according to Business Insider. Its pilot flight lasted two-and-a-half hours, and the plane was piloted by both Craig Bomben and Captain Ed Wilson. The new aircrafts are expected to enter the market in 2017. The first airline to be using these crafts will be Southwest Airlines. Both pilots said that the flight was a major success, according to The Seattle Times. "It flew beautifully. We had no issues," co-pilot Bomben said. What makes the Boeing 737 MAX unique is its larger LEAP engines. It's a more fuel efficient aircraft, the company claims. The 737 MAX is also available in three different sizes, seating between 126 and 220 passengers. However, Boeing's 737 MAX isn't the only new aircraft on the market. Airbus recently released a new plane to Lufthansa, the Airbus A320neo. Boeing is confident, however, that its planes will quickly catch up to Airbus in terms of sales and awards with the addition of its latest aircraft. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. U.S. Navy destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur on Saturday sailed within the territorial waters of an island claimed by China and two other countries in the South China Sea, a move designed to challenge "excessive maritime claims that restrict the rights and freedoms of the United States and others," a U.S. Defense Department spokesman said. Wilbur, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, made what the Pentagon called an "innocent passage" within 12 miles nautical miles of Triton Island, part of the Paracel Islands, an archipelago claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam, reported ABC News. None of the countries were informed ahead of time, and there were no foreign military vessels in the area. "This operation demonstrates, as President Obama and Secretary [Ash] Carter have stated, the United States will fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows. That is true in the South China Sea, as in other places around the globe," said Navy Commander Bill Urban, according to CNN. "This operation was about challenging excessive maritime claims that restrict the rights and freedoms of the United States and others, not about territorial claims to land features." China's foreign ministry spokesman Hua Chunying said that the three-hour operation violated Chinese law. "The U.S. naval ship violated Chinese law to enter China's territorial waters. China monitored the ship's movement and issued verbal messages in accordance with law," Hua Chunying said. "We urge the U.S. side to respect and abide by relevant laws of China, and do more to improve mutual trust as well as regional peace and stability." China asserts ownership over a large majority of the South China Sea, while the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have partial claims, according to AFP. Over the past couple years, China has expanded its territorial claims in the area by rapidly building artificial islands, some of which now contain military facilities and airstrips, raising tensions in the region and prompting U.S. intervention. In October, the USS Lassen was sent within 12 miles of an artificial island claimed by China in the Spratly Islands chain, and in November, U.S. Air Force B-52 bombers flew near other contested islands, according to Fox News. Urban said that the U.S. "takes no position on competing sovereignty claims between the parties to naturally formed land features in the South China Sea," but it does "take a strong position on protecting the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all countries, and that all maritime claims must comply with international law." @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Questions school board numbers Dear Editor: A report by the Carlisle Area School district earlier this month indicated that they were looking for ways to close a budget deficit of $3.5 million. They have for years assumed that three buckets should be the source of the solution: 1/3 expense reduction, 1/3 utilization of reserves and 1/3 real estate tax increase. The district doesnt realize that 2/3 of the proposed solution utilizes money previously collected or to be collected from taxpayers. The process they use to justify a tax increase results in collecting more tax revenues and spending less than budgeted. The most recent audited report released last week for the year ended 6/30/15 resulted in a surplus from previous budget actions of nearly $4 million dollars, more than enough to cover their suggested deficit. Revenue collected was $2.4 million more than budgeted, the majority was taxes collected from property owners and workers. The expenses actually included $1.6 million less than budget, the largest portion of which was in instructional costs. This at a time when parents from three elementary schools appeared late last spring at a board meeting complaining of large class sizes. The staff and directors will continue to tell taxpayers, talking of pension costs, while currently holding an increasing surplus of $4.4 million; rising medical insurance costs, currently holding a surplus for future claims of $5.8 million, 74 percent of estimated costs in the budget proposal; maintaining an unassigned surplus of $4 million tax dollars for which they can demonstrate no real educational purposes. Yet the boards mission statement states that they will excel in financial stewardship. Taxpayers, it is too late to complain when you receive your tax bills. Complain loudly and often now. Wayne Ulsh Carlisle All eyes are on Kanye West right now as he currently puts the finishing touches on his highly anticipated upcoming album Waves. On Friday night, the G.O.O.D. Music CEO held a studio session with 2 Chainz, Mike Dean, Kirk Franklin, Diddy, French Montana, and more where he decided to play the album for them in its entirety. Thankfully, 2 Chainz was on his snapchat game last night and gave his followers the story of the night when he shared a couple previews off Waves. The ATL rapper first teased us by posting a muted clip which saw the crew wildin out in the studio, but he mustve received the okay to post his snapchat stories with sound, because shortly after he previewed some never-before-records that were FIRE. In addition, Chainz also posted an updated version of the papered tracklist, which has since seen quite a few more names added to the list of who was here. (see in gallery) While we wait for the February 11 release date, check out those snippets (below) to hold you over in the meantime. [Shouts to KTT] Waves Blac Chyna was reportedly arrested at an Austin airport on Friday, after she appeared to be heavily intoxicated and became belligerent with a flight attendant while boarding a plane. Chyna was said to be headed for London, and was catching a connecting flight in Texas when she was booked by the cops. According to TMZ, sources at the scene said she was fighting with the flights employees and at one point actually yelled, Yall got no respect for me. I gotta tie my shoes. Let me tie my Yeezys. The model who has been recently linked to Rob Kardashian was allegedly cuffed and escorted off of the plane. While she was initially taken into custody for public intoxication, TMZ now reports that Chyna has been charged with drug possession (more than 1 gram, but less than 4). Khloe Kardashian, who has had issues with Chyna in the past, and is reportedly less than thrilled with her new relationship with her brother, Rob, may have had something to say about it on Twitter. Our man Colm O'Hare was impressed with how well the band and their songs have endured Hardly the most unexpected of reunions, it was always understood that the Corr siblings simply took time out to raise families and to pursue solo projects. Still, theyll always be associated with a confident, prosperous Ireland of the 90s and with things tentatively looking up again they probably couldnt have picked a better time for a comeback. The years have been kind to them in fact they all look amazingly youthful, almost frozen in time. Andrea, in particular, has lost none of her carefree demeanour as she jigs about the stage between verses, raising her arms like a ballerina at the microphone. Sharons always graceful violin is in contrast to Carolines impressive pounding on the drum-kit. Meanwhile, Jim switches between keyboards and guitar generally directing things along while long-time associates Anto Drennan on guitar and Keith Duffy on bass complete the line-up. The songs dont come across in any way dated and its easy to forgot just how many hits theyve racked up. The crowds sing along unselfconsciously to early highlights including, Give Me A Reason, Forgiven Not Forgotten, What Can I Do and a joy-filled Radio. The first of several trad interludes Lough Erin Shore/Trout In The Bath/Joy of Life might have a touch of Riverdance to it but the crowds love it while arguably their finest and certainly most popular tune Runaway is beautifully performed, eliciting a mass sing-along. Andrea stumbles momentarily on the lyrics of Buachaill On Eirne, jokes that she hopes her Irish teacher isnt in the house, and rescues it to cheers of encouragement. The hits just kept on coming: Love To Love You, Only When I Sleep, I Never Loved You Anyway , their hit version of Fleetwood Macs Dreams and yet another huge crowd participation moment on So Young. The title-track of the new album White Light goes down well and they leave the ecstatic audience with the chugging power pop of Breathless and long time concert favourite Toss The Feathers. Colm OHare Advertisement See [link]hotpress.com/photos/photo_st.php?id=16665446[/link] for a full 3Arena live gallery 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. 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Cheat Sheet for the pros when selecting the right Banquet Hall for your wedding function Posted by Sanjay Merchant on Saturday, 01-30-2016 8:15 am Currently 0.0/5 Stars. 1 2 3 4 5 0.0 from 0 votes Quite a task this one! Selecting the most optimal wedding venue for your wedding is often the most difficult part of wedding preparations, and perhaps the least interesting. Its always so much more fun to go shopping for outfits, jewellery, trousseau items and wedding favours. Finding the perfect banquet hall however, involves dealing with rude banquet managers, unreturned calls from the F&B staff, hours of being stuck in traffic trying to get from one location to the other for a recce, while getting lost along the way, missing work and deadlines in the process, arriving at the venue only to realize that the right personnel are missing in action, availability calendars are not updated and the banquet hall looks much smaller than what was sounded to you on the phone conversation you had with the manager. This becomes an even bigger problem when planning weddings in the two major metros Delhi and Mumbai. Distances are enormous and lo and behold, you are stuck in traffi... 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. 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You have successfully verified the account Continue Hi your HR.com account is ready Your Profile completion: 30% Complete your profile Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 16-01-29 Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at TURKISH CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW No. 19/16 29.01.2016 [A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS [01] Eide met with Ak?nc?; Statements by Eide [02] How the Turkish Cypriot press covered the tripartite summit between Cyprus, Greece and Israel [03] Ozgurgun: A time table must be put on the Cyprus negotiations [04] Atun: The water from Turkey will secure strategic gains to the Turkish Cypriots [05] Two new hospitals in the occupied area of Cyprus [06] Erdogan: "No room for autonomy seekers" [07] Erdogan kicks off campaign for a presidential system and a new Constitution [08] The EU is 'deeply concerned' by life sentences demanded for journalists Dundar and Gul [09] Turkey tops ECHR's list in freedom of expression violations in 2015 [10] Turkish professor to stand trial for insulting Erdogan [11] Turkey's population tops 78 million in 2015 [12] Data on Turkey's numbers on tourism; Turkey saw sharp drop in visitors from Russia and Europe in 2015 [A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS [01] Eide met with Ak?nc?; Statements by Eide According to illegal Bayrak television (28.01.16), the UN Secretary General's Special Advisor to Cyprus Espen Barth Eide held separate meetings with both leaders today ahead of tomorrow's joint meeting (today's) in the UN buffer zone. Speaking after his meeting with Akinci, Eide said that they held a positive meeting since he had found the opportunity to discuss the strong international support given to the process at the World Economic Summit in Davos. Eide said further that the support of the international community for a solution in Cyprus is stronger than ever. Responding to a question concerning the initiative of the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades to make Turkish an official EU language, Eide said that this was an important initiative and a positive development. Also, touching upon tomorrow's meeting between the two leaders; Eide said that the two leaders will be determining how to move the process forward. Eide also said that it is of the utmost importance that the two leaders intensified their efforts towards achieving convergences on the thorniest of the issues at the table. "My colleagues and I will be waiting for proposals and suggestions on how we can help the process move forward", Eide added. [02] How the Turkish Cypriot press covered the tripartite summit between Cyprus, Greece and Israel Most of the Turkish Cypriot newspapers today (29.01.16) refer on their front page to the tripartite meeting held yesterday in Nicosia between the Republic of Cyprus, Greece and Israel. Under the banner front-page title "Important summit in the south", Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper reports that a memorandum on the administration of water resources was signed during the summit and cooperation on other issues and mainly the energy sector was decided. According to the paper, after the summit, President Anastasiades and the Prime Ministers of Greece and Israel, Alexis Tsipras and Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the cooperation between their countries is not aimed against any other country. Also on its front page, the paper refers to statements made during the press conference held after the summit by the Greek Prime Minister, who said that the solution in Cyprus must be for the benefit of both the Greek and the Turkish Cypriots and underlined the importance of finding an agreement which safeguards the security of all Cypriots and gives the opportunity to develop security. Within this framework, there is no need for guarantees and guarantors, added Tsipras. Turkish Cypriot daily Diyalog newspaper refers to the same issue under the banner front-page title "Turkey is totally sidelined" and reports that an agreement was signed for transferring the Israeli gas to Europe through Greece, after similar agreements signed to transfer the natural gas of Cyprus and Egypt to Europe through the same route. Noting that the three leaders referred to a "historic step", the paper writes that "in this manner the expectations that the natural gas will be transferred through Turkey in case of a solution in Cyprus have stopped being on the agenda". The paper adds that it is curious about Turkey's steps now "against this strategic action of the Greek Cypriot-Greece duo that is totally based on the enmity against Turkey by taking Egypt and Israel by their side". Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper refers to the issue under the banner front-page title "They left the door open" and points out that the agreement was signed in a period during which attention is drawn to the contribution the solution of the Cyprus problem to the regional energy policies. The paper reports that experts have expressed the view that the agreement between Cyprus, Greece and Israel has not closed the door for cooperation with Turkey and the "TRNC", as the breakaway regime in the occupied area of the island is described. Under the banner front-page title "This summit is different", Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika newspaper reports that "this development which happened after the normalization of the relations of Turkey with Israel is evaluated in political circles as a part of the solution" in Cyprus. Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen and Star Kibris newspapers cover the issue under the title "They are being united on natural gas and electricity", while Turkish Cypriot daily Halkin Sesi refers to a "Very comprehensive tripartite alliance". Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Bakis publishes the issue under the title "Tsipras: We want a solution without guarantees". (I/Ts.) [03] Ozgurgun: A time table must be put on the Cyprus negotiations Turkish Cypriot daily Gunes newspaper (29.01.16) reports that the chairman of the National Unity Party (UBP) Huseyin Ozgurgun stated that a time table must be put on the Cyprus negotiations. Ozgurgun who issued a written statement was replying to recent statements made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ioannis Kasoulides about the solution of the Cyprus problem. Ozgurgun argued that the progress of the negotiations show that the Greek Cypriot side is trying to waste time, will lead the Turkish Cypriots to get into the status of minority, will put in danger the sovereignty of the Turkish Cypriots and give an end to the Turkish guarantees. He also stated that UBP demands that the end of 2016 is the time limit that must be put for the Cyprus negotiations. (CS) [04] Atun: The water from Turkey will secure strategic gains to the Turkish Cypriots Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (29.01.16) reports that Sunat Atun, self-styled minister of economy, industry and commerce of the breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus, has said that the water which is brought from Turkey to the occupied area of Cyprus through undersea pipelines, will secure strategic gains to the Turkish Cypriot capital holders under the administration of local businessmen in many projects after the solution of the Cyprus problem and from now on. In statements yesterday, Atun argued that the water should be distributed by the private sector in a manner by which the biggest benefits to the Turkish Cypriot capital holders are secured and the "state's" responsibility should be administrated in the best manner. Atun expressed the view that the water will give strategic advantages to the Turkish Cypriot side with the solution of the Cyprus problem and argued that the island will be revived with this water which will contribute in the further development of the economy by increasing the production in all sectors. "Together with a possible solution, it is important for the water, which will be given for the use of the entire island, to be under the control of the Turkish Cypriot businessmen and there are advantages which it will bring", he argued. (I/Ts.) [05] Two new hospitals in the occupied area of Cyprus Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (29.10.16) reports about the construction of two new hospitals in the breakaway regime. The "minister of public works, environment and culture" Kutlu Evren stated that the project for the new hospital in occupied Morfou is completed. According to Evren, the new hospital which will include 13 different policlinics will cover an area of 14,000 square meters and will have a capacity of 60 beds. In addition, the paper also reports that Kutsal Ozturk the rector of the illegal Keryneia American University (GAU) stated that the new GAU Hospital will be ready to take patients in 2017. Ozturk stated that the investment will be beneficial for the greater Keryneia area and added that the hospital will be able to offer services to tourists as well. (CS) [06] Erdogan: "No room for autonomy seekers" Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (28.01.16) reported that Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a speech in Ankara, made it clear that there would be no room for autonomy seekers and condemned the calls for autonomy for several southeastern towns populated mostly by Kurds. "It should be known that we will bring the whole world down on those who seek to establish a state within a state under the name of autonomy and self-governance", Erdogan said during an event in Istanbul. A number of mayors and district mayors have appeared in court as they made statements calling for autonomy and leading figures from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), which focuses on the Kurdish issue, have been sued. Criminal investigations were launched against HDP co-chairs Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag as they made statements on self-governance. "What do we say? One flag," Erdogan said, adding that no flag other than the Turkish flag could fly in the sky while noting that its color was red because of the martyrdom of innumerable soldiers for the integrity of the Turkish homeland. Dismissing autonomy calls made amid an environment of violence between Turkish security forces and outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants, Erdogan said the same action would be taken against autonomy seekers as was taken before against followers of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, which leading figures from the Justice and Development Party (AKP), Erdogan and his inner circle accuse of forming and heading a purported terrorist organization. (?) [07] Erdogan kicks off campaign for a presidential system and a new Constitution Turkish daily Today's Zaman (28.01.16) reported that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has launched a campaign to establish a "Turkish-style" executive presidential system and a new Constitution, saying that these are not a matter of personal ambition, but a necessity in a country whose parliamentary system is out of date. Erdogan, who won Turkey's first direct presidential election held on Aug. 10, 2014, said that a head of state elected by the people should be more than a symbolic role. Before the presidential election in August 2014, the Parliament elected the country's President. Speaking during a meeting titled: "Together for a New Constitution" at the Ankara Chamber of Commerce's (ATO) Congresium Hall, Erdogan said that he believes the parliamentary system in Turkey is outdated, emphasizing that the current situation, in which both the Prime Minister and President are popularly elected, is unsustainable. "In building the 'New Turkey,' we think Turkey needs an executive presidential system and a new Constitution. This discussion should not be presented as a matter of my own personal ambition," Erdogan also said. Erdogan said further that making a new Constitution is no longer the concern of a certain institution or individual, but is now that of the whole nation, adding: "This issue is domestic and national. I clearly say that as the President, I will be involved in any national issue. All the Constitutions that have been established in Turkey so far were all imported; they were not national at all. Those imported mindsets dominated us [for years]. Now, we are returning to a domestic and national one." "If the presidential system is the right choice for Turkey's future, then it should be put into practice," said Erdogan, urging for the establishment of this "Turkish-style" presidential system as soon as possible. "The people, not the Parliament, should ultimately decide on the new text", Erdogan said, apparently signaling a possible referendum in the upcoming months. (?) [08] The EU is 'deeply concerned' by life sentences demanded for journalists Dundar and Gul Turkish daily Today's Zaman newspaper (28.01.16) reported that Maja Kocijancic, spokesperson for the European Commission, has told Today's Zaman that the European Union is "deeply concerned" by life sentences demanded for the jailed journalists Can Dundar and Erdem Gul. Dundar and Gul have been in jail since they were arrested on November 26, 2015 for publishing photos of weapons which their paper alleged were transferred to Syria in trucks operated by the National Intelligence Organization (MIT). The indictment prepared for them showed that the prosecutor seeks an aggravated life sentence, a life sentence and 30 years of imprisonment on separate charges, including obtaining secret information pertaining to the security of the state and revealing information that should be kept secret. Answering to the paper's questions, Kocijancic expressed the expectations of the EU for Turkey to ensure that "its legislation is implemented in a manner which is in line with European standards enshrined in the European Convention for Human Rights and the case law of the European Court of Human Rights." Kocijancic also highlighted that it is up to the relevant political and judicial authorities in Turkey to ensure that the inalienable right for an independent and transparent investigation in the case of any alleged wrongdoing, with full respect of the rights of the defendants, is respected. "Freedom of expression must also be upheld, in line with the Copenhagen political criteria; an intimidating climate goes against this," Kocijancic concluded. US State Department Spokesman Mark Toner also criticized charges against the Cumhuriyet's newspaper's staff on Wednesday. "We're obviously very troubled by the reports," Toner told reporters at a daily press briefing. [09] Turkey tops ECHR's list in freedom of expression violations in 2015 Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (28.01.16) reported that the European Court of Human Rights' annual activity report revealed on January 28 that Turkey was the subject of the highest number of judgments regarding violations of freedom of expression in 2015, while Russia comes second in the total number of violations. The court determined a violation of freedom of expression in a total 28 cases throughout 2015, 10 of which were committed by Turkey, the ECHR's annual statistics revealed. Turkey more than tripled the violations of its closest follower, France, which has three rulings against it. Turkey's record on cases involving freedom of expression violations is not new, as the country single-handedly committed more violations than the rest of the member states combined in 2014, committing 24 of the total 47 violations. While Turkey's negative record on freedom of expression violation stands out, the country's most pressing problem with regards to its responsibilities under the European Convention on Human Rights is the right to a fair trial. In 2015, the court ruled on 87 cases brought against Turkey and at least one violation was found in 79 of the cases. Twenty of the 120 violations were on the right to a fair trial. This was followed by a lack of effective investigation on inhuman or degrading treatment (14), the right to liberty and security (13) and the lack of effective investigation on the right to life (13). This figure fits the general pattern of the court's overall findings, as annual statistics reveal the right to a fair trial was the subject matter in which the highest percentage of violations were determined across member states of the Council of Europe (CoE). According to data made public by the ECHR, a violation of the right to a fair trial was found in 24.18% of all cases where the judge determined a violation of the convention. A close second was the prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment (23.6%), and the third was the right to liberty and security (15.63%). Overall, Turkey is the state with the second highest number of judgments, second only to Russia with 109 judgments against it. However, the country tops the list if one considers all of the court's rulings between 1959, when it was established, and 2015. According to the data, Turkey was found in violation of at least one article in a total 3,182 cases. Turkey's closest followers are Italy and Russia with 2,336 and 1,720 judgments against them, respectively. [10] Turkish professor to stand trial for insulting Erdogan Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (28.01.16) reported that a philosophy professor says he will stand trial next week on charges of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for suggesting in an article that the Turkish leader should go on trial over a range of claims, including alleged corruption and the violation of the Constitution. Professor Orsan K. Oymen said on January 27 that he faces up to four years in prison for the article published in the opposition Ayd?nl?k newspaper in April. The trial is set for February 4. Oymen denies insulting Erdogan, saying that the President is "unable to distinguish strong criticism from an insult." [11] Turkey's population tops 78 million in 2015 Ankara Anatolia news agency (28.01.16) reported that according to a report by the Turkish Statistics Institute (TurkStat) released on Thursday, Turkey/s population increased in 2015 by 1,045,149. According to the report, Turkey's official population was at 78,741,053 at the end of 2015. The study was conducted through the Address-Based Central Population Registration System (ABPRS), which uses the National Address Database to track the number of people living at registered addresses. The population increased by 1.34% from the previous year, and was up by 1.33% in 2014. Males made up 50.2% (39,511,191) of the total population, while 49.8% (39,299,862) were females, according to the report. (?) [12] Data on Turkey's numbers on tourism; Turkey saw sharp drop in visitors from Russia and Europe in 2015 Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (28.01.16) reported that according to data released by the Tourism Ministry on January 28, Turkey saw a dramatic decline in the number of foreign visitors from Europe and Russia in 2015, though the total number of foreign arrivals saw only a slight drop of around 1.61% compared to 2014. A total of 36.2 million foreign people visited the country in 2015, according to the data. The number of Russian visitors to Turkey decreased to 3.65 million in 2015 from around 4.5 million in 2014, amid Russia's economic troubles. The decline was accelerated after the diplomatic crisis between Russia and Turkey erupted on November 24, 2015, with the number of Russian tourists visiting Turkey decreasing by around 46.9% in December 2015 compared to the same month of 2014. Overall, foreign arrivals declined by around 7.3% to 1.46 million in December 2015 compared to the same month of 2014. Despite the drop, the Russian market remained the second largest source of foreign arrivals for Turkey, with over 10% of the total. The number one source of arrivals was Germany, which took around 15.5% of the total with around 5.6 million visitors, while the U.K. was the third top source of foreign arrivals to Turkey, with a share of around 7% of the total. The number of European tourists visiting Turkey fell in 2015. The number of Italian tourists decreased by 27% and the number of French tourists fell by 18% in 2015 compared to the previous year. The number of arrivals from Japan also declined by around 40%. According to sector representatives, escalating security concerns played a big role in explaining the drop in visitors from Europe. The number of arrivals from the Middle East and the Gulf increased sharply in 2015 compared to the previous year, although the figures were still much lower compared to the arrivals from Europe. The number of arrivals from Saudi Arabia rose by 31% to around 450,000 in 2015 compared to 2014. Arrivals from Bahrain also saw an increase of 34% to around 32,500 in the same period. There was also a sharp increase in arrivals from China, with the number of Chinese visitors increasing by 57% to over 313,000 in 2015 compared to the previous year. An increase of 20% was also seen in the Israeli market, with around 224,500 arrivals from Israel in 2015 compared to 2014. Tourism revenue is very important for Turkey, accounting for around 4.5% of the country's $800-billion economy and playing a crucial role in closing its multi-billion-dollar current account gap. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio (AK/ AM) Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article Amid his packed schedule as an international supermodel and popular actor, Godfrey Gao somehow finds time to return home to Vancouver and unwind. The first Asian male model for luxury brand Louis Vuitton, Gao is currently working on China's most anticipated new TV drama "Zhao Zi Long," in which he stars as the warrior Lu Bu. Advertisement Born in Taiwan, Gao grew up in North Vancouver and spent much time hiking, snowboarding, and mountain biking. So it's natural that Destination Canada has also tapped him to host a travel program aimed at drumming up interest among visitors from China. "I grew up in B.C. It is one of the most beautiful provinces in Canada. Vancouver is so multicultural and thats one of the things I enjoyed most while growing up in Vancouver, as you get everything from culture to cuisine," Gao told The Huffington Post B.C. "Vancouver has grown a lot since I lived here. Cool things are happening." Advertisement Now that we finally caught up with the world traveller, he took the time to fill out our "My B.C." questionnaire. Want to know what his B.C. spirit animal is? His fave restaurants? Check it out: Godfrey Gao's Best Of B.C. See Gallery Also on HuffPost Megan Simonson Photography Megan Simonson is a young, fashion and fine art photographer from Edmonton. Her images are dreamy, feminine and intimate. Her incredible attention to detail is evident in her photos in the above image, she made the headdress and did the model's makeup herself. When she's not advising fellow photography aficionados at her day job at Edmonton's McBain Camera, she works on freelance shoots, capturing everything from fashion editorials to wedding portraits. Advertisement Her work has been published in Atlas Magazine and adorns the cover of a Czech novel titled "A Too Beautiful Girl." Simonson was kind enough to share some of her photos with us and answer a few questions. Q: Where did you grow up and where do you currently live? A: Well, funnily enough I'm back where I grew up, currently. I moved to Calgary for about a year and the city kind of chewed me and spat me back out so I moved back in with my parents in Edmonton for the time being. Q: How long have you been shooting photos? A: If you're talking about the type of photos I shoot now, since the summer of 2009. But, in terms of owning a camera and enjoying taking pictures it's been since I got my very first camera, Christmas 2003, which was a little blue film camera with pink flowers on it. Even when I was a toddler my parents gave me a little red film camera that was empty and I ran around taking photos, then would hand the camera to my parents and ask them to develop the film even though they explained each time there was no film in it. Advertisement Q: What's the most unusual, remarkable thing you've ever had happen while taking photos? A: I was on a trip with my family in Florida and we went on a boat cruise in Myakka River State Park to look at the alligators and such, and sitting behind me was a little French girl with what I assumed was her grandparents. All I could understand her saying was, "Oiseau! Oiseau!" as she pointed up at the sky. She was so beautiful and I wanted to capture her picture so terribly. While we were on this trip I only brought my film camera with me. So I had only one chance to get this. I pointed my camera out at the river and guessed approximately where the focus would be and prayed I could capture something worthwhile. So, when I was ready I swung around and shot it without hardly looking because I didn't want anyone to notice I was taking her photo. Later, when I developed the film and to my surprise, she had actually looked directly at me and was perfectly in focus! It's one of my favourite shots if only because of how incredible it was that I was able to capture it and that it has some intrigue to it. Q: How do you choose the locations for your shoots? A: One thing for sure is I like variety. Whenever I can, I want to choose someplace that maybe no one has thought of before, locally, even if it's not the best and then make something unique out of it. I especially love abandoned locations. I also try to pick spots away from a lot of people for the ease of shooting, both for the model and so I don't have cars or people in the background. I also avoid anything too modern. Advertisement Currently, most of my shoots are based outside both for the ease and because nature is so naturally beautiful and can offer a lot to the story of the image. I do plan to use more indoor locations in the future, if only I can get over my anxiety to call and ask for permission! Q: What are some of the challenges of shooting fashion photography? A: Definitely the cost. You have to invest in your props, clothing, team if you want to make something special. Sometimes simplicity is key and it works out wonderfully, especially if it's utilizing things you or the model already own, but it can get expensive to take photos that look like they were taken by a world-renowned fashion photographer, especially for the wardrobe. Investing in equipment and the fact that I tend to shoot film is costly for me at times. The shooting itself is quite easy if you have a vision and a plan. More so, it's breaking into the industry and getting jobs that is a lot tougher. Most fashion photographers don't get their break until they're over thirty unless they're very lucky and talented. I have yet to experience said break. Check out more of Megan's work. Interview continues below: Megan Simonson Photography See Gallery Advertisement Q: I see that you shoot with both film and digital. Do you have a favourite type of camera to shoot with, or a favourite piece of equipment? A: When it comes to digital, I love my Canon 5D Mark II (dreaming of upgrading to the Mark III soon) and my favourite lens is my new Sigma 50mm 1.4 which I actually haven't even shot anything with yet, but I was drooling over it for the last two years until I could replace my Canon 50mm 1.4. For film, I know most people like the Canon AE-1, which I have but always forget to reach for since it was given to me by a family member. I got a Nikon FM2 with a 50mm 1.4 lens for Christmas it's my baby that I take with me more often. When I can afford it and I don't have too much else to lug with me, I grab my Rolleiflex TLR that has an awesome f/2.8 lens. And, sometimes when I shoot black and white I dabble a bit with some hand-colouring. It's a technique that was used in the late 19th century and early 20th to paint black and white photos. And I was inspired by Shae Detar a painter and fine art photographer based out of New York to try. Still definitely need to practice, though! A photo posted by Megan Simonson (@contagiouspixie) on Jan 22, 2016 at 4:15pm PST Advertisement Q: What's your advice to people who want to learn how to take great fine art photos? A: Look to those who inspire you. Even to start, try copying their style while also keeping it uniquely you. Until you find your own voice or what style speaks to you, it's a great way to explore your possibilities and find out what does and doesn't work for you. Research photographers old and new to discover who inspires you and who you can learn from. And, they don't have to be world renowned either. Many of the first artists I looked up to were just girls and guys around my age that posted on an art website I thought what they were doing was really special and I wanted to do it too. Also, don't hold back. Plan things out, especially if you want it to be a story, unless you work better impulsively. Q: What do you like to do when you're not taking photos? A: When I'm not binge-watching Netflix or spending my life online, I like to doodle, paint watercolours, go to festivals and local events. Every now and again when I have the time I will audition for a local musical theatre production. Otherwise my life is mostly taken up by photography in some capacity. Follow more of Megan's work: Website Instagram Flickr Facebook Are you interested in being Alberta's Photographer of the Month? Email us and we can chat! - : , ; If you want a shot at a $142,400 salary and a sweet seat in the Red Chamber, this may be your chance. The Senate's independent, non-partisan advisory board has opened its first phase of nominations to fill vacancies for representatives in Ontario, Manitoba and Quebec. Advertisement There are currently 22 open spots for senators and the Senate is looking to fill five right away. The Senate's independent advisory board is looking to fill 22 of these seats. (Photo: Getty Images) In order to be considered, a candidate must be nominated by an organization - ranging from non-profits to educational institutions - who submits a form on their behalf. The candidate must also submit an additional form with supporting documents. Applications can be found on the Senate advisory board's website. The deadline to apply is Feb. 15 at 12 p.m. ET, when the first phase of the nominations will be completed. There will be a new phase of the appointment process in the spring, when individuals will be able to nominate themselves. The rest of the vacancies will be filled by the end of the year. The advisory board will go through these nominations and submit non-binding recommendations to the prime minister, who will then submit his choices to the governor general. Advertisement Independent, non-partisan The board was formed as part of the Liberals plan to transform the Senate into an independent chamber. It consists of three government-appointed federal representatives, and two from each province with vacancies. Ontario, Manitoba and Quebec are the only provinces with provincial representatives right now, as they have the most vacancies. With files from The Canadian Press Also on HuffPost The boss of a small firm in Yorkshire has inspired envy in employees up and down the country by surprising her workers with an all-expenses paid trip to Barbados. Helen Bilton founded holiday wholesalers The Group Company 10 years ago and decided to do something special to celebrate its decade in business. But rather than hold a bash or lay on a free bar at a local hotel, she duped all of her 32 employees into thinking she was taking them to nearby theme park Flamingo Land, whilst booking their flights to the Caribbean. Advertisement Staff were shocked when boss Helen Bilton dished out tickets to Barbados Bilton told the York Press: "I thought about doing a big party to celebrate the tenth anniversary with suppliers and customers, but then I thought the people that really deserve a treat are the people that work hard day, day out for the business. "I decided about six months ago to go to Barbados. We have a monthly staff meeting, and a few months ago I asked for ideas to celebrate the tenth anniversary. "Someone suggested hiring out Flamingo Land so I pretended that's what we were going to do. At the next meeting a I told them Flamingo Land was closed that day, so we're going to Barbados instead." Advertisement Staff will enjoy Barbadian climes She continued: "They couldn't believe it, I think they thought I was joking." Everyone will stay at a five-star resort on the island for three nights. The Group Company works with mainstream holiday firms to negotiate the best deals at hotels around the world, and while the business primarily sold to Europe, it launched a worldwide arm six months ago. Now Bilton believes her business will continue to grow with the help of great customer satisfaction - making it "massively important" to her to reward her staff to maintain high morale. A British helicopter pilot has been shot dead by elephant poachers in Tanzania while helping conservationists pursue them. Englishman Roger Gower, 37, was helping wildlife authorities in Tanzania track the criminals when they fired on his aircraft, the Friedkin Conservation Fund said. Founder Dan Friedkin said the organisation was "profoundly saddened by the loss of our dear friend". Advertisement Roger Gower He said: "Roger was killed while piloting a helicopter during a co-ordinated effort with the Tanzanian wildlife authorities to track down and arrest active elephant poachers. In the course of this action the poachers fired upon the helicopter and Roger was fatally wounded. "We are committed to honouring Roger and his work. We are also committed to ensuring that those responsible for this attack are found and brought to justice. We believe that Roger can best be honoured by redoubling our commitment to protect elephants and our priceless wildlife heritage. "This tragic event again highlights the appalling risk and cost of protecting Tanzanias wildlife." The poachers reportedly fired on the helicopter with an AK 47. Mr Gower is reported to be a former accountant who qualified as a pilot in 2004, The Press Association reports. Conservationist group Wildlife At Risk International posted pictures of the wreckage to Facebook, saying: "We are shocked by this unbelievably sad news and we extend our condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Capt. Roger. Advertisement "This is a devastating loss that can never be replaced. We thank him for his commitment to the fight against poachers." Wreckage of Capt Roger's crashed helicopter. He was shot down and killed by a poacher with an AK 47Poachers shot and... Posted by WAR - Wildlife At Risk International on Saturday, 30 January 2016 The group said Mr Gower was "shot mid air by poachers AK47, managed to land his chopper but sadly died before his rescue". A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We can confirm the death of a British national in Tanzania and are providing assistance to the family at this difficult time." Tanzanian politician Lazaro Nyalandu tweeted Mr Gower's killers were "coward, evil and sad people". An SNP councillor has apologised for a "reactionary" pledge to ban her children from reading Harry Potter after JK Rowling was accused of supporting a tweeter accused of trolling. Rowling, an Edinburgh resident and a prominent opponent of Scottish independence, was accused of endorsing bad behaviour by sending friendly tweets to an anonymous account that had posted abuse. Rowling denied this and Glasgow MP Natalie McGarry, formerly of the SNP, apologised for saying so. Rowling has implied she may yet sue the politician for suggesting this. Advertisement Rosa Zambonini, who was elected to North Lanarkshire Council in August, tweeted she would ban her children from reading the boy wizard books, saying: "I'd rather my kids looked to someone who never interacts with trolls." Scenes. An SNP councillor bans her children from reading Harry Potter. pic.twitter.com/25Zys59Oe4 Jamie Ross (@JamieRoss7) January 30, 2016 After a huge, mocking backlash, she tweeted she had been "bombarded" and apologised. She wrote: "I can admit saying my kids were banned from H. Potter was a reactionary tweet. Sorry if I offended." She added she would set her Twitter account to private as she was going to be away with her children. Advertisement The whole affair led people to speculate the previously little-known councillor's Twitter account was fake. It *is* a real account, not a parody. But she's now apologised. Unclear if the Harry Potter ban still applies tho https://t.co/gEn6W2eNjK Paul Waugh (@paulwaugh) January 30, 2016 Journalists' and politicians' predominant reaction was to fall about laughing. Charity appeal: Please give all you can spare to buy the poor Zambonini kids a Harry Potter boxset. https://t.co/2QwJlcVoWH Nick Cohen (@NickCohen4) January 30, 2016 First Tunnocks, now this. @jkrowling, we have lovely cafes in Barrow with ample writing space if @the_SNP expels you https://t.co/n7SFpdzm8m John Woodcock (@JWoodcockMP) January 30, 2016 Rowling retweeted this tweet from Scottish journalist Stephen Daisley who asked: What do the SNP and fundamentalist Christians in Alabama have in common? https://t.co/WLvXlFTFpH Stephen Daisley (@JournoStephen) January 30, 2016 Advertisement On Thursday night, McGarry called Rowling out for posting messages of support for 'Brian Spanner', a Unionist writing under a pseudonym who has a self-admitted history of sending abusive tweets to pro-independence politicians. Rowling, 50, continually called for proof she supported misogynistic trolling, until the Glasgow East MP eventually conceded and wrote an apology. "On reflection, I do apologise for any misguided inference that you support misogyny or abuse instead of the folk you tweet," she wrote. But the MP later shared screenshots of historic tweets by Rowling and Spanner that implied she was endorsing his abuse. In fact, the screenshots had had their dates removed and Rowling had actually been tweeting to Spanner, calling him a "good man", in response to a charity donation, not in response to him calling politicians abusive names. Advertisement The man who produced the screenshots apologised and made a donation to Lumos, Rowling's charity that helps children who have been placed in institutions. On Saturday, Rowling implied she may yet take legal action against McGarry in a tweet to a reporter who said she would "not". CAUTION: STRONG LANGUAGE For most television reporters, establishing clear facts in the wake of an incident is difficult. But Reyna Harvey had no such worries - when the victim of a shooting strolled towards her and began recanting his tale live on air. Despite having been shot in the chest, Devon Hawkins rambles through his story before walking away. Watch the incredible interview, above. The man smoke throughout his short exchange with the reporter live on TV At one point Hawkins reveals blooded bandages around his wound, proudly displaying them towards the camera. Advertisement He says: "I'm in my room chillin', kickin' it how I usually do, drinkin'. "Then somebody shot through my back window. "Hit me in the chest. "I'm like s**t get my son out the room. "Y'know, I aint even trippin though." Supplied Households around Australia are making room on the wall for Tesla's latest major innovation after the very first 'Powerwall' shipment hit our shores this week. The Tesla Powerwall Home Battery is a new storage device from the motor company that allows users to store power from solar panels and use it at night, rather than selling back excess energy. Advertisement The Pfitzner family of Sydney's Kellyville Ridge received the first Australian residential installation after waiting on Tesla's reservation list. Nick Pfitzer admitting he's "been watching Tesla since the Roadster was first released," and "was quite a fan of Elon Musk in general." Despite the price tag starting at around $10,000, or $20,000 if you need panels, Natural Solar MD Chris Williams thinks "the Australian public is well and truly ready for this new frontier in renewable energy. Installations are set to start at other locations around the country from next week, begging the question -- is the writing on the Powerwall for outdated Australian energy industries and practices as homes become less reliant on grid electricity? Advertisement UQ Professor of Economics and energy economics specialist John Foster thinks energy companies should be concerned, but not only because of developments in the battery world. "I think that Tesla's implementation is going to be a bit slower than people think -- maybe 3 years -- because there's all these new sharing schemes developing to enable people who don't have solar to buy from people on the grid," Foster told HuffPost Australia. "It's pure speculation in a way but when you see how fast Uber and Airbnb catch on, these networks could be the future." "Energy sharing could be so economically viable that they'll catch on before batteries become popular because it's a specialty interest right now and needs a few years to catch on as they become better and cheaper." Regardless, an obvious factor is turnaround for your investment, and Lifehacker's predictions of up to 25-30 years for a Powerwall to pay itself may be off-putting for a large portion of the market. Advertisement Announced back in April 2015, Tesla CEO and co-founder Elon Musk explained the Powerwall's significance as a neat solution to repackaging batteries in a compact, organised manner. "The issue with existing batteries is that they suck. They're really horrible," he said. "They're expensive. They're unreliable. They're sort of stinky, ugly, bad in every way, very expensive - you have to combine multiple systems - there's no integrated place you can go and buy a battery that just works." Considering the 1.5 million Australians already utilising solar, the country's abundance of sun and the Turnbull Government's $1 billion plan to make Australia a new hub of innovation -- the Powerwall and competing energy tech could easily reshape our renewable energy industry in the next few years. Musk, who has also made waves with his companies PayPal, Space X and Solar City, said Tesla 'will not initiate patent lawsuits against anyone who, in good faith, wants to use our technology.'. Tesla's open-source approach fosters a future for entrepreneurs who wish to improve on or adapt the design or function of this product which is still only in its infancy. The federal agents, accompanied by members of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, also conducted a search of Myers's father's nearby farm, where FPSRussia is sometimes filmed, reports northeast Georgia radio station WHLR. Advertisement Myers's FPSRussia series features him demonstrating advanced weaponry, including machine guns, tanks and drones. But what was the justification for the raid? ATF spokesman Richard Coes told the Banner-Herald: "The claim is that [Myers] was using explosives and getting paid for it via YouTube." Under YouTube's partner program, amateur video producers can earn money from the site if their videos are watched enough times. Myers's YouTube channel, which has garnered over half a billion views, is part of the site's partner program. Advertisement Seeming to contradict the ATF's statement, Franklin County Sheriff Stevie Thomas told WHLR that Tuesday's raids were in connection with the investigation into the suspected murder of Myers's former business partner, Keith Ratliff, who was found dead from a single gunshot to the head in January in the office of FPS Industries, the weapons testing business he owned. The ATF did not return a request for comment from The Huffington Post. Myers's colleague, Kitty Wandel, told Guns.com that Myers was always careful about obeying the law. If it ever came to doing something outside of our legal boundaries, we would then work with someone who was legally authorized to do it in an approved location, said Wandel, who is a producer of FPSRussia. "We can only hope this helps [the ATF] understand how we make our money, so it doesnt hurt another YouTuber." It is unclear whether any items were seized during Tuesday's raid. WATCH: Amb Amina Mohemed, Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Trade flanked by Siddharth Chatterjee, the UNFPA Representative to Kenya and Ms Nardos Bekele-Thomas, the United Nations Resident Coordinator to Kenya in Moyale, Northern Kenya on 07 December 2015. Credit: @UNFPAKen When President Barack Obama made his first visit to Kenya as US President last year, one of the poignant messages he left was an exhortation for communities to shun cultures that degrade women and girls. "Imagine if you have a team and don't let half of the team play. That makes no sense," he said, referring to the denial of opportunities for women to fully participate in development. Advertisement The president's message could not have been more pertinent, coming as it did when the country, like most of Africa, is thinking how to reap a 'demographic dividend' - or boost in economic productivity - from its declining fertility rate and growing youthful population. This occurs if the number of people in the workforce increases relative to the number of dependents. Countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan and Hong Kong also called the "Asian Tigers" lifted millions out of poverty by lowering dependency ratio. Individuals and families were able to make savings which translated into investment and boosted economic growth. Combined with robust policies in education, health, employment and empowerment of its women, they were able to capitalize on their demographic window during the period 1965 and 1990. With over 70% of Kenyans aged below 30, we are at the cusp of a demographic dividend. For this dividend to become a reality, Kenya will have to surmount some formidable challenges, none more exigent than the empowerment of its women. However this youth bulge is "a window of opportunity", which shuts in an average period of 29 years. We have to take advantage of it and understand that there's nothing pre-ordained about a youth bulge producing a growth dividend. Advertisement The magnitude of the challenges Kenya faces was brought home through some sombre statistics in the just-released 2014 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS). One emerging trend is the increasing role of women as stewards in Kenyan families, with one out of every three households in Kenya being headed by a woman. This might not be of much concern were it not for another statistic from the KDHS: half of Kenyan women only have primary school education, meaning that their potential for participating in socio-economic processes is hampered, and their families are on the whole fated to the lower rungs of demographics. In a new drive to change this narrative around the world, the UN Secretary General, Mr Ban Ki-moon has established the first high-level Panel on Women's Economic Empowerment, which will take the lead in developing strategies and plans for closing economic gender gaps around the world. Any strategies for enjoying the demographic dividend that do not prioritise the education and health of its women will be futile. In Kenya, the train may not even leave the station if half of its women have rudimentary education and many do not have access to sexual and reproductive health services and empowered with the knowledge of planning their families. The KDHS also confirmed that awareness of birth spacing and family planning rises with levels of education: fertility rates decrease from 6.5 among women with no education to 4.8 among women with some education and further to 3.0 among women with a secondary or higher education. Advertisement The survey showed that some of the counties of Kenya that had the lowest proportion of literate women also had the highest fertility rates, some as high as double the national rate which of 3.9. The pay-off from smaller families is in the all-round physical and cognitive development of children and, by extension, the workforce. In Kenya, this is a workforce that is mainly agrarian, and about 60 per cent female. Globally, it is estimated that if women in every country were to play an identical role to men in markets, as much as US$28 trillion (equal to 26 per cent) would be added to the global economy by 2025. Where women are healthy and educated, not only their families, but entire nations flourish as we have seen with the "Asian Tigers". Conversely, where women are not empowered the demographic dividend will not be realised. Kenya must focus on eliminating gender inequalities, not only in the health sector, but in traditional social norms and attitudes that value women less. These are norms that keep girls out of classrooms and women away from the workplace, and are often expressed through violence. The 2014 KDHS again shows the extent of violence with about four in ten women aged between 15 and 49 saying their husband or partner has been physically violent towards them. We must all heed President Uhuru Kenyatta's message at last September's global meeting on gender equality in New York, where he stressed that "development cannot be rapid and resilient, unless it is also inclusive and equitable...given that half of humanity are women, their empowerment is a must, not an option". Winston Churchill's epic state funeral on January 30, 1965, following his death on January 24 at the age of 90, is an occasion that I have commemorated now for at least thirty-two years, since opening my Churchillian bookstore, Chartwell Booksellers, in New York City in 1983. This year, with the 51st anniversary approaching, I found myself searching for something new to say. And then it hit me: Churchill's passing and that widely-televised funeral launched the market for all things Churchill. In other words, the loss of Winston Churchill put me in business. Yes, there were Churchill collectors in Churchill's lifetime. Their numbers, however, were relatively small. Often they were Churchill's own peers -- men and women upon whom Churchill had bestowed first editions of his books, often personally inscribed; correspondents to whom Churchill had sent letters that today my own customers collect. Churchill's death propelled this pastime into another dimension. Commoners began to collect his books in earnest, along with the souvenir collectibles produced by his commercially commoditized mortal exit. Authentic bits and pieces of Winston Churchill's life also began to land on the auction block with increasing frequency, though with relatively little fanfare and with far greater dignity than the relentless marketplace of the internet allows for today. Advertisement Some years ago I purchased at auction, largely for my own edification, a small collection of letters, commencing in August 1965, between Lady Clementine Churchill's then-secretary Grace Hamblin and a Mr. Hodgson, in the employ of the gallery and art appraisers, Pawsey & Payne. The letters solicited a valuation of Winston Churchill's library at Chartwell and assistance in selling surplus books from it on behalf of the Churchill family, including "a vast number of American editions of all Sir Winston's works." The first major book catalogue of Churchill's works and related ephemera is generally acknowledged to be the celebrated Mortlake catalogue, issued by the distinguished Charing Cross Road book dealer Harold Mortlake (from his new premises at 24 Cecil Court) in 1969: 144 pages, 1,580 items, including "no fewer than Nine Inscribed Presentation Copies." The price for the collection was 5,500. The catalogue was sold "en bloc" to the University of Illinois in the summer of 1970. I do believe that the arrival of Chartwell Booksellers in 1983, at the very least enhanced the attractiveness of collecting Churchilliana. What really kicked things into a higher gear was Sotheby's "Political Sale" in London on July 15, 1998, which notably hyped a stellar assemblage of Churchill-related rarities, flogging them for prices never before realized. The 21st Century correlary to this auction gold rush was the recent "Daughter of History" sale at Sotheby's London on December 17, 2014, in the wake of the passing of Lady Mary Soames, Churchill's last surviving child. This auction brought to market personal property belonging to Lady Soames including a quantity of her father's finest and most beloved paintings. The resulting bidding frenzy sent prices for every book and object in the sale skyrocketing, with many of the paintings soaring beyond the $1-million mark. Advertisement The aftermath of this blowout has been of increasing concern to me. Blood has been let in the oceanic Churchill market and it has brought out the sharks. Ever since the "Political Sale," I'd seen a steady increase in fraudulent Churchill "merchandise," abetted by the launching of eBay in the late 1990s -- in my opinion, the world's largest fencing operation for bad forgeries. Some years ago I had a customer offer me her collection of more than a dozen "signed" Churchill first editions, virtually all of them acquired on eBay. I had to inform the poor woman that every one of the signatures was forged and (I kept this to myself out of kindness) not even especially well. In 2011, I assisted my friend and colleague, Pom Harrington, owner of London's esteemed Peter Harrington Books, in nabbing a British autograph forger of daunting skill and ambition named Allan Formhals, who was flooding eBay, and the Churchill world in general, with forgeries of every shape and description. Pom and I had become increasingly vexed by what we saw as a dilution of the Churchill name by fakes. Formhalls, it turned out, was buying up old Churchill books, old photographs and plain old sheets of paper and affixing Churchill's signature to them endlessly. Pom was able to interest a detective at Scotland Yard in the case. After some elementary sleuthing (Formhals already had an Interpol profile as an art forger), Scotland Yard banged on the suspect's door and caught him red-handed at home in Hampshire, surrounded by pots of ink, pens and piles of cheap Churchilliana ready for signing (as well as materials for other literary and fine art targets whose signatures he forged, including Joseph Conrad, T.S. Eliot and Picasso). Formhals was brought to Crown Court on 16 criminal charges of fraud and convicted on 10 of them in December 2012; sentenced to 10 months in prison after a jury trial. The temptation to "exaggerate," if not lie, has become financially irresistible for more and more sellers. Recently, I was egregiously misled about a potentially valuable piece of Churchill property offered to me for sale at the highest levels of the Churchillian food chain. Now comes word of "Churchill's yacht" being put up for sale in France for 2 million. Churchill never owned a yacht. The spurious claim that this luxury boat, christened "Amazon," had been built for him in 1936, is a fabrication. Churchill loved to sail, and as First Lord of the Admiralty quite monopolized the Admiralty yacht, Enchantress, during the run-up to the First World War. Churchill, however, was in no financial position to buy a yacht of his own in 1936 when, mired in his "Wilderness Years," he flirted with bankruptcy. For all of his life, Winston Churchill yachted solely as the cosseted guest of rich yachtsmen like Aristotle Onassis, whose vessel, the Christina O, kept Churchill afloat in his dotage. Advertisement News of "Churchill's yacht sale," overseen by the seemingly legitimate Coldwell Banker of France and Monaco, and wildly overtouted by the yacht's present owner, a French architect named Mireille Huet, was widely covered by online media outlets around the world over the past two weeks, including The Telegraph and The Mirror in the U.K., Paris Guardian in France and (of course) Fox News here. All of them really should have known better. Do news organizations ever fact-check stories anymore, or are press releases merely uploaded, defacto, as facts? The North County Missouri National Education Association (MNEA) will be hosting a trivia night on Feb. 6 at the North County High School Commons. North County MNEA Chapter President Jeff Grapperhaus said they are hosting the trivia night to raise funds for two scholarships for graduating seniors and they also benefit the districts Backpack Program. We started this scholarship program last year and we were able to give away two $250 scholarships, which we are hoping to do the same this year. said Grapperhaus. Last year we were able to raise a little over $1,600 for the schools Backpack Program and we are hoping to do the same again this year. Grapperhaus said that the Backpack Program provides food for students so they have meals on the weekends. He added that the students may not be getting meals otherwise. Currently the program services about 50 students each weekend and the cost is $250 per week. Pre-registration is not required, but if anyone wants to they can email Grapperhaus and he will have their name written down. If they dont want to pre-register, they can just show up at the door the night of the event. The doors open at 5 p.m. and trivia starts at 6 p.m. Its $10 per person and teams can have 8 to 10 players. Grapperhaus said if someone walks in and would like to play, they will find a team to put them on. If anyone has any questions they can contact Jeff Grapperhaus at jgrapperhaus@ncsd.k12.mo.us or they can call the high school at 573-431-3300 ext. 5 and leave a message and he will call back. We will have mulligans and you can buy five of them per team at a $1 a piece, said Grapperhaus. We will have baked goods and drinks for sale. We will have popcorn provided for each table and there will be silent auction items also. He said that they are currently getting together baskets from each school building in the district to have available for that evening. The evening as a whole is Valentines themed, said Grapperhaus, "so our baskets are like winery day, date night, game night and going out to dinner. Those sorts of things. We are hoping this is super successful and we would like to do this annually. Grapperhaus said that if they can raise more money than last year they would like to increase the amount of their scholarships or increase the amount of money they are able to donate to the Backpack Programs. The more participants we have, the better it will be for everyone, said Grapperhaus. We are just trying to do what we can. NASHUA, NH - JANUARY 29: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on stage during a Town Hall on January 29, 2016 in Nashua, New Hampshire. Trump made a quick stop in New Hampshire before heading back to Iowa. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images) That headline is a joke only bridge players will get, so our apologies to everyone else. It refers, of course, to last night's Republican presidential debate, which Donald Trump refused to participate in. But even with no Trump on the stage last night, he seems to have (once again) proved that political gravity simply doesn't apply to him. In fact, we have serious doubts that we'll see Trump at any future debates -- after all, if he can blow them off with impunity, why would he subject himself to them in the first place? Or maybe he'll just stage his own debates instead, and invite the other candidates to appear in front of his hand-picked panel of sycophants. That'd certainly be amusing! Who wouldn't tune in to see the likes of Gary Busey questioning Ted Cruz? Advertisement We did watch most of the GOP debate last night, although by this point these events seem nothing more than an endless loop of blather. Yet again, the evening was an absolute fear-fest of unbridled proportions. We don't think there was a non-ISIS, non-terrorism question until well into the second hour, but then we do admit that watching Republicans debate kind of makes our eyes glaze over (even without hip debate-themed drinking games). None of the obvious, newsworthy questions we wanted to hear were asked (such as: "What do you think about how the F.B.I. handled the situation in Oregon?"). Rather than repeating such a stale performance, we would suggest the next GOP debate open with the following: "As moderator, I'm well aware that every candidate on the stage (with the exception of Rand Paul, of course) would bomb the living daylights out of terrorists everywhere, and then have the American military dance up and down on the rubble, so we're just going to ignore the whole subject since you're all pretty much in agreement -- instead, we're going to be asking questions on how your economic plans would help average families, and many other subjects relevant to the American voters." Hey, we can always dream, right? Instead, we had a no-Trump debate where everyone beat up on each other, with Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio being the favorite punching bags. Oh, and everyone hates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama -- that pretty much goes without saying. The best debate wrap-up we read was from Digby, in Salon, who went with a great metaphor to describe the night: Some good news came out of the GOP presidential debates last night. It dawned on everyone watching that in a week or so this field is going to be winnowed considerably and we will never have the thrill of seeing the seven dwarves -- Grumpy Christie, Sneezy Cruz, Happy Kasich, Sleepy Carson, Dopey Rubio, Bashful Bush and Doc Paul -- on a stage together again. (Snow White Trump was pouting across the street, upset over having to take questions from Megyn Kelly.) Heh. Can't top that one, so we're not even going to try. What else is going on in the world of politics? Well, Michael Bloomberg seems to be jealous of Donald Trump, so he hinted that maybe America would thrill to see two New York City billionaires in the presidential race. Bloomberg seems to have deluded himself into believing that there is an enormous yearning for a pro-gun-control, pro-stop-and-frisk candidate out there, and apparently all his closest buddies agreed. If Hillary Clinton wins the Democratic nomination, Bloomberg (so far) says he won't run, but if it's Bernie Sanders versus Trump or Cruz then Bloomberg says he'll just have to jump in to save America. So there's that to look forward to, we suppose. Of course, the biggest news is that Iowa is about to kick off primary season, and all the wonks will finally (finally!) have some solid voting data to pore over, rather than just relying on sheer speculation (as we've all been doing, up to this point). The race is about as close as can be, at least between first and second places in both parties. Will Trump beat Cruz? Will Bernie surprise Hillary? Stay tuned! Monday night will be an exciting moment, no matter what happens. Team Hillary seems more than a little bit worried at this point. Bill Clinton also seems worried about Hillary's ground game heading into March -- when the first four primary contests are over and when an enormous amount of delegates will be up for grabs. Bernie Sanders met privately with President Obama this week, and then stated that he wasn't worried at all that Obama had somehow endorsed Hillary (the interview in question was actually pretty even-handed and wonky, but the media missed this forest while examining the trees for signs of a secret Hillary endorsement). Sanders got seriously annoyed with the Washington Post, who (like a lot of media these days) are getting worried that Bernie might actually beat Clinton. The Post editorial board put out the snarkiest of hit pieces on Sanders (titled, with no subtlety whatsoever: "A Campaign Full Of Fiction" and subtitled: "Sen. Sanders is not a brave truth-teller. He's just telling progressives what they want to hear."). Sanders then struck back, but it'll be interesting to see if this sort of thing becomes more common if Clinton loses Iowa and New Hampshire to Sanders. There are many in the Democratic establishment who fear a Sanders nomination just as much as their Republican counterparts fear both Cruz and Trump. Other campaign odds and ends: Jeb! Bush is actually running an ad featuring Terri Schiavo, because he was at the heart of the mess, arguing strongly that the government should intrude on private medical decisions. We had wondered when the subject was going to come up, but we must admit we never thought Jeb! himself would be the one to bring it up. A senior aide to John McCain pretty much admitted that McCain's pick of Sarah Palin is why we are all being subjected to "Donald Trump, GOP frontrunner" right now, which is an interesting read. More of Hillary Clinton's emails will be released soon, but the State Department is now saying they need an extra month to process the remaining ones (they were all supposed to have been out at the end of January). And, in a bit of good news for progressives, Zephyr Teachout announced she's running for Congress in New York. Go Zephyr! Advertisement And we end our weekly wrapup with three "you can't make this stuff up" items. Legislators in Kansas are instituting a prudish dress code for anyone who appears before a committee meeting -- but this dress code only addresses women's clothing. Was there a big problem of women appearing in miniskirts somehow freaking out the tender male lawmakers, or something? Doesn't this belong in a parody of the 1950s? Sheesh. Up in Maine, the governor wants to execute drug dealers by bringing back the guillotine. No, really. He followed this whopper up with an even-more-insane suggestion: "Everybody in Maine, we have constitutional carry. Load up and get rid of the drug dealers." Um... OK. Let's just announce "open season" and have citizens start blazing away in the streets. That'll solve the problem! Which is a perfect segue to our final item, which is a headline that (sadly) needs no further explanation: "Man Who Feared Mass Shootings Brings Gun To Movie Theater, Accidentally Shoots Woman." Nothing more really needs be said about that one, except to note it didn't actually take place in Maine. We have a special award to hand out this week, rather than our usual Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week. Instead, we're creating a special award, the Most Impressive Political Protester, which should really end with "For The Past Three Decades" (or, perhaps, "Ever"). Because that's how long one woman's political protest lasted. Advertisement Concepcion Picciotto began protesting against nuclear proliferation in 1981, when it was an enormous political issue. For those of you not old enough to remember, just do a web search on "No Nukes Concert" to see how big the movement was, at the time. Picciotto joined a protest across the street from the White House back then, and she essentially never left. Her three-decade long stand is now being called "the longest-running act of political protest in U.S. history." Concepcion died this week, so our Most Impressive Political Protester award will be posthumous. For dedicating her life to occupying a vigil in Lafayette Park on a subject she cared deeply about, for her Herculean stamina in continuing to protest long after the issue had dropped off most people's radar, for surviving brutal Washington winters and equally brutal Washington summers, and for refusing to ever give up in her quest for peace, Concepcion Picciotto will always be remembered as the Most Impressive Political Protester of all time in Washington. [Obviously, we have no contact information for Concepcion Picciotto. Remember her in your prayers, should you feel so inclined.] This one's beyond disappointing, really. We're not entirely sure he's a Democrat, but since Don Harris was the president of a local N.A.A.C.P. chapter in Maricopa County, Arizona, it's probably a pretty safe bet. Not a guaranteed one, though, because Harris seems to have gotten his position only because nobody else wanted it. Harris, who is white, nominated himself for the job "in hopes it would get others to run for the position." Nobody did, so he got elected. Harris was in the news in the worst possible way this week, after attending a meeting with the Tempe Union High School District about a group of students who thought it'd be funny to use their school spirit T-shirts to spell out a racist slur ("NI**ER" -- since they didn't have any "G" shirts to work with). The meeting was (you can't make this stuff up) about increasing sensitivity. Advertisement Harris, while leaving the meeting, spoke to some reporters. With a microphone on him, Harris said to a male reporter, in reference to a female reporter standing nearby: "Nice tits." We're not going to repeat what he said afterwards, because he just lapsed into profanity (over and over again) while ham-handedly trying to apologize. So while we're not entirely sure whether Don Harris is an actual Democrat, we do know he's entirely unsuited to any public position that requires interaction with the public, so we're going to award him the Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week award anyway. Harris, to his credit, offered to resign his position. His resignation has just been accepted. [Contact the Maricopa County N.A.A.C.P. on their contact page, to let them know that they should get a little more serious about choosing a leader, next time around.] Volume 376 (1/29/16) Republican debates (whether or not Donald Trump shows up) are markedly different than Democratic debates. Today we're devoting the talking points section to highlighting those differences. Because it really needs pointing out how vastly different the priorities of the two parties are, and this is the easiest way to do it. So without further ado, let's examine what the Republicans didn't talk about last night. Advertisement Give your boss a raise This is, obviously, the best place to start. "You know what I didn't hear at the recent Republican debate? A single proposal to make life better for the middle class of this country. Not one candidate had even one policy idea to make lives better for millions of Americans. This is because the GOP has no ideas along these lines. For decades now, their sole answer to all of the problems of the middle class has been to give your boss a raise by cutting his taxes. How has that worked out for people? And yet, the only thing they now have to propose on making life better for the middle class is yet another tax cut for your boss. Because that'll solve everything, right?" Income inequality Follow this up by connecting these dots. "Americans more and more are aware of the problems income inequality creates. Poor people don't even get safe water to drink, while rich suburbs don't have such worries. Incomes for middle Americans have been flat, and the only Republican solution to the problem is to give the wealthiest Americans more money back on their taxes -- which will make the problem worse. There's an old saying about getting out of a hole you've dug, but the Republican answer is nothing more than to dig even faster. Democrats want to raise the minimum wage, but according to the leading Republican presidential candidate, workers' wages are already 'too high.' During the Republican debate, none of this was even discussed. That's the difference the American voters are faced with: one party that wants to solve problems like income inequality, and the other party that ignores it (at best) or vows to make it worse. That's a pretty easy choice, really." Make college affordable Yet another missing subject. "Another thing I didn't hear a single word spoken about during the GOP debate was how to make college more affordable for all deserving students. Democrats have plans to achieve this worthy goal, although they disagree on how to go about doing it. Republicans have nothing on the subject. Nada. Not one single idea from the entire pack of Republican candidates. According to them, college affordability just isn't a problem. Well, maybe it isn't for their kids, but it sure is for tens of millions of American families. Want to see major reforms to the costs of college? Vote Democratic. Want to see nothing whatsoever get done about this problem crushing students and middle-class families? Vote Republican." Equal pay for women Another good idea Republicans are blocking. "I really would have liked to have heard another question last night -- why are all Republicans against equal pay for women? Why is this even a partisan issue at all? Basic fairness demands that women be paid exactly the same as men. Americans understand this. But every time Democrats try to address the problem in Congress, Republicans shoot it down. Why? Why is it such a bad idea for women to make as much as men? I'd really have loved to have heard even one single Republican try to explain that last night, but of course the question was never even asked." Advertisement Criminal justice reform This one may actually move forward in Congress this year, so it's a great time to bring it up. "Republicans are finally waking up to realize that criminal justice reform is absolutely necessary to make our justice system more equitable. America finally seems to be getting over the destructive idea of 'mandatory minimum sentences' for low-level offenders. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the two parties vied with each other to prove who could be 'toughest on crime' by locking up millions of Americans for things like simple possession of drugs. Now, finally, both parties seem to be considering getting rid of the most destructive policies from this era. So I'd like to hear what all the Republicans running for president have to say on the subject. It almost always comes up during Democratic debates, and I really wish it would get more attention at the GOP debates as well, because both parties are going to have to work together to make the necessary reforms." The other domestic terrorists Kept waiting for this to come up, but of course it didn't. "I heard a lot of talk from Republicans about how strong they'd be to fight terrorism. But when the subject of domestic terrorism did come up, the only thing addressed was jihadists. This was sort of surprising, because the big domestic terrorism story of the week was how the F.B.I. is bringing an end to the occupation of federal lands by armed resisters. So why didn't it even get mentioned? What do the Republican candidates think of the Oregon situation? We don't know. Do they think the F.B.I. did the right thing, or would they have handled it differently as president? Again, we don't know because nobody thought to even bring the subject up." Beef up the E.P.A. This subject actually was mentioned, but there was a contradiction at the heart of most of what was said. "I heard the Republican candidates all try to spread the blame for the situation in Flint, Michigan around, and (as usual) fingers were pointed at the federal government. There was an obvious followup question just begging to be asked, though, that apparently didn't occur to the moderators. Since presidents can only control the federal government (and not the state or local governments), if the feds screwed up in Flint, how would Republicans make the situation better so it never happened again? The obvious answer is to beef up the oversight of the Environmental Protection Agency -- in fact, this is the only answer when you leave the state and local governments out of it. So where were the bold calls from Republicans to improve the E.P.A. so that a city full of American children never get poisoned in such a fashion again?" Advertisement Chris Weigant blogs at: Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant Full archives of FTP columns: FridayTalkingPoints.com In Sojourners, the stimulating new Playwrights Realm production at Peter Sharp, the first-generation Nigerian-American author Mfoniso Udofia never directly explains the title, but implicitly she lets us know again and again and again. The word "sojourners" suggests people passing through a place and often, if not usually, as strangers to one another. That's exactly who Udofia's characters are and how they relate between and among themselves--if only temporarily. The result is a microcosmic peek at today's world, where everything is in constantly unsettling transition. Abasiama (Chinasa Ogbuagu), a twentysomething Nigerian woman studying in the Houston of 1978, is pregnant but not getting much help through the nine months from her Nigerian husband Ukpong (Hubert Pont-Du Jour), who's also supposed to be studying stateside. A large part of their immediately apparent marital problem is that they tied their unraveling knot when her father and his arranged the union. Advertisement Neither Abasiama, whom he calls Ama, feels immersed in a love match. Ama wishes she could spend more time with her biology text, while Ukpong is far too caught up in the music of Stevie Wonder, Roberta Flack and peers to care about his schooling. Things get so bad that Ukpong abandons Ama before she delivers a daughter, and she's left to accept two completely disparate people as friends. The first is a rambunctious hooker called Moxie (Lakisha Michelle May), whom Ama meets at her boring day job. The second is Disciple (Chinaza Uche), another Nigerian studying in Texas with the intention of returning home after he's acquired his degree in communications. That plan, however, is partially interrupted by an increasing infatuation with his countrywoman. What Udofia wants to probe in Sojourners is the way the four--with an emphasis on Ama, Moxie and Disciple--attempt to form some sort of lasting relationship(s) when it looks as if anything approaching permanence is iffy under current conditions in today's shifting world. In the two acts Udofia uses to lay out her play, she allows the first act to become too relaxed a matter of introducing the characters and their dilemmas. In the second act, the drama builds as Moxie and Disciple enter what becomes nothing less than a competition for Ama's attention. Ama, now a new mother lying in a hospital bed and trying to come to terms with her changed life, has genuine feelings for both combatants but a belief that what they're offering isn't the solution to a much larger dilemma. When she returns home and finds Ukpong there ready to dispense unacceptable explanations of his behavior but also instantly loving towards his daughter, she confronts her crucial choice--and, as Udofia writes it, not easily. Advertisement The manner in which the lives of the four turn on their unsettled axis is ingeniously underlined by Jason Sherwood's set, a square container that from scene to scene stagehands push in eventual 360-degree revolves. The audience sees the living room Ama and Ukpong inhabit, Ama's workplace, the studio where Disciple is writing what looks to be his thesis and Ama's hospital room. As those various worlds spin, the acting--under Ed Sylvanus Iskandar's understanding direction--is solid. Ogbuagu's Ama is a woman deeply aware of how unmoored her predicaments have left her, and she remains so right up to her final devastating moment alone on stage. Pont-Du Jour doesn't flinch from portraying Ukpong as the thoroughly callow young man he is, which allows the sudden affection for his daughter to be that much more meaningful. May has fun with the initially sharp-tongued Moxie and yet shows the lost young woman underneath the bluster slowly emerging. Uche's Disciple, a figure who in a lesser interpretation could seem a caricature of an ambitious nerd, comes across as entirely real. Close up of Vote 2016 election buttons, with red, white, blue and stars and stripes. For those Illinois Democrats who have been trusting in Hillary Clinton's skirt tails as the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee to help sweep Illinois House and Senate Democratic incumbents back into office and to perhaps topple some GOP lawmakers, uh, knock it off. An Illinois juggernaut the Clinton campaign is not. As a raft of new Iowa and New Hampshire polls reveal, Clinton is struggling against Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders in those looming primary contests. In Iowa, A January 15-20 CNN-ORC poll CNN-ORC gave Sanders 51% to Clinton's 43%. In December, CNN-ORC had Clinton leading Sanders by 18 points. Advertisement Closer to home, a January 18-19 poll of 570 likely Democratic voters, conducted by KBUR-AM (Burlington, IA) and Monmouth College shows that Clinton leads Sanders 48% to 39%, but, like CNN-ORC, it is a steadily diminishing lead from a 63% to 20% advantage in June and 46% to 32% lead in October. Former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley - yes, he's still campaigning - has 7% of the vote, a slight increase from 5% support in both June and October. "There's no question Sanders has gained momentum and has steadily gained on Clinton," KBUR-AM "Talking Politics" host Robin Johnson said. Clinton's dismal standing in the polls has unleashed another round of hand-wringing among national Democrats over the durability and draw of her candidacy. Advertisement Additionally, a new Illinois poll from The Illinois Observer's subscription e-newsletter, The Insider, that pits Clinton against Donald Trump as the GOP nominee should also cause Illinois Democrats to wring their hands too over voter enthusiasm for the former First Lady who grew up in suburban Park Ridge, Illinois. The January 9 survey of 502 likely 2016 Illinois voters finds that Clinton edges Trump 36.5-27.5% - or 9 lousy points - and with 36.1% undecided. The poll had a +/- 4.46% margin of error. If Clinton can't cross 50% in blue Illinois against Trump and can't scrape together at least a 10-point lead against the blow-hard billionaire, she - and House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton - have plenty to worry about. Since Bruce Rauner's win in 2014, Democratic campaign operatives and lawmakers have invested much faith for 2016 in the "Democratic presidential turnout" theory as a fire-wall against Rauner's expected money tidal wave that will crash against them. In 2012, Barack Obama defeated Mitt Romney 57.6-40.7% in Illinois, a victory which helped hand Madigan and Cullerton supermajorities in both chambers. Advertisement At this point, Clinton, despite being from Illinois, is generating nowhere near Obama-level of enthusiasm. As the Democratic nominee, almost no credible observer would suggest that Clinton could lose Illinois, but a lackluster Clinton and Rauner's cash combined could easily whittle away Madigan and Cullerton's supermajorities. For those top Democrats, a Democratic state representative and state senator are far more valuable to their political fortunes than a Democratic President of the United States. Stay tuned. davidormsby@davidormsby.com One picture is worth a thousand words, what a cliche, but one which is ''even'' right on occasions. Alexis Tsipras, Greece's extreme left-wing PM, Nicos Anastasiades , the Cypriot center-right president and Benjamin Netanyahu, the right-wing Israeli PM were broadly smiling after signing a document, which by all accounts is a strategic alliance. Who would have believed that Tsipras, the vociferous anti-Israel agitator of just two years back, is fast becoming a household feature in the TV screens of the amused Israelis. Well, it can be explained, and to a large extent, but not only, it has to do with the elephant in room, namely Turkey under Tayyip Erdogan, but not only. It is about the common concern about Turkey, but also about the natural gas resource, water , tourism and economic development. It is about the bread and butter of people, as well as national strategic interests. Three democratically-elected leaders give an interesting example to their peoples and their immediate neighbors, as to what diplomacy can achieve, when ideology is seconded in importance, and interest is elevated on its expense. No, this is NOT a piece about political naivete, and NO, this blogger does not live in la la land. Israel's Defense Minister had an important visit in Greece where he made a highly significant statement about Turkey's REAL cooperation with ISIS despite the official rhetoric of Ankara, and that may signal that the Israeli defense establishment finally gave up on Turkey, turning instead to Greece , and this may be a common interest of both Israel and Greece. Greece and Cyprus need Israeli natural gas, and this is also a vital interest, and other common projects declared by the three leaders are of the same mold. Advertisement Yet, this emerging alliance is a source of fascination for me, at least, because of the unbelievable acrobatic diplomacy of Tsipras. Just weeks ago he hosted Chairman Abbas in Athens, where the Greek parliament recognized Palestinian statehood. Not a word from Jerusalem. As if Tsipras blinked to his new friend Netanyahu, whispering something about "give them their moment of pride, and now to OUR big business." So, if Tsipras is capable of this diplomatic acting, he may be capable of doing it on other fields, and possibly Greece has the leader which it deserves. But then, if Tsipras is the new Diplomatic Houdini, what about his new Israeli friend, BB Netanyahu? What did he think about his Greek counterpart ability to put ideology aside? Did he refer only to a desperate need on the part of the Greek leader, or did he say to himself, that it may be time also for him, to start the painful process of soul searching focused on the question of cost and benefit. In the case of Israel, it is the question of "are we trying to move ahead with the Palestinians, despite the horrendous current terror campaign, or are we indulging in a ritual of self-righteousness and let things take their course?" Netanyahu is highly intelligent and he should know that his new Greek friend is eager to know the answer. Greece does business with Israel, but the recognition of Palestinian statehood reflected their true sympathies. The Cypriots may feel the same, and surely so President Al-Sisi of Egypt and other Arab leaders, who want to warm up their relationships with Israel, clearly an utmost Israeli interest. It is mainly Iran which is their concern, and what seems to be a confused, disoriented American policy, but they need and want Israel to do "something" about the Palestinians. It is the case, that there may be NOTHING, that Netanyahu can do which will really make a difference, if the Palestinians think that they can achieve their goals by stabbings innocent Israelis and with the UN Secretary General issuing moronic anti Israel statements. Especially if that is the case, no huge risk for Netanyahu to use the heavy stick against the terrorists , but also the carrot. More economic incentives to the Palestinians, NO talk about new settlements which are NOT going to be built, and other steps. Advertisement A young Jordanian parades with a portrait of the King Abdullah II in front of policemen during a pro government demonstration in Amman on April 1, 2011, as they called for reforms, a week after clashes between them and government supporters killed a man and injured 160. AFP PHOTO / MARCO LONGARI (Photo credit should read MARCO LONGARI/AFP/Getty Images) AL-ZARQA, Jordan -- For as long as I can remember, violence in some form or another has been a part of life in my region. Arabs tend to feel united, and so I've always internalized the suffering of my fellow Arabs in other countries -- and this empathy was encouraged by my family, school and society. Through the years we suffered with Palestine and Iraq, but the "enemy" always took the form of a common outsider. These days, public opinion is very divided. Many are supportive of the revolutions and many are opposed to them. The Syrian government once had huge public support, but the support is decreasing with the rise in killings and massacres. Advertisement As Arabs, we've often felt weak and powerless. We've felt that we couldn't do much, and many blamed political systems for that. Everything got worse when my generation started to become aware of the amount of injustice they were living with, the lack of services and basic needs. They started to notice the lack of liberties and freedom of speech, which forced our parents and grandparents to keep quiet and just try to get by. I believe that all that became clear for my generation due to the Internet in general and social media in particular. Young people started to compare the lives they were living with those of others around the world, compare the services and the quality of life other countries had with the knowledge that some Arabs are still asking for basic needs like reliable electricity and running water. And with social media, they found it easy to express this dissatisfaction. Although I really support these revolutions, my country, Jordan, has suffered a lot because of them. When the first protests started in Tunisia, I didn't really believe that they could make a difference. I didn't really pay much attention. But my opinion totally changed when the Egyptian revolution started, because I was aware of the terrible situation in Egypt -- not only the lack of democracy but also the horrible quality of life many were subjected to. I was really impressed with their revolution. I was amazed that something this big could come out of my generation. Watching the events in Egypt unfold made me seriously imagine the prospect of a new Middle East with governments that would reflect the choices and needs of the people -- governments that could say no to external powers if they challenged established beliefs and norms. I was really moved by these prospects. I was excited that for once we could have influential systems in the Arab world that could actually play a positive role in the Arab cause, not in the West's interests. Egypt itself represents power and strategy for many in the Arab world, so after the revolution many hoped that the new Egyptian system could help solve regional Arab conflicts -- like the situation in Gaza -- without compromising Arab interests. Advertisement Sadly, the revolutions didn't go exactly as planned. Protests that began peacefully were soon dragged into violence by one of the sides or both, with variations of severity. But I understand why. Neither the people nor the governments understood how democracy works, and they didn't really see that before. So deep down even though the Arab Spring can appear to be unsuccessful and the cause of so much death and misery, I still believe that the road to freedom is not paved in marble and reaching a democratic state can take a while. Yet I'm also conflicted. Although I really support these revolutions, my country, Jordan, has suffered a lot because of them. The number of refugees in Jordan is huge -- over 900,000 Syrians alone -- not to mention refugees from Iraq and other countries. Jordan is suffering from huge economic losses because of the refugee camps that lack adequate external support. At the same time, walking the streets of Amman, you realize that they're also overcrowded. You can sense the increase in real estate prices and the frustration at the hiring preference of a refugee over a Jordanian because of lower rates. The refugees flooded into our country, some fleeing the repercussions of failed Arab Spring revolutions, and the impact isn't always easy to deal with. In spite of all this, I still believe in the Arab Spring movement as a whole, but I think these kinds of movements need to be more nuanced based on the situation at hand. I don't believe that Jordanians must revolt, even though we are facing many difficulties and suffering from a lack of services. Reforms are needed in all aspects of the country, but that doesn't mean we need a revolution. Reforms are needed in all aspects of the country, but that doesn't mean we need a revolution. This is a contradiction that I live with on a daily basis because I really care about the interests of the surrounding Arab countries. In the beginning, I completely believed that people should go after their freedom, even if the process involves violence. But from time to time I think to myself, is it worth all the losses and the innocent lives? Is it worth destroying a whole country and its history? If you ask me now, I'd say no, it isn't worth it. They should've stayed as peaceful as possible, but because they were already engaged in war, or a state of war, perhaps there was no choice but to continue fighting. Advertisement In another respect, however, my opinion is more concrete, more definite. I'm against revolution in my country. Why? First of all, because the political situation in Jordan is not as bad as in Egypt or Syria or other countries. We've always had a parliament, there is always a discussion about decision making, and most of the time, anyone who does something wrong gets punished. We never heard the terrible stories of torture here that we have become accustomed to hearing about our neighbor Syria long before the revolution. It was known that if someone gets into any kind of prison in Syria -- even by mistake -- he will probably be lost forever. The inspiration of the Syrian revolution was actually for that purpose -- to change what had been going on with impunity. Jordan is not perfect. We have corruption and other major problems, but they can be solved very peacefully because the government actually listens to its citizens. At the very beginning of the Arab Spring revolutions, there were many protests in Jordan demanding reformation, and the government did take a few steps toward trying to please the public. That didn't happen in Syria. It didn't happen in Egypt. And that's why things got much bigger. And it's why a revolution in Jordan would only cause destruction. That's not to say that the spirit of revolution didn't necessarily impact Jordan positively. Now everyone criticizes the government harshly without fear, so there is touch of political resurgence here, too. The refugees flooded into our country, some fleeing the repercussions of failed Arab Spring revolutions, and the impact isn't always easy to deal with. As I reflect on the contradictions of this important movement in my region's history five years later, I can't help but recall the West's role in these revolutions and my frustration as a result. Western nations always interfere with a country in the midst of revolutions, and they do so looking for their economic or strategic interests in the region. None of them actually care about the freedom of the Arab nation. When the Arab Spring revolutions began five years ago, the West didn't care about freedom of speech in Libya, Tunisia or Egypt. Western countries interfered because of their own interests -- petrol, the security of Israel and others. And because their interests in Syria weren't worth risking for what awaited them there, they left Syrians to burn. No problem. Today, the repercussions of the decisions and indecisions during the Arab Spring continue to take shape. What irritates me is that the West always interferes in the name of humanity, but humans are what it cares least about. The war against the so-called Islamic State is actually taking the lives of innocent Syrians who are already suffering from two groups: the regime and ISIS. The West only used human rights as an excuse to interfere. The double standards are obvious: a movement of executions in Saudi Arabia will be globally criticized and serious action will be taken, but the massacres that Syrians are facing every day aren't worth interfering for and the suppression of opposition voices in Egypt goes completely ignored because the actual Egyptian government aligns with Western interests. Advertisement It's a bit depressing, to be honest, but I will never lose my faith in this generation. I will keep my hopes up for a better future, for Jordan and for my fellow Arabs around the region. This post is part of a series focused on the Arab Spring, five years on. The Huffington Post invited people who felt like a part of that revolutionary moment to share their thoughts on what the movement means to them, then and now. Also on WorldPost: Mother holds and kisses her baby At a hearing on January 14, the D.C. City Council heard from a number of researchers who testified about the estimated cost of implementing the proposed Universal Paid Leave Act of 2015. By allowing up to 16 weeks of paid leave, D.C.'s proposal is very generous--by U.S. standards--and has attracted national attention. The researchers' cost estimates ranged from $281 million to upwards from $1 billion annually. Why such a large range? As is often the case with economic analysis, the devil is in the details, or more specifically, the assumptions. The Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR) estimated the cost would be at the low end, $280.8 million, affordable enough to be covered by less than one percent of payroll. IWPR's testimony was based on an economic model that has been developed across 15 years and is the only estimate presented to the D.C. Council that relies on the best available data on who takes leave and for how long. Advertisement The higher estimates from the other researchers--who have expertise on taxes and regional business, not paid leave--fail to take age, gender, and income sufficiently into account. As a result, they assume that many more workers would take leave and would take substantially more leave under the DC program than they do now. These are not reasonable assumptions. First, let's consider who will take leave through the public program. Almost every employee at some point in his or her work life experiences an extended own illnesses, the serious illness of a loved one, or the birth or adoption of a child, but typically not all in the same year and certainly not every year. In a single year, about 11 percent of District workers take some form of leave. Around two-thirds of leaves currently taken in DC are for one's own illness; one in four leaves are to care for other family members; and, perhaps surprisingly, the lowest share of leaves taken (13 percent) are maternity and bonding leaves. We estimate the number of these leaves will increase under the Council's program, but not drastically. The proposed DC bill provides full wage replacement for workers earning less than $52,000 per year, and partial wage replacement for higher earners. Importantly, nearly half of DC workers have earnings over $52,000 and would receive less than full wage replacement; they may look to their employers, not the program, for the full wage replacement to which they have become accustomed. Next, researchers must make a reasonable assumption for how long worker leaves will be under the new program. IWPR's model predicts a moderate increase in the length of leave--from 3 weeks to 4 weeks at the median--again, not a drastic increase. Half of workers taking leave would be expected to take 4 weeks or less. Advertisement While the proposed bill increases access to paid leave, especially to low-wage and part-time workers, job protection for taking leave would still not cover those employed by smaller establishments with fewer than 20 employees. Rhode Island, which recently implemented paid leave, found that over 40 percent of leave takers said they would not have used the program were it not for the job protection, indicating how highly workers value the right to return to their jobs. There are many other reasons for workers not to take the full leaves for which they are eligible, including the reluctance to fall behind at work and the desire to advance in their career. Research on paid sick days has shown that, even when workers report that they have paid sick days, the typical worker misses only two days of work in a given year. The final assumption to consider is crucial: what will men do when offered paid leave? Men are half of the city's potential leave-taking workforce. If men are offered greater access to paid leave, will they take it--and take the full amount--to bond with a new child or to care for a sick relative? In the first ten years of California's paid family leave program, men's proportion of leaves taken for family reasons climbed from 17 percent in 2005 to 30 percent in 2013. In Norway, where leave is nearly fully paid and taking leave is less stigmatized, only 21 percent of fathers took the maximum that was available to them in 2012. With sharply increasing numbers of babies born with microcephaly, especially in Brazil which is to host the Olympics next summer, the World Health Organization (WHO) is once again back on center stage. The WHO was the focus of widespread criticism for its handling of the Ebola outbreak in 2014, and appears to have learned some important lessons from that experience. My new book Behavioral Risk Management discusses the underlying psychological issues associated with the WHO's slow response to the Ebola outbreak. In this regard, the behavioral approach provides an important backdrop to compare the Ebola case to the outbreak of microcephaly, which appears to be coincident with the spread of the Zika virus. The most important difference between the two cases is that in the current outbreak, the WHO is not actively underreacting to events, as it did with the Ebola outbreak. A New York Times article by Sabrina Tavernise reports that the agency's current reaction involves the convening of a special meeting whose purpose is to decide whether or not to declare a public health emergency. This is a marked contrast to the WHO having downplayed the potential seriousness of Ebola in the first few months of 2014, at a time when Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF), also known as Doctors without Borders, was sounding alarms from its activities on the ground in Africa. While the MSF warned that the spread of Ebola would create an epidemic which would be "unprecedented," the WHO suggested that MSF was engaged in overstating the problem and generating unnecessary hype. Advertisement Some of the psychological issues that plagued the WHO's behavior in the case of Ebola are self-evident. The WHO was excessively optimistic in its initial assessment that the 2014 outbreak was minor and presented no threat of becoming a major epidemic. They were overconfident in their opinion, by which I mean too sure of themselves. In addition, they downplayed information provided by MSF, thereby exhibiting confirmation bias, the tendency to underweight or ignore information that does not confirm their prior views, and overweight confirming information. There is also a more subtle psychological issue, which relates to the WHO's chief Margaret Chan. Before she became head of WHO, Chan was a public health administrator in Hong Kong. Notably when severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) broke out in China in 2003, Chan acted boldly. However, her attempts to limit the spread of the disease were heavily criticized as an overreaction. Psychologically, someone in her position might have suffered from regret, the pain associated with second guessing oneself in hindsight. People with regret aversion, and that includes most of us, exhibit behavior consistent with "once burned, twice shy." The WHO is headquartered in Geneva but operates through regional offices spread across the globe. The WHO's regional office responsible for the area affected by Zika and microcephaly is The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). They have been tracking cases since last May. Is the WHO being shy? Tavernise's article notes that some experts have for months been calling for earlier action by Geneva. To be sure, the WHO is not structured along the lines of an emergency team. It is a large bureaucratic organization with a broad mission for developing health policy and systems around the world. It is also budget constrained, and its budget had been shrinking before the Ebola outbreak. It does not maintain an army of epidemiologists on reserve, waiting for an emergency to spring into action. However, it can set the tone for global discussion, and draw attention to serious issues as they arise. In psychological terms, they can fight availability bias, the syndrome in which "out of sight is out of mind." Advertisement The WHO appears to be setting the tone now, describing the situation as cause for concern, but not alarm. To be sure, it is dealing with a situation in which there is no known causal link between microcephaly and the Zika virus. All the evidence is circumstantial. At present, there is no vaccine to prevent infection from the virus or even a rapid diagnostic test for determining whether a person has become infected. Many people contract the virus, but do not display symptoms. The Zika virus is largely spread by mosquitoes, and so mosquito control is a key factor. In his weekly address, President Obama called upon America to make computer science "a basic skill, right along with the three 'Rs.'" He pointed out that nine out of ten parents want it taught at their children's schools, "yet right now, only about a quarter of our K through 12 schools offer computer science. Twenty-two states don't even allow it to count toward a diploma. (Scroll down to watch the speech) The president was right when he also pointed out that many professions, including so called blue collar jobs, not only need to be able to work with computerized equipment but also need to be able to program them. It's true, as the President said, that "Nurses are analyzing data and managing electronic health records. Machinists are writing computer programs. And workers of all kinds need to be able to figure out how to break a big problem into smaller pieces and identify the right steps to solve it." That last comment is particularly important. The world is full of complex problems ranging from obvious technology challenges to social and political issues which, at first glance, seem overwhelming. But just about everyone I know who has created an amazing piece of technology, has told me that the solution lies in breaking the problem into small parts and dealing with them step-by-step. The same is true with solving other problems ranging from achieving energy independence, promoting ethnic harmony and, someday, world peace. Advertisement Should be a bipartisan effort Despite the gridlock in Washington, I sure hope that the President can muster bipartisan support and that Congress will provide funding over the next three years "so that our elementary, middle, and high schools can provide opportunities to learn computer science for all students." This shouldn't be a D or R issue. It's about America's economic future and national security. Everyone running for national office talks about investing in America's future. Equipping our children with the skills they'll need to compete in the 21st century is certainly a great investment. Ties in with Safer Internet Day For the organization that I work with -- ConnectSafely.org -- the President's message came at a perfecft time. We're in the final stages of planning the 2016 Safer Internet Day celebration, which will held at Universal Studios Hollywood and webcast to schools and others who care to join remotely. The U.S. is one of more than 100 companies celebrating Safer Internet Day on Tuesday, February 9th under the theme "Play your part for a better Internet." That's right -- better, not just "safer." That's because safety is more than the absence of danger but includes finding ways to engage, solve problems and thrive. And I can't think of a better starting point than equipping a generation with the tools it needs to help solve the world's problems. That's why this year's U.S. celebration will focus not just on emotional well being and kindness but also on problem solving and creativity with speakers and interactive exhibits that encourage coding, "making" and other creative ways to empower youth to improve their communities and the world. Unite to support our future Regardless of who you vote for, there are times when America should unite and this is one of those times. The President has articulated a goal that a lot of people support. Sure, the devil is always in the details and there needs to be a spirited conversation about how to make this work, but let's make it work. It's shameful that most of our schools are failing to teach the basic skills needed for our time and it's time we all come together and agree to fix it. The killing of a pro-independent Balochistan leader, Dr. Manan, on Saturday by the Pakistani security forces in Mastung is a great setback for establishing peace in volatile Balochistan. Dr. Manan was the secretary general of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), a political party that opposes Balochistan's [what it bills as 'forceful'] annexation with Pakistan and calls for a free homeland for the Baloch people. He was not only an intrepid political mobilizer whose party could successfully hold shutter down strikes to protest Islamabad's repressive policies in Balochistan but also very instrumental in furthering humanitarian causes in the insurgency-stricken region. The Chinese are making robust investments in Balochistan under the multi-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in order to "develop" the port in Gwadar. Meanwhile, they asserted their anguish toward the Pakistanis over the slow pace of reaching consensus on the controversial project. Dr. Manan, the leader killed on Saturday, for instance, was a staunch critic of the the CPEC. The ethnic Baloch people view the project as a colonizing endeavor by the Pakistani military and the Chinese to usurp the Baloch land and resources. In order to avoid embarrassment in front of the Chinese over their failure to tackle the decade-long insurgency in Balochistan, the Pakistani authorities have accelerated military operations against the Baloch leaders who oppose these construction projects in Balochistan because of the fear that the Baloch will not be the primary recipient of the investment. They are also nervous that the Baloch, who make only 5% of Pakistan's total population, will be converted into a minority on their own land with the influx of 'outsiders' on the port city. Advertisement Dr. Manan,48, was killed a day after a meeting between Sanaullah Zehri, the pro-Islamabad chief minister of Balochistan and Lieutenant General Amir Riaz, the highest official of the Pakistan army designated in Balochistan. Both of them vowed to "chase the terrorists". The chief minister urged the security forces to work as a team and said, "I'll be your captain." The next day, the vocal Baloch leader was murdered in what the officials describe as an 'operation against the terrorists'. In 2009, Dr. Manan's party chairman, Ghulam Mohammad Baloch, was also killed after being whisked away by Pakistani security personnel, as alleged by the eyewitnesses. When his mutilated dead body was found, the New York Times reported that the Baloch leader had "played a role in helping to secure the release of John Solecki, the kidnapped United Nations official." Dr. Manan was widely respected in Balochistan for his work with the internally displaced persons (IDPs) who had been forced to flee their homes in different parts of Balochistan where the Pakistani military was carrying out strikes during 2004 and 2006. I met him for the first time in 2009 as an independent researcher while working on a report on the Baloch IDPs for a project of ActionAid Pakistan. He was extremely helpful in providing invaluable information about the IDPs and their challenges, especially the medical needs of women and children of the conflict. From the conversations I had with him, I learned that the IDP crisis in Balochistan was far worse than it had been reported in the Pakistani media. In Jaffarabad district, I met with several children whose kidneys had become dysfunctional because of the contaminated water they had drunk. Doctors had taken their kidneys out. I continuously asked whether those children had been forced to sell their kidneys because of poverty or they had been instructed by doctors to do so because of water issues. Too scared to provide more information, the children said they were not 'authorized' to divulge more details. The Pakistani government was vehemently opposed to any journalist or members of humanitarian organizations that visited or reported on the IDPs. Unsurprisingly, ActionAid Pakistan did not publicize its IDP report fearing that the government might shut down their operations inside Pakistan. In 2011, I shared the findings of my research at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington D.C. The the Baloch IDPs have not been fully rehabilitated yet. Advertisement (A 2009 photo of Baloch IDP children whose kidneys had been removed. Photo by the author) Extrajudicial killings are commonplace in Balochistan and by carrying out more of them, the government cannot run away from its constitutional obligation to substantiate allegations against political opponents in the court. Dr. Manan was clearly denied a legal trail and the right to defend himself in a court. Extrajudicial killings are not the right way to manage political dissent. If the Pakistani government intends to pave the way for China's economic development by killing Baloch political activists, this is a deeply disconcerting policy. This will further alert the Baloch about what the future holds for them if the Chinese increase their control over Gwadar. Attaining economic development at the cost of the local critics' blood is an almost unachievable goal. Targeted killings of peaceful democratic Baloch activists will further strengthen the armed insurgents and increase support for them among the younger people. This will further jeopardize any prospects of peaceful dialogue and conflict resolution. In 2012, when I researched political assassinations in Balochistan as a Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), Washington D.C., I was surprised to find out that all young political activists who had been subjected to political assassination were actually peaceful and trying to utilize their democratic right to free speech and assembly. They certainly had a different point of view from the government on numerous outstanding political issues but it did not give the government and the security forces the right to kill or torture political opponents merely because of difference of opinion. Frederic Grare, former South Asia Director at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, accurately pointed out in his 2013 report, Balochistan: The State Versus the Nation, that repressive policies on the part of the Pakistani security forces had radicalized the Baloch and leaders who had previously demanded autonomy for Balochistan but eventually wrong policies had compelled to take a harsh stand and seek outright independence. Advertisement "Many Pakistanis now view the security forces--not the separatists--as the biggest obstacle to national unity and stability," Grare argued. Dr. Manan's assassination will deepen the Baloch sense of alienation. He was a liberal political leader who vocally opposed the activities of religious jihadi groups (such as Jamaat ud Dawa of internationally-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed) operating in Balochistan under the disguise of humanitarian relief. Surprisingly, Balochistan's Home Minister has described Dr. Manan's killing as a 'major breakthrough'. That is actually not a breakthrough for the government. Such killings will mostly benefit the Baloch separatists in the long run because each leader killed adds a new chapter to the Baloch narrative of oppression. Mental health is something that is widely disregarded amongst the black community. If someone of color is facing mental uncertainties, we only seem to label them as the "crazy" family member or friend, gossip about their "craziness," and ask everybody in the church to pray for them. We as people are applauded when we bring home good grades or accolades, routinely apply for jobs, keep the house clean, represent the family name well, etc. However, when we attempt to open up to our parents or peers of color about our mental instabilities, their immediate response is "there ain't nothing wrong with you." In result, we attempt to combat our feelings and emotions, by ourselves, in our head, which isn't healthy. African Americans are 20% more likely to report having serious psychological distress than Non-Hispanic Whites, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. However, young black adults, especially those with higher levels of education are significantly less likely to seek mental health services than their white counterparts, according to the American Psychological Association. A qualitative study discovered that among Blacks who were already mental health consumers, over a third felt that mild depression or anxiety would be considered "crazy" in their social circles; furthermore talking about problems with an outsider (i.e., therapist) may be viewed as airing ones "dirty laundry." We need to eliminate this stigma. Around 48% of blacks, including myself, were raised on a Baptist foundation, accompanied by "that ain't nothing but the devil," parents. Through personal experience, I can validate that some church folk can be so bible-minded that it leaves them blinded from reality. The old fashioned logic seems to be on the lines of "if we can't see it, it must not be there." However, mental illness is a real thing. Personally, I have watched some family and friends mental health deteriorate helplessly, because onlookers were too busy in prayer than to help them receive proper treatment. Advertisement Faith without works is dead. I posted a poll on social media to see how millennial's felt about this topic. In result, over 50 voters participated. The majority ruled that they don't feel mental health in the black community is taken as seriously as it should be. My fellow black people, take heed: If a family member or a good friend expresses to you that they may be facing a mental illness, believe them. Furthermore, help them seek treatment. Governor Bill Clinton and wife Hillary Clinton at a Texas campaign rally in 1992 on his final day of campaigning in McAllen, Texas For over twenty-five years Republicans and the elite east coast media have tried to bring down Hillary and Bill Clinton. They have been stymied by the truth and by all both Clintons have accomplished for the country. Contrary to what Bernie Sanders and his campaign have said; groups representing women, the LGBT community and workers who have endorsed Hillary are not the establishment. Unions representing 15 million workers have endorsed her. Women's organizations providing needed healthcare to poor women including NARAL and Planned Parenthood endorsed her. Organizations representing the LGBT community including HRC, LPAC and California Equality have endorsed her. Those fighting climate change like the League of Conservation Voters have endorsed her. They understand it is Hillary who has spent her lifetime fighting the establishment alongside them and will continue to do that as President. Advertisement There are members of the Democratic establishment who endorsed her. They include hundreds of past and present members of Congress with nearly all members of the Progressive Caucus; twelve sitting Democratic governors; hundreds of Democratic office holders across the nation; and multiple newspaper editorial boards. All because they trust Hillary can get the things she says she wants to do done. So does this matter? Do hundreds of endorsements for Hillary prove Sanders is the anti- establishment candidate? The answer to that is NO! Every caucus goer, especially college students and millennials who will caucus for the first time, need to do some research before they attend a caucus on Monday night. If they do they may just realize if they want to make headway on the progressive issues they care about; making college more affordable or free; reducing interest costs on college loans; improving our nation's healthcare system making it more equitable and cost effective for everyone; reforming our judicial system so Black Lives Matter is more than a slogan; reforming our immigration system to provide a real pathway to citizenship for those now here illegally; they just might end up caucusing for Hillary. The facts! Bernie is a politician and has been in Washington D.C. longer than Hillary. His only real job has ever been as a politician. First as Mayor of Burlington, Vermont and now twenty-five years in Congress. As a politician he cut a deal with the National Rifle Association (NRA) to win his seat. That deal included voting against the Brady bill five times and voting to oppose giving people the right to sue gun manufacturers. Hillary, who Sanders calls the establishment candidate, fought the NRA, supported the Brady bill, and supported allowing us to sue gun manufacturers. Healthcare and the lie Sanders is putting out there about Hillary being in bed with big Pharma and healthcare companies. The truth! In 1993 well before anyone even noticed Bernie Sanders, Hillary was fighting for universal healthcare and took on big pharma and the healthcare industry. What she learned from losing that fight, which apparently Sanders has yet to learn, is the nation is not ready for a single-payer system. But Hillary continued to fight and won healthcare for eight million children. Hillary supports the Affordable Care Act and wants to improve it to cut out of pocket expenses, reduce drug costs and cut premiums. Sanders says he will accept nothing less than a single-payer system and calls for massive tax increases to pay for it. The lie he promulgates is that this can happen now when after introducing this bill nine times he knows for a fact it has zero chance of happening. Hillary has laid out a realistic plan to improve the Affordable Care Act but will not put in jeopardy what we have already won; students and millennials can now stay on their parents insurance till they are twenty-six; women are no longer penalized with higher premiums because they are women; pre-existing conditions like cancer are no longer a reason insurance companies can use to deny insurance. Advertisement It is understandable because of all the progress women like Hillary have fought for and made that many young women no longer understand why electing a woman is so important. Those young women should talk to their mothers, aunts and grandmothers to better understand what it was like when Hillary joined the fight for women's rights. Her courage in 1995 when she traveled to Beijing, China to speak out for women's rights and the difference that speech made for women around the world. What is still true today is only a woman can totally understand how crucial it is to fight with all her might for all women to have the right to control their own healthcare; to ensure abortion remains safe and legal; and to ensure women will finally win the fight for equal pay for equal work. We must never give up our dreams for a better future and never accept those who tell us we can never achieve them. But it is important we mix those dreams with just a little dose of reality. As a former teacher and vice-chair of a university board of trustees I know today's young people are both smart and committed to a better future. You have more information at your fingertips then we elders ever had. All I ask is you sit at your computer for thirty minutes before you head to a caucus and see if what I am saying is true. The nation needs your activism. Politics doesn't have to be a dirty word. It is part of the system our forefathers (a shame there were no foremothers) set up allowing us to move the nation forward to become as the preamble to our constitution said, 'a more perfect union'. Then take a moment to think about what President Barack Obama has said about Hillary. When he became President he trusted Hillary enough to name her Secretary of State. He recently spoke about her and said about their 2008 election, "She had to do everything that I had to do except, like Ginger Rogers, backwards in heels. She had to wake up earlier than I did because she had to get her hair done. She had to, you know, handle all the expectations that were placed on her (as a woman)." He added "Had things gone a little bit different in some states or if the sequence of primaries and caucuses been a little different, she could have easily won. Her strengths, which are the fact that she's extraordinarily experienced and, you know, 'wicked smart' and knows every policy inside and out, means she would be capable of governing the country on day one. I've gotten to know Hillary really well, and she is a good, smart, tough person who cares deeply about this country." Advertisement This piece was co-written with Amy Traub, a senior policy analyst at Demos. Wal-Mart recently made headlines for increasing the starting salary of workers from $9 to $10 an hour, which would boost the wages of 500,000 employees, along with other boosts in specialized sections. While this step is a positive one, a new Demos brief argues that despite this new policy, Wal-Mart wages and schedules still aren't livable. Demos finds that the new $10 an hour wage "still does not provide enough income to support the basic needs of a single adult working Walmart's full-time schedule of 34 hours per week in any state in the country." To determine the impact of Wal-Mart's wage increase, Demos used the Living Wage Calculator, developed by Professor Amy K. Glasmeier of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to examine whether the wage would constitute a living wage across the United States. Demos ran a few different calculations. Demos examined three family types: single adult, one adult and one child, and two adults (both working) with two children. Demos also examined three schedules: a full 40-hour week, a 34-hour week (the standard at Wal-Mart) and a 20-hour week. It's also important to note that this wage still won't affect all Wal-Mart workers -- only those who have completed a six-month training program. That means many workers will not benefit from the policy. Demos finds that for workers who are working the Wal-Mart standard of 34 hours, there are no states where $10 an hour is a living wage. Even in low-cost states such as Nebraska, Oklahoma, Ohio, South Dakota and Wal-Mart's home state of Arkansas, this wage provides only about 90 percent of what a single employee needs for a basic standard of living. In the median state, it provides just 81 percent of the income needed to support a single adult. If a worker managed to get 40 hours, they would be making a living wage in 17 states. Advertisement Yet a single adult working full time doesn't accurately convey reality for many Wal-Mart workers. In a recent earnings call, Wal-Mart disclosed that approximately half of its U.S. workforce is employed part time. OUR Walmart, a worker's group, has called for more hours, because many of the workers who are working part time are doing so involuntarily. On a schedule of 20 hours a week, a $10 an hour wage is equivalent to only $10,400 a year - less than half of the income needed to afford a basic standard of living for a single adult in 33 states. Many Wal-Mart workers also have children, yet in the median U.S. state, a Wal-Mart worker paid $10 an hour and working the company's full-time schedule of 34 hours a week would earn just 39 percent of the income needed to support an adult with a single child. Working families will also struggle at $10 an hour. A family of four with two working adults who managed to work 80 hours combined would make $41,600 a year before taxes, only 68% of a living wage in the median state. If they worked the Wal-Mart standard of 34 hours each, they would make only 58% of the living wage in the median state. Many people argue that paying a living wage would force Wal-Mart and other retailers out of business. But the mythology that higher wages would destroy companies is exactly that: a myth. Zeeshan Aleem recently reported for Mic about Moo Cluck Moo, a company that raised its wage to $15 an hour. Rather than , "They're turning a profit and expect to open up new locations as early as next year." Studies suggest that minimum wage increases don't have massive impacts on employment. In a , economist John Schmitt explained why companies see "reductions in labor turnover; improvements in organizational efficiency; reductions in wages of higher earners" rather than cutting jobs. Though minimum wage increases aren't entirely comparable to a company like Wal-Mart raising wages (though Wal-Mart's position as the largest employer in the United States certainly makes it unique), the literature suggests similar factors are at work. The Demos brief discusses the fact that a growing literature on human capital management in retail finds that experienced employees with broad knowledge of the company are better equipped to serve customers, leading to higher sales numbers and better performance overall. If Wal-Mart was able to reduce its turnover rate, currently 44%, then it could save the cost, often 1.5 to 2.5 times a worker's annual salary (for a skilled or semi-skilled position) of replacing her. Costco, which follows a higher-wage model (hourly workers make an average of $20.89 an hour, almost double Walmart's $11.83), has a turnover rate of just 17%. One study suggests that, "On average, revenue increased by $10 for every additional dollar of payroll added to a store, and for some stores that were particularly understaffed, the revenue lift was as high as $28." Higher wages then, may well pay for themselves. Advertisement These data highlight the importance of organizations like OUR Walmart, which has already succeeded in getting raises for 500,000 workers, $1 billion invested into pay raises and new policies surrounding pregnancy and leave. They re-launched on Thursday, now aiming for a $15 an hour wage and full hours for all associates. A $15 an hour wage would translate to an $8,840 a year raise for a worker at 34 hours (and a $10,400 a year raise for a worker at 40 hours). But while $15 seems high, it's worth noting that Wal-Mart has spent tens of billions buying back its own stock in recent years and its profits last year exceed $16 billion. The Walton family, who own large shares of Wal-Mart stock, were recently estimated to be worth around $145 billion. Josh Bivens of the Economic Policy Institute estimates that their net worth exceeds that of 1.7 million families earning the median income, combined. Wal-Mart's high profile as America's largest employer makes its wage decisions particularly important -- in many ways it sets the pace for the rest of the economy. Today, Wal-Mart has a singular opportunity to lead on the improvement of wages and schedules, setting a higher floor for workers who deserve better. As a previous Demos report put it, "large retailers can embrace the opportunity to make a positive change in the economy and the nation." That choice remains. Amy Traub is a senior policy analyst at Demos. So you landed that sought after speaking engagement. Your opinion matters and people are starting to listen. You probably already have a content marketing campaign which is why you're considered an industry expert in the first place. Your speech is ready and a lot of effort has gone into it; and then your business partner asks "but how is this going to win us new clients?" Fair question, speaking engagements eat up time and money; how will you answer? There are many ways to leverage a conference, I have put together a list of tips that will not require a large team to execute. Even the largest companies often allocate small delegations to events so here are some ideas you can execute without too many hands on deck: 1. Make your presentation social. As a speaker your presentation is key. Make sure your presentation carries your Twitter handle and company Hashtag on every slide. This will make sure that everyone notices it at some stage. During your presentation you will also have key messages to deliver. Make sure these are short enough to be tweeted, highlight them and make sure you repeat them a few times. Include all other social addresses in the footer of your presentation. Advertisement 2. Create social boiler templates Create social media headers that promote your keynote speech and change all the boiler plates on your social channels a couple of weeks before the event. Complement this with some image posts to pepper your social platforms in the fortnight before the event. Make sure you include: time, location, topic and event hashtag. 3. Create it as an FB event and invite your followers. Create your speaking spot as an Event on Facebook so that people who are interested will automatically get notifications and reminders from Facebook. This also allows you to invite people and run Pay-per-click campaigns to promote the event. Promote the Event on your personal page and your business page and ask friends, colleagues and other businesses to promote the event to their audiences to further your reach. 4. Use eMail Marketing Tell all your clients through a mail shot. Even if they cannot make it, it will raise your profile and garner respect for your expertise in the industry. If you're tweeting live make sure you let everyone know so that people can participate and follow the event remotely. Follow-up the event with an email containing a link to a snippet or full video recording of the event for all those that couldn't make it but would have liked to. Make the video easy to share. 5. Promote your blog. During the event direct people to a blog page (like blog.com/event) with all your tweetable quotes in it. Use click to tweet to make this easy. Encourage people to follow you during your talk whilst giving them a good reason to. Promise to follow-up the presentation with more information on the topic. Advertisement 6. Prepare a valuable give-away Give away a copy of your presentation so your audience can see it again later. Let them know you will be posting and writing more info about the topic and that it will all be available on your social accounts. Ask them to follow you in the final slide or even better in the footer of each slide. 7. Scope it Use Periscope to broadcast the talk (if the event organisers allow it). Even better save the video and post it on your blog and send in a mail-shot later. 8. Brand Yourself Find the colour that defines you. A lot of speakers and businesses use this very effectively. Always wearing the same colour when you talk and branding your surroundings with hints of the same colour will make you more memorable. 9. Get some face-time before the go Give a physical giveaway (ideally not merchandise) this could be a printed whitepaper or case study based on your talk. A usb with additional information. Registration for a free consulting session. Any giveaway that will encourage people to come and talk to you after the event will help you get some direct leads from the event that you can focus on closing later. Think about what your ideal customers would love to take away with them and create it. 10. Build your list Let people know your presentation will be available for download on your blog page. Create an opt-in email form and ask people to enter their name and email in order to download it. You can use these email addresses to nurture them as leads and invite them to other speaking events. Advertisement 11. Collect business cards Ask people to leave you their business card if they want to receive the presentation notes and content links after the event. Not everyone takes notes. The tips above will help you collect personal details to introduce new people to your sales funnel. Give special follow-up attention to people who put in the time to speak to you face-to-face and do not forget to keep following up. 80% of sales require 5 follow-up calls after the meeting. - The Marketing Donut If you want to be remembered use story telling and make your audience laugh. Practice the way you close. Tell them why they should remember what you said and how this will be useful to them. Most people will remember the last thing you say so make sure it's a strong close. They will be looking out for you next time. After a presentation 63% remember the story. Only 5% remember statistics. - Chip and Dan Heath Do you know someone who likes speaking at events or has a speaking event coming up? Share this with friends and colleagues. Whether you're jetting off to cosmopolitan Toronto, sightseeing in Old Montreal or stealing away to the secluded wilderness of Vancouver Island, you'll find Canada has no shortage of stellar hotels to aid your exploration. To help narrow down your lodging search, U.S. News used a comprehensive methodology that factors in star ratings, industry accolades, expert endorsements and visitor reviews. Overall, U.S. News evaluated 210 Canadian hotels. Here are the 10 properties that wowed hotel connoisseurs and travelers alike thanks to their unique amenities and top-notch service. (Courtesy of Hotel Le St-James) 10. Hotel Le St-James A fixture on the top 10 list for four consecutive years, the Hotel Le St-James wins favor with visitors (it's a TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice award winner and appears on the Conde Nast Readers' Choice list) and travel publications thanks to its one-of-a-kind setting. Occupying the former Merchants' Bank building in Old Montreal, the hotel effortlessly blends its grand heritage with contemporary comforts. (Courtesy of Shangri-La Hotel, Toronto) 9. Shangri-La Hotel, Toronto One of only two Shangri-La hotels in Canada, this Toronto outpost (a AAA Five Diamond recipient) boasts some of the largest guest rooms in the country. When lodgers aren't admiring their digs, they can sample the fusion of Asian and Canadian cuisine at the acclaimed on-site restaurant, Bosk. Advertisement (Courtesy of Fairmont Pacific Rim) 8. Fairmont Pacific Rim The Fairmont Pacific Rim's location is pretty tough to beat - and it's also a major point of praise for recent visitors whose votes helped the hotel earn top marks on the Conde Nast Readers' Choice list and the TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice awards. Situated on the Coal Harbour waterfront, across the street from the city's cruise ship terminal, the property affords amazing views from its rooms and rooftop. (Courtesy of Auberge Saint-Antoine) 7. Auberge Saint-Antoine Both history buffs and luxury lovers will likely enjoy a stay at the Auberge Saint-Antoine. Amid the hotel's modern accoutrements, guests will find hundreds of artifacts dating back to the 1600s that were unearthed during an archeological dig before the hotel's construction. (Courtesy of The Wickaninnish Inn) 6. The Wickaninnish Inn Sitting pretty on Vancouver Island's west coast, surrounded by the Pacific Ocean on three sides, this Relais & Chateaux property is certainly a sight to see. Ocean and beach views come standard in each of the inn's 75 rooms, as do gas fireplaces and soaking tubs, making it easy to see why the Wickaninnish earns praise from Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure and AAA. (Courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto) 5. The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto Moving up five spots from its No. 10 ranking in 2015, The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto continues to wow guests and critics - this is the property's fourth consecutive year appearing in the top 10 on the Best Hotels in Canada ranking. Among its superlatives, The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto boasts some of the largest guest rooms in the city, more than 400 pieces of original Canadian art and a cheese cave in its on-site Italian restaurant, TOCA. Advertisement (Courtesy of Rosewood Hotel Georgia) 4. Rosewood Hotel Georgia Considered a legend among Vancouver's hospitality sphere, the Rosewood Hotel Georgia once played host to the likes of Katharine Hepburn, Elvis Presley and Bing Crosby. Though the property underwent a full renovation in 2011 when it joined the Rosewood brand, remnants of the hotel's glamorous past still peek through in its luxurious accommodations, Roaring '20s-themed bar and attentive staff members, who travelers say treat everyone like Hollywood royalty. (Courtesy of Trump International Hotel and Tower Toronto) 3. Trump International Hotel and Tower Toronto Dethroned by the Four Season Hotel Toronto, this Trump outpost once reigned supreme as the top hotel in Toronto. Though it may no longer hold that title, the Trump International Hotel and Tower Toronto continues to rack up accolades, including the prestigious AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Travel Guide Five Star awards. And with rooms that range from 550 to 4,000 square feet and a committed staff to match, it's easy to see why this 65-foot tower remains near the top of the Toronto hospitality food chain. (Courtesy of Four Seasons Hotel Toronto) 2. Four Seasons Hotel Toronto Climbing up the ranks from its No. 6 spot in 2015, the Four Seasons Hotel Toronto is a force to be reckoned with. Not only did it earn a spot on the Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards list, but it also received AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Travel Guide Five Star awards. Maybe it's the skyline views on display from each room's floor-to-ceiling windows, or maybe it's the tasty cuisine at Michelin-starred chef and owner Daniel Boulud's Cafe Boulud. (Courtesy of Ritz-Carlton, Montreal) 1. Ritz-Carlton, Montreal The Ritz-Carlton, Montreal is the Best Hotel in Canada for the third consecutive year. Not only does this Ritz-Carlton earn top honors with guests (it's a Conde Nast Readers' Choice and TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice award recipient), but it also receives recognition from AAA and Forbes. Sitting in downtown Montreal, the property boasts impeccably styled guest rooms, not to mention a French restaurant from celebrity chef Daniel Boulud. Google Keeping with its tradition of honouring noted personalities from across the globe, Google on Saturday dedicated their special 'doodle' to one of the most renowned Indian painters of the 20th century, Amrita Sher-Gil, on her 103rd birth anniversary. Sher-Gil, who was born in Budapest, Hungary, on 30 January, 1913 to a Punjabi Sikh father and a Hungarian Jewish mother, is often referred to as the Frida Kahlo of India. She died in 1941 when she was just 28 years old. Advertisement Google came up with the best possible tribute for Sher-Gil. For a generation who maybe be unfamiliar with her work, the doodle may seem like simple a painting of three girls decked in a traditional salwar kurta, their pallus wrapped tightly around them. However, the doodle by Jennifer Hom is a simplified version of Sher-Gil's famous painting Three Girls, which can be viewed here. (An employee poses alongside a self-portrait painting by Indian artist Amrita Sher-Gil, painted in 1931, during the annual South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art Sale preview at Christie's auction house in London on June 5, 2015.) In a statement, Google said, "Today's Doodle honours the 'Indian Frida Kahlo', who left no holds barred in her work, or in her life. Her paintings speak volumes of her passionate lifestyle and relentless desire to express herself through her canvasses." Advertisement "Sher-Gil studied and practiced in Paris at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, where she got her start as an artist and life consummate bohemian. Over time, her work became a clear salute to the feminine form, and Sher-Gil into an uncompromising talent," said Google on its blog. In October 2015, a rare self portrait of Sher-Gil created in 1931 was sold for 1.7 million pounds in London at a Sotheby's auction. Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Also On HuffPost: ASSOCIATED PRESS Activist of a Dalit organization participate in a candle light vigil holding photographs of Indian student Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad, India, Wednesday, Jan 20, 2016. The activists were protesting the death of Vemula who, along with four others, was barred from using some facilities at his university in the southern tech-hub of Hyderabad. The protesters accused Hyderabad University's vice chancellor and a federal 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. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.) HYDERABAD -- Rallying behind protesting students on the Dalit scholar suicide issue, Rahul Gandhi today went on a day-long fast here at Hyderabad Central University, drawing sharp criticism from BJP which accused him of "politicising" a sensitive matter. The Congress Vice President spent about two hours with agitating students and participated in a candle light vigil along with 2,000 students past midnight to mark the birthday of Rohith, who would have turned 27 today. Advertisement He returned to the protest site this morning and joined the students on fast, expressing solidarity with them."Rahulji is on fast," NSUI President Roji M John said. Rahul, who is visiting the campus for the second time in as many weeks, tweeted: I am here today at the request of Rohith's friends and family, to stand with them in their fight for justice Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) January 30, 2016 We owe it to him, to the memory of Gandhiji and to every single Indian student who dreams of an India free from prejudice and injustice Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) January 30, 2016 Rohith's mother Radhika and brother Raju were also present at the protest site. In Delhi, three Union Ministers accused Congress of shedding "crocodile tears" over the suicide issue and attacked Rahul for using students as a "political tool". Advertisement Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said nine cases of Dalit student suicides had taken place in the campus during the UPA rule but Rahul never bothered to go there as he asked opposition parties to wait for the report of the judicial commission probe ordered by the Centre into the suicide. "Congress is shedding crocodile tears simply to gain political mileage... This is part of their anti-Modi campaign across the country," he told reporters. Also attacking Rahul, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said,"Exams are nearing in Hyderabad (university). All the students are busy with studies. The government has (already) announced judicial probe into the matter. Peace has been restored there. (In such times), Rahul Gandhi ji is politicising the issue." Rural Development Minister Birender Singh also took a pot-shot at Rahul, saying the "the party which has been reduced to 44 MPs from 206 MPs in Lok Sabha is politicising every issue". "They are politicising every issue. There is nothing new in it," Singh said. Rahul, who arrived here at 12.10 AM, spoke to the agitating students and lit candles before Rohith's picture. Advertisement As students raised slogans against Irani and Dattaretreya, Rahul intervened and politely told them not to shout 'murdabad' (a slogan wishing death to). "Let us not say murdabad to somebody. That will not do justice," he said. Hitting back at the BJP, Congress accused it of failing to initiate action against its leaders including Union ministers for the suicide of the Dalit scholar. "Who has resorted to politics in the matter? It is the BJP. Union Minister Dattatreya wrote to HRD Minister Irani against the dalit students following complaint from the ABVP President. The HRD Minister wrote as many as five letters to the University," senior party spokesman Ajay Maken said. Wondering whether this was not politicisation, he accused BJP General Secretary Murlidhar Rao of making the "patently false" charge that Rohit was not a dalit and that the dalit scholars had links with the Naxals. Activists of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) protested against Rahul's visit even as it called for a "bandh" in Telangana colleges. Advertisement Velpula Sunkanna, one of the research scholars whose suspension was revoked recently, said Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao Podile should be removed from the VC post. "On January 17, we have filed SC/ST Atrocities case against Appa Rao and (five) others. These six people should be arrested immediately. Thats the only demand," Sunkanna, who is on an indefinite fast along with Vijay Kumar (another scholar whose suspension was revoked), said. On Rahul's second visit to the campus, he said, "I look at it the way others..Arvind Kejriwal, Sitaram Yechury, CPI leaders and many people who came and supported us do. The same way we see Rahul Gandhi". Three of the students including two research scholars who were earlier suspended and have sat on a fast unto death, are also demanding sacking of Union ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattaretreya. Vemula was found hanging in the varsity's hostel room on January 17. The Congress Vice President had visited the University on January 19 following the suicide by the Dalit scholar and met the agitating students and the family members of Vemula. Advertisement Yesterday, in a dramatic turn of events, Dr Vipin Srivastava who took charge as the interim Vice-Chancellor of HCU amid protests over the suicide by Rohith here proceeded on leave. "Dr Vipin Srivastava who took charge as the interim Vice Chancellor of Hyderabad Central University has proceeded on leave from the afternoon of January 29 and the next senior- most professor Dr M Pariasamy will perform the duties of the V-C till further orders," a university official said. He was appointed as the interim VC on January 24 after Podile went on leave due to vehement protests from the student community on the suicide. The HCU had in September last year suspended five students D Prasanth, Vijay Kumar, Sheshaiah Chemuudugunta, Velpula Sunkanna and Rohit, for six months (entire semester) for allegedly assaulting ABVP leader Susheel Kumar in August. Advertisement However, last week, bowing to intense pressure HCU revoked suspension of four students, against whom action had been initiated along with Rohit. Periasamy said his priority was to restore peace and normalcy on the campus. "Whatever demands of (agitating students)...most of the demands...whatever we (HCU) can accept without any problems, we will accept", he said. On students demanding a job for a family member of Rohith, he said HCU would try to get assistance from the Ministry of HRD and also from the state government in this regard. Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Also On HuffPost: The India Today Group via Getty Images INDIA - JUNE 28: Oommen Chandy, Chief Minister of Kerala with others at Ninth Meeting of the Inter-State Council in New Delhi, India (Photo by Sipra Das/The India Today Group/Getty Images) The Morning Wrap is HuffPost India's selection of interesting news and opinion from the day's newspapers. Subscribe here to receive it in your inbox each weekday morning. Essential HuffPost In a temporary breather for Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, the state's High Court put a stay for two months on a vigilance court's directive that a FIR be lodged against him in case of graft that has seen violent protests over the past two days. Advertisement In a major headway, more than a year after the Church Street blast in Bengaluru, the NIA arrested the prime accused in the case in which a woman was killed and three others were injured. Around 140 prisoners of Nagpur Jail were allotted SBI ATM cards for use inside the premises, with plans to extend the service to all 800 prisoners. The inmates can swipe the cards in the canteen to purchase daily use items like soaps, hair oil, eatables against the payment they receive for doing works on the premises. Here's some bad news for social media addicts. The photos of Narendra Modi and Francois Hollande which earned the award for being the most awkward hug ever the moment it landed on Twitter may not have been a 'hug' after all. While Akshay Kumar's Airlift has met with appreciation from a majority of its audience, people who are more familiar with the details of the operation to evacuate thousands of Indians from Kuwait in 1990-91 have several bones to pick with the film. Advertisement Main News Vipin Srivastava, who was the acting Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hyderabad, went on leave with effect from Friday afternoon. The next most senior professor, M Periasamy, was made the VC until further orders. The varsity has been on the boil following the suicide of research scholar Rohith Vemula on January 17. More than two years after the Supreme Court turned down a plea to decriminalise gay sex in India, there is still hope for the LGBT community as the apex court has agreed to examine on February 2 whether it had erred in passing the judgment. Political uncertainty in Jammu and Kashmir is set to continue until the weekend when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will hold an internal meeting to discuss government formation. PDP president Mehbooba Mufti would meet party leaders, including legislators, at her Fairview home to decide on continuing the alliance with the BJP. Three Indians, said to have links with terrorist outfit Islamic State were detained and later arrested by the National Investigation Agency from the IGI airport in Delhi after they were deported from the UAE on Indias request. The Centre is unlikely to allow Internet giant Googles Street View service in India amid red flags raised by the Ministry of Defence and security agencies. Street View allows users to have a panoramic view of places in cities, as they would look in real life. Advertisement Off The Front Page Ahmedabad now has a special hospital for injured birds. The hospital set up to treat birds injured during the kite festival took over 20,000 volunteers from 20 different NGOs to set up, and has been a roaring success. Charles Bombardier, the man behind the concept aircraft Skreemr which could travel at Mach 10, has now unveiled the Antipode, a hypersonic jet that he claims will cover the distance between London and New York in a mind-boggling 11 minutes. Indian classical instruments and popular music took centre stage at Beating Retreat. While the ceremony an age-old military tradition passed down to India from the British used drums to call troops back from battle at sunset, it had never reverberated with the notes of Indian classical instruments such as sitar, tabla and santoor. Veteran actress Waheeda Rehman was honoured with a special award for her contribution to the film industry at the Yashwant International Film Festival in Mumbai. The festival was organised from January 22 to 28 and around 60-65 movies were screened. Opinion On 2 February, the Supreme Court will decide whether it wants to rethink its decision of keeping Section 377 in the statute books. The law effectively renders as criminal all lesbians, gays, bisexuals and the transgendered. As the guardian of the Constitution that gives all Indians fundamental rights of life, dignity and privacy, the Supreme Court must ask itself if it is doing justice to sexual minorities, writes Shivam Vij. Advertisement The social and ideological stresses of the 20th century divided the world into distinct camps; now, as we are forcing the planet's physical systems to change at the same breakneck pace, it seems possible that we'll see a replay of those divisions, this time along epidemiological lines, and as usual making life hardest for those who have done the least to cause our problems. The Zika virus provides a glimpse into a future we should do everything possible to avoid, a terrifying reminder why the fight for a stable physical planet is the fight of our time, writes Bill McKibben. The death of Rohith Vemula might have ended up as a stray paragraph in the papers, but for the sustained agitation that began with a group of students of the Ambedkar Students Association at the University of Hyderabad. Rohith wanted to be a scientist and a writer, not a martyr. Inadvertently he may well end up as one, writes Namita Bhandare. Advertisement ASSOCIATED PRESS Supporters of Indiaas main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stand beneath a party flag as they listen to their prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi during an election rally at Srirampur, outskirts of Kolkata, India, Sunday, April 27, 2014. With 814 million eligible voters, India is voting in phases over six weeks. Results are expected May 16.(AP Photo/Bikas Das) I am a firm believer in taxi driver psephology. The taxi driver in Lucknow said, It will be a contest between BJP and BSP. The SP knows it is out. The taxi driver was Brahmin, so no surprise that his choice was the BJP. He ranted about the Samajwadi Partys alleged Muslim appeasement, and then mentioned the three Cs of heartland politics: crime, corruption, and caste. Advertisement His answers were all clear and forthright, except when I asked if the BJP should declare a chief ministerial candidate. You have asked the most difficult question. On the question of the CM candidate, the BJP in UP stands at the same crossroads as it did in Delhi and Bihar last year. In Delhi, it picked a CM candidate too late into the campaign, and a poor one at that. Kiran Bedi was no match for Arvind Kejriwal. In Bihar, not declaring a CM candidate made it a Nitish vs Modi contest. Instead of looking like a challenger with a new offering, the BJP was forced to defend the central governments performance. In the absence of a CM candidate, Nitish Kumar and Lalu Yadav were able to make the OBCs fear the possibility of an upper caste chief minister should the BJP win. The BJP fears factionalism and infighting if it declares a CM candidate. Similarly in Uttar Pradesh, the campaign could easily become Modi versus Mayawati, a la Bihar. The BJP fears factionalism and infighting if it declares a CM candidate. It is better to keep everyone guessing and let all the leader and caste-driven silos work hard to make the party win. If it declares an OBC as the CM candidate, the upper castes may not be attracted to the BJP. If it declares a Brahmin as the prospective CM, it may see rebellion from Thakurs. But are Modi and Amit Shah, together with the election-winning machinery of the RSS, not powerful enough to tide over these differences? How difficult is it for the party to make a Thakur the party president, give Brahmins more tickets than their population proportion, and declare a widely accepted OBC leader as the CM candidate? Advertisement Yes, the BJP in UP has no leader who can match up to Mayawatis political stature. But given that there is still a year to go for the UP election, can it not craft a presidential style campaign and make its CM candidate look larger than life? Declaring a PM candidate in advance took Modi from political untouchability to 282 seats in the Lok Sabha. Modis presidential style campaign helped the BJP end Indias 30 year run of coalition governments. Having heralded us into a new era of presidential style campaigns, can the BJP pretend that it is easier to win elections without giving voters a clear signal who their chief executive will be? Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. Voters know the Samajwadi Party will get them Akhilesh Yadav and the Bahujan Samaj Party will get the Mayawati. Who in the BJP should they compare these leaders with? In the assembly elections in Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Haryana, where the BJP won without pre-declared CM candidates in late 2014, the situation was different. The incumbents were in a bad way and Modis popularity was sky-high. Advertisement After the Bihar experience, it is likely the BJP may not over-expose the prime minister in state elections. Instead, it may project three-four leaders in UP and keep everyone guessing. This only adds to the confusion in the voters mind, and would help the other parties exploit such incoherence. In the post-Modi politics of India, the leader is the message. If the message is clear, voters give a clear and decisive mandate. Modi should know this better than anyone else. A large, complex and multi-polar state like UP cannot be won without a clear leadership face. No, the party president is not it. A large, complex and multi-polar state like UP cannot be won without a clear leadership face. No, the party president is not it. The era of clear, decisive, leader-centric mandates arrived in 2007 with Mayawati. Could it be that the Modi-Shah duo are reluctant to share credit for a state victory with a local leader? Does it seem like the BJP has copied the high command culture of the Congress? One can only speculate in those directions. The time to declare a CM candidate is now to give her time to prepare, to have the time to build a presidential style campaign around the candidate, and for the party to turn around the election into a race between a clean, promising newbie and old incumbent players. The promise of parivartan needs a visage. It will be a risk, but high risk has high rewards, as the BJP knows from the Modi campaign. Advertisement It seems likely that the BJP will instead bank on Modi's persona, and on a heavy dose of Hindutva. In doing so, it will, again like Bihar, only make apparent its desperation for power, thus giving the voter the signal of un-winnability, only helping Mayawati. Like the Congress, it is the arrogance of looking at UP-Bihar from the high pedestal of Lutyens Delhi that will be the BJPs undoing. Contact HuffPost India Also see on HuffPost: It has been nearly five years since an Irondale man was shot and killed in the streets of East St. Louis on February 17, 2011 while making an early morning truck delivery. His death still leaves his family searching for answers. Truman Lee Smith was just 40 years old when his life was taken from him. His mother, Jeanette Smith, will never give up hope that his killer will be found and charged. Jeanette said that Truman was making a delivery and typically would never get out of his truck. It was dark and he must have gotten out to check the address, said Jeanette. He never gets out of truck, but he got out of his truck, I think to look for the address to make sure he was at the right place. A camera from the school caught him going to the gate, looking, but then it didnt cover the area where the shooter was. Truman worked for E&K Truck Services out of St. Clair, Missouri and was found outside of Fresh Warehousing at 2601 McCasland Ave. lying next to his truck with a gunshot wound to the chest just before 6 that morning. As he was coming back to his truck, the guy confronted him and asked for money I guess, said Jeanette. He must have said 'I dont have anything' and the guy must have said 'Im gonna shoot you anyway' and shot him in the chest right below the rib cage. Jeanette said a woman named LaToya Golden was going to work and she thought he was changing the tire on his truck because trucks always parked along there for delivery. She noticed he wasnt changing a tire on the truck, so she got out. She was the one who called 911. She stopped. She didnt know if the shooter was still there or not, said Jeanette. She was really putting her life in jeopardy getting out to stay with him until the police got there. She was devastated when she found out he died because she thought he was going to be OK because he was talking and everything. She was his guardian angel that day. When the Washington County Sheriffs Department came to tell Jeanette's family, they thought they were doing collections. They didnt really know what happened either. They just knew he had been shot. She said the deputy made the phone call for them because they couldnt. Just the thought of somebody being alone in an incident like that, said Jeanette. I am still thankful that LaToya was there and that he did get help and made it to the hospital. He was alive to give them some description of the guy and he died at the hospital. They havent gotten any answers the last five years. Jeanette said the police think they know who did it but its another thing getting the proof or evidence to prove it. I talk to the Illinois State Police every month now because I dont want it to get put on a shelf and forgotten about, said Jeanette. She was told that when its somebody from the area they can solve it faster than when its a stranger because people talk, but nobody is talking on this one. They did get a picture of someone on the camera walking around some cars right before it happened, but it was too distorted, said Jeanette. They even sent to the FBI and they cant make anything out of it either. She added that she feels that detectives are doing the best they can and she wont let them put it on a shelf and forget about it. As long as I am alive, there will that phone call every month or when I feel like I need to talk to somebody, said Jeanette. The original detective on the case has since retired. After a couple of weeks East St. Louis Police moved to the Illinois State Police. Getting answers isnt going to bring him back, but I just want whoever did it punished for it. Jeanette said it may not bring him back, but maybe it will give them some piece of mind knowing that the guy who did it is in jail getting punished for it. She wants the person to admit to it. Really I want to know why. Why did he have to shoot him? said Jeanette. They handed me 21 cents and the bracelet off of his leg that one of his kids made for him. A friendship bracelet for him or something. He wore that for years and he had no money. Why did you shoot him? Why didnt you just turn around and go? It makes no sense to me. Jeanette thinks about Truman every day. She also thanks God that he didnt lie in that street like a dog, because thats what it made her think of. She is glad he wasn't alone. When they showed the video on the TV, we didnt have the TV on at the time, but they couldnt give his name until we were notified, I could see his cap laying on the ground by his truck and that got me, remembered Jeanette. I asked for the cap, but its in evidence so I will never get it. I did get his drivers license since it was handled so much when they were trying to figure out who he was. Truman didnt carry a wallet according to Jeanette and he kept everything in his pockets. She is sure the guy didnt get anything. Jeanette said that there were a few coins on the ground, which is in evidence. She feels its just senseless, like most killings. Truman delivered locally. Jeanette said thats what he liked about the job because he liked his weekends off. Thats what he was doing, he was getting his early morning run done and he hadnt even had breakfast yet, said Jeanette. He wanted to just get it done so he could get home early enough. He lived for his weekends. He also loved his kids. He was down at our house all the time and would always cook and bring us a plate because he lived across the road from us. She added that Truman was taking online classes studying business and he had just gotten an associates degree. She said she didnt know it until she was going through his stuff, but he was on the deans list. He never even told us, said Jeanette. Its been so long with no answers and I know I am not the only one. There are other parents going through the same thing and its a sad situation. Some days its really hard to deal with and other days its OK. We go by the cemetery every time we go out and drive by and tell him 'hi and we love him.' He really loved the Fourth of July so we have a balloon release for him that day, on his birthday and for his heavenly anniversary. Jeanette and her family and friends have a stretch of highway that they adopted through the Adopt-A-Highway program. its a stretch of road he took home every day. Its by Harmon Road where we pick up (trash), said Jeanette. We usually get a decent turnout for that and a lot of times me and his dad just feel like doing something and will be thinking of him so we go down to pick up trash just to be picking up. Its heartwarming that people still think of him today, even after five years they still post on his Facebook and visit the cemetery, said Jeanette. Truman served in the Marine Corps during the Persian Gulf War. When he was buried he received full military honors. Jeanette said that it was breathtaking and very emotional when they pulled up to the cemetery and the Marines were there to pull him out of the hearse. He wasnt afraid of anywhere and he just decided to get out of truck that day, said Jeanette. There will be a balloon release in honor of Truman's memory on Feb. 17 at 5 p.m. at Knights of Pythias Cemetery in Park Hills. A former Park Hills restaurant owner has been sentenced to 15 more years in prison. Gregory Louis Rattini, 51, who once owned a restaurant in downtown Park Hills, was originally sentenced to four years in prison in 2008 for sexual misconduct and child endangerment in St. Francois County. In late 2014 additional charges were filed in Ste. Genevieve County and this month he entered an Alford plea to one charge of statutory sodomy (involving a child less than 12). By entering an Alford plea to the charge he did not admit to any element of the charge but acknowledged there was sufficient evidence for trial. Circuit Court Judge Wendy Wexler Horn followed a plea agreement and sentenced him to 15 years in prison. According to court records a child told authorities that Rattini repeatedly sodomized her from the time she was 5 until she was 10, at which time Rattini went to prison on the other charges. She said she didn't tell authorities because Rattini had threatened her with a knife. She said she now felt she could no longer keep the secret to herself and needs counseling. In the unrelated case, Rattini had been charged in 2008 with forcible rape, three counts of sexual abuse, two counts of patronizing prostitution, six counts of sexual misconduct and concealing a misdemeanor. In a second case he was charged with statutory sodomy, two counts of child molestation, sexual misconduct involving a child and furnishing pornographic material to a minor. Due to lack of witness cooperation these charges were dismissed and he pleaded guilty to only misdemeanor sexual misconduct and felony endangering the welfare of a child. During the plea Rattini admitted he touched a minors breast through her clothing and he provided alcohol to a juvenile. The investigation began in 2007 when three employees of Rattini's restaurant contacted police to complain about the restaurant owner's behavior. One woman told police that Rattini required her to work late one night in February. Then after everyone else had left the restaurant Rattini pushed her onto a blow-up mattress in his office and raped her. She told police that when she was leaving he gave her money. Another woman complained Rattini had touched her buttocks and breasts on several occasions and had witnessed another a woman being touched on her breasts. Another woman admitted to being involved with Rattini. She said he paid her for sexual services on two separate occasions. One woman told police that Rattini allowed a girl less than 14 years old to consume alcohol and he showed the girl pornographic material. The girl told police that Rattini touched her. One employee told police that Rattini offered her up to $2,000 to make a false statement to police about what she had seen. Another employee said he overheard that conversation and heard her refuse the money. 'Need to Take Clearance From Govt': BCCI President on Whether India Will Travel to Pakistan For Asia Cup Dear Editor, Charles Lewis called each alderman of the City of Leadwood to inquire if they were aware of Mr. David Henrys desire to reclaim his position as Mayor of Leadwood. All aldermen acknowledge they knew he had written the letter and each alderman expressed Mr. Henry had made it clear at multiple meetings he wanted to return. Due to unapproved expenditures and untimely leave by Henry, they decided not to accept his offer. Mayor Lewis did not file Mr. Henrys letter in a trash can. Mr. Henry made it known at several meetings that he was concerned the Carlyon building may have asbestos. The board acknowledged at a public meeting, in front of your own reporter, that nearly every building in town has some level of asbestos. It was also stated the building should be tested. Alderman Vickers called Mayor Lewis about a complaint he had received concerning this building. It was stated that the side wall was bulging more than usual and the building was shaky and appeared ready to fall. Leadwood ordinances give the mayor (building commissioner) the authority to immediately demolish a known hazardous building without approval of the board. The other aldermen were informed; all agreed it had to be safe for the citizens. The purpose of the dumpster being at the location for 22 days and non-removal of items, is due to the law and safety of the citizens. The mayor has no right spend over $100 without the vote of the board of aldermen. The test costs $150. The next meeting is not scheduled until 1/25/16. Once they can vote, then the test can be performed. Lewis Builders, LLC was not used to demo the building, although we donated heavy equipment to work with the city equipment. Several volunteers, including aldermen and firemen were present and helped. The mayor thanked the volunteers through the purchase of their breakfast and lunch, from the coffers of his own pocket. Mayor Lewis did meet with DNR and the outcome of the meeting was the building was unsafe, but needed to be tested before it could be transferred/removed off of city property. The city government is bound to do an audit every two years, but the previous boards neglected to do it. The board, prior to the election of 2015, started the audit for the last 7 years it had not been done. City Clerk, Charlotte Lewis, requested the audit be completed yearly from this point out, which the board approved. At the last board meeting, most of the questions the auditor had were issues prior to the current board; due to this, Mayor Lewis was unable to answer her questions, because he was not serving during those years. He questioned the inventory and operations manual, because he was told they existed, but he has yet to see one presented to him. He questioned the auditors report in depth, in order to become fully aware of the issues and items needed, so the board could move forward with setting up new policies and protocols. In reference to Mr. Henrys statement in his letter to the editor 1/23/16 to bring the citys books up to compliance so we could pass the annual audit, his services were not needed, as the audit was completed and approved. The books are up to compliance, and how Mr. Henry missed this through the multiple meetings he has attended is beyond me. Dennis Parks stated in the last board meeting that during his term on the board, there was not time to answer the questions the auditor had placed in her report. Because there are two police officers being utilized for code compliance, the need for Mr. Henrys services are not needed. The fact he has zero training in police enforcement and law, it was not in the best interests of the city to give him such a commission. I respectfully request the editor have an open conversation with the city officials and enforcement personnel to see the great strides that have been made with regard to bringing the city codes and ordinances up to snuff. With regard to building city hall the state of Missouri has made mandates on what cities have to now have available for city court and services. All of this has been discussed in length at city meetings. The new codes require many changes and added rooms beyond the capacity of the former or current city buildings. The action by the state is currently being challenged by many cities, but as a community, we have to plan for it as if it will be upheld, or we will not be in compliance in three years, if it is upheld. The current board is not trying to misuse or swindle the people of our community. They are trying to meet current state standards while saving the tax payers tens-of-thousands of dollars, clean up our wonderful town, and invite young families and businesses to invest in its future. Go to your city meetings, dont get your information from the telephone, social media, and the Harriet Olsons of small towns. Make Leadwood great, not a Peyton Place. Tara Lewis Leadwood A few days ago, I remarked on how this election was "a season of volatility," and added that in spite of that, in Iowa "both the Republicans and the Democrats will have one more opportunity to make their final pitches before voters head to their local precincts." Well, scratch that. Democrats definitely got a last opportunity to hear former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley make their final arguments. While the candidates did not get a chance to confront each other, they spent the better part of two hours answering questions from undecided voters. And even with all the media attention and visits by the candidates, Iowans are famous for placing a banana peel in the path of so-called front-runners. Which leads me to believe that the Republicans might be in for a surprise. GOP front-runner Donald Trump threw democracy under the bus by dropping out of the most anticipated debate before the Iowa caucuses. After months of back and forth between the Fox News Channel, anchor Megyn Kelly and others, Trump has decided to pull out. The media loves the unusual, and Trump, a 21st-century P.T. Barnum, knows how to feed their hunger. The Republican caucus, like the Democrats', remains a photo-finish horse race. But, here's a stunner: A Fox network poll showed that as some voters moved from Sen. Ted Cruz to Trump, their likelihood of voting at a caucus dropped in just two weeks from "definitely" (59 percent) to "probably" (54 percent). Trump's unending fireworks and chaos might be producing emotional overload among Republican voters. A drop in voting enthusiasm is not good. Trump had boasted earlier that "I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose voters." He started his campaign with an aim to possess the Republican hard right by telling them, in street language, what they wanted to hear -- and so, bind them to him as "authentic" and as "someone who says what we're thinking." In truth, today they are Trump's possession. Trump, who in 2011 praised Kelly's moderating skills, today says she's so "mean" to him that he'd withdraw rather than be toyed with by a moderator. It's well known that conservatives hate the press, so of course, they nodded in agreement. Using Kelly as cover, Trump was a no-show for a debate where the pressure to perform was enormous. It only takes a single, significant slip for a candidate's fortunes to change. That's the kind of pressure presidents deal with daily. But Trump dodged the danger by using an excuse he knew his followers would accept. Trump claims to have won all the debates, which isn't true. He did poorly in the second debate, falling significantly in the polls. The last debate was considered a toss-up. And professionals in the political arena unanimously consider Cruz the best debater of the remaining 12-candidate field. Cruz would have worked to maneuver Trump into a position where he'd have to talk specifics. That's something Trump can't do because he is the least informed. Trump was the only candidate, for instance, who didn't know our nuclear defense is based on a triad strategy of bombers, missiles and submarine-launched missiles. Right-wing media was quick to note that Ronald Reagan skipped the last debate in Iowa in 1980. However, Reagan lost Iowa, something his private polling likely showed before he dropped out. As long as Trump doubles and triples down on the hard right's agenda -- near-zero taxes, a wall, no Mexican immigrants, no Syrians ever, no Muslims for the foreseeable future -- his supporters will see Trump's debate-dodging as a show of strength, rather than what it is: fear of his weaknesses being exposed. Before all this, Trump was busy emphasizing his Christian faith in hopes of corralling the huge evangelical vote in Iowa. He attended a church service and flew the son of the Rev. Jerry Falwell out to endorse him. But, Cruz's father happens to be an evangelical minister. He has conducted crusades across Iowa that have reputedly won many hearts for his son Ted. During this last week, the Rev. Cruz was "hitting two to four churches a day." Trump has turned the 2016 election into showmanship. Other than neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson and businesswoman Carly Fiorina, his opponents are all seasoned office holders. They know how to "work a crowd" and sell an issue. But Trump is a ringmaster, and with the possible exception of Cruz, the rest don't know how to handle the studied chaos-inducing approach that Trump has mastered; a chaos he uses to control issues and to steal the spotlight. It would be a mistake to accept Trump's assessment of his candidacy. Cruz is the first candidate who seems to grasp just how it is that Trump dominates the campaign. Cruz has gained enough votes that Trump's strategists thought it best he skip the last debate. It wasn't Megyn Kelly after all. It was Cruz's steady gains that provoked Trump's retreat days before the final debate that voters and the democratic process both needed. but NOBODY vetted Barack Obama after Barack Obama politicized his own mother's cancer for his own political gain during the 2008 democratic race, and then again in the presidential debates. Did Barack Obama tend to his own mother in any personal way during her last couple of years of life, when she was dying of cancer in Hawaii? If I am wrong, or can be proven wrong about my concern, then I will stand corrected. But until then, the timeline I have been able to put together shows that Barack Obama chose to finish writing his book instead of being with his mother. With apologizes to the filmmaker for politicizing his film,Or, did Barack Obama CHOOSE to fly over Hawaii, where his mother was dying of cancer,so he could go to Bali to finish writing his book about his sperm donor father? Shashi Tharoor, Cat or Lettuce? UK PM Liz Truss's Resignation Has Twitter Looking for New Contender 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 }} Deadpool has been selling itself hard as Marvel's R-rated glory; though it's not the studios' first with the rating, with the last being Lexi Alexander's Punisher: War Zone back in 2008. Not revolutionary, then; but the studio's focused, inspired marketing campaign has taken full advantage of Deadpool's relative outsider standing in this year's blockbuster affairs, putting its R-rating from the MPAA for "strong violence and language throughout, sexual content and graphic nudity" front-and-centre. Is it really that much of a surprise then to hear that T.J. Miller, who plays Weasel in the film, has teased a Director's Cut of the film? One that will be "even more raw" than what you see in theatres? Considering Marvel's not exactly known for creative leniency with its directors (especially following Edgar Wright's highly publicised departure from Ant-Man), it's sort of unlikely this is much beyond a carefully controlled, extremely deliberate move by the studio to further drum up hype for the ultra-violent flick. "So the idea that when you see the fall directors cut of it," Miller teased in full. "That thats going to be even more raw, thats pretty heavy duty." Miller dropped the comments while attending a special Deadpool fan screening in London, luckily captured by an attending audience member and shared on Twitter. Presumably, this unrated cut from director Tim Miller will accompany the film's release on Blu-Ray and DVD later this year; though it's difficult to imagine exactly what material Marvel would have deemed inappropriate for cinemas, yet passable for later home release still under the studio's banner. Will the Director's Cut actually be hiding even more explicit material, or is this merely a marketing gimmick? That said, Tim Miller has previously hinted at a scene that may qualify for the unrated cut. "There was a bar scene that was too vulgar for even the R-rated Deadpool," he told ComicBook.com. "That bar scene was particularly mean and offensive to a lot of people because T.J. [Miller] and Ryan [Reynolds] got together and wrote a version of the scene that we just said, 'Oh my God, this is too far.' I mean there were so many people offended, it would have really been - we couldn't do it. It was just mean and so I said, 'No. We don't have to do that.'" One more thing to tease past Deadpool's cinematic release, which sees it hit UK theatres 10 February. 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 lot of people's deepest, wildest dreams have come true today. Gilmore Girls is officially back; with the mother/daughter pair once more returning to screens thanks to the grand powers of Netflix. The early '00s show, by creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, fast became a cult favourite amongst fans thanks to its razor-sharp screenplay, exuberant warmth, and cast of colourful characters. The sheer amount of cultural references this show would drop made viewers everywhere dream of cosy, alternate lifestyles sarcastically trading barbs about Aldous Huxley while eating impossible amounts of Chinese food. Though long rumoured, star Lauren Graham has now officially confirmed the series' return with a selfie posing with a jacket she claims to have stolen from the set of the original show. Deadline has now offered a little further information: Netflix have confirmed the revival will act as a sort of farewell to the beloved series, with four 90-minute movies set in each season of a calendar year, revisiting the people and places of the quaint town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut. The show has also returned into the hands of original creator Amy Sherman-Palladino and husband Daniel Palladino, who will both serve as executive producers, writers, and directors of the revival. This follows Sherman-Palladino's departure from the show's final season, which left many fans unsatisfied with its ending. Lauren Graham and Alexis Bedel are, of course, confirmed to return; alongside original series stars Scott Patterson (Luke Danes), Kelly Bishop (Emily Gilmore), Sean Gunn (Kirk Gleason), and Keiko Agena (Lane Kim). Sadly, the character of Richard Gilmore will not be returning due to the passing of actor Edward Herrmann in 2014. Notably absent from the list is series' regular Melissa McCarthy, who may now be a hard talent to pin down considering her recent ascencion into comedy super stardom; there's also a question as to whether fan favourite Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia) may make an appearance. TV reboots in pictures Show all 12 1 /12 TV reboots in pictures TV reboots in pictures The X-Files A case for Mulder and Scully? David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson in The X-Files . TV reboots in pictures Full House The cast of Full House circa 1987. The original series first aired in 1987 and ran for eight seasons until 1995. It is set to return and be shown on Netflix. ABC TV reboots in pictures The Powerpuff Girls A new series of the late Nineties superhero series is expected in 2016 with new voice actors as the girls. TV reboots in pictures Heroes Sylar, Peter and co make a welcome return to our TV screens with a third series of the popular show Heroes. NBC TV reboots in pictures Thunderbirds Meet the Thunderbirds of 2015: L-R, Scott, Virgil, Alan, Gordon and John in front of their home, the exotic Tracy Island. The CGI versions are a far cry from the puppets of the '60s version. ITV TV reboots in pictures Danger Mouse Pointless host Alexander Armstrong takes over from Sir David Jason as the lead in the upcoming Danger Mouse CBBC'S remake. PA TV reboots in pictures Red Dwarf The Emmy Award winning sci-fi comedy is to return in 2016 and 2017 with some of the original cast: Craig Charles as Dave Lister, Robert Llewellyn as Kryten and Chris Barrie as Arnold Rimmer. TV reboots in pictures House of Cards Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright in Netflix original series House of Cards. Nathaniel Bell TV reboots in pictures Poldark Actor Aidan Turner as Ross Poldark in BBC1's remake of its classic 1970s series. BBC TV reboots in pictures Teletubbies The original 'Teletubbies' are set to return to our screens, 20 years later. BBC TV reboots in pictures The Clangers Rex Features TV reboots in pictures Doctor Who The Doctor looks pensively as he holds a tangerine BBC Gilmore Girls joins an entire slate of beloved TV shows being given the reboot treatment; The X-Files' new season recently premiered to mixed reviews, whilst an Avengers-style mash-up of Nickelodeon's '90s cartoons is currently being prepped. Netflix itself has ordered a similar revival of Full House, entitled Fuller House, which will see the original cast reunite bar the Olsen twins. 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 passing of Downton Abbey will leave such a hole in the ITV schedule come the autumn that the broadcaster has gone to the lengths of building its own Buckingham Palace. Like the mythical Downton, ITVs Buck House is in rural Yorkshire; the aircraft hangers on former RAF base Church Fenton, outside Tadcaster is the site of the 100,000 square feet set for the epic series Victoria, which calls for a replica 19th-century palace. The ambitious project might salve the pain of British period drama fans when September comes and Downton, which ended for good on Christmas Day , does not. Viewers may have lost Michelle Dockerys Lady Mary, but they will gain Jenna Coleman, the former Doctor Who star who plays the young queen. Coleman is one of several female leads cast by ITV this year as it contests televisions most competitive battleground: serial drama. With the BBC, in its fight for its future, showcasing itself with War and Peace, and Netflix and Amazon waving dollars at Britains leading actors and writers, ITV must up its game. The broadcaster has been rocked by the sudden departure this month of Peter Fincham, its inspirational director of television for eight years. Fincham championed Downton Abbey and restored ITVs confidence, although its main channel lags behind BBC1 in the ratings. Fortunately, Steve November, ITV head of drama, has drawn up an impressive slate for 2016. Sitting in ITVs 20th-floor boardroom overlooking the Thames near Waterloo, he explains the importance to ITV of strong everywoman characters. Jenna Coleman plays the young queen (ITV) Theres a great love for intriguing, exciting, strong female leads they work very well for our audience, he said. His everywoman does not rule out an aristocrat or even a ruler. We want characters who we can empathise with and have a relationship with, who feel on a level with us, so that leads towards the everywoman/everyman type, he said. Victoria is about the most famous monarch and world leader ever, yet what makes it appealing is the common humanity in Victoria; we see her girlish excitement, we see her fall in love, we see her petulance and anger, and we empathise with it. Its about the points where their lives touch ours. This would also go for Marcella, a Metdetective played by Anna Friel in an eight-part drama which November commissioned from Hans Rosenfeldt, writer of cult Scandi drama The Bridge. Hes doing his first English language drama for us, he said. It has all the twists, turns and intrigue to keep people guessing. There is also an everywoman quality to Ellie Miller, Olivia Colmans character in Broadchurch, which shoots its third series in the summer. Writer Chris Chibnall recently signed up to script Doctor Who is sequestered away, writing furiously, said November. Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up Downton Abbey series 6 Show all 8 1 /8 Downton Abbey series 6 Downton Abbey series 6 Downton Abbey series 6 Mrs Hughes and Mrs Patmore ITV Downton Abbey series 6 Downton Abbey series 6 ITV Downton Abbey series 6 Downton Abbey series 6 The Downton under butlers ITV Downton Abbey series 6 Downton Abbey series 6 Mr Carson and Mrs Hughes are engaged to tie the knot ITV Downton Abbey series 6 Downton Abbey series 6 Will Mr and Mrs Hughes' police case be dropped? ITV Downton Abbey series 6 Downton Abbey series 6 Mrs Crawley continues to wind up the Dowager Countess ITV Downton Abbey series 6 Downton Abbey series 6 What will the Dowager Countess say to tightening of the purse strings in the Crawley house? ITV Downton Abbey series 6 Downton Abbey series 6 The sun sets on the final series of Downton Abbey ITV In Dark Angel, Joanne Froggatt (who played housemaid Anna Smith/Bates in Downton Abbey) stars as Britains first serial killer, the Victorian dressmaker Mary Ann Cotton. November said audiences are drawn to 19th-century themes, but that Victoria herself has been under served by television. We are all fascinated by the Victorians and what they did for us yet, although theres a film, The Young Victoria, and a film of [her later life] Mrs Brown, we have never really seen Victoria on TV. He said the series was regarded as potentially one of many, documenting her 63 years on the throne. I hate to jinx anything, but I hope we can return and take her through her reign, he said. The series, created by Daisy Goodwin, will allow Coleman, to correct the idea that Victoria was dour. November said: The widow Victoria that we know in all those portraits, the rather prudish older woman, is completely misleading she was once young, vivacious and mischievous, a fun, excitable, character who led the most extraordinary romantic life. Many viewers, he said, would assume filming had taken place at Buckingham Palace: I probably shouldnt have said its a set, because I dont think you would notice. It looks spectacular. November, who began his career in ITV soap operas Coronation Street and Emmerdale, is known in television as the Iceman, and his original surname was the similarly wintry Frost; he changed it to take the name of his wife and her daughter. He has also commissioned Brief Encounters, a feel good and very funny drama series about the early years of Ann Summers parties. There are male leads too. Michael Gambon will star in Churchills Secret, about Sir Winstons struggle to recover from a stroke in 1953. Rowan Atkinson will make a foray into straight acting as Georges Simenons detective in Maigret. And if all this fails to fill the Downton void, November has one more ace up his sleeve. Julian Fellowes, creator of the Earl of Grantham and co, has handed in one of his passion projects, an adaptation of Anthony Trollopes Doctor Thorne. If somebody had said Do you want to do a Trollope adaptation? I wouldnt have leapt, admitted November. But when you are offered the Julian Fellowes version of Trollope and you start reading the script, its a joyously easy decision. 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 }} Carrying diseases that kill at least one million people each year, the mosquito is officially the deadliest animal in the world. The Zika virus is the latest mosquito-borne disease to cause concern, with health officials in South America warning pregnant women from travelling to the area following links between the disease and thousands of babies being born with brain defects in continent, particularly in Brazil. The World Health Organisation (WHO) will decide on Monday whether to declare an international health emergency and experts have warned the explosive movement of the virus across the Americas means it has the potential to spread further. The Zika virus - in pictures Show all 5 1 /5 The Zika virus - in pictures The Zika virus - in pictures A three-month-old, who has microcephaly, in Recife, Brazil. A rise in microcephaly cases is thought to have been caused by the spread of the Zika virus in affected countries Getty Images The Zika virus - in pictures A mother holds her baby who has microcephaly Getty Images The Zika virus - in pictures A five-month-old baby, who has microcephaly, in Recife, Brazil Getty Images The Zika virus - in pictures A pediatric infectologist examines a two-month-old baby, who has microcephaly, in Recife, Brazil Getty Images The Zika virus - in pictures A baby affected with microcephaly Mosquito-borne diseases are especially concerning as mosquito bites are a constant threat among people living in certain climates and most of the diseases are untreatable. Frances Hawkes from the Natural Resources Institute at the University of Greenwich told the BBC: "Half of the global population is at risk of a mosquito-borne disease. They have had an untold impact on human misery." Below are eight mosquito-borne diseases, other than Zika, which have the potential to cause severe health implications if contracted. Malaria Malaria is found in more than 100 countries, mainly in tropical regions. It is a fatal disease and symptoms include a fever, shaking and chills. The 2015 World Malaria Report, published by WHO, found around 3.2 billion people in the world are at risk of Malaria. In 2015 alone there were 214 million new cases and around 438,000 deaths. Malaria is not found in the UK, but in 2014 around 1,586 travellers were diagnosed with the disease after returning to Britain. Yellow Fever Yellow Fever is rare among foreign travellers and tends to be found in Sub-Saharan Africa, South America and parts of the Caribbean. The disease varies in severity from a mild fever to a hemorrhagic fever and can be prevented with a vaccination. Six travellers from Europe and North America have died from the disease since 1996. None of them were vaccinated. The Zika virus is the latest mosquito-borne disease to cause concern Getty (Reuters) Dengue Around one-third of the global population live in an area where they are at risk of contracting Dengue fever. At least 100 million people world-wide become infected with Dengue each year making it a leading case of illness and death in tropic and sub-tropic climates. Last year the UN launched an appeal for aid in Yemen after an outbreak of the fever lead to 3,000 cases being reported in the country in a matter of months. Chikungunya Chikungunya was first discovered in 2013. Outbreaks tend to occur in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Indian and Pacific Ocean. The disease is characterised by painful symptoms such as joint pain, headaches and swelling. There is no specific treatment for the infection. The best way to avoid the disease is through preventing mosquito bites by using repellents and wearing appropriate clothing. West Nile Virus is the most common mosquito-borne disease Getty (Getty) West Nile Virus This is the most common mosquito-borne disease. It causes serious problems in fewer than one in 100 patients, most people who catch it usually suffer from mild flu-like symptoms. In tropical countries it is possible to catch WNV all year round. There have been no confirmed cases of WNV originating in the UK and cases affecting travellers returning to Britain are rare. Eastern Equine Encephalitis Eastern Equine Encephalitis is considered to be the most severe mosquito-borne disease. Of those who contract it, approximately 35 per cent may die. Of those that survive, 50 per cent may suffer long-term brain damage. The disease is mainly carried in insects in the US and in parts of Canada, central and South America. Human cases are rare; in the US there are around six cases a year. Battling the zika virus - in pictures Show all 19 1 /19 Battling the zika virus - in pictures Battling the zika virus - in pictures A worker of the Salvadorean Ministry of Health fumigates a house in Soyapango, 6 kilometers from San Salvador, El Salvador. Salvadorean authorities have began a three days campaign of fumigation to reduce the presence of the mosquito that transmit the Zika virus. EPA/Oscar Rivera Battling the zika virus - in pictures A Health Ministry employee fumigates a home against the Aedes aegypti mosquito to prevent the spread of the Zika virus in Soyapango, six km east of San Salvador. Health authorities have issued a national alert against the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, because of the link between the Zika virus and microcephaly and Guillain-BarrE Syndrome in foetuses. AFP PHOTO/Marvin RECINOSMarvin RECINOS/AFP/Getty Images Battling the zika virus - in pictures A pediatric infectologist examines a two-months-old baby, who has microcephaly, on 26 January 2016 in Recife, Brazil. Getty Images Battling the zika virus - in pictures A woman walks through the fumes as Health Ministry employee fumigate against the Aedes aegypti mosquito to prevent the spread of the Zika virus in Soyapango. Marvin RECINOS/AFP/Getty Images Battling the zika virus - in pictures A health ministry employee sprays to eliminate breeding sites of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which transmits diseases such as the dengue, chicunguna and Zica viruses, in a Tegucigalpa cemetery on January 21, 2016. The medical school at the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH) recommended that women in the country avoid getting pregnant for the time being due to the presence of the Zika virus. If a pregnant woman is infected by the virus, the baby could be born with microcephaly. AFP PHOTO/Orlando SIERRA Battling the zika virus - in pictures A man walks away from his home with his son as health workers fumigates the Altos del Cerro neighbourhood as part of preventive measures against the Zika virus and other mosquito-borne diseases in Soyapango, El Salvador REUTERS/Jose Cabezas Battling the zika virus - in pictures A three-months-old, who has microcephaly, in Recife, Brazil. Getty Images Battling the zika virus - in pictures A pregnant woman waits to be attended at the Maternal and Children's Hospital in Tegucigalpa. The medical school at the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH) recommended that women in the country avoid getting pregnant for the time being due to the presence of the Zika virus. If a pregnant woman is infected by the virus, the baby could be born with microcephaly. ORLANDO SIERRA/AFP/Getty Images Battling the zika virus - in pictures Army soldiers apply insect repellent as they prepare for a clean up operation against the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is a vector for transmitting the Zika virus in Sao Paulo, Brazil. AP Photo/Andre Penner Battling the zika virus - in pictures Workers disinfect the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro to fight the spread of the Zika virus Battling the zika virus - in pictures Dr. Vanessa Van Der Linden, the neuro-pediatrician who first recognized the microcephaly crisis in Brazil, measures the head of a 2-month-old baby with microcephaly in Recife Battling the zika virus - in pictures Mother Mylene Helena Ferreira cares for her son David Henrique Ferreira, 5 months, who has microcephaly, on January 25, 2016 in Recife, Brazil. In the last four months, authorities have recorded close to 4,000 cases in Brazil in which the mosquito-borne Zika virus may have led to microcephaly in infants Getty Images Battling the zika virus - in pictures U.S. women who are pregnant from traveling to many South American countries Battling the zika virus - in pictures In the last four months, authorities have recorded close to 4,000 cases in Brazil in which the mosquito-borne Zika virus may have led to microcephaly in infants. Getty Images Battling the zika virus - in pictures Dr. Vanessa Van Der Linden, the neuro-pediatrician who first recognized the microcephaly crisis in Brazil, examines a two-month-old baby with microcephaly on January 27, 2016 in Recife, Brazil Battling the zika virus - in pictures Washington Post Battling the zika virus - in pictures Battling the zika virus - in pictures Battling the zika virus - in pictures Western Equine Encephalitis Western Equine Encephalitis affects both humans and horses. It was first recognised in 1930 in a horse in California. It is mainly found in Western areas of the US and Mexico. The majority of people infected will experience mild illness or even no symptoms at all. Japanese Encephalitis Occurring mainly in Asia and the western Pacific symptoms of this insect-borne disease can vary greatly. Some patients may show no symptoms at all, however, at its most severe, the illness can result in severe inflammation of the brain and seizures. In less than one in every 250 cases the infection can spread to the brain and there is currently no cure. The disease is rare - less than one in a million travellers will develop Japanese Encephalitis in any given year. There has not been a reported case in a traveller returning to the UK for over 10 years. 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 }} An alternative cancer treatment is just as effective as radiotherapy but as fewer damaging side effects on children, a new study has found. Proton beam therapy became the subject of national debate in 2014 when the parents of a five-year-old boy were detained by police for taking him from a British hospital to seek the treatment abroad. Brett and Naghemeh King had disagreed with doctors at Southampton General Hospital over how to treat their son Ashyas medulloblastoma, a type of brain tumour. Ashya King goes back to school The NHS did not offer proton beam therapy in the UK at the time and had refused to refer them abroad, prompting the parents to travel to a specialist centre in the Czech Republic themselves. Last March, Mr and Mrs King announced that their son was in remission and Ashya returned to school full-time this month. A study published in the Lancet Oncology Journal said radiotherapy and proton beam treatment had similar survival rates for medulloblastoma but found that it the less common method has several advantages. The authors, led by Dr Torunn Yock from the Massachusetts General Hospital in the US, said: Our findings suggest that proton radiotherapy seems to result in an acceptable degree of toxicity and had similar survival outcomes to those achieved with photon-based radiotherapy. Although there remain some effects of treatment on hearing, endocrine, and neurocognitive outcomes - particularly in younger patients - other late effects common in photon-treated patients, such as cardiac, pulmonary, and gastrointestinal toxic effects, were absent. Proton radiotherapy resulted in acceptable toxicity and had similar survival outcomes to those noted with conventional radiotherapy, suggesting that the use of the treatment may be an alternative to photon-based treatments. Dr. Vladimir Vondracek operates a machine in a proton therapy treatment room at Proton Therapy Center in Prague, Czech Republic (AP) The study, published in the Lancet Oncology journal, listed common toxic effects of radiotherapy on the heart, lungs and stomach were not seen in those undergoing proton treatment. They analysed 59 patients with medulloblastoma - the most common kind of malignant brain tumour in children - aged between three and 21 from 2003 to 2009. Fifty-five of the patients had the tumour partially or completely removed through surgery, while all patients received chemotherapy as well as proton beam therapy. Three years after treatment, 83 per cent survived without the cancer getting worse, falling to 80 per cent after five years. In terms of side effects, around one in seven had serious hearing loss after five years and 55 per cent had problems with the neurendocrine system, which regulates hormones. Dr Yock told BBC Radio 5 Live: The major finding is that proton therapy is as effective as photon therapy [conventional X-ray radiotherapy] in curing these patients and what is also very exciting is that it is maintaining these high rates of cure but doing so with less late toxicity, which has dramatic quality of life improvements. In pictures: Ashya King's case Show all 22 1 /22 In pictures: Ashya King's case In pictures: Ashya King's case Ashya King Brett King, back left, and Naghemeh King, right, accompany their son Ashya King (5) center, as he arrives for pre-cancer treatment examinations at the Motol hospital in Prague, Czech Republic In pictures: Ashya King's case Ashya King Ashya King (5) arrives for pre-cancer treatment examinations at the Motol hospital in Prague, Czech Republic In pictures: Ashya King's case Ashya King Brett King, father of five year old Ashya King, talks to members of the press after holding a press conference at his lawyer's office in Seville, Spain In pictures: Ashya King's case Ashya King Brett and Naghemeh King, parents of Ashya King, attend a press conference in Sevilla, Spain. The British parents are heading to see him at a hospital in southern Spain following release their from custody after United Kingdom authorities dropped accusations of child cruelty against them In pictures: Ashya King's case Ashya King British couple Brett (L) and Naghemeh (2L) King leave Soto del Real Prision in Soto del Real, near Madrid, Spain In pictures: Ashya King's case Ashya King Brett King leaving Soto del Real prison near Madrid, Spain after British authorities dropped the case against him and his wife for taking their son Ashya from Southampton General Hospital without the consent of doctors In pictures: Ashya King's case Ashya King Naghemeh King leaves Soto del Real Prision in Soto del Real, near Madrid, Spain In pictures: Ashya King's case Ashya King Ashya King in hospital with his mother In pictures: Ashya King's case Ashya King Journalist work outside the Materno Infantil Hospital where Ashya King is hospitalized in Malaga, Spain In pictures: Ashya King's case Ashya King Ethan Dallas and Sanjay Ganatra, friends of the family, deliver a petition of over 100,000 names calling for his parents' release from a Spanish jail PA In pictures: Ashya King's case Ashya King Spanish judge Ismael Moreno arrives to the National Courts to take statement to the parents of Britain's five-year-old boy Ashya King, in Madrid, Spain In pictures: Ashya King's case Ashya King Ashya King parents's lawyer, Juan Isidro Fernandez Diaz, arrives at the National court in Madrid AP Photo/Andres Kudacki In pictures: Ashya King's case Ashya King Spanish policemen stand guard as a police van carrying the parents of Ashya King arrives at the courthouse in Madrid JAVIER SORIANO/AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Ashya King's case Ashya King Ashya Kings parents after their court appearance BBC In pictures: Ashya King's case Ashya King Ashya King's father explained why he took his son to Spain in a video uploaded to YouTube In pictures: Ashya King's case Ashya King This photo of Ashya King being examined by doctors in hospital was posted on Facebook by his brother, Naveed Facebook/Naveed King In pictures: Ashya King's case Ashya King Ashya King and his brother Naveed Facebook/Naveed King In pictures: Ashya King's case Ashya King Ashya King on a hospital bed Facebook/Naveed King In pictures: Ashya King's case Ashya King A CCTV still issued by Hampshire Police of Ashya King with his father Brett King at around 4pm yesterday PA/Hampshire Police In pictures: Ashya King's case Ashya King The exterior of Southampton General Hospital where Ashya King, who has a brain tumour was taken by his parents from the hospital without the blessing of doctors In pictures: Ashya King's case Ashya King Hampshire Constabulary said there are 'serious concerns' for the life of Ashya King as he needs constant medical care. Officers said his parents - Brett, 51, and Naghemeh, 45, - boarded a cross-Channel ferry from Portsmouth to Cherbourg at 4pm yesterday with Ashya's six siblings PA/Hampshire Police In pictures: Ashya King's case Ashya King Ashya King, who has a brain tumour and was taken by his parents from hospital without the blessing of doctors Proton therapy is a highly targeted treatment often used on hard-to-reach cancers and has a lower risk of damaging other body tissue. High-energy protons, rather than the photons of conventional radiotherapy, penetrate the skin and release energy at the tumour, destroying the capacity of cancer cells to replicate. Dr Kieran Breen, from the Brain Tumour Research Foundation, told the BBC more research is needed. In the longer term, we need to try and understand what effects it will have on people and there are many other forms of tumour both in the brain and in other parts of the body, he said. Proton beam therapy is currently only available to treat eye cancers in the UK, with the NHS sending patients for other types abroad, but several new centres are due to open from this year onwards. The Department of Health has pledged to offer the treatment to up to 1,500 cancer patients at hospitals in London and Manchester from April 2018, following investment worth 250 million. 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 }} As well as Monday's House of Commons debate on the new state pension and how it disadvantages million of women, there is another important pensions event in Westminster next week that is likely to receive less publicity. On Tuesday, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Frozen British Pensions which includes shadow Pensions minister Angela Rayner meets to discuss an international unfairness. The important issue they're discussing is simple: around 560,000 British pensioners live in countries where the state pension they receive is frozen at the same rate as when they left the UK. Meanwhile, another 600,000 pensioners living abroad benefit from a state pension that rises every year as if they still lived in the UK. Is this fair? I don't believe so. Successive governments have left out in the cold elderly war heroes and other British citizens retiring to mainly former Commonwealth countries. But some simple reciprocal agreements with those countries could solve the problem. In fact, Australia and India have this month struck a pensions deal that allows expats from each country to receive the state pension of their home country without having to return home. That's all the British pensioners want. John Markham, director of campaign group the International Consortium of British Pensioners, told me: "This news demonstrates just how out of step Britain now is with international norms on payment of full state pensions to its overseas pensioners. If India can afford it, why can't we?" Why indeed? He added: "We urge the Government to reverse this unjust policy and ensure that all British pensioners no matter where they live receive the full state pension they have paid for and deserve." 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 }} Q. My son phoned me from the Philippines in early November to ask to borrow 450 to pay tuition fees for his stepson. It was a rush job; if he didn't pay the fees the next day, his stepson could be thrown off his course. I sent the money by Western Union to my daughter-in-law, rather than using a bank transfer. I went on the Western Union website, which promised to have the money available in minutes. But when my daughter-in-law went to the Western Union agency, the money was not made available. Weeks later, the cash still hasn't been given to her. At one point, it was hinted that she might have the same name as someone involved in terrorism or organised crime, but eventually the firm said that she was not a villain and she could have the money if she turned up with ID at a branch. She did and she couldn't obtain the cash. After a couple of weeks, I sent my son the money by bank transfer and asked Western Union for a refund, plus whatever compensation it thought appropriate. It didn't answer that request it just sent a standard letter. The latest from my son is that the Western Union branch in Manila doesn't even recognise the reference number I was given. The transaction has just disappeared, along with my 450. RP, by email A. We would like to explain what happened to your funds and why the transfer has been delayed. However, several weeks after we raised the matter, and after we nagged, Western Union has simply told us that the money has now been refunded to you. "The Western Union budgie has coughed, and I have 449.90 why minus 10p I don't know in my sticky hand," you tell us. Caught between HMRC and an employer Q. Four months ago, I made an income tax refund request to HM Revenue and Customs for 2014-15, when I earned less than 10,000 in the tax year. I enclosed all my P60 forms and expected to receive a cheque the following month. Instead, I received a letter from HMRC apologising for the delay and saying it was waiting for information from one of my employers, Knowsley Council. I was told that if HMRC was unable to deal with this within a month, it would contact me again to explain why. But I did not receive a letter, so I phoned and was told that HMRC needed further income details from Knowsley. When I phoned the council, I was told it had tried to investigate the problem but had drawn a blank. I am now desperate for this money and have exceeded my overdraft limit with my bank. PB, Liverpool A. When we contacted the council, its spokeswoman said: "We have provided the necessary letter to HMRC, which I think has resolved the issue." But when we then contacted HMRC, we were told this was not sufficient. However, your refund has now been processed. An HMRC spokeswoman explained: "The refund was done manually as the employer had still not sent through [the reader's] missing income details electronically." Energy supplier has taken too much money Q. You have recently published complaints from readers about Extra Energy (Questions of Cash 28 November 2015, 5 December 2015, 9 January 2016 and 16 January 2016). The company has built up an unnecessarily high account balance from me by collecting too much. Looking at my recent bills, my usage of gas seems to be going down, yet the direct debit has been going up. I am now intending to close down my direct debit early to try to recover some of my money. MC, by email A. Extra Energy accepts that your direct debit has been too high and has agreed to reduce it, but denies that it is at fault. Ben Jones, its managing director of operations, said: "It is crucial that customers submit their meter readings in order [for Extra Energy] to consistently bill them correctly... Sometimes customers use less energy than the estimated annual consumption figure provided, and this is what happened with [the reader's] account. As soon as we were made aware this was the case, we amended his direct debit payments accordingly. [The reader] has now also renewed his account with Extra Energy for another year." The company told you the overcharge was the result of errors in figures given to it by its gas supplier. Chased for a mobile bill I HAd already paid Q. Vodafone has been sending me texts saying that I have not paid my phone bill, even though I have received three separate emails from the firm confirming that my direct debit has been reinstated and payment received. The original problem was caused by a system change at Vodafone in October, which froze out my longstanding direct debit. LP, by email A. A spokeswoman for Vodafone said: "There was an error on [the reader's] account that affected the status of his direct debit. Unfortunately, our advisers didn't pick up on this and tried to help by re-applying the direct debit. We've put this right now. "We have put two months' worth of credit on the account, which will give plenty of time for his bank to accept the new direct debit mandate." You are concerned that these problems could affect your credit statusm but Vodafone tells us that there is no adverse entry on your credit file. 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 }} James Murdoch is controversially returning as chairman of Sky TV four years after he left the role in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal at News International. His return cements his position as heir apparent to his 84-year-old father Rupert and immediately prompted speculation that the Murdoch family, through its Fox TV network in the US, might again bid to buy the 61 per cent of Sky that Fox does not already own. It also reignited controversy about the Murdochs control over Sky. Ashley Hamilton Claxton, corporate governance manager at Royal London Asset Management, which owns 49m worth of Sky shares, said: The reappointment of Mr Murdoch as chairman is inappropriate in our view. Should Fox make a bid for Sky, investors need a strong independent chairman to protect the interests of minority shareholders and negotiate the best possible deal. James Murdoch, 43, was Skys chief executive from 2003 to 2007 and chairman from 2007 to 2012, when he stepped down saying he did not want to be a lightning rod to Sky over the hacking scandal. He remained on its board. He is chief executive of the Murdoch familys broadcasting empire 21st Century Fox and a director of News Corporation. Nick Ferguson, a City grandee who replaced Mr Murdoch, will quit as chairman and director of Sky in April. Tim Bush, head of governance at the shareholder advisory group Pirc, said: We thought we were well past the point where Sky could be run without him. We will want to know how the rest of the board can explain this. Skys chief executive, Jeremy Darroch, said: Our senior independent non-executive director Martin Gilbert led the process and the nomination committee met separately from the board. It then put its recommendation to the board, who approved it unanimously. He admitted that Mr Murdoch was the only name submitted to the board. Mr Gilbert, chief executive of Aberdeen Asset Management, which owns nearly 15 million Sky shares, becomes deputy chairman a role that has not existed since Mr Murdoch ceased to be chairman. Andrew Sukawaty, chairman of satellite communications group Inmarsat, will take on the role of senior independent director. That will leave Sky in the unusual position of having 12 directors, of whom only six are deemed independent. Besides Mr Gilbert and Mr Sukawaty, they are: Tesco chief Dave Lewis; Standard Chartereds Tracy Clarke; the former managing director of Swedish investment firm Investor, Adine Grate Axen; and the French banker Matthieu Pigasse. Citi said: The retirement of... Nick Ferguson and the announcement of James Murdoch as his replacement may raise some questions about the balance of the board. Sky has had its strongest quarter for a decade, signing 377,000 new customers in the three months to December. Half-year operating profits rose by 12 per cent to 747m, beating City forecasts, and the dividend goes up by 2p to 12.6p a share. CV: James Rupert Jacob Murdoch 1972 Born in Wimbledon, south-west London. Goes to school in New York and studies film and history at Harvard in the 1990s, but does not complete course. 1995 Sets up Rawkus Records (signings included Eminem), a hip-hop record label. 1996 Joins family business after News Corp buys 80 per cent stake in Rawkus. He is made chairman of News Corps Australian record label Festival Records. 2000 Made chairman and chief executive of News Corps Hong Kong-based Asian satellite service Star TV. 2003 -2007 Becomes chief executive of BSkyB 39 per cent owned by News Corp. 2007 Named chief executive of News Corp in Europe and Asia, including News International newspaper business, and chairman of Sky. March 2011 Made deputy chief operating officer at News Corp. July 2011 Closes News of the World amid hacking scandal. February 2012 Resigns from News International. April 2012 Resigns as chairman of BSkyB. 1 July 2015 Named chief executive of 21st Century Fox, the film and TV business split out of News Corp in 2013. 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 }} David Bowie's estate, valued at around 70 million ($100 million), will be split predominantly between his wife and two children, according to his will which has been filed in New York. Half of the sum will go to his widow, the supermodel Iman, along with the SoHo home they shared in New York. The rest will be split between his son, Duncan Jones, and daughter, Alexandria, who will also receive his Ulster County mountain home. The stars long-time personal assistant, Corinne Schwab, was left $2 million as well as shares he owned in a company called Oppossum Inc. Another $1 million went to Alexandrias former nanny, Marion Skene. Duncan Jones and father David Bowie Getty (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival) The 20-page document, filed on Friday under his legal name David Robert Jones, reveals Bowie has requested his ashes to be scattered in Bali in accordance with the Buddhist rituals. In the will, prepared in 2004, Bowie asked to be cremated in Bali, but added if that was not practical, then he wanted his ashes to be scattered there anyway. It is not clear if the scattering has taken place. The star, who continuously transformed his look and sound throughout his career, died of cancer on 10 January, aged 69. Bowies body was cremated on 12 January in New Jersey, according to a death certificate filed with the will. At the time it was reported no family or friends were present at the ceremony because the iconic singer wanted to go without any fuss. Iman and Bowie in pictures Show all 14 1 /14 Iman and Bowie in pictures Iman and Bowie in pictures David Bowie and his wife, model Iman arrive for the MTV Video Music Awards in New York in 1999. Getty Images Iman and Bowie in pictures Singer David Bowie is joined by wife Iman and Bush guitarist Gavin Rossdale on stage at the end of the NetAid charity concert in Wembley stadium in October 1999. Getty Images Iman and Bowie in pictures Model Iman and her late husband singer David Bowie in New York in February 2001 Getty Images Iman and Bowie in pictures Bowie and his wife Iman attend the Serpentine Gallery Summer Party in Kensington Gardens in July 2002 in London Getty Images Iman and Bowie in pictures British musician David Bowie and model Iman in 2002. Getty Images Iman and Bowie in pictures Model Iman and David Bowie in 2003. Getty Images Iman and Bowie in pictures Singer David Bowie and his wife model Iman in May 2003. Getty Images Iman and Bowie in pictures The couple in 2005. Getty Images Iman and Bowie in pictures Bowie and Iman in 2003. Iman and Bowie in pictures Bowie with Iman in 2002. Rex Features Iman and Bowie in pictures The couple in 2011. Iman and Bowie in pictures David Bowie walks with his with wife Iman and daughter Alexandria (2) in New York, 2003. Shutterstock Iman and Bowie in pictures David Bowie and his wife, supermodel Iman smile as they pose for photos after Bowie received a star on the world famous Walk of Fame 12 February in Hollywood, 1997. Getty Iman and Bowie in pictures David Bowie and model Iman arrive to the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala, Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, 2008. Getty Bowie released a new album, Blackstar, just two days before his death. It has retrospectively been interpreted as his farewell to fans, with producer Tony Visconti describing it as his "parting gift" to the world. The album is in the number one spot in the UK charts. Additional reporting by Associated Press 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 }} Television fans should be grateful that Olivia Colman ignored the careers advice she was given at school. Having done an aptitude test, she was told she would make an ideal HGV lorry driver. "Because I've got 100 per cent spatial awareness. I'd be able to back them into tight parking spots." Instead Sarah Colman (she's Olivia for Equity reasons) left Norfolk for Cambridge to train as a primary school teacher, which fits rather better with her sunny, fragile demeanour than a trucker. "Colly" was soon derailed from that path too by David Mitchell and Robert Webb, whom she met in Footlights. She ate a cigarette butt in her audition to impress them, and so began years of comic collaboration, first in the duo's sketch shows, then as Sophie in Peep Show. Culture news in pictures Show all 33 1 /33 Culture news in pictures Culture news in pictures 30 September 2016 An employee hangs works of art with "Grand Teatro" by Marino Marini (R) and bronze sculpture "Sfera N.3" by Arnaldo Pomodoro seen ahead of a Contemporary Art auction on 7 October, at Sotheby's in London REUTERS Culture news in pictures 29 September 2016 Street art by Portuguese artist Odeith is seen in Dresden, during an exhibition "Magic City - art of the streets" AFP/Getty Images Culture news in pictures 28 September 2016 Dancers attend a photocall for the new "THE ONE Grand Show" at Friedrichstadt-Palast in Berlin, Germany REUTERS Culture news in pictures 28 September 2016 With an array of thrift store china, humorous souvenirs and handmade tile adorning its walls and floors, the Mosaic Tile House in Venice stands as a monument to two decades of artistic collaboration between Cheri Pann and husband Gonzalo Duran REUTERS Culture news in pictures 27 September 2016 A gallery assistant poses amongst work by Anthea Hamilton from her nominated show "Lichen! Libido!(London!) Chastity!" at a preview of the Turner Prize in London REUTERS Culture news in pictures 27 September 2016 A technician wearing virtual reality glasses checks his installation in three British public telephone booths, set up outside the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, Netherlands. The installation allows visitors a 3-D look into the museum which has twenty-two paintings belonging to the British Royal Collection, on loan for an exhibit from 29 September 2016 till 8 January 2017 AP Culture news in pictures 26 September 2016 An Indian artist dressed as Hindu god Shiva performs on a chariot as he participates in a religious procession 'Ravan ki Barat' held to mark the forthcoming Dussehra festival in Allahabad AFP/Getty Images Culture news in pictures 26 September 2016 Jean-Michel Basquiat's 'Air Power', 1984, is displayed at the Bowie/Collector media preview at Sotheby's in New York AFP/Getty Culture news in pictures 25 September 2016 A woman looks at an untitled painting by Albert Oehlen during the opening of an exhibition of works by German artists Georg Baselitz and Albert Oehlen in Reutlingen, Germany. The exhibition runs at the Kunstverein (art society) Reutlingen until 15 January 2017 EPA Culture news in pictures 24 September 2016 Fan BingBing (C) attends the closing ceremony of the 64th San Sebastian Film Festival at Kursaal in San Sebastian, Spain Getty Images Culture news in pictures 23 September 2016 A view of the artwork 'You Are Metamorphosing' (1964) as part of the exhibition 'Retrospektive' of Japanese artist Tetsumi Kudo at Fridericianum in Kassel, Germany. The exhibition runs from 25 September 2016 to 1 January 2017 EPA Culture news in pictures 22 September 2016 Jo Applin from the Courtauld Institute of Art looks at Green Tilework in Live Flesh by Adriana Vareja, which features in a new exhibition, Flesh, at York Art Gallery. The new exhibition features works by Degas, Chardin, Francis Bacon and Sarah Lucas, showing how flesh has been portrayed by artists over the last 600 years PA Culture news in pictures 21 September 2016 Performers Sean Atkins and Sally Miller standing in for the characters played by Asa Butterfield and Ella Purnell during a photocall for Tim Burton's "Miss Peregrines Home For Peculiar Children" at Potters Field Park in London Getty Images Culture news in pictures 20 September 2016 A detail from the blanket 'Alpine Cattle Drive' from 1926 by artist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner is displayed at the 'Hamburger Bahnhof - Museum for Contemporary Arts' in Berlin. The exhibition named 'Ernst Ludwig Kirchner - Hieroglyphen' showing the complete collection of Berlin's Nationalgallerie works of the German artist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and will run from 23 September 2016 until 26 February 2017 AP Culture news in pictures 20 September 2016 A man looks at portrait photos by US photographer Bruce Gilden in the exhibition 'Masters of Photography' at the photokina in Cologne, Germany. The trade fair on photography, photokina, schowcases some 1,000 exhibitors from 40 countries and runs from 20 to 25 September. The event also features various photo exhibitions EPA Culture news in pictures 20 September 2016 A woman looks at 'Blue Poles', 1952 by Jackson Pollock during a photocall at the Royal Academy of Arts, London PA Culture news in pictures 19 September 2016 Art installation The Refusal of Time, a collaboration with Philip Miller, Catherine Meyburgh and Peter Galison, which features as part of the William Kentridge exhibition Thick Time, showing from 21 September to 15 January at the Whitechapel Gallery in London PA Culture news in pictures 18 September 2016 Artists creating one off designs at the Mm6 Maison Margiela presentation during London Fashion Week Spring/Summer collections 2017 in London Getty Images Culture news in pictures 18 September 2016 Bethenny Frankel attends the special screening of Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" to celebrate the 25th Anniversary Edition release on Blu-Ray and DVD in New York City Getty Images for Walt Disney Stu Culture news in pictures 17 September 2016 Visitors attend the 2016 Oktoberfest beer festival at Theresienwiese in Munich, Germany Getty Images Culture news in pictures 16 September 2016 Visitors looks at British artist Damien Hirst work of art 'The Incomplete Truth', during the 13th Yalta Annual Meeting entitled 'The World, Europe and Ukraine: storms of changes', organised by the Yalta European Strategy (YES) in partnership with the Victor Pinchuk Foundation at the Mystetsky Arsenal Art Center in Kiev AP Culture news in pictures 16 September 2016 Tracey Emin's "My Bed" is exhibited at the Tate Liverpool as part of the exhibition Tracey Emin And William Blake In Focus, which highlights surprising links between the two artists Getty Images Culture news in pictures 15 September 2016 Musician Dave Grohl (L) joins musician Tom Morello of Prophets of Rage onstage at the Forum in Inglewood, California Getty Images Culture news in pictures 14 September 2016 Model feebee poses as part of art installation "Narcissism : Dazzle room" made by artist Shigeki Matsuyama at rooms33 fashion and design exhibition in Tokyo. Matsuyama's installation features a strong contrast of black and white, which he learned from dazzle camouflage used mainly in World War I AP Culture news in pictures 13 September 2016 Visitors look at artworks by Chinese painter Cui Ruzhuo during the exhibition 'Glossiness of Uncarved Jade' held at the exhibition hall 'Manezh' in St. Petersburg, Russia. More than 200 paintings by the Chinese artist are presented until 25 September EPA Culture news in pictures 12 September 2016 A visitor looks at Raphael's painting 'Extase de Sainte Cecile', 1515, from the Uffizi Gallery in Florence during the opening of a Raphael exhibition at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, Russia. The first Russian exhibition of the works of the Italian Renaissance artist Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino includes eight paintings and three drawings which come from Italy. Th exhibit opens to the public from 13 September to 11 December EPA Culture news in pictures 11 September 2016 Steve Cropper and Eddie Floyd perform during Otis Redding 75th Birthday Celebration - Rehearsals at the Macon City Auditorium in Macon, Georgia Getty Images for Otis Redding 75 Culture news in pictures 10 September 2016 Sakari Oramo conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Chorus and the BBC Singers at the Last Night of the Proms 2016 at the Royal Albert Hall in London PA Culture news in pictures 9 September 2016 A visitor walks past a piece entitled "Fruitcake" by Joana Vasconcelo, during the Beyond Limits selling exhibition at Chatsworth House near Bakewell REUTERS Culture news in pictures 8 September 2016 A sculpture of a crescent standing on the 2,140 meters high mountain 'Freiheit' (German for 'freedom'), in the Alpstein region of the Appenzell alps, eastern Switzerland. The sculpture is lighted during the nights by means of solar panels. The 38-year-old Swiss artist and atheist Christian Meier set the crescent on the peak to start a debate on the meaning of religious symbols - as summit crosses - on mountains. 'Because so many peaks have crosses on them, it struck me as a great idea to put up an equally absurd contrast'. 'Naturally I wanted to provoke in a fun way. But it goes beyond that. The actions of an artist should be food for thought, both visually and in content' EPA Culture news in pictures Culture news in pictures Culture news in pictures At 42, her sidekick years are long gone. If you can spend an hour in the pub debating an actress's best role, it's a good sign. If that actress has as many comic triumphs as tragic, you could get to thinking she's one of the very best. In 2013, she won two Baftas for best supporting actress in Jimmy McGovern's harrowing Accused and best comedy performance for her lovelorn PA in Twenty Twelve. She is as hilarious playing a filthy-sweet vicar's wife in Rev as she is rawly touching as Ellie in Broadchurch. She has played Carol Thatcher, an abused wife (Tyrannosaur) and Marion the steam train in Thomas and Friends. She works hard, which may be part of her appeal. Mainly, though, it's about her face: endlessly expressive with big moist eyes which might overflow at any minute, and that bright, brittle smile, which flits from goofy to crestfallen in a sniff. She shows no vanity, and is terribly British. When Meryl Streep called her "divinely gifted" after working with her on The Iron Lady, Colman returned the compliment: "She's a really nice woman. I think they're the best actors." She might be on to something there. Sign up for a full digest of all the best opinions of the week in our Voices Dispatches email Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Voices Dispatches email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} While many men enjoy a night out with their male friends, they haven't yet had science on their side. However, a new study by the University of Gottingen, Germany, indicates that male bonding time, such as a 'lads' night out' could actually have a healthy impact on stress levels in men. Men suffer less anxiety when in all male groups, and male bonding time has been found to be less stressful than time spent with a partner or family, the research indicates. Stress-related illnesses were found to be more common in females and couples. Barbary macaques cuddle in fresh snow at the zoo near Salem, Germany (AFP) The study also concluded that men look after each other better. The research observed Barbary Macaques, which are known for their human-like behaviour. The male apes were less stressed when with their pack as opposed to their family or partners. Christopher Young of the university's Primate Social Evolution Group said to the Telegraph: "If male primates live in multimale groups they usually fight fiercely over access to females, but males can develop friendly relationships with a few group mates. 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 "Male macaques form social bonds similar to human friendships that buffer them against day-to-day stressors. 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 }} More than three decades have passed since the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament had a following large enough to bring traffic in central London to a halt, and fill the streets with banner-waving protesters united in their belief that the UK should renounce nuclear weapons The movement hit its peak on Saturday 22 October 1983, when supporters in their thousands poured into Hyde Park, urged on by 2.3 million advertisements fly-posted by CND activists ahead of the event urging them to be there. Recommended Read more Jeremy Corbyn risks splitting his party further with new role at CND The crowd heard from a succession of eminent speakers, including the fiery new leader of the Labour Party, Neil Kinnock. Scotland Yard estimated that the crowd numbered 200,000. The organisers claimed 300,000. For all their enthusiasm, the marchers had no impact at all on government policy. The land-based missiles to which they objected were taken away years later, not because of objectors, but under an international agreement. The Trident missiles are still carried in submarines, though theres now a debate as to whether they should be renewed. CND may have slipped off the news bulletins, but it never went out of existence. Bruce Kent, the former Roman Catholic priest who was a public face of the 1980s protest, still calls into CNDs north London headquarters a couple of times a week. The coming month will see several events designed to get CND back in the public eye, culminating in a rally in Trafalgar Square on 27 February where the main speaker will be Jeremy Corbyn. Organisers are expecting 50,000 or more. Kate Hudson, long-serving CND general secretary, was a face in the crowd at the 1980s Hyde Park rally. It was very exciting, she said. Those big demonstrations were my first experience of collective resolve. I have a very clear memory of one of those large demonstrations in Hyde Park. I remember seeing in the distance the little white shirt that was Monsignor Bruce Kent. I met him years later: its amazing to meet one of your heroes face to face. Then there was the fear factor. We felt that with cruise missiles coming, the Soviets and the US were gearing up to fight their nuclear war in Europe. Now people are thinking more about what is our security threat today. They think its terrorism, climate change, pandemic and cyber-crime, and are asking why are we spending potentially 183bn on something that doesnt appear to have any military utility. Also working in CNDs favour is the shift in the political landscape, summed up in two words Jeremy Corbyn. He stuck with CND during the wilderness years. One of his roles was as chairman of Labour CND. In 2014 he was confirmed in that position at an annual meeting that drew fewer than 50 supporters. The next annual meeting takes place today. This time they have had to book a hall for 150 to 200 delegates. They will hear from Diane Abbott, the shadow International Secretary, and the first serving member of a shadow cabinet to address Labour CND for more than 30 years. Mr Corbyn will stand down as chairman to be replaced by Walter Wolfgang, a 92-year-old who escaped from Nazi Germany and was one of the founders of CND, nearly 60 years ago. In 1957 the UK exploded a nuclear bomb. This inspired the launch of CND, with the philosopher Bertrand Russell as its president and the Labour MP Michael Foot as a prominent member. But people became accustomed to living with the bomb. CND almost vanished until Margaret Thatcher decided to purchase updated Trident missiles from the US, and to allow the Americans to place cruise missiles at Greenham Common. Between 1980 and 1984, CND membership swelled from around 4,500 to more than 100,000. Under Michael Foots leadership, unilateral nuclear disarmament became official Labour Party policy. But when disarmament talks between the superpowers began in the mid-1980s, CND again went into decline. Unilateralism was a vote loser. Neil Kinnock let his CND membership lapse as he fought a long, successful battle to reverse party policy. Ian Chamberlain, CNDs spokesman, said: The 1980s veterans have always been the core membership, but we now have a very large number of young people who were brought into politics by Jeremy Corbyn. During the Labour leadership election we were getting hundreds of new members each month. Success is closer than ever. 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 }} An eight-year-old was among tens of thousands of children held overnight in police cells last year, new figures have revealed. 22,795 under-18-year-olds were held in police cells in 2014-2015, including one child who was held for 15 days, according to data obtained by the BBC through a Freedom of Information request. Gloucestershire Police revealed they held the eight-year-old overnight. The figures, from 39 forces in England, reveal the high number of children detained overnight has actually decreased from previous years. In 2011-2012, 41,789 children were held in police custody overnight. Holding children in police cells is expected to be an emergency measure when alternative secure accommodation is unavailable. Under UK law, once charged any suspect under-18 should be bailed to their home or transferred to council accommodation, unless it is impracticable, such as moving them in the middle of the night. Merseyside Police said just three out of 73 children were transferred to council accommodation in June and July 2015. Forces said there was a "lack of alternative accommodation", while local councils said it was difficult to find emergency care. Jennifer Twite, a barrister with Just For Kids, a charity campaigning on behalf of children in the justice system, told the broadcaster that in eight years of representing children she had never known a child to be transferred to alternative accommodation, adding the situation was "shocking and unacceptable". Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) which independently assesses police forces said: No police force is doing enough work with local authorities to get secure accommodation. They added some forces had stopped requesting the facility. Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, told the BBC: The police know cells are not a nursery or a school. They are not an appropriate place for children to be. Police stations are noisy and full of adults some of whom are drunk and dangerous. The cells are often subterranean and really unpleasant places. Last week, Olivia Pinkney, the National Police Chiefs Council's lead officer for children and young people, urged local police forces to improve their dealings with children calling on them to treat young people according to their age rather than the offence they have may have committed. Ms Pinkney said improvements in how police understand and communicate with young people were moving at a "pedestrian" pace, Children and Young People Now reports. 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 former Oxford schoolboy has denied reports he has joined Isis in an exclusive interview with The Independent but labelled David Cameron "an evil creature"and described the US-led bombing of Syria as a diseased plot designed to kill off all Muslims "one by one". In his first interview since reports accused him of becoming the first white British man to travel to Syria and join the jihadist group, Jack Letts insists he has travelled to the so-called Islamic State to spread the word of Allah and help "take down" the government of Bashar al-Assad. "I can speak Arabic and English," he said. "Thats like my only skill. Ive spent efforts to take down the Syrian government." In the interview, conducted over messaging app Telegram, Mr Letts, who has been widely dubbed "Jihadi Jack", confirms he is still in Syria and admits he will probably be put in prison if he tries to return to the UK. He also calls on British people to convert to Islam and says David Cameron is "f not actually mentally ill [then] an evil creature". "If Britain stopped bombing Muslims in Syria, the Muslims in Syria would stop attacking them... is that hard to understand?" he says. The 20-year-old says Isis has been subjected to a "media frenzy", insisting militants are not committing atrocities in Syria as bad as the US-led coalition, which has been bombing positions in the country for the past 18 months. "The US-led coalition is a plan concocted in the diseased hearts and minds of some of Allah's enemies," he says. "A plot with the intention of collecting sincere Muslims who believe in taking action for their religion in one place and then killing them off one by one. "Despite the media frenzy surrounding them, Ive never seen Isis kill Muslim kids. I have, however, seen the coalition do so." On Sunday, Mr Letts was named as having joined the jihadist group. The reports were accompanied by a picture of him seemingly giving the one-fingered salute many associate with Isis. Mr Letts, who attended Cherwell School in Oxford, converted to Islam as a teenager and left his home more than a year ago. He was accused of admitting to his parents that he was with the group in September 2014. He subsequently posted private messages to hisFacebook account - also seen by The Independent - in which he accused the press of telling lies about him because of his Islamic faith. His Facebook account appears to have since been suspended. His parents, John and Sally Letts, an organic farmer and former books editor respectively, have described him as "kind, funny and gentle", and said they feel "betrayed" by the media coverage of their son. A photograph taken from Jack Letts Facebook page (Image taken from Facebook) There is no way of corroborating the accuracy of Mr Letts claims. In order to confirm his identity, The Independent asked Mr Letts to provide a sound recording of his voice, which was then verified with two unrelated people who know him. They both said it was Mr Letts' voice. While there is no indication Jack Letts was speaking while under duress during the interview, it has not been possible to verify for certain that his answers were given with no immediate influence from other parties. Mr Letts' parents have not responded to The Independent's request for comment. A full transcript of the interview is provided below. What made you leave the UK? What was the deciding factor? To come to Syria. To leave dar al kufr [the land of disbelievers]. Why are you out in Syria? To spread the religion of Allah and to help Muslims. I can speak Arabic and English. Thats like my only skill. Ive spent efforts to take down the Syrian government. Thats all I want to say There have been reports in the UK that you've joined Isis, what do you make of that? Ive made a clear response to this already. If youre gonna ask me questions, Im not going to repeat something Ive already addressed, InshaAllah. Have you joined Isis? Im not Isis, but I believe in the Sharia. I believe we should follow Islam how the first Muslims did. I also think that whatever I say, the media will probably freestyle with it and make up more nicknames for me as a result of the void they have in their lives. What do you think about Isis? Can you give us an insight into what's going on Syria with Isis? They've recently released a video saying they'll attack the UK - what are your thoughts on that? Im doing my own thing. I dont focus that much on what Isis does. Also this may sound strange but this is genuinely the first time someones told me they threatened to attack the UK, which is probably a bit embarrassing, seeing as Im in Syria and youd expect Id hear these things. If Britain stopped bombing Muslims in Syria the Muslims in Syria would stop attacking them. Is that hard to understand? 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 What do you think of the treatment of Muslims in Syria? The Muslims in Syria are burned alive, raped, abused, imprisoned and much more. I also think that some of Muslims I met here are living like walking mountains. Full of honour. Who do you think is responsible? I think a number of different people/nations are responsible. Bashaar and his buddies, Russia and their buddies etc. The media. Do you think you'll ever come back to Britain? Also - do you have a message to people in Britain? They wont let me come back without putting me in prison probably. I would like to make it clear that David Cameron, if not actually mentally ill, is an evil creature who failed to understand his own existence correctly. With this foundation as his character, he ended up chatting rubbish and lying his way into power before taking out what, I expect, is built-up stress from being bullied for his forehead at school, on the rest of the world with the weapons his buddy America gave him. My message for them is to embrace Islam. To think, well, did this universe come from nothing or did it create itself? To not be confused by the media or the fact that the Koran is in Arabic etc. Islam is the same religion of all the prophets and Allah decided to send the final prophet in Makkah. Leave your worship of money, celebrities, and other filth and direct all worship to the one who truly deserves it. I hope like this you will realise why people sacrifice all they have for the religion of Mohamed (Peace be upon him). Learn the declaration of faith, understand it, say it sincerely and then act by it. Thats how you will succeed. Can I ask if you agree with what Isis is doing? And if you have plans to join Isis? What are the aspects you agree with and disagree with? I believe in ruling by the Sharia. Can I ask you your thoughts towards the US-led coalition? And towards Isis? I believe the US-led coalition is a plan concocted in the diseased hearts and minds of some of Allah's enemies. A plot with the intention of collecting sincere Muslims who believe in taking action for their religion in one place and then killing them off one by one. Its fuelled by their hatred for the truth and their sickening world view that even non-Muslims hate them for. Of course, I differ with any one of my Muslim brothers who makes a mistake with regards to his mistake, and they remain my brother as long as they dont commit disbelief. Regardless of who they are. But I believe the US and her bedfellows use things like Isis to alienate their enemies and dehumanise the brothers and sisters they present to their dead-hearted pilots as target practice, which, I suppose, leads us back to their hatred of Islam and the Muslims. Ive seen Muslims burned alive as a result of what the US calls 'hellfire missiles'. Ive seen the little girls that lived around the corner from me at my old house hide from American jets and plugging their ears from the sound. Isis has huge mistakes, I dont deny that, but the coalition has far worse mistakes. As a separate point, despite the media frenzy surrounding them, Ive never seen Isis kill Muslim kids. I have, however, seen the coalition do so. 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 report into the controversial collapse of the Kids Company charity fails to put Prime Minister David Camerons personal role in the fiasco under the microscope, a leading MP has claimed. Mr Camerons adoption of Camila Batmanghelidjh, founder of the charity, as the poster girl of his much derided Big Society scheme, was the reason the charity secured more than 43m in government funding despite serious misgivings among senior officials about the charitys effectiveness, according to Labour MP Paul Flynn. Recommended Read more Kids Company abuse inquiry finds no evidence of criminality The report, out on 1 February, by the influential parliamentary Public Administration Select Committee, is expected to be highly critical of the way Ms Batmanghelidjh led the charity. It is also thought to be damning of the charitys trustees led by BBC executive Alan Yentob and their failure to supervise its operation. The MPs inquiry was launched after the charity collapsed last August amid claims of financial mismanagement. In a rare step, Mr Flynn, a key member of the committee, criticised the report ahead of publication accusing fellow MPs of political timidity for failing to ask Mr Cameron to give evidence. Mr Flynn said the Prime Minister or his representatives should have been asked to defend how his Big Society idea resulted in official concerns about the charity being ignored, and millions of pounds of grants being approved. Alan Yentob told MPs he regretted not restructuring Kids Company sooner (EPA) It was quite clear from the evidence that the support of the Prime Minister meant that despite misgivings from officials and other ministers, Ms Batmanghelidjh could not be refused, he said. He said evidence to the committee revealed that if ministers appeared reluctant to approve grants to the charity then Dear Dave letters would be written by Ms Batmanghelidjh directly to the Prime Minister or his advisers and money would be paid regardless. MPs heard that for a three-year period at the start of the coalition government, Kids Company received disproportionate amounts of government funding at the expense of other charities which could demonstrate far superior results. In evidence to them, the former childrens minister Tim Loughton blamed Downing Street for overruling officials in 2012, after the Prime Minister received a letter from Ms Batmanghelidjh. Kids Company founder Camila Batmanghelidjh surrounded by supporters in August last year (PA) (Getty Images) When you as a minister see Camila Batmanghelidjh around the Cabinet table at No 10 as part of the Big Society summit, when you have a reception as was held in 2011 for Kids Company at No 10, and when policy advisers or people from the No 10 Policy Unit are apparently having contacts with Kids Company of which you are not aware, clearly the pressure is on that this is a charity that needs to be looked at a bit more favourably, he said in evidence. Mr Flynn said the Prime Minister needed to defend the special treatment and privileged access the charity was given. Mr Loughton, childrens minister from 2010 to 2012, said one refused grant application went over our head at the Department for Education when Ms Batmanghelidjh wrote the Dear David letter to Cameron and went straight to No 10. You have to ask No 10 as to why final approval went through, and it has been in the hands of the Cabinet Office after my time at the Department for Education, he said. There was always a subplot of: There is going to be terrible publicity on this its not going to reflect well on the government and all these kids. Kids Company would mesmerise people in positions of power to pay up or else, he added. Downing Street said afterwards it did not recognise his characterisation of events, and said ministers in successive governments approved financing based on the evidence in front of them that the charity was helping vulnerable children. The Prime Minister later defended his role saying: I always judged it was worth giving it one more go to try to get it to be financially viable, he said. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty 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 A National Audit Office investigation found that Mr Cameron, Justice Secretary Michael Gove, Labours former home secretary David Blunkett, and former education secretary Ed Balls, all intervened to support the charity between 2002 and 2015, in some cases to prevent it from becoming insolvent. Ms Batmanghelidjh, who has seen a copy of the report, accused the MPs of unfairly making unsubstantiated allegations. Its not based on evidence, they dont have access to our databases ... people feel free to just throw allegations around as if they are fact. The gist of it is they repeat allegations, they put the blame on the trustees, but I think thats unfair, she told The Independent on Sunday. She insisted the charity was run properly, and questioned why, despite official misgivings, nobody raised the issue with Kids Company. The actual running was fine; we just didnt have enough money. I want to throw a challenge out to the civil servants where is the letter, in all these years, that should have arrived on our desk that said we were not producing results, or we were financially mismanaged, where is this communication? We didnt get one because that was never what they said, she insisted. At all times her decisions were informed by trying to do the best for the kids, she said. She admitted that on reflection there were things she would do differently. One is I think I trusted the politicians too much; I really think I made a mistake there. And I waited too long, so I went from one promise to another each year that a solution would be found, and in some ways I didnt pay attention to the fickleness and the temporariness of their decisions, so I think there was a mistake there, she said. In a BBC1 documentary to be shown at 9pm on 3 January she describes officials and ministers as bastards and psychopaths. Of funding wrangles with the Cabinet, she says: Im playing chess with psychopaths. I never break the law, I just stretch it a bit, she insists. Because if youre asking me, the correct law is to take care of these children properly. So I want to follow the correct law and if the law of the land is not correct then we have to slightly break it. Her colourful appearance counts against her, she claims: Everyone thinks that just because I wear funny clothes and have a Miss Piggy bag that I must be unable to run a business. 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 }} Speak to any Tory MP for long enough and the conversation soon drifts to the only subject anyone in Westminster wants to talk about: Europe. And, sure enough, sitting in oak-panelled ministerial offices just off Parliaments central lobby, the Governments softly spoken Solicitor General, Robert Buckland, soon turns to Brussels and the Prime Ministers protracted renegotiation. But the Llanelli-born Tory a keen pro-European has a clear warning to the outers threatening SNP-style neverendums in the event of a remain vote this year: Whatever the outcome, the party has to remember that life isnt all about that one issue. Buckland says the essence of being a Conservative is to accept the world as it is, rather than how you imagine or would like it to be (Getty) He warns that the public will be dismayed if the partys obsession with Europe spills out into open warfare in the run-up to the referendum. But isnt he perhaps the most openly pro-European Conservative minister since Ken Clarke in a minority on this issue? Wont the party, now overwhelmingly Eurosceptic, want to punish David Cameron by electing an outer as the next leader? Relaxing on his sofa, next to two crystal decanters one for single malt whisky, the other for brandy Buckland insists the party instinctively knows, you cant be self-indulgent and please yourself. He says the Tories accept the world as it is, rather than how you imagine or would like it to be. This, he says, is the essence of being a Conservative. He adds: Thats what the Prime Minister understands, and the vast majority of the party as well, regardless of their views on Europe. I know the party inside out, I trust them to make a sound decision. This party chose Margaret Thatcher, it chose John Major the right decision and, under the new system, it chose David Cameron. Not a bad record. He says the Conservative Party has always been strongest when it is near to, or on, the common ground of British politics. This means reaching out to people who might not have ever voted for us. The next Tory leader will not be a narrow Eurosceptic right-winger, he claims, but someone who can break through the 40 per cent barrier nationally by appealing to northern, working-class voters. We havent done enough of that we havent broken through the 40 per cent barrier. Having that ability to reach out to parts of the country which have so far proved resistant to our charms has got to be the next challenge ... the Birminghams and the Manchesters. It is almost a call to arms to the One Nation wing in his party a warning that the Iain Duncan Smiths and Chris Graylings do not alone represent the party. Robert Buckland, left, celebrates a double victory with Justin Tomlinson, Swindon's two Conservative MPs, in May last year (Rex) But who is there willing to keep alive Camerons centrist flame, as he sees it? Would he throw his hat into the ring to succeed the PM? Oh God, oh dear, its a long time off, he stutters. I want the Conservative Party to succeed and I want the One Nation tradition to flourish and Ill do anything to make sure that that happens. That sounds like a yes, I suggest. Well, I dont know, its a long time off three years or more ... its a Grand National and were not past the Melling Road yet. Buckland is full of praise for the Prime Ministers One Nation push concentrating on tackling discrimination and barriers to social mobility. We have thrived and prospered on the fact that we have talked about and debated the issues which are of direct relevance to families, and workers and pensioners and people up and down this country. Turning back to Europe and the prospect of Eurosceptic anger after the referendum, Buckland becomes animated. We are not some kind of debating club we are a serious political party and weve been given the responsibility of governing the United Kingdom. Thats what we have to concentrate on. He insists he is optimistic about the renegotiation and is happy with the referendum. The Prime Minister has really put his back into this. I think he has made significant headway in persuading other countries that (a) its important to Britain that we get concessions and a renegotiation, and (b) we are doing this because we want Europe to work better. But he is also optimistic about the prospect of the Tory party remaining intact having learnt the lessons of the 1990s. I know enough to know how damaging that was ... theres a sense of never again within the Conservative Party, which I think will carry us through ... Its the publics decision [on Europe] so lets respect that, lets respect them and their ability to come to a decision on this. Internet Lessons at primary school Schoolchildren as young as nine will be taught about their legal rights and responsibilities under a new, government-backed programme designed to stop youngsters running up huge bills on mobile phones and sharing inappropriate photos. Ministers are concerned that children are entering into legal relationships and obligations that they dont fully understand, because of the easy accessibility of the internet. Solicitor General Robert Buckland told The Independent on Sunday that the spread of mobile phone apps, illegal downloading and sexting meant children needed to be taught the basics of law. He added that children also needed to understand more about their devices as opposed to it all being a mystery. Robert Buckland believes that children need to understand more about their internet-connected devices (Getty) He wants to see the Lawyers in Schools programme expanded from the present 30 schools to cover every state secondary in the country more than 3,000. Young people need to know more about not just their rights but also their obligations, Buckland said, adding that he was made aware of the problem on a visit to a comprehensive school in west London last year: Lawyers from BBC Worldwide were talking to about 100 pupils about apps and downloads and copyright ... and bringing the subject alive. Teaching children about sexting and online sexual harassment would have to be sensitively handled, he said. A lot of young people stray into this type of territory without thinking. Learning about life is learning about the consequences of your actions. With this knowledge, he said, children would help develop a more cohesive society. Its about the society we have developed on this island, a balanced society which emphasises rights and responsibilities ... and equality under the rule of law. Tom McTague 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 mainstream media published a story this week. They wanted you to believe that an academic had devised a mathematical model showing that if conspiracy theories such as faked Moon landings to dodgy vaccines were really true, someone would have blabbed about them way before now. Like you were the sheeple, not the people. Well, Ive been investigating this thing, looking at websites that would BLOW YOUR MIND. So let me tell you the REAL story. Are you sitting comfortably? Have you swept the room for CIA/MI5/UFO surveillance devices? Then we shall begin. This all started when someone who says he is Oxford University physicist Dr David Robert Grimes published a paper, On the Viability of Conspiratorial Beliefs, in the peer-reviewed online journal PloS ONE. He examined the time it took to expose proven cover-ups, and calculated based on his estimates of how many people would have known about the plot how long some conspiracies could have endured before the truth leaked out. Dr Grimes said he had shown how eyewateringly unlikely some alleged conspiracies are. He reckoned a vaccination conspiracy involving Big Pharma would be blown in just 3.15 years, a plot to suppress the discovery of a cancer cure within 3.17 years. And thats when it all started getting a little spooky. Because I phoned someone someone heavily involved in investigating this stuff to ask how they could believe the Apollo Moon landings were faked. Dr Grimes reckoned that with Nasa employing up to 411,000 people at the time, someone would have spilled the beans within 3.68 years. So how come no one had blown the whistle in the 47 years since the first Apollo landing in 1969? The answer, when the source thought about it, was so obvious. Someone did blow the whistle! You just had to take a close look at those so-called photographs of the so-called Moon landings: anomalous footprints everywhere. Whistle-blowing stagehands had left a whole trail of clues, if only we hadnt been too stupid to see them. This is bigger than just going to the Moon, insisted the source. Check out Corona satellites Apollo was a cover for installing a spy satellite ring. This was top secret stuff What about Dr Grimes? Youve got a brain. Look at the bigger picture. Our Nasa friends are facing challenges financially, politically. If you are an academic taking so much trouble to publish this, I would suggest you are firefighting. It got spookier. According to Ian Henshall, the author of 9/11 Revealed: The New Evidence I should have been asking who the real conspiracy theorists were. Could I really believe official accounts of a bunch of guys destroying the Twin Towers from a cave in Afghanistan? I would say the official 9/11 conspiracy has been exposed as false, said Mr Henshall, 64, a coffee shop owner. But most people think Im the conspiracy theorist for saying so. And George Bush: was he really the idiotic dupe? George W Bush? Intelligent? It sounded crazy, but unlike the Moon landings, this stuff was real. Because here was the post-turquoise phase granddaddy of them all, David Icke, telling an American TV talk show host: The ground is being prepared for this global Orwellian state able to stay under the radar, manipulate in the shadows Icke tweeted his response to Dr Grimess study: How about if compartmentalisation means most dont have the big secrets and those who do are scared to reveal them? What are the maths on that mate? Ah, compartmentalisation: working on a need to know basis, thousands of people employed on the Apollo project, but only a senior handful knowing where Neil Armstrong was really taking his giant leap for mankind. Helpfully, Ickes website included a link to a news story about Dr Grimess report. And it had been archived under Illuminati criminals and mind control!!! What was it Icke had said? Where do the mainstream media go to get a fix on reality (if they bother to question it all)? They go the Systems scientists Well I was going to Dr Grimes, to ask him some real questions. Such as: What are the maths on that mate? And How long have you been an Illuminati criminal in the pay of Nasa? Oh, he was good. Ive never been called an Illuminati criminal before, he said, all Irish charm and, as he put it on his twitter feed, foppish hair. Its definitely a step up from doctor. He was not an Illuminati criminal, he said, just someone concerned about how belief in conspiracies can corrode belief in science, producing situations where otherwise sensible people refuse to vaccinate their children or choose alternative cancer therapies over lifesaving mainstream treatments. As for compartmentalisation, given how universal vaccination was, his numbers for those involved in any conspiracy there were probably a massive underestimate. Scientists thrive on testing each others data, he added. Youd have to get every researcher in the field in on the secret. And about those Moon landings: How many rockets did Nasa have? How many test fields, where people would wonder why nothing had been tested successfully? The fakery would have had to have existed throughout the organisation. Thats before you consider the Russians, who would have been monitoring everything And the stuff left on the Moon that you can shine lasers back off The conspiratorial fringe, he sighed, Will always believe. Its fascinating psychology ideological reasoning: whats most important is that the construct exists, and you shape all evidence to fit it. I was almost convinced. Until I asked about Nasa. If I ever get a cheque from Nasa, he joked, Ill buy you a beer. What? Was he trying to buy my silence, about his own academic conspiracy? Oh no, he laughed, No. But he would say that, wouldnt he? 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 }} At least one person has been killed and nine others injured after violence reportedly broke out between rival biker gangs. Police in Denver, Colorado, confirmed that one person was dead and that a number of other people had suffered gunshot and stab wounds. Officers said the incident happened at the Denver Coliseum, which was hosting the Colorado Motorcycle, described as the largest motorcycle show & swap in the Rocky Mountain Region with antiques, custom motorcycles and more. The injured were taken to the to Denver Heath Medical Centre where multiple police officers were standing on patrol outside the emergency room entrance. The Denver Post reported that one witness, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation, said violence broke out after a feud started between rival biker gangs. The injured were taken to the to Denver Heath Medical Centre where multiple police officers were standing on patrol outside the emergency room entrance. Police filled the parking lot and people who left the show and crossed the police tape were not allowed back into the building, the paper said. It said the exhibition was permitted to remain open and people were not asked to leave. A shooting between two unrelated biker gangs at the Twin Peaks restaurant in Waco, Texas, in May last year left nine dead and ended in the arrest of 177 gang members. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The family of an anti-government protester who was killed after fleeing a traffic stop near the armed occupation of a wildlife refuge in Oregon have challenged the official account of his death. Relatives of Robert "LaVoy" Finicum, 54, a spokesman for the group that took over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, said he posed no threat and they were not accepting the Federal Bureau of Investigation's assertion that he was armed. "LaVoy was not 'charging' anyone. He appears to have been shot in the back, with his hands in the air," the Arizona rancher's family said in a statement through their attorney. "At this point we will await the outcome of any investigation, but based on the information currently available to us, we do not believe that LaVoy's shooting death was justified." The FBI released video on Thursday of state police fatally shooting Finicum. Law enforcement officials said he made a motion toward a gun in his coat pocket. FBI special agent, Greg Bretzing, said Finicum had refused to follow police orders. He said: "Finicum reaches his right hand toward a pocket on the left inside portion of his jacket. USA: FBI release footage of Robert 'Lavoy' Finicum shooting "He did have a loaded 9mm semi-automatic handgun in that pocket. At this time, OSP troopers shot Finicum. "We feel it is necessary to show the whole thing unedited in the interest of transparency." Four armed anti-government protesters were still at the remote refuge on Friday. Clockwise from top left: Oregon anti-government protesters: Ryan Bundy, Ammon Bundy, Brian Cavalier, Jon Tizheimer, Peter Santilli, Shawna Cox, Ryan Payne and Joseph O'Shaughnessy (Reuters) Ammon Bundy, who led the month-long occupation of the refuge, was arrested on Tuesday along with other protestors including his brother, Ryan. Bundy has issued messages through his attorney urging the remaining protesters to stand down and saying they would continue to fight federal land policy through the courts. He appeared in court in Portland on suspicion of conspiracy to use force, intimidation or threats to impede federal officers from discharging their duties where he and his brother were denied bail. Lie of the land: Ammon Bundy, second from left (AFP/Getty Images) (Getty Images) US Magistrate Stacie Beckerman said she believed Bundy might attempt to occupy more federal land if he was released. The armed siege started after a small group broke away from a peaceful march in Burns, Oregon over the conviction of Dwight and Steven Hammond - local ranchers who had been ordered back too prison for setting fire to public land after a judge ruled their inital sentences were too lenient. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty The Hammonds said they set the fires to reduce the growth of invasive plants to reduce the risk of wildfires on they leased from the government. They have said they do not support the aims of the militia - who claimed they wanted to "overthrown the government and spark a national uprising" earlier this month. Additional reporting by Reuters 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 }} All three fugitives who escaped from a maximum security jail in California have now been recaptured, police have confirmed. Hossein Nayeri, 37 and Jonathan Tieu, 20, were captured in San Francisco on Saturday. Fellow escapee, Bac Tien Duong, 43, was arrested on Friday. A member of the public recognised the police description of a white van Nayeri and Tieu were hiding in outside a whole foods shop. Ammunition but no weapons were found inside the vehicle, according to the LA Times. Sheriff Sandra Hutchens, of the Orange County Sherrif's Department, said in a press conference: "The entire state can breath a sigh of relief. This is a Sheriff's worst nightmare. I am relieved they're back in custody." The three prisoners escaped from Orange County Mens Jail, near Santa Ana, on January 22 and Nayeri and Tieu were on the run for over a week. Nayeri was accused of kidnap and torture. Duong and Tieu were both awaiting trial for attempted murder. All three have pleaded not guilty. In a sophisticated escape attempt, the trio had crawled through a vent in a cell wall, climbed through plumbing tunnels and cut through thick metal bars to make their escape. They then rapelled onto the street using a makeshift rope. It is thought that the break out took place at around 5am, just after a roll call. They were not discovered as missing until 15 hours later. The inmates cut the steel screen between bunk beds as part of their escape plan The last time there was an escape from the jail was in 1988. A woman who taught English classes at the jail has been arrested in connection with the escape, CNN reported. She has admitted providing a paper Google Earth image to Nayeri of the area surrounding the jail, but denies giving the escapees tools. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington 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 Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Republican presidential front-runner, Donald Trump, has called his closest rival, Ted Cruz, an anchor baby, in a fresh attack against the Texas Senators eligibility to run for president. During a campaign rally in Nashua, New Hampshire on Friday, Mr Trump launched the assault against Mr Cruzs citizenship saying: Ted Cruz may not be a US citizen, right? But hes an anchor baby. No. hes an anchor baby- Ted Cruz is an anchor baby in Canada." Anchor baby is a derogatory term, generally used to refer to illegal immigrants whose children automatically gain US citizenship after being born on American soil, according to The Wall Street Journal. Intensifying his attacks on Mr Cruz, Mr Trumps use of the term highlighted the Texas Senators birthplace in Canada. Mr Cruz, who was born in Calgary, Canada, to a Cuban father and American mother - both living legally in the country at that time - is an American citizen by birth. He renounced his Canadian citizenship in 2014. 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 Cruz campaign spokeswoman, Catherine Frazier, told CNN: The only anchor here is the one being dragged behind the SS New York Values, causing Donald Trump's campaign to stall out as voters learn about his affinity for Hillary Clinton and his previous statements supporting abortion." The business mogul has repeatedly lambasted Mr Cruzs Canadian birth, querying his eligibility to serve as US president. According to CNN, Mr Trump and a small number of legal scholars have claimed the Constitutions natural-born citizen requirement necessitates the President must be born on US soil. The issue has never been referred to federal court. Mr Cruzs campaign said the issue is resolved and the senator is eligible to run, The Wall Street Journal reports. During the rally Mr Trump also said he made the right decision to boycott Thursdays GOP debate in Iowa and claimed Mr Cruz got really pummelled in his absence. Mr Trump said: Actually, Im glad I wasnt there cause I guess all of that he got pummelled, wow. And you know they didnt even mention he was born in Canada. He got beaten up pretty badly last night. The business mogul decided to boycott the debate after a feud with Fox News over the debates moderator Megyn Kelly. Support for Mr Cruz in the Iowa GOP caucuses has fallen to 25 per cent support from 32 per cent in early January, according to polls by Real Clear Politics. Iowa voters will being the 2016 presidential nominations process with Monday's caucuses. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington 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 Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Hillary Clinton, outspoken on the campaign trail in her demand for more gun control, has received the powerful endorsement of a former Congresswoman who was shot and left with a severe brain injury in an assassination attempt. Speaking is hard for me, said Gabby Giffords, stumbling with her words. But come January I want to say these two words - Madam President. She added: Hillary is tough. She will stand up to the gun lobby. Touching - Giffords - "Speaking is hard for me... which is why come January I want to say... Madam President" - https://t.co/TTDFGk0QJB The backing of the former Democratic representative from Arizona will help Ms Clinton make her case that she is the only person who will take on Americas powerful gun lobby. She has criticised her Democratic rival, Bernie Sanders, claiming that the Vermont senator has not stood up against the National Rifle Association (NRA), by citing his votes against a waiting period for gun purchases and for granting gun manufacturers legal immunity. While Mr Sanders has responded by saying the NRA has rated him as D minus, she has continued to make the case that she, and not he, would move on guns. Ms Clinton, who appeared with Ms Giffords and her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, at a rally in Ames on Saturday, said 90 people were killed every day in the US because of guns. Ms Clinton has been outspoken on the campaign trail for more gun control (AP) She said that while people in favour of greater gun restrictions voted on a variety of issues, gun lobby supporters cared about just one thing. She said that was why they have been able to intimidate the politicians. Ms Clinton said she believed most people thought it was possible to have sensible gun control that was consistent with the US Constitutions Second Amendment, which gun rights supporters say provides them with the right to bear arms. What is wrong with us? How can we continue to ignore the toll that this is taking on our children & our country, said Ms Clinton. I'm not expecting we can stop everybody. I think stopping some or a lot is a pretty big deal.The facts cry out for action. Ms Giffords and her husband have been advocates for gun control after she survived a shot to the head at a political event in Tucson five years ago, that left six people dead and thirteen others injured. The gunman, Jared Loughner, later pleaded guilty to 19 counts of murder and attempted murder and was sentenced to life plus 140 years in jail. Two years after the shooting, the couple founded a superPAC called Americans for Responsible Solutions, just weeks weeks after a gunman killed 26 people - 20 of them children - at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Earlier this month, the couple issued a statement that said: Only one candidate for president has the determination and toughness to stand up to the corporate gun lobby - and the record to prove it. That candidate is Hillary Clinton. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington 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 Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The polls have Hillary Clinton and her Democratic rival Bernie Sanders too close to call in Iowa. And on a freezing night just ahead of a vote that could make or buckle their White House ambitions, the pair made their case to the people of Davenport at events on the very same street that were just 30 minutes, and half-a-mile, apart. In the Danceland Ballroom, Bernie Sanders held a rally for 500 people that was part insurgency, part revival meeting, where the Vermont senator railed at the elites and Wall Street, and where his supporters dismissed Ms Clinton as being in the pockets of both. Ms Clinton stressed her experience and readiness to lead (AP) At the 100-year-old Col Ballroom, complete with chandeliers and a Country band, Ms Clinton and her husband, Bill Clinton, talked to a crowd of 1,500 about her experience, her readiness for the job, and half-politely suggested that Mr Sanders may be well-meaning but was rather naive. If the events on Friday night were a study in contrasts and style, they also underscored an unshakeable truth: Monday evenings vote is crucial to both campaigns. Both could survive not winning; Mr Sanders has a large lead in next-to-vote New Hampshire and Ms Clinton can take comfort of the upcoming polls in South Carolina. But both campaigns would relish the momentum that a victory here would bring them. Dave Milne was typical of those lining up to see Mr Sanders. He said that growing inequality was devastating American working men and women and that someone needed to act. Ms Clinton might be his second choice, he conceded, but no-one had pushed the issue more than Mr Sanders. Im for the common man and we think Bernie is the right person for the way the country is right now, he said. Mr Sanders was introduced by Cornel West, the celebrated black academic and activist who claimed Mr Sanders was in a tradition of truth tellers that included Martin Luther King. Ms Clinton and Mr Sanders spoke at rallies on the same street in Davenport (Andrew Buncombe) My brothers and sisters in Iowa. Are you ready to push Bernie Sanders across the finishing line, he said to roars. Are you ready to send a message to the nation and the world that enough is enough? There has been a morarl and spitirial awakening - call it the rebirth of democracy." Mr Sanders, his voice hoarse and admitting he had one of the toughest jobs in the US to follow Mr West, said he had been told that he had been thinking too big. But he said the problems America were facing - inequality, job losses, discrimination, inadequate healthcare and an higher education system that left students in debt - demanded radical thinking. To hell with that, he said.Our young people should not be punished for trying to get an education. Ms Clintons rally was less than half a mile away, a walk that took in a bail bond shop, the local courthouse, a furniture store and was accompanied by the dischordant horn of a freight train passing on tracks alongside the Mississippi River. Because Ms Clinton had a Secret Service protection, security was tighter and the line to enter moved more slowly. Her supporters said it was appalling that in 2016, America had not yet elected a woman president. Furthermore, Ms Clinton was more qualified than anyone else to do the job. She does more than just shout slogans, said Perry Reynolds, a military veteran. Mr Reynolds, who was black, said America had made history by electing Barack Obama in 2008. He believed it was ready to do the same again. History after history, he added. Inside the ballroom, complete a sprung wooden floor and drapes around the ceiling, Ms Clinton took to the stage in front a noisy, cheering crowd after being introduced by her husband. His presence there was an implicit reminder to voters that she had already served and been present at the very highest levels of office. She is the best change-maker I have ever known, said Mr Clinton, greyer, more gaunt, but whose smile and star power was still unmistakably that of the former president. Mr Clinton spent ten minutes introducing his wife to the crowd in Davenport (AP) She was born to a conservative Republican father and a liberal Democratic mother. Thank God for the rest of us, she embraced her mothers politics and never quite gave up her fathers hard-headedness. Ms Clinton spoke with passion and without notes for a little under 40 minutes, telling the crowd that she wanted to get into the details of her policies because she considered the event a job interview. Her speech took in inequality, the need to create more jobs, combat climate change and take leadership in the world. She condemned the attacks on Muslims and immigrants that many of the Republican candidates had made. And she stressed that she would protect many of the key policies of Mr Obama, rather than stripping them away as she said the Republicans would do. Before it was called Obamacare it was called Hillarycare, she said, referring to her failed efforts to reform health care while first lady. She also said she wanted common sense gun control. She added: We cannot be intimidated by the gun lobby. One topic she did not cover was fresh controversy that has been sparked by the revelation by the State Department that a number of the emails kept on her private server have been classified as top secret and cannot be released to the public. While Republicans have seized on this, Ms Clintons campaign claimed it was over-classification run amok and Mr Sanders also said it was not an issue that should be politicised. Outside the rally, most people appeared pleased with what they had seen of Ms Clinton. Nadine Eichorn, a Davenport resident who said she had been thinking of voting for her, said Ms Clinton had sealed the deal. She covered a lot of issues, she said. She has a lot of experience. Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Nadine White Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter The Race Report 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 Race Report email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The US government should consider paying reparations to the African-American descendants of slaves, a United Nation working group says. The UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent has released its preliminary recommendations after more than a week of meetings with black Americans from across the country. The group also recommended establishing a national human rights commission and publicly acknowledge the trans-Atlantic slave trade was a crime against humanity. Chairwoman Professor Mireille Fanon-Mendes France said the committee were "extremely concerned about the human rights situation of African-Americans". She said: "The colonial history, the legacy of enslavement, racial subordination and segregation, racial terrorism and racial inequality in the U.S. remains a serious challenge as there has been no real commitment to reparations and to truth and reconciliation for people of African descent." She compared the recent deaths of unarmed black men like Michael Brown and Eric Garner at the hands of white police officers to the racist lynchings of black men in the South from the post-Civil War era through to the latter half of the 20th century. Michael Brown, 18, was shot dead in Ferguson, Missouri in August 2014 The recent deaths - as well as that of Sandra Bland who was found dead in her cell in Texas in July last year - have prompted the growth of the protest movement #BlackLivesMatter. She said: "Impunity for state violence has resulted in the current human rights crisis and must be addressed as a matter of urgency." Members of the working group - none of whom are from the US - said they were shocked at some of the injustices many black people in the US faced. In pictures: Michael Brown shooting nationwide protests Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Michael Brown shooting nationwide protests In pictures: Michael Brown shooting nationwide protests Ferguson, Missouri Protesters ride on top of a car as they gather on West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson, Missouri In pictures: Michael Brown shooting nationwide protests Ferguson, Missouri A protester holds the banner as he joins the protest on West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson, Missouri In pictures: Michael Brown shooting nationwide protests Ferguson, Missouri Missouri Governor Jay Nixon ordered state police to patrol a St Louis suburb, sidelining local police who had clashed with protesters after an unarmed black teenager was killed by an officer In pictures: Michael Brown shooting nationwide protests Ferguson, Missouri People demonstrate in front of a burned down Quik Trip gas station on West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson, Missouri In pictures: Michael Brown shooting nationwide protests New York Thousands of people peacefully gathered in Manhattan's Times Square and Union Square, invoking the rallying cries "hands up, don't shoot" and "I can't breathe," alluding to the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson In pictures: Michael Brown shooting nationwide protests New York People protest in front of police officers in New York's Times Square In pictures: Michael Brown shooting nationwide protests New York Protesters march in New York City's Union Square. Vigils are being held across the country for people organizers say died at the hands of police brutality In pictures: Michael Brown shooting nationwide protests Portland, Oregon People take turns speaking in Pioneer Courthouse Square in Portland, Oregon during a vigil for Michael Brown In pictures: Michael Brown shooting nationwide protests Los Angeles, California A protester holds a sign that reads 'Black Lives Matter' as she joins hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in Leimert Park in South Central Los Angeles, California In pictures: Michael Brown shooting nationwide protests Omaha, Nebraska With his hands raised above his head, University of Nebraska criminal justice senior Aron Sanders, of Omaha, Nebraska, kneels in front of the Nebraska State Capitol building, as he and more than 30 others students gathered for a vigil Around 37 per cent of state and federal prisoners were black males in 2014m and according to a recent survey by the US Federal Reserve the median African-American family has around 8 cents in wealth to every dollar held by the median white family. The working group suggested monuments, markers and memorials be erected in the United States to facilitate dialogue, and "past injustices and crimes against African-Americans need to be addressed with reparatory justice". They also suggested an end to racial profiling, mandatory minimum sentencing and solitary confinement in prisons. Protesters following a grand jury decision not to indict police officers connected with the death of Eric Garner in New York (Getty Images) The US government has never issued an official apology for slavery. In 2008, the House of Representatives unanimously voted to apologise for both slavery and the Jim Crow laws which followed. The following year the Senate passed its own bill to apologise for the injustice but neither reached President Obamas desk as both houses could not agree on the correct wording to stop them becoming liable for future repatriations. 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 }} After years of skirmishes and close calls, two of Italy's most dangerous fugitives have been caught by police in an underground bunker where they discovered the most Mafia things ever: guns, pasta and ricotta cheese. According to Italian news agency Ansa, police found and arrested mobsters Giuseppe Ferraro, 47, and Giuseppe Crea, 37, in the countryside of southern Italys Calabria region. The pair, who are part of the dangerous criminal organisation 'Ndrangheta, were reported to be sleeping at the time. The 'Ndrangheta mafia formed in the 1860s and are known participate in kidnappings, corruption, drug trafficking, gambling and murders, according to the FBI. The majority of their 100-200 members in the United States are based in New York and Florida. Ferraro, a fugitive since 1998, was found guilty of murder and Mafia association decades ago. Crea was convicted of Mafia association and had been on the run for nine years. Their capture is the result of months of police investigation. The underground hideout, the entrance of which was concealed by bushes and trees, was equipped with a kitchen and bathroom. Its inner walls were lined with about dozens of automatic weapons, including pump-action shotguns, pistols and an AK-47 assault rifle. 'Mafia underground lair' raided in Italy Show all 7 1 /7 'Mafia underground lair' raided in Italy 'Mafia underground lair' raided in Italy Police discover 'Mafia underground lair' Italian police climb down the ladder to the lair EPA 'Mafia underground lair' raided in Italy Weapons siezed by police The walls were lined with about dozens of automatic weapons, including pump-action shotguns, pistols and an AK-47 assault rifle AP 'Mafia underground lair' raided in Italy The exterior of the hideout Camouflage conceals the entrance AP 'Mafia underground lair' raided in Italy Giuseppe Ferraro Giuseppe Ferraro, a fugitive since 1998, was found guilty of murder and Mafia association decades ago AP 'Mafia underground lair' raided in Italy Giuseppe Crea Crea, 37, faces 22-years in prison for Mafia association, and eluded capture for some 10-years 'Mafia underground lair' raided in Italy Inside the bunker Half-drunk bottles of red wine sit on the table inside the bunker EPA 'Mafia underground lair' raided in Italy The arrest Police escort the two arrested members from the hideout in Calabria One of the prosecutors in the operation, Federico Cafiero De Raho, remarked: They were living like animals, a life of separation and cold. The number of weapons suggested that the gangsters were ready for war, said the prosecutor. It confirms how dangerous these people are. They are two of Italy's most wanted fugitives. Angelino Alfano, the countrys interior minister, said of their arrest: "Today is another wonder day for everyone and for the country because justice has won." For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Police in Germany say they have disproved allegations they covered up a 13-year-old girls gang-rape by asylum seekers in Berlin. The teenager disappeared on her way to school in the suburb of Marzahn-Hellersdorf on 11 January and re-appeared the following day. A missing persons appeal was cancelled but the case became the subject of conspiracy theory claims days later when Russian media reported that she had been imprisoned for 30 hours and raped by migrants. Berlin police said there was no evidence of the girl being kidnapped or forced to have sex (Getty Images) Relatives of child, who The Independent is choosing not to name, spoke to anti-immigration rallies to allege three southern-looking foreign men who spoke broken German kidnapped and abused her. But on Friday, prosecutors in Berlin announced that mobile phone tracking data disproved the account. We were able to access information about a young German man aged 19 - an acquaintance of the 13-year-old girl, spokesperson Martin Steltner told AFP. The young girl wanted to hide at his house because she was having problems in school. The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, stepped into the row earlier this week (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images) Although no evidence of forced sexual relations were found, prosecutors opened an investigation into possible statutory rape charges because the girl is under the age of consent, which is 14 in Germany. Mr Steltner said that investigators now believe that she had had sex with two men in their 20s, a Turkish citizen and a German of Turkish origin who may now be charged. Police had initially said there was no evidence of a crime and appealed for people to handle the subject sensitively on social media as conspiracy theories spread, with videos and Facebook posts being viewed millions of times. Interest spiked after Russias state-owned Channel One television broadcast an interview with a woman identifying herself as the girls aunt, claiming police had orchestrated a cover-up and tried to silence the Russian family. Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Show all 13 1 /13 Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Women protest against sexism outside Cologne Cathedral on 5 January after the assaults Oliver Berg/EPA Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Women protest against sexism in Cologne following the rash of sex attacks on New Year's Eve Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police initially failed to mention the assaults in report the following morning EPA Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police officers patrol in front of the main station of Cologne, Germany AP Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks German far-right supporters demonstrate at Cologne`s train station (Reuters) Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Supporters of anti-immigration right-wing movement Pegida in Cologne, Germany, January 9, 2016. Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police used pepper spray to control supporters of Pegida, Hogesa (Hooligans against Salafists) and other right-wing populist groups as they protested against the New Year's Eve sex attacks on 9 January, 2016 in Cologne, Germany Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police use a water cannon during a protest march by supporters of anti-immigration right-wing movement Pegida in Cologne, Germany, January 9, 2016 Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police use pepper spray against supporters of anti-immigration right-wing movement Pegida, in Cologne, Germany, January 9, 2016. Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Artist Mira Moire protests naked in Cologne against the mass sex attacks on New Year's Eve AP Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks A demonstrator holds a sign in German that reads 'No violence against women' during a demonstration in the wake of the sexual assaults on New Year's Eve, outside the cathedeal in Cologne, Germany, 09 January 2016. EPA Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Counter demonstrators hold up a sign reading "Against sexism, against racism" as they protest against a demonstration of the islamophobic movement PEGIDA at the train station in Cologne, Germany, on January 9, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Demonstration by a womens group on Saturday (AP) AP Far-right groups in Germany and around the world seized on the rumours to argue for an immediate halt to migration, as anger continued over the sexual assaults in Cologne. Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, stepped into the row earlier this week by accusing Germany of covering up the reality for some domestic politically-correct reason. His German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier accused Russia in turn of exploiting the case for political propaganda and to influence a debate about immigration to Germany, which registered 1.1 million asylum seekers in 2015. Frank Henkel, Berlins interior senator, said he hoped investigators findings would defuse the propaganda that had developed recently around this case and said that Germany would uphold the rule of law in the face of political pressure from abroad. Additional reporting by Reuters For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Toddlers and young children are among at least 39 refugees who drowned in the Aegean Sea while trying to cross from Turkey to Greece overnight. They were on an overcrowded smuggler boat that sank just metres off the shore of Ayvack after hitting rocks. Photos showed bodies lining beaches and coves, including children who appeared as young as two wearing life jackets and warm winter coats in preparation for the journey their families hoped to make to safety in Europe. Warning: This article contains distressing images depicting death The sinking boat is seen behind a Turkish gendarme off the coast of Canakkale's Bademli district on January 30, 2016. (AFP/Getty Images) Police were taking them away in black body bags this afternoon as divers continued to search the partially-submerged boat for more drowning victims who had been trapped inside. Survivors were taken to hospital to be treated for hypothermia and other injuries, while some were detained for questioning. The state-run Anadolu news agency reported the latest number of victims as 39 but officials declined to give an official figure as the toll of the latest disaster continues to be counted. Saim Eskioglu, the deputy governor for Canakkale province, said more than 100 people had been packed on to the 56-foot vessel when it hit rocks soon after it left the coast and, unfortunately, sank. We believe there are more dead bodies inside the boat, he told CNN-Turk television. A Turkish man suspected of organising the deadly smuggling operation has been arrested. Their intended destination of Lesbos lies just five miles away, but the journey across the narrow strip of water has claimed dozens of lives this week alone. A man stands by the body of a refugee child washed up on a beach in Canakkale's Bademli district on January 30, 2016 (AFP/Getty Images) Recent disasters have also been recorded off the Greek islands of Kos and Samos, as well as near Sicily in Italy. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says 218 refugees and asylum seekers died attempting to cross the Aegean in the first 28 days of this year. Recommended Read more Rescuers forced to watch 31 refugees drown in the Aegean Sea At least 26 more drowned in the central Mediterranean in the same period, on another smuggling route from Libya to Italy. The toll is almost triple that from this time in 2015, when the refugee crisis saw more than a million asylum seekers arrive in Europe. Last year 3,400 deaths, peaking in April when 1,100 people died in a week in successive sinkings off the coast of Libya. Individual disasters in the Aegean Sea have previously had a lower death toll than those in the central Mediterranean because of the small inflatable boats used by smugglers but there are fears numbers could rise if larger boats continue to be used in rough winter weather. 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. Dozens of people are packed on to the overcrowded dinghys, which frequently sink or capsize in tragedies like the one that killed Alan Kurdi, his mother, brother and other passengers in September. Images of the three-year-old boy lying dead on the beach sparked international calls for Europe to prevent avoidable deaths at sea and give refugees a safe home, forcing David Cameron to increase the number of Syrians being taken in by the UK. But less than five months on, the political mood towards asylum seekers has reversed as countries across Europe seek to restrict the number of arrivals and implement controversial proposals to make them pay for their stay. Thousands of migrants continue to attempt the treacherous sea journeys every day, fleeing war and persecution in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Eritrea and across Africa and the Middle East. 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 }} A Russian fighter jet came within 15 feet of a US Air Force reconnaissance plane in international airspace over the Black Sea on Monday. Pentagon officials said the intercept by a Russian Su-27 pilot took place in "an unsafe and unprofessional manner" which put "both the American flight crew and himself at risk". The Russian pilot flew as close as 15 feet alongside the US RC-135U reconnaissance plane, before banking to the right "with a heavy amount of power, which caused a destabilising action for the RC-135", a Defence Department official told ABC News. US Air Force RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft lifts off in this undated file photo. A similar plane was intercepted by a Russian Su-27 on 25 January, 2016 (U.S. Air Force) The Russian military has not commented on the report. The RC-135 carries state-of-the-art intelligence equipment, which is able to "detect, identify and geolocate signals throughout the electromagnetic spectrum," according to the US Air Force. It carries 21 crew, including three pilots, two navigators and 10 electronic warfare officers. CNN reports the incident is similar to one between the same types of US and Russian aircraft in 2014, where a Russian Su-27 flew within 100 feet of the nose of a US Air Force RC-135U over the Sea of Okhotsk, between Russia and Japan. At the time, a US official called it "one of the most dangerous close passes in decades", saying the Russian jet "put the lives of the US crew in jeopardy". The aircraft also turned and "showed its belly" to the US crew, so they could see it was armed with missiles. 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 }} Switzerland is set to vote on a proposal that wants to pay everyone 2,500 Swiss francs (1,700) a month regardless of whether people are working or not. If the plans go through, it will become the first country in the world to provide a basic unconditional monthly income, and they are already the first country to vote on the matter. The idea, which has been put forward by a group of intellectuals who insist people will still want to work and get jobs, has not received positive interest from either left and right sided politicians. Recommended Read more Support for staying in Europe on the wane among finance directors The federal government approved to vote on the intiative in June. The rationale behind the scheme is to break the link between employment and income, where people will have guaranteed income regardless whether they are in employment or not. The committees proposal is absed on a survey, carried out by Demoscope Institute, which reportedly showed the majority of Swiss residents would carry on working, or still look for a job, even if the guaranteed income was approved. The survey also said only two per cent of people were likely to stop working, while eight per cent said they could envisage this possibility depending on circumstances, reported the Local. 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 a statement, the committee said: The argument of opponents that a guaranteed income wouldnt reduce the incentive of people to work is by this largely contradicted. The initiative also wants to give each child 625 francs a month (430). Sweden's 6 hour work day explained The plan would cost the government around 208 billion francs a year (143 bn), where 150bn francs would need to be levied from taxes and a further 55bn francs would be transferred from social insurance and social assistance spending, the Local reported. The results of the survey showed a third of the 1,076 people interviewed, believed if the proposal came into force, other people would stop working. While 56 per cent of those surveyed said the proposal will never see the light of day. 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 }} An official has called revelations that the UK and US have been monitoring Israel's drones and fighter jets the worst leak in the history of Israeli intelligence. Material leaked by Edward Snowden appears to show spies hacking cameras and video feeds almost two decades. Images obtained by The Intercept, German magazine Der Spiegel and Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth showed drones flying missions over Gaza and the West Bank, including some appearing to snow the aircraft armed with missiles. The Intercept published a series of images from Israeli drones and fighter jets obtained by US and UK intelligence agencies (The Intercept) In 2008, an internal US National Security Agency memo even disclosed that officers had tapped a video from the cockpit of an F-16 fighter jet, showing it tracking targets on the ground. On that same day, 3 January, Israeli air strikes and shelling reportedly killed nine people in the Gaza Strip. The photos and stills, marked top secret are of varying quality because of difficulty descrambling encrypted communications between the aircraft, satellite and controllers on the ground. The operation, codenamed Anarchist, was allegedly run from 1998 onwards from locations including Troodos, a Royal Air Force installation on Cyprus, and secretive communications station RAF Menwith Hill, in Yorkshire. The revelations are expected to put pressure on UK-Israel relations (AFP/Getty Images) Iranian, Syrian, Turkish, Egyptian and Lebanese drones were also monitored, the leaks showed, but Israels activities appeared to be the main focus. Objectives included monitoring military operations in Gaza and watching for a potential strike against Iran, The Intercept reported. Despite exporting its drone technology around the world the Israeli government has never confirmed reports of armed drones. A senior Israeli intelligence source described the revelation as an earthquake to Yedioth Ahronoth, telling the newspaper: It means that they have forcibly stripped us, and, no less important, that probably none of our encrypted systems are safe from them. This is the worst leak in the history of Israeli intelligence. Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Show all 12 1 /12 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict The fire in my heart is beyond my ribs. You left me beloved - Soliman Shaheen, 15 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict Let me get enough of you, as Im still hungry for your smile my son - Soliman Shaheen, 15 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict They besiege me in my homeland so I flew to heaven - Rodaina Al Agha, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict And I am still facing the pain all by myself - Lama Shakshak, 15 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict My brother, I watched you go while my heart was tearing - Helen Mo'amar, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict My new doll is lonely in the rubble - Ayah Sha'ath, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict When a soul hugs another soul they never split, even in death - Ismail Matar, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict Everyone is gone and I stayed alone to make the world witness the injustice done to me - Hamza Shaheen, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict The hand that carries the arms carries roses too - Madeeha Al Majayda, 15 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict My eyes tell you about a dream that overcame the fence - Soliman Shaheen, 15 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict A childhood caught in an unjust siege - Hadeel Quidh, 16 Remembering the Israel-Gaza conflict Remembering Israel-Gaza conflict All the details are torn after you - Hamza Shaheen, 17 But Israeli energy minister Yuval Steinitz, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet, sought to play down its significance. He told Israel's Army Radio: I do not think that this is the deepest kingdom of secrets, but it is certainly something that should not happen, which is unpleasant. We will now have to look and consider changing the encryption, certainly. Mr Steinitz called the revelation that supposed allies of Israel had been spying on a friendly state disappointing but not surprising, claiming that Tel Aviv has not collected intelligence on the US for decades. The Foreign Office said it would not comment on intelligence matters, while White House officials were quoted by Israeli media saying spying is only carried out for specific, validated national security reasons. 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 }} Iran flew an unarmed surveillance drone over a US aircraft carrier and took "precise" photos as part of an ongoing naval drill in the Persian Gulf, state TV reported. Images purporting to be taken by the drone showing an unnamed US warship were broadcast on TV. The US navy confirmed an Iranian drone flew near the French carrier Charles De Gaulle and "directly over" the American carrier USS Harry Truman on 12 January, while the vessels were in international waters in the Persian Gulf. This still image made from video broadcast on Iranian State television Friday, 29 January, 2016 shows what purports to be drone footage of a US aircraft carrier (Iranian State Television via AP) Commander Kevin Stephens, a spokesman for the US navy's 5th fleet, said the navy did not fire on the drone because it was unarmed and posed "no danger to the ship" as the carrier was not conducting flight operations. Commander Stephens called the drone's flight "abnormal and unprofessional". He added that the US navy was "not in a position to verify the authenticity of the video as there are countless examples of similar footage to be found on the internet." Supreme leader of Iran marks Holocaust Memorial Day by publishing Holocaust denying video Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, the commander of the Islamic Republic's navy, called the drone flight "a sign of bravery". He told state TV it "allowed our men to get so close to the warship and shoot such a beautiful and accurate footage of the combat units of the foreign forces". State TV and the state-run IRNA news agency said an Iranian light submarine also participated in the surveillance operation. The reported drone surveillance comes after Iran's navy began naval drills over a 1.16-million-square-mile area, including parts of the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean. Iran said on Wednesday its navy warned a US warship to leave an area of the naval drill - the US navy later denied its operations were affected by the drill. Tensions remain high after a series of naval incidents between Iran and the US in the greater Persian Gulf, including test rocket fire by Iran near US warships and its brief capture of American sailors who drifted into its territorial waters. 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 Syrian opposition has agreed to enter UN-led peace talks to attempt to end the civil war in Syria. It follows uncertainty as to whether it would attend the Geneva talks, after initially refusing to attend. The main Syrian opposition, an umbrella organisation known as the Higher Negotiations Committee (HNC), agreed to talks on the condition of the release of 3,000 prisoners held by the Bashar al-Assad government. The HNC is also demanding an end to the bombing of civilians and improved humanitarian access to some parts of the country. It has threatened to withdraw from the talks if government "crimes" persist, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency. The group was assured by the US and UN that its demands would be taken seriously. The government-run Syrian news agency SANA reported that Syrias permanent representative to the UN, Bashar al-Jaafari, "affirmed the seriousness of the Syrian government regarding dialogue and finding a political solution for the crisis, a solution that is defined by the Syrian people without any foreign interference." A list of 177 names of prisoners the HNC want released has already been provided by the HNC to Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, according to The Guardian. "We are trying to push for women with newborn children, said Farah Atassi, an opposition adviser, to the Guardian. Thats a priority. Then we will move to the next list. The decision to enter peace talks was welcomed by Western leaders. Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond, welcomed the HNC's "difficult" decision and said: "Intra-Syrian peace negotiations must deliver a political transition away from Assad and end the suffering of the Syrian people. The UK supports this process and calls for complete and unfettered humanitarian access across Syria, and an end to all violations of international humanitarian law, as set out in UN Security Council Resolution 2254. The UK believes in a Syrian-led political settlement to the conflict and expects both sides to participate in good faith to finally provide the peace the Syrian people deserve." John Kerry, US Secretary for State, also welcomed the decision, and said: "The United States also reiterates that UN Security Council Resolution 2254 must be fully implemented by all parties to the talks, including with regard to the urgent need for humanitarian access for besieged areas of Syria. The United States further expects that both sides in these negotiations will participate in good faith and achieve early, measurable progress in the days ahead." UN Security Council Resolution 2254 scheduled the Syrian peace talks for January 2016, and also demands the ending of attacks on civilian targets. Groups designated as 'terrorist', such as Isis and the al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate, are excluded from the peace process. However, in a setback to a long-term truce, Kurdish representatives have left Switzerland after not receiving invitations to the talks. Though President Putin supports the presence of Kurdish groups in negotiations, their lack of participation in negotiations has been a significant barrier to progress. Saleh Muslim, head of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), and his entourage left Geneva late on Friday. "We left Geneva because we did not get invitations," an PYD source said to AFP. He added: "We will not commit to any decision that comes out of Geneva, including a cease fire agreement. Without us, this process will have the same fate as the last round of [failed] Geneva talks" Ilham Ahmad, the Kurdish co-head of an Arab-Kurdish joint council in Syria left Geneva on Friday after not receiving an invitation to talks, AFP reported. The HNC, and its Saudi and Turkish supporters, have always strongly objected to the PYD's involvement in peace talks. This means that only representatives of the Assad government and the HNC will meet in Geneva. Kurdish fighters, including from the YPG, the armed wing of the PYD, have been very successful in fighting Isis. They have also worked with the American military to coordinate airstrikes against the militant group. 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 has summoned the Russian ambassador to Ankara, saying a Russian Su-34 fighter jet has violated its airspace. In a statement, the foreign ministry said the jet had been warned in Russian and English before it entered Turkish airspace on Friday. It called the alleged violation "a type of irresponsible behaviour" and warned it would hold Russia "fully responsible" for all "undesirable grave consequences" which may follow, Russia Today reports. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, denied that there was any violation of Turkey's airspace and called the Turkish statements "unsubstantiated propaganda." Russian plane shot down by Turkish jets Show all 5 1 /5 Russian plane shot down by Turkish jets Russian plane shot down by Turkish jets Russian aircraft goes down in Kizildag region of Turkey's Hatay province, close to the Syrian border Russian plane shot down by Turkish jets Russian aircraft goes down in Kizildag region of Turkey's Hatay province, close to the Syrian border Russian plane shot down by Turkish jets Russian aircraft goes down in Kizildag region of Turkey's Hatay province, close to the Syrian border Russian plane shot down by Turkish jets Russian aircraft goes down in Kizildag region of Turkey's Hatay province, close to the Syrian border Russian plane shot down by Turkish jets Russian aircraft goes down in Kizildag region of Turkey's Hatay province, close to the Syrian border Tensions have remained high between the two countries after Turkey shot down a Russian Su-24 jet after it entered Turkish airspace in November. In response, Vladimir Putin signed a decree imposing a number of sanctions against Turkey. Russia has been conducting air strikes against troops fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since September. The foreign ministry said it views the violation as a clear sign Russia is seeking to escalate tensions with Turkey. 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 }} Their armys equipment and strategy was outmoded; their air forces bombs and missiles were more dumb than smart; their navy was more rust than ready. For decades, this was Western military leaders view, steeped in condescension, of their Russian counterparts. What they have seen in Syria and Ukraine has come as a shock. Russian military jets have, at times, been carrying out more sorties in a day in Syria than the US-led coalition has done in a month. The Russian navy has launched ballistic missiles from the Caspian Sea 900 miles way, and kept supply lines going to Syria. The air defences installed by the Russians in Syria and eastern Ukraine would make it extremely hazardous for the West to carry out strikes against the Assad regime or Ukrainian separatists. Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, the commander of the US army in Europe, has described Russian advances in electronic warfare in Syria and Ukraine a field in which they were typically supposed to be backward as eye watering. Russia: Russian Tu-22M3 bomber takes aim at IS positions near Deir-ez-Zor The chief of US Air Force operations in Europe and Africa, Lieutenant General Frank Gorenc, has disclosed that Moscow is now deploying anti-aircraft systems in Crimea, which the Kremlin annexed from Ukraine last year, and in Kaliningrad, an enclave between Lithuania and Poland. It is doing so, he says, in a way that makes it very, very difficult for Nato planes to gain access safely to areas including parts of Poland. It is not just Nato member states watching the Russians with concern. Israel, too, sees the build-up of Russian weaponry across its northern border in Syria and wonders where it will all end. Their apprehension is that the advanced equipment already in situ in the Middle East will end up with Iran, viewed as an existential threat to the Jewish state, or with other Arab countries, thus eroding the air superiority that is Israels primary advantage over its neighbours. Recommended Read more This is the brutal effect of war on the women of Syria It is this military might that is underpinning President Vladimir Putins strategic triumphs. His intervention in Syria has been a game changer and what happens there now lies, to a large extent, in his hands. The Ukraine conflict is semi-frozen, on his terms. The Russians are allying with the Kurds, unfazed by the Turkish anger this has provoked. And, crucially, they are now returning to Egypt to an extent not seen for 44 years, since they were kicked out by President Anwar Sadat. One of the most senior analysts in Israeli military intelligence told The Independent in Tel Aviv last week: Anyone who wants anything done in this region is beating a path to Moscow. Mr Putin has relished pointing out the significance of the West seeing for the first time that these weapons do exist, that they are of high quality, and that we have well-trained people who can put them to effective use. They have now seen, too, that Russia is ready to use them if this is in the interest of our country and our people. In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Show all 19 1 /19 In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Syrian boys cry following Russian air strikes on the rebel-held Fardous neighbourhood of the northern embattled Syrian city of Aleppo Getty In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russian defense ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov speaks to the media in Moscow, Russia. Konashenkov strongly warned the United States against striking Syrian government forces and issued a thinly-veiled threat to use Russian air defense assets to protect them AP In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Syrians wait to receive treatment at a hospital following Russian air strikes on the rebel-held Fardous neighbourhood of the northern embattled Syrian city of Alepp Getty In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov speaks at a briefing in the Defense Ministry in Moscow, Russia. Antonov said the Russian air strikes in Syria have killed about 35,000 militants, including about 2,700 residents of Russia AP In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Jameel Mustafa Habboush, receives oxygen from civil defence volunteers, known as the white helmets, as they rescue him from under the rubble of a building following Russian air strikes on the rebel-held Fardous neighbourhood of the northern embattled Syrian city of Aleppo Getty In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Civil defence members rest amidst rubble in a site hit by what activists said were airstrikes carried out by the Russian air force in the town of Douma, eastern Ghouta in Damascus, Syria Reuters In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria A girl carrying a baby inspects damage in a site hit by what activists said were airstrikes carried out by the Russian air force in the town of Douma, eastern Ghouta in Damascus, Syria Reuters In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Civilians and civil defence members look for survivors at a site damaged after Russian air strikes on the Syrian rebel-held city of Idlib, Syria Reuters In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Civilians and civil defence members carry an injured woman on a stretcher at a site damaged after Russian air strikes on the Syrian rebel-held city of Idlib, Syria Reuters In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Volunteers from Syria Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets, help civilians after Russia carried out its first airstrikes in Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria The aftermath of Russian airstrike in Talbiseh, Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Smoke billows from buildings in Talbiseh, in Homs province, western Syria, after airstrikes by Russian warplanes AP In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russian Air Forces carry out an air strike in the ISIS controlled Al-Raqqah Governorate. Russia's KAB-500s bombs completely destroy the Liwa al-Haqq command unit In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Caspian Flotilla of the Russian Navy firing Kalibr cruise missiles against remote Isis targets in Syria A TASS/ITAR-TASS Photo/Corbis In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russia claimed it hit eight Isis targets, including a "terrorist HQ and co-ordination centre" that was completely destroyed In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria A video grab taken from the footage made available on the Russian Defence Ministry's official website, purporting to show an airstrike in Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria A release from the Russian defence ministry purportedly showing targets in Syria being hit In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russia launched air strikes in war-torn Syria, its first military engagement outside the former Soviet Union since the occupation of Afghanistan in 1979. Russian warplanes carried out strikes in three Syrian provinces along with regime aircraft as Putin seeks to steal US President Barack Obama's thunder by pushing a rival plan to defeat Isis militants in Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Caspian Flotilla of the Russian Navy firing Kalibr cruise missiles against remote Isis targets in Syria, a thousand kilometres away. The targets include ammunition factories, ammunition and fuel depots, command centres, and training camps A TASS/ITAR-TASS Photo/Corbis In Syria the Russians have been conducting as many air strikes a day, up to 96, as the US-led coalition has carried out in a month. This is in marked contrast, Western military planners have noted, to how quickly Nato began to feel the strain when bombing Libya and Kosovo. One reason for the dearth of coalition sorties is that its Sunni state members are carrying out scarcely any missions, focusing instead on Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Operations by Turkey, meanwhile, have been overwhelmingly against the Kurds rather than Isis. Western defence officials also contend that the Russians are hitting other rebel groups in the guise of attacking Isis and that they are more indiscriminate in their targeting because they are less sensitive to any evidence of civilian casualties and because of their lack of precision-guided weaponry. But Russia had never promised it was going to attack only Isis. Instead, it declared that all terrorists would be targeted. This, conveniently for Mr Putin and President Bashar al-Assad, has included more moderate rebel groups. Experience of the Chechen wars show that the Kremlin is, indeed, more prepared to shrug off collateral damage than the West. It is also true that there were not enough Russian guided bombs and missiles in the first stage of the Syrian mission: Moscows claim that it has used precision weapons alone does not stand up to scrutiny. The aircraft, missiles and bombs used at first were a mix of old, dating from the Soviet era, and relatively new. There are 34 fixed-wing aircraft based at Latakia: 12 Su-25s and four Su-30SM fighter-bombers; 12 ageing Su-24M2s and six Su-34s. There are also helicopters and an unspecified number of drones. However, more of the most advanced of these, the Su-34, codenamed Fullback by Nato, have been replacing older aircraft. One reason for this is that aircraft such as the Su-25, a veteran of the wars in Chechnya and Georgia, are vulnerable to Manpads shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles which Moscow suspects the Turks and the Saudis have been supplying to Sunni rebels. The introduction by the Kremlin of advanced air-defence systems has gained impetus since the shooting down of a Russian jet by the Turks. The S-400 Triumph system is a source of great Israeli worry should it fall into wrong hands. This has an array radar that continuously monitors the skies, and a missile battery which can shoot down targets 250 miles away. One such array is positioned at the Russian base at Latakia and covers half of Israeli airspace. The deployment of Russian electronic warfare equipment in Ukraine and Syria, such as the Krasukha-4 which can jam Awacs and satellite radar systems, has been another sobering experience for Nato. Ronald Pontius, deputy to the US Army head of cyber command, stated: You cannot but come to the conclusion that we are not making progress at the pace the threat demands. Gen Gorenc, while bemoaning the proliferation by Russia and worrying about Natos capabilities, acknowledged that Russia was not breaking any international agreements and has every right to deploy these systems. In Syria, he said, the Russians were using cruise missiles, they are using bombers. It is clear that they are desiring to show the ability they have to affect not just regional events, but worldwide events. That, indeed, is the point. The question for the West is whether to react to this by initiating a new chapter of confrontation with Moscow, or one of greater accommodation. 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 }} There's a great movie called Twelve O'Clock High that depicts US aircrew life during the Second World War. It opens with the character played by Gregory Peck walking an abandoned aerodrome somewhere in southern England. The grass has grown long, the buildings are empty, the tarmac runways are crumbling. Eeriness permeates the scene. Memories come flooding back. I thought of Twelve O'Clock High one late afternoon last November as dusk fell over over a city that more than most seems to lend itself to shadows. Winter, it struck me, is Berlin's natural season. No city is more redolent of the Cold War, and no Berlin location evokes that endlessly alluring period of history quite like Tempelhof Airport, the transport hub that until its closure in 2008 must have seen more spies pass through check-in than any other in the world. The park plays hosts to concerts in the summer (Getty) (Getty Images) Tempelhof lives on rather wonderfully. Its vast acreage is now given over to walkers, cyclists, and nature a civic amenity with a difference. It's used for concerts and other events. People flock to it to stroll, perhaps to fly a kite. Latterly its hangars have been used to provide accommodation for some of the many thousands of refugees who have been arriving in Germany from more strife-torn parts of the world. The two airports that currently serve Berlin Tegel and Schonefeld lie to its north west and south east respectively and one of the things that's striking about Tempelhof is how integrated into the city it is, pretty much comprising its own suburb only a few miles from the Brandenburg Gate. To incorporate it into a ride around town, such as my daughter and I did on our 10-euros-a-day rental bikes, is perfectly feasible. Tempelhofs vast acreage is now given over to walkers, cyclists, and nature (Getty Images) Post-war geopolitics demanded that Tempelhof the airport serving West Berlin remained under the city's protection, and in turn it provided West Berliners with a lifeline. It was the focus of the Berlin Airlift the 1948 emergency when, with the Soviet Union blockading the city, the only way that fresh food and other essentials could reach the populace was for them to be flown in. Nearly 70 years later, in a different epoch, Tempelhof has an atmosphere that anyone who grew up on John le Carre, or has even just seen Bridge of Spies, would not want to miss. "Ghostly" doesn't do justice to the sight we came across of a decaying, 1950s-era passenger jet expired on the grass alongside one of the runways, with only a wire-mesh fence to stop the visitor strolling right up to it and peering inside. I would have also liked to be able to get closer to the terminal building a sleek, curving, low-rise marvel of pre-war architecture, said to have once been the largest building in the world. Disused railway lines reconfigured as cycle paths is one thing. But disused international airport runways is quite another (Getty Images) Nearby, a group of young Berliners played a desultory game of rugby, a reminder that Tempelhof is still more park than museum but a park where any such activity has a touch of the transgressive about it. Disused railway lines reconfigured as cycle paths is one thing. But disused international airport runways is quite another. There are no more opportunities to take a pickaxe to the Berlin Wall, but for locals seeking a reminder of that feeling of both liberation and togetherness, a visit to Tempelhof might seem to provide it. 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 }} Piero Puricelli was a proud man, never without a starched collar and a sharp suit. An early 20th-century engineer and entrepreneur, he had big dreams inspired by the rise of the motor car, which he invariably succeeded in turning into reality. A purpose-built high-speed dual carriageway connecting Milan and the region's lake district, for motorised vehicles alone, is proof of his boldness of vision, for the plan came at a time when Italy had only 41,000 cars compared with Britain's 600,000. Puricelli delivered it in a mere 15 months. And when, 90 years ago, at the 5th International Road Congress in Milan, his autostrada was declared the first motorway in the world, the crowning achievement for a man known as "The King of the Roads". That 42.6km stretch is now part of the Autostrada dei Laghi, which continues to form the backbone of Lombardy the region in which I grew up cutting a swathe through the heady convolutions of history, politics, religion, gastronomy and style. And today although traffic has become more one-way as the young flee prospect-less provinces for Milan or the city's Malpensa airport, where, as I did, they can board one of countless flights to a new life it offers as much insight into the country's conflicted psyche as it did in the days of its conception. So while it might seem odd to uphold a stretch of tarmac as worthy of pilgrimage, to me this autostrada is a vital connection not only to my own roots it literally transports me to them but to those of the region, even Italy as a whole, where ancient foundations underpin modern aspirations, and a little brio can carry you far. Like the much hymned A1 that runs through England into Scotland, Italy's A8 is a still-unfolding romance, a place of soft lyricism as much as hard surfaces. The original route begins somewhere around Lainate, an inconspicuous municipality north-west of Milan's centre, where Mussolini struck the ground with an axe, declared Puricelli's project under way, and co-opted its success for his fascist ideology. "Is this the spot?" I wonder as the road slips by, the weight of history offset both by the unexpected beauty of its smooth silvery skin beneath an icy December sky, and my father's persistent offer of Fruitella (or "Opal Fruits" as he, a Mancunian-Italian, insists on calling them). We're coming from the Alfa Romeo museum, a slick new exhibition space at the heart of old factory buildings, founded last year to celebrate a century of pioneering car design. And as we zip along ("Or was it here..?"), a sign reminds me that the Villa Litta, a surreal, Tuscan-inspired complex designed by Count Pirro I Visconti Borromeo in the late 1500s, lies just minutes away. It's difficult to think of a sharper contrast to the museum's "Speed" exhibition a breakneck tour of race-track achievements than the Litta's delicate nymphaeum, a neo-classical network of grottoes and fountains designed by Martino Bassi (fresh from his work on Milan's Duomo cathedral). This is a region as nostalgic as it is forward-thinking. Much to Alfa Romeo's chagrin, it was in the competitor's Lancia Trikappa that King Victor Emmanuel III, with Puricelli at the wheel, undertook the first journey to Varese, at that time the route's end. Big bands oompahed and flags lined the way. The carriageway, once hemmed by native flora, is now testimony to the workaday industry that helped to make this one of the richest regions in Europe, with factory after factory specialising in the mechanical minutiae on which the functioning of so many of our household appliances depends. Though the motorcade didn't stop in Legnano, the city can make an unusual claim to grandeur, being the only one other than Rome to be mentioned in the country's national anthem, thanks to a historic battle, in 1176, in which the Lombard League trounced the Holy Roman Empire. The victory is celebrated with a pageant every year, though its modern significance has, to a degree, been usurped by the far-right Lega Nord party, for whom it is a model of regional pluck in the face of centralised government. Gallarate's modern-art gallery features an exhibition dedicated to the Missoni oeuvre, with an army of mannequins draped in the brand's distinctive, colourfully zigzagged fabrics (Getty Images) A sign giving the name in the local, Celtic-derived dialect characterised by a combination of fussy diereses and bullish pronunciation which, for some reason, my school friends and I found hilarious ("Bugugia" was a favourite) is one of the more visible, and innocuous, examples of the kind of reactionary federalism that the Lega champions. It is more likely that those taking the Legnano exit will be heading on a different kind of quest to the smaller, industrial town of Parabiago, nicknamed the City of Shoes because of its plethora of luxury outlets. But good shoes call for a fine frock, so it seems fitting that, not much further along the autostrada, the city of Gallarate awaits, famous for being the birthplace, in 1953, of the Missoni fashion house as well as for almondy amaretti that are infinitely more complex, in taste and mythology, than their now ubiquitous cousins from Saronno. (I was amused to find, on moving to Leeds 10 years ago, that the latter played a more central role in British family celebrations, held in "the local Italian", than they ever had in my own.) This year, Gallarate's modern-art gallery, the MAGA, is kicking off its own 50th birthday celebrations with an exhibition dedicated to the Missoni oeuvre. Here, you'll find an army of mannequins draped in the brand's distinctive, colourfully zigzagged fabrics the tightness of the weave belying the loucheness that surrounded Missoni's 1967 debut, when the braless models' lame blouses went see-through under the catwalk lights. A world away, then, from the fifth-century nunnery that nestles among chestnut trees, 20 minutes along the autostrada at Castelseprio. But the monastery part of a clutch of Unesco-protected buildings dotting this ancient Roman settlement and Lombard powerhouse of the Middle Ages boasts frescoes as vivid as Missoni's knitwear. And its walls whisper of a scandal of their own, centred on the unfinished faces of three nuns pictured in the tower: having abandoned the holy order, their spirits are said to wander the grounds, groping in vain for a way back in. It seems unlikely that Puricelli would have entertained such whimsy as he bore down on the final stretch to the city of Varese, set among hills lush with fruit and vegetables. Although the area then known as Milan's larder now specialises in harvests of a different sort a European research centre for nuclear energy was established there in the 1950s the Varesotto continues to produce some of the finest fresh cheeses in Lombardy, from sweet, creamy tomini to sharp, grassy caprino. The 14th-century sanctuary of Santa Maria del Monte (Getty Images) While the King was escorted straight back home, visitors today would do well to pack a picnic and drive a few kilometres beyond the city centre if not to take in the eclectic modern art at the 18th-century Villa Panza (which includes works by the pioneers of California's Light and Space movement, Robert Irwin and James Turrell), then to test their knees, and their faith, on the steep cobbled track that leads up Sacro Monte. There, above pastel-hued art-deco villas commissioned by the weekending bourgeoisie, sits the 14th-century sanctuary of Santa Maria del Monte. Its piazza provides a view of what Puricelli's futurist contemporaries might have grandiloquently termed "the beauty of speed". A lattice of autostrade, cast out from the original, now extends across the landscape. And it's on the far shores of Lake Varese, beyond Neolithic houses that testify to the region's first settlers, that you'll find Lomnago, the hilltop village where that vision was first distilled. By a strange irony, the pace of life at Puricelli's villa could now hardly be slower. It's been turned into a retirement home. More ironic is that, in the same year that his autostrada was declared the first of its kind, the engineer was finessing plans for a trans-border motorway between Hamburg and Genoa phase one of a grand plan to connect all of Europe. He unveiled preliminary designs in 1934, stating that "joined motorways are portals to peace". It would, however, take the Second World War and years of rebuilding to make that particular dream a reality. 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 }} In a cobbled backstreet in the heart of Zurichs medieval Old Town, a bunch of beatniks is celebrating the centenary of a club which changed the course of modern art. On 5 February 1916, Cabaret Voltaire introduced Dada to an unsuspecting Swiss public. A hundred years later, the cosy nightclub where this revolutionary movement was born is still up and running. Absurdist and anarchic, Dada was a form of expression like no other. It revolutionised every art form, from painting to poetry, music to dance. Its subversive attitude spread beyond Switzerland, to Paris, Berlin, and New York but this is where it started. So, how did this staid city become the centre of Europes avant-garde? During the First World War, neutral Switzerland was a safe haven for artists and intellectuals who were desperate to escape the carnage of the trenches. Lenin, Einstein and James Joyce all ended up in Zurich, amid a ragbag of artistic refugees from France, Germany and beyond. One of these bohemian emigres was German performance artist Hugo Ball, who wrote the Dada manifesto (a surreal stream of consciousness) and founded Cabaret Voltaire. So, what was Dada? Well, thats rather hard to say. Not even the Dadaists know what Dada is, declared the Dadaist writer and artist Johannes Baader, enigmatically. Only the Chief Dada does, and he tells no one. Its probably easier to say what it wasnt. It wasnt overtly political (it mocked both conservatives and socialists). It abhorred pretension. It defied good taste. In a way, it was a lot like punk. After Dada, anything seemed possible, and every conventional art form suddenly seemed terribly old-fashioned. Like punk, Dada didnt last Cabaret Voltaire closed in July 1916 and its members dispersed a few months later. Yet like punk, its influence was immense. In Paris it spawned Surrealism. In Berlin it fuelled the satire boom. Its pioneering use of collage anticipated Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art. The Schiffbau building (Alamy) The building where Cabaret Voltaire began was a nightclub until the 1990s, and when it finally shut down, a group of local artists moved in as squatters and revived the old Cabaret Voltaire. Since 2002, its been an experimental space for all sorts of art happenings, and it has retained an edgy, speakeasy vibe. Artists and students flirt and gossip in the bar, sightseers browse in the quirky boutique below, and the stage still features all sorts of quirky performances. Throughout this year, Cabaret Voltaire is toasting its 100th birthday with a special Dada season, and there are other events all over Zurich, including Dada exhibitions at the Landesmuseum, Switzerlands national historical museum, and the Kunsthaus, Switzerlands leading art gallery (its Dada costume ball on 16 February should be an exhibition in itself). The best way to get your bearings is on one of the guided Dada tours, during February and March. They start at the Hauptbahnhof (central station), and head down Bahnhofstrasse, Zurichs most expensive shopping street. Here, above the Sprungli chocolate shop at No 21 was the Galerie Dada, where these iconoclastic artists first exhibited. At No 70, the Grand Cafe des Banques, another popular Dada hangout, is now the premises of Orell & Fussli, Zurichs biggest English language bookshop. Dadaists invaded venues all over town, and some of the places they played were a lot smarter than Cabaret Voltaire. The first Dada soiree was at the Zunfthaus zur Waag, a handsome guild house built in the 17th century. It was here that Hugo Ball recited his Dada manifesto (with his back to the audience), but today its one of the citys most exclusive restaurants. Id been to Zurich a few times before and always found it a bit standoffish. Sure, the location is stunning, beside a vast and lovely lake, but the city centre always seemed rather sedate. Yet, on returning to explore the Dada trail, I saw another side of Zurich: narrow sidestreets crowded with eccentric antique shops; respectable restaurants such as Hiltl (the worlds oldest vegetarian restaurant, apparently) that become hip nightclubs after hours. Zurich was remarkably tolerant of Dadas mischief-makers, and today the city still has a thriving arts scene. The Kunsthaus is one of Europes most important galleries, including the biggest Edvard Munch collection outside the artists native Norway. Switzerlands neutrality in both world wars made it a refuge for paintings as well as painters. Nazi Germanys crusade against degenerate art became Switzerlands artistic gain. However, its in the grungy district of Zurich West that the spirit of Dada lives on. This old industrial quarter has become the core of the citys alternative arts scene. The Schiffbau, an old shipyard, is now a theatre, a jazz club and a buzzy nightspot. The trendy accessories label, Freitag, has its flagship store around the corner. Built from a stack of old ship containers, its an artwork in itself. The hub of this creative enclave is the Lowenbrau Areal, an old brewery that has been converted into a cluster of dynamic galleries not just public museums such as the Kunsthalle, but first-class commercial enterprises such as Galerie Bob van Orsouw and Hauser & Wirth. The Swiss supermarket chain, Migros, has its own art museum in the Lowenbrau, with Martin Creed murals in the foyer. Back at Cabaret Voltaire, the bar is filling up. Theres a gift shop in the lobby, but this little club is more than a museum. It still feels like a place where anything could happen. Jake and Dinos Chapman have exhibited here. Russian controversialist Alexander Brener has performed here too. Kunst ohne Grenze (Art without Frontiers) reads a sign in the stairwell. A century since that historic first night, prim and proper Zurich is still at the cutting edge of contemporary art. Getting there William Cook travelled with Swiss (0345 601 0956; swiss.com), which flies to Zurich from Heathrow, London City, Birmingham, and Manchester. Staying there Hotel Atlantis (00 41 44 456 55 55; atlantisbygiardino.ch). Doubles from 560 Swiss francs (388), B&B. Visiting there Zurich Tourism (00 41 44 215 40 10; zuerich.com) organises two-hour guided Dada walking tours, in English, on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays; 25 francs (17)pp, children aged 6-15 are half price. More information Switzerland Tourism (00800 100 200 29; myswitzerland.com) 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 }} York has no shortage of winding alleys, secret nooks, and hidden courtyards; today, theyre inviting curiosities for the nosey visitor, but its easy to let your imagination slip into the past, imagining ruffians dodging down cobbled side-streets to swerve the law. Not that they would have got very far if theyd nipped into Judges Court. A small courtyard reached via a low alley, its dominated by a smart Georgian townhouse, which between 1720 and 1806 hosted Britains most senior judges before they set out to York Castle to pass sentence on serious criminal cases including one Judge William Chapple, who in 1739 convicted the infamous highwayman Dick Turpin for horse-stealing. But theres no need to pack your wig the Grade II-listed townhouse was recently turned into an elegant 15-room residence for law-abiding folk. The bed There are two twin rooms, eight kings, and five luxury rooms with four-poster beds; all are named after judges who once stayed here. Grand portraits of said figures adorn the corridors; pick up a postcard of the one whose room you slept in. I sampled both a luxury and a king room. Room No 6 named after William Murray, Lord Mansfield, a Lord Chief Justice who hastened the abolition of the slave trade is on the ground floor. The large, wood-panelled room is painted in chalky shades, with one wall featuring a blown-up 18th-century satirical cartoon of a judge. I was a fan of this suitably eccentric slice of England, but it wont be to everyones taste. Theres a happy marriage of period features such as fireplaces, cast-iron baths and brass lamps with more modern design: dark wooden furniture, including a sleekly minimal four-poster. A gavel on the back of the door as a coat hook is a cute touch. Theres an inviting free-standing tub in the room, while an en suite bathroom charmingly concealed behind a secret panelled door comes with a monsoon shower and Cowshed products. The second night was spent below stairs, in room No 1 (Sir James Reynolds, Chief Baron of the Exchequer). It has a different character entirely a snug Hobbit-hole, with a low vaulted ceiling of exposed brick. Some guests find it claustrophobic, while others request it specially, I was told. The breakfast Theres no kitchen or dining room, so leave your order on your door the night before; breakfast will be brought to your room from a nearby cafe. Pastries, porridge (which regrettably turned out to be of the DIY instant variety), and breakfast baps are on offer, but many guests opt to take themselves out for something more substantial. There are tea- and coffee-making facilities in all rooms, including fresh milk in the mini-bar. The hosts Judges Court is the little sister of the Churchill, a long-established hotel in York; both are owned and managed by Lee Robinson and Steven Gledden. I didnt meet the pair, but the friendly staff ensured a warm welcome during my December visit bolstered by the hot mulled wine on offer in the snug reception. Judges Court is perfectly positioned for exploring York The weekend You couldnt be more conveniently located: Bettys tea room (01904 659142; bettys.co.uk) and the River Ouse are a stones throw away (happily Judges Court has not been hit by the recent flooding), and you could be in the Minster within five minutes (01904 557200, yorkminster.org; from 10). Theres no parking at Judges Court, but you wont miss the car; stroll through quaint higgledy-piggledy streets like the Shambles or round the citys walls, then visit the revamped York Art Gallery (01904 687687; yorkartgallery.org.uk). Last years 8m refurb has proved money well spent, and its now home to the international-standard Centre of Ceramic Art. The food and drink Dewsnaps brasserie at the Churchill Hotel (01904 644 456; churchillhotel.com/dine) continues the Georgian theme in a high-ceilinged, circular dining room. Although offering British fare that the eponymous prime minister would approve of roast mutton and venison, for example there are modern flourishes (savoury muesli; artichoke veloute). York is stuffed with cosy pubs, and I ate at old favourite The Maltings (01904 655387; maltings.co.uk), where the lasagne nearly killed me with cheese, as well as trying a new kid on the historic block, the Eagle & Child (01904 631 536; eagleandchildyork.co.uk), whose fishnchips are perfect for soaking up the local beers. The essentials Judges Court, Coney Street, York, YO1 9ND (01904 676184, judgescourt.co.uk). Doubles from 90; breakfast 7pp. 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 }} The limitations of the human body means we require machines much larger than ourselves to propel us skyward; and with them an interface between our earthbound lives and the complex network of trails above our heads. Dating from the 1930s and replacing the earlier "aerodrome" and "airdrome", the word "airport" is a reminder of the time when such places were actual ports, run by the city to which they were attached. Today they get a bad rap. Endless queues, delays and terrorist-induced anxiety combine to convert the romance of flight into a grumble of complaint. Many of us feel we shouldn't be flying at all. Yet, despite our reservations, at some level airports remain magical spaces, outside our normal routine and beyond the normal reach of time, a limbo between here and there. I am on my way to Terminal 2 at Heathrow, which accommodates 20 million of the 75 million passengers the airport processes every year. As the Tube trundles sedately through west London, I realise I'll be late for my appointment with a member of the airport staff who is to take me "airside". I don't feel the stress of missing a connecting flight, but it reminds me of barely caught planes, of lift-offs doused in adrenaline. The 10 world's worst airports 2015 Show all 10 1 /10 The 10 world's worst airports 2015 The 10 world's worst airports 2015 10. Beauvais-Tille International Airport (Paris) The 10 world's worst airports 2015 9. Benazir Bhutto International Airport (Islamabad, Pakistan) The 10 world's worst airports 2015 8. Tan Son Nhat International Airport (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) The 10 world's worst airports 2015 7. Hamid Karzai International Airport (Kabul, Afghanistan) The 10 world's worst airports 2015 6. Toussaint Louverture International Airport (Port au Prince, Haiti) The 10 world's worst airports 2015 5. Simon Bolivar International Airport (Caracas, Venezuela) The 10 world's worst airports 2015 4. Tashkent International Airport (Uzbekistan) The 10 world's worst airports 2015 3. Tribhuvan International Airport (Kathmandu, Nepal) The 10 world's worst airports 2015 2. King Abdulaziz International Airport (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia) The 10 world's worst airports 2015 1. Port Harcourt International Airport (Nigeria) List taken from Guide to Sleeping in Airports worlds worst airports 2015 survey. http://www.sleepinginairports.net/2015/worst-airports-world.htm The truth is most of us arrive at airports in a mildly fretful state. Have we remembered passports, tickets, the right clothes, currency and credit cards, the chargers for our various electronic devices? Above all, will we arrive in time to check in? To add to our struggles we drag our possessions with us, lifting our bags out of cabs, off trains, up elevators and rolling them along endless walkways, embarrassed by the roaring sound suitcase wheels make on concrete, wondering again why no one has invented hovering luggage. Airports are a signature building type of the past half-century and many of today's leading architects, from Norman Foster to Santiago Calatrava, have engaged with the conundrums they pose. Passengers should be inspired, yet also reassured; their journey through the structure as swift as possible but the economic potential of their "dwell time" within it realised effectively. An airport, an architect pointed out to me recently, "is a shopping mall with planes attached". Increasingly they are also, as Luis Vidal, the architect of Terminal 2 puts it, "gateways to nations", attempting through vernacular detail and public art to brand the city with which they're associated. At the entrance to Terminal 2, Richard Wilson's monumental, 70-metre sculpture "Slipstream", a 3D representation of the flight path of a plane, signposts London as a creative hub. I jog past it to Costa, to meet my guide from Heathrow Airport Ltd. After working here for four years she knows the place well, but admits that as soon as she passes through it as a passenger she reverts to type. "When I travel with my boyfriend through Heathrow and he asks me the way, suddenly I don't know; I feel anxious", she explains. Designing airports requires considerable research into passenger behaviour. "Architects understand that people feel different emotions at different places in the building. Everything is designed to help passengers orientate themselves." She points to the undulating steel-frame roof above our heads. "Can you see it's sloping down, towards the security gates?" The slope is quite subtle, I observe. Can it really have the effect of shepherding us in the right direction? "Yes. If you look at the floor you will see too that the tiles are darker where customers need to do things: over by the self-service check-in kiosks, for instance, they change to a darker grey. It's the same when they arrive at security." We walk over to have a look. At the gates, uniformed figures stand guard holding clear plastic bags, their feet firmly planted on dark grey tiles, next to a notice announcing "You are now entering a security zone". Almost all of us feel some nervousness as we reach passport control. We have checked our luggage, so we are beginning to feel lighter, freer, but our identity, our very sense of self, is now concentrated into a single document. What if the stone-faced men and women who pass it under a scanner see something that stops them, and therefore us, in our tracks? Our passports, after all, grant membership to that club which allows movement across borders. You might say, in the current news climate, that entry to or exclusion from it defines our world. We head off through an unmarked entrance to the staff security checkpoint. The absence of queues and crowds means I haven't taken the process sufficiently seriously. A bunch of keys in my pocket sets off the alarm and I have forgotten to remove a laptop from my backpack before putting it on the conveyor belt, resulting in a thorough shake-down. Retail staff working in the airport pass through these security checks every day. In the maze of corridors we encounter ghost-like figures dressed variously as chefs, security guards and perfume-counter assistants, before emerging into a light-filled concourse. Queen Alia International Airport, Amman, Jordan (Alamy) Behind us passengers are replacing shoes and tethering belts at the end of a security line. From our elevated vantage point my eyes are drawn to a large window, through which we can see aircraft lined up below us on the runways. Once again the architecture sends a subliminal message intended to create a sense of reassurance and arrival. The planes are there: the urgency that has propelled us forward slackens. Released from worldly cares, what can we do but wander and shop? The most popular retail purchases, I discover, are sunglasses inhabitants of a cloud-smothered nation, on leaving we adjust our vision, ready for the technicolour reality that is "abroad". Yet even here, amid the restaurants run by TV chefs, the simulacrum of Bond Street with its Smythson, Versace and Gucci, disaster lurks. Purple-clad Passenger Ambassadors speak 60 languages between them and can be summoned from anywhere in the airport to rush to passengers' aid. Shaazia, the guardian angel of Departures, regales us with tales that exemplify our deepest fears. An elderly couple from India transferring at Heathrow have mislaid their passports somewhere in the terminal; another couple have picked up the wrong bag and are terrified they've lost all their possessions; an asylum seeker, travelling to be reunited with his wife after three years' separation, has no money for food for his children and can't read the departure screen. With cheerful efficiency, the Ambassadors untangle the twists of fate that threaten to engulf their charges. If airports are theatres of human drama, today they are themselves on the world stage, subject to the audience of public opinion. Squabbled over by politicians, invaded by protesters, battling to expand at the very time climate science demands we wean ourselves off flight, they remain central to the culture, the place where the most pressing ideas about our futures selves play out. 'Station to Station' by James Attlee is available now, 14.99 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 }} The days have been lengthening for a month now, to little discernible impact. Sunny days in January still have their fleeting hints of spring curtailed abruptly by a half-light of faded, drained colour. Where better then than Dartmoor for a seasonal walk? These moors can feel cloaked in gloaming in summer, more so in winter; but theres also a magic to be found at this time of year, particularly when the low winter sun lifts itself over the summits of the tors, blackens the skyline into a silhouette and throws a vivid, if brief, brush of colour across the foreground. Dartmoors woodlands may be leafless now, but there is still an intense green to enjoy in the smothering form of mosses and lichens. This is especially the case in Wistmans Wood, one of the most enchanting, mysterious and downright spooky groves to be found in a national park that is not exactly short of tales and locations to send a shiver down your spine. We begin the walk to Wistmans Wood from Two Bridges, a minuscule hamlet dominated by the eponymous, welcoming hotel. Resisting the considerable temptation of the Two Bridges open fires, we resolve instead to return there after our walk. The track along the valley of the West Dart is clear at first but, as we pass Crockern farm it whittles to a stony sheeps track. We can spot Wistmans Wood a mile before we reach it, tucked up against the river bank and precisely shoehorned into the lower flanks of Longaford Tor. In a hint at what is to come, every fingerpost sign is draped in lichens. Due north is the distinct outline of Rough Tor, its largest rocks seemingly petrified on the verge of tumbling into the depths of the moors. As we approach, the woods become more distinct and its three overlapping groves of dwarf oaks can be picked out. Little can prepare you, though, for the breathtaking spectacle of contorted trunks and boughs, all swathed in drooping, spangled green lichen. Ferns grow out of every arboreal armpit and stout, serpentine trunks appear to sprout from the bare granite rocks that are sprinkled along the banks of the river. Before setting out, Liz and Richard Jones, our hosts at Archerton guesthouse in Postbridge, had shown us a sepia-tinted travel guide to Dartmoor, Gems in a Granite Setting, by William Crossing, sometimes regarded as the Wainwright of the area. Its a mesmerising account and well worth searching out; and his descriptions stayed with me as we wandered through and around the wood. The path skirts to the east above the wood, but its hard to resist dipping our boots in this maze-like patchwork of green piping, though Crossing is spot on when he writes that to penetrate far in means a continuous scramble, with every chance of slipping now and then into some deep hole between the boulders. As Crossing puts it: Its worth the trouble, for certainly no other wood such as this exists. Wistman's Wood (visitdartmoor.co.uk) Wistmans Wood is so extraordinary that it is unsurprising it has unsettled inhabitants from Neolithic settlements right through to the present day. From tales of the Devil lurking here with his prowling wisht hounds slavering over unwary travellers, to agitated druids, it has always been fertile territory for the imagination. Crossing adheres to the Age of Reason, however, and suggests the name is simply a corruption of Saxon and old English words for water, stone and wood. Suddenly, we are clear of the wood and decide to aim for a distant weir across the West Dart. Every path we follow, however, evaporates among the reeds before we reach the bank, so we turn instead and cut across open ground to reach Longaford Tor. Clambering to the summit, we stare down at Wistmans Wood and then further afield. To the south-west we can pick out the granite frame of Dartmoor Prison. Due west, flagpoles denote the edge of the Merivale military training area. We head south, skipping from tor to tor via a boggy plateau. Our final, modest summit, is Crockern Tor, location of Dartmoors medieval stannary parliament which operated for 400 years during the Middle Ages, registering tinworks and hearing petitions and dealing with law breakers. Standing on Crockerns jumble of rocks, we glance back at Longaford Tor and the distant Higher White, Rough and Beardown Tors and realise that every tor we have climbed, passed or surveyed from afar has its own distinct identity. Some appear to have been burped up from within the earth, others are more wind-pummelled, a number have their rocks scattered and sprawled across the moors, others look to have been designed with great precision, one vast immoveable boulder positioned just so upon another. Littaford Tor looks like a collection of granite macaroons. A monotonous landscape at a monotonous time of year? Not a bit of it. Travel essentials Distance: Four miles Time: Two hours OS Map: Outdoor Leisure 28 Dartmoor Start/Finish: Two Bridges Hotel, or quarry car park opposite. Directions From the quarry car park in Two Bridges, follow fingerpost signs to Wistmans Wood. Just beyond the wood, bear right (east) over open ground up to Longaford Tor. Head south via Littafod Tor and continue south to a stile in the stone wall (grid ref SX 615767). Take the left-hand path here to Crockern Tor, then bear right (south-west) to pick up the track and retrace your steps past Crockern farm to the car park. Getting there The nearest mainline train station is Plymouth, served by Great Western Trains and Cross Country Trains (08457 484950; nationalrail.co.uk) Staying there Archerton guesthouse (01822 880286; archerton.co.uk) has double rooms from 95, including breakfast. Eating & drinking there Two Bridges hotel (01822 892300; twobridges.co.uk) offers dinner from 35pp excluding drinks. More information visitdartmoor.co.uk 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 }} When the writer and film-maker Charlie Lyne delivered his 10-hour-plus film of paint drying to the British Board of Film Classification recently, he was trying to make a point about censorship. Last week, that point seemed lost when two of the boards examiners settled in to watch the film before issuing it with a U certificate. Examiners are required to watch a wide variety of content, so this didnt faze them, the board commented, well, drily. Was this a case of a prank spectacularly backfiring? People wouldnt stand for it if the BBFC was censoring literature, music or any other art form, so why is film fair game? Lyne asks me. Paint Drying is my attempt to draw attention to that contradiction and I wanted to provoke a discussion about film censorship in the UK, which my project certainly has. Has he watched the film himself? Nah. So, what might Lynes sequel be to really show those examiners? Hours of film of a person sleeping? Andy Warhol did that in 1963. A single shot of the colour blue? Derek Jarman did that in 1993. I know how about an endless loop of nails scraping down a blackboard? Or a day in the life of one of the BBFC examiners, perhaps. How big youve groan While this column has been known to mock those strange commemorative days that are littered throughout the year (30 January is Backward Day, apparently; dont ask), it was cheering to hear the announcement that 8 February would mark the inaugural UK Pun Day. The day kicks off with a panel discussion called (what else?) Its a Punny Old World at BBC Radio Leicester (tickets from comedy-festival.co.uk), where Professor Christie Davies, a 74-year-old academic and writer who takes the art of comedy very seriously, will explain why puns make us groan, the difference between a good pun and a bad one, why English is a good language for punning in, and more. Later in the day, as part of the Daves Leicester Comedy Festival, contestants will battle it out to become the UK Pun Champion. Just one complaint: couldnt they have arranged all this for a day earlier so I could remind you to pick up a copy of The Independent on Punday on your way? The agony and the ecstasy People who write advice columns in newspapers and magazines know that a small number of the letters they get sent are fake. The mother of all agony aunts, Irma Kurtz, reckons she can spot them from the handwriting. The Mirrors Coleen Nolan recently fell foul of a man who claimed his partners love for lizards [was] tearing [them] apart, and so on. Many get published and replied to; the columnists tend to never speak of it again. Full credit, then, to Amy Dickinson, whose Ask Amy column is syndicated to more than 150 US newspapers. Last week, she received a letter from a Feeling Foolish that essentially rehashed a situation from a Seinfeld episode and even threw in clues. Dear readers, Dickinson wrote on her blog the next day, every once in a while I get punked by a villainous, fun-loving reader. I have some affection for these episodes because I often think that if I didnt actually have a job, punking advice columnists is exactly what I would do with my time. The perfect response. Go fund them Though there is no shortage of ways of dispensing of any spare cash, might I draw your attention to two projects seeking money through crowdfunding. The first is a film called The Truthful Phone, which has only days to go to reach its target and is still offering the top draw of a unique creature from the film to anyone with 5,000 to spare. And though its difficult to imagine anything better than that hairy critter made by a puppeteer who has worked on The Muppets and Star Wars you might prefer to help out with a video game called Sebastian Frank: The Beer Hall Putsch, which will allow players to go back in time in a quest to stop Hitler rising to power. Either way, a bit of history could be yours. Wacky races With the Oscars race row giving way to the, ahem, discussion over the casting of Joseph Fiennes as Michael Jackson, last week Twitter users flexed their perfectly timed funny bones under #MakeaMovieWhiter. Though there was an endless stream of good suggestions, I particularly loved The Helped, Guess Whos Coming to Brunch, 0 Years a Slave and The British Empire Strikes Back. Twitter. Its not just for trolls, you know. No rhyme or reason Another in a regular series of limericks based on recent events: At the school gates all tired and yawning, See them drop off their kids in the morning, But now like a nightmare, Those folk in nightwear, Are sent back to bed with a warning. Twitter: @simmyrichman 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 }} Several readers have written in about this puff from Tuesdays front page, advertising an article inside the paper: Why cheap oil should make you and I richer. That should be you and me. Nobody would write: Why cheap oil should make I richer. The personal pronoun, being the object of the verb make, should be in the accusative case. Putting you and in front of me makes no difference to that. The trouble is that modern English has lost nearly all its inflections for case. (Modern German and Russian retain much more of the richness, in this respect, of ancient Indo-European languages.) In todays English, apart from the possessive -s ending, there are only two cases, nominative and accusative. They appear only in personal pronouns in the first and third persons: I/me, he/him, she/her, we/us, they/them. Thats the lot. The result is that English speakers are not used to dealing with case forms in a flexible, logical way. They tend just to extrude familiar clumps of words. And, of course, they have been taught from the cradle up never to say me and my brother (which is vulgar), but my brother and I. So they are not equipped to spot the times when logic demands my brother and me. Labour will call for an urgent statement into the agreement, said a news story on Monday. Inquiry into is established style. In recent years we have got used to the inquiry into producing a report into, rather than on. And now we have a statement into. This is getting sloppy. You can see that an inquiry passes into its subject like a probe or a knife blade laying bare the interior of an object. But what picture are we supposed to form in our minds when we read a statement into? A Voices piece on Monday, criticising the British Empire, fell for the fatal charms of that slippery word reality. Our education syllabus focuses on imperial vanities, not realities. Really? Writers love to accuse their opponents of ignoring realities in this case presumably such horrible facts as the Amritsar massacre and the Bengal famine. But it is absurd to suggest that imperial vanities are not real. The Delhi Durbar of 1911 (above), for instance, really did happen. You may think such vanities absurd or immoral, but they are just as real as the massacre and the famine. On Monday we reported on the beaching of sperm whales on the Lincolnshire coast: The giant animals, which are up to nearly 15m long, attracted crowds of onlookers. Up to nearly wont do. Up to has a ring of precision, suggesting thus far and no farther. Then nearly makes it vague again. It must be said differently: The giant animals, which can approach 15m in length Our review yesterday of Spotlight, a new film about journalists, said of one character: Hes the brow-furrowed, pencil-chewing exec. Shouldnt that be furrow-browed, as in blond-haired or light-fingered? Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight 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 Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Most people think that David Cameron has gone from big demands to little demands in his European negotiations. He promised the referendum as a way of fending off Ukip before the last election. Therefore, we assume that he started off pretending that he could restore the supremacy of the British parliament and turn our relationship with the EU into a free-trade agreement, and that he is now pretending the minimal, cosmetic changes that he has (nearly) agreed are a big deal. As with most things in life, it is not that simple. It is true that Cameron is trying to do the two things that Harold Wilson did before him. He is trying to keep a divided party together, and he is trying to persuade people who say they want to leave the EU to vote to stay in. It is also true that the changes that Wilson secured mainly better terms for the import of New Zealand butter were not fundamental. The conventional view is, however, mistaken, in that Camerons demands have become more substantial since he promised a referendum back in January 2013. One is struck today by how airy-fairy that speech was. The only definite demand in it was that Britain should be excluded from the aspiration of ever-closer union, one of the founding phrases of the EU. Presumably, Cameron had already established that such an exclusion would be possible. It was not until his speech on immigration in November 2014 that the Prime Minister set out demands that other European leaders would find hard to accept. The main one was that new arrivals in Britain from other EU member countries would have to pay taxes here for four years before they would be entitled to claim in-work benefits. For Cameron, who has long thought of himself as a Eurosceptic, this seems an unexpected issue to become his New Zealand butter. For a long time, the demand for a referendum on Europe concealed a range of motives of those who wanted to leave. For some, it was a leftover of the campaign against the euro, which ceased to be a possibility (if it ever was one) in 2003. A core group (John Redwood was out and about last week) is concerned about national sovereignty. For them, no renegotiation makes sense unless it becomes a free-trade deal, in which case our status would be like that of Switzerland, which is not an EU member. A larger number of voters are hostile to the EU because they dont like the free movement of workers. This began to be economically significant after 2004, when 10 more countries joined the EU. It came as a welcome surprise to hear Ed Balls, who was then economic adviser to Chancellor Gordon Brown, admit at our class on The Blair Years at Kings College London last week: When it came to the expansion of the EU in 2004, we didnt see the extent to which low-wage people would move. Fundamentally, we didnt think they would. It took a while for the reaction to this influx to take political shape. The causes of the rise of Ukip were almost as complex as those of the First World War, but immigration from the rest of the EU was one of them. It is curious, though, that when Cameron finally conceded the referendum, he was so unclear about what it was he didnt like about the EU and what his renegotiation would put right. The imminence of a general election sharpened his sense of what public opinion wanted. Namely, action to curb the free movement of EU workers a feature that hadnt been a problem before. Hence Camerons November 2014 speech, and the nub of the renegotiation, which is probably being decided this weekend. When the Prime Minister said on Friday that what was on offer was not good enough, I heard the unspoken but it soon will be. I suspect he has known a deal could be done since November 2014, because, if the other leaders dont agree to a four-year ban on benefits, he can always do it anyway so long as it applies to British citizens too and there could be ways of compensating them. Economists say such a ban wont have much effect on the numbers coming, but it might have some effect. What is more, our ComRes poll this month found 84 per cent supported it in its own right. Cameron would prefer the EU to offer it to him, as it seems close to doing, with a plan confusingly called an emergency brake. (That used to mean a limit on the numbers allowed in, an idea that is still beyond the pale.) This seems an arbitrary way to decide great questions of national destiny. But, equally, you could look at it as the product of a well-functioning democracy. Cameron reflects the will of the British people, which is why, if he secures the deal that he has always thought possible, he should be confident of winning the referendum. In exam questions comparing conviction politicians and those, such as Wilson, who bend in order better to reflect the democratic will, Camerons EU policy presents him as a fine example of the bendy kind. 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 report of talks between the leadership of the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats on a fair voting system in which every vote counts is something we welcome (Lib Dems and Labour in secret talks on voting reform, 24 January). By working together, we believe its possible to transform British politics and that a fairer voting system will help deliver a fairer Britain. Last years general election delivered an extremely unrepresentative House of Commons. A third of voters backed neither Labour nor Conservative, yet their votes translated into 13 per cent of MPs. The Conservatives achieved a majority on 37 per cent of the votes cast. This is plainly unjust and undemocratic. Moves by the Government threaten to make matters worse. They are making it harder for people to register to vote, and reducing the number of constituencies, so undermining the value of individual votes further in most seats. They are attacking research funding for opposition parties, particularly smaller parties, that enables them to stand up for their voters and hold the Government to account. We would like to see Labour, the Lib Dems and the parties we represent, join together at the next general election in a manifesto pledge to introduce proportional representation for the Commons. This would give every voter a say in future elections and provide a mandate for early legislation. Meanwhile, well be talking to citizens and political leaders alike about how this pledge can be achieved. Caroline Lucas MP Green Party Angus Robertson MP Westminster Leader of the SNP Hywel Williams MP Westminster Leader of Plaid Cymru ... In Syrias endless civil war is at a decisive point (24 January), Patrick Cockburn puts forward unfounded allegations about Turkey. Daesh (Islamic State) and al-Nusra have long been on Turkeys list of terrorist organisations. Turkey itself has been a victim of Daesh with various terrorist acts. One only has to look at the bombings in Reyhanli, Ankara and Istanbul. Moreover, Turkey has been at the forefront in stopping the flow of extremists into Syria, as the co-chair of the Foreign Terrorist Fighters working group within the anti-Daesh international coalition. The Turkish military started its operations against Daesh targets in Syria even before its UK counterpart. Since the beginning of 2015, 1,709 individuals, including 556 foreign nationals, have been detained and 474 persons have been arrested due to their affiliation with Daesh. The Syrian Kurdish PYD, and its armed wing, YPG, do not share the Wests vision for Syrias future. Their acts, in violation of international law, against the Arab and Turkoman populations in northern Syria, such as forced displacement and unlawful demolition of houses, were documented by Amnesty Internationals October 2015 report. Abdurrahman Bilgic Ambassador, Republic of Turkey London SW1 ... Geoffrey Lean has laid bare the duplicitous nature of the Governments energy policy in trashing renewables to achieve minimal savings for consumers, while saddling the UK with massive subsidies to keep nuclear afloat (Consumers are dying for lower bills, 17 January; Panic over nuclear safety, 24 January). However, the Big Six have done more than just connive in this deception. They have played a major role in preventing progress towards a low-carbon future. Thus they have provided up to 50 experts in Whitehall, whereas the renewables sector has no representatives in government. Greg Barker, the minister at the Department for Energy and Climate Change responsible for implementing the Green Deal, has accused the Big Six of sabotaging the programme. Talking on Radio 4 (You and Yours, 2 March 2015) he said the energy companies had done nothing apart from fulfilling their statutory obligation to fuel-poor households. The only reason the Government reached its targets was because of input from smaller eco-friendly firms. It was extremely naive for the coalition to have devolved responsibility for the Green Deal to companies whose main purpose is to sell as much energy as possible. Dr Robin Russell-Jones Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire 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 would be easy to scoff at the hundreds of people who claimed they had the missing 33m lottery ticket including the Lotto Gran who said she had put it in the wash. How did they think they would get away with it? But, then again, when companies such as Google are winning millions of pounds on the HMRC lottery every week, who can blame some of those would-be Lotto winners for chancing their arm? Google says it has abided by UK tax laws, which it has, but it doesnt seem fair to we ordinary taxpayers who are fed up with massive corporations like the tech giant similarly getting away with it by paying a paltry 3 per cent tax rate. It is hard to not feel a sting of resentment particularly those of us who have just dutifully filed our tax returns to HMRC at Google striking a deal to pay 130m of unpaid taxes over 10 years, when they could have paid so much more. Thats why Jeremy Corbyn was right to say at Prime Ministers Questions that Jeff, the working man of over 30 years who wondered whether there was a scheme he could join that pays the same rate of tax as Google, speaks for millions. The Labour leader is laughed at by Tory MPs opposite when he quotes members of the public at the Dispatch Box, but on issues like this, invoking the everyday voter works and portrays David Cameron as the defender of big-business tax avoiders. We can all empathise with Jeff. PMQs exposes a paradox in Corbyns leadership. Many Labour MPs who would rather he wasnt leader went away from the exchange feeling pretty happy with his performance. There are some of Corbyns policy positions, such as on Trident, that are simply insurmountable for them. And yet as long as Corbyn speaks up for the ordinary man or woman at PMQs, who should be typical Labour voters, it is difficult to make a case for why he should go. They can express legitimate rage at the Trident policy, or at the concerted attempts to target moderate Labour MPs by far-left groups, or at Corbyns dismal personal and party poll ratings and yet so long as the Labour leader quotes people like Jeff at the Dispatch Box, there is little that can be done. PMQs isnt everything remember how Ed Miliband stormed the clash on 27 January one week before nosediving the next? but it is a partys front-of-house, the most prominent part that the public sees. It is no use complaining that the lifts are on fire and Momentum has taken over the third floor when the front-desk receptionist is just smiling and waving. So anti-Corbyn Labour MPs have to acknowledge when the leader has struck a chord, and sit tight. As it happens, I maintain that Corbyn does not have Labours winning ticket, but Im sure it will all come out in the wash. Reality bites for Barbie... Mattel has produced a new range of more realistic Barbies after acknowledging that parents like me did mind the (thigh) gap. There is still a slim, long-haired Barbie who looks like she always did ie, that shes on her way to a yoga class in California but there are also shorter (or petite) dolls and curvy ones. I showed a picture of the new range to my five-and-a-half-year-old daughter (who doesnt own a Barbie but has somehow osmotically absorbed the classic image of the plastic supermodel into her brain and I dont know how to get it out) and asked her what she thought. She said the glamorous Californian one was the real Barbie and looked at the others before saying thats not Barbie. I dont like her clothes, was how she described one of the curvier dolls. Actually, the girl has a point: in the promotional photos, slim and tall Barbies are dressed more elegantly, while those with the more realistic body shapes are in chunky, unflattering denim skirts and tie-dye cut-offs. As someone who has never owned a waist, I can tell you these are not good looks. I now have my work cut out to change my daughters view of Barbie and so I will go and buy curvy Barbie, perhaps also treating the doll to some nicer outfits. But Mattels efforts cannot be enough: while Disney princesses have tiny waists and sucked in cheeks, changing little girls ideas on body image will be impossible. Barbies new realism includes non-white ethnicities and petite and curvy body shapes (Reuters) ... and for Sam Cam Samantha Camerons canapes and surfing trophy cake won her Star Baker in the Great British Bake Off special for Sport Relief last week, but will her husbands old foe Ed Balls win his round, making it a hung parl-au-vont? I know these specials are really about charity, but there were also touching moments in Sam Cams victory: when she was handed a bouquet she remarked that shes used to getting flowers as the Prime Ministers wife, but not in her own right. Then, after giggling at her own attempts inside the Bake Off tent, she said she hadnt laughed that much since I was at the back of the classroom at school. Judging by the Prime Ministers terrible jokes at PMQs, which include lame gags about Back to the Future and Shakespeare, I can see why. The wets are all going dry Its no laughing matter for MPs who want to have a drink while waiting for late-night votes in the proposed temporary House of Commons accommodation at Richmond House, where the Department of Health is now located, after it was revealed on 29 January that alcohol is forbidden because the building has been financed by an Islamic bond. During the relocation, while the Palace of Westminster undergoes a 4bn revamp, MPs will be blocked from going to their cut-price bars. But, as one MP pointed out to me, while the sale of alcohol is banned under sharia rules, theres nothing to stop our politicians carrying a hip flask and having a nip bringing a whole new meaning to Ways and Means. But why cant they queue with the tourists and special advisers who cram into the Red Lion pub a short distance away on Whitehall for a full-price pint? Twitter: @janemerrick23 The dumped summary also made reference to Brian Cowens long-time friendship with former Anglo non-executive director Fintan Drury (pictured). Photo: Tom Burke Fianna Fail members of the Oireachtas Banking Inquiry vetoed a draft executive summary which referred to the party's infamous tent at the Galway Races. The document also highlighted contradictory evidence given by former Taoisigh Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen about a meeting they held, after Mr Cowen received a phone call from then Anglo Irish Bank chairman Sean FitzPatrick. The draft also contained more robust language than appeared in the final report, accusing key organisations and players of "greed, negligence, laziness, incompetence and ignorance". However, the draft summary, a copy of which has been obtained by the Irish Independent, was rejected as "too political" following objections from Fianna Fail members of the inquiry team. It was written by the Labour Senator Susan O'Keeffe at the request of the inquiry chairman Ciaran Lynch - after members had already rejected an earlier executive summary written by civil servants because it was not considered political enough. In the end, due to time pressure, no executive summary was published with the final report. The 6.5m inquiry has been severely criticised amid claims it pulled its punches in the final report. Commentators have also noted that Fianna Fail came out of the report relatively well, despite leading the Government immediately before and after the crisis. While the final report was critical of the economic policies of those Governments, it found the policies of the main opposition parties were broadly similar. The report also did not back up claims by Taoiseach Enda Kenny that an "axis of collusion" existed between Fianna Fail and bankers. Contacted about his rejection of the draft summary, Michael McGrath, one of two Fianna Fail members on the inquiry team, said: "I'm not going to go into it." Mr McGrath accepted there had been a "mixed" reaction to the report, but insisted he was satisfied with the work done. The other Fianna Fail representative on the inquiry, Senator Marc MacSharry, confirmed he had issues with the draft summary, but did "not want to get into the nitty gritty of the deliberations". The dumped executive summary contained extracts from Mr Ahern's evidence to the tribunal, where he stated: "There was no big deal between the connections in the Fianna Fail tent and the construction industry. It was a social occasion." However, no reference to the Galway tent made it into the final report. Senator O'Keeffe's summary also outlined differing accounts of the circumstances surrounding a meeting between Mr Ahern and Mr Cowen in March 2008. Sean FitzPatrick had phoned Mr Cowen, who was in the Far East, in the aftermath of the 'St Patrick's Day Massacre' which wiped more than 3.5bn off the value of Irish stocks. Mr FitzPatrick was worried about the secret stake businessman Sean Quinn had built up in the bank. Mr Ahern testified that Mr Cowen visited him at his north Dublin home on his way from the airport after the trip. But Mr Cowen said the meeting took place the following day. This disparity in evidence is not detailed in the final report. Contacted about the draft summary, Senator O'Keeffe said she was disappointed it was not used. "I tried hard to be neutral with the summary and thought that, with some collaboration and work on this draft, we could have a good strong summary that would tell the basic story for people who might not read the entire report," she said. The dumped executive summary also made reference to Mr Cowen's long-time friendship with former Anglo non-executive director Fintan Drury, but the friendship was not mentioned in the final report. Also contained in the draft summary, but omitted from the final report, was evidence from Mary Burke, head of banking supervision at the Financial Regulator, that the regulator had just three people supervising Bank of Ireland and Anglo and three looking after AIB and Irish Life and Permanent. Another omission related to the Central Bank's sensitivity about the title of a draft financial stability report in 2007 examining international housing booms and busts. Losses narrowed last year at the Irish arm of UK retailer Debenhams as the company recorded slightly higher revenues and falling cost of sales. According to new accounts filed in the Companys Office, the firm recorded a full year loss of 6.7m in the year to the end of August 2015, down from 8.6m reported in the previous 12 months. Turnover rose to 166.5m compared to the 163.6m, while cost of sales fell from 163.2m to 162.3m. Distribution and adminstrative expenses also both rose during the year increasing from 6.7m during the 2014 financial year to 8.3m in the subsequent 12 months. Employment costs, including wages and social welfare expenses, remained static at 33.9m. The firm employed an average of 1,635 people during the year compared to an average of 1,681 in 2014. Debenhams Ireland did not pay a dividend during the year. In 2013 it paid a 54.8m dividend to its parent company in the UK despite the fact that it was loss-making. Debenhams operates 11 department stores across Ireland in locations including Dublin, Cork and Limerick. The majority of the outlets were acquired from the Roche family in 2006 when the UK retailer acquired Roches Stores. The group operates 240 stores across 28 countries Debenhams Ireland had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication. Shares in Debenhams are up by about 15pc this month after the groups Christmas sales beat expectations. Like-for-like sales rose by 1.9pc, much stronger than the expected 0.3pc growth. The renewable energy business founded by former Bord Gais chief executive John Mullins has secured planning permission for a five megawatt (MW) solar farm in Kilmoney, Co Cork. The permission, granted to Amarenco Solar, allows for the installation of 22,200 photovoltaic panels on a site area of 10.2 hectares. Amarenco plans to develop 40 solar farms across Ireland. "The application approval by Cork County Council is very welcome news and is part of a significant number of applications being prepared by Amarenco Solar for Ireland," John Mullins said. This week the company said that it will move its headquarters from Dublin to Cork, creating 10 jobs. / Irish Independent Sportstar of the Year Luncheon 2013...22 December 2014; Former Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll being presented with the Hall of Fame award from Robert Pitt, Chief Executive, Independent News & Media, during the Croke Park Hotel / Irish The country's leading media group, Independent News & Media (INM), has appointed chief executive Robert Pitt to join its board of directors. Robert Pitt (45) joined INM as group chief executive in September 2014 following senior roles in Central Europe and China. INM publishes the country's market-leading newspapers including the Irish Independent and Sunday Independent as well as the independent.ie website. INM chairman Leslie Buckley welcomed Mr Pitt to the board yesterday. "The board is delighted to announce the appointment of Robert Pitt as a director of the company," Mr Buckley said. "He has been with INM for almost 18 months and has successfully overseen a number of considerable changes in a continually challenging period for the business and for the news publishing sector as a whole. "The company now looks forward to Robert's added positive contribution at board level." Prior to joining INM, Mr Pitt held senior management roles in the retail sector in central Europe at Tesco and Lidl. He is a graduate of UCD and is married with four children. In half-year results last August INM reported a 13.5pc increase in pre-tax profits spurred on by growth in advertising revenue against the backdrop of improving market conditions as the domestic economy revives. Stockbrokers Davy this month tipped the company as one of its picks for 2016. Davy said that INM's balance sheet is in good health, with over 40m of net cash expected to be on the books by the end of the 2015 financial year, increasing to 70m by the end of this year. "We expect the group to generate free cash flow of over 27m in 2016, implying a free cash flow yield of 11.6pc. "The strength of its balance sheet and cash flow will provide management with the ability to pursue acquisition targets and/or potentially look to return cash to shareholders," Davy said. Donald Trump: No attempt on programme to explain why he has become so popular. Where do you stand on Donald Trump? No, really, where do you stand on him? His head? His neck? His mouth? I only ask because there are plenty of interwebby cartoons and games where you get to choose which parts of Trump you'd like to batter first. That's all well and good - Trump is a big boy. Well, he used to be before he had his truly epic hissy fit over Megyn Kelly and decided to pull out of last night's Fox News debate (unless he decided to turn up after all, but this is filed a few hours before the debate was due to take place, there's not much I can do about that). My point, though, is that the very people who immediately denounce any criticism of Hillary Clinton as automatically sexist seem to have no problem engaging in fantasy games about the kind of damage they would like to inflict on the bumptious billionaire. That's exactly the spectacular double standard we last experienced when Obama was running against Bush. Any caricature of Bush was fair game (he was invariably portrayed as mentally retarded, or evil. Or both) while anything lobbed in Obama's direction was obviously racist. That glaring, gargantuan hypocrisy is back in full swing as we gear up to the first of the Primaries and Channel 4 was quick to get stuck into The Donald with Matt Frei's Channel 4 special, The Mad World Of Donald Trump. Frei is always an engaging and entertaining presenter, regardless of whether you agree with his politics or not, and thankfully, there was no spurious attempt at balance or giving both sides of the story. This was, instead, an occasionally entertaining, if pointedly skewed hit job, which managed to make both the man and his supporters look like ridiculous buffoons. Of course, it's not that difficult to make anything emerging from America look ridiculous and buffoonish but Frei took to his task with relish - Trump was portrayed variously as a dangerous nutter; a man who may have raped his first wife (until they read a statement from said woman denying the claims); a rich boy done bad; and did I mention dangerous nutter? The problem with this approach was that it was guilty of the very accusation it was levelling at its subject - being utterly devoid of any nuance or complexity whatsoever. Video of the Day There was nothing new to be learned here. Everybody knows that he came from wealthy stock. We were already well aware that his behaviour in Scotland was increasingly nasty, and, of course, we all know about his various verbal assaults on the aforementioned Kelly, prisoners of war and, most unpleasantly, his mocking mimicry of a disabled reporter. So, this was basically a potted history of Trump's various outrages against common decency. But this was Comfort TV and much like comfort food, was designed to provide reassurance to the consumer. In this case, it was made to reassure the viewers that they were right, all along, to think Trump is an idiot and his supporters are thick. There was no attempt to explain why he has become so popular. There was no effort to talk to his more reasoned supporters - of which there are many, despite what you will see in the Irish media. There was, instead, lots of emphasis on how his supporters are ludicrously, comically, vein-bulgingly angry. Why are they so angry? After all, Frei compares Trump's sturm und drang approach with Obama's more palatable 'hope and change' without conceding that it was 'hope and change' that directly contributed to making America a worse place than it was eight years ago. And it wasn't great then, either. The Mad World Of Donald Trump was successful in its primary objective - reminding cosy liberal viewers that they are so much smarter than everyone else. Let's put it this way, yesterday's lead letter in this very paper was illustrative of the smug dismissal of the man and his followers, verbosely sneering that: "In contradistinction, Hilary Clinton's evocation of the 'better angels of our nature' in the service of coalition-building, may have the righteous verisimilitude to be appealing." You wanna know why so many people are going to vote Trump? Because of letters like that. I imagine Ray D'Arcy has spent most of this week in a state of Olympic huffiness. I mentioned before that once the mob decides your time is up, your time is up and now Saturday night has become Twitter night for every bed-wetting saddo who has nothing better to do than go on social media to give him a furious kicking. That goes with the territory, of course, and it must bounce off him at this stage. But ye Gods, that interview last week really was as bad as the chin-strokers claimed. Dean Strang was the guest that everybody wanted. Charismatic, driven, committed, he was one of the few people to emerge from Making A Murderer with his reputation enhanced rather than eternally ruined. But watching that interview was like watching the worst gay blind date of all time. As Strang visibly wondered what the hell he was doing there, D'Arcy floundered uncontrollably to such an excruciating degree that one thought did occur to me - the next time someone smugly slags American telly, remind them of this car crash. Poor mobile phone coverage in rural areas of Ireland could soon be swept away by state-sanctioned moves to introduce signal-boosting services for homes. The technology could solve an issue that affects as many as 500,000 Irish mobile users. The head of Ireland's telecoms regulator confirmed that his watchdog is considering the move in the face of growing complaints from rural TDs and householders over weak mobile phone coverage. "There are places where people were able to use their phone in their homes five years ago and they can't use them there now," said Jeremy Godfrey, chairman of ComReg, at an Oireachtas committee hearing on communications. "We acknowledge that individuals sometimes have a worse experience than they previously had. Our evidence is that this is not due to any reduction in the signal strength being provided by operators. But that doesn't mean that there isn't a problem. We are going to consider the licensing of amplifiers to enable individuals through their mobile operators to improve the coverage in their homes." Amplifiers, also called boosters or repeaters, involve placing an antenna on the roof of a house that captures any available mobile signal in the surrounding area and boosts it into a home or limited local area. At present, such equipment is illegal to use in Ireland without a special licence. Mr Godfrey said that 500,000 mobile phone users in Ireland were dissatisfied with their service. The ComReg chief also said that the regulator was likely to introduce a new mobile phone spectrum that would widen the reception of existing operators' signals. However, this process would not be introduced for at least three years, he said. Some rural TDs say that weak mobile phone coverage is a bigger issue among constituents than lack of broadband. "There is a real problem with coverage in large areas of the country," said Helen McEntee, a Fine Gael TD for Meath East. "I can't keep a call without it dropping on routes that I travel." Under Irish telecoms law, mobile operators are only required to cover between 70pc and 80pc of the country's population with no legal requirement to cover rural areas. This means that once Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford are covered, the operators are only obliged to cover a handful of other large towns to meet their legal obligations. Mobile operators say that they face planning objections from local communities, despite the growing outcry over coverage blackspots. One in three applications for masts and other mobile network infrastructure is rejected by rural councils and An Bord Pleanala. ComReg's chairman rejected claims that mobile phone signals were worse today than they were five years ago. "We conduct tests four times a year," said Mr Godfrey. "Coverage is over 90pc of the population. There's no evidence that those signal strengths have gotten worse in recent years." However, Mr Godfrey admitted that ComReg's testing procedure did not reach some rural areas. BT Ireland, which is contracted to deliver the vital call answering service, said it had drawn up contingency plans after more than 60 workers began a ballot for industrial action. Photo: PA Members of the public have been assured that '999' emergency calls will still be answered if staff managing the phones go on strike. BT Ireland, which is contracted to deliver the vital call answering service, said it had drawn up contingency plans after more than 60 workers began a ballot for industrial action. The workers want management to start talks on improved pay, and review its disciplinary policy on suspensions and on-call services. They also claim they are being treated like schoolchildren by having to ask permission to go to the toilet. The workers claim they are given only seven minutes for a toilet break and must seek permission if they need more time. BT subcontracts the service to Conduit, which employs the telephone operators in three centres in Ballyshannon, Navan and Dublin. "In the event of further threats by the Communications Workers' Union on ballots involving industrial action, we can confirm we have contingency plans in place to maintain what is a critical service for public safety," said a BT spokesman. He said operators were informed of minor changes to work practices last week, but denied telling them to report all toilet breaks. Anglo Irish Bank management discussed disguising short-terms loans of 750m from Irish Life and Permanent (ILP) and keeping them "tight as a duck's a***", the trial of former banking executives has heard. The four men, including former ILP CEO Denis Casey and former Anglo Head of Finance Willie McAteer, are accused of conspiring to mislead investors by using interbank loans to make Anglo appear 7.2bn more valuable than it was. Mr McAteer (65), of Greenrath, Tipperary Town, Co Tipperary, and Mr Casey (56), from Raheny, Dublin, are on trial alongside Peter Fitzpatrick (63), from Malahide, Dublin, who had been IL&P's former director of finance, and John Bowe (52), from Glasnevin in Dublin, who had been Anglo's head of capital markets. They have all pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to conspiring together and with others to mislead investors through financial transactions to make the bank appear 7.2bn more valuable that it was between March 1 and September 30, 2008 in Dublin. On day eight of the trial, the jury heard recordings of telephone calls made between staff at Anglo and ILP in 2008. The interbank loans allegedly involved money being transferred by Anglo to ILP and then being put back on deposit with Anglo by their life insurance division, Irish Life Assurance. This would make it look as if Anglo had received large corporate deposits by the time it had to report its year-end figures on September 30, 2008. The jury heard Mr Bowe told a conference call with Anglo executives in March 2008, when a similar type of transaction was being discussed in relation to the bank's half-year figures, that the only issue they had to think about was from a regulatory point of view. He said: "And the regulator is more or less saying, 'Look, I'm not looking'." In another call on March 27, Matt Cullen, a former director of treasury at Anglo, and his counterpart in ILP, David Gantly, discussed the details of the March transactions. Mr Bowe was also on this call. Mr Gantly told Mr Cullen: "You put the stuff into us and we put it straight back through our other boys. You just need an overnight transaction through month-end, correct". The court heard "the other boys" referred to Irish Life Assurance. Mr Gantly said he was purposely not using names because, he said "the walls have ears in this climate". He later suggested it would be better to break the 750m figure into smaller transactions because "it might look better to disguise it somewhat, you know?". Mr Cullen, who is still giving evidence in the trial, told the court if details of the transaction got out it would affect confidence in the market so the idea was to "keep it tight inside in their own bank". Mr Gantly added later on the same call: "I can vouch for my own people, I know because of them, you have to be tight as a duck's a*** here". In a phone call in September 2008, Mr Bowe told Mr Cullen the bank's expectations for the year end accounts, that month, were very negative. He said the bank's figure for customer deposits was "about four billion less" than it needed to be. The trial before Judge Martin Nolan and a jury will continue next week. Wayne Bradley (left) is safe for now thanks to brother Alan A gangland assassin has been ordered to "back off" by the Christy Kinahan cartel after he agreed to take up a contract on the life of under-threat criminal Wayne Bradley. The hitman was suspected of making two failed attempts to murder exiled crimelord John Gilligan in the space of three months, and is also currently a participant in the separate west Dublin feud which centres around Jason 'Jay' O'Connor. The Herald previously revealed that he had been enlisted to kill Bradley after his release from Portlaoise Prison last month - but now that plan has been scrapped. "Gardai have received information that the message was given from on high in Spain for the hitman to back off," a source told us. Attention "The view seems to have been that a high-profile murder of someone like Wayne Bradley would have been very bad for business, because of all the attention that it would have brought from gardai for months if it went ahead. "A murder like that would have definitely disrupted the drugs trade and it was decided that it was simply not worth it. "It would not be true to say that everything is now sweetness and light between the two factions, but there is no doubt that Wayne is not under anything like the threat he was facing a month ago," the source added. While a 'peace deal' has not taken place, sources say that Wayne's jailed brother, Alan 'Fatpuss' Bradley, has played a big part in the matter being resolved. "Lots of people in the criminal fraternity consider Wayne something of a joke, but his brother 'Fatpuss' is a lot better thought of," the source pointed out. "Fatpuss was extremely concerned about the reports he was getting in jail about what was happening, and it seems he had a word with some senior members as well - which may have influenced the situation to calm down." Sources stress that, while the situation now seems to be resolved, the unpredictable nature of the Finglas-based hitman means that this may not be permanent. Wayne was released from the high-security Portlaoise Prison at the start of last month, having served a five-year jail sentence for his role as a look-out during a raid at a Tesco store in Cellbridge, Co Kildare, in 2007 - under the direction of slain gang boss Eamon 'The Don' Dunne - while his brother Alan is still serving a six-and-a-half year sentence for his role. 'Fatpuss' will not be released for another 11 months after he also pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to conspiring to steal cash from Chubb Ireland on November 2, 2007, at Tesco in Kildare. Wayne had served his last 10 months in Portlaoise Prison after he was transferred there when he got a severe hiding in the exercise yard of Mountjoy Prison - which left him in hospital for a fortnight. The hitman who was after Wayne was previously closely associated with Kevin Ledwidge, a 27-year-old Finglas criminal who was shot dead in July 2007, as well as convicted Finglas murderer David Cully (24), who was jailed for life last July for the gun murder of his uncle. He is also linked to a Cabra criminal who was recently jailed in relation to a savage assault, after which the victim died. Powerful The hitman has forged a feared reputation over the past 18 months and is now considered one of the most powerful gangsters in north Dublin. He is a convicted armed robber who is said to have a "pathological hatred" for veteran criminal John Gilligan, who fled Ireland after the latest attempt on his life at his brother's Clondalkin home in March 2014. The hitman is also suspected of entering the Halfway House on the Navan Road in north Dublin armed with a 9mm handgun looking for Gilligan in early December 2013. More recently, he has become involved in the Westies gang feud in north Dublin, and has linked up with a criminal who has been at war with Jason 'Jay' O'Connor. He has also forged links with the Kinahan cartel and has been seen in their company. A secret funeral for serial killer Robert Black was held in Belfast last night, it can be revealed. The notorious paedophile was cremated after hours at Roselawn Crematorium on the outskirts of Belfast without any family or friends present. A black Ford Mondeo carrying the 68-year-old killer's body drove through the cemetery gates after the crematorium had closed to other services. No flowers or memorials adorned the coffin of the monster, who murdered nine-year-old Jennifer Cardy in Ballinderry in 1981. A quick cremation was carried out just before 5pm. Read More The Presbyterian chaplain of Maghaberry Prison, the Rev Rodney Cameron, carried out the service, which lasted barely six minutes. He read a passage from Psalm 90 but made no reference to Black's murderous past. After a short prayer, he committed the killer's body for cremation with the words, "Earth to Earth, Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust." The paedophile's remains will now be disposed of at an undisclosed location outside of Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Prison Service refused to provide any comment on the child killer's funeral. The authorities have been keen to keep the details surrounding the service private, with only a few people privy to the full information. There had been anger that the public would have to cover the cost of Black's funeral because he died in jail and no family came forward to claim his remains. The cheapest cremation service available from the firm which carried out yesterday's service costs in excess of 3,000. Black died on January 12 at Maghaberry Prison, where he was serving 12 life sentences for the kidnap and murder of four little girls. Local undertakers had refused to handle his remains, leading to a delay in the holding of a funeral for him, the Belfast Telegraph has learned. Eventually, the Northern Ireland Prison Service found a funeral director prepared to take on the ceremony. Justice Committee chairman, DUP MLA Alastair Ross, said he was glad that "a line can finally be drawn under this terrible case. Hopefully now, the families of this man's victims can find some peace," he added. Following Black's death earlier this month there was huge concern about his funeral arrangements, with calls for his remains to be kept somewhere other than Northern Ireland, where he abducted and murdered Jennifer Cardy in 1981. The prison authorities have come under fire for refusing to release any information to the public about his funeral or the cost to the public purse. Ukip MLA David McNarry described the Prison Service's silence over the killer's service as "outrageous". "This shroud of secrecy is just treating the public with contempt," he added. Black was first accused of rape aged 12. He then went on to abduct and murder a number of young girls while working as a delivery driver. He was jailed in 1994 for the murders of Susan Maxwell (11) from Cornhill-on-Tweed, Northumberland, in 1982; Caroline Hogg (5), from Edinburgh, in 1983; and Sarah Harper (10) from Morley, near Leeds, in 1986. In 2011, he was also convicted of the murder of Jennifer (9), in Ballinderry, Co Antrim, in 1981. He was further convicted of a failed abduction bid on Teresa Thornhill in Nottingham in 1988, when she was 15. Following his death, detectives said they were days away from charging him with the abduction and murder of 13-year-old Genette Tate, who went missing in Devon in 1978 and has never been found. New information emerged after his death indicating that Black could have killed up to 15 more young girls, making him the country's most prolific serial killer of children. Two of five South Dublin teenagers accused of "lining up" to have sex with a 15-year-old girl at a house party have pleaded not guilty. The two youths - aged 17 and 16 - are now facing separate trials on charges arising from the alleged incident. Their three co-accused - two aged 16 and one aged 18 - have yet to decide on pleas and had their cases adjourned. In one case, the disclosure of evidence relating to "an anonymous letter" to a school has been queried by the defence. The five youths, who are all charged with defilement of a child, appeared in Tallaght District Court. They are accused of having sex with the alleged victim individually at an impromptu party at her home in Rathfarnham, Co Dublin while she was drunk. Judge Bridget Reilly adjourned the 17-year-old's case for the preparation of a book of evidence for his jury trial, which will be held at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The 16-year-old who is pleading not guilty had his case put back to a date for hearing in the non-jury Dublin District Court. The remaining co-accused also had their cases adjourned. The accused teenagers, from Rathfarnham, were all juveniles at the time of the alleged offences on March 14, 2014. A State solicitor told Judge Reilly the 17-year-old's case was before the court for a decision on whether to elect for trial by jury. "He wants to go to the circuit court, judge," his solicitor said. A barrister for one of the 16-year-olds said the youth had elected for the district court. "The plea is not guilty," he said. The fourth accused's solicitor said disclosure of prosecution documents had only been received and he needed "time to go through it". The final teenager's lawyer said: "A decision hasn't been made." Previously, the court heard that it will be alleged that before the girl had sex with the fourth man she heard a voice outside her bedroom say: "Line up, guys." A garda said that the girl alleges each of the males pulled down her leggings and underwear. It is alleged each had sex with her individually, she could not "physically say no" and that she was scared. The case was adjourned. A disgraced doctor who mistook an X-ray of an ankle for an elbow managed to work in a fourth hospital, earning lucrative fees through a locum agency. (Stock image) A disgraced doctor who mistook an X-ray of an ankle for an elbow managed to work in a fourth hospital, earning lucrative fees through a locum agency, the Irish Independent has learned. Dr Omar Hassan (30), who was this week found guilty of professional misconduct at the Medical Council, was sent by an agency to provide medical cover in Our Lady's Hospital in Navan in January 2014. He also worked in hospitals in Portlaoise, Mayo and Galway between 2012 and 2014 despite serious concerns being raised about his abilities in 2012. Dr Hassan, a native of Sudan, was placed on administrative leave by University Hospital Galway in early 2014. But it took another year before a complaint was made about him to the doctors' regulatory body, the Medical Council. He continued to find work through a doctors' agency up to 2015 and was offered a full-time post in Navan early that year. The HSE has been unable to explain why each hospital appeared to rely on his written references from two doctors in Sudan when hiring him rather than contacting his senior colleagues in Ireland. The Easter Rising had a seismic impact on Ireland's cultural and artistic landscape - but a major conference has heard that modern Ireland has struggled at times to cope with the legacy and meaning of 1916. The revelation came at a major University College Cork (UCC) conference, 'The Rising of Poets and Playwrights', which was yesterday addressed by some of Ireland leading artists, playwrights, authors and historians. Renowned artist Robert Ballagh said he was always intrigued by the 1916 Rising and its impact on Irish culture. Mr Ballagh, who earned worldwide acclaim for his paintings of key 1916 figures such as James Connolly and Constance Markievicz, will deliver the conference keynote address today. "I was always fascinated by the 1916 Rising, by the fact that it involved so many poets, writers, musicians, actors and artists," he said. "Also, it seemed to me that the men and women of 1916 were not merely rebels but people of vision. "What they desired was not simply a Dublin government, a green flag over Dublin Castle and a harp on coins." Bertie Ahern believes that working with Independents to shore up a government majority is not as difficult as some political analysts suggest. Photo: Arthur Carron Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has predicted that Fine Gael and the Labour Party will be able to form the next government with the help of the Social Democrats and possibly a small number of Independent TDs. Mr Ahern believes that working with Independents to shore up a government majority is not as difficult as some political analysts suggest. Asked if he believes Taoiseach Enda Kenny will turn to Independents for help in forming the next government, Mr Ahern replied: "The Social Democrats will have four or five, possible more, sensible, sane people who know the system. "I think what they seem to be saying in their speeches is not difficult for the Government to deal with." Mr Ahern was speaking on the new independent.ie podcast 'The Frontbench', where he will be joined each week by former Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte and former Fine Gael justice minister Nora Owen to discuss the election campaign. Mr Ahern also said that after a week of controversy, Tipperary TD Michael Lowry's campaign team were likely to have been "all down drinking champagne the other night and saying 'God if we can keep this going for another week, we won't have to knock on doors'". Mr Rabbitte argued that while a lot of people might not like the current Coalition, they "may well hold their nose and vote for the Government because the situation we're in was hard earned and they won't want to put it at risk". He added: "The present brand of independents in there at the moment, for the most part, talk about exotic creatures flapping and grand-standing and attracting attention." Ms Owen told Irish Independent Editor Fionnan Sheahan that it has been difficult to listen to Mr Kenny dodge the question of a deal with Mr Lowry - but ultimately she understands why he "may be better off to keep his powder dry about any of the Independents". Taoiseach Enda Kenny will meet with Fine Gael ministers on Monday night to finalise his General Election plans. Mr Kenny will dissolve the Dail next week, with the election to be held at the end of February. The Cabinet is due to meet as usual on Tuesday, followed by the normal Dail sitting. The meeting on Monday night of Fine Gael ministers is expected to discuss the party manifesto and clear individual policies. Ministers will also debate the election date and the rollout of the campaign. Mr Kenny is still mulling over Thursday, February 25 or Friday, February 26 as polling day. Fine Gael sources say it is now 80pc certain the election will be held on a Thursday. But Mr Kenny will face criticism if he holds the election on a Thursday as it will limit the ability of young people who live away from home to vote. The writs for the general election will be moved by the Clerk of the Dail under Section 39 of the Electoral Act 1992. The Constitution provides for the President to dissolve the Dail and to summon the Dail, on the advice of the Taoiseach. Environment Minister Alan Kelly, under Section 96 of the Electoral Act 1992, appoints the polling day and times. The minister would usually make this order on the day the Dail is dissolved but this is not a legal requirement. The polling day must be no earlier than 18 days and no later than 21 days after the writs are issued - excluding Sundays. Labours Kevin Humphreys speaks to Helen Nicholson, with her dog Harper, as he canvasses in Dartmouth Square in Dublin. Photo: Damien Eagers Ruairi Quinn is in no doubt about what has been the most corrosive and damaging element for the Labour Party. "It's the constant sniping of Trotskyists of different hues and colours who have never, ever wanted to be in Government," he says. Asked about a possible annihilation of Labour, Quinn snorted that it is 'certain commentators' who want to see the Labour party annihilated... and particularly "people on the left of the party". He puts forward a startling thesis that: "Like the Communists in the old days, you had to get rid of the Social Fascists first, which is what they called the Social Democratic party in Germany. Get rid of the Social Fascists first and then we'll have the revolution. "This is what the Trotskyists currently in Leinster House have as their thesis... that's their argument. "But you're playing with people's lives," he warns. Quinn has hit the canvass trail with son Oisin, the former Dublin Lord Mayor, to support Minister of State Kevin Humphreys. With Eoghan Murphy and Lucinda Creighton widely predicted to take the first two of the Dublin Bay South three-seater, it is likely to be a dogfight between Humphreys and Chris Andrews of Sinn Fein for the third. "People understand. We don't have to explain. They know Labour is in a tough fight. I think we're getting support and recognition for work done," Humphreys says. He wants to be re-elected and would like another post, having enjoyed the excitement and impact of the Department of Social Protection in improving people's lives. "The one thing I hate about the boom we went through was how so many people were left behind," he said. Asked if he believes his seat is in trouble, he is philosophical. He has been out on the doorsteps since last January. But he has also changed careers four times and knows there is more to life than politics. If he doesn't get in, he will become an entrepreneur, he reveals. Sinn Fein is a prospect that alarms the well-heeled voters on the elegantly Victorian Dartmouth Square in Ranelagh - which might not be considered a traditional Labour stronghold - but for this election, it seems it might just become one. Everybody is universally receptive. Resident Helen Nicholson, on her way to walk her dog Harper in Dartmouth Square, stops and when Humphreys asks for her vote, she simply says: "Okay." A lot of the support here dates back to the notorious row with businessman Noel O'Gara who bought the gated square in 2006 for 10,000 from its English owner and threatened to turn it into a multi-storey carpark. Labour councillors were instrumental in obtaining a Compulsory Purchase Order and getting the park back for the residents - who have not forgotten. A wealthy businessman gives the group a supportive toot from his Jag. A fervent Labour supporter, confirms the former Education Minister - explaining that the man's father was illiterate and so he has always respected the work done by the party on education. A LABOUR Party TD says she could "wallpaper" one of the rooms of her home with hate mail she has received as a result of her views on abortion. Wicklow deputy Anne Ferris told her party's conference in Mullingar that she has also received anonymous abusive phone calls. Ms Ferris, who has championed the campaign to repeal the Eighth Amendment, said individuals who have targeted her "are not Christians". She received several rounds of applause from delegates after expressing her upset over the experiences of women who find themselves in cases of fatal foetal abnormality. "I believe that women have a right to choose. I believe that women, especially in crisis pregnancies, don't need anybody - don't need the church, don't need men, don't need other political parties dictating to them," Ms Ferris said. "We have taken stories of women that we have listened to, and their husbands and partners, who had to go England. Women suffering with fatal foetal abnormalities. Women who are pregnant as a result of rape and incest. They are trapped in this country and the only resource they have if they want to terminate their pregnancy is to go to England. We don't have the places here to look after women and that is an absolutely disgrace," she added. And Ms Ferris hit out at individuals who have sent her hate mail, which she described as "absolutely disgusting". "I get it by email, I get it by letter, I get anonymous phone calls. These people who say they are Catholics and what I'm saying is disgraceful. They are not christian people." Ms Ferris previously lost the party whip after voting in favour of a bill on fatal foetal abnormalities, tabled by left wing TD Clare Daly. Speaking during the same debate, Clare TD Michael McNamara criticised the decision by the party to strip Ms Ferris of the whip. A spokeswoman for University Hospital Limerick confirmed it was treating the five patients for the virus but was unable to provide further details in order to protect confidentiality. Five more patients suffering from swine flu have been admitted to hospital, confirming the growing spread of the virus. A spokeswoman for University Hospital Limerick confirmed it was treating the five patients for the virus but was unable to provide further details in order to protect confidentiality. Three other patients, including a pregnant women, are currently undergoing treatment for swine flu in Wexford General Hospital. Swine flu is now overtaking the B strain of the virus as the most dominant form of the illness now posing a threat to at-risk groups. A spokeswoman for the Limerick hospital said: "Flu levels generally are currently high, as would be expected at this time of year, and swine flu is one of a number of strains of flu which are circulating." Seven people have died from complications of flu this winter and five of these were diagnosed as suffering from swine flu. The HSE is expected to relaunch a renewed flu vaccination campaign as the predictions are that levels of the virus will remain high for several weeks. Obesity robs children of their health and vitality. One in four Irish children is overweight or obese. Pinning the blame solely on parents and abdicating all responsibility hasn't worked. I want a ban on the building or the use of a premises as a chip shop within a 500m radius of schools. Just to be clear, no one is trying to ban chips. I campaigned to remove sweets from checkouts, not for them to be banned entirely. But we need to discuss ideas, new approaches, new initiatives. We need to at least consider 'No Fry Zones', regulation of junk food vending machines, high calorie alerts on food and drink and minimum periods of PE in schools per week. Education and physical activity are key and parents obviously bear the lion's share of the responsibility. But society and the State have a role to play in ensuring parents and children are sufficiently knowledgeable to make informed decisions. Research backs up calls for 'No Fry Zones' around schools. A study in California found students with fast-food restaurants near their schools ate less fruit and veg, consumed more fizzy drinks and were more likely to be overweight or obese. This is not a bandwagon issue for me. It is a cause I have supported for a long time due to my own struggles with obesity when I was younger. It can be difficult to make the healthy choice. If an unhealthy option is the easiest one, children who are inclined to overeat will do so regularly, no matter how much their parents try to encourage otherwise. The setting up of a commission of inquiry into the case of a woman allegedly subjected to severe abuse in a foster home should be given serious consideration, Junior Health Minister Kathleen Lynch has said. Her comments came after the head of the Dail's Public Accounts Committee (PAC), John McGuinness, accused the HSE of lying about an apology supposedly offered to the woman. The woman was among 47 children placed in the foster home between 1983 and 1995. She was placed there in 1989 as an 11-year-old. Although the former South East Health Board was informed of allegations of abuse in the home in 1992, and new referrals were stopped in 1995, the woman was not removed by the HSE until 2009. Ms Lynch said: "The critical question of why this young vulnerable person was left in the foster home until 2009 even though the most serious concerns had been raised about her remains the central issue." She said the setting up of a commission of investigation should be considered after a senior council completes a review of matters related to two independent reviews commissioned by the HSE. HSE director general Tony O'Brien is to appear before PAC on Tuesday to explain why the HSE claimed an apology had been issued to the woman when none had. Failing The HSE had insisted in a statement to PAC that an apology was made to the woman for failing in her care at a meeting in December. However, those present at the meeting have confirmed no apology was made. Mr McGuinness said the episode showed a culture in the HSE of "circling the wagons and hiding behind all sorts of excuses, lies, misrepresentation and giving misleading statements". Mr O'Brien said he would give a comprehensive answer to PAC. He said he has asked the HSE's social care division to look very carefully at the accusations so it could "get to the bottom of it" and that he could not say more until he had all the facts. Neither of the two independent reviews commissioned by the HSE have been published to date. A separate Garda investigation is currently ongoing. The death of Diarmuid Twomey (31) in a slurry pit is being treated as a tragic accident. It is now suspected the father of two tripped and fell into the slurry pit at Whitechurch north of Cork city as he took a short-cut in the darkness while walking home from a family Christmas gathering. Dental records were used to confirm that the remains found in the pit on Thursday evening by a farmer who was preparing to agitate slurry were those of Mr Twomey. The clothing on the body also matched what Mr Twomey was last reported as wearing. Initial indications are that Mr Twomey drowned. Gardai liaised with Mr Twomey's partner, Ciara Byrne, on Thursday evening and the heartbroken family was immediately informed of the positive identification following the post-mortem examination. Sources close to the family said they were "heartbroken and devastated but relieved that Diarmuid was finally located". Ms Byrne said she had lost hope several weeks ago of her partner being found safe. Tragically, his mother Anne died on January 6 as the search for her missing son was at its height. Hundreds of volunteers joined with gardai in combing the Whitechurch, Carrignavar and Ballinahina areas over the past five weeks for clues as to what happened to the young man. Mr Twomey's partner was forced on December 24 to tell their children, Lily (3) and Katie (2), that "Daddy is lost". Speaking at the time, she said: "I told them Daddy got lost but now I'm thinking I might have to just tell them that he is in heaven." She said the family were praying every day for five weeks for news about what happened to Diarmuid, who was hailed as a devoted son, partner and father. Supt Con Cadogan said gardai were keeping an open mind about the matter until the results of all tests were received. However, garda sources confirmed that there was no evidence of foul play and it was being treated as an accident. Detectives believe Mr Twomey most likely tripped and fell into the pit as he took a short-cut on his 10km walk from Cork city to his Carrignavar home. Mr Twomey vanished while returning from a family Christmas gathering in Cork city on December 20/21. He had escorted his partner to a taxi but insisted on walking on alone after complaining of feeling unwell. His mobile phone was later recovered in an isolated farmyard at Ballinahina. The farmyard was on Mr Twomey's route home from Cork to Carrignavar. Tracking dogs lost all trace of Mr Twomey near a by-road a short distance from the farmyard. The slurry pit where the remains were discovered is on a farm directly adjacent to where the mobile phone was found. Cork fire brigade units equipped with breathing apparatus helped with the draining of the pit and the removal of the body to Cork University Hospital (CUH). 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. National law firm Alston & Bird is fighting the FDA, asking it to release execution drugs that Arizona imported from India. The state has said it will sue if the FDA doesn't do so. The Arizona Department of Corrections has enlisted the help of a national law firm in its fight against the federal government to import execution drugs, BuzzFeed News has learned. Alston & Bird, an Atlanta-based law firm with more than 700 lawyers and offices across the country, has taken on representation of the department in its fight against the Food and Drug Administration, which has detained 1,000 vials of sodium thiopental since this past summer that were slated for delivery to the department. Arizona, Texas, and Nebraska purchased the drug from a man in India named Chris Harris - a man without a pharmaceutical background. Harris has been the subject of ongoing BuzzFeed News coverage. The FDA warned Arizona and the other states that importing the drug would be illegal, as it is an unapproved new drug and has no FDA-approved manufacturer. The states ordered the sodium thiopental anyway. Nebraska's shipment never left India, but Texas and Arizona's shipments did cross the ocean - only to be stopped by the FDA at U.S. airports. Alston & Bird, which identifies itself as "counsel for the Arizona Department of Corrections," is arguing on behalf of the department that the FDA should release the drugs since they would be used "only for law enforcement." "The restrictive legend on the label ('For law enforcement purpose only') makes that clear," Alston & Bird partner Daniel Jarcho wrote in a letter to the FDA dated Oct. 23, 2015. "The purpose of [the statutes] is to provide warnings to patients as they take their own drugs." "Here there will be no lay patient 'users' taking the detained drugs. This is a circumstance in which the imported substance is a drug that will not be used for medicinal purposes at all," Jarcho, based out of the firm's D.C. office, wrote. Arizona is arguing that, since the drugs are for lethal injection, they are exempt from the requirements the FDA cited in detaining the shipment. In the letter, Jarcho also "demand[ed]" that the FDA and Customs and Border Protection redact or omit information about the drug supplier "unless required by law to release it," citing Arizona's secrecy law surrounding executions. BuzzFeed News, however, previously was able to determine that Arizona and Texas purchased the drugs from Harris' company, Harris Pharma. Harris registered a site with the FDA claiming that it could be used to manufacturer drugs, although that site was just a small office space. The location he has provided to the DEA is an old apartment building he no longer lives in - and that he left while still owing rent. According to FDA documents, the drugs Harris sold were manufactured by a company in India called Health Biotech Limited. Arizona's letter to the FDA made no mention of a 2012 federal court order that the FDA had "a mandatory obligation ... to refuse to admit the misbranded and unapproved drug, thiopental, into the United States." The order also directed the FDA to stop "permitting the entry of, or releasing any future shipments of, foreign manufactured thiopental that appears to be misbranded or [an unapproved new drug]." A federal appeals court upheld the order in 2013. Arizona, like Texas and Nebraska, has also enlisted the help of a former FDA employee named Ben England who testified on the other side of the 2012 case. In that case, he argued on behalf of death row inmates that the drugs violated federal law. In a statement, an Alston & Bird spokesperson would only say, "[W]e are not at liberty to discuss the matter." According to his firm bio, Jarcho previously represented the FDA "in federal court civil and criminal litigation" while working as a trial attorney at Justice Department. England, who is cc'ed on the Jarcho letter and identified as "Co-counsel" to the Arizona Department of Corrections, has not responded to numerous requests for an interview. England, who previously was a longtime investigator for the FDA, also has been the subject of ongoing BuzzFeed News coverage. The FDA is continuing to detain the shipments, the Arizona Department of Corrections said. In a recent hearing in a death penalty case, an attorney with Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich's office said that the state would sue if the FDA did not release the drugs. "There's no further administrative exhaustion needed [if the FDA denies the request]?" U.S. District Judge Neil Wake asked. "No. At that point we would proceed in court to challenge," assistant attorney general Jeffrey Sparks said. The Arizona attorney general's office told BuzzFeed News this week that it was not representing the Department of Corrections on the FDA appeal, but it did not immediately respond when asked if the office would represent the Department of Corrections if they chose to sue. Source: BuzzFeedNews, January 29, 2016 Never one to miss an opportunity, bookmaker Paddy Power has unveiled its latest provocative ad campaign this time taking swipe at Taoiseach Enda Kenny and opposition leader Micheal Martin ahead of the general election. In the early hours of Friday morning, a team from the betting firm erected a mammoth poster on Georges Street in Dublin of the Fine Gael leader locked in a tender embrace with his election rival. Emblazoned with the words FG and FF to embrace coalition 13/8, the giant poster is clearly invoking the work of artist Joe Caslin, who previously installed a large mural of two young men embracing in Dublin ahead of the same-sex marriage referendum. The tongue in-cheek advertisement declares an end to civil war politics, says Paddy Power. Expand Expand Previous Next Close The tongue in-cheek advertisement depicts the political rivals sharing a tender moment The tongue in-cheek advertisement depicts the political rivals sharing a tender moment / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The tongue in-cheek advertisement depicts the political rivals sharing a tender moment Following a massive change in the Irish political landscape, a once unthinkable alliance between Fine Gael and Fianna Fail is now considered the most likely amongst bookmakers. The company spokesperson continued: With the rise of Sinn Fein and the Independents, this is the political shift that could make punters some serious hay. Paddy Power has courted controversy in the past with its advertising campaigns, including one which offered customers money back if paralympian Oscar Pistorius was acquitted of the killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Last October, the Advertising Standards of Ireland criticised the betting firm for a banner campaign that made light of the refugee crisis in Europe. Spotted at Dover this morning... pic.twitter.com/3RCTQp7mdl Paddy Power (@paddypower) July 2, 2015 At the height of the problems in Calais, the company sent a lorry to the French port with a banner featuring Eoin Morgan, Raheem Sterling, Andy Murray, Manu Tuilagi and Mo Farah and the tagline: Immigrants, Jump in the Back (But only if youre good at sport). In July it was reported Roy Keane was to sue the bookmaker over a Braveheart billboard promotion which saw him mocked up as William Wallace. Independent TD Mick Wallace is faced with having to pay 2m to a US vulture fund he raised concerns about in the Dail. A judgment for 2m was granted against Mr Wallace over his guarantee of a loan given by Ulster Bank to a company of his. The loan has since been bought by US vulture fund Cerberus. A three-month stay applies on execution of the judgment. At the Commercial Court, Mr Justice Brian McGovern ruled the fund which took over the Ulster Bank loan, Promontoria (Aran) Ltd, the Irish subsidiary of US fund Cerberus, was entitled to summary judgment. He said Mr Wallace had raised no arguable defence to the fund's claim. Mr Wallace was one of the fiercest critics of Cerberus's purchase of Nama's Project Eagle Northern Ireland loan book for 1.6bn in April of 2014. Claims of political kickbacks on the margins of that purchase are being investigated by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA), the US Securities and Exchange Commission and a Stormont committee. Mr Wallace had also opposed the sale of another Nama asset portfolio, known as Project Arrow, to Cerberus for around 800m, calling on Finance Minister Michael Noonan to suspend the sale until the NCA investigation was complete. Yesterday, Mr Justice McGovern entered judgment for 2m, the maximum amount of Mr Wallace's liability under his guarantee of a 2.1m loan made to his company, M & J Wallace Ltd, and also awarded costs against the TD. The three-month stay on execution of the judgment is to allow for the effect of an expected sale of a restaurant property at Dublin's Ormond Quay on Mr Wallace's indebtedness. Earlier, Stephen Walsh, for Mr Wallace, sought a stay of some three or four months on grounds of Mr Wallace's personal circumstances. The stay application was a plea for "the type of practical and sensible justice" operating in the courts, counsel said. Mr Walsh said ACC Bank has had a 20m judgment against Mr Wallace for four years and made "modest" recovery from that. If Promontoria thought it would "leapfrog" over ACC and "snaffle" some asset, it was "naive in the extreme" as there was "nothing" there to execute the judgment against, he said. An application to wind up M & J Wallace, founded in 1970 by Mr Wallace's father, was for hearing on February 15, counsel said. Mr Wallace had to direct his attention to that matter which had emotional significance for him. Mr Wallace will also be seeking re-election in the forthcoming General Election, expected to be held on February 26, counsel said. Mr Wallace may be "jockeying" in post-election negotiations and would be very busy up to and after February 26, he added. Counsel agreed with the judge the TD had to be re-elected first. Mr Walsh said the best ground for a stay was because the expected sale of a restaurant property - the Taverna di Baccio, on Ormond Quay, - on which the fund held security, would reduce Mr Wallace's overall indebtedness. Paul Gardiner, counsel for the fund, said this was a "very unusual" stay application and Mr Wallace had effectively already had a stay for three months. The debt of the Wallace company will be reduced below 2m by the property sale but the sale would not extinguish the debt, he said. The other arguments amounted to saying Mr Wallace was "too busy" to deal with this matter and were not reasons for a stay, counsel said. The TD would suffer no prejudice by entry of the judgment because he seemed to be saying he was not paying either ACC or Promontoria, counsel said. Mr Wallace was not in court for the ruling on the judgment application. He had contended he had an arguable defence entitling him to a full plenary hearing on grounds including the fund was not validly assigned the 2.1m loan advanced in 2009 by UIster Bank to M & J Wallace. Finance Minister Michael Noonan's plans for a 'rainy day fund' are under attack from the Labour Party. Just hours after Fine Gael's proposals to set aside 2.5bn from the resources available to the next government were revealed by the Irish Independent, senior Labour figures claimed Mr Noonan's sums "don't stack up". Labour sources said Mr Noonan will not be in a position to set aside such a significant sum over the next five years, pointing out that Fine Gael's proposal to axe USC alone will cost 4bn. "Fine Gael and Noonan have got their maths wrong; their plan simply can't be delivered," said a senior Labour strategist. And speaking ahead of the Labour conference in Mullingar, Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin said available resources over the coming five years should be used to speed up the delivery of capital projects. While insisting the next government must be "prudent", Mr Howlin said his party was not in favour of creating a formal 'rainy day fund'. "The notion that you could build up in five years something like the pension reserve fund - that can't be done," he said, adding the country is facing a lot of "pent up demand". Mr Noonan's plans to put a quarter of the available cash into a "Contingency and Stability Fund" was described as a "positive development" by Fiscal Advisory Council chairman Professor John McHale. However, Fianna Fail finance spokesman Michael McGrath questioned if the Fine Gael minister's sums added up. Mr Noonan says there is up to 10bn available for extra spending in the next five years, including abolishing the USC and 10,000 extra public sector workers. But Prof McHale warned that the resources available between 2017 and 2021 may be less than previously estimated. Due to demographic pressure and existing benefits commitments, it could be as low as 3.2bn, he said. Mr McGrath said Mr Noonan "does not seem to understand" the concept of a proper rainy day fund, which he says is "put beyond the reach of government unless specific conditions are met". Meanwhile, Mr Howlin says too many people are "crying wolf" about the dangers of another economic downturn as he unveiled Labour's plans to abolish the Universal Social Charge. The party is promising a worker earning 50,000 will be 2,043 better off per year under their tax package, while somebody on 120,000 will benefit to the tune of 2 per annum. And it was revealed last night the party also plans to reduce Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) for low-paid workers.This goes directly against a Fine Gael plan to bring down the entry point at which workers pay PRSI from the current 18,000 per annum down to 13,000. Fine Gael intends to have more people pay the insurance but will promise to deliver extra dental and paternity benefits in return. Mr Howlin said Labour would also look at returning benefits if the economic situation allows but most people "see PRSI as a tax". Asked whether the country's tax base is strong enough to withstand such tax cuts, the minister said: "Because the crash was caused last time by everybody taking their eye off the ball and nobody crying wolf, there is now a whole chorus of wolf criers on the basis that if they keep crying one of them will be right." Up to 600 Labour Party delegates are due to attend the annual conference in Mullingar today to see Tanaiste Joan Burton deliver her pre-election pitch. Under its tax plan, the party will abolish the USC for all workers up to 72,000. A 'clawback' mechanism will kick in for workers earning between 100,000 and 120,000 to reduce their benefit. Communications Minister Alex White said the USC had been the "single biggest whack" working people took during the recession. He confirmed the party was planning to use 75pc of available resources over the next five years to increase expenditure on public services and 25pc to cut taxes. Mr Howlin said after a "very difficult period" people were now coming up to Labour politicians and telling them they "did a great job" in government. It's fair to say that most people find the first day of a new job a little bit daunting. Spare a thought then for Stephen Donnelly TD, who committed a classic first-day blunder as he made his way to Leinster House for his first day as a newly elected member of the 31st Dail, back in 2011. "After the three day count in my constituency of Wicklow I was just exhausted. "I remember saying to Susan, my wife, that I had better go into the Dail and get cracking. "When you're not a member of a political party there's nobody ringing you, telling you when to show up," he told Independent.ie. Mr Donnelly said that on that fateful first day in his new job he travelled into town by DART, and after alighting at Pearse Station excitedly made his way towards the Dail. Expand Close New Fine Gael TD Mary Mitchell O'Connor takes a wrong turn at Leinster House driving on to the plinth / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp New Fine Gael TD Mary Mitchell O'Connor takes a wrong turn at Leinster House driving on to the plinth "As I neared what I thought was the Dail I spotted two gardai, young fellows, tall men, standing outside. "So I said to them : 'Stephen Donnelly reporting for duty'. "To their credit the two lads didn't even crack a smile, their eyes may have moved slightly but that was it," he said. The Social Democrat party member recalled the warm and flattering greeting he received from the two gardai: "Well Deputy, congratulations, it's a great honour." Their response to his request to be admitted to the building was equally hilarious: "Now Deputy you absolutely could head in here but this is the Museum of Natural History and what you'll be looking for is the Dail," a garda explained. The Wicklow TD cringed as he recalled what a 'newbie' he must have looked at the time. "I was literally standing there with my lunchbox and my school bag, it was such a typical first day look," he said. Mr Donnelly should take comfort in the fact that his 'newbie' error doesn't come close to 'plinth-gate', which saw the newly elected Mary Mitchell O'Connor (FG) accidentally drive her car down a series of concrete steps outside the Dail after mistaking them for a ramp. At the time, former Tanaiste Dick Spring, who was re-elected as a Labour TD for Kerry North, noted with interest what was happening in the neighbouring constituency of Kerry South. Like many other people, he believed Fianna Fail made a major mistake in allowing Jackie Healy-Rae leave the party and also underestimated him. Healy-Rae and his supporters celebrated for several days and nights. The man himself became a celebrity and was unable to cope with invitations to all kinds of functions, from hen parties to stag parties, birthday parties, and photographic sessions with models, shop and pub openings. His phones were hopping and he was on guest lists everywhere. All great fun and a sort of honeymoon period. But, away from the eyes of the public, there was serious business to be done. He was compiling a 'shopping list' of things that needed to be done in the constituency. To the forefront of his mind was his, or Bertie Ahern's, next move. As Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats (PDs) had not won a majority, there would be a hung Dail. Fianna Fail had 77 seats and the PDs four, so Bertie needed the votes of at least two Independents to form a minority Fianna Fail/PD administration. Healy-Rae and other Independents would be the power brokers and Bertie needed their support. They would have an opportunity to prop up a new government and secure deals for their constituencies. Healy-Rae had the guile and experience to take full advantage of Bertie's dilemma. He had warned Fianna Fail it would lose a seat in Kerry South if he wasn't added to the ticket and had been proved right. As he had signalled, Bertie and Fianna Fail would have to reckon with him and, now, he was in a position of strength. On June 11, five days after the election, Jackie travelled by train to Dublin. He was met at Heuston Station by Fianna Fail Senator Donie Cassidy, who, in Puck Fair parlance, would become a tangler, or deal-broker, in upcoming talks with Bertie. Jackie sat into Cassidy's black Mercedes and was chauffeured to Leinster House. The waiting media were curious. They wanted to know Healy-Rae's attitude and demeanour. Not for the first time, he surprised the reporters. "I'm the easiest man in the world to meet," he declared calmly. "They said I said Bertie would have to crawl to me. I'd never ask anyone to do that, not even a dog, and certainly not Bertie Ahern." There was no huffing and puffing and not a sign of braggadocio. "Last Saturday was the proudest day of my life. I fought against the power of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Labour and their massive funding and got 7,220 first preference votes." He made it clear that if he got a commitment from Ahern for investment in jobs and roads in south Kerry, the new government could rely on his vote. There was none of the wild talk about Ahern having to travel down to Kerry to meet him. Healy-Rae seemed the essence of reason and common sense. Everyone knew his support was crucial for the stability of the new government. In an important gesture which recognised his Fianna Fail background, he was given an office in a corridor exclusively for Fianna Fail deputies. They were, essentially, saying he was still one of their own. Fianna Fail top brass were taking him seriously. The 'buffoonery' for which he was portrayed in sections of the Dublin media, and talk by Fine Gael's John Bruton that he was a character more at home in a Sean O'Casey play, were forgotten. When Taoiseach Charlie Haughey visited Kerry South during a general election campaign, in November 1982, Jackie Healy-Rae, as constituency director of elections for Fianna Fail, joined in calls for a stable government. They wanted no more Gregorys, said Healy-Rae, a reference to a deal the Dublin Independent TD had done with Haughey earlier that year in return for his support for a minority government. Under the Gregory deal, there would be a multi-million regeneration of Dublin's inner city. However, in 1997, when Healy-Rae found himself in a similar position to Gregory, he had no problem about making a deal for his constituency. In the best political tradition, pragmatism took over. Just before the May 1997 election, he hinted he might be open to a Gregory-type deal. Campaigning in Killorglin, he said he intended to kick up "holy bloody murder" in the Dail over the state of the roads and lack of jobs in south Kerry. "Tis a sort of Gregory deal. If I hold the balance of power, I'd vote for Bertie Ahern if there was funding for the country roads and some guarantee of jobs for the young people," he said. As expected, Bertie concluded agreements with Healy-Rae and two other Independents from the so-called Fianna Fail gene pool - Harry Blaney, Donegal North East, and Mildred Fox, Wicklow, with another Independent, Tom Gildea, Donegal, also supporting. All got separate deals for their constituencies in return for pledges to vote for the government. Michael Healy-Rae, his sister Rosemary, a barrister, and an inner circle of advisers, including engineer Risteard O Lionaird and John O'Donoghue, Farranfore, were all part of the negotiating team. O Lionaird revealed, years later, that Fine Gael made an approach to Jackie offering him a Cabinet ministry in return for his support in the event of Fine Gael forming a government. Fine Gael leader John Bruton, who had been Taoiseach of the previous government, phoned Jackie from Newfoundland and found him to be very courteous. Agriculture was the suggested ministry for the pensioner-cum-rookie TD. But Fine Gael just didn't have the numbers to form a government and the deal with Bertie was a better and more sustainable fit. The itemised, 'confidential' agreement with Ahern - details of which were not made public at the time - included a large number of road projects around the constituency, money for piers and harbours, grants for agriculture and pledges on job-creation. In the years ahead, Healy-Rae would make numerous announcements for the constituency which were included, either specifically or by aspiration in the agreement. An extract from 'The Healy-Raes - A 24/7 Political Legacy' by Donal Hickey, (Rushy Mountain Books) On Friday I headed for the Dundalk Golf Club where a rather special treble 21st birthday party was being held for friends Laura Connolly from Mount Avenue, Roisin Brayden and Aisling Dunne both from Blackrock and a huge crowd had gathered to help them celebrate. I was only in the door when I had the pleasure of talking to Laura who was with her parents Noel and Una, brother David and boyfriend Robert Neary from Dromiskin. She told me he she is in her 3rd and last year of Business Studies in DCU and she couldn't wait for the night to really get going. Next I met up with Roisin Brayden from Blackrock who was with parents Irene and Chris, brother Owen and boyfriend Jack Reidy. She is in her final year in St. Pats where she's going on to becoming a teacher. Fashionably late was Aisling Dunne with parents Sharon and Eamonn, brothers Richie and James, boyfriend Ryan Martin from Greenacres and Aisling is in DCU also, in her final year studying law. I then headed for a table where I met up with Irene Brayden who was sitting having a laugh with fellow Book Club members Joan Young from Blackrock, Muirne and Joe Lawlor from Heynestown and Muirne told me it was going to be a lovely night and said she remembers when Roisin was born and all the pink cards in the window! She wanted to wish her and her two friends a very happy 21st and hoped they had a really great night. Meanwhile over at an adjacent table I then got talking to Rebecca Devitor from Kilkenny, Emma Runswick and Lauren Falconer both from Dublin who are both in college with Roisin and assured me it was going to be an epic night partying. After this I headed over and caught up with sisters Maeve and Mairead Forry from Kells who were looking extremely well and told me they are cousins of Laura and were looking forward to a lovely night. Next I headed for a table where I met up with Fionnuala Fingleton from Rock Road, Catherine Beattie from Blackrock, Sally and Padraig McDonnell from Ard Na Mara who said they are family friends of Roisin's and were enjoying the craic with Chris Brayden and Catherine and Peter McGuinness who were up for making the best of the night. Making my way over to another table I then got talking to Rebekah O'Hare from Kingswood, Doireann Crossan from Dublin Road, Aoife Sands from Blackrock and Eadaoin Ni Ghallachoir from Ard Na Mara who told me they've been at school with the girls from primary school all the way through St. Vincents and were going to have anything but a quiet celebration with them. After this I had the pleasure of talking to Sally Langan from Portlaoise who told me she has known the three girls for years, was at their joint 18th birthday party, it was an epic, so she was expecting more of the same on the night. Not too long later I met up with Stephenie McGreehan from Cooley, Helen Gill from Kilkerley and Niall Corbally who told me they all work with Laura, but weren't prepared to divulge any more information on the subject! I then got a quick word with Yvonne Martin from Laurel Grove who told me she was with husband Brendan and their son Ryan is going with Aisling and they too were up for making the best of the party. Next I got talking to Robert Neary from Dromiskin who is with Laura and he told me he was with his parents Brendan and Yvonne Neary and he was definitely looking forward to the party celebrations. After this I had the pleasure of meeting up with Bethanne Grahame from Kilkenny, Darragh Regan from Mayo and Aideen Culligan from Annagassan who are all at DCU with Aisling, had finished their final exam the previous day and were looking forward to having a mad one, well all but Aideen who had a 6am start the following morning. Finally before I departed I met up with John Treanor from Monaghan and Mary O'Donnell from Donegal who were there for Roisin and had just finished teaching practise with her and were looking forward to a great night of fun. New Delhi: Government will fully support capital requirements of public sector banks so that they meet Basel III global risk norms, which kick in from March 2019, Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha on January 30, said here. "We are working very closely with RBI and banks to ensure all of our PSU banks meet their capital adequacy fully compliant with RBI and Basel III requirements. We are fully there to support our banks," he said on the sidelines of The Economic Times Global Business Summit. Public sector banks need Rs 1.80 lakh crore to meet Basel III norms. While the government will provide Rs 70,000 crore, the remaining Rs 1.1 lakh crore will have to be raised by banks. As per the capital infusion road map, PSU banks will get Rs 25,000 crore this fiscal and as well as the next fiscal and Rs 10,000 crore each in 2017-18 and 2018-1 Out of Rs 25,000 crore set for the current fiscal, the government has infused about Rs 20,088 crore in 13 public sector banks. On the revision of GDP numbers, Sinha said it is a fairly routine process and reset as better estimates come in. "As previous years' GDP numbers have also been revised and brought down... it is going to make a difference to current year's numbers as well," he said. Earlier this week, the government has marginally revised downward the economic growth for 2014-15 to 7.2 per cent, from the earlier estimate of 7.3 per cent, after factoring in the latest data on agriculture and industrial production. "We should be able to achieve the 8 per cent mark next year if we have a normal monsoon. We should see it adding 0.5-1 per cent to GDP growth... when you have a deficient rainfall for two years, obviously that is going to be a drag on the economy and that's why we couldn't achieve the 8 per cent growth target," he explained. As the legacy problems diminish, the economy will gather momentum, he hoped. The organising committee (l-r): Jane McEvoy, Fiona Shields, Stephanie O'Hanlon, Dolores Whelan, Maura Lennon and Sorcha Brophy at the launch of the Brigid of Faughart Festival at Dundalk Library Louth Councillor Mark Dearey officially launched the ninth annual Brigid of Faughart Festival last week Organiser Dolores Whelan explained; 'The festival celebrates Brigid of Faughart as Christian Saint and Pre-Christian Goddess and the ancient festival of Imbolc, marking the beginning of Spring in the Celtic year.' Set to take place across Faughart, Dundalk and Ravensdale between Wednesday January 27th and Monday February 1st, the theme of this year's festival is 'Weaving Brigid's Magic for a New Way.' 'A range of exciting and creative events on offer in this unique, modern festival will explore four different, yet interrelated aspects of Brigid.' Dolores Whelan added: 'It will celebrate her legacy as a woman, a healer, a poet and artist and a spiritual teacher and create opportunities to learn from her wisdom, through talks, workshops and other experiential events available throughout the celebration.' Events being held include workshops in cross making for adults and children as well as workshops in Herbalism, living foods, mandala making, and sound healing. It will feature talks of Brigid by folklorist Padraigin Clancy and author/spiritual teacher Dolores Whelan and a one woman comedy show with Breda Larkin in the Tain Theatre, 'The Word of Breda.' There will also be a day of healing with practitioners of different modalities. A special eucharist will be held at Faughart on St. Brigid's Day with Fr.Tom Hamill and music Ann Mc Donald. It will be followed by the Pilgrimage Walk from Mount Avenue Dundalk to Faughart Shrine, and there will be an exploration of the sacred sites of Faughart. An evening of music, poetry and song will also take place in the Oriel Centre at Dundalk Gaol. 'In recent years, the festival has welcomed visitors from Holland, Denmark, UK, Canada and the USA who joined us to celebrate Brigid of Faughart.' 'The annual Brigid's Way Pilgrimage that begins in her birthplace of Faughart also saw many visitors from all over the planet, from Denmark, England, Mexico, USA, Australia and of course Ireland! She added that many of the events are free of charge, with donations to the running costs appreciated. 'The festival organisers gratefully acknowledge the support of Louth Local County Council through their festival and events assistance scheme. Full programme details are available on www.brigidoffaughart.ie and Facebook/brigidoffaughart On Saturday night I headed for the Lilywhite Lounge in Oriel Park where a special surprise 50th birthday party was taking place. Jane O'Brien from Oakland Park had thought she was going to a friend's niece's 21st, but her husband Ray and her friends had other ideas. She arrived in to find husband, Ray, kids Molly and Rose, nephew Peter, sisters Bernadette Woods, Rosemary Rogers and Georgina Cusack all from Oakland Park and a huge collection of family and friends all ready to celebrate with her. I then got a word with one of the main instigators in the night, her bestie, Geraldine McNamee from Beechmount Drive who was there with daughter Linda and boyfriend Martin Gonnelly from Castletown. Geraldine told me there had been 'a lot of lies' told to organise the party and she hopes Jane really enjoys it. She went on to say that Jane thought that Ray was going to try organise something for her in February and wasn't going to take the chance of getting caught, so that's why they did it a few weeks early to catch her out. Heading for the nearest table I then got talking to niece Samantha Stanfield from Kilsaran, sister-in-law Pamela Stansfield also from Kilsaran and Jane's mother-in-law Marie O'Brien also from Kilsaran they wanted to wish her all the best on her big night and said it was worth it just for the look on her face when she walked in. Also in their company were Ray's bother David and Eileen O'Brien from Castlebellingham, Spickey and Angela O'Brien from Haggardstown and Sean and Louise Murphy from Haggardstown who all wanted to wish Jane a very happy 50th. After this I caught up with Deborah and Aimee Flynn from Beechmount Drive who wanted to wish their aunty all the best on her big night and they were up for making it a mental night for certain. They were sitting with mum Yvonne Flynn who was having a laugh with May, Larry and Hannah Muckian from Hughes Park, along with Hannah's main squeeze Peter Woods from Beechmount Drive who told me they too were on for a big night of celebrations. I then managed a quick word with the birthday girl who was still coming to terms with being caught and I suggested that Ray and Geraldine should be watching their step for the next while. Jane told me that she thought she was going to Catherine McEneaney's niece's party and she even had a card in her bag for her! After this I headed over for a chat with cousin Jim and Siobhan Traynor from Meadow Grove and aunt May Traynor also from Meadow Grove who were having a lovely time at Jane's big bash and wanted to wish her all the best on her big night. I then headed over for a word with Catriona O'Brien and Cora Tyhuis and Rose O'Brien all from Beechmount Drive who wanted to wish Jane a very happy 50th and hoped she had a brilliant night. Next I got talking to Georgina Cusack from Oakland Park who was with her husband Simon and they too wanted to wish Jane all the best on her big night. Finally, before I departed I met up with sister Rosemary and Gerry Rogers from Oakland Park who were in great form and ready to party the night away with Jane. Blackrock student Tara Scully is set to volunteer with UCD Volunteers Overseas this summer in Nicaragua as a student leader. Having previously volunteered with UCD Volunteers Overseas in Haiti in 2014, Tara has been asked this time to lead a delegation of students volunteering in the South American country. 'The projects undertaken in Haiti consisted of educational and construction work. Along with a group of twenty other volunteers two new classrooms were built on to a school in a rural area where access to education is limited,' Tara told the Argus. 'We also installed twenty computers and taught the teachers of the school how to use them so they can now teach the students, an invaluable tool in assisting in their education. Summer camps were also provided were I taught eleven year old girls English among other subjects.' During the summer 2016 placement, Tara added that she will be travelling with UCDVO as a student leader and will be responsible for the well-being of the volunteers and liaising with local partners and locals in the town of Somoto, Nicaragua. 'I will also be undertaking projects in the areas of education, construction and environmental work. A planning trip in the last week in Nicaragua by the manager of UCD Volunteers Overseas will see the finalisation of the projects to be undertaken this year,' explained Tara. Before she is able to travel to Nicaragua, Tara needs to fundraise 2,600. As part of her fundraising Tara will be holding a table quiz in The Clermont Arms in Blackrock on Friday 12th February at 8:30 pm. Table of four 30. There will also be a raffle on the night and finger food. To support Tara's fundraising efforts, donate at https://give.everydayhero.com/ie/tara-1 Two great shows are on at the Tain Theatre this week. 'Breda's Way' is a one woman comedy by Breda Breda. During the summer of 1985, statues of the Virgin Mary were reported to move at different locations throughout Ireland. Thirty years later, Ballinasloe born comedian Breda Larkin decides to make her very own Virgin Mary move by taking her on a wacky pilgrimage around Ireland. So, take a seat and prepare to embark on a journey of exploration, excommunicationand excellent religious puns! The show is on Thursday, 28, at 8pm and tickets are 10. The following night, Canadian Gordie Tentress arrives on his 'Less is More' UK + Ireland Tour with Jaxon Haldane. International touring award nominated Canadian artist Gordie Tentrees is releasing his sixth album 'Less is More"'in Ireland in 2016 and will be touring it with multi-instrumentalist Jaxon Haldane (banjo, mando, cigar box guitars and fiddle saw). Tentrees has been nominated for the Western Canadian Music Awards, finalist in the ISC Americana Category out of 15 000 songs, and has toured with Kelly Joe Phelps, Steve Poltz, Fred Eaglesmith, and Mary Gauthier. Show starts at 8pm Friday and tickets are 10 or 12 at the door Booking at Tain office on 9332332 from 10-4pm, Tuesday to Saturday or at antain.ie. On Monday, 1 February at 8pm, Jen Lynch will give an illustrated talk on the topic of bird ringing, entitled 'Weird, Wild and Wonderful Stories from Bird Ringing'. It is through bird ringing that we discovered bird migration, bird longevity and a whole slew of other behavioural insights. Jen is an experienced bird ringer who will tell some of these stories as well as giving a practical introduction to the ringing of wild birds. As usual the talk will take place upstairs in the Spirit Store. Entry is free and all are welcome! Text alert meeting A Dromiskin community text alert information evening takes place on Thursday, January 28 in the Joe's clubrooms at 8pm, and everyone is welcome to attend. Beekeeping in Knockbridge Knockbridge tidy towns is anxious to establish the level of interest in beekeeping in the local community, with a plan to establish a training course. Further details from Marian at 087 2710716. Dundalk flood risk study A public consultation day will be held at Louth county council, county hall, Dundalk, from 1pm to 7pm on 2 February, in relation to preliminary options to manage flood risk in Dundalk. RPS, who are conducting the Catchment-based Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) Study on behalf of the Office of Public Works, with the support of Louth county council, are developing preliminary flood risk management options for Dundalk. Members of the project team will be available to discuss and explain the options to all attending. Sub aqua thanks Dundalk sub aqua search and rescue would like to thank the people of Dundalk and surrounding areas for their generosity following the recent collection. All money will be used to upgrade and maintain equipment for the search and rescue unit. This is a voluntary unit on call to help in search situations, locally and nationally. Thank you for your support. Hospice coffee morning A coffee morning in aid of the North Louth hospice and the Dochas centre in Drogheda, in memory of the late Lydia White, Castletown Cross, takes place in her home from 11am to 3pm on Saturday, February 13. Everyone is welcome to attend. Paul Borowski, Conor Kearns-O'Kane, Pierce McNee and Cillian O'Connell at the Linguistics Olympiad Workshop in St. Louis Secondary School Some of the brightest students in Dundalk gathered in St Louis for some pointers before they take part in the All-Ireland Linguistics Olympiad (AILO) next month. The secondary school hosted a workshop for the event, which will see participants do puzzles and attempt to crack codes in unfamiliar languages. The workshops helped them hone their problem-solving skills, and tuition was given by an expert from Trinity College Dublin. 'It's quite difficult,' said Brenda Murphy, a languages teacher at St Louis, of the competition. 'In the past, the students were set puzzles in Japanese and Korean,' she pointed out. This was the third year the school ran the workshop. The first round takes place in February in the schools which have students involved. The top 100 in the country then advance to the national final in TCD on 15 March. The top four students in the individual round at the national finals will qualify to represent Ireland at the International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL) which takes place from July 25-29 in Mysore, India. 'There are junior and senior categories, and students have to use lateral thinking and skill to break the codes,' Brenda explained. The AILO is a part of the ADAPT Education and Outreach Programme. ADAPT is the leading international research centre for content technologies based at TCD, Dublin City University, University College Dublin and Dublin Institute of Technology. Minister for Tourism Michael Ring and Maureen Ledwith, organiser of the Holiday World Show, at the Louth Tourism stand at the Holiday World Show at the RDS in Dublin. Picture: Arthur Carron Louth Land of Legends was the centre of attention at the Holiday World shows on both sides of the border over the last few weeks. The wealth of tourist attractions in County Louth has been brought to the attention of tens of thousands of visitors who attended the Holiday World shows in Belfast and Dublin. This is the sixth year running that Louth County Council has participated in the shows promoting tourism under the umbrella of 'Louth Land of Legends.' Exhibiting in the Holiday World events means that tourism and hospitality trade across the county are invited to join forces to promote Louth as a visitor destination. The Belfast show took place from the 15th to 17th January while the Dublin show took place last weekend from the 22nd to 24th January. The Louth Holiday's stand was popular on both weekends with potential visitors seeking information on weekend breaks, walking, adventure activities, heritage and retail, as well as the various festivals and events taking place around the county. Speaking on the success of the events Sinead Roche, Dundalk Tourism Officer, said 'It was fantastic to have the support of many of the county's businesses.' They did amazing work throughout the shows in promoting not only their own business but the entire Louth tourism offering.' As we move forward under the Ireland's Ancient East branding it is more important than ever for tourism stakeholders across the county to work in partnership.' Sinead added that at the Belfast show in particular there was a lot of interest in tourist locations and events in Louth. 'The strength of the sterling over the last few months obviously has highlighted to many people in Northern Ireland the incredible value they can currently avail of by holidaying in Louth.' She added that the Dundalk Tourist office team were delighted to welcome Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Michael Ring, among the visitors to the Louth Holidays stand in the RDS. Meanwhile Miriam Roe, Louth Economic Development Unit, also highlighted the success of local participants in the show. 'The opportunity to showcase what Louth has to offer, in terms of tourism at these shows, is enormous and puts us firmly on the map as a great holiday destination as part of Irelands Ancient East.' Chief Executive of Louth County Council, Joan Martin, added: 'We had yet another successful visit to both Holiday World Shows in Belfast and Dublin. 'Each year Louth County Council take from the experience and offer a better exhibit the following year.' 'We try to ensure as many opportunities as possible for the public to have a memorable experience at the Louth Land of Legends exhibition,' I'm pleased to say this year the Wheel of Fortune attracted record numbers to the stand and created quite a buzz at the shows,' said Joan Martin. A fundraising effort to help a local man get a heart transplant in the USA continues on Friday with a special night organised in a Dundalk restaurant. Roger McCarrick, whose late father, Con, was a world draughts champion from the Carrick Road and whose sister, Jaki, is a renowned playwright, revealed last year how the heart condition he was born now requires a transplant. Roger was born with Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA), which means blood doesn't go to the lungs and so doesn't get oxygenated. Roger said: 'With my current state of heart failure, I am unable to walk up stairs or little hills without being out of breath. 'My heart failure will increase to the point where the heart just won't function any more. So the transplant for me is not just life improvement, it is life'. As heart transplants are so expensive in America, it is very common for patients to team up with non-profit organisations to raise funds. As part of the fundraising drive, a special night has been organised on Friday in Riva, Earl Street, with tickets costing 60. It includes dinner, live music - a short set by local band Choice (Jaki McCarrick, Ciaran Vernon & Brian McMahon) and a dance and tickets are available from Riva. Roger's sister, Sarah, told the Argus: 'So far we are at $22,900 which is 45% of our target and are hoping to hit the 50% at the end of this month. She said: 'We still have an art auction coming up in London in February as well as a family dinner later in the year. We also have a few sponsored runs and some promises of further fundraising by extended family. Roger is in great spirits and is in constant contact with his surgeon and I know that they hope the surgery will happen in the first half of this year but unfortunately that is in the hands of fate'. The family of a man charged with murder who killed himself in a cell at Cloverhill courthouse, despite being on a suicide watch, have settled their High Court damages action for 50,000. Shane Rogers was found unconscious on the afternoon of 20 December, 2011. He was taken to hospital but died a short time later. At the time of his death, Mr Rogers (32) had been charged with the murder of a Crossmaglen GAA player, James Hughes in Dundalk. He had also been accused of shooting a taxi driver and Patricia Byrne, his former girlfriend. Mr Rogers' death was subject of a report compiled by Judge Michael Reilly, the inspector of prisons, who identified several failings by the prison authorities in respect of Mr Rogers. His family brought an action seeking damages for mental shock and distress. Among their claims was that the prison authorities failed to search Mr Rogers for a ligature when he arrived at the prison. They also claimed he was not provided with any adequate psychological assessment or treatment during the time he was at the prison. The action came before Ms Justice Deirdre Murphy on Monday. She approved the settlement and also acknowledged the report compiled by Judge Reilly in respect of Mr Rogers' death. Some of the failings identified related to Mr Rogers' transfer to the courthouse from Cloverhill prison for a scheduled hearing. Despite instructions he was to be checked every 15 minutes, the report found Mr Rogers was not checked from 12.03pm until 12.58pm, when he was found unconscious by officers and an alarm was raised. Judge Reilly found staff at the courthouse did not know about Mr Rogers' status as a vulnerable prisoner within Cloverhill. New Delhi: Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit on Friday said that a Special Investigation Team that was formed to probe into the Pathankot attack is still looking at the possibility of the Jaish-e-Mohammed(JeM) being involved in last month's terror attack in Pathankot, Punjab. "An SIT had been formed here. They are also investigating. We have to take the matter forward together," Basit said. He also said that it was difficult to say something about the involvement of JeM at the moment as the national investigation agency is doing its investigation. "As far as terrorism is concerned, both National Security Advisors are in touch with each other and are trying to take the matter forward," Basit said. On Sunday, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that the probe team for Islamabad will soon visit the Pathankot Air Force Base in Punjab and vowed to bring the findings from the investigation before all. Earlier, India had welcomed the steps taken by Pakistan to investigate the antecedents of the terror strike in Pathankot allegedly by JeM, and pledged to extend all help to the latter's special investigation team when it arrives in India. The attack took place between January 1 and 4, 2016, and claimed the lives of seven persons, including an Indian Army Lt. Colonel. The inquest into the double tragedy at Drummonds grain store in Knockbridge heard that there was a 'complete and colossal systemic failure' of health and safety at the plant on August 2009. Barrister representing the families, Eamon Coffey, also told the inquest that health and safety at Drummonds in Knockbrudge was 'very poor'. The hearing had earlier been told that Drummonds had not regarded the elevator pit as a 'confined space' and that prior to 2009 there had not been such high levels of Co2 recorded in an elevator pit anywhere in the industry, in the UK or Ireland. The jury sitting at the two day inquest found that death in both cases was as a result of a workplace accident, and in accordance with the medical evidence which found a reduction of oxygen tension in the atmosphere of the elevator pit that morning, and the displacement of oxygen by carbon dioxide. The jury made a series of recommendations, including that health and safety co-ordinator's have a recognised qualification, and that they carry out inspections of each plant owned by the company at least once a year. They also recommended that any person entering the elevator pit be in possession of an appropriate calibrated gas monitor. The inquest also heard that both the Brennan and Farrell families were anxious that it would be recognised that an elevator pit is a confined space, that no risk assessment had been carried out, and that no training had been provided by Drummonds in relation to working in such conditions. Both families also wanted to emphasise that on the morning of August 10th 2009 both Terry and Paul were working in the elevator pit without any personal protective equipment, and without any means of escape in an emergency. Coroner Ronan Maguire offered his 'deepest condolences' to the families of Terry Brennan and Paul Farrell. 'Terry was such a young chap, he had just transitioned from school to DkIT, and like any good son he was working all hours to pay for his studies so that he wouldn't be a burden on his family.' He added: 'It was clear that Paul was a great friend, and a great mentor to Terry, and he too had such a long life ahead of him with his wife and children.' He acknowledged the series of recommendations made by the jury, pointing out that 'confined spaces have been recognised as far back as 2001 as area's requiring particular diligence.' Fire safety concerns at ten apartments at College Manor, off Hoey's Lane in Dundalk, have emerged after housing organisation Cluid moved to buy a number of units in the estate, only for a pre-sale report to flag up problems which have resulted in the tenants being moved into a local hotel while remedial work is carried out. Cluid currently leases and manages 29 units in College Manor under a long term lease agreement. They had agreed to purchase the units from a third party and, as part of this process, a thorough property inspection was conducted. In ten of the ground floor apartments, a small gap in the walls in the space above the apartment ceilings as found. The plasterboard ceiling provides some level of fire protection, but not enough to comply fully with building regulations. The units were bought by the current owners as part of a larger property portfolio. Cluid told the Argus: 'As soon as we became aware of this, we took steps to inform tenants and rectify the issue. 'The current owner, Finsbury Circle Real Estate has been extremely proactive throughout and has agreed to carry out the works. On completion of the works we will then acquire the units'. The Cluid statement continued: 'These works commenced on Monday. We have discussed this in detail with our tenants who have been very supportive and cooperative. Finsbury is covering the cost of both the works and accommodation close by for tenants during this period. 'Our priority now is to ensure the necessary repairs are completed properly in a timely manner and that tenants are looked after during this process'. A spokesperson for Louth County Council said: 'The tenants in question are from the Council's housing list but are tenants of Cluid. Louth County council are in agreement with the works being carried out but they are a matter for Cluid to co-ordinate and undertake'. Meanwhile, John Temple from College Manor's management company said they had 'received nothing official from the council' about this matter. He said: 'The council granted permission for these apartments, signed off on them and people from the council's housing list are tenants in them. 'I am not aware of any official council report on this matter and I would welcome one if it was carried out'. Travellers who have been evicted from the Woodland Park will visit Leinster House tomorrow (Wednesday) as the controversy over the evictions from the illegal halting site continues. On Friday, around 100 protesters, including Sinn Fein TD Gerry Adams, local councillors and Traveller groups from around the country, staged a peaceful protest at the gates of Louth County Council's offices in Dundalk. It was reported that officials from the council locked the front door of the building during the protest 'on advice from the Gardai'. The January 15 eviction has not yet been resolved and around 15 families who had previously been at the Woodland Park site have moved onto private land off the Inner Relief Road, close to KFC, without authority from the private landowner. And some have been accommodated in local B&Bs in Dundalk until this Friday at least. Last week, the matter was raised in the Dail by Louth TD Gerry Adams and Dublin-based TD Ruth Coppinger. In addition, Mr Adams spoke at the County Hall protest. He called for the original Woodland site to be developed to a safe standard. He said: 'There is an unprecedented housing crisis in Louth. Five thousand people are on the waiting list. It is bizarre that the council action has made even more citizens homeless. 'No social or affordable housing was built by the council in 2015. Though the Government did not give any funds out, there is funding available for traveller accommodation. 'There is a whispering campaign around this issue - about Travellers, the families, about me. I want to be clear - these families are not involved in this protest as a means of jumping the housing queue. They are not seeking houses, they want to stay at an upgraded Woodland Park'. The families' solicitor, Eleanor Kelly, told the Argus that 'more than ten days on from the eviction, they are still no further on and the accommodation they have been seeking has not been made available'. Ms Kelly said that fears social welfare payments would be stopped because of the lack of verifiable addresses for some of her clients had not come to pass and assurances have been given by the Department of Social Protection that payments would be made as normal while the crisis continues. In addition, two families with school-going children have taken them out of Dundalk primary schools and have sent them to stay with relatives in the Midlands because their accommodation is not secured. Ms Kelly said: 'It is the families' wish that the campaign continue. They are seeking the upgrade of Woodland Park and for it to be re-opened'. Tomorrow, Wednesday, Travellers, including their spokesperson, Rebecca Quinn, will be in Leinster House at the invitation of Mr Adams to speak to Oireachtas members on the issues around the eviction. 45 Drive - The weekly 45 Drive was well attended on Sunday night last. The following is a list of the lucky winners:- First Prize went to:- Con and Pat O'Neill, Newmarket. The best Ladies team was;-1 Elane and Eily Heffernan. Kilbrin. 2 Mai and Maura Burke, Broadford. Gents Prize was won by:-1 Eamon Sheehan, Mountcollins. and Dan Murphy, Freemount.2 Michael O'Connor and Richard Kiely, Lismire. .Mixed Team winners were:-Pat and Maureen O'Connor, Churchtown. The Table Prize was won by:-Joan Buckley and Bridget Madden. Liscarroll. .Raffle Prizes were won by:- 1 Maureen Vaughan, Kanturk. 2 Esther Hayes, Kilbrin. 3 Maureen Vaughan, Kanturk. 4 Donal Desmond, Kanturk.5 Neily O'Connor .Freemount The 45 drive will commence on this Sunday night January 31st.. at 8.pm. sharp and will be held downstairs in the new premises-no more climbing the stairs -. See you all on Sunday night and bring a friend. First game at 8pm. sharp Around the Fireside The next programme of Around the Fireside will be broadcast on C103 Local Radio on Monday night next February 1st.. at 9.50pm. On Monday night we have Gerard O'Rourke, from Donoughmore,with Billy O'Brien, Timmie Lehane, John Murphy, Margaret Hayes, Eamon Cronin and others back again. This will be a very entertaining programme. Freemount Church Mass on this Sunday January 31st. at 10.30am Mass on Monday night February 1st. at 7pm. followed by the usual Holy Hour and Adoration at 7. 30pm. Mass on Tuesday morning at 9.30am. St Pio Mass Monthly Mass in honour of St Pio In St Joseph's Church, Lismire on Wednesday 3rd February. Everyone welcome Thursday Club The next Thursday Club get together will be in Cois Abhann Centre on this Thursday January 28th. 2016 As usual everybody welcome. Used postage stamps If you have used stamps you can hand them into The Heritage Centre any morning. Comhaltas All Music Classes are on Wednesday nights and Friday nights as usual. All instruments. Operation Transformation Ladies AND Gents, Join up for Freemount Operation Transformation. If you are interested in walking, we are meeting every Monday and Wednesday night at 8pm, with registration in the hall from 7.45pm. A contribution of 2 per night would be appreciated with all proceeds going towards the annual maintenance of the walkway including the lighting costs. A weigh-in for those interested in losing some weight is optional. Let's help to meet the OT 1,000,000 lbs challenge. All are welcome and bring a friend! Please pass message on to family/other contacts. 1916 Commemoration Freemount 1916 Commemoration Committee will hold a fundraising Table Quiz in The Haggart Bar on this Friday night January 29th. at 9pm. Tables of 4 20. First prize 100. Your support would be much appreciated. Everybody welcome. History website If you would like to keep up with the progress of our History website,please log on to www.freemountvillage.com. You might see your own photo. We would also like to hear from you. Freemount GAA LOTTO: There was no winner of last week's Lotto Jackpot. The numbers drawn were:-20-25-27-34 Lucky Dip winners were as follows:-1 Josephine O'Flynn, Ballinla, Freemount. 2 John and Eileen Casey, Johnsbridge , Freemount.3 Margaret Collins, Glounicommane, Freemount. 4 John Brennan, Glounicommane, Freemount. , 5 Jack O'Brien, Liscarroll. The jackpot this week will be 8,850.Make sure you buy your tickets early and often and you will be in with a chance. A.G.M.: A record attendance was recorded at the Freemount G.A.A. annual general meeting on Friday 22nd. last. A detailed annual report was given by outgoing Secretary Kevin O' Dwyer It included a report on all matches played during the year.. He acknowledged the fantastic effort made by all the players and selectors.. Outgoing treasurer Ben Carroll stated that the cost of running the club for the year was22000 and that we broke even . He thanked all those who supported the fundraising activities . Michael o Regan chairman of the field committee stated that the new hurling wall was nearing completion and would be of great benefit to the players.. John O' Flynn has now completed the writing of the Club's history. A committee was set up to arrange it's publication. It will be launched at Easter as will the three year plan for the club.This book will be of enormous interest to the whole community as it will include photos , plus details and historical facts of Freemount over many decades. In his excellent Chairman's address Michael John o Regan expressed his gratitude to all the officers especially outgoing Secretary Kevin o Dwyer and treasurer Ben Carroll who had served for the last three years.He thanked all the people who had helped in any way in the running of the club. He stressed the need for full co-operation and dedication of all our members if we are again to have success. Officers elected were Chairman Michael John O' Regan Vice chairman Michael O' Regan Secretary Willie Murphy Ass, Sec. Kevin o Dwyer Treasurer. Willie John O'Flynn ,Ass. Treas. Ben Carroll P.RO.Paddy Collins Chairman of the Field Committee- Michael o Regan. Cultural Officer Ella Maria o Dwyer. Duhallow Board Delegates Vincent Fehin Liam O'Flynn Cork County Board Delegates John O' Flynn and Pat Curtin Macra Congratulations to Marie Murphy and Thomas Stritch who won the regional round of Question time on Friday last in the Wagon Tavern Fermoy, Well done to Danny Lane on being placed second and Dave Schulte who represent the club at Awbeg Macras' Stag of Avondhu Competition. Best of Luck to Louise Bourke, Michael Curtin, Marion Brosnan and Ann Fitzgerald who take part in the next round of Senior Debating in Mount Mellick on Saturday night at 8pm Please support. Sports night continues every Tuesday night at 7.45pm in the Gym of Boherbue Comprehensive school in conjunction with Sliabh Luachra Macra. All Welcome. Regional meeting for February will take place on Monday February 1st at 8.30pm in the Avondhu Bar Fermoy while our next Club meeting will take place on Sunday February 7th at 8pm in the Heritage Centre All Welcome. Notes All items for these notes should be with the correspondent each Monday evening before 8pm. E-mail osullivanpj38@gmail.com Kilbrin Fr. Finbar Kelleher R.I.P. Kilbrin GAA have organised a Memorial Mass for the Late Fr. Finbar Kelleher who went to his eternal reward in 2015. The mass will be celebrated in St. John The Baptist Church at 6.15 with light refreshments being served in the Social Club afterwards. The club would like to invite all parishioners to this mass as a show of appreciation to the late Fr. Finbarr for all his dedication and hard word for the parish in the seventies and eighties. Lotto The lotto draw took place on Monday night last with a jackpot of 10,300 up for grabs. Numbers drawn were 1,7 12 and 25 with no jackpot winner. Lucky dip winners were, James Buckley Kilbrin, Michael Dennehy Kilbrin, Margaret Lucey Corbally, Noreen O'Connor c/o Spar and Noel O'Brien Kanturk. Next jackpot is 10,400. Collection thanks Cork Mental Health Foundation wish to thank everyone who contributed to the annual collection on Saturday & Sunday last, the amount collected was 228. Bingo Kilbrin community council wish to thank all those who support our bingo every Monday night at 8.30. Jackpot 1650. Our in-house bonus is 140. 45 Card Drive The committee would like to thank everybody for their support of the 45 card drive every Wednesday night at 9.00pm. Over 60s Singing This event will be held on Saturday night 30th January at 9.pm in the community centre. The winner will go forward to represent Kilbrin in the next stage of the competition. Thanks Kilbrin community council wish to thank Tom Flaherty for his work in the community centre & church grounds. Dr. Croke House Our next gathering in Dr. Croke House is on 5th February from 8.30 to 10.30pm. Matters for discussion will be the 1916 celebrations. We will be organising a weekend and unvailing a plaque to the memory who were involved in the fighting at that time. Everyone welcome. Lismire GAA Club AGM At the Annual General Meeting of Lismire GAA Club the following officers were elected: Life Presidents Charlie O'Reilly, Con Ahern, Donal Kearney; Chairman Pat Bourke; Vice-Chairman Tony McAuliffe; Secretary Joanne Kiely; Assistant Secretary Karen Field; Treasurer Tom Stritch, Registrar & Membership Officer Sean Duggan; PRO Oliver Kearney; Cultural Officer Vincent Fehin; Players Rep Stephen Kiely; Insurance Officer Joanne Kiely; Duhallow Board Delegates Maurice Field & Joanne Kiely; County Board Delegates Tony McAuliffe & Maurice Field; Youth Officers: Joe Noonan, Edmund Hayes & James O'Neill; Committee: Michael Kearney, Gerdy McSweeney, John Field, Coleman Jones, Joe Aherne, Jeremiah O'Neill, Jerry Bill Sheahan, Darragh Kearney and Tim Aherne. Monthly meeting The Lismire Community Association will hold their first meeting of 2016 on Monday 1st February at 8.30pm in the local community center. Everyone Welcome. Sympathy The community of Lismire would like to offer their deepest sympathy to the Casey family on the recent bereavement of Peg O'Connor of Johnsbridge, Kanturk.May her soul rest in peace. St Pio Mass Mass in honour of St Pio will be held on Wednesday 3rd February at 8pm in St. Joseph's Church, Lismire. Meelin Spin & Win RESULTS 22ND JANUARY: Siobhain Clifford, Meelin 55; Denny O'Sullivan, Newmarket 30; Shane Brosnan, Meelin 40. Meelin GAA AGM The following are the officers which were elected following the clubs AGM which took place on Friday 15th January 2016, in front of a very large gathering; Life President: Daithi Burke Vice Presidents: Eamonn O Connor, Paddy Curtin & Fr. Stritch. Chairman: Liam Sheehan Vice-Chairman: Eugene O Sullivan. Secretary: Bridie Murphy Assistant Secretary: Joseph O Sullivan Treasurer: Dan O Connor Website Manager; Gerard Buckley. Development Officer: John Duane. Register: William Buckley PRO: Timmie Brosnan. ASAP Officer: Stephen Martin O Sullivan. Set dancing classes Set dancing classes will commence in Meelin Hall on Thurs 4th February. 6 classes: 45. Classes will only go ahead if there is enough interest. Enquiries to Michelle 087 9832381. Juvenile Social The St Marks & St Peters Juvenile Social takes place at Meelin Hall on this Saturday night, January 30th at 8.15pm (after 7.30 mass). All players are welcome, as are family & parents. Parents are asked to bring baking or sandwiches. There is no charge. For more information please contact 086 3732670. Medal presentations will take place on the night. Pilgrimage to Lourdes The Cloyne Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes takes place from 1st-6th June 2016& will include 5 nights full board. Pilgrim booking forms available from Joe Walsh Tours 117 Patrick Street, Cork. They can be contacted on 021 477959. Details of the special sick/assisted section available from: The Parish Secretary 27/28 Bank Place, Mallow, Co. Cork. Tel: 022 20276. World Youth Day World Youth Day will take place in Krakow, Poland from 26th-31st July 2016. This is an exciting opportunity to share, explore and enjoy your faith. The Diocese of Cloyne are currently planning to ring a group of young adults (18-35 yrs) to participate in this extraordinary event with Pope Francis. To register your interest contact: Fr. Tom McDermott, CDYS, tel: 086 1615216 or email frtom@cdys.ie Fr. Pat O Donoghue, Cobh Parish, Tel: 021 4201623. Booking closes on January 29th 2016. Ballinacollig is set to get 34 new social housing units at a cost of 7.4 million. This funding is part of a grant of almost 50 million from the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government for social housing in Cork. Aside from Mid Cork, the Cork projects to receive funding approval to proceed with their submission to construct housing units include Douglas and Midleton, as well as others around the county and in Cork city. "These new houses will help alleviate demand for social housing in Cork", said Fine Gael TD Aine Collins. "While it must be acknowledged that this funding won't by itself fix the problem of waiting lists or the housing demands in Cork, where we are still playing catch up from years when money wasn't available, this will help address the challenges people are facing. "We can build on these developments for the future." The funding comes amid a deepening housing shortage in Cork. "Increasing housing supply is the real key to solving our housing shortage," said Deputy Collins. "A number of measures will stimulate the supply of housing before the end of the year." The Government's 3.8 billion Social Housing Strategy runs to 2020. St Patrick's Community Hospital in Fermoy has been allocated 2 million in funding under the governments 2016-2021 capital spending plan. News of the funding, announced this week by the Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People Kathleen Lynch, was welcomed by local TD's Sean Sherlock (Lab) and his government colleagues Fine Gael deputies David Stanton and Tom Barry. The funding is part of an overall investment in public nursing home facilities that will also see major refurbishment projects undertaken at community hospitals in Millstreet, Kanturk, Midleton and Youghal. Deputy Stanton described the investment in community and older people's healthcare facilities across the Cork regions as "unparalleled". "While the necessary works will, in some cases, take a few years to complete all of the works on these facilities should be completed by the end of 2020," he said. Both he and junior Minister Sean Sherlock said the refurbishment works at St Patrick's Hospital in Fermoy would be completed by the end of 2018. "This is a significant investment as it delivers the refurbishment of the centre and peace of mind to residents and their families," said Minister Sherlock. He said the total investment of 385 million under the initiative will see work undertaken at 90 centres across the country over the next five years. "It signifies the strengthening of our public finances as we can now move towards further investment in centres like St Patrick's in Fermoy." Deputy Barry said the "significant" investment reflected the government's determination to maintain the number of current public nursing home beds and ensure all community facilities are HIQA compliant. "The majority of residents in nursing homes and community hospitals in Cork receive an excellent quality of care but some of the facilities available are not up to date. This funding will ensure that the best facilities are available for residents and their families into the future." A woman in her 20s had to undergo emergency surgery in a bid to save her arms after she was savaged by a Staffordshire Bull Terrier at her Mitchelstown home on Monday morning. The drama unfolded at around 9.15am when neighbours heard Paola Sahovic screaming for help as she was being attacked by the dog in the back yard of her rented house at Upper Cork Street. A startled neighbour contacted the local garda station, situated just a few yards away, and gardai Henry Ward and Willie Hickey raced the short distance to the house to find the front door was locked. They ran around the rear of the house and were forced to scale a wall before confronting the dog, which had grabbed and bitten Ms Sahovic's arms. Garda Ward repeatedly struck the dog on the snout with his baton before the dog released the woman allowing Garda Hickey to drag her to safety. Ms Sahovic who is originally from Croatia, was rushed to Cork University Hospital where she underwent emergency surgery on her arms which were badly injured during the attack. It is believed that surgeons managed to save one of the woman's arms and were hopeful of saving the other. She is understood to be a stable condition. Following the incident gardai managed to get the dog to a secure area before its owner, Ms Sahovic's partner Erik Kostecic returned home. Gardai subsequently spoke to Mr Kostesic and he agreed to have the dog put down. The animal was destroyed by a local vet on Tuesday morning. Ms Sahovic, a dog lover who described the animal as her "best friend" on Instagram, is thought to have moved from Croatia to Ireland to be with her boyfriend at Christmas. Dick was the second of four children and was born to Doctor Paddy McCullen and Eva (Austin) at 33, Laurence St. on 28th July 1926. As a young boy his favourite game was saying Mass, with younger brother Jim and sister Mary as servers. This foretold his future career, long before such a thing as female altar servers. Receiving his early education with the Sisters of Charity in Duke Street and the Christian Brothers at Sunday Gate, Dick was sent to St. Patrick's College in Armagh, partly for further education and partly to benefit from "fresher air" to assist his asthma problems. One of the highlights of his time there was acting as a principal in a play called "The Golden Priest", based on the life of Oliver Plunkett. He spent the year of 1945 taking time to decide between a future as a Diocesan priest like his Uncle Richard, who was P.P. in Kells, having been ordained in 1909, and who was a formidable presence, or joining the Vicentians (Congregation of the Missions). The Vins won... Years of study followed at Maynooth and in Rome where he received a Doctorate in Canon Law in 1956, having been ordained priest in 1952 at Clonliffe College. A few months later, his father, Doctor Paddy, died suddenly, which was a traumatic event for the family and his many patients in Drogheda. Fr. Dick inherited a spirit of service from his father, which he used for the rest of his life. The Vincentians had a house of studies at Glenart in Wicklow and from 1957-67, Fr. Dick worked there as Lecturer, Professor and Superior. Another decade followed in the wider world, as Spiritual Director in St. Patrick's College, Maynooth until 1975. Here he had contact with students for the priesthood from all over the country, and managed to maintain that contact with many of these ever since. As one man said to me "Fr. Dick wasn't just a lecturer, he was a relationship!" From Maynooth, he was appointed Provincial of the Irish Province for a five year term and in 1980 went to Rome to elect a successor to St. Vincent de Paul, Superior General of the Congregation. At home in 33, Laurence Street, his mother Eva prayed earnestly that he would not be elected. However those prayers did not work and Fr. Dick became the Most Holy Father of the Vincentians and the Daughters of Charity in 1980. His description at the time: "I felt like a man who had gone out to sea for a swim, and then got caught in a current which carried me away from all that was familiar to me and to depths I have never known." Twelve years, or two terms, as Superior General followed, which meant travelling worldwide to outposts of nuns and priests in countries at peace and at war, while having his base in Rome, a place of great humidity in summer. Perhaps it was Eva's prayers, but the asthma remained absent all that time. At the completion of the twelve years, Fr. Dick moved back to St. Patrick's College in Drumcondra and a book of his spiritual writings was produced in Spanish in 1992. He was always a superb linguist, at ease in seven different languages, and a volume of his selected writings, called 'Deep Down Things' was published in 1995. When Fr. Dick returned to Dublin, he expressed a wish to work with the poor, through the St. Vincent de Paul Society and preach some retreats, describing himself as "a poor immigrant now, coming from Italy, and seeking employment". In an interview, on retiring from the role of Superior General, he expressed gratitude and praise for all the good things he had experienced all over the world. Moving to St. Paul's in Raheny at the age of seventy, he had more time to visit his ancestral home at Beamore, "to gaze on the same trees he had played under on his childhood visits", and appearing at hospital beds with a listening ear and a basket of fruit. His two brothers, Oliver and Jim, were both ill for some years and Fr. Dick was a constant visitor. Still youthful, humorous and technologically skilled, he continued often daily contact by phone, text and email with a large number of people of all ages, up to two weeks before his death in his 90th year, on Christmas Eve, 2015. Speaking in St. Peter's in Phibsboro, his close friend, Fr. Aidan Galvin, mentioned the prayer of St. Augustine, which Fr. Dick had taped to his desk: "Give me courage, strength and generosity to let go and move on, leaving the past behind me, living the present to the full...I entrust the past to your mercy, the present to your love, and the future to your providence." Fr. Dick was buried on the mound at Castleknock College, where his ancestor Fr. Tom McNamara, founded the Irish Vincentians in 1839, with four others. His inspiring presence is missed by his sister Mary, brother-in-law Billy, nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, cousins, friends and Community. After 106 years having a Father Richard in the family, the change and loss is great. May he rest in peace. John McCullen The 'untapped potential' of Ardee is to be fully realised in a new government - if Renua Ireland is part of it. The party has referenced the development of a tax-incentive driven business park just outside the town as part of its policy for government. And party leader Lucinda Creighton has said that she is firmly behind the proposal. 'The area has struggled to find suitable industry and new indigenous business and our pl;an would help to overcome that,' she told the Mid Louth Independent. 'There is untapped potential in Ardee. It is just off the Dublin-Belfast route so is ideally placed.' Candidate, Michael O'Dowd says that the project could create 1,500 jobs in the next three years. The Renua proposal would see Ardee town and the greater Mid Louth area hosting Ireland's first Business Enterprise Zone based on a model pioneered in Scotland and Wales. The party believes such a move could bring huge benefit to the local economy and ultimately, if rolled out nationally, to the State as a whole. He emphasised that choosing Ardee for such a pilot is not arbitrary but based on the history of the town in encouraging business initiative. Ardee was a trailblazer in enterprise development. 'This was driven by key business people locally and harnessing their energy would give a great impetus to such an initiative. Perhaps the key thing missing over the years was the absence of a TD elected for the area and dedicated to the area. End of story,' he stated when revealing the idea to the Mid Louth Independent back in October. He also pointed to the Ardee Enterprise Centre at Hale Street being testament to the business and SME commitment to the town Mr O'Dowd has studied the Wales/Scotland move in some depth and believes it is really suitable for Irish communities. 'It is a mechanism by which business can avail of reliefs from local taxes (in Ireland's case Rates) and capital allowances while they are in the start-up and expansion phases. This can be done while at the same time not infringing EU Rules on state-aids.' He sees the role of DkIT and its partner DCU as pivotal in the development of such as Zone. They are targeting a 50-acre site off the link road as the location. Actress Shruti Haasan, who turned 30 on January 28, held a very low-key birthday bash in Chennai. We managed to get our hands on a few pictures of the birthday girl and her guests at the bash. Shruti, who will be seen in the upcoming John Abraham film Rocky Handsome, organised a small birthday bash and called on some of her closest friends and family members. Early in the day, the actress chose to do something a little different by celebrating her day with an NGO supporting a blind school for children. A video posted by /bollywood (@bollywood_wadha) on Jan 29, 2016 at 9:04am PST The evening party had Shrutis sister Akshara, father Kamal Haasan and a few former co-stars in attendance. The actress cut her large three-tiered cake with her dad and sister by her side. Shruti gets ready to cut her giant cake with daddy Kamal and sister Akshara by her side.Kamal brought his partner Gauthami along to the bash, and the four were seen posing together for pictures. Akshara, Shruti, Kamal and his partner Gauthami pose together for a family photo. According to a report, the actress had her closest friends fly down from different parts of the country to be present at the party. Shruti locks Tamannaah in a tight embrace as they pose for a picture. Shruti with television host Niranjan Iyengar. The birthday girl poses with Devi Sri Prasad for a selfie at the bash. A 23 year-old Co Meath man who pleaded guilty to the unlawful possession of drugs, has been given a chance by Drogheda court. Darren McQuaile, 19 Bathe Abbey, Duleek, was found with a small amount of cannabis at Sarsfields pub, Chord Road, Drogheda on 23 December, 2014. Inspector Brendan Cadden gave evidence that the accused was being detained in relation to another matter, when he was searched. A cannabis grinder and an amount of cannabis, valued 10, was found on him. He told gardai it was for his own use. There are no previous convictions. Solicitor Paul Moore added his client was co-operative on this occasion. He is working and has a career ahead of him. After warning McQuaile of the perils of drugs, Judge Brennan said he would give him a chance, and dismissed the charge. A ten-year-old student from Skerries has touched the Minister for Education with a heart-felt plea on behalf of Syrian refugees who want to be relocated to Ireland. Young Maya Broderick, a fourth class pupil at St Patrick's Senior National School in Skerries impressed the Minister for Education, Jan O'Sullivan and judges in the GOAL 'Write the Future' competition with her letter to the minister, asking that the children of refugees be made welcome in our education system. Maya had entered GOAL's 'Write the Future' competition, a development education initiative that invited students nationwide to write to a person of their choice about the ongoing refugee crisis. More than 1,000 students aged between eight and 18 penned letters to sports-stars, musicians, politicians and other influencers. In her letter, Maya asked the Minister to imagine if one of the children fleeing the violence in Syria was one of her own, and encouraged her to ask schools to organise book fairs, cake sales and non-uniform days to raise money to help assimilate Syrian refugee children into Irish schools. Maya wrote to Minister O'Sullivan, saying: 'Imagine it was your child that had to flee Syria because of the war? Imagine you had to stay and fight and your child had to go? And imagine if something happened to them and you were thousands of miles away? 'Imagine all of that! I don't think you can. Well, that's what millions of Syrians are experiencing every day and you could be the one to help them when they reach our country!' Showing her knowledge of the subject, the Skerries girl wrote: 'Twelve million Syrians have become refugees. They have fled Syria because of conflict. 'Half of those who are fleeing are children and thousands of these children have been forced to quit school. These children deserve better. They deserve an education. Someone important could make this happen, that's why I wrote to you.' Showing her compassion for the plight of the refugees, Maya told the Minister: 'There are three perfectly good reasons of why they are fleeing Syria: They need food, clothing, health assistance, shelter, and household and hygiene items. The children need a safe environment and a chance to play and go to school.' Talking about Goal's work in the field, Maya said: 'Goal has helped by giving Syrians the basics; food, blankets, clothing etc. Goal has a team in Syria who are helping them right at this minute. However, winter is coming, and they need warm clothes and shelter. More than 3,200 have perished this year already.' Maya suggested to the Minister how the children of refugees and their parents could be helped to get adapt to their new environment through our education system. In her letter to Minister O'Sullivan, she writes: 'I understand that Ireland is taking some refugees, and when they get here (I'm sure you'll agree with me) we want them to feel welcome. 'We could let them do some easier lessons in school until they get the hang of it as I'm sure they had different teaching styles in their home country.' Sparing a thought for the refugee children's parents, Maya writes: 'We could also hire some people to teach the adults a bit of English, or they could volunteer to do it. This is a good way to help them feel welcome in a strange country.' 'Write the Future' not only aimed to help students learn about an important, current humanitarian situation, but also aimed to instil the belief that their voice matters and can inspire change in both the local and global community. Maya presented her letter in person to Minister O'Sullivan at her offices in Dublin city centre, and received a trophy from the Minister in return. The Skerries girl was also congratulated for her letter by GOAL CEO, Barry Andrews. O Cathain's pub in Ballyferriter will host a music session this Sunday to help raise funds for Scoil Cheoil an Earraigh, which has been hit by drastic cuts in Arts Council grants. Last year the music school got 9,000 from the Arts Council but this year it received nothing, leaving the organisers with a mountain to climb in covering the basic running costs of the event. Locals have put their shoulders to the wheel with a variety of fundraising efforts to help the cause but more is needed. "Please come and either play, sing, or just enjoy the session. This is a free event, so donations on the evening will be very welcome. There will also be a raffle with prizes kindly given by local businesses," said Patsy Farr who is helping to organise the benefit session. The session in Tigh Ui Chathain is on this Sunday, January 31, from 5pm until 8ish. Castlewood House in on top of the world If you had your choice of all the top tourist destinations in the world, would you choose Dingle as the place to come and stay? If your destination is Castlewood House and you are a Trip Advisor user you would. Apart from being judged the best small hotel, bargain hotel and best service in Ireland, Castlewood was voted number 13 in the world in the small hotel category of the Trip Advisor awards. As such, it is the only accommodation provider in Ireland to feature in the top 25 in the world, in any category. This is the second year in succession that Brian and Helen Heaton have achieved this level of accolade. Asked what is required to achieve this level of excellence Helen listed "personal service, never sit on your laurels and never take anything for granted". They don't claim all the credit for themselves; instead Brian and Helen attribute the success to an outstanding team effort by the staff, some of whom have been working there since they opened in 2005. The guests who visit Castlewood come from all over the world and in the past year Helen has seen an substantial increase in the number of people touring the Wild Atlantic Way. There was more success for Dingle's accommodation providers with Coill na Roise in Ballydavid and John and Camilla Brownes's at Ladies cross awarded 6th and 7th place respectively in Trip Advisor's 25 best B & Bs and Inns in Ireland. Honouring our best and brightest The West Kerry People of the Year awards, now in its second year, aims to honor the people who have made an exceptional contribution to West Kerry and an exceptional effort in their chosen field. The 2015 winner of the awards was Ritchie Williams whose trojan work on behalf of the tidy towns, was the inspiration behind the awards, according to awards judging committee member Susan Ni Churnain. The awards were set up to recognise the work that people do, often unknown and unrecognised. Awards are presented in different categories including a new addition for this year the Young Person of the Year, which is designed to get young people involved and thinking about their peers. Susan firmly placed the credit for establishing the awards with Mike O' Shea. "Mike has a full plate, with work and other commitments, he will always give back to the community" said. Susan who believes that community support is the key to the continued success of the awards. The committee who selected the awards shortlist and will select the winners are: Frank Heidtke, Brendan Griffin TD, Mike Fitzgerald, Sean Mac an tSithigh, Rebecca Ni Churnain(for Susan Ni Churnain) and Mike O' Shea. The shortlisted nominees are: Person of the Year: Brid Pat Ui Mhuircheartaigh, John Sheehy, Maire Sheehy, James Kildea, Msgr. Padraig O Fiannachta Tourism Award: Marian O'Flaherty (Dingle News), Feile na Bealtaine, Other Voices, Eileen Perceval, Mamuth Hussein, Dingle Business Chamber Sports Award: WK Fitness, Mark O' Connor, Jack Kennedy, Nuala Moore, Austin Curran Talent Award: Fr. Hickey, Laurence Benison, Gabor Peli, Muireaan Nic Amhlaoibh, Walking on Cars Organisation Award: Other Voices, Dingle Fife & Drum, Tidy Towns, Dingle Food Festival, Kerry Hospice, Famine Graveyard Development Group Young Person of the Year: Jack Kennedy, Nicole Ni Dhubhshlaine, Josie Knight, Mark O'Connor, Prionnsias O Cathasaigh, The awards night is on January 29 in the Dingle Bay Hotel starting at 8pm. During the evening details of the contributions of the nominees will be presented by Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh. The awards are supported by Udaras na Gaeltachta. Festival brews up a storm The weather forecast is looking bleak and we can expect more of the wind and rain that has made this a very long winter. It should be perfect then for the Dingle Peninsula's inaugural Storm Festival, which promises to brighten the winter and go where no one has gone before in making a virtue of the weather. The festival, organised by the Dingle Peninsula Tourism Alliance, runs from Friday to Sunday, February 5 - 7, with events ranging from storm talks to storm walks, cooking and choirs, swims and seminars, being held in locations from Castlegregory to Dun Chaoin. The idea for the festival came about at a brain-storming session held in 2014 when the Tourism Alliance was formed out of Dingle Peninsula Tourism and Dingle Business Chamber. The aim was to come up with an event that could extend the tourist season, support and encourage tourism businesses to remain open throughout the winter, and to provide a networking opportunity for people in the tourism trade who, obviously, don't have a lot of time for talk during the hectic summer season. With the Wild Atlantic Way also gathering momentum as a marketing device for the west coast, the Tourism Alliance spotted a neat piggy-backing opportunity and so the Storm Festival was conceived. "Winter is a beautiful time to come to the peninsula and many visitors don't think of the weather as we do," said Caroline Boland of the Tourism Alliance. "Some of them are getting away from much worse weather while others come from places that are very hot and dry and they actually enjoy the wind and rain." This year the organisers are trying out a number of ideas and events and those that are the most successful will be retained and developed as the festival progresses. There is also a clear focus on spreading events throughout the peninsula so that as many different areas and businesses as possible will have an opportunity to benefit. The festival has a mix of serious topics, such as a seminar on tourism challenges and opportunities, and fun events that include a very extensive treasure hunt that promises to send people down boithrins they've never before travelled. It's also hoped to have a 'storm swim' near Castlegregory - at this time of year that would probably come under the heading of 'serious fun'. Maurice's California trip Dingle Film Festival Director Maurice Galway will be out in sunny California next week to show a selection of Irish-made animated films at the Santa Barbara Film Festival. Maurice will be showing and talking about films produced by well known animation companies based in Ireland as well as new works from Irish directors and students of animation. Maurice was invited to the Santa Barbara festival by its executive director Roger Durling who said it was very special to partner with Dingle IFF "located in one of our most favourite sister cities". A walk into local history Walking on Cars have boldly gone where no one else from Dingle has gone before - straight onto the front cover of Hot Press magazine. The magazine says the band is "one of the hottest properties's in Irish music" and describes their debut album 'Everything This Way', which is to be released this Friday, as one of the most anticipated debuts in Irish music. Local singer and performer Mark Leen has put pen to paper to express his emotions following the sad death David Bowie. "I woke up last week and heard the news that he had passed away aged 69 from cancer," said Mark. "I lay in bed and composed the lines which were, at first, a simple piece of poetry, but by 2pm I had worked out a chord structure and was in a studio recording it," he said Mark put the demo on Facebook and got hundreds of likes. He then asked the question: 'What will we name this tribute?' and after scores of suggestions, the one he chose came from Francie Conway from Tralee who suggested 'Our Last Flight With Major Tom'. The song has gained air-time on Radio Adelaide who interviewed Mark. The track is available on iTunes. KERRY TD Brendan Griffin has said that if former FG minister Michael Lowry was ever to join in a coalition with the next government, it would be a "bad day" for the country and a "dark day" for our children. He made the comments in the week after a Newstalk debate between some of Kerry's election candidates, held in the INEC. The Keel native said he was not invited to to participate by the national radio station despite claims to the contrary. A Listowel man who a court heard is 'living in a burnt-out shell of a house' has been charged with setting fire to a different house in the town over 18 months ago. John Joseph (JJ) Hegarty of Tullamore, Listowel, appeared in court on Thursday on foot of a bench warrant, having failed to appear on two previous occasions. He is charged with trespassing and damaging property by fire at Clieveragh, Listowel on November 11, 2013 - the property belonging to Niall Stack. The book of evidence in the case was served on Mr Hegarty at Listowel District Court on Thursday. However, Judge Aeneas McCarthy was not in a position to send the accused forward for trial to Tralee Circuit Criminal Court - as per DPP directions - as the charge sheets in the case were not in court because he had appeared on foot of a bench warrant. Mr Hegarty is also charged with trespassing at the The Bridewell, Main Street, Milltown on April 27, 2015. In court on Thursday, Garda David Murphy said the State was objecting to bail on the grounds that there were two bench warrants issued in respect of the Listowel incident, and three concerning the Killorglin charge. He added that a total of 24 bench warrants have issued previously against Mr Hegarty, who has 89 previous convictions. While he agreed with solicitor Pat Enright that he was not a flight risk, he said there is simply no certainty that he will appear in court on the next date if granted bail. Mr Enright described his client has 'effectively a man of the road' who is living in 'appalling conditions' in a burnt-out shell of a house. He said Mr Hegarty could be found anywhere from Puck Fair to Dingle, but would never be outside the county, adding that, despite his list of previous convictions, he has never been violent. The judge said that the evidence he had heard from gardai 'did not reach the threshold to deny him bail' and adjourned the case to February 4. Long-running plans to bring a gas pipeline into North Kerry to power the Kerry Group plant in Listowel are on the point of realisation in an agreement between the multinational food company and Gas Networks Ireland. News of the project has been welcomed as a major boost for employment at the Kerry Ingredients plant as well as for the domestic energy needs of Listowel town. Gas Networks Ireland is on the point of signing a contract with Kerry Group to deliver the fuel in a move that will allow the food firm to establish a 'combined heat and power' (CHP) plant on their Listowel site, The Kerryman understands. "This is very welcome news for Kerry Group and I've been working on the project over the past three years," Minister Jimmy Deenihan told The Kerryman this week. The gas is to be piped into the Kerry Group site from a point on the transmission system south of Aughinish along a special 'distribution' line. It does not mean the gas grid is being extended into North Kerry, but Minister Deenihan believes it will allow for domestic connections in Listowel in time. Crucially, it will allow Kerry Group establish the CHP power-generating facility in the Listowel factory where 480 are employed. "This will provide for most of the company's energy needs in a way that will support the hundreds of jobs there," Minister Deenihan said. Kerry Group Director of Corporate Affairs Frank Hayes said the gas supply will bring Listowel into line with its sister plant of Charleville. "All going according to plan, the CHP plant could be commissioned by mid 2018," Mr Hayes said. Laying of the gas pipe is expected to begin in mid 2017. Kerry historians Maurice and Jane O'Keeffe were celebrated by none other than President of Ireland Michael D Higgins at a moving ceremony in Dublin on Thursday as they handed over a treasure trove of 1916 material to the nation. Maurice and Jane were delighted to present their 1916 Rising Oral History Collection and Volume to the National Library of Ireland - the fruit of their work over the past four years interviewing so many immediately related to those who fought in the Rising. Comprised of 245 audio recordings with relatives, the Collection is remarkable for allowing us an even clearer perspective on the founding chapter of the modern nation. Now, its priceless recordings are available for all researchers to access thanks to this week's generous donation. Maurice and Jane were in some company for the handover. "Having the director and chair of the National Library on one hand and President Michael D Higgins as well as the British Ambassador to Ireland Dominick Chilcott on the other for the ceremony was pretty amazing," Maurice told The Kerryman. "Best of all was the fact we were joined by over 100 relatives of those who fought in 1916, with a strong Kerry presence." Among that strong Kerry presence was the niece of Thomas Ashe, Eileen Quinn, there with her son and granddaughter. In a reminder of just how recent the events of 1916 are, two children of key Kerry participants in the Rising were also present - Kenmare postmistress Rosalie Rice's son Denis Barrett and Valentia cable station operator Tim Ring's son Diarmuid. Members of Michael Mulvihill's family and The O'Rahilly's family were there too, among so many others deeply connected with the troubled period. All were rapt for the President's address, a typically moving speech that put everything gracefully into its rightful context: "May I say immediately that it is very appropriate that I pay tribute to Maurice and Jane O'Keeffe. It is a pleasure to be here and I want to thank you for what you do for history, not only on this occasion making a significant gift to the National Library but also for your other recording of voices from the different settings that make up our country and contemporary Irish history," President Higgins said. "The 1916 Rising Oral Collection leads us deeply into the story of 1916; including into its back streets and covert corners and into the quiet heroism of those whose names, despite not being widely known perhaps to later generations, are as permanently stitched into the fabric of the Irish Republic as the names of James Connolly, Padraig Pearse, Cathal Brugha or Michael Collins. "It allows us a long view, stretching back from the seismic events at the GPO to the tenement buildings and cottages of Dublin City, and outwards to the suburbs of Finglas and Swords and Dollymount and to the rural villages and towns beyond," the President said. Mumbai: Rishi Kapoor plays an 80-year-old man in Divya Kumars Sanam Re and Needless to say, Rishi who is 63, was made to use heavy make-up to look that old. In pictures, Rishi can be seen in grey-haired beard with thick reading glasses. Apparently Rishis role in Sanam Re is inspired by Philip Noirettes role in the Italian classic Cinema Paradisio. Sanam Re is releasing on February 12, 2016. Interestingly, Rishi is playing an 90-year-old man in Shakun Batras Kapoor & Sons which is slated to release in April 2016. Rishi even took to Twitter to reveal his look in 'Sanam Re'. A married Kerry father who intimidated a sex worker into withdrawing criminal allegations against him has been sentenced to three years with the last 18 months suspended. The 40-year-old man sent the woman text messages and emails calling her a wh*re, and threatening to tell her family and neighbours that she was a prostitute if the charges were not dropped. A character witness described the offender as a straight and decent man who he was prepared to stand by him. After a six day trial last December, a jury found the man guilty of two counts of threatening or putting in fear a witness in a garda investigation between April 29 and May 28, 2010. The man had pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to the charges. Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy previously adjourned the sentence having heard evidence. He said he couldn't ignore the seriousness of offences of this kind "which undermine the administration of justice" while also noting the direct impact the man's actions had on the victim. He read from her victim impact report that she was left "alone, terrified and with no support". She was in constant fear of what would happen next. Mr Justice McCarthy said because the man had made it clear he knew where the woman lived she moved her family to a different area of the country "to feel safe". He took into account the fact that the man had no previous convictions, a good employment record, that he has a number of small children and that he was otherwise of good character. Mr Justice McCarthy sentenced the man to three years in prison. He suspended the last 18 months on strict conditions including that he make no contact or attempt to make contact with the victim in any way. The trial heard that the woman was working as an escort or prostitute on the weekend and had come to Dublin to meet a number of men for sex. She advertised herself as a well-educated former model on the Escorts Ireland website. The accused man contacted her on this website and an arrangement was made for them to meet in the hotel room. The woman said that she had agreed to meet the man for a "girlfriend experience" service but she said he became rough and didn't pay her. A Tralee secondary school has been singled out for having some of the country's highest achieving students after it emerged that it holds a 100 per cent record for sending students to third level. For the past seven consecutive years, every single student at Tralee's Colaiste Gleann Li (Tralee Community College) has progressed to third level studies - one of only seven schools in the country to boast such a record. More impressive is the fact that the community college is one of only two non fee-paying schools on the list of seven. The results were revealed in The Sunday Independent's annual 'School League Table' which analysed seven years of results (2009 to 2015) from over 700 schools across the country. Three of the seven top performing schools are based in Dublin, according to results, while the other four making the '100% Club', as they term it, are in Cork, Limerick, Tipperary and our own Tralee. The results show that while just three per cent of students at the non-fee paying school went to university over the seven years period, 100 per cent went on to a third level institution. Interestingly, of the 159 students who sat the State exams at the Tralee school, 142 went on to study at the nearby Institute of Technology Tralee. Meanwhile, there was more good news for Kerry schools in the league table, with figures confirming that 100 or cent of students in six additional schools in Kerry went on to third level in 2015. Among those with a 100 per cent record last year were Presentation Secondary School, Listowel; St Joseph's Secondary School in Ballybunion; Colaiste Ide in Dingle; Gaelcholaiste Chiarrai in Tralee; Listowel Community College and Mean Scoil Nua an Leith Triuigh in Castlegregory. According to the results, the percentage of students in other Kerry schools who were offered third level places last year ranged from 62 -97 per cent. The tables represent a 7 year analysis and Tralee Community College (Colaiste Gleann Li) was singled out as one of the top performers in Munster in that time. A Ballyduff public house had to close on three separate occasions due to flooding over the Christmas period in a problem locals are urgently calling on the Council to address. Sinn Fein County Councillor Robert Beasley asked the authority to take action in relation to flooding on land west of Ballyduff he said was the cause of the pub's woes when it flowed into the village. Kerry County Council suggested it was a private matter, however: "The problem relates to surface water 'ponding' in private lands finding its way to these properties. The housing estate of Benmore Heights is particularly affected. "In general terms this is a civil issue, however as the storm water is accessing the sewage system the matter will be referred to Irish Water to see if they have a role here," Cllr Beasley was informed. Fianna Fail Cllr John Brassil said he believed there was a blockage somewhere in the local network exacerbating the problem, asking the council to investigate. Free wi-fi for lucky areas in the offing We might have our tourists to thank for areas of free wi-fi, if a new initiative by Kerry County Council comes to fruition. The authority is hoping to roll out areas of free wi-fi 'to the wider county' after the success of a trial in four tourist areas last summer. Head of Tourism Development and Listowel Municipal Area manager Joan McCarthy informed councillors on Monday the project will be completed, 'subject to available funding' of course. Fianna Fail councillor Jimmy Moloney had earlier asked the Council if it would look into providing free wi-fi in key tourism areas in North Kerry. Kerry County Council had worked with Dingle-based NetFeasa on the summer trial. Dr Peter Murphy is the only vet in Ireland and the UK who is using the innovative air plasma technology A Wexford veterinarian surgeon is using air plasma technology to precisely cut tissue at a much lower temperature while also dramatically reducing blood loss during surgery. This means that animals have much reduced post-operative pain levels, less tissue trauma, minimal scar tissue and shorter post-operative recovery times than following standard surgery procedures. Dr Peter Murphy from Summerhill Veterinary Hospital said he had been investigating use of this new technology since he was introduced to its inventor early last year in Turin. Sceptical at first, but now an avid supporter of the technology, he now feels that conventional surgical scalpels may be making way for this and other new technologies. Peter maintains the air plasma system has significantly improved the welfare of his surgical patients and the pet owners are absolutely delighted with the results. Currently he is the only vet in Ireland or the UK to use this technology. The machine is not cheap says Peter but once the individual has been trained in its use, it quickly becomes the surgical instrument of choice, benefiting animals, owners and especially the surgeons. Peter uses air plasma for all routine spays and castrations but has also developed surgical techniques for more sophisticated work such as tumour removal, amputations and eye procedures. The beauty of the system is that it has not increased the operating costs, simply because it reduces the use of consumables, saves time and ensures a very clean and clear surgical environment. Peter says that it provides the surgeon with a surgical instrument of pin-point precision which allows surgical intervention in areas which were notoriously difficult to operate. With Ireland marking 100 years since the Easter Rising, there are many commemorations taking place throughout Sligo to honour the people involved. To commemorate the centenary year of the major part of Ireland's history, Feis Shligigh will host a series of events and competitions. They will be dedicating the 87th Feis Shligigh to the memory of the men and women who took part in the 1916 Easter Rising. Michael Currid, president of Feis Shligigh said: "This year Feis Shligigh starts at the weekend of February as Easter Sunday falls on 27th March. "We decided, with the big year that's in it to dedicate this year's event to those involved in the 1916 Rising. "There is a specially commissioned competition to commemorate the memory of the Sligo man, Lieutenant Martin Savage. "Martin was from Ballyasdare and he was killed in Ashtown after the Rising," added Michael. "This competition is actually presented by Padraig Devins - (Padraig O Daimhin) in his memory and it is for a recitation in gaeilge. "The two competitions for Irish dancing this year are both named after leaders of the 1916 Rising; the Madame Markievicz Cup, for over 18s and the Sean McDiarmada Cup, which is open for boys between the ages of 14 to 16 years. We will be running this competition first " The Madame Markievicz is open to everyone and is our premiere competition," said Michael. "For the English Verse competition, there is a selection of three poems, which are 'Easter 1916' by WB Yeats; 'The Fool' by Padraig Pearse and 'Salutation' by George Russell (AE) and this competition is open to people aged 15 and over. "Then there is the Hughes Perpetual Cup - that's a Drama Competition," continued Michael, "This is open to the same age group and the criteria is to perform and recite a selected scene from a play from Sean O'Casey, WB Yeats, Padraig Pearse or Lady Gregory." So the theme of the Easter Rising and many of the people who are connected to it is running through this year's Feis Shligigh. Easter plays an important role in the cultural event over the years, Michael added. "Both Feis Shligigh and Feis Ceoil, our sister feis, ran during Easter Week way back in the early days. Now we run for the three weekends before Easter and during Easter week." The history of the event dates back more than oner hundred years, he added. "The Feis was founded in 1903 as a Gaelic Feis for Connacht and the aims of Feis Shligigh are the revival and promotion of the Gaelic language and Irish heritage. In the early days, the first president of Ireland, Dr. Douglas Hyde adjudicated for the Irish language competitions. "These are all the different things we are doing to highlight our commemorative programme for 1916 as in each section we are doing a special competition," he explained "These specially-commissioned 1916 competitions include the Specialist Instrument scholarship, which is a scholarship for one year of lessons with the Royal Irish Academy of Music. "There is also a competition for all primary schools and all they have to sing is an unaccompanied song from the primary schools curriculum," explained Michael. The disused Sligo to Galway rail line from Collooney to Charles town would make an ideal greenway according to Sligo Greenway Co-op Sligo Greenway Co-op has been attracting growing support from abroad for its campaign to create a greenway on the disused railway line between Collooney and Bellaghy. Following the recent launch of the group's website http://www.sligogreenway.com, sales of shares in the Co-op have increased and messages of support from around the world have been emailed to the community group. An award-winning greenway, Nordbahntrasse, located in Wuppertal, Germany is featured on the Sligo Greenway website. As a result of this link, many people from Germany have offered encouragement to the Sligo project. Germany has more than 700 trails on former rail lines that are frequented by local enthusiasts and tourists. The country has over 70,000 km of linked trails, compared to Ireland's 200 km, facilitating a huge tourism industry as well as important local amenities. In turn 15 million German tourists and over 20 million European tourists seek out these same facilities when travelling abroad. Dr Achim Bartoschek from Leverkusen is part of a community group in Germany that has created a similar local amenity, Much of their funding was done with symbolic share certificates similar to the Sligo Greenway campaign. In a message wishing success to the Sligo Greenway Co-op, Dr. Bartoschek noted that he had added the Sligo project to his own website. Further endorsement of the Greenway concept has also come in the form of Co-op shares sold online since the website went live in late November. Many Sligo people familiar with the closed line bought shares as gifts for family around the world and some people living abroad did likewise in an effort to support regeneration and growth in their native county. Tubbercurry native Martin Brennan, now living in the US said of the greenway proposal: "I am absolutely convinced that the efforts of communities throughout the country to construct these bike paths can be compared, in terms of economic impact and environmentalism as being second only to the establishment of the GAA. They promote physical and psychological wellness whether they are used for biking, jogging and walking." Sligo Greenway Co-op formed in early 2015 and is current continuing a range of meetings with Sligo County Council and other stakeholders in an effort to have the Greenway delivered for Sligo at the earliest opportunity. Hundreds of people ignored the driving rain on Saturday to vent their anger at water charges at the latest Right2Water protest march. It was part of a nationwide series of protests which saw thirty similar demonstrations in cities and towns across the country. Protesters assembled at Sligo G.P.O. just after 2p.m. where they were addressed by local activists including Independent General Election candidate Councillor Declan Bree, People Before Profit's candidate Nigel Gallagher, Community activist Noelle Callaghan and Sinn Fein election candidate Chris MacManus. After the speeches the demonstrators marched through the streets of Sligo to the office of sitting deputies John Perry in Old Market Street and from there to Deputy Tony McLoughlin's office in John Street. It's not believed either TD was present at the time. Speaking at the protest Cllr Declan Bree said: "Over the past 18 months, right across Ireland, in almost every community, people have voiced their opposition to water charges. Hundreds of thousands of ordinary people have shown courage, determination and solidarity and are refusing to be intimidated by the threats and lies of the government. "People are opposed to water charges because they already pay for domestic water through their taxes and because they realise that water meters are being installed and charges put in place so as to commodify our domestic water supply as a preparation for selling off the service to private companies in the future. "Today, despite all of the threats from Irish Water and the government, over 600,000 Irish people are standing steadfast and are refusing to pay these illegitimate water charges. "At the beginning of this campaign we said that we would make water charges a major issue in the run up to the general election. "People now have a choice - a clear choice. If they want water charges abolished and if they want our water services to remain in public ownership then they clearly must vote for candidates who are pledged to abolish the charges." said Cllr Bree. "I was absolutely delighted. The turnout - considering the weather - was very good," said Nigel Gallagher, People Before Profit election candidate. "This is broader than political parties - there were plenty of people there who just don't want to pay for water twice," he told The Sligo Champion. "This is making Irish Water an election issue and giving people the confidence to vote against the establishment in the upcoming General Election. It's putting Irish Water on the table in mainstream politics. "Where would James Connolly of 1916 be if he was alive today? He'd be standing with the people looking for the right to water, education, decent housing - a more equal Ireland," he added. The People Before Profit candidate said he would encourage people to join the next national Right2Water demonstration in Dublin on the Saturday before the General Election: "Show the establishment we haven't gone away." Sligo Gardai said the protest passed off peacefully. Several of Ireland's most dynamic companies will visit IT Sligo on Tuesday February 2nd, to showcase their graduate employment opportunities at the Institute's Careers' Fair 2016. Global nutrition group Glanbia, Abbott Ireland, Intel, Microsoft and global biopharmaceutical company AbbVie are just some of the 45 companies who'll be offering advice, information and work opportunities for jobseekers. The event, which will run from 11am to 3pm, will span a range of industry sectors including Engineering, Computing, Digital Technology, Accounting and Science. "The diversity of the visiting companies is one of the real strengths of this year's Careers Fair," explains Adette Ring, Careers Officer at IT Sligo. "Every job sector is catered for and many of the exhibitors have strong local and regional connections, such as Sligo-based LotusWorks, a specialist technical and engineering firm, which employs 570 people worldwide." While the Careers Fair will be of strong interest to students and graduates, the event is open to the general public. Postgraduate study options will also be a focus on the day with several Irish and UK third level institutions attending. These include Queen's University, Belfast, the University of Salford and Maynooth University. The Institute's popular accountancy careers event will also form a central part of the day with all four of Ireland's main professional accounting bodies represented. "The Institute has a proven track record in producing accounting graduates who are well equipped for the 21st century marketplace," says Caroline McNulty, lecturer in accounting at IT Sligo. "That makes it easier to attract the main accounting bodies to an event like this," she added. Apart from the exhibitor career stands, the day will provide visitors with the opportunity to enhance their CV at a free drop-in clinic. There, some of the country's top employers will give no-nonsense advice on what will make your CV stand out from the crowd - and what won't. There will also be company presentations and talks on graduate job opportunities.Speakers will include Michael Horan, Group Secretary Glanbia, and the President of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), Alan Flanagan, who is a past graduate of IT Sligo. The Careers Fair is from 11am to 3pm. Prime Minister Narendra Modis Make In India campaign seems to have touched the film industry too. An Indo-British co-production of the Swiss childrens classic Heidi will be shot in the Noida district of Uttar Pradesh. With the aim of promoting quality content production, cultural exchange and jobs the Make in India initiative with films will be kickstarted with the film Heidi that is being produced by Sheetal Talwar and Simon Wright of Big Tree Productions. The first schedule of the film has been completed in the UK with renowned actors such as Bill Nighy, Emilia Fox, Helen Baxendale and Mark Williams among others, the second schedule is now ready to be filmed in India. Commenting on this, Talwar said, We have the skill set, craftsmanship and great talent. Not to mention costs are far more rational than they are elsewhere. We will be filming the entire interior portions of Heidi in Noida and this will mark the first of the many films we have planned. We are excited to be doing this. While Bill will not be shooting in India in this schedule, Emilia and Helen will be joining in for the India leg of the shoot. With support from the UP government, this will mark a greater influx of international productions to Make in India states Talwar, adding, We are committed to backing quality content, there wont be any compromises. Despite claims that economic recovery is well underway, it's still a difficult time for many businesses around the country. But one market is increasing in popularity year on year. Here in Sligo, 'Hen & Stag Sligo' have delved into the lucrative market and have offered a one-stop-shop for those coming to the North-West for both hens and stags. Work began in early 2014, with a website going live late in the year. Having already worked with packaging companies, they felt the best option was to go in alone. "We did some business through existing hen/stag packaging companies but they didn't leave much in the end for us. They were looking for a lot but only willing to pay a little," said Fergal Quinn. "So we decided to cut out the middle man and package ourselves. In addition, we also saw the volume of business the hen/stag market brought to towns like Carrick and Westport." Business for the group was steady from the word go. From February onwards, they found themselves busier with a steady increase in bookings for the year ahead. "Managing bookings was difficult at the start as there are so many elements and detail to every single party. We struggled at first to record all the various details - needless to say when the bookings started flowing it was difficult to track everything. One slip-up on a booking can be very damaging. "For instance - recording an incorrect bus pick-up time or a wrong check-in date can ruin a weekend so we have to get every element of the booking right. "If you've ever organised a hen or a stag - it can be difficult to keep track of everything. Now multiply that by a couple of hundred parties - it's easy to see how there were sleepless nights at the start!" To help manager the growing number of bookings, Fergal and his colleagues thoroughly researched over 30-40 software packages available on the market - but none fit the bill. That was until they stumbled across the perfect option, on the other side of the world. "We ended up engaging some software engineers based in Pakistan to design a bespoke bookings management database for us - it has been a complete life-saver and really has allowed us to scale our business with confidence." 'Hen & Stag Sligo' organise a hen or stag weekend in Sligo from start to finish. From accommodation, activities, evening meal, pre-club bar and VIP nightclub admission - they look after it all. They are the largest customer to a number of hotels in the area, and have involved many local businesses. "We work with well over 150 partners - Strandhill Surf Schools, 4-star hotel spa's, Life Nude Painting and clay Pigeon Shooting to name but a few. "From the start we have tried to keep as much local as possible. For instance, we initially worked with an operator based in Leitrim for 'Funballs' and one in Galway for life nude painting - we now have found local operators for both activities and put plenty of business their way. "There are actually only one or two activities we now offer that are not provided by a local operator but we are working on this at present," said Fergal. Offering an 'on-the-ground' service, Fergal and his colleagues offer a more personal service than that of other packaging companies who operate from afar. "Because we are based in Sligo - we have an intimate knowledge of the town which is not matched by any other hen/stag packaging company. "We provide 'on-the-ground' assistance to parties during the weekend which is also something that isn't offered by other companies. "Our business has grown so much this year - we are taking on a Chaperon dealing exclusively with our group bookings to make sure they are happy from start to finish. "We have found a lot of our business is coming from referrals so it's important every party is made to feel special and we make sure they enjoy every part of their weekend in Sligo." 2015 was the first real year of business for the group, and they witnessed up to 125 people booking every week. May Bank Holiday weekend is almost booked to capacity already and there are even bookings in place for 2017. You can't blame them, then, for being ambitious for the coming months. "We are only two weeks into 2016 and cannot get over the level of demand - it is just incredible. Even the first weekend in February has already over 200 hens booked with us - a great boost for a traditionally quiet time of year and it's constant from that point straight through the summer. We are already taking bookings for parties in 2017. "We have a target of over 250 per week in the summer months of this year - I don't think this will be a problem to hit." Every-time a weekend package is purchased, business is generated for both the group and for all their partners from hotels, transport companies, activities, restaurants and so on. The financial benefit of tbese hens and stags to Sligo cannot be understated, as Fergal explains. "Most packages cost approximately 150 per person and I would guess they will spend at least that again over the weekend - so they should spend about 250-300 each for the weekend. "Multiply that by 400-500 people a week and it's worth around 125k+ a week to the local economy. It's like the wedding market - a huge and lucrative market." With the market lasting almost 12 months of the year, it is expected that their business can grown even further, include more local businesses in their plans. "We initially formed relationships with every accommodation provider in Sligo from 4-star hotels to hostels to even B&B's. "They were all very positive on forming relationships - all realising how lucrative the market is. "The market is nearly 12 months a year - the only two months which are light are December and January. "Initially most of our requirements for restaurants and food was catered for in our own establishments - namely the Belfry and the Embassy Steakhouse. "This year will be very different. We have established relationships with multiple restaurants in Sligo and we expect to be giving them all business particularly during peak season." There has been a huge amount of negative publicity surrounding hen and stag parties, particularly in Carrick-On-Shannon, and Fergal says that these kind of parties get a lot of unfair press. "We had hundreds of parties with us last year and genuinely only had a small problem with one party with a relatively minor incident. Other than that - we really had no real issue for the full year. "Nightlife in Sligo is often compared to the likes of Carrick and Westport. Both of these towns have done extremely well in this market and the hen/stags are core to the vibrancy of nightlife scene there. "It is sometimes said that there are too many hens and stags in these towns but one must remember that Sligo is a good deal bigger than both these towns and should easily absorb a couple of hundred hens and stags each weekend." While there is constant negative publicity surrounding hen and stag parties in smaller towns, there is no doubt that they bring huge business to an area. It's a lucrative business right now, with hen and stag parties opting to take weekends away in Ireland rather than going abroad. This year will be a busy one for Fergal and his colleagues, but that increase in business will trickle down to shops, pubs and many more businesses. Team Phaedo has announced their intention of entering their MOD 70, Phaedo 3, in the 2016 Volvo Round Ireland Yacht Race. The boat is currently in Barbados for the Mount Gay Round Barbados Race. Lloyd Thornburg has been campaigning his MOD 70 Phaedo for a year now. He has had an incredibly successful run of world records and regatta wins. This year, after a few events in the Caribbean, he will be heading over to Europe again. Here he will be taking part in the Volvo Round Ireland Race 2016, hosted by Wicklow Sailing Club, and is really looking forward to the challenges this race will bring for the MOD70 and his crew. Back in November, Ned Collier-Wakefield confirmed that Team Concise would be entering their three boats in the race, including Concise 10, their MOD 70. Concise 10 and Phaedo3 compete regularly on the off-shore sailing circuit and Volvo Round Ireland will now be added to their list. Last Monday saw the opening of on-line entries to the 2016 Volvo Round Ireland and ISORA veteran Kuba Szymanski was first to register. Kuba will race his new boat Polished Manx 2 - First 40.7. The current holder of the Fastnet Roger Justice trophy Ronan O Siochru has also confirmed that he will be back to contest. Boats from France, UK and Ireland have also been registering. Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx has shared a moving photo of the moment he embraced the father of the young man he rescued from a crashed truck. Foxx last month revealed how he, with the help of another man, had pulled Brett Kyle (32) from the truck moments before it became engulfed in flames. The incident happened near Foxx's Southern California home, and the actor met the victim's father Brad the next day after he showed up at Foxx's home to say thanks. Fox posted the photo of the two men hugging to Instagram with the caption, "Met the father of the young man from last night today. This is all that matters. That a man, a son, a brother's life was spared last night. God had his arms wrapped around all of us...No heroes...Just happy fathers." The California Highway Patrol said the pick-up went off the road in Ventura County then went into a ditch, rolling over multiple times and becoming engulfed in flames with a male driver trapped inside. Foxx said he heard the crash from his house, called 911, and ran to the scene. He said another man, an off-duty paramedic who was driving by, had large emergency medical technician scissors that the two used to break the truck's window, cut the man's seatbelt and pull him out. The actor said "within five seconds" the truck went up in flames. He said he told the man: "You've got to help me get you out, because I don't want to have to leave you. You've got angels around you." Foxx told reporters after meeting Brad, the father of the 32-year-old victim Brett Kyle: "I don't look at it as heroic. I just look at it like, you know, you just had to do something. And it all just worked out." Brad Kyle said he had been shown surveillance video of the crash scene, and he saw several cars passing by without helping. Video of the Day "I just kept watching it and going 'My god, my god, he didn't have to do a thing,' " Mr Kyle said, breaking into tears as he spoke. "I think we all hope that we can do something when the time is there. But the question is, do we act or do we fear for our own life? He did not." Brett Kyle has broken bones and a punctured lung, but he is expected to survive. Undated photo of an elephant in Tanzania. British helicopter pilot Roger Gower has been shot dead by elephant poachers in Tanzania, a conservation charity has said. Rachel Harris /PA Wire A British helicopter pilot has been shot dead by elephant poachers in Tanzania, a conservation charity has said. Englishman Roger Gower was helping authorities in Tanzania track the criminals when they fired on his aircraft, the Friedkin Conservation Fund (FCF) said. He managed to bring the helicopter down in the the Maswa Game Reserve, near Serengeti National Park in the country's north, but died from his wounds before he could be rescued. Pictures posted online show the badly damaged remains of the helicopter, including a bloodied bullet hole in the pilot's seat of the aircraft, which lay on its side in the savannah grass. In a message posted on its website, FCF founder Dan Friedkin said the organisation was "profoundly saddened by the loss of our dear friend". He said: "Roger was killed while piloting a helicopter during a co-ordinated effort with the Tanzanian wildlife authorities to track down and arrest active elephant poachers. In the course of this action the poachers fired upon the helicopter and Roger was fatally wounded. "We are committed to honouring Roger and his work. We are also committed to ensuring that those responsible for this attack are found and brought to justice. We believe that Roger can best be honoured by redoubling our commitment to protect elephants and our priceless wildlife heritage. "This tragic event again highlights the appalling risk and cost of protecting Tanzania's wildlife." RIP Capt Roger. You loved our country and I knew you on many flights we took together in defence of our wildlife heritage. Life is precious Lazaro Nyalandu (@LazaroNyalandu) January 30, 2016 Mr Gower is reported to be a former accountant who qualified as a pilot in 2004. Pratik Patel, a colleague from the Friedkin Conservation Fund, told the BBC Mr Gower was shot on Friday afternoon during a patrol as he approached the last carcass of three elephants that had been killed by poachers. He paid tribute to "a great guy, a great friend, a great pilot" who he said loved working with Tanzania's wildlife. He said: "Roger was an amazing person, an amazing character, full of joy, full of life. He loved Africa, he loved Tanzania and he loved being in the bush." The pilot's main role was flying people between the different camps on the reserve, Mr Patel said, but he also spent some time every day flying patrols to support ground staff in their work against poachers. Tanzanian MP Lazaro Nyalandu, a former minister for natural resources and tourism,paid tribute to the Briton's work. He said on Twitter: "RIP Capt Roger. You loved our country and I knew you on many flights we took together in defence of our wildlife heritage. Life is precious," he went on. "Those poachers who killed Capt Roger are coward(sic), evil, and sad people. A fine hearted individual gone too soon, and our hearts are broken. "Capt Roger's body was flown into Arusha early today, as those who killed him are still at large.Everything must (be) done to bring them to justice." A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We can confirm the death of a British national in Tanzania and are providing assistance to the family at this difficult time." As befits all the best practitioners of his shadowy trade, no-one is quite sure whether he is one man or many, or even simply an urban legend. But after a string of assassinations of its local henchmen, the Islamic State's new "Caliphate" in the Libyan city of Sirte is abuzz with talk that an anti-Isil sniper is at work. The three places in Sirte where a sniper has *allegedly* shot men of the Islamic state in the last 10 days pic.twitter.com/LWEUPzXVxF Daniele Raineri (@DanieleRaineri) January 26, 2016 In recent weeks, no fewer than three Isil commanders in Sirte have been shot dead from long range, according to local media. The killings - reported to be the work of a sniper who honed his skills in Libyas uprising against Colonel Gaddafi - are said to have sowed panic among Isil's forces in the city, who have carried a string of arrests and executions in a bid to track down the culprit. The Sirte assassin's most recent casualty, according to social media reports from Sirte, was Abdullah Hamad Al-Ansari, an Isil commander from southern Libyan city of Obari, who was shot dead on January 23 as he left a city centre mosque. The birthplace of Libya's late Colonel Gaddafi, Sirte has been under Islamic State control since last summer, Libyan intelligence officials estimating that there may now be up to 2,000 jihadist fighters now based there. Expand Close The movie Enemy at the Gates / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The movie Enemy at the Gates The port citys new masters have made brutal examples of opponents, via a regime of floggings and beheadings enforced by black-masked religious police. But while the group's leaders now enjoy unchallenged rule on the streets, that does not appear to have left them immune to long-range attack from Sirte's many battle-scarred buildings. Tales of the mystery marksman are believed to have found a ready audience among the city's population, few of whom actively support the city's new hardline rulers. The morale-raising effect of his exploits has echoes of the 2001 film 'Enemy at the Gates', in which Jude Law plays the Soviet Union's top sniper against Hitler's armies in the Battle of Stalingrad. The film has since gained large fan club among fighting men in the Arab world, and such is its hero's warrior allure that one Syrian rebel group fighting President Bashar al-Assad named their top sharpshooter "Sniper Moscow" in his honour. In similar fashion, locals in Sirte apparently relished the panic caused in Isils ranks when Hamad Abdel Hady, a Sudanese official in Isil's newly-convened Sharia court, was felled by a sniper's bullet outside a hospital earlier this month. One eye witness told the al-Wasat website: "A state of terror prevailed among the Isil ranks after his death. They randomly shot in the air to scare inhabitants, while searching for the sniper." The identity of the mystery marksman - if indeed it is just one - is now the subject of frenzied online discussion. Many believe he may be a militiaman from the neighbouring city of Misrata, whose security forces fought Isil for control of Sirte in the early part of last year but eventually pulled out. Misratan commanders say they still maintain networks of informants and agents in the city, despite Isil subjecting all spies to crucifixion. Adding to the sense of intrigue is speculation that the sniper might be a American special forces soldier, some of whom are thought to be operating in the region to gather intelligence on the Isil presence. However, in a city where little reliable information is currently available, there is a more mundane possibility - namely that reports of the sniper and his exploits may be simply the product of wishful thinking among Sirte's unhappy residents. Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022] Republican Presidential candidates (L-R) Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich arrive for the Republican Presidential debate sponsored by Fox News at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, Iowa on January 28, 2016. / AFP / AFP PHOTO / Jim WATSONJIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images A Saudi billionaire who is part-owner of Fox News has hit back at criticism from Donald Trump, reminding the Republican frontrunner that he saved him from financial ruin on two occasions. Mr Trump posted an image on his Twitter account showing Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who owns the Fox News network, standing alongside news anchor Megyn Kelly and a woman in a niqab who was described as the prince's sister. Prince Alwaleed hit back hours later, saying the image of his sister had been photoshopped and claimed he had bailed out the property mogul several times. "Trump: You base your statements on photoshopped pics? I bailed you out twice; a 3rd time, maybe?" Prince Alwaleed tweeted. The prince - who is also the world's 38th richest man - is famously liberal, running a business empire involving mixed offices, a rarity in conservative Saudi Arabia. The billionaire helped Mr Trump plug debts back in 1991 by purchasing his yacht, 'Trump Princess', for 196m. Four years later, he bought a majority stake in the Plaza Hotel as Trump was sinking into bankruptcy. During a brief interview on his plane in Des Moines, Iowa, Mr Trump told reporters that Prince Alwaleed was the one who needed financial bailouts and said he had never liked the royal. Seconds later, he admitted the two had never met. Republican candidates have traditionally needed the backing of Fox News to win the party's nomination for the presidency. Mr Trump, by contrast, is seeking victory without it, and experts say he is making calculated attacks on the media empire in an attempt to burnish his credentials as the party's anti-establishment candidate. Anti-Muslim sentiment has also been a repeated theme of Mr Trump's campaign. In December, he called on Muslims to be banned from the US after 14 people were killed in an Isil-inspired terrorist attack in California. Trump appeared to be the big winner across social media during the seventh Republican presidential debate - despite his absence. In all, he commanded 36pc of the Twitter traffic during the debate, according to the social media company. He tweeted: "Great Twitter poll - and I wasn't even there. Thank you!" He was also the most searched-for candidate on Google during the debate, according to data supplied by the search engine, which co-sponsored the event with Fox News. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush also gained traction on Google. After Fox News issued a sarcastic news release about the contretemps with their host, Trump organised and then hosted his own event in Des Moines, a fundraiser for veterans. He was rewarded with positive social media buzz. Not long after he took the stage at his event at Drake University, a group of protesters chanted loudly. Trump responded: "I love the protesters in the big arena because the cameras [don't move away from] my face." That quip won him praise on social media, and his Twitter sentiment measured largely positive during the event, according to social media analytics firm Zoomph. "An unbelievable night in Iowa with our great Veterans!" Donald Trump (@realDonaldTrump) tweeted on Thursday. "We raised $6,000,000.00 while the politicians talked!" However, he failed to garner as much attention on Twitter as the last time he was on a debate stage. According to Brandwatch, Trump received roughly 130,000 Twitter mentions during the debate. This marked a roughly 40,000-tweet decline from the previous debate which he attended. While Trump led the field in terms of mentions, Yik Yak, a location-based mobile app popular with millennials, said yesterday that Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky had the highest approval rating with app users, at 73.6pc. At the debate, Cruz came out swinging against Trump in his initial comments, mocking the tycoon's penchant for brash criticism. "I'm a maniac, and everyone on this stage is stupid, fat and ugly," joked Cruz, in an effort to, as he put it, get "the Donald Trump portion" of the programme out of the way. Joke Cruz's joke became one of the standout moments in the first half of the debate, gaining momentum on Twitter among news outlets and average Twitter users. The debate moved on to discussion of substantive issues. Foreign affairs, national security, immigration, reproductive rights and healthcare were the most tweeted-about topics. But no one appeared to emerge as a central challenger to Trump during the two-hour face-off in Des Moines. And Trump's refusal to participate in the debate out of anger that Kelly was a moderator prompted a flurry of last-minute phone calls with Fox News chairman Roger Ailes that failed to resolve their dispute. A Fox News statement said Trump requested Fox contribute $5m to his charities in exchange for his attendance, which the network turned down. The debate was the type of event Republicans would routinely have without Trump on stage, and it lacked the electricity he brings to the party's search for a nominee for the November 8 election. Without Trump, Bush and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie found themselves with more room to make their case to voters seeking a mainstream candidate. Both men have an eye on the February 9 first-in-the-nation primary in New Hampshire, which comes on the heels of the Iowa caucuses on Monday and where an establishment Republican might have a better chance of standing out. ( Daily Telegraph, London, and agencies) Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022] A Roman Catholic seminary student has been arrested in California, suspected of intending to travel to Mexico to have sex with a baby or toddler. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Joel Wright, 23, of Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, was taken into custody after getting off a plane in San Diego. Authorities say he sent emails to an undercover federal agent posing as a travel guide, saying he wanted to adopt or purchase a girl under three in Tijuana, Mexico, for the purposes of having sex with her. He make his first court appearance on Monday. College spokesman the Rev John Allen told the Columbus Dispatch the seminary was "shocked and saddened" at the "reprehensible" allegations. Wright has been expelled. Doug Richard, the former UK 'Dragons' Den' star and one-time business adviser to David Cameron, has been found not guilty of paying a 13-year-old girl for sex after meeting her on a 'sugar daddy' website. The 57-year-old US-born millionaire (pictured) arranged for two teenage schoolgirls to travel from their homes in Norwich to London where he spanked and had sex with the younger one. But he argued that the girls had told him they were over 16 and he had no reason to believe they were lying. A jury of eight women and four men deliberated for four hours and 15 minutes before finding Richard, of Islington, north London, not guilty of three counts of sexual activity with a child, one of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and a charge of paying for sexual services. He was emotional as the verdicts were delivered and left the court in tears. Richard, who made his fortune in the tech industry in America, appeared in the first two series of the popular BBC show. He has also had a long association with the British prime minister. Mr Richard, who is married with three children, admitted meeting the girl on a website called 'Seeking Arrangements' - which offered to connect 'sugar daddies' and 'sugar babies'. He said he had met up to 100 women on the site. The prosecution accepted that the girl had lied about her age but asked the jury to conclude that Richard must have known she was under 16. The girl was just 5ft tall and weighed less than six stone. Zika is the latest worry for pregnant Venezuelans, who already have to deal with scarce folic acids, medical equipment and medicines. (Photo: AFP) Caracas: Carolina, who lives on the vertiginous hills of a Caracas slum, says she fell pregnant with her third child last year because birth control pills went scarce. When the mosquito-borne virus Zika - linked to severe birth defects in thousands of babies in Brazil - started to spread through the Americas the homemaker, now seven months pregnant, set out to protect herself. But repellent is also running short in crisis-hit Venezuela. And as water cuts are frequent in the slums, people keep reserve jars in store at home, a potential breeding ground for mosquitoes. "I keep the doors closed. I can't do much more," said Carolina, 30, as she waited in line for a check-up at a state-run maternity center in southern Caracas. Zika is the latest worry for pregnant Venezuelans, who already search high and low for scarce folic acids, medical equipment and medicines, and even diapers to have in stock for when they give birth. Around 4,700 cases of potential Zika infection have been reported in the country, Venezuela's Health Minister Luisana Melo told state television on Thursday in the first official estimate, vowing fumigation efforts and training for medical personnel. It was unclear how many pregnant women have been infected with the virus. Many doctors and health activists worry that the country will be ill-equipped to fight the virus as it grapples with economic crisis and constant shortages of consumer goods and medicines. With no vaccine or cure for the virus, much of the fight against the outbreak is going to depend on protecting people from mosquito bites and reducing the mosquito population. "We're exposed like no other country in Latin America for this to be a pandemic," said Huniades Urbina, president of the Venezuelan Paediatrics Society, who is critical of the leftist government of Nicolas Maduro. Drawing a full picture of the state of health in Venezuela is difficult as the government over a year ago stopped issuing weekly health bulletins, which included data on infant mortality and mosquito-born diseases. "Explosive" Spread Of Zika At the clinic, where late leader Hugo Chavez's quote "pregnant women are sacred" emblazons a colourful mural of breast-feeding mothers, many of the dozen of pregnant women Reuters spoke to had partial or no information about Zika. A pregnant teenager who thought she might have the virus flashed her bite-filled left hand and complained of itches, but said she had not heard Zika could hinder brain development in unborn babies. The Paediatrics Society says it has received reports of pregnant women likely suffering Zika in each of Venezuela's states. One obstetrician in the sweltering border city of Maracaibo said she had already seen 20 pregnant patients with what appeared to be Zika. There have been no reports of the deformation known as microcephaly, in which infants are born with abnormally small heads and brains. But as the virus spreads from Brazil, other countries in the Americas are likely to see Zika-linked birth defects, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday. The virus is spreading "explosively" and could affect as many as four million people in the Americas, according to the WHO. "I'm very worried. There's no medicine and the government isn't taking measures," said George Mendoza, 21, as he accompanied his 11-weeks pregnant girlfriend, who said she fell pregnant due to lack of condoms, to a check-up. The man (28) was found with the weapons, ammunition and a copy of the Koran as he passed through security at a hotel at the resort. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File) A French prosecutor says terrorism has been ruled out in the arrest of a man who tried to bring two handguns into a hotel at Disneyland Paris. The Meaux prosecutor Dominique Laurens said searches of the man's phone records and various locations turned up no link with terrorism. She said the man was moving house and feared his weapons would be misplaced or taken. The man was detained on Thursday along with his female partner, who was cleared of complicity, the statement said. He remained jailed yesterday. No one was hurt, and the park - Europe's most-visited tourist attraction - remained open after the arrests at the New York Hotel. France has been under a state of emergency since the Islamic extremist attacks around Paris in November that killed 130 people. A migrant carries his baby after arriving on a rubber dinghy packed with refugees on a beach on the Greek island of Lesbos Credit: Darrin Zammit Lupi (REUTERS) Finland will expel nearly 20,000 migrants before August, following a decision by neighbouring Sweden to deport some 80,000 asylum seekers. The majority of those to be returned are from Iraq, said a senior official for the Finnish Interior ministry. Close to 62 pc of those who sought asylum in Finland last year will receive a negative decision said Permanent Secretary Paivi Nerg. This is around the normal percentage 20,000 is the estimate we are working with at the moment but the number of asylum seekers who decide to return voluntarily could change it. About 4,000 asylum seekers had already withdrawn their applications, she added. In 2014, Finland rejected the applications of some 3,600 asylum seekers, close to 56 pc. Ms Nerg said the Government was planning to set up separate transit centres for those to be deported from those wanting to leave the country voluntarily. Last year, the Finnish government tightened the process for granting asylum to refugees from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia, citing the improved security situation in some parts of those countries. This week, neighbouring Sweden said that, according to its estimates, it will reject up to 80,000 of the 163,000 asylum applications it received in 2015. A letter written to parents by Kate Chisholm, headteacher at Skerne Park Academy, Darlington, requesting they take time to get dressed in the morning and stop dropping their children off in their pyjamas. Photo: Phil Naylor /PA Wire Head teacher Kate Chisholm only became aware of the furore her letter to the parents had caused when a friend texted her from Sydney with the message: 'Why are you on my television?! It wasnt just Australia who wanted to talk. She also had requests from Nairobi to New York, where breakfast television studios were even willing to bump Donald Trump off the news agenda in favour of this well-spoken primary school head teacher from Darlington in County Durham, England. The letter in question was a four-sentence missive Miss Chisholm sent out in the school bags of her 450 pupils at Skerne Park Academy on Monday evening. It was polite and to the point. In it, she noted that parents were increasingly dropping off -- and even picking up -- children while still wearing their pyjamas and, on occasion, even slippers. She hoped, she said, parents agreed it was important to set our children a good example about what is appropriate and acceptable in preparation for their own adult life. Ending with the sign off: Thank you for your cooperation in helping to raise our childrens aspirations. Since it was sent (and posted on Facebook, where it went viral) she has received hundreds of emails in support. Some fellow teachers have also expressed horror at slipping standards not just at the school gates but in parenting in general. Most have applauded Miss Chisholm, 36, for speaking out. But the support has not been universal. Some parents have seen the letter and as a personal attack. Miss Chisholm says: In every school there are always some parents, regardless of what type of school it is, who are either anti-establishment or think they know better. I am sure every head teacher in the country can name parents who dont agree with them when it comes to education. But these parents have been very vocal about their dislikes. That letter gave them their chance to voice an opinion. A hardcore group of parents decided to attack the messenger, turning up the following morning in full nightwear to make their point. Others took to social media to brand Miss Chisholm as 'snobbish. One mother, Kim Daniel, threatening to take her children out of school, said she had seen Miss Chisholm dressed in a low-cut top, wearing high heels.... What example is she setting the kids? Miss Chisholm admits that shes disabled her Facebook account: I dont want to see any of the negativity. I am chatting to her in a wine bar in London, where she is visiting with her deputy to attend a one-day course on childrens mental health. While she stands at 6 foot tall, despite her height she is nothing like Miss Trunchbull, the terrifyingly sadistic headteacher in Matilda, that some parents have suggested she resembles. If anything, she looks far more like the kindly, sunny Miss Honey. The fact she has managed to keep her smile is a miracle. Ive been called an overpaid prostitute and a failed fat supermodel. Both times this was parents saying this to me in front of their kids. If I want to have a word with the parent about a discipline issue, say, some parents have shouted at me, theyve sworn at me, theyve told me that I dont know what I am talking about. She insists she has a thick skin and is able to laugh it off -- even when one parent said she hoped she was barren because if you have children, theyll be the spawn of the devil. When Miss Chisholm took over the Skerne Hill Academy, the primary school was getting such bad results that there was talk of it closing down. While Darlington is a relatively affluent town, Skerne Park housing estate, next to the school, is not. Of the children attending the school, 43 per cent are entitled to free school meals -- nearly three times the national average of 15 per cent. But Miss Chisholm didnt see this as an excuse for a lack of aspiration, and has made it her mission to crack down on parents allowing their children to skip school or turn up late; she has also improved SAT scores, appointed a full-time social worker, introduced lots of after-school activities, and even replaced French with Mandarin as the second language. At its most recent inspection, Ofsted rated the school as good. She is keen to stress that majority of parents are absolutely fantastic, wonderful people. But there are still a small number who are resistant and are happy not just to insult her, but take it further. Ive had parents take a swing at me. It was because I wouldnt back down over school uniform. It used to be they could wear anything they wanted on the bottom half, and then a blue jumper on top. When we changed it, I insisted the parents made the children wear the jumpers with logos because I wanted the children to be feel part of a community. Even though she ensured every child received a free uniform paid for out of the pupil premium and sponsorship there was a backlash. One parent even decided to make it physical. A father just got so irate he took a swing at me. I had to duck. He was massive. Were you worried? I just thought: thats new, Ive never had that before, she smiles. I asked him to leave the building. On Thursday, a report by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers said that 43 per cent of teachers or teaching assistants had experienced violence at school over the last year. Given a list of reasons for bad behaviour, 85 per cent of those polled said that lack of boundaries at home were to blame. Miss Chisholm says like all schools she has violent pupils - Some of those children who need the most love, show it in the most unloving way, she adds wryly. But what concerns her is not the lack of respect for teachers, but for education itself. This can not be laid at the door of the child, but has to be blamed on the parents: If you respect education, you want your child to come to school on purpose -- not as an afterthought. Which is why she decided to fight the pyjama battle. It started in September when she spotted a handful of parents wearing nightwear not only to drop off their children, but also to pick them up. Then at Christmas we have about 12 different performances of the Christmas play, in morning, afternoon and evening. And there were parents in all of these performances wearing pyjamas. Is it possible they were just tracksuit bottoms? There were big red fluffy dressing gowns, slippers, tops with sleeping unicorns. Its nice to make an effort for the children its their big day. When I was a child, my Mum [who was a teacher herself] would put on this posh dress and put on perfume. And Id see them in the audience, and it would make my day. She insists her objections to Pyjamas are not because she is being snooty, it is because she thinks the children will suffer. I am a great believer in brain development and how children grow. Children need boundaries and they need to know what to expect in the morning. There are studies that prove a clear routine improves childrens ability to learn, and therefore their ability to retain knowledge, their ability to progress and reach their aspirations. That is all she wants: for the children to flourish and reach their potential. And shes happy to take on any parent that disagrees with her. Even those with flying fists. Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022] A woman carries a child as she walks with other migrants after crossing the Macedonian border into Serbia, near the village of Miratovac, yesterday. Photo: Armend Nimani/Getty Images As Syria's war grinds into its fifth year and the multitude of tragedies slip from the daily news headlines, a fresh attempt at ending the conflict began yesterday in Geneva, with a new round of UN-brokered talks. Needless to say, expectations are low as Syrian delegates converge for the third time in the Swiss city. The last round of Geneva talks ended in acrimony two years ago, bookended by the use of chemical weapons by forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad and Isil's rapid expansion later that summer. UN envoy Staffan de Mistura is hoping for six painstaking months of what are known in diplomat-speak as 'proximity talks', with delegates sitting in separate rooms and de Mistura's team shuttling between them trying to forge some common ground. But with representatives of the bitterly fractured opposition insisting they will not participate unless the regime stops bombing and besieging civilian areas, the talks could be stillborn from the outset. De Mistura is pushing on regardless, saying he would open the talks by meeting the Syrian regime's delegation and then continue with other participants, including civil society figures. Top of the priority list are the possibility of local ceasefires, ensuring better humanitarian access and stepping up efforts to counter Isil. Crucially, however, the perennial question of Assad's future is not up for discussion, though these talks are aimed at feeding into a wider settlement including a transitional period that would culminate in elections, according to a UN Security Council resolution adopted in December. Syria's horrors seldom make the news these days, though the conflict that has claimed up to 300,000 lives and forced millions from their homes has made itself felt in Europe in the form of the refugee crisis which continues to challenge the continent. Images of emaciated children in the Damascus suburb of Madaya, where dozens have died during a siege lasting seven months, recently served to remind the world of the human cost of a war that continues with no end in sight. Stephen O'Brien, who oversees the UN's emergency relief, told the Security Council this week that humanitarian conditions inside the country were getting even worse and access remains a serious challenge. "More and more people are living in areas that are under siege or are harder to reach than ever before," he said, adding that last year the UN was able to deliver aid to only around 1pc of people in besieged areas. "We are in a race against time," he warned. According to UN estimates, which other aid agencies say are conservative, some 490,000 people are stuck in besieged areas across Syria by different factions, largely cut off from humanitarian assistance. The UN has warned that such tactics may amount to war crimes and estimate more than 270,000 Syrians are hemmed in by their own government's forces across at least a dozen towns. Isil is besieging an entire community of some 200,000 people in the eastern town of Deir Ezzur. And in Idlib province, in Syria's northwestern belt, fighters from the al-Qa'ida-aligned Nusra Front are besieging two towns with a total population of over 12,000. Earlier this month, the regime allowed three UN-led aid convoys into Madaya after the images of its starving residents prompted international outrage. Much has changed since Syrian delegates last walked the corridors of Geneva's Palais des Nations in 2014. Russia's decision last year to embark on a robust military intervention in Syria, where it has been bombing mainstream anti-Assad forces as well as targets linked to Isil, led to what was known as the Vienna process, aimed at "charting a course out of hell" - as US Secretary of State John Kerry put it. Those talks in the Austrian capital brought together for the first time Iran and Saudi Arabia, both key backers of the warring sides in Syria's conflict, with Tehran supporting its long-time ally Assad, and Riyadh the forces battling his regime. But whatever tentative hopes the Vienna initiative signalled have been undermined in recent months by deteriorating relations between the two powers following Riyadh's execution of a prominent cleric from the kingdom's marginalised Shia population. The fate of Syria and its traumatised population, pummelled by five years of war, remains at the mercy of a wider regional power-play. This comes after an incident in November when a Russian jet was shot down by Turkey A Russian jet has violated Turkey's airspace, despite several warnings, according to Turkish officials. The Turkish foreign ministry has summoned the Russian ambassador after the alleged incident on Friday. Officials said the plane was warned in Russian and in English before entering Turkey's airspace. The statement accused Russia of escalating tensions, adding that Russia would be held responsible for any "dire" consequences. In November, Turkey shot down a Russian plane which violated its airspace near Syria, sparking a crisis between the two countries. SHARE By Nikie Mayo of the Independent Mail As the nation watches the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, officials in Upstate South Carolina are preparing again to test their water supply for lead. Jeff Caldwell, the director of Electric City Utilities in Anderson, said the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control requires his agency to test for lead contamination every three years, and that such a test will happen later this year. "We have 30 different sample sites, including residential areas and commercial customers," Caldwell said Friday. "We ask those customers to collect water from their first draw in the morning, and we send those samples off for analysis. We have had no problems. We have had zero detection of lead when we look for contaminants." Caldwell said the city's utility serves about 17,000 taps and about 38,600 customers. "We're considered a medium-sized utility," he said. "When we do this testing, we are required to do it between June and September. I think that's because temperature can affect readings. We have never been found to have a problem with lead." In Michigan, improperly treated water leached lead from pipes into drinking water after Flint switched from Detroit's water system to the Flint River in 2014 to save money while under state financial management. The switch was supposed to be a temporary move until the completion of a new pipeline from Lake Huron. Flint has reconnected to Detroit's system for now. On Friday, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder signed into law a measure appropriating another $28 million in emergency funding to address the water crisis. In South Carolina, representatives of the Anderson Regional Joint Water System and several Upstate utilities said they have not fielded any recent calls from customers with questions about lead contamination. Still, they went out of their way Friday to reassure residents that there are no signs of the problem in this region. Lake Hartwell is the regional water system's main source, providing up to 48 million gallons of water daily to nearly 200,000 customers in Anderson and Pickens counties. "We have had really, really low numbers on our lead and copper monitoring," said Scott Willett, executive director of the regional water system. "There is also an orthophosphate that is part of our treatment process. That helps create a thin layer that would act as a barrier to lead, so if your water has to pass through an old lead pipe in your house, that orthophosphate is helpful to you." The regional water system supplies more than a dozen utilities in the Upstate. Those utilities also do testing of their own. "We've done lead and copper monitoring for years," said Randy Pettigrew, general manager of the Starr-Iva Water District. "We haven't had any complaints. I think South Carolina is pretty rigorous on standards for drinking water." Evan Landreth, a customer service manager in the Powdersville Water District, said the equipment used there is new enough that lead fixtures aren't part of the process. "Of course, we are just a distributor of water, and if we found out that one of our suppliers had a problem, we could certainly make adjustments quickly," Landreth said. Dr. Jeremy Byrd, a pediatrician affiliated with Greenville Health System, said he has never seen lead poisoning in any of his young patients in the region. "We routinely test for things like lead when kids are 1 and 2," he said. " Those tests are important because symptoms associated with lead poisoning things like tiredness and constipation are slow in appearing and can seem pretty minor at first. Testing gives you a great chance to catch anything early and to make adjustments. We occasionally see some elevated lead levels in kids and we can address those right away. In fact, if there ever were a problem with lead in the water, our kids would be the first ones to tip us off." Follow Nikie Mayo on Twitter @NikieMayo Rep. Jonathon Hill SHARE Rep. Mike Gambrell Sen. Kevin Bryant Carol Burdette Willie Day By Kirk Brown of the Independent Mail Anderson County legislators and the candidates running for two state Senate seats have an array of differing views about how South Carolina should come up with the money needed to repair its crumbling roads. Some lawmakers want to use most of the state's $1.3 billion surplus on highway projects. Several would be willing to consider an increase in the state's 16-cent per gallon gas tax that would be partially offset by a reduction in income taxes. Others say the top priority should be reforming the South Carolina Department of Transportation. The range of opinions that local lawmakers and candidates expressed in interviews Friday illustrates why Statehouse leaders are struggling to move ahead on what is widely seen as the year's top legislative issue. There is broad agreement that "our roads need to be fixed," said Rep. Brian White. The Anderson Republican is chairman of the state House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee. The problem, White said, "is everybody has got an idea" about how to pay for highway projects. White supports a bill that the House passed last year that would have boosted the state's gas tax by 10 cents a gallon. The legislation would have generated $427 million annually for roadwork while cutting the average resident's income tax bill by $48 a year. The bill also would have given the governor authority to appoint the transportation department's governing board. "The House plan is a good plan," White said. Senators were unable to agree on a road funding strategy last year, and lawmakers ultimately approved a one-time, $216 million appropriation that was divided among the state's 46 counties. About $7 million of that money was allocated to Anderson County. Senators are expected to resume their road funding debate next week. The latest proposal that they are considering would raise $665 million by increasing the state's gas tax by 12 cents over three years, along with other fees. The plan includes $400 million in tax relief. Senators also are mulling competing proposals involving the makeup of the governing board for the state DOT. The Senate plan and last year's House bill both fall short of the additional $1.2 billion that is needed yearly to fully fix South Carolina's network of roads and bridges, said Christy Hall, the state's interim transportation secretary. Sen. Kevin Bryant, a Republican from Anderson, said he will not vote for a gas tax increase in a year when the state has a large budget surplus. "There is no need to raise anybody's taxes," said Bryant, who instead favors allocating most of the $1.3 billion surplus to county transportation committees. Rep. Jonathon Hill, a Republican from Townville, agrees with the strategy of devoting surplus money to highway projects. He said he also wants to eliminate the DOT governing board, a move that would give the state's governor unfettered control of the agency. Rep. Mike Gambrell, a Honea Path Republican who is chairman of the county's legislative delegation, voted for the House roads bill last year. But he said Friday that he is more reluctant to support a gas-tax increase when the state has a sizable surplus. Gambrell is one of four Republicans running for the Senate District 4 seat that became vacant when Sen. Billy O'Dell died earlier this month. The seat will be filled by the winner of a special election set for May 17, just two weeks before the ongoing legislative session is scheduled to end. Williamston Town Councilman Rockey Burgess, who also is running for the Senate 4 seat, said he believes the state's surplus should be spent on increasing funding for public schools and fixing roads. Like Hill, he also favors eliminating the DOT governing board. Critics contend that spending this year's surplus on roads represents only a short-term solution. White argued that the state needs a recurring source of revenue for road projects. Carole Burdette, the former Pendleton mayor who is running against Bryant, agrees with that approach. "We need a long-term strategy," she said. Greenwood attorney Tripp Padgett, who is running for the Senate District 4 seat, said he would support a gas tax increase that would be offset by lower income taxes. Senate District 4 candidate Willie Day, who is the city of Anderson's former neighborhood and transit director, said his first priority would be reforming the DOT. He wants to prevent influential lawmakers from unfairly diverting road money for projects in their own districts. Despite the current lack of consensus, the leader of a nonpartisan organization backed by business interests predicted that lawmakers will succumb to public pressure and pass a road funding bill this year. "People are just sick and tired of driving on bad roads," said Bill Ross, executive director of the South Carolina Alliance To Fix Our Roads. Follow Kirk Brown on Twitter @KirkBrown_AIM SHARE By Mike Eads of the Independent Mail Clemson University and Tri-County Technical College will ask state legislators this week for extra money to fund some priorities in their upcoming budgets, starting a process that won't end until the state's new budget is set in late June. Clemson President Jim Clements will lead his university's presentation to the House Ways and Means Committee's Higher Education and Technical Schools Budget Subcommittee. Requests are expected to include $25 million for a building renovation, another $25 million for a new "advanced materials innovation complex" to replace outdated laboratory and classroom spaces, and $2.5 million to increase minority student recruitment and teacher training at colleges across the state, according to Brett Dalton, the university's vice president for finance and operations. Dalton said administrators want to repurpose the New Deal-era Sirrine Hall currently running out of usable space for the College of Business and Behavioral Science to become overflow space for classes and offices displaced when other campus buildings are being renovated. A new, $100-plus million business college home overlooking Bowman Field has been proposed, but has not yet gotten the go-ahead from Clemson's board of trustees. Dalton said the $2.5 million would go to the Emerging Scholars program to encourage high school students from poorer school districts to attend college, and Call Me MISTER, a program that helps pay for and train young men to get teaching degrees and work in public schools as teachers and mentors to young minority students. Clemson administers both programs, each of which has participants at universities around the state. As for the state's annual contribution to Clemson's overall budget, Dalton said he didn't expect legislators to begin discussing that with university officials until May or so when the House and Senate have firmer ideas of how much tax money they'll have for colleges, roads, public schools and the like. Tri-County Tech is part of the state's technical college system and, as such, its operations are included in a bigger budget that includes all 16 tech schools around the state; however, the Pendleton-based school does have some projects of its own that could use state help. Tri-County President Ronnie Booth will ask legislators Tuesday to consider $12 million in new, one-time dollars for the school. It could use $6 million to put toward construction of the Student Success Center on the Pendleton campus, $4 million for the new Workforce Development Center planned near Walhalla and $2 million to expand its Industrial Technology Center in Sandy Springs. Booth added that he and his fellow presidents are hoping the Legislature brings annual budget support for tech schools back closer to pre-recession levels perhaps even as much as another $38.5 million annually "to close the gap from the 2008 cuts," he said. At least two Upstate senators think higher education will get a sympathetic reception in this year's session, despite Gov. Nikki Haley's complaint in her State of the State address about tuition rates going up at the state's universities in recent years. Senator Thomas Alexander (R-Walhalla) said he doesn't expect to see any serious Senate movement on higher education until sometime in March, at which time he hopes everyone is in a cooperative mood. "We know funding has suffered as a result of the economic downturn (in 2008)," said Alexander, "but the universities are going to have to work with us because we don't want tuitions going up a disproportionate amount compared with the cost of living." Senator Larry Martin (R-Pickens) acknowledged Haley's and Alexander's points; however, he said too many people think Clemson raises tuition dollars to pay for new buildings when, in fact, those dollars cover overhead costs. He added that fellow legislators need to recognize the role Clemson plays in the state's economy. "Clemson has a wonderful underlying story, and we need for my colleagues to see what it's doing not just for this region, but for the whole state of South Carolina," said Martin. "This is a world-class university that's on the cutting edge of a lot different things. We are so fortunate to have it in our backyard and we don't need to confuse the facts." Follow Michael Eads on Twitter @MikeEads_AIM Clemson University and Tri-County Technical College will begin their annual pitches for state budget dollars this week. Requests for the House Ways and Means Higher Education and Technical College are expected to include: Tri-County Tech $6 million to put toward construction of a new Student Success Center on the Pendleton campus; $4 million to build the new Workforce Development Center planned in conjunction with the School District of Oconee County for a site near Walhalla; $2 million to expand Tri-Countys Industrial Technology Center in Sandy Springs. Clemson $25 million toward construction of a new business school building and the repurposing of Sirrine Hall; $25 million for a new advanced materials innovation complex on the main campus; $2.5 million in new, annual funding for the Emerging Scholars and Call Me MISTER programs. The team of 'Dishoom' were special guests to HH Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan on his birthday party on January 29 at Abu Dhabi. Actor John Abraham, Varun Dhawan and Jacqueline Fernandez who are currently shooting for 'Dishoom' were invited for a lunch date with the man who heads the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Social Development. Renowned producer Sajid Nadiadwala with son Subhan and writer-director Rohit Dhawan were also present for the grand lunch. Sources say that, "The stars received a royal welcome and spent hours talking on Indian cinema and the shooting opportunities in Abu Dhabi. Sheikh Nahyan was very happy and glad to host the team through the 40-day schedule and promised a smooth stay for the unit in the UAE." Bollywood producers have spent a lot when it came for movies and Abu Dhabi was the place, movies like 'Bang Bang', 'Baby', and now 'Dishoom' is in the line. The movie 'Dishoom' also stars stunning Nargis Fakhri and Saqib Saleem in the movie. Union minister Maneka Gandhis recent statement doubting the ability of schizophrenia patients to work has attracted a lot of criticism. Social media was flooded with posts by those suffering from schizophrenia and those working closely with them, about how they have been successfully holding jobs for years. We speak to psychiatrists and find out if a schizophrenic patient is fit to work and decode more about the mental disorder. Not all schizophrenic patients can work Schizophrenia patients believe something that is not real. There are two stages remission and relapse. Relapse is the acute stage where all symptoms are present and remission is a period where they are asymptomatic. So the psychiatrist tries to maintain the remission stage by giving medicines. If the patient is in chronic stage, you cannot expect them to work, says Dr Preethi Swaroop, a consultant psychiatrist and secretary of Hyderabad Psychiatric Society. He adds, When a person is stressed, it triggers excessive production of dopamine, which in turn triggers hallucination. A schizophrenic will hear voices that are non existent voices discussing, voices arguing and he reacts to them as well by communicating back. So a person with schizophrenia should never take up a stressful job. They do get the job but they are unable to sustain the pressure. Dr Prabhakar Korada, professor of psychiatry, TRR Institute of Medical Science, agrees and adds, I have patients who suffer from schizophrenia. Not that they dont get jobs, they do. But they come back and say that they are not able to adjust, that their colleagues are plotting against them. They can take up routine jobs which are not sensitive, definitely not something in the defense or firearms field. They could think that people are attacking him and he could in turn start attacking and hurt others. Mental stigma There is still a mental stigma attached to it. If you tell your colleagues that you are suffering from schizophrenia but you are under medication and are stable, he is probably not going to talk to you again, says Dr K. Prashant, consultant psychologist, Yashoda Hospitals, Somajiguda. He adds that there are many examples of people suffering with schizophrenia who have made it big in their respective careers, taking John Nash, a Nobel laureate in Economics, as an example. Says Dr Prashant, I have many patients who suffer with schizophrenia and have been doing good in their respective lives. One of my patients is an MD of a company. When he first came to me, he was very depressed. He started psychotherapy and he is doing wonderful now. What the person himself does to deal with the symptoms also helps a lot. I also have another gentleman who is a surgeon and is doing very well. Dr Preethi Swaroop adds that not many schizophrenics report to doctors because of the mental stigma. Because of the stigma attached to it, the cases we see in India are just the tip of the iceberg. I conduct regular camps at the Kowkur dargah in the city and Kondagattu temple in Karimnagar. I find many schizophrenics there. They think that there is a bad omen and thats why they have to go to a religious place to get cured and so they dont approach psychiatrists. Its a good idea to give them job Adds Dr Prashant, Giving them a job is a very good idea. But remember that they cannot take stress. There should be someone supervising them who is gentle and kind. I have people in the IT field who have schizophrenia. I dont know how long they are able to last because it is one of the worst places to be for a schizophrenic. They need a place where they would meet people who are not rude or mean to them. You cant predict their thoughts and feelings at that time. We mostly give schizophrenics antipsychotics and one of the side effects of this is that you dont see any emotion. They look very dull. The reason is because it stops all thoughts and because of that they dont have emotions as well. We cant stop just the negative thoughts, so we try to stop all thoughts. He continues, The work they do must be therapeutic. It must be something that helps them feel better about themselves, gives them strength and a sense of identity. The problem with that is when they share their thoughts, people at work are going to react. They need to be in a place where people around are cared for, understood and supportive. You dont have to mention about your illness unless you are specifically asked. If so, you can disclose that you are suffering from schizophrenia but stable to work. They may ask you to get a certificate from a doctor stating that you are fit to work. Unless you are asked, it is your right to withhold the information. Unless doing the job is going to be dangerous to others lives, adds Dr Prabhakar. The American carmaker General Motors has named its upcoming sub-four metre sedan as Beat Essentia which will be unveiled at the Indian Motor Show scheduled to begin at India Expo Mart in Greater Noida on February 3. (ET) The American carmaker General Motors has named its upcoming sub-four metre sedan as Beat Essentia which will be unveiled at the Indian Motor Show scheduled to begin at India Expo Mart in Greater Noida on February 3. (ET) A massive public consultation exercise on the second phase of the odd-even formula will be held in the capital on February 6 and 7. (TNN)Toyota Motor Corp is considering shutting all its domestic car manufacturing plants for at least a week from Feb. 8 due to steel shortage following an explosion at its group firm Aichi Steel this month, TV broadcaster TBS News reported. (Reuters)General Motors Co executives used to boast about how frequently the company redesigned cars and trucks. Now, the automaker wants to double the lifespan of vehicle platforms as part of a broader effort to slash and redirect capital spending, GM executives said. (Reuters)German politicians and auto executives will discuss creating incentives worth up to 5,000 euros ($5,500) to boost sales of electric and hybrid cars, a senior ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel said. (Reuters)The last-ever Land Rover Defender, a vehicle beloved by Queen Elizabeth II and featured in Hollywood blockbusters, rolled off the production line Friday after 68 years of being made in Britain. Indian-owned carmaker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) had already announced in late 2013 that the group would stop making the legendary Defender at its car plant in Solihull in central England. (AFP)Volkswagen is suspending production at its main gearbox plant as the carmaker grapples with reduced demand and the effects of technical problems at another German site. (Reuters)The Delhi government will hold meetings in all the 70 assembly constituencies on February 6 and 7 to gather public opinion before implementing the second phase of the odd-even scheme in the national capital. (PTI) The government will stand by the banks and ensure it all times that they will maintain capital adequacy norms as laid out by Basel III and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), union minister of state for finance, Mr Jayant Sinha said at an ASSOCHAM event held in Mumbai today. As far as capital adequacy of the banks is concerned, we have been in close collaboration with the RBI to work out those capital requirements and we will fully support our banks, said Sinha while inaugurating 11th Annual Banking Summit organised by The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM). The RBI is fully supportive of all requirements of liquidity and is standing to provide whatever liquidity is necessary, said Mr Sinha. We are looking at all measures to ensure that there is sufficient liquidity and that we are able to support what is required as far as budget is concerned, added the union minister. As part of Indradhanush, we have already laid out exactly how the capital support will flow out to the banks, we have said that we will provide Rs 25,000 crore in this fiscal year and an additional Rs 25,000 crore next fiscal year, so we are obviously working with the banks to ensure that they have adequate capital to meet all their capital requirements, further said Mr Sinha. On the issue of Masala bonds he said that it is important to see how that market develops. There have already been series of issuance of masala bonds and there have been serious turbulence now in the global capital markets as those markets strengthen and recover, I am sure masala bonds will do well. He also remained optimistic about rise in consumer spending. Spending will pick up, the effects of 7th Pay Commission will come into force sometime in the next fiscal year, as it is if you look at consumption and sectors of the economy linked to consumption be it hotels, airlines, consumer packaged goods are actually doing quite well. Talking about IDBI Banks QIP (qualified institutional placement) proposal, Mr Sinha said, IDBI is going through a QIP process, we have already said that we are open to having a discussion with strategic investors as far as IDBI is concerned, so let us see how the QIP book building process unfolds and there as part of that we will be happy to discuss with potential strategic investors as to how transformation of IDBI should be undertaken. He said that a real estate regulator is required to see how financing is going to work through the real estate markets. That bill is pending in the Parliament as the bill goes through, then those norms can be established. Mr Sinha also said that the pressure built up by the government on black money issue has given desired results. We have taken various other steps be it foreign black money bill or requirement of PAN Card on transaction amounting to Rs 2 lakh, real estate transactions where we have said you cannot pay more than Rs 20,000 cash and so we feel all these steps will help us control the black money. Answering to a media query about the calculations of the gross domestic product (GDP), he said that it is being done by a very reputed, independent organisation - the CSSO and that the government relied on their professional judgement and expertise to do that. In his address at the ASSOCHAM Banking Summit, Mr Sunil Kanoria, president of ASSOCHAM said that RBI and Government need to re-look into existing policies and mechanism which should have separate guidelines for cases of wilful default and separate guidelines for cases of honest business. Government and RBI needs to understand that no business can be risk proof and there will be chances of failures of business despite best intentions. Such honest efforts do need government support to revive them, said the ASSOCHAM chief. Amid others who addressed the ASSOCHAM summit included - Mr B. Sriram, managing director, SBI; Mr Ashvin Parekh, Managing Partner Ashvin Parekh Advisory Services LLP; Mr R.N. Dhoot, MP & past-president, ASSOCHAM and Mr D.S. Rawat, secretary general. Zika virus is spreading at a rapid pace everywhere. According to WHO (World Health Organisation), it is 'spreading explosively'. Global health officials are saying that the virus that's linked to birth defects in thousands of new-born babies in Brazil is spreading like wildfire towards America and could end up infecting 3 to 4 million people. While people race against time to find a vaccine for the terrible virus, here are some answers to questions you always wanted to ask about Zika virus and the current outbreak. What is Zika virus? Zika is a disease caused by the Zika virus and spreads to people from a mosquito bite. Most newborns whose mothers have had the virus are suffering from Microcephaly - a disorder where the baby's head is much smaller and underdeveloped. How does it spread to people? Like mentioned before, the virus is transmitted through the bite of an infected female Aedes mosquito, the same kind that spreads dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever. Spreading explosively in the Americas right now, The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is saying that the mosquitoes can be found in all countries in the Americas except for Canada and continental Chile. The virus is likely to reach countries in the region when Aedes mosquitoes are found. What are the symptoms of Zika? People who have Zika virus typically have a mild fever, skin rashes, conjunctivitis, constant muscle fatigue and joint pain from anywhere between two to seven days. The scariest bit, however, is the fact that as many as 80 percent of people infected never develop a symptom strong enough to suspect anything. Can people die because of it? Not that we know of right now. The PAHO said there is no evidence that Zika can cause deaths but there have been some serious complications reported in patients who are already suffering from a medical condition. There's also microcephaly, and Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare disorder in which the body's immune system attacks part of the nervous system. Scientists are studying whether there is a causal link between Zika and these two disorders. What's the connection with microcephaly? To tell you more in detail, microcephaly is a condition marked by an abnormally small head and brains that haven't developed properly in a newborn. Although scientists haven't really found a direct relationship between Zika and birth defects, it is strongly suspected. Brazil has reported around 3,700 cases of possible microcephaly that might be linked with Zika. Research in Brazil shows that the risk of microcephaly is the highest during the first trimester of pregnancy. Is India at risk? Not yet, but we'd be foolish to ignore it considering what's at stake here. Since the mosquito is found in abundance in the country, and dengue is a problem India faces every year, we fall in the most dangerous zone for Zika virus to spread. How do you treat Zika? Unfortunately, there is no treatment or vaccine available for Zika. Companies and scientists are racing against time to develop a safe and effective vaccine, but it's not expected to be ready for months or years. Can it be contained? Efforts are being made to control the spread of the virus. Authorities are focusing on eliminating the breeding grounds of the mosquito and taking precautions against mosquito bites by using insect repellent and mosquito nets. Expecting mothers have been advised to avoid visiting Latin American and Caribbean countries where they might be exposed to Zika. Which countries are fighting the Zika outbreak? According to WHO, Zika has been reported in 23 countries in the Americas. While Brazil remains the most affected nation, other countries, and territories include Barbados, Bolivia, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, Suriname, Venezuela and the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to the PAHO. How did it all start? The Zika virus is found in tropical locales that have a larger population of mosquitoes. Outbreaks have been reported in South Asia, Africa, the Americas and the Western Pacific. The virus was first identified and reported in Uganda back in 1947 in rhesus monkeys. In 1952, the virus was reported in humans for the first time in Uganda and Tanzania as per the WHO. Can the virus be transmitted sexually? Although there has been a case reported where the virus was transmitted via sexual contact, PAHO says it needs more evidence to confirm if sexual contact is a mode of Zika transmission. There is no evidence if Zika can be transmitted to babies through breast milk either. With inputs from Reuters. All images have been sourced from Reuters. Follow us on need to discover and invent locally for make in india success narayana murthy Bengaluru: IT czar N R Narayana Murthy on Friday said the country needs to 'discover and invent locally' to help the Centre's ambitious "Make in India" scheme become successful. Murthy said "for Modi government's flagship programme to succeed, the country has to invent and discover locally". Addressing the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC) Conclave on the theme 'Vision 2020', he said that a strong collaboration between the US and Indian academia is needed which will also lay a strong foundation for India's solid growth in the long term. Describing the partnership as "an important area", Murthy said the "unusual" partnership in higher education and research would benefit India enormously in medium to long term and the US academia in medium term. "I am confident that it will create a stronger bond of friendship between India and the US for a long period in the future and it will make India a strong nation," he said. The conclave was inaugurated by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and the agenda was to evolve a vision for taking Indo-US Trade to $500 billion by 2020. Murthy said this strategy of India will make it a leader in high-tech products and services in the world and enhance the prosperity of our people through increased exports and domestic use of such products. Recalling similar view expressed by Nobel laureate David J Gross during the 103rd Indian Science Congress at Mysuru early this month, he advocated for Indian Universities working with US universities. "The exchange of faculty and students between our universities and universities in the US will have to be increased at least hundred-fold. We will have to issue ten year multiple entry visas every year to hundreds and thousands of academicians from the US," he said. Suggesting similar such measures to enhance ties between universities in both counties, Murthy said, "The leaders of the two countries will have to work out a landmark agreement to send ten thousand students - at least thousand students in ten areas every year to do their PHD in important areas in the US for the next fifty years." Murthy further said that "we have to work out an agreement with the US that these students whom we send from India will not be given employment in the US once they finish their PHDs and they will have to come back to India and serve here at least ten years". The data shows that 99 per cent of Indians who go to the US for their advanced studies they stay back there, which is a huge loss for India, Murthy said. He also noted that the onus is on us to provide those returning back to India after advanced studies with decent employment, and make it easy for them as well as their families to lead a comfortable life here. Murthy said, "The US will also benefit from this arrangement since there will be a large number of Indian students working on problems that will add value to US academicians." Stating that India has to start collaborating with the US in unusual areas to build a new bond of friendship, Murthy also stressed on the importance of developing discipline, hard work, high aspiration and honesty among young generation. Pointing out that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wanted to open India to foreign universities, he said "for some reasons we have not made progress, I'm sure they know much better than I would know, but I think it is very very important that we have to immediately take steps in this area if we indeed want our grand children and their children to be in India which is economically strong". Murthy said the US has a special place in his heart as it has played an important role in growth of Infosys and also as both his children received higher education there. Sharing details of bilateral trade between both the countries, he said there are opportunities that exist in both the countries. "It is important to look at how there is a balance of trade and how both countries can become winners in this endeavour," he added. Advising that we have to look at areas where we can complement China, Murthy said China has become factory of the world and it's not going to be easy for any country to take market share away from that country. He also said India has got a huge task of building its infrastructure for which a huge foreign direct investment and a long term portfolio investment is needed. "There is need of at least a trillion dollars for us to invest in this area either through domestic or foreign investment," Murthy added. Latest Business News Follow us on actors lose dignity by dancing at weddings sunny deol tells aap ki adalat New Delhi: Bollywood actor Sunny Deol has expressed strong disapproval over film actors dancing at weddings. "You lose dignity when you dance at others' weddings. Though it has now become a fashion, but I believe that one loses self-respect. We are actors, not people doing 'tamasha'." "An actor is known for acting, and not for doing all these things. If invited, you go to a wedding, wish the couple, but not beyond that", said Deol, while replying to questions from Rajat Sharma in the show Aap Ki Adalat, to be telecast on India TV tonight. On his famous spat with co-actor Shahrukh Khan in the film 'Darr', Sunny Deol narrated how out of anger, the pockets of his jeans burst at the seams after he had put both his fists inside. "I was doing the role of a Naval Marine Commando. There was the scene where Shahrukh is attacking me with a knife. I objected saying how could a commando, who is always trained to deal with such attacks, be attacked with a knife, particularly when he is looking at the attacker." "I had an argument over this with the director (Yash Chopra), he was a veteran, I respect him a lot. In sheer anger, I had put both my clenched fists inside the pockets of my jeans, and the pockets burst. I was not speaking at all, but I myself could not understand what was happening to me. Some people on the sets fled on seeing my anger." Asked by Rajat Sharma whether his tiff with Shahrukh Khan still continues, Sunny Deol replied: "It's not that I stopped speaking to him. But I do cut off on my own. Normally I hardly attend parties and events. We are colleagues, but we do not have much interaction." On being portrayed as an angry action hero in most of his films, Sunny Deol agreed that he had acquired this image over the years. "Definitely, the characters that I have often portrayed relate to one who is angry for his family, for his girlfriend, for his friend, for his brother". On his anti-Pakistan roles in the films Border and Gadar, Sunny Deol said, "The film Border was based on a true event during the war, but people then start to personalize. In none of my films, I ever made any remarks against Pakistan per se. I meet many Pakistanis at airports and abroad, they love me. Only a handful of people create misconceptions." Asked by Rajat Sharma whether his father veteran actor Dharmendra didn't get due recognition from Bollywood film industry, Sunny Deol replied: "What can the film industry give to a great actor like him? We are actors. We get our due from the people. No other actor can buy his way into the hearts of people, the respect that my Papa commanded. The wealth that he acquired in the hearts of people is greater than all the awards. Anyway, I do not go to award functions at all." On his latest film 'Ghayal once Again" releasing February 5, Deol said, this film was originally planned as a sequel to the blockbuster Ghayal nearly 26 years ago. Asked about the delay, Sunny Deol said, "first Raj Kumar Santoshi brought a producer, who left. Then I myself became the writer and director. This sequel is the results of the toil I undertook for last two years. I know, society has changed a lot in the last 26 years, but I hope, any mother, or brother or child can relate to the characters on seeing this sequel Sunny Deol in Aap Ki Adalat will be telecast tonight at 10 pm on India TV. The repeat telecasts will take place on Sunday Jan 31 at 10 am and 10 pm. Latest Bollywood News Follow us on check out what 7 great leaders of their time think of mahatma gandhi Today is Mahatma Gandhi's 68th death anniversary. On this day January 30, 1948 sixty-eight years ago he was assassinated at the Birla House (now Gandhi Smriti) in New Delhi . Mahatma Gandhi was a karma yogi of the modern age. His life was an open book. He himself documented his journey in an autobiography titled 'My experiments with Truth' His writings, his speeches and conversations are all useful in gaining an insight into the man. After the assassination of Gandhi many people felt that Gandhi would be forgotten soon and his ideologies would fade away. But Mahatma Gandhi still lives both in the hearts and minds of not only Indians but also across the people globally. There is not even a single country in the whole world where the name ''Mahatma Gandhi' is not known. He dedicated his whole life to the service of India and humanity. Not only Indians but also the Britishers, against whom Mahatma fought for India's freedom also, respected him for his leadership skills and humanitarian ideas. So here is the list of world's greatest leaders and thinkers who were motivated by Mahatma Gandhi. 1. Barack Obama (US President) I am president because of Mahatma Gandhi: Obama An incident showing how much Obama was influenced was Mahatma Gandhi goes like this. In 2009, when Barack Obama visited Wakefield High School in the US, a ninth class student asked the would-be President: If you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be? Obama chuckled and answered: Well, dead or alive, that's a pretty big list. You know, I think that it might be Gandhi, who is a real hero of mine. Barack Obama sees Mahatma Gandhi as an inspiration and has a portrait of the apostle of peace in his office. 2) Aung San Suu Kyi (President of the National League for Democracy in Myanmar) Nobel Peace Prize winner and prominent Burmese freedom fighter Aung San Suu Kyi, while addressing students at Columbia University in New York in 2012, said Gandhi had been one of the major influences in her life. She told the students how Mahatma Gandhi influence her life and urged the students to read his works. 3) Nelson Mandela (President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999) Nelson Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician, and philanthropist. A great leader of the South African people and another giant of the 20th century anti-colonial struggle often mentioned Mahatma Gandhi as one of his greatest teachers: He once quoted Gandhi's ideas have played a vital role in South Africa's transformation and with the help of Gandhi's teaching, apartheid has been overcome. 4) Martin Luther King Jr. (civil rights leader) Martin Luther King Jr. was only 39 when he killed, but in his short life he had gained the rare distinction of making his dream a reality. He once said Christ gave us the goals and Mahatma Gandhi the tactics. He was the beloved civil rights leader in the United States of America, who adopted non-violence as the weapon of choice to help millions of African Americans fight for their rights. 5) Albert Einstein (Theoretical Physicist) "Future generations would wonder if such a person really walked this earth in flesh and blood" Einstein To mention, both Gandhi and Einstein were big admirers of each other and exchanged letters frequently. Einstein called Gandhi a role model for the generations to come in a letter, writing about him. I believe that Gandhi's views were the most enlightened of all the political men in our time, he said. 6) Steve Jobs (Co- Founder Apple ) When Steve Jobs started his second innings at Apple in the year 1997, he stood before a giant portrait of Mahatma Gandhi and said these words before a packed audience: Here's to the crazy ones. The rebels. The troublemakersbecause the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do. He was deeply influenced by Mahatma Gandhi's words. 7) George Bernard Shaw (Nobel Prize and Oscar-winning Irish playwright, critic and socialist) Nobel-prize-winning Irish playwright and passionate socialist, George Bernard Shaw quoted about Mahatma Gandhi : Impressions of Gandhi? You might well ask for someone's impression of the Himalayas. Latest India News Follow us on indian isis module draws members from im simi intelligence New Delhi: An Indian terror module pledging allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) is a reorganised group of the virtually defunct Indian Mujaheedin and SIMI elements, recruiting new members to carry out a string of terror strikes across the country, highly placed intelligence sources said. This fact came out during the questioning of 14 suspected Islamic State (IS) sympathisers who were arrested last week from 12 places in six cities in a synchronised raid conducted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the sources added. Those inspired by the IS ideology were hooked by Yusuf-al-Hind who, the Indian security agencies believe, is former Indian Mujaheedin (IM) member Shafi Armar, a resident of Bhatkal in Karnataka. Armar, now believed to be in the Islamic State-held area along the border of Iraq and Syria, formed 'Janood-ul-Khalifa-e-Hind' and recruited Mumbai-based 33-year-old Mudabbir Mushtaq Shaikh as 'Amir' (chief) of the group. Official sources privy to the investigation told IANS that Armar also recruited his brother Sultan and others who had worked for Indian Mujahideen and the now-banned Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). "Apart from former IM and SIMI members, Armar chose those who are basically inspired by the IS ideology. He first recruited his close aides and then inspired them to recruit more supporters," an official, on condition of anonymity, said. "They used social networking sites and made calls through the internet (using VoIP - Voice over Internet Protocol) to activate the sleeper cells of IM and SIMI," the official said. Another intelligence source declining to be identified said that the outfit members were directed to carry out strikes across multiple cities, including Hyderabad in Telangana, Bengaluru, Manglore and Tumkur in Karnataka, Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, and Aurangabad and Mumbai in Maharashtra. "They were asked to organise training camps -- like how to use fire arms -- before the attack. They were also trying to establish channels for procuring explosives and weapons," the official source said. The leadership of Janood-ul-Khalifa-e-Hind, active since April 2015, was following the IM and SIMI set-ups by choosing their organised central, state and city level core groups, the official said. The 14 men, allegedly influenced by IS and arrested by the NIA, are also said to have revealed that the 20-year-old Uttar Pradesh-based Mohammed Aleem was chosen as Naib Amir, the second-in-command of the group after Mudabbir. The sources said Karnataka resident Najmul Huda was the military commander and 24-year-old Hyderabadi Mohammed Nafees Khan was the finance chief of the outfit. All these major group leaders were arrested along with their aides Mohammed Shareef Moinuddin Khan, Mohammed Afzal, Syed Mujahid, Mohammed Obedullah Khan, Abu Anas, Asif Ali, Suhail Ahmed, Muhammad Abdul Ahad, Mohammad Hussain Khan, and Imran Khan. Latest India News Follow us on why india failed to hear cries of kashmiri pandits for 26 long years New Delhi: It was the year 1990 when Kashmiri Pandits were forced to move out of their homes in Kashmir valley. And what was their crime? They were punished for belonging to a particular community which was a religious minority in the valley and the Kashmiri separatists, aided and funded by Pakistan, believed that it was time for their ethnic cleansing so that Nizam-E-Mustafa (Rule of Muhammad) could be introduced in the state. According to government figures, at least 219 Kashmiri Pandits were brutally killed by terrorists who advocated cessation of Kashmir valley from India. Unofficial figures, however, point out at more than 400 killings. The pogrom unleashed by Pakistan backed terrorists witnessed the exodus of around 3.5 lakh Kashmiri Pandits from their motherland. Faced with threats of murder of their men and rape of their women, the Kashmiri Pandits took asylum in camps in Jammu and national capital Delhi. They were reduced to hapless refugees in their own country. What appeared more astonishing and shocking was the silence of that section of the political class and intelligentsia that boasted of their unflinching commitment to the cause of secularism' under which there could be no discrimination on the basis of religion. Here was a case in which an entire community was being persecuted because they belonged to a particular religion and still the secular establishment, dominant in every strata of Indian society including government at that time, turned a blind eye to the plight of a religious minority. Kashmiri Pandits were forced to run from pillar to the post for their survival in those makeshift camps. The secular' political parties and intellectuals sympathised with them privately but refused to put their disapproval on record. Publically, they were not even willing to concede that Kashmiri pundits were forced to move out of their motherland. Crossing all levels of decency and civility, they went to the extent of accusing them of moving out deliberately of their homes at the behest of the then Governor Jagmohan who they abhorred because of divergence in political ideologies. Read Also: What led to the exodus of Kashmiri pandits 26 years ago? For 26 long years, those who were in corridors of power, both in Delhi and Srinagar refused to hear the cries of these helpless Kashmiri Pandits. However, things appear to have changed in 2016. If the arrival of 1990 ushered in an era of despondency for Kashmiri Pandits then it can be said that the arrival of 2016 has generated new hopes besides recognition of the pain and trauma that they went though in last 26 years. What has brought about this change? Why is it that today's India appears ready to listen to the grievances of Kashmiri Pandits who were almost ignored and abandoned for last 26 years? An overwhelming majority of exiled Kashmiri pandits believe that the credit for giving voice to their pain and agony goes to the Narendra Modi government. I was forced to leave my home at the age of 14 when I was a student of ninth standard. Many of my relatives were killed and nobody was ready to listen to our tragic story. We were reduced to a garbage item because we were a small group which lacked numerical strength to matter as a political force of any significance, says Yajin Bhat, a displaced Kashmiri Pandit who lives in New Delhi. The credit for giving voice to our pain and agony definitely goes to Narendra Modi government. It was Modi who always talked about the plight of Kashmiri pundits and today our voice is being heard across the country, Yajin added. Jawaharlal Kaul, a Kashmiri pandit and veteran journalist whose name figures in the list of 2016 Padma Shri awardees, agrees that the arrival of Modi government at the centre and formation of BJP-PDP government in Jammu and Kashmir has definitely helped the cause of Kashmiri pandits. The previous governments failed in raising this issue because of their political compulsions, nature of alliances and vote-bank preferences. They did not pay any attention to it because they did not find any electoral benefit. Modi government is slightly different because it doesn't have the same vote-bank preferences although this government too has its own share of political compulsions, says Jawaharlal Kaul. Interestingly, the change in approach of Kashmiri pandits with regard to their cause also forced Indians to take notice of their sufferings. They realised that raising issues that were directly political in nature was not paying desired results. Kashmiri pundits, of late, changed their strategy and decided to focus more on constitutional and socio-cultural issues. The change in approach has started paying rich dividends, Jawaharlal Kaul pointed out. Surinder Ambardar, BJP MLC and the lone Kashmiri pandit representative in the entire Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, reveals that a delegation of Kashmiri pandits had met Narendra Modi in January 2014, prior to the general elections, and requested him to take up their cause as they were ignored for quite a long time. Narendra Modi assured them that he will definitely take up their cause and he has lived true to his promise. It's because of PM Modi and his government that our plight is being debated across the country, said Surinder Ambardar. Kashmiri pandits want to return but with conditions An overwhelming majority of displaced Kashmiri pandits want to return back to their homes in Kashmir valley but they want guarantee for their safety and security. They want clear-cut and satisfactory answers to a few questions before they make up their minds for actually returning to the valley. Leaders of Kashmiri Pandits agree that late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was interested in the return of Kashmiri pandits, at least in principle. In fact, just a few months before his death, Sayeed met a delegation of Kashmiri pandits, listened to their conditions for return and agreed with those demands in principle. We asked two straight questions to him 1. Can you remove the encroachment on the properties of Kashmiri pandits in valley? 2. Can you release the property of Kahmiri pandit's temples? Sayeed agreed on both counts in principle. Perhaps he realised at the fag end of his life that these demands were genuine, Kaul revealed. A majority of Kashmiri pundits point out that they will return to Kashmir valley only if they are allowed to settled in exclusive townships for them although they have no problems with Muslims also residing in that area. It's important to assure them of their safety. They will feel safe if they are rehabilitated in large groups where they will enjoy religious and economic freedom, points out Jawaharlal Kaul. Ambardar goes one step further and believes that Kashmiri pandits should also be provided with some political leverage and it is possible only when their presence is made electorally significant in at least 2-3 Assembly constituencies. If rehabilitation is done in a way that around 20-25 thousand Kashmiri pandits are present in 2-3 constituencies then they will feel empowered politically. Mufti sahab was sympathetic to our demands. He used to say that you take one step, we'll move two steps. Unfortunately, he passed away in the middle, Surinder Ambardar said. Latest India News Follow us on know why nathuram godse killed mahatma gandhi New Delhi: Today is the 68th death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the chief advocate of non-violence. He was born on October 2, 1869 and was assassinated on January 30, in the year 1948, months after the independence. The anniversary of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, January 30, is also celebrated as Martyr's Day. Here is why Nathuram Godse assassinated Gandhi Nathuram Godse approached Mahatma Gandhi on January 30, 1948 during the evening prayer at Birla House in Delhi and bowed. One of the girls flanking and supporting Gandhi, Abha Chattopadhyay, said to him, Brother, Bapu is already late and tried to put him off but he pushed her aside and shot Gandhi in the chest three times at point-blank range with a semi-automatic pistol. Gandhi died almost immediately. After shooting, Godse did not try to run or threaten anyone else. He was attacked and pinned to the ground by the crowd around him and was subsequently arrested when a small group of police officers arrived on the scene a few minutes later. Beyond this there is a very little known facts that Godse met Gandhiji on 30th January morning, when he was alone accompanied only by Sardar Vallabhai Patel's grand daughter. He could have killed him easily then and flee but he didn't. This incident left many questions unfold, some of them are: 1. Why Nathuram Godse killed Gandhi ji in public? 2. Why he did not try to escape on killing Gandhi ji? And instead surrendered himself to the police? 3. Why were the trial statements of Godse not made public for a long period of time? 4. The biggest question, why he killed Gandhi ji? Nathuram Godse was a well educated man, and had his own newspaper with the name Agrani. He was born on 19th May 1910 in Baramati in a Chitpavan Brahmin family. His father, Vinayak Vamanrao Godse, was a post office employee and his mother was Lakshmii. His full name was Nathuram Vinayak Godse. He was a Hindutva activist and journalist. There have been reports that Nathuram Godse was a fanatic or a mentally unstable person but if he was mentallu unstable then why he pushed aside the girl accompanying Gandhi ji out of the line of shoot, minimizing the danger to the girl's life? Godse was a man who was against casteism and attended several rallies and meetings to oppose the same. He also worked with Hindu refugees during partition.Gandhi ji played an important role in getting independence to the nation and Godse was also a wanted the same then what made him to hate Gandhi and take a decision to kill him. Godse's editorial Agrani described that the roots of the Godse's decision to kill Gandhi ji can be traced back to 1947, the time during which country had to face the bitter wound of partition. And the people held responsible for this were Muslim league, headed by Jinnah and the Congress. And it's a well known fact that Gandhiji and Jawahar Lal Nehru were the people having the most prominent influence over the Congress. Any decision of Congress was influenced by Gandhi ji and it is hard to believe that he was not involved in any decision related to Partition. The final nail, however, was struck on 13th January,1948. Pakistan had demanded a sum of Rs 55 crores, a huge sum at that time from the newly formed state of India. Majority of Congress leaders were opposed to giving the money to Pakistan and the Central government turned down the demand. But Gandhi ji started a fast unto death, due to which, government had to sanction the sum to Pakistan. And it was then, that Godse took the decision to kill Gandhi ji. Following the assassination of Gandhi, he was put on trial beginning May 27, 1950 at Peterhoff, Shimla which housed the Punjab High Court. On November 8 1950, Godse delivered his statements in court enunciating the reasons and motives for the assassination. Below are Godse's replies to the charge sheet filed against him. 1. If the country wanted his leadership, it had to accept his infallibility; if it did not, he would stand aloof from the Congress and carry on in his own way. Against such an attitude there can be no halfway house. Either Congress had to surrender its will to his and had to be content with playing second fiddle to all his eccentricity, whimsicality, metaphysics and primitive vision, or it had to carry on without him. He alone was the judge of everyone and everything; he was the master brain guiding the Civil Disobedience movement; no other could know the technique of that movement. He alone knew when to begin it and when to withdraw it. The movement might succeed or fail, but that could make no difference to the Mahatma's infallibility. A Satyagrahi can never fail' was his formula for his own infallibility and nobody except himself knew what a Satyagrahi is. 2. As I grew up I developed a tendency to free thinking unfettered by any superstitious allegiance to any isms, political or religious. That is why I worked actively for the eradication of untouchability and the caste system based on birth alone. I openly joined anti-caste movements and maintained that all Hindus are of equal status as to rights, social and religious, and should be considered high or low on merit alone and not through the accident of birth in a particular caste or profession. I used publicly to take part in organized anti-caste dinners which thousands of Hindus, Brahmins, Vaishyas, Kshatriyas, Chamars and Bhangis participated. We broke the caste rules and dined in the company of each other. He listed Dadabhai Naoroji, Swami Vivekananda, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Bal Gangadhar Tilak as his influences, along with the ancient and modern histories of India, England, France, America and Russia, and the tenets of Socialism and Marxism. 3. It was my first duty to serve the Hindudom and the Hindu people, as a patriot and even as a humanitarian. For, is it not true that to secure the freedom and to safeguard the just interests of some thirty crores of Hindus constituted the freedom and the well-being of one fifth of human race ? This conviction led me naturally to devote myself to the new Hindu Sanghatanist ideology and programme which alone I came to believe, could win and preserve the national independence of Hindusthan, my Motherland and enable her to render true service to humanity as well. 4. Gandhiji began to hold his prayer meetings in a Hindu temple in Bhangi Colony and persisted in reading passages from Quoran as a part of the prayer in that Hindu temple in spite of the protest of the Hindu worshippers there. Of course he dared not read the Geeta in a mosque in the teeth of Muslim opposition. He knew what a terrible Muslim reaction would have been if he had done so. But he could safely trample over the feelings of the tolerant Hindu. To this belief I was determined to prove to Gandhiji that the Hindu too could be intolerant when his honour was insulted. Godse explained that Gandhi's unfair treatment and hypocrisy was the cause of his anger. 5. The fact that Gandhiji honoured the religious books of Hindus, Muslims and others or that he used to recite during his prayers verses from the Geeta, the Quoran and Bible never provoked any ill will in me towards him. To my mind it is not at all objectionable to study comparative religion. Indeed it is a merit. Latest India News Follow us on up man tonsured paraded on donkey for converting hindus to christianity New Delhi: A man was tonsured, garlanded with shoes and paraded on donkey on the streets of Jalaun in Uttar Pradesh by Bajrang Dal activists who accused him of converting Hindu men to Christianity. According to police, the victim, identified as Awdhesh, is a resident of Randar in Jalaun district. Police said that nearly 200 men reached the house of Awdhesh and took him to Orai, the district headquarter. The mob, police said, shaved Awdhesh's hair, eyebrows and moustache and garlanded with shoes and paraded through the town. The mob said that Awdhesh lured 3 Hindu men to a church in Mirzapur district on the pretext of attending a satsang and converted them to Christianity. Sangam Jatav, one of the Hindu men, alleged that Awdhesh took him to Mirzapur for a satsang and also on the pretext of getting a good job but forcefully converted him to Christianity without his knowledge. Bajrang Dal activists also claimed that all the three were forced to consume beef against their will and pictures of Hindu gods and goddesses were thrown on the floor and the converted Hindus were made to walk on them. Deputy inspector general (DIG), Jhansi range, Sharad Sachan said 3 FIRs had been lodged including two against Bajrang Dal activists. Latest India News A milestone day for young fashion designer Neeraja Raman Kutty dawns this February 12. On that day, she has arranged an elegant line-up of models to sashay down the ramp in custom-made brand Neeraja office-wear. Pause for a moment. Lets rewind a few months down. After her brief dalliance with a popular costume design label post graduation from National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Bangalore, Neeraja had been running from pillar to post to mobilise funds to open a fashion studio in Kerala. Knocking on many doors and chasing bank after bank, she had only disappointment in the end. A chance meeting with Asha Jomis proved a real game-changer for Neeraja. And this was the modest take off of Women Business Incubation Programme (WBIP), a fledgling concept of Asha to boost women start-ups. I always loved to do something for women in the way I can, but I did not know how to. Speaking to Neeraja, I realised the immense talent she has in her area of specialisation. So we decided not wait any further, Asha, a tech-entrepreneur, recollects. They worked arm-in-arm and a nationalised bank agreed to help in no time. Now Neeraja is the proud owner of her fashion studio in Thiruvananthapuram and an expert maker of dresses for office-going women. The corporate tie-ups introduced by WBIP help her identify clients and meet their demands. Neeraja says: Little was left with me to produce as bank guarantee. In WBIP we found out the possibility of Mudra Bank Loan Scheme for micro units. We had talks with a bank that was ready to help me out. By the time the payback period starts, I could consolidate my business, she adds. WBIP offers sufficient infrastructure for women start-up ventures in its office at Kowdiar in Thiruvananthapuram complete with work area, mentoring, business plan, staff and digital engagement. Four months after WBIP had its initial experimentation, in 2016, they expanded further to chip in for social cause. A project, Social Good Hack was opened for young professionals and students to create solutions for real social issues. Every month, it announces a challenge. The person who comes up with the most viable solution is presented with a sum of Rs 10,000 plus expertise to develop it further towards implementation. The first challenge, to prevent people from falling victims to scams got a practical idea from a respondent Rini Basu. She is developing an online platform to keep people alert about such tricksters and stay away from from their traps. Arranging corporate partnership is our role. For instance, every month one corporate comes up and sponsors Social Good Hack incorporating it to their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) activities. In truth, so far this has not been an income generating model for us and we are working out ways to scale up to that level in future, says Asha, an M.Phil from University of Cambridge. The challenge for February is to prevent death from road accidents. Right from the beginning, WBIP has been staying live by conducting competitions, hosting technical sessions and introducing industry interaction for the incubation programmes. Other than Neerajas, a week ago, another start-up came into the fore through WBIP branded Nattu Ruchi, a home-cooked meal delivery system by Jisha, a broadcast journalist. The food packets, named Pothichoru, are served in the IT Hub of Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram. Once I had an upset tummy after dining from an eatery. The idea of delivering home-cooked meals to people like me has been on from then. Two more women later shared with me the same idea. Problems cropped up in identifying a distribution channel. Then I approached WBIP and now we are partners with Food4Sure door delivery service, Jisha explains. Follow us on what nathuram godse said in his defence of mk gandhi s assassination Today is the 68th death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The anniversary of the assassination of Father of Nation is also celebrated as Martyr's Day. Nathuram Godse, who had assassinated Gandhi on January 30, 1948, had in his last speech explained why he took this extreme step. On 8 November, 1948, Godse spoke for nearly 5 hours in the court. This was his last speech before he was hanged on 15 November, 1949. His thesis covered ninety-pages. As the nation pays homage to Mahatma Gandhi today, we bring to you the excerpt of Godse's last speech: "Born in a devotional Brahmin family, I instinctively came to revere Hindu religion, Hindu history and Hindu culture. I had, therefore, been intensely proud of Hinduism as a whole. As I grew up I developed a tendency to free thinking unfettered by any superstitious allegiance to any isms, political or religious. That is why I worked actively for the eradication of untouchability and the caste system based on birth alone. I openly joined anti-caste movements and maintained that all Hindus are of equal status as to rights, social and religious, and should be considered high or low on merit alone and not through the accident of birth in a particular caste or profession. I used publicly to take part in organized anti-caste dinners which thousands of Hindus, Brahmins, Vaishyas, Kshatriyas, Chamars and B-----s participated. We broke the caste rules and dined in the company of each other. I have read the speeches and writings of Dadabhai Naoroji, Vivekanand, Gokhale, Tilak, along with the books of ancient and modern history of India and some prominent countries like England, France, America and Russia. Moreover I studied the tenets of socialism and Marxism. But above all I studied very closely what Veer (brave) Savarkar and Gandhiji had written and spoken, as to my mind these two ideologies have contributed more to the moulding of the thought and action of the Indian people during the last thirty years or so, than any other factor has done. All this thinking and reading led me to believe that it was my first duty to serve Hindudom and Hindus both as a patriot and as a world citizen. To secure the freedom and to safeguard the just interests of some thirty crores (three hundred million) of Hindus would automatically constitute the freedom and well-being of all India, one fifth of the human race. This conviction led me naturally to devote myself to the Hindu Sanatanist ideology and programme, which alone, I came to believe, could win and preserve the National Independence of Hindustan, my Motherland, and enable her to render true service to humanity as well. Since the year 1920, that is, after the demise of Lokmanya Tilak, Gandhi's influence in the Congress first increased and then became supreme. His activities for public awakening were phenomenal in their intensity and were reinforced by the slogan of truth and non-violence, which he paraded ostentatiously before the country. No sensible or enlightened person could object to these slogans. In fact there is nothing new or original in them. They are implicit in every constitutional public movement. But it is nothing but a dream if you imagine the bulk of mankind is, or can ever become, capable of scrupulous adherence to these lofty principles in its normal life from day to day. In fact, honour, duty and love of one's own kith and kin and country might often compel us to disregard non-violence and to use force. I could never conceive that an armed resistance to an aggression is unjust. I would consider it a religious and moral duty to resist and if possible, to overpower such an enemy by use of force. (In the Ramayana) Rama killed Ravana in a tumultuous fight and relieved Sita. (In the Mahabharata) Krishna killed Kansa to end his wickedness; and Arjuna had to fight and slay quite a number of his friends and relations, including the revered Bhishma, because the latter was on the side of the aggressor. It is my firm belief that in dubbing Rama, Krishna and Arjuna as guilty of violence, the Mahatma betrayed the total ignorance of the springs of human action. In more recent history, it was the heroic fight put up by Chhatrapati Shivaji that first checked and eventually destroyed the Muslim tyranny in India. It was absolutely essential for Shivaji to overpower and kill an aggressive Afzal Khan, failing which he would have lost his own life. In condemning history's towering warriors like Shivaji, Rana Pratap and Guru Govind Singh as misguided patriots, Gandhi has merely exposed his self-conceit. He was, paradoxical, as it may appear, a violent pacifist who brought untold calamities on the country in the name of truth and non-violence, while Rana Pratap, Shivaji and the Guru will remain enshrined in the hearts of their countrymen forever for the freedom they brought to them. The accumulating provocation of thirty-two years, culminating in his last pro-Muslim fast, at last goaded me to the conclusion that the existence of Gandhi should be brought to an end immediately. Gandhi had done very good work in South Africa to uphold the rights and well being of the Indian community there. But when he finally returned to India, he developed a subjective mentality under which he alone was to be the final judge of what was right or wrong. If the country wanted his leadership, it had to accept his infallibility; if it did not, he would stand aloof from the Congress and carry on in his own way. Against such an attitude there can be no halfway house. Either Congress had to surrender its will to his and had to be content with playing second fiddle to all his eccentricity, whimsicality, metaphysics and primitive vision, or it had to carry on without him. He alone was the judge of everyone and everything; he was the master brain guiding the Civil Disobedience movement; no other could know the technique of that movement. He alone knew when to begin it and when to withdraw it. The movement might succeed or fail, but that could make no difference to the Mahatma's infallibility. 'A Satyagrahi can never fail' was his formula for his own infallibility and nobody except himself knew what a Satyagrahi is. Thus the Mahatma became the judge and the jury in his own case. These childish insanities and obstinacies, coupled with a most severe austerity of life, ceaseless work and lofty character made Gandhi formidable and irresistible. Many people thought that his policies were irrational, but they had either to withdraw from the Congress or place their intelligence at his feet to do with as he liked. In a position of such absolute irresponsibility, Gandhi was guilty of blunder after blunder, failure after failure, and disaster after disaster. Gandhi's pro-Muslim policy is blatantly illustrated in his perverse attitude on the question of the national language of India. It is quite obvious that Hindi has the most prior claim to be accepted as the premier language. In the beginning of his career in India, Gandhi gave a great impetus to Hindi, but as he found that the Muslims did not like it, he became a champion of what is called Hindustani. Everybody in India knows that there is no language in India called Hindustani; it has no grammar; it has no vocabulary. It is a mere dialect; it is spoken, not written. It is a tongue and a crossbreed between Hindi and Urdu, and not even the Mahatma's sophistry could make it popular. But in his desire to please the Muslims he insisted that Hindustani alone should be the national language of India. His blind followers, of course, supported him and the so-called hybrid language began to be used. The charm and the purity of the Hindi language were to be prostituted to please the Muslims. All his experiments were at the expense of the Hindus. From August 1946 onwards, the private armies of the Muslim League began a massacre of Hindus. The then Viceroy, Lord Wavell, though distressed at what was happening, would not use his powers under the Government of India Act of 1935 to prevent the rape, murder and arson. The Hindu blood began to flow from Bengal to Karachi with little retaliation by the Hindus. The Interim Government formed in September was sabotaged by its Muslim League members right from its inception, but the more they became disloyal and treasonable to the government of which they were a part, the greater was Gandhi's infatuation for them. Lord Wavell had to resign as he could not bring about a settlement and was succeeded by Lord Mountbatten. King Stork followed King Log. The Congress, which had boasted of its nationalism and secularism, secretly accepted Pakistan literally at the point of the bayonet and abjectly surrendered to Jinnah. India was vivisected and one-third of the Indian Territory became foreign land to us from 15 August 1947. Lord Mountbatten came to be described in the Congress circles as the greatest Viceroy and Governor-General this country ever had. The official date for the handing over of power was fixed for June 30, 1948, but Mountbatten with his ruthless surgery gave us a gift of vivisected India ten months in advance. This is what Gandhi had achieved after thirty years of undisputed dictatorship and this is what the Congress party calls 'freedom' and 'peaceful transfer of power'. The Hindu-Muslim unity bubble was finally burst and a theocratic state was established with the consent of Nehru and his crowd and they have called it 'freedom won by them with sacrifice' - whose sacrifice? When top leaders of Congress, with the consent of Gandhi, divided and tore the country - which we considered a deity of worship - my mind was filled with direful anger. One of the conditions imposed by Gandhi for his breaking of the fast related to the mosques in Delhi occupied by the Hindu refugees. But when Hindus in Pakistan were subjected to violent attacks he did not so much as utter a single word to protest and censure the Pakistan Government or the Muslims concerned. Gandhi was shrewd enough to know that while undertaking a fast unto death, had he imposed some conditions on the Muslims in Pakistan, here would have been found hardly any Muslims who could have shown some grief if the fast had ended in his death. It was for this reason that he purposely avoided imposing any conditions on the Muslims. He was fully aware from past experience that Jinnah was not at all perturbed or influenced by his fast and the Muslim League hardly attached any value to the inner voice of Gandhi. Gandhi is being referred to as the Father of the Nation. But if that is so, he has failed in his paternal duty in as much he has acted very treacherously to the nation by his consenting to the partitioning of it. I stoutly maintain that Gandhi has failed in his duty. He has proved to be the Father of Pakistan. His inner-voice, his spiritual power, his doctrine of non-violence of which so much is made of, all crumbled against Jinnah's iron will and proved to be powerless. Briefly speaking, I thought to myself and foresaw that I shall be totally ruined, and the only thing I could expect from the people would be nothing but hatred and that I shall have lost all my honour, even more valuable than my life, if I were to kill Gandhiji. But at the same time I thought that the Indian politics in the absence of Gandhiji would surely be practical, able to retaliate and would be powerful with the armed forces. No doubt, my own future would be totally ruined, but the nation would be saved from the inroads of Pakistan. People may even call me or dub me as devoid of any sense or foolish, but the nation would be free to follow the course founded on the reason, which I consider necessary for sound nation-building. After having fully considered the question, I took the final decision in the matter, but I did not speak about it to anyone whatsoever. I took courage in both my hands and I did fire the shots at Gandhiji on 30th January 1948, on the prayer-grounds in Birla House. I do say that my shots were fired at the person whose policy and action had brought rack and ruin and destruction to millions of Hindus. There was no legal machinery by which such an offender could be brought to book and for this reason I fired those fatal shots. I bear no ill will towards anyone individually, but I do say that I had no respect for the present government owing to their policy, which was unfairly favourable towards the Muslims. But at the same time I could clearly see that the policy was entirely due to the presence of Gandhi. I have to say with great regret that Prime Minister Nehru quite forgets that his preaching and deeds are at times at variance with each other when he talks about India as a secular state in season and out of season, because it is significant to note that Nehru has played a leading role in the theocratic state of Pakistan, and his job was made easier by Gandhi's persistent policy of appeasement towards the Muslims. I now stand before the court to accept the full share of my responsibility for what I have done and the judge would, of course, pass against me such orders of sentence as may be considered proper. But I would like to add that I do not desire any mercy to be shown to me, nor do I wish that anyone should beg for mercy on my behalf. My confidence about the moral side of my action has not been shaken even by the criticism levelled against it on all sides. I have no doubt that honest writers of history will weigh my act and find the true value thereof someday in future." Latest India News Follow us on at least 4 dead in saudi arabia mosque bombing Riyadh: Two gunmen wearing suicide bomb belts attacked a Shia mosque in eastern Saudi Arabia during Friday prayers, an assault that killed at least four people and wounded seven, authorities said. The attack struck the Imam Reza Mosque in the neighbourhood of Mehasin, an area popular with Shia workers of the state-run Saudi Arabian Oil Co., the world's largest oil-producing firm. One attacker detonated his explosives, while the other opened fire, the Interior Ministry said in a statement carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency. The other attacker was stopped from blowing himself up, it said. The Interior Ministry said the attack killed four. In the attack's chaotic aftermath, Saudi police fired assault rifles into the air to drive away an angry mob that surrounded a police car holding a suspected attacker, according to video shot from the scene. Shias in Saudi Arabia make up some 10 to 15% of the ultra-conservative, Sunni-ruled kingdom's population. The minority group, many of whom live in the country's oil-producing east, previously have been targeted in attacks by the Islamic State group, which views Shias as heretics. No group immediately claimed Friday's attack. Earlier this month, Saudi officials executed prominent Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr, who comes from the east of the country, raising tensions in the area. The cleric's brother, Mohammed al-Nimr, was a witness of the attack and told the AP he believed the death toll from the attack likely was higher. Latest World News Follow us on be cautious while dealing with india says pak s ex defence secretaries Islamabad: Pakistan's ex-defence secretaries have warned the government to be careful in dealing with India because they do not see a radical shift in Delhi's policy towards Pakistan. Former defence secretary retired Lt Gen Asif Yasin Malik called for "open and extensive" debate within the country on its relations with India. Addressing a seminar on 'Impasse in Pak-India ties - Implications for Regional Diplomacy and Strategic Stability', Malik cautioned that no radical shift in ties was expected, although there could be minor improvement caused by expediencies of the international environment. For Pakistan, "bending is not an option; either forward or backwards. We bend and we get a kick," Malik, who retired as defence secretary in 2014, was quoted as saying by the Dawn today during the seminar organised by the Strategic Vision Institute (SVI). He recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "belligerent" posture towards Pakistan during his election campaign and said India continued to play "cat and mouse" in ties with Pakistan. Malik listed a number of measures he expected the government to undertake - both internally and externally - in order to effectively deal with the challenge posed by India: de-linking Pak-Afghan ties from the Pak-India relationship, safeguarding the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), tackling political fissures over CPEC, pursuing water security more seriously, and appointing a full-time foreign minister. Retired Lt Gen Naeem Lodhi, another former defence secretary, echoed Malik when he noted that there was no detente in sight. In his view, the answer lay in the leadership of both countries ending the "blame game" and approaching the relationship with fresh and open minds, the report said. "The imbalance of size and political clout highly in favour of India begs third party facilitation to veer these two nuclear powers away from confrontational mode. There seems to be no other option," he said. The director of Quaid-i-Azam University School of Politics and International Relations, Dr Zafar Nawaz Jaspal, suggested that the countries' leaders "act rationally and thwart the agenda of radicalised transnational terrorist groups for the prosperity of their people". He warned that "limited war between India and Pakistan could escalate to full scale nuclear war". Latest World News Follow us on saudi arabia funding 24 000 madrassas in pakistan Washington: About 24,000 madrassas in Pakistan are funded by Saudi Arabia which has unleashed a "tsunami of money" to "export intolerance", a top American senator has said, adding that the US needs to end its effective acquiescence to the Saudi sponsorship of radical Islamism. Senator Chris Murphy said Pakistan is the best example of where money coming from Saudi Arabia is funnelled to religious schools that nurture hatred and terrorism. "In 1956, there were 244 madrassas in Pakistan. Today, there are 24,000. These schools are multiplying all over the globe. These schools, by and large, don't teach violence. They aren't the minor leagues for al-Qaeda or ISIS. But, they do teach a version of Islam that leads very nicely into an anti-Shia, anti-Western militancy. "Those 24,000 religious schools in Pakistan -- thousands of them are funded with money that originates in Saudi Arabia," Murphy said in an address on Friday to the Council on Foreign Relations, a top American think-tank. According to some estimates, since the 1960s, the Saudis have funnelled over $100 billion into funding schools and mosques all over the world, with the mission of spreading puritanical Wahhabi Islam. As a point of comparison, researchers estimate that the former Soviet Union spent about $7 billion exporting its communist ideology from 1920-1991. "Less-well-funded governments and other strains of Islam can hardly keep up with the tsunami of money behind this export of intolerance," Murphy said. "The uncomfortable truth is for all the positive aspects of our alliance with Saudi Arabia, there is another side to Saudi Arabia that we can no longer afford to ignore as our fight against Islamic extremism becomes more focused and more complicated," he said. "The United States should suspend supporting Saudi Arabia's military campaign in Yemen, at the very least until we get assurances that this campaign does not distract from the fight against Islamic State and al-Qaeda, and until we make some progress on the Saudi export of Wahhabism," he said. Murphy demanded that Congress should not sign off on any more US military sales to Saudi Arabia until similar assurances are granted. He said the political alliance between the House of Saud -- Saudi Arabia's ruling royal family -- and orthodox Wahhabi clerics is as old as the nation, resulting in billions funnelled to and through the Wahhabi movement. The vicious terrorist groups that Americans know by name are Sunni in derivation, and greatly influenced by Wahhabi and Salafist teachings, Murphy said, adding that leaders of both Democratic and Republican parties should avoid the extremes of this debate, and enter into a real conversation about how America can help the moderate voices within Islam win out over those who sow seeds of extremism. Latest World News Follow us on tareena shakil first british woman found guilty of joining isis London: A British woman has been found guilty of taking her 14-motn-old son to join the Islamic State group, becoming the first woman to be convicted of the offense after returning to the UK from the self-declared caliphate in Syria. Tareena Shakil, 26, was convicted of being a member of the ISIS and encouraging acts of terrorism. She will be sentenced on Monday. Tareena Shakil told the court that she was not aware of the evil associated with ISIS and simply wanted to live under Sharia law. "ISIS is a dangerous organisation and, at the moment, she should be treated as a dangerous individual," a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said. Police said in October 2014 she and her one-year-old son boarded a plane to Turkey, where she crossed into Syria and spent three months there. The jury was shown her tweets, messages and photographs, including images of the black flag of ISIS and passages calling on people to "take up arms". Shakil dressed up her toddler son for pictures wearing an ISIS-branded balaclava after secretly running away to Syria in October 2014. She told her family she was going on a package holiday to Turkey and instead travelled to Syria, where she remained for several months. Her defence team claimed she had been "groomed" by ISIS recruiters who had preyed on her vulnerability following the collapse of her marriage. She described in detail her days in Raqqa, the de facto capital of ISIS in Syria in court. She claims to have become disillusioned and frightened and on January 6 this year she left with her child and bribed a taxi driver USD 50 to take her to the border. Shakil flew back into the UK and was arrested by British police at Heathrow airport in early February. With PTI Inputs Latest World News Follow us on lg declares aap govt order slashing salary of two officers as illegal New Delhi: Lt Governor Najeeb Jung today declared as illegal an order by the AAP government in Delhi that slashed the salaries of two special secretaries in the Home Department, setting the stage for yet another confrontation between the two sides. The LG's diktat comes in the wake of an order by Delhi's Home Minister Satyendar Jain on Wednesday saying special secretaries Yashpal Garg and Subhash Chandra will only be entitled to a subsistence allowance instead of their full salary as they were suspended by the Delhi government. Notably, these officials were suspended by the Delhi government last month for having refused to sign a file pertaining to a hike in salary of public prosecutors despite the cabinet clearing the proposal. The suspension had later been revoked by the Union Home Ministry, the officers' cadre controlling authority. In a letter to Chief Secretary K K Sharma, the Lt Governor directed him to ensure full compliance of the Home Ministry's directive and declared that Jain's order to pay the two officials only subsistence allowance has no legal sanctity. "The direction of the Ministry of Home Affairs makes it abundantly clear that no adverse action can be initiated against these officers based on the suspension orders since these orders were without authority of law, void ab initio and non est (does not exist). "Therefore, the order dated January 27 issued by the Minister of Home, Delhi government has no legal sanctity and cannot be implemented," a source said quoting from the letter. Meanwhile, Garg has written a letter to Jain saying since Union Home Ministry had revoked the suspension order, there was no question of accepting any subsistence allowance. He even said Jain's order in this regard is "infructuous". In his order dated Januray 27, Jain had said "in exercise of the powers conferred upon me under FR 53(1)" hereby order that Garg and Chandra shall be entitled to a subsistence allowance and not full salary as they were under "suspension". The suspension of the officers had led to major protest by bureaucrats as around 200 DANICS (Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service) officers had gone on a day-long mass-leave on December 31. The IAS officers had also worked half-day that day. (With PTI inputs) Follow us on rahul gandhi joins mass hunger strike for rohith vemula at hcu Hyderabad: Stepping up the offensive on Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula suicide issue, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today commenced a day-long fast along with agitating students of Hyderabad Central University here after participating in a candle light vigil in the wee hours. The Congress vice president spent about two hours with agitating students past midnight and participated in the candle light vigil along with 2,000 students to mark the birthday of Rohith, who would have turned 27 today. "Rahulji is on fast," National Students Union of India (NSUI) president Roji M John said. Rahul, who is visiting the campus for the second time, tweeted, "I am here today at the request of Rohith's friends and family, to stand with them in their fight for justice. "A young life full of dreams and aspirations was cut short. We owe it to him, to the memory of (Mahatma) Gandhiji and to every single Indian student who dreams of an India free from prejudice and injustice," he said in another tweet. Rohith's mother Radhika and brother Raju were also present at the protest site. Rahul, who arrived here at 12.10 am, spoke to the agitating students, who are on a hunger strike demanding action against Vice Chancellor P Appa Rao and others responsible for Rohith's suicide. " About 2,000 students organised a candle light march in the campus on Vemula's birthday today. Students called for mass hunger strike. This hunger strike will be held in all universities of the country," John said. Three of the students including two research scholars who were earlier suspended, sat on fast unto death demanding the fulfilment of their demands such as sacking and arresting of V-C Appa Rao Podile and sacking of Union Ministers Smrithi Irani and Bandaru Dattaretreya from the cabinet among others. This is Rahul's second visit to Hyderabad since Vemula was found hanging in the varsity's hostel room. The Congress vice-president had visited the University on January 19 following the suicide by the Dalit scholar and met the agitating students and the family members of Vemula. Interim VC Vipin Srivastava too goes on leave Barely a week after Vice Chancellor P Appa Rao proceeded on indefinite leave in the wake of students' demand for his resignation, senior most professor Vipin Srivastava, who had taken over as interim vice chancellor, has also gone on leave. According to information available late on Friday night, the next senior most professor, AM Periasamy, will perform the duties of the vice chancellor of the university till further orders. Appa Rao, whose name figures in the first information report, had gone on leave on January 24. However, the students had also refused to accept Srivastava as the interim vice chancellor as he had headed a sub-committee of the executive council which suspended five Dalit students following an alleged clash with a leader of ABVP. Rohith Vemula, one of the suspended students, committed suicide on January 17, triggering protests across the country with students calling for action against the vice chancellor and others responsible for the suicide. Follow us on woman surfaces at ssp s office claims she was not kidnapped by congress mla Patna: In a major twist to the case of a Congress MLA allegedly kidnapping a 20-year-old woman, the latter today turned up before the Senior Superintendent of Police, Patna along with the MLA's driver Pankaj, whom she introduced as her boyfriend. The woman, identified as Nidhi, appeared before Patna SSP Manu Maharaj this afternoon with Pankaj Sharma, the driver of Congress MLA Siddarth Singh. The SSP confirmed appearance of the woman with her friend and said Nidhi claimed she has been in a relationship with Pankaj for the past two years. The SSP said the woman further claimed that she had fled with Pankaj and was not abducted as projected by her father. The two also told the police they had married last night. "The police will record statement of the two and send the woman for medical examination," the SSP said. Talking to mediapersons outside the SSP's office, the woman accused her father of marrying her off to a 50-year-old man against her wish. When she resisted, he lodged an FIR against Bikram MLA Siddarth Singh, she alleged. Asked about role of the MLA in her escape from home, she told reporters the MLA had no role and she in fact did not know him. Abhay Singh, a resident of Sonkukra village, complained that the Congress MLA from Bikram constituency had yesterday morning kidnapped his daughter from their village. On the basis of the complaint, an FIR has been registered under Section 363 (punishment for kidnapping) of the IPC at Masaurhi police station. With the incident triggering a controversy, the Congress MLA is still in hiding and did not take calls. State Congress chief and minister Ashok Choudhary today said law would take its own course in the case. He said if the MLA was found accused of violating law, police would take action impartially. Knesset Rejects Bill For Equality For All Citizens By The Middle East Monitor January 30, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " MEM " - The Knesset yesterday voted against a draft bill proposed by MK Jamal Zahalka of the Joint Arab List, which stipulates the inclusion of an equality clause in Israels Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty. The majority of the Likud bloc, the Haredi parties and Kulanu party voted against the proposal. They were joined by Yesh Atid, led by Yair Lapid. However, the Joint List, Meretz and the Labour parties all supported the bill. During his proposal, Zahalka said: All constitutions in modern countries begin with stressing the principle of equality amongst their citizens. Even undemocratic countries adopt this principle legally, considering it a cornerstone for any modern political system, including democracy, which seems impossible and meaningless without equality. Zahalka also said that equality is a principle in itself and is not based on any other principles, rather, other human rights values are derived from it. He described the absence of equality in the states Basic Law as a serious absence, as it forces the judiciary, amongst others, to explain why the word equality is missing from the basic laws, which are in place of the constitution. He added that Judge Aharon Barack explained the current law as human dignity that must also include the principle of equality. This is why we must include the word equality in a clear manner in the Basic Law. Anyone voting against the law is voting against equality, and does not have the right to promote democracy or say they are against discrimination and racism. The entire world adopts the principle of equality in their laws, and this is the only country that does not embrace equality in its laws. This is clear proof of the states nature, Zahalka stressed. The Middle East Monitor An image of the child who was found dead (Photo: Twitter) New Delhi: In a shocking incident, a six-year-old student of a prominent private school in South Delhi was found dead in a water tank under the school's amphitheatre this afternoon, following which Delhi government ordered a magisterial inquiry into it. The boy, identified as Divyansh Kakrora, was a class I student at Ryan International School in Vasant Kunj, police said. He was last seen before the seventh period, which was around 12.20 PM, following which the school authorities started looking for him. His body was later found floating inside the pit, used as a water storage tank, under the ampitheatre in the school's playground, police said. The school authorities took him to a hospital, where he was declared brought dead. It was around 2.40 PM that the hospital authorities informed the police about the matter, police said. "Investigation of the matter is underway and whatever legal action needs to be taken, will be taken," DCP (South) Prem Nath said. Delhi Government has ordered a magisterial probe into the incident. "Ordered District Magistrate of New Delhi to probe in Ryan child death case. To find facts, responsibility and ascertain exact role of school management," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia tweeted. Divyansh was also to participate in a poetry competition organised at the school today. His parents are both paramedic staff at AIIMS, police said, adding the family lives in Sultanpur locality in south Delhi's Mehrauli area. The boy's father termed it a conspiracy and alleged someone from the school authority was behind the incident. Several police teams were rushed to the spot after the incident came to light. The school authorities were questioned and a case of negligence is likely to be registered in connection with the incident, a senior official said adding how he fell into the pit is still to be ascertained. The boy's body was later sent for postmortem examination at AIIMS, police added. On Wednesday, a five-year-old boy died after he fell into a septic tank of a municipal corporation-run school in south west Delhi's Kapashera area, following which a case of negligence was registered. Anti-anti-Trump, Anti-anti-Sanders Extremism in defense of peace is no vice By Justin Raimondo January 30, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Antiwar " - I havent had this much fun in years of course Im talking about the US presidential election season, with The Donald taking on all comers, and winning (at least so far), and Berne Sanders burning up the self-satisfied mandarins of the Democratic party Establishment. Whats great about this spectacle and one must view it as a spectacle in order to gain maximum enjoyment from it is that, as none other than Rush Limbaugh points out: Trump is so far outside the formula that has been established for American politics that people who are inside the formula cant comprehend it. They dont understand why somebody would want to venture so far outside it, because it is what it is, and theres a ladder of success that you have to climb. And somebody challenging it like this in more ways than one, as Trump is doing, has just got everybody experiencing every kind of emotion you can: Theyre angry, they are flabbergasted, theyre shocked, theyre stunned and all of it because hes leading. As I explained here, and here, one of the ways Trump is upending the rules is that hes broken with the GOP mandarins on foreign policy. Yes, yes, I know he bloviates about how hes the most militaristic person on Gods green earth, but the fact is theres plenty of others out there who out-do him in that category. Ive heard him say he wants to bomb the s**t out of ISIS, but arent we doing that already to little effect? When Bill OReilly asked him why he didnt support putting ground troops in Syria, he answered Do you want to run Syria? OReilly demurred. Trump puffs up his chest and announces he wants us to have the strongest biggest baddest military on earth but youll note he invariably adds: So well never have to use it. Most significantly, he doesnt want to start World War III with Vladimir Putins Russia: hes actually defied the anti-Russian propaganda blitz and said hed like to be able to get along with Putin. This alone wouldve been enough for the neocons to start a holy war against him, but hes even gone further than that and said the Iraq war the neocons handiwork was one of the dumbest things ever, and Limbaugh describes their response to a tee (of course without naming them). Oh yes, its great fun watching the waterboarding of the neocons, because they count among their enemies the top two contenders for the Republican nomination, not only Trump but also Ted Cruz. The greasy-haired Canadian earned their ire when he attacked them by name, but as Rosie Gray reports in Buzzfeed they may be reconciling themselves to Cruz because hes the only viable Not-Trump: Some of the hawkish figures who Ted Cruz recently dismissed as crazy neo-con invade-every-country-on-earth and send our kids to die in the Middle East say theyd consider supporting Cruz anyway if hes the last man between Donald Trump and the Republican presidential nomination. Cruz, it turns out, hasnt fully burned his bridges with that set of advisers and supporters of George W. Bush figures like Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol and former National Security Council official Elliott Abrams, who arent closed off to Cruz, especially in the case of Abrams. Indeed, despite some lingering resentment and suspicion, there are even glimmers of rapprochement as the Republican primary looks like it could become a two-man race. I would not hesitate to back Cruz as the nominee, Abrams who not long ago told National Review that Cruzs use of the word neocon invoked warmongering Jewish advisers told BuzzFeed News . Cruz, for his part, is more than willing to smoke a peace pipe with the War Party: In an interview on his campaign bus in Iowa last week, Cruz told BuzzFeed News that, despite his jabs at neocons, he has good relations with a great many foreign policy thinkers. Cruz has in the past cited Abrams along with former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton and former CIA director James Woolsey as trusted foreign policy experts. Its getting pretty cozy in that campaign bus. Rosie, who knows a thing or two about neocons, seems to be the designated ambassador from Kristol-land to the Cruz campaign, and as the Anti-Trump Popular Front the widest coalition in the history of politics, stretching all the way from the New York Times to Charles Krauthammer tries to sell us on the idea that the Establishment is now backing Trump against the insurgent Cruz, she provides some insightful analysis of just who is the Real Establishment: The neocons willingness to consider Cruz stands in sharp contrast with a new line of current conventional wisdom in Washington that Cruz, who is the object of particularly intense personal dislike from establishment Republicans, is actually less acceptable to the establishment than Trump. W e know who is the Establishment: its those brilliant folks who brought us the Iraq war, who want us to repeat our mistake in Syria, and who pine for a US-led regime-change operation in Russia to get rid of Putin and install a pliable Yeltsin-substitute in power. The Establishment, in short, is the War Party, otherwise known as the neoconservatives, and they are the tireless enemies of peace and liberty. Until and unless they are destroyed as a viable political force, either in the GOP or outside it, there will be no peace in this world. If and when Trump succeeds in sidelining them, that alone will be worth whatever price we have to pay in the unlikely event he makes it to the White House. As even the usually clueless Ben Domenech, over at The Federalist, observes: On foreign policy, Donald Trump is exploiting American frustration with the elites of both parties. He cites over and over again his opposition to the war in Iraq as a smackdown for the neoconservative views which have ruled the roost in Republican foreign policy circles for 15 years. But he also uses his opposition to engagement in Libya to smack Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Marco Rubio. It is very telling that the two leading candidates in the GOP primary today are very critical of intervention in Iraq and Libya and Syria, and this has not only not hurt them, but potentially helped them reach more than 50 percent support in the polls. One would think Republican elites would recognize this and think about what it means about the views of their base. One would think, but one would be wrong. With the triumph of Trumpismo having demolished the GOP foreign policy consensus and the neocons ideological and organizational stranglehold on the conservative movement the way will be cleared for a libertarian-ish insurgency to arise out of the rubble and make some real headway. I realize its hard to see this at the present moment: just like on HGTV, when some clueless couple on Fixer Upper or Property Brothers just cant see that the scary dilapidated wreck of a house theyre being shown could become their Dream Home. Yet, in the end, they are bowled over by the luxurious and stunning result. (Of course, there are no guarantees in life: a lot depends on if the fractious libertarians, beset as they are by right-wing opportunism and a brainless form of anti-political sectarianism, can finally get their act together.) On the other side of the aisle that is, in the Democratic party a similar drama, with some significant variations, is being played out in the race pitting Bernie Sanders against Hillary Clinton. The latter is widely considered the presumptive heir, much like Jeb Bush was assumed to be the GOP frontrunner on account of his last name. Yet Bush has been humiliated and sidelined, and Mrs. Clinton may well be in danger of sharing his fate: Sanders is beating her in New Hampshire as well as in Iowa. This has centrist Michael Bloomberg, former New York City mayor and professional scold, so upset that he is threatening to launch a third party run if Sanders gets the nod. The beleaguered Mrs. Clinton doesnt have major principled differences with Sanders when it comes to domestic policy: their disagreements are over strategy, not goals. The real split is over foreign policy, with Hillary the hawk pecking at Sanders over his relatively dovish stances on issues from Iran to Libya. And now a posse of national security bureaucrats has taken out after Sanders with a joint statement deploring his unwillingness to parrot the War Partys line: Over the past four debates, the subject of ISIS and Iran have come up a number of times. These are complex and challenging times, and we need a Commander in Chief who knows how to protect America and our allies and advance our interests and values around the world. The stakes are high. And we are concerned that Senator Sanders has not thought through these crucial national security issues that can have profound consequences for our security. His lack of a strategy for defeating ISIS one of the greatest challenges we face today is troubling. And the limited things he has said on ISIS are also troubling. For example, his call for more Iranian troops in Syria is dangerous and misguided and the opposite of what is needed. Supporting Iranian soldiers on Israels doorstep is a grave mistake. And while we support de-escalation of Sunni-Shia tensions, his argument that Iran and Saudi Arabia two intense adversaries should join together in a military coalition is just puzzling. Indeed, the Iranian government recently failed to stop protesters from ransacking and burning the Saudi embassy in Tehran, after which Saudi Arabia cut off diplomatic ties with Iran. We are all strong supporters of the nuclear diplomacy with Iran. Some of us were part of developing the policy that produced the diplomacy over the past several years. And we believe that there are areas for further cooperation under the right circumstances. But Senator Sanders call to move aggressively to normalize relations with Iran to develop a warm relationship breaks with President Obama, is out of step with the sober and responsible diplomatic approach that has been working for the United States, and if pursued would fail while causing consternation among our allies and partners. Given these concerns, it is important to ask what he would do on other issues on Russia, China, our allies, nuclear proliferation, and so much else. We look forward to hearing him address these issues. We need a Commander in Chief who sees how all of these dynamics fit together someone who sees the whole chessboard, as Hillary Clinton does. The only time the Clintonistas want to move aggressively is when it involves invading a sovereign nation like Iraq, Libya and Syria, and turning it into a cauldron of Islamist terror. Her strategy for defeating ISIS is to set up no fly zones in Syria, reoccupy Iraq, and fund the very head-chopping Syrian rebels from which ISIS and Al-Qaeda have sprung and with whom they are ideologically aligned. Indeed, Mrs. Clinton, who spearheaded the movement inside the US government to arm the Islamists in Syria and Libya, deserves the title Mother of ISIS. As for all the balderdash about Iran: this is clearly the Israel lobby talking, and if there was any confusion about Mrs. Clintons role as their champion in the Democratic party, this should clear it up. Yet the Clintonian arguments for an anti-Iranian foreign policy are not very convincing. For just one example: If supporting Iranian soldiers at Israels doorstep is a grave mistake then is Israel supporting ISIS at their own doorstep an equally grave miscalculation? But of course you wont be hearing any criticism like that coming from this crowd. From a noninterventionist perspective, neither Sanders nor Trump is perfect both are very far from that. But to nitpick over their deviations is to entirely miss the point, as sectarians of both the left and right are bound to do. These two candidates represent, each in their own way, powerful and growing tendencies on both sides of the ideological spectrum that the movement for peace can utilize to its own advantage. For we cannot change the world until and unless we begin to understand it: only then can we take advantage of such openings as it allows. What is happening in this country is a rebellion against both wings of the War Party and that is something to be celebrated and encouraged, even as we critique its shortcoming and urge the rebels to take their insurgency further. We here at Antiwar.com do not endorse candidates for office: nevertheless, we encourage our readers and supporters to inform themselves and take an interest in the political process in order to bring about a more peaceful and a freer world. Insofar as this election season is concerned, the watchwords or slogans that give voice to the correct position are best expressed in terms of double-negatives. For my conservative Republican readers, that would be: anti-anti-Trump. For the progressive Democrats: anti-anti-Sanders. We are hearing the voices of the Mushy Moderate Middle rise up in defense of the status quo: Democrats like the Washington courtier Dana Milbank are warning us against Sanders, while the neocons to a man are railing against the Trumpist Temptation. This should be enough to tell us what is the right road to take and what our answer to the Mushy Middletarians must be: Extremism in defense of peace is no vice and moderation in the fight against the War Party is no virtue! Justin Raimondo is the editorial director of Antiwar.com, and a senior fellow at the Randolph Bourne Institute. He is a contributing editor at The American Conservative, and writes a monthly column for Chronicles. He is the author of Reclaiming the American Right: The Lost Legacy of the Conservative Movement [Center for Libertarian Studies, 1993; Intercollegiate Studies Institute, 2000], and An Enemy of the State: The Life of Murray N. Rothbard [Prometheus Books, 2000]. NOTES IN THE MARGIN You can check out my Twitter feed by going here. But please note that my tweets are sometimes deliberately provocative, often made in jest, and largely consist of me thinking out loud. Ive written a couple of books, which you might want to peruse. Here is the link for buying the second edition of my 1993 book, Reclaiming the American Right: The Lost Legacy of the Conservative Movement, with an Introduction by Prof. George W. Carey, a Foreword by Patrick J. Buchanan, and critical essays by Scott Richert and David Gordon (ISI Books, 2008). You can buy An Enemy of the State: The Life of Murray N. Rothbard (Prometheus Books, 2000), my biography of the great libertarian thinker, here. Welcome to America Now Spy on Your Friends When Muslim immigrants apply to become citizens, they often find the process delayed for years without explanation. Then, when they are at wits end, they get a visit from the FBI, with an offer they dont dare refuse. By Talal Ansari, Siraj Datoo January 30, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " BuzzFeed " - When he got the last call to come meet with the FBI agents, A.M. allowed himself an uncharacteristic bit of optimism. An immigrant from Pakistan, he had spent the last seven years trying to get a green card, a process that had so far included a series of interviews, three encounters with the FBI, and unexplained bureaucratic delays. Maybe this meeting would bring some resolution? But when the 37-year-old software programmer arrived at the Homeland Security offices in Dallas that day in August 2014, the conversation quickly swerved. One of the two agents placed a piece of paper on the table and told him to write down the names of all the people he knew who he thought were terrorists. Bewildered, he said he didnt know any terrorists. He said he didnt know about any suspicious activity at all. We think you do, the agents replied. A.M. was quickly becoming alarmed. (Like almost all other immigrants interviewed for this story, he said he did not feel safe allowing his name to be published. A.M. are his initials.) He was a family man, with a highly skilled 9-to-5 job. He had lived in America for nearly two decades. He went to college in America. Why would the FBI see him as a link to terrorism? And werent they supposed to be discussing his green card application? As it turned out, thats precisely what they were discussing. We know about your immigration problems, he recalls one of the agents telling him. And we can help you with that. If, they said, he agreed to start making secret reports on his community, his friends, even his family. Pressuring people to become informants by dangling the promise of citizenship or, if they do not comply, deportation is expressly against the rules that govern FBI agents activities. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales forbade the practice nine years ago: No promises or commitments can be made, except by the United States Department of Homeland Security, regarding the alien status of any person or the right of any person to enter or remain in the United States, according to the Attorney Generals Guidelines Regarding the Use of FBI Confidential Human Sources. In fact, Gonzaless guidelines, which are still in force today, require agents to go further: They must explicitly warn potential informants that the FBI cannot help with their immigration status in any way. But a BuzzFeed News investigation based on government and court documents, official complaints, and interviews with immigrants, immigration and civil rights lawyers, and former special agents shows that the FBI violates these rules. Mandated to enforce the law, the bureau has assumed a powerful but unacknowledged role in a very different realm: decisions about the legal status of immigrants in particular, Muslim immigrants. First the immigration agency ties up their green card applications for years, even a decade, without explanation, then FBI agents approach the applicants with a loaded offer: Want to get your papers? Start reporting to us about people you know. Alexandra Natapoff, an associate dean at Loyola Law School who studies the use of informants, said people who are pressured into informing for the government face considerable danger, from ostracism or retribution within their own community to betrayal from law enforcement officers, whose promises the informants are powerless to enforce. BuzzFeed News spoke with six people who had been approached by the FBI, as well as immigration attorneys who said they had represented far more. Some allowed their stories to be published, even with details that could make them identifiable to federal authorities. But they all drew the line at publishing their names, lest they or their families suffer repercussions from their communities. Beyond the danger that coercive recruitment poses for its targets, it may also mean danger on a broad scale, by hampering Americas ability to detect, derail, and prosecute real threats to national security. Like 9/11 before it, the mass shooting in San Bernardino cast into stark relief the urgency of guarding against terrorism at home. Over the years, law enforcement authorities have used informants tips to foil numerous plots on American soil and to help other countries foil plots of their own. But many critics of Americas counterterrorism operations say the FBIs heavy-handed recruitment methods actually make it harder to thwart dangerous attacks, by alienating the very communities on whom the government is most reliant for information. Michael German, a former FBI agent who is now a national security expert at New York Universitys Brennan Center for Justice, says wide-scale coercive recruitment produces a surfeit of false leads. All of this investigative effort is against people who are not suspected, he said, of terrorism or any other criminal activity. The result is so much useless information that agents cannot focus on the most important leads. This becomes an obstacle to real security. For immigrants pressured to become government informants, the process might begin with the Controlled Application Review and Resolution Program (CARRP). The program, overseen by immigration authorities, is designed to identify security risks among those who apply for visas, asylum, green cards, and naturalization. In November, BuzzFeed News revealed that the program is being used to vet refugees seeking asylum from Syria. Initiated in 2008, and building on related efforts in the years before that, CARRP casts an extraordinarily wide net. It subjects not just Known or Suspected Terrorists but even Non-Known or Suspected Terrorists to intense scrutiny and potentially endless delays. Mere geography hailing from areas of known terrorist activity can qualify a person for this treatment. So can knowing someone, however tangentially, who is under surveillance; transferring money abroad; having ever worked for a foreign government; or even just having foreign language expertise. Despite these wide-ranging criteria, the results are remarkably consistent: According to scholars and immigration lawyers, the population caught in CARRPs crosshairs is overwhelmingly Muslim. Immigration officials will not reveal how many people currently fall under CARRPs gaze, nor what fraction is Muslim. But the numbers are large: Just between 2008 and 2012, the case files of over 19,000 people from 18 Muslim-majority countries were rerouted through that program. They were not apprised of their status. According to Christopher Bentley, a spokesperson for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service, Theres no notification sent to someone saying your case is being handled through this process. All the person knows for sure is that the immigration application that should have proceeded along a predictable timeline has gone off the rails, flagged and delayed for years without explanation. Sometimes I joke, your immigration processing time is in proportion to the length of your beard, said Hassan Ahmad, an immigration lawyer from Virginia. Over the course of 12 years he says he has represented clients from 112 countries. Only his Muslim clients, he says, encounter lengthy, unexplained delays. In a 2014 lawsuit, the American Civil Liberties Union argued that CARRP is unconstitutional, violating the right to due process as well as the right to a timely review of immigration files as guaranteed by the Immigration and Nationality Act. (The five people on whose behalf the lawsuit was filed withdrew it when their applications were processed.) After these extensive procedural delays, BuzzFeed News has learned, FBI agents like the ones who approached A.M. can take advantage of immigrants desperation regardless of how useful their contacts would actually be, or what intelligence, if any, they have to offer. According to Charles Swift, a former Navy lawyer who won a Supreme Court ruling against the Bush administrations policy of trying terrorism suspects in a military tribunal, the undisclosed role of law enforcement officials makes the process even more problematic. The immigration agency, at least, ultimately will be accountable for its decisions in front of a federal immigration judge or a U.S. judge, he said. But the FBI is not accountable. A.M. says the FBI knew he didnt have any information about terrorists, because he already said so. Twice, in fact: first in the fear-stricken months after 9/11 and again in 2002 when agents approached him a second time. In his case file, which a lawyer was able to get ahold of, the agents noted that A.M. promised to let them know if he became aware of any suspicious activity. But in 2012 he did something less dutiful. He filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and the FBI. As he tells it, he had no choice: His green card application had been on hold for five years; his work visa was about to expire; and his senator, John Cornyn, to whom he had written for help, had responded that there was nothing he could do. In very short order, immigration authorities revoked A.M.s existing work visa, the one they had approved two years before. Later, four FBI agents turned up unannounced at his home, wanting to talk. He remembers one agent showing his badge and, perhaps inadvertently, revealing his gun. Others asked A.M.s neighbors if he had any violent tendencies. (A.M. got the name of only one of the FBI agents. Agent Clay Huesman, who came to A.M.s workplace that same morning to interview his co-worker, declined to speak with BuzzFeed News about the case, saying he was not authorized to do so.) A.M. got in touch with Swift, the lawyer who had fought against military tribunals, who arranged a meeting at the Department of Homeland Security offices in Dallas. It was there, tucked away in a room in a long, low-slung office building, that the officers pushed A.M. to become a secret informant. They would want me to wear a wire, he recalled, go to my friends in the masjid, the mosque, talk about jihad, encourage them to fight or something, and then ask me to witness against them for provoking them. I cant do that. He said he pleaded with the agents. Is there something that you know about me? Then tell me. If there is something you think I have done wrong then tell me. They didnt answer. Instead, they told him that if he did not agree to their offer, he and his family would no longer be welcome in America. Swift ended the meeting. Within hours, one of the agents called him and asked which flight his client would be on. A.M. and his family sold what possessions they could, and two weeks later, they left the country that for 17 years he had called home. Critics of CARRP say its entire premise strains credulity. If these immigrants posed a genuine threat to national security, wouldnt authorities lock them up, rather than just allowing them to live for years at large in the United States? They dont prosecute any of them, they dont even investigate them for real terrorist activities, said Claudia Slovinsky, a 35-year veteran of immigration law. If they really think someone is a danger, deal with it. Confront them. Because of the unique position that Muslim immigrants occupy in American national security subjected to a higher degree of scrutiny but also solicited as valuable sources in their communities CARRP can victimize Muslim immigrants twice: leaving them in painful limbo for years, and then exposing them to abuse by law enforcement. Swift ticked off several cultural factors that may increase their vulnerability: not strong in the language, not much money, not strong in due process concepts, and they often come from governments where if you dont play with the government, they can whisk you away and put you in jail. Critics cite another effect of the way the program is structured: CARRP has greatly expanded the FBIs influence in the immigration process, by giving the bureau immense sway in deciding who may and may not become citizens. In the 2013 report Muslims Need Not Apply, the ACLU reviewed public records, some of them heavily redacted, and found that immigration authorities are instructed to follow FBI direction as to whether to deny, approve, or hold in abeyance (potentially indefinitely) an application for an immigration benefit. In an interview with BuzzFeed News, Bentley, the immigration press secretary, denied that, insisting that each individuals file is reviewed by immigration officials alone, not by law enforcement on a case-by-case basis. CARRP is not a red flag that no one can overcome, he said. CARRP simply means that there is an issue here that needs to be resolved. He acknowledged that immigration officials and law enforcement officials do share their findings. We utilize the FBI as a contract service and they provide us access to background information needed for us to make determinations on individuals immigration cases, Bentley said. But as far as exactly what the FBI does with follow-up from information that may be developed by USCIS, or ICE Immigration and Customs Enforcement or any other department within Homeland Security, only the FBI can speak to that. After almost a dozen requests over three months, the FBIs National Press Office responded to questions from BuzzFeed News about the agencys involvement with CARRP by supplying two links to the Attorney Generals Guidelines for FBI Confidential Human Sources, as well as the FBIs Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide. Certainly we cannot confirm or comment on the specific approaches, tactics, or incidents involving recruiting human sources, the public affairs officer added. The first time Muhammad (his middle name) met with an FBI agent, it was in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency in North Dallas in 2010. An immigrant from Jordan who came to America in 1989, he had already been waiting for a decade to hear the results of his citizenship application. Muhammad brought two representatives of the Muslim American Society Immigrant Justice Center to the meeting. Agent Erik Tighe was accompanied by another agent from the bureau. Over the course of more than two hours, Agent Tighe asked Muhammad about his relationship to the Holy Land Foundation. Holy Land was a large and diverse Muslim charity the largest in America and Muhammad vaguely recalled signing up for a program to sponsor an orphan. The amount, he said, was at most $30. It was legal at the time, but the group was subsequently found guilty of aiding a terrorist organization. For a Muslim immigrant, Muhammad knew, even an accidental association like that could be fatal to any hope of ever becoming a U.S. citizen. According to Muhammad and his two advisers, Agent Tighe made an offer: Become an informant. Help the FBI. And the FBI will help with your immigration application. The second time Agent Tighe approached Muhammad, he was less conciliatory. It was the morning of Jan. 5, 2011, at around 7:40 a.m. The FBI agent brought an official from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency that oversees immigration. They told Muhammad that if he didnt work with them, they would delay his citizenship indefinitely. More than 10 years? Muhammad said he asked. More than that? You have already delayed it, so whatever you want to do, go ahead, but Im not going to talk to you like this. BuzzFeed News attempted to reach Agent Tighe and other FBI agents mentioned in this story but was told by a spokesman that the FBI is not doing interviews at this time. Muhammad eventually wrote a complaint to the Office of the Inspector General. By using my charitable contribution as a means to determine my eligibility for naturalization, I have been designated a national security concern, he wrote. I am not. I am a law-abiding citizen who has an affinity to this country and would willingly protect it against any wrongdoing or criminal behavior. In February 2012, after 12 years, Muhammads citizenship application was denied because of lack of good moral character, an assessment based on his relationship to the charity. His future is uncertain. The supposed national security threat has so far been allowed to continue living in America, but his green card will expire in 2019. By that time he will have been in this country 30 years. German, the former FBI agent, said that the FBIs use of informants changed after 9/11. As the departments priorities shifted toward counterterrorism, agents came under much greater pressure to develop Muslim sources any Muslim sources, regardless of how useful they might actually be. Now, he said, Rather than use all their energy to focus on the very small number of terrorists, they try to find anybody that they have a lever over to compel them to be an informants. The issue has arisen before. A 2014 lawsuit filed by the Center for Constitutional Rights revealed that the FBI had been intimidating people on the no-fly list, saying they would never be removed unless they agreed to spy for the government. After 9/11, said a recently retired former FBI special agent who spoke to BuzzFeed News on the condition of anonymity, the shift toward counterterrorism increased the importance of having a lot of sources, especially within the Middle Eastern community. Naturally, most of those folks were immigrants. Dennis G. Fitzgerald, a former Drug Enforcement Agency agent with over 20 years of experience and the author of a book on informants and the law, concurred: The leverage on an immigrant or an alien is unbelievable. Its all about having leverage on another human being, and using that leverage, that power, to persuade them, to squeeze them, into becoming an informant. But however effective CARRP is as a recruitment tool for the FBI, there is little evidence that the arrangement has produced much usable intelligence. Critics have questioned the governments reliance on counterterrorism informants with mental illness or criminal records, as well as the ease with which investigation can become entrapment. Informants who are pressured, the former special agent said, will just tell you what they think you might want to hear, or tell you something that will get them in a better position for himself, like getting immigration assistance. He continued, They will tell you something that cant be verified, or theyll tell you something that they might think you want to hear. They will tell you theres something going on over here, or this person is planning this thing. And they will tell you that because they think it will help them in their particular situation, and not because its really happening. The more false leads the FBI has to chase after, the fewer agents there are to track down the real ones. Simple in dress and haircut, tall and slim, Osman (his middle name), a 38-year-old Somali refugee, blends in easily on the streets of America. He wears a pleasant smile for no reason at all. Those who pass him might assume hes just as ordinary as he looks. But the path by which he came to this country is remarkable, and so is the threat that the federal government appears to believe he poses. When Osman was 14, his father and two sisters were killed in the Somali Civil War. Osman made his way, by foot, to Kenya, along with hundreds of thousands of other refugees. He landed in what would become the worlds largest refugee camp, where he spent 14 years before getting permission to come to America. I was so excited. I was so happy. I used to watch movies about Las Vegas and Los Angeles, and I couldnt believe I would ever live there, he recalled. Two years after arriving, in 2006, he decided to apply for a green card. According to Osmans immigration file obtained by the ACLU on his behalf immigration authorities ran him through the FBIs Name Check database and came up with a hit. That meant Osman had been mentioned in some unspecified capacity in an FBI file. Or perhaps it was someone else with a similar name, or a phonetic variation of his name. Whatever the case, it was 2008, the year the CARRP program officially began. His application ground to a halt. Three years after he filed the papers, he visited the local office of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to inquire about his status. Then he returned to his apartment, and 15 minutes later, Osman says, two FBI agents knocked on his door. Over the next six months, the FBI agents repeatedly sought him out, asking him to identify photographs of men he told them he had never seen before or to talk about Ethiopian militants whom he tried to explain he knew nothing about. One of the agents told Osman they had a deal for him. A good deal, Osman recalled: The FBI could help him with his green card application and even help some of his family immigrate to the United States. But something changed, he said, when she called and said, I want to ask you where Osama Bin Laden is. That was when I got shocked, he recalled. I was really scared, and I was not feeling comfortable. She was giving me so much pressure. I think she was trying to scare me. But he did not dare tell anyone in his community, lest someone think he was cooperating. Immigration records indicate that right around that time, and again in March and May of 2010, the Joint Terrorism Task Force a partnership of law enforcement agencies led by the FBI requested information about Osmans immigration files from USCIS. In March 2011, Osman was informed that his claim to be a member of Somalias persecuted Tuni clan may have been false. He tried to fight the charge, but lost. First his refugee status was revoked. Then, six years after filing an application for a green card, Osman finally got an answer: No. An immigration lawyer did eventually get him in front of a judge, who ruled that the government had acted improperly. Osmans refugee status was reinstated, and he even got a green card. But when, encouraged by those developments, he applied to become a full citizen, he ran into the very same kinds of delays. FBI agents dont show up at his door anymore, but he worries that he might still find himself searching for a country to call home. I believe Im already an American, Osman said one recent night, sitting in a hotel lobby. I mean, I am an American! he exclaimed, with his hands in the air. This is my home. They might believe something else, but of course I am. America is no longer home for A.M., the software programmer from Pakistan who was told by the FBI agent to get out of the United States. Speaking with BuzzFeed News from the country where he and his family now reside he asked that the country not be named, out of fear for relatives still living in America he said he missed the place where he lived for 17 years. We had a home there, he recently wrote, with close family friends, strong ties with the Muslim community, a vibrant life at the local mosque, and a stable job. Our lives were turned upside down when the Feds visited us on June 4th, 2014 7:45AM. Everything that was precious to us was in one way or another impacted by their unjustified and ruthless acts. He tried every possible way to resolve the suspicion of the government, he said. Nothing worked. When asked whether A.M. would have had a better chance of success if he were not a Muslim, from a Muslim-majority country, Claudia Slovinsky, the immigration lawyer, laughed. He would be a citizen by now, she said. Talal Ansari is an investigative editorial assistant for BuzzFeed News and is based in New York. His secure PGP fingerprint is 21E9 D88C B936 4D43 9B2C 9ABB 8EA8 FC9D D2E3 DA18 A Russian Diplomats Take on the World As the Wests mainstream media portrays Russia as a crazy rogue state, Moscows thoughtful critiques of world affairs are ignored, not fitting the propaganda theme. Such was the case when Foreign Minister Lavrov explained why there would be no more business as usual with the West, as Gilbert Doctorow describes. By Gilbert Doctorow January 30, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Consortium News " - On Jan. 26, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held an important year-in-review press conference before an audience of about 150 journalists, including the BBC correspondent Steve Rosenberg and many other well-known representatives of mainstream Western media. The purpose of this annual event is to look back at issues faced by his Ministry over the past year and to give his appraisal of results achieved. Lavrovs opening remarks were concise, lasting perhaps 15 minutes, and the remaining two hours were turned over to the floor for questions. As the microphone was passed to journalists from many different countries, the discussion covered a great variety of subjects, including the likelihood of a new re-set with the United States, the negotiations over re-convening the Syrian peace talks in Geneva, British Prime Minister David Camerons comments on the findings of a U.K. public inquest into the Litvinenko murder, the possibilities for reestablishing diplomatic relations with Georgia, and prospects for resolving conflicting claims over the Southern Kurile islands so as to conclude a peace treaty with Japan. To the best of my knowledge, not a single report of the event has yet appeared on major online American, French, British and German newspaper portals or television channels. This was not for lack of substance or newsworthy sound bites, including Lavrovs headline comment that he agreed with Western leaders who said there would be no business as usual between Russia and the West. As part of his opening comments, Lavrov said, Our Western colleagues sometimes declare with passion that there can no longer be business as usual with Russia. I am convinced that this is so and here we agree: there will be no more business as usual when they tried to bind us with agreements which take into account above all the interests of either the European Union or the United States and they wanted to persuade us that this will do no harm to our interests. That history is over and done with. A new stage of history is dawning which can develop only on the basis of equal rights and all other principles of international law. Regarding a similar news blackout that followed another major Russian press briefing, the sharp-tongued Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova commented, what are all these accredited Western reporters doing in Moscow if nothing gets published abroad? Do they have some other occupation? In keeping with custom, the Russian Foreign Ministry posted the entire video recording of Lavrovs press conference on youtube.com and posted transcripts in Russian and English on the www.mid.ru site. The Russian version takes up 26 tightly spaced printed pages. This is what I have used, since I prefer to go to the source and do my own translations when I have the option. The English version probably takes 40 pages, given the normal expansion from Russian to English in the translation process. What I noted first in the television broadcast on Russias Pervy Kanal and then in the transcript was both how well prepared Lavrov was to deal with a plethora of issues and how he gave detailed answers that went on for many minutes without making reference to any notes. Secondly, it was obvious he spoke more freely, using fewer diplomatic euphemisms than I have ever seen before. I conclude that he was given a nod by his boss, President Vladimir Putin, not to hold back, to speak with perfect clarity. Given his experience as one of the longest-serving foreign ministers among the major powers and his innate intellect, Lavrov delivered what sounds at times like dictation for essays in proper written Russian. For these reasons, I have decided to divide my treatment of the press conference into two parts. One will be Lavrov in his own words. And the other will be my conclusions about the international environment in the coming year given Russias basic positions, particularly the possible lifting of sanctions on Russia by the United States and the European Union and how the next U.S. administration can best prepare for relations with Russia, assuming there is no dramatic change in the thinking of American elites. Sergey Lavrov in His Own Words From the press briefing, I have extracted several big chunks of text that characterize the overarching views on international relations of Lavrov and the Kremlin, applying their Realpolitik prism and focused primarily on U.S.-Russian relations. This is essential if we are not to lose sight of the forest for the trees. In questions and answers dealing with all countries but one, we hear about separate issues in various locations around the world holding interest mainly for discrete national audiences with their private concerns. With respect to one country, the U.S., Russias bilateral relations transcend the ministers in-basket of contingencies. Indeed, the whole Russian foreign policy really is about relations with the U.S. as expressed in the first two of the three passages in quotation marks below. The third passage, on sanctions, would seem to be more about relations with the E.U. I selected it because the issue of lifting sanctions will surely be a key foreign policy issue facing Russia in the first six months of this year, and behind it all looms the U.S. position on the question. Question: Is a re-set possible in this final year of Barack Obamas administration? Lavrov: The question should not be addressed to us. Our inter-state ties sank very low despite the excellent personal relations between former U.S. President George Bush and Russian President Putin. When U.S. President Barack Obama came to the White House and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offered a re-set, this reflected the fact that Americans themselves finally saw the abnormality of the situation wherein Russia and the USA were not cooperating to solve those problems which could not be decided without them We gave a rather constructive response to the re-set. We said that we appreciate the decision of the new Administration to correct the errors of its predecessors. We achieved quite a lot: the New START Treaty, the entry of Russia into the WTO, an array of new agreements on various conflict situations. But somehow this quickly began to drop back to zero. Now everyone, including our American colleagues, is telling us: Just fulfill the Minsk accords on Ukraine and immediately everything will return to normal. We will immediately cancel the sanctions and tempting prospects of cooperation will open up between Russia and the United States over much more pleasant issues, not just in the management of crises; right away a constructive partnership program will take shape. We are open for cooperation with everyone on an equal, mutually advantageous basis. We, of course, do not want anyone to build their policy based on the assumption that Russia and not Ukraine must fulfill the Minsk accords. It is written there who must fulfill them. I hope that this is well known to the USA. At least, my latest contacts with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, the contacts of Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland with Assistant to the Russian President Surkov indicate that the USA can sort out the essence of the Minsk accords. Grosso modo, everyone understands everything. I have just mentioned that people have begun to promise a new re-set. If we fulfill the Minsk accords, then immediately everything will become fine, with splendid and tempting prospects. But the cooling off of relations with the Administration of U.S. President Barack Obama and the end of the period associated with re-set began long before the Ukraine. Lets remember how this occurred. First, when we finally got the consent of our Western partners to terms of our joining the WTO which were acceptable to Russia, the Americans understood that it was not in their interests to keep the Jackson-Vanik amendment. Otherwise they would be deprived of those privileges and advantages which are linked to our participation in the WTO. They began to prepare for the removal of this amendment. But Americans would not be Americans if they simply abolished it and said Enough, lets now cooperate normally. They dreamed up the Magnitsky Act, although I am certain that what happened to Magnitsky was not set up. I very much hope that the truth will become known to everyone. It is disgusting how a provocation and speculation were built up around the death of a man. Nonetheless, this was done and you know who lobbied for this Magnitsky Act, which immediately replaced the Jackson-Vanik amendment. [The Magnitsky Act was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 2012 with the goal of punishing Russian officials believed responsible for the death of Sergei Magnitsky, a lawyer who died in prison in 2009 amid accusations and counter-accusations of fraud.] This all began when there was still no Ukraine [crisis], although they now try to lay the blame on violations of OSCE principles. Everything that is going on between the West and Russia is explained by the fact that Russia did not fulfill its obligations, did not respect the world order which was put together in Europe after the Helsinki Act [of 1975], etc. These are all attempts to justify and find an excuse for continuing the policy of containment. But this policy never ended. After the Magnitsky Act [in 2012], there was the completely inappropriate, overblown reaction to what happened to Edward Snowden, who found himself in Russia against our wishes [in 2013]. We did not know about this. He did not have a passport his document was canceled while he was in flight. He could not go anywhere from Russia because of decisions taken in Washington. We could not help but give him the possibility to remain in Russia so as to stay safe, knowing which articles of the law they were threatening him with. The Americans made no secret about this. This was done simply as an elementary protection of a persons right to life. U.S. President Barack Obama then canceled his visit to Russia. They made a huge scandal. Dozens of telephone calls came in from the FBI, from the CIA, the State Department. There were direct contacts with the President. They told us that if we do not give up Snowden, then relations will be broken off. The USA canceled the visit. It did not take place but U.S. President Obama came for the G-20 Summit in St. Petersburg, where we, by the way, did something useful we reached agreement on the principles of the removal of Syrias chemical weapons. Ukraine was just a pretext. The Ukrainian crisis is linked not so much with justified concern over an alleged violation by Russia of the Helsinki principles (although everything began with Kosovo, with the [1999] bombing of Yugoslavia, etc). This was an expression of irritation that the coup detat did not lead to the results that were expected by those who supported it. I will tell you honestly that we dont hold a grudge. We have no such traditions in relations between states. We understand that life is tougher than any ideal, romantic scheme like re-set or similar. We also understand that this is a world in which there are harsh clashes of interests that come down to us from the age of the Wests total domination and it is in the midst of a long transition period to a more durable system in which there will not be one or even two dominant poles there will be several. The transition period is long and painful. Old habits die slowly. We all understand this. We understand that the USA is interested in having fewer competitors even with regards to those comparable to it in size, influence, military power, economy. We see this in the relations between the USA and China, in how the USA works with the European Union, trying to create a ring around it via the Transatlantic Partnership, and to the east of Russia, to create a Trans-Pacific Partnership which will not include Russia and China. Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke about this in detail when he analyzed the processes at work in the world economy and politics. We understand all of this. Surely every age brings with it new tendencies, frames of mind in one or another of the elites, especially in major countries which see in their own fashion the ways to fight for their interests. It would be very bad and ruinous for all of us if these processes moved outside the framework of generally accepted norms of international law. Then, simply put, everything would be topsy-turvy, and we would be drawn into a world of anarchy and chaos something like what is going on in the Near East, perhaps without bloodshed. Each would act as he reckons necessary and nothing good would come out of this. It is very important to observe some kind of general rules of play. To answer your question, I would like for the USA to have a re-set with the whole world, so that the re-set was general, so that we could gather together and reconfirm our commitment to the UN Charter, to the principles embodied in it, including non-interference in internal affairs, respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity and the right of peoples to self-determination, the right of peoples to choose their own future without interference from outside. Question: At the Munich Security Conference in 2007 President Putin said to the West you need us more than we need you. Is that still Russias position? Lavrov: Ideally we both need one another to face the challenges and threats. But, the reality is different. The West comes to us much more often for help than we come to the West. (Lavrov said that in response to Western sanctions, Russia was striving to be self-sufficient and promoting import substitution, but not trying to cut itself off from the world and ready for cooperation based on equality.) We must do everything to ensure we do not depend on the whim of one or another group of countries, above all from our Western partners as happened when the West took offense at Russia for supporting ethnic Russians in Ukraine who did not recognize the 2014 coup detat. I have cited Dmitry Yarosh [leader of the radical nationalists, the Right Sector] that they wanted to destroy Russian speakers in Ukraine or deprive them of their rights. We want to insure ourselves against such situations. I note that its not we who are running to our European colleagues and saying Lets do something to remove the sanctions. Not at all. We are focused on not depending on such zigzags in Western policy, not depending on Europes saluting the USA. But in our bilateral contacts our European colleagues, when they come to us or meet us in international forums, say: Lets think of something. Help us carry out the Minsk accords, otherwise these sanctions will do a lot of damage. We want to turn the page. It turns out that in this situation we are needed more by them than they are needed by us. Including for fulfillment of the Minsk accords. Yes, we have influence in Donbass [the ethnic Russian section of eastern Ukraine] and we support them. Surely, without our help and humanitarian deliveries Donbass would be in a pitiful state. But one also has to exert influence in Kiev. We need the West to influence the Kiev authorities, but so far this is not happening. Or look at the question of the Iranian nuclear program. At the decisive stages of these negotiations we were literally bombarded with requests when it was necessary to solve the questions of exporting enriched uranium in exchange for natural uranium, which was the key condition for achieving agreements; when it was necessary to resolve the question about who will convert the enrichment sites at Fordu into research for production of medical isotopes, etc. They came with requests to us, requests which carry a significant financial burden, or at least which do not bring any material benefit. But we fulfilled our part of the work. Now everyone is calling us and our Chinese colleagues about the North Korean problem: help us do something to make North Korea observe its obligations. Or take the case of Syria. I cant think of any requests we made to our Western colleagues recently. We dont believe it is proper to make requests. After you sign agreements following negotiations, you now have to execute obligations, not to make requests for favors. Question on whether sanctions will end early. Lavrov: Id say that among a large number of our partners there is the awareness that they cannot go on this way any longer, that this is harmful to them. Our justification for speaking about some possible positive changes comes down to the following: our Western partners more and more often begin to understand that they have fallen into a trap of their own making when they said that they will lift the sanctions after Russia fulfills the Minsk accords. They have now understood that, very likely, this was a slip of the tongue. But in Kiev this was heard very often and was interpreted as an indulgence allowing them not to carry out the Minsk accords. Their failure to perform not only means that Kiev does not have to undertake any actions and fulfill its obligations. It also means that the West will have to keep the sanctions in place against Russia. It was necessary to prove all of this to some gentlemen who are in Kiev fanning radical attitudes. The West understands the hopelessness of the present situation, when everyone pretends that Russia must fulfill the Minsk accords but Ukraine can do nothing not change its constitution, not give a special status to the Donbass, not put through an amnesty, not organize elections in consultation with Donbass. Everyone understands that no one will resolve these things for Ukraine. Everyone understands that this is abnormal, something pathological which emerged in turning the Ukrainian crisis, which arose as a result of an absolutely illegal, anti-constitutional coup detat, into a measuring stick for all relations between Russia and the West. This is absolutely abnormal, an unhealthy situation, artificially fanned from countries that are far removed from Europe. Europe no longer wants to be held hostage to this situation. For me, this is obvious. General Conclusions In presenting these three long excerpts from Lavrovs Jan. 26 press conference, my intention was to give readers a feel for Lavrovs method of argumentation and his somber tone in what was delivered without notes and in response to questions from journalists in the audience. In his prepared opening remarks, Lavrov had already set out some of the key points in the overall approach to international affairs from Russias analytical tool of realism and national interest. The number one issue facing Russia and the world from his perspective is to arrive at a new system of managing international affairs. Russias relations with the West are part and parcel of this broader challenge. This wished-for new system would be one built on full equality of relations between states, respect for their interests and non-interference in internal affairs. Lavrov was repeating Vladimir Putins call upon nations to re-dedicate themselves to the principles of the United Nations Charter that Putin issued in New York in September 2015 at the 70th anniversary gathering of the General Assembly. The new system of global governance will come about as a result of reforms to the basic international institutions whereby political and economic power is reallocated in ways that reflect changes in relative economic and military power of nations from the days when these institutions were established. By itself, there is nothing particular new in this vision. It has been in the public domain for years and guided calls for readjusting the voting powers within the International Monetary Fund. The novel element, which will be shocking to many in Washington, was Sergey Lavrovs clear and repeated identification of the United States as the power frustrating the renewal of world governance by stubbornly defending its hegemonic control of institutions and seeking to consolidate still further its control over its allies in Europe and Asia at the expense of their national interests and in furtherance of its own interests. Hence, Lavrovs mention of the TPP and TIPP projects. Hence, his repeated mention of forces from afar, meaning the U.S., that have imposed European sanctions on Russia against the wishes of separate E.U. member states. At one point, in responding to a journalist from Japan, Lavrov completely abandoned veiled language. He said Russia favored in principle giving a permanent seat on the UN Security Council to Japan, but would do so only when it was clear Japan will contribute its own national views to deliberations, broadening the perspectives on the table, and not merely provide the United States with an additional voting member under its control. It is interesting that Lavrov explicitly denied that Russia feels offended, or as I have written using an alternative translation, holds a grudge over how it has been treated by the United States in the downward spiral of relations from the high point of the 2009 re-set to todays nadir. The context for this remark is the ever-present denunciations in mainstream Western media of Vladimir Putins speeches on foreign affairs. Putins observations on how things went awry since the end of the Cold War are regularly categorized as diatribes and revisionist, by which is meant aggressive, threatening and possibly irrational. Lavrov said Russia acknowledges it is a tough world out there and competition is harsh. That is the true sense of his headline remark that there can be no return to business as usual or the idealistic notions underlying the re-set even when the current sanctions against Russia are lifted. Russia is nonetheless open for business on equal and mutually advantageous terms where and when possible. In this regard, Lavrov is in complete agreement with American experts like Angela Stent at Georgetown University who advise the incoming U.S. administration in 2017 against planning some new re-set. They come to that common conclusion from diametrically opposed premises over who is responsible for the new reality. Lavrov speaks of our being in a long and painful transition period from a world dominated by the West, which in turn is dominated by one power, the United States, to a multipolar world with a number of key participants in global governance. But that does not exclude amelioration and he appears to share the view now spreading in Western media, that U.S. and European sanctions will be lifted in the near future. One recent example of this expectation that generates euphoria in Western business circles appeared in Bloomberg online the day before Lavrovs news conference: Russian Entente Nears as Allies Hint at End of Ukraine Sanctions. The important message, which Sergey Lavrov delivered on Jan. 26, is that Russia has not and will not mend its ways. He told us Russia did not beg for relief from sanctions and is not trading its support for Bashar al-Assad in Syria in return for relief over Ukraine. We may be sure that the United States and the European Union will present the lifting of sanctions as a trade-off. But the reality will be a retreat from a policy that is unsustainable because it harms Western interests far more than Russian interests. This was the sense of Lavrovs insistence that the West needs Russia more than Russia needs the West. The present, ongoing economic harm to European farmers and other select sectors of the economy from Russias tit-for-tat embargo is obvious. The harm to U.S. interests is more subtle. It was recently highlighted in an article published in Foreign Affairs magazine by a research fellow of the Cato Institute entitled Not-So Smart Sanctions. There we read that the Washington establishment is finally worried over the creation by Russia and China of alternative global financial institutions to those based in Washington. The BRICS Bank, the Asia Infrastructure Development Bank, the introduction of bank clearing centers competing with SWIFT: all are intended to end, once and for all, Americas possibilities for inflicting crippling economic pain on those falling into its latest list of enemies as was done to punish the Kremlin over annexation of Crimea and intervention in Donbass. Lavrov spoke repeatedly about defending national interests as the guiding principle of foreign relations. In this connection, the shadow of Hans Morgenthau, a founder and major theorist of Americas Realist School, may be said to have shared the podium with him. But Lavrov and the Russians have taken to a new level the principles set out in Politics Among Nations, Morgenthaus famous textbook which generations of American college students once studied in their Government 101 courses. Lavrovs Russia is calling upon nations to shed their chains, to stop pushing their national interests to one side while listening to instructions from Washington. Nations should compete and jostle for influence in a free market of ideas and influences, while playing by generally recognized rules. If the rules are followed, the international environment will not collapse into chaos notwithstanding sharp contradictions between nations. Gilbert Doctorow is the European Coordinator, American Committee for East West Accord, Ltd. His latest book Does Russia Have a Future? (August 2015) is available in paperback and e-book from Amazon.com and affiliated websites. For donations to support the European activities of ACEWA, write to eastwestaccord@gmail.com. Gilbert Doctorow, 2015 Jill Stein's Platform More Viable Than Bernie's By David Swanson January 30, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " American Herald Tribune " - I asked Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein about her platform this week and came away believing it had a better chance of winning than Bernie Sanders'. I know that platforms don't run, people do, and they do so within a two-party dominated system. But this already crazy presidential election could turn into a crazier five-way race. And, even if it doesn't, or if it does but still nobody ever learns that Jill Stein exists, there is nonetheless much for us and for the other candidates to learn from her platform. If you think free college is popular, you should see what young people think of free college and erasing all existing student debt. If single-payer healthcare with raised taxes (but net savings, if you make it to that fine print) excites voters, how do you think they'd respond to single-payer healthcare with no raised taxes? If fewer wars and asking Saudi Arabia to do more of the funding and fighting sounds promising, what would you say to no more wars, a 50 percent cut in the $1 trillion/year military spending, no more weapons sales to Saudi Arabia which is doing more than enough killing, thank you, no more free weapons for Israel either, and investment of some of the savings in a massive green energy jobs campaign producing a sustainable energy policy and a full-employment economy? Senator Bernie Sanders' domestic proposals have got millions excited, but the (unfair and misleading) criticism that he'll raise taxes may be a tragic flaw, and it's one he opens himself up to by refusing to say that he'll cut the military. Stein would cut at least half of the single biggest item in the discretionary budget, an item that takes up at least half of that budget: military spending. She'd cut fossil fuel subsidies, as well, and expect savings to come from healthcare, including as a result of cutting pollution and improving food quality. But the big immediate item is the military. Cutting it is popular with voters, but not with Democratic or Republican presidential candidates. Sanders will be labeled the Tax Man by the corporate media, while Jill Stein will have to be attacked in a different way if she gets mentioned. "Cutting the military budget is something that we can do right now," Stein told me, "but we want to be clear that we are putting an end to wars for oil period. And that is part of our core policy of a Green New Deal which creates an emergency program, establishing twenty million living wage jobs, full-time jobs, to green the economy, our energy, food, and transportation systems, building critical infrastructure, restoring ecosystems, etc. This is an emergency program that will get to 100 percent renewable energy by 2030. So this is a war-time-level mobilization in order to completely detoxify our energy system, and that means both nuclear and fossil fuel. In doing that, we deprive the empire of this major justification for wars and bases all around the world. So we want to be clear that that emphasis is gone, and goading the American public into war so as to feed our fossil fuel energy system that ends and makes all the more essential and possible the major cutting of the military budget." Which 50 percent of the military would Stein cut? Two places she named that she would start with (there would have to be much more) are foreign bases (she'd close them) and the U.S. nuclear weapons program. Would she unilaterally scrap U.S. nukes? I asked. "We dont even need to do it unilaterally," Stein said, "because the Russians have been begging to revive the process of nuclear disarmament, which the U.S., in its wisdom, undercut. ... The Russians have been persistently trying to restore those nuclear talks for the purpose of disarmament. And that would be step one is to make major reductions between the U.S. and Russia and then to convene a world forum to put an end to nuclear weapons altogether." The "war on terror," Stein pointed out, has only created more terror, while costing each U.S. household $75,000. "Thats not going to make people terribly enthusiastic for it, particularly when you point out that all this has done is create failed states, worse terrorist threat, whether you look at the Taliban, the globalization of al-Qaeda, the creation of ISIS. This has been an utter, unmitigated disaster, and the massive refugee crisis which is threatening to tear apart the European Union. This is absolutely unsustainable by any count." To change U.S. foreign policy, Stein proposed financial reforms unheard of in any presidential debate thus far. She suggested that military and other government contractors should face "pay to play protections" preventing them from "buying their way into policy." Stein explained: "If you establish that anyone who contributes, who provides campaign contributions, or who lobbies is not eligible for contracting with the government, the minute you break that umbilical cord, then the industry loses its power to corral Congress and dictate foreign policy." Stein said such protections could also block U.S. government facilitation of weapons sales to foreign buyers. "War profiteering should not be allowed," Stein explained, "in the same way that energy profiteering is not compatible with our survival." Ultimately, the big profits, Stein said, are in healthcare: "We spend a trillion dollars plus on the military industrial complex every year, but we spend three trillion and counting every year on the sick care system, which doesn't make us well. It just enables us to tread water while we cope with these disastrous health impacts of the war economy and the fossil fuel economy." Stein did not hesitate to highlight differences when I asked her about Bernie Sanders. She cited his "support, for example, for the F-35 weapons system which has been an incredible boondoggle." While Sanders would keep killing with drones and "fighting terrorism," Stein calls "fighting terrorism" an oxymoron and points to counterproductive results: "Terrorism is a response to drones that sneak up on you in the night and to night raids and this is where we recruit and we enable ISIS and al-Qaeda to continue expanding ... something Bernie hasn't quite gotten straight by saying the solution here is to turn the Saudis loose; the Saudi's need to 'get their hands dirty'." "We can actually begin to rein in the Saudis with a weapons embargo and by impounding their bank accounts," Stein said. The same goes for Israel, she added, stressing the need to respect the law. Should the United States join the International Criminal Court, I asked. "Oh, my god, of course!" was Stein's reply. "And the treaty on land mines?" "Of course! My god. Yes. ... There are all sorts of treaties that are ready to move forward. In fact the Soviets and the Chinese have been prime movers in expansion of treaties to prohibit weapons in space and to establish the rule of law in cyberspace." So, what would President Jill Stein do about ISIS? She answered that question with no hesitation: "Number 1: we don't stop ISIS by doing more of what created ISIS. This is like the elephant in the room that none of the other presidential candidates are willing to acknowledge, even Rand Paul, I might say, surprisingly. So we don't bomb ISIS and try to shoot ISIS out. We've got to stop ISIS in its tracks by ending the funding of ISIS and by ending the arming of ISIS. How do we do that? We do that with a weapons embargo. And so the U.S. can unilaterally move forward on that, but we need to sit down and talk with the Russians as well, and Putin tried to do this. "You know, Putin, our arch enemy Putin, was actually trying to create a peace process in Syria. ... We need to begin talking with Russia and with other countries. We need to build on our relative detente with Iran to engage them, and we need to bring our allies into the process. Right now, the peace process, as I understand it, is held up by, guess who -- Saudi Arabia, who wants to bring in known terrorist groups as the representatives of the opposition. The Saudis should not be defining the way forward here ... Our ally Turkey needs to understand that their membership in NATO or their position with the U.S. and other allies around the world should not be taken for granted, and that they cannot be in the business either of funding ISIS and related groups through the purchase of their oil [or of] shipping weapons. They also need to close down their border to the movement of the militias." Stein was sounding an awful lot like the leader of the Labour Party in Britain, Jeremy Corbyn, and I asked her about him. "I have already met with Jeremy Corbyn," she said, "when I was in Paris for the climate talks, ... and we had a surprising amount of time to talk and we agreed completely on collaborating on this 'peace offensive,' which is the name we have given to our solution to the problem of ISIS. Peace is not passive. We need an active, interventionist program based on peace which means to stop the flow or arms and money, etc. So, we've already agreed that we see eye-to-eye on foreign policy." But Corbyn is in office with a shot at becoming prime minister. With the U.S. public completely sold on the hopelessness of third-party bids, at least by non-multi-billionaires, what is Stein's plan for actually becoming president? "First of all," she says, "there are 43 million young people and not-so-young people who are trapped in debt, in student debt. My campaign is the only campaign that will be on the ballot that will abolish student debt. We did it for the bankers who plunged us into this economic crisis that persists in spite of what they say. And they did that by way of their waste, fraud, and abuse. Yet we bailed them out to the tune of $16 trillion and counting. "So, isn't it about time we bail out the victims of that waste, fraud, and abuse -- the young people of this country whose leadership and whose civic engagement is essential for blazing the trail to our future? It has always required a fresh generation to re-envision, you know, what our future looks like. So, we need to bail out the young people, for their benefit and for ours. That can be done through another quantitative easing which is relatively simple, does not cost us, essentially expands the money supply in a way that works as a stimulus to the economy, unlike the bailout that they provided to Wall Street which has only created a stimulus for more reckless gambling waste, fraud, and abuse. ... I have yet to find a young person in debt who doesn't become a missionary for our campaign the minute they learn that we will cancel their debt. ... The 43 million young people that is a plurality of the vote. In a three-way race, that's enough to win the vote." Stein also pointed to 25 million Latinos who, she said, "have learned that the Democrats are the party of deportation, of night raids, and of detention, of refugees who are fleeing a crisis in their home countries that we created. How? Through NAFTA, though illegal coups and CIA-sponsored regime changes, and through the drug wars. ... If people want to fix the immigration problem, the answer is, 'Stop causing it.'" But will Stein be in the debates for the general election? "In my experience," she told me, "all you have to do is have a real conversation, have an open mic, a true presidential debate that actually allows presidential candidates to debate who have broad enough support that they are on the ballot for a majority of Americans and could numerically win the election. We are challenging the Commission on Presidential Debates in court and we will be challenging them soon with a direct action campaign, so stay tuned, because the American public deserves to know about the issues. The American public deserves the right to vote. And they have a right to know who they can vote for and what they are voting about." David Swanson is an author, activist, journalist, and radio host. He is director of WorldBeyondWar.org and campaign coordinator for RootsAction.org. Swanson's books include War Is A Lie. Benjamin Netanyahu Is An Obnoxious Loudmouth Jewish Supremacist By Norman G. Finkelstein January 30, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Byline " - The historical record shows that Israels rights have not been prejudiced but in fact privileged by the international community. It has been not the victim but the beneficiary of a global double standard. Therefore, the thesis that a primal hatred of Jews accounts for its current pariah status cannot be sustained. Still, hasnt Israel been unfairly targeted? Many more innocents (it is said) have been killed by Arabs in Syria and Darfur, while Tibetans, Kashmiris, and Kurds have also suffered under the incubus of foreign occupations. Nonetheless, public opinion fixates on Israels sins. How else to account for this discrepancy except anti-Semitism? But, although South Africa also bemoaned its pariah status, and in some technical sense it perhaps was unfairly singled out, it would have been ludicrous to argue that anti-White-ism figured as a corrupting factor in the international communitys moral calculus. The system of apartheid incarnated an essence so flagrantly antithetical and repugnant to the epochal zeitgeist, that the expostulations of its adherents fellRonald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher exceptingon deaf ears. Precisely why a particular local struggle metamorphoses into an international cause celebre is not subject to mathematical demonstration. How does one prove that one peoples suffering is the worst? But surely the Palestine struggle possesses sufficient appalling features in its own right such that anti-Semitism need not be dragged in as a critical, let alone the overarching, explanatory factor. If you eliminate the terrorism background noise, its hard to come up with a more pristine instance of injustice. What crime did Palestinians commit, my late mother (who knew something about human suffering) once rhetorically asked, except to be born in Palestine?[1] The longevity of the conflict puts it in an elite class: if its inception is dated from the Balfour Declaration, nearly a century has elapsed; from the Nakba, seven decades; from the West Bank/Gaza occupation, still, five decades. Its various phases and facets embrace the gamut of human misery: ethnic cleansing, foreign occupation, and siege; massacre, torture, and humiliation. Its inequity endows the conflict with a biblical resonance: is it not David versus Goliath when a tiny battered people does battle with the regional superpower backed by the global superpower? The sheer cruelty and heartlessness bewilders and boggles: in the past decade, Israel has unleashed the full force of its high-tech killing machine on the giant open-air prison in Gaza (British Prime Minister David Cameron) not less than eight times: Operation Rainbow (2004), Operation Days of Penitence (2004), Operation Summer Rains (2006), Operation Autumn Clouds (2006), Operation Hot Winter (2008), Operation Cast Lead (2008-9), Operation Pillar of Defense (2012), Operation Protective Edge (2014). The incommensurability of the suffering makes mockery of affectations of balance: during Israels last operation in Gaza, 550 Palestinian children were killed while one Israeli child was killed, 19,000 Gazan homes were destroyed while one Israeli home was destroyed. Although it might not be the only epitome of human suffering in the contemporary world, Palestine surely qualifies as a worthy candidate. What is more, whereas so much of the world yearns to Give peace a chance, Israel conspicuously yearns to Give war a chance, and another chance, and another chance (is there a day that goes by without Israel contemplating yet another attack on Gaza, Lebanon, Iran?); Israel flouts the global consensus supporting a two-state solution by appropriating and incorporating the last remnants of Palestine; Israels current head of state is an obnoxious loudmouth Jewish supremacist, while the Israeli people shoot and cry, love themselves to death and pity themselves ad nauseam (Gideon Levy)[2]dont Israels singular warmongering, brazenness and self-righteous arrogance themselves accentuate the conflicts image as one of pure good versus pure evil? If Palestine has become the emblematic cause of our time, its not because of a new New Anti-Semitism, although no doubt some anti-Semites have infiltrated its ranks. Its because the martyrdom of Palestine and the meanness of Israel are so wrong. Notes [1]My late mother was a survivor of the Warsaw Ghetto, Maidanek concentration camp, and two slave labor camps. Every other member of her family was exterminated. [2] Gideon Levy, Yair Lapid, Israels New Propaganda Minister, Haaretz (22 February 2015). Immediate past governor of Akwa Ibom State and Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio on Friday in Abuja denied reports in the social media alleging he made an attempt to withdraw money from his foreign accounts. In a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr Anietie Ekong and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the senator said that he did not own any foreign accounts. NAN reports that the social media was awash with news of an alleged foiled attempt by the Senator to withdraw 7.2 billion dollars from his foreign accounts in Dubai. The attention of the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio has been drawn to a report circulated in the internet linking him with ownership of houses/mansions in Dubai. We state categorically that Senator Akpabio does not own any foreign account in any part of the world. If such account is found, the Federal Government of Nigeria should seize the money and investigate the origin of such account, and prosecute the owner. In addition, he does not own any property in Dubai or in any foreign country. Akpabio served his people diligently for eight years as the governor and the transformation of the State within this period, which has gained world acclaim, is there for all to see, it said. The statement said that two foreign groups Wikileaks and The Global Peace Movement Group, UK had in 2010 cleared Akpabio of having any foreign account while he was governor. It accused the opposition in Akwa Ibom of masterminding the reports of quest to withdraw money from his foreign account. That some people out of political mischief should publish a purported attempt by the senator to withdraw through a CBN source a phantom sum of 7.2 billion dollars is ridiculous. It is the height of character assassination. We challenge these purveyors of falsehood to publish the full details of the purported 7.2 billion dollars account. We urge the Federal Government of Nigeria to seize such sum and prosecute the owner if it does exist, it said. (NAN) President Muhammadu Buhari has assured that Nigeria will redeem her pledge of $100 million for the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) to enhance the operations of the force in the ongoing battle against the Boko Haram insurgency. President Buhari gave the assurance in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Friday while speaking at a high-level meeting of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council. Buhari told the council that Nigeria had last June released the sum of $21 million to the Multinational Joint Task Force and would remit the $79 million balance very soon. The meeting was ahead of the 26th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union billed to commence on Saturday at the Headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa with the theme 2016: African Year of Human Rights with a Particular Focus on the Rights of Women. The president also told the AU Peace and Security Council that Boko Harams capacity to conduct conventional attacks had been heavily degraded. According to him, as of now, there is no single Nigerian territory currently under the control of the insurgents other than their hideouts in Sambisa Forest in Borno State. President Buhari also said the internally displaced persons (IDPs) were being resettled in their respective homes. He said this feat totally accorded with his administrations promise to Nigerians to rid the country of terrorism and extremism within few months of his assumption of office. Buhari said: Our efforts are already yielding dividends and we will not relent until the terrorist groups are totally decimated and wiped out of our country and sub-region. He also reiterated Nigerias commitment to supporting measures aimed at ending the conflicts in Burundi and South Sudan, including the proposed deployment of troops by the African Union to Burundi. The MNJTF, with headquarters in Ndjamena, the Chadian capital, is made up of security forces drawn from member states of the Lake Chad Basin Commission Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger and Benin, to combat the Boko Haram terrorist group. Four people have been confirmed dead and 13 others rescued alive after a commercial boat taking them to Lekki area of Lagos capsized in the Badore area of Lagos State. It was learnt that the boat began its journey from Ijede in Ikorodu. It is unclear how many passengers were aboard the boat when it capsized, however, rescue agencies are currently on the scene of the incident. Details later ***UPDATE*** The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, has confirmed the death of four passengers in another boat mishap in Lagos on Saturday morning. According to NEMA, the accident occurred at Badore in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of the state at about 10.00 a.m. The South-West spokesman for the agency, Ibrahim Farinloye, disclosed this on Saturday in a statement in Lagos. He, however, said 13 passengers were rescued. He said the boat with 17 passengers on board capsized at Badore. The incident occurred at about 10.00 this morning. The boat with 17 people on board which was coming from Ijede capsized at Badore. Four people died while 13 others were rescued, he said. The South-West Zonal Coordinator of the agency, Bandele Onimode, also confirmed that 13 passengers were rescued with help from some agencies. He specifically lauded the Lagos State Waterways Authority, National Inland Waterways Authority, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency and Marine Police for the rescue efforts. Mr. Onimole said the bodies had been taken to Ijede Hospital morgue. (NAN) The immediate past Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, has reacted to reports that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is closing in on two of his sons over an alleged curious payment of N4.8 billion from the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA. The sons are Babajide and Gbolahan, who are both directors of the company used as front for collecting the funds, our correspondent reported earlier. Faulting the report as another vague, contrived and distorted information, the former minister challenged controversial online platform, Sahara Reporters and the EFCC to sincerely publish the names of the Directors and signatories to the alleged Silva McNamara Limited account to the public as at when the said money was paid. Mr. Obanikoro said he was appalled by the public political persecution embarked upon by the anti-graft agency, noting that there is nowhere in the world where investigations are being conducted using the pages of the newspapers. In a statement signed on Saturday by one of his Media Aide, Mr. Jonathan Eze, the ex-minister and former Nigerian Ambassador to Ghana queried the wisdom and logic of bandying figures and associating same with his sons, who he pointed out are thorough bred professionals in their own rights. He reminded the EFCC and Sahara Reporters that the court of law is, and remains the judicial institution for trying cases and not whipping sentiments in order to give the dog a bad name in order to hang it. The statement opined that Sahara Reporters is propagating these lies and propaganda because of the legal cases against it by the former minister for misleading the public and defaming his hard earned name and reputation having served the nation in various capacities with enviable untainted records of public service. It also urged the EFCC to be straight and above board in their investigations and avoid speculations and conjectures that are infringing on the fundamental human rights of his sons. The statement reads in parts: Associating my sons to the Sylva McNamara account that allegedly received funds from the office of the embattled National security Adviser is highly preposterous and unthinkable. I am particularly amazed by the fact that trials and investigations are being done using the media unconventionally just to satisfy the cravings of political entities who are desperate to rub my hard earned reputation in the mud. Since the invicinble Sahara Reporters whom I have legal cases against are at the forefront of misleading the public and defaming my person, perhaps rationalizing that I would withdraw pending suits against it, I am using this medium to challenge it and the EFCC to publish in good conscience the signatories and the names of the directors of the said company and to restate that I shall conclusively pursue this injustice and infringements to a logical end. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday announced the arrest of one of its operatives, Abdulrahman Mohammed Biu, a Deputy Detective Superintendent, for collecting $150,000 (about N45 million) from some military officers currently being investigated. He was said to have promised to give the unnamed seven military officers soft landing to escape probe for alleged involvement in the $2.1billion arms deal scandal. A statement by the Head of Media and Publicity of EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said documents relating to the ongoing arms scandal investigation were recovered from the disgraced operative. The statement said: An operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Abdulrahman Mohammed Biu, Deputy Detective Superintendent (DDS), has been arrested for offences bordering on extortion, influence peddling and impersonation. The officer was arrested on Monday following intelligence report alleging that he extorted a whopping sum of $150,000 from some military officers on the pretext that he would help give them a soft landing in the ongoing investigation into the arms deal scandal. Upon his arrest, a search was executed on his residence in Abuja where the following items were recovered: $20,000 cash, N500, 000 cash, two police uniforms bearing his name with the ranks of Deputy Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent; Police warrant card No: 27/2014 with the rank of DSP allegedly obtained from Kano Constabulary office; documents relating to military arms investigation and account information of several senior military officers. A search of his car parked in the premises yielded the following items: unbranded pistol with a magazine and ten live ammunitions. His modus operandi includes dropping the names of ranking officers of the commission, claiming he was acting on their behalf. A paper containing seven of such names was recovered in his house. The suspect has made useful statement while investigation continues. Bengaluru: A complaint has been lodged against Maheshchandra Guru, Professor, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Mysuru University, for allegedly using abusive language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, HRD minister Smriti Irani and former Prime Minister late Jawaharlal Nehru. The complaint was lodged with Bengaluru city police commissioner, N.S. Megharikh by Dr Chi.Na. Ramu, National President of All India Dr Ambedkar Prachara Samithi. Mr. Ramu urged the police commissioner to take action against Mr Guru and ensure his service was terminated. The state BJP has backed Mr Ramus decision to file the complaint against Mr. Guru. According to the complainant, Mr Guru is the most controversial professor in Mysuru University who had described Ms Smriti Irani as a third rated actress. His abusive language against the PM is uncalled for, the complaint said. During a programme organized by the SC student union of Mysuru University to pay homage to Rohith Vemula, a student of Hyderabad Central University who committed suicide recently, Mr Guru had used abusive language against the PM and the HRD minister. He was suspended by Mysuru University for violating the conduct rules. He had also allegedly used abusive language against Mysuru University Professor Rangappa. A former Governor of Sokoto State and one time presidential candidate on the platform of the defunct Democratic Peoples Party, DPP, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, has said his joining the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was by accident. Bafarawa, a founding member of the All Progressives Congress, APC, joined PDP following some disagreements with the national leadership of the party over control of party structures in the seat of the Caliphate. Speaking in an interview yesterday, the former governor, however, said he had no regrets for the decision despite finding himself in the opposition at the moment. Narrating his journey to the PDP, Bafarawa said: I found myself in PDP by accident. What I mean by accident is that I was part and parcel of the APC. I am a founding member of the APC. I was forced to leave APC because of corruption in politics in my state when PDP governors defected to the APC. Corruption came into the system along the formation of the party when they said that the PDP governors were going to join APC and I happened to be a victim. We were forced to hand over the party to my governor, who was a PDP member. So my followers insisted we must remain in PDP and I had to work with them. He also claimed former President Goodluck Jonathan found it hard to believe when it was brought to his notice that he (Bafarawa) had joined the PDP. He could not believe that because during the days of Obasanjo, I had a lot of pressure to join the PDP but I refused, he added. On how long he intends to be in PDP, former Governor Bafarawa said for as long as it remains convenient, adding that there is no difference between the opposition and governing party in the country. The APC is the same with PDP. I used to call them PDP 1 and PDP 2 because almost many of the people in PDP are now in APC and vice versa. For instance, the Number 2 man in PDP who ruled this country for eight years as a vice president is now in APC. If you count all the governors in APC, most of them were at one time or the other were in PDP. You can say so of at least two National Chairmen of PDP now in APC, he said. Newly sworn-in Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has reinstated 15 Local Government chairmen sacked by his predecessor, Idris Wada, for decamping to the All Progressives Congress (APC). This is contained in a statement issued in Lokoja on Friday by Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr Kingsley Fanwo. The statement quoted Mr. Bello as saying that the action was informed by the need to promote the rule of law and ensured that no one was victimized based on political belief. The statement said that the governor directed those that have been occupying the positions in the absence of the chairmen to hand over immediately and revert to their former positions. Governor Bello expects the normalisation to be carried out without rancour, regardless of political differences. Chairmen who were removed via impeachment are considered to have been removed legally and are bound to the legal status quo, the statement said. The governor directed the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and the Local Government Service Commission to comply immediately and accordingly. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the affected council chairmen elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were banned from occupying the office after decamping to the APC in November, 2015 by then Governor Wada. Some residents of Osogbo, the Osun capital have urged the state government to ensure proper evacuation of refuse cleared after the monthly sanitation exercise. While the residents observe the monthly sanitation exercise religiously, they accused the state government of not properly disposing of the waste thereafter. An environmental health officer, Mr Tiamiyu Alade told the News Agency of Nigeria that the cleaning culture of the people in the area and the state in general, had been protecting them from any major diseases and epidemic. NAN observed that there was total restriction of vehicular movement, as major roads in the states were blocked to ensure compliance with the state sanitation law on Saturday (today). UNITED NATIONS, January 30 -- Amid mounting questions about the UN using only unpaid interns, favoring the most affluent, Inner City Press asked Ahmad Alhendawi, Secretary-Generals Envoy on Youth, about the issue on January 30. Video here. Alhendawi told Inner City Press there is a dialogue, there is an openness; he said he is not an expert in human resources issues but directs groups of intern to the right people to speak to in the UN system. It seems that, like with getting a UN Freedom of Information Act, Ban Ki-moon will not do it; it should be asked of (candidates to be) the next Secretary General. Inner City Press also asked Alhendawi about how the new Security Council resolution on youth is impacting the UN's Syria and (non-existent?) Yemen talks. In Geneva now, for example, how many youth did de Mistura invite? Alhendawi said it's a new resolution but will have an impact. We'll continue to cover this. Back on November 10, 2015, a group of interns tried to raise the issue inside the UN . But UN Security first told them they could not display their (small) signs, then tried to prevent photographing and filming of the muted protest by the Press. On November 13, Inner City Press asked UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq about why it has been told not to film, why the interns' (small) signs had been prohibited and about the substance of the protest, that unpaid internships mean only the most affluent can intern with the UN. Video here and embedded below. UN deputy spokesperson Haq first tried to say photographing had not been hindered. Inner City Press replied, We were told not to take any, I was there. Then the UN's Haq said the UN Security officers had said not to photograph them, that they had not given consent. Inner City Press pointed out that by this logic, covering a protest could be stopped by Security officers standing in front of it. In any event, even just outside the UN it is entirely legal to film police officers. Does the UN say that its Security Officers, even while they are breaking up or dispersing a protest, can't be filmed? Apparently so. Pressed on the substance of the protest, Haq said that it is entirely up to the General Assembly; there was no sense that Ban Ki-moon is even asking the GA for any change. The November 10 protest in rainy New York was preceded by one in Brussels, standing up for those who cannot afford working for free; in Geneva on this theme shoes were lined up on the street. Photo: UNpaid intern trying to raise the issue in UN are told they can't hold signs pic.twitter.com/diZ4zHQwPz Inner City Press (@innercitypress) November 10, 2015 This comes at a time when Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's UN is moving to give raises to its Under Secretaries General such as Herve Ladsous, who linked peacekeepers' raping to their lack of R&R and distraction. Inner City Press and the Free UN Coal ition for Access (FUNCA) have pre viously asked the UN about this issue and covered it, as has VICE News, which was on the scene Nov 10. Inner City Press on September 4 again asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Stephane Dujarric about it, video here, transcript here: Inner City Press: I have been meaning to just follow up on this. The letter that was written to the Secretary-General by unpaid UN interns in New York and Geneva, seemed like it was responded to by USG [Under-Secretary-General Yukio] Takasu. It's not clear I guess I wanted to ask you. Is the Secretariat saying that it's an administrative instruction some time back that precludes them from paying interns from the developing world, so that the pool can become more diverse? Or are they really saying that the GA has definitively made it impossible? Is there any consideration in asking the GA to address the issue? Spokesperson Dujarric: It's a valid of question. I haven't seen the letter. I need to take a look at it. Nobody has shared it with me. Nobody tells me anything here. You know, I think on the issue of interns, it is also I think it's also important to remember that the UN has a global presence, not in every country in the world, but almost every country in the world, and we do take interns locally, so I think there's also obviously there's a greater mass of interns at our Headquarters station, but we do take interns most UN offices take interns in different places, which doesn't include the need to travel. Let me look in the letter and I'll get back to you. Inner City Press: Can you get data on that? Spokesman: Probably not, because I don't think it exists. Really. Back on August 11, Inner City Press asked Dujarric, video here, UN transcript here: Inner City Press: I'm sure you've seen this story about the New Zealand intern at the UN in Geneva living in a tent. I want to ask sort of a more fundamental question, which is that what would the UN say to those who say that by having so many entirely unpaid internship, it basically, it it limits this possible career step of learning to only the most affluent people? Spokesman Dujarric: I think it's a very valid point. The debate around the payment of interns is one that's been going on for some time. We are not in a position to pay our interns. It's too bad in a way, because I think it does limit the opportunity to those who are able to pay their own way and house themselves. Unless the General Assembly changes those rules, there is no change in sight. What's important is that any internship be used as a learning opportunity for the intern and not be used as, you know, as free labour or as a substitute for work done by staff. Inner City Press: Okay. Is that something that the Secretary-General has ever raised to the GA [General Assembly] or? Spokesman Dujarric: I'm not aware of that. Back in May 2013 an internship in the UN was auctioned off, ultimately for $26,000, in a process extensively covered and questioned by Inner City Press. The UN said it was embarrassed by the auction or the "optics," and resisted Inner City Press' questions about the sale. After Inner City Press asked several times about it, the description of the internship being auctioned was "amended," as the UN spokesman put it, to read: "Take advantage of this exclusive opportunity for a 6-week internship in NYC working for Bruce Knotts, Chair of the UN-NGO Committee on Human Rights. You will gain inside knowledge of just how the UN really operates and have tremendous opportunities to make invaluable connections. This truly is the ultimate internship opportunity for any college or graduate student looking to get their foot in the door!" The auction, on CharityBuzz.com, said it was to benefit the RFK Young Leaders. Press inquiries to that entity and its parent, the RFK Center, did not yield any answers. But today, at least, we have a detailed answers about how such internships or grounds-passes work, from the Director of the UN Department of Public Information's Outreach Division, Maher Nasser. Inner City Press, along with another DPI question to which it is still awaiting the answer -- why was UNTV shut off while Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat was giving a speech on Monday morning -- asked Nasser, "I heard when you told DPI-NGO orientation that it makes the UN look bad, and that the UN is not obligated to let the person ('m. alam') who purchased the internship into the building. Is that the case? And you could keep me informed on this, when the purchased internship is to begin and what the UN / DPI does?" To his credit, Nasser provided Inner City Press with the most detailed UN response to date on the auctioned internship: Subject: Question re the auctioned internship, thanks From: Maher Nasser [at] un.org Date: Mon, May 20, 2013 at 2:38 PM To: Matthew Russell Lee [at] InnerCityPress.com Hi Matthew, On the internship issue, as you know from the relevant website, this was for an internship with an NGO, not an internship at the UN. The optics of it and use of the UN's image implied otherwise, which is why I flagged it in the orientation with newly associated NGOs as something that hurts the UN and is not acceptable. Every NGO associated with DPI is entitled to only six yearly passes, two of which are for youth representatives. The names to whom the passes are issued are provided by the president/head of each NGO. By providing the names, the NGO certifies that these names represent the NGO concerned. Up till now, we have had no reason not to grant a pass to people designated as representing an NGO. An old system of temporary passes issued throughout the year was discontinued by DPI several years ago. With reference to the six names provided, and as I said above, this has not happened in the past, if we find out that someone had to pay or buy a slot on that list, we would take it up with the concerned NGO and depending on the feedback, not endorse that name for a pass. In view of the case of the auctioned internship, we are preparing language to be added to the forms to be completed by DPI associated NGOs to avoid such possibilities in the future. So at a minimum, the "m. alam" on whose behalf $26,000 was bid for this internship might not be endorsed for a pass to actually enter the UN. Would they get a refund? And what do the UN-NGO Committee on Human Rights and the RFK Center have to say? Watch this site. E arrivata lufficialita, dopo una giornata di voci rincorrenti: per il triennio 2018-2021 sara lemittente Sky a godere dei diritti televisivi per trasmettere, in esclusiva assoluta, le partite non solo delle prossime edizioni dellEuropa League ma anche quelle della massima competizione continentale, la Champions. Un pacchetto da favola per il quale la tv satellitare di Rupert Murdoch avrebbe messo sul piatto unofferta giudicata piu congrua di quella presentata dalla concorrente Mediaset. A dare lannuncio dellaffare concluso e stata la stessa Sky che, in un comunicato, ha spiegato che il nuovo format sviluppato dalla UEFA ci consentira di portare ai nostri abbonati un prodotto rivoluzionario per il calcio europeo in Italia. Per la prima volta la UEFA Champions League e la UEFA Europa League saranno insieme in unesclusiva offerta integrata, che permettera agli appassionati di seguire fino a 7 squadre italiane, mai cosi tante prima dora, impegnate nelle sfide con i migliori club europei. Sky: Rafforzata leadership Anche il livello tecnico dellofferta sara altissimo ed e ancora lemittente a rivelare i dettagli: Continueremo a fare innovazione, trasmettendo le partite piu importanti anche in 4K HDR. Questofferta senza precedenti rafforza la posizione di Sky come leader della programmazione sportiva in Italia ed e anche un altro passo importante di sostegno al calcio italiano. Insomma, per i prossimi tre anni, sara unegemonia totale quella della satellitare sul calcio europeo, avendo mantenuto il pacchetto Europa League (gia sua esclusiva) e affiancandola a quello ancor piu appetibile della Champions League ad appannaggio Mediaset dal 2015 al 2018. Sfida Serie A Ora la sfida fra i due colossi delle trasmissioni sportive si spostera sui diritti televisivi della prossima Serie A, per la quale si e ancora in attesa di un nuovo bando che, come annunciato dal commissario della Lega, Carlo Tavecchio, avra le stesse caratteristiche del precedente, andato pero a vuoto: solo una delle offerte presentate per i cinque pacchetti, infatti, superava la soglia minima richiesta dalla base dasta. Niente di fatto, quindi, anche in virtu della stessa Mediaset che, in sostanza, ha disertato il bando (giudicato inaccettabile) non presentando alcuna offerta. La battaglia, anche in questo caso, sara sulle esclusive: del resto, dopo essersi vista scivolare via una componente importante come la Champions, sulla Serie A Mediaset dara sicuramente battaglia. Nella capitale vicini Michetti e Gualtieri. A Siena e a Roma si vota anche per le elezioni suppletive alla Camera dei deputati Si sono chiusi alle 15 i seggi per le consultazioni elettorali che si sono tenute domenica 3 e lunedi 4 ottobre, che hanno chiamato a esprimersi oltre 12 milioni di elettori. Si e votato per il rinnovo di 1.192 amministrazioni comunali, per le suppletive della Camera dei deputati nella XII circoscrizione Toscana, collegio uninominale 12 Siena e nella circoscrizione XV Lazio 1, collegio uninominale 11 Roma Quartiere Primavalle, e per le regionali in Calabria. Alle 15, con 621 comuni campionati su un totale di 1.153, il Viminale rende noto che laffluenza e pari al 59,79%, quando nel 2016 il dato era stato 65,98%, anche se in quelloccasione si era votato un solo giorno. Ecco i primi exit poll effettuati dal consorzio Opinio Italia per la Rai. Roma A Roma il candidato del centrodestra Enrico Michetti raggiunge una forchetta del 27-31%, seguito dallex ministro Roberto Gualtieri, candidato del centrosinistra, con il 26,5-30,5%. In una forchetta tra il 16,5 e il 20,5% Carlo Calenda e la sindaca uscente Virginia Raggi. Milano Alle comunali a Milano il candidato del centrosinistra e sindaco uscente Giuseppe Sala raggiunge una forchetta del 54-58%, dietro di lui Luca Bernardo (centrodestra) con il 32-36%, mentre Layla Pavone e Gianluigi Paragone in una forchetta tra il 2 e il 4%. Napoli Calo dellaffluenza nel capoluogo campano, con il dato definitivo al 47,19%, quando alla tornata del 2016 ma in quelloccasione si votava in un solo giorno al primo turno si reco il 54,12%. In base al primo exit poll del consorzio Opinio Italia per la Rai, il candidato del centrosinistra e Movimento 5 Stella Gaetano Manfredi raggiunge una forchetta del 57-61%. Dietro lui Catello Maresca (centrodestra) con il 19-23%; Antonio Bassolino (9-13%) e Alessandra Clemente (5,5-7,5%). Torino Affluenza sotto il 50% a Torino, dove si e presentato alle urne il 48,06% degli aventi diritto: peggior risultato della storia nel capoluogo piemontese. Il candidato del centrosinistra Stefano Lo Russo raggiunge una forchetta del 44-48%, seguito da Paolo Damilano del centrodestra con il 36,5-40,5%, Valentina Sganga, tra il 7 e il 9%, e Angelo DOrsi (1,5-3,5%). Trieste A Trieste il candidato Roberto Dipiazza, del centrodestra, raggiunge una forchetta del 46-50%, seguito da Francesco Russo del centrosinistra tra il 29 e il 33%. Poi Riccardo Laterza (9-13%) e Alessandra Richetti (2-4%). Notizia in aggiornamento Sambia Sohrab and Sonu alias Shahnawaz, accused in Red Road hit-and-run case, being produced in a court in Kolkata (Photo: PTI) Kolkata: A city court on Saturday rejected bail pleas of the three accused in the Red Road hit-and-run case on January 13 in which an Air Force official was killed and sent the trio to judicial remand till February 12. The court also granted the police plea to conduct a Test Identification Parade (TIP) of the three as a part of the investigation into the mishap. City Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Madhumita Basu rejected the bail pleas of accused Sambia Sohrab, younger son of former RJD MLA Mohammed Sohrab, Sonu alias Shanawaz Khan and Johnny and sent them to 14-day judicial custody. In their submission, the counsel of the accused trio stressed that police have failed to make any progress in their probe into the case and bail should be granted to them. The trio's counsel also said that they were, however, ready to be present in front of the Investigating Officer daily to help in the probe. The public prosecutor, however, said that the investigations were at a very very early stage and the police should be given some more time to reach to a decision. He also claimed that though the interrogations were over, some other vital parts of the probe were still pending. The trio have been booked under IPC sections 120(B) (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 212 (harbouring offender) and 427 (mischief causing damage). Sonu, alias Shanawaz Khan, was arrested by Kolkata Police with support from Delhi Police from his maternal uncle's house in Delhi's Ajmeri Gate area where he was in hiding. He was brought to the city on transit remand. Johnny, who had not been traceable since the incident on January 13, was arrested a few days after from a house in Ekbalpore area by city police sleuths. A look-out notice was issued by a city court for Mohammed Sohrab and his elder son Ambia. Retirement Tax Brackets: How Retirement Account Withdrawals Affect It Many retirement experts estimate that you'll need 70% to 80% of your pre-retirement income to live comfortably during retirement, but can withdrawals from retirement accounts put you into a higher tax bracket? That depends on the type of account and the size of your withdrawals. From the retiree's viewpoint, the most advantageous type of account is the Roth IRA or Roth 401(k). Taxes on money that goes into these accounts are due when they are paid in, i.e. with after-tax dollars. After retirement, taxes on withdrawals are tax-free on the entire amount, including any earnings on the profits. Traditional IRAs and 401(k)s work differently: You get an upfront tax break when you contribute but then pay taxes on the withdrawals during retirement. And those withdrawals are taxed as ordinary income, possibly pushing you into a higher tax bracket in retirement. Key Takeaways Withdrawals from traditional IRA and 401(k) account withdrawals are taxable. Withdrawals from Roth IRAs and Roth 401(k) generally are not taxable. Retirement account withdrawals can bump you into a higher marginal tax bracket. You won't pay higher taxes on your other income, just on the retirement account withdrawals. That's the way marginal tax brackets work, If you're withdrawing money from a traditional account, keep an eye on your tax bracket. You may be able to limit your withdrawals to avoid exceeding your bracket's maximum. Traditional IRA and 401(k) Accounts Traditional IRA and traditional 401(k) accounts are funded with pre-tax dollars. That is, you can deduct your contribution to a traditional IRA every year. That reduces your taxable income for the year while funding your retirement. There are restrictions on how much money you can add to these accounts. For example, you may only invest up to $6,000 if you are younger than age 50 in a traditional account for the 2021 and 2022 tax years. If you are age 50 or older, you may contribute an additional $1,000 in catch-up funds for a total of $7,000. The contribution for a 401(k) for 2021 is $19,500 and $20,500 in 2022, plus the additional catch-up contribution of $5,500 for both years. You don't even have to claim the deduction if it's an employer-sponsored traditional 401(k). Your 401(k) contributions generally come directly from your paycheck, using pre-tax dollars. This lowers your taxable income for the yearand saves you money at tax time. With either type of accounta traditional IRA or 401(k)your contributions and earnings grow on a tax-deferred basis until you eventually withdraw the money in retirement. Required Minimum Distributions Assuming you haven't dipped into your retirement savings before age 72, you must take required minimum distributions (RMDs) each year after this age or face a severe penalty. RMD withdrawals are considered income and will factor into your tax bracket When you start taking them. In addition, the money is included in your taxable income for the year. Those retirement account withdrawals could push you into a higher marginal tax bracket when added to your income from other sources. It is possible to postpone taking your RMDs if you invest in a particular deferred annuity. But there are rules. You may only spend up to $135,000 on the annuity using funds from your traditional IRA or 401(k) account. You can purchase a qualified longevity annuity contract (QLAC) and keep it within your retirement portfolio. These funds are kept separate from the amount considered for your RMD withdrawals. However, fees may be high, and you cannot tap into the annuity's cash value if you need quick access to the cash in a lump sum. The SECURE ACT of 2019 changed the rules for required minimum distributions (RMDs) for the better. Previously, the RMD kicked in at age 70, but that has now been raised to 72. Roth IRA and Roth 401(k) Accounts Roth IRA and Roth 401(k) accounts are funded with after-tax dollars, so you don't get an upfront tax break like you will with traditional IRA and 401(k) accounts. However, the money you withdraw from themboth your initial contributions and any investment earningswill be tax-free in retirement if you meet a couple of conditions. You can withdraw your contributions from a Roth-type account at any time, for any reason, with no tax implications or penalties. But your investment earnings will be tax-free only if you are at least 59 years old and it has been at least five years since you first contributed to any Roth IRA or Roth 401(k) you own. That's called the "five-year rule." Roth accounts may be a wise investment if you believe your taxes will be higher in retirement. However, there are limits to how much you can deposit into one. For example, individuals who earn more than $144,000 (2021) or $144,000 (2022) do not qualify for a Roth IRA. If you are part of a married couple filing jointly, income limits are $208,000 in 2021 and $214,000 in 2022. Like a traditional IRA, in 2021 and 2022, you can only contribute $6,000 a year, plus a $1,000 catch-up amount if you are age 50 or older. No Required Minimum Distributions Any investment earnings you withdraw early will be added to your income for the year and taxed at your ordinary-income tax rate. You may also incur an additional 10% penalty unless you qualify for an exception. Unlike traditional IRAs and 401(k)s, the Roth versions don't require required minimum distributions during the owner's lifetime. So, if you don't need the money, you can leave it alone and let the account grow tax-free for your heirs. Heirs to a Roth account must take required minimum distributions from the account unless they are surviving spouses. Penalty-Free IRA Withdrawals If you take an early withdrawal from a traditional or Roth IRA, you may be on the hook for a 10% penaltybut not if one of these exceptions applies: You are totally and permanently disabled. You're the beneficiary of a deceased IRA owner. You use the distribution to buy, build, or rebuild a home (a $ 10,000-lifetime limit applies). You have unreimbursed medical expenses greater than 7.5% of your adjusted gross income (AGI). Youre paying medical insurance premiums after losing your job (and the distribution isn't more than the cost of the insurance). You're taking the distribution to pay for qualified education expenses. The distribution is due to an IRS levy of the qualified plan. You're taking qualified reservist distributions. You're taking a series of substantially equal periodic payments. 401(k) Hardship Withdrawals Like IRAs, an early withdrawal from a 401(k) can trigger a 10% penalty. However, you may be able to take a penalty-free withdrawal if you qualify for a hardship distribution due to "an immediate and heavy financial need." Under IRS regulations, you may qualify for a hardship distribution if you use the money to pay for: Medical care expenses Costs related to buying a home Educational expenses Costs to avoid eviction Funeral expenses Certain expenses to repair damage to your primary home If you're planning ahead for retirement, you can roll over a traditional account into a Roth account. You'll have to pay the income taxes on the balance that year, though. Tax Brackets for 2021 and 2022 You have to pay taxes on withdrawals from traditional retirement account withdrawals, but they won't necessarily force you into a higher marginal tax bracket. It depends on what bracket you're already in and how much those withdrawals add to your income. Here's a look at the tax brackets for 2021 and for 2022: Fixed income is an investment category that provides investors with fixed payments at regular intervals until the investment vehicle matures. Payments normally come in the form of interest or dividends on securities like corporate and government bonds as well as preferred corporate stock. Unlike equity investing, fixed-income securities provide some degree of security for investors because payment structures are communicated in advanceusually when the investment is made. While investors may choose to purchase securities directly from the issuers, there are companies that offer funds with exposure to multiple fixed-income products. Vanguard is one of those companies. Some of its fixed-income funds have consistently outperformed their benchmarks and provide multiple benefits to investors with their low fees and other characteristics. We explore three popular fixed-income funds from Vanguard in this article, including a high-yield tax-exempt fund, a high-yield corporate fund, and an intermediate-term tax-exempt fund. Key Takeaways Fixed-income funds provide investors with safety, security, preservation of capital, and steady income at regular intervals. The underlying index of a fixed-income fund determines yield and risk exposure. Adding bond funds to your portfolio can help diversify your holdings and spread the risk from other securities, like stocks and exchange-traded funds. Vanguard offers a variety of bond and fixed-income funds that are well-suited for individual investors' needs. Among Vanguard's fixed-income offerings are VWAHX, VWEHX, and VWITX, which provide exposure to government and corporate bonds. Fixed-Income Funds The investment market is divided into a number of different categories. One of the most common is the equity market, which involves trading (buying and selling) stocks and other related securities, such as mutual funds. Equities are fairly volatile since they are susceptible to numerous risks, such as price swings, changing economic conditions, geopolitical risks, and currency risks among others. In order to mitigate the risks associated with equity markets, financial professionals often advise investors to diversify their holdings to include other types of securities. One market that provides some degree of safety and security is the fixed-income market. These instruments aren't susceptible to most macroeconomic risks and are normally given priority if the issuer goes bankrupt and/or must liquidate its holdings. Not only are fixed-income securities given priority over stockholders and other such assets, but they also provide investors with steady income until maturity. This comes in the form of periodic interest or dividend payments. Unlike stock returns, which are unpredictable, fixed-income yields are commonly known ahead of time. And they help investors preserve their capital, where equities can lose (or gain) value over time. Vehicles may include bonds (corporate, as well as government bonds), Treasury bills (T-bills), money market securities, certain asset-backed vehicles, preferred stocks, and fixed-income funds. But there is a trade-off related to the lower risk associated with these vehicles. This comes in the form of lower returns and investors (typically bondholders) have no say in the direction of the issuing entity. Now let's take a look at three popular Vanguard funds that give investors exposure to the fixed-income market. Historical performance may not always be indicative of future performance when it comes to fixed-income investments. Investors should consider how it factors into these investments against key benchmarks. 1. Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund Investor Shares (VWAHX) Net Assets: $18.5 billion $18.5 billion Yield to Maturity: 2.2% The Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund Investor Shares is a long-term municipal bond fund that seeks to provide high, yet sustainable income that is tax-exempt at the federal level. The fund has 3,536 bonds in its portfolio, the majority of which mature between 20 to 30 years (35%) and 10 to 20 years (31.5%). Under normal market conditions, the fund invests the lion's share of its total net assets in investment-grade municipal bonds determined by nationally recognized rating agencies. The fund's benchmark is the Bloomberg Municipal Bond Index, which includes most investment-grade tax-exempt bonds issued by municipalities. It has outperformed its benchmark returning 0.71% and 4.24% on a one-year and 10-year basis, respectively. Returns for the index during those periods were -0.66% and 3.15%. Vanguard requires an initial minimum investment of $3,000. Thereafter, investors are charged an annual net expense ratio of 0.17%, which is significantly lower than the average ratio of municipal bond funds with similar holdings at 0.87%, according to Vanguard. Make sure you consult a financial professional whenever you make any changes to your investment portfolio, even if you're an experienced investor. 2. Vanguard High-Yield Corporate Fund Investor Shares (VWEHX) Net Assets: $28.6 billion $28.6 billion Yield to Maturity: 4.6% The Vanguard High-Yield Corporate Fund Investor Shares seeks to provide a high level of income by investing in low- to mid-quality corporate bonds, many of which are called junk bonds. These instruments are rated below Baa by Moody's or have similar ratings from other bond rating agencies. There are over 600 high-risk, high-yield bonds in the fund, which represent a number of sectors. The top three are: Communication (18.4%) Consumer cyclical (15.8%) Consumer noncyclical (15.8%) Managed by the Wellington Management Company, Vanguard requires a minimum investment of $3,000 in order to begin investing in the fund. It charges a low annual expense ratio of 0.23%, which is far lower than similar corporate bond funds, According to Vanguard, the average ratio for similar funds was 0.92%. The fund's benchmark is the High-Yield Corporate Composite Index. VWEHX has underperformed the benchmark slightly, returning -0.05% and 5.17% on a one-year and 10-year basis, compared to the 0.17% and 5.52% returns of the benchmark for the same periods. 3. Vanguard Intermediate-Term Tax-Exempt Fund Investor Shares (VWITX) Net Assets: $86.7 billion $86.7 billion Yield to Maturity: 1.5% The Vanguard Intermediate-Term Tax-Exempt Fund Investor Shares is a municipal bond fund that aims to provide investors with a moderate but sustainable level of federally tax-exempt income. It has about 14,000 bonds in its portfolio. More than 40% of the portfolio is comprised of bonds that mature within 10 to 20 years. VWITX is expected to invest at least 75% of its holdings in municipal bonds in the top three credit rating categories determined by nationally recognized rating organizations, such as Moody's or Standard and Poor's (S&P). The fund's benchmark is the Bloomberg 1-15 Year Municipal Index. The average one-year return for the fund was -0.88% while the index returned 1.12% during the same period. Both the fund and index returned 2.76% and 2.60%, respectively, in 10 years. This means the fund has slightly outperformed its benchmark. The fund is managed by the Vanguard Fixed Income Group and charges an annual expense ratio of 0.17%, which is lower than the average expense ratio of 0.69% of similar municipal bond funds, according to Vanguard. To invest in this fund, a minimum investment of $3,000 is required. How Do You Take Funds Out of Vanguard Bond Funds? You must complete a redemption request if you want to take some or all of your money from any Vanguard bond funds. You can do so online by logging into your Vanguard account and going to the "Sell Funds" page. Make sure you select your bank account from the "Where Is Your Money Going?" drop-down menu. If your banking information isn't linked to your Vanguard account, you can complete a wire transfer form for one-time redemptions. This process normally takes anywhere between seven and 10 business days to complete. Why Are Vanguard Bond Funds Doing So Poorly? There are a number of reasons why Vanguard's bond funds and those offered by other companies don't perform nearly as well as they have in the past. Bond yields (and therefore, bond funds) are greatly impacted by monetary policy. When interest rates fall, bond yields drop, which ultimately makes them more pricey to purchase. Bond yields also drop when there is a flock to safety, so yields fall when demand increases. Take the COVID-19 pandemic, which drove investors to purchase more bonds as uncertainty rose in the equity market. While there's no way to tell when things will change, investors can expect bond yields (and thus, Vanguard's bond funds) to see an improvement during stronger economic environments. Which Vanguard Bond Fund Is Safest? The safest and best Vanguard bond fund (or any other company's for that matter) all depends on your personal goals, risk tolerance, and investment capital. Some of the most common bond funds offered by the company include the Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund Investor Shares, Vanguard High-Yield Corporate Fund Investor Shares (VWEHX), and Vanguard Intermediate-Term Tax-Exempt Fund Investor Shares (VWITX). Another popular Vanguard bond fund is the Total Bond Market Index Fund Admiral Shares (VBTLX). All of these have low expense ratios compared to others in the market and perform relatively well compared to their benchmark indexes. Are Bonds a Good Investment? Whether bonds are a good investment depends wholly on your investment goals and strategy. An important point to note is that bonds give investors safety and security. They're low-risk investments that provide a steady stream of income at regular periods. Unlike stocks, they are more likely to preserve wealth. Keep in mind, though, that this low level of risk comes with lower returns. The Bottom Line Fixed-income funds can provide you with safety and security, especially when there's so much uncertainty in financial markets. Unlike equities, fixed-income securities preserve your capital while giving you steady incomeall with a low level of risk. But this does mean you'll have to sacrifice the chance for the big returns, similar to those seen by those who invest in the stock market. If you're not phased by all of this, consider Vanguard's funds. The company is just one of many that offer investors choices for fixed-income funds. Keep in mind that regardless of which company's offerings you choose, it's always a good idea to consult a financial professional about which investments are right for you. Many countries form large, state-owned companies to maintain control over their precious oil assets and manage their oil sectors. By keeping these companies private, countries maintain some authority over the production, sales, and expansion of valuable oil reserves. If made public, shareholders would own the company and could take command of a countrys most valuable asset. The oil industry is big business, and these private, state-owned oil companies are massive. Some rank among the largest companies in the world. Saudi Aramco Saudi Arabia manages its oil reserves through state-owned Saudi Aramco. It is estimated that Saudi Aramco has the second-largest proven oil reserves, at more than 270 billion barrels, and is the second-largest oil producer in the world. The company has historically been secretive concerning its financial metrics and operating structure. However, in April 2019, the company opened its books and revealed that it generated $111.1 billion in net income in 2018 on a staggering $355.9 billion in revenues, making it the worlds most profitable company by far. Aramco officials have also stated that the company is worth as much as $2 trillion and that Aramco could begin an initial public offering of 5% of the company in 2020 or 2021. If so, the offering would be massive at roughly $100 billion. Key Takeaways Many large oil companies are owned by their governments, allowing these governments to maintain control of an important commodity. Saudi Aramco is the largest state-owned oil company and company officials estimate it is worth $2 trillion. Kuwait Petroleum, China National Petroleum, and Venezuelas PDVSA are also examples of state-owned oil companies. Sinopec, formerly known as China Petroleum and Chemical, is not exclusively controlled by the government and today has shares listed for trading in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and the New York Stock Exchange. Sinopec Formally known as China Petroleum and Chemical, Sinopec was founded in the year 2000 in Beijing, China. The company conducts oil and gas exploration and produces petrochemicals. With annual revenues of $314 billion in 2018, it is the second-largest oil company in the world, according to Fortune. In 2017, the company bought some businesses from Chevron in Africa for $900 million. In 2019, Sinopec faced volatile relations between the United States and China amid an ongoing trade war. Sinopec purchased other petroleum companies over the years and conducts drilling in unexplored African territories. According to a 2018 Reuters report, the company was expected to produce nearly 300 million barrels of crude oil for the year. Sinopec is not entirely state-owned, as shares trade publicly on multiple exchanges including the New York Stock Exchange, Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and in Shanghai. China National Petroleum Company China National Petroleum Company is a state-owned organization established in 1988 with headquarters in Beijing. The company is the third-largest oil company in the world and has revenues of $326 billion, according to Fortune. The company employs 1.6 million people. China National Petroleum refines oil, produces natural gas and petrochemicals, and conducts oil field exploration. The company is active in both Asia and Africa and has shares in other oil companies worldwide. It produced 4.14 million barrels of crude oil per day in 2018, according to Reuters. Kuwait Petroleum The Kuwait Petroleum Corporation is Kuwait's national oil company. It is active in multiple stages of oil production: exploration, exploitation, refining, marketing, and transportation. The company also produces petrochemicals. The Kuwait Petroleum Corporation was formed by integrating a few domestic oil companies and putting them under the control of the Kuwaiti government. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, the company's oil production in 2018 was estimated to be around 3 million barrels per day. In 2017, the company had revenues of $33 billion, according to Gulf Business. PDVSA PDVSA is a Venezuelan state-owned oil firm. The company produced 1.5 million barrels per day in 2018 and reported revenues of close to $21 billion, according to Reuters. Production has been plummeting as the country has been coping with military rule and sanctions imposed by the United States. In early 2019, the United States imposed sanctions on PDVSA designed to cripple the Maduro government and empower opposition leader Juan Guaido by blocking Venezuelan crude exports to the United States. Venezuela is estimated to have the fifth-largest oil reserves in the world. National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) was established in 1948 and is owned by the government of Iran. The company is a member of OPEC. Headquartered in Tehran, Iran, NIOC was first called the Anglo Persian Oil Company (APOC) in 1908 and APOC was the first company to extract petroleum from the Middle East. The company was renamed the Anglo Iranian Oil Company in 1935 and, in 1954, the name was changed to the British Petroleum Company, a precursor to BP. However, after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, a new regime took power and that led to the withdrawal of foreign workers from Iran's oil industry. Iranians took full control of the company. According to the Islamic Republic News Agency, NIOC produces approximately 3.8 million barrels of crude oil per day. Countries that want to stay competitive in the global economy are adapting to 5G technology at an increasingly rapid pace. The race to see which country will have the best 5G network has begun in earnest. Communication service providers around the world are battling one another to build-out, validate, and deploy commercial 5G networks. What's at stake in the 5G race? According to estimates published in an Informa Tech research paper, 5G technology could be responsible for 22.3 million jobs and $13.2 trillion of global economic output by 2035. Here we review the progress several countries have made in adapting to 5G technology. Key Takeaways South Korea, China, and the United States are the countries that lead the world in building and deploying 5G technology. Telecommunications operators around the worldincluding AT&T Inc., KT Corp, and China Mobilehave been racing to build the fifth-generation (5G) of wireless technology. As more devices connect to the Internet, the need for high-speed 5G networks becomes more critical. Even smaller countries like Sweden, Turkey, and Estonia have taken significant steps to make 5G networks commercially available to their citizens. The United States The Federal Communications Commissions (FCC) Spectrum Frontiers Order laid the groundwork for the use of 5G technology in the United States. The next generation of technology provides a greater amount of spectrum for wireless communication, smaller sizes of wireless cells, and more modulation schemes, letting greater numbers of wireless users share the spectrum. 5G technology offers at least one gigabit per second for connection speeds, shorter delays than 4G technology, and millimeter-wave (mmW) bands for supporting applications requiring large capacity. In July 2016, the FCC began creating rules for 5G technology, making the United States the first country opening a high-band spectrum for the technology. Because the spectrum bands are available for licensed, unlicensed, and shared users, more than four times the amount of spectrum is available for flexible use than in previous years. Also, 15 times more unlicensed spectrum is available for users than in previous years. U.S. carriers AT&T Inc. (T), Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ), Sprint Corp. (S), and T-Mobile US Inc. (TMUS) are actively developing, testing, and deploying 5G components. As of Jan. 2020, 5G had been deployed in 50 cities in the United States. Sprint has rolled out mobile 5G in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Kansas City, Phoenix, Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington, D.C. AT&T has made its mobile 5G+ network live for consumers in parts of 35 cities and 190 markets. As of Jan. 2020, commercial 5G networks have been deployed in 378 cities across 34 countries. South Korea South Korea is ahead of other countries in 5G deployment. The country has rolled out 5G to 85 cities as of Jan. 2020. Government officials estimate 90% of Korea's mobile users will be on a 5G network by 2026. The key to South Korea's success seems to stem from the collaboration of three carriers that have worked on 5G deployment: SK Telecom, LG Uplus, and KT Corp. KT Corp (ADR) (KT) completed a successful trial of a system from NEC Corp. using extremely high frequencies for transmitting data at up to 3.2 Gbps (gigabits per second) in the Taebaek Mountains. NECs iPasolink EX ultra-compact microwave system links between LTE (long-term evolution) base stations to enable telecommunication, which is much easier than laying fiber for the links. The microwave system conveys data at frequencies of 70 to 80 GHz, which keeps more signal going through the air than other systems and uses a form of encoding that lets more data be transmitted. Sweden and Estonia Swedish-Finnish operator Telia Company AB and Swedish provider Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) reported that Stockholm, Sweden, and Tallinn, Estonia went live with their 5G test network on Dec. 20, 2018. It's projected both Estonia and Sweden will have a commercially available 5G network in 2020, although it's likely to take several years before most people have access. Digitalization of industries and the Internet of Things (IoT) will mostly benefit technology companies at first, but ultimately the technology will benefit the public through new services and applications. For example, 5G technology will control self-driving cars and robots working in mines, which are two areas that current infrastructure cannot support. Also, citizens living in rural areas will have higher bandwidth and better communication capabilities. Turkey Turkeys 5GTR Forum, consisting of mobile network companies, Turkish public institutions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and domestic producers, is facilitating a faster transition to 5G technology. Through working together, the organizations share information and ideas to help Turkey implement the technology and keep its citizens informed on its progress. Once implemented, 5G technology will connect people, transportation, objects, and cities at higher speeds and with fewer delays, using the same infrastructure. Turkeys goal in implementing 5G technology is providing affordable technology services to its citizens and increasing domestic production through research and development (R&D). Turkish organizations are required to participate in R&D studies and help establish infrastructure as part of utilizing the technology. Additionally, the Ministry of Science, Industry, and Technology is studying ways the country may use domestic hardware, software, and other mobile communication products. Because Turkey is still in the trial phases of implementing 5G technology and building out the required infrastructure, it's unclear when 5G access will be available commercially. Japan Japan has met its goal to launch 5G mobile service by 2020. Japans largest wireless carrier, NTT DOCOMO, began its quest for 5G in 2010 with initial experiments. In Sept. 2019, the company rolled out pre-commercial 5G services. The test phase went well, and NTT DOCOMO began offering consumer 5G services on March 25, 2020. The countrys communication ministry had a hand in the country's success. Early on, the ministry met with Japans three biggest carriersNTT DOCOMO Inc., KDDI Corp., and SoftBank Group Corpas well as private-sector manufacturers of handset and base stations, such as Panasonic Corp, Fujitsu Ltd, and Sharp Corporation to promote the research and development of 5G technology. Japans communication ministry states that 5G technology will be close to 100 times faster than LTE, which is used most often throughout the country, and ten times faster than 4G technology. Implementing 5G technology will help integrate high-resolution-video services streaming in 4K and 8K, which need substantial amounts of bandwidth. China After South Korea, China ranks second as the country with the most cities in which 5G is available. As of Jan. 2020, China had deployed 5G technology in 57 cities. In Oct. 2019, three major wireless carriers in China launched 5G networks: China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom. While coverage is limited in some areas, Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen are the cities with the best coverage thus far. Because Chinese authorities control the implementation of the technology, some experts wonder if the 5G rollout process throughout the vast nation will be slow. The implementation of 4G technology did not occur until late 2013, many years after South Korea, Japan, the United States, and other nations had 4G technology. However, China's top telecommunications companies seem determined to not replicate earlier 4G mistakes and have done an impressive amount of testing and infrastructure build-out of the 5G network. The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSMA) projects China will have 460 million 5G connections by 2025. 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. What to Do With an Old 401(k) Account When you leave a job, you often face a decision about what to do with your 401(k) or other workplace-based retirement accounts. You could leave it in place (assuming your old company or plan administrator allows ex-employees to do so) or cash it out. But unless you're retiring or you need the funds immediately, the smartest course is usually to roll over the account. A rollover is when you withdraw cash or other assets from one eligible retirement plan and contribute all or part of them, within 60 days, to another eligible retirement plangenerally, a rollover IRA that you set up. That way, you maintain the tax-deferred status of your retirement account, consolidate all retirement accounts for easier management, andbecause it's your own accountbenefit from increased investment flexibility. Under this option, you would ask your plan administrator to make a direct and tax-free transfer of funds from your former employers plan to an IRA at a financial institution of your choice. Key Takeaways When leaving your job, a rollover of 401(k) retirement plan funds into a rollover individual retirement account (IRA) is generally the most advantageous strategy. If you are interested in earning a cash bonus when you open a new account, you should research promotions offered periodically by financial firms and banks. If you cash out your old 401(k), you may be hit with a penalty, and your money will be taxed as income. At your direction, your employer can transfer your 401(k) directly to the IRA, avoiding tax payments and penalties. Many banks, brokerages, and investment firms offer cash bonuses and free trades if you establish a rollover IRA with them; the more you invest, the bigger the perks. The Big Choice Ah, but which financial institution should you choose? IRAs are a big business for banks and investment companies. Many firms offer incentives, in the form of matches and bonuses, to encourage you to sign up with them. Although the deals vary, certain conditions are standard. To qualify for the perks, most institutions require you to deposit the money within 60 days of opening the account (which you'd want to do anyway to avoid being taxed on the withdrawal from your old account). All you need is for the account to remain open and fully funded with the initial bonus amount for at least 12 months, or else the bonus will be reversed. You can often roll over assets "in kind," meaning the stocks, bonds, or mutual funds you own in your 401(k) are transferred directly to the new rollover IRA; however, some assets, such as proprietary funds or company stock options, might have to be liquidated. Below are four financial institutions offering particularly nice cash bonuses for rolling over your retirement account. This listing is current as of August 22, 2021, but terms and conditions change all the time. So think of this list as a general reference guide for incentives out there and how they work. Of course, when considering one of these placesor any specific institutionbe sure to read the fine print in the contract before you set up an account. Also, be sure to open the right type of IRA: If you have a traditional 401(k) plan, you'll want to open a traditional IRA; if any of your 401(k) is set up as a Roth, those funds should go to a Roth IRA. Some people will need to open both types of accounts. TD Ameritrade If you are interested in rolling assets into a self-managed trading financial institution, TD Ameritrade would be an excellent option. The company offers multiple different thresholds for its bonus program besides providing the most significant cash bonus out of all the IRA rollover incentive programs in the industry. At a minimum, if you roll at least $10,000 or more into an IRA, you qualify for 90 days of commission-free trades (up to a maximum of 300 trades). If you have a balance of $1 million or more from your 401(k) or retirement plan to transfer, TD Ameritrade will add a bonus of $1,500 into your new rollover IRA. Below are the threshold levels and corresponding cash bonus amounts. Each of these bonuses comes with commission-free trades. $2,500 cash bonus for a deposit of $2 million $1,500 cash bonus for a deposit of $1 million or more $700 cash bonus for a deposit of $500,000 or more $350 cash bonus for $250,000 or more Charles Schwab Refer a friend who wants to roll over their account, and they will earn some bonus cash thanks to your referral. Receive a referral code from a friend or family member. A few basic rules apply, you have to be a new customer, and the net deposit has to be made within 45 days of joining Schwab. If someone refers you to Charles Schwab, it will pay a cash bonus if you deposit a qualifying amount into either an IRA or a Schwab retail brokerage account, including enrolled in Schwab-sponsored investment advisory programs, such as Schwab Managed Portfolios, Intelligent Portfolios, Schwab Managed Account Select, and Connection, as well as Schwab Private Client programs. Below is the list of the qualifying asset deposit levels and cash bonus amounts. To receive a $100 bonus, deposit $25,000-$49,999 To receive a $300 bonus, deposit $50,000-$99,999 To receive a $500 bonus, deposit $100,000 or more Ally Bank Ally Bank is a popular choice for customers seeking higher-than-average yields on certificates of deposit (CD) and savings accounts, enhanced by the fact that the online bank charges no maintenance fees on most accounts either. Ally is offering cash bonuses for new self-directed trading accounts, including rollovers from a 401(k). The deadline for opening an account is Sept. 30, 2021. The minimum qualifying deposit is $10,000, which will earn you $100. For those with more to invest, Ally is offering as much as $3,000 if you deposit $2 million or more. Other offers on new deposits include: To receive the $100 bonus, deposit or transfer $10,000-$24,999. To receive the $250 bonus, deposit or transfer $25,000-$99,999. To receive the $300 bonus, deposit or transfer $100,000-$249.999. To receive the $600 bonus, deposit or transfer $250,000-$499,999. To receive the $1,200 bonus, deposit or transfer $500,000-$999,999. To receive the $2,000 bonus, deposit or transfer $1 million -$1,999,999. To receive the $3,000 bonus, deposit or transfer $2 million or more. E*TRADE E* TRADE is a long-standing online broker offering users easy-to-navigate platforms. Customers can use this broker using a computer or mobile device. Until August 31, 2021, E*TRADE is offering up to $3,000 to new customers who open and fund a new retirement or brokerage and fund it within 60 days of opening the account. The minimal deposit for a new account is $10,000, and to receive the bonus, customers must use its promo code "BONUS21" and fund the account by the end of August. The terms are: From left, three of the six accused, Saiful Ali mollah, Ansar Ali and Bholanath Naskar come out from the court in Kolkata on Saturday late evening after being awarded Capital Punishment for gangrape and murder of a girl at Kamduni village of Barasat (Photo: PTI) Kolkata: The ruling Trinamool Congress on Saturday hailed the judgement in the Kamduni gangrape and murder case as a big achievement of the state administration while the opposition Left Front and Congress questioned the 'delay' and acquittal of two accused respectively. "It is a big achievement of the administration," TMC leader Mukul Roy said. "We are happy with the judgement. Those who have committed the crime, the judicial system has punished them. We are happy that the culprits have been punished," TMC leader and state Urban Development minister Firhad Hakim said. Three persons, convicted in the brutal Kamduni gangrape and murder of a 21-year-old college student over two years back, were today sentenced to death by a city court while three others got life imprisonment. Additional Sessions Judge Sanchita Sarkar handed out capital sentence to Aminul Ali, Saiful Ali and Ansar Ali, while Imanul Islam, Aminul Islam and Bhola Naskar were sentenced to life imprisonment for the gangrape and murder of the young woman on June 7, 2013. Details of a new government initiative to strengthen diaspora links reveal that U.S. teenagers of Irish descent will have the opportunity to experience modern and historic Ireland this summer. The Irish Examiner reports that around 20 high-school students, aged 15 to 17, will be invited to spend two or three weeks visiting Dublin and rural Ireland and learning about the countrys history and culture through a mix of courses and excursions. Participants may get a chance to visit Leinster House and meet with a government minister. Meetings with prominent multinational companies may also be used to expose the students to modern Ireland. Children or other descendants of Irish emigrants are eligible to apply to the program through the Irish Embassy in Washington or the network of consulates in the U.S. Participants will have to cover travel costs, but the program will cover accommodation, trips, food, transport, and classes. The initiative has been designed for young people who have never visited Ireland and aims to encourage greater connectivity. The commitment to develop a pilot scheme was included in the Irish governments diaspora policy, Global Irish, launched last March. If the program is a success, the visits might be extended to children of Irish descent in other countries in 2017. The initiative is badly needed with the lack of legal immigration from Ireland to the U.S. and no end in sight as immigration has become such a loaded topic. We would hope that the numbers would surpass 20 a year in future years as the program needs far more students than that to inspire a sea change in attitudes and a closer relationship with future generations. However, as a pilot year, getting the structure right for the incoming students is even more important. A love of things Irish is passed along in many ways, sometimes by grandparents and parents, or inspired by movies or current cultural icons such as U2 and Liam Neeson. At the end of the day, there is no substitute for travel to Ireland itself which remains the surefire way to ensure the continuance of the close Irish and American links. Ireland is a great brand and a great location for young kids, a place that allows them to connect on a very serious level with family, roots and fields of dreams they may only have heard about from their grandparents. One hopes the new scheme will involve many other countries in the future, such as Britain where there is a great unmet need as stars like Ed Sheeran and Shane MacGowan make clear, or Australia and Canada where the Irish have planted their flags for centuries now. You only have to look at the recent cancellation of the Sydney St. Patricks Day parade due to funding issues to understand how difficult it can become to sustain a cultural heritage. That is why the new venture needs to succeed and do so powerfully in the years ahead. We should never take the diaspora Irish for granted, and the roots program is an important step in the right direction. Donald Trump as Adolf Hitler -- absurd, over the top right? That is unless you are a Holocaust survivor, those brave souls who are still alive having somehow survived the most dreadful genocide on earth. International Holocaust Day was remembered this week and many survivors revealed they were scared stiff of Trump. Eva Schloss, 86-year-old stepsister of Anne Frank, stated "I think [Trump] is acting like another Hitler by inciting racism." Schloss, an Auschwitz survivor was writing in Newsweek. "During his U.S. presidential campaign he has suggested the 'total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States,' as well as pledging to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico to keep illegal immigrants out,"she said. Schloss added, "If Donald Trump became the next president of the U.S. it would be a complete disaster." International Holocaust Remembrance Day is always a somber time for Auschwitz survivor Irene Weiss but this year even more so she told Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank. I am exceptionally concerned about demagogues, the 85-year-old Weiss said. They touch me in a place that I remember. I know their influence and, unfortunately, I know how receptive audiences are to demagogues and what it leads to. She lost her parents and brothers and sisters in the death camps. She worries deeply when she hears about Trump plans to register Muslims. Im worried about the tone of this country, she said.. It has echoes, and maybe more so to me than to native-born Americans Im scared. I dont like the trend. I dont like how many people are applauding when they hear these demagogues. It can turn. There are clearly racist overtones. As Milbank pointed out Donald Trump, the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination, retweeted to his nearly 6 million followers a message from @WhiteGenocideTM based in Jewmerica, and a time when his nearest challenger, Ted Cruz, brandishes the endorsement of a minister who says Hitler was a hunter sent after the Jews by God. Its really frightening, said Al Munzer, who escaped as a baby hidden by a Dutch family and their Muslim nanny. When you see these mass rallies that Trump is able to attract, you really wonder: How are they buying into this message of hate. Thinking that Germany was somehow unique is wrong, he said. Johanna Gerechter Neumann, fled with her family to Albania after Kristallnacht, and told how Muslims protected them from Hitler. Her father, a proud German and World War I soldier, certainly thought that it could never happen in Germany, she said. It did happen. Slowly, but it did happen. It is repeating itself, and it is again the inattention that people pay to real cues that one should understand, said Margit Meissner, almost 94. Its not Weimar, she said, but it could become Weimar Germany if you have Mr. Trump here and people keep believing what he says I think one has to speak up. And thats the one lesson from the Holocaust: Do not be a bystander. Trumps attacks on differentpeople such as immigrants, Muslims, Latinos, African Americans, the disabled, women seen through the eyes of Holocaust victims look very sinister. Holocaust survivor Martin Weiss who was only 15 when sent to a death camp hears echoes of his youth. The guy scares me, he said about Trump. I dont want to make any comparison to Hitler, but believe it or not his delivery and the way he conducts himself is very similar to Hitlers way of doing things. He discredits everybody who disagrees with him. Hes insulting. He discriminates against everybody. Weiss continued: Sooner or later, you know what happens in a case like this? Thats how Weimar Germany went to hell, because when Hitler came in, if somebody disagreed with him guess what he put them in prison or he had them shot or he opened the concentration camp. 2016 sees the people of Ireland celebrate the dreams and ideals of the heroes of 1916. To suggest that these ideals have been fully achieved would be ignorant of the fact that 20% of all Irish citizens are disenfranchised from the right to vote and are silenced as soon as they set off from the loneliest of airports. Our greatest resource has left and is scattered all over the globe. Very often they have left out of economic necessity, a lack of opportunity and a lack of hope. They represent the people of Ireland every day in everything they say and do. Many want to return home but cannot. Many will want to come home in the future, but will not be able to. Their hearts will always be in Ireland. Their voices have been silenced for too long. The current government made giant strides in appointing a minister for the diaspora. Wouldn't it be nice if those abroad could vote to elect a candidate to represent them directly? The constitutional convention has suggested the issue of voting rights for those abroad for a number of years. Alas it continues to be kicked to touch. What is the overriding fear? The established parties may fear the unknown of 20%, worrying that a lesser party could be catapulted to the forefront of Irish politics. Yet this fear is unsubstantiated and would be alleviated when it is considered that emigrant groups, such as the recently formed VotingRights.ie, primary call is for the right to vote in presidential elections. A presidential election should ensure that every citizen has the ability to vote for its first citizen. But surely a situation where a citizen is deemed incapable of voting for its first citizen in this modern age is laughable. The stark reality is that Ireland is bottom of the table in terms of voting rights in the EU as it has no absentee ballot process. The detractors will suggest that the emigrant is not entitled to have a say in the affairs of the country, with the old adage no representation without taxation. After all, why should those living abroad be afforded a voice in the affairs of the country, when they are not even living there? With 20% of the Irish nation now living overseas, surely it is not too much to ask for their input when it comes to leading our country? In terms of taxation, the reality is that only the United States in the developed world places a tax on its citizens on foreign earned income. Eritrea follows Americas lead. It is not demanded amongst any of our European counterparts and nearly every country has some form of emigrant voting rights. Ireland is world famous for Waterford Crystal, Guinness and Kerrygold amongst many other things. However our greatest export is our people and the amazing young minds that have left the island to build a new life further afield. They have become ambassadors on every level and have grown to the top levels in industry and business and society around the globe. The Irish government has been happy to invite them home for The Gathering and been happy to invite Irish owned companies back to the emerald isle to set up and invest in the country. All of these are good and positive things. Surely it is not too much to allow these Irish citizens living abroad a say in how they want to see Ireland grow and develop. As an Irish citizen living abroad for the last 12 years, I would like to think that my voice would be heard at home. I read the daily papers online; I listen to the hurling; and Im in contact on a daily basis on the phone and FaceTime. The reality is that even though I am far from home, I very often know more about home and what is going on than some of those living at home themselves. Bunreacht na hEireann states that it is the birthright of every person born in the Island of Ireland to be a part of the Irish Nation. Wouldnt it be nice if all those Irish citizens living abroad were allowed to be heard? The spirit and hope of 1916 seeks to inspire the youth of today to embrace new dreams and ideals. Is it too much of a dream to give our loved ones away from home a say in how the country is run? Surely it is their country as much as ours? Two signatories of the Easter Proclamation were emigrants (Thomas J. Clarke and James Connolly) and fought for the rights of Irishmen around the world. They will be honored and recognized throughout the centennial celebrations. They will never be forgotten in Irish history. Let us take this opportunity to ensure we never forget those who have left our shores. To learn more, visit votingrights.ie Many of us in the Irish diaspora around the world want to know more about our Irish roots. While planning a recent business trip to Ireland, I got just that chance and more. A few colleagues in Ireland had inquired about my familys Irish origins. My mother had done research years ago, but had not come up with much. My own attempts were sporadic due to work and family obligations, so, unfortunately, my ancestral knowledge was limited. People in Ireland were eager to help and introduced me to a professional genealogist. He took a look at my personal online searches and dove into the research with the personal details I provided. Another connection I made would help provide biological links to Ireland. I signed up for 23andme.com, a website that provides DNA testing for ancestry purposes. Colleagues also introduced me to IrishCentral and the @Ireland Twitter account, and soon I was on board to curate the account for the week I was in Ireland. The research on ancestry.com progressed and soon we had identified several potential relatives living in Ireland. I began reaching out to these people, eager to hear what they had to say. Many were happy to hear from me, and some were even interested in getting their own DNA tested through 23andme.com. By the time I was ready to go to Ireland, I had made plans to meet nine relatives and their families. Over five days, I drove from Dublin down the coast to Waterford, up to Tipperary, and over to Kerry, through Galway and Sligo before returning to Dublin. The benefit of driving all over the country was getting to see all the different landscapes in Ireland, including mountains, oceans, and bogs. Ancient megaliths, portal tombs, and ringforts rise from rolling green fields. I couldnt get too caught up in the landscape because driving in Ireland felt like a full contact sport. Narrow roads with hairpin turns combined with driving on the left side of the road made me wonder if I should increase my car insurance, my life insurance, or both. Driving aside, meeting my Irish relatives and their families was an experience I never thought I would have. They were welcoming and willing to share stories they had heard of my great grandparents, aunts, and uncles leaving Ireland for the United States. The sacrifices that people made were awe-inspiring not just the emigrants who never returned to see their families again. The people who remained in Ireland also made tremendous sacrifices. These were their children, the young, the strong, and the generation that was coming of age. It was an emotional, financial, and societal cost that continues to resonate today. I was told the story of people who had had to travel from town to town, earning money as they went to save enough for passage to the U.S. I heard the story of 15- and 17-year old sisters sent over to the US alone. As the parent of teenagers myself, I can empathize with that difficult decision: the desire to give them a better life but to possibly never see them again. Upon my return home, I was inspired to learn more about the history of the Irish in Pennsylvania. I have spoken about the trip with others who wish to research their own ancestry. Finding my family in Ireland, seeing where my ancestors came from, and the challenges they faced were deeply moving experiences. I look forward to returning with my own family and showing them what a special place Ireland is and to help them understand quite how difficult it must have been to leave. * Robert Young is married with three children and lives in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, an hour north of Philadelphia, PA. He is the Managing Director of an investment firm in the United States. His Twitter handle is @ryoung6500. The Irish union organizer James Larkin, a Liverpudlian by birth, spent three years in prison. Today we look at his prison sentence and remember when Charlie Chaplin paid the Irish activist a visit in Sing-Sing prison, in New York. James Larkin, the Irish labor organizer, is perhaps most known for his involvement with the famous Dublin Lockout of 1913. But did you know that when Larkin was jailed in New York in 1920, he was visited by none other than comedic genius Charlie Chaplin? Larkin, born to Irish parents in Liverpool, England in 1876, grew up in poverty. He later moved to Burren in County Down, where he worked a variety of jobs before taking up his calling full-time as a trade union organizer in 1905. In 1907, Big Jim moved to Belfast and founded the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union, the Irish Labour Party, and later the Workers' Union of Ireland. In 1913, he achieved notable success in the Dublin Lockout, dealing with industrial disputes through strikes and the boycotting of goods. The two main employers involved were Guinness and the Dublin United Tramway Company. While the employees were, for the most part, skilled employees, Larkins aim was to also unionize unskilled workers. His famous slogan was A fair day's work for a fair day's pay. Read more The Dublin Lockout of 1913 When the Lockout ended in 1914, Larkin traveled to the United States to recuperate and raise funds for the union. There he became a member of the Socialist Party of America and was involved in the Industrial Workers of the World union. He became an enthusiastic supporter of the Soviet Union and was expelled from the Socialist Party of America in 1919 along with numerous other sympathizers of the Bolsheviks. Larkin's speeches in support of the Soviet Union, his association with founding members of the American Communist Party, and his radical publications made him a target of the "First Red Scare" that swept the US after WWI. He was jailed in 1920 for criminal anarchy and was sentenced to five to ten years in Sing Sing prison. A portion of Charlie Chaplin's letter recounting his visit to Larkin in Sing-Sing is quoted in Emmet OConnors biography 'James Larkin:' The last day in New York, I visited Sing-Sing with Frank Harris. Jim Larkin, the Irish rebel and labor union organizer, was serving five years in Sing-Sing, and Frank wanted to see him." "Larkin was a brilliant orator who had been sentenced by a prejudiced judge and jury on false charges of attempting to overthrow the Government, so Frank claimed, and this was proved later when Governor Al Smith quashed the sentence, though Larkin had already served years of it. Read more Jim Larkin: The lion of the Irish labor movement "Frank inquired about Jim Larkin and the warder agreed that we could see him; although it was against the rules, he would make an exception. Larkin was in the shoe factory, and here he greeted us, a tall handsome man, about six foot four, with piercing blue eyes but a gentle smile. Chaplin was so moved by his visit with Larkin that he was compelled to send his wife Elizabeth and his children a package of gifts. In a 1977 interview with the Irish Times, Larkins son Denis commented on the package the family received, which included beautiful moccasin-beaded slippers. Larkin was eventually released from prison in 1923, thanks to Al Smith, New York's first Irish-American governor. He was then deported back to Dublin thanks to J Edgar Hoover, later head of the FBI, who colluded in the fabrication of evidence to achieve Big Jims deportation. On Monday, April 30, he arrived in Dublin. His sister and 40 supporters greeted him when he arrived at Liberty Hall in Dublin and a crowd of 4,000 was there to welcome him home. Both Larkin and Chaplin are immortalized with statues in Ireland. Larkin's looms over O'Connell Street in Dublin, while Chaplin's statue is in Waterville, Co Kerry, where the funnyman spent many summer vacations. IrishCentral History Love Irish history? Share your favorite stories with other history buffs in the IrishCentral History Facebook group. * Originally published in 2014. It was just luck that the device did not explode and nobody was harmed, in the early morning attack, in the town of Villingen-Schwenningen, regional police spokesman, Thomas Kalmbach, said. Forty percent of Germans want Chancellor Angela Merkel to resign over her refugee policy. The country took in 1.1m asylum seekers last year and there have been multiple attacks, although most of them have been incidents of arson involving unoccupied buildings. Justice minister Heiko Maass said the grenade attack represented a new level of hate and violence and that he was summoning his state counterparts to better co-ordinate local and federal measures to prevent and prosecute anti-immigrant hate crimes. Grenade attack on refugee's home in Germany 'a new level of hate' https://t.co/0Cvhoot4NM pic.twitter.com/jizjZl7hgC Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) January 29, 2016 Grenades are already flying towards refugee homes; we cant wait until there is someone dead, he said. We need to do everything we can to ensure xenophobic crimes are more rapidly solved and punished more severely. Police formed a special task force to look for the culprits who threw the grenade towards the home at 1.15am, Mr Kalmbach said. The grenade still contained its explosives. A bomb squad destroyed the device on the scene at 5am, after evacuating the 20 residents from the home. Merkel, who enjoyed record high popularity ratings early last year, has grown increasingly isolated in recent months. Her conservative bloc has pressed her to take a tougher line on asylum seekers and European allies have dragged their feet on the issue. Responding to popular pressure, Merkels conservatives, and their left-leaning Social Democrat (SPD) coalition partners, agreed on Thursday to tighten asylum rules, compromising on how to stem the influx. The Insa poll, for Focus magazine, surveyed 2,047 Germans between January 22 and January 25. It showed 45.2% believed Merkels refugee policy was not a reason for her to resign. It was the first time the pollster had asked voters whether Merkel should quit. Another poll, released yesterday by the Elector Research Group, showed support for Merkels conservative bloc steady, at 37%. As recently as September, they were on 42%. Support for the SPD was also unchanged, at 24%. The poll put the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD), which supports a hard line on immigration, on 11%. The three ruling parties Merkels Christian Democrats, their Bavarian allies, and the SPD are eager to show voters that the government is in control of the refugee crisis, before three state votes in March and a general election next year. A dispute over tighter immigration rules has, nonetheless, strained the ruling coalition. Daft.ie have announced the results of their Election 2016 survey. 62% of respondants indicated that housing will be a top issue for them when they go to vote. 40% indicated that they feel no political party or grouping is best suited to address their housing concerns. Of those who chose a political party or grouping, the breakdown was as follows: 13% - Sinn Fein 11% - Fine Gael 11% - Fianna Fail 7% - Independents 6% - Labour 5% - Anti-Austerity Alliance 3.5% - Social Democrats 2.5% - Renua 1% - Green Party 78% of respondents indicated that they do intend to vote in the coming election. 14% are not sure while 8% said they will not. Syrias largest opposition group has said it will attend UN peace talks in Switzerland, but it will not negotiate directly with the Assad Government. Previously the group known as the HNC had refused to join discussions before a deal was made on aid for besieged towns. Up to 65% of small firms in Ireland depend on cross Atlantic data transfers and new chamber president Bob Savage said yesterday that firms could find obstacles to doing business in the US and citizens could have difficulty carrying out online banking while there if no agreement is reached. Mr Savage also heads the Irish division of global cloud computing and data storage company EMC. The main focus of the session will be the transaction of the General and Railway budgets but the government is also keen to get passed a number of key reforms measures including the contentious GST and Real Estate Bills. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: The Budget session of Parliament is likely to begin on February 23 as the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh meets here on February 4 to finalise the broad schedule. The main focus of the session will be the transaction of the General and Railway budgets but the government is also keen to get passed a number of key reforms measures including the contentious GST and Real Estate Bills. Read: Cabinet Committee to meet on February 4, discuss date for Budget Session Sources said that the session is likely to begin on February 23. Usually, the budget session begins in the third week of February and concludes early May. There is a recess in between when the budgetary demands for grants are discussed in the committees. The General Budget is expected to be presented in the Lok Sabha on Feb 29, the last day of February, as is the practice traditionally. Meanwhile the process for the Assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry, where the tenure of the Assemblies is set to end in May-June, will begin in the midst of the session and that could raise questions about the number of sittings. A curtailment may be necessary to accommodate campaign by leaders during the elections. Against the backdrop of near washout of the previous sessions, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today expressed the hope that Congress will "see reason" and help in passage of GST legislation, which is stuck in the Rajya Sabha during the coming session. "It (GST) is the important reform of UPA. If I had to credit the authorship of it, I have to give credit to them. Now, If the author turns against his own script, what do I make... I have reached out (and) I have spoken to them. I have explained to them and I hope they will see reason... (and) see the rationale behind passing GST," he said speaking at a public function here. Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu had earlier this month met Congress President Sonia Gandhi seeking cooperation for the early passage of the crucial GST bill and the Real Estate bill. Naidu said today that Opposition should refrain from disrupting the proceedings. "We have no problem. Government is ready to discuss any and every issue," he said amidst indications that the Opposition might aggressively take up the issue of imposition of President's rule in Congress-ruled Arunachal Pradesh and the suicide of a dalit student in Hyderabad University. The Winter session had ended on December 23, leaving the Goods and Services Tax Bill and a number of other measures in a limbo. The government's legislative agenda had suffered a serious setback due to lack of support from the numerically stronger Congress-led opposition in the Rajya Sabha. This had prompted Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to raise the question of how an "unelected" house could overrule the mandate of the "elected" house. In the winter session, the Rajya Sabha saw passage of nine bills but lost 47 hours due to disruptions caused almost every day by Congress which raised one issue after another. The Lok Sabha performed a little better as it passed 13 bills and saw discussions over various issues like price rise, flood and drought situation, despite repeated uproar created by the opposition Congress over various issues. Developers of solar energy projects are required to apply for connection to the electricity network after which ESB should make a decision within 90 days. Speaking at an Energy Cork conference on the future of solar energy in Ireland, ESB Networks renewable planning manager, Ivan Codd said more than 340 solar applications had been made to the end of 2015 but the process is not designed to handle such large volumes or patterns of applications. The delay in processing the applications was heavily criticised by Amarenco Solar chief executive John Mullins. In September 2014, I told your staff exactly what was going to come at you [in terms of applications] and it wasnt on the basis of me speculating, it was on the basis of what had happened in the UK and I cannot believe, in an organisation were all very proud of in the ESB, that you cannot supplement the resources required to do distribution analysis effectively for all these applications. 'Solar is a big part of ESB's generation future' Cera Slevin speaking at @EnergyCork Solar conference today pic.twitter.com/vK9ptSqpeW ESB Group (@ESBGroup) January 29, 2016 For me, I dont think its acceptable and I dont think the [Commission for Energy Regulation] should allow it to be acceptable, Mr Mullins said. Its absolutely critical for this industry to push forward, that theres no bottleneck in the system, and quite clearly what weve heard here is there is a bottleneck in the system. "From a regulatory point of view there are timeframes and theyre not being met, so I would clearly urge the CER to ask the ESB to increase the level of resources to meet the industry requirements. An ESB spokesperson said the company had received more than 10 times the level of applications received in the entire of 2014 in the last six months alone and continues to process applications at about 75 locations. The increase in renewable energy generation sources and the desire to develop an enduring connections policy has been a key driver in the CER reviewing the existing connection policy to ensure it is fit for purpose for future network and energy requirements, the spokesperson said. Meanwhile, Cork County Council granted Amarenco planning for a 5MW solar farm in Kilmoney one of six such projects in Cork for which the company has submitted planning. The company has also said it is relocating its headquarters from Dublin to an office space on Anglesea Street in Cork City and create 10 additional jobs. Komady Ltd, owned by James Flynn and members of his family, along with business partner Michael OReilly, last year failed to get the court to continue an injunction stopping a receiver selling Belgard Retail Park in Tallaght. Its tenants include B&Q, Mothercare, and Halfords. Ulster Bank then applied to have the entire action struck out as unsustainable and an abuse of process. Mr Justice Raymond Fullam yesterday said he was satisfied to grant the banks application to dismiss the action. He said there was a failure to establish a prima facie case of bad faith in relation to the bank exercising its contractual right to demand repayment of the loans of 24.2m each given to Komady and Mr OReilly in 2005 to refinance loans from Anglo Irish Bank for the retail park. There is no evidence the bank engineered a loan default on the part of the plaintiffs in this case, he said. The bank denied it contrived to manufacture a default situation to call in loans owed by Komady and Mr OReilly. Lawyers for both claimed a site adjoining the retail park, over which the bank had also appointed a receiver, would increase in value by between 10m and 15m, if it and the retail park could be sold together. Access to the other site would be via a right-of-way ransom strip through the retail park, the court heard. In August 2014, the bank demanded immediate repayment of the loans which were advanced in 2005 to acquire the retail park. When they were not paid, receivers were appointed. Komady and Mr OReilly obtained an interim injunction preventing the receiver selling the property but the court refused to continue this. They had claimed the bank was not entitled to immediate repayment, that the loan repayments were being met, and the loan facility had another 10 years to run. It was claimed the bank had an ulterior motive in calling in the loans in order to enhance the value of the adjoining site. The bank claimed the plaintiffs were experienced developers, fully aware of their obligations. Mr Justice Brian McGovern refused to continue the injunction, rejecting the claim of ulterior motive. He said there was no issue to be tried. Entries to the annual Readers Photography Competition have skyrocketed in recent years, but the quality of submissions has also increased, according to visual media manager Jim Coughlan. Choosing an overall winner was a daunting prospect, he said. Weve had about 5,000 entries this year and the quality of the pictures has just gone through the roof, its great, he says. The great thing about the Readers Picture Competition as opposed to other photographic competitions is that we open it up to every individual. Every reader can enter and they dont necessarily need to have expensive equipment or know about the technical aspects of photography. This year, the winning pictures featured a hungry kingfisher, an angry horse, and a happy-go-lucky springer spaniel. Winner of the @irishexaminer readers photography competition is Padraig Molloy from Wexford for his kingfoshed snap! pic.twitter.com/wco6b7MDw6 Kelly O'Brien (@Kellingtondawg) January 29, 2016 While each of the selected finalist images contained elements of the animal kingdom, the over-riding link between the three was that the photographers were just in the right place at the right time. They all have the same idea behind them, says Mr Coughlan. Its being in the right place at the right time to get the right snap. Sometimes it happens by chance, but take the overall winner for example, the kingfisher. It took the photographer hours to get that and get it right. Its a fantastic shot. The photographer, Padraig Molloy from Duncannon, Co Wexford, reveals that he is routinely to be found hiding in the undergrowth waiting for a fox or mouse or a bird to wander unwittingly into frame. Taking the perfect shot can take hours, even days. I take a lot of nature photos, says Mr Molloy. This photo specifically, of the kingfisher, I would have taken in England. Theres a set-up of a hide and you do it all that way. Theres a lot of waiting around for the right moment and so on and it can be hit and miss. I took up photography a few years ago when I retired. I was never into it up to then but I took it up. Basically, I was looking for something that would be a challenge. I started music and I got nowhere so the photography took over and I joined a Wexford camera club. That was a great help because you get a lot of support and that kind of thing. They hold various competitions as well and its a good way of improving your skills. His wife, Mary, said she was thrilled for Padraig who bagged 1,000 for his winning snap, as well as a bottle of champagne. Popping the cork in the Irish Examiner offices on Oliver Plunkett St, Mary said she was extremely proud of her husband and was in awe of the dedication he had shown to his hobby, his determination to get the right shot, no matter how long it takes. Fellow finalist Geraldine Dennehy from Millstreet, Co Cork, received 250 and a bottle of champagne for her snap of a cheeky horse at the Millstreet Horse Show. Ive always been interested in horses, Ive worked with them for years, he says. I was wandering around, taking photographs, and I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. I was lucky the camera was on auto focus and I had a fast lens because I only had seconds to take that photo. Im thrilled to have been a finalist. Tim Cremin from Kilbrin, Co Cork entered a feelgood photo of his nephew Sam and his dog Buster, and also received 250 and a bottle of champagne. I dont have any big lenses or anything like that but I like taking photos, he says. I do a lot of hillwalking so Id love to take more nature or landscape photos. Big congrats to Tim, Geraldine and Padraig - finalists of the @irishexaminer readers' photography competition :) pic.twitter.com/IFt0q3p6O4 Kelly O'Brien (@Kellingtondawg) January 29, 2016 It was his first time entering the competition. Each finalist says they were overwhelmed with their respective wins and encouraged amateur photographers across the country to enter the 2016 competition, which has just been launched. The competition is sponsored by Barker Photographic based in Frankfield, Co Cork. Every week, two winners will be selected from the photos submitted and will appear in Saturdays edition of the Irish Examiner. At the end of the year, 104 winning photos will be whittled down to three. The overall winner will receive 1,000 while the two runners-up will receive 250. Images can be submitted at www.photos.examiner.ie. For more information about Barker Photographic, go to www.barkerphotographic.ie. High quality of entries praised by judges as competition draws large entry The half-share in a jackpot of 132,376,632 means one winner, or group of players, can claim the third-highest amount won in Ireland since the game began in 2004. The winning numbers were 1, 5, 23, 29, 32, and Lucky Stars 1 and 7. One Irish person just won 66 million on Euromillions Tabloid photographers drop everything & go searching for the winner Only Limerick woman Dolores McNamaras 2005 jackpot of 115m and a 94m prize claimed by a Dublin player in 2013 top the amount scooped by last nights lucky winner. This is the seventh EuroMillions win in Ireland, and we send our congratulations to the winner, or winners. If they would like to get in touch with us next week and discuss any issue privately, we would be more than happy to do that, said National Lottery spokeswoman Paula McEvoy. In line with National Lottery policy for Irish winners of EuroMillions jackpots, no information will be provided about where or when the golden ticket was sold. The jackpot is shared with a player in France. Workers on up to 50,000 would also see their taxes reduced by up to 15% under the promised reforms. Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin unveiled the tax-cut promise yesterday evening in Mullingar, ahead of Labours conference here today. The plan would put more than 1,000 a year back into the pocket of a worker on 25,000. However, a high earner on 120,000 or more would not see any reductions in their tax obligations. As part of the pre-election promise, Labour says USC would be abolished on incomes up to 72,000. Workers would also pay less PRSI once their income amounts to less than 704 a week. Any gains under the changes for higher earners would be clawed back by adjusting their tax. Announcing the changes, Mr Howlin said the USC was the most draconian of the charges introduced during the recession. However, Labour still wanted to keep a broad tax base and would limit reductions. For more election news, analysis and general banter join us HERE Under the proposals, a worker on 25,000 would see joint reductions in USC and PRSI result in a 1,132 saving annually, or 22 per week. A worker on 50,000 would see 2,043 saved a year or 39 per week . Someone on a salary of 72,000 makes a saving of 3,302 or 63 per week. Labour stressed that higher earners would see gains clawed back. Someone on 120,000 might see USC reductions of 3,302 but these would be cancelled out by income tax-related increases. Mr Howlin also responded to calls for the next government to have a rainy day fund, saying that Labour had financial plans, though this was an unallocated amount, if Ireland faced future economic challenges. The minister would not be drawn though on what exactly these funds were, or how much. The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council yesterday warned that the projections for increased spending by the next government were incorrect, and were several billion euro short of what was being promised by parties wanting to be in government. With just days to go before the expected announcement of the election, Labour TDs and delegates will today discuss jobs and healthcare, among other issues, before party leader Joan Burton gives the main address at the conference tonight. For more election news, analysis and general banter join us HERE Gaining a place on the Graduate Training Scheme run by Reuters, she worked in London, Madrid, and Paris, where she met her future husband. They moved to the Ivory Coast where she worked for Associated Newspapers. Shes also lived in Senegal, and Nairobi, from where she travelled to Somalia, freelancing for The Guardian, to cover the African Unions battle against Al-Shabaab. Ive always written fiction, starting with poetry and short stories. I started the novel when I was on maternity leave with my first child. It went well until she learned to crawl! Who is Clar Ni Chonghaile? Date/place of birth: 1972/Spiddal, Co Galway. Education: Colaiste Chroi Mhuire. University College Galway, French and English. Home: London. Family: Husband David a journalist, daughters Lucy,11, and Rachel, 8. The Day Job: Assistant editor of the global site at The Guardian. Interests: I love films, and I enjoy a bit of running. Favourite Writers: Louisa May Alcott; Jane Austen; Emily Bronte; and more recently Margaret Atwood, William Boyd, Dave Eggers, and Khaled Hosseini; Anne Enright, and Karl Ove Knausgaard. Second Novel: Ive started one. It explores the issues of addiction and obsession, and is about a Rwandan living in Ireland, and his relationship with an Irish woman. Top Tip: Let your imagination run riot; believe in your story, and do the graft. Twitter: @Clarnic The Debut Fractured. Legend Press: 13.50. Kindle: 4.50. Journalist Peter Maguire has been taken hostage in Mogidishu, imprisoned, and terrified. His only contact is Abdi, a teenager working for Peters captors. Peter ponders his complicated life, realising his relationship in Paris is doomed to failure. If he lives, should he contact the son he fathered after a brief affair in Sierra Leone? Meanwhile, Peters mother, Nina, a retired war reporter with problems of her own, travels to Somalia to try and save her son, and mend their fractured relationship. Im fascinated by circumstance and the choices we make. We think we are free, but when you travel and meet people with different lives, it makes you realise how similar we all are. I wanted to explore those ideas of choice and freedom. The Verdict: An important book for our troubled times. Fitzgibbons research is vast. Through the use of journals, correspondence, biographies, state papers, eye-witness accounts and personal diaries such as George Storys, a Williamite chaplain who travelled with this colourful and daunting army, he weaves an epic tale. Ireland, a rich fertile territory, was always going to prove interesting to the English a land where taxes could fatten the kings coffers. Strangely enough, the Irish ruling classes, the Gaels, the Gaelic Normans, and the Old English settlers, all Catholic, didnt quite agree. Following a massacre of superimposed Protestant settlers in 1641, a soldier who had deposed the previous king of England and now ruler, Cromwell, decided to sort the Irish out once and for all. Those he didnt kill, he sold to the West Indian slave market, then divided up their lands amongst those who had lent him the money to finance his war of Irish conquest in the first place, many of them Protestant British gentry. A nice little earner all round. Fitzgibbon elaborates on the strife between Catholicism and Protestantism so central to the Irish experience. When the British had enough of the puritanical Cromwell, they reinstated Charles II. Though Protestant, he had an affinity with Catholics, in particular his half-brother James, a Catholic, who would subsequently take the throne. Though no English king was a friend to the Irish, a Catholic king was a better evil, as there was hope that lands forfeited from the previous ruling classes might be restored. Things finally started looking up as King James listened to the Irish professionals and gentry who were trying so desperately to regain their birthrights. James was supported by the French Catholic King Louis XIV, who was simultaneously fighting a war for mainland European power against the Protestant Dutch William of Orange. It is through this quagmire of politics that Ireland became a horrific sideshow to a greater European war. William first invades Britain, deposing James. The French sent troops to Ireland to aide James, fighting for his throne, and his supporting Jacobites, fighting for religious freedom and reinstatement of their lands. Inadequately supported by the French, they were no match for William and his Williamites, a vast army of Dutch, English, Danish and Hugenots arriving in the name of Protestantism. Accounts of Jacobite bravery are striking considering the Williamites received coinage, the Jacobites often nothing except the promise of regained rights. Horrid accounts of battles such as the Boyne, Aughrim, and the Siege of Limerick are described in detail. War is certainly deglamourised; we read of slow and painful deaths by muskets, clubs, pikes and swords, men being hacked to death like dogs, scorched earth policies and subsequent starvation that seems to be a greater feature of 17th century Ireland. Protestant settlers welcomed William. The 1641 massacres had scarred their memories and fearing their own genocide, they never knew when the Gaelic Irish would bare their teeth again. They were lucky: William was a strong leader who understood warfare; the Gaels not so lucky: James seems a cowardly and fickle man. We read about many incredible characters from Irish history, Patrick Sarsfield immediately springing to mind. The disunited nature of the Jacobite leadership is featured widely throughout the book, too many rival factions proving no doubt detrimental to their success. Many left Ireland, forever engraved in history as the Wild Geese, King William subsequently inflicting severe penal laws on Catholics. Though definitely for the history buff, 17th century weapons of war such as spreading fear, falsifying documents, and the use of entire armies to fight for the personal benefit of the elite, prove fascinating reading. But, aside from the use of musket and cannon, I ask, has war actually evolved much in the last 400 years? Kingdom Overthrown Ireland and the Battle for Europe 1688-1691 Gerard Fitzgibbon New Island Books, 24.95 This third concert in an innovative and adventurous series at the Triskel featuring, and curated by, the England-born, Ireland-based pianist Phil Ware joyously celebrated the many connections between Brazilian music and jazz. Bringing together seven musicians from, as he described it, the four corners of my address book, Ware presented an international ensemble made up of such stellar Irish players as the great bassist Ronan Guilfoyle, versatile drummer Sean Carpio, rising saxophonist Matthew Halpin, and virtuoso accordion player Dermot Dunne. They were joined by Venezuelan guitarist Orlando Molina, above, German-French vocalist Marie Seferian, and trumpet and flugelhorn player Miguel Gorodi, whose roots lie in Spain, England and Hungary. It was a group, led by Ware on piano and Fender Rhodes, more than suited to the myriad styles and possibilities inherent in Brazilian music in particular, as played in the first half of the evening, such much-loved forms as samba and bossa nova. These were songs with a certain laid-back lightness of touch, a sense of space and air; Cool, crooned Ware, at the end of an Antonio Carlos Jobim song that featured the scat singing of an engaging Seferian. The concerts second half was dedicated to the extraordinary music of the maverick, self-taught, 79-year-old composer and multi-instrumentalist Hermeto Pascoal, a unique and inspirational figure in Brazilian music. Taking on compositions renowned for the breakneck speed of their melodies, the density of their rhythms, and the sheer scale of their ambition, Wares group, playing much of this music for the first time, seemed somehow more liberated perhaps by the free spirit of Pascoal himself. These compositions were at once more traditional and modern, more complex and open, more serious and playful. It was like listening to samba played by Sun Ra or Frank Zappa. On another wild, wet and windy Irish winter night, this was wonderfully sunny and sophisticated music, aided by Wares smart arrangements, that put a smile on your face and, judging by those around me, a certain sway in your shoulders. Philip Watson Padsalgikar will take over tomorrow and succeeds Ahmed Javed, who has been appointed as Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. (Photo: Rajesh Jadhav) Mumbai: Senior IPS officer Datta Padsalgikar was on Saturday named as the new Police Commissioner of Mumbai. Padsalgikar will take over tomorrow and succeeds Ahmed Javed, who has been appointed as Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. "Government is pleased to appoint D D Padsalgikar, IPS (1982) as the next Commissioner of Police, Mumbai with effect from January 31 on superannuation of Ahmad Javed, IPS (1980), the present Commissioner of Police, Mumbai. "The post of Commissioner of Police, Mumbai stands downgraded to the rank of Additional Director General of Police till further orders," a senior official said. Earlier in the day, Javed got an official send off from his fellow police officers at Naigaon Police parade ground in Central Mumbai. Javed has been appointed as the Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. During his short speech, Javed thanked the state police force for supporting him and congratulated the 13 President Medal's recipients from Mumbai police. Javed said he is proud to take over his next assignment. The tiny tots love it, teens have fun and the wrinklies reminisce about pancakes in the past. So where did the custom come from? The name Shrove Tuesday originally came from the word Shrive meaning to absolve. Christians were encouraged to examine their conscience, confess and repent before the penitential season of Lent commenced on Ash Wednesday. Fasting was an integral part of Lent so it became a custom to use up all the sugar, butter, flour and eggs before the long period of fast and abstinence began. I hadnt quite realised how many countries celebrate Shrove Tuesday. In Germany its called Fastnachtsdienstag. In Netherlands, its known as Vastenavond and is also linked to a carnival. In Portuguese, Spanish and Italian speaking countries its actually known as Carnival which is derived from the Latin farewell to the flesh. In Brazil the Carnival in Rio is the most famous while in Venice they celebrate with a masquerade. In Spain, Carnival Tuesday is named dia de la tortilla, omelette day. In Portuguese-speaking Madeira, they eat malasadas on Terca feera Gorda (Fat Tuesday). In Denmark and Norway the day is called Fastelavn, Children dress up in costumes and gather treats. Iceland calls it Sprengidagur (Bursting Day) and is marked by the tradition of eating peas and salted meat. In Sweden Fettisdagen (Fat Tuesday) is celebrated by eating a marzipan filled pastry called semla. The Lithuanians celebrate the day called Ugavenes by eating pancakes or a special type of doughnut and then of course theres Mardi Gras in New Orleans which again means Fat Tuesday. There are pancake races and pancake flipping competitions in many countries so lets get in on the act. I love the simple pancakes of my childhood which my own grandchildren also love to help to cook and flip but here are some other recipes to choose from if youd like to ring the changes before you consider 40 days of abstinence. Semlor Lenten buns Serves 12 80g (2oz) melted butter 250ml (9 fl oz) whole milk 25g ( oz) fresh yeast (or 12g active dry yeast) 40g (1 oz) caster sugar 400 g (10 oz) plain bread flour, plus extra for dusting tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder 2 tsp ground cardamom 1 egg, lightly beaten Filling 100g (3 oz) almond paste, see recipe 6-8 tbsp of custard, see recipe 500ml (18 fl oz) whipping cream 1 tsp vanilla sugar or extract Icing sugar to dust If using mixer, set it up with the dough hook attachment. Melt the butter and add the milk, ensuring a lukewarm (blood) temperature. Add the fresh yeast and stir until dissolved. Add sugar and stir again. Add 300g of flour as well as the salt, baking powder and ground cardamom. Add half the egg (preserve the other half for brushing before baking). Mix well until all ingredients are incorporated and then start to add remaining 100 g of the flour, bit by bit, until you have a dough that is only a little bit sticky. Take care not to add too much flour: you will get dry buns. Knead the dough for at least five minutes in the mixer, longer by hand. Leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 40 minutes. Turn the dough out to a floured surface. Knead again for a few minutes, adding more flour if needed. Cut the dough into 12 equal sized pieces. Take care that the balls are completely round and uniform in size. Place on baking tray with good spacing between buns. Leave to rise for another 40-50 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Gently brush each bun with the remainder of the egg wash and bake in a hot oven for about 20 minutes or until baked through keep an eye on them as they can burn quickly. Remove from oven and cover the tray with a lightly damp tea towel immediately this will prevent the buns from forming a crust. When the buns have cooled down completely, cut a lid off the buns about 1 cm from the top. Partly scoop out the inside of the bun and place crumbs in a separate bowl. Mix the almond paste with the crumb until it forms a very sticky mass add a dash of milk or custard at this point to help it along. You want a spoonable even mixture. Spoon the filling back into the buns, equally divided. Whip the cream with the vanilla sugar until stiff and use a piping bag to pipe cream on all the buns tops. Put the lids back on and dust with icing sugar. Russian Fluffy Pancakes Julija Makejeva, who works with us at the Cookery School, taught me how to make these pancakes, known as oladushki in Russian. Serves 6 225ml (8fl oz) buttermilk 1 level tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda or bread soda) 2 organic eggs, whisked scant 1/2 tsp salt 2 tsp caster sugar 250g (9oz) white flour 2 tsp vegetable oil Put the buttermilk into a bowl, sprinkle the bicarbonate of soda on top and leave for 34 minutes to allow the mixture to bubble. Whisk the egg, salt and caster sugar into the buttermilk mixture. Slowly add the flour to the batter, whisking all the time, until the mixture has an even consistency. The batter should be very thick and reluctantly fall off the spoon. Heat a wide frying pan on a medium heat. Add the vegetable oil. Pour a tablespoon of batter into the pan and repeat. You should be able to fit about five more pancakes in the pan, spaced evenly apart. Fry until golden brown on one side, flip over once bubbles have appeared on the surface and popped. Repeat the process until all of the batter is used. Serve with sour cream mixed with raspberry jam or sour cream sprinkled with brown sugar. Almond paste 225 g ( lb) ground almonds 225 g (lb) golden castor sugar 1 small organic or free-range egg A drop of pure almond extract (be really careful, its very intense) 1 tbsp Irish whiskey Sieve the castor sugar, and mix with the ground almonds. Beat the eggs, add the whiskey and 1 drop of pure almond essence, then add to the other ingredients and mix to a stiff paste. (You may not need all of the egg.) Sprinkle the worktop with icing sugar, turn out the almond paste and work lightly until smooth. Creme Anglaise (Custard Sauce) 1 pint (600 ml) milk Vanilla pod or other alternative flavouring 6 egg yolks 2 ozs (50g) sugar Bring the milk almost to the boil with the vanilla pod. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until thick and light. Whisk in half the hot milk and then whisk the mixture back into the remaining milk. Cook over very low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the custard thickens slightly. Your finger should leave a clear trail when drawn across the back of the spoon. Remove from the heat at once and strain. Cool, cover tightly and chill. The custard can be kept up to two days in the refrigerator. Crepes with Orange Butter This crepe recipe is very nearly as good as those crepes suzette they used to serve with a great flourish in posh restaurants when I was a child. These crepes are half the bother and can be made for a fraction of the cost. Serves 6 - makes 12 approximately Pancake Batter 6oz (175g) white flour, preferably unbleached A good pinch of salt 1 dessertspoon castor sugar 2 large eggs and 1 or 2 egg yolks, preferably free range Scant 15fl oz (450ml) milk, or for very crisp, light delicate pancakes, milk and water mixed 3-4 dessertspoon melted butter Orange Butter 6oz (175g) butter 3 tsp finely grated orange rind 6oz (175g) icing sugar Freshly squeezed juice of 5-6 oranges Equipment 8 inch (20.5cm) non-stick crepe pan First make the batter. Sieve the flour, salt, and sugar into a bowl, make a well in the centre and drop in the lightly beaten eggs. With a whisk or wooden spoon, starting in the centre, mix the egg and gradually bring in the flour. Add the liquid slowly and beat until the batter is covered with bubbles. (If they are to be served with sugar and lemon juice, stir in an extra tablespoon of castor sugar and the finely grated rind of half a lemon.) Let the batter stand in a cold place for an hour or so longer will do no harm. Just before you cook the crepes stir in 3-4 dessertspoons of melted butter. This will make all the difference to the flavour and texture of the crepes and will make it possible to cook them without greasing the pan each time. Next make the orange butter: Cream the butter with the finely-grated orange rind. Then add the sifted icing sugar and beat until fluffy. Make the crepes in the usual way. Heat the pan to very hot, pour in just enough batter to cover the base of the pan thinly. A small ladle can also be very useful for this, loosen the crepes around the edge, flip over with a spatula or thin egg slice, cook for a second or two on the other side, and slide off the pan onto a plate. The crepes may be stacked on top of each other and peeled apart later. They will keep in the fridge for several days and also freeze perfectly. If they are to be frozen its probably a good idea to put a disc of silicone paper between each for extra safety. Note: If you have several pans it is perfectly possible to keep 3 or 4 pans going in rotation. Its only necessary if you need to feed the multitudes. To serve Melt a blob of the orange butter in the pan, add some freshly squeezed orange juice and toss the pancakes in the foaming butter. Fold in half and then in quarters (fan shapes). Serve 2 or 3 per person on warm plates. Spoon the buttery orange juices over the top. Repeat until all the pancakes and butter have been used. Note: A tablespoon of orange liqueur eg. Grand Marnier or Orange Curacao is very good added to the orange butter if you are feeling very extravagant. Hot tips 10 Great Brunch Recipes: Brunch, more substantial than a breakfast, is the perfect meal for enjoying quality time with family and friends and enjoying hassle-free entertaining. For the last number of years we have run an extremely popular breakfast course here at Ballymaloe Cookery School, but never get a chance to share the wonderful repertoire of brilliant brunch ideas I have picked up on my travels until now! Think spicy Sri Lankan chilli eggs to the classic Mexican huevos rancheros, light-as-a-feather ricotta hot cakes with honey, all-American corn cakes or Dutch pancakes with crisp home cured bacon and tangy blueberry drop scones dripping with fresh butter. Home cooks will head away with so many simply delicious recipes to entertain and delight. Friday February 5,2.30pm; www.cookingisfun.ie Past Ballymaloe Cookery School student Jack Crotty, aka The Rocket Man, has opened E A S T an exciting new food venue at the Old Winthrop Arcade, Oliver Plunkett Street, Cork City. Think super tasty falafel and in house flatbreads with pickles, cheeses and slaws. Open seven days a week. www.therocketman.ie Weston A. Price Foundation: Dont miss the second annual food and nutrition conference at Thomond Park, Co Limerick on February 6 and 7, focusing on wise traditions in food, farming and the healing arts. Visit the website for full details www.wapfmunster.com Get Blogging with Lucy Pearce: Join pro-blogger Lucy Pearce and some of our 12 Week Certificate Students for Get Blogging on Saturday February 6. See Lucy from 2pm-5pm for a whistle-stop tour of the food blogging world and discover whats hot, and whats not. Youll see just how diverse food blogging is, and how to find your niche. Lucy will compare the different blogging platforms too. www.cookingisfun.ie This is the beginning of a high-pressure period for students, as they consider subject choices and prepare for exams and it is easy to become overwhelmed. Many people find that its useful to have some Rescue Remedy to hand at this time of year. This combination of five Bach Original Flower Essences is blended to provide a little support in times of emotional demand to help you stay calm and focused. Rescue comes in a variety of formats including drops, pastilles, and chewing gum. New Rescue Plus lozenges also contain B vitamins to support mental performance and have an orange and elderflower liquid centre, 5.49; www.nelsonsnaturalworld.com BE ALARMED: Pic: carbonmonoxide.ie A recent poll of 1,000 households, 51% did not have a carbon monoxide alarm. And though 95% have at least one smoke alarm, 88% of those polled admitted to not testing them weekly in line with government recommendations, according to the research commissioned by Nest Labs. The Nest Protect Smoke + Carbon Monoxide detector, which tests itself automatically and can be silenced from your phone, costs 119; www.nest.com/ie ROCKIN IDEA: Childrens clothing company Rockin Baby recently made its first charity drop to Uganda, donating 2,000 items of new clothing to children. This American company originally made baby slings and began its Mother-to- Mother initiative where for every sling purchased, one is donated to mothers in Haiti and Kenya in 2011. Child to Child began with sales of Rockin Babys first childrenswear collection, launched for Autumn 2015. Rockin Babys Spring/Summer collection for newborns to age 10 goes on sale tomorrow February 1, prices from 7; www.rockinbaby.com PRECIOUS METALS: Not Too Precious, an exhibition of contemporary jewellery in non-precious materials, opened at the National Craft Gallery, Kilkenny, last Friday, and runs until March 30. Admission is free and other events organised around the exhibition include two free jewellery making workshops for children and teenagers. Dutch jewellery and object artist Felieke van der Leests workshop on Saturday February 13 is suitable for ages 5+, with an afternoon workshop for teenagers. For more details see www.nationalcraftgallery.ie/learn/families The jaywalking gene is strong in the Irish; when abroad we cant let an opportunity pass without testing road-crossing rituals. Do we pre-empt the green signal, or wander across audaciously where there is none? By American standards traffic in San Francisco is relatively light. But what confounds is the manner in which cars here politely yield to pedestrians. Hover at the footpaths edge and invariably a car grounds to a halt, fully 5m away! With vehicles unwilling to dice, it punctures the jaywalkers mojo. Does this tie in with the peace-loving image we associate with the city? Do the natives effortlessly slip the label on or stubbornly hitch their identities to it? Cool people, climate, language, lifestyle? After all, with every stereotype or preconception comes a necessary counterweight. Stroll through Fishermans Wharf with its shimmering views of the bay and its celebrated bridges disappear into the swollen haze. The glare and commercial pomp of Pier 39 crowd the streetscape and, for a while, the city appears much like any other, one that suffers too much from franchise mania. But keep walking, keep moving: push further into San Franciscos soul and you uncover the quarters that live and breathe, that are organic and idiosyncratic. San Francisco prides itself on being more European in appearance than any other US city. The tightly-packed clapboard housing and retail outlets dip and roll across the city hills; it is the most densely populated metropolitan area in the US after New York City. Since its foundation in 1776, San Francisco has been subject to dramatic change and transition. Natural disasters and strident civic action earthquakes, prospectors and dot-com speculators have left lasting impressions. Arguably, though, it is the counter-cultural roots that linger in most peoples minds. In its hey-day, between 1950 and 1980, the Beat Generation, New Wave filmmakers, liberal activists, and blissed-out hippies all converged here, turning San Francisco into an outcast of cool. Since then many of the neighbourhoods most closely associated with that era have gone through a process of gentrification. But the Mission District, for one, maintains its own breed of eccentric, and the Castro still keeps itself queer. Both are bustling, diverse neighbourhoods. A trolley bus to Mission St prompts an encounter with two manic preachers. A man in his 40s, sitting opposite, rambles: Jesus is a brown man. Dont eat pork; pigs are filthy. I love pork! On the seat behind, a woman in her 20s screeches, punches her bag and then hollers something indecipherable. Neither is conscious of the other. Those sitting nearby sport bemused smiles. My girlfriend and I had timed our visit beautifully; we were in town to attend the gay wedding of an old college friend. He was due to get married in the middle of Gay Pride Week and, as luck would have it, on the same day the US Supreme Court declared state-level bans on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. The weekend of June 26 and 27, around the Civic Center, Market St and the Castro, was a rush of colour and bared-flesh celebration. San Francisco is a safe city and, if your legs can carry you, an easy one to navigate on foot. We walked from Union Square, the downtown commercial heart, all the way to the Golden Gate Bridge an urban hike! There are other modes of transport available, however. You may pedal your way to the bridge, and across it, on a rental bike. Alternatively, there are Muni bus and trolley options, boasting zero emissions vehicle status. Casual cyclists are a rare sight in the hilly neighbourhoods, but they materialise South of Market and in the Mission District, and although surprisingly few cycle lanes exist, it doesnt stop the city from wearing its eco-credentials on its sleeve. Perhaps it has to; there is that right-on past to protect and, more worryingly, a shaky future to consider: California is in its fourth year of a record-breaking drought. With this in mind, we visited the California Academy of Sciences, in Golden Gate Park. The current building opened in 2008 and its twin-hill grass roof melds into its parkland setting. If for no other reason, go to catch a glimpse of Robert Emmet scratch your head in wonder as to why our rebel leader stands outside the entrance (the statue was donated to the park in 1919 by James D Phelan, a former mayor). Fittingly, if you prove you have cycled or travelled by public transport, the ticket desk will give you a $3 discount. The best attractions inside the Renzo Piano-designed, eco-friendly museum are the earthquake simulator and planetarium, which arguably justify the hefty entrance fee. Outside, across a palm-tree bowl, is the de Young Fine Arts Museum, which is an arresting sight. The museum showcases American art from the 17th to 21st centuries, as well as displaying contemporary costume and textiles. San Francisco has surprisingly few must-see sights; it is the filler that makes this city such a snug place to visit. The sense of community is strong. There is the thrill of visiting individual neighbourhoods to enjoy independent cafes, bookshops, designer outlets, and restaurants. WHAT TO SEE Visit Alcatraz. If visiting during peak summer months, you need to book with Alcatraz Cruises three weeks in advance. The best time to visit is between January and March when tickets are always available, even for last-minute travellers (see www.alcatrazcruises.com). Pop into City Lights Bookshop. Although relatively small, it has a wonderful atmosphere and history, situated in the heart of North Beach. Stroll, cycle or drive down Lombard Street, an experience all road users will love. Do a City Guides Free Walking Tour. Get a fascinating insight into locations used by Hitchcock in Vertigo. (To enhance the experience, watch the film in advance.) Or gain access to the Coit Tower murals where scenes of the Great Depression were created by leading artists of the 1930s (www.sfcityguides.org). Wander down the peaceful, pedestrian-friendly Pier 7, near Embarcadero, for unadulterated views of the bay area. Hop on a historic cable car. Used mostly by tourists the ticket cost is high but the Powell & Mason, Powell & Hyde, or California Street lines are worth a spin. WHERE TO EAT Herbivore restaurant, on Valencia Street, Mission District - excellent vegetarian options (www.herbivorerestaurant.com). XOX Truffles - tasty chocolates free with each cup of coffee, Columbus Ave, North Beach. (www.xoxtruffles.com) The Plant Cafe Organic - great views from bay-side tables, on Pier 3, Embarcadero (www.theplantcafe.com). WHERE TO STAY Hotel rooms dont come cheap. We stayed at the San Remo, a Victorian hotel in North Beach. Most rooms come with shared bathroom facilities (www.sanremohotel.com). TIS the time to be laying into politicians. Tis the time to be calling them to account. Over the coming weeks, they will sidle up to your door and politely ask you to put your faith in their ability to govern on your behalf. For some voters, this is payback time. There will be tongue-lashings, and anger, frustration and general discontent. This is right and proper. Politicians must be held to account. But what of the voters? Democracy is a two-sided coin. Politicians have responsibilities and they often dont live up to them. But what responsibilities have voters to maintain a liberal democracy? Do voters have any responsibility towards standards? This question will not be to the fore in County Tipperary in the forthcoming election. According to Paddy Powers odds, Michael Lowry is the third favourite to get the highest vote in the election. Only Enda Kenny and Gerry Adams are regarded as better-placed to be the most popular politician in the country. On Wednesday, a High Court judge pointed out that in the Moriarty Report Lowry had been found to have engaged in a litany of falsification and deception. Judge John Hedigan referred to findings of perjury and bribery of a potential witness to support Mr Lowrys false evidence. The description is a damning indictment of Lowrys character from the judiciary, whose members speak carefully, particularly in delivering a ruling. For more election news, analysis and general banter join us HERE There is little doubt but that some politicians from Government parties will get a verbal walloping on some doorsteps in Tipperary. They will be excoriated for breaking promises; for not paying attention to certain sections of society; for losing the run of themselves. Some of these encounters may end with a slammed door. Others will be concluded with a firm refusal to countenance any vote for the candidate. By contrast, the forecasts suggest that the reception for Mr Lowry, in many quarters, will be of a kind usually reserved for folk heroes. There will be none of that old guff about bribery, perjury or corruption. All that matters is Micks the man in delivering for the constituency. And when he cant deliver, he gives the impression that he moved mountains, but unseen forces were railed against him and, sure, isnt he only human. Theres nothing in the water in Tipperary that softens moral backbones. Its the same throughout the State. Independent councillor, Michael Clarke, topped the poll in his area, in Sligo, in the last two local elections. In 2002, he was convicted of fraud, involving a scam in which public money was siphoned out of the Department of Agriculture. He was sent to prison for two years. Often, prisoners who serve their time find it difficult to get back into the workforce. Clarke, despite stealing public money, had no problem getting elected back onto the council. By all accounts, hes a great man for delivering. Look at the three councillors exposed in the recent Prime Time Investigates programme into petty corruption. None resigned, mainly because they are all relatively confident of re-election. This has nothing to do with rural Ireland. Dublin councillor, Tony Fox, lost his seat at the 2014 local elections. He was 72, and maybe a little past the hurly-burly of politics. The previous year, he had been charged with bribery offences relating to rezoning land in Dublin, but the charges were dropped when the chief witness, Frank Dunlop, was deemed too unhealthy to give evidence. Fox first came to prominence when he was named by Dunlop at the Mahon Tribunal, in 2004, as a councillor who had received inducements for his vote. Yet, despite that, Fox got re-elected twice, before losing his seat. All politics is local and some would suggest that voters inclination to ignore low standards is rooted in this truism. Not so. At a national level, there remains an ambivalent attitude towards standards. In 2007, Bertie Ahern called the election a few days ahead of the date that was forecast, on the basis that a Sunday newspaper was about to run a story about his personal finances. Aherns finances had been the focus of the Mahon Tribunal, by that time, for more than two years. The first week of the campaign was dominated by the issue. The matter involved the character of the man who wanted to be re-elected Taoiseach. Stories suggested that he had not been forthcoming with a tribunal that was set up by the Oireachtas. Questions were being raised as to the veracity of a highly emotional interview he had given the previous September, as an explanation for receiving huge wads of money in the 1990s. And, then, a strange thing happened. An opinion poll illustrated that voters were not interested in the story, and, if anything, saw Mr Ahern as some form of victim. The feedback to the media was to concentrate on the issues, which suggested that the character of the next Taoiseach was not an issue. All that mattered was that he had delivered, and could be trusted to continue delivering. With that sort of sentiment abroad, opposition politicians and Aherns coalition partner in government, the Progressive Democrats ran for cover. If the voters didnt give a fig about possible impropriety in high office, then they sure as hell werent going to, either. One explanation that is often forwarded for this absence of a moral barometer is that corruption, including white collar crime, is rarely subjected to sanction. If a culture of impunity exists, why would anybody bother about whether their representatives are honest, once any dishonesty doesnt directly affect a constituency? (One example of voters turning on a dishonest politician was Liam Lawlor, who committed the cardinal sin of engaging in corruption in his own constituency through rezoning. Be corrupt if you must, but never in your own backyard). Theres more to it than that, though. Voters have a responsibility, also. Voters impart the values they want to see among their representatives. If those values involve giving a franchise to dishonest politicians, why would any honest politician mount a high horse and declare himself above the rabble? Enda Kenny quite obviously sees things that way, as per his refusal to rule Mr Lowry out of any government arrangement in the future. The only chink of light was that those in his party, and in Labour, who saw things differently were of a younger generation. Still, the young vote for Mr Lowry, too, and for others like him. Its no harm at this time, when democracy is at its keenest, that voters have some regard for their own responsibilities. You cant excoriate some politicians for breaking unrealistic election promises, while retaining a sneaking regard for others who have no standards at all. For more election news, analysis and general banter join us HERE Hell is truth seen too late, observed the political philosopher Thomas Hobbes. And while the Labour Party meets in Mullingar not hell this weekend; the road to Mullingar, like the one to hell, was paved with good intentions. Not quite a wake for the partys time in power, more the removal removal of reality as to why Labour finds itself in such a mess compared to Fine Gael, if the musings of its past and present leaders are anything to go by. Serial reality-denier Eamon Gilmore outdid himself as he peddled his revenge scorn book settling scores with Joan Burton when he lauded the now infamous Every Little Hurts mock-Tesco advert. Gilmore said the ad was one of the most successful campaigns in history as it was only rolled out once and people are still talking about it five years later. For sheer jaw-dropping crassness, it is a bit like Jackie Kennedy saying; That trip to Dallas me and Jack took in November 1963 was amazing people are still talking about it decades later! The ad was meant to emphasise that Labour would act as the moral brake on Fine Gael and thwart such outrageous, ideologically driven Blueshirt excesses as cutting child allowance; bringing in an expensive water tax; and banging a quid on a bottle of wine. For more election news, analysis and general banter join us HERE It clearly resonated and a last-minute Fine Gael surge to shade a majority was stopped in its tracks as Labour received record numbers of votes. The only problem was, rather than put a brake on Fine Gael, Labour went on to break every single one of the six clear promises in the ad as it conspired to form a Tory coalition of misery with Enda & Co. Slumping to 6% in the 2014 local elections as a result, Gilmore jumped before he was pushed as Burton took over. However, she failed to turn over a new attitude for Labour which could have changed its image back from lap-dog to watchdog. Burton made a number of early strategic blunders, for instance saddling the party with the Department of the Environment and its hated water tax rather than insisting on the jobs portfolio that would have finally put the Labour Party in a position to take some credit for the largely cyclical economic upturn. Depressingly silent during the endless run of controversies at the Department of Justice that finally forced Alan Shatter from office, Burton had an opportunity to reassert moral authority when Kenny cack-handedly tried to stack the Seanad with a crony, but, as usual, Labour wimped-out and limped into the corner with barely a whimper instead. Still reeling from accusations of blatant cronyism herself, St Joan wavered in the face of temptation again when, for four full days, she evaded questions on whether Labour would allow itself to be propped-up in government by the likes of disgraced former Fine Gael minister Michael Lowry. It was left to over-promoted and overly ambitious deputy leader Alan Kelly to firmly rule out any deal with his deadly constituency rival Lowry when Kelly emerges as the principled voice of reason in the party, you know something has gone badly awry in the failed state that is Labour. In politics timing is everything, and just like taking over the party too late, Burton showed she is not a lucky general when her prevarications on a Lowry deal were thrown into sharp, and ugly, relief by a damning High Court judgement stating the TD engaged in a litany of falsification and deception. Rather than set, an admittedly belated moral standard for Labour, Burton had bleated the same meaningless banalities as the Tory do-anything-for-a-deal-to-stay-in-power Taoiseach on Lowry. And with his 11 refusals in a row to answer a very straightforward question about a post-election hook-up with Lowry, Enda Kenny set the tone for the whole election campaign: Grubby. It was also bad politics as it destroyed the key theme of the Coalition campaign, that the only alternative to it is the chaos option of a government propped up on the whim of independents. Kennys lack of finesse in failing to fling Lowry back into the political shadows suddenly exalted him into the role of kingmaker of the next Dail in US terms a sort of human Ohio without whose support no one can govern. Clearly, the pursuit of power is all for Kenny. British Tory leader Michael Howards career was torpedoed by the withering assessment that he had something of the night about him. Lowry certainly has something of the tribunal about him and always will; thus he should be left ostracised in its dark, unforgiving shadow. But then Kenny has clearly always been more indulgent of Lowry than he would like to let on. You only have to look at the chummy tone of the deeply sexist handwritten note Lowry wrote to the Taoiseach last year urging the reappointment of a woman to a State board because shes not bad looking either to see that. Enda carelessly left the note on the front bench for prying eyes to find and make public. Now he is careful to tip-toe around Lowry for fear he will need him in order to remain on that same front bench next month. Barely back above that rock-bottom 6% support, Labour also hopes to hobble back into power with Enda, but for what purpose? Labour is not yet in hell Mullingar is merely the ante-room because it has yet to realise the truth about the time and trust it has squandered while in power. Hobbes laid the foundation for much of modern Western progressive political thinking with Leviathan and its concept of the need for a social contract to bind society together. Labour broke its social contract with the people who turned to it in 2011. Labour voters feel lied to. Electoral hell awaits. For more election news, analysis and general banter join us HERE However, the issues involved are deadly serious, not only in individual cases such as the murder of Litvinenko, but also in assassinations and war crimes committed by the governments of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council Britain, China, France, Russia, and USA. Since the foundation of the UN, a litany of crimes has been committed with impunity by these five states, in clear breach of the UN Charter and international laws. The details emerged from documents leaked by Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor, who leaked millions of documents about US government surveillance in 2013, according to reports by the German daily Der Spiegel and investigative website The Intercept. The intelligence agencies were able to watch information that the drones and other aircraft broadcast back to their handlers, the reports said. So far Egypt has publicly said it has found no evidence that the MetroJet flight, which crashed in the Sinai Peninsula after takeoff from Sharm el-Sheikh airport, killing all 224 people on board, was brought down by terrorism. A senior security official at the airline denied that any of its employees had been arrested or were under suspicion, and an Interior Ministry official also said there had been no arrests. But the sources, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the ongoing investigation, said the mechanic had been detained, along with two airport policemen and a baggage handler suspected of helping him put the bomb on board. After learning that one of its members had a relative that worked at the airport, Islamic State delivered a bomb in a handbag to that person, said one of the sources, adding the suspects cousin joined Islamic State in Syria a year and a half ago. He was told to not ask any questions and get the bomb on the plane. Another source said of the other suspects: Two policemen are suspected of playing a role by turning a blind eye to the operation at a security checkpoint. But there is a possibility that they were just not doing their jobs properly. None of the four have been prosecuted so far, the sources told Reuters. The crash has called into question Egypts drive to eradicate Islamist militancy and hurt its tourism industry, a cornerstone of the economy. Islamic States Egypt affiliate is waging an insurgency in parts of the Sinai, although mostly far from the tourist resorts along its Red Sea coast. Russia and Western countries have long said that they believe the flight was brought down by a bomb smuggled on board. Egypt however has so far publicly said it has not found any evidence of foul play. Any formal charges or official Egyptian confirmation that a bomb brought down the Airbus A321 could potentially expose Egypt to compensation payments to the families of the victims. The EgyptAir senior security official said state security police had investigated all workers at Sharm el-Sheikh airport without finding any evidence implicating any of them. The official said state security traced the family connections of all the employees and they were cleared. Any employee who shows sympathy to militants is prevented from going to work in any airport, he told Reuters. An Interior Ministry source also said no one had been arrested in connection with the crash. We are awaiting results of the investigation. Islamic States online magazine carried a photo of a Schweppes soft drink can it said was used to make an improvised bomb that brought down the Russian airliner. The photo showed a can of Schweppes Gold soft drink and what appeared to be a detonator and switch on a blue background, three simple components that if genuine are likely to cause concern for airline safety officials worldwide. Kim Tucci, a mother of three, gave birth to the five babies at King Edward Memorial Hospital in Perth and all are doing well, according to doctors. Tucci gained a strong following as she documented her natural pregnancy online. She has two daughters with her husband and a son from a previous relationship, and wanted another boy. Tucci, who had to take 6,000 calories per day, welcomed the arrival of a new boy, named Keith, and four sisters Ali, Penelope, Tiffany, and Beatrix, along with her husband Vaughn. Late last year she began documenting her incredible journey on her Facebook blog Surprised by Five. Photographer Erin Elizabeth shot some images of Tucci pregnant at 25 weeks on a Perth beach which went viral. Last week, she wrote about how she was going to the toilet 12 times a night and having to eat 6,000 calories a day. Image taken at King Edward Memorial Hospital as doctors help Mrs Tucci deliver her five babies. Mrs Tucci wrote about her back pain, 12 bathroom trips a night, and consuming big meals to feed her five babies. Im struggling to eat and force feed myself leaving me with reflux for hours, she wrote on her blog. I cant tolerate a lot of dairy and I cant keep protein drinks down, Im starting to lose weight when I really need to be gaining it. She told her 123,000 followers: Its getting harder as each day passes to push through the pain, every part of my body aches and sleeping is becoming very painful. No amount of pillows are helping support my back and belly. Sometimes I get so upset that I just want to throw my hands up and give in. I have a lot of stretch marks now, dealing with such a huge change in my body is hard. My husband always reminds me I should wear my stripes with pride and that I should be proud of them and what my body has achieved. She fell pregnant with quintuplets naturally in late July, the odds of which are one in 60 million. Since 1980, there have been only two other sets of quintuplets born in Western Australia. She recalled how doctors at first told her she was expecting twins. But another sonogram machine found five separate heart beats. I called my husband from the ultrasound room but I dont think he believed me at first. He quickly drove down. I could see the excitement in his face as he told me We can do this. The convicted Ndrangheta clan bosses had a dozen firearms, including a Kalashnikov, and a pasta pot neatly hanging on a wall. Tomatoes, salad, and what looked like a plate of ricotta were on the counter when police raided the bunker early yesterday. Vines and bushes camouflaged the hideout. Police said they are trying to find a network of accomplices they suspect helped Giuseppe Crea to elude capture for 10 years and Giuseppe Ferraro for almost 20 years. Crea faces 22 years in prison for Mafia association; Ferraro was sentenced to life imprisonment, including for a murder conviction. The cocaine-trafficking Ndrangheta is one of the worlds most powerful criminal organisations. They were living in a concrete bunker hidden by dense bushes and trees, said prosecutor Federico Cafiero De Raho, describing the hideout in the mountains near the town of Maropati in the Reggio Calabria region of southern Italy. They were living like animals, a cold life cut off from society, but with enough contact with the underworld to rule on gang matters when necessary, Cafiero De Raho told a press conference. New Delhi: BJP on Saturday accused Congress of shedding "crocodile tears" over suicide of a Dalit scholar and attacked its Vice President Rahul Gandhi for using students as a "political tool" after he joined them at the Hyderabad Central University for a day-long fast over the issue. Read: HCU suicide: Congress accuses BJP of inaction Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said nine cases of Dalit student suicides had taken place in the campus during the UPA rule but Rahul never bothered to go there as he asked opposition parties to wait for the report of the judicial commission probe ordered by the Centre into the suicide. Read: Rahul Gandhi joins HCU protesters on hunger strike for Rohith Vemula "Congress is shedding crocodile tears simply to gain political mileage. Congress and communist parties are trying to make this a political issue and making a beeline to the university, forgetting that 9 such incidents happened during the UPA rule. This is part of their anti-Modi campaign across the country," he told reporters. BJP said the Congress vice president's protests reflected the opposition party's "frustration" as its leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi and most chief ministers were facing serious corruption charges. Read: HCU suicide: ABVP calls for shut down of colleges in Telangana "At a place where students go for study, Rahul Gandhi is trying to vitiate its atmosphere. It shows how much frustrated Congress is that it is doing politics over a student's death. Such a divisive politics is poisonous and BJP condemns it," BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said. He charged that both Rahul Gandhi and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi were doing politics over the death of Rohith Vemula, a Dalit scholar who had ended his life on the campus. Read: Classic politics of vulturisation: BJP on Rahul Gandhi's visit to HCU Congress MP Hanumantha Rao had also written to the HRD Ministry over suicides by many university students coming from deprived background and the ministry had sent six reminders to the authorities in this regard but Congress had conveniently forgotten it, Sharma said. "His protests are nothing but part of Congress conspiracy to defame the Modi government on one pretext or another. UPA was a failure while the BJP government has been successful on all fronts. Congress is unable to stomach it. Now it has made the university a political theatre for its selfish motives," he said. Lashing out at Rahul Gandhi, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said his fast was a classic case of trying to score "political brownie points" and charged that his characteristic way of functioning was to shun responsibility and gatecrash into others' protests. "Rahul and responsibility, these two Rs never go together. Today he has proved the same. We are all very sad and disturbed about Rohith Vemula's suicide. But the way Rahul Gandhi has shown insensitivity is the reason why I say he and responsibility cannot travel together," he told a press conference. The Congress leader should not act as a judge as the HRD ministry had already ordered a judicial inquiry and the matter was also before a court, he said. "Rather than politicising it, he should have shown restraint and sensitivity," he said, adding that it was not a Dalit vs non-Dalit issue and "passion should not be stoked". "It is a classic case of trying to buy some political brownie points out of a tragedy. It is itself a tragedy... He has always shunned his responsibilities and gatecrashed into protests of others. He has never taken any issue to a logical conclusion," Patra said. Accusing the Congress leader of being "selective", he said Gandhi has chosen not to speak about Malda violence and about the Warangal Congress leader accused of killing his daughter-in-law. In-Charge Vice-Chancellor, M Periasamy said his priority was to restore peace and normalcy on the campus. "Whatever demands of (agitating students)...most of the demands...whatever we (HCU) can accept without any problems, we will accept", he said. On students demanding a job for a family member of Rohith, he said HCU would try to get assistance from the Ministry of HRD and also from the state government in this regard. Noting that the Andhra Pradesh government has come forward offering some help in this context, Periasamy said the HCU has some contacts with the pharmaceutical industry and would try to tap opportunities to get a private job for a member of Rohith's family. Keen to resolve the impasse on the campus, he said representatives of the Joint Action Committee for Social Justice, spearheading the stir, are expected to meet him "any time" and he wants to hold talks with them. Meanwhile, former Lok Sabha Speaker P A Sangma visited the protest site to express solidarity with the agitating students and also shook hands with Rahul Gandhi undertaking a day-long hunger strike with the protestors. The policy-heavy event in Des Moines offered a glimpse of what the Republican contest might have been without the unpredictable billionaire businessman but the candidates could not resist lampooning Mr Trump for boycotting the final debate before voting kicks off in the 2016 campaign on Monday. Iowa residents will choose among the Republican and Democratic candidates in the first of a series of state-by-state contests to choose delegates to each partys convention. Texas senator Ted Cruz, locked in a tight contest with Trump in Iowa, opened the debate with a sarcastic impression of the property moguls frequent insults of his opponents. Im a maniac and everyone on this stage is stupid, fat and ugly, Cruz said. And Ben (Carson), youre a terrible surgeon. Then he thanked his fellow candidates for showing Iowa voters respect by turning up. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush, a frequent Trump target, said: I kind of miss Donald Trump; he was a teddy bear to me. But, never one to go quietly, Trump held a competing rally at Drake University in Des Moines, an event his campaign said was raising money for military veterans. When youre treated badly, you have to stick up for your rights, Trump said, explaining he was skipping the debate because he felt Fox News had dealt with him unfairly. We have to stick up for ourselves as people and we have to stick up for our country if were being mistreated. Mr Trump has feuded with Fox News for months, particularly its anchor and debate moderator Megyn Kelly. Fox News Channel said Trump had demanded a $5m contribution to his charities in order to appear in the debate, which the network rejected. Fox News said its chairman Roger Ailes, in conversations with Trump, acknowledged his concerns about a statement the network had made in the days leading up to the debate. Trumps absence put the spotlight on Cruz, who is challenging for the lead in Iowa, as well as on Florida senator Marco Rubio, who needs a strong showing in the state to stay competitive. The two senators engaged in a lengthy debate on immigration, one of the most contentious issues among Republicans. Both have been accused of shifting their stances on legalising some of those in the United States covertly, a position opposed by many party voters. Cruz accused Rubio of making a politically advantageous decision to support a 2013 Senate bill that included a pathway to citizenship, while the Florida senator said his rival was willing to say or do anything to get votes. In a rare stand-out debate moment for Bush, the former Florida governor sharply sided with Cruz in accusing Rubio of having cut and run on the Senate immigration bill, saying: He cut and ran because it wasnt popular with conservatives. With their White House hopes on the line, the candidates worked hard to cast themselves as best prepared to be commander-in-chief and take on terror threats emanating both from abroad and within the United States. Rubio struck an aggressive posture, pledging that as president he would go after terrorists wherever they are. And if we capture them alive, were sending them to Guantanamo. He also stood by his previous calls for shutting down mosques in the US if there were indications that they were being used to radicalise Muslims. Kentucky senator Rand Paul, back on the main debate stage after being downgraded to an undercard event because of low poll numbers earlier this month, warned against closing down mosques and also raised concerns about the US getting involved militarily in Syria, where the Islamic State (IS) group has a stronghold. The candidates largely sidestepped direct confrontations with each other, focusing some of their most pointed attacks on Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton. In guidance to health professionals, Public Health England (PHE) said the risk of transmission of the virus through sex was very low but condoms should be used as a precaution. It said: Sexual transmission of Zika virus has been recorded in a limited number of cases, and the risk of sexual transmission of Zika virus is thought to be very low. However, if a female partner is at risk of getting pregnant, or is already pregnant, condom use is advised for a male traveller. It said men should wear condoms for 28 days after return from a Zika transmission area if they experience no symptoms of unexplained fever and rash. However, condoms should be used for six months following recovery if a clinical illness compatible with Zika virus infection or laboratory confirmed Zika virus infection has been reported. US officials have ruled out a vaccine to protect against Zika in the next few years as concerns continue to mount about the spread of the virus. Zika Warning: UK Men Told To Use Condoms https://t.co/MTqr72OBGU Sky News (@SkyNews) January 29, 2016 The World Health Organisation has announced that Zika was spreading explosively throughout the Americas and the level of alarm is extremely high. The WHO has set up an international health regulations emergency committee to examine zika and will meet on Monday to decide whether it constitutes a global emergency. The last time a global emergency was declared was for the ebola virus. Zika has been linked to thousands of babies being born with underdeveloped brains in Brazil. Colombia has also seen a rise in the number of patients diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder which can cause paralysis. The US has said it has two potential candidates for a vaccine for the Zika virus. While clinical trials may be able to begin before the end of this year, there will not be a widely available vaccine for several years. In Colombia, health minister Alejandro Gaviria has reported a substantial increase in the number of people with Zika reported to have Guillain-Barre syndrome. It is a serious condition of the peripheral nervous system and most people (around 60%) develop it after having a viral or bacterial infection. Experts believe the infection may trigger the immune system to attack the nerve roots and peripheral nerves. The WHO predicts 3m to 4m people will be infected with Zika in the Americas this year. In a briefing to the WHOs executive board earlier this week, WHO director general Margaret Chan said the organisation was deeply concerned. Economy The Irrawaddy Business Roundup (Jan. 30, 2016) A call for reform of Burmas state-owned firms; conglomerate Asia World divests; foreign companies eye fourth telecoms license, and expand their healthcare presence in Burma. Call for Reform of Burmas State-Owned Companies The Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) has called for the Burmese government to prioritize reforms of state enterprises, in a report that draws attention to the worrying lack of oversight on such companies. In its report, Gilded Gatekeepers, published this week, NRGI focused its attention on the so-called state-owned economic enterprises (SEEs) operating in the oil and gas sector, and especially the Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise, or MOGE. MOGE is the entity with which all companies extracting oil or gas in Burma must form a joint venture. That means it receives vast sums of money on behalf of the Burmese state. It collects a massive 16 percent of all government revenues, the report said. Mysteriously, MOGE also accounts for 10 percent of public expenditureon what is it unclear. As NRGI noted, There is not a clear link between the activities that SEEs like MOGE are charged with performing and the large sums they are entrusted with retaining and spending. Additionally, state-run firms are not obliged to hand over all their profits to the government, but instead can put them in other accounts. According to data released under the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, MOGE chose to squirrel away US$1.4 billion in this manner in the fiscal year 2013-14 alone. The reports co-author, Patrick Heller, NRGIs director of legal and economic programs, in an editorial posted on the organizations website and first published by the Myanmar Times, noted that MOGE could have accumulated a much larger sum in its own bank accounts over the years. The total sum that has accumulated in MOGEs Other Accounts over many years remains unknown, he wrote, also noting the weak formal controls over the management of state companies. We dont know what MOGE does with this money. Is it simply leaving the money in an account? Is it using the money to finance other investments? he added. Asia World Looks to Clean Up Its Act Asia World Company, the Burmese conglomerate that remains under US government sanctions for its alleged links to drug trafficking, has undergone a major restructuring that appears at least in part designed to improve the firms image. The company said this week that it had offloaded certain parts of its business in order to streamline its operations and focus on the three sectors of infrastructure, energy and property development. The parts of the business from which Asia World is divesting are its most visible and controversial, suggesting an element of rebranding in the move. The notoriously secretive company also overhauled its website recently, adding a lengthy document setting out the firms human rights policy and even including a previously unpublished email address specifically for media inquiries. The company is headed by Htun Myint Naing, a.k.a. Steven Law, the son of the late Lo Hsing Han. Lo was an ethnic Kokang militia leader labeled by the US government as a major drug lord in Shan State, although Asia World has insisted that the companys success has not depended on his money. The companys statement Wednesday said Asia World had exited entirely from its toll road business, was quitting a planned coal-fired power project in Rangoon, and had divested from the gas station brand Green Luck. Notably, the company also said it was now completely out of the jade sector, which has come under intense scrutiny due to dangerous conditions for local miners, allegations of official corruption and suggestions that the industry is fueling the civil conflict in Kachin State. The company had been involved in mining jade in Hpakant Township through a company known as Yadanar Taung Tann. The UK-based campaigners Global Witness reported last year that this company had been cutting both the Burma Army and a senior member of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) into part of its operation, in what the group labeled an unholy trinity. The statement also offered a quote from Steven Law, Asia Worlds chairman and managing director, who hinted at the companys wish to be seen as a responsible business living up to international standards. AWC was founded with a strong belief in making lasting contributions to the people of Myanmar and the future of the country, and we reiterate our commitment to play a leading role in Myanmars economic growth and progress, he said. We have streamlined our business to focus on infrastructure, energy and property projects, and we are confident this strategy will enable us to deliver more projects that are in compliance with international standards of quality and efficiency. Seven Foreign Firms Want to Join Fourth Telecoms License Seven companies from overseas have expressed interest in partnering with a consortium of 11 local firms to operate mobile phone services in Burma, Reuters reports. A tendering process is ongoing for the 15-year license that would be only the third to be given to a private operator. Ooredoo from Qatar and Norways Telenor began operating mobile phone services in 2014. The former monopoly holder Myanma Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) and the military-run MecTel also have their own networks. Reuters cited Chit Wai, deputy permanent secretary of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, saying that seven foreign firms had submitted formal expressions of interest in the tender. The newswire pointed out, however, that the 11 local public companies involved in the consortiumwho would together hold the majority of the shares in the venture set to operate on the new licensewere little known and appeared to lack experience in the telecoms or IT sectors. The obscurity of the companies poses a potential problem in Myanmar, where some entities and businessmen are still targeted by US sanctions, connections to the military are not uncommon and reputational risk remains high, Reuters said. Malaysian Company Breaks Ground on Rangoon Private Hospital Kuala Lumpur-based private healthcare company IHH Healthcare Berhad announced this week that it had broken ground on a $70 million hospital in Rangoon. The 250-bed hospital will be known as the Parkway Yangon. The project is being led by Parkway Healthcare Indo-China, a subsidiary of IHH Healthcare, according to a statement. The project also involves Singapore-incorporated Macondray Holdings and two Burmese companiesAMMK Medicare Company Limited and Global Star Company Limitedas minority shareholders. It said the hospital project represented a significant commitment to invest in the local community, although the hospital will be run on a private basis and appears to be aimed primarily at the wealthy. The new hospital will be a boost to ongoing efforts in uplifting medical services to world-class standards, the statement said. This will provide an alternative for the many citizens who currently travel out of the country each year for healthcare. Analysts at BMI Research said the news was positive for the wider healthcare business in Burma. The influx of private healthcare providers into Myanmar will continue, creating positive spillover effects for both medical device and pharmaceutical firms, said BMI Researchs Peter Hoflich in a note. This attraction is due to the confluence of a large unmet demand for medical services in the country, as well as the development of healthcare financing such as the introduction of private medical insurance. Due to the geographic proximity, Thailand-based healthcare providers are expected to be the most active in expanding into this frontier market. Thai Healthcare Provider Expanding in Burma In another development for the private healthcare sector, Thailands Samitivej Hospital is planning to increase its presence in Burma, the companys managing director told a Bangkok-based newspaper. The Nation reported comments from Samitivej Plc managing director and CEO Dr. Chairat Panthuraamporn, who said the group wanted to build on its existing joint venture, through which it operates a clinic in Rangoon, as part of efforts to grow its business as Southeast Asia integrates under the Asean Economic Community initiative. We forged a joint venture with Parami Hospital in Myanmar, setting up Samitivej International Clinic at its medical complex in Yangon two years ago, Chairat was quoted saying. We will also open our stand-alone medical clinic in Myanmar in April this year at a cost of Bt50 million [$1.4 million] to serve both expatriates and local people. About 80 percent of the clinic will be owned by Samitivej, while another 10 percent will be owned by Parami, and 10 percent by local investors in Myanmar. The clinic will be able to serve about 100 patients a day. Samitivej Plc is part of the Bangkok Dusit Medical Services network and operates five hospitals in Thailand. Burma Old Burma Meets New in Parliament On the eve of the commencement of the new National League for Democracy (NLD)-dominated Parliament, The Irrawaddy revisits a story from the archives which took the pulse of the national legislature in July 2012, when Aung San Suu Kyi and her party colleagues took up their seats as lawmakers for the first time following an April by-election. On the eve of the commencement of the new National League for Democracy (NLD)-dominated Parliament, The Irrawaddy revisits a story from the archives which took the pulse of the national legislature in July 2012, when Aung San Suu Kyi and her party colleagues took up their seats as lawmakers for the first time following an April by-election. It must be the widest, smoothest road in Burma. Yet there is no traffic and not a single pothole to dodge, just a smattering of SUVs and sedans arriving at a huge gate each morning. From a distance, the vehicles look like ants scurrying across a big white board. Welcome to Burmas Parliament! Only vehicles belonging to MPs are allowed to drive right up to the Parliament buildings, despite one reporter remarking, a plane could even land here! All cars must be scrutinized by under-vehicle search mirrors at the gate. Peering through tinted windows you can make out parliamentarians wearing khaung paungthe tradition Burmese pink or yellow turbanscocooned in air conditioned opulence. Of course, not all MPs have their own transport and some instead arrive in communal vans. Inside the compound, everything is huge with Parliament buildings sprawling in all directions. They are appropriately built in the royal architectural style to compliment the name of the capitalNaypyidaw, the abode of kings. Yet it is hard to find the spirit of this royal city. What is its history and where is its culture? There are no such things because it was suddenly created in the middle of nowhere in 2005 by the military junta, away from all major cities and 320 kilometers from the former capital Rangoon. Homely is not a word to associate with Naypyidaw. The Parliament building is likewiseenormous and fresh but devoid of a soul. This is a royal prison, Win Htein, an MP and senior member of main opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), jokes on the top step of the Lower House building. We were waiting with his fellow parliamentarians and assorted journalists for Aung San Suu Kyi to make her first entrance to the legislature. Win Htein, a former political prisoner, said MPs had nowhere to go in Naypyidaw. They were supposed to stay in the capital for several months until the current parliamentary session ends. But despite its obvious flaws, the fact remains that Burmas Parliament is a historic entity. The countries first true legislature for more than half-a-century has proven itself to also be one of the nations most inclusive, vibrant and relatively democratic institutions. During Ne Wins rule from 1962 to 1988, the country had a bogus Parliament. From 1988 to early 2011, the country was ruled by the military dictatorship without even the facade of a phoney legislature. July 9 was a historic day as pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the nations most famous prisoner-turned-MP, joined the parliamentary session. This significantly changed the countrys political landscape by bestowing an element of legitimacy upon the military-dominated administration. MPs currently hail from Suu Kyis NLD and many other opposition and ethnic groups, apart from the majority military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and the appointed 25 percent of armed forces appointees. The existence of the military stooges clearly undermines the democratic credentials of the Parliament. Even so, it remains an institution of many colorscontrasting attire here represents different parties. Most MPs from the NLD and its allies wear traditional Burmese jackets in beige, while USDP representatives instead wear white. Members from ethnic Shan Nationalities Democratic Party, known as White Tiger Party, wear their traditional Shan outfit also in beige, while other ethnic groups wear contrasting costumes. Of course, and ominously, the most significant color is greenthe army uniform. There are four columns of seats for MPs in Parliament with the far right occupied by military personnel. Only by amending the widely-condemned 2008 Constitution will this emerald stripe disappear. Out of their eight rows, seven contain army officials from brigadier-generals and colonel to captain. The last row is shared by officers of the air force and navy who wear different uniforms. The MPs themselves seem content to avoid tackling the militarys presence at the moment. Before joining Parliament, Suu Kyi repeatedly said one of her aims was to amend undemocratic clauses in the Constitution such as the guaranteed legislative quota for the military. But she might not feel that the time is right to approach this yet. We came here to collaborate, not to oppose, Suu Kyi reportedly told party colleagues after her first day. Htay Oo, general secretary of USDP, told me in a hallway in the Peoples Parliament, I dont regard other political parties here as opposition. Its difficult to define the meaning of the opposition. I think we all are here to work together for the sake of our people and country. Without doubt, all MPs, especially ex-military officers within the USDP, could do with more diplomatic and consensual language when they meet presseven if their words sometimes might not be wholly truthful. When asked how the institutions dynamic had changed due to the presence of Suu Kyi and her party, Htay Oo said, Well, more people are here. There are no empty seats. Pressed on how formal the Parliament appears with the strict dress code, he paused for a moment before answering with a smile, Oh, Ive got used to it, pointing to his traditional turban. Its our pride. We could even hold this Parliament on a lawn. But holding it here is a matter of pride. Undoubtedly discussions within parliamentary sessions appear to be essentially free. The MPs can bring up practically any issue from repairing potholes and the release of political prisoners to ethnic conflict and land confiscations. This Parliament has more freedom though its formality and style is similar to under the BSPP [Ne Wins Burma Socialist Programme Party], NLD MP Ohn Kyaing told me during an interval. In his former role as a journalist, Ohn Kyaing witnessed the dictators legislature where there was no opposition at all. This new Parliament is certainly different. A scoop of reporters is allowed to do their job as the fourth estate watchdog on proceedings. Through the glass of media booths above the chamber, they keep dozens of beady eyes on the MPs. Lots of pictures are snapped of prominent members such as Suu Kyi, the house speaker and certain billionaire tycoons. And during breaks, members mingle with the media as quotes and soundbites are traded and newsworthy material filtered out of the days bureaucracy. When we run into Lower House Speaker Shwe Mann, a former high-ranking general, after the lunch, he greets the press pack in a friendly manner. I am very pleased that you media people come to support our Parliament, he says before warning, but dont ask questions now. At least journalists were allowed to take photos. It appears one of the greatest powers the media possesses in Parliament is to prevent MPs nodding off. I dont dare doze as TV cameras are shooting all the time, joked Win Htein. If the voters in my constituency catch me, I will be kicked out! Yet the way that MPs make proposals and debate issues suggests that most largely ignore the presence of the media. Nevertheless, pictures of parliamentarians sleeping and using iPads have already spread on Facebook and other social media. After sitting through the whole day, it seems obvious that many MPs, like their children in school, are desperately longing for the end of the day. On the steps of the Parliament building before boarding the van, reporters surrounded Col Hla Myint Soe, a military-appointed MP, and ask what proposals will be coming from his green-clad section. Hla Myint Soe reportedly played a key role in the brutal crackdown on the 2007 pro-democracy Saffron Revolution. The colonel was friendly and the reporters kept throwing questions. But another military official interrupted, grabbed his arm and took him away saying abruptly, We have things to do. A fitting end to a day of Burmas Parliament. Burma Dateline Irrawaddy: Whether Suu Kyi Can Become President No Longer Depends on the People This week, the panel discusses the prospect of power sharing in the government between the military, the NLD and ethnic parties. Kyaw Zwa Moe: Welcome to Dateline Irrawaddy. Leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD) Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing held talks this Monday. The talks reportedly focused on a peaceful transition in the post-election period, matters related to the parliament, and permanent peace. But beyond these, it will be interesting to see what agreements the military and the incoming NLD government have made and how power will be shared. Ko Aung Moe Zaw, chairman of the Democratic Party for a New Society and Ko Thalun Zaung Htet, editor of The Irrawaddys Burmese edition, will join me to discuss this. Im Kyaw Zwa Moe, editor of The Irrawaddys English edition. Ko Aung Zaw Moe, according to the photos, the talks between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing seem pleasing, and it seems that people in general are also pleased with them. We can say that the topics they discussed are key issues. But upon taking a closer look, it seems that the military and the NLD are even discussing sharing power within the next government: in other words, forming of a government of national reconciliation. Can we conclude that they are discussing power sharing? Aung Moe Zaw: Personally, I think the discussion focused on forming the next government. They might have also discussed other issues, but I mainly [think it was] about the next government. The constitution provides three ministerial posts for the military in the government, plus the vice-presidency. I think the NLD might appoint those recommended by the military and some from the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) into its cabinet. The NLD and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi might offer ministerial posts to those persons for the stable functioning of administrative mechanisms. It is more likely that they could share power through negotiations, rather than forming a government of national reconciliation. KZM: The question remains among Myanmar people and the international community whether Daw Aung San Suu Kyi can be the president. There is speculation that Article 59(f), which bars her from the presidency, will be suspended. But, gauging the attitude of military leaders, Im afraid this will not happen for the time being. What do you think? AMZ: For the time being, the military might be hesitant to accept Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as the president. But for the country, I think it is very important that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi becomes the president. It would be best for the country if she became the president, I think. KZM: It is the best-case scenario. If the military paved the way for her to take the presidency, perhaps she might have to give back something in return, like formal positions for military leaders and military lawmakers in the cabinet. Here Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaings decision will be a determining factor. Ko Thalun, what have you heard about the cards they are keeping close to their chests? Thalun Zaung Htet: Prior to the talks, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing appointed former Snr-Gen Than Shwes son-in-law, Brig-Gen Thein Naing from Mingaladon Air Base, to Rangoon Divisions parliament. It is an interesting point. Moreover, generals-turned-candidates such as former lieutenant generals Hla Htay Win, Myint Soe, Khin Zaw Oo, Thura Thet Swe and Thet Naing Win are still involved in peace talks through the Myanmar Peace Center (MPC). These former generals are still engaged with military offices. I think they might certainly be the part of the NLD government. KZM: It is not as though former Snr-Gen Than Shwes son-in-law Brig-Gen Thein Naing is appointed to the division parliament for no reason. There will be similar cases in other division and state parliaments. It seems that the military has carefully planned for its future. Does the military intend to appoint Brig-Gen Thein Naing as the chief minister of Rangoon Division? If they have such an intention, they might talk with the NLD. The military has made thorough preparations, putting its men into the governments and parliaments at both central and division or state levels. Have you noticed whether the NLD has prepared that much? AMZ: Previously, there was no such preparation. There may be such preparation at present, but there is no information about it, so it is difficult to predict. Generally, both the governments and parliaments at central and division or state level will include NLD members, plus some ethnic leaders and service personnel recommended by the military, and some USDP members like Thura U Aung Ko, who the NLD likes. It is fair to assume that those recommended by the military will be included in both central and division or state governments, in addition to the quota of positions for the military. KZM: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was given the mandate by the people and Im afraid people will be displeased with the next government if there is only a small proportion of NLD members in it. AMZ: I think she might take a risk. She has great confidence. I think she has decided to do so because she believes she can. One thing I am sure of is that she is soliciting cooperation from the military right now. KZM: Yes, I think the military is the key. If the military does not cooperate, her cabinet may face lots of hurdles. But what about the participation of ethnic persons, Ko Thalun? Recently, there have been unconfirmed reports about ethnic nominees for deputy speaker posts in the parliaments. What have you heard about them? TZH: A couple of days ago, I happened to talk with the chairman of an ethnic party. He said that the NLD had received the mandate thanks to the votes, and had consequently held negotiations with the military to exercise that mandate. As the NLD holds one negotiation after another with the government, they are now on the side of the military, he thinks. He said that the two get closer through frequent negotiations and that the NLD now barely meets ethnic stakeholders. As the NLD is only engaging continuously with the military, he said the ethnic parties are concerned that the NLD will not consider them [for the posts]. There might be agreements between the NLD leader and the military chief. Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi held discussions on Monday on permanent peace, the nationwide ceasefire accord (NCA) and federalism. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has always upheld federalism. But the ethnic groups have started to become concerned that the federal system which will be adopted will be the one favored by the military, not the one they want. Regarding power sharing, there is a prediction that a member of the Arakan National Party will be given the position of Upper House speaker and an ethnic Karen will be given the position of deputy Lower House speaker. But I think the nomination process needs to be transparent. Mainly, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi needs to talk to the ethnic groups. At present, she should hold negotiations with the ethnic groups. KZM: Yes, it is the right move for reconciliation with the ethnic groups. As far as I understand, the military and peoples leaders are key players in national reconciliation. But it might arouse the suspicion of both ethnic leaders and ethnic people if the NLD gets too close with the military. But there were lots of suspicions because of the civil war, which spanned some 60 years. AMZ: Ethnic people have made their suspicions clear. While NLD is cooperating with the military, it should also hold close talks with ethnic parties, ethnic forces and allies. The Committee Representing the Peoples Parliament (CRPP) had allies, like the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) and the United Nationalities Alliance (UNA). If the two sides become distant over time, there might be strains [in their relationship] in the long run. KZM: Another question is what percentage of important positions NLD will give [ethnic representatives] either in the government or in the parliament. It is quite a delicate political situation. Regarding the transparency of nominations, most people will understand that the present time is too sensitive for the NLD to reveal information. I think former Snr-Gen Than Shwe plays a very important role. At the meeting with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, he said that he would use all of his effort to assist her with the national development of the country. Those words count for a lot. How much influence does the former Snr-Gen have over current military leader Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing and other military leaders: 100 percent, 90 percent or 50 percent? AMZ: It is important to note that the son-in-law of former Snr-Gen Than Shwe is on the list of nominees to the Rangoon Division Parliament. One thing I am sure of is that former Snr-Gen Than Shwe still has a certain influence over the military and gives advice. Even if the military leaders do not totally take the advice, I think they must have to take it into account. KZM: I dont think the military will have 100 percent trust in the government formed by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. If Article 59(f) is not changed and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi cant assume the presidency, I think she could take the position of Foreign Minister, if she does not take on another position. But as she has said, she would be above the president. And she will be lady-in-charge as the foreign minister. There is speculation that she would not be able to take the presidency for the next two years. AMZ: Perhaps I am biased, but I not only want her to become the president for our country, for the military, for the people and for the peace process and constitutional reform process, but especially for national development. It would be best if she were the official in charge of the development of the country and livelihoods of the people. KZM: But will the military allow that much? Whether Daw Aung San Suu Kyi can become president no longer depends on the people. The people have already voted for her. For Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to become the president, the military needs to annul or suspend Article 59(f). Therefore, it is perhaps fair to say that the military is the key to pave the way for her. Ko Aung Moe Zaw, Ko Thalun, thank you for your contributions. We have to wait and see how the next government will be formed in March. Young, innocent and often poor students entering the campuses are seen as fodder in the ideological war of their mentors, said scholars. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: Amid a raging political battle over a Dalit scholar's suicide, a group of scholars on Sunday said institutions of learning had become war zones in the last 10 to 15 years and poor students entering the campuses are seen as fodder in the ideological war of their mentors. The 40 scholars, perceived to be sympathetic to the Modi government, said the death of Rohith Vemula had brought forth the rot, which had set in these years and called for action to save the academia from the clutches of this new brand of academics in the university faculties. "Act swiftly to save the Indian academia from the clutches of this new brand of academics in the university faculties and their peers in the higher academic governance of India. The people at the helm of affairs in the higher governing bodies of Indian academia have remained largely unchanged. "These persons in position of authority have continued to further vitiate the atmosphere in our institutions of higher learning," they said in an open statement. ICHR member M D Srinivas, Madhu Purnima Kishwar of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, IIT Chennai faculty Shreepad Karmalkar, Vipin Chaturvedi of the University of California, Atal Bihari Vajpayi Hindi Vishwavidhyalaya Vice Chancellor Mohan Lal Chhipa, Makrand R Paranjpe, Aswhini Mohapatra of the JNU, R Vaidyanathan of the IIM, Bangalore and J K Bajaj of the Centre for Policy Studies, Chennia and Delhi are among the signatories to the statement. "Over the last 10 or 15 years, a new brand of scholarship has transformed the meaning of high academics in such a manner as to convert our high institutions of learning into some kind of war zones. Under the influence of such scholars and their peers in the higher echelons of academic governance, the young scholars joining these institutions are being led astray. "More than the alleged caste discrimination, the tragic death is the consequence of this deep distortion of the academic atmosphere of the campuses. The young, innocent and often poor students entering the campuses are seen as fodder in the ideological war of their mentors," they said. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday posted for final hearing on February 23 a batch of appeals filed by the Karnataka government and the DMK General Secretary K. Anbazhagan challenging the acquittal of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Ms Jayalalithaa and three others in the assets case by the Karnataka high court. The case was scheduled for day-to-day hearing from February 2. A Bench of Justices Pinaki Chandra Ghose and Am-itav Roy granted three weeks adjournment to the appellants and Ms Jayalalithaaa and others when senior counsel L. Nageswara Rao and Dushyant Dave sought adjournment on the ground that Justice Ghose is part of a Constitution bench hearing the Arunachal Pradesh President's rule case next week. Karnataka, the DMK General Secretary K. Anbazhagan, BJP leader Subramanian Swami as well as the four respondents had already submitted a list of issues to be adjudicated in these appeals. A single Judge of the Karnataka High Court while acquitting Ms Jayalalithaa, Ms. Sasikala, Ms. Iavlrasi and Mr. Sudhakaran had relied upon a judgment of the apex court in 1977 holding that it would not be an offence if the accused had disproportionate assets which is not more than 10 per cent of the known sources of income. As the accused had only 8.12 per cent, in excess of the known sources of income, the judge gave the accused benefit of doubt and acquitted them. In its appeal Karnataka and Mr Anbazhagan maintained that if the mathematical errors in calculation in Justice Kumaraswamy's judgment are corrected, Ms Jayalalithaa's assets to her known sources of income come to more than 10 per cent. Ms Jayalalithaa, in her rejoinder, had asserted in her response that there was no `mathematical error' in the Karnataka High Court judgment acquitting her and three others and had prayed for dismissal of the appeal. She questioned Karnataka's locus standi to file this appeal as she said only the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption, Tamil Nadu had the right to file an appeal. She said beyond the role of appointing a special public prosecutor, Karnataka had no other role in prosecuting the appeal. For those following the First Couple of the United States, their first date has now been turned into a film , Southside With You, that premiered at Sundance on Sunday (Jan. 24). Its director and screenwriter is Richard Tanne, and the Obamas are played by Parker Sawyers (President of the US) and Tika Sumpter as Michelle Obama. Sumpter also co-produced the film. The film chronicles how the Obamas visited the Art Institute of Chicago, ate a picnic lunch, watched Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing and had ice cream. Audiences will watch Barack Obama, a summer associate from Hawaii, woo his colleague Michelle - an ambitious lawyer - on a day-long date with him, despite her insistence that it is not a date. Tanne told Vanity Fair that President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are familiar with the film. They were a little "baffled by its existence," seeing as how it was based almost entirely off of "public-domain articles, interviews, videos...just whatever I could get my hands on," Tanne said. If the film gets released by the end of this year, it will be the only film in 2016 to feature a black female actress as lead. Tanne told Vulture that he had been thinking of telling this story since 2007 or 2008, since he observed the looks the First Couple would share; although he didn't sit down to write it till 2013. The actors and the director also shared how the audience at the film festival laughed, sobbed and wiped tears upon viewing the film. The film comes at an important time, with the Obamas' time in the White House soon about to end. The Obamas have reportedly not seen the film yet, with Tanne hoping to screen it for this this week, and Sumpter suggesting they could arrange for a private screening. President Hassan Rouhani of Iran recently invited American investors to put their money in his country as he ended his three-day deal-making in Italy. He stated that the lifting of sanctions by European countries opened a new era of 'win-win' collaboration. The Iranian president also told the press that he also talked Tuesday to Pope Francis regarding the need for religious leaders to speak out against terrorism and extremism. But he also qualified his call by saying it "doesn't mean offending that which is sacred to other people's faith." He was apparently referring to Charlie Hebdo, a satirical newspaper in France which has published a number of cartoons that made fun of the Muslims. President Rouhani also went to Paris on Wednesday in the second leg of his European tour to promote Iran's opening of trading with the world's major economies after the recent lifting of the country's nuclear-related sanctions. "We don't see any obstacles for companies that would want to come and invest in Iran," Rouhani told a group of French business leaders, through an interpreter. "Iran is ready for investments," he added. The Iranian president was accompanied in his trip to Paris by Mohammad Javad Zariff, the Iranian Foreign Minister. They met with French Economy Minister Emmanual Macron and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius. In addition, the Iranian president hosted a meeting with the leaders of France's business community in his Paris hotel. Rouhani's European trip took him first to Italy, and lastly to France. Although it is primarily geared towards encouraging European investment in Iran, he appears to make the most of the occasion by also attracting U.S. investors as well. Iran's economy has halted almost entirely since the sanctions were applied several years ago. By inviting American businesses to join their European counterparts in investing in his country, Rouhani seems to be trying to undo all the financial woes of those years. A 28 year old man of European appearance was taken into custody yesterday (Jan. 28) at New York Hotel, which is about 10 minutes from the theme park Disneyland outside of Paris. Francois Banon, spokesman for Disneyland Paris said that hotel security alerted the cops. The man, who is said to be from Paris, had booked a room for two for a night there. Banon said that two small caliber handguns dating back to the 1980s, ammunition and a copy of either The Qur'an or a guide to it. were found in the man's bag as he went through a security check. There were no casualties. No one was hurt and the theme park was not closed at any time during or after the arrest. There is no evidence that the man was associated with any terrorist groups; Le Parisien from the French media reported that the man claimed during his interrogation that he had been carrying the firearms to protect himself . A woman in connection with the detainee was also arrested earlier on, but was released when it was found out she was wrongly apprehended. CBS News was informed by the police that they do not have a woman connected to the detained man in custody. The investigation is currently being handled by the local police. It has not been passed on to anti-terrorism investigators. The police have said they continue to work with authorities closely to ensure safety of their guests. The detained man was not known to any terrorism authorities. In fact, the only way he was known was for driving once without a driving license. The park Disneyland, which is a popular tourist destination in Europe, lies almost 18 miles (30km) east of the capital of France. It got around 10 million visitors in 2014. The theme park is run by Euro Disney whose main shareholder is US-based Walt Disney Co. 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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 Nashik: Amid campaigns against ban on women from entering the chauthara of Shani Shingnapur shrine and certain restrictions for them at Haji Ali dargah in Mumbai, famous Trimbakeshwar temple in Maharashtra has also come into spotlight for bar on female devotees offering prayers in the inner sanctum. The temple, located 30 kms from Nashik, is a major Lord Shiva shrine of the country, which has one of the 12 jyotirlingas, drawing devotees from far and wide. Kailas Ghule, a member of the Trimbakeshwar Temple Trust said that the bar on entry of women into the Garbhagriha sanctum sanctorum is an age-old tradition and not something enforced in recent times. Women, however, can have darshan from outside the core area. He said men too are not allowed into the core worship area for an hour daily between 6-7 am. As per tradition, only men are allowed entry into the area where the main linga is placed, that too by adorning a specific gear called the sovala (silk clothing). According to Sanjay Shikhare, whose family has for long been engaged in performing 'poojas' and rituals at the temple, the ban goes back to the Peshwa period. Even during the Kumbh Mela, many sadhvis offer prayers at Trimba-keshwar but from outside the Garbhagriha, he said. Also, some purohits (priests) in the temple town said most of the women devotees may not want to defy the tradition. Seeking to give a scientific dimension for the practice, they said there are certain rays that concentrate in the core area which could probably be harmful to the health of women. Leave issue to society, says Maneka Gandhi In the midst of women demanding access to Shani Shingnapur temple and other sacred places in Maharashtra, Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi on Friday said the matter should be left to the society to decide. The society will itself level it out. There should not be any political comment on it, Gandhi said. Email Links to our top local news stories of the day, Monday through Saturday. SANTA ANA, Calif. One of three violent inmates who broke out of a Southern California jail a week ago surrendered Friday, and authorities believe the other two may be 400 miles north in the San Jose area. Bac Duong, 43, surrendered in Southern California earlier in the day and told investigators he had been with the other two fugitives, 20-year-old Jonathan Tieu and 37-year-old Hossein Nayeri, in San Jose on Thursday, Orange County Sheriff's Lt. Jeff Hallock said. The two may be headed to Fresno, he said. "If they are watching, we want them to understand that we are pressing forward, and we are coming after them," Hallock said at a news conference, addressing the escapees directly for the first time. "We will take you back into custody." Duong was taken into custody in Santa Ana, where the trio made their brazen escape on Jan. 22 from the maximum security facility, authorities said. It's not clear how he got back to Southern California from San Jose, but early Friday Duong contacted a woman he knew at an auto electric repair shop just a few miles away from the jail, authorities and witnesses said. Lee Tran, whose family owns Auto Electric Rebuilders, said Duong came to the shop looking for Tran's sister, Theresa, and told her that he wanted to surrender. "He was scared for his life, pretty much," Tran said. "That's why he asked one of our people to turn him in." Tran said his sister called 911, and Duong stayed outside, smoked a cigarette and waited for police. "She was crying her head off," said Trach Tran, her father, who was also there. "Everybody was scared." Lee Tran said his sister's boyfriend knows Duong, and federal authorities had come by to speak with her earlier this week because she might have visited Duong in jail. Shortly after the late-morning arrest, a team of well-armed officers in protective vests swarmed the business. Tieu and Nayeri are believed to be still together in a white utility van the fugitives stole a day after the escape, and they could be headed to Fresno where there may be an associate who can help them, Hallock said. The three men had all been awaiting trial for separate violent crimes at the Central Men's Jail. They were held in a dormitory with about 65 other men in the jail about 30 miles southeast of Los Angeles. The men escaped in the early morning hours after cutting a hole in a metal grate then crawling through plumbing tunnels and onto the roof of a four-story jail building. They pushed aside barbed wire and rappelled down using a rope made of bed linen. It took jail staff 16 hours to realize the three men were missing. On Thursday, authorities arrested a woman who taught English inside the jail. Nooshafarin Ravaghi, 44, gave Nayeri a paper copy of a Google Earth map that showed an aerial view of the entire jail compound, Hallock said. She was booked on suspicion of being an accessory to a felony and was being held pending a court appearance set for Monday. It wasn't clear if she had a lawyer. Ravaghi and Nayeri also exchanged "personal and close" handwritten letters, but Hallock could not say if the two were romantically involved. "It wasn't the relationship that you would expect between a teacher and an inmate in a custody setting," he said. It wasn't clear why Nayeri was allowed to take Ravaghi's class because he spoke fluent English. "Why he was attending that class ... that is very much of a concern for us," Hallock said. It also wasn't clear why jail deputies, who read all inmate correspondence, didn't flag the letters. Ravaghi, who was born, like Nayeri, in Iran, was working as a part-time English instructor a local community college district and had taken a sheriff's class on jail rules and how to avoid manipulation by inmates, officials said. It was the first escape in nearly three decades from the California facility built in 1968 that holds 900 men. Tieu is charged with murder and attempted murder in a 2011 gang shooting. Nayeri had been held without bond since September 2014 on charges of kidnapping, torture, aggravated mayhem and burglary. Duong, a native of Vietnam, has been held since last month on charges of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. After authorities left the shop, the elder Tran said the family was focused on regaining calm and hadn't had time to think about the reward offered by officials for tips leading to the fugitives' capture. "Right now, we don't even care about that," he said. Police have seized a mobile phone, Indian and Pakistani SIM cards among other things from the arrested man (Photo: ANI/Twitter) Amritsar: The Punjab Police on Saturday claimed to have arrested a "most wanted" smuggler, Ranjit Singh, in Ajnala in connection with cross border smuggling. The breakthrough came after the Border Security Force and the Punjab Police launched a joint operation to nab the smuggler, who had been declared most wanted by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in connection with smuggling of 45 kilograms of heroin three years ago. A case has been registered by Ajnala Police against Ranjit Singh, a suspended Assistant Sub-Inspector of the Punjab Police. Station house officer at the Aajnala Police Station Jagbir Singh said Ranjit Singh, a resident of an Attari village, had come to execute a smuggling operation, but was nabbed by police on the basis of intelligence input. The ASI claimed that police have seized a mobile phone, Indian and Pakistani SIM cards and a diary containing the names and contact numbers of a few Pakistani smugglers. Further investigations are on, he added. SHARE The Wisconsin Manufactuers & Commerce board of directors Friday elected Robert Kamphuis of Mayville Engineering Co. to serve as its next chairman. Kamphuis, who is chairman, president and CEO of Mayville Engineering, will serve a two-year term as the WMC's chairman after previously serving as vice chairman. He succeeds Dan Ariens, chairman and CEO of Ariens Co., who served a two-year term as chairman of the WMC. Ariens' term concluded at the WMC's annual board meeting at the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee. "Wisconsin has made monumental progress in transforming its reputation as a good place to do business. We have to protect what we've accomplished over the last five years while we continue to pursue additional reforms that support private sector business investment in Wisconsin," Kamphuis said. "Reforms that include funding our transportation infrastructure projects are extremely critical to our state economy as well as our three biggest economic drivers manufacturing, tourism and agriculture. The WMC board has made infrastructure funding a top priority. Funding transportation projects is one of the most important investments a state can make for its economic future." Another Kamphuis goal is to continue WMC's success in supporting pro-business candidates for elected office. "With 2016 a critical election year, beginning with the state Supreme Court race in April, there is a lot of work to be done," Kamphuis said. A worker tends to a window at the Calhoun Crossing retail development under construction at 17300 W. Blue Mound Road in Brookfield. The space will be occupied by Kesslers Diamond Center. Credit: Michael Sears By of the The Brookfield area's retail landscape is undergoing major changes, including new buildings at Brookfield Square Mall, stores and restaurants under construction at The Corridor mixed-use project, and a Von Maur department store being built at The Corners development. Meanwhile, a smaller nearby development with a lower profile is drawing new retailers to the Milwaukee area. Calhoun Crossing will be anchored by a Fresh Thyme Farmers Market organic supermarket and a large wine, beer and liquor store when it is completed in early 2017. Work on the $6.9 million project, at the northwest corner of Blue Mound and Calhoun roads, started in August. Chicago-based HSA Commercial Real Estate Inc. and Innovative Capital Advisors are creating Calhoun Crossing by renovating and expanding the former Plaza 173 strip center, which was built in 1969. HSA Commercial is adding 6,200 square feet, creating a main building with around 106,000 square feet. The firms also are developing a smaller second building, with around 11,000 square feet, that's closer to Blue Mound Road. Fresh Thyme, a Downers Grove, Ill.-based chain that opened its first stores in 2014, will operate a 31,500-square-foot supermarket at Calhoun Crossing. Fresh Thyme this spring is opening its first Wisconsin store near downtown Milwaukee, at The North End apartment and retail development. The chain also is developing a Menomonee Falls supermarket. The company says its focus on produce and other fresh items, and smaller store size, differentiates it from Whole Foods Market Inc. Meanwhile, HSA announced in December that a DSW shoe store, with around 17,400 square feet, will be part of Calhoun Crossing. Calhoun Crossing's main building includes a 23,000-square-foot space that HSA is negotiating to lease to an apparel tenant that is "fairly new" to the Milwaukee area, said Brenton Schrader, director of marketing services. Another lease has been signed for around 28,500 square feet, Schrader said. That space will be used by a retailer that is new to the area, he said. He declined to name either future tenant because the businesses aren't yet ready to disclose those new locations. Bethesda, Md.-based Total Wine & More plans to lease one of the spaces, according to sources familiar with the company's plans. Total Wine, a fast-growing chain that sells wine, spirits and beer, didn't respond to a request for information. The company's entry into the Minneapolis area has sparked a price war there, according to a StarTribune.com article. Meanwhile, Total Wine co-owner David Trone on Wednesday announced he's running for Congress. Most of Calhoun Crossing's smaller building will be leased to Men's Wearhouse and Kesslers Diamond Center, both now located at the site. The Men's Wearhouse at the main building will eventually close, and the current outlot building housing Kesslers will be demolished. That leaves just 2,000 square feet in the smaller building, and 6,200 square feet in the larger building, available for lease, Schrader said. "Things have moved very, very quickly," he said. That results from a lack of higher-quality retail space on Blue Mound Road for "junior box" tenants, Schrader said. Those retail businesses range from around 15,000 square feet to 35,000 square feet. It helps that Calhoun Crossing is at a major intersection with a traffic signal, Schrader said. The six-lane road averages 42,900 vehicles per day at that corner, according to HSA. At other retail locations, Schrader said, access through Blue Mound Road's heavy traffic "can be challenging." Traffic signal plays a role Also, a new traffic signal was installed in November on Blue Mound Road just west of Calhoun Crossing. That signal will help control new traffic generated by The Corridor. That project will feature offices, a hotel and retail space on 66 acres between Blue Mound Road and I-94, west of Calhoun Road. The Corridor, being developed by Irgens, will include such businesses as Dick's Sporting Goods, Portillo's restaurant and Life Time fitness. The new traffic light also makes The Brownstones, a shopping center just west of Calhoun Crossing, more accessible. That benefits Calhoun Crossing, which touts its location next to the Metro Market-anchored Brownstones. HSA's plans include improved pedestrian connections between the two shopping centers. "The tenants we're working with are counting on that cross traffic to help their businesses," Schrader said. Calhoun Crossing's renovated building will feature new mechanical systems, a new facade and a refinished floor, with the walls, roof and support columns remaining intact, he said. "To shoppers, it's going to appear to be brand-new retail space," Schrader said. The Brookfield Plan Commission approved the redevelopment proposal in January 2015 after HSA revised the design. Commission members said an earlier version was too boxy and bland. The project construction was then delayed while HSA negotiated Kesslers' move to the new outlot building. Kesslers and Men's Wearhouse will move to that smaller building in late spring, with the other tenants opening at the larger building mainly in early 2017, Schrader said. The construction period has been "pretty challenging," said Kesslers owner Richard Kessler. But the new store, in a redeveloped retail center with strong tenants, will be worth the trouble, he said. "We're pretty excited about that," Kessler said. Facebook: facebook.com/JSBusiness Twitter: twitter.com/TomDaykin The Lincoln Hills School for boys and its sister institution the Copper Lake School for Girls in Irma are under investigation by federal and state authorities because of alleged assaults and other crimes at the facilities. Credit: Courtesy Wisconsin Department of Corrections SHARE Given the continuing scandal at the Lincoln Hills School for boys and Copper Lake School for girls in Irma in northern Wisconsin, Milwaukee County officials are absolutely right to try to make sure Milwaukee-area kids are removed from that setting and that no more will be sent there for the time being. After visiting the schools on Jan. 15, Milwaukee County Circuit Chief Judge Maxine White called treatment of youths at the facilities "inhumane" and said she could not sleep for several days. "We have subjected them to harm," White said of county youths incarcerated there. That certainly appears to be the case: The Journal Sentinel has reported that the state Department of Justice is investigating potential prisoner abuse, sexual assault, child neglect and other crimes, and the Department of Corrections is simultaneously conducting internal reviews of employees at the facilities who have been put on paid leave in the last year. As we've said before, the state not only needs to ensure that youths at the facility are safe, it needs to hold accountable those responsible. Milwaukee County supervisors have proposed moving about 160 Milwaukee County teens at the state's prisons for juvenile offenders to other secure facilities around Wisconsin as quickly as possible, the Journal Sentinel reported last week. Reducing the number of youths at the facility should ease problems that might be associated with staffing levels. At the same time, Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele, who visited the prisons with White, is working with the district attorney's office, Children's Court, Behavioral Health Division administrators and others to find space locally for those youths "as fast as we responsibly can," he told the Journal Sentinel. As an interim step, Abele will seek to hire additional county staff to regularly monitor programs at Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake and check on the safety of youths there, he said. White on Wednesday urged the County Board's Health and Human Needs Committee to act on behalf of the youths and judges. "We need something else," White told committee members. "We're demanding something new." She's right. The committee on Wednesday recommended board approval of a resolution urging Abele "to seek immediate remedies" and authorizing the county Health and Human Services Department to identify secure detention options. The board will act on the measure on Thursday. The resolution was authored by Supervisor Supreme Moore Omokunde and Board Chairman Theodore Lipscomb Sr. It's good to see the chief judge, supervisors and Abele on the same page, working to protect Milwaukee youths from harm. Abele told us Thursday that moving Milwaukee kids closer to Milwaukee has benefits beyond just getting them out of a bad situation. He also said the county already has started working with state officials, who appear open to the idea of moving youths out of the facilities. Good. For the sake of those youths, it can't happen soon enough. Hyderabad: Union parliamentary affairs minister M. Venkaiah Naidu criticised Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for visiting UoH for the second time and participating in a day-long fast, and demanded an explanation of the politics behind his visit. The entire gamut of BJP leaders lambasted Rahul Gandhi and called his visit a classic case of politics of vulturisation. Accusing Mr Gandhi of using students as a political tool, the BJP said he was shedding crocodile tears over a Dalit scholars suicide and ridiculed his day-long fast, saying he was used to gate-crashing into protests by others and shunning his own responsibilities. Speaking to newsmen in New Delhi, Mr Naidu said if at all Mr Gandhi felt his visit to UoH was not intended to politicising the issue, he needs to explain why he failed to visit the UoH campus during the UPA regime when nine students committed suicide. He also asked Mr Gandhi to explain why he did not visit Warangal when the daughter-in-law of former Congress MP S. Rajaiah committed suicide along with her children. Gadkari says Rahul doing politics in UoH Union parliamentary affairs minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said, If he is so serious about deaths of students and Dalits he should have visited earlier and found out why nine students commited suicide. Rohith would not have committed suicide then. Meanwhile, several other Union ministers and BJP leaders lashed out at Mr Gandhi accusing him of doing politics. Mr Naidu asked Opposition parties to wait for the report of the judicial commission probe ordered by the Centre. Union minister Nitin Gadkari said Mr Gandhi was trying to make the Hyderabad varsity a den of political activity. Peace has come to the campus. At such a time, Mr Gandhi is doing politics there. He should not make UoH a den of political activity and think about the students future, he said. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said Mr Gandhis fast was a case of trying to score political brownie points . Telangana BJP spokesperson Krishna Sagar Rao asked, Why is Mr Gandhi not in Chennai, where three girls committed suicide? Bottles owned by Flint residents Jessica Owens and Tonya Williams, filled with water, sit on a table outside of city council chambers as Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder speaks during a news conference in Flint, Mich., Monday, Jan. 11. Credit: Associated Press SHARE Water is life. Access to clean water is an essential human right, a notion supported by the United Nations General Assembly in a resolution passed in 2010. As our nation's infrastructure ages and our waterways continue to be polluted, however, private, for-profit interests are scrambling to take over our access to clean water. It makes sense: There's plenty of well-founded speculation that water will be the hottest commodity on Earth in the coming decades. It would be an all-too-easy thing to profit massively from its control and distribution. We are seeing the terrible fruits of poorly managed water utilities in places such as Flint, Mich., where the people are being poisoned by lead in their city's water and were, for a long time, misled about the extent of the problem by the state government and Environmental Protection Agency officials. How did it happen? The crisis has been well-documented. It stems both from the systemic dismantling of good government and from the toxic idea that government should be run like a for-profit business (or its duties sold off to be run by actual private corporations). Flint is a largely low-income and African-American community, a Rust Belt city left in the dust and its infrastructure left to decay when the companies that had previously employed so many of its residents left for cheaper climes in other parts of the world. Michigan's Republican Gov. Rick Snyder decided that the best course of action for solving the city's many and varied financial woes would be to appoint a series of emergency managers people with all the power and no accountability to the people. Bad decisions were made in order to "save money" without any regard to the real-life impact it would have on the citizens of Flint. Seeing the lack of support for public utilities and infrastructure that seems de rigueur in modern American thought, perhaps it should come as no surprise that private companies are making moves to step in and take over. Two bills introduced in the Wisconsin Legislature at the behest of such interests are being fast-tracked through with little time for public comment or pushback. Both bills would significantly weaken local control over if, when and how to sell water utility rights to private companies. Assembly Bill 554 passed the Assembly earlier in January and its companion bill in the Senate, SB 432, looks poised to do the same. According to Midwest Environmental Advocates, which is working to stop the bills, "Current Wisconsin law requires a proposal to sell public drinking water facilities to be put before voters in a referendum that must include information about the costs and conditions of sale. The procedures in current law are needed to ensure the public owners of these facilities know about and agree to the selling or leasing of their drinking water facility." Seems straightforward enough, right? Turns out that's too burdensome a process for private companies such as Aqua America, which is pushing for the change. The bill would make the referendum optional instead of mandatory, and it would require citizens gather a certain amount of signatures in order to trigger that vote, which would then take place before the actual terms and conditions of the sale were made known. The argument in favor of this streamlined process goes that these companies will be overseen by state and federal laws regarding water quality and treatment, that they will foot the bills for improving infrastructure and that their assets, especially in smaller communities, will drive rates lower. If a private utility buys a municipal system, though, the private utility isn't doing it out of altruism business is in the business of turning a profit, after all, and that's what it will be looking to do. That's why it's so important to ensure funding and support for municipal services, which are generally only focused on breaking even in their service to the community. It's an opportunity, as are all infrastructure projects, to create and sustain local jobs and local control. Some things can't be left to the whims of a capitalistic system water, being essential for life, must be included in that category. The privatization of water is a dangerous trend. We have to act to stop it and to bolster public accountability, control and access before any more Flints happen anywhere. Emily Mills is a freelance writer who lives in Madison. Twitter: @millbot; Email: emily.mills@outlook.com A bill quickly moving through the Legislature that would ease restrictions on the private purchase of municipal water systems is being pushed by a Pennsylvania company whose aggressive growth strategy has resulted in nearly 200 acquisitions in the last decade. Credit: Rick Wood By of the A bill quickly moving through the Legislature that would ease restrictions on the private purchase of municipal water systems is being pushed by a Pennsylvania company whose aggressive growth strategy has resulted in nearly 200 acquisitions in the last decade. Aqua America Inc. operates water systems in eight states, including Illinois. The company is now eyeing Wisconsin a potential market where virtually all water and sewer systems are owned and operated by municipalities. The proposal could chip away at public ownership of water and sewer utilities by lowering legal barriers to private ownership. The measure passed the Assembly by voice vote on Jan. 12 normally a sign the legislation is not controversial and now goes to the full Senate. But after quick passage of AB 554 in the Assembly, opposition from environmental and some municipal utility groups emerged. "Government has a level of accountability to citizens that private companies simply don't have," Tom Stolp, deputy director of the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters, said at a news conference in Milwaukee earlier this week. Some critics have recently pointed to the debacle in Flint, Mich., and the importance of local management of municipal services. In Flint, an impoverished city decimated by the loss of its auto manufacturing base, corrosive water from the Flint River has been leaching lead from pipes and has produced a spike of cases of children with elevated lead levels in their blood. The troubles began after an emergency manager appointed by Michigan's governor stopped using water from Lake Huron for a cheaper source. But supporters of the bill to sell or lease water or sewer operations are baffled by the Flint comparison. "It was a bunch of government folks who kind of stuck it to the people," said Rep. Tyler August (R-Lake Geneva), referring to the Michigan crisis. He emphasized the decision remains in the hands of local elected officials on whether to keep or sell water operations. August said he introduced the bill after meeting with representatives of Aqua America and its lobbyist, Steve Foti, a former GOP legislator. "It was a way to give communities an option, if they think someone else could do a better job," August said. "I really thought it was a simple change." Representatives of municipal associations say the push for the legislation isn't coming from them. "There's no interest in my members wanting to sell," said Jerry Deschane, executive director of the League of Wisconsin Municipalities, adding that his group nevertheless supports the bill. Interest appears to be greater in state government. Representatives of Aqua America said they approached Wisconsin officials about changing state law because current law forbids majority ownership of water utilities by out-of-state companies. Aqua America has met with the state Public Service Commission, the state's utility regulator, to discuss whether troubled water utilities would benefit from new ownership. "They have identified communities that they would consider maybe on their troubled list," said Jim Bilotti, corporate development director for Aqua America's operations in Illinois. PSC spokesman Elise Nelson said of the state's 582 water utilities, 161 had an operating loss in 2014. But in an email, Nelson emphasized a one-year loss isn't an accurate picture of financial health. She did not respond to a request to provide the names of utilities that had losses in 2014. Aqua America owns and operates more than 1,400 public water systems and 187 wastewater treatment systems. The company had net income of $233.2 million on operating revenue of $779.9 million in 2014, according to company figures. Earlier this month, executives told investment analysts the company will continue to grow through acquisitions, and it noted that aging infrastructure is requiring communities to make large capital outlays. Executives also cited positive moves in 2015 in Indiana and New Jersey of legislation making it easier for companies to buy distressed water utilities. "Growth will continue to be our top priority," Christopher Franklin, the company's chief executive officer, said in an earnings call with analysts in November. The company has encountered consumer backlash in some of its markets over service, water quality and other issues. In December 2014, Fort Wayne, Ind., bought back its water system from Aqua America and paid a total of $67 million after residents complained about low water pressure and hard water that damaged appliances. Mayor Tom Henry said at the time that customers would save $120 to $140 a year on water bills under city ownership. Kimberly Joyce of Aqua America disputed claims of critics who say private operators are less focused on service than municipal operators, adding that all water utilities public or private are regulated by the states. "We have a team of dedicated employees who live and work in our local communities, and our mission is to serve and deliver reliable water service," said Joyce, director of legislative and public affairs and regulatory counsel. "Just because we are an investor-owned company doesn't mean we are only focused on profits." In addition to removing barriers to out-of-the-state ownership, the Wisconsin legislation would change the law on the use of referendums to approve or reject a deal. Critics say the changes will diminish the public's voice; supporters say it puts decision-making in the hands of local elected officials. Under current law, before a utility is sold, the municipality must adopt an ordinance or resolution that approves the sale. Then it goes to the PSC for approval, and then voters have their say in a referendum. The bill would make referendums optional. Citizens would have 60 days to get the signatures of 10% of the voters in the municipality to force a referendum. One drawback envisioned by a municipal water utility organization is citizens would be asked to approve a deal before the PSC reviews the transaction. "Our concern with the bill is that the only opportunity for the customer to vote on the transaction would occur before they have all of the information to make an informed decision," said Lawrie J. Kobza, legal counsel and a lobbyist for the Municipal Environment Group-Water Division. She also sees no interest by her members to sell their water business. The League of Wisconsin Municipalities supports the bill because the organization prefers decision-making by elected officials not by referendums. "We are not advocating that our members sell," said Deschane, the group's executive director. "It's a matter of being consistent with preserving local decision-making." In 2008 and 2009, the City of Milwaukee flirted with the idea of privatizing the city's Water Works, but eventually balked at going down that path. W. Martin "Wally" Morics, then the city's comptroller, had recommended a study to evaluate how a long-term lease could aid city finances. At the time, Morics said a 75- to 99-year lease could generate $550 million to $600 million. That could fund a $30 million annual endowment for city operations. Earlier this week, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported the city faces massive costs to replace lead pipes. The city's share is estimated at $266 million. Milwaukee is adding orthophosphoric acid to coat lead laterals to avoid an emergency like Flint's. Lead levels in tap water have declined steadily since 1997, city officials said. But Milwaukee and other municipalities are studying whether they will have to replace all lead pipes. On the legislation, Jodie Tabak, spokeswoman for Mayor Tom Barrett, said: "It's not clear to the city what problem this bill sets out to solve." Tabak said selling or leasing the city's water business "is not really relevant to Milwaukee at this time." SHARE A horse-drawn buggy driver was killed in Clark County when his horse turned into the path of a logging truck, the Marshfield News Herald reported Friday. Aaron N. Newswanger, 50, was driving the buggy east on Clark County Highway A about 1:30 p.m., Thursday when the logging truck headed west approached from just west of Cherry Ave., according to a post on the newspaper's website. The horse became startled and turned abruptly in front of the truck, which, despite evasive efforts by the truck driver, then struck the buggy before entering a ditch, according to the newspaper. A 49-year-old woman who was riding in the buggy was injured and taken to a hospital, where she was reported to be in good condition Friday, the newspaper reported. The crash occurred after a recent decision by Wood County District Attorney Craig Lambert not to file homicide charges against an alleged drunken driver in a crash with a buggy that killed an Amish father and his 10-year-old. Craig's decision stirred outrage and a greater sense of urgency to find ways to make the roads safer for nonmotorized travelers, according to the News Herald. Burlington's Lincoln Statue was pulled or pushed to the ground sometime around 6 a.m. Credit: Burlington Historical Society SHARE By of the A statue of Abraham Lincoln that has stood tall in Burlington for more than 100 years was knocked to the ground early Saturday, apparently by vandals. Don Vande Sand, vice president of the Burlington Historical Society, said police got a call shortly after 6 a.m. and have identified a suspect. A dispatcher for the Burlington police said a statement about the case would be released later Saturday. Chief Mark Anderson was not available. Vande Sand said the 8-foot-tall bronze statue does not appear to be damaged, save for some scrape marks around the head. He said the scene does not suggest that someone rammed the stone pedestal with a car or truck, and that it was unclear just how the statue was toppled. Vande Sand said the statue, created by Chicago sculptor George Ganiere, was a gift in 1912 from dentist Francis Meinhardt to mark the reopening of a town school as the Lincoln School. The site is now the office of the Burlington Area School District, but Vande Sand said the statue, located on a small triangle of land at an intersection of State and Kane streets, belongs to the city. He said he had not heard Saturday of any plans or timeline for returning Lincoln to his proper place. The city celebrated a re-dedication of the statue in May 2014. Reddit Email 0 Shares By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | Even the staunchly pro-Israel French Socialist Party has had it with Israeli expansionism and aggression. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius announced Friday that France would make one last push to restart diplomatic negotiations between Israel and Palestine, but said that if the endeavor failed then France intended to recognize the Palestinian state. Paris is obviously implying that the failure of diplomacy and the abrogation of the Oslo peace process are primarily the fault of the Likud government of Israel. Laurent Fabius via Wikipedia The French parliament urged recognition of Palestine in a vote in 2014. Sweden has recognized Palestine and a number of other European countries have raised the Palestinian mission in their capitals to the rank of full embassy. This tendency toward recognition of Palestine holds severe diplomatic and economic dangers for Israel. Such recognition gives aggrieved Palestinians the possible right to sue Israeli squatters and the politicians backing them in European courts. Already, the French, British and Dutch governments advise their corporations not to do business with Israeli squatters on the West Bank, since they are opened to being sued by the actual owners of that land. The European Union recently insisted that squatter produce be so labeled and not be dishonestly represented as Israeli. Even the US State Department has backed the EU on this measure. On Tuesday in an address on policy to the diplomatic corps in Paris, French President Francois Hollande had said, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues to be felt throughout the Middle East. It would be naive, dangerous even, to look the other way. Each day, we see the risk of a flare-up. Every missed deadline takes us further away from the two-state solution, which is nonetheless the solution backed by the international community. France has therefore once again taken the initiative, as announced by Laurent Fabius, of mobilizing the Arab actors and the European and American partners in the framework of an international support group and the Security Council. This proposal is still on the table and it is the only one, currently, that would enable the dialogue to be resumed. The remarks came after a review of French steps to fight terrorism, and it seems clear that establishing a Palestinian state is seen by Paris to be a form of counter-terrorism, having potential for tamping down tensions in the Middle East. Paris was hit by significant terrorist attacks twice in 2015, with most of the perpetrators being marginalized, angry French and Belgian second-generation Arab immigrants. Something on the order of 5% of French are Muslim, and that community tends to support Palestinian rights and to pressure the French government to do so. French Muslims vote heavily for the ruling Socialist Party in France, fearing the anti-immigrant sentiments common on the French Right, including among Gaullists. France also has good and close relations with many Arab governments, and is pressured by them about Israeli mistreatment of the Palestinians, as well. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has become more and more strident and arrogant in dealing with European and international politicians, acting as a sort of Donald Trump of the Middle East. He recently has gone around accusing everyone from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom of being terrorists for complaining about his oppression of the Palestinian people. (Netanyahu maintains, laughably, that Palestinian resistance activities have nothing to do with their being militarily occupied by the Israelis, and reacts to suggestions that he might by his policies be producing Palestinian violence with the casuistic charge that making this observation encourages terrorism). At the same time, his government just this week cheekily announced that it was stealing another 150 hectares of Palestinian land on the West Bank, which it had pledge in the Oslo peace accords to turn over to Palestine. France roundly condemned the further land theft. On Friday Fabius slapped down Netanyahu for his insults to Ban Ki-moon and lamented that unfortunately the colonization [of Palestinian land by Israelis] continues. No American politician can call Israeli policy what it is, colonization, for fear of vicious reprisals by the bullies in the Israel lobbies. Reddit Email 0 Shares By Donald Kaul | (Otherwords.org) | Who prevails in the Iowa caucuses wont matter much, except in the fevered imaginations of the political reporters covering the spectacle. The Iowa caucuses are upon us. Hooray, whoopee, and two cheers. The contests mark the official beginning of the 2016 presidential campaign, which already feels like its been going on for two years (because it has). Some polls say that Donald Trump is going to be the Republican winner, others that Ted Cruz will be. Still others advise us to keep an eye on Marco Rubio, whos sneaking up fast. I dont know who will win. But it would be entirely fitting if the most overhyped and fraudulent contest of the campaign season (the Iowa Republican caucuses) were won by the most overhyped and fraudulent candidate (Trump). Trump is looking good, no question. Hes won the good wishes of Senator Charles Grassley, an exceedingly shrewd Iowa politician, while Cruz has incurred the enmity of Governor Terry Branstad, the Queen Elizabeth of Iowa politicians. Neither Branstad nor the Queen do much. But theyve been around forever, so its probably better to have them for you than against you. There are two things I can say for sure about the caucuses: Somebody will win. And it wont matter much, except in the fevered imaginations of the political reporters covering the spectacle. Theyll write long articles on momentum and surges and trends. Which is fine, but theres not much there there. As the irrepressible Trump told a group of Iowa Republicans the other day as he solicited their votes: You havent picked a winner in 16 years. Indeed, Indeed, the Iowa caucuses are almost always wrong at least for Republicans. So why do they draw so much attention? Well, theyre first, for one thing. And the political media, straining to justify its existence by covering something, is more than willing to go along with the gag. For another thing, the caucuses are really and truly fun to cover. Iowa is the capital of nice. The people are friendly and welcoming and helpful and pretty smart. Where else can you find a gap-toothed farmer in bib overalls with a more or less informed opinion on the Iran nuclear deal? But the fact remains that Iowa is a white bread state in an increasingly diverse nation. Its registered Republicans, who are equal in number to its Democrats, are dominated by devout evangelicals who arent open to challenges to their beliefs about global warming, evolution, or moral behavior. Then theres ethanol. Ethanol is to Iowa what oil is to Texas, and not much friendlier to the environment. As if that werent enough, its a caucus state, meaning that its but a dim reflection of electoral democracy. Rather than just showing up and voting for the candidate of their choice, the Democratic Partys caucus goers must listen to speeches, argue with each other, and publicly declare for a candidate. The Republican system is less complex, but in a nation where its hard to get people to the polls for elections, attending a caucus is a chore and an impediment to democracy. For all of these reasons, Iowa is among the last places Id ask for advice in choosing a president and leader of the free world. The good news, as I said before, is that it doesnt make much difference. Thats also the bad news. Weve already ceded our franchise to the forces of darkness the bankers, oil men, insurance companies, and assorted con artists who finance our political system. We can make noise about injustice, but insofar as doing something about it, you cant get there from here. Not when our Supreme Court has made it possible for people with unlimited funds to shape our elections without so much as identifying themselves. Not when Republican state officials have used redistricting and suppression of minority voting to make it all but impossible to unseat them. Not when our sacred Constitution has been interpreted to mean that a determined minority can bring the nation grinding to a halt until its unreasonable demands are met. Game, set, and match. OtherWords columnist Donald Kaul lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. OtherWords.org. Related video added by Juan Cole: Newsy Politics: Iowas Not Great At Picking Presidents, So Why Is It So Important? Reddit Email 0 Shares By Simon Mabon | (The Conversation) | International talks meant to help resolve the Syrian Crisis are due to commence in Geneva, but a range of impossible problems still stand in the way. Now nearly five years old, the conflict has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced around 11m people. Other diplomatic efforts Geneva I and Geneva II have failed make much impact, and the array of countries whove stepped up their military involvement have little to show for it. The main goal of these latest talks is to facilitate a quick end to the conflict and to allow for safe passage of aid into areas hardest hit. The biggest stumbling block they face is over the role of president Assad; Iran and Russia support his regime, while Saudi Arabia and the US (along with other Western states) view his removal as an essential prerequisite for any resolution. But thats just an issue with the subject of the talks, which have been nearly derailed before theyve begun by arguments over which opposition groups to invite. Such concerns were amplified by the US secretary of state, John Kerry, who was dismissive of the oppositions chances of providing a viable alternative to Assad. But the divisions among the groups on the ground are only part of the problem. The Syrian war has already been shaped and reshaped by proxy conflicts at two levels, as competition between Saudi Arabia and Iran on the one hand and the US and Russia on the other makes a diplomatic resolution increasingly tricky. All the while, states across the region are facing increasingly desperate resource shortages this as the arrival of Syrian refugees swells their populations by hundreds of thousands, or even millions. If Islamic State is to be defeated, Syrias warring factions need to be reconciled and some semblance of order re-established, and the actors on the ground in Syria and elsewhere need to be somehow properly organised and appropriately empowered but even leaving aside the long odds of that happening, it would hardly solve all of Syrias problems. Into the abyss As long as Assad remains in power, he will provoke violent rebellion. Opposition groups have refused to participate in talks with his regime while it continues to bomb them. There can be no diplomacy without trust, and Damascuss continued campaign makes building it all but impossible. Lets not forget that despite the staggering brutality of IS, Assads forces are responsible for by far the largest number of deaths in the conflict so far. And many of the foreign fighters whove travelled to join IS have cited the brutality of the Assad regime and its treatment of their sectarian kin as a motive. In addition, European states in particular are under increasing pressure from the conflicts knock-on effects. Their failure to properly integrate and accommodate large numbers of refugees adds to economic pressures on states while also revealing cleavages at the very heart of Western societies. Crises across Europe have also resulted in growing concerns about the assimilation of refugees into societies, turning up the heat on long-running political and ideological disputes. Security officials are increasingly concerned that refugee flows will be penetrated by Islamic State recruits, provoking calls to regulate the people coming across Europes borders. There are also ominous rumblings about the future of the Schengen agreement that allows for the free movement of people across Europe, an arrangement at the very heart of the European ideal. The French prime minister, Manuel Valls, spoke for many of the continents leaders when he said the crisis has put the future of the European project in peril. With alarming measures already being taken against refugees arriving in central and eastern Europe, the Syrian conflicts corrosive effects are spreading faster and deeper than anyone expected. As Frederick Nietzsche once wrote, if you stare into the abyss long enough, the abyss stares into you. Simon Mabon, Lecturer in International Relations, Lancaster University This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Related video added by Juan Cole: Reuters: Diplomat says Syria talks a complete failure LA PRAIRIE, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - Jan. 29, 2016) - The management of Vantex Resources Ltd. ("Vantex") (TSX VENTURE:VAX)(FRANKFURT:UD7A)(ALP:VAX) announces the resignation of Robert Bouvier and Charles Beaudry as directors of Vantex. In replacement, management appointed Ryan Venier as director. Mr. Ryan Venier is a Vancouver based entrepreneur. He has extensive experience providing financial advisory services to a wide range of growth companies in the resource, technology, and real estate industries. He has been involved in numerous successful transactions involving emerging private and public companies where he has facilitated in excess of $100M in equity, and debt offerings. Simran Gill was also appointed as Vantex new CFO. Mr. Gill is a CFA and a partner with BridgeMark Financial Corp. His previous experience includes over five years acting as a senior consultant with a leading management consulting firm. His focus has been on financial management, and the development of financial models and processes to assist his client in strategic planning. He has worked with clients across North America, Europe, and the Caribbean in wide-ranging sectors, including industrials, telecommunication, financial services, and health care. Mr. Gill holds a Bachelor of Business Administration Honours degree from Simon Fraser University, as well as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. He is currently a member in good standing at the Vancouver Society of Financial Analysts, and the Bermuda Society of Financial Analysts. An additional appointment should be announced in the coming days in order to fill the vacant director position. Management wants to sincerely thank Robert Bouvier and Charles Beaudry for their contribution to the development of Vantex for many years. They provided Vantex with very useful advice and we wish them the best. 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. Hyderabad: Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi used the birthday of UoH scholar Rohith Vemula on Saturday to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the RSS. My main opposition to Mr Narendra Modi and the RSS is that they are trying to crush the spirit of Indian students by imposing one idea. Please speak about your idea, talk about your idea, put your idea in the market place of ideas. If all these students accept your idea I am fine with it. But please do not force your idea on these students, Mr Gandhi said while addressing students and the family of Rohith at the UoH. Give them their dignity and respect. They are not foolish people. They have more than enough understanding of the world and they do not need anyone including me to tell them what to do, he said. Mr Gandhi said the killers of Rohith Vemula were the same people who did not desire that Mahatma Gandhi should speak the truth loudly and killed him. Drawing a parallel between Rohiths suicide and Mahatma Gandhis assasination, he said what has happened here is exactly what was done to Gandhiji. Gandhiji was killed by the same forces which did not allow him to speak the truth he wanted to say. It is exactly the same thing that has happened to Rohith...they did not want him to speak the truth that he saw in this institution, he said. Mr Gandhi said, There is a link, Mr Narendra Modi, between what is going on in this university, between this discrimination and the idea of Make in India, Connecting India and Startup India. If you have an India where discrimination is taking place, people are being crushed based on who they are and where they come from you can never ever be able to build a modern economy. Mr Gandhi demanded that a law be enacted on the lines of demands by UoH students to fight discrimination in educational institutions. To advance this country, to make it powerful, study this proposition, look into the possibilities of passing this law because if you do not look into these possibilities the students will look into it, he told Mr Modi. In a final jibe at the PM and Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya, Mr Gandhi said, This country is made up of Indian people. Nobody here is anti-national. When you call the poor boy (Rohith Vemula) anti-national you are not only doing disservice to him but to everybody. Answering his critics, Mr Gandhi said he had returned to the protest venue because the students had invited him. BENGALURU: IT czar N.R. Narayana Murthys comment that India should send 10,000 students to the US to pursue their PhDs, but they should not be allowed to work in that country for the next 10 years has left the techies and student fraternity shocked. An overseas job means experiencing a better quality of life, better perspective, professional ethics, discipline and knowledge. For long, Indian students have been going to the West for higher studies and professional exposure after which they decide to stay on or come back home, which is purely a personal choice. Mr Murthys statement asking the US to enforce a law against such a practice seems draconian and retrograde. We caught up with two techies, Anshul Pant and Shardendu Jha, who were in the midst of a heated debate over the issue. Anshul says, In my view, there are two points here. First, if Mr Murthy stops at saying that India should send 10,000 or 50,000 students for PhD or higher studies and the US should not allow them to study there and send them back immediately, then it is not fair. However, if he goes on to say that in the fields like mathematics, research and IT there are better opportunities in India and he is ready to invest, then it is fine. However, after a brief pause, he says that if Mr Murthy believes that the Indian government should provide for these PhD scholars, then it doesnt lead anywhere. Everyone has been debating about it. Everybody wants to pursue higher education. Look at the condition of IITs, whose quality is going down every year. I dont think it is the right way. First, of all, he thinks the Indian education system is not good enough", Anshul, a resident of Whitefield. "Most of the people who have worked or working in his company have studied in India. His statement will make them look foolish and stupid. In my view, most of the people he hires for his company are from IITs. But that is only a small percentage, as majority of them dont stay in the country, said Anshul. Aruna Shanbaug was raped in 1973 by a ward boy following which she entered into a vegetative state and died on May 18, 2015. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: The Centre has informed the Supreme Court that it will come out with a legislation to allow passive euthanasia and it is against permitting active euthanasia. Under passive euthanasia, a terminally ill patient, who is in a vegetative state with no hope of recovery, can be put to death peacefully by withdrawing the life support system. In its affidavit filed on Friday, the Centre said the legislation could be considered only after the five-judge Constitution bench gives a go-ahead for the law. The health ministry said that an expert panel has made changes and cleared the formulation of legislation on passive euthanasia after extensive debates, from July 2014 to June 2015. The committee, however, refused on legalising active euthanasia on the ground that this would lead to potential misuse and is practised in very few countries worldwide. The health ministry said it had consulted the ministry of law and justice on the appropriateness of framing the euthanasia law. Heres a look at some of the most the famous case involving euthanasia and its status in several countries world-wide Aruna Shanbaug Aruna Shanbaug, the nurse from a Mumbai hospital who died last year, has always been the face of euthanasia debate in the country after spending 42 years in a vegetative state as a result of sexual assault. While the Supreme Court turned down the mercy killing petition on March 7, 2011, the court, in a landmark decision, allowed passive euthanasia in India. Kolavennu Venkatesh A chess player, hit muscular dystrophy, died on Dec. 18, 2004, two days after the Andhra Pradesh HC rejected his plea for euthanasia. Passive euthanasia Passive euthanasia means withdrawing medical treatment with an intention to cause the patients death. Status in Germany It is currently legal in Germany to give life-shortening, but not lethal, drugs to a patient who has provided written order. Active euthanasia It is defined as the intentional act of causing the death of a patient experiencing great suffering, is illegal in France, whereas allowing patients to die is authorized by law under certain conditions. Countries where it is legal Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Japan, New Mexico, and the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday said Pakistan and Indias ties were moving in positive direction. Matters between Pakistan and India are moving in the right direction, Mr Sharif said while talking to reporters in Lahore. The premier regretted the Pathankot incident disturbed the negotiation process but hoped the talks process will resume soon. Pakistan will not allow terrorists to use its soil against any other country, he added. Pakistan will soon complete its investigation into the Pathankot terror attack and make it public, Sharif said. The attack had a negative impact and disturbed the talks with India which were going in the right direction after the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, he said. The investigation into the Pathankot incident is underway and we will make its findings public soon, he said while talking to reporters here. Whatever facts come out we will bring them forth before everyone, he said. Sharif vowed that Pakistan would go to any length to uncover the alleged use of its soil in the January 2 attack on the air base in Pathankot by suspected JeM terrorists. Condor soars above Los Padres National Forest | Photo: USFWS Thirty years ago, we almost lost the California condor. Its population had fallen to 21 in 1982. In a move that split the conservation community, leading to harsh invective, decades-long grudges, and at least one fistfight, all the free-flying condors were trapped and taken to the Los Angeles and San Diego Zoos for captive breeding. By 1987, for the first time in tens of thousands of years, no condors patrolled the Southern California skies. Some thought that spelled the effective extinction of the species. Conservationist David Brower warned that captive-reared condors would be nothing but "flying pigs." The first zoo-bred offspring were released into the wild in 1992. Today, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the agency at the nexus of the Condor Recovery Program, there are 230 California condors in the wild: 128 in California, 73 in northern Arizona and southern Utah, 29 in Baja California. But this more than ten-fold increase in wild condors since 1982 isn't all good news. Another 193 condors are in captivity, not just in Los Angeles and San Diego but in Santa Barbara, Portland, Mexico City, and the Peregrine Fund's breeding facility in Idaho. Last year 24 nests produced seven wild-fledged chicks; 21 captive-reared chicks were set free. "They're expanding, reoccupying their former range," says Eric Davis, who coordinates the program from the FWS regional office in Sacramento. Condors have shown up in Sequoia National Park in the southern Sierra Nevada, where they haven't nested since 1950. This video, provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Condor Recovery Program, does a good job of explaining the successes in the program. But adults are dying in the wild, from wildfires, collisions with power lines, predation by mountain lions. There's a strong scientific consensus that lead poisoning from ammunition in animal carcasses is the number-one killer. The deaths continue despite limits on lead ammunition in California and outreach efforts elsewhere. Those who have done the math, like environmental toxicologist Myra Finkelstein at UC Santa Cruz, speak of a "deceptive recovery," contending the wild condor population can't become self-sustaining until the lead problem is addressed. Meanwhile, with a substantial proportion of the population trapped and treated for lead toxicity every year, the California condor remains a species in intensive care. Condor 101: Gymnogyps californianus is an enormous vulture, related to the ubiquitous turkey vulture and more distantly to the Old World vultures, hawks, and eagles. With nine-foot wingspans, condors are masters of the air, riding the winds effortlessly for hundreds of miles at a stretch. Like their smaller kin, they feed on carrion left by predators including human hunters. They locate food by sight. They form long-term pair bonds, producing one egg per nesting attempt and, with luck, a chick every year and a half. Condors are long-lived (a male called Topa Topa has been in captivity for 47 years), curious, and sociable, and those who've worked with them speak highly of their intelligence. During the Pleistocene, condors ranged as far as Florida and New York. But their core habitat has probably always been western. In Southern California, an Ice Age bestiary --mammoths, ground sloths, wild horses -- provided an ample buffet shared with other scavenger birds like the larger, long-extinct teratorns. Scientists who've analyzed carbon and nitrogen isotopes in condor bones from the La Brea tar pits and elsewhere have found chemical signs that the birds also fed on beached whales and other marine mammals. Condors aren't restricted to large animals as a food source: this one's eating rabbit. | Photo: Nathan Rupert/Flickr/Creative Commons License When the megafauna died out some 10,000 years ago, pickings became slim. The immense cattle herds on the 19th-century California ranchos provided short-term bounty. Now, apart from the Big Sur birds that have access to marine mammals, most free-flying condors depend on either dead calves left at provisioning stations or the remains of deer and wild pigs discarded or not retrieved by hunters. The apex predators that brought down the mammoths and sloths -- sabertooth cats and American lions, dire wolves and short-faced bears -- are gone. We're the apex predators now: for the condors, a mixed blessing. And only seven chicks from 24 nests? Some eggs fail to hatch, some chicks die before they fledge. Some chicks die of microtrash ingestion. For reasons that remain unclear - maybe mistaking the stuff for bone fragments, a source of supplemental calcium -- condor parents bring bottle caps, glass fragments, and other debris to their nests; chicks swallow it but can't digest it. A study headed by Bruce Rideout of the San Diego Zoo blamed trash ingestion for at least eight of 16 nestling deaths in the wild through 2009. The problem is worst in Southern California. Attempts to alleviate it have included physically removing trash from active nests, and providing bone chips. A more insidious threat has surfaced among the Big Sur condors: their eggs have thinner shells than those of captives or wild condors prior to the 1960s. DDE, a breakdown product of the pesticide DDT, was associated with eggshell-thinning in brown pelicans, bald eagles, and other large birds then, and is implicated in the Big Sur problem. Joe Burnett of the Ventana Wildlife Society and his co-authors in a 2013 article suggest that the condors are acquiring DDE from the sea lions and other marine mammals they scavenge. The ultimate source may be the DDT dumped in the ocean off Los Angeles by the Montrose Chemical Corporation through 1971, still propagating through marine food webs. Finkelstein says she and her colleagues were unable to definitely link DDE in marine mammal carcasses on the central coast to Montrose: "There's no chemical fingerprint." Burnett is unconvinced. "The amount of DDT they pumped into the Southern Bight is globally unprecedented and pales in comparison to local residual sources from agricultural runoff," he says. "Just those sheer numbers implicate Montrose as the primary source of DDT contamination in California sea lions. I'm not sure a fingerprint is necessary." Burnett's follow-up research on the problem will be published early this year. Condor at Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge | Photo: USFWS As wind power installations proliferate, fatal collisions with the turbines seem inevitable. "There's not going to be a perfect place where there are condors and no wind," says Davis. "There's no way to get the risk to zero." FWS has been working with wind power companies; some have been receptive to siting recommendations. At the Alta East project in the Tehachapi Mountains, observers scan for condors and track signals from radio transmitters, and are authorized to shut the turbines down if one of the birds gets too close. At least seven condors appear to have died in wildfires, an increasing concern as climate change reshapes regional fire regimes. Real estate development continues to eat into the birds' foraging habitat. While these are evolving threats, lead ammunition is a clear and present danger. In Rideout's analysis, lead toxicosis killed 35 of the 85 adult and juvenile condors that died from 1992 through 2009. Some had fragments of lead shot in their guts. Although lead paint was implicated in one, the distinctive isotopic signature of lead bullets was common. Ten of 40 mortalities in 2013 were lead-related, with three others unresolved. For 2014, the most recent year for which FWS data is available, there were two confirmed lead deaths, 15 toxicology reports pending. The toll would have been higher if ailing condors -- 32 in 2011, 26 in 2012 -- had not been taken into captivity for chelation therapy. Lead exposure may also have sublethal effects that interfere with reproduction. Condor submits to a blood draw during a medical exam | Photo:Jon Myatt/USFWS Blood lead levels in condors show seasonal patterns that differ among regions. Peaks in fall correlate with deer season. Other trends are harder to account for. "A lot of use is not necessarily deer hunting," says Finkelstein. Feral pig hunting happens year-round and is growing in popularity. Varmint shooting, depredation kills of coyotes, dispatching sick or injured livestock, and poaching also probably contribute but are impossible to quantify. Despite two California laws restricting lead ammunition (one to be completely phased in this year) exposure rates in the state's condors have not dropped. Ironically, according to a study headed by Terra Kelly at UC Davis, the birds least dependent on human provisioning -- those, in short, that behave most like wild condors -- have the highest exposure. In a 2012 article, Finkelstein and colleagues looked at the demographics and made a grim projection: "Without continued management to prevent lead-related deaths, the wild condor population is predicted to again face the substantial threat of extinction in the coming decades." Continued management, of course, has a price tag. A blue-ribbon panel convened by the American Ornithologists' Union reported in 2010 that over $5 million was being spent annually on the recovery program -- captive breeding, emergency medical treatment, monitoring, outreach. Much of the funding came from private partners like the zoos, the Ventana Wildlife Society, and the Peregrine Fund; federal sources accounted for less than a million. How sustainable will this be? From the outset, the condor recovery effort has been an exercise in adaptive management. Aversion training for captive-bred condors has reduced powerline collisions, and PG&E undergrounded one of its lines at Big Sur. Condor Program Volunteer Gabriela Gonzalez-Olimon holds a condor | Photo: Jon Myatt/USFWS Then there was the issue of condors behaving badly. Some released juveniles fraternized with hikers and hang gliders. One lurked around the hot tubs at Esalen, no doubt stunting some seekers' spiritual growth. An adolescent gang invaded a home near Mount Pinos, dismantled a satellite dish, and ripped up a mattress. In Arizona, a young condor dropped in on a campsite, found a loaded pistol in a backpack, and walked around holding it by the trigger. Such episodes led to new rearing practices to minimize interactions with human handlers, and to the release of a few wild-caught birds to act as role models. These days, there's much less inappropriate behavior. Davis is optimistic -- probably a bona fide occupational qualification -- about lead: "We've already removed it from gasoline, paint, toys, waterfowl ammunition. When I look out 25 years, I think the lead problem will be largely solved." He sees removing the condor from the endangered list altogether as a realistic goal. That will require not only continued funding, but the political will to deal with lead ammunition -- not just in California, but in Arizona, Utah, and Baja California, which have no restrictive regulations, and in Oregon, across the border from a potential release site on Yurok tribal lands in northwestern California. Is the goal worth it? "That's a societal question," Davis responds. "What's the value of nature? Of science? The image of wild condors continuing to fly is inspirational to the entire country." New Delhi: The Budget Session of Parliament is likely to begin on February 23 as the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, headed by Union home minister Rajnath Singh, will meet here on February 4 to finalise the broad schedule. According to sources, the main focus of the session will be the transaction of the General and Railway Budgets, but the government is also keen on the passage of a number of key reform measures, including the contentious GST and Real Estate Bills. The Budget Session usually begins in the third week of February and concludes early May. There is a recess in between when the budgetary demands for grants are discussed in the committees. The General Budget is expected to be presented in the Lok Sabha on February 29, the last day of February, as is the practice traditionally. Against the backdrop of the near washout of the previous sessions, Union finance minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday hoped that the Congress would see reason and help pass the GST legislation, which is stuck in the Rajya Sabha, during the coming session. It (GST) is the important reform of the UPA. If I had to credit the authorship of it, I have to give credit to them. Now, If the author turns against his own script, what do I make (of it)? I have reached out and I have spoken to them. I have explained to them and I hope they will see reason and see the rationale behind passing GST, the finance minister said at a public function here. Usually, the budget session begins in the third week of February and concludes early May. There is a recess in between when the budgetary demands for grants are discussed in the committees General Budget The General Budget is expected to be presented on Feb 29, as is the practice traditionally Polls galore Meanwhile the process for the Assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry, where the tenure of the Assemblies is set to end in May-June, will begin in the midst of the session and that could raise questions about the number of sittings A curtailment may be necessary to accommodate campaign by leaders during the elections KEARNEY In March 1903, the Nebraska Legislature appropriated $50,000 to build a normal school in western Nebraska, touching off a heated competition among several communities wanting to be selected. The debate and ballots 111 of them made history. The last vote brought the Nebraska State Normal School to Kearney. Jump ahead to September 1905 111 years ago when new Normal School President A.O. Thomas took over fall classes in the new Administration Building. It had temporary stairs, lacked window glass, and required steam engines to deliver heat until the heating plant was completed. In 1989, another historic legislative battle would erupt over the fate of then-Kearney State College to become part of the University of Nebraska. The year 2016 marks historic benchmarks 111 years since the institutions founding, and 25 years since becoming University of Nebraska at Kearney. Chancellor Doug Kristensen will invite alumni, community members, faculty, staff and students, and all Nebraskans, to celebrate throughout 2016. A yearlong series of events begins in March to share the wide-ranging and rich history of what is now the University of Nebraska at Kearney. UNK Perspectives: 111 and 25 will showcase music, art, historic documents and artifacts and, primarily, the people and positions that influenced the course of 111 years of history for Nebraska State Normal School to UNK. The events kick off with a March 1 lecture by Kristensen who, with a deep appreciation of Nebraska Legislative history, will tell a story of the amazing 111 votes. Throughout our history, things have never been easy for the campus beginning with the 111 difficult votes required to select Kearney as the home of the new institution, Kristensen said. Kristensen co-sponsored the amendment and legislative bill leading to Kearney State Colleges inclusion into the University of Nebraska system and will end his history lecture with personal perspectives on UNKs coming of age as part of NU and vision for the future. The 4 p.m. lecture at the Fine Arts Building Recital Hall will kick off an exhibition of historic documents and artifacts by archivists at Calvin T. Ryan Library, the site of a reception, with opportunities to give oral histories about UNK. As part of the University of Nebraska, UNKs rapid transition and improvement are key historic elements to note in this year-long series of events, Kristensen said. Looking back to 1991 and how far weve come this deserves a celebration. The campus has fueled great educational momentum throughout the entire state. Events will continue in the spring semester and summer, including marking the July 1, 1991, anniversary of becoming UNK, and culminating with an outdoor dinner and celebration in conjunction with homecoming weekend. Questions about the activities can be directed to Kelly Bartling at bartlingkh@unk.edu or 865-8455. AKRON, Ohio When Justin Bieber was photographed wearing a man bun to a fundraising gala earlier this month, the Twittersphere lit up. Some Bieber watchers welcomed the new do. Some scorned it. Cinnabon saw it as an opportunity. Hey @JustinBieber _ can we get our MiniBon back? the sweet roll maker tweeted. So it is with man buns. People either love them, hate them or mock them. Men have been putting their long hair up in buns at least since Buddhas time, but the style has come on strong in the last couple of years, fueled by such celebrity bunsters as Jared Leto, Joaquin Phoenix and Leonardo DiCaprio. Even the American Dialect Society has recognized the trend. Manbun one word was one of its nominees for 2015 word of the year. A man bun is usually just hair thats pulled up into a knot and worn at the crown, but there are variations. Some guys wear their hair cropped short on the sides, with the longer hair on top pulled into a bun. Some braid their hair before gathering it. Some count itty-bitty ponytails as man buns. Ohio State University sophomore Josh Froats jumped on the bunwagon several months ago. For him, its all about style. Froats man bun stands in stark contrast to the short hair he wore all through Highland High School. But now its part of his identity, much to his amusement. Just the ridiculous amount of attention my hair gets on a regular basis is kind of absurd, said Froats, who began growing his hair long a little more than a year ago because he couldnt get a haircut appointment during a visit home to Sharon Township. He started styling it in a bun late last summer, once it got long enough. No one ever mentioned his hair when it was short, he said. But now even strangers will compliment him on it. He even got some pushback from friends when he floated the idea of cutting his hair about a month ago. I had a lot of people saying they were not happy with that, he said. Its your look, they told him. Not everyone is a man bun fan. In fact, some of the biggest antagonists are female, according to data from mens grooming company West Coast Shaving. In a survey of 1,000 U.S. women, nearly 70 percent said they either disliked or flat-out hated man buns. Some 58 percent said they wouldnt date a man who had one. Why? Too feminine, was the most frequent response. Mens lifestyle blogger Dominic Bonvissuto doesnt count himself among the man buns admirers, either. I do kind of sneer at it, he admitted, and suspects the trend will prove short-lived. Nevertheless, he applauds what the man bun represents: mens increasing interest in their appearance and their willingness to break out of molds. Still, Bonvissuto believes the man bun isnt for everyone. For me, it would typically be a younger guys deal, maybe a style for someone just out of college working in a creative field, he said. It would feel weird in a professional atmosphere. A man bun also requires long hair, but there are ways around that. Clip-on man buns are available for those without the lock length to support the real thing. Man buns the real kind, that is do have some practical applications, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, hair stylist Monique Palmison said. Athletes and other active men often wear them to get their hair off their necks and out of the way. Some restaurant workers wear them for sanitation purposes. If they pull the topknot too tight, bun wearers may be in for trouble. Man buns have been found to cause bald spots, the news site Mic reported. Styles that pull on the hair follicles over long periods of time can cause traction alopecia, a condition that kills the follicles and causes baldness around the forehead and temples. Man buns arent the only cause, of course, but theyre probably one of the reasons the condition is becoming more common, according to the dermatologist Mic interviewed. Despite the drawbacks, bun wearer Froats thinks hell keep his for a while. Not only does his man bun get him noticed, but the style is comfortable, he said. It also keeps his hair out of his face. Besides, he knows this is a time in his life when he can get away with a little nonconformity. Im in college, he said. What better time to do it? Distributed by Tribune Content News Service. LINCOLN Broken Bow and Lexington are the two Hub Territory sites for Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality meetings about the federal Clean Power Plan mandate. Broken Bow meetings are from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. Feb. 16 at the One Box Convention Center on West Highway 2. Lexington meetings are from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. Feb. 17 at the Dawson County Opportunity Center at 1501 Plum Creek Parkway. DEA Director Jim Macy said the mandate will be explained and public input will be gathered about how to meet the mandate. The federal plan issued Aug. 3 sets a 40 percent reduction in Nebraskas rate of carbon emissions from power plants, based on a 2012 baseline. Initial plan submissions from states are due Sept. 6. If an extension is requested and granted, the final plan deadline is Sept. 6, 2018. Comments from the DEQ meetings and written submissions will be considered as the agency develops Nebraskas response to the Clean Power Plan mandate. Other comments may be submitted at https://ecmp.nebraska.gov/DEQ-CPP, where there is more information about the issue. Comments received by March 15 will be considered in DEQs initial submission. There will be additional public meetings and comment opportunities as the process continues. A web page with regular updates on the process is at http://deq.ne.gov/NDEQProg.nsf/OnWeb/NCMS. LINCOLN (AP) Some students who gathered in Lincoln at the Nebraska Youth Summit on Climate want to move from debate into action, they said. Organizers said Thursdays summit was designed to give the young people a voice by teaching them the legislative process and advising them on how to have effective meetings with lawmakers, how to testify and how to get the media involved. Lilian Turcios, who works at the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department, told the more than 60 students who attended that they must focus outreach efforts on all communities, including the poor and disenfranchised. Climate change isnt just a white problem, Turcios said. People of color are suffering through this with us. People shouldnt be afraid to talk to their friends about their behavior and to speak up when businesses dont follow responsible practices, said Creighton University student Haley Ourada. Its important for all of us to use our voices as consumers, she said. The summit was the brainchild of state Sen. Ken Haar, who told the Lincoln Journal Star that he was struck by how few young people attended a series of discussions this fall on the effects of climate change in Nebraska. Many of the effects of climate change will be apparent by the middle of this century, he said. Thats long after most of the adults at the discussions will be gone and their children and even grandchildren will be making policy decisions. So we need to listen to them, because for them its more than academic, its the world theyll be living in, Haar said. As Nebraskans, we pride ourselves on the compassion and empathy we show toward those in need. Unfortunately, for many Nebraskans, Nebraska Nice, is little more than a state slogan. For those individuals with debilitating health conditions, the prohibition on medical cannabis is literally life-threatening. The Cannabis Compassion and Care Act, introduced by state Sen. Tommy Garrett of Bellevue in January 2015, aims to provide safe, legal access to medical cannabis to members of our community with a serious medical ailment and a doctors recommendation. Multiple studies show cannabis effectively provides relief to people suffering from cancer, seizure disorders, HIV/AIDS, muscle spasms and many other conditions. God often uses one man to do great things. Eddie OHare, who was Al Capones lawyer, told the FBI about Capones illegal gangster activities. They promised to give Eddies son, Butch, a place in the Naval Academy. During World War II, the Navy aircraft carrier USS Lexington was loaded with planes, bombs and men. The Japanese had a plan to bomb it, so they sent nine bomber planes from the west. The Lexington sent off its fighter planes. When the last two planes flew west off the carrier, the ships radar picked up eight more Japanese bombers coming in from the east. Butch OHare was called from the carrier to turn back with his wing man and get those eight Japanese bombers. During the attack, Butchs wing mans gun jammed. Butch now had the only armed American plane in the sky and with only 34 seconds of ammunition for his fighters machine guns. Butch was able to shoot down five of the bombers. The rest of the Japanese retreated and the Lexington was saved. Butch OHare was honored back at the airport in Chicago. That is why the Chicago airport now is called OHare. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi along with Rohit Vemula's mother Radhika and others protesting over the dalit scholar's death at University of Hyderabad in Telangana (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: As Rahul Gandhi went on a day-long fast in Hyderabad on Rohith Vemula issue, Congress on Saturday accused BJP of failing to initiate action against its leaders including Union ministers for the suicide of the Dalit scholar. "Who has resorted to politics in the matter? It is the BJP. Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya wrote to HRD Minister Smriti Irani against the dalit students following complaint from the ABVP President. The HRD Minister wrote as many as five letters to the University," senior party spokesman Ajay Maken told reporters. Wondering whether this was not politicisation, he accused BJP General Secretary Murlidhar Rao of making the "patently false" charge that Rohit was not a dalit and that the dalit scholars had links with the Naxals. He said the Congress Vice President has gone to Hyderabad to take up the cause of the students. "As an alert opposition leader, he is taking up issues relating to dalits, poor and farmers and going wherever injustice is being done". Congress has been demanding sacking of the two Union ministers and removal of the University Vice Chancellor. The Congress criticism came soon after BJP accused it of shedding "crocodile tears" over suicide of a Dalit scholar and attacked Gandhi for using students as a "political tool" after he joined them at the Hyderabad Central University for a day-long fast over the issue this morning. Hyderabad:Stating that when he never got scared of landmine blasts and bombs, why would he be scared of anything else, TD chief N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday told Hyderabadis that he would come to their rescue even at midnight if needed. In his apparent response to TS CM K. Chandrasekhar Raos taunt, Mr Naidu said, I am only a call away. Hyderabad is dear to me as it was developed by me. Who has more right on Hyderabad than me? TD will go to every place wherever Telugu people live and stand by them. In an indirect reference to Congress leaders statements that he was afraid to campaign in the city, Mr Naidu said that he did not get scared of Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi or Sonia Gandhi. Stating that Hyderabad was close to his heart, he told voters that it was the TD that got permission for Metro Rail, planned the international airport at Shamshabad, the ORR, brought Phase-I of Krishna waters to Hyderabad, planned the remaining two phases and constructed flyovers. The server hosting this blog will be going offline this Friday (the 14th) at roughly 10pm. If all goes well, it will come back up on Saturday morning at 7-... 1 week ago Aurangabad: The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court on Saturday issued notices to the Union Government, the Maharashtra Government and the Ahmednagar District administration over the Shani Shingnapur row. The bench asked all parties to file their replies by February 16. Meanwhile, spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has offered to help to end the ongoing impasse between women activists and locals over the entry of women in the shrine. Women members and supporters of the Bhumata Brigade arrived from Pune on Tuesday in six buses with an aim to enter the temple's sanctorum where the idol of Lord Shani is placed on an open-air platform. However, the group led by Trupti Desai was stopped from marching towards the temple by police near Supa. They were also detained by police for some time, but released later. After being stopped by the police, Trupti said it was a "black day" for women as they were being stopped from exercising their rights. The temple drew attention in November 2015 after a woman had offered prayers at the popular shrine in "breach" of age-old practice that prohibits entry of women, after which the temple committee had to suspend seven security men and the villagers to perform purification rituals. The temple attracts millions of tourists and devotees from across the country and abroad. A lot of eyes in the global gold sector on India the last few months. Looking to see what effect radical new plans in the bullion business here might have on demand in the worlds top-consuming nation. The biggest change going in Indias gold market has been the so-called gold monetization scheme. Where the government has been encouraging private citizens to deposit bullion with central banks, in interest-bearing accounts. The idea for the government is to then loan out the gold to jewellers and other end users. Thus reducing Indias overall gold import demand. But logical or not, it appears that Indias gold holders have made up their minds on the gold scheme. And theyre saying no. Thats judging from reports from Indias Economic Affairs Secretary, Shaktikanta Das. Who said on social media Saturday that the gold monetization scheme has attracted 900 kg of gold to date. That comes with the scheme having been in effect since November 5 suggesting that the government is collecting less than 400 kg (o.4 tonnes) per month. That would imply the scheme could attract something on the order of 5 tonnes of gold yearly, at current deposit rates. Equating to just 0.5% of Indias estimated gold demand of approximately 1,000 tonnes per year. Such numbers are likely not enough to move the dial on local or international prices. Suggesting this potential threat to the global gold market may pass with little effect. Indias government is trying to tweak the scheme to make it more attractive and accessible to investors. Watch to see if the deposit numbers depart from the current trend a big increase will be needed to make a difference. Heres to plunking it down, By Dave Forest Managing Geologist www.piercepoints.com Alice Mendoza (left) assembles a pillow along with friends (left to right) Amanda Devine, Anne Lertora and Jenny Kowalski at Mendozas Bainbridge Island home on Wednesday. The pillows will be donated to Syrian refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos. SHARE From left, Olivia Grout, 10, Hannah Wachsman, 11, Anika Toma, 10, and Lena Wood, 11, choose their fabrics and begin to assemble pillows for Syrian refugees at Alice Mendozas Bainbridge Island home on Wednesday. Bonny Danielson (left) and her granddaughters Linnea, 7, and Shylah, 7, (right) assemble pillows for Syrian refugees at Alice Mendozas Bainbridge Island home on Wednesday. Olivia Grout, 10, and Anika Toma, 10, assemble pillows for Syrian refugees at Alice Mendozas Bainbridge Island home on Wednesday. By Rachel Seymour of the Kitsap Sun BAINBRIDGE ISLAND Last month, Ellin Spenser of Bainbridge Island found herself putting warm blankets on the shoulders of Syrian refugees on the shores of Lesbos, Greece, while her 27-year-old son, Tim, helped others out of their boats. The Spensers have family roots on the small Greek island. But they ended up there last month due more to the backlash against refugees in the United States. "The thing that got us off the couch was all the hateful talk about refugees," Spenser said. "These are families and real people that need help." Her efforts helped inspire two other Bainbridge Islanders Alice Mendoza and Bonny Danielson to raise money and travel to Lesbos next month to help refugees from Syria, where an estimated 250,000 people have died during a five-year civil war. Mendoza and Danielson said they are funding their own travel and are going with the same organization the Spensers went with last month, the Salaam Cultural Museum in Seattle. The museum relies on volunteers, and volunteers going on missions pay their own travel and hotel expenses, said its president, Rita Zawaideh. A two-week trip to Lesbos typically costs about $2,500. Mendoza raised more than $10,000 for the trip in about two weeks via the online fundraising site known as Go Fund Me. Another $800 in cash also has been donated, Mendoza said. The money is being donated to the Salaam Cultural Museum to help with its ongoing aid missions, which are scheduled into April, said Zawaideh, depending on if or when refugees are cut off from Europe. For now, the museum will plan missions as it can and continue to take donations. About 100 ready-heated blankets for hypothermic patients, each $35, were purchased thanks to Mendoza's online fundraiser. These blankets will help refugees soaked in cold water from their trip to across the water from Turkey to Lesbos. A three-year-old refugee died from hypothermia Jan. 20, according to news reports, after the overcrowded boat she had been on took on water as it traveled to Lesbos. Money raised by Mendoza and Danielson also has been used to buy fleece material at a discount, about 80 percent off, and make pillows to hand out to refugees on Lesbos. A handful of children who participate in an after school club at Mendoza's home, along with several adults, helped make the pillows Wednesday afternoon while learning about the refugee crisis across the world. Hannah Wachsman and Lena Wood, students at Sakai Intermediate School, said they had learned about the refugee crisis from Mendoza and wanted to help. "I wanted to help because of the dire circumstances," Wood said. Both girls said simple gifts and small acts of kindness could make refugees feel safe and appreciated. Mendoza, a retired teacher, plans to talk to local schools and have school drives for donations. The goal is to spread awareness about how others on the island can help, and what items they can donate. Coats, hats, gloves and blankets for children and adults are needed. Mendoza and Spenser also suggested donating backpacks to help refugees to carry food and clothes, along with hygiene products. When Spenser was on Lesbos, she helped refugees get into dry clothes after their boat ride over from Turkey. Refugees are traveling through Turkey, taking small boats to Lesbos before being ferried to Athens, Greece, about 14 hours away. From there, they head north into other European countries. The boat ride to Lesbos is "just the beginning" of their travel, Mendoza said. While the distance from Turkey to northern Lesbos is about the same distance as Bainbridge Island from Seattle, the Aegean Sea has choppy water and boats are often overloaded. "It's more of a humanitarian crisis than anyone can realize until they are there," Zawaideh said. For more information about the efforts or to donate, email Mendoza at alicechristinemendoza@gmail.com or Spenser at ellinspenser@msn.com. SHARE By Ed Friedrich of the Kitsap Sun SEATTLE Despite the tricky logistics of providing food service aboard ferries, as many as four national companies are attempting to wrest the contract from a Bremerton vendor. Olympic Cascade Services operates galleys on the Edmonds-Kingston, Seattle-Bainbridge, Seattle-Bremerton, Anacortes-San Juan Islands and Port Townsend-Coupeville routes. CDX Ferry Concessions of Mukilteo is contracted for the other two Mukilteo-Clinton and Fauntleroy-Vashon Island-Southworth. Both are at the end of 10-year contracts. A request for proposals issued by Washington State Ferries in October calls for a sole vendor. The deadline is Feb. 3. Like the existing contract, the next one will be for four years with WSF holding an option for six more. It is scheduled to be awarded on April 6. The new vendor would take over in late May. If Olympic Cascade is selected, service would be uninterrupted. Separate requests also are open for vending, terminal food, and terminal news, book and convenience stores. Olympic Cascade reopened the galleys in May 2005. They had been shuttered for 18 months after Sodexo bailed, claiming it couldn't make money. It kept the vending business and is now seeking to get the food service back. Olympic Cascade owner Nove Meyers said the family business, running "lean and mean," has been "acceptably profitable." The operation faces unique challenges. Employees, besides needing food and alcohol handling licenses, must obtain a merchant marine credential for the Coast Guard and Transportation Worker Identification Credential for Homeland Security. Ferries break down, resulting in boats switching routes. There were about 120 vessel moves in each of the past two years, Meyers said. They're especially troublesome when a boat moves between routes served by two different food concessionaires. One must move its staff, products and cash register from the boat to another, to be replaced by those from the other vendor. Riders complain that prices are higher than elsewhere, which is undeniable. There's a reason. The ferries system collects a concession fee. It has worked out to about 8.6 percent of sales, Meyers said. In the new deal, it jumps to 14 percent of beer and wine sales and 12 percent of everything else. And employees are paid more for working on the water. Represented by the Inlandboatmen's Union, they earn more than $16 an hour with full benefits, including a 401(k) plan. "We pay people well," Meyers said. The company employs at least 75 people in Kitsap County, where it also has a warehouse and commissary at which fresh products are made, and 25 in Anacortes. The number would grow because the request states that the galley must be staffed by at least two people at all times to assure service is prompt and the premises clean. Food workers have been represented by ferry unions for as long as the state has owned the system, said Peter Hart, regional director with the Inlandboatmen's Union. It is no longer required by WSF's request for applicants, which states the concessionaire has sole control over policies related to wages, hours and working conditions of its employees. Olympic Cascade would remain under contract with the union, but not necessarily a new outfit. "We would reach out to them to make it a union contract, to negotiate it into a union contract," Hart said. "You need four pieces of ID to work in a galley, so why wouldn't they want our help? "We have 80 people ready to go. Basically it's a question of hitting the ground running or starting from scratch." Public input wasn't specifically sought to craft the procurement. The ferries continually hears from riders about food and drinks, and it and Transportation Commission conduct annual surveys that hit on the subject. Those suggestions were factored into the request, officials said. Lilia Gonzalez, of Port Orchard, embraces Quimby, the dog she and Laura Burrows adopted Thursday at the Kitsap Humane Society in Silverdale. They bought a lifetime license for Quimby, reasoning that the license will help reunite them with Quimby if it ever gets lost. SHARE A dog licenses at the Kitsap Humane Society in Silverdale. Lilia Gonzalez and Laura Burrows, both of Port Orchard, with their newly adopted dog, Quimby, at the Kitsap Humane Society in Silverdale on Thursday. By Josh Farley of the Kitsap Sun SILVERDALE Before they could take home their wide-eared terrier puppy, Lilia Gonzalez and Laura Burrows, adopting their third dog, gladly spent $45 for a lifetime pet license through the Kitsap Humane Society. "If the dog gets out, they can reroute her back to us," Gonzalez said, quickly adding: "And it's the law." She's right: People caught without a license for their pet could be subject to a $156 fine. Yet only a small fraction of pet owners 5 to 10 percent actually license their animals. It's a statistic Kitsap Humane Society Executive Director Eric Stevens is trying to change. Despite living in an era where microchips can be implanted under pets' skin, Stevens supports a separate pet licensing scheme. The humane society is in charge of pet licensing in Kitsap County, except on Bainbridge Island and in Port Orchard. In an effort to keep up compliance throughout a pet's life, the humane society offers the option of paying a higher "lifetime" fee $45 for dogs and $25 for cats. Annual licenses run from $12 to $50 for dogs, depending on whether the animal is spayed or neutered and has a microchip; and $7 to $50 for cats. Microchipping does not necessarily reunite missing pets with owners, Stevens said. In the last two months of 2015, more than 40 percent of microchipped pets did not go home, he said, because of outdated microchip information. "The benefit of licensing is that it provides us with a direct, local database and emails," Stevens said. Stevens points to Calgary, Alberta, where 90 percent of pets are licensed and 85 percent of lost dogs are returned to their owners in less than 24 hours as a result. The humane society issued 4,328 pet licenses in 2015. Their goal in 2016 is more than 6,000 licenses, he said, and ultimately to bring compliance above 50 percent. The generational cycle should raise the numbers naturally, as each pet is licensed with every adoption, he said. "It will be hard with people who have had a pet for 5 to 10 years and have never licensed before, but as a generation of pets dies out and people adopt new pets, this will change," he said in an email. "And should become part of the new norm." Revenue from licensing in 2015 amounted to about $88,000. Most was gobbled up by the expenses of implementing the program and running it about $70,000, Stevens estimates. And what does the money go to? Largely to fill in a gap. Stevens said the humane society has not broken even on its animal control services contracts with Kitsap County and its cities for some time. That deficit is closing after several contracts were renegotiated, down to about $29,000 in 2015 from $79,000 in 2013. The humane society recently added a fifth animal control officer to improve coverage and response times, and hopes to both provide better care for stray animals brought to the shelter and more education to pet owners with licenses, he said. Only Bainbridge and Port Orchard handle their own licensing. Both municipalities make lifetime licenses virtually free if the pet is spayed or neutered Bainbridge charges $6 and Port Orchard nothing. Bainbridge's police department brought in $1,700 with only $100 in expenses for the 284 licenses it issued. In Port Orchard, the only $8 made was due to four pet owners needing $2 replacement licenses. Stevens doesn't shy away from the idea that the licenses can bring increased revenue to the organization. He acknowledges that there's no sure fire way to get people to pay, but hopes that educating the public on licensing's benefits will prove their worth. "It certainly helps us to do this important work," he said. SHARE Dustin Robert Cupp, 31 By Andrew Binion Abinion@Kitsapsun.Com EAST BREMERTON A 31-year-old Bremerton man was arrested late Friday on suspicion of stabbing another man to death earlier in the day at a mobile home park just outside city limits. On Saturday, law enforcement identified the victim as 27-year-old Travis Fish. The suspect was identified as Dustin Robert Cupp, 31. Deputies were called to the Camelot Mobile Estates at 4:22 p.m. after receiving reports of a man being stabbed in the chest. Two suspects were described in initial reports. Deputies set up containment in the area, and a police tracking dog was helping to search for suspects. The Kitsap County Sheriff's Office identified Cupp as "the primary suspect" at about 8 p.m. He was at large for about two hours before being arrested. Cupp was most recently convicted of possession of methamphetamine, in November, and was sentenced to 20 days in jail, according to court records. He has a previous felony conviction for second-degree possession of stolen property. The apparent homicide would be Kitsap County's third in a little more than a month, and the first of 2016. Hurene "Hap" Jackson, 90, was found stabbed to death at his Rocky Point home Dec. 15, and Robert Archie Hood, 89, was killed Dec. 17 during what investigators said was a robbery at his home near Silverdale. Suspects in both cases have been charged with murder and are awaiting trial.

Dental assistant Jessica Nieman sterilizes equipment Wednesday in one of the patient offices at the Peninsula Community Health Services dental clinic in Port Orchard. LARRY STEAGALL / KITSAP SUN

By Tad Sooter of the Kitsap Sun PORT ORCHARD The first patient at Peninsula Community Health Services Port Orchard dental clinic had waited four months to get a tooth pulled. The 42-year-old man was far from the only local resident waiting in pain for dental care. Demand for adult oral health services has been overwhelming since the state reinstated dental benefits in its Medicaid (Apple Health) program at the start of 2014, at the same time Medicaid was expanding in Washington. Thousands of Kitsap County residents suddenly had coverage for dental work but found few dentists willing to accept new Medicaid patients because of low reimbursement rates for services. What were finding is adults with Medicaid are not able to get timely access, Peninsula Community Health CEO Jennifer Kreidler-Moss said. PCHS began chipping away at the mountain of demand last year by offering routine dental care for adults at its Bremerton clinic, which primarily served children and adults with chronic health conditions or emergencies. The backlog for adult dental services in Bremerton rapidly grew to 90 days. The nonprofit health center took a more aggressive action this summer with the creation of the stand-alone dental clinic in Port Orchard. The clinic, located at 1950 Pottery Ave., is equipped with six chairs and staffed by two dentists, along with six assistants, a hygienist, sterilization technician and office staff. A soft opening for the facility was held Aug. 24. An open house is scheduled Tuesday. PCHS spent $775,000 renovating and outfitting the space, which had been used as a dental office but left vacant for many years. Washington Dental Service Foundation, a nonprofit funded by Delta Dental of Washington, contributed $275,000 for equipment. Priority at the clinic is given to patients covered by Medicaid (about 67 percent of PCHS patients are enrolled in Apple Health). To access dental care, patients must first be signed up with PCHS for medical services. Kreidler-Moss said staff have been contacting patients who sought dental care at the Bremerton clinic to let them know the Port Orchard office is open. Not only are there a huge number of adults in need of dental care, their needs tend to be greater than typical dental patients, said PCHS Dental Director Michael Insani. Patients covered under Medicaid might have gone years without seeing a dentist and require intensive treatment before they can be transitioned to routine preventive care. It takes time, Insani said. A lot of these patients have a big need, and it takes a few appointments. Kreidler-Moss said the Port Orchard clinic was rushed into service in response to the adult dental care crisis. PCHS hopes to add more dental chairs in the county in the near future, she said. Diane Oakes, deputy director with Washington Dental Service Foundation, said a number of other nonprofit health centers in the state are adding dental services to meet demand. The foundation has given more than $9 million to dental programs at community health centers and tribal clinics in the past decade. If you go What: Peninsula Community Health Services Port Orchard dental clinic, which accepts Medicaid patients. Priority is being given to patients with Medicaid, but people with other coverage can receive emergency dental care. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays Where: 1950 Pottery Ave., Suite 170, in a separate building from the centers Port Orchard medical clinic Open house: 4-6 p.m. Tuesday. Tours and light refreshments available. Appointments: 360-895-6464 SHARE NHOH Public Affairs Washington State Congressman Rick Larsen recently visited Naval Hospital Oak to solicit more information on the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) and other pertinent directives. Larsen was briefed by NHOH Commanding Officer Capt. Frederick McDonald and Naval Air Station Whidbey Island Commanding Officer Capt. Michael Nortier about the challenges of this program in a remote area. Larsen expressed his appreciation for their efforts and pledged to continue support of the program. According to the Navy Personnel Command website, EFMP is designed to assist sailors with the special needs of their exceptional family members at new duty locations. Assistance is emphasized in the assignment process, but also includes family support from Fleet and Family Service Centers. Identification of eligible exceptional family members will usually occur during the family members routine checkup at NHOH. The basic criteria for enrollment in the program is to have been diagnosed with a chronic medical, psychological or educational concern that is expected to exceed six months. The EFMP identifies those who require assignment near a major medical facility, coordinates with overseas screening to confirm availability of medical and educational support at overseas locations and identifies those who may be candidates for homesteading, as defined by the Chief of Naval Operations. NHOH is currently designated as a Category 5, homestead designated site. Some common misconceptions of the program include myths that the program will keep the sailor from deploying, will limit him or her to the San Diego or Norfolk areas (where the largest medical facilities are located) or will affect a sailors sea-shore rotation. There are six different categories of enrollment ranging from eligibility for monitoring purposes, all the way to a sailor being homesteaded to only certain CONUS locations near specialty medical centers. This could include a family member with leukemia, autism or needing extensive behavioral health care. Other common conditions enabling a sailors family member enrollment include chronic asthma, LUPUS, major heart conditions, long-term illness and possibly a difficult pregnancy. The above is not an all-inclusive list and may include a family members developmental delay or serious mental health issues. NHOH has interaction with both of the local school districts and utilizes the referrals process to Network medical specialists when appropriate. Naval Hospital Oak Harbor presently has a total of 378 enrollees of which 282 are children under the age of 21. The remaining 96 are spouses and other adult dependents. The Exceptional Family Member Program is designed to afford career opportunities for the active duty member, while ensuring appropriate care is available and delivered to their families, said Capt. McDonald. We have a wonderful partnership with our local hospitals and with the school district. While a number of services require travel to obtain care, we are aggressively working as a community to expand comprehensive care availability, especially in the area of behavior health. As always, our patients feedback is critical to our journey towards high reliability and the provision of quality care. For more information on EFMP, contact your NHOH primary care manager or call the EFMP at (360) 257-9830. The Dom Post editorial: Wellington City Council is full of big ideas and grand announcements at the moment. Plenty of them are worth supporting. But confusion and secrecy too often seem to follow in their wake especially when it comes to the money involved. First this week came word from three councillors that the costs of the Island Bay cycleway already political dynamite in the south coast suburb had blown out to more than double its projected $1.7 million budget. Yet council chief executive Kevin Lavery said that was completely wrong, and the cycleway was on track to meet its budget. This yawning difference is amateur stuff all four were in the same meeting. One side is barking wrong, and ratepayers need to know which it is. Yes, we do. Im generally supportive of cycleways but the Island Bay one appears to be a clusterf**k. It has made the area more dangerous. Meanwhile, the councils triumphant announcement that Singapore Airlines will fly a new route from Wellington to Canberra from September also turns out to have strings attached for ratepayers. The council, it emerges, is set to pay as much as $800,000 a year in subsidies to the airline for the next decade. The money will come from its Destination Wellington fund, which aims to attract business, talent and investment to the region. Like the councils Economic Initiatives Development Fund, which sank $300,000 of ratepayer money into the recently-failed call centre business CallActive, it also seems wreathed in secrecy. But why should Wellington City Council applaud the arrival of an airline without revealing that it will help bankroll the new route? That isnt commercial sensitivity; it is a sort of deception on the ratepayers. It is deception and it also shows the Council a soft touch with ratepayers money. Other businesses will be lining up to try and get some dosh. Share this: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp More Pinterest Print Tumblr Whale Oil blogs: So how much money has Gameloft received from the NZ Government and Steve Joyces piggy bank? Well it appears to be $15 million, which is funding at $5 million per annum for three years starting 1 January 2014. That means their funding goes until 31 December 2016this year. Which is problematic because this morning the news is that Gameloft is closing down, with all developers being sacked. Thats sad for the staff involved and the investors. Also sad for the taxpayer who pumped $15 million into a failed company. Im not against the Government having some role in supporting business, but we seem to be giving away a lot of money and I am unsure they produce a positive return. Reports are done on grant recipients, but they tend to be done in the short term when of course the companies are doing well. What Id like to see is an audit done of all companies that received government money say five and ten years after they received the funding. Is that company still going? Do they have more or less staff than before they got the grant? Have they increased revenue and/or exports? UPDATE: The correct figure is $2.8 million, not $15 million. $15 million is the companys total spend on R&D, and the government grant was for 20% of that. Also Stuff reports the money will have to be repaid, which is good to see. Share this: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp More Pinterest Print Tumblr Thiruvananthapuram: The ruling Congress-led UDF on Saturday decided not to accept the resignation of Excise Minister K Babu, who had quit in the wake of the vigilance court ordering registration of an FIR against him in the bar bribery case. The decision was taken at a meeting attended by senior leaders including Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and other coalition party leaders. The meeting decided that there was no need for Babu to resign as the High Court had stayed the vigilance court proceedings against him for two months. After the Vigilance Court had ordered registering of FIR against Babu, he had resigned on January 23. However, the Chief Minister had not accepted his resignation so far. The meeting also urged that former Finance Minister K M Mani, who had resigned after the High Court made some strong observations against him in the bar bribery case, to come back to the cabinet, UDF convener P P Thankachan told reporters after the meeting. Thankachan also said the Vigilance, in its last report, had submitted to the court that there was no evidence against Mani and so it was the UDF desire that he comes back to the cabinet. The UDF meeting also wanted government to probe the alleged conspiracy behind the revelations made by Solar case accused Saritha S Nair before the Justice Sivarajan commission, probing the scam. On Arunachal Pradesh, the Central government has filed its reply on the notice given by the Supreme Court. The hearing is to take place on Monday. Whatever the outcome, it does appear from the facts available that what has happened in that sensitive border state is a shocking example of non-cooperative federalism. The imposition of Presidents rule that is under scrutiny by the Supreme Court involves several crucial aspects of Centre-state relations. What is the role of the governor? What is the sanctity of the 10th schedule of the Constitution relating to anti-defection? What is the culpability of the Centre in encouraging a governor to play a partisan role? And, what are the limitations in invoking Article 356 of the Constitution to impose Presidents Rule in a state? It is undeniable that some degree of dissidence was going on in the ruling Congress Party in Arunachal Pradesh that has a majority of 47 members in a House of 60. The Congress must introspect on this state of affairs. It is also true that the BJP sensed an opportunity in this dissidence to topple the Congress government. That is its right as an Opposition party. But none of this warrants the manner in which the BJP-appointed governor, J.P. Rajkhowa, decided to take matters in his own hand. On December 9, 2015, he decided to convene the Assembly on his own initiative without the advice of the lawfully constituted government. This Assembly met in a community hall on December 16, 2015 and impeached the duly elected Speaker, who had expelled 14 Congress MLAs under the anti-defection law. A day later, this Assembly met at a conference hall of a hotel and adopted a no-confidence motion moved by 11 BJP MLAs and two independent MLAs. With the deputy Speaker in the Chair, this rump, backed by 20 dissident Congress MLAs, later elected another dissident Congressman, Kalikho Pul, as the new chief minister. The Congress Party in the state strongly protested this series of patently illegal actions. On January 24, 2016, the governor recommended Presidents Rule under Article 356 of the Constitution. The BJP government at the Centre convened the Cabinet on a Sunday and approached the President for approval on the same day. The President was apparently not fully convinced because he asked Union home minister Rajnath Singh to meet him to clarify matters. But, subsequently, given his constitutional limitations, he granted approval, on January 26, the very day the nation celebrates the adoption of our Constitution. This happened a day before a five-judge Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court was to hear a petition on developments in Arunachal and had been assured in an earlier hearing that no precipitate action would be taken until the matter was disposed off. An independent observer would be entitled to ask, what in Gods name is going on in our country? In several landmark judgments the Supreme Court has clearly laid down the remit of the governor in such situations. In S.R. Bommai vs Union of India,1994, the Supreme Court has clearly stated that when in doubt the majority of a political party must only be tested only on the floor of the House. Why did the governor then not consult the chief minister and convene the Assembly to allow rival factions to test their claims on the floor of the House? And why did he then countenance the convening of a rump Assembly in a community hall, bypassing both the chief minister and the Speaker? Could such a patently ludicrous act ever have taken place in a state like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar or Tamil Nadu? And if it did happen in Arunachal, was the governor under the mistaken notion that nobody would take cognisance of his move in a far-flung border state, away from other attention grabbing headlines in the capital? In other judgments, the Supreme Court has said that the Central government should not treat a governors report recommending Presidents Rule as the gospel truth. Did the BJP government at the Centre scrutinise the governors report from this point of view? And if it did, why did the Cabinet rubber stamp the report and forward it for presidential endorsement with such urgency? The Sarkaria Commission in 1988 has categorically recommended that Article 356 for the imposition of Presidents Rule should be invoked very sparingly, in extreme cases, as a measure of last resort, when all other alternatives fail to prevent or rectify a breakdown of Constitutional machinery in the state. Was the situation in Arunachal Pradesh of such extreme nature and were other measures to prevent or rectify a breakdown of Constitutional machinery given any chance? The truth is that the BJP government at the Centre appears to have wilfully colluded with a partisan governor to adopt any means possible to replace a duly elected government with that of the BJP. Such a display of transparent cynicism by a party that was at the forefront, when in Opposition, to prevent the misuse of Article 356 leaves one quite dumb founded. In particular, there are reports that the governor, fully backed by the BJP, was party to the horse-trading with the clear aim to subvert the provisions of the anti-defection law. Undoubtedly, the installation of a BJP government in Arunachal when the Assam elections are round the corner would be beneficial to the BJP. But to achieve such benefits, must the Constitution, and clearly laid down injunctions of the Supreme Court and the law, be flouted so blatantly? Fortunately, the Supreme Court has preserved its judicial right, on the question of the invocation of Article 356, to examine and check the material provided by the governor and the Centre to obtain the satisfaction of the President. In its last hearing it asked for a copy of the report of the governor. It has also issued a notice to the Centre and the matter is to come up for hearing tomorrow. The judiciary, and not this governments hollow slogan of cooperative federalism, is the forum of last resort for all those who believe that Centre-state relations must be governed not by the imperatives of short-term political interests, but by the majesty of the law.

FILE - In this Nov. 12, 2014 file photo, the HealthCare.gov website is seen. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

SHARE By Staff And Wire Reports This weekend is the last chance for the majority of people to get health insurance on the Affordable Care Act exchange for 2016. Open enrollment for health insurance sold on the federally run exchange ends Sunday and Sandy Dimick of Family and Children's Service is preparing for a busy weekend. Dimick, health assist specialist at FCS and a Get Covered Nashville coordinator, said a state hot- line dedicated to enrollment help had more than 400 calls this week from people looking to make appointments before the deadline. There are many events around the state this weekend, and Dimick recommends coming to an event if you want help, whether you have an appointment or not. Adults who don't sign up for insurance this year will face penalties of at least $695 when they file their taxes in 2017. Families could be asked to pay more than $2,000 in fines if they don't buy insurance through the exchange or are covered through a workplace plan. "We are anticipating quite a few consumers this weekend," said Dimick. "We are really encouraging folks to come to the events, regardless of appointment, and we will do everything to get them through." Knoxville's Cherokee Health Systems will have back-to-back enrollment assistance events this weekend as well. In-person help choosing and enrolling in a plan will be available at the main office, 2018 Western Avenue, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. both days. People who qualify can also sign up for TennCare and the Children's Health Insurance Program CHIP. Appointments aren't needed, but those with questions can call 865-693-7809. Tatum Allsep, founder and executive director at Music Health Alliance, said her team is combating a lot of misinformation from people who are trying to enroll. Many still have concerns that pre-existing conditions will keep them from buying a plan that's false, however. Pre-existing conditions don't matter when buying an Affordable Care Act-compliant plan. As of Jan. 23, 248,387 Tennesseans had selected plans, according to CMS. It did not say how many of those were automatically re-enrolled in the plan they selected for 2015. CMS and advocates alike recommend even those who were happy with their previous plan "shop around" because of changes to rates and providers. Independent insurance brokers can help. You can shop on your own at healthcare.gov, or call 844-644-5443 for help. Kristi L. Nelson contributed to this story. The lingering political crisis in Arunachal Pradesh has proved to be expensive for the BJP. When it first decided to poach dissident Congress legislators several months ago, the BJP flew the MLAs down to Delhi and put them up in a five-star hotel. BJP strategists did not realise that the process of government formation would take longer than expected. After the Gauhati High Court put on hold the Governors decision to advance the Assembly session, the BJP shifted both the Congress and its own legislators to a three-star hotel since the party was running up huge bills to keep them safe. The BJPs plan went awry again when the Congress approached the Supreme Court. Since there is no certainty when it will announce its verdict, the BJP has moved the legislators once again to a small hotel in Gurgaon. Clearly, the BJP is paying a heavy price both literally and figuratively to form its own government as it attempts to expand its footprint to regions where it has minimal presence. Three Congress Rajya Sabha members from Punjab M.S. Gill, Ambika Soni and Ashwani Kumar are set to retire over the next few months, but hectic lobbying for a coveted berth in the Upper House has begun. According to the party grapevine, Mr Kumar has been making strenuous efforts for another term. Mr Kumar donned his lawyers robes and landed up at the Patiala House courts when Mrs Gandhi, Cong-ress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and other leaders put in a personal appearance in connection with the National Herald case. He was apparently told very politely but firmly that he was not on the panel representing the party leaders. Mr Kumar maintained that he had come as Dr Singhs counsel. On another occasion, he landed up in a Delhi court when the corruption case against Himachal Chief Minister Vir-bhadra Singh was to be heard. The other lawyers insisted he had not been deputed by the Chief Minister. It is to be seen if Mr Kumars efforts will pay off. The Punjab Congress last-minute decision to not contest the byelection from Khadoor Sahib led to a lot of speculation about the real reason for withdrawing from the contest. What is intriguing is that Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh made this announcement a day after Congress president Sonia Gandhi had app-roved the candidature of R.S. Sikki. Capt. Singh maintained that since the issue on which Mr Sikki had resigned had not been addressed by the Akali government, no purpose would be served by participating in this contest. Mr Sikki had put in his papers in October 2015 to register his protest against the sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib. But this could well be window dressing. If Congress insiders are to be believed. A defeat in this election would have been a big blow for Capt. Singh who was recently re-appointed president of the Punjab Congress amid great expectations that he would lead the party to victory in the Assembly polls in 2017. The Capital is abuzz with stories about a Cabinet reshuffle. Each time this issue is discussed, it is invariably mentioned that finance minister Arun Jaitley is being given another portfolio. The latest round of reports mentioned that Mr Jaitleys protege, power minister Piyush Goyal, is likely to be the next finance minister. Mr Jaitley, it is said, is expected to be moved to defence. This appears to be far-fetched as Mr Jaitley has started working on the Budget while Mr Goyal is not sufficiently senior or experienced to handle such a crucial portfolio. It appears these stories are circulated by the Mum-bai-based corporate world. Since Mr Goyal is from Mumbai, he is well networked with the industrialists there. The speculation about Mr Jaitleys move has also been fuelled by reports that defence minister Manohar Parrikar would like to return to Goa so that he can be projected as the partys chief ministerial candidate before the next Assembly polls. There is some merit in the story as Mr Parrikar has not really taken to Delhi and is known to rush to Goa on some pretext or the other. SHARE By Ralph Bowden In "Burdy," Karen Spears Zacharias revisits the people of Christian Bend, Tennessee, some years after "Mother of Rain" first introduced them. That novel took place mostly in the Bend as the Depression gave way to World War II, and it concentrated on the increasingly unbalanced Maizee and her son, Rain, after Maizee's young husband, Zeb, is given up for dead in the last year of the war. "Burdy" uses the Bend its people and their tragedies as a home base, but it ranges far afield of East Tennessee. In 1955, Burdy, a dark-skinned Melungeon widow with "the gift" of healing, receives a letter from Zeb, in France. Taking it upon herself to find him, she tells no one in her close-knit community of her plans to visit France. Though she has never been farther from home than Bristol, Burdy books passage on the SS United States. New friends, a new man in her life, and a wholly new environment affect Burdy deeply, though she stays psychically rooted to home and her mission to find Zeb. This is a richly emotional story, with powerful memories, guilt and grief. Why did Zeb never come home? Was it irresponsibility, or has he been so deeply damaged or traumatized by the horrors of war that he cannot face his wife, son and community? How will Burdy find the strength to tell Rain that his father is alive in Bayeux? Burdy keeps her own counsel and secrets for the sake of those at home who wouldn't understand as fully as she does, thanks to her gift (though in this novel she is less a mysterious healer-seer than an independent, take-charge woman). "Burdy" is also a richly detailed story, with lots of painterly description of places. While at home in the Bend, for example, Burdy visits Maizee and Zeb's former house, near her own, and writes that it "smelled of unused kerosene and an overwhelming loneliness." Outside, "lightning bugs flickered to a silent tune dance partners with the stars, each one following the movement of the other to a tune only they could hear." Most of the Burdy narrative is set far from the Bend, in places like the plush ocean liner, Le Havre's docks, Bayeux and its cathedral, a Normandy military cemetery, and Paris. Zacharias spaces out the main plot with travelogues and luminous descriptions. People too are rendered in full color, and the story is not all Burdy's: as in "Mother of Rain," Zacharias slips into other points of view when necessary to explain what Burdy is confronting in her mission to find closure. For more local book coverage, visit http://chapter16.org/, an online publication of Humanities Tennessee. Salted caramel from the Chocolate Ladies is one of the goodies available during Chocolatefest Knoxville Saturday Jan. 31, 2015, at the Knoxville Expo Center. Proceeds from the sweet event benefit Knoxville's Ronald Mcdonald House. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL) SHARE LAST CALL Chocoholics, be aware: Today is Chocolate Fest at the Knoxville Expo Cener, 5441 Clinton Highway. Sample a chocolate treat from each of the vendors for $15 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Proceeds benefit the Ronald McDonald House. If you want to simply browse and let your children enjoy the kids' vendors, entry is free. Info: www.chocolatefestknoxville.com CONVERSATIONS & COCKTAILS Thomas Burman, a history professor at the University of Tennessee, will explore the effect of Islam on Christian Europeans and the West during the next "Conversations and Cocktails" talk on Tuesday, Feb. 2, at the Grill at Highlands Row, 4705 Old Kingston Pike. The program begins at 6 p.m. Dinner reservations are required and seating is limited. A reservation can be made by calling 865-694-1600. Burman will touch on how the West has experienced mixed feelings regarding Islam and feared it as a powerful new religion. However, it also sought to surpass its sophisticated culture and borrow its advanced science. Burman teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on the Crusades, Medieval Spain and the Mediterranean, Jewish-Christian-Muslim relations in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and medieval and Renaissance intellectual history. MUSIC, MOONSHINE AND ART East Tennessee Wanderers will be walking around downtown Knoxville today beginning at the Marriott Hotel. Choose from a 5K or 10K walk and learn about the art, history and culture of Knoxville. The 10K walk begins at 10 a.m. and the 5K at 11 a.m. Both groups should arrive at Market Square about the same time for lunch. Once lunch is done, the walks can be completed. Info: Call Hank at 865-599-1417. FUN AT MCCLUNG The McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture hosts a free Family Fun Day from 1-4 p.m. today that focuses on the museum's latest exhibit "Maya: Lords of Time." Visitors can tour the exhibit that explores the Maya's intricate calendar system and how their kings used the calendars, write their birth dates in Mayan symbols and make a take-home craft. The University of Tennessee museum also hosts a Valentines-centered event for babies, toddlers and their parents or caregivers in February. The museum's upcoming stroller tour at 10 a.m. Feb. 8 focuses on "Love Around the World." The stroller tour is free but participants must register at the events section of the museum website http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu. Like us at www.facebook.com/knoxvillefamily and www.facebook.com/knoxvilledotcom SHARE Tickets will be available until Monday, Feb. 1, for the Optimist Club of Knoxville's Mardi Gras Night at www.optimistclubofknoxville.org/auction.htm. The event, which will begin at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 6, raises funds for numerous projects benefiting local children. The venue is on the UT campus, Neyland Stadium, in the Tennessee Terrace (at Gate 19). Free parking will be available at Lot 9, directly across the street from the entrance. Tickets cost $75 per person, plus an online service fee. Neyland Stadium, 1265 Phillip Fulmer Way, Knoxville. The sixth annual Bachelor's Auction benefiting Friends of Literacy will be held Friday, Feb. 26, at the Crowne Plaza in downtown Knoxville. Tickets are $40 for general admission and $70 for VIP. The VIP reception starts at 6:30 p.m. and includes hors d'oeuvres, champagne and a special time to meet the bachelors before the main event. General admission entrance is at 7:30 p.m. Bachelors mingle with guests before the auction at 8 p.m. Food and a cash bar are included. For tickets, call 865-549-7007 or visit www.friendsofliteracy.org. For more information, contact Melissa Nance by phone at 549-7007 or email at melissa@friendsofliteracy.org. "Tanasi 1796," presented as a docudrama, with music, drama and art will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. in the grand foyer of the Clayton Center for the Performing Arts and from 7 to 10 p.m. in the center's Ronald and Lynda Nutt Theatre on Saturday, Feb. 20. "Tanasi 1796" is the story of Capt. Joseph Black and Cherokee Chief Attakullakulla. All proceeds benefit the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center. Tickets are $10 or four for $35 for general admission, $25 or four for $75 for reserved seating. To purchase tickets, visit www.claytonartscenter.com/event/tanasi-1796 or call 865-981 8590. Tickets are on sale now for the "Hunger is Not Funny, But We ARE!" benefit for Second Harvest Food Bank. The event will be held on Friday, March 4, at Scruffy City Hall. The benefit features Octavius and Josh Phillips and stars Julie Scoggins from Last Comic Standing and the John Boy and Billy Show. Billy Kidd is the emcee for the evening Billy Kidd. Tickets cost $15 and are available at scruffycityhall.com. The Lindsay Young Downtown YMCA in Knoxville is hosting a girls night out that's free, fun and could save your life from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 4. Here for Her Heart, dedicated to women's heart health and happiness, is open to all area women. Free child watch and refreshments will be provided and the first 100 women in the door get complimentary swag bags. All attendees will enjoy an evening of pampering, health screenings and hear valuable health-related information. If you join the Y that night, the $30 joining fee will be waived. Park across the street at the Locust Street Garage. In case of inclement weather, the backup date is Feb. 25. For more information, contact community wellness director Sara Prinzi at sprinzi@ymcaknoxville.org or 865-522-9622. Photo credit: Ed LeGrand Snowstorms cause hardships for ground-feeding, insect-eating birds like this American pipit. Pipits, members of the wagtail family, are slender birds with long legs, thin bills and white outer tail feathers. SHARE If you've ever seen an American pipit or heard or read anything about a pipit, I bet it wasn't very exciting. Tennessee bird-watchers get excited about pipits mainly because they seldom have an opportunity to see these uncommon migrants and winter residents. American pipits nest in the harsh Arctic tundra and above the tree line in western U.S. mountains. Drab, streaked, brownish-gray pipits in small flocks are seldom exciting to watch. They just stand or walk around on bare ground in open fields. Or they hang out on mud flats near water. Occasionally they bob their tails or display the white outer tail feathers that help identify them when they take flight. It turns out pipits are more interesting than most bird-watchers think. Just ask Ed LeGrand of Crossville. He had an interesting encounter with a pipit in his yard during the recent snowfall. With four inches of snow south of Crossville on Jan. 23, Ed's feeders were covered up with birds, including groundfeeders like Savannah, fox and chipping sparrows. Fox sparrows are notorious for showing up like clockwork during snow storms, but Ed had never seen a Savannah sparrow at a feeder before. However, it was a pipit that created the most excitement. "I was amazed to come back from clearing the gravel drive to find an American pipit near the house where I'd accidentally scraped the driveway too deep with the tractor," stated Ed. "The pipit was in a 4 x4 foot area of gravel, grass and mud eating an earthworm. So I cleared out a couple more 6 x 6 foot clearings along and in the driveway. In the next hour, there were six more species there, including an eastern phoebe, northern flicker, and eight pine siskins at these bare areas." For bird-attracting quality, Ed decided the bare patches he created at the driveway won out over the bird feeders since the pipit, which stayed about an hour, was a new bird for his yard list. This pipit was far from its normal winter habitat usually a short grass or bare agricultural field or pasture or a mud flat with bare ground near water. Instead it was on the edge of a 2-acre weedy field adjacent to woods and a house. Ed posted his pipit experience on TN-Bird, an email discussion group owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society (www.tnbirds.org) and used for sharing bird sightings and information about Tennessee birds and birding events. Chris Agee of Smith County responded, "Crazy that you mention the pipit. I just got back from a trip to the store in Carthage. "I saw a bird hop down from the top of the plowed snow beside the road. I first thought it was a horned lark, but then I saw it bob its tail. I got out and was able to get good views. It was on a pretty busy road. I wouldn't have expected a pipit. It was foraging on the pavement. I saw another post about someone in Brentwood having one in her yard. I guess they are doing things out of the ordinary because the fields are covered with snow." Two days later Chris found pipits along the shore of Cordell Hull Lake. Snow forces pipits to wander and search for bare ground to find food. These ground-dwelling birds find nearly all their food (including insects, worms, small seeds and berries) on the ground whether there is snow or not. Ed found one more remarkable story of a pipit in the recent snowstorm among the CarolinaBirds email discussion group posts. Eddie Owens of Cary, N.C., posted, "I sledded all day today at Bond Park in Cary, N.C. Late in the afternoon, an AMERICAN PIPIT flew right onto the sledding hill where close to a hundred people were sledding. In places, the snow and ice had been churned into muddy ruts, and this is where the bird was foraging. It was amazing how close I could get to the bird. It was within feet of very fast sledders. Self included." Now that's really out of the ordinary bird behavior exhibited by what was probably a very hungry bird. Does anyone still think pipits are not very interesting? Freelance columnist Marcia Davis may be reached at tennwren@gmail.com or 865-518-BIRD (2473). SHARE By News Sentinel Staff Two men from Georgia were arrested in Anderson County after a traffic stop led Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers to more than $30,000 and various narcotics. Trooper Isaiah Lloyd of the THP's Knoxville district stopped a 2011 Dodge Ram pickup on Interstate 75 South in Anderson County at mile marker 122 for speeding 91 miles per hour in a 65 mph zone on Monday, according to the THP. As he approached the truck driven by Damone Anthony Hennings, 24, Lloyd reported smelling marijuana. After a search by a drug-sniffing dog, officers found marijuana residue and roughly $6,000 cash in a duffel bag, according to the THP. Troopers Johnathan Scott and Kevin Stroup assisted Lloyd with the search. They found $5,000 on Hennings and a vacuum-sealed package of cash under the hood for a total of $32,663, according to the THP. Scott also reported finding a liquid that tested positive for codeine and three Xanax pills. Hennings and passenger Eric Demone Hennings, 27, were charged with possession of scheduled II narcotics and schedule IV drugs with intent to resell or deliver. Demone Hennings was also charged with speeding. More details as they develop online and in Saturday's News Sentinel. Campbell County General Sessions Judge Amanda Sammons (MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL) By Jamie Satterfield of the Knoxville News Sentinel JACKSBORO, Tenn. A Campbell County judge revealed Friday he had filed a complaint with a state board against another jurist and openly admonished her in court. The clash began when General Sessions Judge Amanda Sammons filed a flurry of motions earlier this week challenging Circuit Judge John McAfee's authority and ended Friday with McAfee barring Sammons from speaking when she interrupted an appeal of one of her decisions. "Judge Sammons, do not speak to this court," McAfee said after Sammons suddenly rose to address him. "You have no basis to address this court. I've been on the phone twice this morning with the (state Board of Judicial Conduct) over this." The Board of Judicial Conduct polices judges. The board's rules bar the public from knowing whether a judge is under investigation unless formal disciplinary charges are filed. Statements in other court hearings have suggested a growing number of complaints by attorneys and others affected by Sammons' rulings. McAfee invited a third judge, Chancellor Elizabeth Asbury, to attend Friday's hearing to bear witness to whatever might erupt. McAfee said he was poised for trouble when Sammons earlier this week began filing motions and demanding a hearing in a slew of appeals of her decisions in Juvenile Court cases in which children were being ordered removed from their homes. McAfee had three such appeals set Friday. Sammons showed up, sitting in the audience. With Asbury sitting in the front row of the courtroom, McAfee initially ignored Sammons and her motions, which he said tallied 120 pages, as he began the first hearing. After learning the state Department of Children's Services never sought removal of the child at issue in the case from his grandmother's home but that Sammons ordered him into the agency's custody anyway, McAfee acknowledged her presence. "I see Judge Sammons has made an appearance to watch these proceedings," he said. "I have concerns about this child going back to this particular judge. I think there's probably a conflict or an appearance of one. I think Judge Sammons has filed improper pleadings with this court. I don't know why she did that. I can't imagine filing something with the (Tennessee) Court of Appeals asking (the chief judge) to do something. I don't know what (legal) standing she has to file anything in this matter." McAfee then revealed his complaint to the state board and ordered Sammons removed as judge in the child's case. He also overturned her order to take the boy from his grandmother in the first place. "That child should not have been placed in the custody of the state of Tennessee," McAfee said. Sammons stood up and began to speak, but McAfee cut her off. She ignored his order. "I was just asking the court do you want me to leave," she said. "All I was doing " She tried to continue before McAfee again silenced her, saying he did not care whether she remained in court or not. She left. She did not return a phone message from the News Sentinel on Friday afternoon. Sammons has come under fire for her rulings, including ordering children into DCS custody on what the agency says aren't legal grounds to do so and forcing the poor to pay for taxpayer-funded attorneys they never used. The News Sentinel this week also highlighted a case in which records showed Sammons increased a charge against a mother without authority to do so and then reversed herself, scribbling through the change with a pen. That case is pending a hearing next month on whether Sammons should recuse herself. Related: DCS: Campbell judge took children from their homes without legal grounds Records show Campbell County judge upped charge, altered record Campbell County judges fee order struck down Campbell County judge charging fee to the poor for legal services they didn't receive Campbell County judge becomes defendant for failing to sign order SHARE Michael Anthony Benanti Brian Witham, 45, of Waterville, Maine, accused in robbery and kidnapping schemes at two area banks and a third in upper East Tennessee. He was arraigned Tuesday in federal court. (FBI/SPECIAL TO THE NEWS SENTINEL) By News Sentinel Staff The second of two men accused of hatching a scheme to extort money from banks while holding bank employees' families hostage at gunpoint was arraigned Friday in federal court in Knoxville. Michael Benanti, 43, of Lake Harmony, Pa., appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Clifford Shirley. Accompanying Benanti in the courtroom was his hired attorney, Robert Kurtz. Shirley set a trial date of March 29 for Benanti on the 15-count indictment, the same date the magistrate set for Benanti's fellow defendant, Brian Witham. Witham, 45, of Waterville, Maine, was arraigned Tuesday before Shirley. The federal magistrate appointed the public defender's office to represent Witham, who faces the same 15-count indictment as Benanti. The men, who met in a federal prison while serving sentences for armed robbery, were arrested Nov. 25 near Asheville, N.C., by a North Carolina Highway Patrol officer on Interstate 26. Benanti surrendered, but Witham drove away in the stolen Nissan Pathfinder they were riding in until he crashed at a construction site and was captured. Authorities later said the men were en route to South Carolina when arrested for another attempt at extorting cash from a bank via another kidnap plot. Both men face federal charges of possessing three stolen vehicles and guns and ammunition in North Carolina. The federal charges in Knoxville accuse Benanti and Witham of conspiring to rob two East Tennessee banks in Oak Ridge on April 28 and in Knoxville on July 2 and attempting a heist of a third Oct. 21 in Elizabethton by holding bankers' family members hostage. In each instance, bank employees were expected to obtain cash from the vault while their spouses and children were held elsewhere until freed. Only the July 2 endeavor in Knoxville that targeted the SmartBank in Cedar Bluff succeeded in netting any cash, according to the FBI. Authorities have not disclosed why the other schemes failed to enrich the robbers. No one was hurt during the armed home invasions, but federal authorities were so worried by the trending violence they offered a $20,000 reward in the cases. Because of a traffic stop in Asheville, no one collected the reward. SHARE Erin McLean appeared before Judge Bill Swann in Knox County Circuit Court for a hearing determining the custody of her two children. The parents of her former husband, Eric McLean, have temporary custody of Eric, 12, and Ian, 8. Erin is talking to her attorney, Brandy Slaybaugh, right. Sean Powell, 18, was shot dead on March 10, 2007, while sitting in a parked car at 2424 Coker Ave., the home of Eric & Erin McLean. In an exclusive interview, Erin McLean tells her side of a tragic story By Katie Allison Granju News@Knoxnews.Com Like everyone else in Knoxville, I was shocked by the crime. The March 10, 2007, shooting death of teenager Sean Powell took place only a few blocks from my own family's home, as well as my office at WBIR, Channel 10. Each day, as I drove past the North Knoxville house that Eric and Erin McLean had shared with their two young sons, I wondered whether I had ever nodded to this couple in the nearby grocery store or seen them at the neighborhood park before tragedy blew their family apart. A month or so after Eric McLean was arrested and charged in Powell's death, I received a most unexpected phone call. "This is Erin McLean," the voice on the other end said. "And I think I might like to tell you my story." Erin explained that she had called me because we once met years earlier in the nursery of a church we both attended, when our sons of about the same age were enrolled there. She went on to say that she had read some of my published work. She believed we had friends in common. She told me she had decided to reach out to me because she thought I could be fair in telling her version of the events that led up to Powell's death. I didn't - and still don't - recall ever meeting Erin McLean in person, but over the next months, we spoke on the phone numerous times, as she related her story to me. While she initially contacted me with the suggestion that I would publish or broadcast an interview with her, she became spooked by the idea, as - in her opinion - the local and national press coverage surrounding the infamous "Knoxville Love Triangle Case" became more and more uniformly hostile to her. Over many hours of conversation, as well as a number of e-mail messages between May 2007 and August 2007, I attempted to convince Erin to allow me to do an on-the-record interview with her. But she ultimately decided that speaking publicly wasn't in her best interest. I didn't have any further communication with Erin McLean until about six months ago, when a guardian ad litem appointed by a Knox County judge contacted me. Lisa White, named to represent the McLeans' two sons in a custody dispute, wanted to know if I knew how to reach her young clients' mother. White knew me because we grew up in the same small town, and after Googling Erin McLean's name, White found a comment Erin had left on my personal blog in August 2007, congratulating me on the birth of my daughter. It was a comment I'd never actually noticed myself. I told Lisa White that I had not heard from Erin in many months, and had no idea where she was. But I did give her the e-mail address I'd used in the past to communicate with Erin, and I e-mailed Erin McLean to let her know that Lisa White was trying to reach her in order to make a plan on behalf of the McLean children. Erin called me back, telling me she intended to communicate and cooperate with Lisa White. I again tried to convince her to agree to an interview, and she again declined. Erin McLean and I then again lost touch, and I assumed I would never hear from her again, and that the information she had shared with me would never ultimately become public, as she had never agreed that any of the material was on the record. In August of this year, I left my position as an online producer with WBIR, and took a job in business development with E.W. Scripps Co. Now, as a citizen observer, as well as a News Sentinel op-ed blogger, I watched and read coverage of Eric McLean's trial last month in Knox County Criminal Court. I was somewhat shocked by the jury's verdict of reckless homicide, a lesser charge. Given Erin's version of the events surrounding the shooting, and her stated belief to me that the killing was premeditated, I was extremely surprised that the prosecution hadn't called her as a witness, as I thought her testimony could have given a much fuller picture for jurors to consider. Without divulging any specifics of the confidences Erin McLean had shared with me, I even expressed my view of the outcome of the trial in one post on a local Web discussion message board. I also made one mention of the trial on my News Sentinel blog. Then, last week, on the day after Erin McLean's children were removed from her in Austin, Texas, where she is now living, and returned to their paternal grandparents' care in Tennessee, I was extremely surprised to hear from Erin again. She had decided to tell her story, and she wanted to tell it to me. Within hours, I had conducted a lengthy on-the-record interview with Erin, the results of which you now have before you. I am writing this story in the first person because I believe that the two online public comments I made on the trial, as well as my contact with the guardian ad litem preclude me from sharing my interview with Erin McLean without divulging the full history of our association. You should know that I didn't cover the trial as a journalist, and I have never spoken with Eric McLean, who is to be sentenced in November. The story you are about to read is not intended to be a piece of investigative journalism. It's merely an interview with a single individual, presenting her own version of these tragic events, just as the two "Dateline" television interviews with Eric McLean presented his version of the story on NBC. Where does the truth lie? I make no claim to know exactly what really happened that night, and the jury has already made its decision regarding Eric McLean's relative culpability in the death of Sean Powell. At this point, Erin McLean's telling of her side of the story merely provides yet another window into a notorious Knoxville slaying - a window that until now, hadn't been open for public view. Who is Erin Myers McLean? She is a formerly married, onetime student-teacher at West High School who admits to having engaged in a sexual affair with a troubled 18-year-old. A woman who, according to her ex-husband's testimony, had the seductive power to drive two young men to tragic destinies - one as a convicted killer and the other his victim. Public sentiment and court testimony have declared her to be a wily temptress, a calculating Jezebel and a bad mother out to lure underage boys. It's an alluring caricature of a woman who in many hours of conversation revealed herself to be, in fact, highly complicated and a mass of frustrating and confounding contradictions. Erin Myers McLean recalls her childhood as troubled. Her parents divorced when she was young and she says she ended up living with several different family members and friends. By her mid-teens, Erin Myers was living in Knoxville. She describes herself as a gifted student who was drawn toward other artsy and musical kids. She says that Eric McLean, who would become her husband and the father of her children, was a "brilliant" and "gorgeous" slightly older boy, who played in an up-and-coming local indie rock band. Erin recalls that she had very low self esteem, and was in awe that someone as exciting and interesting as Eric McLean would take an interest in her. The two became romantically involved and moved in together. At 17, Erin became pregnant with the couple's first son, a deliberate decision on the part of both teenagers. "I desperately wanted to create the love and family that I felt I had never had," she says, adding that she feels she lost much of her youth and many of her friends once she became a teenage mother. After a brief breakup during Erin's first pregnancy, the couple reunited, married, and stayed together for the next 10 years. Despite facing odds against their success, the young couple managed to remain married, often happily so. They had another son and eventually bought a house of their own at 2424 Coker Ave., which is where they were living at the time of Sean Powell's death. "Eric and I had struggled through poverty and without help to try to live a life according to our values - continually sacrificing everything for his music, my study of English, and our children," Erin says in a May 3, 2007, e-mail message. Erin graduated from the University of Tennessee, winning a scholarship to a highly competitive graduate English program at Indiana University. The young family relocated to Bloomington, Ind., while Erin pursued her advanced degree, but eventually returned to Knoxville so that Eric could finish college himself, as well as begin collaboration with Knoxville musicians he admired. "People have portrayed me as some kind of party girl during my marriage," Erin says. "But do you really think I could have kept the grades I had, and worked, and taken care of my kids while partying all the time? No, I couldn't have." Both McLeans appear to have been extremely motivated during these years, each working at various part-time jobs while juggling parenting and academic commitments. Erin says they both were loving and involved parents, with her doing most of the primary care. She says that the first time anyone ever accused her of being a bad parent was the day of Sean Powell's death, when her in-laws suddenly called child welfare authorities. A marriage under stress Erin says that although there were many happy times during her marriage, there were dark periods as well. She says she was completely faithful to Eric during the marriage until she began her relationship with Sean Powell. However, she alleges that Eric cheated on her at least two times that she was aware of. The couple struggled to find time to nurture their relationship. Erin says in the e-mail message: "The primary thing we sacrificed during our 10-year marriage was time together. We made the mistake of trying to attend college and raise children in a hands-on way, while working full time. We managed to do all these things, but in shifts, while almost never spending time with one another." Adding that Eric was heavily involved in Knoxville's music scene over the years, performing with many rock bands and UT music programs, Erin says, "It particularly hurts me that anyone is now claiming that Eric was the 'primary caregiver' for our two sons, as it is clear from all the activities in which he was engaged that he was never home." She also says that Eric McLean, while generally a peaceful man, would occasionally just "snap." She says that in the early 1990s, Eric McLean was arrested in Loudon County for attempting to shoot another young man with a crossbow, but that the incident was expunged from his record. She says that on another occasion, while the couple lived in Indiana, she awoke to find Eric threatening her with a large Bowie knife, which she managed to take from him and throw away in a Dumpster. She never reported the incident. She alleges that in 2001, police came to their home on Coker Avenue after the couple had been arguing inside one of their vehicles about Erin's belief that Eric was having an affair. She says her husband became enraged and rammed the vehicle they were in into their other car, which was in their driveway. She says she convinced police not to arrest him. She also claims that Eric McLean stalked a UT professor and threatened to Erin that he was going to kill the man after Eric failed his class. The final months Erin says that by the fall of 2006, her marriage was on the brink, and both she and her husband were emotionally troubled. She says she was working many extra hours at the West High School student teaching assignment she describes as both prestigious and overwhelming in its demands. Eric was busy with work, school and recording an album, a lifelong dream of his. She says Eric took the children to school each morning and Erin handling parenting during the evening hours while Eric was away playing music. Erin says they hardly saw one another, and when they did, it was increasingly unpleasant. "In fall of 2006, I literally did not spend any time with Eric except when we were sleeping," Erin says in the May 3, 2007, e-mail message. "During our few moments together, he, exhausted, would not so much as make eye contact with me. Other times he would curse at me. He did not come home until 3 and sometimes 7 in the morning and did not feel that he owed me an explanation." Erin say she lost weight and felt lonely and isolated, finally approaching Eric one evening in October 2006 as he sat at their home computer. "I was like, 'You know what, Eric, you're never here, and none of my needs for, like, a friend or a relationship are being met at all," she said this month in the telephone interview. "And he was like 'Mmm hmm.' And I said, 'You know what? The less I get from you, the more I'm gonna need from other people and he said, 'I really don't give an (expletive).' "And then he took the jump drive that had all the work that I had done for graduate school, and my master's degree, and he threw it across the room and it ended up in the fireplace. ... And I said, 'Eric, if I don't find that jump drive, I'm gonna leave you just for that.'" In the late fall and early winter of 2006, before Sean Powell came into their married life, Erin says that her husband experienced what she believes was some sort of "psychotic break." "He (told me) 'how I've destroyed everything that was important in my life.' He began crying hysterically all day and night. I told him that he needed psychiatric help, that this wasn't normal. ... I accused him of being a drama queen. I was exhausted and emotionally drained as he wept, smothered me, and demanded constant attention which I just could not bring myself to give after having been completely ignored by him for months." Erin says she deeply regrets the way she handled what she says were her husband's mental problems during this period. She recalls a psychiatrist recommending hospitalization for Eric, but says that she opposed inpatient treatment for her husband, at one point telling him, "You know, Eric, it's not a damn emergency when I'm depressed." She says Eric McLean saw a psychiatrist as an outpatient until killing Sean Powell. Erin also claims that only two weeks before Eric McLean shot Sean Powell to death, Eric began taking a prescribed antidepressant medication for the first time, a drug called Lexapro. An 'open marriage' Erin says that her desire to maintain her fragile marriage stemmed from her own experiences as the child of a broken marriage. But in the fall of 2006, while she was student-teaching at West High School, and at a time she believed her husband was experiencing a mental breakdown, she conceived of a plan that she believed would give her the satisfaction she felt was lacking in her life, while holding her family together: an open marriage. In fact, the plan proved the undoing of all involved. Her intent was that she and Eric would remain together for the sake of their children but would agree that each could become romantically involved with other partners. And she says that after presenting the plan to Eric, he agreed. The stage was now set for what would become a tragedy of epic proportions, breaking up a family and leaving an 18-year-old dead. A teenage boy Erin McLean says she first encountered senior Sean Powell as a file that crossed her desk while she was student-teaching under a veteran teacher at West High School during the fall of 2006. "As part of my graduate research, I was required to read the cumulative records of all 35 of the 12th-grade students in the college preparatory class in which I was an intern and to compile an Excel spreadsheet with the data," she says in the May 3, 2007, e-mail message. "One of these files, for Sean Powell, was hundreds of pages long. It detailed severe physical abuse and neglect by his mother, a prostitute addicted to crack cocaine ..." Erin says she was impressed with the way Sean Powell, who at age 6 went to live with an adoptive West Knoxville family, had dealt with his early childhood abuse. Having come from a troubled background herself, she identified with the boy. Erin continues: "I was amazed that despite all the abuse and molestation he had survived, he was still the pleasant, functioning, extremely intelligent and talented person I saw in class every day. He was a talented writer. ... When the mentoring teacher assigned a paper asking students to define 'hero' (as in "Beowulf"), Sean earned a generous D for his composition 'You Can Eat a Hero.' I took him aside and told him that I knew he was intelligent and capable of writing a much stronger paper than this - and that he did not have to interpret the assignment narrowly - 'If you don't believe in heroes,' I said, 'write about that.'" She says she took a special interest in Sean and tried to encourage his potential. "I called Sean's home and asked his father to have him attend an 8 a.m. tutoring session, which Sean did. This was the only face-to-face interaction I had with Sean outside of class until January 5." Powell turned 18 in October 2006. In November, he was suspended from school after he was found with alcohol in the school parking lot. Erin says she was devastated by the news. "In tears, I asked my mentoring teacher what we could do for Sean. He was supportive of Sean during the school's disciplinary hearing but advised me to keep my 'professional distance.' He also said, 'If you want to fix this one, it's going to take the rest of your life.'" Erin says she reached out to Sean's family, offering to help. She says she spoke to Sean's adoptive mother, Scarlett Powell, suggesting a lawyer at the UT Legal Aid Clinic who had assisted students previously. Erin says she asked Scarlett Powell for permission to contact her teenage son and that Powell's mother responded by telling Erin McLean she feared that by doing so, Erin would be risking her student teaching position. "I remember saying to my husband, 'I care more about being a human being than I do about a job.' I left a message on Sean's cell phone saying that I knew a couple of things that I thought could help." Sean Powell returned Erin McLean's phone call, and although Erin says they didn't see one another in person again until January 2007, they began a phone relationship that became confessional, intimate and eventually sexual. Erin says that while Sean Powell was in substance abuse rehab in December 2006, he began calling her regularly. Lonely, and having decided she wanted an open marriage with her husband of the past decade, she took Powell's phone calls, and returned them, seeing the young man as "a way out." She says the teen - now no longer a student at West High School - lavished her with praise, listened to her problems, and began making suggestive overtures to her, which she accepted and returned. She says her husband was completely aware of the developing phone relationship, and while he accepted it to some degree, he was conflicted. She points to an e-mail message she says Eric McLean sent to an "Open Marriage Expert" on the Web, and which is still published at About.com. The letter, dated Dec. 28, 2006, reads: "Subject: Open Marriage? Question "I have been married for 10 years. My wife has lost interest in me sexually and she wants to have an open marriage. I want her to be happy, but I'm probably going to have major jealousy issues. I'm not interested in any other woman, but I believe she is interested in a specific young man (late teens) - I'm 31 and my wife is 29. "Now that we have discussed the possibility of having an open marriage, I keep getting mental pictures of other men with my wife, so much so that I get sick to my stomach and irritated. "Again, I want her to be happy. I know that she doesn't desire me anymore, which means I can't satisfy her needs, but I don't know if this will work. Also, she's very attractive, so she won't have trouble getting any number of suitors in the future. And men are probably more open to the idea of having sex with another man's wife than women are to having sexual relationships with a married man. I'd imagine that a woman would probably demand I break off my relationship with my wife, that is if I became interested in another woman. "Do I sound like a bad candidate for an open marriage?" The "Open Marriage Expert" on the Web site replied that yes, Eric McLean sounded like a very bad candidate for an open marriage, and recommended marriage counseling or perhaps divorce. Reaching out In early January, Powell was kicked out of rehab just a few days shy of completing his 28-day stay. Erin says her phone conversations with him likely didn't help him to focus on the program. But after having maintained extensive phone communication with Erin McLean, it was she whom Powell called when he needed a ride. Erin says it was actually Eric McLean who first reached out to the troubled teen, but at her urging. "He called us in the middle of the night Jan. 5 and said he was at the Rescue Mission," Erin recalls in the May 3, 2007, e-mail message. "I talked Eric into going to pick him up. He took him to the practice space where he and members of New Brutalism, Dixie Dirt, and Double Muslims practiced. He also took him some spinach pitas I had made." The next morning, Erin says, the whole family, including the children and Erin's mother, with whom she was attempting to mend a long estrangement, picked Sean Powell up and took him to church with them at the West Knoxville Quaker meeting. After the meeting, they all ate lunch at an Indian restaurant and then dropped Powell back off at the practice space, where Powell lived for another week. Erin says Sean Powell told them that his adoptive mother wouldn't let him return home, so the McLeans found him free living space in an unsold house listed by Eric McLean's father, a Realtor, Erin says. Erin admits that after Powell left rehab her relationship with him quickly became sexual in nature. She says the pair were intimate a total of five times between Jan. 5 and March 10, the date of the shooting. She says that her husband was fully aware of this development. In fact, Erin alleges that while she only saw Sean Powell in person fewer than 10 times during those weeks between Powell's release from rehab and the night of the shooting, Eric McLean spent much more time with Powell, frequently taking the couple's children over to the North Knoxville house where Powell was squatting to watch "Star Wars," play a game the two men made up with the McLean children called "pine cone wars," and eat pizza. She says the relationship between the two men was very "twisted," with Eric McLean seeking out Powell's company, even as Powell began cruelly taunting him that he was involved with his wife. Erin says that after one night when the trio went out drinking together, they returned to the McLean home, where Eric attempted to initiate a menage a trois with Erin and Powell. Powell rebuffed him and continued his bedroom activities with Erin, with Eric remaining in the house. In fact, Erin says that Sean Powell was never alone with her in the family's home. She says that every time Powell was inside the Coker Avenue house over those weeks, whether for a visit or an overnight stay, Eric McLean was also present. For this reason, she disputes a neighbor's testimony during Eric McLean's trial that she observed the couple's children locked out of the house in the cold while Powell's black Mercedes-Benz was parked nearby. "That's a complete lie," she says of the neighbor's testimony. As the weeks passed, Erin says that Eric McLean's jealousy became more evident but that he continued to "hang out" quite frequently with Powell and to invite him to their home. She says that she repeatedly admonished Powell to cease his taunting of her husband but that he did not. She thinks the teenager had "a death wish." "I really believe the whole involvement of Sean was more to do with him and Eric than it had anything to do with me. He was trying to see how far he could transgress, and I really think he was trying to get Eric to kill him. I really believe that." On March 9, the night before the shooting, the McLean children had gone to stay for the night with Eric's parents. They spent the night of the shooting, March 10, there as well, a development Erin says was unusual, alleging that the extended stay was Eric's idea, and marked the first time the children had ever spent more than one night in succession away from their parents. She believes that Eric's insistence that the children go to his parents' house the night before is evidence that he was planning to kill. Erin recalls that on the evening of March 9, she and Sean Powell went together to see the play "King Lear" at UT. They returned to the McLean home, and she, Powell and Eric McLean talked and listened to music together, before Eric and Erin retired for the night to their bedroom, and Powell fell asleep on their couch. Erin also recalls that at some point during the evening of March 9, while Powell was in their home as a guest, Eric called her back to their bedroom, telling her he had something important to say to her. When they got there, however, she says he just stood there, with nothing to say, in a manner that seemed odd and frightening. Erin says she had no idea at that time that her husband had hidden a rifle in their house nearly two weeks previously. In hindsight, however, she suspects he called her to the bedroom because he was considering killing her, perhaps in addition to or instead of Sean Powell. Erin says that on the morning of March 10, Powell remained in their house for a period after waking up on their couch, but he began teasing and taunting Eric McLean about the relationship he had with Erin. She says both she and Eric told him to knock it off and to leave, which he did. The day continued without incident until evening, when Erin was bathing. She says Eric McLean entered the bathroom and told her he needed to talk to her about something important. He proceeded to inform her that her best friend of more than a decade had made a sexual advance to him, offering to have him come and spend the night with her. He told her he was considering the offer. Erin says that this same friend, in whom Eric had been confiding about his troubled marriage, had also recently sent Eric a text message that Erin had considered inappropriate. Erin says that while she understood that the pair had an open marriage, she believed close family friends should be "off limits," and she found Eric's revelation that he was considering sleeping with her friend wildly upsetting. "I couldn't believe it, you know, she was like my closest girlfriend the whole time we were raising the boys," Erin says. She says the couple argued, during which she had Eric call the friend and ask her in Erin's presence whether she had indeed invited Eric to spend the night. The friend didn't deny it, thus upsetting Erin further. Erin claims that at some point, Sean Powell called and suggested that he would come to pick Erin up. "Eric said: 'You know what? If you go with him, don't come back." An angry Erin told him OK. Powell showed up at their door "within 10 or 15 minutes." Erin says that as soon as she saw Powell that night, she could tell that something was "off" with him. She says he had a "wild look in his eye" and seemed angry. Toxicology results later showed that Powell had cocaine in his system and a blood-alcohol level of 0.13 percent at the time of his death. Erin McLean says her memories of what transpired over the next hour are fuzzy, and she isn't completely sure of the order of events. She knows she wasn't ready to leave when Powell arrived, and that she had to go back to her bedroom to finish dressing. She says she believes that Powell taunted Eric McLean, telling him, "I'm taking your wife on a date!" "Sean was doing everything he could to provoke (Eric)," she says. She recalls that Eric suddenly calling the police to report an "intruder" in their house who had been "stalking" his wife. While Eric was on the phone, Erin says she asked her husband why in the world he was referring to Powell, someone he frequently welcomed into their house, as an "intruder." She also says that as Eric McLean spoke to the 911 dispatcher, Sean Powell was backing away, telling Eric, "It's cool, man; I'm leaving." Erin says that in hindsight, she believes her husband was attempting to pre-emptively convince police that Powell was an intruder because Eric held the belief - which he had expressed to her on previous occasions - that Tennessee law gave homeowners the right to kill "intruders" on their property as a matter of self defense. Erin followed Powell out into the yard, where they sat on a swing and talked. Erin told Powell she thought he should leave, and that she did not intend to end her marriage. She says that at some point, Eric McLean angrily threatened to lock her out of the house and get a restraining order "so that you'll never see your children again." Erin said that between the 911 call and Eric's threats, she then decided she had had it, and would leave with Powell. Sean Powell went and got in his Mercedes in front of the house, while Erin went into the house to get her cell phone and purse. While she was inside gathering her things, she heard a loud noise. She didn't recognize it as a gunshot. However, when she went out to the car, she found her husband standing next to the car with a gun. She describes his demeanor as eerily calm. She looked in the window and saw the carnage the gun blast had wrought to Sean Powell's face and head. She began screaming and turned to her husband, whom she reports calmly said to her, "Congratulations." The aftermath Erin McLean says she left Knoxville as soon as possible after the homicide with her children, believing that Eric McLean would spend the rest of his life in prison and that she would now be 100 percent responsible for their two sons. She says remaining in Knoxville, where she quickly became the subject of threats and insults, and where she felt she was being stalked and harassed by the news media, simply wasn't an option. She spent some time in Nashville, attempting to live with her mother, despite their troubled family history. During that time, she secured a job at a small Christian school, where she was subsequently accused of making inappropriate advances toward a teenage student. Erin McLean flatly denies the accusation, saying that she did speak with the boy outside of school about his mental health problems but that she never said or did anything that could be construed as inappropriate. She also denies sending him text messages. She says the suggestion that she was attempting to seduce the boy came only after the school and his parents learned of the Knoxville killing and her relationship with Sean Powell. However, when asked whether there is anything intrinsically wrong with an adult woman becoming involved with an 18-year-old, she says no, that 18-year-olds are legally adults. She says she has known of some relationships with an age difference as great as the one she shared with Sean Powell that have ended in long-term marriages. "What about a 17-year-old boy?" I asked. "Well, that's illegal," she responded. Erin says that during the period immediately following Powell's death, when she was living in Nashville, she received several postcards addressed to "Whore McLean" and delivered to her mother's address. She says the postcards were clearly written in Eric McLean's handwriting, with one of them reading: "Everyone knows you were grooming Sean to kill Eric and collect the life insurance. ...You are a child molester. You are a master manipulator. You beat your son for telling the truth. You will never be a teacher for everyone knows you aren't safe around 17-18 year old children. Your children know who you are. Your mother knows who you are. Everyone knows you are a cheap, no-account, unfaithful skank. ...You will never be free of your actions. ..." Erin says that she turned the postcards over to the FBI and alerted the Knox County district attorney general, since Eric McLean was, at that time, legally prohibited from contacting his estranged wife. With Eric McLean and his attorneys looking for them, Erin and the boys ended up in Austin, Texas. Last week, the boys were removed from her custody and brought back to the Knoxville area to live at least for the time with their paternal grandparents. Erin McLean denies having attempted to keep the children from their father since the shooting, saying she now hopes for a custody resolution that recognizes the fact that "it's simply not possible for me to live in Knoxville. I am so hated there. I cannot have a life there, in the community that I loved." A decision on custody of the McLean children, now age 12 and 8, is pending before 4th District Court Judge Bill Swann, with a hearing set in December. Last week, Swann found Erin McLean in contempt of court for violating his order to refrain from contacting the boys after they were moved from Austin. Erin McLean says that her sons are aware their father killed Sean Powell, whom they knew quite well. Because of the killing, she says they've expressed fear of Eric McLean. She says she hopes to continue living in Austin with her sons, where they have been since March 2008, with "appropriate visitation" for her ex-husband. "As long as the kids are OK with seeing Eric, that's OK with me," she adds. Erin describes her life since Sean Powell's death as "a constant struggle." She says that she has attempted to keep a low profile to avoid media scrutiny and public criticism, adding that despite her master's degree and teaching experience, she has often had difficulty earning enough to support herself and her sons, and that she has dealt with serious mental and emotional issues in the wake of seeing her lover's dead body slumped over in a car parked in front of her house. She admits that the living conditions she and her children have shared since the homicide have not always been ideal because she's been so impoverished. Today, 31-year-old Erin says she works in management for an Austin nonprofit agency and is involved in what she describes as a "serious, committed relationship" with a 37-year-old Austin man. She says she lives in a "cute, little brick house" in a trendy, historic Austin neighborhood. She considers her ability to stabilize her life after more than a year of near homelessness to be a real accomplishment. There have been reports in the media that Erin McLean has been involved with teenage boys since leaving Knoxville. Again, Erin denies this, saying she has never been romantically or sexually involved with anyone under the age of 21 except for Sean Powell. "These allegations in the press that I am dating or involved in some way with an 18-year-old are absurd," she says. "They're made up, and I don't know how reporters get away with saying them. I do have a friend in his early 20s, but we've never been involved in a relationship, and he's not a teenager." Asked specifically whether Sean Powell was too young for her, she responds: "You know, he had vastly more life experience than I did. He was involved with another 30-year-old woman at the same time he was involved with me. He had had numerous lovers of both sexes. He had traveled all over the place. I had done none of that." She calls her relationship with Sean Powell "the biggest mistake of my life, and a regret I'll carry for the rest of my life." "I'm not saying he was a bad guy," Erin adds. "If he were alive today, I would still be his friend, but he was manipulative and troubled, and absolutely, it was a huge mistake." Student J.T. Taylor, center, expresses her disappointment to Vice Chancellor Rickey Hall about Chancellor Jimmy Cheeks absence from an UT Diversity Matters coalition meeting Friday at the University of Tennessee. The meeting was in response to the ongoing diversity issues on campus. (CAITIE MCMEKIN/NEWS SENTINEL) SHARE UT students march to Chancellor Jimmy Cheeks office in response to his absence from the UT Diversity Matters meeting in Thompson-Boling Arena on Friday at the University of Tennessee. (CAITIE MCMEKIN/NEWS SENTINEL) Student Mandy Pitts holds a hat at the sit-in on the fifth floor of Andy Holt Tower at the University of Tennessee on Friday. The sit-in was in response to the absence of Chancellor Jimmy Cheek at the UT Diversity Matters coalitions meeting to discuss recent diversity issues on campus, one of those being the use of gender-neutral pronouns. (CAITIE MCMEKIN/NEWS SENTINEL) Vice Chancellor Rickey Hall, center, with Vice Chancellor Vincent Carilli, right, announces to UT Diversity Matters students that Chancellor Jimmy Cheek, along with other administrators, will not be attending the meeting to discuss University of Tennessee diversity issues on Friday in the Thompson-Boling Arena dining area. The meeting is in response to the ongoing diversity issues on campus. (CAITIE MCMEKIN/NEWS SENTINEL) By MJ Slaby of the Knoxville News Sentinel A meeting between the University of Tennessee Diversity Matters coalition and UT administrators didn't happen as scheduled on Friday. Administrators called it a scheduling mishap, but that didn't ease frustrations. "We've been preparing for days, for weeks for this meeting," said senior Elizabeth Stanfield, who was planning to lead a teach-in for the students gathered outside the meeting. "Even if it is a mix-up, my time was wasted." PDF: UT Diversity Matters The meeting between a group of about 25 students, five of them as designated speakers, and Chancellor Jimmy Cheek and other administrators at Thompson-Boling Arena was to be a response to the continuing controversy about diversity at UT. Since the spring semester started, campus groups have continued to meet about improving diversity, and state legislators have filed a bill to defund the UT Office of Diversity and Inclusion. A group of students, largely from student government, will hold an annual meeting with lawmakers on Monday. Coalition members planned to present a five-page list of demands that included reinstating a post on the office's website about gender-neutral pronouns, returning sole oversight of the website to Vice Chancellor Rickey Hall, campus-wide training, added accessibility for the disabled and more. Stanfield said Friday's meeting was a chance for dialogue and to establish a timeline for plans. The meeting has been rescheduled for Thursday. When Hall and Vice Chancellor Vince Carilli arrived to the meeting late, they told students that Cheek and others were waiting in another location. Upset that Cheek didn't show up, students decided to go to his office. When they arrived, Carilli and Hall told the students the chancellor thought Hall told the students about the venue change, but Hall said he didn't realize the students weren't told. "I'm going to own that one," he said. "I know it doesn't feel good right now." Hall insisted Cheek wanted to meet with students, but the students expressed their doubts and asked to hear from Cheek. They left their demands as "homework" for the chancellor. Kristen Godfrey, a graduate student and member of the coalition, said she was frustrated but not surprised. She said students know Hall will listen, but wanted the meeting to include Cheek. "They have to work together," she said. UT Diversity Matters is asking for feedback and support. Learn more at the UT Diversity Matters Facebook page or by emailing, utdivmatters@gmail.com. Oak Ridge National Laboratorys Graphite Reactor, the worlds first continuously operated nuclear reactor, will be part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. (FRANK MUNGER/NEWS SENTINEL) SHARE By News Sentinel Staff OAK RIDGE The National Park Service and the Department of Energy will hold a public meeting in Oak Ridge on Monday to get input on planning for the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. The public meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Food Court of Oak Ridge High School. Oak Ridge is one of three Manhattan Project sites hosting the national park, and public meetings will be held later this month at the other sites, Hanford, Wash., and Los Alamos, N.M. "The public is encouraged to come to the meetings and meet with representatives of the NPS and the DOE to share their thoughts about the key stories and interpretive ideas related to the park," the Park Service said in its announcement. Between 1936 and 1939, the Spanish Civil War, while fought largely in the precincts of a Mediterranean European country, became the theatre of a global conflict. A left-leaning Republican government in Madrid was challenged and overthrown by the Nationalists led by General Francisco Franco. The Soviet Union offered assistance to the Republicans and Nazi Germany aided the Nationalists. Countries such as Britain were officially neutral, not wanting either adversary the Communists in Moscow or the Nazis in Germany to win. However, many young people in Britain and France were attracted to the Republican cause. Others in those countries, with different political instincts, were concerned about the advance of Communism and backed the Nationalists. Young people and political activists across the world, including in India, were fixated on the war, which in a sense anticipated World War II. In the end Franco won and began a long dictatorship. However, he did not sign up for the Nazi cause. His motivation was power in Spain, not becoming part of Hitlers war machine. For the most part, he kept Spain out of World War II. Having defeated his local enemies, he had done enough and his alliance with Germany or any other external power was pragmatic. Read: Questions raised over NIA operation This article is not about the Spanish Civil War, though. It is about the war being fought in the heartland of Iraq and in Syria, with the Islamic State (ISIS) as a principal belligerent. Like the Spanish Civil War, this struggle is being waged in a narrow geography West Asia rather than the Iberian Peninsula. Yet, like the Spanish Civil War, it has become a cauldron of global passions, prejudices and messianic callings. As young people from far-off countries journeyed to Spain in the 1930s, their descendants, for ISIS has many white European fighters as well as Arab-origin Muslims with European passports, are making their way to Syria. Beyond a point all analogies are flimsy. The Spanish Civil War and the ISIS challenge are very different and their inspirations and ideological underpinnings are far apart. Nevertheless the ISIS war, like its predecessor, has become, almost by accident, central to how even distant people see the future of the world and the organisation of political power in the immediate region of the conflict and far beyond. Here, the war itself becomes the microcosm of a larger, tectonic struggle for history. How did ISIS start off? It was a collateral as well as manipulated consequence of big power politics. The core of ISIS was created by Sunni militia made of up those disempowered by Saddam Husseins removal or demobilised after the Iraqi Army was defeated in the Gulf War of 2003. A degree of American intelligence planning, encouraged by Sunni regimes in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, is also said to have led to the arming of Sunni rebels against the Iran-backed Assad regime in Syria. In turn, the United States felt the Assad government had instigated Shia extremist groups to attack American facilities in Iraq. There was the backdrop of the Arab Spring too. Read: Tracking terrorism in the virtual world ISIS emerged amid this confusion and this welter or games and counter-games as the monster that soon overcame its masters. Today, ISIS threatens the US and Europe, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Iran, as the leading Shia power, is a sworn enemy anyway. At a time when Europes economy is faltering, and has little to offer the poor and the young in that continent, and when the decline in oil prices is putting pressure on governments and peoples in the Arab world, ISIS is offering itself as a rallying platform for a whole bunch of disaffected folk for whom religion and the amorphous if distorted idea of a defining war, ending in a Caliphate, seems a hope. Read: In pursuit of radicals, cases of wrongful arrest From France itself, it was revealed in the days following the November 2015 terror strikes in Paris, 1,500 French citizens had travelled to Syria in the previous year and over a third had come back. While the numbers are not as large in other European countries, there has been a steady exodus from the continent, and to a smaller extent from the US, to Syria-Iraq. Many of those who travelled to West Asia were of Muslim origin; yet, many too were whites born to Christian families, and attracted to war by a mix of new-found religious zeal (as recent converts) and probably a drug-induced reverie. Many would see in ISIS a replay of the rise of the Al Qaeda, particularly in the period after 9/11. There are some crucial differences. Al Qaeda barely controlled territory, being a guest of the Taliban in Afghanistan. ISIS has more or less carved a country for itself, in a region that is rich with oil, unlike desolate Afghanistan. Its ability to sustain itself is that much higher, and it can pay salaries to formal fighters, auxiliaries, mercenaries and so on. ISIS also has the advantage of technology. Its use of social media and the Internet has been astute. There have been numerous reports of self-radicalisation not unknown for a variety of secular and religious causes, where a person living in a room with nothing more than a laptop and an Internet connection gets absorbed and obsessed with the reality he or she sees on the screen before him. This has happened in India too, and one dare says more cases of Internet radicalisation rather than of actual fighters being recruited have defined the Indian ISIS experience so far. Will India remain immune to the ISIS virus? The larger question is will the series of simultaneous conflicts in West Asia with the Shia-Sunni divide affecting Pakistani society very sharply and touching Indias borders as it were be contained in that geography and not cross the Radcliffe Line? There is a reason for optimism. After all, despite its failings, the Indian system of integration of its Muslim minorities has so far been much superior to that in either France or Britain (which by themselves follow two separate models). It helps that Indian Muslims are not ethnic outsiders who arrived a few decades ago, but residents for as long as one can remember. Having said that, the manner in which the narrative goes or indeed multiple narratives go, not necessarily limited to the Muslim community will depend on how quickly the economy begins to recover. India is balancing a global economic crisis with a domestic youth bulge and with its 21st demographic dividend approaching a peak. As per the 2011 Census tabulations, 41 per cent of Indias population is below the age of 20. When one considers Indias Muslims alone, that figure rises to 47 per cent. That young population is Indias strength as well as its weakness to ISIS, and radical movements of all colours, it may seem an opportunity. The author is senior fellow, Observer Research Foundation. He can be reached at malikashok@gmail.com. Though details have been slow to emerge, the sex scandal surrounding state Rep. Jeremy Durham has brought shame down on the Tennessee General Assembly. House Speaker Beth Harwell has responded with a much-needed overhaul of the Legislature's sexual harassment policy and is exploring how to expel Durham if he does not resign. The Franklin Republican has resigned as majority whip, quit the Republican Caucus and taken a two-week leave of absence. Given the nature of the allegations and Durham's record of questionable behavior, it is difficult to see how he could be an effective representative for his constituents in Williamson County. Still, he has said he will not step down. Durham was investigated but not indicted in 2013 for allegedly altering an outdated prescription for medicine he was taking. He also wrote a letter to a judge asking for leniency for a youth minister at a Shelbyville church who pleaded guilty to child pornography and statutory rape charges. Despite those incidents and rumors of Durham's behavior swirling about, the Republican Caucus tried to sweep the scandal under the rug. In a closed-door meeting on Jan. 12, the caucus elected not to remove him as party whip. Last week, after the Tennessean published an article in which three anonymous female legislative employees alleged receiving sexually charged text messages from the lawmaker, Durham quit his leadership post and then left the caucus. The women have not filed formal complaints out of fear of retaliation. On Thursday, Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey alleged Durham had an affair with another lawmaker who has resigned. Durham has blamed the press for the scandal, though as Ramsey correctly pointed out, the press is not responsible for the lawmaker's actions. Democrats are calling for an investigation, with Tennessee Democratic Chairwoman Mary Mancini demanding the removal of the House Republican leadership. After initially trying to keep the matter under wraps, Republicans by week's end turned on Durham. Ramsey supports Harwell's effort to expel Durham if he does not resign, as Harwell and other GOP leaders have encouraged him to do. GOP state party Chairman Ryan Haynes also has called for Durham's resignation, and Gov. Bill Haslam said he would think hard about stepping down if he were in Durham's shoes. Harwell has ordered a review and possible revision of the Legislature's sexual harassment policy, and will require lawmakers to undergo sexual harassment awareness training. An overhaul of the policy must result in a process that ensures confidential reporting, an independent review of complaints and public accountability. No policy will be effective, however, unless lawmakers treat government employees and their colleagues with respect. Durham's situation demonstrates the fragile nature of the reputations of individuals and institutions. Serving in the Tennessee General Assembly should be an honor, and legislators must be held to the highest of professional and ethical standards. SHARE A look at recent events in the news that pleased us ... Poet laureate: Recognizing the city's literary heritage and current talent, Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero announced Monday the city will name a poet laureate this summer. The title will go to a writer nominated by a committee of the Arts & Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville, with a final appointment by Rogero. The alliance is soliciting nominees for the city's first laureate until April 1. To be eligible, poets must be legal residents of Knoxville for at least one year, be at least 21 years old, and have "produced work of the highest caliber and critical acclaim and contributed substantial service to the development of the literary arts," according to city officials. Each poet laureate will serve a one-year term with an optional one-year renewal, and receive a stipend of $3,000 per year. Educational investment: Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam said Thursday that the state budget he will unveil Monday night will "invest" heavily in education, and indicated it will also start paying back the $260 million transferred out of the highway fund to balance the budget during the depths of the recession. The governor told newspaper executives at the Tennessee Press Association's annual winter meeting he also will spend a good part of his annual State of the State and budget address to the Legislature and a statewide public television audience talking about how he believes the state should handle its revenue surplus, now more than $500 million beyond projections for the current fiscal year. Building the city: The city of Knoxville issued 23 percent more building permits in 2015 over the previous year, totalling $360 million in construction projects, city officials announced Tuesday. That investment is at an eight-year high for the city, and up $105 million over last year's construction projects. The uptick has been mostly driven by large-scale commercial projects, said Christi Branscom, the city's chief operating officer. Nuclear exports: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a notice of violation to the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant for shipping Canadian-origin enriched uranium to Jamaica for use in a reactor there. According to the notice, Y-12 is not allowed to export non-U.S. nuclear materials unless authorized by the NRC. Y-12 apparently did not have the advance approval of the NRC or the Canadian government. SHARE Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz are locked in a nasty primary battle in Iowa that could prove disastrous for the Republican Party. Members of the Republican establishment, if it still exists, find themselves panicked astride the horns of a dilemma, a choice, a predicament, a Catch-22, between Trump and Cruz. They fear that they are unelectable in the general election. Trump defies description. Cruz is not well liked by his Senate colleagues. Only one member has endorsed him. Since 2011, according to the New York Times, nearly twice as many people were killed by homegrown right-wing extremists than by foreign terrorists. These are white supremacists, anti-government fanatics and anti-abortion extremists. Operation Rescue is an anti-abortion group that condones as justifiable the murder of doctors who perform abortions and the bombings of their clinics. Recently, an anti-abortion fanatic, Robert Dear, invaded a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado with an assault rifle, killing three and injuring nine. He said, "I came to stop the killing of babies and the selling of their body parts." A Texas grand jury has indicted two members of a group that falsely entered a clinic and took videos they tampered with to show the selling of body parts. The Republican candidates blatantly referred to this false video in their debates and in their failed attempts to defund Planned Parenthood. Where is the apology? Poetic justice is so satisfying. Cruz has endorsed Operation Rescue. An angry anti-abortion extremist without a gun is mostly harmless. With a gun he can easily become a mass murderer. J.C. Abbott, Knoxville By Choi Sung-jin Large Korean construction companies' new orders abroad plunged last year, hit by low oil prices and the consequent drop in orders from the Middle East, for building offshore plants, industry sources said Saturday. Their domestic orders, however, surged sharply thanks to the housing boom, pushing the total amount of orders they received last year up slightly higher than their order receipts in 2014, the sources said. The combined overseas orders of the five large construction companies Hyundai, Daewoo, Samsung, GS and Daelim who announced their 2015 performances as of Thursday stood at 25.17 trillion won ($20.94 billion) last year, down 64.1 percent from 2014. Their orders at home, on the other hand, surged 61.6 percent to 48.59 trillion won. Total orders edged up 3.33 percent to 73.76 trillion won, according to the industry sources. All of the five large general contractors in Korea recorded declines of their overseas orders. Showing the worst drop was GS E&C, which saw its orders from abroad plummet 56.6 percent, from 6.90 trillion won to 2.99 trillion won, over the cited perio. Hyundai E&C recorded a 50.4-percent decline in overseas orders from 19.97 trillion won to 9.90 trillion won, and those of Daelim Industrial, Daewoo E&C and Samsung C&T also fell to 1.74 trillion won, 3.57 trillion won and 7.44 trillion won, respectively. By contrast, the five contractors' domestic orders increased, from 39 percent to 140 percent. Showing the steepest increase in domestic orders was also GS E&C, with 140.8-percent growth to 10.39 trillion won, followed by Daelim, up 75.8 percent to 11.19 trillion won, Daewoo (up 41.2 percent to 10.16 trillion won), Samsung (up 39 percent to 7.8 trillion won), and Hyundai (up 37.7 percent to 9.9 trillion won), the sources reported. The shares of overseas orders out of the total dipped below 50 percent by all of the five companies. Daelim had the smallest percent of overseas orders with 13.6 percent, GS not much better with 22.3 percent, and 23.4 percent for Daewoo. Samsung and Hyundai showed balanced portions between domestic and overseas orders with comparable figures of 51.2 percent and 49.9 percent, respectively. "Middle East countries sharply reduced their orders because of low oil prices, and the Korean builders were not as aggressive this past year in seeking new orders abroad," said Kim Hyun-ah, a researcher at Construction Economic Research Institute of Korea. "As low oil prices will likely continue for the time being, the construction companies should try to find business elsewhere." By Choi Sung-jin Corporate Korea's business confidence fell to the lowest level in seven years, reflecting the difficulties the majority of domestic companies are enduring, the central bank reported. According to the business survey index conducted in January and announced by the Bank of Korea Friday, the manufacturing industry's BSI stood at 65, down 2 points from December and the lowest level since the comparable index hit 56 in March 2009. Their outlook for February remained at 66, also the lowest since it hit 59 in April 2009. BSI measures the sentiments felt by business leaders about the economy. If the index goes below 100, it means the number of business leaders who feel the economy is in bad shape outnumber those that see it favorably. The central bank said widespread concerns about China's economic slowdown and the volatility of the financial markets have dampened the sentiments of domestic companies, including carmakers and shipbuilders. The continuous fall of international oil prices also affected their confidence adversely, the BOK report showed. Asked to cite their most nagging business difficulties, manufacturing companies pointed to the slump in domestic demand most (25.2 percent), followed by economic uncertainty (22 percent), and unstable foreign exchange rates (7.8 percent). Non-manufacturing companies also cited sluggish demand at home (23.4 percent) and uncertain economic conditions (16.4 percent). By Choi Sung-jin The two-way trade between North Korea and China totaled about $5.32 billion last year, down nearly 15 percent from 2014, officials said. According to Chinese customs statistics available at KOTRA's Beijing office, China's export to North Korea in 2015 totaled $2.94 billion, down 16.35 percent from 2014, and its import from the North also dropped 12.58 percent to $2.48 billion. As a result, China recorded surplus of $460 million in its trade with North Korea, the tally showed, the Yonhap News reported. The China-North Korea trade peaked at $6.54 billion in 2013 and has since recorded downfalls for two consecutive years. North Korea watchers said these may have something to do with the North's third nuclear test in 2013 and its execution of Jang Seong-taek, who was the uncle and mentor of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. By item, North Korea's export of anthracite coal fell 7.57 percent to $1.04 billion. Its iron ore export even plunged far more steeply to $720 million, down 67.21 percent. China's rice export to the North also plummeted 71.1 percent to $10.7 million. China's oil export to the isolationist state was zero at least in official statistics, for the 24 consecutive months since January 2014, it showed. With friends like these. In one fell swoop, Janata Dal (S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda has ripped off the facade that feisty Congress old-timer Jaffer Sharief has kept up over the years albeit with some difficulty of a Congressman who has remained committed to the party. There isnt enough glue in all of Arabia to put that mask back together! Not since he became Indira Gandhis trusted informer when he tipped her off about S. Nijalingappa and the other old Congressmen planning to split the party, has Jaffer Sharief been seen as anything other than a trusted loyalist. Sharief, the story goes, the driver who overheard it all, was the insider who became Mrs Gs eyes and ears! Okay, okay, yes, yes, its not that the mask didnt slip after Mrs Gs passing. Jaffer, in his wisdom, made some very unwise remarks on the suitability or otherwise of the nationality of the bahu who took over the reins post-Rajiv, and quickly found he was no longer the man for all seasons. He hasnt been fielded as a candidate since. And its an open secret that hes been cavorting with the enemy. Deve Gowda made much the same noises this Freaky Friday as he had two years ago about Jaffers grandson being fielded as a JD(S) candidate and the B form that he supposedly collected on his grandsons behalf. And while many are now saying that the JD(S) chief only outed Jaffer Sharief because he wants the Congress biggies to know Sharief isnt the man they believe him to be, was he, perchance, egged on by his old protege to remind Delhi of what it had chosen to forget? Regular reports deliberate or otherwise of Sharief senior meeting Gowda senior or talking to Zameer Khan, Shariefs alleged sympathetic insider in the JD(S) were clearly meant by this canny Congressman to convey to the Congress that their Muslim votes would be in jeopardy if they didnt give his nominee a ticket. The Congress buckled in 2014. Boy, theyve buckled again! And how! The curious thing is that the youthful Rahaman, lost by 5,000 odd votes in the last polls. What makes them believe he can close the gap this time is the question; Which brings me to the central point of the Great Jaffer Conspiracy. Was the seat given to the baby faced Rahaman in the full knowledge that in the short-term, he and the Congress would lose, but in losing this one battle, they would achieve their long term goal war of putting the Siddu genie back into the bottle? Wings clipped! The ruling Congress already has 123 seats, including the Speaker. Win or lose, its majority isnt at stake here. And, as much as it isnt a seat that they can realistically expect to win, given that nobody even knows who the new boy in town aka Rahaman is, winning it (Byrathi winning it) would have boosted the CMs reputation, and not the partys. Far-fetched? Fact is, theres no getting away from the fact that it would be the icing on Mr Siddaramaiahs cake as it would bring his friend and fellow Kuruba into his cabinet. And this, precisely this, of giving the Chief Minister a free run to appoint as many of his cohorts and former JDSites to positions of influence, may have been what the bigwigs wanted to stop at all costs. Have the old Congressmen Mallikarjun Kharge whose star is on the rise with his stellar run as opposition leader in parliament, S.M. Krishna whose counsel is still heeded in the party and the others buried their differences and collectively decided that they cannot let the party be hijacked by a JD(S) parvenu? At least, thats the buzz on the grapevine In fact, the scramble for the seat that Byrathi Suresh would have vacated as an independent if he had been picked for Hebbal was far more fraught than the nomination for Hebbal, which everyone here believed was a given. Shariefs grandsons name wasnt even on the sheet of paper that was handed over by state in charge Digvijay Singh to those who matter. There was just one name Byrathi Sureshs. I am not saying that the Chief Ministers pick would have won the Hebbal seat hands down if he had been fielded. It may have been an uphill battle, with many a Byrathi sweetener. Hebbals caste and religious configuration is such that the minority Muslim vote is dominant with some 65,000 votes, the Vokkaliga-Gowdas coming in second at 55,000 and the Kurubas at around 10,000. But Jaffers grandson didnt get the consolidated Muslim vote the last time, did he? The question then is this instead of Jaffer Shariefs grandson, would it have been more prudent to ignore Jaffers plea and pick an equally personable young Muslim face? Someone like Rizwan Arshad? (A rather big bird tells me that Rizwan openly blamed Sharief senior for the loss of the Bengaluru Central seat, while other prominent Muslim leaders like Roshan Baig and Rahman Khan and Haris constant refrain is that its their time now and that the Sharief old-timer should make way for the new.) The Congress minority politics is as much of a given as the BJPs majoritarian Hindu politics. Dadri, Malda, notwithstanding, (is it Keralas turn next?) the Congress high command dismissal of the recommendations of state in charge Digvijay Singh is clearly in keeping with this thinking. One way or the other, the battle for Hebbal presages a bigger battle, for the heart and soul of the Congress in Karnataka, its last holdout in the south, where the old guard is fighting with its back to the wall. North Korea should not expect China to continue to play its role as a diplomatic backer at the United Nations, a newspaper published by China's ruling Communist Party warned Saturday, amid reports that Pyongyang is preparing a rocket launch after its recent nuclear test. Speculation has mounted that North Korea could carry out a long-range rocket launch in the coming weeks, with satellite imagery of the country's rocket site showing what were believed to be preparation activities. In an editorial, the state-run Global Times newspaper criticized North Korea for pursuing nuclear and missile ambitions, saying, "Pyongyang should not expect China to protect it through the United Nations if it is driven into a corner." "If North Korea moves toward the limit step by step, China will not manage the situation," the editorial read. The U.N. Security Council resolutions ban North Korea from conducting a long-range rocket launch with ballistic missile technology. South Korea and the United States have called on China, which keeps North Korea's economy afloat, to join in drawing up tougher U.N. sanctions against the North for its fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6. Still, China's reaction to such calls has been lukewarm. Many analysts believe that China's Communist Party leadership won't exert enough leverage on North Korea because a sudden collapse of the North's regime could threaten China's own security interests. (Yonhap) South Korean combat forces will join a United States-led multinational military exercise to be held next month in Thailand, the Navy said Friday. Some 440 Navy and Marine soldiers will depart for Thailand on Saturday to join the Cobra Gold exercise, which will run from Feb. 6 through 19. It is an annual peacekeeping operation exercise, led by the U.S. Pacific Command and the Thailand military. In this year's gathering, some 7,900 forces will take part from Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia beside the three countries, along with five warships, 24 armored vehicles and 35 airplanes. China, Britain, Australia and 13 other countries will join as observers. In 2002, South Korea joined the exercise, which was launched in 1982, as an observer before becoming a full-time member in 2010. For this year's exercise, South Korea will send the 4,900-ton Cheon Wang Bong amphibious landing ship and eight combat tanks. After arriving at the Sattahip port, the South Korean team will carry out drills in the fields of command post exercise, humanitarian civil assistance and field training exercise, all aimed at multinational training to resolve a conflict situation, according to the Navy. "The Cobra Gold exercise is a joint humanitarian drill to get training on what the United Nations forces have done during the Korean War," a Navy official said. "The Navy and the Marine Corps will continue to improve our combat capabilities to prepare against various types of threats and protect our people and interests in any part of the world." (Yonhap) Pippa Middleton just competed in a ski race in Switzerland, possibly to draw the attention of her ex boyfriend Nico Jackson. Although it has been a few months since Pippa Middleton and Nico Jackson have parted ways, this might trigger some old feelings again. But that probably also means that Pippa is ready to ditcher on-and-off again boyfriend James Matthews for real. "Pippa Middleton pulled out all the stops to look fabulous as she hit the slopes in Switzerland. The stunning 32-year-old was resplendent as she squeezed her curves into the flattering sportswear - complete with a helmet on Saturday. Pippa looked radiant on ice as she competed in the Inferno Cross Country race, oozing glamour in her fetching number in Murren, Switzerland," according to Daily Mail. It will be hard for her ex boyfriend Nico Jackson to look away from this sight! Pippa Middleton may also be playing safe by having James Matthews around. It looks like she is doing everything she can to speed up their relationship to wedding and marriage. "Pippa Middleton has moved in with her new boyfriend after just two months, The Sun on Sunday can reveal. The Duchess of Cambridge's sister has enjoyed a "trial run" at financier James Matthews's 17million townhouse. James, 40, wants to build a "his 'n' hers" bathroom extension at the luxury pad," according to the Sun. The same article also reported that "[Pippa and James] invited her mum Carole, 60, for a curry. Mrs Middleton was pictured huddling into her coat as she and her youngest daughter left posh Indian restaurant Rasoi in Chelsea, West London, on Thursday night." To those that aren't familiar with Pippa Middleton's dating history, James Matthews is one of her many ex boyfriends. He popped back into her life when she parted ways to Nico Jackson, who moved to Switzerland to pursue his career. Seeing how James Matthews is significantly older than Nico, he might feel like he is ready to settle down. Pippa Middleton might have been feeling a tinge of jealousy as she find herself once again single and her sister Kate with another baby! Maybe this is the reason why Pippa has been getting more attached to her ex boyfriend James Matthews! Do you think Pippa succeeded in capturing Nico's attention in Switzerland? If you're trapped in a sudden downpour, an umbrella can be your best friend. But have you ever considered taking the relationship to the next level? In an interview Thursday with the South Korean media outlet eNEWS, Kim So Hyun, who stars alongside Do "D.O." Kyung Soo of the superstar K-pop group EXO in the romantic drama "Unforgettable," (translated directly as "Pure Love") discussed one scene that's been getting a lot of attention ahead of the film's Feb. 24 premiere. The would be what fans and reporters have been referring to as the "umbrella kissing scene." "If I'm being completely honest, when I saw the script and even right before we went into shooting, I thought it was a little weird," Kim said. "I even asked the director 'does [D.O.] really kiss the umbrella?' The other actors also wondered how that scene would play out. I heard the staff was split on it too. The women said he should kiss the umbrella, while the men said he has to do the real thing [and kiss me]." But it was D.O.'s performance as romantic lead Beom Sil that made the 16-year-old actress feel comfortable. "The director insisted that we had to do the umbrella kiss, so we shot it," Kim recalled. "But when it came to actually shooting it, it didn't feel weird at all. It was just sad and unfortunate. I thought Beom Sil's pure heart, in that he likes her but can't approach her, was conveyed well. I think it showed on the screen too." Though the scene wasn't without its challenges. "Although we didn't kiss for real, it felt like our lips were touching, so shooting that scene was really difficult," she said. At a press conference on Jan. 4 at the Lotte Cinema near the banks of the Han River in Seoul, D.O. himself appeared to be a bit anxious to see how he and his parasol paramour would be perceived. "I'm very curious to see how it will come out," said the 23-year-old EXO band member. "I am also curious what the audience will think of that scene. It is an important scene. I think this scene really fits with the [concept of] first love." Also answering press questions at the Lotte Cinema promotional event, Kim was quick to praise D.O.'s umbrella love. "It truly is a beautiful scene," she said. "I hope that a lot of people are looking forward to this scene as it shows how the two characters clicked." London: The belief that heaven or an afterlife awaits us is a fairy story for people afraid of death, Stephen Hawking has said. In a dismissal that underlines his firm rejection of religious comforts, Britains most eminent scientist said there was nothing beyond the moment when the brain flickers for the final time. Hawking, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease at the age of 21, shared his thoughts on death, human purpose and our chance existence in an exclusive interview with The Guardian. The incurable illness was expected to kill Hawking within a few years of its symptoms arising, an outlook that turned the young scientist to Wagner, but ultimately led him to enjoy life more, he has said, despite the cloud hanging over his future. I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. Im not afraid of death, but Im in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first, he said. I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark, he added. Hawkings latest comments go beyond those laid out in his 2010 book, The Grand Design, in which he asserted that there is no need for a creator to explain the existence of the universe. The book provoked a backlash from some religious leaders, including the chief rabbi, Lord Sacks, who accused Hawking of committing an elementary fallacy of logic. The 69-year-old physicist fell seriously ill after a lecture tour in the US in 2009 and was taken to Addenbrookes hospital in an episode that sparked grave concerns for his health. He has since returned to his Cambridge department as director of research. The physicists remarks draw a stark line between the use of God as a metaphor and the belief in an omniscient creator whose hands guide the workings of the cosmos. In his bestselling 1988 book, A Brief History of Time, Hawking drew on the device so beloved of Einstein, when he described what it would mean for scientists to develop a theory of everything a set of equations that described every particle and force in the entire universe. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Neubrandenburg, Germany: German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday tried to placate the increasingly vocal critics of her open-door policy for refugees, insisting that asylum seekers from Syria and Iraq would go home once the conflicts there had ended. Merkel, despite appearing increasingly isolated over her policy, has resisted pressure from some conservatives to cap the influx of refugees, or to close Germany's borders. A record 1.1 million migrants arrived in Germany last year. But growing concern about the country's ability to cope and worries about crime and security after assaults on women are weighing on support for Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU). Merkel said that despite efforts to integrate refugees and help them, it was important to stress that they had only been given permission to stay for a limited period of time. "We need ... to say to people that this is a temporary residential status and we expect that once there is peace in Syria again, once IS has been defeated in Iraq, that you go back to your home country with the knowledge that you have gained," she said at a meeting of CDU members in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. She said 70 percent of refugees that fled to Germany from the war in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s had returned to their home countries. Her remarks come after Horst Seehofer, leader of the CSU, threatened to take her government to court if his demand to stem the flow of asylum seekers was not met. Support for the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) has edged up into double digits. Its leader said in an interview published on Saturday that border guards should shoot at refugees to prevent them from illegally entering the country if need be. Merkel has 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 try to convince Turkey to keep refugees from entering the bloc. But progress has been slow. Germany wants to limit migration from North Africa by declaring Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia "safe countries", which would end their citizens' chance of being granted asylum. Merkel said she had spoken to Morocco's king and that Morocco had said it was prepared to take back people from that country. A displaced Iraqi Yazidi woman wipes her eyes at the Bajid Kandala camp near the Tigris River, in Kurdistan's western Dohuk province, where they took refuge after fleeing advances by Islamic State jihadists in Iraq. (Photo: AP) Baghdad: In a horrific revelation of inhumane act, several Yazidi women held as sex slaves by ISIS fighters have exposed the torture that they have been subjected to. These women were kidnapped and then subjected to months of rape and torture. If this wasnt enough, they were further forced to undergo dreadful two-finger virginity tests. Girls who escaped from the clutches of ISIS militants revealed the everyday horrors they had to face while they were held captive. These women were forced to undergo certain virginity tests conducted by Kurdish officials to determine if they were raped or not, according to Human Rights Watch. The girls underwent the abusive and inaccurate procedure as part of a forensic, post-rape examination, Rothna Begum, an HRW Womens Rights Division researcher, said in a recent Dispatches report. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has clearly stated that virginity tests have no scientific validity. However, these two-finger tests were seen as evidence by the Iraqi courts to determine if a woman was raped, said Rothna Begum. The virginity tests are based on the common belief that virgin women have intact hymen that bleed during the first intercourse, added Begum. She further stated that these tests lack the capability of judging whether a woman is subject to sexual violence or not. Begum, in the past, has interviewed several women who were held captive by ISIS militants. These women were in desperate need of medical care and counseling that could help them recover from their tortured past," said Begum. The committee which was handling ISIS crimes and gathering evidence against them said that they had already stopped referring sex slave victims for any kind of virginity tests. As an alternative, they were adopting a new type of medical examination report that was based on the recommendation of United Nations, said HRW. Horrifying experiences Iraqi Yazidi Nadia Murad Basee Taha was abducted from her village in Iraq last August and held for three months by militants of the Islamic State. (Photo: AP) The sexual abuse testimonies of several women come in the wake of the recent incident when Nadia Murad Basee, an Iraqi Yazidi, who escaped from the clutches of ISIS fighters, revealed the torture she had to go through when she was kidnapped. Speaking about her ordeal at Egypts Cairo University last November, Nadia said militants used to force captives to pray and then rape us. They did what a mind could not imagine. She also said that these sex slaves were sold multiple times to various fighters. It is estimated that about 3,000 to 5,000 women and young girls, including minors, are enslaved by ISIS. PRESS RELEASE Brazilian President Declares War on Zika; Calls on Ibero-America, Caribbean To Mobilize in Regional Effort Jan. 28, 2016 (EIRNS)Speaking yesterday in Quito, Ecuador at the summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac), Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff announced that she has declared "war" on the Zika virus which is devastating her population. With possibly over one million Zika cases nationwide, and 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly in newbornsan abnormally small cranium which inhibits brain developmentlinked to Zika, Brazil is the epicenter of the virus which has now appeared in 24 nations and territories in the Americas. For that reason, Rousseff also called on Celacs 33 member governments to launch a region wide mobilization, using their experience in combatting diseases such as dengue, to combat the Zika transmission vector, the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Health ministers of Mercosur (Common Market of the South), and Unasur (Union of South American Nations) will be holding emergency meetings over the next few days to map out a war plan. "We are also going to cooperate in the area of scientific and technological research," Rousseff underscored, "because we know this is the only way to cooperate and share among ourselves the best means to combat the virus and the best technologies to use," Sputnik News reported today. Inside Brazil, Rousseff has said that "everyone is going to have to get involved in this war, because otherwise we lose." She began to mobilize the armed forces last November, but beginning Feb. 1, units of the army, navy and air forcefully 60% of their manpowerwill be deployed in coordinated fashion, to inform and educate the population, locate and destroy foci of the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, and provide free repellent, especially to poor citizens and pregnant women who cant otherwise afford it. Government officials have also met with representatives of companies that produce repellent, to ensure continued supply. Defense Minister Aldo Rebelo reported in a press conference that military manpower will be deployed in four phases to reach three million residents in some of the largest state capitals, as well hundreds of those municipalities most affected by the virus. The challenge is enormous. According to Dr. Alexander Precioso, director of Clinical Trials and Surveillance at Brazils prestigious Butantan Institute, "a large part of the population is not immune; that is, its susceptible to Zika. The mosquito is all over the country, and all over the Americas. The number of cases will progressively increase. This is the ideal situation for it to become both endemic and epidemic." Facebook will ban the private sale of guns on its social network as well as on Instagram, the company said Friday. The move comes as the White House has increased pressure on the company to address the popular use of its platforms to promote and advertise firearms for sale, often as a way to evade background checks. The ban only applies to private transactions and will not include licensed gun sellers. Advertisement Facebook, which has 1.59 billion monthly active users, already bans the sale of marijuana, pharmaceuticals and illegal drugs on its site and apps. Over the last two years, more and more people have been using Facebook to discover products and to buy and sell things to one another, said Monika Bickert, Facebooks head of product policy in a statement. We are continuing to develop, test and launch new products to make this experience even better for people and are updating our regulated goods policies to reflect this evolution. The social network has been grappling with gun sales for years. In 2014, it agreed to shield advertisements for guns from minors after mounting pressure from gun control advocates. In one case, an Ohio man was indicted on charges he illegally sold a 9-millimeter handgun across state lines to a 15-year-old from Kentucky whom he reportedly connected with on Facebook. In another incident, a convicted felon in Iowa was apprehended after he allegedly bought guns illegally through a connection he made on Facebook with an undercover police officer running a sting operation. Twitter: @dhpierson MORE ON TECHNOLOGY Facebook Mobile, 0 to 100 real quick Amazons stock dives, but its because of a good problem Snapchat-focused marketing company Naritiv raises $3 million Straight Outta Compton might win a major award, further embarrassing the film academy. Leonardo DiCaprio is almost definitely going to go home with a trophy. And Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are going to shower Carol Burnett with some love and respect. Here are five story lines to watch at Saturdays SAG Awards. 1. Carol Burnett gets her due. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will present Burnett with the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement honor, a moment that in itself makes the evening worth a watch. Fey and Poehler have often cited Burnett and her classic variety series, The Carol Burnett Show (1967-78), as a prime influence on their careers. Burnett humbly deflects the compliment, saying, If I had never been born, theyd be doing what theyre doing. This is going to be sweet. If you want to look back on Burnetts life, we have a gallery of her career in pictures here. FULL COVERAGE: Screen Actors Guild Awards Advertisement 2. Last stand for Spotlight? When the journalism/pedophile priests drama premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September, we wrote that the Screen Actors Guild would go crazy for its impeccable ensemble. And here we are, a week after The Big Short won the Producers Guilds top honor, and the feeling is that Spotlight needs to take SAGs ensemble award to maintain a potency in the Oscar race. Spotlight, with that deep bench including Oscar nominees Rachel McAdams and Mark Ruffalo, remains the slight favorite, even if none of its actors won individual nominations. (The entire membership votes on the awards, while a randomly selected committee handles the nominations.) But if The Big Short wins here, it will be awfully hard to bet against it at the Oscars. 1 / 3 WINNER: male actor in a television movie or miniseries - Idris Elba (Steffan Hill / AP) 2 / 3 WINNER: female actor in a television movie or miniseries - Queen Latifah (Frank Masi / AP) 3 / 3 WINNER: Male actor in a comedy series - Jeffrey Tambor; NOMINEE: Ensemble in a comedy series; (Beth Dubber / AP) 3. The crowd goes crazy for Compton? Perhaps youve heard. Straight Outta Compton did not receive an Oscar nomination for best picture. But it did earn a SAG Award nod for its ensemble. And ballots were out while the #OscarsSoWhite controversy was dominating headlines. (In fact, voting just closed Friday at noon.) Might the backlash help boomerang the popular N.W.A biopic into the winners circle? 4. Who fills the void left by Sylvester Stallone? And, yes, thats a pretty big hole left after SAG Awards voters ignored (i.e. mostly didnt see) Stallones performance in the Rocky reboot Creed. Stallone sits as the supporting actor favorite with most Oscar pundits, but someone else will have a turn at the podium Saturday night. This might be another spot for The Big Short to steal the thunder for Christian Bales intense, borderline creepy (author Michael Lewis words) portrayal of eccentric hedge fund manager Michael Burry. Watch Q&As with the Danish Girl cast and crew On Now 'Danish Girl': Seeing Eddie Redmayne as Lili Elbe On Now 'Danish Girl': How Alicia Vikander learned to paint On Now 'Danish Girl': Who was the real Gerda Wegener? On Now 'Danish Girl': Looking back at the film's long journey to being made On Now 'Danish Girl': Fashioning the costumes and set design 5. Alicia Vikander or Rooney Mara for supporting actress? Or will SAG Awards voters take a page from the Golden Globes and go with Kate Winslet from Steve Jobs? Vikander has the most heat, between the acclaim for her work in Ex Machina and The Danish Girl. Look for her to prevail in this close contest. glenn.whipp@latimes.com Follow me on Twitter: @glennwhipp ALSO: Sarah Silvermans dramatic turn wins surprising SAG Award nomination Screen Actors Guild Awards 2016: Complete list of nominees SAG Life Achievement honoree Carol Burnett keeps racking up fans, from 9 to 90' Taryn Manning and her assistant/makeup artist, Holly Hartman, appear to be at it again, with the latter unsuccessfully petitioning a Los Angeles court for a restraining order against the actress over incidents that allegedly took place in New York. In court documents obtained by TMZ Hartman reportedly said that Manning had "a death wish." She said that during one of the fights, Manning yelled, "Pick a knife. I'm wearing a white shirt; there will be a lot of blood. You will be famous for killing Taryn Manning." In her application for the order, Hartman said the "Orange Is the New Black" star put her in a headlock, headbutted her in the face, whipped her with a wet towel and sprayed Windex in her eyes and mouth, TMZ reported, apparently in a number of altercations. The most recent conflict allegedly took place in November. An L.A judge dismissed the case this week, as the brawl or brawls allegedly took place in New York City, giving Hartman no legal standing in L.A. Manning's attorney said in a statement obtained by The Times via her publicist Friday that the TRO request had already been denied by the court, and turned the tables on Hartman. "The application for the order is suspect because Ms. Manning has had no contact with Ms. Hartman in many months due to Ms. Hartman's actions against Ms. Manning which are currently under criminal investigation in multiple jurisdictions," Manning's counsel said. "These investigations have long predated these entirely fabricated allegations," the attorney continued. "Ms. Hartman is under investigation for stalking Ms. Manning and for theft and other crimes. It is clear that Ms. Hartman's camp has leaked these allegations which were not available publicly to elevate her own position and obscure her own wrongdoing." Manning let a few tweets fly Friday morning that appeared to reference the situation obliquely with at least the final one, about a friend sleeping with the actress' man, raising more questions than it answered. In November 2014, Manning denied reports that she'd been arrested on suspicion of threatening to kill Jeanine Heller, a woman described as her former roommate and friend. A mutual order of protection had been granted to both women in July of that year when Manning pressed charges alleging that Heller had harassed her via texts and email. "There are no charges against me. ... This is just further harassment," Manning tweeted at the time. "It is troubling that the system can be used to abuse the actual victim." Heller was arrested in November 2014 on charges of violating the restraining order. The next month, she pleaded guilty to contempt and agreed to six months' of mental-health treatment. Heller's attorney said his client wasn't stalking or harassing the actress, but simply was taking responsibility for a phone call she made that wasn't allowable under terms of the restraining order. The actress was, however, arrested in October 2012 and two misdemeanor charges of assault and strangulation were filed against her following an altercation with Hartman. She spent a night in jail. "Her assistant is also her longtime friend. They had a late-night argument, and it turned into a little bit of a physical altercation," her attorney said at the time, saying that Hartman didn't want to move forward with any charges. The actress was later sentenced to one day of community service, with the promise that the charges would be dismissed if she stayed out of trouble for six months. Follow Christie D'Zurilla on Twitter @theCDZ and Google+. Follow the Ministry of Gossip on Twitter @LATcelebs. The feature films Mad Max: Fury Road, The Big Short, Inside Out and Amy were winners Friday evening at the American Cinema Editors Eddie Awards at the Beverly Hilton International Ballroom in Beverly Hills. Editor Margaret Sixel won in the dramatic film category for Mad Max and Hank Corwin was honored in the comedy or musical category for The Big Short. Both films are nominated for the best picture Academy Award. See more of Entertainments top stories on Facebook >> Advertisement Kevin Nolting earned the animated feature Eddie for Inside Out and Chris King was awarded for the documentary feature Amy. In the television categories, Zac Stuart-Pontier, Richard Hankin, Caitlyn Greene and Shelby Siegel won in the edited TV documentary category for The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst. Nick Paley won for edited half-hour series for the 12 Angry Men installment of Inside Amy Schumer. The Eddie for one-hour series for commercial TV went to Tom Wilson for the Person to Person installment of Mad Men, and Lisa Bromwell received the award for one-hour series for non-commercial TV for Chapter 39 of House of Cards. Brian A. Kates won in the long-form (miniseries or motion picture) for TV category for Bessie, and Hunter Gross took home the Eddie for non-scripted series for the Bay Area episode of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. The student editing honor went to Chris Dold at the University of North Carolina, School of the Arts. In this election season, a yoga studio is encouraging patrons to get off the mat and into citizen activism. On Saturday, Wanderlust Hollywood is hosting Mindful America: Creating a Mindful Policy For a Healthy, Prosperous America. The six experts on the panel will pose answers to a provocative question: How can the personal practices of mindful living living sustainably, buying organically and cultivating personal spirituality be applied to public issues such as healthcare, energy and incarceration? Spiritual teacher and author Marianne Williamson will join the panel, which also includes Los Angeles yoga teacher and activist Seane Corn, Make Smart Cool founder Prince Ea, CTZNWELL founder Kerri Kelly, Revolve Impact founder Mike de la Rocha and Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), a meditation advocate and author of A Mindful Nation: How a Simple Practice Can Help Us Reduce Stress, Improve Performance, and Recapture the American Spirit. Advertisement The event, a first for the studio, is an outgrowth of the Speakeasy lecture series held at Wanderlust festivals, which are retreats held worldwide featuring prominent writers, musicians, business leaders and health and yoga experts. Williamson spoke to The Times about the role that mindful living can play in public policy and politics. Why is the yoga-practicing audience important to civic matters? Through my books and my own run for Congress, I have stressed what is to me an important connection between personal and global transformation. The people who are involved in personal growth, spiritual consciousness, recovery and so forth are the last people who should be sitting out the great social and political questions of our time. If you have a clue as to what changes one life, then you are the one with a clue as to what would change the world. Todays political and social discourse often is ruled by speech to create fear. Can mindfulness or spirituality help keep us levelheaded or more rational? Its not just how do we stay calm but [how are we] taking personal responsibility for how we let this happen. Americans are barraged with meaningless stimuli, the kind that passes for popular culture. Each of us has to take personal responsibility for how we have conspired with the meaningless. We should be articulating adult, meaningful principles love, tolerance and pluralism. If you have a Facebook or Twitter page or go out to dinner, you have a platform. And also, what do we expect from a society that has basically ripped civics courses out of education? If children are not brought up knowing what the Bill of Rights is, why should we be surprised when someone rips it up with every speech? Some wellness practitioners suggest ridding our lives of all that is toxic and they include the media and politics in that category. How does this town hall discussion aim to address that issue? There is a difference between transcendence and denial. You dont need a faux spiritual excuse to not be involved. Many of us have seen that the caricature and stereotype applies to some, but not to all. What can individuals do to improve our role as conscious citizens? Wake up. Watch less meaningless television. Spend fewer meaningless hours on the Internet. Know that real activism has to go beyond signing online petitions or shouting on Facebook. One of your co-panelists at the Wanderlust town hall is Congressman Ryan, who wrote a book about using mindfulness to improve public policy. Did you ever think youd see the day when a Washington politician would be able to associate himself with meditation or, for that matter, anything but mainstream practices? I grew up at a time when Bobby Kennedy was saying this is not just a fight for the politics of America, but for the soul of America. JFK said it would be our spiritual contribution that would be remembered the most. Martin Luther Kings entire conversation was within a spiritual context. So this [avoidance] is the aberration. One of the worst things that happened to progressive America is that it was no longer talking about morality. Mindful America takes place 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Jan. 30 at Wanderlust Hollywood, 1357 Highland Ave. Tickets are $39.50 and available on Eventbrite health@latimes.com Good morning. I'm Paul Thornton, The Times' letters editor, and it is Saturday, Jan. 30. Here's a look back at the week in Opinion. If you're in the GOP and among the majority who support either Donald Trump or Ted Cruz for president, now might feel like a pretty good time to be a Republican. Trump walked away from Thursday's GOP debate and appears unscathed by his tantrum, leaving the spotlight almost entirely to Cruz to sell himself as the true conservative standard-bearer. But according to Times columnist Jonah Goldberg, from a broader perspective who considers the viability of the party, things look much bleaker. That "conservative crackup" we've been hearing about for years might actually be happening now, he says: There's a fierce internecine battle over whether to oppose Trump's run, passively accept his popularity, or zealously support his bid. The level of distrust among many of the different factions of the conservative coalition has never been higher, at least not in my experience. Arguments don't seem to matter, only motives do. Questioning motives is poisonous, because such claims are not only unfalsifiable, but they also give an instant excuse to ignore sincere, reasoned arguments. Nearly every position on Trump is immediately subjected to a kind of vulgar Marxist analysis. "You think Trump would make a bad president? Oh, you're just saying that because you're part of the establishment!" "You think Trump would make a good president? Oh, you're just saying that to get attention." National Review magazine, where I am an editor, recently published an issue arguing that Trump is unfit to be a conservative standard-bearer. Trump responded by saying we were a failing "paper." That's not true, but even if it were, how does that refute our criticisms? Click here to read more. Readers aren't troubled by the conflict in the Republican Party. In letters to the editor reacting to Goldberg's column, one writer says the GOP doesn't have much of a philosophy, but instead professes a "hodgepodge of political jargon put forth by people who are out of touch with the electorate." Another says Republicans should split into pro-corporate and tea-party factions. L.A. Times Los Angeles has decided to do something (again) about homelessness. Will it work? The most intractable problem facing the city and county is getting more attention, thanks largely to the El Nino rainstorms that could make living on the streets acutely dangerous this winter. Click here to read the ongoing discussion hosted by The Times that includes reaction by homelessness activists, an editorial on housing homeless veterans, a comparison of current efforts with past ones and an on-the-ground report of attempts to accurately count the number of homeless people in the county. Californians should enjoy their pristine coastline while it's still unspoiled. Steve Blank, a former member of the California Coastal Commission, worries about the body's future status as a bulwark against overdevelopment along the state's thousand-mile shoreline. For Gov. Jerry Brown, whose at-will appointees are leading the effort to fire the commission's conservation-minded executive director, nothing less than his legacy is in play here: "But 40 years from now, people are not going to say, 'Hey remember the budget of 2015?' What Californians will remember are his actions about our coastline." L.A. Times The federal government took a low-key approach to handling the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, and it's taking a low-key approach to prosecuting the occupiers. The eight defendants arrested Tuesday are being charged with something easily provable and most likely to result in time behind bars: conspiracy to impede an officer of the United States. In an op-ed article, Ken White puts the charge this way: "These people got together with guns and took over federal buildings and now the employees can't do their jobs." L.A. Times If an average citizen had done what L.A. police officers did on Feb. 7, 2013 shoot up a truck carrying two newspaper delivery women he'd be hauled before a judge. But the officers who said they were on edge in the manhunt for rogue ex-cop Christopher Dorner will face no charges, evidently because they were stressed. The decision not to charge these officers raises questions about the best ways to police the police. L.A. Times Tell me what you think about this newsletter. Email paul.thornton@latimes.com. Roberta Cohen seems like the first person who should have left her Porter Ranch neighborhood to avoid the natural gas leak. At age 88, this great-grandmother and widow could be considered at-risk. She has breathing problems, emphysema and enough health concerns to fill a page, she says. Im living on half a lung so if anyone should leave hello, Cohen said in her deep, gravelly voice while pointing to herself. Advertisement But as her neighbors flee their gated community, Cohen isnt going anywhere. Because Im fine, she said in her living room on a recent morning as she waited for crews to install new weatherstripping on her doors. Theres no reason why people cannot tolerate it. Its nothing. Shes referring to the noxious odors coming from SS-25, a leaking natural gas well thats about a mile from the nearest home in Porter Ranch. People have reported suffering from nausea, headaches and nosebleeds. Even their pets are getting sick. The fumes have led to the temporary relocation of 3,083 households, according to the latest count from Southern California Gas Co. The departures have left some neighborhoods empty and local businesses hurting for customers. But the community of 30,000 is hardly the ghost town some have portrayed it to be. Despite the gas leak, life looks relatively normal. Customers still fight for parking spaces outside the Starbucks at Porter Ranch Town Center. Children are playing in parks, and cyclists zoom along Sesnon Boulevard. Mail carriers continue to deliver letters and packages, and so far none have fallen ill, said a spokesman for the United States Postal Service. At the branch library, mothers shush noisy toddlers and older residents sit at tables and in armchairs to read books. The gas leaks effect, however, can be seen on days when the library offers story time. The typical audience of 40 to 45 people has dwindled to just 10 or 15, a library spokesman said. At Shepherd of the Hills Church, which has been used by attorneys, politicians and state regulators for hearings on the gas leak, an estimated 9,000 members still worship at the five weekend services. We have not seen abnormal changes in attendance or giving, said Executive Pastor Tim Winters, though some church employees started working from home to avoid falling ill. Some congregants are scared or frustrated by a lack of specifics from the gas company about when the well will be fixed and long-term health effects, Winters said. You hate to see the community so divided in how they react to it whether they should leave, whether they should stay, Winters said. Marianne Love is among the communitys residents who remained in her home. If this happened at any other time of the year, (relocation) would have definitely been an option, Love said. But since it was winter and it is so cold and rainy, we dont go outside that much. The utility provided Love with air filters and weatherstripping around her front doors. We feel pretty good about having that, she said, noting she no longer opens her windows or takes long walks in her hilly neighborhood. Residents who remain in their homes may still have claims against the utility so some are hiring lawyers. Attorney Brian Panish, who is part of the team that filed a class-action lawsuit against SoCal Gas, said that while most of his clients have relocated, some have chosen to stay either because they dont want to leave or cant find adequate accommodations. The gas company said 2,817 people are on a waiting list to move. The primary concern of residents remaining in Porter Ranch is property value, Panish said. Whos going to want to buy their home now that all these problems are happening? he said. Theres no question that the value of the properties has decreased. The question is how much. At a meeting in West Hills earlier this month, attorney Robin Greenwald told a room full of potential clients that whether they move or stay, the gas leak is interrupting their daily lives and creating unnecessary stress. For people who remain in their homes, they are in a situation where theyre losing their neighbors too because some of their neighbors have relocated. So they lose that sense of community. And they live in fear each day that theyre not making the right decision and are they causing long-term impact to themselves and their families, Greenwald said. For families who want to leave, the gas company is providing up to $7,500 a month for temporary housing, $500 for utilities and $45 a day per person for food. The utility is also picking up the tab for moving expenses and pet care. The utility pays the relocation funds directly to landlords or hotels if customers arrange their move through the utility. That feels unfair to some who remain in their homes. Air filters are the only compensation theyre receiving. Arlene Cantor waited on her filters for a month. Dont overlook us, Cantor said. Were not getting the $8,000, $9,000 a month. Were not getting help with our mortgage. It seems to me that youd want to take care of the people who are still here in some way. To date, gas crews have installed 2,706 air purification systems and 820 plug-in systems. Theyve also weatherized 2,245 homes, a gas company spokeswoman said. Those who stay in Porter Ranch are supporting the community and local businesses, Cantor said, even though theres not much upside for them. Our equity has gone down in our houses, he said. Were suffering, too. Maybe not in a physical way that way but were still suffering. Back in her living room, Cohen also believes financial compensation should be paid to residents who remain in their homes. Shes also convinced that some of her relocated neighbors have not really moved out of their homes so shes counting the cars in their driveways and taking pictures of the garbage cans they put out on trash day. When you go on vacation, do you go back every three days to get something? she asked. Then why are these people entitled to come back? And theyre getting money. The gas company said it is making lodging payments directly to landlords, although some residents who find their own temporary housing can apply for reimbursement. In Cohens opinion, if a resident who moved is well enough to come back to their house, theyre well enough to stay. And if the gas odorants give them a headache, Cohen has some advice: Take an aspirin. alice.walton@latimes.com ALSO O.C jail escapee surrenders with plea to a friend: Call police Are we getting closer to understanding where the moon actually came from? Waiting for rain? Heres whats keeping the brunt of El Nino away For days, Tri and Theresa Nguyen had seen their friends face splashed on television and wanted posters after he and two other inmates had escaped from an Orange County jail. They wondered where Bac Duong was and what he might do if confronted by authorities. The couple were stunned Friday morning when one of Orange Countys most wanted men walked into the familys auto body shop on North Harbor Boulevard in Santa Ana. Duong, 43, looked nervous and pale, almost sickly, appearing nothing like the scowling man seen in mugshots broadcast nationwide, said Lee Tran, Theresas brother. Advertisement He milled around the store for a few seconds before Theresa recognized him. She rushed toward Duong, asking how she could help and where he had been, Tri Nguyen said. Duong had a simple request: Call police. Then he stepped outside to smoke a cigarette while he waited to be taken back to jail. Authorities converged at a Santa Ana body shop Friday after getting a call that escapee Bac Duong had appeared at the store and wanted to return to jail. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) Within 20 minutes, law enforcement officers from across Orange County swarmed the store and Duong was taken into custody about 11:30 a.m., the first capture in a sprawling manhunt sparked by a brazen escape last week from the Mens Central Jail in Santa Ana, police said. I feel good for him because he did the right thing, Tri Nguyen said. He doesnt have to run around anymore. Duongs surrender came just 12 hours after police made their most public show of force yet in the now week-long hunt for the escapees. Carrying rifles and wearing tactical gear, dozens of Orange County sheriffs deputies hung from the sides of armored vehicles as they flooded Westminster Avenue on Thursday night, conducting searches of a warehouse and a home. Police have been increasing pressure on local gangs while asking Little Saigons residents for help in tracking down the three fugitives Duong, Jonathan Tieu and Hossein Nayeri. As part of the investigation, dozens of search warrants have been executed and at least 10 people have been arrested, some of whom belong to a street gang Tieu is affiliated with, sheriffs officials said. A source familiar with the investigation said Friday that police have been hammering those with ties to Vietnamese organized crime to rattle the tree and shake these guys out. Police have carried out almost daily raids against Vietnamese crime groups and local street gangs in the hopes that the pressure might result in a surrender, according to the source, who did not have permission to speak publicly about the ongoing investigation. The three men escaped last week by cutting through several layers of metal, steel and rebar on their way to the facilitys roof, before rappelling down the side of the building shortly after 5 a.m. on Jan. 22. They vanished after a 5 a.m. head count, and the escape went undetected for at least 16 hours until deputies conducted a second inmate count. Lt. Jeff Hallock, a Sheriffs Department spokesman, said investigators believe the men have been living out of a white 2008 GMC Savana that was stolen in South Los Angeles the day after the escape. A man matching Duongs description stole the vehicle after responding to a Craigslist advertisement posted by the owner, who was looking to sell the van, police said. Nayeri and Tieu remain on the loose. Hallock said investigators think they are in the San Jose area, and may be headed to Fresno. Police are also trying to determine the extent of the relationship between Nayeri and Nooshafarin Ravaghi, a 44-year-old jailhouse English teacher who was arrested Thursday on suspicion she aided in the escape. Ravaghi is accused of providing printed images of the jail from Google Earth that would have allowed Nayeri to view the roof of the complex. Hallock said Friday that authorities were investigating whether the pairs relationship was romantic and said it was much closer and much more personal than it should have been. Duong, a Vietnamese national who entered the country legally in 1991, was charged with attempted murder last month. An immigration judge ordered him deported in 1998, but Duong launched several appeals, which were exhausted in 2003, according to a statement issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. At the time, the Vietnamese government rarely accepted deportees from the U.S. and refused to take Duong. He was freed in 2004 and reported regularly to ICE officials. In 2008, Vietnam signed an agreement with the U.S. to accept deportees but only those who had arrived in the U.S. after July 12, 1995. Immigration officials recently filed paperwork to detain Duong after he was charged in December. Tri Nguyen said he and his girlfriend, Theresa, had known Duong for about 10 years. They met in the Little Saigon neighborhood where Duong had rented rooms for the last decade. Duong at one point worked in the area as a furniture deliveryman, and also occasionally found work on construction sites. Nguyen said he believed that Duong had been divorced for several years and has two sons who live in San Diego. When he entered the store on Friday morning, Duong was wearing a white shirt and jeans. His hair was shaved into a buzz cut and he did not look anything like his picture, on the wanted posters, said Tim Tran, the owner of the auto body shop where Duong surrendered. Trans son, Lee, said investigators with the U.S. Marshals Service visited the store four days ago after jail records revealed that Theresa Nguyen had visited Duong at the Santa Ana lockup. Speaking to a throng of reporters outside the store on Friday afternoon, employee Michael Knoski suggested Duong ran to the store because he wanted the manhunt to end peacefully. He knows us. He wants to feel safe, Knoski said. Thats why he came here. anh.do@latimes.com | Twitter: @newsterrier james.queally@latimes.com | Twitter: @JamesQueallyLAT joseph.serna@latimes.com | Twitter: @JosephSerna Times Staff Writer Richard Winton contributed to this report. MORE ON THE O.C. JAIL ESCAPE O.C. jail escapee was ordered deported in 1998 but remained in U.S. More details emerging about English teacher arrested in O.C. jail break plot Orange County jail escapees may have fled to San Jose or Fresno, one suspect surrendered Protesters hold posters and flags during a demonstration against the Syrian regime during Syrian Peace talks in Geneva (Photo: AP) Homs: Russian air strikes on Syria have killed nearly 1,400 civilians since Moscow started its aerial campaign nearly four months ago, a group monitoring the war said on Saturday. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which collects information from a network of sources on the ground, said the Russian strikes had also killed 965 Islamic State fighters as well as 1,233 fighters from various other insurgent groups. The main Syrian opposition group heading to Geneva peace talks on Saturday has demanded a halt to a joint Russian and Syrian bombing campaign they say targets mostly civilians in rebel held areas as a pre-condition for engaging in talks with the Syrian government. Russia began a major aerial campaign on Sept. 30 to help its ally Syrian President Bashar al Assad. The air strikes tilted the war in Assad's way after major setbacks earlier in 2015 brought rebel groups close to the coastal heartland of his Alawite sect. Moscow says it is targeting Islamic State militants but rebels and residents say the Russian air strikes are causing hundreds of civilian casualties. The Black Student Union at UC Irvine is calling for the university to dismantle its police force, which the student organization alleges has failed to address safety concerns for black students on campus. The group sent a letter to campus administrators Monday demanding that the police department and any additional paramilitary force presence be abolished in three to six months. The university does not adhere to black student concerns regardless of instances of black death and police violence, the letter states. Therefore, our demand does not call for the reform of UCIPD, it calls for the dismantling of this institutions presence in its entirety. Advertisement The group said it was not referring to a campus event but to what it believes is anti-black sentiment held by police. The letter points to a perceived increase in police violence around the country since the 1992 riots in Los Angeles after the acquittal of four white LAPD officers in the beating of black motorist Rodney King. University officials said they have no plans to abolish the police force but will continue to encourage dialogue with the student union. The UCI Police Department comprises a highly respected team of officers who risk their lives to ensure the safety of our students, faculty and staff, university officials wrote in a statement Thursday. We are proud of them and will continue to support the department. Campus Police Chief Jorge Cisneros was not available for comment. The student group also started a petition at Change.org that by late Thursday had gathered 257 signatures in support of dissolving the university police force. Interested in the stories shaping California? Sign up for the free Essential California newsletter >> Carmen Vickers, the groups co-chairwoman, said the petition is an effort to encourage people at the Irvine campus and around the country to question the actions of police. We are trying to provide a framework ... a platform for students and people beyond the university to interrogate the institution of policing, she said. The Black Student Unions letter accused two educators of interrogating a black student and forcing the student to publicly apologize after a March incident in which the student and five classmates voted for a resolution banning the display of national flags, including the American flag, in a student government room. They were told that if they did not submit a public apology, they would not receive protection against the multitude of death threats and vulgar insults they were receiving day and night from students on UCIs campus and the citizens of Orange County, the letter states. The group said that one student received emails and phone calls in which people threatened to lynch and rape her. UC Irvine administrators said in their statement that the letter makes false, malicious accusations against several staff members, many of whom worked diligently to address the BSUs earlier demands and advance a safe, comfortable environment for all students. We stand by these dedicated professionals. Paul Gales, an Irvine transfer student from West Los Angeles College, said he hadnt read the black student groups petition but said its unfortunate that a campus group wants to abolish the police. I dont feel that way, said Gales, who identifies as black. I feel completely welcomed. However, Gales described the diversity among students at his previous and current schools as completely different, saying West Los Angeles College consists predominantly of Latino and black students. At UC Irvine, with more than 30,000 students, fewer than 400 identify as black, according to campus data. I understand how they would feel this way [at UCI], but getting rid of the police wouldnt be adequate, Gales said. hannah.fry@latimes.com Fry writes for Times Community News. Staff writer Alex Chan contributed to this report. Join the conversation on Facebook >> ALSO O.C jail escapee surrenders with plea to a friend: Call police Obama administration is starting in L.A. to help immigrants become citizens How prostitution is modern-day slavery, and what law enforcement is doing to stop it Before they were caught this week, three Orange County jail escapees managed to drive to Northern California in a stolen white van and check into a motel in San Jose, authorities and witnesses say. Hossein Nayeri, Jonathan Tieu and Bac Duong checked into the Alameda Motel in the 100 block of The Alameda on Tuesday, according to the motel manager, who asked that his name not be used. The men asked for a smoking room and pre-paid $200 in cash for two nights, he said. Advertisement They checked into Room 14, an 18-by-12-foot room with one twin bed and one full-size bed, the manager said. The spartan room included a child-size closet, a tiny refrigerator and an RCA TV. The one window faced the motel parking lot. At one time during their stay, the manager said he saw the oldest guy, later identified as Duong, 43, washing a white van in the parking lot, he said. The 2008 GMC van was stolen Jan. 23, the day after the men escaped, in South Los Angeles, authorities said. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> The motel manager said he told Duong that he could not wash his vehicle in the parking lot and he immediately stopped. At 11 a.m. Thursday, checkout time, the manager said he went to Room 14 to tell the men it was time to leave. He said he knocked on the door and there was no answer. When he opened the door, he discovered that the men were gone. Just before noon Friday, after a week on the run, Duong, who had made his way back to Santa Ana, surrendered to local authorities. At about 3 p.m. Friday, the manager said, San Jose police showed up at the Alameda Motel and showed him mug shots of the three escapees, whom he recognized and identified. I just cant believe it, the manager told a Times reporter Saturday. There are crazy things going on in life. But these guys were quiet, nice and no drama. He said it was no surprise that they were well-behaved during their stay. Of course, theyre not going to do nothing, he said. Nayeri, 37, and Tieu, 20, were arrested in San Francisco early Saturday after a man noticed the GMC van in a Whole Foods Market parking lot near the entrance to Golden Gate Park in the Haight Ashbury district, authorities said. Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said the man alerted police officers, who were nearby handling an unrelated medical call. Authorities originally reported that a woman had alerted police. The officers approached the van, and one of the escapees, Nayeri, ran out, she said. Police chased and quickly arrested him. When the officers went back to the van, they found the second suspect, Tieu, hiding inside. The men were taken into custody around 8:50 a.m. near Haight and Stanyan streets. Hutchens said police recovered ammunition but no weapons inside the van. The pair were taken to the San Francisco polices Park Station and will eventually be moved to the city jail. I can say this morning that the entire state can breathe a sigh of relief, the sheriff said at a noon news conference. MORE ON THE O.C. JAILBREAK O.C jail escapee surrenders with plea to a friend: Call police Experts dissect why it took the O.C. jail so long to detect the escape Citizen tipped police to jail escapees stolen van in S.F. Whole Foods parking lot The two Orange County jail escapees who remained at large after a daring escape eight days ago were arrested in San Francisco after a citizen noticed a van matching the description of the one they had allegedly stolen parked in a lot near a Whole Foods Market, officials said Saturday. Authorities said police were attending to an unrelated medical emergency when a man flagged down officers. The man told them he suspected that a white van parked near the market at Haight and Stanyan streets was the one wanted in the Orange County jail escape, said San Francisco police Officer Grace Gatpandan. Officers began looking in the immediate area for the man -- later identified as Hossein Nayeri -- and found him near Waller and Stanyan streets, Gatpandan said. Police chased and arrested him after a short pursuit. Advertisement NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >> When the officers went back to the van, they found the second suspect, Jonathan Tieu, hiding inside. He did not attempt to resist or escape, Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said. Police said they recovered ammunition but no weapons inside the van. The pair were taken to the San Francisco polices Park Station and will eventually be moved to the county jail. I can say this morning that the entire state can breathe a sigh of relief, the sheriff said at a noon news briefing. The arrests unfolded just before 9 a.m. Saturday, when San Francisco police said the citizen approached officers about a suspicious person and vehicle. (The Orange County sheriff initially identified the tipster as a woman, but San Francisco police clarified later that the citizen was a man.) Officers quickly found Nayeri, who took off running when he caught sight of the officers, Gatpandan said. Nayeri ran toward a lake and around Kezar Stadium and then back toward the Park District Police Station, she said. Officers broadcast there was a foot pursuit and officers came out of the park station to assist, Gatpandan said. The van was discovered near Haight and Stanyan streets, authorities said. Tieu was concealed inside and taken into custody. Investigators believe the men lived out of the van for days. Police patrols stood outside the Whole Foods as well as inside the entrance near an oil skincare display Saturday afternoon. With the transient population across the street at Golden Gate Park, locals said they were not surprised the fugitives wandered into this area. This is the perfect spot to blend in, said Lauren Bowen, a mother of two who lives near the store. They see a whole group of people finding refuge and they can try to do the same. Bo Allen, a San Francisco resident on a Saturday morning walk, said he saw a commotion with someone running and police behind him. They were yelling at him to stop but he didnt, Allen said. I had no idea this was the inmate in the news. As of Saturday afternoon, Hutchens said she was not aware of anyone who was hurt by the escapees. A third escapee, Bac Duong, surrendered to authorities in Santa Ana on Friday, a week after the three broke out of the Santa Ana lockup. The arrests ended a massive manhunt for the men, who all were charged with violent crimes. This is one of a sheriffs worst nightmares, said Hutchens, adding that she did a big whoop in the air upon learning of the arrests. At first, the fugitives were believed to be in Southern California. The white van -- a 2008 GMC Savana -- was stolen last Saturday in South Los Angeles by Duong, Orange County sheriffs Capt. Jeff Hallock told The Times. Duong had responded to a Craigslist ad listing the white panel van for sale, met with the seller and took the van on a test drive. Duong never returned, Hallock said, and the theft was reported to authorities. Orange County sheriffs detectives became aware that the suspect looked like Duong, Hallock said. The three escapees then managed to drive up to Northern California in the stolen white van and check into a motel in San Jose. Nayeri, 37, Tieu, 20 and Duong, 43, checked into the Alameda Motel in the 100 block of The Alameda on Tuesday, according to the motel manager who did not want his name used. The men asked for a smoking room and pre-paid $200 in cash for two nights, he said. At one time during their stay, the manager saw the oldest guy, later identified as Duong, washing the white van in the parking lot, he said. The motel manager told Duong that he could not wash his vehicle in the parking lot and he immediately stopped. The manager said the checkout time was 11 a.m. Thursday. He said he went to Room 14 to tell the men it was time to leave. He said he knocked on the door and there was no answer. When he opened the door, he discovered that the men were gone. Duong surrendered to police at 11:21 a.m. Friday at a business in the 1400 block of North Harbor Boulevard after a friend called police, Santa Ana police Sgt. Don Humphrey said. Hutchens said she did not have information about how Duong was able to get to from San Jose to Santa Ana. Tri Nguyen, who identified himself as an acquaintance of Duongs, said the escapee walked into the business about 11 a.m. and told Nguyens girlfriend, who worked there, that he wanted to turn himself in. The woman called police, he said, and soon the business was swarming with law enforcement agents, guns drawn. Nguyen and his girlfriend had known Duong for many years before he went to jail, Nguyen said. I feel good for him because he did the right thing in turning himself in, Nguyen said. He doesnt have to run around anymore. Duong has been cooperating with investigators, authorities said, though they would not say whether Duong tipped police off to Nayeri and Tieus whereabouts. A few hours later, San Jose police showed up at the Alameda Motel and showed the manager mug shots of the three escapees, whom he recognized and identified. I just cant believe it, the manager told a Times reporter Saturday. There are crazy things going on in life. But these guys were quiet, nice and no drama. The arrests came after law enforcement made its most public show of force in the hunt for the fugitives, which had been in its second week. Armored vehicles and deputies in tactical gear descended on Westminster Avenue on Thursday night, executing a pair of search warrants that were filmed by television news cameras. The searches, which focused on a residence and a warehouse, did not result in any arrests, officials said. Officials also revealed new details about the alleged relationship between one of the fugitives and an English-language teacher who is accused of aiding in the jailbreak. The teacher, 44-year-old Nooshafarin Ravaghi, exchanged handwritten letters with Nayeri, and formed a bond with him that was much closer and much more personal than it should have been, Hallock said. Ravaghi is being held on suspicion of being an accessory in the brazen jailbreak. She will appear in court on Monday and is ineligible for bail, Hallock said. The teachers arrest came as the police continued to hunt frantically for the escapees, all of whom were awaiting trial for violent crimes ranging from torture and kidnapping to murder. The trio escaped from the Santa Ana lockup sometime after 5 a.m. Jan. 22, cutting through four layers of steel, metal and rebar as they moved through the jails plumbing tunnels and an air duct. They ascended to the roof, one floor above the dormitory area where they had been housed, and used a rope of knotted bedsheets and cloth to rappel down the side of the building. The escape went undetected for at least 16 hours, and the Orange County Sheriffs Department has come under fire for allowing the escapees to gain such a head start. When all the escapees eventually return to Orange County, because of the escape risk, they will be housed in a different area and in a different manner, the sheriff said Saturday. Hutchens would not describe those cells. The trio had been kept in a dormitory holding more than 60 prisoners when they escaped. Hutchens acknowledged that now that all three escapees have been captured, the focus will move to to where the system failed and what can be done to prevent it from occurring again. That will take some time, she said. We do not want another escape from an Orange County jail. Join the conversation on Facebook >> The sheriff said the department has already made a number of changes to tighten security and will continue to make changes, but did not elaborate. She also said no disciplinary action has been taken against sheriffs personnel. Hutchens acknowledged the department had some information suggesting a tie between the escapees and San Francisco, but investigators had said they believed the pair were in San Jose and possibly heading to Fresno as of Friday. She credited the citizen for the tip about the white van and said he deserves whatever reward is available. No sheriff wants to have an escape, Hutchens said, especially as dangerous as these people were. Times staff writer Do reported from San Francisco and San Jose, Goldenstein from Santa Ana, Stevens and Winton from Los Angeles. MORE ON THE O.C. JAILBREAK Orange County jail escapee fled the law before, fleeing to Iran How did they do it? Court papers offer a look into the early investigation Experts dissect why it took the O.C. jail so long to detect the escape Hossein Nayeri graduated from high school near Fresno and served in the U.S. Marine Corps. Despite this American upbringing, though, the inmate managed to enroll in an English-as-a-second-language class at Mens Central Jail in Orange County. There, he befriended his teacher, Nooshafarin Ravaghi. She was 44 and the author of several childrens books. He was 37 and awaiting trial in a torture and kidnapping case. Both had family roots in Iran. Advertisement The two began a written correspondence that a Sheriffs Department spokesman said was far closer than appropriate. Now, Ravaghi is suspected of helping her student and two other inmates escape. She has admitted to giving Nayeri a Google Maps printout showing the roof of the jail, but has denied providing him with the cutting tools the trio used to break out of the high-security lockup, authorities said. Officials said Friday that they are still trying to determine whether the two had a romantic relationship and to explain how Nayeri got into the ESL class in the first place. That is our concern, that Mr. Nayeri speaks English, Orange County sheriffs Lt. Jeff Hallock said. Why, then, was he attending that class? ... It leads us to believe she played a significant role in the planning. Ravaghi was arrested Thursday, but has not been charged with a crime. Those who know Ravaghi say they are stunned that the longtime teacher and author who spoke four languages is accused of playing a part in a jail break. She must have been tricked, several of them said. The elaborate escape took place Jan. 22 when the three inmates slipped through a hole in a wall and into the jails plumbing system. They cut through layers of metal to emerge on the roof, then rappelled down four stories using a rope made of bedsheets. Nayeri and Jonathan Tieu, 20, who is scheduled to go on trial next month for a 2011 homicide, remain at large. Officials said they might be in the San Jose or Fresno area. Bac Duong, 43, who was jailed on an attempted murder charge, surrendered to authorities Friday. Jail officials believe that Nayeri was the mastermind of the escape. He has a history of running from the law, fleeing to Iran to avoid the kidnapping and torture charges before being apprehended in the Czech Republic. In 2005, he fled the state after posting bond in a vehicular homicide that killed his passenger. Maybe he was nice to her, complimented her, showed her attention that she wasnt getting elsewhere. Chuck Jackson, a former L.A. County Sheriffs Dept. chief Nayeri and two co-defendants are accused of kidnapping a pot dispensary owner and driving him to the desert, where they believed he had a stash of cash. The attackers Tasered the man, burned him with a butane torch and cut off his penis, prosecutors say. Handwritten letters between Ravaghi and Nayeri were personal in nature and went beyond a student-teacher relationship, Hallock said. Some of her notes to him were mailed to the jail. Ravaghi was born in Tehran and lived with her father in France, Tunisia and other countries before returning to Iran for high school, according to her personal website. She obtained a masters degree in French literature from the University of Tehran and studied in Paris before obtaining another masters, in teaching English as a second language, from Cal State Fullerton, the website said. She is fluent in English, French, Farsi and Arabic. Her childrens books feature a girl with large brown eyes and pigtails called Noosha Ravaghis own nickname who learns about her Persian heritage as she travels the world. Amerali Shakerifar, a student in Ravaghis ESL class at Saddleback College, said Ravaghi was so morally upright that she refused to make copies of the lesson materials, saying it was illegal and students should buy the book. She told her students that she loved teaching because she wanted them to have their best shot at succeeding. She works hard, Shakerifar said. Shes kind. Shes sensitive. Ravaghi had worked as a part-time tutor with Professional Tutors of America since 2007. It was very surprising to me, said Robert Gordon, the companys chief executive. She had a good record with us as far as student performance, and the students she worked with gave her positive reviews. Sepideh Safavi, a schoolmate from Tehran, recalled Ravaghi as a quiet girl who didnt have many friends. The two recently reconnected on Facebook, where Ravaghi never posted anything about her family. Instead, she shared photos of her students bringing her flowers or wishing her happy birthday, said Safavi, who lives in Massachusetts. Some corrections experts said they see a familiar pattern in the allegations against Ravaghi. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> A female prison employee also played a key role in a New York state prison break last year, providing hacksaw blades and other tools to inmates Richard Matt and David Sweat. The employee, Joyce Mitchell, who had tutored one of the men, was sentenced in September to up to seven years behind bars. Inmates often attempt to manipulate civilians rather than corrections officers, said Bruce Stout, the former head of the Juvenile Justice Commission in New Jersey and a criminology professor at the College of New Jersey. A corrections officer has more power over the inmate, has more control over the inmate and is probably better-trained to spot manipulation, Stout said. Ravaghi, on the other hand, was completely naive with respect to what would go on there, he said. Inmates often sign up for classes not to learn but to get access to people from the outside world, Stout added. Chuck Jackson, a former Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department chief who led the countys Correctional Services Department, said Nayeri may have played up his Iranian heritage to develop a relationship with Ravaghi. Maybe he was nice to her, complimented her, showed her attention that she wasnt getting elsewhere, Jackson said. Before Ravaghi began teaching in Orange County jails 18 months ago, she took a required class on how to deal with inmates that included instruction on how to avoid being manipulated, said Hallock of the Orange County Sheriffs Department. Now, Ravaghi is being held in the same jail system where she once taught. Her, of all people? Safavi said. If any of my other friends got caught up in this, I would believe it. But her? I cant believe it. sarah.parvini@latimes.com Twitter: @sarahparvini richard.winton@latimes.com Twitter: @Lacrimes cindy.chang@latimes.com Twitter: @cindychangLA Times staff writer James Queally contributed to this report. MORE ON THE O.C. JAIL ESCAPE O.C. jail escapee was ordered deported in 1998 but remained in U.S. More details emerging about English teacher arrested in O.C. jail break plot Orange County jail escapees may have fled to San Jose or Fresno, one suspect surrendered El Nino-fueled storms have left apartments teetering on a cliffs edge near San Francisco, and snow has piled up in the Sierra Nevada mountains, with the water content 111% of normal. Yet Southern California has been in a dry spell for the last three weeks, which is expected to be briefly interrupted this weekend with the arrival of a blustery storm. But that storm should move out by Monday, replaced once again by dry, mild weather. Advertisement The biggest reason for the contrast between the wet north and the dry south is masses of high pressure sitting southwest of California, and on top of Southern California and Nevada. This type of system repels storms. Well see quite a few storms come through between now and the end of March and even April. Curt Kaplan, National Weather Service High pressure literally means theres more air in the atmosphere above you. And it pushes down on the air. And when it does that, it compresses it, and it literally heats up through compression, said Bill Patzert, climatologist for NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada Flintridge. That mass of high pressure needs to flatten out and go away for storms to return to Southern California, said National Weather Service meteorologist Dave Bruno. But that doesnt mean hopes for an El Nino-style Southern California winter have been dashed. Experts say it might be simply too early for El Nino-influenced rains to arrive in Southern California. During the last two strong El Ninos on record, the heaviest rains came during February 1998 and March 1983, Patzert said. A photographer captures the sunrise at Seal Beach south of the pier on Jan. 21. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) Los Angeles has actually done well by drought standards for rainfall since July 1. As of Friday afternoon, downtown had recorded 91% of average, seeing 6.54 inches compared with the average of 7.2 inches. The biggest storms came the first week of January, which brought 2.71 inches of rain in three days, and Sept. 15, which brought 2.39 inches. Its actually not that far off, percentage-wise, from San Francisco. San Francisco is 101% of average since July 1. L.A. has only seen three days in January where rainfall exceeded one-hundredth of an inch; San Francisco has seen 14. The two biggest El Ninos on record, which developed over 1982-83 and 1997-98, brought double the rain and snowpack for California, Patzert said. This El Nino is in the same league as those two. El Nino is a warming of surface ocean temperatures about 1,000 to 2,000 miles south of California that fuels atmospheric disturbances worldwide. Right now, its 2.5 times the size of the continental United States. What makes this El Nino impressive is that its still so huge compared with the El Nino of January 1998, which was already contracting by this point, Patzert said. Periods of sunny and warm weather in Southern California are typical even in strong El Nino winters, Bruno said. No need to be alarmed that El Nino is a bust. Here are more questions about El Nino: Why do warm ocean temperatures 1,000 to 2,000 miles away from Southern California affect storms coming our way? Think about the western Pacific Ocean. The ocean surface is warm, and theres lots of clouds, rain and storms. From Japan, those warm temperatures fuel the subtropical jet stream a narrow band of strong winds in the atmosphere that pushes storms west to east. But that jet stream typically peters out in the middle of the ocean, around where the oceans surface starts cooling. But during El Nino, when warmth arrives at the sea surface of the central and eastern Pacific Ocean, stormy energy comes with it, Patzert said. Think of it like a kick-starter for the subtropical jet stream. They energize a subtropical jet stream in the normally calm eastern Pacific, Patzert said. Anahi Gildo pushes her daughter, Aurora, 1, on a swing at Rio de Los Angeles State Park. Southern California hasnt felt the brunt of El Nino-fueled storms that have hit Northern California. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) All that warm water strengthens and elongates the subtropical jet stream, Patzert said, and gives it a second life. Due east of Japan happens to be Southern California, and so the renewed subtropical jet stream aims for a collision course with Southern California and the southern United States. So whats causing Northern California to get the rain and snow? Blame that storm-repelling mass of high pressure, which is pushing the moisture from the subtropical jet stream north into Northern California. There is a mass of high pressure typically southwest of California, and it has been stronger than normal, said Stanford University climate scientist Daniel Swain. If the subtropical jet stream gets even stronger later this winter and the mass of high pressure weakens, that could allow a series of storms to get to Los Angeles, Swain said. So when will those big storms finally show up? We dont know for sure. But many experts, including meteorologist Curt Kaplan of the National Weather Service, express confidence that the rains will come. People are a little panicked, but they shouldnt be, Kaplan said. We still have a very strong El Nino set up in the Pacific and its still encouraging well see quite a few storms come through between now and the end of March and even April. The snowpack is a really important indicator of Californias water supply. How are we doing on that? The water content in the snow in the northern Sierra Nevada on Friday was pegged at 124% of average. For the central Sierra, it was 115% of average and for the southern Sierra, 93%. For the three regions combined, it was 111%. State officials say the snowpack water content needs to be at 150% of average to come close to digging California out of the drought. Thats an ambitious benchmark that will be difficult to achieve, and its more likely that California will be about average for the year, officials say. What do water managers think about the recent rain and snow? Theyre optimistic but point out that the reservoirs are so low that it will probably take more than just a single year of above-average rain and snow to recover. For instance, Californias fourth-largest reservoir, New Melones Lake, is only at about 16% of capacity. The Southlands chief importer of water, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, has exhausted two-thirds of its drought backup supply. And its unclear how much Southern California will get from water supplies in the north later this year. Even an average year of rain and snow might result in Southern California getting only half of what it wants from the State Water Project, a vital aqueduct that supplies the south with water from the mountainous north, said Deven Upadhyay, manager of the water resource management group at the MWD. ron.lin@latimes.com Twitter: @ronlin Times staff writer Veronica Rocha contributed to this report. ALSO O.C jail escapee surrenders with plea to a friend: Call police Are we getting closer to understanding where the moon actually came from? Japan imposes a negative interest rate: What that means for them and us Hello, America. This is LaVoy Finicum. Speaking into a camera, Finicum leaned against a stone wall, looking every bit the part of cowboy rebel he had become in the media, hands jammed into the pockets of his denim jacket, a holster on his hip. It was Monday, the 24th day of the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. It was also the last full day of his life. Robert LaVoy Finicum was one of the occupiers protesting the federal governments administration of public wild lands and the prosecution of two local ranchers. An Arizona rancher born and raised on Navajo land, Finicum in recent years had refashioned himself as a herald of a fallen America. Advertisement The FBI and Oregon State Police traffic stop and shooting of Robert LaVoy Finicum in Oregon on Tuesday. The video has been edited from the version released Thursday by the FBI. In 2015, he wrote a novel called Only by Blood and Suffering, which warned of government collapse, and now he served as a spokesman for a small but well-armed protest movement. We see the saber-rattling of the federal government. We see the increase of their armaments. We see their intimidations, Finicum told his YouTube viewers in a soft voice. Thats not a cause for alarm on our part. In recent weeks, Finicum, 55, hinted often at his willingness to die, of how hed prefer death over sitting in a jail cell where he couldnt look up at the stars. But overall, things had been relatively calm. Armed protesters were freely coming and going from the refuge. A troupe of singing children from Kansas had recently stopped by to give a small concert. Finicum brushed aside the idea of surrender as others wondered when law enforcement which had been trying to avoid a massacre like Waco or Ruby Ridge would lose its patience and sweep in through the sagebrush. We are not leaving, Finicum said. We are here to do a job. Our course is fixed. :: As a two-vehicle convoy drove toward the town of John Day, an aircraft silently filmed from overhead. Harney County had not been a happy place since the occupiers invaded the refuge on Jan. 2. Most, like Finicum, were from out of state, and they demanded nearly impossible concessions from the federal government. Residents bickered over whether to back the cause. On Tuesday, protest leaders, including brothers Ammon and Ryan Bundy, decided to head to a community meeting in John Day in neighboring Grant County. They were on a campaign to measure and drum up support among locals. But theres only one convenient way to get to John Day from the refuge: U.S. Highway 395, a two-lane blacktop that winds into the forested Blue Mountains, where visibility drops dramatically, and where theres no one around. Which meant it was the perfect place to spring a trap. A sign announces a closed road leading to the occupied federal wildlife refuge near Burns, Ore., on Jan. 29. (Rob Kerr / AFP/Getty Images) Mark McConnell was driving the second car in the convoy, a Jeep. He later said he had been chatting with another occupier, Brian Cavalier, when they saw nearly a dozen heavy-duty police vehicles waiting for them along the side of the road. The FBI and the Oregon State Polices moment had come, and their troopers and special agents sped into action. They first pulled over McConnells Jeep, which also held Ammon Bundy, the most visible face of the occupation. For all the public curiosity and concern over what Bundy might do, he and the other two men were detained without resisting. They were a little rough on me, but I would be too, McConnell said later, noting that he was armed. But as law enforcement sped up behind the other vehicle filled with occupiers, a white truck, the driver took a little while longer to pull over. Finicum was at the wheel. :: Men in tactical gear trained their guns on Finicums truck, which came to a stop in the center of the highway. One of the trucks back doors opened, and Ryan Payne, an Army veteran from Montana, got out and surrendered. But no one else followed, and Finicums truck sat idle, its brake lights blazing red. In the foreword to his book, Finicum had thanked his family for the love and the memories theyd given him, then appended a warning: It is my belief that freedom will arise again in this land, but only after much blood and suffering. This is my witness and my warning. Exactly 7 minutes and 7 seconds after he stopped his truck, Finicum took his foot off the brake and hit the gas pedal. He chased the open road as it curved left, then right. The snowy mountain forest streamed past as the truck sped ahead. But when the road curved left again, Finicum suddenly saw a police roadblock. Finicum braked, veering off the road to the left around a spike strip, officials said and nearly hitting an FBI agent who had darted away from the roadblock. The truck came to a stop in a deep snowbank. The soundless video taken from a surveillance aircraft shows Finicum springing out with his hands in the air seconds later. Just shoot me, then! he called out, according to one of his passengers, Victoria Sharp. When an Oregon State Police trooper came into view with his gun drawn while another state trooper approached from behind Finicum quickly lowered his arms and brought them toward his body. The FBI later said he appeared to be reaching for the loaded 9-millimeter handgun later found in his inside left jacket pocket. The troopers shot Finicum where he stood, and he crumpled to the ground, stretching out his right arm after he fell on his back. In the minutes that followed, officials tossed nonlethal noisemakers and irritants to incapacitate the passengers still in the truck: Sharp, Shawna Cox and Ammon Bundys brother, Ryan. Red gun-sight lasers danced over Finicums motionless body in the snow. Ryan Bundy, who supporters later said suffered some kind of arm injury, was the next to emerge from the truck. With his hands in the air and his cowboy hat still on his head, Bundy seemed to glance toward Finicum before walking toward police. :: When the news broke, most of the remaining occupiers decided it was time to leave the wildlife refuge. Men loaded their vehicle with supplies that had been sent in support of the occupation. Some did not take time to pack. Guns lay scattered around the compound, abandoned by their owners. Everybody panicked when they murdered LaVoy, Sean Anderson, one of the final holdouts at the refuge, said later. We had no communications, no walkie-talkies. Diesel trucks idled in the darkness. Children who had been in the camp were gone. The few holdouts scurried around the compound. Wheres all our Americans? David Fry, a 27-year-old dental technician from Ohio, shouted in a video streamed live. Wheres all our supporters? We didnt get much! He panned his camera across a room of empty cots and turned to his viewers: You guys are going to watch me die, live. See you in heaven! he told another occupier as if he were saying goodbye. Make sure you tell my daughter why I died, another occupier said. The end felt near. At least I got to meet LaVoy Finicum before he was murdered, Fry told his viewers. He was a good man. matt.pearce@latimes.com william.yardley@latimes.com Pearce reported from Los Angeles and Yardley from Burns. How California expats are living the Iowa caucuses The Searles family. (Seema Mehta / Los Angeles Times) When they lived in California, Gabe and Jaime Searles never had a chance to see a parade of presidential candidates up close. But they moved to Iowa nearly four years ago and are taking full advantage of the attention that White House hopefuls lavish on this state. On Saturday, the couple and their three children attended rallies for Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio and former Hewlett-Packard Chief Executive Carly Fiorina. Theyve seen Dr. Ben Carson, businessman-turned-reality television star Donald Trump, Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin OMalley. On Monday, they plan to take in a rally with Sen. Rand Paul. In California, we never had this opportunity at all, said Gabe Searles, 36, a guitar teacher and graphics designer, after seeing Cruz speak at a hotel in this college town about 30 miles north of Des Moines. Its crazy. Its a little overwhelming, but at the same time, thats whats made us get out here with the family. This is sort of once-in-a-lifetime every four years. It has reignited my interest in politics, he added. Just being able to hear it from the person instead of getting the media spin is really huge. The couple, who moved to Ames from Folsom, prioritize such issues as strict adherence to the Constitution, smaller government, local control of schools and veterans care. They plan to caucus on the Republican side and were impressed by Cruzs fiery speech. What I like so much about Ted Cruz is that most of Washington doesnt like him and for good reason, said Jaime Searles, 39. Gabe Searles interjected, You got to figure hes doing something right! But they felt it was important to see Democratic candidates as well, given the opportunity and proximity. Anyone who votes should be fully informed, Jaime Searles said. In the fall of 1966, African American activists from the impoverished North End of Flint, Michigan, turned out en masse for a series of hearings on racial inequality sponsored by the states Civil Rights Commission. One of those who testified, Ailene Butler, drew links between the segregationist policies that had created the North End and the corporate practices that had immiserated its inhabitants. Butler owned a funeral parlor not far from a massive complex of smoke-belching Buick factories operated by General Motors. A throat cancer survivor, she spoke at length about the dreadful conditions that existed in her neighborhood: There is a heavy smog caused by the Buick factory, which has been in existence for about 18 years.... The houses in this district are eaten up by a very heavy deposit, something like rust.... You can imagine what we go through down there breathing when this exists on just material things. When asked why she and her neighbors had not simply moved away, Butler pointed out that discriminatory real estate practices particularly redlining had trapped black people in the North End. No matter what their credit is, no matter how many years theyve been working for Buick.... They have no place [else] to go. Advertisement Although the plants that once choked Butlers lungs are long gone, structural inequality and environmental degradation are still twin problems today in Flint, a city now constantly in the news thanks to a toxic water crisis. Many details surrounding Flints latest disaster have recently come to light. Here is what we know so far: In November 2011, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, after declaring that the city was in a state of financial emergency, appointed the first in a series of four unelected managers who have controlled municipal government for much of the past several years. Their mandate was to cut costs and balance budgets. Between that time and April 2015, when Snyder declared Flints emergency resolved and turned the municipality over to an advisory board, the governors appointees implemented a series of reforms they claimed would return Flint to financial solvency. Chief among these was the decision to cancel Flints longstanding water agreement with Detroit in order to join a newly formed regional water authority that had proposed to build a pipeline to Lake Huron. Boosters proclaimed that the pipeline would save the city $18 million over eight years, but it could not be completed until well into 2016. To meet immediate water needs, Flints emergency managers elected to use the polluted Flint River. Since that switch occurred in the spring of 2014, local citizens have complained of discolored, foul-tasting, awful-smelling water. This water, which has made many sick, is laced with toxic levels of lead. According to medical experts, the lead exposures that have occurred are likely to have lifelong detrimental health effects on an as yet undetermined number of residents. As with so many environmental disasters, this one was preventable. Evidence suggests that the simple failure to use proper anti-corrosive agents led to the leaching of lead into the citys water. It has also become apparent that the slow responses of local, state and federal officials to this crisis as well as their penchant for obfuscation prolonged the lead exposure. It would be a mistake, however, to conclude that Flints predicament is simply the result of government mismanagement. Its also the product of a variety of larger structural problems that are much more difficult to untangle and remedy. Over the past three-quarters of a century, waves of deindustrialization, disinvestment and depopulation eviscerated Flints tax base, making it all but impossible to improve or even maintain the citys crumbling infrastructure. Flint which once claimed 200,000 residents now contains fewer than 100,000, nearly half impoverished, more than half African American. The economic prospects of locals are grim. After decades of plant closures and layoffs, GMs workforce in the area, which once surpassed 80,000, is less than 10,000. The hemorrhaging of jobs has produced unemployment rates that routinely reach into the double digits. Among the many forces behind Flints economic plunge were two migrations, both government sanctioned. Following World War II, GM, like other American companies, took advantage of local, state and federal subsidies that encouraged the relocation of industry from cities to suburbs and rural areas. Over the same period, the home mortgage insurance programs implemented by the Federal Housing Administration and the Veterans Administration enabled millions of white Americans including tens of thousands of Flint residents to relocate from central cities to racially homogeneous suburbs. Because lenders and government officials largely excluded African Americans from participating in such programs and categorically refused to issue mortgages in many urban neighborhoods, federal housing policies contributed to increasing levels of racial segregation. These policies also deepened the economic chasms between majority-black cities such as Flint and the predominantly white suburbs surrounding them. Signs of economic distress appeared in Flint as early as the 1950s and 1960s, when city officials began confronting periodic budget shortfalls. Over the past generation, though, as Flints urban crisis gathered momentum, the quality of city services and the state of Flints infrastructure declined dramatically. On the ground, Flints economic troubles translated into deep service cuts, layoffs for municipal workers, a host of new fees for basic services, deferred maintenance on the citys increasingly decrepit infrastructure, and, of course, the state takeover that led to the current calamity. What is happening now is in many ways a culmination of Flints long-established urban crisis. If there was ever a canary in Flints coal mine, it may have been Ailene Butler. When she stepped forward in 1966, she crystallized the tight connections between environmental inequality and social injustice. To be sure, much has changed since Butler sounded the alarm half a century ago. Whereas in the 1960s it was the encroachment of industrial plants upon black neighborhoods that fueled local resentment, Flints current water crisis stems in many ways from the absence of those plants and the jobs, taxes, services and infrastructure they supported. Still, looking ahead at Flints uncertain future, Butlers message seems more relevant than ever. Andrew R. Highsmith is an assistant professor of history at UC Irvine, and author of Demolition Means Progress: Flint, Michigan, and the Fate of the American Metropolis. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook To the editor: Matt Welch should refrain from citing statistics that refute his point of view. For example, he asserts that the American people do not share former New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloombergs anti-gun principles. (Ted Cruz is rightmost New York values dont work for the rest of the country, Opinion, Jan. 28) First, Welch implies that almost every person supports private gun ownership by noting that the domestic number of guns roughly equals the number of U.S. residents. He ignores the fact that at least thousands, if not millions, of individual gun supporters own multiple guns, sometimes more than 100. Welch notes that 1 out of 3 U.S. households contains a firearm. Maybe Welch isnt paying attention, but this means that 66% of households dont contain a firearm. Advertisement In fact, using 2007 statistics, the firearm and household data taken together indicate that roughly 300 million guns were packed into 39 million of the total 116 million households at the time. Not only does this fact not support Welchs premise, it decimates it. Far from showing that most people support individual gun ownership, these statistics show that only a distinct minority chooses to own a gun. Ray McKown, Los Angeles Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook Editors note: The news coverage following the San Bernardino attack on Dec. 2 focused largely on some of the grimmest details. As the coverage continued, many readers wrote to us asking for more attention on the first responders. Among those first responders were the medical personnel at Loma Linda University Medical Center, which has the closest trauma center to the site of the attack and treated many of the shooting victims. Nearly two months after the attack, Richard Hart, president of Loma Linda University Health, and Kerry Heinrich, chief executive of Loma Linda University Medical Center, wrote to The Times to express their gratitude for the support they received in the wake of the tragedy. Here is their letter. To the editor: The staff at Loma Linda University Health would like to express its heartfelt thanks for the incredible outpouring of support after last months shooting. We worked fervently to save the lives of those who were taken to our facility in the aftermath of this horrific event, and our hearts cried for those we could not help. Advertisement It will be our responsibility to encourage other medical communities who must deal with what we hope no one will have to experience. Hospitals including Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, Rady Childrens Hospital in San Diego and UC Irvine Medical Center offered to send staff. On the day of the tragedy, local businesses sent us food and water. Pizza deliveries also arrived from anonymous emergency nurses from Boston and Texas. Over the past several weeks, hospital staff and administration have received numerous cards and letters from members of the local community and communities across the country. Just a couple of weeks ago our public relations office received a gift basket from their counterparts at Mercy Medical Center in Roseburg, Ore., which recently dealt with a mass shooting at a nearby community college. The Medical Center of Aurora in Colorado sent a large banner with more than 100 staff signatures and a note of encouragement from Dan Miller, its president and chief executive. This banner was similar to the one they received in the days following the Aurora theater shooting, sent to them by the hospital that received victims from the mass shooting at Virginia Tech. We received letters of support from children at local schools, including Rialto Middle School, Loma Linda Academy and Miss Parks second grade class. The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors also recognized our staff, creating a non-public gathering of county employees, families and invited guests, including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Each gesture of support came without fanfare. There was no expectation of being publicly acknowledged. No one called a press conference. However, we were so moved by these quiet acts of fraternity and compassion that we wanted to respond to them in the most public way possible. It will be our responsibility to encourage other medical communities who must deal with what we hope no one will have to experience. But for now, we thank those who extended their hearts and prayers to us and to the San Bernardino community during this time of tremendous loss. Richard Hart, president of Loma Linda University Health Kerry Heinrich, chief executive of Loma Linda University Medical Center Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook Kathmandu: Nepal's Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli may head to China ahead of India if the trade "blockade" is not lifted, a top official of the ruling CPN-UML party said on Saturday, making the normalisation of situation at the Indo-Nepal border a pre-condition for the premier's maiden trip to Delhi. Surya Thapa, deputy chief of the publicity committee of Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML), said that Oli is waiting for India to lift its "unofficial blockade", mainly at the Raxaul-Birgunj border check point, which accounts for about 70 per cent of the bilateral trade. "If the embargo is not lifted, the Prime Minister may visit China first, instead of India," Thapa said. The usual practice of the new prime ministers of Nepal is to travel to India on maiden foreign trip. Only Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' had rubbed India the wrong way when he chose China as the first destination of his foreign visit after taking over as Nepal's prime minister in 2008. Thapa said though the Prime Minister has high regards for Indo-Nepal ties, if India does not show any gesture Oli's trip to China as the first foreign destination was inevitable. Preparations for Oli's China visit have been made at the same time as his India visit, likely in the third week of February, Thapa said. Shortly after Oli took charge about four months ago, he had a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who invited him to visit India. That same day, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Wu Chuntai also called on Oli and invited him to visit Beijing, Thapa said. There is pressure on Oli from party leadership not to visit India first, if the situation at the border does not return to normalcy, Thapa said, adding that the situation of Nepal-India relations was "unexpected and beyond imagination." "They are pressing the Prime Minister to visit China first, in case the situation doesn't improve," he said. Recently, Oli told a select group of journalists that "it would not be appropriate for him to visit India before lifting of the border blockade." Except the Raxaul-Birgunj border point, trade has resumed at all other posts. The Raxaul-Birgunj point was opened briefly a couple of days ago, but it was closed again. Nepal was facing acute shortages of petroleum products, medicines and other essential goods due to the five-month-long blockade of key border trade points with India due to protests by Madhesis, who share cultural and family links with Indians. Republican candidates for president hammered one another on illegal immigration Friday in a messy free-for-all as each sought to undercut key rivals in the final stretch to Mondays Iowa caucuses. Donald Trump was 1,400 miles away in New Hampshire, but the issue he put atop the GOP campaign agenda last summer dominated the race as opponents Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Chris Christie, Jeb Bush and others dashed across Iowa. A final flurry of new attack ads on television heightened the unpredictability of the contest, with volleys among multiple candidates risking all manner of unintended consequences. Advertisement Cruz, the Texas senator who is battling Trump for the lead in Iowa polls, opened rhetorical fire on Rubio, who has gained ground behind them. Cruz also started running a TV spot portraying the Florida senator as untrustworthy on illegal immigration. Cruz, whose four stops in small towns put him close to visiting all the states 99 counties, said Rubio broke his promise to fight illegal immigration. Cruz accused him of leading the fight for amnesty. People are tired of getting burned, Cruz said on the Hugh Hewitt radio show. Cruz also criticized Trump, who at a campaign stop in Nashua, N.H. called the Texan an anchor baby born in Canada. Cruz declined to respond to the insult, but suggested Trump had disrespected Iowans by skipping Thursdays debate in Des Moines in a high-drama spat with the event host, Fox News. I think that damaged him significantly, Cruz said. Trump, whose sons Eric and Donald Jr. donned orange vests for a pheasant hunt in Iowa on Friday with CNN anchor Jake Tapper, plans to campaign Saturday in Dubuque, Clinton and Davenport on the east end of Iowa, then on Sunday in Council Bluffs and Sioux City on the western end. In New Hampshire, he said he had no regrets about missing the debate. I did something that was very risky, he said. And I think it turned out great, because Im on the front page of every paper. NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >> Trump appeared happy that Cruz really got pummeled by several opponents, an assault that continued Friday in Iowa. Rubio, for one, accused Cruz of pandering on immigration, ethanol, defense spending and China policy. The list is endless, Rubio told reporters after a rally here in Muscatine. I know were not going to beat Hillary Clinton with a candidate who will say or do anything to gain a vote or raise money. A strong performance for Rubio in Iowa would produce momentum for the Feb. 9 New Hampshire primary and other contests beyond, hence Cruzs new ad assault. You dont spend money attacking a candidate youre not concerned about, said Rubio, who also tried to tamp down expectations. Obviously, Ted is the front-runner here, he said. Hes spent a lot of time and money and has 10,000 volunteers working on his behalf on the ground. We saw his campaign over a month ago talking about how they were going to win comfortably. Were not going to make those kind of predictions. Rubio and Cruz both took hits Friday from New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who acknowledged hed shifted to more conservative stands on abortion and guns and faulted both senators for not admitting to a similar shift on illegal immigration. Rubio did not tell the truth on the subject in the debate, said Christie, who made stops in Johnston, Pella, Ottumwa, Burlington and Davenport on Friday. He thinks hes so smooth about it, and people wont notice because he doesnt answer the question, Christie told MSNBCs Morning Joe. But people understand that, and they get it, and over the course of time well make sure they get it about Sen. Rubio. Like Christie, Bush aimed his harshest comments at Rubio as he stumped in Carroll, Sioux City and Sioux Center in rural western Iowa. As Bushs super PAC, Right to Rise, ran a TV ad accusing Rubio of missing too many Senate votes and abusing a Florida GOP credit card, the former Florida governor himself assailed Rubio for abandoning a bipartisan bill he had cosponsored to offer a pathway to citizenship to immigrants in the country illegally. He backed away when the popularity kind of waned, Bush told a New Hampshire radio program from Iowa. Bush also brushed off the daily taunts he has been getting from Trump. Ive got my big-boy pants on, he said. It doesnt bother me a bit. Mehta reported from Muscatine, Finnegan from Des Moines and Memoli from Nashua. Seema.mehta@latimes.com | @LATseema Michael.finnegan@latimes.com | @finneganLAT Michael.memoli@latimes.com | @mikememoli Join the conversation on Facebook >> MORE POLITICAL COVERAGE Even in boycott, Donald Trump succeeds in winning Republican debate State Department declares 22 Clinton emails contained top-secret information Obama administration is starting in L.A. to help immigrants become citizens Near Bob Hope Airport, the $72.5-million sale of a roughly 58-acre piece of property sometimes known as the B6 parcel is set to close next month, and the buyer hopes to develop the site into a best-in-class business park with office, industrial and retail space, plus a hotel. The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority, which owns the site and approved its sale to Gardena-based Overton Moore Properties in November, voted in closed session last week to set the closing for Feb. 25, one day later than initially planned. NEWSLETTER: Stay up to date with whats going on in the 818 >> The Burbank City Council could discuss in March whether it will consider a General Plan amendment for the property, which is in the heart of a 540-acre area adjacent to the airport that is expected to undergo significant changes in the next decade or two, including a potential replacement terminal at the airfield and a possible high-speed-rail station nearby. Timur Tecimer, chief executive of Overton Moore, said the firm plans to create a special environment that will attract well-paying jobs, though detailed plans are not expected to be made public until sometime after the sale closes. Early conceptual plans show a campus with office and industrial space targeted toward tech businesses, manufacturing and research and development. Formerly the site of Lockheed plant B6, the property has been referred to by different names B6 parcel, Opportunity Site and Trust Property. Tecimer said it will eventually be rebranded with a new name that gives a nod to its history, but the site itself is expected to appeal to a modern workforce with state-of-the-art facilities, transit connections and other amenities. Councilman David Gordon said development in the airport area, including the B6 parcel and other possible projects, could bode either well or ill for the city for decades, depending on how its done. Gordon said hes discussed Overton Moores concepts and vision for the property with Tecimer and was impressed with the developers understanding of its potential economic revitalization and its suitability to the community. The site, Gordon said, has a lot of upside potential. Connections to transit, such as nearby Metrolink stations, will be an important part of its appeal, Tecimer said, and its expected to be less dense than some of the studies of the area had indicated it could be. The good news, Tecimer added: That just means lower traffic impacts. During an October 2013 council meeting, a city presentation of its land-use study in the area suggested there could be as much as 3 million square feet of floor space. Overton Moores preliminary plans call for an estimated 250,000 square feet of office, retail and hotel space, plus close to 1 million square feet of industrial space. Overton Moore representatives are working to incorporate feedback from several Burbank city officials, so details are changing, Tecimer said. He declined to discuss specifics while they are in flux, to avoid confusion in the marketplace. We really want to button down our site plan, Tecimer said, though he envisions a unique campus environment of small buildings with lots of amenities, including walking and biking paths and park-like outdoor areas that will likely attract cutting-edge firms and companies producing high-end products. You havent seen anything like it in the San Fernando Valley, he said. While Tecimer said hes open to discussions with high-speed rail officials, the company cant wait for uncertainties and questions about the future of the bullet-train system to be cleared up. For example, the Los Angeles Times has reported that state officials are reconsidering a 2012 decision to build the first operating segment of the system from Burbank north to Palmdale and may start in the northern part of the state instead. We just cant wait around, Tecimer said. We have a great opportunity to develop this site and to bring jobs to the city ... We have to move forward with our plan. -- Chad Garland, chad.garland@latimes.com Twitter: @chadgarland Pacific BMWs plan to redo its front facade in all white has been shot down by the city, which was critical of the design it called monolithic. The proposal came less than a decade after the car dealership at Brand Boulevard and Windsor Road underwent a $22-million expansion. NEWSLETTER: Get the latest headlines from the 818 straight to your inbox >> Its current frontage is comprised of several different colors and materials that allowed the property to blend in along the Brand Boulevard of Cars, said Roger Kiesel, a case planner with the city. Its a large building, he said in a phone interview. Color and material can help sort of visually break the mass of the building into smaller components. Making over the entire building in white would have increased its sense of scale, according to the decision letter issued by the citys Community Development Department. We thought it detracted and took away from the quality of the design that we originally approved, said Community Development Director Philip Lanzafame. The letter called the would-be final product overbearing, resembling a monolith. Pacific BMW opened its doors in 1982 and, after its major expansion in 2008, the business offered in addition to showrooms 53 service bays. David Ho, president and chief executive officer of the business, did not return multiple phone calls for comment, neither did Rodney Khan, a consultant who was the applicant for the design change. They did not file an appeal to the citys denial by Fridays deadline. The dealership, along with many others along Brand, are among the highest contributors of sales tax revenue dollars to the city. Despite their important role in the economy, they have to adhere to guidelines just like everyone else, Lanzafame said. Our standards are for everyone whether youre a large sales tax generator or a small business, he said. -- Arin Mikailian, arin.mikailian@latimes.com Twitter: @ArinMikailian In 1999, La Canada resident Reg Green published his first book, The Nicholas Effect, with a mission in mind to share the transformative story of how his son Nicholas death inspired both a personal and global mission to save lives. The Green family was traveling in Italy in September 1994, when they were confronted by a carful of strangers who ordered them to stop. Immediately, Green knew something was wrong and attempted to flee. In the chaotic aftermath, he and wife Maggie learned their 7-year-old son, Nicholas, had been shot. NEWSLETTER: Stay up to date with whats going on in the 818 >> Unable to recover from his injuries, Nicholas became brain dead, and the family had a difficult choice to make: Did they want to donate his organs? Without question, the couple decided yes. News of the vacationing familys tragedy, and a painful decision made by still-grieving parents, inspired massive media coverage in Italy and beyond. Today, 21 years later, Green is a tireless advocate for organ donation and still gets daily calls and emails requesting interviews on his story. It always surprises me, the longevity of this, he said. Twenty-one years ago, it was a small death in a place almost no ones ever heard of, and yet it goes on and on. In addition to acting as spokesman for a highly worthy cause Nicholas organs and tissues were donated to seven individuals, most of whom keep in touch Green, now 87, keeps a busy calendar. A retired business writer for the London Daily Telegraph and an avid reader and writer (including occasional guest columns for the Valley Sun), he hikes for nearly two hours daily near his foothills home. After that, its time to get down to work. Collecting years of written musings, columns and photographs, Green recently published a second book, 87 and Still Wandering About, that is now available through Amazon. The book captures, through brief personal essays, the parts of Greens life that exist within and in between an endless cycle of international trips and speaking engagements on behalf of organ donation, to which he has firmly committed the remainder of his life. Musings on the majesty of the Great Outdoors as exemplified by the San Gabriel Mountains, the Swiss Alps or Mount Roraima, a mountaintop plateau in Venezuela, are peppered with quotes or sentiments that briefly lift the veil on Greens exhaustive mental library. In one essay, a morning hike in the Angeles National Forest evokes lines from Islamic poet and scholar Omar Khayyam: Awake! for Morning in the Bowl of Night / Has flung the Stone that puts the Stars to Flight. Another, The Bravest Christmas Gift of All, tells the story of 22-year-old Florida woman Cora Hill, a cystic fibrosis patient who received a donated lung in 2007 only to end up on a ventilator two years later. Deciding to be removed from life support, Hill expressed her wish to donate her kidneys in time for Christmas. Before she died, she was able to hold in her arms baby Taylor, the infant who would receive Hills gift of life. Green hopes 87 and Still Wandering About will appeal to readers of all stripes people who, like him, have broad interests. Im thinking of people like myself, who take pleasure in words and the ironies of life, he said. -- Sara Cardine, sara.cardine@latimes.com Twitter: @SaraCardine The numbers are startling, the reality is staggering. If Californias first-class horse racing tracks are to survive, they are in large part dependent on a third-place breeding program. A track such as Santa Anita needs inventory, and if it didnt have California breds running, it probably would be racing only two days a week. Under that scenario, it wouldnt be long before the track would be turned into a residential or retail development. Or a sports stadium. Doug Burge, president of the California Thoroughbred Breeders Assn., took up the challenge of figuring out a way to essentially bribe people to breed, buy and race here. We have these carrots we put out there to give people a reason to breed in California, he said. Advertisement Among those are a $30-million program of incentives, awards and purses that go to California breds racing here. Part of that is the Golden State Series of 40 stakes races with at least $6 million in purses. Its funded by nomination fees and a fixed 0.5% takeout of all money wagered on the races. If you win a maiden special weight race with a Cal bred in Southern California, the owner gets a check for $17,500 in addition to the purse money. An owner winning in Northern California gets $10,000. The incentives were necessary to revive a breeding program that had gone into free fall after the 2008 financial crisis. It was a nationwide problem but acute in California because it had some of the countrys marquee tracks, such as Santa Anita and Del Mar, which were having trouble filling races. The disparity in breeding in the U.S. is enormous, and California is dwarfed by a state that has one-eighth its population. In 2014, Kentucky bred 47.1% (16,710) of all the mares in the U.S. California accounted for 7.1% (2,518). The top stallion in Kentucky, Tapit, has a stud fee of $300,000. The top fee in California belongs to Square Eddie at $25,000. Burge contests Californias third-place national standing, saying that the state is neck and neck with Florida, although the stats still slightly edge the other way. A major difference is that Florida breds often leave the state, Cal breds dont. If they can run, about 90% [of Cal breds] are going to run in California, Burge said. Kentucky breds are going all over the world. Its an international market. This is a regional market. Burge might be low on his estimate. Saturday is Sunshine Millions day at Santa Anita, with a 10-race program made up entirely of Cal breds and eligible California-sired horses running for more than $1.25 million in purses. There are 88 horses scheduled to run with 988 lifetime starts. Of those, 97.6% (964) of their races have been in California and 84.6% (836) have been at a Southern California track. Only seven of the 88 horses on Saturdays card have ever run outside of the state. One of the most interesting races is the California Cup Derby for 3-year-olds. It was won two years ago by California Chrome, launching his horse-of-the-year campaign in which he won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. California Chrome and Tiznow, the only horse to win two Breeders Cup Classics, are considered the two best California breds. But, when Chrome retires at the end of the year, he will be shipped to Kentucky for breeding. Tiznow stands in Kentucky with a $60,000 stud fee. As successful as the California breeding incentive program has been, the economics point to a glass ceiling. Win too much money and you leave the state to breed. The problem arises if they [stallions] are valuable, Burge said. Once you hit about $20,000 [stud fee], you limit the number of mares that are in that pool to breed to. California Chrome was the result of a $2,500 stud fee (Lucky Pulpit) and an $8,000 mare (Love The Chase). After Chromes success, Lucky Pulpits fee has gone to $7,500. As for Love The Chase, she has been sent to Kentucky to breed with Tapit. The favorite in Saturdays California Cup Derby is Smokey Image, unbeaten in five starts. He is one of six California breds whose owners have paid the $600 nomination fee for the Kentucky Derby. There were 368 horses nominated, 283 of them were Kentucky breds. One criticism facing the incentive program is that bettors are turned off by the number of restricted (Cal bred) races as opposed to open races. The state breeding programs are of a huge economic importance, said Alan Balch, executive director of the California Thoroughbred Trainers. But you have to balance that against what the public wants, which is good betting propositions and the best horses competing against each other [in open races]. Balch made it clear he appreciates the upside. The breeders have done a great job providing incentives for regrowing California racing, he said. We would be out of business without them. We just wish there were more horses to race. Gary Young, an owner and private clocker who advises clients on the potential of horses, speaks to the economic realities of the sport. The break-even point is somewhere around $50,000, depending on the trainer, Young said about the yearly costs of keeping a horse at the track. So, it makes more sense to keep [horses] here and run them in restricted races [for more money against lesser competition] than to take them out of town for smaller purses. Young has a different view of the betting opportunities. With the emergence of superfectas and gimmicks, bettors just want full fields, Young said. I imagine there is more money bet on a 10-horse open race than a Cal-bred race, but Im not sure the difference is significant. Whatever your opinion, the Cal bred incentive program seems to be working on most levels. And the people who must carry out the racing seem just fine with it. The Cal bred has taken huge leaps forward in the last 15 years,' said Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, who will be aboard three Cal breds Saturday. Cal breds are not the same Cal breds of 20 years ago. Its a great investment. I dont even look to see if its a Cal bred or Kentucky bred when Im climbing on one because we have some good ones. john.cherwa@latimes.com Twitter: @jcherwa Thousands of people filled Romes Circus Maximus on Saturday to protest a proposal to legally recognize same-sex civil unions in Italy, the only county in Western Europe not to do so. Around 1,500 buses were chartered from across Italy to bring the protesters, who filled the ancient Roman chariot racing arena. Parents pushed strollers, Roman Catholic priests were out in force, and people waved balloons and banners, including one that read, No to the Gaystapo, a reference to the Nazi Gestapo. Organizers claimed 2 million people attended the Family Day rally, although the site is known to hold far fewer than a million. Advertisement The figures are important. Italian politicians pay close attention to such events and have been known to change their positions on legislation, depending on how many people show up. Supporters of the bill also have been making themselves heard, staging a series of demonstrations across Italy last weekend. Prime Minister Matteo Renzis government opted to delay the start of voting on the proposed legal changes in the Italian Senate originally planned for Thursday until after Saturdays rally, and politicians are likely to argue for days about the true turnout. Renzi has made legalizing same-sex civil unions a centerpiece of his legislative program, spurred in part by pressure from the European Court of Human Rights. But the bill has divided the premiers supporters. His interior minister, Angelino Alfano, received the organizer of Saturdays rally, Massimo Gandolfini, at his office before the event and tweeted, Full support for the objectives of the demonstration. Speakers at the Circus Maximus were cheered as they lambasted the governments proposals. A baby should have a mother and a father, said Lavinia Mennuni, president of Mothers of Italy, a group promoting childbirth in the country. With this law, children have no rights, they are the object of the rights of others. Others in the crowd said they were prepared to see same-sex couples receive some rights, but objected to a hotly debated clause that would permit them to legally adopt the biological children of their partners. Rights for gay couples are fine, if we are talking about someone inheriting the pension of a partner if they die, but having a child is not a right, said Giuseppe Motti, a lawyer. On stage, Gandolfini said he was not prepared to split hairs, demanding that the whole bill be withdrawn. We are not talking about fixing something small, or changing three or four words, he said. The bill must be totally rejected. The resistance to the bill reflects Italys strong Catholic identity. However, Pope Francis has left Italians guessing as to whether he supports the opposition. Since his election in 2013, the Argentine pontiff has appeared to disapprove of the habit of Italian bishops of getting involved in local politics. Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, the head of the Italian Bishops Conference, openly backed Saturdays rally. However, Bishop Nunzio Galantino, who was appointed by Francis as the conferences secretary-general, has been more cautious. In an interview this month with the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, Galantino reiterated church teaching that marriage is between a man and a woman, but he appeared to suggest that governments could recognize different types of union. Asked if a bishop could take part in the Family Day rally, Galantino replied, He can, but he cannot claim that all the other bishops will take part. Father Jules Mimeault, a Canadian theologian who was among dozens of priests and monks mingling with the crowd at the Circus Maximus, said, Bagnasco and Galantino have indicated two approaches to the rally. I agree with Bagnasco we all have a right to be here, including priests, Mimeault said. Political horse-trading could help decide the bills fate. Immacolata Del Gallo, who accompanied her husband, Motti, to the protest, noted that conservative members of Renzis coalition government who oppose the bill were handed ministerial jobs last week. This was clearly a bid to win them over, she said. If the bill passes the Senate, it will go to a vote in the Parliaments lower house, where Renzi has a more reliable majority. Kington is a special correspondent. A boat carrying Syrians attempting the short sea journey from Turkey to Greece struck rocks and capsized at dawn Saturday, causing at least 37 people to drown, among them several babies and young children. Images of dead children on a beach were another soul-searing reminder that Europes migrant crisis keeps destroying lives and families by the day. They recalled the photo of 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi lying face down on a Turkish beach last year. His story put an intimate face on the refugee crisis for people across the world, prompting many to finally grapple with the magnitude of the suffering caused by the war in Syria and the treacherous journeys many risk seeking shelter in Europe. Advertisement By contrast, the heartbreaking images Saturday met a muted response, perhaps a sign that many have grown weary of the unending reports about the suffering of migrants even though the number of people dying at sea is rising. January has been the deadliest month so far for drownings between Turkey and Greece, Peter Bouckaert, the emergencies director at Human Rights Watch, told the Associated Press in an email. Almost every day, more drown on this dangerous journey. Saturdays tragedy occurred when the boat capsized as dozens of people attempted the deceptively short crossing from the Turkish coast to the Greek island of Lesbos, barely five miles away. More than 250 migrants have drowned already this month trying to reach one of Greeces offshore islands, entry point to the European Union and its uncertain promise of refuge from war and poverty. The Turkish coast guard said three ships, a helicopter and team of divers searched the partially submerged craft and surrounding seas for more bodies, as police on shore placed bodies, some 10 children among them, in black bags. Journalists at the scene tried to interview some of the 75 survivors, but police took them away in buses, some bound for a local hospital to be treated for hypothermia and other injuries, others into police custody for questioning. A Turkish government official said that by the late afternoon rescuers had recovered bodies trapped inside the wreckage of the 56-foot boat, which sank shortly after departing from the shore near the Aegean resort of Ayvacik, raising the death toll to 37. Saim Eskioglu, deputy governor for the coastal Canakkale province that includes Ayvacik, said the boat hit rocks soon after it left the coast. There were around 10 children among the dead, Eskioglu said. Four of them, unfortunately, were babies about 1 or 2 years old. We are deeply saddened. Eskioglu and Ayvaciks mayor, Mehmet Unal Sahin, said most of the migrants were Syrians. The Anadolu Agency said the boat also bore natives of Afghanistan and Myanmar. A private Turkish news agency, Dogan, said police arrested a Turkish man suspected of being the smuggler who organized Saturdays failed crossing. The man denied responsibility, telling the Dogan agency that he also had relatives on board. Weather conditions did not appear to be a significant factor in the sinking. The International Organization for Migration says drowning deaths are running at four times the rate of 2015, when many thousands daily sought to enter the European Union via Turkey by reaching one of more than a dozen offshore Greek islands, chiefly Lesbos. The agency recorded 805 drowning deaths of migrants on Turkey-Greece sea routes throughout 2015, and a further 218 this month alone excluding those from Saturdays tragedy. Joel Millman, an IOM spokesman, said the death toll was increasing at an alarming rate. He said it was all the more surprising, given that fewer people are attempting the crossing during winter. ALSO Syria peace talks include secret guest list and possibly theatrics EU police warn of more Islamic State attempts at large-scale attacks Video shows Paris attackers committing earlier Islamic State atrocities Its getting harder to build an oil pipeline in Canada. In 2013, when TransCanada Corp. proposed a cross-country pipeline that would be among the longest in the world, the Conservative Party was in power and the projects approval seemed a given. But the new Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is now requiring pipeline projects to pass a more stringent environmental review, including a climate test to determine how it would affect greenhouse gas emissions. That change represents a major shift in environmental policy in Canada following nearly a decade of Conservative rule under Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Advertisement Vowing to make Canada an energy superpower, Harper promoted the expansion of the oil sands in his home province of Alberta and withdrew the country from the 1997 Kyoto Protocol that sought to reduce global emissions. He advocated heavily for the 1,179-mile Keystone XL pipeline that TransCanada wanted to build from Alberta to Nebraska. Two days after Harper left office last November and Trudeau was sworn in, President Obama denied the companys request for a cross-border permit, saying it would have undercut the global leadership of the United States in combating climate change. While Trudeau said he was disappointed by the decision, he also signaled that he intended to lead Canada in a new direction on environmental issues. Less than a month after taking office, he led a large delegations to the United Nations climate change summit in Paris, where his environment minister declared that Canada is back and eager to negotiate a new global agreement. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this month, Trudeau said: My predecessor wanted you to know Canada for its resources. Well I want you to know Canadians for our resourcefulness. Now Trudeau has turned his attention to the 2,827-mile pipeline that TransCanada had hoped to start building by 2017. Known as Energy East, it would deliver 1.1 million barrels of oil a day from Alberta and Saskatchewan, through Quebec and onto a deep-water marine terminal in New Brunswick. The proposal has become a touchstone in the age-old battle between business and the environment. TransCanada says the construction alone would create 14,000 full-time jobs and generate billions of dollars in tax revenue. The pipeline has the backing of politicians in Canadas oil-rich west. Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi recently said it represents energy independence for Canada. Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre, a former federal Liberal Cabinet minister, along with other mayors from surrounding municipalities, have expressed concerns about the environmental impact. Coderre said the pipeline would produce too few economic benefits for Greater Montreal. On Tuesday, Trudeau said the previous government was more a cheerleader for pipeline projects than a responsible referee. The next day, his government unveiled new criteria for reviewing pipeline proposals. The measures include a climate test that will take into account not only the emissions created during construction but also those from the process of extracting oil or gas once a pipeline is built and operating. Trudeau is expected to provide more details by March on acceptable levels of emissions. In addition, the measures call for more input from the public, including indigenous groups that have long been marginalized in such decisions. The new rules are an interim fix to deal with pipelines already proposed while the Trudeau government works on a more comprehensive multi-year overhaul of how energy projects are approved and regulated. Much of that overhaul will focus on the National Energy Board, a federal agency that under the previous government was handed sole authority to review pipeline proposals at the exclusion of the Environmental Assessment Agency. The energy board does not hold open town-hall meetings. To attend hearing, members of the public must apply and demonstrate that they will either be directly affected by any decision or have relevant information or expertise. Environmentalists have attacked the board for what they say is a coziness with the energy industry and an anti-science approach to reviewing projects. This week, the ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development released a highly critical report that found the energy board failed to track whether pipeline companies were complying with conditions set when projects were approved. A spokesman for TransCanada said the company still believed that it could win approval and meet its target date of 2020 for the oil to begin flowing. The new measures will also affect a proposal by Kinder Morgan Canada Inc. to build a second pipeline alongside an existing line running 715 miles between Alberta and British Columbia. Known as the Trans Mountain expansion, it would triple the daily shipping capacity from 300,000 barrels to 890,000 barrels. British Columbias Liberal government opposes the project and claims the company has not met certain conditions, such as how it would respond to or prevent an oil spill. Dirk Lever, head of the energy research group at AltaCorp Capital Inc., a financial advisory firm in Calgary, said he believes the Trudeau governments new pipeline assessment measures are an attempt at a power gab. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> The feds are desperately trying to take control over resources from the provinces, he said. He worried that stricter rules would hurt Canadas competitiveness in the world oil market. The federal government is also indirectly imposing strict environmental standards on Canadian oil production that crude oil imported from such other countries, as Saudi Arabia, does not face, he said. Guly is a special correspondent. ALSO Kerber upsets Serena Williams to win Australian Open title ESL teacher may have played a significant role in helping 3 O.C. inmates escape Waiting for rain? Heres whats keeping the brunt of El Nino away After days of delay and rampant uncertainty, representatives of the major Syrian opposition group arrived in Geneva on Saturday for peace talks convened by the United Nations and backed by major powers, including the United States. We came here to test the regimes intentions, said Monzer Makhous, a spokesman for the coalition known as the High Negotiations Committee, upon arriving in the Swiss city where the talks opened Friday without opposition representation. Still, it remained unclear whether negotiations would actually take place under a broad international effort to end the almost 5-year-old Syrian conflict. So far, the process has been mired in ambiguity. Advertisement The Saudi-Arabia-based committee, an umbrella group of armed Syrian factions and political dissidents, had threatened to boycott the talks if the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad did not meet certain preconditions, including halting the bombardment and sieges of rebel-held areas. On Friday, the committee confirmed that it would send a contingent to Geneva but said it would only meet with the U.N. and not negotiate with Syrian government officials. Salem al-Meslet, the groups chief spokesman, told reporters Saturday that opposition delegates were seeking some sign of goodwill from the regime, possibly relief for besieged areas, a cessation of bombardments and the release of women and child prisoners. The U.S. government, which backs the talks and has been a major supporter of Syrian opposition groups, has urged the committee to participate in the negotiations without setting conditions. Representatives of the Syrian government arrived in Geneva on Friday and met at U.N. headquarters with Staffan de Mistura, the U.N. special envoy for Syria and chief mediator for the talks. The sessions here already had been defined as proximity talks, in which the different sides would remain in separate rooms while U.N. officials shuttled between them. U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry has said that having opposing groups staring or shouting at each other across a table would not be productive. The Syrian talks originally were set to begin Monday but were pushed back to Friday amid uncertainty about who would represent the fragmented Syrian opposition, which ranges from hardcore Islamist fighters to peaceful secular dissidents inside and outside Syria. Russia, a key ally of the Assad government, has objected to the participation of some members of the Saudi-based opposition coalition. Moscow has labeled as terrorists a pair of armed factions Ahrar al Sham and Jaish al Islam that are part of the coalition. Still, it appears that the umbrella group has emerged as the principal opposition bloc here. While facing international pressure to participate in the talks, the opposition coalition also must contend with considerable sentiment inside its ranks against making concessions to the Assad government and its allies, Russia and Iran. Since September, Russian air power has helped turn the tide of battle in favor of the government, which has made significant advances in the run-up to the Geneva talks. Iran has provided military advisors and Shiite Muslim militia to aid the Syrian army, which is overstretched and fighting on many fronts. The talks here, sometimes called Geneva 3, follow two earlier rounds of negotiations that collapsed in 2014 amid heated disagreement about the future of the Syrian president. Then, as now, the opposition has insisted that Assad must leave office as part of any transition process in Syria. The government and its allies say it is up to the Syrian people to decide Assads fate in a fair election. In the last two years, much has changed in the geopolitical backdrop to the Syrian conflict. The Obama administration has shifted its priorities from pushing Assad out of office to defeating Islamic State, the Al Qaeda breakaway group that emerged from the chaos in Syria and has grabbed huge chunks of territory there and in neighboring Iraq. The U.S. is leading a multinational coalition that is carrying out airstrikes against Islamic State targets in both countries. Meanwhile, the flow of refugees from Syria has fueled a migrant crisis in Europe, bringing calls from European leaders to find a political solution to the war. The U.N. plan for the peace talks envisions an 18-month timetable for a political transition in Syria, including the drafting of a new constitution and U.N.-backed elections. However, many consider the timetable optimistic considering the deep fractures in Syrian society. In Geneva, where the international media has arrived in force to cover the talks, journalists crowded into the lobby of the hotel where opposition delegates were reported to be staying. Reporters eyed every approaching car closely, only to be disappointed when bewildered hotel guests emerged instead of opposition members, who reportedly were delayed at the airport because of visa issues. Security guards assigned to opposition delegates seemed equally uninformed, flitting between the hotel bar and the lobby. When asked whether they had any idea when the delegation would arrive, one bodyguard responded with a curt, If I knew, I wouldnt tell you. Bulos is a special correspondent. Twitter: @mcdneville ALSO Syria peace talks get off to rocky start in Geneva At least 35 drowned as migrant boat capsizes off Turkey Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Paris to court investors Canada has expressed its plan to eliminate visa requirements for Mexican citizens during a meeting with foreign ministers including Mexico's Foreign Affairs Secretary Claudia Ruiz Massieu. Vanguardia reported that Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Stephane Dion revealed the visa requirement will be removed after its imposition six years ago. The visa requirement, as per the minister, "will be removed, finite, kaput." However, Mexico News Daily mentioned that the promise from Canada remains a promise since no date has been announced yet. Looking back, the requirement was implemented during the leadership of Stephen Harper in 2009. The same report said this affected the relationship between the two countries and created a diplomatic rift. Wall Street Journal noted that Canada resorted with the decision in the past to prevent having false refugee claims from the South American country. It also noted that business leaders in Canada have been encouraging its government to remove this policy since they claim that it hinders a good trading relationship between their country and Mexico. It was added in the Mexico News Daily report that the new prime minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, also promised during his campaign that the visa requirement would be scrapped. Massieu reportedly asked Canada when this would eventually be implemented but the country has not yet revealed the details. Meanwhile, The Huffington Post revealed that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has stressed on the importance of this move especially on the economy of the countries. He mentioned that more than $3.5 billion worth of goods are shipped between Mexico, Canada and the United States daily. "We have to continue to do more... to increase investment, reduce costs for trade, business, travel and make tourism easier without jeopardizing safety," Kerry added. In November last year, Trudeau already promised Mexicans that they can soon travel to Canada without any visa. The Canadian prime minister, during that time, met with Enrique Pena Nieto during G-20 summit held in Turkey. "Justin Trudeau confirmed he has instructed his cabinet to eliminate the need for a visa for Mexicans in the near future," Nieto said, as per Vice News. He noted that it was a sign of a new phase of renewed relationships between Canada and Mexico. It was also highlighted that this measure will end long queues of Mexican tourists at the Canadian embassy in Mexico City. Fernando Hernan, an academic from Mexico, told Vice News that he previously had to cancel an important trip because he was required to get a visa. The rule was a bit eased in April last year when the country already allowed Mexicans bearing valid U.S. visas. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Lahore: Pakistan will soon complete its investigation into the Pathankot terror attack which had a negative impact on talks with India, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Saturady. Talks with India were "going in the right direction" after the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, he said but regretted that the attack disturbed the negotiation process. Read: SIT still investigating JeM involvement in Pathankot attack: Pakistan envoy Sharif vowed that Pakistan would go to any length to uncover the alleged use of its soil in the January 2 attack on the air base in Pathankot by suspected JeM terrorists. "It is our responsibility to uncover if our soil was used in the attack. We will do this and the ongoing investigations will soon be completed," Sharif told reporters here. Read: 26/11 attacks trial is test of Pakistans sincerity, says India The terrorists were being defeated and in desperation, they were carrying out isolated acts to make their presence felt, he said, adding that the remaining ones will also be eliminated. Zika Virus Symptoms, Treatment & Update: 31 People Infected in US; Vaccine Underway media@latinoshealth.com By Staff Jan 30, 2016 06:40 AM EST At least 31 people have been infected with the mosquito-borne Zika virus in the United States. All these victims reportedly contracted the disease after travelling to affected countries. Three of them are pregnant, ABC News detailed. Recently, the virus has been linked to a birth defect called microcephaly. Over 4,000 cases of microcephaly were recorded in Brazil alone. The 31 Zika cases in the US were recorded in 11 states and in Washington, D.C. A 32nd case in Hawaii has yet to be confirmed. The 11 US states are: Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Florida, California, Oregon, New York, New Jersey, Minnesota, Illinois, and Massachusetts (via CNN). No local transmission of the virus has been reported. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are more than 20 countries/territories where Zika transmission is active -- Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, Suriname, U.S. Virgin Islands, Venezuela, Samoa, and Cape Verde. CDC says more Zika cases among travelers are expected and local transmission in some US states can also happen. The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday announced that an International Health Regulations Emergency Committee will meet on Monday (February 1) "to ascertain whether the outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern." "WHO's Regional Office for the Americas (PAHO) has been working closely with affected countries since May 2015. PAHO has mobilized staff and members of the Global Outbreak and Response Network (GOARN) to assist ministries of health in strengthening their abilities to detect the arrival and circulation of Zika virus through laboratory testing and rapid reporting," the statement read. The Zika virus is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. The first Zika virus outbreak was recorded in 2007. Zika symptoms are very similar to that of dengue and chikungunya -- fever, skin rash, conjunctivitis, muscle pain and headache. These symptoms usually last for several days or a week. People with the following symptoms are advised to rest, drink fluids, and take medicines that can relieve pain and fever. All people diagnosed with Zika virus are asked to avoid mosquito bites to hinder the spread of the disease. While there is still no vaccine available for Zika infection, WHO stressed that it will "prioritize the development" of such treatment. Reuters reported that Zika vaccines can be available "before year-end". If a human testing in August turns out to be successful, says Gary Kobinger of Inovio Pharmaceuticals, then the Zika vaccine could be available as early as October or November. Learn more about the Zika virus: Subscribe to the latinos health newsletter! HIV cure sees bleak future as one key drug fails to fight the development of the disease. According to BBC, in a comparative research that analyzes the effect of the Tenofovir drug between HIV patients in Africa and Europe, the drug consistently lost its effect on African patients by 60 percent and to European patients by 20 percent. The research's lead author Dr. Ravi Gupta faults the Tenofovir's effect to the patient's inability to take the drug on a regular basis with the right amount of dosage. In his statement, he said, "If the right levels of the drug are not taken, as in they are too low or not regularly maintained, the virus can overcome the drug and become resistant." Published on The Lancet, Dr. Gupta's recent findings on the effect of Tenofovir on HIV patients drew some serious concerns. Tenofovir, in past studies, is believed to be the one drug that has the lowest rate of being prone to drug resistance. BBC reported that, the research started in 2012 and sought the involvement of at least 2,000 HIV patients all over the world. The prevalence of HIV patients resisting the supposed effect of Tenofovir showed mostly on patients from numerous African countries. To properly address the issue, Dr. Gupta suggested global awareness and more financial support on the research. He said, "Tenofovir is a critical part of our armamentarium against HIV, so it is extremely concerning to see such a high level of resistance to this drug." In a report by Reuters, Dr. Gupta revealed the two ways a patient can become resistant from Tenofovir: when a person fails to take the right amount of Tenofovir specified by a doctor or when infected by someone who is already resistant to the virus. Tenofovir is largely used to control or prevent the development of HIV as well as hepatitis B. In a statement given by Dr. Gupta, he said, "The availability of second-line drugs is increasing, but they're quite a bit more expensive and have more side effects associated with them." Dr. Robert Shafer of Standford University in California also believes that if a patient develops resistance to the drug, it is considered as a "very large loss." The patient's immune system during the primary stage of taking the Tenofovir also tells something about the issue on the drug-resistant HIV. A Brazilian judge wants to authorize abortions for women whose children are likely to be stillborn due to microcephaly, a birth defect whose occurrence has skyrocketed in the country and experts belief might be linked to the recent outbreak of the Zika virus. Jesseir Coelho de Alcantara, a judge and law professor in the central Brazilian state of Goias, told BBC Brasil that such procedures needed to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. "If there were to occur a request from a pregnant women, in the case of a pregnancy with microcephaly and Zika (and) with medical proof that that baby would not be born alive," the judge hypothesized, "then yes, we would authorize and abortion." Brazil's Strict Abortion Restrictions In theory, Brazilian law only allows prematurely ending a pregnancy if the life of the woman is in danger or if the petitioner's pregnancy is the result of rape. But Coelho de Alcantara has previously permitted a series of legal abortions for mothers expecting babies with anencephaly, another serious serious birth defect, BBC Brasil noted. Brasilia University law professor Debora Diniz, meanwhile, told the BBC the disease disproportionately affected the poor. "It is important to remember, when we talk about abortion and reproductive rights in general, that we have a social class split in Brazil -- wealthy women will access safe abortion, legal or illegal, and poor women will go to the illegal market or continue to be pregnant," Diniz explained. 'We are All Worried,' Brazilian Leader Says While medical experts have not yet been able to positively establish a link between Zika and microcephaly, the number of babies born with the congenital condition has prompted international health warnings, including a recommendation from the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention to avoid travel to Brazil and other countries affected by the Zika outbreak. During a state visit to Ecuador, meanwhile, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff on Jan. 28 called on the entire continent to step up efforts to help rein in the Zika outbreak, Folha de S.Paulo reported. "We in this region of the world are all worried about the Zika virus," Rousseff admitted. "(Ecuadorian) President Rafael Correa, the president of Colombia, we are all worried," the Brazilian leader assured. The Obama administration and some Democratic leaders stepped up in defense of the federal government's controversial deportation raids, which critics say are unfairly targeting Central American families. As previously reported, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has apprehended 121 undocumented mothers and children in Georgia, North Carolina and Texas since Jan. 2. As a result, these raids have fueled pandemic fear within Latino communities and sparked nationwide protests. On Thursday, Vice President Joe Biden defended the White House deportation policies during the Democrats' annual issues retreat in Baltimore, Maryland, reports The Hill. He also told House Democrats at the convention that the administration did not conduct widespread raids on undocumented Central Americans, according to Democrats in attendance. "What was being reported was there were widespread raids. There weren't raids," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi while relaying Biden's message. "They were individuals who had broken the law in other than ways - other than [legal] status -- or were newcomers to the country," the Democratic leader told reporters. Pelosi also said she empathizes with the concerns of her fellow lawmakers. "I associate myself with my colleagues who have expressed concern about this," she said. Still, she echoed the administration's position and noted that less than 100 of those detained have been deported. "It's also a message to Central America that it's better if we could adjudicate these cases [so] these people can have their due process there," Pelosi said. Rep. Xavier Becerra, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, also sympathized with the administration's tough position. "What the vice president made clear is that they're trying to do this in not just a constructive and legal way, but they're trying to do it in a humane way," said the California rep. "He did stress the administration's position, that they feel that they have an obligation to carry out the laws, even within a broken immigration system, as best they can. And while there may be some differences exactly how it'd be best to do that, I think he was very passionate, and very constructive in explaining what the administration is trying to do given the constraints they have with a rebellious Congress." According to immigrant rights advocates, the government is targeting immigrants who illegally crossed the border in a desperate attempt to escape ongoing violence in Central American countries like El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. Following the raids, over 140 House Democrats wrote a letter urging President Barack Obama to stop detaining and deportation these immigrants. They say that sending them back to their home countries -- which are riddled with government corruption and drug violence -- would put their lives at risk. Senate Democrats and all three 2016 Democratic candidates have also pushed the Obama administration to halt the arrests and scheduled deportations. One of three inmates who escaped from a maximum-security jail in Southern California a week ago has turned himself in to authorities. California officials announced Friday that 43-year-old Bac Duong was taken into custody after surrendering to law enforcement shortly before noon, said Orange County Sheriff's spokeswoman Sandra Hutchens at a news conference, according to Reuters. The other two suspects, 37-year-old Hossein Nayeri and 20-year-old Jonathan Tieu, remained at large as of Friday afternoon. The men escaped from the Orange County Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana last Friday by cutting through half-inch steel bars and used plumbing tunnels to access an unsecured roof, reported The Chicago Tribune. They then used a makeshift rope to rappel from the roof to the ground. In addition, Jeff Hallock, a Lieutenant at the Orange County Sheriff's Department, announced the arrest of a community college instructor, who began teaching at the jail in July. The instructor allegedly assisted in the escape by providing the inmates with Google Maps information, reports CNN. Officials say Nooshafarin Ravaghi, 44, befriended one of the fugitives and taught English to Nayeri, the presumed mastermind of the jailhouse getaway. However, Ravaghi, who teaches at the Rancho Santiago Community College in Orange County, is just one of about 10 people arrested in connection with the escape within the past week, Hallock said. Nayeri faces charges for kidnapping, aggravated mayhem, torture and burglary. He has been in custody since September 2014. Tieu is accused of murder, shooting at an inhabited home, gang activity and attempted murder. He was held on a $1 million bail and had been in custody since October 2013. Duong also faces a host of charges, the most serious being attempted murder. He was taken into custody last month and held without bail due to an immigration hold. Ubisoft's hit video game, Assassin's Creed, has been a fantastic one for old and new gamers, and after news, that there'll be a film adaptation, many expressed their excitement. With this, Michael Fassbender already gave hints on what they should expect with his character. Meanwhile, the film just wrapped out filming activities. Assassin's Creed film will surely take up massive viewers on its premier as it was hailed among one of the best video games made, and now, the lead actor already shared insights regarding his character. According to Movie News Guide, Michael Fassbender recently gave interesting details about Callum Lynch. Fassbender plays two roles in the film, primarily as Callum Lynch and his ancestor, Aguilar. The actor described his the former as an "outsider who has become a little lost" adding that he's been institutionalized since his early teens. He added that the character is a lost soul of various sorts. After detailing these the actor specifically added that Callum Lynch is on a mission to identify his lineage as written by Korea Portal. The article stated that due to Fassbender use of the word "lineage," many speculated that the film will center on Lynch background. Moreover, these hypotheses went on to conclude that Callum Lynch might also be a blood relative from one of the heroes from the Assassin's Creed video game franchise. Furthermore, it should be noted that genetic memories were also present in the role-playing game. Lastly, progress of the film is now in post-production as indicated in Techno Buffalo. The article detailed that Assassin's Creed has just finished filming and is ready to go on to the next steps. Head content of the franchise, Azaiza Aymar already posted a photo on Twitter confirming the news. The picture includes a group photo of the whole production team for the anticipated Assassin's Creed film. Assassin's Creed is the upcoming adaptation film of Ubisoft's video game which stars Michael Fassbender. The film updates involve the emphasis on lead characters, Callum Lynch's, background story which is due to Fassbender comments. Moreover, the film is now on post-production after the head of franchise detail it thru the photo. The Assassin's Creed film is set to hit the big screens on December 24, 2016. Former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo's war crimes trial opened Thursday at the International Criminal Court. He denied charges of planning "unspeakable violence" after losing the election in 2010 leaving 3,000 people dead. Reuters reported that War crimes prosecutors accused Gbagbo of orchestrating post-election violence, such as murder and gang rape, to stay in power. This plunged the country into civil war. The 70-year-old ex-president pleaded not guilty to the all the allegations. His co-accused, ex-militia leader Cherles Ble Goude, 44, also denied allegations slapped at him, which includes attempted murder, murder, persecution, and rape. According to BBC, prosecutors accused Ble Goude as Gbagbo's spin doctor, interpreting every news in favour of their political party. He even resorted to give himself the moniker, "the street general." Chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said that during the peaceful rally in Abidjah, one woman was detained for three days, where Bensouda said police officers gang-raped the woman. The Star wrote that Presiding Judge Cuno Tarfusser said he will not allow the trial to become a political grandstanding. Hundreds of Gbagbo supporters convened outside of the court when the hearing started. They demanded the release of their former president, saying he was only a victim of former France colonial power and neo-colonial ideologies. Some of the ex-president's supports argue that the court is selective in its prosecutions. Gbagbo lead the country into civil war after refusing to step down as president in 2010. He was beaten by Alassane Ouattara. Rival forces fought in a bloody clash from 2010 to 2011. Gbagbo was later on arrested in April 2011 and was extradited to The Hague. The trial in The Hague, Netherlands, is expected to reach up to four years. It will be the biggest trial for the International Criminal Court since it convicted two Congolese warlords ever since the court's establishment in 2002. A Navy Commander alleged of diverting ships to Asian ports for a Malaysian contractor who is offering prostitution services and other gifts pleaded guilty to bribery charges this Thursday. With that, this is marked as the eight conviction in the massive scandal case. According to Dailymail UK, Michael Misiewicz is known as one of the top ranking Naval officials to be accused in a massive scandal, which is centered on businessman Leonard Francis, also known as "Fat Leonard". "Fat Leonard" has revealed to providing an exhaustive list of gifts in exchange for classified information that helped his company Glenn Defense Marine Asia Ltd. overbill the Navy by at least $20 million. Misiewicz allegedly accepted the theater tickets, prostitution services and other items as gifts, according to the criminal complaint. Moreover, the naval officer provided ship routes to Francis and then they moved ships, diverting them to Pacific ports with lax oversight where GDMA submitted fake tariffs and other fees, prosecutors said via Star Advertiser. However, Misiewicz's defense lawyers claimed in a statement that Misiewicz regrets his actions from the beginning of the year 2011 up to 2012. They also added that they plan to show at his sentencing hearing that this was an "extreme departure from his otherwise distinguished and honorable 30 plus year career." Only one defendant of the nine listed in the case is still fighting for the charges given to them. And prosecutors stated that the investigation still is ongoing and there could be more arrests. In 2010, the naval officer was the center of attention when he made an emotional return as a U.S. Naval Commander to his native land Cambodia. The officer reported to have been rescued as a child from the violence of the Khmer Rouge and adopted by an American woman. His homecoming was extensively covered by international media outlets, as reported by ABC News. Meanwhile, the Navy Commander now faces up to 20 years in prison if sentenced to the maximum amount for both charges. But then, he is still provided with a sentencing hearing set on April 29. Don't you think it is a bit risky to assume what someone thinks and why? You better stick with your own thoughts instead of guessing about mine. I really don't care that much about the founding fathers, because they were only humans just like us and they did not know everything. However, they are the product of the Enlightenment, which occurred because of discovering ancient Greek and Roman documents and a total fascination with Egypt and lost knowledge. That is what we have to turn to understand democracy, not just a US document written by a handful of humans. They made some serious errors as humans do. Tocqueville spoke of some of them in 1830 like the military and government being too close. More important to understanding the moment is knowledge of the Prussians and Germans, and understanding that Bush's and Hitler's New World Order and Eisenhower's Military Industrial Complex are the same thing. This is best when it goes with knowledge of mineral resources and the most likely destiny of nations based on the nation's mineral resources. I wouldn't be here if I didn't enjoy arguments that motivate me to get more information and improve my own agruments, but please, use your thoughts and don't attempt to guess what mine is. Explain The global presence of multinational industries like Monsanto and Halliburton do not equal the industrial base upon which millions of families need to depend. These multinational companies depend on the military force that is the burden of common folks who pay taxes, and the value of the dollar that our consumer populations supports as we go deeper in debt. These multinational companies that depend on us, are the 1% that now owns not only most of our national wealth but increasingly the wealth of the world, and bring upon us things like the attack on the Military Industrial Complex we know as the World Trade Organization and Pentagon and their tie with our government. Greenspan and indeed most economist support and economic growth that is hurting not only US citizens but farmers and communities around the world, and all those places where mining and oil operations are exploiting resources while leaving the people with a destroyed environment, pollution that is a serious health problem and poverty. What we did to the Appalachia's we are doing around the world and this is not good for the average citizen any where, and we are paying through the nose in debt and taxes for their benefit, while they laugh at our naivety. "Oh Bermie, really cares about us". I want to throw up! Yes, I am sure Bernie really cares about us, and so does Obama. Three whoopies. Unless we realize what has happened and where the power has been put, and figure out a way to unite and come to some basic agreements, it doesn't matter how much a president likes us. One more thing, Roosevelt strongly was in favor of the average person and meant well when he worked with Hoover to give our government new powers. At the time, some warned giving government these new powers was a dangerous thing. They pointed out in the hands of Roosevelt great things could be done for the average citizen, but in the hands of future presidents, we could regret our government having these new powers. Their warning has proven serious problem for us. Fascism began in Italy as an economic system to benefit workers. It now sooner was in place when industry took the seats of power and these new government powers proved to be a nightmare for the worker. Hum, they didn't have the Prussians expertise in organization. But now we have it all. LANSING, MI -- Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder today signed a replacement emergency manager law that he says improves upon the version that voters rejected less than two months ago. Like its predecessor, Public Act 436 of 2012 allows the state to intervene in financially struggling municipalities and school districts. But unlike Public Act 4 of 2011, the new law allows local officials to choose between four different forms of intervention: A consent agreement, chapter 9 bankruptcy, mediation or emergency manager. "This legislation demonstrates that we clearly heard, recognized and respected the will of the voters," Snyder said in a statement announcing the signing. "It builds in local control and options while also ensuring the tools to protect communities and school districts' residents, students and taxpayers." Michigan voters repealed the state's old emergency manager law by rejecting Proposal 1 on the November ballot. Critics said the "draconian" law went too far by allowing state-appointed emergency managers to usurp local control and break collective bargaining agreements . The new law, which includes an appropriation making it immune to referendum, also allows emergency managers to break union contracts if negotiations fail, a controversial power typically reserved for municipal bankruptcy proceedings. Jan 29, 2016, 3:28pm ET Daihatsu becomes wholly-owned Toyota subsidiary Toyota wants the small-car company to develop into a global brand. Toyota has fully acquired subsidiary Daihatsu, setting the stage for deeper collaboration between both companies. Claimed to be Japan's oldest automaker, Daihatsu is already majority owned by Toyota. The latter company will acquire the remaining minority stake in a share exchange, expected to be worth around $3 billion USD. "The purpose of the agreement is to develop ever-better cars by adopting a unified strategy for the small car segment, under which both companies will be free to focus on their core competencies," Toyota said in a statement. "Ultimately, this will help Daihatsu and Toyota to attain their joint goal of achieving sustainable growth." The brands will continue to engage in 'friendly competition' and maintain separate management structures, but with a shared strategy that could benefit from co-development and global growth. Best known for its minicars, Daihatsu currently sells its own models in Japan and builds Toyota-badged adaptations. The subsidiary is said to have struggled in a price war against rival Suzuki last year, according to Bloomberg. Interestingly, a Nikkei report claims Suzuki and Toyota are involved in talks to form a potential global alliance. Jan 29, 2016, 4:35pm ET Report: Chicago cops intentionally sabotaging dashcams The vast majority of recordings lack audio, thanks to \"intentional destruction\" and officer error. Chicago Police officers have allegedly schemed to intentionally sabotage cruiser dashcams, adding fuel to the controversy surrounding police accountability. The pattern has been exposed by a DNAinfo investigation prompted by the city's release of a dashcam video showing an officer shooting and killing 17-year-old Laquan McDonald. The footage was withheld for more than a year and finally went public late last year, under court order but lacking audio to provide additional context. Chicago Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi initially dismissed the significance of the missing audio, claiming it was likely a simple technical fault. "As with any technology, at times software issues or operator error may keep the cameras from operating as they normally should," he said. The department later admitted that "intentional destruction" may have played a role in some cases. The latest investigation, based on nearly 2,000 maintenance records, suggests sabotage may not be an anomaly. Exemplifying the trend, only two of five vehicles present at McDonald's shooting captured any video footage and four vehicles did not record audio. For the vehicle occupied by the first responding officers, including shooter Jason Van Dyke, a wiring issue had been fixed in June 2014, three months after the malfunction was first logged. Just one day later the system was broken again, due to "intentional damage," according to the maintenance records. The issues appear to have gone unnoticed or ignored by Police Department leadership until questions were raised in the wake of McDonald's death. Guglielmi now claims the department "will not tolerate officers maliciously destructing equipment." Union officials, meanwhile, claim the city is to blame for failing to maintain the equipment. Some police departments have implemented a zero-tolerance policy for intentional destruction or misuse of recording devices. allentown police car Authorities from Allentown, York and the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office arrested a 19-year-old man Friday and charged him in the shooting death of a Allentown teenager. (lehighvalleylive.com file photo) A suspect in the shooting death of an Allentown teen on Monday was arrested Friday night in York, Pennsylvania, according to police. Michael Angelo Rodriguez was returned to Lehigh County overnight to face charges of criminal homicide and carrying a firearm without a license, Allentown police Capt. William Lake said. Rodriguez allegedly shot 16-year-old Trequon D. Wade about 9:30 p.m. Monday in the 300 block of Ridge Avenue. Wade, of the 800 block of St. John Street, died two hours later, according to the Lehigh County Coroner's Office. Officers had been called to Ridge and Gordon Street for a report of a man down when they found Wade mortally wounded, police said this week. The Morning Call, citing an arrest affidavit, reports that a witness saw Rodriguez shoot Wade multiple times following a dispute. Lake could not immediately elaborate on how Allentown police were led to York, where officers from both cities as well as the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office took Rodriguez into custody without incident at 8 p.m. Friday. The investigation is still ongoing, he said. Police have asked for anyone who witnessed the crime to call the detectives bureau at 610-437-7721. Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. TROPHIES Many people went above and beyond to help others in the aftermath of last weekend's record-breaking snowfall. Maria Bryant and boyfriend Jesse Mackaravitz welcome their baby, born in a car on the side of Route 22 during last weekend's record-breaking snowstorm. Plow drivers and emergency personnel worked nonstop over long days, while others went out of their way to check on neighbors and clear their sidewalks and driveways. Considering the intensity and the depth of the snowfall, the recovery was relatively free of accidents and tragedies. Kudos to those who helped make it so. Ten years after his wife Christine was killed by a chunk of ice that crashed into her car, Frank Lambert is still lobbying lawmakers in Harrisburg to tighten laws dealing with snow and ice removal from vehicles. The Palmer Township resident testified before the state Senate Transportation Committee in favor of a bill by Sen. Lisa Boscola, which would improve upon existing law -- requiring motorists to do more to remove snow that can settle on rooftops and become "icy missiles" -- particularly on tractor-trailers. The current law authorizes fines of $200 to $1,000 when flying ice or snow causes death or serious injury. Boscola's bill would eliminate the need for someone to be hurt or killed, letting police cite any driver if accumulated snow or ice is deemed a threat. Lambert credited facilities that have installed snow- and ice-scraping equipment, including new warehouses in the Easton area, but said more needs to be done. TURKEYS Bangor Area School Board member Toni Lynch's objection to the district bringing in an anti-bullying program -- that it promotes homosexuality -- failed to receive a second from the rest of the school board. Administrators who had proposed paying Michael Fowlin $2,000 for his presentation considered Lynch's protests when he aired them at a previous meeting. They went to a local college to observe Fowlin's program, and came away thinking it was worthwhile, Superintendent Frank DeFelice said. Other members and parents said the district, which is facing a lawsuit alleging it didn't act against a pattern of bullying against a student, must address this type of abuse and encourage tolerance. The board voted 6-1 for the program. The phone scams just keep coming. Kathy L. Slyder, 53, of Altoona, Pa., was charged with bilking a Tatamy woman of nearly $3,000 after telling her she had won a Publishers Clearing House prize, according to Tatamy police. Before receiving her winnings, the victim was told she had to send in $300 to cover taxes, followed by subsequent requests for more money. With the help of Western Union and police in western Pennsylvania, Tatamy police traced the payments, verified Slyder's identity and got a warrant. She was as sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $35,000 bail. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder apologized this week for the water crisis in Flint, Mich., and said he will fix it. He also pledged to release emails related to the disaster. His sudden awareness and activism is too little, and much too late. He should resign. Snyder, his appointed emergency managers and state and federal environmental agencies should have prevented the lead poisoning that affected many of Flint's 100,000 residents -- or at least reacted quickly to symptoms in children after the public water supply was switched to cut costs. The corrosive water from the Flint River wasn't properly treated, causing pipes to release lead into the water. Snyder and others failed to act for months after children became sick. Environmental experts should have recognized the danger before it was foisted on a predominantly poor, African-American community. By most standards, the $6,000 Jessica Zakrewski admitted stealing from the White Township Consolidated School District PTO isn't a huge sum. This week PTO officers testified the loss of the fundraising proceeds not only shocked the community, but robbed the small K-8 district of amenities for kids, such as purchases of laptops and microscopes, and activities such as dances, egg hunts and movie nights. Zakrewski, who had served as the PTO's treasurer, was sentenced this week to a year of probation. UPDATE: Phillipsburg police accepting clothes for 3 children displaced by fire Three homes were burning late Friday afternoon as the Phillipsburg Fire Department arrived in the first block of Bullman Street. But despite tight conditions -- the fire began in 74 Bullman St. but homes at 72 and 76 are within feet on either side -- firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze in the adjacent properties, fire Chief Richard Hay explained just before 10 p.m. as final checks were being made on all three homes. Radiant heat from the main fire had caused it to spread to the other two properties, he said. That left 74, the rear of which was fully involved with flames, Hay said. It took an hour to get that blaze under control after the initial call just after 5:30 p.m. as firefighters had to use a large circular saw to cut away brick face to get at the fire in the walls, ceilings and voids, Hay said. The roof was cut open as well and flames were beaten down with water as they tried to lift toward the night sky. "It was a very work-intensive fire," Hay said. "There was a lot of saw work. ... In situations like these you do what you need to do to get the mission accomplished." The building has two apartments and all the residents got out safely, Hay added. No firefighters were hurt either, he said. The close quarters on the block added an additional challenge, Hay said. "It's a very tightly packed neighborhood and it was very difficult moving fire apparatus," Hay said. But the fire department had two things in its favor. First, there is an alley behind the homes so firetrucks could be placed there, better aiding the assault from that side, Hay said. And second, the town on Thursday cleared the snow from Bullman Street, making it accessible to a ladder truck and other fire equipment, Hay said. "If the snow hadn't been removed, the situation would have been more difficult getting apparatus through there," he said. People will be allowed back in 72 and 76 Bullman St., but 74 was "extensively damaged" and can't being lived in; utilities were cut, Hay said. Police will secure the home until the investigation into a cause of the fire can begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, Hay said. Warren County fire Marshal Joe Lake, the county prosecutor's office, and Phillipsburg fire and police officers will be involved in the probe, Hay said. Alpha and West Easton firetrucks stood by at Phillipsburg fire facilities as all of the town's firefighters answered the general alarm on Bullman Street, Hay said. The Easton Fire Department was on standby as well if there happened to be another fire in town, Hay said. Hay was told by other firefighters that a person was taken into custody by police at the fire scene, but the chief couldn't independently confirm that report. The home is owned by Carl B. Wagner of Richboro, Pennsylvania, according to New Jersey property assessment records. Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Political Forums Go Back Defending The Truth Political Forum > Political Forum > Current Events Reload this Page Now The Bundy's Will Bunk With "The Negroes" - Bundys in custody, one militant dead Welcome, Camelot. You last visited: February 1st, 2016 at 09:50 AM Private Messages: Unread 0, Total 214. Home Forums User CP FAQ Rules Community New Posts Search Quick Links Log Out Current Events Current Events Forum - Latest political news and events Thanks Tree104Thanks Reply Page 1 of 16 1 2 3 11 > Last LinkBack Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes Old January 26th, 2016, 10:10 PM #1 Camelot Talent on loan from god Camelot's Avatar Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Ohio Posts: 19,907 Now The Bundy's Will Bunk With "The Negroes" - Bundys in custody, one militant dead On a scale of 1 - 10, this night has been a solid 9.5. First Trump tells FOX to take a hike, now the Bundy's campout is over. Quote: Bundys in custody, one militant dead after gunfight near Burns Source: OregonLive BURNS One militant is dead and the top leaders of the refuge occupation are in police custody after law enforcement officials stopped vehicles Tuesday afternoon about 15 miles north of Burns. Ryan Bundy, 43, of Bunkerville, Nev., suffered a minor gunshot wound and was taken into custody in a highway stop conducted by the FBI and the Oregon State Police. Also arrested were his brother, Ammon Bundy, 40, of Emmett, Idaho, and Ryan W. Payne, 32, of Anaconda, Mont., Brian Cavalier, and Shawna J. Cox, 59, of Kanab, Utah. They were charged with conspiracy to impede federal officers, a felony. The identity of the person killed in the shootout was not released. Read more: Bundys in custody, one militant dead after gunfight near Burns | OregonLive.com blue mesa 1.JPG Bangor residents Jonathan Almanzar and Josh Lanier, seen here Jan. 28, 2016, opened Blue Mesa Tex Mex restaurant. (John Best | lehighvalleylive.com contributor) A desire to bring the community together in a welcoming place and do something positive -- plus a craving for tasty Mexican food -- led to the creation of a new restaurant in downtown Bangor. Blue Mesa Tex Mex opened its doors Jan. 18 at 15 Broadway and is the second food business started in the last year by Bangor residents Jonathan Almanzar and Josh Lanier. Blue Mesa Tex Mex restaurant, seen here on Jan. 28, 2016, opened In Bangor on Jan. 18, 2016. (John Best | Lehighvalleylive.com contributor) The co-owners were friends living in Colorado until 2013 when Almanzar moved to Bangor to be the lead pastor at Hopesprings Community of Faith. Lanier, who was a piano tuner and church planter in Denver, followed him to the borough in 2015 and, in May, the pair opened the Chick'nCone food truck, which specializes in popcorn chicken served in waffle cones. The food truck has serviced multiple festivals and they were approached last summer with an offer to open a Chick'nCone storefront in the Exton Square Mall in Chester County. With the mall restaurant opening Oct. 1, Almanzar was already on to his next idea, which was Blue Mesa Tex Mex. Almanzar said he enjoys the challenge of being involved in multiple projects and has a passion for simplifying difficult processes. While the restaurant is separate from his work at Hopesprings, Almanzar said he brings his faith and his desire to help the community into all of his life. "Our community needs more positive things and more delicious things," Almanzar said. When seeking staff for the Blue Mesa Tex Mex, the owners specifically sought out local youth. They currently employ 19 students who attend Bangor Area High School. Don't expect kids slinging fast food because his goal is to train the teens to be professional waitstaff that you would find at any top restaurant, Almanzar said. "We want to surprise people with the flavor, shock people with our kindness and professionalism," Almanzar said. The owners hired professional chefs but Lanier also helps in the kitchen and both owners had major input in the menu. "My philosophy is using the simplest ingredients to create the best flavor," Lanier said. Each of the owners' wives, Sarah Lanier and Shannon Almanzar, are artists who contributed to the paintings that hang on the interior walls. Their wives have also been instrumental in getting the place up and running so quickly, Almanzar said. They took over the space on Dec. 1, which was formerly the 3 Measures Vegetarian Cafe. In conjunction with Blue Mesa Tex Mex, the group is in active discussions to expand Chick'nCone into a franchise opportunity for other investors, Almanzar said. John Best is a freelance writer. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. A violent street brawl in which members of various members of the Traveller Community attacked each other with steel bars resulted in three men receiving prison sentences at last weeks circuit court. A violent street brawl in which members of various members of the Traveller Community attacked each other with steel bars resulted in three men receiving prison sentences at last weeks circuit court. CCTV footage played to the court showed a 12-minute affray unfolding outside an apartment complex at College Avenue, Mountmellick, on August 20, 2012, in which two men were knocked unconscious as steel bars and broom-handles were used as weapons. Arising from the incident, Hugh Nevin, 18 Silverbrook, Mountmellick, was given an 18-month sentence, with the last six months suspended on condition he keep the peace; Anthony Cawley, Derrycloney, Mountmellick, was sentenced to 18 months; and John Paul Nevin, Blackcastle Lodge, Navan, was given a three-month sentence, suspended for six months on condition he enter into a peace bond. All three pleaded to one count of affray. Garda Tadgh OBrien gave evidence, led by State prosecutor, Mr Will Fennelly, that the incident started after an altercation between four men in the corridor of the apartment complex spilled out onto the public road. It was suggested that an issue had arisen concerning an interaction between a Mr Christopher Nevin, and the wives of Hugh Nevin and Anthony Cawley. There was a suggestion he was making a nuisance of himself and events got out of hand, said Garda OBrien. Christopher Nevin received significant injuries in the incident, which resulted in his requiring ten staples to his head and suffering minor injuries to his arms and legs. In the CCTV footage, all three accused were seen brandishing implements as weapons in the street outside the apartment complex, between approximately 3.40am and 3.52am. Cawley was seen striking Christopher Nevin a number of times with a steel bar, and he also struck John Paul Nevin, after John Paul Nevin was seen running at Cawley swinging a steel bar. Both John Paul Nevin and Christopher Nevin were knocked unconscious during the affray. A number of other people were also present, including two young children. Cawley was also shown brandishing a brush or broom as a weapon, after a Mr Shane Nevin was shown throwing a stall bar over a wall to get rid of it. Hugh Nevin was also seen with a smaller implement, which he at one point threw. As the incident unfolded the participants alternated between outside on the street and back inside the apartment complex, where there was no CCTV footage. The implements used by the men were identified by Garda OBrien as six-foot long steel market stall bars. In interview, Cawley had said there was a disagreement between Christopher Nevin and others on the night, as Mr Nevin was making a nuisance of himself. There was a counter-allegation from Mr Nevin that he was ambushed on the night. Mr Fennelly said there was a considerable amount of drink involved in the incident. In a victim impact statement, Mr Nevin said that he was in an apartment with his two brothers when there was a knock at the door and he opened it to find Cawley and Hugh Nevin, with their wives. He claimed Cawley threw a bottle at him and they ended up at the bottom of the stairs, where there were steel bars waiting. He said he was hit on the arm and the hip, which left him feeling weak. They got me outside and tried to kill me, he said. Tony (Cawley) kept hitting me, he hit me on the ground on the chest with a stall bar Ive been in fear since, in case he attacks me again. I never had any problems with them in my life. He said that his brother, John Paul Nevin came down to try to defend him, and John Paul Nevin hit Cawley to defend Christopher Nevin. In interview, John Paul Nevin told gardai: I was saving my brother, Christy. Cawley, aged 24, had two previous convictions; 20-yeaHugh Nevi, aged 20; had 20 previous convictions; and John Paul Nevin aged 34 had six previous. The CCTV portrays a frightening level of violence, and all of them are armed with significant weapons, steel bars, said Judge Terence OSullivan. It took place over an extended period of time. It is noticeable that both Anthony Cawley and Hugh Nevin returned to the scene of the action a number of times. The judge said that it appeared that a more serious incident was avoided by the actions of Shane Nevin and the women in the video, all of whom are shown trying to intercede. He said the incident was at the mid to high range of the scale, due to the fact that it was in the presence and in front of children. The judge accepted that John Paul Nevin got involved to protect his brother, Christopher, which meant his part was more justified by more noble concerns. The judge imposed a three-month sentence, suspended for six months. Judge OSullivan said that Cawley and Hugh Nevin were the principal participants. He said it was an extraordinarily vicious row and Cawley had no form of good character. Remarking that Cawley deserved a three-year sentence, the judge ruled that in light of his guilty plea and cooperation with the gardai he would receive an 18-month sentence. Judge OSullivan said that both Cawley and Hugh Nevin had struck out at Christopher Nevin while he was lying prone on the ground. He said that Hugh Nevin was so hyped up with aggression he danced at one point in the video, and described him as a violent man. He doesnt come before the court with any class of good record, said Judge OSullivan. Im trying to keep a certain amount of order in society, there has to be an element of deterrence in sentencing. He imposed an 18-month sentence, with the last six months suspended on condition Hugh Nevin keep the peace and be of good behaviour. One Duck presents a new dark comedy coming to Longford and Carrick-on-Shannon for one night only! Ruby arrives in Skibberceannaigh, "The World's Most Liveable Community," to a warm welcome from the friendly townsfolk. However, life in this rural idyll seems too good to be true and one night, Ruby comes across a mysterious man with no arms. He tells her that the town discriminates against him and set him arduous tasks to do in the dark of night and Ruby soon discovers that this shocking treatment of her new friend is just one of the town's many dark secrets A large cast explore the themes of secrecy, control and the Irish psyche in this fast-paced and physical comedy-drama. This show, with its original cast, was devised at The Lir Academy with Mikel Murfi It performs in the backstage Theatre, Longford on February 2 at 8pm and in the Dock, Carrick-on-Shannon on February 3 at 8.30pm. Booking in Longford on (o43) 3347888 and in Carrick on (071) 9650828. As if Scottish and UK politics arent enough, Ive long had a curiosity, a voyeuristic fascination with politics and elections in America. Its not just that elections there really matter and have an impact well beyond the US domestic border. Its also the energy and enthusiasm (no matter how superficial or manufactured) that Ive found infectious. Its why I, along with my best mate (and 2016 Holyrood candidate) Alex Cole-Hamilton, went to help Obamas first campaign in 2008. We did our little bit to help the Democrats win Virginia for the first time in a presidential election since 1964. I also learned a lot about campaigning, especially the impact of reaching out and meeting voters face to face along with the importance of continually making your volunteers feel valued and appreciated. That said, as a Liberal Democrat, it was somewhat unnerving to campaign in a place where door to door leaflet delivery was against the law and subject to pretty stiff fines. And so, when I realised I would be in the USA for work during the first week of February, I couldnt resist the chance to head out a few days early and visit Iowa, the state which takes such pride in being the first to begin the process of electing a new president. The caucuses take place in two days and the state Democrat Party has been incredibly kind in allowing me to be an international observer. So Im starting my unavoidably convoluted travels from Edinburgh to Iowa. Its a place thats smaller in size and population than my native Scotland and, lets be honest, it has a somewhat iffy record on predicting presidential nominees. Yet it is a place that will sit firmly in the gaze of the worlds media over these next few days. Im not going to lie. Im almost giddy with excitement * Kevin Lang is a Councillor for the Almond ward which George Grubb represented from 1999-2012. caconservative said: How many president have acted outside of the limits of the Constitution? How many times has Congress ceded their Constitutional authority to the president? How many times has the SC assumed power they don't have? How many times has the government told us, it's for the good of the country, only to find out it isn't? Which is probably why people are looking for outsiders to replace the Permanent Political Class. Click to expand... I am very sure the look for outsiders is caused by the weakening job market for normal people without master degrees, and the lack of affordable housing. Too few people own too much. This is the normal pattern for civilizations and we are near the end. I do not think we can raise enough awareness to change the pattern that civilizations fall. But it is fun to learn history by experiencing it. Until now the break down of Rome as not understandable to me, but now it makes perfect sense. I don't think anyone competing for the presidency would kill Trump or anyone else, but now we can see, the breakdown in government and social/economic problems that Rome had to deal with. Inequality breeds discontent and lack of economic security breeds anxiety.Clearly not everyone wants to be a college graduate, and parents do not like the stress they feel, afraid their children won't do well if they don't ace math classes. The masses want good paying factory jobs and security for their families. Bernie understands where they are coming from because he lived the frightening reality of poverty, but I think we question if knows what Trump knows about getting things done. On the other hand, I think Trump would sell us all into slavery because his bottom line is the dollar. It is kind of like a woman marrying an abusive husband because she wants his strength. In a situation that goes from bad to worse, with no end point in sight, there has been one ray of hope. On 18 January, the Upper Tribunal ruled that three unaccompanied minors and a vulnerable young man with mental health problems, from the camp in Calais, had a bona fide case to be allowed to join relatives already resident in the UK. Thanks to a legal challenge coordinated by Citizens UK, the Home Office has been told to immediately allow the three children and one adult to join their families. Hitherto, the Government had been arguing that, under the Dublin III convention, applications for asylum must be made and processed in France. However, the reality is that the French system is broken, and applications from asylum seekers with family already resident in the UK are not being processed and passed on to the UK. In effect, the safe and legal route has been denied to asylum seekers who have done all that has been asked of them. In a ground-breaking ruling the court accepted that evidence of a written claim to asylum in France was sufficient to prove the children had initially sought safety there, and therefore the court subsequently ruled that instead of waiting for the French Government to ask, the British Government must act. It will now be up to Britain to examine the claims of these specific cases under the Dublin regulation. This changes the nature of the debate. The Government can no longer hide behind the skirts of a broken system, and must now take action to process asylum claims for those with legitimate legal claims to come to the UK and we parliamentarians must hold their feet to the fire. * Shas Sheehan is a Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords. The Manchester Evening News reports that Liberal Democrat peer John Roper, who retired last year, has died at the age of 80: Lord Roper started his career as an economics lecturer at the University of Manchester before standing for Parliament in High Peak, near Stockport, for Labour in 1964. He was elected Member of Parliament for Farnworth in 1970. He sat as a Labour Co-operative MP from 1970 to 1981 and for the SDP for the following two years. His Farnworth seat was subsequently abolished, and he contested Worsley at the 1983 general election, finishing third in a three-way marginal. In 2000, he was created a life peer as Baron Roper. Dick Newby, his successor as the partys chief whip in the upper chamber, said: John was, throughout his life, a great servant to social democracy and liberal politics in Britain. He was a passionate believer in the European project. He always fought for the idea that Britains best interest was working together with our friends across Europe to build a better future for us all. John served as chief whip in both the Commons and the Lords and proved to be a natural in the role. He was a great mentor of mine, a fine European and a widely respected chief whip. He will be deeply missed. MYSTERY surrounds an attack on a dog in its own enclosure in the suburbs last week but a vet has surmised that it could have been attacked by a badger! Marie Rea, who lives close to canal in Rhebogue, said her family were mystified as to how their beloved labrador Billie, who is less than a year old, sustained her injuries. A vet suggested to the owner that perhaps it was attacked by a badger and speculated that there have been several incidents of such attacks by badgers in the area. With cuts and scabs on its nose, Billie was prescribed a course of antibiotics. The vet could not be contacted at the time of going to press. However, another vet in the city told the Leader that in general its a case of dog bites dog, and cat attacks cat and attacks by badgers are rare. Local nature and wildlife enthusiast Albert Nolan said wild animals such as badgers generally back off, unless they are threatened and backed into a corner, though he noted that they are generally gentle creatures, who live in family clans. Badgers generally are fearful of dogs, but the canal along UL is a green corridor for wild creatures. Some people are feeding badgers which is encouraging them to come into the city environment. They are also being persecuted in the wider countryside, so their natural habitat is being lost and they are being forced to come into the city. The good news is that Billie is making a good recovery! PRODUCTION at Troy Studios is ready for a green light following a significant cash injection for the company behind the facility. Troy Studios Limited, which has leased the old Dell building in Castletroy from Limerick City and County Council for the purposes of transforming it into a major film and television production hub, has reportedly pulled in 2.7m in a recent funding round. Company filings show that Troy raised an investment of 1.5m through Fifcon Nominees, based at the offices of law firm Matheson in Dublin, plus a separate funding installment of 604,000 and two investments of 300,000 through other companies and financiers. Planning for the multi-million euro plans to re-fit the former Dell building were given the all clear in December. The refurbishment is understood to be underway following the unanimous approval by councillors, with the intention for Troy Studios to be a fully-fledged leading studio facility to cater for film and TV productions by July or August of this year at the latest. At a meeting of the council this week, approval was given for a loan from the council to a company - 100% owned by the council - called LCO Enterprise Development Limited to "promote the development of a film studio in the former Dell building" to the tune of 7.7m. The company has bought the building and will refit it and has agreed a 20 year lease with the operators of Troy Studios. The principals in Troy Siun Ni Raghallaigh, Ossie Kilkenny and John Kelleher signed the long-term lease agreement to take it over and develop a media hub for film and television production. The trio are also key figures in Ardmore Studios in Wicklow, where series such as Penny Dreadful and Vikings are filmed. Limerick council boss Conn Murray has previously estimated that the facility could result in a 70m spin-off for the local economy, creating upwards of 750 jobs, projections which the council boss stood over when contacted for comment this week. Limerick City and County Council is delighted to be working with Troy Studios in facilitating the company in its plans to establish a significant media hub for film and television production in Limerick, he said. The proposed development presents a diverse range of opportunities for the wider arts, crafts and culture sector in the Mid-West region, and particularly those undertaking third level digital media courses in Limerick. According to planning files viewed by the Limerick Leader, the studio is likely to employ 6-10 full time core staff on site, with up to 500 staff employed during production, which will typically last 3-9 months depending on the project. It is anticipated that, of these, 350 would be full time staff and 150 would be extras on a typical production. Ms Ni Raghallaigh did not respond to a request for comment this week, while calls to a Troy Studios spokesperson also went unanswered. Speaking at the time of the announcement in July, she said that the studio would place Limerick on the international map as a new film location, adding 70,000 sq feet of studio space to the 110,000 that currently exists. The Troy founders identified the need for new space and have the pedigree to attract work, while international studios are also known to be interested in potentially leasing space in the building, a significant portion of which will also be given over to a media cluster of companies providing services to support film and TV production on site. The Troy Studios trio are said to be very excited about the project and the superb site they have signed a lease on. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. In a fiery statement, the Hillary Clinton campaign blasted the bureaucratic turf war that is causing the delay in her emails being made public. The presidential campaign of the former secretary of state demanded the release of all of her emails.Hillary for America National Press Secretary Brian Fallon said in a statement:We firmly oppose the complete blocking of the release of these emails. Since first providing her emails to the State Department more than one year ago, Hillary Clinton has urged that they be made available to the public. We feel no differently today.After a process that has been dominated by bureaucratic infighting that has too often played out in public view, the loudest and leakiest participants in this interagency dispute have now prevailed in blocking any release of these emails. This flies in the face of the fact that these emails were unmarked at the time they were sent, and have been called innocuous by certain intelligence officials. We understand that these emails were likely originated on the State Departments unclassified system before they were ever shared with Secretary Clinton, and they have remained on the departments unclassified system for years. And, in at least one case, the emails appear to involve information from a published news article.This appears to be over-classification run amok. We will pursue all appropriate avenues to see that her emails are released in a manner consistent with her call last year.Each time that the intelligence community bureaucracy delays or holds back the release of her emails, the email story lives for another day. The easiest way for Clinton to get the empty email scandal out of the presidential campaign is for the intelligence community to stop fighting with each other and reclassifying her emails.The sooner all of the emails are released, the better it will be for her presidential campaign. Republicans have spent years trying to come up with a smoking gun email that will stop the Clinton campaign, and theyve got nothing.The Clinton email scandal has always been about the 2016 election. The only hope that Republicans have is that the bureaucracy continues to drag out the release of the emails so that they paint Clinton as being guilty of something. The emails should have already been released because the country has better things to do than watch bureaucrats argue about security classifications.Every story about Hillary Clintons emails is one less story about the issues that really matter to the American people. Jan 30, 2016, 4 AM The dark brown shade (left) and the reddish brown shade of Belgiums 1849 10-centime Epaulettes stamp. The reddish brown shade has a used value of four to five times that of the normal stamp. This strip of five 20c Epaulettes is unique and is the largest recorded used multiple of this stamp. By Sergio Sismondo In the December 21, 2015, Linns monthly, I mentioned determined officials in London early exponents of the adage what is good for business is good for the country who put through a bold and astonishing postal reform that brought down rates, sometimes as high as 16 pence, uniformly to a single penny. In the Jan. 18 Linns, I wrote about equally determined administrators in Rio de Janeiro who, having studied the English experiment, did essentially the same: a postal reform involving compulsory prepayment of postage and the issuance of postage stamps, a reform fully implemented, half a world away, just three years after the English. I also mentioned there were Swiss officials in Zurich who printed stamps for prepayment of postage in their canton in 1843. They were followed quickly by their counterparts in Geneva (1843) and Basel (1845). The Swiss were carefully, slowly, inching toward a national system of posts a lAnglaise. Connect with Linn's Stamp News: Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Keep up with us on Instagram Meanwhile, the subject of postal reform was gaining currency in other European capitals. Business people wanted it, but ministers of finance were afraid of consequences. It worked in London, the largest city in the world; it cannot work in our little city, there is no base for it, said cautious bureaucrats in Brussels. One functionary felt differently. Louis Bronne, inspector of the Central Administration of the Belgian Post Office, sympathetic to the events unfolding in England, was chosen to travel to London in February 1841 to investigate closely the functioning of the reformed post office and the veracity of claims of economic benefits that ensued. He returned to write an extremely positive review and recommended the adoption of all aspects of the system for the Belgian post office, without qualms. Specifically, Bronne recommended the printing of stamps and postal stationery for the prepayment of postage. Bronnes report apparently carried some weight; a commission was set up in great haste by the minister of Foreign Affairs and minister of Public Works to study the matter in more depth. The commission began its work in April 1841 but did not reach a decision, and a report was not forthcoming. Four years went by, and reform seemed to have been forgotten. Hoping to move things along from the sidelines, the merchants of Brussels, frustrated and well-informed, took matters under their wings. They set up a second commission on postal reform, but everything related to reform seemed to stall. Perhaps those afraid of consequences found one obstacle after another to block progress. Two more years passed with no progress. Then, in late 1847, the merchants views were circulated in high levels of government. The legislature accepted the proposals made by business, and on Dec. 24, 1847, just in time for Christmas recess, the Belgian Senate adopted a set of postal reform laws. The three principles uniform charges, prepayment of postage, and introduction of postage stamps had finally become the law of the land. But interminable stalling tactics continued. It took two more years for a decision to implement these laws. Another enactment, of April 1849, was necessary to change the postage fees, and the first stamps were adhered to letters on July 1, 1849. Better late than never, they say. As the commission of merchants had recommended, internal postage rates were in simple and logical progression based on 10 centimes for a single-weight letter sent to a distance of 30 kilometers or less, and 20 centimes for a distance of more than 30 km. Multiples of weight were charged equivalent multiples of these two rates. Thus a triple-weight letter traveling 50 km was charged 60 centimes (a few complications were introduced for heavier letters). It was this relative simplicity that led to the production of stamps of two denominations: 10c and 20c. A widely circulated Royal Decree dated June 17, 1849, announced the issuance of stamps and established July 1 as their first day of use. While yea-sayers and nay-sayers bickered, the Ministry of Public Works granted a contract to Jacques Wiener to oversee the production of both stamps. Wiener was the foremost medallist in the country and had considerable experience in metal engraving. Furthermore, Wiener had already some involvement in the production of these two stamps, because in May 1848 he had requested on behalf of the ministry, and received from the English firm Perkins-Bacon a detailed statement of the cost of every step in the production of the two stamps, from die-making to gumming the sheets, and under different assumptions of quantities required. The price quote was addressed to the Ministry of Public Works, with a copy to Wiener. Wiener received follow-up instructions from the ministry on Aug. 7, 1848, to proceed to London to purchase the recommended printing press for manufacturing postage stamps, and to make all other pertinent inquiries toward adding to his medal-making shop the capacity to print postage stamps. All this he did. For the better part of a century Belgian, British and American philatelists had written that the dies and printing of the first issue of Belgium stamps were made by Wiener. It is well-known that the dies for the second issue of stamps of Belgium were made by Perkins-Bacon, and that the engraver was J.H. Robinson who worked for the widely famed firm, the printer of the Penny Black. Then, sometime much later, a startling discovery was made. There appeared in the market a single die proof signed by H. Robinson, for a 40c red stamp of the same design as the 10c and 20c of July 1849. This find, entirely unique to this date, opened the subject of authorship of the engraving, and spawned an enigma, which still lies unresolved. Did Robinson engrave die proofs for the three stamps? And if not, who did? Belgian students of the matter were forced to consider the possibility that the two dies for the 10c and 20c stamps were engraved in London by Robinson. It has been cogently argued that Wiener, having learned during his earlier visits to Perkins-Bacon and De La Rue of all the complexities involved in printing postage stamps, and of all the possible disasters that could occur any one of which would certainly tarnish his reputation with no lesser a client than the king decided subcontracting the work to the pioneers and experienced masters in London was a safer alternative. After all, Perkins-Bacon had by now printed hundreds of millions of stamps over a nine-year period, and Wiener had printed none. No other documentation sheds light on the enigma. Only one small detail may be relevant: it was said by early philatelic writers that the reason a 40c Epaulettes stamp (as the first issue is commonly known) does not exist, is that King Leopold did not entirely approve of his image on the stamps. A 40c stamp would, therefore, wait three months until the second issue was ready in October 1848. The dies for the 10c and 20c Epaulettes were created by either Wiener, of Brussels, or Robinson, of London. Perhaps some further documentation will surface in the future to clear the matter. Be that as it may, one thing we know for sure is that when these two stamps began to circulate in Europe, there was nothing but admiration. The design soon became regarded as the most attractive of any stamp issued. In my opinion, the design is remarkably avant-garde. The artist did away with the frames; the image of the king appears to be floating in the center, unsupported, and contrasted by a subtle floral design tapestry, ornamental but barely noticed and not distracting. All attention remains firmly on the king. Perhaps this artistic tour-de-force is the reason why these are among my favorite first-issue classic stamps. To say that the design was ahead of its time might be contentious, though one might consider that in the United States, to use one example, all stamps issued between 1847 and 1937 90 years have heavy and sometimes massively ornate frames. The Presidential issues, known as the Prexies (Scott 803-834), are the first stamps issued by the United States that display their subjects without the support of pedestals, columns and adorned frames. For the general collector of classic stamps the Epaulettes present two kinds of problems: margins and postmarks. The margins are tight because the cliches were placed on the plate too close to each other, and cutting the stamps apart must have been quite a headache for fastidious Belgian office workers. Stamps with millimeter clear all around are considered to have full margins. The avid collector may look out for sheet-margin and sheet-corner positions that can have better margins and command premiums. The second problem arises from the assiduousness with which Belgians canceled their stamps. The numeral cancellations, prevalent in the first issue, are usually too heavy, obliterating the effigy, especially when overinked. When the strikes are perfectly inked and accurately struck they are quite handsome. The avid collector should look out for such strikes because, especially in combination with better than clear margins, they place the stamp in a premium category with values well beyond catalog values. There are 136 numeral cancellations, from 1 for Aerschot to 136 for Zelzaete. Amazingly, even the scarcest of these do not command great premiums. Perhaps there is a rich field for study and fun in trying to obtain all the numeral cancellations without encountering punishing prices. For the 20c Epaulette, for instance, the range of values quoted in the Belgian specialized catalog, Catalogue Officiel Belge de Timbres Poste, is E65 for a stamp bearing the commonest cancellation and a mere E275 for a stamp with the rarest cancellation (which is number 93 for the town of Peer). Both problems, margins and cancels, can be converted into opportunities. Looking further, the Epaulettes offer a good range of shades, due to various printings that became necessary. In the two examples of the 10c shown nearby, the stamp at left is of a dark brown shade (Scott 1c), while the stamp at right is of a reddish brown shade (Scott 1a), which has a used value of four to five times that of the normal stamp. Similar ratios apply between the values of the normal blue 20c (Scott 2) and the much scarcer milky blue (Scott 2a) and the outright rare greenish blue shades (Scott 2b). In closing, I wish to underline that there is much to gain by knowing more about the Epaulettes stamps. There are opportunities for fortuitous finds in their colors, in their marginal plate positions, in the range of numeral cancellations, misplaced watermarks, and in multiples, which are all very scarce. And speaking of fortuitous, the strip of five 20c illustrated nearby is unique and is the largest recorded used multiple of this stamp. I found it looking through a miscellany of classic stamps at a Chicago show, which, in addition to this wonderful piece, included a large quantity each of the good, the bad, and the ugly. All images are from the philatelic archive of Liane and Sergio Sismondo. Jan 29, 2016, 8 AM A heart of rose petals is pictured on this $1 stamp in Australias new Love to Celebrate issue. The fashion design house of Courreges created the design for this years heart-shaped Love stamps from France. The pane of five includes stamps with the inscriptions in different colors. A heart-shaped stamp from Poland commemorates the grande finale of the Great Orchestra of Christmas charity. The theme of Slovenias 2016 Greetings stamp for Valentines Day is the writing of love letters. By Denise McCarty As has been their tradition for several years, Slovenia and France issued heart-shaped stamps this year for Valentine's Day mail. While not heart-shaped, other recent stamps also picture hearts. The 0.42 stamp from Slovenia promotes the writing of love letters. The design inside the heart shows a love letter, an ink well and a pen. In announcing this Greetings stamp, Posta Slovenije asked that in this modern day of computers and the Internet, Do you still know how to write a love letter? Slovenia began its annual series of heart-shaped Love stamps in 2003. The 2016 stamp was issued Jan. 29. Connect with Linn's Stamp News: Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Keep up with us on Instagram La Poste, the French post office, has been issuing heart-shaped stamps for Valentines Day since 1999, and many of these have been designed by well-known people in the fashion industry. Courreges, the fashion house founded by Andre Courreges (1923-2016) in 1961, supplied the designs for this years stamps released Jan. 19. Each design shows a heart within a heart and includes the name Courreges. The issue includes 0.70 and 1.40 stamps produced in separate sheets of 30, and a pane of five 0.70 stamps. The stamps were printed with a special iridescent and fluorescent ink, according to La Poste. A stamp picturing red rose petals forming a heart is part of Australia Posts Jan. 25 Love to Celebrate issue. This set of Greeting stamps includes nine stamps denominated $1 to pay the new domestic letter rate and one $2 stamp. The heart stamp is denominated $1. Australia Post said, Love to Celebrate features stamps relevant to diverse occasions, such as an engagement, anniversary, a wedding, birth, birthday or graduation. The designs are also suitable for postage relating to more general occasions or for sending a simple message of affection. A heart-shaped commemorative stamp from Poland honors a charity event, the 24th grand finale of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity. The nationwide fund-raiser was held Jan. 10 to buy medical equipment for pediatric wards and to provide medical care for seniors, according to the charity. The theme was Aim High! and, in keeping with this theme, the 2.35-zloty stamp depicts part of a colorful hot air balloon. The stamp was issued Jan. 5 in panes of five with a sky blue background. Naturally, Irelands stamp marking the 50th anniversary of the Irish Heart Association features a heart in its design. Irelands An Post describes the design as showing an image of a heart over a cardiograph of a regular heartbeat. This 0.70 commemorative was issued Jan. 28, followed on Feb. 11 by a heart stamp in Irelands Love and Marriage series, previously called the Wedding series. According to An Post, this nondenominated stamp represents hearts forming a chain. Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality. This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape. All the posts here were published in the electronic media main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts. WASHINGTON I adore Bernie Sanders. I agree with his message of fairness and I share his outrage over inequality and corporate abuses. I think his righteous populism has captured the moment perfectly. I respect the uplifting campaign he has run. I admire his authenticity. And I am convinced Democrats would be insane to nominate him. Hillary Clinton, by contrast, is a dreary candidate. She has, again, failed to connect with voters. Her policy positions are cautious and uninspiring. Her reflexive secrecy causes a whiff of scandal to follow her everywhere. She seems calculating and phony. And yet if Democrats hope to hold the presidency in November, they'll need to hold their noses and nominate Clinton. Ultimately, I expect that's what Democrats will do because as much as they love Sanders, they loathe Donald Trump more. It seems more evident each day that Republicans have lost their collective reason and are beginning to accept the notion that Trump will be their nominee. And I doubt Democrats will make an anti-immigrant bigot the president by nominating a socialist to run against him. Sanders and his supporters boast of polls showing him, on average, matching up slightly better against Trump than Clinton does. But those matchups are misleading: Opponents have been attacking and defining Clinton for a quarter- century, but nobody has really gone to work yet on demonizing Sanders. Watching Sanders at Monday night's Democratic presidential forum in Des Moines, I imagined how Trump or another Republican nominee would disembowel the relatively unknown Vermonter. The first questioner from the audience asked Sanders to explain why he embraces the "socialist" label and requested that Sanders define it "so that it doesn't concern the rest of us citizens." Sanders, explaining that much of what he proposes is happening in Scandinavia and Germany (a concept that itself alarms Americans who don't want to be like socialized Europe), answered vaguely: "Creating a government that works for all of us, not just a handful of people on the top that's my definition of democratic socialism." But that's not how Republicans will define socialism and they'll have the dictionary on their side. They'll portray Sanders as one who wants the government to own and control major industries and the means of production and distribution of goods. They'll say he wants to take away private property. That wouldn't be fair, but it would be easy. Socialists don't win national elections in the United States. Sanders on Monday night also admitted he would seek massive tax increases "one of the biggest tax hikes in history," as moderator Chris Cuomo put it to expand Medicare to all. Sanders, this time making a comparison with Britain and France, allowed that "hypothetically, you're going to pay $5,000 more in taxes," and declared, "We will raise taxes, yes we will." He said this would be offset by lower health-insurance premiums and protested that "it's demagogic to say, oh, you're paying more in taxes." Well, yes and Trump is a demagogue. When Cuomo said Sanders seemed to be saying he would grow government "bigger than ever," Sanders didn't quarrel, saying, "People want to criticize me, OK," and "Fine, if that's the criticism, I accept it." Sanders accepts it, but are Democrats ready to accept ownership of socialism, massive tax increases and a dramatic expansion of government? If so, they will lose. Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire and former New York mayor who floated a trial balloon over the weekend about an independent run, knows this. As The New York Times reported: "If Republicans were to nominate Mr. Trump or Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, a hard-line conservative, and Democrats chose Mr. Sanders, Mr. Bloomberg ... has told allies he would be likely to run." President Obama seems to know this, too which would explain why he tiptoed beyond his official neutrality to praise Clinton in an interview with Politico's Glenn Thrush. "I think that what Hillary presents is a recognition that translating values into governance and delivering the goods is ultimately the job of politics," he said. He portrayed Sanders as "the bright, shiny object that people haven't seen before." It doesn't speak well of Clinton that, next to her, a 74-year-old guy who has been in politics for four decades is a bright and shiny object. The phenomenon has at least as much to do with Clinton as with Sanders: Democrats are eager for an alternative to her inauthentic politics and cautious policies. I share their frustration with Clinton. But that doesn't make Sanders a rational choice. 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! Food, Wine, & Dining, Family & Parenting, Nature & Weather, Top Ten on Long Island, Community, Charity & Cause, Hot Spots & Night Life, Seasonal & Current Events By Lyndsay McCabe Published: January 30 2016 Whether you are single or just find Valentine's Day to be an antiquated holiday, there is fun to be had without mushy cards or flowers. Valentine's Day is both a loved and loathed holiday, which is what has brought rise to Singles Awareness Day (also known by its tongue-in-cheek acronym, SAD), the anti-Valentine's that points out how the holiday often leaves singles feeling neglected if they don't have a date for that night. Fortunately, there are many alternatives to the traditional Valentine's Day that cater towards singles that are looking to meet new people, or people who simply want nothing to do with the holiday and want to have fun without being subjected to pink and red hearts on everything. Both singles groups and friendly meetups are specializing in anti-Valentine's Day events this year at bars and restaurants. Both plan on being low-key, without speed dating or heavy pressure to find "the one." If you can count on anything, it will be to meet great new people who you may have a connection with, or just love sharing a conversation over a drink! To totally remove yourself from anything Valentine's related, there are also more events happening that Sunday to get you out and about. February 14th is one of the days of the Great Backyard Bird Count on Fire Island, where you will be led by a guide and learn how to identify birds, then count them and contribute your data towards a national collection. You can also buy tickets for you and a friend to see a play, musical, or magic show. No matter how you spend the 14th and the days leading up to it, be ready to kick back, relax, and maybe make some new friends! Make-It: Valentine's Cards & Anti-Valentine's Cards at Port Jefferson Library FREE! 100 Thompson Street, Port Jefferson, NY 11777 631-509-5707 Wednesday, February 10th, 6:30 PM Free event Come make a Valentines day card for someone special, or if you dont like Valentines Day, try your hand at creating an Anti-Valentines Day card! Theo Classics: Love Edition at The Emporium 9 Railroad Avenue, Patchogue, NY 11772 631-627-8787 Saturday, February 13th, 10:00 PM $15 Advance / $20 Door This enormous dance party may be featuring some love songs, but don't feel like you need to be romantically-involved to let it all out and dance the night away! Valentine's Night Cabaret at Sands Point Preserve 127 Middle Neck Road, Sands Point, NY 11050 516-304-5076 Saturday, February 13th, 7:00 PM 10:00 PM $125 per person With a lead who has been described as the anti-Valentine, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder is exactly the antidote to the overpowering amount of love that will be in the air on Valentine's weekend! This special evening will feature the original stars of the play performing some of their most renowned songs. Local News, Travel & Local Attractions, Health & Wellness, Press Releases By Long Island News & PR Published: January 29 2016 Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano, Commissioner of Health Dr. Lawrence Eisenstein, Nassau University Medical Center President/CEO Dr. Vic Politi, infectious disease experts and Consumer Affairs Commissioner Madalyn Farley today cautioned residents of the effects ... Nassau County, NY - January 29, 2016 - Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano, Commissioner of Health Dr. Lawrence Eisenstein, Nassau University Medical Center President/CEO Dr. Vic Politi, infectious disease experts and Consumer Affairs Commissioner Madalyn Farley today cautioned residents of the effects of the Zika virus after a Nassau County resident contracted the virus, issued a health warning for travelers and offered consumer refund assistance to pregnant travelers encountering resistance from airlines and cruise lines. Nassau County residents are urged to heed the CDCs travel alert, warning pregnant women to avoid travel to the 24 countries where the Zika virus is spreading and causing birth defects, said County Executive Mangano. While some airlines are refunding pregnant customers, the Nassau County Office of Consumer Affairs is ready to assist residents who encounter obstacles from cruise lines and other air carriers. To that end, I am introducing legislation requiring carriers to refund pregnant travelers and their travel companions. Nassau County has one confirmed case of Zika virus in a resident who traveled to an area outside the U.S. where Zika virus transmission has been documented. The Zika virus is primarily transmitted through the bite of infected mosquitoes and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a travel advisory for affected countries in Central and South America, the Caribbean and Samoa and Cape Verde. The infection can cause severe birth defects, including microcephaly (a condition in which a babys head is smaller than expected when compared to babies of the same sex and age) and other poor pregnancy outcomes in babies of mothers who were infected with Zika virus while pregnant. Nassau County Health Commissioner Dr. Lawrence Eisenstein stated, Zika virus symptoms are usually mild but may include fever, rash, joint pain, or conjunctivitis. Symptoms typically begin 2 to 7 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. There is no vaccine or specific medicine to treat Zika virus infections. Pregnant women and mothers with newborn babies who have visited affected countries should consult with their health care providers. Nassau County Health Officials are preparing for additional cases resulting from travelers. At this time there is no risk of acquiring Zika virus in Nassau County. Travelers should visit the CDC Travel website - frequently for the most up-to-date recommendations. Pregnant travelers encountering obstacles from air carriers and cruise lines may seek assistance from the Nassau County Office of Consumer Affairs by calling (516) 571- 2600. 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 Kids, remember when we told you to be careful about what you posted on the Internet because it might come back later to haunt you? For the latest example, look no further than the legal charges filed against the people who occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge for the last three weeks. Two criminal complaints unsealed this week against the 11 protesters under arrest show that FBI agents have carefully scrutinized social media postings, interviews and online talk shows that were broadcast from the refuge during the siege that began Jan. 2. Standoff leader Ammon Bundy and many of his compatriots now are in jail in Portland, charged with using force or intimidation to prevent government employees from carrying out their duties. The criminal complaints detail some of the evidence against the occupiers, who thoughtfully left behind a considerable amount for prosecutors to use as they see fit. A day after the takeover began, for example, a video posted on a website showed Bundy saying the group planned to stay for several years. He called on people to "come out here and stand," adding: "We need you to bring your arms." And there's plenty more where that came from: Prosecutors will be able to comb through many additional videos, not to mention statements on social media and a treasure trove of other material. It amounts to a considerable amount of damning material that should make it much easier for prosecutors to make their cases against the defendants. Meanwhile, if you're looking for more serious words to sum up this sad affair, we refer you to the two-minute statement made Wednesday morning by Harney County Sheriff David Ward. We're used to hearing dry and deliberately bland soundbites from law enforcement officials, so we were struck by Ward's emotional statement. And, it seems to us, the points Ward made are worth repeating, and in his own plainspoken words, which gained additional power from the strain his county has been under for the last month a strain that was apparent even in Ward's body language. Ward said he had been talking for weeks with members of the self-styled militia that carried out the occupation of the refuge, but finally concluded: "They had ultimatums I couldn't meet. I'm here to uphold the law." He said he was "disappointed that a traffic stop yesterday that was supposed to bring peaceful resolution to this ended badly. ... It didn't have to happen. We all make choices in life. Sometimes our choices go badly." But then Ward got to the heart of the matter: "If it was as simple as just waiting out some folks down there to get out of some buildings, we could have waited a lot longer. But this has been tearing our community apart. It's time for everybody in this illegal occupation to move on. It doesn't have to be bloodshed in our community. "(If) we have issues with the way things are going in our government, we have a responsibility as citizens to act on them in an appropriate manner. We don't arm up. We don't arm up and rebel. We work through the appropriate channels. This can't happen anymore. It can't happen in America and it can't happen in Harney County." (mm) Scientists are worried about a hot 'blob' in the ocean. Google it and you will find that there are places in the ocean (some around the poles!) where the temperature reaches 400 degrees. That's right 400 degrees. And you tell me my gas guzzler (which it wasn't until gasohol) causes that? The scientists don't know what causes it. How about thermodynamics? Heat rises and so does hot air (global warming) and hot water. Could I just suggest that they look beneath the 'hot blobs' on the ocean floor. I'll bet they find active volcanoes. Just out of curiosity Tie in Summer :D Ballad of Egypt ^^ Sleep? Just after three. :| The pyramids were built around 2550 BC were used to keep the body and the treasures of the Pharaoh, after death. But that leaves researchers with a flea behind the ear is the fact that the people of the place have been able to raise such large structures and resilient at a time when the technology was very precarious. To give you an idea, these monuments are in first place in the list of the seven wonders of the ancient world but are the only ones who resisted, intact, to the passage of timeDo you believe that in some places of Egypt during the year the temperature reaches 45 degrees in the middle of the day? The detail is that, because of the religion of the majority of the people there, Islam, the guys cant even think about getting out of a short and mini shirt. That nothing! The rule is to completely cover the shoulders and knees. Then day by day, a lot of people use the Galabeya. It's like a tunic or dress, usually ornate and colourful, but which, despite long, is very light and fresh. Of course also roll Jeans and t-shirt, as here in our Brazil, but hot just thinking about it, right?And there's more: in schools, did not enter anyone in uniform. In the majority of schools, it is still common for boys are required to wear slacks, shirt and tie. And the girls also wear a white shirt and tie but combining with a skirt.Now, if there's one thing the Egyptians like to do is celebrate. When a marriage, for example, it is expected that the bride and groom walking down in open cars through the city, adorned with flowers and ribbons, as luxurious as possible, before the ceremony. After that, the guests are received by the Zaffle, a group of dancers and musicians accompanying the lovebirds in the local party. When he gets there, the couple sits in Kosha, a sort of throne, because they are considered to be the Kings of the party. It is only then that the guests begin to toast and that happens the exchanging of the rings.And speaking of the party is in meetings of friends that personnel usually serve a snack called Shawarma. It is made with pieces of roasted lamb meat (as in barbecue), salad and sauces, all in a blanket on the flatbread (one round and very thin). It's kind of like the hot dogs here in Brazil: cheap, easy to make and very popular among the guests.Do your parents complain when you want to stay up late? That, in Egypt, even small children can go to bed in the middle of the night. There, the schools and the work does not begin before the 9:30. On the other hand, the classes go until 3 P.M., more or less. Only the coolest is yet to come: Imagine that you take a NAP in the afternoon is a very strong custom in Egypt. So it is very normal to find stores and restaurants closed during this period. The crowd goes home, Fluffs a pillow and get the sleep late. Later in the evening, will work a little more. And sleep when the night is already high, around 3 in the morning. Another curiosity is that, also on account of religion, in more traditional families there is no such history of stay and date, which is accepted in good in several countries. There, are the parents of the bride and groom to arrange the marriage and, until the day of the Party recognised Union, the couple can't even touch. Kiss and embrace, so, no way! Under President Barack Obama, the United States has been fundamentally transformed. From the land of the free and the home of the brave, seven years into the Obama presidency, America acts like the land of the overregulated and the home of the risk averse. In the Middle East, the new America is treacherous, and pathetic. It is despised by its allies and scorned by its enemies. Consider the state of Americas relations with Saudi Arabia. Following US Secretary of State John Kerrys trip to Vienna last week, where together with his European sidekicks he met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Zarif and announced the end of the international sanctions against Iran, the top US diplomat traveled to Saudi Arabia. The purpose of the trip was to demonstrate Americas continued commitment to its chief ally in the Persian Gulf. The deal Obama and Kerry concluded with Iran sells Saudi Arabia and the rest of the USs allies in the Middle East down the river. Quite simply, you cannot be pro-Iranian and pro-Israel or pro-Arab Gulf states at the same time.The Saudis know it. They have given up on America.Kerrys only major media appearance in the kingdom was at the US embassy. Speaking before an audience of people whose paychecks he signs, Kerry insisted emptily, We have as solid a relationship, as clear an alliance and as strong a friendship with the kingdom of Saudi Arabia as we have ever had, and nothing has changed because we worked to eliminate a nuclear weapon with a country in the region.It is a sign of Americas reduced status that no one bothered to question Kerrys ridiculous pronouncement. Seven years into Obamas fundamental transformation of America, no one cares what the Americans say.Americas spurned allies are making their peace with its global self-destruction. But that doesnt mean they arent praying that America will come to its senses. Unfortunately, history cannot wait forever. Time is running out.Incremental change simply will not do. The world is changing too quickly and dangerously for a hesitant successor or one that fails to recognize that the entirety of Obamas foreign policy must be rejected from the outset.And no, although it is impossible to know what tomorrow will bring, the safe bet is that the US cant afford to elect the wrong leader in November. 2020 will in all likelihood be too late.And so, a week before the first votes are cast in the 2016 presidential election, who among the candidates has the courage and the competence to enact a counterrevolution in American foreign policy?Who has the courage and the competence to restore Americas greatness at home and abroad, restoring its stature not only as the land of the free and the home of the brave, but as the most trustworthy ally and feared enemy throughout the world?Seeing as both former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and Vermonts socialist senator Bernie Sanders have endorsed Obamas foreign policy, the Democrats are not the answer.This leaves us with the Republicans. According to Real Clear Politics, 64 percent of Americans believe that their country is going in the wrong direction. An angry electorate historically goes with the party that has been out of power. So the Republicans have every reason to believe that they can win in November.But which candidate is up to the task? Although the field of candidates remains large, the polls indicate that the race today has become a contest between businessman Donald Trump and Texas Senator Ted Cruz. Florida Senator Marco Rubio remains the choice of the Republican elite, despite his low polling, and so must also be considered.On the face of it, both Trump and Cruz answer the yearning of voters for an American restoration. Both channel the anger Republican primary voters feel toward their congressional leadership and party elite which voters believe refuses to fight for them. Both highlight their outsider status.Trumps anti-establishment bonafides are based on the fact that he has never held elected office. True, Trump admits that as a businessman he played politicians and politics to maximize his profits, and so benefited from the worst aspects of the American political system.But, Trump insists, with some credibility, since he is self-funding his campaign, as president he will be able to act against the wishes of the donor class to whom presidential candidates are generally beholden, due to their dependence on political contributions.Cruz is a much different person. Cruz is, to borrow Margaret Thatchers term, a conviction politician. He isnt in politics to make a deal. He is in politics to make a difference.By all accounts, Cruz is one of the most gifted living litigators. If Cruz had wanted a successful career outside of politics, he would have had his pick of top firms and corporations beating a path to his door.In other words, if he had wanted to make billions and be a deal maker like Trump, the road was open before him.Cruz opted out of a lucrative career in the private sector because he believed that it was more important for him to serve his country. Over his four years in the Senate, Cruz has worked tirelessly to block Obamas domestic and foreign policy agenda. He has been Israels most outspoken ally. He has been the most outspoken critic of Obamas nuclear and financial capitulation to Iran and his betrayal of Americas Sunni allies.Cruz has used all the power of his office as senator to fight the Obama administrations radical policies. But that is not all he has done. Cruz has worked with grassroots organizations in Texas and throughout the country to empower the public to stand up for its rights.One of the strangest lines of attack against Cruz has been the claim that he is an opportunist. Cruz, it is argued, doesnt actually believe in the causes he fights for. Hes just doing it to get donations, or media exposure, or votes.But this is preposterous. Most of the things that Cruz has done for Israel for instance, have brought him no advantage. Cruz did more than any other Republican to force the administration to end its ban on US flights to Israel during Operation Protective Edge. The same is true of his leading role in galvanizing opposition to Obamas nuclear deal with Iran.No large Jewish donors have rallied to Cruzs side as a result of his tireless efforts to defend Israel and the US alliance with the Jewish state. Conservative Jewish commentators have lined up behind Senator Marco Rubio, who has taken the lead far less often than Cruz in defending Israel.Even worse, unlike Cruz, Rubio has supported some of Obamas worst policies in the Middle East. These include Obamas decision to support the overthrow of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and instigate the overthrow of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. These policies, which Rubio and his conservative Jewish supporters backed, rival Obamas nuclear pact with Iran in terms of their disastrous impact on pro-American governments, including Israel, on global security and on US national security.In perhaps one of the strangest developments of the Republican race, not only have conservative Jewish commentators lined up behind Rubio, they have directed inordinate ferocity and hatred toward Cruz, whom they oppose more than they oppose Trump.Trump, for his part, has advocated Middle East policies that are barely comprehensible and wracked with inconsistency and surprising hostility toward Israel.On the one hand, Trump continuously insists that as president he will be the greatest thing that ever happened to Israel.But on the second hand, a month ago, he told Jewish Republicans that he wont recognize that Jerusalem is Israels capital and blamed Israel for the absence of peace with the Palestinians.But on the third hand, a week ago, he told an evangelical Christian reporter that he backs moving the US embassy to Jerusalem one hundred percent.Got that?And that brings us back to the key question of whether America wants to be great again, trusted by its allies, feared by its enemies, and safe at home. Because if so, voters need to ask not who channels their rage the best, but who has the courage and the competence to roll back Obamas policies. How can Rubio, who supported some of Obamas most devastating policies, or Trump who has no coherent policies, be expected to do what needs to be done?Through Ted Cruzs willingness to match his words with his deeds, and do what he believes even when doing so bring him no benefit, and through his clear recognition that American foreign policy must rest on the simple rule of being good to your allies and bad to your enemies, Ted Cruz has proven that he alone has the courage and the competence to lead an American restoration. Luton is a large town, borough and unitary authority area of Bedfordshire. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 258,000. Luton is home to Championship team Luton Town Football Club, London Luton Airport and The University of Bedfordshire. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter. For all the latest news from Luton sign up to our newsletter here. Voltaire To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize Also on the blog this week: Last chance to take part in the Global IP Index A year of change in Europe DOJ says Tam also covers immoral marks In a letter brief to the Federal Circuit, the US Department of Justice has said the Federal Circuits In re Tam (The Slants case) decision was so broad that it goes beyond covering only disparaging marks. The Slants press photoSquire Patton Boggs noted that the Slants decision not only paved the way to registration for owners of potentially disparaging marks but also left the door open for a similar challenge in the related categories of immoral or scandalous marks. That door was flung wide open in an appeal to the Federal Circuit over the [USPTOs] refusal to register the mark FUCT on the grounds it was scandalous, said the law firm. The USPTO denied artist Erik Brunetti a trade mark covering the term fuct on the grounds that it was immoral in 2014. In this appeal, the DOJ submitted a letter brief agreeing the case should be vacated and remanded for further proceeding. [T]he reasoning of Tam requires the invalidation of Section 2(a)s prohibition against registering scandalous and immoral marks as well. we do not believe that Section 2(a)s prohibition on registration of scandalous and immoral marks can withstand challenge under the current law of this Circuit, wrote the DOJ. The DOJ added that it believes Tam was wrongly decided and it is considering whether to seek review of that decision to the Supreme Court. It said that if Supreme Court review is sought the government may argue that, under reasoning less sweeping than that adopted in Tam, the bar on registration of scandalous and immoral marks would survive even if the bar on registration of disparaging marks were held invalid (or vice versa). Squire Patton Blogs concluded: Although these decisions on disparaging, scandalous, and immoral marks may not be applicable to the vast majority of trademark owners, they do demonstrate the power of the First Amendment, and its ability to erode away what some thought were iron-clad provisions of trademark jurisprudence. Who knew trademark law could be so, well, scandalous. New York Times says its thumbnails not fit to print The New York Times has sued over the use of thumbnail images of its front pages in a book, reports Rebecca Tushnets 43(B)log. Tushnet said the Times had quite unwisely sued over this textbook (coffee-table book?) fair use. David Shields licensed photos from the Times for War if Beautiful: The New York Times Pictorial Guide to the Glamour of Armed Conflict, which argues that the images the newspaper uses glamorise war. The insides of the covers includes 64 thumbnail images of the front page covers whose images are shown in the inside of the book. In a complaint filed in a New York federal court, the New York Times alleged copyright infringement. The suit says that publisher Powerhouse Books and its CEO Daniel Powers paid to licence the larger images inside the book but did not get a license for the thumbnails. Georgetown professor Tushnet described the suit this a hissy fit, and analysed the reasons it does not have merit. Let's review: Factor one, purpose of the use: images contextualizing the main argument of the book, which involves the overall aim of the Times, not just the photos in isolation but their presentation by the paper, she wrote. That's classic historicization and commentary: transformative use under Dorling Kindersley. Nature of the work: already published, favouring fair use; news photos and news stories, even if creative, are highly factual, though that doesn't matter much in transformativeness cases. Amount taken: The Times apparently claims a copyright in the layout of the front page, but really the work would have to be that day's print edition, meaning that the book reproduces a fraction of the work, although qualitatively perhaps more important than an average page. But the real kicker, of course, is size. Much more than in Dorling Kindersley, where you could at least read most of the text in the images, there's no way anyone could read the chunks of news stories at issue here. Size cuts decisively in favour of fair use. Market effect: the Times isn't entitled to any market for transformative uses, even if there were some market for unreadable thumbnails. Tushnet concluded: It's hard not to look at this lawsuit as the reaction of a paper embarrassed at having licensed photos for what turned out to be a work of harsh criticism. She added that the case was a good candidate for awarding fees regardless of what the outcome is in the Supreme Courts Kirtsaeng case. Why Cuozzo may not succeed at the Supreme Court Oblons Scott McKeown on the Patents Post-Grant blog this week ran a good analysis of the Cuozzo Speed v Lee case, which was granted cert by the Supreme Court this month. This is the first time the Supreme Court has taken on a case involving a Patent Trial and Appeal Board decision. McKeown said, despite the high courts reputation for slapping down the Federal Circuit, success in this case is far from a foregone conclusion. The grant of certiorari in many Federal Circuit cases has led to reversal. As such, many are viewing the high court's interest in Cuozzo as an indication that the use of BRI in PTAB proceedings will be short-lived. Unlikely, wrote McKeown. The crux of McKeowns arguments is that it is not accurate to characterize the broadest reasonable interpretation as somehow eschewing plain and ordinary meaning. The Supreme Court in the case will consider two questions: 1. Whether the court of appeals erred in holding that, in IPR proceedings, the Board may construe claims in an issued patent according to their broadest reasonable interpretation rather than their plain and ordinary meaning. 2. Whether the court of appeals erred in holding that, even if the Board exceeds its statutory authority in instituting an IPR proceeding, the Boards decision whether to institute an IPR proceeding is judicially unreviewable. Federal Circuit criticises PTAB decision The Federal Circuit has vacated a final decision in an inter partes review, with the court holding that the Patent Trial and Appeal Board did not adequately describe its reasoning for finding the claims obvious, reports the Patently-O blog. The PTAB is required to articulate its reasoning for making its decision to the Federal Circuit, including explaining the factual bases for its findings going well beyond conclusory statements. The patent at issue in the case is directed to a brush assembly used to maintain an electric current with a rotating mechanism. In the non-precedential Cutsforth v MotivePower decision, the Board recited the challenger MotivePowers arguments and conclusion for obviousness but did not formally adopt its own conclusions. The Boards decision appears to assume this combination is obvious, said the Federal Circuit. It offers no explanation for why a person of ordinary skill in the art would adjust Bissett and Kartman to create the claimed mounting block of the 018 patent. The Board only states that MotivePower argued it was obvious to do so. Dennis Crouch in a Patently-O blog post commented: On remand, I expect that the Board will simply rewrite its 33-page decision better explaining its holdings but we shall see. In other Supreme Court IP news, the amicus briefs are rolling in for the Halo and Stryker cases and the FOSS Patent blog says the broad-based support for Samsungs petition in the Apple design patents case means cert looms large. Microsoft and Olio in patent licensing agreement Microsoft Technology Licensing and Olio Devices have signed a patent licensing agreement covering wearable devices. Mutually beneficial and collaborative patent licensing agreements like this one promote innovation and lead to better products and experiences for consumers, said Nick Psyhogeos, president of Microsoft Technology Licensing. Microsoft has entered into more than 1,200 licensing agreements since it launched its IP licensing programme in December 2003. In our news and analysis: Managing IP Global Awards 2016 - shortlists Amendments recommended to US Copyright Act statutory damages provisions Unitary Patent and UPC: a progress report (January 2016) CJEU trade mark decisions update 2015 Dont fret over threats of proceedings for IP infringement Average of 11 Alice decisions each month in US federal courts Delaware jury awards $37.5m patent damages to Greatbatch Sliding doors at the ITC: Is direct infringement of method claims a basis for relief? Biotechnology and patentability: navigating unchartered waters in Australia and the US Martinsville and Henry County officials say a massive water contamination problem of the type affecting Flint, Mich., could not happen locally due to extensive testing required by the Virginia Department of Health. Meanwhile, a local organization is raising money to help Flint residents deal with the crisis there. According to The Associated Press, Flints water became contaminated after the city in April 2014 stopped using water from Detroits municipal system and started drawing water from the Flint River to save money. The city was under state control at the time, and regulators failed to ensure the water was properly treated. Lead from pipes got into the water supply, exposing children to the neurotoxin linked to learning and behavior problems. Democrats in Michigans Senate have proposed $400 million in emergency federal funding to fix and replace lead-contaminated pipes in Flint, the AP reported. Testing has shown no problems with lead in water supplies operated by Martinsville, which gets its water from the Beaver Creek Reservoir, and the Henry County Public Service Authority (PSA), which gets its water from the Smith River, according to local officials. Our health department is very strict, said Martinsville Water Resources Director Andy Lash. If we made any changes to the chemicals in the way we treat the water, the health department would make us rerun all of the tests. Mike Ward, the PSAs director of regulatory compliance and technical applications, agreed. Reached while he was out of the office on Thursday, Lash did not immediately have information showing how often Martinsville tests its water. Ward said the health department has been allowing the PSA to test its water every three years. Testing initially was done more often, but the more that water is tested and passes the tests, the longer that the health department allows public water sources to go between rounds of testing, he said. The city and the PSA constantly monitor their water to ensure there is no contamination and if any was found, they would act immediately to try to correct it, Lash and Ward said. Both the Martinsville and Henry County systems have an excellent record of meeting the regulated drinking water test parameters for lead, said Dr. Jody Hershey, director of the Henry-Martinsville Health Department, an affiliate of the state health department. Hershey said Virginias regulations for lead levels in drinking water are consistent with provisions set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. The EPAs limit for lead in drinking water is 15 parts per billion, he said. When lead in a public water system exceeds that level, customers must be informed and increased testing will be required, he added. Lead also can be present in private wells but, according to the EPA, the biggest source of lead contamination in water is pipes or solder in individual homes. The age and condition of water distribution lines, as well as the age and condition of homes plumbing systems, are factors in potential lead exposure in drinking water, Hershey said. Anyone with concerns about lead levels in their public water supplies should contact those supplies, while people with concerns about lead in well water or their homes plumbing can get private laboratories to do tests, he said. Hershey recommends never drinking or preparing food or beverages with water from hot water taps. Such water can contain higher levels of lead, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Only the cold tap water should be used for drinking, he emphasized. If cold water has been setting in pipes for several hours or longer, the tap should run for 15 to 30 seconds to help flush out any contaminants, he said. The Millennials of Martinsville-Henry County, a civic group of young professionals, is trying to raise at least $1,000 through this weekend to send to Flint to help that citys residents. As of Thursday, about $300 had so far been raised, according to Martinsville Vice Mayor Jennifer Bowles, who founded the organization. Originally, the group planned to send a pallet of bottled water to Flint, but many other organizations and businesses already have done that, Bowles said. The Millennials decided instead to raise money to help with other potential needs, such as buying medical supplies or substances needed to treat the water in Flint, she said. Anyone wishing to make a donation can go online to www.paypal.me/MillennialsofMHC or contact Bowles through her city email account at jbowles@ci.martinsville.va.us. Donors also can contact any other member of the Millennials, which Bowles said now is comprised of about 10 members. Reporters who cover the state Capitol will return to the Senate floor Monday, nearly three weeks after Republicans who control the chamber had consigned them to its gallery. On Monday morning it is my expectation, after some significant and fruitful discussions with our friends from the Fourth Estate, that they will be returning to the floor of the Senate in a little bit of a reconfigured fashion, Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment Jr., R-James City, said Friday on the Senate floor. Weve come to a good mutual resolution, Norment said. On Jan. 13, the first day of the General Assembly session, the Senate, in which Republicans hold a 21-19 edge, voted along party lines for a change in Senate rules that removed reporters access from the floor, where journalists have covered the state Senate for decades. State and national media organizations denounced the surprise move as a blow against public transparency. To ease movement on the Senate floor, reporters will now have access to six desk chairs, each with a fold-over leaf to support a computer. Previously there were tables on each side of the rostrum that could accommodate four people apiece. Floor seats for credentialed media will be on a first-come, first-served basis. If demand for floor seating exceeds availability, each media organization will be limited to one floor seat. Other journalists from the organization could then sit in the gallery. Reporters will be able to use laptop computers, but will no longer be able to plug them in while working on the Senate floor. The Virginia Capitol Correspondents Association said in a statement: Denying reporter access to the Virginia Senate floor session was a mistake that could have been avoided; restoring it was the right thing to do. While the revised floor access arrangement places additional limitations on our members flexibility to cover proceedings, it is workable - and returning is an important step toward ensuring we can do our jobs and provide accurate and timely reporting. It added: The VCCA will continue to promote media access in the Capitol - and the publics right to know that the people elected to serve Virginia are conducting its business in the best traditions of open and transparent government. Jim Nolan, a political reporter at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, is president of the Virginia Capitol Correspondents Association. Sen. Thomas A. Garrett Jr., R-Buckingham, who had called for restoring reporters access to the Senate floor, issued a statement through his 5th District congressional campaign, hailing the result. Today, all those who support transparency in government will celebrate a victory for the First Amendment to our Constitution, said Garrett, who is seeking the Republican nomination for the seat. (Rep. Robert Hurt, R-5th is not seeking re-election.) As a result of my willingness to stand and fight for principles of Constitutional governance, press freedom, and legislative transparency, Republican leadership has allowed the sunshine of a free and open press back into Virginias Senate, Garrett said. Im proud to have stood on principle in leading this fight, even if it makes me unpopular with the Republican Establishment, Garrett said. This issue is not about right and left its about right and wrong. Citizens from all sides of the political spectrum can agree that limiting the First Amendment and impeding the flow of information to a free press is wrong. About three-fourths of states in the U.S. allow reporters on the floor of their Senate and House chambers and many provide seats or desks for them to use, according to The Associated Press. The press tables that had been on opposite sides of the rostrum were removed before senators voted Jan. 13. Reporters then to had to cover Senate sessions from the gallery above the floor. Journalists said that vantage point made it harder to hear senators comments and observe their interactions and to get copies of floor amendments and vote tallies. On Jan. 20 a delegation of journalists who cover the state Capitol met with key state senators to discuss the removal of reporters access to the Senate floor. There was no resolution of the issue at that meeting, which lasted about an hour, but the journalists and senators aired their concerns and characterized it as a productive discussion. Senators attending the Jan. 20 meeting in a conference room off the Senate chamber included Norment; Senate Minority Leader Richard L. Saslaw, D-Fairfax; Senate Majority Whip William M. Stanley Jr., R-Franklin County; and Ryan T. McDougle, R-Hanover, chairman of the Senate Republican Caucus. During that meeting the journalists sought a return to work space on the Senate floor. Topics that were discussed also included Republican senators concerns about limited space on the Senate floor and about reporters adherence to long-standing rules governing when journalists can interact with senators on the floor. Under the new arrangement, rules of conduct on the Senate floor are more clearly spelled out, as is a graduated set of sanctions on media access to the chamber should reporters violate the rules. In the early 1980s, two big-city Democratic legislators whose hometown had been beset by record gun violence quietly pushed to make it easier for Virginians to carry concealed handguns. A bill by Sen. Willard Moody and Del. Johnny Joannou, both of Portsmouth, would have cleared away a major obstacle: a circuit judge, Lester Schlitz. The judge had refused to approve concealed weapons permits, believing more guns meant more bloodshed in a gritty, blue-collar burg branded the Dodge City of Hampton Roads. The Moody-Joannou measure went nowhere but not before arousing gun rights advocates. Over the next decade, the National Rifle Association and others plumped for candidates who favored simplifying the process for obtaining a concealed-carry permit. No longer should it depend on judicial whim. Instead, it should be a simple, bureaucratic process in which nearly anyone without a criminal record automatically qualified to hide a pistol under a coat or in a handbag. Democrats the pre-Everytown-for-Gun-Safety variety got the ball rolling. Republicans the joined-at-the-hip-with-the-NRA variety kicked it into the goal. Republicans also wrote the procedures and standards for determining whether Virginia should recognize the concealed weapons laws of other states. A Democratic attorney general is operating by their rules. Republicans are incensed by his interpretation and are prepared to impose their own by dismantling their own handwork. In 1995, a shifting political landscape augured the loosening of Virginias concealed-carry law. Pressed by Gov. George Allen, an NRA-backed Republican, a coalition of Republicans and conservative Democrats stripped judges of their say in dispensing permits. The new law was not without restrictions. Those ineligible to secretly pack included individuals convicted of firearms offenses, drunken driving, sexual assault, and stalking. The ban also applied to illegal immigrants, fugitives and those dishonorably discharged from the U.S. military. Fast forward to December 2015: Mark Herring, the Democratic attorney general and no fan of the gun rights crowd, said Virginia no longer would recognize concealed handgun permits issued to residents of 25 states. Herring said the other laws are weaker than those of Virginia, some allowing fugitives and drug peddlers to carry. That, he said, puts Virginians at risk. Herrings dictate spawned bitter criticism from Republicans, all of whom are promising to undo it in the 2016 General Assembly. Its a huge issue with the Republican base. At least two Republicans seeking statewide or congressional nominations Bryce Reeves of Spotsylvania County, a lieutenant governor prospect; and Tom Garrett of Buckingham County, running in the 5th U.S. House District have introduced bills targeting Herrings decree. Sen. Dick Black, R-Loudoun, wants to do away with the concealed handgun law altogether, arguing it intrudes on a constitutional right to bear arms. Gov. Terry McAuliffe, whose strong stance against guns has generated for Democrats millions in political dollars from anti-firearms groups, wont hesitate to veto it, as well as others he fears would put guns in the wrong hands. Lost in the furor: the language under which Herring made his determination was proposed in 1997 by Republican statewide officials with impeccable pro-gun credentials but also attuned to the concerns of law enforcement about an unchecked flow of firearms. Further, the provision was overwhelmingly adopted by the House of Delegates and Virginia Senate, supported by gun-friendly Republicans and Democrats alike. That suggests the language was anything but controversial. Allen sought an amendment to the concealed-carry law that required state police, in consultation with the attorney general, evaluate the equivalent laws of others state and decide whether they were consistent with Virginias. The concept under which states recognize each others laws is known as reciprocity. At the time, that determination would be made by Attorney General Jim Gilmore, a Republican who was elected governor in 1997 and who now is running a second time for his partys presidential nomination. The amendment cleared the Senate with the votes of Republicans unstinting in their support of gun rights: Bill Bolling of Hanover County, twice elected lieutenant governor and, briefly, a candidate for the partys 2013 gubernatorial nomination; Mark Earley of Chesapeake, a future attorney general and the 2001 nominee for governor; Ken Stolle of Virginia Beach, an unsuccessful candidate for attorney general in 1997 who currently is his citys sheriff; and Tommy Norment of James City County, now Republican majority leader. The House was similarly accommodating. Backing the revision: future speakers Vance Wilkins of Amherst County and Bill Howell of Stafford County; Bob McDonnell of Virginia Beach, who would serve as attorney general and governor and sign the repeal of the one-handgun-a-month law he endorsed in 1993; Kirk Cox, now House Republican majority leader and Howells likely successor as speaker; Dave Albo of Fairfax County, whos House courts committee chairman; three future congressmen Eric Cantor of Henrico County, Randy Forbes of Chesapeake and Morgan Griffith of Salem and Andy Guest of Front Royal, Republican floor leader and an unsuccessful candidate for the 1989 gubernatorial nomination who, to underscore his opposition to gun control, appeared at debates carrying an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle. In 2001, the legislature approved and Gilmore signed into law a bill that changed the language for determining whether Virginia should recognize the concealed handgun laws of other states. Struck from the original law was language requiring that out-of-state statutes be substantially similar to or exceed Virginias. It was replaced with the provision, under which Herring would act 14 years later, that other states laws include safeguards akin to Virginias that prevent people ineligible for concealed-carry permits from obtaining them. The House adopted the revision by a lopsided 96-3. Howell, Griffith and McDonnell thought it was all right. So did then-Del. Donald McEachin, D-Henrico, who would make an unsuccessful stand for attorney general that year, vowing to strengthen gun control laws. The Senate vote was 32-5. Supporters included Bolling, Norment, Stolle and such pro-gun Democrats as John Edwards of Roanoke, Roscoe Reynolds of Henry County and Philip Puckett of Russell County. And in 2013, the handgun laws were recodified in effect, tidied up. The sponsor was Del. Scott Lingamfelter, R-Prince William, chairman of the House Militia and Police Committee. It has jurisdiction over gun laws and routinely rejects the faintest threat to firearms rights. The Lingamfelter bill passed the House and Senate unanimously. GOP outrage over Herrings latest declaration is drawn from a reservoir of disdain for him as the states chief lawyer. Herrings activism that hes seemingly the liberal Democratic equivalent of his conservative Republican predecessor, Ken Cuccinelli threatens everything the GOP-controlled legislature holds dear. Herring refused to defend Virginias now-junked ban on same-sex marriage. He explored ways McAuliffe might impose, without General Assembly consent, a Medicaid-financed expansion of Obamacare. Herring also said in-state tuition discounts for some illegal immigrants attending public colleges are OK. On the concealed handgun law, though, the parameters in which Herring is operating were constructed entirely by Republicans. Its a nagging detail of history that many of them overlook. As Ronald Reagan once put it, Facts are stupid things. RELIGION, NATION, MARRIAGE: THE LOYALTIES OF MEN PRAY, WORK, STUDY, PROTECT: THE DUTIES OF MEN Im seeing signs that the flow of talent from small town America to Silicon Valley is reversing, though, and wanted to understand it. One huge reason? Housing costs. Everyone loved taunting me with their homes with big yards that cost a few hundred thousand compared to more than a million back home. But it goes further than just housing costs. After all, that gap has always been there as far as I can remember. No, now they are winning people and company because way of life is much more friendly to families and, small town leaders have worked to fill in a "livability gap." Things like having nice bars, music events, and restaurants for entrepreneurs to hang out in after a long day working. Things like high speed internet. In Virginia they have gigabit wifi in some areas. Here, lets take a look at some of the companies and innovators I visited who are doing amazing work. Robert Scoble Full Story: https://medium.com/@scobleizer/here-s-how-small-town-america-is-primed-to-beat-silicon-valley-in-innovation-3923049865ed#.4gtwcpjoo Many thanks to Michael Fitzgerald of http://www.submittable in small town Missoula, Montana for sharing. (And there are a lot more great emerging companies in Montana http://www.matr.net/news.phtml?showall=1&catlabel=Montana+Business&cat_id=2 ) Montana utility regulators will sue after the owner of Missoulas water system sold it to another company without their approval. The Carlyle Group sold Park Water Co. the parent company of Mountain Water Co. and two water companies in California to Liberty Utilities earlier this month for $327 million. The deal went through despite a review pending before the Montana Public Service Commission. Attorneys for the companies previously said the PSC does not have jurisdiction because the sale of Park Waters stock does not affect Mountain Waters assets. Full Story: http://www.nbcmontana.com/news/State-to-sue-after-Mountain-Water-Co-sold-without-approval/37715316 On January 28th, Governor Steve Bullock held a press conference to signal the release of his "2015 Montana Economic Development Report." He stood in front of two posters: one noting key statistics from our states impressive job creation and economic growth index, and one stating, simply, "Montanas Economy is Strong." We have to say, we couldnt agree more. And, we are incredibly honored that Spur Studio http://www.spur-studio.com was selected to work hand-in-hand with the Governors Office of Economic Development to put together a visually engaging, informative report highlighting how key sectors of our states economy have strengthened as a result of forward-thinking leadership and a business climate that fosters growth and resilience. The report and press conference materials are an extension of the GOED and Choose Montana branding weve developed since first engaging with the office in 2013. Full Story: http://www.spur-studio.com/news1/2016/1/28/montanas-economy-is-strong-and-were-proud-to-be-part-of-it 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. Double O Section is a blog for news and reviews of all things espionage-movies, books, comics, TV shows, DVDs, and everything else. Make the most of midlife and beyond! We'll share the joys and rewards of maturity. This blog covers concerns you may have about emotional issues, health, sexuality, marriage, love relationships, parenting, retirement planning and more. Dr. Kathy McCoy Official Website: www.drkathymccoy.com by Jess Nelson , January 29, 2016 Technology giants Google and Yahoo updated their email applications this week in a continuing battle for inbox supremacy. Yahoo introduced several updates to its email applications for both iOS and Android, including a new customizable swipe feature that allows yahoo mail users to tailor their mobile app experience by deciding what shortcuts a left swipe or right swipe might lead to. A variety of options include delete, star and mark as read/unread. In addition, a new multi-select toolbar allows users to select multiple messages at a time for organization or action. Yahoos email application also features a few iOS- and Android-specific upgrades. The Yahoo Mail app for iOS now features a search box to find items or emails by person and keyword, and Android users can now act immediately upon receiving a mobile email notification without needing to open the application itself. advertisement advertisement Yahoos updates come two days after Google unveiled a smarter search bar feature to Google Inbox on Tuesday. Google Inbox users can now search their email for specific items, such as a membership ID information or shipping tracking numbers, and Inbox will display the answer at the top of the search bar. Considering how often consumers search their email for documents and information, Google Inboxs time-saving feature could prove incredibly fruitful for users. Although Gmail is by far the most popular email service provider with almost a billion users, Google Inbox has not been as successful at recruiting new users since its general availability in May 2015. Nevertheless Google has released a string of updates within the past year and recent reports from 9to5Google suggest that Google may be redirecting Gmail users to Google Inbox. Yahoo still remains a popular email provider with an estimated 273 million global users and 81 million American users in 2014. In recent months Yahoo has upgraded its mail service to integrate with third-party email services, including Gmail and Outlook. by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, January 29, 2016 A month after its sale to casino tycoon and GOP donor Sheldon Adelson made headlines amid concerns about the newspapers objectivity, the Las Vegas Review-Journal is getting a new publisher. Craig Moon, who formerly served as president and publisher of USA Today, is taking over the top spot at the LVRJ from Jason Taylor, who is leaving the publication after six months on the job. Moon led USA Today from 2003-2009, then worked as a consultant to newspaper publishers, according to the LVRJ. His appointment is widely viewed as a move to burnish the newspapers reputation and allay worries among readers, as well as the newspapers own staff, that it might succumb to political influence or other types of bias. Taylor may have lost the trust of editorial staff at the LVRJ, due to alleged meddling in the newspapers own reporting on its new owner. After acquiring the LVRJ through a company called News + Media Capital Group in December, Adelson initially tried to keep his ownership of the newspaper under wraps, causing staffers to publicly call for the new owner to reveal himself. During this period, when the new owners identity was still unknown, Taylor reportedly removed a quote from former editor Mike Hengel, questioning the motives of the unknown buyer in an article about the subject, without consulting editors or the reporter who wrote the article. Taylor may also have been involved in the shady arrangement by which reporters from the LVRJ were assigned to investigate a Nevada judge presiding over an important legal case involving Adelson. Although its still not clear what happened, it appears execs from GateHouse Media, the company that manages the newspapers operations, instructed mid-ranking editors to form the investigative group in November. That's when the negotiations for the sale of the LVRJ to Adelson was under way raising questions of a quid pro quo, as Adelson was prepared to pay well over market value for the newspaper. Its hard to imagine this intervention occurring without the knowledge and acquiescence of the newspapers publisher. Moon set out to reassure readers and editorial staff that the newspaper will be managed with integrity. I understand that ownership transitions can create questions among staff and readers alike. I intend to answer these questions with my actions actions that will demonstrate my commitment to The R-J, to the people who work here, and to the community we all serve. Would you call an individual with depression mentally ill or a person with a mental illness? According to a new study, the label one gives a person with such an illness can influence how they are tolerated by society. Share on Pinterest Using mentally ill to describe a person with mental illness reduces tolerance toward them, a new study found. Published in The Journal of Counseling & Development, the study found that people were less tolerant toward individuals who were described as being mentally ill as opposed to people with mental illness. According to study coauthor Darcy Haag Granello, professor of educational studies at the Ohio State University, the findings suggest that language choice when referring to a person with a mental illness is not simply a matter of political correctness. This isnt just about saying the right thing for appearances, she says. The language we use has real effects on our levels of tolerance for people with mental illness. To reach their findings, Granello and her colleague Todd Gibbs, a graduate student in educational studies at Ohio State, enrolled three groups of participants: 221 undergraduate students, 211 non-student adults from a community sample and 269 professional counselors and counselors-in-training. Mentally ill vs. people with a mental illness All participants completed a questionnaire called Community Attitudes Toward the Mentally Ill (CAMI). Participants were presented with a set of statements that measured their attitudes toward people with a mental illness in four areas: authoritarianism, benevolence, social restrictiveness and community mental health ideology. While the subject of each statement was the same for each participant, half of the participants in each group were presented with statements that referred to the mentally ill, while the remaining half were presented with statements that referred to people with mental illness. For example, one statement assessing participants attitudes toward social restrictiveness among people with a mental illness said: The mentally ill (or people with mental illness) should be isolated from the rest of the community. Participants were asked to rate each statement on a five-point scale, with one representing strongly agree and five representing strongly disagree. Please complete this form and we'll send you a personalised information that is requested You may use this for your own reference or forward it to your friends. Please use the information prudently. If you are not a medical doctor please remember to consult your healthcare provider as this information is not a substitute for professional advice. Dedicated to the propogation of the Gospel, the entries on this blog are the understanding and experience of Jesus Christ by the authors. Whilst we make every effort to ensure there's nothing heretical in here, it should be noted that the writers are human and subject to correction! Please feel free to leave comments or contact me directly and we can engage about what's been written. 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. By Shihar Aneez and Ranga Sirilal COLOMBO (Reuters) - A son of former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa was arrested on Saturday under the country's money laundering act and remanded in custody until Feb. 11, the police said. Several members of the Rakapaksa family are facing police investigations for alleged financial crimes. They include Rajapaksa, who was president for a decade until 2015, his brothers Basil and Gotabaya, his wife Shiranthi and eldest son Namal. Rakapaksa's second son, Yoshitha, a 27-year-old naval officer, was arrested with four others, including Rakapaksa's spokesman and a brother of Ports and Shipping Minister Arjuna Ranatunga. A local court ordered those detained to stay in custody until Feb. 11, police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said. President Maithripala Sirisena is under pressure to act on allegations of corruption against Rajapaksa and those who served his administration, especially from civil society organisations which backed Sirisena against Rajapaksa in last year's election. Rajapaksa is still popular among many ethnic majority Sinhala Buddhists who credit him with ending a 26-year-war against Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009. Yoshitha, who was Sri Lanka's national rugby team captain when his father was the president, was arrested after more than six hours of questioning by police, two officials told Reuters. Rajapaksa, who went to the local court to hear the order against his son, angrily condemned the police's use of the money laundering act to arrest his son. "Today they (the government) have used that act which we brought to deal with terrorists to put the son of the person who eradicated terrorism behind bars," Rajapaksa told reporters. "We have trust in the judiciary system and expect the justice will prevail. All these (actions) are to take revenge of me." Rajapaksa, now an opposition legislator, is being investigated for misappropriation of money in a state-run television channel during the 2015 presidential polls. Many Rajapaksa sympathisers believe these allegations were brought to tarnish his name and influence voters against him. (Writing by Shihar Aneez; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky) By Edmund Blair and Aaron Maasho ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told African leaders on Saturday they should not use legal loopholes or undemocratic constitutional changes to "cling to power", and that they should respect term limits. Ban was addressing a two-day summit the African Union, a group of 54 states where several leaders have been in power for decades, some have changed constitutions so they can stay on and others are accused of seeking to remove limits. The debate about term limits has gained momentum after triggering unrest in places such as Burundi and Congo Republic. "Leaders should never use undemocratic constitutional changes and legal loopholes to cling to power. We have all seen the tragic consequences when they do," Ban told the gathered presidents, including Zimbabwe's veteran leader Robert Mugabe. It echoed remarks made by U.S. President Barack Obama in the same AU hall on a trip to Ethiopia in July. Mugabe, who turns 91 in February and the only leader Zimbabweans have known since 1980, made one of his regular swipes at Western powers who he accuses of still harbouring colonial ambitions and of monopolising power at the United Nations. "Do we allow that group to continue ... to harass us even in our independent countries," Mugabe asked after Ban had spoken. One of the top items on this summit's agenda is the crisis in Burundi, where violence erupted after President Pierre Nkurunziza announced his bid for a third term that opponents said was illegal. He won a disputed election in July. Supporters cite a court ruling that said he could run. In neighbouring Rwanda, a constitutional change approved in a referendum means President Paul Kagame, who has been in office since 2000 and effectively in power far longer, can now run again in 2017 and could stay on until 2034 if he wishes. Western powers criticised Kagame for not stepping aside, saying he should set an example. Uganda's Western allies have said President Yoweri Museveni, bidding for another term in a February vote after three decades in office, should consider quitting although the Ugandan constitution does not set any term limits. "Leaders must protect their people, not themselves," Ban said. "I commend those leaders who committed to stepping aside and respect constitutional term limits." Tanzania's Jakaya Kikwete left office after a maximum two terms last year. However, the candidate of Kikwete's CCM party that been in power for more than half a century won the vote. (Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky) HURON COUNTY Officials say a rough count of those homeless in the county is less than 45. Kathie Harrison, who chairs Huron County Homeless Solutions, says its a snapshot of homelessness in a rural community. Thats because its not an exact science. Planned well in advance, Harrison says the Point in Time count, taken by the Thumb Area Continuum of Care, involves picking a given day and counting the number of homeless people. Agencies report how many people theyve seen or provided services to that day. A unique identifier is used so counters do not see names. Officials tallied 36 homeless in Huron County as of Friday afternoon Harrison said she was still waiting on a report from a veterans transitional shelter in Akron that houses Huron County residents. It comes in lower than the 2015 number of 45. I think its very realistic, Harrison said. Its a good thing. The temperature hovered near 23 degrees Friday. This years count was intentionally taken on a winter day. Its deadly to be homeless in January in Michigan, Harrison said. Especially if youre a mother with kids trying to make it on your own, which Harrison says represents close to half of those homeless. The majority are hardworking people who have a job, she said, using an example of a mother with kids missing a few days of work and cant pay rent, or the car breaks down and she cant get to work and later files for eviction. Its so amazing that they live so close to poverty, Harrison said. All it takes is one little life incident to tip that scale and jeopardize their housing. In urban counties, Harrison said its easier to get a more accurate number: counters can call shelters to record how many beds are occupied. In a geographically isolated area, theyre harder to find, she said, adding some people sleep in tents, barns, cars and parks in Huron County. We know that its not a very accurate count because people can be anywhere. Harrison said they did not come across any unaccompanied minors, but many single adults. Once obtained, Harrison says officials use the estimate as a point of reference. Its a good indicator, she said. We take a bow. We say, OK, were helping people. More importantly, we provide these numbers to the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, which translates to more funding to the community. She says the more homelessness in a community, the more dollars the state agency sends to local agencies, like the Department of Human Services, Huron Development Commission and Blue Water Developmental Housing, which funds services like housing vouchers and low-income housing. We always are looking for ways to have more money available, Harrison said. Were always watching unemployment statistics because employment is key for people keeping their housing. Harrison remembers when she first started as chair of Huron County Homeless Solutions 15 years ago, homelessness in Huron County just seemed like an overwhelming problem. Many people didnt see it or denied it, she says. I thought, were not going to be able to get rid of it, she said. But you put one foot in front of the other and you move forward. It was a tapestry; the community became more aware and responsible. Im humbled and grateful the community is supportive. Nowadays, she says officials are taking a proactive approach and are able to better prevent homelessness. Theyre able to direct homeless people to other avenues of help, from housing opportunities to substance abuse. If we cant help someone, its the exception, Harrison said. However, another blemish still exists: according to Harrison, the amount of kids getting free or reduced lunches in the county is almost as high as 40 to 50 percent. Thats a lot of families struggling, she said. She says getting the word out that there is help is important. The best place to start for those in need, Harrison says, is the local DHS office at 1911 Sand Beach Road. The Human Development Commission, Blue Water Developmental Housing and Huron County Homeless Solutions also offer services. The number of homeless in Michigan ranges widely. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said in 2014 the number was 12,227, while the Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness estimates its more than 92,000. Related: Huron County Homeless Solutions helps record number with housing: http://bit.ly/1Kg0FYh Gov. Rick Snyder says Saturday in a release that the Jan. 27 request to the U.S. Department of Agriculture was for supplemental funding through the Women, Infants and Children program. It would have covered children up to age 10. Federal officials say in a letter to the state that federal law limits benefits to children younger than five and changes would require Congressional action. Snyder says he has asked that the request be reconsidered. Flint switched in 2014 to the Flint River from Detroit's water system to save money. The river water was not treated properly and lead from pipes leached into Flint homes. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BAD AXE The dairy industry is growing exponentially in the area, but farmers are dealing with lower milk prices that arent expected to trend up anytime soon, the Huron County Dairy Herd Improvement Association says. That was at least one takeaway from the associations annual meeting earlier this month, Eric Sneller, a Sebewaing farmer and dairy board president, told the Tribune. Its basic supply and demand, Sneller said. We have a great supply of milk in the system and markets are not portraying a demand for (that amount). The Huron County Dairy Herd Improvement Association says over 60 people attended the Jan. 14 evening banquet, where Sneller said speakers tried to tell dairy farmers stories to consumers. Theres only about 1 percent of people who are farmers and about 85 percent of the U.S. population has no idea what is happening on our farms, Sneller said. Were trying to tell people milk is a nutritious, healthy and safe product. Sneller says politics and other information sources skew the story. We arent harming animals; theyre like our kids, he said. Were just trying to make a living caring for the animals and our land. At over $162 million, Huron County ranks No. 1 in the state for sales from milk from cows and cattle and calves, according to the Department of Agricultures 2012 Census of Agriculture, which is conducted every five years. Thats good enough to rank Huron 73 of 3,079 counties in the U.S. (Huron also led the state in corn yields for 2015. Read more No. 1 stats here: http://bit.ly/1Nx1St0.) Huron County is a big ag county as far as dairy and crops go, Sneller said. MSU Extension says its hard to narrow down exactly how many milking cows there are in the county, because not all dairies test through NorthStar Cooperative in Lansing. Milk products are sent to the Dairy Farmers of America and Michigan Milk Producers Association cooperatives, as well as the milk plant in Cass City. Milk goes everywhere, Sneller said. Its not just in our state. Theres a huge global marketplace for milk and dairy. He said McDonalds is using more butter than ever. Europe has demand for cheeses and butters. And Kroger is a big supporter of dairy, Sneller said. And dairy farmers are always looking to hire. But people dont necessarily like the hard work involved because cows never stop, Sneller said of the 24/7/365 job. We dont get holidays. MSU Extension stats show the highest valued cow in Huron County in 2015 belonged to Highland Dairy LLC in Sebewaing. The four-year-old cow, in a herd of over 1,000, was valued at $7,911. Zwemmer farms in Elkton also had cows valued at more than $7,000, while many others, including Laeder Dairy, Messing Dairy, Starward Farms, Gary Protzman, and Brian and Shelly Scholtz had cows valued at over $6,000. BAY CITY The case against four local residents who were allegedly involved in criminal activities involving illegal immigrants has been pushed back at least one month. Special agents of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested two adult females and one adult male earlier this month near Bad Axe. A fourth individual was later arrested in connection with the incident. While the initial arrests did not occur until Jan. 8, warrants were issued for Irene Maria Martinez Gonzales, Tina Frost, William Carlson and Melissa Rodriguez by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan on Nov. 18. Following their arrest, bond was set at $20,000 for Frost, Carlson and Gonzales, and $10,000 for Rodriguez. As of Friday, all defendants have been released on bond. A complaint was filed against the defendants on Jan. 8, which reads, in part: Conspired with others for commercial advantage and private gain to unlawfully transport, harbor and shield from detection one or more aliens, knowing in reckless disregard of the fact that the aliens had come to, entered or remained in the United States in violation of the law. The defendants were scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan for a joint preliminary examination on Friday, according to court documents. The court ordered a preliminary hearing to be scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Feb. 29 at the federal courthouse in Bay City. Gonzales is being represented by Caro-based attorney Robert A. Bates; Frost by Flint-based attorney Bryan J. Sherer; Carlson by Saginaw-based attorney Alan A. Crawford; and Rodriguez by Saginaw-based attorney Barbara Klimaszewski. Messages left with each attorney seeking comment were not returned Friday. Mahmoud Mohamed in his first photo in court after two years "Youm 7" Mahmoud Mohamed detained 2yrs ago in #Egypt for peaceful protest. He & those trying to improve country shld be rlsd pic.twitter.com/HjhfdiUeBO January 29, 2016 Two years and four days have passed and Mahmoud Mohamed is still in temporary detention pending investigation after his arrest on 25 January 2014.According to the Egyptian Criminal law's article No.143, a detainee facing accusations that could lead to a life imprisonment or the death penalty must be released immediately if he or she is not sentenced within the pre-trial detention limit of two years.More than 700 Egyptian detainees including Mahmoud Mohamed should be released according to this article, Amnesty International said in its statement issued earlier last week demanding the release of 20-years old student. I know that Mahmoud's lawyers have already presented an appeal based on that article to the court to demand his immediate release and we are waiting to know its result.Already on 6 January, a Cairo court renewed his pre-trial detention for another 45 days. With that renewal, Mahmoud will continue to spend 757 days in detention since his arrested on 25 January revolution. According to my understanding of the law, Mahmoud should be released next time he stands in front of the judge because he is accused of a felony , aka riots and has not been referred to a court yet.Earlier Friday, U.S ambassador to the UN Samantha Power demanded the release of Mahmoud Mohamed.Currently, both U.S based Robert Kennedy Human rights organization and Amnesty International are holding international campaigns calling for the high school student release.To remind with his case. Watch that short documentary made by the Guardian about Mahmoud.I think it is time to release Mahmoud Mohamed according to the law. DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) As his rivals made their final case to voters ahead of Iowa's kickoff caucuses, Donald Trump was headlining a show of his own. Just three miles from the site of the final GOP presidential debate before voting begins, Republican front-runner Donald Trump held what amounted to a cross between his typical rally and a fundraising telethon to benefit veterans. Between his usual talking points on issues like the country's trade imbalance and media camera angles, Trump read out the names of wealthy friends who'd pledged major contributions to veterans' causes. Later he announced the event had just cracked raising $6 million. When he announced he'd pledged $1 million himself, the crowd erupted in cheers. It was the latest example of how Trump, a billionaire businessman and former reality television star, has completely rewritten the rules of campaigning, turning typical protocol on its head. Trump decided to boycott the debate due to a feud with debate host Fox News and organized a competing event instead. Trump opened by telling the students and veterans packed into a 775-seat auditorium at Drake University that he would have preferred to be at the debate, but felt he had little choice. "You have to stick up for your rights. When you're treated badly, you have to stick up for your rights," he said. In an interview with several reporters aboard his plane at the Des Moines airport before the event, Trump said that he'd been in touch with Fox throughout the day. "The time to change my mind was two days ago," he said. "It's too late. When you look at the lines, what am I going to do? Tell thousands of people that, by the way folks, I'm going to go do the debate?" Fox News Channel issued a statement saying Trump had offered to appear at the debate upon the condition that Fox contribute $5 million to his charities, which the network said was not possible. Trump's campaign responded with a counter-statement saying that, if "FOX wanted to join in that effort and make a contribution Mr. Trump would have welcomed that." Trump's decision posed potential risks with just days to go before Iowa's caucuses. While recent polls show him pulling ahead in the state, he remains locked in a close race with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in Iowa. And his decision was seen by some voters and local party leaders as a slight to those still making up their minds. But Trump said he wasn't concerned. While some might take issue, he said: "You're going to have a lot of voters that like that we didn't get pushed around." About halfway through the event, Trump yielded the stage for Staff Sgt. John Wayne Walding, an Afghanistan war veteran who lost his leg to sniper fire, to speak powerfully about his experience overseas and about coping with the aftermath of war at home. Trump was later presented with a ring from a veterans group representing the number of veterans who commit suicide after returning home. Trump was joined at his event by two of his rivals Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum who briefly spoke. Huckabee praised Trump for bringing them together, saying the three may be competing against each other, "but tonight we are colleagues in unison" for the cause. Santorum spoke standing slightly to the side of Trump's podium, joking he didn't want his picture taken with the Trump campaign sign. But in many ways the event was typical Trump. Moments after saying he would skip his usual campaign mainstay of reading off his poll numbers, Trump pivoted to a summary, bragging about his "amazing polls" and leading "by substantial margins in Iowa and every single state." Later, as he introduced Walding, Trump offered the following: "He should be much more famous than me, 'cause he's a lot much more courageous than I am." "I'm financially courageous," Trump added, but not so good at the other stuff. Trump's campaign did not disclose on Thursday which groups would receive money raised from the event, but representatives had spent the day reaching out to various groups, in some cases inquiring about their programs and finances. Among those contacted were the Green Beret Foundation, which provides care to veterans, and Fisher House, which provides free or low cost housing to veterans and military families receiving treatment at military medical centers. Trump launched a website earlier Thursday to collect donations. Contributions collected there were funneled to The Donald J. Trump Foundation, Trump's nonprofit charitable organization. The page says: "100 percent of your donations will go directly to Veterans needs." As for the debate, Trump predicted it would have far fewer viewers without him on the stage. And his event offered some similar trappings. Reporters covering his event were ushered to a filing room with five long rows of tables, where they watched via closed circuit television. When it ended, Huckabee sauntered into the filing room to answer reporters' questions, giving it the distinct feel of the post-debate spin room just down the road. 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... DETROIT U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard icebreaking crews kick off operation Coal Shovel Friday in the waters of the southern Great Lakes. Operation Coal Shovel encompasses domestic ice-breaking operations in southern Lake Huron, Lake St. Clair, the St. Clair / Detroit River system, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence Seaway. U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers, work together to break ice in these waterways as conditions worsen throughout the winter. The Coast Guard conducts domestic ice-breaking operations for the purposes of search-and-rescue, and other operations, such as flood mitigation and the facilitation of navigation, to meet the reasonable demands of commerce. The Coast Guard also provides flood mitigation assistance, as requested from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Other ice-related emergency operations include opening channels to icebound communities or breaking ice for the ferries that serve them in order to ensure critical supplies of food, heating oil or access to medical assistance is maintained. The last two winters presented particularly harsh ice conditions on the Great Lakes. In 2015, operation Coal Shovel started on Jan. 8, 2015, and ended on April 17, 2015, for a total of 100 days during which U.S. and Canadian icebreakers performed 2,400 hours of operations to support more than 150 commercial vessel transits. Operation Taconite, another Coast Guard icebreaking operation that takes place in Lake Superior, Lake Michigan and northern Lake Huron, lasted for 122 days. The U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard played a vital role in facilitating the movement of iron ore, coal, salt, limestone, oil derivatives, cement and other cargoes during that time. Coast Guard Sector Detroit provides command and control for Coal Shovel, and may place restrictions or close waterways as ice conditions dictate. Due consideration is given to the need for cross channel traffic, such as ferries, the availability of icebreakers, and the safety of the island residents who use natural ice bridges for traveling to and from the mainland. As the 2016 operation Coal Shovel season begins, Sector Detroit and the Canadian Coast Guard will continue to monitor potential hazardous ice conditions and conduct ice-breaking operations throughout the Great Lakes. Phone conferences are conducted regularly with maritime shipping company representatives to coordinate icebreaking services and facilitate the movement of commercial vessels. The Coast Guard recommends all recreational ice users plan their activities carefully, use caution on the ice, and stay away from shipping channels. Waterway users and island residents should stay tuned to local media resources for the status of channel closures. Related video: The chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs on Friday slammed an administrative judge's ruling that reinstates a Department of Veterans' Affairs official who was demoted for allegedly maneuvering a lower-ranking employee out of a job so that she could fill it. Rep. Jeff Miller, a Republican from Florida, said Kimberly Graves' successful appeal of her demotion from director of the agency's Philadelphia regional office is an insult "to the many dedicated VA employees who do the right thing on a daily basis." The department demoted and reassigned Graves for playing a role in the transfer of the St. Paul, Minn., regional director in 2014 and then taking his place. The VA Office of Inspector General alleged she forced Antonio Waller to take reassignment at the Baltimore office. The VA said her action created the appearance of impropriety, according to the ruling released on Friday by the Merit System Protection Board. The department also demoted and reassigned Philadelphia regional director Diana Rubens for the same reason, after alleging she used her position to move Robert McKenrick from that job and accept transfer to the Los Angeles office. Rubens testified before an MSPB judge in Philadelphia on Thursday. A ruling in that case should be released on Monday. In Graves' case, Chief Administrative Judge Michele Szary Schroeder dismissed the VA's disciplinary action on the grounds the department unfairly applied a standard to Graves that it did not to one of her direct supervisors, whom the IG also implicated in the transfer approvals. Although the VA set a deadline to consider action against Under Secretary for Benefits Danny Pummill by Dec. 31, 2015, Graves pointed out that nothing had been done as recently as this past week. Miller called the ruling "a twist of tragic comedy [as] VA's attempt to discipline Kimberly Graves was undone by its refusal to discipline other employees involved in this scandal." He added, "By now there should be no doubt whatsoever that our federal civil service system is in need of drastic reform. And as long as there is a system in place -- that requires a similar burden of proof to discipline federal employees as it does to send criminals to prison -- these problems will only continue." --Bryant Jordan can be reached at bryant.jordan@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at @bryantjordan. Everything You Need to Know About the Amazon Military Discount, Tips and Tricks The Amazon military discount is a promotion Amazon.com has given around Veterans Day for its Amazon Prime service. St Joe Mercy Saline.jpg Evangelical Homes of Michigan has agreed to purchase the former St. Joseph Mercy Saline building. (Courtesy photo) Evangelical Homes of Michigan has signed a letter of intent to purchase the former St. Joseph Mercy Saline building located at 400 Russell St. in Saline and intends to expand services offered by the non-profit organization. A large portion of 100,000 square-foot facility has been vacant since St. Joseph Mercy left the space last year to open a new urgent care facility in Saline. EHM currently occupies roughly 22,000 square feet of space in the building, having leased space in the facility since 2011. The organization operates the Redies Center for Rehabilitation and Healthy Living, a short-term rehabilitation center in the space now. The center employs more than 40 exercise specialists, physical, occupational and speech therapists, and a full complement of nurses and medical staff. EHM spent $5.2 million to create the facility and is now looking at ways to expand the offerings now that it has more space. "We're looking at a number of options that will allow us to open up more to the community," said Paul Stavros, the vice president of marketing and business development for EHM. "We have a ton of room in there but we want to make sure we're using the space prudently." EHM is inviting members of the community to submit ideas on what sorts of programs they would like to see instituted in the new spaces. Stavros said EHM is already looking at expanding to offer out-patient services in the center. Stavros couldn't comment on how much the building was being purchased for at this time due to a confidentiality agreement. "We are pleased to be able to provide Evangelical Homes with a permanent home in Saline," said David Brooks, president of St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor and Livingston, win a press release. "Following this transaction, St. Joe's will continue serving Saline residents with a strong network of urgent care, outpatient services, physician practices, and nearby St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor and Chelsea hospitals." A portion of the building will be leased to Arbor Hospice & Palliative Care for an inpatient hospice residence on the site. Work on that part of the building will begin about three weeks after the deal closes meaning some offices will have to be relocated so renovations can begin. Stavros expects the deal to close within the next 30 days. EHM also operates the Brecon Village retirement community in Saline. The organization has a home care office and life choices office on Briarwood Circle in Ann Arbor as well. "We're super excited about this. The Greater Washtenaw County has been great to us as an organization," Stavros said. "We've grown a lot of the services because they're things the community has asked for." Matt Durr is a business reporter for The Ann Arbor News. Email him at mattdurr@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter. OST Exterior Photo.jpg Michigan IT consulting firm, OST, has acquired Visualhero Design. (Courtesy photo) Andy Van Solkema (Courtesy photo) GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Open Systems Technologies, one of Michigan's fastest growing IT consulting companies, has acquired the Visualhero Design firm. The deal is a sign of how technology is incorporating more human centered design in products, company representatives said. "It's not about the technology, it's about the user," said Michael Lomonaco, director of marketing and communications at OST. The acquisition gives OST new methods of problem solving and expands its solutions, from research through production. "Now, when you go to develop the software, IT team is thinking about the user," said Lomonaco. "We feel this is really where our customers are growing. Having the design strategy, we feel is key." This approach to creating technology involves observing and interviewing the consumer to gain insights about their needs. In IT, human centered design is most commonly connected in two focus areas: strategy and user experience, or UX. The growth of the Internet of Things products, which revolves around putting data-gathering sensors in a range of consumer products, is fueling the need to take a different approach to technology. "The changing global business climate is challenging traditional business models," said Meredith Bronk, OST chief executive officer. "As a technology adviser, we are constantly evaluating our capabilities to ensure that we can help our clients stay ahead of the curve." OST has annual sales of $160 million, and has offices in Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit and London. OST's menu of services includes custom software development, data analytics, managed services, security and business advisory services with an emphasis on serving the healthcare, manufacturing, retail, and insurance and finance industries. The 19-year-old OST has collaborated with Visualhero Design for five years. Launched in 2005, Visualhero provides a complete spectrum of design services - from user experience to strategy. The 12-person firm's client roster has done projects for a range of clients including tech heavyweights Apple, Nest and Amazon Web Services. Andy Van Solkema, Visualhero's founder, will assume the role of chief designer at OST. "OST is built on similar employee-centered values and we share a common understanding about the future opportunities of design, business and technology," Van Solkema said. The technology industry is undergoing a shift where the business leaders are demanding - and often going around - IT to leverage technology as an external value creator, Bronk says. Bringing Visualhero in house will help OST stay ahead of where the market is heading. "When you get business people talking about the people and not the technology, but lead them to a technology solution that solves the users' issues, then everyone wins," Bronk said. Visualhero, will remain in its current location, 560 5th St. NW, a few blocks from OST's headquarters, at 605 Seward Ave NW. The two firms will also continue working with outside tech and design firms, instead of collaborating on projects, when requested by their clients. "I think it really speaks to trust between OST and Visualhero," Lomonaco said. RELATED: Michigan tech company launches IT recruiting division Shandra Martinez covers business for MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. Email her or follow her on Twitter @shandramartinez. by Lauren Leffel Coleman A. Young Elementary School is setting an example in sustainable living for not only its students, but for the entire community. Principal Melissa Scott is on Greening of the Great Lakes to talk about the sustainable initiatives and plans her school has put in place. Students at Young Elementary are using recycled materials to create legacy art pieces that will remain in the school for generations to come. "We want to teach them that trash can be a treasure, and that treasure has become a part of the beauty of our school," says Scott. One of the biggest projects underway at the school is the ocean scene in the building atrium, which ties together the lessons on marine life being taught in science classes, and encourages kids to use recycled materials to recreate what they are learning into art. "Hands-on activities are the way to go when you want a child to retain something," Scott says. The students are also using other recycled materials to make and sell decorative wreaths for $30 as a fundraiser for a much-needed playground. The best way to purchase one of these unique and sustainable decorations is to contact the school directly at (313) 852-0725. "This project has been a labor of love for our students," adds Scott. Young Elementary has won several awards and been labeled a Michigan Green School for its continued commitment to teaching green practices in both the school and the community. "We are teaching them that they are citizens of the United States, of Michigan, and of Detroit, and that it is all of our responsibility to take care of our planet," says Scott. Scott concludes the interview with an open invitation for community members to visit the school and learn more about the ongoing projects, and see how they can get involved and help. Click here to hear Scott's conversation with Kirk Heinze. Greening of the Great Lakes airs every Sunday evening at 7:00 on News/Talk 760 WJR and around the state each weekend via the Michigan Talk Network. KALAMAZOO, MI -- The annual Kalamazoo Legacy Ball, which will support student scholarships for the fourth year of the event, is Feb. 20. February is National Black History Month, a time for the community to celebrate the progress of black Americans and continue the legacy through education. The fourth annual Kalamazoo Legacy Ball will honor individuals who make a difference in the community. There will be a community award ceremony celebrating former educator and administrator Juanita Goodwin and for Eileen Oyelaran, president of Kalamazoo College. Community leaders, corporations and individuals celebrate at this unique annual affair. For the past three years, the Kalamazoo Legacy Ball has supported the local community in presenting more than $8,000 locally to black non-profit and community organizations, uplifts the local black community for the national holiday. The Legacy Ball is a cultural event that encourages all ethnicities to celebrate because Black History is everybody's history. Jessica Ann Tyson is the visionary of the Legacy Events which take place not only in Kalamazoo but also in Grand Rapids and Detroit. "My goal is to revitalize communities, encourage diversity with other cultures/backgrounds and continue to be inspired by the significant contributions that blacks have and continued to make," she said in a news release. Tyson said she is also proud that events have benefited local communities with more than $80,000 back to minority student scholarship programs, black non-profit and community organizations. Many community sponsors have joined in to make this event successful, including Miller Johnson, Comerica Bank, Kalamazoo College, Vicksburg Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram , Celebration Cinema, AllenDuke McDonald's, Fifth Third Bank, Meijer and the Kalamazoo Community Foundation. A reservation for the 2016 Kalamazoo Legacy Ball is $55, and ticket information, as well as additional information about this year's event can be found at the event website. The event will be held on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 6 p.m. (dinner at 6:15 p.m.) at the Radisson Plaza Hotel & Suies, 100 W. Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo. Karen Valvo raised her hand, repeated the 181-year-old oath, donned the somber black robes, and then she was a judge. The Ann Arbor attorney was installed as a 15th District Court judge on Friday, Jan. 29 at the Justice Center in Ann Arbor. Gov. Rick Snyder appointed Valvo to the seat in early January. She joins Judge Joseph Burke and Judge Elizabeth Pollard Hines in the court. At the investiture ceremony, surrounded by judges from the U.S. District Court in Detroit, the Michigan Supreme Court, the Michigan Court of Appeals and Washtenaw County courts, Valvo took the oath to uphold the U.S. and Michigan constitutions and received her gavel. Hines noted Valvo is known for her excellent reputation and being a good person. Valvo is always well prepared, said Gregory Dodd, Washtenaw County Bar Association president. Attorney James Fink was emotional when talking about his partner at Fink & Valvo of 13 years. "There's no way for us to tell you how proud we are of you, and how much we'll miss you," he told Vavlo. Fink told Hines and Burke she'll have their backs and support them, gives honest feed back, works hard and treats everyone with respect. At the ceremony, she pledged to work hard and to treat attorneys and their clients with dignity and respect. Valvo replaces Judge Christopher Easthope, who announced he was stepping down in July amid a text message scandal. She must seek election in Nov. 2016 to be retained for the remainder of the term, which runs through 2020. Lindsay Knake is a cops and courts reporter for The Ann Arbor News. Follow her on twitter or contact her at 989-372-2498 or lknake@mlive.com. Effective today, The city of Memphis has suspended all police operations and police officers. All Memphis police... Posted by Memphis Michigan Police Department on Friday, January 29, 2016 After the death of a recently appointed police chief who had been hired to deal with problems including missing equipment and criminal evidence, the small southeast Michigan town of Memphis has shut down its police department indefinitely. MEMPHIS, MI -- A small town that straddles the Macomb County-St. Clair County border has shut down its police department indefinitely. Four weeks after the death of Memphis Police Chief Kevin Sommers, Mayor Eric Schneider told officers to turn in badges, keys, weapons and radios after City Council approved the move. "This administrative leave is not disciplinary in any way," Schneider wrote in a letter to Memphis Police Department employees. "The council is suspending operations until such time that a clear chain of command can be established." A liaison officers for Memphis schools will remain in place, officials said. The sheriff's departments of Macomb and St. Clair counties will take over police duties in the city of about 1,200. Sommers died Jan. 1 of complications from a surgery. He was hired after two previous chiefs were removed from the position within one year. Former Chief Jessica Beels Koveck was fired in July 2014 and Scott Sheets was demoted to part-time status in June 2015, reports the Macomb Daily. An investigation by the Macomb County Sheriff's office revealed in November 2015 that the department had been dealing with missing guns, police radios and evidence. Schneider told the Macomb Daily the temporary shut down came at the recommendation of both the Macomb and St. Clair County sheriff's offices. "When you have two sheriffs' departments telling you we have a serious problem, and this is what we need to do, it would be foolish not to take their advice," he said. Full report here. ELKO The music was alive as the alchemy of poetry abounded in the 32nd National Cowboy Poetry Gatherings Artistic Alchemy: Poetry Into Song, Song Into Poetry starring Paul Zarzyski, John Dofflemyer, and Denise Withnell and David Wilkie of Cowboy Celtic. The show, which was supposed to celebrate the collaboration and friendship of Wylie Gustafson and Zarzyski, instead added three performers who showcased the same connection. Zarzyski and Dofflemyer provided the poetry and Withnell and Wilkie added music to the lyrics. Whats great about this group is theyre all friends, they collaborate together, said Darcy Minter, communications director for the Western Folklife Center. Even though Gustafson couldnt be there for health reasons, the group was tight-knit. After a couple of poems, Withnell and Wilkie performed A Pony Called Love in honor of Gustafson. Some of the help didnt show up so you call the neighbors and here we are, were just going to hope we get the job done, said Dofflemyer. He then went on to discuss the question: Why do we write? One man, at the Vietnam veterans seminar, asked if most poems are about suffering and sex. Dofflemyer responded no, thats not why he writes. Its to get to that state of awe, that state of amazement, he said. Dofflemyer, a rancher in the southern Sierra Nevada foothills, continued the rest of the night with heartfelt works about life and nature and, on a lighter note, joked about the drought in California as he was writing from a drought perspective. However, it didnt take long for Zarzyski to turn to his comedic, yet poetic, stylings: his work ranged from a poem about his dog and the Green Bay Packers to what appeared to be an ode to antipasto where the poet said Italians are good for turning what is sad into mad and mad into glad. I write to turn misery into comedy, he said. The musical interludes of Withnell and Wilkie added a different flavor to the collaboration, which seemed like an open mic night with the script being that of memories either shared together or told for the first time. Withnell explained a cowboy song is any song a cowboy likes. The performance created a cultural experience that didnt rely solely on the cowboy culture but also the French and Italian cultures, with Withnell singing La Vie en Rose and Zarzyski describing growing up with Italian heritage. Such a quote looked to the flavor of the show: each of the artists, whether it was in song or through a poem, made the audience laugh and cry (sometimes a little of both). Sometimes, the audience reacted just as much to the background stories as they did the art. FLINT, MI -- The federal government has denied a request from the state that would use supplemental nutrition funding for Flint children who may have been affected by high levels of lead in the water. On Jan. 27, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services requested Food and Nutrition Service approval to expand the access and availability of WIC benefits and services to children ages 5-years old through 10-years-old. MDHHS requested the supplemental nutrition funding based on the Flint water crisis and to help fight lead exposure with nutrition. On Friday, Jan. 29, the United States Department of Agriculture' Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) denied the request stating the federal statute governing Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) limits eligibility to children up to the age of 5-years-old, according to a letter sent to MDHHS from the USDA. "Thus, due to limitations established by statute, we are unable to approve your request. Any changes to WIC eligibility requirements would require Congressional action." The letter states. Gov. Rick Snyder is urging the federal government to reconsider the request given the current Flint water crisis. "I have strongly and continually stated that it is essential for all levels of government to work together to help Flint recover from this crisis, as it was all levels of government that failed Flint. While I understand WIC funding does not normally cover children over the age of 5, the improved health and development growth that will come from better nutrition for these kids necessitates a waiver of this rule." Snyder said in a statement. "I strongly urge the federal government to reconsider this request and provide additional support for children ages 5 to 10. We must draw on all resources possible and work cooperatively to meet the needs of the residents of Flint, both immediate and long-term." The FNS stated in the letter it is dedicated to supporting the nutrition of Flint's older children through other existing federal programs that include the National School Lunch Program, The Emergency Food Assistance Program, and The Child and Adult Care Food Program. The FNS is working with the Michigan Department of Education to respond to the needs of kids in Flint, according to the letter. FLINT, MI -- Pregnant women and children under 6 are being told by state, local and federal officials to stop using tap water unless it has been tested for lead. Officials announced during a Friday, Jan. 29, press conference that recent lead testing found 26 sites across the city with readings of 150 parts per billion or more of lead-- ten times the federal action limit. Testing from the U.S. Department of Environmental Quality discovered at least one home with lead levels above 4,000 ppb. The state directors of the Department of Environmental Quality and health department were in attendance. The state's chief medical executive, Dr. Eden Wells, was also in attendance at the city hall press conference. All of the water fountains in city hall were turned off prior to the press conference. Residents can continue to drink tap water if the water has been tested and found to be below the action level for lead. The state claimed this week it had distributed nearly 100,000 water filters to city residents, but now says the city's pregnant and young residents should stop using any tap water if it hasn't been tested. Filters began being handed out in Flint in August 2015 by the Concerned Pastors for Social Action after Flint had been in violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act since the start of 2015 because of elevated levels of total trihalomethanes, a byproduct of water treatment, in water samples. The pastors initially said the filters were donated anonymously, but a month later it was discovered Gov. Rick Snyder's office helped foster the giveaway from an anonymous donor and asked the pastors not to disclose their involvement. The state offered cash to the city in October for filters after elevated blood lead levels were discovered in some residents and Snyder signed a bill Friday appropriating more than $15 million provide emergency bottled water, filters and other services. For more than 50 years, Flint used pretreated Lake Huron water purchased from Detroit, but in April 2014, switched to using the Flint River instead. A state-appointed emergency manager was running Flint at the time the change was made, and the DEQ provided oversight as the city struggled to keep bacteria and total trihalomethanes out of the water supply. In September 2015, Virginia Tech university researchers reported Flint drinking water is "very corrosive" and high rates of lead leaching from pipes and solder joints and "contamination in homes." Also in September, a Hurley Medical Center doctor's study showed the number of children in the city with elevated blood levels of lead nearly doubled after the city started using the river as a water source and nearly tripled in two "high-risk" ZIP codes where lead in water levels have been especially high: 48503 and 48504. The governor activated the National Guard to assist in the crisis on Jan. 12 and President Barack Obama signed an emergency declaration Jan. 16 ordering federal assistance over the crisis. (Staff writer Gary Ridley contributed to this report) GENESEE COUNTY, MI -- Flint officials have advised city water customers outside the city limits to use filters and bottled water, with efforts underway to stock them with resources during the crisis. A Friday, Jan. 29 statement from the mayor's office reads "We want to remind residents who live outside Flint City limits that they may still be Flint water customers and should have their water tested." More than 250 addresses have been identified by Flint of falling into that category, with the list of addresses published on the city's website. County Board Chairman Jamie Curtis said the addresses include 45 single-family homes and Sunridge Apartments in Flint Township, where the Emergency Operations Center has coordinated with Piper Realty to drop off water, filters and testing kits. Mt. Morris Township Supervisor Larry Green said the eight franchise customers affected in their area were to have water resources delivered and had been previously notified by letter of their connection. Bottled water was recently taken door-to-door by Department of Public Works employees to 65 franchise customers in Burton. Burton Mayor Paula Zelenko said the city has been receiving calls from residents about resources being made available to them, with filters, water and test kits provided via the efforts in Flint. Volunteers will be going door-to-door once again on Saturday, Jan. 30. With the ongoing crisis, Burton Assistant Fire Chief Kirk Wilkinson said the city is providing Fire Station No. 1, 2033 E. Bristol Road, as a resource site to those needing water, filters and test kits. The station will be open from noon-7 p.m. each Saturday beginning Jan. 30 and throughout February. Wilkinson said an identification is required to receive the resources, based on the impacted addresses in the city. Genesee Township Clerk Wayne Bates said aside from offering water and other resources, any potential shutoffs for the roughly two dozen franchise customers in the jurisdiction are being suspended. "We're also looking at what we can do with their lead pipes to see if we can help them out in some way," he said, dependent on available resources. Zelenko said Burton has a disaster aid fund in its budget, with an allotted $3,000 during the 2015-16 budget, which she expected the city would exceed with the current situation. She's been told Burton will receive some aid as part of the state's $28 million in relief efforts and the city is logging work hours to supply for the state's appeal for a federal disaster declaration. "These are the types of things you don't expect," said Zelenko, who hopes to speak further with Flint Mayor Karen Weaver about placing the franchise customers in Burton on the community's water system. The city has set aside $151,000 in community development block grant dollars to create a water main loop for the district containing the franchise customers. Zelenko has estimated the project would cost around $200,000. "I'm hoping that's where the state remediation, if there is any, will still help those that have lead lines," she previously said. "They didn't have a choice in the switch, either, if they did have the lead lines. We just want to make sure our residents are taken care of." This is the opinion of The Flint Journal News Leader Bryn Mickle If Gov. Rick Snyder really wants to be transparent about his handling of the Flint water crisis, he should demand that he be called to testify before the Congressional oversight committee looking into the debacle. In what can only be explained as a stunning display of partisan politics, the Republican chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has rejected requests to have Snyder testify at a water crisis hearing set for next week. Given that Snyder has repeatedly apologized for the crisis, there should be no question that the governor considers himself among those responsible for this disaster. So why wouldn't he want the chance to help Congress find answers? A Congressional inquiry is an important step in understanding just how this crisis was allowed to unfold and Snyder is critical to any serious inquiry into the matter. Maybe the Republican chairman of the committee, Jason Chaffetz, is unclear on how exactly this crisis developed. Allow me to recap for the congressman from Utah. Flint -- a city that was under the control of a Snyder-appointed emergency manager -- switched its water source to the Flint River. The state's Department of Environmental Quality fell down on the job and Flint kids were poisoned with lead in their drinking water. No matter how many times the governor trots out the line that the Flint City Council voted 7-1 to use the Flint River for drinking water, it doesn't make it true. The fact is that council vote was never to switch to the Flint River as the sole drinking source. Regardless, the City Council had NO power under the state-imposed financial emergency and it was Snyder's financial manager who was in control. City. Council. Had. No. Power. Which brings me back to Snyder. The governor is the chief executive of the state and, as such, owns this crisis. The release of two years worth of emails and promises of more transparency just aren't good enough. So far, the oversight panel has announced plans to call five witnesses: Joel Beauvais: Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water in the EPA. Miguel Del Toral: EPA researcher Keith Creagh: DEQ director Marc Edwards: The Virginia Tech researcher who has been raising alarms about the water since last year. Darnell Earley: Former Flint emergency manager. But no Snyder. Any Congressional inquiry must include Snyder and he should demand the chance to explain the state's role in this. Anything less will just be another insult in what is becoming a long list of insults to Flint and the people who have been poisoned. Jirayr Sefilyan: The place of violence was chosen deliberately (video) A year has passed since the so-called Berdzor incident that took place in Kashatagh regions section of the Goris-Stepanakert highway. On January 31, 2015, scores of activists representing the Founding Parliament opposition movement, a successor of the Pre-parliament pressure group, organized an automobile march to Nagorno-Karabakh as part of their campaign seeking a regime change in Armenia. Near Berdzor, they were stopped by local police and a group of plainclothes men who forcefully blocked their access to the territory of Karabakh. A number of activists, including Jirayr Sefilyan, a Karabakh war veteran and a former commander of the Shushi special detachment, were beaten up during the incident. Also, some vehicles of the automobile march were damaged. The hazard menacing these authorities, which could lead to a popular uprising in Artsakh, was prevented, says Jirayr Sefilyan. He says before leaving for Artsakh he was sure that their access would be banned but the group did not and could not understand the brute force exercised by the police especially after their decision to return to Yerevan. The violent action was carried out in a territory which is not included in the internationally recognized territory of Armenia. This gave the authorities an opportunity to refrain from answering questions about the incident. As Artsakh is an unrecognized state, it is difficult to appeal the case in relevant international instances. In those days, we contemplated a lot over the legal grounds to start proceedings but we saw that our nation would suffer more as a result. Mr Sefilyan does not blame the incident on the Armenians of Artsakh; he says the violence was carried out by the police. Moreover, he thinks the venue [Berdzor] was not chosen by chance. They chose the place deliberately to deepen the gap between Armenians and Artsakh people; it was a shock to the Armenians. Mr Sefilyan is sure that their struggle will produce results one day and the perpetrators of Berdzor and many other violent acts will not go unpunished. [January 29, 2016] Technavio Identifies Top Three Emerging Trends for the POCT Market in Europe Through 2019 Technavio's latest POCT (point of care testing) market in Europe 2015-2019 report highlights the top three emerging trends that are predicted to impact the market through 2019. Technavio defines an emerging trend as something that has potential for significant impact on the market and contributes to its growth or decline. "According to our research, miniaturization of devices is expected to help the POCT market in record revenues close to USD 5 billion in Europe by 2019. With this, the POCT devices market accounted for close to a 24% share in the overall IVD (in vitro diagnostics) market in Europe," said Technavio's senior industry analyst for in vitro diagnostic research, Brahadeesh Chandrasekaran. "The region has witnessed the launch of the Horizon 2020 initiative that intends to provide close to USD 86.9 million worth of funding from 2014 to 2020 to stimulate the development of new point-of-care (POC) devices in the region. Research funding, government encouragement, and reimbursement will significantly boost the market growth of POCTs in Europe until 2019," added Brahadeesh. Technavio's market research study identifies the following top three emerging trends for the POCT market in Europe 2015-2019: Emergence of digital healthcare and portable POCT Next-generation sequencing and DNA microarrays Government initiatives for quality improvement Emergence of patient-centered healthcare by digital technology Digitalization of clinical information is improving access to healthcare records for medical practitioners, as well as patients. Electronic healthcare records are classified as telehealth, personal health records, and team care, playing a critical role in providing clinical health support for chronic diseases. Over the forecast period, the market is anticipated to witness a growing demand for portable POC diagnostics products that are more hygienic and efficient compared to fxed POCT products. Manufacturers are also expected to come up with technologically advanced portable products with licenses for single-owner use. Thus, the demand for portable POC diagnostics products is increasing. In conjunction with these trends our market research analysts have observed, Abbott, a leading player of this market is increasing its market share with the introduction of Libre Flash Glucose monitor, a hybrid, and continuous glucose monitoring system that is designed for wireless monitoring. Similarly, LifeScan, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, is innovating with OneTouch Verio Sync Meter, a blood glucose monitor that is capable of sending results wirelessly to iPhones, iPads, or iPod Touch devices. Next-generation sequencing and DNA microarrays Next-generation DNA sequencing is used to diagnose genetic disorders. This technique is gaining widespread prevalence for screening large sets of genes simultaneously. The technology makes it possible to decipher the entire genetic content of an individual, paving the way for personalized medicine, a latest trend in the POCT market. Microarrays are stamp-sized chips coated with single-stranded oligonucleotide probes specifically designed for a nucleotide sequence. When added, the single-stranded nucleotide strands, labeled with a color-producing agent, bind with the oligonucleotide sequence. Strongly bound strands deliver high-intensity signals and vice versa. These signals can be measured and the nucleotide sequence can be assigned. This method helps in diagnosing diseases faster, while aiding the manufacture of drugs meant for a specific gene. Government initiatives for quality improvement The increasing use of POCT devices is forcing governments to monitor the quality of these devices to ensure patient safety. Norway is a world leader in POCT quality control, thanks to the Norwegian Center for External Quality Assurance in Primary Health Care (NOKULAS) who aims to produce an information repository concerning the quality of laboratory equipment in the country. The participants that are involved in NOKULAS are nursing homes, Norwegian GP offices, hospitals, and healthcare institutions. In Sweden, Equalis was formed to monitor the external quality of clinical laboratory investigation. It is also involved in quality improvement projects for diagnostics. Many other EU governments are expected to roll out similar measures during the forecast period. Browse related reports: USA In-vitro Diagnostics POCT Market 2015-2019 Global Wound Biologics Market 2016-2020 IVD Market in Europe 2016-2020 Purchase three reports from our library 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected]. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160129005048/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Nana Boroo 30.01.2016 LISTEN Nana Boroo, known in real life as Nana Osei Bonsu, has been unveiled as a brand ambassador for the maiden Accra Men's Fashion Week 2016. At a press launch held last Friday at Airport View Hotel in Accra, organisers of the Men's Fashion Week expressed their excitement to be working with the musician who is very much known for his high fashion sense and ability to be unapologetically fashionable. 'I'm very much excited to be part of this event because it is the first of its kind and the concept is great, I eat and live fashion and I see the Accra Men's Fashion Week as an avenue to express my style, he said in a brief comment at the launch. Speaking at the media launch, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, deputy minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, appealed to fashion designers to keep to their promise of delivery to customers on time so as not to frustrate them to go purchase 'already made' attires from other countries. The ministry is ever ready to support the youth who are willing to come up with such brilliant ideas to strengthen and promote Ghanaian culture and heritage, she stated. Nana Mensah, chief executive officer of Fame Model Management, organisers of Accra Men's Fashion Week, explained that the objective is to draw more attention to men's fashion and accessories and grooming, while at the same time promoting national culture. The event which is slated for February 27 and 28, 2016 in Accra will feature designers from other African countries like Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Togo and Benin. Lifer: You cannot deprive people of the opportunity to improve themselves (video) Inmates serving life sentences in Nubarashen penitentiary in Yerevan demand that their cases be reviewed. There is a law but t does not work. When we began an open-ended hunger strike, many thought lifers wanted to be released. But it is not so. We want them to divide us into groups and distinguish between those innocent and guilty because there are innocent people here, says life-termer Arman Hayrapetyan. In the visiting room of the prison, Arman presented the concerns of lifers. The vast majority of them were sentenced to life imprisonment before 2011, when the maximum period of prison sentence was 15 years. After the law was changed, the maximum prison term became 20 years, and only one person was sentenced to life imprisonment. Arman says, A man is serving a sentence with me who was given 17 years in prison but has to stay here all his life. Is it right to destroy a persons life for 2 years? The judge could not give me 16 or 17 years in prison so he gave me a life sentence, said another lifer called Vagharshak. Among the lifers in Nubarashen prison there are many people who committed crimes under the age of 21. Arman says people do not fully realize their actions at that age; one cannot deprive people of the opportunity to improve themselves. People under 21 are not fully matured but courts give them life sentences. No one can feel secured against it. Now everyone has answered for their actions, Arman said. Lifers have addressed a letter with their concerns and demands to Serzh Sargsyan but they have not received any response from him. From time to time they stage hunger strikes to remind about their existence and wait for concrete steps. This is not an easy question. It is a difficult matter that requires attention. They only need to demonstrate political will. We pin hopes on the president and the government who are dealing with the problem, said Vagharshak. Various officials visit lifers during hunger strikes but they do not give answers to their concerns. They say the issue is beyond their powers. Let them send people who can tackle the problem. People already understand that they cannot fool us. They come and say, We do not want to give you hope, but we will try to do something." Everyone can make mistakes, they need to be given an opportunity to improve themselves, to return to life, say lifers. Every person should have the hope for the better and live with that hope. When a person loses hope, it is awful. Better tell him that he will die here than give him empty promises, says Vagharshak. There are also people here who have committed one murder and are convicted for the first time. Why should you destroy his life? A person must be given a chance to live, to show what he can do, said Arman. Vagharshak has been imprisoned since he was 20. Though he has spent the best years of his youth in prison he is full of optimism. Now he wants to return home more than ever. "I got married here, I have a family, I'll go and take care of my family, I will try to return what I have lost My peers have done all this, he said. Lifers say they feel the support of their relatives through the thick walls of the priosn. We do not enjoy staging hunger strikes here. We are not delighted to leave our homes [cells] in this cold We also feel bad, says Vagharshak. Persons sentenced to life imprisonment have the right to walk an hour a day; they spend the rest of the day in their cells. Arman does not complain of the staff or conditions. If you can live a normal life, you can create your own conditions, you are given that opportunity," he says. Lifers say time is their biggest problem; people live in uncertainty, with the hope of being at large one day. Everyone wants to be free. Once you are set free you should think about your future life. Like all ordinary people, you should first of all think of building your own family, says Vagharshak. You need not look at everyone in the same light. You need not think that there are only killers here. Ninety-nine percent of lifers can communicate normally, Arman said. Everyone here knows what he has lost and what he is fighting for. "Freedom means life for everyone. If we appeared here for correction, it means we have reached the point where we are already corrected, Vagharshak says. "We hope that our government will hear our voice, accept our offer and will not ignore the problems accumulated over these years," Arman added. At present, there are 99 lifers in Armenia. Washington (AFP) - President Barack Obama has asked key advisors to draw up options for ratcheting up the fight against the Islamic State group, including opening a new front in Libya. Eighteen months after a US-led coalition began airstrikes against IS in Iraq and Syria, multiple administration sources said Friday that the White House wants to speed up and broaden the effort. Efforts will deepen to retake Raqa in Syria, Mosul in Iraq and to check the jihadists' growth in Afghanistan, but there is an increasing focus on Libya. Potential options are said to range from intensified air strikes to participation in a UN-backed ground force that would help take Libya's estimated 3,000 Islamic State fighters. Officials caution that Obama has not yet been presented with concrete military plans, though the security situation is acute. "Action in Libya is needed before Libya becomes a sanctuary for ISIL, before they become extremely hard to dislodge," said one US defense official. "We don't want a situation like in Iraq or Syria." Since rebels and Western airpower toppled Moamer Kadhafi's regime in 2011, the country has effectively lacked a government. In the chaos a disparate group of foreign fighters, homegrown militiamen, tribes and remnants of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group have coalesced around the IS banner and gained a foothold. Jihadists have recently taken control of Kadhafi's home town of Sirte, a strategic port near oilfields that could provide a lucrative source of income. - Next steps - Until now, US involvement in Libya has been limited to isolated airstrikes and the deployment of US special forces, who are building ties with local armed groups and providing intelligence. In November, an American F-16 fighter jet struck the eastern town of Derna, killing Abu Nabil -- also known as Wissam Najm Abd Zayd al-Zubaydi -- the local IS leader. On Thursday, Obama convened his National Security Council to discuss current operations and the next steps. "The president directed his national security team to continue efforts to strengthen governance and support ongoing counterterrorism efforts in Libya and other countries where ISIL has sought to establish a presence," according to a White House account of the meeting. Republicans, with one eye on November's US presidential election, have pilloried Obama and one-time secretary of state Hillary Clinton for not doing more to prevent Islamic State's rise. "Congress has been calling for a real strategy from the president to defeat ISIS," said a spokesman for House Speaker Paul Ryan. "We'll see whether this is just more talk or if it will be backed up with the will and the resources necessary for victory." Further steps -- including ground operations -- are likely to depend on Libyans' ability to form a Government of National Accord, which the UN is still trying to bring together. "There needs to be a political solution to get a military solution," said another defense official, echoing comments from diplomats. "We hope that there is the beginning of a political solution so that there is a legitimate government that can invite us to go after ISIL." Washington is also looking to European nations -- facing a more acute threat from the collapse of a country a short distance across the Mediterranean -- to play a leading role, including former Libyan colonial power Italy. Obama will host the Italian head of state, President Sergio Mattarella, at the White House on February 8. France and Britain are also slated as possible contributors. Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to meet his European counterparts in Rome on February 2. "The idea is to have a coalition of nations," a defense official said. Some security experts say the deteriorating situation on the ground may leave the administration few options but to launch a ground campaign, even if the long-term path is unclear. "The unfortunate reality is that this is a bad option, but it's the only one," said Patrick Skinner, a former CIA case officer now with The Soufan Group, a consultancy. IS-linked terror attacks from Turkey to Indonesia have sharpened concerns about the group's reach and potency, even as it suffers losses in Mesopotamia. "They cannot let the Islamic State run Libya, they just can't." "They are holding really key spots. You can't let the Islamic State have a port, that's insane." According to Karim Mezran, a Libya expert at the Atlantic Council, any government in Libya is unlikely to survive without foreign support and would have to invite in foreign troops in. "Without an international force of support there is no way the new government can ever get into Tripoli," he said. Geneva (AFP) - New allegations surfaced Friday of child sexual abuse in the Central African Republic involving UN peacekeepers as well as troops serving in a European mission and in France's Sangaris operation. UN rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein described the latest claims to come to light as "extremely serious allegations" and said it was "crucial that these cases are thoroughly and urgently investigated." The new cases linking EU and French troops are said to date to 2014 but have only been discovered in recent weeks as a result of a UN investigation. The allegations against UN peacekeepers mostly date back to last year and in a first, the United Nations revealed the nationalities of the troops involved. They are from Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Morocco, Niger and Senegal. There has been a wave of allegations against UN peacekeepers serving in the Central African Republic, but the latest probe brought to light possible crimes committed by European Union (EUFOR) forces. Two girls said they were raped by EUFOR soldiers, while two others said they were paid to have sexual relations with other EUFOR soldiers, a UN statement said. The four were aged between 14 and 16 at the time. Three girls told UN investigators that they believed their abusers were from Georgia. In Brussels, an EU source said the allegations were "totally unprecedented" for an EU mission. Some 150 Georgian soldiers were deployed with the EUFOR contingent, which at its peak counted some 700 soldiers sent to Bangui to help restore order. Reacting to the allegations, EUFOR said in a statement that "the EU takes these allegations very seriously." Georgia's defence ministry said it would "do everything possible to ensure that those individuals committing such crimes are held responsible." - Sex for cookies - UN staff also interviewed two children allegedly abused in 2014 by soldiers from the French Sangaris force. The girl and boy were aged seven and nine respectively at the time. "The girl said she had performed oral sex on French soldiers in exchange for a bottle of water and a sachet of cookies. "Both she and the nine-year-old boy said that other children were abused in a similar fashion in repeated incidents involving several French soldiers," the statement said. The six cases of alleged abuse by foreign troops took place at a sprawling camp for displaced people at M'Poko, near Bangui's airport. French soldiers serving in the Sangaris force are already being investigated in France over allegations that they forced children in CAR to perform sexual acts in exchange for food. On Friday, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian ordered a fresh probe following the latest allegations. - New claims against UN peacekeepers - In the latest wave of allegations facing the troubled UN mission in the Central African Republic, eight soldiers and two police were accused of having sex with minors. Four of the soldiers are from Niger, two from Bangladesh, one from Morocco and one from the Democratic Republic of Congo, along with two police from Senegal. The latest claims bring to 22 the number of cases of sexual abuse involving peacekeepers from the UN mission in the Central African Republic. The new cases follow a hard-hitting report released last month that found the United Nations had grossly mishandled allegations of child sex abuse in CAR. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon fired the head of the 10,000-strong MINUSCA force last year over the mounting number of cases, but the allegations have continued to surface. Accra, Jan. 28, GNA - There are indications Parliament would invite Mr Seth Terkper, the Minister of Finance, together with Mr George Blankson, the Commissioner of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), to the House. And the invite would be based on their decision to suspend the implementation of the 1 per cent tax on interests as captured in the Income Tax Amendment Act. Dr Anthony Akoto Osei, a ranking member of the Finance Committee, who raised the matter on the floor of the House on Thursday sought to know if it were appropriate for the GRA to suspend the implementation of an Act passed the august House. He said: 'Mr Speaker, you will recall that we've passed the Income Tax Amendment Act but unfortunately, some institutions write in the papers suspending implementation of the Act. These days people are talking about Parliament that we are not serious. I think the least we ought to do is to make people know that when Parliament passes an Act, you don't reverse it until the right thing is done.' 'I refer to the GRA publications several times in the newspapers purporting to suspend an Act of Parliament. I think the least we can do is to send notice to whoever does such a thing that if continues we will advise ourselves', he said. Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, the Speaker, warned that before any decision could be taken on an Act that is in the statutory books of the country, approval must first be sought from the legislature. 'If it is true that they have put a notice in the newspapers suspending an Act which is on the statutory books, then it is not proper. Until the law is amended, that is the legal position and nobody can suspend a law in the statutory books.' The 1 per cent tax on interest earned on any investment became operational on January 1, 2016, following the passage of the Income Tax Amendment Act. What this means is that all interest paid to an individual - interest accrued on treasury bills, fixed income deposit, interest from banks and many others will attract a 1 per cent tax. In addition, interests paid to individual unit trusts or mutual fund holders were also to be taxed. However, the implementation generated uproar among the citizenry, with some threatening to withdraw their savings and other investments made from the banks and other financial institutions. The GRA subsequently issued notice in the daily newspapers suspending the implementation of the law. GNA 30.01.2016 LISTEN JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 29 January 2016,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/- Mimi Kalinda, Managing Director and co-founder of Africommunications Group Ltd. (ACG), a pan-African communications agency headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, has been nominated for the Women4Africa Awards 2016 as a finalist in the International African Woman of the Year category. "African women are the world's untapped talent. With over 520 million women on the continent and more young women entering universities than ever before, African women are the next up and coming workforce. We are as capable as anyone else," said Kalinda. "We have to dream big, work hard and be ambitious." The Rwandan-Congolese communications expert was among eight distinguished finalists to be nominated for the award. The prestigious prize is part of the Women4Africa Awards, held in the United Kingdom (UK) annually to honour a number of women from African countries for their hard work and creativity in various sectors. There are several other awards up for grabs, including Career Woman of the Year, Inspiration Woman of the Year, Humanitarian of the Year and Media Personality of Year, to name a few. "Awards like this remind us that as African, we have made tremendous progress that is worthy of celebration," added Kalinda. "And that is what I have sought to do with my communications and public relations work: to show that not only are African women capable of creative and cutting-edge work that delivers results, but that we are also best placed on the continent to deliver the services. We know Africa, because we were born and raised in the region and we understand how to reach our audiences best." Mimi Kalinda started off her career in television, most notably on popular music television station, MTV, in the UK. She went on to work in advertising and marketing and over the past decade has worked in several public relations powerhouses, including being the Africa Lead for FleishmanHillard. Mimi co-founded ACG, and is now managing several major accounts including the African Innovation Foundation. Distributed by African Media Agency on behalf of Africommunications Group Ltd . Mimi Kalinda is available for interviews. She can be reached at: [email protected] For more information, please visit: www.africacommunicationsgroup.com 30.01.2016 LISTEN Dear reader, If you truly hate Joyce Aryee type "vulgar criminality" that actually expose Ghana to serious financial loses, national shame, and plunder of its African resources, take action today using this link: https://www.change.org/p/ghana-fair-trade-oil-share-psa-campaign-ftos-gh-psa . Just yesterday, in that 28 January article on Ghanaweb and elsewhere, we found out that that according to Ms. Aryee, the former CEO of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, "Smarttys graft saga....is....vulgar criminality". For those of us in the Fair-Trade Oil Share-Ghana (FTOS-Gh/PSA) campaign, it continues to amaze us how millions of Ghanaians continue to be hoodwinked into believing that petty "criminality" involving Ghc 3.6 million ($925,162.00 ) is equivalent to on-going "vulgar" criminality involving Ghc23,566,980,000 ($6,000,000,000), plus. COMPARE: Ghana Hybrid graft = Ghc23,566 million Smarttys graft = Ghc 3.6 million To the point, Smarttys graft is trivial and total waste of all that expended energy, print paper, and electronic ink! The critical mind knows that it is absolute nonsense, a total false equivalence to pretend that Ghc Ghc3.6 million is "vulgar criminality", compared to Ghc23,566 million, and to flatly avoid and ignore the latter. Yes, avoidance, blessed neglect, and benign ignorance! This minute, those are precisely the attitudes of most Ghanaians (including most university professors, most students, and the media, etc,), to the on-going Ghana Hybrid graft-and-fraud under the auspices of the Mahama NDC administration. MOST VULGAR FRAUD & CRIMINALITY: There is on-going fraud with Ghana's oil contracts. The Mahama NDC administration, instead of prioritizing and working to ensure that Parliament adopts the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA), continues to nurse and support the so-called Ghana Hybrid System. That so-called Ghana Hybrid System is without doubt the most fraudulent, most rotten system for cheating Ghana. That system is a legacy of the NPP administration. It is the biggest, most vulgar criminality being perpetrated on the People of Ghana today. Fact! Over the last five years, Ghana has lost more than Ghc23.6 billion under the Mills-Mahama administration as government has stridently refused to adopt the PSA, a global standard that could guarantee Ghana better than 55% of all Jubilee oil revenues, instead of the 17% Ghana received during the same time. REPEAT: The so-called Ghana Hybrid System is the most rotten, most vulgar, criminality being perpetrated by the Mahama NDC administration on the People of Ghana today, bar none! what every Ghanaian and Ghana supporter should do today! Every Ghanaian and Ghana supporter should take just 30 SECONDS today to join the "Fair-Trade Oil Share Ghana (FTOS-Gh)/PSA" petition. You do not have to be in the streets to demand that Mr. Mahama must do right by Ghana. Use just 30 SECONDS of your time. Ask Mr. Mahama to take Ghana out of that putrid and most vulgar ditch of foreign corporate plunder and predation of Ghana's non-renewable oil resources. (We thank you kindly, if you have already done so). Here's the link again: https://www.change.org/p/ghana-fair-trade-oil-share-psa-campaign-ftos-gh-psa . (Un-check the box at bottom, for privacy/no comment!) Crucially important, please distribute this information widely. Blast it. Tell your friends, colleagues, and family members. Ask everyone of them to join the FTOS-GH petition. Tweet #FTOS_Gh, if you or your friends have tweeter accounts ! CONCLUSION Respectfully, in closing, our Ms. Joyce Aryee ought to lend her powerful voice to the FTOS-Gh/PSA petition. Our Ms. Joyce Aryee ought to join and sign the petition also. Equally important, our Ms. Joyce Aryee ought to ask friends, colleagues, and supporters to join the FTOS-Gh/PSA petition. All Ghanaians and Ghana supporters should join the FTOS-Gh/PSA petition by signing the petition. In addition, on account this is a public service effort, we ask that the "Executive Breakfast Show" on Class 91.3FM also take it upon their corporate and Ghanaian self-interest, in the service of Ghanaians, to blast this message to all in Ghana and everywhere. Fair-Trade Oil Share-Ghana (FTOS-Gh/PSA)! SOURCE: http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=41126 4. Prof Lungu, FTOS-Gh Campaign www.ghanahero.com/FTOS_GH_Campaign.html. #FTOS_Gh (Twitter); https://twitter.com/professorlungu, (@professorlungu). PETITION: www.change.org/p/ghana-fair-trade-oil-share-psa-campaign-ftos-gh-psa. Joyce Aryee, biggest vulgar criminality is "Hybrid System" for Ghana's oil! (29 January, 2016). 30.01.2016 LISTEN The opposition npp is too weak and confused to win the November 7th,2016 election should the ruling Ndc enter the race with some smart strategies, and alignments, the fragmented opposition should start looking to 2021. The claim of rigging is our Ghanaian way of conceding defeat in elections. The eminent defeat is a result of own enumerable party failures of driving issues based politics. Embracing frictional politics does not fly in this dispensation. Sadly, other than Dr. Paa kwasi Nduom known for trying his best on leading mature and issues based opposition politics, most opposition parties have remained academic clubs too detracted with none issue politicking, internal deficiencies bordering on party identity crisis, political strategy, and character to inspire national confidence. Sadly, many parties have drifted into sensational political theater platforms of lamentable failure to articulately sale their agenda to Ghanaians. Their outrageous promises lack the how component of policy implementation. The period 2008 to 2012, sadly was a lost period of opposition politics since Npp lost power. Those with the opportunity to reorganize, wasted time on insulting late President Mills and laughing at his health. As if not enough mistake to learn from, after suffering defeat at the hands of President John Mahama a totally new candidate, the country was stunned when 2016 became a reload of opposition failures characterized with lack of political mojo and thought leadership. Most opposition parties have dug themselves in concoctions of whatever cyberstalkers and internet trolls come up with. Unfortunately, none of these politician is a political bulldozer in the league of president John Mahama to shock Ghanaians unless Ndc sabotage its own chances, the opposition is just pretending to have a shot at ousting President John Mahama and his ruling Ndc. President John Mahama's ruling Ndc is virtually assured of keeping power in the November 7th vote. Ibrahim Hardi, Contact: 0208235615 Email: [email protected] 30.01.2016 LISTEN THE POLICE in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region are having two people in their custody in connection with the brutal murder of a nurse. The police are so far tight-lipped over the identities of the two suspects for investigation purposes. But the paper's check had revealed that a male, who is believed to be the fiancee of the deceased, had been arrested. Yaa Sika Dankwa's lifeless body was found lying at a location which is near the Dompoase Landfill site Monday evening. She was said to have been picked from work by the said male lover, a few hours after her lifeless body was found. A police source at Asokwa had confirmed the sad incident but she did not want her name to be mentioned. The source said the two suspects were picked up hours after Yaa Sika's body was found. Yaa Sika, reports making rounds indicate, worked as a nurse in a certain medical facility in Kumasi. . On Monday the said male lover reportedly picked Yaa Sika from work and she was later found dead near the landfill site. Eyewitnesses said there were no physical marks on the body when it was found. Her dress was however, half removed thereby exposing her stomach and chest as she lay motionless on the ground. Meanwhile, her body has been dumped at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital awaiting autopsy to ascertain the cause of death. The police too have intensified investigations FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi . 30.01.2016 LISTEN The Ashanti Regional Police Commander, DCOP Nathan Kofi Boakye, has incurred the wrath of some Members of Parliament (MPs) who are calling on the speaker of the house to summon him before the Privileges Committee for threatening to arrest an MP, which is deemed a breach of privileges of parliament. DCOP Kofi Boakye was said to have called the MP for Asante-Akim North, Kwadwo Baah Agyeman, on his cell phone Thursday evening and told him that he (Boakye) had petitioned the speaker and would be arresting the MP for allegedly holding a press conference at Agogo to incite the youth of the town to attack Fulani herdsmen in the area. The Ashanti Regional Commander is reported to have spoken on a number of radio stations and said he was going to arrest the honourable member of parliament for allegedly inciting the youth of Agogo to attack Fulani herdsmen who are on record to be constantly harassing residents of the area and in some cases, killing and raping women. At yesterdays sitting, the MP for Bekwai, Joseph Osei-Owusu, raised the issue on the floor of parliament and asked the speaker to invite the police commander to the Privileges Committee for threatening to arrest an MP who was duly playing his role as an MP to lead his people to protest against the danger Fulani herdsmen pose to the people of his constituency. Mr Speaker, I want to raise a matter of privileges. I have heard the Ashanti Regional Police Commander on radio saying that he would arrest one of our colleagues and that this is in contravention of Article 122 of the 1992 Constitution, he said, adding that the regional commander must be dragged before the Privileges Committee for issuing out such threat. The speaker, Edward Doe Adjaho, said the call was premature because he himself had not had the privilege to hear that threat and that if an evidence was produced to that effect, he would willingly consider it. . I need to get the facts before I could refer the matter, based on my discretion, to the Privileges Committee, he said, stressing that there is nowhere in the world that a Member of Parliament could be called and threatened by a police officer. Mr Kwadwo Baah Agyeman, who is at the centre of this hullabaloo, later told journalists in parliament that he was very much surprised that the regional police commander could tow that line. The regional police commander must know that I am the representative of the people of Asante-Akim North in parliament and I must always represent their interest so I cannot sit down for Fulanis who are not Ghanaians, to come to my constituency and destroy our farm lands, kill our people and rape our women while the traditional leaders and the police sit aloof, the MP stressed. According to him, he held a press conference to ask the people to defend themselves anytime they are attacked by the Fulanis because they had seen that the security people are not ready to flush the Fulanis out of the area. It is pathetic that a court has since January, 2011 given an order for the police to drive all the Fulanis from our farmlands and from the whole of Asante-Akim North, but the police have not enforced that court order, he lamented. He pointed out that the people themselves would take their own destiny into their hands by defending themselves and resolving to also boycott every meeting or durbar called by any traditional leader in the area since they (traditional leaders) had all not responded positively to their concerns. By Thomas Fosu Jnr Samia Nkrumah 30.01.2016 LISTEN The Convention People's Party (CPP) goes to polls today to elect a flagbearer to lead the Nkrumahist party to the 2016 general election scheduled for November 7. The National Delegates' Congress, which is scheduled to take place at the Trade Fair Site in La, Accra, would see 2,600 delegates from all 275 constituencies across the country in attendance. Four persons are gunning for the topmost position, including immediate past party Chairperson Samia Yaaba Nkrumah and former General Secretary Ivor Kobina Greenstreet. Others are Lawyer Bright Akwetey and new entrant Joseph Agyapong, a businessman. But the contest is seen as a straight fight between Samia and Ivor Greenstreet, even though the two others are equally confident of pulling surprises. Even though a live television debate organised for the four to sell their messages to the delegates did not end up with a clear winner, it proved to be an interesting event since it offered them an opportunity to market themselves. Samia, who is basking in her father's glory, said when given the opportunity to lead the country, she would finish Dr Kwame Nkrumah's (her late father's) unaccomplished seven-year development plan for Ghana and adapt it to the current situation. She however suffers the disadvantage of being considered a not-too-successful chairperson when she presided over the party. Samia is also seen as a divisive leader and has been accused of pushing Dr Nduom out of the party. Mr Greenstreet is positioning himself as a unifier, asking delegates to vote for him because he would galvanise and energise all the talents in the party with greater charisma. He prides himself with the assertion of some delegates that he has a clean heart and loyal to the rank and file; he also has very deep knowledge of issues of governance, economy and the welfarist philosophy of the CPP. . Mr Akwetey, an ardent Nkrumahist who is aspiring to lead the CPP as a presidential candidate for the third time, says watching the CPP, once the touchstone of political power in Ghana and institutional machinery that laid the foundation for the prosecution of the progressive agenda of our nation, sink to such depths of virtual dormancy has provoked me to liberate the priceless heritage. He pledged to fight corruption in the country with an iron fist. On his part, new face Joseph Agyapong said the country needs to build systems, including a national database, for the sustainable development of the country. His campaign of injecting resources into the party, coupled with the display of cars and logistics, is indeed boosting his chances. Delegates say they would support whoever is given the mandate to lead the party after the presidential primaries. Task Whoever wins today's contest would be burdened with the task of forming a formidable CPP to match the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2016 elections. Police Readiness More than 500 police personnel have been dispatched by the Accra Regional Police Command to provide security at the CPP congress. The personnel, according to Commissioner of Police (COP) Dr George Akuffu Dampare, Regional Police Commander, would make sure that the election is held smoothly without any disturbances whatsoever. [email protected] By Nii Ogbamey Tetteh & Linda Tenyah-Ayettey 30.01.2016 LISTEN Experiencing fever or headache, stiffness of neck with its associated pains, convulsion or confusion, vomiting or bulging of the soft spot of your under-one-year-old baby's head? You should visit the hospital for immediate medical attention as these are the symptoms of bacterial meningitis. Meningitis is an infection of the meningitis or membrane covering the brain and the spinal cord. The bacteria responsible for the current outbreak of meningitis in Ghana are the streptococcus pneumonia which bring about pneumococcal meningitis but cases of Neisseria meningitis, which causes cerebrospinal meningitis (CSM), have also been reported. The disease is associated with serious brain damage, and has high case fatality rate of about 50 per cent when left untreated. The Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) confirmed reports of an outbreak of meningitis in the country two weeks ago. However, the first case was reported in December 2015 in the Tain District in the Brong Ahafo Region. Since then, there has been increasing cases of meningitis in the region, an occurrence that took health officials by surprise because the region was not part of the meningitis belt of the country and therefore was not expected to have cases of the disease. From 30 suspected cases reported on January 6 in the region, meningitis infection has spread to four other regions with over 180 cases and close to 40 deaths recorded so far. This is not the first time the country is experiencing an outbreak of meningitis because of its geographical location and weather conditions. However, mass vaccination had helped prevent the incidence of meningitis, especially in the Northern Regions, in previous years. Burden of Meningitis In 2010 Ghana recorded a total of 1164 cases of meningitis and 128 deaths, while in 2011 the country again had 790 cases with 104 deaths. The figure then increased to 956 cases in 2012 with 90 deaths and decreased to 454 cases and 41 deaths in 2013. In 2014, 477 cases and 39 deaths were recorded and last year 315 cases with 33 deaths were recorded. Dr Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe, Deputy Director of Public Health and Head of Surveillance at the GHS, said there have been seasonal reports of meningitis outbreaks, normally during the dry period from October to March. He added that during this season, due to the relatively low humidity and plenty dust, individuals become susceptible to meningitis infection. Explaining the magnitude of the outbreak, he said the high number of cases recorded in the Brong Ahafo Region was a result of low suspicion in the region. This is due to the not too common incidence of the disease in the region. As a result, a number of the cases were missed and treated as malaria, particularly at the peripheral clinics, he stated, adding that the population in the region is less immune to the circulating pathogens, unlike those in the Northern Regions, and thus easily become affected. New Strain The new strain, Pneumococcal meningitis, caused by bacteria called streptococcus pneumonia, is different from the Meningococcal meningitis caused by Group A Meningococcus which has accounted for an estimated 80 to 85 percent of all meningitis cases in the country or the cerebrospinal meningitis (CSM). Dr Victor Asare Bampoe, the Deputy Minister of Health, has revealed that typical of this kind of meningitis, fatality is high but potential for massive spread is low. He said Pneumococcal meningitis is not the epidemic Meningococcal Disease or CSM, which is caused by Neisseria meningitides that has potential for massive and widespread outbreaks. Explaining the cause of the new strain, Dr Bampoe said this has come about as a result of the mass immunisation campaign in the three Northern Regions in 2012. Response It is worthy of note that the responses of the regions and districts so far are appropriate and adequate and we expect these response actions to contain and halt the outbreak, Dr Bampoe said, adding, The district teams have been supported by the regional and national teams in order to contain the spread. There has not been any case for the past two days. According to him, the Health Ministry has released a sum of GH150,000 and 1500 vials of medication to the affected areas to curb the outbreak, adding that the disease is under control. He added that the GHS has also sent a health alert to all district health facilities, provided laboratory agents, oriented staff on the disease, carried out public health education at health facilities and communities on meningitis, and made available the vaccine for the Meningococcal meningitis. Also, the government is receiving support from the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the provision of rapid diagnostic test kits for affected areas. Partners Support The WHO is providing technical support and a number of laboratory equipment including Rapid Diagnostics Test kits (RDTs) for diagnosing suspected cases of meningitis. The WHO also hosted health officials of the Ghana Health Service and the MoH to review the national response and findings of the national team. The AFRO Head Office, which is the leading agency in the country's preparedness and response to meningitis outbreak, is expected to make available more of the RDTs for use by the MoH. The Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), Atlanta, has also provided primers for the confirmatory testing of samples of suspected meningitis cases in the country. . Pharmanova Company Limited and Ernest Chemists, both pharmaceutical companies in the country, have also donated medical items to the Ministry of Health in support of activities to contain the meningitis outbreak. The companies, in separated donations, presented antibiotics to the Health Ministry for onward distribution to hospitals in the affected areas for treatment of patients. Dr Sally-Ann Ohene, Disease Prevention and Control Officer at the WHO, observed that what is needed now is an increase in public education on the disease so that people will report early to health facilities and be effectively treated to avoid fatalities. Basic Information Dr Gloria Quansah Asare, Deputy Director General at the Ghana Health Service (GHS), has answered a few questions on meningitis: Why should one be concerned about bacterial meningitis? Bacterial meningitis cases have been reported in a number of regions in Ghana. Deaths related to bacterial meningitis have also been reported. How does bacterial meningitis spread? Bacterial meningitis is spread when an infected person comes into close and prolonged contact with a non-infected person through coughing, sneezing, kissing, living in close quarters such as crowded settings, and sharing eating or drinking utensils with an infected person. How long does it take to show that one has the disease? When affected, the disease takes between two to 10 days to show the symptoms. Is there treatment for bacterial meningitis? Yes, with appropriate antibiotics. How long does treatment take? Treatment depends on how early you report when you are ill. It may take about 14 days. Are vaccines for certain types of meningitis? There are vaccines for certain types of meningitis. But not all can be used in an outbreak situation. What should one do if he/she has concerns? Report to the nearest health facility if you have fever, headache and neck pain. How can one reduce the risk of getting bacterial meningitis? Avoid overcrowding, Avoid close contacts during sneezing and coughing, Sleep in airy rooms, Make sure your doors and windows are open, Drink plenty of water and Frequently wash your hands with soap under clean running water. By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri Investigation into parturient woman's death to start soon Shushanik Bakhshyan, a doctor of Shengavit medical centre accused of the murder of a parturient woman, has been discharged from the Nork republican infectious clinical hospital. Shushanik Bakhshyan was taken to hospital from court on January 23 and was diagnosed with double pneumonia. She must continue treatment at home. No investigation has been conducted in the past six months, Shushaniks lawyer Alexander Sirunyan told A1+. Relatives of Mary Margaryan, the 26-year-old woman who died in July 2015, on the 35th week of her pregnancy, blame Shushanik Bakhshyan for Marys death. Marys brother claims she had fever for four days, but the doctor refused to take her to hospital. Only on July 26 she was taken to hospital, but the next day her relatives were advised to transfer her to another hospital. Mary was taken to Erebuni medical center, where she delivered a baby through Caesarean section. Marys health condition was critical and she died on July 29. On July 30, the newborn also died. A criminal case into the death of Mary Margaryan and her daughter was opened on August 3 under Article 130(2) of the Armenian Criminal Code. According to Armenias Investigative Committee, Shushanik Bakhshyan was involved in a malpractice, which resulted in the death of a pregnant woman. 30.01.2016 LISTEN IT was evident, from the word go, that there was more to the Gitmo-2 story than met the eye. Compassion? Balderdash! How much compassion does the US itself have? When its drones and fighter-bombers kill innocent civilians anywher And now, the Americans have added insult to injury! Four Republican members of the US Senate Appropriations Committee have just defined for all those people who lied to the public that it was only principle that had brought the Gitmo-2 to our shores, the true nature of diplomatic arm-twisting. When I suggested last week that the Ghana government should call a conference so that some of the countrys ex-ambassadors could brief it on diplomatic arm-twisting, I was joking, of e in the world, including women and children; when its bombers target an MSF hospital in Afghanistan, what does the US say? That was collateral damage! End of discussion. No it was a deal. A done deal! specified the U.S. Embassy in Ghana spokesman, Mr Daniel Fennell, on a TV programme in Ghana. A done deal? Done by Mahama behind the back of the Minister of Foreign Affairs? Behind the back of the Minister of the Interior? Without the imprimatur of the Minister of Justice? Without Parliament being apprised of it, let alone being asked to approve it? Yes! course. But now, the conference need not be called at all even if the idea is taken seriously! For from the US Senate, comes the authentic American attitude towards nations that want American aid. Following the transfer of two terrorist detainees from Guantanamo Bay to Ghana, announced on 6 January, 2016, Senator Mark Kirk (Republican Illinois) has led a group of Senators in urging the Senate Appropriations Committee to cut foreign aid to Ghana if the country is unable to hold and monitor the two detainees and ensure they do not re-engage in terrorism against the United States. Senator Mark Kirk wrote the letter along with Senators Roy Blunt (Republican, Montana), James Lankford (Republican, Oklahoma) and Steve Daines (also Republican, Montana). Addressed to the Chairman of the Senate State and Foreign Operations and Related Programme, Lindsay Graham (Republican, South Carolina) and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman, Thad Cochran (Republican, Mississippi) the letter requested the Committee to reduce assistance to Ghana by $10 million per detainee in the event [that] either of these detainees escapes from confinement, or re-engages in terrorism while in Ghana's custody. Heavens above! We in Ghana do your country a favour, and you want to punish us in case something goes wrong with how the favour works out? But yeah! 10 million bucks per detainee is the price we shall pay if we are found to be an incompetent host of guests we did not want but were persuaded to accept!! So say the elected representatives of the American people. The Senators claimed that they were QUOTE: grateful for Ghana's friendship and the strong bilateral relationship between our two countries.. HAHAHAHAHAHA! Nice way to appreciate friendship, no? . They went on QUOTE: As members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, we have consistently voted to support foreign assistance to Ghana. However, with the U.S. Intelligence Community in agreement that 30 percent of the terrorists released from Guantanamo are known or suspected to have re-joined the fight against Americans, it is reckless to release more of these prisoners, particularly when the ability of the host country to hold and monitor these detainees is in doubt. The country's (i.e. Ghanas) prison system nationally operates at 145 percent capacity, with some facilities operating 300 percent over capacity. In recent years, more than 30 prisoners have escaped annually from Ghanaian prisons. Though the detainees will be housed in a facility separate from the prison system, the current operating procedures are illustrative of the nation's limitations in detaining these individuals. UNQUOTE Priceless. The letter had begun thus: QUOTE Dear Chairman Cochran and Chairman Graham: We are concerned about the Administration's transfer of two Guantanamo terrorist detainees to Ghana on January 6, 2016, and the Ghanaian government's capacity to hold, monitor, and ensure these terrorist detainees do not re-engage in terrorism against the United States and our allies. As you know, the Administration transferred Yemeni detainees Mahmoud Omar Mohammed Bin Atef, a Taliban fighter and member of Osama bin Laden's 55th Brigade who threatened to cut the throats of American guards and their families upon release, and Khalid Mohammed Salih al Dhuby, an al Qaeda fighter in Afghanistan who reportedly threatened to kill guards at Guantanamo Bay, to Ghana after President John Dramani Mahama agreed to host them for two years. While the Administration's own Guantanamo task force neither cleared Atef and Dhuby of their involvement in terrorism nor recommend (sic) them for outright release, U.S. Embassy in Ghana spokesman Daniel Fennell inexplicably told Ghanaian media the current assessment is that these two people coming to Ghana do not pose a security threat. President Mahama, who also maintains these terrorist detainees pose no threat, asserts they are housed safely on a security compound. While Ghana has not previously held terrorist detainees, the nation's prison system provides an illustrative indicator of the country's limitations in credibly detaining and monitoring these hardened terrorists. The prison system is plagued by decay and mismanagement. The majority of Ghana's prison facilities were constructed during the colonial era and lack the modern infrastructure required to hold inmates. According to one third-party study, the country's prison system operates at 145 percent capacity nationally, with some prisons operating up to 300 percent over capacity. In recent years, 30 or more prisoners have escaped from Ghana's prisons annually. It is clear no facility in the world, let alone in Ghana, could detain terrorists as securely as Guantanamo However, with the U.S. Intelligence Community in agreement that 30 percent of the terrorists released from Guantanamo are known or suspected to have rejoined the fight against Americans, it is reckless to release more of these prisoners, particularly when the ability of the host country to hold and monitor these detainees is in doubt. We, therefore, request the Committee to include in the fiscal year 2017 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs appropriations bill, language that would reduce assistance to Ghana by $10 million per detainee, in the event either of these detainees escapes from confinement or re-engages in terrorism while in Ghana's custody. Such language would incentivize Ghanaian authorities to allocate appropriate resources to closely and securely monitor the activities of these terrorist detainees. UNQUOTE My God, they dont even trust us one bit! Oh, President John Mahama! Is this the humiliation you have brought upon your country? When did the US become concerned about the conditions in our prisons, huh? President Barack Obama will no doubt write to you to apologise for what the Senators have done and explain that the Republicans want to frustrate his effort to close down Guantanamo Bay. But the damage has been done Ghana will be the laughing-stock of the world as a result of the Senators action. You may be satisfied with an Obama apology if one ever comes! But I assure you your fellow countrymen will never forget that you allowed your arm to be twisted, and that you were laughed at by the very people who twisted it. What a shame you have brought on us all. www.cameronduodu.com By CAMERON DUODU 30.01.2016 LISTEN A man of God in Kumasi has sternly cautioned the electorate against receiving bribes to vote for an incompetent person as president in the 2016 general elections. Pastor John Kwaku Appiah, who heads the Faith Outreach Ministry at Anloga Junction, stated that it would be sinful for the electorate to allow themselves to be influenced by bribes and gifts from politicians during the polls. He said the 2016 general elections presents Ghana with the major opportunity to elect a visionary leader that could formulate better programmes to effectively develop the country and make life better for the people. Pastor Appiah therefore implored the electorate to shun every financial or material benefit from politicians and vote for a visionary, patriotic and God-fearing person as the president of the country during the polls. The man of God disclosed this while addressing the congregation at his church's auditorium during the first Sunday church service of 2016 at the Faith Outreach Ministry, Anloga Junction in Kumasi. Pastor Appiah admonished his colleague pastors not to take monies from political parties and politicians and come out with false prophecies regarding the impending elections. According to him, false prophecies about the election by pastors have the potential of creating tension in the country to disturb the peace of the state, urging pastors to do the right thing. Pastor Appiah also admonished journalists, especially those that work with radio stations, to desist from coming out with sensational reports that could threaten the peace of the state, before, during and after the polls. . The man of God observed that Ghanaians faced financial crisis during 2015, which affected church attendance and offerings, praying that the financial state of the people would improve this year. Pastor Appiah charged Christians to pray fervently to ensure free, fair and peaceful general elections this year. From I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr Kumasi FOUR PRIME suspects believed to have played a role in the shooting to death of a policeman on the Ejura/Mampong highway have been arrested. They are Gariba Salifu, 19 alias Kudi; Sulemana Ibrahim, 33; Mumuni Yussif, 22 alias Romeo and Emmanuel Yeboah, 20 aka Tupac. They allegedly killed General Corporal Alexander Cheremeh, stationed at Bimbila in the Northern Region, during a highway robbery on Friday, January 22, this year. The Ashanti Regional police, who intensified search for the bandits after the shooting, eventually grabbed them at their hideouts. Some of the victims of the robbery have been able to identify Gariba Sailfu as one of those who shot and killed the policeman, then in mufti. The police have also intensified search for other members of the group who are on the run, DCOP Kofi Boakye, Ashanti Regional Police Commander, has told media practitioners. The four suspected killers The four suspected killers He applauded the police at Mampong in particular and the region in general for the swift manner in which they busted the four suspects. He charged the police not to relax, urging them to push further so that anyone that played a role in the killing of the cop would be nabbed. . DCOP Kofi Boakye also commended the public for the vital information that they supplied the police which led to the arrest of the hoodlums from their hiding places. Corporal Alexander Cheremeh and other passengers were travelling on a mini bus, registered AS 9518-12, from Yeji to Kumasi in the Ashanti region that Friday when he was shot at Kasei, a town near Ejura, after blocking the road. No harm was reportedly done to the other passengers, though they were purportedly robbed at gunpoint. When the police rushed to the scene, the robbers had vanished with their booty, leaving behind their hapless victims, including the dead policeman. FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi 30.01.2016 LISTEN A 26-year-old woman has been arrested by the Anyaa District police for sexually assaulting her fellow woman using a phallic vibrator after allegedly drugging her. The suspect, Queeny Akuffu, who is said to be living in the same neighbourhood with the victim at Ablekuma in the Ga Central municipality, purportedly served the victim with hard liquor to daze her before inserting the phallic vibrator into her private part. Akuffu, according to police reports, took a video footage of the act on her mobile phone afterwards. As at the time of filing this report yesterday, she was in police custody assisting in investigations. The vibrator has also been retrieved by the police together with the suspect's mobile phone containing the video footage. ASP Effia Tengey, Accra Regional Public Relations Officer who confirmed the act to DAILY GUIDE, said the incident occurred on Monday, January 25, 2016 at Ablekuma. Around 6pm that Monday evening, a couple reported to the police that their daughter, 22 years of age (name withheld), had been sexually assaulted after being poisoned. A medical form was issued to them for medical attention while an investigator was quickly dispatched to the house of the suspect to conduct investigations. In the house, it came to light that the Queeny Akuffu, who is a neighbour and friend of the victim, had invited her for a drink. . According to ASP Tengey, when the victim got to the house, Akuffu was then drinking Vodka and had already drunk one-fourth of the content in the bottle. The victim also joined the suspect to share the drink and while they were enjoying themselves, Queeny sent her 13-year-old sister to buy two bottles of beer which they shared in addition. After taking the drink, the police officer indicated, the victim became drowsy and so Queeny allegedly took off her (victim's) dress and inserted the phallic vibrator into her vagina. While recording the act onto her mobile phone, the victim's parents budged in and caught Akuffu in the act. She will be sent to court after investigations are over. ([email protected]) By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey Eric Sedinam Kutortse and wife receiving citation from the AG, Church 30.01.2016 LISTEN A private Ghanaian company, First Sky Group Limited has promised to commit 30 percent of its profit after tax to building Churches and taking care of the less privileged in the country. As a proof of its commitment, the company recently donated 60 church buildings to the Assemblies of God Church (AG), Ghana; thus 30 each for the Volta and Eastern Regions respectively. The company which has recently opened Volta Serene Hotel, a four star hotel in Ho, the Volta Regional Capital also donated a brand new Toyota Hilux PickUp to the Church to enhance evangelism and GH30,000 to the Volta Regional Coordinating Council to renovate the Ho Jubilee Park. Speaking at the annual thanksgiving service of the company in Ho, the Chairman of the Group, Eric Sedinam Kutortse noted that he was touched by God to commit his resources to the poor, needy and less privileged in society hence the decision to support the Church and the Gospel which for him is able to proclaim good news to the broken hearted, liberate the captives and restore hope to the downcast as he is a living example of what the Church can do for society. The group which started over a decade ago as a construction firm with donations from relatives now has over 700 staff working in all its subsidiaries, including the First Sky Commodities, Express Restaurant and Volta Serene Hotel. Mr. Kutorste said the many scholarships for brilliant but needy children over the years is to also give young people the opportunity to have a bright future just like his kids. He noted that with the support God, his wife and staff, First Sky is ready to educate more children and help the youth set up their businesses. . The General Overseer of the Assemblies of God Church, Ghana, Rev. Dr. Paul Frimpong-Manso expressed gratitude to First Sky for the gesture and disclosed that the Church has also benefited from a four bedroom self-contained apartment for a retired Minister, vehicles, motorbikes, many sets of musical instruments among others for less endowed branches of the Church. He urged philanthropists and other companies to emulate the gesture as God blesses those who support the gospel and the Kingdom work. The Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho was elated by the gesture and stressed that it is always a blessing to invest in the work of God. He added that a support for the needy and vulnerable in the society is a support to government, the society, the world and God. He then appealed to Ghanaians, particularly church leaders to pray seriously for the country to avert all forms of terror attacks against the country. Citations were presented to Mr. Kutortse and his wife as well as the company for their support to the church and society. From Fred Duodu, Ho ( [email protected] ) The trades ministry has said comments by the sector minister regarding the recent increments in utility tariffs have been misconstrued. Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah in reaction to the recent hikes in electricity and water bills told the media it is outrageous to increase tariffs by over 50% at a go. First month in an election year and you wonder if utility rates have to go up by 150 per cent. Why didnt it go up by 20 per cent two, three years ago, 30 per cent last year and maybe 40 per cent this year to more or less achieve the same objective? Why have some of these institutions waited till election year and all of a sudden you hear incredibly outrageous rates...all the way to ordinary water that human beings drink. Are they trying to raise revenue for a particular purpose? What is the objective, he fumed. The comments have generated controversies with pollster Ben Ephson calling on him to resign if he is against the upward adjustment in utility bills. But a statement signed by the acting communications director of the ministry Nana Akrasi-Sarpong said Dr Spio-Garbrah's comments were in reference to the anomalies that have been recorded in the electricity metering systems and not the actual increments by the PURC. "The Minister wishes to point out that the increases in tariffs he is reported to be referring to are the reported real post-paid and pre-paid bills some residential, commercial and industrial customers of the ECG are purported to have actually received or have paid which in the opinion of these ECG customers are significantly higher than what the average 57% tariff increases should represent. The Minister was not referring to the Special Energy Levy which was to generate a tariff increase of an average 57%, which reportedly has now been reduced following negotiations between Labor and Government". Below are details of the statement by the trade ministry The attention of the Ministry of Trade and Industry has been drawn to a number of media reports quoting statements allegedly made by the Minister for Trade and Industry during a working visit to the Volta Region, where among others he spoke about the recent increases in tariffs and their effects on business and the economy. Some media houses have reported that the Minister has stated that the tariff increases are exceptionally outrageous or incredible and that he condemned or lashed out at the PURC for the increases or words to that effect. The Minister wishes to point out that the increases in tariffs he is reported to be referring to are the reported real post-paid and pre-paid bills some residential, commercial and industrial customers of the ECG are purported to have actually received or have paid which in the opinion of these ECG customers are significantly higher than what the average 57% tariff increases should represent. The Minister was not referring to the Special Energy Levy which was to generate a tariff increase of an average 57%, which reportedly has now been reduced following negotiations between Labor and Government. For the avoidance of doubt, the Minister has not condemned the PURC. It must be clarified that although the PURC has approved average tariff increases for power of about 57%, numerous individuals and businesses reported that the actual payments they are making are more than 200%, 300% or even 500%. It is based on these reported actual payments by some utility consumers which compelled the Honourable Minister to describe as excessive and outrageous if true, and not the basic PURC- approved tariff increases. In order to ascertain the truth or otherwise of these claims, which are being made mainly in the media especially on radio, the Minister of Trade and Industry is recommending to the Association of Ghana Industries that they should invite the PURC and the Energy Commission to undertake a joint audit of actual bills customers claimed to have paid or invoices received, and for a comparison to be made of receipts for past and current payments for electricity bills. Furthermore, the Minister noted that in an election year, based on past experiences, it was possible for various public agencies to create mischief for the government by an adverse application of properly agreed tariff increases, thereby making the Government unpopular. So that even where a 50% increase in a given tariff has been agreed by the PURC, in the course of applying that increase some customers may receive exaggerated and excessive bills aimed at causing disaffection for the government. The Trade and Industry minister therefore suggested to his colleague political appointees to be extra vigilant in supervising and monitoring agencies and departments under their oversight. For example, the Minister disclosed that a salt mining company in the Volta Region claimed that their license fees had been increased by the Minerals Commission from One Ghana Cedi per acre to as much as GHC 50 per acre in just one day. In the course of the Ministers tour of the Volta Region, companies have complained about unannounced and non-pre-notified increases. These include various port levies and sudden changes in the valuations of goods by the Ghana Revenue Authority. Other businesses are reported to have received various increases in levies and charges from a wide range of governmental agencies as part of efforts of those agencies to make up for budget shortfalls and to beef up their internally-generated funds. However, the Minister noted that, as each agency is increasing these levies independently, government may not get a complete picture of the situation. The Minister revealed that his Ministry is working with the Association of Ghana Industries to obtain a comprehensive list of all charges by numerous public agencies in order to assess the total impact on business and industry. The Minister also indicated that the doors of the Ministry of Trade and Industry are wide open for any consultations with public agenciessuch as the Lands Commission, Forestry Commission, Food and Drugs Authority, Ghana Standards Authority, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, etc that wish to revise levies, so that fuller consultations and discussions on the impact on business, industry and the economy can take place and proper communication is planned and executed before new or increased levies are announced by some of these bodies. The Ministry wishes to inform the general public that such words as reported in the news media with headlines such as Minister condemns or lashes out are words often selected by reporters and editors to add colour to their headlines. In this case, these do not represent the actual words of Dr Spio-Garbrah, but the interpretation some media houses have chosen to give to his comments. The attention of the Ministry of Trade and Industry has been drawn to a number of media reports quoting statements allegedly made by the Minister for Trade and Industry during a working visit to the Volta Region, where among others he spoke about the recent increases in tariffs and their effects on business and the economy. Some media houses have reported that the Minister has stated that the tariff increases are exceptionally outrageous or incredible and that he condemned or lashed out at the PURC for the increases or words to that effect. The Minister wishes to point out that the increases in tariffs he is reported to be referring to are the reported real post-paid and pre-paid bills some residential, commercial and industrial customers of the ECG are purported to have actually received or have paid which in the opinion of these ECG customers are significantly higher than what the average 57% tariff increases should represent. The Minister was not referring to the Special Energy Levy which was to generate a tariff increase of an average 57%, which reportedly has now been reduced following negotiations between Labor and Government. For the avoidance of doubt, the Minister has not condemned the PURC. It must be clarified that although the PURC has approved average tariff increases for power of about 57%, numerous individuals and businesses reported that the actual payments they are making are more than 200%, 300% or even 500%. It is based on these reported actual payments by some utility consumers which compelled the Honourable Minister to describe as excessive and outrageous if true, and not the basic PURC- approved tariff increases. In order to ascertain the truth or otherwise of these claims, which are being made mainly in the media especially on radio, the Minister of Trade and Industry is recommending to the Association of Ghana Industries that they should invite the PURC and the Energy Commission to undertake a joint audit of actual bills customers claimed to have paid or invoices received, and for a comparison to be made of receipts for past and current payments for electricity bills. Furthermore, the Minister noted that in an election year, based on past experiences, it was possible for various public agencies to create mischief for the government by an adverse application of properly agreed tariff increases, thereby making the Government unpopular. So that even where a 50% increase in a given tariff has been agreed by the PURC, in the course of applying that increase some customers may receive exaggerated and excessive bills aimed at causing disaffection for the government. The Trade and Industry minister therefore suggested to his colleague political appointees to be extra vigilant in supervising and monitoring agencies and departments under their oversight. For example, the Minister disclosed that a salt mining company in the Volta Region claimed that their license fees had been increased by the Minerals Commission from One Ghana Cedi per acre to as much as GHC 50 per acre in just one day. In the course of the Ministers tour of the Volta Region, companies have complained about unannounced and non-pre-notified increases. These include various port levies and sudden changes in the valuations of goods by the Ghana Revenue Authority. Other businesses are reported to have received various increases in levies and charges from a wide range of governmental agencies as part of efforts of those agencies to make up for budget shortfalls and to beef up their internally-generated funds. However, the Minister noted that, as each agency is increasing these levies independently, government may not get a complete picture of the situation. The Minister revealed that his Ministry is working with the Association of Ghana Industries to obtain a comprehensive list of all charges by numerous public agencies in order to assess the total impact on business and industry. The Minister also indicated that the doors of the Ministry of Trade and Industry are wide open for any consultations with public agenciessuch as the Lands Commission, Forestry Commission, Food and Drugs Authority, Ghana Standards Authority, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, etc-- that wish to revise levies, so that fuller consultations and discussions on the impact on business, industry and the economy can take place and proper communication is planned and executed before new or increased levies are announced by some of these bodies. The Ministry wishes to inform the general public that such words as reported in the news media with headlines such as Minister condemns or lashes out are words often selected by reporters and editors to add colour to their headlines. In this case, these do not represent the actual words of Dr Spio-Garbrah, but the interpretation some media houses have chosen to give to his comments. SIGNED NANA AKRASI-SARPONG AG. DIRECTOR COMMUNICATION AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS 0244743433 Parliament may haul the Ashanti Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Mr Nathan Kofi Boakye, before its Privileges Committee if it is established that he issued an open threat against the Member of Parliament (MP) for Asante Akyem North, Mr Kwadwo Baah Agyemang. A ranking member of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee of Parliament, Mr Joe Osei Owusu, told Parliament yesterday that Mr Kofi Boakye had threatened to arrest the MP for allegedly inciting the people of Agogo in the Ashanti Region against Fulani herdsmen. He said the open threat against the MP was in breach of the Constitution and the privileges of an MP. Article 116 (1) states that: 'Subject to the provisions of this article, but without prejudice to the general effect of Article 115 of this Constitution, civil or criminal proceedings shall not be instituted against a Member of Parliament in any court or place out of Parliament for any matter or thing brought by him in or before Parliament by petition, bill, motion or otherwise.' Responding, the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, said he was yet to be notified about the said threat. He asked Mr Osei Owusu to gather all the facts after which he would be given the chance to address the House on the issue. Background Mr Baah Agyemang and the Communications Director of the National Democratic Party (NDP), Mr Owusu Bempah, organised a press conference last Tuesday during which they were reported to have indicated that the activities of Fulani herdsmen at Agogo were negatively affecting the indigenes. Reacting to the comments, the Public Relations Officer of the Ashanti Regional Police Command, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mr Mohammed Tanko, accused Mr Baah Agyemang and Mr Owusu Bempah of inciting violence in the area. Mr Tanko said the police were not successful in their initial attempt to arrest the two politicians in their homes, and indicated that the police would continue to pursue them. One person has been arrested for allegedly murdering a 58-year-old farmer, Suapak Dupaak during renewed clashes in Bunkpurugu in the Northern Region. The suspect, Tetteh Tanko, 29, described by the police as a notorious criminal was arrested on a tip off. The suspect who is on a police wanted list is alleged to have also murdered one Baba Zoro in April last year during similar clashes in the town. The Northern Regional Police Public Relations Officer (PRO), Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Ebenezer Tetteh confirmed the incident to Graphic Online in an interview. He said the suspect was arrested two days after the incident. Background It will be recalled that three persons were shot dead on Tuesday, January 26, in Bunkpurugu in the Northern Region following a renewed chieftaincy dispute. Also, 35 houses were set ablaze while the police retrieved two AK 47 assault rifles. The area is under a 6am to 8pm curfew . When I heard of President Mahamas decision to transfer the two former Gitmo detainees to Ghana on grounds of compassion, my reaction was, this better be good. Whats more is that the president was described in many circles as peace-loving, compassionate, and a unifier whos agreed to accommodate people rejected by their own country, Yemen. What rattled me beyond the cloud of compassion was when I heard officials from the U.S Embassy in Accra contradict the storyline the Ghana government nearly succeeded in selling to its citizens that the U.S government will foot the expenses of the two. Now I began to ask myself: was the president really moved by compassion to agree this deal or was he given or promised something in return? Why was the Minister of Interior and the Foreign Minister left out in this deal? And why didnt the president notify the Peoples Representatives in the Ghana Parliament before acquiescing to the deal? Did President Mahama know this year is an election year? So why didnt the U.S government agree to host the two former terrorists when it has all it takes to protect its people? Or was this shady deal the case of a superior nation versus an inferior nation? The absence of convincing answers to these questions shows how the nation was mortgaged by the President and some of his praise singing ministers. Leadership has become cheap in our part of the world indeed. I am terrified for Ghana more especially with the manner the leadership of the nation went about the whole deal. Recent revelations and contradictions by government functionaries who lack basic information about the agreement on the one hand and officials of the U.S Embassy in Accra on the other hand are indications of how bad the whole deal stinks. Government buying into cheap information from the U.S administration is worrying. To be convinced that Khalid al-Dhuby, 34, and Mahmoud Omar Bin Atef, 36, are of no security threat to Ghana and its neighbors is to pass for a dummy. Mahmoud Omar Bin Atef, 36, is described by Western Media as having a lot of discipline infractions while at Guantanamo Bay so how can we be sure that hes changed. These are persons motivated by their faith to maim even their own people who disagree with them. How much more Ghana? There are three possible consequences this dummy action by President Mahama is likely to have on the nation, especially, considering the poor nature of our security system. First, we have granted, an unimpeded access to all sorts of groups to visit mayhem on our innocent people Al Qaeda, AQUIM, IS, Isis, Boko Haram, Ansar-al-Din, Al Shabab, and Ansar-al-Sharia. Agreeing to host the duo is an invitation of trouble on ourselves. Second, the group these former Gitmo detainees belong could decide, for any other reason, to let them sneak out of Ghana which per the action of the four U.S Senators would be dire for Ghana. Third, these groups may decide to use their former members to start a camp in Ghana, hence recruiting young Ghanaians into their ranks increasing the risk to the country and its neighbors. President Mahamas hands are tied in this deal. His reactions tell it all. I dont see him going back to the negotiation table with the leadership of the U.S government to re-negotiate this agreement any time soon. This is why his partys communication team members have been charged to attack anyone who disagrees with the presidents decision a very bad one for a leader. What makes Americans more human than Ghanaians? Or perhaps they drink clean water whiles we drink blood here? Theres something with the thinking of our leaders and people. 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 The World Health Organization (WHO) has rejected calls for a nationwide vaccination exercise against the outbreak of Meningitis (Pneumococcal, Meningococcal and Cerebrospinal), which has killed at least 37 people in Ghana. Close to 200 people have been infected by the fatal disease, so far. One case of Meningococcal was recently confirmed at the Ridge Hospital in Accra, as four suspected cases are being investigated at the same hospital. Until now, Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) was the predominant Meningitis variant in the country and it occurred mainly in the northern parts of Ghana. But the Pneumococcal and Meningococcal strains, although not entirely new to Ghana, have been prominent this year thanks to a prolonged dry and hot climate. In the Volta Region, the Krachi District Health Director, Dr Hilarious Abiwu, had suggested vaccination as the region recorded its first case of CSM. Speaking in an interview with Class FMs Ridwan Karim Dini Osman, however, the Disease and Prevention Control officer at the WHO, Dr Sally-Ann Ohene pointed out that the spread of the infection has not got to the levels, which required a countrywide vaccination. If you have an outbreak with, lets say, Meningococcal A, which is the organism that causes the Meningitis and you have crossed that threshold that you can say it is an outbreak, then you can prepare for vaccination, she noted. Dr Ohene further explained that vaccination was not the solution to curbing some of the variants of the disease. For certain strains, vaccination is not recommended and wouldnt help the problem. For example, the Meningococcal Meningitis outbreak, the main response is actually people reporting early to the hospital to get it treated. A vaccination campaign will not really help because that is not the recommended response. So, it is not every outbreak that you do a vaccination campaign, she intimated. Dr Ohene urged the public to be on the lookout for symptoms and report any suspected cases to health facilities on time for examination and necessary treatment. The Minister of Finance, Mr Seth Terkper, on Friday laid a bill before Parliament to amend the Income Tax Act 2015, (Act 896). The presentation of the Income Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2015 came barely 24 hours after Parliament had challenged the authority of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to suspend the implementation of the act without recourse to the House. The Speaker, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, referred the bill to the Finance Committee of Parliament for consideration and delivery of a report to the House. He said the committee could also look at any consequential issue and advise the House accordingly. Background The Income Tax Act 2015, which was passed by Parliament and assented to by President John Dramani Mahama on September 1, 2015, was supposed to come into effect on January 1, 2016. Under the act, all interest paid to an individual is to attract one per cent tax. This means that any interest accrued on treasury bills, fixed income deposit, interest from banks, among others, will attract a tax of one per cent. Following public uproar against the tax, the GRA directed all financial institutions to suspend its imposition. A ranking member of the Finance Committee of Parliament, Dr Anthony Akoto-Osei, raised the issue in Parliament last Thursday, pointing out that the GRA had no authority to suspend the act, pointing out that when Parliament passed an act, no institution had the right to suspend it. Dr Akoto-Osei said it was crucial for Parliament to send a notice to institutions that they could not 'negate' an act passed by the House. Speaker The Speaker of Parliament, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, supported the position of Dr Akoto-Osei and stressed that the GRA had no authority to suspend the Income Tax Act that had been passed by Parliament. He said until such an Act was amended by Parliament, it remained in force. Dr Doe Adjaho asked the Majority leader to take the issue up with the appropriate authorities. The High Court in Accra will on February 4, 2016 hear an application praying it to strike out a suit filed against the National Democratic Congress' (NDC) parliamentary candidate for the Korle Klottey constituency, Dr Zanetor Agyeman Rawlings. Lawyers for Dr Rawlings are arguing that the suit, filed by the defeated parliamentary candidate for the Korle Klottey area, lacked merit and must, therefore, be dismissed. At the court's sitting in Accra yesterday, the court rejected an application by lawyers of Nii Armah Ashitey, the plaintiff, who had prayed the court to compel the Electoral Commission (EC) to respond to the suit. The court was of the opinion that since the EC was a party to the suit, they should be properly served by Nii Ashitey and another plaintiff, Nii Johnson Coleman. The presiding judge, Justice Kwaku Ackaah Boafo, cautioned counsel for the parties in the case to desist from discussing the case in the media until its final determination. In the substantive suit, the plaintiffs are challenging Dr Rawlings's legitimacy to contest for a parliamentary seat under the 1992 constitution. The Case The two, who both contested the NDC constituency primaries and lost to Dr Zanetor on November 21, 2015, are of the view that her participation in the election was unlawful since she was not a registered voter. During the NDC's primary on November 21, Dr Rawlings could not cast her ballot because her name was not found in the voters' register. It was then alleged that she was not a registered Ghanaian voter. First round An Accra High Court on January 15, 2016, dismissed a case filed by some members of the NDC in the Korle Klottey constituency which sought to annul the results of the NDC's parliamentary primary in the area for the same reasons. The three, Joseph Narku Botchway, Jacob Amin and Reverend Michael Kwabena Nii Adjei Sowah, went to court to challenge the eligibility of Dr Zanetor Rawlings who they allege is not a registered voter. The court, however, said the plaintiff did not demonstrate in anyway how their rights had been violated or would be violated. 31.01.2016 LISTEN Last Monday January 25, Mr Kwesi Atta-Krufi Hayford, a former UK & Ireland NPP Chairman posted an article on Ghanaweb with the heading Ghana's Voter Register Bloated by 1.3 million British Government. He quoted extensively from a letter written by UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO - Ministry of Foreign Affairs) Desk Officer for Ghana, Vicki Morley in reply to Mr Adreba Kwaku Abrefa Damoa, of the Concerned Ghanaians in the UK Against Electoral Fraud, who had presented a petition to the UK Prime Minister over Ghana's Voters' Register. A section of the quotes which was the basis of the heading of the article was in my view undiplomatic so I decided to verify the accuracy Vicki Morley's letter. I contacted FCO Newsdesk by e-mail and provided weblink of the aforementioned article. I telephoned FCO Newsdesk and hour later and told that my enquiry had been forwarded to the Policy Team and someone should get back to me but no one did. Later in the day, the British High Commissioner in Accra issued a statement stating among others that, we are disappointed that certain media outlets continue to report inaccurately the British Government's views, and have willfully misrepresented what we have said. This article is an analysis of paragraph two of Vicki Morley's letter and the denial by the High Commissioner and FCO. Vicki Morely's letter dated December 23, 2015 (a scan copy of which I have) and written on behalf of the Prime Minister or UK government stated in paragraph two and I quote the relevant section. We are fully aware of the concerns regarding the voter register - we note that the average population percentage in Ghana of those eligible to vote is approximately 52%, which is 10% higher than the continental average. On Tuesday January 26, 2016, the Daily Guide published a copy of Vicki Morley's letter with the denial of the High Commissioner (see, British High Commission Clarifies Bloated Register, Daily Guide). I sent a weblink of the Daily Guide report containing a copy of Vicki Morley's letter to FCO Newsdesk and asked for further clarification because I thought the claim of wilful misrepresentation of by the High Commissioner was disingenuous. Wednesday January 27, 2016, I received e-mail response from Imogen Maxwell of the FCO Newsdesk, among others repeating what the High Commissioner in Accra had said and I quote. We are disappointed that certain media outlets continue to report inaccurately the British Government's views, and have willfully misrepresented what we have said. I replied as follows, I note that you did not deny the contents of Vicki Morley's letter. However, I am disappointed that you claim that, "certain media outlets continue to report inaccurately the British Government's views and have willfully misrepresented what we said". What Vicki Morley stated in her letter is a statement of fact, which was, that the British government was aware Ghana's Voters' Register was 10% higher than the continental average. This is not a statement in dispute as Ghanaians say "book no lie" (what is written cannot be disputed). I think it is the FCO and the High Commissioner in Accra that are diplomatically being economical with the truth on what Vicki Morley stated in her letter to the extent that you may be patronising the Ghanaian media. However, I blame Ghanaian journalists for not probing this matter further. I have not heard again from FCO. Now let's critically analyse what Vicki Morely stated in her letter we note that the average population percentage in Ghana of those eligible to vote is approximately 52%, which is 10% higher than the continental average. Who is the we referring to? That is indisputable and is the British Government. What is 10% of the eligible voter population in Ghana? There is no accurate figure on website of the Statistical Service as the data gives age ranges of 10 to 19, 20 to 29, 20 to 39 and 45 plus. The figures for ages 19 to 45 and above should give total eligible voter population of 12,352,450 as at 2012. It is therefore reasonable that if those age 18 is added the total eligible voter population of 13 million will be reasonable. What is 10% of 13 million? That is 1.3 million. These are facts and therefore accurate that Vicki Morley stated that the British government is aware that Ghana's voter register is 1.3 million more than what it should be. So what is the British High Commissioner in Accra or the FCO in London disputing? Why are they patronising Ghanaians by claiming that the 10% statement is being wilfully misrepresented what we have said or inaccurately reporting the British government's views? The above analysis is logical, reasonable and accurate interpretation of Vicki Morley's letter and they should stop being economical with the truth. Perhaps, they did not expect Vicki Morley's letter to become public and now that they have been caught red handed, they are trying to put their spin (propaganda) on an embarrassing situation but some of us will not buy it. The British High Commissioner has got away with insulting the intelligence of Ghanaians because most journalists in Ghana are lazy and afraid of challenging authority. Instead of obtaining a copy of Vicki Morley's letter as I did and challenging the British High Commissioner's denial of the facts, they just accepted his version and end of story. UK journalists will not accept a Higher Commissioner's word when there is documentary evidence to the contrary. There is no doubt that Ghana's Voters' Register is not credible and in fact, the Electoral Commission and all the political parties in Ghana admit this. The problem is how to make it credible because no one knows the number of ineligible voters who are on the register. Whilst the ruling NDC prefer the existing register to be cleaned, the opposition NPP wants a new register. In typical Ghanaian political comedy, this has become NDC-NPP turf war instead of an issue of national interest. NPP's stand on the voters' register is not unusual to me because had NDC found itself in the same position as NPP (lost two consecutive elections, with a new Electoral Commissioner appointed by the incumbent president and whose language is dismissive of the opposition, etc) NDC would also demand a new register. The main objective of this article is not take sides on the voters' register dispute but to point out the dishonesty of the British High Commissioner and FCO and the denial of what is clearly a statement of fact. The other issue of interest raised in Vicky Morley's letter is the African average that was used to compute the 10% bloated figure. Until Ghana's Electoral Commission explained why Ghana has more than average voter registration than comparable countries such as South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria, I was persuaded by this argument. The explanation that Ghana's higher than the African average registration as a percentage of eligible voter population is accounted for the fact that the voter registration card is used by citizens as a de facto national identity card. Because of lack of a national ID card the voter ID card is accepted by all institutions including banks to open bank account. There is therefore genuine high demand for it and therefore is very good reason for citizen to register and acquire the voter ID card. Moreover, it is free and brought to citizens closer to where they reside, whilst other forms of identity such as NHIS card, driving licences and others cost money to obtain and one may have to travel long distances to obtain it. Is the Vicky Morley as FCO Ghana Desk Officer aware of this? One must be careful with using statistical data and averages to avoid the dangers of misuse because behind the raw data are the narratives that only qualitative analysis of the quantitative data will throw up such as the Ghanaian's using voter registration card as national ID because of its universal acceptability in Ghana and lack of a national ID card. That is what attract many including even minors to register not necessarily to vote but to obtain the voter ID Card for other purposes. Unlike in other African countries, where National ID Cards are compulsory and so there is no need to obtain other forms of national identity. In conclusion, the British High Commissioner and the FCO goofed big time and they should stop denying it and patronising Ghanaians. Ghanaians can read and understand English as well as able to analyse and interpret accurately what is written in English. Kofi Ata, Cambridge, UK Below is a copy of the letter. A high powered security delegation led by the Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr John Kudalor, has arrived in the Bunkpurugu District in the Northern Region to assess the security situation in the area. This follows a violent conflict that erupted in Bukprugu on Tuesday, January 26. The clash which is believed to be between the two royal families in the area; the Jamond and Jafok, led to the death of three persons and the destruction of 35 houses. Delegation Among the delegation include the Northern Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Ken Yeboah, the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Richard Kwame Opoku Adusei, Deputy IGP, Commissioner of Police (COP) Christian Tetteh Yohuno, the Commanding Officer of the Sixth Infantry Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel William Kwabiah, and the Chief Director of Northern Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) Alhaji Issahaku Alhasan. Meeting Apart from assessing the security situation on the ground, the delegation would also meet with the District Security Committee (DISEC) chaired by the Bunkprugu District Chief Executive, Mr Thomas Laary. The meeting is to brief the delegation on the impact of the conflict so far. The delegation would also visit the affected areas of the town and meet with the chiefs in the town. As of the time of the visit, the town was calm but business activities are yet to bounce back. Recall Meanwhile, the police have arrested a 28-year-old Tetteh Tanko ,who has been on the police wanted list as one of the protagonists in the Bunkpurugu chieftaincy conflicts. According to the police, Tanko was responsible for death of one of the three persons who were shot during violence in the town, Suapak Dupaak, a 58-year-old farmer. Nsawam (E/R), Jan. 30, GNA - Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh, Member of Parliament for Nsawam-Adoagyiri has pledged to provide water tanks to three clinics and a motorbike to the Nsawam-Adoagyiri Municipal Health Service Department. The water tanks would be distributed to Kofisah, Adoagyiri and Djankrom clinics in the Eastern Region. Mr Annoh-Dompreh made the promise in an interview with the Ghana News Agency after the Nsawam-Adoagyiri Municipal Health Service held a programme at Nsawam to review its 2015 performance. He said the items would be his personal support to the health department's educational programmes to sensitise the people in the area on the pneumococcal meningitis outbreak, which had already taken some persons lives in some regions. Mrs Esther Duah Oyinka, Municipal Director of Health Service, called on the health personnel to vigorously carry the proper hand washing with soap programme to the inhabitants. She advised the citizenry to report health cases early at nearby clinics for prompt attention before the situation gets worse. Mrs Oyinka saidvery soon the health department would start its sensitisation on the meningitis in churches and schools and called on assembly members and chiefs to support the programme in their communities. GNA Sorry, we can't find the content you're looking for at this URL. 30.01.2016 LISTEN Sheikh Ustaz Sham-una Jibril is an Islamic cleric, numerologist and philosopher and is globally known for his accurate predictions on both local and international issues. Prior to the appointment of Madam Charlotte Osei as Ghana's Electoral Commissioner, Sheikh Ustaz Sham-una claims to have dreamt about her appointment on Friday January 22nd 2016 at 8.45 am. According to Ustaz Sham-una, he saw the E.C boss in his dream granting an interview to a correspondent of a renowned media house she was speaking with Al Jazeera over the issue of a compilation of new voters register. In the dream Al Jazeera was interested in knowing whether electoral commission was going to change the voters register or not. he narrated. Surprisingly, Madam Charlotte Osei went silent, after sometime, she told Al Jazeera's correspondent 'yes'' I shall compile a new voters register, he added. The numerologist further revealed that Madam Charlotte Osei explained in the dream that a lot of institutions, universities and professors have advised her to compile a new register According to her, she has no option than to agree and heed to the call. She ended up by saying; I shall compile a new register Sheikh Ustaz Sham-un Jibril is optimistic the call for a new voters' register to be used in the 2016 elections would surely come to pass. Ghana will have a new voters register based on what I saw in my dreams, he emphatically said. -peacefmonline Accra, Jan. 30, GNA - Mr Michael Potter, an International Management Development Trainer, has asked entrepreneurs to generate ideas. He said the ground rules for generating ideas are that entrepreneurs should learn to listen for ideas and give their skills a knowledge. Speaking at an entrepreneurship event organised by the Chattered Institute of Marketing (CIM) in Accra, Mr Potter advised the attendees to have more imagination since it encircles the world instead of knowledge, which is limited. The theme for the event: 'Innovation, Creative Thinking and Entrepreneurship - Perspective of Michael A. Potter,' aimed at helping people to tap into their innovative minds and resurrect their entrepreneurial skills. He said one does not necessary have to be creative to be a successful entrepreneur but must work for the right organisation. He said the human characteristics be it an introvert or extrovert decides whether a person is creative or not. 'A creative individual must be kept outside the box so as to perform well least they become rebellious,' he said. He said being innovative is doing something different and as a creative minded person, it is essential for an innovative man to think outside the box. Mr Potter said matrix management is the latest way of doing work and it helps people from different departments or fraternity of an organisation come together to work on projects. He explained that the link between innovation and creativity is a new model, which means that for entrepreneurs to prepare for the future or new generation they must develop project management skills. Mr Potter said: 'Though being an entrepreneur is risky and is accompanied by a high level of stress, it gives one the opportunity to create his own business, reach his own potentials as well as reap extraordinary profits.' He asked entrepreneurs to know their business in depth and develop a good, effective and solid business plan and also have a thorough and complete financial statement to prevent failure of their various investments. GNA Accra, Jan. 30, GNA - Administrative and operational lapses has been identified as one of the causes for the theft and massive fraud at the Central Medical Stores (CMS), which led to an outbreak of fire at the premises, destroying evidence. Government has directed the Minister of Health, with the assistance of experts and consultants, to undertake a thorough re-organisation and restructuring of the CMS including its systems, operations and existing checks and balances, if any. At a news conference in Accra on Friday, to throw light on the report, Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Marietta-Brew-Appiah-Opong said the fraud in procurement and allocation to health institution and their imminent discovery by the planned investigation and audit provided the motive for the sponsorship of the arson. According to the report the arsonist Samuel Dogbe, a labourer at CMS is currently at large and is been sought after by security agencies. The report said the re-organisation and restructuring exercise should ensure that future supplies to CMS should be properly documented and stored; tight control measures should be adopted for monitoring allocation of supplies to outside bodies; and similar measures should be instituted for supplies belonging to outside organisations that store products at CMS. The report recommended measures to minimise the incidence of the procurement of expired drugs and other medical items. It said the submission of the Procurement Unit of the CMS to due diligence in the procurement of drugs, in line with the needs of medical stores, should be done to avoid excessive storage of particular drugs; The report also recommended the supervision and control of inventory officers by heads of the CMS warehouses and the institution of schedule of delivery systems for the delivery of drugs; It also called for the strengthening of the internal audit unit/regime of the CMS to ensure constant monitoring of transaction at CMS. The re-assignment of the current management/middle level staff of the CMS, to enable a replacement of a new team of professional was also recommended. Government was also tasked to direct the team working on the re-organisation and restructuring exercise to examine the possibility of decentralising the operations of the CMS, especially drug purchases, to the regional level in order to minimise the risk usually associated with such centralised operations and purchasing, and the type of loss that has occurred in this fire outbreak. The report said the current location of the CMS Facility in an industrial zone is not the best and called for the need for a well-defined/organised security regime including the installation of electronic access control and monitoring devices as well-designed warehouses with fireproof strong rooms for the storage of vital/emergency drugs and well-equipped fire station. The investigations established that the fire safety/prevention measure at CMS was evaluated by an expert company on April 14, 2014, and the company had established that the CMS had little fire-fighting capacity and was all times vulnerable to fire. The specific vulnerabilities had been detailed out in their report to management, but no action was taken to improve the CMS fire-safety and prevention measures. It said the Tema Metropolitan Assembly's Public Health Department had on October 2, 2014, served a 'notice of Abatement' under section 34 (1) of the Town Ordinance Cap. 86, warning the management of the CMS to stop accumulating and burning of refuse on the premises. The notice said not only did the officer who received the 'Notice of Abatement' ignore it but challenged the capacity of the Assembly's inspectors to issue the Notice. It however turned out, it was the incinerators on the premises of the CMS that appeared to have been used to start the fire the report and noted that Management instructions for action to be taken to stop the burning of refuse on the premises were ignored. The following officers of CMS were found culpable for the various lapses in fire prevention measures at the CMS: Gifty Esi Mankartha - Principal Pharmacist/Warehouse Manager, Samuelson Tetteh - Head of Security and Harry Okwampah - Line Manager in charge of Information and Communication Technology. Government has therefore directed the Minister of Health to take appropriate disciplinary action against them. Government draws the attention of all state organisations to the following general recommendations on fire safety, contained in the report of the Chief Fire Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), attached to the National Security's investigation report and directs that they should be noted for strict compliance the report said. 'It must be an automatic requirement for warehouses to have sprinklers that will detect and extinguish fires before the arrival of the Ghana Fire Service; Fire Safety Officers should be employed in all major health institutions and warehouses to enable them advise management on fire safety precautions and protective measures.' Due to the scarcity of water during such emergencies, boreholes must be installed or drilled at all state warehouses in future, to augment water for firefighting and urged warehouse owners and operators to seek expert guidance from the GNFS before and during the storage of hazardous materials, flammable liquids, solids and gases, explosives, oxidizers and other reactive materials. GNA 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 30.01.2016 LISTEN Cape Coast, Jan. 30, GNA - The Central Regional Command of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), has described the total of 115 fire outbreaks of which 85 were bush fires recorded in the first month of this year in the region as 'very outrageous '. The Region recorded a total of 604 fire outbreaks last year, claiming 17 lives with more than GH76,000.00 being the cost of damage to items and properties. To reverse the trend therefore, the Regional GNFS on Friday launched the 2016 Fire Safety awareness campaign aimed at raising public awareness about the effects of undesired fires, methods for preventing fire outbreaks, and safety measures. The campaign dubbed: 'Operation let the People Hear,' saw the Regional Chief Fire Officer, Divisional Officer one (DO1) Gilbert Wiafe and his men troop to the streets in the Cape Coast Metropolis, heralding the role of the individuals in the prevention of undesired fires. In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, the Fire Officer stated that the education has become necessary due to the increasing rate of fire outbreaks especially bush fires in the Region. DO1 Wiafe said personnel of the Service are fully psyched up to prevent and fight fires that are capable of ruining the huge investments as well as lives. He identified negligence and irresponsible handling of fires by some residents as the most common cause of fire outbreaks recorded in the Region. DO1 Wiafe charged them to be more vigilant adding that 'fire safety in communities, domestic and industrial environment is of paramount importance'. He urged the public to be very cautious and play their parts by ensuring that they handle fire with care and stop engaging in activities that would result in fire outbreaks Areas covered were Abura, Pedu, Tsibu -Darko, Adisadel, Siwidu, Kotokuraba and London Bridge where residents gathered in their numbers to listen to the messages. GNA Accra, Jan. 30, GNA - Geoex International, in conjunction with Ghana Geophysical Company and other partners, have signed an agreement with Petroleum Commission- the State's regulatory body and concessionaire, to acquire 6,000 km of regional multi-client 2D seismic data offshore Ghana. Mr Robertson Safi, Managing Director of Ghana Geophysical Company Limited, said in a statement issued in Accra at the weekend and copied to Ghana News Agency that the African equatorial transform margin, has proven to be an exciting exploration province over the last decade with the Upper Cretaceous deep water fan play in Ghana, so far proving the most successful part of the system. 'Yet along with the successes have come a number of high profile failures, which have highlighted the need to fully understand the petroleum systems from basin architecture through to reservoir development and migration and trapping mechanisms.' The survey would be acquired along the transform margin of Ghana, Togo and Benin and is the first phase of a larger regional programme, that would tie in to similar programmes in Nigeria and the conjugate margin of South America. The data would be interpreted in the broader context to allow geoscientists to evaluate both sides of the margin as it evolved and to identify other potential petroleum systems offshore Ghana. Mr Theophilus Ahwireng, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Petroleum Commission said: "This is the first Reconnaissance License that the Petroleum Commission has signed since its establishment. 'This strategic project will include the acquisition of long offset, long record 2D regional seismic data that will be migrated to depth and integrated with available offshore well data to calibrate key stratigraphic horizons and ties in major discoveries in the area to provide the regional context and enable a full evaluation of petroleum plays." Pierre Benichou, CEO of Geoex International, added: 'This survey complements our growing library and will help geoscientists better understand the architecture of the sedimentary basin and the hydrocarbon potential of the region. 'We welcome the opportunity to work with...Ghana, and we embrace the new legislation and local content law.' Data acquisition is expected to commence in the latter part of the first quarter of 2016, with Pre- Stack Time Migration data targeted for delivery in August and Pre-Stack Depth Migration data targeted for delivery in December. GNA Accra, Jan. 30, GNA - An anti-violence campaign aimed at safeguarding the peace and stability of the country before, during and after the 2016 general election, has been launched in Accra. Dubbed: 'Campaign Against Politically Motivated Violence,' it also seeks to resolve tension anxieties as well as promote a sense of nationalism among the youth, politicians, political parties and the citizenry as a whole, Mr Michael Kwabena Ampong, Executive Director, National Youth Leaders Forum (NYLF), initiators of the campaign stated in Accra. He said the formation of the campaign would be a platform that would bring all political parties together for informed decisions to be made for the peace of the country to continue to prevail. Mr Ampong said it is the ultimate aim of NYLF to mobilise the youth of the country, concientise them on the interest of the country as the nation's interest is parochial than any party interest. 'We the youth are a lot a in the country and our issues are important as we are the country's resource, hence we are leading the campaign,' he said. The Executive Director of the NYLF urged the youth to rise for the country and not any political party. He also appealed to politicians not to let ethnocentric politics, politics of hatred and insult, politics of intolerance for dissenting views, politics of world and unfounded allegations mar the upcoming elections. 'Preaching of tolerance, demonstrating with character and living in togetherness is what we seek from our politicians,' he said. Mr Kwasi Pratt, Editor in-Chief, Insight Newspaper, said vindictiveness, insults and abuses are the reasons of violence in the country. 'How politicians conduct themselves shows they have no respect for citizens,' he said. Mr Pratt urged to politicians to talk about politics of issues and development as these are the pressing need of Ghana. He lauded NYLF for a campaign that is going to educate the youth against violence and rather promote peace in the country. 'I salute NYLF for a discussion that will move the country forward,' he said. Other speakers advised politicians to do away with abusive languages that hinder the peace of the country. NYLF is a youth advocacy, research and think tank group that was registered in 2015. GNA Accra, Jan. 30, GNA - The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), has donated brand new motorbike and 10 waste bins worth GHa5,000.00 to the Korle- bu Police Station for patrol duties and enhancement of good sanitation. This was in response made by the Police for assistance to enhance their duties in the Ablekuma West District. Dr Alfred Oko Vanderpuije, Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive presenting the items said security of the people in the area is his priority, hence the aid. He assured the Police of the Assembly's continued support to ensure that the citizens live in an atmosphere of peace at all times. Dr Vanderpuije said the AMA is committed to environmental cleanliness at the Police barracks to prevent diseases. The Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Theophilus Essilfie, District Commander of the Korle Bu Police Station, who received the donation expressed gratitude to the AMA for the gesture and promised that the items would be put to good use. He appealed to other corporate bodies and non-governmental organisations to also extend their support to the Police for effective policing in the communities. GNA Accra, Jan. 30, GNA - Peaceful Character Education Foundation (PCEF), a non-profit organisation in Accra, would on Wednesday, February 3, launch a training programme for officers of the Ghana Prison Service in Accra. The training is part of PCEF's pledge it made at the launch of the Efiase project, to start a training of officers of the Ghana Prisons in the Peaceful Solution Character Education Programme (PSCEP) as an effective tool to transform the hearts and minds of first the Prison Service personnel and subsequently the inmates. A statement signed by Deputy Superintendent of Prisons Vitalis Aiyeh, Chief Public Relations officer and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Friday, said PCEF is devoted to promote character education as its main tool for positive character development. It said PCEF uses PSCEP, which has a variety of courses designed to reach all ages so that the impact of character change could be realised and effective in the society. The statement said PSCEP consist of school, the parenting, the community, prison and workplace programmes. The NGO was organised for the purpose of maintaining a facility for authoring, manufacturing, distributing literature and multi-media presentations, conducting workshops, seminars, lecturing and conferences on a national basis with the focus on secular character educational programming and curricula in service to Ghana. GNA A press release written by Dr. Abu Sakara (aka Michael Foster), the 2012 Presidential Candidate of the rump-Convention Peoples Party (r-CPP), aptly and poignantly noted that the rump-CPP had become the effective preserve of the biological scions of President Kwame Nkrumah. I couldnt stop myself from being convulsed with laughter, because the preceding statement clearly indicated that Dr. Sakara had been too naive and pathologically obsessed with his own grossly misguided appreciation for the rump-CPP not to have realized until it was almost too late that he had been trucking with the wrong crowd and been consorting with the wrong operatives of the wrong political party. Since his wise decision to resign from the party, the National Chairman of the rump-CPP, Prof. Edmund Delle, has been desperately and profusely making patently hollow and untenable statements to the effect that Dr. Sakara may be grossly mistaken, and that the rump-CPP belongs to all progressive Ghanaian citizens (See CPP Not for Nkrumahs Children Delle Starrfmonline.com / Ghanaweb.com 1/20/16). Prof. Della has also publicly contradicted Dr. Sakara by claiming that his good friend has not actually resigned from the party, and that the letter written and widely published to the preceding effect was actually an April Fools Joke. But what is equally amusing here is Prof. Delles promise to ensure that Dr. Sakara rejoins the rump-CPP very soon. The logical question to ask here is the following: If, indeed, Dr. Sakara never resigned from the rump-CPP, why is the partys National Chairman vowing to have the 2012 flagbearer of the rump-CPP return to its fold? The fact of the matter is that the rump-Convention Peoples Party is a veritable political cardboard that has absolutely no coherence, viability or credibility on the countrys Fourth-Republican landscape. At best, it is a mere shadow and illusive reminiscence of the proto-Convention Peoples Party founded in June 1949 by the deposed late megalomaniacal dictator and some radical political upstarts, opportunists and cynical rascals. I have said in the recent past that the rump-Convention Peoples Party has absolutely no semblance and/or genetic affiliation with the one founded and Life-Chaired by Mr. Kwame Nkrumah. Now, I find myself compelled to revising my previous stance and opinion. The rump-Convention Peoples Party is the Xerox-copy of its institutional antecedent. One only has to peruse President Nkrumahs last will he had revised it several times previously before the egomaniacal dictator departed the country on his self-appointed ill-fated mission to Hanoi, in a quixotic bid to ending the Vietnam War. In the aforesaid will, Nkrumah, who firmly and deliriously believed that he was the lone founder and proprietor of Ghana, ceded the country to the members of the so-called Central Committee of his Convention Peoples Party. Alongside the ownership of the country, ceded to the CPPs Central Committee, was the order that the partys key operatives take complete care of Mrs. Fathia Nkrumah and her children. In other words, the material needs of the Nkrumah Family was the constitutional burden of the Republic of Ghana. Is there any wonder, therefore, that Ms. Samia Yaba Nkrumah, the daughter of the deposed dictator by his Egyptian trophy wife, continues to behave as if both the Republic of Ghana and the rump-Convention Peoples Party belonged to her and her siblings, significantly excluding Dr. Onsy Nathan Kwame Nkrumah? If I remember correctly, I have in the recent past admonished Prof. Delle to concentrate on his quite fetching profession of dermatology and stop fooling himself with the scandalous idea that, somehow, Ghanaians are still yearning for the political comeback of the thoroughgoing corrupt party and its scam-artist leaders whose auspicious overthrow they heartily celebrated on Feb. 24, 1966. Indeed, an ideologically confused and over-enthusiastic President John Agyekum-Kufuor once mistakenly thought he could facilitate the re-ascendancy of the Convention Peoples Party as a viable alternative to the faux-revolutionary National Democratic Congress. This gross and woeful miscalculation may well have accounted for Mr. Kufuors decision to bring Dr. Kwesi Nduom into his cabinet. Of course, it was a gross miscalculation because Dr. Nduom only ended up playing the tribal card by strategically collaborating with then-Candidate John Evans Atta-Mills, of the National Democratic Congress, in 2008, to scuttle Nana Akufo-Addos shot at the presidency. *Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com you are here: business Low oil positive trigger for market; like banks: Edelweiss Vinay Khattar of Edelweiss Financial Services says whether the market rally sustains or not, one positive market trigger could be the crude prices, if it remains at around same level. Outgoing Georgian Ambassador recalled Serzh Sargsyan's words Georgias Ambassador to Armenia Tengiz Sharmanashvili has completed his diplomatic mission in Armenia. Before leaving for Tbilisi on January 30, he met with his compatriots in Yerevan to thank them for the support. He also thanked Armenians for the warm welcome. In his speech, Tengiz Sharmanashvili noted that he got acquainted with the Armenian culture since childhood through an Armenian classmate but his tenure of office helped him know Armenians and their country better. He says he easily took to Armenians and thinks that Georgians cannot have a better neighbour than Armenians. Mr Sharmanashvili also thanked the Armenian authorities. I remember the first words I heard from Serzh Sagsyan when I handed over my credentials to him. He told me, When you knock on the doors, they will stand open before you, but if they are not opened, do not tell anyone, tell me, and I assure you that you will not be left behind those doors. business India needs to push GST, regulatory reforms: Swedish survey India needs to push reforms in the area of taxation including GST as well at in regulations to improve business sentiment that has dampened slightly in the last one year, a survey said today. The last Sunday in January is traditionally recognized by Baptists as Baptist Mens Day, according to the Rev. Billy Cooper, interim director of the Catawba River Baptist Association. The association, founded in 1827, has a long history of supporting the activities of the North Carolina Baptist Mens organization, which is now known by the more inclusive title Baptists on Mission (www.baptistsonmission.org), as a lot of women and girls work on its projects. Baptists on Mission have focused on helping those in need, declaring that their vision is every Christian sharing Gods love with hurting people through word and deed. The organization is an auxiliary to the State Baptist Convention of North Carolina that includes 17 different ministries, such as disaster relief, construction, medical and dental, mission education and mission camps, according to www.ncbaptists.org. Baptists on Mission coordinate projects close to home, such as Operation Inasmuch, which is described as a one-day mission blitz in your community, while providing services to countries as far away as Armenia and Kenya. Baptists on Mission is especially known for its comprehensive disaster relief program, which is prepared to deploy anywhere in the world at short notice. The organization arrives at a site in crisis and provides vital services such as food and water distribution, laundry and shower facilities, and medical care. They also help rebuild structures. Participants receive specialized training before they are allowed to assist in a disaster. The organization has divided the state of North Carolina into 10 regions. It uses those designations to schedule activities and training. The regions come together annually to attend a convention called the NC Baptist Missions Conference. This years conference will be held April 15-16 at Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, according to a flyer advertising the event. The conference will feature praise and worship, speakers, presentations on mission projects, and hands-on mission training. Some Baptist churches in the area will incorporate an observance of Baptist Mens Day into their services. Mountain View No. 2 Baptist Church will have male church members provide breakfast for the congregation, and then provide special music during the service on Sunday. Cooper said he will share some information about Baptist Men during the sermon he will preach at Mt. Home Baptist Church that day. (Baptist Mens Day) celebrates a ministry that all our churches are a part of, Cooper said. Its a Sunday of celebration of what we do and why we do it. We do it because we love Jesus Christ, and we do it because we want to minister and carry the good commission to everybody. For more information on Baptist Mens Day or Baptists on Mission, contact the Catawba River Baptist Association at 828-437-0137 or go to www.crbanc.org. Tammie Gercken can be reached at tgercken@morganton.com. The Waldensian Trail of Faith is kicking off a new fundraising venture with a coffee tasting event that will be held at the Valdese Heritage Arts Center Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The organization is using the event to debut its own brand of coffee called, Italiano Valdesi Blend, that it will sell to support its local facility and missionaries in Italy. Waldensian Trail of Faith Director Timothy Tron said the blend was inspired by a particularly strong coffee drunk by the residents of the valley in Italy from where the Waldensians originated. The Waldensians emigrated to the U.S. in the late nineteenth century to found what is now the town of Valdese, according to www.waldensiantrailoffaith.org. The coffee contains a combination of arabica and robusto beans. According to Tron, Trail of Faith is having the beans roasted at Addison Coffee company in Texas and shipped. He said the company uses hazelwood in the roasting process, which is the same flavoring in Nutella spread. Tron said he got the idea for selling coffee as a fundraiser when he went to faith-based He-Brews coffee shop in Statesville. He also learned about coffee roasting through his association at the Morrisville Farmers Market with the Muddy Dog Roasting company. Tron hopes the coffee will be successful enough for their missionaries in Italy to start roasting and selling it to raise money for their efforts. But we have to get a following before we get to that level, Tron said. One of those missionaries is Jeffrey Canada. Tron said Canada was led to become a born-again Christian through a visit to the Trail of Faith, and inspired to become a missionary with the organization as a result. He and his wife, Gloria, have been serving in Italy for the past three years. Visitors to the Valdese Heritage Arts Center will receive free samples of the brewed coffee, along with a Danish dessert. Tron said they can enjoy the treats while looking through the gallery of artists work at the center and listening to musician Bert Sigmon play acoustic instruments. Many say its the best-kept secret around, Tron said of the center. The two organizations have a history of working together and coordinating events, according to VHAC director Roberta Mansell. The VHAC building, built by the Waldensians, was preserved and restored by former senator Jim Jacumin, who also founded The Trail of Faith, according to www.valdeseheritageartcenter.com. Tron added that he feels a personal connection to VHAC as one of the artists in its co-op. The coffee beans will be available for purchase during the event. A 12 ounce bag is $11.99, and a 20 ounce bag is $19.99. Trail of Faith will grind the beans there for those that prefer ground beans. Tammie Gercken can be contacted at tgercken@morganton.com. SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Facebook says its cracking down on online gun sales, with a new policy that bars private individuals from advertising or selling firearms on the worlds largest social network. Licensed gun retailers can still advertise their businesses on Facebook, but they arent allowed to accept orders or transact sales on the site. After three dismal weeks to start the year, oil prices rebounded strongly in the past four days. The price of West Texas Intermediate futures contracts for March settled Friday at $33.62 a barrel, an increase of $3.28 or 10.81 percent since Mondays close of $30.34. This weeks four-day rally narrowed the gap between days the price has closed positive and closed negative. Nineteen trading sessions into the year, oil has risen eight days and has fallen 11. The year high was recorded Jan. 4, the first trading day of 2016, at $36.76 a barrel. The low was $26.55, recorded on Jan. 20. Futures prices for the year are down $3.14 or 8.54 percent. The Plains All American posted price for WTI was $30 a barrel Friday, the first time since Jan. 6 that the price was $30 or higher. For the week, the WTI posted price rose $3.50 or 13.21 percent. Prices have risen seven days, fallen 11 days and was unchanged one day this year. The year high is $33.25 (Jan. 4), and the year low is $23.25 (Jan. 20). WTI posted prices are down $3.25 or 9.77 percent this year. West Texas sour fetched $26.35 a barrel Friday, an increase of $3.50 or 15.32 percent since Monday. The price is down $5.65 or 17.66 percent in 2016. The price has seen eight days of increases, 10 days of decreases and one day when the price was unchanged. The year high is $32 (Jan. 4), and the low is $19.60 (Jan. 20). March is the near-month futures contract. In other futures contracts Friday, April closed at $35.28 a barrel, up 57 cents; May rose 75 cents to $36.78; and June was up 92 cents to $38. September settled Friday at $40.35 a barrel, up $1.17. Its the nearest contract above the $30 range. Follow Trevor on Twitter at @HowdyHawes Vahan Shirkhanyan is 'not in good health,' his lawyers say Lawyers of Vahan Shirkhanyan, a former deputy defense minister of Armenia, are going to submit two petitions to the investigative body. Our client has undergone surgery at the V. Avagyan Medical Centre to treat varicose veins in one leg. He has a blood clot in his other leg and is unable to walk and move. His health condition may deteriorate all of a sudden, and there is a threat to his life, lawyer Stepan Voskanyan told A1+. Tigran Ter-Yesayan visited Shirkhanyan in prison and says he was not in good shape. He needs to continue treatment at a specialized medical centre as he was being treated at the Avagyan medical centre [before the arrest] we are going to request that Shirkhanyan be taken there again. The second motion concerns his restraint, we shall file a petition for its review, considering Shirkhanyans health, Mr Voskanyan said. Vahan Shirkhan was arrested on December 19, 2015, on suspicion of aiding and cooperating with a criminal gang led by Artur Vardanyan. On November 25, 2015, law enforcement raided a house in Yerevan and arrested nine individuals, including Artur Vardanyan. The National Security Service (NSS) announced the gang was planning to carry out a series of serious crimes in Armenia. Mere hours before dropping the latest OWSLA compilation album, Worldwide Broadcast, Skrillex leaked "VIP's," his new collaboration with Berlin-based producer MUST DIE!. Now the entire album, which features the label lead's remix of GTA's "Red Lips" and his collaboration with Team EZY as well as Mija's DJ Snake remix and tracks by DJ Sliink, Yellow Claw and San Holo, Bixel Boys and Poupon among others, is available to stream. Worldwide Broadcast presents nine uniquely different productions that run the gamut from trap and future bass to electro house and Jersey club. The album showcases new talent alongside some of the biggest names in bass and serves to set the tone for what to expect from the imprint in 2016. Listen below. Skrillex demonstrates his versatility as a producer in his contributions to the compilation. "VIP's," his collaboration with MUST DIE!, and "Pretty Bye Bye," his collaboration with Team EZY featuring NJOMZA, bookend the compilation with two extremes of Sonny Moore's typical sonic palette. "VIP's" delivers some hard-hitting moombah and is one of the most face-melting tracks of the compilation. Meanwhile, "Pretty Bye Bye" calls to mind artists like Mt. Eden and is one of the dreamiest, neural tracks on the album. MUST DIE! discussed collaborating with Skrillex on "VIP's" in a statement: "Working with someone I've admired so much for so long was a dream come true," The FADER reports. "We took our time and really honed the song into something fun and expressive, I think! I'm really pleased with the outcome." Skrillex added that, "MUST DIE! and I made this track mostly online. We never worked on it IRL which is a cool thing about producing in the 21st century." Pitchfork reports that in addition to the album, OWSLA is releasing a new apparel collaboration with streetwear brand Dimepiece LA and Bixel Boys' #FREELIFE campaign. Watch the video for Bixel Boys and Poupon's nudisco track "Ain't Your Girl" below. 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. If your dream job involves preserving the planet's natural resources while helping the annual Nevada desert arts, culture and music festival known as Burning Man persevere with as small a carbon footprint as possible, you might want to get in touch with Uncle Sam. The Bureau of Land Management, part of the United States government's Department of the Interior, is currently hiring a Burning Man project manager. The full-time position offers a salary ranging from $69,497 to $90,344, MixMag reports. The job posting expires on February 8, so apply online at USAJobs.Gov or email nvjobs@blm.gov. According to Business Insider, the hiree "is to perform as project leader for complex projects such as RMPs, major EIS's and EA's and Special Recreation Permits, in particular the Burning Man event, which have a broad scope and often require coordination outside the district organization." The event has been attracting tens of thousands of costumed revelers and A-list artists to drive decorated art cars into the Black Rock Desert to set up themed camps in a 7-square-mile space known as "the playa" for the past two decades. While the multi-day gathering has in many ways transcended summer festival status and become something of an artistic institution, it has encountered its share of environmental hiccups. The event's location is prone to sandstorms and has had its share of weather-related incidents including 2014's delays due to storms. Additionally, as the event's name suggests, it typically involves a bonfire. Combining those environmental hazards with a crowd of 70,000 people certainly calls for the creation of a Risk Management Plan. In other words, while the job posting may seem strange, the position is totally necessary. According to the job description, the gig "involves prolonged hours of sitting at a desk and working on a computer in an office environment" as well as extensive travel. Additionally, "the work environment varies from an office setting where the incumbent is in contact with work associates, to a field setting where the incumbent is working alone, in a group, in extremely remote and adverse situations." To the experienced Burner, the job might seem like the perfect career in which to apply the 10 principles of Burning Man. Watch a video discussing the guidelines that define the event and its community's ethos, below. 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Aiden Jude was only 10 years old when he broke onto the EDM scene, which was a rarity, because most DJs and Producers of his stature are twice or even three times his age! Now 11 years old, Jude is kicking off his 2016 campaign with his epic remix of Kap Slap & Gazzo's original, hit track, "Rewind." At the time, Jude was just 10 years old when he released his first original track, "Tonight," featuring Nafsica back in April of 2014. The track ended up charting on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Chart, ultimately finishing in the No. 49 spot, which is wildly impressive for a 10 year old. This certainly caught the attention of some important people in the music world, and since then, Jude has been recognized by the likes of Tiesto, Gareth Emery, Above & Beyond, W&W, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, and many more! Now 11 years old, the New York DJ and Producer, Jude, is returing to the spotlight with his rendition of "Rewind." Jude flips the original into an upbeat, progressive house remix, with some excellent sampling and some sublte, yet well placed tropical house elements mixed into the track as well. Jude's remix is incredibly catchy and will most likely have fans hitting repeat on this one for a while. Jude's remix is also part of a WAVO Official Remix contest being held by Gazzo, Kap Slap and Casablanca Records (the label "Rewind" was released on), and naturally, Jude is second in the voting process thus far, with the winner being announced in mid-February. Give the remix a listen for yourself and if you're feeling it, go ahead and give it a vote on WAVO here. Regardless if Jude ends up winning the contest, there's little doubt that his 2016 campain is already off to a fantastic start, which should certainly have his fans excited for what's to come in the near future. Keep an eye out for Jude as he continues to grow, not only in age, but as a DJ and Producer - we could be looking at the next great electronic artist for generations to come! 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Well then, that escalated very quickly! Blac Chyna has just been arrested at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport for being drunk and disorderly. Chyna was heading to London and on the flight, she was highly intoxicated and fighting with the flight attendant, according to TMZ. Chyna was apparently arrested during her layover in Austin. The police were waiting for her at the airport and she screamed, "Y'all got no respect for me. I gotta tie my shoes. Let me tie my Yeezys." As she was walking by the flight attendant, she yelled, "Nasty ass b*tch." Once the handcuffs were on Chyna, she reportedly began to cry. She was booked for public intoxication. Recently, it was revealed that Chyna and Rob Kardashian started dating and he moved in with her. According to Complex, Rob moved in with Chyna to use her gym so he could lose weight since he was diagnosed with diabetes. Khloe Kardashian has already expressed how she feels about the situation with this single tweet: You can do anything. But never go against the family Khloe (@khloekardashian) January 25, 2016 The situation has become quite sticky since Chyna and Rob have confirmed their "situation." Kanye West and Chyna's BFF, Amber Rose, got into a small beef after he attacked her, her son and her ex-husband, Wiz Khalifa, on Twitter. Then Amber Rose started following Scott Disick on Instagram, which kicked off a whole new slew of rumors. The whole West/Kardashian/Jenner versus Blac Chyna/Amber Rose/Wiz Khalifa/Rob Kardashian saga is quite confusing and tiring. But it seems that it's not the last of what is to come of this. Wiz Khalifa has been ranting at his shows recently about Kanye West. According to Us Magazine, Kris Jenner has attempted to get Rob out of the relationship with Chyna by showing up to Chyna's home to talk to him. We will keep you all posted as this story unfolds. 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. American volunteer experienced culture shock in Armenia There are wonderful young people in rural communities who have great potential and can do great things but they do not have opportunities, says Chris Howard, a Peace Corps volunteer, who arrived in Armenia from Alabama, US. Chris is a social worker and has been doing voluntary work in Peace Corps Armenia and at the Youth Initiative Centre NGO in Gyumri for five months now. He says work and life in Armenia are unique experience for him. Most of all he likes open and direct human relations in the country. Recently, I met [by accident] a 15-year-old Armenian fellow who had just returned from Syria. It was our first meeting and we had known each other for a short time but he told me his story in every detail. Armenians are very warm and hospitable people, always ready to help [others], but at the same time they do not accept new things, they are close to new ideas. I understand that they had to go through many difficulties and overcome them, and I think this made them more closed, therefore they are reluctant to accept new ideas and new solutions to problems," Chris says. He says that the difference between the capital and the provinces is great; there are limited opportunities for residents in rural communities. Well, Yerevan is the most populated city [in Armenia]. Most universities are there, tourism is developed there, and people have a different mentality there. In Yerevan, young people have such opportunities that their peers do not have in rural communities, even, in some cases, here in Gyumri. There is no opportunity for different kinds of activities here. It is good that young people can participate in various international educational programs and courses; however, people living in other parts of Armenia should also have such an opportunity. All these programs also contribute to the establishment of intercultural dialogue. Armenia knows the world, at the same time making the world know itself, he added. Asked what difficulties he had faced during his stay in Armenia, Chris said, In the beginning, I experienced culture shock. For example, there were also dark-skinned volunteers in our group who were received like stars in some villages. Seeing them, children, began to shout A black man, a black man! They wanted to be photographed with them. There were also problems associated with transportation but I do not pay particular attention to them because this is the path I chose. I shall be living here for about two years and I realize the various challenges offered by the new life. Had I not faced different difficulties on my way, I would not have found new mechanisms to overcome them, Chris said in conclusion. By Syuzi Muradyan It is safe to say that Jane the Virgin's Gina Rodriguez is truly awesome. The actress, while answering questions on Twitter, offered up her last year's Golden Globes dress to one lucky fan to wear to prom! Talk about a lucky break. This all started on Thursday afternoon when the actress was giving some fans some advice via Twitter when one Buffalo, New York native asked: @HereIsGina so would love to wear your golden globes dress to prom Jessica Casanova (@TheJessica_C) January 28, 2016 Rodriguez responded not too long after offering her Badgley Mischka gown that she wore to the 2015 Golden Globes. It was the same dress she was wearing when she won the award for best comedic actress on televesion: Where do you live? I only own my first globes dress the one from last year...maybe we can make this happen https://t.co/m16qdYETgF Gina Rodriguez (@HereIsGina) January 28, 2016 If you don't remember the gorgeous dress Rodriguez is speaking of, here is a photo of it: (Photo : Kevin Winter/Getty Images) BEVERLY HILLS, CA - JANUARY 11: Actress Gina Rodriguez, winner of Best Actress in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy for 'Jane the Virgin,' poses in the press room during the 72nd Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 11, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) Absolutely stunning! The actress went on to connect with the Twitter follower and told her she would be reaching out. Soon after, another fan tweeted out this awesome suggestion: @HereIsGina you're so stellar for this! can we start a "Sisterhood of the Traveling Gina Golden Globes Dress?" kale (@klytwnsnd) January 28, 2016 Rodriguez's response? I just melted. I swear I was just talking about this in the makeup/hair trailer on set. yes! https://t.co/NCkFQYiHPy Gina Rodriguez (@HereIsGina) January 29, 2016 Yes, we all melted along with you! The idea of having a traveling Golden Globes dress is amazing and quite the inspiration to young girls, which is something Rodriguez has been doing from the start of her career. From supporting Latino actresses and proving that they don't all go into one conformed box to helping girls appreciate themselves more, she is doing it all. In a recent interview with Yahoo Health, Rodriguez talked about loving yourself, inspiring others and more. The actress stated, "You can love your body and still want to work on it." At the end of it all, that lucky fan is beyond happy and humbled by Rodriguez's big-hearted act: Being privileged to wear [Rodriguez] dress to prom, and its like a dream come true, @TheJessica_C wrote. 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Miguel hosted the Wildheart Motel in L.A. yesterday and it was one event that shouldn't have been missed. The R&B superstar collaborated with creative director and designer, Willo Perron, to bring a one time weekend event filled with music, art and good vibes. And the best part? Rihanna stopped by and sang "My Girl" alongside Miguel. The event was hosted in a hotel in Baldwin Hills, California and had 21 rooms that people could freely move in and out of. The first room had Miguel's bassist, guitarist and drummer jamming out with an open mic for people to come up and grab. People joined in on the jamming until Miguel came in around 11:30 P.M. and started singing one of his songs, "Supernatural," which he wrote at the age of 14, according to Billboard. Miguel also sang "Vixen," off of his first album, All I Want is You. Some of the other rooms included sex therapy sessions, dance parties, fridges filled with liquor and so much more. Things started to heat up even more when Rihanna hit the stage to sing a karaoke version of Mary J. Blige's hit track, "Not Gon' Cry." Soon after, she joined Miguel and they sang a rendition of The Temptations' 1965 hit track, "My Girl," for all attendees to bask in all it's glory. Rihanna & Miguel cantando "My Girl" do grupo The Temptations ontem em LA. Assista completo: https://t.co/VAjUScrCGi pic.twitter.com/8w83cfvJA3 Rihanna Navy Brasil (@RNavyBrazil) January 30, 2016 If you are unable to attend the next Wildheart Motel installation tonight, it will be streaming live on WildheartMotel.com. 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Sarkodie should have been bigger than ... Angels Camp, CA The City of Angels City Council is likely to make short order of business when it next meets to focus on presentations and consider a no parking zone by Bret Harte High. An amended agenda for Tuesdays meeting is missing a previously planned sole regular agenda item that would have considered awarding a parks upgrade project for Utica and Tryon parks to John Allen Construction. Meeting documents indicate that the approval of bids is still pending. In response to a request by Bret Harte High School administration to improve the sight distance at the schools exit onto Main Street, the council has scheduled approving the creation of a no parking zone south of the driveway as part of a brief consent agenda. The action, which will eliminate two parking spaces, initially requires simply painting the curb red; however, as Main Street is a state highway, Caltrans will have to review and authorize the zone. Planning Director David Hanham is scheduled to provide an update on Destination Angels Camps recently unveiled property database of available commercial properties for sale and lease; Angels Camp Museum Director Kim Arth will also make a short presentation. The citys public works reports a recent pipe break at the Sprayfield resulted in an offsite release of about 50,000 gallons of treated effluent, which required a notification to the state. A water main break on Summit Road last Wednesday required overnight repairs. Crews have completed minor project improvements at both treatment plants. Staff reports that, now that Columbia College is offering a water and wastewater treatment curriculum up to operator level 3 and plans to expand the coursework further the college may become a training center alternative for personnel who currently take their coursework in Sacramento. A review of business license fees, a topic at the councils last meeting, resulted in a decision for more research, coordination with the business community, and a possible sales tax increase, which the council will address again within the next two months. The council will likely hold another public hearing on medical pot grows within the citys jurisdiction at its Feb. 16 meeting, ahead of possibly adopting a temporary ordinance with a set of resolutions that would permit some cultivation. Tuesdays meeting will open to the public at 6 p.m. at Angels Fire House (1404 Vallecito Road) following a closed session to discuss lease renewal options with the US Postal Service regarding its downtown location. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement continues to investigate an officer-involved shooting Friday night in Sanford that injured an innocent bystander. The suspect involved in the shooting was arrested a short distance from the scene. According to police, Roshad Smith was spotted around 6:42 p.m. walking up and down the sidewalk in the area of U.S. 17-92 and Airport Boulevard. He was pointing a gun at traffic, police said. When police arrived to the area, Smith began firing his weapon. An officer then fired back. A bystander suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to Central Florida Regional Hospital. The person's name hasn't been released. It's unclear if the bystander was struck by a bullet fired from Smith's gun or the police officer's weapon. Smith, 27, is charged with attempted homicide, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, discharging a firearm in public and resisting arrest. According to court records, Smith has a length criminal record, including drug- and theft-related crimes. Smith's first appearance is scheduled to take place at 9 a.m. Sunday. Anyone with information on what took place during Friday's shooting is asked to call Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS (8477). Uber is pushing for more friendly laws in Florida. The ride-sharing company held an event in Orlando on Friday to show current and potential Uber drivers the impact work opportunities have on the state economy. A bill recently passed the Florida State House that would create one set of regulations for ride-sharing services. Officials with Uber say it makes the most sense for drivers and riders. This business doesnt make sense to cross imaginary lines of cities or counties and suddenly have to follow different rules with different amounts of insurance or have a different permit for every time you cross into new cities, said Matthew Gore, General Manager of Uber Florida. Its important to us that people have a consistent set of sensible rules that allow them to work when and where they want. The bill now has to pass the Florida State Senate before it heads to Governor Rick Scott. (NOTE: This is part of a series entitled "Looking Back," offering interesting glimpses into Plainview history. Originated to coincide with the city's centennial, articles rely heavily on information gleaned from Herald files.) By DOUG McDONOUGH Herald Managing Editor For the past 42 years, the only tenants on its upper floors have been flocks of pigeons. But even they were evicted a few years ago when the county sealed its windows and covered its stately balconies with Plexiglass. Still, as it turns 100 years old, the venerable Hotel Ware remains one of Plainview's mostly stately landmarks on what was once the city's most prominent corner. Among Plainview's first businesses was R.C. Ware Hardware, which was opened at the site, then Pacific (Broadway) and Main (Sixth Street), in 1889. A year later, J.N. Donohoo arrived in town and he quickly entered into partnership with R.C. Ware to operate the Donohoo-Ware Hardware Store at that location. According to an article in the Jan. 1, 1926, edition of the Plainview Evening Herald, Donohoo and Ware had to freight their supplies in from Amarillo by teams and often their loaded wagons would be stranded for weeks out on the prairie when bad weather made roads impassable. Later, Donohoo and Ware constructed a more substantial galvanized building for what became Plainview Mercantile Co. "At that time," the 1926 article noted, "the town of Plainview boasted of a little frame hotel located in the rear of the building now occupied by the Hooper and Son Motor Co." (Currently McPherson Computers and Kirchhoff's Kostume Kloset at Fifth and Ash.) "This hotel was a two-story structure with a rickety stairway on the outside leading up to the upper floor. Patrons of the hotel were cowboys who for their accommodation were assigned to a pallet on the floor." In 1907, the partners hired a Waco architect to draft plans for a two-story building for the busy corner the ground floor would be available for store rental and the upper story for office space. With the new plans in hand and contractors secured, work was about to begin when a business delegation asked the partners to build a much-needed hotel instead. Their arguments must have been very persuasive since plans were quickly revised and by 1910 the three-story, 65-room Hotel Ware was open for business. Considered among the finest hotels in West Texas, the reinforced concrete structure cost about $125,000 to build. As the city grew, the hotel did, too. First, a professional manager F.A. Hart was hired on Feb. 1, 1925. He soon embarked on an ambitious improvement program that included repainting, replacing flooring and furnishings, adding a revolving door to the lobby and installing an electric elevator. Hart had five rooms added to the third floor, bringing the total to 70 guest rooms. In July 1925, work began on the addition of a fourth floor. It was completed by early December and brought the total number of guest rooms to 100 many with their own private baths. The entire structure was advertised as fire-proof and featured steel furniture throughout. According to the Herald's 1926 article, "There are 20 rooms with bath on the fourth floor and 10 rooms without bath. The rooms with bath are equipped with an all-steel Simmons bed on which is a box springs and a 50-pound mattress, an all-steel dresser, a steel writing desk and chair, a metal waste basket, and a metal baggage rack. The floor is covered with a soft carpet; lace curtains and draperies adorn the windows, and each room is furnished with a comfortable upholstered easy chair. "A large clothes closet has been built in each room and the bath is complete with modern fixtures. For the convenience of guests, a telephone has been installed in each room." According to a 1974 article, one of the first commercial tenants in the building was Citizens National Bank. Its vault was in the hotel's expansive basement. "I remember one time that it took us 4 1/2 hours to get into the vault," recalled former Police Chief Hoyt Curry, "and I wouldn't even want to attempt opening it today," he said in 1974. J.B. Wheeler, in the same article, recalled that the hotel's ballroom was the place of congregation for the city's "high society" during its formative years. According to Wheeler, during the early to mid-1930s a drummer with the Floyd Veech band, Winslow "Sweetie" Chambers, operated a night club in the ballroom. "It was called the Rendevouz Night Club and it catered to the younger crowd. I remember that every Friday night was high school seniors night." When Plainview's first radio station, KVOP, opened in 1944 its original studio was in the Ware. Retired building contractor John McDonough remembers that the soundproof room used as the radio studio and announcer's booth was still on the second floor of the Ware when he remodeled several rooms in the 1960s. His wife, Barbara McDonough, also remembers as a school girl visiting KVOP there to take part in live broadcasts of religious programs with fellow church members during World War II. The Hotel Ware ceased operations in about 1966, and the last commercial tenant Levine's Department Store relocated in 1973. On Jan. 31, 1974, Ware's daughter, Helen Ware Hart, announced the sale of the hotel building for an undisclosed price to a group of local businessmen that included Joe E. Webb, J. Ray Pritchett, J.E. Helm, Glenn W. Tullis and C.A. Robinson. Within a week, Hale County commissioners bought the building from that investment group for $55,000. Since that transaction the ground floor been used as offices by the county tax assessor-collector, probation department, county surveyor, veteran's service officer and others. The upper floors have been used for storage. At the time, county officials said turning the old hotel into a courthouse annex made good sense due to its location, quality construction and attractive cost. County Judge Henry Heck explained in 1974 that all told the county was out about $5 per square foot for the added office space at the Ware. New construction at the time would have cost more than four times that amount. (Contact Doug McDonough at 806-296-1350 or dmcdonough@hearstnp.com) Herald File Photo UNDER CONSTRUCTION: Signs advertising dentist Dr. Hagood, well driller G.W. Sanders and Bell Bros. tailors adorn the fence around the Ware Hotel construction site in this 1910 photograph. Among the workmen atop the structure is George E. Green, who was in charge of steel work. Herald File Photo SHINING GEM: The Ware Hotel, which opened in 1910, was considered one of West Texas' finest at the time, boasting three stories and 65 rooms. It was designed to allow sunlight into each room. A fourth floor was added in 1925, bringing the total number of guest rooms to 100. Three years ago, Plainview and Hale County were in the midst of one of its darkest periods. With much of the state in the grips of one of the most intense droughts in history, the city and countys largest single employer - Cargill Meat Solutions - ceased operaton, casting 2,200 people out of work. Something like that could have catastrophic longtime consequences for any community, but those events may actually have been a blessing in disguise, said County Judge Bill Coleman on Friday during his report at the annual Plainview/Hale County Economic Development Corp. board meeting. Instead of reacting negatively, the entire community pulled together after Cargills closure in January 2013, and we have come out much stronger because of that. Coleman pointed to the communitys neighbor-helping-neighbor attitude when Hale County recently extended a hand to Lubbock County after a blizzard collapsed the roofs of several livestock barns at the South Plains Fair Grounds. As a result, the Lubbock County Junior Livestock Show Board brought its swine show to Plainviews Ollie Liner Center last weekend. They had almost 600 pigs to the show, and a whole lot more people. It took a tremendous amount of cooperation and coordination to bring it off, and thats not something that would happened in New York City. Its just another example of how were all pulling together and working together. Coleman sees the same cooperative spirit in the joint economic development efforts of the City of Plainview, Hale County and PHCEDC. We have these different levels of government and the community all working together toward expansion . . . Our long and protracted drought was huge wakeup call, and it helped us realize there are only two types of communities in West Texas, those who are either growing, or dying. Saying both the City of Plainview and Hale County are on the same page when it comes to economic development, Coleman noted that two major joint projects are about to get under way. Those are the development of the new business park and a $4.6 million rehabilitation and expansion project at Plainview/Hale County Airport. A viable, shovel-ready business park is something a community needs to have in its resume for site selectors to give it serious consideration, and a good airport is equally important. Coleman reported that the county has now invested $24 million in a variety of tax abatements, and some of those investments will start paying off as construction begins on both the Hale Community Energy wind farm by NextEra Energy and the Plainview Orchard wind projects. Before long, we could see hundreds and perhaps thousands of wind turbines across Hale County. To get an idea of whats ahead, just take a drive south from Silverton to Floydada, or head out east on Spann Road (FM 2286) to Floyd County and you can see turbines in every stage of construction. Mike Fox, PHCEDC executive director, offered similar sentiments in reporting strong economic indicators with unemployment dropping from 7 percent to 5.4 percent over the past year - the lowest since 2009 - and both the city and county reporting double-digit growth in sales tax receipts. The Cargill plant is now on the market, and we have a strong pipeline of industrial prospects . . . Economic development requires a strong team effort, and we all are on the same page working toward a common goal. He reported that membership in the EDC stands at 181, up four from a year ago, with a goal of 200 by the end of 2016. We now have an incentive program available, which we have never had before, he added. That program rewards industries financially for creating in new jobs, based on their pay scale. In an effort to attract industry with a trained workforce, Fox said the EDC awarded South Plains College-Plainview a $22,000 grant for workforce training and development. It also awarded a $100,000 grant, payable over five years, toward the Covenant Health Plainview renovation and construction project. Currently, Fox said four industrial prospects are actively considering the former Jimmy Dean Meat Company plant, with potential employment ranging from 15 to 50, and two others recently touring the former Cargill plant. The EDC has forwarded two different information packets to prospects as a result of requests submitted through the state governors office, Other prospects that Fox is working with include an alternative energy provider, food processor and NeoWaste of Corpus Christi which plans to invest $2 million in a facility to process junk tires stored at the Tyke King facility once they are released by the courts. He noted that the EDC last March participated in the groundbreaking at Transportation Technology Services wind energy distribution facility in east Plainview. Starting at 10 acres, it has now grown to 70 acres and theyre looking to buy more. Its expected to handle some 5,000 rail cars containing wind turbine blade and components during 2016. In the months ahead, Fox reported, wind turbine construction could bring as many as 600 construction workers to Plainview - 300 for projects in Floyd County and a similar number in Hale County. Wind energy and commercial construction are the key drivers in the growth of sales tax receipts, he added. Fox noted that the Walmart Distribution Center has gone through a year of transition in management, and they continue to be very happy with being in Plainview. Our logistics make Plainview an ideal location for them. Current employment at the Distribution Center stands at 875 with another 225 in the Transportation Division. Azteca Milling currently employs 245, and has had a great year with high-quality corn resulting from this years harvest. Other community updates came from Plainview City Manager Jeffrey Snyder, Covenant Health Plainview CEO Clay Taylor, Plainview Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Linda Morris, Plainview ISDs Greg Brown, Paul Henderson from South Plains College Plainview and Dr. Elaine Seebo from Wayland Baptist University. Six EDC board members were re-elected to new four-year terms - Ken Douglass, V.O. Ortega, Brian Pohlmeier, Blaine Smith, Lanny Voss and Willis McCutcheon. Four new board members were selected, Clint Wall of High Plains Concrete, Johnnie McDonald of NAPA Auto Parts, Rodney White of United Supermarkets and Kevin Carter of the High Ground of Texas. The executive committee, which will completing the final year of the two-year terms this year, include Danny Glenn, president; V.O. Ortega, first vice president; Matt Kelly, second vice president; Blaine Smith, secretary-treasurer; and John Bertsch, immediate past president. The Nominating Committee report was made by Ken Douglass and Jim Mock. David A. Allen Jr. was born in December 1920 in Poynor, Texas, which is located in Henderson County southwest of Tyler. He is 95 years old today. On Oct. 17, 2015, he gave an interview about his time training as a glider pilot in WWII, including at Finney Field. Allen recalled that he and his fellow student glider pilots stayed at a hotel in town, so it was undoubtedly the Hilton Hotel where they were quartered. Allen thought that Plainview was a nice place and said that the people were real cordial, too. When asked about Finney Field, he replied that he did not remember much about the airfield except for the Piper Cubs that they flew there. He did not remember any mishaps or crackups by the glider pilots. No, no. That was unheard of. Hell, they didnt dare! In the pre-glider training - they called it pre-glider - wed take off in the little Cubs and go up to 500 feet. Turn the switch off. Pull the nose of the aircraft up and the prop would quit turning, go in and make your dead stick landing. Allen only recalled training during the daytime and said that his training probably ended around 5 oclock in the afternoon. He did not recall any of his fellow student pilots names. Allen did recall some buildings around the edge of Finney Field, but was not sure if they were hangars or not. He also took ground school while in Plainview, but did not recall anything about it. After the training at Finney Field was completed each day, Allen said the glider pilots were taken back to Plainview in trucks. They would then have supper at the hotel. Allen said that his training in Plainview started around the first of July 1942 and ended around the first of August. When asked about the incident in July on a Saturday night when Pvt. Terrence B. McKernan was run over by a train in downtown Plainview, Allen said that he did not recall it. He became a staff sergeant in July 1942 while stationed at Plainview pre-glider school. With this promotion, Allens pay doubled and he had this to say about the large increase in his monthly pay, Oh, absolutely! I went from $36 to $72! Plainview was a nice place. The people were nice. Recalling overall his time in Plainview, Allen said fondly, There were a number of girls there in Plainview which is something that we werent accustomed to in the desert (back at Hemet Field in Califfornia). Plainview was an uptown place. Allen said that when he graduated from Plainview, he did not receive any certificates or wings from the Army Air Forces. After Allen finished his training in Plainview, he was shipped to Wickenburg, Arizona. In the post-war years, Allen thought that he might have driven through Plainview once. Seemed like my wife and I rode through there one time, Im not sure though. Wickenburg was a basic training school or the second phase of glider pilot training. After basic glider training was completed, the glider pilots would be sent on to an advanced glider training school. Training at Plainview pre-glider was primary, or dead stick training. When talking about Wickenburg, Allen said, It was sailplanes is what we flew: two-place sailplanes. He went on to describe the planes that were used to tow the two-place gliders into the air. I think they were Stearmen aircraft they had . . . and they would tow us up a ways and cut us loose and we were on our own. When asked about whether or not they had instructors in their planes at Wickenburg, Allen replied, The first flights you did. After that, you were on your own. Allen said that he was at Wickenburg about a month for training. He did not recall any accidents there, only a lot of dust storms. We had ground school half a day, flight half a day. Allen said that it was an airport where they did their training at Wickenburg, but said that he thought that the base was an Army attachment located at the airport. When asked if his instructors at Plainview and Wickenburg were civilian, Allen replied, Yes. As for the instructors at Plainview, he said, I think they were in civilian clothes. He did not receive any certificate or wings after he graduated from basic glider training at Wickenburg either. After Wickenburg, Allen was sent to Albuquerque, New Mexico, which was a holding place for glider pilots until their next phase of training began. He arrived in Albuquerque in September and left in October 1942. His next stop was Dalhart Army Air Field where he took advanced glider training. Allen said that he arrived in Dalhart in October and traveled there by train from Albuquerque. When asked what he thought of Dalhart when he first arrived there, Allen dryly replied, Just a small, west Texas town. Thats all. When asked if Dalhart was as nice a town as Plainview, he said, Oh, no. It wasnt as nice as Plainview. No, no. Just so small and it didnt have any activity. It had one good place to eat. I guess it was alright; but it seemed to me to be totally different, me being raised in East Texas and then lived in a place like that, well it was totally different: drier and colder. David Allen currently resides in San Antonio. More about his experiences training as a glider pilot in WWII will be discussed in the next article. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate After implementing license plate reading technology, revenue from traffic fines in Port Arthur, Texas, have increased 180%. The technology in question is called a license plate recognition system (LPR), which, as the title suggests, can scan license plates to pinpoint those who haven't paid their traffic fines, as well as locate otherwise wanted persons, including terrorists, according to a brochure for the technology. According to the Port Arthur Police Department's website, the LPR has three different cameras, and once the plate is scanned "the system searches the entire database in less than 1/10th of one second." Upon combining the technology with its eight-man Traffic Enforcement Unit, the Port Arthur Police Department has racked up its traffic fine income from $750,000 in 2006 to $2.1 million in 2012. PERF (Police Executive Research Forum) Research Director Christopher Koper said that, in addition to heightened productivity, the LPRs offer greater officer safety, as well as removing the possibility of racial profiling, as the cameras scan plate automatically. The system does have its detractors, who cite the fact that Port Arthur is one of the state's poorest cities, and the increased fining has only made things harder for its residents. There are also those, such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation, who say that the system turns policemen into "debt collectors." The PAPD isn't the only police department to implement the LPRs. In a study by PERF, 71% of contacted police departments use LPRs; 85% plan on implementing or increasing their use in the future. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate One man was taken to the hospital after he was struck by a sedan Friday afternoon that went off the road and into the air, damaging four vehicles. The driver of the sedan, 19, was heading westbound at about 4:50 p.m. on Henderson Pass weaving in and out of traffic when she went off the curb and onto the sidewalk, San Antonio firefighters said. That's when vehicle struck a 58-year-old man sitting on a decorative concrete block by the entrance to a shopping center as it continued, investigators said. The vehicle continued across the entrance and struck a curb, sending it airborne, firefighters said. When it landed, it damaged four vehicles, pushing one into another, authorities said. In the aftermath, both the woman and the man were sent to University Hospital after being examined by emergency personnel. Their injuries were still being determined as of Friday evening, investigators said. Firefighters said when they arrived at about 5 p.m., two witnesses were helping the woman out of her vehicle. Jennifer Hopkins, 41, was unloading her two children from her SUV when the sedan came crashing down on her vehicle. "We were at the end of the (SUV) and we heard it coming," she said. "We turned around and we saw a lot of black smoke coming from the bottom of the car. It looked like a movie special effect." Her first priority was her children, Hopkins said, telling them to run out of the way as the vehicle came crashing down. Afterward, Hopkins said the sedans driver appeared to be hysterical as two people were helping her out. "People were helping her, the horn was honking and she was screaming," Hopkins recalled. Firefighters reported that a first responder was assaulted and one other witness was injured while trying to help the sedans driver. Traffic Investigation detectives are investigating the cause of the accident and if alcohol or drugs were a factor. "I hope that the woman in the car is OK. I hope that the man who was hit is OK," Hopkins said. "I feel lucky that myself and my kids weren't hit, and that we're OK." jbeltran@express-news.net Twitter: @JBfromSA Its hard to believe that the United States, having resisted the siren song of socialism during its entire 20th-century heyday (the only major democracy to do so), should suddenly succumb to its charms a generation after its intellectual demise. Indeed, the prospect of socialist Bernie Sanders, whatever his current momentum, winning the Democratic nomination remains far-fetched. The Dems would be risking a November electoral disaster of historic dimensions. Yet there is no denying how far Sanders has pulled his party to the left and how hard the establishment candidate, Hillary Clinton, has been racing to catch up. The Republicans, on the other hand, are dealing with a full-scale riot. The temptation they face is trading in a century of conservatism for Trumpism. The 2016 presidential race has turned into an epic contest between the ethno-nationalist populism of Donald Trump and traditional conservatism, though in two varieties: the scorched-earth fundamentalist version of Ted Cruz and a reformist version represented by Marco Rubio (and several so-called establishment candidates) and articulated most fully by noncandidate Paul Ryan and a cluster of highly productive thinkers and policy wonks dubbed reformicons. Trump insists that hes a conservative, but his conservatism seems more of a rental a three-story penthouse rental with Central Park-view, to be sure than an ideological home. Trump protests that Ronald Reagan, too, migrated from left to right. True, but Reagans transformation occurred in his 40s not his 60s. In radically different ways, Trump and Sanders are addressing the deep anxiety stemming from the secular stagnation in wages and living standards that has squeezed the middle and working classes. Sanders locates the villainy in a billionaire class that has rigged both the economic and political system. Trump blames foreigners, most prominently those cunning Mexicans, Chinese, Japanese and Saudis whove been taking merciless advantage of us, in concert with Americas own leaders who are, alternatively, stupid and incompetent or bought and corrupt. Hence Trumps most famous recommendations: anti-immigrant, including the forced deportation of 11 million people; anti-trade, with a 45 percent tariff on Chinese goods and a 35 percent tariff on U.S. manufacturing moved to Mexico; and anti-Muslim, most notoriously a ban on entry into the U.S. Temporarily only, we are assured, except that the ban applies until our countrys representatives can figure out what is going on a standard so indeterminate as to be meaningless. Trump has limited concern for the central tenet of American conservatism limited government. The most telling example is his wholehearted support for eminent domain, i.e., the appropriation by government of private property. Trump called it wonderful. Trump has not called Vladimir Putin wonderful, but he has taken a shine to the swaggering mini-czar who seems to run his trains on time. When informed that Putin kills opponents and journalists, Trumps reaction was, Well, I think that our country does plenty of killing, also, the kind of moronic what-about-the-Crusades moral equivalence that conservatives have railed against for decades. Although, after prompting, Trump did come out against the killing of journalists. Cruz is often lumped with Trump in the anti-establishment camp. That suited Cruz tactically for a while, but its fairly meaningless, given that establishment can mean anything these days. And given the huge gulf between the political philosophies of the two men. Cruz is a genuine conservative austere, indeed radical, so much so that he considers mainstream congressional conservatives apostates. And finds Trump not conservative at all, as he is now belatedly insisting. My preference is for the third ideological alternative, the reform conservatism that locates the source of our problems not in heartless billionaires or crafty foreigners, but in our superannuated, increasingly sclerotic welfare-state structures. Their desperate need for reform has been overshadowed but will appear this year in Congress in Speaker Ryans promised agenda boring stuff like welfare reform, health care reform, tax reform and institutional congressional reforms such as the return to regular order. Paired with a president like Rubio (or Chris Christie or Carly Fiorina), such an agenda would give conservatism its best opportunity since Reagan to become the countrys governing philosophy. Unless the GOP takes the populist leap. In which case, a conservative restoration will be a long time coming. letters@charleskrauthammer.com Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson displayed political courage this week in delivering the news that a grand jury had cleared Planned Parenthood of any criminal activity. Instead, she announced, the panel had indicted two anti-abortion activists who had secretly filmed Planned Parenthood discussing the sale of fetal tissue from abortions for scientific research. Such sales are legal if the compensation covers only expenses related to saving and transporting the tissue. But the activists argued that the videos proved that Planned Parenthood was profiteering off the sale of body parts of unborn children. Scores of politicians announced as fact that the videos showed just that. The grand jury disagreed. Instead, it indicted the two activists for the felony of using false government documents phony California drivers licenses with the intent to defraud. The leader was also indicted for the misdemeanor of allegedly attempting to buy human organs at a price that clearly would have been profiteering. The Houston branch of Planned Parenthood didnt bite. The fact that the grand jury did this is a powerful indication that DA Anderson did not play politics. Ive been on a grand jury. The prosecutor has almost total control over the information you receive. To use an old metaphor, if they tell you the ham is rotten and the bread moldy, you indict the ham sandwich. Anderson, a Republican appointed to the post by Gov. Rick Perry in 2013 to replace her deceased husband, played this one straight. She told the Houston Chronicle she abhors abortions and those who perform them, but the inconvenient truth of a criminal investigation is that it doesnt always lead where you want to go. Her profile in courage doesnt have sharp edges. In the short run, the indictments may help her. If they had come before last months filing deadline, she almost certainly would have drawn a Republican primary opponent. Instead, the indictments may help her in November. Harris County tends to lean Democrat in high-turnout presidential elections. But conservative Republicans have long memories, and this case may still be in the news with our glacial appeal process. Its political nature was emphasized by the fact that former Harris County Republican Party Chairman Jared Woodfill will serve as the pairs defense lawyer. Woodfill, not coincidentally, is running for state Republican chairman on a theme of Take back our party. So Anderson did show courage. I wish I could say the same for a majority of San Antonios City Council. One of the necessary niceties of City Hall politics is they rarely are inflamed by ideology. Thats not to say there is no passion. People can get worked up over closing streets, over gentrification, over water issues. City politics are, of necessity, focused on nuts-and-bolts issues, city building and economic development. It was a strain when City Hall took on the issue of nondiscrimination against sexual minorities, but that issue has died down. The problem with abortion as a political issue is that both sides are based on absolutes. One side holds that abortion is murder. The other side holds that women should have control over their bodies. The Supreme Court attempted a compromise with Roe vs. Wade. How is that going? Absolutes are poisonous to politics, which requires compromise. So when anti-abortion activists sought to require a new zoning hurdle for abortion clinics, four San Antonio council members had the good civic sense to try to keep abortion politics out of City Hall. Mayor Ivy Taylor and six colleagues tried to walk a middle ground, requiring all ambulatory surgical centers which the Legislature required abortion clinics to be to go through an extra zoning hoop. The result: Anti-abortion activists have targeted the four. Councilman Ron Nirenberg was uninvited from speaking to the Christian Business Chamber of Commerce on the citys long-term planning process. This is just the beginning. Having tasted success, anti-abortion activists will look for other ways of bringing their intractable issue to City Hall inflaming the civic culture without furthering their cause. This column first appeared as the Last Word on KLRNs Texas Week with Rick Casey. The program appears Friday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. What good is an ethics code if you can pick and choose when it retroactively applies to you? Thats the question after the San Antonio City Council recently, and regrettably, approved a retroactive waiver for Mayor Ivy Taylors rental properties. Taylor and her husband, Rodney, receive income from federally funded housing vouchers for certain Section 8 properties. As mayor, Taylor oversees the San Antonio Housing Authority, appointing commissioners. Thats a problem since SAHA administers the voucher program. The conflict of interest lasted for 15 months. It was finally resolved Nov. 1 once the vouchers were transferred to the Housing Authority of Bexar County. As we wrote in a previous editorial, we view this lapse as technical, not intentional, although we think Taylor should have been aware of it once she was appointed mayor. Still, Taylor never appointed a SAHA commissioner during the 15-month period, and she took the conflict seriously, considering different ways to resolve it. But its councils 8-2 vote to grant an ethics waiver to Taylor, a move that blocked any future complaints on the matter, that is far more troubling. Why? Because it set a precedent where council could pick and choose, after the fact, when the ethics code applies to that body, and it removed an avenue for the public to raise concerns. In that sense, the council vote took something that we viewed as a nonissue a technical quirk of Taylors appointment and then election as mayor and turned it into a symbol of council taking care of one its own, at the expense of good, open government. Particularly troubling was that, somehow, eight City Council members and Taylor couldnt see the pitfalls of their action on this issue. Thats why we support the proposal from Ron Nirenberg and Rey Saldana to close this gaping loophole in the ethics code. The two were the only members on council to see the trouble with Taylors retroactive waiver, and they have countered with a sensible and carefully crafted proposal. One that would refer such ethics waivers to the Ethics Review Board, a panel of citizen appointments. The proposal takes these waivers out of the hands of the council but still provides needed flexibility. There are times when waivers are warranted. This was not one of them. Taylors violation was cleared on Nov. 1, so the idea that her past ethical lapse could affect future appointments to the SAHA board is nonsensical. At the most, we could see utility in a specific waiver for Taylor to reappoint SAHA Chairman Morris Stribling. Taylor has said the proposal will be discussed in the powerful Governance Committee, which happens to be dominated by her strongest allies on council: Joe Krier, Rebecca Viagran and Mike Gallagher. Both Taylor and Gallagher have expressed concern that the proposal from Nirenberg and Saldana will tie the hands of the council. But the proposal would still allow waivers, just through a better process. First, the city attorney must identify a needed waiver for governance, which would then be referred to the Ethics Review Board for approval. This process will only work, though, if the Ethics Review Board appointees are sufficiently independent. This is an issue that needs to be discussed and voted on by the full council, as soon as possible. The waiver for Taylor was unnecessary and regrettable, but Taylor and council now have a shot at redemption by strengthening the ethics process. We urge them to do so. The welfare of more than 4 million immigrants contributing economic benefit from the shadows is more than a niggling concern. A significant number of them came here as children. But Texas challenge of the presidents authority to allow them to stay with work permits has ramifications beyond these individuals. At stake is federal authority across a broad range of policy issues. A win for Texas and the 25 other states that have joined in this lawsuit could mean the states have just broadened their ability to usurp federal authority. It has to do with a single word standing. On Jan. 19, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case. Texas argues that the federal government has imposed on the state the cost of issuing drivers licenses, other costs for immigrants who are directly affected, and a flood that will allegedly follow. And this, it says, gives Texas standing. Two lower courts have agreed. But if this were true, the states which impose unfunded mandates all the time on local governments could effectively be able to ignore federal authority, not just on immigration but on a host of other issues. And this is old hat for Texas. The state challenges seemingly every Environmental Protection Agency policy but also tried to immunize itself from the congressionally approved Affordable Care Act. It is as if Texas views itself not as part of the union but as a member of a confederacy of states to which a central government cedes its sovereignty to all of the states collectively or an individual state whenever there is a policy dispute. If memory serves, weve fought that war. The administration, on the standing issue, argues that there are reasons both general and specific that Texas does not have standing. A state generally lacks standing to challenge the executives policy choices about how to enforce federal laws, including the immigration laws, the administration wrote in its petition for the court to hear the case. Specifically, the state argues that it is burdened both because it will subsidize the costs of providing temporary visitor drivers licenses and because it will allow affected immigrants to apply for these. The administration credibly counters that these are voluntary actions. So, in effect, Texas is claiming its sovereignty is compromised because of a voluntary act. Others very well may have standing to sue the administration over the presidents executive actions but the harm they claim must be real. In our view, the states have not come anywhere close to reaching that bar. Moreover, their arguments neglect the overriding good that bringing in more than 4 million people from the shadows will present to the states and their economies. The presidents executive actions are an exercise in the long-acknowledged enforcement discretion accorded federal agencies. These immigrants have sunk roots to raise families members of whom were brought here as children. They know only this country. The president acted because a dysfunctional Congress has dithered on comprehensive immigration reform. On the GOP presidential campaign trail, reform is derisively and inaccurately referred to as amnesty. The deferral of deportation occurs in the hope that Congress will act more broadly. The state also argues that the president has supplanted Congress as the nations lawmaker. No, his actions fall well within the presidents discretion to prioritize whom to deport. But whats truly scary about the states lawsuit is the expanded power potentially conferred on states if the Supreme Court agrees. Interestingly, a different set of courts rejected a similar challenge to the presidents action. This challenge was brought by Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County in Arizona. He didnt have standing. And the D.C. Court of Appeals held that the presidents actions didnt constitute unlawful legislation and/or rulemaking because the Department of Homeland Security has the authority to establish enforcement priorities. In the state s lawsuits, the presidents actions were halted by a U.S. District Court judge in Brownsville, and then affirmed in a 2-1 ruling at the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. Judge Carolyn D. King, in her dissent, wrote, The majoritys breathtaking expansion of state standing would allow potentially limitless state intrusion into federal policy making. Coming from Texas, such intrusion would be simply frightening. Is there no end to the hatred that racist Republicans have for President Barack Obama? Now Sarah Palin is blaming Obama because her son has been accused of assaulting his girlfriend. Seems to me that would be her sons fault, not anyone elses. Robert Long Voter dilemma I recall that in the first GOP debate, the candidates were asked if they would support the eventual nominee if they werent nominated. More important, the question should be directed to the voters, would they support the candidate even if the one they liked best was not nominated? Rick Davis Feed the poor Re: THE VIEW FROM mySA.COM; Some charity bosses take-home pay in GuideStar list surprising, mySA, Dec. 28: I have been a big supporter of the San Antonio Food Bank for many years, but I now have a big problem. I feel that it is ridiculous for the man in charge to be making more than $300,000 a year. Some of that money should be used to feed people! Barbara H. Ringen Sticking with Straus Lets see now. If I vote against Joe Straus, I put a novice in the Texas Legislature unable to do much more than make speeches on a subcommittee. Joe Straus, as speaker of the House, is the third most powerful man in the Texas Legislature and able to guide the most legislation beneficial to San Antonio and Bexar County. Joe Straus family doesnt go all the way back to the Battle of the Alamo, but they have been fixtures in San Antonio a mighty long time, and their business activities have been beyond reproach. Yes, Im old and think a little slower than in the past, but I havent lost my mind. Ill vote for Joe Straus. Lester B. Gray Re: Religious bigotry back in Straus race; Judson warns of a disconnect with Christian voters, Brian Chasnoff, Jan. 23: This column about the opposition to Texas House Speaker Joe Straus in the District 121 campaign was very disturbing. The use of tacitly anti-Semitic advertising by his opposition should be recognized for the contemptible strategy that it is. That strategy should be soundly condemned by all citizens who are committed to religious liberty under the Constitution. Speaker Strauss has served his district and Texas exceedingly well and will continue to do so if re-elected. His familys long-standing financial and cultural contributions to our community are legendary. His constituents will be acting wisely by voting for his re-election. Cary Barton Where does it end? I can see it now. No Jews, Catholics, Muslims, Hispanics or blacks allowed. Way to go, guys, take back your party, go back to what you and others like you probably think were the good old days. Boy, I hope we can stop this hatred and divisiveness before it gets worse. Frank Bent, Schertz Un-Christian attack Re: Religious bigotry back in Straus race; Judson warns of a disconnect with Christian voters, Brian Chasnoff, Jan. 23: Let me state that I am not a usual fan of this writer. That being said, what he exposes regarding Jeff Judson is upsetting, to say the least, to anyone who hopes to be unprejudiced in regard to religion and politics. Being a Christian does not call for being anti-Jewish. Judson attempts to mislead people in his carefully worded remarks. Jesus was a Jew. It is just plain nasty to try to defeat someone with regard to his religious affiliation. I was contacted on a telephone survey with what was surely a Jeff Judson-supported set of questions. It was so unfair I finally told the questioner that any answer I gave could not be accurate because of the slanted wording of the inquiry. I stopped answering and got off the phone. These kinds of tactics are not Christian and are uncalled for. I hope Straus steamrolls Judson on March 1. Common sense and doing a good job are what really matter, and Straus possesses both qualities. Douglas Gillaspy Mensa member? Donald Trump repeatedly states our country is being run by stupid people and that if he becomes president, he will hire only smart people. Given that he has refused to rule out a Cabinet or vice presidential position for Sarah Palin, is she an example of one of these smart people? Stanley Hall Clintons sad legacy Re: Why Trump? Because he said so, Kathleen Parker, Other Views, Jan. 22: Ms. Parker should be sent to her room for the rest of the campaign for her painfully desperate attempt to fabricate a reason to support Hillary Clinton. Her only insight was in detailing how Ms. Clinton has become so unappealing, to even Democrats enabling such polar-opposite outsiders as Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders to become viable alternatives. Whatever deficiencies Trump and Sanders may have, they do not suggest a rationale for ignoring Clintons long legacy of corruption, dishonesty, incompetence and, now, apparent criminality. Mercifully, the nation seems to have decided that straight talk is a more compelling trait than deceit and pandering. And its that decision that would seem to be the most rational of all. Sean B. McNelis Mindless Trump Re: Why Trump? Because he said so, Kathleen Parker, Other Views, Jan. 22: Whenever I read about the GOP front-runner, Donald Trump, and his thinking regarding how to lead this nation, the only things worse than him are his mindless followers. I recently came across a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which is particularly fitting for todays Repug party. Dr. King said, Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is a universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think. All one has to do to confirm Dr. Kings observation is to hear the mindless remarks of Trump and his supporters. Jason Chapel, Spring Branch Protect firewall It has been my observation that the only religious liberty in jeopardy is the right not to be religious. Christians denigrate and fear Sharia law, but then plead with our government to pass laws based on their religion. Those of us who are of the secular persuasion would strongly oppose such laws. To keep our Constitution intact, we must continue to fervently defend the separation of church and state. Vikki Seifert, Fredericksburg Twisting the truth Re: Holidays highlight differing opinions; Confederates day is today, State, Jan. 19: Confederate Heroes Day was Jan. 19, and State Rep. Garnet Colman, D-Houston said, We do better removing those, not only reminders, but those things that aggrandize and put a positive light on what most Americans agree was not a positive part of our history. I will quote Marshall Davis, public information officer for the Sons of Confederate Veterans Texas Division: You cant judge history by todays standards. History used to be taught so people would know past happenings and hopefully learn not to make the same poor choices. If you just teach the truth, people are smart enough to make good choices. But twist the truth, and it is no longer history or the truth. Warren T. Remmey Earl the best Re: Defending Johnny, Your Turn, Jan. 22: With all due respect to the letter writer, nobody regrets having passed on Johnny Manziel. Nobody. Get real. Theyre all relieved. Just another reason to pity Cleveland. If I were the Browns, Id demand my money back. Nobody is jealous of that clown. Oh, and for the record, Earl Campbell was the greatest college player ever. Shannon Deason The Republican Party is arguing about which candidate is the most dangerous. Heres why you might find that scary. The party is having this debate because the two top contenders for the title have credible chances of winning the nomination and, some folks believe/fear, the presidency. We are, of course, talking about Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. Trump, dismissed as a fluke early in the campaign season, has displayed a staying power that has astounded the establishment, though Im not quite sure what that word means anymore. If youre having to choose between candidates whom you find merely odious or who just scare the dickens out of you, you might have already given up your establishment credentials. Texas junior Sen. Cruz has displayed a political skill that has wowed the theres that word again establishment. It hates him anyway. So, maybe this establishment, if it exists, is really that club where corporate lobbyists and U.S. House and Senate members meet to discuss which candidate is the greatest existential threat. To differing degrees, both Trump and Cruz are thought to be, though some are now cozying up to the idea of a Trump nomination. Hes a businessman, you know. You can do business with him. Thats the theory. I think theyre cozying up because they see little choice or are hedging bets. At bottom, there are nagging doubts about each candidates ability to win a general election and definite fears about the intraparty bloodbath that happens if either Cruz or Trump wins the nomination and loses the election. Meanwhile, billionaire Michael Bloomberg is so frightened of those two and Bernie Sanders that he is mulling an independent run if his personal doomsday scenario comes true. Democratic interests are punching it out in a similar fashion. Establishment candidate Hillary Clinton has a bit of a fight in those early primary/caucus states against the insurgent Sanders. It remains to be seen if this is a mere squirmish for Clinton that word Sarah Palin inadvertently coined recently while endorsing Trump or something beyond skirmish, the word she was really reaching for. The GOP finds both Clinton and Sanders hair-raising scary, but the debate in Democratic circles has less to do with fright than electability. Back to Trump and Cruz. So, which one scares you more? Maybe neither does. But for those who are quaking at the thought of either a nominee Trump or a nominee Cruz, maybe Palins endorsement tips the scales for you. But remember, she endorsed Cruz in that 2012 race. So, lets score that one a wash. Both no less scary than the other or just as scary. Bob Dole, longtime U.S. senator from Kansas and 1996 presidential candidate, has lodged his vote. And its against Cruz. He thinks Trump has a better chance in November. But having observed Dole a bit sometimes acerbic but generally reasonable I suspect he had to really struggle to get there. But point goes to Cruz for scary. Iowa Gov. Terry Brandstad scoured Cruz recently for the senators insufficient ardor for ethanol, the fuel additive on which the states corn growers depend for subsidies, though its benefits for the rest of us are a matter of debate. Something about not much benefit at all and an environmentally damaging, expensive bit of no benefit at that. Trump seized on the moment to propose marriage to ethanol. Point for scary goes to Trump. So, on the eve of the Iowa Caucus and a month to go until Texas voters choose on Super Tuesday, there you go 1-1 for most scary. So, are you scared more by a guy whose message is full of nativist, nationalist, militaristic, tap-the-anger rhetoric? Or that guy who is courting those who dread the nations changing views, beats the culture war drum incessantly, is thoroughly disliked by his professional contemporaries and wears that disdain like a badge? What? Wait. Whos who? o.ricardo.pimentel@express-news.net Twitter:@oricardopimente Yves here. This is an important initiative to take on fraud and other abuses by banks. Its an effort to extend and increase the effectiveness of his work on accounting control fraud and white collar crime. I hope youll support it. By Bill Black, the author of The Best Way to Rob a Bank is to Own One and an associate professor of economics and law at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Originally published at New Economic Perspective I am writing to announce the formation of a new group and a policy initiative that we hope many of our readers will support and help publicize. Gary Aguirre, Bill Black, Richard Bowen, and Michael Winston are the founding members of the Bank Whistleblowers Group. We are all from the general field of finance and we are all whistleblowers who are unemployable in finance and financial regulation because we spoke truth to power and committed the one unforgivable sin of being repeatedly proved correct. Economists rely largely on revealed preference we think what you do matters more than what you say. For nearly seven years, every financial firm has known about my three colleagues. They are famous for their skills, courage, and integrity. Every financial firm claims that it now wants to make integrity their credo. Any financial firm that actually was committed to making integrity its credo, as opposed to its spin, would have long since hired my colleagues. Similarly, any government regulator, enforcer, or prosecutor that was serious about restoring the rule of law on Wall Street would have recruited us. Our group is releasing four documents today and they will appear here at NEP over the next couple of days. The first outlines our proposals, all but one of which could be implemented within 60 days by any newly-elected President (or President Obama) without any new legislation or rulemaking. Most of our proposals consist of the practical steps a President could implement to restore the rule of law to Wall Street. As such, we expect that candidates of every party and philosophy will find most of our proposals to be matters that they strongly support and will pledge to implement. The second document fleshes out and explains the proposals. We ask each candidate to pledge in writing to implement the portions of our plan that they specify to be provisions they support. Again, we invite President Obama to do the same. The third document asks each candidate to pledge not to take campaign contributions from financial felons. That group, according to the federal agencies that have investigated them, includes virtually all the largest banks. The fourth document explains why we formed our group is and contains our bios. I am personally proud and honored to be associated with my colleagues in this endeavor. We are (and have been) actively reaching out to encourage other bank whistleblowers to join our group. The bank whistleblowers share some common traits, but are also highly diverse and we want our group to reflect that full diversity. We cannot, however, in good conscience fail to act now given the urgency of the problems caused by the collapse of personal accountability for Wall Street elites. Our economy and our democracy are both imperiled by that collapse and require urgent redress. Please help us to get our proposals to every candidate, the media, and the public. The Bank Whistleblowers Groups Plan of Urgent Financial Change January 29, 2016 We are a newly formed organization of financial sector whistleblowers dedicated to holding the elite financial leaders who led the fraud epidemics that caused the financial crisis and the Great Recession personally accountable and to helping to implement the urgent changes necessary to prevent or at least reduce the frequency and harm of future crises. Our group has expertise in finance, banking, real estate, accounting, underwriting, economics, law, securities, criminology, regulation, and financial derivatives. We also have international expertise. We are releasing four documents today. This first document provides the outline of our plan that would allow any newly elected President (or President Obama) to restore the rule of law and end too big to fail without any new legislation or rules within 60 days. The second document explains and fleshes out the outline of our 60-Day Plan. The third document is our proposal to encourage the candidates to pledge that they will not take contributions from banks (and their officers) that the federal government, after investigation, have found to have engaged in fraud or other felonies. The fourth document explains who the whistleblowers are and provides our bios and contact information. Our group is predominately former bankers who worked at fairly senior levels for enormous financial institutions. We do not hate banks or bankers as a group. We know, however, that when elite fraud is not stopped by the regulators and the prosecutors it is likely to create a Greshams dynamic. The Nobel Laureate George Akerlof was the first economist to describe this dynamic in 1970. [D]ishonest dealings tend to drive honest dealings out of the market. The cost of dishonesty, therefore, lies not only in the amount by which the purchaser is cheated; the cost also must include the loss incurred from driving legitimate business out of existence. We can confirm Akerlofs warnings about fraud. Indeed, we can testify from personal knowledge that when bad ethics is encouraged it will over time tend to drive good ethics out of individual firms. Fraudulent senior bankers deliberately create a Greshams dynamic within the firm and in hiring independent professionals in order to drive honest employees out of the bank and to suborn outside professionals that are supposed to act as external controls to serve instead as fraud enablers. At places like Countrywide, thousands of employees left annually because they refused to abuse their customers. Only by restoring the rule of law to Wall Street can we allow honest banks and honest bankers to dominate Wall Street. Similarly, the financial regulatory agencies are often dominated and rendered feeble by leaders who are the products of the revolving door or plan to use that door to increase their income. We have seen first-hand how that door can impair once great agencies. Our goal of restoring accountability to Wall Street is not controversial. Indeed, there is unanimity among the candidates for the presidency that accountability for Wall Street elites has disappeared and urgently needs to be restored. But that same unanimity among candidates has existed for over a decade. Beginning with DOJs failure to prosecute the elite bankers that aided and abetted Enrons senior managers looting and destruction of Enron in 2000-2001 the consensus on the need to restore accountability has failed to produce accountability for elite bankers for over 15 years. Every political leader says they want to help honest bankers succeed. Nearly every political leader agrees that the revolving door corrupts Wall Streets regulators. The movie The Big Short has a scene at a pool that is designed to be emblematic of the public perception that the SEC (and, by extension, the other federal financial regulators, the FBI, and the DOJ) is staffed by lawyers whose goal in life is to be hired by Goldman Sachs. One of our major insights is how law enforcement priorities with regard to financial elites have become sharply perverse as the financial regulatory agencies input to the FBI and DOJ have virtually ceased through the destruction of the agencies criminal referral process and been replaced by misdirected law enforcement priorities pushed by the elite bankers. We propose concrete steps to return our priorities to the most damaging financial frauds, which are always led by elites. The public and the men and women running to be President have said that they want to hold Wall Street elites accountable. Our plan provides a practical means, designed by experts with a track record of actually holding elite bankers personally accountable for their crimes and abuses, that the next president can implement without new legislation or rules to promptly restore accountability. We hope that the candidates will treat the portions of our plan that they support, and our group, as a resource to embrace in order to achieve the goals they publicly say they share with us and the American people, starting with restoring personal accountability to Wall Street. As whistleblowers who were the subject of retaliation we have been tested in the hottest and most brutal of business and regulatory crucibles. The warnings we gave to our superiors and politicians proved correct and we were attacked because we were correct substantively and insisted on doing the right thing. We are unemployable in banking and financial regulation precisely because of these qualities. (That fact should tell our readers a great deal about how deep and widespread the problems are in finance and financial regulation.) We have members who have led the most successful financial reregulatory efforts in the United States and helped produce the most effective investigative and prosecutorial system of elite financial criminals in our history. We have no constraints on our ability to speak the truth and we have a history of speaking truth to power. What follows is not the product of press flacks or political spinmeisters. We have the expertise and personal knowledge to explain five key facts. The most recent U.S. bubble and resultant financial crisis and Great Recession were driven by three epidemics of fraud led by elite bankers. The three epidemics that drove the crisis are appraisal fraud, liars loans (collectively, these were the loan origination frauds), and the resale of those fraudulently originated mortgages through fraudulent reps and warranties to the secondary market and the public. Banks, like fish, rot from the head the C Suite. Liars loans is an industry term that shouts the industrys knowledge that it was originating overwhelmingly fraudulent loans. In a liars loan the lender agrees not to verify data that is essential to prudent underwriting. This would be an insane practice for an honest lender and it was practice that was always discouraged by the federal regulators but it optimizes accounting control fraud.[1] Tom Miller, the Nations longest serving state attorney general (for Iowa), was also a leader of key combined DOJ and state task forces on mortgage fraud. Industry spokesmen invariably try to get the public to believe that the banks were the victims of liars loans, but as Miller testified before the Fed, investigations prove the opposite. [Many originators invent] non-existent occupations or income sources, or simply inflat[e] income totals to support loan applications. Importantly, our investigations have found that most stated income fraud occurs at the suggestion and direction of the loan originator, not the consumer. Not a single one of those elite bankers who led the fraud epidemics has been prosecuted and only one, a woman who was only moderately senior, has been held personally accountable in any meaningful way through a civil suit (made possible by a whistleblower). This is the greatest strategic failure of the DOJ in recent history. The SEC has also proven ineffective in holding the elite Wall Street bankers who led these fraud epidemics personally accountable. As with DOJ, one of the fundamental problems that has gotten worse is the revolving door. We propose a practical means of reducing that problem. Dodd-Frank has not fixed the gaping problems endemic to finance that will cause future epidemics of elite financial fraud and resultant global crises. We know how to identify developing fraud epidemics before they hyper-inflate financial bubbles, how to prevent or at least greatly reduce such epidemics, and how to prosecute effectively the elite banksters. Our group includes former regulators who demonstrated each of these abilities. What we need is the political will to make the vital changes in the face of fierce opposition from the elite banksters. That will is sapped by the revolving door. Our initial purpose is to get candidates on record on which portions of our plan they will pledge to implement. Our 60-day plan is the first of the initiatives we will place before the public and the candidates. It consists of measures that the new President can take immediately on his or her own initiative without legislative action. We ask every candidate for the presidency to indicate which specific proposals of the Whistleblower Plan they will pledge to implement. As a group, we will not endorse any candidate. We will simply give a public certification that a candidate has provided a written pledge to implement the portions of the Whistleblowers Plan that the candidate chooses to support. In the detailed description of our 60-Day Plan we set out dates on which the specific could be implemented by a new President (or President Obama) without new legislation or regulation. Those dates are illustrative of how quickly a President with the will to restore the rule of law and safety to Wall Street could do so. We are not demanding that candidates certify that they would meet that exact time schedule we set out. Our Plan can be implemented in 60 days and that would be desirable, but we realize that a new President will have many priorities and could implement our 60-Day Plan over, say, 120 days. We unanimously support the 60-Day Plan, but our Plan is not a take it or leave it demand. The candidates will choose which provisions of our Plan they support and will pledge to implement. In this first document we outline the substance of the Plan. We are simultaneously releasing a longer document that explains the rationale for our Plan provisions and exactly how they can be implemented without new legislation or rules. Again, the dates that the longer document provides are designed to illustrate how quickly accountability could be restored without any news laws or rules. We are also releasing today a campaign funding pledge that the Whistleblowers Group supports. We will make public any pledges we receive from the candidates to implement our campaign funding pledge. The fourth document we release today explains who we are and why we came together to urge the prompt implementation of the restoration of the rule of law for Wall Street. The Whistleblowers 60-Day Plan: Restore the mandatory criminal referral process and Criminal Referral Coordinators at every financial regulatory agency Require that all new hires agree to conditions that will end the revolving door with no provision for waivers. The FBI and the Department of Justice (DOJ) will publicly terminate their partnership with the Mortgage Bankers Association the industry trade association which has a clear conflict of interest and harms prioritization by pushing solely for the prosecution of what should be far lower priority cases of crimes v. banks and never for the prosecution of what should be the highest priority cases of frauds led by banks senior officers Ban DOJ from making deferred prosecution agreements with elite white-collar criminals Reassign 500 FBI agents to the white-collar crime section Request authority from Congress to hire 3,000 FBI agents, 250 DOJ attorneys, 250 SEC investigators and enforcers. This is the only portion of our plan requiring legislation. Stop prosecuting the mortgage fraud mice and use all DOJ and FBI resources against the fraud lions Rescind the FBIs false claim on its web site that asserts: Ethnic groups involved in mortgage loan origination fraud include North Korean, Russian, Bulgarian, Romanian, Lithuanian, Mexican, Polish, Middle Eastern, Chinese, and those from the former Republic of Yugoslavian States. This false ethnic claim, again, leads the FBI to prioritize the fraud mice rather than the lions. Prioritize FBI and DOJ resources by creating a Top 100 list of the worst financial fraud schemes Revamp the federal treatment of whistleblowers and False Claim Act complainants to encourage their efforts and use them to hold financial elites personally accountable Make public a list of exemplary financial whistleblowers and set forth in writing what they have done for the Nation. (The President should, of course, do this for whistleblowers in each field, not just finance.) The President should hold a public event at which he or she presents appropriate awards in person to these exemplary whistleblowers. We are not talking about financial awards and we are willing to be excluded from consideration for these Presidential awards lest we be charged with self-aggrandizement. Review the backlog of whistleblower and False Claims Act complaints with fresh eyes committed to finding any useful source of information to assist in deciding whether to bring enforcement, civil, or criminal actions against elite financial frauds. Make public the Clayton reports on secondary market sales. These reports document pervasive secondary mortgage market fraud. Federal banking regulators will: Impose individual minimum capital requirements (IMCR) for all systemically dangerous institutions (SDIs) commensurate with the risk they pose because of their size Impose IMCRs for all SDIs commensurate with the risk they pose because of their non-commercial bank activities Impose IMCRs for all banks commensurate with the risk posed by their executive compensation systems Impose IMCRs for all banks commensurate with the risk posed by their hiring, retention, and compensation systems for purportedly independent professionals such as outside auditors, appraisers, and credit rating agencies Announce that it is the policy of the United States never to engage in a regulatory race to the bottom with any other government Direct each major federally regulated bank to conduct and publicly report a Krystofiak study on samples of liars loans that they continue to hold. Krystofiak studies quantify the extent of loan origination and secondary market fraud by lenders. Appoint new, vigorous heads of each federal financial regulatory agency Promptly train federal banking and securities regulators, the FBI, and DOJ on sophisticated fraud schemes, particularly fraud via accounting End the use of deliberately unenforceable financial regulatory guidelines Will You Support the Whistleblowers First 60-Day Pledge? And so we ask each presidential candidate which portions of the Whistleblowers 60-Day plan will you pledge to implement? We hope the candidates will commit to breaking Wall Streets power over our economy and democracy. The Whistleblowers 60-Day plan provides any candidate with the practical steps necessary to make real the twin goals of restoring the rule of law to Wall Street and ending crony capitalism. Our goal is to offer constructive, realistic means by which the next President can achieve these twin goals. [1] Control fraud refers to the use of the entity by the officials who control it as a weapon to defraud others. In finance, accounting is the fraudsters weapon of choice. Epidemics of accounting control fraud drove our three modern crises the Savings and Loan debacle, the Enron-era scandals, and the most recent crisis. The congregation passes the collection plate during services Jan. 24. Lance Shearer/Special to the Daily News SHARE Associate Rector Hipolito Fernandez Reina celebrates communion. St. Monica's Episcopal Church in North Naples is celebrating 25 years serving the Naples community this year. Lance Shearer/Special to the Daily News Rector Kathryn Schillreff and Associate Rector Hipolito Fernandez Reina prepare for communion. Rector Kathryn Schillreff and Associate Rector Hipolito Fernandez Reina celebrate communion. St. Monica's Episcopal Church in North Naples is marking 25 years serving the Naples community this year. Lance Shearer/Special to the Daily News Rector Kathryn Schillreff and Associate Rector Hipolito Fernandez Reina celebrate communion. St. Monica's Episcopal Church in North Naples is marking 25 years serving the Naples community this year. Lance Shearer/Special to the Daily News By Lance Shearer Tuesday marks a significant date for the congregation of St. Monica's Episcopal Church in North Naples. On that day, St. Monica's marks 25 years, to the day, since its first service was held, on Feb. 2, 1991. "We're basically celebrating this whole year," said the Rev. Kathryn Schillreff, rector of St. Monica's. "That's our rallying point for everything we're doing." In the church's sanctuary at its campus on Immokalee Road, banners hang with the inscription, "For all that has been Thanks to God! For all that will be Yes!" over the background of a large, glistening 25. Hundreds attended services last Sunday, and the "Night in Olde Napoli" gala dinner the church hosted last Saturday night in the Olde Cypress clubhouse, but 25 years ago, the crowds were sparser. The first services were held in a community room at the NCH hospital on Immokalee Road, before St. Monica's had its own facility. The church began as a mission of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida. St. John's Episcopal Church, on Park Shore Drive, took the lead among the other area parishes in sponsoring the new mission. The Rev. John Adler led the fledgling church as its founding pastor, and in less than four years, in October 1994, the congregation moved into its first building. What was then the sanctuary now serves as the parish hall or fellowship room, as well as providing educational facilities. Some pastors are known as "builders," and in that mold, Adler moved on in 1999 to begin a new Episcopal mission in the Fort Myers area. After a brief interregnum with a priest whose health problems made it impossible to continue, Schillreff began her ministry at St. Monica's in January of 2000. She "was called," says the church history, a phrase that always sounds as though ministers receive their job offers over the telephone. St. Monica's completed an addition to the education wing in 2002. To quote the church history again, "during the winter of 2007, the members of St. Monica's were engaged in prayerful time of discernment about the future which resulted in capital stewardship pledges totaling $1,500,000," with the goal of building a bigger church. When the economic downturn hit, plans were scaled back, and a smaller church erected, which will one day be the music adjunct of the larger space first envisioned. Services began in the new sanctuary in July 2010. Much of the work of St. Monica's, though, is focused not on the building but outside the church, in the community beyond, said Schillreff. "We do our best to model our ministry on the ministry of Jesus. He was always concerned with the poor and hungry, the sick and needy, and didn't hang around with the rich and famous." When it comes to specific programs of charitable work, "we have never felt the need to reinvent the wheel," she said, choosing rather to partner with existing organizations working to make the area better. The church supports the work of St. Matthew's House, Habitat for Humanity, Meals of Hope, and the Shelter for Abused Women and Children, among others. One area where St. Monica's did pursue an independent effort was in their outreach to the Hispanic community. In April 2015, the Rev. Hipolito Fernandez Reina became Associate Rector at St. Monica's, the first Hispanic minister at an Episcopal church in the Naples Deanery. Beginning in August, "Padre" Hipolito, as he is known, began a regular Sunday service conducted in Spanish, and also collaborates with Schillreff in the English language services. "They make me feel very welcome here. This is my home now," said Fernandez, after participating in the ceremony of Holy Eucharist, or communion, at the 9:30 church service on Sunday morning. He moved to Naples with his wife and three children at the invitation of Rev. Schillreff, after 10 years of intensive experience in the Dominican Episcopal Church in his native Dominican Republic. Between English and Spanish, St. Monica's holds four services each weekend, starting on Saturday at 5 p.m., continuing on Sunday morning with 7:45 and 9:30 services, all in English, followed by the Hispanic service at 11:15. St. Monica, the namesake of the church, was an early Christian convert most likely born in Syria, who lived from AD 331 to 387, and is best known as the mother of a renowned saint, St. Augustine, whose writings were seminal in the church's development. Her feast day is celebrated on May 4, so on Sunday, May 8, St. Monica's will hold a special service. The Right Reverend Dabney Smith, Bishop of the Diocese of Southwest Florida, will attend, and the service will include a confirmation ceremony. 10126789 A North Naples man accused of fatally shooting his neighbor Sunday night will be held at the Naples Jail Center on a $500,000 bond. Robert Moulton, 61, is accused of second-degree murder in the death of Sergey Chepchugov. At a bond hearing Monday afternoon, attorney Mike Hopkins, representing Moulton on behalf of attorney Jerry Berry, requested a bond of $250,000, saying Moulton was disabled and not a flight risk because he has lived in the area for 44 years. Hopkins said Moulton, who stood during the proceedings, had limited assets, including a 2002 Toyota Camry and a 1995 Geo Prizm. Collier County Judge Jim McGarity noted that the Sheriff's Office doesn't consider Moulton to be a threat to the community and had no criminal record before setting bond at $500,000. Should Moulton bond out, he would be prohibited from contacting Chepchugov's wife or trespassing on her property. He must also surrender any firearms. * * * * * Posted earlier Deborah Moulton called 911 Sunday evening to tell deputies her husband had shot Sergey Chepchugov when he came into their yard, reports show. 'I told you you'd have a bloodbath,' Deborah Moulton told a 911 dispatcher, saying that this was the result of a 10-year dispute between the families. Olga Kolesnikova also called deputies Sunday and told them Chepchugov was on his back porch and had been shot. He was taken to an NCH Healthcare System hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Robert Moulton eventually left his home and turned himself in to deputies. Deborah Moulton was taken from her home to NCH North Collier Hospital for treatment and told her doctor that her husband shot her neighbor, reports show. Kristi Lester, a spokeswoman for the Sheriff's Office, said Deborah Moulton would be booked into the jail once she is released from the hospital. She will face charges of obstruction, Lester said. * * * * * Posted earlier Acquaintances of the North Naples man who deputies say was shot and killed by his neighbor Sunday night said the shooting was the last in a string of disputes between the two families. 'I'm shocked, but I'm not surprised,' said Jean Heady-Spahr, who has lived across the street from Robert and Debra Moulton since 1994. Robert Moulton faces second-degree murder charges. He is accused of shooting Sergey Chepchugov, a handyman from Russia who neighbors said was quiet but nice and had helped a few of them with household repairs. 'I don't know what she's going to do without him,' said neighbor Audrey Lardie, referring to Olga Kolesnikova, who lived with Chepchugov. It is unclear how the two were related. 'He redid my bathroom for me. He had a nice business going.' But Chepchugov and the Moultons were often at odds, neighbors said, usually over something to do with their adjacent properties. In 2010, the two got into a fight over the removal of some palm trees in the Moultons' yard. The Moultons said it was Chepchugov who called a landscaper to have them removed, but he denied it. Others believe tree trimmers may have made a mistake. In a Daily News video Chepchugov recorded of Debra Moulton shouting over her fence at him, she is heard telling him 'You're gonna wish you never bought that house.' 'Sergey was number one on the list and I was number two,' Heady-Spahr said, referring to the people who Debra Moulton most often directed her anger toward. Court records show Kolesnikova filed for what is commonly known as a restraining order in 2010 against a 'Deborah Moulton,' but it was dismissed for insufficient evidence. The petition was filed days after the dispute over the palm trees. 'It breaks my heart because this is Florida law creating a victim who died and didn't need to die,' Heady-Spahr said. Robert Moulton will have his first appearance in court at 2 p.m. * * * * * Posted earlier Collier County Sheriff's deputies have arrested a Naples man in connection with the Sunday night shooting death of his neighbor. Deputies said one man is dead and two others are in custody after a standoff started about 8:40 p.m. in the 1000 block of Hilltop Drive, an interior residential street between U.S. 41 and Goodlette-Frank Road in Naples. Capt. Rod Bishop said authorities found one man dead at the scene when they arrived. Robert Moulton, 61, of Hilltop Drive, has been arrested on a charge of second-degree murder. Deputies say he shot Sergey Chepchugov, 41, of nearby Dorando Drive, at about 8:40 p.m. Chepchugov died of his injuries, NBC2 reports. Deputies say Moulton and his wife, Debra Moulton, 59, barricaded themselves in their home following the shooting. The Collier Sheriff's SWAT unit was deployed. After several hours, the standoff ended when the couple exited the home and Robert Moulton was placed under arrest. By 11 p.m., when Andrea Eastman was returning home from work, access roads still were barricaded and she was told to wait out the standoff. She went to a nearby 7-Eleven. As of 1 a.m. she still was unable to get to her home. Deputies blocked off the area and could be heard talking to someone over a loudspeaker. They began clearing the scene about 1:45 a.m. Monday. Chepchugov and his wife lived behind the Moultons since 2004. The Moultons and their neighbors were the subject of a 2010 story in the Daily News about two, 14-foot queen palm trees being cut down in their front yard. EARLIER: Collier County deputies are in a standoff situation with a person in the 1000 block Hilltop Drive. Deputies received the call about 8:39 p.m. Sunday. Another person has been shot, according to Collier County sheriff's spokeswoman Karie Partington. That person was taken to the hospital, but Partington said she didn't have any additional information. The circumstances that led the person to be barricaded inside the home are unknown at this time, Partington said. Police have the neighborhood blocked off. Someone can be heard talking over a loudspeaker to the person in the home. For more on this story, check naplesnews.com for updates. RELATED: Chainsaw mystery: Queen palms dethroned in Moultons' Naples front yard. Whodunit? Gleyse Kelly da Silva holds her daughter Maria Giovanna as she sleeps in their house in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016. Brazilian officials still say they believe there's a sharp increase in cases of microcephaly and strongly suspect the Zika virus, which first appeared in the country last year, is to blame. The concern is strong enough that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this month warned pregnant women to reconsider visits to areas where Zika is present. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) SHARE By Liz Freeman of the Naples Daily News The mosquito-based Zika virus has yet to strike anyone in Southwest Florida but public health officials want the community to be cautious. The Florida Department of Health in Collier County outlined a scenario how the virus could afflict someone locally. "As of now, a locally acquired case of Zika virus could occur if an infected individual (returning from an affected country and who was exposed to the virus) is bitten by a mosquito locally, and that same mosquito bites another person," Jefferson Welle, a spokesman with the local health department, said in an email. Thanks to recent heavy rains, the health department is reminding residents that taking steps to reduce standing rainwater helps to reduce the mosquito population. In essence, a "drain and cover" program advises homeowners to drain standing water from garbage cans, flower pots, coolers, toys and anywhere else where rain water collects. In the event there is a locally-acquired case of Zika, the local health department will consult with the state about issuing an advisory, Welle said. "Educational efforts of mosquito bite prevention would be warranted," he said. The virus is transmitted primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, which also spreads dengue and yellow fever. Zika virus is common in parts of Africa and Southeast Asia. The only cases diagnosed in the United States so far have been in people who traveled to countries where Zika is spreading, where it is presumed they contracted the illness. "There are currently three travel-associated cases of Zika virus in Florida, two are Miami-Dade residents who traveled to Colombia in December," Brad Dalton, spokesman for the Florida Department of Health in Tallahassee, said in an email. "The third case is a Hillsborough County resident who traveled to Venezuela in December." Only about one in five people infected with the Zika virus are symptomatic, which include low-grade fever, rash, joint pain, body aches, headaches, and vomiting. The state health department has posted on its website a public safety video that also instruct the public about ways to prevent mosquito bites. The video and other information is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE6tkoWanXk. "The CDC has issued a travel notice for Zika virus in Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and South America," Dalton, with the state health department, said. Residents are advised to wear long-sleeved shirts and pants, and apply mosquito repellent when they are outside. When it comes to homes, repair broken screens in windows and keep doors closed. Collier County Seal SHARE By Greg Stanley of the Naples Daily News During Collier County's last housing boom, when affordable places to own or rent were as scarce as they are today, county commissioners created an affordable housing trust fund. Developers who didn't set aside a certain number of apartments or homes where teachers, sheriff's deputies, young families and others in the workforce could afford to live would pay into the fund based on the size of their new developments. The money was to be used to help spur workforce and middle-class housing, through developer incentives or mortgage or down payment assistance for homebuyers. The program amounted to nothing. It lasted through the highs of the housing bubble in 2005, 2006 and 2007, when property values set records. Some large and marquee developments were to pay into the fund, such as Mercato, Cocohatchee Bay and Sabal Bay. But of the $8 million that developers agreed to pay, the county only collected $604,581, primarily because the payments were tied to home and lot sales that either never went through or were delayed for years when the housing market crashed, development agreements show. Not a dime of the money that was collected was spent. The recession hit in 2008, and the county stopped collecting fees for the trust fund altogether. Commissioners voted in 2011 to officially end collection and refund most of the money to the developers. There remains $104,957.50 that hasn't been claimed, sitting in county coffers waiting to be refunded, officials said. Now with more and more families once again being priced out of Collier County, with home values rising and apartment complexes virtually at capacity, county housing officials are looking at bringing the housing trust fund back, among other options for spurring more middle-class housing. The trust fund, along with a list of other potential incentive programs, will be presented to commissioners at a public workshop March 1. Commissioner Donna Fiala, who was on the board when the trust fund was created and essentially nixed, said she didn't know why the money wasn't spent in the early years of the program, when times were good. But once the bubble popped in 2008, and people driving down U.S. 41 were more likely to run into a foreclosure than a new development, the only thing to do was refund the money, she said. "We were one of the worst places hit in the entire country," Fiala said. "There was no call for affordable housing. Developers and their attorneys were coming to us saying, 'Give that money back. We need it to invigorate the economy.'" The housing market has come roaring back. Median home prices have shot up by about $100,000 over the past three years, while wages have stayed about flat. And so new hires at the sheriff's office are mostly finding places to live in Cape Coral, Fort Myers or Lehigh Acres, said Human Resources Director Darlyn Estes. "We have some new hires from the other coast who are still driving over after working here a month," Estes said. "There doesn't seem to be any inventory of lower rent apartments available in Collier County." About a third of Collier County teachers under age 30 don't live in the county, said Jonathan Tuttle, president of the teacher's union. "A lot of them who do live here have roommates or second jobs," Tuttle said. "If you think about it, the starting salary is $40,000 so it's difficult." Any efforts to help local businesses expand or create a more diversified economy one that isn't as tied to the swings of tourism depend on affordable housing, said Dudley Goodlette, chairman of the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce. "If people can't afford to live here, they can't work here," Goodlette said. "It's pretty simple logic. Attention needs to be focused on this and I'm delighted that the county is elevating it in the public spectrum." Rent, too, is climbing along with housing prices. Arlinda Rodriguez, who teaches at Lake Trafford Elementary, is living with her husband and two kids in her mother-in-law's Immokalee trailer until they can find a place to rent. "Ideally, we could do $900 a month," Rodriguez said. "But in Lehigh Acres, the cheapest homes are going for is $1,100 and, here in Immokalee, homes are $1,200 or $1,300. We're not sure if we want to settle down here or move. We're kind of stuck. It's been really hard on us." The market can make it harder to recruit teaching candidates, said Ian Dean, the school district's executive director of human resources. "We've had candidates, especially this last summer, where we'd have individuals accept positions mostly from out of state and then look at the area for housing," Dean said. "Some just couldn't make it work. They backed out and rescinded because they knew their living options here just weren't going to work for them." Affordable housing trust funds are used in Manatee, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties, among others in Florida. Palm Beach and Manatee counties designed their funds like Collier did to primarily help middle-class and lower-middle-class families. Miami-Dade's is set up for households near or below the poverty line. That's one of the main benefits of having a local fund, said Gino Santabarbara, Collier County senior grants and housing coordinator. It's flexible. "If you really utilize it and have one that's funded and dedicated, you can make lot of things happen," Santabarbara said. "You have local control to incentivize and hit targets that you can't normally reach households that don't qualify for other programs. You can use a trust fund in so many different ways to meet those local needs. It can be an incentive for developers or down payment assistance or anything that helps you hit those targets." Nothing is more important to the county than having available affordable housing, said Commissioner Penny Taylor. "If this is a place where we want our children to come back because there are jobs, or a place where our major employers like the hospital, the school district or Arthrex can grow and hire talented professional people, then we better start looking at how we can make this happen," Taylor said. "I don't know what the balance is of affordable housing and market prices, but frankly, we need to find that balance or we will forever be dependent on tourism, which is not where we want to be." The first step is identifying how much need there is for affordable housing and then coming up with an incentive-based plan to attract it, Taylor said. According to the county's housing department, almost half of the county's households 43 percent pay more than 30 percent of their annual income for housing, which is the limit considered financially healthy by the University of Florida's Shimberg Center for Housing Studies, which provides data and research to help guide Florida housing policy. Many are even worse off. Nearly a quarter of the county, more than 31,000 households, are paying more than half of their income on housing. "We have teachers and hospital workers and people that touch our lives in such important fashions, we have to find a way to accommodate them," Taylor said. SHARE Robert P. Sanchez, Naples Politically speaking It was Plato who wrote "the price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." Politics, as it refers to the operation of a constitutional system of government, is all about the achieving and using of power within a society. It has to do with public policy relating to domestic life and matters of war and foreign affairs. It is the practice of influencing people. We are currently in the midst of an almost frenzied effort by a relative handful of individuals who are bound and determined to force their own political views on our society. There is nothing new in this behavior. It can be found in ancient civilizations going back to the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Egyptians, the Aztecs, and many others. It has led to a variety of outcomes some benevolent, some horrific. Our responsibility as citizens in these times is to become engaged and to inform ourselves as to the options and courses of action presented to us; to question the assertions and promises made by those who so ardently wish to control the levers of power and governance. My choice is to become better informed and to challenge the easy answers to complex and difficult issues. It involves getting outside my comfort zone and listening to other points of view. Once we do our own "due diligence" and arrive at a decision, we should do whatever is possible to achieve the best outcome. Caucus, meet with others, write to newspapers, ring doorbells to get out the vote, and certainly, at the very least, be sure to cast our own ballot. SHARE Murray Hendel, Naples President, Collier Citizens Council Sand dollars The message was right, but the name was wrong. In a recent editorial and in an article, the Naples Daily News referred to the Collier Community Alliance, a group that was disbanded several years ago. The organization that succeeded it is the Collier Citizens Council, a broad coalition of community leaders. The message in the editorial was that the tourist tax should be increased from 4 percent to 5 percent. So Collier Citizens Council is the right name, and increasing the bed tax is the right message. Collier is one of only a few Florida coastal counties with a tourist tax below 5 percent. An increase of a penny per dollar would raise about $4 million more per year, money badly needed for beach renourishment and other services that lure millions of tourists here each year. Our beaches are clearly in jeopardy. The recent storm that ripped away sand is a stark reminder that we must have adequate funding for beach repair. Raising the bed tax to 5 percent is a critical step toward building that funding. (NaturalNews) China has just conducted the third flight test of a hypersonic missile which has the potential of breaching U.S. missile defense systems. The successful flight test of the Wu-14 hypersonic glide vehicle was carried out early in December, following two other tests which occurred earlier in 2014.The Wu-14 is still in the developmental stage, but China plans to have it ready for deployment by 2020. The hypersonic glide vehicle has the capability of reaching speeds of Mach 10 (10 times the speed of sound) -- nearly 8,000 miles per hour.The development of hypersonic missiles appears to be a top priority for China as the country continues its massive military buildup. In addition to the Wu-14 program, the Chinese are developing a hypersonic scramjet-powered vehicle while also continuing to expand their overall military capabilities in other areas, such as submarines and multiple-warhead missile systems.Hypersonic missiles pose a challenge for defense systems, particularly if they were to be used in combination with other missiles in an attack, according to the 2014 annual congressional US-China Economic and Security Review Commission report, which was released in November:In the report, Lee Fuell, who is the technical director for force modernization and employment at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC), said that if hypersonic missile attacks were "combined with more traditional ballistic missile attacks forcing a target to defend against very high aspect warheads coming in this way at the same time they have to defend against low altitude, very high speed targets coming in [another] way, it makes the defense problem orders of magnitude worse for the defender."In other words, U.S. missile defense systems could theoretically be overwhelmed by such an attack.The report also stated that the Wu-14 could give China the capability to "conduct kinetic strikes anywhere in the world within minutes to hours." Such weapons have the potential to make existing defense systems "less effective and potentially obsolete."The Pentagon confirmed that it had monitored the latest test flight, but it is unclear whether China alerted the U.S. before it took place. Both countries agreed to a new military accord in Beijing last month which calls for each country to notify the other when major military operations are conducted.The U.S. has been developing its own hypersonic missile program, but the amount of money being spent on it is miniscule compared to estimates of the cost of the Chinese program. U.S. hypersonic missile tests have not been altogether successful, either -- a hypersonic weapon was destroyed seconds after its launch during a test in August at the Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska when it was discovered that there was a problem in the system.Russia is also developing hypersonic missiles and plans to be able to deploy them by 2020. Military analysts are warning of a hypersonic arms race now underway between the China, the United States and Russia.The current arms race is disturbingly reminiscent of the Cold War, in which the concept of "Mutual Assured Destruction" was first introduced. Many are calling for an increase in spending by the U.S. to keep up with the rapid development of hypersonic weapons by our potential enemies, and so the vicious cycle continues.As the superpowers compete for military superiority, billions of dollars are being spent while the world becomes increasingly unstable in terms of the possibility of a full-scale attack being staged -- whether triggered by accident or on purpose. Expert: fracking fluid samples have same chemicals that are going down drains at home Additional studies needed to consider variables in fracking process and address other concerns (NaturalNews) Most people take measures to ensure that the items they use in their homes on a daily basis are not on par with things that are considered unsafe for their bodies or the environment.However, researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder have discovered that the toxic substances in fracking fluid, which are going down wells, are essentially the same as what's going down the drain in people's households. Their findings, which are published in the journal, show that the same toxic substances exist in fracking fluid samples that are also in many of the everyday items that individuals use, from toothpaste and detergent to ice cream and laxatives.The findings reinforce what many people have thought all along: that contamination of ground and surface water supplies may be traceable to the chemicals used in the fracking (hydraulic fracturing) process."This is the first published paper that identifies some of the organic fracking chemicals going down the well that companies use," says the paper's lead author and a co-founder of the Laboratory for Environmental Mass Spectrometry in CU-Boulder's College of Engineering and Applied Science, Michael Thurman. "We found chemicals in the samples we were running that most of us are putting down our drains at home."The paper, titled "Analysis of Hydraulic Fracturing Flowback and Produced Waters Using Accurate Mass: Identification of Ethoxylated Surfactants," notes the specific surfactants found. It states, "Two series of ethylene oxide (EO) surfactants, polyethylene glycols (PEGs from EO3 to EO33) and linear alkyl ethoxylates (LAEs C-9 to C-15 with EO3-EO28), were identified in hydraulic fracturing flowback and produced water . . . " According to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), ethylene oxide is present in a range of commonly-used household products ranging from detergents and antifreeze to cosmetics and spices. They also note that it's linked to a host of problems including dizziness, spontaneous abortion, nerve damage and impaired memory.To conduct the study, researchers obtained fracking fluid samples from five states -- Colorado, Louisiana, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Texas -- then analyzed the surfactants in these fluids at a mass spectrometry laboratory sponsored by Agilent Technologies, Inc., where state-of-the art instrumentation was provided.Because the chemicals in fracking fluid are considered to be proprietary mixtures designed to extract as much oil and gas as possible, hesitancy to reveal chemicals remain due to fracking industry competition. While state and federal regulations do require disclosure regarding the chemicals used, only broad chemical categories are typically provided. Furthermore, variations in the fluid mixtures also exist due to the differing geology surrounding different well sites, and as such, researchers involved with this study note that their findings are not necessarily applicable to all existing wells. Researchers in this study, however, say that they are moving forward with plans to conduct a larger study that will look into samples from other wells in an effort to address these matters further.Additionally, Thurman expressed concern about other fracking-related issues that he says warrant investigation such as air pollution, the quantity of water used and earthquakes occurring from wastewater disposal.Air pollution as it pertains to fracking is a very real concern.In fact, recent findings in a study led by Dr. David Carpenter, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany-State University of New York, show that air samples near fracking wells contain hydrogen sulfide levels that exceed federal standards by 90 to 60,000 times. Researchers also found there to be very high levels of benzene and formaldehyde around these areas. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen linked to leukemia and nasopharyngeal cancer, while hydrogen sulfide has been associated with health hazards such as eye irritation and asthma.Sources for this article include:(1) http://www.colorado.edu (2) http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/ac502163k (3) www.osha.gov (4) http://www.naturalnews.com (NaturalNews) Growing older isn't exactly something we look forward to. But fortunately, there are some things we can do to keep our brains sharp as we enter into our senior years., written by Guy McKhann and Marilyn Albert, examines memory function in the elderly, as well as techniques for maintaining optimal brain power. The following is a snippet from the book:To learn more about how the human brain behaves as we grow older, pick up a copy ofMcKhann, G.and Albert, M.(2002): John Wiley & Sons Get independent news alerts on natural cures, food lab tests, cannabis medicine, science, robotics, drones, privacy and more. Take Action: Support Natural News by linking to this article from your website Permalink to this article: https://www.naturalnews.com/052803_aging_memory_recall_senior_citizens.html Embed article link: (copy HTML code below): One-third of people over 90 can retain and recall new info just as well as young people Reprinting this article: Non-commercial use OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link. Follow Natural News on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, and Pinterest Chobani LLC has been preliminarily barred from running certain advertisements after a judge found consumers were likely be deceived into believing an ingredient in a competitors yogurt is unsafe. Federal judge David N. Hurd sided with The Dannon Company Inc. in its opposition to Chobanis Simply 100" advertising campaign that began earlier this month. In various ads, Chobani contrasts its natural Simply 100 Greek Yogurt" with Dannons Light & Fit Greek Yogurt." Dannons product contains sucralose, which the judge described as a zero-calorie, non-nutritive sweetener" that has been approved by FDA for human consumption since 1999. Hurd found it likely that a factfinder would conclude that the challenged aspects of the Simply 100 Campaign unambiguously convey the literally false message that Dannons product contains sucralose, and is therefore unsafe to consume." Chobani had characterized as puffery" some of its statements, such as messages that its products are good" and Dannons artificial ingredients are bad stuff." The judge rejected Chobanis argument that its statements were puffery, or an exaggeration or overstatement that cannot be proven true or false. While the phrase no bad stuff, if untethered to any comparison claim specifically referencing Dannons product, may be considered the sort of commendatory overstatement incapable of deceiving a consumer, the Simply 100 Campaign employs that negative phrasing in connection with other statements and images that paint Dannons products as a safety risk because they contain sucralose," Hurd wrote. In a separate opinion, Hurd barred Chobani from continuing an advertising campaign comparing General Mills Yoplait yogurt to bug spray, the Star-Tribune in Minneapolis, Minnesota reported. Chobani said it would continue to call on food manufacturers to use only natural ingredients. This is not a marketing campaign, its a mindset campaign, and it outlines the difference between using only natural ingredients versus artificial ingredients," said Peter McGuinness, chief marketing and brand officer with Chobani, in a statement. While we're disappointed by the preliminary ruling, we're committed to continuing the conversation, and its good to see big food companies like General Mills starting to remove artificial ingredients from some of their products, like their cereals." Dannon, the yogurt maker founded in 1942 in Bronx, New York, welcomed the decision. Contrary to what Chobani has said, its Simply 100 ad campaign is not about providing consumers with choice," the company said in a statement. We have always used only safe ingredients to make a wide variety of yogurts that are enjoyed every day by millions of people." Chlorine Commercial One Chobani commercial quoted by the judge focused on a cup of Dannon Light & Fit Greek Yogurt. A young woman lounging in a pool chair picks it up and studies the ingredients on the label. A voiceover then declares, Dannon Light & Fit Greek uses artificial sweeteners like sucralose. Sucralose. Why. That stuff has chlorine added to it!" Sucralose is a molecule with 12 carbon, 19 hydrogen, eight oxygen and three chlorine atoms linked together in a stable form that is safe to consume," Hurd wrote in his 25-page decision. Pool chlorine, on the other hand, is a colloquial term for calcium hypochlorite, a powerful bleach and disinfectant that is harmful if added to food or ingested," the judge noted later. This substance is distinct both chemically and practically from the chlorine found in sucralose. Calcium hypochlorite is not found in, or used to manufacture, any of Dannons products." Chobanis ad campaign didnt take long to irk Dannon. On Jan. 7, 2016, one day after Chobani launched the campaign, Dannons lawyer sent a letter to Chobani, accusing the company of false and misleading statements in violation of the federal Lanhman Act and/or New York state law. Chobani responded to Dannon by filing a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York. Chobani sought a declaration that none of its advertising claims are false or misleading. But Hurds decision tentatively reached the opposite conclusion. A new study from the University of California, Davis, sheds light on the state's winter guests, monarch butterflies. It turns out a butterfly's wing patterns may actually yield clues to their birthplaces, researchers say. "We hope that this paper improves our understanding of where monarch butterflies grow up in western North America," Louie Yang, lead researcher and a community ecologist in the UC-Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, said in a news release. The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) of North America typically winters along the California coast or in the central mountains of Mexico. For their latest study, researchers examined the natal origins, or "birthplaces," of 114 butterflies collected from trees in four California overwintering sites in early December. The four sites included: Two northern sites -- Lighthouse Field State Beach and Moran Lake, both in Santa Cruz County -- and two southern overwintering sites -- Pismo State Beach in San Luis Obispo County and the Coronado Butterfly Preserve in Santa Barbara County. Previous research on the migration of North American monarchs indicates western monarchs -- those that originate west of the Rocky Mountains -- travel to the California coast, while monarchs that develop east of the Rockies wait out the cold in central Mexico. The butterflies' wings were examined for shape, structure, and telltale hydrogen isotopes -- which are generally an indication of different precipitation levels. Researchers were therefore able to correlate individuals' wing size and shape with how far they migrated from their birthplaces. Their analysis revealed 30 percent developed in California's southern coastal range, 12 percent originated in the northern coast and inland range, 16 percent in the central range, and 40 percent in the northern inland range. "Building a clearer understanding of where they come from could help us better understand many aspects of their ecology," Yang added in the university's release. Their study was recently published in the journal Ecography. Related Articles Black Squirrels Are Popping Up In More Places Birds Reject Long Winter Migration In Favor of Landfill Stops; Risky New Flight Pattern Disrupts Worldwide Ecosystems For more great nature science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN). -Follow Samantha on Twitter @Sam_Ashley13 In an interview Thursday, Mayor Rahm Emanuel outlined a tentative agreement between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union before criticizing Gov. Bruce Rauners inaction during his first year in office. The CTU announced Thursday that it has received a serious offer from CPS, giving much hope that a strike has been averted. The mayor explained that negotiations were moving toward a healthy compromise. I think its better for me to characterize it as very good discussions, with a lot of respect on both sides for the challenges theyre facing, but to try to create a win-win situation for both teachers, taxpayers and our student, Emanuel said. Emanuel also claimed that the potential for midyear layoffs of CPS employees largely hinges on the state passing a budget. I do believe that part of the solution is to reach an agreement [with the CTU] but a bigger part of the solution is making sure that Springfield steps up and is a partner to the changes and a stabilization of the finances, Emanuel said. Emanuel was aloof in responding to Gov. Rauners plan to have the state takeover control of CPS. Its not necessary and if they have that type of time on their hands, then pass a budget, Emanuel said. Emanuel called Rauners record during his first year in office one of the most unproductive in Springfield session. The mayor also discredited Rauners pro-business Turnaround Agenda. The biggest thing businesses are looking for is certainty, Emanuel said. There is nothing certain coming out of Springfield. President Barack Obama has been to Springfield before and actually worked there as a state senator several years ago. Now, Gov. Bruce Rauner hopes when Obama returns next month, nine years after announcing his presidential candidacy, the two will have time for a beer together. Springfield sources tell NBC 5 Rauners office has reached out to the White House to see if the president has time for a beer at Obed and Isaacs when he visits Illinois Feb.10. Obed and Isaacs, steps from whats known as the Lincoln neighborhood, is known for its craft beers from the Backporch Farmhouse Ale to the Ditzy Blonde -- and is quite popular among residents. Obama is set to address the Illinois General Assembly next month, returning to the place where his political career began. The address comes amid a historic state budget impasse in Illinois. Gov. Bruce Rauner said in a statement he looks forward to "hearing [Obama] speak about finding common ground between Republicans and Democrats." "Despite our political differences, the President and I share a passion for improving education, especially for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, a belief in the benefits of term limits and redistricting reform for restoring good government, and a strong desire to see more economic opportunity for all Illinoisans," Rauner said in a statement. "I know we can achieve great things for Illinois by having mutual respect for one another and focusing on bipartisan compromise to achieve whats best for the long-term future of our great state. Details on how long Obama's visit will be and what he will do during the trip weren't immediately known. As for whether or not he and Rauner will toast a Backporch Farmhouse Ale, we'll have to wait and see. NBCs "Dateline" will dug deeper into the mystery of "Making a Murderer" in a one-hour special that aired Friday. Did you miss it? We've got you covered. Here's a breakdown of the episode: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UPDATE: 9:58 p.m. Kathleen Zellner, who is now representing Steven Avery, told Dateline that she has purchased the same car Teresa Halbach had. "I want to understand the hood latch, battery cables, where the blood was found in the car," Zellner said in her first on-camera interview since taking up the case. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UPDATE: 9:51 p.m. Steven Avery's lawyer Jerry Buting said blood was seen between the stopper and the top of a vial of blood, meaning it had been tampered with. Buting said that evidence was not in the Netflix documentary. Authorities said the idea it had been tampered with was unfounded. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Update: 9:37 p.m. Steven Avery's lawyer Jerry Buting said the DNA found on the hood latch of Teresa Halbachs car was sort of a red herring. Buting said he believes Averys DNA was transferred on the hood by a technician at Averys compound. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Update: 9:28 p.m. CT After being exonerated of the sexual assault of Penny Beerntsen, Avery once again finds himself in hot water. Former prosecutor Ken Kratz said Avery told detectives that he didnt touch photographer Teresa Halbachs SUV. However his blood was found in the vehicle and his DNA was found on the hood latch of the car. Avery still denied the allegations that he murdered Halbach on his property. I would never do nothing like that, Avery said to NBC affiliate WGBA in a rare interview. #StevenAvery told investigators he cut his finger when he loaded a flatbed truck with tin roofing. Dateline Producer (@DatelineNBCProd) January 30, 2016 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Update: 9:16 p.m. CT After Steven Avery was sentenced, Penny Beerntsen told Dateline that she heard there was a suspect who looked like Steven Avery. "I knew I identified the wrong person, Beerntsen said. She told Dateline the moment she discovered that she had identified the wrong person in her rape was worse than the attack itself. The DNA identification came down to a single hair found on Penny from the attack. Dateline Producer (@DatelineNBCProd) January 30, 2016 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Update: 9:09 p.m. CT The Dateline special entitled "The State of Wisconsin vs. Steven A. Avery began with an interview with Penny Beerntsen, the woman Steven Avery was convicted of raping in 1985. Avery spent 18 years behind bars over the case before being exonerated by DNA evidence in 2003. Penny spoke with #Dateline twice for reports on the case in 2006 and 2007. Dateline Producer (@DatelineNBCProd) January 30, 2016 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The one-hour special entitled "The State of Wisconsin vs. Steven A. Avery" examined the case of Avery, a Wisconsin resident who spent 18 years in prison for a rape he didn't commit and was later convicted of murdering 25-year-old photographer Teresa Halbach. Avery's nephew, Brendan Dassey, was also convicted of murder in connection with the case. Dassey was 16 at the time. His attorneys argued Dassey's low IQ made him easily swayed by investigators who coerced a confession. Avery and Dassey are currently serving life sentences for the murder of Halbach, whose bones and belongings were found burned near Avery's trailer. Only Dassey is eligible for parole in 2048. NBCs "Dateline" aired a one-hour "Making a Murder" special that focused on the many unanswered questions in Steven Avery's case. "The State of Wisconsin vs. Steven A. Avery," aired Friday evening, showing new interviews with key players in the trials of Avery and Brendan Dassey for the 2005 murder of Teresa Halbach. Avery stayed in prison for 18 years for a rape he didn't commit, but was later convicted of murdering the 25-year-old photographer. The special began Penny Beerntsen, the woman who Avery was convicted of raping in 1985. She said when the verdict was read in the case, she had "a huge sense of relief." However, Beernsten received a phone call the day after Avery went to prison from the police informing her that there was another suspect who looked like him. Avery spent 18 years behind bars before being exonerated by DNA evidence in 2003. "I knew that I identified the wrong person before they told me," Beernsten told Dateline in a past interview. "That day was much more difficult than the day of the assault for me." Penny spoke with #Dateline twice for reports on the case in 2006 and 2007. Dateline Producer (@DatelineNBCProd) January 30, 2016 After being exonerated of the sexual assault, Avery once again found himself in trouble with the law. Avery was arrested in connection with the Oct. 2005 death of Halbach. Ken Kratz, the former Calumet County, Wisconsin, district attorney who prosecuted Avery, appeared in the special and once again maintained that Avery was the right man behind bars. Kratz said Avery told detectives that he didnt touch Halbachs SUV. However, Avery's blood was found in the vehicle and his DNA was found on the hood latch of the car. Kratz also admitted he did have one regret about the case -- a press conference in which he went into the grisly details of the account that Dassey had given during his lengthy interrogation. "Having to do it all over again, I would not have given that press conference," Kratz told Dateline. [[367082801, C]] Arguably the most attention-grabbing part of the special came during an interview with Jerry Buting. Avery's former attorney made a claim about the vial of blood found in at the Manitowoc County Clerk of Courts office that wasn't included in the Netflix documentary. "You could definitely see that right up to the edge, there was blood in between the stopper and the glass," Buting said in an interview. He insisted that this proved the rubber stopper "had to be removed from the tube" at some point after blood was inserted. After Buting made his claim, Dateline's Andrea Canning talked to a blood expert who said blood around the stopper is common and dismissed his claims. Dateline also located court documents that confirmed that a prison nurse was ready to testify that she made the hole in the vial of Avery's blood. However, she was never called because the prosecution didnt think the defense laid out a blood hole theory strong enough to warrant a rebuttal. [[367082871, C]] At the end of the special, the lawyer who is now representing Steven Avery told Dateline she was committed to proving her new client's innocence. She has even purchased the same car Teresa Halbach had. "I want to understand the hood latch, battery cables, where the blood was found in the car," Kathleen Zellner said in her first on-camera interview since taking up the case. [[367082941, C]] Zellner added that advances in forensic testing could help exonerate the man at the center of the popular Netflix series. "Generally, since 2007, there have been significant advances in forensic testing ... the clearest way to do this is with scientific testing," Kathleen Zellner told Dateline NBC. Additionally, Zellner said there may be alternative suspects in the case. Avery's nephew Brendan Dassey was also convicted of murder in connection with the case, though the majority of the special focused on Avery. Avery filed an appeal earlier this month and Dassey is awaiting a judges ruling on a petition aiming to get him a new trial. Editor's Note: NBC Chicago will offer a live blog of the episode when it begins at 9 p.m. CT. Download the NBC Chicago app or click here. The attorney representing Steven Avery said advances in forensic testing could help exonerate the man at the center of the popular Netflix series Making a Murderer." "Generally, since 2007, there have been significant advances in forensic testing ... the clearest way to do this is with scientific testing," Kathleen Zellner told Dateline NBC. Zellner would not say what specific evidence would help prove her client is innocent of the 2005 murder of Teresa Halbach for which he is currently serving a sentence of life in prison, though she did say there was a lot of evidence that wasn't tested." Additionally, Zellner said there may be alternative suspects in the case at the center of the gripping documentary. Meanwhile, Zellner's office tweeted a handwritten, signed note from Avery himself that read: "To My Supporter's [sic]: I want Every Forensic Test Possible Done B/c I am Innocent." https://twitter.com/ZellnerLaw/status/693203900309045248 NBCs "Dateline" will air a one-hour special Friday evening featuring Zellners first on camera interview on the case, as well as a rare sit-down interview from 2005 with Penny Beerntsen, the victim of the sexual assault case for which Avery was wrongfully convicted. "That name may ring a bell... Manitowoc."@CanningAndrea takes a closer look at tonight's #Dateline report...https://t.co/7Lw0f9VOSe Dateline NBC (@DatelineNBC) January 29, 2016 The series will also include new interviews with Steven Drizin and Laura Nirider, attorneys representing Avery's nephew Brendan Dassey who was also charged in Halbach's murder. Former prosecutor Ken Kratz will also make an appearance. Avery spent 18 years in prison over the sexual assault of a jogger in Manitowoc County before he was exonerated by DNA evidence in 2003. He then filed a $36 million federal lawsuit against the county, its former sheriff and former district attorney over the handling of the case. However, soon after the county officials were deposed in the suit, Avery was accused of murdering Halbach, a 25-year-old freelance photographer. He is currently serving a life sentence in the case. Avery filed an appeal earlier this month and Dassey is awaiting a judges ruling on a petition aiming to get him a new trial. A northwest suburban pharmacist who for years offered Viagra and Cialis to men without a prescription has been sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison for selling the fake male potency drugs. Michael Markiewicz admitted he illegally purchased the fake Viagra and Cialis from China, then dispensed them to customers at his Belmont Pharmacy at 6148 W. Belmont, according to the U.S. Attorneys office. The 38-year-old Norridge resident pleaded guilty last year to one count of trafficking and attempting to traffic in a counterfeit drug, and one count of dispensing a counterfeit drug with intent to defraud and mislead. According to the plea agreement, Markiewicz admitted he ordered about 1,600 counterfeit Viagra and Cialis tablets from China over the Internet, and sold the fakes between 2010 and 2012. Had the pills been genuine, they would have been worth about $35,000. The package entered the country with a customs declaration stating they were gift pens, with the counterfeit drugs hidden in unlabeled plastic baggies under the pens, federal prosecutors said. Markiewicz sold the fakes for about $20 per pill to customers who bought the male-enhancement products without a prescription. The state Department of Professional Regulation suspended Markiewiczs pharmacist license and revoked the stores pharmacy license in November 2012, though the store remains open dealing in nutrition and herbal products. Markiewicz was charged in April 2013 with eight counts of violating the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act; four counts of trafficking in counterfeit drugs or goods using a counterfeit mark; and three counts of smuggling. A superseding indictment was returned in March 2015 by a federal grand jury. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge John Z. Lee also ordered Markiewicz to pay $10,000 and forfeit his pharmacy to the government. After a foot chase while serving an arrest warrant Thursday, police arrested a second suspect in the violent Craiglist robbery that left a Hartford pastor unconscious in October. Hartford police and the United States Marshal's Violent Fugitive Task Force spotted Rushawn Carroll, 24, of Hartford, in the passenger seat of a car on Chestnut Street in Hartford on Jan. 28 at about 4:26 p.m. Authorities had an active felony arrest warrant out for him due to his suspected part in the street robbery of Pastor Luis Borges, 54, right outside his church, Assembleia De Deus, at 106 New Park Ave. on Oct. 10. Borges found an iPhone 6 advertised for $400 on Craigslist and had arranged to meet the seller outside his church that day, police said. But when Borges turned over the money to the seller, Raheem Rankine, 20, a second man, who police have now identified as Carroll, came up and punched him in the head, police said. When police responded to the incident, they found the pastor on the ground. He had hit his head on the pavement and was disoriented, according to police. He was transported to Hartford Hospital and treated for minor injuries. Police previously arrested Rankine were looking for the second man for months. When authorities observed Carroll in the car on Chestnut Street Thursday, Hartford detectives radioed for additional patrols. As the car he was in turned east on Pliny Street, a patrol unit was heading west on that road. When Carroll saw the police cruiser, he bailed out of the vehicle he was in and ran with police chasing him, police said. While fleeing police, he discarded a pellet gun that looked like a real firearm, police said. Hartford detectives and a deputy U.S. marshal apprehended him near 206 Mather Street, but then Carroll punched the marshal in the face, police said. A struggle ensued and Hartford detectives eventually handcuffed him. Carroll was combative throughout the encounter and spit at officers multiple times, police said. The deputy marshal cut his hands while jumping fences in the chase and required stitches. The day of the robbery in October, the assailants had run off, but the pastor's adult daughter was able to snap a photo of one of the robbers before her father was assaulted. The photo, as well as one another witness snapped of the car the men were in, helped police locate Rankine, who the car was registered to, police said. His phone number matched the one associated with the Craigslist ad, according to his arrest warrant. Armed with the photo, the pastor's daughter recognized one of the assailants on Facebook as the man who had robbed her father, police said. When police checked the Facebook page in question, listed under "RahRah Finessa Commah," they noticed that the man looked like the one in the photo the pastor's family provided, down to the same gray sweatshirt with FLY on the front in at least one of his Facebook photos. "What we put on the internet is preserved essentially for eternity. It's very difficult to take back something that's put out there," Hartford Police Lt. Brandon O'Brien said. After Rankine was arrested, the pastor's son, Luis Peter Borges told NBC Connecticut "I feel better. can actually sleep knowing that the case is actually moving forward." The family positively identified Rankine from a photo lineup and police obtained an arrest warrant for him. On Oct. 17, investigators learned Rankine was hiding at 22 Belden Street in East Hartford and shooting task force detectives monitoring the home spotted him through a window, police said. East Hartford police helped them enter the home and take Rankine into custody. He was charged with first-degree robbery. Luis Peter Borges previously told NBC Connecticut he was frustrated the second suspect was still on the run. "I get frustrated that he's still out there on the loose. Freedom, it just really ticks me off," Luis Peter Borges, the pastor's son, said. Now that suspect, Carroll has been arrested. In addition to being charged with first-degree robbery and conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery in the October violent robbery of pastor, Hartford police also charged Carroll with interfering with police, assault on police and having weapons in a motor vehicle after Thursday's chase. Police warn others to beware of fake listings on Craiglist and remind residents that the police station parking lot is a designated safe zone for all social media transactions. "The police department's open 24-hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days of the year, holidays included," O'Brien said. The Texas teen whose lawyers used an "affluenza" defense in a deadly 2013 drunken driving crash will remain in a juvenile detention center as he waits to find out if his case will be transferred to adult court, a judge ruled Friday. Ethan Couch, 18, was booked into a juvenile detention facility in Fort Worth after he was deported from Mexico on Thursday. Authorities believe he and his mother fled the country as Texas prosecutors investigated whether he may have violated his probation in the crash. Judge Timothy Menikos sided with Couch's attorneys during a court hearing Friday in Fort Worth, saying Couch could stay at the juvenile center. Prosecutors wanted Couch moved to an adult jail ahead of a hearing next month that will determine whether the case is transferred to the adult system, where Couch could face time behind bars. Couch was 16 at the time of the fatal crash, so the case is being handled for now in juvenile court. Scott Brown, an attorney representing Ethan Couch, said after a detention hearing Friday, Jan. 29, 2016, that he expects his client to be transferred to adult jurisdiction. Tarrant County Assistant District Attorney Richard Alpert talks about the future of Ethan Couch after a detention hearing, Jan. 29, 2016. Colleen Sheehey-Church, MADD National President, speaks after Ethan Couchs detainment hearing, Friday, Jan. 29, 2016. If Couch's case is moved to adult court, the judge could order Couch to spend up to 120 days in jail for violating his probation before finishing the remainder of his 10-year probation sentence, according to Tarrant County District Attorney spokeswoman Samantha Jordan. If he were to violate his probation again, Couch could get up to 10 years in prison for each of the four people killed in the drunken-driving wreck, should a judge choose to stack his sentences and not have them served concurrently. But if the case remains in juvenile court, Couch could be held in a juvenile detention center until he turns 19 in April, at which point he would become eligible for parole. Couch's attorneys said following the detention hearing Friday they expect Menikos to transfer Couch to adult jurisdiction and will not fight the transfer as there are no legal grounds to appeal. The defense said they expected the move to adult jurisdiction to happen when Couch was originally placed on probation in juvenile court and are optimistic he can successfully complete his probation under adult jurisdiction. The transfer hearing is scheduled for Feb. 19. Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson said Thursday he wanted Couch moved to an adult jail, given his age and the severity of his offenses. "He's certainly capable of understanding now what's going on, and I'd feel better if he was there," Anderson said. During the sentencing phase of the 2013 trial, a defense witness argued Couch had been coddled into a sense of irresponsibility by his wealthy parents. The expert deemed the condition "affluenza," which isn't recognized as a medical diagnosis by the American Psychiatric Association and drew widespread derision. The teen was later sentenced to 10 years' probation, which including barring him from drinking or leaving Tarrant County. Prosecutors and law enforcement officers blasted the sentence as too weak. In December, Couch and his mother disappeared after an online video appeared to show Couch at a party where people were drinking. They were apprehended in the Mexican resort city of Puerto Vallarta on Dec. 28, after a call for pizza delivery tipped off authorities to their whereabouts. Couch initially fought deportation, but he dropped the fight this week. His mother, Tonya Couch, was deported last month and is charged in Texas with hindering the apprehension of a felon. She was released on bond this month after being fitted with an electronic ankle GPS monitor. The city of Dallas has formed a Blight Task Force in an effort to clean up abandoned properties. For years, the city has been trying to address the issue, as taxpayers foot the bill to maintain the spaces. "We want to get rid of situations like this. We want to keep situations like this from happening," said assistant Dallas city attorney LaShonne Watts. Often, after the owner of a property dies, the city cannot track down a living heir interested in maintaining the space. As a result, it falls into disrepair. Under the charge of the city manager's office, the task force will create a city-wide database to track these properties and determine in what order they should be addressed. "It's so important for us to find out where these blighted houses are, where these vacant structures are," explained Watts. "So, we can try to move on them as quickly as possible." Recently, they moved in on an abandoned home on Indianola Street. The owner passed away four years ago. Because of back taxes on the land, the city was unable to find an heir interested in taking over the property. It sat vacant until about two years ago when a squatter settled into the house and moved his trailer in front of it. "It makes the whole street very bad. It's very noticeable," said neighbor Jasmine Bueno. In this case, the city has made progress. Recently, the city attorney's office was able to file for control of the estate and hand the property over to a probate administrator. Now, the man living there is facing an eviction order. But elsewhere in Dallas County, some believe the problem is growing. "That problem just gets exacerbated year after year after year," said Kristen Schulz, with Dallas Area Habitat For Humanity. As director of public policy for the organization, Schulz said her office has identified nearly 10,000 abandoned properties within Dallas County. Depending on their state, she argues the properties likely end up costing taxpayers more to preserve then they would to probate in court. One abandoned lot in Joppa has received lawn maintenance from the city for more than a decade, according to Schulz. "The city of Dallas and the taxpayers of Dallas will end up maintaining this property indefinitely," said Schulz. "It has cost thousands of dollars." But the city hopes that cost could be reduced with the help of their task force and heightened focus on the issue. Anyone who notices blight in their neighborhood is asked to contact the city for assistance. "If we can collectively pull our data together and say, 'Hey, we've located these blighted properties. We know these vacant properties exist,'" Watts said, "we can put this all in a database, so we can figure out, 'OK, what is the best strategy to deal with these properties?'" There are updates in the continuing federal trial involving Gerald Shults, owner of the Gas Pipe; Amy Lynn, Inc.; Rapids Camp Lodge; and Ridglea Complex Management, Inc.; his daughter Amy Herrig and 26 other defendants. The Gas Pipe, Inc. and Amy Lynn, Inc. are alleged to have sold millions of dollars in products commonly referred to as "Spice" in the "designer" or synthetic drug market. Court documents indicate Gas Pipe and Amy Lynn allegedly sold or distributed those products as "herbal incense," "potpourri," or "aroma therapy products" to the general public throughout Texas and New Mexico, claiming the products were "not for human consumption." Since the original Federal Grand Jury Indictment was returned Aug. 5, 2014 against Shults, Herrig, and 26 other defendants, the Grand Jury later returned a superseding indictment on May 6, 2015, charging the defendants with Conspiracy to Defraud the United States, Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Controlled Substance Analogues, Maintaining a Drug Involved Premise and Aiding and Abetting, Importation of a Controlled Substance Analogue and Aiding and Abetting, and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering. That indictment also provided notice of 72 specific items of property, including cash, real properties in Texas, Oregon, and Alaska, jewelry, vehicles, airplanes, a boat, and other items that the government is seeking to forfeit should the defendants be found guilty in those cases. Shults and Herrig have denied the allegations and are fighting to keep their seized houses and other properties. Should they be convicted on all 17 counts, both face up to 365 years in prison, however under federal sentencing guidelines, the actual sentence would likely be substantially less. Court filings also indicate Herrig is still gainfully employed by The Gas Pipe, Inc.. There was also a joint court filing by Shults and Herrig to compel the government to use monies from their seized cash funds to pay the property taxes now due on those properties the government is seeking to forfeit. On March 20, 2015, attorneys for the defendants filed a motion in the civil forfeiture case, seeking return of the funds earlier seized, arguing that the money was needed to pay their property tax and federal income tax obligations. Federal prosecutors had adamantly opposed such action, arguing that the government does not own any of the properties in question, and that the defendants have maintained care, custody, and control of all of the real property included in the cases filed and that those properties are merely the subject of a forfeiture proceeding that is still pending. On Jan. 22, after that motion had been pending for nearly nine months, U.S. District Judge Barbara M. G. Lynn ruled the government is not required to pay the taxes due on the properties it seeks to forfeit and declined to address Shults and Herrigs portion of the motion on whether they are or are not obligated to pay the taxes due on those properties. Court documents submitted by attorneys for Shults and Herrig indicate that as of December 2015, the total taxes due on the affected properties was calculated at $652,486.50. On Jan. 14 Herrig posted a $100,000.00 unsecured bond and requested modification to her home detention and location monitoring orders that have been in place since May 2015. Attorneys for Herrig also petitioned the Court, requesting permission for Herrig to travel outside the boundaries of the Northern District of Texas for business purposes. She wanted permission to travel Alaska for a few days in late January and February to assist in the continuing operations of Rapids Camp Lodge, described as a fishing lodge in King Salmon, Alaska that operates on a seasonal basis, where Herrigs husband Dan, is listed in court documents as the lodge manager. Documents indicate the lodge is wholly owned by Herrigs father and co-defendant, Gerald Shults. In previous filings in July 2015, Herrig had asked the Courts permission to travel to Alaska for business and was denied permission, then later filed another motion to go to Oregon for family-related medical reasons. The Court approved the Oregon travel in late September 2015. According to the US Pretrial Services Officer assigned to the case, even though Herrig would be leaving the boundaries of the Northern District of Texas, her actual location would still be monitored electronically via GPS monitor. Herrigs latest travel motion was granted Jan. 25. NBC 5 emailed Shults and Herrigs attorneys for comment and received no response. Court documents indicate Judge Lynn has continued the trial to its next setting of Monday May 23 due to its unusual nature and complexity. DV.load("https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2700581-Shults-Indictment-Gov-Uscourts-Txnd-259591-163-0.js", { width: 650, height: 800, sidebar: false, container: "#DV-viewer-2700581-Shults-Indictment-Gov-Uscourts-Txnd-259591-163-0" }); Shults-Indictment-Gov-Uscourts-Txnd-259591-163-0 (PDF) The two remaining inmates who escaped from an Orange County jail last week were taken into custody in San Francisco Saturday morning, officials said. Jonathan Tieu, 20, of Fountain Valley, and Hossein Nayeri, 37, of Newport Beach were taken into custody by the San Francisco Police Department around 8:50 a.m. after a receiving a tip from an observant witness, Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said at a news conference Saturday. "The entire state can breathe a sigh of relief because we have the other two dangerous individuals back in custody," Hutchens said. Nayeri and Tieu were expected to be transported back to Orange County Saturday night or early Sunday morning. Hutchens initially said a woman alerted police after seeing a white GMC van next to a Whole Foods parking lot near Golden Gate Park that looked similar to the one authorities reported the fugitives had stolen. A San Francisco police officer later said it was a man who alerted police of a suspicious person and vehicle. According to Hutchens, as officers approached the van, Nayeri started to run. He was caught after a short chase at Waller and Stanyan streets. Tieu was found hiding in the van parked at Haight and Stanyan streets. Several rounds of ammunition were also found in the van, however no weapons were recovered, Hutchens said. "This is an excellent example of how citizens can help the San Francisco Police Department keep the city safe," said SFPD Officer Grace Gatpandan. Tieu and Nayeri remained at a San Francisco police station and were expected to be moved to the San Francisco County Jail, Hutchens said. Sheriff's said they were coordinating with San Francisco authorities to transfer the inmates back into Orange County custody. Authorities were still investigating how the inmates obtained their escape tools and said no disciplinary action had been taken in the wake of the escape. "If anybody else aided and abetted (the inmates), they're going to be prosecuted," Hutchens said. "We do not want another escape from an Orange County jail." Officials said Friday, they were concentrating their efforts in the San Jose area Saturday where it was believed the inmates were hiding and were possibly en route to Fresno. A major break in the weeklong manhunt came Friday, when Bac Duong, 43, who escaped from the Central Men's Jail early Jan. 22 along with Tieu and Nayeri, surrendered to authorities. According to Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens, Duong walked up to a civilian in Santa Ana and said he wanted to turn himself in around 11:30 a.m. Sheriff's officials said all three escapees were spotted Thursday in San Jose, but Duong somehow made his way back to Santa Ana to surrender. A manager at the Alameda Motel in San Jose on Friday said he believed all three inmates stayed at his motel on Tuesday and Wednesday, before leaving Thursday morning. Investigators said they believed the three escapees were living out of the van, which has paper license plates from Felix Chevrolet, with plate number 8U66466, although the plates may have been replaced and the windows were likely tinted. The van was listed for sale on Craiglist and Duong stole it when he took the vehicle for a test drive in South Los Angeles. It's not clear how Duong got back to Southern California from San Jose, but early Friday Duong contacted a woman he knew at the auto electric repair shop just a few miles away from the jail, authorities and witnesses said. Le Tran told NBC4 News that he saw Duong smoking a cigarette as he waited for authorities to arrest him at the Tran family's Auto Electric Rebuilders shop located at 1421 N. Harbor Boulevard. He said he does not know how Duong got to the shop, but that his sister knew Duong and might have visited him while he was in jail. Shortly after the late-morning arrest, a team of well-armed officers in protective vests swarmed the business. Meanwhile, more than 10 people have been arrested since the escape. Among them is a teacher who had a "significant role" in the planning of the jailbreak. The 44-year-old Lake Forest woman was arrested Thursday on suspicion of accessory to a felony in helping the inmates escape from lockup in downtown Santa Ana. She allegedly provided the men with Google Earth maps of the jail complex, according to investigators. One of the escaped inmates, Nayeri, took her class at the Central Men's Jail and developed a relationship with her, said Orange County Sheriff's Lt. Jeff Hallock. Nayeri had been in custody since September 2014, Tieu since October 2013 and Duong since December. Duong allegedly shot a man Nov. 18, 2015 after an argument on the patio of a Santa Ana home. He was charged with one felony count of attempted murder, one felony count of assault with a firearm, one felony count of first-degree residential burglary, one felony count of shooting at an inhabited dwelling or house, one felony count of assault with a firearm with sentencing enhancements for the personal use of a firearm, personal discharge of a firearm and great bodily injury. He was being held without bail on an immigration hold pending a possible federal deportation hearing. Duong also faces sentencing enhancements for a prior strike conviction for first-degree burglary in 1995 in San Diego County, prior prison convictions for second-degree burglary in 2007, reckless evading of a peace officer in 2008 and possession for sale of a controlled substance in 2011. Nayeri is accused of participating in an attack, including torture, against a Newport Beach resident who ran a licensed marijuana dispensary in Santa Ana. Tieu faces murder and attempted murder charges in connection with a gang hit. Duong faces an attempted murder charge and was being held without bail on an immigration hold pending a possible federal deportation hearing. After more than 50 years apart, a family was reunited in South Florida Thursday. When Devon Ressler walked through the door, she walked into a new life. The 66-year-old woman knew at age 14 that her mother gave up her sister and brother for adoption. "I never gave up hope, I thought that one day God willing I'd find them," Ressler said. For the first time ever, Ressler was reunited with her sister Mari and brother Chris in Plantation. "I haven't been able to find the words to describe it, I hoped for it my whole life but I didn't know it could exist, I didn't know I had siblings," Chris Repetti said. Mari and Chris were both adopted by different families as children in the 1960s. And just last year when their birth mother passed, Ressler reached out to find them through registries. "I got their birthdays and I found Chris in a week and Mari five days later," Ressler said. "There were two chunks of my heart missing, the three of us being together and holding and hugging them, I am 150 percent complete." "Now we're all three for the first time, first time getting together in the same place at the same time, took 50 years but I knew I had siblings," Mari Aivazian said. The newly-found siblings aren't just meeting each other. There are nieces and nephews galore to enjoy. Ressler admits she still wakes up in the morning crying tears, some over the time lost but mainly over what she's gained. "We can't go back, I can't dwell there, but what I can do is make every day the best ever," she said. "We get along well, it's the best of stuff, it is the best of stuff, there's nothing better than this." Now the trio is trying to make up for lost time. They head down to the Florida Keys Saturday for the weekend, one of many more to come. And they hope to inspire others out there searching for their families. They say don't give up. Ammon Bundy and his followers made ample use of social media and videos to summon armed recruits to join their takeover of a wildlife refuge and to declare their readiness to stand their ground. Now federal authorities are using the occupiers' own words against them. Court documents against the 11 occupiers under arrest show that FBI agents have carefully scrutinized social media postings, interviews and online talk shows that were broadcast from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge during the standoff that began nearly a month ago. Bundy and several other jailed leaders appeared Friday in federal court in Portland, where a judge denied their release. U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie Beckerman said Bundy, his brother Ryan Bundy and Ryan Payne pose a danger to the community and she is concerned they would not follow orders to return to Oregon for criminal proceedings. Beckerman said she would release them only if the standoff ends. Four holdouts continued to occupy the refuge in the snowy high country near Burns, and they posted a YouTube video Friday demanding pardons for everyone involved in the occupation. A speaker believed to be David Fry said he asked the FBI whether it was possible to "get out of here without charges," but "they keep saying that's not possible." Ammon Bundy's lawyer, Lissa Casey, said her client is not aligned with those remaining at the refuge and wants to go back to his family in Idaho. "He is done in Harney County; his message has been sent," she said. Casey said Bundy didn't recognize Fry's name and that he was not a core member of the group. Bundy and his followers took over the refuge Jan. 2 to demand that the federal government turn public lands over to local control. They have complained about what they say are onerous federal rules governing grazing and mining rights across the West. Court documents detail some of the evidence against the occupiers, including a memorandum filed by prosecutors Friday arguing against releasing defendants before trial. "As the armed group's unrepentant leader, he (Ammon Bundy) has consistently and publicly expressed support for an armed occupation that has endangered, and continues to endanger, many people," the document states. A criminal complaint filed earlier this week makes reference to an online video that showed Bundy saying the group planned to stay for several years. He called on people to "come out here and stand," adding: "We need you to bring your arms." A video posted Jan. 4 showed another defendant, Jon Ritzheimer, saying he was "100 percent willing to lay my life down." In a video posted a day later, Ritzheimer talked about Robert "LaVoy" Finicum and other occupiers taking up a "defensive posture" at the refuge against a feared FBI raid. "Right now underneath the tarp right there LaVoy Finicum is sitting underneath the tarp, and he's not going to let them come through," Ritzheimer said in the video. That raid never came. Finicum was killed Tuesday night in a confrontation with the FBI and Oregon State Police on a remote road. Bundy and four others were arrested during the encounter, and more followers were taken into custody by the next day. At one point, a couple of dozen ranchers and other protesters were holed up at the refuge, but they began clearing out after the arrests and killing. The FBI on Thursday released a video showing Finicum's death, to counter claims he did nothing to provoke his killing. In the aerial video, Finicum is pulled over in his white truck but then takes off in the vehicle and plows into a snowbank because of a roadblock. He gets out of his truck and has his hands up at first, then reaches toward his jacket pocket at least twice. He is shot and falls to the snow. The FBI said a loaded handgun was found in the pocket. An undisclosed number of state troopers involved in the shooting have been placed on leave pending an investigation, which is standard procedure. The charges against the defendants say the refuge's 16 employees have been prevented from reporting to work because of threats of violence. Ammon Bundy is the son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who was involved in a tense 2014 standoff with the government over grazing rights. On Friday, the younger Bundy told the judge he respects her authority and would come back if released. He said he has no interest in returning to the refuge, saying "my only desire is to be home with family and take care of my wife and children." Judge Beckerman said: "I'm not worried about him leaving the country; I'm worried about him occupying another government building." Bundy and his followers will be back in court next week. A federal judge has delayed next week's sentencing for a priest convicted of having sex with poor street children during missionary trips to Honduras. The judge will hold a hearing Tuesday on whether to grant a new trial for the Rev. Joseph Maurizio instead of sentencing the 70-year-old priest that day in Johnstown, about 60 miles east of Pittsburgh. Maurizio, a suspended Somerset County priest was convicted in September of charges including engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places, also known as sexual tourism. Maurizio's attorney has filed several sealed motions and documents in the last month, so his specific claims are unclear. But an order from U.S. District Judge Kim Gibson setting next week's hearing said the request for a new trial is "based upon newly discovered evidence and an alleged violation of Brady v. Maryland." Brady is a landmark 1963 U.S. Supreme Court decision requiring prosecutors to turn over any evidence that could be used by a defendant to support his innocence or impeach the credibility of a prosecution witness. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Pittsburgh didn't immediately comment Friday on the judge's decision late Thursday to replace the priest's sentencing with a hearing on the request for a new trial. Defense attorney Steven Passarello said he can't comment because the hearing stems from documents still sealed. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown suspended Maurizio after federal prosecutors filed charges in September 2014. Prosecutors contend Maurizio used a self-run Johnstown-based charity called Humanitarian Interfaith Ministries to travel to an orphanage for several years ending in 2009. Maurizio allegedly promised candy and cash to boys to watch them shower, have sex or fondle them. Gibson last month dismissed a sexual tourism charge involving one boy who recanted his allegations at the priest's trial. The boy was 14 at the time of the alleged incident. Federal prosecutors argued that the boy recanted because he was ashamed and that another boy witnessed the abuse, but Gibson threw it out for lack of evidence. Maurizio, who las served at Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Central City, also has been looking for a public relations firm to tell his version of events. "He is desirous of getting his side of the story out because he has maintained his innocence throughout, notwithstanding the jury's verdict, but believes he was wrongfully convicted," Passarello said last month. The attorney described Maurizio in a letter to public relations firms as "an American political prisoner" whose "civil rights as an American citizen have been violated by multiple international government agencies." Passarello had argued that the charges against the priest were trumped up and instigated by a rival charity, ProNino USA, the nonprofit that operated the orphanage when the boys were allegedly molested. ProNino's president, Elizabeth Williams, has said Maurizio's conviction validated the former orphans' accusations. San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis is holding a Citizens' Academy that explains the criminal justice system and the workings of the District Attorney's Office. The academy begins March 24 and ends May 26. Classes will be held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Joan Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice on the University of San Diego campus. The 10-week program is a free course with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department and other public safety speakers aimed at demystifying the criminal justice system. Topics include prosecuting homicides and economic crimes; gang; narcotics; elder abuse; the Computer and Technology Crime High-Tech Response Team or "CATCH"; and officer-involved shootings. The course includes a tour fo the County's Medical Examiner's facility. Applications are currently being accepted and are due by Feb. 8. More information can be found at the DA's website. Could a new bill in Virginia allow clerks to deny marriage licenses to interracial couples? Lawmakers in the commonwealth said they are taking a closer look at the bill that passed the Senate Courts of Justice Committee this week. The measure was intended to protect clerks who object to issuing licenses to same-sex couples. The Washington Post reported that some think the language of the legislation which permits objections based on ethical, moral, or religious grounds provides too broad of a latitude for clerks to refuse a couple a marriage license, including interracial marriage. "It would allow any clerk to practice whatever whim they have," Claire Gutherie Gastanga, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia told the Post. "They could choose to not grant licenses to people who are Republicans if theyre Democrats. The whole thing is just fraught with a license to impose, as a public official, your personal whim on the public." The bill is heading to the full Senate for a vote, expected to take place this coming week. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said he will veto the measure if it reaches his desk. Family and friends gathered Saturday in Montgomery County to remember a girl, 5, who died after a sledding accident. The funeral for Clara Phillips is scheduled to take place in Germantown, Maryland. The girl had been sledding down a driveway in Sykesville, Maryland, on Jan. 25, when her sled went onto Heritage Lane. She was hit by a Kia Sorento driven by a 49-year-old woman, the Carroll County Sheriff's Office said. The child was rushed to Carroll Hospital Center, where she died from her injuries. No charges have been filed against the driver at this time, authorities said. Neither speed nor alcohol appear to have been factors in the accident, they said. Once the investigation is complete, the case will be presented to the Carroll County State's Attorney's Office for final determination. Virginia police have made a second arrest in the alleged abduction and killing of a 13-year-old girl from Blacksburg, Virginia. Blacksburg police said Natalie Keepers, 19, a Virginia Tech student from Laurel, Maryland, was arrested Sunday and charged with one felony count of improper disposal of a dead body and one misdemeanor count of accessory after the fact. Nicole Lovell, 13, went missing from her Blacksburg home on Wednesday, Jan. 27, after her family said she pushed a dresser in front of her bedroom door and climbed out a window. Her body was found Saturday afternoon in North Carolina, near the border with Virginia. [[367145421, C]] David Eisenhauer, 18, a Virginia Tech student from Columbia, Maryland, was arrested Saturday and charged with first-degree murder and abduction. Investigators said Eisenhauer and Lovell knew each other before the girls disappearance, and that he used the relationship to abduct and kill Lovell. Police said Keepers helped Eisenhauer dispose of Lovells body near Route 89, in Surry County, North Carolina. Both Eisenhauer and Keepers are being held without bond at the Montgomery County Jail, in Christiansburg, Virginia. A state police spokeswoman said officials are searching a pond on the Virginia Tech campus in connection with the death. Spokeswoman Corinne Geller said Sunday that a search and recovery team is combing a pond on the Blacksburg campus. She would not say what they are trying to find. Investigators said the case is still active, and they have received about 300 leads during the course of the five day investigation. They are still urging anyone who may have information about any of the people involved to come forward. The Roanoke Times newspaper quoted Wilson as saying that Eisenhauer has not confessed to involvement in Lovell's death and did not give police information that led to the discovery of her body. No information was given on how Lovell and Eisenhauer had initially made contact with each other. The newspaper cited an online biography of Eisenhauer that described him as a standout track and field athlete in high school. He was a three-time state champion in track and also competed in cross country, finishing second in the state both his junior and senior years. He was a first-team, all-state choice in cross country and a second-team All-Southeast Region selection, the biography stated. Virginia Tech said on its website that Eisenhauer was a freshman engineering major at the school and that hundreds of students and researchers had assisted in the search for Lovell. [[238427591, C]] Virginia Tech president Tim Sands said the case left the school community "in a state of shock and sadness." "Speaking on behalf of our community, let me say that our hearts go out to Nicole's family and friends," he said in a statement posted to the school's website. McDonalds customers have taken to social media after finding their mozzarella sticks came without cheese. Twitter users blasted the company with photos confirming the cheese was missing. "My girl got mozzarella sticks from McDonald's and they gave her them with no cheese @McDonalds y'all slacking," wrote @AntoineFulton. "@McDonalds I just bought your mozzarella sticks and not one of the three had cheese in the middle. This is pathetic," said @piercenick5. The company responded to the cheese controversy in a statement to NBC Chicago, explaining that the cheese possibly melted out of the sticks during the cooking process. "We are aware of a low volume of guest concerns about our Mozzarella Cheese Sticks," spokeswoman Lisa McComb said in an emailed statement. "In these instances, we believe the cheese melted out during the baking process in our kitchens and shouldn't have been served. We apologize to any customers who may have been affected. We are working to fix this in our restaurants." The Oak Brook-based chain announced its plans to add the snacks to its menus late last year. More recently, the company announced it will start offering an expanded all-day breakfast menu that adds McGriddle and biscuit sandwiches in 72 restaurants in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The judiciary committee of the Vermont Senate voted Friday to advance a bill that would legalize the sale of small amounts of recreational marijuana through licensed retailers and lounges in the state starting Jan. 1, 2018. The approval of the Senate panel came on a 4-to-1 vote Friday morning, and was a key step in the ongoing marijuana legalization discussions at the Statehouse in Montpelier. "It has burned me all through these years as a policy that has not just failed, but ridiculously stupid," Sen. Joe Benning, R-Caledonia County, said of the long era of marijuana prohibition in the United States, after he voted in favor of legalizing regulated marijuana sales in Vermont. The bill now goes to the finance committee of the Vermont Senate, which will tackle how the legislation would implement taxes on marijuana. Lawmakers involved in crafting the bill have said tax revenues would be directed to drug prevention efforts, substance abuse treatment, and law enforcement initiatives to combat illegal drug sales and drugged driving. The bill's current form would allow people 21-years-old and over to legally buy and possess small amounts of marijuana from authorized sellers. Unauthorized selling, or possession of more than an ounce, would still be a criminal offense. The bill advanced by the Vermont Senate Judiciary Committee Friday bars smoking in public, advertising that could appeal to kids, and growing marijuana at home. "I think this bill is a piece of sane criminal justice policy," said Sen. Dick Sears, D-Bennington County, the chairman of the Vermont Senate Judiciary Committee. The step disallowing home grows was seen as a disappointment to some supporters of legalization, though they did applaud the legislations passage from the judiciary committee. "It's a product that many adults enjoy for the same reasons that many adults enjoy consuming alcohol," Matt Simon of the Vermont Coalition to Regulate Marijuana said in a written statement issued after Friday's vote. "While no substance is entirely harmless, the evidence is pretty clear that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol. Adults who choose to consume marijuana should be able to purchase it legally and safely from licensed stores that test and label their products. They shouldn't be forced to seek it out in an illegal market where they might be exposed to other more harmful substances." Legalization has the support of Gov. Peter Shumlin, D-Vermont, provided an ultimate bill meets several of Shumlin's stated criteria, including that taxes be low enough to reduce black market sales, and that sales of edible forms of marijuana not be initially allowed. "This debate is about whether we can take a smarter approach towards marijuana, which is already widely available and used by tens of thousands of Vermonters," Shumlin said in a written statement. "Promoting prevention, keeping marijuana out of the hands of kids, getting rid of illegal drug dealers, and doing a better job responding to impaired drivers already on our roads, I believe this legislation is a huge improvement on the failed war on drugs. I look forward to working with the Legislature as they continue to debate this issue." The topic of marijuana legalization remains divisive in the Vermont Statehouse. "I think it's a bad message to send to our children; I think it's bad message to send to the people suffering the throes of addiction," said Sen. John Campbell, D-Windsor County, the president pro tempore of the Vermont Senate. "It's especially a bad message when we are facing, still, an epidemic of opiate use and addiction, and we're saying, 'Lets bring a previously-illegal drug and make it legal drug.'" Thursday, a coalition representing the Vermont Medical Society, the Vermont Academy of Family Physicians, the Vermont Psychiatric Association, the Vermont Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Academy of Pediatrics Vermont Chapter, and the American College of -cians Vermont Chapter cautioned lawmakers about possible side effects from marijuana legalization, including impacts on brain growth of young users, risks of motor vehicle accidents, and worsening of academic success. Parents Keith Rowe and Ashley Barber of Bennington, Vermont shed tears of joy after the bill cleared this critical first hurdle, though, believing, ultimately, legalization will ease access to therapeutic cannabis extracts they give their 4-year-old daughter, Leah, in hopes of calming her seizures. Oils like the ones Rowe and Barber want to use to help control the symptoms of Dravet Syndrome, which is a severe and intractable form of epilepsy, are not currently sold at Vermont's medical marijuana dispensaries, the couple said. "I do have to commend them," Rowe said of the panel's vote Friday. "It's been a very emotional day for us, but we came here with faith that Vermont would push forward and do the right thing," Barber added. While Friday's vote was a major first step for legalization, a lot of things still have to happen before legal marijuana sales become a reality. The bill would have to pass the full Senate, and Sen. Campbell predicted it will not necessarily be a slam dunk there. Marijuana legislation would also have to pass the full House, and no one at the Statehouse whom necn talked to Friday seemed confident in predicting the legislation's chances in that body. Two days from their deadline, U.S. and European Union negotiators still have no replacement for the transatlantic data-transfer agreement overturned last year by the EU's top court. The original Safe Harbor agreement enabled companies to store and process EU citizens' personal information in the U.S. in compliance with strict European data protection laws, and its invalidation by the Court of Justice of the European Union last October in a case relating to Facebook's activities has called into question the operations of companies large and small. EU negotiators appear to be pushing for further concessions from their U.S. counterparts as they work on Safe Harbor's replacement, and may be prepared to miss the Jan. 31 deadline imposed by Europe's privacy regulators rather than compromise on their principles. "Intense negotiations are ongoing. They are constructive but there will not be agreement for any price," spokesman Christian Wigand said Friday at the Commission's daily news briefing. "We need an agreement that lives up to the benchmarks set by the Court of Justice." Among the court's requirements was a right to legal redress for EU citizens whose personal data is inappropriately handled by U.S. law enforcers, intelligence agencies and other public bodies after it is transferred to the U.S. The continued absence of such a right from U.S. law is one of the sticking points for European lawmakers. The U.S. House of Representatives has already approved a text that would satisfy European negotiations, the Judicial Redress Act, but the bill has not yet received Senate approval. On Thursday night the Senate Judiciary Committee gave it their assent, but it has not yet been scheduled for a full vote. The Safe Harbor data-transfer agreement provided companies with a way to collect the personal information of Europeans and process it legally in the U.S. European Commission representatives had already begun calling for changes to the agreement in 2013, when Edward Snowden's revelations about the U.S. National Security Agency's activities made it clear that the agreement did not afford data held in the U.S. the same protections as it received in Europe, as required by the 1995 Data Protection Directive. Nevertheless, the invalidation of the agreement by the Court of Justice of the European Union on Oct. 6 came as something of a shock for European businesses. The court had been asked to rule on a much narrower question in a case brought against Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner by Austrian Max Schrems over the commissioner's handling of his complaint against Facebook. Schrems, a Facebook user, had asked the commissioner to rule that, in the light of the Snowden revelations, Facebook's reliance on the Safe Harbor agreement to process his personal information in the U.S. did not provide the privacy protections required by the 1995 directive. Facebook has not changed its practices since October, saying that in any case it doesn't rely on the Safe Harbor agreement to justify the legality of its activities. The directive offers companies other tools to guarantee customers' privacy when transferring their data to the U.S., including model contract terms for use in their dealings with U.S. partners, and binding corporate rules for transfers between subsidiaries of a multinational. However, there are also questions about whether those tools meet the standards set by the Court of Justice. Europe's data protection authorities will meet on Feb. 2 to finalize a report on the impact of the decision on the other data transfer tools, which they plan to present on Wednesday. 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 Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Columnist Tom Kacich is a columnist and the author of Tom's Mailbag at The News-Gazette. His column appears Sundays. His email is tkacich@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@tkacich). Reporter Debra Pressey is a reporter covering health care at The News-Gazette. Her email is dpressey@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@DLPressey). By Lucy Piper, Senior medwireNews Reporter Selective sodium channel blockade with the anti-epileptic drug phenytoin protects against acute demyelinating optic neuritis, researchers report. Their phase II study findings showed that treatment with phenytoin at 4 or 6 mg/kg per day for 3 months reduced the extent of retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) loss by a significant 30% compared with placebo, with a 7.15 m difference at 6 months after accounting for RNFL thickness in the unaffected eye at baseline. Macular volume loss was also significantly reduced by 34%, with a 6-month adjusted difference between phenytoin and placebo of 0.20 mm3. Phenytoin was associated with less optic nerve area loss, but not significantly so. These results are consistent with the suggestion that phenytoin protects the ganglion cells (which make up about 34% of macular volume) and their axons in the RNFL and the optic nerve via partial inhibition of the voltage-gated sodium channels in an episode of inflammatory demyelination, say researcher Raju Kapoor (National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK) and team. They randomly assigned 86 patients within 14 days of onset of visual loss to receive phenytoin or placebo; five were lost to follow-up leaving 39 in the phenytoin group and 42 in the placebo group. Due to expected swelling of the RNFL in the affected eye at baseline, the team compared RNFL thickness loss in the affected eye at 6 months with that of the unaffected eye at baseline. This showed an average decrease of 16.69 m among patients taking phenytoin, compared with 23.79 m among those taking placebo. Significant reductions in RNFL thickness at 6 months were also seen in 10 patients who were withdrawn early from phenytoin due to a skin rash. The corresponding decreases in macular volume were 0.39 mm3 for the phenytoin group versus 0.59 mm3 for the placebo group. There was no effect on low-contrast visual acuity or visual evoked potentials, however. Phenytoin treatment was generally well tolerated among the patients who continued treatment for 3 months, with no acute deterioration of vision or evidence of blood count or liver dysfunction. There was also no rebound deterioration when the drug was stopped. Reporting in TheLancet Neurology, the researchers point out that using the RNFL in the unaffected fellow eye at baseline for comparison, is prone to error, and they would recommend using optical coherence tomography (OCT) segmentation methods to avoid this issue in future trials. This recommendation was upheld by Shiv Saidha and Peter Calabresi, from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, who say in a related comment that regular OCT measures between baseline and 6 months would have excluded a possible anti-inflammatory effect by monitoring for resolution of initial RFNL swelling and optic nerve inflammation. The commentators also suggest that measuring ganglion cell plus inner plexiform layer thickness as an estimate of ganglion neuronal integrity may be a better alternative to RNFL thickness because it does not swell during acute optic neuritis. Although the results of this study are a major advancement and undeniably encouraging, future studies need to include more frequent OCT sampling, as well as more detailed OCT-segmentation derived retinal measures, they conclude. 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. By Shreeya Nanda, Senior medwireNews Reporter Total cancer-related mortality rates for men and women in the European Union (EU) will decline in 2016, say researchers who predict falls in death rates from most neoplasms, including leukaemia. However, despite the generally favourable outlook, an increase in mortality attributable to lung and pancreatic cancer in women can be expected, they add. Using World Health Organization death certification data and population data from Eurostat, Carlo La Vecchia (Universita degli Studi di Milano, Italy) and colleagues estimate a total of 1,359,500 deaths from cancer, a 3.3% increase since 2011. But the predicted age-standardised cancer mortality rates by gender are 133.5 per 100,000 men and 85.2 per 100,000 women in the EU, which correspond to decreases of 7.7% and 3.3% compared with 2011. And thus, the authors anticipate a favourable outlook overall in spite of the increase in the absolute number of cancer deaths, which they attribute to the ageing European population. In both men and women, lung cancer is the malignancy with the highest age-standardised cancer mortality rate (per 100,000), but while in men the rate will decrease from 38.07 in 2011 to 34.01 in 2016, women will experience a rise from 13.61 to 14.35. The rate of pancreatic cancer-related mortality, which the investigators note is the tumour with the least favourable outlook in both genders, is estimated to remain stable in men (7.93 in 2011 and 7.88 in 2016), but to increase in women (5.39 in 2011 and 5.60 in 2016). For all other cancers included in the analysis, mortality rates are projected to fall in 2016 for instance, stomach cancer mortality is projected to decline relative to 2011, from 7.06 to 5.98 in men and 3.31 to 2.76 in women. And similar favourable trends are expected for neoplasms of the colon and rectum, prostate, breast and uterus (including the cervix and corpus). This also holds true for leukaemia in 2016 the predicted age-standardised mortality rates range from 3.56 for Spain to 4.53 for Poland in men, and from 2.12 for the UK to 2.78 for Italy in women. These correspond to decreases of 921% in both men and women relative to 2007. The decreases in leukaemia-related mortality are expected across all age groups, but with appreciably larger declines in younger age groups for instance, in males aged 014 years, death rates will fall by 38%, compared with a decrease of 19% for men in the 4569 age group. Therapeutic advancements are the main drivers of these trends; these include better diagnosis, multidrug chemotherapy and immunotherapy protocols assisted by toxicity limiting therapies and improved radiotherapy, the team writes in the Annals of Oncology. Lead author Carlo La Vecchia said in a press release: Predictions of death rates from leukaemia are complicated by the fact that leukaemias are a varied collection of blood cancers, with some being more treatable than others. However, the important falls in overall death rates from this group of diseases are very encouraging and are a testament to the hard work of researchers and clinicians in developing and implementing better diagnosis and treatments. 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. Ocean acidification may be impacting upon the population dynamics of marine species and hindering their ability to genetically adapt to future climate change. These are the findings of a team of scientists, whose report is published in the journal Scientific Reports, following an investigation into how the gastropod Hexaplex trunculus has responded to ocean acidification over multiple generations. The project, led by Aberystwyth University, in conjunction with a number of European partners, including the Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway; Plymouth University; and the University of Palermo, found evidence that individuals have to trade-off maintaining their shells in order to compensate for a higher cost of living in acidified conditions. But going further, they discovered that that these changes to the energy budget may not be the same for males and females, and at a population-level, those individuals contributing to reproduction change year-on-year, resulting in a genetic drift that could hinder the potential for genetic adaptation to ocean acidification. Ben Harvey, of the Institute of Biological, Environmental, and Rural Sciences, at Aberystwyth, said: "Despite growing evidence for direct impacts on specific species, few studies have simultaneously considered the effects of ocean acidification on individuals and population level demographic processes. By using carbon dioxide vents as natural laboratories, we have found that ocean acidification may hamper normal breeding habits and reduce the potential for species to adapt." H. trunculus, which grows to nearly 10cm, is a commercially valuable species of mollusc, one widely consumed in African countries that border the Mediterranean. In the course of the project, the scientists looked at communities clustered at three sites off the coast of Isola Vulcano in Sicily characterised by different levels of CO 2 . Genetics & Genomics eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today Those at the CO 2 -rich site were found to have a significantly lower mean shell length, and smaller, thinner shells than those at the two neutral sites. They also found significantly fewer females present in the Low pH site (32.26%), while the sex ratio in the control pH sites was around 50%. As part of the research, the team relocated some specimens from one site to another and after a 14-day period of exposure, extracted them to the laboratory to analyse the physiological response through its metabolic rate. They found notably higher metabolic rates for those that had been exposed to acidic waters, pointing to evidence of acclimatisation. "Acclimatisation can buffer populations against the immediate impacts of ocean acidification, and even provide time for adaptation," said Samuel Rastrick, of the Institute of Marine Research. "However, it can also result in stress-induced energetic trade-offs, and unless organisms can compensate for the extra costs caused by ocean acidification, then they may suffer negative consequences in the form of reduced growth, development and reproduction." Pippa Moore, also of Aberystwyth University, added: "Should organisms be unable to maintain their energy budgets, then they may lack the necessary energy to contribute to future generations." Professor Jason Hall Spencer, of Plymouth University, concludes: "Overall, this study demonstrates that ocean acidification is driving individual and population level changes that will impact eco-evolutionary trajectories, and highlights the need for deeper understanding of the links between individual effects and (often unknown) population demographics in order to predict and manage the consequences of climate change." While world health leaders race to contain the spread of the mosquito-borne Zika virus in the Americas, researchers at the University of Iowa are reminding doctors in the United States to be on the lookout for two other vector-borne and potentially life-threatening diseases that can be passed from mother to child through the placenta. Chagas' disease and Leishmaniasis are parasitic diseases found in Mexico, Central America, and South America. In addition, Leishmaniasis also is found in some parts of Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and southern Europe. Blood-sucking insects are blamed for transmitting both diseases. Now that scientists know the pathogens can also be passed congenitally, global travel and migration have made people in the U.S. vulnerable. The problem is that most American doctors don't think of parasites from far away places when a sick baby arrives in their office. That needs to change, says Christine Petersen, associate professor of epidemiology at the UI College of Public Health and corresponding author of the paper "A Mother's Gift: Congenital Transmission of Trypanosoma and Leishmania Species," which appeared online Jan. 28 in PLOS Pathogens. "Congenital transmission will be the predominant way that kids in the United States get these diseases because we don't have the bug problem," Petersen says. "So, you might have a child going into heart failure or with an enlarged liver and spleen, and the doctors can't figure out what's going on, and the child is on death's doorstep." Petersen's concern comes at a time when public health and infectious-disease experts are scrambling to understand the impacts of infection with the Zika virus, which has been connected to a neurological disorder cropping up in Brazil that results in babies being born with abnormally small heads. There is neither a vaccine to prevent Zika nor medicine to treat it. The newly published paper is a review of previous studies about Chagas' disease and Leishmaniasis and serves as a reminder for U.S. health care workers to remember these diseases when examining sick children whose mothers have come from areas where such illnesses are more common. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 8 million people in Mexico, Central America, and South America have Chagas' disease, and most of them do not know they are infected. In those areas, the triatomine beetles--the so-called "kissing bugs"-- usually pass on the disease. If untreated, the infection can be life threatening. In the acute phase of the disease, a patient can suffer fever, fatigue, body aches, headache, rash, loss of appetite, diarrhea, and vomiting--signs that are also common to other illnesses, which is why doctors often overlook Chagas' disease. But once a patient reaches the chronic phase of the disease, he or she can experience serious cardiac and intestinal complications. Leishmaniasis, which usually affects the spleen, liver, and bone marrow, is spread by sand flies infected with Leishmania infantum parasites. According to the CDC, the number of cases ranges from 200,000 to 400,000 worldwide. Dogs, it seems, are a reservoir host for both diseases. Research involving infected dogs proved that Leishmaniasis could pass across the placenta, something that was considered possible by some medical doctors and veterinarians but not widely accepted. Petersen and other UI researchers were the first to confirm five years ago that Leishmaniasis could be passed congenitally. Petersen says there are drugs to treat Chagas' disease and Leishmaniasis, but they are somewhat toxic and have significant side effects, especially in children. Most countries where these parasitic diseases are common take preventative measures instead, such as soaking bed nets with insecticides, to deter infected blood-sucking bugs. The next step for UI researchers is an 18-month vaccine trial on 600 dogs, funded by the Morris Animal Foundation, a nonprofit organization that invests in science to advance animal health. But the researchers' goal is to also prevent the spread of these diseases between animals and people. "This is a whole new ballgame," Petersen says. "Those who have the disease but aren't sick yet, can we turn the tide for them? If we do find that the vaccine does make the dogs better, then the question is, 'Does it help not passing it on to their puppies?'" Health care systems and providers need to understand the unique realities of military culture in order to work effectively with veterans and military families, according to the findings of a study by a University at Buffalo research team. Results of the paper published in the journal Military Behavioral Health suggest that health care and mental health care providers and staff should receive training that provides them with enough knowledge to understand the military's culture and values and how that belief system also affects the veterans' transition from a service member identity to a civilian identity. The paper is among the first to also document the necessity of addressing the many difficulties facing military families in the community, everything from challenges arising when family members are deployed to their return home following their discharge. "Military service - and combat experience in particular - is a profound life experience that many civilians do not understand - and veterans are well aware of this," says Lisa Butler, associate professor in the UB School of Social Work and the paper's first author. Using four different focus groups - two male veterans groups, one female veterans group and one comprised of veterans' family members - the researchers asked about the collective health care experience and what participants perceived to be the gaps and needs in health care and mental health care provision. The research team used a sample of veterans in the community rather than one recruited from patients in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system. "The VA research is important, but we don't know if those findings can be generalized across the entire veteran population," says Butler, who is also the principal investigator of Joining Forces-UB, a team comprised of UB faculty and staff from the schools of Social Work and Nursing who are collaborating to better address the needs of veterans and military families through research and by developing training programs for students in both schools. "Many people do not realize that only about one in three veterans turn to the VA for their health and mental health care and that most research on veterans is conducted with those in the VA system. This is why the research mission of our Joining Forces-UB project is so unique - we are seeking to better understand the needs of all veterans and military families by conducting community-based research." Butler says health care and mental health care providers require what Joining Forces-UB is calling "military/veteran cultural competence." "Just as you want to be culturally competent working with any population, with veterans it is particularly important because they may shut you out if they suspect a lack of understanding. They'll walk away." A military service history can have wide-ranging effects on a veteran's life, according to Butler. Veterans feel the framework from which they emerge is not appreciated by the population at large and she says that shortcoming may create obstacles for health care providers that make it difficult for them to understand a veteran's health care needs. "Providers who bring military/veteran cultural competence to their interactions with veterans have the potential to enhance outcomes and increase quality of care. This is in addition to preventing veterans from walking away from care that may be beneficial," says Braden Linn, a doctoral candidate in the UB School of Social Work and one of the paper's co-authors, along with Mary Ann Meeker, associate professor in the UB School of Nursing, Katie McClain-Meeder, project manager on Joining Forces-UB, and Thomas Nochajski, research professor in the UB School of Social Work. But the questions that might fill the gaps and satisfy the needs of veterans often go unasked because of the absence of that cultural competence. Butler says that outside of Veterans Affairs hospitals, asking about military service is rarely part of a patient's intake. "Providers outside of the VA often don't think about a client having military experience or how that service might affect the veteran's presenting condition; how to treat them; or how they'll respond to treatment," she says. "The critical issue is to ask about past military service, and then follow up with questions about hazardous exposures that are known to be specific to their era of service - these are listed on the VA's website. It is also important to have a basic knowledge of military culture and what that could mean for how veterans approach their health care." Even the paper's title, "We don't complain about small things," alludes to an ideal obvious to veterans that health care providers don't always grasp. "That's a quote from a veteran," says Butler. "She was speaking to the lack of understanding often present in health care. She was saying that it takes a lot for a veteran to seek help and so a medical complaint should never be viewed as trivial." She says that veterans are proud of their toughness but it can make it difficult for them to seek services. "Cultivating military/veteran cultural competence can help providers deliver better care--care that acknowledges the veteran's unique history and its significance in a veteran's life even after they transition to the civilian world," says Butler. "If providers don't understand that, they won't be as effective in the care they provide." An average of 30 years had passed since the traumatic events that had left them depressed, anxious, irritable, hypervigilant, unable to sleep well and prone to nightmares. But for 12 people who were involved in a UCLA-led study -- survivors of rape, car accidents, domestic abuse and other traumas -- an unobtrusive patch on the forehead provided considerable relief from post-traumatic stress disorder. "We're talking about patients for whom illness had almost become a way of life," said Dr. Andrew Leuchter, the study's senior author, a UCLA professor of psychiatry and director of the neuromodulation division at UCLA's Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. "Yet they were coming in and saying, 'For the first time in years I slept through the night,' or 'My nightmares are gone.' The effect was extraordinarily powerful." The research, which has been presented at three scholarly conferences and published in the journal Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface, revealed the first evidence that trigeminal nerve stimulation, or TNS, holds promise for treating chronic PTSD. "Most patients with PTSD do get some benefit from existing treatments, but the great majority still have symptoms and suffer for years from those symptoms," said Leuchter, who is also a staff psychiatrist at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System. "This could be a breakthrough for patients who have not been helped adequately by existing treatments." Based on the study, which was conducted primarily with civilian volunteers, the scientists are recruiting military veterans, who are at an even greater risk for PTSD, for the next phase of their research. TNS is a new form of neuromodulation, a class of treatment in which external energy sources are used to make subtle adjustments to the brain's electrical wiring -- sometimes with devices that are implanted in the body, but increasingly with external devices. The approach is gaining popularity for treating drug-resistant neurological and psychiatric disorders. TNS harnesses current from a 9-volt battery to power a patch that is placed on the user's forehead. While the person sleeps, the patch sends a low-level current to cranial nerves that run through the forehead, sending signals to parts of the brain that help regulate mood, behavior and cognition, including the amygdala and media prefrontal cortex, as well as the autonomic nervous system. Prior research has shown abnormal activity in those areas of the brains of PTSD sufferers. "The chance to have an impact on debilitating diseases with this elegant and simple technology is very satisfying," said Dr. Ian Cook, the study's lead author. Cook co-invented TNS at UCLA; now on leave from his faculty position, he is serving as chief medical officer at Los Angeles-based Neurosigma, Inc., which is licensing the technology and funding the research. Neurosigma is already marketing the technology overseas and has plans to make it available to patients in the U.S. PTSD affects approximately 3.5 percent of the U.S. population but a much higher proportion of military veterans. An estimated 17 percent of active military personnel experience symptoms, and some 30 percent of veterans returning from service in Iraq and Afghanistan have had symptoms. Sufferers often have difficulty working with others, raising children and maintaining healthy relationships. Many try to avoid situations that could trigger flashbacks, which makes them reluctant to socialize or venture from their homes, leaving them isolated. People with the disorder are six times more likely than their healthy counterparts to commit suicide, and they have an increased risk for marital difficulties and dropping out of school. For the recently completed study, the researchers recruited people with chronic PTSD and severe depression who were already being treated with psychotherapy, medication or both. While continuing their conventional treatment, the volunteers wore the patch while they slept, for eight hours a night. Before and after the eight-week study, the study subjects completed questionnaires about the severity of their symptoms and the extent to which the disorders affected their work, parenting and socializing. The severity of participants' PTSD symptoms dropped by an average of more than 30 percent, and the severity of their depression dropped by an average of more than 50 percent, the study reports. In fact, for one-quarter of the study subjects, PTSD symptoms went into remission. In addition, study subjects generally said they felt more able to participate in their daily activities. Leuchter is working with the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System to recruit 74 veterans who have served in the military since 9/11 for the study's next phase. Half will receive real treatment and half will be given a fake TNS patch, in the way a placebo pill would be used in a drug trial. At the end of the study, subjects who were using the fake patch will have the option of undergoing treatment with an actual TNS system. TNS treatment has been shown to be effective in treating drug-resistant epilepsy and treatment-resistant depression. "PTSD is one of the invisible wounds of war," Cook said. "The scars are inside but they can be just as debilitating as visible scars. So it's tremendous to be working on a contribution that could improve the lives of so many brave and courageous people who have made sacrifices for the good of our country." You Don't Need To Have A Bundle Of Products To Get The Diwali Look Germany's Michael Ballack (13) and Ecuador's Luis Valencia, right, battle for the ball during the first half of the match. (Photo: AP) First look - JMS returns to Thor as the Thunder God prepares to battle Thanos in Death Notes special Thor visits Thanos' past and future with a host of all-star creators Men chopped up, set on fire Fire officers of the Rio Claro Fire Station were called in to extinguish the blaze. But when the flames were doused firemen and police made a grisly discovery the almost skeletal remains of the two men were found inside a room. Investigators believe both men were chopped and their bodies subsequently set on fire inside the house. Blood stains were also found along the roadway near to the house. Investigators said that the blood was from one of the victims who may have attempted to escape during the attack. When Newsday visited the area yesterday, neighbours said they were alerted by the crackling sounds and the smell of smoke. I heard the sound of the board crackling in the house crackling, and I looked outside, and saw my neighbours house on fire. I did not know if anyone was inside, but when I saw the police and firemen bringing out the bodies that was when I realised they were inside, said one woman. She said, at first she thought that it was a house fire, but later realised that Ramoutar and Henry were murdered. I knew Ramoutar for a few years when he came up here to live, but I did not know the other man who was his friend. It is really sad to know how they died and the manner they were killed, the mother of five told Newsday in an interview. Newsday learnt that the killers came in a group of four to five persons. It was dark, so all you could see was the headlights on their head, but you could not see their faces. It was so dark, but you could not see anything but the lights, the neighbour said. He said that he saw one of victims run out of the house, but was eventually followed by the group. They dragged him back inside the house. All you could see were shadows. I could not see faces of anyone, so I dont even know if it was Terrence or Joseph who was running out of the house, he said. Ramoutar was the father of a three-month-old baby. Villagers said that he and Joseph were close friends. Joseph (Henry) was from Rio Claro. Whenever he came to visit Ramoutar he would stay by his house for a few days. I really dont know what could have led to such a brutal death, he said. Police are also searching for a 31-year old woman who fled the area one day prior to the killing. The woman is said to have left a letter behind saying that she was not coming back to the area. Sources said that in the letter, the woman is said to have stated that she shared a relationship with one of the victims, and was experiencing problems. The letter is now in the hands of police officers. The bodies were removed and sent to the Forensic Science Centre. Investigations are continuing Crowds lap up bSquare concert The stars wooed and moved the packed audience. The eager soca fans fed off the soca offering offered by the stars. It was a mid-morning filled with fun, surprises and giveaways by the telecommunications company. It was announced that M1 would be this years entrant into this years International Soca Monarch finals. The event began with Winchester delivering last years hit, Shake It before moving into his 2016 hit, Truck Driver. Winchester moved into the audience and had them driving the truck into another part of the audience. The audience then vigorously did the KI dance as the soca chutney King delivered his Same Gyal Twice. He then sang the hits which gave him his third Chutney Soca crown. The Vincentian Skinny Fabulous also moved the crowd with his many hits. But young soca artiste Voice had many cheering to life as he delivered his 2016 hit. To me I am confident in the song and my ability to perform the song. The result is just a bonus to me, he said to Newsday after his performance at bSquare. I want to make sure I go out and put on a memorable show and give the people something that will last. I want to give something with depth, and I want the people to understand the message. Most importantly I want the message to be delivered to the people, he said of his upcoming International Soca Monarch finals performance. Voice said he was overwhelmed by the publics response to the song, and that he has grown tremendously as an artiste since his days as a performer on Synergy Soca Star. Coming in from soca stars days to now, there is a slot of improvement in me. Personally, as a performer/ song writer and being a member of Roy Cape All Stars right now I am learning a lot of things, he said. Third Bass had members of the audience waving bush as he performed Bum Bum/Stush in de bush. The eager audience also enjoyed Iwer George who is celebrating 30 years in the business, Salty, Shardah and M1. Believe It or Not, Some World Leaders Lasted Just Minutes (Newser) An antiquities dealer who inspired tens of thousands to search the Rocky Mountains for $2 million in hidden treasure now leads an increasingly desperate mission to find one of his fans, the AP reports. Forrest Fenn has been flying out in chartered helicopters or planes, searching remote stretches of the upper Rio Grande for any sign of Randy Bilyeu, now missing in the wild for more than three frigid weeks. Fellow treasure hunters also are searching for Bilyeu, who was last seen on Jan. 5 while trying to solve Fenn's mystery. Fenn, an eccentric 85-year-old from New Mexico, has inspired a cult following since his announcement several years ago that he stashed a small bronze chest containing nearly $2 million in of gold, jewelry, and artifacts somewhere in the Rockies. The hidden treasure has inspired thousands to search in vain through remote corners of New Mexico, Yellowstone National Park, and elsewhere in the mountains. The mystery has been featured by national media, igniting even more interest. But the search can be risky: Some have forded swollen creeks in Yellowstone and were rescued by rangers. A Texas woman spent a worrisome night in the New Mexico woods after being caught in the dark. No "Fenner" has been in a more dangerous a predicament than Bilyeu, a 54-year-old grandfather. Family and friends say he bought a raft and set out on Jan. 5 after scouting for two weeks along the river west of Santa Fe. He had a GPS device, a wetsuit and waders, and brought along his little white dog, Leo. His raft and dog were found Jan. 15 with no sign of him. Read the full story here. (Read more treasure stories.) (Newser) A falsely accused Israeli spy has been returned home after being captured in Lebanon this week, and authorities are confident it will soon be soaring over Israel's countryside once again, Haaretz reports. Oh, it should be mentioned the suspected spy is a giant vulture, one that was released into Israel's Gamla Nature Reserve about a month ago, notes the BBC. On Tuesday, it was captured by Lebanese villagers who tied it to a tree after noticing a GPS transmitter on its tail. They were sure it was spying for Israel. In reality, the tracking device was attached by researchers at Tel Aviv University who are trying to bolster the decimated raptor population in the Middle East. UN peacekeepers got involved, and the vulture was returned to Israel on Thursday. Haaretz reports that the bird "received a hero's welcome" upon its return home. The vulturewhich originally came to Israel from Spainwas weak and suffered minor injuries during its capture, but authorities are hopeful it will soon be healthy enough to return to the wild. Surprisingly, this isn't the first time a vulture has been suspected of being an Israeli spy. The BBC notes that the same thing happened with another bird from Tel Aviv University that was captured in 2011 in Saudi Arabia. (Read more vulture stories.) (Newser) The occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge was no Tea Party, a federal judge decided Friday when she denied bail to Ammon Bundy, Ryan Bundy, and three other protest leaders. A lawyer for one of the men, Ryan Payne, had sought to link the militia's actions to America's "long and revered history of political protest," but Judge Stacie F. Beckerman rejected comparisons to the Boston Tea Party or lunch counter sit-ins during the civil rights movement, reports the Washington Post. "Those were peaceful protests," she said. "This was so far beyond a peaceful protest." Bail hearings for three other activists were delayed and prosecutors appealed a decision to grant bail to another, the Guardian reports. Shawna Cox, the only woman being held, can be freed on bail when the occupation ends, Beckerman ruled. At the hearing, Ammon Bundy described himself as a "federalist," the Post reports. "I believe federal government has a role and it is to protect people from the outside world," he said. "I do love this country very much." The Guardian notes that prosecutors argued that Bundy has no respect for the federal criminal justice system, citing an Aug. 2015 Facebook post in which he said: "There is no justice in a federal court." There are still four occupiers at the refuge despite Ammon Bundy's call to "go home," the Oregonian reports. On Friday, one holdout posted a video online saying they won't leave until everybody involved is pardoned. He says the refuge now feels like a "zombie apocalypse." (The FBI has released video of the fatal shooting of a militia spokesman.) (Newser) David Robert Jones' will was filed in court on Friday, the New York Times reports. This is noteworthy only in that Jones was better known as David Bowie, and the estate he left behind is worth approximately $100 million. According to the BBC, half of his fortuneas well as his New York City homewill go to wife Iman. The rest will be split between his two children, with daughter Alexandria also getting a home in upstate New York. In addition, his longtime personal assistant was left $2 million, and his son's former nanny received $1 million. Bowie died following a secretive battle with cancer earlier this month. Bowie signed the will back in 2004 after a heart attack, the New York Daily News reports. According to the Times, he wanted to be cremated in Bali, if possible, after first falling in love with the island during a visit with Iggy Pop in the 1980s. Bowie was recently cremated in New Jersey, but his ashes may be scattered during a Buddhist ritual in Bali, as per his wishes, the BBC reports. According to the Daily News, Bowie is believed to have made most of his fortune from a series of late-career concerts. He also made $55 million selling "Bowie Bonds," through which investors would receive royalties on his back catalog of 25 albums for 10 years. (Read more David Bowie stories.) The security forces in Burundi have released the two foreign journalists early Friday morning. The journalists, Jean-Philippe Remy, a correspondent with the French newspaper Le Monde, and Philip Moore, a freelance British photographer, were arrested in Bujumbura, the capital of the country on Thursday afternoon in a police raid that led to the detainment of 15 other people. The government accused both men of being involved in anti-government activities. Remy and Moore were interviewing opponents of the government before the police conducted the raid in the suburb of Nyakabiga, where they confiscated pistols, a Kalashnikov rifle and a mortar. The statement issued by Burundi's security ministry read, "The two foreigners were arrested in the company of armed criminals," the Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported. Burundi police deputy spokesman Moise Nkurunziza had stated, "If there is no evidence against them, they will be released, of course." The French ambassador Gerrit Van Rossum visited the two acclaimed journalists at the National Intelligence Service (SNR) headquarters, where they were being questioned. Once the authorities determined that the men were not guilty, they were immediately released. Prior to the release, the arrest sparked outcry from France and several organizations. French foreign minister Laurent Fabius called for the "immediate release" of the journalists. Le Monde's statement also called for the release of the journalists, adding that they had "valid visas and were merely exercising their professional duties by meeting all concerned parties involved in the current tensions in Burundi." AFP chairman Emmanuel Hoogsaid, said in a statement to the President of Burundi Pierre Nkurunziza, "There is no justification for the arrest of these two experienced reporters who are widely respected in the profession." "The Burundian authorities should immediately release French journalist Jean-Philippe Remy and British photographer Phil Moore, unless there is a credible legal basis for detaining them, and guarantee their safety," Carina Tertsakian of Human Rights Watch said. The Foreign Correspondents' Association of East Africa (FCAEA) stated, "We know them to be consummate professionals and are disturbed by news of their detention while they were doing their jobs in Bujumbura." Remy and Moore have been recognized for their work in their respective fields. Airlines and cruise ships have responded to the increased fear surrounding the Zika virus by offering pregnant women a refund for trips planned in regions where the mosquito-born virus has been reported, the Washington Post reported. The typically mild virus, which has been "spreading explosively," according to the World Health Organization (WHO), has been linked to microcephaly, a birth defect characterized by an abnormally small head. Due to the link between an infection and the condition, authorities from some countries, particularly Brazil, have advised women to delay pregnancy plans. Women who are already pregnant are advised to be extra cautious. Now, four major U.S. airlines, which include American Airlines, United, Delta and Southwest, have announced their own policies that will allow pregnant women to delay or cancel their trips. American Airlines said that its refund policy will be enforced for pregnant women who have purchased tickets to five specific countries. The company added that it has plans to expand the country list. "If you are pregnant and scheduled to travel to a destination outside the U.S. that is affected by Zika virus, you and your travel companions can request a refund. To qualify, you must provide a doctor's note confirming your pregnancy and stating your inability to travel due to Zika virus," the airline said. United and Delta's policies are broader than American Airlines. Both companies will allow customers traveling to any of the countries listed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to rebook at no extra cost or cancel their trips for a full refund. Southwest stated that their policy will not change for customers concerned about Zika since their current policy already allows people to change their traveling plans without a fee. Aside from major airlines, some cruise ships and companies are also allowing pregnant customers to rebook or cancel their trip at no extra costs. These companies include LATAM and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and Carnival Corp. The countries that are on CDC's list include Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Paraguay, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, Suriname and Venezuela. The WHO expects the virus to reach all but two countries - Canada and Chile - in the Americas with as many as four million people at risk of being affected. New Delhi: MCD sanitation workers will be continuing their protest against Delhi government on Saturday as well, reports suggest that an announcement of making it indefinite can come later in the day. While, people are facing mountains of garbage on roads, Kejriwal government will be announcing a plan to curb the problem. According to sources, Aam Aadmi Party will take help of volunteers to clean the mess residing on roads of the national capital. "The BJP-led MCD is not capable of clearing the garbage and we will not allow the heaps of garbage in Delhi. We will soon come out with a detailed plan for lifting the piles of waste across the city. "I want to assure Delhiites that we will not let them live amidst the garbage. The government on its own will make Delhi a clean city. People won't have to face the problem this time due to the strike by sanitation workers," said Delhi Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra. In October last year, MCD workers had gone into a similar strike for which Delhi Government had released fund with an accusation of salary scam on BJP. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Madhya Pradesh Senior Minister Babulal Gaur, who is quite famous for controversial remarks has said that women should worship at their homes first. they should first worship at home Gaur was quoted saying in a report an English newspaper. Leave it, women can worship at home, he said when his response was sought on the ongoing debate on whether women should be allowed into the temple in Shani Shingnapur, a village about 330 kilometres (KM) northeast of Mumbai. This is not the first time Babulal Gaur is making news for such reasons, earlier, the minister has said that drinking liuquor is a fundamental right and status symbol. Alcohol does not increase crime. People lose their consciousness after consuming alcohol and thats how it causes crime. The person who drinks within control does not cause crime, he said, adding, one should not overdrink. It is ones fundamental right. Drinking is a social status symbol these days. Gaur had previously said that sexual crime in Chennai is low as women wear full clothes. Women in Tamil Nadu wear full clothes and hence the crime rate is lower there as compared to other states, he said after a visit to Chennai. He was also at the centre of a controversy when he recalled at an event on how he had once told the wife of a Russian leader that he can teach her how to untie a dhoti. I told her I cant teach you how to wear it, but I can certainly teach you how to remove it, but that too later, not now, Gaur had said in remarks that angered women right activists. The Minister had also described rape as a social crime, saying sometimes its right, sometimes its wrong. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. London: A British Muslim woman who took her 14-month-old baby to Syria was today found guilty of being a member of Islamic State (ISIS), becoming the first UK woman to be convicted after returning from the strife-torn country. Tareena Shakil, 26, had told the court that she was unaware of the evil associated with ISIS and simply wanted to live under Sharia law. But at the end of a two-week trial in Birmingham Crown Court, the jury concluded that she was guilty of terrorism related activity. ISIS is a dangerous organisation and, at the moment, she should be treated as a dangerous individual, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said. The jury was shown her tweets, messages and photographs, including images of the black flag of ISIS and passages calling on people to take up arms. Shakil dressed up her toddler son for pictures wearing an ISIS-branded balaclava after secretly running away to Syria in October 2014. She told her family she was going on a package holiday to Turkey and instead travelled to Syria, where she remained for several months. Her defence team claimed she had been groomed by ISIS recruiters who had preyed on her vulnerability following the collapse of her marriage. She described in detail her days in Raqqa, the de facto capital of ISIS in Syria in court. She claims to have become disillusioned and frightened and on January 6 this year she left with her child and bribed a taxi driver USD 50 to take her to the border. Shakil flew back into the UK and was arrested by British police at Heathrow airport in early February. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Riyadh: Four people were killed and 18 wounded today when a suicide bomber attacked a mosque in Shiite-populated eastern Saudi Arabia, state media said. The Al-Ekhbariya news channel quoted an interior ministry spokesman as giving the new toll, up from two dead and seven wounded earlier. Residents said the mosque belonged to the minority Shiite community. In a written statement, the ministry said security personnel prevented two bombers from getting inside the Al-Rida mosque in the Mahasen neighbourhood of Al-Ahsa city during the main weekly prayers. When security approached to intercept them, one of them responded by blowing himself up at the mosque entrance while an exchange of fire took place with another, it said. He was injured and arrested. A suicide belt was found in his possession. Since deadly attacks claimed by the Islamic State group last year against Shiite mosques in the kingdoms east, security has been increased, including with the presence of community guards who inspect visitors to houses of worship. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Hyderabad: Activists of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) today protested against the visit of Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi to the Hyderabad Central University campus over the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula even as it called for a bandh in Telangana colleges. Gachibowli Police Station Inspector J Ramesh Kumar said 24 ABVP activists were dispersed. They were not detained. They were identified and dispersed from there, he said. The BJPs student wing called for a bandh of colleges in Telangana in protest against politics over dead bodies by Rahul in the HCU. ABVP strongly opposes the politicisation being done by Rahul Gandhi in Central University at a time when peaceful atmosphere is returning in the university, ABVP national executive member Kadiam Raju said. Gandhi should stop the politics over dead bodies and help restore normalcy in the HCU, he said. ABVP questions why he (Rahul Gandhi) did not console when Dalit women students died in a medical college in Chennai, Raju asked. For the first time after more than a week of turmoil over the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula, academic activities resumed in the Hyderabad Central University yesterday even as protests by students in support of their demands, continued. Academic and administrative activities had come to a stand-still in HCU from January 18, a day after Rohiths suicide, with agitating students spearheading protests seeking justice for him. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Modernist painter Amrita Sher-Gil has been honoured with a Google doodle today on her 103rd birth anniversary. On its home page, the search engine has posted a depiction of Sher-Gils famed painting Three Girls created by Jennifer Hom. To create the final version, Hom has reworked the image to match Sher-Gils style and signature attention to the tone, texture and color of skin and clothing. The reach of the Google doodle is seen in Argentina, Iceland, Portugal,Lithuania, Serbia, Slovenia, Israel, Kenya, Kazhakstan, Indonesia and Japan besides India. Vivid color, graceful forms, and bold strokes mark the remarkable life and work of Indian painter described as the Indian Frida Kahlo, Google says about her works, which have been declared as National Treasures in India. Sher-Gil is considered among the most important Indian painters of the 20th century. Like her Mexican peer Kahlo, with whom she shares Hungarian heritage, Sher-Gil was a rebellious and adventurous spirit who broke barriers in art and life. Born in 1913 to a Sikh father and Hungarian mother in Budaperst, the artist was influenced by both eastern European and South Asian styles and standards of female beauty. She studied and practiced in Paris at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, where she got her start as an artist and life consummate bohemian. After returning to India, she painted many portraits of her family and friends, the most notable being The Three Girls. A total of 95 of the 174 documented works she created over the course of her brief career are held in the collection of the National Gallery of Modern Art. The painter passed away on December 5, 1941 before the age of twenty-nine. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Kolkata: Trinamool Congress leader Mukul Roy today visited the party headquarters after a gap of one year and met party supremo Mamata Banerjee. Roy came to the party headquarters at around 4 pm in the evening and met senior party leaders, including Banerjee. When asked about his meeting with Banerjee, Roy said, I will perform my duty...whatever our party supremo asks me to do. Asked about Roys visit to the TMC Bhawan after a gap of one year, senior party leader Subrata Mukherjee said, He is our party MP and very much part of our party. Roy, a Rajya Sabha MP, had last gone to Trinamool Bhawan in February last year - just days after he was questioned by CBI in the Saradha ponzi scheme scam. Roy, who was once the number 2 in the party, was stripped off all party posts over strained relationship with Banerjee after his interrogation by CBI. But the situation started improving for Roy after he met Banerjee in Delhi in December last year. He also went to Banerjees residence on New Years Day this year. New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh will meet on February 4 to finalise the dates for the Budget session during which the government is keen to pass the GST Bill. The crucial Budget Session is usually held in the third and fourth week of February every year. Since the last two sessions were near washouts and government could not push its legislative agenda fully, it was contemplating an early Budget session this time to ensure the passage of key Bills like GST and Real Estate. Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu had earlier this month met Congress President Sonia Gandhi seeking cooperation for the early passage of the crucial GST bill and the Real Estate bill. Naidu had also said that the government was ready for an early Budget session if the parties agree. The Congress President is learnt to have told Naidu that she will get back to him after consultations with her party leaders. The logjam over the GST, however, continued as the Congress later dismissed as all optics Naidus meeting with Sonia Gandhi seeking her support. Party leaders said that there was no concrete proposal from the government side. The Winter session had ended on December 23, leaving GST, a crucial economic reform bill pending. In the session, the Rajya Sabha saw passage of nine bills but lost 47 hours due to disruptions caused almost every day by Congress which raised one issue after another. The GST Bill, however, could not be passed. The Lok Sabha performed a little better as it passed 13 bills and saw discussions over various issues like price rise, flood and drought situation, despite repeated uproar created by the opposition Congress over various issues. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today hoped the Congress will see reason and help in passage of GST legislation, stuck in Rajya Sabha, in the Budget session of Parliament beginning next month. It (GST) is the important reform of UPA. If I had to credit the authorship of it, I have to give credit to them. Now, If the author turns against his own script, what do I make... I have reached out (and) I have spoken to them. I have explained to them and I hope they will see reason... (and) see the rationale behind passing GST, he said. Speaking at The Economic Times Global Business Summit, Jaitley said the three objections raised by the Congress go against the brain of what they themselves had brought. The minister further said every party with the exception of the Congress is actively supporting the GST Bill. The UPA allies like the RJD, the NCP and the JD-U are openly supporting it, Jaitley said, adding that even the Congress-ruled states are for GST. I dont see a reason why they (Congress) should have a rethink on the Bill. If there is a discussion on a particular idea in the Bill, I am willing to discuss with them... certainly, we cant bound future generations to a flawed legislation, the minister said. GST which will subsume all indirect taxes such as excise duty, service tax and sales tax into one uniform rate, is stalled in the Rajya Sabha as the Congress is pressing for three changes. On whether he took up the GST issue with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi at a recent reception hosted by President Pranab Mukherjee, Jaitley answered in the negative. These are informal occasions, and it is not necessary that you get into a discussion at these forums. I certainly didnt have any political discussions, the minister said, adding that he had earlier talked about GST with Congress leaders on several occasions. For all the Latest Business News, Economy News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Kolkata: Three convicts were sentenced to death while three others got life imprisonment by a Kolkata court on Saturday in Kamduni gangrape and murder case. The three convicts Ansar Ali, Saiful Ali and Amin Ali were sentenced to death while three others Emanul Islam, Bhola Naskar and Aminur Islam were sentenced were awarded life term for gang rape and murder of a 21-year-old girl in West Bengal's Kamduni. The gangrape and brutal murder of the 21-year-old college girl occurred when she was returning home at Kamduni, about 50 km from Kolkata, in North 24-Parganas district after appearing for an examination at her college on June 7, 2013. The second year BA student was pulled into a farm when she was walking back home along a deserted road after alighting from a bus. She was subsequently gangraped and murdered. Her mutilated body was found the next morning in a corner of the farm. The incident had sparked an outrage in the state amidst concerns over womens safety. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: One of the major head turners at the ongoing 8th edition of the India Art Fair is a colourfully gorgeous Art Car by BMW, which has come on board as the official partner for the event this year. Spanish artist and architect Cesar Manrique in the year 1990 created a beautiful riot of colours on the BMW 730i, as part of the automobile giants Art Car Project collection that till date features 17 such cars. Manrique, architect, graphic designer, sculptor and landscape designer, painted eyes on the 730is rear view mirrors to give an impression of the car watching you. The car is the 10th of the companys Art Car Project Collection of 17 such rolling sculptures painted by iconic artists like Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons. The BMW Art Cars are an indispensable component and a core platform of our cultural engagement. They are unique creations combining automobiles, technology, design and art, Philipp von Sahr, President, BMW India, said. The international auto giant which has moved into a three year agreement with the IAF as official partners, has also tied up with DLF for a two month public initiative of engagement with art. Meanwhile Manriques execution of the artwork on the 730i involves a riot of colours in graceful motions of rolling and sweeping lines. Dynamic forms along with glowing red, green, blue and violet tones convey the impression of supple movement. The idea, according to the artist, was one of a bird in flight. The conservationist in Manrique inspired him to design the Art Car that embodied a harmonious combination of technology and nature. Thats why I thought of designing the car in such a way as to give the impression of being able to glide through the air without any resistance, the artist who passed away in a road accident two years after he designed the car said in a statement. Several of the BMW Art Cars are usually on display at the BMW Museum in Munich as part of its permanent collection. The remaining Art Cars travel the globe to art fairs and exhibitions. In 2007, the BMW Art Car Project brought to Mumbais Jehangir Art Gallery two cars painted by the iconic Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein for an exhibition. Chennai: After a hiatus of seven months, the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tirunelveli district resumed power production in its first unit today. The first unit (1000 MW) has begun production by 8 am today, we have started generating about 300 MW and production will be stepped up in a phased manner in keeping with the norms, Project Director, Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project, K P Sundar told PTI. Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant started commercial operations on December 31, 2014 and was shut down for maintenance from June 24 last year. He said during the next step, requisite processes that complement resumption of generation will be taken up. It includes carrying out checks on the turbine generator, and power generation will be increased in a staggered fashion. This is in keeping with the original schedule and according to norms. In December last year, Jayalalithaa had urged the Centre to direct the NPCIL to recommence production in Kudankulam Unit-I early to meet the Tamil Nadu grid demand. She made the request at the 26th Southern Zonal Council meet, chaired by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh at Vijayawada. Her speech was read out by State Finance Minister O Panneerselvam. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Young bureaucrats in India are now taking the change in their hands. They are not waiting for the state and Central governments to take action of the menace in their area. With their new ideas and foresight they have been winning the hearts of the people in their areas. Earlier, Gopalganj District Magistrate Rahul Kumar was in news for helping a widow to get back her job in school. Now, its an IAS officer from Kozhikode of Kerala who has created headlines for his innovative ideas. Kozhikode district collector Prasanth Nair, who is known for bringing innovative ideas to get work done has waved his magic again as he asked locals to clean Pisharikavu lake in Koyilandy in exchange of a sumptuous plate of Kozhikode special biryani. Nair has started a new trend for the other collectors. Needless to say, locals happily obliged and clean the lake. On 26th January, Nair on his Facebook page congratulated the people and said Congratulations to all the volunteers who got together this morning to clean up the Pisharikavu lake in Koyilandy. Cleaning up a 57,000 square meter water body is not a small deal!". The lake was polluted and covered with slug and water hyacinth. The Biryani was funded by a portion of the drought prevention fund of the district administration. He had also mentioned that maintenance of water bodies is essential for prevention of drought in the area. Nair, is very popular in the area for his innovative ideas for civil improvement and good work. Popularly known as 'Collector Bro', Nair is known to encourage crowd funded events. Thank you people of Quilandy.... Thank you Adv Sreejithkumar Mp and team.... thank you all NGOs and volunteers and all Kozhikodens who joined this endeavour. We've enough and more to be done... Posted by Prasanth Nair on Tuesday, 26 January 2016 For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi : Apple is reportedly working to develop a new wireless charging technology. Cupertino, Calif. firm could be developing a new way to charge the iPhone that wouldnt require any cables, the new report suggests. Currently the new technology is under the prototype stage and the company is said to be working with partners in US and Asia to create the new wireless charging technology. Though wireless charging technology is not new as Samsung Galaxy S6 and Google Nexus 6 are some of the phones that support the wireless charging technology. But Apples current technology requires users to charge their devices within a close proximity. While Apple hasnt confirmed any such reports but this technology is implemented, will totally change the way Apple users charge their iPads and iPhones. Its unclear however how this new technology would work for Apple users but an Apple patent describes technology that would use an iMac as a hub to wirelessly recharge other devices within a radius of about one meter. New Delhi : Selfie fever is not new to the world but it has also gripped NASAs car-sized spacecraft called the Curiosity rover which has been taking numerous selfies and sending it back home. In its latest selfie, curiosity rover can be seen beside a dark dune where it has been scooping and sieving samples of sand. This selfies is a combination of 57 images taken on the Namib Dune on January 19 via the curiosity rover. The rover has been investigating a group of active sand dunes for two months and also studying how the wind moves and sorts sand particles on Mars. Steve Lee, deputy project manager for Curiosity at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said that "the rover responded properly to this unexpected event. It stopped moving the actuator and halted further use of the arm and sampling system." Rover has been keeping a check on the movement of sand grains caused by wind on Mars. In case of movement, the team can use the rover's wind measurements to figure out the strength and direction of the winds that caused the movement. Researchers are currently determining the next step for the Curiosity rover. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. London: Britains senior-most judged has spoken out against veils being allowed during criminal trials, saying women should not be allowed to cover their faces in court to rule out any doubts over their credibility. I can see serious difficulties with the idea that a witness should have her head covered where evidence is contested. If there is any question of credibility, it should be uncovered, Lord Neuberger, the president of Britains Supreme Court, told The Times. The jury system works in this country by contested evidence being decided by witnesses giving evidence before a jury and having credibility weighed and one factor taken into account is the impression the witness makes and that includes being able to see the witnesss face, he said. Lord Neuberger told the newspaper that previously he had been misunderstood when he was credited with backing the wearing of veils in court. What I was saying that and I dont think many would disagree was that witnesses and parties in court may have beliefs, convictions, which are not those that most people have or the judge is familiar with and the judge should be sympathetic and understanding of those factors, such as a woman not used to appearing with her face uncovered. He said that judicial policy on veil-wearing was decided on a case-by-case basis and that seemed to be working. Senior judges had been considering issuing guidance but that did not at present seem necessary, he said. If the case-by case system breaks down I would be happy to have a general policy. But if it is not necessary, dont have it, he added. On the UK governments review of Sharia courts, which is expected to begin in the coming weeks, Lord Neuberger said given the concerns that undoubtedly seem to exist, it seems right to have an investigation and a review. His comments come days after UK schools inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw warned that schools in the country are likely to be marked down if veil-wearing pupils or teachers were seen to impede communication and learning. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Ahead of the Budget, government today hiked the excise duty on petrol by Re 1 per litre and Rs 1.50 on diesel, the third increase this month, to mop up over Rs 3,200 crore in additional revenue, netting in all Rs 17,000 crore in three months. The hike will not result in any increase in retail selling price of the two fuels as it would adjust against the reduction in rates that may have been possible because of the slide in international oil prices. Basic excise duty on unbranded or normal petrol has been increased from Rs 8.48 per litre to Rs 9.48 and the same on unbranded diesel from Rs 9.83 to Rs 11.33, a notification of the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) said. The increase in excise duty will fetch the government over Rs 3,200 crore during the remainder period of the fiscal. This is the third hike in excise duty this month as the government made use of the slump in oil prices to shore up resources at a time when its disinvestment kitty is likely to fall way short of target. The government had on January 16 hiked the excise duty on petrol by Rs 0.75 per litre and Rs 2 on diesel to mop up over Rs 3,700 crore in additional revenue. Prior to that the government on January 2 had hiked the excise duty on petrol by Rs 0.37 per litre and Rs 2 on diesel to mop up a little less than Rs 4,400 crore. The three hikes in excise duty this month takes to five the number of times tax rates on the two fuel have been raised this fiscal. On December 17, excise duty on petrol was hiked by Rs 0.30 per litre and Rs 1.17 a litre on diesel to garner Rs 2,500 crore. Previously on November 7, excise duty on petrol was raised by Rs 1.60 per litre and diesel by 30 paise to raise Rs 3,200 crore. With the five increases, the government is expected to mop up over Rs 17,000 crore to meet its budgetary deficit. Prior to these, the government had in four instalments raised the excise duty on petrol and diesel between November 2014 and January 2015 to lessen the reduction in retail rates, which followed falling international oil rates. The four excise duty hikes during this period totalled Rs 7.75 per litre on petrol and Rs 6.50 a litre on diesel. It led to about Rs 20,000 crore in additional revenue to the government, helping it meet the fiscal deficit target. If the government would not have raised these duties, consumer price of petrol and diesel should have been lower by 11.77 a litre and Rs 13.30 per litre, respectively. Petrol currently costs Rs 59.99 per litre in Delhi while diesel costs Rs 44.71 a litre. After including additional and special excise duty, the total levy on unbranded petrol will be Rs 21.48 per litre, as against Rs 20.73, currently. Similarly, on unbranded or normal diesel, total excise duty after including special excise will be Rs 17.16 per litre compared with the Rs 15.66 now. The basic excise duty on branded petrol has been raised from Rs 9.66 per litre to Rs 10.66 and the same on branded diesel from Rs 12.19 to Rs 13.69 per litre, the CBEC notification said. The government had collected Rs 99,184 crore in excise collections from the petroleum sector in 2014-15, which stood at Rs 33,042 crore in the first quarter of the current fiscal. For all the Latest Business News, Economy News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Mumbai: The CBI which is probing the Sheena Bora murder case today opposed the bail plea of Sanjeev Khanna, former husband of the prime accused Indrani Mukerjea, before the special court here. Khanna was involved in a heinous crime and there was sufficient evidence against him, CBI said. Khannas lawyer Shreyansh Mithare had filed the bail plea on January 13 saying the CBI had failed to find any possible motive on Khannas part for committing the crime and he had been wrongly implicated. The CBIs reply says that Khanna and Indrani made all efforts to conceal the murder of Sheena, Indranis daughter from an earlier relationship, and he, being an influential person, may tamper with the evidence and influence material witnesses, and even abscond if given the bail. The special CBI judge H S Mahajan today extended the judicial custody of Indrani, Khanna and her former driver Shyam Rai till February 12. Meanwhile, advocates Amit Desai and Kushal Mor today completed arguments seeking bail for Indranis husband and former media baron Peter Mukerjea. Desai said Peter was arrested in the case inspite of his cooperation with the investigation agencies. Not a single incriminating material came up against Peter and if slightest material had come against him he would have been put under arrest earlier, said Desai. Peter was arrested on November 19, the same day the CBI chargesheeted Indrani, Khanna and Rai. When charge sheet was filed there was no suspicion on him and it was filed without any indication of his arrest, the lawyer said. Peter also underwent a lie detector test as he had nothing to hide and was not involved in the crime, said Desai. In the reply to bail application the only material CBI placed is that Indrani in her statement...said she had told Peter about the murder on April 24, 2012, itself, he said. What warranted Peters arrest on November 19 was not mentioned in CBIs reply and he was arrested solely on the basis of Indranis statement, Desai said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Mobile phone production in India has reached 100 million with leading companies setting up their manufacturing base in the country, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said today. Today, I am happy to announce that in December, Rs 1.14 lakh crore investment has come in electronic manufacturing in India. We have attracted around 15 new mobile plants. Earlier in 2014, 68 million (mobile phones) were being manufactured and now 100 million are being manufactured, Prasad said at Global Business Summit here. Smartphone sales in India also reached 100 million by the end of December, 2015, he added. All the major companies in the world namely Panasonic, Mitsubishi, Nidec, Samsung, Bosch, Jabil, Flextronics, Continental are in India besides all the top Indian companies who are already here, Prasad said. Indian Cellular Association founder and President Pankaj Mohindroo said that in terms of value, mobile phone production in the country has increased by 95 per cent in the ongoing financial year as compared to the previous fiscal. Government has made sincere efforts to boost mobile phone production in the country. The new investment has created 30,000 new jobs in the country and state governments have shown keen interest in attracting these investments, Mohindroo said. Prasad said penetration of Internet is rising rapidly and increased by 100 million in a year to 400 million, including through mobile phones. With Gods blessing, I am confident that at this growth rate we will cross 500 million, he added. The minister reiterated his support for experimentation of new technologies in the country, including that of Project Loon by Google and White space spectrum use for broadband by Microsoft. Once the pilot becomes successful, then depending on security concerns, final call will be taken, Prasad said. He added that India is growing at a phenomenal pace and the government is looking to expand reach of technology through broadband network being laid out in rural India. We have scaled up optical fibre laying work by 500 times (compared to work done under previous government), Prasad said. The minister lauded the efforts of operators who have built huge telecom networks in the country but asked them to use it optimally for providing good service quality as well. Kolkata: Terming tolerance as the need of the hour, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said that no religion teaches one to be intolerant and that Hinduism with its message to respect all has evolved into a universal religion. We must be broad minded. No religion has taught us to be intolerant. Hinduism is a universal religion with its broadness and teachings to respect people belonging to all other faiths, Banerjee said inaugurating the centenary celebration of Bharat Sevashram Sangha here. Indias culture gives the lesson of unity in diversity irrespective of caste, creed and religion, she said. The CM said that the century old tradition of the Bharat Sevashram Sangha in helping the people in distress, has earned the humanitarian organisation enormous goodwill in the country and abroad. We are proud of being able to confer Banga Bibhushan on this respectable organisation for social service in 2015, the Chief Minister said while pledging all help and cooperation to the organisation. Earlier, Banerjee had in a tweet conveyed best wishes to the people of all communities on the occasion of Harmony Day. Speaking on the occasion, Bangladesh Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan also lauded the Bharat Sevashram Sangha for its social work in the neighbouring country, especially during flood and cyclones in past years. Khan recalled memories of his association with Sanghas service to humanity on various occasions in Bangladesh. The Bharat Sevashram Sangha General Secretary Swami Biswatmananda Maharaj said the centenary celebration attended by the national and international dignitaries, was the beginning of a series of programmes to be held throughout the year. Founded by Swami Pranavanandaji Maharaj in 1917, at Faridpur in Bangladesh, the Bharat Sevashram Sangha is considered one of the biggest social service organisations in India. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Mumbai: A magistrates court here today sent a youth arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad for allegedly recruiting boys here for the ISIS to a childrens remand home, as his lawyer claimed he was just over 16. The court remanded him to remand home and asked the ATS and the defence to adduce (more) evidence about his age, an ATS officer said. When the boy was produced before the court, his lawyer Chirag Shah showed his SSC certificate to establish that he was 16 years and 8 months old. ATS, on the other hand, produced electoral roll from the website of Election Commission where his age is shown as 20. The magistrate then remanded the boy to childrens home and directed the defence and the prosecution to satisfy the court on the point of his age at next hearing on February 8. The prosecution said the accused was second-in-command of ISIS in India and was assigned the task of recruiting. He ran two safe housesone in Mumbai and another in Goafor the training of recruited youths, it said. The accused was arrested last week from Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh. ATS suspects he allegedly radicalised and guided Ayaz Sultan who left the country last month, reportedly to join ISIS. The ATS has registered a case against Ayaz, former BPO employee. Ayaz and three other youths reportedly left home to join ISIS after being allegedly radicalised by the accused. Two of themNoor Mohamad and Wajid Shaikhreturned in last week of December. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Maharashtra will join hands with large and small hotel industries to popularise its local cuisines like puran poli and vada paav across the country and even worldwide, a senior state government official said today. Snacks like puran poli have become favourite with Delhiites, with the little spectacular colourful journey of Maharashtra with a bite of hot vada paav. We will tie up with large and small hotel industries and caterers to promote puran poli and vada paav nation and worldwide, state Tourism and Culture Secretary Valsa Nair Singh said here. She made the remarks on the concluding day of Maha Jatra (mega fair), which was also attended by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The state government had organised a two-week event to promote culture and heritage of Maharashtra at Delhi Haat. Meanwhile, Fadnavis announced 2017 as Maharashtra Visit Year, a move aimed at promoting tourism in the state. The Chief Minister also felicitated renowned art director Nitin Desai, Paithani sari maker Jitendra Rajput, handloom artist Rajendra Ankam and owner of Maha food stall Shubhami Chipalunkar during the event. For all the Latest Lifestyle News, Food News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj has reportedly said that the Rohith Vemula, the PhD student from the University of Hyderabad, who committed suicide, was not dalit. "The facts have come out in the case and as per as my complete knowledge, that student (Rohith) was not a dalit. By calling him a dalit student, this whole case has been raised as a communal incident by some people," news agency ANI quoted Swaraj as saying. Rohith allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in the hostel room. Six research scholars, including Rohith, were suspended by the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) in August 2015 over an alleged attack on an ABVP leader. The HCU has already revoked suspension of the four students, following uproar over Vemula's suicide. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. , . Currently Reading 13 Points to know about heroin WASHINGTON Connecticut is one of 15 states targeted in a White House plan to tackle heroin use and drug trafficking. The plan, announced Monday, will emphasize treatment over punishment for addicts and will pair a public health official with a law enforcement specialist in each of the 15 states, Michael Botticelli, the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy said. The program will provide $2.5 million in funding for programs in five High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas, on the East Coast that face a severe heroin threat, Botticelli said. The areas include New England, New York/New Jersey, Washington/Baltimore, Philadelphia/Camden and Appalachia. The new Heroin Response Strategy demonstrates a strong commitment to address the heroin and prescription opioid epidemic as both a public health and a public safety issue, Botticelli said. This administration will continue to expand community-based efforts to prevent drug use. With heroin overdoses increasingly common in suburban communities from Greenwich to New Milford, the federal effort could be a much-needed lifeline for Connecticut. The number of annual heroin-related deaths in the state almost doubled from 174 in 2012 to 325 last year, according to state records. National statistics are equally alarming. Annual heroin-related deaths across the U.S. nearly tripled between 2002 and 2013, the National Vital Statistics System reports. The public health/law enforcement teams will work to collect overdose data, trace the origins of heroin and expand access to naloxone, the anti-overdose drug also known by its brand name as Narcan. The White House initiative echoes a string of recent efforts in Connecticut to curb heroin use through prevention instead of prosecution. For too long, we built modern jails instead of modern schools, and we invested in permanent punishment instead of smartly investing in permanent reformation, said Devon Puglia, a spokesman for Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. We as a state are making strides in working to curb opioid addiction, and were focused on providing help to those who need it. After the CDC declared heroin use a public health crisis in the U.S., Malloy in July signed a bill that allows pharmacists to prescribe naloxone more widely. In 2014, the states Good Samaritan law was expanded to protect those who administer the drug in an emergency. Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., have been pushing since 2014 for federal action to address the threat of heroin in Connecticut. Last week, Blumenthal spearheaded a roundtable discussion in Torrington on the problem. The plan is part of $13.4 million total White House funding for prevention programs covering 48 states across the country, as well as Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia. tatiana.cirisano@chron.com; @tatianacirisano On December 31st 2015, Prophet T.B. Joshua prophesied that Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari would face 'overwhelming pressure... The president will do everything to reject revaluation of the naira which is a good idea from a good leader," Joshua stated in a live broadcast on Christian television network Emmanuel TV during a special New Year's eve service."But there will be overwhelming pressure which he will not be able to resist. Nigerians, support and pray for your leader. The future is crying for help.Four days later, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Chief, Christine Lagarde, embarked on an official visit to the West African nation.Underneath the polished financial rhetoric, high on the agenda was a clear push for Buhari to devalue the naira, heightened by the drastic reduction in oil prices worldwide, Nigeria's major source of revenue.Influential financial newspapers have reiterated this call with media such as Financial Times, Forbes and Bloomberg blunt in their appraisal that economic disaster was nigh in Nigeria lest drastic action be taken by the government over the currency.In an article published Saturday January 30th 2016 titled, 'Hope The Naira Falls' by The Economist, the magazine stated, "President Muhammadu Buhari is repeating an economic error he made as dictator 30 years ago," citing the President's refusal to devalue the naira amidst growing pressure."Instead of letting the naira depreciate to reflect the countrys loss of purchasing power, Mr Buharis government is trying to keep it aloft," the magazine stated, reminding people of the detrimental consequences Nigerians faced when Buhari attempted the same policy during his last stint in power.Among those calling for devaluation is the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mallam Lamido Sanusi, who said devaluation was necessary as the CBN would not be able to sustain its current forex control policies on the long run.With global economic worries rising due to the continuing reduction in oil prices, other oil-producing nations from Angola to Russia and Mexico have let their currencies weaken.However, the central bank of Africas largest economy has determinedly pegged the naira at 197-199 per dollar since March to stem its slide, despite it selling for 306 per dollar on the black market.The policy has led to a shortage of foreign-exchange and been widely criticized by investors and businesses, who blame the restrictions for exacerbating the countrys economic slump and discouraging potential investors.However, despite the warnings from economic experts, Nigerian newspapers such as The Punch, The Nation, Daily Sun and Vanguard reported on Friday January 29th 2016 that President Buhari insisted on refusing to follow advice to devalue the naira.He likened devaluation of the Naira to having it murdered and said that those advocating for devaluation needed to convince him further, adding he was not ready to inflict more hardship on the poor citizens of Nigeria.But according to a report by Forbes titled, 'Nigeria Faces 'Bleak' 2016 As Currency Devaluation Looms', the issue is not 'whether' devaluation will happen but 'when'.Intriguingly, the other predictions given by T.B. Joshua at the start of 2016 have also started coming to fruition."More African countries will be under siege by terrorists because of pros and cons in choosing leaders," he warned in the same broadcast, subsequently uploaded on YouTube and viewed up to 300,000 times.The prophecy took on renewed meaning when terrorists stormed a popular hotel in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso on January 15th 2016, killing 30 and injuring countless more - just days after a new government was sworn into power.On January 3rd 2016, Joshua gave a worldwide warning about the volatile nation of North Korea. I am seeing an arrow from there and it will affect the world, he soberly stated, further adding, there are some weapons there the world does not know about".Merely three days later on Wednesday January 6th, North Korea announced that it carried out a successful hydrogen bomb test, a claim that shocked the world and received international condemnation.In the same service, the cleric specifically warned countries of Southern Africa about drought which would take a serious toll on the farming industry.There will be little rain at the wrong time, which is not good for farming, Joshua warned the SADC countries. Many farmers will be discouraged, he continued, calling on the government to build dams and irrigation mechanisms using available water from the sea.IRIN, a world humanitarian news service, reported on Thursday January 28th 2016 that Southern Africa is facing the threat of extensive crop failures this year as a result of record low rainfall in a region in which 29 million people are already going hungry."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 World Food Programme has warned.Joshua was recently named among the most famous prophets in history by an American ranking website, Ranker.com.His ministry has posted numerous videos on YouTube, claiming he has prophesied world events such as the death of pop legend Michael Jackson, the disappearance of Malaysian Airline MH370 and the terrorist attacks perpetrated by ISIS militants in Paris, France. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari will not relent in his war against... The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari will not relent in his war against corruption until the scourge is destroyed in the country.He also called on Nigerians to join the battle against corruption in the country.This is not Buharis war; this is not the All Progressives Congress war. This is a war for all Nigerians and we must all join hands in waging the war, Mohammed said while delivering a lecture on Friday at the Faculty of Arts, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State.He claimed that once the people were determined to fight corruption, they were assured of victory.The minister said, No power has ever been great enough to defeat a people who are determined to win. Let us all form what I call citizens coalition against corruption by speaking up against the crime, refusing to glorify or support looters, irrespective of how much dirty cash they dangle before us, and refusing to be divided along religious or ethnic lines.While listing the effects of corruption in the nation, the minister said Nigeria lost $400bn in the oil sector alone, adding that so much money was stolen by corrupt leaders from the health, education, security and other sectors.According to him, atrocities committed by the Boko Haram insurgents continued for many years because the funds allocated to buy weapons for the military were shared by some corrupt persons.Apart from massive loss of lives and property, Mohammed stated that corruption in public office had caused endemic poverty, poor infrastructure and lack of qualitative health care, among other effects.The minister, however, claimed that corruption had started fighting back, saying some of the corrupt persons had started hiring hack writers, pseudo analysts to attack the Presidents war against corruption in the media.He said, On the part of government, let me reiterate what I said earlier that there is no stopping this fight. Those who doubt the resolve of this administration to successfully wage this battle will learn a tough lesson, a lesson of their lives.Failure is not an option in this fight. In the days ahead, we plan a road show of sorts on corruption sensitisation efforts.Mohammed decried the use of ethno-religious sentiment to weaken the anti-corruption war, but asked Nigerians to ignore the trick because poverty and other effects of corruption did not discriminate between people according to ethnicity or religious beliefs. The Nigerian Medical Association on Friday faulted the 221.7bn allocated to the health sector in the 2016 Appropriation Bill, saying it... The Nigerian Medical Association on Friday faulted the 221.7bn allocated to the health sector in the 2016 Appropriation Bill, saying it portends disaster.The organisation called for an urgent review of the allocation in the interest of justice and urged the National Assembly to halt this looming disaster in the healthcare delivery sector in 2016 immediately.The NMAs comments on the allocation was contained in a statement by its President, Dr. Kayode Obembe, and Secretary-General, Dr. Adewunmi Alayaki.The association described the allocation as a sharp departure from the prescribed 15 per cent of the national budget for health made in 2001 during a meeting of African Heads of States and Government which Nigeria hosted in Abuja.It said although it was not ignorant of the current realities of dwindling oil revenue and contracting fiscal space, it was of the view that the markedly diminished allocation of 3.65 per cent in the 2016 budget proposal would not help the sector.For instance, it said the allocation would never encourage universal health coverage; improved access, quality and efficiency of the health services to reduce the disparaging health indices that continue to malign the image of Nigeria in the comity of nations.We are also in shock as the N60bn (equivalent of at least one per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund) envisaged to accrue as the Basic Health Provision fund as enshrined in the National Health Act 2014 was conspicuously absent from the budget proposal as presented, the association said.Coming at this auspicious occasion of budgeting under the reassuring change mantra, it is our considered opinion that Nigeria should show the way and provide leadership in Africa after having failed in this regard since 2001.Facts from available evidence show that whereas 33 per cent of countries have allocated at least 10 per cent of their national budget to health with only Tanzania, Rwanda, Swaziland, Ethiopia, Malawi and Central African Republic attaining 15 per cent. Nigeria has been revolving between 3 per cent and 6 per cent. The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), has hinted that President Muhammad Buhari has constituted a commi... The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), has hinted that President Muhammad Buhari has constituted a committee to verify claims made by states that want refund for work done on federal roads.Fashola said the move would enable the committee to put a plan in place for refunding the states.The minister disclosed this while on a nationwide inspection, verification and fact finding tour of projects under his ministry, which he began on Monday.A statement made by the Special Adviser, Communications, Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Hakeem Bello, said Fashola visited various sections of the Abuja Abaji- Lokoja Road, the Geregu I and II Power Plants and the Lokoja 330/132/33 KV Transmitting Sub Station in Kogi State.It said the minister visited Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau states during the week to see the state of work at several power, road, housing and other infrastructural projects and facilities under the ministry.It quoted Fashola as saying that the tour would enable him to see projects executed by states that had put up requests for refunds in the North-Central and other zones.Fashola also said that the transport and education ministers would be embarking on similar trips in line with the responsibilities given to the committee.While paying a courtesy visit along with his Minister of State, Mustapha Baba Shehuri, on Monday to the then Governor of Kogi State, Captain Idris Wada, Fashola said the tour was informed by the need to see things for themselves after being briefed in the office.He said, This is the 80th day since our appointments as ministers. We have spent the time before now planning a budget, taking briefings, getting to know our staff, getting to know ourselves and this phase of the work now is to go and see for ourselves some of the things we have read in files across the states, some of the things we have been told in the meetings and to see things as they stand in preparation for implementation. U.S. Textron Systems and the Ukroboronprom State Concern will establish industrial cooperation to modernize U.S. HMMWVs at the Ukrainian defense industrial facilities to the Survivable Combat Tactical Vehicles (SCTV) with improved anti-mine and ballistic protection similar to that of MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) protection. The contract was signed by Textron Systems and SpetsTechnoExport, incorporated in Ukroboronprom. The information that the contract was signed was announced by Ukraine during the International Armoured Vehicles Conference held on January 25 through January 28, 2016 in London, the press service of SpetsTechnoExport reported. The contract entails an initial low rate production of three SCTVs that will be delivered to Ukraine in an ongoing effort to vastly improve the survivability and mobility of their light tactical vehicle fleet as well as a possibility to use the patented Textron Systems technologies for upgrading HMMWVs at Ukroboronprom enterprises. Other details of the contract are not disclosed. "It features a fully-armored, monocoque v-hull crew survivability capsule designed to provide the highest levels of protection technology available in its class of vehicles. Additionally, engine upgrades and suspension enhancements provide for superior performance and mobility," the press service said. According to Interfax-Ukraine's sources in the defense sector, all three modernized HMMWVs will be supplied to Ukraine in 2016. Slovakia will hand humanitarian aid certificates worth of EUR 42,400 to Ukraine. The press service of the Slovakian Embassy in Ukraine told Interfax-Ukraine that Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia Miroslav Lajcak will hand the certificates during his visit to Kyiv on February 1 and February 2, 2016. Two humanitarian aid certificates (EUR 8,700 each) will be provided for the infection hospital of Uzhgorod and Uzhgorod town perinatal center. A certificate of EUR 25,000 will be sent to the Ivano-Frankivsk city mother/baby social and rehabilitation center "St. Nicolas House of Mercy" and the Luhansk infant orphanage that moved to Severodonetsk. The certificate passing ceremony will be held in the Slovakian Embassy in Kyiv on February 1. EWING -- The College of New Jersey's Campus Town has sprung back to life now that students have returned to campus for the spring semester. But the mixed-use development is about to become even busier with the new wave of restaurants and stores that have either opened or are about to open in the coming months. "The retail is starting to pick up again," said Greg Lentine, developer PRC's director of university campus development. "Our initial focus was on the students, getting them in and now it's on the retail." The first retailers opened last semester: Barnes & Noble in August, followed by Spencer Savings Bank and RedBerry Frozen Yogurt in October and Verizon Wireless in December. Art Havier, RedBerry's owner, said the frozen yogurt and smoothies have become a popular treat on campus, but they're now working on getting their name out there to residents from Ewing and other neighboring towns. "We have been well-received without a doubt with the students, but we do need to reach out to the community," he said. When students went home for winter break, the night hours -- normally a busy time -- were much quieter. But Havier is hopeful that outside business will pick up as more retailers open and draw more people in. Piccolo Pronto opened the day before the blizzard hit and the response from both residents and students has been "through the roof," said Amali Elabed, who owns the restaurant with her husband, Fami. The couple own Piccolo Trattoria in Pennington and Newtown, Pa., but wanted to build on the fast-casual pizza concept Fami Elabed had seen on a business trip to California. "He just didn't want to settle making pizzas, so he opened up the menu making customized pizzas, pastas, salads and sandwiches," Amali Elabed said, adding that the dough is made fresh daily. "It's finally come alive. We're really ecstatic." A portion of the proceeds will also help local charities and food banks as part of their nonprofit and "Feed the Knead" program. The next restaurant to open is Panera Bread, which will have its own 4,300-square-foot building and drive-through window. The opening is tentatively scheduled for Feb. 22. Lentine anticipates Mexican Mariachi and Yummy Sushi to open in March, followed by Polished Nails and California Tanning in April. Brickwall Tavern and Dining Room has plans to open its 14,000-square-foot restaurant sometime over the summer, Lentine said. It will serve mostly craft beers and upscale twists on traditional bar fare. "It's a really good mix," he said of the stores moving in so far. PRC is also close to signing a lease with a hair cutter and is in talks with brokers to bring in other retail that can fill the remaining 20,000 square feet, Lentine said. He's now focused on hard goods retailers and some possibilities might include a running store, bicycle shop and women's apparel. Elsewhere on the $120 million project, construction is continuing on the second phase, which will add another 166 beds, bringing the total number to 612. Unlike the others, the new buildings will not have ground-floor retail. Lentine said Campus Town is already 80 percent leased for the 2016-2017 school year. Also included in the second phase is a redesign of the college's entrance. "For such a nice college and now having this in the front, the front entry is a little bit less than what it should be," Lentine said. Plans are still being finalized, but the revamped entrance will include new landscaping, gateways, banner poles, fencing and signs. Lentine also hopes to bring in business over the summer when most students go home. As the college looks to boost the number of summer conferences and events it hosts, he said Campus Town's private bedrooms and kitchens will prove to be marketable. "It's not a dorm situation for adults ... so we're hoping to increase conference business with that," he said. Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook. MARLBORO -- Three people were injured early Saturday morning - one seriously - when the car they were riding in flipped, throwing one of them out of the vehicle, Marlboro police said. The single-car crash occurred at 3:03 a.m. Saturday at Greenwood Road and Dawes Drive in the Morganville section of town, said Marlboro police Capt. Fred Reck. He said police responding to the scene found a 2005 Dodge Neon overturned and one of the passengers ejected and critically injured. That passenger, a 22-year-old male, was flown by MONOC helicopter to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune. The driver - a 21-year-old male - and another passenger - a 22-year-old male, were injured and were treated at the scene by the Morganville First Aid Squad, Reck said. Reck said police were not releasing the identities of the victims pending notifications to their families. The accident remains under investigation. Anyone with information about the incident can contact Cpl. Richard Borowsky of the department's traffic and safety bureau at 732-536-0100, ext. 1545 or at RBorowsky@marlboropd.org. MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook. NEPTUNE - Dozens of high school students donned elegant evening gowns and tuxedos on Friday night in hopes of giving other New Jersey teens the opportunity to go to their proms. During the last nine years, Cinderella's Closet of Monmouth County has helped provide thousands of underprivileged New Jersey high school students with everything they need for their proms, including dresses and tuxedos, accessories, shoes and makeup tips for the students in advance of their big night. On Friday night, hundreds of people attended Cinderella's Closet's annual fashion show, which is its biggest fundraiser, at Jumping Brook Country Club. Usually the models at the fashion show wear designs from area businesses and designers, but this year was different. "We had a lot of great donations from our sponsors this year and we had such a beautiful inventory, so we decided to use the dresses we have and what the girls will be offered at the boutique," said Mary Pat Serhus, a Cinderella's Closet board member. The 501(c) (3) organization was started by two high school girls - Stephanie Tomasetta and Katie Adams - as a chance to give their less fortunate peers an opportunity to enjoy prom night in spite of their families' economic challenges. This year the charity hopes to help 350 high students from throughout New Jersey at its annual prom boutique event, which will be held on Saturday, March 19 at Long Branch High School. "There is unfortunately always a need for what we do, because prom is very expensive," Serhus said. "If you starting adding up the prom bid, the prom dress, the bag, the shoes and everything else, a lot of students couldn't do all of this unless we help them out." In addition to high school students modeling the kinds of designer fashions that the teens Cinderella's Closet helps will choose from at the boutique event in March, outfits designed by area high school students were also featured and judged by a panel of fashion experts. Rob Spahr may be reached at rspahr@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TheRobSpahr. Find NJ.com on Facebook. ASBURY PARK - Every winter thousands of beer lovers descend on Convention Hall for the annual Asbury Park Beerfest. But this year will be different. With the rising number of craft breweries in the state, including several within a short of the city, event organizers say they will continue to try to up their game in terms of the amount and variety of brews available during the festival. "I think we have a little bigger selection every year than what we had the previous years, and with that the excitement level goes up," said James Douglas, one of the event's organizers and the general manager of The Beach Bar and The Anchor's Bend located at Convention Hall. "This year, there will be more of a presence from New Jersey craft breweries, including on from right here Asbury Park, Dark City, which will be a first for us." The beer festival - which fills the first floor of Convention Hall and The Grand Arcade - kicks off with two sold-out sessions on Saturday and then a third session on Sunday afternoon, which still has some tickets available but organizers say those are going fast. "I think people are really starting to become more educated about craft beers, so our audience is widening every year as more and more people out there are looking for opportunities, such as beerfests, to taste beers they haven't experienced before," said Douglas, adding some of the this year's participating brewers are planning to bring specialty, limited-run and higher-end brews, as well as brews that are not typically available this time of year. "People also have the opportunity to meet some of the brewers in person and learn some of the background of the beers that they wouldn't get through trying a beer at a bar or randomly picking something up at the liquor store," Douglas said. The Asbury Park Beerfest also features contests like the popular "Masskrugstemme" - a beer-stein holding competition that challenges participants to show their beer muscles. In addition to the diverse collection of brewers that will be featured during the event, Douglas said the event would also bring some off-season business to some of Asbury Park's newest businesses that were not open during previous beerfests, including the Asbury Festhalle & Biergarten, Asbury Ale House and Dark City Brewing Company. "As Asbury Park continues with its redevelopment, this is really a perfect place to have an event like this," Douglas said. "There is already a built-in audience in this town because a lot of the restaurants here offer a variety of craft beers and spirits, so the people here are knowledgeable about beer. So after they're done at the beerfest, people do head over to check out the restaurants, bars and shopping. A lot of people make an entire day or weekend out of it." --For more information or to purchase tickets to the 2016 Asbury Park Beerfest, click here. Rob Spahr may be reached at rspahr@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TheRobSpahr. Find NJ.com on Facebook. NEWARK -- Hours after thousands of longshoremen walked off the job without warning Friday, an arbitrator issued a finding that the stoppage represented a contract violation and union leaders urged their members to return to work. The New York Shipping Association, which represents the terminal operators, ocean carriers and stevedores, said it expected operations to resume Friday evening. At the same time, it said discussions were underway with the International Longshoremen's Association in regard to outstanding issues, including hiring and technology. "It was agreed to expeditiously seek solutions to these longstanding issues," the NYSA said in a statement. The wildcat strike, which shut down the ports in New Jersey and New York, had caught terminal operators by surprise, unsure at first what had precipitated the surprise walkout. The NYSA, which has an existing collective bargaining agreement with the ILA, had not been negotiating with the union. Union leaders, meanwhile, publicly indicated they also had been caught unaware that their members had been planning to walk off the job. ILA spokesman Jim McNamara, though, pointed to the growing anger by dockworkers over the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor. "They see the commission as a threat to their livelihood, making life miserable for longshoremen," McNamara said. "They have gone way beyond their role of licensing to break down the gains of the ILA." The waterfront commission, a bi-state agency created more than 60 years ago to clean up pervasive corruption and mob influence on the docks, licenses longshoremen. Both the union and the shipping association have frequently chafed at that regulation, arguing that the commission has held up hiring, threatening a labor shortage. Last year, the New Jersey Legislature moved to pull the state out of the commission, but Gov. Chris Christie vetoed the measure. Phoebe Sorial, general counsel for the waterfront commission, said there had been no advance word of the stoppage. She added that the waterfront commission's police were investigating. The shutdown Friday began shortly after 10 a.m., after more than 4,000 union members staged a work stoppage. At the APM Terminal in Port Elizabeth, hundreds of dockworkers stood silently outside the closed gates, but would not answer questions. The scene was similar at terminals at the adjoining Port Newark. The shutdown affected the busiest port on the East Coast, idling thousands of trucks and for a time causing backups on port access roads. No ships were able to be unloaded. A prolonged work stoppage had the potential of billions in losses. The combined terminals of New York Harbor--which include Port Newark, the Elizabeth-Port Authority Marine Terminal, the Howland Hook Marine Terminal, the Brooklyn-Port Authority Marine Terminal, the Red Hook Container Terminal, and the Port Jersey Port Authority Marine Terminal--handle more than 3.3 million cargo containers a year, which represents in some $200 billion in products ranging from food and clothes to furniture and cars. While some were expecting the shipping association to head to federal court to seek an injunction, the NYSA late in the afternoon called an emergency meeting of its contract board with the union. Officials said the session resulted in a deadlock. But in the wake of the meeting, an arbitrator issued an award finding that the work stoppage was a violation of the no strike provision in the union's contract. The ILA leadership responded with a call for its members in the Port of New York and New Jersey to accept orders and return to work late Friday evening. "We have heard your voices, we have heard your concerns, and we have taken action on your behalf," the ILA said in a statement to members. "We urge all ILA members to return to work and will continue to report to you on the progress we make resolving all concerns of our hard working and dedicated ILA workforce." The NYSA, meanwhile, said both sides had discussions with regard to a number of outstanding issues, including hiring and technology. "It was agreed to expeditiously seek solutions to these longstanding issues," the shippers said in a statement. Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook. pat's philadelphia In this May 24, 2000 file photo Pat's King of Steaks, right, and Geno's Steaks, which are both known for their Philadelphia cheesesteaks, are shown in Philadelphia. (AP Photo | Dan Loh, File) (file photo) PHILADELPHIA -- Responding to recent news reports regarding a dirty knife, mouse droppings and a slimy build-up in an ice machine at Pat's King of Steak, owner Frank Olivieri had to clear the air. Contacted by Philadelphia Magazine, Oliveri said the infractions were either blown out of proportion or unavoidable given the circumstances surrounding each -- like having a coffee lid off due to the drink's temperature. Philadelphia health inspectors made approximately 200 unannounced check-ins at restaurants and grocery stores between Jan. 14 and 21. Violations were also found at the 8th Street location of Di Bruno Bros. during an inspection the same day Pat's was cited. The 11 infractions found at the Passyunk Avenue establishment, which has been in business opposite the equally famous Geno's Steaks since 1930, were immediately addressed, according to reports. Per a Nov. 2, 2015 city health inspection report, Geno's was cited for not having a sign posted at food prep area sink reminding workers to wash their hands. The city report adds that the issue was corrected on-site. As for Oliveri's feelings about television news reports earlier this week, the ServSafe-certified owner told Philadelphia Magazine that a singular mouse dropping was found in the basement away from any food products being served. Asked about the ice machine, Oliveri told the magazine that it hadn't been wiped down yet and that the practice is only needed once a week. He added that the location of his business -- a major thoroughfare cutting across South Philadelphia -- leaves it open to all sorts of elements, such as a mouse getting through an open cellar gate. Greg Adomaitis may be reached at gadomaitis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregAdomaitis. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook. Foreign Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu at a meeting in Istanbul (Turkey) spoke of concern that human rights in Crimea occupied by Russia are violated. The press service of the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine reported that on January 29, as part of his working visit to Istanbul Klimkin held negotiations with Cavusoglu and Turkey confirmed that the country supports Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. "The sides expressed the common concern about the continuous violation of human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea occupied by Russia and Sevastopol city and they agreed joint steps on cooperation in the issue," the press service said. The ministry said that during the Ukrainian-Turkish talks the main attention was focused on the preparation for the next meeting of the strategic council of high level and bilateral contacts. The sides also discussed the situation in Donbas in the context of the implementation of the Minsk agreements, a wide range of issues of the global agenda, including problems of regional security, joint steps in combating terrorism, cooperation as part of international organizations and the situation in Syria and Iraq. "Several agreements to deepen cooperation between Ukraine and Turkey in the economic, energy, military and technical, consulate and humanitarian areas have been reached," the press service said. 43 died of heroin overdoses in New Orleans in 2015, coroner says President suggests leaving right to control the PGO to parliament Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko at a meeting with heads of parliamentary factions and deputy groups in the parliament backed a decision to restore parliamentarians' control over the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO). "I've decided to restore parliament's control over the Prosecutor General's Office and return the right of the Verkhovna Rada to express distrust, which entails the resignation of the Prosecutor General," the press service of the Ukrainian president reported on January 27, citing Poroshenko. Draft constitutional amendments, restoring the parliamentary control over the Prosecutor Generals Office, had been submitted to the parliament the day before. The head of state added that "the given draft law includes provisions on the liquidation of judicial immunity and increased responsibility for unjust court decisions," as well as the automatic resignation of judges if they fail to pass the re-credentialing. The president said that the draft constitutional amendments had been prepared for a long time and thoroughly its discussion was deep in content and wide in the range of experts, politicians, public figures and mass media. The president noted that the Venice Commission had approved the draft amendments. "We received a favorable feedback from the Venice Commission, although it didnt endorse total dismissal of judges," Poroshenko said, adding that however, another way to purify judicial system was found through gradual personal assessment of every judge. "Thus, we are making every effort to ensure the independence of judicial power from corruption and political interference," the president said. The head of state urged lawmakers to intensify their work. "We have made significant efforts to create a new law enforcement system. Still, people will not feel the effect from this system until there is a judicial wall of lawlessness, injustice and corruption. That is why I count on your support," Poroshenko said. CARTER LAKE The City of Carter Lake has started the process of replacing former City Clerk Doreen Mowery. At a special meeting on Friday, the Carter Lake City Council voted unanimously to sign a contract for services with the Southwest Iowa Planning Council. Barb Barrick of SWIPCO will work two days per week in the Carter Lake office as the city looks for and transitions a new city clerk. Shell assist a pair of assistant clerks currently in the office. The contract includes paying yearly dues of $2,468 for SWIPCO services. Barrick will perform duties for the city for two months. Im excited to help the City of Carter Lake during this transition, Barrick said, noting shes spent 17 years working in city government, the last five with SWIPCO and 12 previous years as a city clerk in Marengo and Fort Dodge. The big item thats looming is the budget. Thatll be my focus until the council adopts the budget. At its Jan. 18 meeting, the city council voted not to renew the contracts of Mowery and City Attorney Joe Thornton. Councilwoman Barb Melonis was the only member to vote against the firings. On Friday, Councilman Ron Cumberledge echoed his sentiments from that meeting. I still think its a good choice, he said. In the long run, this will work out. Cumberledge said Barrick and the SWIPCO team will provide a new set of eyes to examine how the city has operated in the past and to help provide a road map for the future. Cumberledge said the city hopes to fill the clerks position within the next 60 days. On Jan. 18, Mowery asked that the city perform a special audit as a bookend to her more than 10 years of service. I know I did a good job, she said. I want that on the record. Cumberledge said he doesnt want the city to perform the audit, saying Carter Lake doesnt have $12,000 for a mid-term audit. We feel the outside look from (SWIPCO) will give us a similar look, he said. Melonis said shed like to see an audit happen. In all due respect to Ms. Mowery, we should do that, she said. Two Ukrainian military servicemen injured in mine blast in ATO zone official No Ukrainian military serviceman has been killed in the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) zone in the past 24 hours, yet two servicemen have been injured, Ukrainian Presidential Administration spokesman Andriy Lysenko has said. "None of the Ukrainian servicemen were killed in the hostilities over the past day, but two were injured. They were wounded in the explosion of a mine near Zaitseve," he said at a press briefing in Kyiv on Saturday. He also said that illegal armed formations with 82-mm mortars and grenade launchers prohibited under Minsk agreements shelled Novozvanivka near Popasna. Machine guns and grenade launchers were used by militants near Donetsk airport and the suburbs of Horlivka. A militants' sniper was also operating in Opytne. Militants shelled Ukrainian armed forces with 82-mm cand 120-mm mortars near Zaitseve, with APCs near Novhorodske. In addition, APCs and grenade launchers were used by militants near Luhanske. Militants' snipers worked in Maryinka and Krasnohorivka, machine guns were used in Shyrokyne and Starohnativka. Lysenko said that a hostile drone was seen flying near Berezove. 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. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed signed the bill on holding early elections of the mayor of Kryvy Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region, on March 27, 2016, which was passed by the parliament on December 23, 2015, the president's press service reported on Saturday. The Central Election Commission (CEC) is ordered to define the volume of budget funds required for holding the election, taking into account proposals of the relevant constituency commission, and take measures to prepare and hold the election. On December 23, 2015, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine voted for holding the early elections of mayor of Kryvy Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region, on March 27, 2016. A total of 239 lawmakers voted for this decision. Representative of the Opposition Bloc Yuriy Vilkul won the second round of the mayoral elections in Kryvy Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region, which took place on November 15. His rival, a candidate of the Samopomich Party, Yuriy Myloboh, filed complaints about the violations of the electoral process, and criminal proceedings were launched into these violations. According to the data published on the website of the Central Election Commission, the gap between the two candidates was 752 votes (0.42% of the vote), with Myloboh leading in six out of the seven districts of the city. College Boreal President announces retirement On Jan. 29, College Boreal president Pierre Riopel announced that he will be retiring. He has held the position of president since September of 2013 and will be leaving College Boreal in September 2016. On Jan. 29, College Boreal President Pierre Riopel announced that he will be retiring. File photo. On Jan. 29, College Boreal president Pierre Riopel announced that he will be retiring. He has held the position of president since September of 2013 and will be leaving College Boreal in September 2016. As the fourth president of College Boreal, Riopel has overseen a period of consolidation, allowing the French language post-secondary institution to evaluate where it currently stands and determine where it wants to go in the years to come. The members of the Board of Governors join me in thanking Mr. Riopel for his leadership since his arrival College Boreal, said Stephan Plante, President, Board of Governors, College Boreal in a news release. We recognize the full value of his contribution and appreciate everything he has done for the institution. We offer him our very best wishes as he begins his well-deserved retirement. In January 2015, the Board of Governors adopted the 2015-2020 Strategic Plan, a document charting the future directions of College Boreal for the next five years. The four strategic priority axes, Access, Quality, Flexibility and Visibility, provide College Boreals leadership the tools they require to ensure the institutions sustainability and strategic growth. During his tenure, College Boreals visibility was assured during the institutions 20th anniversary celebrations. In January of 2015, the college community attended a provincial reception launching these celebrations with the Honorable Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario, and Andrea Horwath, Leader of the NDP, in attendance. Through the magic of technology, a thousand guests partook in this event, from Hearst to Windsor. Some other 20th anniversary activities included the launch of the College Boreal Alumni Association, a provincial meeting of all Boreal staff at the Sudbury campus, the unveiling of the Mur des batisseuses et des batisseurs (Builders Wall) and finally, the launch of a collective publication entitled Les petites histoires du College Boreal. Riopel has worked as an educator throughout his career and, as such, has dedicated a great deal of time and energy in ensuring a quality experience for students from all student services and programming. Performance indicators demonstrate the value of this work as, for the 11th time in 14 years, College Boreal received the highest satisfaction rate in the province from its graduating students. Moreover, for the 14th time in 15 years, College Boreal reports the highest graduation rate in Ontario. And, this year, College Boreal had the second highest student satisfaction rating as well as the second highest employer satisfaction rating in the province. Profoundly convinced that the Franco-Ontarian community deserved better access to more French language programs throughout the province, Riopel encouraged the development of new programs which truly meet the needs of the community, assisted by the establishment of a strategic watch tool keeping track of current job market trends. I would like to thank the Board of Governors and the entire team, from Hearst to Windsor, for their trust and support since I arrived at College Boreal, said Riopel. I feel truly privileged to have had the opportunity to contribute to this institutions success and hope my work has allowed past, present and future students to grow and thrive for years to come, He has encouraged the transformation of the teaching and learning processes, establishing with teaching staff the foundations for a hybrid approach to teaching based on available technologies and the human aspects of the learning experience. During his mandate, Riopel has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Regroupement des cegeps et des colleges francophones du Canada (RCCFC) and has participated in numerous provincial and national committees. The process to select a future President begins today. Head of the Responsible Citizens volunteer group Maryna Cherenkova has been detained in Donetsk, a member of the group Enrique Menendez has reported. "We have unpleasant news. Yesterday our Maryna Cherenkova was detained at her house in Donetsk. Reportedly by the M GB [so-called Ministry of State Security of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic], as she managed to send a message to us that she has been taken by the M GB. We cannot reach her anymore," Menendez wrote on his Facebook page on Saturday. WASHINGTON (AP) The Obama administration confirmed for the first time Friday that Hillary Clintons home server contained closely guarded government secrets, censoring 22 emails that contained material requiring one of the highest levels of classification. The revelation comes three days before Clinton competes in the Iowa presidential caucuses. State Department officials also said the agencys Diplomatic Security and Intelligence and Research bureaus are investigating if any of the information was classified at the time of transmission, going to the heart of Clintons defense of her email practices. The department published its latest batch of emails from her time as secretary of state Friday evening. But The Associated Press learned ahead of the release that seven email chains would be withheld in full for containing top secret information. The 37 pages include messages a key intelligence official recently said concerned special access programs highly restricted, classified material that could point to confidential sources or clandestine programs like drone strikes. The documents are being upgraded at the request of the intelligence community because they contain a category of top secret information, State Department spokesman John Kirby told the AP, calling the withholding of documents in full not unusual. That means they wont be published online with others being released, even with blacked-out boxes. Department officials wouldnt describe the substance of the emails, or say if Clinton sent any herself. Clinton, the Democratic presidential front-runner, insists she never sent or received information on her personal email account that was classified at the time. No emails released so far were marked classified, but reviewers previously designated more than 1,000 messages at lower classification levels. Fridays will be the first at top secret level. Matt Russell is a fifth-generation farmer living in Lacona, Iowa, and he has watched one record-breaking flood after another hit the state. One cluster of storms alone caused more than $1 billion in damages across the region in April. But flooding isnt the only challenge; Iowa has been hammered by intense drought in recent years. And the swings in weather can require expensive machines to handle rain-soaked fields or a shift in crops and planting patterns. Scientists have been telling us what climate change looks like, Russell said. As farmers, were living it. Yet Republican candidates vying to win the Iowa caucus on Monday have failed to offer a single solution for the climate challenge. Theyve spent plenty of time in the state lately but have ignored this threat to Iowas top industry and its communities. Donald Trump calls climate change a big scam. Senator Ted Cruz said people who recognize climate change are the equivalent of the flat-Earthers. And earlier this week in Iowa, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) told a crowd at a town hall meeting, Theres never been a time when the climate has not been changing, and said he opposes policies to address sea-level rise and other impacts. The next day, Rubio appeared on stage with Iowas Sen. Joni Ernst, a Tea Party favorite who claims that changes in the climate are natural and attributes her initial political success to fossil-fuel idealogues Charles and David Koch. Belittling climate change may please deep-pocketed polluters, but it doesnt help Iowans facing climate impacts today or in the future: More than 185 scientists from over 39 Iowa universities and colleges say the state is already experiencing excessively wet springs and an increase in the number of intensely wet days, causing substantial damages to our cities and our farmland. Over 150,000 of Iowans live in flood-prone areas and thousands more will suffer hotter temperatures: heat waves are expected to increase from more than 10 days per year now to more than 60 by 2050, according to scientists at Climate Central. The Risky Business Projectled by former U.S. Treasurer Henry Paulson, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and former hedge fund manager Tom Steyerfound that climate change will cause Iowas economy to suffer most among Midwestern states due to lower crop yields. By centurys end, the report found, the states corn crop could decline by up to 77 percent, a huge hit for a corn industry worth nearly $10 billion. Like most Americans, the vast majority of Iowans want leaders to tackle this threat. When Pope Francis released his encyclical in July calling for climate action, for instance, 65 percent of Iowa voters said they support the Popes call, according to a Quinnipiac poll. And more residents of the Hawkeye State are seeing the benefits of climate solutions firsthand. Iowa gets 27 percent of its electricity from wind powermore than any other state in the nationand wind power and manufacturing has attracted $10 billion in investments to the state. Solar power is also growing, and the Farmers Electric Cooperative recently built Iowas first major solar plant. And Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie went to the Paris climate talks to discuss how his city is becoming more resilient in the face of flooding and other climate impacts. All the Democratic presidential candidates support this kind of climate action. Republicans have vowed to dismantle it. Iowans deserve leaders who will help them tackle climate change, create economic growth and strengthen rural and urban communities. The Canberra Raiders have named their squad for the 2016 Auckland Nines, with some new faces set to make their debuts for the club. Kato Ottio and Zac Santo are set to play their first matches for the Raiders, as they look to impress ahead of the upcoming trial match against the Knights in a few weeks time. As they have done in the past, the Raiders will also use the Nines as an opportunity to blood some exciting new talent, with NYC stars Thomas Cronan and Jack Williams getting their chance to shine on the big stage. Of course there is also the exciting news that Raiders legend Jason Croker will make a comeback for the tournament, with his nephew Lachlan named to play in the team in the halves. Powerhouse forwards Paul Vaughan and Shannon Boyd are set to make their nines debut, while Jarrod Croker will once again Captain the Green Machine at the annual tournament. See the full squad at raiders.com.au People had some curious ideas about personal health 81 years ago, back in January 1935. I'm attaching a gallery of ads for health products and services back then. But there were some news stories worthy of comment, too. Children's 'crying needs' In one health story, the American Legion Auxiliary of Post 226, East Chicago, showed their concern for the city's infants by supplying cod liver oil to be dispensed at the municipal baby clinics at City Hall and Katherine House. The latter was a settlement house for immigrants. The aim was to address "one of the crying needs of the community's children," the article said in a bit of irony. Anyone who had to swallow cod liver oil today would be sorely tempted to cry at the mere thought of it. Thanks to the American Legion ladies, parents unable to afford the cod liver oil ordered by family physicians would have a new means of obtaining it. "Cod liver oil is the principal medicine used by infants up to two years of age to supply resistance against colds and sickness," the story said. Oil gargler Cod liver oil wasn't the only oil used back in the day. There was also castor oil. Hammond City Judge Joseph V. Stodola Jr. used castor oil on convicted drunks, The Times reported in a January 1935 article humorously titled, "Oil Gargler Leaves Town." It's a two-paragraph story and worth every word. "Fred Cory, 65, the first convicted drunk to drink City Judge Joseph V. Stodola Jr.'s castor oil, promised to leave town yesterday in city court. 'I'm going to go down to the transient camp at Knox, judge,' Cory said. 'Anyway, I didn't take any drinks in Hammond. I did my drinking in East Chicago. "However, Thomas Cleary, 48, who alleged he had only four glasses of grape wine and three glasses of beer, was not so fortunate, although he evaded a fine and jail sentence. He swallowed two ounces of castor oil in preference to going to the penal farm. He'll be back again today and tomorrow for additional doses," the story said. Quarantine Stodola had another health issue to address that month. Four women Gladys Gardner, Anna Mateja, Mary Lubuz and Sophie Darlak were arrested on warrants obtained by Dr. H.G. Cole, secretary of the Hammond Board of Health, for breaking scarlet fever quarantine Nov. 6, 1935. They violated the quarantine to cast votes in the election. Scarlet fever was serious business back then, before vaccines became popular. Even now, think of the Ebola scare and how international travel brought the disease to American shores. Consider how quickly medical teams reacted to contain it, too. Quarantines today don't sound so far-fetched, do they? In any case, Judge Stodola let these women off the hook, but offered a stern warning to residents to heed quarantines. "We cannot endanger the health of the city by allowing persons to carry contagious diseases after they have been quarantined," Stodola said. CHICAGO - The Chicago industrial real estate market, which includes Northwest Indiana, is achieving more success than it has in a decade. The Chicago metro area had 18 million square feet of industrial development last year, the best in eight years. And the absorption rate, which is how fast rentable space is filled, is the best it's been in the last 10 years, according to an industrial panel at the recent Real Estate Publishing Group Commercial Real Estate Forecast in Chicago's Loop. "Over the last 12 to 24 months, Chicago has really outperformed what the national perception of Chicago is," said Matt Goode with Venture One Real Estate, which partners with national institutional investors. "The coasts, L.A., New Jersey, Miami get a lot of attention, and certainly theres a lot of activity in those markets. But Chicago's performing very well a lot of leasing and rental rate growth." Venture One has purchased about a million square feet of industrial and distribution space in Northwest Indiana because of its logistical and cost advantages, Goode said. "There are financial benefits to crossing the border," he said. "So we're seeing opportunity in that market." Overall the market has benefited from Amazon and other online retailers. A trend is to have warehouses where some light assembly, such as painting a phone case, takes place since so many orders are customized. Slightly more than 90 percent of sales the last holiday season were at brick-and-mortar stores, but e-commerce fulfillment centers have seen major growth. Manufacturing is still strong in the Northwest Indiana and Southeast Wisconsin parts of the Chicagoland metro, said Brian Quigley, executive vice president with Conor Commercial Real Estate, which works with national institutional investors. "We look at what drives a market," he said. "In Indiana and Wisconsin, it's manufacturing. They're the No. 1 and No. 2 states in the nation in terms of manufacturing as a percentage of the workforce. A lot of manufacturing is going on in Northwest Indiana and Southeast Wisconsin. In Northwest Indiana, it's very commodities-driven: You've got paper, you've got oil and youve got steel." But those are low-growth, low-margin businesses that don't necessarily need modern buildings or equipment, Quigley said. They're often content with 25-year-old buildings, so low-cost real estate providers win. That doesn't mean there is not new industrial space going up or being planned in Northwest Indiana. Becknell Industrial, of Indianapolis, began construction on a 160,000-square-foot industrial shell building in Hobart's NorthWind Crossings last summer. The building is now nearly complete and already has a major tenant leasing a good portion of the building. A knock on the greater Chicago market has been that rental rate growth is laggard because theres endless land and it's easy to keep building further and further out, Goode said. But refill and redevelopment projects, such as Hoist Liftrucks decision to take over a century-old tank factory in East Chicago, have been catching on. The Northwest Indiana submarket is particularly attractive because Illinoiss financial problems have become national news. "If you look at Indiana, if youre employing a lot of people and you look at Indiana versus Illinois, frankly you're going to get a better deal in Indiana, on a couple of different levels," Goode said. "Your property taxes are going to be lower. There will be better incentives. The more people you have the better it's going to get." But Northwest Indiana and Southeast Wisconsin will suffer in the long term if Illinois does, since Chicago is the economic engine that drives the area, Goode said. "Illinois has to be strong," he said. "We have everything logistically, labor, the cost of living are all there. It's just a matter of getting the state in order." WASHINGTON President Barack Obama sought to showcase progress on his watch on closing the pay gap for women while keeping up the pressure on business, Congress and individuals to tackle an issue he said was still far from being solved. Marking the seventh anniversary of signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act on Friday, Obama said more must be done to get women into high-paying jobs, including those in science, technology, math and engineering. In recent years, the pay disparity has narrowed slightly, but a woman in the U.S. still makes 79 cents to a man's dollar, the White House said. "This will be a long haul," Obama said. Working to ferret out abuses of equal pay laws, Obama announced that his administration will expand its collection of data from businesses about what they pay. In 2014 Obama directed the Labor Department to collect data from federal contractors about what they pay employees, sorted by gender, race and ethnicity. The revised proposal will cover all businesses with 100 or more employees, regardless of whether they contract with the government. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will collect the data, which the government will use to help identify companies that should be investigated for failing to pay workers fairly, officials said. The first reports from companies will be due in September 2017. Obama, as he often does, invoked his own two daughters to argue that no American parent should have to accept their daughters having less opportunity than their sons. He also called on businesses to ensure women aren't penalized for starting a family and says men have responsibility for parenting, too. "Guys, we're responsible for the family thing, too," Obama said. "They're already doing more work than we are in getting that thing going." Ledbetter, whose name has become synonymous with the equal pay issue, flanked Obama at the White House and said she still hears every day from women who are "frustrated and angry" about being paid less. Ledbetter's discovery that she was being paid less than her male counterparts led to a Supreme Court suit and eventually the 2009 legislation bearing her name. "It hurts us, it hurts our families and it hurts our economy," Ledbetter said. The administration estimated the new pay-reporting requirements will cost less than $400 per employer the first year and a few hundred dollars per year after that. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 was the first piece of legislation Obama signed as president, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. It overturned the Supreme Court's decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., which severely restricted the time period for filing complaints of employment discrimination concerning compensation. The Act stipulates that each paycheck that contains discriminatory compensation is a separate violation regardless of when the discrimination began. The Ledbetter Act recognized the "reality of wage discrimination" and restores "bedrock principles of American law," Obama said at the time. People challenging a wide variety of practices that resulted in discriminatory compensation have benefited from the act. Practices falling under the act include employer decisions about base pay or wages, job classifications, career ladder or other noncompetitive promotion denials, tenure denials, and failure to respond to requests for raises. Marie Kondo is back. Author of the international best-seller "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" (Ten Speed Press, 2014), Kondo became famous for advising readers how to transform their lives by sifting through their belongings one by one, embracing those that "spark joy" and bidding a fond but hasty farewell to the rest. Her new book, "Spark Joy: an Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up" (Ten Speed), provides illustrations and more detail. "After I published my first book, a lot of readers came with a lot of questions," the petite, soft-spoken Kondo told The Associated Press, in Japanese, after a presentation to a packed auditorium at the Japan Society in New York. Kondo is still communing lovingly with socks and blouses, folding clothes like origami and bowing in gratitude to her home. She also has a fresh perspective as a new mother. "My daughter is only 6 months old, so my method hasn't changed ... She cannot make a mess yet. What has surprised me most is the amount of stuff a baby needs," Kondo said, sitting primly at the edge of her seat in an impeccable white top over a pale blue print dress. "Once she gets older, I'm sure there will be a little bit of adjustment." With an understated sense of humor, she notes in her new book that one of the people with whom she has had to share her storage methods is her new husband, himself so minimalist that he moved in with only four cardboard boxes of belongings. "I am learning that unspoken family rules differ from one household to another, and that storage methods I had assumed were obvious need to be properly shared and explained," she writes. Kondo's earlier book had no illustrations; "Spark Joy" is full of her charming, child-like drawings of everything from organized kitchen cupboards, to folding techniques for clothes ranging from underwear to frilly blouses to hoodies. "It is very important that you know how to fold clothes in the correct way," she informed the crowd at the Japan Society, before daintily approaching a demonstration table where a small pile of unfolded clothing awaited. For one thing, "make sure you put a lot of love through your palms," she said. The audience die-hard fans and those new to her KonMari Method applauded as Kondo quickly folded one item after another into a tiny cube, balanced each on edge to show how tightly wound it was, then tucked them neatly into what resembled a lidless shoe box. "Wow, that's so cool. How did she do that?" a man in the second row whispered to his neighbor. Kondo suggests setting the boxes of origami-esque parcels in drawers so that each is a joy-provoking bento of delights. What about those pesky possessions that fail to spark joy yet are undeniably useful? Well, functionality can be beautiful too. "After discarding a hammer because the handle was worn out, I used my frying pan to pound in any nails," Kondo writes. But after she threw out a screwdriver, "I tried using a ruler to tighten a loose screw, but it snapped down the middle. This almost reduced me to tears as it was one I really liked." "All these incidents stemmed from youthful inexperience and thoughtlessness," she continues. Things that make life simpler, "the recognition that a possession is useful in our lives these, too, indicate joy." "Spark Joy" includes advice on moving, packing and decorating with tiny, cheerful knickknacks (this is smile-inducing minimalism). She even gives a nod to those who don't thrill to tidying up. Kondo admitted to her New York audience that she regrets some of her earlier zeal in discarding her family's belongings. Or, as she says in the new book, "Only when we accept unconditionally people whose values differ from our own can we really say that we have finished tidying." That said, her tidying empire is gaining ground. Kondo's books have been translated into numerous languages, her speaking engagements draw crowds and her waitlist for clients is over three months long. She recently published a blank journal, "Life-Changing Magic" (Ten Speed), to help readers "spark joy every day"; she founded the Japan Joy-Sparking Tidying-Up Association; she has a fan club with two levels of membership fees; and she offers courses in Japan in tidying up and becoming a tidying consultant. In the United States, Kondo told the AP, she has an app coming out this spring that "features a checklist of tidying, and also shows your progress in tidying." And she is preparing to open a U.S. branch of her consultancy. While she may have mellowed in some respects, her goals are in no way diminished. Proper tidying up, she happily announced to the rapt audience, brings not only life-changing magic but a sense of joy that can spread from household to household, country to country. "I believe my method will lead to world peace in the end," she said, smiling sweetly. Or at least a lot of astoundingly well-folded socks. CROWN POINT A Gary man is expected to stand trial on June 27 on a murder charge alleging that he shot to death his estranged girlfriend earlier this month. Kevin Riley made his formal appearance Friday in front of Lake County Criminal Judge Salvador Vasquez. He affirmed his plea of not guilty that he made during his initial hearing. Riley, 37, of Gary, is accused of shooting to death April Bailey, 39, on Jan. 13 outside of her home in the 4700 block of Delaware Street in Gary. A relative said Bailey's son held his mother in his arms after the shooting. A woman who was with Riley went to Bailey's home that day, though it wasn't clear what they were discussing. Riley at some point got out of the car, and he is accused of shooting Bailey in the face, according to the affidavit. Vasquez scheduled a June 27 jury trial for the case. In a different case, Riley faces a charge of failing to register as a sex or violent offender. The Lake County probation department is seeking to have Riley's probation revoked. Riley had spent almost all of his adult life in prison after pleading guilty in 1997 to involuntary manslaughter and criminal deviate conduct. In that case, he admitted to molesting and killing 10-month-old Davonta Reed in an East Chicago home, according to court records. Riley was released from prison Feb. 26, 2014. Riley, who was wearing a striped gray Lake County Jail uniform, did not say anything during the hearing. His next hearing is scheduled for March 11. The Indiana Supreme Court has publicly reprimanded a Hammond attorney for failing to diligently represent a client. The high court took disciplinary action this week against Eduardo Fontanez Jr. Fontanez, who has practiced law for 13 years and expressed interest earlier this week in running for Lake Circuit Court judge, said Friday he is reconsidering his candidacy. The Supreme Court's order states Fontanez failed to provide competent representation for a man suing the city of Hammond. The court order doesn't identify the man, when or why he sued the city. The man's case languished in federal court when Fontanez failed to answer questions about his client's allegations to Hammond's lawyers, failed to appear at a hearing in the case or pay attorney fees awarded the city of Hammond for Fontanez's lack of diligence. Fontanez's client didn't learn that a federal judge dismissed his case for the inaction until the client's daughter looked it up online. The Indiana Supreme Court's order states the punishment for Fontanez's violation of Indiana Professional Conduct rules was softened because Fontanez was in the midst of a prolonged "custody dispute" during the time. The order states Fontanez is willing to pay any malpractice judgment brought against him over this case. It states Fontanez has been remorseful, has no prior discipline, cooperated with the Supreme Court's disciplinary commission, attended continuing legal education programs and consulted with other lawyers to improve his management skills. Fontanez referred all comment on the disciplinary case to his attorney, Marce Gonzalez, of Dyer. Gonzalez said, "The decision recognizes that we are all human beings and capable of making mistakes and at times there are difficult periods we all go through." The water crisis in Flint, Mich., has not gone unnoticed by the people of Northwest Indiana. At the Fresh County Market on East Columbus Drive in East Chicago, store manager Lynetta Holmes said pallets and pallets of water have been sold as part of an effort by East Chicago residents Kelvin Bride, Josey Herrera and friends to provide relief for those affected by the toxic levels of lead found in Flints drinking water. Since Jan. 23, Bride, 31, and Herrera, 34, have stood at the entrance of the store encouraging shoppers to buy 24-packs of bottled water at a cost of $2.75 to be driven to Flint. I cant explain on how wonderful it has been seeing different people coming, different races coming, different religions coming together, different business people coming to make this successful, Bride said. He said the original goal in the Fight for Flint bottled water drive was 500 cases of water, but a total of more than 1,000 cases had been reached as of Thursday. We sold out their water twice, Bride said. Bride, Herrera and other volunteers plan to deliver the water today. I already got my truck oil changed, my tires rotated and Im ready to drive, Herrera said. Hers wont be the only vehicle needed, and Jessica Higareda, treasurer for the Sociedad Cultural Civica La Reforma, dropped off a $100 check on behalf of the East Chicago-based organization to help cover some travel expenses. I think its a tragedy that people have to go without clean drinking water, Higareda said. Bride said people from East Chicago and Northwest Indiana have been asked to provide addresses of family members in Flint so water can be brought directly to their communities. Veronica Perez, of East Chicago, was one of the Fresh County Market shoppers on Thursday who contributed to the cause by buying a case of water. We know that theyre in need of water, so why not donate it?, Perez said. Its a great idea what theyre doing. Bride said its all about helping out our neighbors to the North. I believe that what you do for other people, it happens for you, he said. The Martin Luther King Center at 4902 Melville Ave. is another location in East Chicago where cases of water are being collected in a joint effort between a group called HOPE (Helping Our People Excel) and the Lakeshore Black Expo. Dwight Edwards, founder of the Gary-based branch of HOPE, said about 150 cases were gathered at the MLK Center as of Thursday and that they will be taken to Flint on Monday. If youve got people who are suffering from what these folk in Flint, Michigan, are suffering from, its a cause that we all ought to rally around, Edwards said. The Fresh County Market is not the only local grocer to get in on the act. It was announced earlier this week that Strack & Van Til/Ultra Foods donated 1,500, 24-packs of bottled drinking water and shipped them to Flint on Tuesday. Although the news conference that announced the donation was held at a store in Illinois, all of the water for the companys 38 stores goes through a warehouse in Munster, said Chris Bengtson, vice president of public relations for Strack & Van Til. Once we found out that there was a need from a community thats geographically so close to ours, we knew there was an opportunity for us to help, and that they would do the same for us if we were facing a similar crisis, Bengtson said. First United Methodist Church in Crown Point and the Crown Point Fire Department are teaming up to collect supplies for Flint. Their goal is to collect enough bottled water, pitcher water filters with cartridges and filters that connect to faucets to fill a semitrailer. Monetary donations are also accepted. The collection will be delivered to the Lincoln Park United Methodist Church in Flint and distributed from there. Items can be dropped off between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at the church, 352 S. Main St., or the Crown Point Fire Station, 126 N. East St. Call the church for more details at (219) 663-1515. Items will be collected through Feb. 19. Beverly Wright-Thames, disaster program manager for District 1 of the American Red Cross in Northwest Indiana, said that chapter is not collecting water but that that anyone who wants to donate can do so at www.redcross.org. She said 14 Red Cross volunteers from Indiana have been deployed to Flint, where they are distributing water and water filters. ST. JOHN Voting regularly used to be about the only political activity Gerald Swets engaged in. That changed when he learned the town's comprehensive plan showed his home being demolished as part of a proposed town center. Now, Swets is a member of the St. John Home Owners PAC, one of two groups, along with the St. John Home Owners Group, attending the meetings of the Town Council and other boards to protest the direction the town is going. The groups have promised they aren't going to go away any time soon. "It seems like the expansion of the town isn't being managed very well," Swets said. "Until it starts going the right way, we are going to keep coming. We are not against everything. We just want to make sure things are done in good order." At Thursday's council meeting, Swets again asked if Council President Michael Forbes planned to put Town Manager Stephen Kil on administrative leave or fire him for taking political signs, which called for the firing of Kil, Forbes and Councilman Mark Barenie, a couple of days before the election. At that time, Kil said the signs were illegally placed on public property, and he acted after getting an opinion from the town's attorney David Austgen. Kil has been charged with conversion. When Forbes said he could not comment because it was a matter in litigation, Swets asked if the town is seeking Kil's replacement. When that too was met with the same response, Swets repeated his request that Forbes resign as president "so the town can move forward under new leadership." Several members of the audience brought signs to the previous council meeting urging the council not to re-elect Forbes as president. Newly elected Councilman Christian Jorgensen nominated Barenie, but Jorgensen was the only one to vote for Barenie. That hasn't deterred the homeowners' groups from their goal of removing Forbes. "He's had his chance, and it's not working out very well," Swets said. "We've got a lot of unhappy residents from all sides of town. If those signs weren't taken, it could have switched a few votes and made a difference in the election. "They've had a lot of meetings canceled or rescheduled at the last minute, and I don't think that's good business. They are just trying to do things so the residents don't realize what's being done until it's done and it's too late to complain or provide any type of input." Tom Parada is chairman of the homeowners PAC. He called himself kind of the poster boy for the resident revolt that has risen in the last few months. His home was to be demolished to build a roundabout at the entrance to a new commercial development off of Joliet Street, but the town only offered him $31,000 for the property because it had deteriorated in recent years. Parada has become the unofficial videographer for the PAC during the last few meetings, taping the sessions and placing them on the group's website. "We're just trying to keep everybody honest," Parada said. "No matter who speaks, it will go on the website. We want to make people aware of the stuff that's bad that's happening in town and the stuff that is good. We are really looking to get more transparency. There was so little attendance at the meetings in the past that a lot of things slipped through. We bring up issues that are important." Mary Therese Robert works with the homeowners' group but has been coming to the meetings for more than a year. She began demanding that Kil and former Police Chief Fred Frego last March, before the sign incident, because of allegations of sexual harassment in the Police Department and other problems. "I have been a concerned citizen going at this alone, and finally other people are getting disgusted," Robert said. "Too many people keep their head in the sand and don't complain until it's too late. We can't be late now. I think we can do better than we have done. "Illinois has beautiful parks and preserves, and we have nothing," she said. "Gary is getting a community center, and we can't get one here in St. John? There are so many things that could be done. This could be such a great town, but it's not going in the right direction. All they think about is build, build, build." "We're just homeowners," Swets said. "We're not politicians. We just want to be treated fairly and honestly. During the election, when Forbes talked about transparency in government, we'd like to see that. That's not the way they've been operating." PORTAGE The city's Redevelopment Commission approved the sale of the former Don's Motel property on U.S. 20 for the second time. This time, the nearly 10 acres will be sold to Crown Point developer Ron Morris, said Mike Micka, vice president of Holladay Properties, which has a marketing agreement with the commission. Micka said Morris plans on constructing five to six light industrial/commercial 8,000- to 10,000-square-foot buildings on the site within the next five years. The sale price is $30,000 per acre with an agreement to purchase at least 2 acres per year. There is also an incremental price increase for each year after the first year. The commission had thought it sold the property nearly a year ago to Haven Creek Properties LP, a Northwest Indiana investor group. The price of the property then was $45,000 per acre. Financial adviser John Shepherd said the deal fell through. He said the difference in the per acre cost of the land involved how much the city would be involved in development. In the first deal, at the highest cost per acre, the city was going to be responsible for certain aspects of the project. The new deal does not carry any further obligations by the city. The city purchased the property more than three years ago and razed the buildings. GARY Charges were filed Friday against a man believed to be involved in an attempted armed robbery at a Gary cellphone store where a security guard was shot and seriously injured. Authorities released a statement Friday saying that Detective Sgt. William Fazekas secured charges against Stephen Spivey, 21, of Gary. He was not in custody as of Friday. Two men just after 2 p.m. Tuesday walked into the ABC Cellular phone store located in the 4200 block of Broadway in Gary and began looking at phones. According to the affidavit, one of the men began shooting multiple times at the store's security guard. The security guard was shot on the right side of his back and was taken to an area hospital for treatment. The guard told police he heard one of the men say, "Robbery don't move," according to the affidavit. Another worker who had been on the phone speaking to the store's owner told detectives he didn't hear the men say anything before the shooting. The cellphone store has been in business for 35 years, and it has never had any problems, police said. Spivey is charged with attempted armed robbery resulting in serious bodily injury, attempted armed robbery resulting in bodily injury, attempted armed robbery, battery by means of deadly weapon and battery resulting in serious bodily injury. Anyone with information on Spivey is urged to contact Fazekas at (219) 881-1210 or the crime tip line at (866) CRIME-GP. INDIANAPOLIS A community drug crisis throws daunting challenges at journalists. In places like Mexico, more than 100 have been murdered as they confronted the cartels, which are now targeting mayors. Three times in my career as a political journalist in Indiana Ive had to size up such a threat, though not as dangerous as in Mexico. The first came in Fort Wayne where I arrived at the Journal Gazette in 1990, where the crack crisis evolved. The way to get close to that story was to align with well-armed landlords or tag along with Child Protective Service workers. But it was reactionary journalism with little impact. Writing for the Indianapolis alternative newspaper NUVO in the late 1990s, the crack scene had arrived well after it had scarred Fort Wayne. The frustrations on that beat were the authorities in Indianas two biggest cities didnt apply the lessons of Pontiac Street in Fort Wayne to The Meadows in Indy. But the Indy experience yielded a lesson applicable today. It came in the form of Republican prosecutor Scott Newman, who approached journalists at NUVO with a plea for help. One of Newmans goals was to pressure the Southern Indiana district attorney to prosecute gang bangers on federal weapons charges. A federal rap could send a banger to the clink for 58 months. We picked up Newmans challenge, but the district attorney claimed she was too busy to prosecute gun crimes in Indianas terrorized state capital. Newman, however, was a true leader who attempted to leverage all assets at his disposal. Which gets me to this third drug wave, which is currently a double-header. Heroin has been a recent arrival. Methamphetamine has been a scourge for more than a decade. Indiana had led the nation in domestic meth production three years running, which has captured my attention. Are there solutions beyond the cat-and-mouse narc? Weve heard the busted clandestine lab figures in the 1,300 to 1,500 range during the past year with more than a 1,000 kids exposed. It has prompted mayors and prosecutors to reach out. The solution appeared to be rescheduling PSE products like Sudafed. But law-abiding residents would have to get a prescription. Listening to testimony in the House Public Health Committee last week, prosecutors Jeff Arnold from Delaware County and Mike Steiner from Martin County provided troubling stats. Of the 1,533 known labs busted in 2015, Steiner observed that without the smelly anhydrous ammonia as part of the process, We have to get stupid lucky to find our labs." Gov. Mike Pence bragged about the 1,500 meth lab busts when he addressed newly elected local officials last week. But busting labs is reactive. Depriving them of the material to make meth is the challenge. It requires leadership. Three Republican legislators Reps. Wendy McNamara, of Mount Vernon, Dave Frizzell, of Indianapolis, and Ben Smaltz, of Auburn, are trying. Smaltz came to the conclusion that Arnold and Steiner did: Rescheduling PSE is the best route. But the political barriers are high. In places like Indy, where meth isnt a problem, folks want easy access to Sudafed. They dont care about the 700 meth labs that have been busted in other counties. Smaltz may have found a solution, allowing patients of record who routinely visit the local CVS or Walgreens to have unfettered access. The strangers would only get small amounts. At the beginning of the week, Public Health Chairman Cindy Kirchhofer, of Beech Grove, appeared almost disinterested. Meth is not a problem in her district. By Wednesday, when Smaltzs bill passed the committee by an 11-1 vote, Kirchhofer had come around. I am voting for the state of Indiana, Kirchhofer said. This is a display of leadership sorely needed in Indiana. INDIANAPOLIS Gov. Mike Pence's focus on a plan to certify veteran-owned businesses isn't enough response to reports that Indiana is lacking in services for former members of the military, four of the state's largest veterans' organizations said Friday. Members of the groups vented their frustrations with the state's services for the nearly 476,000 veterans in Indiana and what they perceive as the Legislature's complacency during a news conference Friday. A proposed bill would streamline the process for veteran-owned businesses to get business contracts more easily, something lobbyist Lisa Wilken with the support group American Veterans said would help that specific group, but doesn't address a larger number of military members. She also said her group as well as other groups attempted to meet with Pence's staff to talk about different ideas for legislation, but received no feedback. "That's discouraging because the Governor's Office being there to testify on the legislation sends a strong message to our Indiana General Assembly," Wilken said. Pence spokeswoman Kara Brooks responded that under the Republican's leadership, the state has made strides addressing veterans' concerns, citing the nearly $760 million in federal money the state received since 2011. But Retired Brig. Gen. Jim Bauerle, who volunteers with the Veterans Coalition of Indiana, said the increase is a result of the four veterans' organizations' work helping veterans claim their benefits. "That was never a priority of the governor nor was it a legislative priority of the Senate or the House," he said. "Those are the organizations that have done the lion's share of the work." A 2014 third-party report on the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs found the department had shortfalls in its strategy and does little outreach, suggesting a "true redesign" of the department. The report by Public Consulting Group found that in 2013, the state spent $3.67 per veteran. Meanwhile, Texas spent $18.69, Missouri spent $15.97 and Alabama spent $29.40. This year, the state Senate is working on including all veterans in the Military Family Relief Fund, which subsidizes expenses such as housing and medical bills. Currently, the fund only supports post-Sept. 11 veterans. The proposed bill would also provide avenues for people to donate to the fund through their tax returns. The state has 710 homeless veterans, Army Brig. Gen. Malcolm Frost has said, and the unemployment rate for those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan is 10 percent three points higher than the national average. "Where is the governor's priority on taking care of veterans?" Bauerle said. "They wipe their hands of it and say 'Well, it's for the federal government to do' instead of being progressive and forward thinking." It will be a working and traveling weekend in Iowa for the Democrats running for president. Bernie Sanders is finding enthusiastic receptions in locations outside Des Moines, while Hillary Clinton drummed up support at Grand View University in Des Moines. Our Josh Robin has the story. DES MOINES, Iowa ---- From corn-circled towns to the neighborhoods of Des Moines and other cities, Iowa is mulling a choice that will affect the nation. "You stand up for me Monday night, I will stand up and fight for you," Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said. "It's going to be a very, very close election," Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said. Clinton and Sanders have mere hours to shape the decisions or adjust to something else that intervenes. Like Clinton's e-mails. Friday, the State Department labeled as top-secret 22 of the e-mail messages on the private account that she used when heading the agency. Disclosing that information can cause "exceptionally grave" security damage. Clinton says the emails weren't marked as classified at the time they were sent. A Clinton spokesman called it a case of over-classification run amok and asked for more emails to be publically released. Republicans have pounced on the issue, but Sanders seemed to rule out attacking it months ago. "People are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails," he said to Clinton at a Democratic presidential debate Oct. 13. And rumors of Sanders launching a last-minute ad on her Wall Street ties haven't come to pass so far. Instead, he's banking on firing up the youth vote that catapulted President Obama ahead eight years ago. "If we win, it will indicate that this country is ready for real significant change," Sanders said. Its easier said than done in a caucus. "You're sitting there for three, four hours," said Bryan McQuide, a political science professor for Grand View University. McQuide adds that Clinton is again banking on the more reliable older and rural vote, with a university rally at Grand View University thrown in to cut into Sanders's base. Another wildcard is if supporters of former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley defect during caucuses. He's well behind in polls. "In the caucus, you can change your vote during the party meeting," McQuide said. "There's speeches and people give speeches on behalf of a candidate and there's a time period where you have a chance to change your vote." The professor's prediction: Clinton squeaks out a win in Iowa, but the e-mail controversy dogs her for months, making this a long haul for the Democratic nomination. A wake was held Friday for a Brooklyn man found stabbed to death after a fire in his apartment. It comes as police continue to search for his suspected killer. NY1's Gene Apodaca has the story. Friends and family in East New York gathered to say goodbye to 61-year-old Romulo Heras. The native of Ecuador was murdered last week in his Cypress Hills apartment, stabbed to death, his throat slashed. Police have identified a suspect, 17-year-old Jahkeem Scott, who they say set the apartment on fire to cover up the crime. Sources say he was caught on surveillance video leaving the scene. "Both Sylvia and Romulo are truly the salt of the earth," Maria Contreras Collier, family friend, said. Collier knew the victim and his wife Sylvia well. She taught the couple's five-year-old daughter in a pre-k program and recalled how dedicated Heras was, despite working as a sous chef many hours a week. "Romulo was always teaching her English and he was always so concerned about her eating the right foods," Collier said. "He was a great mentor. As an older father, he was a mentor to young parents in our program." That good nature makes Heras's death even more difficult for the community. Friends and neighbors are also upset that Scott, whose arrest record includes burglary and false imprisonment, is still not in custody. "It's just a matter of time that this guy might do this to someone else's family," said John Rodriguez of Brooklyn Heights' community police relations. In the meantime, friends are helping by setting up a gofundme page for his wife and daughter, raising money to help pay for his funeral in Ecuador, and so that his wife, now homeless, will have a little something as she raises their daughter alone. "We know that it's going to be very, very difficult for her to recover, and so we're trying very hard to create a fund for her to be able to get an apartment, and hopefully have funds for her daughter's education and just expenses," Collier said. Authorities still haven't determined the motive for this heinous crime. The funeral is expected to happen in the next couple of days. Anyone with information on the case should contact the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS, or text CRIMES and then enter TIP577, or visit www.crimestoppers.com Sources told NY1 on Friday afternoon that Governor Andrew Cuomo is expected to call for a special election on April 19 to fill the open seats of the state's top two legislative leaders, who lost their seats after they were convicted of corruption last year. Former State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and former State Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos were convicted in separate federal corruption trials. As a result, Silver's Assembly seat in lower Manhattan and Skelos's Senate seat on Long Island are currently vacant. April 19 is the same day that New Yorkers will go to the polls for the presidential primary. NY1 reported earlier this month that the city's board of elections might have trouble holding the special election and the primary on the same day. But sources say the governor is confident the board can pull off holding both elections simultaneously. An election would also take place that day for two other open assembly seats in Brooklyn and Staten Island. Vice President Biden joined Gov. Andrew Cuomo in Manhattan on Friday to advocate for paid family leave in New York State. The governor first proposed the idea in his State of the State Address earlier this month, and as State House Reporter Zack Fink tells us, State Senate Republicans have left the door open to the idea. Biden joined Cuomo for at least the seventh event that they have held together since Cuomo became governor five years ago. But this time, the message was personal. Last year, Cuomo lost his father, former Gov. Mario Cuomo. Later that same year, Biden lost his son Beau. Both men drew on their personal experiences to make the case for paid family leave in New York State. "The single most devastating thing for a parent, or a son or daughter taking care of a parent, is to look at that person in need, and know there's not a damn thing you can do to help them," Biden said. Cuomo has proposed 12 weeks of paid family leave that would be paid for by individual workers out of their paychecks, similar to Social Security. The key difference is that for the federal social security program, employers match the employee contribution, creating a much larger pool of money to draw from when needed. But Cuomo said it's an idea whose time has come in the state. "There are times in life when you should be with family members, because that's what it's all about at the end of the day," he said. "It's really not about work; it's about those personal relationships." Earlier this year, Mayor Bill de Blasio implemented up to 12 weeks of paid family leave for city workers. He has advocated a program for all workers, which must be done through legislation at the state level. "It's unacceptable that New York, the progressive leader of the nation, and the United States, the most developed nation on the globe, are without strong family leave policies," State Senator Jeff Klein said. State Senate Republican Leader John Flanagan left the door open to paid family leave, even though his conference has been opposed to it in years past. "I think it would be imprudent or inappropriate to just summarily dismiss it," Flanagan said. "But again, [sic], the details on that are very, very important." If New York State moves ahead with mandated paid family leave, it would fall in line with other states that have similar programs, including New Jersey, Rhode Island, and California. Art fairs, typically housed in convention centers and white tents, are rarely wild and woolly affairs. But as the art industry flies southwest this winter for its fair season anchored in Art Los Angeles Contemporary, held at the Barker Hanger, and Photo LA, at the LA Mart downtown they will find an exception to this rule at Paramount Ranch. Situated in the Santa Monica Mountains just north of Malibu, the three-year-old event takes place on the eponymous Western film set that served as the backdrop for such horse operas as Gunfight at the OK Corral and Gunsmoke. It engages in capitalism enough to go through the motions of an art fair, says co-founder Pentti Monkkonen. But its more an enactment because its on a set. Even though works do get sold, and theres a ritual everybody knows, hopefully people make light of it and tease out the fun parts. Indeed, many of this years exhibitors are doing just that by presenting works that play on the settings Wild West theme. Here are a few of the highlights. Painted Rock Auction The artist Andrea Zittel sourced thousands of gems and minerals from Quartzsite, the Arizona border town known for its world-class rock show, to hold her own mineral expo at Paramount Ranch. Dozens of artists, including Pam Lins, Ry Rocklin, Jim Drain, Allan McCollum and Zittel herself painted or otherwise altered stones, which will be sold at a silent auction behind the barn to benefit her Joshua Tree nonprofit, High Desert Test Sites. To see the rocks, priced between $1 and $100, see the Instagram hashtag #hdtspaintedrockauction. Barnyard Glamour The stage of the barn will become a runway for the New York gallery Shoot the Lobster to present a selection of hand-painted, decoupaged shirts designed by Claire Barrow and Reba Maybury. The apparel, which will hang from the rafters, consists of wearable works of art in the style of Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLarens groundbreaking bondage-inspired line from the 1970s, explains the gallery director Taylor Trabulus. Yvonne Chouteau, a former principal dancer of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo who emerged as one of a celebrated group of dancers known as the American Indian ballerinas of Oklahoma, died on Sunday at her home in Oklahoma City. She was 86. The cause was congestive heart failure, said Mary Margaret Holt, director of the School of Dance and dean of the College of Fine Arts at the University of Oklahoma. Ms. Chouteau was a founder of the dance school, one of the leading institutions of its kind in the Southwest. A dancer of great radiance and lyricism, Ms. Chouteau was one of five prominent Native American dancers who were raised in Oklahoma. The others were Rosella Hightower, Moscelyne Larkin, Maria Tallchief and her sister Marjorie Tallchief, now the last survivor. The women were sometimes called the states Five Moons, which became the title of a set of bronze sculptures by Monte England and Gary Henson that were installed on the lawn of the Tulsa Historical Society. They are also depicted in a mural by Mike Larsen that hangs in the rotunda of the Oklahoma State Capitol. Politico was founded in 2007 with a few employees, and has grown to employ nearly 500 worldwide. It has established a business model that combines lucrative pro subscriptions for insiders, with revenue from advertising and events, and it has recently been expanding its reach. It started a European operation, in partnership with the German media company Axel Springer, and has begun an expansion into statehouses across the United States, now the front line for many national political issues. Politicos leaders had routinely debated those moves and their timing, Mr. Harris said. Id say over the past few years, there were really vigorous discussions about whether Europe was something for someday, or right now, he said. Robert thought right now, a year or so ago, he said, and the company pursued that expansion. The states, Jim felt strongly about, and he made an enthusiast out of Robert but he had to answer a lot of legitimate, tough-minded questions. The departures are a transition point for Politico, Mr. Harris, Mr. Allbritton and Susan Glasser, its editor, said. This is a problem that all successful start-ups have, Mr. Allbritton said. They have to learn how to manage their growth. Its maybe a bit strange that this is happening in journalism as opposed to tech. The executives who remain, he said, are the ones who have been most intimately involved with the companys expansions. Politico will hire at least 50 people in the coming year and successors for those who have left. None of the planned new endeavors including more reporting on finance will come at the expense of what Ms. Glasser called high-velocity scoop reporting. The Playbook morning email franchise, which Mr. Allen made his own over years of high-metabolism reporting, will be expanded, Mr. Harris said, though it will not try to replicate Mr. Allens unique style. Journalism in many cases is driven by people with distinctive, individual voices, he said. Mr. Allbritton said that Politico had repaid its initial investment within three years of its founding, and that money it now makes goes back into the business to support the expansion. It remains the case, he said, that any new project must support itself financially in about three years. My intention with the company is to continue the strategy we have proposed, with serious and meaningful growth and the serious investment that comes with that tens of millions of dollars, he said. He declined to disclose specific details of the companys financial performance. At the end of July, when the National Abortion Federation filed its lawsuit in a federal court in San Francisco, several videos had been released. Among other things, the lawsuit asked a judge to temporarily bar Mr. Daleidens group from releasing footage shot at the federations meetings because they infiltrated them by falsely posing as executives of a company that procured fetal tissue. They had also signed confidentiality agreements, agreeing not to divulge anything about the meeting, a practice that the abortion federation said it adopted to protect participants from harassment by anti-abortion groups. Mr. Foran, who pulled together a team of Morrison & Foerster lawyers and summer associates, said that compiling an initial complaint didnt require extensive research because Mr. Daleiden was vocal about the techniques he used. I turned on Fox News and they were open right away about what they did, said Mr. Foran, 45, who moved to the United States in 1993 soon after meeting his future wife, then an American student spending a year in Dublin studying Irish folklore. Mr. Foran, whose typical adversaries are other commercial litigators, found himself squaring off against a different breed of legal adversary lawyers whose lifes work is defending anti-abortion organizations. These lawyers say that the Center for Medical Progress said it had done nothing wrong and had brought to light crimes committed by Planned Parenthood. A group of anti-abortion lawyers at an organization called the Life Legal Defense Foundation issued a statement in July saying that it had worked with the Center for Medical Research to expose what it described as Planned Parenthoods trafficking in fetal body parts. In the release, Mr. Daleiden thanked the group for their initiative and foresight in consulting on and helping to develop this project. Catherine Short, a lawyer at Life Legal who represents Mr. Daleiden, added that officials of the National Abortion Federation invited him to their conference because they were eager to meet executives of what they thought was a new company procuring fetal tissue. They got an email encouraging them, to attend a conference, she said in an interview this week. Ms. Short did not respond to subsequent emails asking if Life Legal discussed the creation of fake drivers licenses with Mr. Daleiden. New York Citys ethnic diversity is on full display on and around Main Street in Flushing, Queens, a once predominantly white neighborhood that has become an overwhelmingly Asian enclave, home to another Chinatown. But this seismic shift is hardly reflected on local Community Board 7, the body that is supposed to represent the interests and concerns of the neighborhood yet whose members remain mostly white. You have people who have been on the board since the 1980s, said Paul Graziano, a local community and political activist in Flushing, who added that the boards membership was by now older and whiter than the mostly foreign-born population of the district. The type of disparity in Flushing is hardly an aberration. In one of the worlds most diverse cities, where white people make up less than half of the population, many of New Yorks 59 community boards are poor reflections of their neighborhoods, according to elected officials and community activists. The de Blasio administration announced steps on Friday to increase security at 27 shelters and add medical staff to help identify people with mental illness among the citys growing homeless population. The deployment of additional peace officers from the Department of Homeless Services began immediately in some areas, Steven Banks, the head of the citys Human Resources Administration, said in a telephone interview. Among the first to receive new officers was the Boulevard shelter in East Harlem, where a former public school teacher, Deven Black, 62, was killed on Wednesday by another shelter resident, and where security had been provided by the nonprofit that operated the shelter, not by city peace officers. Before the killing, residents at the shelter said the assailant, Anthony White, who is still at large and has a history of psychiatric troubles, had been acting erratically and making violent threats. The administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio has rejected federal government findings that the vast majority of New York Citys public elementary schools are not fully accessible to children with disabilities, in violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act. Last month, the office of Preet Bharara, the United States attorney in Manhattan, said that a two-year investigation had shown that six school districts, serving more than 50,000 elementary students, lacked a single school that was fully accessible. Mr. Bhararas office gave the city Department of Education a month to respond with proposals to remedy this unacceptable state of affairs. In a letter released late on Friday, senior officials of the citys Law and Education Departments rejected the federal governments criticism, contending that Mr. Bhararas office, in its Dec. 21 letter detailing the findings, inaccurately characterizes the number and geographic distribution of accessible schools, and erroneously concludes that the D.O.E. is not providing program access to students with disabilities. We believe the D.O.E.s elementary schools, when viewed in their entirety, provide full program accessibility for all elementary students, the city said in an eight-page response, which was dated Jan. 20 and addressed to Mr. Bharara and two lawyers in his civil rights unit. Evacuation Day was New Yorks biggest holiday in the 19th century. Today, the anniversary of the British evacuation of New York in 1783 has been so forgotten that City Council lawyers are resisting efforts to name a street after the historical event the holiday commemorates. The British departure, after seven dismal years of occupation, was celebrated with mayoral sanction for the last time in 1916. On Nov. 25 of that year, about 60 uniformed veterans of the Old Guard of the City of New York rode the subway from their Midtown armory to City Hall and marched down Broadway for a flag-raising ceremony. New York, once more, was part of America, Kevin Baker, a novelist and historian, said of the evacuation. Weve got to get to the point where the average American cop thinks a little bit more, Mr. Wilson added. Thats the bottom line. The principles, 30 in all, come after nearly two years of research by the policy group, said its executive director, Chuck Wexler. He surveyed 280 agencies last spring about training to de-escalate volatile situations. He brought a group of police leaders to Scotland in November to see how crime fighting is done by a mostly unarmed police force. And in December, he observed the tactics of New York Police Departments Emergency Service Unit. Pushing the principles across the country is an acknowledgment that we can do better, said Allwyn Brown, the interim police chief in Richmond, Calif., who was on the Scotland trip. No one knows precisely how often officers fire their weapons because that data is not kept uniformly. In New York City last year, there were 67 officer-involved shootings, a record low, with 33 of them considered adversarial, said Inspector John J. Sprague, who commands the New York Police Departments Force Investigation Division. But policing has endured widespread condemnation and calls for reform since a series of deadly police encounters with unarmed black men and women, including the death of Eric Garner during an arrest on Staten Island, the death of Freddie Gray in police custody in Baltimore and new revelations about the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald in Chicago. Mr. Wexler on Friday showed photos and played videos of some of the most high-profile killings by police officers, which he warned were hard to watch. Deven Black was 62, and his life was falling apart. In a few short years, he had gone from respected, award-winning teacher to unemployed felon, losing his marriage and his home, moving into his car for a time and slipping into a depression that went largely untreated. He had nowhere to go. Anthony White was only 21, and he had a plan. He was desperate to get his own apartment, but his low-paying job at J. C. Penney left him unable to pay any rent. He had his dreams, to be a famous rapper, and his own mental-health problems. All he had to do was qualify for low-income housing. And he knew just how to do that. The paths of Mr. Black and Mr. White one on the way down, the other seemingly on the way up collided at the Boulevard Homeless Shelter in Harlem on Monday, through the lottery that is New York Citys shelter system. Strangers, the men ended up in the same room of a residence for men with mental-health problems. By Wednesday night, Mr. Black was dead, his throat slashed, and Mr. White was on the run, the subject of a citywide manhunt. City officials, meanwhile, were again left with questions about how to provide shelter to everyone who needs it, even those with serious mental-health problems, even if they are not being treated or taking their medication. To the Editor: Re Protect Female Farmworkers, by Jose R. Padilla and David Bacon (Op-Ed, Jan. 19): Female farmworkers refer to the fields as the green motel for the prevalence of sexual violence in agriculture. We explored that issue in my documentary Food Chains. What the Op-Ed essay did not mention is that a group of farmworkers, working with their employers, has in fact stopped sexual violence in one of our largest agricultural sectors, the Florida tomato industry. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers, the subjects of my film, has achieved these successes by forcing the large buyers of produce supermarket and fast food conglomerates to enforce a zero-tolerance policy for sexual violence and other human rights abuses in their supply chains. This market-driven solution, the Fair Food Program, has been lauded by the White House Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Initiatives, the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights, and former President Bill Clinton. The problem is real. But so is the solution and it deserves mention. SANJAY RAWAL New York Todays polar adventurers, moreover, inevitably hedge the risk with constant communication to support teams ready to come to their rescue. Mr. Worsley sent his message of resignation to the world via satellite phone, quoting Shackleton, who had lamented having shot his bolt before reaching the South Pole. But in 1909, when Shackleton and his men turned around, they had no one but themselves to count on to get back to their base camp. In 1912, Scott and his four companions died in a storm on their desperate return journey. Mr. Worsleys call started an airlift rescue. He died not on the ice, but in a hospital in southern Chile when doctors could not reverse a fatal bout of peritonitis. His death was reported last week. These epic efforts at firsts seem to have obscured the true exploration that is taking place around the globe. Cavers are in the middle of their own golden age, as the deepest and largest underground grottoes remain undiscovered. In serious caving, there are no hourly communications by satellite phone, no rescues by plane or helicopter. No wonder, then, that the best cavers are uninterested in speed records or endurance feats per se. Theyre busy trying to find out what lies underground. The cenotes of Yucatan, still mostly unexplored, have galvanized some of the best cave divers to prowl through these nightmarish subterranean labyrinths. Cave diving is arguably the most dangerous pursuit in terrestrial adventure today. The worlds most unnavigable rivers also await their first descents. Rafters have yet to brave, for instance, the headwaters of the Heilongjiang or Songhuajiang Rivers in China. I was privileged to participate in the first (and to this date, only) attempt to raft the Tua and Purari Rivers in Papua New Guinea in 1983. Our party turned back in the face of what looked like suicidal rapids far short of the rivers terminus. In terms of mountaineering, the news media tends to focus ad nauseam on Everest. Yet there are scores of unclimbed peaks in Alaska, Greenland and western China. Just last fall, two of the worlds best climbers, Conrad Anker and David Lama, threw themselves at Lunag Ri, an unclimbed peak on the border of Nepal and Tibet. Extreme cold and fiendish granite walls thwarted their boldest efforts. The worlds highest unclimbed peak, the 24,830-foot Gangkhar Puensum, is protected by Bhutans ban on climbing on the countrys sacred mountains. Climbers, like cavers and river runners, dont worry about whether their quests are useful. It is the pursuit of knowledge and adventure that animates them. Is it O.K. to publicly dump on the newly deceased or for that matter, to offer them not-quite-heartfelt praise? Its a tough call. No one likes a hypocrite. Just the same, there is surely a time and a place for everything. The journalist and cultural critic H. L. Mencken had no doubts. When William Jennings Bryan died in 1925, he denounced the muddle-headed three-time presidential candidate and notorious opponent of evolution as a charlatan, a mountebank, a zany without sense or dignity. He added: He was a peasant come home to the barnyard. Imagine a gentleman, and you have imagined everything that he was not. Today, plenty of naysayers are aping Mencken. In an elephantine piece for Salon in 2011 on the protocol for public figure deaths, the journalist Glenn Greenwald scoffed at the effusive coverage years before of Tim Russert, the moderator of Meet the Press, and of Ronald Reagan. Dismissing the former as awful and power-worshipping, Mr. Greenwald complained, We were all supposed to pretend we had lost some Great Journalist. The latters post-mortem canonization, he charged, virtually ignored the Iran-contra scandal, exorbitant military spending, indifference to AIDS, vast income disparities, implicit racism and the Supreme Court nomination of Robert Bork all in a sentence of about 160 words. The proximate peg for this invective, incidentally, was the expiration of Christopher Hitchens. Rejecting the remarkably undiluted, intense praise lavished on him by media discussions, Mr. Greenwald exhaustively savaged Mr. Hitchens for his repellent advocacy of the war on terror. Mr. Hitchens most likely would have loved it. In 1997, baffled by the worldwide grief over Princess Dianas fatal car accident, he ripped into her as a spoiled child bride, a sulky wife, a narcissist, a borderline airhead with zero interest in books, history or tradition. After the Rev. Jerry Falwell departed, he said, I think it a pity there isnt a hell for him to go to. China has long had one of the worlds worst human rights records because of the way it treats its own citizens. Now, Beijing appears to be reaching beyond its territory and abducting critics from Hong Kong, a semiautonomous city, and from other countries, an alarming expansion of the governments ruthless determination to crush dissent. The most recent case involves Li Xin, a Chinese journalist who also worked as a government informant, got fed up with that life and fled China last year, ending up in Thailand. On Monday, his wife said that her husband, a website editor for a popular Chinese newspaper, had been missing from Thailand since Jan. 11 and that he might have been abducted by Chinese agents. In October, Gui Minhai, a book publisher in Hong Kong who was born in China and is a naturalized Swedish citizen, vanished from his apartment in Pattaya, a Thai beach resort. This month, he reappeared on Chinese state TV and said he returned to China to turn himself in for an old crime. His friends, however, insist Mr. Gui was forcibly taken away. Four other people associated with the same Hong Kong company, Mighty Current Media, which sells books banned in China about Chinese politics and politicians, have also disappeared. In October, Thailand deported two men to China who were registered as refugees; they had been accepted for resettlement in Canada on a claim that they faced persecution if they returned to China. The men, Jiang Yefei and Dong Guanping, were in possession of a United Nations protection letter and should not be sent back to a place where their lives can be put in danger, a spokeswoman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said. Last summer, Thailand drew condemnation from the United States and others when it deported about 100 Uighur Muslims to China, whose government is repressing separatist-leaning Uighurs in the Xinjiang region. To the Editor: Re Mr. Obamas Pardon Problem (editorial, Jan. 27): Removing the clemency process from the Justice Department would solve part of the presidents pardon problem, but he needs to take a second step. Clemency is ill suited to deal with the systemic issue that concerns him, which is that thousands of federal prisoners are serving sentences far longer than would be imposed today. The courts are institutionally in the best position to handle sentence reductions on a large scale, and there is authority for them to do it under current law. The United States Sentencing Commission will hold a hearing next month to consider whether courts should make broader use of the so-called compassionate-release law, which until now has been used only rarely. The president should send his attorney general to this hearing with a clear message: The federal courts should step up to the job of modifying long sentences, and federal prosecutors will help them do it. Johnson Controls, an industrial and auto parts supplier headquartered in Milwaukee, announced this week that is was selling itself to Tyco International, a maker of fire safety products based in Ireland. The deal will let Johnson Controls pass itself off as Irish and, in the process, cut its taxes in the United States by at least $150 million a year. Johnson Controls is not the first American company to avoid taxes by merging with a smaller company in a low-tax nation, and it wont be the last. Nor is it the biggest. That distinction goes to Pfizer, which is in the process of becoming Irish, having merged last year with a smaller company based in Dublin. Johnson Controls is, however, the latest and quite possibly the most brazen tax dodger. The company would not exist as it is today but for American taxpayers, who paid $80 billion in 2008 to bail out the auto industry. Johnson Controlss president personally begged Congress for the bailout, which came on top of huge tax breaks that the company has received over the years, including at least $149 million from Michigan alone from 1992 to 2009, according to The Times. Whats galling about this and similar maneuvers is that Congress has done nothing to stop them. Since 2008, some three dozen American companies have used gaps and loopholes in the law to change their tax nationalities, a process known as inverting. In Mormon doctrine, the American Constitution is a divinely inspired text that must be protected. This view goes back to the days of the prophet Joseph Smith, who believed the Constitution existed to provide religious freedom and agency, the right of people to choose how they lived. In 1840, Smith warned that this Nation will be on the very verge of crumbling to pieces and tumbling to the ground when the Constitution is upon the brink of ruin; this people will be the Staff upon which the Nation shall lean and they shall bear the Constitution away from the very verge of destruction. The Bundy family sees itself as that Staff. Mr. Bundy carries in his pocket a copy of the Constitution, which he believes draws its inspiration from the Bible. He told me: Dont we believe that Jesus Christ is basically the author of the Bible? Well, if the Constitution is inspired, who is the author? Wouldnt that author be Jesus Christ again? Mr. Bundys reading of the Constitution has been heavily influenced by the work of W. Cleon Skousen, a Mormon, fervent anti-Communist and right-wing political thinker who believed that most federal landholdings are unconstitutional. The Los Angeles Times reported that many Bundy followers in Oregon carried with them a copy of the Constitution annotated by Skousen. Thats where I get most of my information from, Cliven Bundy told the paper. But while Joseph Smith focused on the First Amendment as a bulwark against the persecutions of Mormons, the Bundys are focused on the 10th Amendment, which they believe severely restricts the federal governments power to possess land. (Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have condemned the Oregon takeover and said in a statement that they were deeply troubled by the reports that those who have seized the facility suggest that they were doing it based on scriptural principles.) The Bundy worldview aligns closely with the states rights movement and efforts in the West to transfer federal lands to the states and local governments. Just last week, eight ranchers in Utah announced that they would stop paying grazing fees to the federal government and put the money into escrow until ownership of the federal land they lease is resolved. This is as an act of civil disobedience in response to a long trail of abuses, a lawyer connected to the effort told The Salt Lake City Tribune. Just how dark do you like it? The British dramatist Philip Ridley, whose excellent Dark Vanilla Jungle and Tonight With Donny Stixx are in repertory at Here, is notorious for testing the palates of theatergoers who think they prefer their humor black, strong and bitter. His lurid tragicomedies like his futurist shocker Mercury Fur, staged by the New Group last year typically begin in shadow and progress steadily into a starless midnight, where any available light is often reflected in pools of blood. Mr. Ridleys characters commit acts of barbarism that Quentin Tarantino probably hasnt even imagined. And Ive seen people bolt from a Ridley play with their hands clamped over their mouths. That Mr. Ridley is also a writer of uncommon, lyrical delicacy may sound like a contradiction. But whats most unsettling in his work isnt its violence, but the seductive voices of those who perpetrate it. He endows his blighted characters with an instinctive gift for poetry that gropes for patterns in a random and unforgiving universe. These people may be monsters. But if you allow yourself to listen to them, youll know where theyre coming from. And thats likely to be closer than youd think or hope to a place that you occupy, too. PORTLAND, Ore. Ammon Bundy, the leader of the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, told a judge here on Friday that his actions were intended to preserve freedom. The first of 10 defendants arrested in the siege to appear before Magistrate Judge Stacie F. Beckerman for a detention hearing in federal court, Mr. Ammon said, I respect the federal court as a place for people to find redress. I do love the Constitution, he said. It allows us to live in happiness, to live as free people. I do love his country very much. My desire was to preserve freedom for the people. As he has done twice since his arrest on Tuesday, Mr. Bundy again asked the remaining occupiers who now number four to leave the refuge. One of three men who escaped from an Orange County jail turned himself in to the police on Friday after a week on the run. The man, Bac Duong, 43, contacted a civilian on the streets of Santa Ana and stated he wanted to turn himself in, said Sandra Hutchens, the Orange County sheriff. Mr. Duong is charged with attempted murder and had been in custody since December. The sheriff did not release any details of his capture. The search continues for the other two men who broke out of the Orange County Central Mens Jail Hossein Nayeri, 37, and Jonathan Tieu, 20 neither of whom has been seen since a 5 a.m. head count on Jan. 22. Sheriffs department officials previously said they believed the three escapees were together in Southern California and could be receiving assistance from Vietnamese organized crime groups. What does the Sermon on the Mount really mean? Mrs. Clinton said, referring to the sermon in which the eight Beatitudes are outlined by Jesus Christ, including Blessed are the meek. It sure does seem to favor the poor and the merciful, and those who in worldly terms dont have a lot, but who have the spirit that God recognizes as the core of love and salvation. For all the efforts her campaign has made to reintroduce Mrs. Clinton over the past eight months, her religiousness remains little-known. More than four in 10 voters, regardless of party affiliation, said they believed Mrs. Clinton was not very religious, according to a Pew Research Center study on Faith and the 2016 Campaign released on Wednesday. Among Democrats and voters who lean toward the Democratic Party, about two-thirds said Mrs. Clinton was at least somewhat religious; 27 percent said she was not. Though Republican candidates aggressively court evangelicals, who make up a particularly powerful conservative constituency in Iowa, Democrats whose voters are a more diverse lot, in sectarian terms tend to be more cautious in talking about religion. (Mrs. Clintons main opponent, Senator Bernie Sanders, who is Jewish, has said he is not particularly religious.) But for Mrs. Clinton, a candidate who struggles with questions of authenticity, her evident ease at discussing her faith and Scripture and how they help explain why she is running for president might well help her connect not just to the faithful but to nonreligious voters as well. It doesnt reach the bulk of Democratic voters, said Mike McCurry, a former White House press secretary to Bill Clinton who is now a professor of public theology at Wesley Theological Seminary. But in Hillarys case, what you want to hear is about character and values and what motivates her. On Wednesday, during a quick fund-raising trip to Philadelphia, Mrs. Clinton spoke with 50 African-American pastors at Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, in what she called a stimulating and inspirational meeting. The same night, Mr. Clinton told a crowd in Mason City, Iowa, that if you really want to understand Hillary, you just have to understand she was raised a Methodist, and mentioned one of her favorite spirituals: If I Could Help Somebody. I wont bore you with all the verses, Mrs. Clinton said, but the last line is, If I can help somebody when I travel along, then my living will not be in vain. A judge ruled on Friday that the affluenza teenager should remain in custody for now at a juvenile detention center in Fort Worth, where he has been held since he was deported from Mexico on Thursday. Ethan Couch, 18, fled to Mexico last month with his mother after he apparently violated the probation deal reached in juvenile court that kept him out of prison for killing four people while driving drunk in 2013. Judge Timothy Menikos said he was considering a move to an adult prison for Mr. Couch. If that happens, he could be eligible for release on bail, court officials have said, adding that the bail option was not available to him in the juvenile system. Mr. Couch faces a hearing on Feb. 19 to determine if his entire case will move to the adult system. Days after the prime minister of Malaysia was cleared of wrongdoing in an investigation into transfers of money into his bank accounts, the Swiss government announced Friday that it had found serious indications that funds had been misappropriated from Malaysian state-owned companies. The sovereign wealth fund at the center of the Swiss inquiry, called 1Malaysia Development Berhad, or 1MDB, has been the focus of several investigations around the world as authorities attempt to ascertain whether money vanished in a series of international business deals. The sovereign fund is overseen by Najib Razak, Malaysias prime minister, and it has become a political target in his country, where his opponents have pushed aggressively for his removal. The statement by the Swiss authorities is the strongest comment by law enforcement that there is significant evidence of wrongdoing related to the Malaysian state-funded companies. 1MDB and its web of business deals were featured in an investigation by The New York Times a year ago of properties in the United States owned by people close to the prime minister. UNITED NATIONS France said Friday that it would organize an international conference aimed at resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and that France would recognize Palestine as an independent state if that effort failed. The announcement, made by Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius in Paris, was welcomed by Palestinian leaders, who have been expressing concern that their grievances and quest for full independent statehood have been marginalized by the Syria war, the European migrant crisis and other related issues. But the announcement was criticized by Israeli officials, who were quoted in Israeli news media as saying Mr. Fabius had essentially made a threat that would encourage the Palestinians not to negotiate seriously. France will engage in the coming weeks in the preparation of an international conference bringing together the parties and their main partners American, European, Arab notably to preserve and make happen the two-state solution, Mr. Fabius said. Should that effort fail, he said, We need to face our responsibilities by recognizing the Palestinian state. The situation is much worse than it was in the past, he said. The main mosquito that transmits Zika virus and also dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever is Aedes aegypti, a particularly wily foe. It prefers urban areas and bites mainly people, making it very efficient at spreading disease. It bites in the day, so bed nets, a common way to protect people against the night-biting malaria mosquitoes, have little effect. It breeds in small containers of water, such as flower pots, cans and tires that collect rainwater. Ive seen Aedes aegypti merrily breeding in discarded soda caps, said Joseph M. Conlon, technical adviser to the American Mosquito Control Association. Aedes aegypti is found in the southern part of the United States, so public health authorities say there will be some local transmission of Zika in this country, though it will be far less serious than in Latin America. Dr. Petersen of the C.D.C. said he envisioned almost a SWAT team approach in which resources would be rapidly deployed to areas of local transmission to control mosquitoes using conventional methods. The genetically engineered Aedes aegypti mosquitoes were developed by Oxitec, a British company, to fight dengue, but would also work to curtail the spread of Zika. Since last April, the mosquitoes have been released in one neighborhood of Piracicaba populated by about 5,000 people. By the end of 2015, there was a reduction in wild mosquito larvae as opposed to larvae inheriting the lethal gene of 82 percent, the company said. Oxitec and the city said this month that they would extend the project for another year and expand it to cover an area of up to 60,000 people. Oxitec is building a new factory to rear enough mosquitoes to cover an area with 300,000 people. Thats wrong, Mr. Rouen, 63, said. That is just wrong. Drivers like Mr. Rouen report monthslong delays in getting their vehicles serviced at dealerships, for lack of replacement parts. Just under 30 percent of recalled inflaters had been fixed as of Jan. 15, according to the safety agency. That was before regulators added five million more inflaters to the 23 million already under recall. And it may be years before regulators have any firm understanding of the scope of the problem. The safety agency, which has barred Takata from using ammonium nitrate for new orders, has given the supplier until the end of 2018 to prove that ammonium nitrate is safe in existing airbags. And Takata has even longer, until the end of 2019, to show that inflaters with a more advanced version of the compound are safe. Frankly, everythings on the table with respect to any Takata inflater that uses ammonium nitrate, said Sean Kane, founder and president of Safety Research & Strategies, an auto safety consultancy, who is involved in litigation against Takata. Image The metal fragment from a Takata airbag that killed Joel Knight. It takes another death or an injury to get additional vehicles recalled, he said. Unfortunately, Joel Knight paid for that with his life. In Mr. Rouens case, he has been waiting for a repair since he received a recall notice last July, and he drives the car as little as possible. He filed a complaint with the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs. In August, Ford responded to the agency, explaining that the car had been deemed safe to drive until parts were available. As such, we will not be meeting Mr. Rouens request for a rental vehicle until the repairs are completed, the letter said. BOSTON With court-ordered desegregation of public schools unfolding violently across this city in the mid-1970s, Boston Latin, then about 90 percent white, began admitting more minority students, remaining a place of relative calm in a city engulfed in protest. But in the last two weeks, the school, a beacon of high achievement founded by Puritans in 1635, has emerged at the center of a new discussion of racial tensions. Two black students, employing YouTube videos and a hashtag, started a campaign to expose what they see as a hostile school climate one in which, they said, racial insensitivity is too common and hate speech is not effectively punished. The students, Meggie Noel, 17, and Kylie Webster-Cazeau, 18, complained of discriminatory comments things like, Oh, youll get into college because youre black, Ms. Noel said. They also said their fellow students had used racial slurs and told black students to go back to Africa during online debates, with few repercussions. I had been in the village long enough to recognize the powerful force of collective punishment; there were times when I was interviewing a woman about the factory dispute roiling the village and, midsentence, she would change her answer and begin to voice the opposite view, just because one of the village elders had walked into earshot. But Geeta, the leader of the band of outcasts, was not afraid. I could not understand it. I had driven to Peepli Khera from New Delhi after reading an article in The Hindu about the womens rebellion there. I wanted to understand how such a deep fault line had opened up. I realized quickly after my arrival that it would be virtually impossible to do my job. As an outsider, a white person from the United States, I created a frenzy every time I set foot in the village. (Some people decided I was an albino.) When I arrived to do interviews, children would be sent to fetch an older man, someone with the authority to speak to me. Someone would drag over a chair, an honor reserved for dignitaries or bureaucrats. And those I wanted to speak with, the women, would slide down onto the ground, which was the only place they could sit when older men were present, or disappear into the dark interior spaces where they did their chores. It was like trying to interview a ball of mercury. The idea of exploring the subject of women and their place in Indias economy came to me in a roundabout way. When I was preparing to move to India, a savage gang rape had transfixed the country, and the narratives permeating the news media were about sexual violence. Rape is an incendiary topic in this country, with its history of invasions and occupations, though the incidence of reported rapes remains a fraction of what it is in the United States. A warning seemed to run through these stories common elements: A woman ventures outside the protected space of her home and family, and something unspeakable befalls her. On his weeks, there are no computers behind the counter, no swipe cards. The front-desk staff, which includes the owner and three Russian-speaking managers, uses punch cards and ledger books. Mr. Tuberman, 75, even disconnects the phone. Customers can check whose week it is on the baths website. The old system of alternating weeks has had various effects. One has been to thoroughly confuse people who arrive with a Groupon on the wrong week. It has also preserved, at least half the time, something of the old world of the shvitz. On David weeks, as they are called, there is a new crowd. But on Boris weeks, the regulars are still vaguely Slavic, vaguely paunchy, as Charles Kramer, a 62-year-old lawyer and a regular for decades, described it, patting his belly. You could blink your eyes and be back. On a recent Boris week, Warren Odze, a Broadway musician, had returned to the baths for the first time since the early 1980s. Many things were as he recalled: A little kitchen in the lobby served Russian-Jewish fare, and below ground, in a narrow space not much longer than a subway car, customers sat in towels in a misty Turkish steam room and a piping hot Russian sauna, received platzas, or therapeutic thrashings with oak branches, and dipped into an ice-cold pool. Mr. Odze also noted the changes. The price of a day pass had quadrupled, to $40. There was a juice bar, a womens locker room, women. Three decades ago, it was different. There was nothing healthy about it, he recalled. It was steaks and big bagels. Goodfellas, but the Jewish version. In the basement then, Mr. Odze said, it was old men basking and groaning, and I was scared of all of them. Mr. Odze said the bathhouse had become trendy. Still, he said, there was a remnant of the period he remembered. I was happy to see there were a lot of, as they say among us Jews, schlubs. Cure Restaurant and Bar, in Unionville, is a hard place to pigeonhole. A lively, boisterous bar area occupies half its footprint, while the nearby dining room is the image of uncluttered refinement, with sufficient space between linen-draped tables to provide a sense of intimacy. The menu, too, is a study in contrasts. Numerous dishes are marked with either a V or GF, indicating vegetarian and gluten-free choices. The public demands that these days, said Greg Marcuson, the executive chef and co-owner, who previously served as head chef at Matthews, a popular restaurant whose space Cure now occupies. For far more items, a B, as in bacon, would be appropriate. Among sandwiches, there are, in addition to a BLT, bacon sliders, grilled cheese with bacon and bacon-topped burgers. For pasta courses, why not bacon with mac and cheese, or rigatoni Bolognese? How about bacon blended with crab cakes, brussels sprouts, a sweet potato hash, even some desserts? Cures got those covered, too. With six varieties of house-made bacon available, cross-tastings of beer and bacon are also encouraged. Image Charcuterie and Cheese for two at Cure Restaurant and Bar in Unionville, Conn. Credit... Jessica Hill for The New York Times This place is all about our bacon, and about people having fun and feeling at home, Mr. Marcuson said by telephone after my visits. Food-obsessed souls like myself are on a perpetual quest to uncover a culinary treasure. The unspoken rule in the search for authenticity: The more unassuming the exterior, the more likely we will find an edible jackpot inside. With Shan Shan Noodles in Parsippany, we have a winner. It has all the superficial hallmarks of a find, which is to say, it is located in a strip mall, features a non-descript storefront, 15 tables and fluorescent lights. The warm, welcoming service and unique home-style food complete the package. When our waiter found out that we were first-timers, he summoned Shan Shan Lu, the owner, who enthusiastically talked us through the menu. She explained the hand-pulled noodle soups and encouraged us to try the Chinese burger, one of the house specialties. In an interview after my visits, Ms. Lu explained to me that Shan Shan specializes in the food of northwestern China, where she and her mother were born. Wheat is a staple crop in the region so flour-based foods, such as noodles and pancakes, dominate Shan Shans menu instead of rice, which is the main grain in the south. Garrison Nelson, who has been a political-science professor at the University of Vermont since 1968, says Mr. Sanders always oriented toward the interests of individual workers. Hes an evangelical leftist, Professor Nelson says. From the beginning, that set him apart from the old-school Democrats who dominated Vermonts small cities Barre, Winooski, Rutland where Italian, French-Canadian, Irish and Polish immigrants had come to work in the mills and quarries. It also set him apart from many of the new-style liberals who arrived in the state in the 1960s and 1970s, who concerned themselves mainly with the environment, energy, womens rights and education. Mr. Sanders fell into no camp but his own. By running for mayor, he challenged the old boys network that supported the incumbent Democrat, Gordon Paquette, alienating the party for years. Later, when he decided to run for Congress, he knew he had to broaden his appeal. Vincent Illuzzi, a Republican state senator for 32 years, represented two counties in the Northeast Kingdom, the states poorest, remotest region, where voters are more conservative. He says that over the years Mr. Sanders has spent more time there than any other member of Vermonts congressional delegation. When Mr. Sanders showed up, he talked about how the banks or the cable companies were ripping people off, how the government was letting veterans down. He was there to help workers in their bid to unionize the local furniture mill. He was not there to push same-sex marriage, and he was not going to emphasize those environmental issues that might cost a logger his job. And he definitely was not going to argue for gun control among voters who depended on their rifles to put meat on the table. If Mr. Sanders had come across as a liberal, he would not have done as well as he did among voters in the Northeast Kingdom. But, as Professor Nelson says, he was not a liberal; he was a populist prophet who was able to capture the sense of unfairness that working people felt in their bones. IN recent years, New York City has invested over $2 billion in spectacular new waterfront parks. But that investment, and New Yorkers enjoyment of their parks and neighborhoods, is being ruined by an invasion of noisy, polluting tourist helicopters. The long piers in Hudson River Park, near Chelsea, seem an inviting retreat, well removed from the noise of the West Side Highway. But these days the pleasure of a sunny bench and a river view is being obliterated by a fleet of helicopters flying up and down the Hudson. Just as the noise from one chopper fades away, a new one approaches, and it feels as if were trapped in a landing zone on a military base. This experience is not unique to one pier, or even to one city park. Daily, about two million people on both sides of the Hudson have their senses attacked by the plague of tourist helicopters. According to New York City Economic Development Corporation estimates, there were over 56,000 sightseeing tourist helicopter trips in 2014, operating every day, for as much as 10 hours a day and all taking off from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport. To be clear, we are not including helicopters used by the police and hospitals, or even private business and leisure charters. In 2014, nontourist flights accounted for merely 1,936 of the 58,021 flights taking off from the downtown heliport. Moreover, tours represented 75 percent of all flights taking off from Manhattans three city-owned heliports. WHETHER it wins or not, the Oscar nominee with the greatest impact saving lives of perhaps thousands of girls may be one youve never heard of. It stars not Leonardo DiCaprio but a real-life 19-year-old Pakistani woman named Saba Qaiser. Her odyssey began when she fell in love against her familys wishes and ran off to marry her boyfriend. Hours after the marriage, her father and uncle sweet-talked her into their car and took her to a spot along a riverbank to murder her for her defiance an honor killing. First they beat Saba, then her uncle held her as her own father pointed a pistol at her head and pulled the trigger. Blood spewed, Saba collapsed and her father and uncle packed her body into a large sack and threw it into the river to sink. They then drove away, thinking they had restored the familys good name. Incredibly, Saba was unconscious but alive. She had jerked her head as the gun went off, and the bullet tore through the left side of her face but didnt kill her. The river water revived her, and she clawed her way out of the sack and crawled onto land. She staggered toward a gasoline station, and someone called for help. While the Samaritan Woman at the Well was a respected biblical figure for early Christians, there was actually a more prominent woman at the well in Syria: the Virgin Mary during the Annunciation, when an angelic visitor informed her of her miraculous pregnancy. Where does this episode take place? The setting of the canonical account, in the Gospel of Luke, is not specified. But the second-century biography of Marys early life, usually called the Protevangelium of James, describes how one day, during a break from her work, she took the pitcher and went forth to draw water, and behold, a voice said: Hail, you are highly favored, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women. And she looked around on the right and on the left to see from where this voice could have come. During this first encounter, at a well or spring, the angel was heard but not seen. Mary appeared to be alone. Most people, when they imagine the Annunciation, have in mind some western Renaissance masterpiece: a studious, cloistered Mary welcoming the angel from the comfort of home. But Byzantine images of the scene, though coming centuries later than the figure from Dura-Europos, bear an arresting formal resemblance to it. The brilliant illumination in James of Kokkinobaphoss Homilies on the Virgin and the grand mosaic from the Byzantine monastery at Chora in Istanbul both demonstrate the importance in eastern Christianity of placing Mary at the well. Some manuscripts even depict this type among illuminations of the Gospel of Luke itself, showing that artists preferred the evocative iconographic traditions of the noncanonical text over the unspecified setting of the canonical one. At Chora, Marys figure can also be contrasted with the portrayal of the Samaritan Woman in the same church, who looks across a well at a pictured Jesus. The woman at Dura-Europos has yet more secrets to reveal. Archival photographs and drawings made by the archaeologists on site show that the supposed absence behind the female figure is not totally silent it speaks a couple of lines. That is to say, a field sketch of the wall done to show additional details depicts two painted lines touching the womans back, along with a kind of starburst on the front of her torso, features described as unexplained in the archaeological report. But with the new interpretation of the figure, in connection with the Eastern iconography that came later, the lines invite a rather evident meaning. They appear to represent a motion toward the womans body and a spark of activity within it, as if something invisible were approaching and entering her an incarnation. If correct, this woman at a well is the oldest securely datable image of the Virgin Mary. Devotees of the Roman catacombs may demur, since a few female figures there are often presented as Mary. But these are challenging to date with certainty, and many scholars argue that the proposed examples have insufficiently specific iconographic signifiers. Identifying the oldest image of Mary isnt an end in itself. Reidentifying this woman helps us to ponder anew the distinctive emphases of early Christians in Syria, who in this baptistery celebrated salvation through images of marriage, pregnancy and birth as much or more than through participation in a ritualized death. This is not to undermine the power of Jesus passion and resurrection accounts, but rather to rebalance the perspective of modern Western viewers, looking back after centuries of art focused on the cross. In the extant art from Dura-Europos, we see the hope of new spiritual birth, but the death of Christ is not pictured once. Today the paintings from this church are safe. But further opportunities to understand early Syrian Christianity are slipping away, as the archaeological sites of Deir ez-Zor are being systematically plundered under the auspices of the Islamic State. According to satellite images and reports from the ground, the looting pits at Dura-Europos are innumerable. Even while the human tragedy of the refugee crisis justifiably occupies our attention, the destruction of cultural heritage tells a parallel narrative. Images from this ancient Syrian church are thus much more than museum pieces. They illuminate a people and heritage that need salvation and not the kind of salvation found in a baptistery. So why does a Republican race frequently resemble such an exam? The winner of the Iowa caucuses in 2012 was Rick Santorum, who put his Catholicism at the forefront of his campaign. The winner in 2008 was Mike Huckabee, a former evangelical pastor who never let you forget that. To emerge victorious in 2016, several candidates are leaning hard on religion, hoping its an advantage over Trump. But just as God is said to work in mysterious ways, religion is working in unexpected ways in this campaign. According to some national polls, more evangelicals back Trump than they do any other candidate. Thats true although hes on his third marriage; although hes boasted of sexual conquests; although he went to the evangelical stronghold of Liberty University in 2012 and, in a rambling speech, mentioned the importance of prenuptial agreements; although he returned to Liberty University just weeks ago and revealed his inexperience in talking about the Bible by citing two Corinthians when anyone with any biblical fluency would have pronounced it Second Corinthians. Libertys president, Jerry Falwell Jr., went so far as to endorse Trump, a development that clearly galled Trumps rivals and bolstered their resolve to prove that theyre the better Christians. Jeb Bush questioned Trumps faith. Marco Rubio kept going out of his way to extol his own. HE released a television commercial here in which he speaks directly to the camera about what it means to be Christian. Our goal is eternity, the ability to live alongside our creator for all time, he says. The purpose of our life is to cooperate with Gods plan. During last weeks debate, he worked religion into an answer to a question that had nothing to do with it. The Fox News anchor Bret Baier had asked him about his electability, mentioning a Time magazine story that called Rubio the Republican savior. Public primary school students were given the chance to deposit money weekly into a lockbox, and they were informed that their accumulated savings would be returned to them at a school-supplies fair at the beginning of the next trimester. Schools were randomly assigned to one of three groups. In the first group, students were offered a hard commitment: Their accumulated savings would be returned in the form of a voucher that had to be spent on school supplies. In the second group, students got a soft commitment: Their savings would be returned in cash, and could be spent as they wished. The third group of schools continued as normal, serving as a comparison group whose savings and spending money were also observed. You might think that the hard commitment would be the best strategy, since it forces the money to be spent on school supplies. But surprisingly, as we report in a working paper, the soft commitment worked better. Students who got their savings back in cash saved more, and when the program was combined with parental involvement (which was also randomized), the students also bought more school supplies and achieved higher test scores. The second study took place in Zambia. One problem there, as in other low-income countries, is how to recruit the right kind of workers for jobs like teachers and health workers where right refers to those who are capable and genuinely interested in helping the community, not just looking for money and a steppingstone to another job. There is often resistance to increasing what these jobs pay, or otherwise improving their benefits, for fear of attracting opportunists. The researchers Nava Ashraf and Scott Lee from Harvard Business School and Oriana Bandiera from the London School of Economics and Political Science tested this conventional wisdom by varying whether one particular job benefit opportunities for career advancement was advertised in a government recruitment drive for a nationwide health-worker program. The researchers randomly assigned some rural communities to receive advertisements for the jobs that announced opportunities for career advancement, whereas in other areas, the advertisements were silent on this issue. Contrary to expectation, the researchers reported in a working paper released last year, those recruited with career advertisements were more qualified and scored higher on exams during training, and also exhibited the same degree of emphasis on community service. The go-getters also outperformed the do-gooders on the job, seeing the same number of patients in their health clinics while conducting 29 percent more home visits and twice as many community health meetings. (After being recruited, everyone was told about the opportunities for career advancement, so that no differences in performance could be attributed to differing incentives.) A spacious, light-filled aerie about midway up the recently completed 432 Park Avenue, currently the tallest residential tower in the Western Hemisphere, topping out at 1,396 feet, sold for $18,926,920.09 and was the most expensive closed sale of the week, according to city records. The sponsor unit, No. 50C, has two bedrooms, three full baths and a powder room across 3,576 square feet. And like all the 104 residences in the 96-story condominium, between 56th and 57th Streets amid Billionaires Row, it has 12.6-foot ceilings and 10-by-10-foot square windows, which provide an abundance of light and dizzying park, river and cityscape views. Each apartment also has a private elevator landing. The buyers identity was shielded by the limited liability company Park Condominium. Monthly carrying costs total $15,860. This sale marked the third official closing in the supertall building, designed by Rafael Vinoly Architects and developed by Macklowe Properties and the CIM Group. Earlier this month sales were recorded for units 55C, which sold at $13.47 million, and 35B at $18.12 million. Its rare to find something so carefully preserved, she said. She has furnished it as a virtual cabinet of curiosities, an autobiographical assemblage of antiques, paintings, objets dart and memento mori. On the mantel in the dining room is a shrine to Ms. von Buhlers dead pets, the ashes stored in urns, boxes and tins stashed in and around a wooden cabinet carved with her monogram and silhouettes of Ms. von Buhler and her first husband, Adam von Buhler, from whom she is divorced. When I die, she said, I want to be buried with all my animals. Death is a recurring theme, one she has explored in plays like Ziegfelds Midnight Frolic, another immersive piece, which ran last year at the Liberty Theater on West 42nd Street. The story of Olive Thomas, a showgirl and movie actress who died mysteriously on a trip to Paris in 1920 with her actor husband, Jack Pickford, the play took its name from a late-night cabaret that Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. ran on the roof of the New Amsterdam Theater. Ms. von Buhler picked up a miniature wooden hammer stamped Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic Atop New Amsterdam Theater, which she received as a gift during the run of her play. (Mr. Ziegfeld, she said, feared his audience would applaud so much they would have sore hands, so he provided wooden hammers for banging on the tables instead.) I put it with the animals because its a relic of something that I love that is over, she said. Most everything in the apartment, it seems, has some sentimental value, including the French Empire candelabra. When I got married the first time, Ms. von Buhler said, we went to an antiques store to get rings, and I saw these, so we got them instead. I love them because the arms move and you can arrange them like flowers. The antique settee in the living room was a gift from a college boyfriend. I was already into antiques back then, said Ms. von Buhler, who graduated from the Art Institute of Boston. But this is my favorite chair ever, she said, sitting down in a canopied wing chair she bought at an antiques shop in Boston, where she lived before moving to New York in 2001. Its called a porters chair, because the porters would sit in the lobby doorway and the chair would keep them from getting a draft. An Early American-style portrait of a girl holding a bird in her lap is another relic of her Boston days. It was a gift from a friend, who gave me this because I raise homing pigeons, she said. Having unusual animals is not new for me; I had a de-scented skunk growing up. As for the pig, she was suddenly nowhere to be seen. I wonder if she knows how to climb stairs? Ms. von Buhler fretted, heading into the hall and reporting back, Yes, she does. Bernie Sanderss coalition once looked very familiar: He had strong support among well-educated and affluent liberal white voters of the sort who backed Barack Obama, Bill Bradley and Jerry Brown. He struggled among less affluent voters. But his coalition has evolved over the last few months. He now fares much better among less affluent whites than Mr. Obama did eight years ago, suggesting hes attracting a group that traditionally supports more moderate establishment candidates, someone like Hillary Clinton. If confirmed in the voting, it would vindicate his hope of building a progressive coalition based more on class than the coalitions put together by liberal predecessors. But these gains have come at a cost. There are signs he has lost Mr. Obamas edge among affluent white voters in Iowa and New Hampshire. Affluent whites are one of the highest turnout groups in the country and traditionally a key ally of reformist, outsider candidates. And his increase in strength among white working-class voters makes more puzzling the question of why he struggles so much among nonwhite voters, who continue to back Mrs. Clinton by wide margins. The evidence for Mr. Sanderss strength among less affluent white voters, at least compared with Mr. Obama, is persuasive in both state and national polls. DES MOINES They are angry at a political system they see as rigged. They feel squeezed by immigration, or the power of big banks. They sense that America is heading in the wrong direction, but emphatically believe only their candidate has the strength and vision to change things. The voters driving two of the more remarkable movements of this election cycle for Donald J. Trump and Senator Bernie Sanders share striking similarities. Both groups are heavily white, more male than female, and both are fueled partly by people who, in interviews, express distrust of their parties and the other candidates, especially Hillary Clinton. No matter how their preferred candidates fare in the Iowa caucuses on Monday, the supporters of Mr. Sanders and Mr. Trump are reshaping the campaign and could have a profound impact on the outcome in the fall. DES MOINES The presidential race hurtled over the weekend toward a watershed moment: voting that will start to reveal the true depth of Americans desire to cast aside traditional politicians and Washington-style compromise and embrace disruptive outsiders appealing to their passions. After a year of countless and often conflicting polls, more than 250,000 Iowans are expected to attend caucuses on a relatively mild Monday night and render judgment on insurgent candidates who would bar Muslims from the country (Donald J. Trump), oppose concessions to Democrats (Senator Ted Cruz of Texas) and pursue a high-tax, big-government agenda (Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont). Voters are poised to bring order to the race, or reorder politics, as in no other recent election. Money, experience and endorsements advantages that usually turn candidates like Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida, into inevitable nominees will be tested against the potent messages of rivals promising upheaval. The importance of aggressive fund-raising and campaign commercials, which have cost a combined total of more than $100 million so far, will become suspect if the social-media-driven organizing by grass-roots groups helps yield upset victories for candidates like Mr. Sanders. WASHINGTON President Obama will call for spending $4 billion to help states pay for computer science education in the schools when he presents his 2017 budget to Congress, administration officials say. If approved by the Republican-led Congress, the money will pay for teacher training and instructional materials to increase the amount of instruction in computer science, especially for girls and minorities, the officials said. Mr. Obama announced the initiative, called Computer Science for All, in his weekly radio address Saturday morning. He urged lawmakers to support the programs funding in the budget, saying such education would help the nations young people succeed in a changing job market. In the new economy, computer science isnt an optional skill its a basic skill, right along with the three Rs, Mr. Obama said in the address. Nine out of 10 parents want it taught at their childrens schools. DES MOINES With the final hours before the Iowa caucuses ticking away, Republicans are seizing on new and potentially damaging revelations about Hillary Clintons handling of sensitive information as evidence that she is unfit to be president. The State Department revealed for the first time on Friday that information considered top secret was sent through Mrs. Clintons private email server while she was secretary of state. The agency also announced that it would not release 22 of her emails because they contained highly classified material. The emails were not marked as classified when they passed through Mrs. Clintons server; in reviewing them more recently, officials determined their content should be kept from the public. But the revelations have provided new ammunition over the weekend for critics who say Mrs. Clinton has been dishonest and has put national security at risk. LOS ANGELES The two remaining fugitives who escaped from a maximum-security jail in Southern California were recaptured in the Bay Area on Saturday, ending an eight-day manhunt, law enforcement officials said. The fugitives, Hossein Nayeri, 37, and Jonathan Tieu, 20, were taken into custody by the San Francisco Police Department, Sheriff Sandra Hutchens of Orange County said at a news conference. The pair escaped from the Orange County Central Mens Jail on Jan. 22 with another inmate, Bac Duong, 43, who surrendered to the authorities in Santa Ana on Friday. The arrest of the last two escapees came after a tip from a civilian, Sheriff Hutchens said. Just before 9 a.m. on Saturday, a woman in San Francisco noticed a van, which matched the description of one the men had reportedly stolen, sitting in a Whole Foods Market parking lot and alerted the police. As officers approached the van, one of the men, Mr. Nayeri, fled but was caught after a short pursuit on foot, officials said. The officers found Mr. Tieu inside the van, where he was recaptured without incident. The officers also found ammunition, but no weapons, inside the vehicle. BEIJING Four miners have emerged alive after 36 days trapped 720 feet underground in eastern China, after a huge, intensely reported rescue effort in this country that has been plagued by mine disasters. Hundreds of rescuers who had drilled a shaft to the miners and kept them alive cheered and clapped Friday night as the first man winched to the surface weakly raised his arm. Several failed recovery attempts before this one had brought the trapped men to despair. The third miner lifted to the surface yelled Thank you after he came up, Qilu Net, Shandongs main state-run news website, reported on Saturday. The rescued men were rushed to a local hospital, accompanied by a crush of reporters and cameras but too weak to speak about their ordeal. The four men were among 29 miners caught when a cavernous gypsum mine in Pingyi County, Shandong Province, collapsed on Dec. 25. Eleven were rescued soon after, and one was found dead. The mines principal owner, Ma Congbo, committed suicide at the mine two days after it collapsed, drowning himself in a well, state-run media reported. BEIJING It is no secret that fans of Chinese food often find it addictive. They speak longingly of the numbing spice of Sichuan peppercorn or the sour herbs found in Yunnan cooking. At least 36 restaurants in China tried to take that addictive quality one step further, and now have found themselves on the wrong side of the law. They were investigated in the past week by the authorities for adding poppy capsules and other illegal ingredients to food, according to a report on Friday by Xinhua, the state-run news agency. The poppy capsule is made from the dried pericarp of the ripe fruit of an opium poppy plant, and it has more than 20 types of alkaloids, including those found in morphine and cocaine, the report said. It is used in the Chinese medicine industry, but it is illegal in cooking. Transporting, buying, selling, storing or using poppy capsules in food can result in up to 15 days in detention or a fine of up to 3,000 renminbi, or $455. BEIJING China on Saturday accused the United States Navy of violating its laws by sending a warship within the 12-mile territorial zone of an island it claims in the South China Sea after the Pentagon said a Navy vessel had conducted a freedom of navigation operation. The United States vessel, the missile destroyer Curtis Wilbur, entered the waters off Triton Island in the Paracel Islands chain on Saturday without giving China notice in an exercise intended to challenge excessive maritime claims by China and two other countries, said Mark Wright, a Pentagon spokesman. Vietnam and Taiwan also claim Triton Island, though the Navy operation appeared to be aimed at China. The goal of the operation was to send a message to China, Taiwan and Vietnam that their attempts to restrict navigational rights by requiring other countries to obtain permission before entering the waters around the island were inconsistent with international law, Mr. Wright said. In a statement on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Hua Chunying, a ministry spokeswoman, said, The U.S. warships arbitrary entrance of Chinas territorial water has violated the relevant Chinese law, and the Chinese side has taken relevant measures in accordance with the law including monitoring and warning. Funeral service for Mr. John Thomas Rector will be 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 31, 2016, with visitation beginning at 1:30 p.m. at the Cherry Street Baptist Church, 520 Cleveland Avenue, Attalla, Alabama. Mr. Rector entered into his eternal home in heaven on January 28, 2016, due to the wonderful grace of God and his faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ. Officiating will be Reverend Larry Garrard, and his oldest son, Reverend John Dale Rector. John Thomas Rector was a native of Etowah County, Alabama. He served in the Korean War with the United States Army. He married Kathryn Beasley on April 11, 1952. They had been marred for over 63 years at the time of his death. Mr. Rector also served in the Alabama Army National Guard for over 5 years after his time of service in the US Army. He and his wife devoted their family life in rearing two sons. In doing so, they were active members of the Cherry Street Baptist Church in Attalla, Alabama. John Rector was made a Life Deacon due to his tireless work in witness for the Lord. For over 45 years, Mr. Rector served as a Sunday School teacher at the Attalla Health Care Nursing Home. He served faithfully in that role until his health prevented him from doing so. Prior to his retirement, he worked for 35 years at the Steel Mill in Alabama City. He was preceded in death by his parents, Bud and Dixie Rector; brother, Eugene Rector and Terry Rector; sisters, Edna Colley, Mary Usry, and Billie Ruth Rector. His is survived by his wife, Kathryn Rector of Attalla; sons, John Dale Rector of Opelika, Mark (Janet) Rector of Attalla. He is also survived by the pride and joy that the Lord gave him in two grandchildren, Rachel (Hunter) Williams of Medina, Tennessee, and Adam (Misty) Rector of Lexington, Tennessee. Also surviving him are the four great-grandchildren that he loved dearly: Ty Williams, Tessa Williams, Jeslyn Tubbs and Cash Thomas Rector. Surviving him as well are two brothers, Roy (Bernice) Rector, Madison Heights, Michigan, Rondal Rector, Southside; and one sister, Linda Entrekin of Gadsden. Numerous nieces and nephews survive him also. The family wants to express their gratitude to the medical office of Dr. Courtney Lowe and his staff for their health care of our loved one. Also, the nurses and staff of the Third floor of Riverview Medical Center along with Alacare Hospice are to be commended for their loving compassion and care of Mr. Rector in his final days. Please, in lieu of flowers, the family respectfully asks that memorial gifts be made to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105. Jeffcoat-Trant Funeral Home & Crematory of Opelika is directing. www.jeffcoattrant.com LOS ANGELES Authorities are looking for two men they say endangered potentially hundreds of lives by preparing fraudulent structural engineering documents for clients in 56 Southern California cities. Between 2003 and April 2014, Los Angeles County detectives believe Reuben Gutierrez and Wilfredo Rodriguez worked up the documents for projects throughout Los Angeles and Ventura counties, San Bernardino and Riverside, among others. Detective Ron Barton said the documents were doctored to look as if they were done by engineers at Palos Verdes Engineering. Though Gutierrez and Rodriguez did work at the company, neither have professional engineering licenses. Authorities believe the men fraudulently used their companys software and bid projects at a reduced cost. Barton said the pair face charges including forgery and theft. Investigators dont know their whereabouts. More than 600 animals were rescued from a North Carolina shelter this week in what one national anti-animal cruelty group said was among the largest rescues in its history. National and local animal advocates teamed up with local police to recover hundreds of animals, including dogs, cats, horses and pigs from the Haven, a private, no-kill shelter in Raeford, North Carolina. These animals were betrayed by the promise of going to a place that is a safe haven for animals, and it is anything but that, Tim Rickey, senior vice president of field investigations and response for ASPCA, said in a video posted by the group. Were finding lethargic and lifeless dogs throughout the property and the same thing with cats. In a statement posted on Wednesday, the day of the rescue, Rickey called the operation one of the largest companion-animal rescues in ASPCAs 150-year history. At the time, the group said it recovered more than 270 dogs, 250 cats, 40 horses and several pigs from the 122-acre property. That number has since risen: The group now says it rescued at least 600 animals. The largest companion-animal rescue in ASPCAs history came in 2012, when it recovered more than 700 cats in Florida, according to the Associated Press. The shelters owners, Stephen Joseph Spear and Linden Spear, were arrested and charged with several counts of cruelty to animals and possession of controlled substances, the Hoke County Sheriffs office said in a Wednesday statement. Weve seen open wounds on animals, weve seen no water for the animals, we are seeing animals that seem to be malnourished, Cpt. John Kivett, of the Hoke County Sheriffs office, told a local news station. Animals were kept in filthy kennels, cages, outdoor pens and paddocks, many without protection from the elements, the Asheville Humane Society, which assisted in the rescue, said in a Facebook post. Many had untreated medical issues, including open wounds, severe upper respiratory disease and emaciation. The shelter faced public scrutiny for years, with local animal advocates even launching a Facebook page to document their concerns. A September inspection by the state Agriculture Department found several problems, including inadequate water and medical care, the Associated Press reported on Friday. ASPCA became involved at the request of the sheriffs office and the Agriculture Department, the group said. Several hundred animals are already being housed at two 40,000-square-foot warehouses run by ASPCA, according to AP. There, they are receiving care from roughly 140 veterinarians, staffers and volunteers. Despite the raid, the Spears still have some defenders. Nancy Moore, at whose home the Spears are staying, told the AP that the shelter always seemed well-managed. I think they have provided a tremendous service in terms of the community, and certainly for animals. I would say they have dedicated their lives to basically taking care of them, Moore said. And one volunteer told local TV station WNCN that she was shocked by the news and felt the shelter provided adequate care. ATLANTA Some of Georgia state Rep. Tommy Bentons Republican colleagues Friday sought to distance themselves from his controversial comments about the Ku Klux Klan and slavery, while Democratic activists called on House Speaker David Ralston to strip him of his chairmanship. I certainly cannot associate myself with those comments, said House Ethics Committee Chairman Joe Wilkinson, R-Sandy Springs, who asked Friday to have his name withdrawn from two pieces of legislation he co-sponsored with Benton, R-Jefferson. In interviews with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Benton described the Ku Klux Klan as not so much a racist thing but a vigilante thing to keep law and order. It made a lot of people straighten up, he said. Im not saying what they did was right. Its just the way things were. Benton also shared his belief that slavery was not the true cause of the Civil War and defended the display of the Confederate battle flag, saying that criticism of it was being used as a distraction from problems inside the black community. Nobody said anything about black-on-black crime, and thats about 98 percent of it. Nobody said anything about family life and whos in the home and whos not in the home, he said. Its always something else that is the problem. Benton, a five-term lawmaker and chairman of the House Committee on Human Relations and Aging, made similar comments to other media Thursday after the AJC story published online. The North was advocating they do away with slavery, but they offered no idea as to what the South would do with a loss of $2 billion of property, per se, Benton told Channel 2 Action News. I understand that African-Americans, for the most part, have a problem with the slavery issue, but they dont denounce their ancestors in Africa who were selling slaves. News spread quickly as outlets outside of Georgia picked up the story, prompting condemnation from Democratic and progressive groups. Benton is backwards, out of touch and wrong. Speaker Ralston can do something about it, Bryan Long, executive director of the liberal activist group Better Georgia, said in a robocall targeted at Ralstons Blue Ridge district. Through his spokesman, Ralston declined to comment. Democratic Party of Georgia First Vice Chairman Nikema Williams called Bentons comments deplorable and questioned whether the retired middle school history teacher belongs in the House. Benton is either an ill-informed student of history, or he has no conscience, Williams said. For over a century, the KKK has operated as a terrorist organization responsible for some of the most unimaginable violence in the country. In an era where communities are working together to bridge divides, Tommy Benton seems content with spewing the kind of half-witted hatred that divides. Benton should be ashamed and his party should denounce him. Better Georgia started an online petition calling on Ralston to remove Bentons chairmanship. By Friday afternoon, the petition had more than 1,200 signatures. The AJC published Bentons comments in a story about legislation he is sponsoring to protect the Stone Mountain carving, require state holidays observing Robert E. Lees birthday and Confederate Memorial Day, and to require streets once named to honor veterans that have since been renamed to revert to their original names. The street bill, if passed, would result in a portion of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Atlanta reverting to Gordon Road, named after Confederate Gen. John B. Gordon, an early leader of the Klan in Georgia. Wilkinson was a co-sponsor of House Bill 855, which seeks the official recognition of the Confederate-themed holidays, and House Resolution 1179, which proposes to amend the state constitution to protect Stone Mountains massive carving of Confederate leaders. Wilkinson, who also co-sponsored a bill two years ago to erect a statue of Martin Luther King on the Capitol grounds, said he thought Bentons bills were well intentioned and signed on to them in hopes they would spark discussion. With all my heart I thought this was to be an intellectually honest discussion, he said. Is this still relevant? Do Georgians want this? He said his opinion changed when news of Bentons comments spread through the Capitol Thursday. I have no choice but to remove my name, he said. The California Republican Party has a unique opportunity right now to dramatically reverse its greatest problem of the last 25 years: its downward spiraling registration numbers. Donald Trump is the answer. And party leaders can increase Republican strength not only by appealing to independent voters who like Trump for president, but by welcoming independent voters who despise him by inviting Trump-haters and the Trump-bashers to make their votes count by re-registering and participating in the GOP presidential primary election on June 7. The voters I am referring to are termed decline to state or no party preference in California voter registration parlance. They are the one voter group that continues to rise in numbers in a state that is becoming tired of its political parties, especially the GOP. In 2012, they represented one in five California voters at 21 percent of the states electorate, while Democrats accounted for 44 percent of the voting pool and Republicans 30 percent. By 2014, the most recent count, no party preference had increased to almost one in four voters (23.6 percent), with Republicans losing more ground statewide (28 percent), and Democrats losing slightly (43.2 percent). With the GOPs low self-identification in California, it is not much of a surprise why Democrats control every statewide office. But there is an immediate path to reversing the decline in the GOPs fortunes in California. It is one that should make sense to tens of thousands of decline to state voters who dont yet realize they will be completely shut-out from any meaningful voter participation (other than Hillary Clinton, the inevitable Democratic nominee) in the selection of the next president of the United States for a simple reason: They will not be allowed to participate in the upcoming Republican Party primary elections because their voter status prohibits them from being given a GOP partisan presidential ballot this June. A Republican candidate for president has not won deeply blue California in the general election since 1988. Decline-to-state voters indeed will get their chance to vote for a presidential candidate this fall, but their votes wont matter much California will reliably turn in a majority of its votes for the Democratic nominee. That is pre-ordained and renders a decline-to-state voters participation in choosing a president virtually meaningless, in addition to being denied a say in the earlier Republican primary. However, because of Californias massive population, the state will be sending 172 delegates to the Republican Party convention in Cleveland, Ohio this July. These delegates will be selected on the basis of who wins Californias Republican primary election on June 7. They comprise not only 7 percent of the convention delegates, but an important 14 percent of what a candidate will need to win the nomination. As the GOP presidential selection processes drags out, with so many potential candidates splitting up delegates in the various early primary states, Californias own GOP primary ultimately may become very meaningful. And even if by June 7 it looks like the GOP nomination is sowed up, that big group of California delegates will still remain important to the power politics and platform debates at the convention. And Donald J. Trump is going to be a big feature at that convention, win or lose. According to what one of the states most reputable voter list companies told me not too long ago, there are about 340,000 decline-to-state voters in California who are former Republicans, and who have a reliable voting history. This special, large group of voters should be a big focus of the Republican Partys attention right now. And the best way for these voters to empower themselves is to re-register Republican. This pitch can be made whether the independent voter is for or against Trump, the candidate drawing the most attention among Republicans. Much has been written about Trump perhaps having alienated some voter groups during the campaign, and there may be voters offended enough to come over to the Republican Party to vote for a different Republican candidate out of spite for Trump. They should be welcomed to the Republican Party it can use their registrations. But the fact is that Trump scores extremely well nationally with disaffected independent voters looking for a non-partisan candidate to fix Washington. According to polling by Reuters, about one in 10 Americans who plan to cast their vote this election will be doing so for the first time in years, and of this new voter group, Trump pulls the biggest support at 27.3 percent. In other words, there is a huge vein of new voters to be tapped by the California GOP among decline-to-state voters who have leaned Republican in the past, and who might really like the opportunity to pull the lever for Trump enough to come back to the Republican Party. All our state party leaders really need to do is throw out the welcome mat and ask these voters to join up and vote on June 7, rather than sitting out the presidential election. Will Californias Republican leaders seize this opportunity? James V. Lacy is a frequent guest of Fox Business News Channel and editor of the critically acclaimed, Taxifornia 2016: 14 Essays on the Future of California, available at Amazon.com. BOGOTA, Colombia Colombia and Venezuela are both reporting a jump in cases of a rare, sometimes paralyzing syndrome that may be linked to the Zika virus. Colombian Deputy Health Minister Fernando Ruiz said Friday that his country has recorded 41 cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome that appear to be linked to Zika infections. It had detected 12 such cases a week ago. Colombia has said it had about 16,500 suspected cases of Zika, though only a small fraction have been confirmed by laboratory tests. The mosquito-borne virus is spreading rapidly in the region after being detected last year in Brazil. Investigators are scrambling to determine if the surge is related to seeming increases of the rare birth defect known as microcephaly, which results in babies being born with abnormally small heads, and of Guillain-Barre, which can leave patients temporarily paralyzed. Venezuelan Health Minister Luisana Melo said Friday that her country has recorded 255 cases of Guillain-Barre, apparently as part of its effort to fight Zika, though she did not specify the link or the time frame. Former Health Minister Jose Oletta said that figure indicates the number of suspected Zika cases in Venezuela is far more than the governments estimate of roughly 4,500. He has estimated Venezuela could have 400,000 cases. Normally, wed expect 30 or 40 cases of Guillain-Barre a month, said Oletta, who now works with the Network to Defend National Epidemiology. What this shows is that the minister has the total number of Zika cases wrong. Zika outbreaks have been reported in several Latin American and Caribbean countries, raising concerns elsewhere about travelers becoming infected. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, said Friday that he doesnt think U.S. airports need to screen travelers arriving from nations with Zika cases. He said the disease is spread by mosquitoes and is not transmitted from one person to another. Speaking in Washington, Fauci said the U.S. government is taking the virus very seriously and preparing in case it should spread to the United States. He said Americans should not get overly panicked since there have been no transmissions of the disease in the U.S. MEXICO CITY Mexico City is getting a little closer to statehood. The Federal District has long been considered an administrative district run by the central government, much like Washington, D.C. traditionally was in the United States. But the city of 8.85 million is getting more independence under a measure signed into law by President Enrique Pena Nieto on Friday. The capital will lose the designation federal district as it gains greater independence in the latest stage in the citys long, somewhat equivocal relationship with the rest of the country. Many people in Mexico, and even highway road signs, still refer to the city simply as Mexico. The city has been the center of the countrys identity throughout the Spanish colonial era and since independence in 1821. Its named after the people who founded it, the Mexica Indians, known as the Aztecs, and the name came to stick for the country as a whole, even though the Mexicas called the city Tenochtitlan. The countrys flag depicts the myth of the citys founding in 1325, when an eagled perched on a cactus was seen seizing a snake. Its central role and perceived arrogance has long irritated many around the country. Referring to the chaotic citys mailing address, Mexico DF, many jokingly referred to it as Mexico DeFective. Under the new status, the citys borough leaders will become mayors. The city council will be able to vote like the rest of Mexicos 31 state legislatures on constitutional reforms. The current mayor already has near-governor status. His new role, and that of the new mayors, will be determined by a special assembly within the next year. The countrys president will still be able to dismiss the citys top law enforcement officer for serious offenses, and the city may not have the same fiscal responsibilities or relationship with its mayors as a state would have. The city was run by the central government until 1997, when residents were allowed to elect their leaders. But it is still unclear what the official term for the citys residents will be. The now-obsolete DF abbreviation led to the term Defenos. They are frequently referred to by themselves and others by the slang term Chilangos, whose origin is uncertain. Most resident interview by telephone by the newspaper El Universal this week said they would prefer to be called capitalinos, roughly capital residents. MANCHESTER, Iowa Democrats would hold a presidential debate next week in New Hampshire before the states first-in-the-nation primary and three more in the spring, under a tentative deal Saturday between the Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders campaigns. Both camps said the agreement was not final and that Democratic National Committee had yet to sign off. The DNC did not immediately comment on the development, first reported by BuzzFeed. The Thursday debate would fit in between Mondays Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary on Feb. 9. In recent days, Clinton has urged the party to add the televised forums, and Sanders has been willing to appear at the proposed debate next week in exchange for three more in the spring. Already scheduled are debates in Wisconsin on Feb. 11 and Florida on March 9. Campaign officials said the three spring debates would come in late March, April and May. Clinton and Sanders are in a tight race before the caucuses, and Clinton trails the Vermont senator in New Hampshire, raising the possibility that the Democratic front-runner could lose the first two contests. Former Maryland Gov. Martin OMalley, the third candidate, has trailed them by wide margins. At a stop Saturday in Des Moines, Clinton thanked supporters for agreeing to caucus for her and said she hoped to persuade some more of you because weve got to keep the progress going. Weve got to support what President Obama has accomplished for our country. Sanders told supporters in Manchester that the election was likely a toss-up and would hinge on whether he could turn out working-class and young voters. We will win the caucus on Monday night if there is a large voter turnout. We will lose the caucus on Monday night if there is a low voter turnout, Sanders said. The publics input typically is largely a formality by the time a proposed municipal union contract sees the light of day in an agenda report. The deal is already done, and the taxpayers money has already been committed. But with the demise, at least temporarily, of transparency ordinances like COIN, the publics right to know can only be pursued the old-fashioned way. Like when Jon Fleischman at the FlashReport political blog got word that the county was beginning negotiations with the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs. He decided to make a weekly public records request for the status and all documents of all negotiations, offers and counteroffers, supposals, formal or informal between the union and county negotiating teams. Lawyers representing the union filed suit Thursday to block the county from releasing documents pertaining to the negotiation. According to the union, illuminating those backroom dealings would breach agreements with the county not to publicize the materials and do irreparable harm to the unions bargaining position and, as a result, interfere with the public safety of the citizens of Orange County. The county didnt see it the unions way. Jean Pasco, county public information officer, noted in a declaration in support of the release that documents relating to negotiations with the Orange County Employees Association had been released on three previous occasions without incident. It is for these very same reasons that I believe the records sought by the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs in this instance are public documents that are also subject to disclosure, Ms. Pasco wrote. But while OCEA General Manager Jennifer Muir has continually voiced support for government transparency, just not disclosure attempts that she sees as unfairly targeting her membership, the deputy sheriffs union saw the situation differently. Fortunately, a judge denied the unions request Friday, citing the publics obvious right to know. The ruling represents a positive step forward after a number of setbacks on the pension transparency and reform front. Unions, naturally, want to get the best deals they can, but taxpayers have the right to know how their government is spending their money. The deck is already stacked in favor of the unions. They should not add insult to injury by keeping taxpayers in the dark until it is too late to do anything about it. The United States Supreme Court just agreed to decide whether President Obama overstepped his authority when, in November 2014, he announced many individuals not legally in our country would not be deported. Rather, the parents of U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents could stay for at least three years, if they had continuously resided in the U.S. since 2010 and had broken no laws other than the immigration laws. The challenge to this policy was brought by 26 states. They won at the trial court and were affirmed on appeal. The lower court opinions were on a narrow ground: that the Department of Homeland Security had not followed the right procedural steps, which should have included an opportunity for the public (especially, the state and local units of government that would bear increased costs from these immigrants) to comment on the proposal. In granting a hearing at the Supreme Court, however, the justices asked to hear an argument not raised in the lower court: the president had violated his obligation to take care that the laws be faithfully executed by not deporting these immigrants. The court did not have to take the case at all; it could have waited for other federal courts of appeals to create a set of conflicting opinions which the Supreme Court could then resolve. It is rarer still for the court to add a question for review that was not the basis for the lower courts ruling. This suggests that, before President Obama leaves office, at least four justices (the required number to accept an appeal) are eager to rule that he has, in fact, failed in his duty to see that the laws are faithfully executed. The president has two main defenses. First, the immigration statutes passed by Congress create rules for who gets to stay, but specify that the executive branch has to issue an individual order in each case to send someone out. Hence, Congress intended the president and his appointees to exercise discretion regarding deportation. His November 2014 order simply announced how hell use the discretion Congress delegated to him. Second, the Department of Homeland Security has limited funds. Inherent in the executive branch is authority to target those funds toward deportations most urgently needed, such as criminals. The states response is that Congress created a comprehensive scheme for who gets to enter our country, and it would undercut that law for those outside the specified categories to be allowed to stay anyway. Regarding the scarce resources argument, the states can point to the 1975 Supreme Court opinion that President Richard Nixon could not cut off federal funding for environmental programs in New York City because of the federal budget deficit. President Nixon had said he was merely prioritizing scarce funds, the same argument President Obama is using here. The most remarkable part of the courts decision to take the case is that the court might delineate how to tell if a president has taken sufficient care that the laws be faithfully executed. If the court chooses to set rules for this part of the Constitution, it must confront very serious practical problems in this case and others like it. Suppose the states win, but the president simply does nothing? The people who entered illegally stay. The lower court ordered no federal work permits to be issued to persons in this category. Thats a prohibitory order that can be enforced; but how can a court enforce a positive order that the president must deport someone? Who, and how many would be enough? Once the court starts down this path, there are many other areas where a positive order would be hard to draft. For instance, the president has ordered the Justice Department not to prosecute anyone for marijuana possession in states whose laws make possession legal. If that, too, violates his obligation to enforce federal law, how many pot busts would satisfy the Constitution? Suppose a candidate who opposes the capital gains tax becomes president, and simply doesnt prosecute anyone for failing to pay it. Can the court force that president to prosecute some of them? Or is the capital gains tax effectively repealed for four years, without congressional approval? A court can order the president to stop action, but its very hard to order him to take action. The only remedies for a president who fails to execute laws, therefore, is not for the courts to impose, but for the people (in the next election) or Congress (by impeachment). Tom Campbell is the dean of the Fowler School of Law at Chapman University. He served five terms in the U.S. Congress, and has taught courses in separation of powers at Stanford and Chapman. These views are his own. Two former Newport-Mesa employees are suing the school district, claiming its superintendent intimidated them into resignation and retirement after they filed a formal complaint against him for creating a culture of fear, intimidation and retaliation among top district personnel. The lawsuit, filed by former communications director Laura Boss and assistant superintendent Ann Huntington, also claims Superintendent Frederick Navarro asked Boss to supply dirt to help in the firing of another employee. The document says Navarro took actions to encourage conflict between Huntington and other personnel, and publicly humiliated Boss after she filed an in-house complaint against him in 2014. Boss resigned in June after 17 years at Newport-Mesa and Huntington retired in July after seven years at the district. The lawsuits allegations support claims made by the districts former executive director of human resources, John Caldecott, who was fired in early 2015 shortly after he asked the Orange County Superior Court to release documents relating to a complaint he filed against Navarro. The lawsuit clarifies that Caldecotts Oct. 2014 complaint was actually filed in conjunction with Boss and Huntington and is the same complaint that the two women allege led to retaliation by Navarro. All three former employees also say in early January they filed criminal complaints with Costa Mesa police against Navarro and the Newport-Mesa school board, alleging those parties violated a California Education Code statute protecting whistle blowers. Caldecott said he attempted to complain internally that some top district officials were receiving improper compensation and that there was a procedural breakdown that allowed for those arrangements. A recent appellate court decision granted Caldecott whistle blower status, but Costa Mesa police did not immediately respond to calls to confirm whether those criminal complaints had been filed. Navarro was not available for comment Friday, but Newport-Mesa spokeswoman Annette Franco responded stating that the school district thinks the evidence will reveal no wrongdoing on the part of the district, superintendent or school board. In the lawsuit, which was filed in Orange County Superior Court, Huntington and Boss allege that Navarro said he wished he could fire people because it would be so much easier than working them out of the system. Huntington said Navarro had another staff member pressure her into retiring because of her age, with the staff member saying, no one is going to remember you anyway, so do everyone a favor and retire right now. After the three former employees filed a complaint with the district against Navarro, the lawsuit said the school board sent a chilling message by terminating Caldecott and demonstrated its preference to silence the messenger rather than hold the wrongdoer accountable. Boss and Huntington could not be reached Friday, but Caldecott spoke openly about his time at Newport-Mesa. Navarro did not like to be questioned, Caldecott said. He wanted people who simply followed his directive There was a target on our back. I, as the head of (human resources), brought the issues forward to pursue with the board. But the board did not investigate, did not talk to Laura or Ann or me, subsequently fired me, and then continued to make their life miserable to the extent that Laura left and Ann retired. Caldecott called Deputy Superintendent Paul Reed the poster child for hidden compensation, but said there were others who received hidden payments. Caldecott recently helped release district documents showing that the district paid Reed an extra $274,000 into a tax-sheltered retirement account in an effort to convince him to delay retirement. Caldecott said the tax-sheltered payments made it difficult for the public to have oversight over the total compensation that Reed receives. Dana Black, president of the Newport-Mesa School Board, defended Reeds compensation, saying he is efficient in maximizing scarce resources. A representative for the California State Teachers Retirement System said he had heard anecdotally of similar compensation methods in other school districts. Caldecott has been trying since at least January 2015 to force the district to release documents about his complaint and about employee compensation. A 4th District Court of Appeal panel of judges on Dec. 9 ordered that the documents go to the county court, which would be required to release them within 90 days. The lawsuit from Boss and Huntington seeks unspecified monetary compensation for age discrimination, emotional distress, violation of the state education code and labor laws, and negligent supervision by the school board. Contact the writer: jgraham@ocregister.com or 714-796-7960 SAN FRANCISCO The lawyer for a Mexican national charged with fatally shooting a young San Francisco woman as she walked on a city pier wants his clients murder charge dismissed, saying the killing that rekindled the national debate over illegal immigration was an accident. The judge canceled a hearing scheduled for Friday, saying he wants more time to consider the issue. Attorneys will argue the matter on March 24. Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and other charges in the death of Kate Steinle, 32. His lawyer, Matt Gonzalez, says the charge is too harsh because the shooting was inadvertent. Steinle was shot in the back during an evening stroll with her father and a family friend along San Franciscos popular waterfront on July 1. She died in her fathers arms. Lopez-Sanchez told police that he found a gun wrapped in a T-shirt under a bench on the pier and that it fired accidentally when he picked it up. The weapon belonged to a Bureau of Land Management ranger, who reported it was stolen from his car in downtown San Francisco in June. Ballistic experts testified at a September preliminary hearing that the shot ricocheted off the piers concrete surface before striking Steinle. A champion marksman could not accurately hit a target after first striking a concrete surface, Gonzalez said. Prosecutors say the second-degree murder charge is appropriate. If the judge dismisses the case, the district attorney could refile less-severe charges. Lopez-Sanchez was in the country illegally after being released from a San Francisco jail despite a request from federal immigration authorities that local officials keep him in custody for possible deportation. Lopez-Sanchez was previously deported five times to his native Mexico. Former Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi said jailers released Lopez-Sanchez after local prosecutors dropped a marijuana-related charge. Mirkarimi said he was following a city policy of not cooperating with federal immigration officials. San Francisco and other municipalities across California have enacted so-called sanctuary policies of ignoring requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold inmates thought to be in the country illegally for deportation proceedings. Mirkarimi has said his department requires federal officials to get a warrant or court notice to hold an inmate facing possible deportation. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump has repeatedly mentioned the killing of Steinle as he calls for a border wall and mass deportations to curb illegal immigration. A gang member who gunned down a rival during a shootout in front of a Santa Ana high school more than 20 years ago was sentenced Friday to prison. Orange County Superior Court Judge James A. Stotler ordered Manuel Burciaga to spend 31 years to life behind bars for what the judge described as the cold-blooded execution of Artemio Rios during a 1993 shooting. Several of Rios sisters told the judge that even after all this time, the pain of losing their brother has not faded. He was a great brother. Really loveable. The best, said Mari Rios, who was 14 years old when her brother was killed. The last day I saw my brother, I was getting ready for school, and he told me that he loved me. The shooting occurred about 3 p.m. on Oct 22, 1993, as Saddleback High School was letting out for the day. With students and faculty looking on, Rios was shot and killed. The case went unsolved until 2008, when gang cold-case detectives with the Santa Ana Police Department re-opened the investigation and identified Burciaga as their main suspect. Burciaga wasnt taken into custody until September 2010, when gang enforcement officers spotted him driving in Santa Ana. The officers pulled him over after a brief pursuit, finding a gun in his waistband and drugs in his car. In November, a jury found Burciaga guilty of first-degree murder and street terrorism, as well as sentencing enhancements for using a firearm and being a member of a criminal street gang. Contact the writer: semery@ocregister.com HUNTINGTON BEACH Huntington Beach police Officer Gabe Ricci climbs a dirt hill on the side of Pacific Coast Highway before sunrise. At the top, a makeshift town of tents and tarps rises out of a wide wall overlooking the roadway. Going door-to-door, but more like camp-to-camp, Ricci approaches people sleeping on rugs, surrounded by clothes hung on the trees and bushes that separate the shelters. When I first started this job, I didnt know what to expect, Ricci said. Since that day in September, Ricci has learned all about the hidden communities of people who live on the fringes of Huntington Beach, which has one of the largest homeless populations in the county. To address the problem, and a growing number of community complaints, the city of Huntington Beach is adding resources, including two homeless liaison officers, to help. Its like a city up here, Officer Jennifer Marlatt, spokeswoman for the HBPD, said as she joined Ricci on a recent morning. There has been a huge influx of homelessness over the last two years. Ryan Villet-Robitaille, 23, was sleeping in one of the several camps on top of the seaside hill when Ricci approached him and asked him what resources he need to find a home. An Oceanview High School dropout and methamphetamine user, Villet-Robitaille said hes been homeless since he was 19. Although his father lives in Anaheim, he stays on the streets collecting cans for cash. What keeps him homeless? Addiction, he said. Its the bottom line. Thirteen percent of O.C.s homeless, or 458 people, admitted to drug dependency during a point-in-time count conducted last January, according to the Orange County Homeless Count & Survey Report. In reaction, the Police Department created three new jobs and contracted with Coast to Coast, a countywide volunteer agency focused on homeless aid. Riccis job changed in September when he was appointed as Huntington Beachs first full-time homeless liaison officer. To help further, Officer Joe Schloss was added Jan. 16 as a second officer dedicated to homeless outreach. Having a partner there, I will always have backup, Ricci said. Well be more productive with two officers. HOMELESS HAVEN According to that same survey, the Huntington Beach area had the largest amount of unsheltered homeless people 698 of any of the districts where the count was conducted. Anaheim was a close second. The survey only counted the people found by volunteers on that particular January 2015 day, and the numbers fluctuate. Starting at 4 a.m., Ricci and Schloss start off their days by looking over reports involving homeless problems from the previous afternoon and night before heading out to meet transients on the street. Police officials began using a special code to note transient-involved incidents in the city last February. Between then and December, 799 reports were taken, Marlatt said. People go down to the beach with their families and they dont want to see a group of homeless people smoking weed and drinking beer down by Pier Plaza, Marlatt said. City officials asked Coast to Coast, a Fullerton-based volunteer organization, to come out at least once a month to help transients and distribute donations. Huntington Beach reflects everything appealing about California, said Marie Avena, Coast to Coast executive director. Its beautiful, it has the ocean, it attracts a lot of people. Its the same when youre on the streets. Coast to Coast volunteers will increase outreach efforts in the summer, when more transients head to the shore. But volunteers are not enough, Avena said. Full-time homeless police officers like Ricci and Schloss are important elements to solving the problem. Theyre as important as your gang units and investigators because they are experts in that field and have training regarding the subject and they get to know the clients on the streets, Avena said. Countywide, eight law enforcement agencies have officers primarily dedicated to homeless outreach and enforcement. Huntington Beach police also added a part-time civilian last year who assists the officers with paperwork and connecting with non-profits. I will go out and make contacts and then she takes the in-house stuff off my hands so I have more time, Ricci said. PROVIDING HOUSING Sherray Ramirez, a 30-year-old Huntington Beach native, is one of those contacts. She and her two daughters, Samantha, 4, and Leila, 7, were living in a car before finding temporary housing at Colettes Childrens Home in Huntington Beach, a place for women and single moms to stay for up to 9 months. Last month, Ramirezs time was up and she had not found an affordable home. Luckily, administrators at Peterson Elementary School knew to call Ricci. He found Ramirez a two-bedroom apartment, a place her family can call home for up to four years. All of these police officers went out of their way to help us and find us a place to live, Ramirez said. She was able to move into the new apartment right before Christmas and Huntington Beach police officers took Samantha and Leila on a holiday toy shopping trip through their Shop with A Cop program. Before school on a recent day, the girls played with their new pink pony and blue monkey toys after making their beds, which were donated along with other furniture by local philanthropist Anthony Noble. I love living here, Leila said. Ricci said one of the problems is a lack of low-income housing to help other hard workers like Ramirez, who works two jobs. We only have one or two places, thats not enough, Ricci said. Huntington Beach has 8 units for extremely-low income residents, or those who makes below 30 percent of the average median income, or below $19,700, which would include the unemployed homeless, said Julie Toledo, the citys public information officer. There are 1,428 more Huntington Beach units designated for low-income residents, all of which are full, and there is a waiting list, she said. While the city has two proposed housing projects in the works that would create an additional 72 units, complications have arisen. The demise of redevelopment and elimination of funding for affordable housing is one problem on a statewide basis, Toledo said, referencing the end of a state program that allowed local governments to keep more tax revenue for housing and development. HELP AND HURT Although housing developments exist, the bigger problem is 80 percent of homeless dont want to move, Ricci said. They want to be off the grid, Ricci said. They dont want to be bothered, and thats why they stay homeless. Steve Rivera, a 54-year-old longtime Huntington Beach resident, thinks the transients on Main Street are ruining his neighborhood. He has two fresh scars that he says prove why. Rivera was headed to IHOP to have his usual egg white omelette topped with steak and two pancakes with strawberry syrup when a homeless man sitting on the planter outside on Main Street asked for cash. Im the kind of guy if youre sick, or blind, missing a foot or something, then yeah, I will kick you down some money, Rivera said. But when youre young and you can work, thats where I draw the line at begging. An argument escalated into a fight when Rivera refused to give the homeless man money. Two more homeless men jumped in to fight Rivera, one hit him in the face with a guitar before Rivera felt what he thought was a hard kick to the back. His attackers scattered before police arrived. Rivera was bleeding from his face, his eye left swollen and black, but his adrenaline was pumping. I told the cops I was fine, just mad, Rivera said. That was until he got home and found the seat of his Toyota Sienna covered in his blood. At Fountain Valley Regional Hospital, a doctor found two stab wounds near his left kidney and gave him 20 stitches, as well as a $3,000 bill that Rivera is left to pay for. Police said theyre investigating and have yet to locate the men involved. If this happened to me, and Im a grown man, whats going to happen when a senior citizen or kid walks around? Rivera asked. Contact the writer: 714-796-7802 or aduranty@ocregister.com TEHRAN, Iran Iran flew a surveillance drone over a U.S. aircraft carrier and published video of the encounter Friday, the latest in a series of edgy naval incidents between the two countries in the Persian Gulf after the recent nuclear deal. While the U.S. Navy stressed it knew the drone was unarmed and the flyover didnt interrupt U.S. operations in the war against the Islamic State group, the incident underlined the continued tension over control of waterways crucial to global oil supplies. It follows a rocket test last month by the Islamic Republic near coalition warships and commercial traffic, as well as Irans brief capture of American sailors who strayed into its territorial waters. Iranian state television and the semi-official Fars news agency, which has close ties to the Revolutionary Guard, published identical images Friday both said came from the drone. The footage, which The Associated Press could not independently verify, purported to show the drone being launched and then hovering over an unidentified aircraft carrier, a targeting bracket briefly passing over a jet parked on the deck below. The Iranian reports suggested the footage was from Friday. However, Cmdr. Kevin Stephens, a spokesman for the U.S. Navys 5th Fleet based in Bahrain, said an unarmed Iranian drone flew near the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and directly over the USS Harry S. Truman on Jan. 12 as the vessels were in international waters in the Persian Gulf. He said the Navy launched a helicopter that determined the drone wasnt armed and posed no danger to the ship as the carrier wasnt conducting flight operations at the time. His comments implied that had there been active takeoffs and landings of U.S. aircraft, the situation might have changed. Stephens called the drones flight abnormal and unprofessional. He added that the U.S. Navy was not in a position to verify the authenticity of the video as there are countless examples of similar footage to be found on the Internet. The nuclear-powered USS Harry S. Truman, based out of Norfolk, Virginia, is in the Persian Gulf region launching airstrikes and supporting operations against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. Adm. Habibollah Sayyari, the commander of Irans navy, called the drone overflight a sign of bravery. It allowed our men to go so close to the warship and shoot such a beautiful and accurate footage of the combat units of the foreign forces, he told state television. State television and the state-run IRNA news agency said an Iranian light submarine also participated in the surveillance operation. When asked about the presence of a submarine, Stephens said: Iran has several submarines for its current exercise, but declined to discuss specifics. In Washington, U.S. Navy spokesman Cmdr. William Marks stressed America remains ready to use force if necessary. We are confident in our forces ability to respond appropriately as the situation dictates and will defend ourselves should that prove necessary, he said. Irans navy began a naval drill this week over a 3-million-square-kilometer (1.16-million-square-mile) area including parts of the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean. Iran said Wednesday its navy warned a U.S. warship to leave an area of the naval drill. The U.S. Navy later denied its operations were affected. Iran struck a nuclear deal with world powers, including the U.S., last year to limit its atomic program in exchange for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions. The sanctions ended this month and many average Iranians continue to wait to feel their effect. Meanwhile, in recent months, Iran has shown footage of underground missile bases on state television and conducted ballistic missile tests criticized by the U.S. Iran has more than 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) of shoreline facing the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman. Control of that territory, including the Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly a third of all oil traded by sea passes, has remained a priority for Irans military and it conducts regular drills in the region. The U.S. has criticized some of those maneuvers, including what it called a highly provocative Iranian rocket test in December near U.S. warships and commercial traffic passing through the strait. Iran denied the test was provocative. The U.S. later released footage showing the rocket fire. Earlier this month, Iranian forces captured 10 U.S. Navy sailors who entered Iranian territorial waters near Farsi Island, an outpost in the middle of the Gulf. The sailors were released in less than a day, though Iranian state media aired footage of the sailors capture, angering U.S. politicians. Past confrontations have been far worse. In April 1988, the U.S. attacked two Iranian oil rigs and sank or damaged six Iranian vessels, including two naval frigates after the near-sinking of the missile frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts by an Iranian mine, laid amid the Islamic Republics bloody 1980s war with Iraq. A few months later, in July 1988, the USS Vincennes in the strait mistook an Iran Air flight heading to Dubai for an attacking fighter jet, shooting down the plane and killing all 290 passengers and crew. In this latest incident, however, Iran likely wanted to showcase its locally made drones, as well as appease hard-liners suspicious of the nuclear deal, said Joshua Shifrinson, a professor at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University. They live in a competitive world and the U.S. might change its mind on the nuclear deal, especially if a different administration comes in, Shifrinson said. Iran also has other opponents in and around the Gulf, all of which means Iran wants to remind people that just because they cooperated does not mean theyre turning belly up and are going to surrender everything. JERUSALEM There have been fights over books, music, plays, funding for the arts and academic awards. This being Israel, they have been underpinned by fierce rhetorical exchanges about democracy, fascism and zealotry, identity, the future of the state and the fate of Jews. A new front in the culture wars opens nearly every week, ripple effects of shifts in Israeli demographics, attitudes and politics that are shaking the society. The latest was an attack Wednesday by a far-right group on beloved leftist literary icons including Amos Oz, A.B. Yehoshua and David Grossman, writers who have been considered the voice and conscience of the state for years. The group, Im Tirtzu, began a poster campaign calling the writers moles in culture, which prompted accusations of McCarthyism and worse, even from many on the right. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several members of his conservative coalition joined the chorus of condemnation over the vilification of such Israeli cultural pillars. But some of those same ministers have been behind many of the other battles. The previous round was the brainchild of Miri Regev, the divisive and conservative minister of culture and sport, who wants to deny state money to institutions that do not express loyalty to the state, including those that show disrespect for the flag, incite racism or violence, or subvert Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. Regev said the aim of this Loyalty in Culture initiative, proposed as an amendment to a budget bill, is for the first time to make support for a cultural institution dependent on its loyalty to the state of Israel. She added, I wont be an ATM I have a responsibility for the publics money. For Meir Wieseltier, a well-known poet, the law brings us closer to the rise of fascism and exposes its true face. But Isi Leibler argued in the Jerusalem Post that the government is not obliged to subsidize the demonization of the nation and should instead support the inculcation of love of Israel. The steady stream of such conflicts, over what cultural works the state should promote for schoolchildren to read or for citizens to see and hear, are part of a political drama in which Regev, Shaked and a few others are competing for votes. The cast includes Regev, 50, a rising power in Netanyahus conservative Likud Party; Ayelet Shaked, 39, an outspoken hard-liner from the more conservative Jewish Home party; and Naftali Bennett, 43, the education minister and head of Jewish Home. The Israel they represent is more religious and less beholden to the values and inheritances of the old, Europeanized elite and its dwindling left. They are unapologetic in their nationalism, supportive of both poorer Jews of Sephardic Middle Eastern, or Mizrahi background and of settlers in the occupied West Bank, and unmoved by criticism from international leaders and liberal activists. Its not just a culture war, its political, demographic and social at the same time, said Nahum Barnea, one of Israels most influential columnists. The core of the struggle is: Who is the dedicated elite, who are the legitimate heirs to the Zionist movement that built the state? Yossi Klein Halevi, a senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, said the culture wars reflect a growing sense of siege that Israelis feel from the region and the world. This has set off the deepest fears in the Jewish psyche, fears that Zionism tried to free us from, he explained. Instead of feeling as if they are in a normal nation among nations, he said, many Israelis are heading back to a statist version of the old Jewish ghetto, and the Israeli response increasingly is to view those of our fellow citizens perceived to be in league with this process of siege, or encouraging it as collaborators. But Leibler, the Jerusalem Post columnist, defended Regev and Bennett as trying to restore a climate that nurtures love of Israel and promotes pride in Jewish heritage after years when far-leftists, postmodernists and even post-Zionists took over the Education Ministry. This month, the left-leaning daily Haaretz highlighted internal discussions in the ministry about what artistic works might be considered politically undesirable for high school students. Among the criteria, the newspaper said, were whether artists would perform in West Bank settlements and declare loyalty to the state and to the national anthem, something that is particularly problematic for Israels Arab citizens. (BEGIN OPTIONAL TRIM.) Internal discussions are not policy, but even this report drew stinging responses, with Oded Kotler, a prominent Israeli actor and director, comparing Israel to the Soviet Union and telling Israel Radio, Theres a real culture war underway here, but the war from that side of the political map is a harbinger of zealotry, darkness and coercion. Kotler infuriated the government and the political right last summer when he compared its supporters to cud-chewing cattle. That was in response to Regevs effort to freeze state funding for an Arab theater in Haifa because of a play about a Palestinian prisoner who murders an Israeli soldier. The production, Parallel Time, had enraged the right and Bennett banned school trips to see it. Regev, who declined to be interviewed for this article, also asked the justice minister to examine whether Al Midan theater had ties to terrorist activities. (END OPTIONAL TRIM.) The culture minister is mocked regularly by the left for having told the newspaper Israel Hayom that she had never read Chekhov, and almost never went to plays as a child, but she said she listened to Sephardi songs. Someone who has never been in a theater or cinema and who never read Chaim Nachman Bialik, said Regev, the daughter of immigrants from Morocco, referring to a famous poet of European descent, can also be cultured. Regev, a former general and military spokeswoman, also said she wanted to vet the playlist of the armys popular music station, Galgalatz, to ensure that more Israeli and Mizrahi works are played. That brought an angry rebuff from Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, whose ministry controls the station. Regev and Bennett have also clashed, including over his decision to award a new prize to artists who promote Jewish culture. Regev said cultural prizes were her domain her ministry gives its own prize reflecting Zionist values and history and she threatened to take it up with the attorney general if Bennett did not transfer the prize budget. But such prizes have themselves recently been caught up in politics more than ever. Haim Gouri, a noted poet, refused this month to accept a prize for Zionist works of art that the Culture Ministry awarded for his latest book, Though I Wished for More of More. Gouri, who is 92, said that he thought his book was too personal for the prize, and that it should be used to give a lift to a younger artists career. But he also questioned the point of such an award, which had been created as a political gesture by the right several years ago, in response to a cultural boycott of the settlements. What is the prize for Zionist art? he asked in a newspaper interview. Everything created in Israel is a prize for Zionist art. (STORY CAN END HERE. OPTIONAL MATERIAL FOLLOWS.) Regev also wanted to cut funding for the Jewish-Arab Almina childrens theater in Jaffa because its director, Norman Issa, a Christian actor, refused to perform with another theater group in a West Bank settlement. He eventually relented. Bennett, for his part, overruled ministry experts to ban from high school reading lists a novel about a romance between an Israeli woman and a Palestinian man, apparently out of fear that it promotes assimilation. The romance takes place abroad; the pair splits up when they return home, to Israel and the West Bank. Bennett said the novel, Borderlife, by Dorit Rabinyan, disparaged the Israeli military, and the head of his ministerial committee said it could incite hatred and cause emotional storms in classrooms. The debate about the book actually increased its sales, something Rabinyan credited in an interview to the strength of Israeli democracy. The novel begins with the Israeli girl, who is Sephardic, coming under suspicion of terrorism in New York over her Arabic appearance and because she writes from right to left. This is the bond that connects her to the Palestinian, Rabinyan explained. I dont consider my Israeliness to be hegemonic. Im not ready to give up my humanity or my patriotism, even if Mr. Bennett demands I give up one or the other, she added. I carry ambivalence within me and in my writing, and people want absolute clear-cut statements and Im not like that. The ministry later said the book had not been disqualified from the curriculum, that it was simply not included. MANILA, Philippines The 89-year-old woman stood in the broiling sun this week outside the Philippine presidential palace hoping to make a point. Inside, the emperor of Japan was being welcomed by local dignitaries, and the woman, Hilaria Bustamante, wanted him to know her story. She was walking along a provincial road in 1943, during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, she said, when she was abducted by three Japanese soldiers who threw her into a truck and beat her. She was 16. She was taken to a nearby Japanese garrison and put into a shack with three other women. There, she washed clothes and cooked by day, and was raped by six or more soldiers every night. For 15 months. The Japanese government is responsible for what happened to me, she said. I never told anyone except my mother about what happened to me. I was too ashamed. But now I want people to know. The stories of women from Korea forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military before and during World War II are notorious worldwide. Most of the estimated 80,000 to 200,000 or more sex slaves came from Korea, where the issue has been a festering national trauma that has long hindered relations with Japan. But the women, euphemistically called comfort women, came from other places as well, with Japanese-occupied countries including China, Korea and the Philippines providing the majority. Researchers in the Philippines say that more than 1,000 girls and women in the country were sexually enslaved by the Japanese during World War II. About 70 are still living. Last month, Japan offered a formal apology and an $8.3 million payment to the Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery. But the Japanese government has offered no official apology or compensation to those from the Philippines and elsewhere. The Japanese government did something for the women in Korea, why cant they do something for the women here? said Rechilda Extremadura, the executive director of the League of Filipino Women, an organization of former World War II sex slaves. President Benigno S. Aquino III is kowtowing to Japan so he will not bring up the issue, she said. She said that as a matter of routine, the Japanese military established comfort stations in garrisons that sexually enslaved Filipino girls and women. But victims in the Philippines have not received the attention given to women in other countries, partly because of poor advocacy by the Philippine government, she said. So a handful of surviving former comfort women, those who were able, staged several quiet protests this week during a five-day state visit by Emperor Akihito of Japan. The visit, which was to conclude on Saturday, has been draped in the symbolism of the countries often violent shared history. The 82-year-old emperor, who last visited the country in 1962, met privately with Aquino and visited memorials dedicated to Japanese and Filipino soldiers who fought during World War II. During his meeting with Aquino, the emperor expressed remorse for the atrocities of the Japanese military during World War II, but to the disappointment of some of the Filipino survivors, he did not specifically mention the victims of sexual slavery. In 1993, the Japanese government issued an apology, known as the Kono statement, that acknowledged for the first time that its military had been at least indirectly involved in coercing women into sexual slavery during World War II. Later, a fund was set up by private donors in Japan that made payments to some comfort women in Asian countries. But many former comfort women rejected the payments because they did not come from the government and found the apology by Japans chief cabinet secretary, Yohei Kono, inadequate in describing the scope of the atrocities. A Philippine presidential spokesman said Wednesday that the comfort women issue was a matter that should be addressed to the Japanese head of government, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and not the emperor, a largely ceremonial position. The delicate issue of Japanese sexual atrocities during the war is often buried by the broader contemporary issues facing the two countries, said Ricardo Jose, a history professor at the University of the Philippines. Japan is the Philippines largest trade partner and the countrys largest aid donor, providing more than $20 billion in development assistance since the 1960s, according to the Japanese Embassy in the Philippines. The countries also have shared concerns about Chinas growing assertiveness in the South China Sea, where Japan and the Philippines both have territorial disputes with China. According to Jose, the Japanese emperor is well positioned to address historical grievances between the two countries because he is not an elected figure and can stand as a moral voice on the issue. He is very much respected by the Japanese people, Jose said. If he would recognize this problem and express grave remorse, that would be a major step forward. The emperor did not address many contemporary issues during his visit, though he did mention in jest to Aquino that Manilas notorious traffic jams were caused in part by the many Japanese vehicles sold here. Extremadura, who sat with a few surviving Filipino comfort women in their organizations small office on Thursday, said that she was exasperated. They can joke about traffic, but they cant talk about what happened to these women? she asked. Bustamante looked down at her hands in her lap. I was happy for the emperors visit because I thought he could bring justice for us, she said. But he never mentioned us. Escaped inmates Hossein Nayeri and Jonathan Tieu have been caught and are in the custody of the San Francisco Police Department, Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said. A tweet on the Sheriffs Department Twitter account said the pair were transported back to Orange County: #OCSDPIO: Jail escapees Tieu & Nayeri in OC custody. Both arrived to OCJ at 1am this morning. VIDEO: https://t.co/swU6tq3q7G #ocjailescape OC Sheriff, CA (@OCSD) January 31, 2016 http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js A man in a Whole Foods parking lot in San Francisco recognized one of the fugitives and the white van he had seen on television that the duo were suspected of living in. He called police at 8:20 a.m., and they swooped in quickly and caught two fugitives who had escaped from the Orange County Mens Central Jail, ending an eight-day manhunt that stretched from Santa Ana to San Jose to San Francisco. A smiling Hutchens announced the details of the capture Saturday. She said Hossein Nayeri, 37, and wanted on kidnap and torture charges, was caught after a short foot chase. Jonathan Tieu, 20, wanted on murder charges, was caught inside the van. Ammunition was found in the van, but no weapons. Nayeri and Tieu were booked at the departments Park District station and then sent to the San Francisco County Jail, where Orange County Sheriffs Department investigators will be interviewing them. The two fugitives will be transported to Orange County and they will be housed differently than they had previously, Hutchens said. They will not be housed together. On Friday, Bac Duong, the third inmate who had escaped, turned himself in at an auto parts store in Santa Ana. Duong, 43, wanted for attempted murder, had cooperated with investigators after he was taken into custody, Hutchens said. On Saturday morning, San Francisco police responded to an unrelated medical call near Golden Gate Park. As they were finishing up with that call, they were approached by a man on the street who said he recognized Nayeri and the white van. Police said Nayeri ran around the Park District police station and Kezar Stadium, the old-time football field where scenes from Dirty Harry were filmed in the 1970s. Nayeri was taken into custody near the corner of Haight and Stanyan streets. Tieu was hiding in the van when he was discovered by police. The men, escaped Orange County jail sometime after a 5 a.m. headcount on Jan. 22, cutting through barriers, squeezing through a plumbing tunnel and rappelling off the roof using bed sheets as a rope. They werent discovered missing until after a second headcount around 8 p.m., giving them a head start of several hours. Sheriffs Capt. Jeff Hallock said the trio apparently fled to the San Jose area in a stolen white van with tinted windows and Duong later traveled back to Santa Ana to turn himself in. Duong is now cooperating with authorities, he said. According to a report by CBS News, the fugitives spent two nights Wednesday and Thursday in room No. 14 at The Alameda Motel in San Jose. The manager, who didnt want identify himself, said a friend paid for the room in cash. And he saw a white van parked outside. But by checkout time Friday morning, the men, considered armed and dangerous, were gone. So was the van. All three of the escapees are accused of violent crimes: Duong is charged with attempted murder, Tieu is charged with murder and attempted murder, and Nayeris charges, which include torture, aggravated mayhem and two counts of kidnapping, stem from accusations that he kidnapped a marijuana store owner and severed his penis. Nayeri, who is believed to have masterminded the escape, has fled prosecution at least twice before. He spent time in Washington, D.C., after fleeing officials in Madera County, where in 2005 he was in a drunken driving accident in which a passenger in his car was killed. In 2012, after his initial arrest in the torture and kidnapping case, he jumped bail and fled to Iran. He was re-arrested in 2013 in Prague. Nayeri served time in the Marines Corps at Camp Pendleton but received a bad conduct discharge in 2001 for being absent without leave, according to military records. On Thursday, Nooshafarin Ravaghi, a 44-year-old teacher from Lake Forest, was arrested on suspicion of aiding the men as they planned their escape. Officials said Ravaghi worked part-time as an English as a Second Language teacher inside the jail and developed a close relationship with Nayeri, a former U.S. Marine who speaks English but took Ravaghis ESL courses. Authorities on Friday did not describe the nature of the relationship but said Ravaghi and Nayeri, both originally from Iran, corresponded by mail. Their relationship was much more personal than it should have been, Hallock said. Ravaghi is expected to be arraigned Monday on charges of being an accessory to a felony. She is accused of providing Nayeri with a printout of a Google map that showed the roof of the jail. As the sheriffs department now shifts its focus to investigating what breakdowns led to the escape, Hutchens flatly denied that any changes in personnel or leadership have taken place so far at the Central Jail Complex. However, the deputies union late Saturday released a statement indicating that a lieutenant has taken command of the Central Mens Jail, rather than the captain who had been running the facility. A day earlier, union officials criticized the jail leaders, claiming they hadnt listened to the rank and files earlier concerns about how inmate counts were carried out behind bars. City News Service contributed to this report. PARIS A 28-year-old man who was arrested carrying two guns at a hotel in Disneyland Paris on Thursday has no known links to terrorism but was still being detained by the police, French authorities said Friday. Officials at the prosecutors office in Meaux said in a statement that the investigation, including analysis of the mans telephone records, had not established any link with a terrorist act. A young woman who had accompanied him to the hotel but fled had been found and questioned, but there was nothing to incriminate her at this stage, according to the statement. The investigation is being handled by the prosecutor in Meaux, a town about 30 miles east of Paris and near the amusement park. The case has not been transferred to the Paris prosecutors office, which handles terrorism investigations. The man was apprehended by Disney security personnel on Thursday afternoon after two semiautomatic 7.65-mm pistols and a box of cartridges were discovered in his luggage at a security checkpoint. The man, who did not resist his arrest, was also carrying a French-language version of the Quran. Reports in the French news media said that the man was a convert to Islam who co-managed a cafe in the 14th Arrondissement of Paris. Officials in Meaux said the man told investigators that he was keeping the weapons and ammunition with him because he was moving from one residence to another and did not want the weapons to be picked up by someone else. The man was known to the police only for traffic violations, the prosecutors office said. France has been in a state of emergency since the Nov. 13 attacks by the Islamic State in and around Paris that killed 130 people. Privacy laws in France prohibit the names of some criminal suspects from being identified in the news media. A small business owner who recently expanded his tutoring services to Orange County received $250,000 on ABCs Shark Tank Friday night. Funded by shark and owner of the Dallas Mavericks Mark Cuban for a 20 percent stake in his company, 26-year-old entrepreneur Shaan Patel said the funding would allow him to expand his business nationwide. On Shark Tank Patel told the investors how he started his tutoring service 2400 Expert SAT Prep after receiving a perfect score on the SATs. His first practice test his sophomore year yielded mediocre results, so Patel locked himself away in the library studying what he did wrong. Once he received a perfect score, Patel was admitted to some of the nations top universities, received $250,000 in scholarships and met former President George W. Bush. My SAT score really changed my life, he told the Register. He is working toward complete his masters degree in business at Yale University and has one year left to finish his medical doctorate at USC. Some of the sharks on the show raised concerns about Patels commitment to his business by both pursuing an MD and MBA. Patel countered saying hard work ran in his family, which caught Cubans attention. I believe I am the hardest-working person I know other than my father. My father came to this country with $65. He worked from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. splitting his time between a pharmacy, gas station and motel, Patel told the shows stars. I got my work ethic from him. In December he opened an Irvine branch of 2400 Expert SAT Prep, which will hold its first in-person tutoring sessions next week. Packages start at $599 for a six-week online course and tests and reach $5,399 for private tutoring with Patel himself. As part of his appearance on Shark Tank Patel is giving away $100,000 worth of in-person SAT prep classes, classes on winning scholarships, on-demand recorded videos and his Prep Expert New SAT book. Contact the writer: lwilliams@ocregister.com, 714-796-2286 SUVs and pickup trucks are back. Larger vehicles were the highlight in 2015 auto sales, which saw an overall increase of 8.7 percent compared with 2014, according to data provided by the Orange County Automobile Dealers Association. Low gas prices helped fuel pickup sales, which recorded a 17.1 percent increase. SUVs grew their market share by 2.4 points, OCADA reported. When we see these increases, its reflective of low fuel prices and is also a sign that the construction industry is doing very well and investing in their vehicles and their fleets to keep up with demand, said John Sackrison, the executive director of OCADA. Dealerships have experienced six years of gains following the Great Recession. Last year, 192,000 units were sold compared with 96,000 in 2009. Standard cars accounted for 111,989 units, while light trucks represented 80,274 units. OCADA predicts the trend will continue in 2016 with sales estimated to rise to 197,000 vehicles, or 2.5 percent. While sales will increase next year, Sackrison, expects a much slower pace. The county outpaced the nation, which saw auto sales increase 5.7 percent. Cheaper gas was bad news for hybrid and electric vehicles, which saw their market share drop 2 points. Toyota remains the top brand, representing 17.4 percent of the Orange County market, more than any other automaker. The automaker sold 33,499 vehicles in 2015, a 2.4 percent increase over 2014. South Coast Toyota owner Paul Lunsford said the brands SUVs were very popular this year. All of our SUVs and truck lines really enjoyed some significant success this year, Lunsford said. Its a function of the manufacturers getting better at building more efficient cars that get better mileage and gas prices coming down to a more reasonable models. Luxury vehicles also had a strong year. BMW sold 5.3 percent more cars in 2015 than 2014; GMC sales increased 31 percent; Infiniti sales increased nearly 12 percent; Land Rover sales increased more than 44 percent; Mercedes sales increased 14.4 percent and Porsche sales increased more than 7 percent. Its a sign of a strong Orange County economy. Luxury vehicles were hit hard during the downturn, Sackrison said. Domestic brands, or the Detroit Three, also had a standout year, with sales up 13.5 percent. Contact the writer: hmadans@ocregister.com or Twitter: @HannahMadans Maybe Bac Duong was trying to do his old friend a solid. Maybe, on Friday morning, when he walked into Auto Electric Rebuilders in Santa Ana and told Theresa Nguyen to call the police, he was thinking hed just pointed some cash her way. Its a question that wont be answered for awhile. While there was a reward on Duongs head county and federal agencies have cobbled together $200,000 for anybody who helped capture fugitives Duong, Hossein Nayeri and Jonathan Tieu sorting out who gets what wont happen until after the manhunt is over. The only thing Orange County Sheriffs Capt. Jeff Hallock would say Friday about the $200,000 was that its still in place for anybody who helps capture Duongs recent running buddies. What is known is that rewards, even big ones, do get paid. Three years ago, Orange County was the starting point for another intense manhunt, a nine-day multi-agency push to find Christopher Dorner. A former Los Angeles police officer, Dorner killed four people, including a young couple in Irvine and two law enforcement officers, and issued a manifesto saying hed like to kill more. Groups as diverse as police unions and the Los Angeles Mayors Office raised a reward of $1 million for anybody who could help police hunt down Dorner. The manhunt ended when Dorner killed himself, but not before police caught up with him, at a cabin near Big Bear Lake, based on tips from several people. In the end, some of the reward contributors backed away, and the $1 million shrunk slightly. Also, a court had to render specific reward allocation. But money was paid. The biggest chunk, about $800,000, The Press-Enterprise reported, went to Jim and Karen Reynolds, a couple who lived near the cabin. They were bound and gagged by Dorner, and he stole their car, but they called police as soon as they got free. Another chunk, nearly $150,000, went to Daniel M. McGowan, a Snow Summit employee who called police when he saw Dorners truck on fire. The smallest slice of the Dorner reward, about $50,000, went to R. Lee McDaniel, a tow truck driver who died a month before the court said hed get the money. All of those figures are before tax. The Internal Revenue Service views reward money as taxable income. One of the higher-profile rewards paid in a criminal case was the $1 million that went to David Kaczynski, younger brother of Theodore Kaczynski, better known as the Unabomber. In 1995, David Kaczynski, a social worker from upstate New York, called the FBI to say his brother was the man responsible for a 35,000-word anti-technology manifesto hed just read in The Washington Post. The writings were the work of a man who, over 17 years, mailed 16 bombs to people he considered peddlers of modern technology. He killed three people and injured 23 others. The Justice Department eventually paid the full reward to David Kaczynski and his wife because of their cooperation in the investigation. The couple then paid their taxes and gave all the money to Theodores victims and their families. The New York Times reported in 1998 that the couple never collected a penny from the Unabombers crimes. Its unclear what will happen with the $200,000 offered now that Duong, Nayeri and Tieu are in custody. The biggest slice of the money $150,000 is being offered by the county, following a Board of Supervisors vote on Tuesday. The original reward of $50,000 is coming from federal agencies and the Sheriffs Department. The woman who called police Friday, Nguyen, is not accused of having any criminal ties to Duong. She is known to have visited him in jail, but their relationship otherwise isnt clear. But simple math suggests that she might be in line to collect one-third, nearly $67,000. Nguyen called police at Duongs request. Could a simple phone call result in a reward? Its definitely a consideration, was all Hallock could say. Maybe Duong was thinking of that Friday as he stood on the sidewalk, smoked a cigarette, and waited for the police. Contact the writer: amouchard@ocregister.com I sometimes check how things are going in my hometown of Wayne, Mich., about 10 miles west of Detroit. Last week I noticed gasoline at one station for 99 cents a gallon. The same day, I paid $2.49, the lowest I could in Orange County. Why is gas 150 percent more expensive here than there? Its a story of Californias unique weather, regulations and taxes. In most areas of the world, the air cools as it rises, wafting pollution away from population centers. But in Southern California, according to an explanation on the Cal State Northridge website, An inversion occurs when a section of the atmosphere becomes warmer as the elevation increases. Inversion layers cause smog in Los Angeles because they create stable atmospheric conditions. Inversions caused the smog that choked the city frequently as recently as 1990, and some days still does. A 2015 study by USCs Keck School of Medicine showed large declines in the levels of fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide over the past 20 years, reported the Wall Street Journal. As those levels declined, lung-function development among the child subjects of the study improved substantially. To achieve that health improvement, strict regulations were slapped on vehicle exhaust systems. And the state came up with two gasoline formulas, the summer and winter blends, tailored to seasonal weather. But that means the state basically cant import gas from other states. So when refineries have problems, shortages lead to higher prices. As the Register reported in February, the Exxon-Mobil refinery in Torrance exploded and a strike shut down Tesoros plant in Martinez. State and federal regulations also make it difficult for oil companies to build new refineries here, the most-recent facility opening in Wilmington in 1980. In the past eight years, only two refineries have opened in the United States, in Texas and North Dakota. Both are located near the recent oil production booms. Thats a problem for California, too, because state regulations have limited oil drilling, especially in the vast Monterey Formation. Little drilling, no new refineries. According to the American Petroleum Institute, gas taxes here total 59 cents a gallon, the fourth-highest. Tops is Pennsylvania, at 69 cents. At the bottom are Alaska, at 31 cents, and Arizona and New Mexico, both 37 cents. Despite the high taxes which normally go to road maintenance, California has the worst roads of any state. According to Federal Highway Administration data analyzed by TRIP, a research group, 51 percent of California roads are in poor condition. In low-tax Arizona and New Mexico, 16 percent and 24 percent of roads, respectively, are rated poor. Yet in his otherwise relatively frugal State of the State address Jan. 21, Gov. Jerry Brown called for an expanded and permanent revenue source to pay for $77 billion in deferred maintenance, mainly on our roads, highways and bridges. Ideology and politics stand in the way, but, one way or another, the roads must be fixed. If Democrats regain two-thirds supermajorities in the Legislature, they could pass enact such a tax despite unanimous Republican opposition. But higher taxes expecially would slam the poor and lower-middle class, who generally endure longer commutes and spend a larger share of their family incomes on vehicles. Ironically, Brown also decried how inequality has risen sharply in recent decades. In fact, the state siphons off large chunks of gas tax revenue to spend elsewhere, such as on the unsustainably generous pensions for state employees. And on top of taxes, Californians already spend $762 a year extra on car repairs because of the potholed roads, according to TRIP effectively a pothole tax. Once California was a Beach Boys car paradise of Fun, Fun, Fun in the sun, sun, sun, but Daddy Government has made the T-Bird too expensive to drive. A team of UC Irvine engineering students will go head-to-head this weekend with some 120 teams from around the world as they present their sleek, frictionless version of a high-speed train that would travel to San Francisco from Los Angeles in a matter of minutes. UCI students, competing in the first ever SpaceX Hyperloop Competition, have built a scale model of their HyperXite pod (pronounced Hyper Excite). The concept uses compressed air to levitate and glide the pod on a track. Powerful magnets will serve as breaks for the 1,067-pound train. So far, the teams 1-foot scale model has gotten up to speeds of 219 mph, said Dean Defuria, the team captain for the trains levitation and networking systems. In 2013, Tesla Motors and SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk proposed what he called the Hyperloop, a futuristic 700 mph capsule train that would transport people between far away cities in a matter of minutes. In January 2015, he announced his aerospace company, SpaceX, would have a test track built and hold a competition for half-scale pods at its Hawthorne headquarters. By the fall, the 24-person team of UCI engineering students had formed and quickly began working day and night to create their levitating train, Defuria said. Weve been working on it anytime were not in class, Defuria said. Any free time is Hyperloop time. There is no free time. People have been working till 4 a.m. daily. This weekend, 10 members of the HyperXite team will converge on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station for the Hyperloop competition. They will join teams flying in from as far away as Indias Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Egypts Cairo University, Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and Imperial College London, to name a few. Each team will present its unique iteration of Musks vision in the hopes of wooing investors for their project to compete at a final event in June. Weve been practicing literally until 5 a.m. for the last three or four nights, said Jacob Gantz, the teams project manager. We have absolutely nailed down what were going to say. What sets HyperXites design apart, Gantz said, is its redundant breaking, levitation, navigation, control systems, making their pod safer than those theyre competing against. If we were to make the system less safe it just wouldnt feel right, Gantz said. Right from the start safety was a priority. The HyperXite design uses a control system most often seen in nuclear power plants. The system translates well because of the number of valves on which the HyperXite relies, Gantz said. The team based their dimensions on an airplanes fuselage. The team already has passed two milestones with SpaceX. The remaining hurdle is money. If the team can raise $60,000 needed to make a half-scale model, they can make it to the June final, Defuria said. So far, the team has raised $10,000 from UCIs Henry Samueli School of Engineering and sponsorship from a few engineering firms and a simulation company, Gantz said. We really just want to contribute to the next phase of transportation in America and the world, Defuria said. Bloomberg News contributed to this report. Employees at the state office in Flint, Mich., have been drinking from coolers of purified water since last January the same month that representatives from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality assured residents the water was safe to drink. Emails released by liberal group Progress Michigan Thursday include a facility announcement responding to a notice that the citys water contained levels of trihalomethanes, a chlorine byproduct linked to cancer and other diseases, that violated federal standards for safe drinking water. While the City of Flint states that corrective actions are not necessary, 1 / 8the Department of Technology, Management and Budget 3 / 8 is in the process of providing a water cooler on each occupied floor, positioned near the water fountain, so you can choose which water to drink, a Jan. 7, 2015 email from state facilities management said. It concluded: The coolers will arrive today and will be provided as long as the public water does not meet treatment requirements. During this time, both city and state officials were denying that Flints water was dangerous. A notice from the city last January cautioned those with a severely compromised immune system, 1 / 8who 3 / 8 have an infant or are elderly to seek medical advice about the drinking water, but said there was otherwise no need to take action. District engineer Mike Prysby echoed this guidance at a city hall meeting a few weeks later, when he, alongside EPA representatives and a Michigan State University microbiologist, attributed the waters discoloration to iron and calcium not lead from old city pipes. According to the Detroit Free Press, Prysby said there were only health concerns among the young, elderly and ill if they ingested trihalomethanes over a long period of time: Were talking decades, he said. But emails between state employees that same month suggest that they were personally worried about the water quality. Appears certain state departments are concerned with Flints WQ 1 / 8water quality 3 / 8, Prysby wrote on Jan. 9, 2015. It appears the state wasnt as slow as we first thought in responding 1 / 8to 3 / 8 the Flint Water Crisis, Lonnie Scott, executive director of Progress Michigan, said in a statement. While residents were being told to relax and not worry about the water, the Snyder administration was taking steps to limit exposure in its own building. David Murray, press secretary for Gov. Rick Snyders office, told The Washington Post that one water cooler was stationed beside the drinking fountains on each floor of the Flint State Office Building to provide an option for the building tenants. As we know now, there was a failure at all levels of government regarding Flint water, Murray wrote in an email Thursday evening. Once Gov. Snyder became aware of the lead problems, he responded aggressively. On Feb. 3, 2015, the governor granted the city $2 million to help with water system infrastructure improvements, such as finding leaks and replacing the waste water incinerator. However, Snyders administration did not officially acknowledge the water was unsafe until last October, nine months after state employees in Flint were given the choice to drink from water coolers. The emails are the latest in a series of revelations indicating that governmental officials have long been aware of Flints lead-poisoned water, which has ballooned into a public health emergency. Problems began to arise after the city switched its water source from the Detroit system to the Flint River as a cost-saving measure in April 2014. Almost immediately, residents complained of discolored water that gave off a bad odor. Last fall, studies conducted by the local Hurley Medical Center and later by the state found that lead levels in the blood of Flint children younger than 5 had nearly doubled since the city began tapping from the Flint River. While the city has since made the switch back to the Detroit system, concerns persist over the long term effects of lead poisoning in childrens mental and behavioral development, with lawmakers calling for increased support for special education and juvenile corrections programs. Earlier this month, President Barack Obama approved Snyders request for federal aid to deal with the crisis. A former Los Angeles police officer was sentenced to a year in jail on Friday for flashing victims and propositioning a 12-year-old girl near the Bolsa Chica Wetlands in Huntington Beach. An Orange County Superior Court jury in December convicted Ryan Eric Galliher, 33, of two felony counts of attempted lewd act on a child under 14 and contacting a minor with the intent to commit a lewd act. He also was convicted of seven misdemeanor counts of indecent exposure and engaging in lewd conduct. Galliher, a former Marine who joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 2011, faced up to eight years in custody. Judge W. Michael Hayes also sentenced him to five years of formal probation and lifetime sex offender registration, said Senior Deputy District Attorney Jess Rodriguez, who prosecuted the case. In 2014, prosecutors said Galliher flashed victims near the Bolsa Chica Wetlands. City News Service contributed to this report. The Public Relations Society of America has issued a statement in response to a controversial measure passed this week by New Yorks Joint Commission on Public Ethics advising that PR firms disclose their media outreach with the state. That measure, introduced in November by the state's ethics agency, essentially expands the definition of lobbying to include activity between PR agencies and the press, requiring PR firms that pitch editorial staff file reports with the state regarding their media outreach. "A public relations consultant who speaks to a group to advance the clients lobbying message would be participating in actual delivery of a message. Further, a public relations consultant who contacts a media outlet in an attempt to get it to advance the clients message in an editorial would also be delivering a message, the agencys guidelines read in part. Any attempt by a consultant to induce a third-party whether the public or the press to deliver the clients lobbying message to a public official would constitute lobbying. The advisory opinion, which serves only as a proposed guideline, was passed Tuesday by a 10-3 vote. The New York governor's office is now slated to examine that measure. The advised rules drew criticism from industry trade association The Public Relations Society of America, who in a Friday statement wrote that requiring those who speak with the media or who help a client develop a messaging strategy to register as lobbyists has nothing to do with lobbying and nothing to do with corruption in government. JCOPEs opinion sets out an overbroad standard for when certain communications activities are considered to be lobbying, PRSA's statement continued. We suggest that JCOPE chair Daniel Horwitz and the other members of the commission consider the chilling effect it will most certainly have on free and clear lines of necessary public communication. JCOPEs new interpretation of what it considers to be lobbying will do nothing to further the publics trust in government, is ambiguous, and could require a whole group of professionals who have no contact with lawmakers to register as lobbyists, PRSA national chair Mark McClennan said in the statement. Forcing communications professionals who interact with reporters and develop messaging strategies for their clients to register as lobbyists, does not support JCOPEs mission to restore public trust in government by ensuring compliance with the State's ethics and lobbying laws, regulations, and guidance. Instead, the poorly worded action will lead to more confusion as to what lobbying is, circumvention based on the ambiguous standards articulated, and less trust in government. In a January 27 statement, PR Council President and CEO Renee Wilson also weighed in on the issue, claiming that JCOPEs recent advisory to extend the definition of lobbying activities to include relationships between public relations professionals and the press is a gross overreach and holds potential to inhibit the public discourse on critical issue. The 14-member commission was created in 2011 by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo as a means of promoting political transparency and ensuring lobbying compliance within the state. The New York Post, in a January 28 editorial, called the ruling "absurd" and "an assault on the first amendment," noting that the measure does nothing to "address any of the corruption that JCOPE has allowed to flourish since it was created to police politicians wrongdoing five years ago." Katie Aslesen should be dipping her toes in the crystal clear waters of Cozumel island. Instead, the four-months pregnant Minnesota native and her husband traded their Caribbean Sea babymoon a vacation for parents-to-be for Cocoa Beach, Florida. They made the last-minute switch to escape possible exposure to the mosquito-borne Zika virus spreading across the Americas. Zika may cause babies to be born with microcephaly, a birth defect that causes brain damage and abnormally small heads. Aslesen, 26, first heard of it from news on Facebook, and then it was everywhere the next day: news stations, talk shows, CDC website. Not to mention the handful of family members calling, texting or Facebooking us advising us not to travel, the first-time expectant mother said. Cocoa Beach may not be as warm as Cozumel, Mexico, but at least our child is safe. Scientists currently cant calculate the risk that contracting Zika during pregnancy will have negative consequences for the unborn child, but soon-to-be parents and affected countries arent taking chances. El Salvador officials suggested women delay conception until 2018 because of the epidemic. Colombia, Ecuador and Jamaica called for shorter delays; the virus hasnt even been confirmed in Jamaica yet. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised women to consider postponing travel to Zika-affected areas and take precautions against mosquito bites if they do go. The World Health Organization expects the virus to reach parts of every nation in the Americas except Canada and continental Chile, places that arent home to the type of mosquito that spreads it. The possible links, only recently suspected, have rapidly changed the risk profile of Zika, from a mild threat to one of alarming proportions, WHO Director General Margaret Chan said Thursday. Mexico, included on the CDCs travel-alert list, was one of last years hottest babymoon destinations, according to website fitpregnancy.com. Jay Guerrero, sales director of Colibri Boutique Hotels, a group of five luxury properties on the Mexican coast of Tulum, said monetary damage has been small so far. Mexico has 18 confirmed cases of the virus, but none in Tulums state of Quintana Roo, the Health Ministry press office said. Weve had a couple of cancellations, mostly from first-time moms-to-be, and calls here and there from tourists who are worried, Guerrero said. Its inconvenient, of course, because the cancellations are last minute, but its understandable. Business travel could also be affected. The spread of the Zika virus is already prompting cancellations of conferences and could place significant pressure on the hotel industry, Gregory Fine, global chief executive officer of the Turnaround Management Association, said at a conference in Florida hosted by M&A Advisor. Fears about the virus could contribute to a phenomenal slowdown in industries serving the business travel sector, Fine said. Santiago-based Latam Airlines Group, the largest carrier in Latin America, is allowing destination changes, cancellations and refunds for clients traveling to countries affected by the virus, as long as they present a medical certificate. Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes, Brazils biggest airline, is offering similar options. Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines, Spirit Airlines and JetBlue Airways also have said they will accommodate some customers booked on flights to and from the affected countries. In an earnings call Friday, American executives said the Zika outbreak seemed to be having no effect on their business. They said they didnt know how many customers have asked for refunds, but airline president Scott Kirby said it has not been a meaningful number. Kirby said that because the mosquito-borne virus is not transmitted through the air on planes, he didnt expect it to be as damaging to the airline industry as past outbreaks such as the respiratory disease SARS in 2003. CEO Doug Parker added that Zika only has an impact on pregnant women, not the entire traveling public. The comments echoed those of a JetBlue executive, who said Thursday that his airline did not see a measurable effect on trip bookings or refunds. Concerns about the virus have spooked cruise ship investors. Shares of Carnival Corp., the largest operator, have dropped this week, as have those of Royal Caribbean Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings. Lines are allowing pregnant women and their traveling companions to reschedule or choose new itineraries, according to Patrick Scholes, an analyst at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey Inc. Aslesen, who managed to sell her original trip to two friends, still lost $600 in the trade-off. At first I was pretty sad to have to switch our trip last minute, and the stress of trying to get it sold was crazy. But it all worked out in the end and we are having a great time. This report includes material from the Associated Press. As Omaha police officers negotiated with an auto theft suspect whom one would shoot dead Thursday night, the suspect said he did not want to return to prison. Time and again, he said he wanted to die. William A. Adams asked officers on the second floor of a south-central Omaha apartment building what he had to do to get them to shoot him, according to an account of the encounter that police released Friday night. He put the barrel of a loaded silver handgun in his mouth, under his chin and to his head. Adams, 33, was shot when he pulled the gun from his mouth and lowered it in the direction of officers in the doorway of the apartment at the Grover Square Apartments at 3712 S. 68th Plaza, police said. Officer Jordan Brandt fired a rifle at Adams, first from where he had been kneeling in the doorway, then inside. Adams died at a hospital early Friday. Police did not say how many rounds struck his body or where he was hit. Brandt has been on the force six years. Three other officers, James Haley, James Holtmeyer and Nicholas Yarpe, were near Brandt at the time he fired, the department said. Adams was the first person shot by a police officer in Omaha this year. Omaha police shot three people, two of whom held weapons, during 2015. Each died. Grand juries declined to indict the officers, one of whom resigned. Brandt was placed on paid administrative leave pending probes from the officer-involved investigations team and the internal affairs unit. State law requires that a grand jury review Adams killing. Adams encounter with police Thursday began when police connected him to a stolen 2006 Ford Escape. A man had called 911 to report that he had tracked a stolen car to the area of 14th and B Streets. The man said the vehicle was reported stolen earlier in the day, and it was equipped with a GPS tracking system that allowed him to monitor its location. Adams was convicted of felonies in Nebraska and Iowa, including theft by receiving, according to court records. He had a 2005 conviction on two counts of third-degree burglary and a 2006 conviction of second-degree theft, both out of Pottawattamie County. At the time of his death, he faced a raft of charges out of Pottawattamie County in separate cases, including possession of methamphetamine, forgery, first-degree theft, identity theft under $1,000, unlawful possession of a prescription drug, possession of drug paraphernalia, and ongoing criminal conduct. Adams appeared to be under the influence of drugs Thursday night, police said. He was displaying erratic behavior, waved the gun in the air and was profusely sweating and pacing. Medical personnel located what they suspected are narcotics in his buttocks, police said. Autopsy and toxicology results are pending. There was no one in the apartment except him and police when he was shot, but five others had been there. When police arrived at the apartment investigating the stolen car, a woman who lived there told officers Adams was inside her apartment and had a gun. The female resident said there were other people inside the apartment with Adams. As officers held the apartment door open, two men and two women walked out on their own or were ordered out by officers. Adams brother was also fatally shot by police, in 2010. Daniel E. Adams Sr., 25, was shot in the chest and stomach near 24th Street and Laurel Avenue. Police said Adams and another man stopped a vehicle on 24th Street near Hartman Avenue and robbed the driver at gunpoint. After a chase, Adams threatened to shoot himself and then pointed his gun at an officer, police said at the time. The Omaha Police Department extends its condolences to the family of William Adams, the department said in its statement Friday. World-Herald staff writers Emily Nitcher and Andrew J. Nelson contributed to this report. Contact the writer: 402-444-3106, emerson.clarridge@owh.com Students work on test recognized: Beals Elementary School held a surprise assembly for its fourth-graders on Tuesday to celebrate students hard work preparing for state writing tests. During the assembly, the principal and instructional facilitator offered words of praise and encouragement. Students shared a final draft of their writing with their parents and then walked across the stage to receive personal recognition. Scrapbook Crop and Craft Day: Scrapbookers and crafters alike can set sail on a voyage of crafts, chatting, prizes, music, games and fun at the sixth annual Golden Hills Seaside Scrapbook Crop and Craft Day on Saturday, Jan. 30 from 10 a.m. to midnight. This adults-only event will be held at Golden Hills Elementary School, 2912 Coffey Ave. in Bellevue. The cost is $30 and includes a private table, comfortable chair, electrical outlet, lunch, dinner, snacks, goodies, make and take crafts and prizes. Raffle tickets will also be sold for more prizes. Register by calling Tessie at 402-898-0459 or email tboudreau@paplv.org. All proceeds fund field trips for the schools students. Coding club hears from pros: Members of the Bell Field Elementary School Coding Club in Fremont recently heard firsthand what it is like to be a professional coder. Mutual of Omaha representatives Kristie Brown, Kelly Crook and Lizz Dyer told with club members what their jobs encompass. The group discussed how coding is used at large corporations such as IBM, Target, FedEx and McDonalds. Club members also had the opportunity to ask questions. Tribute to King: Nelson Mandela Elementary School hosted its first Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Program on Jan. 14. The event was a tribute to the civil rights leader. In attendance were parents, grandparents and other members of the Nelson Mandela Elementary community. The students sang, performed snippets from the well-known I Have a Dream speech, recited poetry and told fun facts about King. A few scholars even played the violin. Business partnership with schools: The Papillion La Vista Community Schools kicked off its new Cooperation BEST School Business Community Partnerships on Jan. 14. The mission of Cooperation BEST (Better Educate Students for Tomorrow) is to enhance learning by connecting students and teachers to business partners to better educate students for the future. Students will work cooperatively with the businesses and gain real-world experience. Bookmark contest winners: The 2016 Bookmark Contest winners in the Omaha Storm Chasers Hit The Books Literacy Program have been announced. More than 10,000 submissions were received. Fourth-grader Brooklyn Bratetic from Prairie Queen Elementary School, whose bookmark will be distributed as a prize to all students, was selected by the Storm Chasers as the overall winner, with the announcement and presentation made on Jan. 12. Other winners were Tyce ODonnell (Patriot Elementary, kindergarten); Ayden Pfau (Anderson Grove Elementary, first grade); Koa Stonebraker (Black Elk Elementary, second grade); Macy Czech (Springfield Elementary, third grade); Lauren Rayner (Neihardt Elementary, fifth grade); and Christina Carozza (Two Springs Elementary, sixth grade). Forty-five schools participated in this years edition of the literacy orogram, which reached a total of 15,943 students. Since 2007, Hit The Books, presented by Nebraska Educational Savings Trust, has encouraged elementary students to learn that reading is an essential skill. Teachers at each school determine four reading goals for the program. Students who round the bases get two tickets to a 2016 Storm Chasers contest, in addition to another prize at the game. Velma Crumbley was a student of the world, visiting Bermuda, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, Mexico City and Jamaica, just to name a few. New York City and Chicago were two of her favorite stops. And when Crumbley wasnt learning more about the globe, she was passing on her vast knowledge to her Omaha Public Schools students. With 33 years in education, she taught a lot of them. Crumbley, 62, died Jan. 27 from appendix cancer. She spent a large part of her career at Gilder Elementary School, first as a teacher in 1975, then as an instructional supervisor in special education and finally as principal for a decade, until her retirement in 2008. Her husband, Elmer Crumbley, 63, said she excelled at teaching by connecting with each student. She had a personality that people gravitated to, Elmer said. You thought that in talking with her that you were the most important individual that there was because she was in tune with you that much. In a 2008 World-Herald article, Crumbley said some of her proudest teaching moments came from educating students from other countries. Weve had an influx of Sudanese children and children from Somalia and to hear them read essays after theyve been here a year or two ... that really makes you feel good, that youve really done your job. Elmer and Velma met at Omaha North High School, where he said he saw something special in her immediately. The couple then went to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, something he said she encouraged him to do. Crumbley was born in 1954 in New Orleans and a few years later, her family moved to Omaha, where she attended Lothrop Magnet Center and then Horace Mann Junior High School. At both schools, Crumbley was taught by Eugene Skinner, Omahas first African-American principal. She graduated from Omaha North in 1971. Elmer said the two would often visit family in New Orleans. When in New York and Chicago, the two enjoyed Broadway musicals. As for their favorite, Elmer said that was easy. Always the last one that we saw, he said. He said The Color Purple was at the top of their list. Crumbleys love of exploring new countries with her husband never ceased. The two were planning a trip to Nigeria before her final bout of cancer restricted her travel ability. Crumbley is survived by her children: Jason, 37, and Nicole, 35. A visitation is set for Sunday at St. Benedict the Moor Parish from 4 to 8 p.m. The funeral will be 10 a.m. Monday at St. Benedict. Contact the writer: 402-444-1304, news@owh.com Adnan Damudi: From commerce graduate to alleged ISIS recruiter India oi-Vicky New Delhi, Jan 30: Better late than never. Adnan Damudi, a resident of Bhatkal who was detained in Dubai in March 2015 was finally deported on Friday along with two others and is currently in the custody of the National Investigating Agency. Of the three deportations that took place yesterday, the NIA lay importance on Damudi the most as he was an active recruiter. NIA officials say that his link has been found with the recent arrests that they have made of alleged ISIS sympathisers. While the extradition process was slow, it finally happened as clinching proof of his involvement in ISIS related activities in India had been found. Who is Adnan Damudi? Adnan Damudi is a commerce graduate from the Karnataka university in Dharwad. He came in touch with Sultan Armar the founder of the Ansar-ul-Tawhid which recruits Indians into the ISIS. After the death of Sultan he remained in touch with his brother Shafi who allegedly heads the outfit today. It was on a tip off by India that the authorities in Dubai detained Damudi. This resident of Bhatkal, Karnataka is said to be involved with the ISIS and focused on recruitments in the Hyderabad region. It is the Hyderabad police which would seek his custody if at all he is deported to India. India contended that Damudi was responsible for luring several youth from Hyderabad to join the ISIS. He is said to have even deposited a sum of Rs 50,000 into the accounts of one recruits so that he could travel to Syria. India also contends that Damudi is closely associated with Shafi Armar, another youth from Bhatkal believed to be heading the India recruiting wing of the ISIS which goes by the name Ansar-ul-Tawhid. India had also sent details of his twitter account @adnandamudi. This account had messages which were sympathetic towards the ISIS. There was also propaganda material on it, the investigators had contended. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, January 30, 2016, 9:08 [IST] Assam Govt spreading misinformation on NEIPP: Sitharaman India oi-PTI Guwahati, Jan 29: Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today took accused Assam's Tarun Gogoi-led Congress government of spreading 'misinformation' on the North East Industrial Promotion Policy, initiated by the UPA-1 government in 2007. Asserting there has been a lot of misinformation spread by Assam Congress regarding the policy, Sitharaman said, "To begin with, NEIPP as a policy has several loopholes. It was an open ended scheme with no limit on the number of proposals to be accepted from the industries. However, very limited budget was allocated for it." Gogoi had earlier accused the Narendra Modi government of suspending registration of business under the policy. Speaking at the Assam Nirman's Inaugural Conclave in Guwahati hosted by the BJP state unit, the Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry said, "Only approx Rs 700 crore was earmarked for NEIPP in the 11th Five Year Plan. To put it in contrast, the disbursement in a single year of 2014-15 has been more than that." "The NEIPP has resulted in uneven sectoral growth with most of the benefits going to only a few sectors like cement industry. There is a need to rationalise this before reopening the scheme for fresh proposals." Asserting that the NDA government was committed towards economic development of the state, the Union Minister said a new industry promotion scheme for the North East was being considered by the Ministry of Finance whereby future funding could be re-routed through the DoNER Ministry using its Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR-Central Scheme). 'Assam Nirman' is an effort on part of the BJP's state unit to reach out to intellectuals and civil society for participatory agenda setting for the state. PTI Institutions of learnings have become war zones: Scholars India oi-PTI New Delhi, Jan 30: Amid a raging political battle over a Dalit scholar's suicide, a group of scholars today said institutions of learning had become war zones in the last 10 to 15 years and poor students entering the campuses are seen as fodder in the ideological war of their mentors. The 40 scholars, perceived to be sympathetic to the Modi government, said the death of Rohith Vemula had brought forth the rot which had set in these years and called for action to save the academia from the clutches of this new brand of academics in the university faculties. "Act swiftly to save the Indian academia from the clutches of this new brand of academics in the university faculties and their peers in the higher academic governance of India. The people at the helm of affairs in the higher governing bodies of Indian academia have remained largely unchanged. "These persons in position of authority have continued to further vitiate the atmosphere in our institutions of higher learning," they said in an open statement. ICHR member M D Srinivas, Madhu Purnima Kishwar of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, IIT Chennai faculty Shreepad Karmalkar, Vipin Chaturvedi of the University of California, Atal Bihari Vajpayi Hindi Vishwavidhyalaya Vice Chancellor Mohan Lal Chhipa, Makrand R Paranjpe, Aswhini Mohapatra of the JNU, R Vaidyanathan of the IIM, Bangalore and J K Bajaj of the Centre for Policy Studies, Chennia and Delhi are among the signatories to the statement. "Over the last 10 or 15 years, a new brand of scholarship has transformed the meaning of high academics in such a manner as to convert our high institutions of learning into some kind of war zones. Under the influence of such scholars and their peers in the higher echelons of academic governance, the young scholars joining these institutions are being led astray. "More than the alleged caste discrimination, the tragic death is the consequence of this deep distortion of the academic atmosphere of the campuses. The young, innocent and often poor students entering the campuses are seen as fodder in the ideological war of their mentors," they said. PTI J&K govt: BJP in no mood to re-negotiate Agenda of Alliance India oi-Vicky Jammu, Jan 30: The Bharatiya Janata Party is not prepared to blink or re-negotiate the terms with the PDP where the formation of the Jammu and Kashmir government is concerned. Following the death of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, there has been a deadlock with the PDP wanting to re-negotiate the terms of the Agenda of Alliance with the BJP. The BJP has made it clear that there shall be no re-negotiation of the AoA. This would mean that the BJP is in no mood to listen to the fresh demands that are being made by the PDP. While at first Mehbooba Mufti had stayed away as she was in mourning later on the ante was upped with fresh demands being sent out. 'Mehbooba Mufti unlikely to take over in Kashmir in current situation' None are blinking Both the BJP and PDP are not ready to blink as yet. The BJP is awaiting a crucial meeting of the PDP which is to be held tomorrow before taking a final call on the fate of the coalition. The BJP has indicated that if there are any issues the PDP leaders could address it in the coordination committee which comprises the party chiefs of the BJP and PDP. Issues can be ironed out, but re-negotiating the terms of the AoA is ruled out says Ashok Kaul, the general secretary of the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP feels that re-negotiating the terms of the AoA is not warranted. There were two and half months of intense discussions before both the parties reached a consensus and formed the government in the state. What is the point of going into it once again, the BJP asks. Mehbooba on the the other has a fresh set of demands. She does not want the issues relating to beef ban and Article 370 to be raised. She also feels that some of the power projects must be handed over to the state by the centre. Further she also wants clarity on the special package for Jammu and Kashmir. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, January 30, 2016, 10:32 [IST] Jayalalithaa DA case: Will ensure there are no delays, says Karnataka India oi-Vicky New Delhi, Jan 30: The hearing on the appeal filed by Karnataka in the J Jayalalithaa disproportionate assets case will commence before the Supreme Court on February 23. Jayalalithaa disproportionate assets case: Karnataka maintains it is the prosecuting agency The case which was originally slated for February 2 and to be heard on a day to day basis was postponed following an application made by the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's counsel. Karnataka's counsel, Dushyanth Dave who was also present said that there was no objection to the case being postponed. Karnataka's legal team has however said that it would ensure that the hearing on the case commences on February 23 and there will be no further delay. Case will commence on February 23: An officer in the Karnataka law department informed OneIndia that the case shall commence on February 23. We want to complete the case as soon as possible and arguments would get underway on February 23. Karnataka does not want any delay in the case, the officer also noted. We had ensured that the case was posted early. Normally it takes almost an year before an appeal is posted before the Supreme Court unless there is an urgency to it. This is a 2015 case and we ensured that it was posted in 2016 itself. Normally such appeals take almost an year to come up in the higher courts the officer also added. Further he also stated that that the arguments before the Supreme Court are likely to commence on the point of locus standi. We expect that the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister will raise the contention whether Karnataka has the locus standi to file the appeal. This has been settled in the past and we shall reiterate the same point. On the postponement of the case, the official said that there was no choice. One of the judges hearing this case is also part of the constitution bench hearing the Arunachal Pradesh case. That case which challenges the imposition of President's rule in the state is bound to spill over. The case is posted for February 1 and would have continued on February 2 as well and hence it was only natural to agree for the postponement, the official also added. OneIndia News NIA, Bengaluru cops think poles apart on Church Street blast case India oi-Vicky Bengaluru, Jan 30: The National Investigating Agency had claimed on Friday that it had cracked the Church Street blasts, Bengaluru case with the arrest of Alam Jeb Afridi. After the arrest the Home Minister of Karnataka, Dr G Parameshwar said that they had no such information and hence could not comment much. NIA cracks Bengaluru Church Street blast case, prime accused arrested Afridi has been blamed not just for the Church Street blasts case. The NIA note says he is also an accused in the Wagamon (Kerala) terror training camp. Further the agency also notes that he is suspected to be an accused in the Ahmedabad blasts case of 2008 as well. The note also adds that he had confessed to his role in the incident of arson that taken place in the Israel visa centre, Bengaluru recently. Killing four birds with one stone If the NIA is able to ascertain that he was involved in all the incidents mentioned above, then they tend to kill four birds with one stone or rather solve four cases. The Bengaluru police which started the investigation into the Church Street case before handing it over to the NIA says that it has no concrete information relating to Afridi as yet. However, the police in Bengaluru dispute the version that the attack on the Israel Visa Centre was an act of terror. On probing the case, it had found that it was a civil dispute which had led to the arson. In this incident someone had hurled a kerosene bomb at the centre thus setting off a fire. The other point of dispute is that Afridi had planned on planting the bomb at a restaurant on Church Street as he was aware of a visit by an Israel delegation. He wanted to time the bomb with their visit, the NIA had stated. However both the Israel mission in Bengaluru and the police have denied any such knowledge. NIA officials however point out that the investigations are at a very preliminary stage. We are probing into the matter. The CCTV footage which we had put out a couple of weeks back shows the alleged bomber. The profiling of Afridi and the man in the video match, the NIA also points out. We are trying to find his handler who had instructed him to carry out the blast and will seek help of the Bengaluru police too, NIA officials say. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, January 30, 2016, 9:40 [IST] There is no justification for any act of terrorism, regardless of motivation: Jaishankar British mother convicted of joining IS in Syria International oi-IANS By Ians English London, Jan 30: A British mother has been convicted of terrorism offences after fleeing Britain with her one-year-old child to join the Islamic State (IS) in Syria, Britain's West Midlands Police announced on Friday. Tareena Shakil, a 26-year-old woman from Burton-upon-Trent in England, was found guilty of being a member of IS and encouraging acts of terrorism at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday, Xinhua reported. The mother boarded a plane to Turkey in October 2014 with her young boy, where she then crossed the border into Syria and spent the next three months there, police said. "She denied joining Daesh but her membership was proven as a result of enquiries carried out by the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit and other agencies," West Midlands Police said in a statement. Police noted that detectives were able to show Shakil had become a member of the extremist group and was set to become a jihadi bride. A photograph uncovered by police showed her posing in Syria underneath an IS flag. She was arrested by counter-terrorism officers when she returned to Britain on February 18 in 2015 after landing at Heathrow Airport, while her son was taken into care, police said. The woman was also found guilty of sending a series of tweets before she left the Britain "encouraging the public to commit acts of terrorism", police added. IANS 2008-2022 One News Page Ltd. All rights reserved. One News is a registered trademark of One News Page Ltd. Huge Expectations for ICE 2016 Published January 30, 2016 by Florin P The last preparations are taking place at ExCel London, as the highly anticipated ICE 2016 event is about to kick off. The ExCel London will be the gracious host for this years ICE Totally Gaming conference, one of the biggest events in the iGaming industry. Action starts on February 2 and will conclude two days later, while bringing together industry leaders and tens of thousands of visitors. During these 3 packed days, participants will have the chance to exchange valuable information, while attending seminars, exhibits and conferences. Expert Speakers to Cover Popular Topics ICE Totally Gaming is arguably the highlight of February for all those who play a role in the iGaming industry and the buzz started earlier this month in Las Vegas. ExCel London will host the event, but players are invited to free their mind and enter a virtual gaming hub of the future. Commonly referred to as the Gaming Technopolis, it is the place where industry leaders will showcase their latest products. Those who attend an event of such magnitude for the first time will be swept off their feet by the hundreds of gaming products. Speakers from all over the world are expected to cover popular topics, hence provide the audience with a glance at what the future will bring. Online casinos and operators will have the chance to interact with developers and regulators, in an event that will shape the industry. High Expectations after ICE Totally Gaming 2015 Last year, the event attracted in excess of 25,000 and set the bar pretty high, so those attending in 2016 will have high expectations. Major game developers, the biggest casino operators and bookmakers are going to be present at the ExCel London to share their insights. Most of those who choose to participate are interested in the networking opportunities, but also the free seminars where they can exchange ideas. The organizers expect the ICE Totally Gaming 2016 to be a record-breaking event with attendees from nearly 150 countries. "Even as we confront a vicious adversary that abides by no rules, I believe the United States of America must remain a standard bearer in the conduct of war. That is what makes us different from those whom we fight." --Barack Obama accepting 2009 Nobel Peace Prize Last Nov. 18, four former Air Force personnel with years of experience in President Obama's drone-strike program went public with a letter they had sent to the President, Defense Secretary Carter and CIA Director Brennan. Their letter was a plea to halt the drone program. They had come to realize that "the innocent civilians we were killing only fueled the feelings of hatred that ignited terrorism and groups like ISIS." By going public in this way, they knew that they had exposed themselves to retaliation by the Obama administration as whistleblowers. Sure enough, their bank accounts and credit cards have been frozen, even though they haven't been charged with anything. They are tortured by memories of the bizarre violence they have done, blowing up people thousands of miles away by manipulating a computer joystick. As one of the four, Michael Haas, explained in an interview with The Guardian, "Ever step on ants and never give it another thought? That's what you are made to think of the targets -- as just black blobs on a screen." Children in the target area are jokingly referred to as "fun-sized terrorists." The pain these former drone operators feel comes from what we can call moral imagination--a quality necessary for a functioning conscience. The more abstractly we think of the 'others' our actions affect, the easier it is to mistreat or harm them. What could be more abstract than a blob on a screen? If you see these blobs as representing people with an alien culture, with foreign features and garb, it's easier to ignore their humanity as you target and blow them up. If the jihadist you're trying to kill is accompanied by noncombatants (even children), it's easier to see their deaths as a necessary means, as mere "collateral damage." So, in assessing American drone warfare, we need to use our moral imagination, seeing targets as real people, with human feelings and basic needs like ours, even when some of them are jihadists. We need concrete descriptions of our targets whenever we can get them from witnesses and local officials. Consider the fate of Ali Al-Qawli, a 34-year-old primary-school teacher in Sanaa, Yemen. On January 23, 2013, Ali was in a car driven by his 20-year-old cousin Salim, who used the car as an informal taxi service. They had picked up two passengers. A U.S. drone destroyed the car and, according to Ali's brother Mohammed Al-Qawli, who rushed to the scene, "The smell of burning flesh was overwhelming [and] the bodies were in pieces." As VICE News has learned, "after a Yemeni government investigation, both Salim and Ali were exonerated of having any link to the men who rented their taxi." They had unknowingly picked up terrorist suspects and thus become collateral damage. In an op-ed in Aljazeera America, Mohammed had this to say about his brother: "With his beautiful personality, he taught and enriched the lives of hundreds of children and young people in his village. Everyone was devastated by his death. Imagine the pain and sorrow I felt and still feel when my brother was ripped from my life. It is the same pain that is felt by our mother, our father, Ali's wife, their three children and all those who knew and loved him." The most horrific account I have found of "collateral damage" is a November, 2014 study titled "You Never Die Twice--Multiple Kills In The US Drone Program." It was published by Reprieve, a non-profit organization of lawyers and investigators assisting those facing detention without trial, execution and extra-judicial killing. The study examines a large number of cases in which a specific individual was targeted and reported killed more than once, in some cases as many as seven times. All of these strikes took place in Pakistan or Yemen, countries with which we are not at war. For instance, "Seventeen men in Yemen were reported killed or targeted multiple times. Missile strikes on these men killed 273 other people and accounted for almost half of all confirmed civilian casualties and 100% of all recorded child deaths. Each person was killed on average well over three times each." Four of the 17 targets are still alive. In Pakistan "The pursuit of 14 targets killed 142 children. Only six of these children died in strikes that successfully killed their target (21% success rate)." Facts such as these contradict the official White House policy statement (5/23/13) that lethal drone attacks will not be authorized unless there is "1. Near certainty that the terrorist target is present; [and] 2. Near certainty that non-combatants will not be injured or killed." We must use our moral imagination to consider not just the slaughter of innocents, but also what it is like to live in areas under threat of drone attack. Law school clinics at Stanford and New York University have jointly published a study of the effects of drone warfare on communities (Living Under Drones, 9/12). The study describes how "Drones hover twenty-four hours a day over communities in northwest Pakistan, striking homes, vehicles, and public spaces without warning. Their presence terrorizes men, women, and children, giving rise to anxiety and psychological trauma among civilian communities." Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). For years, New York Times columnist Paul Krugman has repeatedly complained about the D.C. orthodoxy-enforcing tactic of labeling only those who subscribe to Washington pieties as "Very Serious People," or "VSPs." It's a term Krugman borrowed (with credit) from the liberal blogger Atrios, who first coined it to illustrate how Iraq War opponents were instantly marginalized in establishment discourse and only war advocates were deemed to be Serious. Krugman mockingly uses it so often that the New York Times created a special tag for the term. The primary purpose of the "VSP" tactic is to malign anyone who dissents from D.C. establishment pieties as non-Serious or un-Serious, thus demeaning the person as someone who can (and should) be ignored as residing on the fringe, unworthy of engagement or a real platform regardless of the merits of their position. Click Here to Read Whole Article Yesterday, one of the purest and most noxious examples of this tactic was invoked -- by Paul Krugman. The longtime Clinton defender announced that all Serious policy experts "lean Hillary"; he even used the term "serious" unironically to advance his claim: Meanwhile, the Sanders skepticism of the wonks continues: Paul Starr lays out the case. As far as I can tell, every serious progressive policy expert on either health care or financial reform who has weighed in on the primary seems to lean Hillary. Let's repeat that: "Every serious progressive policy expert on either health care or financial reform who has weighed in on the primary seems to lean Hillary." The economist Dean Baker -- previously cited as a financial reform and economic policy expert by Krugman, but who now most assuredly does not "lean Hillary" -- quickly reacted to his formal exclusion by Krugman from the Club of Seriousness: Everyone, at times, feels sad, alone, hopeless. For the majority of people these feelings are situational. They are a natural response to a bad event or a series of bad events. Over time the feelings pass and the individuals return to their normal emotional state. For others, however, depression is a lifelong battle, something that must be dealt with every day. There are a number of treatments for depression. Not all treatments work the same for all people. If you, or someone you know, is clinically depressed, encourage that person to seek the care of a professional. Warning Signs: What To Look For Sometimes depression, be it chronic or situational, can lead to thoughts of suicide. While often viewed as a mark of insanity by the general populous, for those contemplating a life ending action it is a rational choice given what they are confronting. According to information complied by the Centers for Disease Control in 2010 (the most recent data set), suicide was the tenth leading cause of death in the United States. There are a number of socio-economic risk factors which influence the likelihood of someone taking his or her life. In general, males are more at risk for successful suicide attempts despite a higher instance of attempts by females. This is mostly likely a result of males relying on more lethal methods (firearms and hanging vs overdose and exsanguination). It is equally important to recognize that you can not do everything yourself. Another excellent way to show the people in need that they are not alone is to literally show them that they are not alone. There are numerous websites, toll free numbers, and support groups which specialize in helping those who are contemplating suicide. Be willing to attend a support group with those in need of help. Bring them to a counselor or religious leader who will discuss their feelings with them. In cases of immediate distress, it may be necessary to use more dramatic measures. Most hospital emergency rooms and psychiatric facilities have methods in place for dealing with those who may be a danger to themselves or others. While it may be outside your power to arrange to have someone temporarily committed, you can definitely work to show them that this is a step that they may need, something which they could do voluntarily. Support From Unexpected Areas: Animals And Unconditional Love If the person contemplating a life-ending action is feeling alone and abandoned, gently remind them of all of those who care about them. Everyone has friends and family who would be devastated by the loss of a loved one. Think about the amazing transformation at the end of It's a Wonderful Life. You have the opportunity to be someone's angel, just by talking to them. Identification and Support: What To DoIf you suspect a friend, family member, or colleague is thinking about or even planning suicide, the best the best thing that you can do is talk to them. Sometimes just knowing that there is someone out there who cares enough to spend the time listening is enough to change the way someone sees the world. Having the conversation is key, but just as important is remembering to remain nonjudgmental. The person you are speaking to is going through one of the most difficult times of his or her life. You are there to listen, and if necessary, suggest helping, healing options. Regardless of your opinion about the morality of taking ones own life, refrain from statements which will turn the person in need away from you.It is equally important to recognize that you can not do everything yourself. Another excellent way to show the people in need that they are not alone is to literally show them that they are not alone. There are numerous websites, toll free numbers, and support groups which specialize in helping those who are contemplating suicide. Be willing to attend a support group with those in need of help. Bring them to a counselor or religious leader who will discuss their feelings with them.In cases of immediate distress, it may be necessary to use more dramatic measures. Most hospital emergency rooms and psychiatric facilities have methods in place for dealing with those who may be a danger to themselves or others. While it may be outside your power to arrange to have someone temporarily committed, you can definitely work to show them that this is a step that they may need, something which they could do voluntarily.Support From Unexpected Areas: Animals And Unconditional LoveIf the person contemplating a life-ending action is feeling alone and abandoned, gently remind them of all of those who care about them. Everyone has friends and family who would be devastated by the loss of a loved one. Think about the amazing transformation at the end of It's a Wonderful Life. You have the opportunity to be someone's angel, just by talking to them. Remember to avoid being preachy, judgmental, or heavy handed when doing this. You do not want to chastise the individual. The last thing that you want to do is make them feel worse or like they are failing those who care about them. Your goal is to provide them with an insight which they may be missing -- namely that while they might feel alone, they are surrounded by those who care about them. This is not limited to just the people in their lives. Nothing in the world is as forgiving, nonjudgmental, or capable of providing unconditional love like a furry family member. There are numerous stories of people who have survived terrible hardships, who thought about completely giving up, but who were pulled back from the precipice because of the love of a good animal. It may seem trite or even childish, but when someone has come to the edge of their rope anything which can provide them with the stability and willingness to go on is a useful tool. A reminder that there is another being which loves them, lives for them, and depends upon them may be just the knowledge that they need. IMG_1162[1].JPG Aequitas Capital Management, which occupies more than a floor of this Kruse Way office building in Lake Oswego, informed employees of another layoff Friday amid mounting financial problems. (Jeff Manning/The Oregonian) The Lake Oswego investment firm embroiled in a controversial student loan program will lay off most of its approximately 100 employees. A week after Aequitas Capital Management warned that significant financial issues were forcing it to terminate about a third of its workers, the company again gathered its stunned employees Friday and informed them virtually the entire company would be let go, Aequitas declined to specify how many employees would be laid off. Multiple employees and former employees said just a skeleton crew is being retained. Aequitas gave the laid off workers 60 days notice. Aequitas, which poured hundreds of millions of dollars into a controversial student debt program, appears to be suffering a catastrophic cash-flow problem. Sources said the company struggled to make payroll for the second half of January. It infuriated investor clients this fall when it notified them it was unable to meet scheduled payouts to investors due to its liquidity problems. Aequitas confirmed the downsizing, but would give no detail. "We're shifting our business model and strategy, and to align the team to support that strategy there has been further reorganization which includes adjustments to the size of the workforce," said a spokesperson on behalf of Aequitas Capital. Aequitas' mounting problems are a stunning turn of events for a company that once employed close to 200 and boasted $500 million in assets under management. In recent years, it increasingly focused on subprime credit buying student debt, consumer healthcare debt and motorcycle loans. The company's financial straits may be just the beginning of Aequitas' problems. The SEC appears to be investigating activities at the company, according to four sources who either work for the company or used to. One of those sources was a former Aequitas employee who confirmed he's been interviewed by federal agents. SEC officials declined comment. Aequitas also declined to address questions about the SEC probe. The former employee said federal investigators are looking into Aequitas Commercial Finance and the private notes it sold to its wealthy investors. The private notes were short-term debt instruments -- six months to two years -- that paid investors about 9-11 percent. This fall, Aequitas began informing investors it was unable to repay those notes as they came due. "This redemption is on our schedule to payout, however, we are currently experiencing some delays in redemptions of our Private Notes," said one Aequitas letter to a private note holder. "This is due to some unexpected delays in incoming investments and related timing mismatches on our cash flows." As Aequitas' financial problems mounted, sources said the company issued a more comprehensive restriction on private note redemptions. TD Ameritrade, the huge discount stock brokerage, this fall also informed investment firms that it would no longer serve as custodian for Aequitas private notes. In a letter to regional financial advisors, the brokerage said it would no longer hold these assets for safekeeping. "The decision is based upon a business risk reassessment," TD Ameritrade said. Aequitas relied heavily on a regional network of registered investment advisors to sell its private notes, such as Strategic Capital Group of Gig Harbor, Wash. Strategic Capital itself was fined $600,000 by the SEC in September 2014 after the agency determined it had engaged hundreds of transactions with an affiliate company that benefited Strategic Capital without making required disclosures to investors. Aequitas is closely tied to Strategic Capital through its ownership stake in an affiliated investment advisory firm. Aequitas' cash-flow problems stem in part from its student loan business. Between 2011 and 2014, an Aequitas affiliate bought $561 million worth of student debt from Corinthian Colleges, one of the largest for-profit colleges in the country. After years of accusations that it was deceiving students and issuing predatory loans, Corinthian Colleges collapsed last year. A federal judge in October ruled the Corinthian private loans that Aequitas purchased violated two federal consumer protection laws. Yet, an Aequitas affiliate company has continued to try to collect payment on the debts from former students, according to collection notices obtained by The Oregonian/Oregon Live. -- Jeff Manning 503-294-7606, jmanning@oregonian.com coalplant.JPG This 2013 photo shows the Colstrip Steam Electric Station, a coal-burning power plant in Montana. PGE would stop taking power form the plant by 2035 under proposed legislation to eliminate coal-by-wire imports and increase renewable energy. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown) Oregon's two biggest electric utilities told state regulators Friday that their compromise plan to eliminate coal-fired electricity and meet half their customers' demand with renewable energy would be affordable, technically feasible and vastly preferable to ballot measures that environmental groups are proposing for next November. It's not clear if those assurances will be enough to win the support of Oregon's three public utility commissioners or of lawmakers. They have expressed significant concerns over the potential cost of the proposed legislation, as well as the wisdom of rushing through such a complex change to the state's energy policies in a short legislative session. The commissioners also question whether the plan would have any real impact on the state's global warming emissions. The plan, now codified in House Bill 4036, was negotiated behind closed doors by utilities and environmental groups and will likely be the subject of intense if truncated debate in the session that begins next week. In an unusual hearing to review the proposed legislation Friday, Portland General Electric and PacifiCorp estimated the savings their plan would offer ratepayers in comparison to the ballot measures, which environmental groups have agreed to drop if lawmakers pass the compromise bill. The utilities also offered the Oregon Public Utility Commission estimates of the cost increases their ratepayers would face. The legislation would mandate that utilities eliminate imports of "coal-by-wire" by 2035, and requires them to meet 50 percent of their customers' demand with renewable energy by 2040. That's double the current standard of 25 percent renewables by 2025. Both standards include interim, stair-stepped mandates that increase over time. The ballot measures contain similar provisions, but the utilities say their compromise plan offers the opportunity to run coals plants for longer, as well as more flexibility in meeting the renewables requirements. Both deliver financial benefits to ratepayers, they say. The utilities have adopted a unified lobbying front on the bill, but they have markedly different systems today, and took different approaches to modeling the costs they believe would be involved. . Its cost estimates were based on what it acknowledged was an unrealistic assumption: that it would meet the renewables standard by purchasing energy exclusively from wind farms in the Columbia River Gorge. It also assumed that it would build or buy enough renewable energy to reach full compliance with the renewable mandates as they stair-step higher over the next 25 years. In reality, it is likely to produce more renewable energy than it needs to meet compliance obligations in the early years, which will generate bankable renewable energy credits it can use to satisfy later obligations. PGE estimated that the approach it modeled would save its customers between $220 million and $360 million over the next 25 years compared to the ballot measure. And it said the compliance strategy it modeled would raise rates by between 1.2 percent and 1.5 percent annually during the same period. It included some big upfront investments in renewables, for example, to take advantage of federal tax credits that expire in 2020. PacifiCorp's plan also leaned heavily on the use of banked renewable energy credits, and didn't reflect all the costs it would have to incur to comply with renewables mandates once that bank of credits is exhausted. Based on the assumptions it made, PacifiCorp said the plan would save its ratepayers $600 million between 2017 and 2030 compared with the ballot measures. And it said its customers would see rate increases of 0.8 percent annually over the same period. "Removing coal-fueled generation from Oregon rates by 2030, under the bill provisions, will have no impact on customer rates through 2030 when compared to current Oregon policy," the company said in a news release. "Incremental renewable resources may have a modest impact on costs, with an annual average cost increase of less than 1 percent between now and 2030." Both utilities analyses were high-level and filled, they acknowledged, with many assumptions and uncertainties. Those include the inability to forecast the cost and future technology improvements in renewable energy, transmission and energy storage. The utilities emphasized, however, that the cost of solar and wind energy is already competitive with the output of natural gas-fired plants, including the cost of back-up resources to smooth their intermittent output. And they returned repeatedly to the notion that their plan would provide financial flexibility and put them on a path to meet Oregon's carbon reduction goals. The commissioners reached no conclusions Friday. But they will be on tap to answer legislators' questions about the bill when it is introduced, and stressed Friday that they'd need more data from utilities to do that. The commission took no public comments Friday. But at the end of the hearing, PUC chair Susan Ackerman asked Sen. Doug Whitsett, R-Klamath Falls, whether he had any questions or comment. Whitsett said the bill was formulated behind closed doors without the input of those who would have to pay for it, which he described as the "new Oregon way." He also said the legislature would have inadequate time to drill down on the bill in a 35-day session. "This is the wrong time and the wrong place," he said. - Ted Sickinger 503-221-8505; @tedsickinger Apartment complex photo.jpeg A broken window at second-floor Oak Grove apartment unit remained a day after Clackamas County deputies fired at a 19-year-old resident reported to have had a rifle and in a mental crisis. The man later died at an area hospital. (Everton Bailey Jr./The Oregonian) An investigation into the fatal police shooting of a 19-year-old Oak Grove man who deputies say had a rifle and was going through a mental health crisis could take several weeks to complete, authorities say. Two Clackamas County deputies are on paid administrative leave -- standard procedure in an officer-involved shooting -- following an eight-hour standoff Thursday with the man at an Oak Grove apartment complex, said Sgt. Dan Kraus, a sheriff's spokesman. The man was pronounced dead at an area hospital. The Oregon State Medical Examiner's Office on Friday confirmed the man's identity as Christopher Kalonji. The agency did not release the results of his autopsy, which was conducted Friday. The sheriff's office has not yet publicly identified the deputies involved or the man killed. Kraus said the man's immediate family had been notified and had asked the sheriff's office to withhold releasing his name until relatives outside the United States could be notified. An online donation page has been created in Kalonji's name to raise money for funeral costs. One of Kalonji's relatives called police around 7:35 a.m. Thursday claiming the 19-year-old was threatening family members with a rifle. Police negotiators and staff with the county's behavioral health unit soon responded to the apartments along Southeast Concord Road. Authorities spoke to Kalonji for two and a half hours, until SWAT members arrived, the sheriff's office said. At some point, deputies spotted Kalonji waving a rifle. One deputy fired a handgun, another shot a rifle and one more fired at least one beanbag round, Kraus said. The two who fired lethal rounds are the deputies on leave. After the officers fired, Kalonji retreated into his second-floor apartment and locked himself inside one of the rooms. Kraus said the deputies heard at least one shot come from inside the unit. Deputies deployed tear gas through an apartment window, later used an explosive charge on the front door to get inside. They reached him around 3:45 p.m. A broken second-floor window and a piece of a yellow police caution tape stuck to the back of a nearby first-floor unit early Friday afternoon were the only signs left of the events of the day before. Rae Hagerman, who lives in a nearby unit, said the man appeared to live with his mother and father. She didn't know the family, but exchanged greetings with them whenever she saw them. Hagerman said she was mopping her floor around 8:30 a.m. Thursday when a deputy knocked on her back sliding door and told her she needed to leave because of her armed neighbor. She said she cried as she was escorted to the complex manager's office because the sight of deputies, some with guns, outside her building was jarring to her. "The whole situation is frightening and sad," said Hagerman, who has lived at the complex for two years. "You here more and more nowadays about police shootings. It's a shame it happened here and that someone so young lost their life." -- Everton Bailey Jr. ebailey@oregonian.com 503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey A Newberg man who injured himself and two friends last summer when he drove off a cliff and rolled down for 40 feet south of Molalla was sentenced to three months in jail on Friday. Juan Mauleon-Rosario, 22, pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of intoxicants, fourth-degree assault and reckless endangering for the June 2015 crash. He also received three years of probation and his driver's license will be suspended for one year. All three men survived the crash. Mauleon-Rosario was drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana during a get-together with childhood and college friends in Clackamas County last June and then got behind the wheel of a Honda Civic, said Clackamas County Deputy District Attorney Bryan Censoni. Another group of friends were traveling ahead in a separate car. Both cars were traveling along Molalla Forest Road near Kegger Rock, when Mauleon-Rosario swerved to avoid a collision with the other group, hit their car and then went down the embankment, Censoni said. The car rolled to the bottom, stopping upright at the edge of the Molalla River in about one foot of water. Someone from the other car tried calling 911, but couldn't get any cellphone reception, according to the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office. That person got a ride from a passer-by to the Glen Avon Bridge, where there was a phone designated for 911 calls. Mauleon-Rosario and his two passengers, Edward Roman-DeChenne and Cody Reed, were all taken to area hospitals. It was later determined that Mauleon-Rosario had a blood-alcohol content of 0.13 percent, Censoni said. Roman-DeChenne is still recovering from head injuries he sustained in the crash. But all three men remain friends, Censoni said, and the other two hoped the 22-year-old would receive alcohol treatment. Andy Green, Mauleon-Rosario's attorney, said his client has been in treatment since September, had to take time off from school because of his injuries and had breakfast with Roman-DeChenne on Friday morning. Ann DeChenne told Circuit Judge Robert Herndon that her son sustained the most significant injuries of the three, but she doesn't see him as a victim because he chose to get into the car that day. She said she believed Mauleon-Rosario made a mistake and asked the judge for leniency. "My son will recover, he will come back from this." she said. "I want there to be a consequence, but I don't want it to be something so severe that Juan can't come back from this, too." -- Everton Bailey Jr. ebailey@oregonian.com 503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey Brandon Webb was just making a quick stop at Walmart Thursday when he came across a man pummeling a woman curled in a fetal position outside the Woodland, Washington, store. He and two other men rushed to her aid, and police are crediting the good Samaritans with pulling Owen Ross Castonguay off her and pinning him down. "I don't think we did anything spectacular," Webb said Friday afternoon. "Maybe there's a message out there: Guys don't need to be beating up their girlfriends." Owen Ross Castonguay, 2009 booking photo Webb, 43, of Ariel, Washington; Shaen Ross, 37, of La Center, Washington; and Sean Lawley, 36 of Woodland didn't know one another before the incident, which Woodland police say started out as an argument between Castonguay and his girlfriend Jennifer Richards, both of Woodland. "She told me they had a disagreement about pizza while in the store," a Woodland officer wrote in the arrest report, while he told officers that Richards spit on him. Castonguay, 33, threw her to the ground and struck her at least four times before the three men intervened, records show. Castonguay was on his knee and punching Richards, 41, in the head, Webb said. "She really wasn't doing a whole lot of anything except trying to protect herself," Webb said. "I was kind of a stunned seeing this take place. I think I told him to stop. He wasn't happy with us. He was treating us as if we were assaulting him." Richards had a ping-pong size bruise behind her ear, police said, but declined to cooperate with officers or make a statement. Castonguay was charged with assault, police said, and there also was a warrant for him from the Oregon Parole Board. Sgt. Brad Gillaspie asked Castonguay if there was any history of domestic violence, "He stated, almost as if bragging, that he had been arrested on many domestic violence assault incidents," Gillaspie wrote. The sergeant later confirmed Castonguay had multiple domestic violence convictions, order violations and a stalking charge. Webb said he's broken up similar situations before and would do it again. "I would like to think a lot of people would do this," he said. -- Tony Hernandez thernandez@oregonian.com 503-294-5928 @tonyhreports ed ray.JPG OSU president Ed Ray is the longest active-serving university president in Oregon. (File photo) Oregon State University's Board of Trustees voted Friday to give President Ed Ray a raise of more than $20,000 this year. Ray, 71, promised to donate the wages to benefit four scholarships and student programs established in conjunction with his late wife, Beth. "I will do so this year and for as long as I am privileged to serve this great university," Ray said in a statement. His new salary, including deferred compensation and foundation support, is $699,876. That could change this spring. OSU's foundation chips in $381,108 of Ray's current package, covering about half of the total compensation. Steve Clark, an OSU spokesman, said the foundation board will consider a separate 3 percent raise in March. OSU's board approved the 3 percent raise Friday for its portion, citing widespread approval with the university's progress during Ray's more than 12-year tenure. According to board documents, OSU continues to increase its research funding and number of degree programs. Trustees also cited developments on the university's Bend campus and Marine Studies Initiative based in Newport as key projects. Ray was also an instrumental figure in the school's Campaign for OSU, which brought in more than $1.14 billion from more than 106,000 donors from 2007 to 2014. -- Andrew Theen atheen@oregonian.com 503-294-4026 @andrewtheen University of Oregon's Johnson Hall The University of Oregon's Johnson Hall. President Michael Shill and Provost Coltrane Scott Coltrane will need to hire five new deans at the Eugene university. (Andrew Theen/The Oregonian) Michael Moffitt, the dean of the University of Oregon's School of Law, said Friday he will step down in 2017 and return to teaching. In a statement posted to the law school's website, Moffitt said he'd had "extensive conversations" in recent weeks with UO's new President Michael Schill and Senior Vice President and Provost Scott Coltrane, whom deans report to. "They were helpfully candid and direct with their feedback," Moffitt said, citing a recent five-year performance review. Moffitt said administrators offered him another five-year contract, but "after considerable soul-searching, I concluded that the time is right for me to conclude my service as Dean." He will step down effective July, 2017. Michael Moffitt will step down from his position as dean of the University of Oregon School of Law in 2017. Moffitt has been with the law school since 2001 as a professor and was hired on as dean in 2011. His wife, Jamie, is UO's vice president for finance and administration. The decision means university administrators are searching for five new deans to lead the school's various colleges Tobin Klinger, a university spokesman, said it's somewhat unusual to have so many opportunities in key leadership positions concurrently. "But at the same time it's an opportunity," he said. "You do have a new president [Schill]. You have a new sense of direction. The School of Journalism and Communication, School of Architecture and Allied Arts, Charles H. Lundquist College of Business and College of Arts & Sciences are also searching for new leaders. -- Andrew Theen atheen@oregonian.com 503-294-4026 @andrewtheen A state board has voted to revoke Paul Rubenstein's police certification, but officials say the former Cornelius police chief plans to fight the decision. The Board on Public Safety Standards and Training, made up of public safety professionals, decided that 61-year-old Rubenstein should never be able to work in Oregon law enforcement again during its meeting Thursday. Rubenstein, who earns $54,920 annually in PERS benefits, retired when he was on administrative leave and under the cloud of an internal investigation in February 2013. The investigation was launched after city leaders received a letter from four Cornelius police officers in October 2012 who alleged ongoing corruption within the small department's administration. The city hired an outside investigator to look into their claims. His report, made public nearly two years after The Oregonian/OregonLive requested it, showed that Rubenstein took his police car to poker games, hired men with checkered pasts and fumbled claims of officer misconduct. Oregon State Police also investigated Rubenstein but found no criminal wrongdoing. From the start, the former chief has adamantly denied the allegations of corruption. Rubenstein has indicated that he will challenge the board's decision to revoke his certification and request a hearing before an administrative law judge, said Eriks Gabliks, director of the state's Department of Public Safety Standards and Training. His certification remains intact pending a final outcome. On Thursday, the state board adopted recommendations made by the state's Police Policy Committee in November. The committee, composed of law enforcement professionals, found that Rubenstein engaged in misconduct, gross misconduct, misuse of authority and dishonesty. The committee reviewed a report prepared by Department of Public Safety Standards and Training staff that was based on a review of the inquiry into Rubenstein. Initially, the city, through its attorney, had refused to release the investigation and its findings to the state, but eventually agreed to allow staff to view the records without providing copies. The city then released the investigation to the state around the time it released a copy to The Oregonian/OregonLive, according to the report. The city did not release the investigator's findings to the news organization, but did allow the state to view them. The state's staff report provides a glimpse into some of what the investigator found about Rubenstein: 17 of 36 allegations, many of which were related to employee performance, were sustained against the chief. Rubenstein drove his police car on or off duty to gamble, making traffic stops along the way and responding to calls from the poker games. Rubenstein discredited his police department by making "unprofessional traffic stops and encounters with citizens on such traffic stops." The stops led to complaints from some drivers. Rubenstein wasn't truthful with the investigator about when he informed his boss, the Cornelius city manager, that he had been spotted hanging out at a suspected drug house. He also wasn't honest about the nature of his relationship with the woman who lived there and when he stopped having contact with her. Rubenstein was untruthful to the investigator when he said his former boss hadn't told Rubenstein why he wanted a police department candidate, who was a friend of Rubenstein's, removed from a hiring process. The boss had actually told the chief that having his friend in the applicant process "created favoritism." In a document informing Rubenstein that the state intended to revoke his certification, Gabliks wrote that the former chief's conduct involved aggravating circumstances. His behavior as chief, the document says, was "extremely embarrassing and eroded the public's trust state wide and nationally." The chief should have set an example for his officers, Gabliks wrote, and his behavior had an even greater affect because the Cornelius Police Department is small. After Rubenstein's departure, his former agency remained in disarray. In 2014, Cornelius city councilors and the mayor decided that its troubles ran too deep to continue and decided to contract with the Washington County Sheriff's Office for law enforcement services. In other news from the board meeting Thursday: Members voted to revoke the certification of another former cop who worked in Washington County, Hillsboro Police Officer Tina Latendresse. The board adopted recommendations made by the state's Police Policy Committee in November. Latendresse had been untruthful with her department when she had called in sick for work, the committee determined. She was also dishonest about military time off, the committee found. Hillsboro police hired Latendresse, who had worked for the San Jose Police Department in California, in October 2013. Within her first few shifts as an officer, she was shot at during a traffic stop, according to authorities. Her coworker returned fire and killed the suspect. During the summer of 2014, Latendresse was terminated from Hillsboro police during her probationary period. Latendresse had also failed to get an Oregon driver's license and her cars registered in Oregon, according to the state. The board voted that Latendresse should have her Oregon police certification revoked for life. -- Rebecca Woolington 503-294-4049; @rwoolington 19644693-mmmain.png A satirical Craigslist ad selling Ammon Bundy's jacket for $50,000. (Photo by Northwest News Network and OPB correspondent Anna King) ( ) Now that militia leader Ammon Bundy is behind bars, the trolling has begun. First, there was the Voodoo Doughnut tribute to the arrest of Bundy and 10 of his cohorts in the Burns standoff. Now, someone is pretend-selling the occupier's favorite blue plaid wool jacket on Craigslist for $50,000. Condition: Fair. Manufacturer: 2nd Amendment Clothing. Here's the ad. It pretty much sums up the ubiquitous garment's 25-day adventure at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns: Slightly Used Blue Plaid Wool Jacket. Worn 24 hrs. / day for the last 26 days to weather it out in Burns Or. Due to a sudden lifestyle change, I've decided to only wear orange jumpsuits. A couple of snags from barbed wire. Some odors of sweat, beef jerky, gun oil, personal lubricant and sedition. Includes one pocket copy of the U.S. Constitution. Careful wearing this in any western-themed gay bars, because this unit is HOT!!! Will consider trade for 200 cartons of cigarettes or some snacks. The ad doesn't include a phone number. According to map, it's located at Southwest Third Avenue and Main Street in Portland. Actually, that's the Multnomah County jail. Maybe this is the real thing! We're waiting for our email to be returned. Wow. Fifty grand for a flannel jacket. How much for the huge cowboy hat? -- Joseph Rose 503-221-8029 jrose@oregonian.com @josephjrose Screen Shot 2016-01-29 at 1.07.44 AM.png A $100,000 lawsuit filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court on Wed., Jan. 27, 2016, accuses store employees at the downtown Lake Oswego Safeway of discriminating against customer Timothy Gary. (File photo) An African-American man who says he was repeatedly called the "n-word" by an off-duty employee at the downtown Lake Oswego Safeway filed a $100,000 lawsuit this week against the chain and the employee. Timothy Gary was at the store to buy some champagne on May 30, 3015, when the employee started an argument with him and tried to "intentionally incite (Gary) to anger," according to Gary's attorneys and the lawsuit filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court. A Safeway spokeswoman declined Friday to comment about specifics of the lawsuit, citing the pending litigation. "We thoroughly investigate any instances in which our customers may not have been treated with the utmost respect and courtesy," wrote Safeway spokeswoman Jill McGinnis. Elizabeth Apodaca, the off-duty employee accused of lobbing the racial slurs, couldn't be reached for comment. "This is a case of shopping while black in Lake Oswego," said Portland attorney Greg Kafoury, whose firm Kafoury & McDougal is representing Gary. "Whether Safeway respects its African-American customers can be determined by whether or not this employee was immediately fired." It's unclear whether Apodaca still works for Safeway. Safeway's spokesperson said she could not comment on Apodaca's employment status. According to police who responded to the store at about 11:24 p.m., the incident began in the liquor aisle when Apodaca, who is white, walked up to Gary. The two apparently started arguing about whether the other was intoxicated, police said. Video surveillance shows Gary, 53, trying to walk away but Apodaca, 31, stepping in front of him before both of them walked to the front of the store, police reports said. The video didn't include audio. Although Apodaca told police that she uttered a racial slur once at the end of the argument, co-workers who witnessed the dispute said Apodaca called Gary racial slurs multiple times. A co-worker also told police he heard Gary say, "I don't take any disrespect from anyone" and call Apodaca a derogatory name to describe women. Police who responded to the store initially were told that a woman -- presumably Apodaca -- was complaining that a man -- presumably Gary -- had spit in her eyes. The incident ended after Apodaca retreated to the store manager's office and Gary forcefully kicked the door, cracking it, according to police reports and the lawsuit. Although it's not clear from police reports whether an officer is writing about his own observations or that of a witness, a police report written by Officer Mark Anderson states: "When I walked up to the manager's office, Elizabeth (Apodaca) was saying something to the effect of, if you don't want to be called that then don't act like one. If you want to be called African-American then act better." Gary told police that he had kicked the door because he became extremely angry at Apodaca for repeatedly lobbing the racial slurs. A manager wanted to press charges against Gary, and told him he wasn't welcome back at the store at 401 A Avenue, according to police reports. Police that night also cited Gary with second-degree criminal mischief for an estimated $200 of damage to the door, but the Lake Oswego City Attorney's Office later dismissed the charge saying it was "in the best interest of justice." The lawsuit states that Safeway employees were at least partially motivated by Gary's race, and that they violated Oregon law -- ORS 659a.403 -- which states that it's illegal to discriminate based on "race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, marital status or age if the individual is 18 years of age or older." Gary, who lived in Lake Oswego at the time, seeks $100,000 for racial stigmatization. Read the lawsuit here. -- Aimee Green 503-294-5119 courtney.JPG House Speaker Tina Kotek and Senate President Peter Courtney discuss proposals to raise the minimum wage at the Oregon Capitol on Jan. 14. (Gordon Friedman/Statesman-Journal via AP) By David Sarasohn Last week Oregon produced a dramatic lesson, relevant not only where it happened, but clear across the state: If you keep saying you're ready for a violent showdown, you just might get it. After weeks of waving around guns and vowing to stand up to the feds to the end -- and seriously creeping out the local residents that they claimed to be defending -- the leaders of the Malheur occupation were taken by surprise and arrested by the FBI, and one of them was killed. No matter what kind of warlike challenges he'd been issuing, it could not be considered a successful outcome for him. Nobody in Salem, where the Legislature starts its off-year short session Monday, is brandishing high-powered rifles and declaring a willingness to stay there for months. But the state is heading for its own high-casualty showdown this fall, and every sign from the Legislature shows a willingness to let it happen. This November, Oregon is facing an explosive ballot, with two measures to increase the minimum wage -- to $13.50 and $15 -- along with Initiative Petition 28, a massive new gross receipts tax on businesses doing more than $25 million in business in Oregon. The measure would bring in $5 billion a biennium, increasing the state's general fund by almost a third. The projected battle this fall may be beyond anything automatic weapons can produce. The Legislature can't keep anything off the ballot; that's the whole point of initiatives. But it does have options. "I'd rather see the Legislature put an alternative on the ballot," said Senate Majority Leader Ginny Burdick, D-Portland, in an interview last week. "We have a history of putting on moderate alternatives to carry the day." On the minimum wage, there is the prospect of an alternative; Gov. Kate Brown is offering a sizable increase spread over six years that might form a basis for a legislative approach. But on the revenue issue, it's hard to see an alternative path emerging. "So far business and labor are not interested," said Burdick. "They want to fight it out." The last time they got to fight it out was in 2010, over the business and upper-income tax increases Measures 66 and 67, which to some surprise passed -- and it's hard to imagine what Oregon schools would be like now if they hadn't. That example encourages the sponsors of IP28, along with the prospect of a large presidential year turnout, and a considerable range of unions and other organizations supporting the measure and prepared to back a major campaign for passage. There's also the reality that Oregon's schools and services are dramatically underfunded, and that the state has some of the lowest business taxes in the country. On the other hand, IP28 is a considerably larger tax increase than Measure 66 and 67 together, and the campaign against it is likely to be larger and considerably more bitter than the earlier battle -- which is still remembered painfully across the state. And neither Measure 66 nor Measure 67 passed by much -- nor did the last publicly voted minimum wage increase in 2002. There is no certainty of anything passing, and Oregon showing up in 2017 with no new revenue is an alarming prospect. Monday, Sen. Mark Hass, D-Beaverton, chairman of the Senate Finance and Revenue Committee, presents his own proposal -- also a gross receipts tax, bringing in much less money, about $1 billion a biennium. Hass sees it as an effort to "avoid this terribly nasty campaign ahead." Nobody thinks that the Legislature could assemble an entire alternative revenue program in the 35 days of the short session. But it's a while until July, and if the Legislature made progress on an idea, it could return in the spring to finish. Even that might be implausible, as Republicans opposed to any tax increase and House Democrats backing IP28 might together create an impassible barrier to any effort to defuse the showdown. "The business community is not interested. The unions are not interested. They both think they can win it," Senate President Peter Courtney said Wednesday. "There will be a total civil war." Previously, Courtney forecast a rerun of Antietam, the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. But at least Antietam had a winner. So as the Legislature meets, both sides are looking for a showdown to the finish. As we saw in eastern Oregon last week, if that's what you call for, that may be what you get. But it may not be the finish you want. * David Sarasohn's column typically appears on the first and third Sundays of the month. He blogs at davidsarasohn.com. Portland leadership: Portland's economy will probably collapse some day from the high-minded obligation of being the only city on earth that can save the planet. Even worse, whoever counts the votes around here will never allow a fiscally conservative city politician to be elected (before it's too late). No, it's never going to happen. But what if, just once, we could have a mayor or commissioner who ignored the visions of utopia and, instead, actually looked at how to get things done for us right now in 2016 -- and maybe even how to save the taxpayers some money? He or she could start by firing City Hall staffers who produce nothing useful for the working citizen, and then turn around and hire some accountants to go in and find out where the money has really been going all these years. Instead of peddling influence into the hands of political friends for causes that have nothing to do with reality, maybe this new leader might address things happening right now -- like, maybe, actually getting the roads worked on this year. Or maybe we could improve the overall traffic system. Or how about getting rid of the crows who are feasting off homeless garbage dumps? Or maybe teachers could go back to teaching some useful skills like math and science instead of having to spend all their time socially engineering the kids? I'm telling you, it would be refreshing to be able to believe, for once, that a Portland politician could actually be doing something useful for the people who work and pay the taxes. But like I said, it's never going to happen here in Portland, Oregon. John Tomlinson Southeast Portland sanders.JPG Bernie Sanders (AP Photo) By Francis Barry For all of Bernie Sanders' populist crusading against the political influence of "millionaires and billionaires," when faced with a rare chance to pass major campaign-finance reform, he voted against it, putting the party's biggest donors first. The vote is worth remembering not only for what it says about Sanders, but also as a reminder of the Democratic Party's history of saying one thing about reform and doing another. In 2006, House Republicans backed a bill to rein in spending by 527 groups (named for a section of the tax code), the forerunners to Super PACs. In the 2004 election, those groups raised more money for Democrats than their Republican counterparts in unlimited contributions from wealthy donors, especially George Soros, while Republican Party committees attracted more in regulated donations. To address the imbalance, the bill treated 527s like party committees, with contribution limits and a prohibition against direct corporate and union contributions. It also lifted limits on what parties could spend in coordination with candidates' campaigns. Major government-reform organizations including Common Cause and the League of Women Voters backed the bill, which was co-sponsored by Massachusetts liberal Marty Meehan. But for Democrats, passing the bill would have meant giving up a campaign advantage. So Sanders joined nearly all Democrats in voting against it. The bill wasn't perfect. Some Democrats complained it didn't cover 501(c)(4) organizations that later became a vehicle for large anonymous contributions. But winning half a loaf was hardly the problem. Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer put it plainly: "This is not reform, it's retaliation." In fact, it was both, but for Democrats, the latter mattered most. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi declared 527s "a freedom of speech issue," though she now supports -- as does Sanders -- a constitutional amendment to restrict such speech. It was neither the first nor last time Democrats balked on passing reform. In 1992, a Democratic Congress passed a bill that included public funding of campaigns and voluntary spending limits, knowing that President George H.W. Bush would almost certainly veto it. (He did.) The following year, with Bill Clinton in the White House and pushing for a bill, the fear set in that reform might diminish their fundraising advantages, and there was less enthusiasm among Democrats for the issue. Both houses passed bills that were weaker than the 1992 bill, and when they couldn't reconcile their differences, the bills died. In 2009, when Democrats had a filibuster-proof majority, campaign-finance reform wasn't on their agenda. Only in 2010, after the Supreme Court issued its Citizens United decision allowing unlimited corporate campaign spending, did Democrats push a modest bill that would have required corporations and independent groups -- but not large unions -- to disclose their campaign spending. They failed to convince a single Republican Senator to support the bill, and rather than negotiate, they let it die. Democrats also had a chance to take on another issue close to the heart of reformers: gerrymandering. Then-Congressman John Tanner, Democrat from Tennessee, introduced a bill granting responsibility for drawing congressional district lines to bipartisan commissions in each state. The bill was referred to a subcommittee chaired by New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler. It never got a hearing. I asked Tanner if Nadler or President Barack Obama ever expressed any interest in passing the bill. "Afraid not," he told me. "The only people who would sign on as sponsors were the Blue Dogs, because they were already in competitive districts." Last year, with Democrats stuck in the minority, Nadler signed on as a co-sponsor of a redistricting bill. In his final State of the Union speech, Obama lamented the "rancor" that dominates Washington and called for passage of campaign finance and redistricting reform as a way to "fix our politics." Changing the system, however, requires leadership when your party is winning. And unlike Tanner, most Democrats in Washington have a history of finding religion on reform only when they are losing. "Lord, grant me chastity and continence," prayed St. Augustine, "but not yet!" Democrats have long said the same about campaign finance and redistricting reform. (c) 2016, Bloomberg View Ammon Bundy's attorneys announced Saturday that "there's nothing further that can be done" on their end to bring closure to a 29-day occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County. Since his arrest Tuesday, Bundy, the leader of the occupation, has made multiple statements via his attorneys urging holdouts to go home. Bundy's attorneys captured a video of a phone call to their client on Friday, in which Bundy asks the holdouts at the wildlife refuge to "please stand down." "This was never meant to be an armed standoff," Bundy said in the video. "Please do not make this something it was never meant to be. Go home to your families." Attorney Mike Arnold said the message reached the remaining four occupants still encamped at the wildlife refuge 30 miles south of Burns. They also connected the militants to a pro bono attorney, he said, per Bundy's request. "They're scared and alone," Arnold said during a Saturday afternoon news conference in front of the federal courthouse in downtown Portland. "One of Mr. Bundy's goals was to refer them to competent legal counsel while they're out there. We acheived that." Attorneys Mike Arnold and Lissa Casey hold a brief press conference on the steps of the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, January 29, 2016 following a detention hearing. They met members of the media in the same place Saturday to share updates on Bundy's attempts to communicate with holdouts at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Bundy, 40, was taken into custody Tuesday as federal agents and state police moved in to arrest him and other top supporters as they drove to a community meeting in John Day. Standoff spokesman Robert "LaVoy" Finicum, 55, of Arizona, was fatally shot and Ryan Bundy, Ammon Bundy's older brother, sustained a minor gunshot wound in the confrontation. Bundy and 10 others each face a felony of conspiracy to impede officers of the United States from discharging their official duties through the use of force, intimidation, or threats. The charge carries a maximum six-year prison sentence and fines. A federal judge made clear Thursday she would not release Bundy or the others while the occupation is still active. Bundy is disappointed with the remaining militants, said Lissa Casey, Bundy's other attorney. "What they're doing out there right now detracts from any good that can come from this," Casey said. "It was never meant to be this." Casey said she and Arnold will continue to argue for Bundy's release. -- Melissa Binder mbinder@oregonian.com 503-294-7656 @binderpdx UPDATED Jan. 31 to correct Robert "LaVoy" Finicum's age. A federal judge Friday denied release for five of 10 defendants accused of conspiring in the armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge - Ammon Bundy, brother Ryan Bundy, Ryan Payne, Jason Patrick and Dylan Anderson. U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie F. Beckerman found they were among the key players who took over the federal property in Harney County with a show of force, breaking the law from "day one,'' and then ignored orders to leave the refuge for nearly a month. She rejected arguments that their actions were akin to a peaceful protest or that they were targeted because of their political speech. The judge pointed to their threatening statements on social media, obvious firepower and the loss of one man's life, referring to the shooting death by state police of occupier Robert "LaVoy'' Finicum. "Here the tactics were far too drastic,'' Beckerman said. "Anybody who was there understood what the message was to the outside world.'' Ammon Bundy stood to address the court, saying his intent was never to start an "armed standoff.'' "It was about protecting individual rights as it pertained to land issues,'' he said. He respected the judge and her role, he said, and called himself a federalist who believes the federal government has a role in protecting people. "I do love this country very, very much,'' he said as his wife, Lisa Bundy, and father-in-law watched from the second row of the courtroom gallery. "My only desire from the beginning was to preserve freedom for the people.'' He said his desire is to return home to Idaho to be with his wife and children and assist with his defense. His lawyer Lissa Casey suggested that releasing Bundy could help "defuse'' the ongoing situation at the refuge. But prosecutors argued that Bundy's repeated disregard for federal orders showed he couldn't be released under any type of supervision. In a detention memo filed in court, they quoted from an August post on Bundy's Facebook page that read, "There is no justice in a federal court." They also cited his and his brother's involvement in the tense 2014 standoff with federal rangers at their father's Nevada ranch. "Critically, the alleged crime was not born out of impulse -- it was deliberate and designed to undermine authority at every stage,'' prosecutors Ethan Knight and Geoffrey Barrow wrote in the memo. The judge ordered the release of two other defendants: Joseph O'Shaughnessy and Shawna Cox. She said O'Shaughnessy would be on home detention and GPS monitoring. Cox, the sole woman accused in the conspiracy, will be released with conditions once the refuge occupation is over. As of Friday, four people remained at the bird sanctuary, 30 miles southeast of Burns. Federal prosecutors immediately said they would appeal O'Shaughnessy's release to another judge on Tuesday. Beckerman delayed a decision whether to release Pete Santilli, an independent broadcaster who his lawyer said provided "unfiltered'' video of the refuge takeover. The judge said she wanted to examine more information and would make a decision by Monday. She described his case as "a close call." Detention hearings for two other defendants -- Brian Cavalier and Duane Ehmer -- were delayed until Thursday to grant their newly appointed attorneys more time to prepare. Several defense lawyers noted their clients' limited criminal history, inability to return to the FBI-surrounded refuge even if they tried and lack of violence. Ryan Bundy's lawyer, Andrew Bates, took issue with prosecutors highlighting a remark his client made to reporters Jan. 9, saying the federal government needs to be "taken on." "I would submit there's a lot of presidential candidates who would make the same remarks," Bates said, drawing a collective chuckle from the packed courtroom. Payne's lawyer, Oregon federal public defender Lisa Hay, likened the refuge occupation to other civil disobedience protests in U.S. history, from the Tea Party to anti-segregation lunch-counter and bus demonstrations. Though she conceded it's a "radical notion," Hay said Payne and the Bundys truly believe the federal government doesn't own the land and the refuge occupation was their way of drawing attention to their grievances. Beckerman didn't buy that argument. "This went so far beyond a peaceful protest,'' she said, adding that it put the surrounding community, police and those at the refuge in danger. O'Shaughnessy's defense lawyer Amy Baggio successfully distanced O'Shaughnessy from the takeover principals. She said he objected to the plan to go to the refuge once Ammon Bundy announced it after a community rally on Jan. 2. "He told everybody this is a bad idea," Baggio said. As a result, the Bundys and the occupation organizers - who have known her client for a long time -- felt he had betrayed them, she said. "This guy is different. He's different from everybody else,'' Baggio argued. She gave the court receipts that showed O'Shaughnessy stayed at the Silver Spur motel in Burns during the first week in January. She said he never stayed overnight at the refuge. Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoff Barrow said he had no evidence to show O'Shaughnessy stayed overnight at the refuge. But he argued that O'Shaughnessy was recruiting others to come to the refuge on video and talked about setting up a "constitutional security protection force" to prevent agents acting like cowboys. Baggio explained that O'Shaughnessy only went to the refuge to "bear witness'' to whatever happened, considering the deadly outcomes in the past at Ruby Ridge in Idaho and Waco, Texas. He later stayed at a nearby RV site called The Narrows, she said. "He'd go up to the refuge to talk some sense to the people up there,'' Baggio said. "He repeatedly said the occupation was wrong.'' Santilli's lawyer argued that detaining the self-styled journalist would punish him strictly for his speech and would shut down his livelihood. "Making YouTube videos?'' Beckerman asked. His lawyer, Tom Coan, said Santilli also does a radio show. He said Santilli had no prior knowledge of any plans to take over the refuge but stayed to cover the developing story. The government supported Cox's release with the conditions that she not enter any federal facility without permission, surrender any firearms she owns and be allowed in Oregon only to attend court. She can be released once the four holdouts at the refuge are gone. "Everyone hopes it will resolve soon," Beckerman said. Ammon Bundy and four others were arrested Tuesday afternoon when federal agents and state police troopers stopped them as they were driving along U.S. 395 north of Burns to address a community meeting in John Day. State troopers fatally shot Finicum, 54, after he sped off from the police stop, tried to get around a police blockade and drove into a snow bank. An FBI agent said he reached his right hand twice into his jacket, where he had a loaded 9mm handgun. Ryan Bundy, Ammon's older brother, was wounded. Arrested Tuesday at the police stop were Ammon Bundy, 40, of Emmett, Idaho, Ryan Bundy, 43, of Bunkerville, Nevada, Payne, 32, of Anaconda, Montana, Cavalier, 44, of Bunkerville, Nevada, and Cox, 59, of Kanab Utah. O'Shaughnessy, 43, of Cottonwood, Arizona, and Santilli, 50, were arrested later that day in Burns. Patrick, 43, of Bonaire, Goergia, Ehmer, 45, of Irrigon, and Dylan Anderson, 34, of Provo, Utah,, were arrested Wednesday by the FBI at checkpoints outside the refuge as they were leaving. Another man, Jon Ritzheimer, 32, of Peoria, Arizona, who surrendered to police in Arizona, is expected to be returned to Oregon for a future court appearance. -- Maxine Bernstein mbernstein@oregonian.com 503-221-8212 @maxoregonian CORRECTION: Robert "LaVoy" Finicum was 54 at the time of his death. An earlier version of this post listed an incorrect age. As we enter Day 29 of the standoff at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, here are the latest developments: * A federal judge Friday denied release for five of 10 defendants in custody in Portland who are accused of conspiring in an armed takeover of a federal wildlife refuge in Harney County - Ammon Bundy, brother Ryan Bundy, Ryan Payne, Jason Patrick and Dylan Anderson. * The last holdouts in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge standoff say they now want pardons for everyone involved before they'll leave the headquarters where they're holed up behind police roadblocks. "Before we leave, every single one of the people involved in this operation should be pardoned," occupier David Fry said in a feed posted to YouTube just before noon Friday. * Just past the Juaquin Miller campground on a juniper-lined mountain pass, a wooden cross has appeared in bloodstained snow. Drivers on U.S. 395, the highway that connects Burns to John Day, occasionally stopped Friday to get a better look or snap pictures of the spot where Robert "LaVoy" Finicum died three days earlier. Broken glass littered the ground near a snowbank rutted from the impact of a pickup truck's front bumper. * Now that militia leader Ammon Bundy is behind bars, the trolling has begun. First, there was the Voodoo Doughnut tribute to the arrest of Bundy and 10 of his cohorts in the Burns standoff. Now, someone is pretend-selling the occupier's favorite blue plaid wool jacket on Craigslist for $50,000. Follow The Oregonian/OregonLive team from the scene today on Twitter: Les Zaitz @LesZaitz Molly Young @mollykyoung Hashtag: #OregonStandoff BURNS -- As night faded into the 29th day of armed standoff at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, the remaining four holdouts discussed their exit strategy and talked chow in live videos posted to Youtube. Four voices are heard in the video, which appears to have been filmed in the dark of night. The remaining occupiers are: David Fry, 27, of Blanchester, Ohio; Sandy Anderson, 48, of Idaho; her husband, Sean Anderson, 47; and Jeff Banta, 46, of Elko, Nevada. A man can be heard talking on the phone in the background while Fry and another man discuss food. "I was eating your Pop-Tarts," the man tells Fry. "That's totally fine," Fry responds. In the background, the man on the phone talks with someone he later identifies as a spokeswoman for Nevada Assemblywoman Michele Fiore. He tells her he doesn't plan to submit to arrest and indicates the four holdouts need to "get people here" to defend them. "She was saying she could do more if I'm alive than dead," he later tells his companions when they ask what the two discussed. "Get the governor to pardon us!" one responds. On Friday, the occupiers upped the ante on their demands to the FBI. They won't leave the refuge 30 miles south of Burns, they said, unless they first secure pardons for everyone involved in the occupation - not just themselves. Previously, the four had said they would leave the refuge if federal authorities promised them they would not be charged with crimes. Meanwhile, Ammon Bundy, a key leader in the refuge takeover who was arrested Tuesday along with four others in a traffic stop that left one dead, continued his quest to end the standoff he started. A video of a phone call that Bundy hoped to pass on to the occupiers was posted on YouTube. In it he speaks into a pink cellphone held by his wife, Lisa Bundy. A man offscreen who describes himself as "Mike" -- possibly Bundy's lawyer, Mike Arnold - directs him through the call, telling him someone from the media has agreed to send the voicemail to the refuge occupiers via text message. "This could be made public," he warns Bundy, adding "just assume that your neck is sticking out." Bundy then launches into a short, succinct plea to his former co-occupiers. "This was never meant to be an armed standoff," he told them. "We only came to expose abuse and educate people about their rights as protected by the Constitution of the United States. Please do not make this something it was never meant to be. Go home to your families." If the video has reached the occupiers, it doesn't seem to have swayed them. "Let's go out alive or go out to heaven," a man says as the four occupiers gather in the dark, "and let them live in their slave world." --Kelly House khouse@oregonian.com 503-221-8178 @Kelly_M_House BURNS -- Just past the Joaquin Miller campground on a juniper-lined mountain pass, a wooden cross has appeared in bloodstained snow. Drivers on U.S. 395, the highway that connects Burns to John Day, occasionally stopped Friday to get a better look or snap pictures of the spot where Robert "LaVoy" Finicum died three days earlier. Broken glass littered the ground near a snowbank rutted from the impact of a pickup truck's front bumper. Made of 2-by-4 boards and standing more than 5 feet tall, the cross stands along a lonely stretch of road where the armed occupation at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge took a dramatic and deadly turn. FBI officials said Oregon State Police troopers shot Finicum after he led them on a short high-speed chase, rammed into the snowbank, then left the truck he was driving and reached across his body at least twice. Greg Bretzing, an FBI special agent in charge of Oregon, said Finicum was reaching toward a jacket pocket that contained a loaded 9 mm handgun. But speculation has raged in Burns over whether there's more to the story. Some don't believe the FBI account. Others believe it, but still mourn Finicum's death. A key leader of the occupation, Finicum had spoken directly with many Harney County residents, imploring them to join the occupiers' fight to gain local control of federal lands. Some held a vigil Wednesday night for Finicum and an impromptu demonstration Friday afternoon to protest his death and urge the release of two local ranchers from federal prison. Further from home, a Northwest militia group has called upon its members to descend on Burns to demand repercussions for the officer or officers who shot Finicum. "I'm against the blatant murder of LaVoy," protester Tom Davis, 57, of Riley, responded when asked why he joined the group gathered Friday afternoon outside the Harney County Courthouse. As community tension remains high, four occupiers are still holding ground at the refuge. They say they won't leave unless federal authorities grant pardons for everyone involved in the standoff. --Kelly House khouse@oregonian.com 503-221-8178 @Kelly_M_House $100 bills, Cash, Currency Freshly-cut stacks of $100 bills make their way down the line at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing Western Currency Facility in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File) Louis Salerno, a Portland resident and longtime lottery player, started his 2016 on a winning note. He's about $670,000 richer after winning a $1 million prize by playing the Oregon Lottery's Scratch-it Instant Millionaire game, the Oregon Lottery said in a news release. Salerno, who is retired, told the Oregon Lottery he's figuring out a financial plan before spending any of the $670,000 after-tax sum. The Oregon Lottery said Salerno, a native Oregonian, bought the winning ticket at the Milwaukie Fred Meyer. The ticket cost $20 and offered a one-in-300,000 chance of winning a $1 million prize. The Oregon Lottery has recently publicized the the winnings of two other men from the Portland metro area. Joe Watson of Portland won a $1 million Powerball prize, good for $670,000 after taxes, earlier this month. And Monte Berry of Gresham won a $2 million Powerball prize in mid-December. -- Jim Ryan jryan@oregonian.com 503-221-8005; @Jimryan015 Months after hinting they wouldn't move major gun bills in response to Oregon's deadliest mass shooting, Oregon Democrats are lining up behind a pair of proposals meant to keep firearms from dangerous people. House Bill 4147, from House Majority Leader Jennifer Williamson, would clarify that gun purchasers whose background checks take longer than 72 hours won't be able to buy weapons by default. Instead, they would have to wait as long as it took for the Oregon State Police to complete the check. The measure, which would affect just a fraction of gun purchases in Oregon, emerged in the wake of last year's mass shooting at a Charleston, S.C., church. The suspected gunman, federal authorities found, bought his weapon after a background check took longer than three days. If the sale had waited for the check to come back, the sale would have been denied because of a drug conviction. "South Carolina had the same policy we have in Oregon over selling a gun with an incomplete background check," said Williamson, who represents downtown Portland. "I decided this is a loophole we need to close." Gun sale background checks by the numbers Background checks overall 2015: 262,838 2014: 233,878 2013: 263,283 2012: 259,513 2011: 197,888 Background checks subject to delay 2015: 8,467 (3.22%) 2014: 8,010 (3.42%) 2013: 10,113 (3.85%) 2012: 9,164 (3.53%) 2011: 9,304 (4.70%) Denial rates for background checks in 2015 All checks: 0.73 percent Denied checks: 5 percent Source: Oregon State Police Williamson's bill joins Senate Bill 1551, which would ban the sale of a gun for 30 days if someone tips off authorities that the would-be buyer appears to be in a mental health crisis. That bill comes from the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by longtime gun-control advocate Sen. Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene. Prozanski didn't return messages from The Oregonian/OregonLive seeking comment. Both bills follow questions about lawmakers' response to last fall's mass shooting at Roseburg's Umpqua Community College. HB 4147 appears to have strong backing from leaders in both legislative chambers. Gov. Kate Brown has also called the idea "common sense." SB 1551, however, may wind up on hold until 2017. "I would be most surprised" if SB 1551 passed this year, Senate Majority Leader Ginny Burdick, D-Portland, told reporters. Burdick has floated similar legislation for 2017 that would allow police to remove guns from someone in crisis. So far, the proposals have drawn the ire of gun rights advocates and legislative Republicans who opposed legislation last year that extended background checks to private sales. Advocates upset over the expansion of background checks tried and failed to recall four lawmakers last year. Republicans have also complained that Democrats are trying to cram too many policy changes into their 35-day session that starts Monday. In a session with reporters Tuesday, House Minority Leader Mike McLane, R-Powell Butte, reminded reporters that some Democrats, such as Burdick, had said earlier they likely weren't planning substantial gun bills for 2016. . "Now they are starting to pop up all over the place," he said, sitting near Williamson. He argued HB 4147 would burden people who thought purchasing a gun would keep them safe, citing victims of domestic violence. "There's another side to this story that's quickly disregarded by the left," McLane said. Williamson, sitting near McLane, clenched her jaw as he spoke. "That's a hypothetical," she said in an interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive. "The actual facts around domestic violence and guns and gun deaths show that's not what happens." She said her bill would protect victims by preventing abusers with restraining orders in other states from slipping through Oregon's background check regimen. She also pointed to statistics from gun-control advocates that show abuse victims are far more likely to be killed when their abusers have access to guns. Numbers from the state police found delays in just 8,467 -- or 3.2 percent -- of the 262,838 background checks conducted last year. Most checks go through within minutes. But of those delayed background checks, about 5 percent came back with red flags that would have denied the sale. The overall denial rate for all transactions in 2015 was less than 1 percent. Background checks fail for several reasons: mental health commitments, domestic violence, restraining orders, and felony convictions. "I hope it doesn't get caught up in larger gun politics. I can't imagine that it wouldn't," Williamson said. "We have a very real and tragic example of what can happen." -- Denis C. Theriault 503-221-8430; @TheriaultPDX Police responded to a stabbing at a Northwest Portland bus station Friday morning, according to a news release from the Portland Police Bureau. A person was stabbed multiple times around 11:34 a.m. at a Greyhound bus station located at 550 Northwest 6th Avenue, the release said. Officers secured the scene while searching for the suspect, and the victim was taken to an area hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries. Police did not release any additional information about the victim or circumstances. The suspect is still at large. The investigation is likely to affect traffic near the 500 block of Northwest 6th Avenue. -- Melissa Binder mbinder@oregonian.com 503-294-7656 @binderpdx Facebook Gun Ban Facebook, which has been taking steps to limit gun sales via its website since 2014, announced Friday, Jan. 29, 2016, that it is now banning people from arranging deals in private messages. (The Associated Press) SAN FRANCISCO -- Facebook says it's cracking down on online gun sales, with a new policy that bars private individuals from advertising or selling firearms on the world's largest social network. Licensed gun retailers can still advertise their businesses on Facebook, but they aren't allowed to accept orders or transact sales on the site. The new policy announced Friday drew praise from a gun-control group that says it has been urging Facebook to prohibit sales. While no money changes hands on the site, the groups say it enabled illegal sales by failing to police the conversations that led to them. Everytown for Gun Safety, which started with backing from former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, says it found cases where felons who should not have been allowed to legally buy guns were able to buy one from unlicensed sellers on Facebook The gun control debate has taken on added urgency in the wake of a series of high-profile mass shootings, including the 2012 massacre that claimed 26 lives at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, and the December 2015 attack in San Bernardino, California, that left 14 people dead. In October, nine people were killed and nine injured in a mass shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, before the killer committed suicide Bloomberg News contributed to this report. -- The Associated Press It might have been all the newcomers to Oregon, or possibly the unseasonably warm winter that greeted us last year - whatever the reason, a record number of people visited Crater Lake National Park in 2015. The official number is 664,000 people, according to park officials, a whopping 13.5 percent increase over 2014. That number is easily the highest in the last 25 years, the time since the park started implementing modern tracking methods. The record number "confirms the value these places have to the American people," Crater Lake superintendent Craig Ackerman said in a press release Friday. "These numbers are reminders that the national parks serve to create lasting memories for individuals and families through their enjoyment of and deep connection to these special places." Crater Lake's announcement came days after the National Park Service announced it saw record visitation to parks nationally - more than 305 million through the year, a four percent increase over 2014. It's great timing for our national parks, which will be celebrating their centennial this August and at events over the course of 2016. -- Jamie Hale | jhale@oregonian.com | @HaleJamesB Steven Avery The murder conviction of Steven Avery has become a national obsession because of the Netflix documentary, "Making a Murderer." Avery's case is explored Jan. 29 on "Dateline NBC" and Jan. 30 on an Investigation Discovery special, "Steven Avery: Innocent or Guilty?" Avery is shown here the courtroom at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton, Wisconsin. (Morry Gash/AP) Everyone who watches "Making a Murderer," the Netflix documentary series about Wisconsin's Steven Avery and the way local authorities prosecuted him, has been playing armchair detective. As a result, Avery and "Making a Murderer" have become something of an obsession with those who have watched the series. If you haven't, here's the overview: Avery served 18 years in prison after being convicted of raping a woman. When DNA evidence resulted in Avery being freed, he sued Manitowoc County officials, asking for $36 million as a result of his wrongful conviction. But two years after Avery was freed, and become a symbol for groups such as the Innocence Project, Avery was accused of killing a woman, photographer Teresa Halbach. Avery was found guilty, and is serving a life sentence. Avery's teenage cousin, Brendan Dassey, was also sent to prison after being convicted of being an accessory to Halbach's murder. With all the controversy "Making a Murderer" has generated, as viewers and pundits debate the innocence or guilt of Avery and Dassey, it's no wonder other networks are featuring the case on their true-crime series. Tonight's "Dateline NBC" is diving into the Avery case, with an interview with Kathleen Zellner, who is Avery's lawyer. In an item about the "Dateline" episode on the NBC News website, Danielle Silva writes that Zellner told "Dateline" that "Avery is innocent of the 2005 murder" and "that there may be alternative suspects in the case." The "Dateline NBC" episode about Avery and the case airs at 10 p.m. tonight on NBC (8.) The Avery story gets more coverage Saturday on Investigation Discovery's "Steven Avery: Innocent of Guilty?" hosted by Keith Morrison, of "Dateline NBC." In the special, the filmmakers behind "Making a Murderer," Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi, are interviewed. There are also new interviews with Ken Kratz, former prosecutor in the Avery and Dassey cases; Jerry Buting, a former defense attorney in the Avery case; and Brad Dassey, the half-brother of Brendan Dassey. "Steven Avery: Innocent or Guilty?" airs at 6 p.m. and repeats at 9 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30 on Investigation Discovery. -- Kristi Turnqust kturnquist@oregonian.com 503-221-8227 @Kristiturnquist Just in time for the weekend, snow is falling in the Cascades. The north Oregon Cascades are under a winter weather advisory through 4 a.m. Saturday, and a National Weather Service meteorologist said he expects 8 to 12 inches of snow at pass level by sunrise Saturday. Jon Bonk, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Portland, said the snowfall will peak in intensity Friday evening and taper off overnight. Steady snowfall is unlikely throughout the day Saturday, he said, but some small bursts of snow are possible. Bonk said he wouldn't be surprised to see 12 to 18 inches of new snow in the Cascades by Sunday afternoon. People traveling through the Cascades should prepare accordingly, he said. Snow levels are expected to fall to about 2,000 feet overnight in the north Oregon Cascades, according to the National Weather Service. That will not translate into significant rainfall in the Portland metro area, Bonk said. The south Washington Cascades Range and Cascades Range of Lane County are also under winter weather advisories until 4 a.m. and 10 a.m., respectively, on Saturday. A small craft advisory is also in effect through 4 a.m. Saturday for the Columbia River Bar area. Coastal waters from Cape Shoalwater, Washington, to Florence, Oregon, are also under small craft advisories. -- Jim Ryan jryan@oregonian.com 503-221-8005 @Jimryan015 PORT HURON, Mich. (AP) A Michigan couple was convicted of murder Friday in the death of a 5-year-old girl who had pneumonia and weighed just 25 pounds when an emergency crew found her last spring. Andrew Maison and Hilery Maison, his wife and the girl's stepmother, were convicted after a six-day trial in St. Clair County, 60 miles northeast of Detroit. They were accused of abusing, torturing and starving Mackenzie Maison, who was unresponsive when an emergency crew was called to their home in Port Huron last May. Medical experts said she was malnourished, sick and far underweight. A younger sister was also malnourished but has doubled her weight in foster care since Mackenzie's death. "It doesn't change what happened and it doesn't bring back Mackenzie," prosecutor Mona Armstrong told the Port Huron Times Herald (http://bwne.ws/1WSxxZ8 ), referring to the guilty verdicts. "It does serve a measure of justice. But it should never have gotten to this point." The Maisons face life in prison with no opportunity for parole when they return to court on March 10. Hilery Maison's attorney, Michael Boucher, told jurors there was no evidence that the couple intended for Mackenzie to die. Police said the Maisons attributed the weight loss to picky eating. "We are witness to a horrible, horrible tragedy, all of us. . Let's not compound this tragedy," Boucher told jurors. Two troopers from the Michigan State Police Tri-City Post have been recognized for their effective patrol and investigative efforts. Tpr. Justin Kemerer and Tpr. Bryant Greenert have been awarded the Cpl. Samuel A. Mapes Award. Kemerer and Greenert, along with other troopers from across the state, attended an awards ceremony at the Michigan State Police Training Academy earlier this week. Mapes Award recipients from each post from every district were honored for their hard work and dedication to their patrol and investigative cases. This award is not given for any single investigation; rather, it is awarded annually to the top 5 percent of troopers in each district for their outstanding performance of duty and personal commitment to excellence associated with their proactive criminal patrol and criminal investigations. Troopers assigned to patrol duties were eligible to earn this award based on patrol and investigative felony arrests. This annual award recognizes those members who excel in looking past the traffic stop, identifying more serious crimes and for investigations whose outcome is closed by a felony arrest. The award is named in honor of Cpl. Sam Mapes, one of our departments early pioneers in criminal patrol and investigation. On May 1, 1927, Mapes was patrolling alone on Highway 23, east of Sturgis, when he stopped two suspicious westbound vehicles at the same time. After briefly conversing with one of the drivers, Mapes determined the vehicles were rum running. It was obvious to the driver his load was going to be seized and he was going to be arrested, so he offered Mapes a bribe of $300 to let him go. Mapes refused and asked a passing motorist for assistance. While asking the motorist to go to Sturgis and summon assistance to help bring in the vehicles, one of the suspects pulled a gun, walked up behind Mapes, fatally shot him, took his service weapon and fled. The suspect was arrested by Michigan State Police troopers and Illinois police officers in Chicago after an intense investigation, chase and rolling gun battle. The suspect was returned to Michigan, tried, convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Mapes was the seventh Michigan trooper to die in the line of duty, and he was awarded a Citation of Valor for his actions and integrity. During prohibition, public corruption was rampant and there was low public regard for police officers. Mapes refusal to accept a bribe, at the cost of his own life, significantly improved the Michigan State Polices image, the department stated. The "Three Musketeers" building on Siroka Street. While Stephane and I would have liked to live in a building that is an ode to one of Alexandre Dumas' novels, the layout of the apartment convinced us to continue our search. The loft apartment is in the second building on the right. It's directly across from Tretter's, a cocktail bar evoking Paris and New York of the 1930s. Before our new life could start, however, I had to return to Paris to supervise the movers who were packing our belongings in mid-January. It's a job that always depresses me because no matter how many sweaters I give to friends who are collecting winter clothes for refugees or knickknacks I donate to charity , the sheer volume of items to be packed always makes me realize that we have accumulated way too much stuff ... stuff that I'll need to find a place for in our new apartment. The physical experience of moving from one country to another is always an interesting cross-cultural exchange and this move didn't disappoint. The team of Czech movers charmed me from the first moment I looked out the window and saw them taking selfies with the Eiffel Tower in the background. Since I completely understand the urge to capture your first glimpse of the Iron Lady, I managed to forget that they were an hour late. They more than made up for it during the next couple of days when they worked long hours that would have incited a French moving crew to strike. In order to keep this post relatively short, I'll spare you the details of all the ensuing telephone calls between Paris and Prague. Suffice it to say that approximately two and half hours later, a different lift with a more obliging operator appeared on the scene. No sooner had he secured the exterior lift to our balcony than the youngest member of the Czech moving team, in an effort to be helpful, leaped onto the lift platform. "Get off," I shouted fearing for the young man's life. "Are you crazy?" yelled the lift operator in French. "I'll be fined if a policeman sees you. Where are you people from? Don't you know anything?" With two people shouting at him in incomprehensible English and French, the Czech mover remained frozen on the lift like a deer caught in the headlights of a car until his supervisor translated my panicked explanations that the lift wasn't stable and strictly off-limits to people. Exterior lift transporting our belongings from our 5th floor apartment. My explanations that the movers were from Prague, where they don't normally use exterior lifts, thankfully seemed to soothe the ruffled feathers of the Frenchman. I certainly hoped so because it was nearing lunchtime at which point we wouldn't have any luck finding another lift operator in Paris. With me translating his instructions into English for the Czech supervisor, the Frenchman told the Czech movers how to load the lift. "The heavy boxes go in the middle, the lighter ones on the side." "The couches should be placed on their back near the arm of the lift." And then, the Frenchman decided to show that he had forgiven the Czech movers by making a joke. "Tell them," he directed, "that the tables must go on their backs with their legs in the air ... like a woman." The expression on my face must have revealed that I had no intention of translating the last bit because he tried to convince me with a smile and another "tell them". "Ahh, the French. You've gotta love 'em." That's what I told Stephane when he called that evening from Hungary to ask how the move had gone. The apartment building that was our home for the five years that we lived in Paris. And speaking of strikes, thank goodness that Stephane and I had taken photos to record our move to Paris because they came in handy when the French operator of the exterior lift adamantly refused to let the Czech movers use his lift because the angle to our fifth floor apartment was too steep. Rather than waste an hour futilely debating with a Frenchman, I told the operator that I had photographic evidence showing that we had used a lift to move into the apartment. Evidence which I could get if he would wait for me to go to my hotel in the 6th arrondissement (our apartment was in the 16th), pick up my laptop with the photos and return as quickly as possible. He signaled his agreement with a Gallic shrug of his shoulders and told us that he was going to wait in the neighborhood cafe.In order to keep this post relatively short, I'll spare you the details of all the ensuing telephone calls between Paris and Prague. Suffice it to say that approximately two and half hours later, a different lift with a more obliging operator appeared on the scene. No sooner had he secured the exterior lift to our balcony than the youngest member of the Czech moving team, in an effort to be helpful, leaped onto the lift platform. "Get off," I shouted fearing for the young man's life. "Are you crazy?" yelled the lift operator in French. "I'll be fined if a policeman sees you. Where are you people from? Don't you know anything?" With two people shouting at him in incomprehensible English and French, the Czech mover remained frozen on the lift like a deer caught in the headlights of a car until his supervisor translated my panicked explanations that the lift wasn't stable and strictly off-limits to people.My explanations that the movers were from Prague, where they don't normally use exterior lifts, thankfully seemed to soothe the ruffled feathers of the Frenchman. I certainly hoped so because it was nearing lunchtime at which point we wouldn't have any luck finding another lift operator in Paris.With me translating his instructions into English for the Czech supervisor, the Frenchman told the Czech movers how to load the lift. "The heavy boxes go in the middle, the lighter ones on the side." "The couches should be placed on their back near the arm of the lift." And then, the Frenchman decided to show that he had forgiven the Czech movers by making a joke. "Tell them," he directed, "that the tables must go on their backs with their legs in the air ... like a woman." The expression on my face must have revealed that I had no intention of translating the last bit because he tried to convince me with a smile and another "tell them"."Ahh, the French. You've gotta love 'em." That's what I told Stephane when he called that evening from Hungary to ask how the move had gone. For the past seven years, European Best Destinations, a European organization developed to promote culture and tourism in Europe, has asked people to "click and vote" for their favorite European destination. While the 2016 list includes many of the usual suspects, such as London, Rome, Athens and Berlin, it also includes some previously unknown-to-me destinations, like Plovdiv, Novi Sad, Kotor and Zadar. But the two that have me stumped are Paris and Prague. Should I vote for the city that I fell in love with at the age of 18 and which I continue to cherish, regardless of her faults, or should I vote for the city which is working its way deeper into my heart on a daily basis?So, what has transpired between today and my January 4 post in which I implored Stephane to take me home, meaning back to Paris?A lot! For starters, we found an apartment that we're going to take possession of later this afternoon. It not the one located in the incredible "Three Musketeers" building on Siroka Street or the loft apartment conveniently situated on the same street as a bakery and one of the best cocktail bars in Prague, but it's the one that felt like home when Stephane and I walked through the front door. It's where we could imagine building a new life together in Prague. DECATUR As individuals and companies increasingly look to use drones, an inspector with the Federal Aviation Administration said compliance with regulations is critical in maintaining the safety of all involved. Most of us do want to comply with the rules, Mark Foisy said. Inspectors try to use education first. Education is our biggest challenge. Foisy spoke at the Midwest Drone Show in Decatur, an event designed to answer questions about how drones can be used in agriculture and other industries. The conference was an extension of the Precision Aerial Ag Show, held at Progress City USA in July 2014. Companies interested in using unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV, systems want to get the most information and benefit from the technology as possible. In agriculture, imagery can be used in every stage of the crop production cycle, said Ramanathan Sugumaran, a data scientist with John Deere. We're at the very early stages, Sugumaran said. It's no longer just a hobby to fly a drone. Farmers need timely information and data to make decisions, which Sugumaran said drones can provide. Challenges continue to be addressed to process the data and provide information in a timely manner, Sugumaran said. Drones are being used to investigate damage to crops and more efficiently see what fields look like, said Kevin Boeckenstedt, a claims tech support lead with ADM Crop Risk Services. All this translates into instant time savings, Boeckenstedt said. Time is money. A view of an entire field can validate what growers might already suspect, Boeckenstedt said. ADM Crop Risk Services has been approved to use the technology since April 2015, making last year the first growing season the company used it. Boeckenstedt sees more coming from using it in the years ahead as more information will be available throughout the growing cycle. We're going to try to double our efforts, Boeckenstedt said. We're trying to find what we can do to see value. The technology is developing so farmers can use the information to make the best management decisions possible, particularly for the soil, said Bill McDonnell, a certified services agent with Pioneer Encirca Services. We can show we're taking care of the environment and be good stewards of the land, McDonnell said. It's a great tool to have available. Utility companies are also interested in the technology. Drones can be used to inspect power lines, said Sean VanSlyke, CEO and general manager of SEMO Electric Cooperative in southeast Missouri. If I can help them be more efficient and safer, your power can come on quicker, VanSlyke said. We're trying to learn like everyone else. I can look around corner I haven't been able to see before. VanSlyke said the company is exploring ways to be able to implement the use of drones and comply with the rules that are in place or will be in the future. A lot of risk is involved with flying drones, so it is necessary for anyone operating the systems to know and follow all the rules and regulations involved, said Chad Colby, a UAV expert from the Bloomington area. It's too easy with this technology to push the boundary, Colby said. A third classification of national airspace users has been defined to include modelers, Foisy said. The first two are public and civil operators, he said. BLOOMINGTON Thanking an Iraq War veteran for his service and bravery, a McLean County judge expressed regret that no sentencing option other than prison existed before giving him a six-year term for home invasion. Lawyers for Sam Siatta spent Friday afternoon arguing the psychological aftermath of his service with the Marines in Afghanistan was behind his out-of- control conduct in April 2014. Siatta, 26, of Diamond, a small town near Joliet, was convicted in November of breaking into a man's home in Normal and hitting the man with a frying pan. Siatta was stabbed nine times by the victim during the altercation. The situation Siatta and other veterans find themselves in was not contemplated by lawmakers when they approved a mandatory prison term of six to 30 years for home invasion, said defense lawyer Kerry Luckman. "This is an issue we are going to be dealing with more with the veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan," said Luckman. In his brief comments to Judge Scott Drazewski, Siatta apologized to the victim. He said he has no memory of the incident that occurred while he was a student at Illinois State University. With day-for-day good time credit, Siatta will serve about three years of the sentence. Saying he appreciated the state's willingness to support the minimum sentence of six years, Luckman said "I wish our legislature had shown the same thoughtfulness." Marine Master Sgt. Shawn Dody testified that Siatta is a "wounded warrior" who needs ongoing mental health care for his PTSD. Soldiers with the condition "relive their experiences over and over and have a hard time adjusting" to civilian life, said Dody. Siatta's mother, Maureen Siatta, rubbed her son's shoulders before the hearing as she stood next to him, a wooden partition separating the two and 10 others who came to support him. In her testimony, she called the incident in Normal "a wake-up call for Sam" that led to treatment for alcohol and PTSD issues. Assistant State's Attorney Kristin Alferink said the request for six years was a recognition by the state of the mitigating factors in Siatta's case, including his service record and lack of any prior criminal record. Drazewski rejected a defense request for probation for Siatta, saying he does not have the authority to ignore the state's sentencing laws. Luckman claimed a prison term violates Siatta's constitutional right against cruel and unusual punishment. "As an American citizen, I thank you for your service, valor and heroism," the judge told Siatta, noting the letters submitted by Siatta's commanding officers. But a judge, like a soldier serving his country, is bound to follow orders, Drazewski said, and cannot be swayed by personal opinion. "I have very little discretion as to the sentence that can be imposed in your case," said Drazewski. Missing from the list of options for Siatta was probation, impact incarceration and problem-solving courts, including ironically, veterans court, the judge noted. The judge also denied Luckman's request to allow Siatta to remain free on bond pending an appeal of his conviction. NORMAL An at-grade crossing is coming to Uptown Station but only temporarily. As part of ongoing research into an underpass connecting Uptown Circle to south of the tracks, Normal wants to build a short-term at-grade crossing for Amtrak riders only, according to a memo from Public Works Director Wayne Aldrich. On Saturday, City Manager Mark Peterson said the at-grade crossing will be a temporary improvement, allowing the town to undertake the necessary planning and construction for an eventual underpass. Aldrich estimated the at-grade crossing will cost at least $1 million. The project needs to be done in 2016 to use federal high-speed rail money, which the Illinois Department of Transportation will seek from the Federal Railroad Administration. Normal was days away from taking bids on the overpass, a $6.3 million project, in late 2014 when council members asked for more research into an underpass which could cost $11 million but offer more flexibility to pedestrians. A completed underpass is still several years away, said City Manager Mark Peterson this month. Although the at-grade crossing will "include safety features such as fencing, gates and audio-visual warnings," "both the Union Pacific Railroad and (IDOT) regard this as a temporary solution only," according to a memo from Aldrich. The temporary crossing is part of a new plan for Uptown Station from IDOT that signals the state is on board with an underpass. IDOT is working with town officials and has sent a letter to Union Pacific voicing its support. "IDOT and Normal have agreed to work collectively in the pursuit of a different design with the understanding that Normal will construct and place in service the ultimate solution within the next five years," said IDOT Deputy Director John Oimoen in the letter. "IDOT presumes that Union Pacific is best suited to design and construct the (temporary) crossing." The next step toward an underpass is an engineering study. Normal officials are getting ready to find a design team to do that study, which is expected to take two years. "This study will be required to secure federal funds for the project and will include further analysis of the crossing options studied in Uptown 2.0," according to Aldrich's memo. Engineering work is set to take another year. IDOT documents don't specify how long construction might take. Had the project remained an overpass, it would be a year or 18 months from completion now, Peterson said. The overall project still includes a new east platform to mirror the west platform including covered canopy, lighting, public address system and Amtrak monitors, according to IDOT documents. Design documents are complete for that project and to remodel the old Amtrak Station including roof repairs, new (heating and air conditioning), lighting, seating and monitors. SPRINGFIELD President Barack Obama will return next month to the place where his political career began to address the Illinois General Assembly. The president's Feb. 10 visit comes amid an unprecedented budget deadlock between his fellow Democrats and Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner. In his State of the Union address earlier this month, Obama called for creating a more civil political environment, which will be the subject of his speech to lawmakers in his home state. Obama, who served in the Illinois Senate from 1997-2004, will speak to lawmakers "about what we can do, together, to build a better politics one that reflects our better selves," according to the White House. In his State of the State address Wednesday, Rauner cited the president's support for changing the way legislative districts are drawn, one of the first-term governor's policy priorities. Rauner's office issued a statement Friday welcoming the president's visit. "Despite our political differences, the president and I share a passion for improving education, especially for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, a belief in the benefits of term limits and redistricting reform for restoring good government, and a strong desire to see more economic opportunity for all Illinoisans," Rauner said. "I know we can achieve great things for Illinois by having mutual respect for one another and focusing on bipartisan compromise to achieve what's best for the long-term future of our great state." Republican state Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington, who served with Obama in the Senate for two years, said the president's call for civility is one that's needed "everywhere, every state." "I don't care who the president is," Brady said, "Illinois will always welcome the president of the United States." Republican Sen. Dave Luechtefeld of Okawville served with Obama throughout his tenure and played cards with him regularly. As for Obama's message, however, "I don't know if he's set a very good example" as president, Luechtefeld said. "We've had Republican and Democratic presidents off and on for my whole life, and I've never seen it more divided than it is now," he said. Democratic Sen. Andy Manar of Bunker Hill was on the Senate Democratic staff when Obama was in the General Assembly. The fact that Obama will be addressing the body where his path to the presidency began gives the event a heightened importance, he said. "He's a product of the Illinois Senate in many ways," Manar said. Blindspot, a new app that allows users to send anonymous text messages, has been under fire from parents, teenagers and politicians, who claimed that it will only encourage cyberbullying. Hence, critics are warning children not to download the controversial app. The new app which was launched a month ago by an Israeli company, Shellanoo, is causing a major backlash after many critics complained that it has been used inappropriately by many users. Many people are getting concern, especially parents, as the new app has been used by some users to send abusive messages. Likewise, they believe that it is creating a virtual schoolyard where cyberbullies can use it with impunity. Blindspot has already become one of the most popular downloaded apps worldwide. In fact, it has already been downloaded more than 700,000 times. And now the company is gearing up for its promotion in the U.S. next week. However, many parents and politicians have been urging children not to download the app and has been calling for its permanent removal. Thus, politicians discussed the matter in the parliament last week. And Israeli lawmakers has also been discussing it and want it to be banned from their country. "If you are going to say something nice, you wouldn't send it anonymously," lawmaker Meirav Ben-Ari said, according to IBT. Nevertheless, David Strauss, head of the media relations of Shellanoo group, said, "I think the concern is not just about Blindspot but about all new technology in general, and I can understand that. There is no such thing as a mean app or a mean knife, there is only mean people. Bullying existed before Blindspot and will exist after it, too." Strauss also emphasized that the app has a block function. Meaning, if the recipient blocked the same sender three times, the particular message sender can no longer use the app with the same number. Each week, Dom plumbs the depths of podcast nation to bring you the best in cinema-related chats and programs. If writing about music is like dancing about architecture, then writing about movie podcasts is like listening to someone describe someone dancing about architecture. But that doesnt mean you shouldnt. Movie critics are all about Sundance right now, which means that theres either a dearth of new film podcast episodes, or there are a bounty of reviews, articles and assorted Film Twitter epistles which do little but make you feel like youre not cool enough to have an opinion about the current landscape of cinema. Which is fine, I suppose. Congrats are in order for Amy Nicholson over at the Canon for being a Sundance judge. Her and Devin Faracis discussion this week about Working Girl is a pretty fascinating encapsulation of how tasteand therefore any real critical opinionis an incomprehensible amalgam of nostalgia, fact and ineffable, incomplete attraction. Everything Faraci says about the film rings true, as does everything with which Nicholson responds. Theyre both right and theyre both wrong, and the movies fine. The takeaway is that your opinion, dear reader, is just as important as theirs, even though everything currently playing at Sundance you probably wont see for at least another year, if youre lucky. On this weeks The New Flesh, Brett Arnold goes HAM on the remake of Martyrs, as he should, offering a pretty in-depth take on why the new version is such a travesty, and why the original 2008 film could be considered, for all of its near-obscene grotesquerie, a work of art. Its worth making it to Arnolds critique, though you may want to stop the episode all together when co-host Joe Avella goes on a sort of Tom-Cruise-prompted tirade about how much he hates every classic horror film ever made pre-1970, including all the Universal Monsters vehicles. I like his pointthat film fandom need not require a holistic love for whatever the film world deems as a classicbut his ire comes off as more bitter and stupid than well-reasoned. Plus, when he declares that the original House on Haunted Hill is somehow better than all the aforementioned picks, he totally lost me: I love me some Vincent Price just as much as the next person, but that movies a pretty dumbly constructed waste of good talent. Still: no shade. We all love film here. And we all love it in different ways. Some like to write about it, and some like to talk about it, and some like to talk to people who talk about itand some like to listen to people talk to people who talk about it. Here are the three episodes you should hear this week: Episode 234 The Last Witch Hunter One of the (many) joys of tuning in to We Hate Movies every week is the coterie of characters core hosts Andrew Jupin, Stephen Sajdak and Eric Szyszka have developed (with some admittedly suspect voice work) to populate their riffs on the countless terrible movies theyve watched. A personal favorite is Christopher Lamberts Raiden from the original Mortal Kombat, but this week they introduce Vin Diesel, which pretty much amounts to them trying to get their voices as low as they can go, giving up halfway through the episode to just play the actor as a sort of deadpan, dead-eyed one-liner-machine. Unsurprisingly versatile, Vin Diesel is a half-assed character for the ages, both charming and inhuman, which pretty much explains the appeal of any of his movies, and why anyone would want to watch them. The Last With Hunter is a perfect pick for a show like this, because it straddles the line between irredeemable garbage and exactly the kind of movie one would watch with friends while intoxicated, its plot unhindered by screaming drunkenly at the screen. Assault your liver and check this one outboth the movie and the podcast, the latter also featuring a pretty spot-on impersonation of Michael Caine as a man who literally wont get out of bed for much of anything anymore. Joao Fernandes: The Artist Formerly Known as Harry Flecks The Rialto Report is a beautifully thorough podcast about films youve probably never seenunless youre an avid fan of pornography. Each episode features a typically over-detailed interview with a stalwart of the adult film community, illuminating both the history of the industry and the many personalities who served as trailblazers for such a hotly contested chapter in artistic media. Plus, host Ashley West is like the Narduwar of porn: His knowledge of these filmsthe filmmakers and the context in which they were madeis inestimable. Its marvelous to listen to him fill in the blanks for each person he interviews, helping them remember parts of their own lives typically lost to the flagrant lifestyles they enjoyed decades ago. This week, West talks for almost two hours to Joao Fernandes, director of photography for such classics as Deep Throat, Devil in Miss Jones and The Story of Joanna. The rub (pun definitely intended) is that Fernandes did what many adult filmmakers always wanted to do but never could: He eventually broke into Hollywood, working on a number of Chuck Norris and horror films, even serving as DP for Children of the Corn and a Friday the 13th sequel. The interview closely chronicles how Fernandes made it so far, forging a path many adult film stars could never follow, portraying the man as far from a smarmy horndog as possible, more a film buff (and student of the dame teacher who once mentored Scorsese) who saw the adult film industry as a way, pre-digital, to learn what technical filmmaking was all about. Which is exactly how he used it. That the conversation is also a good-natured, optimistic narrative of the immigrant experience in 1960s New York is a bonus. The Kurosawa Cliche Self-identified bespectacled white guys Will Sloan and Justin Decloux host The Important Cinema Club with as much seriousness as that title implies, knowing full well that the kinds of perspectives they offerof the aforementioned white guy varietyare no longer perspectives people are really jonesing to hear anymore. With that, their show takes to film-love as one would to a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos: Hungrily, shamelessly and with little care as to how ones taste will appear to society at large. This week they talk about Akira Kurosawas legacy via two films that handily encapsulate his brilliance: Throne of Blood and The Bad Sleep Well. With a cursory examination of Kurosawas patchy friendship with Toshiro Mifune, as well as a chuckly glimpse of the extent of Kurosawas power in Japan and how that may have led to him being such a well-known dickhead, the hosts offer a conduit for any uninitiated viewer into an intimidating oeuvre. Their detour into some excellent little anecdotes about Kurosawas close friendship with Godzilla director Ishir? Honda frames Kurosawa as a much broader director than critics and historians may want to admit. Calling him the Michael Bay of Japan, is such an on-the-money phrase for opening up the genius of world cinema to people who may otherwise hear the name and allow their brains to turn off instantly. Dom Sinacola is Assistant Movies Editor at Paste and a Portland-based writer. Like everyone on this planet, he co-hosts his own podcast, Pretty Little Grown Men, which is sometimes about movies but mostly about Pretty Little Liars. You can follow him on Twitter. In its gentle, compassionate way, the unassuming drama Little Men says as much about self-preservation and mistrust as any hand-wringing, message-based movie. Director and cowriter Ira Sachs uses a simple story about the friendship between two teen boys as a springboard to address the myriad obstacles that keep people from different walks of life from seeing eye-to-eye. Never smug in its observations and always fair to all its characters, Little Men leaves us moved in an offhand, almost accidental manner. The film has all the breeziness of an ordinary day, albeit one with gray clouds on the horizon. The films stars are Greg Kinnear and Jennifer Ehle as Brian and Kathy, a married couple living in New York who has just moved into the Brooklyn home of Brians recently passed dad. But the storys center point is their son Jake (Theo Taplitz), a shy aspiring visual artist applying to a prestigious art academy for high-schoolers. The familys new home is in the same building as a mom-and-pop boutique run by a Chilean woman named Leonor (Paulina Garcia), who was friends with Brians father for many years. Now that his fathers dead, Brian needs to think about raising the rent on her store, something his father hadnt done in decades. While tension grows between Brian and Leonor, a friendship forms between their sons. Tony (Michael Barbieri) is a gregarious oddball who longs to be an actor like Brian, but because his family isnt as wealthy as Jakes, its going to be much harder for him to get into the same academy as Tony. The roots of the teens bond isnt entirely cleartheres an implication that perhaps Jake is smitten with Tonybut part of it seems to be that, because theyre both only children, they share a longing for companionship thats unique to kids like them. From that setup, you can probably guess whats going to happen. And youd be both right and wrongthe specifics of how Brian and Leonors clash resolves itself arent nearly as important as how Sachs puts into motion the familiar pressures of family, money and career that consume the adult characters. Sachs and cowriter Mauricio Zacharias dont throw many twists at us, which doesnt mean that the films terribly predictable. Its more accurate to say that Little Men proceeds in a wistfully recognizable way: Nothing that happens is surprising, but thats only because Sachs follows the story through to its logical conclusion, with each step along the way believable and unavoidable. Sachs has said that Little Men is the third film in his so-called New York trilogy, which started with 2012s brutally sad love story Keep the Lights On and continued two years later for the much brighter (but still melancholy) Love Is Strange. Little Men is closer in spirit to Love Is Strange, using a deceptively everyday tale to poke around the corners of New York City to get a sense of the citys class divisions. Theres no question that Jake and Tony come from different socioeconomic strata, but Sachs neither goes for the obvious observations nor does he present either family in exactly the way wed expect. As well soon learn, Brians acting career has floundered for years, Kathys psychotherapy practice making her the family breadwinner. Meanwhile, Leonor is no doe-eyed innocent: From the first time she meets the privileged Kathy, we can sense a judgmental streak in this woman, who doesnt mind subtly targeting Brians weak points. (Without ever quite coming out and saying it, Leonor gives him the impression that she and his father were lovers. And shes happy to tell Brian negative comments his dad shared with her about him.) Little Mens teens are presented as unformed youngsters figuring out their hormones and what they want to be when they grow upby comparison, the adults are a bundle of weary anxieties and hang-ups, folks stuck with lives they didnt exactly want and now dont know what to do with. Kinnear and Ehle hit just the right note of enlightened arrogance as a married couple who want to believe theyre always being thoughtful, never quite acknowledging that however they spin it, theyre trying to put Leonor out of business. (One of the films most divine comic moments is when Kathy condescendingly tells Leonor that, as an expert in conflict resolution, she really is well-suited to handling this disagreement.) But theyre no monsters: Kinnear plays Brian as a good guy whos not quite capable of doing something heroic or gracious in this difficult situation, still trying his best to be a good father to Jake. Meanwhile, Garcia is all simmering, passive-aggressive resentment as Leonor. Behind the characters pinched smile, we sense a lifetime of having to put up with the more fortunate, always having to balance between being friendly and sticking up for herself. Its a performance that snarls a bit, pushing Brian and Kathy to put aside their faux-kindness and address their dollars-and-cents dilemma with her. Little Men adeptly pinpoints the poisonous self-interest that cuts us off from others, examining how being pragmatic and looking out for ourselves undermines communities. The fate of Leonors store is fairly certain from the beginning, but the movie is much less clear about what will become of these boys. Searching for love, finding their creative muse, Jake and Tony draw closer as their families become more fractious. Thats why the ending is so heartbreaking. Sachs presents one final scene with the teens, a silent sequence in which they dont even see each other. But it tells us everything we need to know about the thin line between cementing a friendship and going your separate ways. Director: Ira Sachs Writers: Mauricio Zacharias, Ira Sachs Starring: Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Ehle, Paulina Garcia, Theo Taplitz, Michael Barbieri Release Date Premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival Tim Grierson is chief film critic for Paste and Vice President of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. You can follow him on Twitter. Like many people, when it came time to choose my next cell phone plan, I was riddled with anxiety. I had no idea which provider to choose, what deal was best or who might screw me over the worst. I was lost. Neck deep in frustration, I began to think very seriously about giving Googles experimental service, Project Fi, a shot. That brought up a host of new problems. Will it work where I live? Will it work at all? Do I want a Nexus phone? After considering my options carefully, I decided to give Mountain Views take on cell phone service a chance. Ive been using it as my primary carrier since November, and in those handful of months Ive learned quite a lot. Here are the five most important things Ive learned during my life with Project Fi. When it came time to leave Verizon for the greener pastures of Project Fi, I was riddled with anxiety over what the process would be like. I feared having to go to a Verizon store and deal with confused looks when trying to explain what exactly it was I was leaving Big Red for. Or, because my previous plan was shared with several other people, I had nightmares that my sudden departure would adversely affect them. Every worry I had was for naught, the transition process could not have been smoother. Even the time estimates Google offered, such as a 48-hour window for number transfer to be completed, failed to bend me out of shape. It took all of five minutes for my number to transfer. It was clear from the outset that Project Fi was going to be a much different experience than a traditional carrier. My previous history with, primarily, Verizon and T-Mobile wasnt a horror stories like ones you may have read online, but it was certainly anxiety-inducing. I, and Im sure many others, have spent hours upon hours reading Verizon/T-Mobile FAQ pages, forums and subreddits trying to answer the simplest of questions to no avail. With Project Fi, everything worked as advertised, and if I did have a question, there were several different support options available, all of which are incredibly responsive. The big hook of Project Fi, technologically speaking, is its ability to hop between Wi-Fi or Sprint and T-Mobile service and smartly choose which option is the best at any given moment. Its designed to work in the background and, unless you really want to know, you have no idea which cell service youre using. The real feat is when your phone seamlessly switches from Wi-Fi to cell service, particularly if youre on a phone call. I havent tested this to great length but, in my months with Project Fi, call quality has been equal to or better than the providers Ive used previously. I never notice when, or if, it switches in the middle of a call and thats how its supposed to work, though there have been some kinks along the way. For one, my Project Fi Nexus 6P does not play well with my girlfriends Google Voice number. To be fair, we have not troubleshooted the issue much because it only persists with SMS (I can send to her, but not receive) and that is not our primary mode of communicating with one another. I did also run into an instance in which a friend called three times, one that I never received, one in which he could not hear me but I could hear him and a third that worked as it should. We never figured who was at fault, but its not a complication that I would label out of the ordinary for any cell service, and the fact that it happened on an experimental one isnt particularly special. Mobile data speed is another animal entirely. I live in a small town in Central New York where coverage isnt great to begin with and I worried that Project Fis combination of Sprint and T-Mobile (both of which have mostly 3G with a smattering of LTE where I live) wouldnt be enough to satisfy. Then I spent a few weeks in CNY with Big Red, and the results were just as lackluster as they were for friends with either Sprint or T-Mobile, so I decided to take the plunge. Project Fi hasnt cured my coverage woes, of course, but it has performed just as well as Verizon did in the few weeks before I switched. It is still something to keep in mind, and I would urge you to check out Sprint and T-Mobiles coverage maps plus the Project Fi coverage map before you consider switching. I can say, if youre like me and not a huge data hog to begin with but someone who relies primarily on Wi-Fi connections, Project Fi will be a solid experience. Besides my time spent in my primary location in NY, I spent a week or so in a better area for cell service (Detroit and the Metro Detroit area) and my experience there was promising. I had quick LTE service during my time and, save for the call misstep aforementioned, I never thought twice about my service, just trusted that it would work the way it should. One of the best features of Project Fi is its hassle-free approach to billing. Prices are reasonable to begin with, $20 for basic call and text and then $10 for every line of data. Because I am not a huge data user, I have a plan with 2GB plus the monthly cost for my phone (roughly $23) bringing my grand total to about $65 every month when taxes are applied. But Ive only ever payed that amount once, the very first month I had Project Fi. Thats because youre credited for any data you dont use and I almost always use an incredibly small amount. This brings my actual cost every month closer to $50. Take off the installment plan for my Nexus 6P and youre looking at $30 a month. Its a stellar deal. The service works essentially the same way as many prepaid plans but my experience with it has been superior to the $30 T-Mobile prepaid plans Ive tried in the past. Project Fi works perfectly for me because Im the target user. I dont use a lot of data, therefore I dont pay much. If you are not that type of user, you very well may be better off with something like the T-Mobile plan, which offers unlimited data, with 5GB at LTE speeds. If youre use aligns similarly to mine, Project Fi wont disappoint. As much as the cell service working as it should and the data credit are great, the best thing the service has provided me is ease of mind. I do not constantly feel as though Im missing something, like I could wake up the next day to a bill for phantom charges that I needed an advanced law degree to catch. I can just live. One of the well-covered aspects of Googles cell service are the periodic gifts it sends users, such as the holiday Lego kits. It wasnt the best thing in the world (honestly, its a terrible phone stand), but, as the saying goes, its the thought that counts. Never in my life would I have expected a cell phone provider to send me a gift unless there was a monstrous catch. Verizon would have secretly charged me $50 for the Lego kit, Project Fi is just happy Im using the service. Of course, this is a huge advantage of being a smaller project at a monolithic corporation with a knack for looking at stale models and shaking them up, but the cool factor is undeniable. It sounds lame, because it is, but I feel like Im part of a larger machine at work with Project Fi. Not in the meat grinder way of modern cell carriers, that chew up and spit out users without thinking twice, but in the think tank manner. You, and your fellow Project Fi users are beta testers, and every month you use the service, or anytime you send in feedback, its one step closer to cracking the seemingly endless frustration that is the cell phone service industry. For as much as I enjoy Project Fi, and I dont plan on switching back to a traditional carrier anytime soon, I cant help but wish Google would scale it quickly. I understand the need for caution, and that the idea of Fi is for it to be small and experimental, but I want everyone I know to be able to use it if they want. And, in a way, they can. But they have to be willing to choose between three phones. Admittedly, one of those phones is the best Android device you can currently buy, but the other two (Nexus 6 and 5X) have substantial tradeoffs. If you look in forums and subreddits, youll find talk of using a Project Fi SIM in a non-supported device and it working, the caveat being that it only works on T-Mobile. I will admit that I have done this, and it does work, but its sketchy and brings back all the anxiety I shed when I initially switched to Project Fi. The best solution is for Google to slowly ramp up the amount of devices supported by the service, but I have no outline for how it can do that effectively and smoothly. If it can find a way, and really take a chunk out of the pockets of AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile, it could spark a revolution. Sadly, Google isnt in the business of revolution. Its more likely to gently nudge. The Finest Hours is a movie about the true life heroism of a group of Coast Guard members battling a fierce New England storm in the early 1950s to save the stranded crew of a wrecked tankerat least, when its actually about that, its not bad. Giant waves flinging various vessels around willy-nilly, a crew racing to the rescue, another struggling to stay afloat long enough for them to arrive: All of this works. But whenever the movie does anything else? The scenes of a too-small boat, piloted by Bernie Webber (Chris Pine in a drastic change from his time at the helm of the Enterprise), plowing through giant rolling breakers, or Ray Sybert (Casey Affleck) trying to MacGyver the aft portion of a snapped-in-half tanker through a raging stormthese are harrowing and visceral, exciting and primal. When people talk, or the script from Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnsonbased on a book by Casey Sherman and Michael J. Tougiashas the cardboard characters do things, talk to each other, or interact in any way, The Finest Hours is brutally dull. Unfortunately, it takes so, so long for the film to get anywhere. The first act follows good-natured, painfully awkward Boatswains Mate First Class Webber (Pine) on a date with the impetuous, does-what-she-wants Miriam (Holliday Grainger). Hes the kind of socially awkward that only exists in movies: Hes supposed to be endearing, but instead is annoying and cloying, coming across as basically just a simpleton. He even thinks he has to ask his superior to marry his girlfriend. Fortunately, there is a terrible tragedy about to go down as the tanker Pendleton has ripped in half in the midst of a vicious winter storm, leaving many of the sailors, including the reluctant leader Sybert, forcing Webber into action. Given what amounts to an impossible task that theyll either whuss out ofby pretending to get lost on the wayor die trying to accomplish, Webber heads out into the building-tall waves and gale-force winds to rescue the remnants of the crew. That crew: Theres the negligently inept supervisor; a slick, fast-talking best friend; jolly cook on the tanker who sings all the time; grizzled older seaman; scared-shitless new guyyou get it. Otherwise fine actors like Eric Bana, Ben Foster and Graham McTavish are squandered on rote roles. Meanwhile, Casey Affleck gives a dependable performance as the stoic, strong Sybert, but while hes compelling to watch on screenhe has an aww shucks demeanor that belies a deep knowledge and capability, and the crews respect for him reflects thishe never really rises above the archetypally reluctant hero who loves the Pendleton because hes supposed to. The films biggest failure is Miriam. The Finest Hours initially attempts to make her some kind of anti-military-wife construct: Shes self-assured, shes the one who proposes, she barges into Webbers boss office to demand to know whats going on. But, halfway through the film, once Webber is out to sea, jostled about on his tiny boat, she just muddles through a few scenes that are supposed to be emotional (theres a half-baked back story about how once Webber couldnt save some people), mostly relegated to a forgotten footnote. Tucked into the back end of January, long the studios dumping ground for films that dont live up to their potential, The Finest Hours is what is expected. Or not: The real-life rescue of the Pendleton is one of those remarkable tales that, given this sort of treatment, deserves so much better than this. Director: Craig Gillespie Writers: Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson Starring: Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Holliday Grainger, Ben Foster, Eric Bana, Release Date: January 29, 2016 This, from Fridays Der Spiegel: Grand Coalition agrees on a new Asylum Package, as well as Refugee policy: The compromise-compromise the facts about Asylum Package II, which provides the details of the new agreement between the leaders of the CDU/CSU/SDP Grand Coalition: Refugees with subsidiary protection will not be able to bring families to Germany for the next two years, with the exception of Syrians whose family members are currently in refugee camps in Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon, up to limited quotas. Morocco, Algeria, and Tunesia will be designated as safe countries of origin, so that rejected asylum-seekers will be sent back to these countries. All asylum-seekers from safe countries will be brought to new processing centers, and their cases processed more quickly. These individuals will also not be permitted to leave the local area or theyll lose benefits and their cases will be closed. Asylum-seekers will be charged EUR 10 per month for integration courses. The provisions for illness as a reason to defer deportation will be tightened, so that only serious illnesses can protect against deportation. Heres a brief (and incomplete) summary in English. Subsidiary protection, by the way, is a part of German refugee/asylum law, as explained here. Simply being from a country in which there is an ongoing war is not enough to qualify one for permanent resettlement in Germany, but only protection until such time as the situation in ones home country becomes peaceful. This is the status thats being granted to the Syrians and other similarly-situated refugees, not a permanent residency. Also noteworthy: According to Reuters, German Chancellor Angela Merkel tried on Saturday to placate the increasingly vocal critics of her open-door policy for refugees by insisting that most refugees from Syria and Iraq would go home once the conflicts there had ended. . . . Merkel said it was important to stress that most refugees had only been allowed to stay for a limited period. We need to say to people that this is a temporary residential status and we expect that, once there is peace in Syria again, once IS has been defeated in Iraq, that you go back to your home country with the knowledge that you have gained, she told a regional meeting of her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Merkel said 70 percent of the refugees who fled to Germany from former Yugoslavia in the 1990s had returned. Here, just for documentation/references sake, is an article with the untranslated quote. Is this too little, too late? I dont know. Time will tell, eh? Patna: Students of Magadh Mahila College in Patna on Friday, under the aegis of National Students Service (NSS), formed a human chain near the Kargil Chowk to spread awareness about several issues, both social and civic, that they care about. With more than 150 students holding each other's hands to form the chain outside the college campus, the young activists were seen carrying posters and placards with messages like 'Beti Bachao, Samaj Bachao', 'Keep Patna Clean', and 'Stop Honking' messages. The Friday event was part of the ongoing NSS camp in the campus. Students are being prepared to be good citizens of India who care about fellow human beings and the environment besides being prepared to be self-reliant to survive in today's extremely competitive world, college officials said. As part of the camp, a 'Youth Parliament' was also organized at the college where a serious problem like suicide among the youths was discussed. "Students committing suicide after failing to do well in their exams is reaching an epidemic proportion. This must be checked and students should be made psychologically strong to deal with difficult situations in life," said Dr. Archana Katiyar. Patna: A 20-year old man died of electrocution while erecting a wedding pandal at a house in Maheshnagar in Patna on Friday. Ajay Rajak, who was hired by a local contractor to help erect a pandal for the wedding of the daughter of one Biku Singh on Road Number 1 in Maheshnagar died on the spot when he accidentally touched a high voltage live wire. Police are investigating the case as to how high voltage electricity passed through the wire that was strong enough to kill a person. Meanwhile, angry residents blocked the road in Kesari Nagar for less than an hour demanding restitution to the family of the victim for the man's tragic and sudden death. Riyaz Ahmed Khan, Sadar SDO, said he would take up the plea for compensation pending a full investigation of the accident. Patna: Still angry about the government's unilateral decision to impose Value Added Tax (VAT) on clothing and textile items to compensate for the revenue lost due to the imposition of prohibition, yet another vote-getting ploy by the social engineers of Bihar, the textile and garment manufacturers and retailers in Bihar went on a three-day strike demanding the repeal of the VAT without any delay. The strike is being supported by both small and large unions including Bihar Garment Manufacturers and Retailers Association (BGMRA), Bihar Industries Association (BIA), and Bihar Chamber of Commerce stressing the new VAT imposition had deep implications of destroying the textile industry, particularly the small retailers who are certain to lose their livelihoods in large numbers. A senior BGMRA leader said that the Nitish government, in order to recover the lost revenue caused by the imposition of prohibition, chose to punish the trader community that is largely the vote bank of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Mukesh Jain, the BGMRA President, urged the Chief Minister to reconsider his decision to save the small retailers and manufacturers who, under the new tax structure, had no choice but to shut down their business or move to some other state. Bihar Industries Association Chairperson Ramlal Khetan said that no other state in the nation imposed VAT on clothing and textile items and demanded to know what the real reason was for Nitish Kumar chose to punish this industry in Bihar. OP Sah, the Bihar Chamber of Commerce Chairperson, also expressed his concern over the imposition of VAT on clothing items. "This is going to destroy both small and large textile industries in Bihar. Furthermore, the new law will give rise to corruption within the government as the tax inspectors now would be able to extract money from their preys who would rather not pay the high taxes," Sah said. Patna: After a daylong drama involving Congress legislator Siddharth Singh and the alleged abduction of a 21-year old woman from Bikram area, the saga came to an end on Friday with the surfacing of the woman, with her hair-part filled with 'sindoor', married just hours ago to Singh's driver Pankaj Singh. Nidhi, the daughter of Abhay Singh, was reported abducted by the Congress legislator and his goons from their residence in Sonkukra village in Bikram last Wednesday. The father had filed an FIR with the Masaurhi police station in which he also said that Siddharth, a convicted murderer and son of Patna doctor Utpal Kant Singh, had abducted his daughter once more in the past. {gallery}newsimages2016/jan/012916{/gallery}On Friday, Nidhi and her newly-wed husband Pankaj Singh, appeared before Patna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) with a marriage certificate issued by one Yamuneshwar Ashram in Varanasi refuting her father's allegations that she was abducted by the Congress leader. "I have known Pankaj for more than two years and wanted to marry him but my father was against this relationship. That is why I eloped with Pankaj on Wednesday and got married with him in Varanasi," Nidhi said while insisting the Congress leader, besides driving the car, had no role in her escaping from her father's house and her marriage with Pankaj. Nidhi further said that her father and her brother Rahul had threatened to kill her if she did not marry a man who was twice her age. "My 'nani' (maternal grandmother) raised me and my father and my brother have eyes on the properties of my nani. My father never gave anything to me but I wouldn't be surprised if he gave me poison to get his way," she said in a damning statement against her father and brother. Meanwhile, Siddharth Singh also produced himself before the Sachivalaya police station and told the police that at his request, Nidhi and Pankaj presented themselves before the SSP office. "I was being blamed for the alleged abduction and if I had not asked them to show themselves before the police, my political career would have been ruined," he said. News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism. US Issues New Travel Warning to Iran 01/30/16 By Isabela Cocoli, VOA The U.S. Department of State is warning American citizens, especially Iranian-Americans, of the risks of travel to Iran. The travel warning issued Friday replaces what was in effect since August 5, 2015. It reiterates the risk of arrest and detention of U.S. citizens, particularly dual national Iranian-Americans, in Iran. A postcard promoting tourism to Iran The alert was issued only days after five Americans, including four dual Iranian nationals, were released by Iran in a prisoner swap, following the lifting of economic sanctions on Iran, while the Islamic Republic began the implementation of a deal to curb its nuclear program. The warning says that various elements'' in Iran remain hostile to the U.S., although Iran and six other countries, including the U.S. reached an agreement to curb Iran's nuclear program last July. The State Department warning says that Iranian authorities continue to "harass, arrest and detain U.S. citizens." Because the United States does not have diplomatic or consular relations with Iran, the U.S. has limited ability to help American citizens there in the event of an emergency. The Department of State urges U.S. citizens in Iran to ensure that they have up-to-date documentation at all times and make their own plans in the event of an emergency. Presently, the Embassy of Switzerland represents U.S. interests in Iran, but Iran has often denied the Swiss consular access to dual nationals. Video: Tourists in Iran Surprise Visitor During Latest Caspian Sea Status Meeting 01/30/16 By Bruce Pannier, RFE/RL Caspian Sea Countries: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Iran, Russia, Turkmenistan Representatives of the five Caspian Sea littoral states -- Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan -- finished up their most recent meeting on January 29. The gathering appeared to be the typical "going nowhere" event, but this time Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited Turkmenistan at the same time the special working group was conducting a meeting at the deputy foreign ministers' level. Adding to such suspense as there was, Iran is about to reemerge on world markets and this fact must have altered the routine discussions of the special working group to some extent. Reports about the January 28 portion of the deputy foreign ministers' meeting seemed to indicate it was business as usual. My favorite part was the line in nearly every report that the "heads of the delegations expressed the positions of their states regarding the legal status of the Caspian Sea." Representatives of the five countries have been meeting on the topic for some 20 years. This was the 43rd session of the special working group. It is difficult to believe the positions of the countries are not well-known by this point. The big issue, as the case has been for more than two decades, is: What is the legal status of the Caspian? If it is a sea, then all five countries map out their territorial waters and exploit the resources as they see fit. If the Caspian is designated as a lake, the so-called condominium approach would be in effect, meaning all the resources of the Caspian, and profits from those resources, would be split equally among the five countries. In fact, all five have already been developing sites in what would be their territorial waters. The real point of disagreement is over major bilateral projects such as the proposed Trans-Caspian Pipeline (TCP) that would involve shipping Turkmen gas across the bottom of the Caspian to Azerbaijan and then to points farther west. Turkmen state media (essentially the only kind of media Turkmenistan has) reported the positions of the five countries grew closer during this latest working group session, but that is pretty much what they say every time they meet. Absent from reports was any mention of whether Iran's position on the Caspian has changed. With some sanctions being lifted on the Islamic republic in connection with Tehran's agreement with world powers on a landmark nuclear deal, Iran is preparing to resume sales of oil and gas on world markets. It is not yet clear what influence that might have on Tehran's position regarding the status of the Caspian Sea, though it is likely Iran will continue to oppose the construction of the TCP, which now more than ever is a competitor project to Iran's own sales of gas. Russian-Turkmen Tensions Still, Iran might alter its position on the Caspian if there is any chance that would help draw investors to help develop the Iranian sector. It is also possible that, if Iran successfully reenters the global oil and gas market using other export routes, Tehran might not care so much about affairs in the Caspian Sea. The presence of Lavrov in Ashgabat while the special working group was meeting there as well seems more than a coincidence, though officially Lavrov was in Turkmenistan to open the new Russian Embassy building. Russian-Turkmen ties, rarely good, are currently worse than usual due to several issues, the status of the Caspian Sea and Turkmen gas exports among them. Turkmen and Russian media noted that the status of the Caspian was a topic of discussion when Lavrov met with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov. While Lavrov said the approaches of Russia and Turkmenistan to the status of the Caspian were "close," he offered no details; and it is difficult to see how that is possible. Berdymukhammedov mentioned, as he almost always does during visits by foreign officials, the need for the diversification of energy export routes, particularly from the Caspian region as a means of ensuring global energy security. Lavrov did not comment directly on that statement, but the Russian foreign minister did mention the possibility of Turkmenistan opening up a transport route with Russia. Berdymukhammedov said the idea had "potential," neglecting to point out there already was a transport route between the two countries that has almost completely closed as ties between Moscow and Ashgabat worsened. Lavrov also met with Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov, but reports of that meeting -- and of Lavrov's meeting with Berdymukhammedov -- made no mention of Russia's decision to drastically cut imports of Turkmen gas last year and totally cut those imports this year. Turkmenistan's Foreign Ministry has released a series of angry statements about Russia's decision to decrease, then cut, Turkmen gas imports, but the issue seems to have been strategically omitted during Lavrov's visit. Copyright (c) 2016 RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org Airlines resume flights to Tehran in post-sanctions era 01/30/16 Source: Radio Zamaneh Iranian media report that foreign airlines will soon be re-establishing flights to Tehran following the lifting of international sanctions against Iran. by Ali Jahanshahi, Shargh daily Mohammad Khodakarami, the deputy head of Iran's Civil Aviation Organization, was quoted by Iranian media on Thursday January 28 saying the agency is engaged in talks with British Airways officials who are in Tehran to discuss the resumption of flights to Tehran. He added that French and Dutch airlines have also expressed interest in doing so. Air France has announced that after seven years, it will resume flying to Tehran in April 2016. KLM has not announced any concrete plans about resuming flights to Iran. AFP reports that European airlines cut off their flights to Tehran following the imposition of Western sanctions on Iran. Currently, Iran Air has three flights per week to Tehran and two weekly flights to Paris and Amsterdam. Last week Iran announced that it is also reviewing the possibility of establishing a direct flight to the United States. If established, it would be the first such flight in more than 30 years. Iran has also announced that it is interested in purchasing several passenger planes from the U.S. company Boeing. Reports indicate, however, that an agreement for the purchase of 114 Airbus passengers planes was signed on Thursday in Paris. Family of Imprisoned Iranian Producer: Canada Must Do More 01/30/16 Source: International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran The family of prisoner of conscience Mostafa Azizi is calling on Canada to exert more pressure on Iran to release him following the prisoner swap that led to the freedom of four Iranian-Americans held in Iran. Mostafa Azizi Just as the American government made an effort to free its prisoners, I expect the Canadian government to do the same for my father, especially since they constantly talk about the importance of human rights, Azizis daughter, Parastoo, told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. Azizi, a television writer and producer who emigrated to Canada in 2008 and is a permanent resident, was arrested by security agents on February 11, 2015, shortly after returning to Iran for a family visit. He was sentenced by Judge Abolghasem Salavati of the Revolutionary Courts Branch 15 to eight years in prison for acting against national security, insulting the Supreme Leader, and propaganda against the state. No information was ever made public regarding evidence that substantiated any these charges. Azizi had written comments critical of government policies on his social media accounts-an activity that has landed many individuals behind bars in Iran. Azizi is currently awaiting the decision of the Appeals Court, which heard his case on September 20, 2015. The Canadian government announced this week that it will lift sanctions against Iran and reopen its embassy in Tehran. When I heard that [Iranian-Americans] had been freed, it made me very happy but it also made me think a lot about my fathers situation...We have tried many times to discuss my fathers case with Canadian officials, Parastoo Azizi told the Campaign. We wrote a letter to Justin Trudeau, the new Canadian prime minister, and told him that now that they are talking about resuming relations with Iran, they should not forget about Iranian-Canadian permanent residents in Irans prisons, said Azizi. I did not expect the Iranian government would arrest my father because he has not done anything to be imprisoned for, she said. Now that the atmosphere has opened up, I expect Iranian judicial officials will free my father unconditionally. Mostafa Azizi, who wrote and produced the popular series Mosafer (Traveler) in 2000 for Iranian state television (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, or IRIB), has been suffering from a severe lung infection and rheumatism made worse by unsanitary prison conditions and a lack of adequate medical attention, according to his daughter. His place is not in prison, she said. Iran to buy 40 planes from ATR 01/30/16 Source: Press TV Only days after Iran signed a landmark agreement to purchase 118 planes from Airbus, an aviation official in Tehran said a separate order to buy 40 turboprop planes from the European manufacturer ATR is in the pipeline. "We discussed the deals in Italy and France and ATR officials are expected in Tehran in the coming days to complete the agreement," Asghar Fakhrieh Kashan, a top deputy transport minister, has been quoted by the media as saying. "There will be 20 firm and 20 optional orders," he added, without specifying the value of the contract. ATR is based in France and is a joint partnership between two major European aeronautics players - France's Airbus Group and Italy's Finmeccanica. Iran signed an agreement with Airbus on Thursday over the purchase of 118 Airbus planes. The agreement - that was signed during the visit to Paris by the Iranian Hassan Rouhani - will provide Iran with 73 long-haul and 45 medium-haul planes with a total value of $25 billion. Iran's current civil aviation fleet consists of 248 aircraft with an average age of 20 years, of which 100 are in storage. The country will need to buy above 500 commercial jets of various models at a cost of $50 billion and has been talking to both Airbus and Boeing to acquire aircraft under lease or sale/leaseback deals. Russian major airplane makers have already voiced readiness to satisfy Iran's needs for planes. However, Mohammad Khodakarami, the deputy director of Iran's Civil Aviation Organization (CAO), said in early January that domestic airlines are not interested in Russian brands. 'Silk Road' train departs China for Iran 01/30/16 Source: Press TV China has flagged off its first direct freight train to Iran from the trading hub of Yiwu in what is seen as the groundbreaking initiative to get Beijing's ambitious New Silk Road connectivity project off the ground. The train that set off on Thursday is the first regular container train linking China to the Middle East. It will cover a journey of 10,399 km in its maiden journey to West Asia in14 days. After leaving China through the northwestern province of Xinjiang, it will pass through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan before heading for the Iranian capital. Yiwu is already connected by trains that head for Duisburg in Germany and Madrid. Silk Road map In 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping introduced the new "Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Maritime Silk Road" initiative to connect stronger logistics networks with Asia, Africa and Europe by building more roads, railways and airports. Beijing has launched the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) with $100 billion in capital and the New Silk Road Fund with a capital of $40 billion to fund major infrastructure projects in the region, including those pertaining to the development of the New Silk Road. Iran is strategically-located in the Middle East, sharing land borders with 15 nations, and sea channels on its northern and southwestern coasts. China sees Iran as a country that can play a crucial role in China's New Silk Road initiative given its access to extensive delivery routes connecting to the Middle East and Eurasia. Tehran has already pledged to support the New Silk Road initiative with an investment of $6 billion for the next six years, the Chinese media have reported. Data transmission using millimeter wave technology is getting a lot of press lately. First, the startup Starry has an event where it shows off a super-expensive router and its vision of how it might become a wireless ISP of-sorts: using high-frequency spectrum to transmit data signals to and from a box that hangs outside your house or apartment, which should (presumably) get you gigabit speeds so long as you have line-of-sight between the receiver and transmitter. And now, a new report from The Guardian(Opens in a new window) reveals that Google is also testing out millimeter wave technology for high-speed Internet access. Google's plan appears much different, however. First off, it's conducting its tests in secretunder the alleged codename of "SkyBender" (which sounds a bit more like the title of a James Bond film than an actual project). Google, unlike Starry, doesn't seem to be very interested in static base stations. Instead, Google is testing out flying drones and other support aircraft that would be able to use millimeter wave transmissions to give connected clients gigabit transmission speeds. However, the difficulty in doing so is that these transmissions have a working range that's much, much less than today's 4G transmissions. Google can use phased arrays to focus transmissions between a drone and a connected client, but it's an expensive (and power-hungry) proposition. As for what might happen when it rains, when it's foggy, or when some other weather condition affects the transmissions (or the drones themselves), we don't yet knowand Google might not either, given that the weather isn't likely to get very crazy at the New Mexico spaceport where the company is testing out these transmissions. It's actually leasing around 15,000 or so feet of space at the Virgin Galactic "Gateway to Space" terminal for an alleged $1,000 per day, and has spent around $300,000 for the various equipment it needs to run its tests. These tests will continue until July or so, which is how long the Federal Communications Commission has given the company permission to run them. It's unlikely that you'll see a bunch of solar-powered SkyBender drones hovering around the places you typically frequent at any point soon. However, since Google's SkyBender project falls under its Google Access teamwhich also works on Project Loonit's possible that Google could also be using its tests to work on more ways to quickly deploy wireless connectivity to areas that need it, like places affected by a natural disaster. Google is looking to add a new phone service for its Google Fiber(Opens in a new window) users. And if you've been following anything Google has been doing over the past few years, how Google Fiber Phone works shouldn't come as much of a surprise. With it, Google Fiber subscribers can use one phone number for every device they own, from smartphones to landlines. And they'll also get a few of the other Google Voice features, too: voicemails delivered as emails to their inboxes, spam filtering, call screening, and do-not-disturb modes, to name a few extras. Currently, Google Fiber Phone is only available to those who have been invited to partake in the program, and Google is only inviting people who have previously signed up for the company's Fiber Trusted Tester programessentially, its opt-in beta testing. If you're one of the lucky ones, you'll get a letter from Google asking you if you're interested in taking part. You have one week to reply to Google and, if you agree (and are selected to participate), Google will send a technician out your way to set the service up. "Please be aware that testing Google Fiber Phone will require a service visit in which a Fiber team member will come to your home to install a piece of equipment. If you're selected for this Trusted Tester group, we'll be actively seeking your feedbackboth good and badso that we can improve Fiber Phone once we launch it to all of our customers," Google's email reads(Opens in a new window). And you'll also have to keep your participation in the program hush-hush. "Please remember that the Trusted Tester program gives you early access to features which are not yet available to the public, so please help us keep this confidential." Whoops. As The Washington Post(Opens in a new window) notes, Google's moveif rolled out to all Google Fiber subscriberswould finally turn Google into a triple-play provider: voice, data, and television. That would put it at the same level as some of its peers like Comcast who, admittedly, have much, much larger market share right now than Google's fast (but fledgling) Fiber. And it could be a stepping stone to Google eventually bundling in its Project Fi(Opens in a new window) service as well, the company's low-cost cellular service that piggybacks on both T-Mobile and Sprint's networks. Tuskegee Airman Robert J. Friend spoke to more than 200 students at Rancho Verde High School in Moreno Valley on Friday about his experiences as a fighter pilot. The 95-year-old World War II veteran rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel during a 30-year career in the Air Force. He flew 142 missions as a fighter pilot in a Red Tail P-51 Mustang in the famed 332nd Fighter Group. He was among the the first group of American aviators to fly for the U.S. Army Air Forces. Friend was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal as a Tuskegee Airman by President George W. Bush in 2007. Contact the writer: community@pressenterprise.com Esri founder Jack Dangermond and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti jointly announced the launch of GeoHub, a portal that makes more than 500 types of map data available to the public. Dangermond described the launch as a career moment for me. The unveiling took place Friday morning at La Kretz Innovation Campus, a downtown tech incubator near the Los Angeles River. Garcetti called the news groundbreaking, not just for Los Angeles, but the way people and technology and cities interact. GeoHubs features include: Street Wize, which allows Los Angeles residents, employees and businesses to track permit activity in proposed construction areas. Road to 2400, which tracks Garcettis goals to repave the city. Vision Zero, tracking collisions to promote road safety. L.A. Tech Industry, which shows what types of businesses are registered and where they are located. The city runs on geographic data, said Dangermond. Im a little biased about this, but not that much. Maps and geographic information are central to operations in the police department, in public works, in planning almost every agency. Dangermond said Garcetti invited him to his house a year ago to share his vision for a portal that would make Los Angeles better. Esri is one of the worlds most prominent GIS data companies. It is based in Redlands. Website: geohub.lacity.org These days, the biggest obstacle facing liberal Democrats in Sacramento isnt necessarily conservative Republicans. A loosely formed bloc of moderate Democrats in the Assembly has stymied liberals, most notably in last falls watering down of an ambitious climate change bill. Moderate Democrats also are credited or blamed for the 2013 defeat of a bill that would have penalized large employers, like Wal-Mart, whose employees earn so little they qualify for Medi-Cal health insurance. The unofficial moderate caucus includes two Inland Democrats, Cheryl Brown of San Bernardino and Jose Medina of Riverside. Both are up for re-election this year, and Brown faces a challenge from a liberal Democrat. In a telephone interview, Brown said she considers herself more of a common sense person whose constituents tend to be a little different than people in affluent Bay Area communities. Its too bad that they have to put a label on it, said Brown, who represents part of San Bernardino city along with Colton, Grand Terrace, Fontana and Rialto. I look at things from both sides and take the information from both sides, added Brown, who voted against the so-called Wal-Mart loophole bill. In Sacramento, thats not something that always happens. Medina, whose district includes Riverside, Moreno Valley and Perris, welcomes the moderate label. I do consider myself part of the moderate caucus, he said. That fits in well with the area I represent. I dont think politics is always one way, Medina added. Youre not always with one group or always with another group. I take it vote by vote, issue by issue. Brown and Medina, both of whom took office in 2012, were the focus of intense lobbying last year by environmentalists and the oil and gas industry over SB 350, which originally called for a 50 percent reduction in motor vehicle petroleum use in California by 2030. That provision drew opposition from moderate Democrats, who worried it would hurt their constituents. Medina noted that many commuters in his district drive farther to work and use more gas than other Californians. Eventually, the provision was stripped from the bill, and Brown and Medina voted for the final version. It was an embarrassing setback for Democratic leaders, including Gov. Jerry Brown, who has made fighting climate change a top priority of his administration. UNOFFICIAL GROUP Moderates started gaining more influence after California voters approved the top-two primary system in 2010. The top two vote-getters for legislative offices, regardless of party, advance out of the primary to the general election. Political observers have said the new primary encourages more middle-of-the-road candidates who appeal to a wider range of voters. While Democrats control the Senate and Assembly, the party lacks the two-thirds majority needed to approve new taxes, giving moderate Democrats even more leverage. The top-two primary may have boosted the fortunes of moderate Democrats, though we need a couple of additional elections to know for sure, said Jack Pitney, a professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College. But the biggest force for fiscal moderation is Jerry Brown. Though he has progressive instincts, his long experience has taught him the need to watch the bottom line. If the next governor is less of a believer in fiscal restraint, moderate Democrats will face a test of their influence and will. The Inland area has a long tradition of sending moderate Democrats to Sacramento, said David Townsend, a veteran Sacramento political consultant. He mentioned former state Sen. Robert Presley as an example. The moderates arent an official legislative caucus; Townsend put their number at roughly two dozen out of 80 Assembly members. They tend to represent Inland areas as opposed to coastal communities. While the moderates are socially progressive and support labor, They really worry about going too far on regulatory stuff that could impact jobs and the economy, Townsend said. When the Legislature hears bills, the caucus will convene weekly to discuss legislation, Townsend said. The unofficial caucus leader, Henry Perea of Fresno, resigned in December to join a pharmaceutical lobbying group and Townsend said assembly members Rudy Salas, D-Bakersfield, and Jim Cooper, D-Elk Grove, have taken his place. Moderate backers include business interests. In recent years, Brown and Medina have reported accepting $6,100 and $13,900, respectively from Californians for Jobs & a Strong Economy, campaign finance records show. The political action committee has donors such as the California Association of Realtors, AT&T, Anthem Blue Cross, Wal-Mart and Chevron. From 2012 to 2014, Medina reported accepting more than $2,300 in gifts from the corporate-backed California Issues Forum, including dinners, lunches and participation in a a panel, according to records. Brown reported roughly $1,000 in meals and a speech/panel from the forum, records show. Brown said donating to her campaign doesnt buy anything. If someone is going to give me a donation many times I dont know about it because its probably unsolicited, she said. I will take contributions because thats the way the system works. If the Sierra Club wants to give me a donation, Ill take it. Brown added she receives more donations from labor unions than oil companies. LIKE A MARRIAGE Brown, Medina and other state lawmakers elected after 2012 wont be term-limited out until 2024. Liberal groups who see moderates as a legislative roadblock might not wait that long. Colton-based attorney Eloise Reyes has announced plans to run against Brown. In 2014, Reyes ran for the 31st Congressional District as the progressive outsider alternative to fellow Democrat and establishment favorite Pete Aguilar, winning the endorsement of prominent Democrats such as Rep. Xavier Becerra of Los Angeles. Aguilar eventually won the seat representing part of San Bernardino County. But Reyes, who finished fourth out of seven candidates in the primary, raised more than $1 million for her campaign, including from liberal donors such as EMILYs List, a PAC that seeks to elect pro-choice Democratic women. Brown thinks outside groups are behind Reyes campaign. Its people from outside of our community who are trying to say that the Inland Empire should think the way they do, Brown said. In a telephone interview, Reyes said no one convinced her to run against Brown and she wasnt promised any support from liberal groups. Cheryls record is the reason that I am running, Reyes said. In the end, its about knowing the community that we represent and making sure that we represent the best interest of the community and making sure Sacramento special interests are not at the top of our list. Specifically, Reyes criticized Browns stance on the petroleum use provision in SB 350. Brown countered that Reyes doesnt have an environmental record. Reyes Assembly bid has been endorsed by state Sen. Connie Leyva, D-Chino, a former president of the California Labor Federation. The Brown/Reyes contest illustrates the split between hard-line ideological liberals and more practical-minded Democrats, Pitney said. On a local level, it resembles the division between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. So far, Medina only faces a GOP challenger, Moreno Valley small business owner Hector Diaz. Medina said hes not worried about facing a Democrat in 2016. I think the Democratic Party historically has been a big tent, Medina said. I dont think anybody would question that Im a solid Democrat and that I support issues Democrats support, including gay rights. Townsend, the Sacramento political consultant, said he expects the Legislatures Democratic leadership to step up and defend incumbent moderates. The collateral damage and the price (liberals) pay for challenging a sitting member over a couple of votes will be severe and harsh, he said. Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez, R-Lake Elsinore, said while the moderate Democrats arent with her on every issue, On issues of taxation, there are times they are with us. Its like a marriage, she said. The husband and wife dont get along all the time but when they do, its a beautiful thing. Contact the writer: 951-368-9547 or jhorseman@pressenterprise.com The prolonged clash between the city of San Bernardino and the city firefighters union seems to be coming to an end. It was announced Monday that the two sides reached an agreement to conclude years of legal bickering, clearing the way for the county to take over fire services, a key component of the citys recovery plan from bankruptcy. Resolution to the conflict means one less headache over the vapid, surprisingly meritless and befuddled legal challenges of the firefighters union, as U.S. District Judge Judge Otis D. Wright II described some of the unions appeals last year. The entire conflict basically boiled down to the union being unwilling to engage in good-faith negotiations with the bankrupt city government, unlike every other union in San Bernardino that had the good sense and decency to make sacrifices when they needed to be made. The citys willingness to meet and compromise, and the unions stubbornness, is quite apparent from the wealth of email traffic between the parties, Judge Wright wrote in one of his decisions, in May 2015. The year before that, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Meredith Jury observed stonewalling on the part of the union. With some sort of agreement finally attained, the city can finally focus on substantive, legitimate issues, rather than wasting time and money on the pettiness of the firefighters union and its lawyers. What happens next is slightly more complicated. On Wednesday, the Local Agency Formation Commission unanimously approved moving forward with San Bernardinos plan to outsource fire services to the county. Under the plan, the citys fire services would be annexed into Fire Protection District Service Zone FP5-5, and a $148 parcel tax would be levied in fiscal year 2016-17. Before the plan is finalized, however, residents have time to protest the decision. Unsurprisingly, property owners are unhappy with the prospect of a tax hike to cover the tab for years of city mismanagement. Fundamentally, it was the San Bernardino city government that failed city residents, in large part by catering mostly to public employee unions rather than the taxpaying public. This is an important time for residents, taxpayers and property owners in San Bernardino to become, and stay, involved in the political process and make their priorities clear to their government. The ballroom of the Lake Norconian Club hotel boasts the same chandeliers, marble floors and hand-painted murals that Hollywoods biggest stars came to see in the 1920s. But Norco conservationist Linda Dixon last week walked through a ballroom vastly different than guests of old were accustomed to because of what she calls more than a decade of neglect by state prison officials: raccoons chewing on wood and wiring, cats ambling past giant columns and piles of animal droppings at least 8 inches high. Its devastating to see a historic building reduced to a home for raccoons and stray cats, said Dixon, president of the Lake Norconian Club Foundation. The former luxury hotel, now surrounded by prison cells and administrative offices, served as the California Rehabilitation Centers administrative office until 2001, when the building closed because of structural issues. Today, shattered windows and cracked roof tiles can be seen through the chain-link fence surrounding the Spanish-style building. The foundation sued the California Department of Corrections in 2014, alleging the building, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, had been neglected. In November, the foundation was granted permission by a judge to enter the Norconian and protect it from winter weather while a pending lawsuit over the buildings future is settled. The interim decision allows temporary fixes only. Weve been trying to repair it for 13 years, Dixon said. What would have been an easy repair has become something incredibly difficult because of the neglect of the prison system. CDC spokesman Bill Sessa said he would not discuss ongoing litigation. Last week, contractors started patching holes in the roof, boarding windows, clearing drains and installing a submersible pump on the roof. Structural work will continue, as will the removal of historic artifacts such as chandeliers, decorative doorknobs and lavish fixtures. Dixon said it will cost about $60,000 to weatherize the building from heavy rains expected during the next few months. Private donors have chipped in about $20,000. The city contributed the same amount. Norco Mayor Kevin Bash and former Councilwoman Kathy Azevedo are members of the foundation. The contractors, as well as a storage facility manager housing the artifacts, have offered the foundation a discounted rate because they believe in what were doing, Dixon said. Alameda County Superior Court Judge George C. Hernandez wrote in his ruling that it is likely the (Lake Norconian Club) Foundation will prevail over the state Department of Corrections, in which case all repair costs would be reimbursed. The former hotels future is uncertain. Even if the judge hands the building over to the foundation, the hotel is surrounded by 100-plus acres of prison land. Hundreds of inmates are housed less than 100 feet away, in a World War II addition adjacent to the hotel. The prison has been on the chopping block several times. Gov. Jerry Brown had called for its closure by the end of this year, but state corrections officials announced on Jan. 7 that the facility would stay open for several years to stay below a cap on inmate populations, adding that closing Norco prison remains a priority. Our goal is to preserve and protect that property, whether the prison is there or if it isnt, Dixon said. We want to make sure our future generations can use and enjoy that hotel. Dixon said if the Norconian were owned by the city, the foundation, or some combination of the two, she would envision something akin to the Mission Inn, which has helped bolster the commercial district in downtown Riverside. It would reap many benefits for the entire region, Dixon said of a refurbished Norconian. The hotel is in better shape now than the Mission Inn was at the point of that construction. The foundation is hosting a Mardi Gras fundraiser on Feb. 13 at Nellie Weaver Hall in Norco. All donations are tax-deductible and go toward the renovation effort. Dixon hopes to see about 300 people in attendance, enough to fund the remaining work needed at the Norconian. City Councilman Berwin Hanna, who voted in favor of donating city money to the restoration effort, said: the building would be one of the main attractions in the area if the foundation takes it over. It would be nice to see it get it all remodeled and restored, Hanna said. I was in there once in the early 90s; it was just a fantastic place to be. Hopefully, its not all gone to pot. UPDATE (Saturday, Sept. 10): Fugitive arrested in Perris restaurant shooting that killed 1, injured 4 The Riverside County Sheriffs Department on Friday, Jan. 29, released a photo of a man who is wanted for questioning in connection with the Jan. 25 shooting at a Perris restaurant that killed one person and wounded four others. Investigators described the person of interest as a Hispanic male, 30 to 40 years old with facial hair and driving a light-colored or tan Ford Explorer of an unknown year of manufacture or license plate. The photo was taken the day of the shooting, Deputy Mike Vasquez said. Anyone with information on the man is asked to contact homicide investigators at 951-955-2777. Investigators posted a news release that included fliers in English and Spanish. Investigators do not know the mans name, Vasquez said. About 1 a.m. Jan. 25, someone opened fire at the Nayarit Mexican restaurant at 140 S. D St. Five men were found shot. Vasquez said no date has been set for releasing the name of the person who was killed. The Sheriffs Department did not disclose that the shooting had happened until almost 36 hours after it happened. Thats because detectives were concerned that releasing information would jeopardize the investigation, especially their ability to arrest a suspect. UPDATE (Saturday, Jan. 30): San Francisco police say the person who tipped off the white vans location was a man. Orange County Sheriffs Sandra Hutchens announced at a noon press conference that Hossein Nayeri and Jonathan Tieu have been caught and are in the custody of the San Francisco Police Department. A man in a Whole Foods parking lot in San Francisco recognized the white van he had seen on television that the duo were suspected of living in. RELATED: OC JAIL ESCAPE: Anatomy of a jailbreak How they carried out their escape He called police at 8:20 a.m., and they swooped in quickly and caught two fugitives who had escaped from the Orange County Mens Central Jail, ending an eight-day manhunt that stretched from Santa Ana to San Jose to San Francisco. A smiling Hutchens announced the details of the capture Saturday. She said Hossein Nayeri, 37, and wanted on kidnap and torture charges, was caught after a short foot chase. Jonathan Tieu, 20, wanted on murder charges, was caught inside the van. Ammunition was found in the van, but no weapon. The two fugitives will be transported to Orange County and they will be housed differently than they had previously, Hutchens said. They will not be housed together. Friday, Bac Duong, the third inmate who had escaped, turned himself in at an auto parts store in Santa Ana. Duong, 43, wanted for attempted murder, had cooperated with investigators after he was taken into custody, Hutchens said. The men escaped Orange County jail sometime after a 5 a.m. headcount on Jan. 22, cutting through barriers, squeezing through a plumbing tunnel and rappelling off the roof using bed sheets as a rope. They werent discovered missing until after a second headcount around 8 p.m., giving them a head start of several hours. The third escapee, Bac Duong, 44, was arrested in Santa Ana after he turned himself in around 11:30 a.m. Friday. Hallock said the trio apparently fled to the San Jose area in a stolen white van with tinted windows and Duong later traveled back to Santa Ana to turn himself in. Duong is now cooperating with authorities, he said. According to a report by CBS News, the fugitives spent two nights Wednesday and Thursday in room No. 14 at The Alameda Motel in San Jose. The manager, who didnt want identify himself, said a friend paid for the room in cash. And he saw a white van parked outside. But by checkout time Friday morning, the men, considered armed and dangerous, were gone. So was the van. During a news conference, Hallock looked into the cameras and said he had a message for the remaining two escapees: We are pressing forward, were coming after you, and we will take you back into custody. All three of the escapees are accused of violent crimes: Duong is charged with attempted murder, Tieu is charged with murder and attempted murder, and Nayeris charges, which include torture, aggravated mayhem and two counts of kidnapping, stem from accusations that he kidnapped a marijuana store owner and severed his penis. On Thursday, Nooshafarin Ravaghi, a 44-year-old teacher from Lake Forest, was arrested on suspicion of aiding the men as they planned their escape. Ravaghi worked part-time as an English as a Second Language teacher inside the jail and allegedly developed a close relationship with Nayeri, a former U.S. Marine who speaks English but took Ravaghis ESL courses. Authorities on Friday did not describe the nature of the relationship but said Ravaghi and Nayeri, both originally from Iran, corresponded by mail. Their relationship was much more personal than it should have been, Hallock said. Ravaghi is expected to be arraigned Monday on charges of being an accessory to a felony. She is accused of providing Nayeri with a printout of a Google map that showed the roof of the jail. Some corrections experts this week criticized the Sheriffs Department for its gap in the number of prisoner body counts. The Central Mens Jail conducts two body counts, at 5 a.m. and 8 p.m., and three administrative checks throughout the day. On Friday, the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs joined in the criticism. In a letter addressed to Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens, the union said employees voiced concerns that inmate counts were not being properly conducted, but they received pushback from management. The decision to flaunt such a critical Department procedure calls into question whether other vital Department procedures were ignored, putting the safety of the men and women who work in the Central Mens Jail, the inmates, and the public who depend on us in jeopardy, said union President Tom Dominguez. Hutchens could not be reached for comment late Friday on the issue, but has previously said that the department is reviewing inmate counts and other jail issues in the wake of the escapes. Nayeri, who is believed to have masterminded the escape, has fled prosecution at least twice before. He spent time in Washington, D.C., after fleeing officials in Madera County, where in 2005 he was in a drunken driving accident in which a passenger in his car was killed. In 2012, after his initial arrest in the torture and kidnapping case, he jumped bail and fled to Iran. He was re-arrested in 2013 in Prague. Nayeri served time in the Marines Corps at Camp Pendleton but received a bad conduct discharge in 2001 for being absent without leave, according to military records. This story is developing. Check back for updates. Riverside County authorities have remained tough on pot despite a statewide drop in marijuana-related arrests. From 2009 to 2014, misdemeanor marijuana arrests in California dropped 90 percent thanks to a 2010 law that made possession of up to 1 ounce of the drug a civil infraction, akin to rolling through a stop sign. Felony pot-related arrests dropped 22 percent from 2008 to 2014. Though misdemeanor marijuana arrests in Riverside County also significantly dropped, felony pot arrests bucked the statewide trend, increasing slightly from 448 in 2008 to 450 in 2014 less than 0.01 percent. Riverside County law enforcement officials have maintained that the felony arrest numbers dont reflect any specific programs or crackdowns. District Attorney Michael Hestrin chalked it up to the countys rapid growth during the past decade and its susceptibility to drug trafficking. We have drugs pouring into the county in epidemic proportions, Hestrin said in an interview Friday. SAN BERNARDINO: Police dont expect trouble at pot event The difference between misdemeanor and felony marijuana arrests depends on whether law enforcement believes the drugs are meant for sale, Hestrin said. What determines that is largely circumstantial the amount, if its packaged, or other evidence found. Though much of the drugs that come through Riverside County are meant to be sold somewhere else, the geographic location and rural nature put the county in the center of the national drug trade, Hestrin said. You have to look at it from a business perspective, Hestrin explained. If you have to put up stash houses and move product, Riverside County has wide spaces that make that easy. Hestrin said much of the pot seized in the county is found on the freeways that course through it. Riverside County Sheriffs Department spokesman Sgt. Mike Manning said deputies also work with Riverside County Code Enforcement to bust illegal marijuana grow operations. Growing marijuana without a medical card is illegal in unincorporated areas of the county. Several cities in the county have also adopted ordinances banning marijuana cultivation, and the Sheriffs Department helps enforce those ordinances within the cities that contract with it. LEGALIZE IT? As initiatives to legalize recreational marijuana proceed toward Californias November ballot, Hestrin doesnt believe drug trafficking through the area will let up. Its a fantasy to believe that if we legalize it there wouldnt be a black market, Hestrin said. Some people dont think that if theres a legal market its going to drive up the cost. If thats the case, law enforcements work fighting drug trafficking wont let up either. Ill enforce what the people accept, Hestrin said. But I think it would be very naive for people to think that once we get there, were not going to have the same law enforcement issues. The Sheriffs Department hasnt taken a clear stance on the pot legalization initiatives, Manning said, but it does support the California State Sheriffs Associations opinion. The association comprised of all 58 California sheriffs opposes the effort to decriminalize marijuana, saying it contradicts the interests of public health, safety and welfare of Californians. The potential for abuse and overdose is extremely great, according to the association in a written statement. Law enforcement is on the front lines of the damage, lost lives and broken communities that result from the careless use of this drug. San Bernardino Police Department Lt. Rich Lawhead said the department doesnt take a stance on the legalization efforts either. Whether marijuana use remains illegal or not, Lawhead said he hopes the laws will be clear so officers can accurately enforce them. Given the current state laws pertaining to medical marijuana, sometimes officers struggle to identify when somebody is legally possessing marijuana. It makes it difficult on law enforcement, because there are a million different cannabis clubs and a million different cards, Lawhead said. It puts the officer in situations that could create a liability for the city. Hestrin said he doesnt support the effort to legalize recreational marijuana, but at the same time he doesnt believe people should be unjustly punished for pot. Nobody is in our jail for possession of marijuana, and Im fine with that, Hestrin said. Yet he thinks voters should think carefully about what they may be voting in. I still have a problem thinking that we are going to legalize a substance and bring in all this tax money, Hestrin said. I think our laws should reflect our public values and what people want. Four teenage boys suspected of attacking another teen boy in Perris were arrested Friday, Jan. 29, police said. Deputies from the Riverside County Sheriffs Perris Station responded to a robbery Jan. 22 and discovered a 14-year-old Perris resident had been attacked by four male teenagers near a movie theater, according to a news release. The suspects beat up the teen and stole his belongiings, including articles of clothing before leaving, police said. The victim required treatment from paramedics for undisclosed injuries. No suspects were found that night, but the Perris stations Burglary Suppression Team was able to identify the suspects, who were arrested Friday, Jan. 29. The four boys were booked into Southwest Juvenile Detention Center in Murrieta on suspicion of robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery, police said. When we first brought you news of Gilmore Girls impending revival, the world knew not if the original cast would be reassembled, nor how the shows wondrous reappearance would take shape. Today, those sliiightly important factors have been accounted for, with Netflixs announcement Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel are definitely returning to Stars Hollow. Scott Patterson and Kelly Bishop are reprising their roles as well. Also rubber-stamped: the shows predicted four-piece miniseries format, keeping in line with Netflixs penchant for doling out nostalgic goodness without overworking the material. The newies are being pumped out in association with Warner Bros., too. The shows mastermind Amy Sherman-Palladino is back with husband / writer Daniel Palladino to work out whats been confirmed as Gilmore Girls real final season, and Graham herself seems duly stoked on the whole deal. I CAN NOW CONFIRM: its time for me, and this jacket I stole in 2007, to return to work.@netflix #GilmoreGirls pic.twitter.com/tBb07J9oO1 Lauren Graham (@thelaurengraham) January 29, 2016 Notably absent from this slab of mid-00s nostalgia: Melissa McCarthy. Last year, McCarthy said Im not doing anything with it, but I keep hearing about it, I have not heard anything official about it. Although filming has obviously kicked on, no date has been set for the reboots arrival, which means theres still time to get her back on board. Right? Right? Source: Variety / Netflix. Photo: Twitter. In search of some Punxsutawney Phil trivia? Here's everything you could possibly want to know about the groundhog, ahead of the 130th Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney on Feb. 2. Punxsutawney Phil conducts an interview after predicting an early Spring on Groundhog Day at Gobblers Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa. 02/02/2013 Sean Simmers | ssimmers@pennlive.com How old is Punxsutawney Phil? Phil is 130 years old, supposedly. The average groundhog lives to be between 6-8 years, but Phil takes a magical elixir every summer to extend his lifespan. The elixir also changes his appearance (much like the Doctor in "Doctor Who"), which explains why Phil may be grey one year and a youthful brown the next. Alas, the elixir does not work on humans. "We've tried, it just makes them fat and bald," said Ron Ploucha, Stump Warden of the Inner Circle of the Groundhog Club and co-handler of Phil. "If you saw some of our Inner Circle members you can tell the ones that tried." What's Punxustawney Phil's full name? The groundhog's name is Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators and Weather Prophet Extraordinary. How do we know if the groundhog saw this shadow? When Phil comes out of his stump on Gobbler's Knob on Groundhog Day, he has a conversation with the president of the Inner Circle of the Groundhog Club in Groundhogese. The president then announces Phil's prediction. What's the weirdest prediction Phil has made? He once threatened when he threatened to impose 60 weeks of winter if he didn't get some booze during Prohibition. That probably counts as the weirdest. What does Phil eat? Oat and honey granola bars are Phil's favorite food, according to Ploucha - in particular Nature Valley ones. How does Phil get around? He has a special car called the Philmobile. It's a little bus that houses members of the Inner Circle. Phil has a special seat on the outside, so he can be seen on parades. Does Phil do anything weird? Oftentimes during summer parades, crowds will panic as the Philmobile draws through. That's because they will see Phil lying flat on his back, legs in the air looking dead. But he isn't, this is just how groundhogs cool off, according to Ploucha. One tap on the glass and Phil turns himself the right way round again. Is Phil the reason we have a longer winter? No, he just predicts it. "Some people get upset when he calls for six more weeks of winter," Ploucha said. "But it's not his fault that he sees that coming." This story is adapted from 2015's Groundhog Day 2015: Punxsutawney Phil's history (and why he threatened 60 weeks of winter in the 20s!) and 2013's Groundhog Day: 10 bits of Punxsutawney Phil trivia. By Mimi Brodeur | mbrodeur@pennlive.com I've selected the following first four restaurants as fun and lively places to take a first date. Noisy and upbeat, everyone has a good time and a great meal. The remaining four consist of more intimate eateries. Hold hands and exchange private conversations at tables for two. Don't Edit Mark Pynes | mpynes@pennlive.com The Millworks 340 Verbeke St., Harrisburg, 717-695-4888 To say this place is abuzz with curious customers of all ages and dress is an understatement. The Millworks is one huge step in changing our awareness of local and sustainable food choices but also it is re-energizing community support for Midtown Harrisburgs artists, area farmers and businesses. Retooled lumber beautifully accentuates the main dining room, 23 artist studios and common art space for workshops. Locally cured meats are showcased on the urban picnic appetizer ($16). Cornmeal crusted crisply fried Limestone rainbow trout, $26 is thick, sweet and meaty. Its served with toasted couscous. Chocolate mousse and peanut butter ganache are layered together with stout soaked sponge cake to form a very rich and intense, memorable dessert ($7). Don't Edit James Robinson Los Tres Cubanos 540 Race St., Harrisburg, 717-635-8145 In Shipoke on the cuff of Harrisburg, it is all about Cuban cuisine, camaraderie and refreshing hand-shaken artisanal cocktails such as blueberrry-lemonade mojitos ($9), manjon mango ($10) and Cuban chocolate ($12) martinis. Shrimp and bay scallop ceviche ($14) has refreshing hints of lemon and lime. Lechon asado ($14/$19), a slow-roasted pork shoulder, simmers for at least seven hours in the oven, which gives the meat that mouth-watering, meltingly delicious flavor. Whole, deep-fried red snapper ($28) peers up from the plate with a smirk. The fish is a treasure trove of moist, sweet flaky meat. Tres leche cake ($7) layers heavy cream and condensed milk. This moist, vanilla-scented cake is scrumptious. Don't Edit Jethro's 659 First St., Lancaster, 717-299-1700 This clandestine restaurant blends in with neighboring brick built row houses off a side street in Lancaster. A local favorite for over 30 years, a lively interior is fueled by regular patron laughter at the bar. It is known for its innovative Americana cuisine the Jethro Burger slathered in port wine rosemary sauce ($10.95), soft and very tender lamb tenderloins brushed with sweet hoisin BBQ sauce and sauteed duck breast scented by vanilla glaze ($23.95). Don't Edit Bulls Head Public House 14 E. Main St., Lititz, 717-626-2115 Dont bring the kids on this date. Grown-up beer drinking takes place at the bar as folks contemplate numerous tap choices. The Main Street Lititz haunt is friendly and packed on most weekends. No matter, bartenders keep drinks pouring and food flowing. Heavy drapes, long hanging chandeliers and a convivial main bar area add to the charm of this American-British pub. Share the meat and cheese board ($18) with your date, which is stocked with plenty of varied meats and cheeses, crostini, dried fruit and mustard spread. Then delve into house favorite choices; bangers and mash ($12.50) made with local sausages, Shepherds pie ($14) with bites of tender lamb and chicken tikka masala ($14) served over basmati rice. Don't Edit Don't Edit Daniel Zampogna, PennLive Visaggio's Ristorante 6990 Wertzville Road, Enola, 717-697-8082 Everyone loves pasta and dessert at Visaggios. Tender-pounded veal dishes are equally reputable. However the best kept secret is a dish named after owner Rosemary Lumadue-Visaggios late father, Gilberto Chisberto Visaggio (34.95). Prime filet mignon, roasted red peppers and skewered jumbo gulf shrimp highlight this dish. You won't go hungry here, and at this point it's time to stop and consider making room for outrageous desserts. Who wouldnt want to do a face plant in either the Parrozza ($7.95) or Cassatta ($7.95)? Don't Edit Bricco 31 S. 3rd St., Harrisburg, 717-724-0222 From the granite, semi-circular chef's table, watch "the line" prepare your meals selected from a robust Italian- and Mediterranean-themed menu. My two favorite, very flavorful small plates are crispy Brussels sprouts tossed with sriracha honey vinaigrette ($7) and salt roasted beets, broken pistachio dressing and shaved ricotta salata ($6). Margherita pizza ($14) and Kennett Square mushroom, caramelized onion and truffle oil ($15) pizza are house favorites and they stay put on the PA Preferred-focused menu. Vegetarians swoon over fork-tender eggplant involtini made with herbed ricotta and fresh-tasting tomato sauce with spicy, roasted corn polenta ($22). For carnivorous appetites there is slow-braised lamb shoulder and house-made lamb sausages on the same plate ($32). Desserts are always fabulous. Save room and share the mini plate ($12) with your honey consisting of cannoli, peanut butter truffles and flourless chocolate cake. Bricco is celebrating its 10th year with a special 6-course tasting menu Feb. 20. Don't Edit Photo courtesy of the What If Cafe Facebook page What If Cafe 3424 N. 6th St., Harrisburg, 717-238-1155 This neighborly home has long been known for its appetizing and inventive New American cuisine. Sit across from your date at snug white-tableclothed tables for two while enjoying a special five-course ($55) Valentines Day menu. Some of the highlights are classic Oysters Rockfeller baked on the half shell with spinach, splash of Pernod, and chopped bacon. These bivalves slide down easily napped with creamy Mornay sauce. It will be hard to decide on the choice of entree featuring such luscious dishes as these two on the lineup: lobster ravioli with Mimosa sauce and jumbo shrimp or chargrilled Delmonico steak with brandy green peppercorn sauce. Don't Edit Mark Palczewski Citronnelle 110 W. Orange St., Lancaster, 717-208-6697 Beneath close-ups of brilliantly lit food shots, streamlined banquette seats stretch across a sleek, polished wood backdrop. A subtly lit, cozy room with close-knit diners creates an intimate dinner party atmosphere. Whimsical and imaginative, Chef Rafaels Modern French creations are works of detailed art. Reservations for 2-plus-hour gourmet 5-course Valentine's meals will be accepted for Feb. 13 and Feb. 14. Restaurant Inspections.jpg (PennLive.com) Many midstate restaurants are inspected each week and come through with no problems. But some restaurants in Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry and York counties had violations during inspections conducted from Jan. 3 to Jan. 9. In Perry County, inspectors discovered a facility had opened without an inspection or a license. At a York County, inspectors noted a baseboard pulling away from the wall next to deep fat fryers because of grease and food spillage down the wall that ran into the coving. At another, they found roaches and dead mice. In Dauphin County, a restaurant was found to have inadequate sanitation measures and there was accumulated food and debris on the floor under the grill. At a Lancaster County facility, there was no soap at the employee hand-wash sinks. A food market was found to be repackaging food in an unapproved manner. In Lebanon County, a number of schools were inspected, with varied results. At a Cumberland County restaurant, trays of chicken were being stored on top of trash cans in the kitchen and chicken in the freezer was not being stored in food-grade bags. Another failed to notify the department of an imminent health threat as required and cease operations. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture oversees restaurant inspections in the state. Inspection reports are "snapshots" of the day and time the inspections took place. In many cases, violations are corrected on site prior to the inspector leaving. Click on the links below to see how restaurants in the region fared: Hillary Rodham Clinton In this Oct. 18, 2011, file photo, then-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton checks her Blackberry from a desk inside a C-17 military plane upon her departure from Malta, in the Mediterranean Sea, bound for Tripoli, Libya. The Obama administration is confirming, Friday, Jan. 29, 2016, for the first time that Hillary Clinton's unsecured home server contained some closely guarded secrets, including material requiring one of the highest levels of classification. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool Photo via AP, File) WASHINGTON -- The State Department confirmed Friday that at least 22 emails sent or received by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on her home server contained information deemed to be "top secret," one of the highest levels of U.S. government classification. Here is a look at what we do and don't know at this point. WHAT WE KNOW: The State Department said Friday that it would withhold 22 documents from its release of Clinton's emails because of the classification issue and that it would take appropriate action if it determines that security regulations were breached. The State Department is in the process of releasing 55,000 documents that Clinton sent or received on her home email server. It has not completed reviewing those documents but has so far retroactively classified more than 1,200 of them. The vast majority of those have been designated as "confidential," the lowest level of classification, and a handful have been at the second-highest level of "secret." Friday's announcement about the 22 documents -- comprising seven email chains covering 37 pages -- is the first time the department has decided to withhold documents because information in them has been deemed "top secret." The department says the documents were not marked classified at the time they were sent or received by Clinton. But it says is looking into whether they should have been. The department says that "if warranted," it will take appropriate action in response to the revelation. That action could include counseling or issuing warnings or security violations if it determines that the information was mishandled in violation of classification regulations. WHAT WE DON'T KNOW: The State Department is refusing to discuss the content of the 22 emails deemed to contain "top secret" information. It remains unclear if the information could have come from publicly available sources despite now being classified as "top secret." It also remains unclear if Clinton will face any punitive action over the revelation as multiple investigations into her use of a homebrew server are continuing. Clinton, the Democratic presidential front-runner, insists she never sent or received information on her personal email account that was classified at the time. No emails released so far were stamped "CLASSIFIED" or "TOP SECRET," but reviewers previously designated more than 1,000 messages at lower classification levels. Friday's will be the first at top secret level. Even if Clinton didn't write or forward the messages, she still would have been required to report any classification slippages she recognized in emails she received. But without classification markings, that may have been difficult, especially if the information was publicly available. Michelle Inch.png Police are concerned about the whereabout of Michelle Inch, whose parents were the victims of a home invasion robbery. (Provided photo) CANTON -- One of the suspects in Wednesday's armed home invasion in Lycoming County told an in-law the day before the incident that he felt like burning down someone's house. Michael Jason Houseweart seemed depressed Tuesday and was upset about Facebook messages between his girlfriend and an ex-boyfriend, according to a state police search warrant affidavit. The girlfriend was Michelle Lynn Inch, 31, the daughter of Gary and Linda Inch, who were awakened at gunpoint in their bi-level home near Montoursville early Wednesday, restrained with duct tape and robbed before a fire was set with the aid of gasoline. Houseweart and Brian Matthew Vroman, both 27 and of Canton, are in the Lycoming County Prison without bail charged in connection with the armed invasion and arson. Michelle Inch remains missing. She was last seen about 5 p.m. Tuesday with Houseweart in Canton. Her cell phone went dead Tuesday, her abandoned car was found Thursday in a rural area outside Canton, and there has been no activity on her bank or credit cards, police said. On Friday afternoon, volunteer firefighters and divers searched in and around Rose Valley Lake in northern Lycoming County. "We are searching any area that Ms. Inch and Houseweart were known to frequent," Trooper Angela L. Bieber said. "We have no hard evidence she is there but just following every possible lead," she said. Inch and Houseweart had lived together for about a month in her parents' home but had a recent falling out, investigators said. The search warrant affidavit revealed Gary and Linda Inch went with their daughter to the state police barracks in Montoursville Tuesday to report fraudulent activity in their checking accounts. The affidavit states a check stolen from the couple had been deposited in the account of their daughter last Saturday and several ATM withdrawals were attempted Monday in Canton. According to the affidavit, a stolen check belonging to Michelle Inch made out to Houseweart was cashed at a bank in Canton with $50 deposited and $150 taken in cash. A third check stolen from Gary Inch also was made out to Houseweart, with $100 of it being deposited and $200 taken in cash, the document states. State police say they believe the motive for the home invasion was robbery and might be tied to drugs. After the robbers fled with cash, a flat screen television, poker set and two cell phones, Linda Inch freed herself and went to a neighbor's for help. Montoursville firefighters rescued her husband. She was treated at Williamsport Regional Medical Center for smoke inhalation and released. He was transferred to Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest in Allentown where he was reported in stable condition Friday. An arrest affidavit states Houseweart admitted Vroman and he broke into the home in the 100 block of Sechler Drive. Each is charged with 43 counts that include attempted homicide, arson, robbery, aggravated assault and theft. This undated photo provided by the Orange County Sheriff's Department shows Hossein Nayeri. Sheriff Sandra Hutchens earlier this week cited Nayeri's troubled and conniving past when she labeled him as "most probably the mastermind" of a stunning jail break that blindsided authorities and has put three inmates on the loose. Nayeri racked up a stunning list of criminal exploits in the decade leading up to his breakout, including a high-speed police chase, a sordid torture case and a flight overseas to avoid capture. (Orange County Sheriff's Department via AP) MEDIA QUESTIONNAIRE Name of Publication Established (Give exact date) ADDRESS TELEPHONE FAX NO NAME OF EDITOR Name of Printer Language Frequency Please attach a copy of declaration certificate Off Days Please specify whether morning, evening or state the date of issue Date on which the first issue was brought out Any special edition Price per copy Annual subscription Editorial Objectives and policy Appeal to any special community, class or section News services subscribed to Special regular features (i.e Womens or Children page etc) & when appearing Pinoy Mountaineer is calling for a constructive conversation about what we should do to preserve the beauty of Mt. Pulag and other mountains in light of the problems brought about unregulated ecotourism. Contributions are welcome at news@pinoymountaineer.com. by Justin Hawthorne Professional Mountain Guide & member of the Mountain Club of South Africa CAPE TOWN I will contribute to this conversation as I have hiked Mt Pulag and feel any discussion related to conserving and protecting the National Park is of great importance. It is a mountain of incredible beauty, offering a wonderful multi-day hiking trail one I would love to do again. When we hiked the trail, we were the only hikers ascending via the Akiki Trail, and the only ones sleeping at the summit camp (3 pax, incl. guide). We descended via the relatively straight forward Ambangeg Trail. I do not have a thorough knowledge of all the politics and agreements in place in terms of who manages the Park, the relationship between neighboring farms/landowners and the Park, any issues and concerns over the flora and fauna within the boundaries, and I have not read all the latest rules and regulations regarding hiking Mt Pulag. However, from my experience, I picked up similarities in terms of issues faced with Mt Pulag, and the Table Mountain National Park in Cape Town, South Africa and also noted certain issues which Pulag should address. The Table Mountain National Park (formerly Table Mountain Nature Reserve pre-1998) has a policy in place which bans anybody from camping on the mountain. There are a few mountain huts/overnight facilities, but under no circumstances may you pitch tent/ camp under the stars or sleep in a cave. With camping comes many negative aspects: litter, human waste, degradation of the immediate environment (flattening vegetation, burning vegetation), graffiti, and worst of all, unwanted vegetation fires. Camping and sleeping on the mountain was permitted until 4 decades ago. A problem we face here in Cape Town is the open access nature of the Park (no fenced boundary). Pulag faces the same challenge. Having to deal with neighboring farmers and villages poses an interesting challenge for authorities. Issues we have include illegal bark stripping of indigenous forest trees (a major ongoing battle), poaching and crime (muggings). What is a simple and primitive, but essential, approach is visible patrolling within the Park. Field rangers need to be actively patrolling (in uniform) in order to create a presence, the first step to controlling any aspect of law enforcement. Mt Pulag in my opinion should be managed at a provincial level, and remain open all year round. Managing at National level requires a thorough and efficient administration and one fears that officials sitting in the head office managing National Parks around the nation will not give every Park the required funding in order to function optimally. What should be implemented is a simple permit system: limited permits issued per day, at a set fee, open to all. Depending on the route to be hiked the authorities could implement a guide requirement (e.g. Akiki Trail guide required, Ambangeg Trail no guide required). Of course, should a guide be wanted for the trail, that should be the hikers choice. A limit to numbers (incl. guides) for example 24 persons per day. Group size limitations could be limited to 12 persons. Having a group of 30 persons camping at the same campsite creates a massive burden on the fringes of camp damaging the vegetation, etc. The permit/payment system needs to be simple and efficient. There is a delicate balance needed between creating a safe trail for hikers, and not destroying the uniqueness of a particular route. Lions Head in Cape Town has ladders, chains and staples affixed to rock face, to create a safer climb as the mountain has high numbers of ill-prepared people venturing up its slopes which often results in mountain accidents. Having fixed assistance, more people venture up the mountain because these climbing aids have made it easier to succeed. As a result, the mountain sees an incredible volume of walkers and still sees a large number of incidents (mountain rescues). Mountain purists would prefer the routes to not have fixed climbing aids, and rather rely on skill and scrambling ability to get up an issue that creates an interesting debate. Sure, the trail could have had a little extra maintenance, but in no way was the footpath in a bad state. One observation I made was that on the Ambangeg Trail there were Tree Fern stems that were being used in muddy sections as boardwalks surely another material could be used? Or are these large ferns of no environmental value? The authority needs to listen to everyones opinions and draw up a solution which primarily aims to conserve Mt Pulag, while not closing the door on the international mountain community and considering the local community who may rely on the mountain as a form of income. Interesting times ahead Jail escapee Bac Duong turned himself in to police. (Photo: Orange County Sheriff's Department) One of three men who escaped from an Orange County, CA, jailhouse last week surrendered to police on Friday, law enforcement officials said. Bac Duong, 43, turned himself in to Santa Ana police at 11:21 a.m. in the 1400 block of North Harbor Boulevard after a friend or acquaintance called police, said Santa Ana Police Sgt. Don Humphrey. During a short news briefing, Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said Duong reached out to a civilian on the street and said he wanted to turn himself in, reports the Los Angeles Times. At the same time, officials revealed new allegations about letters exchanged between one of the escapees and a jail teacher arrested on suspicion of helping with the jailbreak. The ESL teacher, Nooshafarin Ravaghi, 44, is being held on suspicion of being an accessory to the brazen jailbreak plot that had left police scrambling to find Duong, Hossein Nayeri, and Jonathan Tieu for the last eight days. Ravaghi will appear in court on Monday, and is currently ineligible for bail. Officer Michael Keane of the Lyndhurst (NJ) Police Department is the NLEOMF Officer of the Month for January 2016. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund has selected Police Officer Michael Keane, of the Lyndhurst (NJ) Police Department, as the recipient of its Officer of the Month Award for January 2016. "Officer Keane's quick response to a deadly situation undoubtedly saved many lives last May," said Memorial Fund Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Craig W. Floyd. "His brave actions are deserving of our January 2016 Officer of the Month Award." On May 12, 2015, Amtrak Northeast Regional Train No. 188 was carrying more than 238 passengers and crew when the train derailed in Philadelphia, PA. Officer Michael Keane, along with his fiance, had boarded the train after he completed the Police Unity Tour ride in Washington, DC, to visit his sibling who was recuperating in a hospital after undergoing surgery. After making the stop in Philadelphia, the train continued on and derailed shortly after, resulting in eight deaths and more than 200 injuries to the passengers on board. Officer Keane and his fiance were seated in the last car of the train at the time of the crash. When the wreckage came to rest, he immediately performed a body check to evaluate the extent of his and his fiance's injuries. He then led her to safety outside of the train and located an injured conductor to inquire about tools and other equipment that he could utilize. The conductor could only provide him with a flashlight. Although seriously injured, Officer Keane reentered the wreckage, identified himself as a police officer, and attended to and evacuated many people. While continuing to rescue passengers, Officer Keane made a 911 call and gave a brief overview of the situation and needs assessment to the operator. Even after the arrival of first responders, Officer Keane continued to assist and rescue passengers. "In spite of his injuries, and under extremely dangerous conditions, Officer Keane reentered the wreckage and selflessly helped numerous others to safety. He not only helped them physically, but his words of comfort and confidence gave many a victim who was in shock the courage to get up and follow him to safety," stated Lyndhurst Chief of Police James O'Connor. Located in the nation's capital, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund is a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring the service and sacrifice of America's law enforcement officers. The Memorial Fund's Officer of the Month Award Program began in 1996 and recognizes federal, state, and local officers who distinguish themselves through exemplary law enforcement service and devotion to duty. Officer Keane, along with the other Officer of the Month Award recipients for 2016, will be honored during National Police Week at a special awards ceremony in Washington, DC, in May 2017. For more information about the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund's Officer of the Month Award, visit www.LawMemorial.org/OTM. About the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund Established in 1984, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund is a non-profit organization dedicated to telling the story of American law enforcement and making it safer for those who serve. The Memorial Fund maintains the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC, which contains the names of 20,538 officers who have died in the line of duty throughout U.S. history. The Memorial Fund is now working to create the National Law Enforcement Museum, which will tell the story of American law enforcement through high-tech, interactive exhibitions, historical artifacts and extensive educational programming. For more information, visit www.LawMemorial.org. Over the objection of San Francisco's police union, county supervisors unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday to officially declare July 22 "Mario Woods Day," dedicated to the memory of the 26-year-old Bayview resident who was shot and killed by San Francisco police on Dec. 2, 2015, reports NBC Bay Area. "Because of Mario Woods and the video associated with the case, we have entire communities throughout the city that do not trust the police department, said Supervisor David Campos at a news conference ahead of the board meeting. The move to memorialize Woods and the shooting has upset the San Francisco Police Officers Association. POA President Marty Halloran wrote a letter addressed to board on Monday. He pointed to three officers who died in the last dozen years in the line of duty who didnt get dedicated days. "It will be a hurtful day to their families if this citys elected officials decide to recognize and honor an individual that preyed upon our most vulnerable citizens, Halloran wrote. Halloran also said Woods was a threat the day of the shooting, who "inexplicably slashed an innocent stranger with a kitchen knife and refused to drop that knife when confronted by police." Also on Tuesdays agenda were two other resolutions connected to Woods. One, sponsored by Supervisor London Breed, urges a federal investigation into the Woods shooting. Another, led by Supervisor John Avalos, urges the San Francisco Police Department to review its use-of-force policies and to study de-escalation tactics. An Oakdale, MN, man is dead and a police officer hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the arm after authorities attempted to serve a search warrant in a quiet neighborhood Thursday morning, reports the Star Tribune. St. Paul police, who are investigating the case, issued a news release Friday identifying the man as Mark Kuzel, 53. He had fired at officers, wounding one in the arm, before apparently committing suicide. Police have not identified the officer who was wounded, but said Oakdale officer Joe Groppoli returned fire after Kuzel shot his colleague, the Star Tribune reports. The shooting occurred about 8 a.m. in the 2700 block of Granite Avenue during the execution of a search warrant by Oakdale police and a special agent from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA). Officers found Kuzel inside the home with a single gunshot wound to the head. They rendered aid and called for medics, but he later died. Kuzel was taken to Regions Hospital where he later died. The injured officer was taken to Regions Hospital and treated for noncritical injuries. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Unless an American is a dyed-in-the-wool conservative, or disaffected liberal, they likely believe the current crop of Republican presidential candidates have sunk to unfathomable depths of contemptible acts and statements. Of course the first names on that disgusting list are Ted Cruz and Donald Trump, but despite the truly hideous statement they have made over the course of the primary thus far, they have been outdone by one Jeb! Bush. It is true that Bushs campaign for the Republican nomination is on life support, if it is not already dead, but that is no excuse for his latest campaign ad; except to remind Americans how nasty Republicans are when they are in power. Apparently Bushs campaign super PAC is awash with millions they have to divest and good old Jeb! spent a small fortune to remind Americans just how dysfunctional the GOP is, and just how much they really love big government overreach to interfere with Americans lives when they pander to the religious right. The Jeb! ad also should remind Americans that this current group of Republicans are not unique and simply perpetuating the partys dirty pandering to their dirty base. In the campaign ad, after boasting he is a National Rifle Association hero, Jeb goes to a morbid place and touts his bona fides in protecting life. In particular, he boasts about his part in protecting the life of a poor woman who had been in a 15-year long medically irreversible, persistent vegetative state with feeding and breathing tubes keeping her heart beating and blood flowing. Some Americans may recall what was a dark time for America when big-government Republicans from sea-to-shining-sea, including then-president of the United States, George W. Bush, demonstrated outrageous big-government overreach and interference in attempting to keep Terry Schiavo alive; she was technically alive, but functionally dead. Bushs ad is sickening and will likely repulse any even half-decent American. In the ad Jeb! claims that while he was running Florida he fought time and again for the right to life with an accompanying image of someone leaning over Schiavo, lying in a helpless vegetative state in her hospital bed. This ploy is actually something that Bush believes will shock and awe the Republican base to shift their undying support from Cruz and Trump to his campaign. However, for most Americans it will likely remind them that to appease the religious life movement, Republicans will use federal government authority to directly contravene into the private lives of Americans. As noted here, in order to bolster his credibility with the forced-birth crowd, Bush seriously felt he had to remind Americans how he and Republicans used the government to force the irreversibly and profoundly brain-damaged Schiavo to cling to life; in direct contravention of what her husband explained were her own desires. Remember, it was the pro-life evangelicals demanding that Schiavo be kept resuscitated at all costs, no matter how much pain it caused to others; particularly the womans grieving husband. Terry Schiavos husband, Mike, reacted to Bushs morbid campaign ad like any decent human being and was understandably horrified that Bush would exploit his wifes suffering. Mike Schiavo should know better after what Republicans like the Bushes put him through. Mr. Schiavo said, It is simply disgusting that Jeb Bush and his super PAC would exploit my wifes tragedy for his crude political gain. Shame on Jeb Bush. Using his disgraceful intervention in our familys private trauma to advance his political career shows that he has learned nothing. Hes proud of the fact that he used the machinery of government to keep a person alive through extraordinary artificial means contrary to the orders of the court that were based on the courts determination, made over six years of litigation, that doing so would be against her wishes. What the campaign video shows is that if he ever got his hands on the power of government again, he would do the same thing again, maybe next time to your family. Despite the horrific hubris of Republicans running the federal government and Florida imposing its twisted sense of religious values on all Americans, Bush knows his appeal to morbidity and gross government intervention into Americans personal lives will resonate with many in the Republican base. At the time, while Floridas Republican governor, Republican legislature and Americas Republican Congress and Republican president attempted to wield control over another persons life, and death decision, polling revealed that the overwhelming majority of American people backed her husband and said that politicians should butt out of the familys personal decisions and conflict. It is worth noting that Republicans who still claim that their greatest asset is keeping government out of Americans lives are liars when it fits into their machinations to appease their religious base. Democrats would be wise to seize on Jeb Bushs horrific ad to expose the GOPs intent to overreach in controlling Americans lives when they have power. For dogs sake they spent the past seven years have going to great lengths to interfere with plenty of Americans lives when they are not in complete power. Most American women, and the LGBT community, already know that there are no lengths too far for Republicans to interfere, and control, Americans who do not comply with social conservatives worldview. Maybe with Jeb! sinking to a new low that Cruz and Trump can only sit back and admire, the rest of the people will be reminded exactly how extreme Republicans are, and can be, in using big government to control Americans lives; even those who are not really alive. One really never thought Jeb Bush could out-extreme the likes of Cruz and Trump, but by resurrecting a morbid, and shameful, Republican abomination even when his campaign is in its death throes, it appears Jeb Bush is as extreme and pathetic as the rest of the Republican field. MINNEAPOLIS A federal judge has awarded damages to three Rochester women who sued after they were dismissed from their chauffeur jobs because a Saudi prince wanted only male drivers. U.S. District Judge Joan Ericksen on Thursday awarded $130,000 each to Gretchen Cooper, Barbara Herold and Lisa Boutelle. In November, Ericksen ruled in favor of the three women, who filed a gender discrimination lawsuit in 2012. The judge awarded the women damages for mental anguish and lost wages, but no punitive damages. The women were among 40 drivers hired in October 2010 to chauffer Prince Abdul-Rahman bin Abdul-Aziz and a large group of family members and friends while the prince was in Rochester for medical treatment at Mayo Clinic. The lawsuit says the prince and his entourage told the companies that hired the drivers they wanted male chauffeurs. Women in Saudi Arabia are prohibited from driving. ADVERTISEMENT The women filed a gender discrimination lawsuit in 2012 in Minneapolis. They filed a federal lawsuit in 2012 in Minneapolis, alleging sex discrimination by the prince. The suit also named as defendants Mohamed Ali Elbashir, who does business in Rochester as Crown Prince Limousine, Premier Crescent Services of Rochester and Highland International Transportation Services of New York. The latter two firms allegedly hired drivers for the prince. The women settled with Premier and Highland in March. Crown Prince Limousine remained a defendant. Cooper had previously driven a Saudi princess and made good money, so she was excited to pick up the prince at the airport two years later for what was supposed to be a monthlong job, she told the Star Tribune in 2012. But when she arrived at the Kahler Hotel the next morning to resume driving, the suit says, Cooper was told by Elbashir to clear her things out of the limo. A representative from Premier Crescent Services told her the prince did not want female drivers. The suit says Boutelle and Herold were told the same thing. "They said their hands were tied, and not to take it personally," Cooper said. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30 By Azad Hasanli - Trend: The ministry of economy of Azerbaijan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) discussed the measures to minimize the negative impact of instability in global energy markets on the country's economy, the message of the ministry said. Expansion of cooperation, priorities in Azerbaijan's economy, etc. were also discussed during the meeting of the head of the ministry Shahin Mustafayev with the IMF delegation, according to the message. A meeting of the IMF delegation with Executive Director of the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan Shahmar Movsumov also took place. In light of recent events, it was stated at the meeting in the first place that the IMF and Azerbaijan aren't in talks to attract emergency aid package from international financial institutions. It was stressed that the country has sufficient foreign exchange reserves, the macroeconomic situation in the country is stable and sustainable. Transition to a new economic model within the framework of economic strategy put forward by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, prospects of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the IMF in this field and other matters were discussed at the meeting with the IMF representatives. Azerbaijan joined the IMF in 1992. The cooperation was particularly intense in 1995-2005. During these years, Azerbaijan often used IMF's advisory and financial assistance to support the government's economic programs. ST. PAUL Gov. Mark Dayton's aggressive plans to boost water quality by requiring buffer strips along Minnesota waterways took a step back Friday when the governor acknowledged he's ordered state conservation officials to stop mapping "private ditches." Dayton's made water quality and buffer strips a key part of his intended legacy in his last years in office. The Legislature last year backed a scaled down effort to require the buffers. While there was consensus on the plan for public waterways, farmers and farm groups remained concerned about the law's intentions when it came to ditches on private land. The new law requires strips on ditches in areas that would benefit public waterways, but farm groups say private ditches were never meant to be part of the deal. On Friday, Dayton said he pulled back on the private ditch efforts and ordered the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to stop mapping them after Republicans threatened to torpedo water quality projects Dayton's seeking in a public works spending bill in the coming session. "After meeting yesterday afternoon with House Republican leaders, I have, with great reluctance, instructed the Department of Natural Resources to stop its mapping of so-called 'private ditches' under last year's buffer legislation," Dayton said in a statement Friday. "I will not put at risk the water quality improvements in my bonding proposal and other critical bonding measures over this dispute." ADVERTISEMENT Buffers can be grasses, trees or shrubs. They drink up some of the pollutants like nitrates from fertilizer that wash off farm fields and end up in waterways. They also help keep stream banks and riverbanks in place. The DNR was charged with producing maps of public waters and ditch systems that require permanent vegetation buffers. It's set to produce the maps by July. Minnesota House Republicans on Friday said Dayton's retreat from private ditch mapping was simply the governor agreeing to "uphold the legislative intent of the new buffer law, which was supported by House Republicans and the Senate DFL." Farmers support land management practices that boost water quality, but "last fall it became clear the DNR was misinterpreting the new law and greatly expanding its scope," state Rep. Paul Torkelson, R-Hanska, said in a statement. Dayton didn't see it that way, saying he was "deeply disappointed" in the decision he felt compelled to make. "I thought that we had achieved a modest agreement in the last legislative session about the urgent need to improve the quality of Minnesota's waters by limiting their pollution from runoffs from private and public ditches," he said in the statement. He called the "fierce opposition" by House Republican leadership "evidence that we are a very long ways from bipartisan agreements even on the severity of our state's water quality problems, much less on the need to take serious steps to improve it." CANTON The fire that killed two people Jan. 11 north of Canton left the Amish community grieving, a large home destroyed and a stronger bond between the Amish and their non-Amish neighbors. Even as the fire was burning, some English, as the Amish call non-Amish, were at the scene, helping as they could. Dozens of Amish buggies were already there to be part of their close community. A large cook stove was brought into a large building, part of the Hershberger lumber business, to help make thousands of meals because the Amish tradition is family and friends gather until the funeral, which was Jan. 16. At least 500 attended the funeral. To help feed them, Mary Bell of rural Lanesboro, who is a friend of the Amish, said she told 20 at a yoga class about the need; she collected $400 that bought potatoes, carrots and other necessities. Another person received $100 from an open mic at a local bar. When more bedding was needed, she helped gather bedding. Now, funds have been set up at two banks in the area to collect money for the Hershberger family. ADVERTISEMENT While the two dead have not been officially identified, it is known that Yost Hershberger, 58, and his son, Benjamin Hershberger, 18, are missing, according to Fillmore County Sheriff Tom Kaase. The Amish believe the two dead are the two Hershbergers, Bell said. The Amish agreed to have the two funds set up at the banks, she said. Amish are known for how they care for each other and even don't have insurance because they depend on each other. "We know that the Amish do not have insurance, that their insurance lies within their community," Bell said. "That said, what this is really about is reaching out to show that we are all one." On Wednesday, she went to the home of Eli Hershberger, who lives nearby and is an elder, to find out what else was needed and also talked about the tragedy. He agreed that right now, money would be best because the family can buy what it needs. They sat by a long, wooden table covered with a heavy white cloth in the kitchen warmed by a wood fire. They later shared a cup of coffee; outside, Amish children played in the snow. "I want your community to know that our community cares," Bell said. "That part is understood, the people care," Eli Hershberger said. "If there is a soft heart, it doesn't take long to see it." That is the other side of the loss, "that shows that there is a soft heart out there," he said. He pointed to the hard, cold work firefighters from Canton, Mabel and Harmony did to put out the fire and find the bodies. The night was cold with a brutal wind chill that froze water on the ground, or on firefighting suits yet they were there and the Amish are thankful, he said. He also said Kaase was very caring and was at the funeral. Hershberger said he tries to help the English too. If there's a fund at a local bank, he puts in money for someone who's fighting cancer or some other need, he said. "Maybe we don't reach out far enough," he said. ADVERTISEMENT Hershberger said he doesn't see the money put into English funds as something that he will get back but "just a helping gift step up and help." The whole Amish community grieved because they are so close, he said. "One of the things that I'm so amazed is everybody shares the pain," Bell said. "We try to do it," Hershberger said. "We try to share but we are not going to carry the pain like the family. We can't. We think we know what they're going through but once it happens to yourself, it's a different story." "It's not feeling you're alone," she said. He nodded agreement. The sense of community "is what we practice," he said. "We don't go to a neighbor and tell them you have to come and help show your support We never have to go and tell them to share the situation. That is part of our religion." Another part of their religion is that they accept there is a higher power. The tragedy "reminds us, to bring us together again," Hershberger said. It's a reminder from God to them "that there is somebody stronger, there is somebody who regulates this stuff. We don't know when our time is here." Later, Bell went past the home that was burned. Only a bit of charred basement showed where the house was. Hershberger said the rest of the house was knocked down soon after the fire. There are still two other homes there, one south of the one destroyed, one north. The one to the south had siding bubbled; it's now being rebuilt. ADVERTISEMENT Outside that home, a long line of wash was drying in the winter wind. When weather gets better, the home will be rebuilt, Hershberger said. The State Department has now withheld from production 22 emails housed on Hillary Ciintons unsecured private server. The emails were to be produced under the Freedom of Information Act; they were withheld on grounds of national security because the emails include information classified Top Secret. The intelligence community deems release of any part of the emails too damaging to release under any circumstances. The State Department announced this latest development yesterday. This development once again puts the lie to just about everything Hillary Clinton has had to say on the subject. She continues to maintain that none of the emails were marked classified upon receipt. Whether or not this is true, however, it is irrelevant to many of the statutes under which her behavior can be deemed criminal. She has yet to answer questions that bore in on the irrelevance of her continued protestations in the Clinton style. What do you say on behalf of Hillary Clinton under the circumstances? You say this: We firmly oppose the complete blocking of the release of these emails. Since first providing her emails to the State Department more than one year ago, Hillary Clinton has urged that they be made available to the public. We feel no differently today. After a process that has been dominated by bureaucratic infighting that has too often played out in public view, the loudest and leakiest participants in this interagency dispute have now prevailed in blocking any release of these emails. This flies in the face of the fact that these emails were unmarked at the time they were sent, and have been called innocuous by certain intelligence officials. We understand that these emails were likely originated on the State Departments unclassified system before they were ever shared with Secretary Clinton, and they have remained on the departments unclassified system for years. And, in at least one case, the emails appear to involve information from a published news article. This appears to be over-classification run amok. We will pursue all appropriate avenues to see that her emails are released in a manner consistent with her call last year. I love that first sentence boldly protesting complete blocking of the emails. Translation: Part of the 22 emails can be released without undue harm to national security! Does this pass the laugh test? Andrew McCarthy provides helps with the translation here. Every sentence of this statement could and should be annotated to explicate its vacuity, its evasions, its shameless effort to conceal criminal misconduct. Where is Chris Cillizza when you need him? The highest and best use of this statement would be as evidence to support an aggravated sentence putting Clinton away for a good long time. The statement is a classic case of over-clintonization run amok. UPDATE: Chris Cillizza weighs in. Michael Cromartie (the Crom to me for 30 years now) is the most significant person in Washington DC that youve never heard of. And thats just the way he likes it. Not because hes a backroom K Street wire puller from the shadows of House of Cards. To the contrary: he is the rarest thing you can find in Washington: a truly honest broker; a person of faith, understated on the surface because it is very deep underneath; someone who treats everyone with utmost generosity and magnanimity. In a town of towering egos, he has none; in a town a rancid self-promotion, he exemplifies perfect New Testament humility. He commands total respect from everyone that knows him (and just about everybody in Washington does know him), and you wont find a single person who has a bad word to say about him. He runs the Faith Angle Forum out of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, which brings together secular journalists and leading religious figures in an effort to help demystify the wide world of faithful Americans who the mainstream media otherwise treat with ignorant condescension. Back in 2013 Christianity Today did a very nice feature about Mikecalling him The Shepherd. Most of it is behind a subscription firewall, but the first three available paragraphs give you the full flavor of it. Today Mike did something I dont think hes ever done before: he endorsed Marco Rubio for president. You may have seen Rubios recent eloquent defense of religious liberty to a hostile questioner in New Hampshire. I think this may have tipped Mike to make his endorsement. Heres Mikes statement: Like many Americans, I have been attending closely to the positions and debates of the candidates in the current Republican primaries. I have formed strong opinions of many of them but I have concluded that the most able, qualified, principled, theologically astute, and electable candidate today is Senator Marco Rubio. I support him for many reasons but here are a few: his clear commitment to restoring Americas reputation and standing in the world, his plans to revitalize our national defense, his Jack Kemp style commitment to elevating the lives of everyone via robust economic growth that promotes broad-based economic opportunity, to his firm but compassionate reset of our flawed immigration policies, and because of his inspirational and optimistic embodiment of the American spirit and story (especially embodied in his own family history). But above all else, I support him for his firm and stalwart commitment to the protection of religious liberty, and his ability to publicly express, in a persuasive and thoughtful way, the basic elements of his own Christian faith. These are particular concerns of mine, arising out of the work I do, and I find Senator Rubio meets these concerns in a refreshing and wholly praiseworthy way. And I find that he does so in a far more consistent and convincing way than his opponents in either party. I served for six years on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. The concerns of the Commission were the all too numerous examples of religious persecution of people of all faiths, internationally, around the globe. Those concerns remain as timely and urgent as ever today. But those same concerns have now become a hotly contested topic in our domestic politics as well. Religious liberty is not merely the right to believe but also the right to live out those beliefs in every aspect of our lives. The free exercise of religion includes the fundamental right to share those beliefs with others, to instill those values in your children, and to allow those beliefs to guide your life and work. Religious liberty is the cornerstone of all our civil liberties. It protects individuals, business owners, religious hospitals, charities, and parochial schools. But the current administration has imposed a narrow view of what it means to be religious. It has imposed a contraception, sterilization, and abortifacient mandate that violates the religious consciences of many religious believers in America. If the government can impose such violations of belief upon persons, or religious institutions, living out their sincere religious convictions, what can it not do? In the Senate, Marco Rubio has led the Congressional effort to reverse the current administrations unconstitutional HHS mandate by helping author the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 2012. He has been a champion of the First Amendment Defense Act, which protects religious institutions from government officials revoking their tax status and forbids discrimination against churches and civil-society groups in distribution of federal grants. On the international level, he has advocated often on behalf of persecuted Middle Eastern Christians seeking expedited asylum to the United States. He has brought attention to the persecution of religious minorities in Venezuela, Cuba, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. He has shined a light, as Co-Chair of the Congressional-Executive Committee on China, on Chinese oppression of religious groups like the Falun Gong, Uyghurs, and Tibetan Buddhists. He also co-sponsored the Frank Wolf Act, which takes steps to protect the rights of people of faith abroad, especially Christians and other religious minority groups facing extensive persecution and abuse. Religious believers and advocates of religious liberty need a friend and ally in the White House. I believe the best candidate on this issue (among many other issues) is Senator Marco Rubio. I suspectbut dont know for a factthat Cromartie made this public endorsement in part to offset Jerry Falwell Jr.s foolish recent endorsement of Trump. I suppose I could ask Mike, but Im sure hed say something like You might very well think so; I couldnt possibly comment. Mike doesnt have the public visibility of Falwell, but his endorsement will not go unnoticed among the influencers in the religious communities of the country. P.S. Back in the day, The Crom had an unstoppable jump shot. Just sayin. Chevron Nigeria Limited, operator of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)/CNL joint venture on Friday formally completed the transfer of producing assets in three oil mining leases to three indigenous oil companies. Since November 2013, Chevron had signed a sales and purchase agreement with Seplat Consortium, comprising Seplat, Amni International Petroleum Development Company Limited, and Delta State-owned Belema Oil for the sale of its interests in OMLs 52, 53 and 55. But the formal transfer of the assets was stalled following a dispute by Britannia-U Nigeria Limited, which claimed it out-bided other firms during the bid exercise. In June 2013, the American oil giant put up for sale 40 per cent of its equity in the three OMLs in line with its plan to divest from five of its onshore assets. The three oil leases are reputed to hold oil reserves in excess of 134 million barrels and about five trillion cubic feet of gas, with combined estimated value of an average $500 million and $600 million. On unfolding the plan, Chevron initially issued invitation to 20 prospective bidders to submit applications, but had to open up the process for more companies following overwhelming interest. Shortlisted preferred bidders were asked to conduct due diligence on the assets and finalise their bids by paying 15 per cent of their bids by September 30, 2013. At the end of the exercise, Brittannia-U claimed it should have been declared winner of the bid having made a $1.6 billion offer for the three assets, against a combined bid of $900 million reportedly submitted by Seplat Consortium. Not satisfied with explanations on the outcome of the transaction, Brittania-U proceeded to the Federal High Court to seek a declaration it won the bid. On December 13, 2013, the court issued an interim injunction restraining Chevron from assigning or transferring the assets to Seplat, or any other bidder until the determination of the matter. Brittania-U demanded payment for specific performance, or $10 billion damages for wrongful repudiation over the mining leases. Chevron appealed against the high courts decision, saying the matter was a private commercial dispute, which should be referred to arbitration on the basis of the confidentiality agreement by the parties. When the Court of Appeal ruled in favour of Chevron, Britannia-U headed for the Supreme Court. But in its ruling on Friday, the Supreme Court upheld the Appeal courts decision in favour of Chevron. Shortly after the Supreme Courts ruling on Friday, Chevron swiftly handed over the assets to the two companies in Lagos. Receiving the CEOs of Seplat and Belema Oil, Austin Avuru and Nedo Osayande, respectively at Chevron headquarters in Lagos on Friday, Chairman/Managing Director, Clay Neff, expressed delight at the successful conclusion of the transaction. Mr. Neff said the handing over of the assets would afford the two companies opportunity to grow their production, while confirming Chevrons commitment to developing Nigerian content. For Mr. Avuru, the acquisition of these assets was in realization of Seplats strategy to create long-term value and shared prosperity for shareholders and other stakeholders. He assured that Seplat would leverage its core strengths and expertise to capitalize on growth opportunities available to them across the upstream value cycle. Founder, Belema Oil, Jack-Rich Tein said with the acquisition of the asset, the company would now proceed with its long-term strategy to maximize value for all interest groups. In this interview, Vera Nwanze, Country Manager, PMINTL, speaks about her companys entry into Nigeria and why the Nigerian economy has greater global appeal. Excerpts Why has PMINTL Nigeria Limited entered the Nigerian market at this time? There is global recognition of the economic growth opportunities in Africa. On the heels of its near-record economic growth over the past decade, and growth prospects relative to the developed economies, international investments have poured into the continent. As you know, Nigeria became Africas largest economy in 2014, a testament to the changes in vision, governance and leadership since the return of democracy in 1999 which has driven reforms in key sectors of the economy and made the Nigerian market more attractive to global investors, like PMI. Given that you were here before and now making a re-entry. Can one expect that you would be in Nigeria for the long haul and why? We have made a strategic decision to invest for the long term. Our goal is to become a contributor to the development of the agricultural sector, and to be a partner to add value to the economy Kindly clarify how your company would be adding value to Nigerias economy in diverse ways. As the leading tobacco company, we think we can help foster employment opportunity in the manufacturing, distribution and trade sectors, and contribution to government revenue. We also believe that our entry into the market will foster competition and consumer choice, which is good for economy, innovation and ultimately for the state. There were allegations of illegal entry made in some national publications against PMINTL Nigeria Limited in September, would you like to comment on these claims? These allegations are false. PMINTL Nigeria Limited was legally incorporated in December 2014, and as stipulated by the laws in effect, we sought and received approval to operate in Nigeria from the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, The Nigerian Customs Service and The Ministry of Finance. We have also begun engagement with other relevant government agencies including Consumer Protection Council, Nigerian Investment Promotion Council and the Federal Ministry of Health. As the local affiliate of the worlds leading Tobacco company, we are guided by the same principles and exacting standards that govern the global operations of our parent company, Philip Morris International. We strive to be transparent in our governance practices and policies and responsive to our shareholders, while managing the company for long-term success. You have mentioned PMINTLs plans for investment in Nigerias Tobacco Industry but your factory is in Senegal, not Nigeria. Why is this so? PMINTL Nigeria Limited is a part of a global organisation. It is common for manufacturing plants to be located in a given country to serve as a regional commercial base. PMI has been present in Senegal for over 20 years, and our affiliate in Senegal serves as the regional hub of PMIs operations in the West African sub-region. The brands we have introduced into Nigeria, are imported from Senegal, under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme, as part of our market entry strategy that would be in place for an initial phase until we move into the next level of our investment in Nigeria which includes local manufacturing arrangement. The ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme might be pivotal for the establishment of a common market and regional integration, but there are concerns among industry watchers that operating under the scheme which stipulates the liberalisation of trade by the abolition, among Member States, of customs duties levied on imports and exports could deny the Federal Government of Nigeria revenue from import duties and levies. How do you explain this seeming discrepancy and your companys strategy to boost Nigerias economy? It is up to the ECOWAS countries and their governments to decide on a trade liberalisation scheme that protects their national interests, while helping boost the economy and trade within the region. PMINTL Nigeria will comply fully with the legal provisions of the Treaty as they apply in all the markets in the ECOWAS sub-region, where our operations touch. However, since cigarettes fall under the category of excisable products in Nigeria, PMINTL Nigeria Ltd is fully compliant with the excise tax rates applicable to the importation of cigarettes. We have already paid and we will continue doing so. Your company entered Nigeria just as the National Tobacco Control Bill was signed into law. Some may believe this puts you at a disadvantage as Big Tobacco has a reputation of working to influence Tobacco legislation. What is PMINTL Nigerias stand on regulating the industry? We were fully aware that the National Control Bill was being discussed at the National Assembly as we sought our registration. We strongly believe that proper regulation of tobacco products is essential to ensure that adult smokers are aware of the harmful effects of smoking, that tobacco products are not made available to minors, and that legitimate companies can compete on a level-playing field with clear rules. What do you consider to be the volume of the illicit tobacco trade and how can governments across the world curb the menace? Available statistics from different sources estimate the size of the illicit tobacco trade to be between 10 percent and 12 percent of the global cigarette market. This is alarming not just because of the income it denies various governments and the world economy but growing concerns that such income is further employed to support other illegalities. Contraband cigarettes deprive governments of billions in tax revenue yearly, while consumers lose because they often end up buying fake products of poor quality that are not subject to any regulatory scrutiny or quality control procedures by manufacturers. Around the world, PMI undertakes a broad series of measures to fight illegal cigarettes, to ensure our brands are protected and consumers get the genuine product they expect. We support strict regulations and enforcement measures to prevent all forms of illicit trade in tobacco products, including tracking, tracing, labelling, recordkeeping requirements, and where appropriate, implementation of strict licensing systems. We are also working with a number of governments around the world on specific agreements and memoranda of understanding to address the illegal trade in cigarettes. We are planning to meet with all relevant authorities in Nigeria, in particular with Nigerian Customs Service, to present our tools and know-how to foster cooperation in addressing illicit trade together. There are allegations that tobacco companies are migrating from developed economies like Europe and America to evolving ones like Africa to avoid stringent legislations. How true is this for your company? PMI is present in both developed and developing countries, with products sold in more than 180 markets. Partial or total bans on tobacco advertising, marketing and promotion have been in place around the world for many years. These rules are not, as many people mistakenly believe, limited to the EU and other developed countries. In fact, broad-based tobacco control policy is common throughout the world today, including for example in Algeria, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, Gambia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Senegal, Thailand, Turkey and Ukraine. Wherever we do business we comply with local tobacco regulations. In addition, we adhere to a set of strict, internal marketing practices which not only guide our compliance with the laws, but also require in some cases that we take proactive steps beyond what is required by local law. We believe that creation of the National Tobacco Committee will help to establish a level playing field for all operators in tobacco market as well as to provide clear and rigorous enforcement of the law. What is your take on the outlook of the Nigerian economy? Presently, one of the major attractions of the Nigerian economy to global investors to my mind is the stability that has been bestowed on it by the sustenance of democratic governance. International businesses and investors want to flow with stable policies. For a country that endured long spell of military intervention in governance from independence in 1960 with civil rule lasting barely six years from that date to find herself under unbroken civil leadership since 1999 is remarkable. Civil rule promises stability and so long as that is guaranteed, global investors would be attracted. And so long as leading investors from across the world are attracted to any economy, it will continue to witness growth. What does the future hold for the Philip Morris business in Nigeria? We are optimistic about the prospect of our business in Nigeria. We are currently focused on building our business organization, hiring local talents and strengthening our infrastructure and ties with our counterparts in the tobacco value chain. We are here to invest and we are here to stay.` Read synopsis of judgment and download all relevant documents below. In its judgment on Friday, the Supreme Court set aside the decision of the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, delivered on February 6, 2015 and restored the order/judgement of Justice E.S. Chukwu of Federal High Court. It resolved the five issues in favour of the appellants and held that there is merit in the appeal. The judgement of E.S. Chukwu Justice delivered on December 5, 2014 ruled: 1. That it is hereby ordered that the purported caretaker committee/ ad hoc committee is illegal, null and void. 2. That any delegate list or nominated candidate that emanated from the congress/ primaries conducted by the caretaker committee or ad hoc committee is illegal, invalid, unconstitutional, abuse of court process, null and void and cannot be used for any purpose. 3. That 1st defendant (PDP) are hereby restrained from forwarding, sending or submitting to 2nd defendant (INEC) any delegates list or nominated candidates that emerge from congress or primaries conducted by the caretaker or ad hoc committee. 4. That 2nd defendant (INEC) is restrained from accepting or receiving any delegate list or nominated candidate that may emerge from congress/primaries conducted by the caretaker committee except those that emanate from the plaintiffs. 5. That PDP was in flagrant disobedience and contempt of the order of this court made on 10th day of October 2014 and reaffirmed on the 24th of October 2014. Based on this order of Justice Chukwu, the only valid primaries held in Anambra on 6th & 7th December 2014 was monitored by INEC and issued the only report on the primaries of PDP in Anambra. The names of the successful candidates of PDP was subsequently uploaded by INEC and tagged COURT ORDER at the close of nomination. The respondents (then appellants) appealed to the Court of Appeal Abuja division challenging the judgement of the Federal High Court. On February, 6, 2015 the Court of Appeal set aside the Federal High Court judgement. Based on the Court of Appeal judgment, INEC went removed the list of candidates already uploaded and replaced it with the list containing Andy Uba, Stella Oduah, and others. Note that there was no order for this in both the Court of Appeal judgement or from any court in this land. It was a unilateral action by INEC. The appellants (then respondents) approached the Supreme Court which on Friday set aside the decision of the Court of Appeal in Appeal No. SC 37/2015. Note: 1. No order was made to remove the names earlier uploaded. 2. The Court of Appeal did not issue any consequential order yet the names were removed. 3. The only reason for the removal according to INEC was that Court of Appeal set aside the Federal High Court Order. 4. On Friday, the Supreme Court has set aside the Court of Appeal Order, so lawyers to the appellants are asking that the names should be restored and certificate of Return issued to winners. DOWNLOAD: 1. Supreme Court Judgment for Anambra PDP 2. Supreme Court Lead Judgment Conclusion 3. List of PDP National Assembly Candidates 4. Justice E.S. Chukwu Order Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30 Trend: Azerbaijan's Ministry of Finance does not agree with the rating of Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, published yesterday, the ministry's report on its website said. The report of S&P contained a number of inaccuracies, the ministry said. S&P lowered the long-term and short-term sovereign credit ratings of Azerbaijan in foreign and local currency from "BBB- / A-3" to "BB + / B". The Outlook "Stable". "Standard & Poor's has immediately lowered Azerbaijan's credit rating in the light of falling oil and oil products prices. The Ministry of Finance hopes that S&P will show the same efficiency and restore the country's investment rating if commodity prices increases," the ministry's report said. The Nigerian military on Saturday alerted Nigerians to a new tactic it said Boko Haram terrorists have adopted in launching successful suicide bombings in locations in the North-west. In a statement made available to PREMIUM TIMES, the spokesperson for the defence headquarters, Rabe Abubakar, said terrorists, known for using young female suicide bombers to launch attacks, have now switched to disguising as mad people to infiltrate locations. Mr. Abubakar, a brigadier general, said, It has come to the notice of the Defence Headquarters that Boko Haram, in their desperation to cause colossal havoc, have now devised a new method where they dress like mad persons to gain unsuspecting access to public areas to detonate bombs. The two male suicide bombers, dressed like mad women and carried out suicide bomb attack in Gombi, Adamawa State, is instructive in this direction. Five people lost their lives and several others were wounded in the heinous attack by these ungodly people. The Defence Headquarters therefore urges our fellow good citizens across the country to be wary of mad persons approaching markets, public places or crowded areas so as to nip this ugly trend in the bud. Nigerians are also enjoined to be security conscious at all times and should endeavour to report any suspicious person or object to security agencies for prompt action. Meanwhile, a concerned group of Nigerians in Diaspora, based in the United Kingdom, has pledged to work with the Nigerian military through intelligence gathering and development of software needed for the counter-insurgency operations in the North East. The group, led by the Chairperson of the House of Representative Committee on Diaspora matters, Rita Orji, made this pledge at the Defence Headquarters Abuja, during the presentation of an award to the Chief of Defence Staff, Gabriel Olonisakin. Ms. Orji stated said the award was given to Mr. Olonisakin, a general, in appreciation of the gallantry and doggedness of the military in keeping the nation united despite predictions of a break-up of Nigeria before the 2015 general elections. She noted that Nigerians in Diaspora acknowledged the sacrifices members of the Armed Forces were rendering towards keeping Nigeria safe from insurgency and insecurity. The award of gallantry presented to the Chief of Defence Staff, according to Ms. Orji, was to say thank you to the members of the Armed Forces through the CDS so as to spur the military to do more. Receiving the award, Mr. Olonisakin thanked the group for identifying with the military, especially at this trying period in the nations history. He said the award was for the Nigerian military, both the dead and the living, as well as members of their families who also bore the brunt of the insecurity in the North East and other parts of the country. The defence chief noted that terrorism was a global phenomenon and therefore urged Nigerians in the diaspora and international community to rise up to challenges and join hands to wage war against insurgency and terrorism. Present at the occasion, apart from the group of Nigerians in diaspora, were some members of the House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora matter and the principal staff officers of the defence headquarters. The Adamawa State Police Commissioner, Gazzali Mohammed, has given a chilling account of how suspected Fulani herdsmen killed the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, in Girei Local Government Area, Okezie Okoroafor, on Sunday. Mr. Mohammed told PREMIUM TIMES that Mr. Okoroafor, a chief superintendent of police, had responded to distress calls from communities attacked by suspected Fulani herdsmen. On getting to the scene of the fighting, he said the military asked the DPO and his men to pull out but Mr. Okoroafor, who was dressed in mufti, decided to mediate in the crisis. As the suspected herdsmen advanced and closed in on the team, the police officers who accompanied the DPO fled with the patrol van, leaving their boss at the mercy of his killers. We learnt that the Army had asked our men to leave the area where the Fulani herdsmen where engaging community members, the police boss said. The DPO, who was in mufti, insisted on talking to the warring parties but the Fulani herdsmen thought he was one of the Bwatiye people. About eight policemen were with the DPO but they took the vehicle and ran away, leaving him behind to be killed by the herdsmen. We have arrested the eight policemen and one Fulani herdsman. The herdsman has given us useful information about those who were involved in the killings. Apart from killing the DPO, the police commissioner said the herdsmen also inflicted injuries on soldiers who went to quell the fighting. On the allegation that the herdsmen removed genitals and plucked out the eyes of six of the 15 persons killed during the attack, the police boss said he was not able to inspect the corpses. I couldnt see that because all the corpses were covered at the time we got to the hospital. I just saw the corpses on the ground. There were 11 men and four women, the DPO not included, he told this newspaper. Mr. Mohammed could not also confirm that people might have been burnt inside their homes when the herdsmen set houses ablaze in the affected communities. He, however, said that a team from the criminal investigation department has been deployed to the affected communities. The police commissioner appealed to neighbouring communities to be vigilant and security conscious by reporting any suspicious movement to the police. He said the command would prosecute the Fulani boy who was arrested with a bow and arrows at the scene of the fighting. Heavily armed herdsmen on Sunday killed over 30 persons in Girei Local Government Area, including the DPO in charge of Vunokilang Police Station. Reports from the area revealed that the suspected herdsmen raided four villages: Demsare, Wunamokoh, Dikajam and Taboungo in what is believed to be a vengeance mission over an existing feud with farmers in the area. Several houses and other property in the villages were also burnt in the attack. One of the suspects in the 2010 Independence Day bomb blasts in Abuja, Charles Okah, has embarked on a hunger strike to protest alleged harassment by officials of the Kuje Prison. Apart from embarking on hunger strike, Mr. Okah, who has been in Kuje Prison since 2010, has threatened to file a suit demanding N5 billion damages from the Federal Government. The threat is contained in a letter written by his counsel, Timi Okponipere, dated January 21, and addressed to the Minister of Interior, Abdulraman Dambazau. The legal practitioner alleged that the officer in charge of the Kuje Prison, Musa Tanko, has persistently harassed and intimidated his client. At the time of writing this letter, our client is as emaciated as a bean pole on account of the hunger strike he has embarked upon, to draw global attention to his plight, the lawyer wrote. Literarily and figuratively speaking, our client is virtually a dead man. If our client dies in prison custody, the entire world, particularly the Ijaw nation and the Niger Delta where our client hails from, shall rise in unison against President Muhammadu Buharis government, even as we concede the fact that, our clients ordeal began during the tenure of former President Goodluck Jonathan, a fellow Ijaw. Mr. Okponipere said some prison officials on January 6, at about 7am, gained entry into Mr. Okahs cell and carted away his books, journals and manuscripts. He said the invasion of his clients cell was based on the orders of the head of the Kuje Prison, Musa Tanko. According to him, one of the seized manuscripts contained his prison memoirs, consisting of writings, drawings and sketches of his prison journey. However, he said another manuscript titled Research Study: Security Lapses and Vice in Kuje Prison, carried detailed report exposing security lapses, illicit sex, indiscipline, corruption and other vices thriving such as prison warders involvement in drug trafficking. Our client was to submit the report to the honourable minister of interior, the national security adviser, NSA, as well as the director general of the State Security Service, SSS, before the unfortunate incident occurred, the lawyer wrote. Specifically, on January 10, when the honourable minister of interior visited the prison, in company of the director general, State Security Service, SSS, our client approached the minister and conveyed his intention to forward a draft copy of the research study to his (minister) office for necessary action. Secondly Sir, following our clients bold initiative to approach the minister of interior during his visit to the prison, our client has been kept in solitary confinement within the Prison Service since January 10, 2016 by Mr. Tanko and his officers, ostensibly as a punitive, vindictive and malicious measure, to force our client to back down from his avowed determination to expose the ongoing rot in the prison. The lawyer insisted that the Kuje Prison boss lacks the power to subject an inmate under his custody to another form of imprisonment without a valid order of a court of competent jurisdiction. He said that keeping Mr. Okah in solitary confinement is arbitrary, illegal and an arrogant usurpation of the judicial function which must be discouraged by the federal government. He said the rights of prisoners are guaranteed by both the 1999 Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, to which Nigeria is a signatory. Mr. Okponipere also accused the prison authority of refusing to convey his client to the National Hospital, Abuja, to keep a long gone surgery appointment to address a terminal condition. The lawyer, therefore, called for an immediate and unconditional return of all the intellectual properties seized from his client and a discontinuance of solitary confinement. Mr. Okponipere also seeks an immediate conveyance of Mr. Okah to the National Hospital Abuja to keep a major surgery appointment with his doctors. Take notice and notice is hereby given that we shall commence an action to enforce our clients fundamental right at the Federal High Court, Abuja if the afore-mentioned demands are not made within 14 days of receipt of this letter. Take further notice that upon filing the suit, our client shall demand the sum of five billion naira in punitive, exemplary and aggravated damages from the Federal Government of Nigeria. The letter was copied to President Muhamadu Buhari, the executive secretary, National Human Rights Commission, African Commission on Human and Peoples Right, European Commission on Human Rights, Amnesty International and the International Committee of the Red Cross. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arrested Abumere Joseph Osagie, deputy director, regional tax office, Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, in a case of abuse of office and bribery. The suspect was arrested following a complaint about his attempt to extort a university proprietor N5million, a statement by the spokesperson for the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, said Friday. Mr. Osagie and one Jamila Ojora had on January 27 allegedly approached Ahmed Datti, the Chancellor of Baze University, Abuja, and gave him a tax assessment of N20,029, 496.00 through a letter of intent, which he paid. However when he requested for the assessment certificate, they refused to oblige him. Instead they allegedly demanded N5million gratification. All pleas by him fell on deaf ears, the EFCC said. Consequently, he petitioned the EFCC, and was advised to play along, Mr. Uwujaren said. Consequently, marked N5million was delivered to the director through Ms. Ojora in a sting operation. Ojora was arrested after she collected the N5m. Her confession led to the arrest of Mr. Osagie. The houses of the suspects were searched by operatives of the EFCC , and documents recovered. Investigations continue. The Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, on Friday inaugurated the Judicial Commission of Inquiry he set up recently, following a clash between the followers of Shiite cleric, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, and the Nigerian Army. On December 17 last year, Mr. El-Rufai announced the establishment of a state Judicial Commission of Inquiry, with membership cutting across the academia, media and civil society. The Shiite group recently released a list of 705 people missing or presumed killed by the Nigerian Army during the clash. While reading the 13-point terms of reference, the governor thanked members of the commission for accepting to undertake the assignment. I wish to thank the chairman, members and secretary of this Judicial Commission of Inquiry for accepting to undertake this assignment. I want to recognize and also thank Yusuf Ali, SAN, and the team of lawyers working with him for graciously accepting to serve as counsel to the commission, he said. BELOW IS THE TERMS OF REFERENCE 1 To determine the immediate causes of the clashes; 2 To determine the historical circumstances, surrounding and contributory factors and remote causes of the clashes; 3 To ascertain the number of persons killed, wounded or missing during the clashes; 4 To identify all property alleged to have been damaged or destroyed during the clashes, the owners or occupiers of such property and the value claimed by them for such damage or destruction; 5 To identify actions and omissions of relevant persons, traditional and religious institutions, Federal and State actors and emergency response agencies before, during and after the clashes; 6 To determine whether the actions and omissions identified in sub-paragraph (e) above were necessary, appropriate and sufficient in the circumstances in which they occurred. 7 To determine the evolution of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, its organization, structure, membership, growth, assets, resources, culture and practices, and how any or all of these contributed to any engagement with the community, constituted authorities and the security agencies; 8 To review all other factors, issues or matters, including the alleged involvement of foreign and domestic actors or their influence or instigation, that may have contributed to the incident or may conduce to such incidents in the future and make recommendations thereto; 9 To make recommendations to the Kaduna State government and the federal government as to direct or indirect responsibility for any acts of commission or omission identified in sub-paragraph (v) above; 10 To make recommendations as to actions to be taken to ensure that administrative or criminal responsibility is further determined by the appropriate administrative or judicial authorities for any identified acts or omissions; 11 To make recommendations as to actions to be taken, policies to be developed and implemented to ensure that acts and omissions that may have contributed or led to the clashes are pre-empted entirely or, where they occur, their negative effects are mitigated, in future; 12 To recommend any matter for prosecution, further investigation or the convening of a separate inquiry to the appropriate law enforcement agency, government department or prosecutor regarding the conduct of a certain person or persons; and 13 To investigate any other matter incidental or relevant to these Terms of Inquiry which, in the commissions view, should be investigated and make any other pertinent recommendations that it deems necessary for the purpose. The commission is expected to submit it interim and final reports of within six weeks after the first public sitting. BELOW IS THE LIST OF THE MEMBERS INAUGURATED Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba Chairman Salisu Shehu Commissioner Umar Labdo Commissioner Salihu Abubakar Commissioner Auwalu Yadudu Commissioner Ibrahim Gambari Commissioner Afakriya Gadzama Commissioner Alexander Anjili Mshelbwala Commissioner Jibrin Ibrahim Commissioner Bilya Bala Commissioner Aminun-Kano Maude Commissioner Desire Deseye Nsirim Commissioner Khadijah Hawaja Gambo Commissioner Nine National Assembly members from Anambra State, including Senators Andy Uba and Stella Oduah, have written the Independent National Electoral Commission, disputing reports that they were sacked by the Supreme Court on Friday. Apart from Messrs. Uba (Anambra South) and Oduah lAnambra North) who are Senators, the other lawmakers believed to be affected are Lynda Ikpeazu, Anayo Nnebe, Tony Nwoye, Chris Azubogu, Chukwuka Onyema, Obinna Chidoka and Eucharia Azodo who are members of the House of Representatives. Uche Ekwunife who represented Anambra South had earlier been sacked by the Appeal Court which ordered fresh election in her constituency. All the lawmakers, who are members of Peoples Democratic, were sacked by the Supreme Court which subsequently replaced them with other PDP members. The apex courts decision followed an appeal by a faction of the PDP in Anambra state, led by Ejike Oguebego, which sought that it be recognised as the authentic executive of the party in the state and therefore the right organ to conduct primary elections to choose candidates for the 2015 elections in the state. The other faction, led by Augustine Akobundo, submitted the list containing the names of the nine lawmakers and Ms. Ekwunife to INEC. Backed by the national leadership of the party, the commission accepted Mr. Akobundos list. Both factions held separate primaries. But the Supreme Court affirmed the authenticity of Mr. Ogbuebegos executive, the validity of its primaries and list of candidates Chris Uba, John Emeka and Annie Okonkwo and others who emerged therefrom. However, in a letter to INEC Chairman through their counsel, Arthur Okafor, the lawmakers asked that the Commission should not be misled to withdraw their Certificates of Return. They said the Supreme Court did not sack them; rather it affirmed that the national leadership, not the state executive of the party had authority over submission of candidates for national assembly elections. Meanwhile, the PDP national leadership forwarded to INEC the names of candidates sent to it by the Akobundo executive Messrs Uba, Oduah, Ekwunife and others. That executive has now been declared illegal by the Supreme Court. Of the Supreme Courts ruling, the letter by the embattled lawmakers read in part, This appeal has now excited some attention and has been subjected to blatant and crude misinterpretations which have necessitated this correspondence. This correspondence is aimed at setting the record straight so that your good self will not again be misled by your legal department into unjustifiably occasioning an unnecessary confusion in the process. The judgment under reference is SC. 37 /2015: CHIEF EJIKE OGUEBEGO & ANOR v. PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY & ORS. May I draw your attention to the most pertinent segment of the Judgment for the purpose of the status of the legislators sponsored by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at pages 46, 47 and 48 of the Judgment where their lordships of the Supreme Court held as follows:- The Court below, however, veered from the course set by the trial court and took the matter to another level which clearly failed to take into consideration the main issue before the trial court. On page 1291 of Volume 3 of the record of appeal the Court of Appeal held as follows:- It is established beyond peradventure that it is the National Executive Committee of the appellant which has the power to conduct a valid primary for the nomination or selection of candidates for a general election. See EMEKA V. OKADIGBOsupra and EMENIKE v. PDP supra. Reliefs 3, 5 and 6 were predicated on the possibility of congress and primary being conducted by the caretaker committee set up by the appellant. There was no evidence to back this up. Exhibit D at page 32 of Volume 1 of the record (the letter of PDP appointing the South East Executive to oversee the affairs of the Anambra State Chapter until congresses are held) does not suggest that the congresses were to be held by the South East Zonal Executive. The letter further stated that, Our clients were duly nominated by the National Executive of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2015 General Election and they contested the Election and were duly returned as elected. They were subsequently issued with their respective Certificates of Return and have since been performing the duties for which they were elected by their respective constituents before the election and during the nomination process, the National Executive duly forwarded our clients names which the Commission duly received. Thereafter owing to some shenanigans by some staff of the Commission whom our clients believed were working for a self-styled State Executive Committee which were determined against the serene and settled position of the law to sponsor candidates for the Peoples Democratic party (PDP), our clients names were relegated. This created a situation whereby the legal department of the Commission commenced playing a musical chair with list of candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) when they were fully aware that the only authority that is competent to forward names of candidates is the National Executive Committee by virtue of correspondence signed by its National Chairman and Secretary. In two (2) remarkable pronouncements, the Supreme Court of Nigeria eloquently held that no list other than that forwarded by the National Executive of the PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP) shall be countenanced by the Commission. Read full letter by the lawmakers to INEC below. 29th January, 2016 The Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Zambezi Crescent Maitama District, Abuja Dear Sir, THE STATUS OF PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY (PDP) SENATORS AND MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES RE: JUDGMENT IN SC. 37/2015 We act as Solicitors and Counsel for and on behalf of the undermentioned persons whom we shall hereinafter refer to as our client namely:- 1.SENATOR STELLA ODUAH 2.SENATOR ANDY UBA 3.HON. LYNDA CHUBA IKPEAZU 4.HON. ANAYO NNEBE 5.HON. TONY NWOYE OKECHUKWU 6.HON. CHRIS AZUBOGU 7.HON. CHUKWUKA C. ONYEMA 8.HON. OBINNA CHIDOKA 9.HON. EUCHARIA AZODO Our clients are members of the National Assembly representing two (2) Senatorial Districts of Anambra State and seven (7) Federal Constituencies within Anambra State. Our clients were duly nominated by the National Executive of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2015 General Election and they contested the Election and were duly returned as elected. They were subsequently issued with their respective Certificates of Return and have since been performing the duties for which they were elected by their respective constituents before the election and during the nomination process, the National Executive duly forwarded our clients names which the Commission duly received. Thereafter owing to some shenanigans by some staff of the Commission whom our clients believed were working for a self-styled State Executive Committee which were determined against the serene and settled position of the law to sponsor candidates for the Peoples Democratic party (PDP), our clients names were relegated. This created a situation whereby the legal department of the Commission commenced playing a musical chair with list of candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) when they were fully aware that the only authority that is competent to forward names of candidates is the National Executive Committee by virtue of correspondence signed by its National Chairman and Secretary. In two (2) remarkable pronouncements, the Supreme Court of Nigeria eloquently held that no list other than that forwarded by the National Executive of the PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP) shall be countenanced by the Commission. In EMEKA v. OKADIGBO (2012) 18 NWLR (Part 1331) 55 at 87 Paras H-C the Court held thus:- A diligent reading of the above reveals that it is the National Executive Committee of the PDP that is responsible for the conduct of the partys National Assembly primaries. The Court of Appeal was correct. There can only be one valid primary and that is the primaries conducted by the National Executive Committee. A primary conducted by the State Chapter of the PDP is not a primary. It is an illegal contraption that carries with it no rights. It is a complete nullity. The primaries conducted on the 8th of January, 2011 was conducted by the National Executive Committee of the PDP, and it was the only authentic primaries conducted by the PDP to choose its candidate for the Anambra North Senatorial Seat. On the other hand, the purported primaries conducted on the 10th or 12th of January, 2011 were conducted by the State Chapter of the PDP. It is null and void for the purpose of choosing the PDPs candidate for the Senatorial elections. It is clear that at no time were two parallel primaries conducted. 4.03In EMENIKE v. PDP (2012) 12 NWLR (Part 1315) 556 at 594 Para H, the Supreme Court in interpreting a similar provision was emphatic that the PDP primaries conducted by the Abia State Executive Committee of PDP was illegal as it was not empowered to conduct primary election and that being the case, the Respondent who emerged from the said primary was not properly elected. Further at page 602 para H, the Supreme Court settled the position thus:- It must be elementary now, that the only valid primary is the one conducted by the National Executive Committee of the PDP. The primary which the Appellant participated in was illegal, it having been conducted by the State Executive of the PDP. Also the Apex Court in SC.4/2014, SC.7/2014 and SC.752/2013: YARADUA & ORS v. YANDOMA & ORS delivered on 19th December, 2014 per Mary UkaegoPeter-Odili JSC at page 34 held thus: At the root of these decisions cited above is the fact that must be ingrained well in mind of the court and litigants that who becomes the candidate of a political party is an issue to be solely determined by that political party and well in its domestic realm and not for the interference of any agency or the court. In that wise, since all the political parties are National, it is its National Executive Committee or delegates therefrom who can validly conduct a primary election or conduct a process through which the particular political party is to bring forth its candidate and no other arm of that party including a state organ of that party. That was the gravamen of the case GARBA YAKUBU LADO & ORS. V. CPC & ORS (2012) All FWLR (Part 607) 623 and which the Supreme Court declined jurisdiction and also decided that neither the Court of Appeal nor the trial High Court had jurisdiction. It was therefore odd for the Legal Department of the Commission to have ill advised the Commission to purport to accept the list forwarded by a self-styled State Executive, while disregarding the list already domiciled with the Commission and forwarded by the National Executive of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). By so doing, the Commission purported to have acted pursuant to what was said to be an Order of Court made by the Federal High Court Abuja Division in FHC/ABJ/CS/854/2014. Your Honour, a perusal of the Order made in the said proceedings will not disclose any place where the Federal High Court Ordered the Commission to accept a list of Candidates forwarded by a State Chapter of the PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP). That would have been a total impertinence if not rascality as every High Court is duty bound to obey the established principles of law as laid down by the Supreme Court of Nigeria. Thus, with or without an Order of Court, on no account would the legal department or any other authority advise the Commission to accept a list forwarded by a self-styled State Executive. It is also on record that our Client appealed the decision of the Federal High Court to the Court of Appeal which set aside the decision. Upon an appeal to the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court on 29th January, 2016 allowed the appeal. This appeal has now excited some attention and has been subjected to blatant and crude misinterpretations which have necessitated this correspondence. This correspondence is aimed at setting the record straight so that your good self will not again be misled by your legal department into unjustifiably occasioning an unnecessary confusion in the process. The judgment under reference is SC. 37 /2015: CHIEF EJIKE OGUEBEGO & ANOR v. PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY & ORS. May I draw your attention to the most pertinent segment of the Judgment for the purpose of the status of the legislators sponsored by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at pages 46, 47 and 48 of the Judgment where their lordships of the Supreme Court held as follows:- The Court below, however, veered from the course set by the trial court and took the matter to another level which clearly failed to take into consideration the main issue before the trial court. On page 1291 of Volume 3 of the record of appeal the Court of Appeal held as follows:- It is established beyond peradventure that it is the National Executive Committee of the appellant which has the power to conduct a valid primary for the nomination or selection of candidates for a general election. See EMEKA V. OKADIGBOsupra and EMENIKE v. PDP supra. Reliefs 3, 5 and 6 were predicated on the possibility of congress and primary being conducted by the caretaker committee set up by the appellant. There was no evidence to back this up. Exhibit D at page 32 of Volume 1 of the record (the letter of PDP appointing the South East Executive to oversee the affairs of the Anambra State Chapter until congresses are held) does not suggest that the congresses were to be held by the South East Zonal Executive. I hold the view that the Court below misconceived the real issue in controversy at the trial Court which gave birth to the appeal before it. There was no controversy as to which organ of the 1st Respondent (PDP) has power to conduct primaries. I can say it for the umpteenth time that the main issue was that stated by the learned trial judge. That is, whether the 1st Respondent can ignore the subsisting order of Court and set up a caretaker committee for Anambra State PDP in brazen contempt of the Court. Period. Other issues that were thrown up were just to garnish the issue. Therefore, the Court below having left the main issues in controversy and be persuaded to dwell on the issues as to which organ of PDP has power to conduct primary, went on a frolic and cannot be allowed to stand. Accordingly, I hold that there was no feature in the case submitted by the Appellants that warranted the court below to apply the cases of OKADIGBO v. EMEKA & Ors (Supra) and EMENIKE v. PDP (supra). The two authorities decided on which organ of a Political Party has power to conduct primaries. This is not the issue in this case. Thus, this issue is yet again resolved in favour of the Appellants. The Supreme Court did not order the withdrawal of the Certificates of Return issued by the Commission to our clients. They did not hold that the faction of the PDP had the right to sponsor candidates for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). They did not equally authorize the Commission to substitute our clients with the individuals whose names were on the list improperly allowed by the Commission in obvious disregard of the series of judgments of the Supreme Court of Nigeria to the effect that it is only the National Executive of the party that has the vires to sponsor candidates. The Supreme Court could not have for after all, the same Court in a sister appeal- SC.29/2015 ODEDOv P.D.P (2015) 13 NWLR (Pt 1476) 229 at 266-267 (para H-D) with respect to one of the said state sponsored candidates arising from the same Federal High Court judgment held thus- Suffice it to say it is the National Executive of the PDP that is imbued with the responsibility for the conduct of the partys National Assembly Primaries. Any purported attempt to conduct such primary by the State Chapter of the PDP cannot be validly characterized as competent. The act is totally illegal and will confer no right as it is a nullity and also constituting an abuse of court process. It is interesting, I must say that the case under consideration like Emeka & Okadigbo originates also from the same Anambra State. This is worrisome as it gives a clear indication that the State Executive Committee of the party appears not to know their limit and hence the continued persistence in usurping of power not due to them. This is inspite of the pronouncement made by this Court and its orders. The practice is a flagrant abuse of power and the national body will do well and draw the attention of the erring state committee thereto. Judgments of court are to be obeyed and serve a guide for now and the future. It must be noted that as far as our clients are concerned, the restoration of their names as candidates was not pursuant to the Court of Appeal decision setting aside the decision of the Federal High Court. The Judgment was perhaps a wake-up call. What the Commission did by restoring the names of our clients as candidates was simply to adhere to the settled principles of law to the effect that it is only the National Executive that possessed the vires to nominate candidates for election. The Supreme Court of Nigeria was equally emphatic that the case which eventually got to the Court and on which they delivered the judgment now sought to be misinterpreted, had nothing to do with nomination of candidates by a body other than the National Executive of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), that matter having been fully settled by numerous, previous decisions of the Court. In recognition of the fact that the matter does not involve sponsorship of candidates for the PeoplesDemocratic Party, all the candidates illegally sponsored by the said Oguebego led State Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Partyinstituted Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/177/2015: SENATOR ANNIE CLEMENT OKONKWO & 43 ORS v. INEC & ORS in which they are seeking a restoration of their names as the candidates of the Party. The said suit is still pending and is also the subject of interlocutory appeal at the Court of Appeal in CA/A/313/2015. Having regard to the foregoing, we urge you to resist the machinations of those who are ill motivated and bent on causing confusion in the system. If you find that our clients were nominated by the National Executive of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which is the case, then in the absence of a Court Order, there will be no compulsion or justification on your part to interfere with the mandate vested in our clients by the PDP and the electorate. Please find attached the said judgment of the Supreme Court in SC.37/2015 and the Originating Summons instituted at the Federal High Court as FHC/ABJ/CS/177/2015: SENATOR ANNIE CLEMENT OKONKWO & 43 ORS v. INEC & ORS which is still pending. May we anticipate your mature and detached approach to this matter so as to ensure that justice, equity and good conscience are maintained. Thank you for your co-operation. Yours faithfully, ____________________ ARTHUR OBI OKAFOR (SAN) The National Emergency Management Agency has said four passengers lost their lives in another boat mishap in Lagos on Saturday morning. According to NEMA, the accident occurred at Badore in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of the state at about 10.00 a.m. The South-West spokesman for the agency, Ibrahim Farinloye, disclosed this on Saturday in a statement in Lagos. He, however, said 13 passengers were rescued. He said the boat with 17 passengers on board capsized at Badore. The incident occurred at about 10.00 this morning. The boat with 17 people on board which was coming from Ijede capsized at Badore. Four people died while 13 others were rescued, he said. Bandele Onimode, the South-West Zonal Coordinator of the agency, also confirmed that 13 passengers were rescued with help from some agencies. Mr. Onimole lauded the Lagos State Waterways Authority, National Inland Waterways Authority, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency and Marine Police for the rescue efforts. He said the bodies had been taken to Ijede Hospital morgue. (NAN) The Nigerian Bar Association has admonished state governors to stop the illegal practice of appointing caretakers to run the affairs of Local Government Areas (LGAs). Kazeem Gbadamosi, the Chairman of Ibadan branch of the association stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Ibadan. Mr. Gbadamosi said there is no provision in the 1999 Constitution, as amended, for the appointment of a caretaker as chairman of local government. This unconstitutional act has become a tradition in the states; can the president appoint caretaker governors. We should collectively fight the illegality of appointing caretaker committee for local government, he said. Mr. Gbadamosi called on governors to conduct local government elections as at when due in line with the statute. He said the people at the grassroots were not enjoying dividends of democracy because of the way the governors were running the affairs of the councils. (NAN) The Nigerian Airforce has sustained aerial bombardment of Sambisa forest with over 280 operational sorties conducted against terrorists targets in the area in the last one month. Several high value terrorists were killed in the operations, officials said. The Deputy Theatre Commander, Air, of Operation Lafiya Dole, Air Vice Marshal Isiaka Oladayo Amao, who stated this at a media briefing in Maiduguri stated that the air strikes and bombardments were conducted by the Air Component of the Operation Lafiya Dole in the North-East. Mr. Amao said the ongoing and sustained air operations and surveillance within the theater of operation in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States were intensified between December 2015 and January 2016 towards ending the Boko Haram menace. He said: In continuation of the counter insurgency, the air component in the last one month conducted 286 operational sorties against terrorists targets from 25 December to date in the Sambisa forest covering an area of 157,000km2 which is equivalent to the total land mass of South Korea, Portugal and Togo in a total of 536 hours, 21 minutes were flown by various platforms engaged in the operations, This translates into 316,637.5 litres of aviation fuel which amounts to N60.3 million, excluding the cost of maintenance and armament expended. He further explained that prominent operations among the missions carried out included an air strike on December 25 last year where some terrorists leaders and junior commanders, who gathered for a leadership meeting in Sambisa Forest, were neutralized by a precision strike which led to the killing of several Boko Haram terrorists. There was also a significant strike conducted on January 17, 2016, following intelligence report on the location of a High Value Terrorists (Boko Haram HVT) leader taking refuge at a location south of Arra village in the Sambisa Forest, where air strikes neutralized the target. He added that some areas of the successful airstrikes conducted to include; Gadzama, Ngwalimiri, Dure and Dure Takwalla, Ajigin, Bitta, Gulumba Gana, Sigel, Damasak and Kumshe communities now occupied by insurgents. Other areas that came under strike include; Yajiwa, Asaga, Tumbun Gini and Mada towns, amongst others, as well as medical evacuation missions which were also carried out at Marte Local Government area and Banki town of Borno state on January 21 this year. The deputy commander however maintained that the Nigerian Air Force, through its Component in Operation Lafiya Dole, is focused on sustaining air operations and providing support to ground troops of the Armed Forces as they strive to rid Nigeria of the Boko Haram insurgency. Mr. Amao further added that all the areas bombarded were thoroughly monitored on intelligence surveillance and eye services before the attacks or shelling. Most of the targets included Boko Haram fuel pump storages, Solar Panels, Meeting Points and hideouts in the samuba forests as most of the areas were identified first before the air strikes. The Minister in charge of the Federal Capital Territory, Muhammad Bello, on Saturday opened part of Goodluck Jonathan Expressway in the Central Business District of the capital to ease traffic. Before now, the Goodluck Jonathan expressway was known as Inner Southern Expressway (ISEX). Mr. Bello urged the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing to consider the full expansion of the Abuja-Keffi Road to 10 lanes to reduce traffic bottlenecks on that axis. He said the expansion of road to 10 lanes with interchange bridges at critical junctions would guarantee traffic flow in and out of Abuja city from the North-East axis of the country. Mr. Bello recalled that the FCT administration had already expanded the Kubwa and Airport roads to serve those entering into the FCT from the northern and southern parts of the country, respectively. The minister reiterated that the FCT administration decided to open part of the road to reduce the gridlocks around the city centre, particularly at peak periods. Represented by Babatope Ajakaiye, FCT Permanent Secretary, Mr. Bello said the road was 90 per cent completed. He emphasised that the FCT administration would fund ongoing projects that impact positively on the lives of residents. The policy is to continue with all ongoing projects that will impact positively on the lives of Abuja residents and Nigerians at large, he said. Earlier, the Executive Secretary, Federal Capital Development Authority, Adamu Ismaila, said the road traverses the city from phases I to phase IV. Represented by Umar Gambo, Director of Mass Housing, Mr. Ismaila said the road connect the Outer Southern Expressway (OSEX) within the precincts of Kuje township. He said the ISEX started where the Abuja-Keffi Road terminated at Mogadishu Barracks in Asokoro District. The road is designed as a 22-lane service carriageways and 23-lane main carriageways making a total of 10 lanes with four interchanges and four box culverts at various locations, Ismaila said. He said that the scope of the project included underground and surface storm water drainage, power supply, a pedestrian bridge, street lighting and telecommunication ducts, among others. (NAN) Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30 Trend: "The position of the OSCE Minsk group co-chairs on the resolutions on the situation in the Armenia-occupied territories of Azerbaijan, which were discussed at the winter session of the PACE, is wrong," said Novruz Mammadov, deputy head of Azerbaijani presidential administration, chief of the administration's foreign relations department, AzerTac reported. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan expressed its position on this issue. We are waiting for the serious steps to be taken by the Minsk Group. This is the most important thing. The OSCE Minsk Group, which has not taken any step to solve the dispute, must not interfere with the efforts of other organizations," Novruzov said. "So far we have had different principles - Prague principles, now Madrid principles. Previously there were other approaches. But, unfortunately, the conflict has not been solved because of Armenia`s non-constructive position and passivity of the co-chairs. The co-chairs are directly responsible for this issue. The OSCE Minsk group co-chairs are incapable of fulfilling their mission even on a normal level, not to mention a high level," he added. Dakuku Peterside, governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers, has promised to lead the partys campaign for the re-run legislative elections in the state. The Independent National Electoral Commission said it had tentatively fixed February 6 for the elections. Elections will be held in the three Senatorial Districts, 11 House of Representatives Seats and 22 of the 32 state assembly seats. Peterside disclosed this at a stakeholders meeting of the party in Port Harcourt on Saturday. I will be in every local government and villages to campaign for our candidates. I want to assure you that we shall not lose one seat. All you need to do as stakeholders and supporters is to do your part. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has promised to provide a level playing ground for all parties, he said. Mr. Peterside said the APC would prove to the world that it was the popular party that the people want in the state. He urged leaders and members of the APC to put behind the loss of the governorship case at the Supreme Court and work for the partys victory. Magnus Abe, the APC candidate for Rivers South-East Senatorial District, said the Supreme Court took its decision on the law and as democrats and Nigerians, the party was bound by it. Mr. Abe said the court was the apex court in the land and members of APC were bound to accept its decision as democrats and progressives that believe in the rule of law. If we will not submit to the jurisdiction of the courts, we will not have filed the case. We give God glory and we accept the judgment of the court. The Supreme Court decided the case on the law, it was a legal decision, it is not necessarily the decision of Rivers people but we are bound by that decision, Mr. Abe said. The former lawmaker thanked God that same judicial process had given Rivers people the opportunity to make their own decision. The decision of the people will not be based on the law, it will be based on the prime principle of democracy which is a decision of the majority. The case in the Supreme Court between PDP and APC was decided on the law but the case in the polling units will be decided by Rivers people, he said. Mr. Abe commended Mr. Peterside for fighting a good fight for the party and the people of the state. I thank you for the statement that you released on behalf of us. It was wise, principled, democratic, fair and right, Mr. Abe added. Davies Ikanya, the state Chairman of APC, urged the people that defected to the party not to worry because they took the right decision. The decision to join APC is a right decision as it was not based on any court ruling. It is based on your conviction that APC is where to be for Rivers people. I congratulate you all for joining the party to fight a good course and I know that more people will join us to fight and liberate the state, Mr. Ikanya said. Mr. Ikanya said the APC would continue to mobilise more people to join it to win all the legislative seats in the rerun elections. He said the party was peace loving and very much interested in the development of the state. The state APC women leader, Caroline Nagbo, assured all the candidates that the women would not disappoint them as they would mobilise and vote for APC. Ms. Nagbo urged the women to remain steadfast and focused. (NAN) A Political Science lecturer at the Kaduna State University, John Danfulani, suspended for posting an alleged hate speech on social media, has sued the university. Mr. Danfulani was suspended by the university over a Facebook post the institution considered a hate speech. Speaking to our reporter on Friday, Mr. Danfulani said he had decided to challenge his suspension by the university authorities. I have decided to head to court to institute three separate cases on the query and infringement of my fundamental human rights as guaranteed by our constitution, and other global and regional protocols on peoples rights, Mr. Danfulani said. He also said following an invitation for interrogations by the police, he cut short his foreign trip to meet with the state commissioner of police. On 24th January, I was told of another letter from KASU telling me that Kaduna State Commissioner of Police has requested the school to release me for an interview at 10am of 25th January, 2016 in their headquarters. Sequel to that, I terminated my mission and got an available flight back home on 26th January, 2016 to keep faith with CPs invitation. I called the CP on arrival and told him I will be seeing him at 10am on 29th January, 2016 (today), he said. Part of the contentious Facebook post said, To them, APC is a religious party. Northern leaders under the party are demigods and crusaders of their ways of life. These people living in dusty villages of Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Kano, Jigawa are quick in calling you Arne or Kafiri (Meaning Pagan) once you express your view on anything their God PMB and his brigade of small angels are doing. Mr. Danfulani confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that he authored the post, which was widely circulated among Kaduna residents. In the suspension letter which was signed by the school registrar Talatu A. Kuri, read We refer to our letter of query dated 5th January, 2016, requesting you to explain within 48 hours why disciplinary action will not be taken against you for gross misconduct and confirm that you failed to respond. In line with S15 (1) 4 of KASU staff Conditions of Service, the Vice Chancellor has suspended you from duty forthwith and will report the matter to Council, it said. The Supreme Court of Nigeria on Friday nullified the elections of the senator representing Anambra South, Andy Ubah and his Anambra Central counterpart, Stella Oduah, over pre-election irregularities. In a unanimous judgment, the court said the sacked lawmakers are to be replaced by Chris Ubah (Anambra South) and Annie Okonkwo (Anambra Central). The third senator from the state, Uche Ekwunife, had earlier been removed by the Court of Appeal. All the three Senators were elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. PDP members of House of Representatives from Anambra State were also fired. The Supremes Court decision followed an appeal by a faction of the PDP in Anambra State led by Ejike Oguebego, whose case for recognition as the authentic executive of the party in the state and therefore, the right organ to conduct primary election prior to the 2015 election, was set aside by the Court of Appeal early last year. A Federal High Court, in Abuja, sitting under Justice Evoh Chukwu, had in a judgement delivered on December 5, 2014 in suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/854/2014 filed by Mr. Oguebego and the legal secretary of Anambra PDP, Chuks Okoye (for themselves and the states Executive Committee of the party), affirmed Mr. Oguebegos leadership of the party. The appeal court, in setting aside the judgment of the Federal High Court, recognized the PDP faction led by Augustine Akobundo and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and thereafter, accepted the list of nominees for National Assembly posts from the faction. That list comprises of Andy Uba, Oduah and Uche Ekwunife as Senatorial candidates. Both factions of the PDP held separate primaries, but INEC accepted the list from the Akobundo faction based on the verdict of the Appeal Court and recognition given to the faction by the National Secretariat of the PDP. One of the counsels to the Oguebego faction, Chuks Chinwoba, informed PREMIUM TIMES on Friday that even after the Court of Appeal ruled in favour of the other faction, the Oguebego faction went ahead to conduct primary election, because they were sure they would come out victorious at the end of the day. Mr. Chinwoba said the Oguebego faction held its own primary election on Saturday and Sunday December 6 and 7, 2014 and selected its candidates for Senate and House of Representatives. The lawyer also said the primary election was monitored by INEC which eventually issued a report on the election. He added that the election was held under the guidelines issued by the PDP Headquarters. The Supreme Court, in its ruling, also re-affirmed the chairmanship of Ejike Oguebego as the authentic State Chairman of the PDP in Anambra State, declaring the list of candidates for various elective positions submitted by the other faction illegal. By the unanimous verdict, the list of candidates nominated by Oguebego-led executive was the only one to be recognized by the INEC. After the primary election of December 6 and 7, Messrs. Chris Uba, John Emeka and Annie Okonkwo emerged as the senatorial candidates for Anambra South, Central and North in the March 28,2015 general election. Others, such as Anayo Nnebe, Obinna Chidoka, Lynda Ikpeazu, Emeka Anohu, Eucharia Azodo, Chris Azubogu amongst others picked the ticket for the House of Representatives. By Fridays ruling, Senate President Bukjola Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara are expected to swear in the members nominated by the Oguebego faction of the PDP in Anambra State. No fewer than 900,000 children from nine months to five years are to be immunised against measles in Enugu State, according to an official. Okechukwu Ossai, the Director of Public Health in the State Ministry of Health, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday that the ongoing campaign was targeted at children within the age bracket irrespective of their immunisation status. He said the ministry and its partners had designated health facilities, churches and village/market squares as immunisation points. Dr. Ossai said the exercise, which was designed to last five days (Thursday to Monday), might be extended by a day or two for effective grassroots coverage. We are penetrating every nook and cranny of the state and making substantial progress in the ongoing campaign which will meet the 900,000 children target. With the way we are pushing hard from all fronts, the ministry will achieve a good mileage in this campaign. The ministry is reiterating its call to parents/caregivers of eligible children or wards to take them to the nearest health centre or points for immunisation by trained health workers. While the vaccination is ongoing at the points, other issues concerning childrens health will be attended to as well, he said. Dr. Ossai reiterated that the vaccine was free, safe and effective. (NAN) Following the boat incident that occurred Saturday, the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) has summoned an emergency meeting with all commercial boat operators in the state for Tuesday, February 2. The agency also vowed to clamp down on boat operators who continue to contravene the rules and regulations guiding their operations. In a statement signed by the Managing Director of LASWA, Abisola Kamson, the meeting, which will focus on the compliance of safety standards of vessels operating on the state waterways, will hold at the LASWA office in Falomo Ikoyi at 9:30am. Despite efforts by the State Government to enforce the safety standards on the waterways, some boat operators still flout the rules and regulations thereby putting the lives of innocent citizens at risk, Ms. Kamson said. The Lagos State Government will not tolerate the operation of substandard vessels on the waterways. Any individual or corporate entity found to be operating vessels not deemed water worthy will be prosecuted in accordance with the provisions of the law. Mr. Kamson, who confirmed the boat mishap at Ibeshe, Ikorodu, said the incident occurred at approximately 10:20am on a boat, Amen Limited, of Aki Marine Company belonging to one Akeem Balogun, which was travelling from Ijede to Badore East. She said although all passengers on the boat were wearing life jackets, the covered design of the boat made rescue efforts challenging. Ms. Kamson said survivors rescued were immediately taken to the Ijede General Hospital for treatment, while investigation was ongoing in collaboration with the Marine Police. The LASWA boss, who was at the scene of the incident, reaffirmed the state governments commitment to ensuring all operators plying the Lagos waterways comply with safety standards to prevent future loss of life and property. Open enrollment for the health insurance marketplace ends Sunday, and 3 percent more New Jerseyans have enrolled for coverage than last year, with a majority qualifying for financial assistance. As of Jan. 13, enrollment in New Jersey for 2016 coverage was 262,400, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. New Jersey enrollment for 2015 coverage was 254,298. Last year, 9,138 people enrolled in Atlantic County, 2,784 in Cumberland County and 3,581 in Cape May County, HHS reported. About half of the enrollees in these counties were new, the data show. On Thursday, first-time enrollee Monique Laperriere, of Leesburg in Maurice River Township, met with Jill Harris, a certified application counselor at CompleteCare in Vineland, to enroll in the marketplace. She lost her insurance with her job in December. Harris has been helping residents in Cumberland, Cape May and Gloucester counties enroll in the marketplace since it launched in 2013. She said many consumers start to do it themselves, but when they have to pick an insurance product, they get confused. Other enrollees may fill out the form incorrectly. If they answer just one question incorrectly, they wont get the tax credits, she said. Laperriere said she decided to make an appointment with Harris after having trouble signing up on her own. It was a little overwhelming, she said. This is like a cakewalk. Laperriere said she called the hotline on the healthcare.gov website but was told she didnt qualify for a subsidy, also called a premium tax credit. After going through the application with Harris, Laperriere found she did qualify and was able to choose a discounted plan that day. Tax credits can be applied only to silver plans or better, Harris said. Bronze plans, which offer the bare minimum, do not qualify. According to HHS, in the first month of open enrollment, 78 percent of New Jersey consumers were determined eligible for financial assistance to lower their monthly premiums. CompleteCare is one of many grant-funded organizations that offers free assistance enrolling in the Affordable Care Acts marketplace. Customers bring identification and proof of income and meet with a certified application counselor to fill out their applications. Kim Tweed, director of marketing and development for CompleteCare Health Network, said many of the new enrollees hope to avoid the looming tax penalty for those who forgo insurance and arent exempt. Tweed said CompleteCare had a surge in enrollment before the Dec. 15 deadline, which had to be met to have an insurance policy that was effective Jan. 1. Those who sign up by Sunday will have a policy effective March 1. AtlantiCare offers similar assistance to residents in Atlantic County, which was largely affected by casino layoffs and high unemployment. Paul Mesgleski, financial counseling services manager for AtlantiCare, said because of the loss of unemployment benefits, many unemployed people now qualify for Medicaid. Thats obviously not the whole story, he said. Harris said many people also apply because their employers have fewer than 50 employees and are exempt from providing insurance, or they turn 26 and can no longer be included on their parents health insurance policies. When it launched, the insurance marketplace website was plagued with problems. Now, Harris said, the website is much easier to use and customers are becoming more web-savvy. With that, the rhetoric has changed, she said. Harris said positive word of mouth about the program has helped, but some are still wary of the costs of mandated coverage or feel they are healthy and dont need insurance. Obtaining affordable health insurance was a priority for Laperriere. Im used to having insurance, not worrying about going to the doctor, she said. Part of AtlantiCares goals in offering enrollment assistance is to educate the public, Mesgleski said. Typically, the biggest question is, How much? he said. You also want to try to educate them. There are different plans that offer better, maybe, prescription coverage, or their copays are a little bit different. The hospitals mission is a healthy community. Obviously, we want to build a healthy community, and part of that healthy community is being insured, so you do your pre-screenings, you catch your diagnosis early enough, Mesgleski said. Having insurance helps protect against that, so thats our major push. Contact: 609-272-7251 PHILADELPHIA (AP) Eight months after a deadly Amtrak derailment, federal investigators are poised to release evidence and reports that could help clear up the mystery of why the train streaked into a sharp curve at double the speed limit. The release, expected Monday, will be the first major development in the investigation since a preliminary report a few weeks after the May 12 crash in which the National Transportation Safety Board pinpointed excessive speed as a key factor. A final report isn't expected for months. The train was accelerating out of an 80 mph speed zone when it should have been slowing to 50 mph for the coming curve, investigators said. It reached 106 mph just before the engineer activated emergency brakes. David Hernandez, who lives near the tracks, said the crashing train sounded like shopping carts smashing together. "They go so fast up there," Hernandez said. But why, with more than 300 northbound Amtrak trains safely navigating the curve every week and scores more from Philadelphia's commuter rail, did Train 188 speed to a derailment that left eight dead and more than 200 injured? In the absence of an official conclusion, several theories have emerged. Early in the investigation, the NTSB focused on whether the train had been hit with a rock or other projectile minutes before the crash. The left-side of the locomotive's windshield had a grapefruit-sized fracture. The operator of a commuter train running along the same tracks reported being hit and passengers on another Amtrak train said something struck their train. Did that startle Train 188's engineer, Brandon Bostian? Did Bostian, who encountered exhausting mechanical problems on his earlier trip from New York to Washington and a shorter than expected break, lose track of where he was? The NTSB said Bostian's cellphone wasn't in use, but could he have been using a burner cellphone to get around a ban, as has happened in some cases? Or, perhaps the ACS-64 locomotive far more powerful than the other model primarily used on the Northeast Corridor accelerated faster than Bostian, who had only been on the route for several weeks, anticipated. "The only person that really knows for sure is the guy who was sitting in the cab of that locomotive," said David B. Clarke, a railroad expert at the University of Tennessee. Even that may not be the case: A few days after the crash, the 32-year-old Bostian told the NTSB he did not recall anything after ringing the train's bell as he passed through the North Philadelphia station about three miles before the curve. Bostian's lawyer, Robert Goggin, offered a different account the day after the crash, telling ABC News that Bostian recalled that the train was "pulling into speed-restricted track" but did not remember activating the emergency brake. He said Bostian wasn't under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Goggin has not returned repeated messages from The Associated Press. Bostian, regarded by friends for his safety-mindedness and love of railroading, is on unpaid leave from Amtrak. The Associated Press visited Bostian at his parents' vacation home in Arkansas in late December. He said he couldn't speak about the accident while the investigation was pending, citing instructions from a lawyer. Amtrak installed an automatic speed control at the Philadelphia curve within days of the derailment, as it had in Boston in 1990 after a train entered a 30 mph curve near Back Bay Station at 76 mph and derailed into a commuter train. The railroad has since enabled speed technology for all but a small portion of the 450-mile Northeast Corridor. The lack of clarity on what caused the Philadelphia train to speed has frustrated crash victims, some of whom have racked up more than $1 million in hospital bills and are continuing to rehabilitate from injuries. The train's conductor, Emilio Fonseca, was in the bathroom of the first passenger car turned into a mangled husk by the derailment and suffered a deep head wound and broken bones along with significant emotional trauma that may keep him from returning to work. Chef Eli Kulp, made a quadriplegic by the crash, has had to adjust to the "new normal" of life in a wheelchair, said his lawyer, Benedict Morelli. They are among dozens of victims suing Amtrak for a share of $295 million in damages, raised by Congress last month from $200 million. Amtrak has conceded responsibility for the crash, but the cases likely won't be settled until after the NTSB investigation is complete leaving victims on the hook for medical costs until then while they grapple for answers. "When you get on a train, you think, 'get off the train,'" said Morelli. "You never think, 'get on the train, go to the hospital,' or 'get on the train, go to the morgue.'" Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Jan. 30 By Huseyn Hasanov- Trend: Turkmenistan plans to increase electricity export volumes to neighboring Iran, the Turkmen government said Jan. 30. To this end, it is planned to build two sections of transmission lines: 150 kilometers of power lines from the Mary power station till the town of Sarakhs with a power of 500 kW, and then 15 kilometers of transmission facilities with a power of 400 kW from Sarakhs to the border with Iran. The project is being implemented based on the previously signed memorandum of understanding between the governments of the two countries on cooperation in construction of Mary (Turkmenistan) - Mashhad (Iran) power line. This project was discussed at the government's meeting. President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhammadov stressed the importance of the projects on modernization of the existing and construction of the new high-powered plants, laying of high-voltage transmission lines implemented in the country, which directly contributes to dynamic development of the national electricity industry and building export potential of Turkmenistan. 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. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Jan. 30 By Huseyn Hasanov- Trend: Ashgabat hosted talks with the Iranian delegation led by Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Construction of Iran Ali Nurzada, the Turkmen foreign ministry said Jan. 30. During the talks, the sides paid main attention to the issues of revitalization and further development of joint activities in the field of road construction. The agenda of the talks included issues concerning construction of new Sarakhs (Turkmenistan) - Sarakhs (Iran) road bridge, Sarakhs - Tedjen road and Ashgabat - Turkmenabat highway. It was pointed out that regular Turkmen-Iranian meetings and talks at various levels demonstrate commitment of the sides to consistently develop traditionally friendly relations between the two countries in almost all spheres of cooperation. Kellton Tech acquires Bokanyi Consulting Bokanyis acquisition is set to expand our potential in providing world-class and innovative solutions in analytics, enterprise and cloud space with much agility, Niranjan Chintam, Chairman - Kellton Tech Hderabad-based Kellton Tech said it has acquired Bokanyi Consulting, a US-based enterprise, cloud and analytics services provider. Kellton Tech said in a statement that it funded the entire acquisition through internal accruals but gave no details of the financial transaction. Bokanyi, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary and clocked revenue of about $8 million last year, is a recognized expert in serving the mid-market IT needs of customers across 12 countries, the company said. "It has established itself as a heavy-weight in enterprise solutions market when it recently earned the recertification of its SAP Partner Center of Expertise (PCoE)," it said. "The recertification places it in the elite segment of top 3% of SAP partners in North America that have the depth and expertise necessary to meet the rigorous standards of SAP. Bokanyi offers full suite of Analytics Solutions providing insightful, customization info-graphics and specializes in SAP HANA implementations," it added. The acquisition demonstrates Kellton Tech's continued investment in I-SMAC (Internet of things, Social, Mobile, Analytics and Cloud) and its resolve to further strengthen its core focus. It will deepen and diversify Kellton Tech's expertise through complementary customer-base and development capabilities in addition to prestigious technological partnerships, the company statement said. Niranjan Chintam, founder and chairman, Kellton Tech said, "As we merge, Bokanyi's proven enterprise technology expertise that complements our I-SMAC focus, we look forward to a myriad of new business opportunities while leveraging the cross-selling possibilities brought forth through this acquisition". About Kellton Tech Solutions Ltd. Kellton Tech Solutions Limited is a public listed (BSE: KELLTONTEC), CMMi Level 3 and ISO 9001:2008 certified global IT services organization. It is headquartered in Hyderabad, India and has development centers in the United States and India. For two innovative decades, Kellton Tech has put into practice the vision upon which it was founded viz. "to offer infinite possibilities with technology". The company is committed to provide end-to-end IT solutions, strategic technology consulting, and offshore product development services. Kellton Tech serves the full gamut of customers including startups, SMBs, enterprises, and Fortune 500 businesses. The organization has serviced customers representing a wide range of verticals including retail, travel, e-commerce, education, hospitality, advertising, market research, manufacturing, consumer goods, logistics, SCM, and non-profits. Kellton Tech is also a global leader in providing Enterprise Mobility Solutions, Mobile Application Development & Internet of Things. About Bokanyi Consulting Bokanyi Consulting is an enterprise, cloud and analytics services provider based in Houston, US. Founded in 2005, Bokanyi provides enterprise selection, implementation and integration, hosting, and application support services as well as a broad range of business software applications in analytics and cloud. As a Certified SAP Gold Partner and reseller of business software solutions from SAP, it demonstrated its leadership status by achieving SAP HANA Support certification, and enables businesses to transition to SAP HANA, real-time digital analytics. Bokanyi has further distinguished itself as one of the elite SAP partners certified as a Partner Center of Expertise (PCoE,) providing a complete range of SAP support and consulting services that include all modules in addition to Basis and Security administration. Table Legs Online is honored to announce the first ever recipient of The Future Entrepreneurs of America $500 Scholarship. The winner is third year Columbia University student, and social entrepreneur, Riley Jones of Chicago, Illinois. Riley was recently selected as a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow where he is doing research in history and sociology. He has also been named a Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholar. He is the Chief Financial Officer of BLOC, a collective of leaders and visionaries committed to the common pursuit of black collegiate excellence and black communal empowerment. Riley is committed to using entrepreneurship as a way to improve the African American community. About The Future Entrepreneurs of America Scholarship: This scholarship awards innovative, forward-thinking students with a passion for business and entrepreneurship. Table Legs Online started The Future Entrepreneurs of America Scholarship in August of 2015. To qualify, applying students must be high school seniors or active college undergraduates. They are asked to write an essay answering three questions: In your opinion, what is it that makes someone an entrepreneur? In your opinion, what major characteristics do successful entrepreneurs exhibit, and why these characteristics? Describe your entrepreneurial experiences and why you would make a great future entrepreneur or business leader. Each year there will be two winners (one in the spring and one in the fall) that will be awarded $500 for books, living expenses, and other required fees. Table Legs Online understands the high costs of pursuing higher education. Even with an early start, saving and budgeting for college can be difficult in this ever-changing economy. Its hard to predict costs, so they believe every bit of help matters. For more information on The Future Entrepreneurs of America Scholarship please visit: http://www.tablelegsonline.com/tloblog/the-future-entrepreneurs-of-america-scholarship/ About Table Legs Online: Table Legs Online is an online retailer based in Baltimore, Maryland, providing quality table legs, furniture legs, table bases and tops, and accessories to commercial and residential customers. The company has been serving clients in the United States and Canada for more than 13 years. Call 877-220-3800 or visit them online at http://www.TableLegsOnline.com for more information. Wisdom 2.0 presenters and participants explore ways for the constantly-connected modern person to evolve and thrive in a dramatically-changing world. Arianna Huffington calls it her favorite conference. For eight years now, the Wisdom 2.0 Conference has addressed the great challenge of our age: to not only live connected to one another through technology, but to do so in ways that are beneficial to our own well-being, effective in our work, and useful to the world. The annual Wisdom 2.0 Summit 2016 will be held February 20 22, 2016 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in San Francisco, California. Visit Wisdom 2.0 online at http://www.wisdom2conference.com for information. This year's outstanding lineup includes technology and business leaders, wisdom teachers, and social changemakers including: Ryan Higa, one of the most watched Youtubers in the world with over 15 million followers; Stewart Butterfield, CEO of Slack, the fastest company in history to reach a $1 billion valuation; Byron Katie, author and teacher dedicated to showing people how to stop suffering; and Russell Simmons, entrepreneur, author, activist, and philanthropist. Wisdom 2.0 brings together several thousand people from around the world for an event that is part conference, part festival, part meeting of the minds. We try not to be the usual sit-and-listen conference, says founder Soren Gordhamer. This is a think tank-style, interactive gathering with hosted conversations, yoga rooms, enchanting decor, community-led break outs and more. Together, Wisdom 2.0 presenters and participants explore ways for the constantly-connected modern person to evolve and thrive in a dramatically-changing world. This year, the opening day of the conference will feature a full day comprised exclusively of breakout sessions, allowing people to engage in a more interactive and intimate way on a wide array of topics from sex and relationships, to Facebook and compassion, to mindfulness and racial justice. Sunday and Monday will feature mainstage speakers. The conference returns to the San Francisco Marriott Marquis for the third year in a row. Conveniently located in San Francisco, the Marriott is an expansive space that allows participants to choose between main stage and breakout sessions; organized activities like yoga and meditation; and quiet corners for sitting, thinking, chatting and networking. New this year, Eileen Fischers Learning Lab will be sponsoring an "Embodiment Lounge" a place to practice connection while being grounded in the body. The 2016 conference will be preceded by Wisdom Week 2016, a series of affiliated wisdom-centric events in the Bay Area. Wisdom Week allows participants to dive deep into a particular focus area, alongside friends and colleagues who share an interest in promoting greater mindfulness, compassion, and awareness in the digital age. 2016 events include a Womens Leadership Intensive, a Wisdompreneurs gathering, and the always-popular Unconference at Google. Visit http://www.wisdomweek.com for more details. HISTORY Founded by Soren Gordhamer, Wisdom 2.0 began as a small gathering of about 325 people in 2009; annual conferences have now grown to over 2,500, and events have been added in New York, Dublin, Singapore, and more. Former speakers include the founders of Facebook, Twitter, eBay, and Paypal; CEOs of Ford, Aetna, and the Huffington Post; artists, performers, and activists; and wisdom teachers and authors from a variety of traditions. Wisdom 2.0 has become an international movement, and has sparked an ardent discussion in Silicon Valley, New York business circles, and in communities around the globe of the value of mindfulness in our high-speed, interconnected age. Learn more at http://www.wisdom2conference.com. CONFIRMED 2016 SPEAKERS INCLUDE: Russell Simmons, CEO, Rush Communications Mark Bertolini, Chairman & CEO, Aetna Byron Katie, teacher and author, Loving What Is D. Scott Phoenix, co-founder, Vicarious Justine Musk, writer Stewart Butterfield, co-founder and CEO, Slack Jon Kabat-Zinn, teacher and author, Wherever You Go There You Are Roshi Joan Halifax, Upaya Zen Center Prince Ea, Musician & Activist Tim Ryan, U.S. Congressman, Ohio Jack Kornfield, teacher and author, The Wise Heart Eileen Fisher, founder, Eileen Fisher Karen May, Vice President, Learning & Development, Google Meng Tan, author, Search Inside Yourself Danae Ringelmann, Founder & Chief Development Officer, Indiegogo And many, many more. See the full list at http://www.wisdom2conference.com/speakers The legacy that Joel leaves APDA and the Parkinson's community is unmatched The American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA) Board of Directors approved the development of a Research Fund to be named in memory of Joel M. Gerstel, its former President and CEO who served the organization and the Parkinsons community as a national board member and then as its Chief Staff leader for over 30 years. Mr. Gerstel was born April 23, 1935 and raised on Long Island, New York. He received his B.A. degree from New York University. The legacy that Joel leaves to APDA and the Parkinsons community is unmatched, explains Leslie A. Chambers, APDA President and CEO. His tireless devotion and dedicated service to improve the quality of life for those living with this disease along with his relentless efforts to support critical research continues to touch us all deeply today. This Research Fund will be one small way to keep his memory alive and pay tribute to all he has done to change the landscape of Parkinsons. The catalyst that initially brought Mr. Gerstel to APDA in the 1980s was his brother-in-laws Parkinsons diagnosis. As Joel watched him gradually diminishing, he wanted to do something to help him and others like him. Ironically, in 2012, Mr. Gerstel was diagnosed with Parkinsons syndrome, which results in many symptoms of Parkinsons without a diagnosis of the disease itself. Prior to assuming the position of Director of Operations in 1995, Mr. Gerstel served as a member and officer of the APDA Board of Directors for ten years. In 1997, he was named APDAs Executive Director and in 2011 was appointed President and CEO. Additionally, Mr. Gerstel was appointed to represent the Parkinsons disease community in 2003 on the Transportation Security Administrations Disability Coalition, a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Mr. Gerstel retired in 2013. Joel is survived by his wife, Deanne, two children, Jeffrey and Sharon and three grandchildren. Our condolences to his family on behalf of all the families he faithfully served. Donations to the Joel M. Gerstel Research Fund can be made here. Rivier University Employment Promise We are confident that participation in this program will make our students uniquely qualified for employment in this competitive environment. Rivier University announced an innovative Employment Promise Program designed to enhance career preparation and employability of students in all academic disciplines. The program demonstrates the Universitys confidence in its educational experience marked by distinctive academic programs, committed faculty and active learning. Through this initiative, the University promises invested students that they will secure a job within nine months of graduation. If they do not, they will receive additional support in the form of payment of monthly federal subsidized student loans for up to one year or enrollment in to up to six Rivier masters degree courses tuition free. Rivier is the only institution in New Hampshire to offer this program, which will be available to full-time undergraduates beginning with the Class of 2020. Students create a pathway to successful careers through a combination of opportunity and self-investment, says Sister Paula Marie Buley, IHM, President. Rivier University provides the academic rigor, values, and professional skill set to fully prepare graduates to enter the 21st century workforce. We are confident that participation in this program will make our students uniquely qualified for employment in this competitive environment. The program includes mentorship through Riviers Career Development Center, a contract outlining investment goals and expectations, and specialized, four-year academic and career action plans which incorporate a set of experiences proven to enhance overall employability and success in the job search process. Career investment goals include graduating with a bachelors degree and minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA, involvement in leadership, community service and internship experiences, and participation in career counseling and professional development opportunities. These opportunities include participation in career assessment evaluations, mentorship, research and field experiences, internships, resume and portfolio building, and employer information sessions. Engaging students in a series of thoughtful career planning experiences strengthens their resumes, interviewing skills, and self-confidence, while also supporting the development of their professional networks, says Marie Sullivan, Director of the Career Development Center. Each step of the program enhances a students ability to secure their first professional position and to prepare for future advancement. For full details and requirements, please contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions Office at (603) 897-8507 or admissions(at)rivier(dot)edu. Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., DMHAS Commissioner I really appreciated having a safe, supportive place where I could rebuild my life.- Tony Recck Face it. Most nonprofits have pretty dry annual meetings, but not the Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR). It was more like a celebration. Six speakers shared their respective gratitude for how this recovery community organization either helped them immensely or in some cases, saved their lives. 20-year old Lance Supersad, a volunteer with the CCAR Young Adult & Family Project, I didnt know I was an addict until I got arrested. But now that I know, Im glad Im in recovery. Tony Recck, who makes Telephone Recovery Support calls referred to the CCAR Windham Recovery Community Center this way. I really appreciated having a safe, supportive place where I could rebuild my life. Nancy Angelakopoulos is a mother of two sons struggling with addiction and volunteers in Hartford. I cant say enough about CCAR. They helped me in my recovery from the effects of drugs and alcohol. My heart was longing for a long time to find a place where I belonged, a place where I felt comfortable sharing what my hurts, pain, disappointment and anger about what drugs and alcohol had done and caused in my life. CCAR was the place for me... Another highlight was Dr. Arthur C. Evans, Jr., Ph.D. received the Bob Savage Recovery Advocate of the Year Award for his recovery-oriented leadership as Commissioner of Philadelphias Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services (DBHIDS), a $1 billion dollar a year agency. Bob Savage, founder of CCAR was on hand to present the award. Dr. Evans then gave a talk about some impressive endeavors in Philadelphia. The meeting was facilitated by Board President, Thomas Kirk, Ph.D (former Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS)). He introduced the current DMHAS Commissioner, Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., CCAR Managing Director Deb Dettor and CCAR Executive Director Phil Valentine who all highlighted accomplishments from the 2015 CCAR Annual Report. Board elections were held with about 150 people in attendance. Since 1998 the Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR) has organized the recovery community (people in recovery, family members, friends and allies) to put a face on recovery and to provide recovery support services to maintain and sustain recovery. By promoting recovery from alcohol and other drug addiction through advocacy, education and service, CCAR strives to end discrimination surrounding addiction and recovery, open new doors and remove barriers to recovery, maintain and sustain recovery regardless of the pathway, all the while ensuring that all people in recovery, and people seeking recovery, are treated with dignity and respect. CCAR envisions a world where the power, hope and healing of recovery from alcohol and other drug addiction is thoroughly understood and embraced. For more information, visit http://www.ccar.us ConVRter Beats NASA to Pluto in Virtual Reality We reached out to NASA and JPL for assistance, explained Kitzen, but in the end they couldn't really give us the technical answers we wanted nor share in the App development ConVRter Technologies Inc. announced today that it has made a virtual reality version of the Pluto flyby in full stereoscopic 360 where the viewer can experience the distant dwarf planet as if they were sitting on the New Horizon's space craft itself. Everyone in the company is a bit of a tech nerd and we had been working on VR space content for a while so when Pluto was finally imaged up close I don't think watching it on TV was quite the experience we were after, said Jonathan Kitzen, CEO, so we went for a full VR experience. We all wanted to have that feeling of floating in space and seeing a planet as if we were there. While viewers get a front row seat for the flyby the App's developers gained a greater appreciation for the New Horizons mission. When we finally finished it you realize wow this space craft was really moving fast when it past Pluto. You really have to work to follow the planet as it passes by, as in VR that means you have to actually turn your head to follow it as it moves past. When you add in the moons it is a lot to take in and in such quick order, I have lots of respect for the complexity of the mission that I never would have gotten from a still image, said Julia Lou the lead creative on the team. We reached out to NASA and JPL for assistance, explained Kitzen, but in the end they couldn't really give us the technical answers we wanted nor share in the App development because NASA doesn't allow its' people to download executable programming. Without the assistance of NASA ConVRter went on to reconstruct not only the flyby but all five moon orbits for the App. We made lots of custom features that hadn't existed before to make the app itself and in the end generated three new pieces of IP so it was quite a challenge, explained Lou, a self-described space enthusiast. There was a ton of calculations that had to go into the orbits of the moons because when I first did it, it was only Pluto and Charon, and in the end Jonathan wanted all 5 and all of it had to be recreated in 3D, and relative space, for the VR app to really give the viewer the experience of being there. It was a challenge that really pushed the boundaries of what VR can be and I think the results are very compelling, said Julia Lou of the process. The app, titled Pluto Flyby VR, is part of a series that recreates the entire solar system in Virtual Reality called Space: the Final Frontier and it is being offered for free in iOS for Google Cardboard for a limited time. The full solar system version is on sale now with new planets added all the time Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter are all scheduled for the first week of February. Because it is an app we can continuously update and add to it so unlike traditional media it is always current, explained Kitzen, this is the power of applications. The App is now available on Itunes, Google Play, and a non-app version which is not in 3d is available on YouTube 360, links to all forms of media are on http://www.conVRter.net including versions suitable for 3D viewing on Sony Playstation and other games supporting Virtual Reality and 3D. I know NASA wants to engage with the public, said Kitzen, but couldn't do what we did because of their security protocols, so in the end we did it for them. It is kind of funny really, but it created an opportunity to go where nobody had gone before with the data, and we are grateful for that and happy to share. Simulations of Hurricane (later Superstorm) Sandy with a substantially warmer ocean (left) resulted in storms more than twice as destructive. Credit: W. Lau/UMD/ESSIC 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. - William Lau, UMD 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 Marylands 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 NASAs 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 didnt 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 massa 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 theyre 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 variablein this case, the ocean temperature. By using this approach, Lau and colleagues created an informativeif only plausiblescenario 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, its 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. Its 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(at)umd(dot)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. At left, Earth as it might have looked more than 3 billion years ago. The orange shapes are young continents; The ocean appears green due to a high amount of iron (Fe[II]) ions. Credit: M. Tang/UMD By linking crustal composition and plate tectonics, we have provided first-order geochemical evidence for the onset of plate tectonics, which is a fundamental Earth science question. - Ming Tang, UMD Earth has some special features that set it apart from its close cousins in the solar system, including large oceans of liquid water and a rich atmosphere with just the right ingredients to support life as we know it. Earth is also the only planet that has an active outer layer made of large tectonic plates that grind together and dip beneath each other, giving rise to mountains, volcanoes, earthquakes and large continents of land. Geologists have long debated when these processes, collectively known as plate tectonics, first got underway. Some scientists propose that the process began as early as 4.5 billion years ago, shortly after Earths formation. Others suggest a much more recent start within the last 800 million years. A study from the University of Maryland provides new geochemical evidence for a middle ground between these two extremes: An analysis of trace element ratios that correlate to magnesium content suggests that plate tectonics began about 3 billion years ago. The results appear in the January 22, 2016 issue of the journal Science. By linking crustal composition and plate tectonics, we have provided first-order geochemical evidence for the onset of plate tectonics, which is a fundamental Earth science question, said Ming Tang, a graduate student in geology at UMD and lead author of the study. Because plate tectonics is necessary for the building of continents, this work also represents a further step in understanding when and how Earths continents formed. The study zeros in on one key characteristic of Earths crust that sets it apart geochemically from other terrestrial planets in the solar system. Compared with Mars, Mercury, Venus and even our own moon, Earths continental crust contains less magnesium. Early in its history, however, Earths crust more closely resembled its cousins, with a higher proportion of magnesium. At some point, Earths crust evolved to contain more granite, a magnesium-poor rock that forms the basis of Earths continents. Many geoscientists agree that the start of plate tectonics drove this transition by dragging water underneath the crust, which is a necessary step to make granite. You cant have continents without granite, and you cant have granite without taking water deep into the Earth, said Roberta Rudnick, former chair of the Department of Geology at UMD and senior author on the study. Rudnick, who is now a professor of earth sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara, conducted this research while at UMD. So at some point plate tectonics began and started bringing lots of water down into the mantle. The big question is when did that happen? A logical approach would be to look at the magnesium content in ancient rocks formed across a wide span of time, to determine when this transition toward low-magnesium crustal rocks began. However, this has proven difficult because the direct evidencemagnesiumhas a pesky habit of washing away into the ocean once rocks are exposed to the surface. Tang, Rudnick and Kang Chen, a graduate student at China University of Geosciences on a one and a half-year research visit to UMD, sidestepped this problem by looking at trace elements that are not soluble in water. These elementsnickel, cobalt, chromium and zincstay behind long after most of the magnesium has washed away. The researchers found that the ratios of these elements hold the key: higher ratios of nickel to cobalt and chromium to zinc both correlate to higher magnesium content in the original rock. To our knowledge, we are the first to discover this correlation and use this approach, Tang said. Because the ratios of these trace elements correlate to magnesium, they serve as a very reliable fingerprint of past magnesium content. Tang and his coauthors compiled trace element data taken from a variety of ancient rocks that formed in the Archean eon, a time period between 4 and 2.5 billion years ago, and used it to determine the magnesium content in the rocks when they were first formed. They used these data to construct a computer model of the early Earths geochemical composition. This model accounted for how magnesium (specifically, magnesium oxide) content in the crust changed over time. The results suggest that 3 billion years ago, the Earths crust had roughly 11 percent magnesium oxide by weight. Within a half billion years, that number had dropped to about 4 percent, which is very close to the 2 or 3 percent magnesium oxide seen in todays crust. This suggested that plate tectonics began about 3 billion years ago, giving rise to the continents we see today. Its really kind of a radical idea, to suggest that continental crust in Archean had that much magnesium, said Rudnick, pointing out that Tang was the first to work out the correlation between trace element ratios and magnesium. Mings discovery is powerful because he found that trace insoluble elements correlate with a major element, allowing us to address a long-standing question in Earth history. Because the evolution of continental crust is linked to many major geological processes on Earth, this work may provide a basis for a variety of future studies of Earth history, Tang said. For example, weathering of this magnesium-rich crust may have affected the chemistry of the ancient ocean, where life on Earth evolved. As for the onset of plate tectonics, I dont think this study will close the argument, but it certainly adds a compelling new dimension to the discussion. ### The research paper, Archean upper crust transition from mafic to felsic marks the onset of plate tectonics, Ming Tang, Kang Chen and Roberta Rudnick, was published in the January 22, 2016 issue of the journal Science. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation (Award No. EAR 0948549). The content of this article does not necessarily reflect the views of this organization. Media Relations Contact: Matthew Wright, 301-405-9267, mewright(at)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. At Integra we realize that our greatest advantage is great people. To ensure that Integra Advanced Technology (http://www.integra-ats.com) continues to improve as a great place to work, they have added a 401K plan with eligibility just 30 days from hire. We want to provide a vehicle that will allow employees to grow as we grow, says President and CEO Robert Steward. Only about half (52 percent) of companies offer new employees immediate eligibility for the 401(k) plan. The rest require between one and three months of employment (24 percent), or even as much as a year of service (15 percent) before workers qualify to join the retirement plan. Larger companies are more likely to offer immediate eligibility than smaller companies. Once employees begin to save in the 401(k) plan, they may not yet be eligible for the 401(k) match. A quarter of employers require one year of service before workers may receive matching contributions, and almost a third (32 percent) of companies require between one and six months of job tenure. Less than half (43 percent) of companies immediately contribute to the 401(k) accounts of new employees. (Brandon, 2011.) At Integra we realize that our greatest advantage is great people, says Steward. With that fundamental philosophy in mind, Integra will continue to add benefits and perks that make the company a preferred place for the worlds most talented people. Reference: Brandon, E. (2011). 7 Signs of a Good 401(K) Plan. Retrieved from http://money.usnews.com/money/retirement/articles/2011/07/11/7-signs-of-a-good-401k-plan Media Contact: Lindsay Schaufert, 314-683-2231, lschaufert(at)integra-am(dot)com Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30 By Aygun Badalova - Trend: The prospects for the US to become one of the world's largest LNG exporters are reasonable but it will take time, Charles Ellinas, oil market expert, executive president at Cyprus National Hydrocarbons Company (CNHC), believes. "LNG prices are low and will remain low for quite some time making it difficult," Ellinas told Trend Jan. 28. In Europe, he believes, the US' LNG will make some inroads but more in terms of bridging the gap, in a supporting role. "It [the US' LNG] will find it difficult to compete with piped gas on price. It will end up competing with Australian LNG, which is expensive, but not Qatar LNG," Ellinas said. "The cost base of the latter is so low that it can undercut almost any other LNG competitor on price." But in the longer term, especially in the 2020s, as the expert believes, the US' LNG is bound to become a major player in the LNG market. The International Energy Agency expects most of the US capacity to be online by 2020, which will make the US the world's third-largest LNG exporter, behind Australia and Qatar. Currently, five LNG export terminals with a combined planned capacity of 99 billion cubic meters (bcm) per year are under construction in the lower forty-eight states in the US and most of this capacity is scheduled to be operating by 2018. Most of the capacity that will be available to export from the US' LNG terminals by 2018 is already contracted to customers. European customers have committed to purchase the US LNG volumes equivalent to 30 percent of the capacity of the first four new LNG export terminals, media reports said citing the International Energy Agency. In 2014, the EU imported 45 bcm of LNG, or 13.5 percent of its total gas imports, down from 14 percent in 2013 and 19 percent in 2012, as pipeline prices became more competitive. --- Aygun Badalova is Trend Agency's staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @AygunBadalova Ambassador Ron Dermer Ron Dermer, Israels Ambassador to the United States, will be the featured speaker in Liberty Universitys Convocation on Friday, Feb. 19. Before becoming Ambassador to the U.S., Dermer served as a senior advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and as Israels Minister of Economic Affairs to the United States. Dermer holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Oxford University and has been a columnist for the Jerusalem Post. He is also a best-selling author. Libertys Convocation is the worlds largest regular gathering of Christian young people, taking place in the Vines Center two to three times a week during the academic year. The event features speakers of national significance from every sphere of society. Many Convocation messages can be viewed live at http://www.Liberty.edu/oclive. Past events can be viewed at http://www.Liberty.edu/Streaming or on Liberty University's YouTube channel. 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. India Network Health Insurance India Network Brand Ambassador program will help visiting parents to enjoy their time while visitng the USA India Network Foundation today announces a brand new ambassador program to help Indian visitors to the United States. This program's goal is to connect elderly parents around the United States and help them understand health care needs and coverage. India Network Foundation sponsors health insurance programs for parents visiting the United States. All visitors including green card holders can take advantage of these plans as long as they have a permanent address in India. All India Network members and their relatives are eligible to register into the brand ambassador program. This is a great volunteer program and students in the United States are encouraged to apply and take advantage of the program. Interested persons are requested to send their brief bio data to support at indianetwork.org to receive further instructions. India Network Health Insurance offers several accident and sickness plans to meet the needs of members. International health insurance is necessary to enjoy the trip and should be purchased before leaving home. Visitors can purchase the health insurance program by themselves by completing online forms offered on the web site. All credit cards, including international cards and debit cards, can be used to pay the premiums. India Network Health Insurance program is designed to help visitors to handle both new problems and pre-existing conditions without any type of conditions attached. There are several programs offered by various agents but India Network program is a rich program with several key provisions - coverage for medical evacuation and repatriation, and accidental death benefits. India Network plan premiums are designed to pay all claims and hence they are more realistic premiums. Everyone is encouraged to review the plans and provide feedback. Dr. KV Rao said that the brand ambassador program is to help increase awareness of community members about accident and sickness insurance. Also help a network of visiting parents to fully enjoy their life during their stay in the USA. About India Network Foundation India Network Foundation, established as a US non-profit organization, has been helping the Asian Indian community in North America with programs and grants to academics from India for more than two decades. India Network Foundation sponsors visitor health insurance to tourists, students, temporary workers (H1 visa holders) and their families. All insurance products are administered by India Network Services. For more information visit http://www.indianetwork.org About India Network Health Insurance India Network Services, is a US based company that administers visitor health insurance to transition residents, tourists, students, temporary workers and their families. Visitor medical plans are offered for all age groups with both fixed coverage, comprehensive coverage and with pre-existing condition coverage. For more information visit http://www.kvrao.org Columbus, Ohio coffee roaster Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea, Roast magazines 2016 Macro Roaster of the Year, recently welcomed Kushala Sip Coffee House to the growing community of independent coffee houses, cafes and bakeries across 29 states that serve Crimson Cup beverages. Located at 335 Main Street, #101, in Stoneham, Massachusetts, the new coffee house serves up a full range of espresso-based coffee drinks and fine teas as well as locally baked cookies and pastries. Kushala comes from a Hindi word meaning happiness, and Kushala Sip offers an oasis where friends and customers can gather for coffee, tea and conversation in the small town of Stoneham, just nine miles north of Boston. Kushala Sip serves up Crimson Cup coffee, cappuccinos, lattes, cafe mochas and loose-leaf teas as well as an extensive menu of made-from-scratch treats from local bakeries including The Mad Cake Genius, Swiss Bakers and Something Sweet Without Wheat. Open seating and a great view into the park across the street in the Stoneham Center Commons contribute to the relaxing atmosphere. Were excited to welcome Dalia and Vinod to the Crimson Cup community, said Founder and President Greg Ubert. Training entrepreneurs to run their own independent coffee shops is a big part of our success as a specialty coffee roaster and coffee franchise alternative. Originally from Mexico and India, respectively, owners Dalia and Vinod Valencia met in Boston while pursuing masters degrees in business. After marrying, the couple moved to Woburn and began scouting the area for a good independent coffee house. Eventually they found some options in Melrose and Winchester, but they always wanted to have something closer in their own neighborhood. After gaining corporate experience, the couple also decided they wanted to work closer with the community they had come to know and love dearly over the previous few years. They turned to Crimson Cup and its 7 Steps to Success coffee franchise alternative program to learn how to open their own independent coffee shop. Based on Uberts book, Seven Steps to Success in the Specialty Coffee Industry, the program provides everything new business owners need to open and operate a successful coffee business - including coffee shop business plan consulting. As a coffee roaster and coffee franchise alternative, Crimson Cup believes we succeed only when our customers do, Ubert said. As a result, we support coffee shop owners at every step from scouting a great location and writing a coffee shop business plan to choosing equipment, hiring staff and providing comprehensive training and marketing support. In client surveys, Crimson Cup has found that 85 percent of coffee-shop customers completing its 7 Steps to Success training program have been in business for five years or longer. By comparison, federal government statistics show that half of all new restaurants including independent coffee shops close within three years of opening. At a recent grand opening celebration, Kushala Sip served up 171 orders over double the normal flow of business. New people started coming in because of our grand opening, said Dalia Valencia. It created a lot of awareness for our store. Without Crimson Cup and the awareness generated by the event, we wouldnt be where we are today. About Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea Columbus, Ohio coffee roaster Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea is Roast magazines 2016 Macro Roaster of the Year. Since 1991, Crimson Cup has roasted sustainably sourced specialty and craft coffee in small batches. The company also teaches entrepreneurs to run successful coffee houses through its coffee franchise alternative program, which includes a coffee shop business plan. Crimson Cup coffee is available through a community of more than 350 independent coffee houses, grocers, college and universities, restaurants and food service operations across 29 states, Guam and Bangladesh, as well as the companys own Crimson Cup Coffee Houses. To learn more, visit crimsoncup.com. The best available evidence confirms that menhaden fisheries are sustainable, and that the species are not under threat for overfishing. In a new partially-animated video from the Pew Charitable Trusts cartoonist Jim Toomey-whose daily comic strip, Sherman's Lagoon, is syndicated in more than 250 newspapers in the United States, expresses concerns about "forage fish" such as menhaden, herring, and sardines and warns of what could happen "if we continue to fish these little guys at an unsustainable rate." Mr. Toomey states that "without adequate catch limits, industrial fishing boats can scoop up as many forage fish as they want," but notes that there is hope because "fishery managers can set catch limits to sustain populations." The Menhaden Fisheries Coalition reiterates what the most recent and comprehensive science says on menhaden: in the United States, the species is sustainably harvested and responsibly managed. In early 2015, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) released its latest Atlantic menhaden stock assessment. The results were overwhelmingly positive: it found menhaden are not overfished, and overfishing is not occurring. The assessment also found that fishing mortality had hit an all-time low, and that indicators of a healthy stock, such as fecundity, were high. The Commission determined that the stock was in such good shape that, in May 2015, it actually raised the coastwide quota for Atlantic menhaden by 10 percent. A similar story holds for the other main menhaden species, Gulf menhaden. The last assessment, conducted by the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC) in 2013, also found that Gulf menhaden were not overfished, nor were they experiencing overfishing. According to the GSMFC, "the Gulf menhaden fishery is probably the most closely monitored and managed fishery in the Gulf of Mexico." The ASMFC and GSMFC are not the only organizations to certify that menhaden are being harvested sustainably. In a report issued last July, the non-profit Sustainable Fisheries Partnership released a comprehensive evaluation of forage fish fisheries worldwide. The report ranked the Atlantic and Gulf menhaden fisheries among the highest of the fisheries it evaluated. Both were ranked as "reasonably managed fisheries with stocks in good condition." The report considers both stocks to be healthy, with responsible catch levels. Similarly, the independent certification group Friend of the Sea has also certified the Atlantic and Gulf menhaden fisheries as sustainable. The organization particularly highlighted the "near zero percent" level of discards, and the "insignificant" levels of bycatch in both fisheries. The best available evidence confirms that menhaden fisheries are sustainable, and that the species are not under threat for overfishing. About the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition: The Menhaden Fisheries Coalition is a collective of menhaden fishermen, related businesses, and supporting industries. Comprised of over 30 businesses along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition conducts media and public outreach on behalf of the menhaden industry to ensure that members of the public, media, and government are informed of important issues, events, and facts about the fishery. Tehran, Iran, January 30 By Mehdi Sepahvand -- Trend: Iran is in talks with China and Russia for the development of West Karoun oil fields, said Abdolreza Hoseininejad, CEO of Oil Engineering and Development Co. He underlined that Chinese companies have recently proposed very high prices for developing Yadavaran field's phase 2 and they need to reconsider their offers, IRNA news agency reported January 30. However, he noted, Chinese companies are Iran's "strategic partners" because they kept offering their cooperation in times when Iran was under economic sanctions. He also referred to North Azadega Phase 2, noting, "Chinese companies claim the field has high risks, but we do not think so." Hoseininejad went on to say that Russian companies are not meant to return to Azar field. But, he added, they can propose developmental plans for Changuleh field. He said Russians have already presented proposals about West Karoun fields. Yadavaran, North Azadegan, South Azadegan, North Yaran, and South Yaran oil fields are dubbed West Karoun oil fields. The Economy Council of Iran has approved the development of West Karoun oil fields as the largest joint oil fields development plan. Investment of some $15.2 billion is projected for the plan over the course of four years. The production capacity is scheduled to reach 1.4 million barrels per day by 2021. In my youth, the town of Brilliant, Ohio, was loaded with enough potential hazards to make the mothers of adventurous boys gray at 30. The hills to the west were peppered with abandoned coal mines and high walls from strip mining operations. There was a bottomless sand quarry at the south end of Brilliant where, according to local legend, the depths were patrolled by catfish the size of school buses. And there was the Ohio River, unforgiving and foreboding. At an early age, I was warned against venturing into the river, where suck holes could pull a little boy to a watery grave and never give up his body. In A Brilliant Death, teen buddies Travis Baron and Mitch Malone set out to learn more about Traviss mother, Amanda, who was killed in 1953 when a coal barge rammed the pleasure boat she was sharing with her lover. Amanda Barons body was never found, and she became a sort of Amelia Earhart of Brilliant, Ohio. With the help of a disgraced former detective who spent time in prison for falsifying evidence, the boys curiosity leads them into a murder investigation. Brilliant rests on the banks of the river between Steubenville, Ohio, and Wheeling, West Virginia. When I was growing up in the Valley, in the late 1950s and 60s, it was a rough, blue-collar stretch of bottomland where mills cranked out steel and belched enough smoke to blot out the sun. Amanda Barons disappearance stemmed from my fascination with the 1946 disappearance of Lola Celli, a 24-year-old school teacher in West Mansfield, Ohio. Celli was visiting her parents in the Columbus suburb of Grandview Heights for Presidents Day weekend when she left the house Saturday morning to catch a bus downtown to go shopping. She never made it to the bus and was never seen again. She had been missing nearly 35 years when I became the crime reporter at the Columbus Dispatch. I combed the papers archives and read every word about the unsolved case. The characters in A Brilliant Death were originally created for an anthology about life in an industrial Ohio River town. I was urged to put the stories into a more traditional novel. I did, but ultimately shelved it when I couldnt find any interest from publishers. A few years ago, my agent, Colleen Mohyde, read the manuscript and urged me to give it a rewrite. I did, and A Brilliant Death emerged. Sometimes, it would seem, the river does give up its dead. Stephanie Danler: A Coming-toNew York Story With a Culinary Twist In fall 2014, the New York Times published a story with the headline Waitress Is One of Many New Writers with Big Book Deals. The article centered on Stephanie Danler, 32, a server at the New York restaurant Buvette who had secured a book deal with Knopf after she told Peter Gethersa senior vice president and editor at large at Penguin Random House, and a patron of Buvetteabout her novel. Melissa Flashman, Danlers agent, calls this the Lana Turnerat-the-soda-shop version of the story. Danler, who received her M.F.A. from the New School, describes her meeting at Knopf as electric. In particular she recalls Claudia Herr, a Knopf editor who worked closely on the book, connecting to the novels Jamesian elements. I thought, yes, you are perfect! Danler says. Sweetbitter (Knopf, May), which draws heavily on Danlers eight years of experience in the New York restaurant industry, does indeed contain shades of Jamess The Portrait of a Lady. The protagonist, Tess, a waitress at an upscale Manhattan restaurant, is an Isabel Archerlike figureyoung, impressionable, curious, ambitiouswhile the two other main characters, an aunt-like figure and a male love interest, call to mind Madame Merle and Gilbert Osmond. Danler, who grew up in Long Beach, Calif., says she wanted to write about becoming a woman, making mistakes, and navigating a world that will never present itself to you clearly. Herr says Danler captures the overwhelming sensation of being young and new to a big citythe enchantment of it, the terror of it, the brutality of it, the exquisite beauty of it. Her culinary knowledge shines through, too. The food writing is knockout. Its beautiful. And it makes you hungry. Gethers calls the book generation defining, saying it conjured up such a vivid memory and sense experience of not knowing quite where you were going to go, but being desperately hungry to go there. Danler, who harbored ambitions of publishing a novel throughout her years of working in restaurants, calls Sweetbitter a dream come true. But she hasnt closed the door on the restaurant business just yet. That world is so luscious and intense and chaotic and scary, she says. I would not be surprised if I went back to it. Guillermo Erades: A Diplomat's Ode to Turn-of-21st-century Russia When most writers seek out quiet places to work, they apply to artist residences in the countryside or rent cabins on lakes. When Guillermo Erades, whos spent much of his career in international relations, wanted to start writing his first novel, Back to Moscow (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, May), in 2012, he took a two-year diplomatic posting in a high-security compound in Baghdad. Life in Baghdad for a diplomat is quite restricted, he explains. Come the weekend you have nowhere to go. In the evenings you have nowhere to go. I thought it would be the perfect setting to focus on my writing. Erades, 40, from Malaga, Spain, was correct in his prediction: by the spring of 2014, after less than two years, he had a complete manuscript. The novel draws on his life in Moscowwhere he had his first job with the European Unionin his 20s. I wanted to write an ode to Moscow. I happened to live there at a special time. It was the turn of the 21st century, the beginning of the Putin years, when, he says, there was a lot of fun and adventure and a Wild West feeling. Mitzi Angel, who acquired the novel for FSG before moving to Faber and Faber, in the U.K., says the book displays an awareness of the way political forces make themselves felt in the day-to-day lives of ordinary people. John Knight, an associate editor at FSG who worked on Back to Moscow, compares it to The Possessed (FSG, 2010), Elif Batumans nonfiction work dealing with Russian literature. This book fits well into this ongoing impulse to examine what its like to be writing about this strange place, he says. Central to writing Back to Moscow, Erades says, was the desire to write a love story between a main character and a city. Moscow has marked me as a person and given me a lot in my life. I thought Id pay it back with a book. Kaitlyn Greenidge: Eschewing Easy Answers on Race For many years before and during the process of writing her debut novel, We Love You, Charlie Freeman (Algonquin, Mar.), Kaitlyn Greenidge, 34, worked as a historical interpreter and researcher for the Boston African American National Historical Site (in the city where she grew up) and the Weeksville Heritage Center in New York, where she lives now. The job consisted of talking to people from all walks of life about black history in America, she says, and it sensitized her to the cliched thinking that marks many conversations about race. When Greenidge began the novel in 2008, while in CUNY Hunters M.F.A. program, she sought a means of addressing race that avoided the pat discussions that usually happen. One example of such a pat discussion she gives is when someone asks, Why are we even talking about [race]? People are all the same. Lets not think about power, or anything like that. The resulting novel is a multigenerational story about a black family, the Freemans, who take part in a scientific experiment in which they attempt to teach sign language to a chimpanzee named Charlie in a mostly white town in Massachusetts in 1990. Carrie Howland, Greenidges agent, says the book addresses the ways in which language limits us, and how we move past that, adding that Greenidges attention to language makes the book so powerful, but also so accessible. Andra Miller, a senior editor at Algonquin who worked on the book, says Greenidge didnt write a book just because shes a supremely talented writer and wanted to put down a story; she actually had something to say. Miller adds, Ideally, when an author keeps his or her eye on that target, you end up with something really special. Garth Greenwell: A Novel of Consciousness Sheds Light on Gay Life in Bulgaria In 2009, Garth Greenwell, the author of What Belongs to You (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Jan.), moved to Bulgaria to teach at the American College of Sofia. Greenwell, who is 37 and grew up in Louisville, Ky., has an M.F.A. in poetry from Washington University and did graduate coursework in English literature at Harvard. A chief component of his transition to life in Sofia, and to the Bulgarian language, was a feeling of nonfluency: I liked the experience of living between languages, he says. At the same time, certain features of life in Sofia struck Greenwell as surprisingly familiar. The LGBT-rights situation in Bulgaria when I was there felt pretty similar to the LGBT-rights situation in Kentucky in the early and mid-90s, when I was coming of age, he says. The kinds of communities that gay people formedespecially cruising communitieswere exactly the communities I came into a gay identity within. What Belongs to Youwhich is an expansion of a novella, called Mitko, that Greenwell published with Miami University Press in 2011concerns an American teacher who enters into a transactional romance with a handsome and enigmatic Bulgarian male hustler. Greenwell, who also has an M.F.A. in fiction from the Iowa Writers Workshop, says novels that deal frankly with gay life in Bulgaria are rare, if not unprecedented. I did feel this weird awareness of the fact that, even though my book is written by a foreigner, and its told by a narrator whos constantly aware of his foreignness, it is a book about gay life in Bulgaria, and its a book that has explicit sex in it, and its the first book to do that. Mitzi Angel, who acquired the book, commends Greenwells ability to track the minutest shifts in consciousness, comparing his work to that of European writers such as Bernhard and Sebald. Anna Stein, Greenwells agent, says the novel is remarkable in part for being not plot driven and yet unputdownable. Christopher Richards, an associate editor at FSG who worked on the book, says, For a while we had coming-out novels, the early work of Edmund White. And then we had the era of the AIDS novel, dealing with a community that was sick. Theres sometimes the question, with the legalization of gay marriage, Whats next? This feels to me very much like a novel about desire in this moment. He adds, I dont feel like Im exaggerating when I say to my colleagues, This is an author who is truly a next step in the tradition of the great gay writers of the last hundred years. Amy Gustine: Looking Outside for Inspiration Contemporary fiction has been marked by a turn toward the autobiographical, with some of the most widely discussed books of the past few yearsamong them, Ben Lerners 10:04, Karl Ove Knausgaards My Struggle, and Elena Ferrantes Neapolitan tetralogystraddling the fiction-memoir line. But Amy Gustine, the author of the story collection You Should Pity Us Instead (Sarabande, Feb.), finds writing directly from personal experience confining. I like to deliberately step out of anything thats autobiographical, she says. I like to find the core in a persons experiencean imagined persons experiencethat reflects something I can relate to. Gustine, 45, lives with her family in Toledo, Ohio. She received her M.F.A. from Bowling Green in 2002, and for years afterward she worked on a slew of interrelated narratives inspired by stories of her great-grandparents, who came to America from Poland and Hungary. [Their] stories always interested me. I feel that they capture the most compelling and heartrending experiences people can have, she says. Only two of those stories made it into the You Should Pity Us Instead, but even in her less autobiographical narratives Gustine pursues questions of family and belonging. Half-Life, the collections closing story, centers on a young woman navigating adulthood after growing up in foster care. Gustine had no personal connection to the foster care system, but she had read about the aging-out process and was struck by how astoundingly lonely and difficult it must be to turn 18 and be on your own. Most of us dont get cut loose quite that brutally. Writing unfamiliar characters and settings, Gustine says, expands you as a writer, because youve made that leap into a situation and a mind that isnt yours. Kristen Miller, an editor at Sarabande who worked on the book, praises the generosity Gustine shows her characters. Every perspective is given space to develop in its own right, she says. Sarabandes editor-in-chief, Sarah Gorham, who acquired the collection in 2014, adds that she was impressed by Gustines sheer range. Reading the collection, she says, made me wonder if [Gustine] spent all day watching people; not everyone can get a character this quickly and thoroughly. Yaa Gyasi: Tracing the Effects of Slavery Across Centuries In 2009, while an undergraduate at Stanford, Yaa Gyasi traveled to Ghana, where she was born and lived until age three. Shed received a fellowship from Stanford to conduct research for a novel, but the idea shed had in mind wasnt panning out. A friend who was visiting her in Ghana asked her to go with him to the city of Cape Coast, to see the Cape Coast Castle, a grand and sinister-looking building that once served as a hub of the transatlantic slave trade. I immediately knew this was the place my book would center around, Gyasi says. Homegoing (Knopf, June), which Gyasi continued working on while studying at the Iowa Writers Workshop a few years later, centers on two half-sisters living in Ghana in the 18th century, one of whom is sold into slavery. The book spans three centuries and touches on the American Civil War, the Great Migration, and life in 20th-century Harlem. Eric Simonoff, Gyasis agent, says he was struck by the ambition of the work and Gyasis strong and clear sense of what she was trying to accomplish, both narratively and thematically. Jordan Pavlin, vice president and executive editor at Knopf, says the book felt ferociously relevant. She paraphrases a character in the book by saying, When you study history, you must always ask yourself, whose story am I missing? And when youre reading the novel, Pavlin says, what you feel is, this story. Indeed, Gyasi, 26, says Homegoing is the book I would have wanted to read when I was having these questions about racial identity in America. In writing the book, she says, she endeavored to create something that took into account not just the beginnings of slavery, but also where it has led us, in a way that makes it clear to see that everything thats happening today is the product of a series of moments in history. Idra Novey: A Translator Draws on Noir to Pursue Questions of Language We often think of the translator as a background figurea ghostly presence or mere accessory to the original author of a given work. But Idra Novey, a poet and teacher who has translated several works by Spanish- and Portuguese-language authors, including the late Brazilian writer Clarice Lispector, believes a translator also has a spirit and a presence of her own. Part of her motivation for writing Ways to Disappear (Little, Brown, Feb.), which tells of a translator on a quest to find the missing Brazilian author whose work shes translating, was to show just that. The translators who I know are definitely not appendages, says Novey, 37, who grew up in western Pennsylvania. Theyre adventurous, international, incredible people. I didnt come across any novels that showed how fascinating translators are in and of themselves. Adventurous, international, and incredible might be good words to describe Ways to Disappear, which sees its translator-heroine, Emma, traveling to Rio de Janeiro and countenancing her missing authors online gambling addiction, becoming entangled with the authors two children, and attempting to fend off the demands of a violent loan shark. Novey infuses the text with elements of magical realism and Brazilian noir, but its central concernabout the intimacy and devotion involved in translation, and in writing in generalis one thats preoccupied Novey for years. The questions you have to ask yourself as a translator are really just beautiful questions to ask as a human being, she says. PJ Mark, Noveys agent, calls the book madcap and hilarious and a love letter to the translator, adding that it takes a global perspective. American readers have a very limited engagement with translators, whereas international readers understand the value more clearly, he says. Ben George, a senior editor at Little, Brown who worked on the book, says the novels light tone belies the emotional wallop it packs later on. He adds: Its exciting to see Idra be able to infuse the novel with her history as a poet and a translator. Shes dwelling on the idea of what translation means. Martin Seay: A Centuries-spanning Saga Long In the Making In an interview with the New York Times, novelist Rachel Kushner described a fiction writer as someone who can follow bold instincts of assimilation. Such instincts would seem to be alive and well in Martin Seay, whose debut novel, The Mirror Thief (Melville House, May), unites three settingsVenice, Italy, in the 16th century; Venice Beach, Calif., in the 1950s; and a Venetian-themed casino in Las Vegas todayaround one object: the mirror. Seay, 44, was inspired to write the novel in 2002 while working at a bookstore in Washington, D.C., and taking a nondegree fiction-writing class at Johns Hopkins. For class, hed been asked to write a story in which someone tells a story in which someone tells a story. At the bookstore, while mulling over the assignment, he came across Sabine Melchoir-Bonnets The Mirror, which tracks the cultural history of the mirror. The combination of the confounding writing prompt and Melchoir-Bonnets offbeat history led to a eureka moment. Once I had the idea of Venicewhich is famous for its innovations in mirror technologyit was pretty easy to go from there, Seay says. Easy, perhaps, but not exactly expeditious. Seay, who lives near Chicago, spent more than five years writing the book. It took even longer to publish it. Kent Wolf, Seays agent, first saw the manuscript in 2007 when he was working in-house at Harcourt. It was bold, it was assured, he says. It didnt read like a first novel. But it didnt sell. Wolf cites its length (almost 600 pages) and ambition. Publishers dont like to take chances, and this is a very special book. Wolf encountered the book a few years later while working as an agent. He sold the manuscript to Melville House in the spring of 2015. Dennis Johnson, the founder and publisher of Melville, describes the book as a big, old-fashioned saga and says: By the time I saw it, I think everybody else in New York had seen it and missed it. That happens a lot. Some absolute gems slip through. Melvilles excitement about the novel has translated into a unique marketing campaign: the galley of the book is coveredon both covers and down the spinewith blurbs from booksellers. Upon seeing it for the first time, Seay was taken back to his own bookselling days. If Id gotten this galley while working at the bookstore, I would have been pretty excited to see it, he says. Even if I hadnt written it. Hannah Tennant-Moore: A Trip to Sri Lanka Spurs a Meditation on Sexuality In 2010, before starting her debut novel, Wreck and Order (Hogarth, Feb.), Hannah Tennant-Moore, then 27, spent two months backpacking around Sri Lanka. Shed recently completed her M.F.A. at Bennington College and had no major commitmentsno regular job, no boyfriend. I didnt even have my cat yet, she says. I went there not knowing anybody. I felt displaced in this really magical way. I became sort of an organism of observation. As a Buddhist, Tennant-Moore was attracted to Sri Lankas religious culture. As a nonfiction writer with a focus on gender and sexuality, she was interested to see how women there navigated a largely patriarchal society. I was struck by how hardworking the women tended to be, and how lazy the men tended to be, she says. She met young girls who were wary of riding bikes for fear of breaking their hymens before their wedding nights. When Tennant-Moore began writing upon her return from Sri Lanka, she set out to document the inequality of pleasurethe double standard in terms of the male and female enjoyment of sexuality. Wreck and Order centers on a young woman in her 20s, Elsie, who travels to a number of places, including Sri Lanka, Paris, and California, and carries on a number of (sometimes destructive) romances. Tennant-Moore, who grew up near Boston, had written a number of essays on womens sexuality, for publications such as Dissent and n+1, but, in her novel, she wanted to simply describe the feelings and sensations that result from gender imbalances. I didnt feel like explaining facts that really got at the underlying issue, which is that it causes a lot of pain to young women who are excited about starting to become sexual beings. That pain was something I hadnt come across. Alexis Washam, an executive editor at Hogarth, acquired the book in summer 2014. What was really exciting to me about this book was how fearless it was, she says. Tennant-Moore is willing to go places that are a little uncomfortable, and that might strike some readers as difficult to swallow. Washam adds that the book serves as a challenge to some of the narratives of enlightenment, or narratives of sexual discovery, that cover familiar ground. Daniel Lefferts is a writer living in New York. With Great Books, I was trying to save myself, David Denby says, leaning forward intensely from a chair in his Upper West Side living room. With Lit Up, Im trying to save what matters in the world. The former longtime New Yorker film critics description of the motives behind his first book and his most-recent book makes it clear just how seriously he takes literature. Denby doesnt just think reading books is good for you; he believes it makes you a better citizen and a better person. Lit Up: One Reporter, Three Schools, Twenty-Four Books That Can Change Lives, which Henry Holt will publish in February, chronicles his experiences sitting in on 10th-grade English literature classes during the academic years 20112012 and 20132014. In the book, Denby shows passionate, dedicated teachers convincing teens usually glued to their electronics that reading Dostoyevski can give them insight into their own lives. Its a conviction Denby shares, eloquently stated with a somewhat different emphasis in his 1996 debut, Great Books: My Adventures with Homer, Rousseau, Woolf, and Other Indestructible Writers of the Western World. The first books issue was sort of ideological, he explains. The Western classics were being mauled left and right, and I thought the reading experience had been lost and the actual nature of these books had been lost. So Denby, who at the time felt that he spent too much of his life consuming images, went back to Columbia University, his alma mater, and retook its famous core humanities courses. Great Books conveys with refreshing enthusiasm and unpretentiousness the intellectual nourishment he found there. It was a kind of reclamation job on myself, he says. By contrast, Denby says Lit Up came from what seemed to me like a general reading crisis. He adds: Its very hard to come by exact information, but anecdotally it definitely feels like kids are not reading very seriously. They may be reading more words than ever before, but theyre reading fragments online. We live in this media bubble; were constantly taking in information, but information is not the same thing as knowledge. As Lit Up recounts, Denby found that even the high-achieving, highly motivated students at Manhattans prestigious Beacon School tended at first to make simplistic judgments about their reading, finding neat parables and pat lessons in works as dark and ambiguous as Hawthornes story The Ministers Black Veil. I think Sean Leon [their teacher] made them see things in a more complicated way, Denby says. Also, he continues with a wry smile, Sean is a lapsed Catholic with very serious ideas about accountability and knowing yourself, so his emphases in class jibed perfectly with what 15-year-olds are going through: Where do I fit in? Who am I? What is the point? An equally inspired teacher named Jessica Zelenski had more basic work to do with her mostly low-income students at James Hillhouse High, an inner-city school in New Haven, Conn., Denby says. A lot of the kids there had low skills and low information; they werent read to as kids, and they didnt develop the habits of curiosity, hunger, avidity. They were enclosed in this narcissistic shell: I know what I need to get by in my life. Jessica used To Kill a Mockingbird as a way to get them to ask questions: What did people eat in 1930s Alabama? How did they get around? She wanted to make them curious about what the frame of that world was, and therefore grasp what the frame of their own world is. Denby argues that the humanities are not irrelevant; theyre highly relevant to a modern economy. He adds: Big-scale employers keep saying, We can teach you the computer or technical skills we need you to know in six or eight weeks. We want people who have judgment, people who can stand up in a meeting and talk, who can work with others and understand their coworkers. That comes from the attentiveness and roundedness and strength you get from reading seriously. Were not just denaturing education and literacy with this emphasis on STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math] subjects, were making a mistake in the kind of work force were readying. That said, Denby cares most about literature as a spiritual, moral, and even political force. We live in a country in which, at the moment, ignorance is highly prized, he says ruefully. Despite the amazing superfluity of information, an amazing number of people are only hearing what they already want to hear. If you have lifetime habits of curiosity and are reading deeply, youre going to escape thatI hope. Ill put it tendentiously: if more people had read Dickens and Twain, could Donald Trump be taken seriously for more than 10 minutes? A certain kind of phoniness would be obvious to anyone who knows Huckleberry Finn. Denby is an earnest man, albeit with a streak of self-deprecating humor, and his apartments crammed bookshelves suggest that he practices the sort of reading he preaches. His wife, Susan Rieger, a Yale dean recently turned novelist with The Divorce Papers, has a desk in their bedroom. Denbys working space is presumably downtown at the New Yorker, though he gave up his half-share of the magazines movie column a year ago. David Remnick [editor-in-chief] said, Maybe this is enough, and you should write something else, Denby explains. He didnt think I was failing as a critic, but he didnt think he could afford two movie critics anymore, and I didnt argue. Do the Movies Have a Future? (2012) expresses Denbys disenchantment with an industry increasingly devoted to big-budget special effects blockbusters. I havent given up on movies as an art form, but its not a great period, he says. Im gearing up to write other things for the New Yorker now that the book is finished, and Im writing for the Library of America online about the adaptation of Washington Square by Henry James into The Heiress, a terrific 1940s movie. Denbys also thinking about his next book, though hes reluctant to give specifics while his ideas are still being formed. Now 72, with five books on his resume, he doesnt plan to retire anytime soon. You cant write unless youre obsessed, and I tend to have serial obsessions, he says. So I write a book about losing money during the tech boom [American Sucker, 2004] or about uncivilized discourse [Snark, 2009]; an obsession produces a book. You get up with it every morning and go to bed with it every night. You keep a pad next to the bed so when you wake up in the middle of the night you can write things down, or a pad inside your jacket so when youre at dinner you can pull it out, and suddenly youre not part of the conversation anymore. Its a state of blessedness, in the sense that youre lucky to do it, and a state of illness, because youre not a normal person. Its all worth it, Denby concludes, when you finally hold the finished copy in your hand. He says, E-readers are a great convenience, particularly when you travel, but I love the heft and feel of a book, running your fingers backward and forward in it, saying, This is mine, a little piece of my soul. Hollywood, perennial bestsellers, and publishing powerhouses were the engines behind the 2015 bestsellers in many categories on the adult fiction and nonfiction sides, with several of PWs category bestseller lists looking a lot like greatest-hits compilations. (These lists are based on data from Nielsen BookScan, which tracks print sales at participating outlets.) The big and small screens made themselves felt across several category lists, notably Science Fiction, where the top three titles were different editions of The Martian, and five others were related to a film or TV series. The Biography and Autobiography list was also heavily influenced by the movie business. The Cookbooks list was dominated by TV personalities, with half of the top 10 books coming from authors who have shows on the Food Network or QVC. Media likewise had a huge impact on the History and Political Science list: seven of the top 10 books were by conservative media figures. Though Paula Hawkins is by now a well-known author, she wasnt when her debut thriller, The Girl on the Train, published last January. It blew away the competition on the Thrillers list, which is traditionally dominated by juggernauts such as Lee Child, John Grisham, and Stephen King. The other (relative) surprise was Ta-Nehisi Coatess Between the World and Me, a personal meditation on race in America that charted on the Biography and Autobiography list. In late June, in the wake of the police shooting of Walter Scott in Charleston, S.C., publisher Spiegel & Grau moved up the publication of the book from September to July. Its been a bestseller list fixture since, won the National Book Award in the fall, and is a finalist for the NBCC Award. For an in-depth look at how categories fared overall, see The Hot and Cold Categories of 2015 in our January 18 issue. Fiction Comics Rank Title 2015 Units Sold 1 The Killing Joke, Alan Moore, DC 69,913 2 The Walking Dead, Compendium 3, Robert Kirkman, Image 66,442 3 The Walking Dead, Compendium 1, Robert Kirkman, Image 60,493 4 Fun Home, Alison Bechdel, HMH/Mariner 52,403 5 Tokyo Ghoul, Vol. 1, Sui Ishida, Viz 50,541 6 Marvel Encyclopedia, DK 47,694 7 Civil War, Mark Millar, Marvel 46,652 8 The Walking Dead, Compendium 2, Robert Kirkman, Image 45,557 9 Saga, Vol. 4, Brian K. Vaughan, Image 41,073 10 Saga, Vol 5, Brian K. Vaughan, Image 38,281 Perennial bestsellers occupy the top spots of the Comics list, led by Alan Moores The Killing Joke. Collections did big business: all three of the Walking Dead compendiums are among the categorys bestsellers, along with volumes of both the Tokyo Ghoul horror manga and the paranormal SF Saga series. A big-budget film adaptation of Marvels Civil War, a collection of comics written by Mark Millar, will hit theaters in May. Mystery Rank Title 2015 units sold 1 Top Secret Twenty-One, Janet Evanovich, Bantam 200,068 2 Tricky Twenty-Two, Janet Evanovich, Bantam 189,437 3 The Murder House, Patterson/Ellis, Little, Brown 186,176 4 Gone Girl (MM movie tie-in), Gillian Flynn, Broadway 174,020 5 Flesh and Blood, Patricia Cornwell, Morrow 173,500 6 X, Sue Grafton, Putnam/Wood 159,667 7 The Cinderella Murder, Mary Higgins Clark, S&S/Pocket 144,316 8 Field of Prey, John Sandford, Berkley 138,676 9 Unlucky 13, Patterson/Paetro, Vision 129,420 10 Gone Girl (movie tie-in), Gillian Flynn, Broadway 127,621 The mystery category saw a 12% decline in print sales in 2015 from 2014, despite a barrage of bestsellers from the usual suspects. The erosion is largely due to mystery being a popular e-book category; even so, the thriller category, which draws many of the same readers, saw an annual gain in print sales. Romance Rank Title 2015 units sold 1 Grey, E.L. James, Vintage 1,406,868 2 See Me, Nicholas Sparks, Grand Central 445,531 3 Fifty Shades Darker, E.L. James, Vintage 241,896 4 The Longest Ride, Nicholas Sparks, Grand Central 230,596 5 Fifty Shades of Grey, E.L. James, Vintage 221,100 6 Fifty Shades Freed, E.L. James, Vintage 194,866 7 Fifty Shades of Grey (movie tie-in), E.L. James, Vintage 181,598 8 Stars of Fortune, Nora Roberts, Berkley 168,498 9 Whiskey Beach, Nora Roberts, Jove 158,471 10 The Rosie Project, Graeme Simsion, Simon & Schuster 158,352 Similar to mysteries, print romance sales continue to be chipped away at by digital. The category posted a 9% unit sales decrease for the year. The print romance market is still vast (with 28 million physical copies sold in 2015), and is, like mystery, fueled by reliable powerhouses. E.L. James, Nicholas Sparks, and Nora Roberts posted big numbers last year, with Jamess Grey coming it at #3 overall on our Romance list. Science Fiction Rank Title 2015 Units Sold 1 The Martian, Andy Weir, Broadway 673,041 2 The Martian (MM movie tie-in), Andy Weir, Broadway 246,118 3 The Martian (movie tie-in), Andy Weir, Broadway 198,532 4 Ready Player One, Ernest Cline, Broadway 175,162 5 Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel, Vintage 133,756 6 Star Wars: Aftermath, Chuck Wendig, Del Rey/LucasBooks 103,377 7 Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton, Ballantine 87,567 8 Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick, HMH/Mariner 76,994 9 Enders Game, Orson Scott Card, Tor 64,278 10 Seveneves, Neal Stephenson, Morrow 61,318 Film and TV had a big impact on the SF category last year, with The Martian becoming the genres hottest property thanks to the Matt Damonled film adaptation. The new Jurassic Park film lifted sales of the original novel, and Amazons adaptation of Man in the High Castle was a boon for Philip K. Dicks classic (it sold just shy of 7,000 copies in 2014). The new Star Wars flick, meanwhile, has set off a licensing gold rush, with Chuck Wendigs Aftermath one of many books to catch fire. Thrillers Rank Title 2015 Units Sold 1 The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins, Riverhead 1,345,721 2 Rogue Lawyer, John Grisham, Doubleday 576,362 3 Gray Mountain, John Grisham, Dell 365,392 4 The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, Stephen King, Scribner 322,298 5 The Girl in the Spiders Web, David Lagercrantz, Knopf 305,929 6 Finders Keepers, Stephen King, Scribner 261,589 7 Cross Justice, James Patterson, Little, Brown 250,996 8 Personal, Lee Child, Dell 229,713 9 Memory Man, David Baldacci, Grand Central 229,277 10 The Guilty, David Baldacci, Grand Central 222,325 This time last year, The Girl on the Train was enjoying its second-straight week atop our Hardcover Fiction list. It would go on to stay there through mid-April, and stay in the top five until September. It outsold the #2 book in the thrillers category by 769,000 copies. Not bad for a debut novel from an imprint not known as a commercial fiction juggernaut. Nonfiction Biography/Autobiography Rank Title 2015 units sold 1 American Sniper (movie tie-in), Chris Kyle, Morrow 851,457 2 The Wright Brothers, David McCullough, Simon & Schuster 443,801 3 American Sniper (MM movie tie-in), Chris Kyle, Morrow 354,536 4 Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand, Random House 341,446 5 Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Random/Spiegel & Grau 319,352 6 Unbroken (movie tie-in), Laura Hillenbrand, Random House 285,537 7 I Am Malala, Malala Yousafzai, LB/Back Bay 270,604 8 Wild, Cheryl Strayed, Vintage 266,873 9 Killing Patton, OReilly/Dugard, Holt 261,821 10 Night, Elie Wiesel, Hill and Wang 214,941 The category notched a 3% increase overall in 2015 compared to 2014, with gains driven by film adaptations and name-brand authors. Two editions each of American Sniper and Unbroken feature in the top 10, and Cheryl Strayeds Wild also rode a wave of Hollywood popularity. But the break-out book on the Biography and Autobiography list last year was Ta-Nehisi Coatess Between the World and Me. Business/Economics Rank Title 2015 Units Sold 1 Strengths Finder 2.0, Tom Rath, Gallup 528,506 2 Total Money Makeover, Dave Ramsey, Thomas Nelson 214,439 3 Get Whats Yours, Laurence J. Kotlikoff, Simon & Schuster 170,574 4 The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick M. Lencioni, Jossey-Bass 148,744 5 Money: Master the Game, Anthony Robbins, Simon & Schuster 140,360 6 Emotional Intelligence 2.0, Travis Bradberry, Talentsmart 129,401 7 The Energy Bus, Jon Gordon, Wiley 123,299 8 Crucial Conversations, Patterson et al., McGraw-Hill 107,621 9 Start with Why, Simon Sinek, Penguin/Portfolio 99,077 10 Extreme Ownership, Jocko Willink, St. Martins 92,285 The business category saw unit sales up 3% in 2015 over the previous year, with established authors (Anthony Robbins, Dave Ramsey) doing a lot of the heavy lifting, alongside category classics such as Strengths Finder, Crucial Conversation Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, and Emotional Intelligence. Food Rank Title 2015 Units Sold 1 The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime, Ree Drummond, Morrow 569,925 2 Thug Kitchen, Michelle Davis, Rodale 217,739 3 Make It Ahead, Ina Garten, Clarkson Potter 121,697 4 The Skinnytaste Cookbook, Gina Homolka, Clarkson Potter 117,832 5 The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier, Ree Drummond, Morrow 115,535 6 Inspiralized, Ali Maffucci, Clarkson Potter 114,576 7 Blue Jean Chef: Delicious Under Pressure, Meredith Laurence, Walah! 114,147 8 The Food Lab, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, Norton 110,543 9 The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays, Ree Drummond, Morrow 96,726 10 Franklin Barbecue, Aaron Franklin, Ten Speed 94,230 Last years bestselling cookbooks support the notion that the category is platform driven: Food Network star Ree Drummond claimed three of the top 10 spots; Ina Garten took another. Other big titles included Thug Kitchen (originally a Tumblr) and a cookbook from QVC personality Meredith Laurence. History/Political Science Rank Title 2015 Units Sold 1 Killing Reagan, OReilly/Dugard, Holt 851,980 2 Dead Wake, Erik Larson, Crown 333,989 3 Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates, Brian Kilmeade, Penguin/Sentinel 291,245 4 Bill OReillys Legends and Liars, David Fisher, Holt 282,133 5 Plunder and Deceit, Mark R. Levin, S&S/Threshold 195,418 6 A More Perfect Union, Ben Carson, Penguin/Sentinel 194,502 7 It Is About Islam, Glenn Beck, S&S/Threshold 167,759 8 The Devil in the White City, Erik Larson, Vintage 162,479 9 Crippled America, Donald J. Trump, S&S/Threshold 155,306 10 The Witches, Stacy Schiff, Little, Brown 119,672 The category saw a 13% gain in 2015, with titles from conservative imprints dominating the top 10 list. Bill OReilly, Ben Carson, Glenn Beck, Brian Kilmeade, Mark R. Levin, and Donald Trump are the household names who have right-leaning category bestsellers. Outside the political arena, Erik Larson claimed two spots, and Pulitzer-winner Stacy Schiff took the #10 spot with The Witches. Religion Rank Title 2015 Units Sold 1 Jesus Calling, Sarah Young, Thomas Nelson 545,217 2 Fervent, Priscilla Shirer, B&H 164,740 3 The Power of I Am, Joel Osteen, Hachette/FaithWords 162,800 4 I Am a Church Member, Thom S. Rainer, B&H 150,064 5 For the Love, Jen Hatmaker, Thomas Nelson 130,429 6 The Battle Plan for Prayer, Stephen Kendrick, B&H 127,327 7 The Mystery of the Shemitah, Jonathan Cahn, Frontline 105,113 8 The Best Yes, Lysa Terkeurst, Thomas Nelson 99,146 9 Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis, HarperOne 92,199 10 Jesus Calling (large print), Sarah Young, Thomas Nelson 90,793 One of the big stories out of the religion category in 2015 was the success of books related to the movie War Room. Fervent (#2 on the list) and The Battle Plan for Prayer (#6) are both companion books to the film. Other titles that helped to push a 13% gain in the category were various editions of Jesus Calling, Joel Osteens The Power of I Am, and Lifeway CEO Thom S. Rainers I Am a Church Member. Over the past 11 years, the American Booksellers Association has transformed Winter Institute into one of its signature educational conferences. This years institute, held in Denver from January 23 to 26, was no exception, with its mix of big-picture topics, such as minimum wage and online retail, and micro workshops on holding author events and inventory control. Above the Treeline used the occasion to unveil Edelweisss new format, aimed at helping booksellers determine which books are publishers lead titles in a given season. A pilot program will launch shortly, with a full-store rollout this summer. ABA CEO Oren Teicher was pleased by the sustained energy of the conference, right through the final educational session: a debrief, facilitated by Ed OMalley and Matt Jordan of the Kansas Leadership Center in Wichita, to help booksellers turn ideas into action plans. Im pleased with the way [the debrief] worked out, Teicher said. The most astonishing thing was that the energy in that room was as high as it was at the opening party on Saturday. This year, the ABA bowed to bookseller pressure and raised the cap on attendance from 500 booksellers to 625. In addition, the 2016 institute drew 108 authors, 40 international guests, and 175 publishing folks. Despite Winter Storm Jonas, which caused thousands of flight cancellations on the East coast, only 30 booksellers and a handful of presenters were unable to travel to Denver. Raising the number of booksellers by 20% in no way diminished satisfaction with the conference. It was a great Winter Institute, said Pam Cady, manager of general books at University of Washington Bookstore in Seattle. I thought everyone was jazzed. [The ABA] did a really good job; it was very thoughtfully laid out. Rob Dougherty, manager of the Clinton Bookshop in Clinton, N.J., added, I like the fact that there were more booksellers. But I hope the institute doesnt get too big for networking. For many booksellers, the excitement about attending the institute was heightened by a particularly strong 2015. The good news, Teicher announced at the institute, is that overall sales across the network of independent bookstores in 2015 were up 10%8% on a per-store basis. Sales at more than 500 independent stores were over $500 million, a figure that excludes nonbook items. Independent bookstores once again fulfilled their mission to put the right book in the hands of readers and book buyers while growing their businesses in what obviously remains a challenging environment, he said. Looking ahead, Teicher continued, we know that its not a time for complacency. For many, the biggest challenge is Amazon, whose presence was felt in many sessions, beginning with a featured presentation on the first day with authors Douglas Preston and Richard Russo, moderated by Teicher: Authors, Agents, and BooksellersUnited for a Fair Marketplace. The session provided an update on last summers letter-writing campaign by various book-related organizations, including the ABA, which called on the Department of Justice to investigate Amazons control over access to information. Keynote speakers such as Martin Lindstrom, author of Small Data, encouraged booksellers to find ways to differentiate themselves from Amazon. Discovery is booksellers secret weapon, he said. The megaretailer was the central focus of a presentation by Dan Houston and Matt Cunningham of Civic Economics and Stacy Mitchell, codirector of the Institute for Local Self-reliance in Portland, Maine, which released a joint report from the ABA and Civic Economics at the session titled Amazon and Empty Storefronts: The Fiscal and Land Use Impacts of Online Retail. The report determined that the failure of 23 states plus Washington, D.C., to collect the full sales tax on Amazon sales resulted in a $625.4 million loss in revenue in 2014 for state coffers. The report also found that since the growth of Amazon and other online retailers has resulted in a reduction in demand for retail space, about 100 million square feet of retail space has gone undevelopedthe equivalent of more than 30,000 traditional storefronts, which the report estimated would have employed 136,000 workers and generated $420 million in property taxes. The combination of lost sales tax revenue and property taxes has led to a $1 billion tax gap on state and local governments, the report stated. Despite the reports conclusions, not all booksellers regard the online giant as a threat. Peter Makin of Brilliant Books in Traverse City, Mich., said that Amazon takes away the cheap end of the economy, and his store is more upmarket. I focus on what we are good at and what [Amazon] cannot do, he said, singling out expensive sidelines such as $200 packs of colored pencils. Hes sold 150 packages. Other booksellers pointed to the softening of the e-book market and the fact that print is back as signs that they can prevail over Amazon. In a session titled Overall Trends in Book Retailing with Kristen McLean, director of new business development at Nielsen Book, and Peter Hildick-Smith, founder and CEO of Codex Group, the latter offered some sobering statistics: The e-book share decline masks the fact that online sales are now up to two-thirds of book sales, Hildick-Smith said. In 2010, 72% of books were purchased in physical stores; that figure is now down to 33%. At Barnes & Noble at least 30% of revenue comes from nonbook/merchandise. McLean painted a rosier picture. I want to celebrate you guys, she said. In terms of bricks-and-mortars, youre the only ones growing. Although you compete with Amazon for the objects they sell, youre not in the same business. Theyre in the convenience business, and youre in the community business. McLean encouraged booksellers to take advantage of the trend in coloring books to seek out opportunities in comfort and peace categories. One place to trump Amazon that the ABA has begun promoting is backlist. Over the past few months it has added The Revisit & Rediscover List to the IndieNext lists for adult and childrens titles. To further emphasize backlist titles as a way for bookstores to distinguish themselves, the institute held a Backlist Book Swap Party on the opening night, something it plans to do at future gatherings. Booksellers were asked to bring a copy of a favorite under-read book and leave it for someone else to discover. The ABA is working on a way to share those titles as indie favorites. The ABA took advantage of the Denver location to pay tribute to the contributions of Tattered Cover Book Store owner Joyce Meskis, whom Teicher credited at the opening night reception at Tattered Covers Colfax Avenue store as the creator of the modern bookstore model. Two days later, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, whose own book The Opposite of Woe (Penguin) is due out later this spring, made a surprise visit and presented Meskis with an official proclamation that made Jan. 25, 2016, Joyce Meskis Day. The more Joyce Meskises there are in the world, the better place this will be, he said. The 2017 gathering will keep the winter in Winter Institute. It will be held at the Hyatt Regency in Minneapolis, January 2730. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30 By Farhad Daneshvar - Trend: Over the past ten years and after the removal of crippling nuclear-related sanctions on Iran, Hassan Rouhani was the first Iranian president to visit Europe breaking the deadlock over ties between the Islamic Republic and its traditional trade partners. In addition to a raft of deals ranging from energy to industry and environment, Rouhani paved the way for signing a deal which surely opens a new chapter in the history of Iran's aviation which has suffered from a worn-out fleet over the past decades claiming at least 1,168 lives between 1979 and 2014. After 21 years of embargo on Iran's aviation, finally on January 28, Tehran signed a historic deal with Airbus for the purchase of 118 airliners (73 widebodies, 45 single aisle) including 12 A380 superjumbos worth $25 billion at list prices. Under the memorandum of understanding (MoU), the European aircraft manufacturer will train Iranian pilots as well as technicians to maintain the planes. According to Iranian officials the country will receive eight airbus planes this year and the rest will be delivered until 2024. The billions dollar payoff The airbus deal would not be inked if was not the financial contribution that Rouhani secured at the first stop of his Europe tour in Rome, where the Italian Export Credit Agency, SACE, and Iran's Central Bank (CBI) signed a settlement agreement for the recovery of the sovereign credit due to SACE by Iranian counterparties. The Export Guarantee Fund of Iran (EGFI) has suggested that several European banks agreed to pay for airliners purchased by Iran and Italy's SACE would cover insurance for the European banks. Now, Iran will pay back the installments in a course of 15 to 20 years while the names of the European banks have not been disclosed due concerns over the unclear terms of the removal of international sanctions against Iran. Despite the fact that EU and the UN Security Council have lifted nuclear-related sanctions on Iran; the restrictions snapped by the US on its banking system to deal with the Islamic Republic appear to be on place. Therefore, observers question how easy it will be for Iranian banks and companies to pay off the costs of the deals which are mostly expected to be delivered in dollars. Advanced airliners vs Iran's aviation infrastructure Only a couple of hours after striking the Airbus deal in Paris, thousands of kilometers faraway in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad, a Boeing aircraft failed to land safely going off the runway due to snowy surface which hospitalized several passengers. The second issue that Iranians should be concerned about is the capability of the country's airports to accommodate wide-body planes, though the Airbus contract includes support services to help the entry into service and efficient operations of the new aircraft. However, the Islamic Republic's airports organization planning to compete with mega-hubs in Dubai and Istanbul has announced projects to develop three international airports in Tehran, Esfahan and Mashhad cities. Rouhani's administration as a symbolic sign to indicate the country's advance under his term, intends to increase the capacity of Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport. The capacity of the capital city's main international gateway is projected to reach 45 million passengers annually which currently stands at about five million, compared to the capacity for 75 million passengers in Dubai airport, and Istanbul's Ataturk airport which served more than 38 million passengers in its international terminal in 2014. To fulfill the ambitious plan, Aeroports de Paris (ADP) will assist Iran to construct the country's largest transport project, the second terminal at Tehran's Imam Khomeini international airport. This is while Rouhani has purportedly got French construction firm Vinci SA through a separate MoU to cooperate in expanding the country's other key airports in Esfahan and Mashhad cities. In reference to what has been said, the documents signed in Paris for the purchase of the Airbus planes and the development of the country's international gateways were only formal preliminary contracts while the parties still need to reveal more details on the procedure for fulfilling the agreements. Farhad Daneshvar is Trend Agency's staff journalist, follow him on Twitter:@farhad_danesh Cheers to the prominent Rock Island family seeking to buy the Hauberg Civic Center for releasing details of its plans to use the historic property for its Bridges Catering company. On behalf of the company, Bill Healy released a letter early this week outlining ambitious plans for the house and grounds that would bring the Healys company home to Rock Island, employ more than 100 people and return the property to the tax rolls. We applaud the willingness to release what until then had only been shared behind closed doors with city leaders. As public outcry over the potential sale demonstrates, its essential that this process be conducted in the sunshine. Were also pleased that the Healys appear to be sensitive to the Haubergs importance to the community and of the need to maintain public access to the gift the Hauberg and Denkmann family gave to a community they helped to shape. Their purchase proposal deserves serious and careful consideration, if the city chooses to sell the property. Thats a big if. Indeed, we believe whether the property should be sold at all is THE central issue that must be answered before Rock Island leaders make any decisions regarding what happens next at the Hauberg. While we recognize the catering companys urgency to bring the business, which already works extensively in the Quad-Cities, home from its Princeton, Iowa, location, the city has a duty not to rush into a decision quickly. It is imperative that Step 1 be to engage in a dialogue with the community which owns the Hauberg that will examine thoroughly the pros and cons of all options for their property including: -- Keeping the property in Rock Islands hands, doing the maintenance and improvements that have been ignored or delayed and finding ways to market it to the community to encourage more widespread use. -- Lease it to a business which can help finance rehab it requires, while ensuring continued public access. -- Sell it to an interested buyer under a deal carefully structured to protect the integrity and access to the property far into the future. That might be harder to do than some supporters of this deal might believe. These are complicated matters that cry out to be addressed before the city takes another step toward divesting itself of this treasure. Cheers to Facebook for listening to users, including us. The worlds largest social network will soon add new symbols to help members quickly convey their feelings on the subjects they do NOT really like. Facebooks CEO told the social networks 1.6 billion users this week that four months of testing soon will result in new emoticons being added to its ubiquitous (and often inappropriate or inadequate) thumbs-up like symbol. Instead, when appropriate -- and sadly, even when its not -- commenters will be able to click on symbols that may better convey their emotions. The new reactions, as they have been dubbed, will include symbols for angry, sad, wow, haha, yay and love. We want people to be able to share all of the things that are meaningful to them, not just the things that are happy and that people are going to like when they see it, Mark Zuckerberg said Wednesday. Its not all smiley faces, however. Indeed ... Jeers to giving people yet another way to avoid using words to describe what they think and feel. And raspberries especially to fans of the development who profess to love the language and to despair over those things which erve to diminish it -- and yes, were looking in the mirror. We suspect for many users, a cartoon-like weepy face will be a godsend: No need to struggle for words of comfort or go searching for the perfect emoji to express your feelings; Facebook has done it for you. Indeed, the self-described global force for good has distilled the huge range of emoticons available to a stable of reactions to serve every occasion, which gives users more time to waste -- presumably on Facebook. The sociologist-tested new emojis also will be a boon to the big blue app and advertisers. As Bloomberg Businessweeks Sarah Frier reminded us, Facebooks 1.6 billion users click on it more than 6 billion times a day more frequently than people conduct searches on Google which affects billions of advertising dollars each quarter. Brands, publishers, and individuals constantly, and strategically, share the things they think will get the most likes. Those new reactions also will increase the opportunities to turn users into guinea pigs. Hmmm, on second thought, maybe we dont heart this development so much after all. The Third District Appellate Court in Ottawa has upheld the 12-year sentence of a Stark County man involved in a 2011 crash in rural Kewanee that killed three of his friends. Morgan D. Blakey, 23, of Toulon is in the Illinois River Correctional Center at Canton following a bench trial before Judge Ted Hamer, now retired, for reckless homicide and aggravated driving under the influence. On Dec. 29, 2011, Mr. Blakey was driving a vehicle that left the roadway south of Kewanee and took the lives of three Stark County teenagers: Levi Berg, 16, and Kelsey Clifford, 15, both of Toulon, and Bradley Wood, Jr., 18, of Wyoming. According to trial testimony, Mr. Blakey passed out after "huffing," or inhaling something to get high, from a can of Ultra Duster he bought shortly before the accident. In June 2013, Judge Hamer sentenced Mr. Blakely to 12 years in prison, with a projected parole date of Nov. 13, 2023. In a ruling made official Friday, the appellate court noted Mr. Blakey's sentence was near the lower end of the six- to 28-year range for the Class 2 felony of aggravated driving under the influence. Justices were not swayed by arguments that Mr. Blakey was young and had no record, or that the sentence caused hardships for his family, or that circumstances of the accident were unlikely to recur. Justices found the surviving front-seat passenger's hearsay statement of what one deceased passenger allegedly said that Mr. Blakey "shouldn't be doing that" -- was admitted in error. However, they stated there was no reasonable probability Mr. Blakey would have been acquitted if the statement had not been introduced at trial. They cited other other evidence for the guilty finding, including Mr. Blakey's admission to police that he huffed in the vehicle while driving and his purchase of the compressed-air can. A Davenport man has been sentenced to up to 15 years in prison in connection with the fatal shooting of Gerald Housley in August. Justin A. McGowan, 28, was sentenced earlier this month by Scott County District Court Judge Nancy Tabor after pleading guilty in December to going armed with intent. He also pleaded guilty to a count of voluntary manslaughter as a lesser alternative to a first-degree murder charge. Prosecutors said Mr. McGowan fatally shot Mr. Housley, also 28 and of Davenport, after a disturbance just after 6 a.m. on Aug. 2 in the 300 block of Marquette Street. Charging documents state that, as Mr. Housley tried to leave the area, he was pursued by Mr. McGowan, who shot three rounds from a 9 mm handgun. At least one round fatally struck Mr. Housley in the head. Davenport police, called to 4th and Marquette streets about 6:25 a.m., transported Mr. Housley to Genesis East Medical Center in Davenport, where he died as a result of his injuries. The former owner of a Moline pizzeria was sentenced this week to seven years in prison after admitting to selling cocaine out of his business. David Allen Curtner Sr., 46, pleaded guilty before Rock Island County Judge Frank Fuhr to possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and two counts of delivery of a controlled substance. He will receive day-for-day credit on his prison sentence, plus credit for time served in the Rock Island County Jail, according to the plea agreement reached between Rock Island County Assistant State's Attorney Justin Umlah and Mr. Curtner's attorney, Aaron Dyer. In May 2014, Mr. Curtner was arrested with his son, David A. Curtner Jr., 24, after search warrants were served at their homes and Adriana's Pizzeria, 1509 15th St., Moline. An online review of the pizzeria Friday said it was "permanently closed." The Quad City Metropolitan Enforcement Group, a police unit specializing in drug enforcement, said suspected powder cocaine and materials to aid in distribution were discovered during the searches. The Curtners, who owned the pizzeria, dealt cocaine to Adriana's patrons, according to police, who said sales also occurred in the surrounding neighborhood. In October 2014, Mr. Curtner Jr. pleaded guilty to one count of possession with the intent to deliver a controlled substance and was sentenced to six years in prison. He currently is in a work release program with a projected parole date of Feb. 10, 2017, according to Illinois Department of Corrections records. DAVENPORT -- Longtime Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce member Steven Landauer said he is being denied access to the organization's financial data after its $974,000 loss in 2014. The Davenport CPA said he requested financial statements from the chamber after reviewing the "990" federal tax form nonprofit entities use to file with the Internal Revenue Service. The chamber's most recent 990 form -- for July 1, 2013, to June 30, 2014 -- shows it lost more than $974,000. The chamber's latest 990 form is not available yet. Mr. Landauer also has also filed a complaint with the IRS, stating the chamber is required to provide that information. Chamber CEO Tara Barney said the organization makes information available "according to the rules of our organization. "Our attorneys are working with his (Mr. Landauer's) to make sure that he gets what is appropriately available," she said Friday. "Our regulations say we distribute financial information to members when they have an appropriate purpose for it," she said. "And so, our attorneys are talking to his attorney. And I'm sure if there is an appropriate purpose, we'll work it out." Mr. Landauer disagrees, saying federal law requires the chamber to comply with his request. He said he received the runaround from the chamber in a series of emails this month. On Jan. 2, Mr. Landauer emailed Chamber Chief Operating Officer Betsy Brandsgard requesting the audited financial statements for the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce. "Hopefully, these statement(s) include Quad City First, NewVentures Inc., Grow Quad Cities Fund Iowa, Grow Quad Cities Fund Illinois and any other related entities," Mr. Landauer's email said. "Please include the audits for the year ending 6/30/2013, 6/30/2014 and the current year 6/30/2015 if completed." On Jan. 6, Ms. Brandsgard asked Mr. Landauer what information "exactly" he was seeking. She named the chamber's numerous committees -- including a separate audit committee -- and said they are "populated by smart, ethical, financially savvy business and community leaders. "Each group plays a role in reviewing, overseeing and approving financial and organizational transactions -- thus you can be confident the Chamber has the benefit of ample financial and operational guidance and scrutiny by independent professionals," she stated in an email to Mr. Landauer. "The Chamber does not make public its annual audits, though you can always access our 990s as you can for any not-for-profit entity." On Jan. 6, Ms. Barney responded to Ms. Brandsgard email, writing, "Well put. If he (Mr. Landauer) has questions, I will be interested in knowing what they might be. We've been asked by the papers, the cities and others for our financials. "We don't share them," her email states. According to municipal financial reports, the chamber in 2015 received $384,000 from five cities: $174,904 from Moline, $140,000 from Davenport, $30,100 from Rock Island, $24,000 from East Moline and $15,000 from Bettendorf. Money is given for a combination of reasons, from dues, to Quad Cities First, to Moline's Main Street program, which is overseen by the chamber. The Iowa Principles and Practices for Charitable Nonprofit Excellence -- developed by the Iowa Governor's Nonprofit Task Force in 2004 and revised in 2011 -- states "the audit or financial statement (of a nonprofit organization) should be available to all funders, government regulators and the public." The document appears on the Iowa Secretary of State's website. The federal 990 form also includes a Schedule O detailing what information is or isn't available to the public. The chamber's Schedule O states "the organization makes its governing documents, conflict of interest policy and financial statements available to the public upon request." On Jan. 13, Davenport CPA Nick Nauman informed chamber chief financial officer Vicky Diamond that a member's request to inspect financial documents must be in writing and submitted under oath. "Further, the request should state specific documents sought and the purpose for the inspection," Mr. Nauman wrote. "Further, the person requesting the information must do more than just state a purpose, he must articulate what he intends to do with such information." Mr. Landauer said he just wants to see where the money is going and why the chamber shows it was $974,000 in the red for its latest 990 filing. "For the life of me, I don't know what's going on," Mr. Landauer said. Today is Saturday, Jan. 30, the 30th day of 2016. There are 336 days left in the year. 1866 150 years ago: Water was running down the streets from melting snow and sleigh riding in the area was curtailed. 1891 125 years ago: This evening in the assembly room at Rock Island High School, a literary contest is scheduled between the societies of Minerva and Belles Lettres. 1916 100 years ago: Mayor McConochie has received Wilsons secretary to the effect that the train bearing the president west on his preparedness tour of the country will stop in Rock Island. 1941 75 years ago: Rollin Hiller, of Annawan, was one of six winners in rural youth talk-fest and B.W. Horan of Preemption was named director of the Illinois Agricultural Association at the 26th annual convention in St Louis. 1966 50 years ago: The proposed merger of the Illinois Quad Cities will be covered in detail and depth on the next two Spectrum programs on WHBF-TV, Channel 4. 1991 25 years ago: Harry the Ape, who often responds to world events, has been wearing a gas mask since war broke out in the Middle East. The life size replica stands outside B & B Surplus, Moline. The Army surplus store sold 60 gas masks at $24.95 apiece last week. DAVENPORT -- State Rep. Pat Verschoore, D-Milan, said the area could lose its fledgling Moline-to-Washington, D.C,. flights if the Quad-Cities doesn't show more interest in them. Rep. Verschoore's assessment came after the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce's first-ever bi-state delegation visit to the Rock Island Arsenal, where officials stressed the flights' importance to the First Army and the Arsenal's viability. Begun in October, the daily direct United Express flights were seen as a potential boon for the Arsenal as it continues to meet the challenges presented by military downsizing and deep Pentagon budget cuts. "I think anyone who had anything to do with Illinois getting that knows how hard it was," said Rep. Verschoore, who is not seeking re-election this fall. "If we don't show some progress, I'm afraid we're going to lose it. I would hate to see that." Rep. Verschoore said he wants to see the number of people on those flights increase, noting the state subsidizes the flight "to a certain extent" in a yearly appropriation. "Apparently, ridership hasn't been bad, but it could be a lot better," he said. "Nobody likes to go through Chicago, or Detroit, or whatever, if they don't have to," he said. "If you leave here (to Washington, D.C.), this is one-stop." In 2013, Pentagon officials told local leaders that a direct Quad-Cities to D.C. flight would help protect the Arsenal from future base closure and realignment rounds. Quad Cities Chamber President/CEO Tara Barney said the flights are important, but officials knew it would take some time to get things moving. "I'm always careful to say, 'Sure, it's (flight) at risk, but not at risk of dying off,'" she said. "We need to get it ramped up. We knew it would take six or eight months to ramp up its use, and we're in that now. "We won't keep it forever if it doesn't prove to be useful." Ms. Barney also said having a single Arsenal tour with lawmakers from both Illinois and Iowa was a plus. "Both states get the same set of facts, and it helps us work with both states," she said. Tehran, Iran, January 30 By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend: The Iranian Navy has test-fired advanced torpedo (cigar-shaped self-propelled underwater missile) its from submarines, Fars news agency reported. On the fourth day of the maritime drills named 'Velayat-94', Iranian forces also launched torpedoes from its Jamaran destroyer. Iran's navy also enabled its light submarine dubbed Qadir and a heavy submarine dubbed Tariq to follow and target moving objectives. Further, Iran's AB212 helicopter, equipped with rocket-launcher and machine gun, performed the precise-targeting missions. The naval drills cover an area of around 3 million square kilometers, down to the 10-degrees latitude, north of the Indian Ocean. A day earlier, the Iranian Navy test-fired several coast-to-sea and sea-to-sea cruise missiles named "Nour" (Light) with a range of 150 km during a massive naval drill underway in southeastern coasts of Makran, east of Strait of Hormuz. That mystery was made by Forrest Fenn, a New Mexico antiquities dealer who announced the hidden treasure years ago in a bid to lure people into the great outdoors. But now a treasure hunter has gone missing, and Fenn is on an increasingly desperate mission to find him. Randy Bilyeu disappeared more than three frigid weeks ago along the upper Rio Grande. Fellow treasure hunters are keeping up the search, long after the New Mexico Search and Rescue team suspended its efforts. Fenn tells The Associated Press that he and his treasure hunters are not going to give up. America TV and Albavision have signed an agreement to produce entertainment content for Peruvian and international audiences. Following the deal, America TV will start producing content for Albavision's two channels in Peru, ATV and RED TV, and some co-productions will be carried in the future. Albavision will also have the right to air America TV's original production through the 14 Latin American countries in which it operates.The three networks will also share their current portfolio of content produced outside Peru, especially looking to share Turkish, Brazilian and Mexican soap operas.Pioneering companies in investing in technology, talent and infrastructure in Peru during the last years are now heading together towards content production inside and outside the country, stated the companies in a public release to announce their agreement. Albavision is a large media conglomerate originally from Guatemala, which operates 14 TV networks and 10 radio stations across the region. President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday described his European tour as successful and emphasized that Iran has never been isolated in international community either before, or after the nuclear agreement, Irna reported. Speaking in an interview with the French TV station France 24 for more than 60 minutes in the presence of reporters from Le Monde and France cultural dailies, the Iranian president offered responses in many internal and international fields quite clearly and logically. The France 24 anchor after welcoming Dr. Rouhani began the interview with a question: Many Western countries considered Iran as an isolated country a few months ago. Aren't your European tour and the agreements reached in the visits considered Iran's full return to the international community? 'Visiting France was my pleasure, but in response to your question I have to reiterate that neither before the (nuclear) agreement, nor after it Iran has never been isolated in the international community,' said President Rouhani. The president referred to his 2013 participation in the UN General Assembly meeting and proposing a world without extremism and violence, which was approved by the UNGA. 'It was on the sidelines of that assembly that the European countries' leaders in meetings with me expressed dissatisfaction with the anti-Iranian sanctions and emphatically said that that path was not the right one,' he added. The Le Monde reporter referred to the Iran-US exchange of prisoners recently, asking President Rouhani whether it can be interpreted as gradual restoration of diplomatic relations between the two countries. 'In the course of the past 70 years Iran and the United States have always had countless disputes. I must say that resolving all these problems in the short run is a very tough job. I have said from the beginning of my victory in the presidential elections that we wish to decrease the level of tension with the United States, which have already been decreased,' he said. President Rouhani added that there is still a long way to go (to attain this goal); such issues are very complicated, and as soon as they come close to resolving them elections in Iran, or the elections in the United States begin and the efforts should be made from the beginning. The France Culture daily reporter asked about the Iran-Saudi tension and President Rouhani's viewpoint on detente in that respect. 'What happened was very unpleasant from our point of view. A prominent Shi'a scholar who had critical viewpoints about the Saudi rulers' conduct was executed, which was an illegal act. The execution of that scholar led to surprise protests in many countries and was condemned worldwide, even in the Western countries,' said President Rouhani. He added that the move cannot be justified by anyone and in Iran; too, the people's sentiments were naturally incited. 'Meanwhile, the Saudi Embassy incident was not pleasant for the Iranian government, nor was it done based on the will of the government. I, as the president, was the first person to condemn that incident and I also asked the country's security apparatus to identify and arrest the culprits involved in that act,' he said. Rouhani said that the Saudis' reaction to that incident was inappropriate. 'We do not ffavor intensification of tension in the region as the people of Saudi Arabia are our neighbors and our religious brothers,' he added. The Iranian president was meanwhile asked about the Syrian crisis. He emphasized that that crisis has to be resolved politically and through diplomatic channels, which is both time taking and tough. 'It is a very remote possibility that it would be resolved within a few weeks' time or by holding a number of conferences,' he added. Expressing hope for fast resolving of the crisis in that Arab county, president Rouhani expressed regret that the interference of some countries, as well as the existence of several terrorist groups there, some of which are even fighting against each other have prolonged the crisis in Syria. 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 Property details: 800x600 This is a NO RESERVE auction . . . The high bidder wins ... PERIOD This is NOT AN ALL CASH AUCTION. YOU ARE BIDDING ON THE DOWN PAYMENT ONLY ... FOR THE LAND AND an Amish built LOG CABIN (to be constructed) PACKAGE However, you can buy just the land only without the Amish built Log Cabin If you want to do that, just reduce the price show below by $9,900 and let me know that is your choice. THIS IS A CHANCE TO BUY A COMPLETE COUNTRY GETAWAY PACKAGE WITH ONLY A SMALL DOWN PAYME... Price: $ 495 Seller State of Residence: New York Property Address: 153 High Street State/Province: New York City: Angelica Type: Recreational, Acreage Zoning: Residential Zip/Postal Code: 14709 Location: 147**, Angelica, New York You will be redirected to eBay Nearby 14709 Property details: You Are Bidding On The Down Payment Only for 7.85 ACRES in Eastern Minnesota County Road Frontage. Good Soil. Easy Drive from Twin Cities. Huge Trees. Year Round Access. Parcel: This auction is for a 7.85+/- ACRE parcel of land in Pine County, Minnesota. The land is approximately 3 miles southeast of Hinckley, Minnesota or about 60 miles north of the suburban Minneapolis / St. Paul area. The land is nicely secluded. It is in a farming area although newer subdivisions have been built nearby. The ... Price: $ 499 Seller State of Residence: Arizona Property Address: 32763 Cedar Creek Rd State/Province: Minnesota City: Hinckley Type: Recreational, Acreage Zoning: Residential Zip/Postal Code: 55037 Location: 852**, Tempe, Arizona You will be redirected to eBay Nearby 55037 Former NSYNC popstar Lance Bass is now at home with his husband Michael Turchin. The same-sex couple shares a home in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles California, which they spent a year's worth of renovations. According to Elle Decor, Bass and Turchin enlisted the help of household retail giant HomeGoods to furnish their home with pieces that fit both their personalities. Their house features an open concept layout, which the couple loved from the very beginning. It is painted in mainly neutral colors, with bright accents popping here and there. Turchin, a painter and visual artist himself, made sure to incorporate art in the entire space. The result, a light and airy space with a fun and quirky vibe. "The artist in me always wants to mix in punches of bright colors and exotic textures/metals," Turchin said. "As a pop artist, I really utilize art to make a room come to life." The living room features a grey brick wall, with a piece spelling "Love" hanging in the center. It also highlights a glass center table with a 500-pound vintage boat propeller as its stand. It was the first home item that Bass and Turchin bought together. Other meaningful pieces are on display, such as a golden impala head that takes its place on a console table. The couple went on a safari trip to South Africa where they fell in love with the impala, and just had to remember the experience. Kris Jenner's wedding gift, a luxurious-looking crystal vase, is also proudly displayed. The living room flows right through the kitchen, where Bass' collection of oils and vinegars are displayed on floating shelves. The bathroom is also decorated with fun accents, with a printed decal of an upside down bull is highlighted. Bass' MTV trophy, the famous Moon Man, is used as a tissue holder, adding another whimsy touch to the space. Bass and Turchin got engaged in 2013 after a year and a half of dating. On Dec. 20, 2014, the two got married at the Park Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, which was later televised on E!. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Saturday that Iran is willing to develop comprehensive and multi-faceted relations with other countries to ensure sustainability of ties, Irna reported. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of Conference on reviewing Iran's opportunities in the post-sanctions era, Zarif said that Iran will never forget those countries that stood by Tehran during the sanctions. 'We have maintained and boosted ties with Russia and China,' Zarif said in response to a reporter who criticized signing economic contracts with France and Italy. 'We told all Western countries that we do not want to be a new market for your exports, rather we will be a partner for producing export-oriented industrial outputs in the supply cycle and not a mere consumer,' Zarif said. As the world welcomed 2016, the U.S. dollar got a head start. Currencies around the world have been falling, but the American currency stays strong. As the U.S. dollar gains value, students may want to take advantage of the situation. As more commercialized businesses move in on campus and in downtown Athens, students, local residents and University of Georgia alumni have debated the factors that contribute to a sustainable local economy. These contrasting perspectives were made clear after a recent Red & Black column, The student argument for big business in Athens, was published that supported a mixed economy. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries has put an end to the Iranophobia campaign, Press TV reported. Zarif made the remarks in an address to a meeting on opportunities in Iran after the nuclear agreement, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), went into effect on January 16. "One of the achievements of the nuclear negotiations [between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries] was that we succeeded in putting an end to the Iranophobia project," Zarif said on Saturday. Before the conclusion of the nuclear agreement, he added, a "false" image of Iran was depicted which introduced the Islamic Republic as a threat to international peace and security and based on which, every move against Iran could be justified, he said. The Iranian minister said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put a lot of pressure on Western and European countries, and Saudi rulers made every efforts to prevent the realization of the JCPOA because they did not want to see their long-term subversive investments in Iran disappear and also sought to portray a harsh and horrible image from Iran. He emphasized that the nuclear negotiations opened a new phase in Iran's relations and finally led to the lifting of nuclear-related sanctions against Iran. 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 on July 14, 2015 following two and a half years of intensive talks between Iran and the P5+1 - the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany. Jess Brewer, left, talks with attorney Michael A. Scheibli today at the Shasta County Superior Court after a final hearing on the closure of medical marijuana dispensaries in Redding. Brewer used to operate Trusted Friends, which he said closed last Friday. SHARE By Jenny Espino of the Redding Record Searchlight Redding's marijuana dispensaries this morning were ordered to close their doors by July 1. The order by Shasta County Superior Court Judge Stephen Baker signals the end is near in a protracted legal battle between Redding and dispensaries over the city's 2011 ban on storefront medical marijuana shops. Baker's decision to grant a preliminary injunction pending a November trial followed a brief court appearance this morning attended by medical marijuana supporters and at least one of the dispensary operators. Jess Brewer of the downtown dispensary Trusted Friends was resigned to the closure after fighting the city on its ban. He said he had already let go of seven employees and would close doors to his establishment this week. "It's a funeral for us to be honest," he said before he arrived at the courthouse. The California Supreme Court in May upheld local government's right to prohibit marijuana storefronts. It was a victory for Redding in its efforts to shut down nine dispensaries that remain open. The decision upset medical marijuana advocates, who said the ruling weakens the state's laws on the drug's use for medicinal purposes. Michael Scheibli, a Redding attorney who represents Brewer, said the high court's decision essentially throws back the issue into the hands of state lawmakers. Now it's up to the medical marijuana community to work through their representatives, Scheibli said. "They need to go their legislators and discuss it with them," he said. Assistant City Attorney Barry DeWalt said his office is making progress on its settlement talks with several of the collectives. "The first step is to get them to stop so they can comply with the ordinance. Once that occurs, the incentive to settle and just be done with the whole litigation increases," he said. Carlos Baldwin, a medical marijuana patient, said Californians like him should have a right to choose where they go for their medications. "It's wrong. People should have a right to pick and choose," he said. Local dispensaries have argued they are contributing jobs and boosting Shasta County's economy. Already, the Queen of Dragons, one of two dispensaries in Shasta Lake, says it has been fielding calls from Redding residents who want to know if it has delivery services. The collective does not. Tammy Brazil, the collective's owner, said it may not be long before she sees a surge in clients. But it's not something she relishes. "I'm not happy over someone's demise," she said. "I am totally for patients, and I think this hurts everybody. ... There are a lot of elderly and cancer patients in this area." The two Shasta Lake dispensaries now will be the only storefronts operating in Shasta County. Brewer said for a long time local medical marijuana users have faced challenges accessing the drug and growing the plants. "We'll be researching what avenues we have in the future when the state does (pass) a bill or something else that allows collectives to be protected from the local entities shutting them down so people can have safe access," he said. Brewer was unsure about his employment prospects and his establishment. "What happens to Trusted Friends is a lot of fond memories. We helped a lot of people," he said. SHARE Jannamarie Jervelle Howard Gina Miele Litoshna Wilson By Jim Schultz of the Redding Record Searchlight Redding police announced Saturday two more arrests in connection with the Jan. 6 murder of a 52-year-old Redding man. Four remain in custody of the now seven people arrested in connection with the death of Jon Boring, who was fatally shot at his Douglas Lane home. Investigators on Thursday obtained arrest warrants for Jannamarie Jervelle Howard, 27, of Elk Grove, and Gina Miele, 44, of Redding, in connection with the slaying. Officers on Friday served search warrants in Bieber and on Red Bluff Street in Shasta Lake. While in Bieber they arrested Howard, Redding police Sgt. Jon Poletski said. Miele surrendered to police later Friday and both were booked into the Shasta County Jail on suspicion of homicide, Poletski said. Theyre being held without bail. The arrests came the day after one former suspect in the case was released and another arrested. Poletski said in a news release Friday that officers obtained an arrest warrant for Litoshna Casia Wilson on Thursday and arrested her at her home. She was booked into the Shasta County Jail on suspicion of murder and remains there. Thursday also saw the release of 21-year-old Proudstar Shining Moon Wilson from Shasta County Jail after her arraignment was canceled for a second time. Proudstar Wilson had been accused of murder in the same case and had eluded authorities for weeks until being arrested Monday. She was released due to insufficient evidence, authorities said. The first suspect named and arrested in the case, Robert Joseph Pasillas, 25, of Redding, remains in Shasta County Jail without bail. Pasillas, who turned himself in to law enforcement at the Shasta County Jail on Jan. 12, has yet to enter a plea. He is due back in Superior Court on Feb. 19. According to a Redding police investigative report, Borings 29-year-old girlfriend, Geraldine Ellen Walker, identified Pasillas as the man who shot and killed her boyfriend. Its expected Litoshna Wilson, Howard and Miele will be arraigned this week. One of two men accused of being accessories after the fact in connection with the case saw charges dismissed due to insufficient evidence. Nocona Redwolf Wilson, 25, arrested Tuesday for allegedly trying to help Proudstar Wilson avoid arrest. He was released from jail after the Shasta County District Attorneys Office asked for his case to be dismissed. Its expected that an accessory after the fact case against Proudstar Wilsons boyfriend, Donald Richard Stradley, 33, who bailed out of jail after also being arrested Tuesday, will be similarly dismissed. Poletski said police are still investigating the murder case and ask anyone with information to call 225-4200. Curtis Milliron, left, a fisheries program manager for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, listens Friday to Michael Caranci, second from right, a manager at The Fly Shop in Redding, at the Redding Library. Fish and wildlife officials discussed a fishing closure on the Sacramento River between Keswick Dam and the Highway 44 bridge proposed for four months in the spring and summer to help protect the winter-run of Chinook salmon. It would be the second year in a row that section of the river would be closed to fishing. SHARE Brian Kyncy of NorCal Shasta Outfitters talks during a meeting Friday at the Redding Library where California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials discussed a temporary fishing closure on the Sacramento River in Redding to help protect winter-run Chinook salmon. Fishermen listen as California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials on Friday discuss a proposed fishing closure on the Sacramento River between Keswick Dam and the Highway 44 bridge to help protect winter-run Chinook salmon. By David Benda of the Redding Record Searchlight During a public meeting Friday afternoon in Redding, state wildlife officials listened for more than hour to guides and others voice their concerns about a plan to close a section of the Sacramento River to help the survival of winter-run Chinook salmon. Many inside the Redding Library believed the state is not doing enough to work with fishing guides and bring them into the discussion to help the plight of salmon. Instead, they are being told this is how it's going to be. "We're here because we care. We care about the environment. ... But we are losing faith," said fishing guide Seth Mitchell, who was especially vocal during the 90-minute presentation. Under the proposal, the river would be closed to fishing from the Highway 44 bridge to Keswick Dam from April 1 to July 31. Officials are targeting those dates because the four-month stretch is peak spawning time and the salmon are swimming in shallower water, so they are more susceptible to trout anglers accidentally hooking a salmon. The proposed closure is on the state Fish and Game Commission's Feb. 10-11 meeting agenda. The meeting is in Sacramento. Commissioners will have the option of sending the matter back to the Department of Fish and Wildlife for more review based on what was heard Friday in Redding, department spokesman Harry Morse said. This would be the second straight year wildlife officials closed the river in that stretch from April to August. Officials are especially worried about the endangered winter run because over the past two years, about 95 percent of the eggs and recently hatched fish were killed by high water temperatures in the river during the summer and early fall. Anthony Cox, of AC Guide Service, noted there were far fewer people attending this year's public forum leading up to the proposed closure. There were about 25 people in attendance. "We are resigned that this is going to happen," Cox said. Meanwhile, the consensus in the room was more needs to be done about irresponsible operators of personal watercraft. People also asked if there was any discussion about closing that stretch of the river to jet skis. "We gotta educate those jet skiers, gentlemen," Mitchell said. "We gotta pull them aside, tell 'em what they're doing." Curtis Milliron, fisheries program manager for the DFW, agreed that more needs to be done to educate jet skiers. He said he contacted Shasta County officials and they looked at rules governing jet skis. "These things are written for human and health and safety, as well as protecting private property," Milliron said. "We didn't come across a slam dunk opportunity for another entity to come in and say we can close the river" to jet skis. Milliron explained the concern is jet skiers who do donuts and other stunts in shallow water. "So when you play on a jet ski, play in a little deeper water. Don't go park yourself and do (donuts) on top of a really shallow ripple area that could be especially hard on these fish," Milliron said. Brian Kyncy, of NorCal Shasta Outfitters, is worried that the temporary closure will soon become permanent. "I have never seen our government shut something down temporarily that we did not lose permanently," Kyncy said. "So when you start temporarily shutting down ... I see permanent coming here pretty quick." Milliron countered that the closure is temporary, but there is much discussion among wildlife officials about what to do to save the salmon and keep the Sacramento River a world-class trout fishery. "Right now with this population tanking to such an extent, I don't know how we could justify doing less than we did last year," Milliron said. Asked about the decision to hold the meeting on a Friday afternoon, Morse said they would rather hold meetings later in the evening when more people are available. "This time we ran into a problem with booking facilities, and the time that was available with the people available was this afternoon," Morse said. " SHARE By Evan Halper, Tribune Washington Bureau WASHINGTON When presidential candidates turn to data crunchers at Rocket Fuel in Silicon Valley for help finding voters who want tougher immigration enforcement, the firm comes up with a surprisingly specific answer: Chevy truck drivers who like Starbucks. The data modeling from Rocket Fuel shows that this group leans against a path to citizenship for workers in the U.S. illegally. And these particular voters have become surprisingly easy some argue creepily so for campaigns to find and approach. So have consumers of frozen vegetables, who are more likely to oppose abortion. As have people curious about diabetes, a group that tends to settle on a candidate early in the race. Knowing the nuances of each voter beyond whether they lean right or left makes every difference, said JC Medici, the firms national director of politics and advocacy. We can identify what people are persuadable. But as presidential campaigns push into a new frontier of voter targeting, scouring social media accounts, online browsing habits and retail purchasing records of millions of Americans, they have brought a privacy imposition unprecedented in politics. By some estimates, political candidates are collecting more personal information on Americans than even the most aggressive retailers. Questions are emerging about how much risk the new order of digital campaigning is creating for unwitting voters as the vast troves of data accumulated by political operations become increasingly attractive to hackers. The security breach last month at the major voter database controlled by the Democratic National Committee, and another days later involving a large political data firm, have raised concerns about the fitness of candidates to safely manage their data. At the same time, the methods used by independent data brokers that acquire and disseminate private details for political campaigns and scores of other clients are at the center of a yearslong regulatory battle, with the Federal Trade Commission warning Congress that consumers need more protections. Yet the push for more accountability and transparency rules on the accumulation of private data is faltering in Congress, where lawmakers are reluctant to rein in the industry that they increasingly rely on to win elections. This is the Wild West, said Tim Sparapani, a data privacy consultant and former director of public policy for Facebook. There is nothing that is off-limits to political data mining. The fleeting, impulsive nature of campaigns, he said, means they often have far less stringent security procedures than retailers and social media firms, which themselves often fail to adequately protect sensitive information. The mining of such data for politics is not a new phenomenon. Presidential candidates began pioneering the approach more than a decade ago, and it was a key part of Barack Obamas winning strategy in 2008 and 2012. But technological advancements, plunging storage costs and a proliferation of data firms have substantially increased the ability of campaigns to inhale troves of strikingly personal information about voters, spit it into algorithms, and use the results to narrowly customize messaging and outreach to individual households. There is a tremendous amount of data out there, and the question is what types of controls are in place and how secure is it, said Craig Spiezle, executive director of the nonprofit Online Trust Alliance. The groups recent audit of campaign websites for privacy, security and consumer protection gave three-quarters of them failing grades. The campaigns and the data companies are cagey about what particular personal voter details they are trafficking in. One firm, Aristotle, boasts how it helped a senior senator win re-election in 2014 using over 500 demographic and consumer points, which created a unique voter profile of each constituent. Company officials declined an interview request. When investigators in Congress and the FTC looked into the universe of what data brokers make available to their clients be they political, corporate or nonprofit some of the findings were unsettling. One company was selling lists of rape victims; another was offering up the home addresses of police officers. The data companies are required by law to keep the names of individuals separate from the pile of data accumulated about them. Instead, each voter is assigned an online identification number, and when a campaign wants to target a particular group say, drivers of hybrid vehicles or gun owners the computers coordinate a robocall, or a volunteers canvassing list, or a digital advertisement with relevant accounts. Since campaigns are ultimately in the business of finding particular people and getting them to show up to vote, some scholars are dubious their digital targeting efforts offer the same level of anonymity as those of corporations. A retailer doesnt care what person is behind a particular online profile, just that they are buying new sneakers, said Ira Rubinstein, a research fellow at New York University School of Law who specializes in data privacy. This is about targeting very specific people to go out and vote. A detailed paper Rubinstein recently published on voter privacy found that political dossiers may be the largest unregulated assemblage of personal data in contemporary American life. Basic privacy guidelines that apply to other industries dont appear to apply to candidates. Some do not even have clear privacy policies posted on their websites, which would be grounds for a private business to have their site shut down under both federal and California law, according to the Online Trust Alliance. Rules that require companies to notify their customers if there has been a data breach also do not necessarily apply to campaigns, Rubinstein said. Its an unregulated entity whose only goal is to elect a candidate over a short term, then it goes away, he said. They are not circumstances in which security is made a priority. Campaign digital strategists take umbrage. They say their operations are constantly withstanding the attacks of hackers, and that candidates are in no position to be cavalier with all the sensitive information on their servers, as voters would punish them for it. Yet it is also unclear whether many voters are aware how much could be on those servers. Among the regulations the Federal Trade Commission is urging Congress to implement is one that would allow consumers to find out what information the data brokers are selling to their many clients, political campaigns among them. Consumers could more easily adjust which data are being sold or could opt out of the monitoring altogether. The problem with the data broker industry is consumers have no idea this is going on, said FTC commissioner Julie Brill. They are creating hundreds of millions of profiles of American consumers. Some of this information can impact consumers in a negative way. Back at Rocket Fuel, which specializes in placing potential voters into hundreds of different audiences, each targeted for a package of digital advertisements specifically catered to their interests, there are warnings that more regulation could have its own unintended consequences. Wed no longer be able to put the right message in front of the right people, Medici said. If what we are putting in front of voters is relevant to them and of interest, it is a natural part of the process. 2016 Tribune Co. Visit Tribune Co. at www.latimes.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Wabash Lights, an ambitious public art project that will add shots of color to the underside of the "L" tracks downtown, is scheduled to begin its beta test next week, six months after a crowdfunding campaign raised nearly $60,000 to make it happen. Twelve rods of LED lights have been installed beneath a small patch of the "L" tracks on Wabash Avenue just south of Monroe Street, giving a taste of what the project's creators hope to turn into a much more dramatic interactive light show stretching two blocks along Wabash, from Madison to Adams. Advertisement "It's an amuse-bouche of public art," said Jack Newell, who created the project along with his friend Seth Unger. Newell, 33, and Unger, 34, plan to turn the lights on for the beta test at 7 p.m. Thursday. The test will go on for six months to a year, with a preprogrammed lighting sequence running 18 hours a day, to troubleshoot technical issues and ensure that the equipment can withstand weather and the rattle of trains. Advertisement The pair said they hope the small glimpse helps with fundraising to complete the project. "We hope this works really hard for us in a marketing sense, that people will see this and get inspired," Unger said. Unger and Newell are trying to raise $5 million over five years, tapping private, foundation and corporate funding sources, and hope to secure 10 founding corporate partners. They have hired a director of corporate partnerships to help. The money is meant to cover the full installation of the lights, which they hope will be underway a year from now, plus maintenance. The project comes amid several efforts to revive Wabash, long the underperforming stepchild between tourist-friendly Michigan Avenue and shopping-centric State Street. The Chicago Loop Alliance last year unveiled a plan for "transforming Wabash" that involves beautification and branding sections of the street. Street murals by renowned street artists have sprouted along what has been dubbed the Wabash Arts Corridor, spearheaded by Columbia College. Unger, a design consultant, and Newell, a filmmaker, embarked on their project independently and did not initially set out to fix Wabash. That Wabash Lights could improve the aesthetics and safety of the street, which because of the elevated tracks can feel dark and uninviting, and encourage people to stick around after work is "a great byproduct" of the project, which they think is coming at a time when Wabash is "about to break out," Unger said. The friends, who met in an improv class at Second City in 2004, developed an interest in public art several years ago because they felt what was out there didn't take the public's voice into account. They brainstormed several ideas before settling on doing something with the "L" and interactive lighting, and thought Wabash could be the perfect setting. "We liked Wabash because it's the uniquely Chicago street," Unger said. "It's hardworking, overlooked. It has a Second City mentality to it." Advertisement While the beta test will not be interactive, Unger and Newell are working with Chicago-based software company Table XI to develop an app with various "engagement engines" to let the public program the lights. For example, someone could finger-paint on the app or upload vacation photos, and the app would translate that into abstract art to display on the lights. Users could schedule when their design goes live, as you might set a reservation through OpenTable. The philosophy around involving the public in the generation of public art was the reason Unger and Newell turned to Kickstarter to fund the beta test, raising $59,480 from 918 backers in a month last summer. As they stood beneath the "L" tracks recently watching the installation of the test lights, Unger and Newell said they were pleased with the result so far, though their reaction was tempered. Perhaps it had yet to sink in that two guys who met in improv class had persuaded the Chicago Department of Transportation and the Chicago Transit Authority to let them hang colorful lights under the tracks, for which they credit help from Ald. Brendan Reilly, 42nd, and other supporters. And, with $5 million to raise and the interactive app yet to be developed, "we are acutely aware of how much work we have to do still," Newell said. aelejalderuiz@tribpub.com Twitter @alexiaer Republican presidential candidates (R-L) Ohio Governor John Kasich, Jeb Bush, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Ben Carson, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) participate in the Fox News - Google GOP Debate January 28, 2016 at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, Iowa. Residents of Iowa will vote for the Republican nominee at the caucuses on February 1. Donald Trump, who is leading most polls in the state, decided not to participate in the debate. (Scott Olson/Getty Images) If January is the time we think about getting fit, then Februarythe official start of the U.S. presidential election seasonshould be a time to contemplate flexing our political muscles. The Iowa caucuses get underway Monday, and voters in New Hampshire will hold the first primary election of the season Feb. 9. The Illinois primary is March 15. Advertisement We realize not everyone exercises their right to vote: During the 2012 presidential primary election, designed to whittle down the field of candidates for the November general election, just 18.5 percent of Chicago's roughly 1.7 million eligible voters bothered to cast a ballot. Far more turned out for the general election: 60.5 percent. Whether you're a newbie prepping for your first-ever vote or a veteran at the ballot box, our simple guide will help you navigate anything from registering to vote to the best websites to study up on the candidates. Advertisement 1. What's the difference between a caucus and a primary? Held in roughly a dozen states, caucuses can best be described as groups of neighborsbelonging to the same political partygathering in churches and school classrooms to vote, publicly and often by simply raising their hands, on their favorite candidate. In presidential primaries, voters head to the polls, grab a ballot for their political party of choice and select their favorite candidate in private. Voting results from the caucuses and primaries play a key role in whittling down the field of candidates, which happens at the party conventions. More on that later. 2. Am I eligible to vote? You are if you're at least 17 by the March primary (18 by the November general election), a U.S. citizen and living in your polling precinct for at least 30 days before the election. Feb. 16 is the deadline to register to vote by mail or online for the Illinois primary. After that, you can register to vote and cast your ballot during the same visit at select sites in Chicago until the March 15 primary. Check chicagoelections.com for more details. You can register to vote on Election Day, but it can only be done at the polling place assigned to your home address. Make sure to bring two forms of identification, one of which shows your current address. Go here to find out where your polling place is located. Pro-tip: Once youre registered to vote for the primary elections, it should be hassle-free to vote in November's general election. 3. How does a candidate win the presidency? Of course political experience, name recognition, endorsements and a big campaign war chest of money to spend on ads help. But there is a process: The primary elections and caucuses determine the selection of delegates to represent their state at the national party conventions, where they vote for a particular candidate. The candidate who wins a majority of delegates becomes the party's official presidential nominee on the November general election ballot. Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. > The presidential ticket that wins the most votes in the November election in each state generally gets all the electoral votes for the state, a number based on representation in Congress. The public doesn't directly elect the president; intermediaries known as "electors" do. The candidate who wins at least 270 of the 538 votes in the Electoral College becomes the next president. Advertisement 4. Help, I need help doing my pre-voting homework on the candidates. On issues including whether the federal minimum wage should be increased, whether recreational marijuana should be legalized and whether the Black Lives Matter movement is good for America, ProCon.org shows not only where the candidates stand but also whether theyve flip-flopped. FactCheck.org debunks statements from debates and speeches made by candidates and so does PolitiFact , which rates their accuracy on a truth-o-meter as true, false or even "pants on fire" for the most ridiculous claims. To keep track of who bowed out and who is still in it to win it, a debate schedule and key election dates, check out Ballotpedia. Sources: League of Women Voters, ProCon.org, Chicago Board of Elections, VoteSmart.org, FactCheck.org @lvivanco | lvivanco@redeyechicago.com @riannecoale | rcoale@redeyechicago.com Want to learn how to turn your movie idea into a screenplay? Click here for writing classes in Chicago. Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya will open its first Midwest location in Wicker Park in February. (JESSE_BUDDEN / Kizuki Ramen) Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya: With more than 20 locations in Tokyo and and four in the Pacific Northwest, Kizuki Ramen is headed to the Midwest, starting with Chicago. Slated to open in Wicker Park late February, the restaurant will offer made-to-order ramen with four different broth options and, for meat, both a fatty pork belly chashu as well as a more lean cut of pork. Small plates will include chicken karaage (deep-fried chicken with spicy mayo), Japanese pork buns, gyoza (pan-fried dumplings) and Agedeshi tofu (fried tofu in hot broth with radishes and ginger). The Chicago location will initially feature the same menu as Seattle, which was developed by Japan headquarters, managing partner Kevin Yu says; eventually, a few unique-to-Chicago menu items will be added. The space will be decorated in the style of a traditional Japanese restaurant. Advertisement "We want our customers to feel like they stepped into a restaurant in Tokyo," he says. "They don't have to buy an airplane ticket." Garlic tonkotsu shoyu, ramen with a heartier flavor and house-made garlic paste, is Yu's favorite. Advertisement Late February opening, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday-Sunday. 1482 N. Milwaukee Ave., www.kizuki.com. Other openings: Blackwood BBQ is expanding from the Loop to Lakeview Jan. 30 with new menu items including chipotle potato salad, two- and three-meat platters, a kids menu and craft beer (coming in February). 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. 962 W. Belmont Ave., www.blackwoodbbq.com. Blackwood BBQ is expanding from the Loop to Lakeview Jan. 30. (Blackwood BBQ) The owners of Wasabi in Logan Square and Ramen Takeya in Fulton Market will open Yakitori Boogytori on Feb. 2 in Arlington Heights. Expect chicken, beef, seafood and vegetable skewers grilled on charcoal, in addition to small plates including sashimi and grilled rice balls. 5-10:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 5-11 p.m. Fridays-Sundays, closed Mondays. 932 W. Algonquin Rd., Arlington Heights, 847-262-5914. Bang Chop Thai, the latest restaurant from the owners of Saigon Sisters, is up and running in the West Loop. The menu includes wok-charred rice and noodle dishes, soups, curries, salads and sides such as fish cakes and fried chicken wings. Opened in December. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. BYOB. 605 W. Lake St., www.bangchopthai.com. Gluten-free and nut-free wraps, paninis and salads are the stars of the show at Green Bean, a Lincoln Park counter-service spot that quietly opened in October. Chef Mike Watson says he hopes to redefine fast food as healthy and affordable and prove that gluten-free food doesn't have to taste like cardboard. He recommends the steak Spanish wrap with a side of tempura-battered green beans to first-time customers; the restaurant's steak and chicken are marinated for two days to lock in flavor, he says. 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. 734 West Fullerton Ave., www.greenbeanrestaurant.com. In case you missed it: The new Il Porcellino, scheduled to open in spring in the former Paris Club, has hired a chef de cuisine. West Loop barbecue restaurant Porkchop is opening a location in Glenwood. 'The Congress, all these decades, worked on a slow Hindi-isation and Indianisation of Arunachal tribes. The RSS wants rapid Hinduisation,' says Shekhar Gupta. IMAGE: Menchuka, the last village in Arunachal Pradesh, before the McMahon Line, which divides India and China. Photograph: Claude Arpi There is a Nehru-in-NEFA (later Arunachal) story I cannot confirm referring to any recorded history, but if you spend time in the Northeast, you'd hear it often enough from old-timers. In October 1952, Nehru visited Ziro, the heartland of the Apatani tribe, accompanied by young Indira. The Apatani chief greeted him and took a liking for Indira, and apparently told Nehru something like: You are the chief of your people and I am the chief of mine. Why don't you give your daughter to me in marriage and I will give you so much in bride money. That offer included, it is said, some hundred mithuns -- the bovine, which is more a buffalo than a cow, is reared for meat, sacrifice and trade, not milk, and the slaughter of one of which in front of his Raj Bhavan infuriated the current governor so much he had his chief minister fired. Nehru, it seems, smiled and said he was so touched, but that he had already given his daughter away to someone else in marriage and it was such a pity they never met earlier. He probably knew, unlike Governor Rajkhowa, that slaughtering a mithun is the highest honour an Arunachal tribe offers a guest, not an insult. The story may indeed be embellished in folklore. But the fact is, Nehru loved the Northeast, and didn't necessarily know how to deal with the problems he had inherited there. In the process, he resolved some, complicated others, but also laid the foundation of three doctrines to protect, govern and integrate the region with the Republic. The first was to give the region's ethnic diversity wide political space even if it ultimately resulted in states with a million or less people each: Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Manipur and finally Arunachal Pradesh. If states so far were organised on linguistic lines, these were carved out ethnically. The second was what I call the Doctrine of the Insurgency Bell Curve. Naga Hills, then a district of Assam, erupted in the fifties and Nehru unleashed the army. So intense was the fighting (before the 1962 China war) that the IAF even had a Dakota shot down by insurgents as it took supplies to a besieged garrison and the pilots were taken 'prisoner'. But Nehru never stopped talking to the rebels, led by exiled Phizo. The doctrine that finally emerged was: The State will fight an insurgency brutally and unforgivingly, but never close doors for negotiations. The bell curve of violence will reach an inflexion point when rebels are convinced they will never win, no matter what the score in lives lost or taken. That's when the politicians and the spies will be waiting to cut deals. Over the decades all these major groups have made peace in return for political power. The government was to be flexible in the extreme, even Constitutionally creative, as in inserting special amendments (under the convenient larger umbrella of Article 370) to answer some Naga concerns (Article 371A(1)) The third doctrine evolved for the most remote and wide northern rim of the Northeast, stretching along the Himalayas from Bhutan in the west to Myanmar in the east, but mostly bordering Tibet (China). The British also had a unique dispensation for it, like the North West Frontier, allowing mostly tribal laws, including bride price and blood money, to prevail. Like the NWFP, this was called NEFA, or North-East Frontier Agency. It was distant, sparsely populated (1.5 million people in 84,000 sq km today), but never posed the challenge of separatism or violence until some rioting this week. But the Chinese started claiming and then invaded it in 1962. Nehru built a bespoke cadre for the the Northeast: Indian Frontier Administrative Service rather than leave it to the main IAS. Most IFAS officers here had an adventurous, exploratory disposition. Much of what I know about this elite came from one of its most illustrious members, Nari Rustomji, who visited my home in Shillong often in 1981-1983 while writing his brilliant Imperilled Frontiers: India's Northeastern Borderlands (OUP, 1983). Nehru, he would say, wanted better understanding of the tribes and reached out to self-taught English ethnologist Verrier Elwin (trained as a theologian with a doctorate in divinity) who did landmark work on tribal India. Elwin became an Indian citizen and Nehru's trusted counsel on tribal affairs. The most important element of Elwin's approach was to protect the tribals from 'outside' influences and from the misplaced and dangerous mainlander notion of 'civilising' them as they had wonderful cultures and customs of their own. He elaborated on this in his own writings, notably A Philosophy for NEFA. Rustomji called it the policy of 'hastening slowly.' Nehru embraced it. Rustomji had begun finding parts of it outdated as change was becoming inevitable. Nehru was also paranoid about the Chinese in NEFA. What if the China-backed separatist virus of Nagaland reached NEFA? At its eastern edge (Tirap region) Arunachal also shares a tough border with Nagaland. The Chinese could then just walk through. For Nehru was also deeply upset by having to deal with foreign pastors (Reverend Scott, notably) negotiating on behalf of the Nagas. A decision was therefore taken to keep Christian evangelists out of what was to be renamed Arunachal Pradesh. Its tribes were brought into the national -- and nationalist -- mainstream through Hindi-medium education. Arunachal is now the only Hindi-speaking state in the Northeast. Talk to Kiren Rijiju in Hindi. This continued after Nehru. I entirely believe the story that Mrs Gandhi told Nanaji Deshmukh she didn't want the church in Arunachal and would rather have Hindu missionaries, the Ramakrishna Mission and the RSS fill in. In 1978 (when the Janata Party ruled Delhi) the Arunachal assembly passed the Freedom of Religion Act, making proselytisation nearly impossible. There were protests by the church and some unusual complications. For example, the Nagaland assembly adopting a resolution condemning this law and the then Arunachal chief minister, P K Thungon, calling this interference in his state's 'internal affairs.' That law survives because of a larger Congress-RSS agreement on the principle. That's why as power changed hands in Delhi, the ruling party in Itanagar defected en masse the same way. Gegong Apang served as Congress, 'Arunachal Congress' in partnership with United Front and then BJP chief minister with the same legislature party. Of course, he returned to the Congress as it came to power again at the Centre. That compact is now breaking with the rise of the BJP. The RSS has an obsession with the region where its key ideologues have devoted lifetimes. While some of Arunachali tribes are Buddhist and a handful Vaishnavite, most would have been called animists in the past. The biggest tribes, Adis (Gegong Apang), Nyishi (Nabam Tuki) and Apatanis (former CM Tomo Riba) follow Donyi-Polo, or the worship of the sun and the moon. In the RSS view, how is this animism? Hindus have prayed to planet-gods forever -- note how a Shani (Saturn) temple has been in the headlines lately. The Congress, all these decades, worked on a slow Hindi-isation and Indianisation of Arunachal tribes as distinct from Christian Nagas, Mizos, Khasis and Garos. The RSS is no longer the B team of the Congress in Arunachal. Now it wants rapid Hinduisation. This should put the desperate impatience of its hand-picked governor in Itanagar, as also some statements of the governors of Assam and Tripura, in perspective. And you know what? Mr Tuki, though a Nyishi, is that rare Arunachali convert to Christianity. Congress vice president said Gandhiji was killed by the same forces which did not allow him to speak the truth. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi with students at University of Hyderabad during a protest over Rohit Vemula's death on Saturday. Photograph: PTI Photo Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday went on a day-long fast at Hyderabad Central University backing protesting students on the Dalit scholar suicide issue and accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh of trying to crush the spirit of students by imposing one idea from the top. Drawing parallel between Rohiths suicide and Mahatma Gandhi's assassination, he said, What has happened here is exactly what was done to Gandhiji. "Gandhiji was killed by the same forces which did not allow him to speak the truth he wanted to say. It is exactly the same thing that has happened to Rohith...they did not want him to speak the truth that he saw in this institution," he said. Insisting that the incident is not related to one individual or any one particular community, Rahul told the students, You will find one day that the same people who crushed Rohith will be blocking your path to freedom and progress. My message to every single student of this country is -- when you let what happened to Rohith happen, it will happen to you one day, he said. Rahul Gandhi ights a candle near a memorial of Rohith at the HCU on Friday night. Photograph: PTI Photo Rahul first joined agitating students in a candle light vigil past midnight to mark the birthday of Rohith, who would have turned 27 on Saturday, and later went on a nearly nine-hour fast with them. Do not force your idea on these students. Give them their dignity and respect. I want to say without any animosity and with respect -- Modiji, if you want India to progress, you have to unleash the power of these students. If they are feeling discriminated in their universities and their colleges, you will not be able to unleash the power of these students, he said. Rahul also advocated that a law be enacted to end massive discrimination in our universities. It is time for India to have a law that targets such discrimination in all universities and institutions, he said asking the PM to look into the possibility of passing such a law. Rahul, who is visiting the campus for the second time in as many weeks, tweeted, I am here today at the request of Rohiths friends and family, to stand with them in their fight for justice. A young life full of dreams and aspirations was cut short. We owe it to him, to the memory of (Mahatma) Gandhiji and to every single Indian student who dreams of an India free from prejudice and injustice, he said in another tweet. Rohiths mother Radhika and brother Raju were also present at the protest site. Meanwhile in Delhi, three Union ministers accused Congress of shedding crocodile tears over the suicide issue and attacked Rahul for using students as a political tool. Rahul, who arrived in the university at 12.10 am, spoke to the agitating students and lit candles before Rohiths picture. We owe it to him (Rohith), to the memory of Gandhiji and to every single Indian student who dreams of an India free from prejudice and injustice, he said. If you are in India where discrimination is taking place, where people are being crushed because of where they come from, who they are, what religion they belong to, you will never be able to build a modern economy. It is a fantasy, he said. He said that the idea of Make in India has to be interlinked to issues like discrimination. These are not separate ideas, he said. Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu said nine cases of Dalit student suicides had taken place in the campus during the United Progressive Alliance rule but Rahul never bothered to go there. Congress is shedding crocodile tears simply to gain political mileage... This is part of their anti-Modi campaign across the country, he told reporters. Also, attacking Rahul, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said, Exams are nearing in Hyderabad (university). All the students are busy with studies. The government has (already) announced judicial probe into the matter. Peace has been restored there. (In such times), Rahul Gandhi ji is politicising the issue. Rural Development Minister Birender Singh also took potshots at Rahul, saying the party which has been reduced to 44 MPs from 206 MPs in Lok Sabha is politicizing every issue. As students raised slogans against Union Human Resource and Development Minister Smriti Irani and Bharatiya Janata Party member of Parliament Bandaru Dattatreya, Rahul intervened and politely told them not to shout murdabad. Let us not say murdabad to somebody, he said. Hitting back at the BJP, the Congress accused it of failing to initiate action against its leaders including Union ministers for the suicide of the Dalit scholar. Who has resorted to politics in the matter? It is the BJP. Union minister Dattatreya wrote to HRD minister Irani against the Dalit students following complaint from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad president. The HRD minister wrote as many as five letters to the University, senior party spokesman Ajay Maken said. Activists of the ABVP protested against Rahuls visit even as it called for a bandh in Telangana colleges. Velpula Sunkanna, one of the research scholars whose suspension was revoked recently, said Vice Chancellor Appa Rao Podile should be removed from the post. On January 17, we have filed SC/ST Atrocities case against Appa Rao and (five) others. These six people should be arrested immediately. Thats the only demand, Sunkanna, who is on an indefinite fast along with Vijay Kumar (another scholar whose suspension was revoked), said. Vemula was found hanging in the varsity's hostel room on January 17. The Congress vice president had earlier visited the university on January 19 following the suicide by the Dalit scholar and met the agitating students and the family members of Vemula. Stating that there was discrimination against many different types of people, including Dalits, Tribals and women, Rahul said it was time India took action to curb this discrimination in universities and colleges. "I would like to give a suggestion to Prime Minister Narendra Modiji...you have to unleash the power to all these students. In order to make this country powerful, look into the possibility of passing a law to stop discrimination at universities," he said. Recalling his talk with a Japanese co-passenger on a plane, Rahul said the latter had told him that since there was caste system present in Indian factories as well, the amount of innovation that industry from his country comes out with, cannot be found in India. What is going on in this university between this discrimination and the idea of Make in India and the idea of Connecting India and the idea of Start-up India. These are not separate ideas, they are the same ideas. If you are in India, where discrimination is taking place, where people are being crushed because of where they come from, who they are and what religion they come from...you will never, ever be able to build a modern economy. It is a fantasy, he said. They might come from different religions...different communities and states, but nobody here is an anti-national. So, when you think and call somebody an anti-national, you are not only doing disservice to him, but also to me and everybody here because you might not believe all of us want to make this country strong. We are all Indians and we dont like this division being created and we are interested in making this country progress, Rahul said. Maintaining that the Dalit scholars was not an isolated case and there was discrimination in other universities as well, he said, Rohith is there in every single institution in this country. Rohith is from different religion, different community. What has happened to Rohith, it will happen to you in this country, no matter who you are. On his second visit to HCU today, Rahul was not accompanied by party leaders, unlike his first visit on January 19, when there were state Congress leaders with him. A large group of students also undertook a hunger strike, along with Rahul, whose latest move was seen as a fresh offensive to turn the heat on the BJP. Rahuls hunger strike came a day after HCUs in-charge vice chancellor Vipin Srivastava proceeded on leave, six days after being given the responsibility after VC Appa Rao Podile went on indefinite leave. The next senior-most professor Dr M Pariasamy was given the charge. Meanwhile, shouting slogans, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parshiad members protested against Rahuls visit to the campus even as it called for a bandh in Telangana colleges. Gachibowli police station inspector J Ramesh Kumar said 24 ABVP activists were dispersed. They were not detained. They were identified and dispersed from there. The BJPs student wing called for a bandh of colleges in Telangana in protest against politics over dead bodies by Rahul in the HCU. The ABVP strongly opposes the politicisation being done by Rahul Gandhi in CentralUniversity at a time when peaceful atmosphere is returning in the university, ABVP national executive member Kadiam Raju said. Meanwhile, speaking at the protest venue at HCU, Rohiths mother Radhika thanked all those who have come from different places to express solidarity. Stating that she raised her children by working as a labourer, she thought that Rohith would become an Indian Administrative Services officer. Rohith told me that he would get a job soon. I admitted him in this university for that purpose. But the university gave me his dead body. No other student should suffer like this, she said. She called for a special act to ensure legislative protection for students from marginalized communities in higher educational institutions. Lets fight together, Radhika said. In a dramatic turn of events, Dr Vipin Srivastava who took charge as the interim vice-chancellor of the Hyderabad Central University amid protests over the alleged suicide by Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula proceeded on leave from Friday afternoon. "Dr Vipin Srivastava who took charge as the interim vice-chancellor of Hyderabad Central University has proceeded for leave from the afternoon of January 29 and the next senior most professor Dr M Pariasamy will perform the duties of the V-C till further orders," a university official said. The reasons behind his leave are not immediately clear, the official said. Srivastava could not be contacted for comments. He was appointed as the interim VC on January 24 after V-C Appa Rao Podile went on leave amid protest from the student community over the death of Rohith Vemula. Meanwhile, AICC vice president Rahul Gandhi will visit the campus on Saturday. He is expected to offer his solidarity to the agitating students by participating in a mass hunger strike. It will be the Congress leader's second visit to the city since the death of the research scholar. Gandhi had last visited the campus on January 19. About 2,000 students organised a candle light march on Friday night on the campus ahead of Vemula's birthday on Saturday. They shouted slogans against Podile and Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani and demanded their resignations. Vemula was found hanging inside a hostel room in the university on January 17. The United States commends the announcement by the Syrian opposition to participate in the Geneva peace talks, US Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement. "The United States welcomes the important decision by the High Negotiations Committee of the Syrian opposition to attend negotiations hosted by the United Nations in Geneva," Kerry stated on Friday. Syrian opposition's High Negotiations Committee reportedly announced earlier on Friday its decision to attend the Geneva talks after receiving US and UN guarantees. Earlier in the day, the United Nations announced that the intra-Syrian talks had started with a meeting between UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura and the Syrian government delegation headed by the country's ambassador to the UN, Bashar Jaafari. De Mistura said Friday that he expected his talks with the delegation of the Syrian opposition formed during the Riyadh conference to start as early as on January 31. However, the official noted that there had still been no official confirmation of the opposition attending the talks. The UN Security Council resolution 2254 adopted on December 18 stipulated the January launch of the talks between the Syrian government and the opposition in order to settle the ongoing civil war. The discussions on the Syrian crisis settlement will last at least six months with the first part of the negotiations to last approximately two-three weeks. BJP leader Kailash Vijaywargiya said Rohith did not commit suicide due to expulsion from hostel. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday said that Rohith Vemula, the scholar who committed suicide in the HyderabadCentralUniversity, was not a Dalit. The facts have come out in the case and as per as my complete knowledge, that student (Rohith) was not a Dalit. By calling him a Dalit student, this whole case has been raised a communal incident by some people, Swaraj said in Maharashtra on Saturday. Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kailash Vijaywargiya, known for his controversial statement, termed the expulsion of Rohith as a small incident and said he doubts whether this alone led to suicide by the courageous youth. "The suicide of Vemula is unfortunate. He was a courageous youth who had a zeal to swim against the tide. Though a probe is on in his death, I don't believe he committed suicide just because of a small incident of his expulsion from the hostel," the BJP general secretary said. "I don't think he took the extreme step because he was perturbed over his expulsion," he told reporters. "I think those people who are responsible for his suicide are the ones who are agitating to defame Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government. Once the probe is complete, these people would get exposed," Vijaywargiya maintained. Asked about Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi taking part in the agitation over Rohith's death, Vijaywargiya said, "Politics should not be done on the issue. Our political rivals are unable to digest that under Modi's leadership, the country's stature is rising in the world and therefore they are indulging in such acts." Reacting to Vijaywargiyas remarks, Congress leader Tom Vadakkan said, Kailash Vijayvargiya shoud give his views to his party and tell his partys spokesperson to say that. If they do, we know its the partys line and condemnable. A day after former diplomat and Rediff.com columnist T P Sreenivasan was manhandled by Students Federation of India activists near Thiruvananthapuram, the prime accused, who slapped him, was arrested on Saturday. City police commissioner S Sparjan Kumar said the prime accused, SFI leader J S Sarath, who was absconding soon after the incident, was arrested from a tea shop in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday evening. He was arrested under various charges including Indian Penal Code Sections 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) and 341 (wrongfully restraining any person), he said. Police also initiated disciplinary action against five policemen, who were on duty at the venue of the Global Education Meet at Kovalam, where the incident occurred. The erring policemen would be sent for intensive refresher training as part of the departmental action. Two sub-inspectors and three constables will be sent for intensive refresher training at KeralaPoliceAcademy in Thrissur. An oral inquiry has also been ordered into the incident, a top police official said. There were allegations that police had remained mute spectators while Sreenivasan, who is also the vice chairman and executive head of Kerala State Higher Education Council, was attacked. Meanwhile, Communist Party of India-Marxist veteran and opposition leader V S Achuthanandan demanded strict action against the SFI activists who attacked the former diplomat. CPI-M politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan also said that the agitators had crossed the limit and the party cannot approve these kind of personal attacks. The partys district secretary Kadakampally Surendran had apologised on Friday itself for the misbehaviour of agitators belonging to SFI, the student wing of the CPI-M. SFI activists had attacked Sreenivasan during their protest against the commercialisation of higher education near the venue. Sreenivasan was the former Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, Vienna, and Ambassador to Austria and Slovenia. Pakistan will soon complete its investigation into the Pathankot terror attack and make it public, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Saturday. The attack had a negative impact and disturbed the talks with India which were going in the right direction after the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, he said. "The investigation into the Pathankot incident is underway and we will make its findings public soon," he said while talking to reporters in Lahore. "Whatever facts come out we will bring them forth before everyone," he said. Sharif vowed that Pakistan would go to any length to uncover the alleged use of its soil in the January 2 attack on the air base in Pathankot by suspected Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists. "It is our responsibility to uncover if our soil was used in the attack. We will do this and the ongoing investigations will soon be completed," he said. The terrorists were being defeated and in desperation, they were carrying out isolated acts to make their presence felt, he said, adding that the remaining ones will also be eliminated. Meanwhile, Pakistan's Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said none of the suspects arrested in connection with the attack have been charged. "The investigation team is probing the matter and its findings will be made public," Sanaullah told reporters. Responding to a question whether any link of JeM has been established with the attack, he said: The investigation team is also probing this." Sharif had formed a six-member committee headed by additional inspector general of Punjabs Counter Terrorism Department to investigate the attack in which seven Indian security personnel were killed. Three terrorists, including a top commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba, were killed in an encounter with security forces in Kupwara district of north Kashmir, a police official said on Saturday. The gunbattle broke out at Dardpora in Lolab area of Kupwara on Friday night after security forces launched a search operation there, the official said. He said while Lashkar top commander Abu Usama was killed in the initial exchange of fire on Friday night, two others were killed on Saturday evening. After the killing of Usama, two of his associates had taken refuge in a residential house of Shah Zaman Chohan in Dardpora village. A joint team of Armys 28 Rashtriya Rifles, along with the additional reinforcement from 18 RR and special operations group, laid siege around the house following which an encounter ensued in which both the militants were killed. Army and SOG used mortar shells and razed the house to rubble. Bodies of both the militants have been retrieved and there identification is being ascertained, the police officer said. Soon after the incident hundreds of people took to streets and clashed with government forces. The search operation in the area is still going on. The angry protesters threw stones at army and police vehicles following which the forces resorted to tear smoke shells and baton charge against the protesters. Earlier, after conducting all legal formalities, the local police handed over the body of Usama to local Auqaf Committee in Dardpora for burial, where hundreds of people participated in his funeral. Following the killing, there was spontaneous shutdown in Dardpora, Lalpora and its adjoining areas. Usma believed to be part of the group comprising of three to four members had infiltrated into this part of Kashmir some six months back and were hiding inside the dense bushes of Lolab, the police officer said. Image used for representational purposes only. 'Last night someone threw stones at my house at 11 pm. My car was also smashed.' Pala Karuppiah is the 74-year-old politician who represented the Harbour assembly constituency in Chennai till earlier this week. Last week after he was expelled from the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagham he resigned his seat in the Tamil Nadu assembly. He gave his side of the story to Rediff.com I have been in the ADMK for the last ten years. I am an old Congressman. I am a follower of K Kamaraj. When we were in the Opposition I was close to 'Amma' (Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa). She used to tell me to write articles against the DMK. I was given a party ticket and won the assembly election. I stood in a Muslim dominated area. My win was unique. I defeated a Muslim DMK candidate even though I am not a Muslim. I had assured my voters that I would rescue an Urdu school in my area from a big shot in my party. I had told them that I would do it in a month after my victory. I could not do this because a big shot was holding it. I was criticising it publicly. He obtained a stay from the court. In another case, a reading room in my constituency was occupied by a merchant with the help of two ministers. I took the matter to the collector. They obstructed the collector from acting. It is a public property, it is a very big building. I wrote to the chief minister and other officials. Nothing happened. When I tried to speak, I was not allowed to do so. As I had no other choice, I spoke about it in public. I spoke about it at a public event organized by Tuglaq magazine. So the chief minister expelled me from the party. I resigned my MLA post as I had won it with the chief minister's and the party's support. I have sent my resignation letter by registered post to the speaker and the assembly secretary. Last night (January 29) someone threw stones at my house at 11 pm. My car was also smashed. The miscreants came by autorickshaw. Opposition leaders have expressed their support to me. Central Minister Pon Radhakrishnan spoke to me on the phone and told me to be safe. The government has to protect me. Pon Radhakrishnan said he would support me. Citizens are not safe. I wanted to build a night shelter with my local area development fund, but I could not do. From this fund I have given Rs 5 crores (Rs 50 million) to the Stanley hospital which is in my area. I have also given funds to Muslim schools in my area. I wanted to construct latrines in Burma Bazaar, but I could not do so. I have apologised to my voters for the work I could not do. As told to A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com Private gun sale posts are now prohibited on Facebook, as well as its Instagram photo-sharing service, the company announced. The ban applies to private guns for sale posts on the social network and does not cover posts by licensed retailers who are still allowed to display firearms "while completing sales transactions off Facebook," the company's spokeswoman Monika Bickert said on Friday as quoted by The Wall Street Journal. Earlier this month, US President Barack Obama unveiled measures that will require individuals involved in trading firearms to obtain special licenses and carry out background checks of their customers. The US government would treat failure to comply by firearms salespeople as a criminal matter. Apart from Facebook, other websites, such as Craigslist and Amazon, have also banned private gun sales. Facebook's regulated goods policies already prohibit marijuana, prescription pills and illegal drug sales by individuals. Boeing has won an initial contract to start work on replacing Air Force One, the aircraft serving the US president, with a new aircraft based on its 747-800 design, the Department of Defense announced, Sputnik reported. "The Boeing Co., Seattle, Washington, has been awarded a $25,776,011... contract for Presidential Aircraft Recapitalization Program Phase 1," the announcement stated on Friday. "The presidential aircraft is one of the most visible symbols of the United States of America at home and abroad," Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James said according to an official Air Force News Service (AFNS) report. Work on the first phase of the program will be performed at Seattle, Washington and Everett, Washington, and is expected to be completed by April 21, 2017, the Defense Department said. "We will ensure the next Air Force One meets the necessary capabilities... while reflecting the office of the president of the United States of America consistent with the national public interest," James added. The new Air Force One will have a planned 30-year life cycle, according to the Defense of Department. Mark your calendar The National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature, 102 Cedar St., opens a new retrospective exhibition Feb. 11 featuring original art from the illustrious 2006 Caldecott honoree Jon J Muth. On display, will be original artwork from Muth's earliest works and his Caldecott honor winning book, Zen Shorts, to his newest book, Zen Socks. Following its debut at the NCCIL, this exhibition will tour nationwide. The artist will be on hand at the NCCIL at 6 p.m. Feb. 11 to speak about his work, inspiration, technique and ideas. There is no charge to attend. Muth will be honored at a dinner at 6 p.m. Feb. 12 at the NCCIL. This is a ticketed event ($25). Call in your attendance plans by Feb. 5 (325-673-4586). Chalk-lettering workshop The Grace Museum has planned a chalk-lettering workshop for 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the museum, 102 Cypress St. During this class, attendees will learn how to create beautiful alphabets and doodles, as well as tips and tricks on creating easy and fast Chalkboard Art. They will also learn step by step from start to finish how to create chalkboards, items you can use, including nontraditional things you can use to create chalkboards on. Bring your favorite beverage, and invite your closest friends. Registration is $15 for museum members and $20 for nonmembers. Supplies and chalkboard included. Call 325-673-4587 to save your spot. New opportunities to get fit The West Texas Rehabilitation Center, 4601 Hartford St., has recently updated and added on to its gym and fitness facilities and now offer classes to anyone interested in getting fit and staying fit. It has lots to offer TRX Suspension Trainer classes, Barre classes, Chair Yoga, Mat Yoga and Fit Camp. There's also Pilates and Yoga classes, gym or pool sessions, group fitness and elite fitness training with a certified fitness trainer. Choose from a variety of times for your class. There is a no contract, pay as you go policy. Call the WTRC at 325-793-3441 with any questions. Spring break camps at Abilene Zoo The Abilene Zoo wants to help keep youngsters active and interested during the upcoming spring break. A variety of day camps are being offered to do just that. A camp for students in grades K-5 ("Wild Designs") is set for March 15-17. Camp is held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a cost of $80 for members/$90 for nonmembers. Campers will take inspiration from the wild to create unique pieces of art. Don't forget to pack a lunch. After care is available until 5 for an additional $15 a day. Very young campers (ages 3-5) will learn all about zoo animals in "Zoo Adventures!". This session is set for 9 a.m. to noon March 18 with a cost of $25 for members/$30 for nonmembers. Call the zoo to register (325-676-6487) or go online, www.abilenezoo.org. Mail information to Jan Woodward in care of "Around Town," Abilene Reporter-News, P.O. Box 30, Abilene, TX 79604. Email address is jan.woodward@reporternews.com or fax information to 325-670-5242. Deadline for submission is noon seven working days before publication. Precept Upon Precept A Precept Upon Precept Inductive Bible Study will be held at Broadview Baptist Church, 2500 S. 25th St., from Feb. 2 through March 29. This study will focus on Acts Chapters 13-28 and the eight lessons will concentrate on Paul and Jesus as they witness to the Gentiles. Jesus promised His disciples that they would take the gospel to the remotest parts of the earth. Learn how to witness and to live an authentic Christian life in all circumstances in the power of the Holy Spirit. Precepts is independently sponsored and all churches are welcome. Book pickup ($18) is set for 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. Classes will be held at that time each Tuesday. Contact study leader Liz Hargrove for more info at 325-668-8170. Prayer partner Sunday First Baptist Church, 1333 N. Third St., has planned an intergenerational Sunday this week. A churchwide breakfast will be held. Following breakfast and regular Sunday school, the last 15 minutes will be spent praying with prayer partner classes. Other activities are planned. Annual Parish Meeting The Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest, 602 Meander St., has scheduled its Annual Parish Meeting following the 10:30 a.m. worship service in the Parish Hall. A lunch will be served. Unitarian Universalists The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Abilene, 1541 Sayles Blvd., welcomes people of all religions, nonreligious and all ages. Sunday's service continues with The Great Courses DVD "How Jesus Became God." Bart D. Ehrman, professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, delivers the 23rd lecture, "The Council of Nicea" at 11 a.m. For more information on the fellowship, visit www.uuabilene. Send news of your religious organization or group to Religion Editor, Abilene Reporter-News, P.O. Box 30, Abilene, Texas 79604; fax it to 325-670-5242; or email it to jan.woodward@reporternews.com. Deadline is noon Monday. It was hard to miss the bustle of activity in Everman Park this past workweek. A passel of trucks parked off the street and workers who were busily buzzing around marked the beginning of the illumination of the "Storybook Capital of Texas." Abilene was designated as such last year by the state during the 84th legislative session. Special lighting has been designed for all 17 of the Storybook Sculptures scattered around downtown Abilene. Trees lining segments of Cypress and Cedar streets will be permanently dressed in twinkling white lights. Lynn Barnett, executive director for the Abilene Cultural Affairs Council, said the council has been working with businesses responsible for the trees. Each business will pay the electricity for its trees. All the lights in the project are cost-saving LED lighting. "For example, the trees around the Reporter-News would cost less than $100 a year," she said. The city will pay for the lighting on the sculptures. Former Disney lighting designer John Haupt and outdoor lighting specialist Oscar Welch visited Abilene in May to develop a plan. Their final design will be unveiled in about six weeks. "That way, people can enjoy the Storybook Capital day and night," said Sidney Levesque, marketing director for Abilene Cultural Affairs Council. The goal is for the work to be done the second week of March, with the Illumination Celebration scheduled for March 8. "We're sending out 15,000 fliers and posters," Levesque said. "We want a huge crowd." Not only will the evening celebrate a brighter downtown, the documentary program, "Voices in America," a PBS program narrated by James Earl Johns, will be filming the event as part of a piece on "Abilene: The Storybook Capital of Texas." Jones won't be in Abilene, but there will be plenty of fun. The ACAC will sell glow sticks, elementary school choirs and the Revolution Strings musical troupe will perform and Food Truck Tuesday will move to North First Street for the event. Storybook characters also will be on hand. There will be a nighttime scavenger hunt using the free GooseChase app on iPhones or Android systems, and looking up the "Storybook Illumination Celebration" game. The event begins at 6 p.m. with music performances. The illumination will happen at 7:30, which is also when the scavenger hunt begins. "It will be a night of enchantment in the Storybook Capital," Levesque said. Of 720 marriage licenses processed since late June, Taylor County has issued an estimated 45 to same-sex couples since such unions were legalized, said County Clerk Larry Bevill. "To get the numbers, we had to look at each license and make a judgment based upon the names of the applicants," Bevill said. "The State of Texas Department of State Health Services does not require county clerks to collect information on the sex of applicants to issue a marriage license." Bevill said he personally hasn't tracked the information "because I believe the point of the Supreme Court's decision was to treat all citizens equally under the law." The U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex unions June 26. The first Taylor County licenses were issued June 30. The number of same- sex licenses amounts to just over 6 percent of all marriage licenses issued in the county throughout that period, he said. In mid-September, an estimated 2,500 same-sex marriage licenses had been issued statewide, according to the Dallas Morning-News, representing nearly 6 percent of all licenses issued in Texas since same-sex unions were affirmed. The Rev. Margaret Warn-Walker, who heads Exodus Metropolitan Community Church in Abilene, said she had officiated more than 15 same-sex marriages since the Supreme Court's decision some couples from other counties and had a "couple more scheduled in several months." "I've done a number from Taylor and Callahan (counties)," she said. Justice of the Peace Frank Cleveland said he performed around nine same-sex ceremonies in the first 45 days after the law changed. "I haven't had another one since then until this week," he said Thursday. " I do a very respectful ceremony for them, and they've all been happy before and afterward." Cleveland said the concept of same-sex marriage isn't consistent with his own beliefs. But as a judge, he said, he has an obligation to "fulfill people's rights" that are legally allowed, "whether it's my personal belief or not." "They should have the same rights because the law passed allowing it," he said. "They should have the same rights for employment, for dependents, for income tax purposes as any other married couple." Cleveland said he tells all couples to take their vows seriously "It needs to be a commitment for life unless something drastic happens," he said. 'A Huge Difference' Sheryl Thorn and her partner weren't sure that they wanted to be among the first to receive a license, though they'd been together for 15 years. "We didn't know the reaction and what the response (would be) and how everything was going to be viewed," Thorn said. But after waiting a few days for forms to be available, Thorn said she and her now-wife, Elen Thorn found the county clerk's office welcoming, as well as officials at other federal and state offices. "The girl that helped was amazing very, very pleasant, very nonjudgmental and supportive," Thorn said. "She cried with us." The couple had a Greek wedding, the first in the history of Exodus Metropolitan Community Church, on Sept. 5. A legal marriage makes an immense practical difference to her and her spouse, Thorn said. "You'd be surprised how much of a difference that piece of paper makes when it comes to surgeries (or) legal stuff," she said. "It's just amazing." Equally important, she said, was the difference the license and subsequent marriage made to her and her partner personally. "We felt completely different," she said. We were complete, we were complete together. Nothing could take that away from us, and our family was validated in the eyes of the law. And our love was finally able to be recognized, and there's no way I can describe being able to say, 'this is my wife.' There's nothing in the world like that. It might not be that big of a difference. But when you're in it and living it, it makes a huge difference." Thorn said that any negativity she'd seen came primarily on Facebook, with some coming even "from some friends." But she said that couldn't overshadow the joy she and her spouse felt. "You don't pay my bills, you don't' pay my taxes, you don't support my kids and raise my kids," she said. "You're entitled to your opinion, but leave me alone and let me live my life. We just want the same rights anybody has." Sheryl Thorn said that she hoped that honest and open discussions about both sexuality and racism would result from changes such as the recent court decision. "Sexual discrimination rates right there with racism, and I would love to see both abolished," she said. Like Thorn, Warn-Walker, married to her longtime partner Monica Warn-Walker, said the change had manifold positive meanings. "Aside from the protection for my spouse and family, I guess I realized how much it meant the first time I was in a group where the national anthem was played," she said. "I found myself crying. Not just crying, but sobbing because I truly felt an equal part of my country. I still tear up every time. I'm not sure when it will stop." The change also allowed her and her spouse to share the last name legally after 24 years of commitment, she said. "I still get a thrill signing my name," Warn-Walker said. By Timothy Chipp of the Abilene Reporter News The key to human sexuality instruction in public schools is to reach students when they are younger, said Audra Ude, associate superintendent for curriculum and instruction for the Abilene Independent School District. Schools "start young by laying a solid foundation," she said, striving to build in students the ability to make sound decisions respecting themselves and others. In fact, health classes, in which human sexuality is taught, haven't been a Texas Education Agency requirement for graduation for a number of years. Health class is offered as a high school half-credit elective and is open to both middle and high school students in AISD. She said rough enrollment figures showed about 600 middle school and about 200 high school students take the class each year. "We strive to teach the kids to have goals and to have dreams that they work for and to not let things that might disrupt those dreams and goals get in the way," Ude said. "That doesn't mean everyone always makes the right choice, but the more we can teach kids (through) character education ... I think the better off our kids are in being able to make the kinds of decisions they'll face later in life." Many districts across the state, including Abilene and the Wylie ISD, turn to a curriculum developed by Baylor Scott & White out of Central Texas. According to the Scott & White website, sw.org, the program presents students with medically up-to-date information using scripted narratives, handouts and student-driven activities to promote avoidance of health risk behavior. The TEA, following state education law, adds that sex education in school districts must present abstinence from sexual activity as the preferred choice of behavior in relationship to all sexual activity for unmarried people of school age. Condoms and other contraceptives are also not allowed to be distributed by schools to students under any circumstances, according to the state education law. In the Wylie district, health is required by the district to graduate, high school health teacher Kerry Hibbits said. About two weeks of the curriculum is devoted to human sexuality, addressing the diseases and consequences of sex, as well as promoting abstinence. Teaching the subject for 30 years at the high school, he said he firmly understands the role of the public school educator in conveying the necessary message to the students. "I believe the biggest role belongs to the parents," Hibbits said. "As teachers, it is our role to support them. But at the same time, I also realize for some of our students, we're the only source of information they may get." Ude said members of the AISD's School Health Advisory Council, set up to provide community input into the curriculum taught in the schools, have expressed a rising problem that doesn't reflect decreasing sexual activity. "We still have a huge issue with (sexually transmitted infections)," Ude said. "And it appears to be a growing problem. And there are diverse opinions on how to handle this even in our SHAC committee. We've discussed what do you teach the children and how much do you teach them." For girls in Abilene ISD who do find themselves pregnant, or for boys who are either about to be or are current fathers, some options are available, Ude said. The district provides access to programs designed to keep students attending school while also assisting them with locating child care and other governmental services to help with child rearing. "The goal is to keep them in school," Ude said. "To have them focus on not only how to take care of themselves academically so they can remain in school, but also how to be a parent and some career skills so that they can be employed and take care of themselves and their family currently and into the future." Twitter: @TimothyChippARN Advertisement - Continue Reading Below This just in... Heaps of wood burn in the complex of the concession investment company Binh Phuoc Rubber in Mondulkiri, Jan. 22, 2016. Heaps of lumber were put to the torch this week in Mondulkiri province as logging outfits allegedly attempted to destroy evidence of illegal activity in fear of impending Cambodian government raids that aim to crack down on pirate logging operations, according to a domestic rights group. When we look at the pieces of burnt wood, we know they are new wood, Sok Ratha, the Adhoc coordinator based in Mondulkiri, told RFAs Khmer service. Forest fires arent causing these heaps of timber to burn. It is the intention of someone who wants to escape from their responsibilities before the law. On Jan. 28, Adhoc asked Cambodian authorities in charge of prosecuting forest crimes to take every action to stop destruction of evidence of forest crimes and to bring the perpetrators to justice. Adhocs appeal comes after hundreds of pieces of shape-cut timber were discovered on fire. Three different companies hold rights to conduct activities on concession lands in Mondulkiri. The Vietnamese companies Binh Phuoc Rubber and Dai Nam along with the Cambodian company Khmer Angkor are conducting logging activities in Mondulkiri provinces Keo Seyma district. The burning started from Jan 21 and ran through Jan 26, sources tell RFA. According to report by the Mondulkiri forest Administration Department, by Jan. 28, there were 240 timber pieces destroyed at the site of the Binh Phuoc Rubber company. The Khmer Angkor and the Dai Nam companies also stand accused of burning the evidence of forest crimes, but there have been no reports of the amount of timber was destroyed. Chhit Sophal, chief of the environmental department in Mondulkiri hung up the phone when RFA called to clarify the amount of wood burnt in the Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary. While Mondulkiris Forest Administration chief Vong Sok Serei expressed optimism that the government can combat the problem, he said they didnt know who burned all the timbers. We dont know who burnt the wood, but we are conducting an investigation, he told RFA. National Military Police spokesman Eng Hy also told RFA they were on the case. The authorities are doing their investigation through their technical methods, he said. We are investigating. On Jan 27, Deputy Commander of Military Police Gen. Vong Pisen led the forces to inspect in the Binh Phuoc Rubber in Keo Seyman district, but there have been no reports about that mission. Earlier this month Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen set up a committee aimed at stopping the smuggling of timber across the border to Vietnam and warned that he will remove the governor of the southeastern province that serves as the main gateway for the logs if he and a local district official fail to curb the illegal activities. Cambodia has one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world, largely due to illegal logging. A report issued last year by the U.K. environmental rights group Global Witness found that government and military officials collude with businessmen to illegally cut and transport Cambodian timber mainly to China. Reported by Ratha Sok for RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Pagnawath Khun. Written in English by Brooks Boliek. The town of Namyang in North Korea's North Hamgyong province is seen across the Tumen River from the town of Tumen in China's Jilin province, in a file photo. Subfreezing temperatures in North Koreas northern provinces this month have caused water main pipes to freeze and burst, cutting off tap water supplies to local residents, sources inside the country said. As the temperature suddenly dipped below minus-30 degrees Celsius (minus-22 degrees Fahrenheit), the water pipes froze and burst in many parts of Chongjin city, a source in North Hamgyong province said. Chongjin is the capital of the province and North Koreas third-largest city. As a result, the tap water supplied by authorities for one hour in the morning and afternoon has been completely cut off, causing a great deal of frustration among residents, he said. Most of the citys inhabitants did not expect to experience usual tap water shortages this winter, because the weather had been unusually warm up to the second week of January, he said. But the cold wave that began on Jan. 10 and caused water mains to freeze and burst has meant that residents have hardly had any access to tap water all day long, according to the source. Residents of South Hamgyong province are experiencing the same water shortages because of frozen pipes that have burst, the online news service the DailyNK reported. The water mains, which are located one meter (3.3 feet) underground cannot be reached through the frozen ground, the report said. Wells in surrounding villages are frozen as well. The situation has given way to grumbling among ordinary citizens who resent the countrys small population of wealthy people who can afford to buy clean spring water. As tap water has become extremely scarce due to the supply cutoff, conflicts among residents have begun to flare up with the gap between rich and poor surfacing, the source said. Rich residents can drink water as usual by buying it from spring water shops, while poor residents have no choice but to fetch water from polluted rivers nearby. Spring water shops Another source in North Hamgyong province told RFA that the water sold by shops in Chongjin is expensive because it is reputed to be an elixir from a spring dating back to ancient times. Spring water shops in Chongjin are located between the Sunam and Songpyong train stations, where merchants usually sell the Shindok Spring and Buyun Spring brands, he said. A 450-milliliter (15.2-fluid ounce) bottle of Shindok Spring water sells for 2,000 North Korean won (U.S. $0.25), while Buyun Spring water sells for 3,000 won (U.S. $0.37) for 20 liters, and 5,000 won (U.S. $0.60) for 50 liters, the source said. Spring water merchants charge an additional 3,000 won for delivery, he said. Unlike Workers Party officials and the wealthy, ordinary people must buy water from river water peddlers and pay 1,000 won (U.S. $0.12) for 50 liters, the source said. But now the shops are running out of spring water because of increased demand, he said. Despite such a miserable situation, the relevant authorities have yet to come up with any workable plan to repair the frozen water pipes that burst, which is further exacerbating the suffering of North Koreans, he said. Reported by Jieun Kim for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Changsop Pyon. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Afghan officials say a TV journalist has been shot dead by unknown assailants in eastern Nangarhar Province. Haji Mohammad Zubair Khaksar, who was a Nangarhar correspondent for Afghanistan's national TV and Radio network, was gunned down in Surkhrod district, the office of the provincial governor said on January 30. The attack took place when Khaksar was returning home from a private gathering late on January 29, local media reported. There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the attack. However, the Khaama news agency reported that a radio station -- allegedly established by the Islamic State extremist group has been broadcasting threatening messages to journalists in Nangarhar. Afghan authorities have said they are trying to track down the radio station that is spreading antigovernment propaganda in Nangarhar. Khaksar's killing comes days after a suicide bombing in Kabul killed seven employees of Afghanistan's biggest television station, Tolo TV. The Taliban claimed that attack, which also injured 26 people. Based on reporting by Khaama.com and Tolonews.com The Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday that no Russian aircraft had violated Turkish airspace, adding that neither Russian air defense in Syria, nor Syrian radards had detected violations of Turkish borders by a Russian Su-34 warplane as Ankara claimed earlier in the day, Sputnik reported. Turkey's reports of an alleged violation of Turkish airspace by a Russian Su-34 are unfounded and "propaganda," the Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said. "There were no violations of Turkish airspace by aircraft of the Russian air group in the Syrian Arab Republic. Turkish authorities' statements of an alleged violation of Turkish airspace by a Russian Su-34 jet are naked propaganda," Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said. The alleged incident involving a Su-34 fighter bomber took place on Friday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said earlier in the day, adding that the plane had been warned by Turkish air radar units. "None of these radars are able to establish the type and affiliation of an aircraft - whether it belongs to Russia or to the so-called US-led anti-ISIL [Daesh] coalition," Konashenkov told reporters. He emphasized that neither Russian air defense systems in Syria nor Syrian radar stations detected any violations of the Turkey-Syria border. The Turkish Foreign Ministry said earlier in the day it had summoned the Russian ambassador after an alleged incident involving a Su-34 fighter bomber. On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he wanted to talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin after the incident. On November 24, a Turkish F-16 fighter shot down a Russian Su-24 bomber with two pilots on board over Syria. Ankara claimed it had downed the Russian warplane as it had allegedly violated Turkish airspace. Both the Russian General Staff and the Syrian Air Defense Command have confirmed that the Russian jet never crossed into Turkish airspace. In response to Ankara's "stab in the back," as the incident has been described by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Moscow imposed a number of economic measures on Turkey. The Human Rights Watch (HRW) monitoring group says Iran has "recruited thousands of undocumented Afghans living there" to fight in Tehran-organized militias in Syria. The January 29 report says Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has been offering Afghan refugees and migrants "incentives" to fight in Syria since at least late 2013. Some of the Afghans that HRW spoke to said that "they were threatened with deportation back to Afghanistan" if they refused. The report suggests that Iran's coercive tactics have prompted many Afghan males to flee Iran and head for Europe. Iran officially claims the Afghans fighting in Syria are volunteers. Some 3 million Afghans live in Iran, although only about 950,000 have legal refugee status there. "Their vulnerable legal position in Iran and the fear of deportation contribute to their decision" to fight in Syria, HRW writes. MOSCOW -- Yelizaveta Aliyeva still hopes for the best. But she fears the worst since her sister Marem disappeared from her Russian North Caucasus home four months ago. She doesn't want to believe that Marem's husband, Mukharbek Yevloyev, killed her to prevent her from fleeing a marriage that was bringing her nothing but pain and humiliation. But the evidence appears to be mounting. Yevloyev was detained on January 21. He was placed under two months' house arrest the following day in closed legal proceedings that did not include Yelizaveta or her lawyers. It is not clear under what part of the Criminal Code he is being investigated or what charges, if any, he might face. The twisted and long-running case in Ingushetia of Marem Aliyeva highlights the Gordian knot of Russia's domestic-violence problem: its absence of laws, lack of police and prosecutorial will, rampant corruption and abuse of office, and cultural conservatism that often masks widespread sexism. "This story could happen in Tambov, Vladivostok, Volgograd, or Moscow," says lawyer Mari Davtyan of the ANNA Center, which assists victims of domestic violence. "What's more, these stories are repeated regularly. Of course, there are regions where traditions and customs are very strong and they are always a barrier to beginning an investigation in cases involving relatives. Yes, we have clans and family and friendship ties. But basically the same thing is going on in every corner of Russia." At the time that 37-year-old Marem disappeared, Davtyan was working to place her in one of the handful of shelters for abuse victims in Russia. Marem had complained of violent abuse going back at least 15 years. Abducted By Gunmen The cycle of violence that preceded Marem's disappearance began in the summer when she fled her home. She filed a complaint saying that her husband had tortured her, shaved her head, stuffed her head in a plastic bag, and beaten her. In July, a group of armed men forced Yelizaveta into a car. They threatened and beat her, demanding to know where her sister was hiding. Eventually, Marem's husband located her in a shelter. He came after her with a group of armed men and forced her to return home with him. On September 19, Marem called her sister. "She said, in tears, that he was beside himself, that he had threatened her with 'a surprise' and that she would regret that she had run away from him," says Olga Gnezdilova, another lawyer who is helping Yelizaveta. Before and after Marem vanished, Yelizaveta pushed hard for an investigation and criminal charges, but she met with obstacle after obstacle. "All of the appeals that Marem and her sister sent to the authorities went unanswered," Gnezdilova says. "We do not have even a single response that the appeals were even registered. There was no follow-up, and no one talked to us. They should have come and talked to people to find out what was going on in that family. But until the disappearance, there were no such conversations. There was nothing." Yelizaveta told RFE/RL by telephone from her home in Ingushetia that she called the police when her sister vanished "but they refused to take my statement." "They said: 'You are relatives. You can work it out according to our customs. We can't take your statement because he didn't commit any crime." Russia has no law specifically against domestic violence, although draft bills have been submitted to the Duma, the lower house of parliament, more than 40 times since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Interior Ministry maintains a register of men who have been reported repeatedly as having beaten their wives or children. As of 2014, officials reported there were 153,000 names on the list, but it was impossible to know for sure: Even victims can't find out if their abusers are on the list. It is unknown if Mukharbek Yevloyev is on the list. 'I Am Afraid' It took more than three months before an investigation was launched into the case of Yelizaveta's forced abduction in July. At that point, the threats from Yevloyev increased. Sometimes he showed up at the homes of her relatives; sometimes his relatives showed up. "He is sadistic," Yelizaveta says. "He considers himself a mafia boss and he thinks he can do anything. He told me himself: 'I have bought everything and everyone. There is no one who is going to go against me.' That's why we were afraid and I am still afraid." She notes that a close relative of Yevloyev's studies at the police academy. "He has positioned his relatives everywhere," she says. "He has his own markets, gas stations, hotels. He has lots of money. How can I go against him?" Yelizaveta has been under police protection at home since January 1, but that has provided scant comfort. "I am at home right now, under state protection," she says. "But I don't feel any protection. I sit here like I'm in prison. They don't let me leave the house, as if I'm being held by force." She adds that although she is protected, her two children are not, despite the threats against them as well. As a result, they have not attended school for weeks. In addition, she has asked that several of the guards be replaced, saying that some of them were relatives of her brother-in-law and others were drinking or smoking marijuana. Before he was finally detained on January 21, Yevloyev was freely moving about the region despite being officially under an arrest warrant. Yelizaveta says she saw his car on her street more than once. Intense Pressure At least 10,000 women die each year in Russia as a result of domestic violence. Davtyan estimates that only one in 10 abused women ever files a complaint or seeks help. According to a state study conducted nationally in 2013, one in five Russian women has experienced violence at the hands of a male relative or partner. Yevloyev's detention is far from the end of the story. Vitaly Zubenko, a lawyer from Stavropol who is helping Yelizaveta, says it remains unclear what the authorities will do. "When we are talking about a person with significant connections, then before opening an investigation or concluding one or undertaking any sort of inquiry, they first agree among themselves, find out what sort of support the suspect might have among law enforcement," Zubenko says. "And in the North Caucasus, there are a lot of relatives and clan ties. If a suspect has relatives in the right places, he will not face charges." The pressure against Yelizaveta is likely to continue. Lawyer Gnezdilova says everything depends on Yelizaveta's strength and determination. "As a lawyer, it is hard for me to understand, but all of the relatives who have been visited by her sister's husband come to her and say, 'Withdraw your murder complaint,'" Gnezdilova says. "But even if she does, it is unclear what the authorities will do since, after all, a woman has vanished under complicated circumstances. But they are indicating that her complaint is the only obstacle to closing the case and ending the investigation." "So," she concludes, "it appears that now Yelizaveta's role is the key." The speaker of the Russian State Duma has said the last two years, during which Luxembourg lawmaker Anne Brasseur was president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), "discredited" that institution. Sergei Naryshkin made the comment in an interview with Russian state television on January 30. He called Brasseur's tenure "a very discredited time in the history" of PACE and the Council of Europe. He also attributed to Brasseur a "personal role" in the worsening of relations between PACE and Moscow. PACE, which is the parliamentary organ of the 47-member Council of Europe, voted in 2014 to strip the Russian delegation of its voting rights because of Moscow's annexation of the Ukrainian region of Crimea and its political and military support for separatists in eastern Ukraine. PACE also suspended Russia's right to participate in Council of Europe governing bodies and election-monitoring missions. As a result, the Russian delegation walked out of the assembly and has not participated in PACE activities since. Naryshkin and Federation Council Chairwoman Valentina Matviyenko recently told PACE the Russian delegation would be ready to return "if the rights of national delegations are observed." Brasseur responded that the sanctions against Russia will remain in place at least until after Russia's legislative elections in September. Brasseur's term as PACE president ended earlier this month, and she has been succeeded by Spanish lawmaker Pedro Agramunt. Based on reporting by Vesti and Interfax The Russian Investigative Committee says it has provided the International Criminal Court (ICC) with its files on alleged crimes committed during the 2008 armed conflict in South Ossetia. Though Russia has not joined the ICC, Moscow said on January 29 that it would cooperate with The Hague-based court's investigation and urged the court to interview people affected by alleged crimes in South Ossetia. The ICC announced this week that it will probe allegations of war crimes committed by both sides during Russia's brief war with Georgia over the breakaway region. ICC prosecutors have cited evidence that both Georgian and South Ossetian forces attacked peacekeepers. They also have cited evidence that up to 113 ethnic Georgian civilians were killed and up to 18,500 uprooted from their homes as part of a "forcible displacement campaign" by Russian and South Ossetian forces. More than 1,000 people were killed during the five-day war. Russian Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said the committee investigated alleged crimes committed by the Georgian military, which was sent into South Ossetia by then-Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, and provided over 30 volumes of documents to the ICC. Based on reporting by Interfax and TASS Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry have discussed by telephone UN-brokered Syrian peace talks, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Lavrov and Kerry agreed to assess the Geneva talks at an international meeting in Munich on February 11, the January 30 statement said. The talks started on January 29 with a meeting between UNs Syria envoy, Staffan de Mistura and the Syrian government delegation. On January 30, a delegation from Syria's largest mainstream opposition -- the Saudi-backed Higher Negotiation Committee (HNC) -- also arrived in Geneva, ending a boycott that had threatened to derail the talks. The HNC has said it wants to discuss humanitarian issues including a stop to Russian and Syrian government bombing before engaging in the peace talks. Meanwhile, officials from Syria's largest Kurdish group -- the Democratic Union Party (PYD) -- left Geneva on January 30 after being excluded from the negotiations, a Kurdish official said. The presence of Kurdish representatives has been a divisive issue. Turkey considers the PYD a terrorist organization and the HNC claims they are too close to the Syrian government. Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters Turkey says a Russian plane has again violated Turkey's airspace, two months after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane in a similar incident. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Russia on January 30 that it will "be forced to endure the consequences" if it continues to violate Turkey's airspace. Russia, however, dismissed the claim as "baseless propaganda." Erdogan's comments came hours after Turkey's Foreign Ministry said the Russian SU-34 jet entered Turkey's airspace on January 29 despite warnings in both Russian and English. The ministry said in a statement that it has summoned the Russian ambassador to "strongly protest and condemn" the violation. The ministry accused Russia of escalating tensions between the two countries. "We are making a clear call to the Russian Federation not to violate Turkish airspace, which is also NATO airspace," the statement said. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on Russia "to act responsibly and to fully respect NATO airspace." Stoltenberg said in a statement on January 30 that "Russia must take all necessary measures to ensure that such violations do not happen again." The military alliance "stands in solidarity" with its NATO member Turkey, he added. In Moscow, the Defense Ministry insisted that "there has not been a single violation of Turkish airspace by Russian Air Force planes in Syria." "The Turkish declarations concerning the alleged violation of its airspace by a Russian Su-34 are baseless propaganda," ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told Russian news agencies on January 30. Tensions have been high between Ankara and Moscow since Turkey's downing of the Russian Su-24 bomber near the border with Syria on November 24, saying it violated Turkish airspace for 17 seconds despite repeated warnings. Russia insists the plane never entered Turkish airspace. One pilot and a Russian marine of the rescue party were killed in the incident. Russia has since imposed economic sanctions on Turkey, hitting its tourism and exports. Last September Russia began airstrikes in Syria against forces fighting troops loyal to Syria's embattled President Bashar al-Assad. Turkey is a vocal critic of Assad. With reporting by AP, AFP, Reuters, and the BBC Ukrainian humanitarian activist Maryna Cherenkova has reportedly been detained by separatist security forces in the eastern city of Donetsk. Activists with the Responsible Citizens group reported on social media on January 30 that Cherenkova sent a late-night text message that said simply, "I have been taken by MGB," referring to the separatists' "security ministry." She has not been heard from since despite activists spending the entire night trying to learn of her whereabouts. The activists said police told them they do not have Cherenkova. Since the conflict between Ukraine and Russia-backed separatists began, Cherenkova has been active in securing humanitarian relief for civilians in the Donetsk conflict zone. Journalist Oliver Carroll posted on his Twitter feed that Cherenkova is "a larger than life character" who has "been at the forefront of [the] humanitarian effort in Donetsk." She has been "arguably as important as any international [organization]," he added. Earlier this week, separatist forces detained respected religious-studies professor Ihor Kozlovskiy. His relatives say he was taken from his home in Donetsk on January 28 and has not been heard from since. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: The current Turkish constitution is the main obstacle to the development of the country, the country's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, the Turkish Anadolu news agency reported Jan. 30. The prime minister noted that over the past 14 years, the government conducted many reforms for the country's development, but the current constitution doesn't meet the interests of modern Turkey and its people. "The main goal of the government is the adoption of a new constitution that meets the interests of people and country," Davutoglu said. Earlier, a source in Turkish presidential administration told Trend that adoption of a new constitution is very important for Turkey. The source also said that it is necessary, first of all, that the new constitution gets vote of the Turkish parliament. If the parliament isn't able to adopt a new constitution through a voting, there will be a national referendum, the source said. The country's current President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter to the leaders of the oppositional Republican People's Party and Nationalist Movement Party in late October 2011, urging them to take part in the talks on working out a new constitution. Turkey's opposition has always objected adoption of a new constitution, since they believe that it is a step towards switching from the parliamentary to presidential form of governance. Richmond Public Schools administrators and School Board members say they are disappointed that Mayor Dwight C. Jones used altered images of district advocates to underscore his points about school funding during his annual State of the City speech Thursday. The original photo taken at a City Council meeting last month shows a group of mostly district teachers holding aloft signs that say, SUPPORT OUR SCHOOLS. In two modified pictures shown Thursday, the signs have been altered to say, CUT OUR SERVICES and RAISE OUR TAXES. We need to honor the fact that our citizens are exercising their rights, said 7th District School Board member Donald Coleman. I dont see how this should have happened. I mean, wow. I just dont get it. The images played on a screen behind Jones as he rolled out plans to seek a public vote in November on raising real estate tax rates for school funding. Weve all seen this image, Jones said of the original photo, which was taken by his press secretary, Tammy D. Hawley. Switching to the others, which are labeled as altered, Jones continued: But we probably wont see an image like this ... or this. ... And thats what we need to talk about. Hawley said the point of the presentation was to engage the city in a realistic conversation about prioritizing Richmonds limited resources. The School Board last year approved a framework for overhauling the districts outdated facilities that officials estimate would cost $563 million to complete. I would ask anyone to please take the time to understand the message in context, Hawley said. Read the speech online on the citys website. School Superintendent Dana T. Bedden shook his head when viewing the images in the districts offices Friday. Im disappointed and shocked, he said. And I apologize to those teachers and parents. The group shown in the pictures had attended a Dec. 14 City Council meeting to advocate for decompressing the teacher pay scale. Currently, teachers with up to nine years of experience all are clustered on the same pay step, officials have said. I think its really sad to use the advocacy of our citizens as a political tool, to turn something positive into a negative, said 4th District School Board member Kristen Larson. I think philosophically we can all agree our teachers dont get paid enough; its really hurting our retention and morale. Hawley said Friday that no members of the School Board or administration had conveyed any concerns about the images to city leadership. Its unfortunate that things seem to be being instigated when we need to be bringing everyone together, she said. Her office altered the images for Jones speech. The address, which he delivered Thursday night at the Sara Belle & Neil November Theatre, largely focused on Richmonds resurgence, progress made under his leadership and the challenges that remain. Incoming board Chairman Jeffrey Bourne, 3rd District, said the city and School Board need to be building on their relationship heading into a crucial budget season for the district. While this might be disappointing, we have to have a bigger, grown-up conversation about what we want our schools to look like and where were heading, he said. School Board member Kimberly Gray, 2nd District, said if the city is looking to save money, it should start by eliminating the job of the person whose salary taxpayers footed to alter images of public school teachers. I cant believe we are paying for this, Gray said. I think its insulting to people who came out that night to be heard. As politicians basked in a rare moment of bipartisanship Friday after striking a deal on a highly contentious issue, gun-safety advocates voiced disappointment and called on Gov. Terry McAuliffe to reconsider rolling back last months decision to stop recognizing concealed carry permits from 25 states. In a news conference at the Capitol, two dozen Republican and Democratic officials formally announced the deal that would reverse course on the states plan to sever more than two dozen concealed carry reciprocity agreements while taking steps to expand background checks at gun shows and prevent gun-related domestic violence. McAuliffe called the deal which requires passage of several pieces of legislation a win for the state that will save lives. It is that simple, McAuliffe said. And it is that significant. I know there are people on the left and the right who are skeptical, said House of Delegates Speaker William J. Howell, R-Stafford. But thats compromise. The left seemed more skeptical than the right. In a second news conference, advocates against gun violence who appeared with McAuliffe at a rally in Capitol Square last week said they werent satisfied with the compromise. Andy Parker a high-profile advocate whose daughter, Roanoke-area journalist Alison Parker, was gunned down during a live TV report last year asked the governor to reconsider a deal that he said would gut the concealed carry decision that Attorney General Mark R. Herring announced last month. You should not be willing to recognize concealed carry permits from states with weaker standards in exchange for the NRAs support of very watered-down gun safety bills, said Parker, who called the governor a friend. Asked about the sense of betrayal among some allies, McAuliffe said the deal may not be everything he wants, but he has to make decisions that are in the best interest of the commonwealth. You have to compromise constantly, McAuliffe said. You do it in business. You do it in politics. You do it in life. This is a big, big win for Virginia. In addition to restoring the reciprocity agreements that would have ended Feb. 1, the deal requires the Virginia State Police to be available at all gun shows to perform voluntary background checks for unlicensed sellers who lack access to the federal background database. McAuliffe said the proposed policy could create liability if a seller chooses not to conduct a background check and allows a firearm to get into the wrong hands. The deal also would require anyone subject to a permanent protective order to sell or transfer guns in their possession within 24 hours, a policy aimed at removing guns from domestic violence situations. Philip Van Cleave, president of the vigorously pro-gun Virginia Citizens Defense League, did not take issue with any of the deals safety provisions. We think gun owners did all right in this, Van Cleave said. The changes to concealed carry reciprocity would establish mutual recognition with nearly all states that issue permits for concealed carry. Not only would the deal restore recognition with the 25 states affected by Herrings decision, Van Cleave said, it would add more. Van Cleave noted that federal law already bars individuals under restraining orders from owning guns. Asked about that point during the news conference, McAuliffe said domestic violence is a matter for local law enforcement. When youve got a local situation, the FBI are not racing down the streets of Richmond to deal with these issues, McAuliffe said. During the announcement, Republican and Democratic lawmakers took turns praising the compromise as historic and talking up the wonders of working together. When you shelve politics and put it aside, its amazing what you can accomplish, said Sen. Bryce E. Reeves, R-Spotsylvania, the chief patron of the bill to restore the reciprocity deals. The legislation had backing from several Democrats before the gun deal was announced. Del. Kathleen J. Murphy, D-Fairfax, said she finally heard yes to gun-safety policies that previously had gained little traction in the legislature. This is a victory, said Murphy, who lost a brother to gun violence. And I am very, very grateful. Herring, who announced the concealed carry decision Dec. 22, did not attend the news conference, but he was applauded by both sides. His office said he had a previously scheduled meeting in Northern Virginia on efforts to fight the exploitation of children online. Herring said Thursday he was glad we could provide some momentum for bipartisan action on gun violence. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: The death toll in the result of crash of a vessel with Syrian migrants, who were trying to illegally cross into Greece from the Turkish province of Canakkale, has reached 35 people, the Turkish Anadolu agency reported Jan. 30. The Turkish coast guard was able to rescue 75 refugees, according to the agency. Earlier, it was reported that the bodies of nine Syrian migrants, who were trying to illegally cross into Greece, have been found off the coast of Turkey's north-western province of Canakkale. Initial reports suggest that the killed Syrians were the passengers of a vessel that sank on Jan. 30 morning. The vessel was carrying 53 Syrian migrants. Reportedly, there are five children among the killed. Currently, Turkey is hosting more than two million Syrian refugees on its soil. The Syrian refugee camps in the country accommodate about 300,000 people. The rest of them are spread across the provinces and cities of Turkey. In Istanbul alone, there are currently 40,000 refugees from Syria. Ankara has so far spent $8 billion to upkeep the Syrian refugees. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu WASHINGTON Its hard to believe that the United States, having resisted the siren song of socialism during its entire 20th-century heyday (the only major democracy to do so), should suddenly succumb to its charms a generation after its intellectual demise. Indeed, the prospect of socialist Bernie Sanders, whatever his current momentum, winning the Democratic nomination remains far-fetched. The Dems would be risking a November electoral disaster of historic dimensions. Yet there is no denying how far Sanders has pulled his party to the left and how hard the establishment candidate, Hillary Clinton, has been racing to catch up. The Republicans, on the other hand, are dealing with a full-scale riot. The temptation they face is trading in a century of conservatism for Trumpism. The 2016 presidential race has turned into an epic contest between the ethno-nationalist populism of Donald Trump and traditional conservatism, though in two varieties: the scorched-earth fundamentalist version of Ted Cruz, and a reformist version represented by Marco Rubio (and several so-called establishment candidates) and articulated most fully by non-candidate Paul Ryan and a cluster of highly productive thinkers and policy wonks dubbed reformicons. Trump insists that hes a conservative, but in his pronouncements and policies, conservatism seems more of a rental a three-story penthouse rental with Central Park-view, to be sure than an ideological home. Trump protests that Ronald Reagan, too, migrated from left to right. True, but Reagans transformation occurred in his 40s not, as with Trump, in his 60s. In radically different ways, Trump and Sanders are addressing the deep anxiety stemming from the secular stagnation in wages and living standards that has squeezed the middle and working classes for a generation. Sanders locates the villainy in a billionaire class that has rigged both the economic and political system. Trump blames foreigners, most prominently those cunning Mexicans, Chinese, Japanese and Saudis whove been taking merciless advantage of us, in concert with Americas own leaders who are, alternatively, stupid and incompetent or bought and corrupt. Hence Trumps most famous policy recommendations: anti-immigrant, including the forced deportation of 11 million people; anti-trade, with a 45 percent tariff on Chinese goods and a 35 percent tariff on U.S. manufacturing moved to Mexico; and anti-Muslim, most notoriously a complete ban on entry into the U.S. Temporarily only, we are assured, except that the ban applies until our countrys representatives can figure out what is going on a standard so indeterminate as to be meaningless. Trump has limited concern for the central tenet of American conservatism (and most especially of the tea party movement) limited government. The most telling example is his wholehearted support for eminent domain, i.e. the forcible appropriation by government of private property. Trump called it wonderful. Trump has not yet called Vladimir Putin wonderful but he has taken a shine to the swaggering mini-czar who seems to run his trains on time. When informed that Putin kills opponents and journalists, Trumps initial reaction was, Well, I think that our country does plenty of killing, also, the kind of moronic what-about-the-Crusades moral equivalence that conservatives have railed against for decades. Although, to be fair, after some prompting, Trump did come out against the killing of journalists. Cruz is often lumped with Trump in the anti-establishment camp. That suited Cruz tactically for a while, but its fairly meaningless, given that establishment can mean anything these days. And given the huge gulf between the political philosophies of the two men. Cruz is a genuine conservative austere, indeed radical, so much so that he considers mainstream congressional conservatives apostates. And finds Trump not conservative at all, as he is now furiously, belatedly insisting. My personal preference is for the third ideological alternative, the reform conservatism that locates the source of our problems not in heartless billionaires or crafty foreigners, but in our superannuated, increasingly sclerotic 20th-century welfare-state structures. Their desperate need for reform has been overshadowed by the new populism, but Speaker Ryan is determined to introduce a serious reform agenda in this years Congress boring stuff like welfare reform, health care reform, tax reform and institutional congressional reforms such as the return to regular order. Paired with a president like Rubio (or Chris Christie or Carly Fiorina, to go long-shot), such an agenda would give conservatism its best opportunity since Reagan to become the countrys governing philosophy. Unless the GOP takes the populist leap. In which case, a conservative restoration will be a long time coming. Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that a Russian fighter jet violated Turkish airspace on Friday, Anadolu agency reported. An official statement released on Saturday said that the Russian craft -- a SU-34 fighter-bomber -- was repeatedly warned by Turkish air radar units in Russian and English. "A Russian SU-34 fighter jet violated Turkish airspace yesterday (Jan. 29, 2016) at 11.46 a.m. local time in Turkey (0946 GMT)," the statement read. No details on the location of the airspace violation were supplied. It is also reported on the ministry's website that the Russia's ambassador in Ankara was summoned. 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. Sixteen PKK terrorists were killed Friday in operations in southeast Turkey, the Turkish military said Saturday, Anadolu agency reported. In a statement, the Turkish General Staff said nine were killed in Cizre, Sirnak province, and seven in Sur, Diyarbakir province. The two districts have been among areas that have been the focus of counter-terror operations and military curfews for more than a month. The statement said 483 PKK terrorists were "neutralized" in Cizre and 144 in Sur since early December. Security forces defused seven improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and seized firearms and ammunition in Cizre while another 37 IEDs were dismantled in Sur. Separately, security forces on Friday arrested 13 suspected PKK members in Hozat, Tunceli province. The PKK - designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and EU - renewed its armed campaign against the Turkish state in late July. Since then more than 240 members of the security forces have been martyred. RICHMOND As politicians basked in a rare moment of bipartisanship Friday after striking a deal on a highly contentious issue, gun-safety advocates voiced disappointment and called on Gov. Terry McAuliffe to reconsider rolling back last months decision to stop recognizing concealed carry permits from 25 states. In a news conference at the Capitol, two dozen Republican and Democratic officials formally announced the deal that would reverse course on the states plan to sever more than two dozen concealed carry reciprocity agreements while taking steps to expand background checks at gun shows and prevent gun-related domestic violence. McAuliffe called the deal which requires passage of several pieces of legislation a win for the state that will save lives. It is that simple, McAuliffe said. And it is that significant. I know there are people on the left and the right who are skeptical, said House Speaker Bill Howell, R-Stafford County. But thats compromise. The left seemed more skeptical than the right. In a second news conference, advocates against gun violence who appeared with McAuliffe at a rally in Capitol Square last week said they werent satisfied with the compromise. Andy Parker a high-profile gun-control advocate whose daughter, WDBJ (Channel 7) journalist Alison Parker, was gunned down during a live TV report last year asked the governor to reconsider a deal that he said would gut the concealed carry decision that Attorney General Mark Herring announced last month. You should not be willing to recognize concealed carry permits from states with weaker standards in exchange for the NRAs support of very watered-down gun safety bills, said Parker, who called the governor a friend. Asked about the sense of betrayal among some allies, McAuliffe said the deal may not be everything he wants, but he has to make decisions that are in the best interest of the commonwealth. You have to compromise constantly, McAuliffe said. You do it in business. You do it in politics. You do it in life. This is a big, big win for Virginia. In addition to restoring the reciprocity agreements that would have ended Feb. 1, the deal requires the Virginia State Police to be available at all gun shows to perform voluntary background checks for unlicensed sellers who lack access to the federal background database. McAuliffe said the proposed policy could create liability if a seller chooses not to conduct a background check and allows a firearm to get into the wrong hands. The deal also would require anyone subject to a permanent protective order to sell or transfer guns in their possession within 24 hours, a policy aimed at removing guns from domestic violence situations. Philip Van Cleave, president of the pro-gun Virginia Citizens Defense League, did not take issue with any of the deals safety provisions. We think gun owners did all right in this, Van Cleave said. The changes to concealed carry reciprocity would establish mutual recognition with nearly all states that issue permits for concealed carry. Not only would the deal restore recognition with the 25 states affected by Herrings decision, Van Cleave said, it would add more. Van Cleave noted that federal law already bars individuals under restraining orders from owning guns. Asked about that point during the news conference, McAuliffe said domestic violence is a matter for local law enforcement. When youve got a local situation, the FBI are not racing down the streets of Richmond to deal with these issues, McAuliffe said. During the announcement, Republican and Democratic lawmakers took turns praising the compromise as historic and talking up the wonders of working together. When you shelve politics and put it aside, its amazing what you can accomplish, said Sen. Bryce Reeves, R-Spotsylvania County, the chief patron of the bill to restore the reciprocity deals. The legislation had backing from several Democrats before the gun deal was announced. Del. Kathleen Murphy, D-Fairfax County, said she finally heard yes to gun-safety policies that previously had gained little traction in the legislature. Im delighted to see this compromise come about, said Sen. John Edwards, D-Roanoke, whos carrying the voluntary background check bill in the Senate. I think its extremely important. As the governor said, its the first step forward on a bipartisan basis [for gun violence prevention legislation] in 23 years. Edwards has been advocating for the voluntary background check bill for eight years. He also signed on as a co-sponsor of the bill to restore concealed carry reciprocity a move that drew criticism from gun control advocates. Herring, who announced the concealed carry decision Dec. 22, did not attend the news conference, but he was applauded by both sides. His office said he had a previously scheduled meeting in Northern Virginia on efforts to fight the exploitation of children online. Herring said Thursday he was glad we could provide some momentum for bipartisan action on gun violence. McAuliffe announced that the effective date for the implementation of Herrings decision to sever reciprocity with other states has been pushed off until March 1, which will give the legislature time to take up the bills. Roanoke Times staff writer Alicia Petska contributed to this report. Condoms and other contraceptives are seen by some as the only way to prevent premarital pregnancy and the spread of STDs. (Photo : Reuters ) Japanese sex drives have plunged so low that a local condom maker has rejoiced at the trend of Chinese inbound tourists stocking up on their products, as reported by Bloomberg. Advertisement With Sagami Rubber Industries Co. struggling with the aging and increasingly unsexual Japanese market, some relief has come from the popularity of its products across the sea. In China, demand for foreign condom brands has increased. Chinese visitors to Japan have been loading up on Sagami's thinnest variant so much so that it has sold out. The Kanawaga-based company is now limiting the volumes it is dispatching for fear that some shops might miss out before the Feb. 8 Lunar New Year, according to Ichiro Ohato, the president of Sagami. "Thanks to this inbound business, we're suddenly facing shortages," said Ohato. "Retailers have been bombarding us with calls every day, telling us they want more and more." Ohato's grandmother founded Sagami in 1934. Sagami's stock increased by 9.6 percent, closing at 583 yen in Tokyo on Monday, its biggest gain since Oct. 5. The benchmark Topix Index climbed by 1.3 percent. With recent reports of Chinese condoms having various safety concerns, Chinese consumers have chosen Japanese condoms that they perceive as high-quality, according to Masashi Mori, an analyst at Credit Suisse Group AG in Tokyo. Police in Shanghai confiscated 3 million fake condoms made from dodgy materials, according to a People's Daily report in April. Two years prior, authorities in Ghana reported that 1 million condoms imported from a Chinese company burst during sex and contained holes, according to a report by the Guardian. Around 5 million people from mainland China visited Japan in 2015, double that of 2014, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization. This has helped the sales of Japanese-made goods like diapers, feminine-care products, toilet seats and rice cookers. "Japan has become a shopping mecca for Chinese tourists due to the desire for 'Made in Japan' goods, the unique shopping experience the country provides for Chinese tourists and in addition the recent duty-free status now granted to tourists," said Jaren Conway, Japan research manager with Euromonitor International. Sagami is also a beneficiary, with its shares surging by 137 percent to 1,071 yen in Tokyo during the first 10 months of last year. Its rival Okamoto Industries Inc. went up as well by 156 percent to 1,099 yen. TWO thieves made a rash decision when they were caught red-handed with 14,000 worth of stolen nappy cream but a judge said he could not get to the bottom of why a teenager was involved. Paul Wood (18) and Jeffrey Hepburn (52) took part in an industrial estate lorry heist, but failed to get away with the booty. Wood, of Bodmin Crescent, Middleton, Leeds, admitted theft from a motor vehicle, and Hepburn, of Colenso Mount, Beeston, Leeds, admitted driving with no insurance, driving without a licence, and theft from a motor vehicle. The pair appeared at Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday where His Honour Judge Graham Robinson found a sore point with the police investigation Mr Carl Fitch, prosecuting, said the incident occurred on November 26 when an articulated lorry driven over from France was parked up on Hellaby Industrial Estate. He said: The Romanian driver was woken at 1.45am from motion coming from the rear of the vehicle. He looked out into the wing mirror and could see there were two men loading items from the back of the lorry into a Ford Transit van parked alongside. As the Ford travelled away from his lorry he alerted a nearby security guard who then phoned the police. The driver told police two pallets of E45 cream had been stolen from the vehicle which cost a total of 14,000. Mr Fitch said: Officers attended the area and at 2.20am saw the Ford Transit van coming towards them with no lights on, so they turned their vehicle around to follow it. The car pulled in between two other heavy goods vehicles. Wood got out of the front passenger side and tried to flee, but was caught, police saw no one else in the vehicle or in the area. But while they were dealing with Wood, Hepburn appeared walking down the pavements waving to lorry drivers as they went past, he appeared to be drunk and unsteady on his feet. Officers asked him what he was doing in that area and he said he had been with a lorry driver in a club round the corner. Officers said there was no club in the area and he was arrested on suspicion of being involved in the theft. At the station Hepburn tested positive for cocaine and heroin, and Wood tested positive for cocaine. Hepburn fully admitted being involved in the theft said he had gone there to pay off a drug debt. Wood made no comment but the transit van was traced to an address where he lived. Ms Rachel Harrison for Hepburn, said since being released from his last sentence in 2011 he had been living rough living with friends, drinking and taking drugs. He said he became involved in the theft after being given some heroin and told he had to do some driving for it in return She said he was told where to go by someone sat in the front seat, believed there were more people in the back, and did not know his co-accused Judge Robinson heavily criticised the police investigation and said he had been given no evidence as to the value of the pallets. Judge Robinson said: Theres a real absence of information, the driver said 14,000, I dont know if thats wholesale, retail, or ex-works. What I do know is that there was no loss to anyone - you didnt get away with the booty. Career criminal Hepburn, who had 47 convictions for 106 offences 63 of those for theft, was given a 12 month community order with a drug rehabilitation requirement. Judge Robinson said to Wood, a first-time offender, he could not get to the bottom of how he became involved in the crime. Wood was given a 12-month community order, both were fined 60 victim surcharge. BUSINESSES will be taught about the warning signs of child sexual exploitation (CSE) at a series of workshops. South Yorkshire Polices Operation Makesafe training will host a workshop in Sheffield this month and another in Doncaster in February. At the workshops, specialist police officers will teach the warning signs of CSE, how to spot potential perpetrators and how to report suspicions to police. The workshops are aimed at businesses across the region, including hotels and bus companies. They will be hosted by the HR Exchange Yorkshire and delivered by Brewster Pratap recruitment group and Bhayani HR and Employment Law. Sgt Katherine Wallis, who delivers the Makesafe training, said: Everyone has a role to play in safeguarding children and vulnerable young people, which is why Im pleased we have another opportunity to deliver this training to businesses across South Yorkshire. I hope that the attendees find this session useful and informative as we work together to prevent young people from harm. Counter terrorism information and advice will also be given to businesses at the events. Attendees will be shown a DVD on staying safe in the event of an attack, as well as receiving advice about how they can help raise awareness within their own company around protective security. Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, Suriname, U.S. Virgin Islands and Venezuela. If you are pregnant and scheduled to travel to a destination outside the U.S. that is affected by Zika virus, you and your travel companions can request a refund. To qualify, you must provide a doctors note confirming your pregnancy and stating your inability to travel due to Zika virus, American Airlines said. The other companies which apply similar measures are: United Airlines, Delta, LATAM and Norvegian Cruise Line Holdings and Carnival Corp. The level of alarm regarding Zika virus spreading explosively is now extremely hight. The WHO said it could infect as many as 3 million to 4 million people within 12 months. Complications of infection are severe, from a brain abnormality called microcephaly in children to paralysis in adults. United States has 31 confirmed cases in 11 states and the District of Columbia. President Obama on Tuesday convened a group of scientists and public health officials to discuss efforts to combat the disease. However, mosquito control is difficult even in the U.S. 1444. . Army, committees storm Saudi site in Najran NAJRAN, Jan. 30 (Saba) The army and popular committees forces broke into a Saudi military site in the west of Shorfa site in Najran province, a military official said on Saturday. The official pointed out that ,during the storming operation, the army and committees killed four Saudi soldiers, destroyed a military vehicle in the site and seized amounts of various weapons. The army and committees pounded the Saudi Alib control center and a site of border guards with a number of artillery shells, as well as targeting gatherings of Saudi troops in the east of Rabua'h city in Asir and behind the government compound with rockets and shells, he added. BA Saba Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter Whatsapp Whatsapp Telegram Telegram Email Email Print Print [30/January/2016] President Xi Jinping attributes advanced relations with the United States to similar opinions as well as timely communication on current events like the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue. (Photo : Getty Images) Smooth relations and a common ground contribute to a meeting of ideas between China and the United States on Wednesday, Jan. 27, according to a report by China Daily. One of the issues the two nations agreed on includes the latest nuclear test conducted by Pyongyang. President Xi Jinping attributed advanced relations with the U.S. to similar opinions as well as "timely communication" on current events like the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue. Advertisement According to Xi, China and the U.S. can achieve great things that improve the world whenever they work together. The Chinese president met with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. To continue the strengthened bilateral relations between the two nations, China will organize "comprehensive and in-depth deliberations with the United States and other parties," said Foreign Minister Wang Yi in a meeting with the media at the Foreign Ministry. The deliberation will primarily concern the U.N. Security Council resolution regarding the latest nuclear tests by Pyongyang. The meeting between China and the U.S. on the goal of restarting negotiations about the issue was described by Kerry as constructive, with the two countries agreeing to speed up efforts to resolve the issue at the United Nations. Other triumphs of productive communication between China and the U.S., Kerry added, were the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris climate agreement. The alleged "boosted militarization" of some of the Chinese islands and reefs in the South China Sea was also discussed, with Wang stating that Beijing will not engage in militarization. Lately, China has built self-defense facilities on some of the islands. "International law has given all sovereign countries the right to self-protection and self-defense," Minister Wang said. Another issue discussed during the meeting was Taiwan. Wang said, "Taiwan is a core issue affecting China-U.S. ties." Wang called on the American government to "take concrete action to support the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations." Kerry, as a response, reiterated the U.S.'s commitment to the One-China policy. Kerry flew to China for a visit on Tuesday, Jan. 26, after visiting Cambodia and Laos. Aside from meeting President Xi and Minister Wang, Kerry also met with State Councilor Yang Jiechi. Rawlins Cross sails into the Sunrise on new album, tour around the East Coast Rawlins Cross has been on hiatus before, once for nearly a decade after a successful run during the 1990s as one of Atlantic Canadas most popular modern Celtic bands, but never one that was imposed by an outside force of nature. In the spring of ... China Backs New UN Resolution on DPRK, Calls for Further Dialogue People in Pyongyang, North Korea, watch as the government announces the launching of a hydrogen bomb test on Jan. 6. (Photo : REUTERS) China is supporting proposals for the United Nations Security Council to pass a new resolution on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and urge the council to conduct further dialogue, following DPRKs nuclear test earlier this month, the Xinhua News Agency reported. Advertisement Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remarks on Wednesday, Jan. 27, at a press briefing following his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who was on a two-day visit to China. "The new resolution should aim to bring the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue back to the negotiating table, rather than stirring up tension or causing chaos on the peninsula," Wang said. Wang added that the DPRK's latest nuclear test violated the U.N. Security Council resolution and threatened the international nuclear non-proliferation system, and China also expressed its opposition against the move. Wang added that China is willing to maintain extensive consultations with all parties, including the U.S., in a responsible way. He described his talks with Kerry as "adequate, profound and conducive to mutual understanding." "We reached a consensus that the Security Council could react to the DPRK nuclear test and pass a new resolution," Wang was quoted as saying. "We agreed that sanctions are not an end in themselves and it is vital to restart dialogue and negotiation." Wang also reiterated that China's stance on the Korean peninsula nuclear issue is "clear, consistent and responsible, and will not be changed by any single incident or affected by sentiment." The foreign minister said that China is committed to the denuclearization of the peninsula, maintaining its peace and stability, and resolving the issue through dialogue and consultation. "China refuses all groundless speculations and misinterpretations on its stance," the minister said. "China adheres to abovementioned position and has made tremendous efforts over the years and fulfilled its responsibilities and obligations." China has called for the resumption of the six-party talks, which were launched in 2003 but stalled in Dec. 2008. The DPRK quit the talks in April 2009. The six-party talks involve China, the DPRK, the Republic of Korea, the United States, Russia and Japan. 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 Chinese fugitive Lai Changxing is escorted back to Beijing from Canada, at Beijing International Airport, July 23, 2011. (Photo : Reuters) Chinas Ministry of Public Security has formed a new agency to deal with fugitives who are hiding overseas. According to China Daily, the ministry issued a statement on Wednesday, Jan. 27, saying that the Department of Overseas Fugitives Affairs will assist China to bring to justice fugitives who have fled overseas besides retrieving stolen funds. Furthermore, the "Fox Hunt" campaign that was established last year to track down such fugitives will continue this year. Advertisement The ministry unveiled that 2015 saw 857 fugitives being brought back to China from 66 countries and regions between April and the end of December. Law enforcement authorities established the "Fox Hunt" campaign in April as part of the "Skynet" campaign interested in suspected economic criminals. The same publication pointed out that out of the 857 suspects, 366 surrendered themselves to the Chinese police, local law enforcement officers caught 477 of them, and 14 were prosecuted in local courts. The statement from the Ministry of Public Security alleged that 212 suspects embezzled or took bribes of up to 10 million yuan. Among these suspects, 48 were allegedly connected to cases involving over 10 million yuan ($15.2 million). According to the statement, 39 of the suspects had been living overseas for over a decade, with one of them being in hiding for 21 years. The ministry revealed that 122 fugitives were linked with vocational crimes, a term used in China to refer to corruption. Reports indicate that the ministry, in collaboration with regional police, sent more than 50 teams to overseas nations and regions to work closely with local law enforcement agencies and Chinese diplomatic missions to track and capture the fugitives. Two suspects were deported from the United States and a total of six were sent back from Italy, Bulgaria, Greece, Spain and Hungary. Another 283 fugitives were arrested in Southeast Asian countries including Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia. President Xi Jinping is the General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee. (Photo : Reuters) President Xi Jinping has called for the implementation of "strictest" food safety measures, citing the impact food safety on people's livelihoods. In an instruction published on Thursday, the authorities were asked to perform their duty with the people before anything else. In addition, the president said there is a need for a stronger and more cohesive supervision system which would help to boost the public confidence in the government. Advertisement Xi, who is also the general-secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, repeatedly emphasized the importance of food safety, an accountable authoritative system and serious punishments. He also said there is a need to set up rigorous standards as well as supportive legislations. Similarly, Premier Li Keqiang said that failing to adhere to food safety measures, guilty parties would receive harsh punishments. He also called on the relevant government agencies to prioritize people and focus on tackling food safety issues. According to Xinhua, Li advised that a food safety supervision system should be made in such a way that the whole food production process is covered. Meanwhile, the State Council Food Safety Commission, which is headed by Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli, conducted its third plenary meeting on the same day. Zhang believes that to bring improvement within the domain, supply-side structural reform is an imperative. On a different note, Zhang said that excessive residues of pesticides and veterinary drugs should be paid attention to. In case of food safety violation, he added that food enterprises must be held accountable and emphasized the need for a better system to track vulnerabilities and risks involving food products. Zhang also urged for a better supervision and underlined food safety during the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year holiday. Vice Premier Wang Yang was also present in the meeting, according to China Daily. Tang Jingling and Liu Shihui (Photo : Frontlinedefenders.org) The Guangzhou Intermediate Peoples Court sentenced on Friday three pro-democracy activists for seeking the overthrow of the Chinese government. The prison terms ranged from two and a half to five years. Handed a five-year prison term is 41-year-old lawyer Tang Jingling, while 31-year Wang Qingying was given two-and-a-half years and 44-year-old Yuan Xinting three-and-a-half years, reported Associated Press. The sentencing of the three is considered the most intense crackdown on dissent since the 1989 pro-democracy protests. Advertisement The three were detained in May 2014, significantly the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. They were initially charged with creating disturbances, but the charges were eventually upgrade to inciting subversion, a more serious crime. The rights groups say the three were beaten up by police while detained. The three were among the first signatories to Charter 08, a human rights manifesto that was co-authored by Liu Xiaobo and backed by over 350 activists and intellectuals in 2008. Liu is a Nobel Peace Laureate. They were tried for downloading, printing and distributing materials on democratic transformation and grassroots organizing. But the court insisted the three men were promoting civil disobedience ideas and were aiming to overthrow the countrys socialist system. The trial was closed door, according to Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other groups that are monitoring human rights violations. The Hong Kong Free Press reported that police officers were stationed outside the court where barricades were also placed and the public were kept at a distance for the trial of the three, more known as the three gentlemen of Guangzhou. Patrick Poon, China researcher of Amnesty International, described in a news release the verdict on the three as gross injustice. Their peaceful and legitimate work never threatened state security, this is solely about the authorities arbitrarily silencing government critics, Poon said. An image of the Chinese Cultural Exchange Student Talent Show. (Photo : YouTube) The Ministry of Culture said on Tuesday, Jan. 26, that the 2016 China-Latin America Cultural Exchange Year will be launched late in March at the Beijing Tianqiao Art Center. The ceremony will have performances by artists from Cuba, Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Uruguay. Being the biggest ever all-year-round cultural exchange program between Latin America and China, 30 Latin America and Caribbean countries will take part, according to China Daily. Advertisement Many activities, including exhibitions, performances, tourism promotions, movie screenings and literary events, will take place to promote understanding and association between Chinese and Latin American people. Furthermore, there will be exchanges in the fields of art, literature, films, historical heritage, media, books and travel. Besides the activities, there will be cultural exchanges between academic institutions, artists and universities. According to Zhu Qi, the assistant director of the Bureau for External Cultural Relations of China's Cultural Ministry, the agenda will also include seminars, lectures and translation contests. The famous Chinese pianist Lang Lang was named image ambassador for the ceremony. He will go to Argentina, Chile and other countries in the region in August this year for touring performances in addition to joining "Chinese Culture Talk" to give lectures to Latin America teenagers. Speaking to the publication, Lang said: "It's very meaningful for me to be the image ambassador of the culture exchange year. I will try my best to contribute to the cultural exchange and friendship between our peoples." Lang added that the passion and love for music and the Latin American life made a big impression on him. It served as comfort when he was tired from his tight schedule during his trip to Mexico, Columbia, Peru and Chile in 2013. Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the culture exchange in July 2014 when he was attending the China-Latin American and the Caribbean Summit in Brasilia. Teenager Faces Three Years in Prison for Raising Donations as a Fake Victim of Tianjin Blast Soldiers of the PLA's chemical-defence unit detect toxic substances at the Tianjin blast site in Binhai New Area on Aug. 24, 2015. (Photo : Getty Images) A 19-year-old Chinese teenager has been sentenced to three years in prison after she was discovered falsely raising funds, citing loss of her relatives in the Tianjin blasts that shook China last year. Yang Cailan was successful in raising 96,576 yuan ($14,740) online after she wrote three fake stories on Sina Weibo of how her family went missing on Aug 13. Advertisement As a result, she had to appear before Fangchenggang District People's Court, where she was fined 8,000 yuan ($1,221) and the authorities seized her cell phone, reported Ecns.cn. Within a day's time, Chang's account was closed by Sina Weibo and all the money was processed for refund after online sleuths found her fraud. She was able to garner support and a wave of sympathy from 3,739 netizens with a total of 3,856 donations. On Sina Weibo, she mentioned about losing her father and mother following the Tianjin accident in one of her posts. "I am so scared. My dad worked nearby. He didn't answer his phone when I called him just now. Neither did anyone from his company. I am so frightened at home," the post read as quoted by South China Morning Post. Immediately after her account was frozen, Yang and one of her friends visited the local police, where she informed that her Sina Wiebo account was hacked and false stories of her family were posted. However, she was found guilty of owning the account after authorities investigated her cell phone. On the night of Aug. 12, a series of massive explosions took place in the northern city of Tianjin that left almost 139 people dead and a hundred more injured. The port area of the city of was left in ruins with authorities declaring it to be China's worst industrial disaster in years. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry delivers remarks at the Climate and Clean Energy Investment Forum at the State Department in Washington, Oct. 20, 2015. (Photo : Reuters) Michael Liebrich, the founder and chair of the advisory board of Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), said on Wednesday, Jan. 27, that China is the "rock star" of clean energy investment. BNEF published an article showing that universal clean energy investments hit a record high last year, with China being the major contributor, Xinhua reported. Advertisement Liebrich said, "I described (China) in my remarks earlier as the rock star of clean energy investment as they really are now top by a pretty substantial margin." According to Liebrich, China invested $110 billion out of the $330 billion invested in clean energy in 2015, a little bit more than the United States that came second by investing $57 billion. Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and former Mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg were among the speakers at the "Investor Summit on Climate Risk: Advancing the Clean Trillion." According to the Global Times, the summit brought together investors and world leaders to establish ways of increasing investment in clean energy to $1 trillion yearly, which is necessary to keep global temperature increases below 2 degrees Celsius. Liebrich said that he was confident that China would continue contributing toward increasing investment in clean energy amid economic transition, as evident from the five-year plan. He noted that it was a positive sign to see increased investment in clean energy in 2015 despite challenging circumstances. Liebrich added, "For the clean energy sector sustained low oil and gas prices are concerning, there's no question." Furthermore, Liebrich pointed out that positive signs like the new Paris climate change agreement signed in December show that there are high possibilities of investments in green energy again reaching new records this year. The executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Christiana Figueres, told journalists about the increasing chances for investors to do good and well at the same time. She acknowledged having seen a shifting understanding of what fiduciary obligation comprises. Figueres added: "It is not about a quarterly result. It is about the long-term stability of the economy and of the industry as a whole." Developers of a deluxe condo tower just off the Embarcadero are dusting off construction drawings after winning a narrow victory at the citys Board of Appeals. The Paramount Group says it will start planning the demolition of an eight-story parking garage at 75 Howard St., making way for a 133-unit tower that has been more than five years in the planning. The project had won unanimous approvals at the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors but faced tough questions at the Board of Appeals last week. The appellants, Rincon Center resident David Osgood and San Franciscans for Reasonable Growth, argued that the Planning Commission abused its discretion in approving the development, which they said is out of character with the neighborhood. Appeals Board member Rick Swig, who previously denounced the 75 Howard St. design as the most non-San Franciscan building Ive ever seen in my life, took issue with the fact that the building wont step back from the waterfront, as neighboring buildings like the Gap headquarters do. Every building to the right and to the left and Ive looked closely steps back, he said. How does Planning justify that this building can stick out without any relationship to anything within a quarter to half mile of it along this most prominent promenade in San Francisco? While Swig was the sole board member to oppose the developer on the main appeal, he was joined by two other board members in separate appeal of rear yard variance and curb cut the Planning Commission had granted. That vote was 3-2 against the developer, but the appellants needed four votes to overturn the decision. Paramount spokesman Alex Clemens said the developer was pleased the board had rejected what he characterized as baseless appeals. Were eager to take down this parking garage, enliven the streetscape, improve the neighborhood and add to the citys stock of market-rate and affordable housing, Clemens said. Paramount may have faced stiffer opposition had it not in November voluntarily agreed to increase the projects affordable housing fee from $9.7 million to more than $15.7 million. That commitment will allow the city to build about 38 units of affordable housing, equivalent to 33 percent of the market rate condos that will be completed at 75 Howard St. Previously, Paramount had agreed to pay a 20 percent affordable housing fee. The affordable units will not be built on-site the Mayors Office of Housing and Development will decide on which projects to spend it. Osgood, who led the charge against the project, said the opponents may file a lawsuit against the project. All options are on the table, he said. We will consider everyones thoughts on it and see what resources there are to go forward with a lawsuit. J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jdineen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfjkdineen This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate When Hadley Roff, a top aide and troubleshooter to four San Francisco mayors, quit his cushy public relations job to work as chief of staff for incoming Mayor Frank Jordan in 1992, even he couldnt believe it. Sometimes I feel like a dinosaur that heaves itself out of the La Brea Tar Pits from one administration to the next, he said in a Chronicle interview. Maybe I should take myself off to a shrink to analyze why I do it. But Mr. Roff, who died Thursday at the age of 85, answered his own question, no psychiatrist required. The best explanation sounds corny, he admitted. There is an absolute love for this city. The city returned that love. When he left the job with Jordan later that year to run Sen. Dianne Feinsteins San Francisco office, the citys Central Labor Council passed a resolution urging him to stay. And while San Francisco politicians and bureaucrats were as unpopular then as they are now, 700 people paid $75 each to attend a testimonial dinner for Mr. Roff in 1987, with 300 people on the waiting list. He was a fantastic guy out of another era, said Jim Lazarus, vice president of the citys Chamber of Commerce and someone who first worked with Mr. Roff as an intern with Mayor Joseph Alioto in 1970. He was the old newspaper guy out of central casting, disheveled and with his suit pockets full. College journalist Newspapers are where Mr. Roff got his start. He grew up in Santa Cruz, where he described himself as one of the few people in that beach town who couldnt swim, much less surf. But after working on the local paper, he made his way to Stanford University, where he met Dianne Goldman, later Dianne Feinstein, a history major with an eye for politics. She was active in student government, and I considered myself the William Randolph Hearst of the college paper, he recalled in a 1992 interview. After graduating in 1954, Mr. Roff went to work as a reporter on San Francisco newspapers, noting that he closed two of them, the News and the Call-Bulletin. Jumped to politics He quickly moved to the even more precarious world of politics, working on Democratic campaigns for President Lyndon Johnson and state Controller (and later Sen.) Alan Cranston before taking over as Aliotos confidential secretary in 1967. Mr. Roff left Alioto and San Francisco in 1970, moving on to Washington, D.C., first with California Sen. John Tunney, then with the 1972 presidential campaign of Maine Sen. Ed Muskie and then, after Tunney was defeated by Republican S.I. Hayakawa in 1976, to the staff of Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy. Feinstein brought him back to the city in 1979, officially hiring him as deputy mayor, but using Mr. Roff to handle many of the day-to-day problems she had to deal with as mayor. The proper, convent-educated Feinstein, always polite and impeccably dressed, was a stark contrast to the stocky, plain-spoken Mr. Roff, who often resembled an unmade bed. But the pair worked closely together until Feinstein left office in 1988. Hadley Roff was a public servant and a great friend, Feinstein said in a statement. Never have I had a more loyal, stalwart partner and friend. Feinstein and Mr. Roff, fire buffs both, could often be seen at big blazes, dressed in the Fire Department turnout coats they kept in the back of their cars. For Mr. Roff, who later spent years on the citys Fire Commission, it was a chance to return to his long-gone days as a reporter in the city, chasing fire trucks to get a story. The newspaper days showed in other ways, recalled Lazarus, who also worked with Mr. Roff during the Feinstein administration and replaced him as Jordans chief of staff. Even in City Hall, he always carried a reporters notebook, pulling it out of his bulging pockets to jot down notes, Lazarus said. He was always a wonderful writer who for years would ghostwrite speeches for people. Major documents coming out of City Hall over the years often had Hadleys touch. Mr. Roff was a calming influence on the people he worked for, reminding them that things werent as bad as they may seem and promising he would take care of whatever was going wrong. He wasnt always that calm himself, Lazarus remembered. I dont know how many telephones we had to replace in his City Hall office after Hadley tried to throw them across the room, he said. A people person It was people, not policies, that were Mr. Roffs forte. Regardless of his title, he was the one mayors called on to deal with problems, whether it was labor unrest or troubles in a neighborhood. Hadley was able to serve four very different mayors, with very different philosophies and different plans to govern San Francisco, said former Mayor Art Agnos, who kept Mr. Roff on after he was elected to follow Feinstein. He always had the ability to communicate the needs and desires of ordinary San Franciscans. Services for Mr. Roff have not been announced. John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfwildermuth This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Hundreds of protesters marched through downtown San Francisco on Saturday, using the spotlight of the days Super Bowl City opening festivities to showcase their demand for Justice for Mario Woods, a young black man shot and killed by police Dec. 2. They carried signs reading Jail Killer Cops, and Fire Chief Suhr as tourists in the area looked on. As the march came to Fremont and Market streets, a line of police officers gripping batons quickly formed, blocking the crowd from approaching the gates to Super Bowl City, the fan village that opened Saturday morning at Market Street and the Embarcadero. 30-minute standoff The marchers and police stood near each other in a face-to-face standoff for more than 30 minutes. This department has no right to tell the people they cannot have a peaceful protest, shouted Daniel Landry, a leader of the Justice 4 Mario Woods Coalition. The crowd thinned as protesters made their way to Mission Street, where another police line blocked them. A corridor was created, with police walking to the sides and in front, allowing protestors to march onto the Embarcadero as gawking brunch-goers at the Ferry Building looked on. The march ended nearby at Washington Street and the Embarcadero. Our objective was achieved. We made a clear statement that we want justice for Mario Woods, Landry told the crowd as the protesters dispersed. Police couldnt keep all the protesters out of Super Bowl City, though. A group of about 100 split off from the march and made it inside the fenced-off fan area. Inside, they stood silently with signs in their hands Mario Is Our Son, Justice for Mario Woods, Fire Suhr as Super Bowl City visitors walked by, many with drinks in their hands. Many stopped to take pictures, while others read the signs. While the protesters stood, the festivities went on, with people sitting and drinking at nearby tables. After redirecting the marchers, police officers were nowhere to be seen near the peaceful protesters. Black lives matter, and this is sending an important message for the world to see, said Rhiannon Samson, a city resident who came to visit Super Bowl City and walked by the crowd. The demonstration came as a surprise to some tourists in the city. I just happened upon the protest, said Megan Graulich of San Diego. There were way more police than protesters. But I wasnt expecting to see that this morning at all. The morning started with an 11 a.m. rally at Union Square before the protesters left at 11:45 for a march to the fan village. Justice for Mario Woods! the crowd chanted. Indict. Convict. Send those killer cops to jail, the whole damn system is guilty as hell! This is a peaceful protest. Were not here to break windows. ... We are here to educate the public, Phelicia Jones, one of the leaders of the Justice 4 Mario Woods Coalition, told the crowd at Union Square. The protesters want to redistribute the pain felt in the African American and brown communities, she said. Calling for justice Protesters are demanding that Police Chief Greg Suhr be fired, the officers involved in the shooting be charged with murder, and an outside, independent investigation be held. We will not stop. We wont stop, Jones said. We cannot stop until justice rains down on our communities. The protesters received plenty of backing amid the noise, revelry and enthusiasm of the sports-oriented party. Its an excellent statement, said Mario Gee, a 27-year-old student who lives in the Outer Mission, talking over the loud dance music echoing nearby. It reminds everyone how endangered a lot of us are in our own neighborhoods Its a good platform and an important issue, added another festivalgoer, who gave his name only as Justin. No arrests were made during the afternoon protests, police reported. The protests come nearly two months after San Francisco police shot and killed Woods in a confrontation on a Bayview street. Bystanders caught video of the moment showing what critics say was excessive and unnecessary force by police officers. Police say Woods, a convicted felon and a suspect in a stabbing earlier in the day, refused to drop his knife, despite their attempts to disarm him with pepper spray and beanbag rounds. In the weeks since, Mayor Ed Lee has called for the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the shooting, and the Board of Supervisors approved July 22, his birthday, as a day of remembrance for Woods. Almost two weeks ago, Black Lives Matter demonstrators blocked five San Francisco-bound lanes on the Bay Bridge, stopping traffic and gaining the attention of media outlets across the nation. The protesters were later cited and released. They demanded the firing of Suhr and Oakland Police Chief Sean Whent, plus the resignation of Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf. Chronicle staff writer Lizzie Johnson contributed to this report. Hamed Aleaziz is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: haleaziz@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @haleaziz Three decades ago, Vitka Eisen was a heroin addict, but she knew from the start she needed to find a way to quit. I just wasnt very good at it, she said. Even though I was completely hooked on heroin, I spent the whole time thinking Ive got to get off of this. Her decision to finally kick the habit for good turned her life in a direction she probably didnt anticipate and proved fortuitous for a large underserved community of people in need of substance abuse, medical and mental health intervention. It led her to Walden House, a longtime residential treatment center in San Francisco where she entered the organizations two-year treatment program, completing it in 1987. Today, Eisen, who is a finalist for The Chronicles second annual Visionary of the Year award, leads HealthRight 360, a nonprofit health provider created in 2011 by a merger of Walden House and the Haight Ashbury Free Clinic. The previous year, she had been named the first and only Walden House graduate to serve as its chief executive officer. Peter DaSilva/Special to The Chronicle Under her leadership, the new organization has expanded its depth and range of services for underserved people, taking under its umbrella other health organizations in the Bay Area and throughout California. HealthRight 360 offers primary care, mental health and substance abuse services using programs sensitive to its patients languages, ethnicities, genders, sexual identities and cultures. Insiders perspective Barbara Garcia, director of health at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, described Eisens leadership as rooted in her commitment to communities that face profound prejudice and stigma. She knows that those suffering from mental illness and addiction can recover and live healthy lives. It is this vision that drives her every day, Garcia said. The personal struggles that brought Eisen to Walden House give her credibility, said journalist, author and broadcaster Ben Fong-Torres, who nominated Eisen for the Visionary award. Shes not some outside recruited talent who has come in to run this health organization, Fong-Torres said. She benefited from the early version of Walden House and is committed to doing for others what has been done for her. Eisens history doesnt entirely define her, but it makes for a compelling backstory. A self-described middle-class Jew from the Bronx, Eisen dabbled early in marijuana and prescription drugs. She managed to maintain high enough grades to go to college but eventually graduated to using heroin and dropped out. After finding her way to San Francisco, she tried seven times to overcome her heroin addiction before landing at Walden House. Free from her addiction, Eisen finished her undergraduate degree at New College and then attended San Francisco State University, where she received her masters degree in social work. Encouraged by a professor there, she applied to Harvard to get a doctorate in education and surprised herself by getting in. Before she could complete her dissertation, Walden House recruited her to run one of its programs, and, in 2010, she was named its chief executive officer. Overseeing growth Under her leadership, HealthRight 360 has nearly doubled its annual budget and now serves more than 27,000 people a year. It has acquired organizations in the Bay Area and other parts of California, particularly those in financial distress or struggling under administrative burdens. Eisen, 56, visibly bristles when people, even in jest, refer to the organization as an empire, but acknowledges that her vision all along has been to expand HealthRight 360s services. Its programs include Asian American Recovery Services, which operates in San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties; Womens Recovery Association in San Mateo; North County Serenity House in San Diego County; San Franciscos Lyon-Martin Health Services, which specializes in providing health care to women and transgender people; and Rock Medicine, which has been providing care at music events in Northern California for four decades. HealthRight 360 also offers treatment to inmates at three state prisons and last year agreed to operate Glides health clinic, now renamed Tenderloin Health Services. The organization plans next year to move its primary care, mental health and substance abuse services into a five-story 50,000-square-foot building it purchased at 1563 Mission St. Lyon-Martin Health Services will move into HealthRight 360s current leased 34,000-square-foot building just two blocks away. Eisen credited the Affordable Care Act with helping to financially stabilize the organizations clinics by expanding Medicaid programs to poor people, often single men with no dependents, who previously could not qualify for benefits. Overnight, the percentage of clients who had a source of payment for medical services went from 10 percent to 80 percent, she said. Growing need for services But demand for HealthRight 360s services continues to increase, she said. Over the years, our clients are sicker, they have many more complex health challenges, more co-occurring mental health conditions and fewer resources, she said. Eisen, 56, is married to Rachel Sing, whom she met as a graduate student at Harvard, and the two are raising three children in Berkeley. Its been decades since she recovered from her addiction, but her experience still helps her to see beyond the substance abuse or the mental health issues of the people who come to her clinics. Theyre somebodys child. Theyre somebodys mother, she said. When we look at them ... we see the person they were before. Gallery: UN's worldwide drug usage data Victoria Colliver is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: vcolliver@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @vcolliver Visionary of the Year award This is one of eight profiles of nominees for The Chronicles second annual Visionary of the Year award, which is presented in collaboration with St. Marys Colleges School of Economics and Business Administration. The honor salutes leaders who strive to make the world a better place and drive social and economic change by employing new, innovative business models and practices. The eight finalists were nominated by a distinguished committee that included Evan Marwell, CEO and co-founder of the nonprofit group Education SuperHighway; Pam Baer, founder and CEO of For Goodness Sake, a nonprofit foundation that created an e-commerce site to connect consumers with curated brands and nonprofits; Ron Conway, an angel investor and philanthropist; Ben Fong-Torres, a noted rock journalist, author and broadcaster; Pamela Joyner, founder of the strategic marketing consulting company Avid Partners LLC; Zhan Li, dean of St. Mary's School of Economics and Business Administration; and John Diaz, The Chronicles editorial page editor. Chronicle Publisher Jeff Johnson, Editor in Chief Audrey Cooper and Diaz will select the winner, who will be announced during a March 29 ceremony. To read more, go to www.sfgate.com/visionsf. Expansion of Chinas Rail Network to Slow Down for the First Time in Five Years Workers check the tracks along the Qinghai-Tibet railway in Dangxiong Country in Tibet, part of China's large network of railway. (Photo : REUTERS) China is set to slow down building new tracks for the expansion of its rail system this year, which will be done for the first time in five years, according to a report released Wednesday, Jan. 27, by domestic financial news portal caixin.com. Advertisement Citing a source from China Railway Corp. (CRC), the report said that although the length of new tracks set to open in 2016 will exceed 3,200 km, including 1,300 km of high-speed railway, the total number will be reduced by 66.4 percent from 2015. According to caixin.com, the nation's rail system started expanding in 2012 at a generally stable pace, with new investment taking an average of more than 600 billion yuan ($91.2 billion) annually and covering 5,000 km of new tracks each year. The report said that in 2015, new investment swelled to 823.8 billion yuan and the network in the Chinese mainland grew by 9,531 km. The CRC source said that the anticipated 2016 deceleration of the expansion may be attributed to a base of comparison dating back to 2011 and 2012, as the source noted that the new tracks set to open in 2016 represent investments made three to four years ago. The report said that the development of new railways in 2011 was made from an investment of 590.6 billion yuan. Despite this, China continues to dominate the world in terms of railway record as the country's high-speed trains have covered tracks totaling 19,000 km last year, accounting for first place and 60 percent of the total mileage of high-speed trains in the world, according to a report by China Daily. In addition, the country has invested 82 million yuan ($12.5 million) on fixed assets to operate 9,531 km of newly built train lines, which include 3,306 km of tracks for high-speed trains. The CRC said that the railway network covers almost all cities with population of more than 500,000 in the country. Between 2011 and 2015, a total 10.6 billion trips were made by rail, the report said. From 2011 to 2015, a total of 358 billion yuan has been invested into railway fixed assets, a 47.3-percent increase on the 11th Five-Year period. In addition, some 30,500 km of new lines have also been completed, up 109 percent on the 11th Five-Year period. China also plans to help build a railway network that will connect countries in Southeast Asia such as Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, connecting Singapore with China. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The city is finally moving forward in determining the fate of the troubled Fillmore Heritage Center, former home of Yoshis Jazz Club, the high-profile concert venue and restaurant that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2012 and shuttered in 2014. The Office of Economic and Workforce Development and Board of Supervisors President London Breed have announced a request for information (RFI) for the property, which is located at 1320 Fillmore St. The RFI is the latest effort by the city to give the lower Fillmore neighborhood a much-needed commercial boost. Following more than two decades of failed revitalization projects, the highly touted Fillmore Heritage Center opened in 2007. It cost $75 million to build, with the goal of serving as a cultural beacon for the neighborhood and helping to energize African American-owned businesses. For the past year, the 28,000-square-foot restaurant and concert venue formerly known as Yoshis has sat vacant, under city control. In addition to the former Yoshis space, the available property includes a 112-space parking garage and 1300 on Fillmore, the adjacent soul food restaurant that remains open for business. If 1300 on Fillmore ends up being included in the sale of the property, the city would assign a long-term lease to the buyer. Not included in the RFI is the 12-story condominium tower located above the commercial spaces. The whole point of the RFI process, said Breed, is to compare proposals from interested parties, and then finalize selection criteria for their forthcoming request for proposals (RFP) process. Submissions for the RFI are due March 4. As part of the citys efforts for greater transparency within the community, the eventual RFPs will then be reviewed by a nine-member committee, comprised of five community members and four from city departments. This is a process thats going to help us understand whos interested. A lot of great people in the community want to be a part of this, Breed said. According to Breed, the RFI will help the city develop a fair RFP process, which ideally will encourage a commercial project thats a commercial success and true to the communitys historic and cultural roots. My goal is to make sure the promises we make to the community are actually kept, said Breed. During the search for a new owner, the Fillmore Heritage Center will play host to a Community Activation Program that will make the building available to community members to hold workshops, classes and other public events. The city will host an informational meeting on Feb. 8 at 6:30 p.m. at 1330 on Fillmore for public questions about the RFI and RFP processes. A tour of the property will be held before the meeting, at 5:30 p.m. Sarah Fritsche is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: sfritsche@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @foodcentric NEW YORK Cables pricey Internet packages may get some competition from the founder of Aereo, whose first attempt to shake up the cable industry was quashed by the Supreme Court. Starry will be a wireless service that, unlike cell phones, promises to be speedier than cable and designed for single locations such as homes and small businesses. The service is expected to be available in Boston this summer, with plans to expand to other U.S. cities and even internationally, though no time frame was given. In announcing the project in New York last week, its founder, Chet Kanojia, decried the lack of competition in broadband. The federal government has been calling for more competition in Internet service. At the speed level it defines as broadband, only about one-third of homes have a choice of Internet providers. The majority of American homes get their Internet from a cable company. But its not clear whether people will actually save money with Starry. Although Kanojia wouldnt say how much the service will cost, he suggested that his company is looking at a price of less than $80 a month for speeds faster than similarly priced cable offerings. Starry says its network is capable of speeds of up to 1 gigabit for downloads and uploads, which is comparable to newer systems such as Google Fiber, and much faster than most cable customers get. Comcast, the cable company in Boston, offers Internet service there for an introductory price as low as $35 a month, but that rises to about $70 in two years. And as speeds go up, prices rise. In addition, many people spend far more than that, because the cable company pushes you to add TV and phone service, too. Comcast declined to comment. Starry will be a kind of fixed wireless, an Internet service that works well in some rural, flat areas. Kanojia says this technology is cheaper, per home, to build than wired Internet. The company is adapting it to city life by using different kinds of spectrum, or airwaves, that it says havent been used like this commercially before. Mobile phone companies are paying billions of dollars for spectrum, but Starry says the airwaves that it will use, called millimeter waves, is cheaper, available to lease and wont have problems with congestion the way cell phone networks do. But will it work? Its a good theory. Im sure it works in the lab, but when you get out in the real world, all sorts of crazy things that nobody thinks of happen when you get out there, said Harold Feld, senior vice president of consumer advocate group Public Knowledge. For example, Starry is putting antennas on top of buildings to beam the signal. Feld said wind gusts on top of buildings could knock antennas out of alignment. Kanojia says customers can install Starry themselves. It requires a small window unit and a router inside the home. The companys router, called Starry Station, will be available in March and retail for $350. It will be included with the Starry Internet service, but you could technically use another router. As a fancy router, Starry Station can be used with any Internet service. Aereo, Kanojias previous startup, sought to offer over-the-air television channels through the Internet for a lower monthly fee than cable. Broadcasters successfully sued on copyright grounds, as Aereo wasnt paying broadcasters as cable companies typically do. Kanojia said that he does not expect legal problems with Starry. Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is preparing for her biggest battle yet, coming in the form of a fourth-quarter earnings call Tuesday that promises to be a showdown between Mayer and her team, and activist shareholders who say its time for a leadership change. Mayers bigger-picture goal: convince upset shareholders that the best scenario is for her to continue to lead the ailing tech giant into a multiyear turnaround. But this time, after an exodus of top executives and a year-long stock decline, investors are much more skeptical. Both camps agree the Sunnyvale company needs to cut staff and focus on fewer products. But there have been public, heated disagreements on how deep staff cuts should be, whether Yahoo should look for a buyer and whether Mayer and current board members should remain. At this point, its about self-preservation for Mayer, according to a former Yahoo executive who declined to be named. Its about how does the Marissa Mayer brand come out of this looking OK, because shes young, smart and talented and this is bad, the executive said. Mayer, a 40-year-old former Google vice president and perennial overachiever, told investors that she will discuss her plans for Yahoo on or before Tuesdays earnings call. Some people familiar with the matter expect layoffs. Already, Yahoo has decided to shut down its Argentina and Mexico offices. Shes still under the belief that she can turn this thing around, the former executive said, later adding, If youve never failed in your life in anything, why would you believe youre going to fail here? Others, like Eric Jackson, a managing director at SpringOwl Asset Management LLC, believe Mayer has already failed. Since she took the helm at Yahoo in 2012, adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, amortization and depreciation for Yahoos core business have been in decline. That metric is seen a key indicator of a companys financial health. Jackson is pushing for Yahoo to replace Mayer and is considering whether to wage a costly proxy battle to nominate his firms slate of candidates for Yahoos board. Jackson says that on Tuesday, hell be watching Yahoos moves on three fronts: replacing Mayer, putting the company up for sale or entering into a strategic partnership. If none of those three things happens, he doesnt think shareholders will be satisfied. Just doing some (job) cuts, whether its 10 percent or 25 percent or 35 percent, still doesnt solve the problem that you still have Marissa Mayer running the company with the existing board, Jackson said. Others say Yahoo needs to actively explore offers from companies interested in buying its Internet properties, which attract more than 1 billion visitors monthly. Yahoo said it hasnt made a determination on that yet. It would be the quickest way to maximize shareholder value, said Robert Peck, an analyst at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey. Peck believes that Yahoos core business, including its real estate, could have net proceeds of $6 billion to $8 billion. For now, Mayer doesnt appear to be going anywhere. Last month, in a statement, Mayer struck back at media reports about an exodus of Yahoo employees. Im confident weve only scratched the surface of our potential, Mayer said. She frequently points to a category of Yahoo business that includes mobile, video, social and native advertising, which grew to $422 million in the third quarter, roughly one-third of Yahoos overall revenue. That category was boosted by acquisitions made by Mayers team, but the results havent produced enough of a return on investment for shareholders. Already, Yahoo is trying to trim expenses. Last week, tech news site ReCode, citing anonymous sources, reported that Mayer has already begun stealth layoffs and is making the rounds to every division of the business with an invest/maintain/kill list. Yahoo declined to comment on the existence of such a list or what will be announced Tuesday. People familiar with Yahoos business expect cuts to its media division, including digital magazines focused on travel, health and makers. Others speculated that Yahoo may look to sell its small business division. Yahoo had considered spinning off the small-business unit along with its Alibaba shares, but later suspended that plan. Yahoo has put about 50 acres in Santa Clara up for sale. It said it will shut its small sales-focused offices in Argentina and Mexico. In Argentina, eight employees were affected. The office had roughly 50 workers two or three years ago, said a former employee who declined to be named. The employee said Mayer recently sent a note to workers, which some saw as a way to help boost peoples spirits. Company morale, the employee told The Chronicle, was bad. ... People didnt want to work. Wendy Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: wlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thewendylee The nations top health services official returned to San Antonio today to remind uninsured consumers that Sunday marks the final chance to get health insurance this year. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwells appearance at Southwest General Hospital marked her second visit to San Antonio in six weeks. While visiting a health insurance enrollment event there, she noted that Sunday is the deadline for Americans to purchase individual or family coverage through the federally operated exchange. Consumers wont be able to buy coverage for the rest of the year once Sundays deadline has passed unless they qualify for a special enrollment. Special enrollments are limited to specific circumstances, such as a experiencing change in income or the loss of a job, moving to a new state, becoming a U.S. citizen, getting married or divorced, having a child or becoming ineligible to stay on a parents health insurance plan. Were seeing more and more folks come in as we do this final push, Burwell said during her brief visit to the hospital. Because of financial assistance that is available ... in the marketplace now, almost seven out of 10 folks can find a plan with a premium of $75 or less a month, she said. The federal HealthCare.gov website, where consumers go to enroll, is easier to use this year because of some new tools that have been added, Burwell said. One of those is the out-of-pocket estimator, which allows consumers to figure how much they might pay throughout the year for their monthly premiums, annual deductibles and co-payments. Consumers can visit localhelp.healthcare.gov to find out where in-person enrollment assistance is available in their area. They can also enroll by phone by calling 800-318-2596. As of Jan. 23, nearly 106,000 consumers in the San Antonio market had enrolled or been automatically re-enrolled in 2016 health insurance plans, according to data released by Burwells department. pohare@express-news.net Three handguns were stolen from a secured FBI vehicle parked in a Benicia neighborhood, officials announced Friday. The theft occurred between 9 p.m. Thursday and 8:15 a.m. Friday in the Waters End neighborhood of Benicia, said Lt. Scott Przekurat, a Benicia police spokesman. An FBI badge and credentials were taken from the car, along with a glock 22.40 caliber handgun, a glock 27.40 caliber handgun and a Springfield1911a .45 caliber handgun. An assortment of miscellaneous FBI property was also stolen. Stolen firearms from law enforcement cars have come under spotlight recently after they were used in high-profile crimes. The gun used in the July 1 shooting of Kathyrn Steinle at San Franciscos Pier 14 was stolen from a federal Bureau of Land Management agents car in San Francisco. Months later, a gun stolen from the car of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer was used in the September slaying of artist Antonio Ramos as he worked on an anti-violence mural in Oakland. Benicia, Fairfield and Vallejo police, the Solano County Sheriffs Office, the California Highway Patrol and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives opened joint investigations with the FBI into the Benicia theft. FBI Sacramento offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the the identification and arrest of the thief. Anyone with more information can call the Sacramento field office at (916) 481-9110. Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno Taiwanese Coast Guard Hold Military Exercises (Photo : Getty Images) Ma Ying-jeou, who would soon step down as president of Taiwan, wants to leave a legacy of peace within the region. He believes he could do that by visiting Taiping Island, one of the disputed islands that China, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam are fighting over. The outgoing president visited the island, also known as Itu Aba, on Thursday. The island, administered by Taiwan, is the largest naturally occurring land mass in the Spratlys. Ma spearheaded initiatives during his term to make Taiping low carbon and a place where vessels of any flag could seek shelter during storms. Advertisement Even before the election this month, Ma had proposed in 2015 for the four countries battling for control of the island to set aside their dispute and talk on how they could share resources of the 1.35 million-square-mile island in South China Sea. He repeated his call on Thursday. As a result of his efforts, the island has a small medical facility with 10 beds, a lighthouse, solar panels worth $129 million and a small airport that is used by the military. Asian nations are battling for ownership of the islands known for its rich marine resources and possible fossil fuel deposits. The region is also a vital shipping route used by international vessels. But while calling for peace, at the same time, Ma insisted the islands belong to the Republic of China (ROC). The president said, The Nansha (Spratly) Islands, Shisha (Paracel) Islands, Chungsa (Macclesfield Bank) Islands, and Tungsha (Pratas) Islands, as well as their surrounding waters, are an inherent part of ROC territory and waters, and the ROC enjoys all rights over these islands and their surrounding waters in accordance with international law. This is indisputable, quoted CNN. While Ma, who is stepping down after eight years of leading Taiwan, has initiated efforts to improve tourism and trade ties between Taipei and Beijing, his legacy could be revered by incoming President Tsia Ing-wen who has expressed her anti-Beijing stance. Courtesy of Oakland PD The body of a missing Berkeley woman was found Thursday afternoon in the waters off Alameda, nearly a week after she went missing, police said. Oakland Police Departments Marine Unit found the body of 62-year-old Diana Hajisaaari in an estuary near the 3300 block of Fernside Boulevard around 2:45 p.m., said Lt. Tony Munoz, an Alameda police spokesman. Courtesy of Santa Rosa PD Santa Rosa Police are looking for a man who sexually assaulted an 11-year-old girl while she was playing outside, authorities said Friday. The man approached the girl around 7 p.m. Wednesday while she was outside of a business in the 1000 block of Petaluma Hill Road. Her mother was inside at the time, said Sgt. Terry Anderson, a police spokesman. A telltale black jacket and a five-year-old confession combined to free a San Francisco man who had been jailed for six years while awaiting trial for a violent mugging he didnt do, the San Francisco public defenders office said Friday. A jury acquitted Charles Ryan, Jr., 46, of robbery and assault on Thursday in connection with the 2009 beating of a 63-year-old man in the Richmond District and the theft of his wallet and phone. Ryan had been linked to the crime through the jacket, a puffy nylon parka, which had the victims DNA on it, and because he attempted to use the victims credit cards to buy gas. But Ryan maintained that he had received the jacket and credit cards from an acquaintance to whom he had given a ride shortly after the crime was committed. He said the acquaintance, Christopher Johnson, gave him the jacket and cards in exchange for the ride. After Ryan was arrested, he declined to incriminate Johnson because he didnt want to be known as a snitch, according to his attorney, deputy public defender Kleigh Hathaway. After Johnsons death in 2011, Ryan announced that it was Johnson who had committed the assault. Public defender investigators questioned Johnsons brother, who testified at the trial that the jacket was Johnsons and that Johnson had confessed that he, not Ryan, committed the crime. Ryan was convicted only of receiving stolen property, a misdemeanor, and freed. He spent his first full day of freedom on Friday with his wife, his five children, ages 8 to 28, and his grandmother. Then went to the DMV to renew his drivers license, which had expired while he was behind bars. He said he wasnt angry about his ordeal, only in a hurry to get back to work. Before his arrest, Ryan worked as a painter and a pressure-cleaning equipment operator Im honestly not angry or ticked off, he said. It would be easy for me to be angry but it wont get me anywhere. Ryan said he was very grateful to Hathaway and to the public defender investigators who worked to free him. I was blessed that a jury of my peers believed me, even though only one of them was an African American, said Ryan, who is black. That he had spent six years in jail awaiting trial was unusual, public defender spokeswoman Tamara Aparton said. Its rare but not unheard of for this to take so long, she said Sometimes the wheels of justice turn pretty slowly. Public defender Jeff Adachi praised Hathaway and the investigator, saying that Ryan was free to go home to his children and pursue his dreams thanks to a public defender investigator and attorney. Steve Rubenstein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: SRubenstein@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SteveRubeSF This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The massive manhunt after an Orange County jailbreak ended Saturday morning when San Francisco police chased down one of the fugitives in Golden Gate Park and found the other hiding in a van parked outside a Whole Foods Market on Haight Street. Hossein Nayeri and Jonathan Tieu who police believe came to San Francisco on Friday night after their Jan. 22 rooftop escape were arrested just before 9 a.m. with the help of a resident, police said. The unidentified tipster flagged down two officers who were responding to a medical call in the area of Stanyan and Haight streets and told them that he recognized the stolen van and the fugitives. He had seen them on TV, Police Chief Greg Suhr said. When the officers approached one suspect near Waller and Stanyan streets, the chase was on, Suhr said, with the suspect, later identified as Nayeri, running toward Kezar Stadium, and, unbeknownst to him, Park Police Station, next door to the stadium. Nayeri was quickly apprehended with no further incident, police said. Nayeri, who had been held on aggravated mayhem, kidnapping and torture charges in Orange County before the escape, has a history of escape attempts, authorities said. Ammunition in van When police went back to investigate the van, parked on Haight Street near Stanyan, they discovered Tieu who had been held on gang-related murder and attempted murder charges before his escape hiding inside. He was taken into custody without incident, police said. According to Orange County sheriffs officials, police found ammunition but no guns in the van. San Francisco police said they spotted several rounds of .380-caliber ammunition and were conducting a more thorough search of the van late Saturday. Police had been warned of the escaped inmates possible connection to the city, Suhr said in a statement, and officers had been told to be on the lookout for them. This is a great example of the public seeing something, saying something, and now we have the two armed and dangerous criminals in custody, Suhr said. You really cant draw it up any better than this. Nayeri, 37, and Tieu, 20, were among three men who escaped from a four-story jail building in Santa Ana on Jan. 22 by cutting through a metal grate and rappelling down the side of the building on a rope made of bed linens. The third man, Bac Duong, 43, turned himself in Friday in Santa Ana and told police that all three men had been in the Bay Area. They may have stayed one night at a motel in San Jose. San Francisco police had been alerted to the two remaining fugitives being in the city Friday. They had set up surveillance on a residence in the Richmond District, but the two men apparently had come and gone from there before officers arrived. It is not clear how long the van, a 2008 GMC Savana stolen in South Los Angeles, had been parked on Haight Street at the side of the Whole Foods Market and across from McDonalds before police got the tip. The two unidentified officers were flagged down by the resident, who told them about the van and the suspects. Path to police station The officers checked their smartphones, which had just been updated with the fugitives information, and then approached Nayeri, who ran across the street into Golden Gate Park. Sean Sebourn, a bike rental agent at the parks entrance, said he saw Nayeri run by his booth. He was running kind of fast, Sebourn said, adding that one officer was chasing him on foot and two patrol units were also involved in the pursuit. He was carrying bags on him and he had a big jacket on, Sebourn said, adding that the man disappeared into the park. Other witnesses said the man took a path that led straight to Park Police Station. Police officers chased him near the back parking lot of the station, through Kezar Pavilion and back to the station before arresting him. Officers later converged on the van, where Tieu was still hiding. Vergel Dalusung, a security officer for the McDonalds restaurant, said Tieus capture was uneventful. He was in a white van parked on Haight, right across from our entrance door, Dalusung said, noting that he watched as an officer on foot and others in patrol cruisers surrounded the vehicle. He came out the front door, they put the handcuffs on him and they made him sit inside the police car. He said the man appeared cooperative. I didnt hear him say anything. The two men werent in the city long after their arrests. They were processed but not held at San Francisco Jail, and released to Orange County authorities for their return to Southern California at about 5:30 p.m., sheriffs officials said. Chronicle staff writer John Wildermuth contributed to this report. Jaxon Van Derbeken is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jvanderbeken@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jvanderbeken Timeline of capture Key events in the escape and search for three inmates who broke out of a maximum-security jail. Friday, Jan. 22, 5 a.m.: Hossein Nayeri, 37, Jonathan Tieu, 20, and Bac Duong, 43, are last seen at an early morning head count in the Mens Central Jail in Santa Ana. Friday, Jan. 22, sometime after 5 a.m.: Nayeri, Tieu and Duong saw through a metal grate, crawl through a plumbing tunnel to the jails roof and rappel four stories to freedom using a rope made of bedsheets. Jail staffers dont realize theyre missing for 16 hours. Friday, Jan. 22, 9 p.m.: Jail workers realize the three are missing during an evening head count. Saturday, Jan. 23: Authorities say Duong steals a white GMC van after responding to a Craigslist ad. Search efforts are focused on Southern California. Thursday, Jan. 28: Law enforcement conduct raids of suspected gang locations in Orange County . Over the week, authorities arrest 10 people on probation and parole violations to put pressure on Vietnamese street gangs who might be helping the three. Friday, Jan. 29: Duong walks into an auto repair shop in Santa Ana and says he wants to surrender. The hunt shifts north after Duong tells investigators he was with Nayeri and Tieu in San Jose on Thursday afternoon. Saturday, Jan. 30: Nayeri and Tieu are arrested in San Francisco. Associated Press This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The San Francisco district attorneys bribery case against three former city employees surfaced briefly in court Friday. It was just long enough for a prosecutor to propose extending the wall of public secrecy that already surrounds the case. Defense lawyers who profess to know little about the case against their clients other than what theyve seen in news reports said the prosecutors request for a protective order was both baffling and upsetting. The Constitution says youre supposed to have a public trial, John Keker, attorney for defendant Zula Jones, told reporters after the Superior Court hearing. In a spinoff of a federal case that has netted a state legislator and a Chinatown power figure, Jones, a former staff member of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, and former commission member Nazly Mohajer are accused of taking and trying to conceal $20,000 in purported campaign contributions from an undercover FBI agent posing as a supporter of Mayor Ed Lee. Its extremely unusual for the prosecution to ask for essentially a gag order in a case where much of the evidence has already been made known, said San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi, whose office represents Keith Jackson, a former San Francisco school board president. Adachi said he would oppose the secrecy request. Jackson has already pleaded guilty to racketeering charges in federal court, stemming from the same undercover probe that led to the new charges against him. In state court, he faces the same charges as Jones and Mohajer and additional allegations, including a charge of making an actual contribution to then-state Sen. Leland Yees 2011 campaign for mayor that exceeded San Franciscos $500 donation limit. District Attorney George Gascon filed the state charges against Jones, Mohajer and Jackson last week without releasing any details of the case. He said he was bound by a federal judges protective order that had restricted public disclosures by participants in the federal case. In particular, Gascons charging documents, made public Tuesday, did not spell out the goal of the alleged bribery, saying only that the payments were intended to influence the vote, opinion and action of Jones and Mohajer as city employees. Documents made public by defense lawyers in the federal case indicate that the agent, posing as a businessman, was trying to buy access to the mayor, who was looking to pay off a debt from his successful 2011 campaign. Lee has not been charged, and has denied wrongdoing. The three defendants had been scheduled for arraignment Friday. But the only development in the three-minute hearing was Assistant District Attorney Kelly Burkes statement that she would seek a protective order prohibiting defense lawyers from disclosing any evidence they obtained from prosecutors in effect, an extension of the protective order cited by Gascon. Burke did not say why the office wants the evidence to remain confidential. Superior Court Judge Edward Torpoco agreed to delay both the arraignment and arguments on Burkes request until Feb. 29. That is five days after Jackson and Yee are scheduled to be sentenced in federal court for racketeering. Yee, who ran unsuccessfully against Lee for mayor in 2011, and Jackson, Yees former chief fundraiser, pleaded guilty in July to federal charges of taking bribes from an undercover agent, posing as a campaign contributor. In exchange, Yee would grant him political favors and illegally import guns from the Philippines. The charges arose from a five-year federal investigation that centered on a Chinatown community organization led by Raymond Shrimp Boy Chow, convicted by a federal jury Jan. 8 of running the organization as a racketeering enterprise and ordering the murder of its former leader in 2006. During pretrial proceedings last year, Chows lawyers released documents obtained from prosecutors indicating that undercover agents had also investigated Lee and his associates. The documents included secretly recorded conversations in which Mohajer and Jones discussed accepting $20,000 from an agent, posing as a businessman, and breaking it into $500 checks to pay off debts from Lees 2011 election campaign. You pay to play here, Jones told the agent in a 2012 conversation, according to the documents. Defense lawyers told reporters Friday that they knew virtually nothing about the case against their clients, apart from media reports of the documents released by Chows lawyers. This case, as far as I can tell, is really, really odd, said Keker, a nationally known defense lawyer. Some liar came to town, he said, referring to the undercover agent. He had a lot of money, acted like a big shot. Adachi noted that the new charges against Jackson date back to 2012. What took the prosecution four years to make its case? the public defender asked. It raises a lot of questions as to timing and evidence. He noted that Jackson is already facing a substantial sentence in federal court. His plea agreement recommended a prison term of six to 10 years. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Johnny Manziel was possibly involved in a disturbance with his now ex-girlfriend early Saturday, according to a news release and multiple media reports. CBS News reporter Omar Villafranca tweeted that Fort Worth police had confirmed some details about the altercation between Manziel and his girlfriend. The tweet stated that Manziel was not arrested and an investigation into the altercation is ongoing, as a full report has not yet been completed. A news release issued by the Fort Worth Police Department regarding the incident stated that the alleged victim, listed as a 23-year-old female, was involved in a disturbance with her ex-boyfriend, listed as a 23-year-old male. RELATED: Johnny Manziel's ex-girlfriend, Colleen Crowley The alleged victim was uncooperative with police investigators, who are still determining if a criminal offense occurred. The alleged victim told police she was concerned for the well-being of her ex-boyfriend, according to the news release. It was later determined that her ex-boyfriend was safe and in no danger, according to the news release. Police investigators ultimately used a helicopter during their search for Manziel, according to the release. In October, Manziel and his girlfriend, Colleen Crowley, were pulled over by Ohio police after police believed a domestic argument had gotten out of hand on Interstate 90, according to a previous report. A witness had told police that she saw the couple arguing as they passed her on the shoulder at a high rate of speed, with Crowley attempting to exit the vehicle while it was still moving, according to a previous report. RELATED: Released Johnny Manziel dash cam footage features shaken, upset girlfriend Colleen Crowley Crowley had told police that Manziel had pushed her head into a window. Police noticed an abrasion on Crowleys arm, which was determined to have come from an attempt by Manziel to keep her from leaving the vehicle. She did not want to press charges. [h/t DeadSpin] twhite@mysa.com Twitter: @tylerlwhite 1 Affluenza case: The Texas teenager who used an affluenza defense in a fatal drunken-driving wreck wont be moved to an adult jail as he awaits a hearing to determine whether his case will be transferred to adult court, a judge ruled Friday. Ethan Couch, 18, was booked into a juvenile detention facility in Fort Worth after he was deported from Mexico on Thursday. Authorities believe he and his mother fled the U.S. last month as Texas prosecutors investigated whether he violated his probation in the 2013 wreck that killed four people. Prosecutors and the local sheriff wanted Couch moved to an adult jail. But during a hearing, Judge Timothy Menikos sided with Couchs attorneys and said the teen would stay at the juvenile center until a Feb. 19 hearing. Couch and his mother disappeared in December. 2 Gas leak: Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein said Friday that they are eeking federal review of an ongoing leak of natural gas from a utilitys underground storage site that has forced thousands of people to leave nearby Los Angeles neighborhoods. The California Democrats plan to introduce an amendment to energy legislation that would direct Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz to lead a review of the cause and response to the leak at Southern California Gas Co.s Aliso Canyon site near Porter Ranch. Gas has been spewing for three months. PORTLAND, Ore. Ammon Bundy and his followers made ample use of social media and videos to summon armed recruits to join their takeover of a wildlife refuge and to declare their readiness to stand their ground. Now federal authorities are using the occupiers own words against them. Two criminal complaints unsealed this week against the 11 protesters under arrest show that FBI agents have carefully scrutinized social media postings, interviews and online talk shows that were broadcast from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge during the standoff that began nearly a month ago. Bundy and several other jailed leaders appeared Friday in federal court in Portland, where a judge denied their release. U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie Beckerman said Bundy, his brother Ryan Bundy and Ryan Payne pose a danger to the community and she is concerned they will not follow orders to return to Oregon for criminal proceedings. Beckerman said she would release them only if the standoff ends. Four holdouts continued to occupy the refuge in the snowy high country near Burns, and they posted a YouTube video Friday demanding pardons for everyone involved in the occupation. A speaker believed to be David Fry said he asked the FBI whether it was possible to get out of here without charges, but they keep saying thats not possible. Ammon Bundys lawyer, Lissa Casey, said her client is not aligned with those remaining at the refuge and wants to go back to his family in Idaho. He is done in Harney County; his message has been sent, she said. The ranchers took over the refuge Jan. 2 to demand that the federal government turn public lands over to local control. They have complained about what they say are onerous federal rules governing grazing and mining rights across the West. The criminal complaints detail some of the evidence against the occupiers. A day after the takeover began, for example, a video posted on a website showed Bundy saying the group planned to stay for several years. He called on people to come out here and stand, adding: We need you to bring your arms. A video posted Jan. 4 showed another defendant, Jon Ritzheimer, saying he was 100 percent willing to lay my life down. In a video posted a day later, Ritzheimer talked about Robert LaVoy Finicum and other occupiers taking up a defensive posture at the refuge against a feared FBI raid. Right now underneath the tarp right there LaVoy Finicum is sitting underneath the tarp, and hes not going to let them come through, Ritzheimer said in the video. That raid never came. Finicum was killed Tuesday night in a confrontation with the FBI and Oregon State Police on a remote road. Bundy and four others were arrested during the encounter, and more followers were taken into custody by the next day. The FBI on Thursday released a video showing Finicums death, to counter claims he did nothing to provoke his killing. He gets out of his truck and has his hands up at first, then reaches toward his jacket pocket at least twice. He is shot and falls to the snow. The FBI said a loaded handgun was found in the pocket. An antiabortion activist, charged with committing crimes against Planned Parenthood in Texas, suffered another legal setback in San Francisco on Friday when a federal judge refused to let him disclose clandestinely made recordings of abortion providers in a filing with the U.S. Supreme Court. David Daleiden and his associates with the Center for Medical Progress made the recordings at the closed-door annual meetings of the National Abortion Federation in San Francisco and Baltimore, which they entered by posing as representatives of a fetal research company. The abortion federation sued to block public disclosure of the recordings, saying the meetings were confidential and the speakers could be endangered if identified. Daleiden countered that he and his group were acting as investigative journalists and had a constitutional right to obtain and release information of public interest. In July, U.S. District Judge William Orrick of San Francisco issued a restraining order prohibiting release of the material, saying members of the antiabortion group had gained entrance through falsehoods and had signed pledges to keep the information confidential. Since then, Orrick has granted limited exemptions to allow Daleiden to share some of the material with Republicans in Congress and state attorney generals offices who have filed subpoenas for it. But the judge balked at Daleidens latest request, to attach more than three hours of recordings to a brief his group plans to file with the Supreme Court in a Texas abortion case. The high court has agreed to decide whether Texas would violate womens constitutional reproductive rights with a law that would force closure of most of the states abortion clinics by imposing various medical requirements, such as requiring them to meet hospital standards and requiring their doctors to have admitting privileges at local hospitals. Texas officials are also investigating Planned Parenthood in response to another set of secret recordings, made by Daleiden and his organization, that purport to show Planned Parenthood members discussing the illegal sale of fetal parts. Planned Parenthood has responded that the recordings were heavily edited and distorted, a position that appeared to gain support Monday when a grand jury in Houston declined to charge the organization and its members with wrongdoing. Instead, the grand jury unexpectedly indicted Daleiden and a colleague, Sandra Merritt, on charges of tampering with government records, the altered California drivers licenses they used to gain access to Planned Parenthood. Daleiden was also charged with trying to buy fetal tissues from Planned Parenthood. Daleiden and his supporters denounced the charges as an attack on the First Amendment. Meanwhile, they failed to persuade Orrick that the same free-speech rights should allow them to attach audio recordings to their Supreme Court filing, an action that would make the material public. According to the groups Jan. 22 court filing, some statements they recorded at a National Abortion Federation meeting came from panelists who said they could live with restrictions like those in the Texas law. Orrick said he listened to the recordings and reached a different conclusion. Daleiden and his organization have mischaracterized the nature of the comments they recorded, which are not directly relevant to the counter-arguments offered by the National Abortion Federation and Planned Parenthood in the Texas case, Orrick said. He said Daleidens group could make the same point without using confidential recordings, which have limited (if any) relevance to their arguments.. The recordings also pose serious privacy concerns and potential harm to the speakers, and to others who can be identified in the recordings, the judge said. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko A man walks past the coffee shop owned by Canadians Kevin and Julia Garrett in Dandong in Liaoning Province. Kevin Garrett was indicted by Dandong court of espionage while Julia was released on bail. (Photo : REUTERS) Chinese authorities have indicted a Canadian citizen on charges of spying and stealing state secrets, according to a report on Thursday, Jan. 28. The Global Times reported that Kevin Garratt was charged by prosecutors in Dandong, a city on the China-North Korea border, in Liaoning Province in northeast China. The report said that the case will be tried at the Dandong Intermediate People's Court at still unknown date. Advertisement Authorities also found during investigation evidence that would implicate Garratt, showing that he accepted tasks from Canadian espionage agencies to gather intelligence in China. In Feb. 2015, the foreign ministry said that Kevin Garratt and his wife Julia were suspected of being involved in activities that undermine the country's national security, and were put under residential surveillance by the national security agency of Dandong, Liaoning Province, on Aug. 4, 2014. Hong Lei, a spokesman for the foreign ministry, told Xinhua that Kevin Garratt was held in criminal detention on suspicion of stealing and prying into state secrets, while Julia Garratt was released from custody on bail on Feb. 3, 2015. Previous media reports said that before the two were detained, they ran a coffee shop on the Chinese border with North Korea. The couple have been living in China since 1984, according to Canadian newspaper The Global and Mail. In related news, a Swedish citizen suspected of funding activities threatening the national security had been expelled from China, the foreign ministry confirmed on Tuesday, Jan. 26. The report said that Peter Dahlin was deported on Monday, Jan. 25, in accordance with the relevant law, as reported by the Global Times. "I need to correct that he was not released but deported," Hua Chunying, a government spokesperson, said during a daily briefing on Tuesday. "In accordance with the Criminal Procedure Law, Beijing State Security Bureau placed Peter under compulsory measures of residential surveillance at a designated residence. After inquiries, Peter owned up to the crime." Hua added that China informed the Swedish government about the relevant circumstance and arranged for them to visit him. Dahlin, a co-founder of the China Urgent Action Working Group and involved in legal affairs, was arrested on Jan. 3. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Don't get too excited until you've actually read the job description. Constructing elaborate sculptures and tripping on mushrooms on the Playa aren't listed as responsibilities. This is a serious gigfar more intense than any drugs that have ever been dropped in Black Rock City. In fact, the Burning Man Project Manager position listed by the Bureau of Land Management is the most complicated job within the agency's recreation department, according BLM spokesperson Rudy Evenson. That's because it involves managing the BLM's most complex special recreation permit. "If you're in charge of this permit, you're pretty much qualified to go anywhere in the country and manage any recreation program because you're never going to manage anything as complicated as Burning Man," Evenson said in an interview. Every summer, during the Burning Man festival, a city blooms in Nevada's Black Rock Desert complete with an organized network of streets, a hospital, a post office and even an airport. Some 70,000 people come from across the globearriving in buses, motorhomes, art cars and private jetsand spend a week romping around in outlandish costumes, building massive art structures, putting on fantastical performances, and zipping through the Playa's fine dust in bicycles, cars, vans, churches on wheels. (You can get a taste of it all in the photos above.) The potential impact on the fragile desert ecosystem is huge and the project manager's main responsibility is to ensure the festival organizers and attendees respect the environment. Black Rock City (BRC), the company managing the event, is required to pull a permit and follow an environmental compliance plan that falls under the National Environmental Policy Act. "It's a recreation program position, but it has big responsibilities in environmental compliance and planning," Evenson said. "This a position for someone who knows how NEPA works." The environmental compliance plan is drafted every five years, and the current one expires at the end of 2016. The person stepping into this position will be developing the new plan by working with a wide range of constituents, from the town of Gerlach to the Federal Aviation Administration, and coordinating an interdisciplinary team to assess the effects of this huge event on public land. "The number-one quality we're looking for in this position is the ability to work with all different kinds of people," Evenson said. "This person is going to deal with everyone from people who live in rural communities to international event planners. The event builds an airport so you need to deal with a lot of federal agencies. The FAA is involved, for example." The second most important quality is experience with land management. "You have to understand how the event is going to affect the other uses of the resources on this land," Evenson said. "We know there are fairy shrimp eggs in the dust and they are food for migratory birds. So how does it affect the migratory birds in the spring if you have a five-mile wide city covering the land in September?" Experience planning and managing major events is also crucial. "How are we going to get 70,000 people out there without having a huge traffic jam?" is one question that always needs to be address, Evenson points out. Some questions that might be popping into your head as you're considering this position: What do you get paid to do all of this? The salary range is $69,497 to $90,344. Where do you get to live? Sorry, not in an Airstream in the Black Rock Desert. This job is based in Winnemucca, Nev. When was this job first introduced? In 2013, when the BLM realized the event had grown so big that a full-time staffer was needed to manage the permit. Why is the job available now? The person currently in this position is moving to another job within the BLM. Details on why aren't available but Evenson implied that he wanted a position that allowed him to spend more time with family. Are tax payers footing the bill for this? Nope. Black Rock City pays for this position. Most importantly, does the project manager actually attend the event? Yes, the PM will be on the Playa throughout the festival, from when the first burner arrives to when the last one leavesand probably weeks before and after. "But attending Burning Man is a lot different from working it," Evenson said. "The BLM has 100 employees on the ground at the event, and this person has to manage them and be on site making sure it all goes smoothly" That you probably don't want to do on hallucinogenics. The Mobile Bay domain of The Pirate Bay gets suspended by the registrar The Pirate Bay founder teams up Adblock Plus to revolutionize ad industry plus TPB and KickassTorrent uploader to pay 7500 (Photo : Twitter/The Pirate Bay) One of the most important domains of The Pirate Bay gets suspended leading to a major blow to the torrent website. TheMobileBay.org was suspended by the registrar. Now it remains unavailable to users who browse through smartphones or tablets. According to a report by TorrentFreak, the registrar 1API GmbH has suspended TheMobileBay.org. Back in 2014, The Pirate Bay released the mobile version of the torrent website. The domain was named TheMobileBay.org and it came with a clear interface. Advertisement The new website for the mobile devices essentially provided a cluttered-free look for the users on the go. After the release of this website, whenever a user typed ThePirateBay.se or with any other domain name like .LA or more he or she was redirected to The Mobile Bay. However, the redirections are failing and soon the mobile website is inaccessible. The users are being redirected to the old format of The Pirate Bay which is not quite user-friendly. In other news, the Czech Pirate Party has been prosecuted by the authorities for having a pirate website. "A landmark political trial for Czech Internet is about to take place!" the party declared (via TorrentFreak). "On Thursday 21st January, the Czech pirate party was officially notified that it will be prosecuted in criminal court. The reason is their long-term political campaign "Linking is Not a Crime" in which the party ran a non-commercial website 'sledujuserialy.cz' highlighting an absurd interpretation of copyright monopoly law with regard to the Internet." The Czech Pirate Party started out with two websites named Tipnafilm.cz and Pirateskefilmy.cz and they declared that they challenge the Anti-Piracy Union "to stop bullying the underage and to aim its preposterous claims at the Pirate Party." Moreover, the party launched the third website named Sledujuserialy.cz and this website resulted in the party getting a notice that they will be prosecuted in a criminal court. Meanwhile, it has to be seen if The Mobile Bay domain would bounce back or it is over for the mobile users. Currently, The Pirate Bay is accessible using .SE domain. Stay tuned for more The Pirate Bay news and updates. Share your views in the section below. A transmission electron micrograph (TEM) shows the Zika virus, in an undated photo provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo : Reuters) While China may be at risk of being affected by mosquito-borne Zika virus that is spreading in the Americas, the likelihood of spread is low since there are fewer mosquitoes in winter and spring, according to Chinas top health authority. Incidences of Zika virus, which is associated with severe birth disorders, have been reported in different American states since 2014, and the cases quickly increased in recent months. Advertisement According to China Daily, Chinese mainland has not had Zika cases so far, although the country is vulnerable to the virus being imported from other regions. The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention advised that people should be on the lookout. Currently, China is collaborating with other countries and the World Health Organization, exchanging medical information and staying briefed on the state of the virus to be ready for any risks. The country has summoned experts to analyze the risk of the virus and the possibility of it spreading in China. Reports have gone to diverse organizations to coordinate their eventual response efforts. Furthermore, the center has already created the detection reagent using nucleic acid, "which allows the researchers to test and confirm whether the suspected patients are indeed infected," according to He Xiong, the deputy director of Beijing center for Disease Control and Prevention. The national health authority is set to train researchers and doctors at provincial disease control centers to be ready. He said, "China has made huge progress in technologies and acts more swiftly in response to any outbreak of infectious disease 12 years after the SARS outbreak." The deputy director added that international cooperation with other nations around the world has become smoother and more effective. Zika virus is believed to cause birth defects when a pregnant woman is infected. The virus caused a recent rash of infants born with microcephaly in Brazil. A report by Xinhua revealed that 31 cases of Zika virus have been recorded in the United States. The World Health Organization estimated that about 4 million people could be affected with the virus as it spreads from Latin America and the Caribbean to North America in the near future. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Of the 3,494 deer ticks tested in the state last year for the organism that causes Lyme disease, nearly one-third tested positive, according to a new report released by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. Thirty-two percent tested positive in 2015 for the Borrelia burgdorferi organism that leads to Lyme disease. The percentage is higher than the 27 percent of the black-legged deer ticks that tested positive the previous year. Most communities in southwest Connecticut were within a few percentage points of 32 percent. The number of ticks tested in towns varied from just one in Ansonia, Derby, Sherman and Weston, to 176 in Newtown. The results show an increase in the number of ticks that tested positive over the last five years. The lowest percentage during that period was 19 percent in 2012. More Information Cities, towns where ticks were found The following are area cities and towns where ticks were trapped and tested, the number that tested positive for the organism that causes Lyme disease and the percentage. Bridgeport: 10 tested, four positive; 25 percent. Brookfield: 34 tested, 7 positive; 20.6 percent. Danbury: Nine tested, 2 positive; 22.2 percent. Darien: 59 tested, 15 positive; 25.4 percent. Fairfield: 50 tested, 15 positive; 30 percent. Greenwich: 5 tested, 1 positive; 20 percent. Milford: 53 tested, 13 positive; 24.5 percent. Monroe: 10 tested, four positive; 40 percent. New Canaan: 103 tested, 32 positive; 31.1 percent. New Fairfield: 18 tested, 4 positive; 33.3 percent. New Milford: 18 tested, 8 positive; 44.4 percent. Newtown: 176 tested, 54 positive; 30.7 percent. Oxford: three tested, 2 positive; 66.7 percent. Redding: 81 tested, 28 positive; 34.6 percent. Sherman: 1 tested, 1 positive; 100 percent. Stamford: 168 tested, 55 positive; 32.7 percent. Stratford: 28 tested, 8 positive; 28.6 percent. Trumbull: 155 tested, 44 positive; 28.4 percent. Weston: 1 tested, 1 positive; 100 percent. Westport: 60 tested, 11 positive; 18 percent. Wilton: 130 tested, 35 positive; 26.9 percent. See More Collapse The disease was first detected in the Lyme, Conn., area in 1975. Since 1998, the state Department of Public Health has reported about 3,000 cases annually to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Recently, the CDC estimated that there are approximately 10 times more people diagnosed with Lyme disease than the yearly reported number. Using the CDC estimate, approximately 30,000 people are diagnosed with Lyme disease each year in Connecticut. Deer play an important role in the life cycle of the ticks that transmit Lyme disease. Adult deer ticks need a blood meal before laying eggs, and most frequently this is obtained by feeding on deer. Lyme disease is found in 14 states, concentrated heavily in the Northeast and upper Midwest. Across this state, towns in eastern Connecticut and along the Connecticut River have seen the highest number of infections. The CDC says untreated Lyme disease can produce a wide range of symptoms, depending on the stage of infection, including fever, rash, facial paralysis and arthritis. Patients treated with appropriate antibiotics in the early stages of Lyme disease usually recover rapidly and completely. The United States Department of Agriculture advises people not to let their guard down during the winter. The USDA says ticks carrying Lyme and other tick-borne diseases are still active in January and February, even when there is a 70 percent snow cover and air temperatures are below freezing. The organisms responsible for Lyme disease can survive through extremely harsh conditions something they have been doing for 20 million years. A rare Guan vase from the Southern Song Dynasty is displayed after it was bought by a museum in Shanghai. (Photo : REUTERS) A curator of Shanghai Museum has announced Friday, Jan. 29, that it will open a second home in the Pudong New Area in 2020, Shanghai Daily reported. Yang Zhigang said that the new venue has an area of 80,000 square meters, which is twice the size of the original in People's Square. It will be built close to the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. Advertisement The two museums will be complementary, as the Puxi venue specialized in bronze and ceramics, while the Pudong site will host displays of paintings, calligraphy and other artwork. The curator said that the Shanghai Museum, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary at its current site, receives about two million visitors a year. "It has long been in need of a face-lift and will undergo a program of repairs later this year, though that won't affect its normal operations," according to Yang. The People's Square building will close for a more extensive renovation when the new venue opens, Yang said. Considered as one of China's first world-class modern museums, Shanghai Museum houses many relics of ancient Chinese art. The museum is divided into eleven galleries and has three exhibition halls. The 11 galleries cover most of the major categories of Chinese art: ancient bronze, ancient ceramics, paintings, calligraphy, ancient sculpture, ancient jade, coins, Ming and Qing furniture, seals, and minority nationalities. The museum features the bronze ware of the Shang and Zhou dynasties and has more than 400 pieces of exquisite bronze wares which describe the history of ancient Chinese bronze art. Another treasure of the Shanghai Museum is the ancient ceramics collection with more than 500 pieces of artwork from various dynasties. These include the painted and gray pottery from the Neolithic age; primitive celadon from the Shang, Zhou and Warring States; mature celadon from the East Han Dynasty; the well-known tri-colored glazed pottery from the Tang Dynasty; as well as painted porcelain from the Song, Jin and Liao; and the brilliant works from Jingdezhen, Jiangxi, during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Chinese paintings and calligraphy as well as masterpieces from different periods and genres are also featured in the museum. While not a remake of Smokey and the Bandit, East Bay police are searching for a bandit who stole a lot of smokes. A thief swiped $4,000 worth of cigarettes from a delivery truck last week in Union City, officials said Friday. China and Iran strike $600 billion deal for the next 10 years; Agreement of both countries to focus on technology and economy China and Iran signed an agreement on Jan. 23 to expand strategic ties and enhance bilateral trade to $600 billion over the next ten years. (Photo : Reuters) China and Iran signed an agreement on Jan. 23 to expand strategic ties and enhance bilateral trade to $600 billion over the next ten years. Announcement of this deal was made during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Tehran. Iran and China signed 17 accords on Jan. 23, which mostly focused on economic and technological cooperation. These accords include an understanding to extend cooperation in sectors like nuclear energy and China's One Belt, One Road initiative. Advertisement It can be noted that Iran struck a successful nuclear deal - Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action - with world powers last year. In aftermath of nuclear deal, sanctions imposed on Iran for the last two decades were lifted. Iran is now working towards reviving its economy and seeking international partnership to this end. According to Breitbart News, Iran-China trade was amounted to $52 billion dollars in 2014. Following recent deal, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani mentioned that the trade deals with China would amount to $600 billion over the next ten years. Infoseek China reported that China's Xi Jinping is the second world leader to visit Tehran after sanctions were lifted off Iran, as Russian President Vladimir Putin had already visited Iran in November. A policy fellow at European Council on Foreign Relations Ellie Geranmayeh mentioned that Iran was important for both China and Russia. China was dependent upon Iran for its energy imports, while Russia needed Iran as a strategic partner to carry out its foreign policy in West Asia. Reuters (UK edition) has quoted Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as saying that Iran is seeking greater cooperation with independent countries like China, since the country never really trusted the West. Khamenei was also quoted as saying that Iran's energy policies were never affected by foreigners, so it was the most reliable country for energy. According to numerous reports, both countries have also agreed to cooperate in countering terrorism in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Yemen. See the video below: Chinese giant technology company Huawei renewed its patent with the rival company Ericsson. (Photo : Reuters) Chinese giant technology company Huawei renewed its patent with the rival company Ericsson. According to Zacks, these two big companies are tied up to share wireless technology between their networking equipment. According to the terms mentioned under the cross licence agreement, both companies will be able to implement and access each other's Standard Essential Patents (SEP) for UMTS, GSM and LTE technologies in global arena.SEP holders always have to require offer to the other technological big company's reasonable, fair and non-discriminatory terms. However, both the companies were reluctant to reveal more financial details of this new deal. Advertisement As per sources, the renewed agreement shows that the Shenzhen-based Chinese multinational networking company Huawei has to pay on-going royalty to the Swedish multinational corporation Ericsson, based on Huawei's actual sales from these running years onwards. According to Ding Jianxin, the head of the intellectual property unit of Huawei, the agreement is done under all positive aspire. The innovation and all the intellectual property rights will be protected by the two companies, he added. According to Ding, the compensation should be reasonable for both the parties for accessing and implementing each other's intellectual properties, the China Tech News reported. Ding also said that the renewed patent will also help both company to promote innovative technology, the sharing and the standardization and the evolution of industry. Industry experts said that this move is a precautionary step to fight the expected competition in the near future, as Nokia Corporation and Alactel Lucent started functioning as a single company. Meanwhile, the long legal battle between Ericsson and Apple Inc. on the patent issue ended with the signing of global license agreement last month. Thus Ericsson has cleared all the hurdles one-by-one, and rising to the number one position in the global market. Now Ericsson enjoys second position in the Zacks Rank. To share with friends and brethren The Gospel of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (the Everlasting Gospel), and to prepare a people to stand when He returns to redeem His remnant. Also, to share relevant information of current events, and to show how they relate to prophecy; By means of articles, editorials, opinions, scripture readings, and poetry. Disclaimer Endrtimes does not necessarily endorse or agree with every opinion expressed in every article/video posted on this site. The information provided here is done so for personal edification; It's up to the reader to separate truth from error, and to examine everything (like the Bereans) from a Biblical perspective. Let the Holy Scriptures be you guide! - - - FAIR USE NOTICE: These pages/videos may contain copyrighted () material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Such material is made available to advance understanding of ecological, POLITICAL, HUMAN RIGHTS, economic, DEMOCRACY, scientific, MORAL, ETHICAL, and SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES, etc. It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior general interest in receiving similar information for research and educational purposes. Forcing Greece to become a "warehouse" for migrants is no solution to Europe's crisis, Human Rights Watch said Friday, adding that it would be wrong to send asylum seekers back to Turkey. "Greece has its fair share of responsibility for the situation on the ground, but turning the country into a warehouse is no solution to Europe's refugee crisis," HRW Greece specialist Eva Cosse said in a statement. The European Union this week said Greece could face border controls with the rest of the passport-free Schengen zone if it fails to protect the bloc's frontier. And a Belgian official has suggested that Greece should create camps for hundreds of thousands of migrants. An EU report compiled in November said Greece was failing to properly register and fingerprint migrants, with security concerns high after revelations that jihadists behind the Paris attacks that month had slipped into Europe by posing as refugees. Athens counters that the procedure has drastically improved in the last two months with the arrival of promised EU staff and registering equipment. However, the basic needs and rights of thousands of asylum seekers and migrants were still being ignored, New York-based HRW said. Cosse said the Greek government was failing to identify and support vulnerable individuals such as pregnant women, unaccompanied children and disabled persons. And there were still "serious difficulties" for those seeking asylum, she said. "The Greek asylum service has set up a system for appointments almost exclusively through Skype, but it's very difficult to get through and people can wait for weeks to book an appointment," Cosse said. Cosse also criticised a Dutch proposal for the EU to accept up to 250,000 refugees a year from Turkey if Ankara takes back irregular migrants. "Turkey cannot be considered a safe country for automatic returns," she said. More than one million people reached Europe's shores last year -- the majority of them refugees fleeing conflict in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan -- in the continent's worst migration crisis since World War II. Most cross by boat from Turkey to Greece and the United Nations said Thursday more than 50,000 people have turned up on the EU member's beaches so far this year, while 200 people died making the dangerous journey. A two-day strike by sailors this week -- renewed for another two days on Friday -- is keeping new arrivals from sailing to the Greek mainland. But London-based Amnesty International on Friday accused Greek police of causing hardship to thousands of migrants on the border with Macedonia by not allowing them access to a camp operated by aid groups. "The camp can accommodate 1,200 people but currently is only a third full," the organisation said. "Thousands of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants... are forced to spend the night outside, exposed to difficult weather conditions," Amnesty said, warning that below-zero temperatures threatened the health of infants and children present. A Greek government source explained that police are allowing access to the border camp only to Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans, the only nationalities allowed by Macedonia to continue their journey to northern Europe. Other nationalities who have no hope of continuing their journey are encouraged to turn back. Search Keywords: Short link: Although Egypt has repeatedly expressed concern over the dam's possible effect on the country, Ethiopia insists it will not negatively affect Egypt's share of Nile water Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan received on Thursday a technical offer from French firms BRL and Artelia on studies related to the impact of Ethiopia's controversial Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the three countries, irrigation minister Hossam Moghazi said. The Egyptian committee will study and review the offer ahead of a tripartite meeting where it will be discussed with the attendance of the two foreign consultancy firms' representatives, as agreed upon on in the roadmap approved in Sudan's Khartoum, Moghazi said. Moghazi said that the offer involves two assessment studies- a risk assessment related to the effects of the dam on the water flowing to Egypt and Sudan, and another study that addresses environmental concerns. In a previous TV interview, the Egyptian irrigation minister said that the two studies, which are not concerned with the redesign of the dam, would be finished in 11 months, with the first study starting in February. Moghazi's statements came ahead of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi's visit to Ethiopia's Addis Ababa on Friday, where he is expected to hold talks with his counterparts from Sudan and Ethiopia over the dam, ahead of the upcoming African Union summit in Addis Ababa. Prior to the AU summit, Egypt's ambassador to Ethiopia Abu Bakr Hanafi said that Ethiopia has not breached the declaration of principles signed by the leaders of the three countries in March 2015. Hanafi said Ethiopia has not violated the 5th principle, which is related to the dam's storage reservoirs first filling, and dam operation policies. The principle also stipulates that an agreement should be reached on the guidelines for different scenarios of the first filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dams reservoir in parallel with its construction. The Egyptian ambassador said that Egypt's new foreign policy in Africa has had a positive impact on an international level, where Egypt now obtains major support, especially on issues related to its right in Nile Water. Hanafi refuted any Egyptian intention to launch a military operation against Ethiopia, affirming that such an option is never on the table, especially because the Ethiopian brothers said that they dont want to harm Egypt and its people. "There would be an important move on an international level where Egypt could resort to international water laws that guarantee the downstream countries' right of water share from shared rivers with upstream countries," Hanafi said when asked about Egypt's response if Ethiopia breached the agreement. Although Egypt has repeatedly expressed concern over the dam's possible effect on the country, Ethiopia insists it will not negatively affect Egypt's share of Nile water. In December 2015, President El-Sisi addressed the public saying that there is no reason to worry about that dam and that the matter would be resolved. "I totally understand the concern of Egyptians as water is a matter of life or death," El-Sisi assured Egyptians. Search Keywords: Short link: The station was closed since 25 January, the fifth anniversary of the uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak Sadat Metro Station, in the heart of the iconic Tahrir Square, reopened its doors to commuters Saturday after a five-day closure due to security reasons, state news agency MENA reported. The station was closed since 25 January, the fifth anniversary of the uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak. The station has often been closed "due to security reasons," but critics said the reason was to prevent masses from reaching Tahrir Square and protesting. The station was closed from August 2013 to June 2015 over 650 days to prevent supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi from setting up a camp in Tahrir Square. The reopening of the station in June was a relief to passengers who commuted for longer periods and often had to pay extra to get to their destinations. The fifth anniversary of the uprising passed relatively smoothly, with limited Muslim Brotherhood protests composed of tens, which were quickly dispersed by police. Tens of pro-police also organised limited marches and handed out flowers to security personnel, as the day also marks National Police Day. Search Keywords: Short link: Two gunmen attacked the Imam Reza Mosque wearing suicide bomb vests during Friday prayers, killing four and injuring at least eighteen Egypt condemns the suicide bombing of a Shia mosque in eastern Saudi Arabia that killed four and wounded eighteen others, a foreign affairs ministry statement read. [Egypt] refuses all attempts of destabilisation and frightening citizens in the Saudi kingdom, the statement released Friday night added. Two gunmen attacked the Imam Reza Mosque, wearing suicide bomb belts, during Friday prayers. The ministry has extended its deepest condolences to the families of the victims, and wished the injured a speedy recovery. The foreign affairs ministry reiterated that Egypt refuses and condemns all forms of terrorism and violence and calls for uniting international efforts to eliminate this [phenomenon], the reasons behind it, and its funding." Shias in Saudi Arabia, who make up an estimated 10 to 15 percent, have previously been targeted by the Islamic State group, as they believe they are heretics. No group claimed responsibility for the attack yet. Search Keywords: Short link: Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, had the voice of a liberal and a libertarian when he wrote a piece for the Brennan Center for Justice in April that ripped the federal criminal justice system on three fronts over-criminalization, harsh mandatory minimum sentences and the demise of jury trials. Draconian mandatory minimum sentences, he wrote, can produce sentences that far outweigh the crime, especially for nonviolent drug offenders. The Ted Cruz who wrote that piece and co-sponsored the Smarter Sentencing Act of 2015 with Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Dick Durbin, D-Ill. may not be familiar to those following Cruz on the GOP presidential primary trail. Lately, the public has seen more of the Cruz whom New York Times columnist David Brooks faulted for brutalism in overzealously prosecuting bad law as Texas solicitor general. Which Cruz survives? Mayhap the antireformer. In October, Cruz voted against the bipartisan Sentencing Reform Act, introduced by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, also with the support of Lee and Durbin, even though, Cruz supported bolder mandatory minimum reforms than are in the Grassley bill, according to Kevin Ring of Families Against Mandatory Minimums. The Grassley measure stands as an example of what a law-and-order Republican might do to acknowledge and lessen excesses in federal mandatory minimum sentencing. For that, Grassley got sideswiped by Cruz. Cruz explained to his colleagues that he opposed the measure for two reasons it would reduce sentences for violent criminals (read: drug dealers with guns) and also would do so retroactively. Do we want to focus on disparities of nonviolent drug offenders or do we want to be releasing violent criminals? Cruz asked. He also warned that if an inmate released by reforms ever hurt anyone, lawmakers can fully expect to be held accountable by voters. Cruzs warning turned out to be prescient. This month, a former federal crack offender was arrested for stabbing to death his former girlfriend, Erveena Hammonds, 32, and her daughters Breya Hammonds, 7, and Anaesia Green, 10, in Ohio. The Columbus Dispatch reported that accused killer Wendell Louis Callahan had his prison sentence reduced because of reforms designed to reduce the sentencing disparity between federal crack and cocaine offenses. Three people, including two children, are dead today because of early release from a duly imposed, lawful and fully deserved federal drug trafficking sentence, an outraged Georgetown law professor, William Otis, wrote on the Crime and Consequences blog. Politico reported that GOP opponents seized upon the crime in an effort to derail the Grassley bill. In his State of the Union address, President Obama said he hoped to sign a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill this year. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is working on it, but thats no easy feat, noted spokesman Don Stewart, when lawmakers like 80 percent of the measure but really hate something in the other 20 percent. The bills biggest hurdle is the 2016 presidential race. Before Cruz voted against the Grassley bill, Donald Trump became the GOP front-runner with his tough talk and disdain for mercy. After the bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee, terrorists attacked in Paris, then in San Bernardino. In this uncertain election year, the public craves safety. I supported the 2009 Fair Sentencing Act because the 100-to-1 sentencing disparity for crack offenders popped out sledgehammer prison terms even for nonviolent and first-time offenders. Ive written about low-level offenders sent away for decades, even life, for nonviolent offenses. Thats not justice. Some reformers will tell you off the record that when you let people out of prison to rebalance sentences, its inevitable some will re-offend. They dont understand that Hammonds and her children may be the Laquan McDonalds of sentencing reform. Obama should direct his Justice Department to investigate Callahans release to prevent another tragedy. If reformers instead choose to circle the wagons, then their crusade will fail. Cruz can do the easy thing and walk away from his pre-Trump call for curbing federal prosecutorial abuses. Or he can stick out his neck for justice for all. Thats a principled stand, but then Cruz likes to say he puts principle first. Debra J. Saunders is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. E-mail: dsaunders@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @DebraJSaunders 3 dead in Ohio On Jan. 13, the Columbus Dispatch reported that Wendell Louis Callahan was arrested in the stabbing deaths of former girlfriend Erveena Hammonds, 32, and her daughters Breya Hammonds , 7, and Anaesia Green , 10. It turns out that alleged killer Callahan was free because courts reduced his 150-month sentence to 100 months as part of federal crack sentencing reform and freed Callahan in 2014. But why? Callahan was not a nonviolent offender. His 2006 conviction was for cocaine trafficking with a firearm. In 1999, Callahan was convicted in connection with a nonfatal shooting. The Columbus Dispatch reports that while his 2006 federal case was pending, police arrested Callahan for beating and choking Hammonds. A federal judge would have to approve the sentence reduction after hearing from prosecutors, former federal prosecutor William Otis told me; if the judge knew about those facts and then said anyway this man poses no danger to the public, that cant be great. Donald Trump cant take full credit for his absence causing relatively lackluster ratings for Thursdays GOP debate on Fox News. Thats because ratings for the previous Republican debate which Trump attended were the lowest. Thursdays debate, held four days before Mondays Iowa caucuses, drew 12.5 million viewers, slightly more than the 11 million that tuned into the GOP debate two weeks ago from North Charleston, S.C. Those were the lowest of the campaign season and continue a general downward trend for the Republican contests. An Oct. 28 GOP debate on CNBC drew 14 million viewers, a Nov. 10 throwdown on Fox Business Network scored 13.5 million, and 11 million tuned into the Jan. 14 gathering on the same network. Thursdays viewership was way down from the 25 million people who watched the first debate in August that first sparring session was the most-watched nonsports program in cable news history. Overall, ratings for prime-time Republican debates fueled by Trumps popularity and unpredictability have been three to four times higher than they were in 2011. While Thursdays ratings were lower, the debate far outdrew coverage of the event Trump held a few miles away at the same time in Des Moines. He scheduled the benefit for veterans charities, which he said raised $6 million, in an attempt to counterprogram the debate and recapture the media spotlight after refusing to participate in the debate because of a tiff with Fox. Trump counterprogramming failed, as CNN and MSNBC, the two cable networks that carried large swaths of his rally live, together drew only 2.7 million viewers. Trump did manage to dominate the conversation about the debate on Twitter, even without showing up on the debate. According to the social media site, Trump was mentioned in 36 percent of the tweets about the debate, far outpacing candidates who actually attended the debate. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz scored 16 percent of the Twitter chatter, while Florida Sen. Marco Rubio snagged 13 percent. Trumps tiff with Fox began during that August debate on Fox, when he objected to moderator Megyn Kelly asking him if he had the temperament to be commander in chief, given his history of calling women you dont like fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals. Trump responded on Twitter and elsewhere by calling Kelly a third-rate reporter, really biased against him and alluded to her as a bimbo. When he threatened to pull out of Thursdays debate unless Kelly was removed, Fox called his bluff and backed their employee. Joe Garofoli is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate It's not all about money in San Francisco these days. A Sutro Heights bungalowdubbed "the smallest house on San Francisco's smallest lot" when it first hit the marketwas recently sold to a couple because they were both born in San Francisconot because they had the highest bid. Berkshire Hathaway realtor Heather Stoltz was the listing agent for 544 46th Avenue and the seller liked the idea of natives moving into his home. Stoltz gave the seller the option to counter and ask the prospective buyers to match the highest bid, but she said he wasn't interested in increasing his profit. "It wasn't a huge difference," Stoltz said, "but it was enough to buy a new car." The 830-square-foot, two bedroom cottage is squeezed onto 644 square feet of land, which Stoltz believes might be the smallest lot in all of San Francisco. The property was originally listed at $599,000 in December and closed in mid-January for $61,ooo over asking. Stoltz passed out 33 disclosure packets but received only four offers. "If we hadn't gotten a $50,000 pest report, I think we would have received more" she said. The seller chose the second-highest offer. Tucked away in a wooded area two blocks from Sutro Park, this tiny home sits at the end of a cobblestone path neighboring two larger cottages. The trio were part of the original estate of silver baron Adolph Sutro, and Stoltz believes 544 46th Avenue was originally a workshop. She thinks it dates back to the late 1800s. The two other cottages were likely workers' residences. The seller lived in this house for 13 years and in San Francisco for a total of 45 years. He's a retired dog walker and recently moved to Oregon. Stoltz said the buyers wrote him a letter and expressed their love for the home and their desire to stay in San Francisco. "It happens when a seller doesn't choose the highest offer," Stoltz said. "but usually that's when the highest offer isn't all cash offer. In this case, there weren't any cash offers and the contingencies were the same. He said that he just wanted to keep natives in the city." Benjamin Franklin once wrote, Wine (is) a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy. There is no better place in the world to confirm what Ben said than Tuscany. This region in the heart of Italy is chock-full of great wineries, but I like to focus on two well-respected red wines, each centered on a specific town: Montepulciano is known for its Vino Nobile, and Montalcino is famous for its Brunello. The key grape in each is Sangiovese. If youre looking for a home base, the town of Montepulciano is one of my favorites for exploring Tuscany and its wine country. Its most famous product Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (noble wine of Montepulciano) is a high-quality, dry, ruby-red wine made of at least 70 percent Sangiovese grapes. Aged two years (or three for a riserva) one year of which must be in oak casks its more full-bodied than a typical Chianti and less tannic than a Brunello. It pairs well with meat, especially roasted lamb with rosemary, rabbit or boar ragout over pasta, grilled portobello mushrooms, and local cheeses like pecorino. Montepulciano has several historic wine cellars to explore, and then enjoy generous tastings. The wine is almost a religion here, and guides worshipfully walk you through cellars as if they were sacred spaces. At the Contucci cellar, your host is the lively Adamo. For 50 years, Adamo has made sure visitors enjoy a tasty education in the Nobile di Montepulciano. I know: Ive been checking in on him for over a decade. During one recent visit, Adamo pointed out dozens of barrels of Croatian and French oak that cradle the wine through the aging process. The wine picks up the personality of the wood, he said, with the French oak giving the wine pure elegance and the Croatian offering something more masculine. After about 35 years, an exhausted barrel has nothing left to offer its wine, so its retired. Not too far away is another Tuscan wine mecca Montalcino. Its a pleasant, low-impact town crawling with wine-loving tourists and a smattering of classy shops, but little sightseeing. Everyone touring this area seems to be relaxed and in an easy groove ... as if enjoying a little wine buzz. Its wine, Brunello di Montalcino (the little brown one of Montalcino named for the color of the grapes before harvest), ranks among Italys finest and most expensive. Made from 100 percent Sangiovese Grosso grapes, its smooth, dry and aged for a minimum of two years in oak casks, plus an additional four months in the bottle. Brunello is designed to cellar for 10 years or longer but who can wait? It pairs well with the local cuisine, but the perfect match is the fine Chianina beef. The countryside around Montalcino is dotted with classy wineries that are evangelical about taking visitors on tours and tastings. Unlike most California wineries, here in Tuscany you need to telephone the day before to book your tours. Tours last an hour, cost about $10 to $15, and finish in a tasting room where, with expert guidance, youll develop a better appreciation for the fruit of these vines. If youre paying for a wine tasting, you arent obligated to buy. But if a winery is doing a small tasting just for you, theyre hoping youll buy a bottle or two. Italian vintners understand that North Americans cant take much wine with them, and they dont expect to make a big sale, but they do hope youll look for their wines back home. Some shops and wineries can ship it home for you. After your tasting, take time to stroll through the vineyards. You may notice sentinel roses at the ends of some of the rows of vines. These arent just decorative. Because disease affects roses before grapes, historically the flowers acted as a canary in a coal mine, giving vintners advance notice if a phylloxera epidemic was imminent. Today the roses can warn of mildew. But disease isnt the only pest: Locals say that wild boars make the best winemakers they wait to raid the vineyards until the grapes are perfectly sweet. At that magic moment, it becomes a race between the boars and the human harvesters. But humans have the last laugh (or bite) boar is found on many Tuscan menus and is considered the perfect accompaniment to the local wines. If your Tuscan dreams feature vibrant vineyards rolling to infinity, punctuated by snaking cypress-lined driveways; humble but beautiful (and steep) hill towns; and world-class wines to make a connoisseur weep, set your sights on Montepulciano or Montalcino. Rick Steves writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television. E-mail: rick@ricksteves.com The tourist told prosecution that he simply admired how Egyptian police forces and vehicles looked A Giza prosecutor ordered on Saturday a 15-day detention, pending investigations, of a Turkish policeman arrested on Thursday for photographing a police post near Gizas pyramids. The Giza prosecution said in a statement that the suspects camera had footage of tourist sights in Al-Hussein, Khan El-Khalili, and a shaky photograph of a police vehicle in Haram Street. The suspect told prosecution that he was walking down the street, admiring the police forces and vehicles when he decided to photograph them. He also added that he works as a policeman in Turkish hospitals where he records accidents and crimes and notifies the police. The prosecution notified the diplomatic Turkish mission to attend the investigations into their national. Many Egyptians and tourists have been stopped and questioned recently by police while photographing public places as authorities aim to boost security amid ongoing threats following the 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. Ties between Egypt and Turkey have since soured, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emerging as one of the fiercest critics of Morsi's removal. Search Keywords: Short link: GENEVA Peace talks aimed at ending Syrias five-year civil war got off to a shaky and chaotic start Friday, with the main opposition group at first boycotting the session, then later agreeing to meet with U.N. officials while still insisting they would not negotiate. That small commitment by the group known as the Higher Negotiating Committee came just minutes before U.N. special envoy Staffan de Mistura met with a delegation representing the government of President Bashar Assad. The developments gave a glimmer of hope that peace efforts in Syria might actually get off the ground for the first time since two earlier rounds of negotiations collapsed in 2014. The conflict has killed at least 250,000 people, forced millions to flee the country, and given an opening to the Islamic State group to capture territory in Syria and Iraq. It has drawn in the U.S. and Russia, as well as regional powers such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Iran. The HNC, a Saudi-backed bloc, had previously said it would not participate in the U.N.-sponsored talks without an end to the bombardment of civilians by Russian and Syrian government forces, a lifting of blockades in rebel-held areas and the release of detainees. An HNC statement said the opposition decided to take part in the talks after receiving assurances from friendly countries about those humanitarian issues, and that a delegation headed by HNC chief Riad Hijab will leave Saudi Arabia for Geneva on Saturday. Only once their conditions are met will they negotiate, the statement added. De Mistura said he had good reason to believe the HNC would join the talks Sunday, but refused to react formally until he got an official notice from its leadership. As you can imagine, I have been hearing rumors and information already, de Mistura told reporters after meeting with the delegation led by Syrias U.N. ambassador, Bashar Jaafari. The meetings, billed as multiparty talks, are part of a process outlined in a U.N. resolution last month that envisions an 18-month timetable for a political transition in Syria, including the drafting of a new constitution and elections. De Mistura has decided that these will be proximity talks, rather than face-to-face sessions, meaning that he plans to keep the delegations in separate rooms and shuttle in between. He has tamped down expectations by saying he expects them to last for six months. Jaafari, the Syrian envoy, declined to speak to reporters as he left the meeting with de Mistura. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate ANKARA, Turkey A boat carrying Syrians attempting the short sea journey from Turkey to Greece struck rocks and capsized at dawn on Saturday, causing at least 37 people to drown, among them several babies and young children. Images of dead children on a beach on Saturday were another soul-searing reminder that Europes migrant crisis keeps destroying lives and families by the day. They recalled the photo of 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi lying face down on a Turkish beach last year. His story put an intimate face on the Syrian refugee crisis for people across the world, prompting many to finally grapple with the magnitude of the suffering being inflicted by the war in Syria and the treacherous journeys many risk in hopes of finding shelter in Europe. By contrast, the heartbreaking images Saturday met a muted response, perhaps a sign that many have grown weary of the unending reports about the suffering of migrants even though the number of people dying at sea is rising. January has been the deadliest month so far for drownings between Turkey and Greece, Peter Bouckaert, the emergencies director at Human Rights Watch, told The Associated Press in an email. Almost every day, more drown on this dangerous journey. It is deeply disturbing that after all those solemn pledges when Aylan Kurdi drowned, these latest drownings were barely mentioned in the media, added Bouckaert, who was critical in giving wide circulation on Twitter to the images of Kurdi last year. We have chosen to look away. Saturdays tragedy occurred when the boat capsized as dozens of people attempted the deceptively short crossing from the Turkish coast to the Greek island of Lesbos barely 5 miles away. The boat sank shortly after departing from the shore near the Aegean resort of Ayvacik. More than 250 migrants have drowned already this month trying to reach one of Greeces offshore islands, entry point to the European Union and its uncertain promise of refuge from war and poverty. The Turkish coast guard said three ships, a helicopter and team of divers were searching the partially submerged craft and surrounding seas for more bodies as police on shore placed victims, some 10 children among them, in black bags. There were around 10 children among the dead, said Saim Eskioglu, deputy governor for the coastal Canakkale province that includes Ayvacik. Four of them, unfortunately, were babies about one or two years old. We are deeply saddened. BEIRUT In a Middle East torn apart by war and conflict, fighters are increasingly using food as a weapon. Millions of people across countries like Syria, Yemen and Iraq are gripped by hunger, struggling to survive with little help from the outside world. Children suffer from severe malnutrition, their parents often having to beg or sell possessions to get basic commodities including water, medicine and fuel. The biggest humanitarian catastrophe by far is Syria, where a ruinous five-year civil war has killed a quarter of a million people and displaced half the population. All sides in the conflict have used punishing blockades to force submission and surrender from the other side a tactic that has proved effective particularly for government forces seeking to pacify opposition-held areas around the capital Damascus. Since October, Russian air strikes and the start of another winter have exacerbated a humanitarian crisis and led to deaths from starvation in some places. Humanitarian teams who recently entered a besieged Syrian town witnessed scenes that haunt the soul, said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. He accused both the government of President Bashar Assad and the rebels fighting to oust him of using starvation as a weapon, calling it a war crime. Although sieges are an accepted military practice that are often carried out by forces seeking to avoid intense urban conflict, the conduct of forces carrying them out and their behavior toward civilian populations are regulated by international humanitarian law. Past cases include the sieges of Gorazde and Sarajevo during the Bosnian war. The Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, home to 1.8 million people, has also been under an Israeli and Egyptian blockade, restricting the flow of many goods into the war-torn Palestinian territory. The U.N. and aid agencies have struggled with funding shortages and growing impediments to the delivery of humanitarian assistance despite Security Council resolutions insisting on the unconditional delivery of aid across front lines. In Yemen, the Arab worlds most impoverished nation, nearly half of the countrys 22 provinces are ranked as one step away from famine conditions. The United Nations estimates more than 400,000 people are besieged in 15 communities across Syria, roughly half of them in areas controlled by the Islamic State group. In 2014, the U.N. was able to deliver food to about five percent of people in besieged areas, while today estimates show the organization is reaching less than one percent. In 2015, the World Food Program was forced to reduce the size of the food rations it provides to families inside Syria by up to 25 percent because of a funding shortfall. The agency says it has to raise $25 million every week to meet the basic food needs of people affected by the Syrian conflict. In Yemen, the humanitarian situation has dramatically deteriorated, nearly 300 days after the Saudi-led coalition began its air campaign aimed at driving Yemens Shiite rebels from cities under their control. Coalition naval ships are blockading traffic in Yemens ports and rebels are besieging several areas, particularly the southern city of Taiz. Some 14.4 million Yemenis, more than half of the population, are food insecure, an increase of 12 percent in the last eight months, the U.N.s Food and Agriculture Organization said. In late December, the WFP said 7.8 million of Yemens 24 million people are in even more dire condition, facing life-threatening rates of acute malnutrition, up by more than 3 million in less than a year. It said 10 of the countrys 22 provinces are in the grip of severe food insecurity at the emergency level, one step short of famine on the agencys 5-level scale of food security. In Taiz, with a population of about 250,000, residents have been going hungry for weeks, the WFP said. The United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Yemen Jamie McGoldrick said recently that basic services in Taiz are scarce, including access to water and fuel. KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia Malaysias top prosecutor said Saturday he will cooperate with Swiss authorities, whose investigation into an indebted Malaysian state investment fund indicated that $4 billion may have been misappropriated from Malaysian state-owned companies. Switzerlands top prosecutor said he sought Malaysias help after the investigation into 1MDB confirmed that some money was transferred into accounts held in Switzerland. The accounts were held by various former Malaysian public officials and both former and current public officials from the United Arab Emirates. The Swiss office said in a statement Friday that criminal proceedings were opened last August against two former 1MDB officials and individuals unknown on suspicion of bribery of foreign public officials, misconduct in public office, money laundering and criminal mismanagement. The $4 billion would have been earmarked for investment in economic and social development projects in Malaysia. Prime Minister Najib Razak, who formed 1MDB in 2009, became embroiled in the scandal after documents leaked last year suggested some $700 million deposited into his accounts may have come from entities linked to 1MDB. Malaysias Attorney General Mohamed Apandi Ali on Tuesday cleared Najib of any wrongdoing, saying it was a private donation from the Saudi royal family. Apandi said in a statement Saturday that Malaysian investigations into alleged graft by 1MDB are still ongoing. My office intends to take all possible steps to follow up and collaborate with our Swiss counterparts, and we look forward to receiving the findings of their investigations and materials, he said. He said the materials will be reviewed along with Malaysias own probe to determine the right course of action. 1MDB also said in a statement that it was willing to cooperate in the Swiss investigation but it hasnt been contacted. Swiss prosecutors said so far, four cases involving allegations of criminal misconduct from 2009-2013 have emerged involving several companies including SRC International, a former 1MDB subsidiary, and PetroSaudi, which was 1MDBs first joint venture partner. It said the Malaysian companies have not commented on the losses they are believed to have incurred. It said its probe is to establish whether losses on this scale have been sustained. Apandi stressed the investigations into 1MDB are separate from the probe into the money in Najibs accounts. Najib has been fighting intense pressure to resign over the financial scandal. MURMANSK, Russia Outside Maher al-Masihis rooms in the Arctic city of Murmansk, the snow is deep and the temperature far below freezing. He pulls out a smartphone and gazes at a map of Syria, where the weather is sunny and balmy. The weather aside, he is happy to be in Russia and frightened hell be forced back to Syria. We cannot go back. Theres a big war in our village, near our house, he says. But al-Masihi and his family of four may be living on borrowed time in Russia. He had hoped to follow the path of thousands of other Syrians who had entered Western Europe via Russia, many of them crossing into Norway, which had been accepting asylum-seekers without visas. Then Norway tightened its restrictions on allowing asylum-seekers to enter, and is looking at deporting some of those who have already arrived via Russia. Meanwhile, the tourist visas that al-Masihi and his family used to enter Russia have expired and Russia can force them to leave within 15 days. Now, he said, We are trying to go to Finland, just to be safe. Trying the Russia route has been crushingly expensive for al-Masihi, who said it cost about $20,000 in all for him and his family. I sold my car in Syria. I sold everything, said al-Masihi, who was a telecommunications engineer at home. He said he decided the expense was better than the risks of the perilous journey that many other Syrian migrants have taken a sea crossing to Greece followed by land journey up the Balkans. Crossing the sea in small boats is risky and criminals prey on the migrants. While asylum seekers are technically still allowed to enter Norway via Russia, the Norwegian government has begun to deport migrants with valid work or residency permits in Russia, something that has frightened off many would-be asylum seekers. Russia has also stopped allowing asylum seekers without a valid visa to cross the border to Norway. Determined to make it through to Europe, al-Masihi and his family changed their route once in Murmansk, and now plan to try to go to Finland rather than Norway. But bureaucratic processes have prolonged many refugees stays in Russia. Some asylum seekers may wait from two weeks to a month to receive permission to approach Finnish border crossing points that are located beyond a Russian military zone. As a result, hotels along the road from Murmansk to Finland are packed with waiting refugees. So far this January, 468 asylum seekers have already crossed the border from Russia to Finland. 1 Mass graves: Satellite images, video footage and witness accounts show that dozens of people allegedly killed by Burundian security forces in December were later buried in mass graves, Amnesty International reported Friday. The report came as unrest in Burundi escalated with the arrest of 17 people in a security sweep, including two foreign journalists on assignment for the French newspaper Le Monde who were released later Friday. The rights group reported five possible mass graves in the Buringa area on the outskirts of the capital, Bujumbura. President Pierre Nkurunzizas decision to seek re-election to a third term last April touched off street protests that led to a failed coup in May and a rebellion that has left the central African country on the brink of civil war. 2 Fatal avalanche: A large avalanche in the western Canadian province of British Columbia killed five people riding snowmobiles Friday, the provincial coroners service said. Barb McLintock of the B.C. Coroners Service said the avalanche occurred in an area where several groups were snowmobiling. Two coroners were dispatched from Prince George, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police were investigating. The McBride police was coordinating the search for snowmobilers involved in the avalanche in the Renshaw area east of McBride, about 130 miles southeast of Prince George. LONDON A vocal group of students wanted to pull it down, and many alumni wanted it to stay. For months, authorities at Oxford University have struggled with an awkward dilemma over the fate of a statue of Cecil Rhodes, an imperialist benefactor seen by many as an architect of apartheid. Now, after a vigorous debate, Oriel College, 1 of 38 largely self-governing colleges at Oxford, has decided it will keep the monument to its famous, if divisive, former student. In a statement released late Thursday, the college said it had received more than 500 comments on the subject and that the overwhelming message we have received has been in support of the statue remaining in place, for a variety of reasons. Following careful consideration, the statement continued, the colleges Governing Body has decided that the statue should remain in place, and that the college will seek to provide a clear historical context to explain why it is there. The decision represents a defeat for a group of students who had sought to follow the example of their counterparts at the University of Cape Town, who last year achieved the removal of a statue of Rhodes. The petition and protest in Oxford had provoked an intense discussion about whether Britains colonial past should be judged by contemporary standards, and whether Rhodes should be remembered more as a ruthless colonialist or as a benefactor. The dispute was characterized on one side as an exercise in political correctness and a desire to erase history, and on the other as a test of the universitys willingness to acknowledge the sensitivities and values of minority students. Rhodes died in 1902, and his educational legacy includes a prestigious scholarship that bears his name. Approximately 8,000 Rhodes scholars including a former Australian prime minister, Tony Abbott, who said removing the statue would be an act of moral vanity, and former President Bill Clinton have studied at Oxford thanks to the program set up with money left by Rhodes. The group behind the campaign to remove monuments to Rhodes, Rhodes Must Fall in Oxford, reacted angrily to the colleges announcement, describing it as outrageous, dishonest and cynical. Born in 1853, Rhodes attended Oriel College in the 1870s before founding the De Beers diamond empire in South Africa, where he rose to be prime minister of what was then the Cape Colony, from 1890 to 1896. GENEVA The main Syrian opposition delegation arrived in Switzerland Saturday night, however it remained unclear whether they would actually participate in U.N.-sponsored peace talks aimed at ending Syrias civil war. The indirect peace talks began here Friday with a meeting between the United Nations envoy and the Syrian government delegation. The main opposition group, the Higher Negotiations Committee or HNC, boycotted that session saying it wont take part until a set of preliminary demands are met: releasing detainees, ending the bombardment of civilians by Russian and Syrian forces, and lifting government blockades on rebel-held areas. The HNC later agreed to send a delegation to Geneva to meet with U.N. officials, while still insisting it would not negotiate until their demands are met. The HNC decision to come to Geneva gave a glimmer of hope that peace efforts in Syria might get off the ground for the first time since two earlier rounds of negotiations collapsed in 2014. Meanwhile officials from Syrias largest Kurdish group left Geneva on Saturday after being excluded from the negotiations, a Kurdish official and opposition figures said. Saleh Muslim, co-president of the Democratic Union Party, or PYD, left when it became clear he would not be invited to participate, according to Kurdish official Nawaf Khalil. The participation of the PYD has been a divisive issue in advance of the Geneva talks. Turkey, which has struggled with its own large Kurdish population, considers the PYD a terrorist organization and the HNC claims they are too close to the Syrian government. Unlike other groups from outside the HNC that were invited as advisers, the PYD received no invitation from U.N. Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura. The move to exclude the PYD angered Qadri Jamil, a former Syrian deputy prime minister who has become a leading opposition figure but is not part of the HNC. Jamil said the PYDs military wing has been the most effective force on the ground in Syria fighting the Islamic State group. Bassam Bitar of the oppositions Movement for a Pluralistic Society said the PYD will most likely be invited to take part in future rounds of negotiations. ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia The U.N. secretary-general expressed shame Saturday over allegations that U.N. peacekeepers and foreign troops sexually abused children in Central African Republic. We are all deeply ashamed and horrified over the damage that has been done when peacekeepers exploit and abuse vulnerable people, Ban Ki-moon said at a summit for African leaders in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. The appalling acts of a few undermine the dedicated work of many. The U.N. has a zero tolerance policy on sexual abuse and exploitation. We must all work together to ensure accountability and transparency. The U.N. human rights office said Friday that it had found six more cases of alleged sexual abuse against children by European troops in Central African Republic, including a 7-year-old girl who said she had to perform sexual acts on soldiers in exchange for water and cookies. A U.N. team recently interviewed five girls and a boy who claimed their abusers were part of French and European Union military operations in the troubled African country, the office of High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad al-Hussein said. The sexual abuse allegedly took place in 2014 in or near a camp for displaced people in the Central African Republic capital Bangui. France, Central African Republics former colonial ruler, deployed several thousand troops to the country in late 2013 as violence between Christians and Muslims sent thousands fleeing from their homes. An African Union mission that began in April 2014 was taken over by a U.N. peacekeeping force five months later, while the EU force ended an 11-month mission in March last year. At a news conference in New York on Friday, the U.N. announced new allegations against U.N. peacekeepers. Assistant Secretary-General Anthony Banbury came close to tears as he described four new child sex abuse cases in Central African Republic involving U.N. troops and police from Bangladesh, Congo, Niger and Senegal. For all of 2015, Banbury said, there are likely to be 69 confirmed allegations of sexual abuse or exploitation in the U.N.'s 16 peacekeeping missions around the world. Egypt's interior ministry officially refuted on Saturday media reports claiming that those responsible for the downing of the Russian airliner over Egypt's Sinai last October had been identified and arrested. The security source, quoted in the interior ministry's statement, added that none of the ministry's security apparatuses had arrested any suspects related to the incident. The statement comes one day after the Kremlin declined to comment on the reports claiming that intelligence officers had established the identities of several persons involved in plotting the attack, including a perpetrator who smuggled explosives aboard the aircraft. On Friday, Reuters reported statements from sources saying that an EgyptAir mechanic, whose cousin joined the ISIS militant group in Syria, was suspected of planting the bomb on the Russian airliner. Reuters added that the mechanic was detained, along with two airport policemen and a baggage handler, who were suspected of helping him put the bomb on board. In same report, however, a senior airline security official denied that any of its employees had been arrested or were under suspicion. An interior ministry official also said that there had been no arrests. According to Reuters, any formal charges or official Egyptian confirmation that a bomb brought down the Airbus A321 could potentially expose Egypt to compensation payments to the families of the 224 victims who lost their lives in the crash. To date, Egypt has publicly said it has found no evidence that the MetroJet flight was brought down by terrorism. However, Russia's security chief Alexander Bortnikov says the aircraft, which took off from the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh en route to Russia's St Petersburg, was brought down by a home-made bomb containing up to 1 kilogram of TNT. Militants of an ISIS-linked group battling security forces in Egypt's Sinai said they brought down the aircraft in response to Russian air strikes against Islamist fighters in Syria. Several other countries, including the UK, have suspended flights to Sharm El-Sheikh, or Egypt altogether, over security fears, prompting concerns that the country's tourism industry already ravaged by over four years of political turmoil is now certain to see a huge slump. Search Keywords: Short link: Algeria's parliament is to meet from Wednesday to adopt a draft revision of the constitution limiting the number of presidential terms to two, the presidency said. A statement said President Abdelaziz Bouteflika signed a decree to that effect on Saturday. The revision would restore the two-term limit which was suppressed in 2008. This enabled Bouteflika, first elected as president of the oil-rich North African state in 1999 and re-elected in 2004 for another five-year term, to stand again in 2009 and 2014. The 78-year-old appeared just once during the campaign for the 2014 election, in a wheelchair after suffering a stroke the year before. Public appearances by Bouteflika are rare, and he appears on local television only when foreign dignitaries visit. Introducing the draft revisions this month, Bouteflika's chief of staff Ahmed Ouyahia said that in 2008 the president had responded to a call by the people to remain in office. The announcement of his candidacy in 2014 gave rise to protests organised by the Barakat ("Enough") movement. The constitutional revision would also boost the status of the Berber dialect Tamazight to official language and also prevent Algerians holding more than one nationality from standing in elections for public office. This has angered many Algerians in France who are citizens of both countries. Also on Saturday, the presidency confirmed the creation of a new intelligence organisation following the dissolution of the powerful Department of Intelligence and Security (DRS). "The DRS has been dissolved and replaced by three security branches reporting directly to the presidency," Ouyahia said. Retired general Athman Tartag, an ex-security adviser to Bouteflika, is to head the new DSS. He was named in September as successor to longtime DRS chief General Mohamed Mediene -- better known as General Toufik -- head of a shadowy intelligence service that many viewed as a "state within a state". The move places the entire security apparatus under Bouteflika's direct control, with Tartag reporting to him on the activities of all the country's intelligence services. Search Keywords: Short link: BANGALORE: While the SUV segment is the most awaited one this year, car makers are looking forward to rolling out new products in premium SUV segment. Although the SUV segment does not enjoy the major share of the market in sales, they hold importance for car manufacturers. Indians prefer SUVs as it is spacious as a sedan and at the same can easily counter terrains. With some of the next-generation models as well as new product, 2016-17 has a series of launches in store for the Indian consumers. Here take a look at the SUV that are arriving in India in 2016-17, reports CarToq. Read More: Iconic 'Ford Mustang' Unveiled in India; All the Details JLR Launches Updated XJ Saloon in India at Rs 98.03 Lakh STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The stomach bug known as norovirus has sickened scores of children at PS 58 in New Springville. The school, which has an enrollment of more than 750 students from pre-K to fifth grade, had at least 10 percent of its students out sick on Friday, a day after the virus sent more than a dozen kids home, and then spread. Parents, who learned of the outbreak through Facebook and social media, were upset they were not kept informed by the school. Some blasted the school for not taking precautions to sanitize hallways, stairwells and classrooms. Some parents said they thought the school should have been closed Friday. A few parents decided to keep their children home anyway, to avoid catching the bug. Parents Danielle Sarnelli and Jessica Rivera said they were keeping their children home as a precaution. "My son told me there were a lot of kids throwing up, so I took him home," said Sarnelli. "I'm concerned," added Rivera, who said she was keeping her daughter home as well." Better to be safe than sorry." The highly contagious virus causes abdominal pain, diarrhea and/or vomiting, sometimes accompanied by a low-grade fever, body-aches and chills. The virus is spread through close contact with infected people, or touching infected objects. The virus usually lasts from one to three days. Inspectors from the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene were on hand at the school Friday, inspecting facilities and trying to find ways to ensure the illness doesn't get passed on further. An Advance reporter and photographer were turned away in the lobby by school security, asked to leave "for your own good." Calls to the principal and administrators at PS 58 went unanswered. Parents said they were only notified after dismissal Friday, when they received an automated message from Principal Michael LaMorte, who reported that only a dozen children had been sickened Thursday, and that the school was being disinfected. The Department of Education said school administrators had followed protocol by notifying the Department of Health. "The school is following protocol and parents are being notified. Out of an abundance of caution, we will be thoroughly disinfecting the school today and again over the weekend. We will continue to work closely with the DOH to ensure that all students are safe," the DOE said in a statement. Still, that was no consolation to parents whose children had already come down with the virus. "It's horrible," said Kishon Card, a mother of four, whose 6-year-old son became sick Thursday evening, hours after he'd come home from first grade. "I'd heard there were kids in his class who got sick, but he wasn't complaining, and I thought we might get lucky," she said. But her son was up all night with stomach pain and vomiting. Now she's afraid the virus will spread to her other children, including her 6-week-old baby. Linda Collazo said her granddaughter also became sick Thursday evening, a few hours after dismissal. "I thought it may have been the lunch, like food poisoning," she said. "They still are unsure. I called DOH and they said they were looking into this matter. "The school is taking this way too lightly, for so many little children to be so sick so suddenly. There are too many children who have the same symptoms. They also had school open today and there are kids in class today which means they are also contracting it because the school is contaminated." Community Education President Michael Reilly urged parents to be sure their children wash their hands frequently and thoroughly, use soap and apply hand-sanitizer, and avoid touching their mouth or face. The national Center for Disease Control in Atlanta advises parents of children stricken by the virus to be sure their children drink plenty of liquids to replace fluid lost from throwing up and diarrhea. This will help prevent dehydration. To prevent the virus from spreading at home, parents are advised to wipe down surfaces, including tables, sinks and countertops, with a disinfectant such as bleach, and to wash clothing, bedding and other items in hot to warm water with detergent. Children should also wash hands, and be discouraged from sharing toys, food and drink, and cups and utensils with siblings. A similar norovirus outbreak was reported at an elementary school in Queens earlier this month. "There will be another revolution if the social and economic circumstances do not change," said Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi on 17 December 2015, the fifth anniversary of the eruption of the Tunisian revolution in Sidi Bouzid. Essebsis statements mark five years since the events in Tunisias Kasserine governorate. The demonstrations, which started with the suicide of 26-year-old Ridha Al-Yahyaoui in the west-central governorate of Kasserine on 16 January, are the largest and longest wave of social demonstrations Tunisia has witnessed since the revolution (17 December 201014 January 2011). Demonstrations expanded to more than 16 governorates out of a total of 24 in a little over a week, with incidences of violence and looting prompting authorities to impose a curfew around the country. The inland cities in the west, central, and south Tunisia has also witnessed separate social protests after the "Jasmine Revolution," the most significant of which was in Siliana governorate in November 2012. Disregard for Tunisias critical issues Essebsi's statement in last December implies that the political elite and even those in power are aware that democracy and freedom of expression and organisation is not sufficient for most Tunisians. In fact, the political elite explicitly criticise the disregard of economic and social issues such as development, unemployment, poverty, and marginalisation. These problems have been piling up for decades and remained the same after the revolution, which toppled former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, in the midst of political conflicts. Many viewed the youth abstention from voting in the 2014 parliamentary and presidential elections as a red alert for the general disregard for the seriousness of unemployment and social justice which threatened Tunisia's emerging democracy. Nonetheless, such a realisation was not translated into action by Tunisian decision makers. In fact, under the rule of the coalition led by Nidaa Tounes and Ennahda who used to be rivals in the past levels of economic growth decreased by 0.5% while unemployment increased. According to the Global Corruption Index, Tunisia came in the 79th place, after occupying the 53rd place in 2011. Some of the political elite in Tunisia do make acknowledge the impact of last year's three terrorist attacks on the economy and employment opportunities. Others, however, believe that the problem is much deeper, arguing that no departure from pre-revolution patterns of development has taken place. Why Kasserine? Understanding why protests started in Kasserine lies in the fact that the governorate suffers one of the lowest levels of human development in the North African state. Moreover, the highest number of people killed during the revolution came from Kasserine. It is also worth noting that a number of terrorist movements are based in the governorate, seeking a safe haven amid a state of poverty, unemployment, and marginalisation. Unemployment rates reached 26.2% in Kasserine, although the national average is 17.6%. Rates of illiteracy and access to drinking water in the governorate reached 32% and 50%. In the capital Tunis, illiteracy rates stop at 12%, with 90% of its areas enjoying access to drinking water. In a visit to Kasserine last December, the presence of an inefficient bureaucratic apparatus and anger among youth were noticeable issues. After Al-Yahyaoui committed suicide, the government acted quickly; several officials in Kasserine were sacked and the government vowed to provide new jobs. However, this was apparently not enough for the youth, whether inside or outside Kasserine. The political elite in Tunisia are fully aware that security measures, such as imposing a curfew, will not be sustainable in the face of any expanding crisis. Even after imposing a curfew, peaceful protests and sit-ins take place every day in Kasserine and in a number of areas in Tunisia, in protest of unemployment. Tunisian authorities are fully aware that they cannot add fuel to the fire and suppress these peaceful moves. Delays in legislation and elections Kasserine's uprising showed that the lefts opposition represented in the "popular front" is not ready and not willing to play a part in the current government. To achieve the goals of the social revolution this time, political initiatives were launched as a call for a national dialogue conference between the various political factions. For instance, the legislative initiative, by the head of the parliament, enacted a law that obliges the state to hire a member from each family in a permanent job. There are also low hopes of funding for the international and local investors to adopt new projects. Additionally, there is weak infrastructure in the internal governorates, such as the roads, which were the responsibility of those in power prior to the revolution. The delay in reforming the local administration and the bureaucracy shows that the democracy building process was slow to implement new laws. Even holding local elections in the fall of this year is still uncertain. It is in the best interest of some political forces to defer the elections, Dr Chafik Sarsar, the head of Tunisia's electoral commission, told Ahram Online. It is noteworthy in this context that even despite the vitality of the political parties, which number at over 200, as well as the vitality of the civil society, which has doubled to 8000 organisations, their influence does not go much beyond holding general elections at hotels in the capital and major coastal cities. In reality, they have no influence in the villages and the marginalised neighborhoods. Henceforth, the biggest challenge remains the incomplete political democracy that did not trickle down to development, social justice, or fighting corruption and chronic bureaucracy. Search Keywords: Short link: Turkey on Saturday accused Russia of a new violation of its airspace, warning Moscow it would "face consequences" amid the worst relations between the two countries since the end of the Cold War. The Turkish foreign ministry said a Russian Su-34 plane violated Turkish airspace at 0946 GMT on Friday despited repeated warnings from Turkish air radar units in Russian and English. Meanwhile, the Russian defence ministry Saturday dismissed as "baseless propaganda" Turkish claims of a new airspace violation by a Russian fighter jet. "The Turkish declarations concerning the alleged violation of its airspace by a Russian Su-34 are baseless propaganda," ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told Russian news agencies. In November, Turkey, a key NATO member, shot down a Russian fighter jet on the Syrian border, sparking a war of words with Russia which insisted its plane had not violated Turkish airspace. Russia launched a massive air campaign in Syria in September against rebels fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad, a long-time Moscow ally whom Turkey bitterly opposes. Ankara on Friday summoned the Russian ambassador to the foreign ministry to "strongly protest and condemn" the latest alleged airspace violation. A Russian embassy spokesman declined to comment on the talks between the ambassador and Turkish officials. "We will not comment on the subject of discussions with his colleagues at the foreign ministry," spokesman Igor Mityakov told the Russian news agency RIA Novosti. NATO head Jens Stoltenberg on Saturday called on Russia to "act responsibly and to fully respect NATO airspace". "Russia must take all necessary measures to ensure that such violations do not happen again," Stoltenberg said in a statement. "Previous incidents have shown how dangerous such behaviour is". Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Russia would "have to face consequences if it keeps up such violations". "Such irresponsible steps do not benefit either the Russian Federation, or Russia-NATO relations, or regional and global peace", he told reporters at an Istanbul airport before setting off for a Latin America tour. The Turkish foreign ministry did not specify where the latest violation took place although it is likely to have been close to the Syrian border where Russian troops are operating. "This violation is a new and concrete indicator of Russian Federation actions to escalate problems despite clear warnings from our country and NATO," the ministry added. Erdogan also said he wanted to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss the crisis in their relationship, although it was not immediately clear if this request came after the latest violation. The Turkish strongman has in recent weeks repeatedly, and in vain, called for a meeting with the Russian leader. "I've asked our foreign ministry undersecretary that I want to meet with Mr Putin but our embassy there has informed us here that there's been no response from (Russia) since then," said Erdogan. Relations between Moscow and Ankara are at their lowest ebb in decades, prompted by the November 24 downing of the Russian jet which infuriated Moscow. Putin has vowed that Turkey will be made to regret the incident, with the Kremlin announcing sanctions including a ban on the import of some foods and a halt on sales of holiday packages, a major blow to Turkish tourism. The two countries also back opposing sides in Syria's almost five-year civil war, with Russia the key supporter of the Damascus regime while Turkey argues that the ouster of Assad is essential to solving the Syrian crisis. Last year Turkey started flights to Syria to bomb Islamic State positions in the war-torn country as part of the international air campaign against the jihadist group. But Turkish media reported that the Turkish airforce suspended missions of its aircraft over Syria in the aftermath of the downing of the Russian jet to avoid further controversy with Russia. Stoltenberg on Saturday made clear that NATO would stand by Turkey, the second largest military power in the alliance after the United States. "NATO stands in solidarity with Turkey and supports the territorial integrity of our ally, Turkey." *The story was edited by Ahram Online. Search Keywords: Short link: 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 Belgian police on Saturday arrested four people on suspicion they planned to go to Syria and Libya, the federal prosecutor's office said, as the nation remains on high alert following the Paris attacks. Officials believe around 500 Belgians may have gone as foreign fighters to Syria, joining up with militants from the Islamic State (ISIS) group which claimed the November attacks on the French capital. And with Libya in turmoil since the 2011 revolution, there are growing fears it could provide fertile ground for ISIS recruitment in a region much closer to Europe. A spokesman for the federal prosecutor's office said police arrested the four in Jumet, near the airport in the southern city of Charleroi, because they were "possibly planning to go to Syria or Libya." "A judge will decide tomorrow whether to detain them further," he said. The arrests were not linked to the ongoing investigation into Paris attacks, he said. Belgian police have arrested 11 people in connection with the November 13 attacks in Paris which left 130 people dead and hundreds wounded since it emerged that the violence was largely organised and coordinated from Belgium. Earlier this month, the authorities identified three safe houses used by key suspects -- in Brussels, in Charleroi, an hour's drive south of the capital, and in Auvelais, a village near the French border. Search Keywords: Short link: 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 WSJ; The story of Anwar Ali, the Pakistani boy who severed his own hand earlier this month, underscores the deep, dangerous and often overlooked threat posed by radical Islam--its assault on the mind. It is gut-wrenching that a 15-year-old boy, who raised his hand at evening prayers after the local imam asked who among them did not love the Prophet Muhammad--mistakenly thinking that the cleric had asked who did love the prophet--would cut off his own hand to prove his faith to the imam, who had accused him of blasphemy after the incident. What's even more troubling is that, even as attempts were made to arrest the cleric, many in Khanqah, the eastern Punjab village where the spectacle occurred, defended both the imam and the boy's actions, praising his devotion to God. On so many levels, this story is illustrative of the disease spreading within Islam. [...] This is not just about repressive regimes and foreign-policy miscues that have helped this radicalism spread. This goes beyond the misogyny that says it's acceptable to abuse women and the medieval customs that endorse a boy's decision to sever his hand. This is an assault on diversity of thought and free thinking. There is not an obvious military solution to deal with the instability and violence in the Middle East and North Africa, nor is it clear (even if we were successful in finding one) what the subsequent political resolution would be--the Arab uprisings have taught us as much. But we can all agree that radical Islam is a menace that is claiming not just lives, but hearts and minds too. If we are fighting terrorism on all fronts then shouldn't we be tackling the underlying ideology instead of casting this as something completely devoid of religion? 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! Suspected Russian air strikes killed at least 10 civilians Saturday in a village held by the Islamic State (ISIS) group in the eastern Syrian province of Deir Ezzor, a monitor said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said three children were among those killed in the raids on Al-Hisan in the western part of the province. Much of oil-rich Deir Ezzor is controlled by the militant group which has also begun an offensive to wrest the provincial capital of the same name and the nearby military airport from government hands. Russia launched air strikes in Syria in September in support of President Bashar al-Assad's regime. It has stepped up its air raids on areas held by IS and rebel groups battling the regime in recent months. According to the Observatory, suspected Russian air raids killed 54 civilians in various parts of Syria earlier this week, including in Deir Ezzor. On Saturday the head of the Britain-based monitoring group, Rami Abdel Rahman, said four months of Russian strikes in Syria have killed 3,578 people -- 500 more than a previous toll on January 20. Of the total he said 1,380 are civilians -- 332 children, 195 women and 853 men. The raids also killed 965 IS fighters and 1,233 other opposition militants, including members of Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front. On January 20, the Observatory, which relies on sources on the ground for its information, said Russian air strikes since September had killed 3,049 people. The latest developments come as representatives of Syria's main Saudi-backed opposition body arrived on Saturday in Switzerland for UN-organised peace talks. More than 260,000 people have been killed in Syria's conflict, which erupted nearly five years ago with anti-government protests. Millions have been displaced or forced to flee the devastation. Search Keywords: Short link: 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(0x5612f01b2578)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f03204c8)', '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(0x5612f01b2578)') 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(0x5612f03204c8)') 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(0x5612f01fe1f8)') 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(0x5612f03204c8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f03204c8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ee515000)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f036bb30)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f036bb30)') 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(0x5612f036cf78)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f06cea68)', '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(0x5612f036cf78)') 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(0x5612f06cea68)') 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(0x5612f03394b8)') 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(0x5612f06cea68)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f06cea68)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ee515460)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f0353ce8)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f0353ce8)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 The company which spent $10,000 providing free and heavily discounted fuel to Canberra motorists last week has rejected criticism its app system is a gimmick. Go2 said motorists who used their Rewards smartphone app would make ongoing savings and "thousands" of people had already signed up. Traffic about 11am ahead of free petrol as part of a two-hour promotion at Metro petrol station in Fyshwick last Wednesday. Credit:Rohan Thomson A Go2 spokesman confirmed on Friday between 170 and 180 cars had filled up with petrol for free or just a few cents per litre at the Metro Petroleum station in Fyshwick on Wednesday as part of the Go2 Rewards app Canberra launch. Metro had been reimbursed based on consumption, so had not made any extra profit, he said. ACT Fuel Watch co-founder Benjamin Ling, whose price watch website has been credited with helping lower petrol prices across the city, said the Rewards app would not have the same wide impact. What a difference an Australia Day makes. This time last year, Prince Philip was shaken from decrepitude by a serving wench, with news that he'd been knighted in the land of the spear throwers and onion eaters. A year on, state and territory leaders have called time on the monarchy. Switching to a republic should be a cinch. All they're lacking is a preferred model, broad public support and a proactive prime minister. Malcolm Turnbull's determination to do nothing until the demise of Queen Elizabeth II is a little icky. How comforting for Her Majesty that our pro-republic PM is waiting for the day she drops off the perch, before leaping into action. Her rude good health is an affront to Grand Mal's ever-dwindling aspirations. Local Hero of the Year Catherine Keenan is shielded by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull at a windy Parliament House. Credit:Andrew Meares Oh how we missed Tony Abbott, a man not afraid to headbutt defeat, heroic or otherwise. There's long been an ambivalence about Australia Day. But this year was particularly tepid, about as stirring as a half-cooked sausage or watching a 607-minute film of paint drying. I blame the torpor on Lleyton Hewitt, who earlier had ended his tennis singles career meekly in straight sets, depriving the nation of calls of "C'mon" and an excuse to query whether Bec is pregnant or merely bloated. Soon the world will witness a remarkable sight: a beloved Nobel Peace Prize winner presiding over 21st-century concentration camps. Aung San Suu Kyi, one of the world's genuine heroes, won democracy for her country, culminating in historic elections in November that her party won in a landslide. As winner, Suu Kyi is also inheriting the worst ethnic cleansing you've never heard of, Myanmar's destruction of a Muslim minority called the Rohingya. A recent Yale study suggested that the abuse of the more than 1 million Rohingya may amount to genocide; at the least, a confidential UN report to the Security Council says it may constitute "crimes against humanity under international criminal law". Yet Suu Kyi seems to plan to continue this Myanmar version of apartheid. She is now a politician and oppressing a minority such as the Rohingya is popular with mostly Buddhist voters. What all this means in practical terms is that Muhammad Karim is dead at 14. Turkey's Foreign Ministry says it has summoned the Russian ambassador after a Russian jet violated Turkey's airspace on Friday, despite several warnings. A Foreign Ministry statement on Saturday said the plane was warned in Russian and in English before entering Turkey's airspace. The statement accused Russia of escalating tensions and said Russia would be held responsible for any "dire" consequences. In November Turkey shot down a Russian plane which violated its airspace near Syria, touching off a crisis between the two countries. Search Keywords: Short link: Has there ever been a time when workers face more distractions? The internet and social media have added a vast array of new diversions to go with traditional time-wasters like gossiping in the tea room. It's no surprise that researchers have discovered an alarming level of "cyberloafing" in modern workplaces. A study by American academics Joseph Ugrin and John Pearson published in 2013 found between 60 and 80 percent of people's time on the internet at work had nothing to do with work. Their survey of American office workers found older employees tended to spend time managing their finances online while younger workers spent more time on social networking sites like Facebook. "We found that that for young people, it was hard to get them to think that social networking was unacceptable behaviour," says Ugrin, who studies behavioural and ethical issues related to accounting and information systems. But there were more than 25,000 animals subject to an experiment with "death as an endpoint", in which the animal is suffering and the death of the animal is planned but the animal is not euthanised. Helen Marston, the chief executive of Humane Research Australia, said that Australia was the fourth highest user of animals in experiments and surgery training in the world after China, Japan and the US. Ms Marston said there has been a resistance to move away from the use of animals despite available alternatives that are being used around the world. Dr Denise Russell, a research fellow at the University of Wollongong specialising in animals and ethics, said there is a lack of ethical scrutiny of the experimental projects. "The ethical scrutiny for research comes at the end of a long process of grant application and approval. There is then an incentive for the animal ethics committees to simply accept the proposals. (If they don't institutions are denied that funding.) The scientists on animal ethics committees are required to be from areas using animal research and can't be expected to have good knowledge of alternatives," she said. Dr Russell said most of the experiments done are not to get a cure for human disease. "There's often hype about a new drug then nothing eventuates. All this suggests we are looking in the wrong place and alternatives should be investigated. Also the fact that there is poor transferability from animal to human studies suggests using animals to find out about humans is misguided." The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is responsible for funding research involving animals. It is currently reviewing its policy on the care and use of non-human primates for scientific purposes. Professor Anne Kelso, the chief executive of NHMRC, was unavailable to answer questions from Fairfax Media but told the ABC last week that despite enormous advances in recent years "we are not yet at a point where all medical research can be done entirely outside an animal". Professor Kelso said researchers were like the rest of the population and did not want to use animals unless there was strong justification. She said many people in Australia are working towards better models and some of the most advanced research in this area is being done in Australia. Sydney will be enveloped in glorious summer sunshine on Sunday, with a clear sunny day closing out what has been the wettest January for almost three decades. The perfect beach weather is expected to last for the entire day, reaching a top of 31 degrees in most suburbs across Sydney around 1pm, according to weather forecaster Weatherzone. It was a hazy start to the day as the city recovered from a severe thunderstorm that battered the city on Saturday evening, causing power outages and flash flooding in parts of southern and western Sydney. Thick fog covered large parts of the city early on Sunday as visibility dropped as low as 150 metres in Camden in south-west Sydney and Richmond in the city's west. The Turnbull government has ordered private health insurers to justify their planned premium increases in an effort to secure a better deal for consumers. In what's being billed as an unprecedented intervention in the normal regulatory process, Health Minister Sussan Ley has written to all private insurers asking for "additional information" regarding possible premium increases this year. Health Minister Sussan Ley says sporting organisations could lose government funding if they fail to provide gender-neutral travel arrangements. Credit:Andrew Meares "I have held increasing concerns the current process used to assess and approve premium increases does not allow government a rigorous assessment of an insurer's full financial position," Ms Ley said in a statement on Saturday. The federal government holds a significant stake in the private health sector by providing about $6 billion in rebates every year, Ms Ley says. A prominent Australian women's magazine is refusing to pay an actress for an exclusive interview she gave about having to snatch her child from Malaysia, because she allegedly she did not tell the whole truth. But the actress, former Neighbours star Eliza Szonert, has vigorously rejected New Idea's claims that she was not truthful in the interview which related to her snatching her young son from her estranged partner in a restaurant in Malaysia last year. The snatching of the boy from his father, Australian businessman Ashley Crick, caused an international incident, led to a Malaysian police investigation and resulted in Ms Szonert and the child being stranded in Malaysia for nearly a month without passports. Mr Crick has previously denied any impropriety and said he has always been acting in the best interest of his son. He is understood to dispute a number of Ms Szonert's assertions but has declined to comment publicly. Home for Phelicity Sneesby is a backyard swimming pool in Ballina. It's a small bicycle and sitting around the kitchen table with her three sisters, who like calling her Phlick. It's where her thoughts travel each day from her hospital bed, half a world away. Phelicity, 13, wants to come home to die. She has spent much of her short life in a hospital gown, undergoing multiple operations for a congenital heart defect and related condition that depletes her stocks of protein. For the past two months, she has been in intensive care in the United States, after her parents Ben and Veronica took her abroad for an emergency life-saving operation. Against all hopes, her treatment was unsuccessful. Now, Phelicity, who has flaming orange hair, pale skin and a wide smile, hopes only to come home again. "She wants to swim in the pool with her sisters and have a meal with her family and friends," Mr Sneesby says. "She says 'I want to go home. I don't want to be in hospital.' "She knows she is probably coming home to die. For you and I, home is where we go every day. For someone like Phelicity, it is a special treat. As a kid who has spent most of her life in hospitals, home is a special place." Simon Gittany has lodged an appeal against his conviction more than two years after he was found guilty of murdering his fiancee by throwing her off a balcony. Gittany was found guilty in 2013 of throwing Lisa Harnum, 30, to her death from the 15th floor balcony of the inner-city apartment they shared in 2011. Appeal: Simon Gittany was convicted in 2013 of murdering his girlfriend Lisa Harnum in 2011. Credit:Ben Rushton During his trial, the court heard he was an abusive and domineering partner who monitored the former ballerina's text messages and movements through security cameras. In her judgment, Justice Lucy McCallum found Gittany flew into an "uncontrollable rage" upon learning that Ms Harnum was planning to leave him, an act she said was "facilitated by a sense of ownership and a lack of any true respect for the autonomy of the woman he claimed to love". The confusing parking sign which is located on Pyrmont Street, near the corner of Pyrmont Bridge Road. Credit:Tony Walters "Staying at my parents' place in the west of Sydney, I ventured into Pyrmont two days before Christmas eager to get out of the house and catch up with old friends whom I hadn't seen for two years. Driving was the only option and road tolls were a necessary evil I couldn't dodge. The 40-minute drive from Kellyville racked up four tolls; M7, M2, Lane Cove Tunnel and Harbour Bridge. Each 'bleep' on the roam tag was like a tiny kidney punch to my wallet. Upon arriving in Pyrmont, I aimlessly circled the streets for 30 minutes trying to find a parking space. It felt like I was in a Hunger Games race for car space sanctuary. Eventually I found a spot. Or was it? Rubbing my eyes to ensure it wasn't a mirage, I was confronted by four ambiguous, conflicting parking signs all piled on top of each other to create one monstrous 'super sign'. "I checked it again and again. Not having the mathematical problem-solving capability of Alan Turing, I deduced it was OK to park there. My confidence was validated when I purchased a ticket and displayed it on the dashboard. "While sipping on my overpriced pint, old friendships were resumed with some deep debate about the order in which one should watch the Star Wars movies if you hadn't seen any before. I left the conversation to go and pay for more parking. I found an infringement ticket flapping under the windscreen wiper like a fish taking its final breaths. $248 for "disobeying a no stopping sign". $248!! My first response was one of indignation. Does the punishment fit the crime? Further to my irritation, the charge of "disobeying" surely infers a level of intent to commit that crime. Surely paying and displaying the one hour $2.70 ticket was evidence I was not willingly committing any crime at all. "I kinda lost my Ho, Ho, Ho at that point. Further insult followed with a 'free' toll back over the bridge The Grinch in me saw it as a slap on the arse as I was sent back to the wild west... 'and don't come back'. Humbug. The exhibition draws on the illustrations of the Russian literary classics Artist Lena Ashraf will hold a four-day solo painting exhibition titled Russian Classics that draw illustrations by Ashraf from the works of classical Russian literature. The exhibition will be hosted in the Russian Culture Center in Cairo. Ashraf is based in Moscow, where she was born to Egyptian parents, and went on to earn a bachelors degree in art. She then pursued cinema art at Moscows High institute for Cinema. Ashraf, who is also a photographer, worked as a set and costume designer in a number of student Russian film productions as well as professional films. As an artist, Ashraf participated in many exhibits in Russia, including the Moscow Biennale for Contemporary Art in 2011, with two projects, Gelatin and Balsam. In 2014 she joined an exhibit in Paris titled La Folle Sagesse, centering on the life of the artist Vincent Van Gogh, and recently held a solo exhibition in Cairo at the Russian Cultural Institute. In 2015 she had her week long solo painting exhibition titled El-Refai hosted by the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cairo. Programme: Russian classics exhibition will run between 7 and 10 February Russian Culture Center, 127 Al Tahrir Street Al Dokki, Giza 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: The ghetto-turned-glitzy London housing precinct cited by the Baird government as a model for the regeneration of Sydney's public housing has one small problem. Only 74 of the 2500 units being built by Lend Lease are housing for the poor. Only 3 per cent of the 2500 units being built by Lend Lease will be housing for the poor. Credit:Louie Douvis Just 3 per cent not the 30 per cent initially promised. When it was demolished, the Heygate estate had 1200 "social rent" apartments. Police who responded to an incident at a Chinchilla residence are being investigated after the man was Tasered in the eye. Shortly before 11pm on Friday, police were called to a residence on Zeller Street in response to reports of a man armed with knives and making threats. Officers used a Taser twice on a man in Chinchilla, one of them striking him in the eye. Police said the man was in a highly agitated state and made verbal threats towards police. After an extended verbal negotiation with police outside the house, the man picked up a knife and ran towards police through a security screen. Paris: France will recognise a Palestinian state if a final push that Paris plans to lead for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians fails, its foreign minister said on Friday. US-led efforts to broker peace for a two-state solution collapsed in April 2014 and since then there have been no serious efforts to resume talks. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius says letting the status quo continue risks killing off a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. Credit:Getty Images Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius has repeatedly warned that letting the status quo continue risks killing off a two-state solution and playing into the hands of Islamic State militants. Last year he failed in efforts to get the United States on board to push for a UN Security Council resolution to set parameters for talks between the two sides and set a final deadline for a deal. Neubrandenburg, Germany: German Chancellor Angela Merkel tried on Saturday to placate the increasingly vocal critics of her open-door policy for refugees by insisting that most refugees from Syria and Iraq would return home once the conflicts there had ended. Despite appearing increasingly isolated, Merkel has resisted pressure from some conservatives to cap the influx of refugees, or to close Germany's borders. German chancellor Angela Merkel says refugees will return to their homeland, once the war is over. Credit:Fredrik von Erichsen Support for her conservative bloc has slipped as concerns mount about how Germany will integrate the 1.1 million migrants who arrived last year, while crime and security are also in the spotlight after a wave of assaults on women in Cologne during New Year celebrations by men of north African and Arab appearance. The influx has played into the hands of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD), whose support is now in the double digits, and whose leader was quoted on Saturday saying that migrants entering illegally should, if necessary, be shot. Geneva: Talks to end five years of war in Syria got off to an inauspicious start on Friday as the main Saudi-backed opposition group stayed away, restating its demand that airstrikes against its forces should first end. UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, met the delegation sent by Syrian President Bashar Assad, which is led by the country's ambassador to the world body, Bashar Jaafari. Russia, a major ally of Mr Assad which has been conducting airstrikes in Syria for almost four months, said it hoped the talks marked a "turning-point". Protesters serve up "siege soup" during the start of Syrian peace talks in Geneva. Credit:AP The Syrian war has left Europe facing an escalated threat from militant attacks, and a growing refugee problem. The UN-sponsored negotiations, which have been held up by disagreement over who should represent Mr Assad's opponents, and by the rebel demands for an immediate cessation of hostilities, are envisaged as stretching over several months. The Saudi-backed bloc, including major armed rebel factions, hasn't committed to participating. Its chief coordinator, Riad Hijab, reiterated demands for an end to airstrikes and sieges of towns. "We are waiting for positive steps before settling our participation in Geneva 3," he said in a website statement on Friday, referring to the latest round of Syria talks after two previous conferences in the Swiss city. A case involving allegations of high-level bribery, blackmail, betrayal and the murder of a glamorous Mongolian socialite in Malaysia has resurfaced in France, only days after Malaysia's prime minister Najib Razak was cleared of corruption charges at home. French prosecutors have charged a French businessman involved in Malaysia's $US2 billion ($2.8 billion) purchase of two French-Spanish built submarines with paying illegal kickbacks to a Malaysian official linked to Mr Najib, according to the French newsagency AFP. Mr Najib, who was defence minister at the time of the purchase, has denied any wrongdoing but the case has been the subject of hot rumours and speculation in Malaysia's social media during his seven-year rule. The French report named Ferrari-driving Malaysian businessman Abdul Razak Baginda, one of Mr Najib's best friends and policy advisers, as the person who allegedly received the kickbacks. Seeing viruses in a new light with nanoholes Revolutionary development for virus research: Scientists at the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (IPHT) in Jena, in cooperation with others at Heraeus Quarzglas, Harvard University (in the United States) and Leiden University (in the Netherlands), have succeeded in the marker-free and nondestructive detection of viruses with dimensions smaller than 20 nanometers (a nanometer is one millionth of a millimeter). They did so using an innovative nanohole fiber similar to an internet fiber and made of quartz glass from Heraeus. Fields of application range from medical diagnostics to the analysis of drinking water. This pioneering advance makes it possible to observe viruses in their natural environment, without manipulation. Initial measurements with test viruses have already been completed at Harvard and Leiden. Viruses can be the cause of life-threatening infections such as flu or intestinal diseases. As viral diseases increase and spread, the clear detection and definite identification of adaptable pathogens is becoming increasingly important. The more scientists know about the structure of viruses and their rapid adaptation to the human immune system, the better the measures they can develop to combat them. The problem: Viruses are 300 to 400 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair, and therefore nearly invisible. Virological diagnostics offer a number of elaborate options. These include scanning electron or fluorescence microscopy, methods that require preliminary steps such as dyeing or spatial fixation. However, marking a virus with a dye changes its properties. The new nanohole method sidesteps these disadvantages, because the fiber can be integrated in standard microscopes, thereby expanding their detection limit to other nanoparticles. Heraeus developed the nanohole fiber Heraeus Quarzglas worked with an IPHT research team to develop the fiber. The unusual glass fiber was produced right at the Heraeus facilities in Hanau. Stefan Weidlich, physicist at Specialty Fiber Optics Research & Development at Heraeus Quarzglas, is pleased with the achievement: Our application is distinguished by the fact that we put the viruses into quartz glass ? one of the purest technical materials manufactured today. The fiber itself conducts light almost perfectly, without scattering it. But as soon as the light encounters the virus, some of it is diffracted. This allows very rapid observations with an extremely limited background. As a result, the movement of a virus can be observed and recorded within a period of several seconds. For production of the fibers, Heraeus covered the entire value chain. The process begins with manufacturing the preform from high-purity quartz glass and ends with drawing the extremely sensitive nanohole fibers. In selecting and characterizing the appropriate quartz glass material and developing the special, unusual design of the nanohole fiber, the technology group applied its combined expertise in the areas of telecommunications glass fibers and specialty fibers. As the worlds largest integrated quartz glass manufacturer, Heraeus has been advancing innovations in quartz glass for more than 110 years. Nanohole fiber makes new observation methods possible The core of the fiber contains a nanohole with a diameter of 200 nanometers that extends along the entire fiber. Test viruses swimming in water are poured into this hole, and light is fed into the fiber core. The size and movement of the viruses can be determined by means of light scattering. The transmission of light in an optical fiber is based on a refractive index that decreases from the core to the cladding. If the light fed into the capillaries encounters a virus, part of the light is diverted from its direction of propagation; that is, it is scattered. When this scattering is observed through a microscope, the size of the virus can be determined. For Heraeus developer Stefan Weidlich, the use of the nanohole fiber to examine viruses is just the first of many applications. We envision other fields of application in medicine, in life sciences and in sensor technology. For example, it could be used to measure very valuable small particles in a liquid, such as pharmaceuticals, because the sample volumes required for the nanohole fibers are so minimal. Note: The research results are summarized in a technical report at ACS Nano online: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsnano.5b05646 Heraeus, the technology group headquartered in Hanau, Germany, is a leading international family-owned company formed in 1851. With expertise, a focus on innovations, operational excellence and an entrepreneurial leadership, we strive to continuously improve our business performance. We create high-quality solutions for our clients and strengthen their competitiveness in the long term by combining material expertise with technological know-how. Our ideas are focused on themes such as the environment, energy, health, mobility and industrial applications. Our portfolio ranges from components to coordinated material systems which are used in a wide variety of industries, including the steel, electronics, chemical, automotive and telecommunications industries. In the 2014 financial year, Heraeus generated product revenues of ?3.4 bn and precious metal revenues of ?12.2bn euros. With around 12,600 employees worldwide in more than 100 subsidiaries in 38 countries, Heraeus holds a leading position in its global markets. Phoenix Trading System William Johnston From Marshall-Sherman Group Launched Binary options trading is a tricky business as it requires quick decisions to be made which can either lead to quick heavy profits or major losses. Even the experienced traders end up losing money at times by making wrong decisions under pressure. Providing a very effective solution to these trading worries, the expert trader and a successful online trading guru, William Johnston, who also represents the Marshal-Sherman group, launched his new and advanced binary trading software named as Phoenix Trading Software. The software is getting critically acclaimed in various [Phoenix Trading Review](http://phoenixtradingreview.com/) Posts. 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Montreals labelling comes after New York, San Francisco, Tokyo and Israel. It was also made official for 6 new hubs.(i) More than 20,000 people are employed by about 300 French companies in Montreal and we are proud to see that the French government is recognizing this communitys contribution to the technological, economic and cultural strength of Montreal, pointed out Cedric Combey, Vice President of Sales for OVH Canada. He received the label presented by Frances Minister of Economy, Finances and Industry, Emmanuel Macron, and Deputy Minister for Digital Affairs, Axelle Lemaire, on behalf of BleuBlancTech Montreal, a committee made up of seven French companies who initiated Montreals application. A specialist in cloud technology and web infrastructures, OVH chose to set up new offices in Montreal back in 2012 in order to support its customers in North America. On January 19, OVH was ranked first by (ii) in France and second in North America and Europe, confirming its status as one of the major IT players worldwide. Obtaining the French Tech label shows that the city of Montreal stands out as a major technological hub in North America, added Laurent Allard, CEO of OVH. This recognition confirms the relevance of our decision when we made Montreal our first North American base of operation. With a strong commitment towards the Montreal technological ecosystem, OVH recently inaugurated a public area designed to hold numerous events and foster discussions among Montreal IT communities. For more information, (in French only). (i)Moscou, Le Cap, Hong Kong, London, Barcelona and Abidjan (ii)Using a comparator, CloudScreener thoroughly assessed the infrastructures of about 30 providers, including AWS, Google, Microsoft Azure and OVH. About OVH.com Specializing in the cloud and internet infrastructure, OVH.com offers innovative products and services based on three universes: Web, Dedicated and Cloud. Since its founding in 1999, the company has established itself as a partner for hundreds of thousands of professionals worldwide. OVH.com owes its success to a development model based on innovation and complete control of the supply chain, from server production and the maintaining of their own infrastructure, to customer assistance. For each service and solution proposed, OVH.com is able to ensure stable and reliable offers to its customers at the best quality to price ratio. Contacts: Expression RP Eliane Legare +1 (514) 222-5682 OVH Guillaume Gilbert +1 (514) 922-0185 What has happened in the five years since the 25 January Revolution? This is a question that has been raised by many, with many others believing they have the answer to it. Some, who are mostly supporting and jealously protecting the revolution, raise questions like: Why has the January Revolution stumbled and not achieved its objectives? Or perhaps in a more pessimistic tone, ask: why is the country in a worse state today than it was before? Some say the answer to this question is that the revolution was a conspiracy against the country aimed at putting the Muslim Brotherhood in power. They say that whatever the criticisms are of the existing situation, the Brotherhood remaining in power would have been a worse path, and the price paid by society as a result of overthrowing the Brotherhood is tolerable compared to having them stay in power. A third strain of thought believes the fault lies in the revolution itself, and that Egypt, after ridding itself of the revolutionary discourse, is in a better situation than that which followed the revolution. The true question is, how did the revolution go from a state of having its discourse control the public and political space and being courted by the Brotherhood, the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) and the old regimes pillars, to being put in a defensive position and facing an endless sea of accusations? The January Revolution... The real energy and lost opportunities Five years have passed since the revolution, and many opportunities were lost that could have put Egypt on the democratic path, economic development and political reform. Everyone has withdrawn from the greatest and purest event in Egypts modern history; where millions took to the streets in the countrys many squares asking for freedom, justice and human dignity. The people were not sitting in their homes or struggling through electronic sites when they demanded Mubaraks ouster. They had broken the fear barrier and took to the streets at a time when the police state was at its zenith of influence and said NO in the face of an unjust ruler. The truth is that the lost opportunity started when Mubarak stepped down on 11 February, when the Egyptian youth cleaned Tahrir Square in a sight that was expressive and unprecedented in the history of popular uprisings worldwide, declaring an end to protest activities and the beginning of the building stage. As such, the true energy of the January Revolution was reformational in nature, and stopped with Mubarak stepping down and the blocking of the succession of his son. The truth is that Egypt was prepared on 12 February to step into its current situation; an alternative emerging from within the existing state but outside the Mubarak family. The masses were ready to accept men like Amr Moussa, Kamal El-Ganzoury, Ahmed Shafiq, the late Omar Suleiman, or even Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi,if he were the Defence Minister at the time, to succeed Mubarak. The truth is that the January energy stopped at the popular uprising that drove the state to reform and terminate the succession project. This is what the great majority of the January Revolutions participants expressed when they left the squares after Mubarak stepped down and chanted The Army and the People are one hand. That was because they had confidence in their national army regardless of any mistakes committed by the SCAF afterwards. Post January faults There are many writings that say the Arab Spring failed because of the revolutions themselves, forgetting to a great extent the responsibility bore by the existing political regimes or the nature of the path the revolutions have gone through. The militarisation of the Syrian Revolution and the country becoming a captive of the terrorist ISIS organisation, Iranian militias and Hezbollah, is attributed in part to the tyrannical and sectarian regime in Syria. The success of the Tunisian experience is a result to the post-revolution path taken, which was, on the theoretical level, a sound one. The constitution was written first and the main political parties reached a consensus concerning a legal system before entering into political competition and conflict. Egypts problem lies in the confused path taken following the revolutions success in overthrowing Mubaraks rule. The revolutionary coalitions adopted the slogan revolutionary millions rally, filling the streets and squares while alienating a great deal of Egyptians due the perceived state of chaos associated with the protests, and putting the square in a confrontation with the street. A wide section of Egyptians saw that regaining stability and ordinary life was more desirable than the chaos that came to be linked to the revolution, where revolutionary youth showed creative abilities in protests but not generating any alternative. Moreover, all the symbols of the civil elite participating in the January Revolution failed in presenting an integrated political alternative or project. This project would have been carried by a coalition or political currents concentrated on a symbol or a leader one which carries a political project that had consensus embodying the revolutions principles and working on achieving its objectives. Failing to do so has wasted opportunities for transforming the revolutionary protest energy into an alternative capable of achievement. At the same time, the SCAF, which took the burden of managing the country subsequent to Mubaraks stepping down, is to blame for many mistakes. The most significant of those mistakes was not putting constitutional and legal rules organising the political process and a political path consistent with the revolutions aims. Instead, they should have amended and implemented the 1971 constitution until a new one was issued. Unfortunately, what happened was that the 1971 Constitution, the Egyptian civil states constitution, was abolished in submission to the scream of some people, forgetting that 77 percent of the people agreed on amending this constitution. The SCAF issued a pale constitutional declaration blasting a main pillar of the Egyptian state represented in its civil constitution. This transitional administration undertook a most difficult endeavour, that is siding with the peoples demand that Mubarak step down without having this decision affect the cohesion of the military, then handing over power to an elected Muslim Brotherhood president. It is true that the SCAF did not try to keep power for itself and did not conspire to this end as some like to believe, but it was also not keen to lay down any legal and constitutional rules governing the political process before handing over power to the Brotherhood. Amending the 1971 Constitution or writing a new one, issuing a fair electoral law and legalising the Brotherhoods status were all preconditions for the success of the political process. Was it a revolution against no regime? Did the Egyptian people start a revolution against no regime, i.e. that Mubaraks regime was characterised with chaos and randomness and consequently Egypt was in need to enter an immediate reformational path for building and reforming institutions? When looking at the aftermath of revolutions seen in Eastern Europe, Latin America and Asia when democratisation was starting in the 1990s, we see countries characterised with totalitarianism and an absence of democracy. At the same time, these countries were strong and capable in the fields of industry, education and scientific research. All this we did not witness in Mubaraks Egypt, where anarchy ran rampant and the state institutions performance deteriorated. What happened after 25 January was more anarchy. Some revolutionary currents linked the revolutions noble objectives with protest and calls for destruction, disintegration and overthrow. They conveyed a mistaken image to the ordinary citizen that the revolution only means protest, demonstrating and violence. Thus, a wide section of the people supporting and backing the revolution left and went their separate ways until its foes made off with it. The lost opportunities started when many failed to understand that overthrowing Mubarak on 11 February should not be a path for overthrowing the state, and that our mission after this should be supremely reformational. A constitution needed to be amended until we write a new one, with laws changed and politicians taking the lead. However, the senile Mubarak regime, unable to fill the vacuum, opened the door wide for protest forces to grow, develop and everyday disintegrate one of the states pillars. The protest forces have done so without presenting any alternative for filling the vacuum following Mubaraks ouster it presumed that it was victorious and the reality was that it had lost a lot. The Muslim Brotherhood stood with their group, waiting for an opportunity to swoop in and seize power. That is what they did when they ruled the country without a constitution, without fair electoral laws and no legalised group. This was after the lost opportunity of laying down the conditions for the safe integration of Islamist currents, with a strict legal system that accepts a religious political party separate from any specific religious group. The opportunity of the revolution was lost; it was no longer a means to build a better future, but was rather its own purpose and objective. Januarys reformational objectives Not a single successful experience of change during the last half-century, whether in Eastern Europe, Asia or Latin America, adopted terms like purge and revolutionary courts or other terms used by the revolutionary forces and the Muslim Brotherhood. It is true that despotic experiences saw similar terms used, whether during the Communist Revolution in Russia in 1917 or in the despotic Arab experiences of Libyas Muammar Gaddafi, Baathism or Marxism (in South Yemen the class struggle was transformed into a tribal one in which tens of thousands of victims fell). However, all those regimes repressed their peoples and imprisoned or killed their political foes under the pretext of protecting the revolution, revolutionary legitimacy and confronting counter-revolutionary forces. Sadly, some are still keen to restart the film from its beginning, echoing Afghanistan and Sudan, which lived through failed experiences under the cover of religion, and some others are searching for a revolutionary regime that repeats another failed experience. Their starting point reflects where Stalin, Saddam Hussein, Gaddafi, and Bashar Al-Assad began, and all the regimes that fortified their despotism under the name of revolutionary legitimacy. A revolution is an exceptional event that the people turn to when they feel oppression and marginalisation, and afterwards its mission becomes building democracy, a state of justice and order, not a state of revolution and exceptional laws. So it is no surprise that the world saw in the last half-century new experiences and vocabulary such as transitional justice instead of revolutionary courts and democratic regimes and the state of law, instead of the revolutionary state. It is surprising that the Muslim Brotherhood, moderate Islamists and Jihadist Islamists put on the revolutionary dress, seeking revenge from the state and political foes and repeating the experiences of failure and despotism. Every day, the Brotherhood repeats that deposing them from power was due to them not being revolutionary and not executing their foes and old regime figures in the squares. What is certain is that this has not been the demand of millions who took to the streets, who at no point called for a revolutionary regime. They rather called for a regime that defends the January Revolutions values and principles and considers the revolution a means, not an end in itself, for building a democratic political system and achieving economic and social progress. What is needed is to reclaim the January Revolutions values and principles, away from the fancies and interests of all the political factions. Those who achieve power become reformational, but when they return to the opposition they rediscover their revolutionary side. Respecting the law becomes the core of their principles and objectives. The problem essentially does not lie in the old regime figures but in the old system that produced and protected those figures. Egypt will not progress except when this system is changed with democracy, justice, and the rule of law. These are the January Revolutions objectives, which have not yet been achieved. The alternative that Egypt is waiting for is a reformational, democratic and civil alternative that abides by the revolutions values and principles, not a revolutionary figure that fortifies his policies and authoritarianism in the name of the revolution, or grants himself exceptional rights because he is a revolutionary and accuses those opposing his views even those in his own faction of being traitors. The needed alternative should act towards reforming the states institutions, not destroying them or exacting revenge on them, and working on realising democracy and a state of laws. This was the real goal of the January Revolution, a goal which has not yet been reached. The writer is a political analyst in Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies and a former MP. This article was originally published in Democracy Review Quarterly, a publication of Al-Ahram Foundation. Search Keywords: Short link: New Startup Launches Marketplace for Buying and Selling Local Marketing PORTLAND, OR (Marketwired) 01/29/16 New startup launches its social marketplace platform for connecting buyers and sellers of and advertising. The company is based in Portland, Oregon, and is the first online marketplace for the marketing and advertising industry. In order to thrive, businesses need to advertise. However, many of owners dont have advertising or marketing backgrounds and therefore dont really know where . And up until now, there hasnt been an online central hub for finding local opportunities to market their businesses. The team at MarketingZoom analyzed one simple question; If I was a small local business, what options do I have to market my business in my area? It all started from that one simple question. Business owners and marketing teams are constantly searching the internet for creative and affordable ways to market their business on multiple different levels. Being marketers themselves, they knew there wasnt any quick or easy way to buy or sell marketing or advertising opportunities. MarketingZoom was created with that thought in mind. The site is organized around three different types of profiles: Companies, Opportunities, and Agencies. The platform is similar to any other marketplace or classifieds and allows users to find their next marketing partner in 10 seconds or less. It has a 3-way communication platform for all 3-profile types to search and filter by multiple options such as by location, pricing, demographics, focus areas, exposures and more. MarketingZoom allows members to display information about their specific opportunity or about their business or agency, share photos, share marketing materials and proposals, and send private messages all to help you find and communicate with that perfect marketing partner. MarketingZoom is the next best thing for the entire marketing and advertising industry, founder Tony Scott said. Its a disruptive business model and, frankly, a much-needed tool for business owners and marketing teams of all sizes. Users can communicate together in realtime, search by multiple filter options and find opportunities to market and advertise in their area. Its also great for sellers of marketing opportunities to connect with buyers and business owners. MarketingZoom is a new online social marketplace for buyers and sellers of marketing and advertising opportunities to connect and communicate together. Members search listings to quickly and easily find marketing and advertising partnerships in their local area. The company is the first online listings marketplace for the marketing and advertising industry. Twitter: Facebook: Veronica Stevens Dia de los Muertos in South Bend: Here's how you can celebrate Unlike the city's Day of the Dead events in the past, this one has broader community involvement. U.S. President Barack Obama has told fellow party members he is certain a Democrat will be the next president of the United States. Speaking Thursday in Baltimore, just north of Washington, the president said, "Democrats will win in November and we will have a Democratic president succeeding me -- just in case there's any confusion about that." Obama said he was confident of his prediction because Democrats "focus on the things that matter in the lives of American people." The U.S. leader was addressing Democratic Party lawmakers at their annual retreat. Oak Creek to host outdoor 2022 World Cup watch party A partnership between Morans Pub in South Milwaukee and the city of Oak Creek will offer residents food, drinks, music and games on Nov. 25. SPIEGEL: A member of parliament belonging to your party demanded a few months ago that the Supreme Court be demolished. You yourself are planning a bill that would enable the Knesset to overrule decisions made by the judges -- thereby enabling it to implement laws that have been declared unlawful. It sounds like you want to strip the judiciary of its power. Shaked: At issue here is a basic law which enables the Supreme Court to quash laws in extreme cases. Up until now, this right of the Supreme Court was not mentioned anywhere, but was just taken. At the same time, we want to enable the Knesset to overrule decisions of the Supreme Court. At the moment, we are discussing the necessary majority -- I support a majority of 61. SPIEGEL: But that would enable the current government to reverse any decision made by the high court. The outcome is already obvious: You are seeking the greater influence of halakha (Jewish law) in lawmaking. But isn't this a renunciation of the secular state? Shaked: I expect from our judges that their verdicts are also inspired by Talmudic law -- and not only by common law or European justice systems. SPIEGEL: You are also a supporter of the controversial nation-state bill, which would define Israel first and foremost as a Jewish state. Critics fear democratic principles could be subordinated to religious ones in the future. Shaked: We already have two very strong democratic tools -- the two basic laws of personal liberties and human rights. I think we should also provide the judiciary with another tool so that they can rely on the fact that Israel is a Jewish state in verdicts. SPIEGEL: Many Jewish communities abroad fear Israel is becoming less and less pluralistic. They don't feel represented by your policies. Shouldn't Israel be taking these voices more seriously? Shaked: Jewish communities in the diaspora are very important to Israel and we are open to a dialogue with them. It is bitter for us to see the process of assimilation, the mixing of Jewish and non-Jewish. But when it comes to the relations of state and religions, the basics have not changed since Rabin's times. As the head of a religious party, I am not in favor of civil marriage or the full recognition of non-Orthodox converts in Israel. SPIEGEL: Officially, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu still supports the two-state solution, but almost the entire government opposes it. Where do you stand on the issue? Shaked: I think the gap between Israelis and Palestinians is too deep to be bridged in our generation. Politically, we are in favor of a regional solution. A part of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) should be annexed by Israel, and the other parts should be incorporated in a confederation with Jordan. SPIEGEL: So there should not be a Palestinian state? Shaked: We see nation-states collapsing all around us: Libya, Syria, Iraq. We do not want another failed state in our neighborhood, which would rapidly turn into a stronghold for terrorists, as we have seen in Gaza. We do not want tunnels to suburbs of Tel Aviv or missiles pointed at Jerusalem. SPIEGEL: The peace process has been stagnating for many years now, very much to the rest of the world's frustration. Shaked: We will not commit suicide because of pressure from the international community. A Palestinian state is not possible at the moment. I would rather fight and try to explain the situation in the Middle East to the world than to agree to steps that harm my country to satisfy the international community. SPIEGEL: But polls regularly show that a majority of Israelis wants peace talks. Shaked: The right wing controls Israel today -- we have the mandate of the people. I think the majority of Israelis understand that there will not be two states existing peacefully, side-by-side, in the near future. SPIEGEL: For a few months now, Israel has been haunted by a new wave of violence. Many people fear the attacks will continue or even increase because Palestinians have lost hope in a political solution to the conflict and the economic situation is terrible. So you just want to continue with the same strategy? Shaked: We have no other choice but to go on managing the conflict. We propose a stability plan: We want to strengthen the Palestinian Authority economically and establish mutual industrial zones and help them to develop independent energy capabilities, enabling the Palestinians to live their lives independently and have a future. This is where the European States should invest, not in NGOs that harm Israel. SPIEGEL: One of the reasons the economy is struggling so badly there is because of the blockade imposed by Israel. Traffic in goods to Gaza is strictly regulated. How is anything supposed to develop there? Shaked: I have to interrupt you here. The economy in Gaza is declining because Gaza is controlled by a terror regime. SPIEGEL: You seem to have an answer for everything. Is this the reason for your nickname, "the computer"? Shaked: I do not take things to the heart. I calculate and I do what needs to be done. If I were to start acting emotionally, it would destroy my work. Xerox made official its plan to spin off its business process outsourcing operations as an independent company with $7 billion in annual revenue, succumbing to pressure from activist investor Carl Icahn months after he accumulated an 8 percent stake in the Norwalk-based printing and documents technology giant. Xerox confirmed Friday that Icahn will control three of nine board seats for the business process outsourcing, or BPO, company to be carved out of Xerox, with the as-yet-unnamed company to employ about 104,000 people. Shares of Xerox (NYSE: XRX) rose 7 percent Friday afternoon to $9.86 on the heels of the split announcement, a $2.4 billion restructuring plan and Xeroxs reporting fourth-quarter net income that jumped more than 40 percent to $285 million, or 27 cents a share, even as revenue fell 8 percent to less than $4.7 billion. In a Friday conference call with investment analysts, CEO Ursula Burns said Xerox arrived at its decision in mid-January after a bottom-up strategic review of all facets of the company and how shareholders value Xerox. Under the plan announced Friday, Xerox would retain its legacy document technology division that has 40,000 employees and $11 billion in annual revenue. Xerox and the BPO venture are eyeing a massive restructuring that would produce $700 million in annual savings between them in 2016 and $2.4 billion over three years. Xerox did not immediately specify the impact on jobs in Norwalk or elsewhere. The plan is companywide and will include a thorough review of ... how we operate, Burns said Friday. In a surprising revelation, Burns hinted she distanced herself from the strategic review process despite her additional role as chairman of the board. In response to an analysts query on the management structure for both companies going forward, Burns gave no indication whether she would continue leading Xerox after the corporate split, except to say she was solid with her own assessment of her performance leading Xerox since 2009. Ill make some recommendations to the board and my future will be contemplated as part of those recommendations, Burns said. I am ... confident. Icahn did not participate in the Friday conference call, but in a statement issued by Xerox said, An independent BPO company with fresh, focused leadership and best-in-class corporate governance will greatly enhance shareholder value. In October, Burns had offered few details on Xeroxs strategic review, except to say the company was not considering a sale, and that she still considered the marriage making sense of Xeroxs legacy technology business with the BPO businesses it bolstered in February 2010 via the $5.6 billion acquisition of Affiliated Computer Services, or ACS, based in Dallas. On Friday, however, Burns backpedaled from that vision, saying the BPO business required a higher degree of agility to respond to customer demands than it has been able to achieve under Xerox, and that the business had been impacted by changes in the U.S. health insurance industry on which it depends, as well as international markets. Today, Xeroxs BPO operations holds a No. 2 market share, holding more than half of the electronic highway toll collection market and with all of the top 20 U.S. health insurance carriers in its customer base. In the third quarter of 2015, Xerox services businesses recorded an operating loss of $184 million, largely the result of Xerox taking a $241 million charge after taxes to end its operation of Californias Medicaid system and one in Montana. Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-964-2236; twitter.com/casoulman This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Contributed / Contributed Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Contributed / Contributed Show More Show Less 3 of 3 STAMFORD - Two UConn seniors were awarded Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarships by Person-to-Person in late January. Isaiah Mohammed, of Norwalk, and Michael Jean-Pierre, of Stamford, were each awarded $1,000 for use in attaining professional or academic post-graduate goals. Mohammed, who in 2012 co-founded Good Year Quality, a community-service organization that mentors and prepares high school students for college and the professional world, will be joining the two-year IT Leadership Program at United Technologies following his graduation. Mohammed received his award at the Martin Luther King, Jr., Day Breakfast hosted by Calvary Baptist Church at West Rocks Middle School in Norwalk. A n exhibition documenting Londons tattoo culture has opened at the Museum of London, revealing life inside four studios in the capital. Newly commissioned works by four London tattooists will be on display, alongside the exhibit documenting how the practice of tattooing has developed in the city. Museum of London curator Jen Kavanagh said: We really wanted to understand what it was that made tattooing so unique, making sure that we were documenting this quite phenomenal practice that is taking place in London. It felt really important that we were documenting this creative industry somehow and also how London as a city is influencing their work. Tattoo London features four different artists as a sort of chronology through contemporary professional practice and the tattoo scene in London. Historian Dr Matt Lodder said: Tattooing has been part of this citys fabric since probably the dawn of time there was tattooing in Roman Britain, during the eleventh century, pilgrims returning the Holy Land with tattoos to land throughout the seventeenth century. And then we have records of dock workers in the Docklands in the 1740s and 1750s, marking their bodies. But it was really with Londons place as a moment of trend-setting, linked in with global trade at the end of the nineteenth century that it becomes this kind of interesting locus for tattoo styles. Entry to the exhibition, open from 29 January to 8 May 2016, is free. A Polish businessman who threatened his accountant at gunpoint in a bid to force him to provide false VAT receipts has been jailed. Sebastian Mysliwiec, 40, threatened the accountant alongside four other men, some of whom were armed, after meeting him in his Edmonton office. Mysliwiec, who owned a ventilation manufacturing company, had told the accoutant he would be liable for losses incurred said to be up to 300,000 a month unless he provided false VAT invoices. But when he refused, the victim was threatened before one of his colleagues was tied up and assaulted by Mysliwiec with materials bought at a builders warehouse in Walthamstow. The gang then made off with 10,000 in cash along with several iPhones, an iPad, car keys and a Polish ID card. After the victims alerted police, Mysliwiec was arrested at Luton Airport. His partner Monika Piatkowska then flew into the UK to be by his side, hiring a private detective to trace the families of the three robbery victims, all of whom lived in Poland. Partner: Monika Piatkowska was also jailed / Metropolitan Police Mysliwiec, of Kingfisher Walk, Battersea, admitted robbery, blackmail and false imprisonment and was sentenced to six years and three months at the Old Bailey on Friday. Piatkowska, 33, of the same address, was found guilty of conspiracy of perverting the course of justice and jailed for two-and-a-half years. DC Ross Moultrie, of the Mets Flying Squad, said: "This couple caused immense fear and distress to their victims and huge arrogance towards the UK justice system. I am pleased that they will now have to spend the next few years behind bars, reflecting on their actions. "Mysliwiec banked on his accountant assisting him in his criminality, but when this was refused, his three victims were subjected to a terrifying experience. A man is fighting for his life after being stabbed in a mass street brawl that saw 10 people fight with weapons including an axe. He was one of five people taken to hospital - three for stab wounds - after the fight in Bury shortly after 10pm on Friday, Greater Manchester Police said. The force said "a number of weapons, such as an axe, a knife and a hammer were recovered at the scene. Three men aged 32, 24 and 22 are being questioned by police on suspicion of violent disorder over the combat, which police believe followed a car chase involving a Volkswagen Bora, a silver Seat Leon and a white Hyundai. GMP Detective Inspector Charlotte Cadden said: "It appears the VW Bora was chased for a short period by the silver Seat Leon and a white Hyundai and a fight broke out between the occupants of the vehicles on the street. "Extra patrols are now in place in the area, and there a number of scenes which are currently being secured by officers." Detectives said they are searching for the Bora, registration number YE53 GHO, and a dark-coloured BMW 5 Series, registration starting MD06, which fled with two Asian men and two white men who had been in the Volkswagen. A shopkeeper was shot with a BB gun and hit with a metal bar after he challenged a man during an attempted robbery in south London. Police were called to New Malden High Street at 8.20am on Saturday to reports of an armed robbery after a 45-year-old man and a 58-year-old woman opened up a business premises. They were approached by a man who demanded money and threatened the duo with a BB gun. The man challenged the suspect and was shot by three pellets before he was then attacked with a metal bar. The suspect then fled the scene with nothing. Robbery New Malden High St 8:18am. Did you see a man in a high vis jacket/scarf over his face running? @MPSKingston pic.twitter.com/HGYnFNT9lE Sgt Nicki Thomas (@MPSOldMaldenSgt) January 30, 2016 No arrests have been made. Paramedics were called and took the man to hospital for minor injuries. Officers from the Mets Flying Squad are investigating. A woman was injured after a fight involving at least two men at a station in south-west London last night. Police said the woman, aged in her 30s, was found with injuries after officers were called to Raynes Park station just before midnight. A police cordon was seen in place after the incident, after which one man was arrested. A spokesman for the Met said: Police were called to Raynes Park station at 11.48 to reports of a fight. Officers found an injured woman following an altercation with at least two men, one of whom was arrested. The woman, thought to be in her 30s, did not want hospital treatment but officers insisted she was checked out. The victim is not believed to have sustained serious injuries. D etectives investigating the murder of teenager Stephen Lawrence more than 20 years ago have approached "a number of people" to give new DNA samples. Scotland Yard said that "advances in forensic examination and DNA profiling" since the brutal stabbing of Stephen, 18, had led officers to focus on an item recovered on the night he died, April 22 1993. But they added that the people asked to voluntarily give DNA samples "are not suspected of being involved in the murder". A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "Officers from the homicide and major crime command investigating the murder of Stephen Lawrence have contacted a number of people to ask them to provide a voluntary DNA sample to police. "Due to advances in forensic examination and DNA profiling, police inquiries are focusing on the significance of a certain item recovered on the night of the murder. "The individuals who police have approached for DNA samples are not suspected of being involved in the murder. Jailed: David Norris (left) and Gary Dobson (right) / Crown Prosecution Service (CPS/PA Wire) "We will not discuss what the item recovered on the night of the murder is, or who we have approached for a DNA sample." Stephen, a would-be architect, was stabbed to death by a gang of white youths in a racist attack as he waited with a friend at a bus stop in Eltham, south-east London. It was more than 18 years before two of his killers - Gary Dobson and David Norris - were brought to justice. The pair were jailed for life in January 2012 for their role in the attack. The 1998 Macpherson Inquiry into the police handling of the original murder inquiry found evidence of "institutional racism" within the Met. M en in the UK are being urged to wear condoms for a month after returning from any of the 23 countries affected by Zika. In guidance to health professionals, Public Health England said the risk of transmission of the virus through sex was very low but condoms should be used as a precaution. It said: "Sexual transmission of Zika virus has been recorded in a limited number of cases, and the risk of sexual transmission of Zika virus is thought to be very low. "However, if a female partner is at risk of getting pregnant, or is already pregnant, condom use is advised for a male traveller." It said men should wear condoms for 28 days after "return from a Zika transmission area" if they experience no symptoms of unexplained fever and rash. But condoms should be used for six months "following recovery if a clinical illness compatible with Zika virus infection or laboratory confirmed Zika virus infection" has been reported. PHE added: "This is a precaution and may be revised as more information becomes available." The body also stressed that the type of mosquito thought to be carrying Zika - Aedes aegypti - was not present in the UK and was unlikely to establish itself due to the UK's low temperatures. The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced on Thursday that Zika was "spreading explosively" throughout the Americas and "the level of alarm is extremely high". Zika has been linked to thousands of babies being born with underdeveloped brains in Brazil. Colombia has also seen a rise in the number of patients diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder which can cause paralysis. Zika is a serious condition of the peripheral nervous system and most people (around 60 per cent) develop it after having a viral or bacterial infection. Experts believe the infection may trigger the immune system to attack nerve roots and peripheral nerves. The WHO predicts three to four million people will be infected with Zika in the Americas this year. In a briefing to the WHO's executive board on Thursday, WHO director-general Margaret Chan said the organisation was "deeply concerned". In the UK, PHE and the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) issued updated advice for pregnant women on Wednesday Dr Dipti Patel, director at NaTHNaC, said: "We strongly advise all travellers to avoid mosquito bites and urge pregnant women to consider avoiding travel to areas reporting active Zika transmission. "If travel to these areas is unavoidable, or they live in areas where Zika virus transmission is occurring, they should take scrupulous insect bite avoidance measures both during daytime and night-time hours." Since the start of the outbreak in 2015, five UK travellers have been diagnosed with the Zika virus. Symptoms of infection may include fever, joint pain, itching, rash, conjunctivitis or red eyes, headache, muscle pain and eye pain. A British Airways pilot has been praised following an emergency landing at Heathrow after "technical problems" during a transatlantic flight. The BA295 flight to Chicago was diverted back to Heathrow hours after it took off, landing in London at about 5.15pm. Passengers took to Twitter to praise the pilot and revealed the technical problems were as a result of a fault with landing equipment. Passenger Martin Robinson told the Daily Star: About three hours in we were told we would be returning to London due to a technical issue and it would take two hours to get back. About 20 minutes before landing we were told the landing gear would be lowered. We understand now there was a problem with landing gear and only three of the five wheel sets lowered. The pilot was brilliant, very cool and calm. We are currently sitting on runway waiting to be towed back. Emergency services were on stand by. I think the pilot nailed it. Everyone was calm. Landing was almost seamless. Better than other flights I've been on." A Heathrow spokesman said a runway was closed for nearly an hour, which has caused disruption to some flights. The hugest kisses and hugs to the @British_Airways pilot who just landed the plane my husband was on when the landing gear failed. #thankyou Muriel Gray (@ArtyBagger) January 30, 2016 Just landed back in #Heathrow after #BA 295 to #Chicago diverted back after 2 hours 4 "technical reasons" on runway met by fire engines bendepear (@bendepear) January 30, 2016 He said: Due to a technical issue with an aircraft that needed resolving on the runway following landing, Heathrow operated with only one runway for a short time. We are sorry that this has caused some disruption to flights. All passengers should check with their airline before travelling to the airport. British Airways has been approached for comment. C elebrities James Nesbitt, Trudie Goodwin and Jay Rayner were among hundreds of protesters who marched in south London today as part of a campaign by traders against astronomical rent rises. Business owners in Herne Hill have complained that charity landlord Dulwich Estate has increased rents by up to 70 per cent since they were set four to five years ago. On Saturday, children and parents marched from Herne Hill station to the Half Moon pub in a protest organised by the Herne Hill forum. The group has raised fears expensive rents could drive out independent businesses leading to a generic McHighSt. Food critic Jay Rayner tweeted: Demo and march at herne hill underway, over crushing rent rises and the silence at the half moon @savehalfmoonpub And a video of the genuine noise and fury being vented against The Dulwich Estate greedily raising shop rents pic.twitter.com/yuZXcQ9x3n Jay Rayner (@jayrayner1) January 30, 2016 While Herne Hill MP Helen Hayes wrote: Well done to all who marched in #hernehill today against unfair rent increases & to protect our local independent shops @hernehillforum Kate Ashton, who attended the protest, said: Today was absolutely phenomenal. We were absolutely delighted with the number of people who turned up. On Friday, Just Williams toy shop owner Vicky Brown said she was being forced out by a 70 per cent rent hike and Mimosa deli co-owner Ashley Davis said the future of his business in Herne Hill was unsure. He said: Weve been in this area for 15 years and wed very much like to find a way to make it work, but it depends on what happens. Dulwich Estate funds some of the capitals most exclusive private schools. The charity, which receives more than 6 million of its 10 million income from its portfolio of local properties, counts Dulwich College, Alleyns and James Allens Girls among its beneficiaries. A young man is fighting for life after he was found stabbed in a south London shopping centre. Police and paramedics were called to the Elephant and Castle shopping centre at 5.20pm where a 23-year-old man was found with stab injuries. He was taken to a south London hospital where his condition is said to be critical. It is understood the attack may have taken place outside the shopping centre. Pictures from the scene show a police cordon has been put in place in the mall. No arrests have been made and police in Southwark are investigating. P rotesters have taken to the streets of east London to stage a demonstration in support of illegal raves. Some 2,600 people said they would attend the Freedom to Party event in Shoreditch on Saturday after the event was promoted on Facebook. The organisers said it would be peaceful protest and will portray the complete definition of peace, love, unity and respect. One man said: We are having a protest to stop the illegal raves being shut down. I know they are illegal but at the same time there is no harm being done in these empty and abandoned buildings. This protest is trying to show we are friendly people and we can have a good time without causing trouble. Party: Protesters dance in Shoreditch in support of illegal raves / London Live While another man said: We do no damage. We clean up behind us and leave places as we found them. All we want to do is dance properly. Police said no trouble has been reported. The event started at 2pm as protesters gathered at Shoreditch Overground station. The Facebook invite says its time to take back our right in the underground scene Fight for what we believe in, let the Tory government understand our movement and culture and reasoning behind why we love the free party community. Unlicensed raves which are usually held in empty warehouses have often been shut down by police. Last weekend, six people were arrested after an unlicensed rave was held in Barking. In November last year, police clashed with ravers as they tried to close the annual Scumoween rave, which was held without a licence in Lambeth. More than a dozen police officers were injured and 28 people were arrested. The invite to today's event recalled a protest in Trafalgar Square on January 27, 1990, in which 10,000 ravers danced in a peaceful protest against the anti-party laws being introduced. Its now out time as the new generation to take back our right in the underground scene, it says. A British helicopter pilot has been killed after he was shot at by elephant poachers in Tanzania, a conservation charity has said. Roger Gower was helping authorities track the criminals on an anti-poaching operation when they fired on his aircraft. According to reports Mr Gower was 37 and gave up his job as an accountant in London to retrain as a pilot in Africa. His death was confirmed by the Friedkin Conservation Fund. In a message posted on its website, founder Dan Friedkin said: "Roger was killed while piloting a helicopter during a co-ordinated effort with the Tanzanian wildlife authorities to track down and arrest active elephant poachers. In the course of this action the poachers fired upon the helicopter and Roger was fatally wounded. "We are committed to honouring Roger and his work. We are also committed to ensuring that those responsible for this attack are found and brought to justice. We believe that Roger can best be honoured by redoubling our commitment to protect elephants and our priceless wildlife heritage. "This tragic event again highlights the appalling risk and cost of protecting Tanzanias wildlife." Tanzanian MP Lazaro Nyalandu said Mr Gower was killed on Friday as he helped locate a group who had killed an elephant in Maswa, an area of the Serengeti in northern Tanzania. He said: RIP Capt Roger. You loved our country and I knew you on many flights we took together in defence of our wildlife heritage. Life is precious," he went on. "Those poachers who killed Capt Roger are coward(sic), evil, and sad people. A fine hearted individual gone too soon, and our hearts are broken. "Capt Roger's body was flown into Arusha early today, as those who killed him are still at large. Everything must (be) done to bring them to justice." A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We can confirm the death of a British national in Tanzania and are providing assistance to the family at this difficult time." O ne person has been killed and at least nine have been injured after reported shootings in Denver. Denver Police spokesman Sonny Jackson confirmed one person had died after reports of shootings and a stabbing at the Denver Coliseum just before 1pm on Saturday. No arrests have been made. Denver Health Medical Center posted a tweet an hour after the incident to say nine people had been taken to hospital. UPDATE: Confirming one party deceased and numerous others wounded in shooting/stabbing at Denver Coliseum Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) January 30, 2016 The hospital has been placed on lock down to ensure safety to patients and visitors. An anonymous witness told the Denver Post a feud had broken out between rival biker gangs. The 38th annual Colorado Motorcycle Expo is being held at the Coliseum over the weekend. The newspaper reported police filled the parking lot and people who left the show and crossed the police tape were not allowed to return to the building. It said the exhibition was permitted to remain open and people were not asked to leave. T urkey has summoned the Russian ambassador to Ankara after accusations a Russian warplane violated its airspace. A Foreign Ministry statement on Saturday said a Russian SU-34 jet crossed into Turkish airspace from Syria on Friday, ignoring several warnings in both Russian and English. It comes two months after Turkeys military shot down a Russian jet for allegedly crossing over its territory, sparking a possible crisis between the two countries. The statement said: This violation is a concrete indication of Russian's acts aiming to escalate problems, despite the clear warning by our country and by NATO. "We openly and clearly call on Russia to act responsibly so that the Turkish air space, which is a NATO airspace, is not violated. "We emphasise once again the fact that Russia will be held responsible for any dire consequences which can emerge from such irresponsible acts. In November, tensions between the two countries reached boiling point after Turkish military shot down a Russian plane near the Syrian border, saying it violated its airspace. However, Russia insisted the plane never entered Turkish airspace. One pilot and a Russian marine involved in the rescue party were killed in the incident. In November, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the incident would have have significant implications for the relationship between the two countries. CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) The single-engine Cessna aroused suspicion at the Yellowstone Regional Airport even before it landed. The pilot didn't radio the airport before landing, prosecutors say. And, as the Cessna taxied to a hangar, they say the pilot and a passenger were lowering sunshades over the windows. That struck officials as odd, considering the plane was about to be stored indoors in a hangar. Now the plane is at the heart of a legal dispute over whether the federal government abused its powers in seizing property or whether the pilot and his friend were part of an elaborate criminal enterprise. After an airport worker notified police, officers searched the room at a Holiday Inn where the pilot and passenger checked in after landing on Feb. 27, 2014. Prosecutors say officers found over $250,000 in cash and three allegedly fake Idaho driver's licenses. Pilot Scott Michael Lewis, 27, has filed a claim in a federal forfeiture case pending in Wyoming asserting he has a legitimate interest in the plane and the money. San Francisco lawyer David M. Michael, representing Lewis in the forfeiture case, has contested the government's allegations in court papers and said the cash was from unspecified legitimate activities. He is demanding the funds back. "In fact, there was absolutely no evidence, beyond pure speculation and threadbare suspicions," linking Lewis or his hotel room to any illegal activity, Michael wrote. Kip Crofts, U.S. attorney for Wyoming, told Lewis in November that he was the subject of an investigation by the U.S. Homeland Security Department involving allegations of federal crimes including conspiracy to distribute marijuana, money laundering, identity theft and operation of an unregistered aircraft. But the criminal charges Crofts' office filed this month don't allege any violation of drug laws. A federal indictment charges Lewis and passenger Gilbert Wayne Wiles Jr., 38, with conspiracy to operate an unregistered aircraft and aiding and abetting the operation of an unregistered aircraft. The federal government oversees many aspects of air travel, including the occasional prosecution of people accused of operating unregistered aircraft. In one such recent high-profile case, the government prosecuted Doug Hughes, the former Florida mail carrier who landed a gyrocopter on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol last year. Hughes ultimately pleaded guilty to flying the craft without a license and is awaiting sentencing. John R. Powell, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Cheyenne, declined to comment on the forfeiture case involving the plane and the cash seized in Cody or the newly filed criminal charges against Lewis and Wiles. Authorities allege Wiles paid someone in Texas $130,000 cash in 2013 for the 1968 Cessna TU-206 Super Skywagon. The single-propeller high-wing plane had been flying under "visual flight rules," meaning no flight plan had to be filed and the aircraft's movements couldn't be tracked. Wiles told people who serviced the plane that he and Lewis were working for an aerial photography business, prosecutors allege. Court records state Wiles lives in Denver, while Lewis is from Englewood, Colorado. The issue of drug forfeitures is drawing increased scrutiny in Wyoming. Some state lawmakers are pushing a bill in the legislative session that starts next month that would require a criminal conviction before the state government can seize private property. Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead vetoed a bill last year that would have required criminal convictions to support state forfeiture cases. Mead, a Republican and former state and federal prosecutor, said in his veto message last year that he was satisfied with current law enforcement procedures. Only a handful of states Minnesota, Montana, Nevada New Mexico and North Carolina require a criminal conviction to support state forfeiture actions. Such state laws don't affect how federal forfeiture proceedings, like that of the Cessna, are handled in federal court. 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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. Friday, 29 January 2016 23:50:09 (GMT+3) | Sao Paulo A Brazilian authority has rejected Samarcos environmental recovery plan, labeling it as generic and superficial, said Ibama, Brazil s environment authority. Samarcos rejected plan was presented a few months after a deadly iron ore waste dam burst occurred in November in the city of Mariana, killing 17 people and destroying much of the Doce Rivers ecosystem. Ibama said both Vale and Samarco have not presented concrete goals or deadlines for the actions the two companies have proposed. Samarco was notified by Ibama to present a new environmental recovery plan by February 17. Earlier this week, a new spill at the Samarco complex was reported. Samarco said recent rains caused the incident earlier this week, however, the spill didnt include residues from the mining complex and didnt reach the rivers in the area. Priests are supposed to love children. Thats the message of a self-published book, Are You Still a Priest? by the Rev. Gerald J. Kleba, pastor of St. Cronan Roman Catholic Church in St. Louis. About 14 years ago, Kleba took over as pastor of a parish devastated by sexual abuse and cover-up. The sex abuse scandal was erupting in the Boston Archdiocese, thanks to the Boston Globes reporting into its failures to protect children from predator priests. In the last week of February 2002, as the Post-Dispatch was preparing its own story about secret settlements by the St. Louis Archdiocese to victims of sexual abuse, the archdiocese removed two priests from their assignments. One was the Rev. Joseph Ross, pastor of St. Cronan. The archdiocese had assigned him there in 1991 after he had pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a minor; the archdiocese did not tell members of his new parish he could be a threat. Kleba stepped into a church that saw about half of its 400 families walk away and never return. Most of those who remained were angry. They didnt want a new pastor so quickly. Not one forced on them by an institution that had betrayed them. Taking nothing away from the horrors of abuse, or the work of journalists, theres room for a reminder that most priests are good guys, Kleba has said. He thinks the public is yearning for stories that will help restore their hope that good people do exist, after all, in these troubled times, he said in a press release about the book. The memoir contains eight stories, each sketched with loving detail. There is the girl to whom he penned letters from Santa Claus after the death of her brother. The little girl who brought him to school on Grandparents Day and brought him a cupcake with pink icing. The little boy with whom he posed for a photograph for the cover of the YMCA brochure. Some of the richest and most generous people in St. Louis are going to get a copy of this with our picture on the cover, he told the boy. So that means that thousands of people who dont know us at all only know one thing about us. The boy answered, They know were friends? The most touching memory concerns his first days at St. Cronan, which is in the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood. Church secretary Delores Blount told him if he wanted to get off to the best start, he shouldnt hang around St. Cronan. He should head to Cardinal Glennon Childrens Hospital. There he found the parents of Jeremiah Busiek, 7, who was suffering from a brain tumor. The family had been longtime members of St. Cronan. As he entered the hospital, I too was anguished, not knowing if I would be welcomed and embraced as a healing presence or found questionable, maybe even despicable, because of the stain of abuse caused by Ross. Rebuilding St. Cronan started in that hospital room. He gave Jeremiah his first Holy Communion that day. Here I was presenting myself out of the blue to these people, who knew nothing about me, he wrote. Jeremiah lived for another year. When he died, his parents asked Kleba to join them in the most intimate of acts: bathing their son. Klebas plain writing and clear memories carry the stories. It was reverent; it was slow, still, silent; all of us doing what we had never done before with profound homage for the sacred and tender teamwork. After dressing him in underwear we wrapped him in a soft blue blanket and placed him in (his mothers) arms in a rocking chair. The view from the third floor was of a blustery March day in St. Louis. Its a beautiful and tender scene that lets this caring priest recapture a little of the spotlight. Are You Still a Priest? By the Rev. Gerald J. Kleba ROME Controversy over Italys decision to cover nude statues during the visit of Irans president continued to spark debate as the leader of the Syrian Catholic Church criticized the episode, saying it pains persecuted Christians in Syria who feel forgotten. This is our culture. If you dont want to see it, close your eyes! an exasperated Patriarch Youssef III Younan told journalists in Rome on Thursday. The head of the Syriac Catholic Church was speaking two days after ancient nude statues were covered by staff at Romes Capitoline Museums in a bid to avoid offending the Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani. Rouhani was visiting Italy and France this week as part of a trip aimed at thawing Tehrans relations with the West after the historic deal with the U.S. and other world powers that would limit Irans nuclear capabilities in return for ending many sanctions. The Iranian president also met with Pope Francis in the Vatican on Tuesday. The move by officials in Rome to cover the statues during Rouhanis visit sparked an outcry in Italy and was viewed as a step too far to accommodate the leader of Shiite-majority Iran. The Syrian patriarchs criticism took on a religious and international dimension as he argued the decision by officials in heavily Catholic Italy troubled Christians trying to survive in war-torn Syria. This gives a lot of pain to us Christians who have remained seeing our brothers, who are ready to forget everything for reasons of humanitarian interests, or opportunism, he said during a talk in Rome about the persecution of Christians in the Middle East. Rouhani, whose delegation to Rome signed business deals worth billions of dollars, has denied requesting the statues be covered. Both Italys culture minister, Dario Franceschini, and Prime Minister Matteo Renzi claimed they were not informed of the decision, and an internal investigation has subsequently been launched. During his private meeting with Francis, Rouhani and the pope discussed religious freedom in Iran and interreligious dialogue. Francis also pressed Rouhani to support political solutions in the Middle East and combat terrorism and arms trafficking. Dear Abby My fiance is in the Marine Reserves. He has been in for five years, and his contract is due to end next year. After that, he will either resign or re-enlist. Hes obsessed with the idea of serving his country and deploying. He says he wont feel like he did his job if he doesnt deploy. While I respect that, for him to deploy, he must re-enlist, and his new contract will be for another six years. He could be sent overseas many times in six years. I know it sounds selfish, because he is very brave, but how can I talk him into not re-enlisting or at least communicate that I dont want him to do this again? WANTS HIM STATESIDE Dear Wants Frankly, I am surprised you havent told your fiance your feelings about this already, because you should have. While I wouldnt ask him to choose between you and his military service, I do think you have some serious thinking to do about your own future. While you may love him, if this isnt a lifestyle to which you can adapt, then he may not be the husband for you. Dear Abby My mothers father recently got out of prison and was deported to Mexico. He had been in jail for 20 years, almost my entire life (Im 22). While he was in prison, I wrote him several times, hoping to connect with him, but I never got a response. When Im asked if I have any grandparents, I usually say, I only have two grandmas. My fathers father was the only real grandfather I had, and I loved him dearly. He died in 2003. The problem is, my mom wants me to call her father Grandpa when I dont even know the man! In my opinion, the title of Grandpa is earned and not automatically bestowed. ESTRANGED GRANDDAUGHTER IN CALIFORNIA Dear Estranged You are not being unreasonable; you are being rational. You are not only not obligated to call this man Grandpa, you are under no obligation to speak to him at all. Dear Abby I just got asked to my first high school dance by Josh, a boy I really like. I dont know what to do, what to wear or what to say. I dont even know how to dance, and I dont want to mess this up. Josh is very popular and has done this before, but I havent. Hes my best friend, and Im scared of losing him because Im not good enough. INEXPERIENCED IN NEVADA Dear Inexperienced If you werent good enough, Josh wouldnt have invited you to the dance. Because you havent danced before, ask him to give you some pointers before the big night. As to what to wear, if any of your girlfriends have attended the dances, ask them for suggestions. Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby at DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, Calif. 90069. FULTON, Mo. Had it not been for his insanity plea, Sean Cory Carter might have served just 10 days in jail for hitting a mental health worker in the eye in 1992. Thats all the time the state prosecutor recommended in the misdemeanor case. Instead, his plea has placed him in what some call a black hole one that is sapping what little hope the 43-year-old has of a life outside of secure mental health facilities. His lawyer is now challenging the case, saying a public defender messed up nearly 24 years ago. Carter should be freed, the lawyer recently argued in court. But theres much more to Carters situation. The plea of not guilty by reason of insanity isnt what first landed him in state mental institutions. In fact, he has pretty much spent his whole life in one. For decades, Carter has lived in the custody of the Missouri Department of Mental Health, at the gray intersection of medicine and law. In Carters lifetime, society has moved on to a better understanding of mental illness and options for treatment. But Carters case has continued to languish. He came of age during the Prozac era, a time when mental illness became less of a stigma and more people were being treated in the community instead of inside wards. The use of not guilty by reason of insanity, or NGRI, pleas, once more popular in courthouses and television dramas, has plummeted as a defense. Patients often end up spending much more time in treatment than the maximum prison sentence for the alleged crime. And popular culture has raised doubts about an insanity defense in which the defendant must strike the odd balance of also being found competent to stand trial. Carter has continued in a state of limbo, stuck in a system that lacks the resources to appropriately address the needs of some of the states most vulnerable residents. Doctors say hes still a danger to himself and others because of his mental disease or defect. Even without the insanity plea hanging over him, he likely would not be released. They say I get mad easily, Carter said by telephone, before a session of group therapy that he says hes bored with. Still, some mental health advocates and lawyers who know him see an injustice. Were it not for the questionable insanity plea, they say, Carter would have a stronger chance of transitioning out of institutional treatment to a less-restrictive environment. Having an NGRI plea creates an additional barrier, said Susan Eckles, managing attorney for Missouri Protection and Advocacy Services, a federally funded nonprofit disability rights firm familiar with Carters case. Carters public defender, Justin Carver, says the case is particularly troublesome because it stems from a misdemeanor. The vast majority of insanity pleas are for felonies. These days, Carver said, public defenders would almost never use insanity as a defense for misdemeanor offenses. It seems like there has to be something less restrictive, something better for him, even if its a group home or community-based alternative, he said. Raised in the system Part of the problem is that Carter doesnt have family advocates. He isnt sure what became of his biological mother and father. What is known is that when he was born his mother was committed to a mental health facility. She lost parental rights, sending him first to foster care, then to a host of institutions because he was aggressive. For a period in the 1970s, he lived with Ann Hubbard and her late husband, the closest Carter would come to having involved parents. The Hubbards, of Kansas City, were foster parents for lots of children one room full of bunks for girls, another for boys. I tell you what, I loved that little boy. I really did. I still do, said Hubbard, 82. She recalled that he never seemed to get enough to eat, even though food was one of the few things they had plenty of. One time, she said, he hoarded pieces of cake inside a piece of furniture. And sometimes he set fires inside the house. The only thing I found wrong with Cory, he was a firebug, she said, referring to Carter by his middle name. When he did it the fifth time, I had to get rid of him. It wasnt just a stress on me, it was a stress on my kids. Out of 62 children the Hubbards fostered, she said, he was the only one turned back to juvenile authorities. Even then, she said, he kept returning after running away from different facilities as a child. To me, Cory wasnt crazy, she said. By the age of 8, he was living in state institutions. A decade later, a judge appointed the Jackson County public administrator as his legal guardian, making all kinds of decisions for Carter, including placing him at Biggs Forensic Center, the maximum-security unit at Fulton State Hospital. Even there, the oldest facility of its kind west of the Mississippi River, Carter acted out. He was charged in 1992 with misdemeanor assault for allegedly punching a worker in the eye. Represented by a public defender, he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Coupled with the diagnosis of severe attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, Carter was acquitted of the charge. As is standard procedure, he was committed to indefinite treatment by the Department of Mental Health. Thats where he remains today, having served more than 20 times the maximum sentence of the original crime in a secure hospital setting. A shrinking group The plea led Carter down a peculiar path. Today, hes part of a dwindling group of nearly 800 people who have been acquitted of a crime in Missouri after insanity pleas and are being held in a state hospital or conditionally released to the community for treatment. The criminal plea has been decreasing in use in recent decades. Eighty-seven people were added to the program in 1987, compared to four in 2013. Amid that shrinking group, Carter stands out. Hes locked up for treatment along with murderers and rapists who tend to hallucinate yet are mostly nonviolent on medication. Carter, in contrast, has been diagnosed with ADHD, mild mental retardation, obesity and anti-social and intermittent explosive disorders but never psychosis. Misdemeanor offenses such as Carters are rare in his population. Of the 781 patients studied in 2013, just 28 had committed misdemeanors. Whats more, about two-thirds of this population is now treated in the community, a move that gained momentum around 2004. Carter has made numerous unsuccessful attempts to be released or treated in the community. Now, he has filed a lawsuit asking that the old insanity ruling be thrown out removing one major barrier to his release. He claims ineffectual counsel and says his plea was involuntary. Carver, his current defense attorney, said the terms of the insanity plea werent clearly explained to Carter, including the fact that his 10 days served in jail back in 1992 could have settled the matter. Hes been in there 22 or 23 years now, Carver said before a recent hearing in the case. It is just staggering. In another similar case, a Calloway County judge ruled in December that an insanity plea was improperly entered in 2007 for a man from southwest Missouri who was sent to a state mental hospital. But Jessica McKee, an assistant attorney general, argued in court records that in Carters case, he was aware of the plea that led to his commitment and had proper legal representation. She added that it was also reasonable for plea counsel to believe that, in light of Carters history of mental illness, continued treatment at the Department of Mental Health was in his best interest. A terribly sad story Should Carter get the old insanity plea thrown out, he would still have to convince the system that hes fit for the community. But with his history of bad behavior in confinement, he could be his own worst enemy. Public records say Carter was averaging 25 to 30 acts of physical aggression a year, including 17 in 2012. More recently, his attorney said, Carter had to be restrained Christmas Day after a patient took a token gift from him and Carter took it back. Is that because he doesnt understand, or that theres not a way out for him and hes frustrated? Carver said of the aggressive acts. Shawn de Loyola, executive director of Missouri Protection and Advocacy Services, said its the latter. He has visited with Carter mainly by telephone for two decades, so long that Carter calls him Pops. I have just seen an individual with developmental disabilities, said de Loyola. He started out in the wrong places. There should have been specialized treatment for him. He said he thinks Carter is in a black hole and part of a broken system. I believe that if he was born out in the community then he would have gone in special education, de Loyola said. He would have had moments in the system when he had trouble with folks. It wouldnt have turned out this way. Matt Decker, 32, another public defender, said working on Carters case in recent years was so frustrating it helped motivate him to switch career paths. Decker is now a medical student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. I dont think medicine and law understand each other very well, he said. Law deals in absolutes. Medicine is most likely, or evidence suggests this. In medicine, you will never say something that is absolute. A reporter wasnt allowed to visit Carter at Fulton State Hospital. Reached by telephone a couple of times, he sounded a little slow, but mostly coherent. He said he sleeps a lot and tries to stay out of trouble. Hes not sure what he would do if he got out, but he thinks about it every day. He wishes Ann Hubbard would take him back to the place he called home as a young boy. I am in a mental hospital where the environment is frustrating because sometimes the clients jump down your throat and call me names, he said. I am trying to work on being aggressive-free, but there are parts of the environment that are frustrating. As Carters guardian, Jackson County Public Administrator Rebecca Lake Wood often has the last word about whats best for Carter. Hes one of 1,200 people in all for whom she is a guardian, many of whom are in nursing homes and hospitals. She agrees there could be better options for Carter in a community setting. But thats just not the reality in Missouri, she said. He would need a lot of staff around him to de-escalate a situation without taking him to a psychiatric hospital every time he gets aggressive. And thats expensive. Its a sad story, a terribly sad story, but the real sad story is that our state has walked away from funding treatment for people with mental illness or caring for people with developmental disabilities, she said. Still, without his current arrangement, Carter might instead end up being treated in prison. So she supports his ongoing confinement at Fulton. But now, a new set of eyes will see Carters case. Jackson County judges decided not to renew Lake Woods position. Starting Monday, the next public administrator will face the question of what to do with Sean Cory Carter and many others with complex histories and mental health needs. ST. LOUIS Last summers hacking of a website dedicated to arranging romantic infidelity led to angst, embarrassment, accusations and potentially complicated litigation that is all coming here. Lawsuits filed across the country against Avid Life Media LLC, owner of AshleyMadison.com, are being consolidated in U.S. District Court in St. Louis. Two dozen lawyers representing Avid and current or former clients met this week with District Judge John Ross. More listened in by phone as Ross scheduled a series of motions and told the attorneys he soon will pick leaders among them to streamline handling of the case. One issue will be the continuing privacy of people who signed on to the site, whose slogan is: Life is short. Have an affair. It has boasted of millions of clients, in 50 countries and every U.S. ZIP code. Ross said lawyers would have to file motions by Feb. 15 to allow plaintiffs to continue using pseudonyms to press their cases. The company can then respond. Lawyers have until March 22 to file a consolidated class action complaint. Robert A. Atkins, one of the lawyers for Avid Life, said that he expects that some of the 50 or so plaintiffs might drop out of the lawsuit if they have to reveal their real names. Roughly 40 filed as John or Jane Doe or some variation. He also raised an issue of the difficulty of properly identifying plaintiffs, wondering whether some of them had used fake names when signing up. And he said a clause in the users agreement might put the lawsuit on hold while clients claims are handled in arbitration in a venue of the companys choosing. St. Louis attorney John Driscoll told Ross that plaintiffs lawyers may need some limited information from the company before they proceed, so they know which clients were covered under what versions of user agreements. He said that the arbitration requirement didnt exist in the beginning, and he disputed whether it could be enforced against anyone. Driscoll represents a woman from Maryland Heights who is among clients complaining that after quitting the service they paid extra to have their personal information removed but it was not done. Last summer, hackers harvested data from the company, then released it online when the company refused to shut down the website. That stolen information included user names, emails, home addresses, messages and partial credit card information. The results included efforts by some to publicly reveal names of Ashley Madison customers and purported blackmail attempts and suicides. The data also exposed some users workplaces and password choices and inner workings of the hook-up system. Besides complaints of breached personal information, some plaintiffs claim fraud, alleging as some analysts have that the hacked data showed tens of thousands of the sites profiles of women seeking flings were merely computer-generated fembots. Those allegedly sent millions of messages to male customers in an attempt to garner more money. The company has denied the claims about fembots, saying in August that the ratio of paying men to women active on the site was 1.2 to 1 in the first six months of 2015. Avid Life, based in Toronto, has offered a reward of 500,000 Canadian dollars for information leading to the hackers, who have not been caught. It has also said that the websites rank have been growing despite the attack. A St. Louis man has confessed to fatally stabbing a 70-year-old man during the burglary of a University City home, authorities say. Gregory Hayes, 51, was charged with first-degree murder, burglary and armed criminal action on Saturday. He is being held without bond at the St. Louis County Justice Center. Officials said Hayes was arrested on Friday. He was interviewed and confessed to detectives that he burglarized the home of August Lombardo and killed Lombardo in a struggle, according to police. Hayes allegedly stole money and liquor from the residence, in the 7100 block of Amherst Avenue. Police said Hayes is the brother of a man who worked with Lombardo. That co-worker discovered Lombardo's body. Hayes had been to the residence several times socially with his brother, police said. Police said the co-worker found the body about 7:30 a.m. on Jan. 20 after using a key that had been supplied by Lombardo. The two had last spoken on the night of Jan. 19. The body was in a bedroom on the first floor. He had been stabbed multiple times and had defensive wounds. How St. Louis-area members of Congress voted in the week of Jan. 25-29. The House was only nominally in session and had no votes because of the aftermath of a winter storm. Senate Boost for Nuclear Energy The Senate voted, 87-4, to expand the role of nuclear power in a wide-ranging energy bill (S 2012) that remained in debate. A yes vote was to adopt an amendment that would further joint government and private-sector research into the development of new technologies for nuclear reactors. Yes Mark Kirk, R-Ill.; Dick Durbin, D-Ill.; Roy Blunt, R-Mo.; Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. Economic Impact of Crude-Oil Exports Voting 62-29, the Senate ordered Government Accounting Office studies over three years of economic harm felt by U.S. refineries, shipbuilders and consumers under a new law that allows U.S. crude oil to be exported for the first time since 1975. A yes vote was to adopt the amendment to S 2012 (above). Yes Durbin, Blunt, McCaskill. No Kirk. Funding of Cutting-Edge Research The Senate approved, 55-37, a 7 percent budget increase for a Department of Energy unit known as ARPA-E that funds research so experimental it cannot attract private sector funding. A yes vote was to add $113 million through fiscal 2020 to the budget for highly experimental energy research. (S 2012) Yes Blunt, McCaskill, Durbin. No Kirk. Key Votes Ahead This week, the House will debate sanctions on Iran and the Senate will resume work on a sweeping energy bill. The votes and descriptions are compiled by Voterama in Congress, a legislative tracking organization. Festus school officials are urging caution after a female student reportedly escaped an alleged abduction near school on Wednesday afternoon. An unidentified person pulled the student into a wooded area near Mid-Meadow Lane and Pryor Drive around 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday, according to a letter sent to Festus parents on Friday. The student was able to escape, Festus superintendent Link Luttrell wrote in the letter. The incident was reported to the school district on Friday, and Festus police are still investigating, Luttrell said in the letter. Meanwhile, Festus officials have added security patrols to the area of the alleged incident. Anyone who may have information about the incident can call the Festus police at 636-937-3646. MUJU, South Korea Since he arrived at the camp, Yoon Yong-won had recurrent nightmares. He was playing a game on his phone, and the image of the phone in his hands was so vivid. But then he woke up with a fright and stared at his hands: empty. Yoon was in day six of a 27-day camp aimed at teenagers like him: state-certified Internet addicts. The first day he arrived and had to turn over his devices was a day of despair. I thought, My future is pitch-black, he said over a lunch of spaghetti Bolognese and kimchi on a recent day. Im so frustrated. I feel like Im being held captive. South Korea is the most wired country on the planet, a country where its entirely unremarkable for elementary school students to carry smartphones, where the cell network is so good that people livestream TV on the subway. The flip side: South Korea is grappling with a growing number of digital natives who dont know how to live an analog life. The government has been promoting I.T. and these kinds of devices, so the government helped create this problem, said Shim Yong-chool, the director of the National Center for Youth Internet Addiction Treatment camp at a converted school near Muju, in the center of the country. Now, the governments trying to help solve it. Surveys have suggested that about 10 percent of Korean teenagers are Internet addicts, and the government has tried to counter this through measures such as the Cinderella law, which denies access after midnight to gamers younger than 16, although many have figured out ways to get around it. Then there are camps such as this one, offering three- or four-week courses of stress-reduction classes and wholesome activities such as hiking, rock-climbing and learning to play guitar. Almost 5,000 teenagers went through the camp last year, the first full year it was open. All were sent here by their parents or their teachers and were assessed for Internet addiction before arriving. Checklists include statements such as I lie about the number of hours I spend online and I find it more fun to be on my phone than to be with family and friends. Most of the teenagers here measure in the danger zone, where they are obsessive about using the Internet, often cutting class as a result, and have trouble interacting with people offline. Many also become withdrawn or feel lonely, or they show aggressiveness and impulsiveness. We consider Internet addiction the same as other material addictions like alcohol, Shim said in the common space of the center. A strong smell of liniment hung in the air, olfactory evidence of young muscles not used to physical activity. Going cold turkey isnt easy. Some teenagers have been busted for having a secret phone in their belongings, while others have attempted to break out of the camp, trying to walk or hitch-hike to the nearest town, three miles away, in search of an Internet cafe. Yoon, 18, a high school student from Pocheon, north of Seoul, ended up at this camp on his winter break because of what he did during his summer holidays: He played computer games for at least 14 hours a day. Even during the semester, he spent more than 12 hours a day playing games or using chatting apps. He thought it was fine. I wasnt getting headaches or anything, he said. His parents, however, did not. They applied to send him to the camp. On day six of the camp, one group of boys and this intake was all boys, there are separate camps for girls was coloring pictures of animals that were meant to represent their family members. Yoon, wearing a blond curly wig reminiscent of Christina Aguilera, ate a lollipop and talked to his friends about online gaming strategies the entire time. Families not only cause you stress, but they can help you deal with stress, too, said Kim Tae-joon, the instructor, as the boys characterized their parents as scorpions, gorillas or snakes. Down the hall, another group was trying to build towers with dry spaghetti and marshmallows. Use your heads, said the teacher, Sun Jin-sook, as peppy Korean pop music played ironically through her laptop computer. Even though it takes time, dont give up. Some of the boys worked on their towers, while others just ate the marshmallows. On the walls of the classrooms were forms the boys had filled out on their first day. Programmer was often listed as their desired profession, and many answered the question of why they were here with variations of I was forced. My mom told me to come here, and I dont even get any reward for it, said Yoon Suk-ho, 14, a middle school student from Daegu. He acknowledged, however, that he might need help. I was actually kind of thinking that I might have a problem with my smartphone, he said, adding that he played games on it nonstop. When I came here and they made me hand it in, I was thinking, How am I going to live without it? But somehow, they were surviving. During breaks, the boys went out to play in the snow or sat on the floor playing board games such as Rummikub or card games without a screen in sight. On the shelves were box sets of Harry Potter books and comic books on old-fashioned paper. On their last day of the course, the campers will be assessed for addiction again. After that, they will receive periodic visits from school counselors to check up on them. Numbers on recidivism are hard to come by because the camp is too new, said Shim, the director. At least while theyre here, some boys found that they could live without technology. Its better than I thought it would be, said Kim Sung-min, a 14-year-old. At home, I just used to play games. But here, we talk to each other. I miss John Wayne. John Wayne would know what to do about ISIS. For one thing, hed call them ISIS, not ISIL or IS or Daesh. John Wayne wouldnt mess with them. Donald Trump said he would bomb the (stuff) out of ISIS, and he didnt use the politically correct euphemism, either. John Wayne would put on his Green Beret and go after them on film. He wouldnt need no stinkin diplomats. He wouldnt care about blowback in the Middle East. John Wayne knew that America could do whatever the heck it wants. I miss America doing whatever the heck it wants. John Wayne wouldnt be afraid of Megyn Kelly, either. John Wayne would throw her over his lap and spank her, the way he did Maureen OHara in McClintock and The Quiet Man. John Wayne knew how to handle uppity women. John Wayne knew what to do with immigrants, too. If they were women, like his Panamanian, Peruvian and Mexican wives, hed marry them. If they were good guys, hed make them his sidekicks and treat them like the help. If they were bad guys, with mustaches and bandoliers full of bullets across their chests, hed plug em with his Winchester. He wouldnt need to build a wall on the Mexican border because all hed have to do was tell em not to come. You think theyd defy John Wayne? I dont think so. Things were easier when America was great and John Wayne was in charge. This is the myth that Donald Trump is selling. You didnt have to worry about running into Caitlyn Jenner in the mens room. Men were men and women were glad of it. John Wayne didnt need no unisex bathrooms. You think if John Wayne owned a pizza restaurant, hed cater a gay wedding? Not in John Waynes America, which is where Trump thinks we need to get back to, back when white men were in charge and everyone liked it like that. This was a better America. Oh, sure. If you were a woman or gay or black and getting lynched or hosed down with a water cannon, you might disagree. But John Wayne put Woody Strode in a lot of his movies and never once hosed him down with a water cannon. We need to get back to those times. We need to make Leave it to Beaver real again. You never saw Wally or the Beave or Lumpy Rutherford wearing sagging pants. Or listening to terrible music. We need Perry Como and Vic Damone back again, and Andy Williams. And Nat King Cole. You never heard Nat King Cole rapping, did you? Huh? John Waynes daughter, Aissa Wayne, has endorsed Donald Trump. If ever there was a reason to vote for a man, its that. The average American is mad as hell that our country is being sold down the river, she said in her endorsement letter. Yes, we are. As I watch John Wayne movies on my Korean-made television set while clothes are washing in the Chinese-made washer, I think, Boy, am I mad that America has been sold down the river. I will jump into my Japanese-made car and drive to my tax-subsidized Wal-Mart and try to find something made in America. At the John Wayne Birthplace Museum in Winterset, Iowa, is a dark green 1972 Pontiac Grand Safari station wagon that John Wayne used to own. Good luck finding a station wagon in todays America. And it definitely wont be made by Pontiac. When we make America great again, well all drive Pontiac station wagons. Donald Trump will have to trade in his Rolls-Royces, Lamborghini Diablo and Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. And hell get a great deal. A fantastic deal. The best deal ever. You think Donald Trump cant out-wheedle a Pontiac salesman? In John Waynes America, we werent politically correct. We could insult people all we wanted. We didnt have to pretend that black people worked hard to be good athletes because we knew they were naturally gifted. We knew that Jews had all the money and that Mexicans were totally lazy. We were comfortable with that. Now were uncomfortable and its their fault! And we cant even complain about it because its politically correct to be polite. Trump is a throwback: Hes a good old-fashioned jerk, insulting Muslims and Mexicans and prisoners of war, conservatives and liberals and especially the morons and losers and dummies who write about him. Trump is less John Wayne than the kind of guy John Wayne used to shoot. In The Shootist, his last movie, Waynes character explained his code: I wont be wronged. I wont be insulted. I wont be laid a-hand on. I dont do these things to other people, and I require the same from them. Trump wouldnt last long. At the risk of another dated cultural reference, hes more like Archie Bunker with money. In the West Bank a majority of Palestinians there still back the four month old knife terrorism campaign organized by the local leadership (Fatah). This was done mainly to make the corrupt and incompetent Fatah more popular in the West Bank but opinion polls show that most Palestinians would vote for Hamas if elections were held right now. While Hamas is hated by the people of Gaza, West Bank Palestinians dont experience Hamas cruelty daily while they do endure the corrupt and inept rule of Fatah. The Fatah pro-terror media campaign has also convinced most Palestinians it is Israel that is refusing to negotiate peace when in fact it is the Palestinians who turned down two peace deals in the 1990s and instead tried terror campaigns to get more. Both of these intifadas failed and Fatah has sold the illusion that the third intifada (the knife intifada) will succeed. Since 2000 Palestinian media constantly pushed the idea that Israel has no right to exist and must be destroyed. Palestinians who disagree with this must either emigrate or keep silent. For most Palestinians it is easier to simply praise the knife. The knife terrorism campaign has, since September, left 26 Israelis (and one American) dead and over 250 wounded. But 149 Palestinians have died (mostly in failed attacks). Palestinian media depicts unsuccessful attacks that result in attackers being killed or wounded as Israeli attacks against random (and innocent) Palestinians. Over all the knife tactic does nothing for the Palestinians except increase their poverty and Fatah propaganda about how glorious it is to die. Fatah and Hamas are supposed to hold another round of unifications talks in Qatar during February. Fatah and Hamas are supposed to hold another round of unifications talks in Qatar during February. The Iranian Threat Israel believes the Russian intervention in Syria will, in the short term, lessen the possibility that Hezbollah will start another war with Israel. Long-term the Russian presence means Hezbollah will get some modern weapons and useful training from the Russians, who do not consider Hezbollah a terrorist organization. The rest of the world does but for Russia Hezbollah is a useful ally in Syria. Russia was also a major force behind the July 2015 peace deal with Iran that is lifting most of the economic sanctions on Iran. This means Hezbollah will get more cash from Iran. The sanctions led to Iran reducing annual payments to Hezbollah over ten percent. Hezbollah understood that Iran was short of cash because of sanctions and low oil prices but pointed out that the missing cash was even more of a problem because Hezbollah had suffered over 8,000 casualties fighting for the Iranian-backed Assad government in Syria. This is actually bad news for Israel because over 10,000 Hezbollah militia men and hundreds of combat leaders have obtained valuable combat experience. More to the point a lot of that experience is gained fighting alongside Russian forces and learning how to fight a conventional war. This will cause Israel problems in the future. Meanwhile Hezbollah has not been ignoring its rockets (more than 50,000 of them) stored in portable or underground launch sites in over 200 Shia villages near the Israeli border. There was joy among Hezbollah members as well as Iranians and Russians when the sanctions on Iran began to go away this month. That means more cash from Iran. Hezbollah needs that money badly because of the increasingly effective Israeli effort to uncover and cripple the many criminal activities (drugs, smuggling, fraud) that Hezbollah uses to finance its activities. While Iran supplies up to a billion dollars a year Hezbollah also depends on hundreds of million dollars a year from illegal activities. Many of these are outside Lebanon and Israel has intensified its effort to uncover details of these schemes and turn over the evidence to local authorities for prosecution. Since 2001 Israel has received a lot more assistance from the United States, who have more access in the international banking system and that is useful when seeking out Hezbollah misbehavior. The economic damage this intel effort has done to Hezbollah has been considerable. Israel can tell because there are more reports from Lebanon about Hezbollah cutting spending (payroll, bribes, purchases) a lot. Russia and Iran will not (and actually cannot) make up these losses and Hezbollah gets angrier at Israel because Moslems have been taught that if anything goes wrong it is probably the fault of Israel. In addition to threats from Hezbollah and Hamas Israel also has to prepare for Islamic terrorist attacks on the Syrian border. So far Israel has managed to negotiate what amounts to truces with Islamic terror groups that control parts of the Syrian border. The peace on the Syrian frontier is fragile and Israel is working closely with Jordan (which faces a similar threat) to coordinate responses to any terrorist threats from Syria. Israel and Jordan have long cooperated in dealing with terrorist threats. 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 a lot 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. Meanwhile Israel has created the most effective anti-missile network in the world. Much of these systems are locally developed and made and proven in combat. The main defense against Iranian long range missiles is the Arrow system. This has been in service since 2000 and has racked up an impressive string of successes in test launches. Originally designed to deal with short and medium range ballistic missiles, it was built to protect Israel from Syrian and Iranian attack. Israel now has three Arrow batteries in service. An Arrow battery has 4-8 launchers and each launcher carries six missiles in containers. The two ton Arrow 1 has been replaced with the 1.3 ton Arrow 2, which can shoot down ballistic missiles fired from Iran and these are being augmented with Arrow 3s. Shorter range Stunner missiles and Magic Wand are meant to complement the Iron Dome anti-rocket system, which can take down rockets with a range of up to 70 kilometers. Iron Dome has a unique feature in which the radar system computes where the incoming rocket will land. If the rocket will not hit an inhabited area, it will be ignored. Otherwise, an interceptor missile will be fired. Stunner will be used against larger rockets that will be aimed (by Syria or Hezbollah) at large urban areas, and these will almost always get a Stunner fired at them. This is part of the Magic Wand system for defending Israelis from aircraft and short range rocket attacks. Magic Wand is expected to eventually replace the 17 Hawk anti-aircraft batteries and, eventually, the six Patriot batteries. Because of the long range of the Stunner it only takes two Magic Wand batteries to cover all of Israel. Egypt Egypt continues to have problems with Islamic terrorists although the violence is confined to a few areas. A larger problem is the floundering economy. Terrorist attacks on tourism caused a lot of damage while corruption and government incompetence continue to cripple economic growth. The government has managed to keep a lid on public anger over economic problems by getting billions in loans (mostly from China and the West) and gifts (from Arab oil states) but those sources are running dry and the government must deal with the corruption and inept bureaucracy if there is to be any real improvement in the economy. Most of the Islamic terrorist violence is found in a small portion of the Sinai Peninsula and, given the size of Egypt is not a major threat. Since 2013 about a thousand people a year have died from Islamic terrorism. About half the dead are terrorists (actual or suspected), most of the rest civilians. Most Egyptians oppose Islamic terrorism, if only because it tends to kill lots of innocent civilians and cripple the economy. But in a few rural areas, mainly in northern Sinai, there are populations willing to support Islamic terrorists. Outside of Sinai there a lot of people who are Islamic conservatives and are more tolerant of Islamic terrorism. But these terrorism supporters have to be careful because the neighbors are often willing to alert the police about any pro-Islamic terrorist activity in the neighborhood. There are about 10,000 members of the Islamic Brotherhood, from which most Islamic terrorists come (after denouncing the non-violent policies of the Brotherhood). While fewer than one percent of Egyptians support any form of terrorism, thats still more than half a million people. More worrisome is the growing activity of ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) groups. Even other Islamic terror groups fear ISIL because ISIL is very lethal and considers anyone not ISIL a target. The security forces dont consider ISIL a long-term threat because ultra-violent groups like this are self-destructive and tend to burn out sooner rather than later. January 27, 2016: Hamas admitted that seven of its men had died because of a recent tunnel collapse (the result of heavy rains). The seven were actually rebuilding a combat tunnel destroyed by Israel during the mid-2014 50 Day War. Fatah accused Hamas of wasting the lives of their members working on tunnels, especially the ones used mainly for smuggling goods (which Hamas taxes heavily). That makes ten Hamas men killed so far this year in tunnel accidents. Israelis living near the Gaza border complain that they can sometimes hear (or feel) Hamas tunnel building efforts. In 2014 the Israeli military said they would erect a detection system to locate new tunnels so they could be destroyed. The detection system has been delayed because of defense spending cuts but now the government says the detection system is coming soon. January 26, 2016: Israel accused Hamas of recruiting (via bribes or coercion) Gaza residents with travel permits (to the West Bank, Israel or elsewhere) to participate in terrorist attacks against Israel. Because of this Israel closed its border crossings with Gaza until Hamas agreed to stop this recruiting and actually did so. Israel issued over 100,000 of these travel permits to Gaza residents in 2015. January 23, 2016: A rocket was fired from Gaza into Israel. There were no casualties or property damage in Israel because the rocket landed in Gaza and detonated. Increasingly rockets fired from Gaza fail to perform as expected. Israel responds to each attack with an air raid on a Hamas terrorist facility. There have been six rockets fired from Gaza so far in 2016. In Jerusalem a 17 year old Palestinian died when the bomb he was carrying (to use against Israeli soldiers) went off prematurely, killing him. At his funeral Fatah declared the dead terrorist a hero. The father and grandfather of the dead bomber also died trying to kill Israelis. January 20, 2016: Israel arrested five Palestinians in the West Bank and accused them of working for Hezbollah to carry out a terror attack in Israel. Hezbollah has been seeking, without much success, revenge for Israel killing Hezbollah commander Samir Kuntar in December 2015. 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 is not a good idea. January 11, 2016: In Libya unidentified jets bombed ISIL facilities in the coastal city of Sirte. Some ISIL leaders blamed Egypt and in response Egypt sent more troops to the Libyan border to guard against any ISIL retaliation. Egypt supports peace in Libya, but generally does it peacefully. Dirty Little Secrets DLS for 2001 | DLS for 2002 | DLS for 2003 DLS for 2004 | DLS for 2005 | DLS for 2006 DLS for 2007 | DLS for 2008 China Honors Its Nukes by James Dunnigan January 29, 2016 As part of the current reorganization of the Chinese military the Second Artillery Corps, which consists largely of short range ballistic missiles plus fewer than a hundred longer range (strategic) missiles, is being upgraded to the new Rocket Force. That means this organization goes from being part of the army to being a fourth branch of the military (along with the army, navy and air force). Because the Rocket Force controls Chinas nuclear weapons it has the most firepower of any branch but the fewest personnel. This combining ballistic missiles under one organization is similar to what the Russians did throughout the Cold War. The Russians, like the Chinese now, made their nuclear missile force a brach of the armed forces. The Rocket Force is spread over most of China, has about 100,000 personnel and is organized into six Missile Divisions which have between them over 30 missile brigades. The most common ballistic missile is the DF-21 and the ten DF-21 brigades each have up to six missile battalions (with two mobile launchers each), two maintenance and repair battalions, a site management battalion, a signal battalion and an electronic countermeasures (ECM) battalion. The basic DF-21 is a 15 ton, two stage, solid fuel missile that is 10.7 meters (35 feet) long and 140cm (4.6 feet) in diameter. Range varies (from 1,700-3,000 kilometers) depending on model. These missiles are carried and launched in TELs (transporter erector launcher vehicles). The Second Artillery Corps also controls most of Chinas nuclear weapons, although many of the smaller ballistic missiles also have non-nuclear warheads available. The Rocket Force also controls the new ballistic missiles for nuclear submarines. In 2014 China revealed (apparently by accident) the existence of the DF-26 IRBM (Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile.) This one appears to have a range of 3,500 kilometers and based on the earlier DF-21. There have been reports of such a missile since 2007 and the DF-26C appears to have been in service for several years. The DF-26C is notable because it has the range to hit American military bases on the Central Pacific island of Guam. China tends to keep a lot of military data secret, even after foreigners have discovered the new items via satellite photos or curious Chinese taking cell phone photos and posting them. That was how the existence of the DF-41 missile became known in the last few years. In 2012 China tested the DF-41 ICBM equipped with a final stage containing multiple warheads. The U.S. announced the test and had apparently monitored it with satellites and other air, land, and sea based sensors. It was not revealed how many warheads were involved, although it was earlier mentioned that China could put 3-10 warheads in the DF-41 final stage. The DF-41 has not been displayed publicly but thanks to cell phone there are photos of the DF-41 available. The DF-41 appears to have had a lot of development problems because few have been built and fewer (less than a dozen) put into service. The DF-41 is the only Chinese ICBM that can reach all of the United States. China is believed to have over 400 nuclear warheads. Only a few dozen of these missiles can reach the United States. These include the older (and about to be retired) DF-5, plus the newer DF-31A and DF-41. About two thirds of Chinese nuclear warheads are believed to be in missile warheads, most of them DF-21s and these will be replaced by DF-26Cs. Normally the nuclear warheads are stored separately and mated to the missiles only for actual use or the occasional training exercise. In 2009 China announced that its nuclear armed ballistic missiles were not aimed at anyone. Like most countries, China has long refused to say who its nuclear armed missiles are aimed at. Most of those missiles only have enough range to hit Russia or India, or other nearby nations. For a long time most were very definitely aimed at Russia, which had rocky relations with China from the 1960s to the 1990s. But after the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, the new and much smaller Russia became friendlier with the wealthier (more capitalist but still run by communists) China. Relations between China and India also warmed up, then went into a deep freeze during the past decade. Since the 1990s China has had about two dozen DF-5 ICBMs nominally in service because they can reach the United States. Few of these are believed to be operational because of reliability and maintenance problems. The U.S. has since installed 18 ICBM interceptor missile systems in Alaska. These are to deal with North Korean missiles but could also destroy most Chinese missiles headed for the western United States. Thus it makes sense for China to simply say that it is not aiming any of its missiles at anyone. Modern guidance systems can be quickly (in less than an hour) programmed for a new target, so it doesn't really matter that, normally, the missiles have no target information in them. The DF-5s, moreover, are liquid fueled and the considerable activity required to ready them for launch can be detected by spy satellites. The DF-5s are being replaced by the solid fuel DF-41s, which can be moved, erected, and launched from a special truck. With a 15,000 kilometer range they can reach all of the United States. The third stage multiple warheads each with an explosive yield of at least 100 KT. The DF-41s appear similar to the American 36 ton Minuteman III (a 1960s design that has been much upgraded since then). India is of growing concern to China but there are shorter range ballistic missiles, like the DF-21, to deal with that threat. The Chinese introduced the DF-21 in 1999, and now has over a hundred in service. Many have non-nuclear warheads. This missile has a range of over 1,800 kilometers and can haul a 300 kiloton nuclear warhead. It's a two stage, 15 ton, solid fuel rocket. Launched from Tibet, the DF-21 can reach most major targets in India. In the early 1990s China put the larger DF-31 into service, sort of. This was China's first solid fuel ICBM (and had a range of over 8,000 kilometers) and roughly equivalent to the U.S. 30 ton Minuteman I (entered service in 1962 with a range of 9,900 kilometers). The DF-31 weighs about 41 tons and is 20 meters (62 feet) long and 2.25 meters (7 feet) in diameter. It was designed for use on submarines, land silos, and mobile launchers (which would halt at those "parking lots in the middle of nowhere" visible in satellite pictures of Qinghai province). The DF-31 has been shown stored in a TEL (transporter, erector, launcher) vehicle. Driving these vehicles along special highways in remote areas provides more protection from counterattacks than using a reinforced silo. Later, the improved DF-31A appeared, with multiple warheads and more range (up to 12,000 kilometers, which could cover most of the United States). The DF-31 was in development for over twenty years and only had its first successful launch in 2000. It's now believed to have a reliable and accurate guidance system, as well as a third stage that carries three 50 kiloton warheads. Only about a dozen DF-31s are in service, plus about a dozen DF-31As. Many of these appear to be aimed at European Russia. Then there is a submarine launched missile the JL (Julang) 2 SLBM (Sea Launched Ballistic Missile). This missile has had a lot of problems as have the SSBNs (ballistic missile carrying nuclear subs) that carried them. The 42 ton JL-2 has a range of 8,000 kilometers and would enable China to aim missiles at any target in the United States from a 094 class SSBN cruising off Hawaii or Alaska. Each 094 boat can carry twelve of these missiles, which are naval versions of the existing land based 42 ton DF-31 ICBM. The JL-2 was supposed to have entered service in 2009 but kept failing test launches. No Chinese SSBN has ever gone on a combat cruise because these boats have been very unreliable. South Korea revealed that since the 2010 North Korean attacks (that sank a warship and caused some casualties and property damage on a South Korean island off the west coast) North Korea has been using a lot more deception in its electronic communications. A major reason for this is that North Korea cannot afford to keep its communications gear up-to-date. While South Korea has been able to afford modern tactical (short range) radios for their troops North Korea has not. The big difference here is that the modern radios use encryption while the older equipment does not. Thus a lot of North Korean communications along the DMZ (the border zone) are unencrypted. North Korea found that South Korea was spending a lot more time and effort to eavesdrop on these communications and use advanced analysis techniques to get a better idea of what was going on in the North Korean military. To counter this North Korea began a lot more false and deliberately misleading messages to make the South Korean eavesdropping less useful. North Korea deception efforts even extended to deceiving efforts to use traffic analysis (monitoring patterns of use and tracking the locations of users). All these North Korean efforts are very manpower intensive, but lacking much fuel, spare parts or ammo for field training someone decided that the troop, especially those in communications and intelligence could be kept busy, and gain some useful experience, by carrying out a lot more of these old-school deception efforts. North Korea has also been using more high-tech deception, often involving photoshopped (digitally altered) digital pictures and videos. This despite the fact that South Korea has plenty of experts and locally made software that can quickly identify even the most painstaking use of photoshop edits. Nevertheless these fakes fool at lot of people in the mass media and the fake photo gets more attention than the correction that comes later. In 2015 over 99 percent of suicide attacks were committed by Moslems, most of them Sunni Moslems influenced by a form of Islam (Wahhabism) heavily promoted by Saudi Arabia for decades. While there were fewer suicide attacks in 2015 than in 2014 the number of people killed (about 4,400) was about the same as 2014. Suicidal attacks (usually with explosives) have become very popular with Moslem religious fanatics because doing it requires lots of enthusiasm and very little skill. Suicide attacks are nothing new and have been used for thousands of years. But heavy of use of this tactic comes and goes like any other trend. The current revival began in the 1980s, largely in Lebanon and Sri Lanka. Between then and 2001 there were nearly 400 suicide attacks in 14 countries. Seventeen organizations planned and carried out these attacks. Seven of these organizations were destroyed or stopped using suicide attacks by 2001. The first attacks were made in 1983 in Lebanon, organized by the Iran sponsored Hezbollah (a Shia Islamic terror group). In Sri Lanka, the Tamil Tigers (or LTTE) carried out their first suicide attack in 1987. By the time the Lebanese civil war ended in 1990 at least 50 suicide attacks were made there. Through the 1990s, the Tamil Tigers were the most frequent user of suicide attacks. Attacks also began to show up in Central America, Africa and the Balkans, all committed by Iranian backed Shia terrorist groups. In 2000, Palestinian organizations (influenced by the success of Hezbollah) began to use suicide attacks more frequently, staging at least 21 attacks through the end of 2001. Early in 2002 the number of Palestinian suicide attacks increased until Israel developed new counter-terror tactics and went after Islamic terror leaders, specialists (bomb builders) and terrorist bases in the West Bank. After that the number of suicide attacks declined and by 2005 Israel has virtually eliminated Palestinian terror attacks inside Israel. In both Lebanon and to a lesser extent in Sri Lanka, the terrorist organizations took advantage of religious beliefs that honored extreme sacrifice. Added to this was exploitation of economic and political grievances, thus making the suicide attackers into heroic characters. In addition, families of the suicide volunteers received generous (by local standards) economic rewards. Until in 2003 families of Palestinian suicide bombers receive up to $33,000 (from various sources, mainly Iraq and Saudi Arabia). Financial incentives like this have become common and the Palestinian government now pays them out of foreign aid cash. Willingness to make a Faustian bargain is an ancient human trait and the terror organizations exploit it to recruit their bombers. Even without recruitment, it is not uncommon for young men to commit horrible crimes, "to become famous." What began as a Shia influenced tactic, suicide attacks have been adopted by Sunni (mainstream) Islamic groups and now Sunnis carry out over 80 percent of the attacks. Even after September 11, 2001 most senior Sunni clerics have gone along with this, although there was growing resistance to the religious acceptability of suicide attacks by Islamic scholars. By 2015 many, if not a majority, of senior Islamic scholars opposed (to one degree or another) the use of suicide attacks. Historically, such destructive terror tactics last about a generation, then fall out of favor. This process is speeded up by the fact that most governments condemn the practice. Distaste for suicide attacks will grow, in the current situation, as more teenagers are recruited for the duty. The younger kids are, as with most trends, eager to outdo their elders. But suicide attacks are a tactic of despair, the last grasp tactic of a spent force facing inevitable defeat. When the September 11, 2001 attacks occurred there were at least a dozen terrorist groups using suicide attacks (some more than others); the Islam Resistance Movement (Hamas) and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad of the Israeli occupied territories; Hezbollah of Lebanon; the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) and Gamaya Islamiya of Egypt; the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) of Algeria; Barbar Khalsa International (BKI) of India; several Kashmiri separatist groups in Pakistan and India, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) of Sri Lanka; the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) of Turkey; and Al Qaeda (which carried out the September 11, 2001 attacks). Now there are many more Islamic terror groups using suicide attacks, in large part because it is a lot easier now, because of the Internet, to publicize and glorify the suicide bombers and reach like-minded men (and a few women) to try it, if only once. In Fall 2015 Congo political opposition leaders warned that president Kabila was putting everything in place politically to violate the constitution and run for a third term. And they had good reason to believe this. Kabila was clearly delaying preparations for the November 2016 national elections. The opposition calls this glissement (sliding or slippage). Now several opposition party leaders and some former Kabila allies are arguing that that rather than lose power Kabila will risk another civil war. Opponents say the new election timetable Kabilas government published January 14 supports their accusations. Several of them have formed a coalition to stop Kabila, the Citizen Front 2016. Kabilas supporters turn that argument around and say that having credible elections in 2016 is not possible and Congo needs at least two more years to organize credible elections. Kabila and his supporters are essentially arguing that if Congo wants peace, elections must be delayed. What would a new Congo civil war look like? The general media consensus is much like the Great Congo War (1998-2003). But that civil war included major interventions by neighboring countries. Uganda and Rwanda both suffered penalties because of their interventions. If civil war ignites the UN will work hard to stop or minimize outside interventions, especially usual suspects like Zimbabwe. The war would still be deadly. Another possibility is an intra-provincial civil war (conflicts within Congos provinces) fought on tribal and political lines. This makes the province of Katanga particularly important and a wild card actor. Katanga is comparatively wealthy. It also has a secessionist streak. Katanga seceded from Congo on July 11, 1960, 12 days after Congo became independent of Belgium. Kabilas father, Laurent Kabila, was Katangan (of the Luba tribe). He was born in South Kivu province, but he remains a Luba. So Joseph Kabila now faces stiff opposition from his home province. The biggest wild card is the UN and its peacekeeping force. The UN says it intends to draw down peacekeeping forces. Many UN contingents are very professional, especially those serving with the IBDE (Intervention Brigade) and some of the rapid reaction units operating in eastern Congo. The UN effort has been a partial success. If Kabila undermines the partial success, even though the UN is not supposed to take sides, he runs the risk of making UN peacekeepers an adversary if not quite an enemy. (Austin Bay) January 28, 2016: The UN said that the Congo governments election timetable (published it January 14) makes it all but impossible to hold the November elections as scheduled. MONUSCO and the Congolese Army (Forces Armees de la Republique du Congo, FARDC) have agreed to resume joint military operations against the Rwandan Hutu rebel Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). UN peacekeepers withdrew from joint operations because two Congolese generals involved in the operation have been accused of human rights abuses and possible war crimes. The situation was politically difficult. UN forces continued to cooperate in other operations in eastern Congo, including against the Ugandan rebel Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). The no cooperation line blurred at times. The UN continued to provide some limited logistical support to Congolese forces involved in anti-FDLR operations because the Congolese were also providing protection to vulnerable civilians in North Kivu province. The new joint cooperation agreement says UN forces can provide the Congolese Army fighting the FDLR with logistical aid and armed support. Congo and the UN will also establish a formal mechanism for investigating the allegations against the suspect Congolese generals. January 27, 2016: A religious group in the Central African Republic (CAR) claimed that the Ugandan rebel Lords Resistance Army (LRA) remains active in the CAR. The group charged that the LRA enslaves villagers and forces them to serve as load bearers and sex slaves. January 24, 2016: The Burundi government claimed that the local situation is stable and there is no need for the African Union (AU) to deploy a force of 5,000 peacekeepers in the country. The statement followed a visit by UN officials on January 22. The U.S. UN ambassador was part of the UN delegation. Burundi also claimed that most of the rebels its forces have captured in the last few weeks were armed and trained in Rwanda. January 22, 2016: The UN reported that attacks on aid convoys and aid workers have increased in Congo. The increase in attacks has delayed food deliveries and essential relief operations. January 20, 2016: UN peacekeeping force commanders and senior UN administrators in Congo said the response of South African peacekeepers to rebel attacks in early January was flawed. Rwandan rebels (FDLR, Democratic forces for the Liberation of Rwanda) launched attacks the first week of January. The UN investigation indicated the peacekeeper response to the attack on the village of Miriki January 6-7 was slow and inadequate, January 19, 2016: This marks the first anniversary of the so-called Telema Uprising (January 19, 2015). The name refers to a series of protest demonstrations by young Congolese and college students who oppose President Joseph Kabila. Kinshasa witnessed the biggest demonstrations. Several dozen protestors were killed by security forces -- no exact number of casualties was ever released. At the time the government was trying to pass legislation that required a new Congo census before holding national elections. The name Telema Uprising is redundant. Congolese point out telema means rise up in Lingala, which is Congos national language. January 17, 2016: In Burundi president Nkurunziza is confronting more accusations of pushing his country to civil war. Around 450 people have been killed since April 2015 when he decided to run for a third term. Around 230,000 Burundians have fled the country because of the violence. January 16, 2016: Congolese opposition leaders rejected the National Independent Electoral Commissions voter registration timetable. They contend the timetable is another excuse for President Kabila to delay elections and remain in power. January 14, 2016: The political opposition in the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville) tentatively agreed to have a candidate contest the March 2016 presidential election. The opposition had threatened to boycott the election because the current chief executive, president Nguesso, changed the law so he could run for a third term. The opposition boycotted the October 2015 referendum that let Nguesso make the constitutional change. Nguesso has run Congo-Brazzaville for 31 of the last 36 years. Across the Congo River in Congo the National Independent Electoral Commission released a timetable that said it will take another shows it will take another 13 months to register and verify voters for the national elections. This is a problem, since the elections are scheduled for November 2016. January 13, 2016: Ugandan ADF rebel fighters killed four Congolese soldiers and wounded seven in a firefight in the east (North Kivu province). At least two rebels were killed. The army is conducting operations against the ADF in the area. January 12, 2016: The Congo government claimed that the Congolese Army had killed over 1,000 FDLR rebels during 2015. An estimated 400 FDLR rebels remain active in the field. The Congolese Army claims that these were operations independent of UN forces. January 11, 2016: Suspected ADF rebels fired on a UN helicopter in North Kivu province. The helicopter landed safely. January 9, 2016: The UN has made it official. After a study announced in late 2015 the UN has asked Congo to withdraw its peacekeepers from the Central African Republic (CAR). The UN said that the battalion of Congolese soldiers serving with UN peacekeepers did not meet UN training and operational standards. Rape accusations made against three Congolese peacekeepers in August 2015 spurred the investigation. January 7, 2016: FDLR rebels have killed at least 15 people and wounded at least eight in an overnight attack on a village in North Kivu province. The attack was in Nande territory and there is a history of tribal friction between the Nande and Hutu. The FDLR was founded by radical Rwandan Hutus who were involved in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. January 6, 2016: It recently became known that in December 5-6 2015 the Simba Mai Mai militia launched a couple of attacks in the isolated Mambasa area of Congos Ituri province. This involved kidnapping 47 people. There was also at least one gang rape. The Simbas left leaflets threatening further attacks. The Simbas original commander, Paul Sadala (also known as Morgan), was killed in April 2014. He was replaced by two of his lieutenants. In 2015 civilians in Mambasa reported new Simba activity. January 3, 2016: The joint operation by UN peacekeepers and the Congolese Army against the Ugandan rebel ADF in eastern Congo is continuing. The operation began in November 2015 after the ADF launched an attack that killed 24 civilians. The ADF is in need of food supplies and looting is the usual way to deal with that. The operation against the ADF contrasts with the Congolese Armys go-it-alone operations against the FDLR. UN peacekeepers are still reluctant to cooperate with that operation because the Congolese commander may have been involved in war crimes. January 2, 2016: An unidentified Mai Mai militia attacked in the city of Bunyakiri (South Kivu province) leaving seven rebels and a civilian dead. It was rumored that the militiamen were mostly Hutu tribesmen. If that is the case, it suggests the Nyatura militia might be responsible. The Nyatura is a predominantly Hutu outfight that operates in the Ziralo area. South Kivu has several other active Mai Mai militias. They include the Raia Mutomboki, the Mai Mai Kifuafua and the Mai Mai Kirikicho. These militias are mainly from the Batembo tribes which refer to them as self-defense militias. The Mai Mai sometimes serve that function. For example, the Raia Mutomboki have fought several battles with FDLR fighters who have attacked villages in the Bunyakiri area. January 1, 2016: A South African Defense Forces (SADF) senior officer, Lieutenant General Derrick Mgwebi, has assumed overall command of UN peacekeeping forces in the Congo. Mgwebi has extensive peacekeeping experience. He served as head of the UN mission in Burundi from 2004 to 2006. He replaced Brazilian Army Lieutenant General Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz, who commanded MONUSCO forces for two years. Mgwebi has commanded SADF infantry and special forces units. December 31, 2016: Rwandan president Kagame has joined the third term club as he announced that he will run for a third presidential term in 2017. Congos president Kabila is considering a third term, though it violates Congos constitution. Burundi changed its constitution so that president Nkurunziza could succeed himself. Burundi is now convulsed by a slow civil war. The Congo Republic (Brazzaville) changed its constitutions so the current president could succeed himself. There was some vocal opposition in the Congo Republic but little violence. (Austin Bay) Wellesbourne Airfield The UNISON survey findings mirror those of the FoI request to local councils. Three quarters (74 per cent) of homecare workers who responded felt they did not have enough time to provide dignified care for the elderly and disabled people they visited. Worryingly says UNISON, 61 per cent said visits of just a quarter of an hour meant they frequently had to rush the care of people who were over 90 years old. A similar report by UNISON in 2014 showed that the same proportion of councils (74 per cent) were regularly using 15 minute visits. Given the harsh financial climate in which local authorities are operating, UNISON says it is not surprised that there has been no change in the numbers, and fears the situation will only get worse. The 2015 survey findings show more than half the homecare workers (57 per cent) have been asked to provide personal care in 15 minutes or less with an elderly person they have never met before. The limited time allocated means the majority of workers (85 per cent) said they regularly didn't even have time for a conversation during some homecare visits. One third (32 per cent) said they have no time to address peoples personal hygiene needs such as washing, and a quarter (24 per cent) have no time to take people to the toilet. Half (49 per cent) said a quarter of an hour wasnt long enough to prepare a nutritional meal, and the same proportion said the shortness of the visit meant there was no time to assess any change in the persons health. Homecare workers found the limited time they are able to spend with each person distressing because the majority (82 per cent) of the people they saw on their rounds suffered from dementia and more than three quarters (78 per cent) had mobility issues. More than half (53 per cent) were stroke victims, had mental health issues (51 per cent) and 42 per cent had Parkinsons disease. Many will have multiple conditions. Homecare workers also said that more than a third (37 per cent) of the people they saw have hardly ever had visits from friends or relatives, which is why they felt it was important to be able to spend time in each persons home. Full story in Stratford Midweek Herald on Tuesday. Wellesbourne Airfield Natasha Pollock needed 39 units of blood products to save her life during surgery at Worcester Royal Hopsital on Christmas Day. The operation followed a complicated emergency c-section to deliver her son, Oliver, after she suffered a heavy bleed at 32 weeks' pregnant due to a rare placental condition. At one stage, doctors were forced to used a Cell Saver blood machine to collect the blood she was losing and recycle that back into her too, meaning the total loss was even higher. Doctors later told her this was a new hospital record for the most blood and blood components transfused in just one operation. After almost six hours in theatre, Natasha's husband David was informed of the situation. He said he understood survival was not looking good and got his first glimpse of his new baby. Oliver remains in hospital since the c-section, but is said to be doing well. Previously, Natasha has needed blood transfusions during four births. She also lost two litres of blood during the birth of Eddie, now aged five, one and a half litres during the birth of Bethany, now three and one and a half litres during the birth of Daniel, who was sadly stillborn at term in July 2014. Full story in next weeks Stratford Herald. A Stitch in Time: How Stream Stitching Beats the Ad Blockers Premium content owners that monetize their content via video ads face an enormous financial constraint: the effectiveness of ad blocking software. Ad blocking software and its impact on video strategies is a topic that we hear in four out of five meetings today, says Matt Smith (right), chief evangelist for Anvato. In short, broadcasters, publishers, and programmers are seeing as much as one-third of their video views being compromised as a result of this technology. How did we get here, and what can an industry built on pre-roll, interstitial, and post-roll advertising do to combat this massive decline in ad playback? The answer, according to some, is the concept of stitching together the ad and primary content into a single stream. This process is known by several names, but the most common is server-side ad insertion (SSAI). SSAI allows the playlist, also known as a manifest file, to be delivered to an end users device, but with a twist. Rather than the manifest making calls to multiple locationsone for primary content, one or more for ad serving services the manifest only requests content from a single location. In theory, this makes it difficult for ad blocking technologies to differentiate between primary content and ad content. There are a few approaches to SSAI, some of which only manipulate the manifest and others that truly stitch the ad directly into the live or on-demand bitstream, but for simplicity, this article wont differentiate between the two. Instead we will generically call the whole process stream stitching. According to Smith, more than $21 billion in ad payload (display and video, to be clear) is being lost in 2015 as a result of ad blocking. How did we get to this point? Weve Come Full Circle In the early days, before ad serving technologies were required, the ads were baked in to the stream. For a live event, an ad might be played into the master control or video mixer via a digital disk recorder (DDR), while an ad destined to play in a piece of on-demand content would be encoded as part of the on-demand content. These kinds of baked-in ads were referred to as static ads, and often were only available for pre-roll delivery. One of the promises of online video delivery, though, is an ability to customize content to any viewera viewer in India might see an ad for a Mumbai sweet shop, while a farmer in Montana might see an ad for the local John Deere dealershipwhich meant the static ad solution was lacking. One way to address the issue would be to create hundreds of versions of the same on-demand content, with each version playing in a particular locale. On a global scale, though, that would be unwieldy at best, and the level of granularity for ad targeting would still be lacking. On the other hand, most streaming companies werent equipped with sophisticated ways to serve up thousands of playlists, with each playlist containing the same on-demand primary content with diverse ads based on demographic or geographic information. Companies serving up dynamic banner ads, though, already had the technology to granularly target content to browsers. A few of these companies saw video ad serving as a large opportunity and began to offer services to premium video content owners. Because HTML rendering in a web browser works roughly the same way for images and banner ads, with the use of inline content delivery with a call or request to a specific URL coded into the HTML pages, these still image ad services had an Achilles heel: Anyone who understood the way HTML code worked could simply write a program to block particular calls to particular URLs. And did they ever. The open-source community created ad blocking software apps, and the crowdsourcing community has continued to improve those over the years. These ad blockers have proven to be very effective against both banner ads and more recent video ads. Ad serving companies tried to write generic code, which then was interpreted by the ad server as a request for a particular type of ad, but the ad blocking community would find these code strings and block the request. Then ad serving companies tried obfuscating the ad request, at first by using URL or IP addresses that werent part of the standard list of known ad serving companies URLs or IP addresses. Those were also blocked effectively. Obfuscation went a step further, with ad requests using multiple redirects before hitting the actual ad server. Even these options have been effectively thwarted by the open-source ad blocking community. Part of the problem with video ad serving was the need for a seamless end-user experience. No one wants to wait for an ad to load, so most client-side ad insertion (CSAI) required a dualplayer approach: one player for ads and another for primary content. The dual-player approach had a number of technical challenges, but did allow some ads to be prepopulated to the local users computer. But that also presented an opportunity for the ad blocking community to identify the caches and eliminate the ad altogether. Advances in CSAI continued, including some clever solutions by Adobe that are used as part of its Primetime Player service, yet it seems that a better solution was in orderone that bears a surprising resemblance to the original concept of baking in ads into the stream. Essentially it brings us full circle, but with a twist. Beyond the Dual Player That solution, at least as it stands today, is SSAI, the ad stitching technique described earlier. Brigthcove acquired one of the original stream stitching technology companies, Unicorn Media, a few years ago. Unicorn had labeled its product Once, because it was able to deliver streams to the hundreds of Android and iOS devices from a single source. Brightcove now offers a derivative solution called Lift. Brightcoves server- side ad insertion SSAI solution, Lift (formerly called Once, as shown in this diagram), delivers streams to the hundreds of Android and iOS devices from a single source. Mike Green, vice president of marketing and business development at Brightcove, cites a specific example from Vox Media, a Brigthcove customer, to explain the benefits of Lift and SSAI in general, as opposed to CSAI. By implementing Brightcove Lift to stitch ads directly into the video content via server-side ad insertion, Vox Media removed some of the variables and obstacles of client-side ad calls that commonly impact performance for digital publishers, Green says. According to Green, Vox faced CSAI challenges prior to implementing Lift. One challenge involved a less-than-seamless end-user experience for mobile devices. Trying to do client-side ad calls with HLS on Android mobile web was so poor that Vox had actually decided to remove ads there altogether, Green says. With Lift, Vox was able to restore monetization on Android and more broadly, on mobile web, the company significantly improved playback consistency and quality, and shortened the time to first frame between ads and video content. Anvatos Smith says that he cant think of a scenario where his clients would prefer CSAI to SSAI. CSAI was good in its day, but introduced characteristics that needed to be improved upon, Smith says, including introduction of latency, mismatched quality between program and ad payload, and others. Smith says that the ad blocking technologies used against CSAI may have other unintended consequences. Client-side ad blockers see many outbound requests that video players make as a call for an ad, Smith says. Think of it in military terms as friendly fire. The initial request for playback may be viewed in this way by the ad blockers, in the way that they see subsequent calls for video payload in a CSAI model. As a result, program content is sometimes not able to reach the viewer, and the ad payload almost certainly isnt. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Related Articles Companies and Suppliers Mentioned Vendors sell their merchandise and fruits at a bus terminal in Burundi's capital Bujumbura, January 29, 2016. REUTERS/Evrard Ngendakumana By Aaron Maasho ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Burundi was re-elected to the African Union's peace and security council, diplomats said, a move that could complicate plans to send peacekeepers to the troubled country against its will. The bloc wants to deploy 5,000 peacekeepers in the central African state, where hundreds have died in the worst violence since an ethnically charged civil war ended in 2005. But President Pierre Nkurunziza - who triggered the crisis by standing for a third term in July elections - has rejected the plan, saying the arrival of any such force would be seen as an invasion. Burundi kept its place on the 15-member council unopposed on Thursday due to a lack of rival contenders from its region. "There wasn't any other choice but to rubber-stamp Burundi's entry," said one diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity. Countries on the council are barred from voting on motions about their own affairs. However, diplomats said Burundi could still use its prominent position to influence debates. "It has propaganda value for the government," said Liesl Louw-Vaudran, an analyst with the Institute for Security Studies, about Burundi's re-election. African Union leaders are expected to try to persuade President Nkurunziza to accept the force during the AU summit this weekend. Diplomats said they were not optimistic that he would change tack. Nkurunziza won the July election that was boycotted by most of the opposition. Opponents said a third term violated the constitution. Loyalists cited a court that said he could run. More than 400 people have been killed in protests and crack-downs over the past nine months, raising worries of a return to the kind of conflict that pitted Burundi's Tutsi minority against the Hutu majority in the civil war. The renewed violence has rattled a region where memories of the 1994 genocide in neighboring Rwanda are still raw. Burundi and Rwanda share the same ethnic mix. Amnesty International said on Friday that satellite images showed five possible mass graves in Burundi. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, said on Friday that perpetrators of atrocities in Burundi "must realize that the international community is watching" and those responsible will be brought to account. "If the government of Burundi wants to prevent more mass graves, there has to be a prompt inclusive political dialogue outside Burundi and a significantly expanded international presence to offer protection inside," she said. Power visited Burundi last week with the U.N. Security Council. (Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols at the United Nations; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Andrew Hay) Canada's Foreign Minister Stephane Dion speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada, January 26, 2016. REUTERS/Chris Wattie OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada will seek closer relations with Russia despite deep tensions over Moscow's actions in Ukraine, new Liberal Foreign Minister Stephane Dion signaled on Thursday, marking a major policy shift. Last October the Liberals defeated the Conservatives, who had cut most high-level ties with Moscow and slapped sanctions on Russian firms, officials and business executives in response to the actions of Russian-backed militants in Ukraine. "If we don't engage with Russia we don't help Ukraine (and) we don't help Canada's interests," Dion told a foreign policy forum. Canada and Russia both have competing interests in the Arctic, home to potentially vast reserves of oil and gas. Dion said the United States, which has also imposed punitive measures on Russia, was dealing directly with Moscow on a number of international issues. It would be irresponsible for the two nations not to have such contacts, he said. "So something that is irresponsible for the United States would also be irresponsible for Canada, don't you think? So that is the approach we will have when building a foreign policy," he said. Canada, Dion added, would maintain the sanctions on Russia for as long as necessary and remained a strong ally of Ukraine. He plans to visit Kiev next week. (Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Tom Brown) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States strongly supports efforts to diplomatically resolve political issues in Libya as part of its strategy toward Islamic State, the White House said on Friday. In a briefing with reporters, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the United States is concerned about security in Libya and mindful of the risk Islamic State poses to areas of political chaos. "We're going to confront (Islamic State) and continue to confront it in the way that we have now for many months," he said. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton and Susan Heavey; Writing by Megan Cassella) Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan makes a speech during his meeting with mukhtars at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, November 26, 2015. REUTERS/Umit Bektas By Orhan Coskun and Tulay Karadeniz ANKARA (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan heads to Latin America on Sunday with the aim of boosting trade ties as Turkey seeks to diversify away from its traditional export markets in the troubled economies of Europe and the Middle East. In his first visit to the region in a year, Erdogan will lead a large business delegation to Chile, Peru and Ecuador. Turkey has been slowly strengthening its relationship with Latin America since the late 1990s, when one of his predecessors, Suleyman Demirel, became the first Turkish president to make an official visit. The search for new markets has become more important as conflict ravages neighboring Iraq and Syria, long two of its major trading partners. A diplomatic row with Moscow, which slapped economic sanctions on Turkey after Ankara downed a Russian warplane last year, has exacerbated its woes. "The fundamental idea behind Erdogan's visit to Latin America is Turkey's push to search for new markets and diversify," said an official from the economy ministry who is helping to prepare for the visit. "Turkey does a great deal of business with its neighbors but is experiencing difficulties because of rising problems in the Middle East." Turkey's latest trade data released on Friday showed exports dropped 11 percent in December, suggesting those tensions were taking their toll. Latin America will not plug the gap any time soon, but it is one of relatively few major emerging market regions which Turkish businesses - actively pushing into new markets in the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia in recent years - have by and large failed to tap. Trade with Latin America was nearly $10 billion in 2014, according to official figures, up from around $1 billion in 2000, but still just a sliver of Turkey's overall commerce. Central, South America and the Caribbean accounted for just 1.8 percent of Turkish exports in 2014, according to government data. The top Latin American destination for Turkish exports that year was Mexico, although it ranked 45th overall, behind the likes of Malta and Yemen. Peru was the next biggest destination, in 78th place. NEW TURKEY, NEW MARKETS Erdogan, prime minister for more than a decade before winning the first direct election for head of state in 2014, has championed a vision of a "New Turkey" with a bigger diplomatic and trade presence on the world stage. Turkish companies - in sectors ranging from food to construction - have built a reputation for being at the forefront of investment in challenging markets from Libya and Yemen to Somalia and Kazakhstan. Major Turkish exports to South America include iron and steel, machinery, autos and vegetable and animal oils. Turkey has also made some inroads with cultural exports, with some of its daytime soap operas becoming hits in Chile. But its exports still tend to be lower down the value chain than those of some Asian rivals. "Turkey doesn't have many high-tech exports. This creates a restriction in how much it can expand its markets, but there may be opportunities," Mehmet Yegin of the Ankara-based USAK think tank said of the Latin America trip. "There will absolutely be expansion for the Turkish market. But I don't expect really big, ground-breaking expansion." (Additional reporting by Nick Tattersall in Istanbul; Writing by David Dolan; editing by Anna Willard) Anti-TPPA protesters have "buried Democracy" in Christchurch on Saturday afternoon, as part of a mass rally against the trade deal. Nearly 1000 people showed up at Cathedral Square around 2pm. More arrived as an enactment of Prime Minister John Key burying 'Democracy' took place during the rally. KIRK HARGREAVES Anti-TPPA protesters staged "democracy's burial during a rally in Cathedral Square on Saturday. "If the TPPA treaty is implemented then a substantial portion of our democracy will be dead," It's Our Future Christchurch's Charles Drace said. READ MORE: * Police keep eye on TPPA cruise * Police visit Dunedin activist 'Democracy' arrived in a hearse and was put in the ground by the Prime Minister. KIRK HARGREAVES Michael Malloch (left) and Earle Pilcher discuss the ins and outs of the TPPA. It's Our Future Christchurch resurrected 'Democracy' accompanied by Salmonella Dubs' new song, Jonkey's. Following analysis by experts of the TPPA treaty text, Drace's organisation believed it was clear New Zealand's rights to make its own laws and regulations would be restricted by overseas corporations. Revellers at the rally spoke out against the trade agreement, which will be signed in Auckland on February 4. KIRK HARGREAVES People from all walks of life attended the anti-TPPA protest in Cathedral Square on Saturday. Veteran protester John Minto stood quietly near the back of the rally. For him the deal provoked emotions of "anger". "I think it's dreadful. It's a Bill of Rights for the US corps to come in and plunder. KIRK HARGREAVES Anti-TPPA protesters gather in Cathedral Square, Christchurch, on Saturday. "The real problem with free trade agreements is that, while we all agree New Zealand is a trading nation, if you have open free trade what happens is that our manufacturing sector in New Zealand get gutted. "If we are going to build up a strong, diversified manufacturing sector and a strong economy with well-paid jobs the only way we do that is through tariffs. "Every other country that's developed a strong economy, the US, Japan, UK, Germany, they've all done that by putting tariffs to stop cheap products coming in and undermining their own industries," Minto said. Protester Feroze Brailsford conceded there were some "fantastic parts" of the agreement, but on balance "it's not good for New Zealand". Michael Malloch did not agree with the way the deal had been struck, believing it was undemocratic. "I also think that it will not help fair trade. "It will put the power into the hands of a few corporates. We've got to keep to democracy," he said. Vic Mackay was "here for the big picture". "For our freedom and for our kids." She disliked the secrecy of the deal, saying New Zealand lived "in a time of transparency". "I get the feeling everyone's a little bit complacent and 'she'll be right' ... Maybe that's a perfect time to bring something like this in," Mackay said. The last major TPPA rally in Christchurch, held in August, attracted 3500 people, Drace said. He and a fellow organiser estimated about 1000 had turned up to Saturday's rally. Other anti-TPPA events in Christchurch on Saturday include a car enthusiasts' cruise, which the organiser Corey Nicholls says could include 200-300 vehicles. Police on Thursday said they would be keeping an eye on the cruise, which the organisers say is not a boy racer meet, and taking enforcement action if necessary. WHAT IS THE TPPA? The TPPA is a trade deal involving New Zealand and 11 other countries. As a result of the deal, the taxes paid on imports from member nations will be lowered or eliminated. The Government says the deal will add $2.7 billion a year to the country's economic output by 2030. Critics say it will give other countries and corporations undue influence over our laws. The deal will be signed in Auckland on February 4, but will not come into effect until all countries ratify it. *comments are closed An Aedes aegypti mosquito that can transmit the Zika virus. With fewer than 190 days left before the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, New Zealand officials have issued a warning over the mosquito-borne Zika virus Fears have been raised over the Zika virus, which has swept through Brazil since April 2015. New Zealand has joined the chorus of fears for women of childbearing age - spectators and athletes - and says they should carefully consider their plans to travel to the Rio Olympics. REUTERS/PAWEL KOPCZYNSKI Olympic travel warning for 2016 Rio Olympic Games. In a statement released on Friday, the New Zealand Olympic Committee said they would provide government advice to team members. READ MORE: * First Zika virus hospitalisation case in New Zealand this year * Zika fears an Olympic concern * Ministry extends travel advice * Zika virus outbreak raises Pacific, Americas travel concerns for pregnant women * Six cases of Zika virus in Australia in 2015 as pregnant women warned not to travel "At this stage, this advice is that that expectant mothers or those planning pregnancy do not travel to areas with the Zika virus present." CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released a map of all the countries known to be affected by the zika virus. The committee said the Zika virus was "particularly worrying". "We would support any athlete or support staff member in their decision to not attend the games ...." Athletes and officials will meet at workshops in February and March to discuss the matter further. The mosquito that transmits the Zika virus is not normally found in New Zealand, according to the Ministry of Health. Nine New Zealanders have been diagnosed with the virus after travelling overseas in 2016 and on Friday, a 47-year-old man was admitted to Waikato Hospital with symptoms indicative of Guillain-Barre, a condition linked to the virus. Four had been in Tonga, four in Samoa and authorities did not know where the other person was infected. There is concern pregnant women infected with the virus can transmit the disease to their unborn babies. Severe foetal birth defects and poor pregnancy outcomes have been reported in babies whose mothers were infected with the virus while pregnant. In the past four months, hundreds of children in Brazil have been born with birth defects that might be tied to the Zika virus, Peter Abernethy of New Zealand's Ministry of Health said. Pregnant women or women who plan to become pregnant in the near term should consider delaying travel to Zika-affected areas. "I'm certainly no angel." Who were the people behind the campaign to buy the beach? Community spirit beams from Duane Major's face as he describes reading through the 8500 pledges on his and Adam Gard'ner's givealittle page, aiming to save a "pristine beach in the heart of Abel Tasman" from private ownership. "I just couldn't stop, I was up until 1am or 2am reading them all," Major said. "I definitely feel like part of the New Zealand community right now." DEAN KOZANIC/FAIRFAX NZ Duane Major is one of the men behind crowd funding effort to buy a NZ beach in the Abel Tasman National Park. Their givealittle fund currently sits at $559k. READ MORE: * Support swells for crowdfunding bid to buy private Abel Tasman beach * Government signals help for bid to buy beach * Money floods in for crowdfunded $2m beach in Abel Tasman National * 'Best beach on the planet' on the market for $2 million Speaking to Duane, it quickly became clear this was not his first community initiative. When he joined the West Spreydon school board nine years ago, Major picked up on chatter the school pool needed restoring. Major pouncing on a chance to "get stuck in and just do it". "We celebrated the reopening on February 17, just five days before the quakes." Despite the set-back, Major and his team raised a further $550k, with further funding coming from various sources, with a plan to reopen again once they have made it past the "significant" amount of red tape surrounding public pools. supplied The picture taken around the Awaroa Inlet that sparked Duane Major to start a campaign to buy back a private beach there for public use. In another social effort, Major coordinated the purchase of two houses in the Spreydon area, one of which was done up and sold for cost back to a West Spreydon school teacher, who would have otherwise had to leave the country due to high rental costs. "I don't want people thinking I'm some property guy, buying up houses, this was just a bunch of neighbours chipping in to help." Major said his work as a youth worker with Spreydon Youth Community had instilled in him a passion for nurturing values in young people, and creating "thriving communities", ensuring a future he was happy for his four kids to grow up into. DEAN KOZANIC/FAIRFAX NZ Duane Major, at home in Spreydon, Christchurch, was inspired to buy the beach for all of New Zealand, to create a "win-win" outcome for all. "[The givealittle page] is just in keeping with how I roll, and how I want to raise my kids, and the environment I want my kids to be in." "I just couldn't live with myself if I didn't give this a go we consider Abel Tasman our bach, and we don't mind sharing it with everyone." It's no surprise Major's favourite movie is The Castle, with Major admitting he has been pinching himself a lot recently, with his own story emulating the classic underdog tale. "I've been having a great time," he said, his phone ringing constantly, fielding media requests from as far afield as Melbourne. "I've had a lot of conversations with a lot of great people." Both Major and his fundraising partner Gard'ner are adamant the focus needed to remain on "inspiring Kiwis to action", hoping they can defy the crowdfunding experts and get through the lull often seen in efforts like theirs. "I like to think about the three P's," Gard'ner said. "Positive people power - and I think this is a good example of that." Having just returned from 12 years in Shanghai, Gard'ner said the community spirit shown by thousands of Kiwis was heartwarming. "It's the first time my kids have lived in New Zealand, their home, so to have something like this to share with them is really great. "I hope we can just keep this thing going and get it over the line." Pledges to the fund can be made here, and with tender closing on February 16, both Major and Gard'ner said the opportunity to save this pristine piece of our country was now. "We can do something special here." Com Bank ties up with Bank Muscat Oman for instant money transfers View(s): Instant, real-time fund transfers between Oman and Sri Lanka have become possible as a result of a tie-up between the Commercial Bank of Ceylon and Bank Muscat, the leading financial services provider in the Sultanate. Commercial Bank stated in a media release that account holders of Bank Muscat can now use the Banks all-new feature-rich mobile banking app to send cash remittances to recipients in Sri Lanka or transfer money to accounts at Commercial Bank 24/7. They may also transfer funds to accounts at other banks in Sri Lanka via Commercial Bank. Commercial Bank was already a key facilitator of remittances to Sri Lanka from Oman, the Banks Chief Manager e-Banking and Remittances Pradeep Banduwansa said. With this partnership with Bank Muscat, the remittances arrive in Sri Lanka instantly and become available to recipients within minutes. Users of the Speed Transfer facility offered by Bank Muscats mBanking app can send up to 500 Omani Riyals a day to Sri Lanka. The app already has more than 350,000 registered users, including Omani nationals and expatriate account holders, the release said. Commercial Bank recently launched a similar instant funds transfer facility between Bahrain and Sri Lanka by integrating its web system with that of Bahrain Financing Co. (BFC), enabling real time remittances via BFCs EzRemit service to beneficiaries in Sri Lanka. Commercial Bank is one of the most active players in Sri Lanka in the field of remittances, offering customers a range of options, the release said. Remitters can send money even without having an account in the Bank. The Bank has its own Business Promotion Officers in key markets around the world where significant numbers of Sri Lankans are employed, the release said. Global stationery giant PLUS launches in Sri Lanka withThef:;llstop View(s): Japans PLUS Corporation, one of the worlds leading stationery suppliers, made its Sri Lanka debut with a collection of innovative products led by its universally popular correction tape, which, at 83 million pieces in 2015, is the best-selling product worldwide in its category. The launch of PLUS branded products in Sri Lanka in partnership with Thef:;llstop, the countrys leading retailer of branded stationery, was attended by Michio Miwa, Corporate Officer/Executive Director, in charge of all PLUS Corporations overseas sales and marketing, the company said in a media release. Mr. Miwa said, the brand, which reported consolidated sales of US$ 1.2 billion in 2014, was delighted to add Sri Lanka to its global retail network, offering high quality, innovative and eco-friendly products to a new generation of consumers. One of PLUS Corporations flagship products, the MR2 hand held correction tape dispenser is targeted principally at young students making the transition from pencil to ballpoint, but meets the requirements of a much larger segment of users, including typists who wish to make corrections on documents neatly and professionally. The correction tape replaces correction fluid bottles and pens, which can contain volatile solvents that are hazardous to health, are difficult to use, take time to dry, and are difficult to write over. The PLUS correction tape rolls on smoothly, can be written on immediately, does not require shaking and squeezing, has no odour, does not damage the paper, and has a neat finish. We are very excited at the potential for this product in Sri Lanka, and are proud to represent PLUS Corporation as its authorised distributor, Thef:;llstop Director Nadisha Sirisena said. Most schools in Sri Lanka have banned correction fluids because of their tendency to rub off on clothing and furniture. The PLUS MR2 correction tape is easy to use, safe and produces great results. Taking their pain, writing his book Indian journalist Samanth Subramanian who was at the recently concluded FGLF talks to Adilah Ismail of his book on Sri Lankas conflict, This Divided Island View(s): View(s): A few years ago, when Samanth Subramanian was in Kattankudy speaking to a survivor of the 1990 Kattankudy mosques attack, there was a disquieting moment where the tables were turned between the interviewer and the interviewee. They were seated in a chocolate-brown linoleum lined living room and the man was recounting a grim tale of survival from the LTTE attack, of watching helplessly as his familys lives disintegrated before his eyes. Before they began their conversation however, his interviewee turned to Subramanian with a polite but pragmatic question: What good will this conversation do to me? The scene is located in the heart of Subramanians book This Divided Island, which deals with stories from the three decade-long war in Sri Lanka. The author mulls over this question in the book. I had no answer to give him. I had asked this question of myself in Sri Lanka, uncapping deep wells of self-doubt he writes. Even in ordinary circumstances, the work of a journalist can feel like that of a parasite, fattening itself on the time and memories of others but giving back nothing tangible at all. In Sri Lanka, the process felt especially voyeuristic, as I asked people to rehearse the pain of their lives so I could write a book they would never read. Its a discomfiting question which throbs at the back of the mind of anyone engaged in the act of reporting or writing nonfiction. Even now, as we discuss the research and beginnings of the book it prompts a self-reflexive train of thought in Subramanian, to tweeze out the role of a writer in this transaction. Its something I grapple with constantly and I still havent found an answer to it, to be honest, he muses. The only thing you can say as a journalist is that its important for people to hear these stories and youre bearing moral witness to suffering; that in the larger body of knowledge that exists about the Sri Lankan war, youve contributed to a certain extent. But what does it do for the person? I have no idea. And I still have no answers for this. Its an amazing act of generosity for these people, who have such difficult lives and suffered all these awful stuff, to sit down and recount it for you. They get nothing out of it and we get everything and its the most unequal transaction. This Divided Island takes readers through Sri Lankas 30-year-civil war through conversations and anecdotes from both sides of the conflict through the years and is dotted with the writers own dispatches from travels in post-war Sri Lanka. The book brims with anecdotes and crosses continents in its effort to bring multiple narratives embedded within the conflict. Recently in Galle for the Fairway Galle Literary Festival, Subramanian is a journalist currently based in New Delhi and writes on varied topics, preferring long-form narrative journalism, and often spending months wrestling with a story. This flexibility in topics often results in curious experiences when we meet he explains that during the previous week he was backstage at a female body builders contest in Mumbai and before that, found himself sailing with an Olympic level sailor off the coast of Singapore, to catch a glimpse of the land reclamation projects that are happening. His first book, Following Fish, was a travelogue detailing journeys around Indias coastline. Published in 2014, This Divided Island is Subramanians second book. Growing up in Chennai, Sri Lankan politics were inescapable for Subramanian, seeping into news and media and impinging into life in Tamil Nadu. In his book, Subramanian writes that the ties of politics and language bind Sri Lanka close to Tamil Nadu, like a tugboat to an ocean liner. He notes that the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, in particular exploded on our consciousness in a way that nothing before had, shifting the political contours. It was not the political and military aspects of the war but the stories of the people which drew him (although he admits hes hesitant to tell people this because it sounds banal) and This Divided Island is layered with multiple narratives. On the day the Sri Lankan war officially ended in 2009, Subramanian was in a newsroom in Delhi watching the images which flashed in succession on the screens. He remembers going to one of his friends in office, a Sri Lankan, and remarking offhandedly that with the war now over, someone should write about the conflict.It was the same friend who provided the initial impetus and help and Subramanian soon began research for the book, conducting 100 interviews and travelling across the country over the course of 10 months. One of the challenging aspects of researching was to persuade people to share their stories. I was Tamil. I was Indian. I was a journalist it was like three types of sin, he notes. Given that it was still very sensitive times and the wounds of the war were recent, how did he protect the identity and privacy of those he interviewed? Subramanian explains that it was a multi-stage process to gauge how much of their identities, names and information the people he spoke to wanted to divulge. They should have the agency to determine how they appear in the book, he says, adding that he made sure to go back and confirm their decision once more, after the book was written and in the process of being edited. The voices in the book are situated in shifting landscapes and rub against each other, traipsing through the past and often reliving sobering histories. The characters we meet span war widows, taxi drivers, ex-terrorists, Tamils who fought for the Sri Lankan army, survivors who have been scarred by the war, Buddhist monks and intellectuals. While the voices form the crux of the book, Subramanian takes pains to convey a sense of place through the landscapes which changed before and after the war. In a review of the book, Shehan Karunatilaka writes that This Divided Island is an intelligent, nuanced work that celebrates the beauty of the island next door and warns of the horrors that lie before it. It is a book likely to spark debate in the land it laments. And this can only be a good thing. Because if we spill enough ink and share enough stories, perhaps we can avoid the spilling of more blood. The book contains many vivid images and theres one particularly startling image which lingers from the book straying from the hackneyed image of the pearl, diamond or teardrop, Subramanian instead compares Sri Lankas shape to a hand grenade, with the tapering Jaffna peninsula as its safety clip. In another, Subramanian is travelling in one of the vintage cars that Jaffna is known for, and jarringly realizes that the white Morris Minor he is travelling in, once doubled up as a hearse and ambulance during the conflict. There is a capsuled history of the country which briefly sketches out some of the events which led to the conflict and the reader is also taken through the expanding cultural schism, initially stoked by colonialism. Subramanian shows how over the years, a small island began to magnify the slimmest of distinctions, discovering new ways to emphasise differences and define identities. Counties Manukau Police investigating a violent assault that left a 75-year-old woman in a serious condition in hospital want to speak to Rangi Joseph Harris. At lunchtime yesterday, the 75-year-old victim was visiting a relative at a resthome in Botany, when she was seriously assaulted. The alleged offender, who is known to the victim and was visiting the same person, then fled. The victim was rushed by ambulance to Middlemore Hospital with head and facial injuries. "The victim was viciously assaulted, she was punched, kicked and stomped on. She was initially in intensive care, fortunately her condition has improved slightly and she is now stable. She has facial fractures and other injuries though and will remain in hospital" says Detective Sergeant John Love, Counties Manukau Police. Rangi Joseph Harris (45) is considered to be a person of interest and Police would like to speak to him. Despite efforts to locate him he has not yet been found and Police would like to hear from anyone who may know where he is. "We believe Rangi Harris is travelling in a silvery-grey 2008 Kia Sportage, registration ESJ406. He has links to the Counties Manukau, Sandringham and Freemans Bay areas" says Det Sgt Love. Anyone who sees Rangi Harris or knows where he is should call 111 immediately, he should not be approached by members of the public. Further information can also be given to the Counties Manukau Crime Squad on 09 2611 321. Information can also be given anonymously to the organisation Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Source: New Zealand Police. Speedway Shooting 1.JPG Syracuse police officers look on Friday afternoon as a car is taken from the parking lot of the Speedway gas station at Erie Boulevard West and South Geddes Street after a man arrived there with a gunshot wound. (Ken Sturtz | ksturtz@syracuse.com) SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A 30-year-old man was critically injured Friday when he was shot in the head and brought to a gas station, police said. Around 3 p.m. officers responded to the Speedway gas station at 758 Erie Blvd. W., at the intersection of South Geddes Street. When they got there, the officers found the 30-year-old man who had been shot in the head. He was rushed by Rural Metro Ambulance to Upstate University Hospital. He is listed in critical condition. The man was brought to the gas station on Erie Boulevard West in a car, but the shooting occurred somewhere else, police said, possibly on Markland Avenue near Grant Avenue. Officers were searching for the actual scene of the shooting. No suspect information was available, police said. Police asked anyone with information about the shooting to contact 315-442-5222. Tips can also be submitted using the "SPD Tips" App. OSWEGO, N.Y. -- A firefighter was injured and 17 people forced from their homes by a fire that tore through an apartment building in the city of Oswego. Firefighters were called to a 3-story apartment building at 194 W. Fifth St. just after 10 p.m. Thursday. A resident had called 911 and said there was a electrical outlet on fire. Police were helping people from the building when the fire department arrived. "This was a difficult fire in a large multiple occupancy, luckily the building had working smoke alarms that alerted the residents," Chief Jeff McCrobie said in a statement. The fire was serious enough that the Oswego Fire Department recalled two off-duty shifts of firefighters to help battle the blaze. Firefighters went into the 9-unit apartment building, discovered a fire on the second floor and began fighting the flames with several hoses. Other firefighters searched the third floor for anyone who might have been trapped, the fire department said. Crews tore out the drywall ceiling and a wall to expose pockets of fire that were hidden. But the fire had spread to the attic and the fire department said it thought the roof supports were compromised. Firefighters evacuated the building and continued fighting the fire from outside. Water was sprayed on the building from ladder trucks and extra hoses were used on neighboring houses to keep the fire from spreading. Crews put the fire out in about two hours, though firefighters stayed until 10 a.m. Friday to douse hot spots. A firefighter suffered a hand injury, but was checked and released, the fire department said. No one else was hurt. The apartment building suffered heavy damage on the third floor and roof. Several neighboring houses had water damage. Pumps had to be used to remove about 6 feet of water from the basement of a house next door. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Officials are working to figure out f the building is structurally sound. The American Red Cross of Central New York provided emergency help to five families from the building totaling 12 adults and seven children. Lakeview Road suspect.JPG New York State Police say the man captured in this surveillance photograph recently burglarized a home on Lakeview Road in Scriba, Oswego County. (Provided by NYS Police) Armond Aubin SCRIBA, N.Y. -- A burglar caught on camera outside an Oswego County home has been identified and arrested, police say. Armond H. Aubin was arrested Friday and charged with burglarizing a home on his Scriba street, said the New York State Police. Aubin, 32, was arrested after "multiple" sources identified him as the man surveillance footage captured sneaking around the outside of a Lakeview Road home, troopers said. Aubin entered a home and stole money, troopers said. Aubin, of 37 Lakeview Road, was charged with second-degree burglary, a felony. He is in the Oswego County Jail in lieu of $10,000 cash or a $20,000 bond. Breeze Airways makes it official: Flights from Vero Beach to begin Feb. 2 The Utah-based airline already flies to six Florida cities and has destinations across the country, from New York and Virginia to California. FORT PIERCE In the aftermath of three unsolved shooting fatalities since Christmas, Deputy Police Chief Kenny Norris' questioning brought one youth to tears. Norris asked the boy if he would shoot another youth who was standing nearby. The tears came after the boy said, 'You know what? I contemplated it for a second', Norris said. 'Lets not sugarcoat this,' said the deputy chief. 'There is a sickness in our (Lincoln Park) neighborhoods.' The black deputy chief said the black community has to take some responsibility for that sickness. 'We've been preaching Black Lives Matter and how police are doing this or police are doing that in shooting blacks,' Norris said. But, said Norris, the number of police shootings pale in comparison to black-on-black shootings and murders in Fort Pierce and across the nation. Since Dec. 25 there have been three such homicides in Fort Pierce's Lincoln Park neighborhoods. That area generally is bounded by U.S. 1 on the east, Orange Avenue on the south, North 33rd Street on the west and south of Avenue T (Belcher Canal) to the north. 'We've got to start saying 'No More',' Norris said. He urged people to stand up, especially those who see shootings but don't speak up about them. St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara said that after a shooting in Fort Pierce, he talked to four bystanders in a driveway where the shooting occurred. They weren't shot. They said they didn't see anything. The homeowner had the same response, Mascara said. As Mascara explained it, much of the gunfire is between a small number of people who are in gangs or know people who are. They settle their own disputes between themselves without turning to law enforcement. Their code: Don't snitch a rule that law enforcement said allows a lawbreaking minority to often exist unexposed in largely residential neighborhoods. Traffic enforcement has become a way of monitoring the community. Deputies are told to be on guard because traffic stops can include finding handguns, Mascara said. From Jan. 21 to 24, traffic stops and other investigations led law enforcement to seizing six large-caliber handguns five were stolen when arresting eight young men, ages 17 to 26, all Fort Pierce residents. Five of them are identified as members of gangs in the city, according to arrest reports. They were arrested on charges such as possession of firearms by gang-related felons. Police apprehended four of them after getting a 911 call about an armed man outside an apartment on North 16th Court. The four were found in a running SUV parked outside. 'No one admitted to knowing the guns (that were in the SUV) were there,' a police report states. Old problem, new problem During 2015, Fort Pierce police made 24 arrests for illegal possession of firearms. The Sheriff's Office made 30 arrests countywide, including Fort Pierce. Port St. Lucie had 14 arrests throughout the year in a city with four times the population of Fort Pierce. The gun violence problem in the northwest sections of Fort Pierce has gone on for years. Passion Burgess was 18 years old and three months pregnant when she was shot in Fort Pierce during 2005. She was shot twice in the back and once in the arm while parked in a car near Ninth Street and Avenue J. At the time, police said the assailant, a 21-year-old man, may have shot her because he was angry at one of her cousins. The injuries left her in a wheelchair. Her son is alive. 'Let my voice be heard,' she said. '(The violence) needs to stop.' North Fort Pierce resident Teaira Reed, 21, has become the mother of her two younger sisters, as well as her own infant child. Reed's mother, Tanya Oliver, 41, is unable to speak or walk because of being shot in the head early last year near Avenue M. '(The shooters) are not thinking beyond a moment of anger,' Reed said. 'They do what they want to do.' City Commissioner Rufus Alexander III said the community should come together more than it has. 'We have got to plant a seed and nurture it,' he said when speaking to a group of citizens from Lincoln Park on Jan. 15. Mascara said change might have to come one-by-one by gradually persuading youth to go in different directions. Norris' conversation with the youth brought to tears was one attempt. Police Chief Diane Hobley-Burney said that many kids don't believe there is a tomorrow. 'They are missing hope,' she said, noting police and other community leaders need to lead by example. She came here from the Tampa police force after seeing firsthand what was going on in Fort Pierce. She later hired Norris, who had worked with her in Tampa. 'We didn't come here for the big money,' Norris said. 'We want to make a change.' Efforts taking root The police chief emphasizes officers have greater interaction with the community to help engender cooperation. Community leaders endorse her efforts. 'We want it understood that if you are living around (violence), you do not have to be part of it,' she said. Members of the volunteer citizens patrol Guardian Angels are on the streets of northwest Fort Pierce weekly to show they don't accept lawlessness, said organizer Ned Childress of Fort Pierce. Police and other law enforcement agencies are trying to push back against the gunfire. Hobley-Burney warned that people on public assistance who harbor criminals may have their housing assistance vouchers canceled. Two weeks ago police again convened an interagency task force to help counter the outbreak in gunfire. An array of federal and state agencies are cooperating with police. Police officials aren't disclosing the details of what they are doing. 'We're sending out a message,' the police chief said. 'If you disrupt we will do everything to fix it, to find you and charge you.' VOICES Anthony Thompson is a Fort Pierce native and a retired corrections officer who worked at Martin Correctional Institution. He's a member of Choice Community Outreach, a group of six current and retired correctional officers who try to intervene in the lives of youths and adults, to steer them away from getting into trouble and into prison. 'Kids never hear the reality of the whole situation: what their actions can lead to,' he said. His group's approach: Encourage the good qualities; tell them to show their ingenuity and craftsmanship before they're forced to do that while behind prison bars. Thompson now lives in Port St. Lucie but wants to help counter crime in Fort Pierce, to help from the inside out, he said. 'There is no one umbrella to do it.' Alfred Perry Jr. got involved in crime at an early age in Fort Pierce and during October 2008 was released after serving 14 years in Florida prisons. Now he runs a halfway house in Vadalia, Georgia. He wants to return to Fort Pierce to establish a similar program to help youth stay away from crime after getting out of jail. 'Crime is high and our children struggle without needed help,' he said. During his youth, Perry's parents were separated and poor. 'I strongly believe the fact that my father couldn't read or write and was an alcoholic ... had a direct affect on me,' he said. His older brother died from AIDS in 1997. 'He always encouraged me to stop stealing and getting in trouble.' Perry said he promised his brother to change after he got out of prison. The biggest change, he said, was changing his mind to believe in himself and to take others in account. Teaira Reed is 21. Her mother, Tanya Oliver, 42, was shot in the head during March 2015, in a parking lot near their home on North 23rd Street. 'It is crazy,' Reed said, who during September attended a meeting of the Tri-County Chapter of Parents of Murdered Children on Avenue D in Fort Pierce. '(Shooting in the city) doesn't make any sense,' she said. '(The shooters) don't realize the impact they can have.' Reed said her mother never rested while raising her and her younger sisters alone in a home on North 23rd Street, near where her mother was shot. Oliver now is in a wheelchair and can't speak and is in a rehabilitation center in Miami. Since the shooting, Reed has been taking care of her sisters and her own infant child. She said her mother taught her something as important as reading and writing. 'She taught me how to live.' FILE PHOTO Florida representatives greet each other on the house floor prior to the start of a special session. By Isadora Rangel of TCPalm TALLAHASSEE The Legislature hasn't changed its mind on how to use land and water conservation money, despite cries from conservation groups that Amendment 1 not be used for routine expenses as it was last year. Budget proposals released by the House and Senate Friday show about $200 million from Amendment 1 going into salaries, benefits, insurance costs and vehicle purchases. The Legislature's use of the money from the voter-approved measure for such purposes last session is the target of two lawsuits filed by environmental groups, who say lawmakers violated the law. Those expenditure this year include more than $7 million the Senate wants to give for administrative and executive salaries at the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and $2.5 million for salaries at the historic resources division of the Department of State. The Florida Forever program, which buys land for parks and habitat conservation, got $22.3 million from the Senate and $15.1 million from the House. That's a disappointment for environmentalists who hoped the Legislature would boost funding from the $17.4 million allocated last year. A coalition of environmental and civic groups drafted Amendment 1 because of cuts to Florida Forever, which used to get roughly $300 million per year until the economic recession. Voters passed the amendment to set aside one-third of real estate transaction tax revenue to buy, restore and improve land and water resources. Republican Senate President-elect Joe Negron of Stuart said he expects Florida Forever funding to increase as the House and Senate begin to negotiate a final budget, but he didn't know how much the final figure could be. "I think the funding in the Senate budget is a good start but I think we need to increase it," he said. ON THE PLUS SIDE The House and Senate set aside money to hire eight new employees at the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and implement the so-called "best management practices," which are pollution-reduction measures farmers have to implement around Lake Okeechobee and the St. Lucie River. That money is crucial to enforce a controversial law Gov. Rick Scott signed last week that changes how the state regulates pollution in the lake from a permitting program to a cleanup plan that relies heavily on these best management practices, such as reducing fertilizer. The Everglades restoration also likely will get a boost this year even though the House and Senate are far apart in money for restoration $198 million from the House and $82 million from the Senate. A bill filed by Negron and backed by Republican House Speaker Steve Crisafulli to dedicate the lesser of $200 million or 25 percent of Amendment 1 money to restoration has good chances of becoming law because of leadership support. Rep. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart, also is sponsoring the legislation, which gives priority to projects that reduce Lake Okeechobee discharges into the St. Lucie River. Negron said he plans to file a budget amendment to set aside about $13 million $5.5 million of which would be recurring for 10 years for the Caulkins Citrus Co. water farm in Indiantown, which pumps and stores water from the C-44 Canal that otherwise would flow into the St. Lucie River. The money will expand the project from 414 acres to 3,000 acres and will hold 30 billion gallons of water per year when completed, Negron said. He also will seek money for the St. Lucie River Issues Team, which recommends projects to restore the estuary. The House and Senate have until the end of session on March 11 to negotiate and pass a final state budget. Here are other Treasure Coast-related projects that made into the budget: Rural and Family lands program, which pays farmers not to develop their land House: $35 million Senate: $0 Veterans nursing home construction in St. Lucie County House and Senate: $6.7 million Water farming, the practice in which the state pays ranchers to hold water on their land that otherwise would flow into and pollute estuaries Senate: $5 million House: $9 million Treasure Coast International Airport expansion in St. Lucie County Senate: $2 million House: $0 Maintenance of Kilroy sensors, which monitor pollution in the main canals and tributaries along the Indian River Lagoon House and Senate: $250,000 HANDS of St. Lucie County, a clinic that serves low-income uninsured patients Senate: $700,000 House: $0 Literacy Jump Start Program in St. Lucie County, a five-year pilot program in its second year to teach at-risk children literacy skills House and Senate: $110,000 SHARE By Laurie K. Blandford of TCPalm MARTIN COUNTY A 40-year-old man died more than a week ago at the Treasure Coast Forensic Treatment Center in Indiantown after being punched by a patient, according to a sheriff's report released Friday. Bryan Lopez, who lived at the state mental health facility at 96 S.W. Allapattah Road, died Jan. 22 as a result of blunt force trauma to the head, sheriff's spokeswoman Christine Christofek said a medical examiner determined. Sheriff's deputies went to the facility about 8 a.m. that day after staff members found Lopez unresponsive on his mattress in his room, according to the report. Lopez had been "sucker punched" the previous morning during an altercation with another patient at the facility, according to the report. Lopez received medical treatment and was being monitored by staff members. They last checked on him at 4 a.m. and found him to be awake and responsive. Correct Care Recovery Solutions runs the 198-bed adult male secure mental health treatment facility through the state Department of Children and Families, according to the company's website. Patients are admitted to the facility by court order. The State Attorney's Office is investigating whether any charges will be filed in the incident, Christofek said. U.S. House District 18 Democratic candidate Patrick Murphy. (FILE PHOTO) SHARE By Bartholomew Sullivan Editor's note: This article has been updated with a statement from Joshua Karp, spokesman for Democratic Senate candidate Patrick Murphy. WASHINGTON Treasure Coast residents who previously have backed Republicans will host a fundraiser for Democratic Senate candidate Patrick Murphy at the Vero Beach home of a couple who contributed to a group dedicated to defeating Democrats less than two years ago. George and Toni Hamner along with 30 other residents, many of them citrus industry leaders will host the Feb. 4 fundraiser in their Sandfly Lane home. Federal Election Commission records indicate George Hamner, an executive with Indian River Exchange Packaging, gave $500 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee in February 2014. He also gave $2,500 to the Mitt Romney-Paul Ryan presidential campaign in 2012. And he gave incumbent Republican Rep. Vernon Buchanan of Sarasota money in May. He gave Patrick Murphy's campaign $1,000 in August 2013, records show. "I happen to believe in politicians who think and act independently on their own convictions," Hamner said Friday, adding he considers himself a moderate Republican. "He can be a conciliator. ... I happen to like him very much. He's a bright young man and has a promising future. That's why I'm supporting him." Murphy's work in support of citrus research and development has been helpful, Hamner said. "He's been good for the citrus industry and this is somewhat of a thank-you to him in that regard," he said. Hamner added he expects citrus industry people will be among the 50 to 60 attending the evening event and will include "a fair number of Republicans" in heavily Republican Indian River County. REPUBLICAN HOSTS Patricia Lavins of Vero Beach, a retired federal employee and active member of the local Democratic Party, received the fundraising invitation and said it was "kind of surprising" to see some of the co-hosts listed, particularly George Hamner. "George is Mr. Citrus," she said. "He's very, very much a Republican." Of the people she knows on the list, she said, "I would say about half of them" are Republican-leaning. Lavins herself said she didn't plan to go to the event "because it's pretty pricey" and because she's leaning toward U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson of Orlando in the Aug. 30 Democratic primary. The invitation lists suggested contribution levels: Friend: $250; Sponsor: $500; Co-host: $1,000; Host: $2,700. The maximum contribution is $5,400. Several of the co-hosts such as Les Bromwell of Vero Beach, a Barack Obama supporter in both 2008 and 2012 are regular backers of Democratic candidates, and many have backed candidates from both parties, records show. Host Robert G. Hall of Ocean Drive in Vero Beach has given more than $88,500 to Republicans since April 2012, including $25,500 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Among the contributions were $25,000 to Romney Victory Inc. in September 2012. He gave the Republican National Committee $38,800 in 2012. And just last March, he gave $25,000 to Right to Rise USA, the super political action committee supporting former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush for president. Murphy campaign spokesman Joshua Karp said Friday in a statement that Floridas citrus growers are a key engine of Floridas economy and Patrick is humbled to have their support. Our campaign has over 13,000 contributors who support Patricks vision to strengthen and grow Floridas middle class. BIPARTISAN HOSTS Some of Murphy's hosts sport a more bipartisan profile. For example, Cody Estes of Estes Citrus in Vero Beach has made contributions to U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge; Alcee Hastings, D-Fort Lauderdale; Republican state Sen. Joe Negron when he ran for Congress in 2006; and Texas Republican Rep. Henry Bonilla in 2005. His only recorded contribution to Murphy was a $250 check in August 2013. His wife and co-host Faye gave Posey $250 that year. Emmett J. Evans of Evans Properties in Vero Beach made contributions to incumbent Republican Rep. Allen West in 2012 and to Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert in 2007, but also has contributed to Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson's campaign. His wife and co-host Margaret Ann gave $525 to Romney-Ryan in 2012. Vero Beach lawyer Mike Garavaglia has contributed to Republicans Adam Putnam, Allen West, Bill Posey and Clay Shaw, but also contributed to Democratic congressional candidate Allen Boyd. He did not respond to voice-mail messages left at his office. Richard W. Muzzy Jr. of Vero Beach gave $1,000 to Ohio Republican Senate incumbent Rob Portman last year. COMPETITION The NRSC backs GOP Senate candidates and would seek to defeat Murphy should he become the Democratic Party's Senate nominee. Grayson is also seeking the nomination while pointing out that Murphy, who represents a Republican-leaning district, was a registered Republican until months before he declared his candidacy for Congress in 2012. Grayson's campaign spokesman David Damron declined to comment on Murphy's fundraising hosts. Lawyer Pam Keith is also seeking the nomination. Bartholomew Sullivan, a veteran Washington reporter, heads Treasure Coast Newspapers' D.C. news bureau. Vero Beach Republican Carole Jean Jordan will arrive in Iowa Sunday with a single goal: convince voters to caucus Monday for Jeb Bush because he's the best candidate to be the next president. "Jeb's the leader our country needs," said Jordan, 71, the Indian River County tax collector who headed the Florida Republican party from 2003 to 2007. "The more people learn about him and about his plans to keep our country safe, defeat ISIS and take care of our veterans, they'll want him as our president." Pleased with Bush's performance during Thursday's Republican presidential debate, Jordan said the former two-term Florida governor is poised to do well in Monday's Iowa caucus the first time ballots will be cast in the 2016 presidential contest. Jordan said she'll connect Sunday with the Bush campaign in Des Moines and begin canvassing immediately. "I'll be doing phone calls and hopefully walking precincts and speaking at one of the caucuses," she said. "I made the commitment to take a few days off. You can do some of that at home, but it's really going to be fun to be there." When asked whether she was using vacation time from her taxpayer-funded job, Jordan said, "We do not have specific allocated vacation time for the tax collector. ... I have been here seven years and have taken three major trips of two weeks or less." IOWA CAUCUS On Monday, Democrats and Republicans in Iowa will gather at more than 1,600 precincts held at schools, churches and libraries across the state to select a candidate for president. The results are reported to the state parties and will determine how Iowa delegates will vote at the party's national conventions. Jordan said she'll be observing Republican officials tally caucus ballots after voting ends Monday night. "Each candidate is allowed to have someone watching," she noted. Jordan predicted Bush will do well, despite facing front-runners Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. "I think with your 24-hour news service and a kind of different campaign vibe this time, Iowa certainly is in play," she said. "But your upcoming states New Hampshire, South Carolina and bellwether Nevada, I think you'll see things change along the way." WHAT'S NEXT No matter how Bush does in Iowa, Jordan said by Tuesday, her sights will be on the next vital stop toward the White House. She'll head to New Hampshire ahead of that state's Feb. 9 primary to work for Bush. "Hopefully I'll be making phone calls, walking precincts and helping to get out the vote," she said. "It's grass-roots at it's finest except the weather is different. We should never complain about campaigning in the state of Florida when you get to go up to these snow-covered places." SHARE By Jeff Schweers TALLAHASSEE Several first-degree murder cases in Florida are in legal limbo, frustrating victims' families and raising hopes for capital punishment foes, as state lawmakers and court officers scramble to sort out what a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision means for Florida's death penalty. The Supreme Court's Jan. 12 opinion in Hurst v. Florida did not find the death penalty unconstitutional. What the 8-1 ruling did find fault with was a state sentencing scheme that allows a judge to override a jury's recommendation for life or death. STATE SUPREME COURT CASE The Florida Supreme Court could clear some issues up when it hears oral arguments Tuesday regarding whether Cary Michael Lambrix should still be executed on Feb. 11 in light of the Hurst decision. Lambrix, convicted of two 1983 Glades County murders, has been on death row for more than 30 years. Lawyers for Lambrix have asked for an indefinite stay of execution, saying Hurst should be applied retroactively. The Attorney General's Office argues it cannot be applied retroactively. The U.S. Supreme Court's opinion has far-reaching implications, including whether Florida should require unanimous jury decisions instead of a simple majority in sentencing someone to death, and whether the high court's ruling should be applied retroactively to all 390 Florida death row inmates. As of Friday, 43 death row inmates had appeals pending. SENATE ACTION Members of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee took testimony Wednesday from several leading experts on the death penalty prosecutors and defense attorneys alike. "Before the end of this session we will pass the Senate will pass some type of reform for the death penalty in the state of Florida," Sen. Greg Evers, R-Milton, said at the end of that two-hour workshop. Evers said he wants the stakeholders who spoke at the hearing to get together and come up with a solution in days, not weeks. Evers said he might use a bill introduced by Sen. Thad Altman, R-Melbourne, requiring a unanimous jury verdict to impose the death penalty. Solicitor General Allen Winsor said the Attorney General's Office is taking no position but is committed to "working with the Legislature, evaluating different proposals to ensure they comply with Hurst and comply with the Constitution." DEATH PENALTY USE ON HOLD The immediate effect of Hurst is that prosecutors can't ask for the death penalty right now, as Pinellas County Circuit Judge Michael Andrews recently declared. Andrews ruled prosecutors couldn't seek the death penalty in a shaken-baby case; no procedure is in place to seek the death penalty, he said, therefore, the death penalty doesn't exist. All sides agree the Sixth Amendment gives the power of life and death to juries, not judges. But there is no consensus on how to proceed, said Michael Sinacore, felony chief in the Hillsborough State Attorney's Office. "I would be surprised to see any judge would allow those cases to proceed," said Robert Strain, a St. Petersburg attorney who retired a year and a half ago from the Capital Collateral Representative office, which represents Death Row inmates on post-conviction relief. Strain also served as chairman in 2010 of the Florida Bar's criminal procedure rules committee, which wrote the current criminal procedures. "Because of current statute and current rules, right now for all these pending and current prosecutions, there is no valid way they could go through court and proceed with the death penalty," Strain said. There is no clear consensus on how the Hurst ruling affects those already on death row or those who are in the midst of appealing their cases and trying to get their death sentences overturned. "The bottom line is, Hurst leaves a great many questions unanswered," said Rex Dimmig, public defender for the 10th Circuit, which covers Polk, Hardee and Highlands counties. UNANIMOUS JURY OPTION Thirty-two states have the death penalty, but only 14 states issued death sentences last year. California led with 14, and Florida was second with nine, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Robert Dunham, executive director for the Washington, D.C., based center, told the Criminal Justice Committee members they need to address the constitutional issues the Supreme Court decided in Hurst, then take the opportunity to address related issues that have accumulated over the 40 years since Florida first reinstated the death penalty. "Florida is the only state permitting the death penalty without a unanimous jury finding," Dunham said. That makes Florida an outlier from national consensus and puts it in the spotlight for U.S. Supreme Court review, Dunham said. Three-quarters of the state's death row inmates were put there by split juries, Dunham said. That means 287 cases could be in constitutional jeopardy, he said. But Maria Deliberato, assistant counsel for the Capital Collateral Regional Counsel in Tampa, said Hurst applies to all 390 death row inmates "because everybody was sentenced under same procedure that has now been found unconstitutional." The Florida Association of Prosecuting Attorneys agreed that the judge-override issue needs to be fixed but disagreed sharply about unanimous juries. The association recommended that the Legislature adopt a 9-3 supermajority vote of the jury to impose the death penalty. A unanimous requirement means just one person could derail a death sentence, a standard that is arbitrary and capricious, said Brad King, past president of the prosecutors association and the State Attorney for the Fifth Circuit based in Citrus County. "You would allow one juror with no contact with system, no education in the law, no qualifications as a death penalty qualified judge, you give them absolute control over what that sentence is going to be," King told the committee. "All they have to do is vote life, and if you have a unanimous jury verdict requirement for death they get to control that decision." Jeff Schweers covers the Florida Statehouse for Treasure Coast Newspapers, the Naples Daily News and the Tampa Tribune. Contact him at jschweers@tampatrib.com. Jeb Bush (right) talks as Marco Rubio listens during a Republican presidential primary debate, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson) John Payson tells a story that may illustrate why Jeb Bush's presidential campaign is floundering, despite its massive war chest. Payson, an art dealer who lives on Jupiter Island, has been a longtime Republican supporter, both philosophically and financially. He knows the Bush family and thinks Jeb would be a great president. So a few months ago, he reached out to the Bush campaign and offered to do an "event," a fundraiser on Jupiter Island. Where, you know, there are a few bucks to be had. He was rebuffed. "I was told they would do it somewhere else, that there was not enough money on Jupiter Island," said Payson in a recent interview. That may suggest that, money notwithstanding, what the campaign really needs is a clue. Monday, the Federal Election Commission is scheduled to release fourth-quarter fundraising totals for the 2016 presidential candidates, and the figures are likely to show that Bush is still the top fundraiser in the nation, in Florida and along the Treasure Coast. But to steal a line from the Beatles, money can't buy you love. With about five weeks to go before the Florida presidential primary, Bush remains mired in fourth place in the Real Clear Politics average of Florida polls, at a measly 9 percent. Donald Trump leads the GOP pack at 40 percent, trailed by Ted Cruz (19 percent) and Marco Rubio (13.7 percent). There are no polls tracking the Treasure Coast's opinion. But if dollars were votes, Bush would seem to be a lock here. Through the first three quarters of 2015, Bush raised a whopping $1.11 million from Treasure Coast ZIP codes, light years ahead of his nearest competitor, Chris Christie, who raised a total of $124,654. But those figures are both telling and misleading. Of Christie's total, $100,000 came from a single donation from Bruce Kovner of Hobe Sound, chairman of CAM Capital, to Christie's super PAC "America Leads." And of Bush's $1.11 million, just under $1 million $984,500 came via donations to his super PAC, "Right to Rise." Individual contributions to political campaigns are capped at $2,700 per election. In other words, you want to support Jeb, or any other candidate? You can only give $2,700 to the campaign proper. But a super PAC? You can give all you want to that, and it's all OK, so long as the super PAC doesn't "coordinate" its "independent" political spending with the campaign it supports. Bush's "Right to Rise" got a total of 37 donations from the Treasure Coast residents, including 11 donations of $20,000 or more. But the idea that this money represents some sort of popular groundswell for Jeb isn't exactly panning out. Things get even more interesting when you break down donations by ZIP code. For example, in Vero Beach, Bushs campaign raised $58,572 a good haul but not that much more than was raised by Ted Cruz, whose campaign generated $48,586. But the vast majority of Bushs super PAC money $902,250 came from Vero Beach donors, including three six-figure donations. That means the Bush campaign generated $960,862 of its $1.11 million Treasure Coast take in Vero alone. Bush got another $104,000 in donations $32,450 to his campaign, $72,250 in super PAC donations from Hobe Sound, the mailing address for Jupiter Island. He was the clear money winner there. Elsewhere, it was a different story. In Palm City, Bushs Right to Rise got just $3,750 in donations, and his campaign took in $4,950. The total, $8,700, was dwarfed by Ben Carsons $29,012 Palm City take which included $21,587 in campaign donations, and another $7,425 in donations to two Carson super PACs. In Stuart where Right to Rise got just $1,250 in donations both Carson and Hillary Clinton raised more money than Bush. In Jensen Beach, there were no super PAC donations; Ted Cruz raised the most money, $3,565. Same in Sebastian, in Indian River County: Bush actually got no donations at all. Ben Carson raised $2,461 to lead the pack. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton raised a total of $42,861 from the Treasure Coast, Bernie Sanders $11,481 and Martin O'Malley $2,700. Sanders actually raised more than Hillary in Fort Pierce, Port St. Lucie and Sebastian; Hillary ruled everywhere else except Hobe Sound, where both she and O'Malley got a single $2,700 contribution. Sanders, the self-identified democratic socialist, got no donations at all from Hobe Sound/Jupiter Island. As you might imagine. So what does it all mean? Maybe this: Money has ceased to matter so much. Big totals reflect the preferences of big donors, but that doesn't translate into support at the polls. Or maybe Bush is just running that bad a campaign. But meanwhile, here's a figure for you: $1,525. That's the amount of money Donald Trump got in donations from the Treasure Coast, a grand total of three individual contributions two from Port St. Lucie, one from Jensen Beach. In fact, through the first three quarters of the year, Trump raised only $115,931 in all of Florida. Bush raised nearly five times that in Palm City alone. Which begs the question: Could Bush backers like John Payson ever find themselves pulling the lever for Trump? "I would vote for Trump," Payson said. "But nervously." Images from Fernhill Memorial Gardens in Stuart as Martin County Sheriffs Office and Florida Gulf Coast University forensic anthropologists exhume three gravesites of unknown infants Jan. 11 2016 in search of DNA evidence in the "Baby Moses" case from 1983. (ERIC HASERT/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS) SHARE By Hannah Schwab of TCPalm What a month! Whether it was the colder weather, a local hero, violence or new businesses, there were some big headlines that had readers buzzing in the first month of 2016. Take a look back at the headlines that caught your attention. The week of Jan. 4 New tenant in PSL, buying groceries from home and an arctic blast: A look at whats hot on the Treasure Coast That week, television shopping giant QVC announced medical management services firm PST Services will lease QVC's 50,000-square-foot building, in Port St. Lucie, and will hire at least some former QVC workers. Readers were flocking to TCPalm.com to read a review from our Bargainista columnist Kelly Tyko on the new home-delivery grocery service called Shipt. This was also the first week the Treasure Coast saw temperatures dip below 70 degrees plunging to the low 50s. The week of Jan. 11 Fort Pierce gunfire, exhuming Baby Moses and welcome back, manatees: A look at whats hot on the Treasure Coast That week's breaking news had readers glued to TCPalm.com. Fort Pierce saw its third shooting since Christmas when Rondravious Gooden, 22, was shot and killed Jan. 10 in the 100th block of North 29th Street. With the help of six forensic anthropologists from Florida Gulf Coast University, the Martin County Sheriff's Office began exhuming the body of "Baby Moses" and two other infants, hoping to use DNA samples to identify them. Also that week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed removing the West Indian manatee from its endangered species list and reclassifying them as "threatened." But conservationists worry the change could result in more manatees being harmed or killed. Week of Jan. 25 Hero saves baby, foul water and fair-weather fans? See what TCPalm readers are talking about The final week of January 2016 had readers wondering "Who ya rooting for in the Super Bowl?" The Denver Broncos will meet the Carolina Panthers in the Super Bowl on Feb. 7, but with no local team in the big game, readers have to pick a side. Sixteen-year-old Jacob Ursin was hailed a hero after he dove into Gifford Lake to rescue a 2-year-old baby and two others from a car crash. Ursin the son of Indian River County Sheriff's Deputy Ruben Bermudez swam 150 feet in 57-degree water to the vehicle to save the baby. Deputies rescued the man and the woman in the car. The male driver later died from his injuries but the woman and baby survived with only minor injuries. The Florida Health Department cautioned people to stay out of the St. Lucie River at the Roosevelt Bridge, in Stuart, and at Leighton Park near the Old Palm City Bridge after water samples showed higher-than-normal levels of enteric bacteria. Since then, the Army Corps of Engineers announced discharges from Lake Okeechobee will be coming, sending billions of gallons of lake water laden with nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment into the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon. Once that happens, are more water advisories on the horizon? Based here in Cambridge, ELST English Language Studies for Tibetans is a charity involved in promoting English language teaching and education in Tibetan communities, both organising volunteer teaching in the exile communities of India, Nepal and Mongolia, and supporting Tibetan students to come and study in Cambridge. This week, I spoke with Hilary Papworth, ELST founder and Cambridge resident, and Yum Skyid, Tibetan student at Murray Edwards studying for an MPhil with the help of a scholarship from ELST. Hilary tells me how it all began: ELST sprang to life nearly 20 years ago. My husband Bill and I were on a trip to India and received a request for help from a young Doctor of Tibetan Traditional Medicine. He needed better English skills in order to communicate with the numerous Indian patients who flocked to their Tibetan Medicine clinic. Subsequently over the years, many bright young professional Tibetans; teachers, doctors, monks, administrators, translators to the Dalai Lama, all from the exile community in India came to Cambridge. Generally they found their short but intense English Language programmes and encounters with people and ideas in the wider world enriching. All were selected on individual merit and those Tibetans are now a remarkable Tibetan exile alumni group, including the Director of Tibet House, the Senior Manager of the Dalai Lama's Foundation for Universal Responsibility (founded with his Nobel Peace Prize money) and the Director of the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts. From these beginnings, ELST has evolved a lot over the years, including the founding of a university society associated with the charity (CUELST) by a returning volunteer. Each year the society helps student volunteers organise teaching placements in Tibetan communities, ranging across India, Nepal and Mongolia, from Ulaan Bataar to Dharamsala, from big cities to remote areas. While ELST provides volunteers with support, advice and what Hilary describes as a seed-corn grant of a small amount of money, volunteers are largely expected to take responsibility for their own placements, offering a level of independence which sets them apart from other volunteering opportunities in Cambridge. Volunteers are expected to uphold ELST and CU-ELST's good name and to return with an account of their achievements and experiences. While daunting, this independence definitely brings its own rewards. As Hilary describes, the great thing about ELST/CU-ELST is that the volunteers are wanted and appreciated by their host communities and it can be a hugely enriching experience for the volunteers themselves. They give a lot and they get a lot in return. However, while CUELST gets on with organising the volunteer placements, ELST itself is busy with other matters, not least of which is the Williams Papworth Studentship, supporting postgraduate students from the Tibetan Plateau or surrounding regions to study in Cambridge. Hilary is enthusiastic about the work that the scholarship does: So far [the studentship] has associated with three wonderful students. The latest of these is Yum Skyid, a Tibetan student from the eastern Qinghai province of China who began her education MPhil last October. Yum describes her experience of Cambridge with great enthusiasm: I never thought I would ever have a chance to study at Cambridge, one of the best universities in the world, but the studentship made it a reality. Studying in Cambridge will be a life-changing experience for me not only because it helps me realise my academic potential but also because the diversity of ideas and values I have seen here makes me become more respectful to other people and other cultures. Yum plans to continue at Cambridge for her PhD. What with this, and the prospect of CU-ELST recruiting a fresh cohort of volunteers over the next few weeks, it promises to be a bright future for the organisation. CUELST is still recruiting for its cohort of summer volunteers until Sunday (31st January). To get in touch for the application form, email elstvolunteering@gmail.com. Movidius on Wednesday announced that its working with Google to put deep learning on mobile devices. Google will source Movidius latest flagship chip the MA2450 and software development environment, and will contribute to Movidius neural network technology road map in return. That could result in smartphones and other mobile devices that will be able to understand images and audio swiftly and accurately. The Movidius Technology The MA2450 is the most powerful iteration of Movidius Myriad 2 vision processor unit, which the company said is the only commercial solution available to perform complex neural network computations. The Myriad 2 is the first always-on vision processor, Movidius said. It has a programmable architecture and comes with the Myriad Development Kit, or MDK, which includes a software development framework. That lets developers incorporate proprietary functions and build arbitrary processing pipelines while leveraging the vision, imaging, and linear algebra software libraries and reference vision processing pipeline examples Movidius provides, all as source code. The MDK includes all necessary programming and debugging tools. Movidiuss Myriad VPU processor powers GooglesProject Tango. What to Expect We can expect to see run-time deep neural networks for speech-to-text, vision and many other smart machine applications running in phones, cameras, automobiles, medical devices and others because the DNN models can be downloaded and run disconnected from the cloud,Gartner Fellow Tom Austin said. Remember that working with Google on a project doesnt necessarily translate into products, cautioned Jim McGregor, principal analyst atTirias Research. However, this has the potential for almost any device and extends well beyond just facial recognition; this is machine learning. Facial recognition and retinal scans the technology enables could significantly increase the level of security over fingerprints and even help identify people, he told TechNewsWorld. Facial recognition could be used in two-factor authentication, and Google could bake it into Android as it did with fingerprint IDs, suggested Wayne Lam, a principal analyst at IHS Technology. Google also could apply the technology to home security platforms, he told TechNewsWorld. Think Nest and other IoT uses. Potential Uses for the Technology Banks will begin using smart machines widely, and a report Gartners Austin co-authored suggests most banks will invest in six main types of smart machines during the next few years. The smart machines resulting from Googles team-up with Movidius could make wireless banking more secure, he told TechNewsWorld. Other possible uses include authenticating users or admins signing in remotely to an enterprise network, and tracking and authenticating users for security purposes and for provisioning or deprovisioning as needed. Facial recognition and retinal scans are much more secure and user-friendly than any of the more common security solutions, Tirias Researchs McGregor said. This could allow users to log in and begin using platforms in a secure manner effortlessly. The technology also could be used in wearables and industrial applications in the medical and industrial automation fields, where the Internet of Things might come into play, he suggested. A New Trend Emerges This capability is not limited to the Movidius solution, McGregor pointed out. Qualcomm is doing it in conjunction with its image signal processor, and this could be done within most SoCs by leveraging the ISP, DSP, GPU, VPU and CPU resources. Microsoft, Apple and a whole range of social sites like Facebook, Amazon, Baidu, IBM and a few thousand other firms might follow suit, Gartners Austin suggested. As global smartphone sales slow, noted IHSs Lam, well see more and more efforts to create differentiated value for platforms such as Android and iOS just to keep up with the furious pace of competition and innovations. Music streaming service Spotify is in the process of raising an additional $500 million in funding, according to a new report. The money will be raised in the form of a convertible bond issue, but the company appears to be considering going public with an IPO sometime in the future. The world's biggest streamer is still not operating profitably, and may need the cash to continue the battle with Apple Music, Pandora, Tidal and other competing streaming services. Competition from relative newcomers like Deezer, along with a revamped subscription version of SoundCloud is also heating up. Still, the company is reportedly not strapped for funds and is apparently raising the money opportunistically. Instead of offering outright shares in the company to raise the cash, Spotify is offering convertible notes that will pay four percent interest, along with a discount on company shares should the company choose to go public. The discount would be 17.5 percent of the IPO price if the company goes public within a year, with an extra discount of 2.5 percent tacked on every six months thereafter. Investors, however, don't seem to be warming to the current offering. Fears about the increased competition in the market focus on the number of new players in general, and specifically on Apple, which is big enough to use its music service as a loss leader to generate more lucrative hardware sales. Investors also wish the offering were in the form of an equity IPO so that they can get a clear idea as to how the company's finances are looking. The general consensus by observers is that Spotify is not yet profitable, although apparently, it may be moving into the black in some of the 58 markets in which it is available worldwide. The bond purchasers would also be taking a gamble in betting that the company will in fact go public at some future date. There's no guarantee that a stock offering will ever occur, and that scenario would make the promised discount on equity shares undeliverable. The company has already raised over a billion dollars in investments from companies and investment funds, including Swedish wireless carrier Telia, Accel, DST, Creandum, Fidelity, Founders Fund, KPCB and Northzone, and the most recent valuation of Spotify in June 2015 was $8.5 billion. Since then, the company's user base appears to have grown substantially, with the report citing over 100 million overall subscribers, with 28 million on a paid subscription tier. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Despite what rumors have to say about Marvel unwillingness to move forward with the "Iron Fist" series on Netflix, it seems there is no truth to that after writer Scott Reynolds shared an Iron Fist image via his Twitter page. For those who are unaware, Reynolds is one of the writers behind "Jessica Jones," and with this picture, he is widely expected to pen "Iron Fist" as well. He also changed his profile description to acknowledge that he is indeed writing "Iron Fist." At the moment, Marvel and Netflix have yet to release any information regarding when folks can expect to watch "Iron Fist." However, we are confident the character will appear on the screen for the first time via Luke Cage, and then from there, Marvel should then share more information. Another critical piece of information that Marvel is keeping close to its chest is who will play "Iron Fist" on Netflix. We had previously thought that Marvel was still in the process of locating the best man for the job, but according to Luke Cage actor Mike Colter, an actor has already been found. "The actor has been cast, but he's in a basement somewhere," Colter joked to Collider. "When the time is right, they'll let him up and tell him where he is. I am [excited]." Since the Iron Fist character is heavily based on the Asian culture, it was expected that the actor will be Asian of some sort. However, rumors claim that Marvel is looking to cast a white actor, a move that might not go down well with fans and advocacy groups. Iron Fist's real name is Danny Rand, and he's a Kung-fu crime fighter who can summon the powers of the Iron Fist. He is one of four members of The Defenders, a team of crime fighters who will make their group debut on Netflix. However, each character will first his own series before The Defenders is a go. The "Iron Fist" series on Netflix is expected to hit come 2017. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Earth in its infantile years had once collided with a Mars-sized planet called Theia; and from this violent collision, the moon was born. Scientists are already aware of this high-speed collision which took place about 4.5 billion years ago, but many believe that the Earth crashed into Theia at an angle of 45 degrees or more. This suggests a powerful sideswipe that resulted to the formation of the moon. Now, a new study conducted by a team of researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles shows that the collision was a case of head-on assault. Detecting 'Fingerprints' UCLA geoscientists analyzed rocks from the moon and the Earth: seven rocks brought to our planet from the moon by the Apollo 12, 15 and 17 missions, and six volcanic rocks from the mantle of the Earth, with five from Hawaii and one from Arizona. To reconstruct the giant impact that resulted from the collision, scientists looked into a specific chemical signature that was revealed in the rocks' oxygen atoms. Incidentally, oxygen comprises 90 percent of the volume of rocks and 50 percent of their weight. Scientists said more than 99.9 percent of the planet's oxygen is O-16, which takes its name from the sum of the eight neutrons and eight protons in its atoms. There are also small quantities of O-17, a heavier oxygen isotope. Earth, Mars and other celestial bodies in our own solar system have a unique ratio of O-16 to O-17, and this is their distinctive fingerprint. A 2014 report conducted by German scientists even suggested that the moon also has its own unique fingerprint, supposedly different from that of the Earth. The UCLA study, however, revealed that this is not the case. "We don't see any difference between the Earth's and the moon's oxygen isotopes," said Cosmochemistry and Geochemistry Professor Edward Young, the study's lead author. "They're indistinguishable." Young and his colleagues used advanced techniques and technology to make extraordinarily careful and precise measurements, and then verified these calculations with the university's new mass spectometer. He said the fact that oxygen in Earth and moon rocks share chemical signatures was very suggestive. Had Theia and Earth crashed in a sideswipe, the vast majority of the moon would have been made entirely of Theia, and the moon and Earth would have different oxygen isotopes. A head-on collision, on the other hand, would have most likely resulted in the Earth having a similar chemical composition with the moon. Part-Theia, Part-Earth What's more fascinating is the fact that there is no distinguishable signature of Theia in the Earth versus the moon. Theia did not survive the crash, but it now makes up huge chunks of the moon and the Earth. "Theia was thoroughly mixed into both the Earth and the moon," said Young, adding that this "planetary embryo" was evenly distributed between the Earth and the moon. Had the crash not occurred, Theia would have even become a planet because it was also growing. Young and his colleagues believe Theia was nearly the same size of the Earth, while some believe it was smaller and approximately similar in size to Mars. Lastly, another question that the team looked into was whether the head-on collision with Theia removed any water that early Earth might have contained. Young and his team postulates that perhaps 10 million years after the collision, small asteroids likely hit Earth. Some of the asteroids may have been rich in water. Collisions of large bodies were definitely a thing back then, but lucky Mars always managed to avoid large collisions. The team's findings, which are featured in the journal Science, was first proposed in 2012 by several other scientists. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. After years of mulling about the release of its own software development kit, Tesla Motors appears to be taking the safer and surer route to supporting apps on its infotainment systems, as CEO Elon Musk informed the audience at an event held in Hong Kong on Tuesday. Third-party developers might get disappointed because they can't build apps that can be integrated directly into Tesla electric vehicles. Doing so, however, could install new backdoors into the EVs, which have already been hacked into before as sort of a proof of concept -- that hack was local, requiring physical access to the targeted vehicle. So instead of worrying over moderating app permission, Tesla Motors its considering enabling users to project apps from their mobile devices. The path to app projection could see Tesla Motors build in support for Apple's CarPlay and Google's Android Auto -- both platforms support app projection. "As we have sort of thought about it more, the logical thing to do from an app standpoint is to maybe allow apps on your iPhone or Android to project onto the center display, as opposed to trying to create a new app ecosystem," said Musk. "So that is probably going to be our focus in the future to enable you to project apps from your phone to the center screen." It just may not be worth the trade-off at the point, the additional security concerns and regulatory approval in exchange for more apps for its EVs. Tesla Motors is still working to get governments to accept its autopilot feature. While in Hong Kong, where autopilot is only partially released, Musk said he would try to convince the government there to consider sanctioning the launch of the feature. "We'll be meeting with the government tomorrow -- hopefully," said Musk. "We are going to have some conversations and hopefully they will consider allowing us to release Autopilot in Hong Kong. I'm cautiously optimistic it'll be a good meeting tomorrow." Check out Tesla Motors' video for the Hong Kong event. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Funded by grants and contracts amounting to $80,000, NASA has initiated a study to assess how herpes viruses behave in space and to further understand how these pathogens mutate and worsen throughout manned missions and space flights. The federal agency awarded the grants to a researcher from the University of Florida. David Bloom, professor at University of Florida's Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology is set to conduct the study titled "Effect of Spaceflight on Herpesvirus Genome Stability and Diversity." The researcher is expected to finish the study by 2018. NASA hopes to shed light on mutation rate and why the symptoms of the viral infection become worse as it goes into space and leaves Earth. "The goal of this study will be to determine the changes in the genomic and mutational diversity that is present in the Herpes virus present in astronaut saliva and urine samples collected before, during, and after space flight," NASA said in its website. The study aims to recruit ground subjects who will serve as the control group. They will provide urine and saliva samples before and after the astronauts' flights. This will help the researchers identify the effects of space flight in the behavior and mutations of the herpesviruses. The study will include the four types of herpes such as Epstein Barr virus (herpesvirus 4), Varicella zoster (the virus that causes chicken pox), Cytomegalovirus and Herpes simplex viruses, which cause genital herpes. There is still no known cure for the contagious condition. According to the World Health Organization, more than 3.7 billion people under the age of 50 or 67 percent of the population are infected with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). HSV-1 is primarily transmitted by oral-to-oral contact and in most cases, causes cold sores. On the other hand, HSV-2 is sexually transmitted through skin-to-skin contact. In 2012, NASA released a report explaining why so many astronauts develop reinfections of shingles, a disease characterized by painful skin lesions. Also called herpes zoster, the disease is classified as a reinfection when someone already had chicken pox before but got exposed to the virus later in his or her life. According to the report, the physical, emotional and psychological stresses associated with spaceflight may weaken the immune system, causing reactivation of the virus. Spaceflight is known to alter elements of the human immune system. "Researchers at NASA's Johnson Space Center found that four human herpes viruses reactivate and appear in body fluids in response to spaceflight. Due to the reduced cellular immunity, the viruses are allowed to emerge from their latent state into active infectious agents," NASA said. "To overcome this obstacle in an effort to investigate viral reactivation in crew members, NASA developed a rapid method of detection of VZV in body fluids, and a patent application is currently pending for it," NASA added. Photo: Yale Rosen | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" is continuing the trend of spinning a modern take on Alfred Pennyworth. This popular comic book butler is no longer a man without the means to protect himself, but a man who will kick your butt if need be. The character's rendition on "Gotham," the hit series that airs on Fox, is a former member of the British Secret Services, and as such knows how to fight and how to use a gun. This version of Alfred taught Bruce Wayne the basics of fighting, and also took down a few bad guys of his own. In the recent animated movie, "Batman: Bad Blood," the modern version of Alfred took down to prominent Batman villains, so yes, Alfred is officially awesome. According to Jeremy Irons, the actor who plays Alfred, the character is a man who is capable of doing whatever he wants to. "He's a man who can actually do anything if he has to," Irons told Empire. Irons also said that Wayne Manor has been burnt out, but he did not say by what. We've seen from the trailers a house that appears to be Wayne Manor, but not in any form of good condition. At the moment, Bruce Wayne and Alfred are residing at the family's lakeside residence. As for what it is that Alfred lives for these days, well, it is all about protecting Bruce Wayne. Bear in mind that Wayne is like a son to him, and he is the one who raised him after his parents were shot and killed. It should be interesting to see what role Alfred plays in the story. From what we have seen from some of the images released by Empire Magazine, he helps Bruce Wayne with the creation of the Armored Batsuit. It seems he bought the idea that Superman is dangerous, or he's just helping to make sure Bruce doesn't get his butt handed to him or worse. "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" is set to hit theaters come March 25, 2016. After that, "Suicide Squad," the third film in the DC Extended Universe, will bring its wrath to theaters on August 5, 2016. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Elder Scrolls Online might not be the most popular MMO right now, but that doesn't mean support is out of the window. Zenimax has announced that it is planning to launch a new DLC called "Thieves Guild," launching this March. Gamers should know that the "Thieves Guild" DLC game pack will be available free of cost to those who have 2,000 Crowns or an active Elder Scrolls Online subscription. Those who are interested in the new DLC can grab it from the Crown Store when it becomes available. According to Zenimax, the new DLC is all about fixing the Thieves Guild and making it a powerful force to be reckoned with. When the player first enters the guild, the whole thing will be in total disarray, especially since the last heist went wrong and nothing but pain came out of it. It is up to the player to set things right, and as expected, a lot of sneaking, stealing and killing will take place throughout the story. It's also worth pointing out that the so-called Thieves Guild is located in Abah's Landing. "Abah's Landing, the opulent jewel of Hew's Bane, is not only one of the most elaborate cities in Elder Scrolls Online, it's also home to the Thieves Guild. Be ever aware of your surroundings while in Abah's Landing-the network of back alleys, narrow catwalks, and secluded alcoves hide more than a few secrets," according to Zenimax. The interesting thing about this DLC is the amount of features it brings for Elder Scrolls Online fans. There's a new passive skill line that is entirely exclusive to members of the Thieves Guild, a new Larceny System that gives players repeatable activities, and hours of exciting gameplay to keep fans busy. We understand there's also a challenging 12-player trial called "The Maw of Lorkhaj." It should be fun since up to 12 players can jump in at the same time to tackle it. Overall, the "Thieves Guild" DLC looks great, and we expect it to be a success seeing as this guild has always been popular in the Elder Scrolls series over the years. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Sometimes, you can find art in the most unlikely places. Take photographer Craig Ward: he found inspiration for his latest piece, which is making its way around the Internet, in the New York City subway system, in the form of microscopic bacteria. Inspired by a fellow photographer's print of cultivated bacteria that came from her son's handprint, the 34-year-old artist, based out of Brooklyn, N.Y., decided to create his own rendition from the popular (and notoriously dirty) transit service. To collect samples, Ward used run-of-the-mill tools, like petri dishes, all in plain site of other commuters. "As soon as you start taking out scientific equipment and petri dishes, people did start to look a bit," said Ward in an interview with New York Magazine. "But no one really challenged me. You can get away with most things on the subway." The list of bacteria that Ward picked up was less-than-appetizing, including salmonella, E. coli, proteus mirabilis (which causes kidney stones), staphylococcus aureus (which causes myriad infections like sinusitis), serratia marcescens (otherwise known as bathroom slime) and plain, run-of-the mill mold. Luckily, Ward categorized where he found each sample by color in accordance to the hue of the train line (green stands for the G train, gray/clear for the L train, orange for the B and F train and so forth), so avoid those lines to your heart's content. Or maybe not: remember, bacteria is literally everywhere, including your belly button, which scientists say can potentially produce those microscopic organisms still undiscovered by modern science. Check out more of Craig's petri dish-collected work in the photos below. Source: Craig Ward 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Last October, IBM announced that it had reached an agreement to purchase the Weather Company. While the financial terms of the agreement remain undisclosed, the acquisition became official Friday, as reported by Tech Crunch and confirmed by IBM. With the deal, IBM acquires the Weather Company's mobile and cloud-based digital platforms, including WSI, weather.com, Weather Underground and the Weather Company brand. That being said, the Weather Channel television component doesn't become an IBM acquisition, as it will license weather data and analytics from IBM instead. More than anything, though, this deal going through boosts IBM's Watson Artificial Intelligence, bolstering its muscle in the Internet of Things (IoT) space. To delve deeper into that, Tech Crunch reports that IBM described the explosion of impending weather data under the acquisition to cover billions of IoT sensors. Back in October, when the initial agreement was struck, IBM Solutions Portfolio and Research senior vice president John Kelly spoke of the ramifications of the deal to the company's IoT. "The Weather Company's extremely high-volume data platform, coupled with IBM's global cloud and the advanced cognitive computing capabilities of Watson, will be unsurpassed in the Internet of Things, providing our clients significant competitive advantage as they link their business and sensor data with weather and other pertinent information in real time," Kelly said at the time during a company press release. "This powerful cloud platform will position IBM to arm entire industries with deep multimodal insights that will help enterprises gain clarity and take action from the oceans of data being generated around them." Tech Crunch additionally reports that IBM will ramp up weather.com into five new markets, including three huge ones in China, Brazil and India "immediately," in addition to folding it into IBM's 45 global cloud centers. Overall, this deal falls under IBM's pledge to invest $3 billion in the IoT space. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. To compete with the likes of Microsoft and Facebook on the virtual reality field, Apple has formed a secret team of virtual and augmented reality professionals to develop a headset that can penetrate the growing sector. The group consists of hundreds of skilled individuals that came from well-planned-out acquisitions, including specialists poached from select companies such as the camera startup Lytro and even Microsoft. According to the Financial Times, the Cupertino brand has now acquired the augmented reality startup Flyby Media, whose team collaborated with Google for the 3D positioning technology in Project Tango. This comes on the heels of the company hiring virtual reality expert Doug Bowman, who is believed to be able to step up the Cupertino brand's progress on the platform. "It is really cool and has some interesting applications," Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, says about the technology. It could be argued that the company's seemingly revitalized effort in broadening its scope beyond the iPhone, iPad and whatnot is because of the declining sales of the popular Apple smartphone. More to the point, its interest on the technology mainly stemmed from the materialization of the Oculus Rift, which Facebook acquired back in 2014 for $2 billion. Moving forward, Apple is said to be already working on several prototypes of its own brand of virtual reality headset for several months now, but the specifics aren't clear yet. For instance, there are still no details that indicate whether it will be a headset that'll require another device to function such as the Samsung Gear VR and Google Cardboard, or an independent headset similar to the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. For the record, this isn't the first time that the company dabbled in the virtual reality scene. Former Apple CEO Steve Jobs ventured into the technology back in the mid-2000s, and he employed a small team of experts to develop prototypes, filing various patents as well. However, his plans didn't pan out because the technology was considered too "immature" at the time, the Financial Times reported. This time around, Cook seems to be deeply engaged and more than determined to get Apple's virtual reality ambitions off the ground. As evidence to that statement, Apple acquired PrimeSense back in 2013, which is a company that had a hand in developing Microsoft's Kinect motion device. Furthermore, the company also purchased the augmented-reality-focused German firm Metaio and Faceshift in 2015, where the latter is known to have created the motion capture technology used for the animated avatars in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans," an Apple spokesperson says, as if repeating a well-rehearsed spiel once again. When the Cupertino brand gives this statement, it essentially confirms that it has acquired yet another company. It was expected for Apple to give little or no details about its intentions to delve into other areas of the technology industry, but as the recent developments suggest, the company is looking into earning a strong position on another platform. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Instagram and its parent, Facebook, have been hiding a little gem from their users, which one self-proclaimed web standards fanatic made the discovery and shared it with everyone on Twitter. Mathias Bynens tweeted on Jan. 27 that he discovered the two social media networks have been secretly creating American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) versions of uploaded photos and gave instructions on how to access them. Neither Facebook nor Instagram has said anything about Bynens' discovery so no one is exactly sure why the two sites are creating text versions of everyone's photos. However, it cannot be denied that the ASCII versions, though less detailed, are still cool. Take a look at a photo of one of Mathias' followers after it underwent an ASCII makeover. @mathias So cool! my wife's photo of 2nd Ave in Seattle looks killer!https://t.co/NesXgnEozM pic.twitter.com/SqBW4JXLdz Ben Simpson (@uxben) January 29, 2016 The steps are simple. All anyone has to do is follow Bynens' instruction in his tweet. Take any Facebook/Instagram photo URL. append `.txt` ASCII art append `.html` colored ASCII art E.g. https://t.co/GgnN8HJii4 Mathias Bynens (@mathias) January 28, 2016 In case you need a more detailed instruction, we've got you covered. According to the instruction, all you have to do is to open up any photo in Facebook or Instagram and get its specific Uniform Resource Locator (URL) and type .html or .txt, depending on whether you want a simple text output or a colored one, at the end of the link. There are some who said the instruction did not work for them but, according to other Twitter users who followed Bynens' instructions, the instruction only works for photos that are publicly available in both social media networks. The user @Serpa, however, found out that just adding .txt or .html on specific photo links does not always work on Facebook. He discovered that the ASCII version of photos can only be accessed by users if the Content Delivery Network (CDN) that was used to upload the photo to Facebook is Akamaihd.net and not Facebook's static CDN. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Visitors at the COEX Aquarium in South Korea's Gangnam District were in for a surprise when they visited the tourist spot on Jan. 29 because, not only did they realize one of the sharks was missing in the tank, they also found said missing shark in the mouth of one of its aquarium mates. The eight-year-old female sand tiger shark was seen swimming around for 21 hours as it slowly continued to ingest the five-year-old male bandit hound shark. The attack most likely happened in the evening of Jan. 8 and aquarium officials could no longer do anything for the male shark since it was already being ingested by the time the incident was discovered. However they speculated that the attack was most likely the result of a turf war since sharks are highly territorial creatures. The video shows half of the male shark's body inside the mouth of the female shark until only the tail can be seen. Watch the video of the female sand tiger shark swimming around with its victim below: "I think the shark swallowed the whole body, because they usually eat it all when they bite the head part," Oh Tae-youp, COEX Aquarium's Press Relations Manager said. The COEX Aquarium officials say that the other creatures sharing the aquarium - other species of sharks, stingrays and turtles- have been accounted for and are all unharmed, which backs up their speculation. In an interview, one of the officials said that it is natural for a shark to bite when it is startled. Right now, COEX cannot do anything about the ingested bandit hound shark so they will just let the sand tiger shark keep it for a few days. They said the female will eventually regurgitate the 1.3 Meter long shark when it realizes that it cannot digest it so they will just have to keep their eyes open for when that time comes. As for visitors of the aquarium, they get treated to "Survival of the fittest" in action. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The world observed the International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27 and, while people remembered the day when the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated by the Soviets on the same day in 1945, Jennifer Teege shared the story of the horror she felt when she discovered she was related to a notorious Nazi commandant. Teege visited Emory College on Jan. 25 to discuss her memoir "My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me: A Black Woman Discovers Her Family's Nazi Past." In the book, Teege details her discovery, shock and eventual coming to terms with the fact that her grandfather is Amon Goeth, the commandant of the Krakow-Paszow concentration camp in Poland during World War II. Goeth was known for his sadistic torture and extermination of individuals and groups sent his way. Teege did not discover this fact until she was 38 years old because her mother, Monika Hertwig, Amon Goeth's daughter with Ruth Irene Kalder, had left her in the care of nuns at Munich orphanage Salberg House when she was just 4 weeks old. Teege, whose father was Nigerian, was adopted at age 7 and she had lost contact with her biological mother until she reached her twenties. Teege discovered her mother's memoir "I Have To Love My Father, Don't I?" in a public library when she was 38. Hertwig had written it in 2002. "Getting the information so spontaneously, so out of the blue, it was almost impossible to make it fit in with my understanding of who I am ... It was very distressing to know that Amon Goeth and I are genetically linked," she wrote in an article in 2013. Teege says that, since her discovery about her roots, she believed in destiny. After finishing high school, she studied at the Sorbonne and met an Israeli woman who became her friend. She took a vacation in Israel some time later then went on to study in Tel Aviv University and learned to speak Hebrew. Teege gained many friends who were descended from victims and survivors of the Holocaust. When she discovered her connection to Goeth, she became afraid of how her friends would react. She never thought she would receive their empathy. "They cried with me," she said. Now, Teege doesn't live in fear of how she and Goeth could be similar and she has finally accepted that it is part of her identity without letting it affect her own perceptions. Photo: Michael Panse | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Google has been testing fifth-generation wireless technology in its unmanned and optionally piloted aircraft at a spaceport in New Mexico as part of a project called SkyBender, according to a Friday report from the Guardian. It's all part of a sister project to Project Loon, a venture in which Google has been developing balloons to beam wireless Internet down to offline areas of the globe. Both Project Loon and SkyBender are being incubated by the Google Access team, according to the report. Both projects are attempting to fill the skies with aircraft that beam down high-speed Internet to remote and underserved regions. SkyBender has taken up temporary residence in a hangar at the Virgin Galactic Gateway to Space terminal near the storied White Sands Missile Range in southern New Mexico. Google has been paying Virgin Galactic around $1,000 per day to use the hangar and had paid $300,000 to build the infrastructure to support the 5G (fifth-generation wireless) tech. A crash that came to light last May revealed that Google was testing solar-powered unmanned drones in New Mexico. It appears the drones, designed to stay aloft for up to five years, have progressed past that setback and Google is ready to work on their payload. Google is experimenting with 5G, a technology that is still not standardized and a few years away from being ready for mainstream adoption. The brand of 5G Google has been testing relies on millimeter waves. The search engine company has been using drones, acquired along with its acquisition of Titan Aerospace last year, and the optionally piloted Centaur aircraft to beam the millimeter waves to transceivers on the ground. While millimeter waves don't travel as far as 4G phone signals, they can move much more data. Theoretically, millimeter waves can transmit data up to 40 times faster than 4G. The industry is still working on the tech to meet the standards, proposed by the Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) alliance, on what 5G looks and feels like. The NGMN hopes the industry will migrate to 5G technologies by 2020. "NGMN envisages a 5G eco-system that is truly global, free of fragmentation and open for innovations," says the NGMN. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Google paid out more than $2 million to bounty hunters and security researchers last year In 2015, Google says, it paid out $2 million to over 300 hackers and security researchers who found vulnerabilities bugs within its web properties, taking the total to over $6 million since 2010. In June, the company in June extended its Vulnerability Reward Program to Android, and by years end, it paid more than $200,000 to researchers for their work on the mobile platform, including its largest single payment of $37,500 to just one security researcher. It would also have included the $1,337 that went to Zimperium zLabs researcher Joshua Drake, who found the egregious Stagefright vulnerabilities. In a blog post, Google Securitys Eduardo Vela Nava said this move made a significant and immediate impact. Due to the addition of Android to the bug bounty scheme in 2015, the increasing pace of Googles security reward program has come down considerably. Generally, during the year Google paid out more than 750 rewards to over 300 people. Another funny story from that blog post the most prolific Google bug bounty hunter of the year, Tomasz Bojarski, was paid out an award because he found a security flaw in Googles web form to report security flaws. The tally also included money paid out to Sanmay Ved, the guy who bought the google.com domain through the companys own domain sales service. He only had it for a minute before Google revoked the sale, but Google gave him $6,006.13 (google spelled out in numerals) as a reward In October 2015, researcher and ex-Googler Sanmay Ved made headlines when he managed to buy the Google.com domain for one minute. After discovering what happened, Googles security team contacted Ved and offered him an undisclosed reward. At the time, Ved declined to share how much Google awarded him, only telling Business Insider it was more than 10,000. In a blog post by Google yesterday, it spilled the beans that it forked over $6,006.13. While most would be overjoyed to pocket more than $6,000, Ved instead asked that Google donate the money to the Art of Living India Foundation charity. So, the Web giant then doubled the prize amount and donated it to the organizations education program, which runs 404 free schools across 18 states in India. The firm has also started issuing vulnerability research grants apart from researchers just coming to Google with bugs theyve found. This is to encourage more people to crack for flaws, safe in the knowledge that they will get paid just for trying. One such instance from the grant program was the discovery made by a Russian researcher Kamil Histamullin. Histamullin discovered a critical bug in YouTube Creator Studio that would have let anyone to easily delete any YouTube video. The finder earned an extra $5,000 for that one on top of his grant. It is a typical Sunday evening in Britain in late 1968. The streets are empty. Lone publicans polish their glasses for the umpteenth time and wait for a drinker to show up. The very houses seem asleep but their occupants are not. Theyre watching The Forsyte Saga. Its a repeat, actually, but then not many viewers had BBC Two in 1967, when the 26-part serial was first broadcast. This time its on BBC One, and its the first, giant instance of catch-up TV on record. By the time the last episode comes around, 18 million people are watching. What was the big attraction here? Assuredly not colour TV, since Forsyte was one of the last grand productions presented in black-and-white. And the central character, Soames Forsyte, a tortured lawyer savagely played by the pale and pinch-faced Eric Porter in his melancholy suits, was a living tribute to black-and-whiteness in himself. Yet his marriage to Irene, played by the previously little-known (and unrelated) New Zealand beauty Nyree Dawn Porter, encompassed such a range of cruelties and scorns that it was even discussed by men, returning to the pubs on weekday nights. Countries which have built successful economies by importing vast numbers of immigrants as the US did historically generally achieved this by rigorous management and selection. At the peak of Americas legal immigration programme at the turn of the last century, strict admission rules governed the intake. Immigrants had to show that they had hosts or contacts to receive them who would vouch for their immediate welfare, and that they were of sound mind and body so that they were not likely to become a charge upon the state. (When my family arrived at Ellis Island around 1905, one of the cousins whom I knew later as the elderly Aunt Rose, had measles. As a consequence, the whole family was detained in the hospital wing of the Ellis Island reception centre until she was deemed no longer contagious. There may have been an open invitation to the huddled masses of the world but they were not permitted to enter without scrutiny.) Ms Bilton had initially told the 32 members of staff at a meeting last year that they would be attending Flamingo Land to celebrate the company's ten-year anniversary - but later said the adventure park was shut and revealed everyone would instead be travelling on an 8,000 mile round trip to the Caribbean. This silly woman, though, with her ill-informed, heated assertions, has insulted her constituents - who it seems werent aware hundreds of women molested on the streets every week - and put race relations back half a century. She sounded more like a teenager talked into a corner during a sixth-form debate, than an elected member of parliament. And she's not backing down. On Friday she said: "In every city there will be places where there are groups of men, drunk, and lots of stuff going on, and women have to constantly worry about being felt up and suffering street harassment." The Google tax row shows that corporation tax has had its day and should be replaced with a tax on sales, Lord Lawson, the former Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer, has said. The peer, who has acted as an informal adviser to the current Chancellor George Osborne, said the fact that multinational companies can move profits around the globe meant that corporation tax was out of date. Lord Lawsons comments came as the row over Googles sweet heart deal to pay a 130million bill to cover tax owed for 2006 to 2011 in the UK continued unabated. Peter Barron, a senior Google executive, will give the first public defence since the row broke out on the agenda-setting Andrew Marr Show on BBC1 on Sunday morning. Latin American economies are being emptied. Latin America is being looted. All our currencies are falling, he pointed out. | Read More Governor, CM condole Gen. Krishna Rao's demise Hyderabad, Jan 30 (INN): Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan conveyed his deepest heartfelt condolence on the demise of former Chief of Army Staff Gen. K.V. Krishna Rao. "I was deeply distressed to know of the sudden demise of Gen. Krishna Rao. He had an illustrious career having served as Chief of the Army Staff. He later served with distinction as Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, Nagaland, Manipur and Tripura. He is known for his forthrightness and integrity. In his passing away, we have lost a great son of the nation," the Governor said in his message. Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao, in a separate message, expressed his condolences on the demise of Gen. Krishna Rao. He has recalled his services as an Army chief and conveyed his condolences to the members of bereaved family. News Posted: 30 January, 2016 Speaking to the media, Truss accepted that she could not deliver the promises she made when she was running for Conservative leader, having lost the faith of her party. Chandrababu Naidu receives 'Best CM' Award Hyderabad, Jan 30 (INN): The Pune based organisation, Bharatiya Chatra Sansad, in partnership with MIT School of Governance, has honoured Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu with 'Aadarsh Mukhyamantri Puraskar' (Model CM Award) in its 6th annual session on Saturday. The Sansad has stated that Chandrababu Naidu has become icon for good governance in the country and is one of the seven living wonders in the world. The Sansad is felicitating him for being a role model to the youth of the country and for steering the new state of Andhra Pradesh since bifurcation and at a critical juncture. The political life and contribution of Naidu has strengthened the democratic system in the country, they stated, it said. In his message to the large gathering of the student community, Naidu has lauded the exemplary work being done by Sansad in motivating and promoting youth into value based politics. The Chief Minister has opined that India with its favourable demographic composition, strong democratic system, Rule of Law, large market potential and abundant natural resources has great future and would become No.1 by 2050, and the youth have to take lead and mould the direction of the country. Naidu recalled that he has joined politics from campus itself and said that unless youth takes interest in politics, the political decision making system will not be good for society. Hence, the youth shall come forward and decide the destiny of political process in the country. However, only 25 percent of youth are voting as against 67 percent general voting which is not good for the society, he lamented. He felt that the process of economic reform- since 1991 though brought good results to the economy; care shall be taken to reduce economic inequalities in the society. The Chief Minister has explained the development initiatives undertaken in Andhra Pradesh. He emphasized the role of technology in ensuring transparency in governance and speedy results and cited the success achieved using technology while distributing pensions, ration and other welfare schemes effectively. Naidu received huge applause from student community while he announced his Government's plan to provide 10 to 15 MBPS connectivity to every household, through Fibre Grid, at a lower cost within six months. Naidu also welcomed the MIT School of Governance management to establish a world class institution at Amaravati to cater to the needs of national and international students in partnership with Govt. of Andhra Pradesh. Earlier he has received several awards including ' 'Indian of the Millennium' (India Today), 'Business Person of the Year' (Economic Times), Economic Forum's Dream Cabinet South Asian of the Year (Times Asia). News Posted: 30 January, 2016 IYR expresses concern over AP-TS disputes Hyderabad, Jan 30 (INN): Outgoing Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh Government I.Y.R. Krishna Rao has expressed his deep concern over the ongoing differences among AP and Telangana States. He said that the Central Government too was not serious on resolving the contentious between the two Telugu States. It may be mentioned that Krishna Rao's term as AP's Chief Secretary came to an end on Saturday. On this occasion, he called up his Telangana counterpart Dr. Rajiv Sharma in the State Secretariat and held discussions on various issues. Speaking to media persons later, Krishna Rao said Andhra Pradesh should have negotiated on all issues before the bifurcation of the State. He said he tried his best to resolve the differences at his level. He said presently the dispute was on bifurcation of institutions under Schedule 9 and 10. Senior IAS officer Satya Prakash Thakur is likely to assume the charge as AP's new Chief Secretary on January 31. News Posted: 30 January, 2016 TS Govt can't take action in Rohit's case: Nayani Hyderabad, Jan 30 (INN): Home Minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy said that the Telangana Government has no jurisdiction to take action in the case of suicide by Rohit Vemula, the Dalit research scholar of University of Hyderabad. Speaking to media persons here on Saturday, Nayani said that the issues pertaining to UoH comes under the jurisdiction of Central Government and therefore, Telangana Government does not want to cross the jurisdiction. He said that only Central Government could order a probe into the suicide and other related incidents. However, he said that the State Government would recommend to the Centre for CB-CID probe into Rohit Vemula's suicide. News Posted: 30 January, 2016 Congress is the alternative in Old City: TPCC Chief yderabad, Jan 30 (INN): The grand success of Congress public meeting at Khilwat Grounds on Friday night is a proof that the party has emerged as an alternate to MIM in the Old City of Hyderabad, said Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy. "It was the first massive public meeting organised by the Congress party in the Old City in recent times. Let me admit that we never thought of venturing into those areas due to our strategic alliance with the MIM. We had left those areas for MIM in the past on the assumption that it would cater to needs of people more independently. But later we realised that instead of serving those people, the MIM leaders were exploiting the poor Muslims for personal gains. Shockingly, they aligned with the BJP and other communal forces while targeting the Congress party which nourished them at all stages. Their communal approach tarnished the image of entire Old City and people of that region were facing discrimination just for their residential address. We want to stop it and Friday's meeting at Khilwat Grounds was the first steps towards achieving the goal," Uttam Kumar Reddy said. The TPCC chief informed that the Congress party ventured into the Old City after conducting a thorough survey of needs, lacking and aspirations of people living there. It was not a mere political approach aimed at winning a few seats in GHMC elections. "We collected feedback from all the areas of Old City on the living conditions and difficulties being faced by people. We were shocked to learn that several areas in Old City lacked access to basic civic amenities and other needs like quality education and health. While elected representatives in other parts of the country fear their voters, the Old City residents were living in a stage of fear. With an aim to put an end to the politics of fear, intimidation and discrimination, we started doing ground work in those areas and got tremendous response," he said. Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged that the Muslim community was being openly cheated by MIM and TRS. "Congress party provided 5% Muslims reservation in 2004 in just 56 days after coming to power. Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao had promised to give 12% Muslim reservation in four months after coming to power. Almost 19 months have passed and today KCR is not even willing to speak about it. MIM is not willing to open its mouth on this issue. Similarly, not an inch of encroached Wakf land has been restored. No other core issues concerning Muslim community has been addressed by TRS Government. Instead of having a confrontation, MIM is sitting idle just to please its new ally TRS. Most shockingly, MIM did not protest when five Muslim youth were killed in an encounter at Alair. While TRS Government instilled fear among Muslims by doing this encounter, with its silence, the MIM has openly conveyed that it does not stand guarantee to the safety of community in the State," he said. The TPCC chief also slammed the TRS Government for cheating the Muslims with tall claims on their welfare. He said only Rs. 438 Crore out of Rs. 1030 Crore allocated in the budget for 2014-15 for Minorities Welfare were spent. Almost Rs. 592 crore or 58% allocated amount was not even released. Just to divert attention, KCR distributed some goodies worth about Rs. 20 crore during Ramzan. This is an open cheating. Similarly, this year too, not even 40% of Rs. 1100 Crore allocated for Minorities welfare have been spent so far, he said. Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the Congress party would further strengthen its base in the Old City areas and continue its awareness campaign even after the GHMC elections. News Posted: 30 January, 2016 Central Govt relaxes attendance timing to facilitate voting Hyderabad, Jan 30 (INN): GHMC Commissioner and Election Authority Dr. B. Janardhan Reddy informed that Central Government has given permission for its employees to attend the office late and also to go early during office hours so as to take part in the elections to cast their vote on 2nd February. The Election Authority said that Presiding Officers and Micro Observers have got double postings due to oversight. Therefore, he asked the employees who got double posting to perform the duties of the Presiding Officers as there are sufficient Micro Observers. Dr. Janardhan Reddy said that so far 200,745 unauthorised hoardings, banners, posters and cutouts have been removed which include 7654 cutouts, 52,672 flexies, 60,000 banners and 81,000 posters. So far, Rs. 2.54 Crore have been seized, including Rs. 37 lakh seized on Friday in Gandhi Nagar police station limits. News Posted: 30 January, 2016 A priest who jumped from a burning building realised how blessed he was when six Victoria Police officers linked arms and caught him. Father Nikodim Solunchev from the St Nikola Macedonian Orthodox Church in Preston had been asleep on the first floor of the church's residence when he awoke to the smell of smoke about 12.30am on January 30. Father Nikodim Solunchev jumped 3.5 metres from the first-floor window. Credit:Jesse Marlow He really did thank God that the officers, who were patrolling nearby, saw the flames, scaled a two-metre wrought-iron fence and broke down a door, only to retreat from the fire. The officers told him to jump from the window and conquering his fear, Father Solunchev made the 3.5 metre leap of faith and landed head down in their linked arms. Four friends whose love of flying brought them together were heading to King Island when their plane inexplicably plunged into the ocean on Friday. The search continued on Saturday for one body and the wreckage of the small plane, which crashed two kilometres off Collendina Beach, between Barwon Heads and Point Lonsdale, about 12.30pm Friday. Donald Hateley, who died in the plane crash at Barwon Heads on Friday. Three bodies were found on Friday, but have not been identified, and police believe a fourth body is still inside the wreck of the plane. All four victims were active members of the close-knit flying community. The Syrian government delegation arrived for what passed as the start of a third round of negotiations with UN mediator Staffan de Mistura as its forces carried out airstrikes against its rivals and continued the siege on 15 rebel-held towns that has led to the starvation of civilians. But even after the deaths of 250,000 people, an exodus of nearly 5 million refugees and accusations of the most hideous war crimes, on Friday those parties are nowhere close to even discussing a political solution to at most relieve some of the human suffering that violates the laws of war. Geneva: For the third time in four years, world powers have persuaded warring parties in Syria to come to Switzerland, sit around well-appointed rooms and figure out a way to stop the killings. The delegation filed out after a two-hour meeting without making any statement or responding to questions. Opposition representatives had refused to come until the besieged towns are given a reprieve and bombings of civilians are halted. But by late on Friday, the members of the High Negotiations Committee, a Saudi-backed umbrella group of opposition parties, felt compelled to fly to Geneva, less to talk about how to end the war than to make that case. Hind Kabawat, a member of the committee, said at a hastily organised news conference that the opposition bloc would send a few representatives - she would not say how many - to talk to de Mistura. They would only discuss lifting the government siege of towns, stopping the bombings and releasing political prisoners, and would not get involved in negotiating a political settlement with the government, she said. Diplomats expressed cautious hope over the fact that both sides were going to show up at all. Their best hope was that the parties would come to a deal on something that should not be the subject of deal-making in the first place: the delivery of food and medicines to people trapped behind front lines. That is an obligation under international law and also specified in a binding UN Security Council resolution adopted in December. If the negotiations succeed in lifting some sieges, it would be hailed as a victory. That by itself is a measure of how low the standards have sunk in this war. Williamsdale landowners have described the decision to approve the solar farm on the Monaro Highway without further changes as "offensive". Retiree Arthur Blewitt said Planning Minister Mick Gentleman's use of call in powers to approve the 11-megawatt array, announced on Friday, was brazen and at odds with community needs. Glare from the Royalla solar farm as seen from the Monaro Highway at 6.40pm on January 23 this year. "They haven't really listened to what anyone has said, which is fairly offensive," he said. "There is still no concessions to the submissions except for moving further back off the road." The Canberra Labor Club Group has relodged its plans for a $22 million Braddon apartment complex after severe criticism from an adjoining neighbour - the representative body for Australian lawyers. The Law Council of Australia submission, written by chief executive Michael Brett Young, said the original development application would create a building too high for the area and wrongly focused solely on residential accommodation, overshadowing its two-storey Torrens Street offices. An impression of the apartment complex planned for the corner of Torrens and Elouera streets, Braddon, included in the renotified development application. "The proposed development does not meet, and is in most respects completely alien to the stated objectives for developments in the [relevant] Braddon precinct in the National Capital Plan and the Territory Plan," it said. Mr Brett Young said the original documentation for the proposed development contained a number of errors and provided a "gloss" to the proposal which it did not have. He said the complex would significantly overshadow the council's property on the winter solstice, and criticised the reliance by the developers on outdated traffic data from three years ago. Some courses at the University of Canberra are being almost filled with students who have not scored the minimum marks officially required to be there. New data from a Fairfax Media investigation into university admissions has revealed that in one course at the institution, justice studies, 96 per cent of the school leavers had not achieved the marks advertised as necessary to be offered a place. The University of Canberra says there is more to its entry offers than just ATAR scores. Credit:Rohan Thomson Just three of the 16 high school graduates from 2015 offered places in UC's bachelor of primary education this year had an ATAR score above the notional 60 cut-off for the course In nursing, four out of the 12 school leavers due to start their degree at Belconnen this year had made the official cut. The Brisbane Lions will hang on to young utility Marco Paparone, on Saturday announcing he had signed a two-year contract extension. His commitment is likely to come as a relief to the club - his father died of lung cancer in 2014 and some fans feared he would want to return home to WA to be with family. Marco Paparone has re-signed with the Lions. Credit:Getty Images Greater Western Sydney youngster Cam McCarthy was this week granted indefinite leave to spend time with his own family in Perth, after the club refused to trade him to a WA club at the end of last year. Paparone played all 22 games for the Lions in 2015, when they finished second from the bottom of the ladder. Duncan Hall is a graduate architect who has recently returned to Canberra after living in Timor Leste, where he worked with local communities on affordable housing programs. This is the first of a two-part interview. TT: Having just returned from India myself I am interested in your views of what conceptual ideas can be learnt from more chaotic cities? Do you see a connection between the status of a residence and its relationship to the public domain? It is time Canberra's "no front fence" policy was reviewed. Credit:Anton Kross DH: Yes, I think there is a relationship. The suburb of Beto where I lived in Dili has evolved from beginnings as a camp for relocated peoples, and so began life on an unusually level playing field where everyone was housed in more or less similar open tents. As wealth has grown over the years, tents have turned to semi-enclosed huts and huts to cinderblock houses. As wealth (and the disparity in wealth) grew, tall cinderblock fences now detach the wealthiest home completely from the street. It is the poorest streets in Beto, where homes offer their inhabitants the lowest levels of amenity, which are the liveliest, and where one is most likely to find a broad section of the community interacting in the public domain. While I certainly wouldn't recommend the hardship that community has faced, perhaps there is some microcosm of the urban experience there which we can learn from. TT: Is Canberra's 'no front fence policy' affecting the overall character of the city in a negative sense? But the minister has made it clear that any reform to help curb violence in Canberra will not include legislative change on one-punch attacks. Attorney-General Simon Corbell has flagged changes to lock-out laws, operating hours and the service of drunken patrons in a major reform set to be announced in a fortnight. The ACT government should be commended for being prepared to make changes to tackle the growing problem the territory has with alcohol-fuelled violence. It is true that increasing the penalties for such attacks as the only measure to combat the problem may not end it, but it would send a strong signal to the community. And in combination with other measures, such as those the government has been examining, it could help bring an end to this form of violence. At the very least it could halt its increase. Canberrans, like those in other affected communities around Australia, are shocked that assaults like this can happen, and incidents are increasing everywhere. On Friday ACT Policing released another video of a sickening attack on a man outside the PJ O'Reilly's pub in Greenway in early December. A victim also spoke out for the first time about his ongoing trauma after suffering a one-punch hit in Gungahlin in 2012. Former prime minister Tony Abbott deserves a measure of understanding. The trauma of being dumped by his colleagues a mere two years after leading them back into government with a resounding victory would surely have been painful to the point of soul-destroying. Mr Abbott may never fully accept his downfall, which occurred only a handful of months ago after his fellow parliamentarians concluded he had squandered too much public support and was incapable of regaining it. Such a profound double rejection by colleagues and citizens can but wreak wretched damage on a person's psyche. But instead of generating widespread compassion and behaving like a statesman, Mr Abbott is courting contempt. At an emotional level, it is perhaps understandable that he reportedly harbours an ambition to return to the prime ministership. But viewed rationally, it is an absurdly far-fetched proposition. Mr Abbott, who in recent days announced he will recontest his seat, claims publicly he is keen to aid the government of his successor, Malcolm Turnbull. And yet he and a small number of other disaffected and rejected Liberal parliamentarians are behaving in a way that clearly does not help the government. Tasmanian Eric Abetz and Victorian Kevin Andrews, both dumped from the ministry by Mr Turnbull, are snipers alongside Mr Abbott. Their public forays on matters including defence and same-sex marriage appear disingenuous attempts to undermine Mr Turnbull, and are a gift to floundering Opposition Leader Bill Shorten. Far from showing character and grace in defeat, and putting the greater good of their party to the fore, Mr Abbott, Mr Andrews and Senator Abetz risk looking mendacious and petulant. Of course they have a right to speak freely, but they also know full well the context within which they opine, and that their words are bullets. If you are yet to take the 8 minutes to watch journalist Stan Grant speak on the topic of "racism destroying the Australian dream," make the time. His words are searing, a much-needed jolt to national complacency towards Aboriginal Australia, and a powerful statement of reality, both historical and present day. But more than words, the accompanying passion Grant's face and tone deeply imbued with sorrow, anger, hope and regret from personal experience as an Indigenous man points to the emotional toll of unfinished business on the first people of this country. We must all strive to better acknowledge this suffering, even if it remains a lived experience most people can never truly understand. Grant's speech, delivered in October, won prominence last week when released as an online video during a traditional time of introspection, both for the community and in our personal lives. The new year is often a moment when people choose to take stock of goals, to resolve a fresh beginning, or rededicate themselves to cherished dreams. The symbols of nationhood are put on overt display just as languid summer weeks are about to be swamped by the reality of busy lives. As if to warm up dozing political muscles, we have developed a habit of adorning Australia Day with a ritual debate about changing the flag and becoming a republic. But Grant's speech challenges the country to do more. Much more. His is a reminder that the personal and national experience is deeply intertwined for Indigenous Australians. The "Invasion Day" protests to mark the anniversary of the arrival of white settlers are illustrative, but cannot alone convey the discrimination felt each and every day in the Indigenous community. "My people die young in this country," Grant reminds us. "We die 10 years younger than average Australians and we are far from free. We are fewer than 3 per cent of the Australian population and yet we are 25 per cent, a quarter of those Australians locked up in our prisons .hs.hs. If you are a juvenile, it is worse, it is 50 per cent." Statistics that alone are distressing, but in what stands as a national shame, Grant observes "an Indigenous child is more likely to be locked up in prison than they are to finish high school." What a indictment on the supposed ethos of a fair go. Australia can do and must do better. The steep difference in Victoria, where Indigenous children are more than 12 times as likely as non-Indigenous children to be placed in state care is another indicator of woeful disadvantage. We have become far too comfortable with pledges to "close the gap" that the action necessary to make this a reality is rarely a priority. Complacency also marks our debate about the place of Indigenous culture in our national story. We have become fixated on a slogan, "recognition", too often ignoring the concepts many Aborigines would prefer be debated, such as "self-determination", "sovereignty" and "treaty". Air quality in the Sydney and Hunter regions was "very good, good or fair at least 95 per cent of the time in 2015," according to results released by Environment Minister Mark Speakman on Saturday. The 2015 NSW Annual Air Quality Statement reviewed air quality across the state, and found that most of NSW experienced good air quality by international standards. The results are similar to those of 2014. Coal dust from mines in the Hunter region has long been a concern for advocates calling for tougher air quality standards. Credit:Dean Osland "Air quality is a government priority...we are committed to providing air quality information to the community," Mr Speakman said. But while the results found NSW had enjoyed a year of "good air quality" in 2015, not everyone agrees. Using the moniker "Goddess Rosalie Von Morelli", Sophena advertised online for "money slaves", selling her services to men who would pay for the pleasure of receiving her orders, whether performing menial tasks, buying her gifts or purchasing everything from her toenail clippings to used underwear. "Domination that's what they want," she explained. "I send them messages, rules, goals, set them dates to treat me, spoil me, send me gifts or money ... it's a submissive-dominant relationship." And one which can prove very lucrative for the women on the receiving end, as Cleo, 43, can testify. She has been working as a fin-domme for four years from her modest suburban home on the US east coast, and while she still has a regular office job as well, she estimates that her extracurricular hobby brings in hundred of dollars a month. The product of a self-confessed ordinary childhood, she fell into the fin-domme world after stumbling upon it on a fetish website, and now has dozens of regular clients or all ages and incomes. "I have clients that randomly feel the need to spoil a woman and send gifts and clients that want to be completely dominated or humiliated and have me control all their spending," she says. "Some are in touch every day, some once in a while. It all depends on their needs and fetishes." What they have in common is that they are offering their hard-earned money for almost nothing in return although that, Cleo says, is precisely the point. "A lot of those who get in touch are wealthy executives earning a small fortune but who feel enslaved by their work and get off on making themselves vulnerable," Cleo says. "They worked for that money, they may have had plans, so when they turn it over it's freeing for them." Certainly British-based consultant clinical forensic psychologist Mike Berry is not surprised by the dynamic. "It is to do with power and control often these men, and it is usually men, have very high-powered jobs or their lives are very ordered or are sexually inadequate," Berry says. "In many ways it is no different from the men who go to get themselves spanked and humiliated in dungeons. The fix, the thrill, comes from handing over responsibility to someone else and embracing the risk that comes with that. It is a total contrast from the rest of their life and that's the attraction, along with the secrecy." That's certainly the case for one "pay-pig" who spoke on condition of anonymity to an online news site two years ago. The manager of a large company, he was married with children and lived an outwardly respectable life. Behind the scenes, however, the majority of his disposable income went to the "beautiful goddess" he was "born to serve". "I leave myself enough money to eat basic foods and pay my bills and everything else goes on her," he revealed. "Sometimes I'll go hungry so that I can spend more on her." In fact, in general, according to Goddess Nia, a 25-year-old full-time fin-domme based in the US, the more high-powered the client the greater their need for humiliation. "They feel enslaved by their companies. They've spent their whole lives making money for other people. They want to release that," she says. Goddess Nia makes her pay-pigs she also calls them her "subs" fill out an application form and send her a "tribute" ranging from cash to an item from her "wish list" before agreeing to work with them. "These men give me their credit card details and call me on the phone just to have me answer and ignore them. I neglect them all,"' she says. A typical interaction, she claims, is centred around haughty abuse. "One man got in touch to say, 'Goddess Nia, you're a perfect 10'. I said, 'did I ask you to rate me on some misogynistic scale? I want you to send me a tribute and I want you to send it all in $10 bills as I'm such a perfect 10. And I want it to be $1000.' He did it." If it sounds like easy money, however both Cleo and Goddess Nia are anxious to insist there is skill in what they do. "You need to be a good reader of people, to know exactly how to manipulate, which buttons to press," Cleo says. "I see what I do as an art. I love the money, but it's the thrill of working out how to dominate someone financially, emotionally and sexually that gives me the real thrill." "People consider being a domme sex work and it is, but there is nothing sexual in this job for me. It's just empowering," Goddess Nia echoes. Undeniably, however, there is a sexual element to proceedings for their clients, even if it is not overt. "If there is one area of life where people don't behave rationally it is in their sexual life," Dr Vincent Egan, Associate Professor of forensic psychology practice at Nottingham University, says. "Many of the men participating in this sort of thing could easily find sex wherever they wanted to but this brings in different dimensions. Some may feel guilty over the money. And while power is an aphrodisiac for many, for the powerful it may also be a relief to be submissive." Bronson Blessington, condemned to "never be released" from prison for his part in the rape and murder of Janine Balding has applied for clemency under the NSW governor's royal prerogative of mercy. Blessington was only 14 years old when the crime was committed and the petition is his last avenue to end his indefinite incarceration, found by the United Nations to be "cruel, inhuman and degrading" due to his juvenile status and a failure to consider his prospects for rehabilitation.. He is the youngest person since NSW was a convict settlement to face prison for the term of his natural life, his lawyer, the former NSW MP Peter Breen, said. In this weekend's Good Weekend, Blessington speaks of his remorse for his crimes, his troubled childhood and the events that led up to one of Sydney's most notorious crimes. One of the Gold Coast's key high rise developments on the Southport Spit, and widely seen as a test case for future development on the Spit, could be debated before the March 19 Gold Coast elections. Council planning officers are now researching the complexities of twin 44-storey towers, now including an underwater aquarium and museum, on a site where the "desired height outcome" is still three storeys. Proposed aquarium at at Sunland development at Southport Spit. No date has been set for the application to come to Gold Coast City Council, however a decision is possible within the "caretaker" period. Five of the Gold Coast's 14 councillors will retire on March 19. Britain's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority is "likely" to grant approval, according to The Independent, though the embryos will not be allowed to develop beyond the seven-day stage. A licence for similar research could be given in Australia, said a spokeswoman for the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), which regulates human-embryo testing. "Ambiguous" regulations at the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OTGR) governing organisms created using CRISPR-Cas9 are up for review, said a federal Department of Health spokeswoman. There was "no plan" to include matters relating to the genetic modification of human embryos. CRISPR-Cas9 was announced in January 2013 by two groups of researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard who are in a dispute over patents. It is derived from an ancient bacterial immune-system response to attacking viruses. Chinese researchers used the technology to edit the genomes of human embryos, in a study published last April, investigating a cure for a potentially fatal blood disorder called beta-thalassemia. The embryos had been obtained from local fertility clinics and were non-viable, so could not have been used to produce children. But the changes were "germline modification" something which can be passed to offspring rather than "somatic modification", which alters genes in a single person. The Chinese research showed the limitations of CRISPR-Cas9. Of 54 embryos, only four had the correct tweaks and all those reportedly had "off-target mutations" where the wrong part of the DNA had been altered as well. Basically, the technology doesn't always cut in the right place. But US scientist Feng Zhang, one of its originators, has already refined it to the point where the error rate is approaching the normal mutation rate of humans. Nature magazine reported last April that "at least four groups" in China were looking at gene-editing human embryos. Harvard University geneticist Professor George Church, a CRISPR-Cas9 pioneer, told Fairfax that it's "probably not" possible to contain the use of CRISPR-Cas9 in germline changes. He has said he thinks "enhancement will creep in the door" for humans. Research into heritable changes is possible in Australia, said the NHMRC spokeswoman, though a licence would depend on factors including only utilising spare IVF embryos. Edited embryos must be discarded before 14 days of development. Professor Church is excited about two potential uses the first, eliminating endogenous retroviruses in pigs. The animals could be used as organ donors for humans without our immune systems rejecting the transplants. The other is to eliminate invasive species and malaria using "gene drives", which allow edits to spread through entire populations. A scientist in CSIRO's vector-borne diseases team in Geelong, Victoria, is set to begin work in autumn 2016 with CRISPR-Cas9, studying how to reduce the ability of mosquitoes to transmit disease. They may utilise gene drives. But such an approach brings unknown risks if taken further and whole species are wiped out. Dr Newson said, "Eradicating any species should only be done if we can be certain there are no knock-on effects. We can't be confident of that yet so gene-drive research should proceed cautiously." CSIRO researchers are also using it to investigate which genes are responsible for yield in agricultural staples such as wheat and whether hardier, larger grains can be produced. Dr Marco Herold heads WEHI's CRISPR lab, one of the most advanced in Australia. He was one of Dr Kelly's two colleagues on the lymphoma study, the result of which was published in Cell Reports journal in March 2015. He said, "Although genome editing has been possible before, CRISPR-Cas9 has really opened up the field. It allows the rapid and highly efficient manipulation of the genome in many different ways." Herold's lab has been contacted from many research facilities around the country and worldwide to collaborate with him on the CRISPR-Cas9 technology, which has sped up the pace of research as well as making it cheaper and more accessible. He's employed it to generate genetically altered mouse models, which can mimic human diseases, in two to three months, as opposed to 10-15 months under the prior developmental regime. The lab produced about 60 different mouse models from late 2014 to December 2015, allowing research into areas such as cancer, autoimmunity and neurogenerative diseases. But the idea that 'designer babies' are within reach is still science-fiction the genetic basis for human intelligence or strength, say, is yet to be determined. And editing human embryos and then implanting them to pregnancy remains a criminal offence in Australia. It is likely that CRISPR-Cas9 will be used first to research inherited diseases caused by single-gene mutations which can be easily targeted, such as cystic fibrosis or Huntington's Disease. Schizophrenia develops from the interplay of dozens of genes over 100 implicated to date with the environment, making any possible treatment much harder to determine. Editing genes brings other risks. The one responsible for sickle-cell anaemia, for example, also protects against malaria. And the link between genes and diseases isn't always precise. A recent study by the US National Centre for Genome Resources found the evidence for claims that 27 per cent of genetic mutations led to negative outcomes was shaky at best. Dr Newson said that visions of "'mad scientists', wishing to create engineered humans at any cost, will come up [in the debate] over gene editing just as they did for human cloning". But an outright ban would be "short-sighted" she'd like to see oversight but with flexibility for the technology to develop responsibly. The first International Summit of Human Gene Editing was called in December 2015 by the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, which is holding another in February to discuss the implications of germline gene-editing. Kiev: Out in the fields of eastern Ukraine, they fought the Russians. Now, as men in a kitchen, they are no less fearsome. "It's hard, it's hot, but I'm with my brothers," said Leonid Ostaltsev, the bearded, tattooed founder of Pizza Veterano, a freshly opened pizzeria here that hires only veterans of the war in eastern Ukraine as cooks. Leonid Ostaltsev, second from left, founder of Pizza Veterano, in Kiev, Ukraine. Credit:New York Times In the kitchen, the brothers in arms and spatulas spin balls of dough, dice bell peppers and slide sizzling pizzas out of a hot oven. The pizzas are made in the Ukrainian style, heaped with bacon and onions. In the month since it opened, Pizza Veterano, a restaurant where all the tablecloths are camouflage print, has become an improbable hit, in part by focusing on an under-served segment of the population. New York: There were stays at boutique hotels featuring rooftop pools, private soirees at members-only, jacket-and-tie clubs and fundraisers at the Four Seasons, the St Regis and the Mandarin Oriental. In the world of Jeb Bush, the campaign for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination has at times been a whirl of private planes and high-end affairs, according to the federal filings of Mr Bush's campaign and his Super PAC, Right to Rise, which can raise unlimited funds for Mr Bush as long as it does not co-ordinate directly with him. It is not unusual for US presidential candidates to fly private or even sometimes stay in luxury hotels. But some disgruntled donors say they are unhappy with Mr Bush's large outlays, which also include big spending on staff and tens of millions of dollars in ad buys. Eleven of 16 major donors contacted by Reuters questioned whether it was money well spent, especially given how the former front runner has stumbled badly in the polls and is now facing questions about whether he should withdraw from the race. On Thursday night, the Republican Partys crowded field of presidential candidates gathered for yet another debate moderated by Fox News Megyn Kelly and Chris Wallace with one yuge, fox-haired omission: Donald J. Trump.Yes, Trump, afraid of fielding tough questions from the no-nonsense Kelly, declined to participate in the debate. If you recall, Kelly embarrassed the real estate heir by probing him on his history of gross misogynistic statements, which Trump first deflected, and then confirmed with a sexist jab at Kelly ex post facto. According to Fox News, the real estate heir demanded $5 million from the conservative network to participate in the debate, and when they declined, he chose to hold a competing Iowa event at nearby Drake University, raising $6 millionclaims Trumpfor veterans. The donations, however, appear to be funneled through his nonprofit the Donald J. Trump Foundation, and Trump has refused to disclose which exact veterans organizations will be receiving funds. Anyway, Trump BFF Bill Maher weighed on in all the hullabaloo during Friday nights edition of HBOs Real Time with Bill Maher. Donald Trump was across town. He held an event to compete with the debate: a charity for Wounded Warriors. Because who better to celebrate our soldiers who have faced bombs and bullets than the guy who ran away in terror from Megyn Kelly? said Maher of the Vietnam draft-dodger. Thats why Trump boycotted the debatebecause Megyn Kelly was mean to him! And you know what? I think we can all sympathize here, that its almost impossible for a Republican to get a fair hearing on Fox. It was boring, that debate, added Maher. I wish Trump hadnt pulled outand his father had. The media-savvy Trump won the night anyway, with his social media mentions overshadowing the GOPs debaters. It doesnt matter what Trump does! exclaimed Maher. His supporters love him to the end. He is in a magical place with the people who follow him. He could lock himself in a porta-potty, knock it over trying to get out, crawl out covered in piss and toilet paper, and theyd go, See? Romney never did that! Thats awesome. Hes taking over the party! he continued. Hes beating the establishment, hes beating Fox News. Watch out, Jesusyou could be next! Maher also took some time to compliment moderator Kelly, aka the Face of Fox News, for being a far more intelligent, viable candidate for POTUS than the Republicans current crop of candidates. I think Trump was a genius for skipping it because its gotten to that place that TV series get where weve seen it all before, and its boring, said Maher. My only takeaway was you Republicans are so dumb: Megyn Kelly should be your candidate! Shes so much better than the stiffs on the stage. Typical space race narratives focus on the competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to land a man on the Moon in the 1960s. But this is only part of the story. Behind this race to put boot prints in the lunar regolith was a race between nations to be the first to reach, understand, and explore the moon with robotic probes, all done at a time when spaceflight was firmly in its infancy. In this race, the Soviet Union won when Luna 9 became the first spacecraft to successfully soft land on the Moon on January 31, 1966. But the path was anything but straightforward. The idea of a lunar mission wasnt born with President Kennedys 1961 commitment to the United States to land a man on the Moon by the end of the decade. At least as early as the mid 19th century the idea started to move from the realm of science fiction to science fact. Jules Vernes From the Earth to the Moon gave readers a lunar mission steeped in research. The book inspired a generation of scientists to turn dreams of spaceflight into reality, most notably Austrian Hermann Oberth whose pioneering work on liquid fueled rockets inspired Wernher von Braun, who developed the Saturn V rocket that took astronauts to the Moon in the 1960s. Not until 1958 did the prospect of going to the Moon become a reality. Months before creating the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, President Eisenhower gave both the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Army permission to launch two lunar probes each. These probes were eventually christened Pioneer and were designed with the intention of taking pictures and collecting data throughout their flights to the Moon. The Air Force chose the TRW company to build its probes, Pioneers 1 and 2, while the Army chose JPL to build its Pioneers 3 and 4. But the United States wasn't alone in embarking on this lunar challenge. Around the same time in the spring of 1958, the Soviet government approved a program for lunar exploration called Luna for the Russian word for Moon (though known sometimes as either Lunik or Lunnik in the western media). Like its American counterpart, Luna focussed on exploring the Moon and its environment with a series of robotic probes. Where the American program sourced its probes from different contractors, the Soviet program developed different initial probes, each of which had a unique goal. Going by their internal designations, Ye-1 was designed for lunar impact, Ye-2 and Ye-3 were intended to image the Moons farside, and Ye-4 was a spacecraft to impact the Moon with a nuclear explosion. The United States was the first nation to launch a mission to the Moon. Able 1, later renamed Pioneer 0, launched on August 17, 1958. The mission ended when the Thor launch vehicle exploded just 77 seconds after launch, destroying the spacecraft at the same time. A little over a month later, the Soviet Union launched historys second lunar mission. A first generation Ye-1 Luna spacecraft, it also failed to reach orbit. Longitudinal vibrations, also known as pogo, shook the rocket hard enough to break it apart in flight. The final months of 1958 saw alternating launches between the two countries, all of which experienced catastrophic launch failures. For the Americans, these were Pioneers 1, 2, and 3. For the Soviets, the losses were Luna 1958A, B, and C; missions were only given sequential numerical designations if they were successful. Success finally came right at the start of 1959 with Luna 1. Another Ye-1 design, the spherical spacecraft reached the Moon 34 hours after launch. Its onboard instruments gathered data revealing for the first time that the Moon had no magnetic field and that a strong flow of ionized plasma from the Sun, the so-called Solar wind, flows through space. After flying past the Moon, Luna 4 settled into a heliocentric orbit somewhere between Earth and Mars. Two months later the United States followed suit with a flyby mission of its own, the JPL-built Pioneer 4 probe, which passed by the Moon too far away to take good images. With one success under its belt, both nations pressed on with lunar mission and racked up a fair number of additional failures. But they also began to take slightly different directions. As later Pioneer flights went towards our neighboring planets of Mars and Venus, NASA initiated a new lunar impact program called Ranger. Science goals were removed with every subsequent failure and the program goal became returning a picture of the Moon, which Ranger 7 managed on July 31, 1964. But sadly, this was hardly an exciting first. On October 4, 1959, the Soviets launched a Ye-2 spacecraft on the Luna 3 mission, and three days later it returned the first ever images of the Moons unseen farside. The early and mid-1960s saw the Soviet Union and United States focus more energy on planetary missions than continued lunar flights, though neither completely abandoned missions to the Moon. On the heels of the Ranger program, NASA incepted another program called Surveyor. Directly related to the Apollo program, the goal for Surveyor was to soft land probes on the Moons surface to better understand the environment. This was crucial. If astronauts were going to land in the coming years, NASA and specifically its contractor Grumman Aerospace needed to know everything it could to build a lunar module able to land safely on the lunar surface. The Soviets, meanwhile, carried on with the Luna program, though it wasnt without its own changes. Beginning with Luna 4, which attempted a lunar landing in April of 1963, Lunas used a Ye-6 architecture. The Ye-6 spacecraft measured nearly nine feet in height and about five feet across at its base. The core was a cylindrical section containing maneuvering and landing rockets as well as the fuel to fire them, orientation systems, and radio transmitters to talk to the Earth. A spherical section on top contained a landing hemisphere. The idea was to have the lander eject from the main body once it was on the Moon, at which point it would be able to use its onboard camera and instruments to measure the radiation environment on the Moon. Like so many missions of the nascent space age, the first Ye-6 missions didnt fare too well. Lunas 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 were Ye-6 missions and they all failed to make a soft landing on the Moon. But with Luna 9, the Soviet Union broke its losing streak. The mission launched on January 31, 1966, on a SS-6 rocket, the fourth stage of which sent the payload careening towards the Moon. Three days later on February 3, 46.5 miles above the Moons surface, the spacecrafts retrorockets fired to slow Luna 9s descent towards the surface. A little more than sixteen feet above the surface, a contact sensor touched the ground, signaling to the landing capsule to eject from the main spacecraft. It landed traveling at 13.6 miles per hour, bounced a few times, then finally came to rest in the Ocean of Storms. After a little more than four minutes, four petals on the landed pod opened outward to stabilize the spacecraft. Spring-loaded antennas locked into transmission position, and a television camera system sprung to life, surveying the surrounding environment. Over the course of 8 hours and 5 minutes, images were sent back and assembled on Earth to show a panoramic image from the surface of the Moon. The mission ended three days later on February 6 when the landed spacecrafts batteries ran out of power. Luna 9s success was an historic first with never-before-seen images to prove its validity, and it was another in a stunning string of firsts for the Soviets in space. The stunning list of lunar firstsfirst probe that impacted the Moon, the first mission flyby and photograph the farside, the first soft landing, the first orbital mission, and the first mission to circle the Moon and return to Earthparallels the Soviets success in other areas of spaceflight including launching the first satellite and first human into orbit. From the start, the Soviet Union devoted resources into its space program to stay ahead of the United States. But this Soviet leadership couldnt commit to a firm goal the way the United States Congress did with the lunar landing goal. With waning firm leadership and resources increasingly divided between agencies, the Soviet Union fell behind the United States, making Luna 9 one of the last Soviet firsts in space. Amy Shira Teitel is the author of Breaking the Chains of Gravity: The Story of Spaceflight before NASA. When I read about the controversy swirling around the childrens book A Birthday Cake for George Washington, I gave a little shudder and thought, there but for the vagaries of fortune go I. Years ago I collaborated on a childrens book called Jump! The Adventures of Brer Rabbit. The book was a retelling of several African American folk tales first collected by Joel Chandler Harris in the late 19th century and published in a series of books that all featured Uncle Remus, a fictional former slave, as the storyteller. My co-author, Van Dyke Parks, and I agreed early in the process to do three things. First, get rid of the dialect used to tell the stories in the Chandler books. Second, get rid of Uncle Remus. Third, stay far, far away from the Tar Baby story. Texas A&M's Aerospace Hyperloop team will be one of the teams advancing to the test track phase of the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Design Competition, and a team from Massachusetts Institute of Technology was named the top team during the awards ceremony Saturday. The Top 5 student teams for the design and build category were: Best Overall Design Award MIT Hyperloop Team, Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT Hyperloop Team, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Pod Innovation Award Delft Hyperloop, Delft University of Technology (The Netherlands) Delft Hyperloop, Delft University of Technology (The Netherlands) Pod Technical Excellence Award Badgerloop, University of Wisconsin-Madison Badgerloop, University of Wisconsin-Madison Pod Technical Excellence Award Hyperloop at Virginia Tech, Virginia Tech Hyperloop at Virginia Tech, Virginia Tech Pod Technical Excellence Award HyperXite, University of California Irvine Other teams going to the test phase portion of the competition include: rLoop (non-student team) uWaterloo Hyperloop, University of Waterloo UWashington Hyperloop, University of Washington University of Toronto, University of Toronto RUMD Loop, University of Maryland and Rutgers University GatorLoop, University of Florida Team HyperLynx, University of Colorado-Denver Hyperloop UC, University of Cincinnati USCB Hyperloop, University of California-Santa Barbara bLoop, University of California-Berkeley TAMU Aerospace Hyperloop, Texas A&M WARR Hyperloop, Technical University of Munich (Germany) Purdue Hyperloop Design Team, Purdue University Codex, Oral Roberts University Lehigh Hyperloop, Lehigh University Keio Alpha, Keio University Drexel Hyperloop, Drexel University Carnegie Mellon Hyperloop, Carnegie-Mellon University The projects were judged by SpaceX and Tesla employees, as well as professors. There were awards given in three categories: design and build, design-only and subsystems. In the subsystems category, winners included: Best Overall Subsystem Award Auburn University Hyperloop Team, Auburn University Auburn University Hyperloop Team, Auburn University Special Innovation Award in the Other Subsystem RIT Imaging, Rochester Institute of Technology RIT Imaging, Rochester Institute of Technology Levitation Subsystem Technical Excellence Award TAMU Aerospace Hyperloop, Texas A&M TAMU Aerospace Hyperloop, Texas A&M Braking Subsystem Technical Excellence Award VicHyper, RMIT University VicHyper, RMIT University Propulsion/Compression Subsystem Technical Excellence Award Makers UPV Team, Universitat Politencia de Valencia (Spain) Makers UPV Team, Universitat Politencia de Valencia (Spain) Safety Subsystem Technical Excellence Award UWashington Hyperloop, University of Washington UWashington Hyperloop, University of Washington Subsystem Technical Excellence Award Hyped, University of Edinburgh Hyped, University of Edinburgh Subsystem Technical Excellence Award Conant Hyperloop Club, Conant High School (Hoffman States, Illinois) Conant Hyperloop Club, Conant High School (Hoffman States, Illinois) Subsystem Innovation Award Ryersons International Hyperloop Team, Ryerson University (Canada) In the design-only category, winners included: Top Design Concept Award Makers UPV Team, Universitat Politencia de Valencia (Spain) Makers UPV Team, Universitat Politencia de Valencia (Spain) Design Concept Innovation Award Nova Hyperloop Team, University of Cairo Nova Hyperloop Team, University of Cairo Design Concept Innovation Award Auburn University Hyperloop Team, Auburn University SpaceX founder Elon Musk made a surprise appearance at the competition, answering questions and thanking the teams. "We were early adopters of wind", Boorman said, "and that helped us build a robust industry." He highlighted how wind's success means there are good modern jobs in rural areas, which for a primarily agricultural state is important: "Agriculture and wind energy are very compatible, and there was even a study recently from Iowa State University showing there isn't any negative impact on crop yield. Landowners and farmers are very interested in signing up and having wind turbines on their property." There are economic reasons galore for Iowans to back wind power, among them the stable price of energy. And as President Obama observed in his final State Of The Union address earlier this month, Iowa is but one place in the country where wind energy is cheaper than energy from coal or natural gas. With federal tax credits renewed, another boom begins "It definitely sticks in the mind of some Iowans when they go to the polls, especially those who are in areas that have seen a positive impact from wind energy", says Boorman. But it's likely that even in Iowa wind energy won't be a big election issue, particularly since congress passed the omnibus spending bill at the end of last year. As part of that deal, which also lifted of the country's 40-year oil export ban, federal tax credits for wind and solar energy were given a five year extension. And that's huge, says Boorman: "This is the first time there's been a five year plan, so that provides a lot of certainty in the market. Before that there were one or two year extensions, it's been described as a see-saw and hasn't provided the certainty investors have been looking for." Boorman said he expects the deal to trigger "another expansion of wind power in the United States", one which Iowa intends to be a part of. In fact, the AWEA projects Iowa to overtake California as the state with the second largest wind power capacity - a title it held up until 2012. Ted Cruz, time to wise up ... Though Boorman says the tax credit extension may "mute it as a campaign issue on the presidential level", he would welcome a louder national conversation on the topic: "If you look at polling, American people really like and support wind energy and clean power, so I think talking about it about it is a good thing." That said, Republican candidate Senator Ted Cruz - who is front of the pack in recent Iowa polls - has vociferously opposed to wind energy tax credits. In response, the respected Des Moines Register had some choice words for the Texan Senator, defending what it describes as an "American, and Iowan, success story". The newspaper sets out a strong case: "Wind farm development has brought $10 billion of capital investment into the state, and by 2020 wind farms could create $49 million in annual property tax revenue. These much-needed resources help us build new schools, fix roads and improve healthcare facilities. "Even better, wind power has become our new drought-resistant cash crop. Every year, rain or shine, Iowa's farmers receive millions in land lease payments, and that number could grow as high as $55 million by 2030. "Wind power has benefited all residents of Iowa, not just farmers. Today, there are 12 factories in Iowa that build wind-related parts and materials, and wind supports as many as 7,000 jobs. Furthermore, the steady long-term costs of wind power promise to keep Iowa's electricity prices stable for many years to come." As the Register concludes: "We need to make sure we know who really supports us when we cast our vote." Zachary Davies Boren is an environment journalist writing for Greenpeace Energydesk, the Press Association, The Telegraph, The Independent, Huffington Post, IBTimes, Yahoo, Chicago Tribune and other media. This article was originally published on Greenpeace Energydesk. Perhaps the five stages of grief are relevant as nuclear lobbyists confront the reality that the nuclear renaissance didn't eventuate and isn't likely to. Denial and anger are very much in evidence, along with some bargaining ('we need all low carbon power sources'), depression and, in time, acceptance. China's great leap forward With 30 operable reactors, 24 under construction, and many more in the pipeline, China remains the only country with significant nuclear expansion plans. China is unlikely to meet any of its targets - 58 GW by 2020, 110 GW by 2030 and up to 250 GW by 2050 - but growth will be significant nonetheless. Growth could however be derailed by a serious accident, which is all the more likely because of China's inadequate nuclear safety standards, inadequate regulation, lack of transparency, repression of whistleblowers, world's worst insurance and liability arrangements, security risks, and widespread corruption. There are fears, for example, that China may press ahead with its twin-EPR project at Taishan despite fears over the metallurgy of its reactor vessels and heads. Similar components supplied to the EPR at Flamanville in France have been found to have areas of excessive carbon leading to brittleness and possible failure in use. The French project is now on hold and may never be completed. Over the next 10-20 years, global nuclear capacity may increase marginally, with strong growth in China more than masking patterns of stagnation and decline elsewhere. Beyond that, the aging of the global fleet of power reactors will be sharply felt: the International Energy Agency anticipates almost 200 permanent shut-downs by 2040. Steve Kidd notes that the industry is running to stand still, and it will have to run faster to stand still as the annual number of shut-downs increases. Growth elsewhere? India is the only other country where there is a possibility of significant nuclear growth in the nearish-future. But nuclear growth in India has been modest - six reactor start-ups over the past decade - and may remain so. In early 2015, India claimed to have resolved one of the major obstacles to foreign investment by announcing measures to circumvent a liability law which does not completely absolve suppliers of responsibility for accidents. But those claims were met with scepticism and a capital strike by most foreign suppliers is still in effect. Strong public opposition - and the Indian state's brutal response to that opposition - will also continue to slow nuclear expansion. India has just signed an 'preliminary agreement' with EDF to build a massive six-reactor EPR project at Jaitapur, 360km south of Mumbai. But given the still-unresolved liability issues and the EPR's disastrous construction record to date, it's hard imagine any but the most cautious of progress taking place. Meanwhile renewables are surging ahead. One part of the Jaitapur deal that is likely to move ahead fast is 142MW of wind power in Gujarat that EDF is to develop with its Indian partner, SITAC. And in mid-January 2016, the latest auction of solar energy capacity in India achieved a new record low price of 4.34 rupees / kWh (US$0.064; 0.059). Energy minister Piyush Goyal said: "Through transparent auctions with a ready provision of land, transmission and the like, solar tariffs have come down below thermal power cost." Russia has 35 operating reactors and eight under construction (including two very low power floating reactors). Only six reactors have started up over the past 20 years, and only four over the past decade. The pattern of slow growth will continue. As for Russia's ambitious nuclear export program, Steve Kidd noted in October 2014 that it "is reasonable to suggest that it is highly unlikely that Russia will succeed in carrying out even half of the projects in which it claims to be closely involved". South Korea has 25 operable reactors and three under construction. Six reactors have started up over the past decade. Along with China, India and Russia, South Korea is supposedly one of the four countries driving the 'nuclear renaissance'. But the best the industry can hope for in South Korea is slow growth. South Africa plans 9.6 GW of new nuclear capacity to add to the two Koeberg reactors. But the nuclear program is more theatre than reality. Pro-nuclear commentator Dan Yurman states: "South Africa's plans to build 9.6 GW of nuclear power will continue to be embroiled in political controversy and be hobbled by a lack of realistic financial plans to pay for the reactors. "Claims by both Rosatom and Chinese state nuclear firms that they have won the business are not credible. Even if written down on paper, these claims of contracts cannot be guaranteed in the long term due to the political twists and turns by South African President Jacob Zuma. "Most recently, he burned through three finance ministers over differences about whether the country could afford the cost of the reactors said to be at as much as US$100 billion including upgrades to the electrical grid. Additionally, Zuma is distracted by political and personal scandals." Brazil's nuclear industry provided some theatre in 2015 with the arrest of Othon Luiz Pinheiro da Silva, the former CEO of Brazil's nuclear power utility Eletronuclear, for allegedly accepting bribes to fix the bidding process for the Angra 3 reactor under construction 100 km from Rio de Janeiro. Fourteen other people were also charged as a result of the federal police's 'Operation Radioactivity'. "The arrest is a tragedy for the industry," said former Eletrobras' chief executive Luiz Pinguelli Rosa. "The industry was already in crisis, but now the corruption concerns are bound to delay Angra 3 further and cause costs to rise even more." Newcomer countries: The World Nuclear Association claims that "over 45 countries are actively considering embarking upon nuclear power programmes." Balderdash. Only two 'newcomer' countries are actually building reactors - Belarus and the United Arab Emirates. Other countries might join the nuclear club but newcomers will be few and far between. Moreover, some countries are phasing out nuclear power. Countries with nuclear phase-out policies include Germany, Belgium, Taiwan, and Switzerland. Other countries - e.g. Sweden - may phase out nuclear power partly as a result of deliberate government policy and partly because of natural attrition: aging reactors are being shut down without replacement. Stagnation and decline Patterns of stagnation or slow decline in North America and western Europe can safely be predicted. In 2014, the European Commission forecast that EU nuclear generating capacity of 131 GW in 2010 will decline to 97 GW in 2025. The European Commission forecasts that nuclear's share of EU electricity generation will decline from 27% in 2010 to 21% in 2050, while the share from renewables will increase from 21% to 51.6%, and fossil fuels' share will decline from 52% to 27%. The most important nuclear power story of 2015 was legislation enacted in the French Parliament in July that will reduce nuclear's share of electricity generation from 75% to 50% by 'around' 2025, and caps nuclear capacity at the current level of 63.2 GW. The legislation also establishes a target of 32% of electricity generation from renewables by 2030, a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a 20% reduction in overall energy consumption by 2030. In April 2015, a report by ADEME, a French government agency under the Ministries of Ecology and Research, shows that 100% renewable electricity supply by 2050 in France is feasible and affordable. French EPR reactor projects in France and Finland are three times over budget and many years behind schedule. As already noted, in April 2015 it was revealed that EDF's Flamanville EPR under construction in France has a weak pressure vessel and head, and that the same problem may afflict China's twin-EPR project with EDF at Taishan. A January 2016 update to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report discusses the miserable state of the French nuclear industry: "The French state-controlled AREVA, having announced an outlook of a further 'heavy loss' in 2015, was downgraded by credit-rating agency Standard & Poor's to B+ ("highly speculative"). On 29 December 2015, the company plunged to a new historic low on the stock market (5.30 compared to 72.50 eight years ago). "On 7 December 2015, Euronext ejected the French heavy weight Electricite de France (EDF), largest nuclear utility in the world and "pillar of the Paris Stock Exchange", from France's key stock market index, known as CAC40. One day later, EDF shares lost another four percent of their value, which led to a new low, a drop of over 85 percent from its 2007 level. ... "The French nuclear industry's international competitors are not doing much better. AREVA's Russian counterpart Atomenergoprom as well as the Japanese controlled Toshiba-Westinghouse were both downgraded to 'junk' ('speculative') by credit-rating agencies during the year." Next door in Belgium, ageing reactors at Doel and Tihange - shut down a year ago because of serious safety concerns over numerous leaks and, at Tihange, 16,000 reactor vessel cracks - are scheduled to start up shortly, triggering serious concern across Europe. An Avaaz petition to be delivered to Belgium by German Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks on Monday has already attracted almost 500,000 signatures. In the United States, utilities announced two more reactor shut-downs in 2015: the FitzPatrick reactor in New York will be shut down in 2016, and the Pilgrim reactor in Massachusetts will be closed between 2017 and 2019. Five reactors are under construction but a greater number have been shut down recently or will be shut down in the next few years. The last reactor start-up was in 1996. In August 2015 the Environmental Protection Agency released its final Clean Power Plan, which failed to give the nuclear industry the subsidies and handouts it was seeking. A decade ago, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission was flooded with applications for US$127 billion (117b) worth of reactor projects. Now, obituaries for the US nuclear power renaissance are increasingly common. The situation is broadly similar in the United Kingdom - the nuclear power industry there is scrambling just to stand still. It should be clear by the end of this year whether the extraordinarily expensive Hinkley C EPR project will go ahead. But the signs are not good for the project's backers: EDF was due to make its 'final investment decision' this week, but flunked out owing to its inability to raise the necessary 18 billion. According to the World Nuclear Association, most of the UK's reactors are to be retired by 2023. If other projects prove to be as expensive and difficult as Hinkley C, it's unlikely that new nuclear capacity will match retirements. In Japan, only two of the country's 43 operable reactors are actually operating. Perhaps half to two-thirds of the reactors will eventually restart. Five reactors were permanently shut down in 2015, and the six reactors at Fukushima Daiichi have been written off. Before the Fukushima disaster, Tokyo planned to add another 15-20 reactors to the fleet of 55, giving a total of 70-75 reactors. Thus, Japan's nuclear power industry will be at most half the size it might have been if not for the Fukushima disaster. Generation IV reactors to the rescue? Rhetoric about 'super safe', 'best thing since sliced bread' Generation IV reactors will likely continue unabated. That said, critical reports released by the US and French governments last year may signal a slow shift away from Generation IV reactor rhetoric. The report by the French Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) - a government authority under the Ministries of Defense, the Environment, Industry, Research, and Health - states: "There is still much R&D to be done to develop the Generation IV nuclear reactors, as well as for the fuel cycle and the associated waste management which depends on the system chosen." IRSN is also sceptical about safety claims: "At the present stage of development, IRSN does not notice evidence that leads to conclude that the systems under review are likely to offer a significantly improved level of safety compared with Generation III reactors ... " The US Government Accountability Office released a report in July 2015 on the status of small modular reactors (SMRs) and other 'advanced' reactor concepts in the US. The report concluded: "While light water SMRs and advanced reactors may provide some benefits, their development and deployment face a number of challenges ... Depending on how they are resolved, these technical challenges may result in higher-cost reactors than anticipated, making them less competitive with large LWRs [light water reactors] or power plants using other fuels ... "Both light water SMRs and advanced reactors face additional challenges related to the time, cost, and uncertainty associated with developing, certifying or licensing, and deploying new reactor technology, with advanced reactor designs generally facing greater challenges than light water SMR designs. "It is a multi-decade process, with costs up to $1 billion to $2 billion, to design and certify or license the reactor design, and there is an additional construction cost of several billion dollars more per power plant." Even SMR boosters are struggling to put a positive spin on the situation. Launching a Nuclear Energy Insider report on SMRs, lead author Kerr Jeferies said: "From the outside it will seem that SMR development has hit a brick wall, but to lump the sector's difficulties together with the death of the so-called nuclear renaissance would be missing the point." According to a US think tank, 48 companies in north America, backed by more than US$1.6 billion (1.5b) in private capital, are developing plans for advanced nuclear reactors. But even if all that capital was invested in a single R&D project, it would not suffice to commercialise a new reactor type. The UK government also sees a big future for SMRs and has even promised to spend 250 million on "nuclear innovation and Small Modular Reactors". But it will face two big problems. First, the money won't go far. And second, nuclear power is already being outcompeted by wind and solar, which are getting cheaper all the time. Dan Yurman notes in his review of nuclear developments in 2015: "Efforts by start-up type firms to build advanced reactors will continue to generate a lot of media hype, but questions are abundant as to whether this activity will result in prototypes. "For venture capital firms that have invested in advanced designs, cashing out may mean licensing a design to an established reactor vendor rather than building a first-of-a-kind unit." Petition: 'Belgium: Stop the next Chernobyl' by Avaaz. Dr Jim Green is the national nuclear campaigner with Friends of the Earth Australia and editor of the Nuclear Monitor newsletter, where this article was originally published. Nuclear Monitor is published 20 times a year. It has been publishing deeply researched, often strongly critical articles on all aspects of the nuclear cycle since 1978. A must-read for all those who work on this issue! SHARE By Bruce Schreiner And Dylan Lovan The state has ordered a Planned Parenthood facility to halt abortions, saying the Louisville clinic needs an agreement with a hospital that could take in women who have complications from a procedure. Republican Gov. Matt Bevin said in a statement that the facility was "openly and knowingly operating an unlicensed abortion facility in clear violation of the law." Kentucky has abortion clinics in Louisville and Lexington, the state's two largest cities. State officials said in the letter to Planned Parenthood that its Nov. 19 application to begin performing abortions at its Louisville facility is deficient. Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky said in a letter to health officials Friday afternoon that it would work to correct the problems so it can resume services at the Louisville center. The letter to the state Cabinet for Family and Health Services said the facility received assurances from state officials in early December before Bevin took office that it could begin providing abortions. The action by the state comes as lawmakers will potentially vote next week the state's informed consent law, taking up a version allowing real-time video consultations between doctors and women at least 24 hours before an abortion. Since 1998, Kentucky law has required women meet with a doctor before an abortion. But the bill's supporters say some doctors have circumvented that requirement by having patients listen to a recorded message on the phone with no interaction with the doctor. The measure is scheduled for Senate action on Monday, when the chamber will decide whether to accept House changes, Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer said Friday. Thayer said Monday's session "promises to be momentous," and many senators stood and applauded when he announced plans for the floor vote. Senate President Robert Stivers later told reporters he thinks the Senate will accept the House changes. For years, the GOP-run Senate has passed abortion-related bills that died in the Democratic-led House. The measure could be the first passed since Bevin, an abortion opponent, took office. "I would like it to be the first bill that the governor signs," said Thayer, R-Georgetown. The morning after the House voted 92-3 to pass the bill, Republican senators praised the action, but said they still needed to review the new language. Republican Sen. Ralph Alvarado of Winchester, a doctor, said any video conferencing would need to ensure "a back and forth" between doctors and patients so women could ask questions ahead of a procedure. "My concern is that it isn't just a video," he said. "Because what we're having right now is women listening to a recording. We don't want this to be a recording. We want it to be interactive." A leading critic of the bill, Derek Selznick with the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, has said the video option would allow patients easier and more convenient access to counseling. But it didn't fix the bill's intrusion into the doctor-patient relationship, he said. The House version allows a doctor to designate a licensed nurse, physician assistant or social worker to represent him or her at the in-person or video consultations. The Senate supports allowing those others to represent a doctor at in-person meetings. The House vote came at a time when Democrats are fighting to maintain their control of the chamber. Democrats are clinging to a 50-46 House majority, with four special elections looming in March. Stivers said the House action on the informed consent bill was the result of a "confluence of political pressures" forcing House Democratic leaders "to change their method of business" and the bills they consider. Asked if other abortion bills might ultimately pass the House this year, Stivers said: "If that one made it through, there's a real likelihood that others will make it through." The legislation is Senate Bill 4. Most Iowans disapprove of Biden, believe US is on the wrong track Both President Joe Bidens approval rating and the percentage of Iowans who say the country is on the right track have improved since July. WASHINGTON As part of a ramped-up gun safety campaign, Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy and U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty have asked the Connecticut Food Association to implement a gun "open carry" ban in the states retail stores. Customers should feel safe while shopping, and employees should not be fearful while doing their jobs. You have the opportunity to take a strong stance in support of creating a safe, welcoming environment in Connecticuts food retailer, the lawmakers wrote to Connecticut Food Association President Wayne Pesce. Connecticut law allows for those with permits for handguns to carry them openly in supermarkets and other public establishments. But those establishments have the legal authority to ban firearms on their premises and some have, including Chipotle, Panera Bread, Starbucks and Whole Foods. There is simply no reason someone would need to bring their gun with them in order to purchase milk, bread or other necessities at a grocery store, the lawmakers said in a joint statement. The Connecticut Food Association, which has 240 member companies who operate about 300 retail food stores and pharmacies in Connecticut, issued a statement in response to the lawmakers' letter late Friday that implied it was up to individual members to set policy. The Connecticut Food Association places the health and safety of its members, their employees and customers - and the public at large - first and foremost. We take their safety very seriously, and also recognize the importance of operating under existing state laws, said Wayne Pesce, president of the Connecticut Food Association. Recognizing this is a passionate issue on all sides, the Connecticut Food Association is working with its membership and national affiliates to create and share best practice policies so our members can make informed decisions. The Connecticut Citizens Defense League, said the lawmakers were overstepping their authority by meddling in state gun legislation and should concentrate on fixing Washington instead, "because it needs it." "Instead of concerning themselves with federal issues, they are using the federal government letterhead to harass a state level association (Connecticut Food Association)," the CCDL said in a statement. "This is a bully tactic that is being deployed by legislators that in reality have little to say about Connecticut state laws... Esty, Blumenthal and Murphy are actually trying to circumvent existing state law by forcing retailers into enacting a policy that dictates the manner in which law-abiding citizens can carry firearms." The CCDL also said it wanted to remind the lawmakers there are nearly 250,000 legal gun owners in Connecticut. Blumenthal and Murphy are also the main sponsors of a bill in the Senate this week that would repeal a 2005 law shielding the gun industry from liability. That law, promoted by the National Rifle Association, protects gun makers and dealers from lawsuits when crimes are committed with their weapons. It also protects straw purchasers who buy firearms in bulk and sell them, sometimes without running a background check on a prospective buyer. And it shields trade associations like the NRA. NRA President Wayne LaPierre called the Protection of Local Commerce in Arms Act the most significant piece of pro-gun legislation in 20 years. The Equal Justice for Gun Violence Victims Act would repeal the PLCAA. Victims of law-breaking gun makers and dealers deserve a day in court - fair rights and remedies restored by this measure, Blumenthal said. Alone among all industries, guns are protected by a near absolute wall of legal immunity that bars the courthouse doors to victims. Murphy said, making the gun industry immune from lawsuits effectively handed them a license to kill." NRA spokeswoman Catherine Mortensen said the new bill is an attempt by "anti-gun politicians exploiting crime victims to push a gun-control agenda." "This is an attempt to sue companies engaged in a legal business into bankruptcy," she said. "You can't sue General Motors if a car is used to commit a crime, and you shouldn't be able to sue a firearm company if a firearm is used to commit a crime." In a statement, the Newtown-based National Shooting Sports Foundation said, Its unfortunate and a great disservice to the public that the senators sponsoring this legislation are choosing to distort the facts and demagogue the issue of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which was passed on an overwhelming bipartisan basis and does not provide blanket liability protection for the firearms industry, no matter how many times they may say it. It does provide protection against the frivolous and politically motivated lawsuits of the kind these senators apparently favor because they have decided to use us as a surrogate enemy instead of being tougher on criminals who misuse guns, the foundation said. The senators' bill, and a similar one backed by Esty in the House, are not expected to win approval in the GOP-controlled Congress. But gun liability has become an issue in the Democratic race for the White House. Hillary Clinton, then a senator representing New York, voted against the PLCAA. Her rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, voted for it. On Thursday, Sanders shifted his position. He agreed to co-sponsor the Equal Justice for Gun Violence Victims Act. This story originally appeared at CTMirror.org, the website of The Connecticut Mirror, an independent, nonprofit news organization covering government, politics and public policy in the state. NORWALK Veteran-owned small businesses received additional support today as Senate Democrats proposed a new bill that would give these businesses additional bidding preferences under state contracting laws and waive the first years business entity tax. (This is) the right thing to do, said Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk). Retaining and attracting veteran-owned businesses is a priority for the Senate Democrats as part of our larger commitment to those who serverd our nation. In order for a small business to receive veteran-owned status, the company must be owned by a 51 percent holding by an honorably discharged veteran. Our veterans answered the call of duty and when they return home to Connecticut to start a business, the state should be there to lend a helping hand, said Senate President Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven). Our proposal will make it easier for veterans to start ... and grow a business here in Connecticut. As of now, when the state determines the lowest responsible qualified bidder for a state contract, it is allowed to give a 10 percent price preference for micro-businesses which are businesses with a defined gross revenue not exceeding $3 million. The proposal would increase the allowable preference for veteran-owned micro-businesses to 15 percent. As a state, we have an obligation to support those who have served our country and sacrificed so much to allow all of us to live our lives in freedom, said Sen. Mae Flexer (D-Killingly), the Senate chair of the Veterans Committee. Connecticut has led the way by providing major tax breaks for retired veterans and reducing chronic veteran homelessness to nearly zero. This bill is another step to fulfilling our commitment to our veterans. The proposal would also get rid of the first years business entity tax bill of $250. The Chamber was founded on the principle of helping military veterans coming out of service to start their own businesses, said Michael J. Zacchea, Lt. Col. USMC (ret.) founder and board member of the Connecticut Veterans Chamber of Commerce. We wanted to help veterans reintegrate into civilian life, and one way to do so is by lowering barriers to entry for new businesses... (The bill) would go a long way toward helping veterans. Additionally, we believe it would help stimulate the economy, recognize the importance of the veteran workforce and provide a return on the states investment in hard-working, entrepreneurial veterans. The Chamber is grateful to Senate leadership for its support of this initiative, which is vital to our members, Andrew S. DiSilvestro Jr., executive vice president of the Chamber and owner/founder of Grade A Home Improvement LLC. We represent a number of members, and we give a voice to the more than 40,000 veteran-owned businesses in the state that are working hard every day to grow their businesses and contribute to the states economy. A BIT OF HISTORY: If you search the Internet for East Norwalk youll find in Wikipedia a bit of its history: East Norwalk is the location of Norwalk's original colonial settlements. The land was purchased from the Norwalke Indians by Roger Ludlow in 1640. Not very much more. However, in the book (available for reference at the East Norwalk library) Historical Disclosure in Commemoration of the Two-Hundredth Anniversary of the Settlement of Norwalk Ct., in 1651. By Rev. Nathanial Bouton of Concord, N.H. youll find, on pages 8 and 9: The first purchase of these lands from the Indians, was made by Roger Ludlow, Esq., on the east side of the river. 26th Feb. 1640 The consideration for the land, given to Mr. Ludlow was, eight fathoms of wampum, six coats, ten hatchets, ten hoes, ten knives, ten scissors, ten Jews-harps, ten fathom tobacco, three kettles of six hands about, ten looking glasses, And for this he received all the lands, meadows, pasturing, trees, whatsoever there is, and grounds between the two rivers, the one called Norwalke, the other Soakatuck, to the middle of said rivers, from the sea a days walk into the country. As to Roger Ludlow himself, Rev. Bouton included, on page 10 and 11, as excerpted: Roger Ludlow came out of England in 1630, as one of the magistrates of the Massachusetts colony. He was reputed a pious gentleman of good family in the west of England; Interestingly, the account continues: To purchase from the Indians for ones private advantage and without the authority of the Court, was contrary to the New England laws. In any event, the book documents the earliest days of what is now, at least, East Norwalk. EAST NORWALK WATER FOR FLINT Don Burr, Senior Warden at Christ Episcopal Church in East Norwalk, brought this columns attention to the humanitarian effort of Amir Khan. Amir and two of his friends (Ricardo Murilo and Benny Alcea), hearing about the fresh water needs of the people in Flint, Michigan, decided to see how they could help. Asking Enterprise Car Rental to donate the use of a van, they drove 15 hours to Flint with the truck full with 70 cases of bottled drinking water, and a 40-gallon jug. Once there, the trio stayed about 2 hours seeing that the water was distributed before returning to Connecticut. Not part of any organized effort, they drove through various Flint neighborhoods and found places where water was being distributed they said: we knew we just needed to help those in need. Another trip is being planned in the coming month. Toward that end, the East Norwalk Association Library (51 Van Zant Street) and Christ Episcopal Church (2 Emerson Street, East Norwalk) will be accepting donations of bottled drinking water to be, once again, driven to Flint by Amir, Ricardo, and Benny. For more information, contact the East Norwalk Association Library at 203-838-0408 ext100, or Don Burr at Christ Episcopal Church, 203-866-7442. EAST NORWALK ASSOCIATION ANNUAL MEETING HELD Last Tuesday, January 26, the East Norwalk Association held its 106th Annual Meeting at the East Norwalk Library Association Van Zilen Community Hall. Included in the regular Agenda public comments, financial reports, distribution and discussion of the Annual Report, the election of Officers for the calendar year 2016. The Nominating Committee slate included Sarah Mann, president; Sarah Amato Mills, vice president; Katherine Cray, treasurer, and Nicholas Clarke, secretary. The slate was approved unanimously by the Board present. The East Norwalk Association Board members are: Jim Anderson, Marlene DeBellis, Nicholas Clarke, Katherine Cray, Sarah Mann, Sarah Amato Mills, and Diana Paladino Christopher. The Board actively seeks additional interested members (contact any Board member, or email stan@eastnorwalklibrary.org) further Association information can be seen at www.eastnorwalklibrary.org. The 20-page Annual Report chronicled the history of the organization - originally, the East Norwalk Improvement Association founded September 30, 1910, which was dedicated to changing a few things in their neighborhood they thought could use and benefit from it and adding a few things the people needed. Through their efforts such improvements were brought about such as the erection of street signs granite posts and iron gates at the entrance of The East Norwalk Historical Cemetery also provided a driveway around the cemetery itself. They gave assistance to the needy both to children in the schools and to homes directly. It was in in 1913, in the front window of Rundles Bakery located at the corner of Van Zant St and Osborne Ave the ladies of the Association opened its first library collection consisting of 100 books. In May of 1916 the Association entered a contest for a set of 300 books offered by an advertising firm. With the help of the residents that saw the need for increasing the number of books available they won the contest. With this and the librarys rapid growth the Association decided to build a community hall. A building site committee was formed and in April of 1914 a lot on Van Zant St was purchased for $900.00 The Association then was incorporated on May 5,1914. In 1916 it was decided to build a hall of brick large enough for social gatherings, dances, card parties and other needed functions. On November 6, 1917 the building was finished which still stands today at 51 Van Zant Street and is the home of the East Norwalk Association Library and its Van Zilen Community Hall. Further, the Annual Report, contains some random 06855 (East Norwalk) statistics; highlights of the past years activities; Library-use statistics; a comprehensive listing of Library programs; a value of East Norwalk Association Library services chart, and details regarding several highlighted programs and accomplishments. The Annual Report will be posted on the Association website www.eastnorwalklibrary.org. SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS: REO APPLIANCE Founded in 1952, on Fort Point Street in East Norwalk, Reo Appliance (now at 233 East Avenue since 1955) has taken a new lease on life. Michael Jordan who has been working as a technician at Reo for more than 20 years, purchased the company from its former owners - Joseph Esposito and William Lafontaine. The building itself is currently for sale, but Jordan intends to continue the business even is a different location becomes a necessity. Reo will remain a full-service, full-line of kitchen and home appliances company but additional emphasis will be placed of appliance servicing - specializing in repairing and maintaining high-end appliances. As a member of the East Norwalk Business Association, in celebration of its new ownership, owner Michael Jordan is offering all ENBA Members and friends a 10% discount on service calls. Reo can be reached at 203-838-7925. LIKE EAST NORWALK LBRARY ON FACEBOOK The East Norwalk Library now has a Facebook presence. Log onto Facebook and search for East Norwalk Library - like the Library and youll be privy to happenings, and other bits of information regarding the East Norwalk Library and the community it serves. See us on the web www.eastnorwalklibrary.org. EAST NORWALK ASSOCIATION LIBRARY HOURS: Monday through Friday, 12:30-5:30 p.m., Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., closed Sunday and Holidays. INSIDE EAST NORWALK If theres some East Norwalk happening or other East Norwalk news or features you would like to share with the readers, email: stan@eastnorwalklibrary.org, or call 203-249-6293 KABUL (TIP): As the fate of Helmand Province hung in the balance last month during a withering Taliban offensive, the provinces deputy governor, Mohammad Jan Rasoolyar, found his urgent pleas for help from the central [] SYDNEY (TIP): China is set to join the underwater search for a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet missing for almost two years by providing a sonar-equipped vessel by the end of February, Australias deputy prime minister [] ISLAMABAD (TIP): Pakistan on January 28 accused India of hurling unsubstantiated terror allegations at it, saying it undermines efforts to eliminate terrorism from the region in a collaborative manner. At his weekly news briefing here, [] History, despite Francis Fukuyamas prediction of it having ended, was made on Saturday, January 16th 2016 inthe Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu, aka Chinese Taipei, aka Republic of China or the de [] Denmark and Switzerland on Wednesday joined a growing number of European countries to report Zika infections among travellers returning from Latin America, where the mosquito-borne virus has been blamed for a surge in birth defects. A [] Nola parents watch Austin best younger brother Aaron in Padres win Austin Nola, with one swing of the bat off his brother Aaron, led San Diego to an 8-5 victory over Philadelphia with his family in the stands. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Indah Setiawati (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, January 30, 2016 Anniesa Hasibuan never thought she would become a Muslim wear fashion designer. Until a year ago, fashion was just a hobby for Muslim fashion designer Anniesa Hasibuan ' something she kept to herself and her family. Born in Jakarta, the 29-year-old mother of one is an entrepreneur on a team with her husband, Andika Surachman, with whom she runs a travel agency that specializes in umrah (minor haj) trips. She is a graceful and serious lady who talks flowingly. 'I loved drawing when I was small, but I only started designing my own clothes when I jumped into the business world. I often accompany my husband in meetings and to meet clients, so I have to dress up properly, because as businesspeople, we have to take care of our appearance,' she said. As much as she loved wearing her favorite Indonesian designer clothes, Anniesa said she could not resist the desire to design her own Islamic outfits that speak of her personality and taste. Her outfits, made by her loyal dressmakers, soon attracted the attention of clients and some friends, who wanted to order the same designs. Anniesa believes in fate, and her fate led her to meet Usya Soeharjono from the Women's Growth and Success Foundation in London, who invited her to showcase her Muslim wear collection in the Kaftan Festival during the London Fashion Week last March. Antaranews.com reported she presented 10 dresses decked with pearls, Swarovski and sequins. 'In my life, I value opportunity. I believe an opportunity may not present itself twice. When I joined the London Kaftan Festival, I had no ambition. I am sure this [chance] was written in my destiny,' she said. The success of the fashion show in London grew her confidence, and she presented her solo fashion show in Jakarta two months later. Besides participating in the Jakarta Fashion Week in October, she also received invitations to international fashion events, including the Hello Indonesia Festival in London in June, the Couture New York Fashion Week in September and Moslema In Style International Fashion Forward in Malaysia in November. After the series of shows in 2015, Anniesa is now preparing her comeback at the Couture New York Fashion Week in the Crown Plaza Times Square in Manhattan on Feb. 13, where she plans to bring a collection of 15 royal queen dresses themed 'Pearlasia'. In the new collection, she wants to promote pearls from Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara by applying them on the clothes. 'I love pearls and gemstones. Lombok produces the best and the biggest number of pearls. Even in Europe people like pearls, and they say the best ones are from Lombok,' she said. She gave a sneak peak of four princess gowns that would be presented in New York during a press conference at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Industry. All of them featured ball gown silhouettes, with one in blue butter mint color like Queen Elsa's iconic dress in the fantasy film Frozen. The closing dress is expected to be full of pearls. Anniesa would bring Indonesian top models Laura Muljadi and Sarah Azka along, who could breathe life into her collection better than foreign models. Although she takes her concepts and designs seriously, Anniesa, who adores Anne Avantie's kebaya and hijab outfits and collections of Inna La Perle, Dian Pelangi and Zaskia Sungkar, does not want to get stressed out with this new adventure. She said she did not feel any pressure to necessarily present all 15 collections and would only include those that would finish on schedule. She also has no sales target for her couture collection for a simple reason ' she barely sells any. Once she turned down a buyer who wanted to buy one of her designs at Rp 150 million (US$10,865). 'I often refuse to sell my collection, because [the clothes] are made with a lot of hard work. I love them too much, and I am afraid I will have a different mood and cannot recreate them.' However, Anniesa is a woman who balances business instinct and passion. While many of her couture designs are not for sale, she rents them out, because she sees high enthusiasm from people who want to wear them for special occasions, such as pre-wedding photo sessions or wedding receptions. 'I make clothes that I like, and it turns out that they find a place in the wedding market. Since it is not my field, I cooperate with wedding organizers [in renting them out].' It is no surprise her couture designs are popular for weddings, because most of them are inspired by royal dresses from various cultures, including the Middle Eastern and Javanese. After opening her own boutique in Kemang last April, Anniesa, who gets full support from her husband, plans to officially launch her ready-to-wear collection this year. She said the collection would be lighter but still represent her style of a sparkling touch and colorful choices. Anniesa said she was grateful for the opportunities to channel her passion. 'We have to be confident with our creation. At least, we make them for ourselves. It is not a problem if other people like or dislike it, because they have their own taste.' Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Indra Harsaputra (The Jakarta Post) Surabaya Sat, January 30, 2016 A researcher from the Center for Political and Governance Research (Polgov) at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta said on Friday that gold mining at Tumpang Pitu in Banyuwangi, East Java, risked causing social conflict. Dian Lestariningsih of Polgov said that the results of the center's study entitled Preventing Unchecked Exploitation of Natural Resources published in August 2015 showed that the likelihood of conflict arose from the government's failure to heed local knowledge about Tumpang Pitu hill. 'Local people know that the 450-meter hill acts as a form of natural protection against tsunamis, as a breaker of the southwesterly winds and as a signpost for local fishermen,' Dian told The Jakarta Post. Furthermore, Dian said, the hill was also home to the Segara Tawang Alun temple, a place of worship for local Hindus. This, she said, could also trigger conflict between the local community and the mining company. According to Dian, local people are also worried about potential damage to the environment, natural disasters, limited job opportunities, demands for compensation and the negative impact on tourism. Political expert Purwo Santoso of UGM concurred, noting that local community knowledge was a form of collective knowledge that grew organically as a result of a mix of traditions, religions and innovations. Both Islam and Hinduism, he said, taught the concept of a relation between humans and their creator, between humans and nature and between humans and other humans. 'Preventing damage should be prioritized over exploiting [the site],' Purwo said. As reported, in 2006 the Banyuwangi regency administration granted a mining business license to PT Indo Multi Niaga, which later transferred the license to PT Merdeka Copper Gold through its two subsidiaries, namely PT Bumi Suksesindo (BS), which was given the right to work on 4,998 hectares, and PT Damai Suksesindo, which was to manage 6,623 ha. The local community had expressed opposition to the establishment of mining operations in 1997. The latest protest was conducted on Nov. 25 last year, and ended in a contretemps between local demonstrators and security personnel. Ika, a local journalist, said that following the protest, opposition to the mining activities was concentrated in interfaith youth group Banyuwangi Forum for Environmental Learning (BFEL) and activists from the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi). The BFEL argues against the mining operation because it would threaten the existence of the Hindu temple, while Walhi has voiced concerns over potential damage to the environment. Tumpang Pitu was previously designated as a protected forest area, but on Nov. 19, 2013, then forestry minister Zulkifli Hasan, who is now chair of the People's Consultative Assembly and leads the National Mandate Party, changed the status of the forest from protected forest to production forest, paving the way for mining operations to begin. Separately, a Banyuwangi Balinese Hindu leader, Nyoman Pageh Yasa, said that gold mining activities on Tumpang Pitu did not disturb the practice of rituals at the temple and its surroundings. 'I have with me the environmental impact analysis of the gold mine and the temple is located very far from the mining concession area. The mining companies have also expressed their commitment not to disturb the rituals,' Nyoman said on Friday. However, on Tuesday, BFEL coordinator Ari Restu reiterated the interfaith group's opposition to the mining activities, insisting that the operation did endanger the continued existence of the temple. ---------------- 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 Grace D. Amianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, January 30, 2016 Private lender Bank Central Asia (BCA) is considering joining a government-backed micro loan program through a channeling scheme as more lenders have been invited to participate, a top executive says. BCA president director Jahja Setiaatmadja said the bank was reviewing its capacity to participate in the government program, dubbed Public Business Credit (KUR), as it had sufficient funds in its pipeline. 'We already have funding for that [KUR], but we are still thinking hard about how to disburse the funds. I think we have a capacity of at least Rp 2 trillion [US$145.2 million],' he said after an event at the Indonesia Stock Exchange on Friday. Jahja said BCA, the country's largest private bank, had made a proposal to the Financial Services Authority (OJK) to use a channeling scheme to disburse the KUR loans as the bank had very limited infrastructure to reach the micro segment. The major part, or 38.5 percent, of BCA's total outstanding loan worth Rp 364.9 trillion as of September last year went to the commercial sector as well as small and medium enterprise (SME) segment. Meanwhile, the remaining 34.5 percent and 27 percent of BCA's total loans went to the corporate and consumer segment as of September last year, according to its financial report. According to Jahja, the bank will need quite a long time to build infrastructure if wants to disburse the KUR loans by itself. 'Our own branchless banking campaign even waited for more than nine months before we were ready to launch it,' Jahja said. Should the financial regulator approve its proposal, BCA is considering disbursing the KUR loans channeling them through other lenders, such as rural banks (BPR) and regional development banks (BPD). 'Rural banks don't have as much liquidity as large lenders, making their cost of funds expensive. Meanwhile, we have cheaper cost of funds, yet are limited in terms of infrastructure, so we can work together,' he said. In addition to working with BPR and BPD, Jahja said the bank had also discussed the possibility of channeling the KUR loans with state-owned Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) as BRI has the widest distribution of micro-credit outlets nationwide. 'We have even told BRI about our willingness to work together and we are ready to provide funding. For us, what's important is that the loans can reach people,' he said. Earlier this month, the government decided to allow more participants, such as private banks and multi-finance firms, to take part in the KUR loan program this year, as it has set a KUR disbursement target of Rp 100 trillion to Rp 120 trillion this year, more than twice the 2015 target. In 2015, only three state-owned lenders ' BRI, Bank Mandiri and Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) ' participated in the KUR program, along with one private lender, Bank Sinarmas, which played a relatively small role in KUR, mainly offering loans to Indonesian migrant workers (TKI). The OJK is currently evaluating 10 private banks and 11 BPDs nominated as potential new participants for the KUR loan program, according to Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Ministry data. ------------------ 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 Agnes Anya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, January 30, 2016 Following the uncovering of an international drug smuggling ring in Jepara, Central Java, the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) arrested three Pakistan nationals in a series of raids across the capital, conducted jointly with the Jakarta Police and Immigration officials on Friday. The raids, a result of developments in the investigation of the Jepara case, were carried out at a travel agent office and at a hotel, both in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, as well as at a shop-house in Petamburan, West Jakarta. 'We suspected that they were linked to the Jepara-based drug syndicate,' said BNN Monitoring Division deputy head Insp. Gen. Arman Depari. Arman said that the three are suspected of laundering drug money between Indonesia and Pakistan. They ran a money laundering business while operating a travel agent office and a hotel in Tanah Abang, he said, adding that, based on BNN investigation, the suspects were thought to have been running the money laundering practice since 2013. On Wednesday, the BNN raided a furniture warehouse in Pekalongan subdistrict, Jepara, used to store 100 kilograms of smuggled crystal methamphetamine from China, hidden inside 94 electricity generators. During Wednesday's raid, the BNN arrested four Pakistani nationals and four Indonesians. Each could face the death penalty according to articles 112, 114 and 122 of Law No. 35/2009 on narcotics and illicit drugs and the Money Laundering Law. Aside from the three Pakistanis, Immigration officials detained 11 Nigerians on passport counterfeiting allegations. Arman said the BNN had also coordinated with the Jakarta Police and Immigration officials to investigate the involvement of the Nigerian nationals in the production and distribution of counterfeit passports, as well as for possessing fake passports. He did not elaborate further with regard to either the Pakistani or the Nigerian groups and declined to discuss any further links between the two. Separately, Jakarta Police narcotics director Sr. Comr. Eko Daniyanto said that the police had yet to question the Nigerians due to an ongoing investigation currently being undertaken by Immigration officials. On Friday, officials released one of the Nigerian nationals as he had a legal passport and is reported to be returning to Nigeria soon. Eko emphasized that, after the Immigration officials had concluded their investigations, the police would look into the passport counterfeiting as well as drug syndicate involvement. According to him, aside from the passports and stamps, a number of syringes were also seized during the joint investigation. As of Friday evening, the Nigerian and Pakistan embassies could not be reached for comment with regard to the raids. Wednesday's crystal methamphetamine seizure is the largest narcotics seizure from an international drug syndicate this year. In October last year, the BNN, along with Belawan Harbor Police, stopped a smuggling attempt involving 200 kg of crystal methamphetamine from China in a raid on a warehouse complex in Medan, North Sumatra. In January 2015, the BNN also busted a syndicate of nine people during a raid on a wholesale market in Kalideres, West Jakarta. One of the suspects, a Hong Kong national, Wong Chin Ping, is alleged to have masterminded a well-organized plan to smuggle crystal methamphetamine from Hong Kong to Indonesia. Wong packed the drugs into 1 kg coffee containers, mixing the narcotics with real coffee. The West Jakarta District Court sentenced Wong to death in November last year. ---------------- 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 Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan Sat, January 30, 2016 The North Sumatra Police have intensified surveillance in the waters off Tanjungbalai municipality and Asahan regency, the area having become a popular route for smugglers to bring in contraband such as narcotics and used clothing from Malaysia. Tanjungbalai Police chief Adj. Sr. Com. Ayep Wahyu Gunawan said the neighboring regions, located on Sumatra's eastern coast, had become the main entrances for illegal goods, partly due to their proximity to Malaysia. 'It takes smugglers only four hours to reach Tanjung Balai from Malaysia,' Ayeb told The Jakarta Post recently. Smugglers, he said, used many jetties and minor ports in the area to load and unload their illegal cargo. Such activities were usually carried out at night-time to escape detention by authorities, he added. 'At the moment, we rely on tip-offs from local informants to bust smuggling operations in the areas. They inform us of the smuggling location and the identities of those involved in the illegal operation,' he said. Last week, an Indonesian Navy patrol boat intercepted a boat carrying 300 packages of used clothing from Malaysia off Tanjungbalai. The raid, however, met resistance from the ship's crew, triggering a shoot-out that led to the death of one of the crew. Belawan Naval Base commander First Adm. Yudo Margono said the incident had begun when four Navy patrol personnel stopped an incoming ship from Malaysia carrying second-hand clothes, which legally may not be imported to Indonesia. The Navy patrol ship was attacked with Molotov cocktails thrown by dozens of people allegedly hired to protect the shipment. Meanwhile on Monday, personnel from the Asahan Police's narcotics unit foiled an attempt to smuggle 5 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine from Malaysia. 'We arrested three suspects, including one crew member who was exploited by a drug trafficker to take the drugs from Malaysia to North Sumatra,' Asahan Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Tatan Dirsan Atmaja told reporters on Wednesday. Tatan said the drugs had been transferred at sea by one of the suspects from one boat to another to avoid detection. 'Our informant told us that the smugglers' boat had berthed at a local jetty. We went immediately to the spot, and arrested the suspect with evidence in the form of 5 kg of crystal meth,' he said. Tatan added that after questioning the suspect, police had arrested the latter's accomplices, identified as AR and AT, with all three claiming to be couriers. 'They were paid by a drug trafficker between Rp 10 million [US$726] and Rp 20 million for a kilogram of crystal meth they brought to land,' he said. The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) has estimated that there are more than 5 million drug users Indonesia, making it the biggest market for narcotics in Asia. In June last year, the Stabat District Court in Langkat regency, North Sumatra, handed down a death sentence to 22-year-old Muhammad Mufaddam for carrying 4.2 kg of crystal meth. Mufaddam had been arrested several months previously, when the car he was traveling in was stopped by police in Besitang. The court said the defendant was part of an international drug syndicate, having been in cahoots with a Malaysian named Rizal. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Prima Wirayani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, January 30, 2016 The Indonesian Association of Mutual Fund Managers (APRDI) is aiming for 15 percent growth in the value of assets under management (AUM) this year, up from the 12 percent growth booked last year. APRDI chairman Denny R. Taher said that even though the industry did not meet the association's growth target last year due to the sluggish economic situation, the value of the AUM still grew. 'Cheaper stocks prices prompted several investors to buy back shares, and those who were risk averse shifted investment to the money market and protected mutual funds,' he said at the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) office in South Jakarta on Thursday. He added that such conditions had boosted the AUM growth. Data from the Financial Services Authority (OJK) showed that the value of the AUM of the mutual fund industry amounted to Rp 270.84 trillion (US$19.52 billion) last year, 12.11 percent higher year-on-year (yoy) than the Rp 241.57 trillion booked in 2014. The data also show that the market recorded an 11 percent increase in net asset value of mutual funds from around Rp 241.57 trillion in 2014 to Rp 268.44 trillion in 2015. Early last year, Denny expressed optimism that Indonesia's solid economy and the financial market's positive sentiment toward the new administration of President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo would prompt the mutual fund industry to expand its total AUM by 15 percent to 20 percent in the year. However, things seemed to go wrong as Southeast Asia's largest economy grew at its slowest pace since 2009 and the Jakarta Composite Index (JCI), the benchmark of the IDX, lost around 12 percent of its value last year, partly attributable to external factors. Denny expressed optimism that the industry could achieve such a target this year as it forecast the country's economic outlook would be brighter than last year. 'We will also launch a program to introduce mutual funds to the wider public,' he said, without elaborating on the program. He said only that the launch would be in the first quarter of this year. The APRDI has already launched Investor Ready its informal educational program on mutual funds for the public. The program consists of four sessions starting from financial planning to investment strategy and involves professionals in the industry. As part of efforts to boost investor numbers, the OJK had issued a regulation that allowed mutual fund products to be sold outside the domain of investment managers and banks. APRDI members also decreased the minimum investment from Rp 250,000 to Rp 100,000 per investor in order to attract people of lower incomes. Denny said people needed to be educated that they should have a long-term investment instrument for both themselves and their families. 'Their investments should not depend on the market situation,' he said, adding that his office expected the number of mutual fund investors to reach 7 million by 2017. Currently, less than 1 percent of Indonesians invest in the stock market. As of January, the bourse had only 440,627 single investor identities (SID) invested in shares and 271,840 SID invested in mutual funds, according to Indonesian Central Securities Depository (KSEI) data. The bourse itself has several programs, including the ongoing 'Pesta Reksa Dana', as part of efforts to increase the number of individual investors in local equities by 200,000 this year. ------------------ 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 Prima Wirayani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, January 30, 2016 The Financial Services Authority (OJK) officially launched the long-awaited Global Master Repurchase Agreement (GMRA) Indonesia on Friday, aiming to standardize repurchase or repo transaction agreements. A repo transaction agreement is a securities sale-and-purchase contract with a pledge to repurchase or resell the securities at an agreed time and price. OJK commissioner for capital market supervision Nurhaida said on Friday that the rapid development of repo transactions, including problems in their implementation, had led the regulators to draw up the GMRA Indonesia, which set a basic requirement for the transaction agreements, back in 2010. The deliberation was carried out by the government with assistance from the Asian Development Bank. 'Various parties can accept GMRA as the deliberation takes into account local prevailing laws through the country's annex insertion,' she said during the launch at the Indonesia Stock Exchange building in South Jakarta. The GMRA Indonesia adopts standard GMRA provisions, issued by the International Capital Market Association (ICMA). The government, which included Bapepam-LK as the capital market regulator at the time, Bank Indonesia (BI) and the Finance Ministry's financing and risk management office (DJPPR), had adjusted provisions in the GMRA according to Indonesia's laws and repo parties' needs. Provisions in GMRA Indonesia include an obligation on the repo parties to incorporate compulsory articles about underlying securities, transfer-of-ownership, margin maintenance and default procedures into their transaction agreements. The obligation to apply GMRA Indonesia has been stipulated in OJK Regulation No. 9/2015, which states that the implementation will take effect on Jan. 1. Nurhaida said that currently her office had discussions about the possibility of issuing an accounting standard for repo transactions with the Financial Accounting Standard Board. The OJK also talked with the Finance Ministry about 'certain tax treatments' for repo transactions. 'Tax incentives will boost repo transactions,' she said. However, she declined to detail the proposed incentives. OJK chairman Muliaman D. Hadad said on Friday that the total annual volume of repo transactions during the period of 2011-2015 amounted to 150.2 trillion at the highest with a transaction value of Rp 136.8 trillion (US$9.97 billion). In the 2006-2011 period, the highest repo transaction volume was recorded at 42.6 trillion, worth Rp 35.78 trillion. BI senior deputy governor Mirza Adityaswara expressed hope that the interbank repo transaction value after GMRA Indonesia's implementation could be higher than the current approximately Rp 800 billion per day. 'The comparison is interbank money market transactions, whose value amounts to Rp 10 trillion daily,' he said, adding that lenders should have alternative funding sources other than deposits and could also place their liquidity excess among them instead of at the central bank. During the event, private lender BCA and state-run lenders Bank Mandiri, BNI and BRI also signed their repo transaction agreements, all of which apply GMRA Indonesia standards. BCA president director Jahja Setiaatmadja stated that GMRA Indonesia would make the repo transaction process more efficient. 'This [standardized agreement] means transactions can be quickly closed [by the parties]. No need to wait for a long time [to process the transactions],' he said. ------------------ To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Tama Salim (The Jakarta Post) Sat, January 30, 2016 With tensions receding and renewed commitment to reconciliation prevailing, politicians within the Golkar Party have called for the reinstating of former members dismissed amid internal conflict. Young Golkar politicians have called on party executives to restore the rights of their colleagues dismissed during the course of the internal dispute, allowing them to exercise their voting rights in an upcoming party conference. 'It goes without saying that everything must return to square one, including matters pertaining to the dismissal of party cadres,' said Ahmad Doli Kurnia, a member of Golkar's youth wing, on Friday. 'There must be some sort of rehabilitation for those who were fired, whether among the ranks of the central executive board or at the regional level.' Doli said the government's decision to reinstate the party's management roster from the 2009 Riau national congress implied that party members previously dismissed would regain their places in the management line-up. At least 18 Golkar politicians have been dismissed as a result of the prolonged infighting, which has been going on since the party turned in a disappointing performance at the 2014 legislative elections. Tensions flared after incumbent chairman Aburizal Bakrie threw his support behind former general Prabowo Subianto of the Gerindra Party in the presidential elections, resulting in the party's ouster from the ruling circle for the first time in its 50-year history. Among politicians dismissed from the party were Nusron Wahid, Agus Gumiwang and Poempida Hidayatulloh. Some of the politicians joined together to form a new management roster under chairman Agung Laksono, which was legitimized by a national congress in Ancol, Jakarta, in November 2014. 'The Ancol congress was initiated by members of Golkar regional branches who were dismissed. Their rights must be restored, and the decision to recognize the Riau congress will make it easier for us to bring together organizers and participants for the extraordinary congress [munaslub],' Doli said. Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna H. Laoly issued on Thursday a decree extending the term of the leadership roster that resulted from the 2009 Golkar national congress in Riau. The decree stipulates that the two camps within the party must settle their differences to organize another national congress within six months. Ace Hasan Syadzili, another young Golkar politician, said that the restoration of the rights of sacked members was in fact mandated by an internal party tribunal, formed to push for reconciliation by a transition team comprising 11 party elders. 'The tribunal has ruled that any decision on dismissing rival members must be overruled, and this has been further cemented by [the presence of the] Riau congress roster,' Ace said on Friday. Nusron Wahid, one of the politicians dismissed by Aburizal, demanded that his rights be restored given that the party had decided to pledge its support to the government of President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo. Nusron, who is now the head of the Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI), said he had not yet been updated on the prospect of his rights being restored. 'What's important is that Golkar is able to reconcile. But I am also grateful that the party has decided to support the government; since I was dismissed for supporting Jokowi and Kalla, surely the excuse of 'political dissidence' no longer holds any water?' Nusron told The Jakarta Post on Friday. Meanwhile, House of Representatives Speaker Ade Komaruddin said that an extraordinary congress to elect a new Golkar leadership would take place soon. 'I expect [the congress] to take place in April or May,' Ade said. ' JP/Tama Salim -------------------- 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 Sat, January 30, 2016 JAKARTA: The city administration is looking to relax regulation of boarding houses in an attempt to increase the city's tax income. Jakarta Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama said at City Hall on Friday that the city administration would help boarding-house owners who wanted to legalize their businesses. 'We will even allow them to change the zoning,' he said. In order to change the zoning, the city will propose a revision to the Detailed Spatial Planning Bylaw No. 01/2014 to the City Council. Ahok said, however, that the owners would have to pay taxes if they legalized their business. The Jakarta Tax Agency previously planned to collect data on boarding houses around the city. According to Bylaw No. 11/2010, which took effect on Jan. 1, 2011, a boarding house renting out more than 10 rooms is subject to a 10 percent hotel tax. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post South Tangerang Sat, January 30, 2016 South Tangerang: Following a failed robbery attempt in South Tangerang in the early hours of Friday, two men were beaten by their intended victims, with one of the alleged robbers dying of his injuries. According to South Tangerang Police spokesman Adj. Comr. Mansuri, the two male victims were heading home on a motorcycle after eating with a group of friends when the two alleged robbers, also riding a motorcycle, approached them. The victims, Mansuri said, were accompanied by four friends, who were ahead of them on two motorcycles. 'The victims were lagging behind so the suspects thought there were only two of them,' Mansuri said as quoted by tempo.co. 'The suspects approached the victims. One of the suspects kicked the victims' motorcycle to try and topple it, but the driver was able to maintain control.' One of the suspects then brandished a samurai sword at the driver, but the second victim snatched it from him, calling out 'begal!', or muggers, Mansuri went on. Upon hearing the cries, he said, the pair's four friends turned back. Meanwhile, one of the victims kicked the suspects' motorcycle, causing the driver to lose control and the vehicle to fall. The two alleged robbers were then severely beaten by the six men. One of them died at the scene, before the arrival of police officers, who took both suspects to the National Police Hospital in Kramat Jati, East Jakarta. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Sat, January 30, 2016 In addition to recruiting new agents, Sequis Life and FWD Life recently launched mobile applications to boost their new-premium income. Sequis Life president director Tatang Widjaja said the company's newest mobile app, 'Sequis Ez', for agents and revamped site 'Sequis Online' for customers were part of its efforts to increase gross premium income by 14 percent this year after increasing by 12 percent last year. '[The system] will assist us in managing and monitoring our agencies' performance, boosting operational efficiency and burnishing the firm's image especially to attract the younger generation as active tech users,' he said at the launch of the app and new site in Jakarta recently. Tatang said the firm spent between Rp 100 billion (US$7.2 billion) and Rp 150 billion each year to develop its IT system. 'Sequis Ez' can be downloaded by agents as a tool to display real-time forms and guidelines to help them promote unit-linked and traditional products and close deals with potential customers. The app captures physical documents and validates purchases. 'We now have 14,000 agents and are aspiring to recruit 2,000 more this year,' he said. 'Sequis Online', meanwhile, was the company's website from which customers could purchase traditional products with monthly premiums starting from as little as Rp 33,000, Tatang added. 'The site is part of our efforts to boost sales through micro customers. Only 2.51 percent of the country's 250 million people have purchased insurance products. It means there are more than 100 million potential customers. We want to get this bulk first before enlarging the figure,' he explained. The number of internet users in Indonesia jumped 20.5 percent in 2014 to 88.1 million people. The number of smartphone users is predicted to hit 103.6 million in 2017 from around 61.2 million in 2014. According to unaudited 2015 year-end financial report, Sequis Life booked total gross premium income of Rp 2.89 trillion, a 12 percent increase year-on-year (yoy). Total assets went up 1 percent to Rp 15.3 trillion and profits up 38 percent to Rp 735 billion. At the same time, it paid out claims worth Rp 136 billion and $432,650. The company has around 400,000 policy holders. It aims to see its gross premium income increase by 14 percent this year to more than Rp 3 trillion. According to the Indonesian Life Insurance Association (AAJI), the industry's total premium income rose by 16 percent to Rp 100.8 trillion as of September last year. Besides Sequis Life, other life insurance firms have also adopted digital sales as their business strategy. FWD Life, for example, has been using the FWD Life mobile app for its agents and customers to sell and buy products, since its first operation in 2014. The company recently launched another app, FWD Digital Agency for its agents to help them recruit other agents in a paperless and faster way. FWD Life vice president director Jens Reich said that with the app, the firm hoped to double its number of agents from 2,500 to 5,000 this year. It also expects to have 1 million policy holders by 2017 from 26,000 currently. Besides launching the app, the firm is also partnering with 62 Excelso Cafe branches to provide meeting points for various promotions for its agents and customers. (rbk) ------------------ 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 Denpasar Sat, January 30, 2016 DENPASAR: Australian Michael Allan Epstein, 55, was arrested on Friday by the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office for allegedly running an illegal chiropractic clinic. Immigration official Mohamad Soleh said Epstein was arrested as he was about to leave for Singapore. 'We suspect him of running a chiropractic practice in Bali, despite only having a tourist visa. We're still questioning him to develop the case,' Soleh said. He said Epstein had been arrested after refusing to answer a summons for questioning. 'If he's found guilty, we will deport him and blacklist him from ever entering Indonesia again,' Soleh said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jambi Sat, January 30, 2016 Jambi: Police have arrested two men for allegedly detonating a bomb in an effort to intimidate a debtor on Jl. Yusuf Nasri in Pasir Putih subdistrict, South Jambi. Jambi Police general crimes unit chief Sr. Comr. Irawan David Syah said the suspects had been arrested on Thursday night at a hotel in the city based on a written note left for the debtor, identified as US. 'We are still interrogating [the suspects],' David said on Friday, without naming the perpetrators. The police, he said, were still examining the materials used in the bomb, which were usually used to make firecrackers. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Sat, January 30, 2016 Jan. 28, 2016 House of Representatives Speaker Ade Komarudin and former House speaker Setya Novanto have been nominated as candidates to replace Aburizal Bakrie as Golkar Party chairman. The nominations were announced on Wednesday in Jakarta by Golkar deputy treasurer Bambang Soesatyo, a supporter of Aburizal. The move follows demands by the Aburizal camp for an extraordinary national congress. Your comments: I think Setya is a worthy successor, so to speak, to Aburizal. They share a number of traits. Foreign investors beware! Wandering Star 'The road to hell is paved with good intentions', I believe is how it goes, and it's ever so true. Mauricegold No big deal for Setya if he makes it, as it would only go down in history as his second-biggest scam. Bohongbohong What better crook to replace the crook! This further confirms that Golkar is not a political party for the interests of the Indonesian people, but a party of greed, lies, deceit and corruption. Willo1246 Remember, everyone, President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo did not get around to 'granting permission' for the Attorney General's Office (AGO) to investigate Setya, and so the summons issued by the AGO so far has been unenforceable. Now, if I remember correctly, this very same Golkar Party just announced in the last few days that it would from now on directly support Jokowi's government. Do you think, drum roll, that these two things could be linked ' a scot-free Setya and a boosted Jokowi? I'll tell you my guess! Alba2000 I would view that support very carefully. More than likely, for Golkar to leave the Red-and-White coalition, they have some trick up their sleeve. Be very cautious of this support. It isn't needed. Xsimaging A greedy, gold-loving person who thinks he's above the law with overly high self-esteem, even if the facts about his ability point to the contrary, aiming to stay in power and control an imbecile party of morons until he dies. They are unbelievable. Simba 1991 Setya? Do the people of this country have no self-respect at all? How can this even be mentioned without people tearing their mansions down brick by brick. It's not Setya who is at fault, but the people and the media. You deserve each other. Rustynail I thought that the House's ethics council already let him off the hook, and with the AGO, he did write some explanations and that should be that, then. No? This fella is untouchable, it seems. Gordon Freeman I can't believe he will get away again. It's sad, last information was they were still investigating, but the way it's dying down it sounds like they will say that the evidence (recording of this corruptor extorting Freeport) is inadmissible. Time for a glass of whiskey. I fervently hope that the AGO does indeed show brass and attacks Setya and prosecutes him. Also, an extremely harsh punishment should be leveled on him so that all corrupt criminals, big and small, realize that their actions are no longer tolerated. Deddy K Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Jon Afrizal (The Jakarta Post) Jambi Sat, January 30, 2016 The Jambi Health Agency is anticipating the possible spread of the Zika virus in the province in the wake of an outbreak of the disease in a number of Latin American countries, an official says. 'We have instructed all heads of regency and city health agencies to carry out prevention efforts,' Jambi Health Agency head Andi Pada told thejakartapost.com in Jambi on Saturday. The Zika virus had been detected in Jambi during an outbreak of dengue fever that hit the province from December 2014 to April 2015, said Eijkman Biological Molecular Institute deputy director Herawati Sudoyo as reported by kompas.com on Friday. Andi confirmed that the Eijkman Biological Molecular Institute had carried out research on those afflicted with dengue fever in the province from 2014 to 2015. After taking patients' blood samples, he said, the institute noticed that many of the samples were not infected by dengue fever virus, and carried out further research into the samples. It was subsequently realized that one of the samples was infected by the Zika virus. The main effort of the prevention efforts was to prevent the reproduction of Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes, which transmit dengue fever and the Zika virus to humans, Andi said. 'We're cooperating with schools to clean up the environment and eliminate the nests of the mosquitoes,' he explained. The Zika virus was first discovered in Africa in 1947, but until last year, when it was found in Brazil, it had never been a threat in the Western Hemisphere. The most common symptoms of Zika are fevers, rashes, joint pain and conjunctivitis. The illness is usually mild, with symptoms lasting for several days to a week, but there is mounting evidence from Brazil that infection in pregnant women is linked to abnormally small heads in their babies ' a birth defect called microcephaly. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, January 30, 2016 Jessica Kumala Wongso has been accused of the premeditated murder of her friend, Wayan Mirna Salihin. Mirna died shortly after drinking an iced-coffee at Olivier CafA in Central Jakarta on Jan. 6. Jessica now faces the possibility of the death penalty. Jessica was arrested at Neo Hotel in North Jakarta at 7:45 a.m. on Saturday after been named by the police a suspect in Mirna's murder. Jessica has also been banned from traveling overseas by the immigration office. The Jakarta Police general crimes division head Sr. Corm. Krishna Murti said the decision to arrest Jessica had been taken on Friday evening after police investigators conducted an internal case review to ensure that they had adequate evidence. Police officers came to Jessica's house on Friday night but found her house empty. Jessica was arrested the following morning. "We arrested her respectfully. There was no resistance from her. She was brought to the police station accompanied by her parents," Krishna said. The police are currently interrogating Jessica and they have 24 hours to make a decision whether or not to detain her. "She will now be interrogated as a suspect," Krishna added. Krishna said that when Jessica was earlier questioned as a witness, she did not give consistent information to the investigators and the information she gave was not in line with the facts that had already been collected by the police. She was charged under Article 340 of the Criminal Code on premeditated murder. Krishna called on Jessica to immediately appoint defense lawyers. "If she doesn't have a lawyer, the country will provide her with one. If she has a lawyer, we're waiting for her lawyer so that the interrogation can start," Krishna said. Krishna added that the police had collected four from a minimum of two pieces of evidence required to name Jessica a suspect. "We have information from about 20 witnesses and six experts," Krishna added. Based on a case reconstruction, it is thought that Mirna and Jessica were at a cafA together. Jessica came first and ordered a cocktail and an iced-coffee. Some minutes later, Mirna came to the cafA. Mirna drank the coffee and shortly thereafter suffered convulsions and began to foam at the mouth. She died on the way to the hospital. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Sat, January 30, 2016 The police have named Jessica Kumala Wongso a suspect in the murder of Wayan Mirna Salihin, who died soon after drinking cyanide-laced coffee at Olivier restaurant at Grand Indonesia, Central Jakarta, on Jan. 6. Jessica, who shared a table at the restaurant with Mirna and Hani on Jan. 6, was arrested by the police on Saturday at a hotel in North Jakarta. 'Jessica was arrested at 7 a.m. [on Saturday],' said Jakarta Police general crimes director Sr. Corm. Krishna Murti in Jakarta on Saturday, adding that it had been decided to declare Jessica a suspect on Friday night. Since the death of Mirna, the police focused their investigation on Jessica, searching her house and questioning her several times as well as her maid, who reportedly discarded the pants Jessica wore at the restaurant. The police also questioned Hani, a relative of Mirna, and employees of Olivier restaurant and held three reconstructions of Mirna's death at the restaurant. They also sought help from the Australian Federal Police to obtain information about Mirna's life in the country. Jessica visited the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) on Wednesday to file a report, saying she was being treated like a suspect by the police and the media. Before declaring Jessica a suspect, the police and prosecutors met on Friday to discuss the case. At the request of the police, the immigration office banned Jessica from traveling overseas. The police submitted a request for a travel ban on Jessica to the Directorate General of Immigration on Jan. 26, directorate spokesman Heru Santoso said on Friday. Krishna said police investigators went to Jessica's house on Friday night, but she was not there. 'We went to her house, but it was dark and quiet. We found her at a hotel in Mangga Dua, North Jakarta,' he said. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ina Parlina and Farida Susanty (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, January 30, 2016 The government will go ahead with its plan to develop the country's first high-speed railway despite lack of permits and opposition from lawmakers. President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo issued a regulation on Friday containing a list of about 200 strategic projects including the development of the high-speed rail. By including the rail project in the list, the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail will receive special backing and attention from the government. In the regulation, the President also instructed ministers and local leaders to issue the required licenses to ensure the projects could be carried out according to plan. The regulation, also mandates local legislative councils to support it and, if needed, to change their provincial spatial plans in order to ensure the projects are realized. Jokowi has expressed a strong commitment to the high-speed rail project. He recently wrote on his official Twitter account that the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail was 'a part of our big plan to connect the main cities in Java with those outside Java', adding that the train 'is the future of our mass transportation'. Speaking to reporters on Friday, the President stopped short of commenting on the controversies surrounding the rail project, but promised the government would soon disclose all information related to the project. 'Comprehensive details will later be disclosed, including the process, the meetings and the costs ['] everything,' Jokowi said on Friday, adding that the details would be issued next week. The railway, spanning 142.3 kilometers, has been estimated to require US$5.5 billion of investment, with the majority of the funds to be provided by China Development Bank. A joint venture called PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC), comprising four Indonesian state enterprises, including state railway firm PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI), and the China Railway Corporation, will manage the project. The government has pledged not to use the state budget to fund the project, planning to use a business-to-business scheme. Japan failed to secure the project as it could not offer a proposal under such a framework. It is targeted to begin construction early this year and be operational by 2019. However, project development has been on hold due to various problems despite the holding of the groundbreaking ceremony last week, officiated by Jokowi himself. The Transportation Ministry, for example, has yet to issue a construction permit and concession due to the lack of required documents. Environmental issues have created hurdles to obtaining a permit, while the concession is yet to be signed because the government has not yet agreed with the joint venture's demand to jointly guarantee the project. Obtaining a government guarantee for the project is another potential roadblock. The presidential regulation contains a stipulation for the government guarantee, however, the Transportation Ministry insisted that it would not sign the concession if the government was required to guarantee the project. The regulation issued by Jokowi on Friday also contradicts the previous Presidential Regulation No. 107/2015 on the acceleration of the high speed railway, in which it was stated that a government guarantee would not be provided. State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno repeated the government's commitment not to spend any taxpayer money on the project, despite the regulation stating otherwise. 'It says we 'can', it doesn't mean we should,' she said. Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro, made a similar statement, saying that the previous agreement stipulated that 'there should not be any state budget allocation', he said as quoted by kompas.com. However, KCIC president director acknowledged that the company demanded a 'political guarantee'. 'We want it to be stated in the concession. Similar to our position on loans, if something happens in the middle [of the construction], who will take the responsibility? Without it, the lenders won't agree on it,' he said. ---------------- To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ni Komang Erviani (The Jakarta Post) Denpasar Sat, January 30, 2016 Several weeks after a deadly brawl at the Kerobokan Penitentiary in Badung regency, Bali, hundreds of prison inmates have pledged their commitment to helping local authorities restore peace and security in the province's biggest correctional facility. The commitment, which was made in writing, was signed on Thursday by representatives of each of the prison's cellblocks and handed over to the prison management in a ceremony attended by the inmates and local officials. 'Members of the Kerobokan prison's big family are ready to get rid off cellular phones, illegal levies, drugs, violence, sharp weapons, alcohol, terrorism and conflict. We will obey the prison rules,' the statement read. During the ceremony, all participants, including inmates, prison guards and officials from the Law and Human Rights Ministry's Bali office, were also asked to write down their wishes for the prison on a piece of white fabric. An art and cultural show was held after the signing ceremony, with inmates displaying their skills in several performances, including a traditional kecak dance and music show. 'All inmates have agreed to integrate and no longer keep themselves in groups based on their affiliation to certain mass organizations,' head of the correctional division at the ministry's Bali office, Nyoman Putra Surya Atmaja, said. On Dec. 17, a clash involving members of two local mass organizations, Laskar Bali and Baladika, broke out in Kerobokan, leaving two inmates dead and two others injured. Several hours later, a further confrontation between members of the groups outside the prison on Jl. Teuku Umar in central Denpasar left another two people dead and three more injured. Shortly after the clash, Bali Police personnel conducted a series of raids in the prison, during which they discovered hundreds of weapons, including replica firearms, spears, swords and daggers. Several packages of crystal methamphetamine were also confiscated during the raids. Surya said the prison management had also made several attempts to prevent a similar incident from occurring inside the prison, such as by renovating the prison's Cempaka cell block, popularly called C block, that used to shelter inmates affiliated with Laskar Bali. The walls in the block, he said, had been repainted to cover the Laskar Bali logo drawn by former inmates. A small bunker at the block, where the police previously found several firearms, has also been sealed after the prison's management relocated all C block inmates to other prisons in Bali and Java following the brawl. 'The block will be used to house people detained by the police who are awaiting trial,' Surya said. To help other inmates move on from the division and violence, Surya said the prison's management had also decided to rename all the cellblocks with tourist destinations of the popular resort island, such as Candidasa, Taman Ayun and Kuta. Firly Man Yasya, a Kerobokan inmate, said he and many other inmates felt anxious about their safety after the brawl took place. He also expressed support to the commitment from the local authorities and other inmates to bring peace within the prison. 'I feel more relieved now,' he said. Located on a 4-hectare plot of land on the outskirts of the provincial capital of Denpasar, Kerobokan is currently home to 987 prisoners, including 62 foreign inmates of 22 nationalities. The provincial administration had earlier proposed relocating some Kerobokan inmates as the prison has far exceeded its official capacity of 323 inmates. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Sat, January 30, 2016 Technology innovations have been utilized to solve various life problems ranging from wealth to health and now patients may skip hours of waiting to see their doctor thanks to technology that manages appointments. One recent startup is Konsula.com founded by three Indonesian youths who came up with an idea to give patients the ability to search for doctors and make an appointment online. 'We now have more than 20,000 patients and partnerships with 960 general practitioners and specialists, as well as 414 clinics and hospitals, all in Jakarta and surrounding areas,' said Konsula.com co-founder and CEO Shinta Nurfauzia on Friday. The website, founded by Shinta, Ronald Wijaya and Johannes Ardiant, all in their 20s, was launched in August last year and has experienced a rapid rise in popularity since. Shinta said that the business catered to people from all levels of society as 'internet and smart-phones are now accessible for almost everyone, even the lower middle class'. To further implement the vision to give customers faster access to the nation's limited number of doctors ' only 160,000 for a population of 250 million ' Konsula aims to also offer its services in Surabaya, East Java; Bandung, West Java; and Bali this year. 'Many doctors in those areas have contacted us and expressed their interest,' Shinta said. Shinta said that in February the company planned to launch a mobile app version. Since 2012 many startups have offered similar services to Konsula, such as Meetdoctor.com, Spotdokter.com, Klikdokter.com, 1Health.id, Dokter.id, Alodokter.com, Tanyadok.com. Some even ventured into the online pharmacy market launching Prosehat.com. The medical tech startups have enjoyed business success as shown by investors pouring money into the health sector, which is a huge market in the country of 250 million people. Technology news site Tech in Asia reported in April last year that the health information portal Alodokter.com, for instance, had received seed funding from a group of global investors led by Fenox Venture Capital, with the participation of 500 Startups, Lim Der Shing, and Golden Gate Ventures. The amount was undisclosed. Early this year, local hospital management software startup Medico announced that it had closed a seed-funding round from venture capital firm East Ventures. Medico, still in the development stage, was co-founded by Grace Tahir, who is connected to the family-owned conglomerate Mayapada Group, who is also a co-founder of medical tech platform PilihDokter, which later became Dokter.id. Experts have said that tech start ups could be the next backbone of the national economy. Communications and Information Minister Rudiantara has created a roadmap that details the ministry's plan to see 1,000 tech startups by 2020. Two of those are targeted to be unicorn companies, or startups valued at more than US$1 billion, by 2016. Willson Cuaca, a managing partner at East Ventures said that the government's target as stated in the roadmap were feasible given that there was already more than 500 tech startups in Southeast Asia's largest economy. However, he said that new startups had to be aware that it was a high-risk market. 'They need to learn from the failures that their predecessors have made.' (rbk) ---------------- 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 Fedina S. Sundaryani and Ina Parlina (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, January 30, 2016 The Indonesian Military (TNI) will continue to play a supporting role to the National Police in the fight against terrorism even after the amendment of the Terrorism Law. TNI chief Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo denied on Friday speculation that the TNI would be given a bigger role in the fight against terrorism, especially in the arrest and detention of terrorists. Gatot said any changes made to the law would reinstate the role of the TNI to better support the police force. 'The TNI will provide whatever support the National Police requests. Civil order is under the National Police's jurisdiction,' he said on the sidelines of a closed-door meeting between the National Police and the TNI in South Jakarta. Gatot said the only time the TNI would be able to take over the fight against terrorism was when the government declared a military emergency. 'Only then will the TNI lead and the National Police assist,' he said. The TNI has been assisting the National Police in Operation Tinombala in Poso regency, Central Sulawesi, hunting members of the East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT) terrorist group led by Santoso. Around 1,500 Mobile Brigade (Brimob) officers have been deployed for the operation, which kicked off at the beginning of the month, and an almost equal number of TNI personnel have also been deployed to help pursue the radical group in mountainous terrain spanning up to 7,000 kilometers. The MIT, which is thought to have only around 45 members, has also pledged allegiance to the radical Islamic State (IS) movement in Syria and Iraq. The movement has also laid claim to a fatal attack around the Cakrawala building on Jl. Thamrin two weeks ago. Meanwhile, National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti praised the TNI for its assistance in the operation, especially because military personnel were more skilled in handling difficult terrain. He said that police personnel, including members of the National Police's Densus 88 counterterrorism unit, would incorporate more military style strategies to capture the most-wanted terrorist. '[Incorporating military strategies] is possible. We will have to see what happens on the field. We realize that the terrain there is challenging,' Badrodin said. He said that an order has also been given to allow TNI personnel involved in Operation Tinombala to arrest terror suspects if they are found on site. 'TNI [personnel] are allowed to make arrests, we have no problem with that because they are doing so in the name of the police force. Obviously it would be best if [terror suspects] were arrested by police personnel, but either or together is fine because we are all under one command,' Badrodin said. Operation Tinombala has gotten off to a promising start with the deployed personnel killing a MIT member on Jan. 15 in Gunung Taunca, Poso Pesisir. Densus 88 also arrested two suspected Poso terrorists in Belopa, Luwu in South Sulawesi. Both were transferred to Jakarta by plane on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo called on the TNI and the National Police to continue their cooperation. 'Furthermore, the connection between the TNI and the National Police is key. For example, during the terror attack in Thamrin the police force reacted quickly and the TNI contributed back up but did not act. If [the TNI] was needed then they could take action just as quickly since they were on site. That kind of cooperation is essential,' he said. 'So that any problem, especially related to terrorism and other security issues, can be resolved,' he said. ---------------- To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, January 30, 2016 The Supersemar Foundation, set up by former president Soeharto to provide scholarships for low-income students, has refused to pay a Rp 4.4 trillion (US$320 million) fine issued by the Supreme Court after it was found to have misused funds. The deadline for the fine payment was set for Friday, eight days after the South Jakarta District Court convened a meeting attended by representatives from the foundation and the Attorney General's Office (AGO) to discuss the penalty. The court has the authority to seize the foundation's assets if it fails to pay the fine on time. However, the Supersemar Foundation's lawyer, Denny Kailimang, insisted it could not pay the fine because it did not have the money. 'We do not have that much money. All the money we received from state-owned banks went straight to the scholarships given to students,' he told The Jakarta Post on Friday. Denny said that an audit conducted by the AGO in 1998 revealed that the foundation only controlled assets worth Rp 309 billion. 'We only have Rp 309 billion and if [the court] wants to confiscate that, fine. However, we do not have the [Rp 4.4 trillion] they are asking of us,' he said. The case dates back to 2008 when the AGO filed a lawsuit at the South Jakarta District Court accusing the Soeharto family and the foundation of misusing scholarship funds by diverting them to family-owned companies, including Bank Duta in 1990 and PT Sempati Air from 1989 to 1997. The South Jakarta District Court found the foundation guilty and ordered it to pay a penalty. The Supreme Court upheld the decision in 2010 and demanded that the foundation pay $315 million and Rp 139.2 billion, which together amounts to Rp 4.4 trillion in current valuations. However, an earlier decision by the lower court contained a typographical error, stating that the rupiah portion of the ordered payment should be only Rp 139.2 million, instead of Rp 139.2 billion. Members of the Soeharto family confirmed that the foundation had given up on trying to pay the fine. Siti 'Titiek' Hediati Hariyadi, Soeharto's daughter, said the foundation was currently strapped for cash. '[The foundation's funds] are insufficient. There simply isn't that sort of money,' she said. Titiek also denied that her family had siphoned off money meant for scholarships and maintained that the funds had been properly disbursed to approximately 2 million scholarship recipients, all from low-income families. Meanwhile, South Jakarta District Court spokesman I Made Sutrisna confirmed that the Supersemar Foundation had not paid the fine and said that since the deadline had passed, the court would wait for the asset calculation results from the AGO, which first filed the lawsuit. 'Since the deadline has passed, we are now waiting for data from the filer of the lawsuit to ascertain whether or not [the Supersemar Foundation] currently has any assets that can be used to pay the fine,' he told the Post. There was however, no deadline for the AGO to submit such data. 'There is no deadline for the submission, it is totally up to the lawsuit filer's initiative,' Made said, adding that the court could not lawfully confiscate any assets without the AGO's audit results. Separately, Attorney General HM Prasetyo said that the AGO was still calculating Supersemar's assets to determine if the foundation had the capacity to pay the fine. He said the AGO would submit the data to the court if requested. 'When [the data] is needed, we will submit it [to the court]. It is possible that we will send it [next week],' he said at the AGO headquarters in South Jakarta. ---------------- 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 Hans David Tampubolon (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, January 30, 2016 The Boy is a horror movie that has all the features to scare occasional horror moviegoers and teenagers but for seasoned fans of the genre it is likely to be a clichA-filled, easily forgettable experience. Creepy looking dolls have always been one of the most commonly used elements in horror movies. Some of these dolls have gained legendary status over the years, such as the Chucky doll from the Child's Play franchise, the vengeful and slashing doll from the Friday the 13th television serials back in the 1990s and recently The Conjuring introduced us to the sinister Annabelle doll. In The Boy, director William Brent Bell introduces us to the Brahms doll. The doll belongs to an elderly English couple ' the Heelshires (Jim Norton and Diana Hardcastle), who treat it as their own son, who shared the same name as the doll and according to his parents perished when he was eight during a fire that at their giant mansion. An American nanny, Greta (Lauren Cohan, whom we all know from The Walking Dead serials), who is escaping from her dark past and abusive boyfriend back in Montana, somehow manages to find her way to the United Kingdom and land a job at the Heelshire's mansion in the remote country side. At first, Greta thought that she would be taking care of a real eight-year old boy so she unintentionally makes a bad first impression with the Heelshires when she bursts into laughter after being introduced to their creepy looking porcelain doll, Brahms. Despite the bad first impression, the Heelshires agree to hire Greta as Brahms, the doll, tells them that it likes the new beautiful looking nanny. The Heelshires then leave on what they say is a long-delayed holiday and leave Greta with the doll alone in the daunting old English mansion. She is given a note of Brahms' daily schedule, which she is told she must heed or the doll will start acting out and throwing tantrums. Greta, as expected, does not comply with the note as she believes that the doll is only an instrument used by the elderly couple to cope with the death of their only son a long time ago. Strange things then begin to take place within the mansion: Objects suddenly move, the doll often changes position and trap doors suddenly open. With the help of Malcolm (Rupert Evans), a handsome delivery man who occasionally delivers daily food stocks to the Heelshires, Greta tries to make sense of everything that has been happening inside the house. Despite Greta's best efforts to make sense of the strange occurrences, the only conclusion that she can come to is that the doll is haunted and she must comply with the note to stop the disturbances. Malcolm, on the other hand, is not so sure it is that simple or that the spirit that possesses the doll, if there is one, is good or bad. Most of the scary scenes in The Boy take place within the mansion. To be fair, Bell manages to keep them exciting albeit unoriginal to be honest. The scenes involve typical horror movie scare tactics, such as dark shadows that fly across a mirror, among others. These might be able to frighten teenagers and people who rarely watch horror but they will not be anything new for hardcore fans of the genre. Meanwhile, the actors in The Boy deserve a thumbs up for their believable acting and ability to add colorful layers to their characters. Cohan manages to depict a hardened yet fragile female protagonist who tries her best to escape her dark past while at the same time making amends by taking on the important role of caring for Brahms as a way to redeem herself of a past mistake that cost her own unborn child. Evans provides an excellent character who will charm and entertain audiences with his occasional goofy yet sweet demeanor as he tries to gain Greta's attention and affection. His character in The Boy is completely different to his role in 2014 British horror The Canal and it is a delightful experience to see the other side of his acting repertoire. In conclusion, The Boy is not a bad horror movie but it is not great either. The final third act of the movie also heavily diminishes the scare value of the overall narrative. The Boy will be able to make your heart pound during scary scenes but it will not be frightening enough to give you the chills as you go through dark places several days after watching it. It is this that differentiates movies such as The Boy from the legendary horror classics, such as the original version of The Exorcist, which are able to haunt their audiences with the occasional nightmare decades after they have watched them. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Anggi M. Lubis (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, January 30, 2016 Major telecommunication tower operator Tower Bersama Infrastructure (TBI), is preparing up to Rp 2 trillion (US$145.72 million) of capital expenditure (capex) this year to build new towers. TBI president director Herman Setya Budi said on Friday that his company was looking to prepare the capex to help build between 1,500 and 2,000 towers before year-end. With the new towers, Herman added that his company was looking to see around 2,000 new tenants this year. 'We believe that business will be good this year. With telco operators actively expanding into the 4G network, we hope that there will be a significant increase in demand for towers that follows the network expansion.' Herman said. As of Sept. 30 2015, TBI had 19,643 tenants and 12,292 telecommunication sites comprising 11,291 telecommunication towers, according to the company's records. The capex figure, Herman said, was yet to include funds prepared to acquire cell phone operator XL Axiata's towers or other prospective non-organic growth. As previously reported, XL is offering around 2,500 towers in an open bidding to help the company cover some of its debts. Herman said that his company had submitted a proposal to join the bidding process, adding that the company is currently engaged in a non-disclosure agreement with XL that restrict the company to provide details about its involvement, including how much it will offer for the towers. 'We are planning to acquire all the towers offered. However that is all that we can disclose for now because we are in an agreement,' he said. XL Axiata finance director Mohamed Adlan bin Ahmad Tajudin previously said that the company expected to raise funds from selling its towers, citing the firm's previous tower auction. XL sold 3,500 towers to publicly listed tower company Solusi Tunas Pratama though a bidding process back in 2014 generating Rp 5.6 trillion, meaning that each of the towers was sold for around Rp 1.6 billion. Taking a line from the previous transaction, interested bidders may need to prepare around Rp 4 trillion for the towers this time. Herman said that his company would mostly rely on its internal funds to cover the costs of expansion requirements this year, adding that it will possibly resort to undrawn facility commitments if needed. TBI saw its revenues increase by only around 4 percent to Rp 2.54 trillion during the first nine month of last year, while its net profits slipped by 30 percent to Rp 796.35 billion due to rising costs. Its equities stood at Rp 2.96 trillion as of September last year and its liabilities were Rp 21.35 trillion. Last month, Moody's Investors Service announced that it had downgraded TBI's corporate family rating ' and the rating on the $300 million senior unsecured notes issued a wholly-owned subsidiary ' to Ba3 from Ba2, with a stable outlook. Moody's argued that the rated company's leverage, which significantly increased following its debt-funded acquisition of 2,500 towers from operator Indosat Ooredoo in 2012, had persistently remained above the rating agency's tolerance for the rating since that time. A shareholder returns policy ' which guided to dividends and/or share buybacks of Rp 1 trillion this year ' might also lead to TBI reporting lower retained cash flows and negative free cash flows over the next three years. 'Further downward pressure on the ratings could arise if the prevailing industry slowdown continues, the company faces challenges in renewing contracts or TBI makes significant debt-funded acquisitions, or materially increases shareholder payouts which lead to a deterioration in its financial metrics,' Moody's said in the statement. Nonetheless, it said, the stable rating was supported by TBI's leading position in a business that has a high degree of revenue transparency and predictability, with high quality cashflow stream from the country's 'Big 4' telecommunications operators in its tenant base, accounting 83 percent of TBI's total revenue for January-September 2015. The company also faces no major debt maturities until 2018. ------------------ 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 Jamey Keaten (The Jakarta Post) Geneva Sat, January 30, 2016 The UN human rights office says it has turned up six more cases of alleged sexual abuse against children by European troops in Central African Republic, including a 7-year-old girl who said she had to perform sexual acts on soldiers in exchange for water and cookies. A UN team recently interviewed five girls and a boy who claimed their abusers were part of French and European Union military operations in the troubled African country, the office of High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad al-Hussein said. The sexual abuse allegedly took place in 2014 in or near a camp for displaced people near M'Poko airport in CAR's capital, Bangui, but only came to light in recent weeks, the latest in a string of similar allegations. France, Central African Republic's former colonial ruler, deployed several thousand troops to the country in late 2013 as violence between Christians and Muslims sent thousands fleeing from their homes. An African Union mission that began in April 2014 was taken over by a UN peacekeeping force five months later, while the EU force ended an 11-month mission in March last year. At a news conference later Friday in New York, the UN announced new allegations against UN peacekeepers as well. Assistant Secretary-General Anthony Banbury came close to tears as he described four new child sex abuse cases in CAR involving UN troops and police from Bangladesh, Congo, Niger and Senegal. It was the first time the world body had publicly named countries whose UN troops are accused, as part of a new policy. Banbury also announced an allegation of sexual assault against a minor by a member of Morocco's military contingent serving with the earlier AU mission. For all of 2015, Banbury said, there are likely to be 69 confirmed allegations of sexual abuse or exploitation in the UN's 16 peacekeeping missions around the world, including 22 in CAR. That's up from 51 in 2014, when there were no reported cases in CAR, he said. Banbury said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will issue a report next month with details of all allegations from 2015, including the names of countries whose troops are accused. The information, including the status of investigations, will be regularly updated online, he said. "It's hard to imagine the outrage that people working for the United Nations in the causes of peace and security feel when these kinds of allegations come to light," Banbury said, his voice breaking. The UN is under pressure to act more quickly after an independent panel last month described the world body's "gross institutional failure" in handling similar allegations in CAR against French and other peacekeepers. The panel's report said the months-long delay in addressing children's accounts of abuse had led to even more reported assaults. The UN can report such allegations, but countries themselves are responsible for prosecuting their troops over such crimes. Many do not. The UN rights office said three of the girls said they believed their abusers were members of a Georgian contingent within a European Union force, and another girl was allegedly abused by a soldier from another European country that was not named because "additional corroboration is needed" in that case. UN staffers interviewed a 7-year-old girl and 9-year-old boy who said they had been abused by troops in the French "Sangaris" operation. The girl said she had performed "oral sex on French soldiers in exchange for a bottle of water and a sachet of cookies," the statement from Zeid's office said. A spokesman for Zeid's office said the 7-year-old was the youngest alleged victim so far in any of the CAR cases. The two children said other children were abused in a similar fashion in repeated incidents involving several French soldiers, according to the statement. France's UN Mission tweeted on Friday: "France remains very mobilized in fight against violence and #sexualabuses & against impunity for those responsible." The EU's foreign affairs service said the European Union was informed of the allegations on Jan. 19 and immediately offered assistance to the UN investigators. "The EU takes these allegations very seriously," said the statement. Georgia's Defense Ministry said it received the allegations "with great concern," adding that "it is our goal to investigate this matter in great detail and in case such grave crimes are proven, perpetrators of such crimes will be brought to justice." Rupert Colville, a spokesman for Zeid's office, estimated that troops from "something like 10" foreign military contingents in CAR have now been embroiled in sexual misconduct allegations. He said it was difficult to estimate how many individual soldiers might have been involved. "What is abundantly clear in the CAR is that it's been rampant," Colville told reporters. "What this does show is this is a problem with armies, with the military forces, and for whatever reason not enough is being done to stop this happening ' the message doesn't seem to have got through." He said he was unaware of any convictions so far in any of the cases that have been brought to light. Banbury said the UN was taking new steps to protect against sexual abuse, promote accountability and assist victims. Every single member of peacekeeping forces is now vetted, he said, and those involved in prior misconduct, human rights violations or serious crimes are not allowed to serve. Other changes include acting within 24 hours of an allegation to collect evidence, including using rape kits and specially trained investigators. The UN is also asking troop-contributing countries to conclude their investigations of allegations within six months and report results ' and "we now proactively suspend payments for personnel who are credibly accused of abuse," Banbury said. He also urged others to come forward with allegations, saying that people who don't report the information they receive are "complicit in the crime." (bbn) Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations, Cara Anna in New York and Raf Casert in Brussels contributed. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Batam Sat, January 30, 2016 The Indonesian Consulate General (KJRI) in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, is still identifying the bodies of 23 Indonesian migrant workers killed in a speed boat sinking, of which four have been identified and returned home on Friday. The National Police liaison officer at the Johor Bahru KJRI, Adj. Sr. Comr. Wino Sumarno, said that as of Friday, 23 Indonesian bodies had been found in Pantai Kelise waters, Sungai Tengah, Bandar Penawar Kota Tinggi, Johor, since the first body was found on Tuesday. Of the 23 bodies, 13 were men and the remaining 10 were women. Of them so far only four have been identified. The speed boat was carrying 35 Indonesians when it hit rough waters and sank in Malaysian waters. 'A male body was returned home on Thursday. Today, three female bodies will be repatriated,' Wino told The Jakarta Post via text message on Friday. He expressed hopes that all the bodies of the victims would be identified so that all could be sent home soon. The bodies would be buried in Malaysia if they could not be identified within 30 days, he added, as required by local regulations. Wino said most of the victims were from East Java, Central Java and Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara. Their bodies are being returned to Indonesia by airplane from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta before being handed over to their respective families. The three bodies sent home on Friday were identified as Murti of Surabaya, East Java, Siti Mayadi of Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara and Tasminah of Semarang, Central Java. The body sent back home on Thursday was identified as Agus Susanto of Central Java. Meanwhile, the Riau Islands (Kepri) Police have set up a post at the Batam Center international ferry seaport just a day after an Indonesian body was found stranded at Pantai Tanjung Kelisa, Mukim Timur, Bandar Penawar, south of Johor, Malaysia, on Tuesday. 'Kepri Police chief Brig. Gen. Sam Budigusdian promptly ordered the establishment of the post in case victims were found in Kepri waters,' Kepri Police's spokesperson Adj. Sr, Comr. Hartono said. He said 109 police personnel had been deployed for that purpose and that documentation and Health Ministry officers might be sent to Johor to help identify the victims. Hartono said the Kepri Police were ready to help Malaysia if they were needed, especially as the victims were Indonesians. He also said that the post would operate until the handling of all the victims from the speed boat incident were declared finished. The police had not began investigating how the speed boat was transporting suspected undocumented migrant workers from Batam to Johor bahru. Thirty-five people were on a speed boat that only had a 15 passenger capacity. Before reaching its destination, 3.5-meter-high waves hit the fiberglass boat and destroyed it, killing all the passengers on board. Batam has become a departure point for undocumented workers going to Malaysia. In June, last year, 15 workers who were deported by the Malaysian government, arrived at the International Batam Center port. The workers, who were employed mostly as housemaids, came from various regions across Indonesia, including North Sumatra, Java and Nusa Tenggara. Every year, the Malaysian government deports more than 100 undocumented workers via Batam. (front page) Poisoning of water in Flint reflects capitalists disdain for working class Water You Fighting For We knew something was wrong from the minute they pushed the button, said Claire McClinton, a resident of Flint, Michigan, in a phone interview. The retired General Motors worker and longtime union member was referring to April 25, 2014, when Democratic Mayor Dayne Walling switched the citys water supply to the Flint River. The water coming out of our faucets was discolored, it either smelled like a swimming pool with so much chlorine or like sewage, she said. Residents of this working-class city started bringing bottles of the water to City Council meetings. It looked like English tea, McClinton said, and all the while theyre telling us its safe to drink. The story of how the water was poisoned is an indictment of capitalism and ruling-class scorn toward the residents of this working-class city. Every level of government from the city to the governor to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was complicit. It made no difference whether the officials were Democrats or Republicans, Black or Caucasian. But its also the story of working people who refused to accept the lies. We were being dismissed and ridiculed and called names, LeeAnne Walters said by phone Jan. 24. We had no choice but to fight. Walters, a housewife and former medical assistant, was one of the first to learn there were high levels of lead in her homes water. One of her children was diagnosed with lead poisoning. Flint residents jammed City Council meetings, organized their own community forums and held street protests. Thats the best part of what happened, Walters said. It brought the community together, we put aside our differences and we joined forces. Flint has the highest official poverty rate of any city in Michigan. Its population is 55 percent African-American and 35 percent Caucasian. The crisis stems from the decision by Flint Emergency Manager Darnell Earley appointed by Republican Michigan Gov. Richard Snyder in 2013 to take over all financial powers of the local government to switch to Flint River water. He had the idea it would be cheaper than the pretreated water we had been getting from Detroit for 40 plus years, Rev. Alfred Harris, president of Concerned Pastors for Social Action, told the Militant. In October 2014, less than six months after the switch, General Motors said it would no longer use Flint water at its engine plant because it was causing corrosion. You dont need to be a rocket scientist to know if its not safe for engine parts, then it sure as hell isnt safe for human beings, McClinton said. In January 2015 the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality found high levels of a carcinogenic byproduct of chlorine used to disinfect the water. That same month the first tests showing dangerous levels of lead in the water became public. Yet three months later Mayor Walling was still tweeting, [My] family and I drink and use the Flint water everyday, at home, work, and schools. Researchers from Virginia Tech University spurred by a call from Walters tested water from 300 Flint homes. They announced the results in September: high lead levels in more than 25 percent of homes, as much as 13,200 parts per billion. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention anything above 15 parts per billion is a danger, especially to children and pregnant women. That same month, Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a pediatrician with Hurley Childrens Hospital, said tests had found that 4 percent of Flint children had dangerous levels of blood lead, double the numbers before the water switch and in some places triple. Some government officials still denied there was any danger. Michigan Department of Environmental Quality spokesperson Brad Wurfel told the Flint Journal that those publicizing the problem were fostering near-hysteria. Federal EPA officials said the lead was within safe levels. An internal EPA memo in June 2015 warned that high lead was a serious concern but the agency did nothing to alert the public. But the truth began to win out. Flint River water is 19 times more corrosive than Detroits Lake Huron treated water, yet Flint authorities did not add a simple corrosion inhibitor to the water. This would have prevented lead from leaching from decades-old pipes, for only $100 a day. The damage now is probably irreversible. The cost of replacing pipes could reach $1.5 billion. On Oct. 1, officials of Genesee County, where Flint is located, declared a public health emergency and urged residents to stop drinking the water, something many, if not most, had already done. In January this year, President Barack Obama declared a federal emergency in Flint but refused to make a disaster declaration, which would have meant more funds for the city. He has authorized $5 million for buying bottled water and lead filters and additional loans. The aid offered so far its not even a drop in the bucket, said Rev. Harris. Its a Band-Aid thats all it is. Flint residents are still forced to use bottled water and install lead filters. The city has jacked up water rates, some people are paying $150 a month or more for water they cant even use, Harris notes. We have won some victories, said McClinton. The latest is getting national attention. We were able to get them to go back to using Detroit water. But we need structural repairs. We need the Army Corp of Engineers. We need a special health facility to monitor, especially for our children because lead damage is irreversible. This fight is far from over, said Walters. Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home (front page) Is it in workers interests for the UK to remain in the EU? MANCHESTER, England The U.K.s Conservative Party government is committed to holding an in-out referendum on the countrys membership in the European Union, and wants to hold it this year. Recent polls say it is too close to call. Prime Minister David Camerons decision to hold the vote reflects how the pressure of the long and deepening capitalist economic crisis and growing discontent across class lines are fueling shifts and fissures in political parties here. This has been highlighted by the backing for the UK Independence Party, formed by splits from the Conservatives on issues of immigration and getting out of the EU; growth of the Scottish National Party; and the election of a left winger, Jeremy Corbyn, to lead the Labour Party. Whatever the outcome, the U.K. rulers role in the world will continue to decline, as will the accelerating crisis of the EU itself and sharpening disunity between member states. No prominent wing of the U.K.s capitalists favor breaking from the EU. The 28-country union is by far the UKs largest trading partner, the governments most recent report on trade says, with 45 percent of exports and 53 percent of imports. The EU regulates its 28-member nations with a raft of legislation and rules that have covered questions from human rights to working conditions to the curvature of imported bananas. Many smaller capitalists in the U.K. have been enraged at the high costs imposed by the EUs bureaucracy and regulations. The U.K. is one of nine members that have not adopted the euro as a common currency, and it isnt part of the Shengen area, where travel across borders has been officially passport free. The EUs founding treaty says it will evolve toward an ever closer union. But contradictions in the size and strength of the varied national states, exacerbated under the mounting capitalist crisis, have increased conflicts between nation states. Germany, the dominant country in the EU, has been the main beneficiary. The EU, whose origins lie in the world order imposed by Washington and its European allies after the second imperialist world war, is coming apart. In recent months these divisions and conflicts have accelerated in reaction to the new wave of immigration of refugees fleeing war and devastation in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East and northern Africa. Following the Islamic State terror attacks in Paris and New Years Eve anti-woman assaults in Cologne, Germany, and elsewhere, many by immigrants, European governments have reasserted their national sovereignty and reinforced their borders, in direct contradiction to EU rules. Effects of the economic crisis on working people, growing immigration, and bureaucratic meddling by EU officials in Brussels have deepened the crisis both between U.K. political parties and inside them. Under the pressure of recent elections, Prime Minister David Cameron committed to holding the referendum. He claims he is pushing EU leaders for a broad new settlement, a reformed EU, to better defend the interests of the United Kingdom. At the same time, he watered down his demands in order to increase the chance of agreement. His proposals include allowing the U.K. to opt out of the EUs goal of ever closer union, acceptance that the euro is not the only currency of the EU, and powers for national parliaments especially in London to veto certain EU legislation. Cameron calls for the right to deny social benefits for four years to EU workers who move to the U.K. which has drawn sharp opposition from authorities in Poland and other countries that provide the bulk of EU immigrants to the country. German Chancellor Angela Merkel wants the U.K. in the EU. Berlin is concerned about a British withdrawal accelerating the centrifugal tendencies tearing away at the union. Washington, a strong advocate of British membership from the beginning, also favors continued U.K. membership. The Brexit debate has exacerbated division within the Conservative Party. Some 100 Conservative Members of Parliament, nearly one-third, say they are leaning towards voting no. Cameron has released government members to campaign as they choose, but only after he secures a new deal with the EU. To win the vote to stay in the EU, Cameron depends on support from Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, the bulk of the trade union officialdom and the Scottish National Party. Corbyn and the union officialdom claim EU membership has protected workers rights and conditions in the U.K. But this doesnt square with the experiences of growing numbers of workers facing job cuts, zero-hours contracts, stagnant pay and worsening working conditions. As a result, workers are looking for a new road forward. Questioning EU membership is gaining a broader hearing. One beneficiary of the discontent among workers and the middle classes is UKIP, a populist party that gained 13 percent of the general election vote. UKIP leader Nigel Farage says breaking with the EU is the only way to control the countrys borders. He says the U.K. has become a groveling junior member of a German-dominated club. Workers around the country are considering what stance on the referendum will harm them less. What have we gained from the EU? Manchester meat factory worker Brian Oregio told the Militant. It seems its just for business. Unless I hear Britain will be better off out, then Ill vote to stay, said fellow worker Charles Kwalombota. Im for Europe, but theres too many rules and regulations, only some are good for workers, added Tyrone Sullivan. I think they need to restrain immigration too. At the moment I dont know how Ill vote. As the debate unfolds, the Communist League is running Jonathan Silberman for mayor of London. There is no class-neutral thing called Europe. The EU is a bosses club, Silberman tells workers as he campaigns at their doorsteps, political events and actions to back workers struggles. It was established to strengthen the propertied rulers against their capitalist rivals, against working people, and to bolster imperialist interests against the oppressed peoples of the semicolonial world. We urge workers to vote for an end to the U.K.s membership. Both the government-led yes campaign and the no campaign are nationalist and anti-worker, he says. They start from whats in the interests of Britain. Class-conscious workers start from whats in the interests of working people. The challenge facing workers is not to look to the capitalist rulers for protection be they inside or outside the EU, says the Communist League candidate, but to fight for independent political action and international working-class solidarity, to forge a labor party that can mobilize working people in a revolutionary struggle for a workers and farmers government. Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home (feature article) Prison labor is a window into workings of capitalism Cuban 5: In US prisons they aim to dehumanize you; in Cuba a prisoner is another human being RAMON LABANINO: To understand the American system of justice, you have to begin from the fact that its a system used by the US government to enable a powerful minority to control a vast majority who are poor and dispossessed. Almost 40 percent of the state and federal prison population in the US is African American, and more than 20 percent is Latino. In some states and some prisons the percentages are even higher. The whites in prison are poor, too. You may come across a rich person, a politician, here and there, people doing minimal time for white-collar crimes and with all the protection in the world. A person who is poor Black, Latino, Native American, white faces the enormous savagery of whats called American justice. It serves above all to sustain a system that has no solution for the poor, present or future. Its a way to separate them from society. Its a way to hold off a revolution, to keep the conditions for a genuine revolutionary struggle from emerging. In the United States, imprisonment is a way of dehumanizing a human being. Its a way of isolating you from society, including from your family. To make you feel alone. To make you feel depressed. To make you feel as if you have no one to turn to. ROGER CALERO: In the federal prison system, inmates are required to work, right? RAMON LABANINO: Thats correct. You have to have a job of some kind. I did all sorts of things. I started out as an orderly, doing cleanup jobs. I taught Spanish to English speakers. I was a janitor in the laundry room. I worked for a while cleaning and straightening up the recreation area. The better-paid jobs are with UNICOR. Thats the trade name for Federal Prison Industries, a government-owned corporation going all the way back to the 1930s. More than half of federal prisons have factories run by UNICOR. Inmates are paid from $0.23 to $1.15 an hour. Its a terrific deal for the government. A cheap workforce locked up in prison, with no right to organize, no health or safety protections. Nothing. Inmates in these factories make uniforms, clothing, shoes, office furniture, even military items and are paid a fraction of the federal minimum wage, which is $7.25 an hour right now. What a gold mine! Its all part of the US justice system. MARY-ALICE WATERS: And a window onto the workings of capitalism! You had experience with that kind of class exploitation before your arrests too. Rene [Gonzalez] worked jobs in construction and on road repair crews. Antonio worked in a restaurant kitchen, then at a Days Inn, later digging ditches, and finally through a temp agency as a janitor at the Boca Chica Naval Air Station in Key West. Weve read about that last job, since prosecutors used it as evidence in their espionage conspiracy frame-up. RAMON LABANINO: In Tampa, when I first arrived in the US in 1992, I delivered newspapers door-to-door and sold shoes for a mail-order business. When I was assigned to move to Miami in 1996, I ended up driving a van delivering medicine and other merchandise to pharmacies. That was the most steady job I had. ROGER CALERO: What about the jobs you and others had in prison. How many hours a day did you work? RAMON LABANINO: You normally work from eight to five. But often theres overtime. During the war against Iraq, for example, there were a lot of orders for clothing and boots. The factory at the Beaumont penitentiary in Texas worked practically around the clock. FERNANDO GONZALEZ: At the federal prison in Oxford, Wisconsin, where I spent five and a half years, the factory assembled electronic components and systems for rockets, fighter jets, and tanks. ANTONIO GUERRERO: You have to have a job, but sometimes its hard to find work and you have to wait for someone to leave. In prison you never take a job somebody else already has. And we never took the jobs that paid a little better, since they were a source of income for other inmates and a source of conflict for that very reason. Like jobs in the kitchen, where people stole things. In the penitentiary at Florence, Colorado, where I spent eight and a half years, they needed someone to give classes in math and in English as a second language, so I did that. Later, I worked as a teacher at Marianna, because some inmates asked me for help in passing the tests given in Spanish to get their GED [General Educational Development] certificates, the equivalent of a high school diploma. I wasnt working for the prison then. I did it for those individuals, who together paid me $15 a month. More Latino students got their GEDs with the help of the course I taught than during practically the entire history of Marianna. MARY-ALICE WATERS: US prisons are organized to exact retribution. To punish. They try to destroy a persons dignity and sense of worth. FERNANDO GONZALEZ: Thats exactly right. GERARDO HERNANDEZ: The road to rehabilitation does not exist in the US prison system. RAMON LABANINO: What happens when you enter the prison system? The first thing they do is to isolate you from society, from your family. Id say most people in federal prison lose contact with their families within a few months. Most families dont have the economic resources to support someone in prison. There are families that overcome these obstacles, of course, but many others cant. With no family support, no money beyond the pittance you make in prison, you become more and more isolated. You become institutionalized, as they say. You made a mistake in life, or at least thats what they convicted you of, but now youve got no choice but to take on the rhythm of the prison. The prison becomes your world. Related articles: Australian literacy program based on Cuban example Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home Evidence shows sea gypsy land claims legit, developer's land titles issued unlawfully: DSI PHUKET: A senior official from the Department of Special Investigations (DSI) has insisted once again that land title documents presented by developers to claim disputed land in Rawai were not issued lawfully, and that sea gypsies claims to the land are legitimate. landcrimeagriculturemilitary By Eakkapop Thongtub Saturday 30 January 2016, 08:29AM Pol Lt Col Prawut Wongseenin, chief of the DSI's Bureau of Consumer Protection and Environment Crime, reiterated his offices stance on the dispute at a press conference yesterday (Jan 29) held at the Channel 11 TV station in Phuket. The DSI in July and October of 2014 had previously cited DNA and aerial photography evidence to legitimize sea gypsies claims to the disputed land (stories here and here). However, since then developers had continued to pick a bone with sea gypsies over the land, the dispute returning abruptly to the public eye again when clashes erupted between the two factions this past week, prompting intervention from the local military and government. It has been estimated that the sea gypsies involved in ongoing eviction disputes number about 2,000 residents in 300 households. Developers are looking to develop villas on plots of land which carry three Chanote land titles, previously upgraded from SorKor 1 titles. Pol Lt Col Prawut yesterday (Jan 29) reiterated that evidence showed that three land title deeds had been illegally issued in the area where sea gypsies had lived for generations. The land rights documents had been issued over 60 years ago but sea gypsies had lost legal disputes over the land because they did not have official evidence and did not know how to acquire it, he said. Even the DSI had to seek help from experts in many fields, he added. The dispute escalated this past week with clashes between the sea gypsies and workers attempting to clear the site for a property development. Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon on Friday ordered the army to step in to maintain order. Pol Lt Col Prawut said that sea gypsies had lived in the area for a century and the bones of their ancestors buried there were evidence because the people traditionally buried bodies near their houses. He sought a court order to assign archaeologists from the Fine Arts Department to examine the bones. Another important piece of evidence comes from the Wat Sawang Arom School, where he pointed out that ten sea gypsies who had studied there and who bear surnames bestowed by HRH the late Princess Mother are still alive, Pol Lt Col Prawut said. Moreover, he pointed out that one of the Chanode titles was fraudently issued on the basis of boats being anchored in the same place over decades and coconut trees being planted no less than 30 years ago; however, based on aerial photography, said coconut trees had been there no less than 10 years and thus said claim was fraudelent. "I believe that what we have found for sea gypsies to present to the court will help them reclaim their rights," he said. The DSI had similarly helped sea gypsies in other areas including Phang Nga province, as well as Lipe and Phi Phi islands, Pol Lt Col Prawut said. Baron World Trade Co, claiming to have legally obtained the land's title deeds, is developing villas on the plot. Construction work started on Tuesday, leading to a protest and eventually a confrontation and attacks on sea gypsies on Wednesday. Negotiations are now planned at the site and representatives of the National Human Rights Commission will visit the area next Tuesday. Additional reporting from The Bangkok Post (story here) Healthy, delicious snacking with Siam Dry Fruit With so many fitnessminded people living in and visiting Phuket, healthy, delicious snacks are in high demand and have become a must for those looking to stay slim and in shape. Not to mention, all the kids growing up here, and who are constantly bombarded with artificially-sweetened and processed junk food young and old, we all could use more healthy snack choices. By The Phuket News Saturday 30 January 2016, 04:32PM The dried fruits have a long shelf life. Photo: Tanyalak Sakoot As health becomes an increasingly important factor in the Phuket lifestyle, there are new options popping up all the time for all the health-conscious folks on the island. One such option is Siam Dry Fruit, which as its name suggests, offers scrumptious dried fruit snacks. Founded by Suratchavadee Da Getsuwan in 2014, the companys Honorary President is well-known Australian stuntman, Ian Jamieson, the man who about 25 years ago first brought bungee jumping to our island. Headquartered in Phuket, Siam Dry Fruit is already exporting its delicious Thai products as far as the UK, US, Netherlands and Hong Kong, among other countries, in addition to supplying local five star hotels like Ayara Kamala Resort and Spa, which includes the healthy and delicious items in its minibar and boutique menus. Once sealed, the tasteful snacks are good to eat for up to three months. Healthy snackers can choose from a variety of dry and raw fruits, including papaya, banana, dragon fruit, mango, coconut or pineapple. The biggest seller is the Siam Dry Fruit Mix, which includes chips of raw dry mango, pineapple, papaya, banana and dragon fruit. All of the fruits are hand-picked fresh from the farm and then dehydrated through the Siam Dry Fruit process. The result is delicious healthy snacks that retain all of their nutritional value! Ian Jamieson remarked, Siam Dry Fruit has created a chain-reaction product range. It is in demand by health conscious people like me! Its the perfect gift for friends and family who are looking for a nutritional snack that is delicious, easy to eat, and it certainly helps keep you energetic and in shape for the next training session! Freddy Nour of CCA Europe group agrees with this endorsement. As a customer of Siam Dry Fruit, I like the idea of making dry fruits without sugar or preservatives! Now Ive replaced all my sugar desserts with these raw, dry fruit chips! They are so sweet and full of vitamins and minerals. Siam Dry Fruit has found a great way to keep its customers happy and healthy at the same time. For more information, contact Khun Suratchavadee Getsuwan, by calling 089 936 0896, or emailing siamdryfruit@gmail.com Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/Siamdryfruit TAT takes bold steps to target quality tourism PHUKET: Thailand will pursue an ambitious target to grow tourism revenue to B2.41 trillion, extend travel connectivity to neighbouring countries and take its high-flying travel show, TTM+ 2016, to North Thailand for the first time. tourismeconomicsChineseRussian By TTR Weekly Saturday 30 January 2016, 09:00AM The TAT will rely less on tourist arrival target figures this year as it begins its hunt for the elusive quality tourist. Photo: Tanyaluk Sakoot Addressing a media briefing at the Asean Tourism Forum last Friday (Jan 22), Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Dr Yuthasak Supasorn outlined an ambitious strategy to expand tourism revenue, while promoting options that combine Thailands top destinations with travel opportunities in neighbouring countries. He also announced that TAT would host its premier travel trade show, Thailand Travel Mart Plus 2016, in the northern city of Chiang Mai and open the event to Asean members in support of the Asean Economic Community. Up until this year the countrys flagship trade event has been held in Bangkok. The governors strategy touches on strengthening niche tourism particularly the weddings and honeymoon market in Asia and green tourism to a global audience. Achieving a quality, balanced tourism experience was a core theme in his presentation to ATF media. This year we will focus less on visitor arrivals and more on achieving quality tourism targets, he explained. Our strategy for international markets will position the kingdom as a quality leisure destination through Thainess. He defined quality as measured by visitor expenditure, average length of stay and the overall delivery of a valuable visitor experience. Compared with 2015, when the country earned B2.23 trillion in tourism (B1.44 trillion international tourism and 790 billion domestic), this year TAT is forecasting tourism revenue of B2.41 trillion with B1.56 trillion earned from international tourism and 850 billion from the domestic market. According to preliminary figures from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Thailand attracted 29.88 million tourists in 2015, up 20 per cent on 2014. To refresh the countrys travel options in global markets, the TAT governor presented a strategy to work with neighbouring countries to promote Two Countries One Destination packages. We will emphasise connectivity with Myanmar, Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam, he said. Overland trips will be promoted under the tagline Crossing 2 Checkpoints, Travelling in 2 Countries by initially combining historical attractions in both Thailand and Cambodia. The initiative identifies attractions such as Phanom Rung Historical Park in Buri Ram, Village of Elephants and Ban Tha Sawang Silk-weaving Village in Surin, Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Bantay Srei/Bayon and Ta Phrom, Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaeo, Pha Mo E Dang in Si Sa Ket province. The tour has been designed in a way that allows visitors to fully use new cross-border highways and international border checkpoints, the governor explained. Supporting overland travel initiatives, TAT recently sponsored a Mega Caravan to Asean that introduced media and travel trade representatives from Asia to the world of road travel that links Thailand, Lao PDR, Vietnam to Cambodia. On the introduction of the ASEAN Economic Community, earlier this month, Dr Yuthasak noted it would help to promote travel throughout the region, improve accessibility via highways and low-cost airlines and enable tour operators to introduce their clients to new destinations in ASEAN. Dr Yuthasak stressed the importance of the up-coming Thailand Travel Mart Plus, or TTM+ 2016, due to be hosted in Chiang Mai. The mart will position the city as a tourism hub for North Thailand and the border regions of Myanmar and Lao PDR. Themed Smile with Us TTM+ 2016 will be held June 8-10, at the Chiang Mai International Exhibition and Convention Centre. Registration for buyers and sellers is now open. For details, visit ThailandTravelMartPlus.com. Thailand has a strong presence at this years ATF with 69 Thai exhibitors, 15 with the TAT and 54 independently, exhibiting at TRAVEX, the ATFs travel mart component. Two Thai tuna vessels in violation of IUU fishing apprehended by Navy off Phuket PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy Area Three Command has apprehended two illegal Thai fishing vessels off Phuket, whose captains failed to comply with new tracking protocol aimed at curbing illegal, unreported and unregistered (IUU) fishing. marinemilitaryeconomics By Eakkapop Thongtub Saturday 30 January 2016, 08:40PM The RTN promptly pursued the two tuna fishing boats today (January 30) after their respective captains failed to comply with Port-In,Port-Out (PIPO) reporting protocol as stipulated by the the new Vessel Monitoring System (VMS). The VMS tracking and reporting requirements are part of the Thai governments latest efforts to crack down on IUU fishing practices, which has tainted Thailand's human trafficking and seafood export market record. The two vessels, which failed to report to one of Phukets six PIPO centres, were named as Mook Andaman 018 and Mook Andaman 028, and were initially tracked to a spot about 700 nautical miles from Phuket, before their signals were lost, prompting the Royal Thai Navy to send out sea and air patrols. The two ships were finally located about 75 nautical miles west of Phuket, where they were apprehended and escorted back to the Phuket Deep Sea Port, arriving by 6pm. The crew is being detained and the investigation is ongoing, whereas the captain and vessel owner(s) will likely be charged for failing to comply with said regulations. The RTN will continue to conduct sea and air patrols to monitor various Thai international vessels off Thailands southwest coast. In related news, the RTN Area 3 Command has deployed the HTMS Saiburi, a guided missile frigate based in Phang Nga, to theIndian city of Visakhapatnam for the International Fleet Review 2016 navy event to be held from February 4-8. Among the officers attending on behalf of the RTN include Admiral Montri Senatikarn. UPDATE: The captains and crew of the two vessels have been identified as follows: Mook Andaman's 018's 28 crew comprised 2 Chinese nationals, 17 Filipinos, six Indonesians and three Vietnamese. Mook Andaman 028's 27 crewmembers comprised three Chinese, 16 Filipinos, three Indonesians, two Vietnamese, two Myanmar and one Vanuatu national. The Captain of Mook Andaman 028 has been named as Zhou Feng, and Zhuang tian Zhong named as the engineer. The Captain of Mook Andaman 018 was named as Huang de Tian and Liu guo giang as the engineer. Watertown to host state Cheer & Dance: Here's what you need to know sports Its hard to imagine a sorrier corporate saga than U.S. Steels disastrous foray into Canada. I refer, of course, to the 2007 takeover of Stelco, just one of a spree of foreign takeovers that substantially contributed to a diminishment of Ontarios profile on the world economic stage. (Think Falconbridge, Inco, Rio Algom.) At the height of the foreign takeover mania, the federal government of the day offered repeated assurances that the Investment Canada Act provided all the protections necessary to ensure such transactions would be of net benefit to Canada. In remaking Stelco into U.S. Steel Canada Inc., the Pittsburgh parent committed to a number of binding undertakings, 31 in all. Chief among them were production levels (an increase in annual steel production to at least 4.3 million tons a year) and employment (no fewer than 3,950 full-time employees). Seven years later, in September, 2014, the Canadian operation was granted protection under the Companies Creditors Arrangement Act, which is still winding its way through the courts. So that pretty much tells you that events did not unfold as planned. What happened in the intervening years and what is expected to be ruled upon soon by Ontario Superior Court Justice Herman Wilton-Siegel is a singular case of secrecy involving the previous federal government, the current federal government and the U.S. corporate parent. On the losing end: the public interest. Critics say U.S. Steel never did live up to its binding commitments. Indisputably, layoffs commenced in 2008 and steel production was significantly reduced (less than half by one estimate). The federal government, at least then, did not turn a blind eye. Industry Minister Christian Paradis sued the mighty steel company in 2009 for non-compliance, additionally seeking a $10,000 penalty for each day of the breach. Never before or since has the federal government sued for noncompliance under the Investment Canada Act. This was groundbreaking. A test case. The American companys position will not surprise you: the financial crisis of 2008 had drastically recalibrated demand projections. That, and preferential Buy America guidelines, disadvantaged Canadian-based operations. U.S. Steels performance to date has been substantially consistent with the original expectations of the parties and it has met every specific performance objective for which it can be held accountable, it stated in court filings. It could not be held accountable, it asserted, for factors beyond its control. This is where the story grows curioser: while the federal governments case appeared to be successfully winding its way through federal court the Supreme Court denied the U.S. parents appeal motion in November, 2011 Paradis announced a surprise out-of-court settlement in December of that year. The terms of that settlement were not disclosed beyond top-line promises to keep the Hamilton and Nanticoke plants operating to at least 2015 and to make a capital investment in operations of $50 million. (There was also the small consolation of $3 million to be invested in unnamed local community and educational initiatives.) No details were forthcoming about either production or employment levels, two factors that were central to Investment Canada giving the green light to the takeover in the first place. At the time, Paradis trumpeted the deal and the positive benefits that in all likelihood would not have been obtained through the court process. Opposition MPs and union leaders complained that the lack of detail on the commitments was a glaring omission and that the short lease on operational life provided little comfort. In fewer than three years, U.S. Steel Canada was headed for bankruptcy protection. This past week, in a Toronto courtroom, Justice Wilton-Siegel presided over a key element in the restructuring proceedings: whether an infusion of funds from the American parent to the Canadian operation should be characterized as a loan or an infusion of equity. His decision on the matter will have serious implications for pensioners, and will be the subject of a future column. In the meantime, the Ontario Court of Appeal has ruled that the secret settlement deal, which the Trudeau government argued in November should be kept under wraps, is not protected from disclosure under the Investment Canada Act. That issue has now landed back in Wilton-Siegels lap. The legal community watches with keen interest. Jeffrey Kaufman at Kaufman Law, who had intervener status when at a previous firm, rejects the notion held by some that disclosing the agreement could chill future foreign investment. I think the public and investors would want to know, well, what kind of deal can you make with the Government of Canada when things arent going well? jenwells@thestar.ca SHARE: Art doesnt have to explain itself. Or defend itself. Or convince that its art in the eyes beholder. It can be self-expression. It can be commentary. It can reflect the world or give meaning to the universe. Or defy comprehension. By any definition, Palestinian Roots is artwork. Maybe bad art, but thats subjective. Certainly the painting, which depicts a male figure wearing a keffiyeh emblazoned with the map of a borderless Israel and holding two stones behind his back as he gazes upon what is presumably a Jewish settlement under construction, is provocative. That, too, is often a function of art to make the viewer angry, feel something. What Paul Bronfman felt, when he finally became aware of the piece which has been hanging in the student centre at York University since 2013, was outrage. Sufficiently incensed at the ham-fisted subtext of the mural Bronfman describes it as anti-Israel, and its hard to disagree that hes pulled the plug on his companys philanthropic support for the universitys Cinema and Media Arts program. Thus, students who had been the beneficiaries of movie and theatrical production equipment made available through William F. White International Inc., of which Bronfman is CEO, get stiffed through no fault of their own, over a piece of artwork with which they have no connection. Bronfman, whos on the board of directors of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies, wants the offending piece to come down, though the student centre is its own legal entity and Yorks administration cant impose any such directive. Though I suspect York U wouldnt, even if it could. The bottom line is that no donor should be permitted to bully an academic institution into submission. That said, Bronfman is completely entitled to withdraw his largesse, however illogical and tenuous the connection between Palestinian Roots and film students. Bronfman told the National Post of the painting: Thats not artistry, its just pure hate. Art, of course, can be hateful. This artist, business student Ahmad Al Abid, has described his rendering as depicting a man fluttered with conflicting emotions, implications and potential consequences of action With each of these factors pulling him towards a different route of discourse, we find him calculating the next move. We dont know if hell fling those stones. In real life, countless Palestinians have and far, far worse. Thats the other subtext to the controversy, and York officials have disingenuously avoided speaking to the bigger picture. York, along with Concordia University, has some of the most ardent anti-Israel activists on any Canadian campus, with a muscular Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement the push for economic and academic sanctions against Israel until (among other demands) it withdraws from land seized during the 1967 Six Day War and an unbridled Students Against Israeli Apartheid chapter. Its student newspaper, Excalibur, once ran an op-ed column that justified the 2008 massacre at the Mercaz Harav yeshiva in Jerusalem the lone Palestinian gunman killed eight students and wounded 11 others. The articles author argued that the victims would grow up to serve in the Israel Defense Force, which the op-ed asserts is committing a Holocaust and desires an Israel from the Euphrates to the Nile, monstrous hyperbole that appropriated the language of historical Jewish suffering. During Multicultural Week, the Israeli flag was vandalized with red paint. An incoming student union president posted online an image of the Jewish star with instructions to smash Zionism. There was the notorious 2009 incident where members of Hasbara, a pro-Israel group at York were forced to take refuge in the schools Hillel office (formerly known as the Jewish Student Federation), with protesters banging on the door and yelling anti-Semitic slogans. Die, Jew, get the hell off campus! as quoted in one news story. Just last month a pre-Hanukkah celebration sponsored by the Hillel chapter was interrupted by an anti-Israel student demonstration. Both Hillel and Students Against Israeli Apartheid had scheduled events for the same day, not too distant from each other, though Hillel said they were not informed of what was advertised as a silent protest for divestment until mere hours before their Hanukkah gathering. Jewish students at York have complained for years about feeling threatened and harassed on campus, subjected to increasing hostility. York and the University of Western Ontario, according to a ranking last year by Hillel International, have the largest number of Jewish undergraduates in Canada. Some historical perspective would be useful here. York University was built in a part of the city that was then heavily Jewish and drew many of its students from that population. The school traditionally respected the High Holidays by understanding that many of those students would be absent on those days and scheduling academic work around that calendar, though certainly classes continued. Demographics and dynamics have changed. But tolerance shouldnt. Jewish students may well feel intimidated, even menaced, by Palestinian Roots. I suspect that un-subliminal anti-Israel message is why the painting was given prominence in the student centre in the first place. Its political impulse via art. But that, too, is a core quality of the university experience voices raised, however raucous, close-minded and bullying the cause; the antithesis of respectful dialogue and disagreement. If you cant be a sanctimonious idiot in your university years, then when? Paul Bronfman is far past his idiot years. He should know better. Rosie DiManno usually appears Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. SHARE: GENEVAFor the third time in four years, world powers and the United Nations have persuaded some of the warring parties in Syria to come to Switzerland, sit around well-appointed rooms with views of the Alps, and figure out a way to stop the killings. And for the third time in as many years, those parties cannot even agree on what to talk about, let alone work toward a political solution to the five-year war. On Friday, the Syrian government delegation arrived for what passed as the start of a third round of negotiations with the UN mediator, even as its forces carried out fresh airstrikes against its rivals and refused to lift its siege on 15 rebel-held towns. The delegation filed out of the meeting room after two hours of talks with the UN special envoy, Staffan de Mistura, without making any statement or responding to questions. Representatives of the opposition had refused to come to Geneva until the besieged towns are given a reprieve and bombings of civilians are halted. Still, members of the High Negotiations Committee, a Saudi-backed umbrella group of opposition parties, felt compelled to fly to Geneva not to negotiate, but to talk to the news media and press their humanitarian case to them and to the United Nations. Representatives of the committee were busy trying to book conference rooms at the Intercontinental Hotel here for briefings with reporters. In the plaza outside the gates of the UN complex, opposition supporters held aloft Syrian flags and banners venting their frustrations. UN Stop Talking and Start Acting, one banner read. Earlier in the day, a group of civil society activists, including Syrians who had fled to Switzerland as refugees since the last round of failed talks two years ago, served bowls of siege soup, a wan recipe of salted water with herbs and bits of grass, which is what people in besieged Syrian towns much like Madaya are eating in an attempt to stave off starvation. The activists dressed up as the world leaders they blame for their misery, donning masks of the presidents of the United States and Russia; the Russian foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov; UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; and, of course, their chief nemesis, President Bashar Assad of Syria. The activists masks showed beaming smiles. Laughing at the suffering of the Syrian people, is how Wael Mashati, a refugee from Idlib dressed as Lavrov, put it. Were here to remind people that there are one million people being starved in Syria, and that war crime shouldnt be used as a negotiating tactic by the Assad regime, said Salma Kahale, a Syrian activist who works with the group Planet Syria. Kahale said many Syrian civil society groups supported the opposition bloc for refusing to come to the negotiations unless steps to relieve the suffering of civilians were taken first. Its not that we dont want negotiations, but we want them to succeed, she said. The last round of peace talks in January 2014 ended because the government delegation, led then as it is now by the countrys ambassador to the United Nations, Bashar al-Jaafari, did little but denounce the opposition delegation. The death toll in the war in Syria has doubled since then, reaching at least 250,000. Through those talks and since then the Syrian government has dropped barrel bombs on rebel-held towns, carried out chemical attacks and systematically starved civilians. Rebel groups have lobbed rockets into civilian neighbourhoods and besieged a handful of government-held towns. A legally binding Security Council resolution, which included a call to halt indiscriminate attacks on civilians and a lifting of sieges, has been flouted. Syrians have fled by the tens of thousands, and an increasing number of them have died while trying to cross the Aegean Sea since the beginning of this year, the International Organization for Migration reported Friday. Deaths on this route are increasing at an alarming rate, the spokesman for the agency, Joel Millman, said. The world powers pressing on different sides of the conflict have shown half-hearted interest in negotiations. Russia said in a statement it hoped the talks would yield a political settlement, even as it intensified airstrikes intended to fortify its ally, Assad, on the battlefield. Iran, which supplies a steady stream of fighters, openly denounced the members of the opposition team as terrorists. The oppositions most influential backers, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, have demonstrated little appetite for negotiations. The Obama administration has vigorously urged the opposition to attend, with officials saying that the alternative more war is even less palatable than a potential compromise with the Assad government. As the opposition delegation was en route to Geneva, with some of the entourage posting photographs on Facebook from their flight over the snow-capped Alps, Russian and government planes were intensifying attacks on crucial areas held by rebels, including the besieged town of Moadhamiyeh. Mohannad, a doctor serving in Moadhamiyeh who uses only his first name for safety, said that 150 explosions had shaken the town in the past two days, and that it was under a barrage of barrel bombs unguided, makeshift cylinders of explosives dropped from helicopters. According to Mohannad and others in Moadhamiyeh, nine civilians have died of malnutrition and related causes this month. People are dying from barrels and from cold, he said. People in the street dont know where to go. Some fled to another part of Moadhamiyeh and others are sleeping in the streets. Read more about: SHARE: Attempted murder? I would call it a very successful murder! The teen was definitely killed, and the cop got off with what will likely amount to a slap on the wrist, unless the judge shows more sense than the jury. In the meantime the constable is still on full payroll and will be for months or years before this is resolved. Trial by YouTube and video, as the defence claims: Quite right, or at lest that is what it should have been. A good look at these videos and with proper consideration of the circumstances and for the alternatives available to the police is all that was needed for a reasonable conclusion that this murder was unnecessary and deliberate. Not one word of testimony was even needed. This young man was obviously confined to the streetcar surrounded by police. He wasnt going anywhere and posed no immediate threat to anyone. A four inch knife is no match for several policemen equipped with batons and pepper spray. Give me a 15 inch baton verses a small knife any day! As for police training: If or police are being trained to shoot first and ask question later, rather than how to defuse a situation or how to disarm individuals, there is a serious problem with the system. Recently we saw a security guard take down a man with a far more dangerous weapon, a machete, and no one was killed. As for the verdict: The jury should hang their heads in shame for not seeing through this ruse put forward by the defence and convict the officer of the full second degree murder charge. In fact it could have been first degree murder considering that the officer had plenty of time to consider other alternatives before shooting. The other police officers at the scene need to be condemned for failing to come forward with their honest testimony of the event A chilling message: Certainly. For the public. Dont mess with the police, you could be shot, legally, even if there are witnesses. This is not the first unnecessary shooting by the police, there have been many others and it will continue so long as they can get away with it. Our police are constantly being being praised for their bravery in protecting and serving of the public. It seems most of them are more concerned with protecting themselves. Its time to call these acts for what they are, cowardice. Delbert Hall, Innisfil Rosie DiManno ask the question, Do cops lie? to which Judge Edward said, The police are as likely or not to tell the truth as any other witness. DiManno said, His Honour is wise judge, but he has no way of knowing that. She could have gone further: unless the any other witnesses belong to an organization certainly a paramilitary organization such as the police the comparison is ludicrous. All organizations vigorously defend themselves against anything that might put that organization into disrepute. We may assume that most witnesses do not belong to such an organization, such as Witnesses RUs, then that organizational motivation to lie is absent. Charles L. Jolliffe, Schomberg The Forcillo verdict is probably viewed as a necessary justice system compromise, in order for the people (the jury) to voice their disapproval of increased use of police physical force. We supposedly have checks and balances in place to screen, select, train and monitor the people who have chosen to be our Police. However, its obvious that something isnt quite right with the process and both the people and the Police know it. In todays surveillance everywhere environment some Police Officers find themselves starring in videos that clearly show their unacceptable actions. This generally triggers a Police circle the wagons mentality and front line damage control starts with hiding behind the blue code of silence. Police management regularly serve and protect their own rather than their employers us. When evidence of an Officers inability to function within trained parameters shielding that officer from accountability is reprehensible. The public demands full immediate disclosure when Police are involved in questionable behavior. Safer Policing for both sides needs reviewing. Kelly Adams, Orono Forcillos lawyer, Peter Brauti, blew it. His defence argument was predicated on his clients life being threatened. Yatim wasnt close enough to Forcillo to be a threat; otherwise, it would not have taken nine friggin shots. If Sammy Yatim was on a mission to kill or hurt someone he missed his chance when the street car was full of passengers. The kid was begging for help. I shudder at the thought that an innocent bystander could have been killed by a ricocheted bullet. Both Sammy Yatim and James Forcillo required a mental tune-up; thats why this whole incident is such a tragedy. Mr. Brauti, your clients psychological well being should have been the defence. Unfortunately, Mr. Forcillo, will receive the help he needs after the fact, for the sake of his two children and wife. Nicholas Kostiak, Tottenham I am alarmed that no one in the media seems to be concerned about the current announcement, an apparent fait accompli, that the TPS plans to replace shotguns in their cruisers with military-style assault rifles. I listened to a TV presenter accept, without question, the line that use of these rifles will pose less of a threat to bystanders, or the general public, than shotgun blasts. As all hunters know, pellets from a shotgun disperse rapidly (sawn-off shotguns are lethal at close range) and beyond about 50 feet are non-lethal, where bullets from a rifle can be dangerous up to 3 miles. Also, it never fails to amaze me that Toronto police continue to be allowed to use hollow core-point bullets, commonly known as dum-dum bullets. These bullets, on entering the body explode and expand immediately, causing usually sufficient damage to internal organs to be fatal. Moreover, Toronto police are trained to shoot always (unlike the UK) at the torso of a target, almost always guaranteeing death. Dum-dum bullets have been prohibited for over 100 years under international law for use by (well-trained, disciplined) soldiers. Why then are they permitted for use by (lightly trained) police officers? Something has to change. To Serve and Protect. Whom ? The police or the citizens ? John Bullick, Mississauga On July 27, 2013, Sammy Yatim was shot to death by constable James Forcillo. A year later the former Supreme Court Justice Frank Iacobucci tabled a report titled: Police Encounters with People in Crisis containing 84 recommendations. On Jan. 25, 2016 after a guilty verdict of attempted murder, the present Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders stated his forces commitment to implementing the recommendations. I say the chief is not to be believed. Sweet talk is not enough. There is a real trust deficit towards the chief and the TPS. I would like to ask the chief: Please let the citizens of Toronto know exactly how many of the 84 recommendations you have so far implemented. Is it 5, is it 19, is it 44 or have all the 84 recommendations been implemented? If all the 84 have not, why not. It is nearly 16 months since the report came out. Aquil Ali, Toronto The most important lesson for all members of the public with regard to the Forcillo trial is not his actions in isolation but rather that his actions reveal the predominant culture within Torontos police force. In the performance of their duties, the prevailing culture is one of any police action is justified. The testimony of his fellow officers and the comments of Mr. McCormick, reveal their disdain for judicial interference. We the public must come to realize that the motto to serve and protect no longer describes police responsibility to the public but to themselves. As a boy I was taught to trust the police as our protectors. At age 76 I can categorically state that I no longer trust the police notwithstanding that within their ranks there are decent men and women who really do wish to serve the public. Unfortunately, they are unable to challenge the locker room rules. The second lesson to be learned is that the public must act to protect themselves and consider police to be similar to an occupational force. We would be well advised to understand that the Forcillo charges would never had materialized without the video captured by a passing individuals smart phone. Consider the police killings of the last decade where the Officers involved and in the absence of independent video evidence, were not charged by the S.I.U. We the public must begin to use our technology in any and every altercation no matter how minor, between police and members of the public. Perhaps then we may deter future unjustified treatment of our neighbours and their children and grandchildren. I am reminded it was once said all that is required for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing. Its up to all of us. Gordon Wilson, Retired President, Ontario Federation of Labour, Port Rowan It is such a tragedy what happened to Sammy Yatim, a young man in the prime of his life. Things need to change in the Toronto Police Force. As citizens we are all responsible to bring about that change. I would like to suggest some concrete changes which I feel need to happen to ensure that we have mature, professional, and educated people seeking to serve our city as Police Officers. Currently, anyone wishing to apply to join the police force, needs very limited requirements; they must be over eighteen years of age and have completed four years of high school. They are then admitted to training for a period of 24 weeks. I feel that in this modern day, such requirements are not sufficient to ensure that we have the best candidates. Most professional jobs require college or university training. We need to have better educated officers who have studied at length in the areas of psychology, sociology, mental health issues, disabilities etc Six months training does not allow officers to thoroughly understand the ways in which to deal with the complicated issues presented to them on a daily basis as they carry out their duties. Certainly, Officer Forcillo did not apply Crisis Prevention Training techniques in his encounter with Sammy Yatim. If he had this tragedy would not have occurred. This is an issue which needs to be brought to the forefront. Police Officers need better and more intensive training. A 24 week training course is not enough to properly prepare officers to deal with the demands of the job. Teachers, for example, who deal with many similar issues as police officers (i.e. defiant behaviour, students with mental health problems/disabilities, parental neglect, drugs, etc) are required to have four years of post secondary education as well as two years of teachers college before they are allowed to teach. The starting salary for beginning teachers and beginning police officers is very similar and yet teachers are required to have much more education and training. As a taxpayer this does not make any sense! Politicians and members of the Toronto Police Board need to make such concrete changes to the system if we are to see an improvement in policing in our city. Luci Liotta, Toronto As reported in the Star, late winter of 2013, Judge Robert Kelly presided over a case claiming severe Police Brutality towards Keith Ryan inside 14 division. There was ample physical evidence, such as photographs of Ryans battered body. However because of withheld witness evidence from the Duty Sargent and the two policemen alleged to have being responsible,and urged by Police lawyer Peter Brauti to discount Ryans complaint as fabrications, the Judge surrendered to the Blue Wall and ruled against the complainant.. The judge reluctantly dismissed Ryans claim as he felt there was no reliable witnesses to support it.. His parting words at the trial was to Strongly Recommended a Public Inquiry into the nature of Police culture in 14 division.. A few months after this call by Justice Kelly, Sammy Yatim was killed by constable James Forcillo of 14 division. The possibility of change your Editorial optimistically offers, requires a serious follow-up of Justice Robert Kellys call for a public inquiry into police culture of 14 division. Alan Carlisle, Toronto The following comments are based on the 30 years of experience working with mentally disordered offenders. Violence de-escalation techniques were being taught to Metro Police Officers 30-plus years ago. Who is responsible for Forcillo not having this knowledge forefront in his mind? I think police management are. In de-escalation techniques, one is taught to take each threat seriously. Research has shown that women fear for their life when in the presence of a man exposing his penis. Regardless of what Forcillo felt, women felt seriously threatened & Forcillo acted accordingly & protected the public. Who is responsible for both teaching Yatim the importance of taking his medication & monitoring his mental state? Somehow this responsibility landed in the lap of Forcillo who was now responsible for something he had no control over. I think Yatims support system & his medical team should be held more accountable. Mentally disordered people are in touch with much of reality. Even in his mentally disordered state Yatim knew how to threaten others. Was Yatim deaf or mentally challenged so he could not acknowledge others threatening him? No. Like others he must have known that dire consequences can result when one does not comply with a police officer saying, Put down your weapon? I think he knew what he was doing & was challenging Forcillo to take more intense action. Just saying. J. Jones, Toronto I ask the Star armchair quarterbacks to consider the following.....The T.T.C camera footage showed the deceased threatening innocent passengers on the bus. He caused such terror that they scrambled in panic to exit the bus - no women and children first ethic shown here, just panic. Would not the first arriving officers have also experienced this terror? Of course, being police officers, they are trained to act differently. I would expect Constable Forillo to have been as terrified as the passengers had been but he mitigated the situation by emptying his gun and killing the teen. For this act, he and his family have had their lives ruined - he has been judged by people who have never had to face an armed and crazed individual. He has been found guilty of attempted murder of a man who, apparently, was already dead - only the dysfunctional Canadian court system can make sense of that. Forillo and his family are also victims and yet there is no sympathy for them - only the usual vitriolic spite from the likes of The Star. Mike Harper, Phelpston Now young people who are dealing with some emotional trauma are getting the message that all they need to do is hold any object, except for a gun, that can be perceived as a weapon, stand where they are, refuse to drop the object and someone with a badge will grant their wish to die. I have a few questions regarding this case. 1. Would the officer had been innocent of murdering Yatim if a video had not captured the crime? 2. Would the officer had been innocent after killing Yatim with only three bullets? 3. According to video: Why was Yatim tasered after he had obviously been killed? 4. How much money does the Metropolitan Toronto Police force donate to Bell: Lets Talk about Mental health? 5. When will the police force change its motto from To Serve & Protect to Shoot First, Diffuse later? 6. When will our Federal government begin to deal with the issue of Cop Assisted Suicide? 7. Will The Crown Appeal this verdict? Mike Benson, Cambridge This tragedy could have been averted if one simple action had been taken by the TTC driver or one of the police officers. I havent been on a streetcar for years, but when I used them regularly, if a driver had to leave the vehicle for a coffee or to use the washroom, there was a switch outside, on the front of the streetcar, by the doors, that the driver could use to close the doors until he returned. I imagine that there is still some way to lock the doors from the outside. If so, why was Sammy Yatim simply not locked-in? This would have removed the threat of immediate bodily harm to the police and the public, and would have given the police valuable time to better assess the situation. If this method of closing the doors still exists, was this point raised at the trial? Warren Dalton, Scarborough So, the verdict was delivered in the Sammy Yatim murder trial and Constable Forcillo was found Not Guilty of second degree murder, but Guilty of attempted murder. Besides this rather bizarre judgement, this entire has troubled me very much. I truly believe that there couldve been a much better way to handle this obviously troubled youth. The entire argument that Constable Forcillo felt his life threatened just puzzles me? Not only was he not on the streetcar himself, there wasnt anyone else besides Sammy Yatim on it either. There was no one who was threatened besides Yatim himself, and I dont understand the need for excessive force? Whats even more perplexing is that back in December, two security guards at the Toronto Eaton Centre took down a man who attacked someone with a machete by hand without resorting to deadly force. How is it that these two men could diffuse a deadly situation by hand where there were people in close proximity, yet James Forcillo used fatal and excessive force to shoot a disturbed teenager alone on a streetcar? There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that any punishment metered out, as unlikely as that is, will be sufficient either? A slap on the wrist and suspended without pay, no matter what the severity of the crime. This certainly wouldnt be the case for the average joe on the street, thats for sure. Its rather ironic this judgement comes down on the week of Mental Health/Lets Talk Day. Historically, there have been far too many incidents of folks getting killed while having obvious episodes of mental and emotional distress by overzealous members of law enforcement. An elderly woman suffering from dementia in her housecoat with a butter knife at three A:M tasered dies of her injuries; a naked man with a hammer on a sidewalk shot and killed, the list goes on and on. These people deserved better. We all deserve better. Sandy McInnes, Milton Todays Star editorial covered the issues particular to this case very well. The consequences of this event should also bring other issues about police work to the attention of everyone. From personal experience Toronto police officers are well meaning, honest persons, who do a very dangerous job under sometimes extremely challenging circumstances. 1. the training of police officers to deal with different circumstances that arise should start as soon as possible, be thorough, and take as much time as necessary; 2) police officers should always be physically, emotionally and mentally fit to deal with their duties effectively to confront the great variety of situations they deal with; 3) that fitness should be verified on an ongoing basis; 4) police officers found not physically, emotionally and mentally fit should be taken off duty until they are ready again to do their duties effectively. Miguel Prohaska, Toronto It is hard to argue innocence when social media has video proof of excess force being used by police. We admit that there is more to the story than what we see on the cellphone version of events, but why so many bullets? It is so easy for the couch-potato to condemn a man in uniform. It is so extremely easy. Chief Saunders talks of the need for better solutions, SammyYatims mother pleads for better police training policies, and John Tory suggests a registry of vulnerable people, but the bottom line is, this policeman did his job, and he did it to DEATH, and he continued doing it to the point of absurdity. These are the actions of a man filled with fear. Was he imagining the knife-weilding Yatim, beheading a passenger, like a case in Manitoba? Was the cop stoked on adrenaline? Maybe. Our police are peace-time soldiers, not battle-hardened veterans. If Constable Forcillo had been an Afghan vet, he would have neutralized the threat without drama. I support, and commiserate with, and feel only gratitude for our police who have to deal with issues the rest of us cannot even imagine. I also think they need battlefield training. Hugh McKechnie, Newmarket Coming from a police family where my father worked the street gangs unit of a major city and my uncle worked narcotics, I look hard and long into the absurdity of what has passed as due process in the Forcillo trial. This is uncomplicated if you break it down ethically. Firstly, Constable Forcillo showed no oversight and did not evaluate the situation he walked into with a youth armed with a knife on a streetcar. The streetcar itself was a form of incarceration. So long as this boy was on the streetcar, he could harm no one! Secondly, we see civilians accepting the concept of volleys of gunfire as acceptable police procedure. As a firearms instructor myself, I will tell you that when he unholstered his pistol that was the first step toward lethal force. ONE round fired, maybe he was unnerved. But THREE rounds fired--the intent is to serve up the effects of lethal force. However, seconds later--SIX rounds? If the court cannot adequately deal with intent here there is a more expedient way. Constable Forcillo should be dismissed from the force for dishonorable conduct unbecoming a Toronto Police Constable and unnecessary use of lethal force. The simple viewing of the transit security video clearly shows there was no immediate threat to himself or others as Sammy did not try to exit the streetcar. Forcillo has shown himself UNFIT FOR SERVICE due to exercising poor critical thinking skills by his rush to judgment. Unfortunately, we Canadians seem to lack the moral fiber to call this what it is--an execution. And when the police serve up immediate judgment, there is no place for the Charter of Rights and Freedoms for it becomes null and voidby police direct action!! George Balogh, Sharbot Lake I am absolutely confounded and appalled by the choice of the photograph appearing on the front page of the on Jan. 26. What could possibly possess an editor to choose a photo of Yatim taken completely out of context and irrelevant to the news concerning the trial of Forcillo found guilty of attempt murder? Why would you do this to your readers, to Sammy Yatims family, to the importance of the issues involved in this trial? This is nothing more than a provocative, sensational still that adds nothing whatsoever to the discussion of the jurys decision or the trial. Barry Green, Peterborough It is fairly clear that the people in crisis crowd are trying to turn police officers into what they are not - social workers with guns. After some young police constable is murdered after his or her social working skills fail them then they get a grand police funeral and their name is put on the wall at police headquarters. Meanwhile, the perpetrator of the crime is found not criminally responsible (NCR) due to mental incompetence and spend six months having their brain candled in a psychiatric institution before being released on day parole. The lesson learned for police officers is that, despite the Forcillo decision, it is still better to judged by 12 rather than carried by six and if you do discharge your side arm avoid the after- the- kill shots. As for Constable Forcillo he needs to hang tough as somewhere in Canada there is a court that will overturn a mind boggling decision based on compromise and political correctness and not justice. Curt Shalapata, Oshawa No doubt many will have different views on how today played out; for the family, the city of Toronto and for every mentally disabled or disordered person on or off narcotics who have had their life taken away with such violence (shot and killed)by the guardians of our judicial system I am thankful for the ruling today. Dont get me wrong, I truly believe many police who work for Toronto do a great job de-escelating those who need the most help, spend a night in St, Mikes and you will see those cops. That is not who former police officer Forcillo appears to be. He was a danger, trigger happy according to his own employer, and it looks like there was either a systemic failure or this guy was able to hide behind the big blue shield that we are reminded of every single time Mike McCormick pouts in front of the cameras. Toronto police dont get to cry they want to come home from workand this is noteworthy, newsflash everyone does, bank tellers who get robbed, those who have jobs that make them vulnerable and walking out late or early and isolated for bare minimum income-everyone wants to come home. Look at those guys up on scaffolding who fell to their deaths...see what I mean, only thing is everyone else doesnt get paid a cops salary, benefits and retirement and everyone doesnt have such expectations, listen to people who call it getting by. Suzy Creighton, Toronto Section 231 (1) of the criminal Code states murder is a planned and deliberate. Section 239 (1) defines attempted murder as a person who attempts by any means to commit murder. The Jury believes Forcillo was justified in the firing of the first three shots that killed Sammy Yatmin. It was the second round of shots that found him guilty of attempted murder. Question....How do you attempt to kill a person you already killed in the line of duty? Let the appeal works its magic. Adam Ridolfi, As someone who had a knife held to my throat for almost half an hour in 1979, I was able to talk a convicted rapist down and convinced him to go to a nearby psychiatric hospital. Ross Stinson gave himself up at Whitby Psychiatric Hospital and his seige ended peacefully after I convinced him to put down his knife. I would not have been able to do that if I had a gun or shot the man. What James Forcillo encountered three years ago was less of a threat than that which I experienced. With the streetcar empty of people, James Forcillo should have backed off and waited for an experienced negotiator to de-escalate the situation. The Jury let the community down by not finding Forcillo guilty of murder. The finding of guilt for attempted murder was a slap in the face not only to the family but to the community Forcillo was charged with protecting and that included Sammy Yatim. Its a sad day. Cathe Douglas, Tottenham James Forcillo has been now by a Jury of his peers found guilty of Attempted Murder. Forcillo is the beneficiary of significant professional training in the use of a weapon which includes the conduct of force with a gun prior to him becoming a Toronto Police Constable. Young disturbed drug addled Sammy Yatim was in receipt of no such training. My 30 years of post conflict development work in regions of stress and strife leads me to this question. Why did James Forcillo not retreat stepping back creating even a greater distance between himself and Sammy Yatim? A Police Officer must be held to a higher standard when exercising judgment in use of force proportional to the situation. James Forcillo failed egregiously to exercise sound reasonable judgment. James Forcillo in my opinion failed the test in exercising sound judgment proportional to the circumstances. Instead, James Forcillo became extremely emotional in his use of loud vulgar voice evidenced from the video recordings. Forcillo in a manner method most unprofessional failed to exercise sound weapon judgment resulting in the needless death of a young man who himself was in a state of emotive fragility. James Forcillo must take and accept responsibility for his actions which today resulted in the finding of guilt in the charge of Attempted Murder. Furthermore, I most sincerely trust James Forcillo will never ever be allowed the privilege of carrying a fire arm of any kind. Unfortunately due to the immense financial and egoist resources of the Toronto Police Union this case is far from being settled and James Forcillo will continue to collect his pay notwithstanding he is unable to perform any of the duties required by a Toronto Police Constable. I most sincerely hope that the Leadership element within the Toronto Police take note of this guilty verdict and institute ongoing remedial education in the advancement of de-esculative dialogue for all Police Officers. Monte McMurchy, Toronto With the rendering of the verdict I am wondering how pouring nine bullets into a clearly disturbed individual armed with a swiss army pocket knife can be considered attempted murder. I am left wondering what will happen to the Police Sargeant who then tasered the corpse? What happens to the Police Officers who clearly lied under oath during the trial? The Police Association claims this verdict is chilling to its members. Yes, one supposes that any accountability to this group is chilling. This Police Service is mandated to serve and protect, and in this case Sammy was neither served or protected and the people of Toronto are now questioning their faith in this organization. This sad state can only be attributed to Senior Officers and former Police Chiefs who have clearly hired the wrong people, sent the wrong messages during the training process and set bad examples such as this. That Officer Forcillo is now suspended with pay is only further supporting the behaviour throughout the Service. Brian Smith, Etobicoke Forcillo and Yatim are both victims. Victims of a society that that does not have the courage to ensure adults are held responsible for their actions. That does not allow parents to use discipline when necessary to ensure children learn that no means no. That there are consequences for their actions the toughest responsibility for any parent. And by doing this society is not helping children. Rather than learning young to obey the law, far too many children end up with criminal records in their teens. Jobs are hard to find without one. Impossible to find with one. As a result far too many youth lose hope, use drugs and descend into a downward spiral from which too many never recover. Children test limits. They look to adults to set them. Todays society is not setting the bar high enough. If it did both Forcillo and Yatim and his family would likely be much better off. My sincerest condolences to all involved. Rick Lockman, Orillia Forcillo guilty of attempted murder in shooting death of Sammy Yatim I suspect most people will agree that if you shoot someone that many times, you will have to do time. Its not unlikely that after the first volley, Constable Forcillo realized his life as a police officer was over, and that realization may have triggered the second volley of shots. Now that a decision has been reached, there is a need to scrutinize the sense of first-responder police officers being armed with guns that shoot volleys in a matter of seconds. To the credit of Metros finest, they rarely draw these overpowered death machines and even more rarely actually fire them. This was the first time Const Forcillo fired his in an action situation. My own view is that these lively weapons, even fired by experienced officers, pose great danger to innocent bystanders as well as to suspects who, in a panic, choose to flee. Not long ago, in front of the Empire State Building, a man shot another man. Police fired at the shooter, and ricochets injured eleven bystanders. Arguably the only people who should be trusted with such pistols within city limits are SWAT teams. Ron Charach, Toronto Job description: Police officer, must be willing to put up with the paperwork, abuse from the public and special interest groups, shift work, misplaced mistrust and an X on your back. And all this for less pay than government employees on the Sunshine list. Well, that job is not for me and Ill continue to trust the police and keep my nose clean in the process. Face it shits going to happen collectively we need to reduce the frequency of real and perceived incidents on both sides of the equation and seek equitable outcomes. Obviously in situations where there has been very serious errors resulting in death of a member of the public (as opposed to a criminal act with guns involved), one needs to keep cool otherwise situations can easily escalate, eg involving the mental health of an individual in a confrontation with the police. The police are not infallible but the force is trying to go in the right direction. We need talented and well-trained officers lets not drive them out of the force. Steve Guerin, Mississauga Thank you for your front page headline asking for the logic, irrefutable question. Thank you also for Rosie DiMannos excellent article and those written by Wendy Gillis, Alyshan Hasham and Edward Keenan. Videos of this sad tragedy clearly show the young victim of trigger-happy Const. Forcillo being inside the empty streetcar, therefore quite far away from the shooter and no threat whatsoever to the teens killer. Another incident of this tragedy not fully explicated until now: why did that unnamed police sergeant have to tase Yatim when the perturbed boy was already laying on the streetcars floor, bleeding and about to die from those eight of nine rounds shot by officer Forcillo? The callous actions perpetrated by both a killing officer and a tasing sergeant definitely soil the image of all Toronto police officers; the vast majority of them not being trigger-happy nor taser abusers like those two individuals. Also, Im perplexed why this convicted officer, now on bail, has been suspended, but with pay at taxpayers expense. Bel M. de Pinho, North York Forcillo was guilty of no crime. I would like to hear the views of combat veterans, men and women, from the various wars in which Canadian forces have been involved. They know what it is like to be faced by someone who is intent on killing them. Unlike them, for Forcillo this was a once in a lifetime experience never before having been face to face with someone intent on killing him. The combat veterans woke up every morning knowing that at any point they could be putting themselves in harms way. Ordinarily police constables have no such expectations. When the combat veterans recall their first experience killing someone at close range, they will have something valuable to contribute to understanding what Forcillo did and why he did it. Don MacLeod, Toronto Attempted murder? Maybe, but Forcillos main crimes are cowardice and panic both of which are obvious in recordings of his voice as he yelled at Yatim. Cowardice? Sure. He was bigger than Yatim, he was wearing a bulletproof vest, he had a nightstick and a gun and he had other officers to back him up. Yatim was 10-15 feet away, and not moving. What did Forcillo have to fear? Then, when Yatim was down, Forcillo got the reaction some hunters call buck fever when someone panics and keeps shooting to no end. But the guilty party is the police force, which should have known better than to turn him loose with a gun. Punishment? Why? He was not up to the job, but it was the police force that should have determined that. He should obviously not be allowed to carry a gun again -- for Toronto Police or any other police force -- but he might qualify as a meter maid. Andy Turnbull, Toronto Yatim was alone and troubled when facing Forcillo with his two colleagues plus the surrounding police officers, all with their guns drawn, so is it too much to hope that police officers do not support Forcillos self-defence argument? According to video, a passenger on that street car used a backpack (or some such piece of luggage) to shield himself and his fellow passengers from Yatims knife during their escape by the front door. Then, Torontos finest, responding en masse with guns drawn, shot Yatim dead twice soon after confronting him. Self-defence? Or overkill? Remember when cops took pride in not drawing their guns? What has happened? Greg J. Edwards, Delta, B.C. Reacting to the Forcillo/Yatim verdict, police union head Mike McCormack said he found the verdict chilling. Police, he mused as he has mused before, might now hesitate to react in times of crises because they wont want to wind up in court being second-guessed by the justice system.To hesitate, if McCormack is right, apparently is something a police officer should never do. But this story shows the opposite, that the police need to take the time to get it right, that perhaps a little longer than the 60 seconds Yatim was given is sometimes necessary. More risks? Perhaps. Fewer deaths and injuries? Yes.The police are paid to take calculated risks. And they should. Geoff Rytell, Toronto Const. Forcillo (why is it not former Const. Forcillo?) has now been convicted of attempted murder (only because the victim was already dead) but is apparently still on administrative leave at full pay. I wonder if this designation and pay will continue during his years of incarceration so he can resume his job on release? If a felon can remain a police officer after conviction, can a convicted felon therefore apply for a police officer job? It only seems fair. Then the criminals can enforce the laws they broke on those of us who obey the laws. Where is a good Clockwork Orange when we need one? Edward A. Collis, Burlington We should all heed Melchor Lims words: Everything happens for a reason. The daily tragedies and misfortunes are all meaningful events, leading toward an ideal conclusion. With that in mind, there probably isnt really any meaningless misfortune. The ideal conclusion to the Yatim trial is that it was well-served by a hard-working and intelligent group of jurors who examined every possible angle and rendered a fair and just verdict. It would be counter-productive if the police or Yatims supporters refused to recognize this verdict for what it is. Justice was served and both sides now have to reconcile their differences so the same thing never happens again. Robert Ariano, Scarborough SHARE: Did you ever dream about moving to Hawaii or some South Sea island where you could lazily stroll the beach and spend moonlit evenings luxuriating in the warm breeze, all under gently swaying palm trees? And was that dream crushed when you found out how much it would cost? Well, despair no more. Here are four beautiful, unpretentious, easy-going beach locations that cost much, much less than Hawaii, and most likely much less than where you are now, as described by the more than 500 contributors to Best Places in the World to Retire. 1. Bocas del Toro, Panama: Caribbean Lifestyle Without the Hurricanes Bocas del Toro, Panama, is the only town of any size in what most people would think of as the Caribbean that has never had a hurricane. The reason is that the entire country of Panama is south of the Hurricane Belt. Think of it as a Caribbean lifestyle without an evacuation bag. Ann Michelle Wand, from Colorado, first came to Bocas del Toro 14 years ago. Since then, according to Wand, "it has developed tremendously from a surfer and backpacker destination to one of most desirable retirement destinations in the country." Wand had owned a vacation rental in Hawaii and sold it, because, according to Wand, "We were looking for something closer, with friendlier people and lower prices." Bocas del Toro fit the bill. "We loved the weather and the people and the quaint, funky town that reminded us of Key West in the 70s." In addition to all this, Bocas del Toro has a relatively low cost of living. Wand told us that hiring a maid or housekeeper can range from $2.50 to $5.00 an hour and she knows people living very comfortably on $1,000 a month JB Seligman, former blue-water yacht captain, Texas cowboy and radio personality, told us "It's very much 'Caribbean' here, like a Jimmy Buffett song. The weather, the beach, and the whole vibe to Bocas del Toro is Caribbean." Seligman, his wife and friends often "jump on the boat and go to our favorite little spot on the other side of the island called 'the baby pool,' a sand bar about waist-deep, where we spend the afternoon. The water is crystal clear!" The biggest revelation to Seligman about life in Bocas del Toro was "You would be surprised how many 60- to 70-year-old surfers we have down here." 2. San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua: Quintessential Surfer/Beach Bum Paradise Due to an offshore breeze that sweeps from the Caribbean through Nicaragua with great frequency, the waves around this Pacific town in the south of Nicaragua are among the best in the world for surfing. Add to this that San Juan del Sur is a favorite tourist and cruise ship destination, and you get a pretty good feel for this little town of about 8,000 people that not that long ago was a sleepy fishing village. Lance Moss, former Floridian who has lived in Nicaragua for 13 years and was one of the pioneers of popularizing surfing in the country, explained that there isn't any surfing in the actual bay of San Juan del Sur, because it is a protected harbor. The best surfing, according to Moss, is in Popoyo, about an hour and a half north of San Juan del Sur, about a mile down the beach from his home. Daniel Snider, whose father moved to Nicaragua, where Daniel was born and lives, told us "On $2,000 a month, a married couple could rent a nice house or an apartment close to the ocean and still have some money left over for shopping or going out once or twice a month. With $3,000 per month, they could rent a very nice house with an ocean view, have a maid, a gardener, and a personal driver." What you will not find, according to Snider, "is the East Coast mentality where it is all work and then a 2-week long vacation. In San Juan del Sur it's one continuous vacation!" 3. Pedasi, Panama: Like the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii 50 Years Ago If you drive west from Panama City about 2 hours, you will arrive at the beginning of the Azuero Peninsula. If you then make a left and drive down the coast for about another 2 hours, you'll reach Pedasi, a small town with spectacular ocean views and a rapidly expanding expat population. The feeling you get when you drive down the main road in Pedasi is one of a laid-back surfing town with a great lifestyle, isolated, but only an hour or so away from some good shopping and four and a half hours away from First World health care and other big-city amenities of Panama City. Native Panamanian Manuel Baruco told us, "Twenty to thirty years ago, the Azuero Peninsula was used almost exclusively for cattle." Now, Baruco tells us, Pedasi is developing as a tourist and expat destination because of the beauty of the area, the lifestyle, and the activities, including snorkeling, visiting nearby islands, and of course, surfing. To people from North America, the lifestyle is a throwback several generations. Baruco told us, "In Pedasi, most of the produce we buy is from carts. They are like moving markets where you can buy really fresh and flavorful items such as onions and tomatoes; not what you would find in a regular supermarket." There is a small but growing expat population that meets up at the local bars like Smiley's, where there are big-screen TVs showing U.S. sporting events. 4. Yucatan Beaches Around Merida, Mexico: Celestun, Sisal, Chuburna, Chelem, Progreso and Chicxulub You've most likely heard of Cancun and other expat and tourist areas in the Yucatan Peninsula, in the state of Quintana Roo. The area we're going to describe is in the state that borders Quintana Roo just to the west, called the state of Yucatan. The state of Yucatan contains Merida, a modern colonial city of around 1 million people with first-rate universities, health care and shopping. From Merida, you can drive 20 miles or so north to the nearest beach town of Progreso. You can also drive east 50 miles or so to the beach town of Celestun and less than that to beach towns northeast past Chicxulub. In between are the beach towns of Sisal, Chuburna and Chelem. What most of these areas have in common is that they are sparsely developed and little more than fishing villages. However, the combination of having First World conveniences and good yet inexpensive health care close by in Merida, coupled with very attractive housing prices right on this area on the Gulf of Mexico is causing increased interest in the area. "The beach areas of Merida are primed for rapid development," said Alfonso Galindo, a California businessman now living in Merida. "In 1970, the area we now call Cancun was not much more than jungle with a few dozen inhabitants. Now, it's a world-class tourist destination with $300 per night hotel rooms. There's no reason the beaches around Merida can't do the same." As of now, prices are low. Mitch Keenan, a realtor living in Yucatan formerly from Colorado told us, "I have a very nice four-bedroom, three-bathroom condo with 2,000 square feet of living space that looks out over the water in near Chicxulub for $99,000." According to Wade Yarchan, from Sarasota, Fla., "Anywhere in the Merida beach areas, $300,000 is going to buy a 2,500 to 3,000 square foot house. That same house in Florida on the Gulf of Mexico would cost you several million dollars." Canadian Gary De Spiegelaere lives in Celestun and says, "I can throw a rock underhand into the ocean from my property. I can sit on my terrace in the morning, have coffee, and maybe see one other person. It is very quiet, very private, and very beautiful." This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned. When you're the world's largest retailer, investor expectations are high -- perhaps too high. But grumpy investors cut the Amazon (AMZN) some slack by the time the market closed on Friday. Share price rose slightly to settle down at 7.61% to $587, after falling to nearly by 11% in early trading. Despite doubling net income to $482 billion year-on-year and delivering earnings of $1 per share -- the best the e-commerce giant has delivered to date -- Amazon missed the $1.56 mark analysts were expecting. The stock plunged by 10.49% to $568.69 in pre-market trading on Friday after the company reported fourth-quarter earnings on Thursday. But the shares rose again Friday, closing up 7.61% to $587. What also made investors unhappy? Revenue increased by 22%, to $35.75 billion but fell short of estimates of $35.93 billion. In addition, increased operating costs (up 21% to $24.6 billion) and delivery costs (up 24.4% to $4.5 billion) year over year added fuel to the fire, if not Amazon's Kindle Fire. And there's more good news from Microsoft (MSFT) . Investors were delighted with the company's second-quarter earnings report Thursday where the company trumped analysts' estimates, with earnings of 78 cents a share instead of the 71 cents expected. But the news got better Friday after CEO Satya Nadella talked about the company's thriving cloud business. More and more businesses are using the Microsoft Cloud as their digital platform, he said; in fact, Microsoft is now the second-largest provider of cloud services, and also the fastest-growing contender behind Amazon,which leads the market. How are Microsoft doing it? By relying an old tool in its arsenal: Microsoft Exchange Server. If a company already uses Microsoft Outlook and Office for email, it's an easy next step to go to Microsoft Cloud. "Such thinking helps explain how Microsoft has become the second-largest provider of cloud infrastructure, services and software, well ahead of Salesforce (CRM) , Oracle (ORCL) and [Alphabet's (GOOGL) unit] Google, according to a Goldman Sachs analysis," reported Reuters. Microsoft's cloud services business, Azure, expects to grow revenue from $5.5 billion a year ago to $9.4 billion year on year, putting it well above the 65 percent growth rate posted by Amazon. The news delighted investors, who sent Microsoft shares up all day to close at $55, up 5.8%. No wonder activist investor Carl Icahn is smiling. He gets three seats on the board of Xerox (XRX) after the company spins itself into two companies. With an 8.1% stake, he is the second-largest shareholder after Vanguard. Xerox announced the decision after reporting a fourth straight year of declining profits and sales, reported Marketwatch.In 2015, the company stock lost a quarter of its value and another 13% since the beginning of this year. By market close today, shares were at $9.75, down nearly 6%. The company will split itself into two businesses: one for office machines and one for services operations. In 2010, Xerox bought Affiliated Computer Services, which provides bill processing and other back-office services to government agencies and corporations, including managing call centers. This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned. Pentagon is certain that defeating Daesh in Libya requires more than airstrikes. It has been officially stated by the Pentagon that US military personnel have been deployed to fight Daesh in Libya. Their initial task is to establish contacts with various forces on the ground in the North African country that are willing to fight the extremist groups, and are also willing to work with US forces. Peter Cook, press secretary of the Pentagon told news reporters that US deployment for fighting Daesh in Libya is very small at the moment. Their aim right now is to establish contacts with different forces on the ground including militias and factions so that they can recognize who are the real players in the arena. They will also analyze which factions are worthy of US support. Cook did not comment whether the US personnel he was referring to were actual soldiers or advisors. Cook further elaborated that the Pentagon had seen a surge activity by Daesh in Libya with increase in its members and affiliated groups. That is a cause of great concern for the US and it is prepared to everything to not only monitor the situation, but also to work with its partners on the ground so that a clear assessment of the issue can be carried out, and options can be explored for fighting Daesh in Libya. In 2011, an air campaign carried out by America and its Western allies succeeded in toppling the dictator which resulted in a wide security vacuum that still persists after more than four years. The Defense Secretary of the US Ashton Carter said on Thursday that America has no intention of allowing the Islamic State to sink its roots in North Africa, the Pentagon had still not decided whether US soldiers will be deployed to fight Daesh in Libya. You see the same kind of ambitions on their part that you see realized in full flower in Syria and Iraq, Carter said. We dont want to be on a glideslope to a situation like Syria and Iraq. Thats the reason were watching it that closely. Thats the reason why we develop options for what we might do in the future. Last week, General Joe Dunford, the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman stated that Washington was in the planning stages for battling Daesh in Libya. He said that the most pressing concern for the Us at this point in time was a lack of credible allies who would support the US troops and will also be able confront Daesh in Libya on their own. The above statement implies that the US is looking for forces that would act like the Kurd Peshmerga forces in Syria. If the US succeeds in finding such a force it will be able to emulate the same pattern that it has applied in Syria and Iraq: offering support but letting the locals do the actual fighting. The US has already carried out a few airstrikes against Daesh in Libya, however, the Pentagon is certain that without putting boots on the ground, there is no hope of winning. Britain's biggest oil groups will this week report a near 10billion slump in profits as the calamitous effect of the low oil price takes its toll on the blue chip giants. Both BP and Shell are expected to see their full-year profits for 2015 slashed by about 40 per cent leading to fears that they will struggle to maintain their dividend payouts to shareholders. BP is predicted to report profit for the year of $6.8billion (4.8billion) down from $12.1billion previously, while Shell is set to report profit down to $10.7billion (7.5billion) from $19billion. Dividend fears: BP and Shell are expected to see their full-year profits for 2015 slashed by about 40 per cent Oil companies have traditionally been among the biggest and most reliable payers of dividends on the stock market, making them a favourite of pension funds and institutional investors. Shells dividend accounts for more than 10 per cent of FTSE 100 payouts and it has not cut it since 1945. However, the price of oil has nosedived from a high of $115 a barrel 18 months ago to just $27.88 a barrel earlier this month, although it rose at the end of last week to $34.45 on reports that Russia and Saudi Arabia might agree to cut production. The oil price tumbled after Saudi Arabia refused to cut back its output in an attempt to drive US producers of shale oil out of business. Shale oil, which is pumped from oil-bearing rock, has led the US to the brink of oil self-sufficiency. BP is still recovering from the $40billion cost of the environmentally devastating Deepwater Horizon oil spill six years ago. The company last slashed its dividend after that disaster, but chief executive Bob Dudley has said he will maintain it. However, analysts at JP Morgan Cazenove reckon the company will now be forced to cut the $7billion dividend and they are expecting an announcement later this year. Shells boss Ben van Beurden saw his shareholders vote overwhelmingly in favour of his 36billion deal to acquire Britains other leading energy producer BG Group last week. He has insisted Shell will maintain its near $12billion dividend even after reporting a $7.4billion loss in the three months to September last year in the wake of the failure of its Arctic drilling project. He has said the dividend from the new merged company will be $15billion for 2016. BP plans to shed 4,000 workers including one in five in its North Sea operations. Shell has said it will axe 10,000 jobs following its merger with BG Group and it aims to sell more than $20 billion of assets by 2018. Swiss residents are to vote on a countrywide referendum about a radical plan to pay every single adult a guaranteed income of 425 a week (or 1,700 a month). The plan, proposed by a group of intellectuals, could make the country the first in the world to pay all of its citizens a monthly basic income regardless if they work or not. But the initiative has not gained much traction among politicians from left and right despite the fact that a referendum on it was approved by the federal government for the ballot box on June 5. Swiss residents could get a guaranteed monthly basic income of 1,700 a month regardless if they work or not The radical plan also proposes that each child receives 100 a week Under the proposed initiative, each child would also receive 145 francs (100) a week. The federal government estimates the cost of the proposal at 208 billion francs (143 billion) a year. Around 153 billion francs (105 bn) would have to be levied from taxes, while 55 billion francs (38 bn) would be transferred from social insurance and social assistance spending. The group proposing the initiative, which includes artists, writers and intellectuals, cited a survey which shows that the majority of Swiss residents would continue working if the guaranteed income proposal was approved. 'The argument of opponents that a guaranteed income would reduce the incentive of people to work is therefore largely contradicted,' it said in a statement quoted by The Local. However, a third of the 1,076 people interviewed for the survey by the Demoscope Institute believed that 'others would stop working'. #stocks-summary Seoul shares down for 2nd day on rate hike woes South Korean stocks retreated for a second straight session Thursday, as investor sentiment worsened on concerns about aggressive rate hikes. The Korean won fell against the U.S. d... Editor, May I say a few words (please do not count them) about your excellent article both content and understanding of the scam or saga playing itself out at the Mbabane City Council. With the greatest respect to the mayor, he has this time exposed his nudity. It is a combination of ignorance and opportunism to say the restructuring at council is critical to Vision 2022 because if it is true it can also be said to be critical that the Town Clerk who left council back in 2003 in disgrace, should resign, day before yesterday in line with Vision 2022! After all, his colleague, His Worship W. Mbhamali terminated his services, as he was the Mayor then. We do not need to wait for 2022 to see that:- In 2008 or so E8.7 million was needed to restructure at council. Nobody bothered to ensure that funding was availed. The Ministry of Housing knew this and some seven years later it is said E35 million is needed to restructure the same council. Time is money and council and the ministry did not act responsibly, to unfortunately, the detriment of the taxpayer and dignity of the council employees. If it is said E35 million is too expensive, what stopped them from availing E8.7 million since 2008? The non-Swazi consultant, Uriel is being babysitted how much (millions) has been paid to them? Could the job not be done by Swazis (as South Africa always prefers its own citizens)? Was the job tendered and are they Revenue Authority compliant? They should declare the massive perks including furnished accommodation, DStv, domestic servant, all for free and maintained by a local hotel plus E167 000/pm. When are the 2002 Commission of Enquiry recommendations going to be implemented? Over and under payments by staff including the sitting city clerk were to be surcharged. A landowner connected to the city clerk was paid some E47 000 or so that cannot be transferred to council almost E20 years later. Thousands are spent or misspent on endless litigation. What is unfortunate is that council finds it convenient to abuse ratepayers funds yet defending their abuse costs organised (union) staff untold hardship by depleting union funds which they (members) would rather spend on their families. The over 60 years I.R Specialist was said to be engaged on a seven-month contract but almost four years later, he is still employed why? At such a high pensioners allowance of E30 000 plus! I could go on. Thank you Mr Editor for doing what we expect of newspapers telling it like it is. The recent court judgment stalled councils vindictive and targeted dismissal. Time will tell whether council, the minister, Ratepayers Association or Parliament will be seen to have acted or not acted in the public interest. In parting, may I ask if it is proper to link the restructuring exercise for an increment to the city clerk? Now that it is still not complete has his salary been increased? Mr mayor visions come from dreams but we must not forget to wake up also. Mr mayor is it not critical to ensure good governance at Mbabane City Council for the sake of Vision 2022? W.P Bennett MBABANE The Swaziland Schools Support Staff Association (SSSA) is up in arms against schools that have terminated the services of their members citing lack of funds to keep them under their employ. The organisation has even warned that schools will be forced to shut down with property going under the hammer for illegal termination of services as they take to the courts. President of SSSA Phumelele Zulu said it was not their intention to be seen as fighting schools. However, she said they were not going to allow a situation where their members were being fired unlawfully by head teachers and would come down hard on schools if their members continued to be fired at the rate that is currently being witnessed. She said in one shocking instance, about nine school support staff members have been notified about the termination of their services because the school can no longer afford to have them as employees because of financial constraints. Zulu also said there were a number of letters from members notifying them that they were seeking legal recourse following unlawful terminations of services and unpaid salaries dating back to months on end. She said they have taken a very strong stance against head teachers who have resolved to sinking schools support staff without having consulted them. That is where we have a problem. If schools decided to fire support staff, we assume that they have decided to take up all responsibility including paying up for the workers terminal benefits, Zulu pointed out. She said they were fully aware that head teachers were having challenges with funds from government but it becomes very intriguing when they all of a sudden decide to terminate services of support staff or making them redundant. We are aware that they are being forced to do this because of lack of funds but this will not solve the problem, she said. Zulu mentioned that some support staff in schools were last paid their salaries in October last year, some having worked diligently for the schools for over 20 years. The way most schools are handling the situation leaves a lot to be desired in unfair dismissals with some giving workers marching orders there and then without having engaged the staff members, us or following the due lawful process. Now, the question is, if they couldnt afford paying their salaries how are they going to deal with the legal implications that will come with the costs of firing our members unlawfully? wondered Zulu, saying this would no doubt come back to hit hard on the schools. warning Because we are going to strongly challenge this, let this be a warning that many schools will be hit hard by this as property will be attached and go under the hammer when we fight for what has all along been due to our members. Zulu put it in no uncertain terms that some schools will be forced to shut down by court order if government doesnt intervene immediately because in the event they fail to pay their members, some of whom were being paid way below the gazetted salary for years, deputy sheriffs would be sent to schools with court orders. NCANDWENI Children of serial killer David Simelanes victims are nowhere near coping with the deaths of their mothers, blaming it more on government. One of the children, a daughter of Samantha Kgasi, has written an emotional letter wherein she expresses how she is coping and further highlights her frustration on how government has neglected them. Another of the children, a daughter of Twana Dlamini, said she was disgusted by Simelanes pictures in which he was captured smiling. David Simelane is a record- breaker in the country for having murdered about 40 women and children. Philile Dlamini, who has lived with Vosho Dlaminis children ever since she was killed, said the youngest of the children, who was five years old when her mother died would sometimes sleep in the kraal with a herd of cattle. She had severe mood swings and each time she missed her mother she would not talk to anyone and she would cry from morning to sunset. At night she would leave the house and sleep in the family kraal and nothing we tried could console her. Nomsa Dlamini, whose mother died after she had been promised a job by Simelane, said it would be nice to meet Simelane and probably ask him a few questions. I really want to meet him so that he can tell me how and why he killed my mother. I also want to know the other people he was working with in this, said Nomsa who also wanted to know if there was any hope of meeting him. She said she was only 13 years old when her mother disappeared. Mine was the saddest experience because I only learnt about her death from the newspapers as I was not living at home at that time. It became even worse when my schoolmates began to make interpretations of the whole incident, implying that my mother may have been a prostitute as she would not have fallen victim if she was not one, she said. Nomsa said it may have been years ago now but her emotional wounds had not healed. Siyabonga Ngcamphalala, the son of Twana Dlamini, said he still misses his mother and the love she would have given her if she was given a chance to raise her. Siyabonga was nine years old when his mother disappeared only to be returned in the form of bones about a decade later. Growing up without my mother has been tough for us because she was the only parent we were very close with, as my father lived and worked in the mines most of the time, he said. He said after the death of his mother, he learnt how to take care of his younger brother and their grandmother who has a physical disability. We were struggling all the way and it became worse when my father had to leave work and return home to look after us because he could no longer make money to raise us. Now that ADIFF '16 is only a couple of weeks away and the programme has been officially launched, people have been snapping up tickets left and right for some of the key events this year. There's a pretty wide variety of films on offer this year, but with so many to choose from it, you could easily run out of ink in your highlight marker. Not to worry because we've gone out and done you a friggin' service by picking out sixteen of the must-see films at this year's festival. Here's our top picks in no particular order... 16. GREEN ROOM (Cineworld, Screen 9, February 24th - 6:15pm) Blue Ruin featured highly in our Top 10 of 2013 and with good reason - it's utterly brilliant. Since then, director Jeremy Saulnier's been offered all manner of high-profile gigs, including directing a key episode of True Detective's second season. He passed on all these, instead opting to make a horror-thriller with Patrick Stewart and Anton Yelchin about neo-Nazis attacking a punk band. Green Room has been called this generation's Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Get excited. 15. ANOMALISA (Light House Cinema, Screen 1, February 23rd - 9:00pm) Charlie Kaufman's made a career out of genre-bending, mind-warping films that truly stand the test of time. Whether it's Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Adaptation or Synecdoche New York, Kaufman's films stay with you for many years. His latest work, Anomalisa, tells the story - via stopmotion animation - of a man who's trapped in the rat-race and mundanity of life and tries to escape with a young woman he meets at a lonely hotel. 14. HIGH-RISE (Light House Cinema, Screen 1, February 22nd - 8:15pm) With an all-star cast that includes Tom Hiddleston, Sienna Miller, Luke Evans and Jeremy Irons, High-Rise is a psychological horror set in a '70s sci-fi dystopian apartment block. Yeah, try saying that in one breath. Basically, the apartment block / high-rise is a microcosm of society. Toffs live at the top, poor people at the bottom and just about everything is self-contained in the high-rise. However, when power and electricity breaks down, so to does people's grasp on their sanity and pretty soon, BAD things happen. 13. ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (Light House Cinema, Screen 1, February 22nd - 2:00pm) Sergio Leone's classic Western runs for a grand total of 170 minutes - that's ten minutes shy of three hours. Sure, it's an endurance test, but what you get in return is, hands down, one of the greatest Westerns ever made. In fact, it's probably one of the best films ever made. A sweeping saga that sees a retired prostitute (Clauda Cardinale, who'll be attending the screening) arrives in a desert backwater as the owner of a prime piece of land that's wanted by a railroad baron. Violent, epic, iconic - Once Upon A Time In The West is a classic in every sense of the word. 12. DEMOLITION (Cineworld, Screen 9, February 23rd - 8:30pm) Jake Gyllenhaal teams up with the director of Dallas Buyer's Club for this personal drama. Gyllenhaal is a successful investment banker who completely unravels when his wife dies suddenly in a car-crash. He begins to write a series of increasingly personal letters to a customer service representative of a vending machine company as a means of dealing with his issues, culminating him attempting to destroy his home and life. 11. TIME OUT OF MIND (Savoy, Screen 1, February 26th - 7:30pm) Richard Gere stars as a homeless man who's struggling to survive, one day at a time. Caught in the revolving door of homelessness and men's shelters, he eventually tries to put himself back on course and reconnect with his daughter, Jena Malone. Richard Gere's performance is said to be one of the best of the year and, by all accounts, proves just how versatile an actor he really is. 10. THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (Light House Cinema, Screen 3, February 21st - 8:30pm) The original conspiracy thriller, Angela Lansbury, Frank Sinatra and Janet Leigh star in this genuinely disturbing tale of brainwashing and Reds under the bed. A platoon of US soldiers in the Korean War have been brainwashed by Communist psychologists in an apparent plot to install a sleeper agent at the very top of the US Government. Homeland, The Parallax View and basically every conspiracy thriller owes a debt to The Manchurian Candidate. 9. THE PROPAGANDA GAME (Light House Cinema, Screen 3, February 20th - 9:00pm) Speaking of brainwashing, this documentary on the lengths North Korea will go to promote themselves as a tolerant nation really is something. Spanish documentarian Alvaro Longoria travels to the Hermit Kingdom and, inexplicably, finds himself being guided by a fellow Spaniard who is a true believer of Kim Jong-Un and his regime. Bizarre beyond belief, The Propaganda Game shows how far people will go to stay in control. 8. ZOOTROPOLIS (Savoy, Screen 1, February 28th - 2:00pm) Jason Bateman and Ginnifer Goodwin star in this animated comedy caper about a sly fox and an over-eager rabbit cop who are at opposite ends of the social order in Zootropolis, a city where animals all live together as one. When several mammals start going missing, it's up to one intrepid bunny and her cunning fox partner to solve the case. Witty, knowing and full of comedy, Zootropolis is the perfect easy-going film for a Sunday morning. 7. SING STREET (Savoy, Screen 1, February 18th - 7:00pm) The early word on John Carney's follow-up to Once and Begin Again has it as an ode to the likes of The Commitments and Dublin in the '80s, all New Romantics and bottles of TK Red Lemonade. A young boy is pulled from his leafy, Southside school and thrown into an inner-city school after his parents happily admit that they're basically broke. However, it's not all bad as he soon discovers a beautiful girl and tries to create a band to get her attention. Smart, funny and a fantastic soundtrack to boot, Sing Street could easily be mentioned this time next year for Oscar glory. 6. SURPRISE FILM (Savoy, Screen 1, February 28th - 5:00pm) It's always one of the highlights of the festival and never fails to be a real event for film fans. We've got a few ideas about what'll be the surprise film this year that we'll share later on. Suffice to say, we think we have this year's film cracked. We're almost sure of it. 5. TRADERS (Light House Cinema, Screen 1, February 20th - 6:30pm) Love / Hate's Killian Scott and Game of Thrones' John Bradley star in this Fight Club-esque satire about the world of cutthroat capitalism, taken to its extremes. In the aftermath of the Financial Collapse, an investment banker comes up with a new way to make money - 'trading'. Two people empty out their bank accounts, liquidate their assets and meet in a remote location where they'll fight to the death. The winner takes the loser's winnings. Brutally effective, Traders is a look at the financial market from an entirely different perspective. 4. TRUTH (Cineworld, Screen 8, February 20th - 6:30pm) Robert Redford and Cate Blanchett star in this dramatisation of the investigation by Dan Rather and CBS's 60 Minutes programme and the eventual fallout resulting from it. Redford stars as Dan Rather, the veteran broadcaster who revealed on his primetime news programme a shocking story concerning George W. Bush's war record in Vietnam. Under extraordinary pressure from both CBS and political elements, the story is investigated with unexpected outcomes for all. 3. VIVA (Savoy, Screen 1, February 28th - 7:45pm) Closing out the festival is Viva, Paddy Breathnach's take on Cuban drag culture. A young man, Jesus, is scratching a living together in Havana when he is drawn to the glamour and glitter of drag culture and adopts a new persona, Viva. However, when his criminal father returns from an extended prison sentence, his life is thrown into chaos as his father not only condemns his lifestyle choice, but forbids him from frequenting the nightclub where he acts. 2. HAIL, CAESAR! (Savoy, Screen 1, February 20th - 11:30am) The Coen Brothers' return to Old Hollywod for this caper-comedy about a missing actor (George Clooney) who's kidnapped by The Future. Really. Josh Brolin stars as Eddie Mannix, a "fixer" for a Hollywood studio who must try to collect $100,000 to rescue the kidnapped Clooney and keep the production of Hail, Caesar! going. 1. MICHAEL COLLINS (Savoy, Screen 1, February 20th - 2:00pm) Neil Jordan's sweeping epic on the life and times of Michael Collins and the birth of the state, Liam Neeson stars as the Big Fella whilst the sadly-departed Alan Rickman plays DeValera. Sure, it's not exactly accurate or even remotely historically correct, but it sure is a huge amount of fun. Charles Dance plays the treacherous leader of the Cairo Gang, sent to wipe out Neeson's band of rebels whilst Stephen Rea plays a double-agent in the Dublin Metropolitan Police. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Sadef Ali Kully In an effort to curb gun violence across the five boroughs, the de Blasio administration announced last week Project Fast Track, a strategic plan intended to expand police investigations and to expedite illegal gun cases in the state court system. Despite having some of the strongest gun laws in the nation, both the New York City and state administrations said it was also important to have a strong criminal justice system. Police said the gun found in last Mays fatal shooting of Detective Brian Moore in Queens Village was a stolen gun trafficked from a pawnshop in Georgia. And following the Dec. 31 fatal shooting of a 16-year-old boy in South Jamaica, the gun was not found at the time of the incident. But police sources said the chances of the gun being illegal were high. The strategies will include a Gun Violence Suppression Division with 200 NYPD personnel focused on illegal firearms as well as shootings and gangs; expanded investigations into interstate gun trafficking; strong communication between prosecutors and police to ensure gun prosecutions are successful; expedited prosecution of illegal gun cases; quicker testing for DNA in gun cases; strategic cooperation with federal law enforcement; dedicated judicial teams to handle illegal gun cases which will begin in Brooklyn before coming to other boroughs; and using social media to broadcast illegal gun enforcement. The goal of the NYPDs new Gun Violence Suppression Division and the citys Project Fast Track is to identify, investigate, arrest and successfully prosecute people with illegal guns. Precision policing has to be accompanied by precision prosecution, Police Commissioner William Bratton said. Mayor de Blasios plan to strengthen identification and prosecution of illegal gun cases can only further enhance our own committed efforts to combat gun violence, prosecute those who terrorize communities and protect innocent people from becoming the victims of gun tragedies, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. A similar initiative was put into place in 2003 during the Bloomberg administration, and Project Fast Track builds on the original program to deter gun violence, according to the city. The mayors office said the former gun court focused on ensuring penalties for illegal gun cases, which ended because state law changed to mandate consistent penalties. When gun charges are lost at evidence suppression hearings for failure to develop strong cases, or delayed to the point where criminals dont see swift justice, a culture of impunity emerges and actually emboldens gun criminals, said Councilman Rory Lancman (D-Hillcrest), chairman of the Committee on Courts & Legal Services. Im hopeful that Project Fast Track will usher in a new era in prosecuting gun crimes, and getting guns off our streets. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Madina Toure Two lawmakers in northeast Queens are advocating on behalf of residents filing taxes as the tax season approaches. State Assemblywoman Nily Rozic (D-Fresh Meadows) is expressing opposition to Gov. Andrew Cuomos budget proposal that would alter the state School Tax Relief program, which provides a partial exemption from school property taxes. Under Cuomos proposal, STAR would be converted from a property tax deduction into an income tax credit, while basic and enhanced STAR benefits would be frozen at last years levels, according to Rozic. The STAR program is a critical investment that has proven to be one of the most effective in providing Queens homeowners with deductions on their property tax bills, she said. Enacting the governors proposals would be a disservice not only to current and new homeowners, but also to efforts made to protect taxpayers and make New Yorks property tax system transparent and equitable. The assemblywoman said working and middle-class families and seniors enrolled in STAR currently receive a direct deduction on their property tax bills. If turned into an income tax credit, homeowners would have to pay a property tax increase before getting their money back after filing their income taxes, Rozic said. She said the governors proposal to freeze STAR at 2015-2016 levels threatens the growth of exemption benefits homeowners depend on to cover the costs of rising property taxes. The governors proposals, which he outlined in his 2015-16 executive budget in February 2015, were met with opposition given the Assemblys efforts to address increasing property tax rates across New York, Rozic said. At a news conference last Friday, state Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Flushing), City Councilman Peter Koo (D-Flushing) and the Queens Library announced a free online tax assistance program for those with a household income under $62,000 sponsored by the state Department of Taxation and Finance. The Flushing and Queensboro Hill branches will host the program through April. About 92 percent of New York filers file their taxes electronically and the error rate for e-filed returns is 20 times lower than for paper returns, according to Stavisky. If an individuals combined income for 2015 did not exceed $62,000, the individual can e-file for free and if he or she qualifies for a tax refund, the individual can receive it far faster than if they filed a paper return, Stavisky said. Services will be offered in English, Mandarin and Korean. Mandarin-, Korean- and Japanese-speaking volunteers will be available at the Queensboro Hill branch. Tax season is stressful for everyone, but even more so for low-income families who often cannot afford to hire outside help work on their tax forms, she said. By Mel Gurtov The growing rift between Saudi Arabia and Iran is reportedly causing great consternation in US policymaking circles. Once again, US officials are called upon to decide whether to support an ally that isnt behaving in accord with US interests, significantly modify the relationship, or abandon it. The Obama administration, like all its predecessors going as far back as the 1930s, values Saudi oil, notwithstanding the current oil surplus. But these days it also wants Saudi participation in talks with Iran on Syrias political future and continuation of the longstanding intelligence agency ties in Syria that involve a division of labor (CIA training, Saudi money and weapons) in the fight against ISIS. Unfortunately, the Saudis are showing (surprise, surprise!) that they have their own interests, which include confronting Iran, intervening in Yemens civil war (using criminally disproportionate force), and avoiding too deep a military commitment in Syria. People with a long involvement in US Middle East policy naturally deplore the evolving gulf between the US and Saudi Arabia but insist that the Saudis are too valuable an ally to desert. Dennis Ross, a longtime US State Department negotiator in the Middle East, writes: Distancing from Saudi Arabia will raise further questions with Americas traditional partners in the Middle East and might mislead the Iranians into thinking the US will never hold them to account on the nuclear deal or their regional behavior. For analysts like Ross, Iran remains the primary US foe in the region. So long as such thinking holds, supportespecially with multibillion-dollar arms packagesfor traditional partners such as Saudi Arabia and Israel will remain firm no matter how often, and how significantly, those countries leaders thumb their noses at Washington. Therein lies the conundrum that so often seems to afflict US policymaking, in the Middle East and elsewhere. How long must a so-called ally be tolerated and coddled, with mountains of arms, when its actions contradict US policy and violate international norms? The Saudi royal family runs an authoritarian political system that nurtures radical Islamism, suppresses political criticism, and systematically violates human rights. Its mass executions that most recently included a leading Shiite cleric and 46 other prisoners are symptomatic of a brutal, insecure leadership that cares little about bridging Sunni-Shiite differences in the region or successfully implementing Irans nuclear weapons deal, and even less about humane values. Is this a partnership worth preserving? And what does it say about US priorities and purposes in the Middle East if the answer is yes? So long as the Saudi tail is wagging the American dog in the Middle East, ordinary people there will remain convinced that oil and repression-driven stability are the only things that matter to US leaders. The Saudis have every right to choose their enemies, but by the same token the US has every right to stop soothing and currying favor with a country that is unreliable and unworthy of support. Its the same argument for ditching Pakistan, another US partner that Washington consistently rewards with arms despite Pakistans awful record on human rights, democratic rule, and fighting terrorism. And its the same for ending the reflexive support of Israel, whose actions in the Occupied Territories and treatment of Palestinians are clear violations of international law and humane ethics. So far the US response has been a tepid criticism of the clerics execution, a diplomatic urging of restraint by Saudi Arabia and Iran, and a needless reminder to the House of Saud that finding a way to end the Syrian civil war has top priority. The Obama administration might have handled this latest Saudi-Iranian test of strength differently, however. First, it should have demanded that the clerics life, not to mention the lives of the other 46 people, be spared. That would have avoided the sacking of the Saudi embassy in Tehran and the consequent strengthening of the hardliners in Iran. If the US demand was not met, it could then take additional steps, such as reducing imports of oil from Saudi Arabia, stopping logistical support of its air operations in Yemen (which should never have occurred in the first place), and cutting military aid to the Saudis. The Saudis might then have come to their senses and realized that their security problems would only be intensified by rupturing relations with Iran and dramatizing the sectarian divide between Shiites and Sunnis. Of course, in the real world of foreign policy, the US is not prepared and may never be prepared to take such a strong and principled course of action. Access to oil, support of Israel, and reliance on the authoritarian Middle East monarchies have been staples of US policy for many decades. Yet wouldnt it be worth considering that the violence and deprivations of human rights in the Middle East might be alleviated by US adherence to a different set of priorities: social justice, environmental protection (with a focus on water), accountable and transparent governance, and demilitarization through substantial reductions of armaments and arms transfers? The views expressed in this article are the author\s own and do not necessarily reflect The Times Of Earth\s editorial policy. Charlie Cox says his return as Daredevil "still feels too good to be true" Airport development adding to economy, jobs in the region Pittsburgh may always be known as the Steel City, but a wave of new industries are popping up near its airport to redefine business in the region. Sarah Johnson/Times Record News Stephanie Smith (from left), Emily Blair, Beth Barnard and Amy Ketner gather at Barnards home the first Thursday each month for their IF:Table group, along with several other members. IF:Table is an offshoot of IF:Gathering, a worldwide movement to empower women in their communities to gather small groups of women together for prayer, encouragement and accountability. First Presbyterian Church is hosting an IF:Gathering Feb. 5 and 6, where women from various churches, careers, families and experiences will gather and learn more about Jesus through a live streaming seminar, then talk about what could happen if we all lived like Him. A second gathering aimed at military women will be held the same dates at the Church at Sheppard. SHARE By Sarah Johnson What are the some of the long-term goals you would love to cultivate this year? Think of a time you had to wait for something, but the wait was so worth it. Why was waiting important? What did God produce in you? Do you feel you might be waiting for something right now? If so, what is it? These are some of the themes that are tackled when Beth Barnard and her group of six women gather on the first Thursday of every month for breakfast to discuss essential questions of faith and life. "The idea is so simple, but results are so huge," Barnard said. "This group of women, coming from various churches, careers, families and experiences, comes together to genuinely pray for each other and dig deep into the basic question of 'what if we all lived like Jesus?' " Their group is called IF:Table, an offshoot of IF:Gathering, which is a movement started in Austin in 2014. On Feb. 5 and 6, First Presbyterian Church will host an IF:Gathering, where women will meet at the church to learn more about Jesus through a live streaming seminar and then talk about what could happen "if we all lived like Him." The event is from 6-9 p.m. Feb. 5 and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Feb. 6 in the church's fellowship hall. Tickets are $25 to cover the cost of food for the weekend. During breaks, representatives from groups like Faith Refuge and Noonday will speak. "Our plan with hosting an IF:Gathering for this many women is to be able to equip them all to create their own small IF:Table groups," Barnard said. "The concept is to bring together groups of six to eight women to meet regularly to hold each other accountable and encourage each other to live like Jesus in all areas. We are just a group who can pray together and for each other intentionally and without ceasing." According to the IF:Gathering website, the idea of creating authentic connections at a table is not new. The concept stems from Acts 2:46 which says, "They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts." It was out of that verse that IF:Table was born the belief that it is at the table where God can and will transform lives. For Amy Ketner, a member of Barnard's IF:Table group, a small group is ideal for sharing. "The group provides a safe and intimate setting that allows you to feel like you belong," Ketner said. "You are able to look at each person at the table and have real conversations with them. Each person is able to share what is on her heart regarding a specific question that month, or if there is something going on in her life she needs prayer or advice." For Ashley Smith, a small group gives her a place to be honest and open about life with women she trusts. "In return, I receive godly advice and grace to help me through the hard things in life and friends to celebrate with in the good," Smith said. Conversation cards provided by IF:Gathering help move conversations along. "The conversation flows well with women, but the conversation cards keep us centered on Jesus and how our stories are always about him," Stephanie Smith said. "It's the intentionality with the relationships." In all boils down, Ketner said, to tackling real life. "We have helped friends navigate the hard things in life and celebrate the good things," she said. Barnard's group has been meeting for about one year and each member is part of a generation of women who believe God at his word. "We have seen God move in incredible ways already and believe there is more to come," Barnard said. "My prayer for any woman interested in the event is that they just say yes and sign up. I pray everyone comes with an open heart and mind and leaves feeling recharged and empowered the way I leave my IF:Table each month." The deadline for registration is Feb. 1. For tickets and more information, call First Presbyterian Church at 767-2547. A second IF:Gathering event geared toward military women will be 7-10 p.m. Feb. 5 and from 9 a.m. to noon Feb. 6 at the Church at Sheppard, 2101 Puckett Road. For information, call 723-2764. SHARE By Christopher Collins of the Times Record News The data is in: Wichita County's information technology department conducted a study last year on county employees' Internet use, finding they visited Facebook-related URLs almost two times more than the next most popular website. The study's findings initially were reported at a Commissioners Court meeting in late October. Ashley Culley, the IT department's assistant director, said Facebook was the most used website even more than E-File Texas, the state's own website for doing court-related business. Through a state open-records request, The Times Record News obtained a copy of the report, which bears out Culley's conclusions. The report, which shows bandwidth use statistics for a one-month period, attributes 4.18 percent of total bandwidth usage to URLs associated with the Facebook social network. That number may seem small, but it's almost double the next most commonly used URL: an email server, which accounted for 2.45 percent of use. And activity on Facebook was nearly three times higher than it was on the county's official website, which ranked fourth at 1.59 percent. The third most used URL was redacted from the information provided to the Times Record News as it referred to an internal network location. Data includes only the active use of websites, such as clicking or scrolling. The report came as commissioners approved more than $20,000 to buy Solar Winds network, a performance monitoring software which aims to address "bottlenecks" in bandwidth usage. Culley, who produced the report at the court's behest, said at October's meeting that the software could track individual employees' Internet usage. The usage data of specific employees and departments were not included in documents provided to the newspaper. "If someone comes to you and says, 'My office is just overwhelmed and I need another person.' Well, I can produce those documents for you to make the decision you need to make," Culley told commissioners during that meeting. It was unknown Thursday afternoon whether the Internet activity of county employees has changed since the time the study was conducted. Albany A bipartisan group of lawmakers wants to give all Albany County employees 40 days of paid family leave to care for a new child or sick relative. The County Legislature's Reform Coalition unveiled the legislation Friday morning the same day Gov. Andrew Cuomo joined Vice President Joe Biden in New York City to rally support for his own statewide family leave plan. "This benefit supports working families and middle-income families," said Menands Democrat Alison McLean Lane, who said she twice benefited from paid family leave once from her former job with the town of Colonie and once from her husband's job with the state. Without the leave, McLean Lane said, her high-risk pregnancy and husband's open-heart surgery "would have placed enormous financial stress on our family." The new policy would give all county employees up to 40 days paid leave after giving birth, adopting or fostering a child or to care for a sick family member. The county employs roughly 2,500 people, but workers would have to log 1,250 hours over the preceding year before becoming eligible for the leave. McLean Lane said the benefit would cost taxpayers a small fraction of a percent of the county's roughly $610 million operating budget. In not offering paid leave, advocates said, Albany County lags behind the state and many local governments, including Colonie, Bethlehem and Albany. Earlier this month, Cuomo proposed statewide legislation that would give workers 12 weeks of family leave at up to half pay. Colonie Republican Paul Burgdorf called the policy a safeguard against workers "who have to choose between caring for their loved ones and financial distress." Legislature Chairman Sean Ward, who was not among those at the news conference, said the proposal would likely be vetted in the personnel and finance committees. Among other things, Ward said he would want to see a detailed analysis of the anticipated costs. "I don't think there's a legislator out there that doesn't want to help families. But we've got to manage what the taxpayers would have to pay for it," said Ward, a Green Island Democrat. "I think the intent by all parties is honorable, but we've got to look at the details." Ward said he also believed the benefit could be subject to bargaining with the county's unions a position McLean Lane rejected. "I don't think it's something we should be using as a negotiating tool," she said. The group said at least 17 Democrats and Republicans are supporting the measure. It will likely need at least 20 to pass. Two years ago, County Executive Dan McCoy proposed giving workers four weeks of paid leave after the birth or adoption of a child. But the legislature never took it up. On Friday, McCoy spokeswoman Mary Rozak said the executive remains supportive of the concept but would have to study the details of the coalition's plan including cost. "This is something that has gone beyond what the county executive proposed in 2014," Rozak said. "He's going to have to take a look." jcarleo-evangelist@timesunion.com 518-454-5445 @JCEvangelist_TU This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Albany Each workday, thousands of state workers commute from their suburban neighborhoods to the many state buildings scattered throughout New York's capital city. Based on Albany's remarkable penchant for corruption, odds are that at least a few of them have a story the feds would be interested in hearing. That's where the billboards come in. Authorities have turned to using digital billboards along the interstate to urge citizens to report crooked politicians, dirty bureaucrats and other bad actors, the latest indication of just how big a problem political corruption has become in Albany. The signs, which went up earlier this year, are emblazoned with the words "REPORT CORRUPTION," all in capital letters, above the number for a telephone tip line and FBI website. They went up only weeks after the Legislature's two top leaders were convicted of trying to cash in on their positions. The idea came from the New York Public Corruption Task Force, which includes the FBI, the state comptroller and the state attorney general. "Public corruption erodes New Yorkers' faith in their government and in our shared commitment to equal justice under law," Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement issued in response to questions about the billboard. "I am committed to working with my partners in law enforcement to crack down on public corruption." Billboards have long been used to locate fugitives and missing children, or warn about the risks of domestic violence, drunken driving and child abuse. Their use in the fight against corruption, however, is a relatively new idea. "We got a call from the local field office, and we worked with them to design it," said Matt Duddy, vice president and general manager in the region for Lamar Advertising, which operates the billboards and offered the space for free. The FBI tried out anti-corruption billboards last year in Kentucky and Connecticut. Albany, where more than 30 lawmakers have faced criminal charges or left office because of allegations of ethical misconduct, would seem to be an obvious choice. Last year, former Assembly Speaker Sheldon and ex-Senate Leader Dean Skelos, R-Long Island, were convicted of corruption. Silver, a Manhattan Democrat, was found guilty of taking more than $4 million in bribes. Skelos, a Long Island Republican, was convicted of extorting payments and jobs for his son. Authorities involved in the effort say the billboards are just one example of an increasingly creative, collaborative effort to address a problem long seen as intractable. "By cooperating and sharing our diverse expertise and resources, we've created a strong collaboration to fight public corruption," said state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. Authorities won't say whether they've seen an uptick in tips since the signs went up, or whether they've led to new investigations. Evidence from other states, however, suggests the signs could yield results: the Police department in Janesville, Wis., reported calls tripled after the department started putting information about wanted suspects and anti-crime messages on billboards. In New York, the tip line is 518-431-7200 and the website is tips.fbi.gov. Albany Speaking at times in starkly personal terms, Gov. Andrew Cuomo joined Vice President Joe Biden on Friday to headline a rally pushing the governor's plan for a Paid Family Leave law that would provide New Yorkers with 12 weeks to care for loved ones, from newborns to aged parents. The talk extended Cuomo's outreach to progressives and expanded on a key point in his State of the State address. Just four months ago, Cuomo and Biden teamed up to push for a $15 minimum wage. While a boost in the wage may be the centerpiece of Cuomo's legislative agenda this year, the governor is also pressing for a paid leave law, which organized labor and progressives have been seeking for years. The men spoke at a New York City YMCA before a crowd of activists, parents and union members as well as other elected officials. Both Cuomo and Biden have suffered personal losses over the past year: The governor's father, former Gov. Mario Cuomo, died on Jan. 1, 2015; Biden's son, former Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, died at age 46 after a battle with brain cancer on May 30. Both alluded to those events, saying paid leave would allow families to spend precious time with dying loved ones. "If you have a family member who is passing away, you should be there," Cuomo said. "I know the feeling. I went through it last year with my father. That is the time you need to say things that need to be said. You should have that option in life.'' Biden said, "How do you choose between leaving the bedside of your dying son or daughter who doesn't want you to leave, who just wants you to hang on?'' " ... If you don't go to work for a while, you may not be able to turn the lights on," Biden said. Model and activist Christy Turlington Burns, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney and Independent Democratic Conference Leader Sen. Jeff Klein joined Cuomo and Biden. Klein's IDC remains aligned with the Senate's majority Republicans. While the Democrat and his swing conference have identified paid family leave as a priority, it remains unclear if the Senate GOP would support it in its current proposed form. GOP Majority Leader John Flanagan has previously said he supports the concept, but has cautioned that he doesn't want to impose undue costs on businesses. GOP staffers repeated the position on Friday. Under Cuomo's proposal, the cost of leave could be supported by an employee payroll deduction. Workers using the benefit would get 35 percent of their pay beginning in 2018, with that amount rising to 50 percent by 2021. Business advocates worry about the associated costs and the burden it could impose on small operations. "There's a difference between a guy that has four people working for him at the corner deli and the CEO of a major corporation,'' said Mike Durant, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business. He also worried that the cost could drive up disability insurance rates since it might be funded from the state's disability funds. The entire topic, Durant added, has "a lot of moving parts." At times, Cuomo and Biden sounded like they were channeling the sort of voter anger coursing through the presidential election. (Biden pondered running, but announced in October he would sit out the contest.) "Working men and women are angry," Cuomo said. "More than angry, they are frustrated. They are scared. They feel they've been abandoned. They feel they are on their own." "The rich are getting richer and the working men and women of this country are going backward," he said. Biden noted that according to current measurements, only 49 percent of the U.S. population is considered to be middle class. While federal law has included a family leave component since the 1990s, an estimated 40 percent of the workforce is excluded due to various exemptions. rkarlin@timesunion.com 518-454-5758 @RickKarlinTU This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Portland, Ore. Ammon Bundy and his followers made ample use of social media and videos to summon armed recruits to join their takeover of a wildlife refuge and to declare their readiness to stand their ground. Now federal authorities are using the occupiers' own words against them. Two criminal complaints unsealed this week against the 11 protesters under arrest show that FBI agents have carefully scrutinized social media postings, interviews and online talk shows that were broadcast from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge during the standoff that began nearly a month ago. Bundy and several other jailed leaders appeared Friday in federal court in Portland, where a judge denied their release. U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie Beckerman said Bundy, his brother Ryan Bundy and Ryan Payne pose a danger to the community and she is concerned they will not follow orders to return to Oregon for criminal proceedings. Beckerman said she would release them only if the standoff ends. Four holdouts continued to occupy the refuge in the snowy high country near Burns, and they posted a YouTube video Friday demanding pardons for everyone involved in the occupation. A speaker believed to be David Fry said he asked the FBI whether it was possible to "get out of here without charges," but "they keep saying that's not possible." Ammon Bundy's lawyer, Lissa Casey, said her client is not aligned with those remaining at the refuge and wants to go back to his family in Idaho. "He is done in Harney County; his message has been sent," she said. Casey said Bundy didn't recognize Fry's name and that he was not a core member of the group. Hearings continued for others who were apprehended, and the Bundys will be back in court next week. The ranchers took over the refuge Jan. 2 to demand that the federal government turn public lands over to local control. High-speed rail project halt denied Updated: 2016-01-30 03:23 By Wang Xu,Li Xiaokun(China Daily) Chinese and Indonesian authorities dismissed on Friday reports that construction of Southeast Asia's first high-speed railway had been halted, saying the project is ongoing. The rail project linking the Indonesian capital of Jakarta with Bandung in western Java, which was just inaugurated by Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Jan 21, had already been mired in confusion about its status. "The information that the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail has been halted is not correct," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a news briefing. But earlier, Indonesian media cited Indonesian Transport Minister Ignasius Jonan as saying that the 142-kilometer rail had been delayed by incomplete paperwork and issues that could not be resolved. Because of this, media reported, the government could not issue the building permit and the concession agreement to the contractor, PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China. Xinhua News Agency cited sources with Chinese personnel on the project as saying that all the necessary paperwork had been submitted and the approval process was ongoing. Hua said China expects to collaborate with Indonesia so that the project will quickly benefit the people of that country. The project remains a priority for the Indonesian government, and reports saying it had been "halted" did not come through official channels, the Indonesian embassy in Beijing told China Daily on Friday. Santo Darmosumarto, counselor of social and cultural affairs at the embassy, said the project was definitely "ongoing" and the Indonesian government had issued a presidential decree in January that listed it as one of its 225 priority projects for this year. A high-placed China Railway Corp official who is involved with the project said on condition of anonymity on Friday that the rail is "progressing smoothly". The $5.5 billion line is being developed by PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China, a consortium involving Indonesian state-owned companies and China Railway International Co Ltd, a subsidiary of China Railway Corp. It is scheduled for completion in 2019. Seventy-five percent of the funding is being financed through a China Development Bank loan. Jia Jinjing, director of the macro research department at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China, said reports that the project was stalled reflect a complex of interests in the competition behind the rail. The rail deal was signed in October, after months of competition between China and Japan and a last-minute change of mind by Indonesia. Contact the writers at lixiaokun@chinadaily.com.cn Risk confronts us regularly. We decide how fast it's safe to drive on wet pavement, where our savings for the kids' college costs might best be shielded from a downturn and at my age, anyway how hard we can exercise before one organ or another is likely to give out. But we ask government to watch out for us, to mitigate the risk we face, in a few fundamental areas. Surely, for starters, we have a right to expect that one level of government or another will help make sure that we aren't harmed by the air we breathe and the water we drink. So you can understand why there's uneasiness in Hoosick Falls these days, as local, state and federal officials seem to be tripping over each other belatedly, in some cases warning residents to avoid drinking water that just a few weeks ago people were being assured was safe. The folks in the little Rensselaer County village have to be thinking: Have we unknowingly hurt ourselves for months or years whenever we opened the tap? And this: Did the officials my family and I expect to protect us fall down on the job? More Information Rex Smith is editor of the Times Union. Share your thoughts at http://blog.timesunion.com/editors. See More Collapse The Hoosick Falls water supply is contaminated with perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, a hazardous chemical that was for years used in the manufacture of non-stick cooking surfaces. On Thursday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared the Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics plant a state Superfund site, a step enabling the state to begin to fix the village's water crisis. Saint-Gobain, with a plant just a few hundred yards from the Hoosick Falls well fields, is the village's largest employer. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency declared two years ago that PFOA poses "potential adverse effects for the environment and human health." Studies have linked it to several types of cancer, as well as colitis, thyroid disease, high cholesterol and hypertension in pregnancy. Nobody seemed too worried about PFOA in the Hoosick Falls water until two years ago, when a local insurance underwriter, Michael Hickey, who was struck by what seemed to be a high incidence of cancers there, started taking his own water samples. By his account, he got pushback when he presented evidence of contamination to the mayor and the Village Board. Nor was there an aggressive response from the state Department of Health; unlike the federal government, the state hadn't set a standard on how much PFOA might be a danger to humans. Even after the EPA sent village Mayor David B. Borge a letter in December warning that the village's water was unsafe for human consumption, the mayor said drinking the water was "a personal choice." He was still drinking it, he reassured folks. It's no coincidence, I'd say, that local and state officials didn't step up to confront the problem in the water supply until the Times Union laid out the concerns in a mid-December piece written by our investigations editor, Brendan J. Lyons. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. Perhaps the timing also had something to do with what's going on in Michigan, where the sad city of Flint confronts a water catastrophe. A year and a half ago, a state official ordered Flint to save money by switching its water supply to the long-polluted Flint River. When a local pediatrician pointed to how many Flint children suddenly had elevated levels of lead in their blood, Michigan officials scolded her and warned of "near-hysteria" over what they insisted was safe water. This month, amid a national outcry, the governor of Michigan reversed course. Now he's begging for federal aid to fix Flint's problem, an embarrassing swing for a Republican governor. No one should be drinking unfiltered Flint water, he says. Here's a key difference between Flint and Hoosick Falls: The crisis in Michigan was caused by government by politicians who pushed the water source switch to save money, knowing they were piping dirty water to poor people, then buried clear evidence of the emerging health crisis and denigrated those who brought it to light. In Hoosick Falls, politicians buried only their heads in the sand, it seems. They clearly saw toxic water as a threat to the tiny downtown's revitalization effort, "Hoosick Rising." They were slow to respond, but not complicit in creating the problem. But now, as New York state steps in to help adopting the federal PFOA standard and moving to filter and clean the water there's a weighing of the risk going on. Cuomo cautions that people shouldn't "talk themselves into a panic" that could ruin property values for years. He notes that we just don't know right now if anybody's health has been hurt by this, and that overstating the threat could ruin property values for years. Which is good advice, but a bit risky politically if, you know, the situation in Hoosick Falls turns out to be genuinely dangerous. [January 29, 2016] GEP Procurement Outlook 2016 Released To Global Sourcing And Procurement Professionals: Business, Economic, Technology And Procurement Trends In Focus CLARK, N.J., Jan. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- GEP, a leading global provider of procurement services and procurement software to Fortune 500 and Global 2000 enterprises worldwide, announced today the general release of its annual report on sourcing and procurement trends: GEP Procurement Outlook 2016 Supertrends & their Implications, plus Category Trends. This latest report in a popular series issued annually by GEP provides overviews of high-impact global trends shaping sourcing, purchasing and procurement worldwide, and features rapid drill-downs into a range of sourcing categories. The report examines these trends in the context of their meaning for enterprise procurement teams worldwide and the procurement professionals that lead and operate them. The GEP Procurement Outlook 2016 is available to sourcing, purchasing and procurement professional on a complimentary basis. You can download it at www.gep.com/procurementoutlook or visit the Knowledge Bank on gep.com to access it and a rich repository of procurement-focused intellectual capital. ABOUT GEP GEP is a diverse, creative team of people passionate about procurement. We invest ourselves entirely in our client's success, creating strong collaborative relationships that deliver extraordinary value year after year. We deliver practical, effective procurement services and procurement technology that enable procurement leaders to maximize their impact on business operations, strategy and financial performance. Honored as Best Supplier at this year's EPIC Procurement Excellence Awards, GEP regularly wins accolades as both a provider of a broad range of procurement services and innovative procurement technology. Among its recent distinctions, GEP has been named Leader and Star Performer in Everest Group's PEAK Matrix of Procurement Services Providers, Leader in NelsonHall's NEAT Matrix of Global Procurement BPO Service Providers, Winner in the HfS Blueprint Report on Procurement Outsourcing Providers, Leader in the Kennedy / ALM Vanguard Report on Procurement Consulting, as well as one of Spend Matters 50 Companies to Know and to the Supply & Demand Chain Executive 100. Clark, NJ-based GEP has 12 offices and operations centers in Europe, Asia and the Americas. To learn more about our comprehensive range of consulting and outsourcing services, please visit www.gep.com. For more about SMART by GEP, our cloud-native sourcing and procurement software platform, please visit www.smartbygep.com. CONTACT Al Girardi Global VP, Marketing & Analyst Relations GEP Worldwide Phone: 732-382-6565 Email: [email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gep-procurement-outlook-2016-released-to-global-sourcing-and-procurement-professionals--business-economic-technology-and-procurement-trends-in-focus-300212370.html SOURCE GEP [January 29, 2016] Xola and Smartwaiver unveil the first fully integrated, digital waiver solution for tour and activity companies SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Xola, the powerfully simple reservation software for tour and activity businesses, today introduced its one-of-a-kind integration with Smartwaiver, the leading digital waiver solution for enterprises including the NFL, VANS, and the U.S. Naval Academy. Xola streamlines tour companies' operations and offers the only integration that tracks and links all Smartwaiver releases, bringing new efficiency and risk management standards to the $12 billion domestic tours and activities industry. This new integration solves a common headache plaguing any activity company with customer liability, from brewery tours, to river rafting, to ziplining. Currently, a single tour reservation can include multiple participants who fill out digital waivers from a number of devices, either at home or on-site at the tour. Other integrations only work if all the participants fill out the waiver from the same source URL, meaning that many forms end up lost in cyberspace. Within Xola, companies can easily locate and pair a digital waiver from any source in seconds and attribute it o the master reservation. With Xola and Smartwaiver, companies protect themselves and their customers more effectively, run tours more efficiently, and improve the customer's overall experience. "We're excited to partner with one of the true leaders in booking software for tours and activities," said Daryl McCarl, Director of Marketing and Business Development of Smartwaiver. "The robust integration they've built with Smartwaiver's open API has already received great feedback from customers, saving them time and making it easy for them to manage all their waivers right in the reservation software." Xola's announcement arrived during the 21st annual conference of the Association for Challenge Course Technology. More than 700 industry professionals have gathered in Austin, Texas to explore the industry's latest technological advancements. Recently named as the association's official booking software, the Xola-Smartwaiver integration provides one more reason that it's the top choice for tour and activity companies. "We're proud of the reputation we've established as an industry-leading booking solution, and we'll continue to build innovative, elegant, and easy-to-use software," said Xola's CEO, Scott Zimmerman. "Smartwaiver shares our same commitment, making them an ideal partner for future growth." About Xola Xola builds modern, easy-to-use, booking and marketing software for tour and activity businesses. Its mobile-friendly platform helps hundreds of companies manage their businesses and serve millions of customers in the U.S. and abroad. Xola was founded in 2011 and has averaged 500% growth over the last two years. Its software is backed by world-class customer support and has helped enterprise companies and SMBs increase their online revenue and improve their operational efficiency. Xola headquarters are in San Francisco, CA with offices in Bangalore, India. Investors include Rakuten, Stanford University StartX Fund, Michael Burry, and Scott and Brett Crosby, co-creators of Google Analytics. About Smartwaiver Founded in 2012 and based in Bend, Oregon, Smartwaiver is transforming the way business owners think about release of liability waivers. Smartwaiver is an online, digital waiver solution that streamlines operations and provides the data and tools companies need to make smarter business decisions. Today more than 1,500 companies that require waivers use the cloud-based software to get more than just a signature. For more information and to try it free for 30 days visit www.smartwaiver.com. Media Contact Julia Barrero Xola www.xola.com (415) 404-9652 ext. 2 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160129/327481LOGO Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160129/327499 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/xola-and-smartwaiver-unveil-the-first-fully-integrated-digital-waiver-solution-for-tour-and-activity-companies-300212316.html SOURCE Xola [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 29, 2016] thinkLA's 2nd YoungStars Event Presented By Forbes Has A Focus On Creatives And Entrepreneurs LOS ANGELES, Jan. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- thinkLA's YoungStars presented by Forbes: Social Entrepreneurs, will take place on Thursday, February 4, 6:30pm, at Atom Factory and Smashd offices in Los Angeles. thinkLA's quarterly series showcases LA's top professionals under the age of 35 across media, tech, agencies, and brands. This event will highlight four entrepreneurs who are leading the charge and expanding the ways in which brands, influencers, and audiences connect within the social realm. Speaking will be two Forbes 30 Under 30 list members: Bing Chen, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer at Victorious, a mobile platform that powers influencers apps like Nash Grier and AwesomenessTV, and Jaclyn Johnson, CEO of (No Subject), a creatively-driven digital marketing, influencer and events agency in LA and Create + Cultivate, a creative conference & online platform for female entrepreneurs in the digital space. Also speaking are Joseph Matsushima, Co-Founder & Creative Director at Denizen Compay, a content company that specializes in branded videos, most notably, the Tiny Hampster series and Joel Jensen, Co-Founder & Creative Director at Denizen Company and HelloDenizen, the content division of Denizen Company. The panel will be moderated by Steven Bertoni, Senior Editor at Forbes magazine covering technology, entrepreneurs, billionaires, VC's and the Forbes 30 Under 30 franchise. Troy Carter, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Atom Factory & Smashd, will welcome guests, and a social mixer at atom factory's rooftop with entrepreneur-themed Hennessy Cognac cocktails will follow the discussion. The event will be live-streamed on Universal Broadcast Network HERE. For more information about thinkLA and YoungStars, click HERE. About thinkLA: thinkLA is a non-profit 501(c)(6) association founded in 2006 to promote Los Angeles as a network of creativity and innovation in media, marketing, and advertising. They connect LA's creative community; grow ideas, business and talent; and inspire through education, social and philanthropic events. For more information, please visit www.thinkla.org. About Forbes 30 Under 30: Forbes Media is a global media, branding and technology company, with a focus on news and information about business, investing, technology, entrepreneurship, leadership and affluent lifestyles. The Forbes 30 Under 30 global multiplatform franchise spotlights every year the achievements of young, talented disruptors across different industry categories. The franchise has expanded from lists featured in Forbes magazine and on Forbes.com to live events, an Under 30 mobile app as well as an Under 30 channel on Forbes.com. In 2016, Forbes is publishing European and Asian-specific 30 Under 30 lists and launching Forbes Under 30 Summits in Israel and Asia. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/thinklas-2nd-youngstars-event-presented-by-forbes-has-a-focus-on-creatives-and-entrepreneurs-300212406.html SOURCE thinkLA [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 29, 2016] Registration Open for Rock Stars of Risk-Based Security, East Coast LOS ALAMITOS, Calif., Jan. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Registration is now open for Rock Stars of Risk-Based Security, April 12 in the Washington metropolitan area, where experts in the field will provide attendees with clear, actionable solutions for real-world cybersecurity threats. Information security risk management involves multi-faceted approaches including security-aware and self-protective application design with dynamic and static application security testing. Rock Stars of Risk Based Security, hosted by IEEE Computer Society, presents advanced risk assessment and mitigation strategies that can meet the needs of today's data-driven companies. For a limited time, attendees can take advantage of early registration and save more than 30 percent off full price. Team, member, and student pricing are also available. To register for Rock Stars of Risk-Based Security, set for April 12th at The National Conference Center, Leesburg, Virginia, visit http://www.computer.org/rbsEast. The speakers sharing their knowledge and expertise at the Rock Stars of Risk Based Security, East Coast conference include: Sam Phillips , Vice President and General Manager of Security Services and Chief Information Security Officer Samsung Business Services , Vice President and General Manager of Security Services and Chief Information Security Officer Samsung Business Services Scott Borg , Director, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Economist - United States Cyber Consequences Unit , Director, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Economist - United States Cyber Consequences Unit Diana Kelley , Executive Security Advisor - IBM , Executive Security Advisor - IBM Ben Cody , Vice President of Product Management, Data Loss Prevention - Intel Security , Vice President of Product Management, Data Loss Prevention - Intel Security Jake Kouns , Chief Informtion Security Officer - Risk-Based Security , Chief Informtion Security Officer - Risk-Based Security Sam Curry , Chief Technology & Security Officer - Arbor Networks , Chief Technology & Security Officer - Arbor Networks Josh Sokol , Information Security Program Owner - National Instruments the keys to anticipating attacks rather than having fire drills after the fact how to recognize cyber-warfare as a human-to-human conflict that can be met by an effective combination of people, processes, and products whether cyber liability insurance is worth the money how to find affordable, open-source toolsets for building cyber-risk solutions how to find hidden IT risks that can sink your organization if not uncovered Register today at http://www.computer.org/rbseast while early pricing is still in effect to reserve your seat. Follow IEEE Computer Society on Twitter for the latest updates. About IEEE Computer Society IEEE Computer Society is the world's leading membership organization for professionals in all aspects of modern computing - from cloud to big data, security to mobile, robotics to software defined systems, cybersecurity to IoT. A true community for technology leaders, Computer Society provides resources to keep its members current in technology and moving forward in their professions - publications, a renowned digital library, a vast program of conferences, technical committees, and much more. The Computer Society also serves the profession at large through establishment of professional qualifications and certifications, training and education programs , events on leading-edge technologies, conference publishing, and a wealth of other services and programs focused on advancing the science and art of computing. More information on IEEE Computer Society can be found at www.computer.org . To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/registration-open-for-rock-stars-of-risk-based-security-east-coast-300212436.html SOURCE IEEE Computer Society [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 30, 2016] Free Online Zika Virus Course Teaches You What You Need To Know GALWAY, Ireland, Jan. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- ALISON, the global free learning pioneer has launched a free course entitled "Zika Virus What you need to know". The course has been developed by ALISON Pedagogic experts within the guidance issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the US-based Centre for Disease Control (CDC). The course highlights the virus origins, how people become infected by it, its impact, and how to minimize your risk of acquiring the virus. WHO estimates that over one million Brazilians are now infected with the virus and that it will inevitably spread to North America. Mike Feerick, Founder & CEO of ALISON, stated, "Free Online Learning via ALISON is well placed to assist in developing public awareness of the risks of the Zika Virus. Our success of educating communities in West Africa about EBOLA tells us just how important our role can be." ALISON's Head of Content, Dr Eric Corbett, statd, "The free online Zika virus course will assist people of nearly all ages to understand the threat of the virus. Once studied, learners have the option to pass an assessment to certify that they understand the basic risks posed by the Zika virus. Those concerned about the threat should share links to the course through family, friends and online contacts." ALISON has over one million registered learners in the United States and approaching a half a million registered learners in Brazil, the worst affected country so far in this outbreak. About ALISON Launched in 2007, ALISON is one of the world's largest free online learning platforms with 6 million learners and 750,000 graduates worldwide. Pioneering the MOOC movement, ALISON provides 750 free courses at Diploma and Certificate level. ALISON is a for-profit social enterprise based in Ireland. To learn more, please visit alison.com. To review the ALISON Course "Zika Virus What you need to know" click here. In January 2016, ALISON launched a free English Course for the RIO OLYMPIC games. For further details about this Press Release, please contact Caroline Duggan, ALISON Media Relations at [email protected] or +353-87-997-1570 Caroline Duggan ALISON Media Relations [email protected] +353-87-997-1570 http://www.alison.com To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/free-online-zika-virus-course-teaches-you-what-you-need-to-know-300212548.html SOURCE ALISON [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] 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. 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... Ayvacik (Turkey) (AFP) - The Turkish coastguard on Saturday recovered the bodies of women and children washed up on a beach after yet another migrant boat sank while trying to reach Europe, leaving at least 37 dead. In harrowing scenes reminiscent of the death of Aylan Kurdi, the Syrian toddler photographed lying dead on a Turkish beach in September, the body of a small child could be seen among those strewn over a beach near the town of Ayvacik in northwestern Canakkale province, an AFP photographer at the scene said. An AFP picture showed the dead child dressed in dark trousers and a blue top, face covered with a small hat. A pacifier lay close to the body. In another image, a Turkish gendarme was seen lowering the corpse of an older child into a body bag. Another young child was found dead in the water, according to the AFP photographer. An unknown number of other children also drowned after the boat ferrying them and their families -- some from Syria, others from Afghanistan and Myanmar -- to the nearby Greek island of Lesbos sank just off the Turkish coast. The fatalities came as German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she expected most of the refugees being taken in by Germany from Syria and Iraq to return home once peace has returned to their countries. Merkel has faced strong pressure over her welcoming stance towards asylum seekers. "We expect that once peace has returned to Syria, once the Islamic State (group) has been defeated in Iraq, that they will return to their countries of origin, armed with the knowledge they acquired with us," Merkel was quoted as saying by the DPA news agency. She cited the refugees from former Yugoslavia as an example, saying that 70 percent of those who arrived in Germany in the 1990s returned home once it was safe to do so. Elsewhere on Saturday, Swedish police said dozens of masked men believed to belong to neo-Nazi gangs had gathered in Stockholm late on Friday and handed out leaflets calling for attacks against young migrants. Story continues Police had beefed up their presence in the city centre, deploying anti-riot and helicopter units after learning that extremists were planning "aggression on unaccompanied migrant minors" in the city. - 50 metres from the shore - The migrant deaths off Turkey follow another incident two days ago in which 25 migrants, including 10 children, drowned off the Greek island of Samos. A Turkish official contacted by AFP said the Turkish coastguard recovered 37 bodies from the scene of the latest tragedy including children. In an earlier statement the Turkish coastguard said 75 people had been rescued. AFP's photographer counted at least 19 bodies. "We are sad. At least 20 friends are still missing," a weeping woman who was among the survivors said. The capsized boat was visible around 50 metres (yards) from the shore, where divers from the coastguard were still searching for the missing. Military police in green berets placed bodies in bags to be taken to a morgue. Life jackets and other refugees' belongings were seen dotted across the beach. The drownings continue a grim trend that accelerated last year when nearly 4,000 people died trying to reach Europe by sea, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). During the first 28 days of 2016, a further 244 migrants died at sea, with at least a dozen more dying on land, the IOM said Friday. Turkey, which is hosting at least 2.5 million refugees from Syria's civil war, has become the main launchpad for migrants fleeing war, persecution and poverty to Europe. The Turkish government struck a deal with the EU in November to halt the outflow of refugees, in return for 3 billion euros ($3.2 billion) in financial assistance, but the agreement has failed to check the migrant tide. Merkel said Friday that with 2,000 new asylum seekers entering the Balkans on their journey to northern Europe every day the EU "urgently" needed to implement its side of the agreement. Italy has however questioned how much of the money should come from the EU budget, and how much control the bloc will have over how Ankara spends the funds. Turkey's minister for EU affairs Volkan Bozkir Saturday dismissed any problems with Italy about the release of the EU money and said the funds would be released in February. China is a major exporter of fruit and vegetablesand the U.S. is one of its biggest customers. Liberalization of the farming sector and cheap labor are advantages Product quality and safety as well as distribution channels are areas of concern Few opportunities for direct investment in the fruit and vegetable industry Before taking a quick swig of apple juice the other night while preparing dinner, I thought to look at its provenance: China. And then, before chopping the onion and crushing the garlic, I looked to see whence they, too, came: China. Well, I shouldn't really have been that surprised. Not only is China now one of the world's leading exporters of fruit and vegetables, but we here in the U.S. also import a good deal of those fruit and vegetables. In fact, the U.S. is both China's largest market for exported apple juice (phytosanitary issues prevent the import of fresh apples from China into the U.S.) and a major importer of its garlic. (Indeed, in 1994, U.S. garlic producers successfully filed an antidumping petition against China for selling fresh garlic at less than fair market price, with the U.S. International Trade Commission ruling in their favor.) As a quick look at the top five sources of U.S. imports of fruit and vegetables for 7/2006 shows, China is now way up there as a supplier of both (China does not feature in the top 10 sources of U.S. imports of fresh or frozen fruits.) (Sources: Compiled by ERS using data from Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce) What Does China Export? Over the last 10-12 years, China has raised its profile from barely visible to that of a leading exporter of fruit and vegetables in some of the world's markets. Comparative figures for the period 4/1992 to 4/2002 show that such exports (including fresh, processed and juiced fruit; fresh, processed and juiced vegetables; pulses; and tree nuts) grew some 122% from US$2.3 billion to US$5.1 billion. And, indeed, in 4/2002, 12% of the world's trade in fruit and vegetables was attributable to China. Story continues Processed products, predominantly vegetables, constituted the bulk (60%) of China's fruit and vegetable exports in 4/2002. Currently, the main such export items are tomato paste, canned mushrooms, frozen vegetables and dehydrated vegetables. That said, over the same period, the country's exports of fresh vegetables grew nearly threefold. In 4/2002, they accounted for 16% of export value and 5% of the world's trade. Around half of current exports are now accounted for by garlic, mushrooms and truffles. Other vegetables include carrots, onions, radishes and turnips. The value of fresh fruit exports over the same period (4/19924/2002), however, more than tripled and accounted then for 8% of all China's fruit and vegetable exports. China produces some 65% of the world's apples, and the fruit easily constitutes the country's leading export itemover half its annual fresh fruit exports by value. Apples are followed by pears and quinces, mandarins and all other fresh fruit. In the fruit juice market, China has become a leading contender. Since 2001, the country has been a global leader in apple juice exports. Apple juice now accounts for some 90% of all China's juice exportswith the U.S. its largest market. Currently, more than 40% of the apple juice consumed in the U.S. is made using Chinese concentrate. As China's fruit and vegetable exports have grown so significantly, so, too, has its production of both. And that production continues to grow. How Does China Do It? While China may be the world's most populous country, with 4.5 times as many people as the U.S., it is still able to grow most of its own food and be a major exporter of foodstuffs. Indeed, even with its limited supplies of natural resources, arable land (9% vs. 13% in the U.S. in 2000) and water, in 2006 it produced 84% more crops and livestock than the U.S. Over the last three decades, significant changes in the government's policies governing agriculture and agricultural trade have led not only to reduced centralized planning and official intervention, but also, as a corollary, increased exposure to market forces. Such policies have further included particular encouragement of both fruit and vegetable production. Perhaps most importantly, liberalization in the farming sector has provided farmers with increased freedom as to what crops they can plant and grow. Taking advantage of this, land once used to grow low-return grains has now been turned over to fruit and vegetables with their high cash returns. Fruit and vegetable production has, therefore, increased dramatically. Although arable land may be scarce in China, labor is not, and it is cheap, which is particularly useful when it comes to labor-intensive horticultural crop production. And herein lies China's competitive advantage: low production costs. Most of the work done by China's vast mass of small horticultural producers continues to be done by hand, with little need for investment in even basic machinery. On top of this, these same small producers also pay little by way of rent for the land they cultivate. As important as has been this liberalization in the farming sector, so, too, has been the official encouragement given to the export of agricultural products. A 2004 policy statement, entitled "Number 1 document," laid down that exporting such products, in particular fruit and vegetables, was an important way of helping China's farm sector. Indeed, it set a target of some US$30 billion for agricultural exports within the following four to five years. Where From Here? China is, and will remain, a potent force in the world's fruit and vegetable markets. But, at the same time, its continuing success in these markets will be contingent upon the resolution of some significant issues. Produce Quality And Safety Issues concerning both the quality and safety of food exports from China have been around in the press for a long time. In 2002, for example, frozen spinach exported to Japan was found to contain high levels of a particularly nasty pesticide. And then, last year, contaminated wheat gluten imported from China and used in some pet foods killed and poisoned a large number of cats and dogs in the U.S. To maintain the desired productivity of their scarce arable land, the millions of Chinese farmers growing fruit and vegetables are obliged to rely upon the heavy use of both chemical fertilizers and pesticideseach of which can adversely affect the safety and quality of their produce. (And these chemicals are quite apart from the many other contaminants, such as poisonous heavy metals and industrial chemicals, which often lurk in the soil, waiting to be absorbed by growing plants.) Such has been the recent concern over the issue in the U.S. that, on December 11 last year, China and the U.S. signed a "Memoranda of Agreement" to "Improve the Safety of Food, Feed, Drugs and Medical Devices." Improved Distribution Channels To remain competitive, China needs to both radically reform and restructure the existing distribution channels for getting its fruit and vegetables to their end markets, and to polish up the way it markets both. Currently, not only is there significant wastage and loss before produce reaches consumers, but also, along the way, the markups charged by a superabundance of middlemen often leave Chinese produce with few price advantages over that from competitors. On the marketing side, three factors especially vitiate China's exports: such basic practices as modern packaging and packing are sorely lacking; the use of standard grades (for, say, appearance and uniform product size), while vital for international trade, is not widespread; and, finally, only a few varieties of either fruit or vegetables are available in enough volume to export successfully. Increasing Domestic Consumption And A Rising Yuan In a significant study of the Chinese fruit and vegetable market, the U.S. Department of Agriculture ("USDA") noted: "As Chinese household incomes rise, fruit and vegetable consumption will rise." If such consumption does increase, and an attractive domestic market does develop, then such development will most probably be at the expense of China's export capacity. The country's ability to expand production remains finite if both quality and safety are not to be further sacrificedan important consideration when the consuming sector of the population is becoming increasingly health and safety conscious with respect to what it eats. Then, of course, there is the issue of an appreciating yuan. As the yuan rises and the U.S. dollar depreciates, exports of Chinese fruit and vegetables will face increasing competition on the basis of price. It remains very much to be seen, however, how the yuan will fare against the U.S. dollar. Opportunities As stated in an article in the Financial Times in April last year: "Agribusiness may have grown quickly but it has only begun to nibble at the edges of China's vast farming base." There appear at present, therefore, to be few significant opportunities to invest directly in the growing of fruit and vegetables within China. Having said that, though, foreign companies have, in the past, invested both on the production and the processing sides. Around the turn of this century, investors from Singapore invested in both a Red Globe grape vineyard and greenhouse/packaging facilities in Shandong Province in eastern China. In both instances, the companies involved used their Chinese facilities to service their home and other Asian markets. A number of large multinationals offer one approach to the market. Monsanto, for instance, has seen its sales in Asia double since 2003, as farmers try to get more production out of limited arable land. Similarly, Deere (DE) recently completed the acquisition of Ningbo Benye Tractor & Auto, a tractor manufacturer in southern China. Deere said that demand for small tractors has grown sharply in China as local rice farms become more mechanized. Unfortunately, there are few pure-plays on that market. And as transnational, as well as domestic (in China and their home markets) suppliers of fruits and vegetables sourced from China, the likes of France's Carrefour, Walmart of the U.S., Canada's Metro and the Netherlands' Makro supermarket chains (each publicly traded except for Makro, which is private) all benefit enormously from China's currently booming fruit and vegetable industry market. For those of us consigned to making supper, while they remain cheap and for as long as they remain safe (and probably unremarked, too, unless we look carefully at their provenance), we'll continue to benefit from the success of China's fruit and vegetable industry just by shopping in our local stores. Recommended Stories Permalink | Copyright 2016 ETF.com. All rights reserved CELEBRATE THE KANSAS CITY WEEKLY POWER RANKINGS!!! Council Lady Teresa Loar Takes On KCI Development Schemes From City Hall GOP Juggernaut Consultant Jeff Roe Has All The Kansas City Newsies Star Struck Kansas City Team E-Tax Stays Winning Petitioners Against BNIM TIF On Target JaxCo Exec Frank White Fends Off An Even Tougher Legislature Hottie MMA ring girls teach us that strength is a virtue as we check the strongest in Kansas City this week.Like it or not, these are the folks who shaped our local discourse and Democracy this week . ..This Northland lady did right by her constituents and budget hawks whenAnand now this town's newsies can't stop singing his praises for the impressive achievement.Missouri legislation passed over Kansas City and nowlook to another victory by an huge margin.The struggle against millionaire TIF in the Crossroads continues asPoliticos never get credit for the controversies they avoid but this week with very little fanfare,. Now, with a weakened chair and less experienced politicos on in the courthouse, things look just a bit easier for this newbie elected official.As always, this list has been compiled according toand it's a weekly comprehensive guide to local powerful people. Kansas City Shooting Spree Shooting Victim Discovery Another Critical Injury More Deadly Gun Blasts Gun shots rang out throughout Kansas City last night reminding locals that warmer weather will only contribute to our rising level of deadly crime.What's also interesting about this recent round-up of gun blasts is that while. . . The criminal class was shooting up the town.Link round-up:Now . . .No word yet but this might meanto add to the local death count that has set that's trending higher than the last five years in recent Kansas City history.Developing . . . #160061: Adopting and authorizing the execution of the Collective Bargaining Agreement with Local 42, I.A.F.F. So, again, the bigger victory belongs to the Fire Union. And so contract negotiations are coming to a climax with Local 42 for a new contract that has been delayed for far too long.A small peak at the legislation for those with enough spare time to do any digging:Here are just a few fun facts . . .- Both sides are gonna claim victory here in this mixed bag go incentive cuts and pay bumps. Overall, call this a win for firefighters.- Pensions are off the table and even the fact sheet seems to be frustrated that the fire union claims total victory in this budget busting aspect of City Hall finances.- On the bright side, incentives to "dual role" FD workers is a good sign that the difference betwixt traditional EMTs and firefighters is starting to fade despite a response time glitch that lasted years and claimed countless lives.Either way, it won't a surprise if the new contract is passed without much scrutiny given that City Hall wants to squash all debate as long as the E-tax is up for consideration.Developing . . . "With the number of homicides in Kansas City for 2015 having leapt back up, this film, from KCPT and Michael Price, examines violent crime in the segregated community east of Troost." KCPT is stepping up their civic game with a series of presentations of controversial Kansas City issues. It's important coverage even if it doesn't offer much new information or feature anybody besides the regular talking heads . . .Tonight's program takes a look at. . .More description . . .Even betterabout crime stats for an upcoming town hall . . .Finally,. . .And since it's Friday and just about everybody is calling it quits thanks to the good weather, allow TKC a bit of personal time to be blunt . . .This view of Kansas City inin terms of poverty and crime is the same prosaic view of this cowtown we've seen from well-meaning middle-class white people for more than a generation.The reality is that Kansas City is an exceptionally global and diverse metro with crime problems that range from gang killings, international drug wars and even terrorism fear . . . The Troost dividing line theme is so played out that a quite a few folks in that part of town have moved away in order to find a new tune . . .this is alljournalism but it looks at Kansas City from an out of date perspective despite changing demographics and economics.Still, the highlight of this program might be a glimpse of the financial structure that takes cash out of the urban core and into taxpayer subsidized ventures like hotels, toy trains and corporate giveaways but there are thriving sections of this town and suburban ares who have found their way around constant government bungling rather than let it be an excuse for blight, failure, murder and despair.You decide . . . In the context of the Year of Greece in Russia 2016, she added, Greece will be receiving the maximum of promotion in Russia Secretary general of International Economic Relations of the Foreign Ministry George Tsipras with the Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation responsible for Regional Development and Interregional Cooperation Alexander Tsybulskiy met in Moscow to discuss interregional cooperation. The Greek Foreign Ministry released a statement announcing the considerable momentum gained by interregional cooperation between Greece and Russia after the ninth meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee on Economic, Industrial, Scientific and Technological Cooperation, held in Sochi, Russian Federation, in November, when it was decided to establish a relevant working group. During the meeting both sides agreed to proceed in the appointment of the working group members, so that the first meeting will take place within the next two months. Russia is a priority market for Greece At the same time, Russia is a priority market for Greece that could in the long term become a powerful source of tourism flow to the country, Alternate Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura said Friday, in an interview with the ANA-MPA. In the context of the Year of Greece in Russia 2016, she added, Greece will be receiving the maximum of promotion in Russia. One of Greece's strongest comparative advantages as a destination, which could attract a larger number of visitors from the Russian market, was the almost inexhaustible variety offered by the country to visitors with different preferences, demands and financial means, Kountoura said. She noted that Greece constituted a very attractive choice for Russians in terms of the price-to-quality ratio, while it was a quick and easily accessible destination that was ideal for repeat visitors. The full interview in Greek is available on the ANA-MPA subscriber website. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report donald trump plane force one Real-estate mogul Donald Trump held another one of his airport-hangar rallies on Saturday. The Republican presidential front-runner landed his plane in Dubuque, Iowa but not before showing off a little bit. Trump's plane did a flyby as the theme song from "Air Force One" played before pulling up his own his "Trump Force One." He has a personal Boeing 757-200 jet with "TRUMP" written in giant letters across the side. He did a similar stunt in December at an airport hangar in Mesa, Arizona. Watch some videos of Trump's flyby and landing below: omfg this is soooooo Trump pic.twitter.com/FNumqdPna9 Michael Rusch (@weeddude) January 30, 2016 Trump's airplane making a flyby as the movie theme from "Air Force One" plays on. #iacaucus pic.twitter.com/4amHpcJ9FR Telegraph Herald (@TelegraphHerald) January 30, 2016 Donald Trump's plane does a fly by before landing in Dubuque, shot by Jim @Acosta pic.twitter.com/uYcoArR9tN Brianna Keilar (@brikeilarcnn) January 30, 2016 . @realDonaldTrump makes his entrance to his Dubuque, IA event. Guessing 400 people pic.twitter.com/hCCqEPG2aA Lauren Blanchard (@LaurenBlanch12) January 30, 2016 NOW WATCH: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has an interesting theory about Donald Trump More From Business Insider The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has urged Bahrain to take 'sizable' steps to reduce its growing budget deficit as slumping oil prices have sharply reduced exports and government revenues. The warning following the IMF's annual consultation with the kingdom comes as another struggling oil producer, Azerbaijan, is seeking as much as $3 billion in IMF financing aid and a $1 billion World Bank loan, according to a source familiar with the matter. An IMF mission led by Padmaja Khandelwal had visited Bahrain from January 12 to 25 for discussions on the 2016 Article IV consultation. Subject to management approval, the findings of the mission will be presented to the executive board for consideration in March 2016. In Bahrain, the IMF said it forecasts gross domestic product growth to fall to 2.2 per cent in 2016 from 3.2 per cent in 2015 and 4.5 per cent in 2014. The country's budget deficit will remain elevated at 15 per cent of GDP, causing debt to increase substantially. "With the oil price decline expected to persist over the medium term, external and fiscal vulnerabilities have intensified, and consumer and investor sentiment has weakened," the IMF said in its review. "A sizable fiscal adjustment is urgently needed to restore fiscal sustainability, reduce vulnerabilities, and boost investor and consumer confidence," it added. Near-term fiscal measures could include the implemenetation of a previously agreed value added tax, reducing spending on social transfers and freezing public-sector wages, it said. Rationalising the spending on social transfers, which is large, could provide substantial savings, stated the IMF report. Significant progress in reducing the wage bill, which is higher in Bahrain (as a share of spending) than in all other GCC countries, can be made in the near term by freezing wages, it added. According to IMF, urgent measures are needed to raise non-oil revenue and help finance the provision of government services. Reforms to strengthen the fiscal framework would support the process of fiscal consolidation, it added. According to IMF, fiscal consolidation will help support Bahrain's dollar peg. Bahraini banks' strong capitalization and liquidity will help them weather a slowdown in growth, it stated in the report. "The Central Bank of Bahrain continues to strengthen its regulations and supervision of the financial sector, which will support the continued development and stability of the financial system. The exchange rate peg to the US dollar continues to serve Bahrain well, and will be supported by fiscal consolidation," it added. The steep drop in oil and commodity prices in the past year amid strong global production and lower Chinese demand has sparked concerns about the economic stability of a number of oil and commodity exporters, including Venezuela, Nigeria and Brazil, now mired in its worst recession in decades. Welcoming the IMFs positive outlook on Bahrains banking sector, Finance Minister, Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohamed Al Khalifa, said its latest country recommendations echo Bahrains current fiscal action plan. The minister also welcomed the IMFs positive outlook on Bahrains banking sector whose strong capitalization and liquidity the report said would help weather any potential slowdown in growth. "The Kingdom of Bahrain, along with other oil producing nations, is facing the universal challenge of falling oil prices, said Shaikh Ahmed. Bahrains Government Action Plan, currently underway, includes wide-ranging measures that will ensure the sustainability of Bahrain's financial resources and development, benefitting the entire country, he stated. Bahrains clear target is to deliver a balanced budget within three budgetary cycles the Finance Minister added, in the clearest indication yet of the Kingdoms determination on fiscal measures. "The plan also aims to create a balance between our revenues and expenditures, continuing the long-standing diversification of Bahrain's economy by increasing non-oil revenues, redirecting subsidies to Bahraini citizens, and reducing recurrent expenditure by restructuring government departments, he added.-Reuters and TradeArabia News Service Jordan's largest lender, Arab Bank Group, said on Saturday its 2015 net profits fell to $442 million, from $577 million a year earlier, after putting aside hundreds of millions to cover a legal settlement in the US. Arab Bank agreed last August to settle lawsuits filed a decade ago by about 500 US citizens who sued the lender under the US Anti-Terrorism Act. The act permits US citizens to pursue claims arising from international terrorism. Chairman Sabih Al Masri said the bank had set aside $349 million in legal provisions in 2015 that were part of $1 billion in provisions the bank had accumulated over the last few years to cover the "expected obligations" under the settlement. The bank said its total profits before tax and provisions topped $1.1 billion in 2015. The bank, one of the biggest financial institutions in the Middle East with a balance sheet of $46.4 billion, has not given a figure for how much it had agreed to pay. The verdict marked the first time a bank was held liable in a US court for violating the US Anti-Terrorism Act. Based in Amman, but with only a fifth of its assets and a quarter of its deposits in Jordan, the bank has built a reputation for stability amid regional political upheaval. Masri said the bank's loans book and customer deposits had continued to grow despite exchange-rate fluctuations. "The underlying performance of the bank was strong in 2015.We have succeeded in increasing our operating profits by taking advantage of the broad diversification of our business in Jordan and in the region," Masri said in the statement. Bankers said while the credit provisions weighed on profit, Arab Bank was cushioned by a healthy capital base and $9 billion of shareholders equity. Total capital adequacy ratio reached 14.2 per cent at end of December, well above regulatory standards. Total loans rose 3 per cent to $23.8 billion as of the end of December, while deposits also had grown by a similar 3 per cent to $35.2 billion compared with the same period last year. CEO Nemeh Sabbagh said the ratio of non-performing loans to net loans stood at 4.8 percent at the end of December. It's provisions coverage ratio for non-performing loans stood in excess of 100 percent. Arab Bank is one of the Arab world's largest privately owned banks and operates in 30 countries. It owns 40 percent of Saudi Arabia's Arab National Bank ANB.-Reuters Chinese group Huntkey Enterprise, a global professional power supply provider, has sealed a co-operation deal with Al-Taj for Computers and Communications Company to boost its presence in Iraq. Established in 2005, Al-Taj has become one of the leading value-added IT distributors in the country. As per the deal, Huntkey will provide power supplies and computer cases to local users, including the powerful X7 1000 power supply with 80Plus Bronze certification, the economical and durable Green Power 500 power supply, and the MVP Pro and the Spider computer cases for gamers. Al-Taj will be organising after-sale service and promotional events which will help educate retailers and dealers about Huntkey products. With its vast distributor network, the company will cater to various markets. "It is our pleasure to cooperate with Huntkey", said Mohammed A. Yousif, the executive manager of Al-Taj. "With the high quality products of Huntkey, we believe it will be a win-win-win deal for Huntkey, Al-Taj and Iraqi users," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Efforts by Iran to start exporting oil to Europe are being held up as foreign tanker owners are still struggling to secure insurance for cargoes, leading shipping players said. A nuclear deal between world powers and Iran earlier this month led to the removal of curbs on Tehran's banking, insurance and shipping sectors. Since then, Iran has ordered a 500,000 barrel per day (bpd) increase in oil output, of which 200,000 bpd will go to Europe. But many foreign firms remain wary of violating other sanctions that were imposed by the United States and have not been lifted. Measures still in place from Washington prohibit most business between U.S. persons, U.S. companies and Iran as well as no dollar trades. Paddy Rogers, chief executive with tanker operator Euronav , said his company had been approached to carry Iranian oil to Europe. "We have had enquiries. It is interesting that the first enquiries to move Iranian oil came from Europe not from China," Rogers told a Capital Link web conference. Third-party liability insurance and pollution cover for vessels is provided by P&I clubs - marine insurers owned by shipping clients and reinsured internationally. Rodgers said the umbrella International Group of P&I clubs were still unable to confirm payments under re-insurance contracts. "It has not been cleared yet. So, nobody can load at the moment it seems to me ... unless somebody has some alternative method of insurance," he said. "I think this is going to come on. But it will take time and it won't be very straightforward." Greece's biggest oil refiner Hellenic Petroleum agreed on Friday to buy crude oil from state-owned National Iranian Oil Company, becoming the first European refiner to restart trade relations with Tehran. Iran's oil exports have fallen to just over 1 million bpd, from a peak of more than 3 million bpd in 2011 - before the imposition of tougher sanctions. Oil held by Iran on its domestic tankers in floating storage is estimated by shipping sources to be at least 40 million barrels as the country struggles to offload supplies because of a global glut. Robert Hvide Macleod, chief executive with tanker group Frontline, said he expected additional Iranian exports of at least 500,000 bpd this year. "They will do what they can what they can to get the European market back and there will be demand for international tonnage to handle this volume," he said. Macleod said the insurance and payment system was still not there yet, but added that it "will get in place in the short-term". Nikolas Tsakos, president and chief executive of another leading tanker player Tsakos Energy Navigation Ltd, said competition between Iran and arch rival Saudi Arabia was expected to heat up, further boosting vessel demand. "They are going to compete and are going to try to out produce each other," Tsakos told the call. "That, of course will add supply in the market."-Reuters Saudi Arabia has successfully defended its share of the US oil market even as rising domestic production from shale and growing pipeline imports from Canada have cut seaborne imports from other countries, said an expert. Saudi crude exports to the US have remained relatively constant at around 1.2 million barrels per day since 2009, even as tanker arrivals from other countries have halved from 6 million to 3 million bpd, stated leading Reuters market analyst John Kemp. The Saudis have defended their market share through a combination of luck, strategic relationships and skilful marketing, a model the kingdom is now seeking to replicate in fast-growing fuel markets such as China. Saudi Arabia has been fortunate in that the oil produced from shale is not in direct competition with its own crude exports. Shale oils are very light with a density of only 780-825 kg per cu m. The crude Saudi Arabia exports to the US is much heavier, with an average density of around 860 kg per cu m. Refineries are highly selective about the crude they process since it has a big impact on how efficiently and profitably they can operate as well as problems with equipment fouling and product quality, said Kemp. Most US refineries have therefore opted to make space for increasing shale production by cutting the amount of other light crudes they buy from countries in West Africa and Latin America, he noted. Imports of medium and heavy crudes from Saudi Arabia and other countries around the Persian Gulf have not been affected to anything like the same extent. Saudi Arabia's oil exports have also been protected by the long-standing strategic relationships the country has with refiners and marketers in the US. Saudi Aramco, which handles the marketing of Saudi Arabia's crude, is the successor to the Arabian American Oil Company, a partnership between Chevron, Texaco, Exxon and Mobil established in the 1930s and 1940s, stated Kemp. Chevron (which later acquired Texaco) and Exxon (which acquired Mobil) remain some of the largest importers of Saudi crude into the United States, according to customs records. In 1988, Saudi Aramco bought a 50 per cent stake in Texaco's refining and marketing operations in the eastern US and on the Gulf Coast, which was named Star Enterprises ("Saudi Arabia, Texaco join forces" Los Angeles Times, 1988), he pointed out. In 1997, Royal Dutch Shell joined the joint venture, subsequently renamed Motiva. When Chevron merged with Texaco in 2001, Texaco's interest in the combined refining and marketing operations was sold to Shell and Saudi Aramco and reorganised as a 50:50 joint venture between them. Motiva operates three large refineries in Louisiana and Texas (Convent, Norco and Port Arthur) with a combined refining capacity of 1.1 million bpd. Motiva also has a network of refined product storage terminals across the eastern US and markets gasoline, diesel and other refined products in 26 states and the District of Columbia under the Shell brand as well as through unbranded wholesalers, said Kemp. Motiva's refineries have been optimised to run on the medium-density crude oils Saudi Arabia exports, and the joint venture remains one of the largest importers of Saudi oil, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Saudi Aramco is hoping to replicate the same sort of strategic downstream integration in China's fuel market, stated Kemp. The company's chairman told reporters earlier this month that Saudi Aramco is in advanced talks to invest in refineries in China and the company is also in talks with CNPC and Sinopec about joint investment opportunities in refining, marketing and petrochemicals. COMPETITIVE MARKETING Saudi Aramco has also defended its market share through skilful and competitive marketing of crude to independent refiners in the US, including Valero, Phillips 66 and PBF Energy. Aramco prices competitively via monthly adjustments to official selling prices linked to regional benchmarks designed to protect market share and target sales volumes, observed Kemp. The company also stresses its importance as a reliable supplier and strategic partner for refiners. Unlike some rivals, Aramco does not rely on the spot market to place its oil. Exports are almost all sold to refiners on term contracts and protected by destination clauses which limit secondary trading in Aramco crude. Historic ties, downstream integration, strategic marketing relationships and competitive pricing have all helped Saudi Arabia to maintain its share in the US market, which is important for both commercial and political reasons, he noted. According to Kemp, the company has also benefited from a good dose of luck in that its crude is quite distinct from shale, a good fortune that has not been shared by producers in West Africa. Saudi Aramco has similar strategic ties to refineries in Japan and South Korea. Now it wants to build them in China as well to protect the company's long-term future. The importance of these relationships is one reason why Saudi officials continue to stress their determination to protect their market share and refuse to cut production to support prices unless rivals follow suit, he added. Russia, Iran and Iraq are the most direct competitors for the crude grades that Saudi Arabia markets so their willingness to match output cuts as part of any agreement is a priority for the kingdom.-Reuters Student borrowers are being targeted by debt relief companies promising helpfor a pricefor services that the government offers for free. Many borrowers, overwhelmed by the burden of paying back student loans, are tempted to sign on for their services. But they shouldn't. Two of those companies just got a smackdown from the Department of Education, which issued a cease-and-desist letter to Student Loan Project and Perfect Privacy, the operator of SL Programs Student Loan and Debt Consolidation. The Education Department charged the student debt relief companies with unauthorized use of its official seal on their websites and misrepresentation of their relationship. The Student Loan Project was also accused of implying it is affiliated with the government by using ".us" at the end of its web address. The Education Department ordered the sites to stop using the official seal by February 4 and to put a disclaimer on their websites explaining that they are not affiliated with the department. Millions of Americans are struggling to manage their education debt and are vulnerable to being ripped off by shady debt relief companies charging exorbitant fees, says Suzanne Martindale, staff attorney for Consumers Union, the policy and advocacy arm of Consumer Reports. Were encouraged that the department is cracking down on these misleading marketing schemes and hope they will continue to aggressively enforce the law to stop debt relief scams. 'We've Put These Companies On Notice' In a video released this morning, Acting Secretary of the Department of Education John King said, Weve put these companies on notice that they may not misrepresent their relationship with the department to trick students into paying for free services. Although the Education Department issued warnings about student debt relief companies last summer, today's move is the first legal action it has taken. The Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are also investigating possible deceptive practices in the student debt relief business. Story continues Student debt relief companies charge for services that provide little or any benefit. They also push borrowers into monthly contracts. Some companies charge upfront consolidation fees as high as $999 or 1 percent of the loan balance. They also charge "enrollment" fees up to $600 or account maintenance fees as high as $50 per month, according to Department of Education research. Students Shouldn't Pay For Help That Is Free The government's message to students: Dont be fooled. You never have to pay for help managing your federal student debt. You can visit the Department of Education's Office of Federal Student Aid and the student loans section of its website if you need information on how to lower or cap your monthly loan payments, consolidate your federal loans, find out whether you qualify for loan forgiveness, and to get advice if your loan is in default. If you think you've been scammed, contact your state's department of consumer protection or attorney general. You can also file a complaint with the FTC or the CFPB. More from Consumer Reports: 8 Ways to Boost Your Home Value Why your cable TV bill is going up Get the Best Cell Phone Plan for Your Familyand Save up to $1,000 a Year Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright 2006-2016 Consumers Union of U.S. Back from a trip to South America, Foster provides a first-hand account of the supply side of the gold market. Brazil, Ecuador and Argentina Big potential, and potential problems Could South American become a major supplier? One of the themes of the current gold bull market is the leveling off of new mine supply after many years of steady increases. South Africa and the major growth regions of the past (Nevada, Western Australia) are now in decline and there is not enough being developed elsewhere to grow global production. One of the most important regions of emerging growth for the industry is South America. Peru is now the fifth largest gold-producing country in the world. Since 1992, gold production in South America has doubled and now totals 18% of new mine supply. While there are no districts as prolific as the Carlin Trend of Nevada or the Wits Basin of South Africa, there are many areas across South America that nonetheless have very good potential. We have visited a number of gold companies in Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Ecuador this year to further assess the geologic potential and gauge the geopolitical risk. Chapada processing plant showing the SAG mill (top background) and ball mill (left foreground). Mills are used to grind the rock into fine particles before further processing to extract the gold and copper. Ore moves through the SAG mill before being fed into the ball mill. Brazil Brazil led the world in gold production in 1693 under Portuguese rule. The country has never regained that prominence and it wasn't until 1989 that foreign companies could own a majority of a mining operation. From a commercial perspective, Brazil can be divided between north and south. The Amazon region to the north has poor infrastructure, a large indigenous population, and is more environmentally sensitive. It is not a favorable area for mine development, and most of the mining there comes from small-scale artisanal or illegal activities. Southern Brazil is home to CVRD, one of the largest diversified mining companies in the world. Infrastructure is extensive, while the business culture and level of education make it a very good place to develop a mine. Gold occurs widely throughout Brazil, although the deposits there tend to be low in grade. In fact, we visited the world's lowest grade mines in three categories: open pit gold, underground gold and copper/gold. Kinross' Paracatu mine processes rock with grades so low that others might consider it waste. However, Paracatu is a large, near-surface deposit that has been free digging (i.e., no drilling and blasting needed), which dramatically reduces costs and enables low grades to be viable. Since buying out their partner two years ago, Kinross has proceeded to dramatically expand the deposit through exploration in an area previously thought to be barren. They are now constructing a plant that will boost production to over 500,000 ounces per year (from 200,000) over a 30-year life (the average life of a gold mine is around 10 years). Yamana's Chapada mine is enjoying a successful start of production this year. The high metals prices have certainly helped this low-grade copper/gold porphyry. Equally important is the level of engineering and metallurgical expertise the company has come to rely on in Brazil. While mine labor is very tight throughout the world, there seems to be more skilled people available in Brazil. Unlike Chapada, Yamana's Jacobina mine is proving to be problematic. Underground mining at grades of 2.3 grams gold per tonne leaves little margin for error, as this is about half the grade required to operate an underground mine in Canada. Unfortunately, a sill pillar collapsed in a mined-out area in January, which severely hampered operations and caused their first-quarter cash costs to escalate to $470 per ounce. They have since corrected the cause of the failure and are modifying the mill to save costs. Their goal is to find higher-grade mill feed with their 2007 drilling; however, even if successful, we believe this mine will continue to be a difficult one at current gold prices. Story continues Unlike some provinces in Argentina, Chile has a positive and constructive attitude toward mining. Meridian's Minera Florida mine is located south of Santiago. This processing plant produces a gold/silver/zinc concentrate. It meets environmental standards and Meridian has plans to upgrade and expand the facility. The valley below is rich with dairy farms and vineyards for wine making. The mountainous area adjacent to the mine properties hosts one of 25 worldwide biodiversity centers. Argentina Unlike most Latin countries, indigenous Indians in Argentina did not mine gold and the country never developed much of a mining culture. This lack of mining history has both advantages and disadvantages for developers. Argentina has not seen as much prospecting, exploration and discoveries as other countries, even though it has favorable geology (particularly in the west). At the same time, a lack of understanding causes many in Argentina to take a negative view of mining. Investors must be aware of the attitudes toward mining in each province. For example, the governments of La Rioja, Chubut, Mendoza and Rio Negro have all enacted bans on open pits or the chemicals necessary for processing gold ores. These provinces have agriculture or tourist industries that they believe would be harmed by mining. While these fears are unfounded, in areas never exposed to mining, the anti-mining non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have become adept at spreading misinformation that sways public opinion. One of the few major discoveries of this precious metals cycle is Aquiline's Navidad silver deposit in eastern Chubut province. Chubut has a three-year moratorium on mining which was enacted to block development of Meridian's Esquel project, located in western Chubut. The remote location of the Navidad project and the boost it would bring to the economy may entice Chubut to take a friendlier stance toward mining. We visited the Gualcamayo project in the pro-mining province of San Juan. The site is located in the rugged canyons in the foothills of the Andes. Yamana is in the planning stages of a mine at Gualcamayo that will become one of their core assets. Yamana also recently launched an unsolicited bid for Meridian in which one of their objectives, if successful, will be to use the good will the company has built in San Juan to lobby for a permanent end to the moratorium in Chubut. View of Gualcamayo property. The gold deposit is located high on the canyon walls, partially obscured by clouds. Yamana plans to excavate an open pit with a shaft that will drop the ore to the base of the canyon, where it will be conveyed to the processing facility. This will enable them to avoid trucking down steep canyon roads. Ecuador While there have only been a handful of major gold discoveries so far in this bull cycle, two of them are in Ecuador. This is a country, with no formal metals mining industry, that is sandwiched between Peru and Colombia, two prolific metals producers. Aurelian's Fruta del Norte discovery, located at the edge of the Amazon Basin, is turning out to be one of the most spectacular gold deposits ever found. It is a low sulfidation epithermal vein deposit with similar mineralogy to others around the world. What makes this unique are multiple episodes of gold deposition superimposed on one another that created very thick zones of high-grade ore. The other significant discovery is Iamgold's Quimsacocha deposit located at the top of the Andes near Cuenca, Ecuador's third-largest city. Anomalous outcroppings had been drilled in the past with poor results. Iamgold picked up the property in 1999 and, in 2004, drilled the discovery hole by targeting deeper areas further away from the outcrops. The company has initiated a pre-feasibility study to determine how best to develop the deposit. They have several challenges as the rock is potentially acid-generating, the site is at the headwaters of the drainage system that feeds Cuenca, and the ores are metallurgically complex. Geologists responsible for the Quimsacocha discovery examining the discovery outcrops on the Andean plateau at an elevation of 12,000 feet. With these discoveries, Ecuador could be on the cusp of becoming a major gold mining destination. As with many Third World countries around the globe, the only thing holding the industry back is uncertainty about government policies. The country has had eight presidents in the past 10 years. Rafael Correa is the newly elected populist president who has befriended Hugo Chavez, effectively kicked Occidental Petroleum out of the country, and neutralized Ecuador's Congress in order to rewrite the constitution. Why would anyone invest there? First, mining is a difficult business that requires special skills. Most of the major oil companies thought that metals mining was a logical place to invest their windfall profits in the 1970s and 1980s. They spent lots of money, underestimated the risks and challenges, and today there are no oil companies left in the mining business. Likewise, most governments aren't able to acquire the skills and capital needed, which is why mining companies are often able to operate in countries with high business risk. Second, in many instances the reports we read in the press do not accurately portray the mood, outlook or political reality within a country. This is a key reason for traveling to controversial areas that have good geologic potential. In addition to visiting with in-country personnel of five mining companies, we had the opportunity for a one-on-one discussion with Ecuador's former vice minister of mines who remains very much engaged in the business. Ecuador's economy has little diversification. The largest industry is oil and gas, which is in a worrying decline. The rest of the economy is mainly agriculture, dominated by bananas, flowers and shrimp. Ecuador also has a large immigrant population working in the United States and Spain, whose repatriated earnings are a major driver of the economy in Ecuador. This is also a hot social issue in Ecuador, as the separation of many families is taking its toll. Madrid flights from Guayaquil pack the airport with friends and family seeing their loved ones off. As we traveled through Ecuador, the topic of politics was inevitable and we heard a full range of opinions - from those who thought Correa would not survive his first term to those who believed that despite the controversy, the nation is ready to move forward under this leader. Another failure is unacceptable. Correa's approval rating stood at 62% as of mid-July. Part of his popularity stems from voters' disdain for the concentration and abuse of power by the ruling party. In order to dismantle this power structure, Correa has called for the constitution to be rewritten by an assembly which will be elected on September 30. As we understand it, the aim of the new constitution is not to mimic Chavez's fascist agenda in Venezuela. Instead, some of the objectives will be to broaden the power base, upgrade the eligibility requirements for congress, and increase transparency in order to reduce the potential for corruption. It will also mark a new starting point to move forward. Prior to being elected president, Rafael Correa was a U.S.-educated economics professor. We assume he knows the vital role free markets and the rule of law play in developed economies. While his rhetoric so far has been anti-business, the actions of government speak otherwise, as they have serviced their debt and enabled preferential tariffs with the United States to be extended. He has also toned down his anti-U.S. comments recently. It is unfortunate the country must endure many months of inaction while the government retools. The state has no money and Correa does not have the means to improve the lives of his constituency without business development. We believe that, ultimately, the revised laws under the new constitution will be fair to both government and business. Correa has announced the formation of a new Ministry of Mines, separate from the Ministry of Energy. A permanent mines minister has yet to be appointed. This acknowledges the importance and potential of mining to Ecuador. The mining code was written in 2001 under World Bank guidance. It is missing some key provisions that are common in other mining jurisdictions, namely some form of government royalty and proper incentives to develop properties. Nationalization is not on the agenda; rather, a process of negotiation is now under way to make the mining code more equitable. Presidential Palace in the capital city of Quito. There are two risks to a positive political outcome for the mining industry. One is that Correa and the assembly are not able to engineer a constitution that achieves the needed changes, Correa loses his popularity, and government becomes further paralyzed. Plans are for the constitution to be ratified in the spring of 2008, so the outcome will evolve over the coming year. The other risk is the influence that NGOs have in Ecuador. Mining in Ecuador consists of individuals or small-scale cooperatives which have little regard for the environment. Ecuadorians currently seem to largely lack the vision of a modern mine with environmental controls and state-of-the-art technology. Because of this, anti-mining NGOs have gained a foothold and there are many in government who are aligned with them. These are organizations that receive their mandate and funding from environmental groups in Canada, the United States and Europe. The more radical groups have paid peasants to be bussed into mining projects to block roads and protest. Corriente Resources is developing a copper project in southern Ecuador in which such a protest turned violent when local villagers who support the project clashed with the outsiders. The government shut down the operation in order to avoid further chaos. There were protests at Quimsacocha the week before we arrived that have hampered Iamgold's ability to move the project forward. NGO activity is a wild card that developers must deal with around the globe. Hopefully, Ecuador will provide the means to keep them from disrupting legitimate and responsible development. Quick Facts* Brazil Capital: Brasilia Population: 190,010,647 (July 2007 est.) Languages: Portuguese, Spanish, English, French Natural Resources: Bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber Argentina Capital: Buenos Aires Population: 40,301,927 (July 2007 est.) Languages: Spanish, English, Italian, German, French Natural Resources: Fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, petroleum, uranium Ecuador Capital: Quito Population: 13,755,680 (July 2007 est.) Languages: Spanish, Amerindian languages (especially Quechua) Natural Resources: Petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower *Taken from the CIA World Fact Book, 2007 Represents the opinion of the author and may differ from those of other persons. The opinions of the author are not intended to be a forecast of future events, a guarantee of future results or investment advice. Current market conditions may not continue. Recommended Stories Permalink | Copyright 2016 ETF.com. All rights reserved UK regulator supports gold fix, smacks Barclays for weak controls and conflict of interest. UK regulator supports gold fix, smacks Barclays for weak controls and conflict of interest. This article originally appeared on BullionVault.com and is republished by permission. So the London gold fix has been fixed, at least once, by one trader wanting a bigger bonus at the expense of a client. No doubt you saw the news. The facts? As far as the UK regulator, the FCA, said on Friday, it has fined Barclays over control failings. They enabled one senior trader...a director from outside the Fixing itself, who placed false orders that the Fix took to be client requests...to knock the benchmark price lower on 28 June 2012. Incredibly, this came just one day after Barclays was publicly fined 290 million ($450m) for repeatedly allowing traders to rig the London interbank lending rate (the dreaded Libor). Shameless behavior from a bank trader? Whatever next? Perversely, the Fix worked just fine that day, because the final price reflected market orders to buy and sell, as the FCA's detailed report shows. It was just that they included sell orders from a Barclays' director...who was actively trading against one of his own clients...seeking to stop the price rising...so the client didn't win a big bet on the Fix coming in above a certain level...so the trader would trigger a fat bonus for himself. The client smelt a rat, and complained immediately. The trader, named and shamed today as one Daniel James Plunkett, lied from the start. First to the Fix, then both to his managers and then to the regulators. He never did get his bonus, and soon left Barclays. The client was paid its winnings. Plunkett has now been fined 95,600 himself, and banned from ever working in UK finance again. What to say, beyond good riddance? Crooks will try to game any system or process. Banking bosses are supposed to impose checks and controls to make sure the crooks they might have hired don't succeed. Regulators are supposed to make sure those checks are in place. No one involved comes out of this well. Least of all Barclays. Story continues "Barclays breached Principle 3 [of the UK regulator's rules] by failing to take reasonable care to organize and control its affairs responsibly and effectively, with adequate risk management systems... "[The bank] also breached Principle 8...[and needs to] adequately manage certain conflicts of interest between itself and its customers." Nothing there says the Fix is broken. Individual behavior or cultural failings don't undermine its value or validity as a process. The Fix has been running for 100 years and longer, and the FCA's full report says Barclays has since established the controls and oversight needed to avoid a repeat of Plunkett's fun. Nor does Friday's news remove the benefit of this singular point of deep liquidity, run alongside the ongoing buzz of spot trading. Still, as my panel and the other speakers at today's Bloomberg conference agreed, changes are coming to the Fix. Starting with the end of the Silver Fix, unless the market finds new Fixing members, on 14 August. That risks a rash of "force majeure" in long-standing contracts across the world. Because the Fix...which in gold did its job just fine on 28 June 2012...is used to price many commercial, industrial and investment deals. Some friends and competitors I met today said they're facing a real mess if there's no resolution within 11 weeks. Brave work then, from the crooked trader who's now added to the misperception of the Fix as broken. But to quote the FCA's decision today: "The Gold Fixing is an important pricing mechanism which provides market users with the opportunity to buy and sell gold at a single quoted price." So UK regulators apparently support the Fix. Now the market needs and is working to meet wider concerns about how the process runs. Oh, and the banks need to make sure their traders put clients before their own bonuses. That applies to all markets in all assets. Neither gold, nor the Gold Fix, is the cause of Barclays' fine. Nor of Plunkett's ban from working in finance. Recommended Stories Permalink | Copyright 2016 ETF.com. All rights reserved A man cycles past a branch office of HSBC bank at the Paradeplatz in Zurich February 9, 2015. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann By Sinead Cruise LONDON (Reuters) - HSBC is working with law enforcement to catch those behind a cyber attack that forced its personal banking websites in the UK to shutdown, its second major service outage this month, the bank said on Friday. Europe's largest lender said it had "successfully defended" its systems against a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack but it was experiencing fresh threats, impeding full restoration of its services. "HSBC's internet and mobile services have partially recovered, and we continue to work to restore a full service," John Hackett, UK Chief Operating Officer, said in a statement. "We are closely monitoring the situation with the authorities," he added. The outage began on Friday morning and online services were still down by 1630 GMT. DDoS attacks are often used by cyber criminals trying to disrupt businesses and companies with significant online activities. HSBC has declined to estimate when its online services might resume. Its Twitter feed said all major branches will be open on Saturday to help manage urgent transactions. Dozens of customers took to social media to vent their anger. They were advised to use the bank's mobile banking application but some reported access difficulties due to high demand. The attack coincides with the first full pay-day of the year for many Britons and runs close to a deadline for the submission of personal tax returns. Several technology failures have hit Britain's retail banks in recent years, prompting lawmakers to call for improvement. "Bank IT systems just don't seem to be up to the job," Andrew Tyrie, Conservative lawmaker and chairman of the Treasury Committee, said in a statement. "It could be leaving the banking system, and with it the economy, exposed to the risk of systemic failures." Thousands of HSBC's UK customers were affected by a blackout on its personal banking online services in the first week of January. HSBC gave no explanation for that glitch but confirmed it was not due to a cyber-attack or malicious act. Technicians restored service after two days. Story continues The bank said customer transactions were not affected by Friday's breach, which appeared to be aimed at disrupting and causing embarrassment to HSBC. "DDoS attacks are not attacks meant to directly steal from consumers, they are meant to deny them access to the institution," said Robert Capps, vice president of business development at NuData Security. However, some breaches can be a cover for other types of cyber attack, Capps said. "We've seen DDoS attacks against banks used as a smoke screen and cover for other nefarious activities such as cyber-heists ... large value money transfers, or the bulk theft and removal of consumer account data," he said. Financial crime costs the UK economy 52 billion pounds ($73.69 billion) a year, delegates at the Wealth Management Association's financial crime conference heard earlier this week. Special Inspector James Phipson, commercial director of the economic crime directorate at City of London Police, also told the event that only 12 per cent of cyber-crime is ever reported. ($1 = 0.7056 pounds) (Additional reporting by Simon Jessop; Editing by Rachel Armstrong and Katharine Houreld) Donald Trump In November the sixth month of the Donald Trump phenomenon he seemed to talk himself into the possibility. "I'm going to win, I think," he told Business Insider in an interview then. A little more than two months later in the eighth month of his campaign he is in prime position to do just that. Beginning with an uproarious campaign launch in June, Trump has set the 2016 presidential campaign on fire, as he looks to do what most political observers once considered unthinkable: Win the Republican presidential nomination. After more than a year of campaign bluster and posturing, Iowans will cast the first votes in the presidential-primary process on Monday. They will be followed by the voters of New Hampshire on February 9. South Carolina and Nevada come next. The Republican side of the presidential race has been defined by the provocative, brash billionaire, who was such an afterthought a year ago that he did not register in most primary polls. He has defied years of political conventional wisdom on the way to dominating leads in those first four voting states. Along the way, his campaign has been defined by a handful of signature moments that have proved controversial but have only served to bolster his campaign. 'Some of them, I assume, are good people' The announcement arrived in the inboxes of reporters on June 11, 2015. "DONALD J. TRUMP MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT," it blared. Trump had flirted with presidential runs almost every cycle for the past two-plus decades. It didn't seem like a sure thing until June 16, the date of that major announcement. He descended the escalator inside Manhattan's Trump Tower. Several minutes into a rambling speech, he finally said the words. "So, ladies and gentlemen, I am officially running for president of the United States, and we are going to make our country great again," he said, those last five words becoming the rallying cry of his campaign. Something he said later in his speech, though, would become a source of controversy for weeks afterward. Story continues "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best; they're not sending you," Trump said. "They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people." trump Democrats condemned the mogul. Businesses severed their partnerships with Trump. And much of the Republican base rallied around him. One June 16, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) was on top of national Republican primary polls. Trump languished in the bottom half of the outsize field, registering 3.6% support in a RealClearPolitics average of recent surveys. One month later July 19 Trump was at 16.8%, leading the pack. He has not looked back since. Between and thereafter, throughout the campaign, he has made illegal immigration a focal point. He pledges to deport the approximately 11 million people who immigrated to the US illegally, build a wall along border between the US and Mexico (and make Mexico pay for it), and make companies hire unemployed US workers before immigrants. "Right now you have millions of people that are on line for years trying to come into this country. Millions of people. I don't know if you know this, but millions and millions of people are going through a process to come in legally. These people came in illegally. They're called illegal immigrants," Trump told Business Insider in November. A January CNN poll asked Republican voters nationally which candidate they most trust to handle the issue of illegal immigration. Fifty-five percent said Trump. trump 'Turning point' On July 19, Trump took the lead in the polls. It was not expected to last for long. That's because, the day before, he had made a statement that many political observers believed would be the end of his campaign. "He's not a war hero," Trump Trump said of Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) then. "He's a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured." It was the "turning point" of the Trump campaign, said The New York Times' Nate Cohn. In what became a recurring feature of the news cycle, prominent Republican figures and his presidential rivals lashed out at Trump. Instead, it only served to prove early on Trump's Teflon-like nature and to illustrate how much the Republican base had soured on McCain, its 2008 nominee. The real-estate developer continued to soar upward heading toward the first Republican presidential debate. Two weeks later came another one of those moments that, for most other candidates, would likely have served as a turning point. Trump had, during the August 6 debate, clashed with Fox News moderator Megyn Kelly, who had confronted him about his past derogatory statements about women's looks. He was not pleased by the line of questioning. The night after, he went on CNN and made a comment that many interpreted as a crude reference to menstruation. Trump later claimed his critics were misinterpreting his remarks. "You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes. Blood coming out of her wherever," Trump said of Kelly's debate performance. The deluge soon followed. Rivals blasted his comments. The influential Red State gathering of conservatives responded by demanding Trump apologize and then by rescinding his invitation from its gathering that weekend. But Trump did not back down, choosing instead to engage in a feud with Fox News. Days later, the conflict thawed as Trump and Fox News chief Roger Ailes spoke by phone. "I assured him that we will continue to cover this campaign with fairness & balance. We had a blunt but cordial conversation and the air has been cleared," Ailes said in a statement then. Trump continued to fly upward thereafter. He faced challenges from retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who briefly overtook him in a handful of national polls, and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who soared to eventually provide a strong contest to Trump in Iowa. But by December 6, Trump was the top choice of more than 30% of Republican primary voters nationally. It was more than a 14-point lead on his next-closest competitor. donald trump 'Dog-whistle talk' The statement landed in reporters' inboxes on December 7. "Donald J. Trump Statement On Preventing Muslim Immigration," it read. The Republican presidential front-runner was proposing to ban immigration and tourism to the US for Muslims. "Until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in Jihad, and have no sense of reason or respect for human life," he said, his statement coming on the heels of the December 2 terror attack in San Bernardino, California, and the November attacks in Paris. The proposal caused a distinct and pronounced backlash. By now, some rivals like Bush, the once front-runner who had dropped more than 25 points behind Trump were willing to make clear breaks with the mogul. "Look, the guy's not serious. He's not a serious person," Bush said in a December interview with Business Insider. "He can't be commander-in-chief. He doesn't have plans. This is all dog-whistle talk. This is to provoke anger. This is to with all due respect to the media this is to generate massive attention to him. It's not about a serious plan. Is that a serious plan in all reality? Of course not." But Trump forged ahead. Polls showed that a majority of Republican primary voters agreed with his proposal. By the end of the year, according to RealClearPolitics, he was up to 35.6% in the polls. 'I am so glad I made this ridiculous trip' The statement landed in inboxes on January 26. "Trump Campaign Statement on FOX News Debate," its subject read. Trump, the Republican front-runner, announced a boycott of a debate in Iowa, four days before the Iowa caucuses, on a network that has a reputation for being the most Republican-friendly cable network. "Unlike the very stupid, highly incompetent people running our country into the ground, Mr. Trump knows when to walk away," Trump said. Still angry at the network and its host, Kelly, Trump would instead go on to host a fundraiser his campaign said would benefit veterans' groups. In the days since he announced the high-profile boycott, the conversation has pervaded around whether he made the right decision or one that could cost him precious votes in Iowa on Monday. Trump, for his part, didn't think so when he took a pseudo-victory lap in New Hampshire on Friday, declaring that Cruz got "pummeled" and that he was "glad" he wasn't there. Tired and lacking sleep, he talked about his "ridiculous" overnight trip from Iowa to Nashua, New Hampshire. But he sounded like he was also reflecting on a long journey that looks like it'll only go on for much longer. "I love you," he told his supporters. "I am so glad I made this ridiculous trip." NOW WATCH: Here's how President Obama starts every morning More From Business Insider By Stephanie Nebehay and Suleiman Al-Khalidi GENEVA/AMMAN (Reuters) - A delegation from Syria's main opposition group arrived in Geneva on Saturday to join U.N.-mediated peace talks, demanding President Bashar al-Assad's government be made to comply with a U.N. resolution on humanitarian aid and human rights. We are keen to make this negotiation a success," opposition spokesman Salim al-Muslat told reporters as the delegation arrived from Riyadh, ending weeks of uncertainty about whether they would come and the talks would happen. The 17-strong team from the Saudi-backed Higher Negotiation Committee (HNC), including political and militant opponents of Assad in the country's 5-year-old civil war, is expected to have a first meeting with the U.N. mediator Staffan de Mistura on Sunday, setting up the first peace talks in two years. Muslat said the HNC insisted on implementation of a U.N. resolution demanding all sides allow aid access, release detainees, end sieges and stop targeting civilian areas. That was not a precondition for talks, he said, but it was the duty of the Security Council members who agreed the resolution last month, including Syria's chief ally Russia, which is supporting Assad's forces with a bombing campaign. Russian air strikes on Syria have killed nearly 1,400 civilians since Moscow started its aerial campaign nearly four months ago, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, said on Saturday. "We are going to Geneva to put to the test the seriousness of the international community in its promises to the Syrian people and to also test the seriousness of the regime in implementing its humanitarian obligations," HNC spokesman Riyad Naasan Agha said. "We want to show the world our seriousness in moving towards negotiations to find a political solution," he told Reuters. Opposition coordinator Riad Hijab, who was not among the first HNC group to arrive, said in a statement posted online that there would have to be humanitarian improvements to justify the delegation's continued presence in Geneva. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said the talks must ensure human rights are upheld as participants work towards a political transition in Syria. "Humanitarian law must be respected and the objective of a political transition actively pursued to enable the talks to succeed," Fabius said in a statement sent to Reuters. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov was quoted by Russian Interfax news agency as saying that Moscow welcomed the decision by Syrian opposition coordinator, Riad Hijab, to take part in talks in Geneva. U.N. SETS OUT AIMS The United Nations earlier said the aim would be six months of talks, first seeking a ceasefire, later working toward a political settlement to a war that has killed more than 250,000 people, driven more than 10 million from their homes and drawn in global powers. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag: "Only at the negotiating table will it become clear if both sides are prepared to make painful compromises so that the killing stops and Syrians have a chance of a better future in their own country." The HNC's demands include allowing aid convoys into rebel-held besieged areas where tens of thousands are living in dire conditions. The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said on Saturday that 16 people had starved to death in the government-besieged town of Madaya since aid convoys arrived this month and accused the authorities of blocking medical shipments. It is totally unacceptable that people continue to die from starvation, and that critical medical cases remain in the town when they should have been evacuated weeks ago, said Brice de le Vingne, MSFs director of operations in a statement. Agha said the opposition delegation, including HNC head Hijab and chief negotiator Asaad al-Zoubi, would not call for a complete cessation of hostilities but would demand an end to "the indiscriminate shelling of markets, hospitals and schools by the regime and its Russian backers". Russia and Syria deny targeting civilians, saying they take great care to avoid bombing residential areas. Separately, the heavy Russian bombing campaign continued unabated in northern Syria on Saturday with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights saying the areas hit included rebel-held villages and towns in the Aleppo countryside near the border with Turkey. AIR STRIKES AND SHELLING Russian air strikes were also reported by the group in Hama province and in the eastern province of Deir al Zor where scores of people were killed in the aerial attacks on Islamic State- controlled towns in the territory that also borders Iraq, according to residents. At least 40 people, including women and children, were injured when the army shelled a camp where over 3,000 displaced people had taken shelter, according to a rebel spokesperson from the First Coastal Division brigade who spoke from the area along the Turkish border in northwestern Latakia. Heavy clashes also continued in the Latakia countryside where the Syrian army backed by intensive Russian carpet bombing in the rugged mountainous area allowed the government to regain most of the countryside close to the coastal heartland of Assad's Alawite sect. In separate comments before heading to Geneva, Zoubi said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry gave assurances by phone to the HNC's leadership, saying Washington supported a U.N.-backed political transition period without Assad, a bone of contention among warring parties. The HNC also has been under pressure from mainstream armed groups represented within it not to give in to Western pressure, with some rebel groups already threatening to pull out of the body. (Additional reporting by Tom Miles in Geneva, Vladimir Soldatkin in Moscow, John Irish in Paris, Michelle Marin in Berlin Writing by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Tom Heneghan, Stephen Powell and Bill Trott) By Stephanie Nebehay and Suleiman Al-Khalidi GENEVA/AMMAN (Reuters) - A delegation from Syria's main opposition group arrived in Geneva on Saturday to join U.N.-mediated peace talks, demanding President Bashar al-Assad's government be made to comply with a U.N. resolution on humanitarian aid and human rights. We are keen to make this negotiation a success," opposition spokesman Salim al-Muslat told reporters as the delegation arrived from Riyadh, ending weeks of uncertainty about whether they would come and the talks would happen. The 17-strong team from the Saudi-backed Higher Negotiation Committee (HNC), including political and militant opponents of Assad in the country's 5-year-old civil war, is expected to have a first meeting with the U.N. mediator Staffan de Mistura on Sunday, setting up the first peace talks in two years. Muslat said the HNC insisted on implementation of a U.N. resolution demanding all sides allow aid access, release detainees, end sieges and stop targeting civilian areas. That was not a precondition for talks, he said, but it was the duty of the Security Council members who agreed the resolution last month, including Syria's chief ally Russia, which is supporting Assad's forces with a bombing campaign. Russian air strikes on Syria have killed nearly 1,400 civilians since Moscow started its aerial campaign nearly four months ago, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, said on Saturday. "We are going to Geneva to put to the test the seriousness of the international community in its promises to the Syrian people and to also test the seriousness of the regime in implementing its humanitarian obligations," HNC spokesman Riyad Naasan Agha said. "We want to show the world our seriousness in moving toward negotiations to find a political solution," he told Reuters. Opposition coordinator Riad Hijab, who was not among the first HNC group to arrive, said in a statement posted online that there would have to be humanitarian improvements to justify the delegation's continued presence in Geneva. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said the talks must ensure human rights are upheld as participants work toward a political transition in Syria. "Humanitarian law must be respected and the objective of a political transition actively pursued to enable the talks to succeed," Fabius said in a statement sent to Reuters. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov was quoted by Russian Interfax news agency as saying that Moscow welcomed the decision by Syrian opposition coordinator, Riad Hijab, to take part in talks in Geneva. U.N. SETS OUT AIMS The United Nations earlier said the aim would be six months of talks, first seeking a ceasefire, later working toward a political settlement to a war that has killed more than 250,000 people, driven more than 10 million from their homes and drawn in global powers. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag: "Only at the negotiating table will it become clear if both sides are prepared to make painful compromises so that the killing stops and Syrians have a chance of a better future in their own country." The HNC's demands include allowing aid convoys into rebel-held besieged areas where tens of thousands are living in dire conditions. The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said on Saturday that 16 people had starved to death in the government-besieged town of Madaya since aid convoys arrived this month and accused the authorities of blocking medical shipments. It is totally unacceptable that people continue to die from starvation, and that critical medical cases remain in the town when they should have been evacuated weeks ago, said Brice de le Vingne, MSFs director of operations in a statement. Agha said the opposition delegation, including HNC head Hijab and chief negotiator Asaad al-Zoubi, would not call for a complete cessation of hostilities but would demand an end to "the indiscriminate shelling of markets, hospitals and schools by the regime and its Russian backers". Russia and Syria deny targeting civilians, saying they take great care to avoid bombing residential areas. Separately, the heavy Russian bombing campaign continued unabated in northern Syria on Saturday with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights saying the areas hit included rebel-held villages and towns in the Aleppo countryside near the border with Turkey. AIR STRIKES AND SHELLING Russian air strikes were also reported by the group in Hama province and in the eastern province of Deir al Zor where scores of people were killed in the aerial attacks on Islamic State- controlled towns in the territory that also borders Iraq, according to residents. At least 40 people, including women and children, were injured when the army shelled a camp where over 3,000 displaced people had taken shelter, according to a rebel spokesperson from the First Coastal Division brigade who spoke from the area along the Turkish border in northwestern Latakia. Heavy clashes also continued in the Latakia countryside where the Syrian army backed by intensive Russian carpet bombing in the rugged mountainous area allowed the government to regain most of the countryside close to the coastal heartland of Assad's Alawite sect. In separate comments before heading to Geneva, Zoubi said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry gave assurances by phone to the HNC's leadership, saying Washington supported a U.N.-backed political transition period without Assad, a bone of contention among warring parties. The HNC also has been under pressure from mainstream armed groups represented within it not to give in to Western pressure, with some rebel groups already threatening to pull out of the body. (Additional reporting by Tom Miles in Geneva, Vladimir Soldatkin in Moscow, John Irish in Paris, Michelle Marin in Berlin Writing by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Tom Heneghan, Stephen Powell and Bill Trott) Zach Latta By the time he was 16, Zach Latta had already tested out of his Los Angeles, California public high school and was working at Yo a one-word messaging app that came to prominence in 2014 as an engineer and lead backend developer. Now, at 18, Latta is living in San Francisco and working on his rapidly expanding coding organization called Hack Club. "I've always found myself able to learn the most when I can completely throw myself at something," Latta told Business Insider. Latta has certainly thrown himself intensely into his work as co-founder and executive director of Hack Club. Just one year after founding the organization, it's grown to 62 schools across 16 states and six countries. Hack Club is a nonprofit organization with four full-time employees including Latta, and is funded by grants and individual supporters. Latta is also a 2015 Thiel Fellow, becoming one of 20 people chosen to receive $100,000 and mentorship, provided they forgo or drop out of college for two years. Latta was awarded the fellowship last June when he was 17 and had no plans of attending college. The idea behind Hack Club is simple, even if the coding behind it is not. While a few high schools may offer coding classes or clubs, they usually teach students dated coding standards. In reality, coders working in the industry use software written within the past six months, according to Latta. Hack Club works with high school students to start and lead programming clubs at their schools using up-to-date standards. It provides baseline coding curriculum, software tools, and community-building training. Hack Club The innovation and success of Hack Club earned Latta, and his co-founder Jonathan Leung, 25, a spot on Forbes' 2016 30 under 30 list in the education category. Latta was one of the youngest honorees on the list. "Our whole philosophy is that what's cool about coding is that it lets you do what you want to do and it lets you build real things," Latta said. "You don't have to have a college degree, you don't have to have years of training. As long as you have internet access you can do whatever you want to. Story continues Many of the websites or apps that members of Hack Clubs have built are on display on its site. Hack Club There's Kenko, for example, that describes itself as "shazam for food," where you take a photo of any food and receive health insights. Kenko's site also says that it is sponsored by Goldman Sachs. Though not all of the coding at Hack Club involves "hacking" per se, it certainly seems aimed at challenging the status quo. Latta mentioned that one group of students in one of his clubs is working to "kill Slack" and build a better app for workplace communications. Slack is a real-time messaging service that many companies, Business Insider included, use to communicate around their offices. Some of that "establishment-killing attitude" is inherent in hacking subculture, with its documented distaste for authority. But some of that ethos within Hack Club is likely a byproduct of Latta's own attitudes about coding. "Before I started focusing on programming, I felt really stuck," he said. "I thought the way the world was put together is the way the world was put together, and it's always going to be that way. Programming really changed that mindset for me." Zach Latta Latta began coding in middle school. By the time he got to high school, his interest had flourished into a love of programming. He didn't know anyone at school he could write code with, though, so he started a coding club with about 15 students. "It wasn't the greatest club, but just having anything at all made such a profound impact on what I got out of high school," he said. Latta began focusing on testing out of school early so he could devote all of his time to programming. He built his own home-schooling program sophomore year and tested out that same year. While he was excited for the opportunity to pursue programming, his parents, both social workers, were less sure of his decision, especially since he had decided to forgo college and jump right into the industry. But their reluctance gave way to support when they saw the success he was finding in the workforce. He says when he started working at Yo, he was a 16-year-old without a college degree making market rate as an engineer. Latta didn't specify how much Yo paid him, but a search of Glassdoor showed that software engineers in San Francisco make an average salary of $103,000. "I think to them at the time that was a ridiculous concept," Latta said. Hack Club He believes a college degree simply isn't essential to employers anymore, thanks in part to the internet. "I think the fundamental idea is that a college degree is a 'vote,' and so many other things can provide the same value as that vote can," Latta said. As for his plans with Hack Club, he plans to focus on expansion during the upcoming year. There are currently clubs in the US, Canada, Australia, Estonia, Zimbabwe, and India. He plans to broaden his reach domestically and internationally. But his motivation, at its root, is to continue to empower students through coding. "The reason why programming is so special to me is that I think programming shows you that you have power, and that you can do things, that you are your own person," he said. NOW WATCH: Teachers are calling in sick to protest the deplorable condition of Detroit public schools More From Business Insider Mexico's Secretariat of Communications and Transport (SCT) is set to initiate an auction for 700 MHz nationwide shared broadband network today. These wireless spectrums were freed after all TV signals were converted from analog to digital across the nation by the end of 2015. In 2014, the Mexican government had undertaken a massive project of shared wireless network to instil competition in the highly monopolistic telecom industry. The idea was to facilitate small-scale telecom operators to use this state-owned network for their wireless coverage instead of installing their own network which is a highly capital intensive process. The SCT will auction at least 90 MHz of spectrum within the 700 MHz-band to cover nearly 98% of the population by 2018. However, in May 2015, the government of Mexico slashed its planned expenditure from $10 billion to $7 billion for the proposed deployment of nationwide wholesale mobile network over the next 10 years. The primary reason for the cut in planned expenditure is that the government now believes that 12,000 mobile towers will be sufficient for installing this network instead of 20,000 estimated earlier. In Mar 2015, the SCT had opened tender to take part in this project. Various leading telecom infrastructure equipment developers, with global operational experience offered bids for the upcoming state-owned mobile network project in Mexico. Notable among them are Ericsson AB ERIC, Nokia Corp. NOK, Cisco Systems Inc. CSCO, Motorola Solutions Inc. MSI, China Telecom Corp. Ltd. CHA, Alestra, and Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. In Jul 2015, SCT declared that it has received 37 tenders from interested parties. Mexico is the largest economy in the Latin American region with a growing middle class population eager to spend more on high-speed wireless networks for facilitating the use of smartphones and tablets. Also the wireless penetration rate is relatively lower in the country. Thus, weighing such positives, an investment in the nation may bode well for telecom network equipment manufacturers. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report CISCO SYSTEMS (CSCO): Free Stock Analysis Report ERICSSON LM ADR (ERIC): Free Stock Analysis Report NOKIA CP-ADR A (NOK): Free Stock Analysis Report CHINA TELCM-ADR (CHA): Free Stock Analysis Report MOTOROLA SOLUTN (MSI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research MEXICO CITY, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Mexican construction company ICA said on Friday it was seeking to resolve a conflict over a canceled port terminal contract with APM Terminals, part of Denmark's A.P. Moller-Maersk. The contract covered the first phase of construction at a container terminal at the Pacific coast post of Lazaro Cardenas, and ICA said in a statement it was seeking damages over what it describes as the unilateral cancellation of the contract by APM Terminals. The Mexican firm did not provide further details on how it aims to resolve the contractual conflict. (Reporting by David Alire Garcia; Editing by Jacqueline Wong) Being bearish on Russia doesnt mean theres no Russia-related play. [This article previously appeared on ETF.com and is republished here with permission.] This article is part of a regular series of thought leadership pieces from some of the more influential ETF strategists in the money management industry. Todays article features Tyler Mordy, president and co-chief investment strategist of Toronto-based Hahn Investment Stewards. Theres an old Russian proverb: The church is near, but the road is icy. The bar is far, but we will walk carefully." Global investors should also tread cautiously with Russian assets. The countrys economic outlook has been passionately debated this year (even within our firms investment committee), and the recent crisis in Ukraine has uncorked a flood of volatility in Russias capital markets. To be sure, President Putins political agenda has created a veritable wasteland of investment land mines. The annexation of Ukraines appendage called Crimea will almost certainly be a Pyrrhic victory. The West continues to denounce it as a violation of international law, and collateral damage to Russias reputation as a place to do business has been widespread. Yet many argue that Russias dirt-cheap stock marketnow the cheapest country stock market in the worldalready prices in these policy risks. Better to observe Sir John Templetons advice and buy when theres blood in the streets. We get it. Russia is in the bargain bin. Im not particularly comfortable with Russias prospects, but as the title of this piece suggests, we see palladium and an ETF like the ETFS Physical Palladium Shares (PALL | A-100) as worth looking at in connection with Russias outlook. But lets return first to Russias macroeconomic picture before discussing to PALL. We see Russia as classic value trapa cheap market that could stay inexpensive for some time. Why? Consider the primary reason for Russias recent multiyear boom: China. In the years spanning 2002 through 2011, Chinas average annual real gross domestic product growth rate was 10 percent. The labor force grew by an astonishing 200 million people (for perspective, the entire U.S. labor force is just 159 million). Story continues Consequently, commodity prices reached stratospheric levels and boosted asset markets of all EM resource exporters, not least of which was Russias commodity-stuffed stock market. Russias Hangover After The Commodity Party Chinas rapid industrialization era is now over. Policymakers are now rebalancing away from investment-intensive growth and the labor force will start shrinking in 2016. Unsurprisingly, broad commodity indexes have been lackluster. What does all of this mean? First, yesteryears winners are unlikely to provide tomorrows market leadership. In general, commodity-exporting EM countries face deteriorating terms of trade, capital outflows and contracting liquidity. For global ETF tactical asset allocators, these countries should remain secular underweights relative to global benchmarks. The second lesson is that in a G zero world, where there is a lack of cooperative international political power, economics trumps politics (regardless of how belligerent or bullying leaders may become). While Putins style is a growing anachronism in modern politics, and certainly hasnt won Russian any new friends, macroeconomics will dictate future shifts in country alliances. As an example, both Russia and China have ambitions to increase their influence in Central Asia. The Kremlin plans to establish a Eurasian Economic Unioncritics call it a Soviet Union-litewhile Beijing is building a new Silk Road to Europe. Clearly, both have big ambitions. However, China is far more likely to displace Russians traditional influence in the region simply because it has the financial and economic power to do so. Since the global financial crisis, China has aggressively purchased energy assets and financed infrastructure investments in Central Asia. By contrast, Russia is steadily losing both its energy monopoly and its political clout in the regionregardless of Putins geopolitical maneuvering. Finally, as the EM boom moderates and corporate earnings growth rates converge with developed markets, investors should scrap the broad EM versus developed market divide. Individual country or sector dynamics are now more important. Similarly, commodity exposures should be targeted instead of broad-based. Crimean Clouds Over Palladium All of the above leads us back to Russia. How best to play it? While Russias equity market is oversold and may be on the cusp of a sharp countertrend rally (Gazproms recent signing of a natural gas deal with China may just be the catalyst), our view is that better longer-term opportunities lie elsewhere. Going long PALL is one idea. Consider the investment case: Palladium is used heavily in the automotive industry, being a key component in the production of catalytic converters. Global demand has been robust in recent years, driven by global vehicle sales reaching record highs. Worldwide sales are predicted to reach 72.2 million this year, up from 68.7 million last year. China is again a key factor here. Gasoline engines in China currently employ catalytic technology that use less than 10 percent of palladium and platinum loadings compared with Western vehicles. Its no secret that air quality conditions in Chinas urban cores are poor. The Chinese government is now proposing air quality targets over five years that would quintuple the loadings of platinum and palladium in gasoline engines in China. The increasing trend in Chinese automobile sales coupled with the pending tightening of emissions standards creates a strong demand outlook for several years. Additionally, the advent of two new palladium ETFs in South Africa has lifted investment demand. Aggregate ETF holdings of physical palladium have reached 584 thousand ounces so far in 2014, as the new ETFs (both launched in late March) now hold a combined total of 552 thousand ounces. Physical Palladium Stores The supply side is where Russias dynamics come into play for palladium. The country is the worlds largest palladium producer, accounting for about 42 percent of supply (excluding recycling). Global Palladium Sources In the short term, any sanctions on Russian palladium exports would exacerbate what is already expected to be a large deficit in 2014. Even if industry-specific sanctions are not initiated (they have already been proposed), the mere threat of restrictions and the uncertain outlook will surely curtail investment. And if sanctions dont limit investment, then Russias increasing borrowing costs will provide a head wind. This is the key longer-running risk: If Russian investment continues to sagnationally, fixed-capital investment dropped 4.2 percent in the first quarter of 2014the supply of palladium will surely fall further and prices will adjust higher. Of course, there are risks. Palladium is overly reliant on one demand stream, and over time, technological advances may very well displace it. PALL has also already done well this year, in part driven by striking workers in South Africa, which is the second-largest supplier of palladium in the world. If mining companies are successful at bypassing unions and bringing workers back to the mines, the price of palladium would undoubtedly fall. Further, auto industry inventories are bearish for short-term demand. As of March 2014, U.S. inventory-to-sales data are at 1.32 timesthe highest level since the financial crisis. Still, many of these are transitory risks. Palladiums longer-term supply/demand outlook remains strong, and the price continues to rally on Russias deteriorating outlook. In fact, PALL has shown a negative correlation to the Market Vectors Russia ETF (RSX | C-64). Year-to-date, the running correlation stands at -0.71, as of May 15. Russian Equities vs Palladium Looking ahead, Russias roads are indeed icy. The thrill of investing in volatile and ultra-cheap markets can be intoxicating. Contrary to the Russian proverb, its now best to stay sober and near the church. Vodka cocktails will have to wait until another time. Tyler Mordy, president and co-chief investment officer of Hahn Investment Stewards, is a recognized innovator in the design and application of global macro ETF managed portfolios. He is widely interviewed by the financial media for his global investment strategy views, as well as ETF trends. CNBC has called him one of the best independent ETF experts. Recommended Stories Permalink | Copyright 2016 ETF.com. All rights reserved (Adds dropped word "not" in paragraph 4 quote; fixes media slug to conform with package) WARSAW, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Poland does not support "emergency brake" proposals that could help curb immigration from other European Union states to Britain, Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski said on Friday. Sources have told Reuters the European Union was offering Britain a plan under which any member that could convince EU governments its welfare system was under excessive strain would have the right to deny benefits to new workers arriving from other EU countries for up to four years. Asked about the proposal, Waszczykowski told a news conference: "No, Poland does not accept this mechanism. It will not accept a mechanism that denies social benefits to Poles living in the European Union." Commenting on Poland's ongoing negotiations with the U.S. on a $5 billion tender for Raytheon's Patriot missile defence system, Waszczykowski said: "Today everything points towards Poland having to reopen the tender for a missile defence, and we'll talk again with several countries." (Reporting by Pawel Sobczak, writing by Justyna Pawlak) Tribune News Service Bathinda, January 29 Students from various foreign countries, who are in India as part of student exchange programmes, voiced their love for Indian culture and its hospitality and also expressed their concern towards the bad condition of roads and lack of traffic sense. The students are currently participating in the Global Village of the annual cultural festival Vibgyor of Baba Farid Group of Institutions which began today. Ayah and Nasraa, both students from Bahrain, said that they didnt find any great difference between Bahrain and India as the cultures are very similar and also because there is a large Indian population in Bahrain. Though we dont have any Indian friends, we know a lot about Indian culture. Indian food is amazing too, they said. They, however, added that they were scared of travelling on Indian roads. Vehicles come towards you from all directions and the condition of roads is really bad. Travelling is a scary experience. The roads and traffic management is much better in Bahrain, the 18-years-olds stated. Aapse mil key khushi hui, and Dhanyawad are some of the Hindi phrases and words that Naweed Hamkar from Afghanistan frequently used during his interaction with students and guests at the fest. When asked about his knowledge of Hindi language, he said, Bollywood films are a huge hit in Afghanistan. All cinema goers are crazy about Hindi films and thats also how I learnt little Hindi. Twenty six-year-old Mahmoud from Egypt also displayed his knowledge of Hindi language. At the Azhar University where I am working as a technical support hand, there are courses in Urdu and Hindi languages. I pursued the course for a while and now I am using what I learnt at the university, he said. So smitten was Alice by the Indian culture that she got mehendi applied on both her hands after she reached Chandigarh. I am going to spend five weeks in India as part of the project and have decided to get to learn as much as I can about the Indian culture. I loved henna designs when I saw these and got the same done on my hands as well, said the 20-year-old from Taiwan. On the first day of the fest, while there were only 10 interns from seven countries, namely Ukraine, Brazil, Taiwan, Bahrain, Egypt, Afghanistan and Indonesia, nine more interns from Russia, Morocco Vice-Chancellor of the Royal University of Bhutan, Dasho Nidup Dorji, visited Lovely Professional University on Thursday. LPU Chancellor Ashok Mittal and Director of International Affairs Aman Mittal greeted Dorji on his maiden visit to the campus. Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the King of Bhutan, is also a Chancellor. Visiting VC was taken to different departments of the LPU where he interacted with hundreds of Bhutanese students studying on the campus. Over 400 Bhutanese students are studying at the LPU in various programmes. VC Dorji was happy to note that almost all the students were taking part in activities as a part of their programmes. The VCs visit is indicative of possible collaboration between LPU and the Bhutanese University in near future. For collaboration, various detailed programmes will be chalked out to strengthen higher education system in Bhutan and mutual relationship between the two. The collaborative programmes are to include mutual faculty exchange and training of faculty members of various top colleges in Bhutan. This alliance will also be in the areas of student exchange and internship programmes for students and faculty. Workshop on higher education As per the directions of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), GOI, a workshop was organised on the IK Gujral Punjab Technical University Campus on Thursday. It was organised by the university to get the data uploaded on the All-India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) portal by the colleges who could not uploaded data on the portal timely. In this workshop, 50 affiliated colleges participated. Two experts Dr Buta Singh Sidhu, Dean Academics, IKGPTU, and Dr Balkar Singh, Director College Development, were addressed on the importance of this survey. Other IKGPTU officials Dr Sukhbir Singh Ahluwalia, Director, Student Facilitation Centre, and Dr Punam Yadav, Nodal Officer, also inspired the colleges for maximum participation. The MHRD, GOI, is collecting data pertaining to the colleges that are offering higher education in the state. To portray the status of higher education in the country, the MHRD has endeavoured to conduct an annual web-based All-India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE). The survey covers all the institutions in the country engaged in imparting of higher education. Data is being collected on several parameters such as teachers, student enrollment, programmes, examination results, education finance and infrastructure. Indicators of educational development such as institution density, gross enrolment ratio, pupil-teacher ratio, gender parity index, per student expenditure will also be calculated from the data collected through AISHE. These are useful in making informed policy decisions and research for development of education sector. Cultural fest begins A two-day cultural and technical fest, Colours- 2016, for both college and school students began on the CT Group of Institutions, Maqsudan campus, on Friday. The event kicked off with a show The Vibes of Youth. With an interfusion of inter collegiate/ school technical, cultural, literacy competitions, business plans and among other aspects, Colours aimed at inspiring the youth to elevate aspirations, stay focused and achieve greater heights. The objective was to bring out the dynamism of the youth of today by providing them platform to perform. The first was dedicated to the college students while there will be schools participation on the second day. Apart from its own students, the college was home to more than 800 students of 24 colleges, including Trinity College, Doaba College, DAV University, Sant Baba Bhag Singh College, DAV College, HMV College for Girls, KMV College for girls and many others. There were events like creating best of waste, parshnottri-quiz, business plan, treasure hunt, video documentary, physics model and others. HMV College for Girls, Jalandhar, won the overall trophy while Mehr Chand Polytechnic College won the runners-up title. S Charanjit Singh Channi (Chairman, CT Group of Institutions) and Manbir Singh (Managing Director, CT Group of Institutions) were the chief guests for the occasion. Dr Jasdeep Kaur Dhami (Deputy Director, Maqsudan Campus) was also present along with other distinguished guests from college governing body and other educational institutions. Seminar on resume writing The PG department of commerce and management, PCM SD College for Women, organised a seminar on resume writing and career counselling. Pardeep, Managing Director, IBT, Sakshi, CEO, Gurcharanjit Singh Relationship Manager, Suresh Lokhande, faculty, IBT, visited the institution for the purpose. The seminar was attended by students of BCom and MCom accomplished by faculty of the department. Welcome speech was given by Shikha Puri. Pardeep took the initiative to give career related tips to students and highlighted various career opportunities available for students. Quiz contest and an interactive question and answer session was also conducted.TNS robert herjavec One of the biggest movements in business today is providing employees with benefits that recognize the importance of their personal lives, like extended parental-leave policies. But, if you're a serious entrepreneur, says "Shark Tank" investor and Herjavec Group founder Robert Herjavec, you need to set all that aside. "People often ask me, 'Is there a balance in life when you start a business?'" Herjavec said in the latest episode of "Beyond the Tank." "And I say, 'If you're expecting balance, don't start a business,'" he added. In that "Beyond the Tank" segment, Herjavec discussed one of his Season 1 investments, grilling-accessory brand Grill Charms. Its founder, Leslie Haywood, was making hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual revenue, but was spending less and less time with her two young daughters. After seven years of dedication to her business, she decided in 2013, when her kids were 8 and 10, to enter an exclusive licensing deal with Fox Run Brands. This was essentially a passing of the baton, and Haywood now gets quarterly royalty checks. Herjavec said that he respects and admires her for her decision, because she recognized the sacrifices a founder needs to make to scale a company and, rather than diminish her effort, decided it wasn't right for her at that point in her life. In a Business Insider interview with Herjavec last year, we discussed how all entrepreneurs who want to have a thriving business need to commit to it full time, and he clarified that the sacrifices this entailed should not be made at the expense of loved ones, but rather with their consent and understanding. "Don't quit your job if it's going to hurt your family," he said, "but at the same time, a business is a living, breathing thing. If you don't quit your job, it's never going to grow. But only you can make that decision." It's related to a point Herjavec made in the latest episode of "Shark Tank" Season 7, as well. Herjavec was impressed by Shaan Patel, founder of SAT tutoring company 2400 Expert, and admired his work ethic, high intelligence, and ability to drive impressive sales. Story continues Patel would later make a deal with Mark Cuban, but Herjavec was worried that Patel had too much on his plate. Patel was not only running a company, but also pursuing an M.D. at Yale and an MBA at Stanford. "My challenge with it is, you're kind of playing at it," Herjavec told him. "You want to be a doctor and you want to be an entrepreneur." Herjavec also noted that Patel was too quick to entertain a spur-of-the-moment licensing deal. "Business isn't that," Herjavec continued. "You can't play at business. Because you're going to come across a guy who doesn't want to be a doctor, and he is going to kick your behind. I can't invest in a part-time entrepreneur." NOW WATCH: 'Shark Tank' star Robert Herjavec knows what to do when everything is against you More From Business Insider Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 30 Former Army Chief General KV Krishna Rao, who played a key role in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, died today in New Delhi. He was 92. During the 1971 war, General Rao, who was heading the 8 mountain division then, and Lt Gen Sagat Singh, who was leading the 4 Corps, launched the first-ever helicopter-borne launch of troops in East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. *Obituary: He put down insurgency in Northeast, J-K For the job, General Rao had handpicked troops of the 4/5 Gorkha Rifles (the battalion of the current Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag). On December 6, General Raos division was tasked to capture Sylhet in the north-eastern part of that country. Six brigades of the Pakistan Army had fortified the town. The plan to send its own troops onboard helicopters was audacious. However, in a 12-hour operation using Mi-4 helicopters of the Indian Air Force, a full brigade of the Army had been moved across the Surma river. The troops had held back Pakistanis who were forced to surrender and that move allowed the other Indian troops to capture Dacca, the then name of Dhaka, from the eastern flank. During his tenure as the Army Chief from June 1, 1981, to July 1983, General Rao conceptualised to fortify defences in Arunachal Pradesh fearing Chinese incursions, a plan that was finally put in place under Operation Falcon in 1986 by General K Sundarji. General Rao was commissioned into the Army in August 1942. He had served in Burma, North West Frontier and Baluchistan during the Second World War. He was Chairman of the expert committee constituted by the government on Re-organisation and Modernisation for Defence of the country. He was the Western Army Commander during 1979-81. He was appointed the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir in 1989, when a proxy war developed in the state and reached its peak. Barring a three-year break, he was the Jammu and Kashmir Governor till May 1998. In this capacity, he was instrumental in restoring peace and democracy in the insurgency-riven state. In a condolence message, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said: The country has lost one of its best known military leaders. Army Chief General Suhag also expressed deep condolences on General Raos demise. Lahore, January 30 The attack on an Indian Air Force Base in Pathankot has affected peace talks with the eastern neighbour, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Saturday. "It is our responsibility to uncover if our soil was used in the attack. We will do this and the ongoing investigations will soon be completed," Sharif told reporters. "The investigation into the Pathankot incident is underway and we will make its findings public soon," he said while talking to reporters here. "Whatever facts come out we will bring them forth before everyone," he said. The attack had disturbed talks that were going in the right direction after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited the country, he said. Terrorists were being defeated and in desperation, they were carrying out isolated acts to make their presence felt, he said, promising to go to any length to bring them to book. Meanwhile, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said none of the 'suspects' arrested in connection with the attack have been charged. "The investigation team is probing the matter and its findings will be made public," Sanaullah told reporters. Responding to a question whether any link of Jaish-e- Mohammad (JeM) has been established with the attack, he said: "The investigation team is also probing this." Sharif had formed a six-member committee headed by Additional Inspector General of Punjab's Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) to investigate the attack. Some six gunmen belonging to the outlawed Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) from Pakistan had attacked an air force base in Pathankot on January 2. The subsequent military operation against the infiltrators left eight all militants and two troops dead. Agencies Lahore, January 30 Pakistan will soon complete its investigation into the Pathankot terror attack and make it public, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said today. The attack had had a negative impact and disturbed the talks with India which were going in the right direction after the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, he said. The investigation into the Pathankot incident is under way and we will make its findings public soon, he said while talking to mediapersons here. Whatever facts come out we will bring them forth before everyone, he said. Sharif vowed that Pakistan would go to any length to uncover the alleged use of its soil in the January 2 attack on the air base in Pathankot by suspected Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists. It is our responsibility to uncover if our soil was used in the attack. We will do this and the ongoing investigations will soon be completed, he said. The terrorists were being defeated and in desperation, they were carrying out isolated acts to make their presence felt, he said, adding that the remaining ones will also be eliminated. Meanwhile, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said none of the suspects arrested in connection with the attack had been charged. The investigation team is probing the matter and its findings will be made public, Sanaullah told mediapersons. On whether any link of JeM has been established, he said: The investigation team is also probing this. Sharif had formed a six-member committee headed by Additional Inspector General of Punjabs Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) to investigate the attack in which seven security personnel were killed. PTI Sarbjit Dhaliwal Tribune News Service sangrur, January 30 As one enters the periphery of villages such as Andana, Balran, Bakhora, Lehal Kalan, Chotiaan, Kishangarh and Kulrian in this belt, a feeling starts sinking in as if the demons of death stalk this part of the countryside. These villages figure on the long list of rural inhabitations where more than 50 farmers and landless labourers have committed suicide over the years owing to debt distress, crop failure or other farm-related issues. Sangrur was the belt from where reports of such suicides first emerged in the early 1990s when the Green Revolution started petering out and input costs began shooting up, thus making farming unviable for small and marginal farmers. What hurts the Punjabi pride most is that their prosperous land has become scarred. At least two to three cases of suicide by farmers are reported almost daily now, largely owing to the deepening crisis in the farm sector with the failure of cotton crop. The state governments failure to address the crisis head-on has made it worse. Suicides in the farm sector is a pan-India crisis, though most pronounced in predominantly agricultural states like Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Telangana. Recent surveys have highlighted how the rate of suicide is highest in the farm sector across the world. Countries like the US and the UK have put in place round-the-clock helplines for people with suicide tendencies. Many countries have teams of counsellors to guide people on how to come out of stress. In Punjab, the political class as a whole has done nothing worthwhile to deal with the issue. Except visiting the families of deceased farmers and announcing ex gratia, nothing practical has been done to pull the farm sector out of the crisis. On getting wind that the issue of suicides in the farm sector would move to the political centrestage in the days ahead of the Assembly elections, the SAD-BJP government has fallen back on the strategy of counting the dead to update its official records. It has again put Punjabi University, Guru Nanak Dev University and PAU on the counting job. The previous survey of 10 years (from 2001 to 2010) had recorded 6,926 cases of suicide in the farm sector. Of it, 3,954 were by farmers and 2,972 by landless labourers. Of these, 74 per cent farmers and 58.6 per cent labourers had committed suicide due to debt. The maximum number of cases was from Sangrur (1,132), followed by Mansa (1,013) and Bathinda (827). But what will the government do after gathering figures? Announce compensation, to decide the quantum of which it take years? How will compensation to the affected families change the crisis at hand? For years, the governments in Punjab remained in a denial mode and did not concede that farmers were committing suicide. But, as some organisations, especially the Movement Against State Repression (MASR) headed by former MLA Inderjit Singh Jaijee, continued to hammer the point with facts and figures, the government had to admit in the late 1990s that there was some truth in reports regarding cases of suicide. The first time a provision was made in the State Budget was in 2001 to give Rs 2.5 lakh as compensation to each family of deceased farmers by the then Finance Minister Capt Kanwaljit Singh. However, the promise remained on paper. One of the perceived reasons is exploitation of farmers by moneylenders. However, the state government has failed to regulate the private money-lending business. Because of political calculations, it has been keeping the Punjab Relief of Agriculture Indebtedness Bill pending for the past several years. With growing pressure, it has now ventured to pass this Bill in the next session of the Vidhan Sabha. However, without making farming viable for small and marginal farmers and ensuring better security of life for the landless labour, mere legislation would be meaningless. At the end of the 19th century, American poet Edwin Markham penned the despair of farmers. A lot of whats in the poem seems to stand true for Punjab today. It is disturbing beyond words. Bowed by the weight of centuries he leans Upon his hoe and gazes on the ground, The emptiness of ages in his face, And on his back the burden of the world. Who made him dead to rapture and despair, A thing that grieves not and that never hopes, Stolid and stunned, a brother to the ox? Who loosened and let down this brutal jaw? Whose was the hand that slanted back this brow? Whose breath blew out the light within this brain? Balwant Garg Tribune News Service Faridkot, January 30 Former Supreme Court judge Justice Markandey Katju today reached Behbal Kalan village of Faridkot to inquire into the killing of two Sikh protestors. Gurjeet Singh (24) and Bhagwan Krishan Singh (45) were killed in police firing on October 14, 2015, at Behwal Kalan village when they along with many others were protesting against the desecration of a bir of Guru Granth Sahib. Accompanied by former DGP Shashi Kant, Justice Katju visited the place where the police had opened fire on unarmed protesters, killing the two and wounding many others. The judicial inquiry is being carried out on the demand of three organisations --- Sikhs for Human Rights, Punjab Human Rights Organisation and Lawyers for Human Rights International. My term of reference in this inquiry is to find out what led the police to open fire which resulted in the killing of two persons and injury to many others at Behbal Kalan, said Justice Katju. There were many other options for the police to disperse protesters like using water cannons, rubber bullets or a cane-charge, he said, adding that the fact finding team would look into the causes of extreme action by the police. During his three-day visit to the village the former SC judge is supposed to go into the depth of the incident and analyse the cause of the police action. Meanwhile, a public hearing will be convened at a village gurdwara tomorrow, where people can present their views on the incident to Justice Katju. The district civil and police authorities have also been invited to the public meeting to present their side of the story, he said. Following the state government order, Justice Zora Singh (retired) is also conducting an inquiry into the incident. However, three months after the incident, the inquiry remains incomplete. In a letter to Justice Zora Singh, some human right activists, including Amar Singh Chahal, TS Sudan and Gurdial Singh, today urged him to reach Behbal Kalan village on January 31 to record the statement of the rights activists, who want him to assist in the inquiry. GS Paul Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 30 The SGPC has been adopting double standards when it comes to present dignitaries visiting the Golden Temple with a traditional siropa (robe of honour). The controversy has surfaced the committee announced that Ontarios Premier Kathleen Wynee would not be extended this honour. The prime reason was that Wynee, a lesbian, is a supporter of same sex marriage which is not endorsed by the Akal Takht. Wynee, who is on a 10-day business trip to India, is scheduled to visit Golden Temple on Sunday. However, in January 2005, when the then Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti had dubbed same sex marriage as anti-maryada, the SGPC didnt refrain from honouring Navdeep Singh Bains, the youngest member of the House of Commons in Canada, whose party had voted in favour of same sex marriages in Canada. The Same Sex Marriage Bill was introduced in Canadian Parliament in its session on January 31, 2005. It was due to this reason that then Prime Minister Paul Martin had cancelled his visit to the Golden Temple on January 15, 2005 to avert any controversy. Martin was reportedly advised that as he was seen as the principal votary of the Bill, the Sikh clergy my not present him and other Sikh MPs supporting the Bill with siropas. SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar stated that he would not be able to comment on the lapse in 2005, but in case of Wynee, she can pay obeisance at the Golden Temple like any other devotee as there were no restrictions. But the committee would not honour her, he added. Former minister and SGPC member feels that it would be wrong on the part of the committee if she is not accorded the honour. It would send a wrong message in Canada, where a huge number of Sikhs reside and where the Defence Minister is a Sikh, he said. Panthic Talmel Sangathans core committee member Jaswinder Advocate said that Akal Takhts directions are applicable only to Sikhs following its religious principles. Wynee is a Canadian citizen and it would be wrong to discriminate against her just just because she supports same-sex marriage. The siropa culture should either be stopped or a system evolved to avoid any such controversy in future, he said. Tribune News Service Patiala, January 29 Consolidating his case against getting extradited to India, Paramjit Singh Pamma, who was recently nabbed by the Portugal police, has now moved a complaint against the three Punjab police personnel who have gone there for his extradition. In his complaint that was filed with the Portugal authorities through his solicitors Gurpatwant Singh Pannun of USA and UK-based Amarjit Singh Bhachu and was signed by Pamma himself, he has alleged that one of the policemen sent to extradite him, SP, Mohali, Ashish Kapoor, had tortured him in police custody. The other two, including DIG, Patiala, Balkar Singh Sidhu and DSP, Rajpura, Rajinder Singh Sohal, faced charges of crimes against prisoners. The complaint has been filed with the Portuguese Ministry of Justice. Meanwhile, in a statement, the Sikh Council of UK stated that Paramjit Singhs legal team is keen to ensure that every avenue is pursued for his release and return home. The filing of this criminal complaint is an important step not only in Paramjeet Singhs case but also in the pursuit of justice by countless victims of torture and extra-judicial killings at the hands of Indian security services over many years. While Mohali SP Ashish Kapoor could not be contacted for comments, DIG, Patiala, Balkar Singh Sidhu who had yesterday returned from Portugal said that anyone could file a complaint but there was no truth in it. The DIG said that in his complaint, Pamma had alleged that he was tortured by the police at Mohali and Ropar, but he (Sidhu) was never posted there. The Indian Governments team, comprising officials from the Punjab and Jaipur police, had submitted documents seeking extradition of Paramjit Singh Pamma in a Lisbon court recently. However, the extradition process was delayed as a Portuguese court extended his detention till February 15. He was arrested last month while he was in the Algarve region of Portugal on a holiday with his family. He had taken political asylum in the UK in 1999 and has been in the European nation since then. Ranjita Biswas Bones from skeletons making up a churchs decor. Horrifying? Fiction or fantasy? But thats exactly what Kutna Hora, a Unesco protected town in the Czech Republic, boasts of. Its an hours drive from Prague (you can take a train too) and was once the most important Czech town due to its silver mines. Besides the historic sites, visitors here make a beeline to the Bone Church (Ossuary to be more correct or Kostnice in Czech) in Sedlec, a suburb of Kutna Hora. The small Roman Catholic chapel is located beneath the All SaintsChapel. The chapel is decorated entirely with human bones. As you enter walking down a few steps, you are greeted by an intricately designed door encrusted with human skulls. Inside, at the centre, hangs a beautiful chandelier that is supposed to hold each one of the bones in the human body. Strings of skulls and bones hang from the ceiling while chalices stand in alcoves on either side of the staircase. You can see skull candelabras, the altar made with human bones. A display case shows skulls with wounds probably inflicted by medieval weapons. The church is estimated to contain the remains of around 40,000 people. You could feel a little quizzy at the macabre display but strangely you dont. It is as if you feel like paying tribute to human ingenuity, creating something beautiful even from remains of human skeletons. How did all these bones end up in this particular church? As the story goes, in the 13th century the abbot of Sedlec monastery, who returned from a visit to Palestine, birthplace of Jesus Christ, he brought with him a pocketful of earth from the Holy Land and sprinkled it on the cemetery surrounding the Chapel of All Saints. It instantly earned a pious reputation. The rich and the powerful also wanted to be buried in this cemetery. A large number of people were also buried there due to the Black Death plague of 1318 and casualties in the Hussite War in the 15th century. The Thirty YearsWar in the 17th century added to the number of the dead, and space in the cemetery became a problem. So the older remains began to be exhumed. But what to do with them? Legends say that a half-blind monk was assigned to collect bones from the cemetery; he transferred them to the chapel and piled them into pyramids. Local myths also say that he became mad and started making things out of the bones. Then in 1870, the local landlords of the House of Schwarzenberg assigned a woodcarver Frantisek Rint to create a different form of art as a reminder of the frailty of human life and inevitable death. You can see the Schwarzenberg coat-of-arms made of bones here as well as Rints own signature made with finger bones. Many films and documentaries have been shot on the site, a Unesco heritage site. It is open all through the year except December 24 and 25. Millions of people visit the church each year for, seeing is believing. Tribune News Service Dehradun, January 29 Chief Minister Harish Rawat has no regret over Dehradun being left out of the first list of 20 cities selected as part of the first batch of the Smart City initiative. Harish Rawat, while addressing mediapersons here today, categorically ruled out any politics on part of the NDA government on the issue. He said none of the 20 cities selected had a green field-based smart city project like Dehradun, and thus he was hopeful that Dehradun would be included in the next list of smart cities. He said questions were being raised over Dehradun being taken up as green field project rather than retrofitting and redevelopment process. But retrofitting mainly involves sewer and drinking water arrangements on which we have already made huge investments. Similarly, in case of redevelopment, re-construction is largely involved which is not practical in case of Dehradun,said Chief Minister Harish Rawat. He said the green field-based smart city project was most ideal for Dehradun. He said a major part of the investments proposed for the Dehradun smart city would be spent in old Dehradun and other towns in the hill state. Jugran flays state govt Statehood agitator Ravindra Jugran said the state government was more interested in taking over a tea estate land in Dehradun rather than understanding the concept of the smart city. This is the reason that the Dehradun smart city project stood at the 97th position, he added. Dehraduns non-inclusion shows Centres bias: Cong Congress activists, under the aegis of the Mahanagar Congress Committee, staged a protest at the Chandracharya square in Haridwar on Friday against the non-inclusion of Dehradun in the list of top 20 smart cities. The protesters said it was unfortunate that Dehradun had not been included in the list despite fulfilling the criteria laid down by the Centre in this regard. They alleged that it was a decision inspired by political considerations which reflected the NDA governments malice towards the Congress-ruled state. Mahanagar Congress president Anshul Shri Kunj said the NDA government had been neglecting Uttarakhand. The state is always ignored when it comes to sanctioning central grants, projects and schemes as it is being ruled by the Congress. Prime Minister Narendra Modi often refers to strengthening Centre-state relationship. However, when it comes to implement the same, the NDA government backtracks, said Shri Kunj. Doon ignored by Centre Activists of the Mahila Congress burnt an effigy of the NDA government at the Jhoola Ghar in Mussoorie on Friday against the non-inclusion of Dehradun in the first list of smart cities. The protesters, led by Jasvir Kaur, raised slogans against the Centre for ignoring Dehradun. Jasvir Kaur demanded the resignation of all five MPs from Uttarakhand for their alleged failure to get Dehradun included in the list. She said it was unfortunate that the MPs were now tight-lipped on the issue. AAP is happy Anoop Nautiyal, leader, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), said the Union Government had refused to develop Dehradun as a smart city as the residents had protested the project on tea estate land. Nautiyal, addressing a press conference in Dehradun on Friday, said the residents voice was heard after a series of protests and the proposed smart city project was rejected by the Centre. TNS Kuala Lumpur, January 30 Malaysia's attorney general promised on Saturday to cooperate with a Swiss call for help in probing alleged massive corruption that has placed Prime Minister Najib Razak under severe pressure. Swiss prosecutors had issued a statement on Friday saying they believe around USD 4 billion was stolen from Malaysian state-owned companies, including a firm with close links to Najib, and called for Malaysian assistance in their probe. The appeal came just days after Najib's attorney general, Mohamed Apandi Ali, sparked outrage and allegations of a cover-up by declaring Najib committed no wrongdoing in accepting a mysterious USD 681 million payment to his personal bank accounts in 2013. "My office intends to take all possible steps to follow up and collaborate with our Swiss counterparts," Apandi said in a statement quoted by Malaysian media. Malaysia has been rocked for more than a year by allegations that perhaps billions of dollars had gone missing from complex overseas transactions involving the Najib-linked company, 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). The scandal hit another gear last July when the USD 681 million payment to Najib, now 62, was revealed. The revelation fuelled suspicions that the money came from 1MDB, an investment company that has launched a fire sale of assets to pay off billions of dollars in debt. Najib and 1MDB have denied wrongdoing, but both face accusations from the opposition and other critics of hiding facts. Since last year, Najib's government has responded to the snowballing scandal by detaining whistle-blowers, shutting down media outlets and websites that reported on the affair, and warning that those who expose anything further could face prosecution. He also purged critics in his top ruling circle and fired his attorney general, who had been investigating the money paid to Najib, replacing him with Apandi. Apandi said last week the money was a harmless "personal donation" from the Saudi royal family, prompting derision in Malaysia. In September, Swiss authorities announced they had frozen "tens of millions of dollars" in suspicious assets in Swiss accounts held by current and former officials from Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates. "To date, however, the Malaysian companies concerned have made no comment on the losses they are believed to have incurred," the prosecutors' statement said on Saturday. AFP Washington, January 30 A US guided-missile destroyer today sailed within 12 nautical miles of an island in the disputed South China Sea claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam "to challenge excessive maritime claims" that restrict freedom of navigation. The "freedom of navigation operation" was conducted near Triton Island in the South China Sea, rich in natural resources and a major shipping lane. Over half of the world's commercial shipping passes through the Indo-Pacific waterways including one-third of the world's liquefied natural gas. "I can confirm the Department of Defence conducted a freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea on Jan 30, specifically in the vicinity of Triton Island in the Paracel Islands, to challenge excessive maritime claims," Pentagon spokesman Commander Bill Urban told PTI in response to a question. "During the operation, the USS Curtis Wilbur, transited in innocent passage within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island," he said, adding this operation was about challenging claims that restrict the rights and freedoms of the US and others, not about territorial claims to land features. Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis said no ships from China's military were in the vicinity of the guided-missile destroyer when it passed through the islands. Today's development comes three months after US warship USS Lassen sailed within 12 nautical miles of an artificial island Beijing is building in the Spratly Islands, triggering a major face-off. "This operation challenged attempts by the three claimants China, Taiwan and Vietnam to restrict navigation rights and freedoms around the features they claim by policies that require prior permission or notification of transit within territorial seas," Urban said. The excessive claims regarding Triton Island are inconsistent with international law as reflected in the Law of the Sea Convention, he added. "No claimants were notified prior to the transit, which is consistent with our normal process and international law," he said. "This operation demonstrates, as US President Barack Obama and Defence Secretary Ashton Carter have stated, the US will fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows." "That is true in the South China Sea, as in other places around the globe," Urban said. The daring freedom of navigation operation by the US, mainly aimed at China, was first reported by The Wall Street Journal that said the nearly three-hour patrol was "another in a series of operations intended to challenge Beijing's maritime and territorial claims in the region". The daily quoted a senior defence official as saying: "We saw nothing that was unusual in terms of the reaction." The US takes no position on competing sovereignty claims between the parties to naturally-formed land features in the South China Sea, Urban said, adding that the US does take a strong position on protecting the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all countries and that all maritime claims must comply with international law. China claims almost the whole of the South China Sea, resulting in overlapping claims with several other Asian nations like Vietnam and the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei. They accuse China of illegally reclaiming land in contested areas to create artificial islands with facilities that could potentially be for military use. PTI Washington, January 30 An American warship on Saturday patrolled the disputed South China Sea, claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam, to challenge excessive maritime claims that restrict the rights and freedoms of the US and others. The daring freedom of navigation operation by the US, mainly aimed at China, was first reported by The Wall Street Journal in a lead story. A US warship conducted a patrol Saturday around an island in the South China Sea claimed by China and two of its neighbours, another in a series of operations intended to challenge Beijings maritime and territorial claims in the region, the daily said. The Pentagon confirmed its operation in South China Sea. I can confirm the Department of Defense conducted a freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea on January 30 (January 29 EST), specifically in the vicinity of Triton Island in the Paracel Islands, to challenge excessive maritime claims, Commander Bill Urban, a Pentagon spokesman, told PTI in response to a question. This operation challenged attempts by the three claimants, China, Taiwan and Vietnam, to restrict navigation rights and freedoms around the features they claim by policies that require prior permission or notification of transit within territorial seas, he said. The excessive claims regarding Triton Island are inconsistent with international law as reflected in the Law of the Sea Convention. During the operation, the USS Curtis Wilbur, transited in innocent passage within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island, Urban said, adding that this operation was about challenging excessive maritime claims that restrict the rights and freedoms of the US and others, not about territorial claims to land features. According to the daily, the operation lasted about three hours, during which there were no Chinese army or navy seen in the area. We saw nothing that was unusual in terms of the reaction, a senior defence official was quoted as saying. The US takes no position on competing sovereignty claims between the parties to naturally-formed land features in the South China Sea, Urban reiterated. However, Urban said that the US does take a strong position on protecting the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all countries and that all maritime claims must comply with international law. No claimants were notified prior to the transit, which is consistent with our normal process and international law, he said. This operation demonstrates, as US President Barack Obama and Defence Secretary Ashton Carter have stated, the US will fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows. That is true in the South China Sea, as in other places around the globe, Urban said. Since 1979, the US Freedom of Navigation programme has demonstrated non-acquiescence to excessive maritime claims by coastal states all around the world. The programme includes both consultations and representation by US diplomats and operational activities by US military forces. PTI WASHINGTON/SHANGHAI, January 30 A US Navy destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of an island claimed by China and two other states in the South China Sea on Saturday to counter efforts to limit freedom of navigation, the Pentagon said. China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of world trade is shipped every year. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims. Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said no ships from China's military were in the vicinity of the guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur when it passed near Triton Island in the Paracel Islands. "This operation challenged attempts by the three claimants China, Taiwan and Vietnam to restrict navigation rights and freedoms," Davis said, reflecting the U.S. position that the crucial sea lane should be treated as international waters. The Navy conducted a similar exercise in October in which the guided-missile destroyer Lassen sailed close to one of China's manmade islands, drawing a rebuke from Beijing. Davis said the latest operation sought to challenge policies that require prior permission or notification of transit within territorial seas. He said the United States took no position on competing sovereignty claims to naturally-formed land features in the South China Sea. "No claimants were notified prior to the transit, which is consistent with our normal process and international law," Davis said. The Chinese foreign ministry responded Saturday evening with a statement on its website condemning the action. "The American warship has violated relevant Chinese laws by entering Chinese territorial waters without prior permission, and the Chinese side has taken relevant measures including monitoring and admonishments," China's foreign ministry said in a statement. The operation followed calls in Congress for the Obama administration to follow up on the October operation. This month, the chairman of the US Senate Armed Services Committee criticised Obama for delaying further freedom of navigation patrols. He said that allowed China to continue to pursue its territorial ambitions in the region, including by landing a plane on a manmade island in the Spratly Islands archipelago. Reuters Southern Company: What Will Its 4Q15 Earnings Bring to Investors? (Continued from Prior Part) Market performance Utility stocks are preferred by conservative investors due to their higher yields. However, last year, investors unloaded utilities as treasuries offered attractive yields. Utility stocks, on average, dropped ~8% in 2015. Southern Company (SO) corrected by 6%, while peers Duke Energy (DUK) and Dominion Resources (D) fell by more than 10%. The performance of utilities is gauged by the Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU). XLU invests ~8% of its total holdings in Southern Company. Valuation Currently, Southern Company is trading at an EV-to-EBITDA (enterprise value to earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization) multiple of 10.3x. Its 5-year historical average EV-to-EBITDA multiple stands near 9.6x. The utility sectors average ratio stands at 9.9x. Southern Companys forward EV-to-EBITDA, with an estimated EBITDA ( earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization) for fiscal 2016, stands at 9.7x. This indicates expectations of a higher EBITDA in 2016. Southern Companys EV-to-EBITDA multiple is higher than Duke Energys (DUK) 9.5x, NextEra Energys (NEE) 9.2x, and Exelons (EXC) 5.5x. EV-to-EBITDA is a valuation metric used to indicate whether a stock is overvalued or undervalued, irrespective of capital structure. Dividends Utilities with higher proportions of regulated operations tend to have more stable earnings, which should translate into stable dividends. More than 90% of the total revenues Southern Company generates come from its regulated business. With AGL Resources (GAS) acquisition, Southern Companys regulated revenues are expected to increase, as 80% of AGLs total revenues come from its regulated operations. The AGL Resources acquisition is due to be completed in 2H16. Southern Companys earnings should increase with the addition of AGL Resources operations. This may translate into higher dividends for its investors in the future. Story continues Continue to Next Part Browse this series on Market Realist: Last year Wabash National displayed a 33-foot pup trailer marked to show its extra capacity over current 28s. Photo: Tom Berg Twin 33-foot trailers may not be dead after all, as a conservative congressman from Colorado is trying to get them legalized as part of a larger bill. Republican Rep. Ken Buck, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, has introduced a bill that would take back congressional authority, supposedly usurped by President Obamas executive orders. He said the presidents actions violate Article I of the United States Constitution, which defines congressional and executive powers. Congress could have taken back its rightful powers last December, when it passed the Omnibus Spending Bill, Buck said, but most amendments were stripped out before passage. Among them was a provision that wouldve authorized states to allow 33-foot trailers in addition to the twin 28s that run now. Killing of that amendment was the work of several senators who opposed the longer pup trailers on safety grounds. Truckload carriers and other groups also opposed twin 33s, but less-than-truckload and package carriers who operate doubles were in favor, as were some shippers and business interests, for productivity reasons. Buck included the twin-33 issue in his new bill. It would strike a passage stipulating 28 feet from existing U.S. law that limits certain trailer lengths and substitute 33 feet. Other matters the congressman addressed include immigration, the Environmental Protection Agencys water program, and mining regulations. Theres a good chance that Bucks bill will go nowhere in the House of Representatives or the Senate, or that its provisions, including the one on twin 33-foot trailers, will be killed. Well see. During 2014, oil and gas activity directly generated nearly 14 percent of total household earnings in Oklahoma. Not only was that a larger share of individual wealth than the industry created in any other state during 2014, its also the greatest share of wealth generated by oil and gas activity in any state ever during the modern energy era, according to the president of Oklahoma City-based economic research firm RegionTrack. The discussion generally is that were more diversified this time, and Im not sure that adequately describes it, economist Mark Snead said. The industry mix is still more tilted towards oil and gas. Oklahoma has always had a special relationship with the energy business. Its a tie that is certainly a boon in good times remember $100 per barrel prices? but its also one that can be scary during downturns like the current one. Oklahoma, and especially Tulsa, has become less dependent on the energy industry compared to the 1980s. But the sectors fortunes are still undeniably linked to our own, especially since innovations like horizontal drilling propelled the industry into a state of rapid growth in the mid-2000s. Take for example the changes in Oklahomas household wealth. In 1982, 12.8 percent of worker earnings came from the mining sector, which in Oklahoma is almost totally composed of oil and gas, according to data compiled by Chad Wilkerson, an Oklahoma-based executive with the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. That 1982 number isnt far from the 2014 benchmark of 14 percent. But a more recent figure is far off from the current level. In 1999 the share of total household wealth from oil and gas activities was only 4 percent. The percent of total Oklahoma workers in the energy industry has also shown an uptick in recent years, Wilkersons research shows. Total state oil and gas employment was at 2.6 percent in 2000 and at 6.4 percent in 2014. But the increase in the share of Oklahoma workers earnings is undeniably where the industry really took off. High paying jobs and rapid industry growth have led oil and gas to again garner some of the strength it had in Oklahoma in the 1980s, a relationship the state had increasingly moved away from in the years that followed two major price busts in the 1980s and two more in the 1990s. We got very diverse in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and since then weve undiversified again, Wilkerson said. Wilkersons data show that Oklahomas most recent energy-industry comeback began around 2006, the point at which the share of energy workers began to steadily rise and worker earnings began spiking. Randy Foutch, CEO, chairman and founder of Tulsa-based Laredo Petroleum, said that approximately 1 out of 6 non-government jobs in Oklahoma are energy-related. Those positions are very high wage, he noted, coming with an average annual salary of $94,000, or with benefits, an average of $130,000. Salaries are so high because oil and gas is such an innovative business, Foutch said. The value added by a single person can be huge. The rapid expansion Wilkersons research identifies as starting around a decade ago can be attributed to the discovery of horizontal drilling, he said. The industry innovatively figured out we could drill long-reach horizontal wells and stimulate rocks previously we hadnt been able to get to produce, Foutch said. The development of horizontal drilling led the industry to phenomenal growth in the U.S., and certainly in Oklahoma, Foutch said. A drag on the future In terms of employment share, oil and gas industry jobs accounted for just more than 6 percent of Oklahomas employment in 2014, down compared to the 9 percent of jobs in the energy industry controlled in 1982. The current 6 percent is in step with the percentage of workers employed in wholesale trade and transportation and in construction. And its less than the percentage of workers employed in the categories of manufacturing, finance and real estate, health care, retail, state and local government, and the 28 percent of workers in Oklahomas largest industry by employment: service. Although in terms of its overall size, the energy industry isnt comparatively large, Wilkerson said that the oil and gas activity carries a special weight in Oklahoma. In terms of its overall absolute size, its not any bigger than the manufacturing sector. Its smaller than the health-care sector, Wilkerson said. Its much more important here than in other places when good or bad things happen to it. It amplifies the state economy. Snead described the oil and gas industrys relationship with the state economy as unique. Generally as long as crude prices remain below $45 per barrel, firms are in what the economist refers to as contraction mode, he said, which in turn slows down Oklahomas economy. It isnt until prices reach the $55-$60 per barrel threshold that he said companies will begin expanding again. Its almost a certainty the industry will act as a drag on the state in 2016 and possibly into 2017, Snead said. And possibly longer. The impact that the current downturn has on the state economy is serious, Snead said, but not as serious as the impact of downturns past. This time around a primary issue for the state economy is a capital spending slowdown, Snead said. Oil and gas is by far the most capital-intensive industry in the state of Oklahoma, and a 50 percent or more pullback on capital expenditures on the oil and gas industry has a dramatic impact. Its not a people or banking problem its a capital-spending problem and to some degree a state budget problem, Snead said. But not to near the degree that we saw in the state oil bust. Downturns in oil and gas definitely affect the state budget in a big way, according to Gene Perry, policy director at the Oklahoma Policy Institute. The first stream of state revenue to be hit during down cycles is the gross production tax, the tax on production of oil and gas produced in Oklahoma, Perry said. However, the impact of a downturn on revenue streams doesnt stop there, Perry said. The loss of these high-paying jobs also reduces income tax and sales tax. All together, it can add up to a whole lot and really affect other industries in the state and definitely start to reduce money for the state budget, Perry said. The Oklahoma Policy Institutes biggest concern at this point is state fiscal policy decisions made during good times for the energy industry, he said. From Oklahoma Policy Institutes perspective, our biggest concern is weve made some bad policy choices during years when oil and gas prices were high, Perry said. We havent built up a lot of savings. We havent built up a lot of public services. So were actually putting ourselves in a worse situation as these revenues go down. Although employment and personal wealth indicators in Oklahoma havent dramatically altered the strong ties they had with the oil and gas industry of the 1980s, in terms of Oklahomas reliance on the industry in terms of GDP and as a stream of state tax revenue, Oklahoma has made great strides in terms of diversifying, data show. Wilkersons research shows that in 1981 mining activity accounted for 21.9 percent of state GDP compared to the 14.5 percent today. And in 1983 the mining sector made up 29.7 percent of state tax revenue, but in 2014 that number was down to 7.5 percent. Wilkerson said that Oklahomas choice to not be as reliant on the production tax as it was during the 1980s means that the current downturn is hurting the state budget, obviously, but not as much as it did then. What about Tulsa? Tulsas economy has become more diverse over the years, according to Tulsa Regional Chamber Director of Economic Research Bob Ball. But the city remains heavily tied to oil and gas-related businesses, including manufacturing. And thats OK, Ball said. The industry is still quite viable in Tulsa, Ball said. Its been here for decades and many of the same companies are here that have been here for years and years. Theyve weathered commodity cycles like were seeing now. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show that in 1990 there were 10,200 employees in the mining and logging industry in the Tulsa MSA, approximately 3.1 percent of the Tulsa areas total 330,600 nonfarm workers at the time. In 2014, there were 7,900 workers employed in the industry in the Tulsa MSA, 1.8 percent of the areas total 439,800 workers. In December 2015, employment in mining was 7,200 in the Tulsa MSA, 1.6 percent of a total 446,700. According to data presented in a recent Chamber economic outlook forum, the Tulsa area lost 1,750 oil and gas and related manufacturing jobs in 2015. Foutch, who said hes gone through five major downturns as the CEO of an energy company, reiterated that Tulsa has become increasingly diverse. This downturn I think, quite frankly, is going to have more of an impact on the state as a whole as opposed to Tulsa, he said. I think Tulsa has really broadened its economic base. This cycle will have some negative impact on Tulsa, Foutch said, but the growth of industries like aerospace, non-energy related manufacturing and finance have all positioned the areas economy to be much better balanced than in the past. Tulsa has become more diverse, Foutch said, but historically, contributions from those in the energy industry are what have made the city great. For example, philanthropy started by oil and gas man William Warren financed hospital projects across the city, Williams Cos. helped to revitalize downtown and the George Kaiser Family Foundation is leading the efforts for A Gathering Place For Tulsa. The private sector has been very, very significantly responsible for Tulsa, and weve been blessed with that private sector, Foutch said. Moving forward, I think we need to transfer to more of the populous helping out. A driver will likely be cited after his truck jumped the curb near a Broken Arrow convenience store Saturday morning, striking a power pole and then a gas pump, which soon burst into flames. The PODS truck was traveling northbound on South Elm Place when it left the roadway, went over a curb, sliced through a wooden electricity pole and came to a stop after crashing into a gas pump at Kum & Go, 3621 S. Elm Place, Broken Arrow Police Sgt. Eric Nester said. The pump which was trapped underneath the truck caught on fire following the crash, and Kum & Go employees immediately shut off gas flow to the pumps, Nester said. The Broken Arrow Police and Fire departments responded to the crash and resulting fire about 10 a.m. The Fire Department extinguished the blaze in about 15 minutes, Nester said. The crash and fire mangled the gas pump awning and brought parts of it to the ground. No one was injured in the crash, Nester said. Public Service Company of Oklahoma sent crews to the scene to repair the broken pole, which dangled in two pieces near the road. Crews shut off electricity to part of the area during the repairs, Nester said. Officers believe a potential medical problem or inattentive driving caused the truck driver to leave the roadway, Nester said. Police plan to cite the driver for inattentive driving. He is not in custody, Nester said. The convenience store is closed as a precaution while crews repair the damaged pump, Nester said. Kum & Go employees said they were not allowed to comment on the incident. Nester said the crash was unusual. Its a crazy scene. Its not typical, Nester said. You very rarely have a wreck involving a heavy truck, a power line, a gas pump and a fire. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, February 9, for the City of Skiatook Special Election. Osage County Election Board Secretary Andrea Conner offered voters tips on how to make their votes count. Conner said that a valid ballot marking a filled-in box (in either blue or black ballpoint ink) is important. If voters make mistakes marking their ballots, they should not try to correct those errors. Instead, a voter should return the spoiled ballot to precinct officials, who will destroy it and issue a new ballot to the voter. Conner also urged voters to take their voter identification cards with them to the polls. Your voter ID card (issued by the County Election Board) can help precinct officials find your name in the Precinct Registry, and it may help them resolve the problem if you are not listed in the Registry for some reason. Alternatively, voters can bring an unexpired photo ID card issued by the U.S. government, the state of Oklahoma, or a federally recognized tribal government. Voters without ID, or whose names are not found in the Precinct Registry, or voters who disagree with the information shown in the Registry, may always cast a provisional ballot. A provisional ballot is sealed in a special envelope and counted after election day if the voters information can be verified by the County Election Board. Conner said that voters who want to get through the line quickly should vote at mid-morning or mid-afternoon, because those usually are the two slowest periods. Anyone who is eligible and in line at the polling place at 7 p.m. on Tuesday will be entitled to vote, the Osage County Election Board Secretary added. Following is a list of the precinct polling places in the February 9 elections: City of Skiatook: Precinct 201 Church of Christ Annex, 1900 W Rogers Blvd, Skiatook Precinct 203 First Baptist Church, 825 W Rogers, Blvd, Skiatook Conner also advised voters, candidates, campaign officials, and volunteers to be very aware of and careful to not violate state election laws next Tuesday. Conner said that all known election law violations will be reported to the proper law enforcement authorities, usually the County Sheriff and District Attorney. Our precinct officials are going to be watching very closely on election day for illegal electioneering by candidates, zealous campaign staff, and their volunteers. Its unlawful in Osage County and across the State of Oklahoma to electioneer within 300 feet of a ballot box. To electioneer means to work for or against election of a particular candidate, political party, or issue. This includes the illegal placement of any campaign signs inside the 300 feet boundary limit away from the ballot box, reminded Conner. Election law violations sometimes committed accidentally by voters include disclosing how one voted while within the election enclosure or removing a ballot from the polling place. Other violations by voters include taking a ballot into or out of the polling place or taking intoxicating liquors within half a mile of a polling location. It is unlawful for any person to disclose how he or she voted to any other person while inside the election enclosure. Conner said it also is against the law for anyone other than voters waiting in line to vote and for precinct or other election officials to be within 50 feet of a ballot box during the election. Citizens can find these and other state election laws in Title 26 of the Oklahoma Statutes. For more about this topic and other Oklahoma election-related information, please visit http://www.elections.ok.gov/. Registered voters in Osage County who become physically incapacitated after 5 p.m. Tuesday, January 5, wont have to miss the February 9 City of Skiatook Special Election County Election Board Secretary Andrea Conner said today. Conner explained that state law permits registered voters who will be unable to go to the polls because they became incapacitated after 5 p.m. Tuesday, February 2, to vote on an emergency basis. Physical incapacitation includes a variety of conditions injury, illness, childbirth that prevent a person from voting in person at the polls on election day. Aside from unplanned emergencies, state law also allows a registered voter who is physically incapacitated on an ongoing basis or a person who is charged with the care of a physically incapacitated person who cannot be left unattended to submit an application for absentee ballot by an agent. The agent may be any person of the voters choosing who is at least 16 years of age and who is not employed by or related within the third degree of consanguinity or affinity to any person whose name appears on the ballot. Also, a person may serve as an agent for only one person at any election, Conner explained. If you think that you or someone you know fits into this category, please contact the Osage County Election Board office as soon as possible for more information. Registered voters in Osage County who want to vote by mail absentee ballot in next Tuesdays City of Skiatook Special Election have until this Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. to request one, Conner said today. If absentee voters miss Wednesdays deadline, they arent out of luck, however, Conner said. Voters who want to cast absentee ballots still can do so in person at the County Election Board office on Thursday, February 4 or Friday, February 5. A two-member, bipartisan Absentee Voting Board will be on duty each day from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday to assist absentee voters. In-person absentee voters fill out an application form when they get to the office. They are not required to give any reason for voting absentee, Conner said. They are required to swear that they have not voted a regular mail absentee ballot and that they will not vote at their polling place on election day. Voters who have requested an absentee ballot can track their ballot using the Oklahoma State Election Boards Online Voter Tool available at http://www.ok.gov/elections/Voter_Info/Online_Voter_Tool/. According to Conner, the Absentee Voting Board verifies a voters registration information. Then, the Board issues all the appropriate ballots to the voter. The voter marks the ballots in a voting booth and then casts them in the voting device. It is very much like voting at a precinct polling place. For more information, contact the Osage County Election Board, located at 630 Kihekah Ave., Pawhuska, phone number is (918) 287-3036. A Tulsa County judge says she will rule in April on whether to exonerate two men who claim that they were wrongfully convicted of a 1994 murder. Twenty years into their life sentences, Malcolm Scott and DeMarchoe Carpenter presented their applications for post-conviction relief to District Judge Sharon Holmes in a hearing that lasted almost seven hours Friday. Holmes could rule on April 13 to order a new trial for Scott and Carpenter, deny their applications for post-conviction relief, or reverse their convictions and vacate their sentences. Scott, 38, and Carpenter, 39, were convicted of first-degree murder and related charges in connection with a Sept. 10, 1994, shooting that killed 19-year-old Karen Summers. Both men were convicted by a jury at age 18 and sentenced to life plus 170 years in prison. In February and March 2014, Scott and Carpenter filed applications for post-conviction relief, claiming that new evidence would show that the actual perpetrators of the shooting were Michael Wilson, Billy Don Alverson and Richard Harjo. All three were convicted of an unrelated 1995 murder, for which Alverson and Wilson were executed in 2011 and 2014, respectively. Harjo, who was 16 when he was convicted, was sentenced to life without parole. Scott was represented at the hearing by Christina Green, an attorney with the Oklahoma Innocence Project, as well as attorney Joshua Lee. Carpenter was represented by attorneys Ken Sue Doerfel and Vicki Behenna. The attorneys showed a video of a January 2014 interview in which Wilson confessed to being the shooter. Wilson was interviewed by an attorney who at the time was the director of the Oklahoma Innocence Project, which took on Scotts case in 2011. In the video, Wilson says police found the murder weapon on him while questioning him about an unrelated matter, but let him go because they already suspected Scott and Carpenter. Wilson said police later charged him in the murder after ballistics testing on his weapon indicated that it was the firearm used to shoot Summers. Wilson said that in exchange for testifying at a preliminary hearing that he had held the firearm for Carpenter after the shooting, prosecutors reduced his charge to accessory after the fact, and he was released on bond. Months after he was released, Wilson committed another murder, for which he was sentenced to die. In the video, Wilson says he decided to tell the truth about Scotts and Carpenters innocence once he knew there was no way to avoid his execution. I feel bad about it, but they let me go, Wilson said, noting that hes sorry for taking years of Scotts and Carpenters lives but hopes they will be released. On his execution bed two days later on Jan. 9, 2014, Wilson publicly stated that Scott and Carpenter are innocent. One of Scott and Carpenters key witnesses Friday was Harjo, who testified that he was never contacted by police in the investigation of Summers murder although he had been in the car with Wilson and Alverson when Wilson fired shots into a crowd. Harjo testified that he was a member of the Bloods gang and that the drive-by shooting was aimed at some members of the Hoover Crips gang who were congregated outside a house in the 200 block of East 29th Street North. Harjo testified that Wilson shot at the group to retaliate for having been shot by a Hoover Crips member days before. Scotts and Carpenters attorneys also called Kenneth Price, who testified that he was injured in the shooting as he was standing next to Summers when the shots were fired. Price testified that he initially told police that he didnt see who fired the shots but was coerced by investigators into identifying Scott and Carpenter as the shooters. Price said it was that coercion that led him to testify at Scott and Carpenters trial that they were the shooters testimony he later recanted in a written affidavit in 2010. Scotts and Carpenters attorneys said Friday that the prosecution of their clients relied on the eyewitness identification of Price and a second witness, RaShawn Williams, who later signed an affidavit recanting his statements and then died in 2013 of natural causes. Tulsa County Assistant District Attorney James Dunn was not involved in Scott and Carpenters original prosecution but represented the District Attorneys Office at Fridays hearing. Dunn called two witnesses, the Tulsa police detective who led the investigation into Summers death and the attorney who represented Wilson at the time. Detective Gary Meek testified that he had no knowledge of police coercing Price and Williams into identifying Scott and Carpenter as the shooters. Wilsons attorney, Robert Payden, testified that he did not recall Wilson at the time admitting to being the shooter. In Wilsons videoed interview, he said he had told Payden that he had shot Summers. Payden testified that he does not think Wilson ever told him that because he would not have stood aside and watched Scott and Carpenter go to prison for a crime they didnt commit. At the conclusion of the hearing, Holmes said that before she rules on the case, she needs time to review transcripts and other documents. She asked both sides to submit to her findings of fact and proposed conclusions of law by March 1. After the hearing, Dunn told the media that cases involving gang members can be particularly problematic because of difficulty with witness testimony. Like a lot of gang cases, these people will give multiple different stories because of the fact that they dont want to testify, and then when it comes time to testify, they come in and you dont know what theyre going to say, Dunn said. Outside the courthouse earlier on Friday, Summers cousin, Tasha Wilson, was standing beside Carpenters family and said she believes that Scott and Carpenter are innocent. Wilson said she believes that justice has already been served for her cousins death, as far as the persons who were responsible for it. Its just a blessing to actually put closure to this finally. Carpenters mother, Pamela Carpenter, said she is hopeful that her son will get justice following the hearing because the truth will finally come out. OKLAHOMA CITY The leader of the Oklahoma Senate has authored a bill that would consolidate the administration of dependent school districts, but he says the bill is being misunderstood. Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman, R-Sapulpa, said Friday that Senate Bill 1382 would not close schools or school sites, just consolidate administrative functions to save money. I am not looking to close any of the schools, Bingman said. We are just talking about administration payroll, information technology, things that can be done from a central district. The measure doesnt dictate where the dependent schools administrative functions would go, but they likely would be transferred to a nearby independent district, he said. Independent school districts are those that have an accredited high school. Dependent school districts, also called elementary school districts, do not offer high school courses. Such a change would save money that could be put into classrooms, Bingman said. A potential savings amount was not available, according to Senate staff. Of Oklahomas 516 school districts, about 100 are dependent or elementary districts, educating students in prekindergarten through sixth or eighth grade. If the bill became law, such districts that didnt voluntary consolidate shall be consolidated or annexed by the State Board of Education with or into one or more school districts by July 1, 2017, according to the measure. But some educators think the bill would be harmful. Local communities can decide to consolidate now if they want to, and consolidation should remain a local decision, said Alicia Priest, Oklahoma Education Association president. Its time for legislators to stop making massive changes to public education just for the sake of saying theyre doing something. Senate Bill 1382 would not save the state significant money, but stands to harm many Oklahoma communities. Rhett Bynum, superintendent of Keystone Public Schools in Sand Springs, said the bill was put together by someone who has never been involved in education and doesnt know the daily operation of a school. There is a lot of stuff that goes on in a school that the administration deals with daily, he said. Being hands-on and being on site makes a big difference. The Keystone district has about 300 students in prekindergarten through eighth grade. Brett Banker, superintendent of Anderson Public Schools in Osage County, said the bill is a political ploy to make them (legislators) look like they are doing something. He said the proposed change in law would ruin small districts and communities that depend on them. In the grand scheme, it wont work, Banker said. It wont save money. It will jeopardize the quality of education. The Anderson district educates about 285 students in prekindergarten through sixth grade and feeds into Sand Springs Public Schools. Supporters of consolidation always say they want to keep existing school sites open but that ultimately, that would be up to the larger district, said John Cox, president of the Organization of Rural Elementary Schools and superintendent of Peggs Public Schools. The district has about 241 students in prekindergarten through eighth grade. It is about 14 miles north of Tahlequah. Once you give up local control to an adjacent district, you no longer have control to keep your school and your site, said Cox, who was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for state superintendent during the last election. Justus-Tiawah Public Schools Superintendent David Garroutte said he wears many hats, including junior high principal, bus driver and maintenance worker. His district in Rogers County educates about 520 students in prekindergarten through eighth grade. He said students who get more individual attention in early grades generally perform better when they move on to larger districts. He opposes the measure. Being gullible is a primary result. Gullible people get stung a lot, which leads most to be highly paranoid. And the result is a gun-obsessed population buying all the bull about taking away guns, abortion, immigration and welfare abuse fed to them by Republican candidates. For Americas national parks, 2016 was supposed to start differently. On Jan. 1, the National Park Service kicked off its centennial celebrations at the Rose Bowl parade, where colorful floats with grizzly bears and waterfalls rolled past cheering crowds in honor of the creation of the national park system in 1916. The next day, armed anti-government militants, led by the sons of scofflaw rancher Cliven Bundy, stormed the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. Their demand: that the U.S. government dispose of national forests, wildlife refuges, monuments and other lands that belong to all Americans. Through dangerous, illegal and absurd means, the Bundy brothers stand has brought into focus the most powerful philosophical and political attack on Americas parks and public lands since their inception. But the assault against Americas public lands is not only being waged at gunpoint but also in the halls of Congress, on the presidential campaign trail, and by the political network of the billionaires Charles and David Koch. The goal of the anti-parks movement is simple: to call into question the very idea of public ownership of our parks, wildlife and public lands. By dismantling the social consensus underpinning this idea a consensus that has been forged over the past century they hope to facilitate the hand-off of public lands to the private ownership of mining, energy, livestock and timber companies. At the national level, several members of Congress have denounced the tactics of the Bundy brothers, but have affirmed their support for selling or transferring control of national forests and public lands. U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, for example, has even organized a task force that is dedicated to passing laws to sell off public lands. In state legislatures, the Koch-backed American Legislative Exchange Council is pressing politicians to introduce and pass copycat bills demanding state control of national public lands. The bills proponents know that state governments cant afford to spend hundreds of millions of dollars a year fighting wildfires, cleaning up abandoned mines and managing the lands. To pay the bills, national forests and public lands would have to be auctioned off to private companies and the wealthy few. Locked gates and No Trespassing signs would block access to trails, roads and campgrounds once open to everyone. In our national parks centennial year, we must reject attempts to seize public lands, whether by anti-government militants or their political pals. But we must also confront the underlying ideology behind this anti-parks agenda. That means forging and implementing a new vision for our parks and public lands in their second century of conservation. That vision should have at least three components. First, we need policies that ease the pressures on our public lands. One in five plant and animal species in the United States 1,300 species is at risk of extinction. With a changing climate, the glaciers in Glacier National Park are projected to disappear in the next 15 years. And as more and more open lands disappear to development, now is the time to stimulate renewed private and public investment in the protection of at-risk places and wildlife. Second, we must renew the proud democratic traditions in which our public lands are rooted by building a system of parks that better reflects the diversity of our peoples and cultures. President Obama has expanded the park system to help recognize and preserve the stories of Latinos, African-Americans, Asian-Americans and women. The president should continue that work this year by establishing Stonewall Inn in New York City as the first national monument dedicated to the history of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights movement. And finally, we need to make it easier to get outdoors and enjoy our public lands. That means opening more close-to-home recreation opportunities by creating more urban parks, open spaces and access points for fishing, hunting and hiking. No child or parent should be more than a short walk or bike ride from a playground or natural area. After more than a century of bipartisan work to conserve Americas parks, wildlife and public lands, the Bundys and their followers remind us that our work is far from done. And just as President Teddy Roosevelt stood up to wildlife poachers and profiteers to set aside the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in 1908, now is the time for all of us to stand up and defend our parks and public lands. They are, and must remain, Americas best idea. Matt Lee-Ashley is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. Jenny Rowland is a research and advocacy associate at the center. They wrote this for InsideSources.com. This country's cyclists will come up against the region next month when T&T hosts the Ca Former Good Wife star Archie Panjabi has been cast in upcoming anthology series The Jury. The series, described as 12 Angry Men meets podcast Serial follows a single murder trial as seen through the eyes of the individual jurors. Panjabi, who also appeared in UK drama The Fall, will play Kim Dempsey, the dramas protagonist. Hollywood Reporter notes her character is described as a crusader interested in finding the truth She also had a recurring role on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Australia, are you ready for the Habibs? They are moving in next door, and if early episodes are any indication, they are here to stay. Put aside the endless promos and tabloid articles stirring up racism. Have we forgotten our long history of ethnic comedy: Theyre a Weird Mob, Acropolis Now, Pizza, Home Sweet Home, Legally Brown, Effie, Con the Fruiterer, Kingswood Countrys Bruno and All Together Nows Wayne? Here Come the Habibs has all the ingredients to work: a strong ensemble, a dead simple premise, good gags and nicely shot. Yet comedy is also about timing: whether the viewing public is ready for a broad comedy and it can withstand heated competition is another question. I reckon it can. I also think Channel Nine should be thanking Auburns deputy mayor Salim Mehajer for making Lebanese-Australians dripping in excess part of popular culture. While this comedy bears no resemblance, it has certainly put the concept into the zeitgeist. When carport builder FouFou Habib (Michael Denkha) and wife Mariam (Camilla Ah Kin) win $22m in the lottery they move the family into a mansion in Sydneys Vaucluse to live the great Australian dream. My Queen has a palace, he will declare. It has a toilet bigger than our whole house! adds daughter Layla (Kat Hoyos). Yet the affluent white Australians living next door, the ONeills, are reeling in shock. Olivia ONeill (Helen Dallimore) sends husband Jack ONeill (Darren Gilshenan) to make an offer on the house. But the managing director of Bonza Biscuits makes a right mess of it. Just because youre Lebanese it doesnt make you a criminal, Jack awkwardly tells FouFou, before going on to mention the Cronulla riots. Oops. However FouFou and wife Mariam (Camilla Ah Kin) have also not told their three children where they got the money. Cue lots of gags about drug-running and money laundering. Buff, sea-doo riding son Toufic (Sam Alhaje ,pictured) isnt especially bright, while youngest son Elias (Tyler De Nawi) has eyes for Madison (Georgia Flood), who also happens to be the daughter of the neighbours. Young love will blossom despite the cultural war across the fence. Theres also the obligatory sitcom hanger-on, a character seconded to the family for no meaningful reason. In this case he is taxi driver Mustafa (Tahir Bilgic), clearly a sidekick and ally for our central character, FouFou. The script by Phil Lloyd riffs on plenty of contemporary topics about multiculturalism, refugees, Sydneys west, gang wars, mosques, terrorism and private schools. Director Darren Ashton has ensured a sparkling bright template for this series, making it easily accessible and the suped-up score by Kyls Burtland is especially good. Amongst a very tight ensemble, Helen Dallimore and Darren Gilshenan are perfect as snob and hen-pecked neighbours, whilst Michael Denkha and Camilla Ah Kin create Lebanese-Australians a broad audience can warm to. Tyler De Nawi also plays it straight as the juvenile lead amongst larger-than-life siblings. In some ways this Jungle production is a modern day Beverly Hillbillies, with a low-class family moving into the high-class neighbourhood as fishes out of water. Whilst it isnt yet in that league, the choices by co-creators Rob Shehadie, Tahir Bilgic, Matt Ryan-Garnse, Phil Lloyd and Ben Davies certainly tick the boxes. And although we may well be laughing with the Habibs, its their rich neighbours who come off second best. Humour helps us to laugh at ourselves -an Aussie trait no matter where you were born. Here Come the Habibs premieres 8:30pm Tuesday February 9 on Nine. The rescheduled Tropfest will air on SBS 2 in mid-February. Its good news after the event fell apart late last year. All 16 finalists will be on SBS 2 and will be available later on Presto. Tropfest is Australias most prestigious and iconic short film competition, and once again, SBS 2 will bring viewers all the action direct from Sydneys Centennial Park. Tropfest aficionado Adam Spencer and The Feeds Marc Fennell and Jeannette Francis return to host. All 16 finalist films will be shown and will include the TSI (or Tropfest Signature Item) for this year, which is Card. The show will also feature exclusive interviews with the guest judges and filmmakers before revealing the winner of Tropfest Australia 2016. 9pm Sunday February 14 SBS 2. Actor Sam Johnson says the Seven miniseries Molly doesnt go far enough in exploring the personal life of its central character Ian Molly Meldrum. Ill tell you something I probably shouldnt, he told Jon Faine on ABC Radio. Theres a scene where I kiss a bloke and I thought the sexuality could have been explored more. In the show generally. Molly actually cut the kissing scene with the bloke. As we kiss it cuts out, he said. Meldrum, who is a consulting producer on the Mushroom Pictures drama, is recovering from an injury in Thailand where he reportedly went to avoid the attention of the miniseries. I said, Molly, why would you cut that out, and he said, I thought it was gratuitous, Johnson said. I wanted the kiss in, I wanted it to be in there, it wasnt gratuitous at all. Its a part of his life, and it was a part that we needed to show whether people like it or not I mean its 2016 for Christs sake. Mollys very protective of his image. He doesnt want to be seen to be a smoker and hes been chain smoking since he was 10, Johnson said. I dont think he wants to be seen as either gay or hetero, either, I think hes just pro-human. Its weird. Im still wrapping my head around it, as you can see. Molly premieres 8:30pm Sunday February 7 on Seven. CHICAGO, Jan 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. federal rail regulator that would have to review any merger of Canadian Pacific and Norfolk Southern Corp made public a number of letters on Friday from railroad customers backing the deal. The Surface Transportation Board (STB) posted letters from half a dozen companies backing the bid, adding to similar letters it released earlier this week. This comes after a number of rail customers wrote to the regulator asking the STB to reject a merger, arguing that it would lead to underinvestment in Norfolk Southern's network and cause a flurry of mergers that would result in an anti-competitive North American duopoly. A number of prominent U.S. Democrats have also urged the rejection of CP's bid. The Canadian company in mid-November disclosed its $28 billion offer to buy Norfolk Southern. Norfolk Southern has rejected the Canadian railroad's advances, setting the stage for possible proxy battle. The letters posted by the STB on Friday include one from EACOM Timber Corp, which operates sawmills in Quebec and Ontario. EACOM's vice president for sales and marketing, Stephane Boileau, wrote that a merger "would create a transcontinental railroad with the scale and reach to deliver improved levels of service to us." The release of the letters comes as both railroads seek to persuade shareholders and other stakeholders that theirs is the best solution. Canadian Pacific has met with more than a dozen of the largest shipping organizations with offices in the Washington area, a spokesman said. "We are continuing to reach out to all key stakeholders with the facts of the proposed combination," spokesman Martin Cej wrote in an email, "which outweigh the misleading opinions being promoted by critics who remain comfortable with the status quo." Earlier this week Norfolk Southern unveiled a five-year cost-cutting plan, which many analysts see as a bid to thwart Canadian Pacific's takeover attempt. (Reporting by Nick Carey; Editing by Matthew Lewis) Hi, my name is Scott C. Waring and I wrote a few books and am currently a ESL School Owner in Taiwan. I have had my own UFO sighting up close and personal, but that's how it works right? A non believer becomes a believer when they experience their first sighting. You witnessed it, your perceptual field changes, so now you need to share it. I created this site to help the UFO community get a little bit organized. I noticed that there was a lot of chaos when searching for UFO sighting reports, so I hope this site helps. I wanted to support those eyewitnesses who have tried to tell others about what they have seen, yet were laughed at by even closest of friends. More and more each day the governments of the world leak bits and pieces of UFO information to the public. They have a trickle down theory in hopes of slowly getting citizens use to the idea that we are not alone in universe and never have been. The truth is being leaked drop by drop until one day we look around and find ourselves neck high in it. The discovery of alien species in existence is the most monumental scientific event in human history, suppression of that information is a crime against humanity. About me: I live in Taiwan. I OWN MY OWN ENGLISH SCHOOL, AND ONCE HAD 5 SCHOOLS. Am Former USAF at SAC base (flight line). Age: 42 Educ: BA in Elem ed. Masters in Counseling ed. I had two UFO sightings, (30+bus size orbs) in military and in 2012 personally saw the UFO over Taipei 101 building on New Years Day (and recored it). Over 1,000 ATO soldiers were killed not in the military operations in eastern Ukraine. This was stated by Chief Military Prosecutor Anatoly Matios in an interview with Myr Ukrainian media outlet. "Im going to announce the number of nonbattle irrecoverable and sanitary losses of the Ukrainian army. Three regiments. More than a thousand people. Its nonbattle losses of the ATO," he said. According to him, the causes of death were different. "Shooting of colleagues, careless handling of weapons, injuries resulting in death, accidents, allegedly heart diseases," Matios said. He noted that nine fighters of the disbanded Interior Ministrys special forces company Tornado stood trial while another 15 people had been put on wanted list. As a reminder, eight soldiers of the disbanded Interior Ministrys special forces company Tornado are accused of torture, rape and other serious crimes. ol The PACE co-rapporteurs on honouring of obligations and commitments by Ukraine will visit the country on February 1-3. This is reported by the PACE press service. According to the statement, co-rapporteurs Jordi Xucla (Spain, ALDE) and Axel Fischer (Germany, EPP/CD) are due to meet the President, the First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, the Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities as well as the Justice and Foreign Ministers in Kyiv. The meetings are also scheduled with the Chairman of the parliamentary Committee on Corruption Prevention and Counteraction, the Head of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, and with representatives of political parties, NGOs and the diplomatic community. ol TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Jan 29, 2016) - Lundin Mining Corporation ("Lundin Mining" or the "Company") (LUN.TO)(OMX:LUMI) reports the following, in accordance with the Swedish Financial Instruments Trading Act: As a result of the vesting of employee share units from December 31, 2015 to date, the number of issued and outstanding shares of the Company has increased to 719,628,357 common shares with voting rights as at January 29, 2016. About Lundin Mining Lundin Mining Corporation is a diversified base metals mining company with operations in Chile, Portugal, Sweden, Spain and the United States, producing copper, zinc, lead and nickel. In addition, Lundin Mining holds a 24% equity stake in the world-class Tenke Fungurume copper/cobalt mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in the Freeport Cobalt Oy business, which includes a cobalt refinery located in Kokkola, Finland. On Behalf of the Board, Paul Conibear, President and CEO The information in this release is subject to the disclosure requirements of Lundin Mining under the Swedish Securities Market Act and/or the Swedish Financial Instruments Trading Act. This information was publicly communicated on January 29, 2016 at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Agrarian Policy and Food Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Pavlenko has submitted a letter of resignation to the Parliament. It was a response to the decision of the political council of the Samopomich Party on recalling him from the Cabinet of Ministers, the Minister posted on his Facebook page. "I must implement the decision of the faction, which nominated me for the post of the Minister14 months ago. I have written a letter of resignation, which I have submitted to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The following fate of the application is to be decided by the coalition of parliamentary factions and the Ukrainian parliament," he wrote. ol A record number of US military drones are mysteriously crashing from the sky and costing millions of dollars in damage. A total of 20 drones which are used for counterterrorism reconnaissance and airstrike missions were destroyed in 2015. Pentagon is reportedly keeping quiet on the cause behind the drones crashes and is failing to report all accidents despite being required to do so. The details of the crashes remain a secret. Half of those involved the Air Force's latest and most advanced drones, the Reaper, which suffered more than double an amount of crashes than any previous year. This is a cause of concern for the US military with each Reaper costing $14 million. The Predator, an older version of its drone was involved in 10 major accident last year, the most since 2011 when it was heavily used in Afghanistan. According to The Washington Post report, investigators believe the downed Reapers crashed due to electrical problems caused by a faulty starter-generator. They were even able to point out the three parts of the generator most prone to conking out. Problem is, they can't figure out why. It is not only the Reaper that is suddenly been falling out of the skies. The Predator has also been getting into accidents recently. "Once the battery's gone, the airplane goes stupid and you lose it. Quite frankly, we don't have the root cause ironed out just yet," said Colonel Brandon Baker, chief of the Air Force's remotely piloted aircraft capabilities division. Airforce Technology reported that a US Air Force drone crashed on 7 January 2016 in Central Iraq. The Air Force said in a statement that the Predator was not shot by the enemy missile but the remotely piloted aircraft collapsed when losing control of the aircraft. The specific cause of the crash still unknown but an investigation board will convene to determine it. Meanwhile, the investigations are still underway, Defense One reported that Pentagon is thinking about higher-flying drones will be equipped with a laser. The laser is able to shoot down the ballistic missile. It is for decades that Pentagon wants to bring the idea into reality. In the next three years, the laser technology will fit in on a high-altitude drone. The drones can be designed to fly at 65.000 feet or higher, far above bad weather. They would stay at the height for weeks, hanging around launch sites so they could shoot upon enemy missile as they lift off. Though a number of the accident on drones increase, the US Air Force continues to rely on drones to perform military duties. The Drones have become the Pentagon's favored weapon for conducting surveillance and airstrike for counterterrorism. There is an alarming increase of Zika virus cases in many countries around the world including Brazil raising concerns on the spread of pathogen in the US. While health experts confirm that the spread of the infectious disease in US is less likely, there are Zika virus cases reported in the country among people that recently travelled to places that have ongoing infection. "Based on what we know right now, we don't think that widespread transmission in the United States is likely," said Dr. Beth Bell, director of National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to NPR. Bell noted that the mosquito species Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus responsible for transmission of viruses are found only in the South and tropical parts of the US. He also added that many counties in the country contain the infection with mosquito sprays and people tend to use air conditioners in summer thereby check the entry of mosquitoes into their houses through windows and doors during the day. Meanwhile, one of the residents in Virginia that has travelled outside the country is confirmed to be infected with Zika virus. The state officials that confirmed the report on Tuesday noted that there is no risk of disease transmission from the infected individual. "Zika virus is acquired through the bite of an infected mosquito. Because it is not mosquito season in Virginia, this individual with Zika virus infection poses no risk to other Virginians," Virginia Health Commissioner Dr. Marissa Levine said in a statement, reported The Jerusalem Post. In an effort to prevent the ongoing Zika virus infection, Oxitec, a renowned British company has come up with a genetically engineered Aedes aegypti species to combat the disease. A. aegypti that carries dengue and chikungunya is the one mainly responsible for transmitting Zika virus. The genetically modified male mosquitoes don't produce viable offspring, the female mosquitoes that mate with the modified species lay eggs however the larva die before they attain adulthood. The trials conducted by Oxitec have it that the disease spreading mosquito population could be reduced by 90 percent by releasing GMOs, noted NPR. Oxitec has entered an agreement with Piracicaba, Brazil, to build mosquito production units enough to cover over 60,000 people in the city. However, Oxitec is yet to be approved by FDA to conduct trials in Florida Keys since people are concerned about the consequences of releasing a GMO species into the environment. South Korean steelmaker POSCO in a regulatory filing announced a net loss of 96 billion won for the year 2015, compared to net profit of 557 billion won in the year 2014. Consolidated net profit, excluding minority interests, amounted to 181 billion won for 2015, down from 626 billion won in the previous year. Analysts anticipated a profit of 85.5 billion won, according to the median of 21 analysts polled by Bloomberg. According to the steelmaker, the net loss was mainly due to weak operating results of its subsidiaries as well as high valuation losses. Raw material price fall combined with exchange rate hike pushed the company to recognize valuation losses of 1.6 trillion won on external issues. Annual operating profit declined to 2.41 trillion won from 3.21 trillion won reported last year. POSCO said its gross profit amounted to 6.53 trillion won in 2015, down from 7.3 trillion won in 2014. Consolidated revenue fell to 58.2 trillion won from 65.1 trillion won last year. For the year 2016, the company expects to report revenues of 58.7trillion won on the consolidated basis and capital expenditure of 2.8 trillion won. Bloomberg noted that raw material prices have plunged as demand in China contracts creating an excess and urging mills to sell huge amounts to foreign nations. Kwon Oh Joon, chief executive officer of POSCO, said that the company is struggling hard primarily because China is providing the market with cheap products backed by the government. The steelmaker has responded to China's activity by focusing on higher value products. As part of restructuring strategy, POSCO vowed last year to reduce the number of domestic divisions to 22 from 42 by 2017 and cut foreign business to 117 from 167. The company expects to restructure 35 more units in 2016. POSCO plans to enter into a preliminary deal with the Iranian steel producer PKP in March to purchase a stake in the Middle Eastern steel mill project worth $1.6 billion, Reuters said citing a source familiar with the situation. In September, the companies signed a MoU to construct a plant in Iran's Chabahar free economic zone with the production capacity of 1.6 million tonnes per year. The company earned nearly half of its revenue from the production of steel in the third quarter and the rest from construction and trading. "Uncertainty remains over the restructuring plans as it's still hard to grasp how effective they've been in improving its finances," Baek Jae Seung, a metals analyst at Samsung Securities Co, said Bloomberg. According to POSCO CEO, it is impossible for the company to produce steel at the equal level as that of China and be competitive. The company attributes its first loss to the oversupply of steel from China which could not be encountered by POSCO. Fast food workers across the Iowa state are going to stage their first ever strike on the day of the Republican debate ahead of the state's pivotal caucus. The strike has been called demanding a $15 per hour minimum wage and union rights. The single day strike is believed to be called on the same day of Republican debate seeking to gain media attention. Besides implementation of the demanded minimum wage rate, the strike also aims to win right to form a union without retaliation for fat food and other low wage workers across the country, reports Bloomberg quoting Kendall Fells, national organizing director of the Fight for $15 movement. The $15 movement has found momentum with the recent successes that apparently proves the changing capability of the fast food workers. The movement has already become successful to implement their minimum wage demand in New York, Los Angeles, SeaTac, San Francisco and Seattle, according to a report published in The Des Moines Register. It is quite natural the fast food workers of Iowa will support candidates who stand with them and fight for the movement. The workers are believed to throw their full strength behind the candidates supporting the $15 minimum wage and union rights are very fundamental, reports In USA News. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party has added a $15 hourly national minimum wage to its national platform. Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Democratic senators including Elizabeth Warren, Chuck Schumer, and Kirsten Gillibrand have voiced support in favor of the movement. Fight for $15 has staged rallies in 270 cities across the country. Democratic President hopeful Bernie Sanders has joined in one of the rallies. He has called to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour while addressing the rally. With Thursday's planned demonstration, the Fight for $15 intends to affect the debate conversation. However, the bulk of the Republican candidates consider the group's demanding wage in double compared to the existing $7.25 an hour as too radical. A recent report by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) revealed that India, China, and Thailand are among countries that have the most hostile environments for driving innovation. On the other hand, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom are listed as the countries that have done the most for global innovation. According to Forbes, the report is concluded from selected factors in regard to domestic innovation that has a positive and negative global impact. The report assessed 27 factors in total, which are divided into two categories. Contributions indicators are assessed factors that have positive impacts on innovation while detractions indicators bring negative impacts. The report assessed 14 contributions indicators, including supportive tax systems and investment in R&D technology and human capital. And the remaining 13 detractions indicators involved weak protection of intellectual property, as well as balkanized production and consumer markets. Overall, the study assessed the impact of the countries' innovation policies on the global innovation system. The result revealed that the nations with the greatest support towards global innovation are Finland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and the Netherlands. On the other hand, countries like Argentina, Indonesia, India, Thailand, and Ukraine stood at the bottom of the list of countries that support global innovations. It means, the countries' policies did little support towards global innovations, and even might detract the countries from innovations. Among 56 countries that were involved in the study, China stood at the 44th place of the countries that support global innovations.Thailand is also on the bottom five at the 53rd position. India ends up in an even lower position at the 54th, followed by Indonesia and Argentina as the top bottom. Quartz elaborated why India, a country known for its flourishing startups, ended up in a very low rank in the study. The key reason is that compared to other countries, India spends the least on primary and secondary education, at just $1,248 per student. The small number of researchers in the country at 15 per 100,000 people also affected the score given to India. ITIF stated that global innovation is very important for economic growth and social progress not only in the given country but also around the world. Their report also pointed out some recommendations, that global communities need to develop stronger mechanisms to encourage nations to do more contributing and less distracting. The study is expected to give more understanding on the impacts of countries' policies on local and global innovation. It could also inspire and inform each country what can be improved to achieve more innovation that supports economic growth and social progress for the country and the world. Apple will voluntarily recall AC wall plug adapters across its range of portable devices. The two-prong adapters if broken, in rare cases might create the risk of an electrical shock when touched. The AC wall plug adapters are designed for use in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Continental Europe, South Korea and New Zealand. Apple recalled after admitting that few customers had received electric shock from the adapters. According to The Wall Street Journal blog, Apple didn't say how many AC adapters would be included in the recall, but given the time span of the recalled hardware time, millions of them could be affected. These adapters were shipped with the "Apple Travel Adapter Kit" between 2003 and 2015. It was also shipped along with computers, tablets, iPhones etc. The company said in a statement that, "Because customer safety is the company's top priority, Apple is asking customers to stop using affected plug adapters." The company said it was aware of 12 "incidents" worldwide, however it's not clear whether this involved customers' actually suffering electric shocks as a result of the adapters breaking, said The Sydney Morning Herald. This has occurred as Apple began shipping remodeled versions of the adapters at an unknown date. Thus, not all Apple wall adapters that attaches to the power brick is affected. Some of the square shaped redesigned adapters are understood to not be affected by the recall. While the round shaped, as the majority of them are, you can determine whether it's affected by removing it from the power brick and checking the underside. Business Standard reported that, people were advised to stop using the adapters and bring them to an Apple shop for replacement. Also, the recall did not affect Apple power adapters tailored for Canada, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Britain or the US. Apple is encouraging customers to make an appointment at a Genius Bar and exchange the faulty adaptors. Customers need to get their relevant device serial number and take it to an Apple Store. Also,If there is a country code written on the underside instead, e.g. AUS or EUR, then this is a newer model and is not affected. Also, those who have been injured by a product or who have personally suffered loss or damage as a result of a defective product, can bring an action for compensation on a number of grounds. These include negligence or a breach of Australian consumer law. Previously, Apple recalled iPhone power adapters which were sold in some countries after it was found that the prongs would snap off and expose the users to the risk of electric shock. LG is removing a security loophole that has made 10 million G3 smart phones vulnerable to hackers. The loophole has offered opportunity to the hackers to steal chat histories and other sensitive data stored in the smart phones. The vulnerability has been reported to reside in an LG app called 'Smart Notice'. The app remains as built in on new LG G3 devices and displays a variety of notifications and suggestions. As an investment bank, Deutsche Bank relies on performance in that area of operation. Following challenge in investment banking unit, Deutsche Bank suffered its first annual loss since 2008, followed by drastic drop of its shares. Ironically, investment banking which has been the core strength of Deutsche Bank become its achilles heel in the 2015 annual loss. According to Bloomberg, the German lender said that "challenging market conditions," principally at its investment banking and trading unit, cut the fourth-quarter revenue 16% to about 6.6 billion euros ($7.1 billion) from a year earlier. Following last week's announcement of its 2015 annual losses, the bank's share price shed 10% on that day alone. According to Deutche Welle, there are five problems tormenting the Germany's biggest bank. They are the direction, transaction, capital reserves, competitiveness and massive restructuring. In term of direction, a director of the Institute of Banking and Banking Law, Hartmann-Wendels said, "The bank appears exclusively on the defensive. Its focus areas for the future have not been clearly communicated." While banking expert at the University of Cologne, Thomas Hartmann-Wendels said more plainly,"Deutsche Bank has a strategy problem." He also said the problem in capital reserves and threatens the Frankfurt-based bank, as its share price continues to plunge, "Raising capital on the market is expensive and waters down the share price for existing share holders." Wendels also said that massive restructuring in Deutsche Bank will take a long time before it goes back to normal. However, the bank needs to keep a modest performance to help it return to its powerful performance as it was before. In the massive restructuring began October, Deutsche Bank shut down operation in 10 countries and conducted a massive layoffs of its staff. The bank is expect 2018 to be the first "clean" year for its operation. Chief financial officer Marcus Schenck told CNBC, "We are coming back from a humongous loss position, if we turn this around over the next two years and we said that 2018 will be the first "clean" year, if we really make that work and achieve our targets, then I think this is a very attractive place to be." Furthermore, Schenck said, "I knew this wasn't going to be a walk in the park, but rather a multi-year journey where we need to turn around things.We have so many people in the bank that have been here for decades and there is a lot of vested interest to still make it work." Following report of its annual loss, Deutsche Bank shares continue to drop. On Thursday trading, the shares plunge to around 3.7%, adding to total loss of 24% this year. Genetically modified mosquitoes have drawn urgent attention from US regulators and global health officials. Researchers are planning to use the gene modified mosquitoes in combating against the spread of the pathogens. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reviewing an application since received from Intrexon Corp.'s Oxitec unit. If FDA Okays, Oxitec will conduct afield trial in the Florida Keys. Detail about the timing of the FDA decision hasn't been revealed from Oxitec's behalf, reports Bloomberg quoting Hadyn Parry, Chief Executive Officer for the Intrexon subsidiary. Oxitec has become successful in genetically modifying the males to die young, in a mosquito genre naming Aedes Aegypti. This particular genre is responsible for transmitting Zika, Chikungunya, Dengue and Yellow Fever. SHARE By Staff Reports Officials are asking for the public's help in identifying a man suspected of mail and identity theft in the Ojai Valley. A resident of an unincorporated area of Ojai reported having their Costco American Express credit card stolen from their mail in early January, sheriff's officials said Friday. Detectives from the Ojai station determined the stolen credit card was used at various locations in Ventura, Oxnard and Camarillo, officials said. Surveillance video caught the man using it at Target stores in Camarillo and Oxnard. He was described only as 50 to 65 years old. Anyone with information should call Detective Will Hollowell at 947-8083. SHARE CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Supervisor John Zaragoza ANTHONY PLASCENCIA/THE STAR Members of the Boys & Girls Club of Nyeland Acres record a thank-you video Friday after it was confirmed that voters approved a special tax to fund the community center. ANTHONY PLASCENCIA/THE STAR Samantha Avalos (center) and other members of the Boys & Girls Club of Nyeland Acres create a cup sign in a chain-link fence Friday to thank voters for approving a special tax to fund the community center. ANTHONY PLASCENCIA/THE STAR Teens from the Boys & Girls Club of Nyeland Acres create a cup sign in a chain-link fence on Friday to thank voters for approving a special tax to fund the community center. By Kathleen Wilson of the Ventura County Star A special tax to fund the only community center in Nyeland Acres has passed, officials said Friday. "It's official," said Miranda Nobriga, a spokeswoman for the Ventura County Clerk-Recorder's Office. Final results Friday showed an approval rate of 70.68 percent, with 94 people voting yes and 39 voting no, she said. Two-thirds approval was required. Nyeland Acres resident Mike Barber rushed over to the center Friday afternoon to tell children participating in a music program the news. "It passed," he told them. They cheered and joined him in a happy dance. "Now the center is ours," he said. Initial results posted Tuesday showed 70 percent had approved the measure in the election conducted by mail. But the final total could not be tallied until a three-day waiting period elapsed to allow for arrival of any other ballots that had been postmarked by Tuesday. When the last mail delivery came to the county elections office about 3 p.m. Friday, the staff added the three ballots that had trickled in since the waiting period began. They were all yes votes in the election in which 26 percent of the 514 registered voters cast ballots. The tax will generate about $50,000 a year to pay for operation and maintenance costs at the center in the low-income community between Oxnard and Camarillo. Owners of single-family homes, the most common type of residence in Nyeland Acres, will be charged a tax of $98 per year. Residents of the densely populated neighborhood use the community center at 3334 Santa Clara Ave. for recreational and educational programs. The building is a former school owned by the Rio School District, which last year declared its intention to sell to qualified agencies. The Ventura County Board of Supervisors conditionally agreed in August to pay up to $450,000 of the $600,000 cost of buying and upgrading the community center. But the deal was contingent on passage of the special tax by registered voters in the community. The center sits on a 2-acre site that also functions as the only park in the community of 3,000 that has many young families. County managers said it is reasonable to expect that the center could open under county ownership by spring. County Supervisor John Zaragoza, who proposed that the county buy the property, said he was elated by passage of the tax. "We've done it," he said Friday. STAR FILE PHOTO First day of school at Glen City School in Santa Paula in 2014. SHARE By Claudia Boyd-Barrett The Santa Paula Unified School Board has moved to place a $39.6 million bond measure before voters in June to fund renovations to the district's aging elementary schools and middle school. At a special meeting Thursday night, the board voted 5-0 to put the bond measure on the June 7 ballot. At least 55 percent of voters must approve the bond measure for it to pass. The board also unanimously approved the establishment of a school facilities improvement district, which delineates the areas that would be taxed under the proposed bond measure. The boundaries reflect those of the old Santa Paula Elementary School District, which merged with the Santa Paula Union High School District in 2013 to form a unified district. Property owners in the former high school district and in the Mupu, Briggs and Santa Clara elementary school districts would not be taxed if the bond measure passes. The bond measure would cost homeowners about $59 per $100,000 of assessed property value annually. Santa Paula Unified has six elementary schools and one middle school. The average age of the schools is 70 and the oldest, McKevett Elementary School, is over 100 years old. Board President Chris Wilson said the schools require upgrades and repairs, which would be paid for by the bond measure. "We've got a whole lot of needs," he said, recalling that he attended Bedell Elementary School when it opened about 53 years ago. "There's lots of work that we should do before things fall down and this is how we go about paying for it." If approved, the bond money would be used to modernize classrooms, restrooms and other school facilities; construct new science labs and classrooms; replace leaky roofs; improve access to computers; upgrade outdated electrical and plumbing systems; and provide ventilation and air-conditioning. Superintendent Alfonso Gamino said the district's goals include establishing new media and literacy centers at each school, similar to one launched this week at Glenn City School. District officials also want to bring new technology, furniture and other upgrades into classrooms so that they are better suited to teaching students the new Common Core curriculum, he said. The district expects to build a new elementary or kindergarten through eighth-grade school in the East Area One residential development, possibly for the 2019-2020 school year. It's important that the district's other schools also have the type of modern facilities and technology that will be available at that school, Gamino said. "We thought this was a good time to go out and modernize all of our schools so that it doesn't matter what school you go to, we have great facilities throughout the district," he said. "We want all of our kids to be sitting and learning in 21st century, upgraded classrooms." In addition to the bond money, the district would use developer fees, state money and its own funds to pay for the improvements, officials have said. Money raised from the bond measure would cover an estimated 70 percent of the costs. The tax rate could vary depending on the district's tax base or assessed valuation. The repayment period is expected to be 30 years. In other business Thursday, the board held a workshop session on possible changes to the district's boundaries ahead of the new East Area One school opening, and also to address space constraints in the meantime at McKevett and Grace Thille elementary schools. Gamino said district staff will return to the board in February with suggestions for possible boundary changes. Parents will also be consulted as part of the decision process, he said. STOCK PHOTO SHARE By Staff Reports Simi Valley police was offering residents a six-week disaster training course starting next month, officials said Friday. The Community Emergency Response Training Academy teaches citizens how to build a an emergency supply kit and involves some medical training, police said. Students will also learn search and rescue techniques, extinguishing a small fire and other disaster response skills, authorities said. Each student will receive a work book and start-up kit as well as a certificate upon completion of the course, officials said. The course is free and available to Simi Valley residents and all participants must be at least 18 years old, police said. The classes are six consecutive Thursdays from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the police department's emergency operations center located at 3901 Alamo Street, authorities said. The class begins Feb. 26 and ends with a one-day disaster simulation on April 2. Applications for the course are available on a first-come first-serve basis and will be accepted until 6 p.m. Feb. 19 or until the class fills up, police said. Applications are available at www.simivalley.org/CERT or at the police department's front desk. Anyone with questions should contact Emergency Services Coordinator Theresa Ramirez at 583-6263 or CERT@simivalley.org. JUAN CARLO/THE STAR A homeless woman sweeps under the Ventura Pier, where she stays, during the 2016 Ventura County Homeless Count earlier this week. SHARE By Alicia Doyle Representatives from several religious groups met to talk about establishing a Family Promise affiliate in Ventura County that would help homeless families that include children. Family Promise provides shelter, meals and support for homeless families by relying on existing community resources: houses of worship for overnight lodging, congregations for volunteers, and social service agencies for screening and referrals. "What this is about is people being able to get a place to live, and it's a big, challenging issue we're not going to solve," said Claas Ehlers, the president of Family Promise in New Jersey, who gave Thursday's presentation. "But the idea behind Family Promise is we can make a lasting difference for a number of families experiencing homelessness and also make a lasting difference with thousands of people who volunteer." The goal is for 13 congregations to be involved with a Ventura County affiliate. More than 6,000 congregations a total of 160,000 people currently volunteer with Family Promise affiliates across the country. The program is designed for each congregation to care for five families at the most, or 14 people. A congregation typically houses a homeless family for seven days in a row, then the family moves to a different congregation. "If you had the same place every night, you start to get a little complacent," Ehlers said. "In seven days, they have to move to another congregation site. It lets them know that this is not a permanent situation. It's just enough of a wake-up call." Nationwide, families stay with Family Promise for an average of 63 days. Ehlers said 40 percent of people in United States who experience homelessness are members of families with children, and 25 percent of all people experiencing homelessness are children themselves. "So one out of every four people who are homeless is a child," Ehlers said. "The specific population we serve is families of children experiencing homelessness." Thursday's meeting was hosted by St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Ventura. About 25 people were in attendance from other congregations, including All Saints' Episcopal Church, Temple Beth Torah, Our Lady of Assumption Church, Trinity Lutheran Church, Community Presbyterian Church and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura. The Rev. Susan Bek, rector of St. Paul's, talked about her experience with Family Promise while she was serving in a congregation in Santa Clarita. "We had the opportunity to host homeless families who stayed in our church, and we made a difference," Bek said. "It was using resources we already had because our facility was usually empty at night, and it was nice it was being used for a good purpose. We also used resources like the people in church who loved to make food and feed folks; we had all kinds of resources at our fingertips and remembered that we're all called to do something." Tom Cioffi, a volunteer with Family Promise of Gwinnett County in Georgia, said the intake process for families is lengthy. "In Georgia, for example, our intake is about two and a half hours long, in addition to the screening process," Cioffi said. "Additionally, we have programs they must attend credit counseling, parenting, life skills, nutrition and budgeting classes that are not optional in this program. What they can expect from Family Promise is a stable living environment. That's what success is to our program, so we hold them accountable." Families that can't obey the rules can't stay in the program, Ehlers said. "We want the families utilizing this program to change their situation so they do not repeat homelessness," he said. The next meeting about Family Promise will take place at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 25 at the Ventura Seventh-day Adventist Church, 6300 Telephone Road. If Ventura County decides to establish a Family Promise affiliate, Ehlers and Cioffi said they would help implement the program for the first three months. They said it usually takes 18 months for the program to get well underway. "There's 199 of these programs around the country, and they started the same way: a bunch of people like you hearing about this and wondering, 'How can we do this?' " Ehlers said. "It is ultimately driven by you; we'll help you with training, but it will be run locally." The Rev. Melissa Campbell-Langdell, rector of All Saints' Episcopal Church in Oxnard, said the meeting left her feeling hopeful. "It could really help our families long-term," she said. "We're very excited about the possibility of becoming a host." SHARE The polls don't look superstrong for Dianne Feinstein. True, she has a very good approval rating in the latest surveys, the Field Poll showing 44 percent of California voters think she's doing a good job and only 29 percent disapproving of her work. But the same surveys indicate that even though a generation or two has come of age since she won her U.S. Senate seat in 1992, fully 43 percent of likely voters think it would not be a good thing for her to seek re-election to a fifth full term in 2018, when the former San Francisco mayor will be 84 years old. So just as many people want her to retire as think she's doing well right now. Simply put, that's age discrimination. But Democrat Feinstein also faces the same problem that perennially afflicts all senators from California: This state is so big that even with six years of congressional recesses to use, no one can possibly become familiar to the great majority of voters without running a large advertising campaign. Yet, no senator can afford that until it's time for a re-election campaign to start. As the soon-to-retire Barbara Boxer said in an interview as her 2010 campaign began, "You have to reintroduce yourself to the voters every six years. A lot of them just don't know you." That's political reality in this huge state, where the average person moves once every seven years and senators spend most of their time about 3,000 miles away. So it's easy for people who see Feinstein's age and not her energy to opine that she shouldn't run. Certainly, there's a large cadre of her fellow Democrats who feel that way. Many of them would dearly love to take her job. But Feinstein has hung onto that job by doing it well, acting as a moderate with friends and allies in both parties even while the Senate sees more partisan bitterness and bickering than it has in more than a century. Emblematic was how she handled a raucous public hearing about land use in the California desert held last fall near Palm Springs. Feinstein has pushed for about seven years to create three national monuments in large portions of the Mojave Desert lying between Barstow, Needles and Twentynine Palms. The crowd of 800 under a tent in 100-degree-plus temperatures wildly favored her plan, which has been stymied by Republicans in Congress, while President Obama dithers about it. When those present loudly booed an aide to Yucca Valley's Republican Rep. Paul Cook, who wants the land to remain open to development, mining and other activities, Feinstein stood with an arm around his shoulders and shushed the crowed. It was another case of her treating a political opponent in a civilized manner that's uncommon today. That sort of behavior has long prevented Republicans from considering her an enemy, even when she advocates policies they may not like. The upshot is that Feinstein still operates in much the same manner she has since first getting elected in 1992. When they see that, and they see Feinstein in operation, as TV commercials will surely depict, there's a good chance the age issue making many voters skeptical of whether she should run again could simply disappear. Which means those polls questioning whether someone her age should be a senator might just turn around completely. The Nguyen Hue Street, which spans 670 meters from the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee edifice to Bach Dang Wharf in Districts 1, will host two major activities, the Street Flower and Book Street Festival, during the countrys biggest holiday. Both the flower and book streets run from February 5 to 12, whereas the Lunar New Years Eve is on February 8. Traffic in nearby streets will thus be adjusted to serve the constructions and operations of the two events, according to the transport department. From January 30 to February 5, when preparations and constructions for the Flower and Book Streets are undergoing, the street blocking plans are as follows. - All vehicles are banned from entering the following streets: + Nguyen Hue Street: the section from Ngo Duc Ke to Mac Thi Buoi (the direction from Ton Duc Thang to Mac Thi Buoi) + Ngo Duc Ke Street: the section from Nguyen Hue to Dong Khoi + Mac Thi Buoi Street: the section from Nguyen Hue to Dong Khoi + Alternative routes: Ton Duc Thang -> Ham Nghi -> Pasteur -> Ly Tu Trong -> Dong Khoi -> Nguyen Thiep -> Nguyen Hue. From February 5 to 13, when the Flower and Book Streets are open to visitors, the street blocking plans are as follows. - All vehicles are banned from entering the following streets: + Nguyen Hue Street: the section from Le Thanh Ton to Ton Duc Thang + Le Loi Street: the section from Pasteur to Dong Khoi + Nguyen Thiep Street: the section from Nguyen Hue to Dong Khoi + Ton That Hiep Street: the section from Nguyen Hue to Ho Tung Mau + Mac Thi Buoi Street: the section from Nguyen Hue to Dong Khoi + Ngo Duc Ke Street: the section from Dong Khoi to Ho Tung Mau + Hai Trieu Street: the section from Nguyen Hue to Ho Tung Mau + Huynh Thuc Khang Street: the section from Nguyen Hue to Ho Tung Mau - People residing in the area where streets are banned are to follow guidance of traffic offers to enter their residence. CRP blood test is not useful for everyone U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Sunday that African leaders cannot wait any longer to address violence in Burundi, saying as time passes more people there will be killed. Speaking to reporters at a summit of African Union leaders in Ethiopia, the U.N. chief called the situation a matter of human dignity and rights. "That is why it's a matter of urgency that I am urging African leaders to act in one voice, and also particularly urging President [Pierre] Nkurunziza and his government to listen very carefully and engage in inclusive dialogue," Ban said. On Saturday, Ban told the summit that peacekeepers are necessary in Burundi where the government has warned that any African Union forces would be considered an invasion force. The AU is considering sending 5,000 peacekeepers to stem the political violence that erupted last year when President Nkurunziza announced he would seek a third term. Opponents say that is unconstitutional. Witness accounts of mass graves Since then, international data show more than 400 people have been killed in Burundi, with new witness accounts of mass graves near the capital. Those accounts were bolstered Friday when Amnesty International published satellite imagery showing five possible mass gravesites near a location where government security forces were accused of killing scores of people in December. Saturday's closed-door AU talks extended through the day, and it was not clear when a vote would be taken. A two-thirds majority of the 54-member union is required to deploy a peacekeeping force. "I applaud you for taking collective responsibility and acting decisively" to ease the crisis, Ban told summit attendees. Nkurunziza is not attending the summit, but Foreign Minister Alain Aime Nyamitwe said Saturday that Bujumbura had the backing of other African nations in opposing peacekeepers. When asked for details of that backing, Nyamitwe described it to the French news agency AFP as "very strong. You will see." Sexual abuse allegations The AU meetings were also expected to address new reports of sexual abuse allegations leveled at U.N. peacekeepers and foreign troops deployed in the Central African Republic. The U.N. human rights office said Friday that it had found six more cases of suspected sexual abuse against children in the CAR, including allegations from a 7-year-old girl who said she was forced to perform sexual acts on soldiers in exchange for food and water. U.N. rights chief Anthony Banbury, speaking Friday, said there were likely to be 69 confirmed allegations of sexual abuse or exploitation against members of the U.N.'s 16 peacekeeping missions currently deployed around the world. The United Nations can report abuse allegations, but countries where those personnel are deployed are responsible for prosecutions. The AU summit will wrap up on Sunday evening. "Hi," announces a friendly white cockatoo as you enter the animal science laboratory at the only Career Center in Arlington, Virginia. Besides talking birds, there are about 50 species of animals here, including head-butting goats and a giant tortoise that doesn't mind hanging out with chickens. An influx of high school students comes to learn from them. It's "so cute," says Elleny Alemu as she holds a contented cinnamon-colored rabbit in her arms like a baby. "I'm going to be getting one of these soon." But Miguel Zambrano doesn't feel the same way about Snickers, a temperamental, brown mini-horse to whom he's feeding hay in hopes she will let him brush her out. "She gets mad if you just sometimes don't pay attention to her," he said. "I do not want a horse. It's going to be way too much work." This year, 70 students are taking part in the yearlong animal science program that includes both hands-on experience and classes. The students receive high school credits, but more importantly, they get the chance to learn what it's like to work with animals. Not always pleasant Sydney Miller, who wants to be a veterinary technician, is taking a rabbit for a stroll to give it exercise. She guides the animal wearing a collar and tethered to a leash, like a dog through aisles bordered by cages that include rats, salamanders and a hedgehog. "I love animals," Miller said. "I wanted to learn more about different kinds of animals and get hands-on experience." That experience includes the not-so-fun task of cleaning the rabbit's cage. "Rabbits are very dirty, actually," she explained. "I have to clean his litter box and bedding every day." Animal science teacher Cindy Schall said there are many U.S. high school animal science programs, but what makes this one unique is the wide variety of creatures including exotic sugar gliders, little nocturnal marsupials with big eyes that are native to Australia and Indonesia. Every two weeks, the students take turns caring for a different animal, from cats to scorpions. "Part of working with them is what we call hand taming," Schall said. "So they're supposed to be holding them for at least 10 minutes." But what if a student is nervous about handling a tarantula or a snake? Schall helps by holding the animal herself first, encouraging the student to ease into it by touching the creature, and then holding it. After that, "they're usually fine with the animal," she said. Emotional bonds The students also have to weigh the animals and check them for health problems. Sarah Maller is using a small flashlight to look into the eyes of a brush-tailed rodent called a degu. "I have to see if there are any little eyelashes or anything in the way, or scratches, or cataracts to see if there's any cloudiness," she explained. Kimberly Rodriquez said she learns something new about each animal, as she feeds a turtle a tiny dead mouse in a tank with small fish. She was surprised to discover this diamondback terrapin is a "carnivore and he gets along with all the fish." The students rely on guidance from lab assistant Rebecca Brumbaugh, who said that, like people, animals have minds of their own. "They have their good days and their bad days," she said. Megan Johnson, who hopes to become a vet, has figured out how to get along with the chinchilla she's petting. "The animals have different personalities and they connect with different humans," she said. As Ruben Stann weighs a golden-colored albino horned frog, he said he feels an emotional bond with animals. "You kind of have to make a little connection, he said. For me, it's very relaxing." And that connection to the natural world is sometimes hard for the students to find in mostly urban Northern Virginia. A U.S. Navy warship sailed through South China Sea waters claimed by China Saturday in a "freedom of navigation" exercise, which China denounced as "grave misconduct." A spokesman at the Pentagon, Jeff Davis, said the passage by the guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur was intended to enforce the international right to sail through such crucial navigation lanes. The warship passed within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island in the Paracel group, which is claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam as well as by China. In Beijing, a Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman said the U.S. destroyed peace and stability in the South China Sea with its maritime exercise, the second by an American warship in the area since October. The spokesman, Yang Yujun, expressed China's "resolute opposition" to the sail-by, and said Chinese armed forces will take "all necessary measures against any act of provocation by the United States." 'Freedom-of-navigation operation' Pentagon spokesman Davis said the U.S. destroyer was conducting a routine "freedom-of-navigation operation in the South China Sea. The mission was intended "to challenge attempts by the three claimants China, Taiwan and Vietnam to restrict navigation rights and freedoms, Davis said. No prior notice of the U.S. vessel's transit was given to China or any other regional authorities, "which is consistent with our normal process and international law," the Pentagon spokesman said. Three months ago, the Navy sent another guided-missile destroyer on a similar mission close to one of the artificial islands China has built on a partly submerged reef in the South China Sea. That exercise also was denounced by China. The U.S. Congress called for further freedom-of-navigation voyages after the October cruise. Earlier this month, Senator John McCain, chairman of the influential Senate Armed Services Committee, contended President Barack Obama had opposed further sail-bys in the South China Sea. A crippled cargo ship listing heavily to one side drifted slowly towards the French Atlantic coast Saturday as rescue teams struggled to tow it to shore. The captain of the capsized Modern Express sent out a distress call Tuesday and its crew of 22 was evacuated by Spanish helicopters. France's coastal authority said a team of experts boarded the listing vessel late Friday, but rough seas curtailed efforts to begin towing it. The authorities said another attempt will be made Saturday, if weather and sea conditions permit. The Modern Express was carrying 3,600 tons of timber. French authorities said there was no sign that water had entered the vessel or that fuel had leaked out. The cause of the breakdown was not immediately known. Angela Rocha, a pediatrician in northeastern Brazil, measures the head of a child born with microcephaly, a tragic neurological complication linked to Zika, the mosquito-borne virus sparking a health scare across the Americas. Outside the room, seven mothers cradling infants with abnormally small heads line up for hours for tests. More than 1,000 cases of microcephaly have been reported in just a few months in Pernambuco state, the epicenter of the Zika outbreak. "We were taken by surprise," says Rocha, a veteran infectious disease specialist at the Oswaldo Cruz University in the state capital of Recife, where doctors are struggling to care for 300 babies born with the condition. Surprise is an understatement. For a country that for years has battled the Aedes aegypti mosquito - responsible for previous epidemics of dengue, yellow fever and other tropical diseases - the outbreak of Zika has caught the government, public health administrators and doctors entirely off guard. A tropical climate, dense cities, poor sanitation and slipshod construction provided ideal conditions for mosquito breeding grounds and the spread of the Zika virus in Brazil's northeast, across the country and to more than 20 others throughout the Americas. "We just didn't have the conditions or resources necessary to stop the mosquito or the virus," says Maria da Gloria Teixeira, an epidemiologist in the neighboring state of Bahia and a director of the Brazilian Association of Collective Health, a grouping of public health professionals. Amid warnings from governments and multilateral health agencies, pregnant women in Brazil and beyond are now seeking to avoid exposure to the mosquito, at least until contagion is contained or scientists develop a vaccine, which could still take years. Brazilian health officials this week said they plan to reach an agreement with the U.S. National Institutes of Health to work on a vaccine. Some Latin American countries have advised women to delay getting pregnant. Overwhelmed Although a cause has not been proven, microcephaly has been clinically linked by scientists to mothers believed to have been infected with Zika while expecting. Pernambuco has more than one-third of the 3,700 cases of microcephaly reported in Brazil since September, and its hospitals have been overwhelmed. Health officials say the number of newly reported cases is falling in the state even as it rises in other areas. But the crisis will demand special care for hundreds of deformed or neurologically damaged children for years to come, a new burden on already deficient hospitals in a public health system suffering from budget cuts because of government shortfalls and an economic recession. Every day, about five new cases arrive at the Recife hospital, compared to 18 at the peak of the crisis in late November, says Rocha. She and her colleagues are hoping the decline means the worst is over, but they cannot be sure because so little is known about the virus and its complications. There is no cure at present for Zika, which usually appears as a mild fever with temporary body aches. These symptoms can be easily mistaken for a mild case of dengue, a fever that infected 1.6 million Brazilians last year and killed more than 800. To step up its fight against the mosquito, Brazil has deployed thousands of municipal, state and federal workers, including soldiers, to scour cities for mosquito breeding grounds, fumigate and educate residents on the dangers of still and stagnant water, where the female insects lay their eggs. On Feb. 13, the government will deploy 220,000 troops in a one-day mobilization to hand out leaflets and help identify potential trouble spots. Long Struggle In Recife, Brazil's seventh largest city, officials are digging in for a long struggle. "We are just getting a glimpse of the dimension of a problem likely to remain with us for years to come," said Recife's health secretary, Jailson Correia. In November, Recife asked Brazil's federal government for 29 million reais ($7.18 million) in funding to deal with the crisis, and so far has received only 1.3 million reais. Rocha said the emotional and economic cost of the avalanche of handicapped children is incalculable. The babies, many of whom will eventually suffer convulsions, need brain stimulus therapy promptly to improve their chances of survival. As many as 12 babies have recently died in the state because of the condition. Other complications are appearing among some, including impaired vision and hearing, and badly deformed limbs. Some cannot swallow and the most critical ones have serious breathing problems, said Vanessa Van der Linden, one of only five child neurologists in the state. Van der Linden was the first doctor to notice the alarming rise in microcephaly cases last September, alerting public health authorities. The defects surged in November, when three babies were born with microcephaly on the same night at the dilapidated BarAo de Lucena children's hospital where she works. "There was panic," Van der Linden said. Things have calmed some. Only 29 new cases of microcephaly were reported last week in all of Pernambuco, compared to a peak of 196 in late November. After selling out of insect repellent during the two most critical months, the product is once more on drug store shelves. For many, of course, the improvements come too late. Gleyse Kelly da Silva, a 27-year-old toll booth worker, recalls having a rash, a light fever and a back ache for three days last April. Her daughter, Maria Giovanna, was born in October with microcephaly. Silva still hopes Maria Giovanna will learn to speak but she is frustrated with the public health system, which has yet to provide any therapy. "The quicker therapy starts, the better for my child," she said. "They should bring more doctors here, because there are so many babies. Their mothers can't get appointments." A Chilean court on Friday told President Michelle Bachelet's daughter-in-law not to leave the country during a probe into her tax affairs, and protesters demanded tighter restrictions as the president said on television the case has "affected me deeply." Investigators are looking into allegations that Natalia Compagnon issued false tax declarations, misrepresented her income, and issued fraudulent invoices relating to a real estate concern she half-owns. The courts on Friday officially pegged Compagnon as a criminal suspect, as raucous protesters shouted outside the courthouse in the city of Rancagua, 50 miles south of capital, Santiago. Compagnon must remain in Chile and check in monthly with police while the investigation continues, the courts said. Intense media coverage of the case has weakened Bachelet's political standing and raised questions about her judgment at a time when she is struggling to push broad social and economic reforms through a fractious congress. Equality before the law "From my heart I want to say that these have been hard times for me and my family, very painful, and without doubt this has affected me deeply," Bachelet said in a brief address from the La Moneda presidential palace Friday afternoon. "Chileans demand, deserve equal opportunities and rights, and this includes equality before the law." Bachelet has faced sharp criticism for her perceived slowness to react a year ago when revelations broke that her son Sebastian Davalos, Compagnon's husband, used his political connections to get his spouse access to a $10 million loan she used to turn a quick profit on a land deal. At the time, Chile's bank regulator said the loan appeared legal. But claims of influence peddling caused waves in Chile, casting legal scrutiny upon Compagnon and bringing scorn upon Bachelet. Many Chileans took to social media to dismiss the court decision as too soft, noting that the restrictions Compagnon faces are less severe than preventative jail time, which is an option that courts have used during recent high-profile fraud cases. "She got off easy," investigative newspaper El Mostrador posted on Twitter. As the sun comes up, illuminating the quaint storefronts and shoveled sidewalks of West Branch, Iowa, just up the hill from the only major intersection in this small town, is the popular breakfast spot Reids Beans, where Jonathan Blundall is busy serving coffee to his regular customers. Were not blowing the doors off the bank vault, he said with a grin as he poured hot milk into two recently brewed espresso cups, but we scratch out a living. Blundalls living is made partly off loyal customers like Patricia Hamer. We come here and talk about coffee and health and stuff, she said. And we dont really discuss politics. But such conversation just days away from the February 1 Iowa caucuses is unavoidable, even in this corner of the restaurant, in this corner of America. But I certainly cant see the guy with the red hair as president, Hamer exclaimed, looking around the table for help remembering the name of the candidate she was referring to. She quickly got a hint and declared with some amusement: Donald Trump! Youre in a really curious part of Iowa, said Blundall, because its very evenly split here, if not leaning a little more liberal to the Democrat side. This curious part of Iowa West Branch is the hometown of the 31st president of the United States, Herbert Hoover, the only Iowan to reach the White House. Hes a landmark, Blundall said. A lot of pride Though Hoover was a Republican in the 1920s and '30s who presided over the country as it descended into the Great Depression, theres much support and pride for the man in his hometown. But there was little support among the corner table group at Reids Beans for the party he represented, which is the same party that has carried this state in many congressional and Senate contests in recent years. Republicans back then were a lot different than Republicans now, Blundall added. Hoover, I think, would be appalled by the vitriolic nature of things being said about other people right now in the campaign, said retired minister and longtime resident Richard Paulus, who explained that much of what is being said on the campaign trail would be an affront to Hoovers peaceful and humanitarian sensibilities. Reids Beans is one of several local businesses that depend on regular customers who work at or visit the U.S. government-owned Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, run by the National Park Service, and the Herbert Hoover Library and Museum, run by the National Archives and Records Administration. Its enabled small businesses like mine to survive and thrive, Blundall said. This is my wife and Is only source of income. In the fall of 2013, that thriving small business was threatened by the turmoil created out of political gridlock in Washington, D.C., which traveled some 900 miles west to West Branch. The subsequent government shutdown that started October 1 of that year closed the U.S. government-run facilities frequented by tourists in the town. Without a Herbert Hoover site to see, visitors stopped coming into West Branch. Workers also started to skip meals at Reids Beans, and Blundalls stable income from his small business dried up at the worst possible moment. Sharp decline When you get such a precipitous decline like we had when the government shut down, he recalled, it really throws a wrench in things, especially when its the busiest time of the year for you, the kind youre kind of banking on when the slower winter season comes along. The shutdown ended a few weeks after it began, and tourists and the business that comes with them slowly started to trickle back to West Branch. Blundall said hes become more supportive of Republicans as hes grown older, embracing many of their ideals, but he blames them directly for the shutdown, and his anger lingers in the current presidential campaign. As a result, Blundall is looking toward the Democrats as the party hell support in both the Iowa caucuses and the general election in November. Im afraid that my vote that I cast this time around is going to be cast against a candidate, rather than for one, he said with some resignation. Whoever has the best chance of beating someone that I think might be dangerous. The choice for Blundell is the same as it is for many other Democrats. It isnt between two parties, but rather two candidates. Its a tossup between Bernie [Sanders] and Mrs. [Hillary] Clinton, Hamer said. Even though its technically a three-way race for Democrats featuring former Maryland Governor Martin OMalley, Vermont Senator Sanders and former Secretary of State Clinton, OMalleys low poll numbers indicate there are two options: Clinton or Sanders. They both are talking about change, but she has been bound in with the so-called, shall we say traditional approach of doing things, Paulus said to VOA between sips of coffee. Sanders is one that would try to move much more radical change. Courting undecideds In the final days leading up to the caucuses, the candidates are trying to woo undecided voters like the ones VOA spoke to in West Branch, who are key to winning the Democratic side of the race in Iowa. Turnout is another factor, which could give Sanders the edge. He really has to develop some kind of momentum, because Hillary Clintons going to be strong in South Carolina and later states, said University of Iowa political science professor Timothy Hagle. And so a win here is going to give him perhaps the momentum he needs to overcome Clintons advantages down the road. It is a road that is paved by winning the support of voters who are looking for the candidate they feel has the best chance of winning the general election in November, a case both Sanders and Clinton continue to make as the clock winds down in the final hours of the Iowa campaign. France is planning to make make another push to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but has warned that if its efforts fail, it will recognize a Palestinian state. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told French diplomats on Friday that in the coming weeks, Paris will try to organize an international conference to "bring about the two-state solution" to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. U.S.-led efforts to broker peace for a two-state solution collapsed in April 2014 and there have been no serious efforts to resume talks since then. "We must not allow the two-state solution to fall apart," Fabius said, noting that Israel has not halted settlement activity on land the Palestinians want for a future state. He said that if this last attempt to find a solution hits a wall, "we need to face our responsibilities by recognizing the Palestinian state." Fabius has repeatedly warned that letting the status quo continue risks killing off a two-state solution and playing into the hands of Islamic State militants. In recent months, a wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks has killed 25 Israelis. Over the same period, 159 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, most of them while carrying out attacks, although some died in clashes and demonstrations. Iran has sent thousands of undocumented Shi'ite Afghan refugees to Syria to fight alongside forces of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Irans elite Revolutionary Guard forces in support of the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, sources in Iran and Afghanistan told VOA. Thousands of Afghans from Iran are in the Fatemiyon Brigade, the second largest group of foreigners fighting for Assad in Syria. Western media estimate their numbers at between 10,000 and 12,000. Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported on Friday that some Afghans are sent against their will. Iran has said Afghans are going to Syria voluntarily. Irans Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is also fighting for Assad in Syria, recruits Afghans with promises of Iranian citizenship and improved living standards for their families. Iran has not just offered Afghan refugees and migrants incentives to fight in Syria, but several said they were threatened with deportation back to Afghanistan unless they did [complied], Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. Afghan fighters are paid between $400 and $600 per month, said Phillip Smyth a researcher at the University of Maryland and author of the blog "Hezbollah Cavalcade." Some Afghans are pulled from prisons to go fight in the battlefields of Syria, Smyth said. In other cases, undocumented Afghan [Shi'ite] refugees are threatened with jail time if they don't serve, he said. Roughly three million Afghans live in Iran. Most settled there after fleeing war and conflict in their homeland. Many Afghans in Iran lack basic rights and live without a formal status. About 950,000 are classified as refugees. Afghans in Iran sent to Syria come mainly from Qum and Mashhad centers for a majority of the Afghan diaspora. Iranian sources told VOA that Afghans are being sent to the Syrian frontlines to defend the Zeinab Shrine, a holy site for Shiite Muslims. Syrian rebel commanders say they face Afghan fighters throughout the country. Their presence has been stronger than ever, said Islam Alloush, spokesman for the Army of Islam, the main opposition force in eastern Damascus. But they are mainly based in Aleppo, he told VOA. They have units around Damascus. The regime relies on them because it is running out of manpower. The commander of Irans Quds Force, Major General Qassem Soleimani, has paid visits to the Afghan brigade in Syria, according to Iranian media reports, and took pictures with some of its members. The Afghan units have been trained in Lebanon-based camps run by Hezbollah and fight alongside the Lebanese militant group in Syria, researcher Smyth said. Most of them reportedly receive anywhere from 10 days to one month of preliminary training in Mashhad and in southern outskirts of Tehran prior to their deployment to Syria, Iranian sources told VOA. Reports indicate that Afghan casualties in Syria are mounting as Iranian-backed fighters have become a major ground force for the Assad regime. Ali Alfoneh, a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies who tracks Syrian war casualties, told VOA that more than 200 Afghan fighters have been killed in Syria since September 2012. They are lured in to sacrifice their lives for a few hundred dollars, Mujtaba Jalali, an Iranian-born Afghan photographer from Mashhad who covered the public funerals of Afghan fighters, told VOA. The families of Afghans who serve in Syria receive benefits in Iran. This is a very good gateway for some Afghan refugees to put their step into a new life if they come back alive, a Tehran-based Afghan who lost his brother in the Syria fighting told VOA on the condition of anonymity. In our case, my brother sacrificed himself for his family, he said. My mother can now receive medicine for her ill heart and the rest of family gained Iranian valid documentation. Irans Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs offers financial help, spiritual support, and medical expenses for the families of Afghan casualties. But Human Rights Watch said in its report on Friday that compensation is arbitrary. The Afghan government says it is investigating reports of Afghans fighting in Syria. Qayyum Sajjadi, a Shiite parliament member in Afghanistan, says the harsh socioeconomic circumstances that Afghan refugees face in Iran force them to participate in regional conflicts. These youths in Iran are sent to Syria where they either die or get captured by opposition groups, Jamaluddin Sayyar, head of the provincial council in Afghanistan's Kunar province, told Radio Liberty. Human Rights Watch said that Iran must stop using Afghans to fight in Syria. Iran should be offering greater protection to Afghan refugees, not coercively recruiting them to fight for Assad, HRWs Bouckaert said in a statement. Iran flew an unarmed drone over a U.S. aircraft carrier and took "precise" photographs during a naval drill in the Persian Gulf, Iranian state media said. Iranian state television and the semiofficial Fars news agency published identical images Friday that both said came from the drone. The images showed an unnamed aircraft carrier. The Iranian reports suggested the images were from Friday. But U.S. Navy spokesman Commander Kevin Stephens said an unarmed Iranian drone flew near the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and "directly over'' the USS Harry S. Truman on January 12 as the vessels were sailing in international waters in the Persian Gulf. Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, chief of Iran's naval forces, told state TV that the maneuver was a sign of the "bravery, experience and the scientific capabilities of our drone operators." If the U.S. timeline is correct, the drone flight took place the same day that Iran seized 10 American sailors whose boats had strayed into Iranian waters. The sailors were released the next day. President Tayyip Erdogan heads to Latin America on Sunday with the aim of boosting trade ties as Turkey seeks to diversify away from its traditional export markets in the troubled economies of Europe and the Middle East. In his first visit to the region in a year, Erdogan will lead a large business delegation to Chile, Peru and Ecuador. Turkey has been slowly strengthening its relationship with Latin America since the late 1990s, when one of his predecessors, Suleyman Demirel, became the first Turkish president to make an official visit. The search for new markets has become more important as conflict ravages neighboring Iraq and Syria, long two of its major trading partners. A diplomatic row with Moscow, which slapped economic sanctions on Turkey after Ankara downed a Russian warplane last year, has exacerbated its woes. "The fundamental idea behind Erdogan's visit to Latin America is Turkey's push to search for new markets and diversify," said an official from the economy ministry who is helping to prepare for the visit. "Turkey does a great deal of business with its neighbors but is experiencing difficulties because of rising problems in the Middle East." Turkey's latest trade data released on Friday showed exports dropped 11 percent in December, suggesting those tensions were taking their toll. Latin America will not plug the gap any time soon, but it is one of relatively few major emerging market regions which Turkish businesses - actively pushing into new markets in the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia in recent years - have by and large failed to tap. Trade with Latin America was nearly $10 billion in 2014, according to official figures, up from around $1 billion in 2000, but still just a sliver of Turkey's overall commerce. Central, South America and the Caribbean accounted for just 1.8 percent of Turkish exports in 2014, according to government data. The top Latin American destination for Turkish exports that year was Mexico, although it ranked 45th overall, behind the likes of Malta and Yemen. Peru was the next biggest destination, in 78th place. New Turkey, New Markets Erdogan, prime minister for more than a decade before winning the first direct election for head of state in 2014, has championed a vision of a "New Turkey" with a bigger diplomatic and trade presence on the world stage. Turkish companies - in sectors ranging from food to construction - have built a reputation for being at the forefront of investment in challenging markets from Libya and Yemen to Somalia and Kazakhstan. Major Turkish exports to South America include iron and steel, machinery, autos and vegetable and animal oils. Turkey has also made some inroads with cultural exports, with some of its daytime soap operas becoming hits in Chile. But its exports still tend to be lower down the value chain than those of some Asian rivals. "Turkey doesn't have many high-tech exports. This creates a restriction in how much it can expand its markets, but there may be opportunities," Mehmet Yegin of the Ankara-based USAK think tank said of the Latin America trip. "There will absolutely be expansion for the Turkish market. But I don't expect really big, ground-breaking expansion." The New York Times on Saturday endorsed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination and said it favored the long-shot candidacy of Ohio Governor John Kasich as the Republican nominee. The newspaper's editorial board its opinion editors, who are separate from the newspaper's journalists who report stories called Clinton "one of the most broadly and deeply qualified presidential candidates in modern history." If she were to win the Democratic nomination and the presidency in the November, she would become the first female U.S. president, replacing President Barack Obama when he leaves office a year from now. The Times said, "Mrs. Clinton has honed a steeliness that will serve her well in negotiating with a difficult Congress on critically important issues like climate change. It will also help her weather what are certain to be more attacks from Republicans and, should she win the White House, the possibility of the same ideological opposition and personal animus that President Obama has endured." The editorial concluded, "Hillary Clinton is the right choice for the Democrats to present a vision for America that is radically different from the one that leading Republican candidates offer a vision in which middle-class Americans have a real shot at prosperity, womens rights are enhanced, undocumented immigrants are given a chance at legitimacy, international alliances are nurtured and the country is kept safe." The Republican presidential race in recent weeks has been dominated by billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump and a conservative firebrand, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, which the newspaper in a separate editorial called "equally objectionable for different reasons." Trump improvises National political surveys show Trump, a longtime New York developer, casino magnate and former reality television show personality, with a commanding lead in the large field of Republican candidates. But the newspaper said he "has neither experience in nor interest in learning about national security, defense or global trade" and "invents his positions as he goes along." The paper said that the campaign of Cruz, a first-term senator, "isn't about constitutional principles; it's about ambition. In his three years in the Senate, he has helped engineer a shutdown of the government and has alienated virtually the entire chamber." The editorial on the Republican race said that Kasich, "though a distinct underdog, is the only plausible choice for Republicans tired of extremism and inexperience on display in this race." It said that Kasich, during two decades as a member of the House of Representatives before winning the governorship in the electorally important state of Ohio, showed that "he has been capable of compromise and believes in the ability of government to improve lives." Newspaper editorial endorsements are a long-standing tradition in the American political process, and on occasion in elections past have helped sway voters who might be undecided about their candidate choices. But U.S. voters now are bombarded with information from so many sources that any one editorial endorsement is likely of less importance. Surveys have shown that U.S. voters often pay closest attention to television news shows that most closely align with the political beliefs they already hold. President Barack Obama will visit a U.S. mosque for the first time during his presidency on Wednesday. The White House said Saturday that the president's visit to the Islamic Society of Baltimore would "celebrate the contributions Muslim Americans make to our nation and reaffirm the importance of religious freedom to our way of life." Obama plans to meet with community members and then deliver remarks in which he "will reiterate the importance of staying true to our core values: welcoming our fellow Americans, speaking out against bigotry, rejecting indifference and protecting our nation's tradition of religious freedom,'' the White House said. Following the deadly attacks late last year in Paris and in San Bernardino, California, both linked to radical Muslims, Obama called on Muslim Americans to help fight extremism. The president has also appealed to Americans to reject anti-Muslim comments by politicians, most notably Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Trump called for a ban on Muslims entering the United States after a Muslim couple inspired by Islamist militants killed 14 people in a shooting in San Bernardino in early December. On the presidential campaign trail, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders often points to Scandinavian countries, including Denmark, as models of his self-proclaimed "democratic socialist" policies, such as free college tuition and a system of universal, single-payer health care. The Democratic candidate's costly proposals draw criticism from many conservatives, who have long used the phrase socialism as a political smear. Yet in a recent poll by the state's biggest newspaper, more likely Democratic caucus voters see themselves as socialist than capitalist. It would seem unlikely many people who live in Elk Horn, Iowa, would associate themselves with "socialism." At first glance, this tiny farming community in the upper Midwest appears as rock-solid conservative as most small Iowa towns that leaned toward the Republican Party in past elections. A 90-minute drive west of Des Moines, and well off any major highway, this town of 662 people is almost completely white, according to census data. And most of its residents are either Catholic or Protestant Christians. But a closer look reveals surprising hints of liberal societal values. In a city with a total area of less than two square kilometers, and not a single grocery store, there are no fewer than eight electric car recharging stations not a common sight in the countryside. Solar panels sit atop many local businesses. The city has finely maintained recreational trails complete with an outdoor public fitness center. Officials are even working on creating a system of bicycle routes. If Elk Horn seems vaguely European, its probably no coincidence. In fact, that may be a reflection of the citys distant past: The area was settled in the mid-19th century by immigrants from Denmark. Decades later, many of its residents still hold tightly to their heritage. Restaurants here serve traditional dishes from the old country, including flskesteg (a traditional roasted pork), frikadeller (meatballs) and aebleskiver (something like a ball-shaped pancake). Were Americans, but were Danish At the center of town stands an 18-meter-tall Danish windmill, towering over every other structure in Elk Horn. Brought over from Denmark in 1976, the windmill now serves as a gift shop and visitors welcome center. But the citys Danish heritage is more than just a tourist attraction, according to local residents. Theres an attitude that, yes, were Americans, but were Danish, too, according to Bob Mortensen, a longtime Elk Horn resident who retired after working 30 years as a railroad track inspector. We still have family back in Denmark. We still have a certain tie to Denmark. According to Mortensen, those decades-old ties affect the way he and others in the area think about politics, and in Elk Horn, some people see Sanders socialist policies in a more positive light. Mortensen supports Sanders, who is attracting a surprisingly large amount of support in the Hawkeye State and is locked in a virtual tie with his more conservative Democratic rival, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. To a lot of people, what Bernie Sanders is suggesting is a completely foreign idea, Mortensen said. Whereas to Scandinavians, this is something that in the old country, its been this way for a while. Sanders is even attracting support from some here who have traditionally been on the conservative side of the U.S. political spectrum. This is probably going to sound weird, said James Uren, owner of the Village Cafe along the main route through town. But as a card-carrying Republican, I am probably leaning toward Bernie Sanders, believe it or not. I just think some things need to be done differently in our country, and I would really like to see us take care of people within our own country before we start expanding out. Ties to past? Drawing a direct link between a communitys distant ethnic ties and its present-day voting patterns is controversial. Many Iowans with Scandinavian heritage, of course, see no link at all to their political preference. Scandinavian heritage is a part of who we are, but I havent seen much evidence that it directly ties to politics in that way, said David Peterson, a professor of political science at Iowa State University in Ames. I dont like speculating too hard beyond what I have data for, and I havent seen anything that suggests that. But Colin Woodard, an expert on the distinct ethnic regional cultures spread across the U.S., said he wouldnt be surprised if those with Western European roots still held on to some of the political or social views of their homelands, even all these years later. Its entirely possible, Woodard said. His research has established links between local ethnic groups and political behavior decades later. "It can change over time, but it can change rather slowly and can account for the big differences between voting habits of two communities, said Woodard, pointing to people in the upper Midwest who support left-wing politics. In a lot of that stretch of the Midwest, many of the early settlers were Germans who were fleeing the failed 1848 revolutions, which were essentially a sort of a leftist/socialist revolution that failed in imperial Germany. Those kinds of views could be passed down from generation to generation, Woodard said, making the area more conducive to social democracy than in many other parts of the country. Des Moines Register poll But is Iowa really full of left-wing voters who see themselves as democratic socialists? Some evidence to support such a claim is found in a Des Moines Register poll this month, in which 43 percent of Democrats who plan to participate in Mondays Iowa caucuses identified themselves as socialist. Thats more than the 38 percent of respondents who called themselves capitalist. The poll may help explain why the fiercely liberal Sanders is popular across Iowa, despite the states reputation for having traditional, conservative Midwestern values. Steve King, a Republican U.S. congressman from the 4th District of Iowa and a frequent critic of what he sees as socialist policies, told VOA he saw no reason to doubt the Register poll. I think that its probably true," he said. "We shall see. If Bernie gets 43 percent [in Iowa], that would be logical. Its a really sad thought, but I dont doubt it. Questions about poll But there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical of the polls findings, too. Peterson, the Iowa State professor, suggested the survey might reflect only a temporary trend. Many of the respondents may have intended only to show their support for Sanders candidacy, not socialism, he said. I would guess that a good portion of that is, Are you sympathetic towards Sanders? or Do you identify yourself as a Sanders supporter? Are you feeling the Bern? he said. Still, there is no denying that Sanders has many passionate supporters in Iowa. Rania Batrice, the communications director for Sanders' Iowa campaign, said its clear that Iowans are not scared of the phrase democratic socialism. But she said his popularity here has more to do with everyday factors. Bernies message of economic inequality and making college affordable for everyone, raising the minimum wage, pay equality these are messages that resonate, she told VOA. Iowa is predominantly working class, and I think thats one of the reasons that the senators message has resonated so greatly, is that he is talking to people about issues that affect their everyday lives. More mainstream? Sanders populist message also helps explain why he is appealing to such a diverse group of voters across the nation, according to Richard Wolff, an economics professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Something is going on in the United States that all of this is tapping into, said Wolff, who also pointed to the recent Occupy Wall Street protests. Youd have to be very strange not to see that. And I think Mr. Sanders is the next wave. "The last 50 years, at least, the Cold War made words like socialism so bad, so negative, so off the wall, so associated with a horrible foreign country every kind of negative association you could imagine. Now that period of history has come to an end. The Cold War is over. And the capitalism, which presented itself as the great victor in the capitalism versus socialism sweepstakes, is clearly having some serious troubles of its own. If the success of the Sanders campaign does mean left-wing politics are becoming more mainstream, then that wave could start in Iowa, with voters like Bob Mortensen, the Elk Horn resident, who is caucusing for Sanders on Monday night. Would he have have told the Register pollster that he identifies as a socialist? Yeah, I suppose I would, because I understand what the true meaning of that label is," he said. I am a Christian. I am a socialist. And part of the reason I am a socialist, by the true definition of that word, is because I am a Christian." A Nigerian senator has challenged former President Olusegun Obasanjo to name those in the legislative assembly whom he has accused of financial wrongdoing and provide proof of the alleged behavior. Obasanjo's accusations were contained in a letter he sent January 13 to the leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives. It expressed his concerns that lawmakers were engaged in corruption and acting with impunity. Obasanjo also said in his letter that most of the 469-member lawmaking body receives constituency allowances without establishing offices in the constituency, which he said contravened the constitution. In response, the head of the senate, Bukola Saraki, said his chamber had implemented measures to ensure transparency in its financial management. He also said the Senates budget would be made public. Local media quoted Saraki as saying "bold and progressive reforms" had been implemented "in the management of the finances of the National Assembly. Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim said Obasanjos open letter was an indication that the former leader appeared to want to remain relevant in national politics. The former governor of Yobe state called Obasanjos accusations regrettable. Ibrahim also said he was pleased with new measures Senate leaders had implemented to ensure transparency. I have been in the Senate for nine years," he said. "I have not taken one kobo [local currency] which I am not entitled to. Nobody has ever bribed me. I have never asked for any bribe from anybody. ... "All I rely on is my salary and my allowances, which are my entitlements and it is the revenue mobilization and fiscal commission that determines all these things. So there is no way Mr. President can call me corrupt. ... If anybody thinks otherwise, he should bring it out, analyze it, give us the details and show us where we have gone wrong. Of course we are not afraid of correcting it. Possible 'bad eggs' Asked whether there was a possibility that some of his colleagues had engaged in financial malfeasance or other wrongdoing, Ibrahim said some of the lawmakers could be "bad eggs. But he said Obasanjo should have presented proof of misconduct by those he accused of being corrupt. When you have 360 members of House of Representatives and 109 senators, you cannot say everybody is an angel," Ibrahim said. "There are some, definitely, who are corrupt. But he should have the guts to mention who these corrupt officers are. It is not for him just to condemn the whole institution." Ibrahim added, I dont think Mr. Obasanjo is the right person to call anybody corrupt. If there is anything like corruption, it was during his rule that corruption became institutionalized in Nigeria. Ibrahim said Senate leaders would consider whether to bring Obasanjos open letter to the floor for deliberation in coming weeks. To counter growing North Korean missile and nuclear threats, South Korea appears poised to consider importing a controversial U.S. missile defense system, according to officials in Seoul. After the latest nuclear test by Pyongyang, Seoul has been weighing military and diplomatic options to enhance deterrence against future provocations by the communist country. Seeking a defense capability without alienating neighboring countries has been a difficult part of the effort. Recently, considering whether to host an advanced U.S. anti-missile defense system called THAAD, or Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, has emerged as part of Seoul's dilemma. U.S. and South Korean military officials say South Korea should consider deploying the system, which is capable of tracking ballistic missiles up to 2,000 kilometers away, a range that would cover some parts of China. Beijings objections Beijing opposes the move and voiced its objections in early 2015. We had very candid and free discussions over the THAAD issue. It would be appreciated if Seoul takes account of Chinas concerns and worries, Liu Jianchao, assistant minister of Chinas Foreign Ministry, told reporters during a March visit to Seoul. Daniel Russel, an assistant U.S. secretary of state who was also traveling in Seoul at the time, fired back at Beijing, saying he found it curious that a third country would presume to make strong representations about a security system that has not been put in place. Since then, Seoul has been walking a delicate line on the issue, keeping a noncommittal stance in an apparent attempt to quell the controversy. Pyongyangs nuclear test, however, might have tipped the balance. Given that we are facing North Korean nuclear and missile threats, we will consider the deployment if it is warranted in the interest of national security, South Korean President Park Geun-hye said during a televised national address a week after the nuclear test. Shifting stance On Friday, South Koreas Defense Ministry appeared to advocate deploying such a system. Kim Min-seok, spokesman for the ministry, told reporters the deployment would be helpful for Seouls security. Beijing tried to push back against Seouls apparent shifting stance on the issue. We believe that any country, when striving for its own security, should also consider other countries security interests and regional peace and stability, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying. The U.S. State Department said Friday that Washington had not formally consulted with Seoul on THAAD deployment, and no decisions have been made on a potential deployment of THAAD in South Korea. Kims comments came amid reports that North Korea might be preparing another long-range missile launch. Citing recent commercial satellite imagery, 38 North, a North Korea monitoring website run by Johns Hopkins Universitys School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, said Thursday that a range of low-level activities were seen at North Koreas rocket launch site in Dongchang-ri. The website said the activities might be part of early stages of preparation for launching a space launch vehicle." Earlier, Japans Kyodo News Agency reported the launch could come in about a week, citing a government official. Possible missile launch Pyongyang last conducted a long-range missile launch in late 2012, when it successfully put into orbit an object that it said was a communications satellite, sparking concerns among U.S. military officials. Our assessment is that they have the ability to put a nuclear weapon on a KN-08 and shoot it at the homeland, Admiral William Gortney, commander of the U.S. Northern Command, told reporters in April 2015, referring to North Koreas new road-mobile missile. U.S. officials say Pyongyang has not yet tested the missile. Moon Seung-mook, a retired general who led the South Korean delegation in inter-Korean military talks in 2004, told VOA on Friday that Pyongyang could launch an advanced missile with a range longer than that of the missile fired in 2012, saying it recently improved facilities at the launch site. Earlier this month, Pyongyang conducted its fourth nuclear test, claiming it was a successful test of a hydrogen bomb. International sanctions ban Pyongyang from conducting nuclear tests or launching ballistic missiles. Nate Parker took seven years to write the screenplay for The Birth of a Nation. The film, which Parker also stars in and directed, created a buzz at this years Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. It tells the story of Nat Turner, a slave boy who learns to read and becomes a preacher in antebellum Virginia. His masters hope Turners preaching will lead other slaves to be more subservient, so Nat is sent to other plantations to preach to the slaves. But his knowledge of the Bible and his exposure to the true misery of slavery soon lead Turner to encourage his fellow slaves to rebel against their masters. The rebellion left 60 slave owners and hundreds of slaves dead. Parker said the film looks at the origins of issues that African-Americans still have to deal with. My job as a filmmaker is to create content, to seek out material, to develop material that I think will help be progressive and deal with some of the systemic issues that we are dealing with," he said. "So to be able to write a project and then to go out and get it financed and attach talent, and to go and shoot the movie, and then to have Sundance recognize it and validate it and say, This is something we think is worth showing to the world and getting behind and sponsoring, I think those are the steps that we need to take. Armie Hammer, who plays Turners master, Samuel Turner, said that even though this was Parkers directorial debut, he ran the set like a seasoned veteran. He showed up on the first day ... and he was like, 'Put that camera over there, put this lens on. and bring me a viewfinder with this lens. and move this light six feet this way, you two stand on that mark and get over there. ... I mean, he walked on the set with the confidence and skill and ability of someone who has directed 50 movies before, Hammer said. Oscars and diversity The film comes at a time when Hollywood is wrestling with a lack of diversity in its Oscar nominees. Parker said the Oscar issue is just a symptom of a much wider problem. I think the sickness is the fact that there is a certain level of racism that exists, not only in society, obviously, but in Hollywood," he said. "A lot of it has to do with the legacy of slavery and the legacy of the injury that we've endured. ... So I just think that we want to be a change factor with this film and we want to, as artists, challenge systems that we think are unjust or need attention. Hammer said Parkers passion for the project carried the cast and crew through some difficult scenes. You could feel this passion bleeding out of him while we were doing this," Hammer said. "Everybody else will be getting tired, everybody else would be uncomfortable with the subject matter, which at some points in the film gets heavier. But he would be there, unwavering, just the perfect leader for the project, really." The film received several standing ovations at its premier in Park City. Fox Searchlight pictures has paid a record $17.5 million for the rights, $7 million more than the previous record for Little Miss Sunshine. Gun violence was on the minds of more than a few filmmakers this year. The ongoing issue was the main subject of four new films at the Sundance Film Festival - two feature documentaries ("Newtown,'' "Under the Gun'') one short documentary, "Speaking is Difficult,'' and one feature, "Dark Night.'' The wave of films dealing with essentially the same subject - mass shootings in America - is both a coincidence and an indicator that the filmmaking community is engaging with the national consciousness. "We don't program films based on ideas we have of what issues we want to spark conversations about at the festival. We respond to the films,'' said Trevor Groth, Sundance's director of programming. "Those films stood out to us because of the way they were made and the power within them.'' Sundance founder Robert Redford echoed Groth's sentiments, joking that if they did seek out certain issues to spotlight, he'd make sure there would be lots of environmentalist films. But he also sees why the gun issue is so urgent for filmmakers. "Guns, of course, are a big issue,'' Redford said. "It's not just going to sit there because the deaths keep coming. It's going to keep rising up and rising up and it's going to get heated and I think there will be some resolve of some kind. I think it's time.'' "Speaking Is Difficult'' director AJ Schnack believes the multiple films were borne out of frustration and a feeling of powerlessness. "I think it's great that filmmakers are addressing this topic and are going to come at it from a bunch of different perspectives,'' Schnack said. "It gives people permission to ignite those conversations in their communities and with their families and elected officials.'' Here's a look at the various ways filmmakers tackled the subject: NEWTOWN Director Kim Snyder goes deep into the community of Newtown, Connecticut, in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings where 20 children and 6 educators were murdered. In her documentary, Snyder explores the lives of those affected by the tragedy - the parents of children who were killed, parents of children who survived, Sandy Hook teachers, local law enforcement, religious leaders, and even a volunteer EMT. "I didn't really have any big agenda,'' Snyder said, other than showing the community truthfully. "But, as [Sandy Hook parent] David Wheeler says, the people who have the most motivation to allow that intrusion of a camera are people who, as he said, feel compelled to say something or do something that might prevent another town or family from having to go through this.'' DARK NIGHT "Dark Night'' is the sole narrative feature in the bunch, and deals with a mass shooting in a Florida suburb. The not-so-oblique title references the Aurora, Colorado, massacre of 2012 during a midnight screening of "The Dark Knight Rises.'' "It starts with the massacre in Aurora,'' director Tim Sutton said. "There was something that happened to the movie theater that day. The movie theater became unsafe. It became corrupted, possibly forever. I felt as a filmmaker a responsibility to try to touch on this theme.'' UNDER THE GUN Katie Couric and director Stephanie Soechtig ("Fed Up'') returned to Sundance with a sweeping overview of guns in America - melding jaw-dropping stats (like how gun stores outnumber Starbucks and McDonald's combined in the U.S.), historical perspective (how the NRA used to stay out of politics), and emotional accounts from the families of the deceased (including mothers in Chicago and the brother of a girl killed in Aurora). They also speak to a variety of pro-gun advocates, from those who support background checks to those who scoff at the idea. "Even people who've been immersed in this issue for years told us they learned some things from the film,'' Couric said. "I was surprised how the NRA's tentacles spread so far and wide and how the organization has its finger prints on so many things.'' SPEAKING IS DIFFICULT "Speaking is Difficult'' may never be finished. The short documentary is a living film, meaning every time there is another mass shooting, director AJ Schnack and his team will update it. He'd submitted a rough cut of the film to Sundance months ago and had to update it twice since then as new events occurred. Schnack's film shows the locations of the shootings, as they exist now, overlaid with 911 calls from the event. "It's becoming almost a ritual where an event happens, there is a level of outrage for a few days and then as it gets further away it recedes and we go through it again,'' Schnack said. "The events were starting to become like echoes of previous events.'' Schnack found the now-normalcy of the settings quite striking. "A lot of the locations have returned to being the same place - a restaurant, a salon, a school,'' he said. "People walk past as if nothing has happened.'' Members of Syria's main opposition group arrived in Geneva Saturday, but it is not clear whether the Saudi-backed High Negotiations Committee will participate directly in U.N.-backed talks on a political settlement of the Syrian civil war. Despite the absence of the opposition delegation, U.N. officials opened the talks Friday in Geneva the first international effort for a peace settlement since earlier U.N. negotiations collapsed in 2014. Talks began with a meeting between the U.N. special envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, and a Syrian government delegation headed by the country's U.N. ambassador, Bashar Jaafari. De Mistura said afterwards he hopes to meet with opposition representatives on Sunday. "I have good reasons to believe that they are actually considering this very seriously, and therefore to be in a position on, probably, Sunday, to actually start the discussion with them, in order to be able to proceed with the intra-Syrian talks," de Mistura said. The HNC said earlier it would boycott the negotiations completely because Russia and the Syrian government have not halted airstrikes on civilian areas, or eased blockades that have stopped deliveries of humanitarian aid. On Friday, however, the opposition coalition said it had received unspecified "assurances" that prompted the HNC's decision to send a delegation to Geneva after all. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement, "The United States welcomes the important decision by the High Negotiations Committee of the Syrian opposition to attend negotiations." Kurds leave Geneva Representatives of Syrian Kurds fighting against the Syrian government said they were not invited to join the Geneva meetings, and will not be part of the peace talks. Turkey opposed the Syrian Kurds' participation, contending they are linked to the Kurdish fighters who have fought with Turkey for 30 years over control of Kurdish-majority areas of southeastern Turkey. The civil war in Syria has dragged on for nearly five years, killed a quarter of a million people and displaced millions more. The conflict has also seen the birth of the Islamic State militant group and triggered a massive wave of refugees to western Europe. The battles in Syria have intensified since September when Russia began air strikes in support of President Bashar al-Assad, countering the efforts of opposition groups supported by the United States, some members of the European Union, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. The complicated backdrop makes the peace process especially difficult. Significant gains for Assad's forces With Russian support, Assads forces have made significant gains. Analysts say the government has little incentive to negotiate with an opposition that is weak and fractured. Despite the opposition coalition's move toward joining the Geneva talks, analysts are pessimistic. Nadim Shehadi, of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Boston, sees little chance of success. We are pressuring the opposition to prove that they are united, coherent, that they have a strong leadership and that they have a vision, and a policy and a certain consensus on what the future will be," Shehadi said. "And I dont think they do, I dont think they will in the near future, and I dont think they can. At least 37 migrants, including several children, died Saturday when the boat meant to take them to the Greek island of Lesbos sank off Turkey's western coast. The death toll rose late Saturday after search crews found more bodies trapped inside the 17-meter craft. Rescuers were able to pick up 75 survivors. The Turkish news agency Dogan said the migrants included people from Syria, Afghanistan and Myanmar. Suspect smuggler arrested Police arrested a Turkish man suspected of being the smuggler who organized Saturday's disastrous sea crossing. He told Reuters news agency that he was on the boat but denied any wrongdoing. "I didn't do it. I swear I didn't do it. I had six relatives on that boat," he said. "I had six relatives and I don't even know whether they are dead or alive. I was also on that boat." he said. "I swear I didn't do anything. I came here to go Germany." Alarming situation The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that deaths of refugees and migrants crossing the Aegean Sea between Turkey and Greece were "increasing at an alarming rate." Before Saturday's tragedy, according to IOM estimates, 218 people died this year on that eastern Mediterranean route and 26 others died trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea on the traditionally more deadly route between Libya and Italy. The winter cold and rough water conditions have not stopped the human wave of migrants seeking refuge in Europe. Turkey struck a deal with the European Union last November to slow the flow of migrants in return for more than $3 billion in financial assistance. Many of the migrants, looking for a better life, are escaping war and poverty in Middle Eastern and African countries. Tensions rose between Turkey and Russia when Turkey and NATO said a Russian warplane had violated Turkish airspace. Russia dismissed the Turkish allegations as "baseless propaganda." Turkeys Foreign Ministry said a Russian Su-34 warplane entered Turkish airspace Friday at 11:45 a.m. (0945 UTC) despite what Turkish and NATO officials said were repeated warnings. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Russia it would endure "consequences" if it continued such violations, and he called the Russian actions irresponsible. He spoke to reporters at Istanbul's airport as he departed on a trip to Latin America. The Turkish government said it had summoned Russias ambassador in Ankara to protest. In Moscow, a Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said there had not been a single violation of Turkish airspace by Russian air force planes. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called the Russian incursion into Turkish airspace dangerous behavior and reaffirmed the alliances solidarity with Turkey, a NATO member. I call on Russia to act responsibly and to fully respect NATO airspace. Russia must take all necessary measures to ensure that such violations do not happen again, Stoltenberg said in a statement Saturday. Tensions escalated between Russia and Turkey in November when Turkey shot down a Russian warplane that Turkey said had violated its airspace near its border with Syria. In that incident, Russia also denied its aircraft had entered Turkish airspace. Russia and Turkey are fundamentally at odds on the conflict in Syria, where both countries have ongoing military operations. Since September, Russian warplanes have been carrying out airstrikes on Syrian rebels in support of the government of President Bashar al-Assad. Turkey wants Assad to leave power. Since last year, Turkish warplanes have been striking Islamic State militants inside Syria. Yemen is facing chronic mass starvation, a United Nations report warns, calling it a "forgotten crisis." The poorest country in the Middle East may be on the brink of famine while it faces bombing and a blockade from a Saudi-led coalition. More than half of the total population of Yemen some 14.4 million people are food insecure, the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization said in a report. The number of food insecure people has grown by 12 percent since June, according to the U.N. agency. Fuel shortages and restrictions on imports have reduced the availability of essential food commodities and caused food and fuel prices to soar since conflict escalated in March 2015. Humanitarian organizations have repeatedly warned that 80 percent of the Yemeni population desperately needs food, water, medical supplies and fuel. The U.N. has called what the Yemenis are enduring a "humanitarian catastrophe." The conflict in Yemen has been escalating since President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi was forced to flee the country after Iran-backed Houthi rebels captured the capital of Sanaa in January 2015. He has since returned to the country, but has been forced to lead from the port city of Aden. A Saudi-led coalition is assisting Hadi in his battle against the Houthis, conducting airstrikes against the insurgents. U.S. military officials say a Russian fighter jet came within 15 feet of a U.S. reconnaissance plane flying in international airspace Monday, calling it an "unsafe" incident. A Defense Department spokeswoman, Army Lieutenant Colonel Michelle Baldanza, said Friday that the U.S. Air Force plane was flying a routine route over the Black Sea when it was intercepted by a Russian jet in an "unsafe and unprofessional manner." She said the U.S. military was looking into the incident. "Aircraft intercepts are not unusual, but are normally routine events. In this case, the intercept was not routine, and the Russian pilot acted in an unprofessional manner that put both the American flight crew and himself at risk," she said. Military officials also told U.S. media outlets that the Russian jet flew along the right side of the U.S. reconnaissance plane and then banked hard to the right, which affected the controllability of the U.S. aircraft. The officials did not say whether the Russian aircraft was armed at the time. The encounter was similar to one that happened in April over the Baltic Sea. The Pentagon said at that time that a Russian fighter jet crossed in front of a U.S. reconnaissance plane and tilted to show off its weapons. Moscow denied that its pilot did anything wrong in that incident. The U.S. State Department, for the first time, is saying that former secretary of State Hillary Clinton's unsecured home computer server contained 22 emails with top secret information and said those emails would not be released to the public. Spokesman John Kirby said Friday the material includes seven email chains covering 37 pages of messages. He said the emails would not be disclosed, even with blacked-out boxes, as the agency released more of the emails from Clinton's tenure as the country's top diplomat. Kirby said the documents were not marked classified at the time they were sent, but are being upgraded now at the request of U.S. intelligence officials. State Department officials are checking whether any of the material was actually classified at the time it passed through her server, but Clinton has repeatedly said she did not send or receive any such classified material. Iowa caucus The development came three days before Clinton, the leading contender for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, competes in the Iowa caucus. It is the first voting in the state-by-state nominating contests to pick Democratic and Republican candidates to square off in next November's national election to replace President Barack Obama when he leaves office in a year. Clinton has been the national front-runner for the Democratic nomination, but is locked in a tight contest in the rural state of Iowa against Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who calls himself an independent Democratic socialist. Sanders has dismissed the controversy over Clinton's emails, but Republican presidential candidates have regularly attacked Clinton's use of the unsecured email link for official business, with some contending she should be criminally charged for the possible security lapse. Other candidates' reactions One Republican presidential candidate, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, said at a debate Thursday that "her first acts as president may very well be to pardon herself." The leading Republican contender, billionaire real estate tycoon Donald Trump, tweeted, "How can anyone with such bad judgment be our next president?" The Clinton campaign demanded Friday that the emails be released in full. A campaign statement said the development is an example of "bureaucratic infighting" over the degree of classification that should be placed on the emails and "over-classification run amok." Private email account Clinton has been at the center of a controversy since it was discovered that she used her private email account for official business while serving as secretary of state from 2009 to 2013, during Obama's first White House term. Clinton has asked the State Department to release her emails in order to defuse the controversy, but it is taking officials months to sort through all the material to determine whether there is classified information in them. State Department officials have said that using a private email account was not prohibited and that Clinton never shared classified information over the account. But critics say it may have been a way for her to hide her communications and that use of the unsecured server at her home outside New York City left it vulnerable to overseas hackers. Clinton initially said the private server was a matter of convenience, but later conceded it was a mistake. The Zika virus is spreading rapidly in Latin America and Asian governments have issued advisories attempting to contain the mosquito-borne disease. Zika could be linked to birth defects such as brain damage in newborns and could cause temporary paralysis, according to medical professionals. Health authorities in several Asian countries have advised travelers, particularly pregnant women to avoid trips to Central and South America. They have asked people coming or returning from those areas, who display symptoms such as fever and rashes to immediately report to health centers. Doctors are also required to immediately report suspected cases. Meanwhile, Colombia's National Health Institute said that the country has recorded 20,297 cases of Zika infection, including 2,116 in pregnant women. In a statement released Saturday, the institute recommended that couples delay pregnancy for six to eight months. The latest numbers, reported in the institute's epidemiological bulletin, would make Colombia the second most affected country in the region, after Brazil. US, Brazil pledge to fight Zika together In face of Zika outburst, the presidents of the United States and Brazil have agreed on "the importance of collaborative efforts" to combat the spread of the Zika virus. After the two leaders spoke Friday, the White House issued a statement saying Barack Obama and Dilma Rouseff recognize the significance of working together "to deepen our knowledge, advance research, and accelerate work to develop better vaccines and other technologies to control the virus." Virus spreading rapidly The World Health Organization, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the Pan American Health Organization warn the Zika virus is spreading rapidly through the Americas and could affect as many as four million people. The Zika virus has been tentatively linked to 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly in Brazil, a condition that results in abnormally small heads and brains in newborns. There is no treatment for microcephaly or the virus. Infographic: Areas With Active Zika Virus Transmission (click to expand) Brazil launches nationwide campaign Rouseff announced Friday a nationwide attack on the Aedes Aegypti mosquito that transmits the Zika virus to humans. The Brazilian president has ordered an operation to eliminate mosquito breeding areas at all installations run by the the armed forces and at all federal educational, health and other facilities. Rouseff encouraged Brazilians to join in the effort to stop the disease. "Everyone must do their part in to eliminate the breeding grounds," she said. "We will win this war." Despite Obama and Rouseff's pledges to combine their efforts, scientists have warned it could take years to develop a Zika virus vaccine. In the meantime, Brazil has turned to a British company, Oxitec, for help. According to The New York Times, Brazil recently approved the release of multiple groups of genetically modified Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes, created by Oxitec, throughout the country. The idea behind the release of the mosquitoes is for the mature modified males to mate with females. Their offspring who inherited the modified gene would die, causing the mosquito population to dwindle and, hopefully, lower the threat of the disease. 4 million could be affected The World Health Organization warns the Zika virus is spreading rapidly through the Americas and could affect as many as four million people. The WHO says the virus has grown rapidly to a public-health threat of "alarming proportions." Julius Lutwana a virologist at the Uganda Virus Research Institute told VOA that the virus, which was first identified in Uganda in 1947, was long thought to pose only a small risk to humans. The WHO says people with the Zika virus have a mild fever, skin rash and conjunctivitis (red eye) with symptoms lasting between two to seven days. The best prevention against Zika virus, experts say, is protection against mosquito bites as no vaccine or treatment is available. Brazil reported its first Zika case in 2015. Margaret Chan, the WHO's director general, said Thursday at a special meeting in Geneva that 23 countries and territories in the Americas region have reported Zika virus cases. She said the Zika virus is spreading explosively in the Americas. She has called for an emergency meeting of experts Monday to determine measures to combat the spread of the virus. Obama calls for quick response In the United States, President Barack Obama has called for the rapid development of tests, vaccines and treatments for Zika infections. Obama convened a meeting of senior health advisers to discuss the spread of the virus and its economic and developmental impact on the Americas. The virus is named for the Zika forest in Uganda where the virus was first discovered in a monkey nearly 70 years ago. It was first believed to affect only primates, and when it was detected in humans, it seemed to cause only mild illness. Outbreaks in Brazil and elsewhere in southern and central America have led to extensive spraying of insecticides to eradicate mosquitoes. Warning to pregnant women The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has warned pregnant women against traveling to areas with Zika virus outbreaks. The WHO's regional office in the Americas said the most effective ways to stop the virus from spreading are to reduce mosquito breeding sites and for people to protect themselves from bites with insect repellent, nets, screens and clothing that covers as much of the body as possible. Dr. Anthony Fauci, with the U.S. National Institutes of Health, said the NIH is "working with partners to accelerate research, disease diagnosis, vaccines and therapeutics." He says that an existing vaccine platform that was proven safe with the West Nile virus could be repurposed for use in developing a vaccine for Zika. He added, however, that a completed vaccine is several years away. WATCH: Dr. Fauci on Zika Democratic and Republican presidential hopefuls crisscrossed Iowa on Saturday, making last-minute appeals to voters and tightening their attacks on rivals ahead of the state's crucial, first-in-the-nation nominating contest. With just two days to go before the Iowa caucuses, both the Democratic and Republican races appeared to be tightening. Almost every major candidate in both parties held campaign rallies and gave speeches across this rural Midwestern state. The notable exception for a time was GOP front-runner Donald Trump. The billionaire businessman instead looked past Iowa, opting to campaign in New Hampshire, which holds the nation's next nominating event February 9. Trump defends debate decision Speaking at a rally Friday in Nashua, the brash reality television star defended his decision to withdraw from Thursday's Republican presidential debate in Des Moines following a dispute with debate host Fox News. "I did something that was very risky and I think it turned out good because I'm on the front page of every paper," Trump said. "I'm getting more publicity than if I [did participate], you know?" "When you're not treated properly, you have to stick up for your rights. And if I'm your leader, we're going to stick up for the rights of the country," Trump said. Trump refused to participate because of what he said was unfair treatment by Fox. He especially took issue with moderator Megyn Kelly. The two have repeatedly clashed after Kelly asked Trump during a previous debate about his past insulting comments about women. Though Trump succeeded in dominating yet another news cycle by sitting out the debate, the move also risks alienating Iowa voters, analysts said. "We won't know whether or not this was truly a good move until we find out how Iowans cast their votes," Republican strategist Ford O'Connell told VOA. "If they don't feel shunned, then this was a brilliant move by Trump, because he wound up being the debate winner precisely because Ted Cruz was in the hot seat." After his New Hampshire trip, Trump was back in Iowa for the weekend, with stops planned in five cities, according to his campaign website. Two more appearances in the state were scheduled for Monday. WATCH: Jim Malone on significance of Iowa caucuses: Cruz recovers from debate Cruz, a U.S. senator from Texas who is second behind Trump in most national polls, spent much of Friday trying to recover from what most pundits agreed was one of his worst debate performances of the primary season. During the debate, Cruz appeared to struggle to adequately explain his past stances on immigration. He also repeatedly clashed with the debate moderators. The front page of Iowa's biggest paper, The Des Moines Register, on Friday summarized Cruz's struggles with the headline: "Rough Night for Cruz." At a Friday campaign event, Cruz dismissed the headline. "You know, we've seen too many Republicans that live in the echo chamber of the mainstream media bubble, that live in the world of political correctness," he said. "My focus is on talking to the voters directly and making the case to them that I have spent my entire life fighting to defend the Constitution." Too close to call Cruz's shaky debate performance and Trump's absence is causing further uncertainty about who will come out on top when Iowa Republicans caucus Monday night. According to a RealClearPolitics average of Iowa polls, Trump remains in first place at about 31 percentage points, compared with Cruz's 25 percent. In third place is Florida Senator Marco Rubio with about 14 percentage points. On the Democratic side, the situation in Iowa is no clearer. The same polling average shows Hillary Clinton's lead slipping. The ex-secretary of state is now just 2.5 percentage points ahead of her main challenger, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Clinton email controversy Meanwhile, Clinton's campaign is again being dogged by the controversy over her use of a private email server during her time as the top U.S. diplomat. The State Department said Friday that it would withhold seven of Clinton's private email chains, 37 pages in total, because they contained top-secret information. Clinton has said that none of the info was classified at the time she sent it. She has turned over the emails to the State Department, which has been releasing them in batches. In a statement, Clinton's campaign said it "firmly" opposes the complete blocking of the email chain. "Since first providing her emails to the State Department more than one year ago, Hillary Clinton has urged that they be made available to the public. We feel no differently today." The revelation lends weight to Clinton's critics who argue she endangered U.S. national security by keeping the emails on a private, unsecured server. Sanders, who in the past refused to strongly criticize Clinton over the email issue, has not commented on the latest revelations. It is not clear how much of an impact the news will have on the outcome in Iowa. Snowstorm coming Another lingering uncertainty in Iowa is the weather. Though in recent days Iowa has seen unseasonably warm conditions, forecasters expect a significant snowstorm to sweep across the state Monday night, just when the caucuses are set to take place. Depending on when and where the storm hits, it could have a major impact on voter turnout. In that case, the better-organized campaigns would have a big advantage, according to GOP analyst Jack Pitney, who spoke with VOA. "An extremely well-organized campaign has contingency plans. And so we'll see if Trump has anything like that," said Pitney, noting that both Cruz and Rubio appear to have well-run ground campaigns. On the Democratic side, it is not clear what impact a storm would have, he says. "It appears the Sanders people have more passion, Pitney said, and people who believe in the things Sanders stands for might be willing to brave the snowstorm in order to express that. "But then again, Clinton is more of a veteran of Iowa politics, and has invested a great deal in infrastructure and technology, so she may have more capability to get people to the caucus sites." U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell concluded her tour of South Africa's Kruger National Park Saturday by warning the world that if swift action is not taken to fight poaching, some animals could soon be extinct. Jewell has been on a regional trip to encourage collaboration in the fight against illegal trade in wildlife. The international outreach is part of U.S. President Barack Obamas National Strategy to Combat Wildlife Trafficking. On her second and last day of touring Kruger National Park, Jewell witnessed the collaring of a black female rhino by the park's veterinary team. This involved attaching a device to the rhino so that its movements could be monitored. Jewell said after the tour she has a "mouthful" to report to President Obama. Taking to President Obama that his support of the African range-line States is critically important, that his support of our bilateral relations with some of the high demand countries like China and Vietnam is very important because these animals, particularly the black rhinos, are at risk of going extinct if we dont act and we dont act quickly, she said. Closer cooperation Her South African counterpart Minister of Water and Environment Edna Molewa praised her interaction with Secretary Jewell. Molewa said strategies shared will no doubt add value to the war against poaching being spearheaded through the countrys Integrated Strategic Management Approach. "Its quite exciting especially because, I am confident that from here we have our tools that will help us to analyze proactively how to deal with those people who are coming into the park and doing the poaching," said Molewa. Praise for South African measures Jewell applauded the measures taken by countries like South Africa in fighting illicit wildlife trafficking, but urged for more to be done. "I think its on the right track, but I will say that we are really at a critical point that we have not yet stopped demand even though there has been progress made in public awareness, but demand is still very much out there. Its really difficult to stop those transiting these products. And its really gonna take all of this working together in order to bring these guys to justice." Jewell has already visited China, Vietnam, Kenya, Gabon and Namibia as part of the Obama administrations work to stop illegal trade that threatens to wipe out elephants, rhinos and other iconic species. African heads of state are expected to address some of the most pressing violent conflicts on the continent, such as Burundi and South Sudan. They are meeting in Addis Ababa for two days at African Union headquarters. Despite its theme of human rights, with a particular focus on women, this African Union summit is once again focused on security issues. With 17 African countries holding elections this year, the consequences of leaders clinging to power is also frequently discussed. Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, the outgoing chairperson of the African Union assembly, has been in power since 1980. He said he was not impressed by those who criticize leaders with long office terms. You have been in power for too long, you must now allow another body also to take over. Is that democracy? And that was coming from Europe. Tell them to shut their mouths, he said. Burundi, South Sudan, and terrorism are the security issues topping the agenda of the African Union Summit. Burundi violence Violence in Burundi erupted last year after its president announced his intention to seek a third term in office. Opposition groups said the move was unconstitutional. The violence led the African Union Peace and Security Council last December to send in African peace keeping forces. Burundis foreign minister, Alan Nyamitwe, said Friday night the country is not allowing African troops into Burundi: We wanted to let everybody know in the council that the problems of Burundi have to be solved by Burundians through peaceful and political means," he said. "The support that Burundi needs does not take the form of troops. You can think of any support, we can sit down and discuss. But when it comes to troops, our position has not changed, thats a no-go area. Burundi was re-elected to the African Union Peace and Security Commission this week, even though the summit is to further decide on the issue. The African Union Summit will wrap up on Sunday evening. Some Zimbabweans say as African Union chairperson, President Robert failed to contain various issues affecting Africa, including political and armed conflicts, hunger, poverty, disease and drought. But others argue that Mr. Mugabe, who took over the ceremonial post last year, championed the empowerment of women, fought for the implementation of the African continents economic blue print, Agenda 2063, and as usual, was a thorn in the flesh on Western nations widely seen by most leaders on the continent as neo-colonialists seeking to overexploit African resources without empowering poverty-stricken people in various nations. President Mugabe told the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly last year that the African Union supported most of the organizations priorities, which were designed to empower billions of people in the world. Mr. Mugabe was happy that Sustainable Development Goals set by the U.N dovetailed into development initiatives of the AU, which was under his chairmanship. The African Union welcomes the priorities you have proposed for they are in tandem with our own developmental plan, the Agenda 2063, which recognizes the intrinsic and inextricable linkages between peace, security, development, and the full realization of human rights. He went on to attack the West for failing to pave the way for Africans to have permanent seats in the critical U.N Security Council, dominated by developed nations. PAYING ATTENTION Some people back home paid attention to the presidents calls while others believed that he was back to his old ways attacking the West for any African problems. One year after taking over as AU chairperson, some people strongly believe that President Mugabes leadership was a complete waste of time and resources. Local resident, Wisdom Mgagara, says Mr. Mugabe was one of the most ineffective African Union chairperson as political and armed conflicts gripped the continent during his tenure of office. I strongly believe that he is the worst chairman ever as he failed to deal with the crisis in Burundi where (President) Nkrurunzizah killed a lot of people. He failed to deal with the problems in the CAR (Central African Republic) and Lesotho, nothing has been solved. We also have our crisis that has led to the suffering of most Zimbabweans and nothing has been done. He has not been leading by example, instead he has taught other African leaders how to be cruel to their own people. PUBLIC FUNDS Mgagara adds that Zimbabwe suffered economically when Mr. Mugabe was the AU chairperson. We suffered by having him as chair of AU. Most of the time he was moving all over Africa spending a lot of money and straining the fiscus. We lost more than gaining anything. The president travelled to various nations as the chairperson of the AU and Zimbabwean leader with funds being derived from both the African Union and struggling southern African nation. His AU and national travel budgets have not yet been made public though indications are that he may have spent millions of dollars in allowances and related expenses. Kudakwashe Tsiga, another Harare resident, believes that this worsened Zimbabwes economic problems as some of the funds spent on foreign trips should have been channeled towards reviving the economy or feeding hungry people currently facing a serious drought fueled by the El Nino weather phenomenon. It was a big strain on the economy. He was allocated $17 million in the (national) budget but by September he had spent $33 million. It was a big strain visa-vis the demand elsewhere in terms of bonuses for civil servants and their salaries and the impending drought, among other issues. The government failed to cope. MILLIONS LET DOWN Tsiga says President Mugabe let down millions of people in Africa as he did not play an active role in quelling political and armed conflicts. His role was more of a reactive role in terms of the crises that occurred on the continent. He was supposed to lead from the front but people did not see that. As a country there was no benefit for Zimbabwe. But Harare resident, Anna Kombora, says Mr. Mugabe has proved that he is a true African statesman. Mugabe left a mark on the continent. There was a lot of instability which I believe he managed to deal with e.g in Lesotho his diplomatic interventions made it possible for elections to be held. He also handled the South African crisis well which threatened to destabilize the region by leading the continent to engage with South Africa. Despite being impressed by the role of Mr. Mugabe during his tenure, Kombora agrees that Zimbabwe did not accrue a lot of benefits from chairing the African Union. To a less extent Zimbabwe benefitted especially (in issues like) the campaign against child marriages which the AU sought to expand last year. Zimbabwe has launched a lot of these campaigns and with the recent ConCourt judgment (banning early child marriages) on child marriages we can say Zimbabwe has done well. UNFAIR JUDGEMENT There are some Zimbabweans, who argue that it is unfair to judge the presidents capabilities based on his one-year stint at the helm of the African Union in which he was merely a ceremonial leader. One of the backers of this school of thought is local resident, Tongai Kasukuwere. The president achieved his goal and that of the regional body as there was relative peace on the continent. The AU is not a voluntary body and despite what Mugabe could do you realize that membership and participation is at the discretion of the country. He is trying to intervene in Burundi but look at the challenges. Mr. Mugabe is set to hand over the AU chair to another African leader within the next few days. His tenure has been characterised by unrest on the continent such as political conflicts in Burundi, South Sudan, Libya, Somalia, Swaziland and Lesotho. Terrorist attacks, which left hundreds of people dead in Mali, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Nigeria and Somalia, also took place when he was leader of the African Union. As President Robert Mugabes tenure as Africa Union chairperson comes to end at the 26th AU summit being held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, there are mixed views in the county about how he fared as the political head of the continental body with government officials and his party supporters praising him for a job well done. His opponents claim that Zimbabwe did not benefit from his chairmanship. Most of the presidents critics say President Mugabe performed badly as African Union chairperson as he spent huge sums of money travelling to various countries, at times at the expense of Zimbabwean taxpayers. Peoples Democratic Party spokesperson, Jacob Mafume, claimed that Zimbabwe incurred huge financial losses as a result for his AU chairmanship. He said the president should have used his AU chairmanship to open new trade opportunities for Zimbabweans and other Africans instead of always attacking the West for wrong reasons. There are some local people who believe that the president should have resolved most conflicts in Africa. Kurauone Chihwayi, spokesperson of the MDC led by Professor Welshman Ncube, said Mr. Mugabe failed to resolve political conflicts in Nigeria, Burundi, Mali and several others. But Zanu PF Youth League member, Tongai Kasukuwere, defended Mr. Mugabe saying he had done so much in dealing with the crises as some countries were not co-operating. His views were echoed by Zanu PF legislator, Kindness Paradza of Makonde, who said the president did well and scored many successes such as the eradication of poverty. Great Zimbabwe University lecturer, Joel Mukusha, added that Mr. Mugabe has done well in tackling the issue of sustainability and self-reliance on the continent. He said as guru on the African continent, the president pushed for Africa to have permanent representation on the United Nations Security Council. But some critics like political commentators Masimba Kuchera and Fortune Gwaze said there was nothing an AU chairperson could do as it was more of a ceremonial position. Kuchera said it was important for successive AU leaders to continue lobbying for a permanent seat on the AU Security Council. Democracy activist, Claris Madhuku, said while there might have been no tangible benefits to the country, Mr. Mugabe benefitted in a big way as the AU chairmanship legitimized his rule in Zimbabwe. Mr. Mugabe hands over the chairmanship to President Idriss Deby of Chad at a time when the continent is plagued by several crises in various African countries. Former Vice President Joice Mujurus proposed party, People First, says it is finalizing its constitution before launching the party. De-facto people first spokesperson, Rugare Gumbo, told VOA Studio 7 they are getting a lot of support from Zimbabweans. Basically we have been looking at the mobilization of our people creating structures to ensure that people know who to report to, we have done provincial structures, we have done constituency structures That is the level where we are. We have also been looking into the constitution of the party. We want to come up with a brilliant constitution that everyone will try to associate with. We are concerned by the fact that if we dont produce a good constitution people will, perhaps, feel let down. Gumbo said his party is encouraging the democratic participation of Zimbabweans in the proposed People First party. Gumbo, Mrs. Mujuru and several other top Zanu PF officials were expelled from President Robert Mugabes ruling party following allegations that they wanted to unseat the 91 year-old Zimbabwean leader. They have dismissed these allegations as wishful thinking, claiming that this is all about the succession of President Mugabe, who has been the sole leader of Zimbabwe since the country attained independence from British rule in 1980. Drought continues to ravage Zimbabwe as the El Nino weather phenomenon causes havoc in southern Africa and other parts of the world. Local development experts say the situation is bad in Matabeleland North and South, some parts of the Midlands, Masvingo and Manicaland provinces. One of the development experts, Everson Ndlovu, told Studio 7 farmers have lost hundreds of livestock in all these regions. The situation is very bad. There is no crop to speak about in most rural areas. I have been to Matobo in the mountains very close to Bulawayo that wet spell has encouraged some farmers to plant sweet potatoes. They are busy planting it right now. "Some cattle are already dying but thanks to FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) and the government (because) in some areas of the country they deliver stock feed which is selling almost half the price what you would find in town. He urged farmers to sell some of their livestock in order to save a few remaining ones by buying some stock feed. The World Food Program says just over 1,5 million Zimbabweans need food aid. The drought situation has claimed over 5,000 cattle in Masvingo and other regions due to lack of pastures and drinking water. The dry spell has caused untold suffering among local people who are struggling to have a decent meal per day. David Bowie. Photo: RALPH GATTI/2013 AFP Weeks after his death, the details of David Bowies will have been made available to the public. According to the New York Times, the 20-page document was first prepared in 2004 and dictates that the legendary rock stars body be shipped to Bali, cremated there, and that the ashes be scattered on the island, in accordance with the Buddhist rituals of Bali. If cremation on the island was not practical and, apparently, it was not, as Bowies body was cremated in New Jersey on January 12, according to the death certificate Bowie stated that he would like his ashes scattered there nonetheless. The Last Will and Testament of David R. Jones (titled as such, because Bowie never legally altered his birth name) estimates the legendary rock stars estate to be worth as much as $100 million. Bowie left half his estate, as well as his SoHo apartment, to his wife, Iman, a quarter to his son Duncan Jones, and the last quarter, as well as his mountain home in Ulster County, New York, to his daughter Alexandria Zahra Jones. He also gave $2 million to Corinne Schwab, his personal assistant, and $1 million to Marion Skeke, his sons nanny. Bowie had a lifelong interest in Buddhism and, as a teenager, considered becoming a Buddhist monk. All the best schools really are on the east coast. Photo: Pottermore. Finally, you have a place to blame for not sending you an acceptance letter to the world of magic given, of course, that you live in North America, Brazil, Africa, or Japan. On Pottermore yesterday, J.K. Rowling released the names of four new wizarding schools, but lets cut to the chase: The American school is called Ilvermorny and, according Pottermores map, it lies somewhere between northern Appalachia and Quebec. (We knew poutine was supernatural!) Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the next Harry Potter film, takes place in America, and Rowling has promised well learn even more about Ilvermorny then. Key questions: Do British wizards make fun of American wizards pronunciation of spells? How good is the Ilvermorny quidditch team? (The best, right? U.S.A.! U.S.A.!) Can Americans please have a better word for muggle than No-Maj? While there isnt much else to learn about Ilvermorny, Rowling did reveal more about the other schools. The Brazilian wizarding school is called Castelobruxo, and its somewhere in the Amazon rain forest. There, students master herbology, while is school is guarded by Caipora, small and furry spirit-beings who are extraordinarily mischievous and tricky. Japanese wizarding school, Mahoutokoro, falls somewhere Southwest of Japan on a map, on an island called Minami Iwo Jima (interesting choice, Rowling). Japanese wizarding students get enchanted robes that grow as they age and change color depending on their level of achievement, supposedly its a real pressure cooker. Uagadou is, apparently, the largest of a number of African wizarding schools. It lies somewhere in the center of the continent here Pottermore is especially unhelpful, noting that the only address ever given is Mountains of the Moon. Uagadous students are adept and transfiguration and learn how to cast spells without the use of wands. The school informs students of their acceptance with Dream Messengers, which leave tokens for children in their sleep. Rowling did not name a wizarding school in Oceania, which is strange, because we know Lorde learned magic somehow. Welcome back! By now we know that hell isnt a Phoenix Stone; its a hiatus without TVD. When we last left them, Damon and Stefans spirits were both trapped in the Phoenix Stone and we only know where Damon is: on the front lines of the Civil War. Things can only get worse before they get better, so onward we go. We open on the same scene we last saw: cannons and gunfire. Damons intestines bursting out of his shirt gross. Glimpses of flashback hair hot. Damon sees Lily in the distance. Its unclear if he knows where he is or what is happening to him and then he sees a friend trapped beneath a carriage. (Henry, the tomb vampire! Nice throwback!) After rescuing Henry and escaping the battlefield, Damon wakes up. Welcome back, hero. Youve been out for a while, Henry says. Damon reads a letter from Stefan and decides he needs to visit him. Damons commander cuts him a deal: bring back the two deserters some Union sympathizers are hiding in a nearby farmhouse and youll get your leave. When he and Henry reach the farmhouse, Damon reminds the skeptical lady in the doorway (who is definitely not hiding deserters based on how scared she looks) that its against the law to refuse shelter to Confederate soldiers. They go inside and find a young girl and an older woman preparing dinner. The deserters burst out of a false wall and raise their guns. Shots are fired between them, killing everyone in the houseexcept one person, in the basement. Damon goes downstairs, expecting to find one more deserter, and is confronted by his mother instead. Hell is being raked over the coals for something I havent thought about in 150 years? Damon asks. Apparently he thought hell would be different. Hes right; I definitely thought Damons version of hell would have Elena in it, in some impenetrable fortress that he couldnt reach. The next thing we know, Lily shoots him and he wakes up in a circle of candles, with Bonnie leaning over him. Damon, youve been dead for three months. Bonnie explains: shes been trying to rescue Damon from the stone, but the spell the heretics used to rescue Julian took all three of them. With just her, its been draining her resources. It gets worse. Youre telling me my brother is still stuck in here and you brought me back first? But theres some good rationale here: They were afraid that if they brought Stefan back first and left Damon in the stone too long, hed come back murderous intent on killing Bonnie so he could reunite with Elena. All fair points, considering Damons tendency to snap necks when he gets miffed. Not only is Stefans spirit still stuck in limbo, but Julian stole his body, and as Caroline lovingly reminds us, if he scorches it, they cant get him back. Things have changed in Mystic Falls: Caroline is pregnant, Bonnie looks like she hasnt slept in months and Matt is still the only cop. So yeah, everything is falling apart. Julian and Damon have a lovely chat, in which Julian says he suffered for over a century in the stone, killing Lily every day. Damon experienced trauma, but it wasnt nearly as terrible as that. You resisted, Julian says. Resisted what? I wonder as Julian lights Stefans gasoline-doused body on fire, killing him. And when Damon suddenly wakes up once more, back in civil war-garb, I realize: Inception! None of it was real! Hes still in the stone, doomed to repeat this same day over and over again, until he gets something right. And knowing Damon, that something probably has to do with his avoidance of his mothers death. When he and Henry reach the farmhouse for the second time, Damon tries a different tactic, summoning all the women to the tableside before approaching the deserters. It doesnt work; they end up shooting him in the back. When he wakes up on Bonnies table, he thinks its the same: Julian has stolen Stefans body and he has to go rescue him Please dont hold it against her that Caroline pulled me back first, Stefan says, entering the room. (We dont, because Steroline forever.) For once, Stefan doesnt want to chat about his feelings he wants to get drunk. (This is how Damon was supposed to realize his brother was a hallucination; Stefan, not wanting to talk about feelings? Never.) But when Damon confesses that nothing that happened in the stone really got to him, Stefan changes. You didnt feel anything? The part with the innocent people bleeding out over the farmhouse floorboards, that did nothing to you? Damon gets the picture: Stefan isnt real, and with a heartsnatch, he hits the reset button. But take three goes a bit differently because we finally learn the truth: Our Scooby Gang did pull Stefan out of the stone first, because it was easy. For some reason, they cant reunite Damons soul with his body. He is, as Julian said earlier, resisting something. I submitted to the kind of suffering that just breaks you, Stefan says, of his time in the stone. Knowing Damon, hell do anything to avoid that kind of pain. Stefans right: in the next few takes of Damons Adventure in Hell, we see him sink deeper and deeper into the emotional pit we found him in in season one. This was the first time I had blood on my hands, he says, walking to the farmhouse a third time. We know it wont be the last. He orders the women onto the porch, but the deserters have a grenade. Reset. He tells the deserters to throw out the grenade first before they surrender their guns but the women take Henry hostage, holding a knife to his throat. Reset. Does the offer still stand if I bring them back dead? he asks his commander. He kills the deserters, but grandma lodges a bullet into his chest. Reset. By take seven, Damon hasnt flipped a switch, but he doesnt have to theres no humanity left to kill. He deserts the confederacy, determined to skip the farmhouse completely and just do what he wanted to do in the first place: find his brother. He throws a lit grenade at Henry and sets off. (Alas, poor Henry, things didnt end so well for you in the correct timeline, either.) But by now, Damon should realize that hell doesnt follow rules: despite walking for god knows how long, he still finds himself in front of the very farmhouse hes trying to bypass. Lily is there, as is Stefan, in full-on flashback hair. And so is Elena, in the coffin. All the reminders of the things Damon cant save, no matter how hard he tries. I wonder if Elena will even recognize you when you wake up? Stefan sneers, taunting his brother with the truth. Who is Damon without Elena by his side, acting as his literal moral compass? Without her, he immediately resorts to who he truly is inside: a killer. With the blood of the deserters above dripping down his face, Stefan asks his brother what he really wanted in those moments he watched them die, but we already know the answer. I wanted my mother, Damon admits. Thats the core of it: his mother abandoned him, starting the pattern of women in Damons life that he could never really trust, fearing that theyd always leave him in the end because if his mother left, that means Damon was bad from the beginning. Back on the battlefield, Lily is now the one trapped beneath the carriage. As shes dying, Damon admits that the real reason he hates her is because she could have come back, and she didnt and the real reason he hates himself, which is that he never had the chance to make things right between them. Give me a chance to let you love me, okay? Through my tears, I see Lily die. Again. And this time it means so much more, because Damon finally wants to help her. When Damon wakes up, surrounded by Stefan and their friends questioning whether its actually real as much as I am his worst fears come true. We werent done, he says. Its not Elena hes talking about, like they feared, but his mother. He wants her back. Stefan tries to reassure him that what happened wasnt real, but thats the last thing Damon wants to hear. I know it wasnt real, Damon insists, snapping Stefans neck, stabbing Caroline in the chest, punching Matt, and hurtling Bonnie against the wall. His grip doesnt break. Bonnie struggles. She crumples to the floor, a trail of blood behind her. And nothing happens. No reset. Damon, standing amidst the ruins of bodies, once again, as the screen cut to black. Hats off to everyone for TVDs first concept episode what a doozy. Extra props to maestro Ian Somerhalder, who carried the episode and showed us once again that he is more than just a pair of beautiful blue eyes. (Plus 500.) Until next week, when we find out if Bonnie survived and whether Damon can recover from yet another murderous outburst Ill be on twitter @Talkativetara! One of the themes in the current presidential race is the need to make America great again. The focus seems to be on military might, economic policies and immigration reform. But one historic element appears to be missing in the midst of the rhetoric. In our rush to separate church and state at every level of life, we have dismissed the importance of faith and moral values for the success of democracy and free enterprise. Thomas Jeffersons comment on the subject is inscribed in the Jefferson Memorial in Washington DC: Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that his justice cannot sleep forever. In 1831, Frenchman Alexis de Tocqueville visited the United States trying to find out the secret of its success. After traveling throughout the young nation, de Tocqueville made the following observation: I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers and it was not there . . . in her fertile fields and boundless forests and it was not there . . . in her rich mines and her vast world commerce and it was not there . . . in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great. A few years ago a noted Chinese economist, Zhao Xiao, conducted a similar study of the United States in search of applications for China. Here are his conclusions: The key to Americas commercial success is not its natural resources, its financial system or its technology but its churches. . . . The market economy is efficient because it discourages idleness, but it can also encourage people to lie and injure others. It thus needs a moral underpinning. . . . without awe, China will not succeed. Only through awe can we be saved. Only through faith can the market economy have a soul. When we look for Americas greatness, we are tempted to look where other nations have looked in the past, and failed. Perhaps we are best served when we look within ourselves. The real factor that will determine our future is moral and spiritual. And the battleground for victory is found in each individual heart. The Bible says, Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a disgrace to any people. (Proverbs 14:34). If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14). Bill Tinsley reflects on current events and life experience from a faith perspective. Visit www.tinsleycenter.com. Email bill@tinsleycenter.com. McLennan Community College has selected five faculty and staff members as honorees for the annual National Institute of Staff and Organizational Development Excellence Awards, which recognize commitment to high performance and extraordinary service in higher education. MCCs honorees are Brenda Price, senior executive secretary of instruction; Herman Tucker, director of records and registration; Alisa Petree, professor of medical laboratory technology; Alexandra Shiu, associate professor of business and economics; and David Oualaalou, part-time professor of government. Price holds an associate degree in legal secretarial training from MCC She has served on numerous committees at the school and is active in several community activities. Tucker has been a member of the MCC staff for more than 30 years. He earned his bachelors degree in journalism and physical education from Baylor University, and his master of education-counseling from Tarleton State University. Petree received her bachelors degree in biology from Baylor University, and her ASCP certificate in medical technology from Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center before completing her masters of health services management from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. She is a member of numerous professional organizations and has served in many leadership capacities at MCC. Shiu obtained her degrees from Baylor University, a bachelor and masters of economics, as well as a Ph.D. in educational psychology. She has numerous academic and professional honors and awards, her latest as a member of the Leadership Waco class for 2014-15. Oualaalou earned his bachelors degree at Millersville University, his masters at St. Marys University and went on to earn his Ph.D. at Walden University. He has written numerous books, including his most recent, The Ambiguous Foreign Policy of the United States Toward the Muslim World: More Than a Handshake, and is writing another book to be released in July. A state district judge denied a motion Friday to quash the engaging in organized criminal activity indictment against a founding member of the Escondido motorcycle group and an active motorcyclists rights advocate. Judge Ralph Strother rejected Thomas Paul Landers request to dismiss the indictment after a brief hearing in 19th State District Court. Landers, 59, of Georgetown, was among 106 bikers indicted Nov. 10 on first-degree felony charges of engaging in organized criminal activity, with underlying offenses of murder and assault. Landers attorney, Millie Thompson, of Austin, argued that the indictment should be thrown out because due process rights forbid the state from using novel, umbrella offenses that allege multiple offenses but fail to do so with the requisite degree of specificity. The indictments, like the arrest warrant affidavits filed to support the 177 bikers arrested, are identical, alleging the same acts for all 106, who are alleged in the indictments to be members of a criminal street gang. Thompson called the indictment defective and fundamentally unfair because it fails to provide specific notice of what is alleged. Prosecutors Michael Jarrett and Andrew Erwin argued that the indictment is legally sufficient to provide notice of what Landers is charged with and tracks the language of the statute. After the hearing, Landers, a board member of the National Coalition of Motorcyclists and chairman of its legislative task force, said he arrived at Twin Peaks on May 17 prepared to give an update about the recent legislative session to the Texas Confederation of Clubs and Independents. Landers said he and his groups, which include veterans, Christians and service-oriented groups, have worked closely with the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Department of Transportation, legislators and other agencies to secure rights for bikers around the state. We are a grass-roots political movement so we have a voice in our affairs, Landers said. Landers said State Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, spoke at a recent conference of biker organizations. I know he wouldnt have spoken at our conference if he thought that we all were members of a criminal street gang, Landers said. Landers declined to describe the events at Twin Peaks that left nine dead and more than 20 wounded. He also declined to say where he was when the shooting started or what he did afterward. The Escondidos are a support group of the Bandidos motorcycle group. 186 total arrests Nine indictments involving Twin Peaks defendants were returned under seal in November because those defendants had not been arrested. Those indictments have since been unsealed, as those bikers also have been arrested, bringing the total to 186 arrested in the case. The indictments charge the defendants engaged in organized criminal activity by intentionally or knowingly causing the death of an individual, then names the bikers killed May 17. Some of the indictments actually name 10 killed, but prosecutors have said that was a clerical error that will be corrected. The charges allege the defendants killed the victims by shooting and/or stabbing and/or cutting and/or striking the victims. The indictments also allege the defendants used or exhibited a deadly weapon, namely a firearm and/or a knife or a sharp object and/or a club and/or an asp and/or a whip and/or brass knuckles and/or a chain. The indictments also charge that the defendants caused bodily injury to the people injured and name 24 bikers who were either shot, stabbed, cut or struck. Recently, a rare, airworthy Hispano Buchon began a long journey via ship from Great Britain to New Zealand. The Spanish-built version of the Messerschmitt Bf-109 belongs to John Romains Aircraft Restoration Company, based in Duxford, England. Romain will be demonstrating his remarkable aerial prowess in the fighter at the world-famous, biennial Warbirds Over Wanaka International Show over the Easter holiday from March 25th through 28th. The Buchon is painted in the same colors she wore while representing a Luftwaffe Bf-109 in the film, Battle of Britain during 1968. International shipping company, Hamburg Sud, is undertaking the careful transport of the Buchon as part of their sponsorship arrangement with Warbirds Over Wanaka. They loaded the dismantled aircraft into a container aboard the vessel CMA CGM America in the Port of London for the journeys initial leg to Cartagena, Columbia, where the fighter will move onto another ship, the Spirit of Sydney for the passage through the Panama Canal for the long voyage across the pacific to Port Chalmers in New Zealand for a scheduled arrival on March 5th. According to a Warbirds Over Wanaka press release, the air shows General Manager, Ed Taylor, remarked on the delicate undertaking, saying, Its been great to work with a company like Hamburg Sud who have made the process so much easier. They will then work with Mainfreight at the Dunedin end to ensure all the paperwork is done, and the container is transferred to Wanaka well in time before our event. John Romain and one of his technicians will oversea the aircrafts reassembly and test flying over the week or so prior to the air show. Commenting on the Buchon/109, Romain stated that, The last time a 109 displayed at Warbirds Over Wanaka was 20 years ago when one was brought out from Europe by Sir Tim Wallis. Its been a long time between aircraft and it might be years before New Zealanders get another chance to see one. Air show visitors will doubtless have a good number of opportunities to get up close and personal to the Buchon at Warbirds Over Wanaka 2016. Its sure to attract lots of interest when its parked up on our flight line, remarked Ed Taylor, and at this stage were expecting it to fly at least twice a day. This will include an aerial duel with its Battle of Britain nemesis the Spitfire, marking 75 years since that famous conflict. The Warbirds Over Wanaka International Airshow is expected to attract a crowd of around 50,000 people over the Easter weekend. More information and tickets available via www.warbirdsoverwanaka.com At a time of rising visibility and acceptance of transgender people, the zeitgeist-tapping release of Tom Hooper's film The Danish Girl comes as both blessing and curse for people of the community the film and its makers purport to represent. As a (non-binary) trans woman film critic and a member of the team behind tilde, Melbourne's trans and gender diverse film festival, I have heard responses from my peers that run the gamut of reactions. Eddie Redmayne as Lili Elbe in The Danish Girl. Credit:Agatha A. Nitecka Some have found it moving and consonant with lived experience, while others have felt affront and disdain that a film about a pioneering trans woman should have been directed by a cisgender male with a non-trans performer as the lead. I believe Hooper and Oscar-nominated actor Eddie Redmayne were well-intentioned in adapting David Ebershoff's novel of the same name. Regional NSW universities are admitting more than 70 per cent of students who have not scored the minimum marks required to get into courses such as business and law, new data from a Fairfax Media investigation into university admissions has revealed. The latest set of statistics also shows that the University of Technology Sydney is routinely admitting students below the advertised cut-off. Most are being being admitted through bonus point schemes in courses such as business and combined law. UTS' bachelor of advanced science course, which students undertake before entering the nation's top medical faculties, has offered 85 per cent of places to high school students who failed to score the minimum 96.9 ATAR. The Liberal National Party has been accused of appropriating the Brisbane City Council's corporate identity in election material, seemingly in breach of regulations. But Lord Mayor Graham Quirk's campaign insisted its election material was all above board. Spot the difference? The Liberal National Party campaign insists its branding was sufficiently different to the Brisbane City Council's own. Credit:Cameron Atfield The council incumbents have again come under fire for their long-standing practice of sending campaign material with a blue and gold "cleat" down the left-hand side. The council's marketing, communication and advertising policy appears to clearly outlaw such electioneering. It has been revealed the fire risk associated with non-compliant external aluminium cladding was the cause for a brand new inner-city Brisbane high-rise to be deemed uninhabitable. The 23-storey Iglu Brisbane student accommodation building on Mary Street had been due to open this month, but issues with the building material used meant it was unable to be certified safe for habitation. A spokeswoman for Iglu said the company was "working closely" with the builder, Probuild, to ensure Iglu met requirements for building certification, which would allow residents to move in. The spokeswoman confirmed it was the external cladding that had caused the problem. Sacked workers from Queensland Nickel have left the first creditors' meeting with their entitlements still in doubt. Administrators FTI Consulting convened the 3+ hour long meeting in Townsville on Friday, two weeks after 237 workers were sacked from Clive Palmer's Yabulu refinery. Sacked workers from Queensland Nickel have left the first creditors' meeting with their entitlements still in doubt. Credit:Bloomberg They hadn't expected to be able to provide detailed financial information until later meetings. But that's little comfort for Jolene Devow, whose husband Richard was supporting six children and a terminally ill mother before he was sacked. A series of hoax bomb threats led to the evacuation of several schools and learning centres across Victoria and interstate on Friday. Victoria Police said the phone calls were not linked to terrorism and there was no imminent threats to schools. Berwick Chase Primary School. Credit:Paul Jeffers Berwick Chase Primary, Berwick Lodge Primary School, Aitken Creek Primary School in Craigieburn and Reservoir High School were among the schools. Victoria Police spokeswoman Leonie Johnson said the origin of the calls was being investigated. A priest leapt from the first floor of a burning church and into the arms of a group of police officers in Melbourne's north early on Saturday morning. Police officers were on patrol in Tyler Street, Preston, about 12.30am when they saw smoke coming from the St Nikola Macedonian Orthodox Church near the corner of Albert Street. After calling for backup, the officers scaled a two-metre wrought-iron fence and broke through a door to the church's residence, but were forced back by smoke, heat and flames. A Victoria Police spokesman said the officers then heard a priest calling for help from a first-floor window. "At least six of the police members linked arms and told the man that they would catch him if he jumped," Senior Constable Adam West said. Jerusalem: The United States and Britain have monitored secret drone flights and communications by the Israeli air force in a hacking operation dating to 1998, according to documents attributed to leaks by the former US intelligence contractor Edward J. Snowden. Israel voiced disappointment but no great surprise at the disclosures, published by The Intercept, an online publication associated with Glenn Greenwald, who has collaborated with Snowden, and by the German newsmagazine Der Spiegel. Edward Snowden in Moscow in 2013. Credit:Getty Images The disclosures raised the possibility of further strained ties between Israel and the United States, but the two close allies have traditionally had an understanding that they spy on each other despite pledging not to. Israel has said it stopped spying on the United States after it employed the US Navy analyst Jonathan Pollard as an agent in the 1980s. Pollard was released from a North Carolina prison in November after serving 30 years. Patrick Norman Pat Chapman is a 34-year-old, Caucasian male who was last known to be in Piedmont which is near the area of Greenville, Missouri on May 10, 2020. Pat had stayed the night with a friend and his wife at their home. In the early morning when the friend woke to go to work. Pat was gone in his own Burgundy color 1995 Ford Escort. That is the last anyone was known to have seen him. The vehicle was later recovered on May 29, 2020 in Mill Spring, Missouri. by Adrian Gibson At the rate that the Free National Movement (FNM) is going, it is on the fast track to snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in 2017. The political chicanery on display within the FNM has reinforced the perception that the road to governance and victory at the polls next year is getting steeper. The hackneyed expression come to Jesus moment aptly describes what the FNM needs. On the face of it, the FNM appears to be in disarray: some would say that it is hamstrung by the infighting, that it is hapless, hopeless and acting like a second string junior varsity political team. It is clear that well-respected figures with gravitas and balance must meet in a closed room and sort out their differences. There has to be surgical incision of the political rot in the FNM. Decisions must be made about who will be dismissed, cut-off, put into the background and neutered in order for the party to move forward. No doubt, the founding fathers of the FNM and those longstanding supporters must be of the view that the party is bigger than any one person. The friendly fire has been so damaging and deadly to the leadership and the FNM as a whole that one wonders if the problems plaguing it can be remedied. Given that, the FNM may not win the next election. Frankly, as it stands, the FNM may not deserve to win the next general election. As the party stumbles in the dark, the latest heartburn for the anti-Minnis bloc is the comments of Lanisha Rolle. Senator Rolle, an attorney-at-law and purportedly a pastor, has been an avid defender of FNM leader Dr Hubert Minnis. She is entitled to defend and support whoever she pleases. However, I thought that her comments last week were uncouth, uncalled for and poorly delivered. That said, I agree with the essence of what she said. Her urging party insiders and persons on the frontline such as Long Island MP and former Deputy Leader Loretta Butler-Turner, Montagu MP Richard Lightbourn, former Deputy Prime Minister Frank Watson and other Minnis detractors to respect the democratic process was fair comment. It is clear that since the convention of November 21, 2014 - where Dr Minnis trounced Mrs Butler-Turner by nearly three to one - there has been a faction within the FNM that has refused to lend their support to him. That faction has persistently undermined the leader, made remarks to the press that could be considered as disrespectful and insincere and has consistently demonstrated - in the public domain - disdain for Minnis and his style of leadership and a lack of support for his leadership. At the end of voting at the 2014 convention, Mrs Butler-Turner in a statement said: I pledge to them my support as we work together to mount an effective Opposition and prepare to defeat the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) at the next general election ... The contest for the leadership is over, having demonstrated once again the solid democratic principles upon which our movement was founded and nurtured. Our shared task now is unity. As the Official Opposition the FNM has an essential constitutional role to play and a challenge to prepare for the responsibility of governing. I pledge my full support in these efforts in a spirit of unity and collegiality. Though that statement was released, the contest for leadership appears to be far from over and there is hardly any spirit of unity and collegiality within the FNM. The Opposition has also been far from effective and the party is hardly prepared to defeat the PLP. The FNM has not recovered, healed and moved on since the November 21 convention. The FNM remains in a weakened state. It is a party that is punch drunk. Other than the recent comments on National Health Insurance by certain figures, when was the last time that one has heard a prominent FNM speak substantively on an issue as opposed to the infighting, appointment of candidates, etc? When was the last time a substantial contribution given in dialogue about good governance? Where are the position papers of the FNM, espousing alternatives and the partys position? The FNM must write and publish position papers on crime, the economy and economic reform, taxation, social welfare, Family Island development, law reform and many other topics. Such papers would make the FNMs position discernible to the voting public and credit that party with offering logical alternatives instead of merely opposing the governments initiatives. Dont get me wrong, Dr Minnis is not without fault. He has fumbled on a number of occasions. He has made some questionable decisions. He is not the best orator. He is not the most charismatic and dynamic. He is overly cautious and doesnt appear to be the quickest thinker on his feet. However, Dr Minnis has demonstrated that he is a political strategist and he was overwhelmingly re-elected to his post. One must credit him with holding the Opposition together in the face of insurmountable odds. Dr Minnis has seemingly also not kowtowed to special interest groups, purportedly seeking to rebrand the FNM to be seen as more embracing of the poor and lower class. That said, the FNM ought to be the sum of all its parts. So, wherever Dr Minnis or Loretta Butler-Turner is deficient, others should be able to pick up the slack. One of Dr Minnis biggest issues is that he appears to surround himself with obsequious sycophants. No good leader should want to be surrounded by bootlickers, butt kissers and persons who will not tell the truth in order to save themselves or secure a position. The doctor is not the sole reason why the FNM is in disarray. There are senior FNMs who appear intent on seeing the party implode rather than rally behind the leadership. Before the last general election, members of the PLP had many issues with Prime Minister Perry Christie. However, following the 2009 convention and as the election drew nigh, the party rallied around Mr Christie and won the government. They have rendered a wretched performance as government but the point is that their will to defeat the FNM superseded any internal issues with Mr Christie. There are PLPs who currently grumble in closed quarters about Mr Christies incompetent leadership but it is never the out-and-out public washing of laundry that we see from the FNM. If Dr Minnis is to remain at the helm of the FNM, he has to project himself as a consultative leader to increase the chances of buy-in, but it cannot be expected that he should usher in a dispensation where he leads by committee. In seeking to unite the various factions within the FNM, the Opposition leader should appoint Mrs Butler-Turner as leader of opposition business in the House of Assembly. This could disabuse many of his detractors of the notion that he is vindictive, spiteful, insecure and less than a consensus builder. It would also project him as a postmodern leader. By the same token, Mrs Butler-Turner must call off the political hacks, members of her team and her excited supporters who are urging her to challenge for the leadership. She has the capacity to stop much of the drama within the FNM by simply sitting with Minnis and, further, by telling those who support her to cease and desist with any efforts to undermine the partys leadership. When one sees the letters inundating the newspapers from both camps, it is clear that both the Butler-Turner and Minnis backers are likely behind such letters, particularly in the last week from persons who express their lack of support for Dr Minnis. I must admit my disappointment with the recent selection of candidates. I can hardly recall ever agreeing with PLP chairman Bradley Roberts but in this instance I share the view that many of the candidates who were recently announced were political carpetbaggers, perpetual losers and re-treads. I thought that, of the eight candidates put forward, the selection was not truly representative of the FNMs depth. When Heather Hunt was asked to resign from the senate, I was of the view that her tenure was mediocre and forgettable. I said the same about the tenure of Kwasi Thompson. At the time, I said that the FNMs new senator must be a strong personality, a female and one who is likely not a political re-tread. What I should have also said then was that the senator must be one who is well-researched, well-spoken, thoughtful and considerate. Lanisha Rolle has had a dismal week and so whilst I do not wish to pile on the misery, the senator has demonstrated herself to have neither substance nor discipline nor political smarts. Her outburst could have been a bit more controlled. I have no issue with her elevation to the upper chamber. Frankly, in order for our country to progress, young persons must be elevated and take on leadership. Sir Lynden Pindling became Prime Minister at 37 and former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham attained that office at 42. They were both trusted by the Bahamian people regardless of their age. So, when I hear Frank Watson, who is supposed to be an elder statesman in the FNM, say that Mrs Rolle had no right to it and exclaims that she has not earned it and asserts that her appointment was one of Dr Minnis tragic mistakes because she has no political experience, no party experience and no sense, I see a sense of entitlement. Mr Watson crossed the line and I was surprised by his undiplomatic and crude language. He clearly got into his feelings and berated a young newcomer in public. He went beyond the pale. I can hardly recall any PLP senior politician behaving in such a manner. Unacceptable! Surely Mr Watson ought to know that Opposition senators serve at the pleasure of the Leader of the Opposition, just as Cabinet ministers serve at the pleasure of the Prime Minister. Therefore, any person deemed the Leader of the Official Opposition can appoint and disappoint any person serving at his/her behest. That said, Mrs Rolle also crossed the line by belligerently attacking her fellow parliamentarians. The FNM appears to be doing all the work for the PLP. The content of Mrs Rolles tirade on Shenique Millers talk show was riddled with factual errors. There was clearly a lack of recognition of the inappropriateness of one FNM parliamentarian publicly deriding other FNM parliamentarians, particularly those whose very election made it possible for her to be a senator. The paradox of her intervention (when she called the talk show) is that she was committing the same political crime for which she was seeking to chastise others for committing against Minnis. I listened to Rolles comments and the intensity of her commentary and the passion with which she delivered it could have been best used elsewhere. I must also fact check the senator. In her rant, she stated that the PLP borrowed $6 billion. They didnt. She stated that the FNM has 492 delegates. It doesnt. She said that the government is seeking to borrow $53m. They are seeking to borrow $33m. She said that the government collected $700m in VAT monies. Again, she is wrong. I urge the senator to read. Pick up a newspaper. When persons such as Frank Watson and Richard Lightbourn berate Dr Minnis to the press or in the public sphere, it appears to be, as Rolle suggested, for self-serving reasons. Why not deal with matters in-house? I have heard that the party should be rid of Minnis. However, what I havent heard is the suggestion of a viable alternative that the public and delegates within the party can overwhelmingly support. I do have a bone to pick with the FNM candidate for South Beach, Howard Johnson. I find it interesting that he has such incredible leverage over the party to dictate his own selection for the South Beach seat whilst seemingly having little or no ability to salvage the seat in Central and South Eleuthera. If one has all this power and is able to tell the leader that its their way or the highway, are they bringing something extra to the table that has not yet been disclosed? The tone, the language and the audacity of Mr Johnson to tell Dr Minnis that its either South Beach or nothing at all, thereby forcing the leader to perhaps burn his political capital with the Womans Association, is stunning. Mr Johnson lost in South Eleuthera by 66 votes. If he had remained in the seat and worked it over five years, he could have closed the margin. Whats more, he would have had five graduating classes with likely voters in 2017 and, even more, current MP Damian Gomez has performed abysmally in that capacity. If anyone believes that the PLP will re-nominate current MP Cleola Hamilton in South Beach, then they are talking fool. Mrs Hamilton will be dispatched in favour of a stronger candidate with the promise of a cushy job and perhaps a senate appointment if the PLP recaptures the government. Mr Johnsons letter to Dr Minnis was an ultimatum. An ultimatum is a statement that defines inflexible and limited options with a promise of consequences arising therefrom. Put simply, my way or no way. Considering the state of affairs in the Bahamas, the FNM needs to get its act together. Will Mr Ingraham return to lead the FNM to victory at the polls? Will a convention see the return of the former Prime Minister? Or will Dr Minnis remain? The PLP has gotten away with much. The FNM has failed to keep pressure on the governing PLP. The governing party acts as if the FNM doesnt exist. They neither fear nor respect the Opposition - and that is an indictment of the entire Opposition. _________________________________________________________ First published in the The Tribune under the byline, Young Man's View, here View Adrian Gibson's archive here US awards $2.8B in grants for EV batteries in 12 states including Kentucky Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required. Your Full Name: (optional) Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required. By West Kentucky Star Staff Jan. 29, 2016 | 06:35 PM | HOPKINSVILLE, KY A funeral was held Friday for 44-year-old Kentucky Transportation Cabinet employee Chris Adams, who died last weekend while plowing snow in Christian County.The family had extended an invitation to his coworkers and fellow employees to attend, with dozens of KYTC personnel wearing their Hi-Viz road gear and uniforms, and a snow plow truck leading the procession. Members of the Christian County Highway Mainteance Crew served as pallbearers.Adams died while plowing roads in Christian County. He called for assistance after his truck slid into a ditch but didn't indicate he was under any distress, but needed someone to pull his truck out. Adams was found unresponsive by a supervisor, and a coroner ruled this week that he had a cardiac event.Safety inspectors checked the truck to make sure all safety and fuel-saving features were operational on the truck. This included an automatic engine shut-off when a truck has idled 6-8 minutes without driver activity.Expressing sympathy on behalf of the agency, KYTC District 2 Chief Engineer Kevin McClearn noted that working out in all kinds of weather and circumstances allows highway equipment operators get to know the character of people on the job around them, often forging friendships and a tight knit working group. Losing a friend and coworker is always tough, McClearn said.McClearn noted that after learning of the loss of their coworker on Saturday, members of the Christian County Highway Maintenance Crew continued working to make travel safer for the driving public. On the Net: By The Associated Press Jan. 29, 2016 | 04:59 PM | LOUISVILLE, KY The state has ordered a Louisville Planned Parenthood facility to halt abortions because its recent application to perform the procedure is deficient.A letter from the state Cabinet for Family and Health Services sent to the Planned Parenthood center in downtown Louisville dated Thursday says the facility is not currently authorized to perform abortions.Republican Gov. Matt Bevin said in a statement that the facility was "openly and knowingly operating an unlicensed abortion facility in clear violation of the law."Aside from the Planned Parenthood facility, a private provider of abortions operates clinics in Louisville and Lexington, the state's two largest cities. State officials said in the letter to Planned Parenthood that its Nov. 19 application to begin performing abortions at its Louisville facility isdeficient because it has not entered into an agreement with a hospital that could take patients who have complications from an abortion procedure.In a statement Friday night, Gov. Bevin's office said, "Planned Parenthood has acknowledged that they are unlicensed and have agreed to perform no more abortions unless and until licensed."A phone message left with a media contact for Planned Parenthood in New York was not returned to the Associated Press on Friday afternoon. Rita Redmond was a true lady who felt that every pupil had something to gift to the world Angela Mahoney(HOPE, Ind.) -- A little brown calf named Chewbacca was only 3 days old when he had a near-death experience at a farm near Hope, Indiana. This past Wednesday, the young calf somehow squeezed his way through a fence, walked onto an icy pond and got stranded on thin ice about 40 feet away from land, according to Kevin Mahoney, who owns Chewbacca. "My biggest concern was the ice could break," Mahoney, 53, told ABC News Friday. "You don't want to ever see anything drown for any reason. I also concerned the calf might get hypothermia. It was freezing on that ice." Chewbacca's mother began "mooing and making calls of distress," he said. The farmer added that he immediately called for help and tried to pull in 70-pound Chewbacca with a rope but "the rope was too short." Luckily, Detective Capt. Chris Rogers with the Bartholomew County Sheriff's Office soon arrived with a 300-foot long rope. Rogers was able to "scoot the calf across the ice," Mahoney said. He added that his wife, Angela Mahoney, caught the entire rescue on cellphone video. But the stressful ordeal wasn't over just yet. Chewbacca's body temperature had gotten dangerously low, so Mahoney raced the little calf to a heated basement to warm up, he said. "Once we let him back out, his momma immediately jumped over the fence to be near him," Mahoney said. "He started nursing right away, and the two are just like normal cows now. He's doing great." The farmer added that Chewbacca has "a special place" in the family and that the cow "will live out the rest of his life happily on the farm." Copyright 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. 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. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/01/2016 (2455 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Bold Innovation Group (BIG) has become the fastest-growing tech company in the province and theyve done it all out of Ile-des-Chenes. But with 80 employees now, it has out-grown its off-the-beaten-track digs. But thats only because the rural location was making it too difficult to hire people fast enough to keep pace with their growth. Every week, we would try to hire someone (who couldnt accept the position) because we were not on a bus route, and they are a one-car family, said CEO Jay Myers. It was getting to the point we had to be in the city. Wayne Glowacki / Winnipeg Free Press Bold Innovation Group partners Yvan Boisjoli (from left), Stefan Maynard, Jay Myers and Eric Boisjoli in the 4,000-square-foot atrium of their new building in the south end of the city. Bold has become the lead app developer for Shopify, the Ottawa company with the largest e-commerce platform in the world next to Amazon and eBay. Next week, the company is moving into a 26,000-square-foot building in the south end of the city with room for about 240 people. Our conservative projections are that we will fill it in three years, said Myers. But with all the development BIG has in the works, it could happen a lot quicker. Less than three years ago the four equal partners Myers, Stefan Maynard, and brothers Eric and Yvan Boisjoli were still working part-time out of Myers basement. In 2015, BIG won the Spirit of Winnipeg Startup of the Year award from the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce and six months later was nominated for the Manitoba chambers MBIZ award for outstanding medium business. Its incredible growth started with the simple but elegant execution of their first Shopify app Product Upsell. Its still one of the biggest sellers among thousands of Shopify apps. BIG has developed 20 others, and they keep coming. With that revenue base theyre projecting total sales north of $15 million this year the partners have been able to dedicate 20 per cent of their resources to new-product development. (Among other things, the company is completely self-funded, so the partners are not beholden to unreasonable shareholder demands.) A true sign of the growth and optimism bubbling up at Bold Innovation Group is each new initiative is structured into its own separate legal entity. At other companies, that would be done to protect the core assets. But at BIG, its to make it easier for those new offshoots to grow or accept outside investment or even be acquired. Were hiving them off in case they succeed, said Myers. There are four of them now in the works and at least two Kickbooster and Proximity Innovations have received the kind of traction every start-up dreams of. Kickbooster is a platform for companies that have concluded crowdfunding campaigns. It could mine a rich vein of potential recurring revenue. Discussion are underway regarding a potential partnership with the largest crowdfunding marketing company in North America. Proximity Innovations uses Wi-Fi and beacon solutions to market directly to customers on the premises. There is already an enthusiastic user base. Its really exciting to have a successful company like Bold that can inspire the industry All of those new initiatives did not even exist at the beginning of last year. When other start-ups seem to be scrambling for the slightest toe-hold, the BIG guys stay busy, continuing to come up with new products that will sell. All the while, they maintain an enviable reputation for customer support. They are not intimidated by their growth vision. Not that we feel we are bigger than Winnipeg, but we all have the mindset that there is more to the world than Winnipeg, said Maynard. We do the majority of our business in the U.S., the U.K., Australia. We have a larger vision. Our market is very huge and still untapped. That said, they currently have 15 positions to fill. In the past several months, theyve hired an experienced accountant, Jody Rzyhak, as their new chief financial officer and recruited Kevin Hnatiuk, the longtime head of New Media Manitoba, to be the chief operating officer. Louie Ghiz, who took over as executive director of New Media Manitoba, said BIG has a significant impact on the local tech community. He said the company generously participates in industry support initiatives and has already said it would be happy to host events at its new space that features a 4,000-square-foot atrium. It is great to have an anchor company like Bold, Ghiz said. They are Shopifys lead developer. That is a huge accomplishment. They are becoming world renowned e-commerce experts. What that means to the broader community, Ghiz said, is that graduates from the citys post-secondary institution who used to have to leave the city to secure positions in exciting, growing companies can now stay. Its really exciting to have a successful company like Bold that can inspire the industry, he said. Companies dont always do that. Some become far removed from the community. But not those guys. martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 29/01/2016 (2456 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Theres going to be one noticeable absence from a Winnipeg wedding social if it proceeds as planned next month: the bride. Rachael Roopchand, 31, left court in handcuffs Friday after being sentenced to one-year in jail for stealing more than $53,000 from her employer. Her tearful apology and plea for leniency in the form of a conditional sentence werent enough to convince Queens Bench Justice Glenn Joyal to allow her to remain free in the community. He cited the fact she already had a prior workplace theft conviction from 2009 on her record when she committed this crime, and is also now pending on new allegations which remain before the courts. Joyal said his biggest concern is what appears to be a lack of explanation for why Roopchand is stealing money, what she is using it for and where it has ended up. She has paid back only about $3,000 since her arrest. It remains a very real and troubling mystery, said Joyal. The Crown was seeking up to two years behind bars. Defence lawyer Tony Kavanagh said his client was suffering from financial problems and doesnt have any obvious addictions that are often seen in these types of cases. But Joyal said thats no excuse, as most people experience some level of money issue in their lifetime. The recourse for debt certainly cant be theft, he said. Even worse, Roopchand was given a break in 2009 when a judge agreed not to send her to jail, instead placing her on a nine-month conditional sentence for stealing from a different former employer. You were the recipient of a certain amount of trust from the courts, Joyal said. In this case, Roopchand was working for a local medical clinic when she began pocketing money. The discovery led to an atmosphere of paranoia and suspicion in the workplace, said Joyal. Court records show Roopchand is currently facing a civil lawsuit from her employer. She has been paying back about $300 per month over the past year and will continue to do that upon her release, according to her lawyer. I just want to say Im really sorry for what Ive done. I know it was wrong and I want to seek help for it, Roopchand said Friday while thanking her fiance and other family members. Im trying to turn my life around. If I could, I wish I could take it back. Roopchand has also been placed on three years of supervised probation, which includes not working in any environment where she is allowed to handle cash. www.mikeoncrime.com Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 29/01/2016 (2456 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. An engineering consulting firm sued twice by city hall in the past two years for its allegedly shoddy design work and project mismanagement at sewage- and water-treatment plants has been awarded a multimillion-dollar contract to oversee upgrades to yet another city sewage-treatment plant. AECOM was recently awarded a $16-million contract to act as the citys advocate for the design-build stage of the $570-million upgrade to the North End sewage-treatment plant and to assume the role of consultant for the design-bid-build stage of the project. The city had issued a request for proposals for the North End facility in April, and records show the city was reviewing AECOMs eligibility for the project in late November while the legal department was preparing a lawsuit against the firm at the same time. The city filed legal action against AECOM on Dec. 7 over serious design and structural problems that have developed at the Deacon water-treatment plant. The company was awarded this contract a month later, on Jan. 6. AECOM was also named by the city in a 2013 suit after significant structural problems emerged following a $47-million upgrade to the West End sewage-treatment plant. That suit against AECOM, and several other firms, was dismissed in November. An urban politics consultant said the citys decision to hire AECOM now is absurd. It does look a little more than awkward, said Brian Kelcey, a one-time adviser and political staffer to former mayor Sam Katz and now a Toronto-based consultant. Youve got a company facing a lawsuit from the city for allegedly poor or incomplete or shoddy work on a water-treatment plant and then literally days later, the same firm is awarded a $16-million contract to do very similar work. Kelcey said city hall should never have put itself in such a situation, adding other governments have avoided the dilemma of working with a firm theyre also fighting in court by putting policies in place to prevent such a situation. CAO Doug McNeil told members of council in an email Friday Mayor Brian Bowman and members of his executive policy committee were informed of the contract award to AECOM in early January. A spokesman for Bowman said he had been assured the decision to hire AECOM by McNeil adhered to the citys procurement procedures and processes. The city administration defended the decision to hire AECOM, explaining it was judged to be the best of two firms competing for the job, and the work required for the North End sewage plant is different than the work that is the subject of the current and previous lawsuits. McNeil said the city will keep a closer eye on AECOM than was done in the past. I want to assure you that we are confident in (AECOMs) ability on this project and have tighter processes in place to monitor the work being done, McNeil said in a statement given to the Free Press. The award of this contract followed all of the citys public procurement procedures and processes, which are fair, competitive and without prejudice AECOM was selected because they had the highest-rated proposal based on the evaluation criteria. Coun. Ross Eadie, a member of the water and waste committee, said he doesnt understand why the administration would award a contract to a firm thats repeatedly alleged to be unable to do the job. We have a history with this firm at two plants already, so why we would we hire them to be involved in a third? Eadie (Mynarski) said. The lawsuits say our administration doesnt have confidence in this firm so why would we hire them again? In its December lawsuit, the city alleges AECOM one of several design and construction firms involved in the construction of the $300-million water-treatment plant breached several conditions of its design-consulting contract and terms of the construction-manager contract. The allegations have not been proven in court and a date for trial has not been set. AECOM has not filed a statement of defence. The 2013 lawsuit stemmed from AECOMs role designing a major component of a biological nutrient-removal upgrade project at the West End sewage-treatment plant, located at the southwest corner of Wilkes Avenue and the Perimeter Highway work similar to the upgrade project planned for the North End plant. The 2013 suit was thrown out in November after it appears city lawyers bungled the statement of claim. The judge said the city failed to include the contract with AECOM; failed to show the firms contractual obligations and how the contract was allegedly breached; and whether the defects in the plant were caused by the breach of contract or breach of duty of care. Kelcey said the fact the city received only two bids for this project demonstrates the citys failure to attract more bidders and the industrys suspicions of city hall and its administration. The industry outside the city doesnt think theres much of a chance of getting a contract so when there is an opportunity, they dont bother, said Kelcey, who was the project manager for the citys Red Tape Commission in 2004 that looked at the bidding process. That implies an awful lot of things. If they dont have more (than two) bidders, theres no point in having a bidding process. You can have policies, but are they the right policies when you end up giving a $16-million contract to a company you are suing in court? Kelcey said the problem the city faces is the result of a perception city hall is too cosy with local design and construction firms and it makes little effort to attract bids from competitors across Canada or the United States. One of the problems Winnipeg has, as a city, the gene pool of vendors for design work and engineering and construction work is just big enough that you get a bit of competition but small enough that its not optimal competition, Kelcey said. Injecting one or two more companies into every bid from the outside may make some local players nervous but will also get much better and more competitive results for the city. Kelcey recommended three steps to avoid the citys current situation: stipulations in its bidding policy that precludes the awarding of a contract to a firm involved in a legal dispute with the city; a real effort to attract outside bidders; and appointing a project manager to oversee all major capital projects and to avoid similar situations. Kelcey said Bowman recently created the post of chief project management officer, filled on an interim basis by the former director of the water and waste department, Barry MacBride, that could prevent similar situations in the future. He said having an individual experienced with managing major projects is essential to ensuring council receives the proper advice on project-management decisions. aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/01/2016 (2455 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. It is arguably the most hostile place on the planet. The coldest, windiest and highest continent on Earth, snow-swept Antarctica exacts a heavy toll on any who try to conquer it. Last week, British adventurer Henry Worsley, 55, paid the ultimate price when he collapsed from exhaustion just short of his goal of becoming the first person to cross the Antarctic alone and unsupported. Scott Polar Research Institute The Scott expedition camps on the Beardmore Glacier on Dec. 20, 1911. Robert Falcon Scott reached the South Pole in January 1912, only to discover he'd been beaten by Norway's Roald Amundsen. Tragically, the former British army officer was just 48 kilometres from the end of his arduous 1,600-kilometre solo trek when, after spending two days unable to move from his tent, he called for help and was flown off the ice. In a heart-breaking final statement, he wrote: The 71 days alone on the Antarctic with over 900 statute miles covered and a gradual grinding down of my physical endurance finally took its toll today, and it is with sadness that I report it is journeys end so close to my goal. The married father of two was flown to a hospital in Punta Arenas, Chile, where he died Sunday of complete organ failure after undergoing surgery for bacterial peritonitis, an infection of the tissue lining the abdomen. Dubbed the Shackleton Solo, Worsleys journey was a tribute to British explorer Sir Ernest Shackletons historic unfinished attempt to cross the Antarctic via the South Pole, and a fundraiser for wounded war veterans. In Worsleys honour, today we take a look at our personal list of the Top Five Adventurers Who Paid Dearly in Antarctica: 5) The adventurer: Nicolai Hanson THE MISSION: The Southern Cross Expedition (1898-1900) THE PRICE PAID: Norwegian zoologist Nicolai Hansons greatest claim to fame is the fact he was the first person to be buried in Antarctica. He was a member of the Southern Cross Expedition officially named the British Antarctic Expedition the first British venture of the so-called Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Led by Norwegian-born, half-British adventurer Carsten Borchgrevink, it was the first expedition to over-winter on the continent, study the regions unique marine life and pioneer the use of dogs and sledges. Hanson, who had married shortly before the trip, became seriously ill on the voyage from England. After reaching the winter camp at Cape Adare, he began his scientific work, but died Oct. 14, 1899. The cause of death was listed as occlusion of the intestines, though some sources say it might have been scurvy. At his request, what has been dubbed the loneliest grave on Earth was dynamited from the frozen ground in the mountain section above Cape Adare. A short funeral service was held at the hut and then his coffin was dragged up the steep slope with great difficulty, notes the website NorwaysForgottenExplorer.org. The grave is on the Antarctic Treatys list of historic sites and monuments. A colleague, scientist Louis Bernacchi, wrote: There amidst profound silence and peace, there is nothing to disturb that eternal sleep except the flight of seabirds. Hanson was survived by his wife and a baby daughter born after the expedition began. 4) The adventurer: Mrs. Chippy THE MISSION: The Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1914-17) THE PRICE PAID: The history of Antarctic exploration is full of the heroic exploits of plucky sled dogs. This is the inspiring tale of one much-beloved cat. Mrs. Chippy was a tiger-striped tabby that accompanied Ernest Shackleton and his crew aboard the Endurance when they set sail Aug. 1, 1914, from London on an expedition to become the first to cross Antarctica from sea to sea. This tough tomcat from Glasgow belonged to Henry McNish, the ships carpenter, who was given the trades traditional nickname Chippy. The cats nickname, Mrs. Chippy, stuck, even after the crew discovered she was, in fact, a he. The good-natured Mrs. Chippy quickly became a beloved shipmate and Shackleton was happy to have a good mouser on board to keep the rodent population under control. It is said that when master and cat came on board, Mrs. Chippy followed McNish around like an overpossessive wife, notes the famous felines website Purr-n-Fur.org. The heart-warming tale took a tragic turn when the Endurance became trapped in pack ice and was slowly crushed. The crew famously escaped by camping on sea ice before making their way by lifeboat to Elephant Island and ultimately South Georgia. When the crew became marooned, Shackleton made a tough choice: the sled dogs and Mrs. Chippy would have to be put down. The entire crew survived the ordeal, but the carpenter never forgave Shackleton for having his cat shot. The rift was part of the reason McNish was later denied the Polar Medal awarded to most of the crew. On a happier note, in 2004, to a bagpipers lament, feline and master were finally reunited when a life-size bronze statue of Mrs. Chippy was placed on McNishs grave. 3) The adventurer: David Wood of Winnipeg THE MISSION: The Australian Antarctic Division THE PRICE PAID: If you think Antarctic adventurers only come from exotic, distant lands, think again. There is a strong, and sad, Winnipeg connection to the continents ill-starred legacy. His name may not go down in the annals of history, but earlier this month, veteran helicopter pilot David Wood, 62, gave his life while working in the Antarctic. A pilot who lived in Winnipeg and had a cottage along Lake Winnipeg when he wasnt fighting fires in the Yukon or flying in the Antarctic, Wood died of injuries sustained when he fell about 20 metres into an icy crevasse some 145 kilometres from Australian research base Davis Station. He was a fantastic guy and a great pilot, Derek Longley of Gimli-based Prairie Helicopters told the Winnipeg Free Press. Hell be missed by the entire industry here. Its just terrible. Wood spent his winters in Australia and was working for the Aussie company Helicopter Resources at the time of the tragedy. In a statement, the Australian Antarctic Division said Wood was flying one of two helicopters taking fuel to a depot and, after dropping the fuel drums on an ice shelf, they landed so the pilots could retrieve sling equipment. While outside the aircraft, Wood fell into the crevasse. The second pilot, unable to get him out, flew back to base and returned with rescue workers. After three hours, Wood was pulled out and flown to the research station for treatment, but he died the following day. The Winnipeg resident had more than 30 years flying experience in the Antarctic and Arctic. The Australian government noted his tragic death is a reminder of the hostile, remote and inherently dangerous environment in which Antarctic teams work. 2) The adventurer: Douglas Mawson THE MISSION: The Australasian Antarctic Expedition (1911-14) THE PRICE PAID: Smithsonian.com bills Mawsons misadventures as the worst in history. Spurning an invitation to join Robert Falcon Scotts famously doomed expedition in 1910, the Australian geologist opted to lead his own mission to chart the largely unexplored Antarctic coastline south of Australia. Splitting his team into four groups, Mawson led the Far Eastern Shore Party, a three-man contingent to survey several glaciers hundreds of kilometres from base. It was a hazardous journey over an area pitted with deep crevasses concealed by snow. Disaster struck when Lt. Belgrave Ninnis, the expeditions dog handler, fell into a crevasse, taking the best six dogs, most of the partys rations, the tent and other vital items with him. Mawson and Xavier Mertz, a Swiss lawyer and champion cross-country skier, searched for their comrade, but he was never seen again. After a brief service, the pair turned back, equipped with a weeks provisions and no dog food. They were forced to use some sled dogs to feed the other dogs and themselves. The mad dash was indescribably hard, with both men suffering dizziness, nausea, dramatic physical deterioration and madness. At one point, Mertz, refusing to believe he had frostbite, bit off the tip of his little finger. The lawyer suffered seizures before falling into a coma and dying Jan. 8, 1913. Sick in body and soul My whole body is apparently rotting from want of proper nourishment, he wrote Mawson trudged the final 161 kilometres alone, barely surviving when he fell down a crevasse and his sledge wedged into the ice above him. He arrived back just in time to find his ship had departed a few hours earlier, forcing him and six other men to spend another cruel winter at the base. 1) The adventurer: Robert Falcon Scott THE MISSION: The Terra Nova Expedition (1910-13) THE PRICE PAID: The Royal Navy officer and explorer led two expeditions to the Antarctic. On the first, in 1901, they marched farther south than anyone, but a lack of preparation and supplies resulted in Scott and his crew having to be rescued by relief ships. In 1910, he set out again, determined to be the first man to reach the South Pole, with some charging he had been bitten by the Pole mania. His second expedition was a race in the sense Norwegian Roald Amundsen had sent a telegram warning Scott he planned on being the first to reach the pole. Scott chose four men to join him on the final push, and reached the goal Jan. 17, 1912, only to discover Amundsen had beaten them there by about a month. Amundsen left a note reading: Dear Captain Scott As you probably are the first to reach this area after us, I will ask you to kindly forward this letter to King Haakon VII. If you can use any of the articles left in the tent please do not hesitate to do so I wish you a safe return. Scott wrote in his diary: The worst has happened Great God! This is an awful place! On their return, Scott and his men were pinned down by a blinding blizzard while crossing the Ross Ice Shelf, where they battled dehydration, starvation and hypothermia. At one point, Lawrence Oates, his toes frostbitten, voluntarily left the tent in an act of self-sacrifice and walked to his death. His last words were: I am just going outside and may be some time. The remaining men died 18 kilometres from a major supply depot. Before the Terra Nova sailed for home, a large wooden cross was erected at the last camp, bearing the names of the lost party and these fateful words from Tennysons poem Ulysses: To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. It is impossible, all these years later, to read those words and not think of the modern-day courage of Henry Worsley. doug.speirs@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/01/2016 (2455 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Philippines is a popular tourist destination, and with more than 7,000 islands to see and explore, this diverse, oceanic nation has something to offer for an equally diverse variety of travellers. Filipino culture is known for its friendly and welcoming nature. Nowhere did I feel this more than about 40 kilometres off the coast of famed and historic Cebu, in a tiny cluster of islands known as the Camotes. From the moment my girlfriend, Teresa, and I arrived following a two-hour journey by slow-ferry through the Visayan Sea, we were welcomed like family to this lush, tropical hideaway. Arriving at Consuelo Wharf on Pacijan Island, we were greeted by a gentleman named Wayne who immediately ushered us into his cherry-coloured jeepney for a coastal ride to our still-unknown final destination. Immediately, he and I struck up a conversation about the islands, the people and our journey options for the next several days. The drive along the single circumferential road was painted with emerald rice paddies, towering coconut trees, acres of cornfields and curious locals. After passing several farms and a busy elementary school, we came to a vast stretch of white sand beach rimmed with a few accommodation options on one side and pristine turquoise water on the other. Panganuron Falls may only be a trickle of water, but it is crystal clear and a favourite swimming hole for locals. When backpacking, its generally uncommon for me to know where Ill be resting my head at night until Ive actually walked into the room (or hut) itself. On Pacijan, we were looking for beach, beach and more beach. We were also looking for seclusion, peace and quiet. But despite all of this, Teresa and I are explorers at heart. We knew we wouldnt be able to sit still for too long. The Camotes Islands had something to satisfy all of these needs. We closed our eyes and picked Santiago Bay Resort and Spa. Glamourous by backpacker standards, to us, it was just a clean room with a clean bed, a place to eat and a beach. No room service, no special treatment, no Internet. Pure bliss. Wayne was able to hook us up with a motorbike for our stay in the Camotes, a staple for our style of travel. Teresa and I need to get out, we need to explore, we need to experience and we need to do it on our timetable, not anyone elses. The beach was excellent in the mornings; the sun is blazing by 6 a.m. this close to the equator. A perfect place to sunbathe, take a dip in the sea, then retreat back to read, relax and reflect. To let the negative energy dissipate and the positive energy flow. Those few hours were great, and necessary, but certainly not all-encompassing. Mid-morning meant time to drive. Where to? Well, as I mentioned, there seemed to be only one main road. There were a few alternative routes as we reached the southeastern area of Pacijan, close to the main town of Poblacion. One of these routes took us to the calming and placid Lake Danao, a mesmerizing lapis lazuli-shaded body of fresh water surrounded by verdant forestry and resting in Pacijans north-central region. Teresa and I rented a kayak for an hour, costing us less than $10 to gracefully tread upon the gentle surface. As far as we could tell, we were the only people on the lake at the time. Writer Darcy Shillingford's girlfriend and travel companion Teresa Le-Nguyen on the banks of Lake Danao. After a good hour of paddling, we returned to the small dock from which we initially set sail and walked to an outdoor bar that served up massive bowls of the famed Filipino dessert, halo-halo. With a variety of jellies and bean pastes, mashed purple yam and sweetened coconut milk over ice, this dessert is often a meal unto itself, and a highly satisfying one. Theres a whole lot going on in a bowl of halo-halo. It was now time for a figure-eight drive around the two connecting islands, Pacijan and Poro. The extensive bridge linking the two, lined with tropical mangroves whose contents my imagination would often run wild with, is the departing point of Poblacion. Poro is hillier and the perimeter road is dotted with numerous villages of varying proportions and populations. In search of the inland Panganuron Falls, we found it was actually a little freshwater lagoon with a small trickle of water that constituted these falls. It was an excellent rest area. A vivacious family of 10 were lounging about in the water, wearing either swimsuits or just ordinary clothing, feasting on a delicious-looking lunch of grainy local rice, saucy noodles and grilled meat, with large bottles of beer to wash it all down with. Almost immediately, they engaged us in friendly conversation, offering us everything they were already enjoying and refusing to take no for an answer in the drink offerings. Having recently enjoyed a rather filling lunch ourselves, not to mention the halo-halo, I conceded to a nice lukewarm glass of local Red Horse lager. The generosity and kindness of the locals we met here are a perfect example of dozens more we would encounter on our journey and would continue to meet along the way. Later in the afternoon we continued circling Poro, observing and appreciating the natural environment, waving hello and smiling at the locals who treated us in kind. After completing the lengthy circumvention of Poro, we wound up back on Pacijan, back on the white sand beach from where wed begun. By now, the sun was beginning to set and off in the distant seas, storm clouds were massing. It was an odd clash of beauty and ominousness, a reminder not to take the positive things in life for granted, and to always be ready for the unexpected, despite the apparent serenity. No matter where we were in the Camotes, rain or shine, the community was consistently welcoming and always kind. These islands are a perfect representation of how I view the Filipino culture: caring, courteous, hardworking and open-hearted. It is this essence that has left the greatest mark on me throughout my travels in this oceanic nation and one Ill truly never forget. Shillingford rented a scooter to tour the islands. Travel writer Darcy Shillingford grew up in Winnipeg, leaving the city at 18 to pursue his education in Toronto. Since graduating from York University, where he studied English literature and political science, he has travelled extensively through Southeast Asia and New Zealand. In April, Darcy is headed to the Netherlands and Denmark. This summer, he will be making a month-long road trip through Western Canada with a planned stop in his hometown. LAKE DELTON Know your audience. Its a basic rule in many communication endeavors, including advertising. But for one national sandwich chain, an attempt to capitalize on that rule went horribly wrong this week. Smile Baraboo, WI, your Jimmy Johns is open! read a post by the Jimmy Johns corporate Facebook page. The social media promotion popped up on the Facebook news feeds of Baraboo residents. There was one major problem with Jimmy Johns social media advertising strategy. The restaurant isnt located in Baraboo, and it wont deliver here. Although the recently opened sandwich shop has a Baraboo address, it actually is located about 10 miles north in the village of Lake Delton. Id be smiling if it was IN Baraboo, one Facebook user jabbed. The Jimmy Johns Facebook administrator may not have realized that Baraboos zip code extends well beyond the city and town limits, and into the village of Lake Delton. A lot of people dont realize that, said Baraboo City Administrator Ed Geick. So the business might be in Lake Delton but its our zip area. The address confusion led some Facebook users to ask Jimmy Johns for clarification. Tracy Wade said she initially was excited when she saw the post, but then realized the address was technically in Lake Delton. But do they deliver to the actual town of Baraboo? she asked via Facebook. Jimmy Johns didnt provide a straight answer. Give the store a call and check with em Tracy! replied the pages administrator. Wade told the Baraboo News Republic she didnt bother. I didnt call because I knew the answer already, she said. The newspaper messaged the Jimmy Johns corporate Facebook page seeking clarification about whether it would deliver to Baraboo. The administrator merely replied with a link that provided the address of the restaurant. Heather Heifner, the manager of the local sandwich shop, was a bit more helpful. This is the first time Im hearing about it, she said about the online confusion. When asked if Jimmy Johns would deliver to Baraboo, she said: Not the actual city. We mostly cover the Lake Delton side of town. Heifner said the nationwide sandwich chain typically only delivers in a - to 1-mile radius surrounding a particular restaurant. Locally, that doesnt include the town or city of Baraboo. The U.S. Postal Service determines zip code boundaries with an eye to efficiency of delivery, based on the location of post offices. The borders often do not conform to actual municipal boundaries, said Postal Service spokesman Sean Hargadon. The Lake Delton Post Office offers P.O. Box service, but does not deliver to residential and business customers. The Baraboo Post Office, on the other hand, does. In the case of the business address you refer to, it appears they have a Baraboo mailing address because they are requesting street delivery by a letter carrier, Hargadon said. In spite of the advertising flop, business at the local restaurant has been steady since it opened Tuesday, Heifner said. The Jimmy Johns shares a building with Qdoba, a Mexican restaurant. It is within walking distance of the AMC Desert Star 15 movie theater and the Kalahari Resort and Convention Center. Recognizing a need in the community, the Cambria-Friesland School District opened its Child Enhancement Center when the school year began. The idea took root after Timothy Raymond began working as the new district administrator. Shortly after joining the district, he broached the idea of exploring offering an early childcare program with the CF school board. Research for the project included visiting the Oakfield School District, which offers a childcare program, sending out a survey to parents seeking input on childcare needs in the district in February and exploring options for renting space in the community, a cost analysis and rearranging classroom and other spaces in the school to make room for a program. The Cambria-Friesland School Board approved creating a childcare program in April 2015. Cambria-Friesland school board president Rita Woelffer Burmania said with the before and after school elements, the day care meets the needs of school-age youth as well as preschool-aged children and infants. I am very pleased with the initiative that Mr. Raymond took after seeing the need for child care services in our area, Woelffer Burmania said. He sought information from a local school that created a successful daycare and brought in a qualified lead in Chelsea Stocker in order to implement the program. The school district hired Chelsie Stocker to run the program. Stocker, who graduate from Cambria-Friesland High School in 2006, graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran College in Milwaukee in 2010. She had worked as an administrative assistant at a private school in Pardeeville and was approached by the Cambria-Friesland School District after pursuing the idea of offering childcare in her home to stay with her two children. She said one of her dream jobs was to one day run her own daycare, and she appreciates being giving the opportunity by her hometown school. The school district opted to convert what was once a kindergarten classroom into a childcare center, remodeling to add a small kitchen, and put up partial walls to separate space for infants from space for toddlers. Donations from the community helped get the center started, from toys, high chairs, books, portable cribs, playpens and more. The school district used tables and chairs it already owned, and a refrigerator from the family and consumer sciences classroom. There were so many donations, Stocker said. The best thing about living in a small town is how everyone came together. The Child Enhancement Center held a trial run in August, offering childcare for the children of district staff members during teacher in-services. It was perfect, Stocker said. The center officially opened on Sept. 1. Stocker said it started with 20 children, and is now up to 37, with two more enrolled to start next fall. Im very impressed with how things are going and growing, Stocker said. Cambria-Frieslands Child Enhancement Center offers services for children from 6 weeks old to 12 years, with before and after-school care. Stocker said the center is open from 5:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and is closed on weekend and major holidays. Stocker said that snow days that cancel school may not necessarily mean thee CEC is closed because many parents still need to go to work. The CEC employs nine, including Stocker. The staff has really come together, Stocker said. And it is truly amazing how much these kids have developed. She said many of the children are now recognizing colors and letters, and some are writing their names. Stocker stressed that the CEC is not just for Cambria-Friesland School District families, but that its services are open to the public. The center also offers opportunities for older students at the school. Members of the National Honor Society volunteer at the CEC, students enrolled in a child development class spend time there, and one student who plans to pursue a degree in education works for the after-school program. Stocker said the director of the Jane Morgan Memorial Library visits the center every other Thursday, and the children from the CEC visit the school district library every Tuesday. The center also uses the elementary school gym and equipment, and the school playground. I have taken them out sledding, Stocker said. They had fun with that. She said the children also enjoy running into older siblings in the school hallways. Stocker said it is awesome to be able to give back to the community in her role as the CEC director. So many people did so much for the school and for us, Stocker said. Im grateful to be able to give back. Readers of the Columbus Journal can become watchers of the Columbus Journal over the next nine days, as we post a video series called Spotlight on Columbus to our website. In the series, well shine the spotlight on nine members of our community, including five Columbus business owners and four local educators. The first video, featuring Columbus Antique Mall owner Dan Amato, is on our website now, and a new one will be posted each morning for the next eight days. Just so you dont forget, well post a link to the new video each morning on the Columbus Journal Facebook page and send out a reminder via Twitter so if youre not a follower of one or the other yet, now would be a good time to click the like or follow button. Each of the videos will be about two minutes long and will feature the business owners and educators in their workplaces, talking about what they do and why they do it. Why is a newspaper making videos? The short answer is because my son JT who is a film major at UW-Milwaukee was looking for something to do when he was home over semester break. He had just finished a documentary class and invested in a shotgun microphone and boom pole, and he was itching to put both his new knowledge and his new equipment to the test. But the full answer is that the Columbus Journal, like most newspapers, is more than just ink and paper these days. Were a 21st century newsroom, with all kinds of fun new tools at our disposal to help us tell the citys stories. In part, JT got the idea to do a video series for the Columbus Journal after he helped me edit a few of my own videos. To be sure, I spend the great majority of my time doing old-school journalism digging up news, interviewing sources, writing stories and taking photos and I dont expect that to change any time soon. But video adds another dimension to our coverage, and sometimes a video can tell a story in a way that words and still pictures cant. For instance, video allowed me to show the Zion Handbell Choir playing a beautiful rendition of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing at Christmastime and to capture Jim Petersons homemade pumpkin cannon in action at Discovery Orchard in the fall. I hope to continue to make more videos like those when the situation calls for it. And when JT pitched his video series to me, I was excited about the possibility of adding documentary-style stories to our reportorial repertoire, as well. I think youll enjoy watching the videos and getting to know some of the people in our community a little better. JT had a great time creating the series. He roped a couple of his buddies thank you, Nate and Colin into helping him load and unload equipment, holding the boom pole during filming and monitoring sound levels. The rest of the production work he did himself, conducting the interviews, filming, and editing the videos into their final form. I might be a little biased, but I think he did a great job. Now, go check out the first video, and remember to check back again for new ones over the following days. While the Washington snowstorm dominated news coverage this week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was operating behind the scenes to rush through the Senate what may be the most massive transfer of power from the legislative to the executive branch in our history. The senior senator from Kentucky is scheming, along with Sen. Lindsey Graham, to bypass normal Senate procedure to fast-track legislation granting the president the authority to wage unlimited war for as long as he or his successors may wish. The legislation makes the unconstitutional Iraq War authorization of 2002 look like a walk in the park. It will allow this president and future presidents to wage war against ISIS without restrictions on time, geographic scope, or the use of ground troops. It is a completely open-ended authorization for the president to use the military in any way he or she pleases. Even President Barack Obama has expressed concern over how willing Congress is to hand him unlimited power to wage war. Obama already has far surpassed even his predecessor, George W. Bush, in taking the country to war without even the fig leaf of an authorization. In 2011, the president invaded Libya, overthrew its government, and oversaw the assassination of its leader, without even bothering to ask for Congressional approval. Instead of impeachment, which he deserved for the disastrous Libya invasion, Congress said nothing. House Republicans only managed to bring the subject up when they thought they might gain political points exploiting the killing of United States Ambassador Chris Stevens in Benghazi. It is becoming clearer that Washington plans to expand its war in the Middle East. Earlier this month, the media reported that the U.S. military had taken over an air base in eastern Syria, and Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said that the U.S. would send in the 101st Airborne Division to retake Mosul in Iraq and to attack ISIS headquarters in Raqqa, Syria. Then on Jan. 23, Vice President Joe Biden said that if the upcoming peace talks in Geneva are not successful, the U.S. is prepared for a massive military intervention in Syria. Such an action would likely place the U.S. military face-to-face with the Russian military, whose assistance was requested by the Syrian government. In contrast, we must remember that the U.S. military is operating in Syria in violation of international law. The prospects of such an escalation are not all that far-fetched. At the insistence of Saudi Arabia and with U.S. backing, the representatives of the Syrian opposition at the Geneva peace talks will include members of the Army of Islam, which has fought with al-Qaeda in Syria. Does anyone expect these kinds of people to compromise? Isnt al-Qaeda supposed to be our enemy? The purpose of the legislative branch of our government is to restrict the executive branchs power. The founders understood that an all-powerful king who could wage war at will was the greatest threat to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That is why they created a peoples branch, the Congress, to prevent the emergence of an all-powerful autocrat to drag the country to endless war. Sadly, Congress is surrendering its power to declare war. If Senate Majority Leader McConnell succeeds in passing this open-ended war authorization, the U.S. Constitution will be all but a dead letter. Drivers in the Portage area should expect some major traffic tie-ups in 2018. At about the time when Wisconsin Department of Transportation officials anticipate work on Highway 16 in Portages industrial area, the Canadian Pacific railroad and Wisconsin River bridges on Interstate 39 in the vicinity of Portage will be undergoing maintenance. DOT Project Manager Matthew Dapp brought this to the attention of the approximately 25 people who attended Tuesdays open house at the Portage Municipal Building, concerning the DOTs plans for improving the pavement, and the intersection with Highway 127 and I-39, on Highway 16 from Boeck Road to just past Silver Lake Drive. The bridge maintenance project, Dapp said, is not a direct part of the Highway 16 project. But each will result in traffic changes, in about the same area, at about the same time. An informational flier provided at the open house offers these details: The I-39 bridge project will range from an area just south of the Wisconsin River to the area near the exits to Highway 16 (West Wisconsin Street) in Portage. The bridges were all built in 1964, and their decks were replaced in 1990. Right now, the bridges are getting corroded and need a fresh paint job. The railway bridges also need a new concrete deck overlay and bearing and joint replacement, while the northbound Wisconsin River bridge needs a new expansion joint. One aspect of the project that will tie in closely with the Highway 16 work is a safety-related change on the ramp intersection for the exit from northbound I-39 to westbound Highway 16. The exit will remain a cloverleaf, Dapp said, but instead of requiring cars to merge into traffic (and cross lanes to do it), there will be a stop and a right turn for cars coming off the Interstate onto the highway. The work will mean modifications in I-39 traffic starting in the fall of 2017. At first, one lane in each direction will be closed to build crossovers in the I-39 median, to accommodate future traffic rerouting. Then, in the spring of 2018, both northbound lanes will be closed, and all traffic will be shifted to the southbound lanes, with one lane for each direction. The southbound lanes will be closed in the fall of 2018, with traffic shifted to the northbound lanes. Also, the southbound I-39 ramp at Highway 16 will be closed. DOT officials have not yet decided whether to build a roundabout (with or without bypass lanes) or modify the intersection and add traffic signals in the area where Highway 127 and the southbound I-39 ramp converge at Highway 16. That area has long been a prime spot for crashes, most of them of the T-bone variety. Congress has historically treated drug abuse as a malady afflicting mostly poor, minority communities, best dealt with by locking people up for long periods of time. The epidemic of drug overdose deaths currently ravaging white populations in cities and towns across the country has altered this line of thinking, and forced lawmakers to acknowledge that addiction is a problem that knows no racial barriers and can be best addressed with treatment. This realization is driving bipartisan support in Washington for saner, less punitive drug policies, some of which Congress had steadfastly resisted for decades. Recently, Congress effectively lifted a destructive, longstanding ban that prevented state and local governments from using federal money on needle exchange programs. These programs have been shown to slow the spread of HIV and other infections by giving intravenous drug users access to clean needles. A similar shift in attitude is reflected in bills such as the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, which is pending in both houses of Congress. Its purpose is to expand and improve drug treatment services nationwide. The need for such services was underscored in a recent Times analysis based on data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It shows that drug overdose deaths driven primarily by addiction to prescription painkillers and heroin had increased in nearly every county between 2002 and 2014, a year when more than 47,000 people an average of about 125 a day died of overdoses. Some medical experts likened the toll to the HIV epidemic in the 1990s, but with this difference: Then, HIV deaths were mainly centered in urban centers; now, rural areas have higher drug overdose death rates than large cities. Drug addiction has been especially visible in New Hampshire, where voters have been raising the issue with visiting presidential candidates. The deadly drug of choice in New Hampshire is a brand of heroin mixed with a highly potent painkiller called fentanyl. In Appalachia, deaths frequently occur among injured workers who become addicted to widely prescribed painkillers. In addition to driving up mortality rates, excessive use of painkillers costs the country tens of billions of dollars in lost productivity, medical complications and higher insurance costs. The Recovery Act would attack these problems on several fronts. For starters, it would direct the secretary of health and human services to convene an interagency task force to develop a system of best practices for prescribing pain medications that would then be conveyed to doctors. It would authorize the attorney general to make grants to state and local governments, nonprofit agencies, and other entities to assist them on several fronts: expanding or developing alternatives to incarceration, such as treatment, for defendants who meet certain criteria; improving educational opportunities for offenders in jails, prisons and juvenile detention facilities; making more widely available the drug naloxone, which reverses the effects of an overdose; creating high-quality drug treatment programs; and establishing places where people with unused medications can safely dispose of them. A particularly important provision in the bill would help states strengthen prescription drug monitoring systems. Insurers would be able to track pharmacies that illegally dispense drugs, as well as consumers who get unnecessary prescriptions from multiple doctors, either to satisfy their own habits or to sell them to other parties. The prescription data would also allow addiction treatment programs to make sure that patients take only the drugs required for their treatment regimens. The act represents a rational approach to drug policy. It would be a first step in a long and difficult struggle to get the national addiction crisis under control. Reedsburg resident Art Shrader announced Jan. 26 he is a candidate for the State Legislature. Shrader plans to run as a Democrat for the 50th District seat in the State Assembly currently held by Republican Ed Brooks of Reedsburg. There is one thing that I keep hearing over and over again as I talk to people and thats that Wisconsin is headed in the wrong direction, Shrader said at a news conference at the Reedsburg Public Library. In brief prepared remarks, Shrader called out lawmakers for pursuit of extreme agendas he said are out of touch with Wisconsin values. This isnt the Wisconsin that you and I know and love, Shrader said. Its not the place where we grew up. Shrader cited public education, including demonizing of public school teachers and a move to increase support for private education at the expense of public schools, as a top concern. I want to support our educational systems and our educators from top to bottom our rural schools need more funding and thats where our tax dollars should be going, not private Milwaukee charter schools, Shrader said. Shrader also pointed to a move to dismantle the states Government Accountability Board, assaults on our open records laws and a proposal to sell naming rights to state parks to fund them without tax dollars as more examples of lawmakers assault on reason, moderation and inclusion. I dont know who asked for some of this stuff, or why we would want it, Shrader said. Shrader, 46, is a native of the Richland County town of Ithaca and works as a loan officer for a credit union. He is married and has two children a daughter, 19, and a son, 17. Brooks, 73, lives in the town of Reedsburg. He was first elected to the State Assembly in 2008. He has not announced whether he will seek a fifth term. Two other Democratic candidates previously announced they are candidates for Brookss seat. They are Nathan Johnson of Reedsburg and Tom Crofton of rural Richland Center. Wisconsin voters will elect representatives to all 99 State Assembly districts in the fall election in November. One evening, scissors poised, I was about to snip a money saver from the weekly newspaper insert. My cohabitant walked by for a double take and likened the scenario to a sighting of Sasquatch. Hed heard of people clipping coupons, but hed never witnessed it. A holdover from frugality my mom implemented successfully, carried on by me with less studied and decidedly more random results. Mostly the flier is filled with products that shouldnt be consumed if you follow conventional wisdom of basing your health choices, of which food is one, around shopping the perimeter of a grocery store. This is where produce, frozen veggies and fresh meats are located. Allegedly, it is more efficient for suppliers to restock those areas regularly than in the middle where airless packets of preserved cookies are usually found. Manufacturers coupons are typically for the types of food that defy a motto I share with the local health food store real food is ingredients; real food doesnt have ingredients. Coupons for grocery items are even lumped into a category called consumer packaged goods. According to a website specializing in statistics, in 2012, United States shoppers saved $3.7 billion using coupons and 189 billion coupons distributed were related to food products, with only a fraction of those redeemed. Every once in awhile when leafing through glossy coupon pages, one will find that the Clementine growers, the pomegranate marketers or cottage cheese pushers will throw a bone to the customer in the form of paper savings. It is why I continue clutching a slightly rumpled plastic zipper bag of vouchers when walking into the store. It is one whose contents I invariably sift through just before reaching the checkout line. My specimens have usually expired, are for a product of the wrong size, the wrong quantity or only apply to the cinnamon-flavored one. For a short time a local paper ran a syndicated column about how to a be a super saver at coupons, yet remain one-step removed from those who store months worth of extra breakfast cereal under their bed, because theyve run out of room elsewhere stockpiling discount-induced booty. The column ran until somebody realized the advice didnt apply to this area. If you can run around and comb competing retailers for deals, it may not be as relevant as when you have only 2 1/2 choices, and one of them is the big-box behemoth whose mission is to drive everybody else out. The hit or miss times I do save 50 cents, or $1 remains in my pocket thanks to redeeming a little paper voucher, I count as one of the little victories in a life that usually is best measured in those to stay buoyant. It is not entirely disappointing to weed out the expired and inapplicable whilst in the store. More, a bit like getting to clean out your purse while waiting during an oil change, a clean purse is another of lifes little victories. Of course, you could just save a $1 by not spending $1. But if I was going to pine for fresh fruit anyway, it is nice to feel better about it. According to a search engine, how consumers feel about using coupons is tracked. Sixty percent report that it makes them feel like winners, because they have gotten a better price than others have. When I do find a coupon that actually works, as measured by the blip of the store scanners acceptance, I must admit I feel giddy, having already lowered expectations. Why? The practice of hope is a spiritual one. I dont mind applying that to coupons. 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 Last year, Brett and Nagmeh King were arrested for removing their son Ashya from Southampton hospital and taking him to the Czech Republic for proton therapy, an alternative to chemotherapy that the Kings opted for over chemo. As a result, they sparked an international manhunt. According to Daily Mail, though the Kings risked it all in order to give their son the treatment that they desired, it might have proven to be worth it: Ashya was declared cancer-free in March of last year. Now, a study published in the Lancet Oncology journal is claiming proton beam therapy causes fewer side effects in child patients compared to conventional radiotherapy. Ashya was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a rare brain tumor. The study indicates that both photon-based radiotherapy, like chemotherapy, and proton radiotherapy have similar survival rates among young people. Our findings suggest that proton radiotherapy seems to result in an acceptable degree of toxicity and had similar survival outcomes to those achieved with photon-based radiotherapy, the study said. Though their survival rates are comparable, the study suggests that the side effects associated with proton beam therapy are less severe than that of its photon-based equivalent. Although there remain some effects of treatment on hearing, endocrine, and neurocognitive outcomes particularly in younger patients other late effects common in photon-treated patients, such as cardiac, pulmonary, and gastrointestinal toxic effects, were absent, the study said. While these absent side-effects might benefit patients undergoing radiotherapy cancer treatments, it doesnt seem to be more effective than traditional treatments. It has been suggested as an alternative to photon-based treatments. Wrexham Business Undergoes Major Investment and Expansion This article is old - Published: Sunday, Jan 31st, 2016 A Wrexham business which supplies animal bedding to farmers throughout the UK has undergone a major investment and expansion which is creating jobs and increasing capacity. R A & C E Platt Ltd (Platts Animal Bedding) which is based on Wrexhams Llay Industrial Estate, has invested nearly 1m in new head offices, the upgrading of its ICT systems, the design and build of new canteen/welfare facilities and has equipped and opened a new HGV Commercial Garage- which is working towards a VOSA approved testing facility. The companys new Headquarters was supported by 102,230 from the Wales Economic Growth Fund and has already created eight new jobs and safeguarded another eleven. There are also additional new posts planned for the telesales team. An additional 250,000 investment this year in new bulk-loading technology will also create further jobs within its Transport division. Speaking about the investment into the company, Economy Minister Edwina Hart said: Its always good news to hear of Welsh businesses investing, expanding and creating jobs and I am pleased the Welsh Government was able to support this substantial expansion which is bringing significant benefits to the region. The expansion will increase capacity and create efficiencies at the family owned business, which was founded in 1973 by Robert and Christine Platt and now run by daughter, Managing Director Caroline Thedens. The growing demand for their range of products which includes seven specialised bedding products for dairy cattle and three products for the equine and poultry markets has been the catalyst to reinvest in technology. Platts are the only manufacturer specialising in this field in Wales and currently sources its wood residues and sells its finished products in the UK but plan to explore importing and exporting opportunities this year. Caroline Thedens said: We operate at the forefront of the industry and are committed to constantly growing our business, developing our technologies and improving our products to consistently deliver the quality and reliability we know our customers expect. We have invested heavily in providing environmentally sustainable animal bedding solutions to our customers, offering a range of recycled wood products. Support from the Welsh Government enabled us to accelerate our expansion and I dont think we would have achieved what we have done within the timeframe without this help. The new garage, which opened in November 2015, is open for third-party servicing and maintenance and also provides Platts with a cost effective method of maintaining its own branded fleet of vehicles, including articulated moving floor trailers, rigid flat-deck lorry vehicles and 100 filtration trailers. The company, which currently employs 46 people, has a buy local policy and its investment and expansion is already benefiting local suppliers, many of whom are based on the same industrial estate. On Friday, UK Prime Minister David Cameron met with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels to continue discussions over the terms of the UKs membership of the European Union (EU). According to media reports, the European Commission would be prepared to offer Cameron a new emergency brake for the UK to ban migrants from within the EU from claiming working family tax credits and child benefit for up to four years. In response, John Redwood, a leading Eurosceptic in Camerons Conservative Party, said the proposal was an insult to the United Kingdom. Its not a serious offer. We need to take back control of our borders and we need to be able to control our own welfare system. That falls well short of that. This week, 40 Conservative MPs wrote to Cameron calling for a meeting to discuss their concerns that he is not asking for sufficiently radical changes in return for Britains continued membership of the European Union. They want him to restore Britains sovereignty over setting tax rates and laws. The MPs were said privately to be backed by 10 government ministers and aides. One Eurosceptic told the Daily Telegraph Cameron was doing significant harm to party unity after the referendum on British membership of the EU, due before the end of 2017. John Baron, the MP who organised the letter, said that Eurosceptic MPs have been seeking a meeting with Cameron since November, without success. The prime ministers refusal to engage with 40 of his MPs who signed my letter last November requesting a meeting to discuss our concernssignals No 10 has no intention of pitching for a fundamental change in our relationship with the EU, he wrote in the Telegraph . The letter complains that getting an exemption for the UK from the principle of ever-closer union in the EU is not enough and that Parliament must be given a veto over EU laws. The Telegraph cites one member of the government who supported the letter but could not sign it, i.e., a minister, stating, We are supposed to be debating whether Britain goes down a path as an EU member in which national sovereignty would increasingly become a thing of the past, whatever anyone says. There is no evidence that Cameron is going to come up with anything like the guarantees we need that this wont happen. Reports from the Sunday Times indicate that Cameron is moving towards a position whereby Britain would withdraw to the periphery of the EU, a so-called outer circle, thereby opting out of key binding EU laws. Speaking to the press, Cameron said, The British people want to see a stronger role for national parliaments and an acceptance that the ever-closer union is not the aim of all. This position appears to have the support of Germany under Chancellor Angela Merkel, because it leaves her free to work with France on consolidating a core Europe. But it is an agreement that places the UK and Germany as opposed poles of attraction, with Cameron clearly desirous of forming alliances with various Eastern European states to block against Berlin and Paris. It also comes with various demands attached that Cameron will have great difficulty selling to his Eurosceptic wing, particularly his support for plans to create a European army. Camerons initiative is being headed by Nick Herbert, who 15 years ago led the campaign to keep Britain out of the eurozone currency union. He worked closely with the campaign director for Vote Leave, Dominic Cummings. Internal warfare is now barely concealed. Media reports detail how at a recent cabinet meeting, Chris Grayling, the leader of the Commons, called for ministers to meet the day that Cameron returns from EU negotiations in Brussels. One Eurosceptic told reporters, They want to declare victory on the Friday and dominate the media while everyone in the cabinet has to sit on their hands. They know theres a 72-hour window where voters decide whether this deal flies or not. A source close to the prime minister described Eurosceptic suggestions of secret deals with the EU and individual EU states as an interesting conspiracy theory. Cameron wants concessions that will enable his government to deepen the attack on welfare and workers rights. Cameron will no doubt now try to change domestic law to clarify the British parliament as sovereign and that British courts are not bound by Europes charter of fundamental rights. The Sunday Times described such a move to placate the anti-European right as The icing on the cake, or as one of several rabbits he will pull out of his hat. The emergency brake proposal would be one such rabbit. Oliver Letwin, Camerons policy guru, has contacted Conservative lawyers asking them for ideas after Sir Jeremy Heywood, the cabinet secretary, blocked a succession of Tory proposals. After weeks of pontificating about how certain core EU rules and regulations were beyond negotiation, recent media reports suggest Germany has offered Cameron a compromise over his demand for EU migrants to face a four-year ban from claiming in-work benefits in the UK. The deal suggested by Berlin will not discriminate against EU migrant workers employed in the UK because it will remove benefits from both EU and British workers! Benefits would only be available to those who have earned over a certain figure and therefore paid enough tax to qualify for in-work benefits. It will mean taking away in-work benefits from millions of the poorest workers. UK and EU citizens working in the UK who earn only the minimum wage would all be denied welfare benefits. This would effectively signal the end of in-work benefits, which are targeted for the poorly paid. Giving his enthusiastic backing for the proposals, Juncker expressed his confidence that the renewed negotiations will be able to come to agreement at the February 18 summit of EU leaders: Im quite sure that well have a deal, not a compromise, a solution ... a permanent solution in February, he said. The Sunday Times suggested that Camerons manoeuvres are particularly aimed at neutralising opposition from the partys big beasts such as Justice Secretary Michael Gove and London Mayor Boris Johnson, a probable contender for the party leadership. Interviewed in the Sunday Times last year, Johnson called for changes to the 1972 European Communities Act to make clear that Parliament overrides European law. Now Cameron has instructed Gove to design a scenario similar to the status of the German constitutional courts, which also rejects the primacy of the European court. A senior Conservative told the media By getting Michael to deliver the key rabbit you bind him and Boris in to the PMs camp. There is no guarantee that this will work and every possibility that it will backfire. In any event, Cameron has again allowed the Eurosceptics to dictate events and thereby increased the likelihood of a Brexit vote in any referendum. Two opinion polls published this month suggest an increasing number of British voters wish to leave the EU. A poll for the right-wing Mail on Sunday found 53 percent of people supporting withdrawal and 47 percent expressing a sentiment to remain within the European Union. The Independent on Sunday, which advances itself as more liberal, also showed a narrow lead for exiting the EU, 40 percent to 38 percent, with 22 percent undecided. The right-wing Daily Express reported a survey by the Edelman Trust, which conversely found that support for staying in the EU had in fact risen from 40 percent in 2014 to 48 percent this year. However, the report noted a widespread social disparity, with 47 percent of low-income households earning under 15,000 a year supporting leaving the EU, compared with 61 percent support for the EU among more prosperous layers of what are termed the informed publics. A jury found Toronto police officer James Forcillo guilty of attempted murder this week in the 2013 killing of 17 year-old Syrian immigrant Sammy Yatim, while delivering a not guilty verdict on the more serious charge of second degree murder. The verdict marked the end of a prominent three-month trial that predictably saw the police close ranks around one of their own. However, it also intensified the widespread hostility of the broader population toward the brutality and contempt with which the police increasingly treat the mentally ill, the poor, and the working class. In the early morning of July 27, 2013, Forcillo was one of several police officers who responded to a report that Yatim had barricaded himself inside an immobilized Toronto streetcar while brandishing a knife. Witnesses reported that he had exposed himself on the streetcar before ordering all the passengers and driver to leave. By the time the police arrived on the scene, Yatim was alone on the streetcar. He posed no threat to bystanders, but was clearly in an agitated state. Despite this, Forcillo immediately escalated the situation. He approached the young man with his gun drawn, ordering the distraught Yatim to drop the fucking knife, and warning that he would shoot if Yatim took another step forward. Seconds later, after Yatim took a half- step toward the front of the streetcar, the police officer shot three times, hitting the youth in the heart and the spine. After Yatim crumpled to the floor mortally wounded, Forcillo fired another salvo of six shots. As Yatim lay dying on the streetcar, a second police officer approached and tased him. The entire incident transpired in far less than a minute. The killing provoked widespread outrage across the city, owing in no small part to bystander video footage that exposed the savagery and callousness of the police officers actions. Protests organized by Yatims friends and family attracted hundreds of supporters and, combined with public anger and the incriminating nature of the videos, ultimately forced the provincial government to indict Forcillo. Without the multiple video sources documenting the shooting, it is highly likely that Forcillo would never have been indicted and at most would have received a slap on the wrist. Forcillo is the first cop to be convicted on murder, attempted murder, or manslaughter charges since the creation of Ontarios Special Investigations Unit (SIU) in 1990. Although nominally independent, the police oversight body is stocked with former police and is notorious for ignoring and excusing criminal police conduct. Even in the face of incontrovertible evidence that Forcillo entered the streetcar with his gun drawn, verbally threatened Yatim and then fired on him unprovoked, the police, his lawyers, and the officer himself obstinately insisted throughout the trial that Yatim was the author of his own death. Forcillo insisted that Yatim intended to do him harm, making aggressive and threatening gestures and readying to charge off the streetcar, knife drawn. However, video evidence, including footage from the streetcar, made clear that the youth had a mocking, but non-threatening demeanor. Forcillo further claimed that he fired the second six-bullet salvo at a prostrate Yatim, because he thought he saw the fatally wounded Yatim rise and lunge toward him. Forcillos colleagues testified to the same effect, painting a bizarre picture of the lanky teenager resurrecting himself after suffering lethal injury so he could tear them limb from limb. Perhaps the most cold-blooded and unscrupulous conduct during the trial was that of Forcillos attorney, Peter Brauti. The attorney once complained that the SIU, by referring to the deceased as Sammy during their investigations, had helped to humanize himpresumably diminishing the defences chances of portraying the teenager as a deranged lunatic. Brauti also submitted an unsuccessful motion to introduce an expert witness who was to testify that Yatim had been seeking a suicide by cop. This filthy conception has become the go-to rationalization for police officers who murder civilians, especially when the victims suffer from mental illness. The motion was made all the more insulting by evidence showing that Yatim was traumatized by multiple circumstances, including the war in his home country of Syria that was fomented by the US and its allies (including Canada), impoverishment, and his recent expulsion from his fathers home. Despite these debilitating personal traumas, Yatim had sought to re-connect with his family and seek help, and though clearly suffering an acute personal crisis, had no wish to die. Prosecuting attorney Ian Bulmer pointed out that the young man met none of the criteria for suicide by cop established by a previous study. Presiding Justice Edward then dismissed Brautis motion to hear the expert witness. The prosecution argued that Forcillo irreversibly escalated a relatively minor situation, instead of calmly speaking to Yatim to buy time for a trained police-negotiator (or a level-headed officer) to reach the scene. However, Forcillos actions were merely presented as those of a bully angered by Yatims behaviour, rather than an expression of the increasing lawlessness and violence which pervades police forces in Canada, the United States and internationally. The media mouthpieces of the Canadian ruling elite have unequivocally lauded the attempted murder verdict. The Toronto Star breathlessly proclaimed an end for police impunity, while the Globe and Mail remarked, in self-assured fashion, that even the police are not above the law. Toronto police union head Mike McCormack, meanwhile, is claiming that the Forcillo verdict will have a chilling effect on other police officers. None of this is true. The trials outcome constituted a whitewashing of Yatims murder. Despite having shot Yatim without provocation multiple times in two separate volleys, Forcillo was found guilty only on the lesser charge of attempted murder, a charge which related solely to the second volley of bullets he fired. In declaring him not guilty of murder or even manslaughter, Canadas justice system has exonerated the most significant and egregious of Forcillos actions, finding him not criminally culpable for having immediately challenged and threatened Yatim, then shot him dead. According to the trial verdict, it was not criminal to kill Yatim unprovoked, merely to pump his body full of five additional bullets when he lay fatally wounded on the streetcar floor. Nonetheless, the medias attitude to Forcillos conviction points to a mood of nervousness among sections of the ruling elite. They recognize there is growing anger over police violence, over the regularity with which people across the country, most of them entirely innocent or guilty of no more than misdemeanors and petty crimes, are beaten, tased, raped, and shot by those in uniform. As the Star editorial board admitted after the ruling, This verdict comes at a time when concern is building in Canada and across North America about police use of lethal force. Cases of officers being charged with murder or manslaughter, much less convicted, are rare in Ontario. There have been 11, including Forcillo, since 1990. All the others were cleared. The medias claims that Forcillos conviction will end police impunity notwithstanding, the arming of police forces across Canada with military-grade hardware continues. So too does the polices expanding use of tasers; the granting of additional powers to the police, such as the ability to detain terrorism suspects without charge for up to seven days; and the practice of carding, whereby poor and minority youth are subject to random questioning, i.e. harassment, in an effort to intimidate low-income and working class neighborhoods. The police are a tool of the ruling class tasked with upholding capitalisms brutal class divide and suppressing resistance to the depredations of the profit system from the working class and left and socialist organizations. As exemplified by the repression of the 2010 Toronto G-20 protest and the 2012 Quebec student strike, the ruling class will, under conditions of ever-worsening social inequality, increasingly rely on their bodies of armed men to violently crush social opposition. They calculate that by punishing a criminal thug like James Forcillo they can appease public anger and present a semblance of reform, while continuing their drive to expand the repressive powers of the police and national-security apparatus. Documents reveal that the administration of Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has been providing state workers in Flint with bottled water for over a year. The revelation came from examination of an internal email sent out to state workers by the Department of Technology, Management and Budget (DTMB) back in January 2015. This notice, sent out long before any officials publicly acknowledged a health hazard, cited a contamination problem within the Flint water supply. The email stated: While the City of Flint states that corrective actions are not necessary, DTMB is in the process of providing a water cooler on each occupied floor, positioned near the water fountain, so you can choose which water to drink. The coolers will arrive today and will be provided as long as the public water does not meet treatment requirements. Just days later, the city issued an advisory that cited the presence of trihalomethanes in the water, but maintained the water was safe to drink for residents in good health. By the time researchers released a lead advisory due to high levels found in Flint residents bloodstreams, the Snyder administration had been supplying state officials with bottled water for over eight months. This new piece of evidence further indicts city, state and federal officials, suggesting they had been well aware of the health hazards relating to the Flint water supply for quite some time. The contamination of the Flint water began in 2014 when the city switched from the Detroit municipal water system to the polluted Flint River. The highly corrosive water from the river caused lead to leach from the citys antiquated piping and accumulate at dangerously high levels. The decision, made under a state-appointed emergency manager, was made despite a counter offer from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) that could have potentially saved the city hundreds of millions of dollars. It is now suspected that the move to the KWA was not made in order to save money, but as a part of a broader move to monetize DWSD. Despite evidence of widespread lead poisoning of residents, Governor Snyder waited until earlier this month to declare a state of emergency. It has since come to light that Flint residents had been exposed to dangerously high levels of lead for a period of a year and a half. Prolonged exposure to lead causes an array of serious health hazards, including organ damage and neurological disorders. The effects of lead are particularly dangerous to young children, whose brains are still developing. The number of children potentially exposed to dangerous amounts of lead from Flint drinking water is 8,000-9,000 with potentially devastating public health consequences that will be felt for generations. In a press statement a few days ago, Snyder announced that a full replacement of the citys lead piping is not imminent. He stated that an overhaul of the citys water system would take 15 years, despite statements from local plumbers that it could realistically be done in two. The governor put forward the absurdly low figure of $55 million as the cost of such a project. In fact, estimates of the cost of replacing Flints aging piping are as high as $1.5 billion. Meanwhile, Democratic Party politicians have been scrambling to distance themselves from the disaster. Both President Obama and Hillary Clinton have made statements on the crisis, feigning sympathy for Flint residents. Obama recently issued some $80 million in relief, a token amount, which is being made available as part of Michigans revolving loan fund and is not necessarily targeted directly to Flint. Various media shills for the Democratic Party are attempting to deflect criticism by placing blame for the disaster solely on the Republican governor. Filmmaker Michael Moore has called for the arrest of Snyder and paints the water crisis as a racist crime, despite the fact that it has impacted both the white and black residents of the city. MSNBC news host Rachel Maddow, a long-time cheerleader for the War on Terror, held a carefully orchestrated town hall meeting in Flint on Wednesday. Maddow used the meeting as a public relations stunt for the Democrats, while posing as a champion of Flint residents. A WSWS reporting team spoke to workers and young people attending the Rachel Maddow meeting in Flint on Wednesday. All expressed anger over the crisis of infrastructure as well as the empty promises and lack of response from the political establishment. Angela, a Flint schools employee, said that she had concerns with Flint water before the present crisis erupted. I made my first complaint in 2011. It was discolored and had foul odor. It took months to get someone to check my water. At the time they told me I would have to be responsible for my own repairs, but they assured me the water was drinkable. I dont think the politicians will get back our trust. Actions speak louder than words. At the end of the day they dont care. We are economically challenged. We are being screwed by every institution. It is hard to find employment. We are under attack at every level. Derrick Britton, a state worker, said he had family members who had been tested for lead and were waiting for results. This is about politics over people. I grew up here. I wish someone would take responsibility. It is not just Flint. The infrastructure needs to be fixed across the United States. Don, a student at Wayne State University in Detroit, drove up to Flint to attend the town hall meeting. He told the WSWS, It is a shame they allowed this to happen. You can see how the infrastructure is falling apart. If you look at the map, there are other places besides Flint that are having problems with lead. It is a big issue on our campus. They are having lectures on it. Greek authorities, in collaboration with officers from European Union border agency Frontex, have clamped down on the activities of volunteers and NGOs helping the hundreds of thousands of refugees crossing into Greece by sea. The refugees are fleeing the war zones of the Middle East and North Africa. On the island of Lesbos, five aid workers were arrested in the early hours of January 14 by the Greek coastguard after they were caught towing a boat full of refugees on the Greek-Turkish sea border. Two of the volunteers were Danish nationals working with an NGO called Team Humanity, while the other three were firefighters from Seville in Spain, working with an NGO called Proemaid. According to news web site irinnews.org, the two Danish volunteers received a call on Thursday about a boat in distress. One said he notified the Greek coastguard, who told him they couldnt respond without knowing the coordinates. The Team Humanity volunteers took their boat out to look for the sinking boat. Before they found it, they were intercepted by the coastguard and later arrested on suspicion of people smuggling. After a court hearing on January 16, all five were released on bail after being charged with people trafficking, which carries a prison sentence of up to four years. No date for a trial has been set. Bail was set at 5,000 for all volunteers except for Salam Aldeen, one of the two Danes, who had to pay 10,000. Aldeen is also forbidden from leaving Greece and has to report to a local police station once a week. According to irinnews.org, Team Humanity [had] raised 30,000 to purchase a professional rescue boat so they could patrol the coast of Lesbos, responding to boats in distress. Weve rescued as many as 700 people, stated Ayman El Ghiouane, a spokesman for the group. In that same week on the island of Chios, a Spanish volunteer was arrested on a charge of espionage after was he was caught taking pictures of a Dutch patrol vessel that was part of the Frontex contingent on the island. Authorities later searched the house where the Spaniard was staying and arrested two Swiss volunteers after 47 grams of cannabis and 12 canisters of pepper spray were found in their possession. According to their testimony, the canisters were meant for self defence and they planned to hand them out to other volunteers as well after having witnessed violent episodes while doing aid work in Croatia. The two Swiss volunteers received suspended sentences and were fined 700 each, while the Spaniard was released pending trial. According to Greek Law, espionage offences carry prison sentences of up to 10 years. Since the start of the year there have been mixed patrols between Greek coastguard forces and Frontex forces in the sea border between Greece and Turkey. According to Chios Chief of Police Andreas Damiris, The aim of these patrols is to inspect all those who aid refugees at reception centres. Specifically all NGOs will be gradually inspected as the legality of their presence here and to the role each one has. The arrests are part of wider plans to crackdown on the activities of NGOs and volunteers helping refugees stranded on the Greek islands bordering Turkey. In 2015 over 850,000 people made the boat crossing from Turkey to Greece, with 60 percent of them going to Lesbos. Over 44,000 have already crossed into Greece just in the first weeks of 2016. According to the International Organization for Migration, at least 158 women, men and children have died in the Aegean Sea since the year began. This process was stepped up last week, when authorities in Lesbos announced plans to record, identify and accredit all independent volunteers and NGOs working on the island. The additional measures were justified on the grounds that they seek to better coordinate the activities of NGOs. In reality, the Syriza-led government is colluding with the EU to crackdown on any initiatives that cut across the European ruling elites agenda of deterring refugees from seeing Europe as a safe haven. Last week EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos stated that Greece and Italy must set up hotspots within the next four weeks. Hotspots are essentially concentration camps where refugees are detained and have their fingerprints taken like criminals before being deported in summary proceedings. A hotspot already exists on the island of Lesbos, while additional hot spots will be established on the islands of Chios, Kos, Samos and Leros. Faced with criticism from ruling circles in Europe for not doing enough to police its external borders, and even being threatened with expulsion from the Schengen treaty for passport-free travel in Europe, the pseudo-left Syriza government has been anxious to offer its assurances that its policies are in line with the EU agenda. In an interview with Deutsche Welle last week, Immigration Minister Yannis Mouzalas heaped praise on German Chancellor Angela Merkels handling of the refugee crisis, stating, Mrs. Merkels policy is one that chooses the road of the Enlightenment and Romanticism for Europe, against another policy which wants to lead Europe to the Middle Ages. In the same interview, Mouzalas rebuffed claims that Greece did not want to collaborate with Frontex, stating categorically that he supported the establishment of a European border police force and went on to criticise the EU from the right for not doing enough to make this happen. He said that of the 1,800 Frontex officers that Greece has requested only 900 have so far arrived, while it took five months for the EU to approve the funds for 100 Eurodac fingerprinting machines. We have deported 130 people back to Turkey in the last 15 days, boasted Mouzalas in the interview. In the same space of time 30,000 refugees and illegal immigrants have arrived from Turkey. This ratio leads to an impasse. Europe will have to act soon so that deportations happen fast and in large numbers. Last Friday, 45 refugees, including 17 children, drowned near the island of Farmakonisi off the coast of Turkey. The tragedy was followed by two days of protests in the Greek town of Orestiada near the land border with Turkey in northeastern Greece. Thousands of protesters demanded that transit restrictions between Greece and Turkey are eased so that refugees are not forced to make the perilous journey across the sea. On Wednesday seven refugees, including two children, drowned near the island of Kos. The following day a boat capsized near the Greek island of Samos, drowning at least 25 people, 10 of them children. Just 10 people were rescued. While most of the border is separated by the river Evros, a 12.5 kilometre stretch is made up of land only, which is divided by a fence and guarded by police and military patrols, including some officers from Frontex. Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias callously responded to the protests in Orestiada by stating that the existence of the fence is not a negative fact and that it is thanks to our policy in Evros that no refugees have crossed by land, but only by sea. Just two weeks after the lifting of punitive international sanctions on Iran, a scramble is underway to take advantage of trade and investment possibilities. A two-day visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Tehran last week was followed by Iranian President Hassan Rouhanis trip this week to Italy and France, leading to a series of multi-billion dollar deals. The international sanctions were lifted on January 16 only after Tehran implemented the onerous demands of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPA) reached last July with the P-6 groupthe US, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germanyover its nuclear programs. Iran, which has repeatedly denied allegations that it planned to build a nuclear weapon, was compelled to ship out its low-enriched uranium, dismantle thousands of gas centrifuges and incapacitate its heavy-water reactor. For the European powers, the opening up of Iran provides opportunities to boost their own depressed economies and to make up ground lost to China as a result of the US-led sanctions. For Iran, investment and trade is a dire necessity to boost its crippled economy as the government confronts mounting social tensions. As a result of falling oil prices, the economy grew last year by just 0.8 percent, compared to 4.3 percent in 2014. Iran is hoping to attract up to $50 billion in foreign investment annually. Rouhanis European tour was the first by an Iranian president in well over a decade. He was accompanied by a 100-strong trade delegation of ministers, senior officials and business representatives. He received red carpet treatment and met with top leaders in Italy and France, including both prime ministers, and French President Francois Hollande, as well as Pope Francis in the Vatican. In Rome, Rouhani declared that the nuclear agreement had been a win-win for both sides. We invite you to invest and we will provide stability and ensure that you can make adequate returns, he promised. In Italy, agreements were signed worth an estimated $18 billion in industries ranging from natural gas to high-speed rail. In Paris, Rouhani told business leaders that he wanted to turn the page on the old bitterness between Iran and France and open a new relationship. Pierre Gattaz, president of the French employer federation Medef, urged French companies to rush to Iran and not waste any time. At Rouhanis meeting with Hollande, a range of deals were formally signed, including the purchase of 118 Airbus aircraft and an oil contract with Total to buy 150,000200,000 barrels of oil a day from Iran. PSA Peugeot Citroen sealed a joint venture with Iran Khodro to produce 200,000 cars a year and invest more than $280 million over the next five years. Other major European powers are also lining up. On January 16, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond commented: I hope British businesses seize the opportunities available to them through the phased lifting of sanctions on Iran. Just days earlier, former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was part of a large German trade delegation to Iran, seeking to revive longstanding economic ties that were hard hit by sanctions. Even before the lifting of sanctions, Tehran had become a magnet for business delegations. The New Yorker commented: The Great Racefor what a Western ambassador in Tehran described as the last gold mine on Earthhas begun. With 80 million people, Iran is the largest economy to return to the global marketplace since the Soviet Unions demise, a quarter century ago. It urgently needs to refurbish its crumbling infrastructure. Unlike Eastern Europe, however, Iran is flush with cash, after gaining access to $100 billion in oil revenues that had been locked away in foreign banks during sanctions. Moreover, Rouhanis pledge to provide stability and ensure profits is a guarantee to foreign investors that the reactionary clerical regime in Tehran will implement its pro-market agenda and use police-state measures to suppress any opposition in the working class. Last May, the government hiked up fuel prices by a massive 40 percent and ended the rationing system that provided cheap subsidised petrol. Rouhani is part of a faction of the ruling elite that has repeatedly sought to establish a rapprochement with the US as a means of opening up the country to Western investment. The government is hoping for a much-needed economic boost to stem mounting social tensions. Some 60 percent of the population is under the age of 30 and the official youth unemployment rate is 25 percent. The European rush to Iran has left the United States on the economic sidelines. While most international sanctions have been lifted, the US trade embargo will not be lifted for another eight years, with a few exceptions, including passenger aircraft. Having lost out in the initial round to Airbus, Boeing will no doubt be keen to bid for the next round of sales. Iran has indicated it wants to purchase a total of 400 aircraft. Washington has previously used threats and provocations against Iran as a means of disrupting the plans of its rivals to secure close relations with the energy-rich state. In 200405, the so-called EU ThreeFrance, Germany and Britainattempted to negotiate an agreement with Iran over its nuclear programs, only to have the talks effectively sabotaged by the US. Having frozen its uranium enrichment program, Tehran reacted angrily to a US-EU deal, which, in the words of one Iranian negotiator, was too ridiculous to be called an offer. The breakdown of talks led to escalating tensions as the US ratcheted up its threats of war against Iran. After Obama came to office, Washington pressured its allies and the UN to impose draconian sanctions that cut Iran off from the international financial system and dramatically reduced its exports of oil. Last years nuclear deal is often hailed as a triumph for peace and stability. In reality, the US agreed to the JCPA in part because it feared a breakdown of the sanctions coalition. More fundamentally, however, it was a tactical shift aimed at preparing for confrontation and conflict with larger adversaries, China and Russia. The United States cannot simply stand by and allow its European and Asian rivals to consolidate an economic base and political ties with Iran. The country is the second largest economy in the Middle East and has the fourth largest reserves of oil, and second largest of gas, in the world. US imperialism will either have to join in the scramble, or, as it has done before, use sanctions and military threats to undermine its rivals, and thus bring the region to the brink of another new war. The San Diego City council voted unanimously earlier this month in a closed session to appeal a state labor board ruling that struck down a right-wing pension reform bill from 2012. On December 29, the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) ruled that the city had to retroactively pay back about 2,000 employees who have been hired since the pension cuts went into effect. Proposition B, as the pension bill was called, switched the citys defined-benefit pensions to 401(k)-style retirement plans for most new non-police workers. The ballot initiative was approved after former mayor Jerry Sanders used his office as a private citizen to gather 116,000 signatures to place the measure on the 2012 ballot. The use of city employees to gather signatures for private citizens was considered illegal, and the city failed to get the approval of the citys trade unions to sign off on Prop. B, according to the PERB. For his part, City Attorney Jan Goldsmith told the San Diego Union-Tribune that the PERB ruling gave the unions the power to thwart the publics will, adding, The peoples right to initiative is guaranteed by the California Constitution. This right cannot be bargained away in a back room, or stolen from the people by a government agency. In this case, initiative means stealing money from workers who toil their whole lives for a decent retirement. Californias Fourth District Court of Appeal is now scheduled to hear the case. The boards ruling would now require San Diego to pay back thousands in matching pension contributions over the last three years since the ballot initiative was passed. In addition, the city would have to pay workers 7 percent interest as well as attorneys fees. Michael Zucchet, general manager of the Municipal Employees Association, told the Union-Tribune, The citys bill is going to keep accumulating with interest and it will only get more expensive if they keep filing appeals. Zucchet said that the cost of paying back the newly hired workers would be in the millions. I dont know whether its $5 million or $500 million, but if I had to guess Id say its somewhere in the $100 million range, he said. While the trade unions have struck a tone of opposition to pension cuts, they are not against reducing pensions in principle. Their position has always been to get a seat at the table with city officials, Democrat or Republican, offering their services to keep their memberships in line and facilitate the passage of austerity measures. This has been the preferred method of the Obama administration at the national level, using the unions to administer cuts while the Republicans seek more extra-legal ways to achieve the same ends. This is why Zucchet was quoted by the KUSI News as saying he agrees with city officials over how to comply with the new ruling, saying, We think the council would continue to follow the city attorneys dismissive view of PERB at the citys own risk, and we think a better course is to sit down and figure out how to resolve this dispute rather than continuing the uncertainty for both the city and its employees. Whichever side wins the appeals process, a five-year pay freeze will remain in place on pension pay. Even though this provision was revealed around the same time as Proposition B, it was agreed to by the unions and not included in the ballot proposal. San Diegos budget deficit is estimated to be around $2 billion. It is worth recalling that pensions across California and the United States were intimately tied to Wall Street bets on the housing market. When that bubble collapsed in 2008, the banks and insurance companies blamed pensioners and demanded that cuts be made on pensions and social services so that they could regain their losses. Other cities in California, like Stockton and San Bernardino, used the threat of bankruptcy to go after pensions. In San Jose, former Democratic mayor Chuck Reeds pension reform measure was defeated after the city and its police department came to an agreement to set lower pension benefits for new hires. The new mayor, Sam Liccardo, argued that it was better to negotiate in good faith with the unions than implement a ballot measure. However, Reed has planned to reintroduce a statewide pension bill for 2018, after failing to get such a bill on the ballot for 2016. When he was mayor of San Jose, Reed cut the citys workforce by over 20 percent and cut the pay of the rest of the workers by 10 percent. State workers were allowed to keep their current pension, but were forced to pay up to 16 percent more or pay into a new plan with a higher retirement age and fewer cost-of-living adjustments. Reed followed the example of the Detroit and Stockton bankruptcies, which were used to gut pensions by rewriting protections in the state constitutions. Reed was forced to abandon his attempt to get a statewide pension reform bill approved by referendum in 2014 after Attorney General Kamala Harris approved wording of the bill, which was unsatisfactory to Reed. Although Reed sued to change the wording, a superior court judge intervened and rejected his lawsuit. Most damaging was the revelation that the measure had been funded by $200,000 from Texas billionaire and former Enron executive John Arnold. Carl DeMaio, a Republican who served on the San Diego City Council, was the main author of the citys Proposition B and worked directly with Reed on the statewide ballot measure to cut pensions in 2014 and again in 2016. DeMaio worked with the San Diego County Taxpayers Association and the pro-business Lincoln Club on a separate initiative from former mayor Sanderss ballot that was eventually combined into one effort. The latest announcement that the city council will fight PERBs ruling against pension cutbacks exposes the City Councils bipartisan commitment to austerity at any cost. Democrat councilman Todd Gloria voted for the ruling even though he has feigned support for workers around the bogus campaign to lift the minimum wage to a miserly $15 an hour. The same goes for Democrat councilman David Alvarez, who ran for mayor in 2013; he voted for the appeal for the sake of clarity despite being on the record as opposing Proposition B. Whether the ruling elite uses ballot measures as a fig leaf to raid pensions or enlists the trade unions in the same cause, the assault on retirement funds will continue. For years, the corporate media in San Diego have blamed the economic crisis on greedy workers who have six-figure retirement accounts. California, which used to have a history of well-paid state sector jobs, is now seen as an example that will be applied across the US as the threat of pension deficits is used to further enrich the banks and corporations. Thousands of dock workers at the Port of New York and New Jersey walked off the job Friday, shutting the US East Coasts largest shipping port. The surprise strike came at 10:00 am Friday without the official sanction of the International Longshoremens Association (ILA). The main issue, according to ILA spokesman Jim McNamara Friday afternoon, is a dispute with the Waterfront Commission over hiring and workplace harassment. The ILAs clarification came after initially claiming it was unsure of the reason for the walkout. Hours later, the union moved to end the job action as rapidly as it began. A statement on the ILA web site Friday evening urged dock workers to accept orders and return to work immediately. Terminals in New York and New Jersey have long been understaffed even as cargo volumes have soared. Over the past decade container volumes at the port have increased by 30 percent to nearly 5.8 million 20-foot containers as of 2014. Alongside this growth has been relentless speedups and longer working hours for staff offloading and transporting containers, manning entrance and exit gates and supplying trucks with road-worthy chassis. Under these conditions, dock work at the port has become extremely dangerous. Last August, a worker was struck and killed by a piece of heavy equipment used to shuttle containers around APM Terminal in Elizabeth, NJ. In the three months following the death, a series of incidents led one worker to be hospitalized with a leg injury, another suffered burns and smoke inhalation and a third severed a handall at the same terminal. Far from taking measures to ensure safety and tolerable working conditions, the ILA is complicit in the offensive by shipping companies to lower labor costs and promote productivity gains. Under the last contract, for example, the ILA pushed through changes to workplace rules that allow one less longshoreman per work gang and reduce relief staffing. The unions furious denunciations of the Waterfront Commission, which has intensified over the past two years, has more to do with defending its role as a labor contractor than defending job conditions. Under the current contract, new hires are to be allocated according to a formula of 51 percent for military veterans, 25 percent for ILA referrals and 24 percent for referrals from the New York Shipping Association (NYSA), which represents the employers. Under the previous contract, virtually all job applicants were referred by the unionwhich in an earlier period was connected to the fight against the hated shape-up system of casual labor. The Waterfront Commission, a completely discredited political agency supposedly created to fight corruption on the docks, asserted itself in the latest rounds of new hires, holding up many of the referrals under its authority to regulate the size of the longshore workforce. After 60 years of virtual inactivity, the agency recently highlighted incidents of corruption, including a six-year prison sentence for a former ILA official convicted of extorting money from dockworkers. Notably the NYSA has backed to a large extent the ILA in the political dispute with the Waterfront Commission. They joined with the ILA in a legislative lobbying push to pass a law in New Jersey to disband the Commission. It was ultimately vetoed by Governor Chris Christie over concerns of its legality. The cozy relationship between the ILA and the NYSA demonstrates the hostility of the union to any genuine struggle to defend jobs and working conditions. The basic rights of dockworkers can only be defended by breaking the stranglehold of the union and linking with port truck drivers and other transportation workers around the country. The unions work to prevent such a united struggle by blocking any coordinated action by dockworkers on the East and West Coasts in order to facilitate the imposition of contracts favorable to the companies. Early in 2015, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) allowed the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) to lock out 20,000 West Coast dockworkers after they had labored without a contract for nine months. Rather than call a strike, the ILWU agreed to an intervention by the Obama administration, which moved to block any work action and impose an agreement. Thursday nights Republican presidential debate in Des Moines, Iowa showed that the presence of billionaire Donald Trump is not required to ensure a degrading spectacle in which war-mongering and fear-mongering are combined with racism and attacks on democratic rights. Trump boycotted the event after Fox News refused to remove Megyn Kelly from the panel of three journalists moderating the debate. Whether this was a manifestation of personal pique or a deliberate maneuver to make his closest rival in Iowa, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, the main target of crossfire from six other candidates, matters little. The result was a further demonstration of the drastic shift to the right in the Republican Party, where every candidate pledged himself to policies that would in the past have been considered beyond the pale, even in the right-wing context of official American two-party politics. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, currently the leading candidate of the so-called establishment wing of the party (as opposed to Trump and Cruz), brazenly defended his past call for the closing of mosques and even restaurants where American Muslims might congregate. He rejected the suggestion from Megyn Kelly that this would violate the First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Radical Muslims and radical Islam is not just hate talk, Rubio declared. Its hate action. They blow people up. Look what they did in San Bernardino. Look at the attack they inspired in Philadelphia He continued, When I am president of the United States, if there is some place in this country where radical jihadists are planning to attack the United States, we will go after them wherever they are, and if we capture them alive, they are going to Guantanamo. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky disagreed with Rubio, but then attacked him from the right on immigration, claiming that Rubios willingness to back a compromise immigration reform bill in 2012 that ultimately was blocked in the Republican-controlled House showed he was soft on terrorists who would infiltrate and attack the United States in the garb of refugees. Other candidates offered variations on the same basic theme: Islamic terrorists are coming to get you, Mr. and Mrs. small-town, church-going Iowa, and you should be very, very afraid. The answer to this imminent danger is to create a police state in the United States and wage unrestricted war on the Middle East. Cruz made the connection between fear-mongering and militarism most explicitly, declaring, I will apologize to nobody for the vigorousness with which I will fight terrorism, go after ISIS, hunt them down wherever they are, and utterly and completely destroy ISIS. He reiterated his previous calls for carpet-bombing ISIS against criticism from his rivals that this was so much hot air. It is not tough talk, he argued. It is a different, fundamental military strategy than what weve seen from Barack Obama. You want to know what carpet bombing is? Its what we did in the first Persian Gulf war; 1,100 air attacks a day, saturation bombing that utterly destroyed the enemy And we need to be focused and lift the rules of engagement so were not sending our fighting men and women into combat with their arms tied behind their backs. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, asked whether he supported recent Obama administration moves escalating military action against ISIS in Libya, proceeded to outbid the White House and Pentagon, declaring, We need to develop a strategy together to take on ISIS every place that it is around the world. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush noted that Senators Rubio, Cruz and Paul had all opposed giving authorization for the use of military force against ISIS until after the attacks in Paris and San Bernardino. Now we hear the tough talk, he said, before outlining his own proposed measures, including, Get the lawyers off the damn backs of the military once and for all. This declaration of support for torture and war crimes evoked loud cheering from the Republican audience. Bush said he would have a no-fly zone in Syria and create safe zones to deal with the refugees But, more importantly, to train a Sunni-led force in Syria to take out ISIS with our support. As more than one media commentator noted, this is precisely the policy proposed by Hillary Clinton and may well be the policy adopted by the Obama administration in the coming months. There was one noticeable change in the Republican debate compared to the previous six such exercises in right-wing demagogy and name-calling. Nearly every reference to Hillary Clinton, still the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, included suggestions that she was guilty of criminal offenses in relation either to the attack on a State Department facility in Benghazi, Libya in 2012 or to the handling of communications on the personal email server she used during her four years as secretary of state. Christie and Rubio, in particular, returned to this issue repeatedly, declaring in nearly identical language that Clintons conduct in relation to Benghazi or the email server, or both, had disqualified her to be commander-in-chief. Referring to the use of a private email server, Christie declared, She put Americas secrets at risk for her convenience. She put American intelligence officers at risk for her convenience. She put American strategy at risk for her convenience. He concluded another long-winded response to a question by referring to his own experience as US attorney in New Jersey. Hillary Clinton will never be prosecuted by this Justice Department, he said, and Republicans are going to want to put a former federal prosecutor on the stage to prosecute her next September. And, there is no one on this stage better prepared to prosecute the case against Hillary Clinton than I am. Rubio followed suit, charging, Hillary Clinton is disqualified from being the commander-in-chief of the United States. In fact, one of her first acts as president may very well be to pardon herself because Hillary Clinton stored classified information on her private server. And Hillary Clinton lied to the families of those four brave Americans who lost their life in Benghazi. And anyone who lies to the families of Americans who have died in the service of this country can never be commander-in-chief of the United States. The vehemence and specific language suggests that both Governor Christie and Senator Rubio had advance knowledge of the declaration by a State Department spokesman, issued less than 24 hours after the debate, that 22 emails found on Clintons private server had been classified top secret by the intelligence agencies. The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) prepared to kidnap Edward Snowden, the whistleblower who exposed illegal and unconstitutional mass spying by the National Security Agency (NSA), documents obtained by the Danish media outlet Denfri show. US intelligence maintained an aircraft and paramilitary team on standby in Copenhagen, awaiting orders to seize Snowden in the event that he crossed into a number of European countries, the documents show. They were obtained by Denfri through a Freedom of Information Act suit in August 2015. The existence of the CIA plane was first reported in 2014 by The Register, which identified the aircraft as a Gulfstream V, registered under the number N977GA. The plane had previously been used to transport CIA captives to the agencys black site torture centers across Europe, which were built up as part of an expanding global network of secret CIA prisons since 9/11. The latest documents appear to have decisively corroborated this account, showing that Danish police and government officers approved the positioning of the CIA plane in Copenhagen for unspecified state purposes. In one of the leaked government letters, US Federal Bureau of Investigation representatives also sought cooperation from the Norwegian government, demanding that they immediately notify US agencies in the event that Snowden travelled to Norway, Finland, Sweden or Denmark. The Danish decision to host the plane was part of broader cooperation by Copenhagen with Washingtons extra-legal kidnapping and rendition network. The Danish state has sought to preserve total secrecy in relation to the stationing of the CIA plane on its soil. Denmarks relationship with the USA would be damaged if the information [content redacted from the documents] becomes public knowledge, Denmarks interior ministry told Denfri. The confirmation that Washington planned for a direct raid to seize Snowden and forcibly return him to US custody does not come as a surprise. Snowden has become a public enemy of the first order in the eyes of the US ruling class since he began releasing troves of data on spy programs run by the NSA and other US government agencies in the summer of 2013. According to May 2014 comments from then-NSA Director Keith Alexander, Snowden downloaded more than 1 million secret US government documents. For the crime of exposing the vast and criminal surveillance enterprises run the by US government, Snowden has been subjected to innumerable death threats and slanders by the American media and political establishment. Snowden embodies a new generation of educated and technologically-trained workers and youth who are increasingly hostile to the existing social order. That is why he has been hounded and turned away by governments around the world, and now lives in de facto exile in Moscow, where he received a temporary visa only after being forced to live for weeks in Moscows international air terminal, after the US cancellation of his passport frustrated his effort to travel to Ecuador, where he was seeking asylum. There is now firm evidence that the US ruling elite sought to make good on its threats against Snowden, in the form of a snatch-and-grab operation, likely aimed at transferring the whistleblower to a covert torture base somewhere in Europe. The United Steelworkers Union (USW) will begin counting mailed-in ballots from 18,000 US Steel (USS) workers on February 1. The contract, about which almost no information has been made public, is another major attack on wages and benefits of steelworkers. The USW is deliberately working to prevent discussion and keep workers in the dark. It has not released a full or summarized version of the contract to the public. On January 10, the USW mailed workers summaries of the contract changes since 2012, along with their ballots. All voting is to be done by mail to ensure workers are as isolated as possible during the voting process. The little information available about the contract demonstrates its deeply anti-worker character. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The proposal keeps wages at the same level [a three-year wage freeze], offers no signing bonus, and proposes changes in health care, eliminating retiree health care benefits for workers hired after January 1. Instead of the coverage, they would get a 50-cent contribution to their 401(k) plan for each hour they worked. The contract also includes increased health care co-pays for current workers. The only gains the USW can refer to are a profit-sharing arrangement and an agreement by US Steel to restore benefits to any laid-off workers it decides to rehire. Given the massive downturn in the international steel industry, these so-called concessions are essentially worthless. Through the contract negotiations, the USW has revealed itself again as an agent of management, aiming to help US Steel and the steel industry remain profitable by destroying the jobs, wages and benefits of steelworkers. An agreement at US Steel further isolates the 2,200 steelworkers at Allegheny Technologies Inc. (ATI) workers who have been locked out since for nearly six months and the 450 steelworkers at Sherwin Alumina who have been locked out since October 2014. It also further isolates the 13,500 steelworkers at ArcelorMittal and the 2,500 steelworkers at Cliffs Natural Resources who have been working without a contract since September. ATI is demanding sweeping concessions on pensions and health care, especially for new hires, and changes in contracting and work rules that essentially reduce the workforce to on call laborers. The USW has condemned ATI workers to isolation as a warning to other steelworkers workers of what would happen if they walked out. The global market for steel, like the market for oil and many other commodities, is in a deep slump. With a slowdown in steel demand in China, by far the worlds largest producer and consumer of steel, global steel prices have fallen by more than 40 percent. China is estimated to produce half of the worlds 1.6 billion metric tons of steel per year. With falling domestic demand, Chinese steel exports have risen to 100 million metric tons per year. Low prices and weak demand are driving steelmakers the world over to slash jobs and cut production. Over the past two years, UK steelmakers cut more than 4,000 jobs through layoffs and plant closures at Tata Steel, SSI and Sheffield Steel. Today, the UK steel industry employs only 20,000 workers. Australian steelmaker BlueScope is threatening to close its Port Kembla mill, employing over 4,000 people, in an effort to slash 500 jobs and freeze wages. Bluescope is threatening to entirely shut down operations in New Zealand, ending all steel production in that country. In all of these cases, the unions respond by offering to impose concessions on steelworkers and issuing chauvinist appeals for trade protection. The USW is no exception. Even before contracts for 30,000 workers at US Steel and ArcelorMittal expired September 1, the USW offered the companies tens of millions of dollars in concessions, asserting that such cuts were necessary to keep the companies competitive. When the industry rebuffed their offers and demanded even greater concessions, the USW ordered workers to keep working, and has continued to do so. Leading up to the contract expiration, in August US Steel laid off 1,100 workers at its Fairfield Works in Birmingham, Alabama, after firing 756 workers in Lorain, Ohio and Houston, Texas in January 2015. The USW has worked tirelessly to isolate steelworkers from 140,000 auto workers, 40,000 telecommunications workers and tens of thousands of teachers who were also without a contract. The USW waited for the UAW to ram through concessions contracts in the face of a rebellion of workers at Fiat-Chrysler, GM, and Ford before announcing the agreement with US Steel in December. The USW aims to prove its worth to steel companies as a second layer of management, repeatedly offering to make concessions on wages, benefits, work rules and contracting in exchange for a secure position as a labor police force, ensuring the uninterrupted exploitation of the workers from which it extracts dues. Acting as an agent of US manufacturers, the USW endlessly promotes virulently chauvinist campaigns for protectionist trade policy, aimed above all at China. These include anti-dumping lawsuits aimed at preventing steel imports from China, South Korea and other Asian countries, and above all the nationalist campaign against the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement. The TPP, a US project aimed at cementing US dominance over the Pacific Rim economy, aims to dictate the terms of trade to numerous Pacific countries in exchange for privileged access to the US market. The TPP primarily serves the interests of US banks, acting through their political instrument, the Obama administration. Although China is not included in the TPP, the USW asserts that the deal would open a backdoor for Chinese goods. The USW calls instead for the imposition of trade controls to reduce the flow of imported manufactured goods, in an attempt to prop up prices and market share for domestic manufacturers. Ultimately, the USWs support for trade war is in line with the Obama administrations military buildup and possible war with China. This deeply anti-worker perspective flows from the USW's unconditional defense of capitalism and the nation-state system. Steelworkers in China are facing the same onslaught on jobs and working conditions as workers in the US, Europe and throughout the globe. This week Chinese authorities announced the cutting of 400,000 steelworker jobs. The struggle to defend jobs and living standards can only be taking forward by workers uniting internationally against the profit system. GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) - Consumer confidence in Florida is falling slightly amid concerns about turmoil in the stock market. The monthly University of Florida consumer sentiment released Friday measured confidence at 91.5, or a decrease of one-tenth of a point from December. It's substantially lower than it was a year ago. The consumer sentiment is rated on a scale of 2 to 150 benchmarked to 1966 at a value of 100. Hector Sandoval, director of the economic analysis program at UF's Bureau of Economic and Business Research, said that while economic data in the state continues to be mostly positive people are concerned about U.S. economic conditions. Sandoval said one of the reasons could be the recent turmoil in the stock market and deterioration in the Chinese economy. TALLAHASSEE FLA-- Citizens across the state plan to hold rallies to protest fracking legislation in the Florida House. On January 30th Tallahassee protesters will rally at the Cascade Park behind the Amphitheater for a march to the Capitol Plaza. They hope to sway senators to vote against the current version of pro-fracking legislation. Speakers are scheduled to begin at 1:15pm and include: Leon County Commissioner, Kristin Dozier Executive Director of ReThink Energy Florida Kim Ross Former Leon County Commissioner at-large and President, Florida Association of Counties Cliff Thaell Liam Lawrence from California got off the plane at Ben Gurion Airport in 2014. Two years later, he's at the forefront of the fight by new immigrants to Israel who are under economic or psychological pressure and thus considering returning to their lands of origin. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The Facebook group he moderates, Keep Olim in Israel, is the release valve for the steam rising from the heads of 20,000 new immigrants to Israel, who don't hesitate sharing their experiences, frustrations, difficulties, and (mis)adventures in the holy land. The group was established about seven months ago, and for the first few days it consisted of nothing but angry posts by frustrated olim. Then, Lawrence decided to relaunch the group. He deleted the old posts and began trying to channel the vast energy of the group towards a positive cause: helping olim who are experiencing hardship. It's easy to ignore you Reading the posts reveals a grim reality: Many of the olim struggle to find their place in Israel's bureaucratic maze, some fall victim to unfair rent contracts or outright fraud, and there are even those who write that they barely eat, since they were unable to find work for several months. "When you don't speak Hebrew, it's very easy for others, for the government, for doctors to ignore you", Lawrence said. "It's very frustrating. I know it also happens to Israeli-born people, but they at least understand what they're being told, and what they're signing when they rent an apartment or communicate with a cell carrier. Liami Lawrence, founder of Keep Olim in Israel "Many Israelis think we're spoiled," he continued, "but you need to understand most olim came here to fulfill a dream, and there's nothing worse than having that dream become a nightmare. It's very nice to wave flags and cheer olim who kiss the ground at the airport, but what happens the day after that?" Lawrence remarked that organizations like Nefesh B'nefesh and the Jewish Agency invest a lot of money in bringing olim over but that little is put into supporting and helping those who arrive. He said that some may need a little mental support, someone to host them for a Shabbat here and there, or a chance to enter the job market. Lawrence, along with other members, opened a non-profit organization, also called Keep Olim in Israel, which has begun to act on behalf of olim. He has set a target of $100,000 in order to finance a large project whose aim is to help olim. Among the NGO's goals are to provide free legal advice, launch a psychological support hotline in various languages, match immigrants to relevant support groups and to go on a national campaign of "adopt an oleh", so that every newcomer has a "big brother" or Israeli "foster family", to give them a sense of home and support. The NGO put the project up on the crowdsourcing platform jewcer.com and hope that within two months to raise the necessary money. "The aliyah from Western countries has been a failure for Israel," Lawrence contends. "People come here with a romantic dream, but there is now a rupture. We do not want more money and are not asking for a bigger absorption package, but rather programs that support olim. Be easier on us. I'm actually waiting for my phone to ring, and for a large organization or donors to take part in our project. We have waited long enough for the government. When they tell me 'it'll be OK', that's when I start to worry." A Kabbalat Shabbat was supposed to take place at the Chicago LGBTQ conference last Friday, but it was canceled by the organizers, and after being hit with criticism from the Anti-Defamation League, the cancelation was canceled. Except that when the Kabbalat Shabbat began, hundreds of hooligans from the forces of progress barged in. It happened, among other reasons, due to the participation of a representative from the Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance, Sarah Kala-Meir. The cries of "apartheid" were joined with, as always, the leading slogan: "From Jordan to the sea, Palestine will be free." Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The useful idiots, gays and lesbians donning keffiyehs, have never seemed more pathetic. After all, each and every one of them would have been thrown off a tall building, like a bag of potatoes, in nearly every single one of Israel's neighboring countries. But their problem is with Israel. The Gay Pride parade in Jerusalem. Not something that would happen in one of Israel's neighboring countries. (Photo: Ofer Meir) What causes this madness? The question is, what the hell is the source of this madness, which comes from the fringes and spreads like a cancer to the middle. To understand that, we need to look at the hooligans' reasoning. The familiar tune. We have to think back at Haaretzs front page headline in October of 2012, which declared that "Most Israelis support the apartheid regime in the country." This wasn't just any article. It was the main headline on the front page. It made waves in the world in a matter of hours. There was no need to wait so long, however, to know this was a lie. The story's headline was based on a poll conducted by a left-wing NGO. The poll itself actually showed the situation was quite the opposite, but damn the facts. Who needs those when propaganda is involved? Two or three days have passed, and the paper itself printed a small, tiny clarification, on page 5, which was unable and likely didn't really intend to fix the damage. After all, the damage was the main thing, and it was already caused. Gideon Levy, who wrote the story as well as an analysis on the topic, did admit he was wrong. But using a typical kind of manipulation, he explained he actually wasn't wrong. A campaign against peace Over three years have gone by since. The paper has continued pushing the apartheid lie, and in recent months, the propaganda is only increasing. More and more articles provide fuel to the incitement fire. It's not that there are no injustices, and it's not that these injustices shouldn't be brought to light. But none of this has anything to do with an apartheid regime. It's not that anyone is confused; someone is intentionally working to confuse and leave the wrong impression. Anti-Israel protesters in London. Campaigning against peace. (Photo: AP) This campaign has a clear declared goal: To turn Israel into South Africa, in order to encourage "pressure from outside." The link between this campaign and the BDS movement can no longer be hidden. The stage this paper gives to the supporters of sanctions, and its support of Roger Waters, one of the prominent faces of the BDS movement, are milestones in the fight. And considering the fact that this newspaper, the very same stage, publishes a lot of articles against the idea of a "Jewish state" - well, even if they deny it a thousand and one times, it's clear where the wind blows. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck - it's a duck. Palestinian intransigence Controlling the Palestinians is, one must admit, a great problem. A peace agreement or separation is in Israel's interests. We can and we should criticize the current government for not doing enough to create separation. We can and we should criticize the injustices committed, and such injustices exist. But this situation has nothing to do with apartheid. Since 1967 and to this very day, the Palestinians have been rejecting the two-state solution at every turn. When Arafat went to Washington to give the Palestinian response to the Clinton Parameters, he met with Bandar bin Sultan, Saudi's ambassador to the US, who urged Arafat to say yes. "If you say no, it would not be a tragedy - it would be a crime." Arafat went to the White House and committed a crime. This was also Abbas' response to Olmert's initiative in 2008. And Abbas had the same response to Barack Obama and John Kerry who presented him with a draft on March 17, 2014. This is what's behind the continued Israeli control of the West Bank. Israel has already left the Gaza Strip. Many at the time hoped the Palestinian leadership would take advantage of this historic opportunity to do something for the Palestinian people: More factories, more education, more welfare, and more prosperity. But they chose the opposite path: The industry of death and terrorism. Discrimination is not apartheid Israeli Arabs are citizens. They vote for the Knesset, they hold some of the top positions at hospitals, they serve as judges, and more. The equality is not yet complete; we still need to fight for it. There's discrimination here and there, and we need to fight that too. Discrimination is not apartheid. Second and third generation Muslims in Europe are far from the level of achievements and equality of Israeli Arabs. The Arabs in the territories are an entirely different story. Most of them live under Palestinian rule, which was formed as part of the Oslo Accords. They all vote for the Palestinian Authority. They have their own parliament and their own government. The Israeli control continues mostly because the Palestinian leadership has repeatedly rejected any proposal for an accord based on the idea of two states for two peoples. And there's concern that as soon as Israel leaves the West Bank, the exact same thing that happened in the Gaza Strip will happen there. It doesn't mean the Israeli government is innocent of injustices. These injustices should be criticized, just like the settlement enterprise should be criticized. But the claim that this is an apartheid regime is plain miserable demagogy. The Palestinians not only have a parliament, but also independent higher education institutions, a police force, security forces, a justice system and prisons. Is this apartheid? Thanks to Israeli control, the Palestinians went from zero higher education institutions to being first among university graduates in the Arab world. Is this apartheid? Is this oppression? But Haaretz insists, over and over again, on nurturing the myth of apartheid. One of the publicists of that paper once wrote that "Israel does not need gas chambers to exterminate the Palestinians. It is doing so by raising the rate of infant mortality." The truth is the complete opposite of that. The infant mortality rates have dropped dramatically. But his hand did not shake as he was writing this blood libel for an important publication in Europe. This used to be a position held by a negligible minority. Today it is the predominant stance of the newspaper, which nurtures this blood libel. Anti-Semitism because of lies about Israel The anti-Semitism survey released last week revealed the fact that 40 percent of Europeans have anti-Semitic views. Those who say that it's "because of Israel" are right. Of course. When Israel is presented as an apartheid state, a benighted state, and a state that commits non-stop crimes - anti-Semitism grows. So you need to be more accurate - it's not because of what Israel does, it's because of the lies against Israel. And no, it's not because of a specific policy or the current government, which should be criticized. After all, the anti-Israel campaign was in full swing even when Ehud Olmert and Tzipi Livni led the country. The apartheid campaign achieves results. It doesn't promote peace or reconciliation, it creates the opposite results. It raises the rate of anti-Semitism, encourages the hooligans that support the BDS movement, bolsters Palestinian intransigence, and makes the chances of peace smaller and smaller still. A democratic state does not silence those who spread libels. All that can be done is to expose them in order to fight their destructive results. If any single human being can be said to represent what it meant to be a Jew in the 20th century, it may be the aptly named Jewish everyman, Joseph Cohen, 60, a kibbutznik from central Israel. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Cohen, who goes by the nickname Yossi, was among a select few Jews of Spanish originSephardimwhose Spanish citizenship was restored 500 years after their ancestors were expelled from Inquisition-era Spain. The Santa Maria La Blanca Church. Originally known as the Ibn Shushan Synagogue, it is disputably considered the oldest synagogue building in Europe still standing. (Photo: Shutterstock) For Cohen, and for many others, 500 years is not a long enough period of time for forgetting. Asked about the significance of the event for him personally, Cohen told The Media Line first of all, of course, the historical justice. A law passed last October grants Spanish citizenship to all descendants of Spanish Jews who apply for the reinstatement of their Renaissance-era citizenship within three years. The straight-talking Cohen was born in the nation then known as Belgian Congo today the Democratic Republic of the Congo. His father, Roberto Cohen, was the first-born son of a Jewish family in Rhodes, Greece. It was common, he explains, for the scions of prominent families to go to colonial estates to make their fortunes. Cohen pere was born and died a citizen of Italy, the nation that between the two world wars governed Rhodes. Cohens mother, Matilda Menashe, was not so lucky. After the German conquest of the Greek Aegean islands during World War II, like almost all Rhodian Jews, she was corralled and sent to Auschwitz. She was one of a handful to survive. Rhodes, that had once been one third Jewish, today has no permanent Jewish residents. After the war, with nowhere to go and no family to greet her, and only her Italian citizenship in hand, she too found herself in the Congo. After Yossis birth, the family made its way to Israel. In the early 1970s, Matilda inadvertently lost her Italian citizenship when she requested an American visa so as to be able to visit her sister, and receiving it via the Israeli Ministry of Interior, was told she had relinquished her Italian passport. Thus was it that Yossi Cohen, then a legal minor born an Italian subject, lost his citizenship of birth via his mother, in a roundabout way he still cannot comprehend. When we immigrated to Israel, we did so on Italian passports, Cohen says, still bitter. My mothers attempts to regain her Italian citizenship, and then mine, all failed. They absolutely were insistent on this point, that somehow because of the US visa we all lost our citizenship. I think they were afraid of Holocaust-related claims, from citizens who had lost everything. Niccolo Manniello, the Consul at the Italian embassy in Tel Aviv, explains that until the early 1990s, Italy did not permit dual citizenship and thousands of Italians inadvertently lost their nationalities. Yossi Cohen continued to file requests to regain his Italian documents till the turn of the century. At one point he brought his fathers passport to the embassy. It has never been returned. In a poetic twist of history, Yossi became part of the first group granted Spanish citizenry at a solemn ceremony held at the home of the Spanish Ambassador to Israel, Fernando Carderera Soler. This turn of events was thanks to his own son, Oded, at 17 the youngest of his four kids. Still a minor, Oded could acquire his new/old documents via his fathers reinstatement. Manuel Gonzalez Garagorri, the new Spanish consul in Tel Aviv, found himself responsible for a ceremony with no protocolary antecedents. Speaking with The Media Line, he said it was really very, very moving to be part of this. It's not usually a consuls job, you know. Here I had the feeling that theyre not only regaining something for themselves, but that they are making an homage to their ancestors. There were some very aged people there who will not really be able to make use of this citizenship. But for them, the ability to return to Sefarad gives them a feeling of mission accomplished vis-a-vis their own ancestors. For the young people, of course, it will now give them something which they in turn can give their children and grandchildren. Gonzalez said he found so poignant, and almost impossible to grasp that the ceremony could be held in its entirely in Spanish. It gave me goose bumps to think of these people whose ancestors suffered what they did, yet who preserve Hispanicism, the Spanish language and Spanish culture hundreds of years later. It is just amazing. We needed Hebrew only for the outside guests. To mark the occasion, the embassy gathered an astonishingly diverse group of Israelis originally from Tel Aviv, Istanbul, the Spanish-held North African enclave of Tetouan, among many other places, the oldest born in 1929 and the youngest, Oded Cohen, born in 1999. Everyone seemed affected by the historic nature of the gathering. Ambassador Carderera, quoting the King of Spain, Felipe VI, said: It is not frequently that one has the privilege of writing new and positive pages of history. But I am certain that at this time, with this act and at this event that brings us together today, each of us feels we are present at just such an occasion. Why has Yossi Cohen, an established Israeli, spent so much of his life trying to get another passport? It is for my kids, not for me, Cohen says. Im not sure what will happen here in this country. I dont know what is coming here, and I want my kids to have an alternative. Im not worried about security, he explained. But the atmosphere here; the ultra-Orthodox who dont serve and this war the government has declared on pluralism and the secular values of the state. I really dont know what is coming. A Wandering Jew? Check. Touched by the Holocaust? Check. Marked by the itinerant life of the refugee? Check. A salt-of-the earth Israeli kibbutznik? Check. Anguished by Israels precarious predicament? Check. A new-old citizen of an empire that expelled the Jews? Check. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Yossi Cohen, the contemporary Jewish everyman. Shock and awe - this is how the members of the Labor party described their reaction to the remarks made by their party leader, Isaac Herzog, in his meeting with French President Francois Hollande last weekend. It reached a point when even the partys secretary-general, Hilik Bar, who would normally not even attack a Hadera branch secretary, was heard in an audio recording leaked to Channel 2 leveling harsh criticism against Herzog. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter French President Francois Hollande, left, with Zionist Union head Isaac Herzog. (Photo: Erez Lichtfeld) In the recording, which sounds more like it was done in a recording studio than in secret - which raises the suspicion Bar himself leaked it - he is heard talking to some unknown listener, an imaginary friend, and saying: "Even though you know I love Buji (Herzog's nickname) and you know I help him and want only the best for him ... if I wasn't the party's secretary-general, I'd slam Buji ten times as hard as what Shelly (Yachimovich) did ... what is this, what is this unnecessary and dangerous and absurd comment from Buji, what the hell was he thinking when he said it? What right and what authority does he have to say the two state solution is not relevant ... He's the head of the Labor party, dammit. He's the fucking leader of the opposition." And so Bar continues with his soliloquy (the listener, for some reason, doesn't cut him off at any point throughout the entire conversation) and slams the head of the Zionist Union who, in Bar's opinion, does not realize that he's the leader of a "massive and numerous" camp and that he, Bar, is worried Herzog will realize this only when Lapid demolishes the Zionist Union. Well, this criticism didn't last for very long. Bar immediately issued a heartbreaking apology. But Bar is not the only one. Herzog's comments in Paris managed to enrage the senior Labor MKs. Even Yachimovich, who is extremely cautious about criticizing the sitting chairman, could not keep quiet this time and unleashed scathing criticism of Herzog's remarks. The Labor party claims that Herzog got nervous from recent polls, which show Lapid gaining momentum and rising in the number of seats his party could get at the Knesset, while the Zionist Union is losing the very same number of seats, and decided to do what Lapid is doing - break hard to the center. His party members were already horrified when he suggested, in a Facebook post, electrifying the fences around settlements: This even Lapid wouldn't dare propose. I asked Livni how she can live with the things Herzog is saying. "The Zionist Union was formed on the basis of ideology and national vision," she says. "My positions are clear. My vision doesn't deal with the establishment of a Palestinian state, not even in two nation states. It deals with safeguarding the Jewish and democratic state. And in order to achieve that, we need to reach an accord based on two nation states. But at any point in time," Livni says, "we need to promote moves that safeguard this vision and ensure we're not prevented in the future from doing so. This to me is the basis of the partnership that formed the Zionist Union. The debate inside the Labor party is not relevant to me as long as they stay with this vision." Zionist Union MK Tzipi Livni. Said she wouldn't have used Herzog's wording. (Photo: Gil Yohanan) I don't understand. Are you backing Herzog, or disagreeing with him? "I wouldn't choose his wording," Livni says, "but I also wouldn't say he conceded our principles. I don't want to pick a side, because it's a discussion which is partly semantic and partly political. I say this so it's clear that the Zionist Union is more than the Labor party. In principle, Herzog is part of this vision. His use of wording is what gives a different impression." Lapid and Ashkenazi are making him nervous Herzog may have had to ward off in-house attacks this week, but he sounded pleased nevertheless - he managed to turn an ideological issue into a topic of debate. "So what if Shelly attacked," he says, "and Hilik said and apologized. And why is that? Because I said Netanyahu and Abbas were unable to move an inch? They blew it out of all proportion, as if I was abandoning the two states vision. "I think a leader's role, even if his political camp is not too crazy about it, is to guide it towards reality. In my comments, I started with the fact that we are committed to the two-state solution, but in the midst of a wave of terrorism, when both leaders are unable to even be in the same room together, we need to demand separation in order to prevent a bi-national state. We're perceived as left, but we're a classic, historic kind of centrist party, that believes in peace but primarily believes in protecting Israel's security." In two weeks, the Zionist Union will hold a diplomatic conference, during which Herzog plans on presenting his plan, which he already spoke about at the INSS conference this week. "All of the plans now are based on the Clinton Parameters," he says, "but what do we do until then? After all, Hilik Bar's plan will be met with reality at some point, and it doesn't say what the immediate steps that must be taken are. What is happening right now is an in-house debate, and I'm ready for that debate. But since when is the establishment of a Palestinian state the Labor party's topmost value? So for now, let's lower the potential for violence and suffering." "After all, it can't be that we see such horrifying things every day and do nothing," he says. "Where are the fences, where are the walls? Yes, electric fences, why not. I'm willing to take any measure that reduces the level of violence. After all, we can yell all day long that a Palestinian state needs to be established and nothing would happen." Herzog's diplomatic plan includes our separation from the Palestinians, moving behind the walls and fences on the separation border, and a long period of adjustment as both peoples get used to the new reality, which will eventually bear fruit with a peace accord. Except members of his party are not really buying it. A party activist posted on Facebook a recording of Herzog's speech from a few months ago, in which he says that unilateral steps are a mistake. Several months have gone by, the party's activists say, and he's singing a different tune. If they had only seen him going through a process, looking for solutions, raising different theses and considering changes in the party's authenticity worldwide, they could've respected that. But he went to Paris and issued a hysterical statement to the press because Lapid and Gabi Ashkenazi are making him nervous. The problem is, Labor members say, that this is how he does things. It's not that he has an agenda - everything is a response to something happening right at the tip of his nose at that moment. Tomorrow he could come out with something very left-wing. They don't mind it if he glances to the right, trying to move to the center, but saying there's no partner, that Israel needs to make unilateral moves? Herzog realizes he's made a mistake, they say at the Labor party, but he has no way to get out of this mess. It was a difficult week in the Labor party. Every moment brought with it another attack on social media. Livni distanced herself from his statements. He even got Livni and Shelly to bond over this. For Yachimovich to write the words "Livni is right" on Facebook well, that in itself is a historic event. British police arrested nine people after clashes between anti-immigration groups and anti-racism protesters in Dover on Saturday, with media reports of smoke bombs and bricks being thrown. Far-right groups such as the National Front confronted activists rallying against racism, such as the Kent Anti-Fascist Network, resulting in disturbances in the port town that lies 20 miles by sea from France. Kent Police said one person suffered a broken arm and five people sustained minor injuries during the demonstrations, as BBC television footage showed dozens of hooded protesters pushing through police lines. Astronaut rescue drill tests DoD, NASA It's not common an astronaut must be rescued out of rough open waters after descending home to Earth in a crewed capsule but when those Space Race era days of human space flight return, a small Air Force detachment knows they will be ready. The 45th Operations Group Detachment 3 joined NASA's Commercial Crew Program and Air Force pararescuemen, Combat Rescue Officers and survival, evasion, resistance and escape specialists in a simulated astronaut rescue exercise here Jan. 14. "At the strategic and operational levels of this exercise, we flawlessly met our objectives of effective command and control between our Joint Space Operations Center operating location and the combined Department of Defense and NASA landing support officers for the aircraft launch, relay of mission execution status, relay of astronaut medical status, and systems matter expertise to all players," said Lt. Col. Jason Havel of Det. 3, which is also known as the Human Space Flight Support Office. "The command and control was exercised in accordance with U.S. Strategic Command and Det 3's concept of operations previously developed during their 2015 war game scenarios." It was a total force effort involving Air Force active duty, Reserve and Guard personnel alongside NASA. The 308th Rescue Squadron, known as the Guardian Angel Squadron, located at the Air Force Reserve Command's 920th Rescue Wing at Patrick AFB provided a majority of the jumpers, and the Alaska Air National Guard's 249th Airlift Squadron coordinated the Rescue Jumpmaster Training. The Air Force and NASA teams boarded two Alaska ANG C-17s with Guardian Angel Pararescue teams rigged for an open water jump mission on a course set for 10 miles off shore at a designated drop zone in the Atlantic Ocean. There, they met up with the life raft representing the space capsule where a simulated downed astronaut would be found after splash down. Four survivors were recovered using life-saving medical care immediately. The ability to abort from any phase of a mission and safely remove astronauts from harm's way is a critical element for next generation of commercial crew spacecraft, according to NASA. Although very unlikely, aborts can occur during all phases of flight and a capsule could land almost anywhere in the world. So, the Ground and Mission Operations Office of NASA's Commercial Crew Program is working with Department of Defense to ensure rescue and medical personnel can recover astronauts quickly and safely in the event of such an abort. "Exercises like this are extremely important to the development of tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) for the DoD forces as well as practicing and refining communication protocols between the flight crew and ground support teams, both NASA and DoD," said Tim O'Brien, who works for NASA's GMO Office. "While Air Force Reserve pararescuemen jumped from the C-17 aircraft and practiced their hands-on skills, real-time coordination took place between those rescue forces, a simulated flight crew, the aircraft, and NASA/DoD command centers in order to execute a safe rescue scenario. Every time we conduct an exercise like this, we learn and improve of our processes." NASA recovery engineers and members of Det. 3 were aboard the life raft acting as astronauts communicating with the aircraft and the 308th's Guardian Angel team with a PRC-112G radio. One of the objectives of the rescue mission was to test the range of an essential line of communication between all parties. At the heart of this vital line was the Det. 3 operations center located at Patrick AFB, thousands of feet below and 40 miles to shore. Members of the unique detachment proved their capability to transmit messages to and from the boat and the C-17. The detachment specifically wanted to test their text and data transmission capability. "Together with exercise participants, we developed tactics, techniques and procedures that incorporate the DoD-standard Quick Draw radio interrogator onto C17A operations when used as a rescue platform," said Havel. "The QuickDraw (aircraft) and PRC-112G (survivor) radio combination gave us immediate position and identification more quickly and accurately than traditional voice relay. Our local survival expert, Master Sgt. Jesse Stoda at the 308th helped us develop this capability." Prior to the execution of the mission, Det. 3 developed a "9-line Medevac Checklist" with the NASA Health and Medical Division specific to the simulated astronaut rescue operation. They anticipate the checklist will become a standard item astronauts will train to use during contingencies. It has already been submitted to NASA's Flight Operations Directorate in hopes of becoming the benchmark for human spaceflight scheduled to return to America in 2017. The small Air Force detachment has served as the liaison between NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, the Air Force and DoD for more than 55 years of training men and women of those organizations for launch contingencies and astronaut recovery. Sign up to get the latest news delivered to your inbox every week! Last January 28, 2016, the U.S. Geological Survey or USGS reported ten sonic booms that were charted from southern New Jersey to Long Island, New York. According to their documentation, the first sonic boom was recorded at 124 PM near Hammonton and Trenton, New Jersey. In the next hour and a half, nine more sonic booms were recorded by the USGS. At the time, the source of the sonic booms remained unidentified. Thankfully, John Bellini, a geophysicist from the USGS National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colorado, was quick to reassure the public that the noise were sonic booms and not signs of impending earthquakes. Officials from McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in Trenton have since started an investigation as to where the booms originated. "We have reports of ground shaking in S. Jersey - currently our training ranges are clear and no MDL aircraft are capable of sonic booms. We're working with local authorities to determine the cause and will have an update ASAP" explained local officials in a recent statement. Advertisement According to National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA, sonic booms are thunder-like noise that usually comes from an aircraft or other air-faring vehicles flying faster than the speed of sound. Following the mild panic, the source of the sonic booms has since been revealed. Several U.S. military officials have explained that their F-35C Joint Strike Fighter Jet might be the cause of the sonic booms recorded last Thursday. "Aircraft from Naval Test Wing Atlantic were conducting routine flight testing in the Atlantic Test Ranges this afternoon that included activities which may have resulted in sonic booms. The test wing is critical to the safe test and evaluation of all types of Navy and Marine Corps aircraft in service and in development and is primarily based out of Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. "reads the official statement. Sign up to get the latest news delivered to your inbox every week! The Babylonian civilization is arguably one of the most advanced ancient societies archaeology has uncovered. These Akkadian-speaking Semitic people he a vast understanding of several modern concepts including medicine, astronomy and mathematics. There has been plentiful of research and artifacts that tell the story of the Babylonians. However, it seems like the civilization has a lot more impressive feats left to be discovered. Just this week, Professor Mathiue Ossendrijver from Humboldt University published a paper detailing how Babylonians used a complex system of geometry to chart the position of Jupiter in the night sky. Initially, the use of the branch of mathematics to chart celestial objects was attributed to scientists from the 14th century. However it seems like humanity has used maths to understand the sky for more than 1,400 years. "I wasn't expecting this. It is completely fundamental to physics, and all branches of science use this method" gushed Ossendrijver. Advertisement The professor examined five Babylonian tablets that were discovered in the 19th century for his research. His study revealed that these tablets used four-sided shapes called trapezoids to calculate the distance and speed Jupiter travels across the night sky. "We have a figure where one axis, the horizontal side, represents time, and the other axis, the vertical side, represents velocity. The area of trapezoid gives you the distance travelled by Jupiter along its orbit" explained Ossendrivjer. The discovery is groundbreaking since the abstract concept of computing against time is something that has yet to be observed. According to Ossendrijver, even Greek astronomers and mathematicians did not conduct studies like that of the Babylonians. Ossendrijver however was adamant about researching whether or not calculations on distance and time are prevalent in the area during ancient times. He quips that the discovery is akin to modern sciences and deserves to be studied more extensively. "This is utterly familiar to any modern physicist or mathematician" About Me Free Cuba Foundation The Free Cuba Foundation is an action oriented youth movement committed to defending human rights, support the Cuban internal democratic opposition, and advocate for the principles of Gandhian non-violence. View my complete profile The article/blog entry below from the JTA reminds me of the arguments about Lenin's Jewish ancestry. Now that we can look at the records, we know that Leni... 11 years ago "We should always remember that the danger to societies from security services is not that they will spontaneously decide to embrace [Stasi style] mustache twirling and jackboots to bear us bodily into dark places, but that the slowly shifting foundation of policy will make it such that mustaches and jackboots are discovered to prove an operational advantage toward a necessary purpose. ~ Edward Snowden "America: just a nation of two hundred million used car salesmen with all the money we need to buy guns and no qualms about killing anybody else in the world who tries to make us uncomfortable." ~ Hunter S. Thompson "Let me issue and control a nation's money and I care not who writes the laws." ~ Mayer Rothschild "News is what somebody does not want you to print. All the rest is advertising." ~ LACUNA "What matters in journalism isn't politics, which are as universal and inescapable as breathing. What matters -- along with a fundamentally adversarial attitude toward government, without which "journalism" is simply public relations -- is integrity, transparency, evidence, coherence, and principle. These are the principles on which we should evaluate the quality of journalism, and their absence is why some journalists are so desperate to get you to focus on something else." ~ Barry Eisler "There is no inverse relationship between freedom and security. Less of one does not lead to more of the other. People with no rights are not safe from terrorist attack." ~ Molly Ivins "The brain of our species is, as we know, made up largely of potassium, phosphorus, propaganda, and politics, with the result that how not to understand what should be clearer is becoming easier and easier for all of us." ~ James Thurber "The highest patriotism is not a blind acceptance of official policy, but a love of one's country deep enough to call her to a higher plane....When you hold up your arm and swear to uphold the Constitution, you dont say, 'Except in wartime.'" -- George McGovern "Ill believe that corporations are people when Texas executes one." ~ Bill Moyers They roam around in the background, sometimes in the open, but are always on call. Whoever you want: plain-clothed police officers, intelli... Zambia has one of the highest HIV infection rates in the world with a prevalence rate of over 12.4% among 15 to 49 year olds. The long-term objective of the Zambian Government is to end the HIV threat by 2030. To this end, the current National AIDS Strategic Framework focuses on prevention measures especially for young people. Its main emphasis is on comprehensive sexuality education, prevention measures and medical and psychosocial services for young people. In 2013, together with other countries of Eastern and Southern Africa, Zambia affirmed the ESA Ministerial Commitment to provide both comprehensive sexuality education and access to youth-friendly health services for young people. According to current statistics, 4% of boys and 6% of girls between the ages of 15 and 19 are infected with HIV. Approximately 15% of young people have their first sexual experiences before the age of 15 and over 16,000 girls dropped out of school in 2014 due to being pregnant. At the same time, young people have very limited access to full and accurate information or to sexual and reproductive health services. In the current context, schoolboys and schoolgirls aged between 10 and 19 do not receive sufficient protection from HIV infection or early parenthood. On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Government of the Republic of Zambia, the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is working to ensure that in two districts of the Southern Province, schoolboys and schoolgirls aged between lo and 19 are better protected against HIV infection and pregnancy. Administrative Officer (Lusaka based) REF: GIZ_HIV_ADM Main tasks and responsibilities: Providing administrative services for the Multi-sectoral HIV Programmes Lusaka office Ensuring that the Programme is in compliance with the financial and administrative regulations Organising administrative and logistical aspects of programme acthlitles (travel schedules: hotel and ticket reservations; transport for visitors; preparation of meetings and workshops) Liaising with the provincial office in Livingstone and disseminating rules and regulations according to the Programme Coordinators instructions Providing administrative services as needed to the programmes decentralised office in Livingstone as well as providing backstopping support as needed lo the Administrative Officer for the Livingstone office Assisting in the preparation and the organisation of events, meetings, workshops and seminars within and outside the programme Maintaining the inventory of all programme assets Maintaining and updating the programmes database (i.e. personnel data, attendance records of staff, documents in reference files in accordance with GIZ rules and regulations) Monitoring availability of materials and stock and carrying out procurement in accordance with the guidelines Prepanng all accounting documents related to events and meetings Assisting in the preparation of programme budgets and financial records (vouchers, cash book, travel claims, requests for funds, etc.) Assisting with cash withdrawals for the programme Managing and monitoring the monthly accounting and financial plans Monitoring programme expenses according to the budget Any other tasks upon agreement with the Programme Coordinator Qualifications and requirements: The applicant should hold a bachelors degree in Business Administration or a relevant fields. He/she should have at least three years professional experience in a comparable position. Fluency in English, both written and oral, is required and the applicant must be able to manage and prioritise his/her workload. The applicant must have a proactive attitude and be a team player with the ability to work with minimum supervision. In addition, the applicant must have strong interpersonal and communication skills as well as excellent IT and numerical skills. The successful candidate will be expected to start employment with GIZ, on a full-time basis, as soon as possible. The contract shall be for a fixed term with a possibility of renewal interested candidates must send their CVs and covering letters electronically quoting the above reference to: GIZ-Zambia@giz.de by 15:00 hrs on Friday, 29th January 2016. Please note that only applicants selected for interview will be contacted. GIZ is committed to being an equal opportunities employer, therefore, women are strongly encouraged to apply. New Delhi: In a shocking incident, a six-year-old student of a prominent private school in South Delhi was found dead in a water tank under the school's amphitheatre on Saturday, triggering demands for cancellation of its licence even as Delhi government ordered a magisterial probe into the case. The boy, identified as Divyansh Kakrora, was a class I student at Ryan International School in Vasant Kunj, police said, adding he was last seen before the seventh period, which was around 12.20 PM. The authorities then started looking for him and after sometime he was found floating inside the pit which is used as a water storage tank. It is under the ampitheatre in the school's playground. The school authorities then took him to a hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. It was around 2.40 PM that the hospital authorities informed the police about the matter, police said. An FIR has been registered at the Vasant Kunj North Police Station under Section 304 (A) of IPC against unknown persons for causing death due to negligence. "Investigation of the matter is underway and whatever legal action needs to be taken, will be taken," DCP (South) Prem Nath said. Delhi Government has ordered a magisterial probe into the incident. "We have ordered District Magistrate of New Delhi to probe the case. I need a report to take action. The probe will find facts and fix responsibility for the child's death," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who holds the Education portfolio, said. Divyansh was also to participate in a poetry competition organised at the school today. His parents are both paramedic staff at AIIMS, police said, adding the family lives in Sultanpur locality in south Delhi's Mehrauli area. The boy's father termed it a conspiracy and alleged that someone from the school authority was behind the incident. Several police teams were rushed to the spot after the incident came to light. The school authorities were questioned and a case of negligence is likely to be registered in connection with the incident, a senior official said adding how he fell into the pit is still to be ascertained. The boy's body was later sent for postmortem examination at AIIMS, police added. (With agency inputs) Christopher L. Hodapp is the author of Freemasons For Dummies, the worldwide, best-selling introduction to the Masonic fraternity; Solomon's Builders: Freemasons, Founding Fathers and the Secrets of Washington D.C. ; and Deciphering the Lost Symbol. His most recent book, Heritage Endures, was published in January 2018. Since 2009 he has been on the Board of the Masonic Library & Museum of Indiana, and serves as its Associate Director and Treasurer. In 2021, Chris was named as Public Relations and Marketing Director for the Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of the State of Indiana. Chris is also the co-author with Alice Von Kannon of The Templar Code For Dummies and Conspiracy Theories And Secret Societies For Dummies. As a Freemason, Chris is a Past Master of Broad Ripple Lodge No. 643 and of Lodge Vitruvian No. 767 under the Grand Lodge F&AM of Indiana; he is a member of Indiana's Schofield Lodge 1818 U.D.; and of Internet Lodge No. 9659 in the Province of East Lancashire of the United Grand Lodge of England. Most recently, he was named the Worshipful Master of the Dwight L. Smith Lodge of Research U.D. in Indiana for 2019-21. In 2018 he was awarded the Caleb B. Smith Medal of Honor by the Grand Lodge F&AM of Indiana for his "distinguished service to Freemasonry in Indiana and worldwide." Chris is a 33 Mason in the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite (NMJ), Indianapolis Valley. He is a Past Sovereign Master of Imhotep Council No. 434 of the Allied Masonic Degrees. He is a founding member of Levant Preceptory, a medieval Knights Templar period recreation degree team in the York Rite, and he is an officer of the Indiana College of the Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederatis. He belongs to numerous other Masonic appendant organizations. As a Masonic author, in 2012 he was named as Friar No. 101 in the Society of Blue Friars. Chris is a Founding Fellow of The Masonic Society, and was the founding Editor in Chief of The Journal of The Masonic Society. He remains a regular contributor today, and its Editor Emeritus. He was the editor and a contributor in 2004-5 to "Laudable Pursuit: A 21st Century Response to Dwight Smith" by the Knights of the North, a Masonic leadership think-tank focusing on modern lodge solutions. He has written for Indianapolis Monthly, Heredom, Masonic Magazine, Templar History, the Scottish Rite Journal, the Knight Templar Magazine, the Indiana Freemason , the Phylaxis, and numerous other publications. Chris was a commercial filmmaker for twenty-three years with Dean Crow Productions in Indianapolis. Hodapp and Alice Von Kannon developed scripts for the History Channel program, Brad Meltzer's Decoded in 2010, and contributed material on conspiracies and secret societies for TruTV and the American Heroes Channel. They have both appeared on National Public Radio, the History Channel, Discovery, National Geographic, Smithsonian, and the American Heroes Channel - most recently in 2017 on America: Facts vs Fiction. Chris and Alice live in Indianapolis with Sophie the Flying Poodle who has them both answering to basic commands. However, they can frequently be found alarming the wildlife and dazzling the rustics in their Airstream trailer as they crisscross the country. Appropriately, their newest book together is RVs and Campers For Dummies, released in June 2021. New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Mahendra Yadav, who was sent to one-day police custody for assaulting a public servant on Friday, has been granted bail. The Vikaspuri MLA was arrested while he was protesting against Delhi Police for not filing an FIR in a rape case. The court had yesterday granted bail to four other accused - Rupesh Katyani, Devender Kumar, Roshan Kumar and Shailesh Kumar - who were also arrested in the case. Advocate Kapil Sharma and Sanjeev Kumar, who appeared for Katyani, had said the four were released on furnishing of a personal bond of Rs 20,000 each and a surety of like amount. According to the police, Yadav had led a violent protest on the evening of January 28 in Nihal Vihar area in West Delhi following sexual assault on a three-year-old girl. A mob had attacked public vehicles and tried to set one of them on fire. The protesters had demanded immediate arrest of the 38-year-old accused alleging that the police was not pursuing the case promptly, though Joint Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Dependra Pathak had claimed that the alleged culprit was arrested much before the protest. Yadav is the sixth AAP legislator to be arrested since the Arvind Kejriwal government came to power in Delhi. Earlier, Akhilesh Tripathi, Somnath Bharti, Commando Surinder Singh, Manoj Kumar and former law minister Jitender Singh Tomar were arrested on various charges. "A case was registered on the night of January 28 and the MLA was arrested on charges of rioting, arson, assault on public servant, wrongful restraint and damage to public property," the police had said. It had said the protesters even manhandled a police team which had tried to pacify the agitators. Reacting to Yadav's arrest, AAP's Delhi Convener Dilip Pandey had tweeted, "Delhi Police busy again arresting AAP MLA instead of ensuring Delhi women safety despite multiple warnings from courts." Bhabua: A college student has allegedly received a phone call from Pakistan asking him to join ISI, police said today. Mukesh Kumar filed a written complaint with Bhabua police station of Kaimur district about receiving a call from Pakistan over his mobile phone luring him to join Pakistan's intelligence agency - ISI yesterday, Superintendent of Police Harpreet Kaur told PTI. Kumar, who studies in Intermediate (Class 12th) and also works as a part time salesman in a cloth shop, said in his complaint that initially he did not respond to the call. When the call came for the second time he responded to the caller who offered him handsome cash if he joined the ISI, Kumar said in his complaint filed soon after the call. He told police that he had refused the offer to the caller. The Kaimur SP said she had informed the state police headquarter at Patna about the incident for further action with Intelligence Bureau and other agencies. Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday admitted that Pathankot terror attack affected the Indo-Pak talks process. This is the first admission by Pakistan that the terror attack slowed down the talks process between the two neighbouring countries. India has given "specific and actionable information" to Pakistan soon after the Pathankot attack reportedly carried out by Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists on the intervening night of January 1 and 2 that killed seven Indian soldiers. Maulana Masood Azhar, chief of Pakistan-based terror group JeM has been accused by India of plotting the Pathankot attack. Pakistan is yet to inform India if it has registered any criminal case against the JeM or any of its activists for the Pathankot attack. New Delhi: BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra on Saturday launched an attack on Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi over his hunger strike on death of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula and accused him of politicising the issue. "Rahul Gandhi and responsibilities don't go together. The Congress vice-president is known to shun his own responsibilities and gatecrash into other's protest. His visit to Hyderabad University today proved that he is trying to score brownie point by politicising Rohith Vemula's death. He should stop playing politics on dead bodies," Sambit Patra said. "Rahul has been selective on issues. He maintained a complete silence on Malda riots and Bihar engineers' deaths and didn't mince a single word. When Pathankot attack took place, Mr Gandhi was holidaying in Europe. He comes back after 10 days and puts the blame on government," BJP national spokesperson Patra said. Adding further, Patra said, "Rahul Gandhi should start working in a positive way rather than playing politics on dead bodies. Disruption in parliament and disturbance in society is guiding line of Congress." Meanwhile, Congress dismissed the charge made by BJP on Rahul Gandhi and said that there is no politics in Congress vice-president's visit to the Hyderabad University. "Students are the lifeline of the country and this is the reason why Gandhi joined them in their protest on Rohith Vemula's death," a Congress leader said. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today participated in a hunger strike to demand justice for Dalit student Rohith Vemula , who had committed suicide at Hyderabad University on January 17. Mumbai: Spiritual guru and founder of the Art of Living Foundation Sri Sri Ravi Shankar intervened and offered to help to end the ongoing tussle between women activists and locals over the entry of women in Shani Shingnapur Shrine in Maharashtra. The spiritual guru, who has been chosen for Padma Vibhushan, the country's second highest civilian award, backed the campaign by women activists to break gender bias and allow them entry to the sacred sanctrum of the Shani temple and all other sacred places in the state. Terming the campaign of women as justified, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said that there is no scriptural sanction that should discriminate against female devotees. According to a CNN-IBN report, Sri Sri said, "Women are justified in seeking to enter the sacred sanctum of the temple as there was no sanction to gender discrimination in our scriptures. If men can enter, women too can. Different temples follow different rules, but if men can enter a place of worship, women can also do so. There is no scriptural sanction for any gender discrimination." Sri Sri Ravi Shankar had recently said that religious leaders should intervene in such issues to resolver the matter and bring an end to the standoff over the Shani Shingnapur Shrine. Over 400 women activists in Maharashtra launched a protest last week against the centuries-old ban of not allowing female devotees inside the premises of Shani Shingnapur Shrine in Maharashtra. Amritsar: The Punjab Police on Saturday claimed to have arrested a "most wanted" smuggler, Ranjit Singh, in Ajnala in connection with cross border smuggling. The breakthrough came after the Border Security Force and the Punjab Police launched a joint operation to nab the smuggler, who had been declared most wanted by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in connection with smuggling of 45 kilograms of heroin three years ago. A case has been registered by Ajnala Police against Ranjit Singh, a suspended Assistant Sub-Inspector of the Punjab Police. Station house officer at the Aajnala Police Station Jagbir Singh said Ranjit Singh, a resident of an Attari village, had come to execute a smuggling operation, but was nabbed by police on the basis of intelligence input. The ASI claimed that police have seized a mobile phone, Indian and Pakistani SIM cards and a diary containing the names and contact numbers of a few Pakistani smugglers. Further investigations are on, he added. Puducherry: Union Urban Development Minister M Venakiah Naidu will discuss BJP's action plan for the coming Assembly polls with party leaders and cadres during his maiden visit here on February 1 after assuming office, a senior party leader said on Saturday. "The action plan for the party for the coming Assembly polls will be discussed at a meeting in which cadres and leaders of state level and district and constituency level units would participate," BJP's local unit president V Swaminathan said in a release. This will be Naidu's first visit to Puducherry after becoming a Union Minister, he said. The BJP is an alliance partner of the ruling AINRC. Former president of BJP's Puducherry unit M Visweswaran is the nominated legislator in Puducherry Assembly. Naidu would also declare open the Arts and Crafts centre on the banks of the backwaters in neighbouring Murungapakkam. The Rs 5.32 crore centre on a four-acre site has been set up by the Puducherry Tourism Development Corporation in association with Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), official sources said today. It would enable skilled artisans produce their crafts, and display them for sale at the centre. Artisans from different parts of the country can display their products for sale at the centre, they said. Washington: The White House has declined comment on the case of Jagtar Singh Hawara, the main accused in the August 1995 assassination of then Punjab chief minister Beant Singh. "We cannot comment here on the specific foreign criminal justice matter raised in your petition," the White House said on Friday in its official response to the demand for the release of Hawara, named Jathedar (head) of Sri Akal Takht by some radical Sikhs. The White House responds to "We the People" petitions filed on its website once it reaches a threshold of 100,000 signatures. The petition initiated by New York based "Sikhs For Justice" (SFJ) in November 2015 urging "the President to seek release of Jathedar Hawara from India," gathered 106,320 signatures. "The president has made it clear that our nation`s deep respect for religious liberty and pluralism must not stop at our shores," the White House said. In an address to the people of India last year, it recalled, President Barack Obama "stressed the importance of these fundamental principles to both our democracies". "In both our countries, in India and in America, our diversity is our strength. And we have to guard against any efforts to divide ourselves along sectarian lines or any other lines," it said, citing Obama`s address during his visit to India last year to be the chief guest at India`s Republic Day parade. "And if we do that well, if America shows itself as an example of its diversity and yet the capacity to live together and work together in common effort, in common purpose; if India, as massive as it is, with so much diversity, so many differences is able to continually affirm its democracy, that is an example for every other country on the Earth." The US, the White House said, "remains committed to coordinating with governments around the world to promote religious freedom for all citizens". It encouraged the petitioners "to continue to use the We the People platform to petition the administration to take action on the policy issues you care about, but we cannot comment here on the specific foreign criminal justice matter raised in your petition". In its November 10 petition, the SFJ suggested "Jathedar Hawara, is incarcerated for assassinating Beant Singh, the then chief minister of Punjab. Beant was responsible for death of over 100,000 Sikhs and his death put an end to Genocide of Sikhs". "Jathedar Hawara, being pro-Khalistan, faces risk of being eliminated," it said, alleging that "in 1993, another pro-Khalistan Jathedar, Gurdev Singh Kaunke was murdered by the Indian government". "Jathedar Hawara is undergoing `imprisonment till death`, a sentence which flouts the fundamental principles of justice and continuous detention of supreme religious leader will create discontentment in Sikhs," it said. Saying "Hawara`s act of Beant`s assassination is political in nature," SFJ legal advisor Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said, it "will continue to pursue this further as the US administration is obligated to intervene in such matters under International Religious Freedom Act of 1998". London: British lawmakers may have to comply with the Sharia law including an alcohol ban when they move out of the Westminster Palace which is set to undergo much-needed repairs as the new complex they will shift into is governed by the Islamic law. A UK parliamentary committee searching for a new temporary home for the House of Commons away from the Palace of Westminster has identified Richmond House, home to the UK's Department of Health, as a favoured option. But the building in the Whitehall political hub of London was transferred to finance an Islamic bond scheme of "Sukuk" two years ago, and a condition of its lease is that it cannot be used for purposes not sanctioned by Sharia law. An official told The Times newspaper that under terms of the deal agreed with the UK Treasury, the sale of alcohol is among activities explicitly forbidden. "It is true. If MPs want to use Richmond House they'd better give up any hopes it will include a bar," he said. MPs and peers were told this week that they are likely to have to move out of the Palace of Westminster entirely for at least six years to allow for a four-billion pounds overhaul of the crumbling neo-Gothic pile. According to the newspaper, parliamentarians will have to leave behind at least 10 licensed bars and restaurants, each well-stocked with competitively priced drinks. The Richmond House complex, just north of the existing parliamentary estate, has been narrowed down as a favoured options as it can easily be taken within a security cordon and could comfortably accommodate a temporary debating chamber. In July 2014, UK Chancellor George Osborne had announced that the Treasury was launching the first Islamic bond in a western financial centre. The 200 million pounds bonds, known as Sukuk, would help make Britain "the western hub of Islamic finance" and the "undisputed centre of the global financial system", he said. The offer was more than 10 times oversubscribed as central banks and sovereign wealth funds in Gulf states snapped up bonds that pay just over two per cent annually for five years. Devout Muslims cannot buy traditional government bonds because they pay interest. Sukuk, an Islamic alternative, permit guaranteed returns if they are linked to rental payments. In the Treasury version, three government buildings including Richmond House are being used to finance the products. To ensure that the Sukuk were fully compliant with Sharia, the Treasury agreed to conditions on the properties' use including a ban on the sale of alcohol. "The committee is looking at a range of options and no final decision has been taken. It is aware that Richmond House is under a bond," a spokesperson for the joint committee on the Palace of Westminster said. The 182-year-old Palace of Westminster currently has eight bars in its premises. Moscow: Russia's top diplomat Sergei Lavrov will meet his American counterpart John Kerry on February 11 to review progress in the Syria peace talks, his office said on Friday. The announcement came as key players in the Syrian conflict gathered in Geneva for indirect talks in a fresh effort to end the bloodshed, which has so far cost more than 260,000 lives since it began with anti-government protests in March 2011. During a phone conversation, Lavrov and Kerry "agreed to evaluate progress in the Geneva talks during the next meeting of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) on February 11," a statement said, without saying where the meeting would talk place. Washington and Moscow are the key players in the bid to end the bloody war in Syria, leading talks through the 17-nation ISSG. The two men also discussed the ongoing talks in Geneva which are being attended by representatives of President Bashar al-Assad's regime as well as opposition figures. In a last-minute announcement, Syria's main opposition body agreed to attend, but has insisted it will not engage in negotiations with regime figures. Earlier this week, Lavrov's deputy said Moscow wanted to hold an international meeting on Syria in Munich on February 11, saying there was an "agreement in principle" on the matter between the top US and Russian diplomats. High-ranking officials are due to gather in Munich on February 12 for an annual security conference. Western diplomats have piled pressure on the opposition to participate in the current round of negotiations, which would be only the second dialogue between Syrians since the start of the conflict. The talks are part of a UN-backed plan, agreed by top diplomats last year in Vienna, that envisages negotiations followed by a transitional government, a new constitution and elections within 18 months. Washington: A top US general has said it is difficult to destroy the "enemy" in Afghanistan if terror groups like the Haqqani network and Taliban have sanctuaries in Pakistan. "When an enemy enjoys sanctuary like that, it's very difficult to defeat them," General John "Mick" Nicholson, who has been nominated by the Pentagon as Commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, during confirmation hearing yesterday. Nicholson said he views the terrorist safe havens inside Pakistan as a serious problem. "This (terrorist safe havens) has been one of the principal challenges. It's a sanctuary that our enemies, in particular the Haqqani Network, have enjoyed inside Pakistan," he said responding to a question from Senator John McCain, Chairman of the Senate Committee. Critical of the Af-Pak policy of the Obama Administration, McCain also demanded an immediately halt to US troop withdrawals and eliminate any target date for withdrawal. Responding to the question, Nicholson said it is difficult to defeat the Taliban and Haqqani network when they enjoy terrorist safe haven, and as such, it is important to "enlist" Pakistan in the fight against terrorism. "In this case, Pakistan, to go after those sanctuaries, and then the other important piece is to build up the defence capacity of the Afghans so that they can keep that level of violence down to a manageable level," the general said. Earlier, in a written response to questions, Nicholson asked Pakistan to take persistent action against the Taliban, particularly the Haqqani Network. "Pakistan's pressure on the Taliban combined with its support to the reconciliation process are mutually reinforcing," he added. Haqqani network, which is linked to al-Qaeda has also been blamed for several deadly attacks against Western and Indian interests in Afghanistan, including the 2008 bombing of the Indian mission in Kabul. Rumble This video shows the incredible behaviour of a caring mother elephant on high alert, quickly stopping her adorable baby which was curiously straying away from her towards a vehicle full of safari tourists. Going on safari in the Kruger National Park is a life changing experience. Driving around multiple tarred roads, slowly scanning a massive area of wilderness is all part of the thrill. You never know what will be around the next corner or what animal will suddenly appear from the bush onto the road. Its an exciting experience and one of the must-see animals for most tourists are elephants. Not only are they the largest land mammals on our planet and fairly intimidating, elephants are also one of the most intelligent and emotionally intelligent animals that roam this planet. Seeing these giants in the wild is always a sight to remember. The video shows an incredible moment filmed in the Kruger National Park when a safari vehicle full of tourists found a large elephant cow and her adorable calf next to the road. The safari vehicle stopped and it looked like the mother elephant and her baby wanted to cross the road. The baby elephant was the cutest thing alive in the wild right at that moment. While the elephant cow remained focussed on crossing the road, her baby took notice of the safari vehicle and curiously started straying away from its mother towards the vehicle. The caring mother elephant immediately went into high alert and quickly took her trunk and stopped her baby from going any closer to the safari vehicle. The mother elephant gently used her trunk to guide her baby back and into the right direction. It was incredible to see how quickly the elephant cow became protective over her baby. The elephant calf listened to its mother and in a well-behaved manner, walking on the opposite side of its mother, continued to focus and follow its mother as it should. This is crucial for the survival of the calf in the wild. The gestation period of an elephant is twenty-two months, so it is very understandable that an elephant calf is seen as a huge investment and there will always be a mother around, ready to protect her calf from any potential danger. Even though the tourists were not a direct threat, the mother elephant knows all to well that there are humans that still pose a danger for them in the wild. The mother of such a small calf is definitely not something to mess with at all and its best never to get too close to a mother and her calf. It was a rewarding experience for Noelle Neff. At the time, she had automated a library in Morenci, Ariz. The library now had things like eBooks and databases. I threw the card catalogue in the garbage and they buried it with a bulldozer and we brought that library into this century, she said. I think that was my most gratifying experience. Today, Neff is the new director of Keene Memorial Library, where shes working to implement various ideas, including the creation of a graphics production center. Neff also has plans for the childrens portion of the library. Born in Iowa, where she grew up, Neff earned an undergraduate degree in elementary education and philosophy from Southwest State in Marshall, Minn. Her library career began in Idaho. She worked in libraries in Sun Valley, Idaho. She then moved to Moscow, Idaho, to complete a masters of educational administration at the University of Idaho. Neff drove the 16-hour round trip, every other weekend, from Moscow to Portland, Ore., to earn a masters in library science degree. Shed leave at 4 a.m. to reach Portland on a Friday, take part in weekend classes and leave at noon Sunday to return to Moscow, getting there at 9 p.m. Then shed get up the next day and go to work at the library in Moscow. She did that for three years. After she graduated, Neff moved to Winston-Salem, N.C., to work in an international law firm library, then took the library director job in Morenci, Ariz. Following the death of a brother, she moved to Ohio to help another sibling open a store. She then applied for library jobs, accepting the one in Fremont. Sitting in her upstairs office, Neff laughs often and jokes frequently. She likes people and the library. Neff also enjoys the planning aspect of her job and is working on a five-year plan for the library. Shes been talking to the library board and Friends of the Keene Memorial Library and seeks public input. Its fun to make a plan and do it step by step to make it come to life, she said. Neff likes her leadership role. I enjoy being a leader and giving direction, she said. I have a lot of ideas that Ive gained from other libraries across the country. I network with other librarians. Neff said programs, technology training and Maker Spaces, where people can create things, are the future of the library. Libraries today are competing with the Internet from which people can download eBooks. To remain relevant, we have to start offering different services, she said. For instance, the library is offering a program from 2-3 p.m. Sunday where children can make crafts and take part in candy tasting. Neff said the library is in the planning stages for creating a graphics production center. The library wants to bring in more teens and is starting with book trailers and video creations. A library staff member has begun making a book trailer. Its like a movie trailer, except its of your favorite book. You make somebody want to read that book, she said. Videos could include some like those made at a Phoenix library. For that project, teens came into the library to make videos on topics such as summer reading. The videos went on a YouTube channel with a link to the library website for a contest. Neff stresses the importance of education when talking about the library. I view libraries as educational centers, she said. The childrens center will concentrate on early literacy skills. We want to teach pre-reading skills, she said. Two staffers are in training for the Every Child Ready to Read program that will be implemented at the library. The program will involve parents and children working together so the little ones can learn pre-reading skills. The childrens section also will be painted in bright colors to distinguish it from the rest of the library. A childrens desk for staff will be placed out in the library. That way childrens staffers are more accessible to the public. Neff also foresees the local library going from a Dewey Decimal system to a shelf logic system like whats seen in book stores where patrons can search for books by subject categories. She is planning ahead to have equipment installed so the library can adjust to evolving technology. For instance, the library is getting a newer version of a self-checkout station. Im putting it where it can do our bar code scanners, but also RFID (radio-frequency identification tracking system) down the road, because everything is switching to RFID, she said. Most libraries already have RFID. One recent afternoon, Neff was walking in the library when she saw a small child playing an educational game on a computer. Neff smiled as she watched the future of the library. Maine Governor Paul LePage admits he's been making outrageous threats this week against heroin dealers, but he says it's the only way to draw attention to his border state's record-breaking drug problem. "Call me the guillotine governor," he told CBC News on Friday, referring to his earlier suggestion to bring back public executions. "I'll wear it as a badge of honour, because people are finally listening." Many New Brunswickers love to visit Maine and shop there, but aren't aware of its serious drug problem. There were 208 deaths attributed to drug overdose in 2014, making it the worst year on record, according to Maine Attorney General Janet Mills. And 2015 was shaping up to be even worse, she had said. "Nobody pays attention until I get ridiculous," said LePage, who spent years living in New Brunswick, long before he entered politics. He worked at a mill east of Perth-Andover. Two of his daughters were raised in New Brusnwick, and attended university in the province. Still, many New Brunswickers on the street can't name the governor of Maine. He is well known in Maine, however. Earlier this week, LePage encouraged Mainers to exercise their constitutional right to carry concealed weapons and shoot down drug dealers. "Load up and get rid of the drug dealers," said LePage. "Because folks, they're killing our kids." On a radio show, LePage said it was time to bring in the guillotine to behead drug traffickers and then place bets on where the heads would fall. "We could have public executions," he said. LePage has been accused of being racist and bigoted with his choice of words. "These are guys with the name D-Money, Smoothie, Shifty. These types of guys, they come from Connecticut and New York, they come up here, they sell their heroin, they go back home," LePage told a crowd in Bridgton at a townhall meeting on Jan. 6. "Incidentally, half the time they impregnate a young white girl before they leave, which is a real sad thing because then we have another issue we have to deal with down the road," he continued. Story continues Mal Leary, with National Public Radio, describes LePage as more independent than Republican. He says the governor has a habit of speaking before he thinks. "He acknowledged in a news conference a week ago, the biggest problem I have is opening up my mouth without using my brain," said Leary. "It resonates with an awful lot of people who are very concerned about these folks who are coming into the state, bringing in the governor's favourite word is 'poison' that's killing Mainers," he said. "And he gets very emotional and passionate about this issue." LePage was first elected governor in 2010. He was re-elected in October 2014. BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria's main opposition body has agreed to travel to Geneva, where peace talks began on Friday, following a phone call from the U.S. Secretary of State and after receiving guarantees that their demands would be met, its spokesman said on Friday. The High Negotiations Committee (HNC) has repeatedly said the Syrian government and its allies must first halt bombing and lift blockades of besieged areas before it will join the talks, which have been delayed by four days, and signalled it would still leave the process if these measures are not implemented. "Guarantees came that (United Nations) Resolution 2254 would be implemented in full ... so we will go to Geneva to discuss humanitarian issues," spokesman Salim al-Muslat told the Arabic news channel al-Arabiya al-Hadath on Friday. "The HNC will go to Geneva tomorrow to discuss these humanitarian issues which will pave the way into the political process of negotiations," al-Muslat said. After receiving invitations to the talks this week, the Saudi-backed HNC wrote to the U.N. secretary general requesting clarification on the implementation of steps outlined in a December U.N. Security Council resolution that endorsed the peace process. These included the lifting of blockades on besieged areas, a halt to attacks on civilian areas, and a release of arbitrarily detained people. The decision to travel from Riyadh, where the HNC has been meeting to debate their attendance, came after a telephone call with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and after receiving an answer from the U.N. to their letter. "We have agreed on a certain time period, which I cannot disclose now," al-Muslat said. "Perhaps the coming days will show a serious approach to this issue. If there is then we will continue. If we don't see a serious approach then there will be a different decision." The Syrian government's delegation arrived on Friday at the talks that U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura hopes to convene in an indirect format with the aim of ending the five-year-old war that has killed 250,000 people. (Reporting by Lisa Barrington; Additional reporting by Ali Abdelaty in Cairo; Editing by Louise Ireland) A Texas man has been executed for fatally injuring a game warden following a high-speed chase and shootout with scores of law officers. James Freeman, 35, became the second death row inmate to be executed by lethal injection in Texas in as many weeks after the US Supreme Court declined to review his case earlier this month. He had been suspected of illegally hunting at night in Wharton County, southeast Texas, in March, 2007. When a game warden had spotted Freeman he sped away, leading authorities on a 90-minute chase at speeds of up to 130mph, before getting out of his pickup truck near a cemetery in Lissie and opening fire on officers. He emptied his 11-shot .357-calibre handgun, then switched to an AK-47 assault rifle with a 30-round magazine. During the shootout, Freeman was hit four times and Justin Hurst, a Texas Parks and Wildlife game warden, was fatally wounded. Around 100 law enforcement officers - many of them Texas game wardens - stood outside the Huntsville prison during the execution. Colonel Craig Hunter, head of law enforcement for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, said the punishment marked "a moment that many of us have been waiting for since we first heard of Justin's death". Stanley Schneider, a lawyer for Freeman, said heavy alcohol use and severe depression led the him to try to commit "suicide by cop" when he confronted officers. He said: "It was totally senseless. It really is very sad that it happened, that two families are suffering like this." The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has at least eight more inmates set to be executed before July. Last year, 13 convicted killers were put to death in the state - nearly half of all the 28 executions in the US. Since the US Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, more than a third (37%) of the 533 executions have taken place in Texas. By Ange Aboa ABIDJAN (Reuters) - A military tribunal in Ivory Coast began hearing testimony on Tuesday in the trial of nearly two dozen soldiers charged with the 2002 murder of a former junta leader turned president, Robert Guei. Ivory Coast, the current economic powerhouse of Francophone West Africa, has been attempting a reconciliation process after more than a decade of political turmoil in the formerly peaceful West African nation. Guei was a retired army general when he was named head of state after a coup d'etat in 1999 that marked the beginning of the crisis. He lost an election to Laurent Gbagbo a year later. He had been out of office for nearly two years when his bullet-riddled body was discovered on a roadside in the commercial capital, Abidjan, during a second attempted coup in 2002. A total of 22 soldiers, including senior officers close to Gbagbo, have been charged with his killing, though only 19 have so far appeared in court. Five soldiers testified on Tuesday, all of whom said they had participated in a search for Guei but denied they had assassinated him. Kouadio Kouadio, who is charged with being an accessory to the murder, said General Brunot Dogbo Ble, then a colonel close to Gbagbo, had ordered him to go to St. Paul's Cathedral in Abidjan to look for Guei. "We went and searched the basement and he was there, behind the cartons," testified Kouadio, who drove members of the elite Republican Guard to the cathedral. "We went to the general's home afterwards and his wife was there with her aide and guards. We took them to the colonel (Dogbo Ble)." Dogbo Ble, commander of the Republican Guard, and Captain Anselme Seka Yapo, an officer of the gendarmerie known as "Seka Seka", are accused of ordering and organising the murders of Guei, his wife and their employees. Dogbo Ble is already serving 15 years in prison for his 2012 conviction for complicity in violence including kidnapping, illegal detention and murder. Yapo was given a 20-year sentence last August after being found guilty of murder and assault. [nL5N10F3NR] Although the 2002 coup attempt failed, the non-commissioned officers behind the attempted power grab maintained their grip on the northern half of the world's top cocoa grower, eventually becoming the New Forces rebellion. The group helped bring to power the current president, Alassane Ouattara, after Gbagbo refused to accept his defeat in a 2010 run-off election, setting off a brief civil war. Gbagbo's trial before the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity committed during the conflict opens on Thursday in The Hague. (Writing by Makini Brice; Editing by Joe Bavier, Larry King) 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 One of the most highly recognized livestock handling scientists in the country will be the keynote speaker of the All Minds Matter educational conference held in late February at Midland University. Temple Grandin, Ph.D, is a prominent author, speaker and scientist who, diagnosed with autism, has become one of the leading researchers in her field. Grandin, whose life with all of its challenges and successes, was the subject of an HBO film and is revered as a voice for those who are sometimes challenged to make themselves heard. She is a professor of animal science at Colorado State University. The All Lives Matter conference, held Feb. 23, is sponsored by the Educational Service Unit 2, in cooperation with Midland University, the Fremont Area Community Foundation and the Burt, Cuming and Saunders County Livestock Feeders Association. Grandin plans to give an 8:30 a.m. speech, followed by addressing local FFA chapters during a noon lunch event capped off by a 7:30 p.m. presentation open to the public where she will share her life story inside of Kimmel Theater. Following Grandins morning speech, the conference breaks into three tracks of four expert-led 45-minute sessions that benefit any student needing accelerated or differentiated curriculum programs to fully develop his or her individual capacities, released information says. A total of 12 sessions will be held, wrapping up around 3:15. Dr. Wayne Fisher, professor of behavioral research with the Munroe-Meyer institute and the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, begins the autism spectrum sessions. The high ability learners session will be led K-12 and post secondary professionals who are members of the Nebraska Association for the Gifted, and the Nebraska Department of Education professionals will lead vocational-technical study session, released information says. The ESU2 provides a wide variety of services to 16 public school districts and nine private schools in Burt, Cuming, Dodge and Saunders counties, including professional development opportunities, internet learning resources, network technology services and student support for people with special needs. For more information about the conference and for registration details, visit www.esu2.org, or call 402-721-7710. Space is limited so those interested in attending are encouraged to register as soon as possible. By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has decided not to impose further punishment on David Petraeus, a former U.S. military commander and CIA director who admitted sharing classified information with his mistress, according to a letter seen by Reuters. The short letter was sent by Stephen Hedger, the assistant secretary of defense for legislative affairs, and the decision is in line with an Army review. Petraeus resigned as head of the CIA in 2012 after it was revealed that he was having an affair with his biographer, Army Reserve officer Paula Broadwell. When he pleaded guilty to mishandling classified information, a court document signed by Petraeus and prosecutors said that in 2011, Petraeus illegally gave Broadwell access to official binders. In April, the retired four-star general was sentenced to two years of probation and fined $100,000 but was spared prison time after pleading guilty to mishandling classified information. The Pentagon could have sought to further reprimand Petraeus under military law. Hedger's letter was addressed to Senate Armed Service Committee Chairman Senator John McCain and Senator Jack Reed, who had recently asked Carter not to take further action. The Pentagon declined to comment on the letter. Petraeus, a counter-insurgency expert with a Princeton University doctorate, served as the top U.S. commander in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and was once considered a possible vice presidential or presidential candidate. Known as "black books," the binders that Petraeus shared with Broadwell contained classified information including identities of covert officers, code word information, war strategy, intelligence capabilities, diplomatic talks and information from high-level White House National Security Council meetings, according to court records. Petraeus now serves as chairman of the private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts' captive economic and geopolitical think tank, the KKR Global Institute, according to its website. (Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali; Editing by Bernard Orr and Bill Trott) LONDON (Reuters) - An EgyptAir mechanic whose cousin joined Islamic State in Syria is suspected of planting a bomb on a Russian passenger plane that was blown out of Egypt's skies in late October, according to sources familiar with the matter. So far Egypt has publicly said it has found no evidence that the MetroJet flight, which crashed in the Sinai Peninsula after takeoff from Sharm el-Sheikh airport, killing all 224 people on board, was brought down by terrorism. A senior security official at the airline denied that any of its employees had been arrested or were under suspicion, and an Interior Ministry official also said there had been no arrests. But the sources, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the ongoing investigation, said the mechanic had been detained, along with two airport policemen and a baggage handler suspected of helping him put the bomb on board. "After learning that one of its members had a relative that worked at the airport, Islamic State delivered a bomb in a handbag to that person," said one of the sources, adding the suspect's cousin joined Islamic State in Syria a year and a half ago. "He was told to not ask any questions and get the bomb on the plane." Another source said of the other suspects: "Two policemen are suspected of playing a role by turning a blind eye to the operation at a security checkpoint. But there is a possibility that they were just not doing their jobs properly." None of the four have been prosecuted so far, the sources told Reuters. The crash has called into question Egypt's drive to eradicate Islamist militancy and hurt its tourism industry, a cornerstone of the economy. Islamic State's Egypt affiliate is waging an insurgency in parts of the Sinai, although mostly far from the tourist resorts along its Red Sea coast. Russia and Western countries have long said that they believe the flight was brought down by a bomb smuggled on board. Egypt however has so far publicly said it has not found any evidence of foul play. Any formal charges or official Egyptian confirmation that a bomb brought down the Airbus A321 could potentially expose Egypt to compensation payments to the families of the victims. The EgyptAir senior security official said state security police had investigated all workers at Sharm el-Sheikh airport without finding any evidence implicating any of them. The official said state security traced the family connections of all the employees and they were cleared. "Any employee who shows sympathy to militants is prevented from going to work in any airport," he told Reuters. An Interior Ministry source also said no one had been arrested in connection with the crash. "We are awaiting results of the investigation." Islamic State's online magazine carried a photo of a Schweppes soft drink can it said was used to make an improvised bomb that brought down the Russian airliner. The photo showed a can of Schweppes Gold soft drink and what appeared to be a detonator and switch on a blue background, three simple components that if genuine are likely to cause concern for airline safety officials worldwide. (Editing by Peter Graff) By Dan Whitcomb LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - One of three inmates who escaped a week ago from a maximum-security jail in Southern California has been taken into custody after surrendering to law enforcement, police said on Friday. Bac Duong, 43, gave himself up to police in Santa Ana, California, shortly before noon, Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens told a news conference. The other two escapees remained at large on Friday afternoon. Carrie Braun, a sheriff's spokeswoman, said Duong apparently surrendered "because of the pressure that was being put on him by the general community" during an exhaustive, week-long manhunt. Duong broke out of the Orange County Men's Central Jail in Santa Ana on Jan. 22 along with 37-year-old Hossein Nayeri and Jonathan Tieu, 20. Hutchens said Duong approached a woman on the street in Santa Ana and said he wanted to turn himself in. Nooshafarin Ravaghi, a community college instructor who taught at the jail and had befriended Nayeri, was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of assisting in the escape by furnishing the inmates with Google Maps information that included overviews of the jail rooftop and surrounding areas. Ravaghi and Nayeri had also exchanged handwritten letters outside of class that were personal in nature, sheriff's office spokesman Lieutenant Jeff Hallock told a news conference earlier on Friday. Nayeri, the presumed mastermind of the breakout, was in jail on charges stemming from the 2012 mutilation torture of a kidnap victim. Duong and Tieu are both reputed to be connected with Vietnamese-American street gangs. Tieu was facing murder charges and Duong charges of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon, among other crimes. Hallock said it was Duong who on Sunday took what was supposed to be a test drive in a utility van advertised for sale in south Los Angeles and never returned. Authorities say the men made their getaway by cutting through steel grating inside the jail, climbing through a plumbing conduit to the roof and lowering themselves four floors with bedsheets to the ground. Their disappearance went unnoticed for about 16 hours. Story continues Ravaghi is expected to be arraigned on Monday. The breakout marks the first jail escape in Orange County since the 1980s, sheriff's officials have said. In a high profile New York prison break last year, the fugitive inmates had help from a female prison employee who allegedly had sexual relations with one of them. She was sentenced to seven years for her role. (Reporting by Eric M. Johnson and Dan Whitcomb; Writing by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Tom Brown and Sandra Maler) A modern metropolis rising from Israel's Negev desert stands on the frontline of a global war against hacking and cyber crime, fulfilling an ambition of the country's founding father. David Ben Gurion famously said he wanted to make the Negev bloom. Today, in the streets of Beersheba, a city of 200,000, his dream is taking shape in a form he likely did not anticipate. Long a poor relation of hyper-modern Tel Aviv, Beersheba has traditionally been a refuge for poor, working class and Sephardic Jews of Middle Eastern descent. But the city in the vast Negev desert of southern Israel has experienced a rapid gentrification since the start of the decade, during which middle class neighbourhoods have expanded. The real estate boom in Beersheba has been fuelled by the city's ambition to be Israel's cyber capital, especially since the creation of its industrial park CyberSpark. Two ultra-modern complexes house a dozen Israeli companies, start-ups, venture capital funds and foreign groups such as Lockheed Martin, Deutsche Telekom, Oracle and IBM. Already, 1,500 technicians, engineers and researchers are hard at work. Many have been trained in the computer sciences department of the local Ben Gurion University -- part of a planned symbiosis between the university and the company, which are linked by pedestrian bridges. "We have established a perfect ecosystem with the integration of Israeli companies and foreign multinationals, the university and the foundation of the Israeli army specialised in cybersecurity, which will move from the region of Tel Aviv to Beersheba," said Tom Ahi Dror, CyberSpark project leader at the Israeli National Cyber Bureau. - Starting from scratch - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken highly of the development, saying the close proximity allows "a physical interaction between security officials, academia and industry, in Israel and abroad". "They meet, they talk and they create together," he told a "CyberTech" conference in Tel Aviv, calling cybersecurity "vital" for a small country like Israel, which is faced with multiple threats and a favourite target of hackers. Story continues According to a study carried out in 2012, Israel "may be the most heavily targeted country in the world -- by hostile hackers, nonstate actors, and states -- with as many as a thousand web attacks per minute". Tal Elal, deputy mayor of the city, pinpoints the secret of CyberSpark's success: "We started from scratch four years ago and we designed a customised project to meet the exact needs of companies specialising in cybersecurity." Two more complexes comprising 27 buildings are to be added, and the municipality expects the population to grow by 100,000 in the next 10 years. About 30,000 soldiers, including 7,000 career officers, will move in the coming years to bases and a technology campus to be built on 100 hectares (250 acres) near CyberSpark and around Beersheba. As a lure from the bustle of cosmopolitan Tel Aviv, the government plans a bonus of $18,000 for single officers and $50,000 for families who spend at least five years in Beersheba. - Cyber security's future - "We will do everything to integrate this population and avoid creating ghettoes where officers live, as has been the case in the past in other places," Elal said. For the private sector, the government is also offering subsidies equivalent to 20 percent of salaries for three years to company employees who settled in Beersheba. The state hopes to expand a sector which already has 250 companies of all sizes, Israeli and foreign, in the country. Last year, the sector's exports reached a record $3.5 billion, according to government figures. "Israel represents only 0.1 percent of the world's population but 20 percent of global investments (in cyber security)," said Dror. Deutsche Telekom innovation laboratory based in Beersheba. "It is an endless race in which hackers are always one step ahead because it is they who take the initiative," he added. "And it is then up to us to respond to protect businesses, governments and individuals." jlr/jod/mjs/hc/dr Ukrainian activists in the eastern city of Dnipropetrovsk on Friday night toppled a statue of controversial Bolshevik leader Grigory Petrovsky, implicated in a famine that killed millions in the 1930s, city hall said. Several young men toppled the 12-tonne bronze statue of Petrovsky -- nicknamed "the butcher" for his role in the collectivisation of agriculture that led to a famine known as Holodomor -- as they sung the Ukrainian national anthem, a YouTube video of the incident showed. The monument, which had been inaugurated in 1976, will be now kept in a museum, Dnipropetrovsk mayor Borys Filatov said on his Facebook page, referring to Petrovsky as "the butcher." Dnipropetrovsk, which is located near the pro-Russian separatist regions of Donetsk and Lugansk, was named after Petrovsky in the Soviet era and has since kept its name. The activists -- prompted by a local lawmaker close to Filatov -- sawed-off the monument from its pedestal before pulling it down, Interfax-Ukraine reported. "The statue is almost intact, it only lost its feet," city hall said. The several police officers called to the scene stood by as the monument was taken down, Interfax reported. Ukraine's Communist Party -- which was banned by a Kiev court last month in the latest move to break from the country's Soviet past -- said the statue had been toppled by "neo-Nazi vandals" and called Petrovsky a "true citizen of Ukraine" who "addressed important public and social issues in the interest of the Ukrainian people". Petrovsky, the de facto head of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic from 1922 to 1938, was also a signatory of the treaty that made Ukraine a Soviet republic. The Holodomor happened as Soviet police enforced the brutal policy of collectivising agriculture by requisitioning grain and other foodstuffs. Kiev recognises the Holodomor as a genocide while many Western historians say that Stalin's regime orchestrated the famine to destroy Ukraine's ambitions for independence. Russia has meanwhile contested this claim. The magnitude of the death toll remains hugely controversial among historians, with estimates of those who died in Ukraine ranging from five million to nine million. The proboscis of an Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), a virus vector common in North America, as it feeds on human blood. (CDC/James Gathany) It's likely that the United States will face small outbreaks of Zika virus, but widespread transmission of the virus here is not expected, health officials said today. Zika virus is spreading rapidly in Central and South America, and there have been a few cases in the United States among travelers who caught the virus overseas. Although the virus isn't spreading locally in the United States yet, it is possible that it will, because the mosquitoes that transmit the virus are common in some parts of the country, said Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ("Spreading locally" means that mosquito bites an infected person, and then spreads the virus to another person in the vicinity.) "It's possible, even likely, that we will see limited Zika virus outbreaks" in the United States, Schuchat said today (Jan. 28) in a news conference. The United States has seen limited outbreaks of other mosquito-borne diseases that are more common in the world's tropical regions, including dengue fever and chikungunya virus. But the United States never had large outbreaks of these viruses, and the CDC said it does not expect large outbreaks of Zika virus here either. That's because differences between the United States and Central and South America limit the spread of mosquito-borne viruses here. [Zika Virus - What You Need to Know (Video)] For example, urban areas in the United States aren't as density populated as cities in Central and South America, Schuchat said. A densely populated area makes it easier for infected mosquitos to hop from person to person and spread the disease, she said. Houses in the United States are also more likely to have window screens and air conditioning, and so people have less exposure to mosquitoes here, Schuchat said. And the U.S. mosquito populations aren't as bad, though it can be hard to knock them out completely, Schuchat said. Story continues Infection with the Zika virus usually causes no symptoms, but can lead to mild illness in some people, including fever, rash, joint pain or red eyes. Historically, outbreaks of the virus occurred in Africa, Southeast Asia and the Pacific islands, but last year, outbreaks began to occur in the Americas. Health officials are concerned about a link between Zika virus in pregnant women and microcephaly, a birth defect in which the baby's head is abnormally small. In Brazil, there were more than 3,500 cases of microcephaly between October 2015 and January 2016, a significant increase from the average of about 150 cases per year. Researchers have also found Zika virus in the brain tissue of infants born with microcephaly, but the scientists are still investigating that link. The CDC recently recommended that all U.S. pregnant women consider postponing travel to the areas where Zika virus is spreading, including 24 Latin American countries. These are Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Venezuela, Barbados, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guadeloupe, Saint Martin, Guyana, Cape Verde, Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Dominican Republic. Researchers in the United States are working to better understand the disease and its effects on the body by developing animal models of the illness, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. They're also working on new diagnostic tests and treatments for the disease, Fauci said. There is no vaccine against Zika, and health officials don't expect to have a vaccine ready in the next few years. But an initial trial of an experimental Zika vaccine could begin later this year, Fauci said. "We already have existing vaccine platforms to serve as a jumping-off point" for a Zika virus vaccine, Fauci said. Researchers can use a technique similar to the one used for developing a vaccine against West Nile virus, which is in the same family as Zika, Fauci said. Experts emphasized that, right now, the Zika virus doesn't pose much of a risk to people living in the United States. "For the average American who's not traveling, this is not something they need to worry about," Schuchat said. But it is an important concern for people traveling, and health officials urge those who visit affected areas to take steps to prevent mosquito bites. Follow Rachael Rettner @RachaelRettner. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science. Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi authorities have uncovered a mass grave in Ramadi containing at least 40 bodies, including women and children, apparently killed by Islamic State insurgents when they seized the city in May, police and provincial officials said. Footage posted on the Facebook page of the provincial police on Wednesday showed what appeared to be bodies in varying states of decay being pulled from a shallow grave in the capital of Anbar province which Iraq's military recaptured last month. Police chief Major General Hadi Razij spoke in the video about the grave, and an adviser to the governor confirmed the images were authentic. Interior Ministry spokesman Brigadier General Saad Maan confirmed the reports. "We believe they were the last to fight #DAESH before #Ramadi fell in May 2015. Investigation ongoing.", Anbar Governor Sohaib al-Rawi said in a tweet with a picture of body bags lying in a street. Daesh is the Arabic acronym for Islamic State, which is also called ISIS or ISIL. Islamic State overran Ramadi last year as the Iraqi army abandoned its posts for the second time in less than a year, setting back government efforts to push back the ultra-hardline Sunni militants. The military, backed by U.S.-led coalition air strikes, recaptured the city in December, but widespread destruction and explosives planted by the insurgents in streets and houses have prevented civilians from returning. Several mass graves have been uncovered in areas retaken from Islamic State, which imposes strict restrictions and harsh punishments on the millions of civilians living under its control. The United Nations has said the militants are responsible for acts that may amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity and possibly genocide. Muhannad Haimour, the governor's adviser, told Reuters at least 15 of the bodies, which were discovered in the central district of al-Jamaaiya, belonged to police officers, according to ID cards retrieved from the grave. He said not all the bodies had been identified, but some were believed to belong to women and children related to the police. Haimour said the grave was discovered through interrogations with captured Islamic State militants. It was not clear how the victims were killed, but the video appeared to show some of them had been handcuffed at the time of death. Haimour said there were signs of torture and gunshot wounds on some bodies, but that could not be immediately confirmed. Ramadi is the largest city retaken from Islamic State since the insurgents swept across large swathes of Iraq and neighbouring Syria in mid-2014, declaring a modern-day caliphate and killing or capturing thousands of people. (Reporting By Stephen Kalin; Editing by Hugh Lawson) By Jeffrey Dastin (Reuters) - Lufthansa , British Airways and JetBlue on Thursday became the latest international carriers to offer rebookings or refunds for tickets to areas affected by the Zika virus, as the World Health Organization expressed concern about the swift spread of the mosquito-borne disease. The virus, which has been linked to birth defects in thousands of babies in Brazil, has provoked concern among travellers holding tickets to affected destinations. The virus is present in more than 20 countries and territories in the Americas, including Mexico, Puerto Rico and Caribbean countries that are popular with U.S. winter vacationers. Lufthansa and British Airways both said they would offer pregnant women the opportunity to change their reservations to another destination or delay travel, although they stopped short of offering complete refunds as several U.S. airlines have. JetBlue, which is offering refunds, so far has seen "no measurable impact" on advance bookings or customer refunds, Marty St. George, JetBlue's executive vice president for commercial and planning, said on an investor call Thursday. Cruise lines and resorts have so far reported little impact from increasing fears about the disease. Still, some cancellations, especially among the main risk group - pregnant women - look inevitable especially as the illness becomes more widely publicized. "We believe there could be a slowdown in bookings during this time of heightened media coverage and general fear until more information is known," airline analyst Helane Becker of Cowen and Co said in a research note on Thursday. However, speaking in terms of the impact of the disease on airlines' performance, she added, "We do not view this virus on the same level as the Ebola outbreak in late 2014 or SARS in 2003 ... We would view a decline in shares as a result of the Zika virus as a buying opportunity." New York-traded airline shares were generally lower, led by a 9.2 percent drop in Panama-based Copa and JetBlue, down 7.4 percent. Several carriers - from United Airlines to Latam - have already offered to refund people planning to travel to regions affected by the virus. American Airlines , the U.S. carrier with the largest network of flights to Latin America and the Caribbean, said on Thursday ticketholders to any Zika-hit area could request a refund, broadening its previous list of eligible destinations. Delta Air Lines announced a similar refund policy Wednesday. Brazil's Gol said it would let pregnant women reschedule flights or receive credit, but would not offer refunds. The World Health Organization warned Thursday that Zika is spreading "explosively" and could affect as many as four million people in the Americas. The virus causes rash, mild fever and red eyes. Some 80 percent of those infected typically do not have symptoms, making it difficult for pregnant women to determine if they have the virus. No vaccine or treatment is available. (Reporting By Jeffrey Dastin in New York; Additional reporting by Rosalba O'Brien in Santiago, Peter Maushagen in Frankfurt and Sarah Young in London; Editing by Frances Kerry) Authorities in Switzerland investigating 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) have uncovered some US$4 billion (RM16.8 billion) from Malaysian state companies have been misappropriated, with some of the money transferred to Swiss banks by public officials from Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates, The Wall Street Journal reports today. The Swiss attorney-generals office said it discovered four cases of criminal conduct between 2009 and 2013 "using complex financial structures". The sum suspected to have been misappropriated amounts to around US$4 billion, the daily quoted the Swiss attorney-generals office as saying. Its intended purpose is the subject of further investigations. Swiss attorney-general (A-G) Michael Lauber also expressed concern over his Malaysian counterpart's decision to stop investigations into the transfer of US$681 million into Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razaks private bank accounts, saying the move could hamper Switzerlands own probe into the troubled state-owned investment firm. We are very concerned, WSJ quoted Lauber as saying. We have found evidence of suspicious money transfers linked to 1MDB going through Swiss financial institutions, and we believe that it is very important that it is shared with the Malaysian authorities. A-G Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali on Tuesday said there was insufficient evidence to charge Najib for accepting US$681 million, which was said to be a personal donation from the Saudi royal family. "Based on facts and evidence, no criminal offences have been committed by the PM in relation to three investigation papers," Apandi said following months of investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). "I hereby order MACC to close the investigation papers." WSJ also quoted a spokesman for the Swiss A-G as saying that the investigation should not be closed as there was "a sizeable fraud taking place". "Without assistance from Malaysia, our investigation in Switzerland risks running into a dead-end," he told the daily. January 30, 2016. ZURICH (Reuters) - The number of foreigners moving to Switzerland fell last year while emigration rose, bringing a second consecutive slowdown in net immigration, although the number of requests for asylum jumped by two-thirds. Nearly a quarter of Switzerland's population is foreign and immigration is a major political issue, especially as Europe grapples with its biggest migrant crisis since World War Two. Last month, the neutral Alpine state threatened to impose unilateral curbs on immigration from the European Union if voluntary limits could not be agreed by March. Switzerland and its most important trading partner are gridlocked over how to implement a binding 2014 Swiss referendum in favour of immigration quotas that would violate a bilateral pact guaranteeing freedom of movement for EU citizens. Government data released on Thursday showed net immigration slowed last year to 71,500 people, down 9.4 percent from 2014. Just under 2 million foreigners lived in Switzerland at the end of 2015, more than two-thirds of whom were European citizens. Italians and Germans were the biggest groups. Most foreigners came to Switzerland last year to work or to join family members already here. Requests for asylum swelled 66 percent to 39,523. Around 1.4 million people -- most fleeing crisis zones in the Middle East and Africa -- sought refuge in Europe last year, twice as many as in 2014. Around 3 percent of migrants to Europe sought asylum in Switzerland, the lowest rate since 2008, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) said. They came mostly from Eritrea, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Sri Lanka. Requests for asylum fell 14 percent in December from the previous month as applications from Eritreans in particular slumped. Nearly two-thirds of asylum applications in December came from citizens of Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq, most of whom reached Switzerland via the so-called Balkan route, SEM said. Swiss authorities granted 6,377 people asylum last year, a quarter of applicants, although that rate rose above half including people granted temporary protection. (Reporting by Michael Shields; Editing by Catherine Evans) (Reuters) - Global health officials say the Zika virus, linked to severe birth defects in thousands of babies in Brazil, is spreading rapidly in the Americas and could infect 3 million to 4 million people. The race is on to develop a Zika vaccine. Here are some questions and answers about the virus and the current outbreak. How do people become infected? The virus is transmitted to people through the bite of infected female Aedes mosquitoes, the same type of mosquito that spreads dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said Aedes mosquitoes are found in all countries in the Americas except Canada and continental Chile, and the virus will likely reach all countries and territories of the region where Aedes mosquitoes are found. How do you treat Zika infection? There is no treatment or vaccine available for Zika infection. Companies and scientists are racing to develop a safe and effective vaccine for Zika, but one is not expected to be ready for months or years. How dangerous is it? The PAHO said there is no evidence that Zika can cause death but some cases have been reported with more serious complications in patients with pre-existing medical conditions. The virus has been linked to microcephaly, a condition in newborns marked by abnormally small heads and brains that have not developed properly. It also has been associated with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare disorder in which the body's immune system attacks part of the nervous system. Scientists are studying whether there is a causal link between Zika and these two disorders. How is Zika related to microcephaly? Health officials have yet to establish a direct causal relationship between Zika virus infection and birth defects, but it is strongly suspected. Brazil has reported 3,700 cases of suspected microcephaly that may be linked to Zika. It is unclear whether in pregnant women the virus crosses the placenta and causes microcephaly. Research in Brazil indicates the greatest microcephaly risk appears to be associated with infection during the first trimester of pregnancy. What are the symptoms of Zika infection? People who get Zika virus disease typically have a mild fever, skin rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain and fatigue that can last for two to seven days. But as many as 80 percent of people infected never develop symptoms. The symptoms are similar to those of dengue or chikungunya, which are transmitted by the same type of mosquito. How can Zika be contained? Efforts to control the spread of the virus focus on eliminating mosquito breeding sites and taking precautions against mosquito bites such as using insect repellent and mosquito nets. U.S. health officials have advised pregnant women to avoid travel to Latin American and Caribbean countries where they may be exposed to Zika. How widespread is the outbreak in the Americas? The World Health Organization said Zika cases have been reported in 23 countries and territories in the Americas in the current outbreak. Brazil has been the nation most affected. Other nations and territories include Barbados, Bolivia, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, Suriname, Venezuela and the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to the PAHO. (http://tinyurl.com/hoq6qqo) What is the history of the Zika virus? The Zika virus is found in tropical locales with large mosquito populations. Outbreaks of Zika virus disease have been recorded in Africa, the Americas, Southern Asia and Western Pacific. The virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in rhesus monkeys and was first identified in people in 1952 in Uganda and Tanzania, according to the WHO. Can Zika be transmitted through sexual contact? One case of possible person-to-person sexual transmission has been described but the PAHO said more evidence is needed to confirm whether sexual contact is a means of Zika transmission. The PAHO also said Zika can be transmitted through blood, but this is an infrequent transmission mechanism. There is no evidence the virus can be transmitted to babies through breast milk. What other complications are associated with Zika? The WHO says because no big Zika outbreaks were recorded before 2007, little is known about complications caused by infection. During an outbreak of Zika from 2013-2014 in French Polynesia, national health authorities reported an unusual increase in Guillain-Barre syndrome. Health authorities in Brazil have also reported an increase in Guillain-Barre syndrome. Long-term health consequences of Zika infection remain unclear. Other uncertainties surround the incubation period of the virus and how Zika interacts with other viruses that are transmitted by mosquitoes such as dengue. (Compiled by Will Dunham; Editing by Lisa Shumaker) By Rod Nickel and Natalie Grover (Reuters) - Companies and scientists are racing to create a Zika vaccine as concern grows over the mosquito-borne virus that has been linked to severe birth defects and is spreading quickly through the Americas. Zika is now present in 23 countries and territories in the Americas. Brazil, the hardest-hit country, has reported around 3,700 cases of the devastating birth defect called microcephaly that are strongly suspected to be related to Zika. The Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO), stung by criticism that it reacted too slowly to West Africa's Ebola epidemic, convenes an emergency meeting on Monday to help determine its response to the spread of the virus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has activated an emergency operations centre staffed around the clock to address Zika, agency officials told Reuters. On Thursday, the WHO said as many as 4 million people in the Americas may become infected by Zika, adding urgency to the research efforts. Vaccine developers made clear a vaccine for widespread public use is at least months, if not years, away. The closest prospect may be from a consortium including drugmaker Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc that could have a vaccine ready for emergency use before year-end, according to one of its lead developers. Inovio's share price gained more than 15 percent in Friday trading. Canadian scientist Gary Kobinger told Reuters on Thursday the first stage of testing on humans could begin as early as August. If successful, the vaccine might be used during a public health emergency by October or November, said Kobinger, who helped develop a trial vaccine for the Ebola virus. Privately owned vaccine developer Hawaii Biotech Inc said it began a formal program to test a Zika vaccine last fall as the virus started to gain traction in Brazil, although it has no timetable yet for clinical trials. "Right now, we are in the pre-clinical stage, as I suspect everyone is," Chief Executive Officer Dr. Elliot Parks told Reuters. Another private vaccine developer, Boston-based Replikins Ltd, said it was preparing to start animal studies on a Zika vaccine in the next 10 days. Data from the trials on mice and rabbits would likely be out in the next couple of months, Replikins Chairman Samuel Bogoch told Reuters. "No one has the $500 million (351 million) on hand to take it (a vaccine) all the way to human trials. Somewhere along the course we hope to have big pockets join us," Bogoch said. 'FIGHT THE MOSQUITO' Zika had been viewed as a relatively mild illness until Brazilian health officials identified it as a matter of concern for pregnant women. While a direct causal relationship has not been established, scientists strongly suspect a link between Zika and thousands of children born in Brazil with abnormally small heads, brain defects and impaired vision. There is no treatment for Zika infection. Efforts to combat Zika are focused on protecting people from being bitten and on eradicating mosquitoes, a tough task in many parts of Latin America, where people live in poverty and there are plentiful breeding grounds for the insect. "We do not have a vaccine for Zika yet. The only thing we can do is fight the mosquito," Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said on Friday, reiterating her call for a national eradication effort. Rousseff said tests for the development of a vaccine would begin next week at the Butantan Institute, one of Brazil's leading biomedical research centres in Sao Paulo. U.S. President Barack Obama spoke on Friday with Rousseff about the spread of the virus, the White House said. "The leaders agreed on the importance of collaborative efforts to deepen our knowledge, advance research and accelerate work to develop better vaccines and other technologies to control the virus," the White House said in a statement. Zika has hit Brazil just as it prepares to host the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 5-21, an event that draws hundreds of thousands of athletes, team officials and spectators. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) assured teams on Friday the Olympics would be safe from Zika, but urged visitors to carefully protect themselves. U.S. lawmakers have begun to press the Obama administration for details of its response to Zika. At least 31 people in the country have been infected, all of them after travel to affected countries. The U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is planning a hearing on Zika "very soon," said Republican Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, who called the threat posed by the virus to the United States a "big concern." Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, said he did not expect the United States to be hit hard like other some countries in South America and the Caribbean. "We prepare for the possibility of a major outbreak but we believe it is unlikely to happen," Fauci said. (Reporting by Rod Nickel in Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Natalie Grover in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Amrutha Penumudi in Bengaluru; Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago, Toni Clarke in Washington, Karolos Grohmann in Berlin, Anthony Boadle in Brasilia, Jeffrey Dastin in New York; Writing by Frances Kerry; Editing by Will Dunham and Lisa Shumaker) Real Estate News What is it like to live in Concord? For fifth-generation Concord native Meg Gaudet its not just the towns past that makes Concord so vibrant. Its the people. A reflection of a church in Wright Taverns window. photos by John Tlumacki/ globe staff Meg Gaudet is a fifth-generation Concord native and proud of it. My grandfather, my moms dad, was a prolific builder. He built more than 300 homes in [the area] in the early 1900s, says Gaudet, 55, who grew up in a house her grandfather built, the one where her mother was raised and still lives with Gaudets sister. Gaudet, owner and operator of A New Leaf, a consignment shop in West Concord Center that also repurposes old furniture, says local history is like family history something to share and celebrate. As young children, her two sons (pictured with Gaudet in the photo at right), now in their 20s, took living in Concord for granted, and not just its history, but also the open space and being able to walk around safely at night, she says. When they were kids, they didnt realize that not everyone has this. . . . They went out and met people who live in more populated areas and realized I have really good things in my backyard. Advertisement: A trip to Virginia was eye-opening for Gaudet, who saw how the Revolutionary War played out in other regions and realized that Concords role was only one of many pieces. Granted, its tough not to be laser focused when you live in a town where history comes alive every day. But for Gaudet, its not just the past that makes the town so vibrant. Its the people. We have friendly town personnel from the folks who service our Concord light department and Concord Public Works to all the police and fire personnel, she says. Whether the towns workers are hanging up holiday lights or checking the parking meters, they are never too busy for a quick hello and to ask her how business is going, she says. Everyone is gracious. BY THE NUMBERS 1945 When a controversial and doomed proposal to locate the United Nations in Concord was introduced. As the diplomats focused their search on the suburbs around Boston and New York, no fewer than 48 Massachusetts communities clamored for the United Nations attention, the Globe recalled in a 2013 article. 3 Number of chairs writer Henry David Thoreau said he had in his home at Walden Pond: one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society. In the elementary school named after him there are hundreds, including one for all 465 pupils. Advertisement: 7 feet The height of the Minute Man statue, which Daniel Chester French, then 22, was commissioned to create as a monument to the Revolutionary War battle at North Bridge. A foundry in Chicopee melted down Civil War cannons to cast it in bronze. PROS & CONS Pros Culture In addition to its historical holdings, the town has an orchestra, a concert band, a concert chorus, a theater group, a museum, galleries, and a community arts center, among other offerings. Cons Property taxes The average tax bill for a single-family home, $13,490 in 2016, is among the highest in the state and represents a 4.65 percent increase over last year. A reflection of a church in Wright Taverns window. photos by John Tlumacki/ globe staff Orchard House, the home of Louisa May Alcott. A pencil left by Henry David Thoreaus gravestone in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Hattie Bernstein can be reached at [email protected] As proof of how badly German chancellor Angela Merkel has handled the refugee crisis, a new Poll Shows 40 Percent of Germans want Merkel to Quit. Nearly 40 percent of German voters think Chancellor Angela Merkel should quit over her liberal asylum policy after almost 1.1 million newcomers arrived last year, a poll showed Friday. As the mood in Germany has shifted from a euphoric welcome for people fleeing war and persecution last September to growing doubts about the country's ability to accommodate and integrate the record influx, the popular Merkel has come under increasing pressure. However, the poll for Focus news magazine conducted by the independent opinion research institute Insa among 2,047 German citizens showed that a larger share -- nearly 45 percent -- did not think Merkel should resign. Among members of her conservative Christian Union bloc, nearly 27 percent said they wanted Merkel, who has been in power since 2005, to step down. I called for this well in advance, on October 18, 2015 to be precise: Swamped By Stupidity; Peak Merkel But politicians don't resign. They just keep on insisting they are right until they are forced out or voted out of office.As recently as January 20, Merkel insisted Austrian cap on refugees 'not helpful' for European solution Yesterday, Merkel supposedly "What a joke!The family reunification proposal is a rehash of an announcement from months ago. And deporting refugees requires approval from the nation of origin.Do Syria and the African nations want the refugees back?Merkel doesn't get it, and she likely never will. Her time is past.Mike "Mish" Shedlock We do not know if we will ever again see the equivalent of the siberian traps. We can see a super volcano at work, but that is likely to be... >More in Humberside Police is appealing for information after thieves stole fuel and machinery in a high-value raid from an agricultural merchant. Raiders broke into containers at a business in Daisy Hill Road, in Burstwick, near Hedon, East Riding between 6pm and 6.30am on Wednesday (27 January). They stole an industrial jet wash used for washing HGVs, an Agri-Pro hand moisture analyser, a leaf blower and a yellow pneumatic pallet trolley. See also: Read the latest rural crime news A fuel level receiver, a 50m electrical extension cable, a tyre inflator pump, an electric submersible pump and three grease guns were also taken. A large quantity of red diesel was stolen from a fuel storage tank and two commercial lorries were also drained of diesel. The thieves drove away the premises over the fields towards Humbleton. Anyone with information on this crime is asked to call police on 101 quoting reference number 2165397, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. French farmers have vowed to continue their protests this week, demanding an end to low prices and unfair working conditions. The French government has promised to unblock 290m (220m) of additional funds to help struggling farmers, but that has done little to ease tensions. Angry farmers have been protesting against weak farmgate prices for milk, beef, pork and some vegetables, which they say are well below the cost of production. See also: Furious French farmers ramp up protests over prices Analysts say the crisis in agriculture has been caused by the Russian ban on western food imports, a fall in global demand and oversupply of milk, a steep drop in demand from China, diminishing incomes, mounting debts, government inaction and red tape. French agriculture minister Stephane Le Foll said structural reform will be necessary to solve the financial problems of farmers. In the meantime, he said the French government would be seeking to make more advance payments of CAP farm subsidies to stem the crisis. In the UK, dairy lobby group Farmers For Action has warned that hundreds of dairy farmers are ready to march on Westminster in the middle of next month to protest against the ongoing dairy crisis. Here is a selection of images which capture the intensity of the French farmer protests this week. French farmers have accused their government of not doing enough to mitigate the fall in farmgate prices of meat and dairy products, which are well below the cost of production. French farmers dumped hay to blockade slip roads onto the RN12 motorway at Baud, in Morbihan, Brittany, on Wednesday (27 January). Police were mobilised on the RN12 to cope with hundreds of protesting farmers on Wednesday (27 January). Hundreds of tyres have been torched on a number of major roads in western France. Two hundred protesting farmers with 30 tractors blocked the RN12 road between Saint-Brieuc and Rennes with concrete barriers and burning tyres on 20 January. The National Federation of Agricultural Holders Unions (FNSEA), a French organisation which represents local agricultural unions and regional federations, is pushing the countrys government to work harder to find solutions to the problems at EU level. French agriculture minister Stephane Le Foll has offered a further 290m (221) plan to help struggling farmers, but many remain unconvinced. Chanting "no business as usual" and "ICE out of SF", activists in San Francisco's financial district demonstrated against the treatment of immigrants on January 26. Protesters chained themselves together and blocked two intersections downtown for several hours. At least 15 people were arrested.The demonstrators demanded that newly elected Sheriff Vicki Hennessy comply with San Francisco's sanctuary city policy and end the systemic abuse that people experience in San Francisco due to an outdated immigration system. The San Francisco Sheriff's Department recently called the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Department (ICE) as part of their process after detaining a man from El Salvador who had reported his car stolen. FREE UNLIMITED INTERNET FROM PUBLIC P2P MESH NETWORKS IS HERE, NOW! FREE UNLIMITED INTERNET FROM PUBLIC P2P MESH NETWORKS IS HERE, NOW!By Meghan Neal, Jason Koebler, Gregoire Molle, Brian Hall and Jack SmithPer The P2P Alliances at http://p2p-internet.weebly.com ## Public Mesh needs your help putting Time Warner Cable out of business## Public Mesh is trying to get around the big ISPs one node at a time. Between them and the Red Hook Initiative, here's the state of mesh networks in Brooklyn.Brian Hall gets on his laptop and types ev.mesh/ in the address bar. A splash page opens. This is the Mesh. This is not the internet.From this page, Hall chats with other people connected to the Mesh. Soon, he hopes to create a social network, where people will find local events and special deals advertised by local businesses. Maybe theyll even be able to access Netflix, Hall said, admitting that this last wish is just a wacky idea for the future.Brian Hall is a member of NYC Mesh, an organization that tries to build a decentralized network of devices, or nodes, which are connected between them. This network is called the Mesh, or meshnet, and is independent from the internet: If the internet is down, people who have access to a node can still be connected to each other. And unlike the internet, access to a mesh network is free, once youve bought the hardware to set up the network.Read about other communities building mesh networksThe goal of NYC Mesh is to connect all New Yorkers, provide free internet and be an alternative to Time Warner, Hall said.Eight people faced their computers in a room on 3rd Avenue in Brooklyn, during one of NYC Meshs recent meetings. In Spain, a meshnet group, Guifi.net, managed to create a 20,000-node network, Hall said actually the network has close to 30,000 nodes, according to Guifis website. One person at the table asked how many NYC Mesh nodes exist. About 17, I think, Hall answered with a smile, as he looked down on the table. Four or five of these working nodes are in Brooklyn, Hall said. (Heres a map.)The Community-Owned ISPs Building an Alternative to Big Telecom in New York CityWritten byJason KoeblerIf you want high speed internet in most any spot in New York City, youre stuck with Time Warner Cable. Or at least, thats how it usually works. But increasingly around the city, citizens and small community groups are setting up their own locally owned and operated free wifi networks.This week on Radio Motherboard, we take a trip to a meetup where two nascent but potentially disruptive groups were discussing how to collaborate in order to provide new connection options to people around the city. Since 2012, the nonprofit Red Hook Wifi network has been providing totally free internet to people in the small Brooklyn neighborhood. For weeks after Hurricane Sandy struck the neighborhood, the Red Hook Wifi network was the only way many in the community could get on the internet or make phone calls. On any given day, Red Hook Wifi has about 500 users.Meanwhile, NYC Mesh is little more than a meetup group at the moment, but its organizers have big plans. Its network currently has about 40 nodes, or routers that connect to each other to form a larger wireless network. Organizer Brian Hall is currently working to set up two super nodes that are jacked into a large internet exchange will allow anyone in lower Manhattan and large swaths of Brooklyn to bypass traditional internet service providers and connect directly to the NYC Mesh network.Finally, a brand new fiber project is about to give the masses a new option, at least when theyre out on the streets of New York. Link NYC is a $200 million project to replace 7,500 payphones in the city with a free, gigabit fiber-connected wifi hotspot. We took a trip to Link NYCs headquarters to check out the new links and learn about how the project hopes to protect privacy, become a profitable enterprise, and provide connections that people will actually want to use.As always, thanks for listening! Radio Motherboard is available on iTunes.Meghan Neal contributed reporting to this podcast.Topics: Radio Motherboard, podcasts, new york city, Red Hook Wifi, Broadband competition, Municipal Networks, NYC Mesh, mesh networksThe challenge is to scale up to a size where it becomes a reliable internet source, Hall said.Programmers and people with a tech background all get the idea immediately, Hall said. They like the idea of having a community-run network that doesnt need the big internet providers. But its hard to sustain without getting more people onboard. The average person is just looking for internet, really, Hall said. Non-technical people just want to watch Netflix so its hard to explain to them.Free internet might be a selling point for Hall. If one node has access to the internet, it can provide internet to the other nodes of the mesh network for free.That echoes the project another Brooklyn-based organization is also currently developing.Building a free internet network that bypasses the big providers was on the mind of workers at Red Hook Initiative (RHI) for a while, but Hurricane Sandy kind of pushed the development, said Robert Smith, the assistant administrator for RHIs free WiFi project. During Hurricane Sandy, the internet was down, and RHI started to set up internet access points so people could get information and contact their families, Smith said.FOR TECHNICAL DETAILS ON ONE SOLUTION SEE: http://www.tranzeo.com/products/docs/EnRoute500-Mesh-sample-design-report.pdf RHI pays its internet subscription to Brooklyn Fiber, and redistributes this coverage for free to a dozen parts of Red Hook. We still have a lot of work to do, Smith said. There are 13 routers operating now, and Smith said he thinks they need about 40 to 50 to cover the entire neighborhood.Back in the 3rd Avenue room, Brian Hall said hes planning to offer similar services via NYC Mesh. As his organization installs more nodes, he hopes to connect network with others in New York City, including the one RHI has set up. Before his meshnet reaches Red Hook, though, Hall will have to convince a lot of Netflix lovers to set up a node.ALSO SEE:By Gregoire MolleGregoire Molle is a recent graduate of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism who has covered Brooklyn for The Brooklyn Ink. The native of France is a former radio intern for Parisian radio station Vivre FM, where he reported and produced daily stories for its news show.@GregoireMolle--------The internet may feel free, but it certainly isn't. The only way for most people to get it is through a giant corporation like Comcast or Time Warner Cable, companies that choke your access and charge exorbitant prices.In New York City, a group of activists and volunteers called NYC Mesh are trying to take back the internet. They're building something called a mesh network a makeshift system that provides internet access. Their goal is to make TWC totally irrelevant.How it works: Mesh networks start with one internet connection, which broadcasts that connection to another router and then jumps from router to router until it builds a whole web of "nodes." Each node is its own access point where you can log onto the internet like any other Wi-Fi connection.In New York, NYC Mesh has about 40 of these nodes installed, and for the cost of the router (about $30), volunteers will come by and climb trees or rooftops to wire up a new node for anyone who wants to host one.Mesh networks aren't just a makeshift version of a mainstream internet provider they're an opportunity to create something more free and resilient. Mesh networks like the one in Red Hook, Brooklyn, are built so that if Time Warner broadband goes down in the area, mesh users still have internet access. What mesh networks need are new nodes that can daisy-chain out to existing nodes to reach places where traditional Wi-Fi hasn't gotten to. And in some parts of the world, this is already happening.DIY Mesh Networks Are Helping Activists Take Back the Internet From Time Warner CableA global revolution: Mesh networks caught fire during Hong Kong's Umbrella Revolution, a student-led protest movement in 2014. During the protests, the open internet wasn't safe: Chinese government was deleting mentions of the sit-ins online, wiping posts from Chinese sites and blacking out CNN's news coverage of the movement.So the protesters used an app called Firechat, which turns every phone into a node by linking them all together over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to communicate. Tens of thousands of protesters at a time were organizing anonymously, without the use of an established cellular network where they could face censorship.Mesh networks aren't just used for subverting government censors and telecom giants. They can also bring the internet to those who don't have a national broadband infrastructure.To bring the internet to Spanish farmland and blow past telecommunications giant Telefonica, a Spanish NGO created guifi.net, the world's largest mesh network with over 30,000 nodes. In Germany, the Freifunk initiative helps people create free local networks where there are few public Wi-Fi access points.If a storm or flood wipes out existing cable infrastructure, or knocks out the broadband in an area, a mesh network of rooftop nodes and home routers could bounce the signal along through the air, unhindered.DIY Mesh Networks Are Helping Activists Take Back the Internet From Time Warner CableThe people's provider: NYC Mesh has the potential to be the internet provider of the people, but there's one problem: If you trace back the internet connections through the nodes to their root, you'll eventually reach the source of the network, which is guess what a Time Warner Cable connection."Everyone seems to hate Time Warner; that's the thing that unifies the city," NYC Mesh organizer Brian Hall told Motherboard. "It's going to be a while before we replace Time Warner, but there's some hope of it happening."By Jack Smith IVJack Smith IV is a writer and reporter covering the intersection between the Internet, culture, politics, the economy and the future. Send tips, comments and feedback to jack [at] mic.com Follow @jacksmithiv The TPP marks another step towards greater regional cooperation and integration. The U.S.-driven trade deal changes how member countries manage their economies and businesses. It sets the rules for a new global economic order, which would further erode national sovereignty. The TPP together with the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership are part of plans to merge North America with Asia and Europe. A major priority for Canadas new prime minister is to reset the relationships with both the U.S. and Mexico. There is a real opportunity for all three countries to recommit to building a North American community. This includes expanding political, security and economic cooperation, as well as greater coordination on issues such as energy and the environment. Further deepening Canada-Mexico ties is one of the keys to strengthening continental relations. The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, which builds on the commitments of NAFTA could also help take North American trilateral integration to the next level.During a foreign policy speech before he became Prime Minister, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau emphasized the importance of North America and outlined his plans to improve Canadas relationship with its NAFTA partners. He discussed some of the problems facing Mexico and how Canada could help solve them. Trudeau noted, In many areas, Canadians have the necessary expertise to address Mexicos needs, from the building of public institutions to infrastructure development to civil policing. We should see in Mexico opportunities to develop our relations and our economies. He went on to say, What does this mean for Canada and the Canada-U.S. relationship? In my view, it means that we must once again look at the relationship in a continental context. We must see our own future in the future of North America. Trudeau also proposed creating a special cabinet committee to manage Canada-U.S. relations and promised to work towards reducing barriers to trade and commerce between both countries. Furthermore, he pledged to push for a North American agreement on clean energy and the environment.In June 2015, the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade issued its report, North American Neighbours: Maximizing Opportunities and Strengthening Cooperation for a More Prosperous Future. The policy paper recommended, The Government of Canada explore opportunities for Canada-Mexico cooperation on governance, security and rule of law issues of mutual interest, such as law enforcement and judicial capacity building. It also identified energy, supply chain infrastructure and harmonizing regulations as some of the areas that should be addressed trilaterally. A news release described how, Trilateral cooperation between Canada, the United States and Mexico on issues of mutual interest holds great promise for increasing North Americas future competitiveness and prosperity. At the same time, the Committee conceded, Geographic, linguistic and other factors have prevented the Canada-Mexico relationship from reaching its full potential. Canadas relationship with Mexico should be an important focus. They concluded that, A stronger partnership with Mexico is a key way to strengthen the trilateral approach to North American relations.After becoming Canadas new Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau reaffirmed his commitment to building better continental relations. Some of the key objectives highlighted in the Minister of International Trade Mandate Letter are to, strengthen our relationship with our North American partners, advance bilateral and trilateral initiatives to reduce impediments to trade between our countries and to strengthen North Americas global competitiveness. An important part of the Canada-U.S. relationship is the Regulatory Cooperation Council and the Beyond the Border deal, which promotes economic competitiveness and a perimeter approach to security. In March 2015, both countries signed an Agreement on Land, Rail, Marine, and Air Transport Preclearance, but it has yet to be implemented. Trudeau will get an opportunity to discuss border security, energy, climate change and trade, along with other bilateral issues when he meets with President Barack Obama on March 10 in Washington.Some of the important priorities listed in the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mandate Letter are to, Improve relations with the United States, our closest ally and most important economic and security partner, and strengthen trilateral North American cooperation. This includes working to lift the Mexican visa requirement, which was imposed by the previous Conservative government and deeply resented in Mexico. Also high on the agenda is developing a continent-wide clean energy and environment agreement, as well as preparing for the next trilateral leaders summit that will be hosted by Canada sometime this year. At the 2014 North American Leaders Summit, the U.S., Canada and Mexico agreed to enhance energy collaboration, develop a continental transportation plan and establish a North American trusted traveler program. Last year, they announced an agreement to expand trusted traveler programs, which is the first steps toward the creation of a North American Trusted Traveler network. Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper was scheduled to host the 2015 leaders summit, but he postponed the meeting amid tension between Canada and the U.S. over the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, which was pending at the time.On November 6, 2015, President Obama formally rejected the Keystone XL Pipeline, arguing that project would not serve the country's national interests and how it would undercut U.S. climate global leadership. While Obama admitted Prime Minister Trudeau was disappointed by the decision, he also pointed out how both leaders, agreed that our close friendship on a whole range of issues, including energy and climate change, should provide the basis for even closer coordination. A statement by Prime Minister Trudeau insisted, The Canada-U.S. relationship is much bigger than any one project and I look forward to a fresh start with President Obama to strengthen our remarkable ties in a spirit of friendship and co-operation. Although the decision is a setback in enhancing North American energy integration, it does nevertheless provide an opportunity for both countries to reset relations. Just days after TransCanada was denied a permit for the Keystone XL, they were awarded a contract to build the Tuxpan-Tula Pipeline in Mexico. The company also recently launched a lawsuit over the Keystone decision. Under Chapter 11 of NAFTA, corporations have the power to challenge governmental laws and regulations that restrict their profits.Before the Obama administration rejected Keystone, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton came out against the pipeline. She stressed that, Building a clean, secure, and affordable North American energy future is bigger than Keystone XL or any other single project. Clinton followed this up by unveiling her, Vision for Modernizing North American Energy Infrastructure, which links the continents energy and climate objectives. If elected president, she has vowed to, launch negotiations with the leaders of Canada and Mexico to secure a North American Climate Compact that includes ambitious national targets, coordinated policy approaches, and strong accountability measures. With the creation of the Trilateral Working Group on Climate Change and Energy back in May 2015, the North American partners have already laid the foundation for closer cooperation on energy and the environment.During his presidency, George W. Bush pursued deeper North American ties through the Security and Prosperity Partnership. Now the Bush Institutes Economic Growth program is continuing with this agenda. Theyve launched a North America Competitiveness Initiative, which aims to further strengthen continental economic integration. In November 2015, they released the North America Competitiveness Scorecard, as a tool to compare the competitive position of the United States, Canada, and Mexico, as a region, relative to other major economic regions and countries with large economies. While North America earned a B+, the scorecard also identified areas where improvements could be made. A working group is currently developing a list of policy recommendations on issues regarding energy, human capital, and border infrastructure. The Bush Institute's Director of Economic Growth Matt Rooney stated, The key to the prosperity and security of the American people lies in a closer North American economic relationship in embracing the de facto North American community that has long existed and shaping it to ensure that it continues to enhance our security and prosperity.As part of efforts to encourage trilateral cooperation at a state and provincial level, the first-ever Summit of North American Governors and Premiers was held in October 2015. Mexican State Governor, Eruviel Avila Villegas acknowledged, We are living at an historic juncture, where local governments are becoming key transformation agents and the source of international cooperation efforts. The origin of this summit represents a big step toward the building of a North American community. When the event was first announced, a press release explained that the summit would, focus on promoting economic development and trade through improvements and innovations in infrastructure and supply chain management, education, energy technology and culture. Regional collaboration is already taking place through forums such as, the Council of the Great Lakes Region and the Annual Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers. In an effort to expand economic relations and advance cross-border trade, U.S. ambassador to Canada Bruce Heyman has sent letters to the governors of all 50 U.S. states urging them to visit Canada. In the coming years, subnational governments will play a even greater role with respect to North American integration.On October 5, 2015, negotiations concluded on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which includes Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the U.S., and Vietnam. The massive Pacific Rim trade pact is scheduled to be formally signed on February 4 in New Zealand, but it will still need to be ratified by each of the member nations. Like other trade agreements that have come before it, the TPP will ultimately fail to deliver on the promise of economic growth and prosperity. The controversial deal poses significant threats to internet freedom, food safety, public health and the environment. It includes NAFTA-style investor rights that allows corporations to sue governments over decisions that may affect their future profits. The agreement contains thousands of pages of legal text and technical language, which covers a lot more than just trade. With the U.S., Canada and Mexico all a part of the TPP, it amounts to a complete renegotiation of NAFTA through the backdoor.The TPP marks another step towards greater regional cooperation and integration. The U.S.-driven trade deal changes how member countries manage their economies and businesses. It sets the rules for a new global economic order, which would further erode national sovereignty. The TPP together with the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership are part of plans to merge North America with Asia and Europe.(go to website to view embedded links)Dana Gabriel is an activist and independent researcher. He writes about trade, globalization, sovereignty, security, as well as other issues. Contact: beyourownleader [at] hotmail.com Visit his blog at Be Your Own Leader also - 'International terrorism' cooked up by criminal governments to keep us in fear Second hour: investigative reports: Breaking the Bullingdon Club Omerta: Secret Lives of the Men Who Run Britain: Vandalism, blood, and hookers. A Daily Beast investigation exposes the best-kept secrets of Britains most powerful men; the hidden archive; the clubs latest outbreak of destruction; new heavyweight members named and Prime Minister David Camerons hushed-up past. Bullingdon Club exposed by Nick Mutch Nick Mutch, journalist, discusses the Bullingdon Club, who Cameron, Osborne and Boris were all part of: just wealthy join club; Omerta, Omerta is the Mafia code of silence; list of influential people who have been members almost all Tories and 75% went to Eton; encouraged to damage property break the law smash things up so they have dirt on each other and will be afraid to tell tales lest their own deeds be revealed; Skull and Bones society at Yale University in the US; they are let off by the law and dont suffer the consequences. Nick also writes at http://www.Byline.com see alsoSex, drugs & death - Bullingdon Club UNCUT with investigative journalist Nick Mutch Ten years after the Bristol schools privatisation plan was hatched, BBC Points west reporter Martin Jones paints rosy picture of Bristols privatised secondary schools Christine Townsend, former teacher and candidate for Mayor, discusses how the good news story of Bristol schools improving, is probably not as good as it seems: Academy Schools; inequality in entrance for kids some not taking enough free school meal kids; clip of piece by Martin West on Points West, about how education has improved in Bristol in last 10 years; Reporter Martin West and BBC fail to mention creepy SW Schools Commissioner Sir David Carter was recently CEO of Academies Cabot Learning Federation PFIs of new school buildings; new disciplinary systems in schools and permanent exclusion of badly behaved kids increasing; schools are being run like a business with children sitting on conveyor belts. Retired Russian General Leonid Ivashov says there is no such thing as international terrorism. General Ivashof, former Chief of Staff of Russian Armed Forces, says international terrorism does not exist Al Qaeda funded by the West, Saudi Arabia No.1 supporter of Jihadis, Roland Dumas. Interview with Rose Crossland from Bristol CND Stop Trident, Stop The Bombing at Trinity Centre next Tuesday at 7pm about stopping Trident is it possible to get rid of nuclear weapons? Privatisation of military. The Litvinenko murder: Scaramella The Italian Connection was it Mario Scaramello, part of Mafia and CIA agent, who really poisoned Litvinenko? Documentary about 1999 Moscow Ryazan bombings based on Alexander Litvinenko book Blowing Up Russia banned by Vladimir Putin FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif., Jan. 29, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Associa PCM (Associa Professional Community Management) is honored to be part of the nominations for the Community Associations Institute's (CAI) annual Orange County Excellence in Community (OCEC) Awards Dinner taking place February 5 at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel. The event provides an opportunity for the chapter to recognize significant contributions its members have made to the industry and celebrate the accomplishments of the members and the chapter. This year's nominees are: Josh Hodosh, Associa Casta del Sol, Innovative Management Category Jerry Storage, Associa PCM, Outstanding Service and Manager of the Year Categories Wendy Bucknum, Associa PCM, Hall of Fame Category Katy Howe, Associa The Towers Laguna Woods Village, Manager of the Year Category Deborah Serrano, Associa PCM, Manager of the Year Category Associa PCM Managed Community Association Board Members nominated for their innovative work related to the communities they serve: Ryna Rothberg, The Towers Laguna Woods Village Kendall Mosley, La Mirage at Aliso Viejo Wendy Fox, Cypress Village About CAI-OCRC: The Orange County Regional Chapter of Community Associations Institute (CAI-OCRC) provides education, networking, resources and advocacy for community associations and the professional and volunteers who serve them. Members include condominium associations, cooperatives, and homeowner associations as well as those who provide services and products to community associations. The Orange County Regional Chapter has more than 1,400 members including nearly 600 businesses, and represents thousands of households. The chapter is one of nearly 60 Community Associations Institute chapters in the nation. More information is available at www.caionline.org. About Associa: Building and managing successful communities for more than 35 years, Associa is the worldwide leader in community management with over 10,000 employees operating more than 180 branch offices in the United States, Mexico, Canada, the United Arab Emirates and South Africa. Based in Dallas, Texas, our industry expertise, financial strength, and innovation meet the unique needs of clients across the world with customized services and solutions designed to help communities achieve their vision. To learn more about Associa and its charitable organization, Associa Cares, go to www.associaonline.com or www.associacares.com. -Titus Onwuchekwa was paraded alongside other suspected car thieves -The pastor claimed he thought it was God's blessng -He came from Abia state to buy another cheap car before he was nabbed A pastor, Titus Onwuchekwa who was arrested by the police for being in possession of a stolen car claimed he thought God had brought him a blessing. READ ALSO: Only mad people support corruption - Keyamo The Punch reports that he 32 year old pastor who came from Umuahia, Abia state was paraded alongside Felix Osas who sold the vehicle to the pastor and an accomplice, Ndibe Samuel. Titus Onwuchekwa Image/The Punch The notorious car thieves reportedly sold a Mitsubishi Pajero worth about N2 million to the pastor for a mere N350,000 and the unsuspecting latter claimed he thought the give-away price was a blessing from God. Onwuchekwa said he had come to Lagos to attend a Christian programme when he sighted the 2005 Mitsubishi Pajero in Alaba area of Ojo, Lagos and he dialled the number of the seller pasted on the car. He gave me the price of N500,000 but I told him that I could only afford N350,000 and after we haggled a little, he agreed to sell the car. He said he would sow the car as a seed into my life for that amount provided I pray for him regularly. He said he needed regular prayers and I paid him N350,000 with a promise that anytime he needed prayer, he could call me and I would always pray for him. He claimed he thought the cheap bargain was Gods doing and that he had even gone to give testimony of his good fortune. A few weeks after, Osas reportedly called Onwuchekwa to come and buy a 2001 Toyota Camry for N250,000, a vehicle which under a normal circumstance, he would have sold for at least N900,000. The police were waiting to nail the pastor as they insisted that he would not have come back if he didnt know he was buying stolen cars. Osas said: I dont think he actually knew that he was buying a stolen vehicle. If he did not come back for more, the police would not have arrested him along with us. I dont steal these vehicles myself. In fact, I dont know where they came from. I got them from one of my friends, who told me to re-register them in my name. When I asked him where he got them, he confided in me that they were stolen. I bought the Pajero I sold to the Pastor for N300,000. I have only bought two vehicles from him before. I also bought the Camry from my friend for N300,000. It is the same one the pastor wanted to buy for N250,000. READ ALSO: Wanted robber on the lose in Lagos Samuel on the other hand claimed he bought a car from his in-law and that he was not a dealer. The car ended up being a stolen vehicle. He told me that the 2001 model was fairly used and I bought it for N700,000. All the documents bear his name, so I did not suspect it might have been stolen. I am just a medicine store owner, not a criminal, he said Source: Legit.ng - Woman delivers baby after being pregnant for four years - The baby was said to have got lost in the womb - A consultant on naturopathic gynaecologist said it was an abnormal medical record A 33-year-old woman identified as Oluwabunmi Ogidan delivered of a baby on Wednesday, January 27, after reportedly being pregnant for four years. The town of Ikugbomire in Obafemi Owode local government area, Ogun state, became a sort of Mecca as people trooped to Alayo Vantage Hospital from far and near for a glimpse of the miracle baby, The Nation reports. Woman delivers baby from four-year-old pregnancy in Ogun Narrating what happened, her husband said: We went for pregnancy test and it was confirmed positive. A few days after, my wife complained that she was feeling pains in her womb. We went to a midwife who told us that the pain was not a problem; that the pregnancy was intact. I was not satisfied, so I took her to another hospital (name withheld) where we did a scan but the doctor said he didnt see any pregnancy. The doctor said there had been a miscarriage. I asked him that shouldnt there be an outflow of blood if she had a miscarriage? The doctor said yes. I told him that we had not witnessed anything like that and he was shocked. READ ALSO: Woman Delivers Bible And Baby In Osun He said they ran to their pastor, Prophet Emmanuel Ogbara, who assured him that God had told him the pregnancy was intact. They returned to the hospital and were told that she had multiple fibroid in her womb with no chance of conception. All this while, my wifes menstruation had ceased. It was only once after the pregnancy was sighted that we observed that little blood came out but stopped almost immediately. We left there for the Government Hospital in Owode, Ogun state, Bankole said. Meanwhile, Oluwabunmis stomach had protruded as if she was due for delivery and she had become the gossip of the towns people. Bankole explained that on September 10, 2015, his wife became ill with labour signs and he took her to the hospital. She was treated and asked to go for scan. "To the glory of God, the doctor here said he had seen a baby; that my wife was carrying four months pregnancy. At the church, the prophet confirmed again that the child had all along been there; only that scan could not pick it. So the hospital continued to nurture the baby for antenatal. But here again, they still saw fibroid in the womb. But to the glory of God 27th January this year (2016), our baby finally arrived, he said. But before the baby was born, it was said to have got lost in the womb. The happy mother got married to her husband, Bankole Ogidan, on August 27, 2011, and, in 2013, there were first signs that she was pregnant. The hospitals matron said: We had to do an operation. When we did, we found that contrary to scan reports, we met a different thing in the womb. It was a sac with pus inside. It was not fibroid. And looking inside, we didnt see any baby. But I remembered that I used to hear sound inside Mrs Ogidans womb, so the doctor searched further; the baby was hidden in the uterus. READ ALSO: Newborn Boy Found In Baby Jesus Manger At Church We thank God. Its a miracle. The sac was so big that it swallowed up the uterus where the baby was. The sac was so big that the uterus could not be easily found. The doctor said he had never seen such a thing before. Dr Sam Akinyemi, a consultant on naturopathic and a gynaecologist, described the situation as an abnormal medical record. Source: Legit.ng - The Defence Headquarters warned Nigerians of a new tactic of Boko Haram terrorists - The militants have now switched to disguising as mad people to infiltrate locations - Brigadier General Rabe Abubakar called on Nigerians to be security conscious at all times Colonel Rabe Abubakar has warned Nigerians of new Boko Haram tactics. The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has warned Nigerians that Boko Haram terrorists are now using a new tactic in launching successful suicide bombings in the country. According to a statement made by Brigadier General Rabe Abubakar, the DHQ spokesperson, on Saturday, January 30, the militants have now switched to disguising as mad people to infiltrate locations. It has come to the notice of the Defence Headquarters that Boko Haram, in their desperation to cause colossal havoc, have now devised a new method where they dress like mad persons to gain unsuspecting access to public areas to detonate bombs. The two male suicide bombers, dressed like mad women and carried out suicide bomb attack in Gombi, Adamawa State, is instructive in this direction. Five people lost their lives and several others were wounded in the heinous attack by these ungodly people. READ ALSO: Unexpected revelation: I did not negotiate with Boko Haram Jonathan The Defence Headquarters therefore urges our fellow good citizens across the country to be wary of mad persons approaching markets, public places or crowded areas so as to nip this ugly trend in the bud, the statement read in part. Abubakar called on Nigerians to be security conscious at all times and report any suspicious person or object to security agencies for prompt action. Earlier this month, the DHQ warned people that Boko Haram insurgents hide explosive devices in fruits and vegetables which they hawk in carts and wheelbarrows in markets and crowded places in the northeast. According to the military, the aim of the terrorists is to disguise as fruits and vegetable vendors to gain ample room to detonate the explosives. Source: Legit.ng bharat111 wrote: The king's guests had had plenty of time to glut themselves at the feast by the time the rebels broke into the castle, and thus they were too stupefied, drunk, and startled to react effectively. (A) had had plenty of time to glut themselves at the feast by the time the rebels broke into the castle, and thus they (B) had plenty of time to glut themselves at the feast by the time the rebels broke into the castle, and thus they (C) had plenty of time to glut themselves at the feast by the time the rebels had broken into the castle, and thus the guests (D) had had plenty of time to glut themselves at the feast by the time the rebels broke into the castle, and thus the guests (E) had plenty of time to glut themselves at the feast by the time the rebels were breaking into the castle, and furthermore they and thus they had had The Q is testing us on two points..1) pronoun :- 'they' inis ambiguous .. it could refer to rebels or guests, so A,B and E out..2) past perfect :- C is wrong on the usage of past perfect..(C)plenty of time to glut themselves at the feast by the time the rebelsbroken into the castle, and thus the guestsans D_________________ - The Nigerian Medical Association said N60 billion is missing from the 2016 budget - NMA president asked the National Assembly to revise and review the allocation to the health ministry The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has expressed shock that N60 billion, equivalent of 1% of consolidated revenue guaranteed by the National Health Act to fund basic health is missing from the 2016 budget, Daily Trust reports. In a statement a Friday, January 29, president of the NMA, Dr Kayode Obembe said President Muhammadu Buhari's N6.08 trillion budget only provides N1, 448 per capita health spending, lower than the N1, 546 per capita spending in 2015, compared with a recommendation of N6, 908 by the World Health Organisation. Obembe stated that it was a sharp departure from the prescribed 15% of the national budget for health made in 2001 in a meeting of African Heads of States and Government which Nigeria hosted in Abuja. He noted that the 3.65% allocation for health in the 2016 budget would never encourage the advancement of universal health coverage which is the only panacea towards improving availability, access, quality and efficiency of the health services to reduce the disparaging health indices which continue to malign the image of our country in the comity of nations. READ ALSO: 2016 Budget: Senator Praises President Buhari According to him, Tanzania, Rwanda, Swaziland, Ethiopia, Malawi and Central African Republic have all marked up to 15% of their budget for health, according to WHO figures. The NMA therefore, called on the National Assembly to "urgently review and revise the paltry allocation of N221.7 billion to the health ministry in the 2016 Appropriation Bill." "It is on this premise that we call on the National Assembly as the only organ that could mitigate this looming disaster in the healthcare delivery sector in 2016 at this juncture, to look dispassionately without any partisan sentiments at what should be done to substantially increase the allocation to the health ministry in order to deliver better healthcare to the Nigerian people," said Obembe. President Buhari had presented a N6.08 trillion budget before a joint session of National Assembly in December 2015. 221.7bn has been allocated to the health sector. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had described the budget as a big fraud and executive conspiracy tailored towards mortgaging the future of the nation. Source: Legit.ng Thanks for visiting ! The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Thank you for your support! - Explosions and gunfire rocked Maiduguri at about 6.20pm on Saturday - Nigerian troops were battling suspected Boko Haram terrorists in an operation that lasted for several hours - A civilian Joint Task Force confirmed the attack, said about 100 people were killed, many missing The Nigerian troops were battling suspected Boko Haram terrorists as explosions and gunfire have been heard in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, on January 30. According to SaharaReporters, the insurgents have been attacking Dailori and Walonri villages, about four kilometres from Maiduguri, since 6pm. Some students of the University of Maiduguri residing at 202 Housing Estate were running for their lives as the conflict raged. READ ALSO: Beware! Boko Haram terrorists are using new tactic to bomb Nigerians DHQ Speaking with journalists, Hauwa Ba'na, a 300 level of political science student, said: ''We are crying in our hostel because the explosions are loud and everyone is panicking.'' Confirming the attack, a civilian Joint Task Force said: ''We are under attack by Boko Haram. There is heavy fighting with military in Dalori and Wanori. In the morning of Sunday, January 31, some shocking photos from the battleground were released by Tuko. View them below: On Friday, January 29, a suicide bomber suspected to be a member of the Boko Haram sect detonated a suicide vest at a crowded market in Gombi town in Adamawa state. A vigilante leader confirmed the incident saying that 20 people including the bomber died in the explosion. Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari, who is currently in Ethiopia, has promised that Nigeria will redeem its pledge of $100million to the Multinational Joint Task Force that is fighting against the Boko Haram sect. Speaking at a high-level meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council, the president noted that the insurgents' capacity to conduct attacks has been heavily degraded. "Our efforts are already yielding dividends and we will not relent until the terrorist groups are totally decimated and wiped out of our country and sub-region, he stressed. Source: Legit.ng A Doc Martens store is opening on Bedford Avenue, furthering Williamsburg's well-documented SoHo-ification. But do not shake your fist at the gods of gentrification, for Doc Martens is a much more appropriate North Brooklyn transplant than the J. Crews and Ralph Laurens that have preceded it. Because Doc Martens boots are, in fact, the Williamsburg of Shoes. Think about it. Like the industrial Williamsburg of the past, Docs were meant for the Worker, their comfortable soles appealing to people (first in Germany) who spent a lot of time on their feet. Later, just as the artists found Williamsburg, the subculture found Docs, transforming them into a quintessential punk signifier. Then, both Docs and Williamsburg got hip in the '90s. Now Docs get full spreads in Cosmopolitan magazine and sell for $140 at a storefront in SoHo right next to L'Occitane and Sandro. Williamsburg doesn't have a L'Occitane yet, but those chicks from "The Bedford Stop" look like they're into $60 eye cream, so it's only a matter of time. A fun fact about 21st Century Docs: there are dozens of videos online in which women model all the outfits they match with their shoes. The modern age is strange indeed. Docs still look cool, just like Williamsburg is still fun, provided you steer clear of Wythe Avenue on Saturday nights. I was a proud Docs owner until I was forced to leave my pair behind in the wreckage of an apartment fire, and I miss them very much. But I watch The Bachelor, and I do not believe 1970s punks would approve of me appropriating their signature footwear. Docs are mainstream, Williamsburg belongs to the drunk Santas, and their inevitable marriage was written in the stars long ago. The new Docs store is expected to open at the end of next month, at 193 Bedford Avenue. Now someone buy me these shoes. Police are asking for any information that may lead to the whereabouts of a Bay of Plenty man, who has three warrants for this arrest. Tukotahi Williams, 33, is accused of assaulting a female and is also wanted on driving whilst disqualified matters. After being sold as pets on Facebook, these little animals are finally getting the help they need. Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand The three Bengal slow lorises and a palm civet kitten were purchased on Facebook and kept as illegal pets. When a friend of their owners found out, she convinced them to turn the animals over to Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT). Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand They were rescued just in time. At least one of the lorises has missing fingers; it's unclear whether he lost them before or during his time as a pet. Another photo shows one with a bloodied arm that appears to have happened more recently. Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand Dodo Shows Wild Hearts Orphaned Deer Runs Back To The Wild With Her Best Friend Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand Still another photo shows a tiny loris wrist with what appears to be a constriction injury, likely from the trap that caught him - all four animals were captured from the wild. Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand The palm civet kitten is malnourished and underweight, WFFT wrote, and should likely still be with his mother; in many cases, wild mothers are killed so their babies can be captured and sold into captivity. Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand Their rescue is a harsh reminder of the realities of the illegal pet trade. Lorises in particular are funneled into the pet trade in devastating numbers; they often have their teeth cruelly clipped off and end up malnourished and abused. Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand And WFFT said that civets, like the little kitten they just rescued, could soon be in for similar treatment. Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand "Common palm civets are increasingly being kept as pets," WFFT wrote. "They are currently listed as Least Concern (LC) by the IUCN Red list of Threatened Species but this is likely to change with the increased capture of wild individuals for the pet trade, bushmeat trade and for the production of kopi luwak [civet coffee]." Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand Even in the U.S., a quick Facebook search for "exotic animals for sale" turns up dozens - likely hundreds - of groups where people can swap monkeys, zebras, wild cats and any number of poorly regulated exotic pets. Facebook did not respond to a request for comment. Of course, that's a much bigger issue to tackle - and for now, WFFT is just worried about helping these little guys recover from their ordeal. They're currently being treated at the group's wildlife hospital. Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand "They will be suitable release candidates if they make full recoveries from the injuries sustained," WFFT said of the lorises, while noting that the civet kitten is young but very aggressive. "We will have to see how it goes over the next few days." Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand

Carlton Ward / WILD Foundation

The Mali elephants could easily be considered some of the world's most forgotten elephants. One of only two desert herds in the world, the Mali elephant population number hovers somewhere between a mere 350 and 550 individuals. They survive not only extreme conditions - a searing and dry landscape - but they also make the longest annual migration for water, 20,000 square miles, of any elephant species in the world, says Susan Canney, director of the Mali Elephant Project. Mali elephants, with characteristically long legs, according to CanneyCarlton Ward / WILD Foundation Dodo Shows Soulmates Growling Little Kitten Becomes Her Mom's Best Friend Mali elephants, with characteristically long legs, according to Canney | Carlton Ward / WILD Foundation But political insecurity and violence are also threatening the survival of these last remaining animals, according to Canney. International ivory traffickers are targeting the elephants for their ivory and slaughtering them at a devastating, record pace. "Mali is standing by while the elephants are being slaughtered ... If we continue at this rate, they will all be gone in three years," Canney told Reuters. Mali elephant in the mudCarlton Ward / WILD Foundation Mali elephant in the mud | Carlton Ward / WILD Foundation "The fact that [these elephants] have survived in this incredibly harsh environment, it shows their incredible intelligence," Canney told The Dodo. "They have learned how to pick their way through this environment to get what they need during certain times of the year." But now, she says, they face a newer threat. Before 2012, poaching was quite limited in Mali, says Canney. But due to political unrest in Libya and Algeria, many mercenaries or jihadists fled to Mali, creating a chaotic arena that was ripe for ivory trafficking to flourish. Eighty-three were gunned down last year, with 119 killed in total since January 2012, including 50 adult males, 50 adult females, 4 juvenile males and 3 juvenile females. Canney says they are usually shot with semi-automatic weapons. The heroes Canney has not been able to visit the elephant range in northern Mali since November of 2011 due to the threat of kidnapping. So the Mali Elephant Project (MEP), in partnership with the International Conservation Fund of Canada, launched an information network, recruiting some 600 young men around northern Mali - teenagers and twenty-somethings, who work together as part of an information tree. The young men watch over their local communities and report poaching incidents to a field manager. That manager, in turn, provides the latest information on the elephant killings to Canney. "We are on the phone every day," she says. Men registering to be part of Mali Elephant ProjectCarlton Ward / WILD Foundation Men registering to be part of Mali Elephant Project | Carlton Ward / WILD Foundation The network is currently the only way Canney and the MEP have been able to monitor the fate of these vulnerable animals. "This work gives these men status who would otherwise have nothing to do," she says, rebuffing efforts by insurgents to recruit them into the ivory trafficking network. "They are absolute heroes," she adds. The project, part of the Wild Foundation, spends some $100,000 annually providing honorary stipends to the 600 men. "It adds up to about $170 a year per man," says Canney. Brigades with Mali Elephant ProjectCarlton Ward / WILD Foundation Brigades with Mali Elephant Project | Carlton Ward / WILD Foundation One of the sharks at an aquarium in Seoul, South Korea, seems to have sent an unsettling message to her fellow tank mates. Don't mess with the shark with the shark hanging out of her mouth. In a video that's gone wildly viral, a large sand tiger shark devours a smaller banded hound shark in a slow, spectacular - and agonizing - feast that took 21 hours. Maju Tak Gentar / YouTube And, in true aquarium fashion, the meal was consumed in front of throngs of cow-eyed visitors pressed up against glass. Why did she do it? The 8-year-old female tiger shark at COEX Aquarium ate her former roommate - a smaller, younger male - bite by bite, starting with the head. Maju Tak Gentar / YouTube Dodo Shows Dodo Heroes Woman Devotes Her Life To The Stray Dogs Of Bali Aquarium officials have likened the act, which is a first at the aquarium, to a "turf war." "Sharks have their own territory," an aquarium staffer told Reuters on Friday. "However, sometimes, when they bump into each other, they bite out of astonishment." But from the aquarium keepers to the crowds pressed against the glass, to the YouTube gawkers, there seems to be plenty of astonishment to go around. Could this have happened in the wild? Compared with the sprawling ocean where these sharks belong, there certainly isn't much turf to go around. According to a South Korean tourism website, COEX hosts around 40,000 "sea creatures" all apparently tucked into around 130 tanks, with an additional 90 tanks for breeding. Maju Tak Gentar / YouTube After all, we've seen the soul-crushing ways of aquarium life. From the depressed denizens of SeaWorld to this week's bleak expose on captive whales at Marineland, aquariums seem to showcase little more than the death pirouettes of a species. It's obviously less likely that a turf war would happen in the open ocean with infinite space - but according to Defenders of Wildlife, it's not unheard of for sharks to eat other sharks, even in the wild. Maju Tak Gentar/ YouTube National Geographic photographer Ami Vitale was the one to first capture the haunting image of Ringo, a 3-month-old southern white rhinoceros, laying down with a little blanket covering his body. Ringo is an orphan, abandoned by his mother shortly after birth, Vitale described in a Facebook post . Now a team of caretakers at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya is keeping watch over him. There are only about 20,000 white rhinos left in the world, according to Save The Rhino International, and poaching takes more and more lives every year. South Africa is where most of the rhinos are slaughtered, but 2015 saw a slight decline in poaching for the first time since 2008, National Geographic reported. The numbers are still devastating. A total of 1,175 rhinos were poached in South Africa last year, compared to 1,215 in 2014. "For Africa as a whole, this is the worst year in decades for rhino poaching," said Tom Milliken, elephant and rhino program leader at TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade monitoring network, in a press release. "The poaching epicenter has spread to neighbouring Namibia and Zimbabwe, but is nowhere near being extinguished in South Africa: despite some commendable efforts being made, we're still a very long way from seeing the light at the end of this very dark tunnel." Xerox is rewinding the clock, splitting off a services business it acquired a little more than five years ago -- the latest tech giant taking drastic action to cope with a rapidly changing marketplace. (Douglas Healey/Bloomberg) Xerox, the 109-year-old tech giant synonymous with the photocopier, announced Friday that it is giving up on its strategy to combine services with its traditional office machine business and would instead split itself into two companies. One company would consist of the products of Xeroxs proud past: an $11 billion publicly traded firm that sells copiers, printers and scanners. The other would be made up of what many expected to be its future: a $7 billion company that manages call centers, collects tolls and performs other back-office services for government agencies and corporations. The split follows a similar move by another member of the old-guard tech elite, Hewlett-Packard, which said last year that it would separate its desktop computers and inkjet printer business from servers, networking and cloud computing. Xeroxs breakup comes amid pressure from Carl Icahn, a billionaire activist investor who is Xeroxs second-largest shareholder. He has been rattling for change for months. We believe the separation will greatly enhance value for [Xerox] shareholders, Icahn said in one of a series of tweets about the companys announcement Friday. As part of the shake-up, Icahn won the ability to appoint three members of the board of the services company. In 2009, Xeroxs Ursula Burns became the first black woman to become the chief executive of a Fortune 500 firm. (Ramin Talaie/Bloomberg New) The split unravels one of the chief accomplishments of longtime Xerox CEO Ursula Burns, who orchestrated the purchase of Affiliated Computer Services (ACS) in 2010, and it calls into question her future at the firm. What I wanted our board and our management team and me to do was to think about what the best path for the company is going forward, not what the best role is for me, Burns said in an interview with CNBC on Friday. [With Xerox split, the future for Ursula Burns is unclear] Xerox has been struggling for years. Originally based in Rochester, N.Y., it was once best known for inventing new machines from the photocopier to the laser printer. But each new innovation was quickly replicated by competitors, and Xerox struggled to keep up, industry analysts said. Today, it has about 11 percent of the printing and copying market that it helped create, according to Gartner Research. They were relying on technological innovation, and people kept catching up with them, said Ken Weilerstein, an analyst at Gartner Research. Now Xerox is facing perhaps a more existential threat: environmentally conscious workers and their penny-pinching bosses who want to use less paper, not more, and have relegated the office copier and printer to an afterthought. Burns pushed to acquire ACS for $6 billion in a bid to diversify Xeroxs business. But harmony between the companies was never evident, industry analysts said, and Wall Street became impatient as the companys prospects continued to falter. Xeroxs net income fell to $488 million last year from more than $1 billion in 2014. Its stock has tumbled 28 percent over the past year. (It was up nearly 5 percent Friday after the announcement of the split.) The split of the company will leave whoever takes control of Xeroxs legacy printing business a daunting challenge the same one Burns was trying to fix with the acquisition of ACS, industry analysts said. They are still very reliant on printing, and it is not clear what theyre going to do about that, Weilerstein said. Just as unclear is what happens to Burns, who started at Xerox as an engineering intern in 1980. She became the first black woman to become CEO of a Fortune 500 firm in 2009 and has been recognized several times by Forbes as one of the most powerful women in the United States. Carl Langsenkamp, a spokesman for Xerox, said in an emailed statement that Burns will discuss her recommendations for the future leadership of the companies with the board at the appropriate time, noting that Ursula is first and foremost focused on delivering on our 2016 plan and executing the separation and strategic transformation we announced today. If she were to leave the company, it is possible there would be no remaining African American women running a Fortune 500 company. Its a shame, said Steve Mader, a vice chairman at Korn Ferry, an executive search firm. Theres just more talent than that out there. Some governance experts doubt Burns will remain with Xerox, particularly since the decision to split the company was a reversal of a strategy she had pursued. Id be surprised if she stayed, said Charles Elson, director of the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware. Itd be unusual. But Mader said Burns still has a shot. She knows the business inside and out, he said. She took a big gutsy risk, and it didnt work. That doesnt mean she isnt capable of running the original core business. Triple-digit fluctuations in the stock market can prove disconcerting for anyone, but especially people in or near retirement, who are at or near the end of their wage-earnings phase. So they are understandably worried about their portfolios, which must provide income for the rest of their lives. Ive had calls from a few clients who wanted to liquidate everything, says Andrew Rafal, president of Bayntree Wealth Advisors in Scottsdale, Ariz. I tell them to take a step back, breathe and think about 2008: If they had tried to time the market then, they would have missed the returns when the market finally stabilized. Its more of an emotional roller coaster for these clients, he says. They are in a period of de-accumulation. That sector will be more inclined to get nervous and revise their entire portfolio and make emotional changes. Some advice from planners on getting through the rough runs in the market: Talk to your financial planner. During times like this, many advisers make sure they stay in touch with their customers. We are trying to be proactive, Rafal says. We have been doing face-to-face meetings, calls and emails. We are also sending out videos. Even if clients are not calling, they are reading about volatility. Clear the clutter, disengage from the media and focus on why we built the financial plan, Rafal says. Your financial plan should have market volatility built into it. Eric Bailey, president of Bailey Wealth Advisors, says he has been calling clients for weeks. Whenever you have more than 5 percent volatility, you need to talk to people, Bailey says. All markets have natural ebb and flow, he says. You have to build your portfolio before the storms to handle ups and downs. Do not panic. Stay the course. Part of our job with clients is to help them take a step back and look at the bigger picture, Rafal says. We look at the plan, discuss why we put it in place and have them stick to it. We help them to disengage from the noise and understand that the markets do what they do. Lazetta Rainey Braxton, founder of Financial Fountains in Baltimore, says many of her clients have much of their wealth in retirement accounts. She talks to them regularly, so they are familiar with her strategy. Historically we have seen consistent upturns with equity markets climbing, even though there have been dips, she says. But, she says, that is not a guarantee of future performance. Stop watching the financial news. Everybodys DNA is different, says Stephen G. Davis, president of S.G. Davis Financial Group in New Hampshire. If it bothers you to listen to the news on regular basis, turn it off. Lets keep the bigger picture in mind. That strategy weve put together has taken into account that we will have market volatility. Stop looking at statements every day. Check it every month or every quarter. Retirees should already be somewhat insulated. The good news is the ones we have already in retirement, Davis says. Those people are planning on money from income. We put them in financial strategies that are not affected by market. Bailey also says his customers who are retired have the least to worry about. He says if his clients are within five years of retirement, they begin working on a distribution strategy. With that strategy, the portfolio is separated into three periods, each representing one eight-year phase of retirement. Breaking your portfolio down into three tranches, the first one should be little or no volatility, he says. The second could stand more volatility because you wont need it for eight years. The third you wont need for 16 years. Younger clients have plenty of time. Of our younger clients, for some its the first time theyve dealt with risk, Rafal says. We have the time and horizon to stay in an asset allocation and to tell the younger clients you have to stick to plan. They do have 20 to 30 years left. We have a lot of clients with assets in the markets not relying on that money yet, Davis says. First we make sure they dont lose perspective of big picture, making sure they understand that the market historically has its cycles. We dont want them caught up in micro picture. The macro picture takes into account market fluctuations. And finally, it may be time to look at selling some of your underperformers for tax purposes and look at whether your portfolio is now out of whack. Just sit tight and rebalance, says Mark Hebner, president of Index Fund Advisors. If equities get too far out of the target allocation, we advise clients to sell some of the fixed income and buy more equities. If you are fortunate to work with advisers, lean on them at this time, Rafal says. Dont let emotions get in the way. Thats why you pay them. We rely on your support to make local news available to all Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2022. Donate today D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser said Friday that she has allocated more than $82 million from the citys Housing Production Trust Fund for the creation or preservation of more than 800 units of affordable housing. The promise to expand affordable housing in a city of skyrocketing rents was a cornerstone of the Democrats mayoral campaign, and during her first year in office, she has allocated $100 million to the Housing Production Trust Fund. We all know that housing affordability is one if not the top issue in the District of Columbia, Bowser said at a news conference at the citys Department of Housing and Community Development headquarters in Southeast. And everything that we do is going to help make more people be able to afford to live in Washington, D.C. The allocation will preserve 466 existing units and create an additional 338. Bowsers office said the units would house more than 1,700 people, and the majority will be allowed to stay put rather than be priced out with the help of the city funds. The new and preserved units are spread across 12 development projects, seven of which are in the citys poorest neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River and represent the first tranche of those funds. These are properties that were submitted in October and were announcing in January, said Polly Donaldson, Bowsers housing chief. I think thats significant. [The D.C. government says you can track the progress of housing- development projects on this website.] More than half of District residents surveyed in a Washington Post poll in November said that housing costs have climbed so high in recent years that they would have to leave the city if they had to move. A majority also said the Bowser administration wasnt doing enough to keep the citys housing stock affordable. And its unclear whether the citys creation of new affordable homes, including those announced Friday, is outpacing the number of affordable homes being lost to new, pricey developments as the city gentrifies. Joaquin McPeek, a spokesman for Brian Kenner, the deputy mayor for planning and economic development, said that at least 50,000 of about 300,000 existing units of housing in the nations capital currently receive some type of assistance, including federal housing vouchers. But the administration doesnt know the total of homes in the city that are affordable, by government standards, or whether the number is growing or shrinking. We would have to identify where to find that information, Andrew Trueblood, Kenners chief of staff, said of previous years tallies. As housing advocates often note, the Districts definition of affordable housing, derived from the federal indicator of the areas median income, can also mean anything from an almost fully subsidized apartment to an apartment thats considered affordable only to a family making more than $87,000 a year. We live in an incredibly expensive city, and the District needs to use every tool at its disposal to make sure that low- and moderate-income residents can live here, said D.C. Council member Elissa Silverman (I-At Large), who sits on a Housing Preservation Strike Force that Bowser created last year to help the city identify vulnerable affordable units in need of help. What Im especially excited about in todays announcement is the focus on preserving the affordable units that we already have and not letting any more of those slip away, Silverman added. Of the more than 800 units that will get a boost from the citys housing trust fund, 216 will go to residents in the lowest income bracket, defined as a family of four living on $32,880 a year. Eighty-three other units will be used as permanent supportive housing for the homeless, Bowsers office said. [A story of poor tenants being pushed out by a planned development in Southeast Washington.] A D.C. judge on Friday halted an effort to let voters decide whether the citys minimum wage should be increased to $15 per hour, attorneys said. D.C. Superior Court Judge Maurice A. Ross ruled that the problem wasnt the measure itself but the body that agreed to let it proceed toward the ballot: Every member of the D.C. Board of Elections was serving past their appointed terms last year when they considered the issue. That, the judge found, invalidated their decision. Business groups that oppose a wage hike and have warned it would put the District at a competitive disadvantage regionally applauded the judges ruling. After several previous attempts to derail the effort failed, attorneys for former D.C. Chamber of Commerce president Harry Wingo on Friday won essentially by arguing that the D.C. elections board wasnt empowered to make any legal decisions. [In D.C., $15-hour minimum wage is headed toward 2016 ballot] For that, the judges ruling may have implications beyond the minimum-wage issue, even threatening a wave of follow-up lawsuits over the validity of other elections over the past four years. Thats because the elections board has been operating with at least two of its three members serving on expired terms since 2012. Adam Eidinger, an organizer of Initiative 71, makes his case to the D.C. Elections Board in Feb. 2014 to place the marijuana legalization measure on the city ballot. (Aaron Davis/The Washington Post) So if the board couldnt make a legally binding decision during any of that time: Is Muriel E. Bowser really the mayor? Did voters actually legalize marijuana possession in 2014? Was Marion Barrys successor to the D.C. Council lawfully elected last year? Ross ruled from the bench Friday and told attorneys that a written order, which is expected to define the scope of the decision, would come early next week. Elected leaders and government attorneys past and president on Friday rushed to push back on the idea that the ruling could lead to widespread political chaos. But for at least a day, it made for odd bedfellows defending the validity of recent elections and vowing to join forces in appealing Rosss ruling. Former mayor Vincent C. Gray, who lost to Bowser during the 2014 Democratic primary and who left the board members in question seated past their terms said he would not question the outcome of his failed election to Bowser. Organizers of the minimum-wage measure, who were most acutely affected by Fridays ruling, said they hoped it would draw interest from Bowser and others who have been lukewarm to the proposed minimum-wage increase. It goes to show that the chambers business interests are willing to burn the city down just to suppress the wages of workers, said Delvone Michael, director of the D.C. chapter of the Working Families Party, part of a group of labor unions and other progressive groups backing the measure. Organizers of the measure have hoped to make the $15 minimum-wage fight a backdrop to the presidential race in November. Gray said he had been advised as mayor that an elections board member could serve indefinitely, until a successor was confirmed by the council. He noted that he had filled 900 vacancies on boards and commissions, and dissolved more than 30 others, and had a team that had been attentive to keeping the jobs filled. Im not going to challenge an election on the basis of that, Gray said. There are other reasons why I think there might cause for a do-over [with Bowser], but its not attributable to this. Asked if the mayor was the mayor, Bowser spokesman Michael Czin said, Seriously? He added, Once the order comes down, our legal team will review it. At issue in the case is contradictory language about whether a statute in the Districts Home Rule Act or a subsequent law that specified time restrictions for appointing city board and commission members is the controlling law. It has been conventional wisdom in D.C. government headquarters that the Home Rule Act is the guiding law. Ross suggested Friday that the subsequent law that limits board members to serving 180 days past the end of their term applies, attorneys said. No matter the reasoning, Wingo, the former chamber president, said he was pleased with the decision. We were always focused on the minimum wage and that it could put D.C. at a competitive disadvantage. This was about a process, and a specific process, he said. [Related: More problems at the elections board, old machines, missing money] Montgomery County Public Schools buses sit idle until the reopening of schools after the major snowstorm that blanketed the Washington area. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post) The historic snowstorm that brought more than two feet of snow to some D.C. suburbs last week has cost some school districts seven consecutive days of classes cancellations that have led to worries that students will have trouble making up for the lost time toward the end of a midyear grading period. The unanticipated vacation has given some students nearly the equivalent of a whole winters break worth of days off. Prince William County, which has been out since school was canceled on Jan. 21, has a scheduled teacher workday Monday, meaning students will return to class after 13 days away. Some students did hours of homework during the snow break; others romped in the snow and worked on passion projects. Many, ecstatic to see school canceled, are now ready to head back. Its always nice to have a break, but its right at the end of the quarter, said Ian Schurr, 16, a junior at Fairfax Countys West Potomac High who is in enrolled in five Advanced Placement classes. He did more than 10 hours of homework during the snow days but missed a lot of instruction. Its a little stressful. Some students already are back in class. Students in the District went back to class on Wednesday, and schools in the city of Alexandria opened Friday, but the regions largest districts all remained closed as snow-cleanup efforts continued. The cancellations came just as teachers were getting ready to close out the semester or quarter in many districts, meaning students could lose out on last-minute opportunities to raise their grades. Loudoun County opted to extend the second quarter to avoid a sudden crush of schoolwork. Montgomery County also was considering pushing back the end date of the third grading period. Other districts were asking teachers to not double up on schoolwork next week and be flexible. But many teachers encouraged their students to keep up with schoolwork and stayed in touch with them via cellphones and virtual classrooms. For high school students in Advanced Placement courses, staying on track is essential, because students will have to take a year-end exam that could lead to college credit. Jeffrey Feinstein, who teaches AP U.S. History at West Potomac, attempted to teach a unit on the Progressive Era and keep students engaged by making online quizzes available, although the quizzes were not required. Technology has been a game-changer for snow days. In years past, teachers were essentially cut off from communicating with students when they were out of class. Now they have a number of ways to reach them, including through email and mass text-messaging. Feinstein and many other teachers use an app called Remind that uses text messages to keep students in the loop about assignments. Its a complete and total change, all for the better, Feinstein said. Before technology, it was basically hunker down. Now, with technology, I can be in touch with them all the time, he said. Cadets with the Navy JROTC program at Herndon High got a snow-day lesson in community service. Retired Navy Capt. David Adler, a senior naval science instructor there, gathered cadets at a senior center, where they spent two days shoveling out cars and clearing paths in the parking lot. Its actually part of our curriculum that they do some community service, Adler said, noting that many would have done it anyway because they enjoy helping out. While districts applaud efforts to keep students engaged during snow days, they also cautioned teachers to strike a balance between maintaining learning and not overwhelming students with schoolwork. Teachers in Fairfax were not allowed to give out required assignments during snow days, and Arlington County teachers were asked to respect family time. Asante Gadson, 17, a senior at Frederick Douglass High in Upper Marlboro, Md., said hes been studying at home a lot during his snowbound week to keep on top of his International Baccalaureate classes. Missing so much school is a little worrisome, he said. Thats really concerning, especially with IB and how rigorous it is, Gadson said. I prefer to be in school so I can ask for help and be face-to-face. Special-education teacher Danielle Wilson, who works at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Germantown, Md., said the lost time is significant for her students, who are taking eighth-grade math. Many have disabilities that make it hard for them to process and remember information. Thats a lot of time not to have access to daily instruction. Its easily forgotten, Wilson said, adding that when school resumes, she will begin with a review of material from the last school day, on Jan. 21. She said she would probably have to condense some topics, giving students less time to practice them. Susan Burkinshaw, a longtime PTA leader in Montgomery, was among many parents who found the string of school closings frustrating. In Montgomery, the daily decision-making was stressful for many students and parents, she said. To leave people hanging on a daily basis when traffic was gridlocked every day and there was no way to get kids safely to school was ludicrous, Burkinshaw said. She said school systems in the region that decided to cancel classes for a stretch of days helped families, giving them more options to plan for child care, activities or getaways. Some parents, including Catherine Schurr, Ians mother, said they are worried about closing out the quarter with so many snow days. What are they going to expect due this week? Schurr said. All the parents I know are a little bit nervous about that. Schurr, a preschool teacher whose own school has been shuttered for a week, said shes been enjoying the time with her sons, who have been playing in the snow, shoveling for neighbors, watching movies and drinking hot chocolate in addition to doing schoolwork. She knows its probably a different story for the parents of her young students. I have been enjoying the time off, Schurr said. I know that parents of the preschoolers I teach are all pulling their hair out. Judy Bazilio, a mother of three in Bowie, said she was glad the school system made a call on the side of safety. But she said her youngest child, in kindergarten, was ready to go back to school after the first couple of days. I hope we can find days to replace those missing days, she said. Get updates on your area delivered via e-mail. MARYLAND Hogan names new deputy chief of staff Gov. Larry Hogan (R) on Friday named a former senator and the current head of the Governors Office of Crime Control and Prevention to advise him on topics including public safety and education. Christopher B. Shank will serve as Hogans new deputy chief of staff. Shank served in the General Assembly for 16 years, the last four as a senator representing Washington County. Most recently, he served as the chairman of the Justice Reinvestment Coordinating Council, a panel that recently submitted recommendations to reduce the states prison population by focusing more heavily on treatments in the community. Shank replaces Amanda OMalley, whom the statement said is departing to pursue other professional opportunities. Ovetta Wiggins VIRGINIA State worker among three injured in crash Three people, including a Virginia Department of Transportation worker who was helping a disabled driver, were seriously injured Friday in a crash along Interstate 66, Virginia State Police said. The employee was standing with the driver of a disabled vehicle on the highways westbound shoulder in Fairfax County just before the crash, authorities said. The worker is with the departments safety services patrol. Police said that a pickup truck heading westbound ran off the road at 12:33 p.m. The truck struck the VDOT employees vehicle, then hit the worker and the disabled driver, a department news release said. All three were taken to area hospitals with injuries that were serious but not life-threatening, authorities said. The trucks driver, identified as Seth E. Ferrell, 35, of Beverly, W. Va., was charged with reckless driving and failing to yield to emergency/safety vehicles. State Police said that fatigue was a factor in the crash. Victoria St. Martin Dealer sentenced for smuggling artifacts A Florida fossils and artifacts dealer who admitted to helping smuggle relics from Pakistani grave sites and selling some of them for profit was sentenced Friday to two years of probation, authorities said. John Bryan McNamara, 51, who lives in the Orlando area, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Alexandria late last year to a smuggling-conspiracy charge, acknowledging in an agreement with prosecutors that he had worked with Pakistanis to import antiquities from their country into the United States in a way that would not draw unwanted attention from customs officers. McNamara dealt in such goods and ran an online museum. He said in a previous interview that he kept, rather than sold, most of the materials he imported from Pakistan, as his interest was mainly in the scientific value of the relics rather than the monetary value. Matt Zapotosky FILE: Crowds rush in and run out of the Chesapeake Bay as they participate in the 17th Annual MSP Polar Bear Plunge at Sandy Point State Park on Saturday, January 26, 2013. (Tracy A. Woodward) Maryland state lawmakers have plenty to disagree about during this years legislative session, but one cause will unite them on Saturday: the annual Polar Bear Plunge in the Chesapeake Bay. Two Democrats and one Republican from the House of Delegates plan to test their courage in the bone-chilling event at Sandy Point State Park, helping to raise money and awareness for the Special Olympics. The participating lawmakers are Dels. Herbert H. McMillan (R-Anne Arundel), Aruna Miller (D-Montgomery) and C.T. Wilson (D-Charles), and theyve had no shortage of encouragement from other members in recent weeks. On Friday, House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) waved a $100 check from his podium during floor proceedings, promising to donate the money to whichever lawmaker could hold his or her breath the longest underwater. He promised another $100 to whoever could break a record he jokingly fabricated. The record is three minutes and 21 seconds, he said, establishing a mark that would be impossible for most people to meet. Good luck to you. McMillan, a former Navy pilot, and Wilson, an ex-Army Special Forces member, will have more than party pride at stake as they uphold the long-standing Army-Navy rivalry with some friendly competition in the frigid Chesapeake waters. McMillan already has a fundraising edge over his colleague, having collected about $3,000 in donations compared with roughly $1,000 for Wilson. But fundraising is only part of the challenge, as the lawmakers still have to take the plunge. I dont think its all that bad, said McMillan, who will be participating in the event for a sixth consecutive year. This year is probably going to be colder than some, but I usually go in a couple of times. The best way to get ready is not to think about it. Wilson said he expects Saturdays dip to be difficult, despite his experience with grueling Special Forces training. I did my thing in the military in my 20s, but now Im 43, he said. Its going to be a challenge. Wilson added that he views the event as an opportunity for lawmakers from both parties to unite around a common cause. We had a tough start with overriding the governors vetoes at the start of session, so this is something to kind of mend bridges and get things on an even stride, he said. We have to work together. Saturdays forecast calls for clear skies and a high temperature of 45 degrees. Gov. Larry Hogan (R) attended a separate Polar Bear Plunge on Friday for Maryland State Police. He handed out an award but did not enter the water. The former chief executive of a Maryland nonprofit was sentenced Friday to four years in prison for stealing more than $2 million from an organization that supports research in the field of pathology. Michael Parry, who led the American Registry of Pathology from 2011 through 2014, admitted using fake invoices and fabricated emails to funnel money into a personal account, according to a plea agreement he signed last summer. Parry, a certified public accountant with a business degree from Georgetown University, was hired in 1998 as director of operations at the organization, which has offices in Maryland and Delaware. In court papers filed before sentencing, prosecutors said Parrys theft was viewed by many of his colleagues as an existential threat and a perversion of the mission of his employer and its nonprofit status. Parry, 59, held an enviable position of trust and responsibility and was well-paid for it, prosecutors said in their sentencing memo. He used that position of trust to lie and steal. A Washington Post investigation found that from 2008 to 2012, more than 1,000 nonprofit organizations reported to the Internal Revenue Service that they had discovered a significant diversion of assets, disclosing losses that they attributed to theft, investment fraud, embezzlement and other unauthorized uses of funds. The diversions drained hundreds of millions of dollars from institutions that are underwritten by public donations and government funds. [WaPo investigation on hidden world of thefts and scams at U.S. nonprofits] Parry admitted that from February 2010 through April 2014, he transferred money between organization accounts. He pretended that the transfers related to medical studies and grants, including for fictional research fellowships. Parry then moved the money into his account, according to the plea agreement. Prosecutors said Parry, who lives near Orlando, used the money to enhance his lavish lifestyle with multiple residences. This was not a crime based on a misguided attempt to preserve a basic standard of living or to provide necessities for his family. Though it is nowhere acknowledged, greed was a driving factor, prosecutors wrote. The office of the U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland, Rod J. Rosenstein, had recommended that U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte sentence Parry to 57 months. Parrys attorneys had asked that he be allowed to serve a period of home detention, in part because he has already repaid the organization the money he stole, in addition to $30,000. Three people, including a Virginia Department of Transportation worker who was helping a disabled driver, were seriously injured in a Friday afternoon crash along I-66, Virginia State Police said. Authorities said the driver of a pickup truck, which lost control and struck an emergency vehicle, the employee and the driver of a disabled vehicle, was charged with reckless driving. The employee parked behind a disabled vehicle on the highways westbound shoulder in Fairfax County just before the crash. The worker, with the departments safety services patrol, stopped to aid the disabled vehicle, a Nissan Rouge. The Rouge was pulling a trailer with a flat tire. At 12:33 p.m., state police said the disabled vehicles driver and the employee were about to finish changing the trailers tire when a pickup truck heading westbound ran off the road. The truck, a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado, struck the rear of the VDOT emergency vehicle, which had flashing amber lights on at the time, a department news release said. The impact of the crash pushed the VDOT vehicle into the rear of the trailer, which then hit the employee and the driver of the disabled vehicle. A two-vehicle collision along I-66 in Fairfax County seriously injured three people, authorities said. (Virginia State Police) All three were taken to area hospitals with injuries that were serious but not life-threatening, investigators said. Authorities also charged the trucks driver, identified as Seth E. Ferrell, 35, of Beverly, W. Va., with failing to yield to emergency/safety vehicles. State police said fatigue was a factor in the crash. Three NYC residents, including one pregnant woman, recently contracted the mosquito-borne Zika virus while traveling outside the United States. And though Zika doesn't pose an immediate threat locally, doctors and health officials are warning pregnant women to avoid traveling to countries affected by the current outbreak. Though no official link has been found, doctors believe Zika may cause microcephaly, a birth defect that leaves infants with brain damage and abnormally small heads. Brazil, which has been hit hard by Zika, has reported 4,180 cases of microcephaly since October. "Our main message is to warn pregnant women, and women trying to become pregnant, to avoid or delay traveling to any of the countries affected, city Health Department spokesman Christopher Miller told the Post. A pregnant woman from Long Island told the Post that she and her husband canceled their trip to the Caribbean in the wake of the outbreak. Its not about me or my husband. Its about the health of our unborn child, she said. And we didnt want to take that risk." Airlines like JetBlue, British Airways and Lufthansa have recently been permitting pregnant women to change or cancel their tickets. Travel issues aside, doctors are particularly concerned about the effect Zika will have on countries where abortion is illegal, and fear women will put their health at risk via back alley procedures. "When women are desperate they will seek out their own solutions, Carmen Barroso, Western Hemisphere director for the International Planned Parenthood Federation, told the Daily News. Mike Mazza and his son Gabriel stand outside their subdivision attempting to get plow service for their street in Gaithersburg, Md. Jan. 26, 2016 Mike Mazza and his son Gabriel stand outside their subdivision attempting to get plow service for their street in Gaithersburg, Md. Gary Cameron/Reuters The storm has stopped, and the cleanup is only beginning but not without a snowball fight or some sledding first. What the D.C. area looks like after the epic blizzard. What the D.C. area looks like after the epic blizzard. What the D.C. area looks like after the epic blizzard What the D.C. area looks like after the epic blizzard As the Washington region continues to dig out from the Blizzard of 2016, the storm is revealing its economic force on stores that closed for days, hotels stuck with empty rooms and government agencies left with steep snow bills. State and local governments say they wont know their full costs for several weeks, after theyve cleared all the snow and tallied contractors bills along with overtime pay for police, firefighters and public works employees. Federal officials say they expect it will take several months to determine Snowzillas full national economic impact. But some experts say a storm that paralyzed airports, transit systems, highways, businesses and school systems along the East Coast for an entire weekend and much of the business week will cause significant financial damage. The potential for this storm to be a billion-dollar weather disaster is pretty high, said Paul Kocin, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration meteorologist who has written about the economic impacts of major weather events. Any storm that affects 30 million to 50 million people over several days has got to have a huge economic impact. An analysis by Moodys estimates the economic cost of the blizzard in terms of lost productivity and spending at $2.5 billion to $3 billion. Moodys estimated that losses in the Washington region were roughly $570 million through Monday. Thats about a quarter of the total economic activity for the three-day stretch that began the first day of the storm. By contrast, losses in the New York metropolitan area were about 7 percent of the regions economic activity, which translates to roughly $460 million. Hans Bruland, general manager of the Hay-Adams in downtown Washington, said his hotel lost four days worth of business meetings, social events and hotel guests. He declined to share a dollar figure. Some of it gets rebooked, but some of it gets lost for good, Bruland said. When you have the city and the airports shut down, and the federal government shuts down and the transportation systems shut down on top of it it impacts everyone. Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld said the transit agency, which shut down for two days and restored service only gradually after the storm, lost close to about $7 million in fare revenue and incurred several million dollars in other expenses. Metros financial staff is still adding up costs in case the agency becomes eligible for federal disaster relief. Expenses included hiring contractors to remove snow, paying employees overtime and putting up scores of Metro workers in hotels during the storm. Its going to be a substantial number, Wiedefeld said. I dont know exactly what its going to be, but with these things, once the meter starts running, it runs pretty hard. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) said shortly after the cleanup began that the storm was costing the state $2 million to $3 million an hour, and that it could end up being one of the most expensive in the states history, topping $100 million. Thats about half the Virginia Department of Transportations annual snow-removal budget. 1 of 51 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad Deadly winter storm hit the nations capital View Photos A double-digit snowfall shuts down nations capital. Read the Capital Weather Gang Caption A double-digit snowfall closed businesses and the Metro in Washington. A man shovels a sidewalk along Wilson Bvld. in Arlington Va. John McDonnell/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue. George Mason University economist Stephen Fuller said that even one of the biggest snowstorms in the Washington regions history probably wont cause a significant economic ripple in the long term. That is because so many workers in the regions knowledge-based economy could work on a home computer, no matter how much snow fell. Much of the big-ticket consumer spending that didnt happen was simply deferred, he said. People who couldnt visit snowy auto-dealer lots last weekend will resume their car hunt another weekend, he said. Most of the economy just got disrupted, Fuller said. People still got their work done, or a lot of it will get done by the end of the year. Even so, Fuller noted, there will be financial winners and losers. Plenty of stores and restaurants, particularly smaller businesses and those in car-dependent suburbs, have felt the hit of closing for several days. On the other side, he said, grocery and liquor stores profited from people stocking up on bread and booze before the storm. Anyone with a truck bed and a plow blade had plenty of work, while restaurants and bars that could stay open in the city and walkable neighborhoods reported brisk business. Out-of-town visitors who were trapped here spent money on hotels and restaurants that they otherwise would not have. Fuller noted that even an uptick in happy activities during snowstorms think of the traditional baby boomlet nine months after people hunker down will generate economic activity in the long term. Some of that revenue is gone and wont be recaptured, Fuller said. But when you add up the winners and losers, it pretty much smooths out. One of the biggest economic hits for downtown Washington came with the cancellation of the first four days of the Washington Auto Show, which was scheduled to start just as the first flakes fell Jan. 22. The citys largest public show, which ends Sunday, typically attracts tens of thousands of people to the convention center and surrounding restaurants over 10 days. Its hard to calculate [the financial impact] just yet, said John ODonnell, the auto shows producer. Were just figuring it out day by day. . . . Were hoping well be able to make up for lost opportunities, but we just dont know yet. Several elements of the storm helped blunt the economic impact, Fuller and local officials said. The first was timing. With January already a bleak month for many businesses, there was less to lose. Hotels were at their lowest occupancy rates of the year, stores were in their post-holidays slump, and there were no major conventions to cancel in the District. The second was the unusual certainty of an early weather forecast, which gave companies and governments five days to rejigger staffing, speed up deliveries and call in snowplows. Airlines had time to move some planes from shuttered airports before the storm hit, making it easier to dig out and resume flights. Another bright spot: For the most part, the lights and the Internet connections of thousands of people who carried on work from home stayed on. Holy smokes, we were looking at outages in the hundreds, not the thousands, said Jim Dinegar, president of the Greater Washington Board of Trade. Pepco exceeded everyones expectations. Dinegar said the biggest complaints came from companies that have traditionally followed the federal governments lead for closing or reopening after a storm. He said some felt they lost too much productivity Monday and Tuesday, when the federal government closed. Some company officials, he said, told him theyll start making their own calls, regardless of what the feds do. You have companies throwing their hands up in frustration and saying, We couldve had some of our people come in or work from home, Dinegar said. Its beginning to chafe at them that theyre losing business opportunities. The storm took a noticeable toll on businesses in auto- dependent suburbs, where many of their employees and customers couldnt get their cars out until midweek, and even then, roads remained choked with mounds of plowed snow. Allen Robinson, owner of Books and Other Found Things in downtown Leesburg, Va., estimated that he lost up to a quarter of his monthly business during the five days his store closed. He said he is not sure how much of that he can make up. Shoppers heading out after the storm seemed more eager to restock their refrigerators than their bookshelves, he said. It could be a big hit, Robinson said, before reopening his store Thursday. Were certainly hopeful that this coming weekend people will be able to get out and about and that cabin fever is going to drive people out into the world. Airport shops also felt the pain, as Reagan National and Dulles International closed runways for three days. Wendy Rukmini Walker, who owns As Kindred Spirits shops at National and in Bethesda and Rockville in Maryland, estimated that she lost 10 to 15 percent of her monthly revenue. Thats in addition to what she spent to get employees to work by taxi when Metro wasnt operating. Walker said shell have to pay her landlords and employees first. Her suppliers might have to wait. It just hurts everyone right down the line, Walker said. Maybe well have to cancel orders or explain to people why they cant get paid. Lori Aratani, Antonio Olivo, Arelis Hernandez and Patricia Sullivan contributed to this report. Mayor Allison Silberberg had sought to create a permanent standing committee that could not only provide guidance to the Alexandria City Council and its appointees, but take complaints from residents. (Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post) Alexandrias City Council, after nearly three hours of discussion Saturday, agreed to set up an ethics committee, but not the one envisioned by Mayor Allison Silberberg (D). Council members Justin Wilson and John Taylor Chapman pushed through a more limited version of the proposal Silberberg floated, giving control of the committee to the all-Democratic City Council, shortening the length of time the committee has to offer a code of conduct and ethics pledge for officials, creating an annual report on why and how often the council holds closed sessions, and asking the state for authority to ban or limit gifts to the council. [Alexandria mayor pushes for expanded ethics rules] Silberberg, following up on a campaign pledge that stemmed from an electoral feud with former mayor William D. Euille (D), had tried to create a permanent standing committee that could not only provide guidance to the council and its appointees, but take complaints from residents. She had also proposed the members of this committee be nominated by the local bar association, the civic associations and the chamber of commerce, as well as by the council and herself. I have deep concerns that we could be creating a Committee on Un-Alexandrian Activities, said council member Tim Lovain, who said Silberbergs proposal would have the effect of reducing faith in government. A lot of people in this town, when they lose a vote . . . are convinced there was funny business. Theres a real possibility of peoples reputations being dragged through the mud. Wilson said Alexandria local government is already ethical and transparent, noting that the city was the first in Virginia to put campaign finance reports online in 2003 and pushed for more timely disclosures of major donations. In 2008, the city began requiring developers to disclosure names of people who owned 10 percent or more of their company when they seek zoning changes; his proposal dropped that to 3 percent. The council also installed new employee ethics rules in 2012, after several embezzlements by city employees. Alexandria also began broadcasting council work sessions, became more explicit about why the council was going into executive session and put its internal audits on the citys website. The code of conduct review committee that Wilson advanced would expire every three years, when a new council is seated, he said. Beal Lowen, a local physician who had testified on behalf of Silberbergs proposal, called the vote a defeat for those of us in the community who think we need an ethics group thats apolitical. But Amy Slack, who has served on local civic association boards, warned that Silberbergs proposal would endanger civic volunteers appointed to city committees. I remember being accused of favoring an appellant because I addressed him as Bud instead of Mr. Hart, she said. I remember being accused of taking food out of childrens mouths. . . . Who is going to judge me? Id like to know where the line in the sand is being drawn. The proposal was not on councils agenda, but Silberberg had invited numerous people to testify on behalf of her proposal during the public comment period, which kicks off the councils Saturday meetings. As the comments dragged on, one man who had come to talk about another topic loudly objected to the back-and-forth between speakers and the council, which extended the public comment period from its advertised 30-minute limit to, ultimately, 2 1/ 2 hours. He was escorted from the meeting. Silberberg had planned to take no immediate action, but Wilson called for an immediate vote on his alternative. In the end, the vote for the Wilson-Chapman proposal was unanimous, and Silberberg called it an excellent start. Its a good place to begin. . . . Its a huge step forward. Step away from that snow shovel. Give your wintry, Snowzilla 2016 weariness a cosmic break, as you can still catch all five visible planets in the morning for the next few weeks. Lets start in the evening: Jupiter rises in the east about 8:40 p.m., and youll find this giant planet near the back legs of the constellation Leo the lion. Its a bright, easily visible object at negative 2.4 magnitude. Find it due south about 3 a.m., and before dawn, find that Jupiter has scooted to the west-southwestern sky. By mid-February, pleasantly plump Jupiter rises at 7:35 p.m., and at months end, catch it rising at 6:30 p.m., and then due south about 1 a.m. That waning gibbous moon loiters with Jupiter on the night of Feb. 23-24. Next in the planetary cavalcade, Mars ascends the eastern heavens just after 1 a.m., found in the constellation Libra. Its a dim first magnitude planet. Early Monday morning, see the last quarter moon befriending Mars, our trusty, rusty red neighboring planet that crosses through Libra for the entire month. The large, ringed planet Saturn rises in the southeast about 3:30 a.m. as a zero magnitude object visible in urban-light pollution, sitting in the constellation Ophiuchus (pronounced OH-fee-you-cuss.) A waning crescent moon joins the ringed planet Wednesday morning if you gaze south. At months end, the planet rises around 1:45 a.m. Just before dawn, Venus makes a grand appearance in the east-southeastern sky hanging out in Sagittarius. Earths luminous neighbor is seen at negative fourth magnitude, very bright. It rises about 5:25 a.m., high in the southeast before dawn. As the month gets older, the sun seems to wash out more of Venuss morning party. Rounding out the five visible planets, the fleet-footed Mercury the fastest planet in the solar system, orbiting the sun every 88 days rises at 5:45 a.m., morning twilight. This speedy planet at zero magnitude is near the east-southeastern horizon. You wont find Mercury in the second half of February. While that groundhog in Punxsutawney, Pa., surmises vernal visions Tuesday, its an unofficial halfway point of winter. Astronomical winter hits its official midway mark Thursday at 11:39 a.m. Eastern time, according to data gathered from the U.S. Naval Observatory. With snow around us, look forward to spring on March 20. Down-to-Earth Events: Feb. 5 The Icy Heart of Pluto, a talk by astronomy professor Doug Hamilton, at the University of Marylands Observatory, College Park. 8 p.m. After the talk, enjoy heavenly tours through telescopes. www.astro.umd.edu/openhouse. Feb. 5 Improving the Tick-Tock of the Atomic Clock: Telling Time to an Accuracy of One Second in the Lifetime of the Universe, a lecture by Andrew Ludlow, physicist and project leader at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Hosted by the Washington Philosophical Society at the John Wesley Powell Auditorium, adjacent to the Cosmos Club, 2170 Florida Ave. NW. 8 p.m. philsoc.org. Feb. 13 Gamma Ray Bursts and Precious Metals, a talk by astrophysicist Brad Cenko, at the regular meeting of the National Capital Astronomers, who meet at the University of Maryland Observatory, College Park. 7:30 p.m. capitalastronomers.org. Feb. 14 Timothy Rodigas of the Carnegie Institution of Washington talks about exoplanets (planets way beyond our solar system) at the regular meeting of the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club, 163 Research Hall, George Mason University. 7 p.m. novac.com. Feb. 20 Exploration with Small Spacecraft, a talk by NASA researcher Tilak Hewagama at the University of Marylands Observatory, College Park. Visually run through the cosmos with telescopes afterward, weather permitting. 8 p.m. www.astro.umd.edu/openhouse. Feb. 26 A New Moon Rises, a new exhibit, opens at the National Air & Space Museum on the Mall. The exhibit unveils images of the dramatic moonscapes taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera. airandspace.si.edu. Feb. 27 African Skies, a program that explains creation myths from Africa and how American slaves found their way to freedom by following the Drinking Gourd a constellation we know as the Big Dipper. The presentation will be at 100 Science North Building, Montgomery College, Takoma Park, 7 p.m. (The colleges planetarium is being reconfigured.) Ammon Bundy's attorney Mike Arnold, second from left, walks at the Narrows roadblock near Burns. Ore. The last four occupiers of a Malheur National Wildlife Refuge surrendered to authorities. The holdouts were the last remnants of a larger group that seized the wildlife refuge nearly six weeks ago, demanding that the government turn over the land to locals and release two ranchers imprisoned for setting fires. Feb. 11, 2016 Ammon Bundy's attorney Mike Arnold, second from left, walks at the Narrows roadblock near Burns. Ore. The last four occupiers of a Malheur National Wildlife Refuge surrendered to authorities. The holdouts were the last remnants of a larger group that seized the wildlife refuge nearly six weeks ago, demanding that the government turn over the land to locals and release two ranchers imprisoned for setting fires. Thomas Boyd, The Oregonian/AP The armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge ended after 41 tumultuous days, as the final occupants surrendered. Cliven Bundy, father of the groups leader and himself a veteran of armed standoffs, was arrested as he arrived in Portland. Activists protesting federal land use in the West and the arson convictions of two local ranchers are occupying part of a national refuge in southeastern Oregon. Activists protesting federal land use in the West and the arson convictions of two local ranchers are occupying part of a national refuge in southeastern Oregon. What it looks like at the armed occupation at a wildlife refuge in Oregon What it looks like at the armed occupation at a wildlife refuge in Oregon BJ Soper has never supported the nearly month-long occupation of a national wildlife refuge by armed anti-government activists. He sympathized with their frustrations about the federal government, but he thought calm negotiation was a better strategy. Then on Tuesday, an Oregon State Police trooper shot and killed LaVoy Finicum, a cowboy-hat-wearing grandfather who acted as the occupiers spokesman. Now Soper is furious, and he is calling for people from all over the country to come to Burns to show their outrage at the ambush of Finicum. Im angry, Soper, 39, said late Friday as he joined two dozen protesters in a light sleet outside the Harney County courthouse. Weve got a man thats dead. Over what? I dont want to see any more bloodshed, and thats not what Im condoning. But at some point when American people keep getting killed by their government, people are going to fight back. Finicums killing has re-energized anti-government activists, even as the occupation at the nearby Malheur National Wildlife Refuge seemed to be running out of steam. Only four occupiers remained holed up at the refuge, while 11 others have been arrested. Their jailed leader, Ammon Bundy, who was arrested in the same operation in which Finicum was killed, has called for the three men and one woman at the refuge to go home peacefully. The occupation of a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon continues, even after a shootout with authorities and arrests. These are the key people involved. (Claritza Jimenez/The Washington Post) The FBI took the unusual step of releasing a video of Finicums shooting, and officials said it shows him reaching at least twice for a holstered handgun. But the video, taken from an FBI aircraft, has only added to the conviction of Finicums supporters that his killing was nothing less than an execution. It was an assassination, said Monte Siegner, 79, a Harney County resident who attended the protest and held a sign that read Ambushed and assassinated. He had his hands up, Siegner said. He didnt have a gun in his hands, and he wasnt threatening no one. FBI officials have withheld further comment on the shooting until a formal investigation concludes. But they have repeatedly said they want a peaceful resolution to the standoff. Greg Bretzing, the FBI spokesman who presented the video, said that our negotiators are working around the clock to end the standoff. I want to acknowledge the stress and disruption that the occupation of the refuge has caused to the people of Harney County, he said. We know this is difficult. We know that you want this concluded as soon as possible. We are doing everything we can to bring this to a resolution safely and quickly. The FBI has lied to us Soper, of the Pacific Patriots Network, which he described as an organization that helps people in need, said FBI officials have not been honest. They were ambushed in that canyon, Soper said. Theres no doubt about it. It was planned; it was premeditated. The FBI has lied to us from the get-go, and were tired of it. They said they wanted a peaceful resolution, there was never an attempt to negotiate, and now a mans dead. He said protests would continue daily until some sense of reason is reestablished here. He said he had put out calls on social media for people from around the country to come to Burns on Monday for a peaceful demonstration to show their anger over Finicums death and the governments response to the wildlife refuge occupation. Its time the American public knows exactly whats going on out here, Soper said. Its time for the militarized federal presence to end. In Burns, the new round of protests has elicited a collective groan from many people. Most in this remote town, high on eastern Oregons desert plains, have never supported the occupiers. Although many here have complaints about the management of federal lands, which constitute more than half of Oregons total land, few supported an armed takeover of federal property as the way to express their frustrations. I havent spoken to one person who is for any of this, said one Burns resident, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he feared reprisals from anti-government extremists. It was not the fault of anybody here that he got killed. And it wasnt the polices fault. They didnt just shoot him for no reason. In the past month, tiny Burns has become a bustling outpost for hundreds of federal and state authorities, journalists, and members of militia groups attracted by the refuge standoff. The snowy streets are filled with federal agents in black SUVs, armed activists in pickup trucks and reporters in rental cars. Although it has been good for business in a usually quiet time of year (local waitresses said the activists are by far the best tippers), residents said the occupation has caused tremendous friction in town. A gulf of perceptions Finicums death has dashed hopes for life returning to normal anytime soon, as people debate the two competing versions of blame for his death that have emerged. Many in Burns, while expressing sorrow over Finicums death, blame the occupiers and their leaders, Ammon Bundy and his brother Ryan, for deliberately creating an armed standoff with authorities that ultimately perhaps inevitably led to shots being fired. But the anti-government activists say the authorities responded with ham-handed and disproportionate force against a group of Americans exercising their rights under the First and Second amendments to the Constitution. Little common ground has emerged between the two sides, and people in Burns are bracing for more protests and anger in an episode that most had thought was just about over. On the slushy sidewalk outside the courthouse Friday, protesters said they planned to come out every day. It was totally unjustified and completely unnecessary, said Clint Siegner, 43, who traveled from Eagle, Idaho, to join his father, Monte Siegner, and show his anger over Finicums death. Its a pretty sad state when you get killed for exercising your First Amendment rights. They werent threatening anybody, said Siegner, carrying a sign that read, Federal supremacists murdered an innocent man. It didnt have to end like that. They set an ambush, and they killed him. Siegner, who sells precious metals for a living, subscribes to a popular belief among anti-government groups that the Constitution gives virtually no power to the federal government to regulate peoples daily lives. Critics call that a selective and incorrect reading of the Constitution, but it underpins much of the long-simmering dispute in the western United States over federal land-management policies. There is a constitutional case to be made for the federal government not to have any authority, he said. This has been around for a long time, and its not just something people dreamed up. Siegner said that the authorities shooting of Finicum gives you the impression that they are afraid of these ideas. One man walked through the crowd of protesters Friday videotaping people and asking them, What do you want to say to all the patriots out there? He spun out anti-government rhetoric, including his belief that the U.S. government was responsible for the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Mostly, he seemed to be using the video to motivate people to come to Burns for the big protest scheduled for Monday. Its time to ride, boys, he said. Get in your vehicles and get your butts out here. One person he interviewed was Susy Pearce, a rancher who drove 6 1/ 2 hours from Plumas County, Calif., for a Jan. 2 protest in Burns over the jailing of two ranchers on federal arson charges, which led to the takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Pearce has not left town since. Im a rancher, and we feel the same way they do about the overreach of the federal government, said Pearce, who wore a big cowboy hat and a long oilskin coat as the snow fell. If youre a rancher, you get taxed, fined, feed and over-regulated to death. She said she had gotten to know Finicum over the past weeks at the wildlife refuge, and she called him an amazing man. She teared up as she talked about a man she called smart and honest and his outrageous, uncalled-for murder. Pearce said that she had seen the FBI video of Finicums death, and she said that she was suspicious of the intentions of law enforcement. I dont think they intended for any of them to survive, she said of Finicum and the others in the car, who included an 18-year-old girl. I think he sacrificed himself to save them. A wooden cross appeared late Friday at the site of Finicums death, on a highway just north of Burns. Carissa Wolf contributed to this report. Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the home town of protester Susy Pearce. She lives in Plumas County, Calif. (AP) If you need to urinate while away from home, you will have to find a welcoming place to do so, or else you risk a citationaround 20,000 are doled out in NYC annually. Thankfully, there are some public restrooms in NYC, some of which are not located in a Starbuckssome of them are actually kind of nice! When we talked to New Yorkers who had been charged with public urination in 2013, one big question came up: "In a city that has it all, why is one of the most basic human functions so difficult?" Part of the answer lies with policies aimed at ridding the city of homeless people, with consequences that echo throughout the social strata of the city. The enforcement of public urination and other minor offenses which rely so heavily on the subjective decision of the particular officer are part of the "broken windows" policing policy, aimed at combating petty crimes like public urination, but more importantly, at displacing those who commit these crimes. San Francisco has dealt with public urination similarly to the way NYC has, and in 2002 banned it, threatening a $500 fine if caught. But now they're leaning in to their pee problem, and this month they introduced their first open air urinal in Dolores Park, right in view of everyone on the MUNI. It is as disgusting as it sounds. But in the world of pissoirs, this one in San Francisco doesn't look too top shelf (in fact, it's missing some flourishes from the original design, including a wall of privacy vegetation). Now, over in Europe, they know a little something about pissoir design: In the Netherlands and Paris. (Wiki) Should NYC become the second city in the states to install them? This is mostly a question for men, since no one seems to have taken women into account in any pissoir design ever. Paperback Fiction 1. THE CHOICE (Grand Central, $7.99). By Nicholas Sparks. Love unexpectedly snags a small-town bachelor and his new neighbor. [10] 2. THE MARTIAN (Broadway, $15). By Andy Weir. An astronaut is stranded alone on Mars. He tries to survive against impossible odds. [44] 3. MY BRILLIANT FRIEND (Europa Editions, $17). By Elena Ferrante. Book One of the Neapolitan novels. [10] 4. THE REVENANT (Picador, $16). By Michael Punke. A Rocky Mountain fur trapper seeks revenge on the men who left him to die. [5] 5. BROOKLYN (Scribner, $15). By Colm Toibin. A young Irish woman starts a new life in New York City. [8] 6. LAST ONE HOME (Ballantine, $7.99). By Debbie Macomber. A woman who broke her familys heart is back home, hoping to make amends. [4] 7. PRODIGAL SON (Dell, $7.99)By Danielle Steel. Twin boys, one evil, one good, grow into manhood, reconcile and part ways again. [1] 8. BURN (Vision, $9.99). By James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. Detective Michael Bennetts latest investigation leads him into a depraved underground criminal world. [2] 9. NEW LEAF (Signet, $7.99). By Catherine Anderson. A recently divorced woman loses custody of her daughter and proposes a marriage of convenience to get her back. [3] 10. RADIANT ANGEL (Grand Central, $15.99). By Nelson Demille. A high-level Russian spy goes missing, which could threaten war with the United States. [1] Nonfiction/General 1. 13 HOURS: THE INSIDE ACCOUNT OF WHAT REALLY HAPPENED IN BENGHAZI (Twelve, $16.99). By Mitchell Zuckoff with the Annex Security Team. [1] 2. FERVENT: A WOMANS BATTLE PLAN TO SERIOUS, SPECIFIC AND STRATEGIC PRAYER (B&H, $16.99). By Priscilla Shirer. [9] 3. THINKING FAST AND SLOW (FSG, $16). By Daniel Kahneman. The Nobel Prize winner in the economic sciences examines our modes of thought. [18] 4. THE 5 LOVE LANGUAGES: THE SECRET TO LOVE THAT LASTS (Northfield, $15.99). By Gary D. Chapman. [161] 5. LONGITUDE: THE TRUE STORY OF A LONE GENIUS WHO SOLVED THE GREATEST SCIENTIFIC PROBLEM OF HIS TIME (Walker, $15). By Dava Sobel. [2] 6. HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE (Pocket, $16). By Dale Carnegie. Tips for professional and personal success. [18] 7. ALEXANDER HAMILTON (Penguin, $20). By Ron Chernow. [11] 8. THE ITALIANS (Penguin, $17). By John Hooper. A portrait of the Italian people. [1] 9. THE BIG SHORT: INSIDE THE DOOMSDAY MACHINE (Norton, $15.95). By Michael Lewis . [9] 10. THE BOYS IN THE BOAT: NINE AMERICANS AND THEIR EPIC QUEST FOR GOLD AT THE 1936 BERLIN OLYMPICS (Penguin, $17). By Daniel James Brown. [86] Hardcover Fiction 1. BLUE (Delacorte, $28.95). By Danielle Steel. A woman, who lost her husband in an accident, takes in a 13-year-old runaway. [1] 2. MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON (Random House, $26). By Elizabeth Strout. A writer and her estranged mother reconnect. [2] 3. ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE (Scribner, $27). By Anthony Doerr. A story of two children whose paths collide during World War II. [71] 4. WARRIORS OF THE STORM (Harper, $27.99). By Bernard Cornwell. The ninth installment of the Saxon Tales series. [1] 5. THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN (Riverhead, $26.95). By Paula Hawkins. A woman on a train witnesses a shocking crime. [47] 6. FATES AND FURIES (Riverhead, $27.95). By Lauren Groff. A marriage may not be as perfect as it appears. [7] 7. ROGUE LAWYER (Doubleday, $28.95). By John Grisham. Street lawyer Sebastian Rudd operates his practice out of a bulletproof van. [14] 8. THE NIGHTINGALE (St. Martin's, $27.99). By Kristin Hannah. A woman in Nazi-occupied France tries to keep her family alive. [17] 9. ORPHAN X (Minotaur, $25.99). By Gregg Hurwitz. A man trained by the government to be an assassin breaks from the program . [1] 10. EVEN DOGS IN THE WILD (Little, Brown, $26). By Ian Rankin. John Rebus emerges from retirement to help two down-and-out detectives. [1] NonFiction/General 1. THE POWER OF BROKE: HOW EMPTY POCKETS, A TIGHT BUDGET, AND A HUNGER FOR SUCCESS CAN BECOME YOUR GREATEST COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE (Crown Business, $26). By Daymond John. [1] 2. A PASSION FOR LEADERSHIP: LESSONS ON CHANGE AND REFORM FROM FIFTY YEARS OF PUBLIC SERVICE (Knopf, $27.95). By Robert M. Gates [1] 3. WHEN BREATH BECOMES AIR (Random House, $25). By Paul Kalanithi. [2] 4. THE LIFE-CHANGING MAGIC OF TIDYING UP: THE JAPANESE ART OF DECLUTTERING AND ORGANIZING (Ten Speed, $16.99). By Marie Kondo. [54] 5. TEAM OF TEAMS: NEW RULES OF ENGAGEMENT FOR A COMPLEX WORLD (Portfolio, $29.95). By Stanley A. McChrystal with Tantum Collins, David Silverman and Chris Fussell. [6] 6. BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME (Spiegel & Grau, $24). By Ta-Nehisi Coates. A black father pens for his son a letter about race in America. [27] 7. DARK MONEY: THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF THE BILLIONAIRES BEHIND THE RISE OF THE RADICAL RIGHT (Doubleday, $29.95). By Jane Mayer. [1] 8. SPARK JOY: AN ILLUSTRATED MASTER CLASS ON THE ART OF ORGANIZING AND TIDYING UP (Ten Speed, $18.99). By Marie Kondo. [3] 9. THE ROAD TO LITTLE DRIBBLING: ADVENTURES OF AN AMERICAN IN BRITAIN (Doubleday, $28.95). By Bill Bryson. [1] 10. THE NAME OF GOD IS MERCY (Random House, $26). By Pope Francis. [2] Rankings reflect sales for the week ended Jan. 24. In his Jan. 26 Washington Sketch column, The Flint tragedy is a failure of governing, not just government, Dana Milbank charged Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) with undertaking an arrogant public-policy experiment, underpinned by the ideological assumption that the experience set of corporate-style managers was superior to the checks and balances of democracy. Even an amateur dot-connector can draw a rather straight line from those who created this poisoned-water horror to a certain Republican presidential candidate who touts his credentials as a businessman who knows how to get things done. I hope that this disaster will give voters pause before entrusting their lives and liberty to the equally inexperienced and even more dangerous Donald Trump. Douglas M. Pollock, Oakton Peter Fuhrman is chairman and chief executive of China First Capital. When they met most recently, President Obama extracted from his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, a solemn pledge to rein in Chinese surveillance and hacking of U.S. government agencies, companies and individuals. The backsliding seems to have begun almost immediately , with new reports of attacks by Chinese hackers in the United States. This conflict is not only a matter of competing national interests. At its heart are radically opposed conceptions of personal privacy and the legality of government monitoring. Within China, government monitoring of private communication is not only common, but it is also explicit, institutionalized and generally quite popular. How much so? Just about every time I get an international phone call on my Chinese mobile phone, Im pinged within seconds by a text message. Its an automated message from the anti-fraud department of the city of Shenzhens Public Security Bureau (PSB), Chinas version of the FBI. This message informs me in polite Chinese that the PSB knows Im on the phone with someone calling from outside China, and so I should be especially vigilant, because the caller could be part of some scheme to steal my money or otherwise cheat me. The phone number for the anti-fraud hotline is included. International fraud is, as of now, the only criminal activity that Chinas government uses the mobile network to warn me about. I do like knowing the Chinese police are on the job, warning and protecting the innocent. But I find it a little unsettling that they know immediately when I get an international call and are eager to inform me that they are keeping tabs. Theres also the fact that I get these messages every time my 83-year-old father calls from Florida. Does the Chinese security apparatus know something about him that I dont? China Mobile is the worlds largest mobile phone company, with more than 800 million customers. To generate that automatic anti-fraud text message, international calls routed across the network in all likelihood pass through a server layer controlled and monitored by the PSB; calls from certain countries get flagged, and the text message is dispatched as the call is taking place. This isnt cyberspying. This is a deep integration. Its not only the PSB. Upon landing on a trip to another country, I usually get an automatic Chinese-language text message from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminding me to behave politely and providing me with emergency contact numbers. Its a neat bit of coding. China Mobile reports to the foreign ministry, and perhaps other departments as well, when a users phone begins seeking a roaming signal outside China. The system then generates the text welcoming the user to that country and populating the message with the number for the nearest Chinese embassy and consulate. The U.S. National Security Agency has ways, if Edward Snowdens revelations are to be believed, to detect when a U.S. mobile phone is being used anywhere in the world. But it goes to a lot of trouble to keep a user from knowing that. Not so the Chinese state. Ive asked Chinese friends about this, and none expressed the slightest quibble about their government knowing where they travel or when they receive international calls. The government is just trying to be helpful, they explain. Theres no real civil liberties debate about it, not even in the online channels where criticisms of Chinese policy are voiced. In contrast, the United States has gone through a particularly bitter and protracted national debate over whether and how mobile phone companies, along with email providers, should share information and communications metadata with the NSA. Its not certain how much U.S. companies actively assisted the NSA in its domestic surveillance. But its beyond doubt that none cooperates to the extent China Mobile evidently does with the PSB. In the past several years, China has introduced some of the worlds toughest laws, regulations and guidelines on data privacy. These tightly circumscribe what data companies can collect and introduce strict penalties for privacy breaches. Xi cites the laws as evidence that China has zero tolerance for hacking. The quizzical result is: E-commerce giant Alibaba must not share anything about my Taobao account and is legally and financially responsible if my account gets hacked. But state-owned China Mobile (along with its two state-owned rivals, China Unicom and China Telecom) will freely share my private data with government departments at the national, provincial and local levels. According to Chinas latest cybersecurity law, all companies operating in China, foreign and domestic, must share private data with the government to aid in official investigations. No specific mention is made of state-owned enterprises such as China Mobile. So, we dont know if China Mobile is required, encouraged or expected to share data that isnt part of any official investigation such as who is getting international calls or traveling outside the country. Some U.S. companies, including Apple, have introduced encryption techniques that make it harder for the NSA to access user data and conversations. No such effort is underway in China, nor, as far as I can tell, is anyone seriously suggesting it. Im no civil-liberties purist, so I dont particularly mind getting these text messages from the Chinese government. But it does serve as a vivid reminder that while living in China Im subject to a set of rules and an official mind-set that are the obverse of those in the United States. Online and mobile communication privacy as we Americans understand it simply does not exist here. Michael R. Bromwich, managing principal of the Bromwich Group consulting firm, served as independent monitor of the D.C. police from 2002 to 2008. Kathy Patterson represented Ward 3 on the D.C. Council from 1995 to 2006 and currently serves as D.C. auditor. Weve seen news from one city after another that police officers have used deadly force in encounters with members of the community, in circumstances that were at best problematic and at worst incomprehensible. Widely publicized incidents have occurred in Ferguson, Cleveland, Newark, New York, Seattle and, most recently, Chicago. There have been calls for federal investigations, independent oversight and police reform. The problem became so acute that President Obama convened a task force on policing. The bad news has not stopped. D.C. residents with long memories will recall that these problems are similar to those faced by the city and its police department almost 20 years ago. A five-part series published in The Post highlighted a police department that used its firearms more than almost any other large American city police force between 1994 and 1998, D.C. police officers shot and killed more people than Chicago police and were involved in more shooting incidents than officers in Los Angeles. Prompted by these accounts, Mayor Anthony Williams and Police Chief Charles Ramsey asked the Justice Department to investigate the D.C. police department and its use of force. The Justice Department confirmed many of The Posts conclusions: Use-of-force policies were inadequate, incident investigations were deficient and training needed improvement. What followed was a multistep process beginning with a June 2001 agreement requiring the police department to implement major reforms. Local officials and the Justice Department selected an independent monitoring team, led by one of us. The D.C. Councils Committee on the Judiciary, led by the other, approved funding to support the independent monitoring. By the time the agreement terminated in 2008 under a new mayor, a new police chief and new leadership at the D.C. Council the D.C. police force had become a model of fair and constitutional policing. The process was not easy: Training on the new use-of-force policies got off to a rocky start, and it took several years for the police department to refine its reporting policy for less serious uses of force and for officers to begin consistently complying with it. But by 2008, the monitor recommended early termination of the agreement and reported that the D.C. police force stands as a model for municipalities and police departments across the country. Last year, we initiated a retrospective review of those reforms to assess whether the police department remained true to the policies and practices implemented in concert with the Justice Department. This is the first time reforms initiated in partnership with the Justice Department have been subjected to a comprehensive reexamination long after federal involvement ended. What did we find? In large measure, the D.C. police departments use-of-force policies remain consistent with best practices in policing, and the data show that there has been no surge in any type of use of force, including firearms. The number of officer-involved shootings has remained low, and there is no evidence that excessive force has reemerged as a problem within the department. To be sure, the review teams examination discovered deficiencies, and we have outlined those findings in a 117-page report, The Durability of Police Reform: The Metropolitan Police Department and Use of Force 2008-2015. For example, the structure and operations of the departments Force Investigation Team have changed, and the quality of use-of-force investigations has declined. The process for reviewing officer-involved shooting cases by both the department and the U.S. Attorneys Office needs to be streamlined. And the police departments internal oversight of its use-of-force practices as well as external oversight from the offices of the D.C. Auditor and the Inspector General should be maintained. To address these and other shortcomings, we have made 38 recommendations to strengthen policies and practices within the department. But in the current national context, this is good news. Serious, hard-won reforms implemented between 2001 and 2008 have largely endured based on a commitment to those reforms by the police department and the Districts political leadership. The Districts experience teaches that it is possible to reform police departments and sustain those reforms, and that leadership is critical from the police chief and her command staff, as well as from civilian political leaders, to implement and sustain these reforms. And the landscape is dynamic: The D.C. police force, like other large departments, is moving to use body-worn cameras, a development that reinforces the critical need for properly calibrated policies, training and oversight. Although these and other challenges remain, the fact that the District put time, money and significant effort into developing and implementing sound and effective use-of-force policies 15 years ago, and that these practices have largely been sustained, is good news for cities and departments grappling with this important issue. Reform can be implemented, and it can be sustained. The D.C. police departments experience proves it. If you ask Donald Trump fans why they like him, theres an excellent chance theyll say, Because hes not politically correct. But this is true only if you misunderstand the meaning of political correctness, as Trump himself apparently does. Popularized in the 90s to mean overcorrection in language and policies to avoid offending any group of people, it has been redefined by Trump to mean saying whatever slips from gray matter to tongue without the inhibitory processing that civilization demands. We could fill volumes and many have with ridiculous examples of political correctness, especially on college campuses, where students are often coddled rather than taught. Oft-cited as a legitimate example is exclusion of literary works because of language or imagery that might result in some sensitive soul needing hugs and hankies. Or, if youre a college student, haven in a safe space. Intellectual rigor this is not. Republican Donald Trump skipped the debate where Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly co-moderated. Here's a look back at the clash that started with an earlier debate in August 2015. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post) This is true political correctness, silly and damaging to both sanity and educational integrity. Ovations to those who confront it. But insult, an artless form perfected by Trump, isnt politically INcorrect. It is rude. Name-calling isnt clever; it is childish and lazy. Yet Trump has managed to convince his legions that making vile comments about someone is a revolutionary act, a badge of honor and a long-overdue tipping of societys scales back toward reason and truth. Sometimes hes right, but so is the proverbial broken clock. More often hes wrong. You could say, for example, that we need to secure our borders because, though most immigrants are good people in search of a better life, others are criminals or criminal-minded. This is both true and lacking in drama. Instead, Trump recognizing the anger in others that he either feels or feigns took the low road and said people entering our country illegally are rapists and murderers, adding perfunctorily, and some, I assume, are good people. This isnt politically incorrect; its simply incorrect. It is also intentionally hyperbolic in the service of a campaign to incite and engage rage the brimstone of a demagogue seeking to liberate populist anger to fuel his own lust for power. This approach is plainly more rewarding for a certain kind of person. Trumps inflammatory language goes straight to the gut (Jeb Bush owns the heart) of resentment that so many feel and that for too long has been neglected or dismissed by Washington. But it is wrong because, obviously, one is to infer from Trumps remarks that animus toward Mexicans and other Latinos is justified for reasons that are largely untrue. Trump reserves special venom for women, examples of which are too numerous to list. Most familiar is his recent assault on Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly. Trump made good on his threat to ditch Thursdays debate if Kelly, whom he charged with treating him unfairly in an earlier debate, were a moderator. She was; he bailed. With his usual gentlemanly flair, Trump referred to Kelly as a bimbo. No, wait, he didnt say that. He said he would not call her a bimbo but only because that would not be politically correct. Wrong again, Donnie. Lets parse this, shall we? Would it be politically incorrect to call a top-ranked female anchor (with a law degree) currently on the cover of Vanity Fair a bimbo? Or would it be rude, ludicrous, wrong and pathetic? Nothing about this is hard. Ironically, the unfairness that got Trump so bunched up was Kellys apt question about whether, given his many derogatory remarks about women, he has the temperament to be president. It would appear that Kellys aim was true and Trump responded in consistent form. Among other boy-bathroom remarks, he implied that she might have been on her period. Charming. Further, it would seem, Kelly rather precisely made her case. As this sordid world turns, Trump once again succeeded in liberating the dirty little ids of his Twitter feeds tiniest minds. Armed with their biggest, manliest tweets, Trumpulists wasted no time hammering Kelly with a urinal walls worth of female-specific, often-sexual insults. A Vocativ analysis of a days tweets included the following word counts: bitch (423), bimbo (404), blonde (128), cheap (66) and others too crude for print. These wits probably thought they were being politically incorrect by saying exactly what was on their wee minds, but they merely revealed their limitations. Most women know whats up when men behave this way toward a woman: Not with a 10-foot pole, honey . And that goes for the Donnie boy, too. Read more from Kathleen Parkers archive, follow her on Twitter or find her on Facebook. Alec Guinness dressed for one of his eight parts in the 1949 film Kind Hearts and Coronets. (CENTRAL PRESS/Via Agence France-Presse) The Jan. 20 Style article Gentleman marks a return to familiar turf for its long-suffering creators, about the writers of the musical A Gentlemans Guide to Love & Murder, gave the impression that the story line of the musical is largely the work of the writers, being only partly based on a 1949 film. The musical, which I saw on Broadway last year, has essentially the same story line as the film Kind Hearts and Coronets, including having one actor in the film, Alec Guinness play eight estate heirs targeted for murder by the other lead actor. I think the musical is based largely, not partly, on the Guinness film. John Heyer, Arlington Charles Lane wrote his Jan. 28 op-ed, A better subject for a monument, about replacing the statue of Robert E. Lee in New Orleans with James Longstreet. A Confederate memorial in Rockville recently caused a stir. Even a proposed new World War I memorial is not without controversy. This country might need a little levity. What about monuments celebrating our great comics? A Groucho Marx memorial in the District with some of his one-liners would get a laugh. Dont forget W.C. Fields. Maybe put that one near Congress. How about Richard Pryor? Once, when I visited the National Museum of Natural History, I noticed The Far Side comics on the walls. There was laughter everywhere, and it was fun. With this presidential race, we all need a laugh. Paul Lojewski, Berlin, Md. Charles Lanes proposal to replace the New Orleans monument to Robert E. Lee with one honoring Confederate Lt. Gen. James Longstreet was quite appropriate. Mr. Lane wrote that Longstreet was the rare ex-Rebel to accept the Souths defeat, and its consequences. He urged fellow white Southerners to support the federal government and help rebuild their region on the basis of greater racial equality. I think it is appropriate in that one of his descendants, Georgia congressman Charles Longstreet Weltner, became the only congressman from the Deep South to vote for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and later the Voting Rights Act of 1965. An outspoken opponent of segregation, he made a national name for himself when he chose to give up his seat in Congress rather than abide by a Democratic Party loyalty oath that would have required him to support segregationist Lester Maddox for governor. In 1991, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library cited Weltners political sacrifice in naming him the second individual to be honored with the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. Joanna Hanes-Lahr, Annapolis JANUARY 31 Nominations are now open for the 2016 Hugo Awards.You can nominate online at http://midamericon2.org/the-hugo-awards/hugo-nominations/ Those still using paper can also download a ballot and mail it in.On-line works better, though. A mailed ballot, once mailed, is done. On-line, you can fill in a few choices now, then add or change later. The nominations are opening now, but won't close until March 31. So if you know a few things you want to nominate, and you have your PIN, put them down now. You can always change 'em later.Of course, you do need to be a worldcon member to nominate. That is to say, a member of this year's worldcon (MidAmericon II in Kansas City), or last year's (Sasquan in Spokane), or next year's (in Helsinki). If you hold a membership in any of those you're good.If not, though, you need to act. To qualify, you need to buy a membership in either KC or Helsinki by, and the last time I looked, that was tomorrow.You can sign up at:Even if you can't come to worldcon, you can still nominate and vote by buying a supporting membership. But attending is better, if you can make it. Finland has never hosted a worldcon before, but Helsinki is a great city, so '17 should be a hoot and a half. With saunas. As for KC, MidAmericon I in 1976 was my favorite worldcon of all time, and if MAC II is even half as good, it will be terrific.What you nominate is, of course, entirely up to you.But please, NOMINATE. I have been beating that same drum for a decade, and this year it behooves me to beat it even louder. Nominate the stuff thatenjoyed best last year. Let your own individual voice be heard.Yes, I have recommended some stuff I liked, in older posts below. And I will be doing more of same in the near future. But remember, that's just me saying, "hey, I liked this, you might like it too, take a look." No one should ever nominate anything just because someone else tells them to.((This is has been a fannish service announcement)). Although I agree with much of what Danielle Allen said in her Jan. 28 op-ed, Why OMalley deserves a hearing, she did not mention former Maryland governor Martin OMalleys (D) role in the 2011 gerrymandering of Marylands congressional districts. I have been registered as a Democrat ever since President Richard M. Nixon resigned, but I am not proud of the lengths to which Maryland Democrats have gone to maintain their power over the state. Much of our national political gridlock can be traced to politicians choosing their voters through redistricting, and someone should confront Mr. OMalley about his role in making things worse. Even better, Mr. OMalley himself should admit his wrongdoing and pledge to work toward a national policy of fairly drawn, compact congressional districts. Nancy McGuire, Silver Spring Along with the many sound reasons the Jan. 28 editorial No more broken-winged pterodactyl districts gave for ending Marylands atrocious gerrymandering, Democrats stand to benefit as well. Research by Joseph Bafumi and Michael Herron shows that even when a voters party wins his or her district, the elected official is typically much too far to the left or right to accurately represent that voter. Marylands gerrymandered districts mean our elected Democrats have to move to the extreme left of the median Democratic voter to win. As a result, while we as Democrats have the specious satisfaction of winning elections, the actual purpose of elections choosing people who represent voters values is rendered useless. Brendan Benge, Bethesda President Obama speaks at the Righteous Among the Nations award ceremony at the Israeli Embassy in Washington on Jan. 27. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters) Wednesday evening at the Embassy of Israel, I observed two unforgettable firsts. Until then, no Israeli ceremony honoring non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust had ever been held in the United States. This year, four honorees two Americans and two Poles were posthumously inducted into the ranks of some 26,000 Righteous Among the Nations hailed by Israel in gratitude for their courage and compassion. The other first occurred when Barack Obama showed up for the ceremony. Until then, no sitting U.S. president had spoken at the Israeli Embassy in Washington. The stories of the four who stood up for human values loomed in sharp relief to the indifference and hostility to Jews in war-torn Europe. Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds of Knoxville, Tenn., was a prisoner of war in a German camp when he refused a German order to separate Jewish American POWs and non-Jewish soldiers so that the Jews could be killed. Instead, Edmonds ordered the more than 1,000 POWs to stand together, telling the German commander: We are all Jews here. Threatened with a gun, Edmonds held firm, and the German backed down. Lois Gunden of Goshen, Ind., worked as a volunteer in southern France during the war, where she set up a haven for Jewish children she helped smuggle out of an internment camp. Walery and Maryla Zbijewski opened their home to a 5-year-old Jewish girl, shielding her from Germans in Poland who had made helping Jews a capital offense. That girl was Elizabeth Wilk, a cousin of NPR correspondent Nina Totenberg. Both were present: Totenberg to emcee; Wilk to tell, in her quiet voice, about the death of her father in the Warsaw ghetto, the unspeakable horror of the Nazi occupation and her fright, even to this day, of aggression, hatred and lack of tolerance. Today, the honorees are part of Israels heritage. Ron Dermer, Israels ambassador to Washington, noted that the ceremony was taking place 71 years after the liberation of Auschwitz and expressed comfort in the rebirth of a sovereign Jewish state. He spoke proudly of Jewish people today having the power to defend themselves. Dermer, too, honored the four who were their brothers keeper. But it was the presence of an American president that helped set the dignified ceremony apart amid Washingtons swirling diplomatic scene. Obama evoked the memory of that dark chapter in world history called the Holocaust and what it says to us today. Referring to the four Righteous Among the Nations awardees, the president said: We hear their stories, and we are forced to ask ourselves, under the same circumstances, how would we act? It wasnt a rhetorical question. The seeds of hate that gave rise to the Holocaust were not crushed with Nazi Germanys defeat. The ignorance, arrogance and indifference that betrays compassion, as Obama put it, are still with us. And he spelled out the harsh truth that some are unwilling to face. Here, tonight, we must confront the reality that around the world, anti-Semitism is on the rise. We cannot deny it. When we see some Jews leaving major European cities where their families have lived for generations because they no longer feel safe; when Jewish centers are targeted from Mumbai to Overland Park, Kansas; when swastikas appear on college campuses when we see all that and more, we must not be silent. Not silent, as were the millions who averted their eyes from the evil enveloping prewar Europe; as were the witnesses to an attack on a faith who did nothing because the faith was not their own. Defending our diversity and the notion of people of different backgrounds living and thriving together in this country, Obama said, Anti-Semitism is a distillation, an expression of an evil that runs through so much of human history, and if we do not answer that, we do not answer any other form of evil. The president declared: When any Jew anywhere is targeted just for being Jewish, we all have to respond as Roddie Edmonds did We are all Jews. Obama said that the responsibility to speak out, to stand firm, to not stand idly by, to reject indifference and our darkest impulses rests with us, just as it did with the generation that looked the other way as forces of evil tried to eliminate Jewish people. That from a president who has made the United States a leader in the global fight against anti-Semitism; who declares the U.S.s commitment to Israels security to be, now and forever, unshakable; who oversees a $3.1 billion military aid package to Israel that is likely to grow larger when the 10-year military package under negotiation is finalized; and who, if he had visited, among other sites, this newspapers online opinions section last week, would read from one blogger that his administration is the most anti-Israel in history. Sadly, anti-Obama seeds, like the seeds of bigotry and intolerance, find root, even as he makes a claim on the worlds conscience on behalf of an ally and friend. Read more from Colbert Kings archive. Woodrow Wilson, who enjoyed moralizing about the mundane, called paying taxes a glorious privilege. In 1865, when there was a Civil War income tax, one taxpayer shared this sensibility, sort of. Mark Twain said that his tax bill of $36.82 (including a $3.12 fine for filing late) made him feel important because the government was paying attention to him. Today, Rep. Kevin Brady wants to change the way government pays attention to taxpayers. Congress is like a Calder mobile: Something jiggled here causes things to wiggle over there. When conservatives toppled House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), they inadvertently propelled Brady into the Houses most important chairmanship, that of the Ways and Means Committee. Because revenue bills must originate in the House, Brady now wields Congresss most important gavel, all because the committees previous chairman, Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), now sits in Boehners chair. If there is going to be growth-igniting tax reform and if there isnt, American politics will sink deeper into distributional strife Brady will begin it. Fortunately, the Houston congressman is focused on this simple arithmetic: Three percent growth is not 1 percent better than 2 percent growth, it is 50 percent better. If the Obama eras average annual growth of 2.2 percent becomes the new normal, over the next 50 years real gross domestic product will grow from todays $16.3 trillion (in 2009 dollars) to $48.3 trillion. If, however, growth averages 3.2 percent, real GDP in 2065 will be $78.6 trillion. At 2.2 percent growth, the cumulative lost wealth would be $521 trillion. Brady, however, would like to start with the approximately $2 trillion that U.S. corporations have parked overseas. Having already paid taxes on it where it was earned, the corporations sensibly resist having it taxed again by the United States corporate tax, the highest in the industrial world. [The $2 trillion] wont just naturally fly back to us, Brady says. Measures should be taken to make it rational for corporations to bring money home. And to make it rational for corporations such as Pfizer, which recently moved its headquarters to Ireland for tax purposes, to remain here. In the past 30 years, Brady says, more and more taxes have been paid by fewer and fewer people. And fewer and fewer businesses have been organized as corporations: Three-quarters of job-creating entities are not paying corporate taxes. You cant, Brady says, ask people to make big changes, leapfrogging our global competitors, just to get to average. But making big changes is why we all came to Congress. And the benefit that comes from something unfortunate the fact that there are so few (perhaps fewer than 40) competitive House seats is that members can take risks. Presidential engagement is necessary for tax reform, and Brady says that will require a new president who understands that just a little respect goes a long way up here [on Capitol Hill]. All Republican presidential candidates have tax reform proposals, but only one candidate proposes increasing the cost of government for every American. Here, at last, Donald Trump actually resembles a Republican. Unfortunately, it is a Republican from 125 years ago, when the party stood for big government serving crony capitalism with high tariffs. As Steven R. Weisman demonstrates in his splendid history of American taxation, The Great Tax Wars, the GOPs tariffs were indirect, hidden sales taxes that crimped consumption by Americans with small incomes. In 1913, the first year of Wilsons presidency and the year the 16th Amendment and the income tax arrived, the glorious privilege of paying taxes was enjoyed primarily through tariffs: They provided nearly half of federal revenues, with most of the rest coming from tobacco and liquor taxes, which also were hardest on people of modest means. Trump, who works himself into a lather because Nabisco is making some Oreo cookies outside the country, is obsessed with the United States trade with China. Were going to get Apple to start building their damn computers and things in this country, he says, aiming to raise the price Americans pay for Apple products that today are assembled in China, which, according to trade attorney Scott Lincicome, makes about $6 by assembling an iPhone from parts (many of which China has imported). Trump favors a 45 percent tariff to protect customers of Walmart and similar retailers from the onslaught of inexpensive Chinese apparel, appliances and food. He can explain the glorious privilege of paying taxes-as-tariffs when he makes his next visit to a Walmart, perhaps the one in Secaucus, N.J., just seven miles from his Fifth Avenue penthouse. Read more from George F. Wills archive or follow him on Facebook. THE UNITED States and China appear to have reached a dead end on the growing problem of North Korean nuclear weapons. Both nations, in their own ways, lack a workable strategy for blunting Kim Jong Un, North Koreas flamboyant leader, and his drive to perfect the nuclear bomb, which he has tested four times now. A meeting of Secretary of State John F. Kerry and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi this week in Beijing revealed an impasse between Washington and Beijing even on how to respond to the regimes latest nuclear test. For China, the detonation on Jan. 6 was another in a series of pokes in the eye. North Korea defied pressure from Beijing not to act and did not even extend the courtesy of advance warning, as in previous tests. Yet despite its irritation, the government of Xi Jinping has evidently made a calculation not to squeeze North Korea too hard, lest it destabilize the regime, leading to what China fears most the chaos of refugees from a collapsing state and a reunited Korea that would be a U.S. ally. Mr. Wang assured Mr. Kerry that China would support a new resolution in the U.N. Security Council reproaching North Korea for the test. But he strongly suggested a resolution should not contain tough new measures to punish the regime steps that China uniquely has the capacity to take because of its status as North Koreas principal supplier of energy and other vital imports. Mr. Kerry, for his part, has been lobbying China to shift its policy and use its leverage, and he radiated frustration after the lengthy meeting. China, he told reporters, has a particular ability because of its special role and its connections to North Korea . . . to help us significantly to resolve this challenge. He is right, of course. But it is becoming clear that the Obama administrations policy of strategic patience toward the Kim regime which in practice amounts to doing little other than weakly prodding China to act is failing. Mr. Kerry said that U.S. and Chinese officials would continue to work on a formula for a U.N. resolution. But the Obama administration needs a strategy for responding to North Korea that does not depend on Chinas cooperation. It also needs to find ways to raise the cost for the Xi regime of its stubborn commitment to its neighbors stability. There are steps the administration could take that would advance both aims. One would be to work with South Korea and Japan on the deployment of advanced missile defenses in those countries, something that would help protect them against the North Korean threat. China, which objects to a U.S.-South Korean missile deal, should be told it is a consequence of its own passivity. Congress should also act on proposals for unilateral U.S. sanctions that would target Chinese banks and companies that do business with North Korea an approach that was effective with Iran. Mr. Kerry said that the goal of U.S. policy is inducing North Korea to resume negotiations on giving up its nuclear arsenal. If that is to be achieved, the United States will have to do much more than hope that China will apply the necessary pressure. AFTER A traffic stop to end the unlawful occupation of a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon took a deadly turn, local sheriff Dave Ward was visibly upset when he appeared at a news briefing. He talked about the efforts to end the standoff peacefully and the work of multiple agencies to devise the best tactical plan, and he lamented the death of one of the armed occupiers. But he also stressed that Im here to uphold the law. Any examination of the handling of these events must not overlook that important point that authorities had a responsibility to take action against lawbreakers who were posing an increasing threat to the community. Investigation into Tuesdays fatal shooting of LaVoy Finicum by an Oregon state trooper is ongoing, so its premature to make a definitive judgment about whether authorities acted appropriately. However, a surveillance video released by the FBI appears to show Mr. Finicum reaching for a loaded handgun before he was shot. On at least two occasions, Finicum reaches his right hand toward a pocket on the left inside portion of his jacket. He did have a loaded 9mm semiautomatic handgun in that pocket, said FBI agent Greg Bretzing. Mr. Finicum who previously had said he would rather die than be arrested had, moments earlier, attempted to barrel through a police barricade, nearly hitting an FBI agent. The 26-minute video may be open to interpretation, but it clearly debunks claims by apologists for the armed occupation that Mr. Finicum was ambushed and shot down in cold blood. Five other people were arrested without incident in Tuesdays police operation, so it seems reasonable to suppose, in the absence of clear contrary evidence, that Mr. Finicums death would have been averted if he had behaved differently. Actions, as Mr. Bretzing said, have consequences. The takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, which began Jan. 2, seems to be nearing an end, with only a few holdouts after the death of Mr. Finicum and the call by the groups leader to disband. Those who conducted it now will have to answer for their actions; so far, 11 people are facing federal charges. That they wanted to call attention to their dissatisfaction with the federal governments management of public land didnt give them the right to flout the law, disrupt a community and terrorize its citizens. Mr. Ward said it best: There doesnt have to be bloodshed in our community. If we have issues with the way things are going in our government, we have a responsibility as citizens to act on those in an appropriate manner. We dont arm up. We dont arm up and rebel. We work through the appropriate channels. Vinay Prasad, a cancer researcher and assistant professor at Oregon Health and Science University, is co-author of the 2015 book Ending Medical Reversal: Improving Outcomes, Saving Lives. Like many oncologists and cancer researchers, I rolled my eyes when I first heard about Vice President Bidens cancer moonshot, but not because of the noble goal. I was among the many people who were deeply sorry to hear about the death of the vice presidents son Beau from cancer last year. And I, too, have mourned the untimely deaths from the disease of people close to me. Those of us who care for cancer patients would give nearly anything to be able to cure all those with cancer or, at a minimum, to greatly extend their lives. Today, we can sometimes do this, but sadly those circumstances remain far too limited. But a cancer moonshot evokes a sense of deja vu. The 1970s ushered in the War on Cancer, which was largely unsuccessful at generating better treatments. In 2003, it was then-National Cancer Institute head Andrew Von Eschenbach assuring then-Sen. Arlen Specter that, for just $600 million a year, we could rid the world of cancer five years ahead of 2015, the target at that time. Now here were Biden and the Obama administration making another tall promise. Did we really need this again? Then, the specifics emerged. One of Bidens first announcements was that the Food and Drug Administration would speed the approval of promising drug combinations. But thinking you will substantively improve cancer treatment by altering how it is regulated is like thinking you can run a faster mile by buying a new stopwatch. The efficacy of cancer drugs is beyond the FDAs control, and no one doubts it would approve transformative drugs or drug combinations if they appeared. In fact, the FDA has already shown that it is willing to approve nearly any cancer drug that comes before it. A study of 71 drugs approved for solid tumors from 2002 through 2014 showed that the median improvement in survival times was just 2.1 months. If we are going to make real progress against cancer, we must acknowledge that such marginal gains achieved at the price of substantial cost and toxicity are just not good enough. We must also acknowledge that no matter what we do with the FDA, it cant produce better medicines. Another oft-mentioned proposal is harnessing the power of big data. One such idea is to closely examine what therapies have worked for individuals and which unique genetic traits allowed those therapies to work, and then extend these findings to other patients. Unfortunately, such an approach is fraught with limits. My colleague Andrae Vandross and I recently reviewed the published reports of patients who have had an exceptional response to a cancer drug. In many instances, we found that these patients responded unusually well not only to the studied drug but also to older ones. In several cases, these people had already survived far longer than the typical patient by the time they received the lauded medication. It is hard, then, to conclude which patients have great outcomes because of a drug and which simply have slow-growing cancers a phenomenon doctors have recognized for years. But this distinction is the very crux of the big-data approach. Observational data no matter how big will have difficulty overcoming this challenge. The other trouble with big data is that if we agree that the outcomes we have now are mediocre (and I think we can agree on that), studying these outcomes in greater detail is unlikely to result in truly transformative approaches. It would be like NASA scientists studying old nautical voyages to figure out how to reach the moon. Biden has recently offered up two more moonshot ideas: immunotherapy and increasing access to trials. Immunotherapy refers to promising new drugs that harness the bodys immune system to fight cancer, and indeed these have generated impressive outcomes for some patients. But with dozens of immunotherapy studies underway, that rocket has already lifted off, and its unclear what Bidens moonshot can add. And, unfortunately, the bitter reality is that despite immunotherapys promise, its benefits will probably remain confined to a minority of patients with certain types of cancer. Immunotherapy is unlikely to be a panacea. Increasing access to cancer trials would be a great thing, but it is hard not to think of it as only a modest step, as well. Perhaps this reflects political reality. With one year left in President Obamas term, and a Congress whose recent achievements make the War on Cancer look like a huge success, the chances of passing meaningful legislation are slim. Obama can still take executive action, but this is likely to yield only modest changes such as small shifts in funding priorities or lowering minor bureaucratic hurdles. John F. Kennedy called for his moonshot at the beginning of his presidency, not near the end of his term. But the fundamental problem with a moonshot a surge of concentrated effort to tackle a single problem aimed at cancer is that it does not fit the way that medical progress occurs. Scientific discovery is hard to predict, and breakthroughs occur in serendipitous and unexpected ways, arising from diverse disciplines. A serious moonshot would require funding science broadly, consistently and in steadily increasing amounts. This money would go to cancer biology research, but also to physiology, molecular biology, genetics, physics, chemistry, social science, clinical trials, supportive care and on and on. The way in which we will ultimately make progress in fighting cancer, and for that matter Alzheimers disease, and emphysema, and mental illness, will likely surprise even the most farsighted experts, and may have surprisingly diverse origins. Such science is not just the best way to improve human health but also the only way. A commitment to funding science generally, and not just fad projects or treatments, in times of both budget surplus and shortfall, would be a true moonshot for the United States. Sadly, this is the one moonshot no one in politics seems to have the courage to fight for. H. W. Brands is the author of Reagan: The Life and other books of American history. If Donald Trump wins the Republican nomination for president over the strenuous efforts of party elites to derail him, he ought to send a note of thanks to Geoffrey Cowan. Almost 50 years ago, Cowan led a campaign among the Democrats to strengthen the system of primary elections and reduce the power of party bosses. The campaign succeeded, giving the Democrats George McGovern in 1972 and spilling over into the GOP in time for Ronald Reagan to demonstrate in 1980 that primary voters were less worried about his age than the party pros. Cowan is currently president of the Annenberg Foundation Trust and a professor at the University of Southern California. In Let the People Rule, he examines the origins of the primary system during the Progressive era of the early 20th century. Progressives decried the debilitation of democracy at the hands of corporate moguls and political bosses. They tackled the moguls with antitrust laws and business regulations; they circumvented the bosses with reforms that made democracy more direct. These included the popular election of senators, the initiative and the referendum, and primary elections. In 1910 Oregon adopted a measure establishing the nations first presidential primaries. The idea had sufficient appeal that several other states scheduled primaries ahead of the 1912 presidential election. In that year Theodore Roosevelt, the former president, challenged William Howard Taft, the incumbent, for the Republican nomination. Taft controlled the party machinery, but Roosevelt hoped to leverage his personal popularity against the president. Roosevelt had been tepid on the subject of primaries, but finding his way back to the White House blocked by the Taft regulars, he had a conversion experience. The primary, he suddenly proclaimed, was essential to good government. I believe that the majority of the plain people of the United States will, day in and day out, make fewer mistakes in governing themselves than any smaller class or body of men, no matter what their training, will make in trying to govern them, he told a packed house at Carnegie Hall in March 1912. Cowan tells his story with great verve. He relates the experience of Roosevelt supporters in Oklahoma, who included veterans of TRs Rough Rider regiment from the Spanish-American War. Our fellows put up a great fight lasting all day and until four in the morning, one of them wrote to Roosevelt. One man dropped dead and two or three were carried out unconscious. The state chairman, Harris, a Taft man, was told if he tried to put over any crooked deals from the chair that he wouldnt get out of the hall alive. Feelings ran so high that gun-play was expected. Indeed, I am told that one of Roosevelts men stood behind Harris with his hand on his gun ready for an emergency. Cowans tale is packed with such vignettes, portraying a pre-radio, pre-television, pre-Internet time when politics was conducted face to face. Cowans Roosevelt slashes the air with his right hand while making key points; he clips his words with a speaking style that one contemporary likened to biting off tenpenny nails. This Roosevelt was also capable of turning on a dime without conceding that he had gone anywhere but straight. Let the people rule, Roosevelt declared, but he didnt mean all the people all the time. When it served his purposes to include African Americans, he was more than happy to accept their votes. But when the black vote worked against him when, having won most of the primaries but lost the Republican nomination to Taft, he became the nominee of the Progressive Party and feared frightening off Southern whites he took pains to exclude them. I believe the great majority of the negroes in the South are wholly unfit for suffrage, he declared in what was either a moment of candor or a moment of expedience. Cowan surmises it was a bit of both. He nonetheless admires Roosevelt for opening presidential politics to greater participation. Cowan acknowledges the drawbacks of primaries. The primary process has produced a new class of political leaders and insiders who are not necessarily representative of the general public or even of the party, he writes. Primaries tempt or compel candidates to appease the most extreme elements in their parties. And they amplify the influence of money. Primary campaigns have become so costly that candidates are forced to spend much of their time raising money and trying to win the hearts of a few very large donors. On balance, though, Cowan applauds what Roosevelt wrought. If not for primaries, he suggests, neither John Kennedy in 1960 nor Barack Obama in 2008 would have become president. And Reagan might have lost his third and doubtless final try to gain the White House. Cowan tips his cap to TR in concluding that primaries have indeed, as Roosevelt promised they would, given the people the right to rule. And given them the right to make Trump the Republican nominee. Should such an outcome occur, those frustrated GOP regulars might wish TR had wrought less well. Hillary Clinton is seen aboard the campaign bus in Cleveland on the third day of a bus tour through Pennsylvania and Ohio. July 31, 2016 Hillary Clinton is seen aboard the campaign bus in Cleveland on the third day of a bus tour through Pennsylvania and Ohio. Melina Mara/The Washington Post The former secretary of state, senator and first lady is the Democratic nominee for president. Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton campaigns in key states in her quest to become the Democratic nominee for president. Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton campaigns in key states in her quest to become the Democratic nominee for president. Hillary Clinton began this last week before the crucial Iowa caucus vote by saying that political campaigns need more poetry. But the pitch she made to Iowa voters all week is for pragmatism. Heres what Im running on, Clinton told an enthusiastic crowd packed into a college gymnasium here Friday. Im not running on just telling you what you want to hear. Im telling you what I think I can do, what I think I can get done, she said. The reference to rival Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and his late surge on a crest of liberal aspiration was unmistakable, as was Clintons tone of urgency as she made a case for experience and ability. Please, between now and Monday night, think hard. Because the stakes are high, Clinton said at the start of a half-hour speech that mixed details of her long political biography with a workmanlike list of policies and promises. She closed with a return to her call for Democrats to think twice before they vote. The Fix's Chris Cillizza previews the Iowa caucuses, looking at what the outcome could mean for both Democrats and Republicans. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post) I want to just end by asking all of you to think hard about what you want from the next president and commander in chief, she said. What you respect, what your families need, who could make a real difference in your lives not sometime far off in the future but literally on the first day. The Clinton argument in the closing days before Mondays caucuses in Iowa is twofold: an overt claim that she has better ideas than Sanders that could actually come true; and a more subtle suggestion that nominating Sanders would mean defeat for Democrats in the presidential election in November. [With defeat possible in Iowa and N.H., Clinton has quietly been looking ahead] Rattled by the Sanders surge, her campaign is firing off alarmed requests for donations as small as $1 to answer his fundraising juggernaut. Theres no denying this: His supporters are stepping up. They see a chance to win in Iowa, and theyre willing to go all in for their guy, Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook wrote in a fundraising appeal late Thursday that suggested a Sanders victory would make a Donald Trump presidency more likely. Our party will lose more than the presidency, Mook warned. Years of progress will be ripped away. In Dubuque later Friday, Clinton made the argument for her electability more pointedly. The Democratic candidate needs to go toe to toe with whoever they put up there, she said. I have a plan. Not a promise, a plan. Clinton has taken as a badge of honor the spending of conservative super PACs that are targeting her, and she asks audiences to consider why Republicans would appear to prefer her rival Sanders as an opponent in the general election. Ask yourself why wealthy conservatives would seek to influence the Democratic race now. Because they dont want to run against me, because they know I can stop them in November. Clintons argument to Iowans in these final days is a carbon copy of the one she deployed unsuccessfully as a candidate in 2008. It is imperative that we have a president, starting on Day One, who can begin to solve our problems, tackle these challenges and seize the opportunities that I think await, she said during a debate eight years ago almost to the date. David Plouffe, who managed the Barack Obama campaign that overtook Clinton in Iowa in 2008, told Clinton supporters that the momentum gained or lost in Iowa is crucial and that Sanders is outspending Clinton daily on television ads in Iowa. A lot of these precincts will come down to just a few people, which means valuable delegates can swing one way or the other based on the tiniest of margins, he wrote in asking for small online donations to help be a part of history and help Hillary win in Iowa. At Grand View University here, Clinton said Sanders would blow up the success of President Obamas Affordable Care Act for a new, single-payer health-insurance program that Clinton suggested is unrealistic. He wants us to start over with a plan that will be very difficult to get through Congress, Clinton said, a note of exasperation and frustration in her voice. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said the other day, We are not starting over. Clinton would go further, and take more sensible action, on Wall Street regulation, prescription-drug price control and more, she asserted. She brought onstage an Iowa woman whose daughter was successfully treated for brain cancer while covered by the portion of the ACA that allows young adults to remain on their parents insurance. The crowd was large for Clinton at about 700 and contained a mix of confirmed supporters and those who, as Clinton said, are still shopping. Campaign volunteers with clipboards intercepted attendees, asking for signatures and a pledge to turn out for Clinton on Monday. Her campaign also debuted electronic versions of those commitment forms this week. If you will go to caucus for me on Monday, I promise you: If you stand up for me Monday night, I will stand up and fight for you as hard as I can, Clinton said. Warming up a smaller crowd at a middle school in Newton on Thursday, Iowas lone Democrat holding national office also made the case for practicality and experience. Theres nobody in this race on either side of the aisle who is more qualified to be president of the United States than Hillary Clinton, Rep. David Loebsack said. We know its tight. Its going to be close, he said, adding that he thinks Clinton will win. Clinton struck a reflective tone as she addressed the largely older crowd at Berg Middle School. As she appealed to Iowas role as a proving ground, echoes of how she fell short here in 2008 were clear. On Monday night, you are the first people in the entire world who get to express an opinion about who should be president and commander in chief, she said. She thanked Iowans for telling her about the opportunities, the worries, the dreams they have shared with her over the nine months she has campaigned here. I know I will be a better president because you have been willing to spend your time talking to me, telling me what you think is important, she said. We have only a few days left. Even in a White House striving to be family friendly, there are limits. President Obama announced Friday that his top legislative aide, Katie Beirne Fallon, is stepping down after two years in the post. Fallon, who helped improve his troubled interactions with congressional Republicans and helped broker deals on issues ranging from the budget to last years nuclear deal with Iran, had returned to work full time last August after having twin boys in the spring. In a statement, Obama noted that Fallon had remained popular on Capitol Hill even at a time when partisan differences remain stark. Republicans and Democrats in Congress have their differences but when it comes to Katie, theyre united in their admiration and respect, he said. She came into her role at a time when we needed to build up our relationships with folks in both parties. And from bipartisan budget agreements, to protecting a deal that will prevent a nuclear Iran, to ensuring the long-stalled Ex-Im and IMF reforms were enacted, we simply could not have made the progress weve made without her. Fallon who gave birth two months early, in April had been juggling parenting and work as her husband, Brian Fallon, commuted back on weekends from Brooklyn as the press secretary for Hillary Clintons presidential campaign. [For working parents, White House is the ultimate on-call job] A White House official, who asked not to be identified in order to discuss personnel matters, said Fallon told close friends and colleagues in the White House last year that she was planning to stay until the end of 2015. Over the course of last year, Obama achieved several of his top legislative priorities, including approval of Trade Promotion Authority, the lifting of federal spending caps imposed through sequestration and the protection of the Affordable Care Act. Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), who used to be Fallons boss, called her probably the most popular staffer the administration has had. Katie is the total package and can see the whole field in terms of policy, press and politics. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnells (R-Ky.) chief of staff, Sharon Soderstrom, was equally effusive: Katie is a talented member of the presidents team who will be missed by those she worked with on Capitol Hill. I appreciate both the professionalism and trust that we enjoyed. Fallon will be succeeded by White House deputy director of legislative affairs Amy Rosenbaum, who ran the office during Fallons maternity leave and spent nearly five years as policy director for then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). News Al Ain court of appeal fines man Dhs50,000 for insulting others on twitter The convict used his account on twitter to post inappropriate images that not only clearly offended the fans of a sports club but also had nothing to do with sportsmanship and honorable competition among UAE clubs and fans. Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas steps up his outreach Friday during a campaign event at Iowa Lake Community College in Emmetsburg, Iowa. (Joshua Lott /for The Washington Post) Ted Cruz did not act like a candidate who had just been pummeled in a Republican debate the night before. The Texas senator and tea party darling was instead focused on imploring a group of voters in this tiny northern Iowa town to come caucus for him in three days and to get others to do the same. I want to ask everyone here to vote for me 10 times. Now, were not Democrats. Im not suggesting voter fraud, Cruz said Friday, standing in front of a popcorn machine at a bar as the crowd chuckled. But if everyone here gets nine other people to show up Monday night, you will have voted 10 times. That is how we win. Cruz, not long ago leading GOP front-runner Donald Trump in the polls here, has had a rough couple of weeks under siege from all sides, sliding back to second place and targeted Thursday night in a debate where much of the fire, and a good deal of the damage, was borne by him. Now, with the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses set to be held Monday, Cruz is blitzing the state to get as many people as possible to vote for him. He is also focusing new attacks on another rival, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, including a fresh round of advertising to be aired this weekend. [Ted Cruz, under siege in Iowa, attempts to play underdog] 1 of 53 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad Presidential hopeful Ted Cruz on the campaign trail View Photos The Texas Republican was the first major presidential candidate to formally declare a bid. Caption Looking back at the Texas senators presidential bid. May 3, 2016 Sen. Ted Cruz speaks with his wife, Heidi, by his side during a primary night campaign event in Indianapolis. Cruz ended his presidential campaign, eliminating the biggest impediment to Donald Trumps march to the Republican nomination. Darron Cummings/AP Wait 1 second to continue. Despite such headwinds, the Cruz campaign modeling itself as a conservative version of President Obamas ground operation said Friday it remains serenely confident that two things will carry him across the finish line here: superior organization and analytics. Cruz is locked in a tight battle with Trump, and the two have followed very different strategies. Cruzs is the more traditional one, intensely focused on the ground game. Trump thinks that he can bring voters to the caucuses through the force of his celebrity and personality, which has drawn tens of thousands of supporters to his rallies. Cruzs campaign manager, Jeff Roe, laid out the challenge in pinpoint detail Friday at a breakfast in Des Moines organized by Bloomberg Politics. The operation of the senator from Texas thinks that it has come down to fighting over exactly 9,131 voters who are trying to decide between Cruz and Trump: 3,185 who are torn between him and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson; and a smaller group 2,807, to be precise who have not yet made their choice between him and Rubio. Cruz also must try to peel off supporters of other religious conservatives in the race, including former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee and former senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania. [Santorum and Huckabee, once also-rans, see opening in Cruz-Trump fight] Its very primal, frankly, Roe said, when asked how he could be so confident of that data. Its not like kernels in the jar at the state fair. These are people who have told us this. . . . The numbers arent wrong, because weve been testing them. Roe also predicted that turnout will exceed the record for a Republican caucus day, which is 122,000 in Iowa. What he doesnt know, Roe said, is by how much. He conceded that the higher it goes, the better it will bode for Trump, who is counting on a surge of voters who have not traditionally made the effort to attend the caucuses, an exercise that requires devoting most of a frigid weeknight. The Fix's Chris Cillizza previews the Iowa caucuses, looking at what the outcome could mean for both Democrats and Republicans. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post) In the final days, he added, Cruz plans to stick to the message that has gotten him this far the promise that he will be the ultimate disrupter of how Washington operates. But it will have one additional pitch. This is now a choice. In many respects, Mrs. Clintons problems have led Republicans to believe they are picking a president now, Roe said, referring to the difficulties Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton is having in her primary battle with Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. [Welcome to Camp Cruz, a little bit of the Real World' on the trail in Iowa] Now, the question Republican primary voters are asking is, Who do we want our president to be? Not just, Who do we want our nominee to be? Cruzs campaign manager said. Thats a different calculation for people. In recent days, Cruz and his surrogates on the campaign trail and on television have been making that entreaty to voters, telling them that it is effectively a two-man race between him and Trump, and that Cruz is the only candidate with the conservative record, money and organization to beat the businessman. They say that Trump would support Bernie Sanders-style socialized medicine, was an abortion rights advocate for most of his life and supported a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. They highlight Trumps decision to boycott Thursday nights GOP debate in Des Moines, saying that it shows he does not have the humility to stand in front of Iowans with other candidates. Cruz has also been talking up values on the campaign trail, as well as his desire to stop federal funding for Planned Parenthood and his antiabortion views. He asks voters whether they have ever been burned by a politician, and he promises that if he is elected they wont be. So even if youre thinking about another candidate, the simple reality is there is only one campaign that can beat Trump, Cruz told a private meeting of pastors this week. [Cruz: Im the only candidate who can beat Trump] On the financial side, the campaign will officially announce Sunday that it had more than $19 million in its campaign coffers as of Dec. 31, which Roe said will be $10 million more than any other GOP presidential candidate can claim. Trump is in a different category, as he is funding a good portion of his campaign with his personal fortune. Roe said that the figure is evidence Cruz is financially equipped to battle it out for what could be months left to go in the GOP primary race. Beyond Iowa, Cruzs campaign has focused resources on the delegate-rich South, which has a slate of states that vote March 1. Cruz has spent about a quarter of his time there, including about a dozen slickly produced rallies in December that had the feel of a general-election swing. [Weeks from the Iowa caucuses, Cruz trades snow for Southern sunshine] But Cruz must get through the Hawkeye State first. Cruz has promised to visit all 99 Iowa counties, a challenge he is set to complete Monday. But days before the caucuses, the pledge is taking him away from the states population centers to out-of-the-way places such as this town of about 400 people near the Minnesota border. One of Cruzs persistent problems here is his stance on ethanol, a big business in this agriculturally rich state. Cruz opposes a mandate that requires gasoline to have a certain percentage of the corn-based fuel, decrying it as corporate welfare that makes Washington lobbyists rich and hurts competition. He is asked about it at almost every campaign stop, telling voters that he supports ethanol but opposes Washington. Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R) has taken the unusual step of publicly hammering Cruz on the issue, saying it should force him to lose the caucuses. Branstad said Friday that Cruz turned in a poor performance in the debate and is fading, in part because of his ethanol position. Renewable energy is very important to our state. A lot of jobs are at stake, Branstad said in an interview on C-SPANs Newsmakers. His stand on that issue is definitely going to hurt him. [Cruz campaign credits psychological data and analytics for rising success] Here in Ringsted, Cruz was asked repeated questions about the issue by a woman who brought up Branstad; Cruz pointed out that the governors son is an ethanol lobbyist. Cruz said that he refuses to capitulate to those who said his stance on the issue will hurt him here. I understand it would be easier to come to Iowa and say, Im for the ethanol mandate forever and ever, Amen. I get that, Cruz said. But then he pivoted to another growing threat: Rubio, who has been shown gaining on Cruz and Trump in recent polling here. The focus of Cruzs attacks on Rubio, both on the stump and in the new round of advertising, is Rubios co-sponsorship of a failed Senate immigration-reform bill that Rubio now disavows. Marco Rubio has gone on Univision in Spanish and said, No, no, I wont rescind amnesty, Cruz alleged in front of the Ringsted crowd. In his recent Iowa appearances, Cruz emphasized that the only way to beat Trump or Rubio is to turn out to caucus. Call your mother. Call your sister, your next-door neighbor, your business partner, he says, reminding people its always a good idea to call your mother. Hes also making promises. At a community college in Emmetsburg, Iowa, on Friday, Cruz joked: Everyone who comes out and caucuses gets two free library books. Tumulty reported from Des Moines. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). The emergence of a strong establishment candidate in the race for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination could begin Feb. 1 in Iowa with a surprisingly strong finish by Rubio. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post) This years presidential campaign has proved to be a bleak season for mainstream conservative candidates, a story of frustration, rejection and disappointment. But will that be the end of the story, or are revival and redemption still possible? It is possible that rejection of the establishment will be the end of the story. It could happen if Donald Trump rolls through the Iowa caucuses Monday, goes on to win the Feb. 9 New Hampshire primary handily and uses those two states as a springboard to a big victory in the Feb. 20 South Carolina primary. Winning that trifecta would put Trump in a political category all his own, the first Republican other than a sitting president to sweep the first three contests on the calendar. Few candidates go undefeated, but at that point, many strategists think, Trump would be extremely difficult to stop en route to one of the most surprising nomination victories of all time. [Still dont think Donald Trump can win? This chart should convince you.] Theres another possible scenario that could leave the establishment shut out. Thats one that would start with Sen. Ted Cruz (Tex.) defeating Trump here on Monday night, using that victory to finish second behind Trump in New Hampshire and subsequently turn South Carolina and later contests in March into a two-person race. The Fix's Chris Cillizza previews the Iowa caucuses, looking at what the outcome could mean for both Democrats and Republicans. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post) Advisers to four remaining mainstream candidates former Florida governor Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) discount either of those outcomes. All see events that would bring one or two of the mainstream conservatives into genuine competition and possible victory. What they need is time, patience and what all successful politicians have: luck. I think its coming, said a strategist for one of these candidates, speaking on the condition of anonymity to offer a strategic assessment. But its not going to materialize until the field significantly winnows down. . . . So until the voters get their say in at least one or two states and start the winnowing process themselves, I think were going to be stuck with the bifurcation that we have right now. Over the past seven months, the Republican nominating campaign has been mostly about Trump. Or it has been about the rise of the outsiders, candidates in addition to Trump, such as Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina, who have never held public office, and Cruz, who long has fought the Washington establishment. [Inside the Republican Partys bizarre, tumultuous 2015] Mainstream candidates have struggled as never before. Because there was no next-in-line candidate, no heir apparent among them, establishment support splintered, pitting the four candidates against one another to squabble among themselves for that portion of the pie. And they have been conventional in an unconventional year. One strategist described the imbalance in the race to date as an anti-establishment superhighway and an establishment dirt path. What is most striking about the assessments of how establishment candidates can get back into the fight is a consensus that it will not happen quickly, that it will require the capacity to absorb a series of losses before the dynamic shifts. View Graphic These maps show how Iowa voters are split between two types of GOP candidates What could start this process is a surprisingly strong finish by Rubio here Monday. He is hoping for two things that day. First and most important is to finish well ahead of fellow establishment candidates Bush, Kasich and Christie. Next, and what would conceivably shorten the timeline to put Rubio into real contention for the nomination, would be his finishing as close as possible to, or even overtaking, whoever finishes second in Iowa. At this moment, Rubio is seen as the candidate with the best chance to emerge from the establishment lane, although that comes with significant caveats about whether he lives up to the potential that admirers see in him. What could knock him back would be to fall short of expectations by finishing behind Carson in Iowa. Starting Tuesday, the competition for second in the Granite State will be incredibly fierce. Kasichs team thinks he is the establishment candidate with momentum in New Hampshire. Bushs team thinks his debate performance and polls showing a mash-up for second give him an opportunity that did not seem possible two months ago, but he must avoid a debilitating finish in Iowa. Christie has spent more time in New Hampshire than any of the others but will need an exceptional week of campaigning. [John Kasich remember him? is on the rise in New Hampshire] Unless there is a single dominant establishment performance in New Hampshire, strategists think that at least two mainstream candidates will move on to compete in South Carolina, possibly all four. But primary results can be cruel, with the difference between viability in future contests and pressure to get out of the race determined by only a few percentage points, no matter what spin the campaigns put on a fourth-, fifth- or sixth-place finish. A string of losses is rarely a strategy for winning a nomination, although in 1992, Bill Clinton lost 10 of the first 11 contests before starting a winning streak that salvaged his candidacy. What gives establishment candidates reason for optimism is that the contests between Monday and March 14 will award delegates on a proportional basis. A winning candidate might claim momentum but would not be able to amass a big delegate lead over the next six weeks. Thats why Rubios team thinks the survival strategy eventually can be a winning strategy. Two things will have to happen, however. One is that establishment money will have to coalesce around a single mainstream candidate. So far, that has not happened, and it probably will not until after Super Tuesday on March 1. But some strategists think that whoever ends up as the remaining establishment candidate will receive an unprecedented financial windfall sometime in March. The second is that significant numbers of Republican voters decide they cannot stomach either Trump or Cruz as the partys nominee and swing decisively behind the remaining establishment candidate. Right now, Cruz is the most disliked by the establishment. Although some mainstream Republicans are making themselves more comfortable with the prospect of Trump as the nominee, others are determined to do everything they can to highlight all the ways in which Trumps positions, current or past, run counter to conservative principles. That, they say, will be easier when he is isolated against a single establishment candidate. Thats the hope for the beleaguered establishment wing of the Republican Party. Their fear is that by the time their moment arrives, it could be too late. Despite her immediate hurdles in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, Hillary Clinton has been quietly expanding her political networks in states that come later on the presidential calendar, confident that she can deny insurgent Bernie Sanders the Democratic nomination by swamping him in a state-by-state delegate slog. Many in Clintons Iowa staff of more than 100 are expected to quickly fan out to the two dozen states holding primaries and caucuses in March. Already, her campaign has held more than 10,000 volunteer training sessions, phone banks, debate watch parties and other organizing meetings to recruit and mobilize supporters in those places. Outside the Clinton campaign, there is mounting anxiety among senior Democrats and some Clinton allies that the March firewall she had been counting on to stop Sanders would be vulnerable if he were to score early wins. With Clintons recent focus squarely on the first four states Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina her campaigns activities to organize in the March states have gone largely unnoticed. Her strategists have been reluctant to reveal too much of their playbook publicly so as not to tip off her opponents. But senior Clinton campaign officials this week detailed the breadth of the operation in the March states and beyond, eager to show that their efforts are sophisticated and that her campaign is durable enough to withstand any early loss to Sanders, the Vermont senator who is surfing a wave of populist frustration to contend for the nomination. 1 of 46 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad Clinton rallies support on the campaign trail View Photos Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton campaigns in key states in her quest to become the Democratic nominee for president. Caption The former secretary of state, senator and first lady is the Democratic nominee for president. July 31, 2016 Hillary Clinton is seen aboard the campaign bus in Cleveland on the third day of a bus tour through Pennsylvania and Ohio. Melina Mara/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue. The early states are obviously very important in terms of kick-starting the primary, but they [award] only 4 percent of the delegates, campaign manager Robby Mook said. Over half the delegates will be chosen by the end of March. So weve always been focused on making sure that we can build the delegate lead that we need over the course of March. [Sanderss great strength, and great vulnerability, in Iowa: young voters] Many Democrats, including Clintons advisers, are mindful of how quickly the landscape changed for her in 2008 after Barack Obamas Iowa victory. Though Sanders does not yet have the national coalition Obama enjoyed, wins by him in Iowa and New Hampshire would at least complicate Clintons calculus for securing the nomination. Some Clinton backers are concerned that momentum could carry him to a better-than-expected finish in South Carolina, where Clintons deep support among black voters gives her an advantage, and across the South and Midwest in March. If Sanders wins Iowa and New Hampshire, the energy and the media coverage are going to be substantial and all of a sudden that idea that organizational strength outweighs energy starts to disappear, said one well- connected Democrat familiar with the Clinton campaigns organization, who requested anonymity to share private worries. Clintons recent polling decline in Iowa has led some allies to worry whether she could lose her dominance in the South even in Arkansas, where she once served as first lady. In 2008, she swept Arkansas with 70 percent of the primary vote over Obama. But this time, the electorate is angrier and less predictable, and her allies have spotted a smattering of Sanders yard signs in Little Rock. There were a lot more Arkansas voters in 2008 that were acquainted with Hillary Clinton than there are in 2016, said Skip Rutherford, a longtime Clinton loyalist and dean of the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, who has known the Clintons for decades. The population here has changed. I think she will carry the state on the Democratic side, but I would be surprised if it was by the same margin. The Fix's Chris Cillizza previews the Iowa caucuses, looking at what the outcome could mean for both Democrats and Republicans. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post) [Sanders knocks Clinton for changing positions on Iraq and other key issues] Marlon Marshall, Clintons director of state campaigns and political engagement, said the campaign is taking nothing for granted. I dont believe in firewalls, Marshall said. We have strong support in certain demographics, but that doesnt mean its a firewall. We have to go out and earn support. We cant just say, Oh, I think were good here. Some top Democrats are confident in the Clinton operation and openly skeptical about Sanderss ability to translate the energy of his large crowds into votes at caucuses and primaries. Enthusiasm is not to be underestimated, but enthusiasm that isnt channeled into actual voting is really just a bunch of rallies, said David Axelrod, the top strategist on Obamas 2008 and 2012 campaigns. Thats not enough to win a nomination. Though Sanders began organizing far later than Clinton, he recently deployed paid staff to all 11 of the Super Tuesday March 1 states to organize supporters on the ground. And he can rely on his small-dollar fundraising machine to power him through a protracted nomination battle. Meanwhile, Sanders allies, such as Progressive Democrats of America, have been hosting liberal activists at house parties and phone banks to lay the groundwork for him in such states as Alabama, Georgia and Virginia. Clinton also has outside help, including many major labor unions and other interest groups, such as Planned Parenthood, who are backing up their endorsements with manpower in key states. We are on fire to make her the next president of the United States, said Mary Kay Henry, president of the Service Employees International Union. We have an unprecedented [number of] volunteers going into Iowa and New Hampshire and Nevada, Minnesota, Colorado and Virginia. And then were getting ready for our volunteer program in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, Michigan and Wisconsin. Clintons long-game strategy is a purposeful departure from 2008, when she focused mainly on organizing in the early states. As the nomination dragged on following her Iowa loss, Clinton scrambled to organize, especially in caucus states, and her campaign lurched from one contest to the next. Axelrod said this was a fatal miscalculation and that she has learned her lesson: They are fortified for a longer fight if they need to be in one. Jeremy Bird, who helped lead Obamas grass-roots organizing, said he sees parallels eight years later in Clintons campaign. Its putting staffers on the ground and really being maniacally focused on the caucus math and the calendar, Bird said. I dont think theyll get caught off guard on the delegate math like they did in 2008 and thats a big difference. Clintons advisers have long insisted they thought the primary would become competitive. At the moment Sanders announced his candidacy last spring, Mook was holding a meeting in his office at the campaigns Brooklyn headquarters and told aides that he viewed Sanders as a genuine threat, according to someone in attendance. Last June, Mook convened senior staff for a strategy meeting to map out plans to organize in the March states. By Labor Day, he had hired staff in many of those states. In Colorado, for instance, which holds a March 1 caucus and, like Iowa, awards delegates based on complicated rules, paid Clinton operatives have been on the ground for five months, signing up and training precinct leaders. They recruited nearly 70 politicians and other activists to join Clintons state leadership council. In October, they held a 300- person organizing meeting led by Gov. John Hickenlooper. And on Jan. 9, some 250 uber-volunteers from across the state came to Denver for a Clinton precinct captain convention. To be successful in a caucus, you need to build an organization, and you cant do that overnight, said Brad Komar, Clintons Colorado state director. You cant arrive two weeks beforehand and expect to have success. The Clinton campaign has made similar pushes elsewhere. On Friday, it ran a phone bank in Yarmouth, Maine, where the caucuses are March 6. This month, volunteers held a phone bank in Marietta, Ga., home to a March 1 primary. And this week, organizing academies were held in Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and the Rio Grande Valley to train volunteers to canvass ahead of the March 1 Texas primary. For Mook and his lieutenants, a key is not just running strong in big primary states, many of which Clinton won in 2008, but in the smaller caucus states where she got out-hustled by Obama. Weve made a real priority of organizing in those caucus states, deep into the calendar, Mook said. Were not going to get blown out this time. We have a plan to win. Matea Gold and Tom Hamburger in Washington contributed to this report. This photo, taken in the Buringa area of Burundi, shows a site flagged by Amnesty International as an "area of interest" in its investigation into mass graves. (AFP/Getty Images) Satellite images, video footage and witness accounts show that dozens of people allegedly killed by Burundian security forces in December were later buried in mass graves, Amnesty International reported Friday. The news came as unrest in Burundi escalated with the arrests of 17 people in a security sweep, including two foreign journalists who were released later Friday. The rights group reported five possible mass graves in Buringa on the outskirts of the capital, Bujumbura, which has been racked by violence as security forces move into neighborhoods seen as opposition strongholds. Two journalists on assignment for the French newspaper Le Monde were among the 17 people swept up in a military operation Thursday, said Moise Nkurunziza, a spokesman for Burundian police. Jean-Philippe Remy of France and British photographer Philip Edward Moore were released Friday afternoon, Le Monde said. France, which had called on Burundian authorities to free the journalists, suspended its security cooperation activities in Burundi late Friday. Witnesses described how police and local officials scoured Nyakabiga and other neighborhoods in Bujumbura to retrieve the bodies of those who were killed late last year and took them to undisclosed locations, according to Amnesty International. The imagery, dating from late December and early January, shows disturbed earth consistent with witness accounts. Witnesses told Amnesty International that the graves were dug on the afternoon of Dec. 11, in the immediate aftermath of the bloodiest day of Burundis escalating crisis, the group said. This month, U.N. human rights chief Zeid Raad al-Hussein also called for an urgent investigation into the alleged mass graves. He said the increasing number of enforced disappearances, coupled with allegations of secret detention facilities and mass graves, is extremely alarming. Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said Friday that the reports of mass graves underscore the futility of trying to cover up such crimes. Burundis government has dismissed the allegations, saying they are based on false information supplied by the regimes opponents. A Turkish coastguard escorts a rescued child migrant in Canakkale's Kucukkuyu district on January 30, 2016 after at least 33 migrants drowned when their boat sank in the Aegean Sea while trying to cross from Turkey to Greece. (Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty Images) A boat carrying Syrians attempting the short sea journey from Turkey to Greece struck rocks and capsized at dawn Saturday, killing at least 37 people, among them several babies and young children. Images of dead children on a beach Saturday recalled the photo of a 3-year-old lying face down on a Turkish beach last year that triggered an outpouring of support for the migrants plight, but also resulted in the debate and protests over their swelling numbers pushing into Europe. Saturdays tragedy occurred when the boat capsized as dozens of people attempted the deceptively short crossing from the Turkish coast to the Greek island of Lesbos, barely 5 miles away. More than 250 migrants have drowned this month trying to reach the Greek islands, an entry point to Europe and its uncertain promise of refuge from war and poverty. [Special report: The Waypoint: A visual journey through Lesbos, the gateway to Europe] The Turkish coast guard said three ships, a helicopter and team of divers were searching the partially submerged craft and surrounding seas for more bodies. Police on shore placed bodies in black bags. Journalists tried to interview some of the 75 survivors, but police took them away in buses: some bound for a local hospital to be treated for hypothermia and injuries; others into police custody for questioning. A Turkish government official said rescuers had recovered bodies trapped inside the wreckage of the 56-foot-long boat, which sank shortly after departing from the shore. Saim Eskioglu, deputy governor for the coastal Canakkale province that includes Ayvacik, said the boat hit rocks soon after it left the coast. There were around 10 children among the dead, Eskioglu told the Associated Press. Four of them, unfortunately, were babies about 1 or 2 years old. We are deeply saddened. Eskioglu and Ayvaciks mayor, Mehmet Unal Sahin, said most of the migrants were Syrians. The Anadolu Agency said the boat also bore natives of Afghanistan and Myanmar. A private Turkish news agency, Dogan, said police arrested a Turkish man suspected of being the smuggler who organized Saturdays failed sea crossing. The man denied responsibility, saying he had relatives on board. The International Organization for Migration says drowning deaths are running at four times the rate of 2015, when many thousands daily sought to enter the European Union via Turkey by reaching one of more than a dozen offshore Greek islands, chiefly Lesbos. The agency recorded 805 drowning deaths of migrants on Turkey-Greece sea routes in 2015 and 218 this month before Saturdays tragedy. Joel Millman, a spokesman for the International Organization for Migration, said the death toll was increasing at an alarming rate. Associated Press Read more: David Cameron blasted for calling people in refugee camp a bunch of migrants More European nations are barring their doors to migrants Masked men threaten to attack refugee children in Stockholm Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter has decided not to impose any further punishment on David H. Petraeus, the former CIA director and retired Army general who was forced to resign in a sex-and-secrets scandal in 2012. In a brief letter sent Friday to the leaders of the Senates Armed Services Committee, the Pentagon reported that Carter had agreed with the Armys recommendation not to discipline Petraeus. Given the Army review, Secretary Carter considers this matter closed, Stephen C. Hedger, assistant secretary of defense for legislative affairs, wrote in the three-sentence letter, obtained by The Washington Post. The letter did not elaborate. The Pentagon letter was addressed to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the chairman and top Democrat, respectively, of the Armed Services Committee. [How David Petraeus avoided felony charges and possible prison time] In his first public testimony since resigning as CIA director, former Army Gen. David Petraeus apologized to the Senate Armed Services Committee for his affair. (AP) In a public letter of their own on Jan. 20, the senators had urged Carter to let the Petraeus matter lie and allow him to keep the four-star rank he had earned during his long career in the Army. In April, after a lengthy investigation by the FBI that disgraced the onetime military hero, Petraeus pleaded guilty in federal court in North Carolina to a misdemeanor charge of mishandling classified materials. He was sentenced to two years of probation and fined $100,000. Petraeuss civilian sentence did not necessarily exempt him from further punishment at the hands of the military. Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, although he retired from the Army in 2011 to take the top job at the CIA, he still could have faced discipline for his actions. Carter could have imposed a range of disciplinary measures, under military law, from issuing a nonbinding letter of concern about Petraeuss actions to demoting him from his rank as a retired four-star general. Besides further tarnishing Petraeuss reputation, stripping him of a star could have cost him tens of thousands of dollars a year in pension payments. Carters decision effectively ends a long and embarrassing period of uncertainty for Petraeus, one of the Armys most venerated leaders before his reputation was shredded by the scandal. [Read the Pentagon letter saying Petraeus will not face further punishment] On Saturday, Petraeuss attorney, David Kendall, declined to comment on the outcome of the case. As part of Petraeuss plea deal with the Justice Department, he admitted in a signed statement that he had committed wrongdoing while he was still in the Army before he retired in 2011 to take charge of the CIA. He also admitted that he lied to FBI agents. Specifically, Petraeus acknowledged providing eight notebooks containing highly classified material to his biographer, Paula Broadwell, in the waning days of his Army career. Petraeus has also admitted to having an affair with Broadwell. Petraeus had kept the notebooks when he served as commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan in 2010 and 2011. They contained code words, war strategy, the names of covert officers and other sensitive information. In addition, they outlined deliberative discussions with the National Security Council and President Obama. Broadwell was not charged in that federal investigation. She is still an officer in the Army Reserve, and a senior Army official has said that the service was not contemplating taking action against her. The Justice Department shared its investigative case file on Petraeus with the Army after his guilty plea, and some Justice Department officials made little secret of their desire for the military to take further action against the former spymaster. After a review, however, then-Army Secretary John McHugh made a formal recommendation in the fall that Carter take no further action in the case. McHugh issued the recommendation as one of his final acts in office before he stepped down as Army secretary Nov. 1. Petraeus remains a revered figure within the Army for his leadership during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Despite the scandal that led to his downfall at the CIA, he also maintains close ties with many influential members of Congress. Cleane Serpa, 18, holds 1-month-old cousin Maria Eduarda, born with microcephaly, at her aunts home in Recife, in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. The newborns parents, who are poor, did not want her, so Cleane and an aunt are raising her. The nation has the highest number of babies born with microcephaly from mothers testing positive for the mosquito-born Zika virus. Jan. 9, 2016 Cleane Serpa, 18, holds 1-month-old cousin Maria Eduarda, born with microcephaly, at her aunts home in Recife, in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. The newborns parents, who are poor, did not want her, so Cleane and an aunt are raising her. The nation has the highest number of babies born with microcephaly from mothers testing positive for the mosquito-born Zika virus. Lianne Milton/Panos Pictures for The Washington Post South Americas biggest country has seen a rise in cases of a disease triggered by the little-known Zika virus being linked to a spike in birth defects. South Americas biggest country has seen a rise in cases of a disease triggered by the little-known Zika virus being linked to a spike in birth defects. South Americas biggest country has seen a rise in cases of a disease triggered by the little-known Zika virus being linked to a spike in birth defects. Brazilian scientists could be close to producing a reliable test for the Zika virus that can spot traces of the disease even months after sufferers have recovered. If scientists succeed, it could represent a major breakthrough for public health authorities in Brazil looking for a definitive connection between a Zika epidemic in the country and an outbreak of thousands of cases of the birth defect microcephaly. [WHO: Zika virus spreading explosively, level of alarm extremely high] Zika has spread rapidly through the Americas in recent months, causing fear and panic, especially among pregnant women. The World Health Organization said Zika could affect 3 million to 4 million people within a year, and President Obama has called for urgent action. Luis Ferreira, a microbiologist at the University of Sao Paulo who is part of a Zika network of 42 laboratories, said the new test could be ready in a few weeks. The Brazilian government blames the incidence of microcephaly on Zika, but the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have not positively confirmed the link. The CDC, however, has warned pregnant women against traveling to countries with outbreaks of Zika infections. [Brazilians panic as mosquito-borne virus is linked to brain damage in thousands of babies] The Brazilian government is investigating 3,448 suspected cases of microcephaly, it said in a bulletin this week. Beyond those, it has discounted 462 cases and confirmed 270 as being microcephaly. However, it has been able to confirm the presence of Zika in only six of the 270 established cases. This is because of the lack of a widely available method to test for the virus months after parents may have been infected, Ferreira said. The virus can be detected in the blood of victims for a few days and in their urine for a few months. Currently, complex tests can spot traces of the virus in antibodies but take up to 10 days, because the antibodies produced are similar to those of dengue, another disease spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. This week Lyle Petersen, director of the CDCs vector-borne disease division, said that current tests cannot differentiate between the antibodies humans produce in response to the two diseases. Paolo Zanotto, a microbiologist at the University of Sao Paulo who is coordinating the Zika network said the team is waiting for a protein from Senegalese researchers that may be able to tease out the differences between antibodies produced against dengue and Zika. As the World Health Organization decides whether to declare the Zika virus outbreak a global public health emergency, here's a look at other pandemics that made it to our shores. (Gillian Brockell/The Washington Post) [U.S., Brazilian officials probing possible link between Zika virus, rare paralysis condition] In Brazil, Zika infection has often been wrongly diagnosed as dengue or chikungunya. Zika has also been associated with hundreds of cases of the rare Guillain-Barre syndrome, which can cause paralysis. Mirdad Kazanji, director of the Pasteur Institute in French Guiana, who has been working with the Zika network, said the test is crucial to establishing a definite link between Zika and microcephaly. To do that, you need the diagnostic test first, to show that the virus is already present here, he said. At a Zika network conference at the University of Sao Paulo, Kazanji said the virus had first been found in a rhesus monkey in Uganda in 1947 by researchers studying yellow fever. It spread to Yap Island in French Micronesia, which saw an outbreak in 2007. An outbreak in French Polynesia followed in 2013-2014, but it was only after the Brazil outbreak that researchers there found evidence of a spike in local microcephaly cases, Kazanji said in a presentation. Kazanji worked for 10 years in Africa, where the only person he saw with the disease was his wife. In contrast, the Brazilian government says that 400,000 to 1.5 million people may have been infected in less than a year. Kazanji said this is because Africans had built up resistance to Zika but Brazilians had not. The people there, they own immunity, Kazanji told The Washington Post. But the virus arrived at this naive region where it is not Africa; the people have no immunity. Read more As Zika fear spreads, Brazilian mothers opt for mosquito-resistant baby clothing Why Brazil still hasnt approved Israels ambassador pick Rio planned Olympic-scale sewerage project. But citizens say no thanks. A Health Ministry employee fumigates to prevent the spread of the mosquito-borne Zika virus in the Lupita neighborhood of Antiguo Cuscatlan, a municipality south of El Salvadors capital, San Salvador. Jan. 28, 2016 A Health Ministry employee fumigates to prevent the spread of the mosquito-borne Zika virus in the Lupita neighborhood of Antiguo Cuscatlan, a municipality south of El Salvadors capital, San Salvador. Fred Ramos/For The Washington Post In the capital of El Salvador, health workers are negotiating entry into violent, gang-run neighborhoods to fumigate and to educate residents about avoiding infestations. In the capital of El Salvador, health workers are negotiating entry into violent, gang-run neighborhoods to fumigate and to educate residents about avoiding mosquito infestations. In the capital of El Salvador, health workers are negotiating entry into violent, gang-run neighborhoods to fumigate and to educate residents about avoiding mosquito infestations. In a cramped cinder-block apartment in a slum blighted by warring gangs, Stefanie Ramirez listened as a doctor rubbed her pregnant belly and spoke gently about what was happening to her unborn child and to her country. Ramirez contracted the Zika virus painlessly, experiencing no fever, only a minor stomach rash. She recovered, returned to work as an accountant and hardly thought about the sickness until the past few weeks, when the possibility of a link between Zika and babies born with abnormally small heads grew so alarming that Salvadoran authorities advised women to avoid getting pregnant for two years. Since then, Ramirez has been among 122 pregnant women across El Salvador who receive regular doctors visits and home sonograms to detect early signs of microcephaly. The monitoring is part of a nationwide effort to combat an illness that is rapidly spreading across the Americas. Its an epidemic disease with serious consequences, especially for pregnant women, Vladimir Ruiz, one of the doctors, told Ramirez during his visit Thursday. [WHO: Zika virus spreading explosively, level of alarm extremely high] This small Central American nation, and Ramirezs neighborhood of San Jacinto in particular, demonstrates why the mosquito-borne disease marching north toward the United States is going to be so difficult to stop. In this web of slums, there are blocks where 8 in 10 houses are breeding sites for mosquitoes. The city is a patchwork of rival gang territories that are defended so fiercely that health authorities cannot enter some neighborhoods. In just the first three weeks of January, El Salvador recorded 2,474 new suspected Zika cases, nearly half of them here in the capital. Many infected pregnant women live in these densely packed southern neighborhoods. Its uncontrollable, said Eli Leiva, 40, an elementary school teacher in San Jacinto who has several students with Zika. Its a problem that has gotten totally out of hand. Doctors are worried that basic public-health messages are not reaching their audience. Many residents ignore the recommendation to destroy mosquito breeding grounds by disposing of standing water, even though El Salvador has suffered repeated outbreaks of dengue and chikungunya, fevers transmitted by the same type of mosquito that carries the Zika virus. Teen pregnancy is rampant, abortion is illegal and contraception is discouraged in the heavily Catholic country. Many women interviewed dismissed the advice not to become pregnant as unrealistic. People arent going to change because the government tells them to, said Jennifer Estefany, 20, a mother of two who was visiting a clinic with her sick 4-year-old son. The majority of people think this is some kind of lie. [What you need to know about Zika] To fight the disease, Salvadoran authorities have launched a campaign to fumigate some 55,000 houses each week. Clinic workers hand out free packets of disinfectant for water supplies, and they lecture patients on mosquito prevention. Authorities are even giving people baby tilapia, hoping the fish will eat mosquito eggs and larvae living in water tanks. Its easier to eliminate breeding grounds of mosquitoes than to limit peoples desire to be a mother or a father, said Julio Morales, director of the Unicentro hospital in Soyapango, another southern neighborhood in the capital. Killing the larva is fundamental. If people dont understand that, were never going to stop this virus. Up and down the jungly hills of San Jacinto on Thursday, dozens of municipal employees hunted their prey using flamethrower-style fumigators with names such as Super Hawk and Vector Fog. On block after block, they came across abandoned or locked homes and residents wary of the government. We ask, at the very least, that you open your doors to the health people, one doctor said over a megaphone as he drove through the neighborhood. Could you let us enter, please? environmental inspector William Cabrera asked outside the metal gate of one house. Ducking under a hammock, he followed Maria Magdalena Palomo de Hernandez, 76, into the house and headed for a back patio crammed with hanging laundry and tropical plants. Containers of water? Cabrera asked. He peered into a blue plastic barrel, half-full and partially covered. Across poor neighborhoods of San Salvador, including San Jacinto, the municipal supply of fresh water is sporadic. Faucets sometimes are dry for days or weeks, so residents store fresh water in buckets and barrels, ideal for the Zika-carrying Aedes mosquitoes, which prefer to lay their eggs in clean, stagnant water. Larvas! Cabrera shouted, pointing. See how many there are? Weve been trying to kill them, Palomo de Hernandez said quietly. Its a lack of education, Cabrera said. The problem is weve become so irresponsible we think the government has to solve all our problems. But people dont want to collaborate and be part of the solution. Thats why, as a country, were not moving forward. Danger of gangs The barrio of San Jacinto sits in the southeastern hills of the capital, tucked into a bend in the Acelhuate River. Once a thriving colonial town with ornate mansions and churches dating to the 17th century, the community was eventually engulfed by the expanding metropolis. The main rival gangs that plague most of the country are also entrenched here. Residents are so afraid of them that many refer to the 18th Street gang only as the numbers and its enemy, Mara Salvatrucha, the letters. A truce between the gangs collapsed two years ago. Since then, the number of homicides has skyrocketed, making El Salvador one of the deadliest countries in the world. Last year, the country of 6 million recorded 6,600 homicides, a 70 percent increase from 2014. Thousands of residents have fled north through Mexico to the United States, abandoning their homes. Health workers say they cannot enter some neighborhoods. About 40 percent of the area is difficult, though not impossible, to get to, said Morales, the Unicentro hospital director, who estimates that he is responsible for some 150,000 people. Teenagers, even children, will tag along behind health workers on their rounds and report back to gang leaders, said Claudia Munoz, 46, a municipal employee who was participating in the fumigation in San Jacinto. They think we are carrying information to the other gang. They think were spies. After two gang gunmen robbed the nearby San Cristobal clinic in 2013, the staff now makes house calls in a group, refusing to walk outside alone. Medical care involves delicate negotiations, including phone calls from imprisoned gang leaders. The gangs have agreed on occasion to do their own fumigation, using Health Ministry equipment. Health inspector Salvador Quintanilla has been assaulted three times in his 25 years in the job. His list of no-go neighborhoods isnt a list anymore, he said. Its practically a folder. No microcephaly yet The link between the Zika virus and microcephaly, a correlation discovered in Brazil, where some 4,000 babies have been born with the condition, has not yet been confirmed in El Salvador. The virus was discovered here in late November, when health authorities sent 10 samples of an unknown virus to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention laboratory in Fort Collins, Col. Three of the samples tested positive for Zika, according to the deputy health minister, Eduardo Espinoza. El Salvador still does not have the capacity to definitively identify the virus, so the mounting numbers here are considered suspected cases. The epidemic is on the rise, Espinoza said in an interview. Behind the barred windows of apartment 3-A in the San Jacinto housing project where Stefanie Ramirez was being examined, the seriousness of the epidemic was being gauged by the tiny contours of her unborn daughters skull. After administering the sonogram, Ruiz told her that her child, expected on Valentines Day, so far appeared normal. We dont see fetal malformations at the moment, he said. Ramirez told him she had heard on the news that there were no confirmed microcephaly cases in El Salvador. No, Ruiz agreed. Not yet. Read more: Zika virus FAQ: What is it, and what are the risks as it spreads? As Zika virus spreads, El Salvador asks women not to get pregnant until 2018 Why the United States is so vulnerable to the alarming spread of Zika virus Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Ohio Gov. John Kasich browses in the bookshop of the National Czech & Slovak Museum in Cedar Rapids before making a rare Iowa campaign appearance. (Photo: Khue Bui for Yahoo News) CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa Two photographers were stationed outside the National Czech & Slovak Museum in Cedar Rapids, waiting in the cold for Gov. John Kasich to arrive for a rare event Friday morning. The Ohio governor, however, had already slipped inside, and was wandering around the museums gift shop in the few minutes he had before his stump speech. This is my heritage, he said when I asked him what he was doing. Kasich lumbered through the aisles of Christmas ornaments, marionettes and T-shirts emblazoned with Czech slogans before stopping in front of a book in the back of the shop. Hes one of my heroes, he said, touching the cover of a book about the life of Vaclav Havel. I asked who Havel was. Kasich looked aghast and asked how old I was. You need to find out who he is, he said, seriously. Google him. Hes one of the greatest men. Slideshow: On the trail and down to the wire in Iowa >>> Hoping to further engage the governor, I frantically looked up Havel. I learned that he had been a famous Cold War dissident and writer who helped lead the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia, and who became its post-communist president. But by then Kasich was out the door. Later, about 10 minutes into his speech about his Croatian and Czech roots and his work with Pres. Ronald Reagan, Kasich referred to our brief conversation. I tell you, I was just there in the museum for a second and there was a young woman in there, she was 30 years old, and I mentioned this guy Havel, he said, explaining that I didnt know who he was. And Vaclav Havel was of course a Czech playwright. He also became a political leader and spent time in prison. There I was, called out for my ignorance in the middle of a stump speech. (For the record, I am 30 years old; Havel left office in 2003, when I was a junior in high school. I should definitely know who he is.) Story continues Kasich is a bit of a pedant hes an enthusiast of knowledge and education, and speaks in dense paragraphs about the roots of his political beliefs. He told an atheist in the crowd who questioned him about his faith to read C.S. Lewis. He told another attendee who brought him a book by the theologian N.T. Wright as a gift that he liked Wright but he hadnt made my starting line up. Near the end of the event, Kasich asked the crowd to applaud an immigrant from Sierra Leone for going to Yale. By then, an attendee in the front row had fallen fast asleep. Kasich has focused most of his political energy in New Hampshire, where he hopes to pick up independent voters, and only scheduled two town halls in Iowa ahead of Mondays caucuses. Hes held fewer events in Iowa than any of his Republican rivals, and he once said that he and Iowans are a bad match. (He later said he blew it with those comments and in fact liked Iowans.) His all-vegetables stump speech, where he openly talks about the sacrifices that must be made to save Social Security and reduce the federal deficit, sets him apart from many of his rivals, who outline vaguer but more pleasant sounding paths to prosperity. When a voter asked him to explain his Social Security plan after he had already outlined it briefly, Kasich got testy. I just answered that, he said. Well, do it again, the voter replied. No, I did it once, Im not going to do it again, Kasich said stubbornly. But then the governor sighed and explained it one more time. Republican presidential candidates Barry Goldwater, in 1965, and Ted Cruz, in 2015. (Photos: AP) For the past few months, political observers on both the left and right have been comparing Ted Cruz to Barry Goldwater, who lost to Lyndon Johnson by a staggering 434 electoral votes in the 1964 presidential election. The thinking goes like this: Cruz is an unyielding movement conservative, just like Goldwater. Given his strength in the South again, just like Goldwater he could very well win the Republican nomination. But ultimately Cruz is too extreme to appeal to the broader electorate, and the GOP will suffer an ideological blowout of Goldwater-like proportions in November if it selects the freshman senator from Texas as its nominee. Whats flawed about Cruzs approach is that its the same argument Barry Goldwater made in 1964, Iowa Republican Doug Gross recently told the New York Times. Cruz may seem pure and virtuous within the confines of his own base, [but] you cant get elected with those voters, because there simply arent enough of them. Cruzs fans dismiss this analogy. As RedStates Erick Erickson wrote last month, Every conservative candidate must withstand the Is he Barry Goldwater question. Never mind that [the same trick] has been tried repeatedly by the Democrats and the only person it ever worked against was Barry Goldwater. Yet at least one group of influential Cruz supporters is taking the Goldwater comparison seriously: the Cruz campaign team. In his Jan. 7 Time cover story (available online only to subscribers), David von Drehle relayed a fascinating bit of intel. According to von Drehle, Cruz staffers, tellingly, have been studying a 1967 tome titled Suite 3505 as a playbook for their campaign. Republican political consultant F. Clifton White. (Photo: Arlington House) In case youve never heard of it and dont worry, I hadnt either Suite 3505 is a long-out-of-print memoir by a Republican political consultant named F. Clifton White. In the book, White tells the behind-the-scenes story of how his Draft Goldwater organization propelled a rock-ribbed Western conservative past the Eastern establishment and sparked the last successful populist rebellion within the GOP. Story continues Which is, of course, exactly what Cruz hopes to accomplish in 2016. To find out what the Cruz campaign is up to, I recently tracked down a copy of Suite 3505 and read it cover to cover. The exercise was revealing. Some of Suite 3505 sounds like a dispatch from a distant political planet, with lots of unfamiliar names Frank Whetstone? Denison Kitchel? and even less familiar customs. In particular, the old-school, pre-primary nominating process is pretty much incomprehensible, even after White devotes tens of thousands of words to explaining its intricacies. Yet for the most part Suite 3505 is surprisingly relevant to 2016, and after reading it, Im convinced that Cruz & Co. are smart to be studying Goldwater. The question now is which lessons they learn from Whites account of the 1964 presidential campaign and whether they pay as much attention to the donts as they do to the dos. *** At a time when the GOP controls both houses of Congress and every Republican presidential wannabe is desperate to out-conservative his rivals, its easy to forget that for a few decades in the middle of the last century Democrats dominated national politics, and that moderates and even liberals dominated the Republican Party. First in 1940, then in 1948, and again in 1952, Ohio Sen. Robert Mr. Republican Taft the acknowledged national leader of the GOPs conservative faction ran for his partys presidential nod, and each time he was thwarted by the Republican establishment (which instead nominated a longtime Democrat, a New York New Dealer, and a moderate general). By 1962, the GOP was so depleted that there were only 153 Republican congressmen, 35 Republican senators and 17 Republican governors in office. Blaming me-tooism for their partys flagging fortunes, White and 21 of his fellow conservatives gathered at the Avenue Motel in Chicago on October 8, 1961, for a secret strategy session. Their goal, as White puts it in Suite 3505, was to re-establish the Republican Party as an effective conservative force in American politics. Thirty-three months later, many of the same men succeeded in winning the nomination for their chosen standard bearer: Barry M. Goldwater, a two-term Arizona senator widely considered the most conservative public figure in America. Republican presidential candidate Sen. Barry Goldwater campaigning in Madison, Wis., in 1964; the original cover of the book Suite 3505. (Photo: AP; illustration: Arlington House) Suite 3505 is all about the nuts and bolts of how conservatives pulled off this unlikely feat so its no wonder that Cruzs staffers are interested. In 1963, New York Herald-Tribune columnists Robert Novak and Rowland Evans described the Goldwater boom as the closest thing to a spontaneous mass movement in modern American politics, and White, in faux-humble fashion, writes that he prefer[s] to think that all we did was give direction and focus to a great grassroots movement. But while the rights anti-establishment mood was real in 1964 just as it is today it was only part of the story. According to Suite 3505, there were three secrets to the Draft Goldwater campaigns success. The first is that their candidate was a consistent, authentic conservative the kind who could inspire loyalty among the ground troops by offering a clear contrast with the GOPs status quo. The second is that the moderate wing of the party was divided and damaged, with too many flawed candidates fighting over the same centrist delegates. The establishment was never really able to rally around a single Goldwater alternative. The third is that White was, as his New York Times obituary put it, an organizational genius. Cruz has the first two fronts fairly well covered. Like Goldwater, he has developed a reputation for defying his party to make a point . His voting record is the most conservative in the Senate. The issues shaping 2016 mirror the issues that defined 1964, and Cruzs positions even echo Goldwaters. Cuba was the mishandled homeland-security threat back then; ISIS is the mishandled homeland-security threat now. Goldwaters hardline stance on the Soviet Union that President John F. Kennedy, in his eagerness for peace, was being too soft on a deceptive, nuclear Kremlin is nearly identical to Cruzs stance on Iran. Goldwater opposed the Civil Rights Act because he said it violated states rights; Cruz opposes gay marriage for the same reason. Dissatisfaction with executive overreach, government spending, entitlement programs the list goes on. By dividing up the center of the primary electorate four or five ways, todays establishment candidates Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, John Kasich, Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina are only making it easier for a hardline conservative like Cruz (or a celebrity outsider like Donald Trump, for that matter) to win the nomination. The situation was similar in 1964. The early frontrunner was liberal New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, but after divorcing his wife and marrying his younger mistress one month after her own divorce, he never really regained his momentum. South Vietnam Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge won New Hampshire and a few other primaries, but later withdrew. For a moment or two, Massachusetts Gov. George Romney seemed like a contender, as did former Vice President Richard Nixon, but neither of them ever officially entered the race. And Pennsylvania Gov. William Scranton mounted a last-minute Stop Goldwater bid at the convention in San Francisco, but by then it was too late. In the meantime, Goldwater saw an opening on the right and took it. Or rather, White and his co-conspirators took it for him. The real revelation of Suite 3505 is just how much planning, plotting and strategizing went into the seemingly spontaneous Goldwater movement even before the senator himself consented to run. In late 1961, White sequestered himself and a secretary in a two-room suite of offices on the 35th floor of the Chanin Building in midtown Manhattan the eponymous suite 3505 and began to hunt for delegates. Many of the older professionals in the GOP had lost touch completely with the grassroots, White writes. In short, the situation was ripe for revolt. The revolt would in most instances be best directed at the precinct, municipal, county and district levels. It would manifest itself there long before it was even noticed on the state and national planes. All of our efforts would be devoted to winning as large a majority of delegates as possible for our candidate at the 1964 convention. Over the next few years, White traveled more than a million miles, to every Republican meeting, conference or convention he could. By the end of 1962, he had recruited a man in every state to supervise the selection of delegates; by early 1963, each state had its own citizens groups, with a chairman, finance chief, and womens leader. By mid-1963, White had a contact or leader in every county and congressional district. He tasked his regional directors with mastering [the] rules for all the states in their territories and with making certain that our state chairmen would thoroughly acquainted with them when the time came. And when the time did come when the nominating process began Goldwater slowly and surely racked up delegates just as White had predicted. At the end of the first round of balloting at the 1964 convention in San Francisco a convention that White all but ran from a 55-foot-long green and white trailer outside the Cow Palace, with telephone and walkie-talkie connections to roving operatives on the convention floor and to every delegations quarters at 30 hotels throughout the city the senator had amassed a staggering 883 delegates. Whites initial projection, way back in early 1962, had come within 20 of Goldwaters ultimate total. Cruz speaks during a campaign event in Independence, Iowa, on Jan. 25. (Photo: Evan Vucci/AP) In other words, a conservative challenger cant just expect to ride a wave of populist support he has to surf it expertly. The Cruz campaign is showing signs that it has already learned this lesson. As I wrote in November, Cruz has raised more money than any Republican other than Jeb Bush and more non-PAC money than any other Republican, period; he also has more cash on hand than any of his GOP rivals. He was the first candidate to recruit chairmen in all 171 counties in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. He is only candidate who for months has been consistently sending surrogates to all five U.S. territories Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Virgin Islands in order to secure extra delegates who could prove decisive down the road. He is doing more than any other Republican to prepare for the so-called SEC primary, a new Southern voting blitz set to take place on March 1; as early as November, he had already enlisted more than 100 countywide campaign directors and 1,500 volunteers in Georgia alone. And yet if Cruz wants to win the White House as opposed to just the nomination he needs to learn how not to emulate Goldwater as well. Suite 3505 could also prove helpful in this regard. The main takeaway from Whites memoir is that a campaign is only as good as its candidate especially if that candidate is a fringier figure than usual. Americans never elect someone who seems like a radical. The further right (or left) you run in the primary, the better a pivoter you need to be in the general. White makes it clear that Goldwater for all his principles, or perhaps because of them was never able to become this sort of candidate. Describing a speech that Goldwater gave in Oregon, late in primary season, White writes that like many of his speeches from there on in, it fired up only his partisans and seemed to leave almost everyone else cold. White goes on to explain that until this time [Goldwaters] audiences outside the Senate had been comprised mainly of people who agreed with him. They would cheer any statement he made because he was what they felt every American politician should be saying. But now that he was moving out onto a larger stage before people of all political persuasions, he should have given some thought to changing his style. Its easy to imagine Cruz, who preaches to the choir so often that he has started to sound like a preacher himself , having the same problem if he wins the Republican nomination. Goldwater faced a much less favorable electoral climate in 1964 than Cruz would face in November JFK had just been assassinated, after all and its almost certain that no Democratic or Republican presidential nominee will ever lose 44 states again. America is too polarized for that. But as a general-election candidate, Cruz might have to confront some challenges that, according to White, not even Goldwater had to deal with. The Arizona senator may have been a rebel but he also managed to attract a lot of support from the leaders of his party. In late 1963, a U.S. News & World Report polled showed that 56 percent of GOP senators and congressman were backing Goldwater compared to 10 percent for Rockefeller. An even higher share of state chairman (71 percent) were on Goldwaters side. In contrast, not a single sitting senator or governor has endorsed Cruz , and many elected GOP officials are openly threatening to revolt should he win the nomination. Running for president is hard enough when the party is on your side; its basically impossible when the rest of your party is running away from you. Goldwater in 1967. (Photo: AP) If Cruz turns out to be the sort of general-election candidate Goldwater was the sort who doesnt take kindly to advice, in Whites words; who surrounds himself with a small coterie of like-minded, provincial advisers; who refuses see how his hardline stances (on civil rights in Goldwaters case and immigration in Cruzs) are turning off the very voters he needs to persuade; and who, as a result, allows himself to be branded an extremist by his opponents then he will be in trouble. (Which is not to say that Cruz hasnt strategized about how he will pivot in the general just that the more he portrays himself as a purist, like Goldwater, the more difficult that pivot will be.) In Suite 3505, White writes vividly of Goldwaters famous acceptance speech at the 1964 GOP convention in particular the line that would come to define the senators career. I would remind you that extremism in defense of liberty is no vice, Goldwater said from the podium. And let me remind you also that moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue. Ive always thought this passage was received favorably, as a clarion call of sorts for the new GOP. But in the context of the time when the party was badly divided after a brutal primary contest and needing to unite for the fall campaign thats not how it sounded to Goldwaters savviest supporters. In the trailer, I sat stunned as I listened to those words, White writes. I had not seen the speech beforehand, nor had any of the men working with me. But none of us had ever expected such a seemingly carefully calculated rebuff to the moderates and liberals within our party and to the millions we had hoped to draw to our cause. Inside the Cow Palace the crowd cheered insanely, White continues, and I wondered if they knew they were hailing disaster and defeat. Sixteen years later, Ronald Reagan the man who succeeded Goldwater as the leader of the conservative movement won the presidency. He won because, unlike Goldwater, he was able to make conservatism attractive to people who didnt consider themselves conservatives. So far, at least, Ted Cruz hasnt even been able to sell his kind of conservatism to his fellow conservatives. The Iowa caucuses may only be four days away. But the senator from Texas still has a long way to go. -- Thomas JeffersonSyndicated columnist Charley Reese (1937-2013): "Gun control by definition affects only honest people. When a politician tells you he wants to forbid you from owning a firearm or force you to get a license, he is telling you he doesnt trust you. Thats an insult. ... Gun control is not about guns or crime. It is about an elite that fears and despises the common people."The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles -- Jeff Cooper (1920-2006)Note for non-American readers: Crime reports from America which describe an offender just as a "teen" or "teenager" almost invariably mean a BLACK teenager.We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics.Two lines below of a famous hymn that would be incomprehensible to Leftists today ("honor"? "right"? "freedom?" Freedom to agree with them is the only freedom they believe in)It is of course the hymn of the USMC -- still today the relentless warriors that they always were.The intellectual Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) said: "The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."How much do you know about Trayvon Martin? It's all here (Backups here and here An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life. -- Robert A. HeinleinAfter all the serious stuff here, maybe we need a funny picture of a cantankerous cat Grain trading since early 1980's... specializing in grains and protein meals for the feed industry in Africa, Asia, the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Consulting on grain purchases, contracts, disputes, arbitration and mediation. Broad experience in all matters GAFTA contract and arbitration related.. This was passed along from Bob B. and also credit to Kevin Sorbo. For me When the State tells you its safe to go to Home Depot to buy a ... When people of a common faith stage an art show, will their faith be discernible in their art? Well, were about to find out as Carroll College hosts a show featuring Quaker artists called An Exhibition of the Quiet Faith. The show runs from Jan. 26 to March 6. When Carroll professor of art Ralph Esposito offered to host a Quaker show, we were encouraged to accept the offer by a Quaker artist in our Helena meeting. Iloilo Jones is a lady of many talents, one of which has always been her art. Ilo has staged shows before, so she became the coxswain on the good ship Quaker, while the rest of us rowed enthusiastically. The challenge suddenly became: Will there be enough art for a show? Word spread slowly through the Quaker faithful in the region, and gradually the Quakers realized what a rare opportunity this might be. By early December, 13 artists had submitted works from five states. On Jan. 13, we started setting up the display at Carroll. Now that its on the walls, the question returns: Are Quaker values evident in the varied works on display? Yes, the values are blended into the work, sometimes explicitly as in a portrait of a child during silent worship, and sometimes implicitly, as in peaceful landscapes and woven fabric rugs. A drawing by Wyomings youngest Quaker is in the show, in a special portfolio. Claire Schnatterbeck attended Quaker worship in Sheridan, Wyoming, with her parents. Those weekly meetings were held in a private home and included silent worship. Children can sometimes get restless during the quietness, so mom allowed Claire to bring a sketchbook to meetings. Sally, a Quaker artist, brought her sketchbook to the meeting as well. During worship that day, young Claire drew a portrait of Sally. At the same time, Sally, an accomplished artist, drew a sketch of young Claire. Those two sketches, entitled Mirror Reflections in Worship, form a lovely record of Quaker worship. Two watercolors by Jean Triol, a Quaker once from Kalispell and now Phoenix, reflect a serenity not unlike that found in meetings. One Triol watercolor includes a radiant young woman, Joan, standing calmly in rural Montana, with a butterfly on her elbow. A peaceful, optimistic aura. Joan came into our lives, shared her light and left us as suddenly as she had appeared, wrote Jean about this painting. This painting is an image of a fleeting moment that seems to capture her inner beauty. The place is Luccock Park at the Montana Gathering of Friends. A wall of photographs taken at a Quaker meeting reflects the faces of Quakers. Two young girls are playing and laughing. An elderly gent in cowboy hat and vest relaxes at an outdoor table. The pictures are told with a wink, with boxes of Quaker Oats hidden somewhere in the background. Hanging from the walls are stunning woven art by Norman Frankland of Twin Bridges. One writer who visited his studio in Twin Bridges, south of Butte, describes Franklands very natural process. He raised the sheep that the wool comes from, wrote Barbara Abercrombie, he spins the carded fleece into yarn and finally on the huge loom that takes up half his studio, he turns sheep wool into art. Thats a very simple natural process, more in harmony with Quaker simplicity than most of our busy stressful lives. The best-known artist in the show is likely Cathy Weber, whose work has appeared at the Holter. She describes her work as responding to war, injustice, greed and violence. Webers work has a brilliant abstract quality, and one of her paintings sits prominently on the far wall, illuminated by an appreciative spotlight. What best motivates me in my work is the potential to uncover, expose and describe the sacred, Weber writes. The fruits of the earth and the human heart offer the language. Working is the prayer. The exhibit includes Ukrainian eggs and fairy world globes, elegant creations by Ilo Jones the size of Christmas tree ornaments. Beautiful baskets hang on one wall, woven by Georgia Foster of Wyoming, who also created a stunning geometric quilt. I pieced this from scraps of fabric, said Foster. It was a challenging exercise and working on it totally absorbed my attention, putting my mind into a creative, sacred space. Elsie Tuss of Floweree wrote a poem that captures the faith behind much of this Quaker art. Elsie has lived a varied life as a school teacher, a nun and a farmer. I need life-giving relationships, Elsie wrote. I choose to live in my sacred space,/to be happy and playful,/to open myself to my authenticity/and its expression of joy and happiness. All art reflects the values inside the artist, and Quaker art is no different. Some artists submitted statements explaining their inspiration, which are collected in a portfolio. Others just let their colors speak. This exhibit of Quaker art is a very quiet one, indeed, and yet it has much to say about who we are and what we believe. There are certainly many ways one can choose to express his or her faith in public. Certainly, during this political season, there is no shortage of judgments made on the character of individuals based on the religious ideals they may or may not possess. At every turn it seems we are asked to pledge allegiance to those on our side or disown someone because they may not believe exactly as we do. To be a bridge-builder and peacekeeper under these conditions can be difficult. I owe a great deal of the clarity I have in my calling and the emphasis I place in my ministry on building bridges of respect, honor and relationship, to the model set for me by a youth pastor I shared with other young people at First Presbyterian Church of Puyallup, Washington, in the late 1980s to 1991. Dave Pederson, and wife Julie, described themselves as Presbycatalutapalians a blend of Presbyterian, Catholic, Lutheran and Episcopalian. Dave served as youth pastor in the Presbyterian Church I attended Wednesdays for youth group with my best friend, Scott Carden. Dave also taught at a Catholic elementary school in Puyallup. I forget where, exactly, the Lutheran and Episcopalian influences came in, but one thing was clear: the Pedersons loved God and viewed service to God as their lifes mission. Mission work has been something I have always been drawn to. It was part of why I liked Dave and Julie almost immediately. They put their faith into action in service to others. In 1991, that commitment led to a calling: to teach and serve as missionaries overseas in China. From there, Madagascar. Then, the African mainland. They are currently serving in Nairobi, Kenya. We connect every few years when they are back in the States, but mostly I just follow what they are up to through the letters we get as supporters of their ministry. If I were to guess, Dave and Julie would be reticent to claim that they passed on any great insight or teaching during their time in ministry with me as one of their charges. I would disagree. In the fashion that good theology is caught as much as it is taught, here are a few gems I picked up from their example: First, everyone is an individual for whom Christ lived, died and rose again to bring new life and hope. My personal feelings about them matter not a whit in this regard. If God loved them that much, I should do more than just tolerate them I should seek to love them as well. Second, you can build bridges of relationship and trust through hard work done humbly. Look to elevate the status of those around you as you work alongside them. Become an encourager of the best in others, and youll find that many people are happy to return the favor Third, respect is a two-way street if you dont want to be treated as a caricature, dont resort to viewing others this way. Refuse the short-cuts of prejudice, racism and sexism. Think for yourself and get to know the other person, especially those close to home. Then, you can refer to them by their first name, respectfully, and not by the category you might be tempted to place them in. This is especially helpful in a heated election year such as 2016! Fourth, your argumentation or persuasion of others will never trump the work of the Holy Spirit. You do your work of living and telling, and let God do the convicting. Jesus said, No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me (John 6:44). If Jesus did not resort to proverbial arm-twisting to win a convert, we should definitely think twice about anything that feels manipulative. Finally, foster a strong relationship with God through Jesus Christ. If this is solid, you dont have to fear the opinions and beliefs of others. You can stand on your beliefs and principles out of their own merit, not because you think they are superior to someone elses. Or, put another way: You can stand your ground without having to pull the rug out from under someone else. I could continue, but I think those are the main points I gleaned from my friends and mentors, the Pedersons. They helped to shape the bridge-building and relationship-building work I hope to continue through my own ministry. And, if I have been successful at all in following their example, perhaps others who have sat under my teaching have likewise seen a pattern of ministry worth emulating? I can only hope so. *** The Rev. Chris Haughee is a licensed minister of the Evangelical Covenant Church and has served as chaplain of Intermountains residential services since 2012. An adoptive father to two, Chaplain Chris Haughee is an advocate for greater inclusion of foster and adoptive families in the life and ministry of local congregations. You can follow his ministry at www.intermountainministry.org or contact him at chrish@intermountain.org. The Montana commissioner of political practices has dismissed a complaint by a member of the Target Range School Board who alleged the school administration and staff had violated campaign laws. Gary Botchek filed the complaint last year while running for a one-year term on the board. He defeated two other opponents a week after the Office of Political Practices received the complaint. Botchek charged that a Target Range teacher gave false, negative information on me as a candidate for trustee while on the time clock and within the school building. But Commissioner Jonathan Motl said the teacher was responding to a parents question about open enrollment after students had been dismissed for the day, and There is no fact or suggestion that the teacher advocated a vote for or against any trustee candidate. A former school board chairman who is opposed to open enrollment overheard the conversation, objected to the teacher explaining her reasons for supporting open enrollment while on school property, and reported the exchange to Botchek, according to Motls decision. The commissioner noted that Montana law prohibits public employees from soliciting support for, or opposition to, the election of any candidate for public office while on the job or at their place of employment, but does not restrict the right of a public officer or public employee to express personal political views. The Target Range School District has a policy statement concerning staff ethics and political activity that reflects the distinction found in statute, Motl said. The facts of this matter show that the teacher acted appropriately within personal political limits, Motl wrote. The teacher spoke on an issue, open enrollment, in the context of her personal political views without crossing over into the area of elections. Further, the teacher did so in an appropriate manner by speaking in response to a question from a parent rather than pushing her personal views through contact with students. Second Complaint Motl also dismissed a second complaint by Botchek, that a school board member mailed out 1,400 postcards with incomplete or misleading information concerning candidates who were seeking two seats on the school board last spring. Bob Carter, who was not up for re-election, did not use his position as a trustee on the postcards that supported open enrollment, only that he was the parent of three Target Range students. The postcard named four school board candidates that Carter believed were in favor of open enrollment. It did not list the other two, Botchek or Evan Rosenberg, who Carter believed opposed open enrollment. Open enrollment -- accepting out-of-district students -- has been a contentious issue at Target Range, which approved the policy in 2006. Proponents like Carter say it brings in $1 million in funding annually, has reduced class sizes and taxes, and keeps the school fully open at a time when in-district enrollment is dwindling. Opponents like Botchek argue it forces Target Range taxpayers to subsidize the education of students whose parents pay taxes in other school districts. Carter spent $800 to $900 of his own money on the pro-open enrollment postcards, according to the Office of Political Practices, and had the school districts attorney review the content to make sure it did not violate any rules. In addition to his own phone number, Carter also listed the Target Range School phone number on the postcards in case anyone had further questions about open enrollment. Motl said his offices jurisdiction in the matter is limited to whether public funds were used on the postcards, and the open enrollment postcard did not involve any use of public funds or public resources. The commissioner called Carters request for the postcard be reviewed for policy conformance prudent and appropriate, and did not involve any use of public resources in the production of the postcard. Not seeking re-election Botchek, who said he will not seek re-election when his one-year term expires this spring, said he was disappointed in what he felt was a limited investigation into his complaints. Evidently the Office of Political Practices doesnt go that deep as to what affects an election, he said Friday. I didnt expect the type of limited look on whether this met the definition of breaking an election law. I was not impressed with the process, not because the commissioner didnt agree with me -- it just seemed very limited, at least with what he wrote, Botchek continued. One question Id be interested in having answered is when they have two people, and one says one thing and the other says another, how do you make that determination? Target Range elected two trustees last spring. Sharon Sterbis, one of the candidates listed on Carters postcard as an open-enrollment supporter, won a three-year term with 568 votes. She defeated Nathan Lucke, who was also listed on the postcard and got 512 votes, and Rosenberg, who was not mentioned on the postcard and had 482. Evan Rosenberg was not against open enrollment, he was just concerned with the magnitude of it, Botchek said. Botcheck got 441 votes in the three-way race for the one-year term, and defeated Shawn Skinner (293) and Elizabeth Moore (285), who were both listed as open-enrollment supporters on Carters postcard. A Townsend man was sentenced Friday to a 20-year penalty to be determined by the Montana Department of Corrections with eight years suspended for felony charges of animal cruelty. Thomas Jessberger, who ran a sham animal rescue, also was ordered to pay $38,000 in restitution. Jessberger pleaded no-contest to 15 felony charges in October. In his plea agreement, 16 animals once in Thomas Jessberger's care were listed by name. Jessberger pleaded no-contest to subjecting those animals, including a mare named Chili found dead at the Rocky Acres Horse and Sanctuary, to mistreatment and neglect. As part of the agreement, prosecutors dropped 19 counts of animal cruelty and a charge of bail jumping. Jessberger and Darlene Rindal, the former owners of Rocky Acres Horse Rescue, were each charged with one misdemeanor count and 34 felony counts of cruelty to animals in connection with an investigation by the Broadwater County Sheriffs Office. Broadwater County Attorney Cory Swanson said the county had spent more than $100,000 as of last fall to care for the animals. He did not have a more recent calculation Friday. Swanson said the county is still caring for about 15 horses. Some of those are available for adoption through the Broadwater County Sheriff's Office, he added. Rindal is awaiting a March trial on her charges. On March 11, 2014, 28 horses, five goats, one miniature mule and one donkey, nearly all of which showed signs of severe malnutrition, were seized from the property. At least two of the animals had to be euthanized. An unirrigated, 10-acre property and a single-wide trailer house, both owned by Rindal under the name Dalene Turner, were used to board horses and to take in horses rescued from various owners where the animals needed special care, Swanson wrote in charging documents. Rindal and Jessberger used the animal rescue to raise money through websites, social media, public fundraising events and horse rides in exchange for donations, Swanson wrote. They also received free or discounted hay, veterinary services and other contributions. Jessberger was convicted in a separate case of felony theft and received a suspended sentence. He then fled probation and was later picked up in Florida. Jessberger received a five-year sentence to the Montana Department of Corrections in that case after his suspended sentence was revoked. Friday's sentence will run consecutively. As a former classroom teacher in Big Sandy and later a school board member, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., may have more insight into the challenges public schools face than many a member of Congress. On Friday, he took the opportunity to shine a spotlight on new education legislation he worked to pass in Congress and also draft legislation hes championing. Speaking to the Montana Association of Elementary and Middle School Principals conference at the Great Northern Hotel, Tester lauded the demise of the controversial No Child Left Behind Act. He noted overwhelming bipartisan support for the replacement bill, Every Student Succeeds Act, and talked about legislation he is sponsoring to help recruit more classroom teachers. I know that many of your classrooms are struggling to find and keep good teachers. ... In 2013 there were over 1,100 teaching positions across Montana that needed to be filled, he said. In rural schools, half the math and science teaching positions are considered very difficult to fill each year. And to be honest, these difficulties are going to get worse. Thirty percent of the teachers in this country will retire in the next 10 years. This will not only have an impact on classrooms, but also the availability of quality principals, he said, which makes recruiting and retaining educators critically important. Thats why this past October, I introduced the REST (Rural Educator Support and Training) Act, he said. It provides for those who are getting degrees in education or school administration who contract to work in rural schools for at least three years to be eligible for scholarships to pay for their education, Tester said. Those who commit to work in rural schools for five years can receive $17,000 in student loan forgiveness after fulfilling their commitment. I know why you are struggling to get qualified teachers, he said, citing appalling pay. When Tester was teaching in the late 1970s, he made more money cutting meat on Saturday than he had made all week in the classroom, he said. Thats not right. Today teacher attrition is at an all-time high, and 55 percent of our teachers are leaving the classroom to pursue another career. How could you blame them? he asked. They can make better salaries as truck drivers and in retail, he said, which is a huge loss to the teaching profession. When a good teacher leaves town ... it impacts the whole community, he said. He promised to work in Congress to get the REST Act passed. Its been referred to the Senate Education Committee. He also focused on new federal legislation that recently became law. It would be an understatement to say that No Child Left Behind was a failure, he said. The new education bill, ESSA, provides more local control and passed with an overwhelming number of votes. One key thing it does is replacing the annual statewide test for highschoolers with the ACT or SAT, thus reducing the amount of time students spend taking standardized tests. It moves us away from some of the failed high stakes testing we have come to know, he added. It also includes a Tester amendment for the Department of Education to work with local stakeholders in developing rules and regulations. And it has provisions for Montana to get more funding for professional development for teachers and administrators. Unfortunately, there are folks in Montana and Congress who do not see the value of public education, said Tester, and they fail to see the link of successful public education to vibrant local economies. The middle class has been shrinking rather than growing, he said. On a local level, these are the people who vote down school mill levies and bonds, he said, and in Congress they fail to provide adequate funding for educational reforms. Important programs like Title 1 and Impact Aid have gotten flat-funded over the past few years, he said. When people talk reform without resources what theyre really trying to do is starve public education, he said. They want to turn our schools ... over to private hands. So we have some work to do, he said, educating folks about the value of public education. He urged those present to resist attacks being made on public education by speaking up in the community about the value of public education. Tester comes from a family that values public education, he said. They believed that bringing kids together from diverse backgrounds in one classroom was a good thing for the community and for society. It fostered creativity, open minds, innovation, success and, maybe most important, tolerance. They knew that an uneducated society cannot support democracy, and it cannot. We cannot maintain our place in the world as a world leader if we do not value public education. DECATUR Charles J. Tillman, a 19-year-old Decatur male, was arrested on charges of child pornography and related felony charges for allegedly obtaining a photo of a partially nude 15-year-old girl and pressuring her for sex in exchange for not posting her photo on Facebook. The victim reported to Decatur police detective Doug Allen that she met the suspect, a person named "Charles," on Facebook early last year. She said she told Charles her age and he told her he was 18. After some conversations with him, she sent him a topless picture of herself, said a probable cause affidavit by Allen. The teen girl said she was out of touch with Charles for a while, until she received a text from him at 11:04 a.m. Thursday. "Charles sent (the victim) the nude photo of her and said that he was going to expose her on Facebook," Allen wrote in his statement. The victim replied that she would "do anything" to keep her picture from being posted on Facebook. Tillman told her he wanted her to perform a sex act for him. The victim did not respond to his request. In a police interview, Tillman admitted that the cellphone used to contact the victim was his. "He admitted sending (the victim) texts about wanting (sex) and also to sending her the nude photo." Tillman said he thought the girl was "at least 17 years old." According to federal law, it is illegal to make or transmit sexually suggestive images or images of sexual conduct of anyone younger than 18. That law is in effect throughout the nation, regardless of the age of consent for sexual activity, which varies by state. In Illinois, the age of consent for sexual activity is 17. Tillman was arrested Thursday afternoon and booked into the Macon County Jail, where he is being held on $75,000 bond, on preliminary charges including indecent solicitation of a child, aggravated child pornography/dissemination of film and child pornography/reproduce/sell. He is due in court for his arraignment by Friday. Tillman is serving an extended 24-month felony probation term, after he was convicted of theft over $500 in connection with a case in which he stole a prepaid Visa card and a pack of cigarettes from his then employer, Kroger, 1401 W. King St. He pleaded guilty on Jan. 14, 2015. As a result of a probation violation, he was subsequently arrested and sentenced to 180 days in jail on Aug. 11, with credit for 77 days served since his arrest May 30 for failing to appear in court. LINCOLN Nine people are in custody so far as part of what police say was a meth lab operating out of a Lincoln residence. The nine suspects were in Logan County Jail in lieu of posting $100,000 each. Lincoln Police Chief Paul Adams said Thursday the investigation into the alleged meth operation is ongoing. Charged with manufacturing more than 900 grams (about 2 pounds) of methamphetamine are: Donald Sturgeon, 29; Alexandria Bitner, 20; Rodney Lovelett, 25, Sarah Shelby, 21, Ashley Davis, 24 and Brandon Lovelett, 24. All six were arrested earlier this month at a residence in the 1000 block of Seventh Street. A woman who was accused of fleeing the house, Robyn Johnson, 19, also of Lincoln, was later arrested on charges of meth manufacturing and using a home for meth manufacturing. She also was jailed in lieu of posting $100,000. A week after the meth bust, Lincoln police arrested Ruby Scott, 47, of Lincoln on a charge of meth manufacturing. She was jailed in lieu of posting $50,000. The ninth suspect, Jerry J. England, 30, of Lincoln, was charged Tuesday with meth manufacturing. He also remains in jail in lieu of $100,000. According to Adams, the search for Sturgeon on an alleged parole violation led police to the home on Seventh Street. Once inside, officers found the active meth lab, he said. Changes in the process used to make meth can require many participants, said Adams. Multiple people are used to buy pseudoephedrine products, the common ingredient in cold and allergy medications, from various businesses to avoid attracting attention from law enforcement. Those shopping trips leave a paper trail required by federal law for such purchases that police can use in their investigation, he said. The existence of active meth operations in neighborhoods is a risk to public safety on several levels, Adams added. "This involves very hazardous, dangerous materials" that puts those living in the area at risk of exposure to toxic agents and fires, he said. The Illinois State Police tactical response and meth team processed the crime scene at the Lincoln residence, where more than 900 grams of meth was located. DECATUR Volunteers loaded thousands of gallons of water into the back of a large truck Friday, preparing to deliver them to a community in need. A sticker was attached to each case or jug. To Flint, MI, it said. Love, Decatur, IL. The personal touch seemed to express the spirit with which residents and businesses offered their donations to a community struggling with ongoing water contamination problems. The staggering volume of the gifts surprised even Jacob Jenkins, who initially launched the effort Saturday on Facebook with videos and the hashtag #decaturwaterchallenge. It just blew up, said Jenkins, co-founder of a mentoring group called the Distinguished Gentlemen's Academy. If you go on Facebook, it's just thread after thread of positivity, of the community coming together for one purpose, and that's just to help a hurting community. "When you think about that and the humanity of that, it's just amazing. Donations were accepted at several locations around the city, including the Gateway Community Center, 1145 E. Cantrell St., where all the water was loaded up Friday. People from several other Illinois communities joined in, including students at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. Decatur public schools competed to see who could collect the most. The Macon County Sheriff's Office got involved when deputy Elgin Hawthorne issued the challenge to his colleagues. The sheriff's office began accepting water from the public and will continue to do so until Feb. 5. From 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. that day, a semitruck for donations will be parked at the corner of East Washington and South Franklin streets. Dannica Williams, one of the volunteers, said she made the stickers as a personal touch to let people in Flint know that Decatur residents recognize what they're going through. Nobody wants to be without things that are essential, she said. This is not a want. This is a need. Williams kept her 10-year-old son, Adonus Williams, home from school on Friday so that he could help with the collection and loading efforts. You have to know service, she said. We always think 'me, me, me,' but I feel like we're also put on this earth to help each other. This is a teachable moment. Jamian Holder, co-founder of the Distinguished Gentlemen's Academy, brought his 8-year-old son Keegan Holder to the community center for a similar reason. It's important to show Keegan and the young men in the mentoring group a good example of how to treat others, Holder said. His 79-year-old father, Andrew Holder, also helped with collecting and moving the water. While some people have been telling him the positive energy won't last, Holder said Rome wasn't built in a day. Well, you know what? It might not last. Sadly, somebody else is gonna get robbed. Sadly, there's gonna be another shooting, he said. But on this day, everything was peaceful. You've got to be happy about that. The volunteers planned to spend Friday night in Kalamazoo, Mich., and then drive to Flint, where they have already established contacts who will help them distribute the water directly to people. Several local businesses participated in the effort, challenging their employees to give. But Jenkins pointed out that much of the water and money donated came from individuals. He also credited a core group of volunteers, including Holder, Williams, Rodriques Wilson, Luke Jenkins, Tamara Matthews, Tammy Fuller, Stacey Young, Crystal Shaw and Dawn Tyus. The basic and normal things that we do and take for granted on a day to day basis, they can't do that, so we want to give them as much water as possible, he said, taking in the sight of water stacked several feet high in front of the community center. I think we did pretty good. SULLIVAN Representatives of Sullivan businesses were challenged Friday to consider what dreams they have personally and for the community. The Sullivan Chamber and Economic Development launched a One Town One Million Dreams initiative during its annual award banquet, held at The First Methodist Church. We hope to support each other to reach goals for our businesses and community, said Stepheny McMahon, the Chamber and Economic Development director. Its time to get going to build a bridge for the future. Developing a list of dreams can be beneficial but difficult, said Tiffany Macke, a community and economic development educator with the University of Illinois Extension Clark/Crawford/Edgar unit. Macke encouraged everyone to write down a list of 100 dreams ranging from the silly to the spectacular, both short and long term. I couldnt think of things for my dreams, Macke said. I had forgotten how to dream. It took me three years to make my list. Macke encouraged those who make a list to share it with somebody they trust and inspire others around them. Efforts will continue throughout the year to remind community members of the initiative, McMahon said. The concept will be taught this spring to eighth-grade students at Sullivan Middle School, she said. McMahon said a dream bank has been created on the Chambers website, www.sullivan-chamber.com, for community members to share their thoughts. Drew Zbinden already has embraced the concept at Sullivan Bakery, which she said came from a dream she had for the community. She has encouraged the bakerys employees to consider what they would like to do by developing their dream lists. Its been a huge blessing, Zbinden said of the business that opened last summer at 112 E. Harrison St. Im excited to see where it goes. The community is full of great people, and this can benefit the whole community. During the banquet, the Chamber honored its 2015 award recipients. The honorees were Healthcom as Business of the Year, The Toy Bar as Small Business of the Year, Steve and Theresa Poland as Citizens of the Year, Habitat for Humanity and Habitat ReStore for the Community Service Award and Lt. Col. Mary Storm with the Lifetime Achievement Award. DECATUR One important thing dear to the hearts of the performers in Step Afrika is encouraging kids to pursue a college education. Potential members of the group must hold a bachelor's degree even to qualify to audition, and several of the members also hold advanced degrees. Step Afrika is a professional dance company headquartered in Washington, D.C., said Mfon Akpan, the artistic director. If you look at the history of stepping, it started out with the historically African-American fraternities and sororities on college campuses, and a lot of of the time, before you could step, your grades had to be very high," Akpan said. "We have a very high standard in terms of becoming a member. We also use this as a tool for our young people, to get them motivated to want to go to school. They did that for Parsons School on Friday in First Christian Church, where members of the group performed and encouraged the children to set their own goals high. To be good world citizens, Akpan said, she wanted them to remember three words: teamwork, commitment and discipline. The group's website is www.stepafrika.org, and it will perform at 7:30 p.m. today in Kirkland Fine Arts Center. Principal Jonathan Downing said the group performed in Decatur last year, and two schools were on their agenda then, but he wasn't able to get Parsons on the list in time. This year, he was, and he was probably as excited as the kids were. They've known since last spring that the group was coming, and teachers have used it as a behavior incentive. It worked, too. Every one of the 366 students attended the show. First Christian hosts the school's after-school program, Club 305, and the church enjoys a close relationship with the school, said Amanda Elven, education coordinator for Club 305. As Christians, we want to be good neighbors, she said. We want to do as much as we can for the school. The church provided the space and sound engineer Fred Saurmann, and several members of the church staff attended the program. Dancer Brittny Smith described step as a high-energy, polyrhythmic percussive dance, and then explained to the kids what all those big words meant. The group also performed a dance they learned in South Africa from miners, called the Gumboot Dance, which they said was developed by miners who used it to communicate across language barriers. We learned how to step in college, and we had fun, Akpan said. We all have degrees, but we choose to do this for a living. We went to school and we got those degrees and that allowed us to make these choices. Christopher Brient, whose engaging grin and sense of humor are apparent throughout the show, discovered the art as a ninth-grader and has been dancing ever since. He holds a degree in agricultural journalism and has danced with Team NRG for the WNBA's Houston Comets and G Force, for the Houson Rockets. Ta'Quez Whitted's degree is in criminal justice, but he said he'd always loved dance. I tried out, and they accepted me, and here I am, he said. Andrew Vinson Jr. is a drummer and a dancer, with a degree in computer science and graphic design. Having those choices as a result of finishing college first is something they want to impress upon their young audiences, and even dancers who have moved on to other careers often stay involved in the arts. There are no ex Step Afrikans, however, Akpan said. Once a Step Afrikan, always a Step Afrikan, she said. SPRINGFIELD -- Extending an olive branch to Democrats amid Illinois seven-month-old budget impasse, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner used last weeks State of the State address to affirm his support for a pension overhaul proposed by Democratic Senate President John Cullerton of Chicago. Lawmakers for years have been grappling with ways to deal with the states rising pension costs, expected to hit $7.6 billion this year, and unfunded liabilities in statewide retirement systems that have grown to more than $100 billion. A state law passed in 2013 would have raised the retirement age and reduced cost-of-living increases for retirees, among other changes. But the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that it violated the pension protection clause of the state constitution, which says pension benefits for current and retired workers shall not be diminished or impaired. Rauner had previously proposed a pension plan that his administration said would save $2 billion a year, but critics contend that it would fail to clear the same constitutional hurdle. As a first step toward bipartisan compromise, President Cullerton and I have agreed to support his pension proposal that will save $1 billion a year from four of the state pension plans, Rauner said in his speech. I have instructed administration attorneys to work with the Senate presidents staff to finalize language as soon as possible. When they do, I urge both chambers to pass it without delay. The details are still being worked out, but Cullertons plan would give each worker a choice: either have future raises count toward a pension or receive yearly compounding cost-of-living raises in retirement. A previous Cullerton plan, which the Senate approved but the House never voted on, would have given the choice between state health benefits or cost-of-living increases in retirement. The plan was abandoned after the Supreme Court ruled in a separate case that the Illinois Constitution also protects state retiree health benefits. The big question is whether this new plan ultimately will be found constitutional. We arent certain its constitutional, Cullerton told reporters last week after a speech at the City Club of Chicago, but we have the benefit of the Supreme Court decision, which weve read, and this is consistent with that. However, Chris Mooney, director of the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois, said the previous Supreme Court rulings have set a high bar. If both of the choices cut benefits, thats not a true choice that would likely be approved by the court, he said. Before it gets that far, though, the proposal must pass both houses of the General Assembly. Republican Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington, who voted against the previous Cullerton plan, said this is one he can get behind. The difference is the courts ruled that what we did before was unconstitutional, Brady said. I think this has a better chance of being constitutional. Democratic Sen. Andy Manar of Bunker Hill said he backed Cullertons previous plan because it was negotiated with a coalition of unions called We Are One Illinois. Anything short of a negotiated framework with state employees and the representation of those state employees through their unions, its going to be very difficult to gain my support, Manar said. Those unions have made it clear that they dont back this plan. The governor described a plan that would force teachers, first responders and other public employees to choose between two losing options that each diminish retirement security, We Are One Illinois said in an emailed statement. Such a plan is both unfair to working people and clearly unconstitutional. The unions contend that the current problem is the result of a long history of state leaders underfunding pensions to pay for other expenses. Republican Sen. Dave Luechtefeld has other concerns with Cullertons idea. With its estimated $1 billion in annual savings, it wouldnt do enough to address the problem, he said. If you pass something like that, I think there would be a general feeling, Well, weve taken care of that, Luechtefeld said. And obviously that doesnt take care of it. Thats just a small part of the problem. Another big question is whether the plan would win the support of Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan of Chicago. Following the State of the State address, Madigan said he was very anxious to see the governors language. SPRINGFIELD -- President Barack Obama will return next month to the place where his political career began to address the Illinois General Assembly. The presidents Feb. 10 visit comes amid an unprecedented budget deadlock between his fellow Democrats and Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner. In his State of the Union address earlier this month, Obama called for creating a more civil political environment, which will be the subject of his speech to lawmakers in his home state. Obama, who served in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004, will speak to lawmakers about what we can do, together, to build a better politics one that reflects our better selves, according to the White House. In his State of the State address Wednesday, Rauner cited the presidents support for changing the way legislative districts are drawn, one of the first-term governors policy priorities. Rauners office issued a statement Friday welcoming the presidents visit. Despite our political differences, the President and I share a passion for improving education, especially for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, a belief in the benefits of term limits and redistricting reform for restoring good government and a strong desire to see more economic opportunity for all Illinoisans, Rauner said. I know we can achieve great things for Illinois by having mutual respect for one another and focusing on bipartisan compromise to achieve whats best for the long-term future of our great state," he added. Republican state Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington, who served with Obama in the Senate for two years, said the presidents call for civility is one thats needed everywhere, every state. I dont care who the president is, Brady said, Illinois will always welcome the president of the United States. Republican Sen. Dave Luechtefeld of Okawville served with Obama throughout his tenure and played cards with him regularly. As for Obamas message, however, I dont know if hes set a very good example as president, Luechtefeld said. Weve had Republican and Democratic presidents off and on for my whole life, and Ive never seen it more divided than it is now, he said. Democratic Sen. Andy Manar of Bunker Hill was on the Senate Democratic staff when Obama was in the General Assembly. The fact that Obama will be addressing the body where his path to the presidency began gives the event a heightened importance, he said. Hes a product of the Illinois Senate in many ways, Manar said. At the annual dinner of the CCAF (Co-ordination Council of Armenian organizations of France, French President Francois Hollande declared that he has ordered the new draft of a bill criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide. He has given the responsibility to Jean-Paul Costa, former president of the European Court of Human Rights, who, according to Hollande, must draft the bill so that it no anti-constitutional issue will arise and that if it is appealed at the ECHR, it will not lead to a defeat of Hay Tad or France. The first attempt to pass a bill criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide was made in 2011-2012. It ws launched by Nicolas Sarkozy, president of France at the time. The bill, however, passed by both bodies of the French parliament was deemed anti-constitutional by the Constitutional Council of France, which argued that the bill restricted freedom of speech and, in that sense, could not be deemed comparable to the law criminalizing the Holocaust. In reality, defeat of that bill had political motivations and reflected the true desires of the Sarkozy regime. By sending the bill to the Constitutional Council, even though Sarkozy had the right not to, the former French president predetermined and laid the groundwork for its defeat, thus avoiding creating problems with Turkey. Immediately afterwards, on the eve of scheduled presidential elections, Francois Holland made a statement about a new process for the bill, garnering the support of Armenians in France. During his four years as president, however, Hollande took no steps to initiate such a process. The fact that he is speaking on the issue now, when France is entering a new presidential election period, shows that he once again is using the issue as a campaign tool, even though he has stated that his initiative has nothing to do with the elections. Now, the question is whether Hollande will make good on his promise or not. There are factors, both assisting and preventing, this. Negative factors This initiative by Hollande was preceded by a final decision of the ECHR in the case of Perincek v Switzerland in October of 2015. Even though official Yerevan and the attorneys representing its interests during the trial deemed the verdict as a victory for Armenia, in fact it created serious problems specifically regarding the criminalization of the Armenian Genocide. By sustaining the appeal filed by Turkish nationalist Dogu Perincek against Switzerland the ECHR, following the lead of Frances Constitutional Court , declared that prohibiting the denial of the reality of the Armenian Genocide either legislatively or by other means, contradicts the right to freedom of speech and expression. With its verdict, the ECHR provided a powerful legal tool to the Turkish side to derail any future attempts by nations to criminalize the denial of the Armenian Genocide. There can be no doubt that if a new criminalization bill is drafted in France, Turkey will use the decisions of the ECHR and Frances Constitutional Court to halt the process. This process is being implemented in extremely unfavorable geo-political conditions. The huge refugee problem overwhelming Europe (and France) as a consequence of the war in Syria has drastically increased the political dependence of Brussels and Paris on Turkey. One and a half months ago, yet another round of negotiations took place in Brussels regarding Turkeys membership in the European Union. As a result, it was decided to establish a visa-free regime between Turkey and the EU would commence as of 2016, to speed-up the process of Turkeys membership in the EU, and, most importantly, it was decided that the EU would allocate 3 billion Euros to Turkey in order that Ankara take steps to halt the flood of refugees from Syria and Iraq to Europe, to increase oversight its borders with Syria and Iraq, and to provide haven in Turkey to the refugees. Favorable factors From the start, President Hollande has stated that he has given the task of drafting a new bill to the former president of the ECHR. This is an indirect indication that he is taking the risks involved and his stated promise more seriously. On the other hand, its obvious that the former ECHR judge and his team, fully mastering how things work at the court, will take a much more professional and crafted approach when drafting the bill and will fix all possible weak links in the bill preventing its approval. The judge and his team will take into account the arguments put forth by Frances Constitutional Court when finding in favor of Perincek. Naturally, it is immoral to make use of the Armenian Genocide issue for propaganda purposes in an election campaign. However, this is nothing new and takes place independent of the will of Armenian circles, whether in Armenia or the diaspora. In practical terms, no one has control of the issue. Such a problem currently exists in Russia. In November of last year, in response to the Turkish downing of a Russian military jet, the Just Russia faction in the Russian State Duma launched a bill designed to specify criminal responsibility for denying the Armenian Genocide in Russia. All understand that the Russians are clearly trying to utilize the issue against Turkey as a punitive measure. In this context, the process to criminalize the denial of the Armenian Genocide in France, again with election campaign overtones, isnt strange at all. In fact, in a way, it creates a much more favorable situation. The problem is that Hollande has already broken his promise to the Armenians of France. Its hard to believe that French-Armenians will be taken in a second time, blindly believing the utterances of Hollande. This time, Armenian organizations will perhaps try to obtain greater guarantees in supporting Hollande to the hilt. One such guarantee could be to see that the bill is adopted before the end of Hollandes term in office. Theres one year left. Hollande finds himself in tough situation if he has any hope of winning the 2017 presidential election. His popularity has suffered due to his inability to prevent the tragic terrorist attacks in Paris last November. In December 2015 local elections, his Socialist Party won just 25% of the vote, losing out to Marie Le Pens National Front and Sarkozys Republican Party. This tough spot should prompt Hollande to make due on his promise to the Armenian community in order to garner its support. Naturally, however, this requires some agenda and France isnt that country where the promise made by a president will ensure victory in the two chambers of the parliament. Thus, taking all into account that Ive raised her, the issue remains quite up in the air. Mher Yenokyan (Hetq Correspondent at Nubarashen Prison) This time for Prison Notes Ive interviewed Michael OBrien, who spent eleven years in a British prison for a crime he didnt commit. OBrien will soon visit Armenia to speak about what happened to him and how he was finally found innocent after a long and difficult legal battle. He studied law while in prison and after being released launched a campaign to make changes to the laws on the books in Britain. What follows is the letter I wrote him and the uplifting response I received. Dear Michael O'Brien, My warmest regards to you. I am a life-term prisoner from Armenia serving 20 years of sentence for a crime not committed by me. In 1996, at the age of 20, I was sentenced to capital punishment after being found guilty of murdering my co-ed. Yet, for the following 20 years I have been struggling to reopen the case, to overturn the conviction based on just one persons testimony, and prove my innocence. I don't even remember how many legal disputes I had during those 20 years, and all of them were in vain. Here, the government and the courts do not accept that there are wrongfully convicted and innocent people in the prisons. While in the prison, I got familiar with biographies of many wrongfully convicted persons and about their persistent steps before being exonerated. I also read about your case and found some similarities with mine. You also were sentenced at the age of 20, being accused for murdering a person. Similar to my case, your verdict was made based on witness testimony rather than scientific arguments. You also have started learning jurisprudence and after being exonerated, continued your studies in the field. I learnt that we are also pen pals. I am determined to read one of your autobiographic books The Death of Justice. Michael O'Brien shows his book - "The Death of Justice" I am also an author of several autobiographic books. I would recommend one of my works Towards Lifelong Freedom. Currently, I am taking distance courses at the Slavonic University in Yerevan, Faculty of Law. This September I will enter my fourth year. I am also working at an online magazine hetq.am as a distant prison correspondent. I write prison letters and interviews. Recently, I interviewed US citizen Jeffrey Deskovic who served 16 years after wrongfully being convicted. He also studied jurisprudence and now he helps other wrongly convicted persons to be exonerated. I hope you will accept my invitation to interview you as well. My colleagues taught me to be short while forming my questions, but I havent mastered that skill yet. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to you and Dr. Michael Naughton for accepting the invitation to come to Armenia and for your great contribution in the most difficult work in implementing real justice. WISH YOU HEALTH AND VICTORIES. With cherished dream to meeting you in freedom one day... Regards, Mher Yenokyan Michael O'Brien at the age of 20, before being sentenced Here is Michael OBriens response. Dear Mher, Thank you for your letter. I find your story fascinating and sad at the same time as I only know too well what being in prison is like for something you have not done. In our country one persons evidence or testimony, especially in a murder case would not be allowed in evidence and you never would have got to trial let alone convicted. I am horrified that you were convicted on such flimsy evidence. Whilst our system in Britain is far from perfect there are mechanisms in place where you can at least appeal against a wrongful conviction however Im aware that this is not the case in Armenia. This in itself is quite shocking. Our cases are quite similar in the fact there was no forensic evidence linking us to the alleged crime and in my view is a clear indication that we were innocent. When someone commits a serious crime like murder there is always forensic evidence left at the scene. Im saddened to see that you have done nearly 20 years already however I do hope our visit and meetings with the justice minister will help your fight for freedom. Rest assured I will be bringing up your case with them. You must never give up hope of clearing your name regardless of how hopeless things may seem. Tomorrow is another day and I believe justice will prevail in the end. O'Brien's freedom age - 31 Its quite ironic that a lot of innocent people whilst in prison take up studying law sometimes its the only way forward. When I studied Law I saw all the flaws with my own case and others and started to understand how I was wrongly convicted then the fight began. I studied day and night wrote to all the journalists I could and made my case high profile and got the public behind me. I was one of the lucky ones able to do this. Not all prisoners are articulate enough to do it. Keep up with the legal studies it will help you a lot and you may even find other cases like yours where you can back up your arguments for over turning your conviction. In relation to an Interview I will answer all your questions. -You have been imprisoned for 11 years for a crime not committed by you. Before listening to the verdict, did you ever imagine that an innocent citizen could be wrongfully convicted? -Before I was wrongly convicted I did not believe that these things happened. I was blind to the fact that wrongful convictions happened until I saw it happen with my own eyes until it happened to me. O'Brien's sister during a protest demanding to reopen his brother's case -What was the reaction of the society when you were in the defendants seat, at the prison and after the exoneration? I mean the fact that an innocent person was labeled a criminal. How did you overcome the psychological difficulty? Most people in my community knew me well and were horrified that I was convicted. They knew from the beginning that I would not do something like that so in that regard I was very lucky I had the community on my side right from the start. When I was sentenced after and taken to prison even the Prison officers knew I was innocent and were shocked at the verdict. When I cleared my name because of all the media attention our case had people would stop me in the street and shake my hand and said we knew you were innocent and I had brilliant support from the public. I am still psychologically damaged by my experiences and developed a long term illness called Posttraumatic stress disorder in which I have to take medication due to the flashbacks. I have of my imprisonment. Prisons in the UK are violent places and I was at one prison where prisoners died at the hands of other prisoners. -When did you first think about studying jurisprudence and why? -I was three years into my sentence when I decided to study law I knew I had to educate myself if I was going to have any chance of overturning this wrongful conviction. -How did you live those 11 years in the jail? Can you tell me a bit about British jails? I am familiar with rehabilitation programs and regime changes from A-D. -In the eleven years I was in prison I kept busy reading law books and Newspapers took up education and studied. British Prisons compared to other countries are more humane and they let you out of your cells to do prison work, watch TV and go to the gym. They have a disciplinary system in place if you do not follow prison rules, where you can be punished and placed in solitary confinement and stoppage of your prison wages. -How did it happen that your voice was heard? How did the reopening of your case take place and who helped you from the outside when you were imprisoned? O'Brien's first moments in freedom. His family meets him -My cries of Innocence were heard by campaigning journalists who looked at my case and saw a miscarriage of justice had taken place a number of TV documentaries were made about our wrongful conviction which lead to our case being reopened and referred back to the Court of Appeal where my conviction was overturned. If it had not been for these journalists and my lawyer who believed in me I would never been able to prove my innocence. I did have a big campaign via my family and friends which also helped to get me out they were my voice from the outside. -I cannot get the title of your book The Death of Justice from my head. It is very impressive. What is the main message of your book to the audience, the society? -The main message in my book the Death of Justice was to show others you can fight your way out of prison and overturn their wrongful conviction too and I wanted the book to inspire those to educate themselves and fight back. -I know that you became an author of amendments in a number of laws in Great Britain. What laws were changed thanks to your work? -The laws I have changed is evidence of Similar fact which can be used in British courts to show a pattern of behaviour that someone has done over a long period of time. Example A police officer who alleges he overheard a confession in a number of cases say between 1983 -1987 which amounts to a cell confession (Later proved to be untrue). Access to journalist for Prisoners Access to compensation breakdown of the Award Evidence of venerable suspects I do hope this has been helpful and can I express my deep sorrow of you unjust imprisonment Your case disturbs me greatly. I will do what I can to help you. Keep strong and hope to meet you when you are a free man. Warmest wishes Michael OBrien (Photo: Michael OBrien, Mher Yenokyan) translated by Lilit Verdian I knew I would have to return to Gladstone. Not literally, of course. When I wrote about it before ( The trouble with Gladstone , June 201... Mary Daley, center, speaks with fellow protesters in July 2015 during an anti-abortion rally outside of Planned Parenthood in Fort Worth, Texas. A state appeals court Thursday denied a Reedsburg womans request for a new trial, concluding that police did not coerce statements used to convict her of causing the death of an infant under her care. Jeanette Janusiak, 28, is serving a life sentence for first-degree intentional homicide for the June 2014 death of Payten Rain Shearer. Janusiak frequently baby-sat for the 4-month-old daughter of her then best friend Angela Shearer. Janusiaks appeals attorney, Steven Zaleski, said he will continue to contest the conviction. I disagree totally with the opinion and I plan to file a petition with the Wisconsin Supreme Court and pursue this as far as we can, Zaleski said. Janusiak called 911 after she said she was awakened by a choking noise she traced to Payten who she had placed in a bed in a different room hours earlier. Janusiak made similar statements to Reedsburg police when they first spoke with her, telling them she was not aware of any problem with the baby when she put her to bed. The next day, Janusiak was handcuffed and taken to the police station where she was interviewed for about seven hours. During that time, her account changed from not knowing how the baby was injured to saying Payten was injured when the baby accidentally fell off the bed, striking her head on a table, according to the appeals opinion. Before the 10-day trial, Circuit Judge Patrick Taggart listened a recording of Janusiaks interrogation. He permitted jurors to hear Janusiaks statements, concluding that they were not coerced as there were sufficient breaks during the seven-hour session and she did not appear to be over tired, despite being pregnant with her fifth child. After being sentenced to life in prison with parole eligibility in 40 years, Zaleski appealed, contending that although his client did not confess to any crime, police used subtle psychological pressure on a vulnerable person to get Janusiak to say things that would be used against her at trial. Zaleski was critical of the role Sauk County Department of Human Services Supervisor Hazel Coppernoll played in the interrogation. Zaleski said Coppernoll told Janusiak that, at this point Im not taking them (Janusiaks children) into custody, Im very concerned about your own children if this happened at your own home I want you to be aware of that. While Coppernoll did not say she was taking Janusiaks children from her, Coppernolls presence and words suggested she could, Zaleski said. Its hard to imagine that would not be considered coercive, Zaleski said. The District IV Court of Appeals called some of Zaleskis account of the police interrogation a distortion of the facts and noted that Janusiak has five prior convictions, including lying to police. The court also disagreed that being pregnant made Janusiak particularly vulnerable to police pressure tactics. Janusiak also contributed to the length of the interrogation, according to the opinion. (W)e see no basis in the record for a potential argument, that at any time during the interview she sought to put a stop to the questioning, or appeared reluctant to speak with the officers. Indeed, she expressed a desire to continue talking when the officers said it was time to end the interview, Judge Brian Blanchard wrote in the 16-page opinion. District Attorney Kevin Calkins agreed that Reedsburg police properly conducted Janusiaks interview, saying she kept it going after the officers did not think it was worthwhile. The video showed that an officer tried to shut it down by the two-hour point, as she wasnt saying anything. However, she insisted on telling them more but it didnt match the medical evidence. She continued to offer further explanations of what happened, slowly revealing more details which lengthen the interview, Calkins said. Janusiak is an inmate at Taycheedah Correctional Institution, according to online state records. Chris Rickert | Wisconsin State Journal Urban affairs, investigations, consumer help ("SOS") Follow Chris Rickert | Wisconsin State Journal 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 The population of the town of Cranmoor in rural Wood County stands at 165 souls, according to town chairman Phil Brown, and about 90 percent of the towns households are involved in the cultivation of cranberries at the towns 14 cranberry marshes. Cranmoor doesnt have any schools, hospitals, factories or other businesses to speak of. Its approximately 36 square miles are served by firefighters from elsewhere, and its seven miles away from the nearest Piggly Wiggly and 30 miles from the nearest interstate. The town itself doesnt have its own website, but since last summer, Cranmoor residents have had better broadband Internet access, thanks in part to state funding that amounts to $905 for every newly connected household. TDS Telecom finished building Cranmoors entrance ramp to the information superhighway in June part of a $172,000 project that brought wired broadband to about 95 households in the towns of Cranmoor and Seneca (population 1,120) and the village of Port Edwards (population 1,818). TDS and the state shared the projects cost 50-50; those actually getting the broadband paid nothing. Now, I know what youre thinking: Whats wrong with bringing better broadband to tiny Cranmoor? It isnt just about making it easier to watch funny cat videos, after all. Tom Still, president of the Wisconsin Technology Council, said broadband is key to boosting tourism, telemedicine and distance learning; shortening emergency response times; stemming brain drain; and improving the states economy in general. Brown said most people discover his cranberry operation, which offers tours, via its website. Were all connected now and we need to be connected, he said. Its something weve all taken for granted. Moreover, whats wrong with using taxpayer dollars to get connected? Indeed, while Gov. Scott Walker has proposed tripling, to $1.5 million, the money the state spends annually on the grant program that helped pay for Cranmoors newly realized connectivity, critics have said this is nowhere near enough. At that rate, it will only take another 13.5 years to get to the $23 million level of federal broadband funding he rejected in 2011, UW-Madison telecommunications expert Barry Orton told me via email, with what I presume was a heavy dose of snark. He and Still also compared taxpayer-funded broadband-for-the-boonies to New Deal efforts to expand phone and electricity service to rural areas in the 1930s and 1940s. These are all worthy arguments, and no ones suggesting Cranmoor be cut off from the Internet. Worth noting, though, is that prior to taxpayers stepping in, it wasnt. At least a couple of other companies offer wireless service, which can be good enough to stream video. But more to the point: What sentient being expects to have the same access to opportunities, services and quality of life in both good and bad ways in rural and urban Wisconsin? I wouldnt expect high Internet connectivity in a rural town of 165 any more than Id expect to see high home prices, high crime, multiple high schools or direct highway access to Chicago. It is a nice perk, though, especially if the states footing the bill. The pediatrician who brought the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, to public attention used a Wisconsin tool to do so: Epic Systems electronic medical records. Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, of Hurley Medical Center in Flint, analyzed confidential data from blood tests on children stored in software designed by Verona-based Epic Systems Corp. She and her colleagues discovered that the percentage of Flint children with unsafe levels of lead in their blood doubled and nearly tripled in the inner city after the city, under state management, switched its water supply in April 2014. If we did not have Epic, if we did not have (electronic medical records), if we were still on paper, it would have taken forever to get these results, Hanna-Attisha said. Hanna-Attisha shared her findings at a press conference in September, eventually prompting Michigan officials to distribute bottled water and water filters, and return Flint to its previous water supply. She is part of a state-appointed committee responding to the problem. Congress is considering federal aid to replace and fix lead-contaminated pipes in the majority black, post-industrial city of 100,000. Hurley Medical Center has used Epic records since 2010. Epic, with 9,400 employees, has nearly 400 customers that store medical data for more than half of Americans. In an effort to save money, Flint started getting its water from the Flint River in April 2014 instead of using Lake Huron water from Detroit. The river water is more corrosive to lead pipes, and residents started complaining about the waters smell and brown color. A new pipeline from Flint to Lake Huron is expected to be ready this year. In September 2015, Virginia Tech researchers reported elevated lead levels in Flints drinking water. That prompted Hanna-Attisha to look at levels in young children, who are especially susceptible to the harmful effects of lead, including decreased intelligence and inability to pay attention. Its a well known neurotoxin, she said. If theres any possibility its in kids, its a disaster. Using Epic records, she compared blood test results for the 736 Flint children under 5 whose tests were processed at Hurley from January to September 2013 with results from 737 children for the same period in 2015. Hurley handles about two-thirds of the tests in Genesee County, which includes Flint. The percentage of those with elevated blood lead levels 5 micrograms per deciliter or higher increased from 2.4 percent in 2013 to 4.9 percent in 2015. In parts of the city with the highest lead levels in drinking water, the percentage of children with unsafe blood levels rose from 4 percent to 10.6 percent. It directly correlated with the water lead levels, Hanna-Attisha said. Among more than 2,000 children outside of the city, whose homes werent directly affected by the drinking water switch, the percentage with high blood lead levels went from 0.7 percent to 1.2 percent, a change that wasnt statistically significant. The researchers used home addresses from the Epic records and geographic information system software to study the geographic variation. Hurley is now putting a lead alert in all of the Flint childrens medical records so doctors can counsel families and watch for symptoms, which typically take a few years to develop. It will help us track these patients in the future to see how they are doing, Hanna-Attisha said. Dr. Sean McCormick, who works in clinical informatics at Epic, said the Flint researchers used standard Epic software and didnt require special assistance. Its a good example of how (Epic records) can be applied to a specific problem, he said. Another example is MetroHealth System, in Cleveland, which said Epic records helped it better manage patients with diabetes, averting 17 amputations and 2,200 hospitalizations over three years. Dean Clinic has used Epic records to enroll more people in tobacco cessation programs, and Madison hospitals have used the records to boost colon cancer screening, McCormick said. Epics Cosmos Research Network a group of about a dozen health care organizations around the country, including Johns Hopkins Medicine and Duke University Health System plans to share Epic record data to improve asthma care. A white-tailed deer on a quarantined farm in Iowa County has tested positive for chronic wasting disease, State Veterinarian Paul McGraw said Friday. According to the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), the 2-year-old buck which was born on the farm and killed after sustaining an injury was one of 15 deer living on the one-acre farm. The Iowa County farms deer are only used for public exhibition and do not move anywhere except for slaughter the farm has been quarantined since 2008 when wild deer in a five-mile radius tested positive for chronic wasting disease, DATCP said. DATCP took samples from the buck on Jan. 9 for testing and the results were confirmed by the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa. Chronic wasting disease was first discovered in Wisconsin in 2002 and while research is being conducted on possible vaccinations there is still not a consensus on how the disease is transmitted. Investigations will be done by DATCPs Animal Health Division to examine the bucks history and to track movement of deer on the property to determine if other deer farms have been exposed. Since it is already in the wild, the farm is a low risk of spreading to deer outside the fence, McGraw said. But it is possible that other deer on the farm have been exposed, he added. In December, the Department of Natural Resources Board passed a rule letting deer farmers opt out of the states CWD-monitoring program. The decision also lets farmers opt out of upgrading fences to comply with new federal standards. When anti-abortion activists began a fraudulent sting operation against Planned Parenthood, they surely had no idea that it would lead to this: criminal indictments against their own plotters. This is one of the best instances of retributive justice to hit the political scene in decades. The anti-abortion crowd who carried out this campaign certainly deserve what they got. They set out to use lies, deception and, it turns out, allegedly illegal acts not just to embarrass Planned Parenthood but also to cripple it to turn the organization, which is one of the nations leading providers of womens reproductive health services, into such a pariah that its funding would dry up. Instead, the schemers have been exposed as the liars and frauds that they are. Their deception was in keeping with the long and tawdry history of the anti-abortion crusade, which has used falsehoods and misinformation to try to prevent women from having access to safe and legal abortions. Activists have claimed that abortion is linked to breast cancer. (It isnt.) They have insisted that abortion leads to long-term mental anguish. (There are no data to support that claim.) And some have even said there is no reason to include exceptions for rape and incest in any abortion restrictions, since rape cannot lead to pregnancy. (Thats just nonsense.) This particular episode of right-wing overreach hit the airwaves last year, when an anti-abortion activist named David Daleiden, director of the so-called Center for Medical Progress, released videos that purported to show Planned Parenthood employees selling fetal tissue retrieved from abortions, which is illegal. He claimed the videos showed a criminal conspiracy to make money off of aborted baby parts. But, like other so-called stings by ultraconservative citizen-journalists, this operation did not depend on fairness, accuracy or transparency. Instead, the videos were heavily edited and sometimes doctored to give the appearance of wrongdoing. Of course, that didnt stop conservative politicians from pouncing on the opportunity to show their support for Daleidens efforts. Businesswoman Carly Fiorina, a candidate for the GOP presidential nomination, dove headfirst into the miasma of Daleidens lies, suggesting during a September debate that she had seen video footage of a fully formed fetus on the table, its heart beating, its legs kicking, while someone says, We have to keep it alive to harvest its brain. No such video exists, and Politifact later ruled Fiorinas dramatic tale mostly false. Some Republican hard-liners in Congress, including presidential contender Ted Cruz, insisted that their party should shut down the government rather than assent to a budget that included funding for Planned Parenthood. Meanwhile, several investigations were launched into Planned Parenthoods alleged perfidy. Multiple states, from Kansas to Georgia to Massachusetts, conducted probes, as did three congressional committees. None not one of the investigations turned up any wrongdoing by Planned Parenthood. Indeed, Harris County (Houston), Texas, also convened a grand jury to investigate Planned Parenthood. But in a stunning irony, the grand jury cleared Planned Parenthood and instead returned criminal indictments against Daleiden on a felony charge of tampering with a governmental record and on a misdemeanor charge related to purchasing human organs. A second anti-abortion activist, Sandra S. Merritt, was indicted on a felony charge of tampering with a governmental record. (Both felony charges involve making fake drivers licenses to fool Planned Parenthood employees about their actual identities.) If supporters of Daleiden and Merritt try to persuade you this is some partisan smear, know that the Harris County prosecutor who convened the grand jury is a Republican, Devon Anderson, who has described herself as pro-life. As I stated at the outset of this investigation, we must go where the evidence leads us, she told reporters. Not that the anti-abortionists are giving up. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that their separate investigations would continue. They are as relentless as their partisan colleagues in Congress have been in investigating Benghazi and similarly unsuccessful. But finding evidence of genuine criminal wrongdoing was never the goal of these investigations. Instead, ultraconservatives who crusade against reproductive rights are animated by a desire to turn back the clock to a time when women had little control over their own bodies. Their critics have dubbed this a war on women for good reason. Have you seen it yet? My son wanted to know if I watched Making a Murderer. It is the red-hot Netflix documentary about the Steven Avery case. Thats right. He is the Manitowoc County man who served 18 years for a 1985 rape he didnt commit. The documentary really sucks you in and makes you mad as the Manitowoc County Sheriffs Department botched the case. The prosecution nailed Avery because rape victim Penny Beernsten testified in court that she was certain the long haired, bearded Avery raped her. The actual rapist was long haired, bearded Gregory Allen. They did bear a striking resemblance. Still, investigators were not much interested in pursuing other suspects or in checking out a stunning phone call 10 years before the Wisconsin Innocence Project found DNA evidence that cleared Avery of the crime. That phone call from Brown County law enforcement informed Manitowoc County Sgt. Andrew Colborn that his department might have arrested the wrong man. Thats because an inmate in Brown County stated he raped a woman near the beach in Manitowoc at the same time. The phone call was conveyed to Manitowoc County Lt. James Lenk, but nothing was done. After Avery was released years later, Sgt. Colborn mentioned the phone call in a report. Evil? No, just sloppy. That prompted the newly freed Avery to launch a $36 million civil suit against Manitowoc County. Here is where it gets really weird. While the civil suit is underway, 25-year-old Teresa Halbach is raped, murdered and mutilated by, you guessed it, Steven Avery. In fact, Avery was convicted of the crime with his 16-year-old nephew Brendan Dassey. The boy also received a life sentence for taking part in the rape. Enter the documentary Making a Murderer. The viewer is led to believe Avery and the boy were framed by the Manitowoc County Sheriffs Department. Why? Because the county was trying to avoid a $36 million judgment. No. Doubt is not the same as reasonable doubt. Avery called Halbach three times the day she died. Twice he hit star-67 on the phone to block caller ID. Halbach had been to the Avery Salvage Yard previously to photograph pictures of Averys sisters van. According to the receptionist at Auto Trader magazine, Halbach said Avery once greeted her at the door while wearing only a towel. Halbachs Toyota Rav-4 was found on the edge of the Avery property. Averys blood and sweat were found in the vehicle. Halbachs charred bones were found in Averys burn pit. A bullet with Halbachs DNA was found in Averys garage. And Dassey described the whole bloody ordeal in a four-hour confession. The documentary glossed over the fact Avery burned a cat alive as a young man. He also masturbated in front of his female cousin. His conviction was blamed in the documentary on the fact the cousin was married to a sheriffs deputy. Conspiracy theorists believe the cognitively challenged Dassey was tricked by police and that the boy was fantasizing about the novel Kiss the Girls. Reading at a fourth-grade level, could he retain a 464-page novel that well? Also, it is suggested that police planted Averys DNA at the crime scene and placed Halbachs keys on the floor after several searches of Averys home had failed to turn up any keys. Police say the keys fell out of a cabinet after it was aggressively shaken. Dan ODonnell covered the case for WISN-AM (1130) and has produced a series of podcasts debunking Making a Murderer. A conspiracy would have required Lt. Lenk and Sgt Colborn to either kill Halbach themselves or let the real killer go, ODonnell says. Then they would have had to burn her body and drop the remains on Averys property with no one else seeing them. ODonnell also points out that Lenk and Colborn were only witnesses in the civil case against the county. They were not facing any financial loss, so what was the motive? That is unreasonable doubt even in Manitowoc County. CONCORD, California Poised on the cusp of this years presidential primary D-Day, Donald Trump finds himself exactly where Barack Obama stood in 2008 leading a race he never intended to win, as Foxs Monica Crowley has suggested. In 2007, best-selling author and then-freshman U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, was doing some research into his next bestseller. As a senator and a freshman with no national security or foreign policy chops nor any executive experience he could not have hoped to win. But in 2008, through the mystical confluence of a smokers basso, affected Baptist evangelism and burgeoning charisma, Obama found himself in the backstretch looking over his left shoulder at icon Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. He had seconds to decide: Do I surge forward and slip into lane one, or feign cramps and fall back to save my book? He faced his Bill McKay moment: Actor Robert Redford in The Candidate, after winning a political campaign in which he was to be merely a placeholder, asked his advisers, who had talked him into the race: What do we do now? Obamas advisers, who had planned for this moment, said: Go, Go, GO!!! And the Democratic Party must have agreed, because the rest is history. Obamas book will be a presidential memoir rather than the black candidates experience on the trail against a white establishment. But in todays reality show, Republican Party leaders are shouting: No, No, NO!!! And Trump is his own adviser. Like McKays advisers, Trump urges himself to say whatever he wants. So, as Trump internally frets bona fide voting, he is increasing his controversial rhetoric, commenting on Republican challenger and Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruzs rough temperament, while claiming, Ive never commented on it, but others have. Is The Donald trying to win or trying to lose the race he entered for his own ego-syntonic reasons? The possibility of a Trump-Clinton showdown is blooming with Kardashian appeal. Internet memes abound. But who seriously wants to watch Helen Reddy (I am woman, hear me roar) mudwrestle Mick Jagger (to live in this town, you must be tough tough tough tough tough tough tough!) for the presidency of the United States? Doesnt America mean more than that? Of all the candidates in both parties, Hillary Clinton most resembles a president. However, the president she most resembles is Nixon. I am not a crook. Can you hear it, in her septuagenarian baritone? What difference, at this point, does it make? I am joining Morton Kondrackes movement. The Roll Call veteran analyst, whom legendary TV host John McLaughlin liked to call MOrtone, is asking everyone to write in House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Janesville. Given the impish horns of Trumps looking-glass campaign as he plays chicken with the presidency I trust the tongue of fire on Ryans head. Can everyone see that? To be a princess--spoiled and adored! Few real princesses have enjoyed such a life. The real princesses have been lost in our love of fairytales. Princess Palace explores their lives and loves, adventures and tragedies. Lets celebrate and commiserate with these most (un?)fortunate of women. Stocktrek Images(NEW YORK) -- The Turkish Foreign Ministry says a Russian fighter jet has violated Turkish airspace on Friday morning. The Russian fighter jet was a model SU-34, says the Turkish Foreign Ministry. The Turkish Foreign Ministry also called the Russian Ambassador and condemned the event. "This is a clear violation and escalation of the tension in the region by Russia," the Ministry said in their comment about the situation. Tensions between Russia and Turkey have been high since a Russian jet, that was found to have violated Turkish airspace, was shot down by two Turkish fighter jets. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg released a statement saying, "I call on Russia to act responsibly and to fully respect NATO airspace. Russia must take all necessary measures to ensure that such violations do not happen again. I welcome the direct contacts between Ankara and Moscow, and I call for calm and de-escalation." The statement also added, "NATO stands in solidarity with Turkey and supports the territorial integrity of our Ally, Turkey." Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for Russia's defense ministry, told Russia's state run news agency Interfax, "There have been no kind of violation of Turkish airspace by the Russian air group in the Syrian Arab Republic. The statements from the Turkish side about the supposed fact of the violation by a Russia SU-34 plane are unfounded propaganda." Konashenkov went on to say that it was impossible that the Turks had recorded a breach by a Russian jet because they had said they had only detected it using radar, which he claims is unable to identify the type of aircraaft or who it belongs to. He said this could only be done visually and that the Turks had not said this had occurred. He likewise denied that any Syrian military aircraft had crossed the border. He added that only "ill-educated propagandists, who've watched too many Hollywood fighters" could say such things. Copyright 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. The movie Thank You, Dad by Hrach Keshishyan tells a story of an American-Armenian girl, named Virgy. Although, she had hardly ever see... Once dubbed as the "Christian Conscience of Illinois Politics," Lee headed the Christian Coalition of Illinois for five years in the early 1990s and served as president of the conservative United Republican Fund before seeking elected office. Before retiring from elected office to start an alpaca farm outside of Bloomington, Lee was often called upon to be on Bruce DuMont's WLS 890 AM "Beyond the Beltway." His perspective would clearly define conservatives' views on Illinois politics. Lee would say that an issues activist must be a strong, unbending voice to raise the debate and inform the public. An elected official may hold those same positions, but should always be reminded that elected officials must represent those with whom they may strongly disagree on important issues. Lee was also the visionary that inspired the launch of Illinois Review in 2005. We will always be grateful for his encouragement to establish this work that has served the Illinois conservative community for over ten years. Last Sunday, Lee - knowing that he was facing his last few days of life on this Earth - said he was content and a very happy man. He was disappointed, though that he would likely not be able to attend the Republican National Convention this summer as a delegate from the 18th CD for his pick in 2016, Ted Cruz. The Apostle Paul wrote in this Second Corinthians: Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. Lee leaves behind wife Jan, and three adult children, Sara, Katie and Matthew, two of which are actively serving in the U.S. military. A Memorial Service will be Wednesday, February 3, at Eastview Christian Church in Normal, IL. Visitation will begin at 12pm, followed by a celebration of life memorial service at 1pm. (Service will be in the smaller sanctuary, so park on the lower level and head toward the right end of the building.) A fund has been set up by the family to cover medical and hospice expenses HERE. The incident took place at about 12 noon when the boy went missing at Ryan International School in Vasant Kunj area of Delhi. The incident took place at about 12 noon when the boy went missing at Ryan International School in Vasant Kunj area of Delhi. By India Today Web Desk: A six-year-old student died after falling into a water storage tank at his school in Delhi. The boy, identified as Divyansh Kakrora, was a class I student at Ryan International School in Vasant Kunj area in south Delhi, police said. He was last seen before the seventh period, which was around 12.20 pm, following which the school authorities started looking for him. The boy was trapped inside the tank till the sewage workers reached there and fished him out. His body was later found floating inside the pit, used as a water storage tank, under the amphitheater in the school's playground, police said. The school authorities took him to a hospital, where he was declared brought dead. It was around 2.40 pm that the hospital authorities informed the police about the matter, police said. advertisement Principal of Ryan International School, Sandhya Sabu said, "Our medical staff gave him first aid and rushed him to hospital." This child was special who had a tendency of running out from class: Sandhya Sabu, school Principal pic.twitter.com/uYtwyLTGiT ANI (@ANI_news) January 30, 2016 DCP south Delhi, Premnath said, "We got a call at around 2:40 pm. The kid was brought dead. We are probing the case. Child went missing during the seventh period. There was a poem competition in school and that is why the kid was here. Will take legal action. His father works in a government hospital." "Obviously the coordinator called up the parents and the office person informed the police about it," said Sandhya Sabu. Delhi Government has ordered a magisterial probe into the incident. "Ordered District Magistrate of New Delhi to probe in Ryan child death case. To find facts, responsibility and ascertain exact role of school management," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia tweeted. Divyansh was also to participate in a poetry competition organised at the school today. His parents are both paramedic staff at AIIMS, police said, adding the family lives in Sultanpur locality in south Delhi's Mehrauli area. The boy's father termed it a conspiracy and alleged someone from the school authority was behind the incident. "The principal called me at around 1.34 pm and said it was an emergency. When I asked what happened they asked me to keep mum," said RK Meena. According to police, the incident happened around mid noon but it was reported after 3 hours. The District Magistrate New Delhi, Sanjay Kumar said, " There has been a considerable delay by the school in informing police. We got to know about the mishap only from the hospital." The body of the student has now been shifted to AIIMS for autopsy. Police have registered a case of negligence against the school authorities and asked the principal to join the probe. This is Rahul's second visit to Hyderabad since Vemula was found hanging in the varsity's hostel room. By India Today Web Desk: The BJP has termed Rahul Gandhi's second visit to the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) over Rohith Vemula's death as "classic vulturisation of politics". "Rahul Gandhi and Congress are so politically bankrupt and unemployed that he has to politicise tragic death of a student repeatedly," Telangana BJP spokesperson Krishna Saagar Rao said. "Why is Rahul Gandhi not in Chennai, where three girls' committed suicide almost a week ago," he asked. advertisement "His desperate attempt to earn some petty political expediency, has brought him back to HCU campus. This is classic politics of vulturisation," Rao said. Rahul arrived on the campus after midnight last night and took part in a "candle march" organised by the agitation students and spent about two hours with them. Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula, who committed suicide, would have turned 27 today. Congress has been demanding the sacking of HRD Minister Smriti Irani and Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and also removal of Vice Chancellor Appa Rao in the wake of the suicide by the Dalit scholar. This is Rahul's second visit to Hyderabad since Vemula was found hanging in the varsity's hostel room. The Congress vice-president had visited the University on January 19 following the suicide by the Dalit scholar and met the agitating students and the family members of Vemula. Also read: Rohith Vemula suicide: Rahul Gandhi joins protesting students at Hyderabad university A powerful letter to Rohith Vemula's friends and family from the mother of Aniket Ambhore, who committed suicide. He was a Dalit, too --- ENDS --- Daniel Radcliffe will be seen playing the role of a dead man on a deserted island in Swiss Army Man. By India Today Web Desk: Daniel Radcliffe starring in Swiss Army Man has created quite a niche for himself in the recently held Sundance film festival in Utah. Owing to a sensational plot line, Daniel will be seen playing the role of a dead man on a deserted island. In the film, his corpse (Daniel Radcliffe) is befriended by Paulo Dano, who plays the character of Hank. advertisement ALSO READ: Daniel Radcliffe has got this much amount of money saved for himself Watch: Daniel Radcliffe's screen test for Harry Potter is magic! Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the film is grabbing everyone's attention for its sensational plot line and Daniel Redcliffe's role, who continually farts, has uncontrollable erections, and allows its co-star, Paul Dano, to ride him over the ocean like a dead human jet ski. A still from Swiss Army Man After almost half a decade after last instalment of Harry Potter series Redcliffe has been doing offbeat films with more unusual character such as Ignatius in Horns. It only seems like the actor is more open to unconventional roles and screenplays. The 26-year-old actor said, "Well, I think the movie is a divisive one. You'll either love it or hate it - and that's fine, because I just found it a joyous experience," the Independent reported. He even feels the script of the movie was sent to him as he likes to do weird stuff. (With inputs from ANI) --- ENDS --- By Baishali Adak: After a delay of five years and nine extensions, decks have been cleared for the auction of the iconic Taj Mansingh Hotel. Proprietor of the 5-star luxury property, New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), took the call in a high-level meeting on Friday. NDMC's 'transaction advisor,' SBI Capital Markets, made a detailed presentation to the council recommending the auction. Chairperson Naresh Kumar, who helmed the panel, is said to have agreed. As the HC has already refused to legally 'stay' the auction, as sought by the Ratan Tata-owned Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), the panel is said to have understood that it is now "free to sell its property". advertisement When contacted by Mail Today, the Taj spokesperson said: "Since the issue is sub-judice, we would not like to make any comment in the matter. We will examine the notice and take necessary action. We stand committed to our guests, employees and partners and remain invested in the hotel." The meeting took place on Friday morning at NDMC's headquarters, the Palika Kendra. The two-hour long discussion was attended by only the chairperson, secretary Chanchal Yadav, SBI Cap representatives and NDMC's finance and legal teams. NDMC Council member Anita Arya told Mail Today, "At least, a month's notice will be provided to IHCL." Auction model The hotel, one of the flagship properties of the Taj Group, pays a revenue of Rs 190 crore annually to NDMC. "SBI Cap has already laid out the roadmap, including the financial model, but the NDMC may tweak them slightly to make the process easy. However, as the HC has already granted us the goahead to sell our property, we will do it," Arya added. She did not specify the reserve price fixed on for the 3.78-acre property or dates for the bidding process to begin. Kumar had hinted on the auction during council's annual budget conference on January 12 as well. "We are assessing all the assets of Taj Mansingh and completing the documentation for the auction purpose. The property was with the existing company (IHCL) for the last 33 years. As per the decision of the council, further action will be taken," the chairman had said. Nine extensions have already been granted to IHCL by NDMC. Earlier, the Delhi HC had refused to stay the auction of the hotel. However, the court, in its final interim order, allowed the Taj group of hotels to take legal action if the NDMC tried to threaten or coerce it into "dispossession of the building". The IHCL had approached the court to secure a stay on the auction of the property. Though the land belongs to the NDMC, IHCL has invested in the construction of the hotel's building and hence, it claimed equity in the property. History The 11-storey hotel had come up in 1978 and was a joint venture between the NDMC and IHCL, wherein land and construction cost of the property was borne by NDMC and operation and maintenance was with IHCL. The lease expired on October 10, 2011. Since then, the NDMC has been extending the lease for fixed periods. Following orders from the Union home ministry, NDMC in March 2015, set a three-month deadline for the auction. However, it was put off still. advertisement ALSO READ: --- ENDS --- The National Investigation Agency registers second FIR in two months to probe how three men, who are said to be part of the ISIS' Abu Dhabi module, spotted, motivated, radicalised and recruited for global jihad. The three persons suspected to be a part of ISIS Abu Dhabi module includes many other Indians living in the UAE. By Abhishek Bhalla : Following the deportation of three Indians from the UAE for allegedly recruiting for terror group ISIS, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has registered a fresh case to probe terror conspiracy. The three Indians, who were based in Abu Dhabi, were detained by authorities there on suspicion of being involved in activities linked to the terror group. The FIR registered by the NIA says that credible information has been received that the three individuals along with other unknown associates are involved in a conspiracy to identify, motivate, radicalise, recruit and train Indian citizens both in India and abroad for planning and executing terror attacks in India and countries friendly to India. advertisement The three are said to be part of the ISIS' Abu Dhabi module that includes other Indians living there, sources said. On their return from UAE, the three were handed over to the NIA for further questioning. They belong to Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir and Maharashtra. This is the second case related to the ISIS in two months registered by the federal anti-terror agency. The NIA had arrested 14 men last week who were part of a group called the 'Janood-ul-Khalifa-e-Hind' or the Army of the Caliph in India. Links of these 14, along with the three who returned from the UAE, are also under the scanner. NIA is also probing whether the group had picked up men who once belonged to banned groups like the Indian Mujahideen and the Student's Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). Sources said the NIA chanced upon them as they were zeroing in on Mohammed Rafeeq alias Jaweed alias Alam Jeb Afridi, a SIMI cadre wanted in many terror cases including last year's bomb blast on Church Street in Bangalore. He was arrested on Friday after being on the run for over five years. Lying low "Individuals who were once associated with the IM and the SIMI and were lying low for some time are vulnerable. They are potential ISIS recruits," said an intelligence official. Many of them are under surveillance but they will only be arrested if there is evidence of them being involved in terror activities. The growing influence of the ISIS on Indians living in the Gulf has alarmed the security establishment. The concern was flagged at a recent meeting chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh to combat ISIS threat. "Several Indians living in the Gulf are getting attracted to the ISIS. These are Indian citizens and the possibility of them coming back and carrying out strikes in the name of ISIS cannot be ignored," said a government official. In view of the threat, the Centre is working towards measures for better cooperation with intelligence agencies at the international level. Not a first This is not the first group of Indians living in the UAE who were intercepted there for alleged ISIS links. On September 15, 2015, the UAE had deported four Indians suspected of having links with the ISIS. The UAE had also sent back last year a 37-year-old woman Afsha Jabeen alias Nicky Joseph who was allegedly recruiting in the name of ISIS, even though she was not in direct touch with any ISIS member. advertisement According to intelligence reports, a total of 23 Indians have so far joined the ISIS, of which six were reportedly killed in different incidents. While two returned, 15 are still reportedly part of the ISIS. Amidst growing threat of the ISIS luring young Indian youth who could carry out terror attacks, Singh said on Friday that our security agencies were capable of dealing with any threat posed by the terror group. "We have the capacity to meet any threat. We will face it," he told reporters on the sidelines of a function. It is evident that ISIS ideology is being used to poison young Indians as a lot of material on the cyber space is being circulated in different Indian languages. ISIS propaganda is now available in Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Gujarati and Bangla. 'Capable oftackling threat' Amidst the growing attempts by ISIS to lure youths into its fold, Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said the security agencies were capable of dealing with any threat posed by the terror group. We have the capacity to meet any threat. We will face it, he told reporters on the sidelines of a function here. The Home Minister's comments came when asked about the ISIS threat in the country. Last week, 14 youths were arrested by the NIA and other security agencies after they allegedly formed a module on the pattern of dreaded ISIS to carry out strike s at vital installations. advertisement The simultaneous raids were carried out in five states of Karnataka, Telangana, AP, Maharashtra and UP where the suspects were arrested. ALSO READ: ISIS suspects wanted to topple government, impose Sharia law: NIA NIA eyes money trail of Islamic State recruits --- ENDS --- The Hollywood film is based on Romain Puertolas's best-selling novel The Extraordinary Journey Of The Fakir Who Got Trapped In The Ikea Cupboard. By India Today Web Desk: Dhanush will become one of the few Indian actors to feature in a Hollywood film. And it is said that the Tamil hero is not playing a brief role but the protagonist in the film directed by Iran-French filmmaker Marjane Satrapi. ALSO READ: Kolaveri boy Dhanush goes to Hollywood The Hollywood film is based on Romain Puertolas's best-selling novel The Extraordinary Journey Of The Fakir Who Got Trapped In The Ikea Cupboard. The comedy film is about a guy from New Delhi, who follows her lover all the way to Paris and accidentally gets transported to Africa. advertisement The Kolaveri boy, who is currently shooting for his next film Kodi, took to Twitter to share his excitement. Elated to sign my first Hollywood film @The__Fakir,directed by Marjane Satrapi. A big thank you to all for the warm wishes keeps pushing me! Dhanush (@dhanushkraja) January 28, 2016 But recently in a report published in First Post it is said that Dhanush is more excited about the role than he is about the fact that it is his Hollywood debut. He told to Firstpost, "I am very excited by this opportunity to work in a full length Hollywood film - The Extraordinary Journey Of the Fakir Who Got Trapped In The Ikea Cupboard - for the first time. More than debuting as an actor in Hollywood, it was the role that excited me. The director, Marjane Satrapi, felt I would be apt for this role and I feel there are many facets I can explore for this character." In a way Dhanush has even surpassed Rajinikanth. Though Superstar has acted in a English film named Blood Stone, he only played a supporting role in the film. But by landing the Hollywood film, Dhanush has achieved something even the Thalaivar couldn't. The actor will start shooting for the film once he wraps up Kodi and Vetri Maaran's Vada Chennai. --- ENDS --- Ahead of the Budget, government today hiked the excise duty on petrol by Re 1 per litre and Rs 1.50 on diesel, the third increase this month. By Press Trust of India: Ahead of the Budget, government today hiked the excise duty on petrol by Re 1 per litre and Rs 1.50 on diesel, the third increase this month, to mop up over Rs 3,200 crore in additional revenue, netting in all Rs 17,000 crore in three months. The hike will not result in any increase in retail selling price of the two fuels as it would adjust against the reduction in rates that may have been possible because of the slide in international oil prices. advertisement Basic excise duty on unbranded or normal petrol has been increased from Rs 8.48 per litre to Rs 9.48 and the same on unbranded diesel from Rs 9.83 to Rs 11.33, a notification of the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) said. The increase in excise duty will fetch the government over Rs 3,200 crore during the remainder period of the fiscal. This is the third hike in excise duty this month as the government made use of the slump in oil prices to shore up resources at a time when its disinvestment kitty is likely to fall way short of target. The government had on January 16 hiked the excise duty on petrol by Rs 0.75 per litre and Rs 2 on diesel to mop up over Rs 3,700 crore in additional revenue. Prior to that the government on January 2 had hiked the excise duty on petrol by Rs 0.37 per litre and Rs 2 on diesel to mop up a little less than Rs 4,400 crore. The three hikes in excise duty this month takes to five the number of times tax rates on the two fuel have been raised this fiscal. On December 17, excise duty on petrol was hiked by Rs 0.30 per litre and Rs 1.17 a litre on diesel to garner Rs 2,500 crore. Previously on November 7, excise duty on petrol was raised by Rs 1.60 per litre and diesel by 30 paise to raise Rs 3,200 crore. With the five increases, the government is expected to mop up over Rs 17,000 crore to meet its budgetary deficit. --- ENDS --- Prof Bhim Singh, who is also a lawyer, said he will move Public Interest Litigation before Supreme Court if the President of the India or Parliament fails to respond to his appeal. Patron of Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) and former legislator, Prof Bhim Singh, today appealed to the President of India to order judicial enquiry by three judges of Supreme Court. By Naseer Ganai: Apprehending foul play in circumstances that led to the death of former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on January 7, patron of Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) and former legislator, Prof Bhim Singh, today appealed to the President of India to order judicial enquiry by three judges of Supreme Court. advertisement Singh, who is also a lawyer, said he will move Public Interest Litigation before Supreme Court if the President of the India or Parliament fails to respond to his appeal. "Sayeed was a great nationalist and he had tamed wings of RSS oriented Ministers in J&K. He shut mouth of anti-national elements in the State as well," Singh said. His sudden death, he said, needs appropriate enquiry and investigation. He urged the President of India to take up the matter in the greater national interest. --- ENDS --- The victim Varun Jain fainted and woke up to find himself near a motel. Four unidentified persons hijacked a vehicle in Dashmesh Nagar area of Patiala in the morning today. The incident took place when the victim Varun Jain was on his way to a local Gurudwara in his white indica. The abductors threw eggs on the wind screen of his vehicle forcing Varun to stop. Then the heavily armed men appeared and took control of the vehicle bearing the number PB 01-5868. advertisement The victim Varun Jain fainted and woke up to find himself on Sarhind Road near a motel. He was spotted by the waiter of the motel. Varun Jain later filed a police complaint and said that the abductors were heavily armed, wearing monkey caps and carrying backpacks. The police has registered a case against unidentified men and has launched a manhunt to nab them. The motive of car snatching is not clear yet whether the persons involved were looters or terrorists. This is the second vehicle snatching case reported in the region during this year. Earlier in January, 14 three unidentified men had snatched a taxi from a Kangra resident. Also read: Alert in Punjab after SP's abduction --- ENDS --- The fourth edition of Urban Street Art Festival is back to paint the town again. See the pictures below. By Adila Matra: Streets of Delhi will light up with fun and quirky art again, thanks to the fourth edition of the Urban Street Art Festival organised by St+Art India Foundation. So, expect more surprises in corners of the city, just like the Mahatma Gandhi portrait on the PWD headquarters building or the flying black birds in CP. Also read: Always wanted to know if you had it in you to make it to Gryffindor? Here's your chance advertisement This time, the focus is on Lodhi Colony. The work to re-invigorate the area started in December, and the St+art India Foundation has been working in close collaboration with the Central Public Works Department (CPWD). Acclaimed international and national street artists are working on walls between Khanna Market and Meherchand Market to convert Lodhi Colony into India's first Public Art District. Grimy walls will turn into fresh canvasses and dirty corners will become challenging muses in the hands of over 24 artists from India and around the world. The Lotus by Suiko from Japan at the Lodhi Art District in Lodhi Colony. Picture courtesy: Mail Today Says Hanif Kureshi, co-founder and artistic director of the campaign, "Centrally-located and pedestrian friendly, Lodhi Colony is an ideal place for the public art gallery in Delhi. The perfectly-aligned walls of Lodhi Colony serve as a perfect canvas for each participating artist. Also read: Veergatha illustrated book series to tell children glorious tales of war heroes, bravery, patriotism With each mural located within walking distance, Lodhi Art District will be the first public space of its kind in the country. Hopefully, after completion, this will fuel the growth of street art in India and also open up the idea of choosing public art as career for the younger generation." Remember taking a walk through the winding lanes of Hauz Khas Village and ending up staring at a wall that allowed each one The fourth edition of the Urban Street Art Festival is painting the Capital in all kinds of colours of us to conjure a tale? Now, imagine walking around a city where every wall has such a story to tell. Kureshi's dream, if realised, will create a city that will not only make art accessible to general public, but also involve people in public art and encourage them to re-imagine public spaces. Padma by Chifumi from France at the Lodhi Art District in Meharchand Market. Picture courtesy: Mail Today The Lodhi Art District project, which will end in February, also builds on the idea of the Swachh Bharat Mission and will be initiated throughout the next two months with a focus on the involvement of RWAs (Resident Welfare Associations). advertisement Together with the RWAs of Lodhi Colony, the festival will also see the making of a wall specifically for the Swachh Bharat Mission with participation of Lodhi Colony residents. Also read: Centre set to make Khadi an international brand Apart from Lodhi Colony, the festival also has an exhibition called WIP-Work in Progress, which is a month-long show that opens on January 31 at the Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Tughlakabad, the largest dry port in Asia. The parking lot of ICD will be transformed into an art hub using around 100 shipping containers. It will be turned into a massive exhibition space which will see artists making the containers their own by painting the outside in their distinct style whilst exhibiting their works inside. This is being done in collaboration with CONCOR - Container Corporation of India - and aims to activate the spirit of the previous St+art shows by reinventing a space unknown to the general public and exposing a hidden and vibrant part of the city. Says Sanjay Bajpai, chief manager at CONCOR, "ICD Tughlakabad is a hub of green logistics for Delhi. Italian artist Agostino Iacurci painting a container. Picture courtesy: Mail Today advertisement Through this partnership we wish to draw attention of citizens of Delhi to the thriving public spaces in and around Inland Container Depot Tughlakabad. We hope this would be the first step towards rejuvenation of the neighbourhood for all to cherish." Also read: India down the ages, on last day JLF turns pages Among the artists who will undertake the colourful task are Nafir (Iran), Amitabh (Bengaluru), Anpu (Delhi), Shoe (Netherlands) and NeverCrew (Switzerland). Additional to the two-month festival, Italian artist Agostino Iacurci will paint the Govind Puri Metro Station with murals, as a part of yet another project that St+art has undertaken in collaboration with DMRC. So, if you think you have seen it all in Delhi, hold your breath. The city is getting a fresh coat of paint! The fourth edition of St+Art Festival will be on till February 2016. --- ENDS --- Health Ministry has asked the states to control Aedes mosquito responsible for spreading deadly dengue. The same mosquito is also the source of the Zika virus. By Neetu Chandra Sharma: Even before dengue season starts, the government already has another mosquito-related anxiety to worry about. The concern this time is the Zika virus which is spreading explosively across north and south America. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the virus can also affect countries like India. Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, JP Nadda, on Friday held a meeting with senior officials from the Health Ministry and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to firm up India's response to deal with the situation. advertisement Health Ministry has asked the states to control Aedes mosquito responsible for spreading deadly dengue. The same mosquito is also the source of the Zika virus. "There should be an increased focus on prevention to control the spread of the Aedes mosquito that breeds in clean water. Community awareness plays an instrumental role in this regard. There is a need for greater awareness amongst community," Nadda said. According to health experts, mosquitoes and their breeding sites pose a significant risk factor for the spread of Zika virus infection. Prevention and control relies on reducing mosquitoes through source reduction (removal and modification of breeding sites) and reducing contact between mosquitoes and people. It is also important to empty, clean or cover containers that can hold water such as buckets, flower pots or tyres, so that places where mosquitoes can breed are removed. Health Ministry on Friday also decided to form a technical group to monitor the situation arising out of spread of Zika virus and strengthen its surveillance system. "We are closely monitoring the situation and all necessary steps have been initiated to ensure that India is well prepared in case of any eventuality. We are focusing on especially strengthening the surveillance system," Nadda said. The Zika virus can infect up to four million people, the WHO warned on Thursday as it issued a warning to all countries, including India. Aedes Aegypti mosquito carries the virus which is thought to cause neurological problems like microcephaly, a condition that results in abnormally small heads in babies. This mosquito also carries the viruses that cause Dengue and Chikungunya which are of great concern in tropical countries like India. The Zika outbreak began in Brazil last year and has now spread to 24 countries in North and South America. Such is the level of alarm that many Latin American countries like El Salvador, Colombia and Ecuador have urged women to postpone pregnancy till 2018. According to sources, the Union Health Ministry has also recently called health experts from the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme and National Centre for Disease Control to closely look at the virus trend and chalk out plans to avert the virus. advertisement ALSO READ: Venezuelan man in Lima had first contracted Zika, says Peru Zika vaccine may be ready for emergency use this year, says developer --- ENDS --- 75-year-old Aravindan Balakrishnan, known to his followers as Comrade Bala, had kept his daughter in captivity for over 30 years of her life. By India Today Web Desk: Aravindan Balakrishnan, a 75-year-old Indian-origin man who ran a secretive extremist Maoist cult in London, was Friday sentenced to 23 years in jail by a UK court for a string of sexual assaults. Balakrishnan, known to his followers as Comrade Bala, was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court in London for six counts of indecent assault, four counts of rape and two counts of actual bodily harm. advertisement He had been convicted following a jury trial in December last year where it emerged that he had kept his daughter in captivity for over 30 years of her life. The daughter, who was named for the first time on Friday as 33-year-old Katy Morgan-Davies, described her situation as horrible, dehumanising and degrading. Morgan-Davies told the BBC, "I felt like a caged bird with clipped wings. The people he looked up to were people like Stalin, Mao and Pol Pot and Saddam Hussein you couldn't criticise them either in the house. They were his gods and his heroes. These were the sort of people he wanted to emulate." She had told the court she was beaten and banned from singing nursery rhymes, going to school or making friends. Sentencing Balakrishnan, the judge said, "You decided to treat her as a project, not a person. You claimed to do it for her to protect her from the outside world, but you created a cruel environment." The judge also recommended a donation of 500 to Palm Cove Society charity which helped Morgan-Davies escape. Balakrishnan's wife, Chanda, who had lived with him as part of the Workers' Institute of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought for nearly 30 years had claimed earlier that his conviction was a frame-up. She had been unaware that her husband had fathered a daughter with his follower Sian Davies and kept her confined in a London flat for years, spending her life until the age of 30 imprisoned in the commune ruled by her father. (With inputs from agencies) ALSO READ: Philippine Maoist guerillas declare ceasefire for Christmas holidays Chhattisgarh: Maoists release 3 abducted Pune students --- ENDS --- Senior IAS officer Deepak Kumar missed his flight to Coimbatore on Friday as IndiGo Airlines issued a boarding pass in his name to another passenger, who used it to board a Kochi-bound aircraft. By Kumar Vikram: As a result of a series of glaring security lapses, a top bureaucrat missed his flight to Coimbatore on Friday as the airline issued a boarding pass in his name to another passenger, who used it to board a Kochi-bound aircraft. Senior IAS officer Deepak Kumar, who was to fly to Tamil Nadu to prepare for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to the state, was left stranded at the IGI Airport because of the boarding pass bungle. The airline staff expressed their inability to help the officer board the flight. Kumar missed his IndiGo plane while some other IAS officer travelled on his boarding pass on another flight to Kochi. Kumar, director general of ESI Corporation, had to be in Coimbatore where Prime Minister Modi will inaugurate a medical college next week. advertisement The officer had reached the airport an hour before the departure of his IndiGo flight 6E-397 (PNR - AY 4S3D) that was scheduled to take off at 6.40 am. He was received by his Protocol Officer and GMR personnel at the lounge. Kumar was shocked to hear from the GMR personnel that his boarding pass had already been issued. "He was still waiting for the boarding pass when boarding was announced. The GMR personnel informed him that some other person had taken his boarding pass and has boarded IndiGo flight 6E-315 to Kochi," said an official close to the IAS officer, while requesting anonymity. When the IAS officer started enquiring about the lapse, he was told that another person passed through the security check with the boarding pass issued in Kumar's name. However, when it was detected at the boarding gate that the pass was not valid, the IndiGo staff manually corrected the name and flight number on the boarding pass for the Coimbatore flight and allowed that passenger to take the flight to Kochi, alleged the source. Things were getting more puzzling for Kumar who was waiting to board his flight to Coimbatore. "When he asked for a fresh boarding pass for himself for the Coimbatore flight, the airline staff expressed their helplessness and Kumar had to return," said the source. Wrong pass However, the IndiGo Airlines responded saying that the boarding passes got interchanged and it was a mistake as both the passengers were GMR guests. "Since both the IAS officers were GMR guests, the GMR staff had collected their boarding passes from IndiGo staff at midnight and handed it over to Mr Sharan and Mr Kumar. In the process of handing over the boarding passes, they got interchanged by the GMR staff by mistake. When Mr Sharan reached the gate he realised that he was carrying Mr Kumar's boarding pass. IndiGo staff took Mr Sharan on board as he contacted the airline well in time. Therefore, all the requisite changes to Mr Sharan's boarding pass were done manually," said the reply. In Kumar's case, the GMR personnel had reached the check-in counter just 15 minutes before the departure time, IndiGo said in its reply. "Consequently, Mr Deepak Kumar missed his flight. The GMR protocol admitted this lapse that had occurred while handing over the boarding passes today morning," said the reply. The reply said that IndiGo staff voluntarily offered to accommodate Kumar on the subsequent flight without charging any extra fare, but he refused the offer. "We regret the inconvenience caused to Mr Kumar and hope to serve him on board again," added the reply. However, an official close to Kumar said: "How can someone pass the security check and board another flight on a pass which is invalid for that person as well as for that flight. It is a rather serious lapse." Seeking appropriate action, the director general of ESIC has reported the matter to IndiGo airlines. A complaint has also been sent to the director general of CISF, who is responsible for security at the airport. How it happened Two IAS officers, travelling to Coimbatore and Kochi respectively, were given the wrong boarding passes. The airline had handed over the passes to GMR personnel well before the flight and claims that the passes got interchanged in the process. One of the IAS officers boarded a flight to Kochi using a boarding pass for Coimbatore. Sources alleged that the airline staff manually corrected the name and flight number on the boarding pass so as to allow the IAS officer to take the flight. advertisement ALSO READ: 70 fliers offloaded from IndiGo flight for unruly behaviour Woman on Indigo flight accuses co-passenger of molestation Visaaranai received many laurels and appreciations wherever it was screened. Now, renowned actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan has also praised the film. By India Today Web Desk: Visaaranai, directed by Vetri Maaran, is all set to release on February 5. Based on a Tamil novel Lock Up, the film is about police custodial torture and violence inflicted on suspects during interrogations . Visaaranai was the first Tamil film to premiere at Venice Film Festival. It was screened under the Orizzonti category. It was then screened at 2015 Mumbai Film Festival. The film received many laurels and appreciations wherever it was screened. Now, renowned actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan has also praised the film. advertisement Kamal, who recently joined Twitter, said in a tweet that he was amazed by the movie. He thanked Vetri Maaran's mentor late legendary filmmaker Balu Mahendra for seeding the thirst for good films in the director. ???? ?????????? ????????? ????????????? ?????? ?????????????? ??? ??????????????????? ????? ?????? ??????? ???? ???????? ????????? Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) January 30, 2016 According to a report published in Indiaglitz, Kamal Haasan watched the film with Vetri Maaran and Raju Mahalingham of Lyca Productions at a special screening of the film. It is notable that many renowned contemporary directors like Bala, Ram, Vetri Maaran and Seenu Ramasamy have worked under Balu Mahendra as assistant directors. Visaaranai stars Attakathi Dinesh, Samuthrakani and Aadukalam Murugadoss in pivotal roles. --- ENDS --- Court held the crime as rarest of rare. Ansar Ali, Amin Ali Saiful and Ali Mollah were sentenced to death while three others Aminul Islam, SK Imanul Islam, Bholanath were sentenced to life term. Ansar Ali, Amin Ali Saiful and Ali Mollah were sentenced to death while three others Aminul Islam, SK Imanul Islam, Bholanath were sentenced to life term. (Photo: PTI) By India Today Web Desk: A sessions court in Kolkata today sentenced three convicts to death and three others to life imprisonment in the Kamduni gangrape and murder case. Observing that the case fell within the rarest of rare cases, Additional District and Sessions Judge Sanchita Sarkar pronounced capital punishment for Saiful Ali, Ansar Ali and Amin Ali who have been convicted of gangrape and murder. Sheikh Emanul Islam, Aminur Islam and Bhola Naskar, who have been convicted on charges of gang ape, criminal conspiracy and causing disappearance of evidence, were sentenced to life imprisonment. As soon as the news of the three getting death spread, the family of the victim as well Kamduni villagers broke into tears hailing the verdict. Even as he cried in joy, the victim's brother said he will be meeting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee seeking reversal of the acquittal of the two accused. advertisement This was the first sentencing under the new anti-rape law in the state. On Thursday, six people were pronounced guilty for the crime, while two others were acquitted due to lack of evidence. In June 2013, a 20-year-old student was gangraped and brutally murdered when she was returning home alone at Kamduni, about 50 km from Kolkata, in North 24 Parganas district after appearing for an examination at her college on June 7, 2013. She was pulled into a farm by nine men when she was walking along a deserted road after alighting from a bus. Her mutilated body was found next morning near the farm. Villagers of West Bengal's Kamduni said they are scared of the situation once the duo is set free. "We are suffering from serious insecurity. The accused have already threatened the victim's brother of dire consequences right in the middle of the court premises. If the perpetrators can do it there, just think of what they can do in the village once they are back," said Tumpa Kayal, a Kamduni villager and the victim's friend. While nine people were arrested and charged for the crime, the court on Thursday acquitted Rafiqul Islam and Nur Ali while the ninth accused Gopal Naskar died while the trial was on. During the hearing for the quantum of punishment, the defence counsel contended that the case did not fall under the rarest of rare case and as such did not warrant death penalty. He cited several Supreme Court judgements arguing that convicts have not been awarded death penalty even in cases that were more heinous than the instant case. Pointing to the severe injuries inflicted on the victim's private parts, the prosecution pleaded for death penalty asserting that the convicts even after being convicted did not show repentance. Rejecting the defence counsel's arguments, the judge called out the names of each of the convicts as she pronounced the sentence. We have some grievances. We will move to the higher courts- Lawyer of the convicts pic.twitter.com/DsfqvxxVsA ANI (@ANI_news) January 30, 2016 The residents of Kamduni led by Tumpa Koyal and Moushumi Koyal who had formed a forum seeking death penalty for all the accused, hailed the verdict saying their fight for justice has been vindicated. Alleging police slackness in the case, the forum members had knocked on the doors of top political and constitutional authorities including the president, demanding that the trial be expedited. Police also drew flak after the victim's uncle, a key witness in the case, succumbed to his injuries following a scuffle with security personnel during one of the protests in September 2013. Street protests singed Kolkata and other parts of the state in the days and months after the Kamduni incident. Women, youths, rights activists and college and school students, as well as leading lights of the civil society took out marches and rallies, and addressed meetings demanding justice and railing against what they called the "deteriorating law and order". Earlier. the ruling Trinamool Congress hailed the Kamduni verdict and said it showed that the police administration has worked impartially to get the culprits of the gangrape and murder case booked. The opposition has, however, questioned why it took so long for the police to place the charge sheet and why it failed to get evidence against the two who were acquitted by the court. "When Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited Kamduni in 2013 after the incident, she had promised that the culprits will be arrested and punished. Today six accused have been convicted. The conviction itself has proved that the police administration has worked impartially in this case to get the culprits booked for the crime," Jyotipriyo Mullick, state Food Minister said. advertisement The CPI(M) and Congress questioned what took so long for the police to find evidence against the culprits. "What took so long for the police to book those criminals? If police had acted impartially then the two who were acquitted could have also been booked," reported PTI quoting CPI(M) Politburo member Mohammed Salim. WBPCC president Adhir Chowdhury too welcomed the conviction of the six accused but questioned the role of police in the probe which led to acquittal of two others. The incident had led to outrage in the state and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had faced protests by angry villagers when she went there to visit the family members of the victim. Also Read: Mamata Banerjee's minority appeasement draws flak from Right, Left and Centre Kamduni gangrape witness dies amid alleged police assault A rampaging Kohli continued to torment the Australians, hitting another quick-fire half-century in India's second win in the Twenty20 series. By Press Trust of India: The sublime touch that he is in, Virat Kohli can bat even at midnight without switching on the lights and still score runs, Sunil Gavaskar said, eulogising the young Indian batsman. A rampaging Kohli continued to torment the Australians, hitting another quick-fire half-century in India's second win in the Twenty20 series on Friday. "He is setting the bar higher for the future players. He is in fantastic form... form which the players dream about. He can even bat at midnight without light and still bat well. The Australians can't get him out. They will have to wait for him to commit a mistake," Gavaskar said. advertisement Asked who he would like to bowl - Rohit Sharma or Kohli, Gavaskar replied, "to none of them". "I would not bowl to both of them. Rohit kills you with tickle and Kohli can punch you to death. Either way you are going to die," he told NDTV. The former Indian opener also suggested that India must not tinker with the batting order even as the series has been claimed by them. His reply came when he was asked if Yuvraj Singh should be promoted to number three so that he can get some match practise under his belt. "I want to see India win the series 3-0. Kohli should continue to bat at number three. Never ever flirt with form, it's so fickle, don't flirt with it. Yuvraj can bat during the Asia Cup, World Twenty20. Let India make a clean sweep." Gavaskar felt that skipper MS Dhoni now has a "balanced side" at his disposal and that's why the team was getting desired results in Twenty20 series. "He has got now Yuvraj, Ashish Nehra, Hardik Pandya in the side. He has plenty of bowling and batting options. It has eased off the pressure on him. Bhajji (Harbhajan Sigh) is sitting on the bench which means it is a very good selection. The balance is terrific. Pandya can bat at number seven and can bowl. Even if a bowler is hammered around, Dhoni can go to the other bowler," Gavaskar opined. "The Aussies were under pressure and it was a good omen for the Indians for the World Twenty20." Australia rested Steven Smith and David Warner so that they can begin preparations for the New Zealand Test series but Gavaskar was not impressed. "Anybody who is taking it lightly, representing the country, deserves the result they get. Always play with your best players. It smacks of arrogance," he said. --- ENDS --- On 13th January, a speeding brand new Audi SUV ran over a 21-year-old Air Force drill instructor during the Republic Day rehearsal parade in Kolkata. The car was seized by the police and the drivers were absconding. By India Today Web Desk: The three accused in the Kolkata hit-and-run case, Sambia Sohrab, Shahnawaz and Johny, were today sent to judicial custody till February 11 by Kolkata High court. On 13th January, a speeding brand new Audi SUV ran over a 21-year-old Air Force drill instructor during the Republic Day rehearsal parade in Kolkata. The incident took place at around 6.30 am at Red Road when the offending vehicle hit Air Force officer Corporal Abhimanyu Gaud. Grievously injured, Gaud was immediately taken to the Army Command Hospital, where he was declared brought dead. advertisement Police sources said Red Road was closed for the civilian traffic during the Republic Day rehearsal parade every year. But the car broke through security barriers and hit Gaud who was supervising the parade. Later the miscreants abandoned the car on Red Road and ran away. The temporary license number issued to the new vehicle was also torn off. Within three days of the mishap, Kolkata police nabbed down the first accused. Sambia Sohrab, son of a former RJD MLA, was arrested from Park Circus 7-point crossing. Shahnawaz alias Shanu, the second culprit was arrested from Delhi. He was brought to Kolkata and was taken to court. The third arrest in the case was made from outside West Bengal. Johny was from a house in the port area of Bengal. According to Johny's statement, Sohrab was behind the wheels and also was drunk. Also read: Air Force officer practicing for Republic Day, run over by Audi in Kolkata --- ENDS --- The attack had a negative impact and disturbed the talks with India which were "going in the right direction" after the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif By India Today Web Desk: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today said that Pakistan is about to complete its investigation into the Pathankot terror attack and will soon make it public. "The investigation into the Pathankot incident is underway and we will make its findings public soon," he said while talking to reporters. The attack had a negative impact and disturbed the talks with India which were "going in the right direction" after the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, he added. advertisement Sharif vowed that Pakistan would go to any length to uncover the alleged use of its soil in the January 2 attack on the air base in Pathankot by suspected JeM terrorists. "It is our responsibility to uncover if our soil was used in the attack. We will do this and the ongoing investigations will soon be completed," he said. Meanwhile, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said none of the 'suspects' arrested in connection with the attack have been charged. "The investigation team is probing the matter and its findings will be made public," Sanaullah told reporters. Responding to a question whether any link of Jaish-e- Mohammad (JeM) has been established with the attack, he said: "The investigation team is also probing this." Sharif had formed a six-member committee headed by Additional Inspector General of Punjab's Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) to investigate the attack in which seven security personnel were killed. Also read: Pathankot attack: Reports of clean chit to Salwinder Singh not true, says NIA --- ENDS --- Will Smith says lack of diversity in Oscars is a reflection of greater social regression in the US. By India Today Web Desk: Will Smith in a recent interview said that the Academy Awards' lack of diversity is a reflection on a bigger "social regression" issue in the US. ALSO READ: #OscarsSoWhite: Now, Barack Obama joins Twitter outrage over lack of diversity in Oscars ALSO READ: #OscarsSoWhite: Hollywood actors Charlotte Rampling and Michael Caine respond to the Oscar protest advertisement The 47-year-old actor has decided to boycott Oscars this year with wife Jada Pinkett Smith. Will Smith insists there is a social decay in the country which has seeped through to the Academy Awards, reports femalefirst.co.uk. "We have to understand the spirit of what's happening. This is not about us and them, it's about we. I'm a member of the Academy, so this is a problem that we all have to solve collectively," Will said on Good Morning Britain show. "The only reason it's an issue this year is because it feels like a regression. So to me, Hollywood is experiencing a regression that is reflective of a social regression America is experiencing," he added. Smith asserted that "there's something happening" in US which is "being reflected in Hollywood, that's being reflected in the Academy". "I, for one, want to be a part of making adjustment. I want to be a part of the solution." Following the star's decision to boycott the ceremony, some claimed it was because he hadn't been nominated for an award, but he insists that it is definitely not the case. "It has nothing to do with me being nominated or not, or wanting to win awards or not. That is so frivolous. I've been nominated for Academy Awards and I've never lost to a white person. I lost to Denzel (Washington) and then I lost to Forest Whitaker," he added. Many people believe that the Hancock actor is boycotting Oscars as he was passed over for a Best Actor nomination by the Academy for his role in Concussion. And on this, he told BBC, "This is far beyond me. This has nothing to do with me. This has nothing to do with awards. Awards, that's a really frivolous reason for me to put my hand up and make a statement. For me, this is much more about the idea of diversity and inclusion." Jada had previously announced she was boycotting this year's Oscar ceremony after the nominations were announced and didn't include any black actors. advertisement Several other stars, such as Spike Lee, have vowed to follow in her footsteps. (With inputs from IANS) --- ENDS --- The Delhi High Court may come out with a decision on management quota on Monday after private schools present their side before the court. By Astha Saxena: While the Delhi High Court is yet to come out with its decision on scrapping the management quota in private schools, a large number of parents in the Capital are in a fix. The first list of candidates is scheduled to come out on February 15. The application forms have been submitted but schools are yet to scrutinise forms. The HC on Friday heard the arguments made by the Delhi government on removing the management quota in private schools. On Monday, schools are expected to present their side, and the court might come out with a decision. advertisement "If the decision comes by Monday, then we will be able to manage the entire situation. But, if it gets delayed, the admission process will get hampered. Schools will have to go through an administrative stress. Everything is so uncertain right now. We are hoping to get a final decision on Monday," Ashok Pandey, principal, Ahlcon International School, told Mail Today. The admission process this year has been giving a tough time to parents. Changes in the process and the new development have left parents in limbo. On Friday, Delhi Deputy CM and Minister for Education Manish Sisodia, who has been leading the government's fight against 'monopoly' of private schools, was present in the court and faced the questions put forward by the judges. Sisodia told the court that the sealed packet contains complaints from parents regarding nursery admissions. "We receive 20-30 complaints from parents every day about their malpractices and donation demands for granting admission to children. Private schools have become the hub of commercial activities and there is a need to bring transparency in the system," Sisodia told the court. The court was ticked off that the government failed to act against erring schools and had been sitting on complaints for so long. Justice Manmohan said, "You (Delhi government) have evidence with you. You take action against those involved in malpractice. You have the documents with you from last three to six months. So, you take action. Please take it to a logical end. You have the full team and administration with you, what more do you want," the judge said, while asking if there was a court order stopping the government from taking action. The HC also questioned the government's jurisdiction to issue the circular scrapping management quota from private schools. CM Arvind Kejriwal had on January 6 called the management quota a breeding ground for scams. "We have hopes from the court. The HC will either come out with a judgment or will issue some directives," Ameeta Wattal, principal, Springdales School, told Mail Today. ALSO READ: Private schools set on fighting Delhi government's quota diktat Improve public schools before interfering in pvt ones: Delhi HC to AAP --- ENDS --- By India Today Web Desk: Actor Karan Mehra aka Naitik of Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai has rubbished reports that he plans to quit the show post a generation leap. Rumours mills are abuzz that the actor who has been playing the role of Naitik Singhania since the last seven years in Yeh Rishta?, might leave the show in few weeks. advertisement "The team of Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai will be going to Hong Kong in February for shooting. They will be there for ten days for the next upcoming high point. Post the Hong Kong trip, Karan will exit the show," a source from the show had told IANS. The actor, however, denies the reports. "I have been answering this question since morning. No, I am not going anywhere. I am not quitting the show. There is nothing as such as of now," Karan tells The Times Of India. Also read: Naitik aka Karan Mehra to quit Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai? Karan also says that contrary to reports, no generation leap has been planned on the show. "All these are stale news. Nothing of that sort is happening in the show. I am very much a part of Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai," the actor added. Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, which is being aired on Star Plus, also stars Hina Khan, Rohan Mehra, Umang Jain and Ashnoor Kaur. (With inputs from IANS) --- ENDS --- Rahul Gandhi today joined the student protesters at University of Hyderabad to express solidarity with them following suicide of Rohith Vemula. Rahul Gandhi sat with students and the family members of Rohith Vemula who are on hunger strike, demanding justice.Rahul had visited the campus on January 19, two days after Rohith committed suicide. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi ineracts with students agitating over Rohith Vemula's death at University of Hyderabad on Saturday. (Photo: PTI) By India Today Web Desk: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today joined the student protesters at University of Hyderabad to express solidarity with them following suicide of a Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad. For more than 12 hours, Rahul Gandhi sat with students and the family members of Rohith Vemula who are on hunger strike, demanding justice. He also participated in a candlelight vigil after midnight and spent the night on the campus. He remained seated along with the students at the protest venue near Shopping Complex to mark the birth anniversary of Rohith Vemula, who committed suicide two weeks ago. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi with students at University of Hyderabad during a protest over Rohit Vemula's death in Hyderabad on Saturday. (Photo: PTI) advertisement He was seated with four Dalit students who were suspended along with Rohith and also Rohith's mother and brother. Dozens of other students are also on a day-long hunger strike to press the demand for the resignation of Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and action against him and others responsible for the suicide. "I am here today at the request of Rohith's friends and family, to stand with them in their fight for justice," tweeted Rahul Gandhi, who visited the campus for the second time in less than a week. "A young life full of dreams and aspirations was cut short," he tweeted. While paying tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary, Gandhi commented 'we owe it to him, to the memory of Gandhiji and to every single Indian student who dreams of an India free from prejudice and injustice." Here's what he said: I want to thank Rohith's family and students of the University for inviting me for the function. It is a very interesting day as it is not just Rohith's birthday but also Mahatma Gandhi's death anniversary. Nobody has the right to take away the right to 'search for the truth' and this is exactly what happened with Gandhi ji and now Rohith. Every single student must realise that most powerful thing they have is not what some powerful people tell you but what you believe in. There is massive discrimination in institutions of different kind. When you let what has happened to Rohith happen in the country, it will happen to you one day, no matter who you are. You will one day find that the very same people who crushed Rohith will be blocking your path to freedom, to progress. My main opposition to Mr. Modi and RSS is that they are trying to the crush spirit of Indian youngsters by imposing one idea. Please put your idea in the market place of ideas & then if students' accept that idea, I am fine with it. Activist and Professor Kancha Ilaiah offers juice to Rahul Gandhi to end his trike pic.twitter.com/zwAyCczio7ANI (@ANI_news) January 30, 2016 Students take part in a candle light demonstration over Rohith Vemula's death at University of Hyderabad on Friday night. Photo: PTI) advertisement Rahul had visited the campus on January 19, two days after Rohith committed suicide. Police beefed up security on the campus in view of the call given by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) to protest Rahul's visit. The student group has called for a shutdown of educational institutions across Telangana to protest what it calls the attempts of the Congress leader to play politics over the suicide. About 50 ABVP workers were arrested shortly after midnight when they tried to stop Rahul's convoy at the university's main gate. The university remained shut since the student committed suicide with Joint Action Committee (JAC) for social justice continuing their protest. Interim Vice Chancellor Vipin Srivastava, who had claimed on Thursday that normalcy will be restored soon, proceeded on leave. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi lights a candle near a memorial of Rohith Vemula during a visit to University of Hyderabad where the students are agitating, in Hyderabad on Friday night. Photo: PTI) The university announced the next seniormost professor, A M. Periasamy, will perform the duties of the vice chancellor of the university till further orders. advertisement Srivastava had taken over as incharge VC only a week ago after Vice Chancellor P. Appa Rao proceeded on indefinite leave in the wake of students' demand for his resignation. The students' groups are demanding arrest of vice chancellor, central minister Bandaru Dattatreya and two ABVP leaders booked on January 18. --- ENDS --- "As per my information that student was not Dalit. The fact is that the allegations made are baseless," tweeted ANI quoting Sushma Swaraj. By India Today Web Desk: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today said that Rohith Vemula, who committed suicide in the Hyderabad Central University, was not a Dalit. "As per my information that student was not Dalit. The fact is that the allegations made are baseless," tweeted ANI quoting Sushma Swaraj. "When someone wants to blame it on some one else, then he can say anything. Rohith Vemula's suicide has been made a big issue," she added. advertisement Earlier today, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi joined the student protesters at University of Hyderabad to express solidarity with them following the suicide of Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad. He also participated in a candlelight vigil after midnight and spent the night on the campus. The suicide sparked protests across Hyderabad. The dead student, Rohith 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 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. --- ENDS --- Norwegian physicist Andreas Wahl fired a gun at himself in a swimming pool to show how fire weapons function differently underwater. By India Today Web Desk: First of all, let us give a hand to this physicist who pulled off a deadly experiment and lived to tell the tale. What was the experiment? Well, nothing much. He just fired a gun at his bare chest. Yes, you read that correct. Norwegian physicist Andreas Wahl wanted to show what happens if a gun is fired underwater. Hence, using himself as the target, he carried out the experiment while filming the whole thing. The video captures Wahl standing neck-deep in a swimming pool with his bare chest facing the loaded barrel of an assault rifle. Then, counting down from three with an unflinching composure, the daredevil researcher pulls the trigger himself with a tug of a rope rigged to the weapon. advertisement After a loud 'boom', the bullet can be seen flying out of the gun and heading towards Wahl's chest. But thanks to the laws of nature, the bullet sinks before going even halfway, sparing Wahl's life. In the YouTube description, Wahl writes why the bullet lost its acceleration, "It's harder to create movement in water than in air, because water molecules are closer together than air molecules." The best part, however, is after the bullet falls to the swimming pool floor. Wahl, who had maintained a brave face until now, looks rather relieved not to be bleeding from a gunshot wound. Congratulations on your success, Mr Wahl! Next time, though, use a dummy or something. Just saying! Rebel BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha today attacked his own party for imposing President Rule in Arunachal Pradesh. By India Today Web Desk: Rebel BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha today attacked his own party for imposing President Rule in Arunachal Pradesh. Hitting out at PM Narendra Modi, in a series of tweets, the senior BJP leader said that he has tremendous faith in the prime minister but he wonders who the great advisors are who advised President's Rule in Arunachal Pradesh. advertisement "I have tremendous faith in our dashing dynamic action hero PM. But wonder who the "great" advisors are who advised President's Rule in AP," Sinha tweeted. "That too when the matter is sub judice, in the Supreme Court, under a 5 judge constitutional bench. Wonder what was the hurry and worry". "God forbid, if the decision does not go in our favor, wonder what explanation and answer we will have for our respected PM," Sinha wrote on micro-blogging site Twitter. ALSO READ | #ArunachalDeadlock: Has judiciary been undermined? Nabam Tuki files fresh plea in SC against President's Rule in Arunachal --- ENDS --- The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal have urged the Karnataka police to not to permit Kiss of Love campaign in BJP stronghold Shivamogga on February 14. By Mail Today: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal have urged the Karnataka police to not to permit Kiss of Love campaign in BJP stronghold Shivamogga on February 14. A youths' organisation is planning the campaign on the occasion of Valentine's Day in the heart of Shivamogga city contending that they have every right to express love. The organisation has sought protection from the police and the district administration for the event. However, the district authorities have not yet responded to the organisation's plea. advertisement Meanwhile, VHP Shivamogga district president Ramesh Babu Jadhav and Bajrang Dal Shivamogga convener Malatesh submitted separate memorandums to the district authorities opposing the campaign on the grounds that it would lead to a law and order problem in the city. --- ENDS --- By India Today Web Desk: Vin Diesel who will star opposite Bollywood beauty Deepika Padukone recently revealed his desire to work with the 30-year-old Bajairao Mastani actor. Diesel said that he always wanted to work with Deepika Padukone in a video. The 48-year-old actor will share screen with Deepika Padukone in the upcoming XXX The Return Of Xander Cage. According to reports, Deepika almost bagged a role in Vin Diesel's Furious 7 but things did not materialise at that time. But now, as she has been finalised for XXX, the actor is padding up for her first Hollywood film. advertisement Vin Diesel is excited to finally get an opportunity to collaborate with the Bollywood star. "You have heard some of the casting, you have heard about Deepika, who is somebody I have wanted to work with for a long time. We were really close to working together in Furious 7 and... we are going to have a blast," Diesel said. VIN DIESEL talks about working with DEEPIKA PADUKONE (@deepikapadukone) Part 1 pic.twitter.com/yOaCxTb3K9 Aish (@deepikalove86) January 28, 2016 "I have been dying to work with someone from Bollywood and bridge that gap, and I think there is something very multi-cultural about that, and very exciting. I think she is going to be just such a delight. I think the world will go crazy over her character," he added. VIN DIESEL talks about working with DEEPIKA PADUKONE (@deepikapadukone) Part 2 pic.twitter.com/qZ7q6qVh0R Aish (@deepikalove86) January 28, 2016 Whereas, Deepika said in an interview that she is both excited and nervous about her big Hollywood debut. The film will be directed by DJ Caruso. XXX cast also includes big Hollywood stars such as Samuel L Jackson and Jet Li. --- ENDS --- Investigative reporting from the inner city to Wall Street to the United Nations This is the blogspot version InnerCityPress.com Nina E. Kallen, Attorney At Law40 Florian StreetRoslindale, MA 02131ph: (617)363-0547fax: (617)344-6041While I am happy to have you contact me by telephone, surface mail, or email, merely communicating with me does not create an attorney-client relationship. An attorney-client relationship is only established by an agreement between you and me that I will handle a particular matter. Please do not convey to me any information that you regard as confidential until an attorney-client relationship has been established. Any information I receive from you prior to the formal establishment of such a relationship may not be confidential. 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Primary topics include abuse with "the church", LGBTQI+ issues, cults - including anti-vaxxers, and the Dominionist and Theocratic movements. Also of concern is the anti-science movement with interest in those that promote garbage like homeopathy, chiropractic and the like. I am an atheist and anti-theist who believes religious mythos must be die and a strong supporter of SOCAS. Ukraine has strong army, but we must be ready for any threats - Poroshenko Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said that the strong state cannot exist without a strong army and Ukraine would get rid of "pacifistic illusions." "We met Russian aggression in early 2014 without an army: someone in the political authorities did not believe that Russia would attack. Someone, on the contrary, expected this and persistently and deliberately destroyed the defense infrastructure of Ukraine," the head of state said on Friday in the Ivan Bohun military lyceum of Kyiv, taking part in the Lesson of Courage for lyceum students and cadets of supreme military educational facilities on the Day of Kruty Heroes. "A strong state is impossible without a strong army. We learned the lesson well. The army will always be a top priority. There will be no more pacifistic illusions," Poroshenko said. Poroshenko said that now Ukraine has a strong army and society should become stronger and be ready for any threats on the country's way. "I'm sure that you, the future officers, are the example of civil and national self-consciousness, patriotism and readiness to be worthy to continue Ukrainian glorious military traditions," Poroshenko said, addressing the students. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said that salaries of military servicemen who serve in the Ukrainian Armed Forces under contract will be at least UAH 7,000. "Last week I ordered that according to the 2016 national budget, salaries of servicemen are considerably increased, which would allow strengthening the contract segment of our armed forces. The Ukrainian Armed Forces would not have servicemen anymore (and must not be!) who will receive less than UAH 7,000," he said on Friday in the Ivan Bohun military lyceum of Kyiv, taking part in the Lesson of Courage for lyceum students and cadets of supreme military educational facilities on the Day of Kruty Heroes. Good things are coming: Sally's newest book and guide , already pre-ordered and Amazon says it'll be on my porch Wednesday. I've been anticipating this since last winter when she talked about it at her conference.Snow! Yesterday it was raining and then slowly the raindrops got fatter and slower, and poof! They were morphed into snowflakes, and within an hour the grass was covered again. The sky never changed, but my spirits lifted. Snow is so much nicer than rain. Our next week has snow in the forecast several times, and that's a happy thing.Pace has a trip coming up soon, and Caiden is a surprise co-traveler. Pace knows, of course, but Caiden doesn't, and he's going to be thrilled to be going with his dad to sunny Texas, the land of old friends and Tex-mex and sunshine. I can't wait to see Caiden's face when we tell him, because he asked to go a month ago and we told him no before changing our minds. He will be shocked. And it's a double blessing, because when Pace travels, I have extra time at night to do whatever I want. I need to finalize my plans: do I go ahead and paint the kitchen cabinets, or sew, or finish my bedroom, or just watch BBC movies at night? Decisions, decisions.My mom and sister are taking me on a cruise for my birthday! That is rather monumental all on its own, but the fact that we're going to sun-filled Mexico for nearly a week? That's medicinal at this point in winter! I need to start thinking about what I want to wear and pull summer clothes out of storage. We can't wear summer clothes here until mid-June or later, so this feels miraculous.And to top things off, there is a possibility of a trip to London later this spring. I have never been out of the country, unless you count a quick afternoon drive across the Canadian border when I was 8. I already lived in North Dakota, so it wasn't like we actually traveled, and it was only to see the Northern Lights and then we turned around and drove home. So the thought of flying over the ocean to land in London? That's something I wasn't sure would ever happen. My mom has very generously offered to watch our four for the week-plus, so we're waiting on details about the trip to see if it's really going to happen. If we do get to go, we're going to need to take a quick trip to Canada this summer, too (We live only 99 miles south of the border), so that I can have three countries on my passport in one year. If you wait forty years to get a passport, you should have something to show for it!Finally, a Cracker Barrel is being built here in our little city after several years of speculation. The corporate jet was spotted landing here a long time ago, and it's been whispered about ever since. The nearest CB is 5 hours away in Missoula, so needless to say we haven't had chicken and dumplings CB-style in over two years. I'm pretty excited about having it a couple miles down the road! (Although I'm pretty sure it's going to be standing room-only for along time.)Good things are coming, and that's a pretty nice feeling on January 30th. To the best of my ability I write about my experience of the Universe Past, Present and Future What You Can't Discuss: This is a partial list of taboo topics within progressive-left venues around the Arab-Israel conflict. You cannot discuss this material because it undermines the "Palestinian narrative" of perpetual victimhood. This narrative is a club used by the Arab and Muslim enemies of Israel, along with their western progressive allies, to delegitimize that country in preparation for its eventual dissolution. 1) The centuries of Jewish dhimmitude under the boot of Islamic imperialism. 2) The recent construction of Palestinian identity, its connection to Soviet Cold War politics, and how this is an Arab people with a Roman name that refers to Greeks. 3) Arab and Palestinian Koranically-based racism as the fundamental source of the conflict. 4) The ways in which contemporary progressive anti-Zionism serves as a cloak for gross anti-Semitism. 5) The Palestinian theft and appropriation of Jewish history. 6) "Pallywood." 7) The historical connections between the Nazis, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the Palestinian national movement. 8) The perpetual refusal of the Palestinian-Arabs to accept a state for themselves in peace next to the Jewish one. 9) The progressive portrayal of terrorists as those fighting a righteous war of "resistance." 10) The Arab-Palestinian indoctrination of children with Jew hatred. 11) Human rights violations against women, children, and Gay people in the Muslim Middle East. 12) The fact that violent Jihadis call themselves "Jihadis" and claim to love death above life. This is only a partial list, so please let us know the many more that we are missing. [January 29, 2016] WebRadar Receives Funding from Qualcomm and DGF Investimentos RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- WebRadar, one of the leading players in Big Data Analytics and IoT for the telecommunications, energy and transportation verticals, announces a new funding round to support its global expansion and product development strategies. Qualcomm Incorporated - through its venture investment group Qualcomm Ventures - and DGF Investimentos answer, together, for the investment of around R$ 40 million in the company. The new investors are minority stakeholders. WebRadar focuses on Big Data Analytics technologies for the Internet of Things (IoT) and offers analytical solutions that support the strategic decision process for customers in Canada, Mexico, USA, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Italy and Brazil. WebRadar's applications collect and process data from a broad diversity of sources and technologies, and currently handles more than one million assets, processing more than one billion registers per hour. From this round of investments on, WebRadar has as stockholders three strategic investors (Intel, Citrix and Qualcomm) with international prestige in the technology sector, as well as well-known financial investor in Brazil (DGF Investimentos). "The investment will anticipate the release of innovative products in our portfolio and will allow us to make progress in the American and European market. In a second moment, we will also evaluate the entrance in other business verticals, aside of the ones we are already in", says Adriano da Rocha Lima, WebRadar's CEO. According to Frederico Greve, director of DGF Investimentos, the business model and the Big Data Analytics solutions developed by WebRadar are a well fit for the investment strategy of DGF. "WebRadar has the attributes we take into consideration when deciding whether DGF should invest in a new business: entrepreneurs with high technical capacity, experience and motivations, solutions with world class technology and a scalable business model that includes recurring results in the local and international market. These characteristics, allied with the financial and strategic investments from DGF, Qualcomm and Intel, will allow WebRadar to reach an outstanding position in a very short time", he says. "WebRadar has emerged as a strong company that helps global operators to improve their network quality as well as being a catalyst for the Internet of Things. That is why we are providing this financial investment alongside DGF," says Carlos Kokron, vice president, Qualcomm Ventures, Latin America. Further information: Paula Reiter [email protected] (+5521) 3723-8126 Jacqueline Breitinger [email protected] (+5521) 3723-8108 www.webradar.com/en/pages/News.aspx To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/webradar-receives-funding-from-qualcomm-and-dgf-investimentos-300212294.html SOURCE WebRadar [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] . . Now to clean it. But why? Well, actually, just to try to keep it open, for when I have more dishes to do... to get some bread out... to get it, then,... 5 hours ago On May 31st, 2012 the Maxwell family boarded a plane and moved to eSwatini (formerly known as Swaziland) to live at Project Canaan. I hope to update my blog on Saturday mornings and share, as honestly as I can, the highs and lows of our life in Africa. We are living on a farm in a remote part of this tiny Kingdom and are serving the community as well as the orphans and vulnerable children of the nation. Thanks for joining us. Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan made an official visit to the Republic of the Philippines. Their Majesties traveled for 5 days from 26th January, and returned to Japan on 30th January safe and sound. During their stay in the Republic of the Philippines, Their Majesties received warm welcome from His Excellency Mr. Benigno S. AQUINO III, President of the Republic of the Philippines, and other distinguished persons. Their Majesties heartily enjoyed the opportunities of exchanges with the people of the Republic of the Philippines. Their Majesties mourned and paid tribute to those who died in the war, and prayed for peace. On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the normalization of the diplomatic relations between Japan and the Republic of the Philippines, it is truly a matter for congratulation that a great contribution has been made to the advancement of friendly relations between Japan and the Republic of the Philippines by Their Majesties visit. It is expected that this visit will strengthen friendly relationship with the Republic of the Philippines even further in future. (END) HOPE is a local foundation that helps women and their children in need. Bowls for Hope is a fundraiser to help their cause. The fundraiser features bowls made by art teacher Toni Satterfields students who are in the art program. The bowls will be auctioned, and all proceeds go to hope. The event also features live music and a desert auction. Charlestons Wesley United Methodist Church is hosting the event on February 23 from 5-7pm. Tickets cost $15 for dinner and a bowl or $5 for just dinner. Tickets are available at the door or call 348-5931. The participating groups invite the community to come experience an enjoyable evening supporting a good cause. The Democrats are proposing candidates that are not main-stream, middle-class supporting individuals. One person happens to be a senior Congressman that thinks Socialism is better than Capitalism. What will this candidates answer be when the monies run out to pay for these type of services? Look no farther than Greece. Another candidate happens to be running as the first woman for office. The Democratic Party seems to already have inaugurated this individual as their personal pick to run in November. The party has more qualified women to run than the one they have chosen. This lady lacks leadership and responsibility as evident by her past history. First, she was Secretary of State when four Americans were killed on her watch in Benghazi. She failed to provide security in a hostile area for her employees. She announced their deaths to be caused by a documentary video. This lady helped the Russians get American limited uranium resources. This lady placed emails from the State department on an open computer system without regards for national security being at risk. She operated outside the federal laws and destroyed documents and emails without government knowledge until after the fact. She has created lies, diversions, and deceit before Congress in sworn testimony. This individual and the Democratic Party have promised everything to win votes at the expense of the taxpayer. She claims to be for the working, middle-class citizen, but really she represents herself, not the American taxpayer. 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. 1. Comments must not be racist, misogynistic, homophobic, or otherwise bigoted. 2. Comments must not involve little more than name-calling and insulting remarks. 3. Comments must not be made by "anonymous" or "unknown". 4. Comments must not try to sneak in some free advertising for themselves (like spam). I invite anyone who wishes to comment on this blog to do so. I enjoy the comments, whether you agree with what I have said or not. But some people want to abuse the right to comment, and since this is my blog, I have decided to lay down the following rules. If your comment violates these rules, it will not be published. MSH is seeking candidates for a potential USAID-funded integrated reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) project in Ethiopia. The project will aim to improve interactions between families, communities and frontline health workers resulting in improved access to and availability of MNCH services. MSHs health systems strengthening expertise will be applied at all levels of the health system and across all health system areas to address major supply-side constraints and demand-side barriers to primary health care services, resulting in increased utilization of high-impact MNCH services in Ethiopia. Note: This position is subject to project award and funding. The Chief of Party is responsible for overseeing and managing all activities for the program and serves as the technical lead on selected program activities. S/he shall be responsible and accountable for the development, regular update, and implementation of the country work plan and budget to ensure attainment of the program goals and objectives in line with the project mandate and approaches, to contribute to the goals of the local USG Mission and that of government partners. S/he is the primary liaison between the project and the local USAID Coordinator/US State Government Health Officer, Government counterparts, stakeholders, and other project partners. The Chief of Party is accountable for the management of the office, provides strategic and technical guidance, and works closely with the assigned US-based Country Portfolio Director and MSH home office technical and operational staff, and other MSH and USAID projects in country to ensure the project plans and activities effectively achieve the project objectives. Specific Responsibilities Leadership and management oversight Provide leadership and management to ensure the achievement of contract/agreement goals so that expected project targets and deliverables occur on time and within budget. Develop and adapt as needed, and implement project management systems within MSH policies, guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures while ensuring local ownership, appropriateness and responsiveness. Maintain financial, contractual, technical, and political integrity of project. Develop, update and execute project results framework, performance monitoring plan, technical strategy, M&E plan and annual work plans as per contract/agreement requirements and MSH technical frameworks and standards. Ensure appropriate and timely documentation and dissemination of key results and deliverables for maximum project impact and business development using a variety of communication strategies and media. Relationship management Ensure effective dialogue and relationships with the project clients, beneficiaries and other local and international stakeholders. These will include but are not limited to relationships with USAID, the Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) and in-country partner organizations. Provide strategic insight into health sector goals and planning processes to ensure that project deliverables are in-line with FMOH strategic objectives. Navigate in-country partnerships with local organizations to facilitate collaboration across organizations and institutions. Technical leadership Provide leadership in the technical areas of health service delivery, maternal, child and newborn health, reproductive health, and family planning. Attend key national and international meetings and conferences to ensure effective results dissemination and promote project successes more broadly. Qualifications A minimum of 15 years of experience supervising complex, socially and politically sensitive projects, at least three years of which have been spent in COP or Deputy COP (DCOP) positions or their equivalents, is required; Advanced degree (Masters, MD, or PhD) in public health, health policy, or a related field, is required; Strong leadership, program, organizational management and communication skills, and a unique understanding of the Ethiopian social and political context is required; Strategic vision, leadership qualities, depth and breadth of technical expertise and experience, professional reputation, management experience, interpersonal skills, and written and oral presentation skills to fulfill the diverse technical and managerial requirements of the program is required; Demonstrated experience and knowledge in establishing systems and overseeing project start-up is required; Experience hiring and supervising personnel and ensuring they acquire the necessary training and skills to meet evolving program needs is required; Demonstrated experience interacting with other projects, host country governments at all levels, and international agencies is required; Fluency in English and Amharic is required; Prior work in Ethiopia, or similar context, is highly desirable; Strong background in MNCH, FP/RH and management of health systems in developing countries is highly advantageous but not required; Demonstrated ability to assess priorities and manage a variety of activities in a time-sensitive environment and meet deadlines with attention to detail and quality; Proven record of aligning diverse, multi-level teams with project mission and vision; Track record of, and strong commitment to, transparency and collaboration, as demonstrated by sharing knowledge, documenting experiences, supporting creative initiatives, and sharing credit; Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with senior-level colleagues, particularly interacting productively, proactively, and comfortably with government agencies, NGOs, private sector groups, USAID, Collaborating Agencies, and donor organizations; Demonstrated strategic agility, diplomacy, conflict management, team building, written and oral communication, and negotiation skills. EEO Statement Management Sciences for Health is an equal opportunity employer offering employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, citizenship, physical or mental disability, or protected veteran status. Reports To Project Director Supervisor ENERGY EXPERTS, POWER AFRICA EXPANSION Engility Corporation, building on IRGs legacy in international development, is currently seeking Energy Experts for an anticipated USAID-funded energy project in Africa. The project is intended to remove barriers to economic growth and to spur trade and investment by supplying electricity to unserved or underserved communities, while mitigating long-term greenhouse gas emissions trajectories through use of renewable sources of energy. Power Africa will serve as a catalyst that will spark a transformation in Africas energy and power sectors. The immediate outcome will be increased supply of and access to reliable, affordable, and sustainable power for millions of Africans and the enhanced responsible and transparent management of energy resources. RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES: Responsibilities assigned to the Energy Experts will cover a range of energy related disciplines and each expert will have the overall responsibility for delivering technical assistance packages covered by their particular area of expertise. Under the supervision of the Chief of Party, each expert may be in charge of other non-key experts in their domains of intervention and may act as Team Leader for specific activity areas, in addition to being responsible for quality control. Travel will be required to priority countries within Sub-Saharan Africa as needed. This is a contingent position based on funding from the customer. MINIMUM TANGIBLE QUALIFICATIONS: Advanced University degree in engineering, public policy, development economics, International Development, or another energy related discipline At least 7 years of development cooperation experience (in areas including policy and planning) in the energy sector in the African context Proven communication skills (oral and written) Knowledge of energy efficiency, environmental and transverse issues in developing country context Demonstrated spoken and written proficiency in English Demonstrated knowledge and experience working in at least one of the following areas: o Transaction Support for power systems Project Finance Sector restructuring incl. for instance the privatization of state-owned assets o Mini grids, small scale energy projects (<10 MW), and rural electrification o Mobilizing finance o Transmission & Distribution Utilities o Energy Efficiency and Demand Side Management o Policy & Regulatory Reform o Natural gas o Low emissions development strategies o Regional institutions & cross border power trading PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: 15 years of development cooperation experience (in areas including policy and planning) in the energy sector Work experience in providing technical assistance / capacity building in energy related policy and regulatory areas would be an advantage Work experience in energy sector reform in developing countries (in particular aiming at renewable energies, rural electrification and energy efficiency) would be an advantage Work experience in industrial and technological cooperation and in project demonstration would be an advantage Proficiency in French or an African language would be an advantage ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: SFO-Program/Officer 2016 1. Background The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has received funds from the European Union through its Somali Facilitation Office to support state formation, peace building and the political process in Somalia. ** Position Title:** Program Officer, EU funded Project Accountable to: Special envoy and Facilitator of SFO Job Group: Project staff Organizational Unit: Somalia Peace and National Reconciliation Office (SFO) Duty Station: Addis Ababa Opening Date: January 26, 2015 Closing Date: February 06, 2016 by close of business hour 5:30 PM 2. Job summary: Under the overall guidance of the Facilitator of Somalia Peace and National Reconciliation office (SFO) the incumbent will help to ensure that existing EU supported IGAD Program delivery and new design work is delivered to a high standard 3. Core Duties and Responsibilities: Oversee IGAD and implementing partners and contractors, to ensure the programmes progress smoothly; S/he will provide programme management support to ensure that the EU supported projects under IGAD Somalia Office fully comply with EU policy and procedures thereby contributing to EU Somalias strategic objectives, risk management, results tracking, and transparent reporting; S/he will assist in the management of the IGAD EU portfolio which will largely involve, but is not limited to, project cycle management including regular monitoring and evaluation, narrative reporting, Play a key role in ensuring documentation as regards the use of EU funds, from consultation on strategy through to reporting on risk and results; S/he will be responsible for managing EU IGAD contracts and payments and ensuring reporting requirements are met; Be responsible to take on internal communications regarding the EU supported projects and representation work on behalf of the IGAD Somalia Office. The officer will also represent the IGAD Somalia Office at donor and government meetings in consultation with the head of the office. The officer will participate in field visits, compiling and distributing donor reports, and negotiating better outcomes for the EU with partners in areas such as results tracking, risk management and value for money; 4. Minimum Requirements. a) A minimum of BA Degree from a recognized university ,in Business Administration, or any other relevant social science field b) A minimum of five years related work experience with a respectable organization, c) Knowledge of the IGAD region Specifically Somalia is mandatory d) High level of personal and professional integrity with strong analytical skills and ability to function well in a multi-cultural environment **5. Key Skills and competencies:**** Motivated and experienced development professional with the ability to deliver high-quality programming, budget tracking and detailed reporting. Ability to develop rapidly, strong organisational awareness of EU, IGAD and other donor programme management systems and requirements. Skill and competency to strengthen links and learning with similar EU funded projects in conflict contexts. Ability to work comfortably at a pace within a busy team that travels frequently. Strong interpersonal skills and orientation as a team member; Strong communication skill with ability to prepare, present and discuss findings in written and oral form. 6. Language Skills Proficiency in English Language is required. Knowledge of Somali Language is Advantageous. 7. DURATION The tenure of the assignment is fixed term for a duration of eighteen (18) months8. How to apply:** Only those interested candidates who meet the profile stated should submit their applications accompanied by a detailed CV, copies of both academic and professional certificates and testimonials, names and addresses of three reputable referees, contact details (e-mail, telephone) to the following address: Job Description VisionFund Micro Finance Institution (S.C) is an Institution established according to proclamation No. 40/96 to provide financial services to the productive poor in the rural and urban areas of Ethiopia. VisionFund is currently operating in four of the Regional States of the country. VisionFund MFI seeks to fill the following vacancy: Position: Intermediate Accountant Qualification and experience Requirements College Diploma or Degree in Accounting and good command of MS Word & Excel & G1 skill minimum of 2-years of relevant experience. Term of employment: Permanent Duty Station: Kolfe Branch Office Salary: As per the new institution scale (attractive salary and benefits) Closing Date: 7(Seven) calendar days from the first date of announcement. Women applicants are strongly encouraged to apply Job Requirements College Diploma or Degree in Accounting and good command of MS Word & Excel & G1 skill minimum of 2-years of relevant experience. Closing date: Feb 05, 2016 Your rating: none Rating: 0 0 votes How to Apply Candidates who are qualified can submit in person to: Kolfe, Sebeta, Adaberga, Kuyu, Ejere, Fiche, Lideta, Shola, Kirkos, Woliso, Wolikite, Hossana, Shinshicho, Sodo, Gibe, Gimbichu, Ambo, Lemon, Adama, Hawassa, Shashemene, Dilla, Yirgachefe & Sodo Branch Offices or VisionFund MFI Head office Located near Gerji Mebrat hail square or send your application, curriculum vitae names to: VisionFund Micro Finance Institution (s.c) P.O.BOX 31478 Addis Ababa OR can apply online on ethiojobs Telephone-0116478356-0116463568 2 total views, 2 today Mercy Corps is an international humanitarian organization operating Water and Sanitation, Economic Development, Livelihoods, Capacity Building, Emergency Response, Health and Nutrition and similar sectors in the regions of Somali, Oromiya, Addis Ababa and SNNPR. Mercy Corps works with communities, public, and private sectors to implement appropriate relief, recovery and development interventions. POSITION: Support Service Assistant Officer OPEN POSITION: One DUTY STATION: Moyalle POSITION SUMMARY The Support Service Assistant Officer is responsible for the Procurement of goods and services, for the management of the Fleet, Human Resource Management, Admin and for managing facilities. Work closely with Program, PALM, HR, and Finance. The Support Service Assistant Officer is instrumental in supporting program activities through his/her services. ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: Daily coordination of MC procurement activities; Has a full understanding of MC procurement policies and donor regulations. Procure goods and services in accordance with MC policies and donor regulations and within the minimum timeframes (lead time) in a transparent, accountable, and cost effective manner and facilitate the timely and efficient supply of goods and services. Assists staff as needed on creating clear and understandable purchase requests and other documentation. Track purchase request and ensure timely purchases including maintaining current and orderly files of all procurement activities. (photocopy of all transaction documents) Distribute request for quotations/invitation to tender and bid documents for suppliers and Obtain Performa invoices as per the specifications on the PR by self-driving. Prepare Purchase requests, Quotation Analysis, Purchase Order, Payment Requests, Service contracts, Invitation to tenders, Purchase Agreements, Preferred supplier Agreement. Maintain proper procurement files guarantee the confidentiality of all specifications and price quotations made by the supplier Remain informed about sources of supply, methods, services and materials. Interact with Vendors during collection of quotations and represent mercy corps in a professional manner. Assist and facilitate any import/export activities. Always accord prompt and courteous reception and fair and equal treatment to all Vendors/ suppliers and their representatives. Provide equal opportunity for vendors/suppliers to make price and specification quotations. Prepare payment requests and ensure that the necessary documents are attached for Payments. Follow up that payments are done on time for suppliers. Ensures timely and safe delivery of items/ goods to the warehouse with proper documentation and coordinate with the storage and transfer of items to field sites. Explain as clearly and fully as possible to vendors/suppliers the reason(s) for the rejection of their bids/proposals. Identify potential, credible and competent vendors for MC and maintain contacts with suppliers and conduct price comparison in order to get the best price and quality material. Keep records of supplier data base and maintain files of market prices for commonly bought items. Inform vendors/suppliers about current and anticipated requirements If, for any reason, one vendor/supplier is permitted to re-quote (submit a revised quotation), all competitors should be given the same opportunity. Re-quoting should be kept to an absolute minimum. Fleet Management Ensure that all vehicles are safe and road-worthy. Ensure that all vehicles have proper on-board vehicle documentation. Maintain administrative vehicle files for each vehicle. Continuous tracking of vehicle log-sheets; responsible for monthly compilation and submission of reports to Finance and Support Service Officer. Schedule vehicle use to meet programmatic and operational needs in cooperation with Support Service Officer. Transport agency goods and staff. Oversee and ensure proper use of the vehicles. Oversee fuel consumption, purchase and tracking in coordination with gas station(s) Organize cleaning of vehicles. Organize regular service schedules for vehicles and maintain service schedule files. Ensure major repairs are done in a timely manner. Report vehicle expenses from vehicle consumable tracking sheet in accordance with the respective procurement policy and file Monthly Vehicle Consumables sheet for each vehicle separately. Manage drivers leave schedules and ensuring smooth operation of the fleet. Ensure drivers of MC are licensed and trained. Participate in hiring and disciplinary measures of drivers. Ensure security measures for vehicles such as parking, storage of keys, emergency supplies, etc. Ensure that security incident reports are completed and filed. Ensure that accident reports are completed and filed. Collecting and distributing of vehicle log-sheets to drivers. Ensure that vehicles are insured; accidents are reported timely; communicate with insurance companies and follow up of the process. Oversee that annual vehicle inspection is in place. Report the status of the fleet, total number, type and location of vehicles when requested. Receive vehicle service requests from drivers and follow up of the maintenance process. Responsible for oversight of vehicle rentals including tracking of leases and payments. Assist on driving MC vehicles for duties other than procurement and undertake field assignments when assigned by the supervisor. Maintain vehicle log-sheets; Keep vehicle Equipment, tools, spares safely. Keep the vehicle clean and report needs and problems to Support Service Officer. Facility Management Ensure monthly utility bills are collected and payments are made in a timely manner. Bring any repair and maintenance requirements to the attention of the Support Service Officer; Act as the focal point for work orders for property improvements, needed repairs and maintenance. Facilitate the work order process including service procurement requests, service contracts, supervision of works and acceptance at completion as well as facilitate payment process. Routinely tour the MC premises and ensure facilities in all properties are in working order including electricity, water, roofing etc. Coordinate with Support Service Officer on following through with any needed repairs, purchases, etc. Handling inventories during move in and move out under the supervision of Support Service Officer. Negotiate with landlords, as needed, for repairs and permissions for maintenance and improvements. Focal person for collection of all mail from the post office and delivery to the Support Service Officer. Assisting the office by delivering and collecting correspondence from various government and international organizations. Provides driving service and assists in facilitation of various finance (payment and tax processing) and logistic (vehicle registration, inspection and maintenance) assignments as and when required. Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission in Ethiopia; Other duties as assigned. Job Description The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) has been providing relief and development services in the Horn of Africa since 1997. DRC has mainly focused on Somalis and South sudanes who are displaced by conflict. The regional Office is based in Nairobi, Kenya and we have other offices and operations in Somalia, Puntland, Somaliland, Kenya and Yemen. In Ethiopia, DRC, has signed an MOU with UNHCR and The Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs (ARRA) for the refugee projects and BOFED for the regional host projects,to support Refugees and host communities in Ethiopia. A programme is just being established in the Somali region of Ethiopia and Gambela region, promoting an initiative around the Development Assistance for Refugees framework, (DAR), in Refugee Affected Areas this includes addressing issues in the hosting area around the refugee camps as well as addressing durable solutions for the refugee population. Purpose To carry out the day to day WASH activities in Jijiga,Gursum and Babile woreda To manage and facilitate DRC Jijiga WASH interventions in Somali Region and the outreach progress areas included in this project. Empower the communities to be able to manage their issues by themselves and have the ability to sustain WASH projects Facilitate relations between DRC and the local communities. Represent DRC in all WASH cluster meetings and other relevant discussion at their capacity with a close coordination to WASH engineer and are Manager in Jijiga Key Responsibilities: Wash specific Responsible for all WASH interventions for DRC in Jijiga Ensure that DRCs objectives are disseminated and raise awareness of DRCs approach ensuring all implementation follows DRC policies and procedures Provide technical advice, backstopping and training on CLTS and H methodology. Facilitate communities, community based organisations and community leaders in identifying target groups for DRC WASH activities in and around target woreda. Help empower the communities to enable them to manage their issues by themselves and be able to sustain projects Ensure equal participation by all segments of the community, taking into consideration issues regarding gender, age, disability and clan affiliation Regularly monitor and evaluate the projects performance and provide timely inputs, feedback and impact of the DRC WASH interventions Play an important role in realization of project outputs and outcomes through timely implementation of activities in a well planned, organized and coordinated manner Develop and implement surveys and needs assessment in targeted woerada Programme management Together with WASH Engineer, responsible for preparing and implementing of annual and quarterly work plans Organize and implement training for communities as per identified needs. Report monitoring details back to DRC management Regular monthly, quarterly and annual reporting to as per agreed format. Supervisory Responsibility Monitor team performance and activity Collate monthly reports from other team members and send the reports to the WASH Engineer Participate meetings every Monday ensuring that appropriate brainstorming, problem solving and project planning techniques are used Manage team conflicts to ensure that problems are resolved constructively with direction from the Line manager. Facilitate ongoing self evaluation of the teams effectiveness Ensure that plans are entered into the standardized format and are updated on a monthly basis Representation and coordination To ensure that DRC maintains excellent and productive relations with all key stakeholders, especially beneficiaries, local authorities, partners and donors. Tasks include: a) representing DRC at relevant forums/ meetings, b) ensuring other staff are appropriately representing DRC at relevant forums/ meetings, c) maintaining agreed profile of DRC at Woreda/project level, d) conducting regular stakeholder analyses to ensure that DRC has good understanding of dynamics/ relationships, e) ensuring that all staff maintain beneficiaries and communities at the centre of DRCs stakeholder list, f) engaging in coordination processes amongst key stakeholders. Personal Specifications Essential: Degree/Diploma /Certificate of public health or related field Minimum three years experience of working in community development, and/or community mobilization. Experience of implementing WASH in communities Experience of working with Non-Governmental organisations Good in spoken and written English especially reporting Good communication skills and ability to conduct training Understanding of gender, protection and human rights Computer skills Good organizational and people management skills Ability to represent the organization and influence people Preferable: Somali language skills a definite advantage Engineering skills or knowledge Experience of construction management. Closing date: Feb 05, 2016 Your rating: none Rating: 0 0 votes How to Apply Interested candidates should send a CV and cover letter in English WASH Officer only through vacancies@drcethiopia.org. The applicants cover letter should state the reasons for applying for this particular position and not be generic. The cover letter should also include the applicants salary requirements. Please do not send additional materials other than a CV and cover letter, they will not be reviewed. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis before the deadline, and interviews will be held as suitable candidates present themselves. Deadline for applications is 5 February 2015 . We encourage all qualified candidates to apply. DRC considers all applicants based on merit. It is DRC policy to recruit, hire, train and promote individuals, as well as administer any and all personnel actions, without regard to gender, race, national, clan or tribal origin, religion, age, sex, origin or ancestry, marital status, social status, sexual orientation, or status as a qualified disabled individual. 5 total views, 5 today A before and after of the Hollister brothers' marker in a Middle Haddam, Conn., cemetery. Like this blog on Facebook | Follow me on Tw... Despite claims to the opposite, the increasing chances of Donald Youre fired! Trump changing to I, Donald do solemnly swear Trump is not a sign of the coming apocalypse. Granted, the end could be closer than we think when any billionaire steps off his Boeing 757 airliner and declares, I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldnt lose voters. Its more likely, however, that the apocalypse will arrive in something far less breathtaking than a 757 and far more mundane like, say, a Land Grant University extension bulletin. For example, heres a Jan. 19 bulletin from Kansas State University that explains (I think) one of the many local options to 2016 federal farm program benefits this way: ARC pays the difference between the (5-year Olympic average MYA Price (OAP) X 5-year Olympic average county yield (OACY) X 86%) - MYA price X actual county yield. For example, $6.70 wheat OAP X 35 bu. OACY X 86% = $201.67) - $5.00 MYA price X 38 bu. actual county yield = $190 =$11.67 per payment ac. X 100 base ac. X 85% = $991.95. And, as Im sure you noted while reading the explanation, this analysis is not complete because, of course, all is Subject to: Stop loss equal to 10% of gross guarantee or 10% X ($6.70 OAP X 35 bu. OACY) =$23.45 X 100 base ac. X 85% = $1,993. In this example, the payment is less than the maximum payment of $1,993, so FSA would pay $991.95 to the farmer. No, Im not making this up. Congress, however, did. Yes, its crazy and, yes, few on Capitol Hill or any hill between there and your farm know what this pretzel-bending really means. On second thought, this probably is more a sign of the times than a sign of the end-of-times. One sign that the apocalypse is near is the near-perfect dissidence on what the non-profit Center for Food Integrity says consumers want in food labeling and what farm groups say consumers will get in food labeling. Its simple: noted the very first sentence of a 2015 CFI report that compiled three years of detailed consumer research, if you increase transparency, you will increase trust. The two groups most responsible for that transparency are food manufacturers and (f)armers, explained Charlie Arnot, CFIs chief executive officer, to members of the American Farm Bureau Federation at their mid-January convention in mid-January. But while consumers trust farmers, Arnot told the AFBF crowd, theyre not sure they trust farming. Thats not clever double-talk; its an insightful explanation to the ever-growing disconnect between farming America and consuming America. In short, eaters like farmers but, increasingly, they dislike how they farm. That gap grew when farm and commodity groups successfully lobbied Congress last December to repeal Country of Origin Labeling for imported meat and poultry. No COOL means less transparency and, in turn, less trust of farmers by consumers. Its exactly what CFIs Arnot told Farm Bureau conventioneers not to do. Now, just weeks later, a new U.S Department of Agricultures Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook forecasts that U.S. consumers will see more imported, unlabeled pork in American stores because COOL Repeal Likely Means a Slow Increase of Live Swine Imports. Interestingly, slow to USDA means that Imports of Canadian live swine in 2016 are expected to increase about 9 percent, from 5.6 million head in 2015 to 6.2 million head this year. A 9 percent, 600,000-head increase in Canadian hog imports may not be apocalyptic to USDA, but the decrease it brings to domestic hog prices will trim U.S. farm profits while it pads global meatpacker profits. Thats a terrible tradeoff for farmers, consumers and the rural economy -- now or in the best of times. Jonathan Primo Fuego Galicia has been roasting coffee beans for 10 years. A lifelong coffee aficionado, he started cooking them first on his stovetop before he moved to a cast-iron pot over a fire pit in his backyard. Eventually, he and his wife, Nancy Galicia, bought a small micro-roaster, and they began roasting enough beans to share with friends and family. But after learning some family members had begun selling the coffee beans for a profit, the couple realized they had a product they could potentially share with the rest of the world. Their entrepreneurial vision took an unexpected turn last February when they attended an anniversary event at Natural Grocers in Omaha. While there, they tasted a coffee concentrate drink called Pur Java. The couple enjoyed the drink but realized they could improve it by providing its makers with their beans. They then approached the drinks manufacturer, TenBack Inc., about providing the company with coffee beans but were told the company was considering selling its coffee division. After some deliberation, the couple and one of Primo Galicias co-workers, Mark Metzger, decided to purchase TenBacks coffee division and start their own company, The Basket Is Full Inc. We ended up getting into this business by accident, Primo Galicia said. We knew that Pur Java was a good product, but we knew we could make it better." Since then, The Basket Is Full has continued manufacturing Pur Java and another drink produced by TenBack, Joe Fizz Coffee Soda, at 3939 N. 48th St. and has its products on the shelves of nearly 100 retail stores. In September, the company signed vendor agreements with Hy-Vee, Akins Natural Foods Market and Natural Grocers to supply those chains Midwest stores. Over the next five years, the company plans to expand aggressively and hopes to put its products on the shelves of 1,000 new stores and hopes to create 1,000 new jobs by expanding into Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Illinois. Primo Galicia said the company wants to sell its products in retail stores such as Baker's Supermarkets, Whole Foods and Family Fair supermarkets and in coffee shops and restaurants. Primo Galicia said he expects to see the company earning $750,000 in revenue by early 2017 and $1.5 million by early 2018. We are getting bigger, Metzger said. "Were getting larger. Wed like to continue to grow. However, The Basket Is Full has run into a financial bottleneck and has begun seeking funds to help cover the costs of raw materials, such as glass bottles and labels. Primo Galicia said the companys trio of owners has invested their personal savings into buying the coffee product brands and manufacturing equipment and didnt foresee the kind of growth in demand theyve seen. We did not expect it to move this fast, Primo Galicia said. The company has established a Kickstarter campaign to raise $8,000 but had only about $150 as of Thursday. Primo Galicia said the companys growth benefits the nearly 150 farmers it pays to grow its coffee beans in Central and South America, as well as in Yemen. He said the company has sought to provide enough income for its coffee growers to make them at least middle-class citizens in their respective countries. Growth also would allow the company to begin hiring full-time employees. Currently, its staff consists of the three owners, who've all kept their day jobs and have given themselves no salaries from their work for the coffee company. And growth would allow the companys owners to provide funds for a variety of philanthropic endeavors they support, including prevention of sexual assault and sustainable farming. Rising prices. Dwindling inventory. None of it so far has been able to slow down the Lincoln real estate market. Local home sales set an all-time record in 2015. According to data from the Realtors Association of Lincoln, there were 4,704 closed sales in 2015, which handily beat the previous record of 4,581 set in 2004. That total was spurred by sales of existing homes, which hit a new high for the fourth-year in a row and shattered the mark set last year. There were 4,104 sales of existing homes in 2015, more than 300 more than in 2014. The jump in sales came despite the fact that buyers continued to have fewer homes to choose from. The inventory of homes for sale stayed near decade-long lows most of the year, and the 845 homes on the market at the end of December was the lowest since January 1996. "It is still very much a sellers market in part due to the limited inventory," said Nicole Jensen, executive vice president of the Realtors Association of Lincoln. That lack of houses for sale also has played a role in driving up prices. The average price for an existing home sold in 2015 grew about 9 percent to nearly $173,000 while the median price, which is the midpoint price, grew nearly 7 percent to $144,200. Both of those were all-time highs. Prices also rose about 11 percent for new homes, but sales did not. There were 600 sales of new homes recorded by the Realtors Association last year, down from 629 the year before. It was the second-straight year sales have declined. However, the president of the Home Builders Association of Lincoln said he doesn't see anything to worry about. "It is down, but I dont see that minimal amount as a concern," said Justin Johnson of Hoppe Homes. "The statistics we follow are housing starts rather than sales, and so we keep an eye on the number of permits being pulled. In 2015 were showing 663 single-family permits, and thats equal to 2014," Johnson said. He noted that when you add in permits for town houses, there were 915 permits for homes in 2015, up from a combined 878 in 2014. Johnson said he's optimistic about 2016. "Overall the residential construction market appears to be strong and our builder members are reporting healthy growth," he said. "National economists are predicting home-building in Nebraska to be at least 90 percent recovered this year from the recession dating back to 2007. I predict well see even better numbers in 2016 compared to the last few years." Jensen said indicators so far don't show any likely slowdown in sales of existing homes either. At the end of December, there were 266 pending sales, up from 231 at the same point last year. "This is a good sign for a continued strong real estate market," she said. I am so, so happy that Francis Gardler, the photographer who joined me out west of Pawnee Lake, had gone to another assignment before my day spent learning how to start emergency and friction fires concluded. If he'd stayed until the bitter cold end, there would be photos of me ruining a little nest I'd made from wild grass and cattail bulbs I'd hand-plucked. It was supposed to stay intact as I struck a flint rod with the back of my knife to sends sparks into it. Instead, cattail fluff flew into the few remaining parts of my face that I could feel. It clung to my clothes. It went everywhere but up in flames like it was supposed to do. But all the while, Sam Larson stood near, trying to block a stiff wind in the brutal cold while I struggled to create a friction fire. I planned to go to Larsons first adult survival skills class and watch others learn how to start campfires without the aid of lighters or gas or overcooked pizza rolls -- the kind that Im more familiar with. I brought a fixed-blade knife, because Sam said to bring one, and I thought Id maybe jump in on one of the four fire lessons he planned to teach. But the brutal temperature factored into a couple prospective survival students of Larsons bowing out on Jan. 23. That left Larson to teach one enrolled student, Alex Russell, and me. Faster than you can spell hypothermia, I became a fire student, too. Russell had come out there with a growing interest in and a base of knowledge about bushcrafting. I came out there, caught a glimpse of a bushy tail bounding through the distant woods, and said, Hey, a deer. It turned out to be a dog that belonged to a 74-year-old rural Nebraska cross-country skier. (Dear rural Nebraska cross-country skier: If you read this, Id like to write about you, too.) If you watched Alone, which Larson, now 23, nearly won, the positive mentality that stayed with him for almost two months in the cold, damp Canadian woods is ever-present in his teaching style, too -- even when its 10 degrees out. In remote British Columbia, he laughed when a distant wolf returned his call and rejoiced when he caught a mouse in a primitive trap and grilled it for dinner. In the frigid temps here, he cracked jokes and shared un-aired memories from his Alone time as the three of us collected kindling from dead trees to add to the wood he brought with him to the campsite. He wasnt field-guiding at all times, but his experience both from enrolling in bushcrafting school and living remotely shone through. It felt as though you could point to just about anything in the woods, say, Whats that? and get a valuable answer from him. A few other things I enjoyed about Larson, from the perspective of a student: 1. He tried to sell us exactly zero products. Not one. On his blog, woodsongwilderness.com, he has a post up about finding wool clothing secondhand, on eBay, in military surplus stores, elsewhere. He told me that, even though the booming bushcrafting movement has brought along with it plenty of bushcrafter-endorsed knives, kits and whatnot, hes not interested in a garage full of inventory. He wants to teach, not sell. (His classes, of course, cost money.) 2. He makes a mean chili. He brought a stew pot full of chicken, peppers, onions and beans. It was, he admitted, a pretty simple recipe. Heated up on the campfire when it was freezing outside, though -- exquisite. 3. He's practical. I suppose it comes with the bushcrafting territory that, when faced with a challenge, you want to survive and advance. There's no time or energy for much else. When showing us how to build a bow for the bow-drill method to light a fire, he mentioned that you really only need to know how to tie six knots, saying the rest are for show. I dug that. 4. He taught me something about Vaseline. I had no idea how useful Vaseline was as a fire accelerant. A glob of petroleum jelly on a cotton ball burned long enough to get our kindling going. Throw a small jar in with your emergency kit. I longed for the cotton ball coated in Vaseline while failing repeatedly to get the sparks from the flint rod to catch the ball of cattail bulbs on fire at the end of the day. Russell lit his pile of brush in no time, leaving all eyes on me. After way too many minutes spent striking the flint rod, my arm had the same range of motion as a wiper blade frozen to a windshield. But Larson stood nearby, trying to block the wind and offer guidance. He wasnt going to let me leave without learning this. Finally, I spotted an ember tucked in the cattail bulbs at the middle of my wild grass nest. And all of a sudden, the bulbs and dried grass caught. After four hours in the freezer, my thoughts had grown rather primitive. As I watched it burn, I think I actually thought, Fire good. So was the class. If you're interested in a guided expedition -- canoeing and camping the Dismal over three summer days sounds pretty idyllic to me -- or a course in paddle carving or winter survival, it's worth a look at Larson's site, woodsongwilderness.com. Heck, it's worth it just for the Thoreau quote on the opening page: "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." Concert benefits Clinic with a Heart Clinic With a Heart is the beneficiary of Sundays Concert With A Cause at Southwood Lutheran Church, 4301 Wilderness Hills Blvd. The 3:30 p.m. concert will feature Christian composer/clinician Joel Raney of Oak Park, Illinois. He will be joined by the Lincoln Boys Choir and Southwoods Mixed Choir and Mens Chorus. Admission is free. A freewill offering will be collected for Clinic With a Heart, a healthcare ministry serving Lincolns uninsured and underinsured. To learn more, go to clinicwithaheart.org. Explore pipe organs at First-Plymouth First-Plymouth Church, home to the Lied Organ and Ruth Marie Amen Gallery organ, will hold a free workshop, Exploring the Pipe Organs of First-Plymouth from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the church, 2000 D St. The workshop will be led by Jeremy Bankson, associate minister of music at First-Plymouth. The Lied Organ is a 110-rank symphonic organ in the main chancel and is considered one of the largest and most versatile organs in the country. The Ruth Marie Amen Gallery organ is an antiphonal organ located in the balcony of the church. Both organs were built by the Schoenstein organ company. For more information, call 402-476-7565 or go to firstplymouth.org. Legislative briefing deadline looms Monday is the deadline to register for the annual Ecumenical Legislative Briefing Day being held Feb. 13 at Christ United Methodist Church, 4530 A St. The annual event begins with worship at 9 a.m., followed by three workshops at 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., and ending with lunch and closing address by the Rev. Kim Morrow, climate change resource specialist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Check in time is 8:30 a.m. Workshop choices include immigration, domestic violence, death penalty, education, climate justice, mental health and corrections, human trafficking, aging, poverty and water. The workshops will look the Legislatures response to the issues. Discussions will follow. This is the 41st year of the Ecumenical Legislative Briefing Day. The event is open to the public. Cost is $20 and includes lunch and a packet of information. Registration forms are available online at gp-reg.brtapp.com/2016NebraskaEcumenicalLegislativeBriefingDay. For information, email RubyThelander@gmail.com. Pancakes for PCAN is Tuesday Good Shepherd Lutheran School and Preschool will hold its Pancakes for PCAN, a fundraiser for the Pediatric Cancer Action Network, from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday in the church Fellowship Hall, 3825 Wildbriar Lane. Pancakes for PCAN is a freewill offering pancake feed. PCAN is a Nebraska-based nonprofit that financially supports families battling childhood cancer, while advocating for a cure through awareness, action and education. PCAN was founded by Mitch and Karri Alschwede of Lincoln after their youngest daughter was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 18 months. While the Alschwedes were able to meet the financial needs of their family at this time, they saw many other families who were struggling and decided to create PCAN. Last year, Pancakes for PCAN served 438 people and raised more than $5,000 to help local families affected by pediatric cancer. Financial Peace classes to begin Dave Ramseys nine-week Financial Peace University will be offered at Lincolns United Lutheran Church, 5945 Fremont St., at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 7. The course provides people with tools to gain control of their finances with DVD lessons on budgeting, relationships and money, getting out of debt, saving for emergencies and investing. Each lesson is followed by small group discussions. To register for the FPU course at United Lutheran Church, call Amber Maas at 402-314-6557. Submit your summer camp info Summer camps for children from preschool through high school abound in Lincoln, and we're compiling a list of them to run in an upcoming Sunday 402 section. Our list caters to just about every interest, including fine arts, computers, sports, robotics, vacation Bible schools and church camps. To be a part of the list, send information (dates, times, tuition fees, contacts, etc.) to calendars@journalstar.com. Deadline is Feb. 15. Thousands of people of all ages gathered outside the Capitol Building Saturday morning to participate in the annual Nebraska Walk for Life. For the first time in a long time, according to Executive Director of the Walk for Life Julie Schmit-Albin, the weather didn't hold people back. This is one of the most beautiful days weve had for this event, and its been going on for 42 years, Schmit-Albin said. Thats going to bring out a lot of people. She was correct. The event began with the distribution of anti-abortion signs and stickers, and much conversation from people who came to Lincoln from across Nebraska. Theres a real camaraderie for this day, Schmit-Albin said. Youll notice in the crowd that theres just a cross-section of Nebraskans -- theyre young, theyre old, theyre from all different ethnicities, they come from all different backgrounds. And theyre all coming together for one cause, and thats whats great. They might not agree on anything else, but they agree on this. Crowd member Vicki Geiger is a returning Walk for Life participant, and has one thing on her mind. I am just so determined to get something to change. If not the law, then peoples hearts." The keynote speaker for the Walk was former Planned Parenthood of the Heartland Clinic Director Sue Thayer. Thayer, who hails from Iowa, said that the Walk for Lifes cause is the most important thing there is. The caucus is coming up in Iowa and people are worried about immigration or the budget or all these different things, but all that matters is life, Thayer said. If we cant get that right, then theres not much hope for our country. Thayer, who spent nearly 18 years working for Planned Parenthood in Iowa, said she thinks she has a lot of information about the company that people need to hear. Ive seen the abortion industry from the inside and I think I have a really deep understanding of how money-oriented it is, Thayer said. We had goals for number of abortions at each center. It was all about the bottom line. And I think its important to let people know that. Nebraska City resident Randy Denniston makes the drive to the rally every year, and thinks he too has some inside experience that many others might not have. I have known a lot of women who have abortions and how its affected their lives after that, it seems to have been very traumatic and it never seems to get better for them, Denniston said. Just that sense of grief and loss and having not done the right thing. In the midst of all the excitement and enthusiasm of the rally, however, there was a group in the back who didnt share their attitudes. Several versions of pro-choice signs could be seen behind the crowd of an estimated 4,000. University of Nebraska-Lincoln student Carleen Glenn sat among those who were in opposition to the rally, and said she was there to show that there are more opinions in Nebraska than those who share the anti-abortion side. Pro-choice doesnt mean pro-death, Glenn said. I feel like a lot of pro-life people think that just because its pro-choice that were killing more babies, but its just having that option. Having that choice. Sam Mareno has gone to Planned Parenthood since she was 15 years old, which she said has given her extremely comprehensive health care in her times of need growing up. Planned Parenthood has a special place in my heart, Mareno said. I didnt have health care growing up because of income issues, so being able to go to Planned Parenthood and have access to that is very important to me, so I support and stand by Panned Parenthood 150 percent. Jamie Majurinen, who sat on the pro-choice side of the rally, said she attended the rally to represent who she believes to be an unspoken victim of the anti-abortion movement. Im here because everybody here says theyre a voice for the unborn, but were here because were a voice for women and we think women deserve say over their bodies, Majurinen said. We need people to know that. Of all the stereotypes of anti-abortion supporters, Schmit-Albin said theres one in particular that she believes is wrong. For years people have cast this light on us as if were judgmental people, and the pro-life movement is the most altruistic movement there is, Schmit-Albin said. These people are here not for their own benefit, theyre here for somebody theyre never going to meet. Several politicians were in attendance, including Gov. Pete Ricketts, who promised that in the end, we will be successful, in regard to his support for the Walk for Life. Speaker Galen Hadley told the University of Nebraska Board of Regents Friday he will try to push a bill allowing the university to publicly name only a single finalist for top administrator positions through the Legislature. Two years after sponsoring a failed measure exempting NU from laws requiring it to disclose application materials for four finalists in key administrative positions, Hadley said he will work to get this year's bill out of the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee. Hadley is among 11 co-signers to the bill (LB1109) introduced by Sen. John Murante of Gretna that would require NU to name only a single finalist for university system president and campus chancellor positions. The finalist would be subject to a 30-day public vetting period. During that time, the finalist would attend public forums for students, faculty and staff and meet with the media and other stakeholders. Only after the 30-day cooling off period could the Board of Regents vote to hire a new leader for the university system, or approve the hiring of a campus chancellor. I think thats a great bill, Hadley told regents Friday, adding he has participated in numerous administrative searches in higher education and believes universities are better served when searches are conducted behind closed doors. Your goal is to get the person that you need for that particular position, he said. Some people would like to have open searches and everything above board. Im not sure, as a general rule, you get the best candidates. Hadley said he agrees with Gov. Pete Ricketts approach to running government more like a business and that the university should be allowed to take a similar approach to hiring its top leader as would Union Pacific or a private institution like Northwestern University. I think we need it in the state of Nebraska, he said. Murante introduced the bill on behalf of Regent Howard Hawks of Omaha, calling it fundamentally different than any other proposed change to the states public record laws regarding naming finalists for public positions. Tenaska, the Omaha energy company run by Hawks, donated $1,000 to Murantes re-election campaign on Dec. 31. Regents did not discuss the bill Friday, nor has the board considered a resolution publicly supporting it. The discussion comes as NU is in the middle of a search for a successor to University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Harvey Perlman, who will retire this year. UNL Faculty Senate President John Bender, a professor in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications, said the senate will consider a resolution opposing the bill at its meeting on Tuesday. Common Cause Nebraska also will fight the bill, issues chairman Jack Gould said. We have to ask the question: Have we done so badly with the open search? Gould said. Have there been bad hires? If there are reasons for changing the law because we are getting bad people that would be something worth looking at. Gould said private institutions and businesses can name a single finalist because they are not funded largely through state tax dollars. What happens with a lot of people in high places is they forget the word public, Gould said. When youre running a university for the public, then it should be an open process. The first wall was raised on Habitat for Humanitys newest Lincoln home on Saturday morning. The ceremonial wall raising is done before construction starts on each of Habitats houses and includes introductions between the sponsors, donors and the future homeowners. There's a blessing over the house, the land and the workers. Once that first wall was standing, cheers erupted from everyone around. Wall raisings are always fun I think because its the start and everyones excited, said Lincoln Habitat for Humanitys Director of Development Christina Zink. Its just symbolic. Were starting the home, its a fresh start. Zink said Habitat chooses who to gift their homes based on income, willingness to pay, willingness to partner, and the family's need. There is an interview process, background checks and credit checks. They choose a number of families and they put in 300-400 hours of sweat equity, which is volunteer hours -- which is usually helping Habitat build other homes -- in place of a down payment for the house. Saturday's family successfully has completed their hours of sweat equity: Khidir Murad and Marian Mohammed -- who are originally from Sudan and Somalia, respectively -- and their four children will move into their new house at 330 NW 15 St. in about six months when building is completed. Im looking forward to the good future for my family and my kids, I want them to get an education, Murad said. So were going to have a good life, a safe life because we come from struggled countries, war and that stuff. Really we are really safe, and my kids, they are happy. Josh Hanshaw, the executive director of Lincoln Habitat for Humanity, said Murad and Mohammeds home is the second one theyve built on that block. Building in the same neighborhood definitely offers advantages. Were used to the area; the neighborhood has been very welcoming to Habitat and to these families, Hanshaw said. The families know each other and theyve got a lot of kids who are going to be able to grow up and play together here. So itll just be a really neat area for these families to grow up. Murad said being able to own his own house is a dream come true. I was so confused before about how I was going to buy a house, but right now it is a very good opportunity, Murad said. We get to have a good life in this house. Zink said one of her main goals is to drill home that this home is a hand up, not a hand out. I think people think that these families apply and then they just get a home, but they work very hard, Zink said. They go through a process that most people who buy a home dont go through. They work very hard and they have to pay for this home. We just give a zero-interest loan so its more affordable. Hanshaw, who spends time getting to know the families and preparing them financially for their new home, said spending time with them is one of the best parts of his job. Its very rewarding to get to know the families, know their stories and where they came from and what it is they want out of a home, Hanshaw said. More often than not its more than just four walls and a roof, its a future for their kids and a good neighborhood for their kids to grow up in. After Murads sweat equity hours, he said, he learned several valuable things about fixing and owning a home, and encourages others to spend time volunteering as well. I try to tell my community that helping is beautiful thing, Murad said. Getting people together and helping people together like that, I learned many good things from doing that with the Habitat. They teach me a lot. Im very surprised. Robert Bob Olson began his 40-year photography career inside a small office tucked away inside Lincolns Stuart Building in 1971. The space was loaded with camera equipment, a large drafting table and a burning desire to capture peoples finest moments -- weddings, sporting events, graduations, 10-year reunions, even fraternity and sorority parties. At the same time, Olson, who was born in Davenport, Iowa, in September 1944, was about to graduate with a degree in engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He had experience as a draftsman with Clark Enersen Partners, helping to heat and ventilate buildings including The Cornhusker, St. Elizabeths Regional Medical Center and the YMCA. He dropped it all to pursue his passion for special events photography, earning him the title of "The Picture Man." He got to help the party be a party, said his son, Chris Olson, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, last week. Bob Olson died Jan. 19 at age 71 after battling pancreatic cancer for more than a year, leaving a legacy of photographic memories behind. He could really document the time and the moment, Chris Olson said. It gave people something to look back on. The Picture Man, his brother John Olson and an entourage of photographers captured millions of moments throughout Nebraska in the years predating cellphones. Their trademark -- a bright yellow T-shirt. If someone in one of those shirts was hovering around a room, people knew to put on their best smiles. Knowing Picture Man would be at an event was such an amazing treat, said Kellie Allen of Santa Rosa, California. Allen shared more than 10 photos last week on Facebook shot by The Picture Man from her Alpha Delta Pi days. We waited in anticipation for the proofs to come out, she said. There were no other photographers that even came close to his reputation for quality pictures. But Bob Olson was more than The Picture Man. He was a husband, uncle, father and grandfather. And he shared relationships that spanned decades, including his friendship with Mike Edholm of Lincoln, the designer of Olsons famous Picture Man logo. Edholm met Olson during a scuba diving course on the shores of Green Bay, Wisconsin, in the early 70s. They became fast friends, and as Olson built his business, he asked Edholm to join in as one of his many shooters. Bob and John ran me and a number of other wannabes through the course, How to be a Picture Man, Edholm said. Then we were given assignments. Go shoot this party at the Gamma Phi house. The DGs are expecting to be at thus-n-such place for their party. Dont be late. As the daughter of The Picture Man, Lisa Diaz said it was like having a celebrity in the family. Growing up in the 80s, I was 13 and I thought my dad was famous, she said. Wed be in the middle of Chicago and someone would come running up to him yelling, The Picture Man, The Picture Man! One time the family was driving through Denver, Diaz said, and a car full of people recognized her dad. Bob Olson was a mentor to many people, especially college students interested in photography. He taught people how to take special events photos, but he also discussed life skills with them, said his wife, Judy Olson. Their godson, Jared Fisher of Detroit, said he wouldnt have been able to attend school in Michigan had Olson not introduced him to a former photographer for The Picture Man who went on to be a professor. Bob was always supportive of my automotive engineering career and entrepreneurial aspirations, Fisher said. Judy Olson said her husband never threw away a roll of film in his 40-year career. All of his pictures are still available. Parties. Graduations. Reunions. Weekend after weekend. Year after year. Said Edholm: Despite his being gone, I have the strangest feeling that one of these days my phone is going to ring and Ill be asked, Hey Mike. You busy this weekend? The pair of Panhandle photographers have staked out Chimney Rock every evening so far this year, ready for the sun to start setting on the national landmark. And so far this year, their cameras haven't captured the same tower twice. Something magical happens when the late light dances with the western Nebraska clouds, said photographer Sharon Henderson. Something dynamic. The spire seems to come alive. When the sun starts to descend, it happens so fast. I've never seen anything like it, she said. In 10 minutes, I can give you six to eight pictures that look like six to eight different people took them on different days. Which is good, because Henderson and Rod Russell still have about 335 more Chimney Rock sunsets to shoot before this year -- and their project -- is complete. * * * The idea began to take hold a couple of years ago, when Russell snapped a photo of the sun going down on the 325-foot rock. He'd been there before. His great-grandparents had decided to stop and settle nearby, and he spent his summers near the shadow of Chimney Rock. This was a special place for the hobbyist photographer. A special place in the birth of this country, too. Before the rock formation was on Nebraska's license plates, and then its state quarter, it was a symbolic sign for pioneers on the Oregon, Mormon and California trails, the midway milepost of an impossible journey. Chimney Rock is a monument, not just to the triumph of coming over but it really symbolizes to me the struggle and hard work and sacrifices, he said. That's what Chimney Rock meant to a lot of them. They made it halfway. All of that was in the background of that photo he took a couple of years ago. And in the foreground, a particularly interesting sunset. I got to thinking, 'How cool would it be to record a year's worth of sunsets?' He pitched the plan to Henderson near the end of last year. The two of them -- sometimes separately, but often together -- would record every sunset at Chimney Rock in 2016. They'd post their photos on Facebook and produce a book when the year was over. Made perfect sense to Henderson, who owns a photography studio in nearby Scottsbluff. I was in love immediately with the idea, she said. I love the way light hits that rock. * * * They were surprised by the reaction. Less than a month into their project, more than 1,300 people follow their Facebook page -- CR365 -- and some photos draw hundreds of likes and shares and dozens of compliments. I didn't realize the love people have for this monument, Henderson said. It reminds them of home. The coolest messages and letters are from people who don't live here anymore. They see the pictures and it makes them homesick. The public support motivates them, but it also holds them accountable. They can't miss a sunset now, not with so many people watching, waiting for the next photograph. It was a big commitment, she said. Even more so now. Sally Weekes checks the page nightly. Now she looks out her window at sunset, too, to see what the light might be like. Her great-grandfather, Frank Durnal, used to own Chimney Rock, and she grew up on his homestead, the monument just outside her window. She doesnt doubt the photographers can find a full year of different photos of the same subject. Looking at the pictures Ive seen so far, I havent seen one thats exactly the same. Henderson and Russell arent worried yet, either. From a photographers point of view, its kind of a gem, he said. It changes all the time. Its like a living thing. Especially when a few clouds move in. The perspective changes, Henderson said. All you have to do is take five steps and it will look so different it will blow you away. Their plans have changed since the first of the year. Theyre still planning their book -- one photo from every day of the year -- but now they plan to include Chimney Rock history and old photos, too. Theyve started selling prints through Hendersons studio. Nearly a month into it, theyre finding a routine. They text each other during the day, trying to handicap the clouds and the light. They each drive more than 15 miles to the monument, searching for their spots: Henderson likes to shoot from the east, the sun setting behind Chimney Rock; Russell likes to circle to the other side. They might spend 30 to 40 minutes out there, each of them taking about 200 photos. Then they edit those down to a handful of pictures. And they pledge to keep that up, every evening for the next 11 months. Were kind of married to it, Russell said. But honestly, our biggest concern is whenever theres a day that looks like its going to be overcast. One of the hardest things for players, students, and employees to do is to communicate with the people whom they perceive to be in a position of authority. Although there are generational differences and other reasons that people have trouble communicating with authority figures, an environment where there is an apparent one-way direction of information flow contributes to the challenge. In the case where authority figures try to create opportunities for two-way communication, negative body language, the lack of acknowledgement of ideas, or failure to follow through on suggestions, among other things, discourages effective communication. Ineffective communication does not inspire trust. Patrick Lencioni in his book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable describes this as one of the most fundamental problems for most teams. If you cannot establish trust among and between team members and the leaders, the team will be dysfunctional. Without trust and relationships, a team is a team in name only. It is therefore imperative to create an environment that promotes communication. My personal goal is to encourage my players, students, and employees, my teams, to ask their questions. I want the members of my teams to trust me enough to come and ask me why I am doing something the way I do it. There is usually a method to my madness. I am willing to share it with them, so I want them to feel free to ask me. I encourage them to ask how or what they can do to improve. Asking their questions, however, is really hard for some because of a lack of opportunity to practice in the past. Along with encouraging them to ask their questions, I do my best to respond to them, both verbally and non-verbally, in a respectful and empathetic manner. I try to follow the advice from Daniel Pink and use language that is not commanding or appears to be controlling. Instead of saying you need to or have to or should, I try approaching it by saying, consider or think about instead. It is a challenge to avoid using the controlling language, but in the long run it will help open channels of communication that promote interaction and engagement.